Rodney ran his fingers through his hair. It was his most flattering trait, falling to 
his shoulders, completely straight until it hit his neck, then form fantastic curls below 
there, the thick strands forming twisted corkscrews which bounced as he walked. It 
complemented his thick brown fur perfectly. He looked almost perfect, his shirt neatly 
pressed, a bright blood red, with a black jacket over it. He ran his hands over his 
shrinking stomach, all those months of starving himself had paid off, he now weighed 
less than 250 pounds, which wasn't that big for his 5'11" frame. He looked like a million 
bucks, and felt it too. He was a lucky squirrel this day, she would finally be his.

	Rebecca rapped on the door loudly; Rodney was supposed to meet her at their 
favorite sushi bar an hour and a half ago. She had called him several times in the past few 
days, but had got nothing but his answering machine. It wasn't that unusual, he often 
buried himself in his work and could not be heard from for quite some time. He was a 
celebrated but xenophobic writer, and he hated publicity in all forms. He had given her a 
key, she was one of the few people he trusted.
	She inserted the key, twisting it softly. To her surprise, she felt the door lock. That 
was odd, Rodney never left his door unlocked. Her black and gray striped tail bushed up 
involuntarily. It was not a good sign.
	The tall raccoon had been his best friend since high school, and she valued no one 
higher. No one gave better advice. When they went to clubs, she was often the target of 
drunken advances. He would then graciously pretend to be her boyfriend, giving a 
condescending nod to her assailant. His large frame was scary enough, and he always 
scared them of. She had no doubt that he would raise his fists for her; he would risk a 
beating to defend her. But if someone she was interested in approached her. He would 
suddenly become scarce, slinking away to the wall to monitor her and make sure she was 
okay. He could always tell who was trouble and who was worth pursuing.
	As she entered his house, she felt a chill go down her spine. She nervously 
smoothed her blouse down. The house was cold, and in terrible shape. She smelled 
something coming from the living room, and quietly entered, sticking her head out in 
front of her. Her ears twitched, causing ripples in her cascade of platinum-dyed hair.
	The first thing she noticed was the boxes. There were three empty boxes of cheap 
wine discarded at the foot of the couch. Next to them was an overturned wine glass, and a 
large pink stain on the expensive white carpet, evidence of a glass of white zinfandel. A 
jar of peanut butter with a butter knife stuck in it sat on the coffee table. There were 
several boxes of crackers and dozens of candy bar wrappers lying both on the floor and 
on the table. There was a fork covered in something purple sitting next to the lamp, now 
stuck to the end table. And just below the television there was broken glass, lying in a 
puddle of blackberry pie. There was crusty blackberry filling congealed on the television 
screen, still showing nothing but a blue screen. 
	"Rodney?"
	She heard a groan, and noticed him. He was wearing a nice black sports coat and 
a bright red shirt, both were crumpled from his having passed out on the sofa. The sight 
was truly pathetic. She came up behind the couch, looking in horror at the poor figure 
below her. She brushed his now frizzed hair from his face.
	"Rodney?"
	His eyelids fluttered open, exposing his bloodshot yellow eyes. He looked 
confused for a second.
	"Becca, what on earth are you doing here?"
	"We were supposed to meet for lunch, remember. Jesus, what happened?"
	"I relapsed. What does it look like?"
	She shut her eyes slowly, thinking in despair of all the religious calorie counting 
he had done over the past few months. She shook her platinum locks from side to side.
	Rodney seemed to roll off of the sofa and land on his hands and knees. Rebecca 
saw in horror his midsection, he had done so well, losing nearly fifteen pounds. Now his 
stomach tested the seams of his silk shirt. His soft rolls of flab were clearly visible 
beneath the jacket, his brown fur making him seem clumsier. He had gained back all of 
the weight and then some, and it had only been less than two weeks since he had seen her 
last.
	She knew the best course of action was not to appear too alarmed byhe situation. 
He absolutely hated anyone pitying him, and she would not dare make him feel any 
worse. "Come on, guy, you are getting into the tub."
	"Can't you let me wallow in self pity a bit longer?"
	"Uh-uh. Come on."
	Reluctantly he complied, and she let him lean his large, hung over bulk against 
her as she led him into the bathroom. He stood in front of the mirror, staring downward 
into the sink for a few minutes, while she turned on the water. She left him to get 
undressed. God, she had never seen him so bad. She left the bathroom and began cleaning 
up the mess in the living room. The first thing she tackled was the television, scraping the 
dried blackberry off the screen. As she cleaned up the plate and pie from the carpet, her 
elbow hit the DVD player. The tray slid outward, exposing a rented DVD. It was a 
romantic comedy she herself had wanted to see, and she noticed a stack of half a dozen 
movie rental boxes. Some of the movies had been viewed, but none had been replaced in 
their cases. She cringed as she saw the dates on the boxes, they were all rented at once, 
and they were all over a week overdue. Later, she thought, I'll sort this out later.  What 
had caused him to throw his food against the television
	She had just taken out a bag of trash a few minutes later when she noticed that the 
bedroom curtains were blowing in the wind. She walked along the rock garden, noticing 
the shattered glass at her feet. She stepped on something softer than a rock, and bent 
down to pick it up. It was a small black velvet box. Curiosity won over her sense of honor 
and she opened it.
