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"Ummm....Auren?"

"Yeah, Glau?"

"You uh.....looking for something?"

The silver dragon turned his gaze away from the football game before them to check where his hand was. Instead of the soda he had been reaching for, he saw his paw gently groping the side of Glauron's lap, the golden dragon simply grinning playfully. In his left hand, was the soda container, held teasingly out of reach as Auren fumbled around for it. "Oh...you..." the silver-scaled drake growled, and snatched the drink away from his giggling companion to turn back to the game before them.

"Well, that's what you get for not paying attention to what you're doing," the shorter, golden dragon teased in a sing-song tone.

Auren simply snorted and returned his gaze to the field below, watching as another of their team's linebackers made a sweet tackle. They, along with Nate and Renfear, as well as every other student from Ivalice Academy, were crammed into the stands of the stadium in downtown Caldonis to watch the first football game of the mini-league that kicked off the Inter-Academy Championship. Ivalice's own Falcons were playing the Rozzaria Wildcats, and so far, it had been a very good game. The Falcons were only down by a few points, but as half-time approached, many of the school's resident fans new their team would turn it around in the second half. Just as Auren was reaching across Glauron to the nachos balanced on Renfear's lap, his phone started to buzz in his pocket, making the snack-minded drake grumble. Checking the screen, he sighed and began brushing the crumbs from his lap. "That's our cue, guys."

"Aww....but I haven't finished these yet," Ren whined, holding up his plate of extra-large cheesy nachos.

"Then start stuffing your muzzle," Auren grinned as he stood up and stretched, earning a grumble from the ox behind him. "We all know you're good at that." The snow wolf shot him a playful glare, even as the remaining three friends began rising and moving out of their row as well. Shimmying out of the row of seats, the four companions started making their way down the stairs towards the exits. Along the way, their footsteps were accompanied by Ren's voracious gobbling of his nachos, even though he was hardly making a dent.

"Seriously...I can't eat all these so fast by myself," the wolf complained through a mouthful. He offered the plate to Nate, who grabbed a handful as well.

Auren shrugged. "Hey, either way, you're not bringing those in the car. I doubt Reston wants cheese and nacho bits all over those nice seats." Grumbling, the snow wolf and his partner began devouring the nachos as fast as they could, even as the four of them headed out of the stadium and towards the parking lot. Reaching into his jeans pocket, the silver dragon in the lead pulled out a set of keys and pressed the button on the fob. Several yards ahead, a sleek black SUV beeped and flashed its lights as the doors were remotely unlocked. The group came to a halt just as they reached the vehicle, then all turned to Ren expectantly.

The grumbling wolf finished shovelling the last of the nachos into his mouth and tossed the plate into a nearby trash bin. "There...happy?" he mumbled, licking his chops.

"Missed a spot," Glauron teased, running a finer along the wolf's muzzle sensually. Dragging the claw along the white fur, he removed a hunk of salsa and cheese, bringing the remnants to his mouth and sucking his finger clean, making both him and Renfear grin and chuckle quietly. Beside them, Auren and Nate exchanged confused looks at the seemingly out-of-character flirting between the golden drake and snow wolf. It was a mirror of the very thing going on between the two silver-colored friends, making the whole situation all the more confusing.

After a few seconds, Auren snapped out of his revere and opened the driver's door, climbing into the plush interior of Reston's SUV. The Professor had been generous enough to loan her vehicle to the four friends so that they could head down to the stadium for the opening ceremonies and the first half of the game. Being that the first 'gladiator challenge' was due to start shortly after the morning game, Auren and the others were forced to leave at halftime in order to head back to the campus and ready themselves for their events. The Championship was divided into two categories of competition; the sports games and events were to be held downtown in the stadium, while the more arcane-based, 'gladiator events' were held back at the school. Ever since the announcement by the Dean several mornings ago, the campus engineers had been hard at work not only constructing temporary dorms for all the visiting students, but just inside the wooded area off campus, they had also been setting up the rings and courses that would be used in the events. Normally, one would blink in surprise at how fast things had been accomplished, but when you combine arcane-talented engineers, with modern tech also supplemented by magical means, it made sense how a three-storey building could be erected in under a day.

