The old C Ward in the Buffalo General Hospital was always completely devoid of patients (unless one was to count the ghost rumored to lurk its halls), yet hospital regulations demanded it remain open in the event of emergencies. Only the barest of staff were spared to man the wing, with only two staying in the nights to watch over its empty halls.
One of those two was a certain Jared Ingram, a young security guard at that perfect time in position to neither be considered a newbie nor old hand. Working as a guard at a hospital was about as good a job as anyone could ask for while they tried to earn a degree, and it was smooth sailing barring the occasional rowdy family member or patient off their meds. The pay may not have been the greatest, but it kept the lights on—and there were other benefits to working at Buffalo General.
Jared waved the steam away from the cup of Darjeeling tea he had just brewed for himself in the break room and took a sip. It'd take more than a little help from his old friend caffeine to get through the night pacing up and down C Ward for the next eight hours. He clipped on his radio to the cheap, flimsy vest the hospital provided (they claimed it was stabproof, but Jared had his doubts) and began the long walk to C Ward with his caffeinated companion gripped firmly in hand.
Jared always took the stairs up when he had to watch C Ward for the night. It was only four stories up, and he could use the exercise—besides, the elevators were usually packed to the brim with patients and staff trying to leave for the day and Jared valued his personal space. The climb gave him time to think about recent events, starting with his upcoming essay coming due at the start of the staircase, how he really ought to call his mother at the middle, thinking hungrily already of the sandwich he packed at the top, and when he exited the stairwell, his mind finally drifted to...
"Ah, Officer Jerry, what a pleasant surprise!"
Jared started slightly as he came face to face with the other benefit to working at Buffalo General—Nurse Yumi. The woman's glowing caramel colored skin, sparkling eyes of amber, and playful smile all lent her a powerful charm, but all paled in comparison to her most exotic features: her long fluffy tail and the soft fox ears on her head. They were covered in lustrous black fur that matched the long raven hair atop her head, save for the white tip to her tail that curled over slightly in the most endearing way when the rest of it stood up. If her tail and ears made her cute, Yumi's body firmly evened her back out towards the side of sexy. Her light blue nurse's scrubs clung tightly to her shapely figure, the top's buttons straining ever-so-slightly from the pressure of her breasts while her bushy tail nevertheless failed to hide her ample bottom.
"Staring again, Jerry? I won't give you a pass this time, it's hardly the first time you've seen a kitsune now~" Yumi teased with a hand on her hip as her tail gave a playful swish.
"Ah, sorry, Yumi, just thought you were going to be working days for the next while," Jared said with a sudden shake of his head.
"Oh, I was," Yumi said with a shrug, "but plans change, especially when the hospital wants them to."
"Sorry to hear it," Jared offered as he stepped past her to the small kiosk they'd share for the night, placing his large mug of tea down on the counter.
"Well, I don't think it'll be too boring. I've got you to keep me company, after all," Yumi said as she followed him in and claimed the less ragged of the two office chairs for her own.
"Yeah, just you, me, and the ghost," Jared joked as he sat down, making Yumi laugh.
Yumi and Jared had entered the hospital's employ about the same time and immediately struck a friendship. Yumi was happy to find someone thick-skinned enough to handle her casual banter, while Jared found her one of the few nurses who wasn't petty and condescending to a guard like him. Privately, Jared had always had a hope that the two of them could become something more, but he could never tell when—or even if—Yumi's lighthearted jokes crossed the line into serious flirtations. Certainly several of the younger doctors had tried their luck with her and been rebuffed coldly, so at least Jared wasn't doing as bad as they were.
There wasn't much further conversation between the two of them for the next hour or so. Yumi spoke on the phone and helped the other wards on the 4th floor shut down for the night, while Jared did his initial rounds. All quiet so far, but the ghost never struck this early in the night. Just as Jared was walking back and rehearsing what he'd say to Yumi when he got there, a peal of thunder sounded outside and a heavy rain began to fall in earnest. Jared groaned in disgust and frustration as he walked back and checked the entire ward a second time to make sure all the windows were securely fastened. Jared was not usually a superstitious man, but as he walked through the rooms he quietly muttered a request to the ghost to give him a peaceful night with Yumi.
