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Josh was leaning over balcony’s railing outside his dorm’s front door. His chin and cheek rested over the palm of his hand, with his arm acting as a stand while he learned down and forward. His large stature looked outward, taking the world in while observing nothing. The world in front of him was calm, ignorant of Shawn’s turmoil. But it was reassuring, a sense of normalcy.

Students walked along with their phones in their faces, worrying about entirely different affairs. If only they knew what they took for granted. Another rolled up in his car, stumbling in loose clothing as he got out. No doubt returning from a night at the all-girl dorms across campus. The day was still young with, narrow shadows extending across the parking lot.

Josh took deep breathes and pondered his next move. Monday meant he and Shawn had the day off, but Shawn was busy inside. Josh slowly stirred from his daze, motioning toward the stairwell. He shuffled down the stairs, stopped for a moment and frowned his brows. “I need to figure out what’s going on. I need to fix this”, he told himself, as he rushed down the stairs, nearly losing hit footing in his flip-flops. He rounded the corner, awkwardly jogging in his now constraining clothes.

His heartbeat quickened as he approached the edged of a familiar pathway between the campus and downtown Maylon. Josh stuck his hand down the front pocket of his shorts, clutching a pocket-knife he’d stored away. He didn’t plan on using it, but the knife served a much-needed precaution.

As Josh approached the entrance to the campus park, however, he could make out in the distance a few men in uniform, putting orange cones down with crime-scene tape blocking the path in a make-shift, haphazard manner between two lamp posts on either side. Josh’s stride slowed as he neared, taking his hand out of his pocket.

“What’s going on here, is the park closed.”

“Campus policy, it’s closed for the day”, said one of the campus security. “It’s not an active scene, but the park’s closed for the day since there was a second assault last night.”

“What happened?” Josh huffed.

Two officers took at each other for a moment, before Josh got the hint.

“No, I mean… What exactly?”

“We can’t share details beyond some sort of assault. The university has already sent out an email to school accounts. The school’s president just wants everyone to know it’s under control and nobody is at further risk. You’ll have to take the detour around if you’re heading to town.”

Josh stared blankly, thinking of the implications it would mean. “Nobody’s in the park?” he asked.

An officer chuckled “No, well, not unless they’ve snuck in. Sorry to disappoint, but the weather should be just as nice out tomorrow. Have a nice day.”

“You too.” Josh replied, as he waved and turned around.

The detour wasn’t the problem, the park was a narrow one anyway. He just preferred it over the busier, warmer urban roadways a couple blocks over. What could he even do, though? He needed to lay low.

It was bittersweet. Confronting Josh’s assaulter was a risky move, but he spent the morning prepping himself mentally. Maybe it was for the best, but the thought of the outcome of the man threw another variable into his choices. “I just need to forget about him, who cares what happened to that creep.”

---

The first thing Josh needed was new clothes. He’d grown the past comfortably fitting into his clothes. His t-shirt was prohibiting his shoulders from moving as much as he’d like, the front hugged over muscles on his back and pectorals he was never used to having before. Few people wouldn’t enjoy displaying a nice body, but Josh didn’t want to attract unwanted attention. Josh was already working a sweat, so he slowed down his jog. With the most the day ahead of him, what was the rush?

He was working up a sweat in the front of his shirt, too. He ran a hand up his shirt, intent on whipping away a tad of moisture. His hand briefly slid over the fuzzy build-up of fur running part way up his abdomin, and a finger brushed across one of his extra nipples. The shock stopped him in his tracts, and he tugged his shirt down, hearing a few threads tear. He looked around, nobody paid him mind with few people along the road. Another concern arose, what if his… lower nipples got hard? They were small, but could poke a bump above the surrounding fabric.

That decided it, he was going clothes shopping first. A sporting goods store was just down the road, along the way.

Josh stepped inside the sprawling, two-story complex. Glass ceilings made sure plenty of light kept the flamboyant colors of the store well-lit. Josh hadn’t remembered the last time he’s gone shopping at such a place, even for others. There were sections for sport supplies, fishing, hiking, and clothes, even casual wear, serving as a catch-all. Josh spotted the apparel and headed for it.

