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"Wall formation, as we practiced!" Axel barked the order to his other officers. The seven other police members fell into two lines: four in front, kneeling with riot shields; three behind, standing and ready to attack. A shimmering wall of water appeared, courtesy of the kneeling officers. The standing group pulled out their guns and aimed carefully.

Axel quickly scanned the plaza. The officers had responded to an attack at the local shopping mall, just west of the University where Matt and his friends went to school. Reports of small creatures setting fire to furs and furniture alike had flooded the 911 call center, and that's precisely what Axel's cadre of magically trained troops had found when they arrived. After picking off a few stragglers, they realized the bulk were near the center of the mall, where a children's play area filled the center of the large court. Massive skylights let the sun stream in, illuminating the area naturally. Thankfully there were no civilians left in the area, so they could concentrate on the demons.

It was Matt's idea to use magic to shield the officers who could not cast any. Since it was difficult to aim at such agile creatures while they were pelting you with fireballs, remove that part of the equation and it became just another shooting exercise. The watery wall dissipated the fire quite well, and yet didn't affect bullet trajectory much given how thin it was. A triumph of the tandem forces of technology and magic.

Four imps had been setting fire to the nearby Old Navy, black fire spreading throughout the shelves of clothing. Now they were down to two after a couple rounds of shots, and the small, leathery creatures had turned on the shield formation and were doing their best to disrupt it. Thankfully the shield officers held their ground, though Axel could smell the sweat, fear and exhaustion in his group. This was the first time half of them had seen real combat, let alone magical combat.

One of the officers finally gave way after a fireball hit his portion of the shield bang on. The mouse collapsed and the bubble wall rippled as the other two officers moved to fill the hole. Another imp went down from a pistol shot. A single imp remained, and it bared its tiny sharp teeth before turning to run down the corridor. Axel grabbed his own pistol, lined up the shot carefully, and took out the creature with a shot to the back. He watched impassively as the chaotic creature dissolved, summoned back to Under Eden.

"Axel!" The german shepherd turned around to see a husky, a white wolf, and a rotund kangaroo running towards him.

"Missed the party, Matt!" Axel said with a grin and a wag of his tail. He told his officers to stand down and help the exhausted officer before moving on to sweep the mall for injured furs.

Matt shrugged as he came to a stop in front of the older fur. "I guess we did. We'd have been here sooner, but, uh, we don't have cars. We had to grab a cab."

"Huh, I didn't know Old Navy was having a fire sale," Kael said as he watched the sprinklers finally begin to work on the demonsfire. Without the imps feeding it further, it would die out eventually, even if it was more stubborn than normal fire.

"The fire department and medics are already on their way in," Axel said, holstering his gun after inspecting it carefully. "They were waitin' for the all-clear from us."

"So dude, how'd you figure out to come here so quickly?" Kael asked. Axel noticed that the 'roo was clearly watching Laura from the corner of his eye as she moved in closer to the german shepherd.

"Mass hallucination tipped us off, but I couldn't convince the chief to send help until the 911 calls started rollin' in." Axel turned and smiled at Laura before continuing, flicking his ears in her direction. "A big ol' forest appeared in the middle of the parking lot, apparently."

"Sounds like our theory is right, eh Kael?" Matt said, the husky's tail wagging a mile a minute.

Kael placed a paw digit on the tip of his nose. "Yeah, dude. Everything's lining up so far. Hallucination followed by demons. The 'hallucinations' must be where the worlds are touching or something."

Axel left Matt and Kael to talk about their theory. He had to see to his squad.

"Hey, you okay?" Laura's voice called out to him as he walked away. He turned to see the curvaceous white wolf had followed him the few steps over.

The german shepherd smiled at Laura again. "Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, I had a question for you."

"Sure, what is it?"

'Hmm, should I do this? Kael won't be too happy about it,' Axel thought to himself quickly, noting in the background Matt was chatting animatedly with the kangaroo, but Kael was watching him and Laura like a hawk. 'On the other hand, they were friends for years. If nothin's happened yet...'

"How about you and I go to dinner sometime?"

Laura's eyebrows shot up. "Oh, well, I'm flattered, really, but aren't I a little young for you? You're what, seven years older than me? Eight?"

"You've got a good head on your shoulders," Axel said, his tail wagging slowly. "You're a pretty put-together young lady, Laura." Putting a paw on the white wolf's shoulder, Axel watched Kael frown from the corner of his eye.

Laura made no move to brush off the paw, but she seemed a bit tense under it. "Well, thanks. That means a lot to me, coming from you. But I have to take some time to think about it. You're a handsome dog, Axel, but I'm not sure I want to date anyone right now."

"Hm, it's Kael, then, isn't it?"

"What?" Laura backed up with a yelp before taking a deep breath. "No, it's not Kael at all. I just have too much on my plate, that's all. Work, school, demons. Don't really have time for a relationship, you know?"

