Slushi was strolling along the sidewalk, looking pretty excited. She stopped for a moment to check her bag, which was full of DVDs and USB drives. The DVDs had anime and drama TV shows, while the USB drives had episodes and movies of the same shows. She rummaged through her bag, worried that something might be missing or misplaced. But to her relief, everything was in order. Satisfied, she resumed her walk, moving quickly and lightly on her feet as she made her way down the street.


*knock knock knock*

Slushy stepped back a bit, hearing the footsteps make their way to the door. 

The door opened, revealing Sarsaparilla, a red panda woman, orange-yellow in color, she matched her name quite well.

“Oh, Slushi! Right on time, come on in sweetie, make yourself at home!” she warmly welcomed Slushi in. 

“Thank you Miss Sarsaparilla! I hope I’m not too much of a bother with Sody,” replied Slushi.


“Oh nonsense, you’re no bother, if anything, I have to thank you for watching over him. Gosh, I've been so busy at work these past few days.” Sarsaparilla sighed. “I just feel a bit too demanding with me asking of you today, I know you said today is the premiere of a movie you and your friends were gonna watch.”

“It's no problem. Taking care of Sody is my pleasure, besides, I can go see the movie some other day. He’s a pleasure to be around, even if a bit too energetic." Slushi said with a small chuckle.


"Oh he is, isn't he?" Sarsaparilla joined in with her chuckle, reaching the living room she turned her attention to her son, Sody, who was absently sitting on the couch. 


His attention was on the TV, flipping through channels with a bored expression.


"Sody, Slushi is here!"


His ears perked up, turning, and smiled with a shiny grin. 


"Slushi!!! You're here!" Throwing the remote to the side he jumped off and ran up to her. The pitter-patter of his paws on the carpet softly picked up speed. “You're here! You're here! You're here! You're here! You're here!”

His paws softly wrapped themselves around Slushi’s waist, squishing his head and fluffy fur into her stomach. A small but welcome nuzzle from him made Slushi smile in delight. She was always glad to see the little tyke smile and seem cheerful, it was the highlight of her day anytime she took care of him. While she did feel disheartened about missing the premiere of a movie with her friends, seeing Sody smile was always better than any movie.

“Heyyyy, good to see you too Sody!” Slushy replied, joining in on the hug herself.

“Good to see you two get along so well,” Sarsaparilla said. “If I didn't know any better I’d say that Sody sees you like me. A mother.” Sarsaparilla giggled.

“Aww, that’s cute, is that right Sody? You see me as a mom?”

“W-well…I mean…” Sody stuttered out a short and flustered response.

Sarsaparilla and Slushi both giggled at his response, only fueling Sody’s flustered expression. His blush only symbolized how much he felt embarrassed at such a question. 

While Sody did have some feelings for Slushi, it wasn’t a bad thing, was it? Was he not allowed to like his babysitter, let alone what he considered her; a friend? Sody trusted Slushi a lot, she was a kind and caring fox, and while she was a bit…weird…in her interests, it wasn’t anything harmful. She was passionate, kind, and energetic, and always seemed to cheer Sody up. 

“I do…I like you a lot Slushi…” pulling himself closer to her, almost squeezing her. “I like when we hang out.”

“Aww, it's ok Sody, I like you too” Slushy responded. Returning the hug in full force, she smiled at him.

“You two are adorable, hehe, stay like that, let me take a photo!” Sarsaparilla quickly chirped up. 

Pulling her cell phone out, she quickly brought up the camera app and snagged the intimate and cute moment between them. Showing their smiles in the photo, their eyes full of hope and energy between them. 

“This looks great, oh I just have to get it printed and framed after work! I’ll hang it up on the wall!”

“Send me a copy when you get the chance Miss Sarsaparilla, I’d love to have it at my place too” Slushy replied.

Sarsaparilla nodded and put her cell phone away, she turned and headed to the door, stopping only to get her purse and keys on the mantle next to the door. 


“I’ll be back after work, sometime after 3 a.m., If that works for you Slushi.”


