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"Do you know why I've called you into my office today, Mr. Connors?"

"Is this because of my clothing, sir?" Davin asked, not really sure why he was here as he awkwardly shifted in the uncomfortable chair. He swore Lucian only had this chair to make his employees miserable while he sat in luxury from his own leather armchair.

"While that has been and still seems to be an issue," the red dragon said, looking Davin up and down as he leaned forward and folded his hands together, "I called you in because of your work performance as of late. Do you know when you're supposed to come in to work, Davin?"

"Yeah. Nine in the morning. I've never been late, sir."

"Yet you're never early," Lucian sighed. "You know the saying. If you're on time, you're late. While you technically do start at nine, it would look much better for yourself if you were to come in fifteen or twenty minutes earlier. Or half an hour early, like Zagan does..."

Davin tried to hide his displeasure. Zagan, employee of the month, favorite pet of the boss. He wasn't sure how the other workers felt about the midnight dragon, but Davin knew he was tired of having the bastard lord his position over them. Then there were the rumors that Lucian only promoted dragons, even if there was no evidence for that.

"Sorry, sir," Davin said, eyes downcast as he bottled his feelings up once more. "I'll try to do better."

"Don't try. Do. Just to be clear, I'm not telling you to come in that early. But if you wanted to be a model employee, that would be a good place to start. Also, there is the issue of your workload. You seem to be behind lately. Normally I'd chew you out, but I feel as if there's something else going on here. Are you doing okay, Davin?"

"...Truthfully, sir? No. Not at all," Davin sighed, not caring if he was being too honest now or not. "I really want to do my best here, but... it's like... I don't know. I don't have the energy to see it through. Some days I wonder why I bother getting out of bed, but if I don't work then I don't eat. So I've been going through the motions. I know that's unfair to you and the company, sir, but... that's the truth. I'm sorry."

"I thought it might be something like that," Lucian said, nodding in confirmation. "How about after work, you go and see the company psychiatrist?"

"Uh... how much would that dock my pay, sir?"

"No charge. Honestly, if it helps you and makes you more effective in the long run, I'll consider it a successful investment. One or two visits, then you don't have to see him anymore if it isn't helping you. Are you willing to give it a shot?"

"...Ah... yes. I could give it a shot, sir," Davin said. Truthfully he'd rather just crawl back into bed than have to deal with more people, but if this got Lucian off his back for even a week then it was worth it. Besides, maybe it would actually help him. He'd been feeling something was wrong with him for a while now. Moved by his boss caring even a tiny fraction about his well-being, he smiled as he felt some motivation to work.

"That's a good lad. I'll schedule it for when you get off work. It's an hour long session, but Rune is one of the best we have at the company here. I've never heard of any complaints from his clients. Is this going to work for you, or should I schedule it for your lunch break tomorrow instead?"

"No, that will be fine sir," Davin said, feeling a pang of guilt when he remembered Bruce. But Davin had made no promises, and Bruce seemed fine with him showing up later. "How often are these sessions?"

"Once a week. More if he deems it necessary, or if you find yourself wanting to come in more often. His schedule's very flexible these days, since he doesn't see anyone from outside the office. I am glad you want to seek help, Mr. Connors. The first step toward self-improvement is awareness of one's faults. But that will be all for today. I still expect those reports on my desk before five."

"Right away, sir," Davin said, practically leaping to his feet as he went back to work. He was halfway to his desk when he spotted Zagan across the workplace, chatting with several other coworkers at the water cooler. Maybe the setting was unoriginal, but Davin couldn't help but notice how much happier the dragon seemed than himself. Not only did he look well-groomed, he had on an expensive suit and watch that just screamed 'successful' at him. Accidentally making eye contact with him as he looked toward him, Davin quickly averted his gaze and stumbled into his crowded cubicle. It was just big enough for an anthro to work in, but he was noticeably less comfortable than a human would have been in the same space. Waiting for his computer to boot up, he mentally went over the list of things he had to get done today.

*******

"Come in," he heard a smooth voice say as he knocked on the door. Opening it, he peeked inside before wondering if maybe he didn't have the wrong office after all. There was no way the handsome dragon in front of him was the shrink, right?

"Ah... I'm supposed to see the company psychiatrist, so ah..."

"I'm him. Welcome. Mr. Connors, I presume?"

"Ah. Yeah, that's me," Davin said, entering the office. "Should I shut the door?"

