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"Pressure"

by K.M. Hirosaki ([email protected])

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story and all characters herein are copyright © 2009 K.M. Hirosaki.

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The mongoose kicked the apartment door open with one booted foot, and the impact almost knocked his glasses off of his own muzzle. He shimmied his way inside and dropped his suitcase unceremoniously on the floor and walked past it without even stopping to take his boots off. He didn't spare so much as a single thought about how much mud or dirt he might be tracking in as he went straight for his bedroom.

The red fox in the living room turned away from the television and looked over the back of the sofa. â€Oh, hey man,†he said. â€Good trip?â€

â€Yep.†The mongoose's reply came out as a single exhaled breath. He hadn't even bothered to look his roommate in the eye. He was on a mission, and he would not be distracted. Luckily, Kenny wasn't the sort of fox to take offense at that sort of thing.

The door to the mongoose's bedroom slammed shut with as much subtlety as the door to the apartment had opened.

At last, Jez was alone in his inner sanctum.

Oh, good lord, the trip home had been nothing short of agonizing. Four hours wasn't that long to be sitting on a plane, no, but adding in another three-hour flight (with a two-hour layover in between) made that four hours feels like eight.

Eight hours on top of two on top of three on top ofâ€"

Math (along with all other higher brain functions) was shoved aside the moment that Jez fell onto his bed. His tight, muscled frame squirmed into position so that his pillows were propped underneath his head and he was at least halfway comfortable. For a final touch, he readjusted his glasses. This would do.

Jez's belt buckle provided little obstacle. Neither did his zipper. The mongoose's fingers might as well have been on autopilot. This was the realm of the inevitable, now.

The very moment that the cool air hit his freed dick, Jez gasped in both relief and delight. He was already rock hard, having been so since about two minutes into the cab ride back from the airport. Slick drizzle made his fingers' automatic movements even more effortless. He'd been leaking so much that his boxers were practically soaked; Jez was surprised that his jeans hadn't started to show a spot. As it was, the scent of mongoose musk was beautifully overwhelming now that his pants were open.

There was no way that Kenny wouldn't be able to smell it, afterwards, when Jez opened the door, but Jez didn't care about that now (and neither would Kenny, in all likelihood).

Jez worked his paw up and down, good and fast, at first, unable to keep from giving in to his body's pent-up needs. With that initial urge sated, though, he dialed things back, torn between wanting to savor the moment and wanting to just get off already. He settled on the middle ground: he wasn't going to rush, but nor was he going to tease himself and draw things out. He was just going to jerk off.

Plain, good old fashioned jerking off. It was like some quaint kind of pleasure, in a way. How long had it been since Jez had just laid back and jerked off?

The mongoose stopped wondering that and started trying to pull select images out of the stream of smutty consciousness that was consuming his mind. After an entire four-day weekend of teasing, flirting, and countless missed opportunities to land someone in bed, Jez had no shortage of material to work with. Fuck, it was more of a problem to narrow things down! Did he think about the twinky lion with those super-tight jeans? Or the less-twinky but more-slutty coyote with the super-short shorts? Jez might be a ball of stress and hormones, but even he couldn't fuck two boys at once, even in his imagination. Maybethe cute, young, cinnamon-furred husky who'd passed out drunk, slumped on the very same bed atop which Jez had been hoping to nail him...

He'd been pawing at the mongoose's crotch all night long, only to end up as the most epic boner-kill ever. It was only Thursday night, the kid had passed out after drink number two, and Jez was now on... well, more than two. At around the fifth, the phrase â€Just One More†had lost all meaning.

The mongoose tried to remember if he had anything important to do in the morning. He didn't have to work, obviously. Nothing else to take its place came to mind, either, so that must've meant there was nothing to worry about. Yeah, Jez could handle that. No worries.

A short meerkat, who wobbled as badly when standing upright as he did when walking, tapped Jez on the shoulder with one paw. â€Hey, man,†he asked. â€Where do you guys keep your paper towels?â€

â€I actually don't live here,†Jez replied. He took a look around, just in case, to see if he could spot them anywhere obvious. Nothing. â€Why don't you ask Jacksy?†he offered, indicating the skunk on the other side of the living room with his paw.

As he scanned the crowd, Jez thought to look for Minch. He hadn't seen even seen her since he showed up in town earlier in the day, and was wondering where she might be. Probably not at one of Jacksy's parties. Well, not at one of these parties, where it was all boys, no girls, and more alcohol than college kids should rightly have access to.

The meerkat tried to follow where Jez was pointing, but neither his eyesight nor Jez's finger were particularly steady. â€Yeah. Okay. Thanks,†the meerkat said. He stumbled a couple steps in something resembling the right direction, and Jez turned to steady himself against the entryway between the living room and kitchen.

Not five seconds later, the meerkat tapped on Jez's shoulder again. The little guy couldn't have made it over to Jacksy and back alreadyâ€"not with this crowd. â€Hey,†he said, stumbling well past the mongoose's comfort zone as he stared dizzily upwards. â€Do you have a cigarette?â€

â€No, sorry,†Jez replied. His brow furrowed in thought. â€Actually, try Jacksy for that, too,†he suggested.

â€Okay. Thanks.†The meerkat teetered back and forth as he tried to push away from the wall, practically stepping on Jez's feet by this point. He blinked his wide, bleary eyes slowly. â€I like your glasses. You're cute,†he added, patting the mongoose just a little too hard on the stomach as he turned and stumbled back in Jacksy's general direction again.

Cute. Hey, maybe if the little fella wasn't clearly fifteen minutes away from puking, Jez would have made a pass back at him. That, and whatever he needed those paper towels for probably wasn't anything pleasant, either.

Besides, it was already after midnight. Trying to score some action now was likely to just end in disappointment like Jez's earlier attempts in the evening had. Thinking again about the cinnamon-furred husky currently passed out in Jacky's guest room, he tried to force those notions out of his head.

So, yeah, Jez was reluctant to get his hopes up, now. Besides, with all the alcohol currently coursing through his system, it was questionable whether the mongoose could even get hard enough to screw anyone, conscious or otherwise.

There were better things to worry about, besides, right? He tried to think of what those things might be, but to no avail. Minch came to mind again before he remembered, that, no, Minch wasn't here. Was there even a reason to suspect that she would be? Why was he thinking about her again?

Back in the old days, Minch would have been at this party. Jez, Minch, and Jacksy: a little trio whose names made more than a couple school administrators roll their eyes. Back in the old days.

With a heavy sigh, Jez slouched back against the wall and just watched the crowd. Fuck, everyone looked so young. Jez wasn't that old, was he? He apparently wasn't too old for these folks to hit on him, at least. So why did he feel old? Maybe the booze was just getting to his head. Perhaps it was time to switch over to something lighter to finish out the evening.

The mongoose nudged his way past the tiger who was standing right in front of the fridge. A quick rummage showed that they were out of bitch beer and down to just plain actual beer. Jez frowned, but snatched one anyway, then reached into his pocket to fetch his keys in order pop the cap off.

As he fumbled to get his claws on the bottle opener, Jez dropped his keys on the kitchen tile. He bent over to pick them up, and proceeded to lose his grip on them twice more before finally succeeding in getting them off the floor. When he stood back upright, he nearly knocked his head right into Jacksy's jaw.

â€Oof! Need a little help there?†the skunk asked, dusting his chest off as he stepped back out of Jez's face.

â€Nah, I got it,†Jez replied, biting his lip as he tried to line up the bottle opener properly with the cap. With some concentration, he got it on the second try.

Jacksy chuckled as Jez took his first sip. â€Wow. Cream stout, huh?â€

The mongoose wiped his muzzle with the back of his paw. â€Yeah. Go figure that a party full faggots would leave the lager and the stout for last, right?†He blinked a few times, then added, â€Shit, I probably shouldn't say that, huh?â€

â€It's okay,†Jacksy said. â€I won't tell the staff. And hey, you can always just say that you're wearing it as a badge of pride or something, yeah?â€

â€Oh, they'd love that,†Jez said. He could clearly picture a roomful of angry faces. It made him giggle. â€Hey, tell them I've got an idea for a new t-shirt.â€

Jacksy laughed at that, too. â€I'd say to just skip the shirts and just get it tattooed across your forehead,†the skunk said, â€but I think you flame so much as it make it redundant.â€

â€Fuck you, you big queen,†Jez said, his voice jumping up in pitch an octave and a half as he swatted Jacksy on the shoulder with his free paw. â€I'm the one drinking the stout, here, remember?†With that, he brought the bottle to his muzzle, wrapped his lips around the neck, and tipped his head back, guzzling long and hard.

A blank and bland off-white ceiling emerged from the blackness that was Jez's vision. The mongoose searched for any patterns he might recognize, and when he didn't see the little set of notches that looked like the nose of a spaceship, he knew he wasn't in his own bedroom.

He could also smell skunk. â€Jacksy? That you?â€

â€Yeah, I'm here.†It sounded like the skunk was right behind him. â€You need some more water.â€

It took Jez a few seconds to realize that Jacksy hadn't been asking a question. â€Fuck,†he said. â€Where am I?â€

â€Back at your hotel room.†Jez now recognized the dark blur out of the corner of his left eye as Jacksy. â€Did you black out?†the skunk asked.

Jez thought about that, but thinking hard made his head hurt. â€Um, maybe,†he said. â€What happened?â€

â€You started chugging your beer. I started to say, 'I don't think you should do that,' but I only got as far as 'do' before you yakked all over my kitchen floor.â€

The mongoose swirled his tongue around inside of his muzzle. It didn't taste like he'd thrown up. â€Ugh. I'm sorry, man,†he said. â€I didn't mean to wreck your party.â€

Jacksy just chuckled. â€Oh, trust me, there was far worse after that,†he said. â€And hey, you at least helped clean up your own miss.â€

â€Shit, did I?†How much did Jez have to drink that he didn't remember that at all? He finally saw that Jacksy was holding out a glass of water for him, though the skunk was still a monochromatic blur, and only then did Jez realize he wasn't wearing his glasses.

He gladly took it and drank from it. It was so cold it made his teeth hurt. Still, he knew he had to finish it off, and probably another one or two just like it before letting himself fall asleep.

After he polished off that first glass, Jacksy did indeed head to the bathroom, refilling it from the sink. This time, when he came back, he also held out his other paw. â€Here you go,†he said, â€brain pills.†He slipped two small, round tablets into Jez's palm, and the mongoose downed them along with half of that second glass of water, which he swallowed back in three heavy gulps.

â€I'm gonna feel like shit tomorrow, aren't I?†Jez asked.

â€Probably,†Jacky said. â€But hey, look on the bright side: at least you get your own bed.â€

Jez patted the mattress with a paw. It was kind of stiff, but not as bad as the beds in some hotels he'd stayed in. â€Wait,†he then asked. â€How did I get back here?â€

â€I drove your rental,†the skunk replied. â€I was going to just drop you in my guest bedroom, but Mwai was pretty, er, 'occupied' with, um... whatshisname, the cute little husky?â€

Coughing down the last of his water, Jez looked up. â€Yeah, I know who you mean,†he said. â€Since when do you know so many sluts, anyhow?â€

Jacksy patted the mongoose gently on the shoulder. â€Since your recruitment drive efforts brought us so much fresh blood.â€

Jez rolled his eyes. â€No way is that kid old enough to have been here since I graduated,†he insisted.

