Natural Affinity

One Step Closer

Fred came to surprisingly comfortable. His eyes were closed, but he found himself warm with a gentle beating in his ears. It made him smile and snuggle deeply into the warmth- only to freeze when he heard a small murr above him. The boy finally opened his eyes to see his vision filled with white fur. He timidly moved his head back and looked up to see Xavier sleeping beside him, his arms wrapped around the boy protectively.

    At this point, Fred's face was on fire. He remembered hugging the raccoon and dozing off, but this was completely unexpected- not to mention awkward. As much as he did find the lotor comfortable to lay against, the thought of them sleeping together brought strange implications to mind. He had to question his emotional status while in the furry world. He felt like a part of him was feeling things that shouldn't be right- at least in some humans' views. He didn't know it himself, but if his constant blushing was anything to go on...

The boy stopped himself before his thoughts could go to an uncomfortable place. He decided to try and get out of the raccoon's grasp, grasping one arm and moving it up slowly. Unfortunately, the other arm was still free to snake around his waist and pull him to the furry's chest, another quiet murr sounding off as Xavier nuzzled the human's head. Fred wriggled slightly, accomplishing nothing but tightening the raccoon's grip on his body. He relented after a moment and relaxed, melting into the embrace like before. Perhaps he was being a little hasty here. After all, Xavier seems to enjoy cuddling him in his sleep- whether intentional or otherwise. He liked it too, even if it was awkward.

The peace only lasted a few seconds until he heard mumbling overhead. He looked up just in time for a pair of orange ones to gaze down at him and widen slightly.

Xavier let out a delicate cough, "Uh, how long have you been awake?"

"A few minutes, I think.", the boy replied.

He then noticed their position, "Have I been holding you this whole time?"

He got a nod as a reply, causing his ears to twitch in embarrassment. He only climbed into bed because Fred was so clingy earlier, and now they were in this position. It was strange to think about, yet it should've been expected. He liked the sensation of the boy pressed against him. It made him feel fuzzy inside, all warm and caring. Shaking the thoughts out, he moved his arm away and sat up, wiping the sleep from his eyes.

"Sorry...", he apologized as he averted his friend's gaze, "When you fell asleep, you wouldn't let go of me. Plus... I kind of enjoyed it."

"I-it's alright.", came the reply, "I s-sort of liked it too."

Putting his shock aside and wanting to get rid of the tension, Xavier decided to ask the one question burning in his mind.

"What did you mean by it?"

When the boy tilted his head, he elaborated, "When you were crying, you said you 'didn't want to be this way'. What did you mean?"

Fred's eyes widened as he started to recall what happened only hours earlier. Letting out a small sigh, he sat up and lowered his gaze. The air grew tense again, only a bit less than previously. He felt his ankle throb- not painfully so, but still enough to be noticed. He winced, rubbing his arm as his nerves started to take over. He caught himself and sighed again.

"I-it was my nightmare.", he said quietly, "I was alone and then I saw Lex. H-he yelled at me for running away. I tried to reason with him, but he didn't listen! He called me weak and said I never stand up for myself."

He started to shiver, "He was right about all of it! I never wanted to be like this, but I ended up drifting away from the world. Lex is one of the first furries I've met when I came here, and he's been nothing but kind! He was my friend, so why am I dreaming about him telling me these things? I-I don't want to be weak anymore..."

His eyes were shut tightly at this point, holding himself as he trembled. Xavier's ears flattened as he started to regret asking. Despite this, he had to know the meaning behind the boy's statement. He leaned over and held the human close, feeling him instantly calm down until he was still.

"It's okay. I'm sure Lex cares about you a lot.", he said comfortingly, "I can tell you had it rough, but I'm willing to help if you want me to."

Even if Fred agreed to it before, it could've only been his emotions talking after his breakdown. The raccoon truly wanted to help, even without that burning feeling inside. He felt sympathy for the boy, as they both had troubled pasts that changed them over time. It gave them something to relate to and build a relationship.

The boy looked unsure for a moment before nodding, "Alright."

"Good, now how about we get some breakfast?"

~~*~~

C POV

I'm looking through Barker posts in my office since there wasn't much else to do. I feel somewhat at ease knowing where Fred is, but the fact that he has him makes it bittersweet. I don't want the others to know too soon, else they'll get angry. Although, Jack is the biggest concern, along with Lex. They both grew attached to the boy in such short notice, though the latter of the two made that attachment almost instantly.

With the Barker posts, furries seem to be divided on how to feel about Fred's disappearance. Some think he doesn't deserve this while others simply don't want him around. As much as I want to berate them for being close-minded, it's the internet, where everyone is free to say what they want with a few small limits. I sighed, sometimes I really have to question why I keep myself so passive these days.

My thoughts were broken by the door opening. I looked and saw a gray wolf in a lab coat. He also seemed to have a clipboard in his hands. I recognized him as one of the scientists I had working on the Orbis Tablet. Back when Fred first appeared, I had a small team of experts work with Joana in order to try and activate it again.

"Sir, the examination team has made a break with the tablet.", he announced.

I had to perk up at this, "What have you found?"

"It's not much, but we've found a way to activate it.", he said as he looked at the board, "It appears to require a specific combination of symbols to be touched before the rectangle at the bottom- which functions as a trigger. The problem is that the effect is temporary, so at the moment it's impossible to use."

"I see...", I said as I processed the information, "Is there a way to prolong it?"

"We have some theories, but they'll need to be tested."

I nodded and sent him away. I was happy to know that we were getting closer to sending Fred back home, but I couldn't help but feel sad too. Even if I didn't have that much interaction with him, I found his personality charming- if a little amusing. Plus, I doubt the others would want to see him go either. Nevertheless, I'm in charge of this organization, and as such, I have to put his safety before my own feelings.

However, what if there's a compromise? Maybe I could find some way for him to come back. We may be able to use the second tablet he claimed to find. I don't know..now isn't the time for that. The main priority at the moment is to make sure Fred's alright.