“Earth to Jack,” teased the rabbit from across the cafeteria table. He snapped his fingers a few times for emphasis.

Jack took a slow breath and looked around to ground himself. “Right, sorry Lance. Where were we?”

“Probably being held by some handsome man, by the goofy little smile you had on,” Lance continued to tease. “Come on man, talk to me. What’s his name?”

“Why couldn’t it be a her?” Jack asked a little indignantly.

Lance smirked, “Bro. You live in Basalt.”

“And?” Jack raised a brow, daring Lance to say something insensitive.

“Okay, nevermind.” Lance shook his head, “You came out to me and Ginger in eighth grade. You’re gay. Tell me about him.”

Jack scoffed and took a bite of his sub sandwich with a defeated raise of his brows. He held up a finger while he chewed. “So, he’s a builder.”

“Nice.”

Jack took a drink of tea from his travel mug. “Yeah, owns his own business. So, limited time and he spends it with me.” Lance listened and nodded in between eating bites of his leftover pasta lunch. “He’s seven foot two, Scottish, and he has those perfect honey brown eyes…”

“Attractive and hard-working. Good, good. What’s his name?”

“His name is Gabriel.”

Lance dropped his fork into the tupperware. “No way.”

Jack raised a brow.

The rabbit snickered, “Is he a Clydesdale?”

“Yes? How-”

“My sister works for him. She’s one of his plumbers.” Lance leaned back in silent laughter for a moment. “Oh my God, Jack.”

“Small world.”

Lance nodded and took another forkful. After he’d swallowed he tapped the table with his free hand. “So, I’ve met him briefly but, what’s he actually like? Yvette says he’s a great boss, but that’s work Gabriel.”

Jack smiled again after finishing the rest of his sandwich. “He’s great. He’s… very accommodating. And entirely unserious. Ripped. But never haughty. Gabe always has a compliment ready. He has the kind of charisma that doesn’t know they have any, you know?”

“I do know,” Lance smirked, side-eyeing Jack a little. Jack was oblivious. “Where did you meet him?”

“He was doing some work for the local women’s charity, putting up a new gate for them. I was dropping off some things my cousin asked for and got to chatting with him. I kind of just blurted out an offer for a date, and he said “Sure,” so we met at the Bee and Lotus, had a very nice conversation over sushi and wine, and then before I knew it we’re in my place and… very comfortable. Very very tangled up until sunrise.”

“Wow, didn’t think you were the type, Jack,” Lance nodded slowly, finishing up his lunch shortly after.

“I…” Jack started packing away things into his soft cooler, “I didn’t think I was either.” Jack stared into the table in thought for a long moment before continuing, “I guess it just sort of happened. It’s not like he was pushy or anything. It just… happened.”

“So, what, one and done? And now you’re having regrets?” Lance stood up and Jack followed shortly.

“No, actually,” Jack took the lead through the influx of conference attendees going to and from their various talks and in and out of the cafeteria. “We’ve been meeting up here and there. We’re… friends. For now.”

“Friends?”

“Friends.”

Lance side-hugged Jack by the shoulder, “Jack… Friends don’t get inside friends.”

The raccoon curled his tail around his waist to check it for food from the cafe floor. “Well-”

“Jack. Be honest.” Lance squeezed his hug a little more.

“I don’t know what we are,” Jack huffed. “He- I- WE, we haven’t come to an agreement on that yet.”

“On whose part?” Lance followed Jack into an auditorium whose placard read “Dr. Acacia Hunt.”

Jack mumbled, “Mine.”

“What?”

“It’s mostly me. I’m…” Jack hesitated. “We’re both so busy and the last thing I want to do is ruin a good thing with expectations.”

“And if you ruin it by wasting too much of his time waiting to feel okay about every little detail?” Lance’s expression was genuine concern.

“Then,” Jack gave a sad smile, “I guess that’ll be the second time.”

“Jack.” Lance put his hands on Jack’s shoulders, “I’ve known you for a long time. You’re not worried about expectations. You’re afraid you can’t live up to what Gabriel wants. You think the normal, everyday Jack won’t be enough.”

“I am boring,” Jack bounced his head side-to-side.

“Stop it. You’re not boring. Dude, Ginger still uses the bit you gave her on tours. You’ve been on an emergent pathology team twice. You’re literally a frontline medical fricken hero. You outswam a croc in highschool. Boring you are not.”

Jack laughed lightly at the mention of the swim meet. “I was B team and Coach Cole told me not to worry if I lost against that guy. I miss Coach Cole, he was great.”

“True. So, what are you not?” Lance insisted.

Jack scoffed dramatically, “I’m not boring. Just a little plain.”

Lance slapped Jack’s shoulder lightly, “Dude you may very well be the worst person to cheer up, you know that?”

“Maybe you’re just terrible at cheering up gay lab clinicians. Ever think of that, nurse?” Jack put up his fists in a mock boxer stance before sitting back down a moment later.

“Hey, my bedside manner is immaculate and you can kiss my fluffy ass on that one, bub.”

“I bet. Oooh, look-” Jack pointed up to the sound stage where a chimpanzee woman in a grey hospital coat was standing with some stage crew in polos. “Looking forward to this one.”

. . .

The following evening after his flight home Jack’s energy was utterly drained. He’d had to cross the entire JFK airport with a New York crowd between him and his gate. He fished into his pocket for his phone, texted Lance to confirm he’d landed safely, and shuffled down to the baggage claim carousel. Jack parked himself against a large concrete pillar and waited.

Just as he caught sight of his shiny grey luggage he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He withdrew it idly and saw the notification came from Gabriel. Jack unlocked his phone and tried to grab his luggage without looking. He couldn’t concentrate on the message because he kept missing the handle and had to waddle along to keep up with his bag. He huffed and just stopped in his tracks. It’ll come back around. Stop making a fool of yourself, he thought.

Thankfully, no one’s eyes were on him, it was late enough everyone was looking for their own things or at their phones. Jack unlocked his phone again and read Gabriel’s message.

“Hope your trip was grand. Are you back in town yet? If so, do you have time for a little rendezvous?”

Jack smiled and briefly looked up to check the progress of his bag. It disappeared into the rubber slats separating the carousel from the loading area. Jack sighed, “It was, thanks. I’m up for that, but you’ll have to excuse my lack of energy. NYC is a lot.”

Jack held his phone in hand and walked over to the inlet side of the luggage belt, snagging his luggage a moment after it reappeared. His phone vibrated again as he did.

“It can wait. Just thought I’d offer.”