â€Well, okay, so maybe you're only partially to thank,†Jacksy replied. â€Er, to blame, I mean.â€

â€Of course you do,†Jez said as he started to tuck himself back into bed, tugging the covers over himself.

For a little while longer, Jacksy hovered over the bed in silence. â€Did you want me to just take the rental back with me, and I can come pick you up in the morning?â€

It took Jez a second to realize that the skunk was asking if the mongoose wanted him to crash here with him. That might not be so bad, he thought, even if he definitely wasn't going to be doing anything other than falling to sleep sometime in the next sixty seconds. If he didn't even up with too much of a hangover, though, some morning-after sex might be nice.

â€Actually,†Jez found himself saying, â€I bet you've got, like, over half a dozen people crashing all over your apartment. You should probably take the car.â€

Without any hint of feeling rebuffed, Jacksy said, â€Yeah, that's a good point,†and scooped up the keys from the nightstand. â€You'll be okay, yeah?â€

â€Wouldn't be the first time I got this trashed,†Jez replied, his eyes already closed.

Jacksy snorted out a final chuckle. â€Oh, believe me,†he said as he began to walk away, â€I know.â€

Beeping. Incessant beeping. It was some maddening rhythm, one that Jez would have given anything to have skip a beat or change cadence for even a second or two if wishing for it to stop entirely was too much to ask. After a while, Jez at least lost track of it, which was almost as good.

It kept on coming back to him, though, creeping into his ears. The pillows didn't do a good job of muffling it, for some reason. It was as if the ringing, beeping sound weren't echoing in from the distance, but was insteadâ€"

Oh, shit, it was his phone. Jez sat up fastâ€"far too fastâ€"and immediately clutched at his aching head with both paws. The phone was on the floor next to the bed, having apparently fallen off of the nightstand thanks to the vibrate function. Each time it rang, it buzzed, the sound now at last muffled by the carpet. It didn't make Jez's head hurt any less, though.

The phone was face-down, so Jez couldn't even see who was calling, so he didn't know if he needed to care enough to pick up right now. But noâ€"whoever was calling had probably been calling repeatedly, which meant that it was probably important. So, doing his best to not fall off the bed completely as he did so, the mongoose fumbled for his glasses on the nightstand and then plucked the phone up from off the floor.

The name on the phone's display made Jez's head hurt all over again: Minch.

â€Hello?†the mongoose said, trying (and failing) to sound like he hadn't just woken up.

â€Jez,†came Minch's harsh, shrill feline voice. â€Where the hell are you?â€

Suddenly, Jez's mind was transported back in time to the previous night, when he'd first started drinking and was considering whether getting drunk would be okay or not. This time, though, instead of willfully getting plastered, he thought to himself, â€Ah, that's right, I've got the GSU staff meeting at nine o'clock in the morning!â€

â€Um... shit, sorry, Minch,†Jez said. The bedside clock was currently displaying 9:17 in angry red letters. â€I'll be right there, I promise.â€

â€You'd better be,†the cat said. â€We can't get started without you.â€

Jez rubbed his temple with his palm. â€Jacksy knows most of my stuff,†he said. â€Have him cover for my part until I get there.â€

â€Jacksy's not here, either.†Well, fuck.

Already, the mongoose could tell that he smelled like he'd passed out in an alley. And taking a shower thorough enough to remove the reek would take so much time that Minch would be liable to murder him on sight once he finally did show up at the Campus Center. Best, then, would be to go just get right in his car and drive to the school, despite his sad state, andâ€"

Except Jacksy had taken the car, hadn't he? Oh, this morning was three for three on the awesome scale already.

â€Me and Jacksy'll be there,†Jez said as he swung his feet off the side of the bed. He hoped to hell that he didn't fall over as soon as he attempted to stand up. â€Go ahead and get started without us.â€

The rumble of displeasure in Minch's sigh was audible through the phone. â€When can you get here?†she asked.

â€Twenty minutes,†Jez said. â€Tops.â€

It was after ten o'clock when Jez and Jacksy actually made it to the Campus Center and into the Gay Student Union staff meeting. When they walked into the room, they were met by an array of disapproving gazes, the most accusing of which was Minch's.

The mottled cat happened to be standing in front of the whiteboard, her arm outstretched as she ran down a list with a large marker. As she went still, the rest of the room went silent, as if the collected folks wanted Jez to be able to hear Minch's clicking tongue.

â€And we'll come back to catering in a bit,†the cat said, capping the marker and then motioning to the center table. â€Please, gentlemen, take a seat,†she offered. â€And Jez, maybe we can get you to finalize the booth arrangements for the central lawn now that you're finally here.â€

Jez kept his head down as he stepped up to the table and took an empty seat next to a lion that he didn't recognize from the year before. He was probably an underclassman, by the look of him, with a close-cropped and tidy mane that worked well with the smile he flashed Jez as the mongoose sat down. The young feline flashed both a quick wave and an apologetic smile before Jez started to flip through the agenda and the programming packet that had been set out before him.

Across the table, the wolf seated next to Jacksy turned his head and wrinkled up his nose. Like Jez, Jacksy hadn't had the chance to shower before coming in this morning, but the mongoose probably had an easier time of masking that fact than the skunk did. That, or the lion had no sense of smell, since he was still checking out Jez's body, as the mongoose could see in his peripheral vision. Hey, at least someone was happy to see him.

â€Where's the dunk tank on here?†Jez asked as he pored over the photocopied map. â€I thought I said I wanted it to go over by the pond.â€

Minch leaned one shoulder against the whiteboard and sighed in irritation. â€There's no dunk tank this year,†she said.

â€We couldn't get it?†the mongoose asked. â€I thought we had plenty of money toâ€"â€

â€Money's not the issue,†Minch said. â€The GSU council voted that it was too risque.â€

Jez blinked in disbelief. â€'Too risque?'†he asked. â€Since when? We've been doing the dunk tank for years.â€

â€Yeah, well, apparently there were some complaints last year,†Minch said. â€So we decided to play it safe rather than sorry.â€

â€And when was this decided?â€

â€Last semester,†Minch said. â€Had you not been keeping up with the updates?â€

Jez tapped a claw against the map. â€I submitted this for review just two months ago,†he said. â€Why didn't anyone tell me then?â€

Minch actually faltered for half a second, for once not having an immediate answer queued up. â€As the site planner, it's your responsibility to know what the event planning staff has agreed to,†she said.

Yeah, so much for the good old days. To think that Minch had ever in her life been carefree and relaxed enough to willingly attend a party where people went to unwind and have fun seemed like it was further outside the realm of possibility than dividing by zero.

Ignoring Minch's non-answer, Jez continued to rail. â€Spring Fair gets to have a dunk tank,†he pointed out.

â€Yeah, but they're not run by a bunch of faggots,†chirped the wolf sitting next to Jacksy. Minch spun around and glared at him, which prompted a muffled chuckle from the skunk.

Sighing, Jez looked back down at the map. â€Well, fine,†he muttered. â€If I don't have the dunk tank, then I at least want to move the bouncy castle over by the pond, instead.â€

â€If you do that, then you've got a big gap in the central lawn.†It was actually Jacksy who spoke up to point that out.

â€Well, then we'd better figure out what else we can move around, then, hadn't we?†Jez said, snatching a pen from the center of the table as he started to scrawl out a whole new plan on the fly.

â€God, Minch can be such an angry dyke sometimes.â€

Jez almost spat out his coffee, but managed to swallow it back with a cough and a sputter before looking up. He didn't recognize the voice, and so was therefore even more surprised to see the young lion from the staff meeting.

The mongoose chuckled and took another sip of his coffee. Being an 'angry dyke' used to get shit done. â€She just wants the weekend to go smoothly,†he murmured. â€And hey, she was well within her rights to be pissed off at me, besides.â€

â€Yeah, but like, just in general,†the lion said. He was beginning to smile. â€All year long, she's been a total bitch.â€

She wasn't always like that. â€Not as much of a bitch as some guys I've known,†the mongoose said with a grin of his own. â€Besides, I know how us guys do things here. We need someone to keep our asses in line.â€

It might have just been Jez's imagination, but he thought he saw the lion's switching tail miss a bit at the word 'ass.' â€I guess,†the lion conceded. â€Still, I'm glad you were able to sort things out.†He reached up to anxiously stroke his fingers through his short mane. â€Though I think she cornered Jacksy after the meeting to rip him a new one.â€

Jez thought back to that time during his junior year, when Minch had been forced to argue with campus security that Jacksy had most assuredly not, in fact, been participating in a panty raid. â€He's lived through worse,†the mongoose told the lion, unable to keep from chuckling at the memory, even as another sip of too-hot coffee threatened to scald his throat. Does Jacksy see it, too? The way she's changed?

The lion just kind of bobbed his head. â€Yeah, I might believe it,†he said. He stuffed both his paws into his pockets, forcing Jez to realize just how damned tight the feline's jeans were. Underclassman or not, it would have been wrong not to notice. The tuft at the end of that constantly-moving tail threatened to pull Jez into a trance, one which the mongoose fought off with active effort.

â€You know, you can take a seat if you like,†Jez offered.

â€Yeah, sure, okay.†God, if the lion's age didn't make Jez feel dirty, then his innocent smile sure as hell did. â€Let me just grab a coffee first, yeah?â€

Jez stole two more long glances at the kid's ass while he stood in line for his drink. He probably just imagined that the Campus Center's coffee had somehow gotten better ever since he'd graduated.

Soon enough, though, the lion was back with a paper cup of his own, that cute tail curling out of the way as he took a seat. â€Thanks,†he said to Jez as he got comfortable. â€I'm Nigel, by the way.â€

â€Pleasure to meet you, Nigel,†Jez said with a grin, offering a paw for the shaking. As the lion took it, Jez added, â€It's nice to see some fresh faces helping out the GSU.†Oh, fuck, he'd almost just said 'fresh meat' there.

â€I was pretty involved with things in high school,†Nigel said. â€Well, as much as you can be involved; here, there's actually stuff to do.â€

Jez didn't know whether having a gay student council or gay student alliance in high school was something to take for granted or not, nowadays. Back in his day, it certainly hadn't been, but then, the last time Jez had seen high school, Nigel might not even have reached middle school. The bitchy queens and angry dykes of yesteryear paved the way for you kids. â€You a freshman, then?†the mongoose asked.

â€Yeah,†Nigel said. â€There aren't a lot of us in the GSU.â€

â€Weren't many back when I was in it, either,†Jez replied. â€I didn't join until I was a sophomore, myself.â€

Nigel took a sip of coffee. â€You graduated, what, three years ago?†he asked.

