Alex woke up very slowly.

  Not because he was well-rested.

  But because something was wrong.

  There was weight on his chest. Warm, steady weight. And a dampness that absolutely should not be there.

  He stared at the ceiling for a long, silent second while his brain booted up.

  Then it all hit him at once.

  Eri was lying on top of him.

  Not just close. Not just leaning.

  Fully sprawled.

  Her head rested against the center of his chest, cheek squished slightly into his shirt. One arm was slung loosely across his stomach, fingers curled in sleep. Her legs were tangled with his in a way that left absolutely no room for dignity.

  And her tails—

  Her tails were everywhere.

  Two were tucked around his waist like a belt. One was draped over his shoulder. Another had somehow wrapped around his thigh. The rest fanned out across the bed like a soft, living barrier, making escape physically impossible.

  And to top it all off—

  She was drooling.

  A small, unmistakable patch of warmth soaked through his shirt right over his sternum.

  Alex did not move.

  He did not breathe.

  He did not think.

  Because if he did any of those things too suddenly, he was fairly certain he would die.

  “…oh no,” he whispered.

  Eri made a tiny sound in her sleep — a soft, content hum — and shifted slightly.

  The movement dragged her face just a little more across his chest.

  The drool spread.

  Alex stared straight ahead.

  “I am being punished,” he murmured.

  Her ears flicked.

  That was bad.

  Very bad.

  She stirred, burrowing instinctively closer, her forehead nudging under his chin. One of her tails tightened faintly, pulling him closer without her realizing it.

  He squeezed his eyes shut.

  “Okay,” he breathed quietly. “Okay. Don’t panic. She’s asleep. You can fix this.”

  Step one: remove self from under fox girl.

  Step two: survive.

  He tried to carefully lift one hand — slowly, slowly — intending to gently nudge her shoulder.

  Her arm tightened around him immediately.

  “No,” she mumbled.

  He froze again.

  “…no?” he echoed softly.

  She shifted again, face pressing more firmly into his chest, drool absolutely unapologetic now. Her ears fttened in that half-asleep, defensive way, and one tail flicked irritably as if warding off disturbance.

  Alex’s hand hovered uselessly in the air.

  “…Eri,” he whispered. “You’re— you’re crushing me.”

  She responded by nuzzling.

  Not on purpose.

  But still.

  His soul left his body.

  “Okay,” he whispered again. “I’ll just… wait.”

  Time passed.

  How much time? No idea.

  The room slowly brightened as morning light crept in through the curtains. The house began to wake — faint footsteps in the hallway, the sound of the coffee machine starting up, the muffled clink of dishes downstairs.

  Alex y there, completely trapped, contempting every life choice that had led him to this moment.

  Eventually, Eri stirred properly.

  Her ears twitched first — once, twice — reacting to the morning sounds. Her breathing shifted, becoming shallower as she drifted toward wakefulness.

  Then her nose scrunched.

  She sniffed.

  “…mm.”

  Alex braced himself.

  Her eyes fluttered open.

  They focused on… fabric.

  Not the ceiling.

  Fabric.

  She blinked.

  Once.

  Twice.

  Then she lifted her head slightly.

  And saw Alex’s face.

  They stared at each other.

  Silence.

  Absolute, deafening silence.

  “…why are you under me,” she asked groggily.

  Alex opened his mouth.

  Closed it.

  “…why are you drooling on me,” he replied.

  Her brain caught up all at once.

  Her eyes widened.

  She looked down.

  Saw her arm around him.

  Her legs tangled with his.

  Her tails wrapped around him like restraints.

  And the damp spot on his shirt.

  Her ears shot straight up.

  Then fttened so hard they nearly disappeared into her hair.

  “Oh my god,” she whispered.

  Then louder: “OH MY GOD.”

  She scrambled back in a flurry of limbs and tails, somehow managing to untangle herself without unching him off the bed. She ended up sitting against the headboard, face burning, hands over her mouth.