Jack headed for the door, one hand wheeling along his things while the other slowly texted, “I want to see you.”

Not even a minute later as Jack was crossing the loading/unloading lanes the reply came, “Meet me at Giovanni’s. Back left booth.”

Jack unzipped an upper pocket on his travel case and pinched out his car keys. “Should have taken an Uber… Meh.” Jack fought a yawn as he popped the trunk and settled his things into it. Once he was in the cab he hit the push to start and turned off his AC. “Giovanni’s… That’s fifth? Screw it, Hey Google. Directions to Giovanni’s in Basalt.”

His phone loaded up the GPS route and showed it on his car screen. “See you soon, Gabe.”

The drive was quiet at just after nine o’clock on a Tuesday, and quite short. The local Italian favorite was much closer to the airport than Jack remembered. The lot was half empty so Jack parked building side and stepped out of his Volkswagen. The raccoon felt a pang of panic when the front door he tried was locked, but the one on the right swung right open for him. The poodle hostess gave him a concerned look and Jack pointed toward the back, “Meeting a friend. Sorry…”

“No, you’re fine sir. Go on back,” she countered with a smile.

Jack found Gabriel without any issue. The Clydesdale was sipping a cocktail of something from the bar. He smiled and immediately stood up to offer Jack a hug. “Jacky, heya! Thank you for coming out.”

Jack hugged Gabriel warmly and just stood there for a moment. The horse smelled of sawdust and Calvin Klein. Gabriel held on until Jack let go and then gestured to the other side of the booth. Jack sidled past Gabriel and sat on the same side instead, prompting a snicker from Gabriel.

“Nice to see you, Gabriel. If I may, what’s the occasion?” Jack tried to stifle another yawn and could not.

Gabriel patted Jack’s knee as he took another sip of his drink before answering, “Well, it’s a little bit welcome back to town and a little bit I just paid off my last business loan.”

Jack golf clapped, “Congratulations, that’s awesome!”

“Thank you. Learn anything spectacular at the convention?”

Jack shook his head, “Nothing new, unfortunately. Well, new techniques being developed but nothing revolutionary.”

“Nothing like your vaccine thing?” Gabriel gently elbowed Jack’s shoulder.

Jack snickered, “No, nothing like our RNA developments.”

“Do you want something to eat? I had a small dinner thing at the shop to celebrate with the team, but I could do dessert.”

Jack stroked Gabe’s arm and leaned against his side, “I could do dessert. I ate before my flight but that was two hours ago.”

“What’re you thinking you’d like?” Gabriel offered Jack the menu.

Jack opened it and then closed it, knowing what he wanted as soon as he saw the section. “I want that apple strudel with gelato. So good.”

“Right. Two, or are we sharing tonight?” Gabriel nuzzled the top of Jack’s head.

Jack suddenly felt very awake and a little shiver went down his spine. “Oh. Ye- yeah. We should share.” Gabriel looked down and Jack looked up at the same moment. “I mean, you just finished feeding your shop and my wallet is packed away because I’m a fool. So.”

Gabriel smiled and pulled Jack into him with his left arm. “Valid points.” He raised his head to look around for his waiter. A moment later an otter in a grey waistcoat joined them.

The waiter looked at Jack first with a, “Hello, welcome to Giovanni’s,” and then to Gabriel, “Did you want another Long Island sir?”

“No, no,” Gabe waved dismissively, “We need your classic apple dessert, just one my good man.”

“Alright, I’ll get that in.” Gabriel passed the menu to the otter. ”Thank you.”

Jack took hold of Gabriel’s hand against his chest and stroked up and down his muscular arm with his right hand, saying nothing. He could feel the horse’s heartbeat against his body. It wasn’t fast but it was strong. “Gabriel…”

“Yes, Jack?”

The raccoon took in a long breath and let it out slowly. “Do you think I’m boring?”

“Boring?” Gabriel turned himself in the booth so he was facing Jack and held the raccoon’s cheeks in his hands, one of which was still connected to Jack’s. “No, Jack. You’re not boring at all. Why would you think that?”

Jack smiled and wrapped his other hand around Gabe’s. “It’s just my past getting to me. Sometimes cruelty sticks around for a while.”

“Aye… But, Jack, no.” Gabriel gently pulled his hands back so he could kiss the back of Jack’s hands in turn. “You’re marvelous. You’re sweet, and funny, and generous, and earnest. You’ve got your head on right and you’ve been nothing but lovely all our time together.” The horse offered another hug and Jack leaned in to accept. “No more talk about boring. You’re anything but, you are.”

“Thank you,” Jack took in another breath of wood and cologne before letting go. The raccoon unlocked his phone and worked his knees onto the booth. He opened his camera and held it out to take a selfie. Gabriel noticed and gave a corny smolder look while Jack cocked a brow. The two had a light laugh after Jack took the photo. Jack put his phone down and was adjusting back into the seat when he looked up to see the waiter approaching with a porcelain plate, “Ooh, here it comes.”

“Here we are! You two enjoy!” the young otter bounced away.

Cinnamon, sugar, and sweet apple filling spilled forth as Gabriel pressed his fork into the strudel. “First bite’s yours, Jacky. As a welcome present.”

Jack snickered and blew gently on the steaming filling and pastry. It was just above warm, light and sweet, and very satisfying. “Mmmm, ‘is p’ace-” Jack chewed and swallowed, “this place is the best.”

Gabriel handed Jack the fork with a knowing nod. Jack dished up another bite for the horse who didn’t bother blowing, and savored the taste for a long moment. Gabriel replied after swallowing, “You might be right.”

They took turns feeding each other until the pastry was gone. Jack picked up the spoon for the gelato cup on the plate and offered Gabriel the first bite. The horse took the spoon into his mouth and kept it there; Jack could feel the motion of him licking it against his fingers. Gabriel withdrew the spoon slowly, locking eyes with Jack as he did so. The raccoon felt his head swim.

Gabriel gently took the spoon from Jack and set it on the plate. His thumb tenderly brushed a bit of sugar from Jack’s lower lip before connecting them in a silent, sweet kiss. Jack melted into Gabriel, reaching up to wrap his arms around the bigger man’s neck. Gabriel went to break the kiss but Jack held tighter to stop him. The horse smiled against Jack’s lips and wrapped an arm around his lower back to pull the raccoon into his lap. Jack sat there, eyes closed, heartbeat in his ears drowning out the music and bustle of the late night diner, Gabriel’s scent mixed with the sharp hint of cocktail on his breath, and not a single other thought at that moment.

