Savory smells of flank steak wafted about the kitchen. Soren was finishing off the dish with extra barbecue sauce, and the potatoes and green beans were already done. He always liked to make something nicer on Fridays. They would definitely have leftover steak, but that would be sandwich fodder.Eli stepped down from the loft stairs, his nose in the air and eyes shut. He moved through the kitchen as though he was being led on a string of delicious smells. He sat down at the table as Soren brought them two plates. They tucked in, and after a minute or two they slowed down so that they could talk."How was work? Are you still on the same project," asked Eli.Soren nodded. "It seems that the test subjects are reacting positively to the drug, but we need to keep gathering data. I was mostly watching mice sit in their cages all day. One of the potential side effects might be motion tics. We saw it in three subjects, but we're not sure whether it's the mice or the drug." Eli nodded. Soren switched the topic, as he knew Eli couldn't get too deep into his lab job without feeling overwhelmed. Science just wasn't his thing. "Did your last piece turn out well? The arctic landscape?"Eli nodded enthusiastically. "Yeah. I also managed to finish both my abstracts today too. I just built up a lot of steam. I could take a break tomorrow and not fall behind at all.""That's good," said Soren. "You think you'd have time for Pathfinder tomorrow? I think I still have one of your characters on pdf, that way you don't have to be dropped to level one again."Eli tapped a finger on his the bottom of his muzzle. "Yeah. I think so. You mind if I snoop around to find it. I think I remember where I saved Lash." Soren gestured to his open laptop. "Go for it. I have a big folder dedicated to gaming stuff."Eli cleared his plate. Both of them had demolished their food at record speed. Eli helped Soren clean up and then moved to the L-shaped couch that made up their living area. Flicking through the folders, he found one for Pathfinder. But next to that one there was a folder labeled "Old Photos.""Old Photos..." said Eli. "I'm surprised you have any photos on your machine. You're always so camera shy."Soren grinned a bit. "Those ones are important to me. You can look through them if you like."Eli opened the folder, curious about what he might find. The first icon he clicked was from four years ago, and the most recent in the folder. It showed Eli, Sasha, Di, and Danny, standing on a pier. Their arms were wrapped around each others shoulders and they all wore swimwear. The lake behind them was a brilliant emerald color. "Where are you guys?"Soren sat down behind Eli. "It's one of the many lakes around Wisconsin. Sasha's dad owned a summer home up there, and the four of us would go there every year. We kinda stopped that tradition for some reason. Our schedules kept crossing wires. Sasha wants to make sure it happens this summer though."Eli clicked on the forward icon, bringing them back to the very first photo. It showed the four friends in the same spot, with the same pose, and the same smiles. But this photo was over twelve years old. None of the four had evolved. Soren was still on the far left, a chubby Vulpix with brass colored fur instead of the normal orange, a shirt pulled over his swimming trunks. Sasha was a wiry brown Zigzagoon, Di a cute purple Purrloin, and Danny a tanned Buizel, his fur dripping wet.Eli grinned. "You were a pudgy little kid."Soren chuckled. "Yeah. I was. This wasn't the first time we were up there, but none of us could find a photo older than that one. We were all fourteen at that point. It was the summer right before we started high school."Eli continued to flick through the photos. Di and Sasha had evolved by the next year, growing from short and awkward little girls to tall, graceful, and really pretty females. They still stood in the same position, but Soren now couldn't reach Sasha's shoulder easily, and instead had her hand on the small of her back. The year after Danny was now a Floatzel, powerful and tall. The year after that yielded no changes in any of them.On the fourth photo, Soren was still a short Vulpix, but this picture was different. Instead of the fat little fox from the past photos, this Soren was slim, toned, and muscled. He wasn't wearing a shirt with his trunks anymore. Eli wasn't sure, but it seemed to him that Soren's cute smile didn't quite reach his eyes. Eli grinned. "What happened to you? You went from a cute little kid to boy candy in one year."Soren smiled. "This was after Jeanne died. I was really depressed, so I started running and lifting weights. I guess I was just trying to get out of the house, really. To be honest, I also hoped that maybe it would kickstart my evolution. I was teased a lot for being so late."Eli flicked through the next photo. This one was much different than the others. A new member was added to the cast, A tall Furret was now on the right of Soren. He wore a blue baseball cap on his head, and he was smiling widely, resting his head on Soren's golden shoulder. Soren was dangling between Sasha and the Furret, his feet a few inches off the ground. He had bulked up a bit, but he was still a short little Vulpix. His smile was widest of all of them.Eli pointed to the newest member of the gang. "Is that Milo?"

