This story contains sexual activity between two teen boys (14/15), mentions of non sexual child abuse, talk of mental health struggles and body image issues. If you do not like or cannot handle these topics, please leave now or use your blacklist.

Chapter 2
Dexter's eyes slowly fluttered open as a cold breeze blew through his cracked window and tickled the fur on his face. It was still dark out, not even the slightest hint of daylight visible through the window from how early they'd fallen asleep last night. He took a minute to think about where he was and why he felt strange, only then noticing the giant furry lump in his arms, still fast asleep. Neither of them had moved an inch since they'd fallen asleep, comfortable in each other's embrace as they slept without even a blanket to cover them.
Dexter gently stroked his hand up and down the soft yellow fur on Charlie's back where his hand rested, his other arm trapped under the sleeping boy's head, the hand completely numb from the weight trapping it down. Dexter leaned his face down and kissed the top of the boy's head, smiling warmly as he heard a familiar rumbling from within the boys throat, quickly feeling it vibrating through his arm as it grew in intensity as the young feline slowly woke up. 
Dexter felt the arm behind his back pull him in tighter, squeezing him gently as he felt the boy in his arms take a deep breath. “Mmmh, this is nice. Feels weird, though.” he said softly, his voice muffled slightly by the position he was laying in. “Weird how?” Dexter asked, confused. “I'm always the one holding you. It...it's nice, knowing what you feel like on the other side. You're warm and soft, and it just feels nice to be held.” he said, emphasizing his point by gently rubbing his face into the boy's chest again. “I'm sorry about last night. About yesterday in general, really. I don't like holding in my feelings I just get...scared, I guess. I-I know I don't have to hide things from you. I just- I don't know. Thank you for not pushing me. I'm sorry for breaking down on you like that.” 
Dexter moved his hand from Charlie's back and moved it up to his head, petting him gently and leaning down to kiss it again. “It's okay, Charlie. I know how it feels. Before you, I didn't have anybody to talk to. I have my online friends, sure, but there's only so much you can tell them before you start to feel like you're just bothering them. I can talk to my parents sometimes. More now than before you came along, at least. You know my mom now, she likes to baby me a lot and sometimes it just makes me feel worse, but she's gotten a lot better about it lately. She treats me more like a person and not just a little kid. But I have you now when I need to talk. It's nice.” he said as he gently scratched at Charlie's head, the young cheetah's purrs intensifying even as he started to free himself from their comfortable embrace. 
Dexter moved his hand so Charlie could lift his head, their eyes meeting and both of them sharing a warm smile as they blushed. Charlie leaned in and placed a quick gentle kiss on Dexter's lips and hugged him tighter for a second before pulling away to look him in the eyes again. “I love you, Dexter. So much.” he said, his blush deepening slightly as warmth fluttered through his chest. “I love you too, Charlie. More than anything.” Dexter said as he felt his own cheeks starting to burn hotter. “I think I need a shower. Or a bath. I need to wash off yesterday's sad.” Charlie said as he rolled over onto his back and let out a deep sigh. “Yeah, me too. You can go first this time. I don't mind.” Dexter replied as he sat up and tried to rub the sleep from his eyes. “H-hey, uh, what time is it?” Charlie asked. Dexter leaned over and picked his phone up off the nightstand, the screen nearly blinding him as his eyes struggled to adjust to it from the darkness of the room. “Uhhh, 4:30. Why?” he asked, noticing Charlie starting to sit up, shyly looking off to the side. “What if, uhm, do you- I mean, uh, d-do you want to m-maybe, uh, t-together? I-I mean uh, take a bath with me?” he stuttered out nervously, face burning hotter than ever as he waited for a response. Dexter blushed hotly and nodded almost immediately. “Y-yeah, I think...i think that sounds nice.”