Eventually, Jack slowly let go and opened his eyes. Gabriel tilted his head slightly. “Miss me that much, Jack?”

Jack scoffed and then laughed, pounding playfully on Gabriel’s chest. “Cheeky git. Buuuut. Yes… Yes I did. More than I knew.”

Gabriel took up the spoon and offered Jack some of the cold dessert, “Mm?”

The raccoon held Gabriel’s wrist as he did just as Gabriel had, licking the head of the spoon more attentively than necessary, locking eyes with him. Jack distinctly felt a twitch in Gabriel’s lap. Jack smirked as he raised himself off the spoon and poked Gabriel’s chest. “Miss me, Gabe?”

The horse’s eyes were heavy as he nodded, “I might’ve.”

Gabriel lowered the spoon again and looked around for a moment. He turned back to Jack with a shrug, dropping three twenty dollar bills on the table. “Look, I’ve seen your place. You’re newly returned to town. You should come see my place. I mean, you don’t want to do laundry on your first night home, do you?”

Jack smiled and reached up to kiss Gabriel’s jaw and then his lips again, this time just for a moment. “No,” Jack murmured, “I don’t want to do laundry. Not tonight.”

Gabriel took hold of Jack’s hand and stood up from the booth, leading him outside without a word to anyone. His passing waiter stretched his neck, saw the money on the table, and simply waved the two out with a cheery smile.

Gabriel turned to Jack once they were outside again in the crisp night air. “Do you want to follow me or just ride with me?”

Jack raised a brow, “How many Long Island’s did you have, for sixty bucks?”

“I had two, but I’ve been here since seven. And I sipped. Plus I’d eaten first. I’m alright Jack, I give my word.”

Jack nodded, “I believe you. Okay, big spender, let’s go.”

Gabriel opened the passenger door of his suv for Jack with a flourished bow. Jack snickered and climbed in, buckling in as the horse closed the door. Jack watched Gabriel circle behind the car and happened to see a big circular saw sitting in the middle seat. “If I didn’t know any better, that would worry me,” Jack muttered with a snicker.

Gabriel pulled his door open and sat down in one motion. He pushed his key into the ignition and turned the car on. A radio commercial for Tide roared out of the speakers and Gabriel deftly twisted the volume knob downward with a sheepish grin. “Heh… It was a good song when I got out.”

“I figured,” Jack said, scratching behind his ears. “What song?”

Gabriel pushed a few buttons to scan through the radio channels until some music flowed through at low volume. “Ten Thousand Fists.”

Jack nodded with pursed lips. “I didn’t take you for a Disturbed fan.”

“To be fair, I don’t think we’ve really talked music yet. Which is odd, and I think we’ve skipped a few steps,” Gabriel chuckled, “but what can you do?”

Jack snickered as the street lights went by. “Hey, what about that saw back there? Should I be worried?”

Gabriel glanced into the middle row of seats. “Oh, that. No, it’s broken. There’s not even a blade in it, Jack. Come on now.”

Jack reached over to pat Gabriel’s thigh. He ran his hand around the horse’s muscular leg a few times before his fingers nudged against something that was definitely not leg. Jack felt his face burn with red embarrassment. The raccoon felt the urge to jerk his hand back but didn’t. Instead he left it, pretending the erection wasn’t there and went back to rocking his palm across Gabriel’s leg. The ends of his fingers kept bumping into the dick in the horse’s jeans and Jack played dumb for a few minutes, the warmth in his face slowly spreading throughout his body. Gabriel shifted his leg a bit with a soft grunt. Jack lifted his hand as Gabriel adjusted and then lowered his palm directly onto the concealed shaft. Jack gently rubbed his hand up and down Gabriel’s length, turning his head to look into Gabriel’s face. The bigger man was glancing down at the hand on his cock every so often and breathing heavily. Jack felt a giddy, naughty glee in his chest. He wrapped his fingers around what he could in the jeans and slowly stroked up and down.

Gabriel almost whispered, “Jacky, this is mean and cruel. Don’t you dare stop…”

Jack cooed, “How far is your place?”

“Not that far, why?”

Jack looked out the windshield and saw a red light coming up. He grinned positively wickedly as he slowly turned back to look at Gabriel. The horse caught a glimpse of his expression. “What’re you up to?”

The raccoon slid his fingers into the waist of the horse’s jeans and unsnapped the button with ease. Gabriel stammered half a syllable protest between a sigh and a moan. Jack took hold of the little brass zipper with two fingers and laboriously lowered it, revealing a fetching golden speedo that could not hope to hold in Gabriel’s dick while it was hard. Jack reached in and carefully freed the nine inch cock from the pant leg it was trapped in, flinging a bit of precum onto Jack’s cheek in the process. As soon as the light turned green, Jack slid his lips over the flared glans and stuffed six of the inches into his throat without issue. Gabriel let out another grunt mixed with moan and put his left hand on the back of Jack’s neck.

Jack put his hand under Gabriel’s thigh to adjust his pants so that the denim wouldn’t chafe the horse’s dick. Once Jack was satisfied he slowly lifted his head. Feeling the hard shaft leave his throat he gave the head some attention with his tongue, tasting precum and murring his own little moan with the cock in his mouth. As he went back down he wrapped his fingers around the base of Gabriel’s length and squeezed, coaxing a gasping moan from the horse. “Damn, you want me to cum, don’t you?”

Jack gave an, “Mmmhmm,” and started moving his lips up and down Gabriel, squeezing and massaging the base with his hand and making sure to give long, wet licks to the head and underside. Jack could feel his own dick straining against his cargo shorts but chose to ignore it.

Eventually Gabriel hit another red light. The horse lifted his hips enough to pull his jeans half way down his thighs. “That’s better… Jack, you’re so good hon. You’re gonna get what you want. Just keep that up.”

Jack snickered through his nose and sped up just a little, pulling his seatbelt more slack so he could lean further. He felt his nose hit Gabriel’s thigh and stopped there, wiggling his neck to mouth fuck the big cock. He rubbed his fingers tightly around the base, knocking into his own lips. Gabriel choked out a moan mixed with, “I’m cumming love.” Jack raised up and put his tongue to the head, savoring the thick hot cum as it flowed into his moaning mouth. Jack put his thumb on the urethral path and slid it upward to squeeze every drop out of his lover. Once he was sure there was no more, he stayed there, gently kissing the cock that had fed him until it was mostly softened again and put it away gingerly.

Gabriel blew out a long breath as he turned into a driveway in front of a nice looking brick house. “Where’d that come from?”