"If you wouldn't mind, Davin. May I call you Davin?"

"Yeah, it's okay," Davin replied, not sure where to sit. He also didn't want to accidentally stare at the man's face for too long. It was obvious he was missing an eye, and he already felt uncomfortable just being here for his mental health. He didn't want to go and offend anyone while he was at it.

"Let's get a few things out of the way, Davin. First, you may call me Rune. I hate titles like 'doc' or 'sir' when it comes to my clients. I am here to help you, and I find being a bit informal helps break the ice up a bit better. Second, I don't care if you stare at my eyepatch or not. Go ahead."

"Ah! I..."

"It's fine. Yes, I lost it, but I find my insight is much sharper without it these days. Besides, it looks handsome on me," Rune joked, laughing as he gestured toward the red leather couch. "If you want, you can lie down there for our session. I am also fine with you choosing to sit or stand, though standing for an entire hour is a bit tiresome, wouldn't you agree?"

Davin realized he was right, and besides it wouldn't be too bad to lie down for an hour, would it? Sighing, he nodded before making himself comfortable while Rune sat next to him in his own chair. He would have laughed at how ridiculous it all was, but he didn't want to offend the doctor. Besides, this session wasn't exactly costing him anything but his own time.

"Lucian's told me a little bit about what you said to him, but I'd like to hear it from your own mouth. I don't rely on games of telephone when it comes to those I help, after all. Stuff always gets lost in translation."

"Where do you want me to start?" Davin asked, not sure he wanted to do this after all.

"What's a typical day for Davin like?" Rune asked, smiling warmly at him as he rested a notepad in his lap. "I think that might be as good a place to start as any, yes?"

"Well, usually it starts with my alarm clock..." Davin said, and before he knew it he was spilling his guts out like he was talking to some old friend. He left some details out, such as running into Bruce or some of the thoughts he would often have, but before too long he had run out of things to talk about.

"This is good progress, Davin," Rune said, encouraging him. "I couldn't help notice that there were some things you omitted. Especially when it came to how you felt about certain things. It's natural to be defensive, especially with someone you've just met, but the point of these sessions is to explore these feelings, no matter how dark or scary they might be."

"I know. It's just... hard to talk about. Hard to think about, even," sighed Davin, feeling more worn out than he had before. When he looked up at the clock, he realized it had only been twenty minutes. Had he really talked that fast? Damn.

"I'd like to try something, if you're up for it," Rune said, setting aside his notepad and pen. "How do you feel about hypnosis?"

"I think it's ah... interesting," Davin said, catching himself before he said something he'd regret. He actually had always found the idea of letting someone control his actions to be hot, though he knew that level of hypnosis was only real in movies and cartoons. Though there were the daemons, he supposed, but they weren't allowed to really mess around with mortals like that without permission.

"Well, that's good. Would you like to try with me? I think it might help you explore the feelings you've been having lately. And who knows? You may end up learning something about yourself that you never knew was there. It's entirely up to you, however, and if nothing else it may help you to simply relax."

"Yeah sure. Why not," Davin sighed. What could it hurt, really? "Do I need to watch you swing some pocket watch, or..."

"No, no," laughed Rune, though Davin knew he wasn't laughing at him. He probably heard this question all the time, really. "I mean, we can if you want. But it won't be necessary at all, as long as you focus on my voice and relax. Think you can do that for me, Davin?"

"Yeah, it's the least I can do," Davin chuckled, earning another laugh from Rune as he did his best to get comfortable.

"Then close your eyes," Rune said, and Davin did as he was told. He could already feel something was happening, though it was most likely because he wanted to go under more than Rune actually doing anything. Though his voice was rather soothing, he had to admit. "I want you to imagine yourself at the top of a staircase. With each step you take, your conscious mind falls deeper into trance even while your subconscious mind listens and obeys. Do you understand, Davin?"

"Yes," Davin said, already feeling relaxed. More relaxed than he had been in... well, a long time now actually.

"Very good. Now, I want you to take that first step for me and allow yourself to begin walking down that set of stairs. You can't quite see the bottom of it, but that doesn't matter since every step you take causes you to fall deeper and deeper into blissful trance... yes, just like that. So relaxing... now take a deep breath in... and out..."