Charlie and Dexter tried their best to be quiet as they got into the bathroom together, holding back bashful giggles as they thought about what they were about to do. Dexter leaned over the edge of the tub to plug the drain and turn the water on, holding his hand under the stream as he felt it gradually heat up until he couldn't keep it there anymore. Charlie watched as the steam rose from the tub, more visible wisps of white floating off the surface as the level rose higher and higher until Dexter turned the knob again to stop the flow. The bathroom mirror was already fogged by the time the tub was full, Charlie no longer able to see his reflection as he heard the water stop.
The boys stood and shared an awkward look with each other, faces hot as they both waited for the other to start undressing until Dexter made the first move. Charlie watched as the squirrel in front of him reached for the bottom of his shirt and quickly pulled it off, tossing it on the floor. The cheetah couldn't help but stare at Dexter's body, his eyes glued to the slight pudge of his belly as he dug his thumbs into the waistband of his pajama pants and pushed them down to his ankles, quickly stepping out of them and standing fully nude in the middle of the bathroom. 
Dexter looked up and saw Charlie standing there, just staring and blushing still fully clothed. Dexter felt butterflies in his stomach as his face burned in mild embarrassment from feeling so exposed, even in front of his lover. Charlie was lost in his own mind as he stared at the cute squirrel, only snapping back to reality as he felt the chubby boy's hands reach for his own shirt and begin to pull it up and off of him. Charlie stood in shock for a moment not realizing what was happening until he felt himself kneeling down and lifting his arms so Dexter could pull his shirt all the way off. He suddenly felt so exposed that he hadn't even noticed the younger boy grasping at his pants, yanking them down together with his underwear in one quick motion, his flaccid length swinging freely as it dangled between his legs. Dexter giggled softly at the sight, quickly turning around and running to the tub, slowly dipping one foot in and hissing as he adjusted to the heat before he could fully step in and bring his other leg in and sit down. “W-well? Are you just g-gonna stand there and watch me or a-are you going to take a bath with me?” Dexter stuttered out, his veneer of playful confidence cracking as he smiled at the cheetah standing near the bathroom door.
Charlie took a moment before the question registered in his head, smiling awkwardly as he started to walk towards the tub, almost tripping on the pajama pants he hadn't realized were still bunched around his ankles. Dexter couldn't hold back his laughter as the naked cheetah stumbled slightly, quickly kicking his pants across the bathroom after struggling for a moment before he made it to the tub and slowly stepped inside. The boys sat in silence for a moment, just staring at each other and blushing, smiling awkwardly as they thought about what to do. Dexter broke the silence first, much to Charlie's relief. “W-why does this feel s-so weird? I-I mean, we see each other borderline naked in gym twice a day a-and we fool around at night, s-so why does it feel so embarrassing to be naked in here with you?” he asked with a slight smile and a soft laugh. 
Charlie smiled and gently rubbed the back of his head, looking off to the side. “I, uhm, w-we usually fool around in the dark. A-and gym class is just quick looks changing shirts and pants. I don't think w-we've really ever seen each other fully naked like this. I-is that weird? Being together this long a-and not, you know, like, seeing each other like this?” he asked shyly. “I don't know. I mean, I don't know anything about uh, relationship stuff. I-I never really thought about any of it before I met you. I didn't really even know what s-sex was before that first night you kissed me.” Dexter replied, slowly scooting forward to get closer to the boy as they sat on opposite ends of the tub. “You look really nice…” Dexter said shyly as he reached out and gently placed his hand on Charlie's chest, gently rubbing his fingers through his fur as the young cheetah blushed, momentarily unable to move or speak.