â€Yeah, but I took five years,†Jez said with a chuckle. â€This is a tough place to leave behind.â€

â€You know,†Nigel said, â€despite what Minch might say, I think she's glad that you're still willing to devote time to help out with the GSU Festival every year.â€

The mongoose snorted as he sipped again. â€I don't know if she's that happy,†he said. â€Though I bet she'd be happier if me and Jacksy didn't work as a tag team.â€

Nigel giggled (God, he actually giggled). â€Back in January, when we were sorting out things for the 2-in-20 dorm the week before move-in, Minch told Jacksy that she knew he was dragging his ass getting his Master's just so that he could continue to be a thorn in her side.â€

â€Dorm, huh?†Jez murmured. â€Shit, back in my day, all we had was a 2-in-20 floor.â€

The lion nodded. â€Yeah, I'd heard about that,†he said. â€Guess there's a big demand for that sort of thing now, though. The GSU here has really done an awesome job, over the last few years, making this a gay-friendly campus.â€

Jez hid his smirk behind his coffee cup, the rising heat causing the edges of his glasses to fog up a tad. Was that really what they'd done? Had all their goofing off back in their undergrad days really had such a monumental effect on the social landscape of the school? Were we those bitchy queens and angry dykes that accomplished all that?

â€So why do you come back every year for this?†Nigel asked before Jez could get caught up in reflection and contemplation.

â€Well, I mean, I...†Jez had begun speaking without knowing what he was going to say. Why did he keep coming back? It wasn't just out of some sense of altruism. It wasn't just for Jacksy. It wasn't even just for the hot, barely-legal freshman twinks.

â€It's just kind of what I like doing, you know?†he offered as his only real answer.

The caffeine from two large cups of coffee suppressed Jez's appetite to the point where the mongoose had skipped lunch entirely, and only just now that dinner was rolling around had his hunger started to return. The question, then, was what we he do for his dinner plans?

He and Nigel had swapped phone numbers, nominally in case the dutiful little GSU volunteer needed Jez's help on something, or vice-versa. Asking the kid out to dinner, though, would probably be a bit much. Hell, he was too young to even drink, and it wasn't as if wanting to fuck the kid in half necessitated (or even warranted) a proper dateâ€"not if the mongoose were just here for the long weekend and they both full well knew it.

Instead, Jez dialed up Jacksy. â€Hey, man. What's up?†the skunk asked.

â€Wondering what you were doing for dinner,†the mongoose asked. â€Thought maybe if you were free we could hit up one of the old haunts, like the Diner or something.â€

â€The council's all going out to McGillicuddy's for dinner,†Jacksy said, voice halting a little. â€Minch said she was going to pass the invitation along.â€

Jez took his muzzle away from the receiver for a second in order to hide his growl. â€Minch did no such thing,†he then replied.

â€Oh,†Jacksy said. â€Well, I mean, do you want to come along?â€

The mongoose kicked one of his feet at the little asphalt pathway. â€I dunno,†he murmured. â€I think I can kinda take the hint that they don't want me there.â€

â€Hey, I'm officially inviting you, okay?†the skunk said. â€Just come along. It'll be fun.â€

At that, Jez chuckled bitterly. â€Oh, a blast, I'm sure,†he sneered. â€If I did go, it'd probably be just to spite Minch, anyway.â€

Jacksy didn't even miss a beat. â€The council's footing the bill,†he said.

Jez bit his lip and ran a paw over the shape of his wallet in his pocket. â€All right. Meet you in the lot by the Campus Center?â€

â€Twenty minutes,†Jacksy said, and then hung up.

Twenty minutesâ€"not really enough time to do much of anything but wait. The Campus Center was only a five-minute walk away. Killing fifteen minutes wouldn't be that bad, would it?

The mongoose stood in the middle of one of the many paths that snaked across the central lawn. Over toward the west end of campus, the chapel and the Liberal Arts Center were already becoming silhouettes against the orange glow of the setting sun. That same orange was casting a faint hue over the long grass, and also across the rippling surface of the pond.

Jez wandered over to spot by the pond where they'd ultimately decided to place the bouncy castle after all. Come this same time tomorrow, the entire central lawn would be full of students and faculty and visitors from the town, all come to enjoy the annual GSU Festival. There would be stands and booths set up amidst that network of footpaths, and the air would be full of laughter and enjoyment in between the moments of solemnity whenever people stopped to listen to the activist speakers over by main stage.

Nigel did have a point: the Gay Student Union had done a lot to transform the landscape of the campus. Seven years ago, the 'Festival' had been little more than a glorified bake sale that took place on whatever lonely Sunday in the early Spring wasn't already taken up by something more important; now, it was an event that was worthy of at least making state newspaper headlines, and which captured enough campus attention that they could afford things like bouncy castles and dunk tanks.

The pond reflected not only the light of the setting sun, but also the skyline of the north end of campus. This skyline wasn't the same one that Jez remembered from three years ago: the year after he graduated, they'd begun construction on a new high-rise tower adjunct to the Graduate Research Center, and just this past winter, they'd started work on a new residential area up in the northeast corner of campus, past the hill where the guys from the 2-in-20 floor had held that one kickass picnic back in junior year.

This was the school that Jez had graduated from, but it wasn't the same school that he'd left. Why did he keep on coming back here?

The mongoose asked himself that same question again once they'd gotten seated at McGillicuddy's. Minch had shown no sign of displeasure that Jez had managed to tag along after all, but neither was she expressly happy to have him. She actually hadn't given him more than the barest acknowledgment upon meeting up in the restaurant lobby, and since then, she'd wrapped herself up in conversation without having to deal with him further.

Total attendance at the dinner was just over a dozen. Jez was disappointed (if not really surprised) that Nigel was not among those who had come. The mongoose had at least managed to salvage the situation somewhat by snagging a seat next to Jacksy. This also had him sitting across from Kerri, a muskrat he remembered meeting very briefly at last year's GSU Festival; she'd volunteered a few hours of time in the dunk tank. â€Something for the boys and the girls to look at,†the mongoose recalled her saying.

Tonight, Kerri was making decent enough conversation for both Jez and Jacksy, even if the way she was dressed this time around didn't offer so much for straight guys as much as it might for, say, Minch. At the best of times, that still wouldn't concern Jez, and it concerned the mongoose even less, right now, as the waiter stopped by to replace his empty pre-dinner mojito with his during-dinner mojito.

Jacksy had raised a silent eyebrow at Jez when he'd ordered it, but the mongoose just muttered, â€Hey, they're paying for it.â€

Just after the waitstaff had finished bringing everyone's food, Minch clinked her fork against her glass to get everyone's attention. Go figure that she's pick that moment, when everyone had their nice, warm dinner staring them in the face, to interrupt and make a speech.

â€Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls,†the cat said with a proud smile, â€thank you for coming tonight. More importantly, thank you for hard work this semester and last semester in helping to make things come together for this weekend.â€

Heads were all turned toward Minch, but nobody said anything just yet, since it was obvious that she wasn't done speaking. God, Jez wanted to just pick up his fork an start eating, but instead, he just picked up his drink and took a nice, long sip through the straw. â€This was a group effort,†Minch continued. â€A team effort. That's what we are: a team, and I really do honestly think that, as a team, we're going to pull off the best GSU Festival we've ever had.

â€So, here's to all your teamwork!†she finished, at last raising her own glass of sparkling water in a toast. The rest of the table brought up their own drinks, Jez included, and most murmured an indistinct chorus of reply before clinking glasses and taking sips. With the moment passed, the mongoose took a look around the table.

A team, huh? Jez didn't feel like he was on a team. Other than Jacksy and Minch, he didn't even really know anyone on the GSU council anymore (Kerri didn't really count, nor did the wolf who'd gotten the evil eye from Minch for using the word â€faggotâ€). Hell, even when Jez had made his contributions, they'd basically been bulldozed over by Minch without him having had his own say and his input, and even though he'd gotten to â€fix†things to some degree, he'd lost face in front of the whole meeting before doing so.

People were finally starting to eat, now, and so conversation was momentarily on hold as folks occupied their muzzles elsewhere. Jez just pushed his food around with his fork, though, as he sipped more and more quickly from his mojito, determined to drain it and get a third before he was done polishing off his dinner plate.

Was he supposed to feel like he was part of a team? Was that what he wanted? Was it so bad to want to come back to school for one weekend a year and meet nice, cute guys like Nigel? Especially if, in trade, he was doing his part to make the campus a better place or whatever the heck it was he was doing.

The mongoose adjusted his glasses and then pulled out his phone and started typing out a text message under the table. He had selected Nigel's name from his address book and was halfway through asking the lion whether he knew of any parties on campus tonight when the waiter stopped by again and asked if anyone needed anything, and so Jez took the chance to order that third mojito.

On the drive back from McGillicuddy's, Jez asked Jacksy if he could be dropped off by the central quad instead of the Campus Center.

â€Why, what's going on?†the skunk asked.

â€Party,†Jez said. He and Jacksy hadn't actually talked much during dinner, it turned out, with Jacky's attention split between Minch and Kerri, and with Jez's lack of motivation to put effort into stealing any of that attention back.

Jacksy chuckled, but Jez couldn't be sure if it was the wry sort or the humorous sort. â€You can seriously still consider getting drunk after last night?†he asked.

â€I never said I was going to get drunk.â€

â€Girl, you're already three drinks in,†Jacksy pointed out. â€If I had to put money on it, I'd say that you're halfway in the bag already.â€

Jez wrapped his paw around the â€oh-shit†bar. â€The fact that you've known me as long as you have and can't tell how drunk I am or aren't is just...†His fingers tightened. â€I mean, come on.â€

The skunk sighed. â€Whose party is this?â€

â€I'unno,†Jez said, shrugging. â€I got invited by someone else.â€

The car rounded the corner onto campus proper, then, and Jacksy slowed down to get over the series of speed bumps. Even at a reduced speed, the up-and-down motion let Jez know that three mojitos had hit him a little harder than he wanted to admit to his friend. â€Does this 'someone' have a name?†the skunk asked.

Debating the pros and cons of coming clean, Jez decided that it wouldn't be worth putting up with Jacksy's incessant nagging when he knew full well that the skunk would draw the information out of him eventually, anyway. â€You know Nigel?â€

â€You're going after Nigel?†Jacksy barked in disbelief. â€Jeez, man, are you trying to get Minch to hate you?â€

â€Dude, fuck Minch,†Jez spat. He knew at once that he'd regret those words, but the dam holding back the mongoose's ire had broken and there was no holding back the flood of vitriol anymore. â€She's made it abundantly clear that she doesn't want me coming back here anymore. She thinks I'm still just some irresponsible college kid who doesn't care about anything but looking for a good time.â€

Jacksy took the next corner a bit hard (harder than he needed to?), forcing Jez to tighten his grip on the handle even harder. â€No, by this point, she probably thinks you just care about fucking irresponsible college kids.â€

â€Hey, blow me,†Jez said. â€How many barely-legal boys did you have at your party last night, huh?â€

â€Whoa, girlfriend, take it easy,†the skunk said. â€That's not what I'm saying. What I'm saying isâ€"â€

â€I'm responsible!†Jez insisted. â€I put together all those fucking plans on where I wanted things to go and how I wanted them to get there, and then everybody comes down on my ass because people changed the fucking plans and never bothered to tell me!â€

Jacksy's car coasted past the hill where that picnic had been. Shit, had that really been so long ago?