Jack finally swallowed Gabriel’s cum and smiled. “Your dick, I believe.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes, “No, not that. You. And that.”

“The opportunity presented itself, and I decided the worst thing you could tell me was, “No.” Jack nodded once, quite pleased with himself. “This your place?”

Gabriel turned the suv off and nodded, “It is. Heh… Why don’t you come inside? Since, I already did.”

The two shared a laugh about Gabriel’s quip and then stepped out of the car. Gabriel fixed his jeans into place and punched the numbers to his door’s numeric lock which chimed pleasantly with the correct code. He pushed the door inward and made a sweeping bow for Jack to go first. Jack stepped inside and flicked the entryway light. The place was pretty modest: a single round coffee table with three candles in the center with a remote nearby, a pair of matching suede loveseats situated in a V-shape facing the tv, a clean kitchen with a small dining nook with a folding table on the wall, and pictures of Gabriel and, Jack assumed, various family members on the walls.

“This is lovely. Very homey. Not like my place…” Jack wandered onto the line between the living space and the kitchen and saw a pan filled with grease still sitting on the stove.

Gabriel stepped over and held Jack’s hands. “Your place is yours. It’s a quiet little space you unwind in. There’s nothing wrong with it, Jack. Comparison is the thief of joy, you know.”

Jack closed his eyes briefly while nodding, “You’ve said that before.”

“And it’s still true.” Gabriel leaned over and kissed Jack passionately, lifting the raccoon up by the waist. Jack wrapped his legs around Gabriel and hugged his chest to help keep himself up. Gabriel adjusted his hands to hold Jack by the buttocks, prompting a giggle from the smaller male.

Gabriel broke the kiss briefly to mutter, “You’re cute, love,” before connecting their lips again. Jack parted his and Gabriel obliged, sliding his tongue against Jack’s own and his lips while carrying him past the loveseats and through a doorway behind them. The horse gently nudged the door open with Jack’s body and carried him into a small bedroom. There was an equine-length twin size bed beneath the far window and an empty closet with sliding doors. Jack hardly noticed anything other than Gabriel’s lips against his, the horse’s strong fingers on his ass. For a while, Gabriel just held him like that, sucking Jack’s tongue into his mouth and flexing his fingers into the flesh of Jack’s butt. Eventually Jack straightened his back to break the kiss. “I’m not heavy?”

Gabriel blew out a tiny laugh and shook his head. He lowered Jack onto the bed and waited for the raccoon to untangle himself from Gabriel’s waist. The horse sat on the bed and untied his work boots, taking them off one at a time. “Heavy I can handle.”

“I’ve noticed,” Jack said softly, crawling behind Gabriel and rising to his knees, hands on the horse’s shoulders. Jack began kneading his fingers into the sinew under Gabriel’s shirt. “I don’t want to ruin the moment-”

“Then don’t,” Gabriel said. “Save your questions for when things need answering. Right now, we’re here. Unless that is what you’re worried about, Jacky.”

“No…” Jack pressed into the horse’s shoulder blades with his thumbs, felt hard knots and switched to digging in with his elbows. Gabriel sighed warmly, lifting his polo over his head without unbuttoning it and then resting his elbows on his knees to give Jack better leverage. Jack worked the knots for a few minutes and then checked their tension with his fingers again. Satisfied they’d loosened, Jack draped himself over Gabriel’s right shoulder. “Anything else, pup?”

“Maybe one thing. But ask your question first. I don’t want something nagging the back of your mind the whole time.”

Jack sat down next to Gabriel and took the horse’s hand in his. “What are… we?”

Gabriel put his free hand to his chin for a moment before looking back at Jack, “I think we’re good for each other. You have your own life, neither of us are on the other’s tail, and when we have time we spend it doing what we like, sometimes together. I call that a good thing.”

Jack slid off the bed and stepped around Gabriel to lay his head against the horse’s chest. Gabriel scooped the raccoon up in a bridal hold with little effort. “Is that enough for you?” Jack asked after he’d settled into the horse’s arms.

“Fer now,” Gabriel nodded, nuzzling into Jack’s neck and closing his lips over the fur on the raccoon's neck teasingly. “And we can have a discussion if ever that changes for one of us. Fair?”

“Okay. I can live with that.” Jack caressed the horse’s cheeks, down his neck, and traced a swirling pattern across his chest. “So, you brought me to bed. What can I do for you tonight, Gabe?”

“First off,” Gabriel set Jack on his feet again, “I think we’re overdressed for the occasion.”

“I believe you’re right.” Jack grabbed the hem of his button down but as he went to pull it a strong hand stopped the motion.

“Let me, love,” Gabriel murred, curling his fingers into the individual buttons to undo them. Jack felt flushed again and simply went to fondling Gabriel’s body to occupy the sensation. The horse took Jack’s wrists tenderly and folded his hands into his lap. “It’s alright. Let me?”

Jack held a brief breath and nodded once, “Okay.”

Gabriel unfastened each button patiently and took the shirt by the collar to slide it off Jack’s arms. The horse folded the shirt and laid it on an end table near the door. He knelt down by the bedside and hooked two fingers into the waist of Jack’s shorts, the other hand gently pushing Jack to lie back. The raccoon did as his lover wished and Gabriel unfastened the shorts to slide them gently off Jack’s waist, leaving the raccoon in just a set of baby blue bikini panties. “These are cute,” Gabriel cooed, slipping a finger into the side to tickle Jack’s thigh joint.

Jack squirmed and snickered, “Thank you, pup. They’re new.”

Gabriel traced his fingers down Jack’s legs and slid his sneakers off his feet. The horse kissed his shins as he peeled the socks from Jack’s feet. At last, Gabriel stood up and leaned over Jack’s body to kiss him again. Jack could feel Gabriel’s dick against his leg, hard and trapped in the same leg of denim again. The equine trailed dots of suckling kisses down Jack’s torso, placing several just above the waist of his panties. Jack knew his cock was making a tent out of his underwear. He felt Gabriel’s fingers slide into the elastic on each hip and slowly slide them off, freeing the raccoon’s dick after a few seconds. Gabriel laid Jack’s clothes on the end table together and then returned to the bed, sat down, and laid back himself. “Your turn, love.”

