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Tales from the Foxhole CHAPTER 1

The familiar smell of chlorine and salt hit the buck's nose as he walked through the exit of the locker room and into the pool. As he walked out of the locker room, the concrete floor turned to alternating blue and white tiles that lined the entire pool, and he winced as the sunlight that came through the panoramic windows in the back of the room and created a shimmering effect on the water. His hoofed feet connected with the concrete and made a clacking sound as he walked. Exhaling deeply, the buck cleared his head as he walked over to the lanes that were sectioned off from the more casual area of the pool for individuals who just wanted a casual swim.

An assortment of people were busy doing aerobic exercises in a group, along with an instructor, while others were simply enjoying themselves. In the far corner, near the more shallow end, some kids were being taught the proper technique for swimming, under the watchful eye of their parents and the instructor.

Giving a small smile at the atmosphere, the buck walked over to the lanes and found an unoccupied one. A lifeguard standing nearby, a doberman wearing a tight tank top with red trunks, gave him a look, as if waiting for something. His eyes were a green that seemed to penetrate the deer's mind and search for answers. His gaze was professional, but it still had a friendly feeling about it. Thinking for a moment, the deer gave a small "ah" before reaching into the pockets in his own trunks and pulling out his gym membership card. On the front, the male's face was shown, as well as his full name and a simple barcode.

The name on the card was "Adam Wueller."

The lifeguard looked over the card before putting it into his own pocket and giving a nod and a warm smile.

"Please, enjoy the waters, Adam. Don't forget to come back to me when you are finished to retrieve your card."

Nodding as he pulled the goggles that sat on top of his head over his eyes, Adam gave a thumbs up before walking over to the second to last lane and dipping his hoof in. Giving a small shiver from the cool temperature as the water flowed over the fur on his leg, the buck's reflexes kicked in, and he reflexively pulled it out with a small yip before trying to dip his whole body into the water and chlorine mixture that was pool water. As he lowered himself further down into the water, his hands gripped harder onto the edge of the pool, and he gave a hiss of discomfort as he slid into the water the rest of the way.

Looking for any signs of splashing ahead of him to make sure he did not take a lane that was already in use, Adam sighed in content when he confirmed that the lane was not occupied. Gripping the wall firmly, Adam placed his hooves on the wall of the pool and stretched his limbs out to make sure he was limber. After stretching the appropriate muscle groups, the swimmer turned his body around and braced his hooves against the wall, ready to push off.

A clock stood above the lanes of the pool, on the opposite side of where Adam was swimming. The red LED lights showed the time on one side while counting up to an hour on the other. At the moment, the portion that was counting up said 29:03.

Watching the clock until it counted up to 30:00, Adam shot off the wall and propelled himself at a decent speed before starting into the breast stroke. His mind was in the zone as his arms and legs flexed their power. The water flowed over his lean but athletic form as he made his way down the lane, and Adam could feel the muscles begin to strain. When he made it to the other end of the lane, he flipped underneath the water before kicking off the wall once again. When he made it to the other end of the pool, the buck looked at the clock to see it had taken him about a minute and twenty seconds to make it back to the other end. He smiled to himself.

"Not bad," he thought.

Reaching to pull his goggles up, Adam groped for the lens over his eyes with panic when he realized he could not find them. While he was focused, he had totally forgotten about his eyewear. With his sensitive eyes, swimming would be quite difficult without the protective eyewear. Frantically looking around the bottom of the pool, the buck tried to spot anything that looked out of place. As he was about to dive underneath and search the bottom himself, he heard what sounded like a roaring typhoon coming towards him.

Someone who was clearly very large, or possibly just very fat, had jumped into the pool with such force that Adam was slapped in the face by a wall of water. A few seconds later, and a lot of sputtering in annoyance, the perpetrator of the tidal wave resurfaced, but it was not what the deer had expected in the slightest.

Popping his head above the water was a positively huge bison. The thick, wooly fur on his face, head, and shoulders was soaking wet and looked almost comical. Locking eyes with Adam for a moment before looking away slightly, the massive bison handed the deer his lost goggles beneath the water. The dark blue of the goggles' outline beneath the water shimmered in the artificial light. "Erm...here. I got them for you," the other male said in a deep baritone voice.

