November 2025
Lily sighed with relief as the multiple metric tonne aircraft came to a roaring halt on the tarmac, the cabin gently shaking as the pilot skillfully handled the plane’s control surfaces to perform a smooth touchdown. They looked out the window to see the distant Portuguese hills that contrasted with the wide fields of the airport and the dark purple of the southern European night sky, reminding them slightly of the distant smog-clogged mountains that surrounded Los Angeles in a bittersweet taste of back home.
After a short taxiing sprint, Lily deboarded the airliner and made their way to the inside of the terminal. Like any other, Humberto Delgado International was a busy hub, people scurrying from the drop-off points to their gates like ants in a frightened colony scrambling to get together. The signs overhead were thankfully clear and in English as well, which assisted Lily in getting to their planned meeting point.
Opening up their folded clamshell phone, it didn’t take long for them to realize that it wasn’t remotely anywhere near the cell towers its e-SIM was meant for, and with a sigh they paused their walking to connect their phone to the airport’s Wi-Fi. They had a short stop in front of a large advertisement on the wall, one for a local cosmetics company. Lily looked at it for a moment as their smartphone took its time to hook up, observing the girl in the poster. It was a snow leopard with long, blonde hair parted down the middle, her bright blue eyes shone as bright as they could through the average-quality print-out, standing out from her clear, clean black-and-white pelt.
“Anastasiya… Avory? Portugal’s got some real pretty people, huh?” They said to themselves. The pink device in their hand chimed its neo-2000’s alert to let Lily know that it finally connected to the network. Without wasting much time, they navigated to their messaging app and continued walking along, following the bright, bold signs that hung from the ceiling.
After what felt like an exhaustive navigation of the concrete and steel labyrinth, narrowly missing other travelers and airport staff as they sprinted across the floor like flies, Lily finally made it to the pickup zone that they and Svi agreed upon. They found a nearby bench, but weren’t super privy to the idea of sitting down again after over 24 hours of sitting inside a pressurized metal tube tens of thousands of feet above the North Atlantic ocean, so they stood around the area, looking around for anyone who they thought resembled the image of their childhood friend in their head.
It didn’t take long before the handset in their pocket finally rang out with a message from Svi.
What are you wearing? I’m here.
Lily was quick to write up a response, describing their outfit as simplistic as they could. They sent it back, scanning the place for anyone also looking for someone else. Their heart started to thump a bit quicker, their mind racing to the worst, wondering if they’d been deceived. They anxiously looked around for anyone suspicious, anyone who, in their mind, looked as though they were there to perform some kind of highly planned kidnapping. This bout of uneasiness was satiated a bit when they thought about who they were exactly. It’s not like they were a famous actor, or the child of a rich oligarch, but the thought wasn’t exactly easy to wipe, especially not after they heard another alert from their cellular device.
With shaky hands, they peeked at the handset once more to read what it had to say.
I don’t see you, what’s nearby?
This sent them into another fit of worry, but so as to not arouse any suspicion, they looked towards something a couple feet away from them and not next to them, which was another poster featuring Anastasiya Avory, which they promptly described in a reply.
They moved away from the poster a bit, cautiously watching to see who would approach it, and it wouldn’t take long until someone did, someone Lily wasn’t expecting.
Just like in the advertisement, it was a snow leopard girl with long, platinum-blonde hair, bright blue eyes, and a well-groomed coat of pantherine fur. She had on a black sleeveless turtleneck and tight-fitting corduroy pants that highlighted the silhouette of her sleek legs befit of a high class fashion model. On her wrist, a pair of matching Vivienne Westwood bracelets, and on her ears, a set of golden triangular Prada earrings to frame the rest of her shapely, symmetric head. In her hand was a silver smartphone wrapped in a simple, folding leather case, which she turned towards to type on.
Lily slowly moved closer, the gears turning within their head as they processed the person in front of her eyes. She appeared as though she had walked out of the picture, an exact recreation of the cosmetics model. Lily’s train of thought was interrupted after yet another notification was received, ringing loudly enough to alert the girl in front of them. Their eyes met one another, and locked into place as they stared into each other’s pupils. Lily moved closer, rolling their luggage across the floor behind them, and so did the girl before them.