First to be served was the footwear, as the walk made his aching feet were not used to the lack of support. He grabbed a pair of socks one size up from his norm and a pair of plain tennis shoes, size 11.5 and kicked off is flip-flops. The socks slid on fit fine, as did the tennis shoes. Josh took a few steps, making sure they would do.

They fit perfectly, but something was nagging him, suggesting they we’re right. Josh tried on different sizes, but not of the fit as snugly. He kicked off his socks and shoes again, wondering if his feet were injured. But as he stepped around the store barefoot, there was no discomfort beyond his regardless aching. In fact, it was relaxing feeling the floor beneath his toes. The tiles were cold, yet better than wearing shoes. “I must be used to the flip-flops” he mused. He packed the shoes and socks under his arm anyway.

Next, Josh grabbed a pair of jeans a couple roomier shorts, and boxer briefs in similar fashion to his current ones from the shelves. He didn’t dare try anything on outside the changing room, so he scurried along. On the way, he passed by some jockstraps. Josh paused, he hadn’t worn jockstraps since he played minor-league sports before he’d it puberty, but a black and turquoise pair was staring him down. This was the first time he’d thought of wearing any casually. He pinched it off the rank and hustled into the changing room.

Josh pulled his shirt over his head once the door was enclosed in his stall. A full body mirror reflected to him his image. By now, he was familiar with his changes. He looked like an amateur athlete, with added fuzz. The slipped on his new shirts, and they were much roomier, even with the sleeves filled.

Josh wiggled out of his shorts, leaving a mark around his waist. A quick test confirmed the new jeans pair of shorts would do.

He stripped back down into his underwear, then hooked his thumbs around the bands and pulled them down his legs. The plump, furry sheath let out its contained musk, colliding with his own overly sensitive nose. It was enough to permeate the air, maybe not enough for any humans to notice. That idea was foreign to Josh, categorizing everyone else differently, but he was right. His garments smelled of the growing, hungry dog within. He brought his underwear to his nose and took a whiff. He knees quivered, but it didn’t compare to the scent of his hot, smaller roommate. The smell he indulged in, craving more.

He stood there naked. Several more whiffs were taken in between huffs as the scent lingered. It began to fade, and Josh recomposed himself, just in time to feel the pulsing within is sheath reach upward, as his crimson shaft, pointed tip, inched its way out, the knot attempting to break free and forming a two distinct orbs within his sheath.

Josh leaned over a clutched at the two-toned jockstrap. He twisted it around, getting an idea of wear each strap went, and brought it around his groin. The fabric contoured around Josh’s bulge. Liking what we saw and felt, Josh rubbed himself through the fabric, eliciting his hips to say, and give himself a few rough squeezes.

“Click” Another stall a few units over opened. Josh froze in his tracts and listened to someone step inside a rustle with clothing. Josh looked over himself and gently dropped the jockstrap back down. His sheath was slicked at the end with pre-cum, a string of it connecting to the interior of the underwear, then breaking off.

His fun was done, and he threw on his old underwear, his new shorts and of his new shirts, and slid into his flip-flops. He slung the rest over his shoulder with the shoe-box underarm with the socks and boxer-briefs. I wasn’t enough to make a new wardrobe, but he could now return comfortable to get more.

When it came time to ring at the register, Josh grabbed the jockstrap and rung it himself with a cheesy smile. In a calculated move, he pulled the tags off what he was wearing and scanned them himself next. The cashier gave a puzzled look, but Josh didn’t want her handling the jockstrap accidentally.

---

Josh made for the local sub shop next, with his new purchases in a bag carried by one hand. The sub shop was a popular destination for urban workers around lunch break and college students alike, being fortune of its prime location. It was a staple of Maylon, and Josh typically visited it a few times a week. In fact, he’d eaten there since his early school years, growing up in the college town.

Josh stepped inside. It was too soon for people on break to flood the shop, but plenty of regulars from the school were there. One face stood out.

