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The suspended silence between the otter and the polar bear felt like it had stretched into minutes, hours...but it broke when the burly bear began chuckling. "I...oh!" His chuckles bubbled up into full-bellied laughter. "Oh! Oh, I'm sorry...I'm not laughing...at you! I promise..."

Austin's cheeks flushed and he felt like shrinking into a void as he watched the polar bear keep laughing for a moment longer. If he'd felt small by comparison before, the otter felt like he was two inches tall now.

But the polar bear was smiling amiably down at him as he recovered and settled again. "Sorry, sorry! That was just...don't feel bad, you just took me by surprise, is all. Ahem." The polar bear cleared his throat and looked down at Austin with newfound interest, giving the otter his undivided attention, which Austin had to admit felt...good. "Well, look at you! How did you know? I mean, what gave you the idea to--"

"I came across you on CatchMe," Austin quickly explained.

The polar bear cocked an eyebrow at him; it took Austin a second to catch the double entendre. "Oh! No, sorry, I didn't 'cum' across your profile, I mean I--"

The polar bear chuckled and reached over to lightly pat Austin's knee. "Relax, kid, it's alright."

Austin fell silent at the sensation of the massive paw jostling his leg. The polar bear's hand was warm and heavy, and light tingles ran up the young otter's spine.

"I--I was on private mode," he said when he found his voice again. "I only just got on there recently, I hadn't gone...active yet, and I saw you were here, but I hope you don't think I was stalking you or anything--"

"Ah, don't worry about it, just one of those coincidences," the polar bear said breezily. "You don't seem like the stalker type to me. Maybe a little...inexperienced and forward, but not stalker."

Austin smiled gratefully as the bear winked at him before chuckling again.

"Although before I take you back to my room to do terrible things to you," the polar bear continued, "it might help to get to know each other better first. I'm Kane," he said, extending his large mitt to shake.

"Austin, nice to meet you Kane," Austin replied, placing his hand in Kane's.

"Austin? Cute name for a cute boy," Kane smirked as he shook Austin's hand.

"O-oh...thanks," the otter murmured, practically melting at the polar bear's baritone voice saying such sweet words.

Kane's thumb stroked over the back of Austin's paw as he continued kindly, "By the way, that's how you flirt--nice and easy at first, not zero to 60, and not at a place like this."

Austin's eyes widened, then he grimaced as he took Kane's meaning. "Was I that bad?"

Kane released his hand while he sucked his teeth and nodded like a doctor delivering bad news. "You just need some practice, that's all. I take it you haven't done much of this?"

"N-no, not really." Austin paused before continuing in a rush, "I've been on dates and stuff, but never done anything like...and you're...well, I...I mean, you're really sexy, and I wanted to just--"

"Lay it on extra thick?" Kane finished for him.

"Heh, yeah," the otter answered bashfully.

"That'll work better in the clubs and on the apps where everyone's looking for some action already; in a place like this, it takes a little more...tact," Kane advised. "If you hadn't seen me on CatchMe already, and I weren't me, this all could've taken a very different turn. But it's sweet you think I'm sexy," he added, smiling.

"Well, you are!" Austin said sincerely.

Kane chuckled. "Well, I'm flattered. And I have to say, I do like what I'm seeing, too," he noted flirtatiously as he ogled the otter from head to toe. "Those eyes especially--very pretty," he said, gazing at Austin's hazel irises, still visible over the top of the otter's lowered sunglasses.

Austin's heart fluttered as he pushed his frames back into place, hiding his nervous and starstruck gaze. "Oh! Ah...thanks..."

Kane sat up further in his recliner and kept his attention on Austin. "Although you've also got me at a bit of a disadvantage; you've been looking at my profile, and I haven't had a chance to check out yours."

Austin started in his seat. "I...sorry, I can make it active if you want to--"

Kane shook his head and cut in, "No, no, that's alright. What I meant is for you to tell me about yourself."

The otter paused. "Oh! Uh...sure..."

Kane looked at him expectantly, but Austin's brain was drawing a blank--the otter was enraptured by the fact that this beautiful beast of a man was simply interested in talking with him. He had no real idea of what to say next.

After a moment of watching the otter silently flounder, Kane leaned in and helpfully suggested, "Why don't you start with where you go to college?"

Austin's synapses fired, kicking him out of his reverie. "Oh! Right...I'm at Maris-Carter University. I'll be a junior in the fall, and I'm majoring in architecture."