Cheeks turning red, Adam reached out his hand to grab the goggles from what appeared to be a hand about twice as large as his own. Glancing at the furry hand, Adam could feel the softness of it against his own hand for only a few seconds. Looking up towards the bison, Adam glanced over the bulky yet powerful chest and shoulders before admiring the chocolate-colored fur that covered his shoulders, head, and the middle of his chest, which continued down lower into the water. The lighter brown-colored fur on his face glimmered in the water.

"Thanks. I owe you one for that," Adam replied with a small smile. "Ummm, my name is Adam, by the way."

Internally hitting himself for a moment for having given away his name to a guy who just got his goggles and probably wanted to get along with his workout, the buck stuttered for a moment and gave a few awkward glances around the pool.

"No problem, buddy," the bison smiled just as awkwardly. "Um, see you around, I guess." He scratched the back of his head for a moment, revealing a huge bicep on an arm that looked like it could bend steel. Feeling his gaze move towards the muscles, Adam chuckled softly to himself at his own curiosity. He had to hold himself back from reaching out and touching the bulging bicep that was only a few inches away from his face.

Before Adam could say anything else, however, the bison swam away, heading for the ladder, and a moment later, the huge bovine started climbing out of the water, giving Adam a perfect view of his herculean physique, the muscles of his back rippling as he climbed out, dripping on the tiled poolside. What drew Adam's attention away from the muscles, however, was the tight green speedo that looked like it was just a bit too small for the bison, which showcased his muscular rump perfectly. His thickly muscled legs came into view a moment later as his hooved feet stepped up onto the poolside. He briefly glanced back into the pool before walking up to the lifeguard to retrieve his membership card, having what seemed like a fairly awkward exchange with the doberman for a moment before retreating into the locker room and out of sight.

"A man of few words, I guess," the deer mumbled to himself as he adjusted the goggles on his head and continued his swim. Throughout the exercise, he could feel his arms begin to strain and the muscles hug tightly to his frame. He felt powerful when he completed several more laps, doing several different strokes to keep up his versatility. After he was finished, around thirty minutes had passed, and the deer grabbed the ladder and made his way out of the pool.

Reaching up and removing the goggles from the top of his head and making sure not to get the headband stuck in his antlers, Adam walked over to where a multitude of clean white towels were dangling from hooks and ready to be taken back into the locker room. As he wrapped the towel around his waist, Adam began to think about the bison that he briefly made contact with. He remembered the rumbling voice, combined with his beautiful body that seemed to have a certain flexibility to it. He thought about that tight speedo around the bison's hips and imagined fabric around his own waist for a half-second before shaking his head free of the thought. He could never pull off such an exotic outfit, is what he told himself, as he pulled subconsciously at the waistband of his swim trunks.

As he was deep in his own thoughts, Adam did not realize he made it back inside the locker room and was now fiddling with his membership card in his hands. The card was now slightly bent, and Adam sighed as he realized he was the one who did the damage. He hated it whenever he got lost in his own little world. Adam proceeded to bend the card back into its rightful place before walking to his locker.

Dodging a handful of naked furs with awkward shuffling in between them, and with minimal eye contact, Adam made his way to the second row of lockers before the door out into the main hall of the gym. The locker itself looked a bit old but still in good enough shape to look functional. Leaning forward, Adam messed with the combination lock until he heard a familiar click and pulled the door handle upward. The door to the locker made a loud, squealing protest at being opened before unveiling its contents.

The hiss of water reached his ears as he looked around the room, and the smell of sweat and musk mixed with the clean scent of different soaps being used in the showers. Many of the patrons in the locker room were either naked or with towels around their waists as they made their way to the showers in the back left corner of the room, and the sound of a small talk was present as well, but most people were just shuffling around to wherever they pleased.

The duffel bag inside Adam's locker had clothes that looked like they were about to spill out, yet they were still contained. On the sides of the locker, a picture of the buck's college was held by a magnet that kept the photo squarely in its place. The college grounds looked green and inviting. Flowers were blooming in the photo, and the trees were blooming.

As a wave of nostalgia hit the buck, the locker across from the deer was opened, and the sound of someone rummaging through could be heard. Turning his head, Adam saw a tall, athletically built otter looking through a backpack, seemingly oblivious to the buck just feet from him. The otter had light brown fur all over his body that looked soft to the touch. His long whiskers twitched, and his tail slapped against the concrete as he searched for something.

