For some time – maybe seconds, maybe minutes – Ash just stared at the blank surface of the door in front of him, his heart hammering in his chest. The view offered him neither answers nor reassurance.

He took a breath and tried to remind himself that he’d been invited here. It wouldn’t be an imposition to announce that he was here, even if he had got to this spot a bit early. It might be something of one if he let himself be late.

Another breath, and he glanced at his chrono. Despite the eternity that he felt like he’d been standing here, he was still a few minutes early – he hadn’t frittered away that much time, at least. Best to get moving on this before he did.

Which would be so much easier if not for the contents of the little bag dangling from his tail, and just what his would-be host had said about this visit that prompted that package… but if he went down that mental road, he’d probably freak out and bolt.

Instead, he stretched up on his toes to reach the door chime.

Ash was used to being loomed over. He wasn’t much more than a third the height of most people he met, after all. But no matter how often he encountered the figure who opened the door, Ash couldn’t quite get over just how much more he loomed. It wasn’t that Thorn was all that much taller than a typical human, but he was just so massive. He was broad and heavyset, his legs thickened to support a denser-than-normal load of bone and muscle; and the spines that coated him made him look even bigger than he was.

So, yeah, Thorn loomed over Ash. A lot. And every time he saw it, except in the direst of circumstances and sometimes even then, it made Ash’s sheath feel tight. This time, anticipation made him shiver, and the mingled scents of sandalwood and clean masculine musk reached through Ash’s nose, right down his spine, and into his groin. “Um, hi,” he managed.

“Ash.” The big male smiled down at him, shaking his head. “I wish you didn’t so often look afraid of me.”

It was a wistful remark, not a chastisement, but Ash couldn’t quite keep back a twinge of guilt. “Not scared of you, exactly,” he said, scuttling forward when Thorn stepped out of the doorway. “Well, not usually, anyway. Scared of my mouth running off ahead of my brain and getting me in trouble, maybe. Again.” He thought back to the day they’d met, the ill-concealed impatience he’d seen gathering in the bigger construct’s expression, and he quailed. “I’ve already done that before, I don’t need to get myself on your bad side again by being a babbling idiot, and… and I’m doing it again, aren’t I?” Damn it…

“Babbling, maybe a little,” said Thorn, sealing the door’s privacy lock. “But it’s all right – really. Just come in, and… heh,” his muzzle quirked slightly, “try to relax. I’m not really in a position to say you need to succeed.”

“What, you?” But as Ash looked up at Thorn, he could believe it. Shoulders tense and square, spines puffed up somewhat, the crest of them on his head lifted, tail shifting slightly. “I… guess I didn’t think of that. Sorry.” He reached up for Thorn’s nearest hand. “I’m so used to thinking of you as a rock. Strong, tough, hard to budge.” And almost unstoppable when he got going, but even Ash knew that wasn’t an appropriate thing to mention now – however appealing he might personally find it.

“Even a rock can get worn down,” sighed Thorn.

“Yeah…” Ash’s gaze turned down to the subtly-textured surface of the floor. “Yeah, that’s true.” And he remembered when that enduring strength had come all too close to wearing away entirely, under the assault of the poison from that damnable bondsman’s collar.

Ash had been so afraid, in those horrible days, that he’d never get the chance to confess what had driven him to be such a nuisance. And then Thorn had recovered, and he still hadn’t had the courage to come clean. Not to Thorn himself. Except by accident.

“Ash…” Thorn shifted, crouching down beside him, one big hand coming to rest on Ash’s shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. All those awkward missteps between us – they’re all in the past, right? Both of us know better, now.”

“Ha.” Ash drew a deep breath, straining to keep it steady. “Guess you can read me nice and easy, huh?”

A smile flickered over Thorn’s muzzle. “From what I’ve been told, you’re not used to keeping your thoughts wrapped up anyway.”

That, Ash could not deny. After all, trying to cover up his frenzied longing was what had set him to babbling in the first place, that first day…

“But we don’t need to, hmm? We’re past the hard parts already. I mean, I did ask you here because I’m fond enough of you to consider… well, more.”

And that thought made Ash suddenly all-too-conscious of the package he was carrying. His tail coiled tighter around the strap. “Heh… right.” And he still couldn’t quite believe he’d heard that right, even though Thorn had gone into enough detail to leave Ash panting with desire…

“And you came prepared, huh?” Delicately, Thorn’s stout claws scratched behind one of Ash’s furled-back ears. “C’mon. Let’s get comfortable, and we can… see how things go.”

