This is my first real submission to this site! Been thinking of this story for a long time, and wanted to do a first chapter and see where it went before continuing. Hope you all enjoy it, and comments are always good!

Raven, a young kitsune, is suddenly thrust into campus life by some bad circumstances in his life, and ends up being roommates with a funny, outgoing, and very handsome cheetah named Alex. Alex is, however, surprised to find that Raven is indeed very pregnant when he moves in, and wonders what happened. As for Raven, he is curious about the draw he soon starts to feel towards his new friend, and curiosity about his job that Alex doesn't give many details about. What will these two juniors find out about each others' lives? And just how close will the two become? Keep reading to find out!

I'll do my best to keep this story going, especially if people like it. I enjoyed coming up with it and writing it, so I'm sure I'll keep going. I'll put the story here and in it's original Word form as well.






Chapter 1

Alex lay kicked back on his dorm bed in just his briefs, trying to concentrate long enough to finish the reading for his English course. WHY his professor had chosen to assign them Jane Eyre for their first novel of the semester was beyond him. Not that he had anything against the Brontë sisters, but he had been hoping for something a little more… exciting. Something to get him through his downtime at work. This book certainly wouldn’t work for him.
At the thought of work, the pudgy cheetah’s stomach rumbled. He rubbed at it absently as he continued to read. While normally it would be weird for a cheetah to have a belly, due to their naturally high metabolism, Alex’s particular…. occupation led to a pot belly and slight love handles that he couldn’t shake, even if he wanted to. Personally, he thought they looked good on him, and he wasn’t the only one. People at work certainly seemed to think so too.
He had just finished the last chapter for that week’s assignment when he heard a shuffling outside the dorm room door, and saw the handle slowly start to turn. “Oh, that’s right,” he thought, “I’m supposed to be getting a roommate today. Sudden last minute transfer they said.” He set his book down and stared curiously as the door opened and the young man stepped in.
The first thing Alex noticed was how absolutely CUTE his new roommate was. Seriously mega cute. He was a kitsune, with eight tails looming around him and dark blue fur, with hints of white around his paws and muzzle, and the tips of each tail. His bright green eyes shone out of his adorably shy face, and his timid posture made Alex want to grab him into a tight hug. Oh yeah, this guy was totally his type. There was just one small problem. Well, not so much a “small” problem.
The second thing Alex noticed, and mentally kicked himself for not seeing right off, was the large spherical belly that pushed out from the kitsune’s middle like he had a balloon hidden under his jacket. It was immediately obvious to Alex that this guy was pregnant, and pretty far along too. He almost let a sigh escape his lips. It figured, finally a guy he felt like he really wanted to get to know, and the guy was pregnant by some other dude. Then it hit him. If this guy was having kids, why was he moving in here? Why wasn’t he with his mate? Why was he going to college at all, this close to what Alex figured was his due date? He guessed it wasn’t really any of his business. He might as well welcome the guy and help him get settled in. They were going to be living together for a while, after all.
“Hi there!,” he enthused, giving the kitsune a huge smile. He got up and walked towards his shy new friend. “My name’s Alex, what’s yours?”
The kitsune blushed a little, looking Alex up and down quickly, blinked a few times, and finally stuttered out, “R-Raven. My name’s Raven…”
“Well, Raven, it’s very nice to meet you!” Alex waves his hands in a grand gesture to take in the whole room. “Welcome to your new humble abode! Can I help you carry in anything?”
Raven smiled slightly and shook his head. “Th-this is all I brought,” he said, indicating a small backpack he was toting around.
Alex frowned, very much confused. “Why did you bring so little with you? Don’t you need more clothes than that?”
Raven hung his head, unable to look Alex in the eye, and mumbled, “This is all I have….”
Alex was stunned. Surely, surely, this couldn’t be everything his cute new roommate owned in the world?! But Raven certainly seemed embarrassed enough to be telling the truth. How was this possible? What about his parents? And again, what about his mate? Alex was getting a horrible sinking feeling about Raven’s circumstances, but he couldn’t just come out and ask. It was up to Raven whether he wanted to talk about it or not. Overcoming his shock, Alex decided to be as nice as possible to Raven, and do whatever he could for him from now on without seeming like he pitied him.
“Well, ok then. Let me just show you to your side of the room then.” Alex led him over to the bed at the far corner of the room, at a diagonal to his own.
“It really isn’t that much, but it’s homey enough,” he said with a kind smile. “Feel free to decorate or do whatever you want, I don’t mind. Due to my job, I’m not here a few nights a week anyways, so nothing will bother me.” He paused, and then couldn’t help himself from asking, “How come you’re starting the semester a week late? And… why live in a dorm?”
Raven looked down at his feet, or his belly really, and gave a sad little sigh. “Well…. I couldn’t do my schooling from home anymore because…. some things happened. So I moved here, and this is where the resident advisor set me up.” He looked uncomfortable, like he really didn’t want to keep going.
“It’s ok,” Alex whispered kindly, before his voice grew to normal volume again. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to. But I would like to be your friend. That good with you?”
Raven actually smiled at that, a hopeful little grin that sent Alex’s heart into somersaults and tumbles. “Y-yeah. That’s good with me.”
“Great! I’m sure we’ll get along just fine, Raven. I can see it now!”