Davin allowed himself to continue listening to the induction, though at some point he felt almost like he was sleeping. Yet, he could hear Rune continue to speak to him, and he could feel himself talk on occasion. He was so relaxed, his body felt like he was beginning to float away. A small part of him realized his cock was tenting in his pants, but a few words of assurance from Rune and he felt that worry just melt away entirely.

"Tell me something, Davin," Rune said. His voice seemed far away now, but Davin could understand every word as he focused on it more than he had ever focused on anything. "Do you enjoy your job?"

"No," Davin said without restraint. "I hate it."

"Why is that?"

"I just feel like nothing I do matters. Even if I try, my boss finds some fault with me or I 'could be doing more' or some other thing. It's... aggravating. I just stopped trying."

"So you feel as if your contributions lack value or appreciation. Do you fear success, Davin?"

"No. I want to do a good job. Just... nobody cares, especially with Zagan around hogging all the glory."

"Are you, perhaps, a bit envious of Zagan?"

"...Yeah. I am," Davin said, feeling it was true. He was envious of him?

"Relax, Davin. Every answer you give me helps you to relax even more. It's good to let out these feelings instead of bottling them up inside, isn't it?"

"It is..."

"Then take a deep breath for me. One leaf in... one thorn out... good. Now, tell me more about why you feel envious of Zagan."

"I mean... he's good at what he does. People like him. He's employee of the month all the damn time... and my boss doesn't get on his case as much as he does with me. He just... seems to have it all together, you know? Meanwhile I can barely get out of bed sometimes. I'm tired all the time... I just wonder if there's a point to anything I do. Zagan's successful without trying, but no matter how hard I try I just dig myself further down."

"I don't think it's quite like that, though I believe you believe that is the case. Tell me, if you could be successful like Zagan, or 'have it all together' as you say, would you want to try?"

"...Be like Zagan?"

"If that's how you wish to see it, yes."

"...Maybe? I don't know. What would I need to do?"

"Right now? Nothing. You've done very well already, simply coming this far. Now, relax for me once more. Let the anxiety and stress just melt away as you listen to my words once more..."

Davin wasn't sure how long he was like this, in between wakefulness and sleep, but a snap of Rune's fingers caused him to snap his eyes open in confusion. Shaking his head, he looked nervously over to Rune and smiled apologetically.

"Sorry, I uh... I guess I fell asleep," Davin sighed, realizing the hour was almost up as he looked at the clock once more. "I didn't mean to..."

"It's quite alright, Davin. It's quite common for those new to hypnosis to fall asleep. It seems you needed the nap anyway. But I have enough information now to begin writing up a treatment plan for you. Would you like to hear it?"

"Treatment plan? Um... what do you mean?"

"I believe you have a severe case of depression, Davin. The more medical term would be 'major depressive disorder', however I find that term tends to alarm my patients. Now, it could be because it runs in your family, or it could be the result of trauma in your life... or, it could simply be something you are currently going through. If left unchecked, however, it may get worse."

"What should I do, then?" Davin asked, sighing. He felt close to tears already.

"How do you feel about a prescription?"

"Like, medicine? Um... I don't know. If it'll help, I could try it?"

"I'll prescribe you something then. But regardless, I'd like to continue these sessions twice a week. I'll also tell Lucian for you, so don't worry about that. But do you feel this is a commitment you can make?"

"Sure. I don't usually do much after work anyway," said Davin, before hesitating. "Actually, I might get back into the gym soon. Is that okay?"

"It's your life, Davin. But I think the gym sounds like a fine idea," Rune said, smiling warmly at him as he handed him a slip of paper. It had the time of their next meeting on it, as well as directions to a pharmacy. It was pretty close by, actually. "Just remember to fill your prescription before doing anything else today. That pharmacy belongs to a friend of mine, and they're usually open quite late. I'll call ahead while you make your way there. Okay?"

"Okay."

"You'll be okay, right Davin? On your own, I mean?"

"I'm not like that," Davin sighed, realizing the implication. "I didn't know I had depression though. That... kind of lifts a weight from my shoulders? If that makes sense?"

"It can often be liberating to realize that some of our perceived failures were, in fact, outside of our control all along. Anyway, it was good to meet you, Davin. I'll see you later this week."

"Yeah. It was good to talk, I think..." Davin said. "I'll see you later, then.

"Have a good day, Davin. Just remember what I told you, and everything will be okay."