Soren nodded, giving a half-nostalgic, half-melancholic smile. "That was our spring break. Sasha convinced her parents that we could go up alone. It was fun to have the place to ourselves. Sasha did it for me and Milo, really. It was nice to be able to spend time together without having to fear for our lives at every turn." Eli nodded. "He's really cute. And really buff. In fact I'd say he's downright gorgeous. You make a cute couple."Soren smiled. "He was a great boyfriend. I still wish I could talk to him now and again."Eli hugged Soren. "Tell me what he was like. How'd you meet?"Soren put his computer on the coffee table and wrapped his arms around Eli. "It was pretty early into our senior year. It was only a few weeks into the year, I think. But the whole thing was, to say the least, complicated..."__________________________________________________________________________________________________________Soren was in the locker room shower, letting the scalding water scorch away the results of two hours of lifting. He canceled his gym membership for the school year. He had to pay with his own cash, and the school offered the same services for free while classes were in session. He took out his body wash and began scrubbing. He hated how his fur had a habit of collecting grime and sweat. It took forever to get clean, especially after a long session like this. And he couldn't fake it either. His brass colored fur showed every speck of dirt and grime on it because of how reflective it was.As he finished scrubbing his arms, Soren heard the clattering and chatter of the baseball team coming in from practice. A year ago, Soren would have been scared shitless of showering while others were nearby, but now... well he wasn't that fat little kid anymore. Spending entire days at the gym over the summer had really transformed him. He was sleek, powerful, and defined. If it weren't for his distinctive fur, most people wouldn't have recognized him. If Soren looked in the mirror, he could unironically say that he was, well, sexy. If only he could force his body to grow up...There was another benefit, a guilty pleasure, for working out at the school. He could ogle the other boys as they changed. Looking up out of the corner of his eye, Soren glanced around almost greedily, admiring the strong arms and bare chests of the other guys for a moment, but snapped his head down almost instantly. No... this was stupid. This was risky. Hell, this was damn creepy, but Soren couldn't resist admiring the specimens off to his right. He just wished that one of them might admire him back.Soren continued to scrub himself, taking his time. It took forever to wash out his fur anyway. He still looked up now and again at the hot guys off to the side, but he had to be careful. Gossip was currency in Lassaire, and if someone caught him ogling a bunch of hot, undressed boys, rumors would spread like wildfire. But none of them were looking his way. Soren wasn't surprised. No one would guess he was eighteen, a senior, by looking at him. Even if he wasn't that fat little kit, he was still 5'4'' and a pre-evo. Soren sighed and went back to cleaning himself, focusing on some grime that was resisting in vain to cling to his calf.Soren was still grungy even as the last of the team left. Soren began to work on his tails as the last guy left the locker room. He was beginning on tail number three as he heard the door to the locker room open again. He heard someone say "See you tomorrow, coach," as well as a sigh of exhaustion. The voice was slightly familiar to him. He knew he had heard it before. The voice belonged to a tall and rather robust furret whose cute face definitely rang a bell, but Soren couldn't place him. He grinned internally as he watched the other male take off his dirt covered uniform out of the corner of his eye, but snapped his head down almost at once, feeling guilty.Soren began work on his fourth tail. He sneaked a glance upward again to see if that furret was still changing. He looked hastily back down as he saw the other guy walking towards the shower, a towel around his muscled waist. The furret passed without comment and took a nozzle in the back of the shower. Both washed themselves in silence, their backs to each other.A smooth and rather cute voice rang throughout the echoy shower. "Do I know you," asked the Furret.Soren blushed a bit. They were in the nebulous zone of social awkwardness of talking in a public shower. But conversation had been made, and it would now be even more awkward to ignore him. But he was cute. "I kinda stick out in crowd," joked Soren. "You, know, the fur." Soren heard the Furret chuckle. "I'm Soren, if that name makes a difference