FSE

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All For Family

Written by Leo_Todrius

Supported by my Patrons

For years, Cafe Crave had been a well-loved, cozy, out of the way coffee shop near the end of the city's subway line. While it was always welcoming, the end of the year always seemed to be the warmest - at least indoors. Halloween had passed, removing the last barrier between fall and the Christmas season. The coffee shop had been decorated with tasteful green garland with white lights. A tree had been set up on the side of the stage that no one ever used. Even nature seemed to have gotten into the spirit of things as soft, silent snowflakes fell outside, blanketing the already sleepy city.

Everything seemed spot on, just the way the owner would have wanted. Even the Christmas music was gentle, ambient, and jazzy without being annoying. Kevin had worked hard to capture that holiday feeling, taking special care with the decorations and even baking a few batches of sugar cookies and gingerbread to add to the cafe's bakery selection. The barista slid trays into the display case, the angled glass catching his reflection as he worked so diligently.

Kevin was eighteen, though his cherub cheeks certainly made people think there was a chance he was a bit younger. His full lips were usually in a smile and his brown hair was darker at the roots and bleached near the tips. He was tall and lean, and his yellow apron seemed almost too big on him. The barista finished sliding the last trays into place and closed the display case before he rose back to his feet and moved around, making sure all the tables were clean. Every aspect of the cafe seemed perfect, except for the fact that Christmas was still almost forty days away. Once again, the world had skipped right past Thanksgiving. Kevin wished he could as well.

While most eighteen-year-olds shied away from the holiday out of embarrassment or a yearning for better things to do, Kevin longed for that connection, that anchor, that family connection. He'd been an orphan for most of his life. Working at the Cafe had given him some stability and a modest enough income to support a tiny one-bedroom apartment, but his entire life was contained in a two-block radius. He wanted more, he wanted family, he wanted a real Thanksgiving...

A slight sigh escaped his lips as his hand drifted to his left pocket, feeling the slight lump there. It was an idle thought, one that made the barista feel hopeful and foolish at the same time. Given how empty the shop was, Kevin decided to indulge himself. He reached into the pocket and withdrew an old coin - a very old coin. It was gold on the outside and silver in the center, emblazoned on one side with a grape leaf and on the other with some Greek hero with a wreath around his hair and a bushy, curly beard. He was certainly Kevin's kind of man, but the coin meant more, at least to the enigmatic person who gave it to him when he couldn't pay for his tab.

'This coin will buy you everything you seek for a time, but the solace you seek can only be kept if the purchase is fair.' The words still rung in Kevin's mind. Normally he would have considered it a metaphor, a life lesson passed on by a traveler spinning a tale to pass off an old coin to pay for a meal instead of real money... but everything else that customer had talked about, every story he'd shared had been about magic, about possibilities, about the hidden seams and corners of the world. Coming from some it would have seemed like conspiracy theories, but the way the customer had told it seemed charming instead.

The jingling of silver bells filled the air as the door opened, bringing with it a blast of the biting cold from outside. The heavy door swung back shut and the warm, sweet smelling air rushed in to engulf the traveler. The man was in his late thirties, a black beanie covering his shaved head. Large obsidian spacers adorned the lower part of his ears that stuck out beneath the hat. His glasses were rectangular and stylish, and his face was framed with a reddish-brown beard that he had been trying to grow out from its usual uniformity since August. After some time it was starting to get some good length to it.

The customer brushed some snow off of his heavy black coat and wiped his motorcycle boots off on the welcome mat before advancing to his usual seat. As he got situated, the heavy wallet chain rattled gently on the edge of the old oak chair. Kevin swallowed a bit, feeling his heart thumping in his chest. The food service industry was perhaps one of the best occupations to do people watching. Every customer had a story, everyone had an interesting life, and for anyone drawn to men with an alternative style, a coffee shop offered many opportunities. Of all the customers Kevin ever had, Drake was one of his favorites... for many reasons.

"Welcome back. The usual today?" Kevin asked with a smile, slipping the coin back into his pocket. Drake looked up, his eyes narrowing a bit as he surveyed the chalkboard menu.

"Actually, I feel a bit like celebrating the season... and experimenting. How is the pumpkin spice hot chocolate?" Drake asked. Kevin tried to limit his facial expression.

"It's a bit of an experiment, that's for sure." he grinned. Drake let out a deep, soulful laugh at that.

