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Mid-morning Sunday.

Cindi lies against Akari on the couch, the two watching the end and inevitable end credits of Encanto, totally-not-crying at the family drama leading into finding and acceptance for any reason. The spaniel-moth sniffles: "...I n-never cried for this movie b-before like this..." A probable lie, but it's the attempted argument that counts.

Akari chuckles through her tears, poking at Cindi, "I- I don't believe you. But then again, not like I can say anything. I cry at every movie."

Cindi giggles, poking back: "Hush. I did not cry at this b-before."

Akari laughs, grinning wide, "Suuuure. Well, guess I can't really say, now can I? But next time... I'll remember this."

Cindi wipes the corner of her eye: "Remember what? Nothing happened."

Akari leans over to kiss Cindi's cheek before wiping her own tears aside, "Uh huh. Well, if you say so."

Cindi smirks: "I do say so. I'm good at saying things, after all."

Akari giggles, "You are, and I do like listening. So, I'll just think ahead to next time you cry over a movie instead of last time."

Cindi nods in agreement... then stops. "...hey."

Akari grins, turning her attention back to the screen as the credits run. "So... what do we watch next? Or... uh... hm." Her eyes glance over at the clock.

Cindi glances at the clock as well: "Um... much as I w-want to, I don't think we..." She looks at Akari: "...have the time for another movie..."

Akari slumps slightly, having come to much the same conclusion, "I... y-yeah... yeah I guess not, huh." She sighs, pouting slightly.

Cindi sniffs, then corrects herself. "Y-yeah, we... gotta get back to..." She grasps Akari's hooves in her paws, not even wanting to say it out loud.

Akari squeezes Cindi's pawn, not wanting to let go either. "Y-yeah... I mean, just for one night, right? I can pack up some stuff for spending the night here more often, and bring it all over after um... w-well after work tomorrow." She swallows, looking like she's about to break back into tears as well.

Cindi nods, swallowing: "Y-yeah, we can just... do that..." She attempts to gather herself: "...we've made it work before, o-okay so we were not dating back then but we could always... make... time..." She trails off, looking at Akari hopefully.

Akari smiles sadly, "We had week long crafting crunches before a con. It'll be just like that. But not as stressful? And... yeah... dating. We're... dating."

She moves her other hoof up her chest and hums. "I mean... I'm not going anywhere. I'm definitely coming back."

Cindi nods: "I know that. I know... that." She takes another breath, then smiles: "Just... not wanting this weekend to end, right?"

Akari sighs, turning to look at Cindi lovingly, "Me either... kinda, sorta, absolutely the best weekend of my life."

Cindi swallows, nods, then gives Akari a soft kiss: "Y-yes. B-but... we g-gotta... eventually, right?"

Rowan: "Y-yeah... I guess... if we want to keep our jobs." She shakes her head, "Unfair to get this kind of... gift, and then have to have to step away from it..."

Cindi nods, then attempts to gather herself. Again. "Y-yes. But..." She takes Akari's hand in a more firm grip: "We have to. We'll... work out the details, later..."

Akari nods, "Lots of details to work out... but at least we're working them out together?"

Cindi smiles: "Yeah. We can work them." She takes a deep breath and then almost moves to start the spell... but doesn't.

Akari hesitates as well, looking to Cindi and waiting for her to start before she does... and hesitating when Cindi doesn't. She squeezes Cindi's paw in support.

Cindi takes a deep breath. "Okay. We have to do this." She looks at Akari, then begins reciting the words.

"One's true form, fulfilled.

One's fake form, needed.

Become what you need to be,

To eventually return to what you are."

Akari gives another comforting squeeze, and then recites the words in tandem along with Cindi, closing her eyes as the spell takes effect.

The feeling of Cindi's paw in her hoof change to two hands holding beneath the costumes is both strange, and still comforting. "I'm here."

Cindi nods... that is, Jacinto nods inside the costume. S-he gives Akari's... that is, Rowan's hand a squeeze that definitely feels different but still good, before eventually letting go to pick up the costume's head.

With perhaps slightly trembling hands. Must be the spell taking it out of him.

Once the head is off, he takes a deep breath. "G-gosh that... feels so exhausting..."

Rowan nods beneath the headpiece, waiting a moment before she also reaches up to slip it off, "J-just... all that energy we put into Cindi and Akari pulling away. We always imagined them to be pretty energetic."

She sighs, turning the head in her hand to look down at Akari's face. "So hard to get them down when they're together, either emotionally or physically."

Jacinto nods: "Yeah... they're... we're..." He sighs. "Why does this feel so complicated?"

Rowan sighs as well, feeling her... his... hand beneath the suit. "I... don't know. You'd think it would feel natural coming back to these bodies. I mean, our bodies. Right?"

Jacinto gives a small, wry laugh. "Whatever the heck that term even means anymore. Being in fur feels as much like my own body now, as well."

Rowan blinks at Jac', then manages to laugh, "Yeah, guess so, huh. That's... strange to think on. Maybe something not to dwell on."