â€To be fair, I don't think that showing up late and hungover helped with impressing people,†the skunk said.

â€Oh, fuck you!†the mongoose snapped, letting go of his little safety handle in order to turn and glare at Jacksy. â€You were just as late as I was, remember?â€

Jacksy rolled his eyes. â€Can you let me finish? Fuck,†he sighed. â€First off, who's the one who got your drunk ass into bed and took care of you after puking all over my kitchen floor?†Jez was still a bit too angry to feel very humbled by that, but the skunk had at least succeeded in getting the mongoose to hold his tongue and hear his friend out. â€And as I was trying to say, I'm not saying you're irresponsible; I'm just trying to point out that this isn't the same GSU council that you used to know, and they don't know you.â€

â€Pull over,†Jez said.

â€What?â€

â€I said pull over. I can walk to the central quad from here.†He snorted. â€It's not like I've forgotten my way. Shit, evidently, I can't forget anything.â€

Jacksy sighed again. â€Jez, hon,†he started to say.

â€Just let me out, Jacksy,†the mongoose replied. His paw wrapped itself around the door handle.

Seeing that, Jacksy brought the car to a stop by the sidewalk. â€I'm not trying to chew you out,†he said. â€I'm just trying to explain thatâ€"â€

Jez didn't hear the rest of whatever Jacksy had to say, though, having gotten out and slammed the car door firmly shut behind him as he walked purposefully towards the central quad. The skunk's car idled in place for another good ten or fifteen seconds before finally pulling away.

While there had certainly been underclassmen at Jacksy's party the night before, a party actually held by freshmen and sophomoresâ€"in a college dorm, no lessâ€"didn't quite have the same 'edge' to it as a party thrown by an actual adult in an actual apartment. Kids this age just drank to be drinking, and that in and of itself was considered entertainment on a Friday night, without any other context.

Speaking of context, to make matters worse, Jez hadn't seen any sign of Nigel at all. Three times he'd considered calling or texting the lion to see whether he'd already come and gone, or if he was going to be showing up later, but every time he took out his phone, he just felt like a creepy old man.

Moreover, years of living in the 'real' worldâ€"and attending parties like Jacksy'sâ€"made the mongoose realize that he'd taken a lot of things for granted. For starters, he hadn't considered that this underclassman college dorm party would be full of typical, young college students and not typical, young gay college students. That was probably a good thing to take into account before randomly flirting with some drunken eighteen-year-old. God, why had coming here tonight seemed like a good idea, again?

The awkwardness just exacerbated Jez's desire to get drunk, which was a simple enough feat given the head start he'd gotten at McGillicuddy's. So what if his cute little lion-boy wasn't here? Jez was still one of the guys, right? He wasn't old; he could still have fun at a party where the sole goal was just for everyone to have a good time.

Small talk, though, was hard to get into. Maybe it was because the mongoose didn't directly know anyone. Maybe it was because he was out of touch with teenagers nowadays. Maybe it was because he had to surmise that most typical college guys weren't the gay-friendliest people in the world. Whatever the reason, the end result was that Jez just kept floating from group to group, chiming in where he could, but not ever really getting brought in on the conversation at hand for more than a few moments at a time.

As Jez considered looking for the bathroom, a red plastic cup was abruptly shoved into one of his paws. He brought it to his muzzle and sniffed at its contents before he even looked to see who had given it to him.

Looking back at him expectantly was a raccoon. Young, probably under twenty, if Jez had to guess. He looked somehow familiar. â€It's just water,†he told the mongoose. â€You look like you need it.â€

â€Oh, right. Thanks.†Jez tipped the cup toward him in a quick gesture of appreciation before taking a sip. It was nearly lukewarm, and definitely tasted like it had come from the tap in a college dorm bathroom. Still, water was water. â€Thanks,†the mongoose repeated after taking another swallow.

â€Just doing my part,†the raccoon replied with a wink before walking off. It was then that Jez noticed that the raccoon was holding another red plastic cup, and he appeared intent on finding someone else to give it to. Something about him still struck Jez as horribly familiar. He tried to think where he might have known him from.

The raccoon hadn't been at dinner; Jez remembered that much. He hadn't been at that morning's meeting, either. And he was definitely too young to have been a student back when Jez was still going to school. Had they just met earlier at the party and Jez had forgotten? Maybe.

Putting it out of mind, Jez stumbled out the door and into the dorm hallway, looking for the bathroom. He got to the stairwell at one end of the hall, whereupon he realized he must've gone the wrong way, and so he ambled back the way he came until he was inside the bathroom without remembering having gone through the door.

He took a piss that felt like it lasted for well over a minute, then nearly forgot to zip up before bracing his hips against the sink as he washed his paws. Assorted chitchat and laughter echoed off the tile walls, but the mongoose couldn't tell if the sounds themselves were coming from within the bathroom itself, or if they were echoing in from the hallway or from the rooms to either side.

Back at the party, Jez found another cup of water foisted off unto him. The same raccoon flashed him the same smile. â€One more, just to be on the safe side,†he said before walking out into the hallway with a pair of empty cups. Fuck, where did Jez know this kid from? The mongoose was sure he even knew his nameâ€"it was, um, something that started with a D. Or maybe a T. But one of those, definitely.

Jez found himself leaning against the post of the room's bunk bed, water in one paw, screwdriver in the other. On the couch, five guys had clustered around to watch something on someone's laptop, and they were laughing so uproariously that the mongoose couldn't even hear what it might be. One of the guys, a black fox that Jez remembered deciding earlier was cute and unfortunately straight, fell off his perch on the back of the couch, causing a new, even louder outburst of laughter from the rest.

â€Hey, come on.â€

It took Jez a second to realize he was being addressed. It was the raccoon again, now tugging softly on the mongoose's wrist (somewhere along the line, he'd evidently either set down or finished his screwdriver).

â€Me?†Jez asked.

â€Yeah, come on. Help me get some water for folks,†the raccoon said. He stopped short of actually dragging Jez along with him, though he did make sure he was being followed before actually going out into the hallway.

Jez saw the heavy door to the stairwell, and realized that, hey, weren't the bathrooms down towards the other end of the hall, but he didn't finish processing that thought before he ended up in the stairwell itself, and was soon thereafter pinned to the wall by the raccoon.

Their muzzles locked with clumsy force, and Jez was kissing back before he could think better of it. As the kiss went on, the mongoose decided not to think better of it, anyway, and contented himself with letting this (possible) stranger keep it up as long as he wanted.

Sadly, the kisss didn't last that much longer, the raccoon tearing himself away in order to catch his breath with a hot gasp. â€Fuck, you're good at that,†he said with a happy, toothy grin.

Giddy and drunk as he was, Jez had only just at last realized he was drunk. â€What was that for?†he asked, knowing enough to know that random college kids didn't typically make out with members of the same sex without some preamble.

The raccoon giggledâ€"no, snickered; Nigel was the one who giggled. â€Because you're a cute, horny older guy?†he suggested. â€And I like your glasses.â€

Jez readjusted said glasses and tried to will the blur out of his intoxicated vision. The raccoon's face starting to get even more familiar, but not quite enough for the mongoose to put a finger on it. â€Um, thanks?â€

â€I had my eye on you last night,†the raccoon said. â€Was almost gonna make my move until you puked all over the kitchen floor.†He let out another snicker. â€Speaking of which, do you need any more water? Because this is your last chance to stop me before I go back to being all over you.â€

That was it! This kid had been at Jacksy's party last night, too. Oh, bless him for having a better memory than Jez did!

â€All over me is good,†Jez replied before taking the initiative on his own to start kissing the raccoon again. He got no complaints for that.

For a young feller, the raccoon was a pretty good kisser, which made Jez wonder if the kid was a total slut or just naturally talented before he came to the conclusion that he really didn't care either way. The raccoon's paws were definitely nice and busy, like Jez knew raccoons' paws to usually be, roaming up and down the mongoose's hips and sides before one of them made its way up right between his thighs. To Jez's own disappointment, he discovered that he wasn't hard, but the grope still felt nice.

As insistent as the kid was (Fuck, what was his name? Jez was sure he'd learned it.), and as hot as making out in a relatively public dorm stairwell was, the mongoose's member wasn't doing a good job of complying. Even when the raccoon's paw bypassed fabric altogether and started to grope and fondle directly, there was nothing but the token twitch of response from between Jez's legs.

â€Sorry,†Jez gasped in the gap between more deep, heated kissing.

â€Don't be sorry,†the raccoon replied. His erection, at least, wasn't having any problems, as Jez could feel quite obviously against his hip. â€Just enjoy it.â€

Jez was getting more lightheaded by the moment; he wondered if his body's attempts at getting hard were denying his brain precious blood. â€I think maybe I do need some water.â€

Slowly, the raccoon relented, licking his lips and shaking out his ringed tail. â€Yeah, let's get you some,†he said, smirking quite proudly as he led Jez back down the hall.

As the feeling of consciousness came back to him, Jez braced himself for the onset of a hangover-fueled headache. After several breaths and several heartbeats, though, no such crippling pain came. That was curious.

What did hit Jez, though, was the musky scent that enveloped him. It was indistinct, almost blurry, like there weren't any lines between one individual and the next. Just raw maleness and nothing else.

Jez was almost afraid to open his eyes, thinking that perhaps his imminent headache was merely hiding, lurking, waiting for the moment that sunlight hit his retinas before striking in full force. Slowly, then, the mongoose cracked his eyelids, encountering no such headache, and also, nothing familiar at all.

He was in a college dorm room, that much was obvious, but it wasn't the one where the party had been held. It was possibly the same dormitoryâ€"it was at least one of the buildings in the central quad, though Jez couldn't be sure of more than that. The only illumination was that which was coming in through the windows.

The mongoose reached out for the nightstand and groped about for his glasses, but before finding them, his paw encountered a crinkled-up foil wrapper. On instinct, his fingers immediately drew away, and in so doing, they bumped up against the frames of his glasses. He quickly grabbed them, stuck them atop his snout, and blinked away the bleariness of sleep as he took a better look around the room.

The wall across from the bed (the lower bunk, it felt like) was covered with posters for bands Jez had never heard of, and there was a desktop computer sitting on the desk in the far corner, currently off. The digital alarm clock showed that it was just before eight in the morning, and the condom wrapper that had been jostled next to it was visibly empty.

Rewinding time in his head, Jez found the last thing he remembered before waking up just now, and that was leaving the stairwell in search of water. Clearly, he must have gotten a fair bit, since he'd drunk enough booze to black out and he still didn't have a hangover, so that was one thing to thank the raccoon for. As for whether there might be another...

Jez rolled over and buried his snout into the pillow and took a deep breath. Yeah, this was definitely the raccoon's bedâ€"well, a raccoon's bed, at any rate. The other side of the bed was still warm, too, so he couldn't have gotten up that long ago. As Jez jostled the sheets around in search of more clues, he then also noticed that he was very, very naked.