Kane nodded as he listened to Austin. "Maris-Carter's a good school--I remember looking there when I was getting ready for college."

"Where did you go?" Austin ventured to ask.

"I ended up at Desoto State for banking and finance," Kane replied. "Not quite as fancy as architecture."

"Well, I haven't gotten into anything fancy yet, I've only been doing the basic program requirements first," Austin clarified. "But I've got a couple studio classes coming up that I'm really excited for, and I'll be getting more into my focus area when I go back in the fall."

"And what is your focus area?"

"Sustainable housing, especially for apartment and condo buildings. There's the energy efficiency component, for sure, but also materials and how they can be used to make buildings better and last longer without as much maintenance." As he went on, Austin felt more at ease with the conversation, more relaxed--it certainly helped that Kane was giving him his full attention, watching him and nodding, making him feel like he had something interesting to say.

The polar bear scratched his chin as he asked, "I can imagine that you'd also have to consider the comfort of residents versus what's ecologically-friendly, right?"

Austin nodded enthusiastically. "Right! There's actually a design class about that next spring."

"Have you always wanted to go into architecture?"

Austin paused thoughtfully for a moment. "Hm...yeah, it just feels like the right fit for me. My brother and sister both went into law, and my dad's in medicine, but neither of those felt like what I wanted to do."

"What about your mom?"

"She's a lawyer, too; she was the one who got my brother and sister to be like her. Our parents were always like, 'We'll be proud of you as long as you go into either medicine or law'...although by the time I came along, maybe they kind of...stopped caring? I guess once they got two-thirds of us to be like them, it stopped mattering," Austin said.

"Ah, I see," Kane mused. He sighed, then asked, "Well, outside of your schoolwork, what are your hobbies?"

"Watching movies, reading, and tennis," Austin rattled off.

"Any favorite genres for movies and books?" Kane prompted.

"I like sci-fi and fantasy. I'm actually reading The Hades Run right now, have you heard of it?" Austin asked, pointing at the novel that lay next to his recliner.

Kane nodded. "It's on my to-read list--that's by Winston Slater, right?"

"Yeah!"

"Have you watched Age of Rain? He was one of the writers for that."

"Is that a movie?"

"A show," Kane corrected him. "It must have been on...maybe ten or twelve years ago, so probably a bit before you would've been watching shows like that. How old are you?"

"Just turned 20 a few months ago."

Kane nodded. "Well, it only ran for two seasons before it got canceled, but if you like any of Slater's other books, you'd love Age of Rain. It's probably online somewhere for streaming."

"I'll check it out!" Austin said earnestly. "Are you reading anything?"

"Not at the moment; I'm in that kind of time where I'm too busy to commit to a book," Kane admitted. "I have chunks of free time, like right now, but I'd rather just spend it relaxing and enjoying being here and resting my brain. If I hadn't been here before, I'd be exploring town, but I've been around Las Positas a few times already--I've seen all there is to see. What about you, have you been here before?"

Austin shook his head. "First time...probably the last time, too. That's how our family vacations work, we go somewhere new for a week and then we never go there again."

Kane cocked an eyebrow, puzzled. "Really? You don't have a spot that you keep going back to?"

The otter shook his head again and looked over at the pool as he spoke. "Nope, it's different every time. With everyone else doing their own thing, I just hang around the hotel."

If he hadn't turned his head, Austin would have seen Kane watching him closely with a mix of pity, indignation...and almost paternal fondness. But the otter, oblivious to the older man's attention, continued, "It's not really worth trying to tag along with the others because they've got their own way of doing things, and I don't want to get in the way of that, and doing stuff solo just isn't a lot of fun either...so I guess I just use the time to unwind and relax. Hang by the pool, read, watch something online...that's it."

"Hmph...well, that doesn't sound very enjoyable to me," Kane observed. "Family vacation should mean 'family' vacation, not 'everyone having fun except Austin' vacation. And besides, there's more to do than just hang by the pool, read, or watch something online. "

"It's not...ideal, but it's fine," Austin shrugged. "It works."

He looked back at Kane to see the polar bear adamantly shake his head. "No?"

"No, it's not fine," Kane said firmly. "You've been isolated and tricked into enjoying it."

Austin tilted his head to the side, pondering the polar bear's statement.

Kane sighed. "You said you're here for a week?"