Dexter gently scratched Charlie's chest, rubbing all around, trying to get a good feel for the boy's body. “Agnis was right, you really can't feel your ribs anymore. Or see them. I-I guess I never noticed how bad it was at first. It's hard to notice slow changes like that over time. You look good. Healthy.” he said as he felt Charlie starting to purr from the attention, but also starting to sniffle from his words. “H-hey, why are you crying? I didn't mean anyth-” Charlie cut him off before he could continue. “I uhm, s-sorry. You didn't say anything bad, I p-promise.” he paused to sniffle again, lifting an arm out of the water to wipe his eyes, taking a moment to think about what he just did as he felt his face even wetter than before he wiped it and laughing softly. “I’ve always been, uhm, real self conscious about my body. I've always been, like, weirdly tall and skinny. You probably noticed by now I'm one of the t-tallest kids in school. That's always been the case, even in e-elementary. I was a little chunkier when I was younger, but still pretty thin. But then I started growing, and I got taller and thinner every day. Then dad left and uh, m-money got real tight, and uh, food became a bit of a problem. The first year wasn't too bad, but my mom lost her job and then things got really bad with the drinking and there was almost n-never anything to eat. M-Mrs. Blythe helped me when it got really bad b-but I always felt bad letting her feed me. I just...I don't know. I n-never liked being this thin b-but it's nice that I've been able to fill out a bit more here. N-not starving is nice. B-being here is nice, period.”
Dexter felt a pain in his heart as Charlie spoke about his troubles, happy the boy was opening up more but sad to hear more details about the struggles and abuses he had to experience. He couldn't imagine how much worse off he would be if he'd gone through what Charlie had. “It's nice having you here, Charlie. I'm s-sorry you had to go through that…” Dexter said, unable to stop himself from sniffling as tears started to trickle from his eyes. “H-hey, don't you start crying too. It's o-okay. I'm okay now. I-I have you, and your parents, and e-even my dad again even if I don't see him that often. It's not your fault my life sucked, Dex. It's entirely your fault that it's better now.” he said, both of them letting out an awkward chuckle as they blushed. “Now, I think I've done enough crying for both of us since yesterday. Don't worry about me right now, o-okay?” he said, sniffling one final time as his tears stopped flowing. Dexter smiled softly and nodded. “Okay. No more crying.”
The boys sat together in silence for a moment, neither knowing what to say as they adjusted to the heat of the water, unable to keep their eyes off each other's bodies. “C-can I, uhm, can I wash you?” Dexter's face flushed hotly hearing the question, his eyes wide, only gently nodding his head as Charlie motioned for him to scoot closer so he could reach him. Charlie reached over to the shampoo bottle on the edge of the tub, thinking for a moment before he grabbed it. “Turn around for me?” he asked nervously, Dexter laughing softly as he turned to face the wall behind him. “L-lets lean you back to get your hair wet.” Charlie said, helping gently guide the boy down with his free hand until most of his body and head were submerged, taking the opportunity to lean forward and gently kiss his forehead as he lay there with his eyes closed, Dexter smiling and blushing from the surprise peck before Charlie began to push him back up. 
Charlie pumped the shampoo into his shaky, nervous hands before slowly reaching to gently rub them through Dexter's long, dark gray hair, the young squirrel happy to be facing away as his face burned hotter and hotter, enjoying the feeling of having his hair played with. “Your hair is so pretty…” he said in awe as he carefully combed his fingers through it, taking his time to thoroughly lather all of it while Dexter sighed softly, his eyes closed as he tilted his head back slightly and smiled from the attention. “This feels...really nice.” the young squirrel squeaked out softly as Charlie brought his fingers back to the top of his head, gently rubbing and petting the smaller boy even after his hair was fully lathered. 
Charlie smiled wide, his ears twitching slightly as he listened closely to every soft gasp and quiet moan Dexter let out as he moved his hands away from his hair, gently rubbing and lightly scratching down his neck and shoulders as be began to lather the boy's fur. Dexter reached back to pull his hair over his shoulder and lean forward, opening his back up to the boy behind him who quickly squirted more shampoo into his hands before rubbing it into the soft, light gray fur of the small squirrel's back. 
Dexter felt his blush deepening as Charlie's hands slowly worked lower and lower, thoroughly lathering every little bit of his back the older boy could reach above the water. Dexter gasped lightly as he felt those fingers dip under the water, rubbing and scratching lower and lower until they gently grazed the top of his butt, the young squirrel letting out an embarrassed squeak as he felt a finger dip ever so subtly into the crack between his cheeks before pulling away. “S-scoot back towards me.” Charlie said as he spread his legs to make room for the boy, his heart pounding in his chest as he leaned forward and wrapped his arms around him, gently pulling him the rest of the way after he got close. 