“That works, and enjoy your day Miss Sarsaparilla, I'll make sure to take care of Sody.”

“Thanks so much again dear, oh, I almost forgot, I left fifty dollars on the kitchen counter in case you two get hungry to order a pizza.”

“Pizza?” Sody’s ears perked up again.

“Only for today Sody, it's not a school night, so you can stay up if you like.” She looked up at Slushi. “Oh and try not to have him drink or eat too much sugar, he can become quite rowdy and a handful if he does.”

“You got it, Miss Sarsaparilla! I’ll be sure to keep a close eye on the little devil!” Slushy said with a glance at Sody, a sly grin on her face.


"Alright, I'll be back late, have fun you two!" Sarsaparilla said as she walked out the door. With a click, the house was silent, save for the noise of the TV in the living room. 


"So, did you finish your homework?" asked Slushi.


"Please, do you need to ask?"


"Then, are you ready?" Slushi's expression was now serious and foreboding.


Sody followed suit, his eyes narrowed like daggers at the arctic blue fox. 


"I was born ready," he replied. His gaze was unyielding.


"Then prepare yourself for…" Slushi said as she reached into her bag "...THIS!!"


She quickly pulled out several DVD cases as well as the two USBs she carried. Placing them on the coffee table in the living room.


"W-whoa…" said Sody. "That's a lot."


"It's not just a lot, Sody." Slushi's tone now shifted into a dramatic yet dark voice. "It's the complete 2 seasons of Love Love Hospital and the director's cut of the first season of Fast Food Crisis, alongside the full extended-length theatrical release of Love Love Hospital's movie, Love Love Hospital: ICU."


"Whooooaaaa…" Sody stood dumbfounded at the spectacle treasure trove of anime and TV series. 


"So I'll ask you again…are…you…READY!?" Slushi questioned, pointing her finger at him.


"Yes…YES, I AM!!" he replied.


"THEN READY THE POPCORN FROM MY BAG, THE FIZZY DRINKS AND GET READY…TO…BINGE!!!!" Slushi exclaimed.


~


'Well, it's not the only thing we've got at our side. We have our secret weapon, we need him to come and diagnose…'


The TV rambled on, and Slushi and Sody sat on the couch munching away at their popcorn and sipping their drinks. The anime Love Love Hospital had almost concluded its first season, and both parties were severely interested. The main protagonist was a doctor who was witty and sarcastic while also being clever and easygoing. He had always diagnosed patients right, even if their illnesses seemed unusual or dire. It was a show that kept on giving, from comedic timing and funny quips to fully dramatic heart-wrenching moments within a few minutes. 

“Yknow, this might be one of the better yet lesser animes we’ve seen,” said Sody. “It's not great, but it's not terrible either.”

“Yeah, I know what you mean, I'm surprised they got two seasons” Slushy replied.

Slushi then sipped on her drink, letting the fizziness bubble into her stomach. Her eyes then perked up, feeling an uncomfortable feeling near her lower abdomen. She had to go, it had been hours since she arrived, sipping on the soft drinks she had brought, had now built up in excess. She sighed a bit to compose her body, she knew she could leave Sody alone for a few minutes while she took care of her needs. The anime wasn't going anywhere and she didn't mind if she lost a few minutes of plot. The entire flow of it was somewhat boring, but not outrightly so. With that she stood up from the couch and stretched a bit, letting her joints pop and muscles relax to ease any discomfort. 

“You ok?” 

“Yeah, I'm gonna be right back. Don't worry about pausing it, I’m sure I can miss a couple of minutes of this" Slushi giggled a bit.


Sody nodded and resumed watching the anime as it played on the TV. Slushi then walked her way over to the bathroom past the living room. Entering the bathroom Slushi then sat on the toilet seat and let her mind wander over what today had been like. She had plans, plans she and her friends had spent MONTHS on, all dashed away by her current situation. She wasn't exactly angry over it, she loved spending time with Slushi, though she still wished she could've seen the movie with the rest of her friends. She sighed and stood up. Cleaning herself and flushing, she moved on to wash her paws. She felt a bit melancholic about today, but she wasn't exactly bothered by it. 


