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Colton Williams sat up in bed. He rubbed his head, shaking it gently as he thought back to the previous night's party. It had not quite been a bash to remember: fraternity bashes tended to get a little samey after a while for him. Lots of drinking, lots of stupid stunts, and way too much testosterone for comfort. Oh, and all the women. That too.

The lemon shark wondered if he'd made a pass at one, before he remembered that not only did he not get blackout drunk the previous night, but that he also wasn't one to make a pass. Well, not at the ladies, anyway.

He stretched, letting out a soft yawn as he looked out to the lawn. One thing that made Kappa Lambda Pi different from the rest of the fraternities on the campus of his school in California was that the frat brothers here all knew how to keep it clean on the outside. He was sure the yard smelled of beer, but there were no toilet paper rolls present. He also remembered the bass not being so loud, either, and he couldn't hear the sound of any fraternity brothers vomiting into the toilet bowl outside his room. They'd also at least had the good sense to stock some cider in the beer cooler: Colton had always found beer to be too bitter on his palate, so the frat brothers had taken it on themselves to make sure the cooler was always stocked with something a little sweeter.

Colton chuckled at this. He supposed that was why, even if he could not be completely honest with his frat brothers about why he never made any passes at the ladies, he felt a particular connection to KLP that was hard to deny. It was not as rowdy as any of the other fraternities on campus. In a way, he was almost glad his dad had pressured him to join: it was a good fraternity.

Well, he hoped it would stay a good fraternity. He still had not figured out how he would come out of the closet to them just yet, and he was not certain he would ever get the courage to.

He stood up, walking out the door and passing by a few rooms. It was a Sunday morning, as Colton recalled, and he knew most of the frat brothers would likely be sleeping. He'd always been an early riser. It made dealing with the creaking in the stairwell of the fraternity house a little annoying, but he dealt with it the best he could. As he tiptoed down the stairwell, though, he could hear the sound of some meat frying in a pan. The scent of Spam wafted past his nostrils, causing him to pause a moment right at the foot of the stairwell. If there was cooking, he knew it meant other frat brothers had woken up. And with this, Colton's steps were not so dainty.

He then nodded, moving past the stairs and moving into the frat house kitchen. There, the lemon shark encountered a couple of people. The first was a tall dear, his athletic jacket sitting neatly on his shoulders. Michael Derringer sat at the kitchen bar: Michael had been the one to induct Colton into the fraternity, and they'd always gotten on rather well. He still displayed his tall antlers: Colton felt it was a shame he'd be shedding them soon, for he quite liked the way they accentuated his athletic musculature.

Colton then turned to the person sitting next to him on the bar: Andrew Felton. Colton had never liked the wolverine: something about him just screamed of someone trying too hard to impress. In any other fraternity it would have blended in, but for Colton it was overdone. The other frat brothers seemed to like it a lot, too. He figured that was why Andrew also did not like him in return: Colton had made his peace with that fact, though, and frankly did not care that much.

And there, bent over the stove, was their faculty advisor, Coach Cappelletti. The tall ram had taken residence in the fraternity house, which was rather unusual for a fraternity, Colton knew. However, it had been a good calming presence: Colton attributed the rather relaxed nature of Kappa Lambda Pi to the fact he stayed in the house, as it kept everything from getting too out of control. It was an unusual arrangement, for certain, but it worked out: Coach Cappelletti had never married, he had gotten a few honors coaching the basketball team, and the university loved him, so there Coach Cappelletti stayed.

Colton smiled upon seeing this, sniffing the air once as he walked up to the bar. "Spam and eggs for breakfast?" he asked.

Coach turned to Colton, a smile playing on his muzzle. "And hash browns," the faculty advisor replied. "You know how hangover cures are, Colton."

Michael smiled, bowing his head to Colton. "Morning, Colton," he said.

"Morning, Michael," the shark replied as he settled in. He then glanced past him to Andrew, bowing his head. "And morning to you too, Andrew."

The wolverine grunted in response, before shaking his head and looking at the coach. "You don't even know what those are," he complained. "You're always squeezing water out of those potatoes every time you do it."

"If I don't get that water out, those hash browns don't crisp up," said Coach Cappelletti. "For the eighth time, that's what Gordon Ram would normally say."

"Sure. I guess that's why yours always go black?" Andrew then pointed at Coach Cappelletti. He then turned to Michael. "You're lucky I don't care if those hash browns are black. The black stuff is the best bit!"

Michael shrugged. "I don't know, the black stuff usually means it's overdone," he said. He then smiled. "But I guess it's not that bad."

Colton shrugged. "Eh, I'll take it without water," he said. He then smiled, looking to the Coach. "Besides, he's a pretty good cook."

"Eh, he can man a grill," said Andrew. "But I'll bet you anything that I could do it just as well!"

"Hey, I'm letting you do that next time," said Coach Cappelletti. He then flipped the eggs in the pan with a spatula, Colton hearing his hoof shift. He then turned back, glancing at Colton. "Oh, Colton, I forgot! I've already picked out the recipe for your cake."

Colton leaned back. "Already?" he asked. "I don't turn twenty-one for another two weeks, though!"

"You never can be too prepared with these things," Coach Cappelletti replied. He then pulled the pan off the stove, turning the heat off as he deftly slid the eggs onto the plate. He then grabbed some of the cooked spam, laying that and some hash browns on the plate. "Trust me, it's a Mary Beary recipe, you're in good hands."

Colton blushed, shrinking back a little. "O-oh," he said. "Well, uh... thank you." He rubbed the back of his head. "It'll be weird to celebrate my birthday here three days after I turn twenty-one, but I know you've got a game that day." He looked up. "Underwood College, right?"

"Yeah," said Coach Cappelletti. "But the frat brothers will be here."

"Yeah," said Michael. He draped his arms over Colton's shoulders. "And don't forget, we've got that bar crawl planned the night of your birthday!"

"I know," said Colton as he blushed. "God, you're really going to take me out to get that drunk?"

"Look at it this way," Andrew replied. "It'll be putting a few hairs on that scrawny little chest of yours!"

Colton narrowed his eyes at the wolverine. "I'm a fish," he replied.

"And that's a metaphor, that just went right over your head," said Andrew. He then leaned forward, looking over at him. "You'll understand when we're done with that bar crawl."

Michael rolled his eyes, before turning over to Colton. "You'll be fine," he said. "You'll have the rest of us, after all. And we'll make sure you don't go too overboard on your first bar crawl."

Colton nodded. "Thanks," he said. "That means a lot, it really does."

"We talking about the bar crawl?"

Colton looked over, setting his eyes on Tyler Anderson. The tall, muscular fox's ears were perked up, and his bushy tail waved behind him as he smiled and peeked in on the rest of the gang.

"Just alluding to it," Michael said.

"Good," said Tyler. "Because you better not be planning it without me or Matthew there."

Colton shook his head, looking at the fox. "Wouldn't dream of it, Mr. President," he replied.

At this, Tyler chuckled, before giving Colton a light noogie. "Come on, that's no way to refer to me, now, is it?" He smiled brilliantly at Colton. "It's all good, right?"

"Yeah..." Colton shrugged, before looking back to Michael. "Yeah, it's cool.

Tyler nodded, patting Colton's shoulders. He then pulled his hands away, before walking to the counter and taking a place next to Michael. The deer leaned forward right as Coach Cappelletti leaned over, dropping the plate with Michael's eggs right in front of him.

Michael smiled, pricking the eggs open with his fork and watching the golden yolk ooze out. "Perfect over easy eggs," he commented. "Just like always." He looked up to his coach. "Thanks, Coach Cappelletti."

The ram nodded, smiling at Michael over his shoulder. "Anytime, Mike," he said. He then turned to look at the pan. "Now... Andrew, your hard-boiled eggs should be coming right about... now."

And with this, the timer on Coach Cappelletti's cell phone went off.

----**----

The rest of the day was a rather slow day in the frat house, relatively speaking: unfortunately, Colton had to put up with yet another one of Andrew's stories about how he'd given cunnilingus to one of his many friends with benefits the night before, and Sunday night was never a quiet time in the house if an FBA game was playing. Still, there was no booming bass that was just a decibel under shaking the walls, there were no copious amounts of party snack all over the floor, and of course, there were no women.

Colton could relax, and he relaxed as he would on any reasonable November afternoon in California: sitting on the porch, nursing a Dr. Pepper, and holding his phone in the pocket of his hoodie.

For the third time that evening, Colton pulled the phone back out. When he powered it back up, he looked to the unfinished text message he had written out. Darren's name flashed on the top of the text message client in question, and as Colton looked up and down, flirtatious text messages popped out at him. The shark sighed.

He thought back to that day almost a year prior, his first trip to a bathhouse. He was helping get new pledges into Kappa Lambda Pi for the first time, and he'd really begun to see the way the fraternity organized parties for the guys. And of course, that involved getting the girls at the Beta Delta Psi sorority to drop in and say hello. They had been the most beautiful girls in the school, and Colton remembered that even Michael bragged about their beauty.

But of course, at that time, a little habit had reared its ugly head once again: Colton had never really found girls all that attractive. He had noticed it before, but figured those feelings would go away with a change in scenery from southern Indiana. Maybe the girls in California were just better looking. But it had never gone away. Combined with the fact that San Francisco was right there, and add to that a lucky internet search left on his freshman year roommate's computer that showed some gay porn there, and Colton had to question himself.

Enter Darren: it had been a bathhouse, where Colton was sure he could at least get an answer. He got his answer there, and then some: Darren had been a wonderful friend ever since, as someone a little older and far more experienced in the whole 'gay' thing than Colton. It was fun, and Colton found himself sneaking away on weekends to meet up with him. And there, Colton and Darren would exchange pleasantries, have lunch, talk about the latest development in Darren's gay life... Colton had even been present at Darren's thirty-third birthday party.