"I bet the eggnog hot chocolate isn't much better?" he asked. Kevin shrugged.

"The customer is always right, but it might be best to just go for an eggnog if that's the direction you're going in." Kevin replied. Drake shook his head after a moment.

"I'm not ready for Christmas, I don't want to blow past Thanksgiving yet. I just want to get that good fall feeling. I want to feel like I'm with family. You know what I mean?" Drake questioned. Once more, as frequently happened, Kevin's heart fluttered, and he nodded eagerly.

"I know exactly what you mean. Do you trust me?" Kevin asked. Drake steepled his fingers beneath his chin.

"Implicitly." he replied, smiling a bit as he recalled fond memories of his own. Kevin nodded at that and moved back around the counter, getting to work. A small bowl of bread pudding was brought up, then a small slice of pumpkin bread. There was no good way to simulate turkey or mashed potatoes and that was already a good helping of carbs, so Kevin turned his attention to the drink instead. Apple cider was prepared and heated up, a blast of steam coming from one of the machines.

Drake tried to watch on, curious at the barista's machinations, but the snack bar made it hard to keep track. Kevin licked his lips a bit as he added clove, all spice, even a bit of orange zest to the already hot cider. He opened a small cupboard and opened a jar to withdraw a few cloves of star anise. With a bit more of his alchemy, he put everything on a tray with a plaid napkin and moved back out, presenting it to his customer. Drake grinned wide, the hazy winter sunlight glistening off his canine teeth as he beheld the presentation.

"That is amazing... You did great... Stuffing, pumpkin pie, and apple cider." Drake said with appreciation, reaching up to clap a hand onto Kevin's shoulder, giving it an appreciative squeeze. Kevin felt as if his body temperature spiked, his skin started tingling and he blushed, realizing even Drake's fingernails were painted black like the rest of his outfit. He was so cool, so manly, so warm, so welcoming, everything he'd ever want in someone... especially a father. Kevin gave a meek smile, feeling oddly gratified at such a personal thank you from someone he felt such a connection with.

"My pleasure. I'm just glad my baking isn't going to waste." Kevin said.

"You made this yourself? You're quite the catch, aren't you? I wish you were around every Thanksgiving." Drake purred. Kevin's heart nearly jumped into his throat. Drake looked at it all before turning back to the barista, "How much do I owe you?" he asked. Kevin's face blanched a bit at that as his brain struggled to work again.

"Four fifty..." he said. Drake's brow furrowed a little bit.

"For all this?" he asked. He asked. Kevin forced a smile.

"Thanksgiving discount. Not a lot of people to celebrate the season with." Kevin said. Drake smiled a bit at that and nodded, pulling out his wallet. He pulled out a twenty and handed it to Kevin, intent on leaving most of the change as a tip at the end. Seeing a way out of the extremely heightened situation, Kevin accepted the bill and retreated to his cash register. He rang up the apple cider and neglected to enter the other items before he made change. As Kevin slipped the quarters out of the register, a strange sensation traveled from the ribbed groves on the edge of the coins, through his hand, up his arm and into his brain.

Kevin's face shifted a little as he thought of the old coin in his pocket, the one that could buy him anything for a time... the coin that seemed too good to be true, the coin that he hadn't ever been able to find on any Google search. Whether it was hopeful or whether it was foolish, Kevin knew what he had to do. At best, maybe that strange man had been telling the truth about what the coin could do. At worst, it would make an amazing experience with Drake and a chance to tell him the story, to open up to him, to connect on some level, and that was what Kevin wanted... He wanted that family connection, he wanted Drake to be his dad... or at least his daddy, the sort of man he'd pictured on hot and sweaty nights.

One of the quarters dropped back into the register before Kevin fished out the unusual coin. He felt the smooth, beveled edge against his palm, then the rough engraving of the bushy bearded man. He took a small breath and moved back out from the safety of the snack bar, returning to his customer. Kevin typically offered all of his customers their change paper first and coins last as a way to keep anything from spilling, but as a one-time exception, he placed the two coins into Drake's hand first. The bearded traveler smiled and accepted the coins before he rejected the paper bills.

"You more than earned it today. Happy Thanksgiving." Drake said. Kevin smiled a bit sheepishly and nodded.

"Thank you so much, I'm just happy we can be together." he whispered before he turned and darted back toward the snack bar. Kevin was blushing beet red, realizing that Drake hadn't noticed the unusual coin at all... There had been no sparks, no strange flickering of the lights, and then he'd been so stupid to talk about being together. Kevin dropped the fifteen dollars into the glass tip jar on the counter before he dared through the narrow door into the stockroom, nearly panting.