Jacinto nods, stretching a bit inside the suit, it feeling considerable less comfortable when it's no longer exactly his own body. "Probably not." He hesitates for a moment, before changing the subject: "...so..."

Rowan is very much trying not to dwell on it in the moment, staring down at himself before turning his attention back to Jac', "Eh?"

Jacinto pauses for a second longer, before smiling: "So. Boyfriend. I guess that's another take away from this weekend."

Rowan's attention is certainly drawn to that, his heart swelling, "Yeah! Yeah. Boyfriend. I am. And, you're mine too." He squeezes Jac's hand with a grin.

Jacinto squeezes back: "...funny how different this feels when they're not actually our hands." He blinks. "...you know, come to think of it, you'd think it would bother me more that Cindi has one less finger in these huge paws."

Rowan smirks, wiggling his free hand. "Only three 'fingers' on Akari... but it never seemed to be a problem."

Jacinto nods: "Yeah, it's..." He smiles with bemusement: "...another one to the pile of weirdness that is our lives now."

Rowan laughs, "That's a big pile... but it's not a bad pile, really."

Jacinto shakes his head: "No, it certainly isn't. After... everything, I wouldn't trade this for anything. The weirdness is just things we get to work with now."

Rowan leans closer to kiss Jacinto on the cheek, "And it certainly came with a few other benefits that I would never trade away."

Jacinto blushes at the kiss a bit, but smiles all the same. "Well, that too. Being in fur is great... being with you is even better."

Rowan nods, keeping close for the moment. Even out of suit, he doesn't want this weekend to end. "It's something from a dream. I love you Jac'. I'm just... I ecstatic you share those feelings."

Jacinto smiles and gives Rowan a strong hug, or as strong as he is able to while still mostly inside the costume. "Love you too. And we can make this dream work for us, I'm sure."

Rowan nods, hope swelling in his voice, "For all the doubts and fears and... just... I don't know... discomfort? You're right. We'll make this work."

Jacinto nods: "Discomfort because it's... new, and not because it's... bad, really. I'm sure the more time we spend, the more we will be able to smooth things out."

Rowan chuckles, "Yeah... spending more time together, in and out of fur, is pretty much a given, yeah? I might as well leave Akari here with you, even. Since... well, I know I'll be back."

Jacinto nods: "That does make sense. She'll be safe here." He considers: "...maybe we want to do something in the longer run, but for the moment that works."

Rowan: "Yeah... I mean, there's a lot of things we'll have to plan for... but for now, we take it, uh, slow?" Rowan chuckls, shaking his head, "As slow as we can manage considering all this craziness."

Jacinto smirks: "Yeah, pretty much best we can do. Apparently we have a future somewhat different to figure out than we thought two weeks ago..."

Rowan shrugs, "Hanging out with you, doing costuming stuff... Maybe it's not that different than how I imagined it? Just more of it. And more snuggling and kissing in the shower than I ever dared imagine."

Jacinto giggles softly: "True. Some things have changed... some haven't." He shrugs. "Ah well. Time will tell. But I guess right now we have to maybe start getting ready for some of that icky Real Life..."

Rowan finally releases Jacinto's hand, reaching back to start to unzip the suit, "Ugh... yeah. Yeah... guess there's no escaping it forever."

Jacinto nods: "If there is, we didn't get the memo yet." He glances aside: "...not that we have looked at the online resources this weekend much, exactly."

Rowan chuckles, "Guess we got a little... entangled with other matters, didn't we?"

Jacinto starts unzipping the costume, briefly pondering where the zipper actually goes when it vanishes, but shoos that thought away. Instead, he smiles at his boyfriend: "Well, it's obvious you are the culprit."

"If you weren't so cozy and huggable and kissable, we wouldn't have this problem, after all."

Rowan blushes, slipping his arms out of the suit, "Ha! Well, guilty as charged. But you're not entirely innocent either, I think."

Jacinto lifts a now-free hand to his chest: "Me? I will have you know, Cindi is the picture of innocence."

Rowan giggles, "And Akari is just temptation incarnate, then?"

Jacinto nods sagely: "Yes." He continues getting out of the suit, although his poker face cracks somewhat as he does.

Rowan pokes Jac' grinning wide, "She would be scandalized to hear that! I'm scandalized to hear that! But ah, I doubt she could say no to Cindi if you made the accusation."

Jacinto nods: "See, that's why it works. Cindi is innocent, and as plenty established this weekend, I am Cindi. Q.E.D, I am innocent." He sticks his tongue out at Rowan.

Rowan sighs, trying his best to pout, "So unfair... but I guess that means... Akari isn't as innocent as she pretends, hm? I mean... that's probably not entirely false..."

Jacinto hums: "I'd say it's a good thing this old building has no shower cameras."

Rowan blushes bright, "Y-yeah, I guess so, huh?"

Jacinto pokes at his friend on the shoulder: "Don't worry, I have no such plans."

