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Heyup. Your weekly serving of FA - part of this complete breakfast - is delivered!! If you're new to the series, skip and skedaddle in the sinister direction and you shall find your way to Episode 1. I will never run out of ways to say that! ;p

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_ Saturday. _

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Jonathon awoke way too early for any day even remotely connected to the concept of 'weekend'. The sun was still fairly low, casting bright whitish light across the wall behind his bed, and he had surely gotten no more than seven hours of sleep... and yet, the raccoon suddenly found himself wide awake. Wildly awake, as if he'd had two energy drinks and a chai.

He lay still for a moment, staring at the ceiling, and then crawled out of his bed, which was on the floor next to their one window. Riley's was lofted, at a right angle to his; they'd stuck the foot of his bed into the corner of the fox's loft, right in the corner of the room. The fox's desk was under the other part of it, while Brad's desk was across from it, by the head of his bed. On the other side of Riley's loft was the wardrobe and dresser assembly; Jonathon wandered to this lazily and grabbed a pair of shorts and a T-shirt, before pulling off the pajama pants he slept in and donning his lazing-around attire.

He sat down at his desk and flicked the switch on his laptop, a big bulky old contraption of silver plastic and hot fan vents. While it booted, he glanced around, surveying the rest of the room: next to him was the TV, which Riley had provided, and the game systems below it, most of which were Jonathon's. There was a beanbag chair in front of this setup, as well as a squashed lounging pillow that looked markedly less comfortable - the former was Jonathon's, and he defended it fiercely from the jealous paws of his roommate. And beyond that, in the wall across from the window, was the door, with their towels hanging on the towel racks it bore. Jonathon's was blue, Riley's was a burnt orange hue.

Once his computer finally decided to boot, Jonathon diverted his gaze from the familiar surroundings of his 'home' and returned it to the ten-year-old operating system struggling to load on his good ole' laptop. It had once been the family laptop, back when they bought it brand new, and he'd been kicked off it many, many times by his parents for playing video games when they needed to check their email over the slow dialup connection. Naturally, when it had been replaced, back in high school, he was given command of the old (but still functional) device. The battery no longer held a charge, but it was still portable enough to take to the library for studying purposes, and it was so underpowered now that he didn't even spend all his time playing games on it.

Jonathon figured he might as well get on facebook, and see if Brad had friended him yet. They'd texted a bit back and forth last night, after the wolf had left. Mostly confirmation that, no, his roommate was not gay, and no, his roommate did not know that Jonathon was himself.

It was really a fairly easy dynamic, being able to tease the fox about reading a few... questionable books. It allowed him a bit of a position of power, that he didn't normally find himself in. When you had the upper paw, it was difficult for anyone to challenge you.

As Jonathon had found out himself, last night. It had been so damn hard to just get the words out, because Brad was being so... forward, about it. Confident. It was supposed to be such a good thing, such an exciting thing. He wasn't supposed to say stop. He wasn't supposed to want to stop.

Solemn, Jonathon stared at his desktop. He still felt a surge of nervousness, when he thought about...

What if he never really felt ready for it? What if this whole relationship thing was a bad idea?

The raccoon mmphed at that. Stupid thoughts. No point fretting about those sorts of things; he would be much better off just letting things be, and letting things happen, and letting things go.

Jonathon smiled a little as he set the fussiness behind him, and took a small breath, before opening his browser. Time to see where that cute wolf was. Click, clack, type, tap. The fan in his laptop began its customary whine, sending a rush of hot, strangely sticky air out over his desk. Bleh.

Facebook. Blue-barred bane of productivity and privacy. Brutal bandwagon of the dramatic droves. Blasted buggy blob of... darn, he was out of alliterations. He'd have to ask Riley when he woke up; the english-majoring fox guy had gotten him into this nonsense.

"Stripey... um... two... stripate..." Jonathon murmured, as he typed his email address into the little box. A little grin found its way to his muzzle as he recalled the old pun, from one of his high school chemistry classes. What else was a raccoon made out of, but stripium? Hence, stripeystripeo32 at furmail dot com. He'd had to leave out the necessary parentheses, but that was probably a good thing; it made him look like a bit less of a nerd, since a lot of email addresses ended in those numbers people tacked on when someone had taken the one they wanted.