“Hey, Josh!” The man gently waved with raised brows and a toothy, open smile.

“Austin, that you?” Josh kept his voice low while still trying to be heard across the room.

“Yeah! What’s up?”

Josh laughed to himself. “What are you in town for, family?”

Austin was a high-school friend of Josh’s. They weren’t best friends, but seeing a familiar face in college was a novelty, as many of Josh’s friends had gone to bigger and more prestigious universities, if at all. Austin had a thinner frame, brown hair and brown eyes.

Austin pulled a seat out from the round table he was sitting at, and Josh sat beside him. “Well, partially.” He was already half-way done eating his meal, not expecting company.

“Then what”? Josh asked.

“To cut to the point, I’m transferring to Maylon.”

“What, why would to leave Harbren for a public school? You know you’re downgrading.”

“Didn’t like it as much as I hoped, and I’m not concerned with where I graduate. Plus, my father is a Maylon alumni so he… pulled some strings to get my grades transferred. I don’t even have to wait for the next semester to start. I’ll have some assignments to make up, but the material should be the same.”

“When will your classes be starting?”

“Next week” Austin replied. He stood up from his chair, motioning towards the counter and rested a hand onto Josh’s shoulder. “Didn’t you come here to eat, and not just to talk?” He chuckled. “Let me get you something.”

“No, no, you don’t have to pay.” Josh scooted out of his chair, but Austin held his hand down on Josh’s shoulder before walking away, not giving Josh a chance to get up.

“You don’t know my card’s limit, man. Don’t worry about it.”

Josh sat there, awkwardly waiting for Austin to get back. He started to think back to their experiences with each other. Austin’s family had enough money to fund his college tuition several hundred times over. Austin never ran around bragging, he never rubbed it in anyone’s face. In fact, Josh thought Austin to be nothing more than well-off until Austin had invited him over for the first time. His house was huge. Josh felt less guilty knowing a lunch meal was a drop in the ocean for Austin, a rarity among college students. Austin was a nice kid, his age, same graduating class. Being in a more restrictive academic system within their school meant the two shared many classes. It was funny to him how many people came and went between high-school and college. Josh spent some time recalling other students he’d forgotten about.

Austin tossed the freshly wrapped sub in front of the daydreaming man. “Order’s up.” He said as he took a seat, continuing his own meal. Josh blinked to regain focus and unwrapped the sub. Pepperonis, ham, and cheese poked out of the edges “Classic Italian is always a safe bet, nobody hates those.” Austin smiled.

Josh set the sandwich aside for the moment. “Are you gonna live on campus or commute” Josh asked.

Austin finished chewing a bite before speaking up. “I’m trying to find a good dorm. If I don’t, well, I’ll drive, but I want to continue living at school, something different, you know? I liked that part of Harbren, just not the people I was around. There’s a vacant room the housing staff assigned me, but I’ve heard the last guy left abruptly because the other three were terrible. I don’t know what’s true, but it’s a small risk.”

“Wait, they didn’t mention there’s other rooms available? My dorm has two vacancies!” Josh fumed.

“No way, really?” I should take one of those then!”

Josh paused, thinking over what he’d just done as he motioned his head and hands. “Well, no I wasn’t-.”

“Oh, did I just invite myself?” Austin leaned back. “Didn’t think that’d be a problem-.”

Josh was reeling internally. “It’s fine, really. Just caught me off guard… If you want to that’s fine.”

“Only fine?” Austin smirked.

Josh recomposed himself. “You’re welcome to move in is what I meant to say.”

“That settles it! Thanks man! If anything doesn’t work out, I can always move back out. I don’t care about paying rent for a dorm I’m not using, it’s not much.”

Shit, Josh thought to himself. Does he really want another person living with him? Normally the answer would be yes, but he didn’t need another wrench thrown into his gears with what’s going on. He wanted to say no, to walk away, forget about it, but Austin was his friend. Something else tore at his judgment behind his conscience, though. Josh was leaning forward, intently watching Austin.