“Lily?” She spoke out, appearing to have recognized them before they could recognize her. It was here that Lily paused for a moment, wondering how a model from a make-up advertisement could know who they were. They took a gulp before they spoke out
“Anastasiya…?” Lily asked cautiously. Upon speaking that name out, the girl laughed and continued moving closer. “Yes, that’s me!”
It took until the two were almost directly in front of one another until it finally clicked in Lily’s head, and from cheek to cheek, a smile couldn’t help but form across their face.
“Wait… Svi?! You’re Anastasiya Avory?!”
Svi giggled once more, maneuvering their finger in front of their mouth in a shushing motion as she winked at the dog in front of her. “Not too loud.” She smiled.
It seemed for these two, the continents and the sheer distance of the Earth’s size was not what brought them further apart, it was in fact, time.
“Wow… Three years… You’ve…”
“Changed?” Svi finished Lily’s sentence with a grin. “How was the flight?” She asked as she motioned for them to follow her.
“Egregious.” Lily chuckled. “What do you expect from flying for that long? Having a layover in Atlanta and Paris were interesting, to say the least. As for being over the Atlantic, I pretty much just entertained myself by playing on my phone non-stop. Thanks for at least getting me premium economy though, the extra legroom was super nice for a change!”
“You’re very welcome. I hope the cabin amenities were good. I’ve never booked with Air France before, but I haven’t exactly heard bad things about them, either.”
The two walked over to a large SUV, bathed in a metallic champagne and black two-tone colour whose metallic flakes danced with the motion of the street lights overhead. Lily was taken aback at the sight of the luxury vehicle, and even more so as Svi opened the door to the backseat that revealed its upscale leather and metal interior dressings reminiscent of a 1930’s ocean liner.
“Is this our airport shuttle…?” A genuine question Lily asked. Svi let out a small laugh of entertainment at this as she responded. “It’s my car.”
“Your car? You drive a fucking Sendo? This car is worth my entire bloodline!” Lily exclaimed as they climbed onto the incredibly well-padded seat surrounded by about a billion different screens and buttons for controlling all of its features. Svi entered through the other side, sharing an enthusiasm for another thing that wasn’t her car.
“Lily, this is Bruce, my driver.”
“Greetings, ma’-”
“Nice to meet ya, Bruce! Just Lily is fine!” Lily said, cutting the older gentleman off before he misgendered them.
“O-oh… my apologies…”
“Sorry Bruce, forgot to say, they don’t do the whole “ma’am” or “sir” thing.” Svi patted him on the back. “Shall we go?”
With the awkward tension eased up, they set off. The intricate clock in the center of the cockpit displayed the time as being half an hour past seven. The quietness and stillness of the interior felt otherworldly to Lily, a smashing contrast to their loud, proud, bright red American coupe back home across the pond.
“Y’know, it’s been so long since we last met, I genuinely didn’t recognize you even through the ad. You’ve really done it now. I mean look at this!” Lily ran their fingers across the minute details carved into the metalworks around the vehicle’s doorcards and arm rests, feeling all the tiny recesses and reliefs embedded in the sociopathic intricacy of the Japanese luxury vehicle. “I’ve been on the Queen Mary in Long Beach, and I mean, sure that thing is a glorified floating wreck with how badly it’s been unmaintained, but this is… it’s just leagues ahead…”
“It really is a nice car, though it feels a bit too high class for me. It stands out a lot whenever I get dropped off anywhere. I’d prefer to blend in, honestly.” Svi sighed as she leaned back into the seat, peering out at the bright lights of Lisbon as the car weaved through the streets of the old city.
“That’s pretty understandable. Must suck to be out there in the eyes of the public at all times. Then again, when you’re sitting on this much dough, you better be prepared to handle what comes with it.”
Svi heard them, but simply didn’t respond. They continued moving until the bright lights of Lisbon faded into the rear view mirrors.
“So what have you been listening to lately?” Lily asked, wanting not to keep the cabin quiet for too long.
“Hm, nothing too different from what we used to listen to when we were younger.” She said, pulling one of the vehicle’s screens closer to her and navigating to the music player. “Still care for Pierce the Veil?”
“Look at me, of course! What else ya got?”
