This is a short work of erotic fiction containing furry, or anthropomorphic, characters, which are animals that either demonstrate human intelligence or walk on two legs, for the purposes of these tales. It is a thriving and growing fandom in which creators are prevalent in art and writing especially.
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Fourth of July Sweethearts
"It is going to be a night to remember!"
Hans sighed and leaned back in the armchair before the fireplace, which was stacked with logs even though it was early July. In fact, July the fourth. And Beth's family, like most Americans, were all set to celebrate in the peak of style that only they were used to. Their country estate set in rural US with excellent ties to the big cities - as long as the road links were - bustled with waiters and event staff, all primed and ready to receive their many guests of the evening. The line of trees bordering the long driveway, reminiscent of stately homes of times gone past in their little cousin of Great Britain, were draped with many lights, all twinkling sweetly as twilight wrapped the estate in her loving arms.
The bat, however, was yet to celebrate his first Fourth of July within the United States. And it was turning out to be just a little bit different to what he'd expected.
"Isn't it a little...extravagant?" Hans wrinkled his short, bat muzzle and waved a paw, trying to find the words to convey what he really meant. "I mean, I understand the holiday, but nothing seems to be as elaborate with my family. You have the whole, well, not quite the neighbourhood, but your father seems to truly have invited anyone who is anyone around here!"
Beth grinned.
"Father socialises. A lot. You know he's been in the military and ties there are strong - it doesn't matter how long you were there for, not really."
She paused, eyes flicking to the painting above the fireplace of her father in full military uniform. He'd been a Major General when the painting had been commissioned and progressed to Lieutenant General before his stint was up. Beth resisted the urge to salute the painting. For all her father was strict in their family life, he had a history to be proud of right at his back. He, for one, had not been idle when duty called. And she could only be proud of him for that.
"Did you bring everything you need for the party?" She asked, eyes flicking to his state of dress.
Although the bat presented himself nicely at all times, there was a certain level of class required for a Fourth of July ball and she pursed her lips critically, eyebrows raised. He took the hint and smiled charmingly, smoothly disarming any protests that may have passed her lips.
"Oh, of course, my dear." Hans stood and twirled on the spot. "I would not wish to embarrass you at such a high society event. I shall have my glad rags on and be dressed to the nines."
He spun and dropped into a sweeping bow, arm flung out to the side.
"For my sweetest and dearest should never be seen with anything but the cream of the crop and nothing else."
Against herself, Beth giggled, the wolfess covering her mirth with her paw. But it was too late - Hans had seen her giggle and grinned widely.
"Come on," he said, offering his paw to help her up. "Would you be able to look over what I brought to wear?"
He shook his head and gave a sheepish smile. For all his growing confidence with his sweetheart, sometimes the shy bat still showed through the more suave exterior. Beth tilted her head and gave a low, questioning "wuff". It was not as if he'd ever asked for her help to dress before.
By way of explanation, the bat spread his paws out, palms up, to either side of his body.
"I'm fairly confident that I have stepped up to the dress code in as mannerly a fashion as I am able. And I know you would not turn down the opportunity to do a little shopping if I have not quite managed to meet your expectations in this regard."
Beth smiled and dropped a kiss on his cheek, warmth spreading through her chest at how the insides of his large, bat ears turned pinker with her close proximity and touch.
"You know me too well. But will you ever stop being quite so formal with me?"
Hans held a paw to his chest, the wings extending down from his arms folded in close to his body.
"Oh, my dear Bethany," he said, eyes wide and using her full first name. "I cannot bear to imagine what you would think of me if I dropped every single one of my formal nuances!"
His lips twitched in the ghost of a smirk.
"It would be an utter travesty!"
Beth rolled her eyes, but could not wipe the smile from her muzzle. So caught up in their day to day lives, it had been a while since she'd seen Hans in such good spirits, what with all of his extended study. The bat was dedicated, but it did take a toll on the mind when undertaken without a break. Sometimes she wondered if the bat would ever choose to finish his education at all. He certainly had enough money to continue for as long as he truly pleased. Just like her family.