Ash bit his lip. If he got any closer to the guy, when he was here on that kind of invitation, there’d be no way he could stay modest.

But then, that was kind of the point, wasn’t it?

Thorn settled gingerly into the oversized armchair, and Ash hesitated. The last thing he wanted to do was come across as pushing too hard, too fast, and spoil things when they’d come this far… But then Thorn smiled and beckoned him up. He swallowed, let go of his package, and hopped up to grab the chair arm and pull himself atop it.

And then he was gently redirected to sit not there, but right on Thorn’s thigh.

Being in contact with Thorn was an interesting feeling. The spines on his limbs lay mostly flat, so even if he hadn’t had his shorts on, sitting on them would be a somewhat delicate, but not inherently uncomfortable, position. One just needed to keep still.

He was also warm. Ash, with his small body and the rapid metabolism that went with it, wasn’t used to feeling so much warmth from someone else.

It was a good feeling, though. One he could get used to in a real hurry if he let himself. Even if he did need to take care where he sat.

A heavy sigh emerged overhead. “You feel nice,” Thorn rumbled, thick fingers rubbing behind Ash’s ears.

He was really good with those big hands. “So do you, big guy,” Ash murmured, leaning against Thorn’s chest, nosing into the coarse fur. At least there he didn’t need to worry about perforating his snout.

A few more moments stretched out in awkward silence.

Oh, what the hell? They both knew what they’d met up for, and it wasn’t like Ash was in any way unwilling to explore that. Besides, if he sat there much longer, sooner or later Thorn was going to notice the tent in Ash’s wrap.

“Hey, um…” He twisted a little in place, looking up. “Kinda silly, don’t you think? Sitting here like this, when we both know what I’m here for.”

“Heh… true. And you came prepared, at that,” Thorn mused, looking back down at him. He took a breath to go on, but then stopped short, eyes widening a little.

Yeah, he’d seen it all right. Feeling a little giddy, Ash grinned up at him. “Go on if you want,” he breathed.

Ash had seen Thorn shove open blocked doors, overturn concrete slabs, and in general put a great deal of force on the world. Now, though, it was an entirely different side of him that showed – controlled, tender, even tentative – as he felt over the outline of Ash’s arousal. The base of it, still sheathed, made for a gently pleasant sensation.

When he got farther up, and cloth shifted against bare flesh, there wasn’t much gentle about it, and “pleasant” wasn’t nearly a strong enough word. Ash shivered, and didn’t quite manage to swallow a whimper.

Thorn’s fingers froze. “Good sound?” he asked, anxious.

“Oh, yeah,” Ash panted.

Tentatively, those fingers drifted back down. “This doesn’t look like it can possibly be comfortable, though,” said Thorn, tugging at the cloth.

Ash laughed. “That I’ll grant you.” He started to reach for his belt, but the bigger man was already tugging it open.

And what a relief it was when the cloth unfolded, leaving Ash’s straining erection in the open. He leaned back against Thorn’s stomach with a sigh, arching up for just a moment to let the man tug the cloth out from under him.

Much better. Especially when Thorn’s fingers came to rest against the flesh just exposed, rubbing along its underside.

“On your frame,” the big construct rumbled, “this is a rather… imposing piece, hmm?”

At that Ash couldn’t quite keep in a nervous laugh. “Yeah, whoever put us together thought it’d help us be more people-like if we were, um, compatible with humans. I don’t know that anyone’s actually put it to the test, I just know I’ve got a few more ways to keep myself company than most full-sized folk.”

“Well, it’s certainly got me intrigued.” However large it might seem against Ash’s body, a six-inch length of flesh vanished quite thoroughly in Thorn’s grip as he gave it a squeeze.

Those hands… Ash shivered, leaning back against the bigger male, a groan slipping free of his muzzle. Of course, the firm heat he was feeling against his thigh didn’t make the sensation any less powerful… “Glad you like it,” he managed. “The thing’s a nuisance sometimes – especially since I met you – but that makes it all worth it.”

“I do like it,” Thorn breathed. His grip loosened, fingertips running along Ash’s length. “I like it very much.”

“So I’m feeling,” said some fey part of Ash’s brain. “And I like that, too. Maybe you should let it into the open as well, huh?”

“So concerned with my comfort, huh?” Under the teasing, Thorn’s voice was breathy, his eyes wide, almost fey.