"Hey, no worries, figured I'd ask," Axel said with a flick of his ears. "But maybe I should be careful of mister jealous over there."

A sad smiled ghosted Laura's muzzle. "Kael's harmless. He's sweet, but again, I don't think I want to date anyone."

"Hey!" Axel and Laura heard Matt shout. "Are you even listening to me, Kael?"

Laura sighed and shook her head before heading back to the other guys. Axel just grinned.

* * * * *

Matt and Jay followed the hostess through the darkened restaurant, weaving around square tables and seated furs. The husky gazed fondly at his boyfriend's back. 'This really was a great idea. Maybe a nice dinner and some personal time will help us figure things out.'

The red-haired rhino came to a stop in front of a table for two near the back corner of the dining room and gestured for the couple to seat themselves. Matt pulled out a seat for Jay and gave his boyfriend a wink. The cougar was dressed smartly: a white button-down with a blue tie instead of his customary muscle shirt; and khakis instead of jeans. Matt couldn't quite get over just how cute Jay looked in the slightly more formal outfit.

After Jay took a seat and thanked Matt, the husky sat himself on the opposite side, a huge grin plastered on his muzzle as the hostess rattled off who was serving them and if they had any questions before moving back to the entrance to grab the next set of waiting patrons. Pulling down on the charcoal vest that he was wearing over a blue collared shirt, Matt glanced over at his nervous-looking boyfriend.

"Hey," the husky started quietly. "Where'd your earring go? The purple one?"

Jay quickly brought his paw to his ear and played with the remaining two studs. "Oh, I have no idea. I lost it earlier this week. I'll have to buy a new one."

"How are classes going?"

"Well enough, I guess. They did just start. I've got a creative writing course that I'm enjoying. The prof is pretty kick-ass."

"Hello there," a lion dressed in all-white with the exception of a red apron interrupted the conversation. "My name is Ryan and I'll be your server tonight. What would you like to start with for drinks?"

"Oh, I haven't even started looking at the menu," Matt said. "Uh, I'll just have whatever your generic cola beverage is."

"Coke all right? Excellent. And for you, sir?"

Jay shook his head. "I'll just stick with water, thanks." With a nod, the server was gone. "White uniforms? Pretty ballsy for an Italian restaurant. I'd be terrified of getting marinara all over it."

"Says the guy who wore a white shirt," Matt said with a grin.

"Yeah, but if I spill on my shirt, then you can just help me take it off," Jay said with a purr under his voice. "So, how about your classes?"

Matt nearly got mental whiplash from the sudden change in topic. "They're going all right, I guess. Still hate linear algebra. But I'm enjoying calculus, so that's something."

Jay nodded absently as he perused the menu, and the husky let the conversation taper off as he looked for his dinner as well. It didn't take long for the server to return with Matt's drink. Jay ordered farfalle with alfredo, and Matt ordered spaghetti, "with extra meatballs!"

Once Ryan was gone with their orders, Matt felt like he could cut the tension with a knife. Jay was slowly sipping on his water and looking around, and Matt wasn't sure if it was a companionable silence, or an awkward one. It certainly felt awkward to the husky.

After a few minutes, Matt finally found something to break the standoff. "So how's your mom?"

Jay's eyes snapped forward to meet Matt's. "She's doing well. She asks about you all the time. Says I should invite you to dinner more often."

The husky sighed and rubbed the top of his muzzle with a free paw. "Sorry we haven't had as much time together as we'd like."

"Hey, it's okay." The cougar gave Matt a lopsided smile and a flick of his triangular ears, his earrings catching the low light. "Between the demons, work, and classes it doesn't leave much time for you, or for any of us, really."

The husky's ears drooped. "I don't want that to be an excuse. I love you, Jay, and I want to be with you."

"Even without magic?" Jay spat.

"You're my anchor, Jay." Matt's voice had turned into a whine. He knew it wasn't attractive, but he had to get through to his boyfriend. "You keep me grounded, sane."

"Farfalle with alfredo?" The lion had returned with their orders. Jay raised a paw, and the creamy pasta was placed in front of him. "And spaghetti, with extra meatballs!" Ryan placed that dish in front of Matt. After offering them freshly grated parmesan and ground black pepper, he left the pair to their dinner.

Jay dug into his food slowly, either savoring each bite, or more likely just completely distracted by some train of thought. 'This isn't working. What do I do?' Matt popped a meatball into his mouth and enjoyed the delicious morsel while he thought about how to get Jay to open up.

Once he had swallowed the meatball, Matt placed his paw on Jay's on top of the table. The cat's short fur felt good under his pads. The husky looked into Jay's brown eyes for what felt like minutes, but was probably just seconds, searching for... something.

"Jay, you can tell me anything. Whatever you're struggling with, whether it's your family, school, or even me, I'll listen, and if you want or need help, I'll be there for you."