Austin nodded. "Yeah, today's our first day."

Kane playfully tsked to himself, gazing down at the otter next to him. He pursed his lips, as if thinking, then shrugged to himself, his decision made. "Well then, if nobody else is going to...then I guess it's on me to make this a good week for you, huh?"

Austin frowned, unsure of what he just heard the bear say. "What?"

"Well, think about it. I'm on my own and getting some more free time for the week, and you've got nothing better to do...so, how about you let me show you a good time?" Kane suggested. "We can just stick together, hang out...and do more than that, if and when the time is right."

The otter's heart jumped in his throat. Visions of passionate kissing, thrusting hips, and tender cuddling flashed through his mind, and he wanted to say yes instantly...but he couldn't help but wonder why Kane--a man he'd just met, a man he was shamelessly lusting after, a man he'd failed at flirting with earlier--would make such an offer.

"I...well, yeah, that would be...I mean, that's really nice of you. But...why?" Austin asked.

Kane nodded. "Fair question. Hm...well, I hope this doesn't come across as too patronizing, but you seem like a good kid who just needs...well, maybe a friend, maybe something more than that. And there's a lot I can provide, from guidance to fun...to fun," the bear emphasized as he leaned over and patted Austin's knee, earning a chuckle from the otter. "But it's alright if you don't want to, I'd understand--most young bucks your age don't hang with older men like me. But I'd enjoy having you around for the week...at the very least, I can help you with your flirting skills," Kane offered.

Austin rolled his eyes. "Oh, I'm never gonna live that down, am I?"

Kane snickered. "Like I said, you just need practice! And I'd be happy to help with that...and anything else you might need help with, too."

Austin playfully scoffed. "Who says I need help with anything else?" he quipped.

Kane looked down at him appraisingly, then winked knowingly. "Heh, trust me kid, you need all the help I can give you this week."

Austin snorted, then nodded. "Alright...well, if you're offering, how can I refuse? As long as you're okay with having me around."

Kane's eyes lit up. "Of course! It'd be my pleasure, bud."

"Sweet! So, what's first for us?"

Kane, still smiling, glanced around for a moment before looking at Austin again. "Well...first, do you drink?"

"I...well..." Austin trailed off, unsure of how to say that he'd attended his fair share of parties with booze provided by older students and those with fake IDs.

"Heh, I'll take that as a yes," Kane said for him. "What's your poison?"

Austin grinned, thankful that Kane was so understanding already--he could guarantee that his parents, on the other hand, would have been immeasurably disappointed in him. "I just do a whiskey cola...or a Sienna Lite."

"Ah, what kind of whiskey do you use?"

"Whatever's at the party. I think it's usually something like Black Lamb's or Dillon."

Kane chuckled. "So, what college students on a budget will get from the bottom shelf."

"Basically."

"Alright, let's see how you do with real whiskey," Kane said before he raised a hand and waved at a nearby pool attendant.

A badger in his 30s made his way over to the recliners. "Hello, gentlemen, can I get you anything?"

"Yes, I'll take a glass of Jackson's Green Label, neat, and a whiskey smash for my friend here, please," Kane requested. "You can charge it to room 825."

"Yes, sir, I'll have those over to you right away," the badger said with a smile before he scurried off to the bar.

Austin, bemused, looked after the badger for a moment before gazing at Kane again. "What's in a whiskey smash?"

"I think it's going to be better to have you try it first, but trust me, you'll like it," Kane said smoothly. "Jackson's Green Label takes 20 years to make, so the bottle they're using is at least as old as you are, maybe older."

"And older is better?"

"For whiskey, sure, as long as it's barrel-aged, although you don't want over-aged. But, as for other things...younger is pretty enjoyable, too," Kane said suggestively, earning a grin from Austin.

"Well, I do like older flavors myself," Austin returned flirtatiously.

The polar bear laughed. "Ha! See, we're getting you there, just need some more practice and the right opportunity for those one-liners."

Austin smirked. "You gave me a pretty good setup for that one..." He trailed off as he glanced over at the poolside bar, where a jaguar was mixing drinks. "That's really nice of you to get me a cocktail," he began, addressing Kane again, "although it's going to be more expensive to do that than just a glass of whiskey, right? Why not just get two glasses?"