“Black Veil Brides, Sleeping with Sirens, you name it. It’s still the same Spotify account I used since high school. Though I haven’t really touched these playlists in a long while. You can look through them too on that screen.” Svi said, leaning over towards Lily to pull the screen out from the seatback in front of them. “Guessing you never used one of these before?” She looked towards the dog.
“N-no…? I’m not a famous model with a four hundred thousand dollar ultra luxury SUV. What kind of question is that?” Lily laughed.
“Just trying to lighten the mood.” Svi winked back as she nudged them. She swiped her hair from her eyes as they fell across her face. “It’s not different from an iPad or even just an Android tablet, it still has apps, they’re just… formatted a bit differently.”
“I-I see… I think I can figure it out.”
Their conversations went on and on as they went down the Portuguese highway as the screams of alternative twinks, metallic screeching of electric guitars, and the intense thumping of punk rock drums blared through the Sendo’s high-fidelity speakers. The car eventually pulled off the highway towards a quieter part of the city, where the traffic slowed down, and the sounds became more sombre. Passing a couple of roundabouts and cruising down a hill past numerous high-rise resorts and hotels, the vehicle came to a halt in front of a tree-lined driveway.
“We’re here.” Svi said as she pulled her phone out and tapped something on the screen. The glittery gold-like SUV crawled up the entry to the large plot of land, and Lily looked out the window to see what they could only describe as the largest house they’ve ever seen up close.
“I really shouldn’t be surprised, but holy shit.” They said with their jaw essentially dragging down on the floor. Lily stepped out after Bruce had opened the door for them, trying to gather as much information they could with their eyes regarding the new environment they had just landed upon. Another car caught their eye next to the Sendo in the parking bay next to the house, and they went to approach it even as it was secluded in relative darkness. “Is that what you bought for the event?”
“Oh, yes it is!” Svi followed them excitedly, tapping their handset once more to brighten up the area. Once the lights came on, the dark, faded, nearly black metallic paint of an old Japanese wagon came to view.
Lily just barely made out the silhouette of the old machine, tracing its roofline carefully. “It’s… an ASR-4? That takes me back…” They pondered. Even with the exterior lighting, it was hard to see clearly due to the blackness of the automobile’s paint, and the larger Sendo in front of it, but they managed to get a better view as they moved past the larger SUV.
“ASR-R…? Wait a minute…”
As they got a better look at it, they couldn’t help but read off the badge on the honeycomb pattern grille. Also visible from the angle they viewed it at were large overfenders that tucked away thick off-road patterned rubber around bright white steel wheels. They continued walking around the vehicle, looking at its distinct early-2000s stencil across the white walls of the property. Even in the night, the damage the sun had performed on its tattered paint was visible, with its chipped clear coat screaming to be peeled off further. The years hadn’t been kind to it at all, for bumps and various bubbles proudly displayed themselves throughout its panels. “Competizione? Svi… is this what I think it is?”
“A 2003 Yamada ASR-4 Competizione, or ASR-R, something along those lines.”
Lily was quick to recall the history of this vehicle, and as if they couldn’t be shocked any further, they closed their eyes and took a deep breath. “You managed to buy this for five thousand Euros?” They asked as calmly as they could.
“Mmm, more like five thousand and some spare change after auction fees. I did a bit of research beforehand, I had a feeling it would’ve gone past the budget but somehow no one wanted it.” Svi shrugged as they stopped by Lily’s side. “But it does run. Smells like oil I believe whenever you turn the engine on, but it still runs nevertheless.”
“That’s pretty amazing. A Paris-Dakar winner, in pretty shit condition, but for that price… something’s got to be wrong with it.” As amazed as Lily was, they couldn’t help but feel a little bit of skepticism about it as they stared at the SUV’s chubby, hamster-like face which was a humorous disparity between that and its very athletic body.
“That’s exactly why I wanted you to come along.”
“Well, we can take a proper look at it tomorrow, it’s way too dark right now, and I’m beat.” They yawned as they turned their head towards Svi, who nodded in agreement.
The two made their way towards the front door, where Bruce stood as diligently as ever. “Where would you like your luggage?” The elder gentleman asked with a distinct polite flair and Portuguese accent.
“I’ll take it from here, thanks!” Lily took their dark purple carryall from the older man and smiled.
