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“You have got to be kidding me."

“No, no...I'm totally serious. It's pretty good money, apparently they can make a lot of use of it. C'mon, man, I really need this."

Arek folded his arms, looking down at Warren with a mixture of frustration and disbelief. “Did you even think this through? We've been friends for six years, I know you're a good guy, but do you not know how what you're asking is a problem?"

Warren had to hesitate; the cobra had a long fuse, but when he did get angry it was a frightening thing to behold. And he sure didn't want Arek angry, not over this. “A...asking for...venom is a problem?"

“Uh, yeah? Come on, I know you're not that thick."

“But...they say they really need it, that they don't get enough donations-"

“Of course they say that! Because it's demeaning! Venom milking is something done to feral snakes! Asking one of us to do that is incredibly rude! The reason they offer so much money is because a few of us are desperate enough to let ourselves be demeaned! It's like...being paid to go on a reality show to be kicked in the groin over and over again. Humiliation for cash!"

Arek was almost never like this, and that alone was making Warren much more anxious. “I...I'm sorry. I didn't know that...but...I don't want to demean you! I just...they say that they can develop better antivenins from anthro snakes than ferals, ones that can be used more broadly and stuff. I thought it was a service!"

“Yeah, well, so is giving blood, and a hell of a lot of people hate that, too. And THAT doesn't carry the same social significance, either." Arek shook his head, eyes shut tight in disgust. “Ugh...the way they talk about us already isn't good, letting yourself be milked like an animal is...the comments I've heard, I really don't want to talk about them."

“That's awful...they shouldn't be doing that, you're not doing anything wrong!"

“Yeah, well, talk to them, not me."

“I...well, if I...run into one, I will. But...I mean, you know I'd never want to take advantage of you-"

“You're still asking?" Arek's eyes shot open again. “After what I've just told you, you're still pushing this? You really want to risk our friendship over this?"

“I...no, Arek, I…" Warren slumped down; he really didn't want to tell his friend why he needed the money so bad, but desperate times called for desperate measures. “I...my mom was in the hospital last month. She needed a major surgery. There were a lot of bills."

The admission defused Arek's anger a bit. “You never told me that."

“I didn't tell anyone. I was...terrified that she was going to die, I couldn't talk about it, just thinking about it was hell. She's out and recovering, and they say she's going to make a full recovery...but it was hard on them, financially. They...told me they can't afford to contribute to my tuition next semester. I don't get enough aid to keep going, and I have too much classwork to get a second job...if I don't come up with something fast, I'm out. And you know what it's like to try to get a job even with a degree, if I don't have one…"

“And so you were searching for ways to make money fast and easy so that you could sustain yourself," Arek finished.

Warren nodded. “I didn't even know venom milking was a thing...I mean, I'd heard of it, but only in feral snakes like you said. I...well, I was looking for ways to...donate samples of stuff of my own, but when I saw the venom thing...I mean, you guys make it naturally, and it was a whole lot more than anything I could give! I...I didn't want to, like, take advantage of you, I wanted to be up front about it, but I didn't think it would be a big deal."

“Well, you probably should've looked into that more, then." Arek sighed; he was all tense now, a whole mix of things going on in his head at once that he didn't like. “But I don't want to see you drop out because of this...we said we'd stand by each other and help each other get our degrees, and I don't want to see that end because of money."

“So...you'll...do it?" Warren asked, with extreme caution.

“On one condition. I don't like the idea of debasing myself for money, even to a friend. But we can do a tit for tat. I demean myself to you, you demean yourself to me."

“I...I can do that. What do you want me to do?"

“I want you to let me fuck you."

Warren's eyes shot open wide. To hear that, from his longtime friend no less! It was the last thing he could've expected. “Wh...w-wait, what?!"

“You heard me." Arek's expression was deadly serious; Warren knew if he had just been joking, he wouldn't have been able to hold that back. “I know you're not gay or bi, or at least that's what you say. And I have no interest in crude public displays, I think that's just stupid and I wouldn't get anything out of that. But a desperate straight college boy needing money, resorting to blowing someone and taking it up the ass to get by...something you'd be horribly ashamed of if it ever got out, isn't that right?"

Indeed, Warren's face was already burning; just the very idea of it was mortifying, even if it was his friend asking. And then it occurred to him...that was the point. What he was asking of Arek was going to make the cobra feel exactly that way...how unfair would it be for him to have asked that and gotten everything out of it? Tit for tat...fair was fair, and he really was that desperate.

“...Okay. I'll do it. Just...be gentle, okay? You know I...don't have any experience."