He smiled at the memory of it. Meeting most of Darren's friends, being shown a good time... It was an absolute blast, and he'd met many more people he regularly got in touch with.

But one thing that always dangled in front of him was something Darren often mentioned off-handedly: that ever-present free lap dance. The offer had been enticing: Colton knew Darren well both with and without clothes, so he knew that a dance would be nothing special. But for free... Colton had to admit, he wanted that lap dance, and he thought it would be a great way to make his twenty-first birthday something truly special.

But on the other hand, he knew he would be busy with the bar crawl with his frat brothers. Thus, he had to turn Darren down, at least for then. Still, the offer was open, but Colton knew he could not risk cancelling the bar crawl just so he could get a lap dance from a man he knew intimately.

He sighed, before turning away from the text message client. He looked up at the sky, wondering if there was some way that he could get both of those things at once, going on the bar crawl with the guys and getting the free dance from Darren. It was something Colton really wanted, after all. He half thought about asking for the dance after the date, but a part of him wished he could have Darren's dance right then. It would have a different meaning after he had turned twenty-one, after all, and Colton wanted to hang on to the original meaning if he ever took Darren up on his offer.

Colton closed his eyes, letting the gentle November breeze ruffle his hoodie as he heard the other frat brothers cheer from within the house.

----**----

Tyler sat down, rolling a map of the city open across the table with a grin. Michael and Andrew were standing next to him, both looking down. And there, across the table, Colton stood, a tall Draft horse leaning over his shoulder to look down at the map. Matthew Christiansen's eyes were squinted as he scrutinized the map, and .

"Well, here we are," said Tyler. "Here's our road map for Colton's bar crawl." He then grinned, pointing to a large X that had been taped onto the map beforehand. "First stop is McGreavey's."

"That's the pub right in the center of the campus, right?" Colton asked.

"Yep!" Matthew replied. "And on Saturdays, they've got a special on shots, so you bet we're takin' advantage of that." He then patted Colton on the back. "But don't go overboard, 'cause we'll still have a lot of time left on that night."

"It wouldn't do to have you stumbling out of there after your first shots, hm?" asked Michael.

"No," said Colton.

"Exactly," said Tyler. "And that, Colton, is why we're then getting some bottles of water before taking an Uber straight to downtown. And that's where we hit the first of the major downtown bars." He pointed at the next big X on the map, this one very far away from campus. "The next stop will be in Howl at the Earth in downtown."

"That... sounds like a tourist trap," Colton replied, cringing.

"Yeah," said Andrew. "I still don't know why we'd have to go there."

"It's a piano bar, Andy," Tyler replied. "It's a nice, relaxed atmosphere, and he can ask for songs to be played. It'll be a good break in energy before we get on to the _real_crazy stuff."

Colton frowned. "And what's in the crazier places?" the lemon shark asked.

"Dancing," said Tyler. He grinned, pointing to the next X. "Our next stop is Wave, which is within walking distance. It's an old disco club that got modernized a little more recently."

"Hah, now that's more like it!" Andrew leaned back, placing his hands behind his head. "Nothing beats having a good beer like good, clean dancing. And you can tear it up on the floor as much as you want!" He shrugged. "It's too bad you don't turn twenty-one on Friday: that's their usual karaoke night."

"Hah, Colton singing?" asked Michael. "You saw how well that went for him the last time he tried it!"

Colton chuckled nervously. "Uh, yeah," he said, a slight blush forming on his cheeks. "I don't think we need a repeat of that, now, do we?"

"Nope, we do not," Michael replied. He then looked back. "But Saturday is their dance night. The floor is open all night."

"But we're not endin' it there, obviously," Matthew replied. "Because as fun as a dance party might be, we might want to get on to the _last_thing we need to do to initiate Colton into proper adulthood."

Colton frowned, looking to the horse. "And what would that be?" he asked.

"Strippers," said Tyler. He then pointed at the last X on the map. "The last stop on our little bar crawl will take us to all the strippers. Pleasure Cove."

Colton chuckled nervously, feeling his shoulders sag a small amount as he looked between the other two. "Are... are we sure we really have to do the stripper thing?" he asked.

"Well, hey, you gotta brag about things sometime!" said Andrew. "And we all know how those strippers give a lap dance!" He then winked at Colton. "And hey, who knows: we may end up taking one home, and straight to your bed! Imagine the tits bouncing up and down on his bed!"

The other frat brothers let out some laughter at this, although Colton was hesitant to join in. No doubt, it would be a woman, too: he had heard Darren talk about Pleasure Cove, and how he was glad they only hired women there. He had also heard Kirk mention it in passing the second time they'd ever met, and from the amount of scorn that had been dripping in Kirk's voice when he'd described the place Colton had to figure it was somewhere sleazy, a suspicion that was confirmed by his descriptions of how the women were treated.

With this, Colton joined in, his laughter forced to the point that it caused the other frat brothers to look at him with confused looks. As soon as he had their attention, Colton stopped, shaking his head.

"Yeah, that's not happening," he stated.

Andrew frowned, crossing his arms and looking up. "Alright, I guess you'll just stay as a square, then," he said.

Michael sighed, before looking to the wolverine. "Oh, come on, Andy, don't be like that," he said. "You know he's never been the type to brag about that stuff."

"Yeah, and I've never seen him sleep with anyone, either," Andrew replied. "I'm just saying."

Colton placed his elbow on the table. "We can't all be sluts like you, Andrew," Colton replied, waving his hand around in front of him. "Some of us actually have taste."

"Excuse me?" Andrew leaned forward, glaring at Colton as he placed his paws flat on the table.

Tyler then placed his hand on Andrew's shoulder, coaxing him back into the chair. "Andrew, Andrew, that's enough," he said. "Look, clearly Colton doesn't want to go home with a stripper. If he doesn't want to go home with a stripper, we don't have to force him. All he's going to get is the lap dance, and then that's it. Right?"

Colton turned, crossing his arms and leaning back. "I'd be just fine without one, too," he said. A brief thought of Darren's promise of a dance came to mind, but he stomped that thought out with a literal placement of his foot on the floor. "Can't we just end it at the dance club?"

"It's frat tradition, bro," Matthew sighed. "We take you to Pleasure Cove when you turn twenty-one, ya get a lap dance, ya have a lot of drinks, and you have a good time."

"I can have a good time without the strippers," Colton said.

And as he said this, his thoughts could not help but turn to Darren, and the offer of a lap dance. He could also feel the heat come to his cheeks even as he denied he would want such a thing. As if to accentuate his point, he turned around, closing his eyes and doing his best to stamp Darren's profession out of his mind.

"You're blushing..." Andrew pointed out.

"Liar," Colton said, his voice clipped. "I'm not getting a stripper."

Tyler sighed. "Alright, alright," he said. "Would it make you happier if I crossed Pleasure Cove off the list?"

Colton nodded in reply. "A lot happier," he said.

Tyler shrugged. "Alright." He then shrugged. "You're missing out, Colton, but I'll respect that." He then turned to the others. "So I guess we just end at Wave and then go right home from there."

"Yes." Colton's voice was clipped, overly terse.

"Alright," said Tyler. "Well, boys, we have the plan for the bar crawl. We move out at seven on the dot on Colton's birthday."

"Alright," said Matthew. "Can't wait to do shots and beer 'round town again!"

Andrew nodded, his gaze remaining intent on Colton. He then paused, before turning to Matthew. "Yeah, same." His voice had no trace of enthusiasm in it.

Colton ignored it, instead standing up and shaking some tension out of his arms. He noticed that Andrew's gaze remained fixed on him, but he didn't care as he made his way to the staircase. He noticed Michael's gaze too, but he shrugged in response before he ascended. It was really nothing to it, after all: Colton did not want strippers.

And yet, Colton could not help the faint sensation, like a dagger stabbing directly into his heart. As he reached the top of the stairs, he had to take a deep breath to calm this instinct down. Still, he could not help the rush of guilt that he felt about it. He knew it had nothing to do with Darren, but he still could not help but feel the intense guilt that welled up within him.

He went into his room. He sighed, falling onto his bed and spreading his limbs out, wondering what exactly had gotten into him at that point in time.

----**----

The energy inside Wave was like no other place Colton had dared enter up until that point: it was a little dark, sure, but the multi-colored lights on the dance floor made sure it was never that hard to see anything. The way the bar was backlit also helped out, and the girl who served them all their respective beverages was also nice enough.

Colton was mostly content to sit back and watch as some of the other guys did what they could. He saw Andrew was unusually quiet that night, nursing a beer and occasionally chatting with a bear who was standing close by. Michael, Tyler, and Matthew were all out on the dance floor, though, rocking it out to some old techno beat. Colton had to admit that it had him tapping his toes pretty well, though, and for a while he'd been feeling the urge to get his groove on.

Over the din of the techno, he managed to hear someone placing another Smirnoff Ice next to his arm. "Here you go, sweetheart."

Colton smiled, turning back to the bartender. Colton had to admit there was something rather charming about the mink who sat there tending bar: she'd been loud at first, but very helpful to get Colton into something that wasn't just the usual hard cider. She had also been attentive to everyone, which he knew was impressive given how big the bar itself was. He wondered how she managed to keep her boobs inside the shirt, before he then noticed that the bra was perhaps a little thicker

"Thanks!" Colton shouted out over the music. He took a swig of the drink, before rearing back in surprise. "What flavor is this?"

"Pineapple," she replied. "It's my favorite!"

Colton tipped his bottle in her direction. "You know?" he asked. "Same here!"

The bartender chuckled. "Really?" she asked. "Hah, I guess I do know my clients' tastes now."

"Even on a first meeting?" Colton asked, tilting his head to the side in confusion.

"I had you pinned down right away," she said. "The name's Cindy, by the way."

"Colton!" The shark tipped his drink, taking another one before turning to the mink. "I was actually probably going to finish this and dance."

