>"Natural-" You interrupt him
"Oh and you could probably do with some more milk, it looked quite empty when I was surveying the fridge."
>"..Thank you Opera. Anything else?"
"Not that I can think of"
>You smile sheepishly
>You just interrupted Anon
>Quite rudely at that
>You take a breath to calm your tits
>He'll have to live with it - and he's said he will
>Hell, he seemed worried when you were trying to be all dignified and professional
>He probably doesn't mind a little bit of spine
>You trot alongside him as he makes the rounds in an obviously familiar route
>You see him adding some mayo to the cart
>You take a closer look and analyze it without even making a conscious decision to do so
"Anon, if I may be so frank, that mayo is not healthy for you - and it's expensive as well. I recommend that you find a substitute that's more beneficial to your health and wallet."
>Anon sighs and you mentally slap yourself
>You've got no business being a nosy Nina, interfering with his lifestyle choices
>"I appreciate the sentiment Opera, I really do."
>He leans down and tussles your mane
>"Thank you for informing me, but organic beings aren't always 100% logical, and the sooner you accept that, the sooner you'll gain peace of mind. Besides, I fucking love mayo, and this brand in particular."
>You nod, feeling a little defeated
>But you decide to not bring him down about something this fucking trivial
>So you chirp "Of course, Anon! I'll keep that in mind!"
>He seems to accept that
>As the two of you near the checkout register, you notice he adds a 5-pack of toothbrushes to the cart
>You look at him
"I thought you had a toothbrush already?"
>"Yes, although most dentists recommend getting a new one approximately ever 3 months to ensure maximum brushie efficiency. Besides, you don't have one, and damnit if I'm gonna let your teeth rot out of your skull."
>You chortle at the mental image of that happening
"Okay, okay, I see. I'm still gonna have a hard time brushing with hooves though."
>"True, but I'll help you with that. Trust me, clean teeth feel better."
>You make your agreement clear with a simple 'Mhm'
>Anon proceeds to pay for the wares
>Then goes to sit on one of the benches outside the store, bringing the bags with him
>You thought you were going straight home
>Apparently not
>You hop onto the bench beside him
"Penny for your thoughts, Anon."
>"I saw how uncomfortable you got. Fully understandable.
>He puts his hand on your head and rubs your ear
>"I know it's not easy, but I was thinking we could try to ease you into being out around people in public."
>You lay your head on his lap and sigh
>Before you get out anything resembling a word, however, someone speaks to anon
>You turn your eyes and see a little human - probably 6 or so - is standing over you
>He's asking Anon if he can pet you
>Anon gives you a questioning look
>You nod, and he gives the okay
>You turn your attention to the kid
>He smacks his hand down on your head an pets you vigorously
>You bite back a few yelps of pain
>Instead you lick his other hand
>You figure he might be used to dogs doing that, so that could put him at ease
>His hand is sticky with something sticky and incredibly sugary
>He laughs like he's been tickled
>Seems like a sweet kid
>If a bit blunt
>His petting does get better
>Somewhat enjoyable, even
"Mmmm, thats good, thank you"
>Oh shit
>He's probably not used to talking hors-
>"Ohmygod she talks too! So cute!"
>Before you know it, he's wrapped his skinny little arms around your neck
>Help
>You make a slight choked sound
>Miraculously, he gets the hint
>Then he swivels his head towards the sound of a loud woman
>His mom, you wager, probably calling him
>"Byyeee!" He says before grinning and running off
>You now see why adults figure kids can be a handful
>Hoof-ful
>Whatever
>Anon seems more than a little bit amused
>You try to glare daggers at him
>Instead, you laugh with him
>Your first experience interacting with a total stranger in public seems to have gone decently
>There's been no blood or tears
>Great success
>People are staring again
>Though some look less judgmental than others
>Some are even smiling
>Unsure of what exactly to do, you just smile back
>"Hm...seems like this could work out after all"
>Anon massages your ear very softly
>You give a silken murr
>And then he stops
>You believe he just
>Searching..