“Of course I know that. You ARE going to take a lot...I'm going to be the one in charge, you have to do what I say. But I won't manhandle you, I'm not trying to put you in traction."

“I sure hope not...so, uh, are you...ready? I mean...you know…"

“Ugh. Yeah, let's...let's just get this over with."

---

Over the hour of set-up that they did, Warren could tell Arek really, REALLY didn't want to do this. The human could tell that his cobra buddy was avoiding grousing too much, knowing what was at stake, but the sighs and grumbles were hard to miss. It didn't make a lot of sense to him, but then again, he wasn't a snake, he didn't know what the stigmas were, and just because he'd been friends with Arek for years didn't mean he had much more of a clue. That wasn't the sort of thing that ever really came up when they talked.

It made him all the more apprehensive about his half of the trade - the worse mood Arek was in, probably the less gentle he'd be. And Warren very much wanted him to be gentle...or as gentle as the beasts he was packing would get, anyway. He'd seen them once, accidentally, in an embarrassing moment for both of them...the fact that he had two was tough enough to imagine, it really wasn't helping that one of them was worth a good bit more than two of his own.

The process was supposed to be fairly simple - put a film over a specimen cup, have Arek sink his fangs into it, and then massage his venom glands to get the venom to spurt out. He'd looked at some videos online, but they had all been for feral snakes. It didn't seem like it should be any different for anthros, but he wasn't entirely sure...he'd just have to experiment a bit if it didn't work right off. The collection container was also quite a bit larger than for feral snakes, since their mouths were quite a bit larger and both fangs were typically used.

He donned a thick pair of rubber gloves as he secured the film, and approached the very apprehensive but resigned cobra. “Okay, I don't think it should be difficult...so long as we get enough out. Apparently volume matters, a good amount will be worth more...but, uh, I won't pressure you to give more than you feel comfortable with."

Arek took a deep breath and let out it. “I'm donating, might as well try to get as much out of it as possible. Maybe if we get enough of it you won't have to put me through this again."

“Okay. Open up, let's try to get this in."

“Fine. Watch your fingers, though. I have AVPens but they're not cheap."

“Yeah, I don't want to get anywhere near the sharp bits myself." His hands were right around the base of the collection container, well away from the fangs. Vaguely he remembered all the times Arek had playfully threatened to bite him, until he'd learned exactly what kind of effects Arek's toxins could have; the jokes just weren't as funny after that.

Arek's apprehension seemed to spike as he opened wide, his eyes shutting tight as he reluctantly speared the film. His fangs sank deep inside, starkly visible in the container, dripping with some venom but not much. Warren could hear him breathing deeply, like he was trying to calm himself as he reached his hands up to rub against where his glands were. He had insisted on doing this part himself, and Warren hadn't objected - having someone else's digits massaging a sensitive spot like that might have made the ordeal even less bearable.

It was quite a sight to see the stream gushing out...he'd seen it in the videos but observing it right in front of his face like this was somehow more powerful. It was fascinating, also a bit frightening...he knew a lot of toxins didn't need much volume to have a very powerful effect, and the amount that was coming out looked like it could fell about thirty elephants. How much did he have in there? He'd thought the container was a bit ridiculously large, but maybe Arek could fill it…

He could feel a bit more pressure on the container...Arek was shaking a bit. He could see the snake tearing up a bit, looking like he was about to completely lose it. It was a startling thing to see...Arek was normally such a stoic person, he could handle a lot without losing his cool, and that had been a source of comfort for Warren through their six-year friendship. To see him kind of falling to pieces over something Warren couldn't see as anything but a simple procedure...it was stunning, and had him wondering what kind of awful ideas were put into his head to make him feel so distraught over it. It had to be more than he was letting on…

Everything was almost dead silent, the only sounds were quietly agonized hisses from Arek and the spray of venom against the walls of the container. It felt more and more uncomfortable to Warren, he was starting to worry that he'd done something especially awful without realizing it...maybe it wasn't worth it after all, if it was getting Arek this broken up. “I...I think that's enough. That...they'll be fine with that much."

There was no clear response from Arek, but he slowly pulled his fangs out from the film, letting a couple final drops get squeezed off into the container. Wordlessly he leaned over the table, hands in his head, trying to get a hold of himself while Warren removed the film and twisted the cap onto the collection container. There was a lot more in there than he thought, he was amazed at how much venom a cobra anthro could store...but his concerns were more on his friend's state. “Arek? What...what's wrong?"