Slushi gave her face a good wash and dried off with the towel hanging from the hanger. She shouldn't be thinking like this, for now, she was content with spending some time with Sody. The little tyke in need of care while his mother was gone gave her an excuse to relax today at least. Opening the door in the hallway she walked back to the living room. 

Upon reaching the threshold of the hallway into the living room, Slushi’s ears perked up. Faintly, but not overly loud, was the sound of moaning. Heavy breathing, with a grossly slick but wet noise following after. Slushi being curious, investigated, turning the corner into the living room and seeing the slightly erotic scene of the anime, displaying a risque scene between the protagonist and one of the side characters. Slushi gasped and turned her attention to the young red panda, who was vividly paying attention to the scene unfolding. Rubbing his privates quite vigorously through his pants, his eyes closed and his tongue lolling out, and whispering her name under his breath.


Slushi’s face turned a bright beet red, almost indirectly at the thought that Sody would have some feelings for her. She was confused about what to do about the situation, but quickly realized that she'd have to confront Sody about it. She took a deep breath and let it out smoothly. She knew how to at least soften the blow, so she walked forward towards the couch.


"Hey Sody, watcha doing?" She asked, smoothly.


"Ah!" Sody jumped, startled, and was taken by surprise. "Slushi…I was uh…"


"It's ok, don't worry, I'm not gonna say anything. Though I will admit." She pointed to the TV. "Pretty raunchy huh? I should've maybe watched it through before I brought it over."


"Ye-yeah…" 


There was an uncomfortable silence in the air, between Slushi feeling a small pang of guilt and Sody covering his crotch out of embarrassment. 


"Hey, it's fine, you're at that age Sody, you're not the little kid I was taking care of 3 years ago. You're 12 now."


Sody drooped his ears back a bit. Even if it was okay, he still felt embarrassed. Grasping his crotch a bit tightly he looked away, unable to face Slushi.


"Hey…Sody, look at me." 


Sody turned his gaze back to Slushi, meeting her gaze. It was a motherly look, one full of understanding and care. One that reminded him of his mother, one that felt safe. 


"It's okay, okay? You're not doing anything wrong. It's natural, most boys your age do it." Slushi said.


Sody felt a slight bit of relief. If Slushi said it was okay, then it must be. His worries about keeping his urges now fading away. He looked towards Slushi, with her now looking down at his crotch, she looked up and coughed. 

“By the way, maybe we should turn this off and try some of the movies I brought over?” Slushy looked at her bag.

With his embarrassment now coming back, Sody nodded and calmed himself down. Opting to get off the couch and grab a quick refill of his drink before slushy put on something for them to watch.

Slushi looked on as Sody left around the corner to grab a drink. A quick sigh followed soon after, she felt herself get hot before she reached into her bag to grab a movie she knew had no presence of adult themes.

‘Why was he thinking of me while he touched himself?’ A thought that surprised Slushi, she now wondered why. ‘I teased him about thinking of me as a mom, but, this…this is different.’

Slushi was intrigued by her thoughts, she now imagined what Sody looked like under those tight yet ample shorts. The bulge presenting from his shorts wasn't massive by any standards, but…it was above average what boys his age would be at. At least, he seemed a lot more precocious about it, especially when she added that he thought about HER of all things. He had moaned her name, he wanted to feel her, but Slushi couldn't do that to him. This would be a massive breach of trust against Sarsaparilla, not to mention that Sody was a child. Sody didn’t know the difference between right and wrong, not fully anyway, he had no concept of love or its intricacies. He should be with someone his age.

‘Yeah, someone who is inexperienced, young, stupid, and not worth his time…’ Slushi stopped herself. ‘Why am I thinking this way? Sody is a friend…only a friend.’

It wasn’t right to think of Sody this way, yet she couldn't stop herself from thinking about it. She wanted to know more about the young red panda, more about his feelings. 

She wanted him…in ways even she couldn't comprehend.

She wanted Sody.