"Thanks, but I can't, not while I'm on the clock," said Cindy. She shrugged. "Got lots of thirsty customers to deal with." She shrugged, leaning forward. "Although I can help you if you wait for an hour or two."

"No, I'll be alright," he said. "I'm just, uh... saying, just in case you don't see me here."

At this, Cindy laughed, the crystalline laugh penetrating the techno. "Don't you worry about that, kid," she said. "People do that all the time. You want a new drink, just go anywhere else on the bar and I can help you there." She shrugged. "Is that really all you wanted to say that for?"

"Yeah..." Colton replied.

"Heh, you really are new to this." Cindy brushed some hair out of her face. "Usually when guys ask me that, they're interested in taking me back to their place."

"Trust me, Cindy, that will not be me," Colton replied, setting his bottle down. "There would have to be divine intervention for that to happen, let me tell you."

"You don't say?" Cindy asked. She looked to where Matthew, Michael, and Tyler were dancing on the dance floor. Colton followed her gaze, seeing that Michael had begun to shimmy a little closer to a German shepherd whose fur was already drenched in a little sweat. "Lemme guess: the guys?"

Colton paused, tapping his fingers against the bar. It took him another couple of seconds to answer "You... could say that." He then breathed in, resisting the urge to sink his teeth into his own lower lip as his wrist tensed up.

Cindy's eyes widened slightly, before she frowned, leaning closer. "Oh..." She then leaned forward. "Do they know?"

"No," said Colton. "And... Well, I don't know how to talk about it."

Cindy shrugged, before looking over at Colton's bottle. "Well, the way I see it, you'll probably need to tell them at some point," she said. She shrugged, leaning closer. "I'm guessing they tried to get you to go to a strip club after this?"

"Originally, yeah," said Colton. He glanced at Andrew, who was looking listlessly on at the dance floor, his gaze seemingly trained on nothing. "He couldn't shut up about his stupid macho man crap."

Cindy nodded, placing her hand on Colton's shoulder. "He's going to keep it up if you don't say anything," she said. "Trust me, I know that type. And hey, if they have a problem with it, they're not your friends." She shrugged. "I wouldn't wait. Maybe after tonight, after all the booze and partying is done, you can tell them."

Colton nodded. He then turned back, gripping his bottle. "Wasn't expecting a heart-to-heart in a dance club with a bartender I met five minutes ago!" he said.

Cindy chuckled. "It's part of the job description," she said. "My fiancé out in the Hometown Pub gets it more often than I do, but believe me, he and I have both got so many stories of drunk patrons crying about their problems." She shrugged. "Although dance clubs are a little too loud for that, so I see where you're coming from."

"No kidding!" Colton shouted. He then looked up, downing the rest of the Smirnoff Ice and setting the bottle on the counter. "Well... thanks for that. I think I should get my boogie on!"

Cindy chuckled. "You do that, Colton," she said. "And if you want another drink, you're still on tab."

Colton gave her a thumb's up as he stood up. "Thank you," he said.

Cindy smiled at him, before turning to an empty glass and filling it with some kind of soft drink. Colton took this as his cue, before he turned to the dance floor. As he did, he caught sight of Andrew. His gaze had turned more pensive, and for a second Colton thought he saw the wolverine's ears flick back and then forward.

This gave reason to pause: could wolverines really hear that well? It was not like any of the frat brothers on this excursion were dogs, he knew, but at the same time he never could figure out just how well other species could hear.

But Andrew remained calm, before sipping on his beer. And as he looked away, Colton sighed in relief.

With this, the lemon shark joined his fraternity brothers already on the dance floor. He felt Michael pat him on the back, before the four of them then began to dance together, Colton getting lost to the deep thump of the electronic bass.

----**----

It was just after midnight when all five fraternity brothers stepped out of Wave. Colton was a little sweatier than usual, but that was nothing the quick bottle of water he'd gotten from Cindy could not fix. Colton could only adjust his collar as he stepped out, the other frat boys looking around as they stepped outside.

"Heh, I could get used to that," said Colton.

"Ya see?" Matthew said as he punched the air. "There's always somethin' about that dance club that gets the blood pumpin'."

"I think it's the techno," Tyler replied. "How it shakes you to the bone..."

Michael nodded. "Well, hey, whatever the reason it does that, it's good by me," he said. He then sighed, before pulling out his phone. "But we'll have to go back to the frat house."

And then, Colton felt a small surge of disappointment as he watched Michael open up the Uber app on his phone. He looked to the ground, and then looked around at the bright city lights. The truth was, that once he'd gotten into the spirit of the bar crawl, he'd had a great time. The little talk with Cindy notwithstanding, Colton was not ready to go home.

The shark shook his head. "Actually, um..."

All eyes turned to Colton. He then looked to the floor, before gripping his elbow. "I, uh... wouldn't mind trying to fit one more bar before we go home."

Andrew's eyes widened quite profoundly, but before the wolverine could say anything more the remaining three frat brothers gathered around him, pulling him into a tight hug.

"That's the spirit, Colton!" Tyler replied. "Heh, you'll be fitting in with the bros better soon enough!"

"Heh." Colton joined in, before pulling back. "Still not a strip club, though. That's still ruled out."

"Oh, that won't be a problem," said Michael as he moved to another app on his phone. "There are plenty of other bars in the town, you know."

"Oh! Oh!" Matthew raised his hand. "I say we go 'round to The Dock! It's usually just pickin' up this time, too!"

"Nah, the Dock's too skeevy," Tyler replied. "I say we go Club FRAN or something. Much cleaner over there."

"Yeah, and they got a shit DJ," Matthew replied.

"Guys, guys," said Michael. "They both have their down points. I say we go with SHOTS or something. They have billiards and a small dance floor, and they're open until three."

Colton chuckled. "Well, I mean, you guys can figure that out," he said. "I'll just go with it."

And it was then that Andrew stepped forward. "Actually, guys, I've got a better idea," he said. He then grinned, looking over at the other three. "Why don't we go somewhere we've never gone before? My pick."

Colton and the others all looked to each other, before crossing his arms. "Oh?" he asked. "What brought that on?"

"A small sense of adventure," said Andrew. He then looked to everyone else. "What do you guys say?"

Michael shrugged, before looking to the wolverine. "You know what?" he asked. "Why not."

"Yeah." Tyler pumped his fist. "We've got to have some adventure around here."

"Where were you thinking?" asked Matthew.

With this, Andrew opened his phone, before typing something in. He then grinned, inputting something on a different application. Colton could only guess he had a trick up his sleeve by the way the grin settled on Andrew's muzzle, however, and suddenly he lost whatever willingness he had to go along with it. He wondered if he would suggest Paradise Cove again, before he remembered that the other frat brothers would give him hell for that.

And then, Andrew held the phone out to the other frat brothers.

"They call it Golden Hustlers. It's actually not far from here."

And then, Colton froze up. He knew the name of the bar, knew what it contained, and knew exactly what Andrew's game was. He realized then that Andrew had indeed somehow managed to overhear his conversation with Cindy, and he felt a surge of fear so bad he had to swallow down the bile.

Michael leaned forward. "Huh, it's a gay bar," he noticed. "With... strippers?"

Matthew frowned, turning up to Andrew as his ears flicked back. "A gay strip bar?" he asked. "What're you thinkin', Andy?"

"Oh, adventure," said Andrew. "I mean, we've never been to a gay strip bar, right?"

"Yeah, and why would we?" asked Tyler. "We'd be surrounded by f--by the gays." Colton had to bite his tongue to keep from wincing at the slur that almost slipped out of Tyler's muzzle.

"And?" Andrew asked. "All you have to do is say you're not interested and they'll leave you alone."

"U-uh... I'm not so sure this is a good idea," said Colton. "Uh, Michael, what did you say that--?"

"Hm... I don't know if they'll keep their hands to themselves, but I've gotta admit that it could be fun to watch," Michael replied, lifting the brim of his hat slightly. "And hey, they have to have better alcohol than what they serve in the other places."

"I guess it wouldn't be such a bad idea," Matthew commented. "And hey: sometimes you have to let loose, right? And say what you will about the gay people, they know how to party."

"Yeah, I don't like the idea of guys partying with their dicks out," Tyler replied. "I'm not gonna see that from guys who want to rub one off on me."

"Again, they'll back off if you tell them to," Andrew said. "Besides, majority rules, right?" He then pointed at the rest of them. "So I say we go out and have an adventure!"

"Yeah!" Michael replied. He then bumped Colton gently on the shoulder. "A new experience never hurt anyone, right?"

"N-no, but--"

"Then what're we waitin' for?" Matthew asked. He then looked at Andrew. "Lead the way, bro."

"With pleasure."

With this, Andrew took point, Michael and Tyler following behind. Matthew shot Colton a confused look, noticing the way the shark seemed to shiver. This passed, however, and then Colton began to follow, his steps noticeably more sluggish than they usually were. And as they made their way to the bar, Colton could not help the stone that settled deep within his gut. It slowed his pace down to a crawl, and he could not keep his thoughts straight. He knew what going in would entail, and he knew, too, that there was no way he could pull his cellphone out to warn people without the other brothers noticing. He would have to do his best to act like there was nothing happening at all. And yet...

Dammit... why tonight , of all nights!?

----**----

Colton felt like every eye in the room was scrutinizing him as soon as he entered the gay bar. It was not borne of worry for anyone hitting on him. Well, it was, but the fact that he could feel Michael's gaze on the back of his neck the second he entered did not set him at ease in any way. And as he saw the frat brothers looking around in curiosity, he suddenly felt like he was put on the spot, like he had been turned into a statue at a museum.

The lemon shark breathed in, trying not to think about how Tyler was already trying to talk to a female wolf with obvious rainbow dye in her hair as he made his way to the bar. He breathed in, looking over at the mouse bartender as he stood, eyeing Colton. His arms were crossed in front of his fishnet shirt, and bright red eyes glanced back at Colton's frat brothers before turning back to the shark in front of him.