“You can take your leave Bruce, thank you as always.”
With a nod from him, he closed the door behind the two and walked off towards the front gate.
Svi led Lily past the foyer, instructing them to first take off their shoes, and into the living room, which could be described as a more vibrant version of millennial grey, with minimalist, but high quality furniture lining the wide floors and faraway walls. A large television embedded itself into a cabineted white shelf across from the wide, dark blue sofa framed with a zebra patterned rug, while further away, a dining area in a windowed rotunda sat bathed in the colors of the night sky peering through.
The two moved towards the stairway to the second floor of the villa, covered in a hard, high quality bright orange wood that was oddly warm to the touch, and at the end of the hallway, Lily saw a large window showing the serene Atlantic coast as it shimmered in the light of distant ships and the cool, dim roundness of the moon.
“You can use this room. Feel free to put your clothes in the cabinets and dressers, there shouldn’t be anything in there I don’t think.” Svi said as she opened the door to a well-furnished bedroom, with a large bed flanked by two cube-shaped nightstands topped with minimalist lamps. A decently sizable TV hung on the opposite wall of the bed, and a large sliding door flanked with heavy curtains finished up the space.
“Woah… I really, really can’t thank you enough for letting me stay!” Lily exclaimed, their tail visibly wagging as they looked all around the room.
“You’re very welcome. If you’re looking for the washroom, it’s back in the hallway next to the staircase, feel free to freshen up, there should already be towels in there.”
“I’ll do just that!” They said, hopping eagerly into their new place of lodging for the next few weeks.
Oh, huh. Weeks? The thought crossed their head as they began to unpack their belongings. The rally won’t start until December… I wonder if I got here too early…
As they climbed into the shower, they couldn’t help but think about Los Angeles. Sure, being on vacation for almost two months in Europe is an unheard dream for many Americans, but it’s not like they could just forget about their life back in the States when it was all over.
Once their mind cleared up, they switched the shower knob off and shook the water from their fur before stepping out to grab a towel to dry themselves off. With that, they dressed up in some casual clothing, consisting of a loose Green Day T-shirt and flannel pajamas, before throwing themselves onto the large, comfy bed and shutting the bedside lamp off. Even with the covers over them, tossing and turning, they weren’t able to get their eyes to stay closed, either due to an unknown feeling of homesickness, or a lingering anxiety about the upcoming event.
Amidst all this, Lily heard Svi call out, and figured, since they couldn’t fall asleep right there, may as well see what was going downstairs. Thus, they made their way back down, finding Svi placing down a wooden board full of cheese, crackers, and sliced cuts of meat on the coffee table in front of the sofa next to two wineglasses and a few different bottles of expensive looking alcohol. Lily felt their cheeks warm up a bit as they noticed the feline’s appearance, whose hair was tied into a neat ponytail and her outfit consisted of a baby blue camisole with shorts that, if viewed at the right angle, would show a sliver of her buttocks. She looked up at the canine as she sat down on the couch, lifting her legs up onto the cushions and patting the seat next to her.
“I had a feeling as tired as you may be, the jetlag would still get to you. Come here, and have a drink with me!” Her tail swayed from side to side invitingly as she gestured for them to come over. Lily gulped and awkwardly made their way past the large, rectangular table, careful not to knock anything over. “I’m only 20, though. Do you have anything non-alcoholic?”
Upon hearing this, Svi let out a hearty laugh as she opened up one of the bottles. “Oh, silly! The drinking age in Portugal is 18. You’re perfectly fine. Have you never had anything to drink before?” She said as she began to pour some of the sweet, red nectar out into the thinly-shaped glass.
A wave of embarrassment washed over the dog as they looked at the drink. “Nothing more than a glass when I still lived with my parents. Since moving out I’ve stayed completely sober.” They said as Svi handed them the beverage, which was colder to the touch than the environment around them.
“Might as well savor this opportunity then. When you go back to America, you won’t be able to drink for another year.” She said right before letting a small swig flow down her throat with a smooth refinement. “We can warm up this way, since it’s getting quite cold outside.” She winked.
