Chapter 2

“This is delicious!” I said as I grabbed another handful of the omelet I was devouring. Although I am a chef in my own kitchen, I always feel surprised when others cook better than me. The taste of mushrooms, ham and cheese mixed with the warm egg made my mouth melt. I couldn’t help but smile and sigh a happy “mmm!” while I closed my eyes and swallowed.
“It’s always a pleasure having you, big guy. Stomach like yours is the perfect judge of my food,” said Samantha as she heated up the last of the mulled wine she had prepared two weeks before. The smell of warm cider and cinnamon filled the room. The sun was beginning to rise, and I could see the morning snow slowly falling, quieting down the outside world as white light began to come into the window.
Benji and Samantha’s house was smaller than mine, and they were far from living the perfect life. I noticed some of the walls were peeling off, and the wooden floor creaked with age. But that didn’t stop her from decorating: A medium-sized artificial tree, filled with red plastic balls and a little yellow star on top, was next to the beige window curtains of the living room. Holly was everywhere, and two stocking were hanging on the wall, on the other side of the TV. One was pink and big, the other, smaller, but blue with gold letters spelling “Benji” in cursive font. There were no lights outside, but the tree had white lights that played various jingles you couldn’t turn off.
I finished my breakfast with one big gulp. Patting my belly at the end and smiling at my hostess.
“You’ve gotten better! It all melted in my mouth.”
“Not frozen and burning your tongue at the same time? Good enough for me!” She laughed as she served the mulled wine on a big white cup and a cinnamon stick. I grabbed it with my paws, feeling the warmth.
“Are you sure you don’t want a ride to the airport? I mean…” I said as I mixed the wine with the cinnamon stick, blowing the steam off. “Not that I’m against alcohol in the morning, but I certainly can’t drink this and drive.” I looked at my mulled wine, then at her, giving her a guilty look.
“Nah, Reuben.” She had her own cup without a cinnamon stick. “I’m calling a cab in a couple of hours. Let’s just enjoy our guilt-free morning. Thank your big butt that Benji didn’t wake up with your doorbell ring. What were you thinking?” She said and winked at me, smiling.
I smiled naughtily back and took a slow sip while watching her. The warm taste was amazing! It went down my throat, warming my whole body and the alcohol stung my throat and made me a bit giddy after a while. I really appreciated her friendship. Not to mention how the warm house, the cold early morning, and the soft jingles from the tree were making me feel very cozy.
She suddenly stared at me with her blue cat eyes. I noticed her white fur was tensing up, as if she was ready for something serious. I put my empty cup down, and thought she would now be discussing Benji and the favor I accepted earlier on the phone.
“I’m sorry I keep asking for your help.”
I wasn’t expecting that comment. I felt my fur tensing up a little. There was NOTHING to apologize for.
“Please don’t say that,” I blurted out, holding the cinnamon stick on my paw. “You guys are almost like my family.”
“But we can’t be a family, can we? Not… properly.”
I stopped breathing for a second, then sighed, leaning back on the kitchen chair with a stern look on my face. The same face my dad used to give me when I did something wrong in his eyes.
“You know I prefer men. You KNOW that I think that you’re a wonderful woman. I would marry you immediately if I were straight.”
“Gosh, I’m so sorry, Reuben… of COURSE you’re part of our family! What am I saying?” She said, fidgeting, trying to find the right words. She knew I felt uncomfortable. She knew I knew she sometimes flirted with me automatically.
We were both quiet for a few seconds. I felt the cinnamon stick falling apart in my paw. I had crushed the poor spice in anger.
“It’s alright,” I said. I looked at the floor for a bit, dropping the broken pieces of cinnamon on the floor. I would clean them later. This sort of discussion didn’t happen often, but when it did, I always felt uncomfortable. I never wanted to correct her, even though it was expected of me, being the older man. We both had suffered so much in the past that our special relationship felt like a breath of fresh air after many years of pain. No one wanted to lose that.
“I want Benji to be safe,” she said, looking at me. I looked back, surprised at her assumption.
“I will take care of him this Christmas. You know that,” I said, raising my voice a little.
“No, I don’t meant it like that. I mean… if anything happens to me. I don’t want his father to keep him… I want YOU to be his guardian. Officially… if I’m gone.”
The atmosphere felt heavy. This was a very serious request. It must have taken so much courage to ask me that, and I felt true admiration for her. All the tension of my body disappeared. I leaned forward, looked straight into her blue eyes and held both her paws as I spoke firmly.
“Samantha, I would love to be Benji’s guardian! You know how much I love the little kitten. His father would NEVER dare to lay a paw on him when I’m around. I promise you that. But,” I began to say, worried. “Could we stop talking about that morbid possibility? It’s almost Christmas.”
She looked at me, almost tearing up, and squeezed my big paws with her slim ones. I gave her a warm smile. I felt like a father telling her daughter that everything would be okay. Like Santa Claus reassuring a lost little girl at the mall. She stood up and opened her arms. We hugged. In that moment I felt so much peace and joy! Trusting me with the care of her little kitten. All the dirty thoughts I had before were forgotten for a moment. But a small part of me felt like I had won the lottery. Not only was I spending Christmas with my favorite kitten, I got to be his guardian if he ever lost his mother. Knock on wood it wouldn’t happen, though!
“Thank you, Reuben,” she said and let go of me. We stood there for a minute, holding each other’s paws. Her white tail swiveled, and her ears perked up.
“Thank you for trusting me,” I said, almost tearing up myself. I was so used to sad tears, I had forgotten happy tears existed.
“Why are you holding paws?” Said a small sleepy voice behind me.