At least the remark didn’t seem to have been a bad one to make. Ash shifted himself to the chair arm so the other man could move and undress.

What soon came into clear view as Thorn sat back down was at first exhilarating. Sexuality hadn’t had much chance to be a big part of Ash’s life; he’d been this close to very few people, and none of them had ever turned him on so much as Thorn did on a purely physical level. A glimpse of that flesh was an undeniable signal that this was really happening, and that left him more than a little giddy.

Then he got a good look at it.

It wasn’t as big on Thorn’s frame as Ash’s was on his own, not by a long shot. And black skin showed less distinctly against black fur than pink flesh over Ash’s sandy coat. Nevertheless, it was at least half again Ash’s on any single dimension.

Ash hadn’t expected to be the bigger of the pair, but something his own size would’ve been hard enough to deal with. Presented with the full scope of things, feeling the heat of it under his fingers, certain dizzy hopes for the evening changed from “difficult” to “probably harmful.” He swallowed hard.

“Ash?” Thorn murmured, stroking his ears. “You’re looking rather… blitzed.”

“I guess I kind of am,” Ash admitted. Damn it, he couldn’t even keep his ears from folding back. This was supposed to be a good moment, here! “Sorry. I guess I kinda got my hopes up on something in particular, but…”

Thorn sighed, rubbing behind those ears a moment, then stroking Ash’s cheek. “Too big?”

“I’d have been pushing ‘too big,’ honestly.” Ash let his fingers trail down that back pillar. “This is… um. Way too thick. Gotta rethink things.”

And it wasn’t like there wasn’t plenty he could still do. Why was that one thing getting him down?

Thorn’s fingers slid under Ash’s chin. “You’d have done that for me?” he rumbled.

“As much as I could take,” Ash assured him, nuzzling at his wrist. “And loved every moment of it. I haven’t had much practise, but I’ve had enough to know that.”

Thumb and forefinger rubbed along either side of Ash’s jaw. “I’ll admit,” the bigger construct murmured, “I’m curious.”

“Maybe I could put on a demonstration sometime,” Ash said, and couldn’t help but chuckle. “Just needs a couple props.”

“Well, that’s getting me curious, too,” purred Thorn, “but that’s… not quite what I meant.”

“What…” Between one word and the next, insight struck. Ash’s ears burned. “What? You mean… Me? I mean, you? Uh…” Oh, damn it…

“Don’t worry, Ash.” Thorn ruffled between his ears. “I’m not going to call this off just because you trip over a few words when you’re surprised.”

In spite of himself, Ash managed to cast a shaky grin upwards. “Okay… okay. Time to rethink, as I said.”

“I’d have thought being the bigger one would make it easier, all around.”

“I guess that makes sense,” Ash admitted, but then those spines seized his attention. “But being pointy, not so much.”

“Oh.” Thorn actually drooped a little at that consideration.

Damn it. “Hey, we’ll work something out,” Ash assured him, casting about for something that would reinforce the point. “I mean, porcupines manage to reproduce, and they’re even worse off on that score. Just gotta take it carefully, huh?”

“You think so?”

Not for a hundred lifetimes would Ash disappoint the yearning in that query. “It’s okay,” he said, putting on his best grin and tilting his head. “I got this. But let’s take it somewhere with a bit more room, huh?”

Which left him the time he was perching on Thorn’s shoulder, while the bigger construct took him and the bag recaptured by his tail to the bedroom, to try to think of how it was going to work.

Confidence was all very well, but damn it, hadn’t talking big got him in enough trouble with Thorn in the past?

Okay, so. Think of it like an engineer, he told himself. Thorn has spines pretty much everywhere but the front of his torso, his face, and his hands and feet. How is one to avoid getting pricked?

Minimize exposure to those spines. That simple, really. He could do this.

Besides, even if he didn’t show it much lately, Thorn might still have trouble trusting people. Probably best to stay in his line of sight anyway.

Come from in front, then. Carefully. There, that wasn’t so hard a solution, was it?

Ash hopped down to the bed when it was within reach, turning to watch his friend – his lover? – settle onto it. There was just something about how someone with so much potential power could move so cautiously, so gently…

The bob and sway of his erection didn’t hurt in the least.

“That look on your face…” Thorn smiled down at Ash, touching the smaller male’s cheek. “It’s… quite something, to have it turned my way.”

Ash swallowed. “So long as it’s a good thing,” he managed. If Thorn enjoyed feeling wanted, then let him feel wanted; there was plenty of want to go around.