The otter, with his back turned, was nude from the waist down, his only clothing being a modest black tank top over his toned upper body. Looped through his right ear, a gold earring jingled as he looked through his locker. Turning around and looking over the bench nearby, the otter gave a surprised gasp before looking Adam with a twinkle in his eye.

"Well, if it isn't Adam! How are you doing, stud?" the otter cooed and stuck out his tongue.

Ears turning a rose color, the buck hooked his thumbs in his swimsuit and casually began to strip. When Adam's swimsuit hit the floor, he cupped his privates, turned around, and began to dig through his duffel bag.

After searching for a moment, his hand finally gripped around a pair of nylon gym shorts, a t-shirt, and a jockstrap. He quickly slipped on the jock, feeling the spandex of the pouch that allowed him a bit of breathing room for his more intimate regions. The straps felt tight around his rump, and his tail lifted slightly as he looked behind him to admire his form in the small mirror in his locker.

"Hello, Toby," Adam answered back with a smile. "What are you up to today?"

Toby was an otter that Adam happened to meet the very first week that he moved to Lancaster. In fact, the very first time Adam met Toby was when the otter was checking him out in the locker room. Although Adam was grateful for the advances, he turned down the otter a couple of times, and since then the two had become pretty good friends. After all, the otter did help him with his form when jogging, as well as when lifting weights. Also, Adam enjoyed the compliments on his physique every so often.

"Besides checking out the cutest buck in the whole gym?" the otter smirked. "Well, I was gonna go for a swim, but if you're gonna go lift weights or something, I'll totally join you! I always get so bored without someone to work out with, you know?"

"I was going to jog, but if you want to lift weights, then I am more than happy to have a partner," the deer replied with a chuckle as he grabbed the shorts and began to slip them over his hips.

To Adam's relief, he had gotten used to the otter's more risque compliments.

"On second thought, jogging sounds good," Toby grinned. "I'll just do what I usually do and lag behind you ever so slightly, so I can watch that cute ass and your adorable little tail while you jog!" While Toby was clearly joking, there was also a hint of truth to that statement as well. The glint in the otter's eyes, combined with the subtleness of the otter's tongue trailing across the top of his lips, gave away the intentions.

Giving a snicker at the comment as he put on the tank top and began to stretch out his legs, the buck made sure to work out whatever strain was still left in his muscles.

"Then follow me. We've got plenty of work to do!" Adam exclaimed as he slipped past the otter and walked towards the hallway leading out. A wolf with pitch black fur stood naked on the opposite side of the hall and admired his face in the mirror. He seemed to be too engrossed in his admiring himself to even notice the buck and otter.

"H-hey, wait up!" Toby called out, quickly slipping on his own jockstrap and shorts which had been previously discarded. He started to run after Adam, but his pace slowed dramatically when he noticed the black wolf grooming himself. "Well, hello, handsome!" Toby said as he approached the wolf, slapping his ass in a friendly manner.

The other male turned to the otter and sighed. "Hey, Toby. Still not interested, bro."

"Can't blame a guy for trying!" Toby smirked before running off after Adam, his footsteps quiet against the tiles, soon catching up to the deer. "Sheesh, you'd think a guy might score at least one date after asking someone four times," he commented to no one in particular. "No offense to you, of course, Adam! I'm content with our friendship," Toby smiled genuinely.

"I admire your persistence, Toby. Really all that matters," the deer said while holding himself back from bursting out in laughter, but at the same time feeling a bit melancholy. Although Toby was upfront with his feelings, Adam did feel a bit of remorse for the otter in that he kept getting shot down by every guy he hit on. After all, he was a sweet and handsome guy.

Toby smiled as they walked past rows upon rows of various machines, each specially designed to work out different muscle groups, followed by rows of treadmills. "I figure I should just be true to myself, you know?" Toby chuckled. "Sure, I could dial it back a bit, but that person wouldn't be the true Toby! Now, did you wanna use a treadmill, or use the track?" the otter asked, pointing towards the second-floor track with joggers running around the large oval that looked down over the weight lifting and treadmill areas.