Magic and high-tech equipment. Gotta love it.

As Nate eased himself into the passenger seat, and Glauron and Ren shuffled into the back, Auren twisted the keys in the ignition and the SUV purred to life. Feeling a little self-conscious about driving someone else's car, especially an expensive one like this, the silver dragon eased the SUV out of its parking space and towards the exit. The big vehicle handled quite nicely, hinting to the car-loving dragon that this may not be your average off-the-lot suburban. The low growl of the engine and the responsive handling were indicators of some serious tuning underneath the glossy black exterior, and Auren spend a few moments wondering why an Acamdemy professor would have such a seemingly unique vehicle. Shrugging to himself, he filed the thought away as he pulled onto the main road and headed up towards the campus.

Along the way, the four friends talked about the opening ceremonies they had seen this morning. An impressive display of the individual school banners accompanied by each school's marching bands were paraded around the fields of the stadium, along with a magic display from the winners of last decade's Championship, a group of former students from Rozzaria Academy. Apparently, Rozzaria was going for their third straight Championship title, meaning their students and competitors had an air of superiority around them, as if the third win was an assured thing. Instantly, Auren and the others disliked them immensely. Anyone with their noses in the air constantly - and probably a stick up their tail - would not be fun to spend time with.

The few girls they had run into from the Dutchess of Rhodes Academy seemed alright, if a bit stuck up,?although right away they had tried hitting on Nate and Auren. If they weren't fawning over the muscular pair, they were talking loudly about their school as if they too felt they were more 'privileged' than the other schools, thanks to their wealthy benefactors and alumni. Rolling his eyes at seeing Renfear's impression of one of the girls in the rear-view mirror, Auren fought back a chuckle at how it took a very obvious grope from the silver dragon into Nate's groin to dissuade the female furs, earning a few dark looks as well as a horrendous blush from the wolf. In the back of his mind, Auren was surprised he so easily thought up the move, but then again, a part of him got a thrill from grabbing Nate that way. Feeling the wolf's groin through his loose cargo pants...

Aaand back to the road, hornball, the dragon shook himself, readjusting the wheel as they rounded a corner, pulling his eyes from the silver wolf beside him to focus once more on driving. A pair of chuckles from the back seat made him blush, knowing full well that Glauron and Ren had caught him looking a the wolf instead of the road.

Pulling into the campus parking lot, Auren angled the sleek SUV into Reston's space and killed the engine. Piling out of the sharp-looking utility vehicle, the four friends headed towards the gym where Reston was sure to be waiting. Looking around, there were still a fair number of students still milling around the campus, from Ivalice as well as visiting schools, those that didn't feel like watching the game downtown. Making their way through a small group in the hallways, a loud voice echoed over the tops of a few passerby. "Oi! Wait up there, mates!"

Stopping in surprise, Auren and the others turned to see a well-built horse jogging up to them with a smile on his face. Wearing only a loose muscle shirt and shorts that outlined his impressive physique as well as his youth, the horse trotted to a stop in front of the silver dragon. Right away, the four had to make sure to avert their eyes from the handsome bulge outlining the front of the?stallion's shorts, each one of them hiding a smile at their lustful thoughts. "Alex McCaville," the horse said cheerfully, extending a hand to the silver drake. His voice was rich with that Aussie twang, giving no doubt to the equine's origins.

"Auren," the dragon smiled back, shaking the proffered paw and feeling the muscular grip of the equine. "Must be from Outback, am I right?"

"Right as rain, mate," the horse grinned, shaking hands with the others beside Auren. "I'm one of the competitors for our school in the tourney. Saw ya heading towards the gym and recognized ya from the vid-images," he said, holding up a tablet. "Wanted ta wish ya luck n all."

Matching the horse's wide grin, Auren shook his hand again warmly, already liking the friendly horse, as compared to the students of other schools they had already met. "Thanks, same to you. I'll admit, we're pretty excited and nervous about it all."