Jack smirked, throwing his arms forward to leverage himself into a sitting position. He put his fingertips on Gabriel’s pecs and dragged his nails down the horse’s body sensually. Gabriel flexed his body against the tickling sensation with a smirk. Jack let his fingers find their way into the horse’s jeans again and unsnapped the button. This time he didn’t tease, just flicked his wrist to unzip the jeans. Jack pulled the denim down by the pockets. Gabriel’s big dick came free with a gentle rise this time. Jack folded the jeans as Gabriel had done to his clothes and set them beside his things. Jack ran his hand up Gabriel’s cock, pressing it against the horse’s stomach as he played his fingers along the warm length. The raccoon took hold of the slim underwear by the waist and shimmied it off Gabriel playfully. As he passed Gabriel’s socks he pinched into the tops and rolled them down at the same time, leaving them both nude.

Jack climbed into the bed again, straddling Gabriel’s body, the horse’s cock dragging along the soft fur on Jack’s stomach. Gabriel smiled in the dim light filtering in from the other room and wrapped his arms around Jack, both of their erections pressed between their bodies. Jack kissed Gabriel’s neck a few times here and there and then settled into the horse’s cuddling embrace. Gabriel tilted his head down and picked up Jack’s chin with two fingers, bringing their lips together again. They laid there exploring their lips and sucking each other’s tongue for a while. A yawn wrenched itself from Jack’s tired body.

Gabriel gave an amused snort. “Tired, love?”

“Yes, to be honest.” Jack lifted himself so neither had to crane their neck and shared another long kiss. “There were still two presenters this morning, and then JFK, and I still haven’t finished compiling notes for the whole event.”

“Do you want to sleep?”

Jack just barely shook his head, “Not yet. These are our little hours. Besides, I don’t go back into work until Monday anyway.” Jack met Gabriel’s gaze, “Do you need sleep?”

Gabriel shrugged, “I’m the boss. If I need to take a day, I take a day.”

“That’s not how you operate and I know it. Gabe… It’s okay.”

The horse waved a hand dismissively, “That’s true, but I liked your sweet little saying just now. “Our little hours.” It suits us.”

Jack snickered, “Yeah… It does.”

Gabriel hugged Jack and sat them both up on the edge of the bed. “I want to try something. If you’re up for it.”

Jack felt his heartbeat intensify. “S- sure.”

Gabriel slid himself to the floor on his knees and turned to face Jack, his strong hands sliding under Jack’s thighs. The raccoon smiled, feeling his dick begin to harden at Gabriel’s attention. The horse parted his lips and kissed the base of Jack’s shaft with a small lick afterward, and moved up to place more licking kisses as Jack’s five inches stood fully erect once Gabriel had reached his head. Jack shuddered a little after each kiss and breathed out a tiny sigh at each little lick. Gabriel opened his mouth and Jack’s length disappeared into the horse’s lips as Jack threw his head back with a groan, “Uhhhmmm Gabe, I thought-”

The horse gently sucked the erect flesh as he lifted his lips off Jack’s dick with a sucking noise at the end. “I know. But, you… It’s different. Is this okay?”

Jack nodded and stroked Gabriel’s cheek with a hand, “Whatever you're comfortable with.”

Gabriel nodded and put his mouth on the tip of Jack’s dick again, sliding the hard cock between his lips slowly, tongue pressed against the head as he did so. The warmth and friction against his cock sent spikes of tingling pleasure down Jack’s legs and a moan out of his throat. Gabriel slowly bobbed up and down Jack’s length, licking the head as Jack had done to him earlier. Gabriel lifted his head quickly to cough the other way for a moment, clearing his throat to go back down on Jack. Just as Jack laid back enjoying the blowjob, Gabriel stopped. Jack looked down his body, watching his lover crawl onto the bed and stop on all fours, his sculpted ass facing Jack. “I wanna try something…”

Jack raised himself onto his elbows, “Gabe…”

“Jacky… I want you. I mean that.”

Jack smiled and crawled over to Gabriel’s position. The raccoon ran his hands up the horse’s thighs to cup his balls in each hand. Jack felt Gabriel tense up and heard him blow out a long breath. Jack kissed the base of Gabriel’s sack, licking the sensitive perineum just above it gently. Gabriel let out a moan as his arms buckled and he laid his head into a pillow. Jack smiled and gave the sensitive flesh more attention, flexing his fingers into Gabriel’s cheeks to spread them apart. He could see the horse’s hole flexing each time he ran his tongue up Gabriel’s balls and perineum. Jack let his tongue roam over the hole itself. Gabriel sucked in a sharp breath and let out a soft sigh a moment later.

“D- do that some more…” The horse whimpered.

Jack took hold of Gabriel’s cheeks in earnest, “Don’t worry pup, I’m going to eat you out like it’s my last meal.”

Gabriel snorted and then moaned as Jack lapped at the hole, delving just the tip of his tongue into the orifice. Jack let his left hand wander to Gabriel’s sack and massaged his balls by rolling them firmly in his fingers. Gabriel was breathily moaning into his bedding, arching his back to push his ass into Jack’s affections. With each lick Jack felt his tongue get a little further in. The raccoon wrapped his fingers around the horse cock, finding it harder than before. His own dick twitched as he squeezed the firm flesh and stroked slowly up and down, tongue exploring Gabriel’s hole without much resistance now. The horse gasped as Jack added a finger to his exploration of Gabriel’s ass, pinching inside the hole behind the perineum between his thumb and inserted finger. Gabriel melted further into the bed, out of breath and just barely moaning at all when he had the air to do so. Jack let go of the horse cock and focused his attention on the hole. After another minute of licking in and out, Jack slid in another finger. Gabriel hardly reacted this time, only pressing back a little more. Jack slowly thrust his fingers in and out a few times, and Gabriel’s hips matched his finger’s movements. Satisfied, Jack sat up, wiped his mouth, and put his hard cock between Gabriel’s ass cheeks. Jack slid his cock up and down to coat it with his own saliva and positioned his head against Gabriel’s thoroughly relaxed backdoor. Gabriel sighed softly and nodded into his pillows. Jack slowly raised his hips and entered Gabriel.

“Ohh, god-” Gabriel breathed.

Jack stopped and was about to ask if his lover was alright only for Gabriel to shove his hips back and take Jack inside him to the hilt, prompting a gasping squeak from the raccoon. Gabriel gently wiggled his hips, Jack feeling all the movement deep inside the horse’s hot, soaked hole. “Mmm, Gabe I don’t think I’ll last long…”

“That’s fine love…”

Jack silently grabbed hold of the horse’s hips, thrusting into Gabriel’s ass in earnest. Each time Jack’s thighs met Gabriel’s cheeks the horse moaned out a syllable or sucked in air. Jack reached down around Gabriel’s hip with his left hand and squeezed the base of the horse’s cock again, moving his hand opposite to his hips. The thick cock, the taste of Gabriel’s hole fresh in his mind, and the flexing of the horse’s unsure body milking his thrusting cock; pleasure burned through Jack like wildfire, his eyes rolling back in his head. He grunted out, “Gonna cum- cumming in-” The raccoon pulled the horse back onto his dick and felt the orgasm wash over him. Jack only stopped for a moment before picking his thrusting pace back up, his hand working the horse’s shaft firmly.

