Admittedly, I am something of a Dodger/Rita shipper. :P

Here's an excerpt from my story in which they take their friendship further:

The pair carried on through the city streets together, and the tension that had built up between them had soon disappeared into the cold night air. Dodger was strutting around with his usual self confidence and telling a rather exaggerated story of a recent escapade… not that he thought for a moment that Rita was buying a word of it. Rita rubbed her head affectionately against Dodger’s as they walked, happy to have her beloved friend back to his old self. Suddenly it was as if the last night had never happened. All the same, Rita wanted to reassure him that she was there for him. As they came to a quiet alley, she stopped, and gently pulled Dodger nearer to her by his bandanna. He looked amused, eyeing her curiously. “It’s so good to have you back to normal, honey. You had me real worried there.” She paused for a moment, and shivered slightly in the cold. “No matter what anyone else might do, I’d never leave you. You know that, right?”
Dodger looked into Rita’s eyes and saw only sincerity there. He had to believe that she meant every word. He trusted her. “Yeah, I know. We’re solid.”
Rita smiled, and playfully nuzzled his face. She felt that the time was right to tell him, otherwise she might just keep on hiding her feelings forever. As much as she feared rejection by the person she cared about most in the world, she couldn’t hold it in any longer. “I love you, Dodge,” she whispered. Her heart was pounding as she spoke, not knowing how he’d respond. “I love you so much.” She could barely believe that she’d said it out loud after all this time; and blushed fiercely beneath her fur. Rita held her breath, waiting. She was well aware that he hadn’t been in a committed relationship in his life, he’d never wanted one. Putting her heart on the line for him was a huge gamble, and the moments’ wait for his response agonising.
Dodger’s eyes widened and he stared at her in surprise. Rita had caught him off guard; even though he was aware of her attraction to him, he’d managed to convince himself, despite the feeling deep down that she really loved him, that it wasn’t anything serious. But there was something in the way she said those words that told him loud and clear that it wasn’t just an expression of friendship- she wanted more. Having just spent the past night and day telling himself that it would never work, Dodger was briefly at a loss for how to respond, his mind racing.
“Ya know; we don’t have to head back just yet,” he said, his usual self-confident smirk returning to his face, “If you’re not too cold, you and I could hang out for a while.” Dodger headed casually back out onto the sidewalk, gesturing to Rita to follow and giving no outward impression of the battle still unfolding in his head. Finally, he decided that he had to trust his deeper feelings.
Rita was disheartened by Dodger’s lack of response to the confession that had taken her so long to build up the courage to make. She was sure that she’d just made a real fool of herself, making herself vulnerable and all for nothing.
As Rita reached Dodger’s side, he quickly leaned up to lick her cheek and said quietly in her ear, “Love you too, Rita.” He flashed a cocky grin, and dashed out, leaping onto the roof of a nearby car.
Rita’s heart skipped a beat at those words, and she was soon hot on his heels. As they chased one another through the busy streets, moving through the bustling city with the greatest of ease, Rita was filled with an indescribable joy. Taking in the atmosphere of the bright city lights against the snowy night, Rita couldn’t imagine anything more beautiful; and now she had Dodger with her sharing in her happiness. She ran after him, overwhelmed by a desire to be close to him- suddenly there was nothing else that mattered. They skidded joyfully across the snow-laden cars, sending powder flying out into the air. Faster and faster, they ran side by side, tails high in euphoria as they shared in a dance through their constantly moving home.
After skilfully manoeuvring themselves up onto a rooftop, the pair playfully pounced and nipped at one-another, laughing the whole time. Backing her up toward the edge, Dodger looked lovingly into Rita’s face. Her eyes searched his, looking for confirmation that he’d meant what he’d said. Dodger had never imagined that he would feel this way, and yet it felt right. There had never been anyone else, not like this. He leaned closer, and drew her into a loving kiss.
Rita closed her eyes, allowing herself to lose herself in the moment. The kiss was everything she’d ever dreamed, and the rest of the world just seemed to fall away. She’d never felt closer to him, and it was wonderful. She laughed as she finally came away, and snuggled up to Dodger as he nuzzled her neck and ran his tongue over her tenderly. Rita felt a pleasurable shiver run up her spine as he caressed her neck and chest, and she let out a soft moan which brought a grin to his face. She then reciprocated, lovingly licking his ears, his face, his neck. They collapsed in a heap, huddled close to keep out the cold, kissing and laughing until they could barely breathe.
“It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Rita said softly once she’d gotten her breath back, looking out at the wonderful view of the home that they both loved. The gentle snowfall was soft and fluffy, giving the evening a magical quality. She stuck her tongue out playfully to catch a snowflake.
“You should see it from where I’m sitting.” Dodger grinned, admiring his partner. He didn’t know if he’d ever seen Rita so completely lit up with happiness, and she looked all the more beautiful to him for it. He felt an enormous weight lifted off his chest; they were finally together and it was more than he could have imagined. There was something oddly thrilling about leaning in to kiss the old friend he’d known near all his life, all the boundaries falling away. Rita relaxed into him, closing her eyes blissfully as he licked her. Away from the rest of the world, they revelled in their newfound intimacy, passionately loving one another without a hint of apprehension. They were together at last.

The full story: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/860846...../Winter-in-NYC

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