“It's...it's nothing…"

“It's not...I can tell. I...I don't understand, but...please…"

More uncomfortable silence, Warren starting to feel a bit ill at it...and then Arek spoke finally. “Back during the war...the mammals always tried to capture snakes rather than kill them on the battlefield. They would keep them chained up, barely able to move, and...they'd do this...milking of them, every so often. And they'd taunt the prisoners about how they were going to kill their own kin with the venom they harvested...and they did, a lot. They coated their weapons with it, turned it into sprays that they spread over the battlefield or used in bombs…"

Even the first words had sent Warren's stomach plunging. The war between the reptilian and mammalian races around eighty years ago was a huge sore spot for both groups...each side accused the other of starting it and doing the worse things to the other. Other groups had stepped in and put a stop to it after three years of gross hostility, with no official victor, but it was no secret that the mammals came out a lot better. In this day and age, when relations between the races were easier, it was easy to forget how bitter they had been, unless one of the racist ones gave a rather stark reminder. And as someone who had been proud to have a snake friend even as it lost him a couple of his others, doing something that brought images of THAT to light…

“When they were captured like that, there was nothing they could do to stop their captors from taking the venom...it tore them up that their own bodies were used to betray their kind. And the mammals would sometimes claim that some of them enjoyed it, that it was like orgasming for them...even more cruel, since they were usually sexually abused as well, sometimes right during the collection. And the worst part was that some reptiles believed it, they turned on snakes and were hostile to them even as they tried to defend their kind. There were stories...where commanders of the reptile units, if they were about to be defeated, would order their own men to shoot the snakes so that they couldn't be captured alive. It...it stained us, in everyone's eyes, and that's...it's not a stain that's ever come off, even if everyone's supposed to know there were never any turncoats, never a single snake that willingly offered venom to the enemy."

“My god...that's horrible…"

“It's haunted us for a long time...any one of us that has venom, we're told from birth to death to guard our venom before our lives. Letting ourselves be harvested is...it's seen as...like...treason, still. Even though we're not at war anymore, it's still...you don't let anyone take your venom, or you're helping to kill your own brothers. It, it just, it sort of validates what they said about us, in their eyes."

Now Warren did really feel sick. “I'm so sorry, Arek...I...I never knew about any of that...I wouldn't have…"

“I know you didn't. They don't teach that stuff in mammal-dominated schools...not gonna tell anyone about your own awful history. And the worst part is I know it's stupid...I know that they're not gonna do that, these clinics are just trying to help, and there's never been a case of them using venom for anything like that or having it taken for someone else to...you know, do something with. But...I can't...I just can't be okay with it. And that's why they try to offer so much money, because they know snakes have this...stigma about it. And there's not anything they can do except try to get a few of us who need money to bite."

“Fuck...I don't blame you at all, all that shit you guys have been through...it's horrible. Maybe I should just get rid of this, not-"

“No. It's...it's already done, you might as well get something out of it. And, like...like I said...it's for a good cause, still, even with how I feel. I just...not again. I can't."

“I won't ever ask you to," promised Warren. “I...I still owe you my half of this. Do you…"

Arek shook his head. “Forget about it, it was stupid. Even if I was in the mood at all anyway, it was dumb of me to try to put you up to that. At this point it'd just make me feel worse. Just go and get that stuff to them...they need it as fresh as possible so you should probably go now."

Warren nodded solemnly. “Okay...but I still owe you. Anything you want, any time, you just...all you have to do is say it."

“Don't worry about it. And...I hope it helps."

---

The memory of the ordeal stayed pretty firm in Arek's mind for longer than he would have liked. For the first few days he was utterly terrified someone would find out that he had been a donor and that would have been the end of his social life entirely. Well, except for Warren, who at least had gained enough money to afford tuition for the next semester of college...at least the whole thing had accomplished the goal they were looking to reach. Which didn't really make Arek feel any better about the action itself.

The things I do for love.

Unrequited love, in his case. He'd been feeling that way for almost three years, his thing for Warren was not exactly hidden as well as he would have liked, and he got plenty of teasing about it from his other friends. As far as he knew, though, Warren had no idea, and he preferred to keep it that way. A lost cause was a lost cause - Warren was straight and that wasn't going to change no matter how fierce his feelings were, and the last thing he wanted was to create an awkwardness between them that didn't need to be there. So he sat on it as fiercely as he could, despite the strain it put on his attempts at other relationships. He had flings, but nothing lasted...he knew he wasn't invested in it. He had to move on somehow, that much was for sure.

And yet, he wasn't doing a good job of that.

Idiot. Can't believe I tried to get him to bend over for me like that...like there's any way that getting a taste of what I wanted all this time wouldn't make it so much harder not to want more. Just looking for any excuse to get close to him...and he would've found out after that and I'm sure he wouldn't have been thrilled to hear that I was just looking for an excuse to try to convert him or something.