	Rebecca gasped as she saw the striking piece of jewelry within. It was an 
exquisite diamond ring, with several rubies on the band as well. She wasn't a jeweler, but 
she knew this cost well over $13,000. The pie thrown at the television, the empty boxes 
of cheap wine, the ring thrown out the window, it all made sense. He had something 
planned for him and Shera nine days ago. He was going to propose to her, and something 
went terribly wrong. She blinked back the tears for her friend. And she heard a quiet 
sobbing coming from the bathroom.
	She enteed tentatively, not wanting to see but knowing she had to help somhow. 
His clothes were discarded on the floor, and he sat naked on the floor, crying into the 
bathtub. He heard her enter and turned, and his face flashed embarressment as well as 
extreme sadness. He grabbed the shower curtain and through it around his pudgy form, 
his tail poking out from beneath the blue plastic.
	She didn't look away, just walked towards him and rubbed his one exposed 
shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"
	"What is there to say, I surprised her at her office, and found her kissing someone 
else. She has been seeing him for months now, and I was too stupid to realize it."
	"I never did like her."
	"Am I so repulsive? Am I cursed to remain alone for the rest of my life?"
	"Rodney, you are the sweetest person I have ever met. You are incredibly 
generous, even when you can't afford to be. You always know how to treat people; you 
never hurt anyone's feelings. You are the most considerate being on the planet, and you 
are well rid of that money grubbing whore."
	"That's not what I asked."
	"No, you are not repulsive. You struggle with your weight, so what? Any woman 
should consider herself lucky to be with you."
	"What about you? You've had your fair share of moments you could have taken 
advantage of. You always tell me what I great guy I am."
	She stopped rubbing his shoulder, knowing nothing to say. He was right, over the 
years, as they sat under the stars on the hood of her car while waiting for the tow truck, or 
laughing as they snuck away from classes to smoke a cigarette, all of those times were 
the perfect moment for a kiss. She knew he would never dare put her in that position, and 
some part of her knew he wanted there to be something more between them. But she 
never did take it any further.
	"Listen, thanks for all you've done today." With that, he shut the shower curtain 
the whole way, and she heard the tiny ripples as he entered the tub. She stood there for a 
minute thinking about what he had said. He was right, she herself had never been able to 
see past his weight, she had always been attractive and had her choice of pretty much any 
male fur or scale she desired. And whenever she had a nasty breakup with any of the 
losers, he was always there for her.
	Rebecca ripped the curtain back open, looking at Rodney's plump form under the 
water. Before the shocked expression left his chubby squirrel face, she stepped into the 
tub and climbed on top of him. Not even bothering to take off her blouse, her hands 
reached down to his gut, encircling it. Her mouth found his, her tongue probing his teeth, 
searching for his. For a minute, he let it happen, as her blouse soaked up the warm water, 
one of her hands unfastening her jeans and yanking them down. But then he tried to push 
her from him, which was difficult in the tub as water splashed out onto the floor.
	"Stop."
	She did, her white hair hanging down, forming a wall around his face, his own 
soaked brown hair forming a fan beneath his head.
	"Don't do this because you feel sorry for me. Not because I am a wreck. Not 
because I need to feel loved."
	She shook her head, scattering droplets of water on the walls. "No. I have always 
wanted this. I just didn't know it. Nothing feels more right than this. I mean it."
	"I don't want this to be something we both regret tomorrow."
	"I think this is the first time I can say for sure that I won't regret it later."
	He looked longingly into her eyes. She meant it.
	They resumed their lovemaking. She found his large throbbing member and 
straightened her back to receive him. As she rocked up and down, she gripped his love 
handles, feeling their softness between her clawed fingers. Never had she felt more 
fulfilled. She let go of his hips and began to rub his massive stomach, relishing the 
sensation of his flab moving along with her hands. He reached up and ripped her blouse 
open, her huge furry breasts being offered. She leaned back over him, and once again her 
mouth found his, their hair hanging down together. He saw nothing but he face. All her 
could think was that he had wanted this all along.
	Their motion quickened, all the while she continued to rub his huge tummy, 
Rodney loving every second of it. She felt him deep within her, and as she neared her 
climax, her hand motions became a blur, his rolls of fat quivering along with her. She 
held her breath as the moment came, and all too quickly it was over. She flopped back, 
expecting him to finish any minute. It was not so. He sat up quickly, this time providing 
the movement. She reached around his torso and felt for his ribs, feeling his extra fat spill 
over her forefingers. He continued, and before long she was brought to a second orgasm. 
She gripped his extra weight tightly and began to make noises she had never heard 
herself make before. And all too quickly he had brought her to a climax a third time, and 
finally she felt his seed flow deep within her. They didn't dare move, they couldn't afford 
to ruin the moment. Her hands were still in a death grip around the warm fat on his back. 
Eventually, they collapsed back onto the floor of the tub.
	For nearly an hour they lay there, the water slowly turning cold around them. 
Suds clung to their hair; the bathroom floor was soaked. She released her death grip on 
his back and resumed rubbing his chubby midsection. Finally he spoke.
	"Was this a mistake?"
	"No. This was the greatest thing I have had in a long time. And if you don't mind 
me saying so, your extra weight is quite a plus. I always hated those muscular oafs who 
had nothing to hold on to. I must say, don't lose any weight."
	Rodney smiled a bit. He felt better than he had in a long time. Abruptly, he stood, 
leaving her in the cool water.
	"What is it?"
	"Let's go get that lunch I promised you. I'm ravenous."
	Rebecca flashed a smile.