to you."The other male snapped his fingers. "Ah. That's it. I've seen you around Games Club a bit. You've always been at the D&D table every week."Soren felt a flash of recognition surge through him. "Oh! So you're... Milo, right?""Yup," said Milo. "I normally just play a board game. I never had time to play a long running game before. It looks like fun."Soren lit up. He loved recruiting new players to tabletop. "It's a blast. You should try it sometimes. The rules take a bit, but everyone at my table is perfectly happy to help new players.""I might have time this year. I got most of my harder classes out of the way last year. Physics and calc are all I gotta really worry about. Also, no practice on Wednesdays this year." Soren heard Milo turn off the shower. "I'll be able to join up if you'd have me."Soren smiled as he began to clean his final tail, "We're always glad to have new guys. I'm running a game this year. It's low level so there's less complex stuff at the start."Milo walked by, toweling off his hair. "Then see you tomorrow."Soren glanced up a moment to wave goodbye, but snapped his head down, trying to keep his face straight. "Did he just wink at me?!" Soren's mind raced. He was imagining it. He had to be. But wasn't this why he was down here though? But maybe he was just being hopeful. He had never gotten on well with jocks anyway, but to meet a geek down here was almost as unlikely as finding a guy.Wednesday classes moved on in a flash. Soren really wasn't paying much attention. He was anticipating gaming. He always did that, but today moreso than usual. Part of him was incredibly excited to induct a new player into the geeky side of life. But a smaller part of him was cautiously hopeful.Physics was the last class of the day and also conveniently where games club was held, as their sponsor was the physics teacher, Mr. Samson. Soren set up quickly for game, keeping a spare character sheet out as well as his materials for game. He'd need to make a bit of time to help Milo build a character, but most of his players were a tad late anyway.Milo was the first person in, and he sat down at a table next to Soren. He fished into his backpack and pulled out a tablet. "Heya. Can you check this over? I built Cyrus last night, but I wanna make sure he's up to scratch."Soren flicked through the pdf. "So you're no newbie, are you."Milo shook his head. "I am. I skyped my cousin and got help. He's the one who got me into gaming, but I really haven't played in anything longer than a few one shots. He didn't pull from any obscure rulebooks. At least, he told me that." Soren nodded. "It's all good. Did he tell you how the casting system works for sorcerers?" Sasha, Di, and Danny were all sitting down at this point. They introduced themselves, not without a little bit of awkwardness. Danny laughed. "New blood? Lovely! Don't die too soon, ok?"Sasha punched Danny in the arm. "Don't scare him. You freaked out the last guy."Soren cleared his throat. "Luckily we left off at a good point. You guys can run into Milo on the road." Soren began to weave together a scene depicting the deserted swamp road that the four characters were traversing. The armor clad knight, agile rogue, sage druid, and jovial sorcerer were all looking into the rumors of a library of many ages ago that had once fell into the swamp. Soren sat back and let the characters interact with each other. Milo was a natural. He fit right in, and he knew how to act out a character without resorting to Ye Olde Cliches. The session went by in a flash, climaxing in a harrowing encounter with a giant crocodile that had sampled a few too many magical potions. Three people nearly died. Nearly. Di, Danny, and Sasha had to dash for the bus, but Milo stuck around, helping Soren pack up the miniatures. Soren dug his head out of the cabinet to chat with Milo. "You had fun?" The Furret nodded. "Good. So do you wanna keep playing? We'd be glad to have you." Milo turned to leave. "It was a blast. I'd love to keep playing with you." Soren jumped a bit. It was weird. He said those last few words with a funny inflection... no. He wasn't being optimistic. He was being stupid. Thursday was as boring as Wednesday. Soren was regretting taking all these AP courses. The work wasn't bad, but it was boring as sin. But he needed to get a scholarship. Badly. His parents weren't keen on him looking at pricey schools, and he doubted they'd be willing to loan him money without a lot of strings attached. He pretty much needed grad school to do anything in medical research. Grandma Jeanne's college trust could only get him so far. He was loaded with homework by the end of the day, but Soren still decided to lift for