Davin wasn't completely sure what he meant by that, but he supposed it had something to do with his prescription. He walked out of the office feeling a bit lighter on his hooves than he had coming in, though he wasn't entirely sure what they'd talked about or where the hour had went. He was in a rush, so he didn't realize when he entered the elevator that he wasn't entirely alone.

"Hello, Davin. How did your session go?" Zagan asked, startling Davin.

"Ah! Uhh..."

"Just call me Zagan," the dragon laughed, shaking his head. "I guess it's not my business to ask about your sessions, though. I was simply curious why Lucian sent you to see Rune. Perhaps he sees potential in you..."

"Potential?"

"Ah... I've said too much," Zagan sighed, shaking his head. "Still, Rune has helped a lot of us over the years. Including myself."

"He helped you?" Davin asked, genuinely surprised. "But you're... you."

"I'll take that as a compliment," Zagan said, his finger hovering over the numbers. "Which floor?"

"Ah, first floor? Or ground... or whatever," Davin said, flustered. "I'm off work."

"Hm? Me too," Zagan said, pressing the button to go down. "You know, I saw you watching me again today."

"Ah! Sh- sorry,' Davin said, feeling like scum. "I shouldn't have..."

"It's fine. I like the attention. Besides, you're cute when you look so bashful," Zagan laughed, winking at him. "Are you seeing anyone, by any chance?"

"No, but I mean... are you hitting on me?"

"I'll stop if you don't like it," Zagan said, his eyes roving up and down. "But I was thinking if you're not busy, maybe we could go out for a few drinks sometime? If you're not into guys like I am, though, just say so. I don't mind being friends either."

"Ah... s-sure," Davin said, feeling weak in the knees all of a sudden. "Um..."

"Tell you what," Zagan said, taking a card and pen from his pocket. Writing something down, he pocketed the pen and handed the card out to Davin. "That's my personal number. Call me if you're ever interested in hanging out for any reason. And I do mean any reason."

"Thanks," Davin said, not sure if this was really happening or not. Taking the card, he realized it was Zagan's business card, but just as he said his personal number was written on the back. Blushing under his fur, he pocketed it as the doors dinged.

"I'll see you later, Davin," Zagan said, as he walked out the doors. The way he walked caused Davin to stare before he realized he should also get off the elevator. He shook his head to clear any lustful thoughts before focusing on his next task, the pharmacy.

"Fill the prescription, get home, go to the gym," he muttered to himself, trying not to dwell too much on what had just happened. Obviously Zagan was just taking pity on him. There was no way he would actually be interested in him. Right?

*******

"Davin! You made it!" Bruce shouted, going for a hug. Allowing the smaller but bulkier human to do it, he smiled sheepishly as he looked at the others in the group.

"Um... nice to meet you?" Davin said, not sure what else to say.

"Yeah, Bruce has been telling us a lot about you," a muscular rat anthro said, smiling warmly at him. "My name's Chase. This is Jared."

"Hey," said the sabertooth... tiger? He had stripes. Smiling at the visual pun, Davin simply waved in response.

"Hope you don't mind, but these are my usual workout buddies. Though they workout with each other more than they do me..."

"That's not true, and you know it," Jared said, shaking his hand. God, everyone in this group was muscular and handsome. Davin couldn't help but notice one of his eyes seemed off, however. As if noticing him notice, he smirked at Davin before winking it. "Yeah, I got a bad eye. Gym won't let me wear my eyepatch though. Fuckers."

"They think it's a costume. You just have to prove it's for medical reasons, you know?" Chase said, patting him on the back.

"Fuck that, it's none of their business," Jared sighed, before relenting slightly. "Still, it's not really a big deal. I don't need both of my eyes to lift. Speaking of lifting, Davin, you do much of it yourself?"

"I mean, sometimes... but ah... I never really know what I'm doing," Davin sighed, feeling weak and inadequate. As if sensing he'd touched a nerve, Jared's face softened as he rested a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey. It's fine. We'll get you into a good routine in no time," Jared said, his voice soft and warm somehow. Davin couldn't help but feel safe even with such limited contact.

"Yeah, for sure bro!" Bruce said, trying to ease his fears as well. "Chase can set you up big time! Diet and everything, you know?"

"Diet?" Davin asked, before Chase nodded. There seemed to be an intensity there that wasn't present before.