The stockroom offered little comfort. The old red brick was faded to brown, the grout ungainly. Two lightbulbs hung from the ceiling without the aid of any covers and metal shelves on wheels lined one wall, holding cases of napkins, bags of utensils, and enough stirring sticks to build a log cabin. Kevin stood there in his yellow apron, breathing hard, feeling flushed. Why did everything have to be such a big deal? Why was he so anxious? Why were his thoughts about Drake so conflicted, so mixed, so strange? How could he want him to be a father AND a daddy...? Despite being an orphan, he hadn't had that weird of a childhood, had he? And yet, the idea of feeling that man against him, having those fingers grabbing onto him...

Kevin reached out to grab onto one of the shelves to support himself, but as his fingers wrapped around the metal frame, he froze. The barista worked with his hands all day, every day, but this was the first time that his hands looked different. The fingers that grabbed onto the shelf had black fingernails... and his knuckles had a dusting of hair that hadn't been there before. Kevin blinked and looked at his hand before lifting his other hand, finding the same. He stared in disbelief, so perplexed and dumbfounded that he was nearly frozen in place. His fingernails, however, were not...

What had started as rebellious black nails began to shift and change. The thin keratin caps to each finger were pushing out longer, tapering to a point. As they did, more and more of the bony material seeped out beneath the enamel. His fingernails got thicker as they got longer, but they were starting to get deeper as well. Kevin watched as his fingers got stiffer and thicker, the nails sinking down and taking root, turning into actual claws.

"What the falk? Falk... Falk!" Kevin murmured before realizing his mouth felt wrong as well. He ran his tongue up along his teeth, learning two things; his canine teeth were pushing out into fangs, and his tongue was oddly coarse, almost like sandpaper. Whatever was happening, it was strange as hell. Kevin moved down the narrow aisle and pushed open the door to the bathroom, flipping the switch. The fluorescent light flickered and buzzed as it warmed up, but as it filled the room with illumination, Kevin came face to face with a reflection he didn't quite recognize.

The barista's cute, cherub like cheeks were standing out against the darkening encroachment of a five o'clock shadow sprouting along his jaw and chin. His eyebrows seemed a bit thicker and his lips pushed out a bit more to make room for the fangs filling into his mouth. He opened wide, amazed at his deadly instruments before he stuck out his strange tongue. Kevin made faces at the mirror until he gasped, feeling a piercing, stinging pain in his ears until a pressure started to mount in them. His cartilage burned in his lobes, the skin spread tight as his ears began to grow wider and fuller, rounding out. The burning settled into a tingling as golden blond fur began to sprout along the backs of them, but the stinging hadn't just come from the changes, but the new additions.

While not as large as Drake's gauges, small black stone discs had bubbled up and grown into Kevin's ears, brandishing the same style as his... father. The memories began to unspool and spread through Kevin's mind even faster than the magic coursing through his body. Drake was his dad, bringing along everything that came with it... The blond tips of Kevin's hair took on a rusty red hue, his apron started to fit tighter and tighter as Kevin's ribs expanded, his shoulders broadened, and more meat started to pack onto his bones.

Kevin panted hard, a strange glazed expression passing over his face as his ass cheeks began to thicken and round, pushing back inch by inch by inch. As his jeans fit more snugly, it pulled the fabric across another changing part of his anatomy. Blood began gushing into his manhood, forcing the meat to stretch and grow like the rest of him. The denim distorted as the tent formed, but it had an even harder time hiding the fact that Kevin's modest balls were starting to engorge as well.

A clawed hand grabbed onto the counter for support, but the other went right for the fly. Kevin numbly fumbled with his pants until a claw accidentally sliced through the button, sending it flying. The zipper groaned, unable to contain so much cock and ass in one package. A huge bulge of underwear spilled out, darker and glistening where pre was soaking the pristine cotton. Kevin's heart raced, his blood boiled, and his clawed hand pulled his underwear down, revealing the most amazing, strangest, hottest sight he'd ever seen.