Facebook! Three new notifications. Click, click.

Mitch Steinbeck tagged you in a status! 'had a great time with Mike Vasquez Jason Timmons Bill Neal at the expo met some cool people and totally pwned mike's ass in forza tourney even though he keeps making excuses too bad Jonathon Howard couldn't come - at AutumnEx 2012!'

Heheh. Click. 'Yeah sorry I spend so much time wasting your noob asses normally that I thought you deserved a shot Mitch'

Back to notifications. Mandy Vanderberg likes your status! Which one was that? The one about the dubstep guy, that's right.

Greyson Durkheim posted on your wall!

Hmm, what was this about? Jonathon smiled softly as he clicked on the link, next to a small image of something golden-furred and pointy... which he presumed was Greyson's head, it was hard to see.

'Hey, you. Feel like coming over sometime this weekend? Got another book I wanna talk about. There's food in it for you, too.'

The raccoon's smile broadened, and he just sat there for a moment, glowing warmly at the screen, before clicking and quickly typing, 'Yeah sure is Sunday okay?'

That'd be fun. It had been a few weeks since he'd spent time with the rat... and he did love spending time with Greyson.

Although... for the first time, he felt a little guilty. You know, considering there was a Brad in his life, now.

That's dumb, Jonathon thought immediately. Greyson's not your fuck-buddy, there's nothing wrong with hanging out with him still.

Yet... he wondered if he ought to... change how he acted, with the rat. Now that he was in a relationship, and all. It felt... almost like cheating, to consider just... continuing...

The raccoon shook his head distressfully. This whole boyfriend thing had an uncanny ability to get him really worked up, in a way he wasn't used to. A way that wasn't normal for him.

Speaking of boyfriend.

Jonathon clicked on the top bar. Typed and muttered. "Bradley... Wilson..."

Sexy name. Rrrowr.

A ton of results popped up. Damn common name, that. California, Texas, Florida... old tiger, nerdy ocelot, fairly cute salamander... Hah. That hunky dark shape looked familiar. Click.

Yup, there he was. Darkish fur and hulkiness and glaring at the camera, which was held by someone else. The room was dark and he was lit by a flash, but Jonathon recognized it as the living room he'd been making out in last night, before... things happened.

Add Friend. There. Maybe they could chat later.

A blue box popped up at the bottom left of the screen. Wow, was he...

Greyson Durkheim commented on your wall post!

Oh, right. Greyson was always up really early.

'Yup, Sunday's fine, probably what I would have picked too cause of some things. I'll come pick you up at like fourish.'

The sun was starting to creep over his desk, now, straying across his paws as it climbed higher and higher in the sky. 'Sounds good see you then buddy'

Now, maybe he'd take a peek at what Mike and Bill had said about the expo...

The raccoon took to browsing facebook, mostly killing time, and beginning to think about a nice breakfast or something. He'd have to work on homework later, but that was no great loss, really. Ought to go buy some munchies, too, so he wasn't hungry later on this week; that box of Cheez-Its was almost empty... On the other paw, he probably didn't need the extra carbs. Whatever Brad said, he'd still felt a little self-conscious last night, after the wolf had gotten his shirt off.

After a little while, Jonathon began to notice a sort of... shuffing sound.

He blinked, and paused in his surfing, and then poked his head around, to glance back at the loft behind him.

Oh, right. He recognized the way the blankets were moving, and went back to his facebook surfing. It was kind of early for Riley to be awake, but maybe the raccoon had woken him up.

Jonathon continued his internet wandering, ignoring the sound of his roommate masturbating. The two had agreed long ago, back in Jonathon's freshman year, that being all discreet and awkward about the practice was a pain. They both did it, they both liked doing it, and they both would rather keep doing it when they pleased, instead of hiding in the bathroom stalls or waiting until the other had fallen asleep, the way some guys did. Riley wasn't even discreet about it any more; he went as aggressively as he liked; Jonathon, on the other paw, was still sort of shy and tried to keep quiet. Which wasn't really that difficult, with the way he preferred to do it.