When he finally made his way back to the counter, Yumi had already turned on the second TV in the kiosk and was trying to select a movie to watch. Her tail swished slowly behind her as she thought about her choice, and her ears swiveled back on her head as Jared entered.
"Thought the ghost might've gotten you, taking that long," Yumi ribbed him as she turned her head and flashed a smile.
"Nah, they won't start acting up till later tonight, if at all," Jared explained as he sat back into his chair. "You could've watched me on the CCTV anyway."
"What, and ruin the suspense?"
"Some guardian angel you are, Yumi."
The kitsune laughed and smacked Jared with her fluffy tail, whipping it back out of his reach before he could grab it and leaving a sweet smell in Jared's nostrils.
Yumi sat down in her chair and leaned in close to Jared, whispering "A stormy night, a haunted hospital; what better to watch than—" she gave an overlong pause waiting for a dramatic rumble of thunder. "A horror movie?"
"You think of that one all by yourself?" Jared asked with a sly grin, making Yumi push him and send both their chairs skidding across the floor.
"As a matter of fact, I did," Yumi said as she retrieved a brush from her purse and scooted her chair back over.
The hospital got dark very quickly as night fell and all the motion activated lights turned off. The pair sat silently watching the movie Yumi had selected (which, to be frank, wasn't anything special) as the kitsune slowly brushed out the fur of her tail.
"Jerry?" Yumi asked suddenly during a particularly bad part of the film.
"Hmm?"
"Do you mind brushing my tail for me? I can never do it as well as when someone else does it," Yumi asked, passing Jared her brush.
Jared froze for a moment, hand already halfway up to accept the brush. He had to admit he didn't know much about kitsune, but he knew asking someone to brush their tail wasn't something they did lightly. On a personal note, however, he couldn't resist the chance to run his fingers through Yumi's luscious fur, so...
"Yeah, of course I can, Yumi," he said as evenly as possible.
Yumi smiled as he took the brush, and laid out her long tail across Jared's lap. He slowly ran the brush down her tail, the silky fur rustling slightly as it parted. Jared's hand followed right after, his fingers parting the dark fluff like someone letting their hand trail through water flowing beside a boat. The delicate scent of Yumi's shampoo filled the air, a sweet aroma of strawberries and cream. As he worked, Jared looked over to see the visage of utter contentment on Yumi's face, her eyes closed in rapture as her head tilted upward. He smiled and went to flip her tail slightly to get a better angle when Yumi suddenly spoke up.
"You can bury your face in it if you want," she whispered happily. "I've heard that guys like to do that."
Jared looked up in surprise, but Yumi's eyes were still closed as she leaned her head back. Needing no further encouragement, he placed the brush on the floor next to his chair and wrapped his arms around Yumi's tail before closing his eyes and pressing his face deep into the fluff. It was like the softest down pillow, and Jared eagerly inhaled its warm, feminine sent. Yumi giggled softly, making her tail twitch in his grasp and tickle his nose.
After a minute or two—far too short a time for Jared—Yumi pulled her tail out of his grasp and turned in the chair to face him.
"I hope you're willing to keep going," she whispered, leaning forward with her ears perked up attentively.
It would be a lie to say that Jared wasn't nervous—what man wouldn't be, with a beauty like Yumi—but this was what he had been dreaming of for months. Steadying his hand, he reached out to gently push a few strands of Yumi's hair away from her dusky cheek before pulling her in for a kiss. She let out a cute moan as their lips met, her tail swishing around from behind her to wrap around Jared's back. When their kiss finally broke and they pulled away, both of their faces were flushed several shades darker.
"I was beginning to think you'd never catch on," Yumi teased him. "I was going to have to do something drastic next."
"How could I tell the difference between your normal bullshit and real flirting?" Jared bantered back.
"Stupid boy," Yumi laughed, "come here and kiss me again."
The pair kissed again, pressing themselves together as the storm outside grumbled and the movie droned on almost as monotonously. Both were forgotten now, hardly even a side note to the young couple's hands searching their bodies as their tongues explored each others' mouths.
"Hey, Jerry," Yumi said mischievously as she pulled away from him. She undid a couple buttons from the top of her nurse's scrubs, making them pop open to reveal the smooth caramel skin of her generous cleavage in its lacy white bra. "Let's play doctor~"