It was December 31st and almost seven in the evening; a late evening snowstorm filled the sky outside the apartment window with flurries of white that flew past almost so hard that it was moving sideways, the sill already covered in two inches of snow from the bottom. The glow of the television being almost the only light in the room as Val competed in her favorite new Christmas Gift; a multiplayer battle arena game that had just gotten an award for best new game of the year on her console. It was a frustrating feat that almost had her sweating in her red tank top as she wriggled about on the couch, trying to win the latest round. It had been an arduous journey, but now it was just down to her and one other player. She erected the scope of her sniper rifle, filling the screen in its crosshairs with such detail that it would have made her previous 6 console blush. She lined up the sight on her opponent; now bouncing around idiotically, there was no way he could stand a chance now. Ready....aim....

Suddenly there was a flash on her screen; "What the? It couldn't be! We are the last two!" She wheeled her controls so fast that they nearly slipped from her hands,another sniper taking pot shots at her! She could see briefly the little flash of the gun firing,then the screen flooded with red as her character fell limply to the ground. "NO!" She screamed in anger. Another sniper! The screen flipped and flashed "Your team placed #2" and she immediately brought the palm of her hand to her face. How could she have been so stupid? Her target must have revived a teammate and she didn't realize there were three active players in the match,not two. "GRAAAAHHHH!" Her lupine rage filled the apartment with an echoing roar as she hurled the controller across the room.

"Fear not, Val. I have--" Ahriman gasped and ducked as the controller struck the wall right beside him, shattering into a hundred pieces and showered to the floor. After a short pause, the bull looked at the wolf with a rather puzzled stare. "I assume there is some reasonable explanation for this?"

"None." Val huffed as she slumped against the headrest of the couch.

Ahriman opened the door and stepped in, a pair of hefty white bags in tow. "I trust food shall quell your frustrations, dear?" He said as he waved the bags, prompting the wolf to bolt upright and look at him. Setting the bags down, Ahri slipped from his long trench coat and slipped it over the hook against the wall before brushing the parts of the controller aside with his hoof. Val got up and walked over, giving him a hug. "Oh thank you, I was getting pretty hungry."

A smile pursed the bull's lips. "Verily."

"Sometimes I wonder if you talk that way just to confuse me." Val said, drawing herself away before crouching and quickly sweeping the plastic into her hands and picking the controller up. Realizing the confusion in Ahriman's face, she gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm kidding, and I'll replace the controller."

The bull's confusion seemed to lift and he returned to a smile. "No worries, I'm just glad I did not step through the door two seconds earlier."

"Heh. I'll bet." She replied as she vanished into the dark kitchen, a light coming on as the sound of something being thrown into the trash can could be heard as Ahriman walked over to the dining room table on the other side of the alcove from the kitchen, he glanced in and saw her leaning over the trash in her red shorts, her tail swished from left to right; averting his gaze just as she started to turn toward him, he cleared his throat as he extracted the food from the bags. "I trust Poulvian Drumsticks will suffice? It was literally the only place I could find open that wasn't crowded out the door."

"Oh they'll be fine." Val replied. "I'm so hungry I could eat one live."

Ahriman chuckled through his nostrils and shook his head as he set out the plastic plate and removed the cover, filling the room with the meaty aroma. Reaching into the other bag he extracted a plastic bowl of soup and placed it in front of his seat. Pulling off the cover, the scent of his pasta washed over his snout and made him breathe deep. His stomach grumbled immediately in response as he practically began to salivate over the meal. His long sleeved black shirt felt a little tight all of a sudden as he inhaled and his muscles pressed against his fabric, unzipping it partway to breathe he seated himself just in time to witness Val exit the kitchen and join him at the table. Slipping him a fork, Ahriman was all too eager to dive into his vegetarian pasta and chow down. Val began to devour her meal as well, and for the next twenty minutes or so, there was a wordless clattering of forks and teeth. Napkins being used and belches being exchanged as they ate through meat, pasta, soup and salad until their meal was completely exhausted. Ahriman was the first to finish and groaned as he leaned back in his chair, putting his hands on his muscular stomach as if the meal had made an impact on it.

"Oh God,that was very much needed!" He exclaimed as he looked at Val, who was suckling ravenously on the last of her wings,the rest of them a saliva-ridden pile in the middle of her plate. "And I could see you were pretty hungry too."

"Hungry like a wolf." Val replied, rather openly picking at her front fang with a pinkie claw to completely consume her dinner. "That was needed."

"Oh yes, I was quite hungry as well." Ahriman nodded before reaching over and taking the plate from the wolf, who gave him a surprised expression. "What?"

"It's not every guy who'd reach across a wolf girl's plate and expect to come back with his arms intact." She replied matter-of-factly, a statement that made the bull somewhat nervous. She emphasized his nervousness with a rather toothy grin. "I'm kidding." She added in a deadpan tone.

Ahriman cleared his throat and gathered up his dishes as well before retreating hastily toward the kitchen. "That is good." He muttered. "One shouldn't bite off more than she can chew, right Val?"