Drinking wasn’t ever a thing they truly enjoyed, but Lily figured if they were with someone like Svi, it wouldn’t be too bad of a thing. To them, the smell of the alcohol already felt like enough to send streaks through their mind, but taking a sip and letting the bittersweet liquid flush through their body was an entirely different thing. They felt their ear twitch and felt the fur on their arm raise just a little.
“So how was it?” Svi leaned over, pulling her face closer to Lily to the point where they could both catch a whiff of each other’s booze-stained breaths. “It definitely tastes better than what my parents had me try out a few years back…” They said, turning their flushed head away to take another sip. “This still feels wrong…”
“Playing hard to get is a thing of the past, Lily.” Svi moved her arm closer to the dog’s, firmly crossing into each other’s personal spaces as the tips of their coats brushed against one another. “Mind if I moved in closer?”
“Say, what’s in this drink?” Lily looked back over. Svi’s face was right there, barely a lick away as they looked deeply into one another. “Your eyes are like starlight, now.”
“Something tells me I really can’t stay.” Was what they responded, contrary to their body language.
“What’s this on your shoulder?” Asked the feline with a smutty smirk, whose snout had moved over to the side of their neck. Lily felt the breaths of the apex predator on them, making their body convulse with the warmth of the girl next to them. “Looks like someone got to you first, huh?”
“S-so what if someone did? Being possessive now?” Lily quipped back as Svi tugged on their shirt to get a closer look at the bite marks on the canine’s body. The clock ticked in the distance to the rhythm of their intertwined heartbeats.
The leopard licked the outskirts of her wine-marked mouth. “Gosh, your lips look delicious.”
“Are we just doing an abridged version of “Baby It’s Cold Outside” now?” Lily joked as they set the alcohol down onto the table.
“Do you just want to skip right to the sex, then?”
The air between them felt warmer and warmer with each sip from the cup. Svi’s arm moved in behind Lily, who felt a shudder as they felt pulled in closer. At this point, neither of them could resist the temptation that ran through their bodies. Indeed, the weather outside started to cool the more time elapsed from the sun going down, yet it only got hotter inside as they gazed at each other with sparks going across their eyes. The two were after something they both had, but this tugging feeling kept pushing them past.
Falling deeper into the other, Lily reached back out as they leaned back putting one arm behind themselves to prop themselves up before grabbing the wineglass and bringing it up to their snout.
“With how you’re dressed, something tells me that you want me to say yes.” Their eyes narrowed at the camisole strap now sliding off of the panther’s shoulder, revealing a bit of her chest to Lily. “Maybe a couple more drinks, though.” They grinned.
The ocean breeze blew a soft chill across the grey exterior walls of the Portuguese villa, whistling as they rode over the various bumps and recesses of the large house. Svi opened her eyes to the feeling of something heavy resting on her, nuzzled between the twin lumps of fat on her chest. She looked down, finding Lily sleeping soundly on top of her, their hair thrown about as though a hurricane had just blown through the house, and their face smudged with makeup and wine stains. A ringing pain bounced around her head as she tried looking around, making out the soft bedsheets and warm pillow beneath her.
The two lay there inside her room for a moment, the canine moving up and down with Svi’s breathing as they peacefully remained in deep repose in the middle of the feline’s soft fur-covered mammary tissues. She gently glanced around, unable to find her phone anywhere. With a sigh, she gently shook the slumbering dog to see if they would get up on their own.
“Lily…” She groaned. “Wakey, wakey…”
Lily let out an annoyed moan, like that of a toddler whose afternoon nap had been interrupted. “There’s no school today… It’s too early…” They uttered, wrapping their arms around Svi’s waist as if she were a pillow and pulling her in, their snout melting into the two soft mounds surrounding it. “Hey!”
Svi wrestled the sleepy, and probably hungover pooch off of them, whose limp body lay strewn over the bed, before feeling a shiver and curling up like an armadillo. She simply sighed at this sight, taking the sheet and throwing it over their naked body bathed in various bite marks and hickeys visible through their fur, which had Svi wondering if she’d done too much.
Making her way to the bathroom, Svi looked at herself in the mirror. It seemed the both of them had tangled with one another a bit too much, seeing the various imprints of teeth on her chest, neck, and crotch area. She let out a small giggle as she took a robe that was hanging behind her and wrapped herself up. Making her way downstairs, she was nevertheless rather irked by the mess that was generated by the two’s actions, with crackers and cheese all over the coffee table, clothes and underwear thrown throughout the room, and two empty wine glasses and various alcohol bottles miraculously unbroken on the carpet.
