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My rabbit nose flinched at the surrounding smells. At least two houses had toilet paper draped around their exteriors like popcorn on Christmas trees. Another had used cigarettes and empty beer cans littering the gutters. Musk, alcohol, and burnt pizza wafted past my nostrils as too many mammals walked in and out the front doors either in a haze or with a member of the opposite sex, sometimes copping a feel.

However, Delta Iota Kappa immediately stood out from them all, sitting quiet and lifeless, like a tomb. The only signs of occupancy were several parked cars in the backyard.

I gripped my backpack slung around my right shoulder. “Better get this shit over with…" I muttered to myself. “Just hope they won't be too loud…"

Truth be told, I didn't have a fondness for the fraternities. I'd befriended a few of their members, including Chad, a stallion who'd invited me to the Delta Iota Kappa house for a study session. However, between my past experiences with 'frat bro' personalities and the casual homophobia mentioned by Alliance members coming from said personalities, I wasn't looking forward to visiting the DIK House.

The front door opened before I could knock, and the familiar horse loomed over my raised ears. He grinned with outstretched arms that tested his college football jersey.

“Frankie!" he laughed joyously, patting my shoulder a little too hard. “Welcome to DIK House! It's sick of you to show up!"

“No problem…" I forged a polite smile, lightly rubbing my impacted shoulder. “How're things going tonight, Chad?"

“Just had some dinner," he said, letting me inside. “We need to get started soon."

“Why's it so quiet, anyway?" I asked, making my way inside the living room. “Don't you guys have parties here on Saturday nights?"

The living room mostly matched what I expected. A stained carpet that had thankfully been scrubbed and vacuumed recently, sofas facing a flatscreen TV on the wall, countless framed photos and Delta Iota Kappa memorabilia likely as old as the house itself, and a massive DVD rack in the corner overflowing with cases. The distant scents of spilled beer and old marijuana wouldn't fool the dean. Walking through a packed party here would be akin to fighting for one's life during Black Friday.

While there were no drunken partygoers, the room was still packed with frat boys. Ten or so of them, all staring at me as they sat either on couches or stood against the wall.

“Guys, this is my buddy, Franklin Joseph," Chad introduced me. “He's the gay club's president."

I held back a deep frown, my fur bristling. By 'the gay club', he likely meant the 'Pride Alliance'.

As everyone awkwardly waved and muttered a 'hello' or a 'hey, Franklin', I glared up at the horse. An apologetic grin formed across his lips.

“Did I accidentally stumble into an intervention?" I asked him, “Or…do all of you really need help with Political Science?"

“Not exactly," Chad said, sounding a little embarrassed. “Listen, uh, I haven't been…completely honest with you, Frankie. I don't need tutoring and neither do the guys here."

He held his palms together like a prayer towards me. “Can you please, please promise not to get mad?"

“That depends." I stared confusedly at the stallion. “What's going on?"

“It's a favor," one of the other frat bros spoke up. “A real secret favor."

My eyebrow stayed arched as I surveyed the room again. Among the Delta Iota Kappa members present, I only recognized a few faces besides Chad's. Two of them were casual acquaintances of mine: Bryce Dallas, an easy-going beaver from the same Poli-Sci class Chad and I attended, and a timber wolf named Keith Oberon, who I'd had Trigonometry with freshman year. A stone-faced bulldog sat between them, whose name I couldn't remember but I knew he served as a linebacker on the college football team. Otherwise, there were also a lion, two deer, a black panther, a Dalmatian, and a female border collie. She was dressed in shorts and a red blouse while everyone else wore matching fraternity jackets emblazoned with the Greek letters for Delta Iota Kappa.

“Alright then. Tell me." I crossed my arms, still attempting to smile. “What's this secret favor, and why didn't any of you just stop on by the Pride Alliance office to ask your questions?"

“Because it's a big, big favor," Chad emphasized. “Like, the kind that would get us all in trouble if word got out we asked for your help. Last thing I need is one of the other frats hearing about it and making assumptions…y'know, about us liking guys and whatnot."

Any trace of a polite smile fell to the wayside. “Is this for some sort of a prank?" I demanded. “Or some kinda fucked-up hazing ritual you're expecting me to help with?"

Their eyes shot up in unison.

“It's not what you think!" Keith protested.