Pausing to think for a moment, the buck looked around the area to see several treadmills looking unattended. "I think running on treadmills would be fine. The less people that can smell the chlorine on my fur, the better," Adam commented before taking in the surroundings.

Several people were busy on the various weight lifting machines, and the sound of metal clinking and grunts of exertion echoed around the acoustically open area. Mirrors were placed over by the curling weights, and some of the larger individuals were busy stroking their egos in front of the mirrors, their eyes gazing over their well-built bodies and eating up the attention from the other patrons in the gym. From skinny to overweight, a lot of people were doing their own thing. It was like any other day at the gym.

"Mmm, gotta love those big guys lifting weights," Toby laughed as he got up onto an open treadmill, still looking at the hulking meatheads in the corner whose arms were thicker than the otter's entire body. "Shame I could never get that big, even if I tried."

"Ahhh, I wouldn't beat yourself up over it," Adam mentioned as he walked over to a treadmill that was next to Toby's own and hopped onto it. "They probably can't even fit through a door without a struggle."

Toby mockingly swooned in response to Adam's words. "But that's the best part! Tell me you honestly don't want to cuddle up in those mountains of muscle and just soak in the warmth and all that," the otter inhaled deeply, "masculine scent that we both know drives us smaller guys crazy!"

The buck rolled his eyes but also took a deep breath inward. It's true; he could smell the musk on the males as they worked out, and he felt his mind buzz a bit at the sensation. Although his lips were pursed at first, they quickly turned into a small smile. He wanted to feel a big guy pressed up against him, the guy's muscles flexing as he reached forward to rub across Adam's leaner body.

"Ahh, whatever. Let's just get on with our workout, you perv," the buck teased as he turned on the treadmill and set the pace. Now Adam had to get his mind off of the muscular guys that clouded his thoughts.

The otter did the same, setting the treadmill for a moderate pace as he began jogging briskly on the machine. "So, Adam," Toby smirked, "see any cute guys lately? Any in particular that struck your fancy?"

"Well, there was this bison that helped me out in the pool, but he barely said a word. He was built like a tank though," Adam panted as his feet clopped down on the treadmill.

"Oh?" This got Toby's attention. "And why didn't you start chatting him up? Too scared of the big beefy bison?" the otter taunted.

The buck giggled at the thought of being overshadowed by the bison's bulk and him cracking his knuckles in that tight green speedo, a mischievous grin across the man's face.

"Maybe not intimidated, but we were both just kind of...awkward."

"You? Awkward?" Toby giggled mockingly. "Never would have guessed! But that's all part of your natural charm, and why I kept hitting on you relentlessly for weeks, in spite of me being into bigger guys. You're adorable!"

"I never thought of it that way," the deer huffed as he felt sweat begin to dribble down his body. "I'll keep that in mind, Toby."

"Just some helpful knowledge from your lovable otter buddy!" Toby laughed, sticking his tongue out at Adam as they ran. "Though, I guess it would be a bit hard to woo an awkward bison without you shrugging off your own awkwardness," the otter thought out loud.

Shrugging and flicking his tail, Adam clicked the arrow on the interface of the treadmill to bump up the pace a little bit before looking back at Toby, replying, "True. How about this: if something does happen, I will let you know."

Toby just smirked mischievously as he upped his own pace. "Oh? If something does happen, I wanna be the one who's holding the camera! Or perhaps joining in," he added with a wink. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding," the otter laughed, only partially kidding. "Besides, you made it abundantly clear you have no desire to take me to bed, even if there was a theoretical bison involved."

Giving a poor attempt at a fake glare, Adam shook his head and chuckled to himself before concentrating on his jog. The feel of the strain on his legs felt familiar and spurred him on further as the pain turned into a feeling of fulfilment with each step he took. He felt his muscles flex and relax as they moved to the motions, and sweat begin to stain his shirt. After thirty minutes of jogging, the buck hit a red button, and he slowed himself down to a stop.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, Adam felt the relief of his body cooling itself wash over him and a bliss sweeping over his body as he leaned over and panted with his hands on his thighs. The sunlight that came through the windows warmed his back, and he felt the desire to curl into a ball and nap right there on the floor.