Austin was oblivious. He was slightly smaller than Josh before, but now the size difference was noticeable. He looked with a downward slant at the man across the small table. Justin was rambling about his time at Harbren, but Josh let the words glide past him. His staring inadvertently disguising as interest in the stories. Josh watched as his arms waved around, shirt readjusting with each movement. The sight was mundane at best, but gripping for Josh.

Josh could hear his heart beat and his breathes became manual, deep.

“If you won’t eat your sub, I can go for seconds.” Austin suddenly burst out, enough to break Josh’s focus. He sounded annoyed, his words sharp, but trying to keep a joking casualness.

“Oh, yeah, yeah.” Josh said as he raised the sub to his face. He took a hefty bite of the sub, giving it a few good chews and savoring the taste. The first few chews were fine, but left a terrible aftertaste as Josh began to form a confused scowl. He reluctantly swallowed the bite, having the manners not to spit it out. He set the sub back down, looking at it quizzically. He didn’t have enough manner to avoid sticking a finger into his mouth to scrape any bits of the foul taste out. His finger brushed along the ridge of one of his elongated canine tooths, stopped briefly to size it up. His molars were sharper too, the flat tops gone.

“What’s the matter?” Austin asked.

“It’s, um…” Josh didn’t finish his sentence. He pulled the sub open and plucked a slice of provolone cheese out, tossing it aside and pulling the rest out. “I think the cheese is expired.”

“That’s funny, I had the same cheese on mine. Why don’t you go up can tell the workers?”

“It’s not a big enough deal.” Josh frowned, clearly not pleased. He inspected the sub for any loose pieces and closed it back up, only meat was left within the loaf. He took a second bite. The foul taste disappeared and the savory meat was accentuated. Sating his hunger was relaxing, letting his muscles loosen and body lean back against the chair. He rested a hand onto his own chest and looked back at Austin, who was back to his story telling. Josh was feeling warmer, the worries washing off from the self-indulgence. Josh scratched at the itching along his treasure-trail through his shirt, hand now under the rim of the table, out of sight from Austin. Each itch brought him lower, onto the front of his shorts. Two layers of fabric made the itching harder to relieve. His arm motioned with his hand to give longer itches. His hand slipped beneath the waistbands as his hand began a forceful, downward inching motion.

Josh had never felt this way while eating. Something about it, and his friend across the table, made him shut in from his environment. Josh slid is hand over his sheath, giving it a few rubs. His breathing was getting audible while he still looked forward, eyes glazed. His palm gripped his sheath and stopped. An index finger extended, bent, and hooked into the tip of his sheath. The sensation gave him chills, his ass tensing. He could feel pulsing from just the tip of his shaft as he rubbed over it, the slightest motion granting as much reaction as a typical session. All the while, he was finishing the sub in his other hand.

“Uuunf” A faint moan passed by his lips.

“Really enjoying that sub, huh?”

Josh jerked upward, freezing for a moment before continuing his chewing, nodding his head. He inconspicuously pulled his hand out from under his waistband and gave a thumb up while his mouth was full.

“Glad you like it!” Austin smiled, still oblivious.

Josh brought his thumb back down, the tip felt cold in the air. He looked it over and notice a thin layer of clear smear. He grabbed for a napkin and rubbed his thumb onto it. Austin looked onward. Josh took the last bite of his sub, freeing his other hand and cleaning both off with the other side of the napkin before Austin could speak up.

“Yeah, it was great.” “Thanks again.”

“So, to clarify, to be on the same page, you’re okay with me moving in this week, right?”

Josh cleared his throat. “This week, or this weekend?”

“I can move in as soon as you’d like, actually. I’ve got everything packed at my place, ready to go.”

Josh contemplated to himself. “Shit, he could show up tonight if he wanted to.” He shook his head and spoke up “Whatever day works for you. It doesn’t matter.”

“And your roommate?”

“He’ll be fine, he’s pretty good. He doesn’t really have much of a choice, does he?”