Jonathon, fortunately, was blessed with a roommate who wasn't really his type. Little scrawny guys were all right, but the raccoon much preferred a guy who had to lean down to kiss him, and who could wrap him in a bear hug with ease, and probably pick him up in one, too. Also Riley was kind of a chilly prick sometimes; Jonathon was a sucker for affectionate, sweet guys, and the fox didn't have much of that going on. Sure, it did always get a little uncomfortable whenever a guy started pawing in the same room as him, but it was fairly easy to ignore, and Riley didn't seem to jerk off very often, anyway, no more than once a week that Jonathon noticed. If the raccoon had been in a room with some hunk, or some sweet-hearted dude... like Brad, for instance, on both counts... it would have been unbearable, to have to listen to him...

That just brought to mind the wolf, on his back, stroking his own dick furiously. Jonathon blushed and ducked his head a bit, trying to ignore the erection he was getting. He didn't want Riley to think he was gay.

Never mind that he was, and all.

Jonathon wandered around facebook. Riley rubbed his penis. The fox's strokes grew faster and rougher, and finally ended with a series of small, quiet moans. He always moaned when he came, it was really the most distracting part of it. The guy really had a fairly cute moan.

Jonathon grimaced and scrolled down his newsfeed. After a few minutes of Riley panting and some shuffling sounds, Jonathon's dick was back in his sheath, and the fox's loft creaked as its occupant climbed out of it.

Jonathon looked around. "Morning. Did I wake you up?"

Riley shook his head. "Don't think so." He was wearing only a pair of maroon boxer briefs, with a great big wet stain square in the crotch. With cool nonchalance, the gray-and-orange mammal went over to the dresser and changed, wiping himself up a bit. Jonathon didn't stare; he'd seen all that before - the fox's extremely wrinkly, fairly thick sheath, covered in scruffy pubic fur - and he felt no particular desire to repeat the experience. Riley was really kinda meh, all over.

Brad, on the other paw...

Well, gee, Jonathon, you could have seen all you liked last night, if you wanted.

It was a lot easier not to feel nervous the morning after, in daylight and retrospect. Still, it wasn't that big of a deal. Brad wasn't going to dump him over something superficial like a little 'slow down,' so they had plenty of time. Jonathon had plenty of time.

The raccoon reminded himself of that, before he went back to facebooking.

A moment later, though, his attention was drawn back to the fox. "So how long have you known that guy Brad?"

Jonathon blinked, surprised. "Uh... about a week, now. Why?"

The fox shrugged, pulling on a pair of jeans over his underwear (which were now a blue pair with black hems and waistband). "Just curious."

The raccoon considered him for a moment. "You were pretty drunk. I'm surprised you even remember his name."

Riley chuckled, and didn't reply to that, digging around for a t-shirt. Somehow, his silence seemed ominous.

Suddenly, the fox turned, holding his shirt in front of his slim chest, and fixed the raccoon with a clear-eyed look. "You're in a relationship with him, aren't you?"

The raccoon stared, flabbergasted. "I... I... what?!"

The fox smirked a bit. "I thought so."

He went back to putting his clothes on. Jonathon stared and stared, growing progressively more embarrassed and horrified. "Riley... Riley, no, we're just friends..."

"Look, I know you're gay," the fox remarked. "I've known for a long time. It's cool. I don't care. I've never cared about that kind of thing."

The raccoon was blushing furiously now. "I... Riley... we're not..."

"Yeah, you are, just admit it," the fox said, in his typical cold manner. "Denying it isn't making you look any more respectable, so just stop."

Jonathon stared at his own bare footpaws. "Riley..."

The fox paused; Jonathon heard the cease of motion.

"...Please... please don't tell anyone..." the raccoon said, very quietly.

"It's your business, not mine," his roommate replied, with his typical lack of empathy. "I haven't said anything until now and won't say anything after this, if you prefer. I just thought you should know that I picked up on all that last night. Looking at guys like that isn't a very subtle thing, you know."