a while. Music and exercise really helped him relax. He never used to be that way. He had been such a sedentary kid. He started to just mindlessly run laps while listening to some remixes of Metroid Prime's soundtrack. He lapsed into his music, letting his imagination take him to Tallon IV. It was over an hour before he realized how tired he was. Stopping for some water, he went to the weight room for a while, and retreated to the locker room for a shower. He had exercised for a lot longer than he anticipated, and he was absurdly sweaty. He slipped into the hot water just as the baseball team thundered in. Soren began his little routine again, keeping an eye on the fine specimens as they changed. Milo's tall profile stood out amongst the other males. He was tempted to try and actively catch his eye, but no... that would be hasty. Soren continued to work on scouring himself, listening in amongst the clamor. He heard Milo's smooth voice amongst the other guys shouts. "Dammit. I can't find it anywhere." He was clanging about his locker, looking for something. "I must've left it back at the field." Milo dashed off, throwing his shirt back over his head as he ran.As the last of the team left, Milo slipped back in, looking a bit flustered. He snooped around a bit and swore as he found his phone lying in one of his cleats. He took of his uniform and walked past Soren and into the shower."Heya," said Milo as he cracked his back a bit. "Wednesday was fun. Did you write that yourself?"Soren smiled, "Almost. I lifted the idea of the potion altered animal from a book I read. But the rest of the encounters was me.""It wasn't a bad idea," conceded Milo. "Were you being easy on me? I was the only one who didn't get dropped."Soren shook his head, despite the fact that he was facing the wall and Milo had his back to him. "Nope. But you were playing smart. The other three rushed a freaking giant flaming crocodile. If they were smart they would have let Danny stonewall it while they pegged it to death."Milo laughed. "I wish I knew some support spells. I felt bad that I couldn't do anything to save them.""You supported them by killing it faster. But you can play with your spells as we level up. We have all year.""I know. I'm really looking forward to gaming with you."Soren tensed up a bit. That inflection on the last syllable... maybe he was, but maybe he wasn't. Soren turned off the water and picked up his towel and wash. He stepped out into the empty locker room. He pulled on his clothes and turned to leave."Wait a sec," called Milo, poking his head around the doorway to the showers. "You wanna grab a bite to eat? I'm starved.""Sure," said Soren, nodding his head. "I'd love to grab a bite of you." There was beat, and then Milo began to roar with laughter. "What? What's so funn-- oh."Milo controlled himself for long enough to say "Is Mama Sue's OK? I don't have much cash." He waited long enough for Soren to nod his head before he turned back to rinse his hair.__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________"Oh, was that your first date," asked Eli, now laying perpendicular to Soren on the L-shaped couch, his head resting on Soren's chest."Nah," said Soren, smiling. "We didn't jump that hurdle for a bit. We gamed a few more times, and it didn't take long for four to be five.""But you liked him right away, didn't you?"Soren grinned wider. "Of course. I liked him a lot. He was smart, he was a geek, and he was really, really, cute." Soren paused, his face becoming more serious. "But you have no idea how careful I had to be. I hadn't even told Di and Danny at that point. I couldn't just go and ask him out without being 100% sure I could trust him."Eli nodded. "So what made you 100% sure, then?"Soren's smile returned to him. "Well, like many good things, it started with a game."______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Soren sat atop the short bleachers, observing the game playing out before him. He could never get behind sports, but it had felt rude to say no to Milo's invitation. He had spent the first four innings watching the players, looking for patterns or habits in the players, using his natural understanding for game mechanics and dynamics to decipher what made this baseball game tick. Milo was pitching, and his record for most of the game had been spot on. It helped that he was left handed. It threw a lot of hitters for a loop. Currently there was one out and some new schmuck was up to bat. Soren watched as Milo threw an outside curve. Swing and a miss. Soren smiled a bit. Milo really knew how to mess with the hitters. It was clear #12 was expecting an inside hit.The innings passed rather quickly, at least to Soren. Actually