“Isn't it? You think you're the first frat to ask me or another Pride Alliance member to do shit for them like that?" I shook my head, disgusted. “I'm getting the fuck out of here…"

“Franklin, wait!" the wolf spoke up.

“We can explain, Frankie!" Chad begged.

Call it an effect of skepticism towards straight people. Call it repressed trauma from the bullying and taunts in my small-town high school. Whatever the case, I didn't wait for them to explain. Turning sharply around, I stormed away from the living room and right towards the front door. A few voices rose up, some speaking over each other in a growing cascade, but one made me pause: the border collie in the red blouse.

“Wait, it's not for recruits!" she said. “It's for Xavier."

I stopped with my paw on the door handle. Though we had never met, I knew who Xavier Boone was. Everyone did. As the president of the Delta Iota Kappa chapter, he in particular had a reputation for dating anyone and anything with a pair of tits. I couldn't fathom why the coyote would need the 'gay club president', but my curiosity was certainly piqued.

My nostrils flared as I mulled over the border collie's words. Despite not turning around, I could feel her standing a few feet behind me. Her feet tapped apprehensively to the floor. She whimpered in a voice way too quiet for anyone else to hear.

As I tipped my head back in her direction, recognition suddenly dawned on me. “You're Lydia, right? We were in Professor Riley's creative writing class last semester."

She nodded. “I'm Xavier's…" Lydia heaved a heavy sigh. “I mean, I was Xavier's girlfriend. We…We broke up a few days ago. It's gotten too complicated for me." She stepped closer, but didn't close the distance, and respectfully didn't place a paw on either of my shoulders. “Listen, Franklin, I get why you're skeptical. You should know though that I'm the one who suggested this whole thing, and as someone who's…well, gay…I feel like you can help Xavier."

My body turned around by itself. My curious feet warily followed Lydia back to the living room, and everyone stopped whispering and muttering to each other, locking their eyes on me. The expressions on their faces were earnest, hopeful even.

The instinct to leave was still strong, but in my rational mind, I was beginning to believe them. “You have five minutes to explain," I stated.

Lydia dove straight into the topic at hand. “Xavier and I have been experiencing relationship troubles. We've slowly stopped cuddling, making out as often, or even doing it for that matter. At first, I thought he was just busy with catching up on classes, and I tried being patient. But then, last week was our anniversary. Xavier's never been fond of going out to fancy restaurants and neither have I, so I got Bryce and Keith here to help me with cooking a candlelight dinner while the other boys here kept Xavier out of the house.

“We managed to get everything perfect before they got home," she continued, sounding more and more forlorn as she spoke. “Xavier was surprised, but happy. Chad convinced everyone to give us a few hours alone. It went really, really well. We ate, we drank, we stumbled for his bedroom, and I thought we'd finally get to be…intimate…after several weeks. But then…he couldn't get it up. At all."

I raised a subtle eyebrow. “Like, he couldn't get an erection?"

“No," she stressed her words. “We were both naked, tumbling in bed, and I promised him that I'd not forgotten my pill. We even took things slow, but…I'd never seen him so frustrated." Lydia heaved a shaky sigh. “I'll admit, I wasn't the best girlfriend by getting angry at him about it, and we ended up fighting. By the time that the boys returned, I'd already stormed out the front porch."

Chad then jumped in. “When we all got back, I found Xavier holed up in his room, sobbing. I've never seen him like that before. Then, he tells me that he's no longer into women. Says he doesn't think about sex with women or get that hard for them."

I uneasily turned to Lydia, hesitating before asking the question on the tip of my tongue. “Is that why you two broke up?"

Exhaling through her nose, she slowly nodded. “He told me that he thinks of me as a sister. And not the kinky incest kinda way either. Just a regular sister."

Chad let out a cough to clear the awkward silence in the room. “Anyway," he said, “Xavier's upstairs, waiting for you. Like Lydia said, she's the one who thought it'd be a good idea to get someone who knows what it's like. That's why we were so shaky earlier. We need him to discuss it with someone who'll keep all this shit on the down low."

“He's our leader, but doesn't want word about this going out," Bryce added.

“Why didn't he just send an email to Pride Alliance?" I asked them all. “He could have requested to set up a private appointment anytime with either me or a university counselor."

“I tried to convince him to go in person," Lydia groaned, “but the big dummy's acting like the other frats spy on us with CIA technology. Or that word'll travel back somehow to this street."