"I'll have to be more careful, then," the raccoon mumbled.

"If you want to keep it all hush-hush, then yeah, maybe you should."

Jonathon couldn't look up from his paws. He didn't have anything to say, really.

"He seems like a nice guy," the fox said pensively. "I thought, at least. Seems like a good guy."

"Well, you're so damn perceptive, I'll just trust your judgment, then..." the raccoon muttered.

"Hey, don't get snappy about it. It's not something to be ashamed of."

"I know that better than you, and I'm not ashamed of it," the raccoon shot back.

"All right, then," the fox said disarmingly. "I don't want to fight about it."

"Neither do I." Jonathon rubbed his forehead, and took a shuddering breath; what had gotten into him recently? "Sorry about that."

"It's okay. I understand you probably don't go through all this with people because it's tough for you."

"You could say that." Jonathon decisively shut his laptop. This development called for some damn breakfast. Comfort food. "I hate doing this."

Riley leaned against the side of his loft, stroking his chin a bit.

"...You know... he's really quite attractive. For a guy, I mean."

Jonathon blinked, and quirked an eyebrow, trying to act normal.

"Yes, I'm straight," the fox replied, rolling his eyes.

"I wasn't going to ask," the raccoon said simply. He'd never doubted that, for all he liked to tease the fox. Any guy who could study homoerotic subtext in classical literature and pleasure himself in the same room as another guy, while not showing so much as a whit of interest in hitting on said guy for an entire year... Yeah, no guy who could manage those things could possibly be gay. Even the raccoon had been a bit... friendly... toward his roommate once or twice, when he was feeling particularly randy. He wasn't Jonathon's type... but he was male, and often within arm's reach.

Hell, that's probably how the fox had figured it out. Maybe Riley was right about his subtlety.

"I can recognize an attractive guy when I see him," Riley said, with a shrug. "Even if I can't appreciate him. That wolf was damn attractive. Where'd you find a guy like that?"

"Met him at the café, the one you don't like. Tripped him, actually." Jonathon grimaced at the floor. Talking about this with Riley, of all people, was not something he particularly wanted to do.

"Hm. Well, I hope that works out."

"Since when have you cared about my romantic life?" Jonathon inquried, with a hint of his familiar sardonic tone.

"Well, I'm glad you're in a relationship as opposed to slutting it up or something," Riley said defensively. "And I'm glad it's with a nice guy and it's good you have decent taste in the face, too. It's not like I want you to crash and burn; if you'd rather, I can change to licking up your tears like on South Park."

Jonathon snorted a bit; he'd gotten the vulpine male into that show. "Alright, I get it. Just still kinda... out of my element."

"I won't talk about it too much. You can just pretend I don't know." Riley gave him a slow, uncertain look. "If... that's what you're into."

Jonathon stared at the floor, feeling abruptly as though he was being judged. "Yeah, kind of is," he said.

"Alright. It's your decision." Riley stuffed his socked paws into his shoes. "Wanna get some breakfast?"

The raccoon looked up at him; it had been a while since they'd grabbed food together. And it... had been a while, since someone new had...

...accepted him.

"Yeah, all right."

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So, if the previous minor story arc was inspired by some of my own relationship history, this one was inspired by my own dealings with roommates. Not the delightfully homoerotic (can you tell I love that word?) openness in their relationship, but the way coming out to one's roommate works. Coming out is different for everyone, and it's harder for some than others... but I think most of us would agree that it's not easy.

I wasn't actually planning to write this one, but after last episode I wanted to write more about Riley. He's a fun character in some ways, and I don't think he'll be getting much more attention, so I wanted to explore his relationship with Jonathon a bit. Also I wanted to do something with at least a modicum of sex actually happening since I keep doing these darn adult-rated 'No-Yiff' chapters. There are some non-FA things in the pipeline to keep your lewd urges sated in the (hopefully very near) future. I'm hoarding them for my lewd urges, right now, heheh.

See yous next week. Don't eat too much turkey and sleep through FA posting time!