"I hear ya," the horse nickered. "First-year student myself. The rest o' my team are all third-years, and its kinda hard to make any sorta conversation, ya know?" He glanced over each of the four friends for a moment, before looking back at the silver drake. "I know we're competitors and all, but ya think maybe we could catch a lunch sometime? Be interesting to get to know some fellow academy students who aren't total stuck-ups," he said, jerking his head to the team from Rozzaria that was sauntering down the hallway past them.

Flashing his fangs in a smile, Auren nodded alongside the others. "For sure. Here - I'll give you my number," he said, pulling out his phone to swap details with the horse, who eagerly punched in the digits. "Hit me up when we're not on the field and we'll show you around."

"Great!" the horse whinnied, blasting that loveable Aussie accent. "I'll see ya later, mate!" With that, the horse waved a cheery goodbye and trotted off towards the main quad, his bouncing rear getting more than a few stares.

Auren titled his head with a smile. "He seemed nice." Indeed, it was kind of reassuring to have met another friendly fur so quickly. This Alex seemed like a genuine-

"Nice? Pffft.....did you see that bulge? Rawr~" Renfear growled. "Auren; give me that number..."

"Down boy," the other three said automatically, chuckling and resuming their path towards the gym.

• - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- -?- - - - - -?- - - - - - - - - - - - -

Fidgeting slightly, Auren fought down the urge to adjust himself in front of the gathered crowd as Dean Grimswald's booming voice echoed across the clearing. This rather snug outfit was rather irritating to the silver dragon, and he just hoped that the multitude of eyes surrounding them weren't mentally undressing him. Although, he had no qualms about seeing the tighter clothing on Nate as the wolf stood beside-

"And finally, representing their home Academy; Auren McKnight and Nathaniel Weese!"

Shaken out of his thoughts, the silver dragon stepped forward alongside Nate as they raised their arms to the crowd and waved, blushing slightly at the massive noise of cheering spectators. Dean Grimswald beamed proudly as he stood with his students before the crowd, showing off Ivalice's "gladiators" before the event. Wearing identical blue track suits, the dragon and wolf stood next to the other four pairs of competitors as the Dean introduced each and every one, getting the crowd pumped up for their representatives as well as the first gladiatorial event of the Championship.

Set up just past the wooded area alongside the campus, the five pairs stood at the starting line of a large obstacle course, stretching a little over a football field in length. On either side were rows after rows of bleachers with hundreds of roaring spectators from all five schools. Auren had to fight down a wave of nervousness and he glanced over to Nate, the wolf giving him a small smile ad nodding his head in agreement. Yeah, this was really happening.

After returning from the downtown stadium, the four boys had met up with Reston in the gym, who had explained the first event to them. Basically a race through an obstacle course, each pair had to complete various sets of challenges in each section before moving onto the next. The slowest pair through each section would be eliminated, and after the fourth section, the fastest pair through would be the winners. In theory, it sounded simple enough. However, as they quickly learned, everything about the tournament always sounded easier than it actually was.

Taking off from the start line, each pair would sprint down a short, flat section to where a large slingshot awaited them. One team member would use the slingshot to fire large rubber balls downrange to his/her partner, where they would attempt to catch the flung ball in a basket. After catching five balls, the pair was then free to move onto the next.

The second challenge required much more dexterity. Several dozen targets were interposed in each team's lane; some were on posts, some hung from the overhead scaffolding, others moved around in patterns on either one of the two. Each target was three-sided, and slowly rotated to show each of its faces, be it a blue circle, a red square, or a black X. In the center of all the moving targets, was a small podium with a bow. The teams would have to get to the podium without disrupting any of the targets, where one member would use the bow, and the other his/her ranged magical attacks to strike the targets. The catch was, depending on what you were using, you had a different target. Team members using the bow had to aim for the blue circles while those using magic had to hit the red squares. Each team needed a total of 20 perfect hits to advance, or 10 targets hit each. If one of them hit a black X by mistake, it reset their hit counter to zero.

Leaving the target jungle behind, the remaining three teams were faced with a rope maze that spanned over a pool of water. The ropes were strung every which way across each team's narrow bridge, presenting each team with a tedious path they had to traverse as quickly and carefully as they could. Falling into the water meant both team members must return to the start of the section and begin again.

