After that, every day the two of them were together at home, Burnice kept enjoying touching her partner’s fluffy tail, and later, they would practice holding hands. With every passing day, the bartender felt much calmer, getting used to the new sensations she felt in her hand. Pulchra even took one more step and covered Burnice’s hand with her two hands. This way, Burnice would get more contact, and surprisingly, she got used to it rather quickly. In fact, a few days after they began this new step, they became self-conscious about their gesture and couldn’t help blushing and getting nervous when doing it. Still, they enjoyed that moment: Pulchra finally had the chance to touch her partner, even if it was just her hand, and Burnice felt quite happy at that new experience that she couldn’t have for so long.

Some days later, the duo decided to increase the level of their training, and Pulchra proposed arms linking. Even though that was something common in couples when going outside, it’s not something people usually do at home. Still, that felt a more natural progress than doing anything else, as they could still hold hands, to which Burnice already got used to, but with more physical contact. The bartender still felt nervous, but after the confidence she gained with her first level, she wasn’t as scared as before. The couple approached slowly to each other, and Pulchra approached her arm below Burnice’s, finally grasping her hand.

Once again, that tingling sensation came back to Burnice’s mind, warning her about some unexplainable danger. However, she knew that voice meant nothing at all. All the time she spent holding Pulchra’s hand taught her that warning was actually meaningless, and so, Burnice cleared her mind and took deep breaths, focusing on the new sensations around her arm. She then opened her eyes and looked at Pulchra, noticing for the first time how close she actually was. It was also a new experience for the therian, who had been observing in silence all that time, unaware of the situation until their eyes crossed. For Burnice, her partner’s green eyes felt full of life, as the cactus that populated the cliffs and the desert. For Pulchra, the bartender’s eyes shone like fire itself, showing both the passion and kindness of their owner. For some reason, Burnice passed that level rather easily.

The next level they decided to try was sitting next to each other. Even during the training so far, Burnice and Pulchra were sitting at a normal distance on the couch, the only physical contact coming from their hands or arms. This time, Burnice didn’t prepare enough mentally, because when she quickly sat down next to her partner, a rush of sensations crossed her mind. It was no longer the arm: their legs, thighs, part of the back… even their butts were touching! It was just too much to process. Burnice began shacking a bit and closer her eyes, trying to put some order into her thoughts. Noticing her reaction, Pulchra worried and tried to move away, but something stopped her: Burnice was holding her hand. Even with her eyes closed, it felt like she was reading her mind, knowing that Pulchra would try to stay away and, still with a nervous expression, Burnice negated with her head. The bartender was determined to keep going, and Pulchra respected that determination, so she remained in her position without saying any word, but ready for anything her partner would ask her. She then noticed something: Burnice was using her other hand to touch the different body parts that were in contact. Pulchra couldn’t understand why, but it made sense in Burnice’s head: by determining what sensation belonged to what body part, it was easier for her to tell them apart and enjoy them individually, making them feel less intense.

The two of them repeated this exercise for over a week, and day by day, Burnice felt more relaxed and happy at that new combination of sensations. In fact, it was easy for them to just watch a movie while sitting down next to each other. However, at one point, Pulchra felt sleepy. It was a hard day at her job and just sitting there doing nothing made the tiredness in her body overwhelm her. Dazed by her own sleepiness, she felt something touching her shoulder. When she turned her head, the therian saw Burnice smiling at her and pointing at her own shoulder, like an invitation to let her head rest on her shoulder. Feeling so tired, she didn’t think about it a lot, and Pulchra let her head fall slowly on her partner’s shoulder. Burnice felt a small tingling in her head, but then, she looked at Pulchra’s face: she was just so cute when she slept like that, nothing else actually mattered. Burnice inclined her head a bit to touch her partner’s, the fur and pointy ears causing some tickles in her cheek. She couldn’t help but giggle a bit as she kept watching the movie. When it was over, she woke Pulchra up. The therian rubbed her eyes sloppily. It actually took her a while to realize the situation they had just experienced. Seeing Burnice’s smile, she felt happy, not just for sharing that kind of contact with her, but also for how much her partner had progressed so far.

After that, Burnice and Pulchra had a bit of trouble figuring out what the right next step would be. However, they would have a bit of time to think about it, as Pulchra had a new commission and would leave the settlement for a few days. During that time, Burnice focused on her job at her bar, as well as helping the Sons of Calydon with their different tasks and orders. Days passed by, and then, as Burnice was carrying some boxes to Cheesotropia, she saw Pulchra talking with another biker in the distance. She felt so happy to see her partner back after so long that she immediately rushed towards her.

-I got you this time, kittie!- exclaimed Burnice.

-Not if you scream like that- said Pulchra with a smile as she swayed her tail to the side. -You gotta try to be more care…

But Pulchra couldn’t finish her sentence as she saw Burnice tripping on a stone and losing balance. After running so hard, it was impossible for the bartender to keep her feet and was so close to falling on the ground.

-Burnice, watch out!- exclaimed Pulchra.

It all happened in an instant. Pulchra rushed towards Burnice and grabbed her right on time, surrounding the bartender with her arms before she would fall on the ground. Both of them sighed in relief.

-Wow, thanks… that was close- said Burnice.

-Yeah… you should be more care…

Once again, Pulchra’s sentence was interrupted by her own realization. Her eyes opened widely and she was unable to say anything. Burnice noticed that change.

-Hey, what’s wrong? Did the kittie eat your tongue? No, wait, YOU are the kittie!- joked Burnice as if nothing happened.

-No, Burnice… I… you… we’re… hugging...- said Pulchra.

Burnice stopped laughing when she heard her partner. Her eyes turned around and she confirmed it: Pulchra was surrounding her with her arms, and Burnice had her arms around Pulchra as well. She remained silent for a moment, but Pulchra was nervous.

-Oh gosh, I’m… I’m sorry, I… I just wanted to...- said Pulchra.

But her words were interrupted as Burnice place a finger on her mouth.

-Tighter. Please, hug me… tighter- muttered Burnice.

Pulchra was shocked at hearing that request. She even thought she misheard it, but seeing how serious Burnice looked, she obliged and held her tighter. Nobody said anything for a while as they remained in that position.

-Hey, Burnice… are you alright?- asked Pulchra.

-It’s… gone...- muttered Burnice.

Pulchra was confused at her partner’s words. Burnice looked at her, and her shocked expression disappeared, her face now brimming with happiness.

-It’s gone… It’s gone! That thing in my head is just gone! I… I can feel your hug, and it’s so comfy! And our legs and arms… and my face is in your bust! It’s so great! I would stay like this forever!- exclaimed Burnice.

Burnice laughed aloud as some tears fell down her cheeks. Seeing her partner so happy, Pulchra felt moved, her eyes shining at the sight of the blonde woman being so close to her.

-I’m… I’m so happy for you- said Pulchra.

-You better be, because I want you to hug me everyday from now on!- exclaimed Burnice.

-That… that sounds fantastic- said Pulchra with a smile.