>Blueballed(?) you
>He stands up, grabs the bags and heads to the car
>"C'mon Opera, we should get these groceries home and into the fridge before they spoil."
>Cocktease
>You follow him anywho
>The car ride home seems to pass much faster than the ride to the mall
>That's the principle of relativity, isn't it?
>Or at least your mangled definition of it
>You arrive home and go inside
>Anon installs your litterbox
>You can't help but be a little embarrassed
>You're gonna crap in a box
>Sigh
>That'll take some getting used to
>Oh well
>You would help Anon put the groceries in the fridge, but you'd just get under his feet
>As he finishes, he takes a carrot and holds it out to you
>You start nibbling it
>Yum!
>This shit is delicious!
>Well, not literal shit
>You ravenously gobble the orange crunchy thing, and pretty soon it's gone
>You feel a strange feeling bubbling up your throat
>BURP!
>Oh sweet merry gosh!
>You turn red as a lobster
>Meanwhile, Anon is rolling on the floor, laughing so hard he's gasping for air
>You walk over and lightly buck him in the shoulder
>He laughs a bit more, then winds down
>"I'm sorry, Opera, that was just kinda hilarious."
>You roll your eyes
>"So, was the carrot good?"
"It was."
>"Come with me, I'd like to show you something. An experience, if you will."
>You do your best imitation of a shrug and trot after him.
>Into the bathroom
>Wat
>He takes a toothbrush out of the new package and puts some toothpaste on it.
>"Time for brushie brushie" he says cheerfully
>Who are you and what the fuck have you done with Anon
>Okay, so you don't actually say that
>...
>Maybe this is is weird fetish
>Possible, but you don't know
>Either way, you figure it can't hurt to let him go through with this
>You gingerly open your mouth
>He uses his free hand to open it a bit more
>Then he gently starts to brush your teeth
>It tastes of spearmint
>And it feels..
>Weird
>Not directly unpleasant, though
>He's very thorough
>He gets rougher and quicker
>He is now violating your orifice with a phallic object
>You're simultaneously embarrassed and turned on
>You consider swallowing
>Then you consider that that might not be a good idea
>After making sure every square inch of your mouth is scrubbed, he lifts you up to the sink
>"Spit."
>You do so
>He fills a cup with water and brings it to your lips.
>"Rinse, then spit."
>Again, you comply
>"Atta girl." he says as he puts you back down onto the floor
"Anon, with all due respect: What the fuck was that?"
>"I'm..not sure, the urge just came over me. But I didn't hurt you, did I?"
"Well, no, but next time, please ask and please provide an explanation, will you.
>"I'm sorry. And yes, will do."
>He looks ashamed
>Now you know what he meant about not being 100% logical at all times
>You canter over to the couch and jump onto it
>Anon sits beside you
>This silence is an awkward one
>Not the good kind in that Pulp fiction quote
>Anon sits beside you
>This silence is an awkward one
>Not the good kind in that Pulp fiction quote
>A few minutes of silence pass
>You clear some space on the couch
"Anon, please lay down on the couch face down."
>He looks incredibly confused
>But complies
>You use his shoulder as a stepping stone to his back
"Please relax as best you can."
>You start treading on his back, trying to work out the tension
>There's a lot of it
>It'd be easier to massage him if you had hands
>Alas, no such luck
>As you tread up and down his back, you hear a few pops and cracks
>He tenses in pain, then goes limp again
"Anon, I don't want this to sound too serious or...'naggy' or whatever, but it's alright. I get that you had a little slip-up. Hell, the entirety of my existence this far has been slip-up and breakdown one after another. And you realize that you did something like that and feel bad. That's, from what I gather, surprisingly rare. You don't strike me as an evil person. You want me to have it good, and I want the same for you."
>You emphasize the point by nuzzling his neck
"I've forgiven you. I hope you'll do too. No harm, no foul and so on."