Gabriel was whimpering out feminine moans a few moments later. Jack felt the pulse of horse cum move through his fingers and down the long cock. He could see the white seed on the bed. Jack withdrew himself from his lover’s body and let him catch his breath. Gabriel rolled onto his side, away from his cum, and beckoned Jack down to him. The raccoon crawled toward him only for Gabriel to practically seize him in an embrace. Jack gave a startled, “Woo,” on the way down.

“I’ve never… Never felt… like that… before” Gabriel managed to say.

“Now you have,” Jack pointed out with a grin.

Gabriel nodded, taking long breaths through his nose. “Aye. Is that what- what it’s like for you- when I?..”

“Yes.”

Gabriel laughed slowly, “I see. I expected it to hurt…”

Jack shook his head, “Not when it’s done right.”

“Clearly.”

Jack snickered and ran a hand down Gabriel’s chest. “Time to get some sleep?”

“I should say so,” Gabriel nodded and rolled himself out of the bed. “You coming? To bed, I mean. Not the other kind.”

Jack rolled his eyes, “Sure. What’s wrong with this one?”

Gabriel flicked his hand toward the white puddle near the center of the thing. Jack shrugged and followed his lover back into the living room. Gabriel led the way to his room, hand in hand with Jack, without a word. The bed was easily twice the size of the one they’d just been in and covered with a dark navy set of satin bedding. Gabriel picked up Jack one more time and laid him on the soft comforter. The horse drew the sheets back and let Jack slip into them before climbing in himself. He felt Jack wrap his arms around his chest and softly kiss his spine on either side. Gabriel smiled and pulled up his blankets to get comfortable.

“Good night, pup.”

“Good night, Jacky.”

. . .

Jack woke up to the sound of small bird calls outside and slowly realized he was alone in the bed. He laid his head back down on a piece of printer paper. Jack rubbed his eyes and read the note.

“Jacky, I usually run Wednesday mornings, so if I’m not back when you rise that’s where I am. Should be finished and back by 7. -Gabe”

Jack smiled and then had to physically move over the bed to reach the end table to set the note on. He rolled back to where he thought he’d slept and cuddled back into the comforter, breathing in a sigh of relief at finding his warm spot. Jack closed his eyes again but just as he was starting to fall asleep he heard the front door open and shut. Not even a minute later Jack felt a kiss on his forehead and caught the smell of sweat. Jack kept his eyes shut and pretended to still be asleep.

“Ah, sweet boy,” Gabriel cooed, “I’ll give him another ten.” Gabriel stepped down from the bed and muttered, “Give me time to open this mail.”

Jack heard the bedroom door squeak as it was pushed to. He opened one eye tentatively to find the room empty again. He decided to get up and get dressed. As he picked up his shirt and let it unfold, he smelled the bottom of the short sleeves and found them laundry-scented. Aww, thank you Gabe. Jack dressed and stepped into the living room where the horse was seated on the loveseat facing the front wall, eyes rapidly scanning a piece of paper in a decent stack held in his hands.

Gabriel glanced up and then put the paper down on the small coffee table to stand, smiling at Jack with a pleasant, “Welcome back to the land of the living.”

“Thank you. Also thanks for washing these,” Jack pinched and tugged on his shirt. “Plans for the day?”

“Aye. I’ll take you to get your car and then I’ve got to go file all of this with my money gal, make sure that business loan is taken out of my allotments. That’ll pay for some new tools and consumables this month.”

“Good deal. I-” Jack was interrupted by his cell phone ringing. “Please excuse me, Gabe. It’s Marcy.”

“Oh, tell her I say hello, yeah?” Gabriel started gathering up his paperwork.

Jack pressed accept on his screen. “Hey lady.”

“Jack! Oh, thank god, okay I- I- I- I have a- a problem. Just a little one. A- a problem.”

“Slow down Marceline, it’s alright. What’s going on?” Jack sat down on the love seat opposite Gabriel.

Marcy took a few long breaths to steady herself, Jack heard her blowing them out and gathering herself by clearing her throat. “I’m… Jack, they’re kicking me out. I can’t talk about why yet, there were cops, I don’t know what’s going to happen, but…” Marcy took a breath. Then another. “All my stuff is in my truck. Jack… what do I do?”

Jack listened to his cousin patiently and then gave a warm, “It’ll be alright. I’m going to text you an address. You go there and just hang out, okay? I’ll be along shortly. Are you hurt?”

“No.”

“Are you just scared?”

“Yes.”

Jack smiled, “That’s okay Marcy. Drive careful, and I’ll meet you there, or very soon after, okay?”

“Okay. I’m sorry, Jack. I didn’t know who else-”

“Marcy,” Jack cooed. “You’ve done nothing wrong. We’re family, and I love you. You’re not a problem for me, okay?”

“Okay. I love you, too. Send me the thing. I- I need a smoke…” Marcy hung up the call.

Gabriel had a brow raised and his mouth slightly open. He coughed and blushed a bit. “Ahem… Everything alright?”

“Hopefully. You heard all that, Gabe?”

The horse nodded.

“Ah well. I’m going to send her to my place, and if you’ll be so kind as to return me to mine vehicle, I’ll go meet her and get things figured slash sorted out.” Jack pocketed his phone.

Gabriel nodded, “Poor girl. She’s been through so much already.”

“Yeah,” Jack sighed. “With some luck whatever happened won’t be too serious and she can just stay with me for a bit.” Jack crossed the room to hug Gabriel at the waist. “When should we get together again?”

Gabriel shifted the papers in his hand, “This can wait, if you need help.”

Jack tilted his head back to kiss Gabriel’s cheek, “I will call you if I can’t handle it, alright? Thank you for offering to be part of the village. That means a lot, Gabe.”

“Of course, love.” The horse tousled Jack’s hair gently. “In that case, why don’t we meet up Saturday since you leave again next week, yeah?”

Jack nodded with a smile, silently pleased that Gabriel remembered, “I do. All the way into Canada this time. Eighteen days…”

Gabriel set his papers down and swept up Jack into a carry, sending the raccoon into giggles as Gabriel buried his face in Jack’s neck with a gentle kiss. “We’ll have to do something special for your return home, again,” Gabriel murmured into Jack’s fur.