"Oh hello," he said. Colton could tell there was an edge of caution in his voice. "What're you getting?"

"Just a rum and coke," Colton replied. "And make it strong. Please."

The mouse could immediately tell what was up; in an instant, his gaze was more sympathetic to Colton. "Ah, alright." He then flipped a small plastic cup onto the bar, filling it with ice quickly. "Coming right up. Just... don't get too drunk, okay?"

"I know." Colton breathed in as the mouse quickly opened a bottle of Bacardi and poured it into the cup. A dash of Coke followed it, and Colton almost without thinking managed to slap a five-dollar bill on the counter, taking the drink and downing half of it in one gulp.

Colton heard footsteps behind him, and before long he'd set his drink on the counter. He then looked back, seeing Andrew step closer to him. The wolverine shrugged, looking around at the club at large. The room was spacious, perhaps more so than Colton was used to. The lemon shark could only watch as Andrew looked around.

"Big place," he pointed out. "And not as thunderously loud as I thought it'd be."

Colton did not say anything: he gritted his teeth, feeling that one of them was about ready to fall out. He wondered what would happen if he snapped back at Andrew, but thought better of it as he simply sipped his cup in silence.

"Heh, this'll be an adventure," Andrew replied. He crossed his arms, looking at Colton. "And I figure you'll like it a lot, huh?"

The surge of desperation that filled Colton nearly made him say something snippy, but this he held back with an especially fast sip. This did have the side effect of giving Andrew a reason to rear his head back, but Colton paid it no mind.

He shrugged. He then looked behind him, noticing that the other three frat brothers were at a different bar, before he approached Colton. He then leaned against the bar, placing a big hand on Colton's shoulder. Colton looked up to tell Andrew to get his hand off his shoulder, but the shark paused upon seeing the pensive look on the wolverine's face. It was sober, and such an unusual expression to see on his face.

"Look, Colton," he said. "I... I'm sorry about constantly bringing up everything with the strippers." He rubbed the back of his head. "The way you blushed back when we talked about it, I thought it was weird even through everything you'd said to deny that. And then I started thinking back to all the times I'd talk about girls, how you'd acted around them before, how you'd talk about them... I suspected, but I didn't get anything confirmed until I overheard you talking to that mink chick back in Wave." He sighed. "You should've told me all that was because you were into dicks, man. I would've backed off then. So... I'm sorry." He glanced to the side, before shrugging. "Consider this my way of making it up to you."

Colton blinked, before looking at Andrew with a surprised glance. "Andrew," he said. "Andrew, you--"

But the wolverine silenced him by dropping a ten-dollar bill in his hand. "Here, for the strippers here," he said. He then offered a smile to Colton. "On me."

Colton felt quite ambivalent. He glanced to Tyler, and recoiled at the way he scowled at some fox twink who'd come right up to him. At the same time, he then looked back to Andrew, back to his face, which had an unusually pensive smile. The shark thought about how sweet the gesture was, and he had to admit it was kind of...

He shook his head, before opening Andrew's paw and putting the bill back in. "I really don't think this is a good idea," Colton said as he made to move for the entrance. "I just want to go--"

"Colton, Colton, hang on," said Andrew, holding the shark in place. "I mean, this is your crowd, isn't it?"

Colton paused, his throat going dry. "I..."

And before Colton could say anything else, the techno cut out, before the whole club got caught up in the squeal of a recently powered microphone. And then, a big, booming voice rang out. "Hello, bitches and boys! How are all of you doin' tonight?"

A loud cheer sounded throughout the club, and Colton's fear bolted him to the floor. He turned, looking at a tall rabbit with overdone eye-shadow, a long rhinestone ball gown, and the puffiest orange wig Colton had ever seen. This new person held a microphone right at a stage in front of the dance floor, and Colton guessed from her overexaggerated movements that she had to be some kind of drag queen.

"Alright, y'all can be louder than that!" she said, shaking her head as she began to walk up the stage, her heels prominently showing."I said, bitches and boys, how are all of you doin' tonight!?"

A second, much louder cheer erupted from the crowd around Colton. In reply, the rabbit smiled. "There you go! Hello, bitches and boys, I'm Bellisa Delamore, and I'm here to emcee tonight's show!"

And here, Colton felt a chill race down his spine. "Andrew..." He turned back to Andrew. "I don't know if this was a--"

"Relax," Andrew replied. He then patted Colton on the back, before leading him straight to the stage. "Come on, I'm getting you a dance."

And then, he dragged her forward as the drag queen emcee continued on. They passed the other two frat brothers, and it was then that Colton noticed Tyler was not among them. He had a feeling Tyler would not be alright with it, but he'd never gotten a read on Michael or Matthew. For his own sake, he hoped they would be able to talk Tyler down, and he also hoped they would not react violently themselves.

Especially since he _knew_that at some point, the jig would be up, because...

"...and tonight, we've got a public show and a round of strip chairs for you guys from one of our favorite strippers! That is right, bitches and boys, he is our headline act for tonight's show, and he's ready to bring his class act to you! So, ladies and gentlemen, put your hands together for Dressy Darren!"

And there, from the booth that housed the DJ, a large, muscular crocodile came out: his outfit was reminiscent of a speakeasy worker from the thirties, the beige shirt and tie peeking out from behind a three-piece suit. It came complete with the fedora, too, which Darren held over one of his bright crimson eyes. He peeked out at the audience with the other eye, a small grin coming to his face as he began to snap a finger along with a big band jazz track that played over the speakers. He then walked forward, dark green scales shining in the light as he began to saunter forward.

Colton took a deep breath in, looking at Darren. It only took the lemon shark a second to lock eyes with Darren, and in that moment, Colton almost forgot about Michael and Matthew looking on, about Tyler over in who knew where, about Andrew even as he gripped the shark's wrist. In that second, there was only Darren, only the crocodile, only the memory of his big hand gently caressing his ass...

Colton exhaled, and he swore that Darren's smile became visible within the spotlight for the first time.

Darren then sauntered straight to a pole, slowly removing the hat and planting himself in front of the pole. The slow, sultry motion of his hat riding down his torso caused something to stir inside Colton's loins, and despite the reminder of his situation he could not help the hitched breath that it pulled forth.

The hat was the first thing Darren lost: he rubbed it past his crotch, before almost sitting against the pole with his legs open and sliding it offstage to a coyote who howled in turn. And then, he stood back up, gyrating his hips and allowing his large musculature to show through the suit. The way his hands hooked into his suit jacket, the way he dressed out of that, the way he then slowly undid his tie and dragged it down those pecs and abs that he knew so well...

Darren slid his suit jacket down the pole, letting it rest there before he came to the edge of the stage. Right as the big band music picked up in tempo, Darren ripped his shirt open, the light grey scales of his torso coming into prominence and shining as brilliantly as his green scales did. As soon as he did this, he turned, pulling his shirt off, letting the black streaks of scales on his back show prominently to the approving roars of the crowd. And as he did this, he worked the shirt off with each of his dance moves, before he turned, throwing his shirt out into the audience.

The crocodile then walked straight to the pole at the center of the stage. He grabbed it with one hand, spinning around it before he bodily lifted himself up, showing off his perfectly sculpted muscles in the lights. The way they gleamed, the way the muscles tensed, the way his leg spun around the pole to hold on... It was all too much for Colton, and he began to edge towards the stage, wanting to touch this Adonis like he never had before. Darren's every gyration of his hips tantalized him, the way his heavy tail seemed to move like a wave on the ocean...

It was beautiful. Colton had never seen Darren move so silkily, so smoothly: the crocodile had talked quite a lot about his stripping, but seeing it had an entirely different effect on the lemon shark. Colton never thought a guy so large could move so smoothly, could be so tantalizing like this. His pants felt tight, but Colton did not care, and even the light release of Andrew's hand from his wrist was not enough to break the spell. Colton wanted more, to feel those muscles intimately again, to rediscover the scales he thought he knew, to feel how they tensed and flexed in this strange activity...

It was a euphoria that Colton could not shake off.

The crocodile then eased off of the pole, before he grinned. He pulled up a chair, placing it right in the center of the stage. The drag queen rabbit then stepped forward, as Darren began to scan the crowd.

"Alright, bitches and boys!" the drag queen intoned at the top of her voice. "It looks like Dressy Darren is ready for his hot seat!" She then shot a grin at the crocodile. "But first... It is getting a bit hot in here, don't you think, Darren?"

Right on cue, Darren reached for the hem of his pants, yanking them off in one go and showing off his legs. The only thing Darren had on at this point was a bright red thong, one that came up one side of his hips. Colton blushed very hard as soon as he saw them, but he had no time to dwell on that before he then came to the edge of the stage. Darren looked around, looking for a suitable target, but Colton had the feeling he was only putting on a show for the crowd.

And thus, Darren grinned at Colton, before pointing to the stage. And here, Colton found he didn't give a crap what Michael or Matthew or anyone else thought, before he then came to the stairs.

Bellisa met him there. "Alright, ladies and gents!" she said. "Looks like we have our first lucky boy!" She then led him straight to the chair, patting it as she gave him a smile.

Colton's only response was to sit in the chair, his body vibrating in anticipation as he turned to Darren. He held his legs close together, perhaps the last vestige of his will telling him to hide his raging boner as the crocodile approached.

And as he did, Darren leaned close, his snout just pressing against his head. "Happy birthday, kid," he whispered. "Belli's gonna tell you not to touch, but you've touched more than enough of me before, so go at it."

And then, Darren straddled Colton, before he began to grind his hips with the shark's. He could faintly hear Bellisa go on about the rules, but Colton only had eyes on the crocodile in front of him. Excitement filled him: he got his lap dance, and it was more beautiful than he could ever have dreamed of. And even up close, the smells were heady, sweat and polyester and body oil all mingling in the air before him...