"Oh yeah, it's super important," Chase said, as he began to get into the specifics. Something about diet is important along with exercise, how the right diet can lead to the type of body he's going for, blah blah blah... Davin tried his best to follow along, but quickly felt overwhelmed by all the new information.

"Chase, you're doing it again," Jared said, noticing his discomfort once more. "One thing at a time, yeah?"

"Oh! Sorry," Chase said, suddenly bashful. "I just... it's sort of my thing, being a personal trainer and all. Full time job, ahah..."

"But he just works out with us because we're buddies. He set us up, and he can set you up too if you want. And before you get any ideas," Bruce said, staring him directly in the eyes, "I am not talking about drugs or steroids or any other bullshit thing like that. A good exercise routine, a good diet plan, and some friends to workout with. Sound good so far?"

"...Yeah, actually... that sounds really nice," Davin said, realizing they were all genuine. "I have to say though, I was a bit skeptical at first with how quickly you invited me to the gym with you."

"Oh, so that's why," Jared sighed, shaking his head. "He does this with new people, Davin. He's just really enthusiastic about meeting new people and all. Still, he's being genuine. We all are. If you want to get big, or if you just want to exercise for the endorphins, we're cool with you hanging with us to do that. I know how scary it can be to go to the gym by yourself when you haven't the slightest idea what you want."

"What do you want, by the way?" Bruce asked, and Davin felt like the question had more weight behind it than it first seemed. "You know, while we're on the topic."

"What do I want?" Davin asked, confused. He really didn't know.

"Yeah, out of your workouts. Like, do you want a lean body, or do you want to be more muscular like us? Maybe you just want to shed a few pounds, or maybe you want to workout for the feeling it gives you the day after?" Bruce explained, and the weird feeling seemed to lift from Davin's mind.

"Oh! Um..." Davin stammered, looking between the three of them. Though his eyes lingered just slightly longer on Jared. "I don't know... I..."

"Okay okay, let's try this," Jared said, clearly seeing the struggle in his mind. "Let's put aside any doubts or worries or talk of what is or is not possible for you. If you could get anything out of your workouts with us, what would you want it to be? Tell us the results you want, and we'll worry about making it happen. Okay?"

"...Well, it seems to have worked for the rest of you," Davin said, realizing this wasn't exactly their first time doing this. "...Okay. I'd like to be a lot stronger. Bigger, too. Kind of like you guys?"

"Heh, that answers that!" Bruce said, a wide smile spreading across his face. Davin had to admit it looked very cute, especially with the chinstrap beard he sported. "Just have one more question for you though, Davin. Are you okay with us all being homosexual?"

"B-Bruce!" Chase nearly shouted, glaring at him. "You can't just spring it on him like that!"

"He's gonna find out anyway," Bruce said defensively, before turning back to Davin.

"Umm... uh...." Davin said, not sure if this was real or not. It was like with Zagan in the elevator. First his handsome coworker was implying he was all but gay, and now his new muscular workout buddies all swung the same way? Pain lanced through his head at the feeling of dissonance, before he shook his head. "I don't... mind. I mean, I'm gay too. Just... ah... this feels really weird is all. Like a dream."

"Well, if it is a dream, I hope it's a good one for you Davin," Bruce said, before clapping him on the shoulder. "Well! Now that all that's out of the way, let's get started! You did bring a change of clothes, right Davin?"

"Ah... shit, I..."

"It's fine, he can borrow my spares," Jared said, before looking over to him. "If that's okay with you? I usually wear clothes that are a bit tighter for me anyway, so..."

"Um, should be... fine," Davin said, blushing as they all turned toward the locker room. "I'm kind of uh, big down there though."

"Hah! So am I," Jared said, winking at him with his bad eye. "You'll fit right in with us, for sure."

After Davin put on the spare workout clothes - they fit him a little more loosely than they did Jared, but they still fit - he followed their instructions as they went about their routine. He felt sort of like a kid following his bigger brothers around somehow, but despite his awkwardness and feelings of inadequacy they made him feel like he was just one of the guys. More than once they'd make an offhand comment about a particularly handsome guy or someone's form being off, though they weren't mean-spirited about it. Davin would listen when they critiqued, adding it to his mental library of what and what not to do. He couldn't lift or do as much as they could, or as many repetitions, but whenever he thought he'd given it his all he found out he could give just a bit more with a little encouragement from them.