Jack wrapped his arms around Gabriels’ chest. “What did you have in mind?”

“Not sure yet,” the horse raised his head again, “but I’ll cook up something.”

“All that effort just for me?” Jack smirked.

The horse slowly lowered Jack to the floor. “Call it an investment. You’re worth it, Jacky.”

The raccoon took his lover by the hands, gently pulling him into a sweet little kiss. “Fair enough.” Jack let go and slapped his hands to his legs, “Come on, I’ve got a scared girl to tend to.”

“Right,” Gabriel snatched up the papers and his keys from the coffee table, “off we go.”

. . .

Jack saw Marcy standing with her head in her truck window. She was parked near the front office of his apartment complex. He pulled up on her passenger side, stopped his car and got out. He stepped up behind her and said softly, “Marceline?”

She turned her head around and Jack could see she’d been crying. She leapt off the truck step and hugged Jack’s shoulders firmly. “Hey Jack,” she whispered against his shoulder.

“Hey,” Jack patted her back, “I’m here. You wanna follow me to my place? It’s two lanes and a turn in.”

She just nodded and wiped her face on her shirt, showing Jack she didn’t have a bra on. Jack hugged into her again to hide her from potential passing eyes.

“Okay, not far. Come on, cousin.” Jack stepped around the truck into his car and started it. Marcy’s door slammed and her truck started a moment later. Jack drove slowly through the complex and beckoned Marcy to park next to him under a tin awning. They shut their vehicles off and Jack got out, stepping up to hang on Marcy’s open window. “Alright, what needs bringing in?”

“Are you sure about this?” Marcy coughed into her elbow.

Jack opened her door and unbuckled her seatbelt. “Yes, I’m sure. Come, come. You’re welcome here because I say you are.”

Marcy stepped down and hugged Jack again. She was trembling. Jack said nothing, opting to just run his fingers up and down her back. Eventually she let go, took a steadying breath, and gently closed her cab door. “Just grab that little black bag, the beat-up grey one, and the Walmart tote. I can get the two big ones, they’re just clothes.”

Jack picked up the bags as Marcy pointed them out and stuck his left arm through their straps. He nodded as Marcy lifted a large aqua duffel out of the bed and another wheeled tote case after that and pulled their handles. Jack snagged his own luggage out of his trunk and kept his keys in hand after closing everything up. Jack tossed his head toward the building and walked toward it. He took the middle hallway and waited by the stairs for Marcy to catch up. They made it to the third level and Jack headed for his door, 14-33. “This is me. Or, us for now.”

Marcy sniffed with a small smile and murmured, “Thank you Jack…”

“You’re welcome. Come on in!” Jack opened the door with a small black key and held it with his foot so Marcy could drag in her things.

She looked around with wide-eyed wonder. “This place is so nice!”

Jack scoffed, “Ehh, it’s middle class. But it works for me. Head for the hall there,” Jack pointed, “and go right. That’s the spare room, and it’s yours until we get everything sorted out, alright? It has its own little bathroom, and that’s where the shower is, so I might be in and out myself. I’ll knock first, kay?”

“Kay.” Marcy padded into the room with another impressed, “Huh,” flowing through the doorway. Jack set her things down on his coffee table and wheeled his stuff into his room, the one on the right of the hallway. He stopped and opened the sliding doors hiding his utility closet in the hall and loaded the washer with his travel clothes, dropped in a detergent pod, and hit start.

“Hey Marcy?” She poked her head out the door. “Laundry right here. If you need it. Pods are in the left cabinet, the right one’s empty.” His cousin nodded and stepped out of the door in just a bright white thong. “Marceline…”

“What?” she huffed, sticking her hands on her hips. “We’ve bathed together, grow up. I’m gonna take that shower. Unless you need to get to work or something?”

Jack averted his eyes on purpose, “No, I have until Monday off. Well, out of office. I’m supposed to be compiling notes and resources to distribute for training, but still. I’m almost done with that so it’s basically time off.”

“Cool. Gary told me to take a few days to sort this all out… I’ll probably go back tomorrow, since you came to the rescue so fast. Thank you, again… Jack I-”

“Don’t hug me while naked. Incest not one of my kinks.” Jack deflected, hoping Marcy would laugh at the absurdity of the suggestion.

She did laugh but then bent her knees as if to pounce, “What if it’s one of mine, though?”

Jack narrowed his eyes, “Don’t you dare.”

Marcy pushed a hand forward flippantly, turning back toward the room and a shower, “Nah, you’re not into vagina anyway.”

Jack sighed and muttered, “Not yours, anyway…”

“What was that, smart ass?” Marcy whipped around, her bust wiggling as she stopped on her heels.

“Nothing, go take your shower, you smell like a trash panda.” Jack held his nose and made a face in teasing jest.

Marcy flipped Jack off and rocked her hand back and forth, “We are trash pandas, you dildo.”

“Hey, one rule:” Jack called through the bedroom door. “No lesbian orgies while you’re here, I want my deposit back, so I can’t have filthy carpet in my place.”

Marcy laughed from inside the shower and Jack smiled. A moment later an emphatic, “Fuck-uh you, beech!” rang from the hallway.

Jack went to sit on his couch and dragged his laptop out of his travel bag. He got to sorting through recordings and PDF’s of his latest conference attendances. His stomach protested about ten minutes into his work so Jack padded into his kitchen and made two grilled cheese sandwiches, leaving one in the microwave for Marcy. Jack filled a glass from his cupboard with filtered fridge water and sat back down. Marcy emerged less than five minutes later in a pink tank top and boyshort panties. She saw Jack’s plate and whined, “Aww, where’s mine?”

“Microwave.”

“Oh shit, really? I was kidding…” She opened the door to find the sandwich. “Aww, Jack. Thank you cousin. I love you.” She plopped herself down on his couch and plucked her phone out of the front of her underwear. “Got any chips?”

“Maybe, check the little pantry. It’s the dark wood thing in the corner.”

Marcy jumped up and came prancing back with a pair of bags. She held them up for Jack to see. “Barbeque or sour cream onion?”

“B b q,” Jack answered.

Marcy slid the bag over to him and dumped hers onto the plate. “So,” she said after a few bites and chips, “how was New York?”

“Busy and noisy.”

Marcy nodded, “Sounds about right.”

“Oh!” Jack snapped his fingers, “Gabriel says, “Hello,” Jack imitated the horse’s Scottish accent.