Kevin's balls had grown in every direction, plumping and bloating, but they served only as a pedestal, a foundation, a platform from which his manhood extended - and it seemed it was still extending. His shaft had nearly doubled in thickness, making it look fat and full. The head was already at full mast, but it wasn't shaped like a mushroom anymore... The dull, simple rounded head had been reshaped and reformed, taking on tapers and edges, becoming a complex piece of flesh that led to spiked barbs along the outer rim. As the barista watched, it was almost as if his cock got goosebumps, the little raised portions pushing out into subtle barbs as well.

Every part of his physiology seemed dangerous, from his sharp fangs and claws to his rough tongue to his barbed cock... Even his toes ached, making Kevin realize they had claws as well trapped inside of his shoes. He began to wriggle his toes up and down and, sure enough, with a little effort his transformed digits cut through the fabric, his claws slicing through and emerging to their full potential. Kevin looked down his torso at his feline cock and his overstuffed balls. Like a moth to the flame, he reached down, wrapping his hand around his manhood.

The barbs pricked his palm a little, a new tingling spreading out as the tips of his fingers and the base of his palm began to swell and round. The skin toughened up as the paw pads formed, giving him more protection as he began to work his hand up and down, faster and harder, moaning with each pump. As he did, his pants and underwear began to slide down, dropping to his knees, revealing his juicy, fat, round ass cheeks pried apart by a newly minted lion tail. It flicked around almost as much as his pucker quivered between the cheeks.

Kevin was trapped at the mercy of his changing body, sporting pierced lion ears, fangs, tongue, tail, cock and balls, along with a few gratuitous patches of golden blond hair that were sprouting from his chest, his elbows and around his groin. Kevin wanted to climax, to drown himself in the afterglow of his new body, but as events played out in his mind, he knew his attention had to shift. His life was re-writing itself moment by moment inside his own skull.

The barista knew there was no way to put the sensation into words, but if hard pressed he could almost picture it as if his memories were being packed up into little boxes and filed away while brand new ones exploded and unfurled themselves, linking together. His old life was there, but it was being filed away. The quiet and shy days at the orphanage seemed so much further away, replaced with memories of parent teacher conferences about his rowdy behavior, then the explanation that they weren't like other humans, they were were-lions...

Kevin suddenly remembered his first driving lessons with Drake, then his first motorcycle lessons... Cigars with his dad on special occasions... and then the day he had come out to his dad, and his dad had come out to him... New memories formed of the two years since that day, of the two encouraging each other, of supporting each other, but then the inescapable answer, the growing dark secret that they guarded even more fiercely than their supernatural origins... They had kissed, then they had kissed again. It wasn't unheard of in the werelion pride. In fact, legends said the best warriors nursed from their father's scepter... and when Kevin had done what his ancestors had, it had pushed them both beyond anything they thought possible.

There was a slight shimmering at the corner of Kevin's eyes, the pearlescent glow of the magic doing its thing. Kevin couldn't see it in his reflection, but he could feel it even more than he could see it. Whatever was happening, it hadn't finished yet, and neither had Kevin. He stepped out of his pants, his shoes toppling off in the process. He turned and moved back down the narrow hallway and emerged back onto the floor of the Cafe Crave. In the middle of the shop, the only other customer there, Drake had risen to his feet... and he had a lot further to travel than before.

Little flaps on his boots had been lifted up by deadly looking claws, revealing to Kevin that he'd always been ready to transform. His baggy coat was stretched tight over his hulking frame and his tight shirt revealed that his nipples were pierced in addition to his ears. His lion ears had emerged fully, his hands were covered with fur and paw pads, and a long tail swung hypnotically behind his full, round ass. His mouth seemed too small to contain his sharp teeth, and his eyes had transformed to a brilliant, almost hypnotic shade of blue.

Outside the cafe, the snow had stopped... in fact everything and everyone had; the cars, the people, even a lone bird flying through the snowy day. It seemed that the magic was working overtime to change Drake and Kevin and to line everything up. Drake turned, looking at Kevin, seeing him with two different lives for a moment before everything slotted into place in his mind. Drake reached down and released the heavy buckle on his pants before he drew down the zipper. The already sweet smell of the cafe was hit with a potent, spicy musk of a lion man.

"You know you need more of your daddy's milk if you're going to pass for human for your whole shift..." Drake said, grinning broadly and showing off his fangs.

"You say that now, but every time I drink my milk, I grow into a big strong cub..." Kevin said, moving over. It all was starting to make sense to him. The coin had made him Drake's son, but Drake had been hiding a secret and that connection had brought consequences with it. Thankfully for Kevin's sake, he accepted every one of them.