"Shit, I need a shower," Adam said with a smirk as he looked over to Toby to see the otter still in the zone. The otter's body seemed to be stained with sweat as well, but Toby had a determined look on his face. However, right when the otter heard the word "shower," his ears flicked, and Toby couldn't hit the stop button fast enough before leaping off the treadmill with somewhat surprising grace. "Shower time? I'll soap you up, if you return the favor!" the otter winked, shaking his rump a little seductively with a twinkle in his eyes.

Adam looked at the otter with some degree of surprise. He looked into the innocent-looking dark green eyes and gave a sigh as he debated whether or not letting a friend lather up his body would really be a good idea. Adam looked down at the otter's soft-looking paws and remembered the last time Toby washed him down, and how he was quite the masseur when it came to the male body.

"Fine, but just don't touch my ass, okay?."

Toby smiled brightly. "Deal. And since there's no changing the terms, now that we've agreed: You didn't specify I couldn't touch your junk, so I get to soap those up too!" The otter grabbed Adam's hand in his paw and practically dragged him from the gym, leading the deer towards the locker rooms.

Before the buck could protest, Toby's surprising arm strength dragged him into the locker rooms and the otter began to strip in earnest.

"W-wait! Shouldn't we...you know, do this in a bit more private setting?" Adam stammered with a weak smile. Although Adam liked the idea of a locker room shower with a buddy in public, he would never do it. He had to keep the fantasies under lock and key.

The otter pouted slightly, always preferring the communal showers, because he could look at other guys' endowments while giving the illusion that he was showering, but he gave in to the deer's wishes and led Adam to the private shower stalls. "Fine, fine. Here, happy?" Toby asked, somewhat impatiently, as he waited for Adam to start stripping, the otter's own clothes thrown on a bench against the wall as they walked up to the private showers. The buck always wondered what Toby's secret was when it came to throwing off his clothes so fast. Perhaps it was the lack of antlers on his blond-haired head.

Smirking and taking off his sweat-soaked clothes, the buck threw the clothes on top of Toby's own pile. He crossed his arms, and his tail flicked against his naked rump. He felt vulnerable as he looked over at the otter, his frown masking his excitement at soon receiving a massage from another male. He had to admit, he missed Toby's expert touch against his body.

"Yes," Adam said simply as he walked up to one of the stalls that was not occupied. A shower curtain hung limply, and it had a pearlescent white shine to it. He opened up the curtain and stepped inside the cubicle-like room. Faded white tiles lined the walls of the small area before opening up into concrete up towards the ceiling. Grabbing the nozzle and giving it a swift turn to the right until a small arrow lined up with the red mark across the temperature indicator, the buck gave a soft sigh as the warm water flowed over his aching muscles.

The water flowed over his lean body, the warm liquid washing away the sweat and grime on his fur. Although he liked the feeling of being done with a workout, he enjoyed the squeaky clean feeling that the shower provided. Looking over, Adam noticed Toby's eyes gazing over his body with a grin across his face before snapping out of it and running back towards the locker area. Adam raised an eyebrow curiously, wondering where the otter went off to.

Toby stepped into the shower a moment later after running back to his locker, naked, to grab shampoo and soap, smirking mischievously as he slid the curtain shut. "And now we're all nice and private, little buck," the otter winked, chuckling since Adam was actually taller than him.

"That bison that I talked about earlier could eat you for a snack," the deer teased as he plucked the shampoo from the otter's hand and squeezed it onto his open palm before applying it to his head, the comment referring to the otter's lean frame and height. Although Toby wasn't packing like the rest, muscle-wise, the otter could definitely hold his own at the weight rack. Toby had a nice tone to his body. Lifting his hands up to the top of his head, Adam began to spread the shampoo around.

Although the antlers were in the way, Adam made sure to avoid them. It was like working against a strong wind, however, since he usually ended up pricking his hand on the sharper prongs, due to the nature of his anatomy. Toby rolled his eyes before pushing Adam's hands out of the way and working the shampoo into the buck's hair much more easily with his own paws, since he could see the antlers and work around them without nearly as much trouble. "You're hopeless, Adam," the otter chuckled, standing up on the tips of his toes to put him on equal height with the other male. "Downside of having antlers, huh? They look amazing, but they're a bitch to deal with, hm?"