The last section was possibly the most demanding, being a traditional obstacle course that the two remaining teams had to navigate. There were wooden walls, wire pits, balance beams, rope climbs, pulleys, ladders, a deep pit with poles in it and even another section with the moving targets that needed to be avoided. The first team to get through the the raised platform at the far end would be the winners of the event. All along the course were dozens of cameras trained on each team to track their progress and confirm when they had completed each section's task and were free to move onto the next.

After Reston explained it all, Glauron and Renfear were glad they weren't the ones chosen for this event.

A little movement from down the line, and Auren saw Alex giving him and Nate a little wave, the horse standing out beside his teammate in their orange track suits. The older Doberman next to him looked overly serious and determined to win, but the horse the boys had met before still had that excited look on his face, making the red-clad pair smile as they nodded back.

Grimswald was addressing the crowd with the same briefing as the competitors were given before, large floating holographic screens showing each section of the course as the Dean outlined the challenges it detailed. As the images passed over the obstacle course section at the end, Auren gently elbowed Nate and nodded every so slightly to the screen they were watching, as the dragon spotted something they could use to basically cut the section in half. Nate lowered his head slowly, then gave a small nod to show he had seen it too, his lips twitching in a small grin. Having an end-game plan in play, now all that was left was to make it that far.

"Gladiators! To your starting blocks!" the Dean boomed out, and the five teams of brightly colored competitors lined up in their respective lanes. As Auren and Nate crouched at the starting line, the twisting nervousness and anxiety of the competition melted away to leave only a cold pit of determination. Bumping their fists, both silver-colored companions, took a deep breath to ready themselves, and waited for the gun, a single thought entering their minds.

Win.

The Dean stood back at the head of the start line, to the left of all the teams, and raised a small starting pistol. There was breeze of silence that fell over the area as the spectators got ready for the big start. Raising the pistol above his head, the stocky lion flicked his tail in anticipation, and slowly squeezed the trigger.

BANG!

Dust flew up from the combined force of ten pairs of heels as the teams bolted from the start line down the first stretch. The crowd, having gone silent in that first moment of anticipation was now screaming and cheering in delight for their school's team, or just cheering in general. More than a few students from Ivalice were impressed as the human team representing Arcadia was able to keep pace with some of the athletic furs opposite them.

Auren and Nate were not the first ones to reach their slingshot, having been beat by both the Rhodes girls and the team from Outback Academy. Nonetheless, they ignored all else and focused on the task before them. Being the one with slightly better upper-body strength, Auren took the slingshot as Nate raced ahead for the basket to catch the lobbed projectiles from his partner. The silver drake was already loading up and prepping for the first shot even as his partner made it to the basket. Letting the rubber ball fly, Auren watched it sail in a perfect arc to land square in Nate's basket, the wolf barely having to move at all from his spot. One.

Colored balls sailed through the air as each team sent the projectiles down to their teammates, some finding their marks and others bouncing on the ground with a dull thud. Auren manged to send two more shots down range to be caught by Nate before they missed one. Another miss passed them before Nate caught the fourth, and the crowd's cheering escalated. Team Outback was on their fourth catch as well, Alex and his partner already looking to bolt to the next section. The other teams were still sending balls down range in an attempt to catch up, even as the stands erupted in screaming cheers when both Outback and Ivalice landed their fifth and final catches. Instantly, both teams dropped their equipment and shot forward, cleared for the next section. The team from Rhodes was only moments behind them as they caught their fifth ball, also bolting off towards stage two. Just as the first two teams crossed into the second section, a groan mingled in with the cheering as Rozzaria left their station to proceed on, leaving the Arcadian team to be the first eliminated, the human group in the stands cursing their bad luck so early on. Their team had only managed to catch three balls before being left behind.

As soon as they crossed the line into Stage Two, Auren and Nate were forced to slow their pace considerably, to avoid bumping into any of the dozens of targets that surrounded them in this section. Hitting any of the targets or knocking them over accidentally would cost them a point, meaning they would have to hit that many more once they got to the center. Picking their way through the dozens of little tri-faced targets, the wolf and dragon reached the stand at the center where they could shoot from, and Nate immediately hefted the bow and quiver. The wolf was in his zone as he gracefully drew the first arrow and sighted down the shaft. Letting the bolt fly, his muzzle quirked in a grin as he watched the head of the arrow sink right in the middle of a blue circle twenty yards away on a hanging target. Next to him by his waist, Nate heard the telltale whoof as Auren sent out a pair of fireballs from his open palms to strike a two moving target pieces a few yard behind them.