With a sigh, she decided to clean up after themselves while waiting for her doggy friend to wake up.
From the kitchen, to the living room, and wherever else they had their drunken fun, the cleaning process felt to her like it had taken close to an hour. She looked at the clock, unsure what time she’d actually gotten up, but noticed it was a few minutes before noon.
Is that pup ever gonna wake up? None of us ate breakfast yet, either…
A lightbulb lit up atop the snow leopard’s head, and she went to look for her phone, which she found sitting idly beneath a certain someone else’s pink, folded up handset. She went through her contacts, navigating until she found the L’s, and rang up a certain enthusiastic somebody.
“Alo?” She heard someone pick up on the other end after what seemed like a really long bout of ringing. It wasn’t who she was expecting, however, as instead of the typical bubbly high pitched voice she was used to, instead a deep, musky tone answered.
“Hm? Did I dial the right number? Is this not Leo?”
“N-no… this is Leo’s phone… he’s just… asleep right now, sorry.”
“O-oh! I’m sorry. Tell him he doesn’t need to call back. Thank you for answering!” Svi awkwardly said as she ended the call. “Guess I’ll just make breakfast myself, then…” She sighed.
It was maybe a half hour later until Svi heard movement from the bedroom upstairs, as she was in the middle of assembling two sourdough sandwiches. From behind the entrance to the kitchen, a disheveled dog wearing nothing but an oversize Green Day tee scrambled into the room, seemingly guided by the aroma of toasted bread, lettuce, tomatoes, and deli meat. The two of them locked eyes with one another, a small smile highlighting the edges of the big cat’s face. Lily felt their cheeks warm up at the sight of a well-prepared breakfast for two, their canine tail swinging from side to side in joy as Svi motioned for them to take a seat next to her.
Lily sat down next to the feline, feeling the warm sun reach their feet as light struck at an angle and landed on the ground behind the large glass door next to them. The two shared a cozy, tasty breakfast, made even more delicious with the presence of someone by their side.
“Just leave the dishes in the sink, I’ll deal with them later. Do you want to look at the car now?” Svi said, getting up from where she sat. Lily had this look on their face as though they just remembered what exactly they were there for. “For sure!” They got up enthusiastically. Svi looked at them up and down, resisting the urge to let out a small giggle. “Well, maybe put on some pants first.” She snickered.
After a short bout of putting some appropriate clothes together, and Lily grabbing their toolbox from their luggage, the two stepped out into the front yard of the house, where the two SUVs sat underneath the small carport. “I’ll put my car out on the street so you can get more space to look around.” Svi said, throwing the keys of the old Yamada towards them before hopping into the driver’s seat of the Sendo. The gate opened up, and the large luxury ocean liner creeped out of the driveway and onto the street.
Before getting in, Lily crawled down underneath to inspect whatever they could with the chassis, and down there they noticed the suspension components and general undercarriage weren’t horrible, but not as clean as a car from the Southwestern United States. With that, they got up and opened up the door to the old homologation special, with images of their childhood immediately flooding back upon seeing the familiar interior of the vehicle, from its patterned, heavily bolstered cloth seats, four-spoke steering wheel, and ultra sensible, utilitarian dashboard design.
Opening the hood, they found the engine to be covered in countless layers of dust and dirt. Rubbing the muck off the intake plenum revealed the Yamada branding on the engine. Looking around, they found the dipstick, pulling it out and wiping the end with the towel before dipping it back inside to check the oil levels. It appeared reasonably high, maybe missing less than a quart of lubricant. The fill cap had been changed for an aftermarket HKS unit, meaning that they’d have to go on the internet to figure out the exact viscosity needed for the engine.
Besides that, everything looked in order. The accessory belt, though dusty, still looked functional, and so did the rest of the accessories on the passenger side of the engine bay. Despite the body having various surface rust spots visible, the front strut towers looked clean and sturdy. Even the battery seemed newly replaced.
“Guess all that needs to be done now is a proper test drive, huh?”
StormWulfrith42
Thinking of Bara Wolf Tiddies. X3 
lilybread
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