A couple of days passed from there, and while Raven didn’t really open up to Alex, he slowly grew to be more comfortable around him. They actually shared a couple of classes, both being juniors, so they studied and walked to classes together. They got some weird stares from their fellow students, but Alex figured that was simply because of Raven’s massive baby bump.
Finally it got to be Friday, Alex’s first work night of this first week of classes. “I’ve gotta head to work, I’ll be back tomorrow,” he called out to Raven as he grabbed his bag and groomed himself in a mirror. “But if you need me for something, you give me a ring or shoot me a text, alright?”
“I-I’ll be ok,” Raven stammered, before a small, sweet smile came on his face. “But thank you very much. Where is it you work again?”
“Oh, it’s just a local club, kinda specialized,” Alex replied, trying to sound off-handed about it. “It pays the bills. There’s a little money in my sock drawer if you get really hungry and want some more dinner,” he jested, nodding to Raven’s belly. Raven blushed and rubbed it absently. “See you tomorrow!”
As soon as Alex was out the door, Raven felt oddly bereft. He realized with a slight jolt that he already missed the affable, sweet, and handsome cheetah. He couldn’t do this again…. Could he? Alex didn’t seem…. Well, neither had Kyle, at first. He shivered a little at the thought of the black cat who fathered his children. Don’t think about it, he told himself. It’s over, it’s past, and you’re ok. The kids are ok too. And while he had only known Alex for less than a week, Raven truly felt like he could trust him. There was something there he couldn’t quite place his finger on.
A sudden, massive wave of curiosity flowed over Raven. What kind of club did Alex work at? A specialty club, he had said. But what did that even mean? Raven had never really been around the area, for… reasons, so he didn’t know the clubs in town. Maybe he should investigate. He wanted nothing more than to find out as much as he could about his roommate. He moved over to the sock drawer, thinking of looking for the money Alex had mentioned, and in the process accidentally came across what appeared to be a business card.
The card was black and purple, with a silhouette of some sort of cat on the front, posing like a model. It was for Club Puma, according to the heading, and the manager was listed as a Felix Summers. The card really didn’t give away what kind of club it was, just the name, address, and a phone number. Raven’s curiosity grew and grew. Why didn’t the card give more info? What kind of place did Alex work? All kinds of weird and scary thoughts ran through his head, before he realized that Alex wasn’t the type of guy to do anything shady. Finally, Raven made up his mind. He was going to go to this club and see what it was. And then…. he would tell Alex about his own past. He needed to get it off his chest, needed to talk about it, he knew. And he couldn’t think of anyone better to talk to than the chubby cheetah who was steadily stealing what was left of his heart.