"Grrraaaah!" he shouted, letting the primal feeling inside him come out as he lifted the barbell one more time. Before his arms gave out, Chase helped to set it back on the rack. Gasping, Davin let his arms fall to his side as he lay on the bench for a bit.

"Good job, Davin!" Chase said, smiling down at him. It was only then that Davin realized just how close he'd been standing to his head as he spotted for him, and how good it smelled... shaking his head, he quickly sat up before he started being completely perverted. That wasn't something you did with new friends, even if they were sexy as hell.

"I didn't know I had that in me," Davin said, smiling at how much he'd already done. His muscles burned and ached, but he felt good. Very good, in fact.

"I think you have a lot more than that in you, but it's best to start small," Bruce said, giving him a light punch to the shoulder. It didn't hurt like Davin thought it might, but he was starting to get into the 'bro' mentality they were all sharing. There was some kind of camaraderie with them all that he just never had at the office.

"You really think so?"

"I know so, bro!" Bruce laughed, before placing his hands on his hips. "I think deep inside you is a muscleman waiting to flex out! You just have to give him what he needs. What you need, to grow big and strong. But enough of the weird talk, did you have fun hanging out with us tonight?"

"Yeah! I did," Davin said, a little more enthusiastically than he'd meant to. Bruce just seemed to have that effect on people.

"That's good," Jared chuckled. He'd left them during Davin's set, but it was clear now why he had as he returned with one of those drink trays. Inside were four smoothies; as Jared handed each of them out, he gave Davin a more pink one. "I didn't know what you liked, so I just erred on the side of strawberry-banana. It's a protein shake from the juice bar here. Really good for those tired muscles of yours."

"I don't mind. I like strawberry. And, well, bananas," Davin said, smiling a little lewdly as he blushed hard. Jared smiled back, though his eye seemed to blaze with renewed interest as he took his own smoothie and began sucking through the straw. Not paying attention to himself, Davin gulped more down than he thought he would at first... and his reward was a massive headache.

"Ah shit!" Davin cursed, hissing in pain as he tried to warm up the roof of his mouth with his tongue. "Brain freeze, fuck..."

"Haha! Yeah, you gotta go slower than that, Davin," Chase said, finishing up with whatever he'd been messing with in the folder he was holding. Pressing it to Davin's chest, he waited for the anthro to take it before he let it go. "That's your meal plan for the next month. Think you can follow it?"

Davin opened it up in his lap, skimming through it quickly. He went from excitement to dejection as he read through it all. Sure, it was all just food and groceries, but... could he really afford to eat this healthy? He'd already gone shopping, so his funds weren't exactly ready for yet another trip.

"I don't know... I..."

"Oh, Chase. I think maybe you keep forgetting that not everyone has the same amount of funds," Bruce said, before realizing what he'd said. "Not that I'm saying you're poor, Davin! But ah..."

"Ah, I didn't think of that," Chase said, sighing. "Sorry, Davin. I should have asked you about your budget first."

"It's not that I'm poor, I just ah... don't get paid enough. I can barely afford my place and the bills, so I usually just get what's cheap and easy to make for food..." Davin said, feeling really awkward now. "Maybe I can start next month, though? It looks really good for a meal plan..."

"Actually, we could help you out with that," Jared suggested, causing Davin to begin protesting. "Hey! It's fine. This isn't charity. You want to be big like us, right? Then think of this as an investment in your future. We're happy to chip in and help you start your new life."

"Really?" Davin asked, close to tears already. He wasn't sure he could ever get used to this level of kindness. "You sure?"

"Hey, we're friends, aren't we?" Bruce laughed, resting a hand on his shoulder. "Don't sweat it, bro. We've got your back. Hell, let's go shopping right now."

"Right now? But it's going to be dark soon!" Davin said, surprised at them.

"So?" Chase asked, shrugging. "I don't have any clients this late. I'm free to help out."

"Besides, you came by bus, didn't you?" Jared asked, causing Davin to nod. "Well then, you can ride with me. I have a lot of trunk space too. But ah, let's shower first. Right Bruce?"

"Oh, right!" Bruce laughed. He'd forgotten, hadn't he? "Yeah, don't wanna stink up the store I guess. Alright then, let's finish our protein shakes and get our shower on!"

Davin wasn't sure how a shower could be exciting, yet Bruce made it sound like it was the best thing in the world right now. Considering how sweaty and tired Davin felt, he had to agree a good shower was just the thing he needed in that moment.