Team Outback was in a similar position, Alex and his partner having scored two hits each already, the energetic horse striking out with his jets of water as the tall Doberman beside him fired off arrow after arrow. Rhodes and Rozzaria were right there with them, scoring hit after hit as all four teams battled to get their quota first. The air was filled with the crackle of ranged magic being fired off, buzzing arrows, and the ever-present screaming of the crowd. A shriek pierced the air as one of the Rhodes girls missed her target and her fireball impacted a black X, resetting their score counter to zero, and the section of their fellow students in the bleaches howled with despair. The other three teams kept at it, arrows and spells flying, before the Rozzarian team's targets froze, signalling their score hitting twenty, and the pair of tigers shot forward towards Stage Three. Several moments later, Team Outback's targets ground to halt too and they were off. Auren snarled and let the heat in his hands cut loose, a salvo of three fireballs blasting out to hit their last three targets as Nate sank the last arrow home. Watching their targets freeze and grow still, the silver-colored companions shot off to the next stage, leaving Rhodes to be the next eliminated.

Reaching the tangled web that spanned their bridge across the lagoon, Auren and Nate dove into the mess of ropes as they saw Rozzaria already a quarter of the way through their bridge. Twisting and ducking like a pair of serpents, the dragon and wolf moved as quickly and carefully as they could, their paws barely touching the narrow beam that separated them from the water. A rope snapped backwards at struck Nate in the snout, causing the wolf to yelp and growl loudly, but he waved a paw at Auren not to stop. They were nearing the halfway mark as they caught up to the other two teams, all three remaining pairs being neck and neck as they navigated the mess of ropes hanging above the water below. The chorus of grunts, growls and muttered curses were lost amid the roaring cheers of the crowd as the three teams neared the end. Auguring their bodies through the last bits, Nate and Auren wrenched themselves free of the tangle of ropes, and as soon as their feet hit solid ground, they took off without a backwards look towards the final stage.

The pair of tigers from Rozzaria Academy were just in front of them, having navigated the ropes moments before the silver pair. The last stage was the obstacle course, and already the Rozzarian tigers were fast at work shimmying up a pair of rope ladders, leading to a complicated mess of beams and bridges. The wolf and dragon however, ran straight for the large wooden wall in the middle of the section. Bare of any handholds or climbing ropes, it was easily the hardest obstacle to overcome.....but it was also the quickest way to the finish. Atop the twenty foot wall was a raised pole with a single rope attached, that gently stretched from the wall all the way to the end. It was a sure-fire route to the finish, but only if one could scale the bare wall.

Auren poured on a burst of speed and pulled ahead of Nate, reaching the wall first and bracing his back against it, cupping his hands at his waist. The wolf never slowed down, meeting the dragon quickly and raising his paw up high in stride. The moment Nate's paw hit his hands, Auren threw the wolf upwards with all his might, sending the jumping lupine shooting up to the top of the wall. Nate managed to grab the ledge and pull himself up, his muscles straining to lift his body weight. The spectators saw what the pair was doing, and began to cheer even louder, seeing the bold attempt to beat Rozzaira, the tigers having to double back after hitting an impasse. The roar of the crowd was drowned out as he spun around to hang over the edge, stretching his paw to Auren. The dragon jumped and grasped his friend's paw, letting the wolf take his weight, and together, the two of them began to swing Auren.

Using his legs, Auren ran sideways across the wall to build momentum, back and forth, getting higher every time. Finally, on the sixth pass, he pushed off as hard as he could as Nate screamed and threw him upwards. The dragon went up past the lip of the wall, above Nate, and managed to grab the rope above with his legs. Grabbing each others paws tightly, Nate pushed off from the ledge as Auren used his legs to hold onto the rope, and the pair began to slide. The tough scales on Auren's legs kept out the worst of the rope burn as they used their bodies like a pulley, zip-lining down the length of the rope as the crowd went ballistic. Faster and faster they slide, Auren gritting his teeth as his body felt the strain of holding him and Nate up by his legs. The ground whipped by, getting closer and closer as they neared the end.