“I guess not! Don’t want to give a bad first impression by showing up unannounced, though.”

“I’ll let him know first.”

“Great!” Austin stood up. “I should head out now, unless you want to do anything?”

Josh got up too, walking with Austin toward the door. “I should be getting back to my place now. I needed to get something done there, but… I can’t seem to remember. I’ll figure out when I’m there.”

Austin placed a hand onto Josh’s back as they walked outside. It felt like Austin was getting a good grip on him, but letting his hand shift around between steps. “Nice to see you again.” Austin said once they stopped and turned towards each other.

“Same” Josh replied, extending his arm for a handshake.

Austin reached in, took the shake, but pulled in close to quickly wrap his other around Josh’s side to give a hug. Hesitantly, Josh returned the hug.

“You’ve been working out, huh?” Austin said.

“Uhh… not really.” Josh muttered, his cheeks flushing.

“Keep it up though, I know you’re not the type to take roids.” Austin left it at that and his walk to his car, waving over his shoulder.

Josh stood in place until Austin’s car turned the corner, think over the exchange. Was Austin leading him on, or was him brain sending him messages he wanted? Austin wasn’t like that in high-school, was he? Josh tried to recall, but nothing out of the norm seems to stick out. Austin wasn’t in any relationships as far as he knew. He certainly never got that sort of vibe from Austin. Austin was always handsome, but he never looked at Austin the same way before today, losing his focus just watching the man talk. Austin was wealthy, well-dressed, had a nice figure…

Josh just scratched at his head, giving a poke to his ear, which caused him to pull away. The nail of his index finger was darkened, capped with a faintly pointed tip, it was thicker than a fingernail. “Fuck” he thought to himself, turning the finger over. An oval-shaped raising of skin greeted him, like a giant callous. It was textured, off-tinge from the rest of his hand. Josh grew nervous, electing to hide the hand down a pocket as he pondered what to do. Did his pre-cum do that, or was it just the first signs of more changes anyway? A quick inspection of his other digits showed the rest were as normal as they could be for a human. Austin didn’t see his hand, did he? He couldn’t have. Austin didn’t filter himself well, he would have said something, right? Josh couldn’t worry about what had happened, it was done.

---

Across the street was the other entrance to the park. More officers were stationed there, same cones and tape guarding this side too. These officers were sitting in their cruiser parked adjacent to the entrance. Josh knew he had to get in there this time. He needed any clues he could get on what was happening to him. Most of the park was gated off by shoulder-high fencing. Josh made his was down the street, away from the officers. Even if he left empty handed, what’s the harm if he’s not caught? That was enough justification for Josh to find some fencing out of sight from the cruiser. Nobody else would care, hell, even the officers looked bored from hours of sitting.

Josh jogged a few blocks over, trees blocking him from their view, and hopped over. Rubber coating prevented the fencing from clanking incessantly. He made his way into the heart of the park, catching the main path and working his way back towards the campus along it. The park was eerie, it had no business being this devoid of life. The sun indicating it was high noon was reassuring, however. Josh’s pace slowed as his surroundings grew familiar, he was near where he’d been assaulted. There was the oak tree, just ahead, where his assailant once laid in wait. There was nothing here, but the ground looked disturbed. Cuff marks in the soil, grass bent down. Whatever scene here was wrapped up, investigators taking everything with them. Josh was getting uncomfortable, not wanting to evoke his memories, but needing to. He remembered his assaulter laid against the oak tree before getting up, this new scene must have taken place in the same spot.

He circled the tree. Wallet, ID, rings, nothing. He had to get creative. He spotted a hollowed-out knot at head level. He reached a hand inside, but still nothing. He grew frustrated and took a step back. He took a deep breath to calm himself, but his nose twitched with a scent. Wait a second? Could he smell something?

Josh took a second whiff. Something was lingering, and it could be him. Josh lowered to his knees, sticking his nose to the base of the tree, and took a third whiff. It smelt unkempt, musky. He imagined if someone was homeless in a park, they would smell unwashed. Who else could it have been? Josh stood back up, using the newfound strength of his sense of smell to lead the way. He didn’t even think, his body took steps on its own, turning if the scent got weaker, guiding the way. He was led deeper into the bush, a minute’s slow walk left him deep inside the greenery.