"Heh, I want you to pace yourself, kid," Kane replied. "Straight whiskey at your age? If I give you a glass of that, you're just going to knock it back like a shot--little guy like you, it'll go right to your head, and I don't want you buzzed so soon. The point is to enjoy it...sip on it for a while. Plus, you're at that age where you like sweeter flavors."

"Wha--no, I can do something more--"

"What kind of wine do you like?" Kane cut in over Austin's protest.

"...Moscato."

Kane laughed again. "Yeah, you're in your sweet phase. It's okay, everyone has it at your age," he added, consoling the otter who had begun to wear a playful pout on his face. "Why do you think all the college bars have those giant cocktails full of candy?"

Austin paused, then replied, "Because they know I like suckers and have an oral fixation?"

Kane looked over at his younger neighbor, eyebrows raised, before rolling his eyes and chuckling. "Oh, I'm gonna have my hands full with you, aren't I?"

"I'd rather have my hands full with you," Austin returned, winking at Kane.

"Hehe, careful, boy, you just might get what you're asking for," the bear playfully growled as he scratched his chest.

Austin shivered at Kane's tone and his stomach flipped at the thought of what the older man could mean. But before the otter could respond, the badger attendant returned to their recliners, bearing a drink-laden tray.

"I have a glass of Jackson's Green Label," the badger said as he passed wide, squat tumbler over to Kane, who gratefully accepted it in his large paw. "And a whiskey smash," he continued, handing the tall highball glass to Austin. "Anything else I can get you, gentlemen?"

"I think we're set, thanks," Kane replied amiably, raising his glass to the badger in thanks.

As the badger strode off, Kane turned to Austin with his raised glass, and chinked his tumbler against the otter's highball. "Cheers!"

"Cheers," Austin said before he lifted the glass to his lips.

Kane took a small nip of whiskey from his tumbler, paternally observing the otter over the rim of his glass while Austin took an experimental sip of the translucent, fizzy translucent yellow beverage. A mixture of flavors hit the younger otter's palette--in one mouthful, he tasted that wonderful sweetness mixed with the sharp bite of tartness, softened with a cool chill, and bolstered with the rising fizz of carbonation, all rounded out with an underlying rich, smoky tone that tied everything together.

"Oh! Wow, that's good!" he exclaimed after his first gulp. Austin licked his lips, still processing the lingering flavors on his tongue. "What's in there? Lemon...and mint?"

Kane nodded approvingly. "Right! Lemon, mint, simple syrup, and whiskey--looks like they also did theirs with some club soda. You like?"

"Oh yeah, this is great!" Austin said after taking another gulp.

"Hehe, easy there, bud; like I said, pace yourself."

"Oh! Sorry."

"Don't sweat it," Kane told him smoothly before taking another sip of his whiskey. "With your palette still developing, I didn't want to hit you with straight whiskey; having some other flavors to help cut it is going to give you a good introduction to what you should be drinking instead of that bottom shelf crap at house parties."

"I mean, you have to admit that the bottom shelf crap gets the job done," Austin pointed out.

The polar bear chuckled before he conceded, "True; if you're looking to get wasted on the cheap at a party and have some drunken sex in the host's basement, then Black Lamb's or Dillon will work fine for that."

Austin cocked an eyebrow, his interest piqued. "Speaking from personal experience?"

"Heh, quite a few personal experiences," Kane answered. "Been a while since I thought about those days."

"Anything particularly memorable?" Austin did his best to sound casual, but his heart was thumping in his chest.

"Oh, I've got a couple times that stand out, although...well, I don't know how much of a kinkster you are..."

Austin shrugged, trying to act casual. "I'm pretty open, no judgment here."

Kane pursed his lips as he considered the otter sitting next to him, then smirked before he sipped his whiskey again. "Alright, let's see...this must've been...second semester of my sophomore year? Yeah, that sounds right...we'd just gotten back from spring break, I think we were all still feeling a little restless, and one of my buddies, Ellis Porter, threw this giant party. He had a whole house to himself and was constantly doing that kind of thing--tailgates, game nights, parties, you know. I didn't go to all of them, but I went to my fair share, and I had my routine: dance a little--"

"You danced?"

"Ah, I don't anymore though--well, not that kind of dancing," Kane clarified, winking down at Austin. "Anyway, dance a little, drink a lot, find someone to make out with, haul his ass down to Ellis's basement; there wasn't much down there, just the laundry, some chairs, and a mattress, that kind of thing. Real romantic, right?"