The cab let Raven out on the corner just outside of where the club was supposed to be. He looked around uncomfortably, unsure if he really wanted to go through with this, or just jump right back in a cab. He steeled himself, knowing that he had to be brave, that he had to take control of his life back and get out into the world again. So, after a moment’s more hesitation, he marched up to the door of the fairly nondescript building and went inside.
The interior was certainly different than he expected. He thought he’d be inundated with sounds and sights right away, with a great big dance floor and a D.J. booth. Instead, the place looked almost like a hotel. There was a lightly furnished, but elegant reception area right in front, with two hallways that branched out into four more, all with oak doors spaced evenly along them. The hardwood floor was shiny and waxed, and the whole place had a vintage feel, with red curtains and soft lighting, and a little sitting area off to the side with plush chairs and a tea table in the center. The reception desk was a gilded affair of a rich, dark red wood Raven couldn’t name, and behind stood a tall puma with what could only be described as a large beer belly on full display. As a matter of fact, Raven could tell that all the puma was wearing was a pair of glittering, skimpy golden undies that accentuated his lower half nicely. Raven blushed and looked to the side just as the puma noticed him.
“Well, welcome dear!,” the puma cooed in a silken and suggestive voice, quirking an eyebrow at the kitsune. “Haven’t seen you around before. This is the Puma Club, best in town! My name is Felix, the owner, a pleasure to meet you. What can we do for you tonight?” He wiggled his eyebrows at the end, and it took all Raven had to look the puma in the face to do what he came here for.
“Um, a-actually, I was, uh… Is this where, um, Alex w-works?”
Felix looked momentarily confused, but understanding quickly sparked on his face. “OH! You must be my dear Alex’s new roommate he’s talked so much about! Yes hun, Alex works here indeed. As a matter of fact, he just got through with his first shift a little bit ago. Did you come here to see him?”
Raven was surprised. Alex had talked about him to his boss? That made his heart jump and he felt warm inside. No one had ever seemed to pay that much attention to him, or care about him enough to talk to their friends or coworkers about him. It was a new and exciting feeling, and he wanted more of it.
“I-I was just curious about where he worked. He… didn’t really say much about it. And, yes, I was k-kinda hoping to see him too. But I don’t want to interrupt his work!”
“Oh, nonsense, hunny!,” Felix cried, coming around the desk and slinging an arm around Raven’s shoulders. “He’s free for a while yet. I would be happy to take you to him. As for the club… maybe you should just ask him about that. Come along now, move your cute hind end this way!” Felix began to sashay down the left hallway with Raven in tow, unsure what to do with himself around this boisterous and unabashed cat.
They got about halfway down the hall before Felix stopped them. “This is Alex’s room right here. Let me just pop in and let him know he has a guest. Just a sec sweetie!” Felix slipped into the room and had a short conversation that Raven couldn’t hear, then came back out and said, “Go on in hun, he’s waiting for you.” Felix leaned in closer and whispered in Raven’s ear, “I don’t know exactly what’s gone on with you, dear, but I have my suspicions. Just to let you know, you will never, ever find a better guy in the world than the one in this room. I truly mean that.” He winked as he turned and began to walk back to the front. “Just some food for thought!,” he called back over his shoulder.
Raven blushed even harder at those words, and also felt a slight thrill of fear. What did Felix think he knew about Raven’s past? He hadn’t told anyone…. Except the police of course. Shoving that to the back of his mind, he slowly opened the door and stepped inside the room.
It looked much like the sitting area at the entrance, with the red curtains and a few chairs and small table in a corner. But much of the other side of the room was taken up by a massive, ornate bed made of dark black wood that shone in the low light. And, most startling of all, on the bed, lying on his side, was Alex, reading a book. And with a huge, distended, and slightly wiggling belly stretching out from his middle.
He glanced up from his book, saw who had walked in, and would have fallen off the bed if his belly wasn’t keeping him stuck there. “R-R-Raven!!! What are you doing here?!”