Empty condom wrappers and a lack of clothing could really only mean one of two things, and given the effect the alcohol had been having on Jez's virility, that really only left one thing. The mongoose shifted around a bit, reached back by his own tail, andâ€"okay, yeah, that's what had happened, all right.

Go figure that Jez had endured two straight days of flirting with cute college boys, with repeated attempts to land someone in bed, all resulting in repeated cockblocking, only to finally get laid and not remember it. He hoped it had been good, for his own subconsciousness' sake, if nothing else.

Hey, at least all that GSU propaganda about safe sex had paid off, though, evidently.

The raccoon was nowhere to be seen or heard, now, though, and Jez didn't know when (or if) to expect him to return. This morning, at least, Jez remembered that he needed to be at the Campus Center at nine o'clock, so he didn't want to dilly-dally too long if he could avoid it. He didn't want to just run out on someone he'd slept with, but maybe the raccoon had already done that, besides.

Jez got out of bed and gathered up his clothes (which were, thankfully enough, just dumped hastily at the foot of the bed), and searched the room for more clues as he got dressed. There were pens and a notepad on one of the desks, and the mongoose considered leaving a note. What was he going to say, though? 'Hey, thanks for the good time'? He didn't even remember how it went. Fuck, he still didn't even know the kid's name.

The longer Jez lingered, the more awkward he felt. Maybe he'd run into the raccoon at the Festival, and if he did, well...

If he did, he'd figure out what to say then.

Jez was halfway to the Campus Center before he remembered the altercation he'd had with Jacksy the night before. It was enough to make the mongoose stop in his tracks and consider whether he wanted to go to the meeting at all.

Not because he was mad at Jacksy (he was trying to remember his mindset, and couldn't decide whether he was still mad at the skunk or not), but because he didn't know whether Jacksy was still mad at him. Also, what if the skunk had told Minch any of the things Jez had said last night? Just how awkward of a situation was Jez going to be walking into?

â€I'm responsible.†Jez remembered trying to stress that point to Jacksy. All the mongoose had to show for that mantra, though, was the knowledge that he'd gotten fucked by some raccoon whose name probably began with a D or a T.

Still, if Jez blew off the GSU now, it wasn't as if he had anyplace to spend the rest of the weekend hiding out in solitude until the festivities were over. Besides, if he needed to prove to anyone that he didn't just come back every year to goof off, he needed to prove it to himself.

Passing by the central lawn, Jez looked out at where many of the stalls and booths were already being set up. The Festival itself didn't officially open until noon, but it looked like they'd be in full swing by then, even if the bouncy castle didn't appear to have been inflated yet.

The Campus Center was much less bustling and active at nine o'clock on a Saturday morning than it was at the same time on a weekday. The subsequent lack of enormous line at the coffee shop meant that Jez was able to snag a coffee quickly and still make it to the GSU meeting on time. Not only did he need a jolt to finish waking up, but hopefully, the scent of coffee would mask the fact that the mongoose hadn't been able to take a shower.

Despite being on time, many of the seats around the meeting table had already been filled. Minch was already present, of course, as were Jacksy and Nigel and Kerri and many of the other folks that Jez remembered from either yesterday's meeting, yesterday's dinner, or both. For now, though, people were all just engaged in what sounded like pleasant chatter, without the dour seriousness of a meeting being conducted.

The seats to either side of Jacksy were both taken, already, which saved Jez the dilemma of choosing between either sitting next to him (and coming across as being too buddy-buddy) or not sitting next to him (and coming across as being a douche). Instead, Jez took a seat next to the â€faggot†wolf from the day before, and took care to not make direct eye contact with Nigel right away.

Despite that, Nigel was the first one to openly acknowledge Jez, anyway. â€Hey,†he quietly called out to the mongoose from across the table. â€You have a good time last night?â€

Jez winced, all but sure that the wolf sitting next to him had tried to sneak a surreptitious sniff at the mongoose when Nigel said that. â€It was all right,†Jez just said. He wanted to keep his voice free of any sign of accusing the lion of flaking out on him last night.

â€Sorry I was late,†Nigel said. â€I kinda got sidetracked, and when I showed up later, they said you'd been there but had already left.â€

Before Jez had a chance to read the lion's eyes and see how sincere he thought that apology was, Minch stood up and called the meeting to attention. â€Okay, folks,†she said, rubbing her paws together. â€I'll try and keep this quick. I know you're all eager to get out there and have fun today.â€

Nigel kicked back in his chair and looked at Minch with a sort of wide-eyed enthusiasm that made Jez jealous. How could the young lion be so rapt and perky and energetic at this time of morning after having been partying the night before? And direct that enthusiasm at Minch, of all people?

â€Really, everything I have to say at this point is pretty much just a formality,†Minch said. â€I know that all of you know what you're going to be handling, and I think that we've got a great weekend ahead of us.†The feline laced the fingers of her paws together as she stretched her arms out in front of herself. â€You've all worked really hard all semester, and last semester, and it's because of you thatâ€"â€

Jez started to tune Minch out, then. She was right about one thing: this was all just a formality, just meaningless platitudes and pep rally type stuff meant to psych up the troops before the big mission. Jez's time probably would have been spent finding a way back to his hotel to take a shower. Whatever it was he'd done for them from afar over the last few months, it was today and tomorrow that were going to count forâ€"

â€â€"and especially Jez, for flying all the way out here to help out, and for coming through at the last minute to help rearrange the layout of this whole thing before it was too late.â€

The mongoose snapped back to attention, noticing that everyone else's attention was squarely on him, now. There was a quiet, all-around murmur of approval and even some faint applause (Nigel, in particular, had a big smile on his face, as did Minch). Coffee leaked out from the rim of the flimsy paper cup, onto Jez's paw, as the mongoose set it down on the table.

At a loss for words (partly due to feeling humbled, but more just because he honestly hadn't been expecting it), Jez just kind of dipped his head in a nod and remained silent. From across the table, Nigel flashed him another grin that he returned as casually as possible as he sheepishly pushed his glasses more properly in place.

â€Anyhow, that's all I wanted to say,†Minch announced. She brought her paws together with a quick, sharp clap, then rubbed her palms together before gesturing to the table. â€Things'll be getting started in just a couple hours; those of you who need to be someplace all know where you're going, so get out there, kick ass, and try to have fun.â€

At that, some of the crowd started to break, amidst a little bit more back-patting and chitchat. Jacksy touched his paw to Jez's shoulder as he walked past, but when the mongoose turned around to say something, the skunk just kept going. It had felt like a reassuring gesture, but now Jez couldn't be so sure.

Best to leave it for now, either way. Jacksy was a cool guy, after all; he wouldn't let a grudge stand between them. Jez was pretty sure of that much, at least. Hell, if they'd been friends for this long, even after Jez had moved to the other side of the country, one semi-drunken blowup wasn't going to wreck their entire friendship.

Picking up his unfinished cup of coffee, Jez got to his feet, and was planning on crossing to the other side of the room to hook up with Nigel when another, smaller paw tapped him on the shoulder again.

It was Minch. â€Hey,†she said. â€You eat breakfast yet?â€

Jez looked down at the cup in his paw. â€Just coffee,†he said. â€I was thinking I'd just be good with this.â€

â€Want to come with me while I get breakfast, then?â€

Nigel was waiting expectantly on the other side of the room. Jez looked over at him, then back at Minch. â€Yeah,†the mongoose said. â€Let's go.â€

Breakfast, as it turned out, just involved a quick trip back upstairs to the coffee shop, and consisted of Minch getting a bran muffin and a coffee of her own. Jez realized he didn't know if this was a typical Minch breakfast nowadays or not. He couldn't even recall if this had been her usual back in the day or not, either.

â€All right,†Minch said, once they were settled in. â€Let's get right to it: what's eating you?â€

Jez was taken aback. Minch looked at him not with scorn or irritation, but with the same sort of casual boredom she always used to wear as a mask to cover her actual concern. â€Me?†the mongoose asked.

â€You've been super-touchy ever since you got here,†the cat said. â€And I don't think I heard more than two words out of you at dinner last night. So what's up?â€

If she'd asked him the same question at any point prior in the weekend, Jez would have been inclined to reply immediately with, â€You're being a controlling bitch out to ruin my fun,†but looking her in the eye right then, he knew he couldn't bring himself to say that. â€It's just...†Just what? â€I'm just stressed out, is all.â€

Minch sipped at her coffee and crumbled part of her muffin with her fingertips without taking a bite. â€You know, if this is too much for you to handle anymore, it's okay,†she said.

Jez flashed back to his argument with Jacksy again, and felt himself flush up with a spike of anger. â€Why doesn't anyone think I can do my job anymore?†he said, stopping short of actually shouting. â€I've been doing this for years, just like you. People seem to keep forgetting that.â€

With her paws holding the edge of the table, Minch pushed back a bit. â€Jez,†she said levelly, â€if I didn't think you could do this, I wouldn't keep asking to help out every year.†The mongoose could see her attempt to scrutinize his face and read his eyes. â€Is that really what this is about?â€

â€You're the one who just questioned whether I was still able to handle all this,†Jez said. â€What's that supposed to make me think, huh?â€

Minch sighed. â€That's not what I meant,†she said. â€What I meant is just that I know that it's a lot of time and effort for you to come all the way out here to help out, and I understand if that's a big strain on you.â€

Jez tried to take a sip of his coffee, but found it empty. â€Yeah, because you sure seemed concerned about that when you chewed me out in front of everyone else yesterday morning.â€

â€Oh, come on, that's hardly fair,†Minch said. â€You were late for the meeting and I was freaking out that we might not get the specs set up in time.†She learned forward and tore of another bit of her muffin. â€I'm not out to attack you personally, but I've still got to run all this. And it's not like I'm not still your friend.â€

â€Speaking of which, thanks for not inviting me to dinner, by the way.â€

â€What are you talking about?†Minch asked. â€How can you not think you were invited? You were there.â€

Jez decided that he was, in fact, still mad at Jacksy, though this didn't make him any less mad at Minch. â€Jacksy told me you were going to invite me.â€

â€Jacksy asked me if you were included with the invite list. I told him you were; I figured that meant that he was going to tell you.†Minch's lack of indignation was beginning to convince Jez that she wasn't just feeding him a line. â€And you both showed up together, so I'm guessing that the message was conveyed.â€

How many holes was Jez going to dig himself into this weekend? â€Sorry,†he said as he started to get up. â€I didn't mean to snap at you.â€

As the mongoose got to his feet, Minch started to rise, as well, but stopped herself. â€Jez,†she asked, just shy of pleading. â€Seriously, what's wrong?â€

â€Nothing's wrong,†Jez insisted. He picked up his coffee before remembering that he'd already finished it. â€Just another long night.†With that, he started to leave the coffee shop.

Minch came pattering up behind him in a flurry of quick footsteps. â€Wait,†she said, grabbing him by the shoulder when he didn't stop for her at first.

They looked into each other's eyes, then, Minch keeping her paw on Jez's shoulder. â€Just tell me,†the cat said. â€Do you still want to do this?â€

Jez felt the momentary urge to pull away, but he held his ground, and then gave the only honest answer that he could: â€I don't know.â€

With a nod and a sigh, Minch said, â€Look, go ahead and take the morning off. I'll get someone to cover for you.â€

â€You sure?†Jez didn't know whether he should feel upset or relieved.