Charlie leaned forward to place a gentle kiss on Dexter's cheek, their hearts racing together as they enjoyed their closeness. “You're so soft…” Charlie said as he began to slowly rub his hands around Dexter's shoulders and chest, the young squirrel groaning slightly from embarrassment, but happy from the attention. Charlie's hands slowly, carefully roamed lower, gently flexing his fingers to rub shampoo deep into the boy's stomach fur. Charlie felt the young squirrel's belly begin to tremble and tense slightly, hearing soft giggles from Dexter's mouth as he ran his fingers through his fur before stopping for a moment. “W-what's so funny?” he asked, worried he'd done something wrong. “Hehehe, s-sorry, t-ticklish.” Charlie smiled at that, a playful glint in his eye as he tried to hold back his own laughter while he put his hands back down, his fingers quickly going to work on the younger boy's belly, his finger tips dancing across his fur as he gently scratched his claws across the skin underneath. Dexter's eyes went wide as he started laughing, his stomach tensing trying to get away from the teasing fingers, unable to move as Charlie gently held him in place while he struggled and thrashed around lightly. “Charlie noohohoooo stoooop, aahahaha I c-can't, haha I can't b-breathe, please!” Dexter pleaded, thankful when the older boy finally relented, still laughing a bit as he took a moment to catch his breath and calm down. 
There was a moment of silence as they sat together, Charlie giving Dexter time to collect himself from the surprise attack before he wrapped his arms around him and leaned forward, kissing his cheek again and nuzzling his face into the smaller boy's neck. “Hehe, s-sorry. I couldn't resist.” he said, squeezing a little tighter. “Heh, It's okay. I'm glad to see you feeling more playful again. I've been worried about you.” Dexter said, reaching a hand up to gently pet the young cheetah's head. “I-I know. I'm sorry for making you worry. I feel so much better today, I think I really just n-needed to break down like that. Just let it all out. I'm sorry for bringing you down. Thank you for being here for me, I really appreciate it.” Charlie said, giving one more quick squeeze before pulling away and reaching for the shampoo bottle again, quickly pumping more into his hand.
Dexter turned around to face Charlie, leaning forward to gently place his hands on the boy's cheeks and kiss him on his lips. “I'll always be here for you, Charlie. I'm really happy you're feeling better.” he said, leaning forward to hug him closely. Dexter pulled away and sat down, blushing and looking off to the side shyly. “Can I...can I ask you something, Charlie?” Charlie quickly nodded at the question. “Of course you can. You know you can ask me anything.” Dexter smiled a little, but couldn't bring himself to look at the boy when he spoke. “I uh, I know you love me. I d-don't have any doubts about that but...do I- I mean, do I look good to you? A-am I...actually attractive to you? I just- you've never made me feel bad for it, b-but I know I'm fat a-and I just...I don't know. I-” Dexter was cut off by another strong hug, feeling tears slowly begin to drip from his eyes he didn't even know were there. “Dexter I literally stopped you at school because I thought you were cute. Of course I think you're attractive. You're not even fat, you're just a little chubby. So what. I would kill to look like you. Where is this coming from?” he asked, concern clear in his voice. “I don't know. I-i've always been self conscious, too. I used to be skinny until a couple years ago, then I started growing out more and not growing up to match. I don't even really eat that much most of the time, s-so it kind of makes me feel extra bad about it. S-sorry. I know it's dumb I j-just needed to ask.” he said with a sniffle as his tears stopped flowing. 
The boys held each other in silence for a moment before Dexter slowly pulled away. “C-can I wash you, now?” Dexter asked, face burning hot as Charlie slowly nodded. “B-	but I didn't finish the rest of you.” the cheetah said as he handed Dexter the shampoo. “That's okay. You can finish me later.” he replied, both boy's stopping for a second, eyes meeting as they realized what he'd just said and sharing an awkward smile, holding back laughter. Dexter set the bottle down and cupped his hands under the water to scoop it up and carefully drop it on Charlie's head to wet his fur while Charlie wiped the glob of shampoo he'd prepared earlier off his hand under the water. “For the record,” Dexter said as he dropped another splash of water on the older boy's head, “I like how tall you are. Even if it makes it hard to reach your head fluff.” he continued, standing up on his knees as he pumped shampoo into his hand. 
