Flirting, Living and Wolf

The curtain glowed a soft white as the sun rose, light slowly filling the room.

Joash’s eyes snapped open ungracefully, the events of the previous night rushing back to him all at once. But two things were wrong.

First - he didn’t remember pulling the blankets over himself.

Second - he didn’t remember being unable to move.

The answer to both became obvious immediately.

Foebe was lying on top of him, her tail wagging enthusiastically beneath the blankets she’d clearly pulled over them at some point during the night. Her elbows rested on his chest, propping her up as her head sat comfortably in her hands. She smiled down at him the moment she realised he was awake.

“Good morning, love.”

Of course, she was completely unclothed.

And so was he.

It was hard to put clothes on when you were exhausted.

“Good morning, honey.”

She didn’t move. Didn’t say anything else. She simply stared at him, tail utterly refusing to acknowledge that it was trapped beneath the covers. He stared back, catching a tiny reflection of himself in her amber eyes - difficult, given how small it was.

A solid minute passed in silence before she giggled.

“You’re so cute.”

He smiled softly.

“I don’t compare to you.”

Finally, she let her head drop, resting it against his collarbone as she wrapped her arms around him.

“You’re so hot…”

He stroked her head, the feel of her bare chest against his far more distracting than he’d ever admit.

“You’re so perfect.”

She giggled again.

“You’re so strong.”

“Okay,” he said, amused, “that one’s not true.”

She lifted her head, resting her chin on his chest.

“Yes it is.”

He chuckled.

“I’m cheating, though.”

She settled back down with a huff.

“Well, I’m the one helping you cheat, and I say you’re not cheating, so you’re not.”

He laughed, slipping his arms beneath hers and pulling her upward until her face hovered above his.

“In that case,” he said, “you’re so sexy.”

She giggled, kissed him, and finally rolled off his body.

“I’m satisfied.”

He tilted his head to smile at her.

“That’s all it takes?”

She grinned unabashedly.

“I’m always open to more.”

He sighed wistfully.

“I’d love to, but-”

His stomach interrupted him loudly. She burst into giggles as his face flushed.

“…that.”

She didn’t even try to hide her amusement.

“Okay,” she said, still smiling. “Let’s go have breakfast.”

A few minutes later, they were fully dressed. Chisaki looked up from her housework as they entered the dining room and immediately sucked air through her teeth.

“I’m sorry, we ate breakfast an hour ago! Reika knocked, but no one answered, so we decided to let you sleep.”

Foebe nodded, suddenly remembering that she’d forgotten to turn off the noise-cancelling blessing she’d placed on the walls.

“That’s okay. Is there anywhere in Karawa that serves a good breakfast?”

Chisaki nodded without hesitation.

“Of course! I’d recommend the Citrone. It’s about a ten-minute walk from here, right in the city square. You can’t miss it.”

Foebe nodded again.

“Thank you very much.”

“You’re welcome!” Chisaki smiled - then paused, eyes narrowing thoughtfully. “Oh, and by the way… your skin is looking lovely today. So shiny! What did-”

She froze.

Realisation hit her squarely in the face.

Foebe didn’t give her time to recover.

With a quick spin, she grabbed Joash’s hand and dragged him out of the house and straight into the already-busy streets.

Citrone had a friendly vibe. The small café-esque shop was quiet now, the breakfast rush long past. Only a handful of customers remained, none paying much attention as the pair walked in, a bell above the front door tinkling softly.

A cat-eared girl behind the counter - a subspecies known as poti - looked up and smiled.

“Welcome! What can I get for you?”

Foebe smiled back easily.

“Two breakfast fruit bowls, please.”

The girl nodded.

“I’ll be right back!”

Joash glanced at Foebe as the girl disappeared into the back, surprised that she hadn’t asked for his opinion or even let him see a menu. Foebe caught the look and winked.

“Trust me.”

He shrugged.

A minute later, the girl returned carrying two bowls filled with fruit Joash couldn’t hope to name. She set them down with a grin.

“Here you go!”

Foebe blinked.

“You’re not going to ask for payment?”

The girl giggled.

“Of course not! We know who you are. A claim will be sent to the palace after you leave Karawa!”

Foebe laughed.

“Sure. I’ll tell them to give you a bonus.”

The girl beamed.

“Thank you very much! Enjoy your meal!”

Joash followed Foebe to a small table by the window, and they sat opposite each other. She watched him closely, grin widening.

“Go on,” she said. “I want to see your reaction.”

He eyed the bowl warily, the silver fork beckoning. It looked innocent enough - but Foebe’s expression suggested otherwise. Carefully, he picked up the fork, speared a small yellow cube dripping with juice, and raised it to his mouth, never breaking eye contact with her.

The moment it touched his tongue, something was wrong.

It moved.

Not because of anything he was doing - it squirmed on its own, desperately trying to flee toward his cheek like a living thing.

He spat it straight back into the bowl without hesitation.

Foebe burst into laughter as he spluttered.

“What was that?!”

She clutched her stomach, barely able to breathe, drawing a few curious glances from the other customers - who quickly worked out what had happened and chuckled among themselves.

“I thought that might be a shock…” she managed, tears of laughter in her eyes. “Fruit here reacts to heat and tries to move away from it. It’s not alive, don’t worry. But your face… you should’ve seen your face…”

That explained it. He couldn’t help but laugh with her.

“You meanie.”

“S-sorry,” she said, still giggling. “But that made my day.”

He grinned.

“Well, then it was worth it.”

He stabbed the same cube again and popped it back into his mouth. It tried to escape once more, but this time he bit down.

The fruit burst, sweet juice flooding his mouth and running down his throat. It was undeniably delicious.

Foebe, meanwhile, had stuffed her mouth as well, still laughing, juice trailing down her chin as she hastily wiped at it. He chuckled.

“Like an overexcited child.”

She snorted, nearly spitting out her mouthful before hurriedly swallowing and gasping for air.

“You meanie!”

A grin spread across his face.

“There. Got you back.”

She laughed again, bright and unrestrained.

Joash had a feeling the day was going to be a good one.