"Well, isn't that every father's dream? To see his cub grow up big and proud..." Drake said, starting to jerk off his huge lion cock. Kevin licked his lips.

"Big and proud and gay..." Kevin said, reaching out, adding his hand to his father's to support his massive meat.

"They say family is important, especially around Thanksgiving..." Drake whispered.

"I think I'm ready for my Thanksgiving feast." Kevin whispered back before he dropped down to his knees, reaching up to cradle and fondle the lion man's cock with both hands. Drake threw his head back and let out a muffled growl of pleasure, loving how those hands felt on his cock, as if they were a part of him and yet so different at the same time. Kevin started to draw his hands forward and back, getting a good grip, working up momentum before he leaned in and spread his maw wide.

Drake stood there in the middle of the coffee shop, a clawed hand coming down to rest on the back of his son's head. His claws dug into the shaggy mane of brownish-red hair, guiding Kevin forward. The lion shivered a little as he felt those dangerous fangs graze the sensitive flesh of his cock, but the feline barbs were equally dangerous to Kevin's mouth if he didn't treat it just right... but both of their minds were filling with new lives, new histories, and muscle memory earned from harnessing just the right technique.

A deep guttural growl grew from the pit of Drake's stomach as he began to thrust forward and back, meeting each thrust of Kevin's head. The two went at it faster and harder, deeper and deeper with each sweeping movement. Soon Kevin had taken in enough of his daddy's shaft that he removed one hand, sliding it down to massage the huge, furry sack. He kneaded and massaged it, feeling how ample and full it was. Every sensation was so rich and so taboo to Drake, enough to push him right up to the edge already.

Somewhere deep in Kevin's mouth, or perhaps even his throat, that musky spice began to bloom. The lion's cock was spurting pre, saturating everything with its silky-smooth sauce. Kevin slid back, letting it rest on his tongue, marinating his taste buds in it. As he did, the last jolts of magic began to jump between the two like static electricity. What had started as a five o'clock shadow and then stubble began to add up.

Kevin's cheeks quickly darkened as rusty red hair pushed out centimeter by centimeter. It pushed out first along his cheeks, but the hair on his chin formed a short tuft before the gaps filled in and completed the frame along his jaw. Peach fuzz grew out and matured, darkening into a reddish brown in moments. The hair was dense and thick, spreading quickly. It spread across his jaw and began to creep down his throat even as it climbed up higher and higher still along his cheeks. In moments he had gone from the cover of a teen heartthrob magazine to the beard that would make any coffee drinking hipster proud - but he wasn't the only one.

The magic coursed through Drake's body, rewriting his life. He was no longer a single werelion on the prowl. His history had been rewritten as a father, raising a son before coming out as the gay daddy he truly was. He had been trying to grow out his beard for months, but the magic pushed that date back year by year. For every inch that Kevin had gained, his father had gained two. Drake grunted louder and louder before he threw his head back, letting out a roar. What had started as jet after jet of pre became a flood of thick, potent lion cum that flowed into Kevin's maw before he gulped it down greedily... and sealed his fate.

Kevin felt a tickle across his throat as his beard kept growing downward, his cute cub cheeks the last line of defense keeping the beard from fully dominating his entire face. The reddish mane dropped down to his Adam's apple, then his collar bone before slowing as the bottom edge reached his sternum. The hair from his cheeks stuck out a fair distance, growing into the longer, messier, more unruly mop of hair he had on his head, giving him the true mane of any good lion... but it was a long way to go to measure up to what his daddy had achieved.

Drake stood there as a true king, his beard fuller and more massive than any lion had achieved in recent history. It spanned shoulder to shoulder and dropped down to his belly button. It was dark brown at the roots, red in the center and had streaks of grey befitting the head of a family. Drake let out one more mighty roar as the last of his humanity was shattered. His face contorted as bone, muscle, cartilage and ligaments shifted. His mouth pushed forward, his nose broadened, his beard gave way to fur and his skull reshaped. In moments he had the muzzle of a lion, his ears flicking as he came.

Wave after wave of hot cum filled Kevin's throat as he guzzled it down, filling his belly to the breaking point. His beard had slowed down to a normal rate of growth, dwarfed by his father's but the envy of his classmates. Even the picture of him in high school hanging on the wall had shifted, showing he had sported his mane for a few years already, but that was his public face, a human face, a mask he put on the blend in. In that moment, frozen in time, he was his father's son, a lion's cub.