â€I'll do it myself, if I have to,†Minch said, and then she cracked a smile, finally. â€Go on, get out of here. And take a shower.â€

Jez had fully intended to take a shower as soon as he got back to his room, but after lying down on the bed just to collect his thoughts and decompress for a minute, he ended up waking up two hours later. His phone hadn't rung during that time, though, so presumably Minch really did have things in handâ€"or else she was too proud to admit otherwise.

Perhaps his scent was magnified due to yesterday's clothing and the pillowcase he'd been nestled into, but after waking up fully, the first thing Jez was struck by was how much he reeked. Oh, God, how had ever thought he was okay to be out in public without having taken a shower? It was as if the pungent scents of sex and alcohol had somehow become a part of his very musk itself, and that was none too fresh to begin with, by this point.

Peeling himself out of his dingy clothes, the mongoose staggered naked to the bathroom and turned on the shower. He did a quick survey of the room to make sure that housekeeping had restocked the flimsy, dinky bottles of shampoo and body wash that never lasted as long as they were supposed to. Toiletries were fine, he found, but the only towels available were the skimpy half-size ones.

Really, though, Jez told himself, he should just be glad that he was getting to a take a showerâ€"a full one, even, as opposed to the rush job he'd done yesterday. To his surprise, the hot water really did feel amazing, and he sighed with relief and contentment as it warmed him, and as the stuck-together clumps of fur down along his body broke up, one by one.

The opportunity to relax while thinking about nothing in particular was cathartic in the exact way that Jez needed. So much shit had been going through his mind non-stop over the last few days that a nice, long purge was all but necessary. Even sleep hadn't been particularly restful, and now, here in the shower, Jez could at last get away from everything, all of his obligations, and even himself.

Half-formed thoughts drifted in and out of the mongoose's mind, but none of them coalesced into anything more tangible than a fleeting mental image, and even most of those were of nothing in particular. All Jez needed to care about was being warm and getting clean, scrubbing himself, getting a good lather going, and enjoying the sensations of his stress washing away along with the grime.

As his paws and claws rubbed and stroked along his body, though, Jez felt those idle thoughts start to take on clearer shape. Half-remembered moments from the night before, still indistinct with the haze of alcohol over his memory, were enough to poke his brain into a certain direction, and from there, imagined thoughts about Nigel followed suit. As these much more vivid mental images swirled around, now, the mongoose kept up his washing, and one his paws made it down between his thighs, he discovered how hard he'd gotten.

For just a second, he debated whether he should even start, but after the very first stroke of his soapy fingers along his thick shaft, he knew that there was no going back. There was a quick little ache in his balls that soon turned into a tingle, and then he started to stroke some more, touching himself slowly and deliberately, savoring the sensation as he did the rest of the shower. Whatever else had happened last night, it sure didn't feel as though he'd gotten off, and now that he had the opportunity to enjoy himself on his own terms, he wasn't going to rush.

Jez quickly ditched the semi-anonymous raccoon in favor of focusing all of his fantasizing energies on Nigel. The young lion's face and form came into vivid view with so much ease that the mongoose realized he must have spent more time staring at the kid that he'd thought. The fun part, then, was to fill in the blanksâ€"to come up with the details that Jez didn't already know.

Was the kid a top or a bottom? Almost certainly the latter, the mongoose decided immediately. With an ass like his, it would be a crime if he weren't. Probably he was a great cocksucker, tooâ€"but one of the young ones who didn't have a lot of experience, and were timid and nervous about being with other guys, but in a way that only served to make their natural talents even more of a joy to appreciate.

The mongoose grabbed the root of his shaft nice and tight as he grunted. He could picture the look on the lion's face, gazing upwards while the mongoose's hard dick occluded part of his muzzle, his eyes showing uncertainty as to whether he was doing a good job, all the while ignorant of the fact that he was mere seconds away from having his face painted.

Jez imagined and re-imagined his orgasm as he worked himself closer to his real one. He tilted his head back, the shower spraying directly in his face as he braced his free paw against the wall. His legs threatened to buckle, his breathing got deeper, and his fingers moved faster, his grip getting just a bit harder with each stroke.

Just as his fantasy was on the verge of subsuming his mind entirely, Jez heard knocking at the hotel room door. Fuck, he thought to himself, missing a beat with his paw.

Well, whoever it was, they could wait. He was busy, and he was going to take care of himself, first, and whoever it was could either stay out there orâ€"

The knocking came again, more insistent this time. If this was Jacksy, Jez was going to kick his ass, but not until after he came. Recovering from his minor misstep, then, the mongoose took a shallow breath and went back to stroking himself, finding his groove all over again, starting toâ€"

Even louder knocking, then, followed by a bark of, â€Police! Open up!â€

Jez almost fell out of the bathtub as he jumped in shock. He grabbed onto the railing that supported the shower curtain in order to steady himself, water splashing out onto the tile floor outside the tub. Shit, shit. What was this all about?

â€Uh, be right there!†the mongoose called back as he hastily turned the water off. As he scurried about the bathroom to get himself marginally presentable, his brain scurried to think of why the police would be here. Did it have to do with that underclassmen party last night? He hadn't bought any alcohol for them, so in theory, he was off the hook there. Did it have something to do with whatshisname the raccoon?

Holding the skimpy towel in place around his waist to keep himself as decent as possible, Jez grabbed his glasses and went to the door, still mostly wet and naked. At least his erection was gone, he thought as he grabbed the door handle.

Upon opening the door, though, instead of a uniformed police officer, Jez saw a coyote who looked closer to his ageâ€"and if he were in plainclothes, then his choice of fashion was certainly in question. Just to make sure, Jez took off his fogged-up glasses, wiped them off on his towel, and put them back on.

The coyote was definitely Jez's age or slightly younger. The grin he wore showed that he pretty pleased with himself, and the shorts he wore showed that he wasn't the least bit shy, to boot (it was warm outside, sure, but it wasn't 'show off the white patches of fur on the inside of your thighs' weather). The vest and halfshirt combo he wore was similarly revealing, and seeing all that exposed fur reminded Jez that he was still very naked and not in the presence of actual law enforcement.

While Jez was trying to compose himself, the coyote spoke first. â€My, my, hello,†he said with a bit of a whistle to his voice. His eyebrows rose as he openly checked out the mongoose's barely-covered body. â€I should agree to do favors for my friends more often.â€

â€Can I help you?†Jez asked, irritated that he'd been duped into thinking that the cops had actually come for him.

â€Dressed like that?†the coyote asked, a distinct hopeful chirp to his voice, his tail wagging. â€Shit, this is the best GSU Festival weekend ever.â€

Jez rolled his eyes. â€Hold on,†he said, slowly closing the door to get himself some privacy.

â€No, waitâ€"†The coyote's attempts to get a word in before the door shut met with failure, but they also gave Jez pause. This coyoteâ€"whoever hell he was, and for whatever reason he was hereâ€"might actually be the type to come on inside and fool around with a complete stranger for no reason other than the fact that the opportunity had presented itself.

Jez cracked the door back open, so that just his face could poke back out. The coyote was still there, looking back with a very hopeful grin. â€Just a second,†the mongoose said, catching sight of the coyote's quick frown as the door closed once more.

God, it was tempting. Especially after failing at something as simple as jerking off, the temptation was even greater. Shit, it might even be worth it just to be able to tell himself that he'd done it.

What if the coyote wasn't actually that kind of guy, though? He'd obviously come by for something (and presumably, that something wasn't sex), and without knowing what that was or who he he was, well... that made the whole shebang seem like less of a good idea to try.

But what if he did try? What was the worst that could happen? The coyote said no? Could Jez pull the â€Just Kidding!†card if it turned out that he was barking up the wrong tree? Or would he forever establish himself as â€That Guy†in the coyote's mind?

The situation was rapidly getting too complicated to be sexy. Willing away his partially-returned erection, Jez picked up his clothes and started to put them on, even though he was still somewhat damp from the half-assed drying job he'd been forced to pull. Once he at least had a shirt and some pants on, he opened the door again.

â€Aww,†the coyote said upon seeing Jez's clothed form. â€That's a shame. Still, you look nice. I like your glasses.â€

Jez grinned and tapped one foot. â€Hi,†he said simply. â€Come on in. And tell me who you are.â€

The coyote grabbed hold of the door frame and sort of swung himself inside. His tail batted against the door itself, and so he hopped quickly to one side before that tail got jammed. Without missing another beat, though, he leaned back against the wall and grinned up into the mongoose's face. â€You're Jez, yeah?†he asked.

â€Yeah,†Jez replied. â€And who are you?†he repeated.

â€I'm Gareth,†the coyote said with another wide grin.

Just to make sure, Jez went through his mental list for the weekend to see if the name was supposed to ring a bell, and when it didn't, he said, â€Hi, Gareth. What are you doing here?â€

A tiny frown formed at the corners of Gareth's mouth. â€Aww,†he said. â€Are we done playing already?†Jez lowered his eyelids, and the coyote hurriedly went ahead and said, â€Okay, fine. Jacksy said that you could use a ride back to campus.â€

Oh, Jacksy. Was this the skunk's little version of revenge for everything else that had happened? Jez let his eyes wander back down to the swaths of white fur on the insides of the coyote's legs. Or perhaps it was Jacksy's version of a peace offering?

â€Is there a reason you pretended that you were the police?†the mongoose asked.

Gareth chuckled, his smile back in full force. â€I could hear the shower,†he said. â€Honestly, I just wanted to see if that would work.â€

â€Well, congratulations,†Jez replied. â€You scared the shit out of me.†He started gathering up his wallet, phone, keys and other personal effects.

The coyote invited himself deeper into the hotel room, sitting down on the edge of the bed. â€I hope you're not too mad at me,†he said. He kicked his sandaled feet up and down.

Jez grabbed his sneakers and started to put them on, looking up at Gareth as the coyote just watched him with a quiet smile. â€I'll get over it,†Jez said.

â€So I heard that you're the guy who was pushing for the dunk tank,†the coyote said. â€I was gonna volunteer to be in it, actually. Shame they had to axe it.â€

It wasn't hard to imagine Gareth nearly naked, given how little of his body his current outfit covered. Picturing him sitting there in the dunk tank, kicking his feet like he was now, dripping wet and smiling in the springtime sun justâ€"

At this point, Jez had little doubt that Gareth would put up zero resistance if the mongoose just pushed him back onto the bed right then and there. God, it would be so, so easy, and the coyote looked like the kind of guy who, well, had a lot of experience. All it would take, on Jez's part, was the initiative.

If he let himself start now, though, he wouldn't be able to stop. Even if he just tried flirting a bit, he knew it would lead to the same place. And when it came time for Jez to be back at the festival, and Minch was left tapping her foot, waiting for him to get back, she'd lose that respect the mongoose had just won backâ€"and that would all be before she found out (and she would find out) that he was late because he was busy fucking Gareth like there was no tomorrow.