Then he stopped, opening his eyes. A small clearing with a circle of dirt greeted him. This was where the smell was strongest, practically invasive. The clearing was empty. “This can’t be it” Josh fumed to himself. He checked everything in sight, no sleeping back, no clothes, nothing. “What if he was hiding something?” he thought as he approached the nearest bush. The branches near the bottom were cut out, form a pit into the push, where it was all roots. There was something small, rectangular, sitting near the back. Josh reached his hand in, straining until his fingertips touched the object, bending to inch it forward.

He pulled it out. It looked like a journal! A small thing, with around twenty pages. Josh flipped threw it without reading. The handwriting was nice and tidy for the first entry. Josh grew horrified as he flipped through. The second entry was slightly worse in legibility, it looked more rushed. The next several were the same, but as he progressed there was a sudden drop-off in quality. The print was scraggly, gradually fell outside the lines. Sentences got shorter, thoughts seemed to be jotted down incoherently, the structure turned into raving rants. Josh’s heart raced and he didn’t take his time to read word-for-word.

Then there was the last entry, the remaining pages being childish scribbles or blank. The last entry was a mess, but some sentences stood out. “THIS IS A GIFT. I MUST SHARE IT. INFECT. I DON’T CARE. IT’S PAINFUL NOT TO. I CAN’T TAKE IT. I NEED IT. HELLO WORLD, I’M HERE!”

Josh slammed the book shut and staggered backwards, dropping it. He didn’t want to read the other entries, for that wasn’t the clues he was looking for. It didn’t mention where he went, just how he was seemingly losing himself. Josh took a moment to sit himself and his bag down.

He couldn’t leave the journal here, nobody else should discover it. Josh scooped the journal back up and place it into just shopping bag, next his clothing, and made way for his dorm. He took the pathway back, but before he knew it he was walking up on the main entrance, the way was still blocked by two officers standing nearly. Josh tried turning back around, but before he could head back a voice yelled out.

“Hey, you, wait a second!” One of the officers was jogging toward him. Josh stood still until he caught up. “How’d you get in here? The park is closed today.” This officer wasn’t the same from earlier, so there must have been a shift change.

Josh looked back, pointing down the path. “There was nobody to stop me on my way in” Josh lied.

The officer raised a walkie-talkie. “Is there anyone at the north entrance of the park?” No response came. The officer rolled his eyes. “They must be sleeping again. They better at least be there. You didn’t see their car sitting at the entrance?”

“No, sir.”

“If they bailed on their post while I’m stuck at mine, I’m raising hell. Go on along.” Replied the officer as he motioned Josh to pass.

---

Josh made his way back to his dorm. He reached for the front door, getting a view of his hand. He sighed in relief, his index finger was now indiscernible from the rest. Shaun was sprawled out on the couch with several empty beers bottles. A baseball game was playing on the TV, but Shaun wasn’t watching it. Josh laid his bag down and sat beside his roommate. “What’s up?”

Shawn gave a groggy groan “I’m in mourning, man.” Shaun shifted his body, messing with Josh by using his legs as a stand to prop his feet up. Shaun was still wearing his jeans, seemingly discarding his shirt at some point in the day. “She broke up with me again! Who’s gonna take care of my now?” Shaun said with a fake frown. “Your ass wouldn’t feel as nice as hers, would it”? He asked jokingly, as he pushed his feet towards Josh’s face. Josh swatted them down and got up, put off by Shaun’s behavior.

“Wait, you’re gonna miss the show!” Shaun blurted out.

“What show?”

“The news report, the one on on that guy. They caught him and I thought you’d be interested.

Josh grabbed the remote. “What channel?”

“Five, it’s should be on soon.”

Josh changed the channel, and the report was just starting. A woman was in the middle of speaking.