Marcy giggled and finished off the sandwich by stuffing a whole corner in her mouth. After she’d swallowed it she asked, “How is he, anyway? And, more importantly, how are you two, eh?”

“He’s good. In fact, he just paid off his last business loan. So, he’s doing well professionally.” Jack sighed and sat back against his couch, idly nibbling on a chip. “As for an us, I guess… I don’t really know. He says he’s okay just spending time with me, but then we have great sex and he kisses me like I’m the most precious thing he knows, and calls me love though that’s probably a Scottish thing I don’t know-”

“Jaaaack…” Marcy shook her head slowly.

“I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

Marcy raised a brow, “You don’t know or you don’t want to be the one to choose?”

Jack put his palms to his forehead in frustration. “I like him. I might love him, I can’t be sure yet. It feels like I should, but I can’t imagine ten, twenty years or more with him, and I don’t know if that’s a sign or just stress or what.” Jack sat forward and slowly closed his laptop screen. “I just can’t be sure and that’s what fucks me up more than anything.”

Marcy set her plate down on the table with just a few crumbs left and laid a hug over Jack’s shoulders. “It’s not a crime to be uncertain, Jack. You’re not leading him on, right? You care?”

Jack nodded, holding onto Marcy’s forearm with his hand.

“Then you just have to be honest with him, cuz. He’s a great guy but he won’t wait around forever for you to make up your mind.” Marcy kissed Jack’s temple. “You’re worth it, and you deserve happy, fulfilling relationships too. Gabe is good for you, anyone can see that. You see that too, right?”

Jack smiled and tilted his head gently to rest it against Marcy’s cheek. “Yeah… He is. He’s lovely, and loving, and tender, and so passionate with me. He literally sweeps me off my feet almost every time we get together. Figuratively too, sometimes. We shouldn’t work, but we do. I… I guess I’m afraid of screwing it up as well as one of us not being right for the other in the end.”

“I know it feels awful to imagine, Jack,” Marcy said softly, stroking his back with her palm, “but you don’t have to do that. Can I teach you a therapy tool I think will help you?”

“Sure. Help me navigate these emotions, I’m all for it. Hit me.”

Marcy playfully, and entirely gently, wrapped her hand around and bapped Jack on the cheek with her palm. They both giggled about it and then Marcy cleared her throat. “Okay, so, you’re doing a thing called catastrophizing. You’re assuming the worst will happen despite having no evidence that you and Gabe are anything but good. Yeah?”

Jack nodded, “Accurate…”

“Okay. When you have these thoughts, actively stop them by fighting back with something like, “There’s no reason for me to believe that,” or “The evidence suggests insert good outcome here is what’s going to happen instead.”

Jack looked at the carpet between his feet in thought for a minute, Marcy let him go and sat back a bit. He nodded slowly, “I will try that. Thank you cousin.”

“Any time. That’ll be fifty-five fifty for doctor Marcy’s hourly rate. Doesn’t matter that you didn’t use the whole hour, pay me.”

Jack reached into his back pocket and took out an imaginary wallet, and started stacking imaginary dollars, “Twenty, forty, fifty, fifty-one-”

Marcy tackled her cousin with a playful growl. Jack grabbed her hands and wrestled her into the back of the couch to control her movements. The pair were laughing the whole time.

“This isn’t very professional, doc,” Jack teased, wrestling her wrists together so he could use just one hand.

Marcy fought them apart and reached for Jack’s ribs to tickle him, “Professional is for the birds, cousin! You’re free game, sucka!”

They bumped around, Jack fighting to control Marcy’s reach so she couldn’t tickle him and Marcy twisting around to get free and do so, snickering and growling the whole time. Eventually Jack got winded and Marcy got free of his grip. She tickled his ribs for a few seconds until he almost squirm-jerked himself off the couch. She stopped and held her hands up to signal a truce. Jack rolled onto his back and laid there, Marcy half-way on his chest.

“Thank y-” she began.

Jack cut her off by closing his fingers lightly on the front of her muzzle, “You’re good. You’re here, you’re safe. That’s what matters.”

Marcy laid her head on Jack’s chest and listened to his heartbeat slow as they caught their breath and calmed down. There was some chatter outside the front window but neither could understand what was said. Marcy drew crude butterflies on Jack’s shirt with a finger. “Is it weird?”

Jack shook his head, “No,” he reached up and adjusted the throw pillow under his head, “It’s fine. Kind of soothing.”

Marcy picked her tail out from behind her and laid it across their legs. “I don’t think we’ve had a proper visit in ages. Not since we grew up I guess.”

“Proper visit?” Jack looked at her slightly confused.

Marcy propped herself up on an elbow, “Yeah. Like this. Just us, nothing on the agenda. Just a visit. Just company.”

“Ah, I see. I think you’re right then. Not to ruin it, but do you want to do something?”

Marcy shook her head and laid it back down on her cousin again. His heart rate was normal. Jack linked his fingers over his stomach and closed his eyes. Marcy laid an arm across his chest and gripped the couch cushion.

“What’re you doing?” Jack accused, hearing the leather squeak under her grip.

Marcy snickered.

Jack coughed as a sharp smell assaulted his nose. “Ah sick, you jackass.”

Marcy threw her other arm over Jack’s waist and laid across him, “Suffer bitch!”

Jack turned his head and coughed some more, trying hard not to laugh to encourage her. “You first, you dick!” Jack wrapped his legs around hers and locked his feet together. “It’s your ass, you sniff it!”

Marcy laughed, “I can take it. It is mine.”

Jack coughed once more. “Sometimes I hate you.”

“You love me enough that it balances out.”

“Most days.” Jack unraveled and dragged himself out from under his cousin. “I do actually need to finish putting these notes together. But, after that I got nothing.” Jack opened his laptop which blinked to life right where he left off.

Marcy crawled off the couch and picked up their plates. Jack hadn’t dumped his chips so she left the bag next to him. She washed them and put them in the dishwasher rack to dry. “Hey Jack, are there, like, designated smoke pits around here or anything I should know about?”

Jack shook his head, “Not that I know of. But please at least go outside, okay?”

“Yeah, of course,” Marcy nodded and sat herself next to Jack. “Do you want to talk through your stuff? Sometimes it’s interesting to hear and I know it helps you.”

“Oh, yeah that would be helpful. Thanks. So this is-”

Jack spent another two hours explaining and answering questions, organizing training schedules, and dealing with Marcy’s nervous outbursts of tickling his sides. Marcy treated Jack to dinner at Carlo’s that night, and they fell asleep together in his bigger bed.