"Sounds pretty sweet to me," Austin said sarcastically.

"Well, it got the job done. So, this time around, I make eyes at this fox, and he makes eyes at me, we're both pretty liquored up, and I make a pass at him," Kane went on. "He's feeling me up, getting his hands in my pants while we're making out, and then we're stumbling down to the basement."

As Kane spoke--his tone low enough that others in the vicinity couldn't hear, but loud enough for the otter to catch his every word over the sounds of guests splashing in the pool and the music in the background--Austin could feel his swim trunks grow tighter as his cock began to swell. His eyes briefly darted to Kane's crotch; the polar bear's swimsuit was loose enough that the folds of the fabric could passably conceal a rising erection, but Austin's suit was so tight that his semi was going to be highly visible if he didn't do something soon. Still listening to Kane, Austin made a move to shift on his recliner, laying more on his side and strategically placing his closed novel over his crotch; he casually took another gulp of his drink while the polar bear continued his story.

"I ended up throwing him down on the mattress and pretty much mauling him to get him out of his shorts," Kane chuckled while he reminisced. "He was squirming a lot, I remember him being really ticklish, but he held still for me when I flipped him over. Then he started moving again when I ate him out. He was begging and moaning a ton and pushing back against me--and I mean really pushing! Hurt my nose a bit, but he got me digging in there pretty good. Then when I started pounding him, I'm pretty sure he was yelling loud enough for the folks upstairs to hear. Then again, the music was pretty loud, too..."

"Sounds like a pretty good night of drunken sex to me," Austin said, half envious and half awed, and especially thankful that his book was hiding his growing arousal as he imagined himself riding the polar bear's tongue and having his ass opened by Kane's girthy member.

Kane's eyes briefly flicked over the book that was conspicuously leaning against Austin's pelvis, but he snickered and scratched his chest again. "Yeah, we had ourselves a pretty nice time--although the kinky part is that I was pounding him hard enough to hit his bladder, and he was...well, he wanted to stop so he could use the bathroom."

"Oooh...did you let him?"

"In a sense." Kane almost sounded sheepish, but he pressed on, "We stopped for a few, but I didn't let him get up. I flipped him over again and had him let loose right in my mouth."

Austin's eyes widened. "Wait, you mean you--"

"Let him use me like a urinal, and I drank that boy's piss like beer straight from the tap," Kane confirmed, grinning.

"Oh damn..." Austin trailed off, simply enjoying the visuals running through his imagination: Kane's mouth open wide, an arcing stream of piss splashing over his tongue and guzzling down his throat...

"So, I had an experience or two during my days of college parties," Kane chuckled after a few moments, bringing Austin back to the present. He took another sip of his whiskey before he asked, "What about you? Anything memorable from your nights out?"

The otter hesitated--at best, he had just the one time he could recount. He took a large gulp of his drink, then shakily began, "Well...nothing as kinky as yours. But..."

Kane watched him, nodding for him to go on.

"There was this one time this guy Mason and I got away and...69ed," Austin continued. He could recall the thumping music, the clumsy hands running under shirts and pulling down pants, the drunken giggling and soft moans, the creak of bedsprings under him, the musky crotch hanging over him as he bobbed his head up and down while Mason laid on top of him and vigorously sucked his dick, his tongue playing with his glans...the struggle of getting hard...

"We were both pretty drunk, so it wasn't...it kind of took a while for us to finish, but it was still fun."

Kane waited a moment, but when he realized that was all the otter had to share, he took up, "Hey, that's pretty good, too! Parties aren't always the best for that kind of fun; you've been drinking and it makes it hard to keep going, and you're worried about getting caught...but it's always nice to do the classics. Swapping oral always...enhances a party."

"Heh, yeah, I guess so," Austin replied noncommittally.

At the otter's response, Kane nearly let the topic drop...but then, there was a question he could ask to get Austin grinning again.

"Did you spit or swallow?"

That did the trick--Austin's smile came back as he recalled the satisfaction he'd felt of a job well done, the salty, musky tang on his tongue, and the thick wad that slid down his throat.

"I swallowed."

Kane smirked. "Atta boy! You know, I have to say, you look like a natural cocksucker who loves to swallow...am I right?"

Austin sniggered. "Well..." he trailed off evasively.

Kane winked at him again. "Heh, no need to be shy about it, kid. And hey, no sweat about those parties--you've still got a couple years of school left. Make 'em count, enjoy them, make some more good memories! Just be safe about it, too," he added seriously.