With a pained yelp, a sloppy dismount, and a tangled mess of limbs, the dragon and wolf flew off the end of the zip-line onto the platform to lay in a heap at the finish. Between the ringing in their ears and the incessant screaming of the crowd, neither was sure exactly how it had turned out, instead the two just laid there nursing their bruises and panting. Finally, Nate rolled off Auren and tried to stand, only to be grabbed by Grimswald's firm paw and have his arm yanked into the air, the lion grabbing Auren as well. Dazed, the pair of friends looked around to find themselves atop the finish platform, blinking to clear the spots from their vision, before finally registering the booming voice of the lion holding their arms.

"-by less than a few feet! My friends, your winners of the first event, IVALICE!"

Shaking his head to regain his senses, Auren finally snapped back into focus as he realized they had won. They actually won.

The students in the stands from Ivalice were jumping up and down and screaming their names as Grimswald proudly showed off the two friends, the lion beaming proudly at them. Nearby, the other teams had made their way to the end platform, offering their own congratulatory praise - or in the case of Rozzaria, looks of contempt. A hearty slap to the shoulder, and Auren found himself in front of a widely grinning horse, who he took a moment to recognize as Alex. The poor equine was covered in wet mud, evidence of why his team had not made it past the rope bridge, but still, the stallion was all smiles as he congratulated his friends. A pair of black-furred hands reached out and guided the two teammates off the platform, saving Nate and Auren before the crowd could swarm them. Reston, a huge smile on her own face, led the two back towards the school, at the head of a roaring precession.

---

"Damn, bro," Nate whimpered, rubbing his shoulder as he walked beside Auren. "Those bony knees of yours fricken hurt!"

For what felt like the fifth time, Auren apologized to his lupine friend, stopping to open the door for him as the pair entered the dorm's bath/shower room. "Not like I could control where I fell, Nate."

"Still....owww..."

Chuckling, the pair of friends headed towards the showers to rinse off the sweat, dirt, and grime they had gathered from the event. After escorting them from the field, Reston had praised the two boys on their performance, despite their 'unorthodox' finish. Glauron and Renfear simply couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear as the team cooled down in the gym after the event, Professor Reston going over the finer points of what she saw during the event. Finally, after a half hour of discussion, Auren and Nate stood and announced they needed to shower, less the filth remain on their bodies permanently. A few more words and thoughts were tossed about, before Reston finally dismissed her team for the night, ordering Auren and Nate to get a good meal and some rest after their victory. With Ren and Glauron heading back to the dorm to plan out dinner, the silver duo made a beeline for the showers, eager to feel the relaxing spray of hot water.

Entering the shower area, the two friends stopped with a slight groan. There was a multitude of fellow male students here, some from Ivalice, some from the other schools, all mulling around with their own business. Nate's shoulders slumped when he saw all the shower stalls taken, the weight of the sweat and grime on his fur feeling even heavier now. He had been looking forward to a nice shower to relax after the event, but now it was looking like a pipe dream with this many students around. He started suddenly when he felt Auren gently grab his elbow and pull him forward. "Ooh, Nate, look. There's one left!"

"O-one?" the wolf stammered. "How does that help?"

"We can share, silly," Auren grinned, leading his lupine friend through the throng of male furs, giving more than a few glances around at the partially naked forms of a few noteworthy guys. Reaching the single stall in the corner, the dragon released Nate's arm and began pulling off his shirt, eager to snag the last shower. Looking up, he saw the hesitant look on the wolf's face, and paused. "What's wrong?"

Nate shuffled a bit. "Well....er....together?" he asked softly, blushing beneath his silver-furred cheeks.

"Its not like we haven't seen each other naked before," Auren growled playfully in a low tone, giving his friend a wink. It didn't do anything to hide the blush on the dragon's own face, but after a few seconds Nate relented, and started peeling off his own clothes. "Besides," Auren added. "If we don't grab one now, we might not get one."