â€I bet you'd draw a decent crowd,†the mongoose just said instead, grinning back at the coyote before getting to his feet and checking his pockets one last time. â€Come on,†he said. â€Let's get going. Don't want to keep the boys and girls waiting.â€

Gareth shuffled along after him as he headed for the elevators. With his back to the coyote, Jez smiled to himself; he could hear the little fella's accelerated breathing that likely wasn't just from having to walk faster in order to keep up with the taller mongoose.

The coyote's car was a bit of a clunker that had been detailed and done up to look prettier and fancier than it really was. The inside smelled of canine and clove cigarettes. The seat adjuster was stuck, but after some fiddling, Jez was able to finagle some legroom.

â€So,†Jez asked as they drove to campus together. â€You're a friend of Jacksy's?

Gareth watched Jez out of one eye, somehow keeping the other on the road the whole time. â€You could say that,†he said. â€We know each other, at least.†There was no indication of any negative sentiment in the coyote's voice, but then, there wasn't much hint of any sentiment whatsoever.

â€Were you at the party on Thursday night?â€

â€Oh, God, don't remind me,†the coyote groaned.

â€Bad night?†Jez asked.

Gareth smirked. â€By virtue of the fact that I wasn't there, yeah,†he said. â€I swear, I need to choose my classes based on which professors don't give exams on Fridays.â€

â€Better than exams on Mondays,†Jez said. To think that there was a time when something as inconsequential as exams featured so heavily in his own daily life.

Campus wasn't far, now, the taller buildings looming progressively closer, casting long, mid-afternoon shadows. â€Considering there's an even chance I won't even show up to a class on a Monday,†the coyote said, â€it's just as well that I don't have exams then.â€

Jez laughed. â€So you'll flake on your Monday classes, but you'll miss a bitchin' party to study for an exam that's on a Friday?â€

Gareth shrugged. â€What can I say?†he said. â€I've got my priorities.â€

The coyote pulled up to the concourse by the central lawn and offered to let Jez out there. â€Are you not coming?†the mongoose asked.

â€I'll stop by later, maybe,†the coyote replied. â€I've gotta park all the way out in Purple Lot, so I might swing by town, first, to pick up some stuff for tonight.â€

Neither of them started to leave right away; Gareth kept his car idling, and Jez stood there and looked back at him. â€Are you sure you don't want to come with?†the coyote eventually asked.

Jez looked over his shoulder at the lawn stretched out behind, the booths and kiosks and other fun sites all set up, gathering the weekend crowd. â€Nah. I really do need to go and help out.â€

â€All right. Catch you tonight, then, maybe.†The coyote rolled the window up, then, and started to drive off. Jez momentarily wondered whether he'd just been privy to more honest restraint on this near-stranger's part.

Without dallying further, though, Jez headed on over to the main volunteer tent. Minch greeted him happily and gave him the rundown of how things had been doing since that morning (smoothly, for the most part, as it turned out), and then even offered to run and grab him a coffee, which he declined. Instead, the mongoose just cracked open a bottle of spring water and hunkered down to get with the assisting.

The tent provided a nice shaded view of both the pond and the bouncy castle, both of which were in constant motion for two completely different reasons. The atmosphere of the crowd was a good oneâ€"lots of positive energy in the airâ€"and campus security hadn't had to crack down on anything major from what Jez could see. The mongoose left the tent every so often to run inspections and to check to make sure that everything was set up where it should be, running the way it was supposed to, and, at least in part, to vicariously experience the fun of the actual attendees as he went from booth to booth.

Despite there not actually being all that much to do (Minch had been doing a great job of keeping everything going smoothly), the afternoon passed fairly quickly. Jez hadn't seen Jacksy at all, though at least once he heard the skunk's voice come in over the radio handset, nor did he run into Nigel or anyone else he might have recognized. Still, Minch made pleasant small talk whenever she swung by and wasn't preoccupied with anything else, and only twice did Jez hear anyone openly bemoan the lack of a dunk tank.

Then came the notice of the one event that Jez had fully known about, on an intellectual level, but hadn't spared any moment to actively think about since landing on Thursday: the dance.

â€And as a reminder, the dance is starting at nine o'clock in the Student Union Ballroom,†Minch announced from the main stage. The cat wasn't at all dressed for any sort of formal emcee duties, but as the late afternoon crowd was already breaking, there wasn't any harm in it. â€So for those of you who want to swing by for that, you can beat the rush and get tickets in advance over by main tent.â€

Jez knew that the dance had come up in the planning sessions during the last few days' meetings (during the parts he'd been paying less attention to), and he'd known about it from all the planning leading up to this weekend, too, but since that was one part of the event setup that Jez wasn't directly involved with, it had slipped the mongoose's mind almost completely. It hadn't come up in any conversations over the last couple days, either, which made the mongoose wonder whether any of his friends were even planning on going.

To be on the safe side, Jez tore off a ticket for himself anyway.

If Jacksy's party had made Jez feel out of touch, and if the previous night's party had made him feel like a creepy old man, then the GSU Festival Dance made him feel like a borderline cradle-robber.

The Student Union Ballroom was like an eighteen-and-over club right now, down to the distinct scent of alcohol in the air, despite the age of the attendees and the fact that no alcohol was being served. As with the earlier events outside, campus security was clearly being lackadaisicalâ€"no sense in ruining the one night out of the year that the gays got to have free reign of one of the major on-campus facilities, right? The attitude was high-energy and positive and all, but it was just... young.

Back when Jez was still in school, he wouldn't have imagined that the GSU would ever manage to snag the Student Union Ballroom for the dance. Oh, they'd had their dance back then, too, of course, but it had always been in one of the smaller, hidden-in-a-back-hallway locations, which held fewer people and which were less likely to have the â€normals†to stumble across.

Who did the credit belong to, in allowing a dance like this to take place in the main Student Union Ballroom? Was it the years of effort on the GSU's part? The changing attitudes of society? Or a little bit of both, perhaps? The bitchy queens and angry dykes of yesteryear paved the way for you kids.

One thing that had definitely changed over the years was the music; Jez didn't recognize any of it. Oh, it was catchy and it was danceable enough, but it wasn't familiarâ€"and Jez was already feeling hesitant and self-conscious about dancing full-out on the dance floor here.

To make matters worse (or at least more awkward), the only person to approach him and actively dance â€with†him was Kerri the lesbian muskrat, and she hardly counted. Hell, her moves hardly counted and dancing, period, and she was obviously mostly just out for a lark, anyway, hooting and whooping in Jez's face, the reek of booze and pot unmistakable on her breath.

It was only after deciding to write the dance off as a wash and heading for the exit that Jez saw Nigel out on the other side of the dance floor.

The shy, young, demure lion that Jez knew from the GSU meetings looked as though he'd been replaced by some doppelgänger. The lion out on the dance floor was wild and uninhibited, not just in attitude, but also in dress. Gone were the neat shirt and jeans of the typical college student; instead, the twinky feline wore an open vest festooned with glowsticks, and a pair of tight, black shorts that clung to his ass like a second skin. His short-cropped mane was held back even closer by a glow-in-the-dark headband of some sort, and more glowing rings encircled his ankles, wrists, and forearms.

Through all that, though, it was still unmistakably Nigelâ€"Jez's eyes and erection could tell that sure enough. Maybe the dance wasn't a total wash after all, the mongoose thought as he trotted back out onto the floor, hopping steadily in order to sync his body's movements up in time with the music.

The bass was starting to kick in more strongly, now, and the smoke machine effects messed with the mongoose's glasses. That was fine, thoughâ€"he just needed to head for the glowing, whirling blur that was continuing to enchant him so. With each step, his ears pounded with the music; with each step, his heart pounded with excitement. Soon, the feline's musk caught the mongoose's nose, the exertion from the dancing carrying his scent clear through the tiny crowd.

Nigel spun around just as Jez was a mere few feet away. The pulsing lights made his eyes appear to shine and flicker as his toothy, short-snouted smile grew. â€Hey, you!†he called out over the music, before springing forward in a half-pounce to catch Jez by the shoulders.

â€Hey, yourself,†Jez began to reply, but the lion was already in motion. His paws slid up and down the mongoose's sides as he raised and lowered himself, his slinky form undulating back and forth, his tufted tail whipping side to side. The look in his eyes as he gazed upwards was fiery and bright, and the way he licked his teeth made Jez weak in the knees.

Nigel rose back up, nipping at Jez's chest before nosing up underneath his chin. His breath washed in warm, moist pulses over the fur of the mongoose's throat, and the mongoose's pulse switched from beating in time with the music to beating in time with Nigel's movements, which was just subtly, subtly, and beautifully different. The lion brought their muzzles together, eyes hungrily gazing forward, and then, just before they kissed, he snapped his jaws shut, smirked, tapped the mongoose on the nose, and then dipped back down again.

Down almost (almost) to the point of being at eye-level with Jez's too-obvious erection, Nigel turned around and then slid back up, with the mongoose's front to his back. It was all Jez could do to keep up with those quick, erratic movements, and he suspected that the lion was able to compensate fairly well for the mongoose's own clumsiness, given how nicely they still managed to move together.

Jez tried to bite and kiss at the side of Nigel's neck from behind, but the lion kept staying teasingly out of reach by an inch or so. He wasn't shy about grinding his smooth little ass back into the mongoose's lap, but the little dance they were having clearly went beyond just moving in time with the music, which Jez was barely even aware of, at this point, thanks to the rush of blood in his ears.

With another easy twirl, Nigel was facing Jez again, and once more, he faked the mongoose out with an apparent attempt at a kiss that veered off target in the last fraction of a second. â€You look so cute with those glasses,†the lion giggled. He plucked them off the mongoose's snout, and for a few seconds, the dance floor turned into a smoky, poorly-illuminated sea of writhing, indistinct blobs as Nigel danced around for a bit before setting those glasses back in place, askew.

â€You look cute in all that,†Jez replied, grabbing hold of the lion's hip, squeezing with his fingers, tugging the young feline closer. His fingers stroked the curve of that feminine hip, getting closer to the kid's rump, all self-consciousness regarding age and the like thrown out the window.

Jez saw Nigel's eyes light up again, and just when the mongoose went to try to initiate a kiss of his own, he felt a tap on his shoulder. Gritting his teeth with irritation, he straightened his glasses and then turned around, ready to knee Jacksy in the balls for interrupting him.

Instead, though, what Jez saw was Gareth. The coyote was wearing what looked like the exact same outfit from earlier in the day. He held up a paw and wiggled his fingers in a faggy little wave. He opened his muzzle and said something, but Jez couldn't make it out over the loud music.

Behind him, Nigel squealed with delight. Using Jez's arm as a launching platform, knocking the mongoose's glasses off-center once again in the process, he pounced at Gareth in much the same manner he'd pounced Jez himself previously. Upon catching Gareth up in his arms, though, this time, the lion drew the coyote right into a deep, passionate, open-mouthed kiss right there on the dance floor.

Gareth's widened eyes said a lot for how surprised he was, but his wagging tail showed how much he didn't mind. Soon, the coyote was kissing back, leaving Jez with an up-close, first-person view of two cute boys making out right in front of him, leaving him with... well, with a rapidly-flagging erection and a sense of scorn.