"Hehe, yes sir!" Austin said with a mocking salute.

The two of them continued chatting by the pool, their conversation meandering from college exploits to plans for the summer before revisiting their hobbies and digging into other interests. The sun continued arcing through the sky, and Austin and Kane soon found that their glasses were empty--the polar bear graciously ordered another round of drinks, and by the time the otter finished his second whiskey smash, three hours had passed. Austin was feeling significantly more relaxed around Kane--comfortably sluggish, even--and the book he'd been using to hide his chubbing cock had slid down to lie flat on the recliner; fortunately, the otter had softened again, even though his heart still thumped hard in his chest while he was in Kane's presence. In the time that had passed, more guests came to the pool, others left, and Kane and Austin had learned plenty about each other; while Austin had shared more about his family's dynamic, his love of tennis and hiking, and his opinions on science-fiction and fantasy authors (to name just a few topics he touched on), Kane had told Austin more about his divorce and (unfortunately failed) custody battle for his own son, his passion for cooking, and his thoughts on additional media that he thought Austin would enjoy (among the numerous other factoids that came up in their conversation). Eventually, however, Kane noted that it might be time for the two of them to get out of the sun.

"Especially with how you're swaying," the polar bear observed, referring to Austin's subtle, tipsy bobbing back and forth. Kane chuckled, "You're looking just a little bit...out of it, bud."

"Heh, I might be a little," the buzzed otter snorted.

"But, before we head out, how about you give me your number?"

Kane cryptically added that he would be in touch later, once he'd figured out what they would be doing for their week together. Intrigued and excited, Austin giddily rattled off his number, and after returning to the lobby together, the otter practically melted when the polar bear wrapped him in an enormous, powerful hug before they went their separate ways--Austin only half-listened to Kane mentioning something about going to the concierge, while he trotted to the elevators, nearly floating on air as he mentally replayed their whole conversation. By the time he reached the 16th floor, the adrenaline of drinking and connecting with Kane had waned, and Austin was yawning tiredly; his eyelids were independently drooping, and he felt like he was struggling to stand. When he made it to his family's executive suite, the otter dropped his bag in the kitchen and made tracks to the sofa, where he flopped face-down on his pull-out mattress and drifted off for a midday nap.

---

"...no idea what they were doing, it was a nightmare. Just absolutely disrespectful to everyone else on the green. You'd think they never played or been to a club before!" Richard said indignantly as he cut into his salmon.

The whole Dunbar family was sitting around a table at Allegro, one of the resort's restaurants--Richard had spent both the appetizer and salad courses of dinner describing, in great detail, how a rambunctious bachelor party had annoyed him on every hole of the golf course while he'd been playing that day.

"If you'd taken some video, we could connect with the manager and see about getting comps of some kind...but, there's always tomorrow," Elise observed lightly in an attempt to mollify Richard. "Which set are you doing next?"

"Masterson...although knowing my luck, they'll probably be on there, too," he pouted, sullen.

Emmett and Vera snorted.

"You didn't hear these guys!" Richard began anew, gesturing with his fork as he addressed his two eldest kids. "The way they were going on about..."

Austin sighed and absently picked at his entree while he tuned his father out. He knew that eventually when Richard exhausted himself, the conversation would shift to Elise, Emmett, and Vera, which would take them through dessert with Austin contributing 15 words at most before the family left the table. It was a pattern that had been years in the making, weathered into their dynamic with the same unrelenting force of constant waves eroding stone.

He'd much rather be listening to Kane's voice instead of his father's right now; when the polar bear spoke to him earlier by the pool, his deep, resonant, intoxicating voice seeped into the young otter's brain. It filled him like air, it curled around him like a warm, heavy blanket, it comforted and enchanted him--Austin had no clue what specifically made Kane's voice so alluring, but all the otter wanted was to sit at the bear's feet (or, more preferably, in his lap) and simply hear him talk even more. And Kane had actual things to say! Not just constant complaints and critiques about...well, everything...and he seemed to actually want to talk with Austin, not merely at him for a few minutes and then go about his own business or fawn over his obviously favorite children...