My eyes widened. I turned and there he was: Still in his rocket pajamas, my little 6-year-old gray kitten, Benji, my kitten prince, yawning and holding the dinosaur plushie I gave him when he started kindergarten.
“My lovely boy!” I said, picking him up and giving him a big bear hug, kissing him over and over on his tiny face. I suddenly remembered how most men showed love to each other: through punches, name calling, and nicknames like “dude,” “bro,” “my man” or even insulting name-calling. But I was different. I told Benji I loved him often, and gave him all the hugs and kisses I craved when I was little.
“Reuben, you’re tickling me!” He said giggling and hugging me back, his tiny feet dangling in the air, the dinosaur plush on the floor, his little face pressed against my green sweater. I almost cried right then and there, but I had to be strong for him. At least for now. I couldn’t tell him my excitement yet. I had to keep it a surprise. And, of course, until his mom told him.
“You smell funny,” he said. I felt my fur stand on end. My little boy was smelling my dried cum. I shivered and pressed him harder against me, and I heard myself almost growling at the lowest volume I could muster.
“Benjamin! Be nice to Mister Harrison,” Mrs. Murphy said, gently grabbing him from behind and taking him away from me, breaking our sneakily naughty hug. I let him go and drooped my arms sadly. Little Benji went straight to his seat and asked what was for breakfast.
After he was finished, and Samantha told Benji that he would be spending Christmas with me, he ran and hugged me again, this time pressing his face on my belly. I stood proudly and held him a little more. I was enchanted, happier than I had ever been! I wanted to make him feel welcome, protected, loved, anything to make him feel like the most special little 6-year old kitten in the world.
Benji started grabbing the toys he wanted to bring for our “Christmas sleepover” as he called it, while his mother and me sneakily hid all his new presents inside my shed in the backyard. When we walked back and forth, we had the usual routine discussion about Benji: his new bedtime, the TV shows he enjoys, the stories he’s interested in, and the food he found boring now. Apparently he got bored of spaghetti because his mother wouldn’t cook it like I did. I felt so proud of that. He was beginning to prefer me! We also briefly discussed guardianship and lawyers in case his father wanted to fight for Benji’s custody in the future. Boring adult talk.
After a quick lunch of sandwiches and more adult talk, Samantha’s cab arrived, and we waved her goodbye from my doorstep. My big paw was stroking Benji’s head, and I kept thinking about all the wonderful things we would be doing. Just the two of us.
As I saw the cab turned the corner, Benji started telling me about elementary school and the things he did before Christmas break, his new friends and the New Year School project the 1st Year class would do. I closed my front door and looked at him, in his lovely blue sweater and red pants. He looked like Superman. I had his blue stocking with gold lettering on my paw, holding it tightly. I would hang it over my fireplace in a minute, but as I lifted my left arm, the stench of sweat overwhelmed my nostrils. I had completely forgotten that I hadn’t properly cleaned myself yet.
“I’ll be right back kitten,” I told him. He looked at me with a giant smile on his face. I grinned back. “I’m taking a shower. I might take long because I want to dry my fur. You know how wet I get, being a big chubby guy hehe.” I patted my belly proudly. “You can watch TV while you wait for me, okay?”
“Okay,” he said as he sat in my big comfy loveseat, grabbing the remote and turning on the TV. I had already set it up to his favorite cartoon channel. They were showing some new computer-animated Christmas special. I didn’t really care for those.
“Don’t open the door to any strangers. And if anything happens, you can knock on my door. I’ll come right away.”
“Yes, I know,” he said again. He wasn’t annoyed, but I knew that kids needed to be reminded of house rules.
“Okay, sweetie. I’ll be right back,” I said as I walked upstairs.
As I opened the door of my bedroom, I noticed how hot I had been feeling for hours. The smell of my cum and sweat was getting stronger, and as I took all my clothes and undies off, my cock and balls smelled deeply masculine. That familiar stench of a horny locker room, or a gay sauna. I was hiding an erection the whole time I was with Benji in his house, and my thick cock wouldn’t stop leaking. I sniffed my white stained briefs and, for some reason, I could smell Benji too: the green sweater was on my bed, mixed with the smell of dried cum, sweat, and excitement.
The little kitten was downstairs. We would be talking and spending the whole Christmas break together. I took a couple of deep breaths, and decided to calm down. I would take a quick shower and fully clean myself. And I would not touch myself. Not yet, anyway. I wanted to be with my little boy. My lovely little prince. Innocently playing with him and loving him all day. Yes. That was perfectly natural and alright.
I smirked and decided to begin showering, only touching my crotch for cleaning, and not for fun. I avoided stroking my big body more than necessary. I soaped up, washed and dried my fur automatically. I dried up for ten minutes with my XXL Fur Dryer, and dressed in a Christmas-themed green knitted sweater with a reindeer on the front, and a pair of warm pajamas pants, in blue plaid. As I opened my bedroom door, and went downstairs, I noticed a sound I had been making the whole day: A silent growl that shivered my whole body. The kind of growl I reserved for sex and passion was beginning to make itself public, sonorous, and deep.
I controlled myself, and stood on the living room, looking at Benji watching TV. More computer animation. I leaned at the frame of the threshold, paws on my pockets, moving to the side, trying my best to hide my growing chode, the growling making my whole body vibrate with excitement. I looked at my boy enjoying the peaceful atmosphere. I was so proud of him, having raised him to be a good boy, and hoping that he, eventually, became a good man. Not just one of those men who only cared about sports, violence, and insults, but one who wanted to love and be loved. The kind of childhood I never had. Yes. THAT would be my gift for him this Christmas. I silently adjusted myself, after feeling a tent growing in front of me, and I couldn’t stop smiling, thinking, and daydreaming of fantasies that were coming true.