"Of course it would. Now, come on. Let me see what you brought along with you for the ball. There is a tailor who will come out to the estate on short notice if you need anything adjusting at all."
Thankfully - or perhaps somewhat disappointingly to Beth - Hans' attire was suitable enough for the ball, if not quite up with the latest trends that Beth would have preferred. She still had him suit up in his full outfit, if only to see just how well the tailored suit draped over his body, giving him shape and form that his regular, everyday attire simply did not seem able to capture. Licking her lips, Beth twirled her finger in an unspoken instruction, ears pricked; the bat obediently turned slowly on the spot, pivoting on one hind paw. How was it that he'd managed to find a suit that so wonderfully accentuated his fine rear without being overtly sexual? She'd never know, yet she could still appreciate the effect.
Beth, however, did not have the same issue with her attire. Everything designed for the female form was to show off one's best features while smoothly concealing the rest. Not that she needed any 'less than perfect' spots hiding; the wolfess would stand smiling at her own bare body - or dressed, for that matter - in the mirror for hours if left to her own devices. Some said that she was vain, but she would only have replied, if she'd even paid the comments any mind at all, that there were enough females that loathed their own bodies that she was making up for it simply as she was.
Self-confidence was becoming a rarer and rarer trait in furs of the female persuasion as they stepped further and further into a male dominated world. But Beth was certainly not one to let such an insignificant nuance get the better of her - oh no! Not a chance in heaven or earth.
She smirked at her reflection in the mirror and tapped the side of her muzzle as Hans undressed, changing back into his regular clothes so that his suit would remain fresh and pressed for the evening ball. Her outfit had been chosen by weeks - all designer, of course. She wouldn't have gone for anything but the best, as her sweetheart had said. She blushed minutely and tipped her muzzle away, even though the bat was not looking at her. He was getting to know her well: better than anyone else.
Hans did not notice the warmth in her cheeks and ears as they left the dressing room, Beth with a secretive smile stretching her lips. He'd almost been shocked that there was a private fitting room in the estate house, but had recovered himself admirably and swiftly. Although his family was wealthy, sometimes he forgot Beth's position in the grand scheme of wealth, even though it was her intelligence that set her right for her studies abroad.
But such things did not matter when the lovers were alone, out of bounds of all that would have only have seen them together for the power their joined status brought. Beth swallowed hard, darker thoughts clouding her mind as they wandered through the grounds, the grass soft beneath her hind paws, clad in sandals. Her sundress floated around her legs as they walked, paw in paw, a companionable silence lending peace to their surroundings.
Beth sighed and shook her head, catching the bat's attention. Hans gave her a questioning look, stretching out his arm to rest his paw on her opposite shoulder. She gladly stepped into his comforting warmth, his leathery wing resting down the length of her back.
"Is there something on your mind, dear?"
Beth winced and would have shaken her head if she'd thought she could've gotten anything past the bat. Hans brushed his lips over her hair, lips tickling the brunette strands as they padded lightly into the trees. The wolf groaned softly as delicious pools of shade flickered onto her fur and she stretched out her free paw, wiggling her fingers as if she could draw just a little more of the sun's warmth from them simply by spreading them out.
But Hans was still waiting for an answer - rather patiently for him - and she took a deep breath, breasts lifting with the expansion of her lungs.
"Has any more been said about..." She waved her paw vaguely, tongue pressed to the roof of her mouth as if she could trap her words behind it. "You know... The thing."
Hans pressed his lips together.
"I did not believe that was still on your mind, Bethany."
She cringed at his formal use of her name. The topic was a sore spot still, that much was sure.
"It's not something I can really get off my mind. You know everyone expects it to happen - sooner rather than later too."
Hans sighed.
"Our engagement is not official as yet."
Beth shrugged, rolling her shoulders back and tugging her paw from his grasp.