"Fair enough," Nate shrugged, although the back of his mind was going absolutely nuts. Him! In the shower! With Auren! The wolf hoped his tail wasn't wagging up a storm, giving away his wandering thoughts as he and the drake both removed their pants and boxers, quickly sliding into the shower stall one after another. To their surprise, barely one or two other guys even noticed the sight, all too caught up in their own things.

Shutting the door behind them, Nate inhaled and nearly panted from the overwhelming musk that flooded the small stall. In the enclosed space, his and Auren's scents were compounded around them, making his heart beat a little faster and a warm tingling hit his groin as he realized he was naked in a small room with the dragon he had been crushing on for over two weeks now. His back to Nate, Auren was busy turning the taps and activating the shower spray, a warm jet of water hitting them both and making both friends sigh in satisfaction together. The wolf's eye wandered over the silver dragon's corded and toned back - and backside - letting his lusty mind have its way for a brief moment, before Auren turned around and moved over so Nate could join him under the full spray.

There was a slight awkward silence as the two friends stood basically chest-to-chest under the hot water, scrubbing the sweat and grime from their bodies. In an effort to keep his own eyes from trailing down the handsome wolf's chest, Auren spoke up. "We did good out there today, Nate," he rumbled happily, flashing a smile at his friend. For a moment, his blue eyes locked onto those golden brown, losing himself for a heartbeat before he managed to finish his statement. "I...uh...I'm glad you were my partner."

"Me too," Nate mumbled, smiling back at the dragon happily. "No offense to him, but I doubt Ren would have had your skills out there." Finally, his eyes lost the battle and trailed downward over Auren's chest, down his dense pecs and sculpted abs, the wolf licking his lips involuntarily.

"Mmm....Glauron would have hated the lack of 'thinking' puzzles..." Reaching out, Auren touched Nate's shoulder gently, at a loss of what else to say. But the way the wolf shivered happily at the touch seemed to say it all. There was a moment shared between the two friends as they stared at one another under the hot stream of water. Thoughts and hidden feelings from the past few days ran through each of their minds without restraint, and their identical smiles said it all.

Who made the first move, neither of them are sure. But before they knew what was happening, the two friends were locked together in a heated kiss, their maws mashed together as their tongues writhed against one another.

Auren's arms slid up Nate's firm back, rubbing the wolf in all the right places as Nate's own hands cupped the dragon's proud jaw, savoring the the taste of his friend's tongue in his mouth. The passionate kiss lasted but mere seconds, but to the two of them, it felt like so much more.

It was over as soon as it had began, both dragon and wolf pushing each other away with looks of pure horror and shock on their faces, their chests heaving as they panted from the intensity of the kiss. Auren had his back pressed against the cool tile as if he were trying to get as far away from Nate as possible.

"N-Nate! I-I didn't-"

"Gods Auren, I'm-I'm-I'm sorry I-"

Both friends tripped and stumbled over their tongues as they blabbered for a moment, before shutting up simultaneously. Their eyes darted everywhere but the face of their friend, both wolf and dragon feeling like some big object was about to fall and crush them for what they had just done. The realization that they had just went outside their own relationships with their own best friend.

The moment of terror ended when Nate mumbled something and flung himself out of the shower, not caring who saw him dripping wet and naked. Auren remained in the shower, staring blankly ahead at the dull grey wall as the shower continued unnoticed. The image of him kissing Nate played through his mind over and over again, and he could still feel the wolf's body pressed against his.....that warm tongue in his mouth.....the soft lips against his..W-what did we just do?! he panicked. The more he tried to rationalize what just happened, the more scared he became as he felt another, deeper sensation in the pit of his stomach.

It hadn't felt wrong.

---

Dinner in the dorm room an hour later was surrounded by an awkward silence. Glauron and Ren were slightly puzzled when Nate had rushed in a short while ago, still half-naked and dripping to shut himself in his and Ren's temporary room. It was ten minutes after that when Auren showed up, clothed and clean, but just as silent and withdrawn. His boyfriend and the snow-wolf tried to strike up a conversation, talking about the challenge earlier, but the silver dragon barely gave a sentence in response, lost in thought as he stared at the wall. When Nate finally emerged from the bedroom dry and clothed, it was like the tension in the air grew tenfold, as neither silver-colored companion could stand to look at one another without a horrendous blush flooding their face.