"Oh, I can try." Val teased further before looking back at the TV. "So, games are out until I can get out to the store tomorrow. Did you want to watch a movie?"

Ahriman returned from the kitchen, drying off his hands from having tossed the garbage and washing them up. "Certainly, though nothing too drab or gory. I'm not in the mood for blood and guts tonight."

The night's pick was from Val's 'classic' movie collection: Army of Darkness. This kept the bull close enough for the wolf to wrap her arm around his elbow and rest against his muscular arm like a pillow...a long sleeved black pillow covering a boulder of a bicep. Not that she argued much with that,she quietly watched both the movie and his expressions to many of the scenes bringing a cringed face and plenty of rolling eyes. "What's the matter?" She asked.

"This was not exactly what I had in mind when I said nothing too gory; it's quite disturbing."

"You're telling me that like you've never seen it before?"

"Well it wasn't exactly made during my lifetime. Or yours, as a matter of fact. Where do you find these things?"

Val shrugged and chuckled. "I just wanted to find something to get your attention."

"Quite the contrary ,but as long as you enjoy it I am happy."

Val sighed and returned her attention to the movie, which was already approaching its climactic scene and her mind began to wander, pressed against the bull she couldn't help but let her hands wander along the leg of his pants, feeling the bovine's well-hung bulge along his thigh which pulsed slightly to her amusement. She wanted him badly and she wanted him before midnight. She pressed her hand against his thigh, causing him to shift a bit.

"Is there something I can help you with?" He asked;though with the straight-faced and deadpan way he asked that,she realized there was no play in his voice and quickly dropped the attempts.

"No,it's nothing." She said.

The credits began to roll on the movie;and reaching over, Ahriman flicked the remote switch to turn the movie off,returning it to normal broadcast television playing a news report with the subheading "Peace Talks Boasting Negative Reactions" which caused Val's ears to perk up to the reporter:

"And tonight of all nights,a time of hope for renewal, peace talks between the Republic of Britain and the United Kingdom of Scandinavia are both meeting with backlash from their respective countries."

"Oh simply something we don't need." Ahriman rolled his eyes and went to change the channel;subtly,he was stopped by the wolfess leaning over him. "Seriously?"

"Oh come on, I mean it's not like there's been any good news from this front in what, ten...eleven centuries? I'm interested."

"Are you?" The bull perked an eyebrow at the wolf. "Really?"

"Well being the granddaughter of a Norweigan immigrant it's hardly surprising. But this all sounds pretty old hat. They lob spitballs at each other, pretend to cease fire only for someone to break it and war breaks out again. Sometimes I just hope for a change for the better. You know?" She chuckled. "Besides these so-called peace talks always seems to end up riling up people on both sides. Which only pisses them off more when they're broken."

"Trust me, being from where I'm from doesn't make it much easier." Ahriman sighed as he watched the television screen, his eyes widened. "Oh, hey. Apollyon." He pointed out the large falcon in the center of the screen above the moniker "Head of House Cthonius" "That man has not aged a day since elementary."

"Only under the feathers I guess." Val joked. "That's right, you grew up with this guy didn't you?"

Ahriman shrugged. "Mmm somewhat. He and I went to elementary back when I lived in Britain. The last time I saw him was... hmm. Four years ago, after the death of his father. He's now head of the house? I find it surprising."

"Why is that?"

Ahriman looked at Val, paused briefly and replied. "He's... never had the best temperament. He always flew off the handle, even when we were children, he would constantly argue with authority figures and would bully men smaller than himself. It is hard to believe a man like that would champion the cause of uniting Britain and its longest term enemy."

"Enemy is a bit of a strong word isn't it?"

"Well it is a general description of a country we've been at war with for centuries. I do apologize if it sounded harsh." He shrugged. "It just feels like with Apollyon at the helm there's got to be more to it than simply politics.

Val flumped back into the couch's thick cushions and idly watched the television for a few minutes before glancing up at the clock on the side wall; it was just about eleven o'clock. She sighed and teased her pinkie finger along Ahriman's stomach which sparked a reflexive tightening of his abdomen. "You know, we've still got an hour left of the year. And honestly twenty thirty-three can just kiss it. Let's celebrate us getting out of it in a more interesting way than watching the news and taking a shot at the appointed hour."

Ahriman's arm rested around Val's shoulder and he looked down at her. "Something tells me your idea of celebration has to do with coitus." He surmised.

In a flash Val was on top of Ahriman's lap, her legs straddling his as her body pressed into him. "Now, see? I knew you'd catch on."

Ahriman's lips trembled a bit at the touch of hers, at the reach of her scent entering his nostrils. After that news broadcast, sex was literally the last thing on his mind, but it quite thoroughly rushed to the front. "Must we?" He asked, his mind flexing between need and mood as his body reacted to hers grinding against his.

Val's hands reached down his torso in between them as she grabbed the bulge now thickening against the fabric of his pants. "Helt klart." She whispered the Norwegian language into his ear as her grip tightened, making his cock throb and shift against his leg before giving him a passionate kiss.