Austin's smartwatch vibrated on his wrist; he tilted the clock face towards himself to see he'd received a text from an unknown number. Austin furrowed his brow as he read:

_Hi cutie. Enjoying dinner? _

I'm behind you, three tables away ;)

The otter's heart fluttered when he realized it was Kane; a smile flickered to his lips before he forced himself to suppress it--ordinarily, he would have loved some attention from his family, but this was the worst moment for it. To be fair, they probably wouldn't have noticed him smiling to himself, but still, it would be better to play it cool and under their radar.

He did, however, start to casually turn in his chair.

Another buzz on his wrist stopped him, and he saw Kane had quickly sent a follow-up message:

Eyes forward boy.

Austin paused...then readjusted to sit forward in his chair again.

His smartwatch buzzed again:

Obedient--I like that. Can you text?

The otter glanced up at his family. Emmett and Vera had dominated the conversation, and Richard and Elise's attention had shifted to focus entirely on them.

Austin pulled out his phone--ironically, due to the fact that he was more on the outside of his family than the inside, nobody had ever minded when he had used his phone at the dinner table.

Exclusion had its benefits.

Austin navigated to the text conversation that Kane had started. After saving the polar bear's number in his contacts list, the otter typed his response:

I can! Good to hear from you!

_Likewise. How are you feeling? _

Recovered from drinking earlier?

_Yeah, I took a nap...had a couple _

nice dreams, which also helped.

Oh? Dream about anything in particular?

Kane added a smiling devil face emoji--Austin kept his face neutral for the sake of keeping a low profile in front of his family, but he suppressed a chuckle as he replied:

_Just about a very handsome bear _

I met earlier ;)

_What a coincidence, I was just thinking about _

_a very cute little otter I met earlier...you _

haven't seen him around, have you?

Austin wanted so badly to snicker at Kane's reply--the bear tickled him in a way that just made him feel...well, happy!

_Think I might've seen him in _

my mirror ;)

Oh I bet you saw all of him in your mirror...I have

_to say, I enjoyed getting the preview of that earlier _

_with you in your swim trunks. _

_Lol, gotta say the same thing--your _

_pic on CatchMe really doesn't do you justice, _

you're much sexier in person.

Aw, sweet of you to say that, it's nice to

hear you think I've still got the looks.

_Oh you do, for sure! Sitting next to you at the _

pool got me kind of hot and bothered.

HAHAHA

Austin raised his eyebrows and paused as the bear continued typing after his latest message, then sent a follow-up:

_Oh, I'd say you were plenty hot and bothered, _

_judging from how hard you were trying to hide _

the wood in your trunks ;)

Austin had to bite the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from howling "Ooooh no!" in laughter, and heat rose in his cheeks--he thought he'd been so subtle, but Kane had seen right through him!

He sent a facepalm emoji before replying:

Ooooh noooo was I that obvious?

_Just a little bit. But it was very cute. _

And got me wanting to see much more.

_Lol well I'm glad you liked what you saw! _

_If you want to see even more, want _

to trade pics?

Austin held his breath, hoping, waiting, watching Kane type his response:

_Heh, that's alright, I want to save the _

big reveal for in-person.

The otter softly exhaled--while it wasn't exactly what he was hoping for, he could accept waiting a little longer to see what the polar bear was packing.

That's cool, I'm good with that. So...

when's a good time to be in-person again?

_Funny you should ask that, I wanted to let you know _

that I've got something in mind for tomorrow.

Oh really?

Yeah, should be pretty good, I think you'll enjoy it.

What is it?

It's a surprise!

Aw you don't want to give me a hint?

_Nope, I'm going to keep you in suspense, _

_let you go to bed tonight wondering what it _

_could possibly be, having no clue what I'm _

going to do to you...

Austin quickly sent a blushing face emoji and a laughter emoji before typing a reply:

Ugh you're killing me!

_Why do I get the feeling that you'd rather _

I be kissing you?

_Oooh probably because I would _

actually prefer that, hands down.

Hehe, all in good time, kiddo.

Austin started typing, but he deleted his message when he saw that Kane was typing a follow-up:

_And speaking of time, make sure to meet _

me in the lobby tomorrow morning at 10:45.

Can do! Should I bring anything?

Just that cute, perky little bubble butt--

_just so you know, I reeeeally wanted to _

cop a feel of it on the way back from the pool.

Not sure if I'll be able to resist tomorrow.

Kane sent another smiling devil face emoji--combined with his last message, that was enough to make Austin subtly wiggle in his seat and allow himself a small grin.