Seeing the distressed mood of their respective boyfriends, Glauron and Renfear traded smiles and winks, hiding a small chuckle behind their food.

After a short dinner, Glauron brought out his notebook and told the two silent boys that Reston wanted to see them right after breakfast tomorrow, as it was his and Renfear's turn in a challenge. Auren nodded absently as Nate picked at his chicken salad, both barely aware of any conversation going on. A few more half-hearted attempts to make conversation passed, before both silver friends announced they were going to bed. Auren tried to brush it off as being tired, but in reality, he just couldn't bare to look at Nate for a moment longer, feeling as if some secret relationship police were about to bust in and accuse him of what they had done.

Laying in bed, the silver drake was distantly aware of Glauron crawling into bed with him, the golden dragon taking up a position much like the night before. A gentle kiss to his boyfriend's snout, and Glauron was out a few minutes later, knowing full well Auren was in no mood - or capacity - to talk. Suppressing a last chuckle at knowing more or less what poor Auren was going through, the golden drake sighed in contentment and soon fell asleep, vowing to talk to Renfear in the morning about confronting the two silver friends before they fell apart.

Unaware of his partner's thoughts, Auren stared up at the ceiling, trying to rationalize what had happened tonight as his heart and mind raced all over the place. Over the last few days, his thoughts regarding the silver wolf had gone from rising, to nearly out of control. He knew he liked Nate - maybe even liked him - but to have gone and done what they did in the shower.....the logical part of Auren tried to scream at how wrong it was, but that was the underlying problem.

He knew he had basically just cheated on Glauron with his friend. He knew Nate had done the exact same thing to Renfear, and yet....

Why did it not feel wrong like it should have? And why....in some small way....had he actually _enjoyed_being with Nate like that? Had he actually fallen for the silver wolf now too?

Rolling onto his side, Auren sighed and tried to go to sleep, hoping that maybe he would wake up and find this was all just some random dream brought on by sugary foods. Life was getting very complicated, very fast, and deep down it scared the dragon more than he imagined. He was balanced on the edge of not one, but two relationships that could end in either joy, or disastrous heartbreak. Rolling over again, Auren hugged the golden dragon beside him to his chest tightly, earning an unconscious purr from Glauron as he slept on. He loved Glauron, of that there was now doubt, and he'd do anything to hold onto this amazing dragon for as long as he could.

But.....Nate.....that kiss.....

Across the room, said wolf was tossing and turning in a similar fashion, unable to shake his own thoughts out of his mind. Renfear had fallen asleep on his side of the bed, and was snoring softly, but Nate was plagued with images of Auren in the shower. Part of him screamed that they should just come clean right now, and hope that Glauron and Ren understood. Maybe it was just the adrenaline, or worked up hormones from the tournament. After all....it could have happened anyone, right? Get all worked up, share a shower with another hot guy....

But the other half of his mind wanted to bury the thoughts away in a deep dark forest and forget they ever happened. The idea that he just cheated on Ren....and made Auren cheat on Glauron...it was like a cold knife in his gut, twisting and cutting him to the very core. It was wrong, it should be wrong! Then why oh why can't I stop thinking about it?! the wolf wailed mentally to himself. Why didn't it feel wrong? Why it come up in the first place? Why did he feel this way about Auren?

Why did it have to feel so damn good?

His chest and groin flushed with warmth as Nate shuddered and remembered he feeling of Auren against him, their bodies mashed together as they shared that brief, forbidden kiss, and fought down the urge to start growling. It had been something his wandering mind had pictured of doing for over a week now, and yet now that it had happened, Nate wanted nothing more than to take it back. He wanted to wake up and find his sheets soaked with spunk, telling him it was nothing more than a lusty dream. But no matter how he tried to deny it, to rationalize it, or to fight it, Nate could not ignore what he had felt for that brief moment in the shower with Auren. The same feeling he got when he had his first kiss with Ren.

Fireworks