Colton reached out, placing his hands on Darren's abs with a gentle touch that felt strange to him.

This got a chuckle out of Bellisa. "Whoah, now, we've got a daring one here," he said. "Weren't you listening when we gave out the no-touch rule?"

But Darren waved Bellisa off, before he turned, his torso showing to the audience. He gyrated his hips, before grabbing Colton's hands and pressing them against his body so the pale-yellow scales of Colton's hands were visible against the milky-white scales of his abdomen. With this, Darren spread his legs, grinning at the audience. Colton then got the hint, daring to slide his hand up Darren's torso, settling it just under one of the crocodile's pecs.

"Oh?" Bellisa was right on top of it. "Feels like Darren's getting a little frisky tonight, right?"

The cheers of the crowd rose up. Colton grinned, before one hand wandered down to the part of Darren's waist not covered by the one-sided thong. His hand gently trailed along, feeling it up, drinking in the cries of the crowd...

"Hey, hey there, someone else is in the hot seat now, you gotta wait your--"

Colton was snapped out of his reverie by the sound of boots stomping on the stage. He also heard a small yelp from Bellisa, before Darren stopped. And then, Colton looked to his right.

His gaze was met by the dark expression on Tyler's face, the fox's ears folded flat against his head.

Colton's tail stiffened, but before he could do much else Tyler had crossed the distance towards Colton. The fox swung, and his fist caught Darren right on the side of his snout. This sent both Colton and Darren crashing to the floor, Colton barely having the presence of mind to move his left leg out of the way before the chair slammed on top of it.

With this, Tyler reared on Colton. "Fucking faggot!" Tyler shouted, his shout almost covered by the chaos of the crowd around the stage. He then reached for Colton, bodily lifting him up by the arm. Colton got a good look at Tyler's teeth as the canines glinted menacingly in the light. "You come into my frat and--!?"

"Keep your filthy paws off him!" Darren reared back, grabbing Tyler and shoving him away down the stage with such force that the fox stumbled.

Tyler's surprised gaze met Darren's briefly, and he just managed to regain his footing and rear right towards Darren. The crocodile, expecting this, grabbed Tyler, holding him back before slamming him to the ground. There, it became apparent just how that particular tussle would end: Darren towered over him, and in the stage lights it became clear that Tyler, however muscular he was, just could not match the crocodile in any way, and it thus became easy for Darren to pin him down.

Two bouncers rushed up the stage and grabbed Tyler roughly by the arms. As soon as they had him secured, the crowd booed Tyler, throwing drinks as they led him out. Darren watched him go, his red eyes glinting in anger for a brief second as he stood there, breathing in and out.

He then closed his eyes, before shaking his head and exhaling slowly. He felt his heart rate return to normal.

He heard the click of heels behind him. "You okay, hun?" Bellisa asked, gently placing her hands on his shoulders.

"I'll be fine, Belli," he said. He began to feel the sting of a bruise forming on his snout, but ignored it as he stood up. He then turned to the drag queen, noticing that her wig was a little lop-sided. "I've survived worse scrapes." He then turned around. "Now where's--?"

And then he turned to the spot that Colton had occupied, only to find it empty. Darren paused, before looking around the club. He saw the wolverine that had been holding Colton's wrist when he'd come up to the stage, and he saw a deer and a horse join him, but there was no lemon shark among them. Similarly, when he looked out, there was no lemon shark anywhere in the crowd, especially not one with the collared fraternity shirt Colton had been wearing.

Darren's lower jaw fell, and he breathed in nervously.

"Colton?"

----**----

Colton's feet pounded on the pavement. Everything was a blur of neon signs and bright headlights as he rushed down the street, and his tears did nothing to help that. He kept running past other pedestrians, with one singular goal in mind: get as far away from Golden Hustlers as he could, as quickly as he could.

He could not stop. There was no way he could. How stupid he had been to fall under Darren's spell right there, even with Andrew's encouraging. The wolverine must have planned it: he must have known that Tyler would try beat him up, and he must have known Michael and Matthew would be there watching. And there, Colton was, literally one spread leg away from showing his boner to the world, and to the crocodile he'd come to know so well over the past year. It was all stupid: he was stupid to let Darren beckon him to the stage, he was stupid to let Michael and Matthew have the last word, it was stupid to go on the bar crawl in the first place...

Colton found himself running out of breath. He stopped, bending over his knees and inhaling. As soon as he did, he all but collapsed against a nearby wall, grasping it to stay upright as he began to sob gently. His fraternity membership was over, he was certain: even if Coach could sort everything out, Andrew's plan had worked: Tyler hated him now, had nearly beaten him up, and the rest of the fraternity would follow for sure once they found out what had happened. Then he'd get expelled, and that would alert his father, and then his father would find out where his son had been not just on the night of his twenty-first birthday, but other nights after that fateful day three days after he had turned twenty and texted his parents he was going to see a movie to cover his first time at the bathhouse, and then he would be completely alone, completely worthless, completely...

Colton let out a soft cry, before slumping against the wall, sinking down until he sat on the ground. What was supposed to be a night of fun had turned into a nightmare, and Colton wanted nothing more than for it to end.

He did not know how long he stayed there until he ran out of tears to cry. When he did finally pull up to look at the night sky above him, he realized that maybe he had not lost everything. There was DragonRabbit, for one: he'd already shot a couple videos with them, so the prospect of income was already not too far out of his grasp. And then, Darren had his back on everything: the only problem there was that Colton was not sure if Darren was even physically alright, and he didn't know when he would be available.

Colton sighed, before pulling out his phone. He pulled up his Uber app, looking up as he looked through his saved addresses. Darren's address jumped out at him then: it was probably strange not to tell Darren he would be there, but he knew the crocodile would not mind. He sighed, before realizing he had never used Andrew's ten-dollar bill, which he only then realized was in his hand.

Colton sighed, before selecting Darren's address. As he did this, he leaned back, before pushing himself off of the wall and walking to the edge of the pavement.

----**----

Colton guessed that it was about two in the morning when the car pulled up at Darren's apartment complex. The car pulled into the parking lot, and as it did, Colton stood up, watching the car slide into parking space seventy-three. As soon as it did this, Colton began to walk forward, breathing in as his pace picked up. He was already halfway to the car by the time the door opened and the large crocodile had stepped out of the vehicle.

Darren closed the door, before Colton greeted him with a tight hug. And despite himself, Colton could only cry into Darren's chest. The intoxicating smell from earlier was gone, and as Darren held Colton close the shark felt the soft grid of cotton slide against his scales.

"Colton!" Darren patted the shark's back gently. "You're okay! Where'd you go?"

Colton shook his head. "Away, and then here..." he said. He breathed in, shaking his head. "I knew... I knew you'd be back, and I just wanted..."

"Jesus, Colton, you had me scared for a little there," said Darren. He shook his head. "When that crazy fox guy tried to hit you, you vanished and you... I thought you might've gotten yourself hurt, or something."

"No..." Colton shook his head, settling against Darren. "Oh, God, I'm so sorry. I should've never agreed to go there with them." He shook his head, finally parting from the big crocodile. "I... My frat brothers were there. It was Andrew's idea. He somehow figured out what I am, and..." He shook his head, before holding his head in his hands as the tears came back in full force. "Oh God, Darren, they're gonna kick me out of the fraternity, and I'm..."

Darren shook his head, before pulling him close. "There, there," he said. "We'll talk about this inside the apartment." He then pulled away, gently hugging Colton with a single arm and starting towards the door. "Come on."

Colton did not protest as Darren walked along. And as they did, Colton laid his head against Darren's chest, closing his eyes and feeling the warmth return.

----**----

Colton sat on the bed, nursing a hot tea that Darren had brewed as soon as they had entered the apartment. The apartment itself was small: only one bedroom, a living room, and a bathroom were contained within, but Darren was never one for the big things. Colton looked at the tea that he sipped, sighing as he breathed on it first before taking another sip.

Darren walked into the bedroom, the crocodile dressed down to his boxers. He then closed the door behind him, before taking his place next to Colton on the bed.

"And that was when you noticed me in the crowd," Colton said. "And... well, you know the rest."

Darren sighed, hanging his head. "I'm sorry," he said.

Colton shook his head. "Don't apologize," he said. "There's no way you could've known. I... I was stupid to let the hormones take over like that. If I'd had just a little more self-control..." He then looked up, sighing. "Your snout's okay?"

"Yeah," Darren replied. "Drew's--sorry, you probably know him as Bellisa--Drew's day job is as a paramedic, so he saw to me right away. Nothing's broken. I'll just be bruised for a week and it'll be alright."

Colton nodded, setting the cup of tea down on the nightstand as he placed his hand on Darren's. "I'm so scared..." He shook his head. "They're probably figuring out how they're going to boot me out. Coach is away for the weekend, and he won't be coming back until late this afternoon." He sniffled, shaking his head. "What'll they do to me when I go back there?"

"I don't know," said Darren. "But what I do know is you shouldn't be there alone." He shrugged. "I don't have any gigs tomorrow, nor was I planning anything with friends. If you want me to, though, I can be there to protect you."

Colton looked up, before hugging Darren. "Thank you," he said, softly.

Darren didn't say anything, simply pulling Colton close. The crocodile shifted, with Colton taking the initiative and sitting in Darren's lap. They both held that position for a while, Colton resting his head against Darren's pecs.

"I... At least it was a good dance..." Colton replied.

Darren shook his head. "It could've been so much better for you, though," he said.

"What I got was..." The shark pulled back, stroking Darren's shoulder. "Do you always oil your muscles like that?"

"Always," Darren replied. "It catches the light better."

"And the way your body moved..." Colton sighed, feeling the old excitement come to mind again. "It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen..."