As the otter's paws worked into his dark brown hair, Adam gave a sigh, and his ears folded downward as a blush crossed his face. "Yeah. I like them, but getting out of the door quickly can be...tricky," Adam replied with a smile as he turned the temperature of the shower up a bit more. Steam started to rise, and the buck could feel his worries melt away as the warmth covered him like a blanket. Toby's gentle paws worked into his hair quite well, he had to admit, and the warm water that cascaded down his body felt wonderful on his aching muscles.

Running his fingers through Adam's hair almost sensually, Toby leaned in a bit closer to really work the shampoo into the other male's scalp, his nose and lips just a matter of a few inches from Adam's own. "You're cute when you're blushing, you know that?" the otter smiled softly.

"T-thanks," the deer stammered as he looked awkwardly down at his hooves. The buck's light brown-colored fur seemed to shimmer with the water hitting it in the artificial light, and his white chest and abs sparkled as well as the shampoo worked it's way down his athletic body.

"Do you want...err...anything of yours washed?" Adam asked when he realized his hands were just han limply at his side. After all, he did promise he would at least return the favor.

Giving the deer a little smirk, Toby eased himself back onto the heels of his footpaws. "There's a lot of stuff I'd like you to wash, but only do the stuff you're comfortable with, Adam, okay? I don't want to push you into doing anything you're not comfortable doing, or touching, in this case." The otter gave him a reassuring smile as he placed a paw on the deer's chest.

Placing his left hand on the otter's chest, the deer smiled and shuffled his hooved feet nervously as he moved his left hand away from the otter and held it out. Adam really liked the treatment Toby was giving him, and it opened him up to the situation of showering with another male.

"Give me a squirt of shampoo, please," the deer said nonchalantly.

Toby smiled and gave the the deer another shot of shampoo, letting his other hand fall to his side. "As you wish, sir," he winked.

Chuckling, Adam asked, "I'm a 'sir' now?" He decided to add a mock growl as he started to rub the shampoo into the otter's blond hair, making sure to make the same strokes the otter was doing with Adam's own head.

The otter rolled his eyes while making a quiet, happy noise as the buck's hands rubbed over his short blond hair. "If it means you continuing to rub my head, I'll call you whatever the hell you want," Toby chuckled. "Feels so nice."

Shrugging, Adam joked, "I do kind of like it. It sounds almost as if I have some control over your actions."

Adam could feel the soft hair on his fingers, and he felt a tinge of jealousy. He always wished he had gentle and soft hair like the otter. Some people said his hair is just fine, but usually it's his own mom who would make the comment.

"So...what do you have planned for tonight?" Adam asked, trying to change the subject away from the situation. He enjoyed washing Toby's head, but the awkward feeling that what he was doing was taboo began creep back as he noticed a wolf's paws shuffle by underneath the curtain of the shower. He felt his heart leap at the thought of him being caught.

Opening his eyes, after having closed them from the pleasure of the shampoo getting rubbed into his hair, Toby grinned. "Well, depends if I can seduce you back to my place or not, cutie," the otter winked.

"You're just trying to win me over, aren't you?" Adam snickered. "I would be more than willing to go to your place, but not for what you want to do."

Feeling the soap trail down his neck, the shampoo started to create a sheen on his lower body. He felt his own heart pound as he grew bolder and began to trail his right hand down the otter's neck and over his shoulders before massaging the muscles gently. Their bodies were so close together that Adam could feel their heat mixing together. Looking down briefly, Adam noticed their flaccid members almost hitting against one another, and he brushed the thought away that their naked bodies may have rubbed against one another as quick as possible.

"Mmm, and what is so wrong with me wanting to invite you back to my place so that we could bake cookies? I've got a mean snickerdoodle recipe I've been dying to try out, but I'm not about to eat a whole tray of them by myself," the otter smiled, enjoying the massage.

Thinking back to the last time Toby cooked for him when he was invited over, the buck remembered the amazing m&m cookies that the otter whipped up, and he remembered the creamy chocolate mixed with the soft dough. Adam also remembered that Toby didn't wear anything besides the apron.

"Yeah, I think I would like that. Your last batch of cookies turned out great," Adam mentioned with a smile.

Toby actually looked a little surprised by that answer. "Really?" He cleared his throat. "Well then, it's a date!" The otter wrapped his arms around Adam and hugged him gently, nuzzling into the deer's chest for a moment before blushing and letting go. "Er...sorry...I got a little happy there."