Charlie started purring the second Dexter's hands touched his head, the smaller boy's fingers gently massaging his scalp and slowly working their way around to the back of his neck. Dexter couldn't help but smile at the intense vibrations rumbling through his fingers as he worked his way down to the boy's neck, gently scratching at the skin under the yellow fur. Dexter moved his hands to Charlie's cheeks to lift his head, quickly kissing him on the nose before he could react and moving on to start washing his shoulders and arms while he sat there and blushed from the attention. “This is nice.” Charlie said quietly as Dexter moved his attention to the boy's chest, the young feline mewing softly in embarrassment as Dexter's fingers worked over his nipples and quickly moved lower to his belly. Charlie's stomach tensed slightly under Dexter's fingers, something the younger boy noticed instantly that put a sly smile on his face, hidden from Charlie's view. 
Charlie was too lost in the attention he was receiving to notice what Dexter was preparing to do until it was too late, the young boy quickly thrashing around in the water uncontrollably as the younger boys fingers began to playfully dig into his sides, both of them laughing together as Dexter tried his best to hold on while Charlie laughed and pleaded for mercy. “Ahhh, n-nohohoo, aahahahaha, d-dexter, pl-ahahaha, please, ahhahaa, mercy, please, haha, I'm sorry ehehehaha I c-can't, haaaah!” Charlie yelled out until the young squirrel finally felt like he'd gotten sufficient revenge on the older feline. “I'm sorry, ahaha, I'm sorry. I know it was mean to do that to you. It was just too good to pass up. You got me back good, hah.” he laughed out as he struggled to catch his breath. “Hehe, yeah, we're definitely even now.” Dexter replied as he moved his hands back to the front of Charlie's stomach and slowly working shampoo in lower until he noticed something peeking up out of the water. “O-oh…” Dexter squeaked out, catching Charlie's attention, the older boy looking down and blushing in embarrassment when he noticed his penis standing straight at attention, his foreskin covered tip peeking up over the top of the water. 
Dexter moved his hand lower, looking up at the older boy for reassurance, only continuing when Charlie gave him a soft nod telling him it was okay to keep going. “D-did the tickling turn you on, o-or?…” Charlie sucked in a sharp gasp when Dexter's hand made contact with his penis, taking a moment to enjoy the sensation before he could speak. “I-I don't think so? I think…I think it's j-just the attention i-in general? A-ah that f-feels nice…” Charlie stammered out shakily as Dexter's hand slowly and gently stroked his length, carefully pulling his foreskin back and exposing the sensitive, engorged pink tip of his penis to the air. “F-feels weird, touching a dick. N-not bad, just...you never let me touch you like this. Y-you always just take care of yourself when you're h-helping me. I think I like this, though.” Dexter said as he continued to slowly stroke his boyfriends penis. Charlie was in heaven from the sensation of being touched like this by someone else for the first time in his young life, but a sense of guilt weighed heavy on his mind. “I'm s-sorry. It f-feels, uh, the thought of l-letting you help me like this makes me f-feel bad.” he said in a small, quiet voice. Dexter looked up to the older boy's face only to see him looking down and off to the side in shame, tears clearly welling up in his eyes. “What? Why? Did I do something t-to make you feel that way?” Dexter asked, concern clear in his voice. Charlie sniffled, unable to make eye contact as he replied. “N-no, no. I just...you do s-so much for me already, letting me stay here, h-helping me with school, sharing all y-your stuff with me I just...i don't know, it f-feels wrong. L-like this is something I should j-just be doing for you to m-make up for it. T-to pay you back for helping me w-with everything else. The thought of l-letting you do this for me on t-top of everything else just m-makes me feel guilty.”