Darren smiled, the smile muted in the darkness. "I've been told that, sometimes," he said. He then brought his hand forward. "But from you, I know you mean it as more than just flattery."

Colton smiled, placing one hand on Darren's as he began to rub that muscular chest. "I wanted you more than I ever have in the past on that stage..."

And here, Darren leaned closer. Colton could feel the tip of Darren's cock start to peek out from his boxers as he shifted in the bed again. "Yeah?" asked Darren.

"Yeah..." Colton leaned forward, the hand starting to move more exploratorily. "Feel everything on you... feel the power behind those muscles..." His legs began to slide off Darren's lap, and before long, he pressed his mouth up against Darren's pecs.

The crocodile groaned, gripping the back of Colton's head gently, hesitantly. "You sure?" he asked. "I know tonight was a rough night..."

Colton nodded, before pulling back. "I'll be okay, knowing you're here," he said, a smile forming on his mouth.

Darren nodded, before he gripped Colton's head a little firmer, leading him back to the pec he had been licking. "Then go wild, babe," he said. "Show me how badly you wanted to touch me then..."

Colton smiled, his tongue darting out with no hesitation to lick at Darren's pecs. The flesh tasted fresh, a faint hint of coconut hitting his palate as he began to explore a little further. His hands explored every inch of Darren's body, and after a second Colton tended to fixate on the muscles on Darren's arms. The crocodile smiled, flexing for him as Colton's mouth travelled up to the biceps.

"Mm... Yeah, that good for you?" asked Darren.

Colton moaned his appreciation, before baring his legendary shark teeth. He gently began to nibble along the flesh, alternating the nibbling with the licking. It would never be enough to penetrate the scales, Colton knew, but something about it allowed him to feel the flex in a way his hands could not. And in the way Darren chuckled in appreciation, Colton could tell he liked it too.

Colton worked his way back to the crocodile's chest, and there he began to experiment with biting a little harder. Here, his work was rewarded with soft moans, and one time he looked up he even saw Darren lean his head back, his snout parting as his moans grew ever so slightly louder. Colton smiled, before he felt at the flat abs that Darren sported. He licked those up, too, pressing into them with his fingers, before slowly working his way back up to the other pec.

Darren breathed out with a huff. "Damn, babe..." he said. "You... This your first time doin' that?" he asked.

Colton nodded. "Yeah..."

Darren chuckled, although this was cut off mid-chuckle by a moan as Colton bit down just a little firmer on the pecs then. Colton then began to lick back down, before his tongue worked its way down to the elastic band on Darren's boxers.

And then, Colton pressed against Darren's chest, the crocodile falling back on the bed in surprise. "Colton?" he asked.

The shark breathed in, before looking up at Darren. "Spread your legs for me. I want to try _all_the muscles."

And before Darren could protest, Colton lifted one leg, gently biting down on the elastic band and pulling it down: this revealed Darren's waist, and of course that big crocodile cock that Colton knew so well. He pulled it off halfway down the crocodile's legs, before reaching up and pulling it off the rest of the way.

And then, once the article of clothing was off, Colton gently bit down on Darren's leg, massaging Darren's ass with the hand not busy discarding the boxers on the floor. Darren gave a pretty loud moan at this, before spreading his legs as Colton had commanded. With this, Colton began to divide his time between each of Darren's plump ass cheeks. Of course, this required getting around Darren's thick crocodilian tail, but he was not deterred, determine to worship every last beautiful muscle on Darren's body.

The attention threw Darren off, and he began to stroke his length, which had extended out of his slit by that time. He threw his head back and let out a guttural moan, surprised at how deftly Colton managed to worship his muscles.

And then, Colton paused, looking right at Darren's pucker. His asshole was clean, which greatly surprised Colton. Of course, the more he thought about it, the more he remembered that it would have to stay clean, with the thongs there. Thus, he exhaled, looking back up at Darren as he squeezed his ass cheeks.

Colton went in. He pressed forward, his tongue pushing hard against Darren's entrance.

The crocodile let out a loud moan, gripping Colton's head with one hand and pulling him in closer. "Ah!" Darren panted, knowing exactly what position he was in as Colton began to eat him out, pressing his tongue into his entrance. "J... Jesus!"

Colton grinned, before he squeezed those ass cheeks together. He pulled back for this action, spreading them open again and attacking Darren's entrance with his tongue once again with an enthusiasm that knew no equal. This reduced Darren to laying back on the bed, panting and moaning as he began to thrust his ass against Colton's face. He then began to leak profusely, before he looked back up at Colton, finding the will to stand up.

"Ah... You're good... at this..." he moaned out. "How...?"

Colton pulled back, grinning and showing Darren his jagged teeth. "Kirk taught me a few tricks," he replied. He then looked at himself, before looking back at him. "But I can worship that all I want, I'm still not feeling the... power behind them."

And here, Darren grinned, before pulling himself off the bed. He then pulled Colton up by the shirt, before grinning. "You're overdressed," Darren replied. "Strip, and get on the bed."

It took Colton no time at all to obey that order. As he pulled his clothes off, Darren reached for the bottle of lube. He turned just in time to see Colton's weeping lengths from where they poked out of his slit, before the shark got on his back, raising his legs in the air. Darren moved with unusual speed on the lube, and from the sloppy way he applied the slick substance to his length Colton could tell Darren was just as excited as he was.

And then, finally, the crocodile leaned in, placing his cock right at Colton's entrance. "Ready to feel my power here?" he asked.

Colton nodded. "Show me that power..." he said, breathlessly.

In one thrust, Darren was in. Colton's staggered cry was all pleasure: he had grown used to Darren's girth by that point, and as Darren began to thrust madly the shark's only response was to cry in pleasure, his tailfin slapping the ground as Darren began to thrust as powerfully as he could into the smaller shark.

With each rough slap of Darren's hips against Colton's ass, the shark worked slowly to bring his hands to Darren's muscles. And when they got there, Colton began to move them around, to feel every flex of the muscles. He had done this before, but he began to explore further now, feeling the way Darren's arms tensed, the way his pecs flexed, the way his abs spasmed every time he hilted within him...

It was wonderful, and as he felt this, Colton felt the pressure begin to build in his loins. "Ah... Darren..."

The crocodile began to cry out. "Colton... Ah...!" He grunted, gritting his teeth. "Gonna... Blow..."

"Ah... Ah!" Colton could barely form any words. "Ah!"

And then, the shark let out an almighty cry, his seed spurting hard and quick. Some of it landed on Darren's bedsheets, the rest spilling onto both of their torsos as he cried out in ecstasy. And as he clenched hard around Darren, the crocodile suddenly tensed up, Colton feeling the precise moment that every muscle in his being froze as he felt the first wave of semen flood his bowels.

Darren thrusted once, twice more, before slowing to a stop, hilting within Colton. He stood upright for a second, before falling on top of Colton, the crocodile's sweat mingling with Colton's cum as the two of them lay panting, both of them taking a second to come down off of their high.

Colton was the first to turn to Darren: he chuckled softly, weakly bringing his hands up to Darren's head and massaging it. "I... Oh my..." He let out a soft moan, the moan branching into a chuckle.

Darren exhaled, faintly aware of the tingle at his entrance that he still felt. "Holy... That was..." He let his arms fall to the side, his hips pulling back just enough that he did not quite pull out yet.

Colton found the strength to bring his arms further down, lifting Darren's snout and massaging it gently. "That was... Indeed..." He exhaled, chuckling. "I'm gonna... ah... feel that in the morning..."

"So am I..." Darren smiled. "You... Hah... enjoyed it."

Colton nodded. "Enjoyed is... too light a word..." he said. He then laid his head back, looking up at the ceiling. "Good God..."

Neither of them said anything for a while after that. After about a minute, Darren pulled out, before climbing into bed tiredly. He flopped next to Colton, and smiled lazily as he pulled Colton in. Colton did not say anything, pulling himself closer to Darren and shifting his head so it rested on Darren's chest.

Darren began to pet Colton. He then sighed, looking down. "You know you're welcome here if the frat kicks you out, right?" he asked.

"Yes." Colton smiled, pulling himself closer. "I... I don't know how, but I just know." He sighed, closing his eyes and laying a hand on Darren's chest. "You're a wonderful guy, Darren. And whatever happens, I..." He hesitated, the words playing on his lips gently.

Darren smiled, looking down at Colton. "You're a good kid, babe," he said quietly, letting his tongue brush over the top of Colton's head. "Get some rest. We'll find out what the frat thinks tomorrow."

"Okay." Colton settled in as Darren pulled the covers over the two of them. And despite the ominous undertones that both knew were embedded in there, Colton had a feeling that, somehow, things would turn out alright.

----**----

It was about four in the afternoon when Colton had finally returned to the fraternity house: Darren had treated Colton to brunch before then, and of course they'd had a couple more rolls in the hay. He knew the guys would be setting up for Sunday night football and most of the guys would be out for snack runs, so he was surprised when he noticed that the frat house parking lot was full. They'd had to park across campus, and the long walk to the frat house did not set Colton's nerves at ease at all.

Colton stopped at the door to the fraternity house. He lifted his hand to knock, but hesitated for a second: he saw the angry face of Tyler in his memory, held it there in his mind, and he knew that such faces would likely greet him. He then sighed, looking back at Darren.

The crocodile smiled, gently patting Colton's shoulder. "You got this, champ," he said. "I'm right here, you know."

Colton smiled back. He then swallowed, turning to the door. He rapped on it three times, before stepping back to give it room to open.

When the door opened, it was Michael who answered the door. Matthew also stood there, his arms crossed in front of him as he stood back. And there, Coach Cappelletti stood behind all of them, and behind him Colton noticed most of the rest of the fraternity brothers gathered around the couches around the TV. Colton winced as they made eye contact, expecting them to hurl homophobic abuse.

Instead, Michael sighed in relief. "Oh my God, Colton! You're okay!"