Before the two had even disengaged their fierce lip-lock, Jez walked away, taking off his glasses and wiping the smoky buildup from the lenses as he headed out of the ballroom.

â€Where were you last night, man?â€

Jez looked up from his inventory checksheet to see Jacksy, hovering in the shade of the booth's flimsy tent. The skunk's scent was particularly strong, probably due to the heat and the cross-breeze that had just come through. â€I went back to my room kind of early,†the mongoose replied as he looked back down at his list.

â€I tried calling you, like, three times,†the skunk said. â€What happened?â€

This time, Jez didn't bother to look up. â€I turned my phone off and went to sleep,†he said.

â€At ten o'clock on a Saturday night?â€

â€Early start this morning,†the mongoose said. â€Wanted to catch up on sleep.â€

Jacksy grunted and took a few steps deeper into the tent to grab one of the flimsy, metal-and-plastic folding chairs. He set it up next to Jez's and took a seat. â€Okay, seriously, man,†he said. â€What's the deal? Minch said you showed up first thing and have been a joyless zombie all morning.â€

Jez looked up again. â€I'm just doing my job,†he said. â€Isn't that what I'm out here to do?â€

With a snap of his fingers, Jacksy brought his paw up, fingers up and palm out. â€Girl, don't you even play this game with me,†he said. â€I know you wellâ€"â€

â€Oh, for fuck's sake, can you drop the 'angry queen' routine?†Jez snapped as he slapped his pencil down against his clipboard. â€We both know it's an act.â€

â€Well, shit, that at least got a reaction out of you,†Jacksy said. â€I mean, shit, what's your problem?â€

Jez rolled his eyes. â€What's my problem? What's my problem?†he asked. â€My problem is that I fly all the way out here to help out, and when I try to have fun, people get on my case for goofing off, and when I try to buckle down and get shit done, people get on my case for not having enough fun.â€

â€Jeez, Jez, listen to yourself,†Jacksy sighed. â€You're out here doing college volunteer work, for crying out loud. With your friends, at that.â€

â€So why can't it just be that?†Jez asked. â€Why can't it just be me coming back to college to lend a hand, help out, and see people?â€

Jacksy leaned in. â€That's what it's supposed to be!†he said. â€But ever since you got here, you've been running around, avoiding your real friends, trying to get it on with kids you don't even know, and then moping whenever someone gives you a slap on the wrist for it.â€

The mongoose sorted. â€You don't seem like you much want me around you.â€

â€Because you keep acting like a total bitch,†the skunk said. â€I mean, seriously, I get to see you for, what, less than a week a year, nowadays? I don't want to spend that time watching you drink yourself stupid while listening to you badmouth our friends.â€

Jez looked back at Jacksy and could see the skunk's chest rise and fall as he breathed, deep and slow, his eyes clear with expectation. The mongoose was starting to feel like an ass, but he wasn't fully convinced that he should let himself or not. Before he could respond, Jacksy continued in his stead. â€I mean, Minch said you seemed like you were feeling better yesterday, and so I was all set to hang out with you last night, but, well...â€

Yeah. Jez was going to let himself feel like an ass, now. â€Sorry,†he said. â€I just... I dunno, I feel like all of this is pointless and like I don't even know why I do it anymore.â€

The skunk tilted his head. â€Like what's pointless?â€

Jez gestured around with his arms. â€Just... this. Me coming back, year after year, helping out with this if I don't even have any fun and other people could do my job better than me anyway.â€

â€Has it occurred to you that you're free to come out and visit without doing the whole GSU weekend thing?†the skunk asked. â€It's not like we throw walls up around the town for the rest of the year.â€

Sighing but smiling, Jez slumped back in his chair. â€Yeah, I know,†he said. â€But this is a whole 'college' thing, and if I came back without having actual business, it'd beâ€"â€

â€Weird?†Jacksy finished for him.

Jez looked out over the crowd out on the campus lawn, laughing and smiling and having fun. â€Yeah,†the mongoose replied.

â€I just miss it,†he continued. â€All of this. I miss the old days with you and me and Minch getting drunk and getting into shit and still managing to pull our act together to get things done when we needed to.â€

Jacksy smirked toothily. â€You do realize,†he said, â€that it's not like Minch and I and the rest of us still have that life out here, either.†He relaxed in his chair, too. â€Hell, other than this one weekend a year, I don't even end up on campus that much outside of the few GSU meetings Minch needs me for.â€

The sun was high in the sky, now, beating down hard enough that a number of folks had stripped down some, with many of the men, at least, having taken off their shirts, wandering around topless. The surface of the pond appeared as a solid sheet or reflective white, from this angle, but as the heat built up, it wasn't the oppressive humid heat of summer, but rather the fragrant, calming warmth of springtime.

â€Minch doesn't have a lot of council stuff over the summer, does she?†Jez asked. â€Maybe I could fly back out again in a few months and just... take a week off to hang out here.â€

Jacksy brushed his foot against Jez's ankle. â€Or maybe the three of us could take a vacation together someplace else,†he suggested. â€Shit, lord knows Minch needs to take a damn break herself, once in a while.â€

The mongoose chuckled, then batted away a fly that buzzed in too close to his glasses. â€I think I'd like that,†he said. â€Maybe someplace halfway in between, so I don't have to fly as far.â€

The skunk got up. â€On the short term, though,†he said, â€how about dinner? You, me, and her, tonight. Just us three.â€

â€Yeah,†Jez replied. â€Yeah, I can be down for that.â€

Jacksy snapped his fingers and then pretended to salute the mongoose. â€It shall be so,†he announced before taking a sweeping bow. â€I'll let you get back to work for now. And smile, for fuck's sake, yeah? Maybe people will hit on you more if you look happy.â€

Jez started to laugh, but then called after Jacksy again. â€Hey,†he said. â€How come you sent Gareth to pick me up yesterday?â€

Looking back over his shoulder at first, Jacksy turned back around fully. â€Because he's a total slut,†he said with a smile. â€And because he's at least old enough to drink.†With that, the skunk spun around again and jogged off into the assembled crowd.

Two full nights of sleep in a row, without getting drunk at all in the interim, had really helped to clear Jez's head. Or perhaps that was due to just enjoying a nice, simple dinner with Jacksy and Minch, followed by a long night of conversation, both between themselves and back on campus afterwards, with the rest of the GSU folks as they wrapped up a successful festival weekend.

Jez had asked Minch if she was going to want his help again next year, but she barely paused between sips at a mojito of her own as she murmured, â€God, I don't even want to think about next year for another few months.â€

And that was that, really. Jez didn't bring up the matter of possible vacation plans at all, preferring to just enjoy the rest of the weekend for what it was. Granted, by then, there were only about twelve hours left, half of which he was going to have to spend sleeping, but it was better than nothingâ€"which is what he would have had to show for it, otherwise.

So now, here the mongoose stood, waiting at the bus stop at the north end of campus for the bus that would take him to the bus station, from which he'd then catch another bus to the airport. He'd left the rental car with Jacksy so that it could help out with the post-weekend cleanup and last-minute details. Besides, there was just something nicely nostalgic about waiting for the bus right now that made Jez feel more at home, here on his old campus.

It was Monday morning, so the campus was alive with students on their way to and from (or in the middle of ditching) classes. The energy was definitely much differentâ€"more muted and subduedâ€"than it had been yesterday or the day before, but it definitely felt like a college Monday, with that lazy listlessness from what few people had bothered to drag themselves out of bed at this hour.

While lost in what might turn out to be his last few minutes on campus, Jez failed to notice Nigel approach from behind until the lion's shadow actually fell across him. Even then, the mongoose didn't turn around until he heard the meek little â€um†from behind him.

Nigel had reverted back to the typical freshman college student look he'd sported every time Jez had seen him aside from the night before, with no traces of the wild, lit-up and glowing partygoer. The tuft of his tail kept dancing into view as he rubbed one forearm with the opposite paw. â€Hey,†he said, pausing that rubbing just long enough to wave before resuming.

Jez unslung his backpack and set it down next to the rest of his luggage. â€Hey,†he echoed in response. He tried to embody the exact opposite of Nigel's current nervousness, but the awkward tension in the air between them was interfering with that.

â€I'm just on my way to class,†the lion said. He was trying to relax, as if making a subconscious attempt to meet Jez halfway with the whole 'not awkward' thing. â€I saw you from across the street and, like... I thought I'd say hi.†Averting his gaze, the lion chewed his lips. â€Or I guess goodbye.â€

â€Yeah,†the mongoose said. It was hard to resist the urge to look at the time and see how much longer he had before the bus pulled up. â€I mean, for now, at least.â€

Nigel turned and looked down the road, as if he were expecting that bus, himself. â€I kinda wish we had gotten to hang out some more this weekend,†he said.

â€Yeah,†Jez repeated. â€You're a nice kid. I hope things go well with all your GSU stuff next semester.â€

â€Are you going to be helping out again next year?†The lion looked cautiously hopeful as well as embarrassed.

The bus rounded the corner, off in the distance, and started to come down the road. â€Maybe,†Jez replied. â€I'm not sure. I guess we'll see.â€

Nigel just nodded. â€Well, I mean, if you do decide to help out, it'll be cool to see you again,†he said. â€You're a neat guy, and I think it's awesome you still care so much.â€

Jez cracked a smile at that. â€Thanks,†he says. â€You seem to have things pretty well in hand, too.â€

The bus pulled up at the bus stop, then, its doors opening with a hydraulic hiss. â€Anyway,†the mongoose said as he offered a paw for the shaking, â€if I don't see you again, have a good time here. Make the best of it.â€

Nigel shook the mongoose's paw and watched as he gathered up his bags. â€Did you want a ride or something?†the lion offered. â€I mean, if you don't want to have to take the bus...â€

With his luggage weighing him down, Jez stood by the bus' open door, hesitating to board. Nigel's offer seemed innocent enough, and his shy sincerity was pretty endearing. â€I thought you said you had class,†the mongoose said.

The lion starting rubbing his wrist again. â€I could miss it this once,†he murmured.

Jez gave the kid another once-over. â€Thanks,†he said, â€but you go on ahead. With airport traffic, you'd miss half your classes today.â€

It looked as though Nigel was going to protest, at first, but instead he just nodded. â€Yeah, all right,†he said. â€Have a safe trip back, okay?â€

The mongoose climbed up onto the wide, low step, onto the bus. As he turned to pick up one of his other bags, he waved goodbye to the lion. â€Enjoy the rest of your semester,†he called after him.

Nigel just nodded and started to walk away, and then the bus door slid shut. As the bus started to pull away, Jez couldn't resist taking one last shameless look at the lion's backside through the window, pretending to adjust his glasses as he did so.

Purposefully holding one of his bags up in front of himself, Jez dragged himself down the aisle of the bus and took a seat. It would be a while before he got the airport, and it would be longer still before he got home. There were some long flights ahead of him, and with his mind already beginning to wander, the mongoose knew that his willpower would be spending several hours fighting against the preceding weekend of missed opportunities.