Dexter felt a sharp pang of sadness shoot through his heart, unable to stop himself from crying as he reached for Charlie's face, gently turning his head to look him in the eye. “Charlie no...W-why didn't you ever say anything? I-” he paused to sniffle before continuing. “I thought you just l-liked doing those things with me. I-I didn't know you only did it b-because you thought you h-had to…” Charlie's heart sank like a brick in his chest at the pure devastation on Dexter's face, watching the younger boy's tears rapidly stream from his eyes and drip down into the water below. “W-wait, that's not what I meant! I swear! I do like it, i-it's one of my favorite things, I promise. I just meant l-letting you do it back feels wrong. I do like what I do for you, I like making you feel good. I just f-feel like you already do so much for me that letting you do that for me w-would just be too much. I feel guilty a lot already when you help me with my homework, I take up so much space in your room with m-my stuff, y-you share your bed with me, y-you share your snacks, your games, e-everything. I d-don't have things to share, s-so I make you feel good and take care of myself to make up for it.” 
Dexter let go of Charlie's face and wrapped his arms around him tightly after he finished talking. “No more, Charlie. Please. You're my boyfriend, I want to do these things with you. You don't owe me anything. I don't help you so you'll pay me back, I j-just want to help you. I like seeing you do better in school, I like playing my games with you, I like sleeping together. You make me feel w-warm and safe. You do so much for me already. You do all the chores I'm supposed to do without even thinking about it, you clean up after both of us, you do m-my laundry when you see it piling up, you even make the bed. Even I never made my bed before, b-but you always do these little things for me, h-how can you think you don't do anything to pay me back?” Dexter squeezed, hugging the boy even tighter to emphasize his words. “I-I guess I never...never really thought about it like that. I'm s-sorry. I didn't mean to m-make you feel bad, I just...I'm still just not used to feeling welcome somewhere, so I try not to be a burden. I'm sorry. I never really thought about how that w-would make you feel. I just try to be useful s-so I don't get kicked out or yelled at. I-I know that's dumb, you've been so nice to me a-and your parents have been amazing, s-so I don't know why I still feel like this, I just do.” 
Dexter pulled away from their hug and gently grabbed Charlie's face again, softly rubbing his cheeks with his thumbs as he looked him in the eye. “No more of this, okay? Please? It's n-not dumb, I know you went through a lot of bad things up until you moved in here, but you're safe now. I promise. My parents aren't like your mom, I'm not like your mom, and your dad isn't like your mom. We're not going to give up on you or throw you to the streets because you did something wrong. You know that, right?” Dexter asked, staying quiet until Charlie nodded yes. “Good. I love you, Charlie. I love you s-so much. L-lets just finish washing ourselves and s-see about doing something fun together for the day, okay? N-no more sadness, no more worry, just us. We can do whatever you want, I'm letting you pick this time. Pick something you want, not something you think I want, okay? Can you do that for me, please?” he asked with a soft, sweet look Charlie couldn't possibly say no to. “Y-yeah, I think I can do that. I'm sorry, again. I love you too, Dex. Thank you f-for talking to me, a-and understanding. I'm so sorry I made you feel bad, I never meant to do that I just...I mean, you know how I am. I'm trying to get better about holding things in with you.”
Dexter leaned in to place a gentle kiss on Charlie's lips before pulling away again. “Christmas is in 2 days, and we still have 2 weeks off school. Let's make the most of it, okay? Talk when we need to talk, do whatever we want to do when we want to do it. We both have things we need to get better at talking about, and I'd like to work on that, okay? No more secrets about how we're feeling, even if we're worried we'll make each other feel bad. I'm really happy with you, and I want to stay that way. We need to be honest for that to happen. If you have something you're scared or embarrassed to talk about, that's okay, I'm not g-gonna force you to talk about it, I just...I want you to feel safe. I want you to know you can trust me, and that I'm not just going to throw you away.” he said with a soft, reassuring smile. “Okay. I think I can do that.” Charlie replied with a soft smile of his own, leaning in to give a gentle hug.