Kevin's mouth felt strange, like molten clay as it pushed forward, expanding around Drake's cock. The barista's muzzle formed as more fur erupted from his forehead, framing his eyes and the bridge of his nose. It spread down his neck and across his shoulders as the sound of tearing filled the air. Kevin's shirt split out around the collar as his pecs filled out and his shoulders broadened one last time. His tail flicked around behind him as he took in every last drop of cum that Drake had to spend... and it seemed that it was just the right amount. Not even their famous Thanksgiving feasts filled him as well as his father could.

As Drake pulled his cock from Kevin's mouth and held his head to look at him and admire him, his pants sagged just enough that the old coin fell from his pocket. It made a sound as it hit the ground and rolled on its edge, taking a long curve along the floor before it ultimately hit the leg of a table. The bearded man fell face down, revealing that the other side was emblazoned with a roaring lion's head. The coin rested there in wait as time resumed outside. The snow began to fall again, the noises of the street returned, and the bird finally finished swooping along the road before arching up, taking its perch on the streetlight.

****

Night had fallen across the city, though the lingering clouds trapped the ambient light to wrap everyone up in a blanket of soft orange haze. The streetlights had snapped on and a bit of a warm front had rolled in, bringing the snow to an end. The rising growl of the street sweeper came and went, leaving the roads clear. The lights inside of the Cafe Crave snapped off, leaving just the glowing garland in the windowsill to sparkle in the night. It was quiet, serene, still... making the sudden flickering flame of a lighter stand out all the more.

Drake took a few puffs, drawing air through the cigar as he used the lighter until the end burned bright. The werelion had grown into his fatherhood, immense in every way. Even his cigar was huge, but somehow it seemed to fit as he took a few more puffs and then exhaled, letting the smoke curl and coil into the night. He leaned against the brick wall, satiated and content after his long, luxurious evening,

Kevin emerged a moment later, having armed the security system for the coffee shop. He pulled the door shut behind him, although it seemed to fight him a bit as he pulled. It took more and more effort until, with one last tug, the door shut. Somewhere in the back of his mind, Kevin felt the boxes of his old memories disappearing. The price of the magic had been fair, and Drake had benefited as much as Kevin had. His old life had been wiped away. He'd always been the son of a werelion, rowdy and manly in all the right ways. Even the memory of the spell began to erode away until he was left with nothing but the life he'd bought for himself.

A grin spread across the barista's lips, revealing abnormally sharp canine teeth as he turned. Drake had already lifted up a cigar for his son, though it was at least half as wide as the one he was enjoying. Kevin accepted the cigar and the light, less practiced than his father but still eager. After a few puffs, his was glowing as well. Drake gave Kevin's shoulder a pat before he moved toward the two motorcycles left on the street.

Some small inkling at the back of Drake's mind recalled a smaller motorcycle, something a bit more conventional, but that memory drifted away like the smoke from his cigar. Drake lifted his leg up over the hulking body of his hog, settling down onto the well-worn seat. The motorcycle was a beast, just like he was. With a practiced kick and a maneuver of the wrist, the motorcycle roared to life. The power and the vibration coursed through Drake's body, coaxing yet another round of excitement from his groin despite his son's rather thorough work.

Not wanting to be left behind, Kevin moved over to climb onto his own motorcycle. In moments, it joined the other in roaring to life, filling the streets with the guttural sound of pure mechanical energy. Kevin took another drag on his cigar before exhaling a plume of smoke, feeling the cold nipping at his cheeks. He looked past the handlebar to his father sitting so proudly on his huge bike, knowing that one day he'd be just like his daddy. He was a chip off the old block. He'd grown his beard, he smoked like a man, rode a bike like a man, he was pierced and rowdy... but in the depth of his heart he knew he was loved, he was part of a family, and he made Drake proud.

With one nod of his head, Drake signaled it was time. The werelion checked the road before he pulled out onto the street, setting out. Kevin was right behind him. The intense roar of the motorcycles grew fainter and fainter as they left the cafe behind, heading off to enjoy a Thanksgiving as father and son, as family - and a bit more. Once more the street fell quiet. Only a slight breeze moved, eroding away at the small drifts of snow that had formed, but inside the cafe it was still warm and cozy. Even with just the garland lights on, a faint sparkle came from the ancient coin sitting on the floor, the lion head frozen in time mid-roar.