“So it is. New, maybe a little daunting, but it’s a good feeling.”

“Good.” Ash brought a hand up to stroke the one on his cheek. “’cause if there’s anyone who deserves some positive attention, it’s you.”

A soft huff of breath, the sort that might have turned into a chuckle. “I’m sure you can make up for lost time. That’s a good thing,” he added.

Ash hadn’t thought he’d even had time to register that remark, much less think of how it could be read as a sign that he was coming on too strong. But maybe Thorn was just running off of past experience there. “It’s a big task to live up to, but I’ll try. How ’bout you lie down and get comfy so I can get started, huh?”

As Thorn was getting settled, Ash ran a hand along his side, down to his thigh. The spines lacked the barbs that some of their like could have, and they lay mostly flat; going that way, Ash’s hand met no impediment, and the spines rustled faintly under his fingers as they clicked together in succession. Pausing about halfway to Thorn’s knee, he put a bit of pressure the other way, carefully catching just a few of those spines; they were sharp against his fingertip, but catching a few like that, they bowed under the pressure rather than piercing.

Still, this was going to take some care. Those spines didn’t run all the way up to Thorn’s hips, not enough to threaten his or Ash’s most sensitive anatomy, but they came pretty close.

In due time. For now, Thorn was still looking rather wide-eyed and anxious. His breaths were still slow and measured, but his normal breathing was distinctly slower still; this was definitely getting to him.

Excited was good. Anxious, not so much. Time to de-escalate things.

“Relax,” Ash crooned, shifting up along Thorn’s side until he could stroke the bigger hybrid’s jaw. “No pressure, all right? Just being close to you like this is great – no need to fret over the rest.”

Thorn chuckled over Ash’s wrist. “You’re reassuring me, now?”

“Everyone needs someone to lean on now and then,” Ash protested. “Even if I’m not much for literally leaning on…”

“Going back to the figurative – I think you might be the only one who doesn’t know how strong you really are,” Thorn murmured, ruffling between Ash’s ears. “But you don’t need to always be a rock either, hmm?”

Come to think of it, hadn’t Ash’s brother told him something like that, not too long ago? But in the moment, that wasn’t who he wanted to think about. He grinned upward. “Right now, the only rock I’m concerned with being is rock-hard.”

Thorn’s breath caught, his fingers stilling. “Being found attractive is… not exactly something I’m used to,” he admitted.

“Well,” said Ash, “I hope it’s easy enough to get used to, big guy, ’cause I don’t think I could ever make myself stop.”

There wasn’t much to be said that they hadn’t already, really; maybe that was why they fell into silence, save for Thorn’s deep breaths and Ash’s lighter panting. And then a low, barely-audible groan as Ash’s fingers slid over Thorn’s strong chest. He shivered a little at the feel of muscle shifting under his hands, but kept going, working his way down, until he was sitting by Thorn’s hip and caressing his stomach.

At least the big construct wasn’t ticklish. He was, however, responsive; when Ash’s fingers finally met that black pillar and slid along it, Thorn’s deep groan was a delight.

Ash kept up that gentle stroking, determined to let Thorn get used to it before he moved on. It wasn’t the easiest thing to do, especially when Thorn started fondling him in turn, one massive hand enfolding the entirety of Ash’s oversized length. But if Thorn was unfamiliar with sex, he didn’t much show it; in mere moments he had Ash squirming and whimpering, and no more did he need to ask to know that those moans were good sounds.

Thorn’s utterances were themselves so low and soft that Ash had to puzzle over them, but not enough so to keep his hands from their task. And by the time he started wandering farther afield, he felt he had a good grasp of them.

The sharp gasp as Ash felt down under Thorn’s balls made him pause for a moment, but the rich moan that followed was all the reassurance he needed.

“I… hadn’t expected it to feel nearly that good,” Thorn confessed some moments later.

“We don’t just do it for the other guy’s sake,” Ash confirmed, grinning over at him, still massaging gently. Then he couldn’t help but laugh. “I say that like I’ve got so much experience…”

“Enough to show me some interesting things already,” Thorn challenged.

Again, Ash grinned. “Want me to keep going, then?”

“Please do.”

Such mild words… if they hadn’t come out fast enough to trip over Ash’s query, he might have missed the eagerness behind them.

This was it, then. No stalling. Or at least, no more stalling than it took to grab the discarded bag, fish out a squeeze bottle, and lube himself up.