Colton could barely form a response before Michael pulled him into a tight hug. Matthew nodded, stepping forward and joining the embrace. Colton tensed, but ultimately gave in as he pulled the two of them close.

They stayed close for a second, before Colton pulled back. "Michael? Matthew?" He looked around confused. "Aren't you--?"

"We were scared shitless you'd gotten yerself hurt!" Matthew stepped back, breathing heavily. "When you weren't back by lunch when Coach Cappelletti got back, we thought you were a goner for sure!"

Colton frowned, before he looked back at the older ram. "Coach... You're back?" he asked. "I... But--"

"Andrew called about six in the morning in Eastern Time," Coach Cappelletti replied. "As soon as I found out, I took the first flight back here. And let me tell you, that wasn't an easy flight to find!" He sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "You got here late, though."

Colton frowned. "You... you don't hate me?" he asked.

This question threw all three at the door for a loop, as evidenced by their surprised expressions. "W... Why would we do that?" asked Michael.

"I just, with the way Tyler reacted..." Colton asked. "He's the fraternity president, so..."

"Don't worry about Tyler," replied Coach Cappelletti with a dismissive hand gesture. "The first thing I did when I got back here was I put him on suspension and told him to stay away from you at all times. He's also lost his status as chapter president, effective immediately." He then crossed his arms. "Honestly, if it were up to me, I would've booted him, but our bylaws don't permit that. Three strikes rule, you know. But this counts as two strikes, so the next time he gives you that homophobic crap, he's out, and I made sure that was perfectly clear to him."

"And right now, he actually isn't here," Michael replied. "We told him to get the hell out for today."

"O-oh..." Colton felt a huge weight lift from his chest as he then stumbled forward. "I... Oh God, I thought I was finished here."

"Not by a long shot, Colton," said Michael, a smile forming on his muzzle. "And once he comes back, we're not letting him forget that he isn't the one in charge anymore!"

"Yeah," said Matthew. He then rubbed the back of his head, his ears flicking to the side. "I... don't think I get it all, but I'm willin' to let ya do your thing. And most of the other guys feel the same way."

And then, a chorus of agreement sounded from behind them. Colton smiled, before bowing his head. "Thanks, guys," he said. "That... that means a lot."

"Heh, seems they were more willing to accept you than we feared."

All eyes turned to the large crocodile at the door. It was then that Michael and Matthew's eyes widened, before they both stepped back. "O-oh..." Michael said. "Oh dear..."

Coach Cappelletti frowned. "You know this guy?" he asked.

"Uh, yeah, coach," said Matthew. "He's the stripper Tyler punched."

Coach Cappelletti frowned, before turning to Colton. "The heck is he doing here?" he asked.

"I spent the night at his place," said Colton. He then sighed, scratching at the back of his neck. "And since the cat's out of the bag about my sexuality... I actually have history with him, from before last night. He, uh..." He then blushed, a nervous chuckle coming out. "He took my virginity almost a year ago."

This caused everyone else at the door to double take, and Colton had to suppress a laugh at the way Coach Cappelletti's head reared back.

"Almost a year?" Michael asked, blinking in shock.

Colton chuckled. "Well... it'll be a year on Tuesday." He sighed, before perking up. He then glanced around, noticing that a certain wolverine was nowhere to be seen. As he noticed this, he turned back to Coach Cappelletti. "Speaking of that, actually, where's Andrew?"

Coach Cappelletti nodded, the ram rubbing one of his horns. "Well, that's the thing," he said. "He wouldn't come out of his room. He said he didn't want to face any of us."

"So he's inside?" asked Colton.

"He is," said Coach. "You should probably talk to him."

The lemon shark nodded. "I'll do that," Colton replied. He then pointed back at Darren. "Do you mind if he stays for Sunday night sports?"

"Oh, that won't be a problem, bro," said Michael. He then chuckled. "Speaking of which, we can actually do our snack run for that now." He then stepped back inside, and Colton stepped in after him. "Right, Todd, you're going to--"

But before Michael could get too far, the rest of the brothers leapt over the couches and rushed at Colton, all of them pulling him into a massive group hug. The lemon shark gasped in shock, and the only other noise he heard above the cacophony of the frat brothers' expressions of relief was the sound of Darren's deep chuckle as he passed through the door behind him.

But the shock wore off for Colton. As it did, he sighed, hugging everyone else in the hug as best he could. After all, how else could he express gratitude at how easily they had accepted him? It was great, and as he relished in the group hug, he closed his eyes.

----**----

Of course, as the other frat brothers scattered to buy snacks, Colton and Darren both walked to Andrew's room. Colton knocked on the door gently, sighing as soon as he pulled his hand away.

"Go away," Andrew replied. Colton was taken aback by just how forlorn Andrew sounded: the voice was a little higher pitched, the intonation a little strained, and it sounded like he was one more knock away from screaming in desperation.

Still, Colton breathed in. "It's okay, Andrew, it's me," he said. "Look, Coach Cappelletti told me you hadn't left the room, and--"

Immediately, the door opened. Andrew's fur looked very disheveled, and it was clear he had not showered at all that day or the previous night from the smell, which was worse than usual. Colton shrunk back instinctively, but as soon as he got used to it he looked up at Andrew.

The wolverine then sighed, taking a deep breath in as his shoulders sagged. "Oh my God, you're okay..." he said. "I... I thought for sure you'd been hurt in some way." He then looked behind Colton, his eyes widening as his gaze fell on Darren. "W-what's he doing here?"

"Relax, kid, I've actually known Colton for a while," Darren said. "Almost a year, actually."

"O-oh..." The wolverine paused, clearly thinking something over, before he finally sighed in relief. "I thought he was here for revenge after what Tyler did..."

"No," said Colton. "He wanted to make sure I was okay when I came back here. But right now, you have something to answer for." He then considered the room. "Do you mind if we come in?"

"Please." Andrew stepped back, letting Colton into the room.

Colton stepped into the wolverine's room. He was surprised by how sparse it was: he expected several pin-ups of Playboy girls, or something else related to that. But there was surprisingly little that was attached to the wall of Andrew's room. The bedsheets, too, were rather simple: just a navy blue. And in the corner, there was a family picture, probably of Andrew's high school graduation or something.

Still, Colton stepped in, leaning against the far wall as Darren leaned against the door frame, closing the door behind him. The wolverine sat on the bed, clasping his hands together between his legs.

Colton looked down at Andrew. "So, what was your plan there?" he asked. "Were you really trying to make it up to me?"

"I was," said Andrew. He shook his head, looking down. "I just... I thought you'd told them."

Colton frowned, rearing back. "What?" he asked.

"I thought you'd told them," Andrew repeated, a little louder than before. "I mean, you get along great with Michael, and Matthew is alright. I didn't think Tyler would be a problem: they'd keep him occupied, you'd get your dance, and everyone would go home all happy." The wolverine looked up. "I know you and I never got along on the best terms, but you were best bros with Michael. I figured you'd told him at some point, because that's what best bros do, right?" He gestured forward, his palm lifted up as he talked. "They tell each other when one of 'em isn't into pussies. I thought that's what you did with Michael." He then turned, looking down to the floor again. "But when I asked him about it after we all followed Tyler out of the club, he told me neither of them knew..."

Colton then shook his head, leaning forward. "Andrew, I don't even feel confident enough to tell my _family_about the fact that I'm gay," he said. "If I do that, I'm getting rejected, no questions asked. And you've seen how this fraternity gets. I..." He shook his head. "You remember all the study group sessions I used to have on weekends? Lies, all of them. I needed an excuse to get out of the frat house, because I didn't want to run the risk of one of you being homophobic, like how Tyler was."

"But it's Michael," said Andrew. "Me, I'd get after all I kept saying about girls, but Michael?"

"Not even him," Colton replied. He then shook his head, sitting on the bed next to Andrew. "You guys never mention any gay stuff, and I have no gauge to know how accepting you are because of that. And when you're me, surrounded by a lot of macho straight guys, you assume that, as the odd one out, they're going to pick on you if you tell." He then shook his head. "If you really wanted to help me with a dance, you should've asked me if I'd told them first."

Andrew shook his head. "But it's just you bangin' guys, and I know you well enough to know you aren't gonna get in my pants if I don't want it," he said, looking back to face Colton. "That isn't so hard to understand, right? What the hell was Tyler up in arms about? And why would you be so scared of telling Michael?"

"Because it ain't easy coming out."

Andrew and Colton both looked to Darren. The large crocodile then looked to the side, before reaching for the rolling chair at Andrew's desk. He rolled it out, before adjusting it and sitting in it, facing Andrew and crossing his legs.

"I grew up in the bayou, down in Louisiana," Darren replied. He then looked to Colton. "Colton knows that part." He then turned back to Andrew, his crimson eyes a little harder than before. "He also knows the part where my father was actually a pastor."

Andrew reared back. "You?" he asked. "A pastor's kid?"

Darren nodded. "And I certainly don't act like it, I know," he said. "Anyway, I started noticing things when I turned fifteen, about how I'd look at girls. My father kept pressuring me to get a girlfriend, but I didn't see what the big deal was." He leaned back, looking up at the ceiling. "It was when I finally turned eighteen and just about to end high school that I met Charles. He was my first time. We just... we liked each other, we had the same homeroom, he always had time just before football practice to date." He sighed, looking at the ceiling, his gaze wistful in a way Colton had never seen before. "I think I loved him."

Andrew nodded, his muscles seeming to relax. "So what happened then?" he asked.

"Well, his dad told my dad," said Darren, his snout angling back towards Andrew. "And then my dad locked me in a room for an entire weekend trying to tell me I was falling into sin, and striking me when I kept telling him otherwise."

The wolverine leaned back, his eyes widening in shock. "Wait, and that was your dad?" he asked. "But like, dads and sons are close. How?"