“-One suspect was detained last evening after assaulting a man and his family visiting the town on vacation. The confrontation started when he reportedly tried to rob the family of their belongings. The suspect has since been taken into custody, with no further people implied in the crime. Police say the 30-something year old male had a history or incidents, and is suspected in a similar incident from last week. The scene cut to a head of the city police department standing behind a podium, addressing the media. “We have no reason to suspect there will be any further threat to the public related to the, the city park remains close for the day as investigators clear the scene of any evidence.”

“That had to be him!” Josh exclaimed. The report cut out. “Was that it? Where is he, how is he? They didn’t even say!”

“Dude, what do you care? The police caught him. You gonna bake him a cake and tell him to get well soon or some shit?”

Josh didn’t know how to reply, so he kept silent.

“Back to the game now!”

When it became apparent the news was moving on to other stories, Josh swapped the channel back.

“If you care enough, go read about it tomorrow or something.”

“Josh watched on as two college teams he didn’t recognize were starting the 2nd inning. “Do you like either of these teams.”

“No, but if you have something else to watch, be my guest. Actually, don’t. Go watch it somewhere else.” Josh was used to Shaun speaking so bluntly. He sat back and gave is best effort to watch the game. Shaun still had his feet atop Josh’s lap. “She’ll come back to me, texting up a storm. What do you think?”

“I think she’s too good for you.” Josh scoffed.

“Then maybe you should take her place until she does. I already miss her massages.”

Josh looked over his roommate. He’d always been jealous how fit Shaun was. He looked over his bare chest, crunched up from leaning against an arm of the couch, giving Josh a nice view. It reminded his of his own, new figure. He got the urge to reach over and mess with one of his pink nipples. Instead, Josh suited for what was in reach, reaching a hand over and running it down from Austin’s knee to the top of his foot.

Shaun reeled back, jerking his legs away. “I wasn’t serious.”

“…Neither was I!” Josh replied, giving a nervous laugh.

“New sense of humor then? I’ll have to get used to that from you.” Shaun relaxed and let his guard back down, but kept to his side of the couch.

After an inning of what felt like nothing worth watching, Josh got up.

“Throw me a beer!” Shaun yelled.

Josh wasn’t near the fridge, but made his way towards it and pulled a beer out. Shaun held a hand out, ready to catch it. “Come on!”

Josh tossed it over, waiting for Shaun to grow impatient, and made his way to his room. “You didn’t even open it!” Shaun huffed as he slowly got up to get the bottle opener himself.

Josh spent the rest of the day reading over textbooks for class, uneventfully. The sun had long set, the lights in the hallway turned off. Shaun must be going to sleep. Josh shut the book he was reading shortly after, stealthily stepping outside his room. He put his ear up to Shaun’s door and heard nothing. He reached his hand around the doorknob, twisting and pushing the door open. Josh looked around the room, Shaun was already sleeping. He took a step inside, but halted himself.

“What am I doing? I can’t do this again.” Something instinctual was urging him to keep going, he’d been pent up the entire day. Now was his chance. The front of his shorts was bulging out, and he caught himself salivating looking over his covered roommate. A layer of sheets was all the separated himself from Shaun.

Josh shut his eyes and held them tight, counting to himself. It was enough to distract him as he carefully exited, silently shutting the door behind.

Josh let out a puff of air. Was it even worth fighting? He couldn’t know, but he knew how nice I’d feel having his way with someone, anyone. He could just imagine it. Josh had to remind himself how the last person in his situation ended up. Who knew what the authorities might be doing to him. Did that nightmare last night have any truth to it? Could it prelude what’s to come of Josh, or was it the guy reaching out? Nothing more than a bad dream spawned by his robust imagination?

Josh was now in his room rummaging through his shopping bag. He pulled out the red journal, bringing his hand to the edge of the pages. He couldn’t find the strength to open it, not now, so he laid it on the nightstand, stripped down, and got into the bed. He sat there for what could have been eternity, the journal within sight and pulling this attention. He just looked on, not stirring as exhaustion got the best of him, passing out.