By the anxious looks I saw on the other members' faces, and the fact that they'd had to invent a lie to get me out here in the first place, it was apparent that Xavier's paranoia was shared among them.

Keith piped up, “Xavier just doesn't want rumors traveling around before he figures his shit out. Like, what if this isn't about being…well, gay? What if it's something else? And if it does turn out he is gay, well…"

“Yeah," Chad interrupted. “I even invoked DIK House Rule #420. Anything uber-secret has to stay in the house, or else they'll get expelled from the frat. Something this confidential and personal isn't ours to talk about unless they're okay with it. We protect our own, especially if it's our president."

An uneasy silence fell on the room again. The compulsion to reply fell on me.

“That's understandable," I said with a nod. “Yeah. That does make sense. I can't exactly call myself a 'gay expert', but I can do my best to talk to him."

“I'm sorry I lied to you, good buddy," Chad apologized. “Heh, and for making you initially think I'd brought you here for help in a hazing. Entirely my bad."

“You're good," I sighed, patting him on the shoulder. “I'm uh…I'm also sorry for shouting earlier…"

A couple of the guys around us chuckled. Chad did too, telling me, “Can't blame ya."

Lydia giggled as well, only for her amused grin to fade slightly. “I'll be okay too. I'm more worried about Xavier. We might not be together, but he's still my first serious boyfriend, and a good friend. If you can help him, I'll be grateful."

“If you can talk to him, you'll be in our debt, Frankie." Chad side-hugged me, then motioned his long nose towards the central stairs. “His is the only room on the top floor. We promise not to interrupt or listen in, okay, buddy?"

I surveyed the Delta Iota Kappa members present. They all stared at me with such expectation and uncertainty. Momentarily, I thought back to my own coming-out day, and wondered how much I would be less of an aloof rabbit if I'd possessed the same loyal friends back then. The thought made my tail wiggle, and a small smile formed under my wrinkled nose.

Gripping my backpack along my shoulder, I turned to Chad. “I'll do my best."

***

Xavier Boone's bedroom was actually a converted attic. The high angular ceiling made the room feel larger than it was, though it was likely more spacious than the bedrooms on the floors below. I imagined being able to wrap Christmas lights from the rafters for low illumination or even making use of the slanted walls to place deeper bookshelves. Otherwise, Xavier's décor was exactly what I expected: video game posters, an out-of-place gaming computer on the corner desk, a pile of college textbooks sitting beside said desk's chair, too many dirty clothes on the floor, and the unappealing sight of a musky bottle of lotion on the nightstand.

As for the coyote himself, I immediately found him sitting hunched over on the bed. He glanced up from his phone as I stepped past the door's threshold. A handsome canine with downcast ears and piercing blue eyes, his unrecognizable heavy metal t-shirt and dark-tan fur did little to hide a jacked physique likely earned from long hours spent at the gym. To my surprise, his cheeks were glistening with tears, which he wiped away as soon as he saw me.

“I take it you're…Franklin?" he asked hesitantly. “The Pride Alliance leader?"

I nodded, feeling slight relief. Thank Christ he didn't just call it the 'gay club'.

“Yeah," I replied. “And you're Xavier, right? Your friends downstairs, they…they told me you needed somebody to talk to."

The coyote nodded slightly and motioned to his spot while going to his desk chair, spinning it around to face me. I sat down without breaking eye contact, while Xavier was torn between looking at me and avoiding my gaze. I didn't judge him for it.

“You promise not to say anything?" he asked. “Right? I dunno if I'm even—"

“Relax, Xavier. Relax." I offered a reassuring smile. “I'm not going to tell everyone. What happens in here stays in here. Actually! Not unless it's explicitly illegal. Then, yeah, I'll have to say something."

“Good…Good." Xavier cleared his throat, flared his nostrils, then finally looked at me. “Dude, I think I'm gay." The silence from him stretched uncomfortably far, so I broke the tension myself with an obvious question.

“You think," I asked, “or you know?"

“I think I am," he stressed. “Did uh, did Lydia tell you…um, about what, y'know…happened?"

“Not all of it," I clarified for him. “She didn't go straight into the details, but did say that you…couldn't get hard on your anniversary night?"

Xavier shook his muzzle, stifling a whimper.