"I wish I knew." Darren shifted his posture. "When I was in school the next day, Charles began to act like we'd never been together. He said he was over that, that it was just a phase, but I saw in his eyes that he was just as scared and sad as I was. And after that, people treated us differently. I was bullied relentlessly, there was homophobic graffiti posted to my locker one time..." He shook his head.

Andrew's muzzle hung open at this revelation. "I..." He looked down, working his jaw. "I..."

"After a month of it, I couldn't take it anymore," the crocodile continued. "I bought two bus tickets here, told Charles to come with me. But he didn't come with me. He wanted to tough it out." Darren sighed. "And after that, I left."

The wolverine nodded, swallowing a lump in his throat. "I had no idea..." he said. "I always thought you guys just had the best parties."

"Not always," Darren replied, his native Bayou accent beginning to show. "Some of us get lucky, but others..." He shook his head, closing his eyes. "What ya did with Colton was shitty, and ya shouldn't have done it without askin' him who else knew. Colton was in tears when I found 'im at my apartment buildin's doorstep when I got home 'cause he was terrified that he would get kicked out of the fraternity. That's what ya did, and I'll tell ya now that I wouldn't've taken Colton on-stage last night if I'd known anythin' 'bout what was going on."

Andrew's shoulders sagged. "I guess it doesn't matter what I thought, does it?" he asked.

"No," Colton replied, crossing his arms. "No, it really doesn't."

A silence hovered over the room. Andrew worked his paws with his fingers, unable to look away from the floor. From the way that the wolverine's shoulders sagged, Colton guessed that Andrew was feeling great guilt, and as he noticed this his expression began to soften somewhat.

Finally, Andrew turned to Colton. "I'm so sorry," he said. "I never meant for that to happen the way it did." He then looked to the floor. "I... I get it if you don't want to talk to me."

Colton shrugged, before resting his hand on Andrew's shoulder and squeezing it. "No, it's fine," he said. "I honestly didn't expect you to be the most accepting of me being gay, really. You talk about girls so much I figured you were just a typical dumb jock who only thinks with his dick."

"Heh." Andrew leaned back, looking at the ceiling. "I guess I do give that impression." He then looked back to Colton. "I'm sorry for doing that to you. I don't know if there's anything I can do to make up for that, but if there is..." He glanced to the floor briefly, before exhaling and looking back up to Colton. "Please, I'll be more than happy to do it."

Colton nodded. "I'll think about it," he said.

Andrew finally managed a smile at this point. He then looked between Colton and Darren, leaning back a little. "So, uh..." He chuckled nervously. "You were at his place last night, it looks like?"

"Yeah," said Darren. "What about that?"

Andrew chuckled. "Did you two bang?"

Colton and Darren then shot each other grins, before looking back at the wolverine deviously. "Well, funny you should ask," Darren said, the Bayou accent gone. "We did. But it wouldn't be the first time we've banged, not by a long shot."

Andrew leaned back, smiling. And then, the implications of Darren's statement sank in, and then his jaw hung open, his eyes going comically wide as he looked first to Darren and then to Colton. "Wait, what!?"

Colton laughed, throwing his head back. "Let me tell you all about how I met Darren, Andrew..."

----**----

"Oh, that is _bullshit!_Come on, referee!"

The other frat brothers all sat down. Matthew shook his head, looking to a German shepherd on his right whose ears remained raised and pointed forward. "Yeah, that was pretty dumb."

"Right?" Andrew stood up, his fur looking clean, if still a little moist. He sat back down to Matthew's left.

The shep shook his head, looking back to Matthew. "Derek totally had the ball there!" the shep replied. "Got it dead to rights, and they still called a foul on him!"

"Yeah," said Andrew. "And..." He then paused, leaning closer to the television as the referee approached a large alligator on the court. "Oh, wait, that was on Hal?"

"Oh, there we go!" said the shepherd. He then stood back up. "Now they're gonna go to free throws."

"Hah. And knowing that bird, he's gonna sink all of 'em," said Matthew. "Now this game's gettin' interesting!"

Matthew and the other frat brother dipped their hands into the nacho bowl, preparing it as a kkachi on-screen took his place at the goal line. And as he did so, Colton leaned back against the warmth of Darren's torso. As he settled in, he laid his hand on Darren's, gently ghosting over it with his fingers as he smiled at the large croc behind him.

"This TV isn't so bad," Darren commented.

"Yeah." Michael came up behind them with a new bowl of pizza rolls that were still steaming. "Really good definition on games, and it's got like five HDMI ports. Which makes it good when we have video game night, because we can switch consoles at will."

"Yeah, those are the greatest," said Colton. He then pointed at Michael. "You should challenge him to a game of Mario Kart sometime."

"Hah, really?" asked Michael. "You sure he can handle me?"

And here, Darren grinned, turning to the deer. "Sorry, kid, but you'd be surprised," he said. "I can perform wonders with these big hands of mine."

Michael chuckled, leaning over the couch and placing the pizza rolls down. "That's what he said!" he said.

Darren, Colton, and Michael all had a good laugh at this. A few of the frat brothers who had overheard that exchange also chuckled in turn, and the added chuckle made Colton feel a little warmth inside. He then curled his legs up to let the deer into the couch, and then Michael sat next to both Darren and Colton.

"So," said Michael. "You think you're gonna come again some other time?"

Darren shrugged. "Depends on when I'm working," he said. "At my age, in my job, I can't exactly afford to choose my battles, and some bars have events on Sundays. But you kids aren't a bad group. I mean, we're getting all cozy here and it's not too awkward for you guys."

"Oh, trust me, we get handsier in our frat parties," Michael replied. "What you two are doing right now is tame compared to that."

"Remind me to tell you about the time I had two girls literally shoving their hands down my pants right in front of Coach," said Andrew, leaning back proudly. "He nearly had an aneurism right there."

A loud sigh came from the kitchen. "Yes, and you were banned from the next party for that," Coach Cappelletti said with enough volume to be heard from the kitchen. "I certainly didn't want to see your dick flop out!"

Andrew wrinkled his nose. "Okay, that part was an accident," he said. "I can't help it that I have a big dick!"

Colton then turned, blushing slightly as he looked at Darren. "He isn't lying, either," he said. "He really is big down there."

"You know it!" Andrew replied. He then fixed his gaze on Darren and Colton, before pointing at the two of them. "So, uh... I hear you're not supposed to ask who the man and the woman is, so uh..." He then lifted two of his fingers up, before inserting them into a hole he'd formed with the opposite index finger and thumb. "Who throws, and who catches?"

Darren chuckled. "For the record, the pitcher is called a 'top', and the catcher is called a 'bottom', so to speak," he replied.

Colton blushed, but did not call Darren out on that detail. "As for that..." he continued. "Well, he tops, and I bottom."

"Oooh..." said Andrew. He leaned closer, a mischievous smile playing on his muzzle. "Do you ever switch?"

"No." said Darren. He then glanced down at Colton. "Although, I will admit I've started to think about it."

Colton's eyes widened in surprise. "You have?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Darren. "What's stopped me so far is that I really want to bottom with someone I trust, and it's taken me years to sort of really consider it for real." He then sighed, shrugging. "And I do have a list of people I wouldn't mind bottoming for."

"A list?" Michael asked. He chuckled, crossing his arms. "You're just as bad as Andrew, aren't you?"

Darren cut the air with his hand. "I'm a stripper, and sometimes I do porn with a friend who owns a porn studio," he replied. "It's almost part of the job description."

"Ooooh!" The frat brothers closest to Darren all grinned, Andrew even going so far as to pat Colton on the shoulder.

"Damn, look at that!" said Andrew. He then looked to Colton. "You ever get the grand tour with him?"

Colton blushed a little. "Well, uh..." he said, his snout burying into Darren's chest a little. "Yeah."

Darren chuckled gently at this. "Trust me, he's met--and played with--most of my friends," Darren replied.

"Damn!" Andrew leaned back, grinning at Colton. "I didn't think you were the type to be a player, man!"

"It is kind of surprising," said Michael. "But it doesn't sound like he's necessarily a "player", so to speak..."

"Oh, no, not at all," said Colton. "Sometimes I need to warm up to some of his friends. But..." And here, he smiled, looking up to the ceiling. "But they're all good guys."

"Yeah," said Darren. "In fact, most of the friends he knows are people on the list of men I would bottom for."

And with this, the crocodile leaned towards Colton, his snout going right next to his earholes. "And actually, I'm going to say this now: you might be on the list too."

Colton's face went completely beet red, but before he could say anything else Darren pulled back and smiled at the other frat bros. They watched both Darren and Colton's body language, all of them paying attention to the way Colton's head craned down to the floor, the way Darren's smirk played along his snout...

"Oooooh, boy!" Andrew shouted, standing up and lifting his beer. "Our little Colton's moving up in the world!"

The rest of the frat brothers joined in on the gesture, but before they could clink the bottles together Andrew chugged back some beer. Colton's blush remained true, but as the frat brothers' conversation began to fracture into speculation about the secret sex life Colton apparently had, the shark looked back up, before he blinked in surprise at the crocodile's smile.

"... You meant it," Colton whispered.

Darren brought his hand up to pet Colton's head. "I always mean it, babe," he said. "You know that by now."

And Colton felt a warmth emanate from his heart, one that he had never felt around Darren. It was different from the rush of ecstasy he had felt upon seeing the crocodile strip, and also different from that first time in the bathhouse. There, it was more sexual. This rush was... not, somehow. He could not quite put his finger on it, but all the same it made him feel wonderful.

Colton leaned towards Darren, giving him a kiss on the side of the snout. And as he slowly pulled away, he was only greeted by the crocodile's kindly smile.

With this done, Colton adjusted, letting his head rest just under Darren's jaw. Darren only pulled him closer, and the two of them basked in the warmth as the conversation with the rest of the fraternity brothers started going on about the Mary Beary recipe Coach Cappelletti was busy baking in the oven.