knowing someone playing in the game made the whole thing more engaging. Although, it did seem that both teams had issues scoring. Players kept getting out before runs could be scored.It didn't take long to go from the top of the fifth to the bottom, bringing the home team up to bat. The crowd around him was cheering their heads off, Crusaders this, Lassaire that. Soren was never one for vocal cheering. He experienced events silently, observing rather than shout randomly at whatever opportunity may arise. Besides, he hated that his school team was the fucking Crusaders. "Hooray," Soren would always say, "Go team 'hoard of stupidly zealous christian soldiers who raped and pillaged their way across half the known world in three idiotic and wasted campaigns.'" Plus their colors were orange and brown. Absolutely hideous.Unfortunately, it appeared that the opposition also had a pitcher who could mess with heads of the other batters. Three strikeouts later and it went to the top of the sixth. Milo struck out the first guy without missing a beat. But it seemed that Milo may have been losing his edge, or perhaps the next few batters had figured out his mind games. Two batters got singles, but that was no big deal.Schmuck number #51 was up to bat, and in no time he was at two strikes. Milo threw fast and hard down the center. There was a harsh crack as wood met baseball, rocketing the little ball into the outfield. The Crusader's left field missed the catch, giving time for three base runs for schmucks #34, #78, and #51. the score was now 3-1 to the Raiders (schmucks). The schmuck supporters roared and cheered, supplemented with groan from the Crusader side.The big hit caused a little ripple of unease across the Crusaders. But not Milo though. He always kept a cool head. It didn't matter what the situation was. It could be a tough fight in game, some problem in physics, or a new twist in a ball game. He was such an analytical person. So rational. Soren liked that in people.Schmuck

49 was struck out and it was now the Crusaders at bat again. Bottom

of the ninth. Two runs down. Two hitters in and two outs. How damn cliché. Milo was up to bat, but he wasn't much of a hitter. His job was to get on base so he could let the pinch hitter run him in. There was a pause... then the pitch, strong and fast, a crack, and Soren saw Milo drop the bat and run. But that was it. There was a loud and painful thump as Soren felt something small and hard make impact with his chest, followed by a sharp and searing pain as his head collided with something cold and metal._____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Soren was cooling down on a treadmill. The last few days had been stupidly frustrating. Calculus had been giving him crap lately, and the last test had come back with a big red D on it. That was the only thing that would get his parents to talk to him these days. They'd never miss a chance to yell at him about school. Normally he could just exercise the anger out of him, but the fist sized bruise on his chest constricted in pain whenever he tried anything too intensive. He had had been working out for twice his normal time, but it wasn't the same. Low weight high reps couldn't burn out the frustration that he was dealing with right now. The baseball team clattered in, muttering about the rain and mud that was the result of a practice from hell. Soren didn't pay too much attention. He was lost in his own head, ruminating half on math, half on game, half on something else that he couldn't really place.Soren was half way through machinating a ruthless encounter involving summoned demons when he heard the clatter as the team left, changed and slightly less than filthy than before. The coaches left soon afterward. Soren kept walking, trying to tune out his frustration, but after an additional half an hour, he was still irritated, and whenever he tried to work up to sprinting speed that stupid bruise gave a painful twinge. He got off and went for a shower.Soren was surprised to see that he wasn't the only person in here. A wet, muddy, and bushy brown-tan tail was pointed in the air, a towel wrapped around its waste, it's owner buried in a locker. Soren looked down. It was one thing to ogle a dude in the showers, but Milo was his friend."Damn, you're messy," said Soren. "Coach wouldn't let you skip a practice? Had to make you play in a downpour?"Milo shook his head. "He just wants us to whip the Capras. Rivalry, and all that. And if I keep pitching like I did today, I don't think coach will ever let me hear the end of it. He only let me off the hook few minutes ago."Soren nodded, starting the hot water. He found the last claim dubious. All three