“You told Chad that you haven't been interested in sex with women for a long time, either?"

“No…Not really…"

“Well, that doesn't automatically mean you're gay," I told him. “You could be asexual."

The coyote frat bro perked an ear up. “Asexual?"

“Basically, someone who has little to no interest in sex," I explained. “Asexuality's a spectrum, though. It's different for everyone."

“So, they can't be attracted to anybody?" he asked.

I lightly gritted my teeth. “In an oversimplified nutshell, yeah."

Xavier clicked his tongue in understanding. “Gotcha. Sorry if I come off like an insensitive jackass. I'm, uh…not used to discussing it all out in the open. Never really talked to someone who's gay or LGBTQ or whatever until today, actually."

I cleared my throat. “You're fine, though it's a good idea to be informed about the different ways people may identify."

“This is all confusing," he muttered. “I…really don't think that applies to me though. I still like the idea of sex. I just stopped being attracted to Lydia. I don't get it…I care a lot about her. She's a very beautiful woman, but I can't stay hard long enough to put it inside her. It's pathetic! I mean, did she tell you what led to us breaking up?"

“She did," I said. “Even if you're not ace, though, there are other possibilities aside from you being gay. You could be going through a period of low libido, or—"

“Yeah, yeah, I know, I get all that," he interrupted. “It's just…what happened with Lydia. It's not that I'm disinterested in having sex, or even just having sex with her specifically. I've…"

He trailed off, staring down at the floor with his tail curling onto his lap. After a moment, I gently prompted him. “It's alright, Xavier."

He slowly stumbled over his words. “F-For a long time…I…I've actually been…thinking about other…guys. I've just been pushing it and ignoring these thoughts forever."

“And there's nothing wrong with that," I replied. “Can I ask how long you've been going through this?"

“I dunno, since late middle school…maybe?" He shrugged, letting out a frustrated growl. “I can't remember when it all started, or how it all started. I know that in gym, my eyes would wander over my classmates and teammates. It started off as quick glances, then longer glances, then staring—I'd convinced myself it was just curiosity. I was just admiring how fit they were, that I was just jealous I didn't have their muscles or envy I didn't have six-pack abs yet. My cock size didn't compare to the larger, buffer mammals. I kept telling myself that all the way through senior year. Anytime I stared too long and ended up popping a…a boner, I…I just made more excuses. Thank Christ, nobody saw. They would've thought I was a f…" Xavier sputtered out, his expression darting away from my sharp gaze as he shifted uncomfortably. “Um…I mean, t-they would've suspected…me."

“Did your girlfriends ever suspect?" I asked him tentatively, brushing past the near-miss of a slur. “I assume you've dated others besides Lydia, right?"

“You got it." He let out an awkward chuckle. “Two of them. Well, three serious girlfriends, including Lydia. Sophomore year, I dated a girl named Janet, one of the junior cheerleaders. We fooled around, but we never really went past second base. I dated on and off with different girls after that, until senior year when I met Stacey D'Angelo, this gorgeous leopardess. She was way outta my league, but I somehow managed to convince her to be my prom date. We had a great night, and I even lost my V-card to her afterwards. But…"

I leaned a bit forward. “But?"

He groaned. “I only managed to stay hard by thinking about exercising at the gym. I'm imagining myself surrounded by a ton of other guys, dozens of 'em. I'm wearing a jockstrap. So's everyone else. They're all lifting weights or stretching, and I'm just watching, paw on my…"

“I get the picture," I interrupted with a chuckle.

He tipped his ears back in embarrassment, and immediately I felt a bit bad for laughing.

“A-Anyway," he went on, “Stacey and I had to break it off. I was going here, and she was getting a full-ride scholarship for a private college across the country. No way was long-distance gonna work for us! I got too busy with my first year of college to seriously date again, but the homework and exams and, well, this place," the coyote gestured around the room, “kept me distracted enough not to think too hard about it. Over time, I rose through the Delta Iota Kappa ranks and became its president, and by then, me and Lydia started dating. It started off great, and here, I thought this was a relationship that was gonna last a long time.

“But then," Xavier exhaled through his wet nose, “the thoughts kept dripping in. Lydia and I would sometimes share porn, and over time…I started to look more and more at the male porn stars. And then, I started wanting to fool around with her less and less. Not even my left paw worked unless I began to think about exercising again. About the other men at the gym. And about some other students in my classes. Then, shit really hit the fan with the whole anniversary dinner disaster a week ago… God, this is all fucked up!"