>You try to work out some of the remaining knotted muscles in his back
>You hear him give a deep sigh of relief
>You get off his back and sit by him
>He sits up
>"Thank you Opera, both for the massage and for forgiving me.I wasn't expecting that to happen so readily, but I don't mind."
>He opens his arms
>You gladly hug him
>The hug lasts longer than it has any right to
>Who cares
>After a while, you both disengage
>"So, Opera, I was thinking, since we have a good bit of free time, what do you say we take a trip outside of town and let you experience something other than my place and the city."
>Is he kidding?
>You'd love to!
"That sounds absolutely wonderful!" You honest-to-goodness swoon
>At the thought of a big strong man taking you on a romantic trip
>Way to set back women and feminism a few decades
>And now you feel a bit guilty
>Fuck it, you can live with that
>You both head out to the car and he gets to driving
>You have to admit, the cityscape is actually sort of pretty
>Especially with the sun at its zenith, such as now
>You just now notice Anon drives stick
>That thought doesn't go anywhere
>Just something neat you noticed
>He's a very focused driver, it seems
>A jammed intersection comes up
>You decide to play some music to make it less tedious
>You pull up that youtube search he asked you to when you bugged out
>Virus-check
>You play a clean vid this time
>Adjusting volume to non-ear rape levels
>Anon looks over in surprise, then smiles
>As the vid ends, you see traffic hasn't budged much
>Yep, definitely concurrent with what Anon told you
>You check out Anon's facebook, more specifically likes
>And then you head to YT
>And put on a playlist of 'the offspring'
>He grins
>"Suddenly I'm seeing the upsides in a friend who's also an internet browser."
>You raise an eyebrow
"You didn't before?"
>"Well, I regarded you as more of a person than just a web browser. So I almost kind of forgot, I suppose."
>You give a little squee
"That means a lot to me, you know that?"
>"I figured it would, if only because I would feel the same way, given those circumstances."
>You have another silence
>A pretty decent one
>Eventually, traffic does get moving again
>You get out of town
>Fields are plentiful
>Anon makes a turn up towards the mountains
>The air gets less polluted
>There are lots of rocks
>And trees
>Plus some gorgeous views
>He parks in a clearing a bit away from the path
>"I was thinking we could take a hike"
>You nod and hop out of the car
>He locks it, and you follow as he heads along a narrower dirt path
>You take a deep breath, getting a lungful of thin, fresh mountain
>Very refreshing
>You take in the sights and sounds of the surroundings
>So many tiny sounds
>Stretching your legs has done you a world of good
>But now they're itching for something more high-intensity
"Anon, is it safe for me to run ahead and burn off some excess energy?"
>It sounded a lot calmer in your head
>Instead, it came out in one long mess
>He nods, though
>Perfect
>You take off in a gallop
>HOLYSHITTHINGSAREWHOOSHINGBY
>SO
>AWESOME
>You laugh uncontrollably
>This is the best thing ever
>You jump over a few obstacles, like roots and rocks
>Feelin' like a pro
>You kick up the pace another notch
>Dead sprint straight ahead
>So incredibly liberatin-
>Oh fuck!
>There's a gigantic fuckoff tree in the way!
>You throw yourself into a desperate turn
>But your inertia carries you along the original path, like a drifting car
>Fast and the furious 8, horsie drift
>You smack into the tree's trunk, side first
>Owowowowowowow!
>Ooowwww!
>That shit hurts!
>Like, a lot
>But fuck it, a bruise is a small price to pay for so much fun
>You get back onto your feet and head further along to path to find a better place to wait for anon
>You get to a stone bridge with a little waterfall behind it
>The trees don't grow as tightly around here
>Which lets in more sunlight
>You sit down on your haunches and admire the view, tail swishing
>Poor Anon, having only two feet, none of which are developed for the kind of running yours are
>Though you admit it's nice to spend some time with yourself and your thoughts only