of the coaches left ages ago. So why was Milo waiting around for more than thirty minutes soaking wet and dripping mud? No... what was he doing?They scrubbed themselves mutely for a minute, but Milo broke the silence in a bit. "Do you have a girlfriend, Soren?"Soren stood still for a second. "No. Are you thinking about Sasha?" Milo made a small noise of assent. "No. Sasha and I never dated. But Di and Danny still ship us some days. It's sort of a running jokeMilo chuckled. "Why not. She's smart, nice, a fantastic gamer, and really good looking."Soren spoke in a slightly imperious voice, "Rule number one of dating: Don't date your best friend.""How long have you known her," asked Milo. "She's a senior, like us, right?""All four of us are. We met each other in grade school.""I understand though. Dating a good friend can really change the relationship, especially if there's a bad break up. Still, I'm surprised you aren't dating other girls in this school.""I'm not into the girls in this school." Soren clapped his hand over his muzzle with a muted and wet slap. He waited for an intense and terrifying minute. Milo wasn't speaking either. They both washed themselves in silence for a minute or two. Soren swore as the last of his body wash squirted out of the bottle. He was still incredibly grubby. He left the shower and went to fish another bottle out of his backpack.Soren turned the corner and stopped. Milo's back was to him, specifically his rather fine butt, pointed in the air as Milo was working on his long, lustrous striped tail. Soren couldn't help but stare for a second... but then he forced himself to look away. Milo was a friend, not a boy toy. Besides, a good looking guy like him must have a girlfriend. Cute face, hot body, good at sports, smart, funny... Soren sighed internally and returned to washing his tails, turning his back to Milo to avoid sneaking another peek at his friend.Finishing up, Soren left and got dressed, buttoning up his maroon shirt and belting his cargo shorts. Milo wasn't far behind. Soren shoved his nose into his bag and found what he was looking for. Turning around, Milo had his back to him, buttoning his jeans. Soren stopped for a second, unable to not admire that sleek, silky tail that flowed over the top of his jeans and drooped lazily onto the floor. And his back, dear god his back... Soren could see toned, powerful muscles, even under that long, silky fur, alternating between beach-sand tan and milk chocolate."Hey," said Soren, "I got a present for you." Soren chucked the baseball in his hand as hard as he could."Ouch," yelped Milo as the ball collided with the side of his head. "What was that for?"Soren pointed at his chest. "For yesterday. Your line drive home run hit me right in the chest. You even knocked me back into the back of the bleachers." Soren rubbed the back of his head, twinging at the lightest of touches made contact with that egg sized bruise."Oh, poor baby," laughed Milo, slightly irritated at Soren nailing him in the back of the head."It hurts. A lot," said Soren. "I couldn't do my full work out today. Every time I tried doing anything it kept hurting.""Show it to me," said Milo, challenge in his voice. "It can't be that bad."Soren undid his button down, pulling apart his short brass fur with his hands. The bruise was visible even under the fur that wasn't pulled apart. "You did this.""It doesn't look that bad," said Milo, flicking it with a finger."Ouch," said Soren, flinching. "Seriously, that hurt.""Awww," teased Milo. "You want me to kiss it and make it better?""Do it," said Soren, looking Milo straight in the eyes, half challenging, half secretly hoping... He puffed out his short, newly muscled chest."Fine then," said Milo as he put his hand on Soren's shoulder and leaned down so that his face was level with Soren's bruised chest. Soren gave a gasp of surprise that was muted by Milo straightening up a bit to kiss him, full on the muzzle. Soren closed his blue eyes and inhaled through his nose, smelling the earthy scent of mud that still slightly clung to Milo's fur, the lemon scented body wash, the ghost of the smell of sweat from practice. It was intoxicating.Milo broke away, smiling, but a look of shock at his own daring in his eyes. "Don't tell anyone."Soren put a hand on Milo's face, running his other hand up his bare chest, feeling the damp, silky, four-inch fur run through his fingers, closing his eyes again, savoring the feeling of Milo's muscular body. "Can we tell Sasha? She knows about me."Milo looked into Soren's blue eyes with his gorgeous brown ones. "Well, what's the point of having a cute boyfriend if I can't brag just a little bit?""I can't agree more," said Soren.