Xavier hunched over in his turned desk chair, covering his muzzle with his paws. I remained politely seated, waiting for him to speak first. When he remained quiet, however, I cautiously suggested, “Did you consider going onto YiffTube or something? Like, to see if any of the gay porn on there has an effect on you?"

“I've been too scared to test it out," he confessed with a snort, “because…what if it does? What if I really am gay? I keep hoping that this is just a stupid phase…"

“The way you described it says otherwise." I leaned forward again, keeping my voice balanced and comforting. “It sounds like it's a part of you."

“Well, it's a shitty part of me to have!" He let out a snarl, then immediately stifled it. “I didn't ask for this and I hate dealing with these thoughts. I wish they'd go away! If word got to the other frats or sororities that I'm into dudes, they won't hold back. My buddies and the house pledges will get ridiculed. I'll be a laughingstock. And I'm scared as fuck of the thought of going out on an actual fucking date with another man, and not worrying about the stares…"

Xavier's scared blue eyes bored right into the floorboards. He fell silent once more. I motioned for him to sit beside me, which he numbly did, and leaned his larger shoulder against mine as he stared at the ground in contemplation. The temptation to place a comforting paw on the coyote was strong, but I withheld. I wasn't sure how getting touched by another male would make him feel right now.

Instead, I told Xavier Boone something I rarely liked talking about.

“I lost my parents and every single one of my friends when I came out as gay in high school," I said. Xavier's muzzle shot up to look directly at me, wide-eyed, and I couldn't help but let out half a chuckle. “It's true."

“What happened?" he asked.

“Nothing really special," I replied nonchalantly. “One day, I realized I couldn't keep pretending and casually mentioned being gay during a conversation at the lunch table. The next day, they all wouldn't let me sit with them. A few called me the f-word every time I walked by, and several classmates joined in. Another boy tried aggressively suggesting I give out free blowjobs after school. It all went on and on until graduation. The only thing keeping me going was looking forward to university."

“Did your…parents find out?" he asked.

“Sure did," I confirmed, sounding more defeated than I'd meant to. “Dad disowned me the moment I left for school in the fall. Mom's only been starting to talk to me again after they got divorced a year ago, though it's only been through phone calls every week or so."

“I…I'm sorry you dealt with that, dude," Xavier told me. “That sucks."

“Eh, I stopped worrying about what they think." I shrugged. “My group was full of jerks anyway. They liked saying 'no homo' left and right. And Dad loved blaming liberals for everything wrong with his life. That was then and this is now though." I gazed at the coyote, smiling. “Look: there's always gonna be prejudiced dickheads out there, no matter what. I personally witnessed it, but in the end, it got much, much better for me. There's just as many supportive people out there as there are homophobes. You just need to find them. And if coming out, if accepting yourself does go wrong, it'll still get better for you too."

“Whatever," he said dismissively.

“I mean it. It will get better," I emphasized. “So far, coming out for you isn't going too bad either. Compared to me, you have some great friends—no, spectacular friends to support you."

Xavier stared dumbfounded at me. “Really?" he asked.

“Absolutely," I said with conviction. “And none of it's just because your frat brothers signed some kinda frat NDA. I can tell. Chad calmed you down from a nervous breakdown. Lydia's staying friends with you despite everything. Everyone else learned all about your relationship ending and why it did. They all sat downstairs in solidarity while convincing me to give you a neutral third party to talk to. After all of that, not once did they tell someone about all this. That's loyalty. If that's also not friendship, I don't know what it is."

“I…guess you're right," he responded.

“You're really lucky to have them, Xavier, and whether you come out today or the next week, they're gonna keep looking up to you," I told him. “And fuck the other frats if they're not okay with you being gay. In fact, fuck all the assholes who think it's not okay."

Xavier's tail was a fan behind him.

“I guess you're right," he repeated. “I should still be worried though, shouldn't I?"

“Not all the time," I assured him. “It's all about who you choose to have around you, and the family and friends you choose for yourself. That's what Pride Alliance is all about, actually: giving LGBTQ people a group of family and friends if they need them."

The coyote slowly began to smile as we fell into a wistful silence, and he thought my words over.