"Whoa, let's not get ahead of ourselves. Maybe not a date, but how about a...meeting, or a gathering," Adam interjected as he held onto the otter's right hand with a nervous smile. He hated how he had to push Toby away emotionally, but he always felt a disconnect between the otter and himself. Adam was more of a free-spirited kind of guy; he couldn't give Toby what he wanted.

The otter sighed heavily. "Sorry, Adam. I guess I've been trying to find someone for so long that it's become reflexive to hope for even a simple get-together to be something more than it actually is," Toby said, looking down at the floor of the shower and sighing again, showing a rare crack in his otherwise always smiling and flirtatious demeanor.

Recognizing the crack, the buck leaned close and nuzzled his friend's head affectionately, saying, "Toby, if you ever need someone to talk to, I'll be there for you, okay? I can't give you a relationship right now, but I can give my my support."

Toby nodded, took a deep breath, and looked back up at Adam, his smile repaired, as if they didn't just have an emotional moment. His eyes had a glimmer to them as he glanced up at the buck, his mind somewhat at ease, but with the deer still on his mind. "I appreciate it, Adam. I'll try not to text you too much and make you regret saying that to me," he laughed, grabbing the soap and lathering his paws up before rubbing all over the buck's chest and abs.

"It's fine if you text me, bud," Adam said as he closed his eyes and felt the gentle rubs against his abs and chest. "By the way, have you thought about quitting your job as a bartender and becoming a masseur?" Adam asked with a smirk as his own hands began to work across the otter's smooth body. He could feel the otter's muscles flex under his touch, and he gave a grin when he felt the muscles expand and contract with every breath the otter took.

Toby was quiet for a moment, genuinely thinking about it. "I dunno, man...I know I'm good at this kind of thing, but bartending is pretty much the perfect job for me. I get to be myself when I'm behind the bar, and no one questions why I'm flirting with patrons, because they all know it's an act to get better tips." The otter made a silly smile as he enjoyed Adam's hands feeling up his torso.

"True. If only they knew how devious Toby truly is," Adam smirked as he pressed into what felt like a knot of tense muscle on the left side of the otter's abs.

The shorter male winced as Adam worked out that knot. "Hey, I may be devious, but I make a lot in one night from just tips alone! Best damn bartender the Foxhole Lounge has ever had!"

Pressing a bit as he kneaded the knot of muscle, Adam replied, "You'll have to take me to this bar sometime. It sounds like a good time, and way more interesting than dealing with dusty books all the time. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do enjoy the library, but sometimes I need a break."

The otter laughed. "You DO know it's more than just a bar, right?"

Adam shook his head. "From what you said, it sounds just like any other bar, and you mentioned there is music and live entertainers."

Toby snorted when Adam said 'entertainers'. "Yeah, they're definitely entertaining," he giggled. "Anyway, if you really want to stop by, perhaps next friday? Does that work for you?"

"I am free next Friday, so that should work perfectly!" Adam exclaimed, and his tail flipped in the air in excitement.

"Great!" Toby smiled, lathering himself up the rest of the way and washing off. "Get yourself washed up, and let's go make some cookies, hm?"

"Ummm...wait! Can you...ummm...can you...get my back?" Adam nervously asked as he turned around and looked over his shoulder. Right when he looked over, his tail flagged in the air to show off his pert rump. He couldn't help the reflex, but he instantly knew when it happened. Self-conscious, Adam began to blush slightly, but he still had his trust in the otter.

The otter couldn't help but grin as he saw Adam's butt with his tail raised. "Sure thing, buddy," he chuckled, lathering up the deer's back and sensually massaging the soap into his fur before trailing his hands down lower. With a mischievous look on his face that Adam couldn't see, Toby quickly gripped both of the deer's firm mounds in his paws and squeezed softly.

Yipping and looking over his shoulder with a glare as he felt the the hands rubbing and squeezing his backside, the deer said, "I will look past that, as long as I get a free drink next Friday. And not one of cheap ones. AND you'd better slave over it."

"One Tipsy Toby coming up!" the otter replied. "My own special concoction. Knocks even our biggest bouncers on their ass after about three of them! Besides, if giving you free drinks is all I need to do to grope your cute ass more, I'm going to be paying for a lot of alcohol out of pocket!"