“Let me know if it gets uncomfortable,” Ash warned as he knelt – very carefully – astride Thorn’s thick tail.

“I’ve got a very high pain threshold, Ash,” Thorn reminded him.

“There’s a difference between something not hurting and it feeling good,” was Ash’s retort. “And if you’re not enjoying it, this isn’t worth it. Okay?”

“Okay.”

Thorn didn’t do “meek” very well, but the attempt brought a smile to Ash’s muzzle all the same.

Trying not to think about the spines so close to his balls, Ash eased himself into place, leaning on Thorn’s thigh with one hand and cradling his slick length with the other. Cautiously, he started to bear forward.

He needn’t have worried. Thorn was snug against his glans, but parted readily enough, emitting a moan of unalloyed delight. One massive hand bunched up the sheets; the other splayed over Ash’s back, urging him forward.

Well, who was he to complain?

He had to be careful – his legs were against Thorn’s far enough down that those spines were all too palpable. But not so careful that he couldn’t enjoy the heat wrapping around his length – that he couldn’t lose himself, for just one moment, in bliss.

The next thing he knew he was in, leaning right over the bigger male, his tail writhing behind him like a pinned snake. Thorn’s tail was in motion as well, albeit more gently, spines rustling against the sheets. The heat of his shaft pressed against Ash’s chest, its plump head right there in front of his muzzle.

Who, in his situation, wouldn’t take a taste?

As with his scent, some of Thorn’s taste was recognizably masculine – not just the musk, now, but the salty tang of his slickness. And then there was the scent that was distinctly his, the rich aroma of sandalwood mingling seamlessly with all the rest. It was a sensual scent even at the most pressing of times; now, it was overpowering.

Heavy groans washed over his ears as he rocked against the bigger male, as he ran his hands over Thorn’s stomach and the hot pillar of his arousal, as he kissed and licked over that broad cockhead. Strong hands roamed over his upper body, thick, blunted claws scratching behind his ears, all of it urging him on.

There was so much going on that Ash completely lost track of his own pleasure until it was right on top of him, ripping a cry from his lungs and making the room spin around him. He shoved in as deep as he could, panting, shooting a pent-up load deep in as the other male held him close, stroked his sides, and murmured praise and reassurance and words of delight to wash over his ears.

Climax receded, and he abruptly became very aware that he had, in fact, pushed in too hard. Apparently not for Thorn’s sake, but definitely for his own. He couldn’t quite suppress an “ouch” as he leaned back.

“Ash?” A measure of alarm was suddenly in Thorn’s voice.

“It’s okay, I’ll be fine.” Ash waved off his concerned hands. “Just pricked my leg a bit, nothing worse.”

It was silly, really. He’d got that far without incident – got himself in place, got his cock in, all of it – and only in the very last motion had he screwed it up. He couldn’t keep himself from laughing, even as he drew himself free.

Not that he was done, but he didn’t want to risk another such interruption.

“Your turn, now,” he said, leaning over Thorn’s waist and grinning up at him.

He wound up pretty much sitting on the bigger construct’s chest, leaning over that spit-slick ebon pole, licking at everything he could reach and stroking more of it still. The shivering under him, the moans behind him, kept him going – but oversensitive the man was not. It was with some guilty relief that Ash heard his moans suddenly escalating, and truly knew he wouldn’t need to plead fatigue and break off.

Moments later, Thorn cried out, arching up off the bed hard enough to lift Ash with him, and a gout of hot, sticky seed coursed out of his bucking length and over Ash’s tongue. And another, and a good number more – how many, Ash didn’t count; but it was delicious, and it was just what he in his post-orgasmic haze needed.

He stayed there for some time, until Thorn’s breaths had settled to their usual slow rhythm and his shaft had drooped in Ash’s fingers, and he let the latter rest against Thorn’s stomach, sliding off of him and into the inviting curl of a strong arm.

“Worth it?” he asked.

“Worth all of it. All the work, all the crazy nights… all the uncertainty, all the things we’ve done here.” Thorn nuzzled between his ears. “Worth a poke on the leg?”

Ash laughed, reaching up to press a hand against Thorn’s cheek. “Big guy, that would’ve been worth a trip to the infirmary if I didn’t want to make your night perfect.”

“If there’s any way to make it better,” Thorn sighed, “I don’t have the faintest idea what it might be.”

And that seemed to be about it, really. Their muzzles met in a light kiss, and Ash settled in against Thorn’s side – favouring one leg, yes, but for comfort like this, that was a small price to pay.