Matt watched his boyfriend's black lips curve into a smile, but the fur around his cougar's eyes didn't wrinkle. "Thank you Matt. That means a lot to me. I love you so much, you're so kind to me."

"Then tell me what's wrong, Jay! I miss you!"

Jay hesitated for a moment, and Matt nearly ground his teeth in frustration. "Nothing's wrong, Matt. I'm sorry I've been a little distant. Everything's just been a bit overwhelming right now. But everything will be better soon. Trust me!"

"Okay then," Matt said softly. He wasn't convinced, though.

* * * * *

"Ten... eleven... urgh, twelve!" Chris put the free weight on the bench behind him after his final rep, breathing deeply as he began his rest. He was really enjoying having the gym in the basement. It made working out so much easier, even if it was missing most of the machinery of an actual gym. He could get to the Kinesiology department for those exercises every couple of workouts rather than having to make his way there every time.

The moose could hear the sounds of some medieval combat coming from Kael's room. The clash of swords and furs screaming were pretty common noises given how often the fat kangaroo was playing video games. Matt and Jay were out on a dinner date, and Laura was at work. Chris had most of the house to himself.

'What is Jay up to, anyhow?' Chris thought to himself as he stood up and started putting weights on the bar for his bench press. The cougar was clearly nervous about being caught at the house; the smell of fear was really strong when Chris had confronted him. On the other hand, Jay didn't exactly like the moose very much to begin with. But since he was coming up from the basement, either he was telling the truth, or he was messing with Matt or Kael's stuff.

Finished putting weights on the bar, Chris was about to get on the bench when Axel came down the stairs. "Hey there, need a spotter?" the muscular german shepherd asked, setting his leather jacket on a weight stand.

"Yeah, that'd be great!" Chris went back and added more weight to the bar. With a spotter he could bench press closer to failure, which would be a much better workout than he would've gotten otherwise. "I don't get to do much serious lifting here because nobody else is good for spotting."

"Well, go hard. I've got you!" Axel stood by the moose's head -- right between the wide antlers -- and placed his paws on the bar, ready to guide the bar to the starting position. With a quick countdown, Chris began his five reps.

With each rep, the moose pulled in big lungfuls of air. It wasn't just his sweat that he smelled, though. At the third rep, Chris realized that it was arousal that he had scented. Naturally, being on his back and the placement of his spotter, he got a great view of the german shepherd. And it startled Chris enough to falter on his fourth rep.

When it was clear that Chris' rhythm was toast, Axel stepped in and helped guide the bar back onto the rack. The moose was breathing heavily, his eyes closed. Before he could sit up, though, he felt the shepherd's wet nose against the bottom of his muzzle as Axel leaned down and gave the moose a kiss. Brown eyes flying open, Chris pushed the cop off and leapt up, barely missing scraping the dog's legs with his antlers.

Axel cocked his head to the side in classic canine confusion. "Wait a second, I thought you were gay?"

"I thought you were straight!"

The pair eyed each other across the bench for a moment. "Actually, I'm bi."

"Oh," Chris said, scrunching his face in thought. "What about Laura?"

"Sweet, but not interested," Axel said with a shrug. He moved around the bench and stalked towards the moose. The german shepherd was pretty buff, but Chris was taller and broader.

'It'll be Darrel all over again,' Chris thought, panic paralyzing him. Axel stopped with only an inch between their muzzles, the dog looking up and the moose looking down. "I can't do this, Axel. You're a good looking guy, but I'm waiting for--"

"Matt. Same story with Laura and Kael. Guess that's what happens when I get too involved." Axel stepped backwards with a sigh and a shrug. "I figured there was no harm in tryin', but if it makes you uncomfortable, I'll stop."

"Thanks, I... the last guy who wanted to get in my pants wouldn't take no for an answer."

The moose went through the motions of cleaning up the gym, his workout pretty well done at this point. Axel didn't move to help him, but the cop stood and watched Chris put away the weights and wipe down the benches. He already shut the dog down, he didn't want to press Axel into leaving, but the silence was nearly as uncomfortable as the kiss earlier. The combat noises from Kael's room had stopped, and it sounded like the kangaroo was digging through his room for something.

"So, I've been thinking about what I want to do after University. How'd you become a police officer?"

Axel wagged his tail as he leaned against the wall with his arms crossed, everything forgiven. "A couple years of general studies in college, then I went through a year at the police academy. It was a tough ride, but a good one."

"Do you think I'd make a good one?" Chris asked, rubbing his upper arm. The bandaged wound from months ago was no longer there, but he had quite the chunk of scar tissue that always seemed to itch.

"I bet you would."

"Where the hell is it?" Kael shouted with a snarl as he burst out of his room. The fat kangaroo barreled down the hallway and stopped right in front of Axel. "Have you guys seen my Ameranth binder? It's missing."

Chris stood up and bellowed, "Jay!"