“Am I gonna need to go to Alliance meetings?" he eventually asked.

“Not unless you want to," I said to Xavier. “And don't worry, I won't tell. Everything there is strictly confidential. Kind of like your frat's rule about secrecy. In fact, you're far from the first jock or member of a fraternity to attend our meetings."

That caught his attention. “Who?"

“Even if I knew them before becoming president," I explained, “I can't say. Confidential, remember?

“Ah, good point." Xavier then gave me a wry grin. “Heh, am I gonna need to start wearing rainbow stuff?"

I rolled my eyes at the coy coyote. “If you want to," I repeated. “You don't need to change yourself. You can be gay and still love working out, and you can still drink beer and watch sports. Just be who you feel you are."

“I'm…not sure who that is," he murmured.

“There's no pressure about it. Not all gay people like musical theater and fashion. We're both examples of that," I jested. When Xavier cocked an eyebrow at my last remark, I added, “I'm terrible with matching clothing colors, and you're a frat house jock that loves everything about being in a frat house…Though then again, I also didn't know you're a Herald of Darkness II fan too."

I pointed to the poster of a wolf carrying a flashlight as shadowy monsters attacked from all sides, hung up between a Grand Larceny poster and the air conditioner embedded into the angular wall.

“You're a fan too?" He beamed, his tail now fiercely wagging in his seat. “I feel like I'm the only motherfucker who's heard of the first game, let alone the second. They both kick ass!"

“I know, right?" I grinned back. “Did you try out the co-op? I heard it's really fun with a partner to watch on Dark Survival Mode."

“Not yet," Xavier answered. “Most of the guys downstairs get bored of that game because it's much more moodier at times. Much as I love them, it's the same with some movies. I can't get Chad to watch films without turning it into a fucking drinking game."

“Next time you play Darkness II," I recommended, chuckling, “take a swig of beer every time someone says 'light' or 'darkness'. Two swigs if the player mentions being a writer."

“I'll be hammered before the first few levels, dude!" Xavier slapped his knee, falling yet again into fits of laughter I couldn't help but join in on.

By the time we gathered ourselves, I absentmindedly stood up to stretch my arms. I didn't expect anything from Xavier, least of all the big coyote suddenly turning me around to pull me into a very strong, very warm hug. I staggered back an inch, then reciprocated. His nose buried into my shoulder while mine barely reached his shirt's collar. His warm arms didn't squeeze my lithe torso too much, but just enough to make me feel enveloped in his biceps.

“Thank you, Franklin," he murmured. “I…I really needed this."

I smiled softly. “No problem."

It didn't surprise me to feel myself begin to blush when the hug lingered for several more seconds. Frankly, it also shouldn't have surprised me much to suddenly feel his length pressing hard against my leg.

“Uh, Xavier?" I spoke up.

He stiffened, then pulled away while fiercely blushing himself. When the coyote did look at me, his awkwardness suddenly stalled. I was about to tell him it wasn't to be embarrassed about, that I wasn't offended and even a bit flattered, when he suddenly leaned forward. My posture stiffened.

“Xavier, wait." I turned away, holding up a paw to his snout. It felt enticing and warm, which didn't help. “I…I don't think it's a good idea to—"

Xavier froze against my paw, pulling away. “Did…Did I misread things?" he asked, appalled and blushing even more deeply. “I-I'm sorry, I thought—"

“No, no, you didn't do anything wrong," I clarified for him, pulling my paw down. “I just think that you're rushing in a little too fast. Don't get me wrong: I'm flattered, and I'm glad you're beginning to figure things out, but…we just met."

“Oh. Right." Xavier's looked away with both ears folded downward. “We did…"

I squeezed one of his paws in mine.

“Tell you what," I suggested. “Let's trade numbers, and if you have any questions, I can answer them. Or we can discuss things when neither of us are attending classes."

The coyote's tail began to wag again.

“S-Sure! That works for me." Xavier smiled while scratching the back of his scalp with both ears still bashfully pointed to the floor. “M-Maybe we can do it at my place here. Ah! I mean 'discuss things' here, not that I'd uh…Fuck, never mind, dude."

“We can hang out." I held back some snickering. “On the condition that we play co-op for Herald of Darkness II the next time I come over here."

Once again, the coyote's eyes lit up like clear lagoon waters. “It's a deal!"