"Oh, by the way, Davin?" Jared said, helping Davin to his feet as Chase and Bruce went on ahead. "You can keep the clothes."

"Ah! Shit, you don't have to..." Davin began to say, before he realized just how close they were. "Ah..."

"Keep them. I insist. A memento of our first workout together," Jared said, before leaning in to whisper. "Besides, it'll be hot to see you outgrow them."

Jared turned to walk toward the showers, but not before smiling flirtatiously at him. Readjusting himself, Davin tried to hide the erection he was now sporting in the loosely fitting shorts before rushing after him... if only to avoid the stares of everyone around him that might see him in his compromised state. Yet even the idea of someone seeing him like this sent a special thrill up his spine... oh god, was he into this? So what if he was? Davin was left to sift through his confused and aroused feelings as he quickly made his way to the locker room and connected showers. Man, it was going to be hard to hide this...

*******

Davin's sleep was fitful, as usual. He was having the same dream as before; he was a powerful dragon warrior of a realm of light and air, and his boss was its god. All around him he could see and hear several others, and while they looked very familiar he couldn't quite place them. But this time, he couldn't do anything. It felt like his head was splitting open, and he could feel something on his head... a hat, maybe? Nothing made sense. He felt so powerless.

"You did what?" the wolf said, shaking his head at the only human there.

"You know what I said, Seth. I put the hat on him. Do I really need to repeat myself?"

"No, I mean, it's just... is it safe?"

"For who? Though the answer's the same: not really. But he knew the risks, and he wanted to take them. So I let him. He's his own person, hat or not."

"...Will it work?" someone else asked, though Davin couldn't see who was speaking. They sounded familiar, though there was a bit of a roughness to their voice. Sort of like his, honestly. A lion? A bull? Something else?

"Honestly, I expected them to wake up by now," a wolf-ram hybrid said, crossing his arms. "I don't like this, Uther. But I trust you both. You know that, right?"

"I know, Clay. I'm sorry this is happening. But it was this or lose Davin forever, yeah?"

What did they mean, 'lose Davin forever'? He was right here, but he couldn't move. He couldn't speak. This wasn't like the other dreams, where he was powerful and able to do just about whatever he wanted. This was a fucking nightmare.

"Yeah, I know... I... shit, I think he's aware," Clay said, noticing the twitching of Davin's body. "Shouldn't we...?"

"Yeah, he's not ready to wake up yet," Uther said, agreeing with the unspoken request. Watching helplessly as Uther placed his hand on his head, he looked directly into his eyes with a sad look. "Davin, if that's really you, I'm sorry for all this. Oh, but if this is Zagan? Fuck you and everything you've done to Davin. Either way, it's time to sleep and forget."

Davin wasn't sure what any of that meant, but before he could even piece it together he felt himself falling into darkness as the dream faded away. He had no more dreams until once again the alarm blared, and he was once again pounding the snooze button.

"...Shit," Davin sighed, looking at the time. He knew he'd just dreamed something again, and that it had been weird and terrifying, but for the life of him he couldn't remember as more and more details simply slipped away from him. It didn't matter in the end, really. He had to get ready for work. Moaning in pain, he realized how stiff and achy he felt the minute he began moving out of bed. Yet, it felt really good in a way. It was the proof of his productive workout the night before. Making it to the bathroom, the same tired face greeted him, yet he could almost swear he had more of a pump to his muscles now. Laughing at how ridiculous that sounded, he opened the medicine cabinet the mirror was attached to before taking out his new medicine.

"Never heard of this before," Davin muttered, reading the strange name. Though, to be fair, he hadn't expected the pharmacy to put anything but the actual drug name on the bottle rather than the brand name. Once a day, huh? Taking one of the red and black pills, he closed the bottle and put it away before shutting the medicine cabinet. Looking at the pill in the reflection, he remembered Rune's words from before. Placing it on his tongue, he hesitated briefly before swallowing the large pill, instantly regretting he hadn't gotten himself a glass of water. Still, it went down almost as if it wanted to, and before long it was traveling to his stomach. He was surprised when he started to feel better almost instantly, having expected not to feel anything for a few days while the new medicine got into his system. Maybe this was the so-called placebo effect? Either way, he got in the shower with more enthusiasm than he'd had in a long time, and before long he was even singing while he washed himself. Today was going to be a good day.