Rowan leans into the poke, embarrassment on his face, "Well, you are the innocent one, so I can't imagine you would."

Jacinto leans to give Rowan a soft kiss on the cheek: "Indeed."

Rowan lifts his hands to Jac's sides and kisses back. "Well if I'm the uh... guilty one, I might need to up my game."

Jacinto nods: "Yup. Probably by coming here to try and improve it. Or we could go for a date actually outside... well, maybe."

Rowan grins, "Or both? Both is good."

Jacinto smiles: "Yes. Have just... coincidentally a date or two on the town after work, and entirely unplannedly spend weekends here in fur... something like that, maybe, could happen."

Rowan nods, "And a few more shared showers, wouldn't be so bad... m-maybe even out of fur..."

Jacinto smirks as he gets up to get out of the suit's legs. "Sounds like a plan to me~."

Rowan watches Jac' strip out of the suit, still blushing, before finally doing the same, slipping off Akari in entirety. "The hard parts of this week will be so hard, but only because I'm looking forward to the time we have together so much."

Jacinto nods with a small sigh. "At least we can meet after work pretty easily."

Rowan carefully folds up the one-piece suit, setting it aside and putting Akari's head atop it carefully. "Just a little extra drive for me, but better than being alone at home each night."

Jacinto nods again: "...and I guess we have largely similar hours, so we can coordinate travel. No need to... both of us drive, and all that."

Rowan blinks, considering that, "You thinking we should... carpool? We can probably make that work."

Jacinto shrugs: "That's like the easiest and most logical thing in probably all of this, I figure."

Rowan chuckles, "Heh, you're not wrong. Saves on gas, and gives us an extra bit of time together."

Jacinto smiles warmly, offering his hand: "Certainly improves the idea of spending a day at work if right after that I get to see you..."

Rowan takes Jac's hand once again, no paw, no costume, "Yeah. Shame we don't work in the same office... though we might not get anything done if we did."

Jacinto laughs: "Yeah, probably for the better. And that was probably true even before this, we'd just have spent all day planning costume and con stuff instead."

Rowan shakes his head, "You're... not wrong there either. I think I've spent more than a couple days working on those plans even without you there to geek out with. You've gotten those texts."

Jacinto nods: "Yeah, got the proof right in my DMs on multiple devices. We're going to have to at least try to not be obvious..." He frowns: "...and really, much as I hate it, it's easier if my coworkers remain in the dark about me being anything but straight."

Rowan frowns, "...and this time I hate that you're right but... probably for the best. We're not in exactly the best place to come out... Not right here, or right now. I... I'm sorry."

Jacinto sighs, then steps closer to Rowan to put his arms around his boyfriend's waist. "We'll just have to make up for it when we're alone." His smile is a bit lopsided, but his tone is hopeful.

Rowan slumps slightly, then relaxes against Jacinto, hugging him tight. "Just... feels wrong. But we can certainly find ways to make up for it, yes. I just want to tell the whole world I love you, but I'll settle for telling you."

Jacinto smiles, leaning into the hug. "Yeah." Then as a thought occurs to him, he slightly perks up. "Although..."

Rowan hums at Jac's expression, "Oh? You have a plan for that too?"

Jacinto chuckles: "No. But something that might help, is looking up if there are meets with other Real Furs. Pretty sure in those meets we can be ourselves."

Rowan grins bashfully, "True! saying I love your like that isn't really any different. And the suiting community has always been accepting, I can't imagine the folks in the Real Furs group are any different."

Jacinto smiles: "If absolutely nothing else, we have another excuse to be out and about as furselves. But I hope such a meeting could be enlightening in other ways too."

Rowan: "Certainly a lot of folks with a lot more experience than us in these matters. Well, furself matters. Maybe romantic matters too? I won't dismiss it."

Jacinto laughs softly: "Most anyone probably has more experience on the romance front than us, I think. But that just means we have more to discover."

Rowan shifts to rub the back of his neck awkwardly, "I've never exactly been all that popular on the dating scene, I admit. I uh, never really sought them out. So any advice I can get would be something new."

Jacinto nods: "Yeah... after we agreed to not date that first time... I tried a few times, but they never amounted to anything." He smiles: "Turns out I'm just too gay for you... and Akari."

Rowan glances down shyly, "I uh, didn't really want a boyfriend or a girlfriend... I just wanted a best friend. Turns out, you're all three?"

Jacinto blinks, then nods with a smile: "Yeah... I can't go denyin' that. Not when I agree."

Rowan smiles, "Kinda glad you agree, since uh, we've already taken things well past that." He laughs, then leans in to peck Jac's cheek.

Jacinto laughs softly: "You know what I meant, silly." He gives Rowan a tight hug: "C'mon. Let's make sure Cindi and Akari are safe, then share one of those frozen pizzas we got."

Rowan grins, "I knew what you meant, I just... thanks. That all sounds perfect."

Jacinto leans closer to give Rowan a soft kiss on the lips. "Yup~."

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