  “I— I— I’m so sorry— I didn’t mean to— I swear I wasn’t— I don’t—”

  Alex sat up too, shirt ruined, hair sticking up, face red but expression oddly calm.

  “…you sleep like an octopus,” he said.

  She made a strangled noise and buried her face in a pillow.

  “I’m never sleeping with anyone again.”

  He gnced at the clock.

  “It’s seven in the morning.”

  “NEVER.”

  They both sat there awkwardly for a moment.

  Then Alex looked down at his shirt.

  “…I should probably change.”

  “Yes,” she said immediately. “Please. For the love of everything.”

  He stood, stretching slightly, and gnced around.

  “…do you have a spare shirt?”

  She nodded rapidly, hopping off the bed and opening a drawer.

  “Yes— yes— here— sorry— this one’s clean—”

  She shoved a soft, oversized shirt from when she was Ethan into his hands without looking at him.

  He smiled faintly.

  “I’ll— uh— bathroom?”

  “Bathroom,” she echoed, pointing emphatically.

  He left.

  The moment the door clicked shut, Eri colpsed back onto the bed face-first.

  Her tails flopped dramatically around her.

  “I drooled on him,” she muttered into the mattress.

  Her ears burned.

  She pressed her face harder into the pillow.

  “I pinned him.”

  By the time Alex came back, she’d at least managed to sit up and compose herself slightly — though her ears were still angled awkwardly and her tails refused to behave, flicking with leftover embarrassment.

  He looked… better.

  Dry shirt. Hair combed with fingers. Expression calmer than she felt.

  “…you okay?” he asked gently.

  She nodded. “I think I bcked out.”

  “That tracks.”

  They shared a small, awkward ugh.

  Then there was a knock on the door.

  “Morning,” Mom’s voice called softly. “You two awake?”

  Eri froze.

  Alex looked at her.

  She looked back at him.

  Her ears twitched.

  “…define awake,” she whispered.

  Before either of them could answer, the door cracked open.

  Mom peeked in.

  She took in the scene in half a second.

  Alex standing near the door.

  Eri sitting on the bed, hair messy, ears fttened in embarrassment, tails everywhere.

  She smiled.

  “Oh good,” Mom said calmly. “You survived the night.”

  Eri made a noise somewhere between a groan and a whine.

  Mom stepped in fully. “Breakfast is almost ready. Mira’s already up. Yui’s… loud.”

  Alex cleared his throat. “Sorry if I— uh— took up space.”

  Mom waved it off. “You’re fine. You kept her company.”

  Her gaze softened slightly when she looked at Eri.

  “She sleep okay?”

  Eri nodded, quieter now. “…yeah.”

  Mom’s eyes flicked to Alex’s new shirt.

  Then to Eri.

  Then back.

  She did not comment.

  Bless her.

  “Come down when you’re ready,” Mom said, turning to leave. “And Eri?”

  “Yes?”

  “…hairbrush.”

  Eri groaned.

  Breakfast was chaotic in the familiar way.

  Yui immediately noticed Alex.

  Then immediately noticed Eri.

  Then immediately noticed the tails.

  “I wanna touch them.”

  “No you won't,” Eri muttered, sitting down quickly.

  “Whyyy,” Yui persisted. “They’re so fluffy.”

  Alex sat beside Eri this time — carefully — giving her space.

  Mira watched everything over her coffee with a knowing look.

  Mom set ptes down like this was the most normal morning in the world.

  And slowly, as food was eaten and jokes were made and nobody panicked…

  Eri felt something settle.

  The embarrassment faded.

  The fear eased.

  This wasn’t perfect.

  It was messy.

  Awkward.

  Unpredictable.

  But she wasn’t alone.

  Alex caught her gncing at him and smiled slightly.

  She returned it — ears lifting just a little.

  Even if mornings started with drool…

  Maybe this was okay.