%title Getting together
:short-story:fiction:furry:post-self:sci-fi:

(Tocană - finished with dinner)

"Codrin," Dear's partner said. "I'm going to say something - a good something - that's going to make you feel very put on the spot for such I apologize ahead of time."

Ey straightened up, frowned, and flicked a glance over toward Dear, who laughed.

*"You may put a large portion of the blame for this conversation on me, yes, but not until the end."* 

"It was mostly my idea, anyway, though Dear was the one who suggested the form this conversation will take."

Ey rolled eir eyes. "Well, you've already got me feeling on the spot and I don't think you've even gotten to the subject at hand."

"As I expected," they said. "Well, okay. Over the last two years, Dear has been conducting a relentless campaign to, as it says, wear down some of the emotional barriers you've put up. I disagree with the phrasing, but Dear is Dear and couldn't turn down a good quip if its life depended on it."

*"Slander."*

"Shush, fox. Anyway, it's just a fancy way of saying that it's been trying to get close to you. I'm sure you've noticed."

A long silence followed as several things in a row clicked into place for Codrin, during which the other two waited patiently.

If ey worked backwards from the present, ey could superimpose a version of who ey was over who ey had been to see all of the differences. The relaxing of attire, the longer hair, the smiles that came easier. More difficult to point to the differences in personality, in the ways ey experienced emotion, if such was actually Dear's target. Eir smiles came easier, yes, but where did *that* come from?  ...

Ey thought ey knew where this might be going.

"Okay," ey said, leaning back in eir chair. "Why?"

Dear's partner looked to the fox, who grinned toothily and drew a tick mark in the air.

"Wait, are you two betting on my reaction?"

*"Oh, of course."*

"Sort of. We've been talking about this for a bit, is all, so we've got our predictions."

"You still haven't told me why. And now I want to know why you're doing that, too."

They shrugged. "I'm nervous. I've only had to do something like this once before."

"What," ey said, grinning. That had been confirmation enough for em. "Ask someone out?"

There was a moment of stillness between the three of them, followed by laughter. Dear, in delightfully Dear fashion briefly crowded the table with several instances of itself.

*"All of my carefully laid plans for naught,"* it said.