In a way the milking thing had helped a bit...it felt painful to think about, and distracted from the other pangs he normally felt around Warren. Keeping the secret safe for a little while longer, at least. He couldn't really call it a betrayal, not when Warren didn't know the full story, but it did still hurt, irrationally. But there was a lot that was irrational about the whole situation, so he felt he was entitled to a bit of that himself.

There was clearly a bit of strain between them for a while - as much for Warren's obvious guilt as his own conflicted feelings. But it couldn't last - they had been too close for too long to have it all end that way, and time eased the strain and put them back where they once had been. The milking wasn't brought up again between them, and as it became clear that no one else was showing any knowledge of it, so too did Arek's worries about it fade. And with Warren's and his family's financial situation getting sorted out by as much fortune as misfortune had put the strain on it, it was unlikely that he would have to worry about being approached again. And so he thought that was the end of everything, and all was going to resume as it had.

And for several months it did. Then came the twist he never would have seen coming.

April was a big month for Arek - his 21st birthday. He'd been looking forward to it for a while, his first chance at legal drinking. Of course, like just about anyone between the ages of 15 and 21, he'd already had more than a few chances to imbibe, and while he wasn't what he would call much of a drinker, he wanted the chance to enjoy it with others without worrying about getting caught. And his friends had already told them they planned a party for him that would include plenty of booze, so he was chomping at the bit to get to it. And they didn't disappoint - there was enough booze to keep them occupied for quite some time, probably more than they should have had but it was tough for Arek to care.

The shindig had been underway for over an hour and a half, and Arek was pretty deep into it, thanks to the encouragement of his friends. Especially Corey, a stocky gator who was probably Arek's most long-time friend, they'd known each other for over a decade and a half and he was still as rambunctious and energetic as ever, continually pushing refreshments on Arek as soon as he was finished with one. To his left were Dalvin, a monitor lizard who he'd briefly dated in high school but had remained friends with afterwards, and Chet, a gecko that Arek had slept with a few times and definitely got around much more than that, and who was already much more blotto than the rest of them. The only one not drinking was Jed, a chameleon sitting next to Corey, enforced designated driver since he had a medical condition that made drinking hazardous to him. He was more comfortable around drunks than most teetotalers Arek knew, though.

Although he wasn't usually a big drinker, the entourage around him was keeping him from moderation today - he was on his sixth and was pretty soused, more out of it that he'd ever been before. It had him giggly, energized, and looser with his tongue than usual, especially after Chet cracked a few jokes and had him laughing uproariously. It felt like he couldn't totally control himself, but he was a bit too out of it to really care.

“Hahaha...how's it feel getting properly blasted for the first time?" Corey asked him with a huge gator grin plastered on his face. He was easily the biggest drinker of the group and very familiar with it, though it also took a bit longer to actually get him drunk, as opposed to Chet who would be giddy in a hurry. “Feels good, doesn't it?"

“Gah...I'm gonna pay for it tomorrow, but hell, I see why...I see why you guys like to do this."

“Personally, I don't feel like I'm missing out on all that much," remarked Jed with a smirk. “Falling all over yourselves, vomiting, hangovers, I can do without these things in my life."

“You're just jealous," Chet teased, followed immediately by a hiccup.

“Eh, there's good and bad to it, but it's fun while it lasts." Corey clapped his big hand on Arek's shoulder. “But there's more fun to be had...yeah, yeah, we've got a little surprise for you."

“A surprise?" Arek's eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas. “What kinda surprise?"

“Well, it's your birthday! And it wouldn't be a birthday without a proper birthday gift, right?"

“Birthday gift? Hah, I haven't had one-a those in a few years...whaddaya got in mind?"

“Heh, something I know you've always wanted. Dal, why don't you wheel it in?"

“Heehee...with pleasure!" The monitor lizard rose and slightly unsteadily walked to the door. Arek noticed a bunch of grins around him, making him wonder if he was about to be pranked or something. Or maybe they were just waiting for his own excited reaction...he didn't really know, and to be honest he had too much excitement to care. He leaned forward eagerly, watching for Dalvin's return.

After a minute or so, the monitor lizard returned through the door with what looked like some kind of cart with a box on it, though the box was open and upside down. He wheeled it to a clear area in the middle of the room, then kicked the brake to hold it in place. “Yeah, we all know you're gonna love this one...and we wanna see you show how much you love it, ya hear?"

“Yeah, yeah sure! So what is it?"

With a huge grin, Dalvin lifted the box up. And immediately, Arek was struck dumb.

Wha...Warren?!

Now he was sure he was being pranked somehow. His closest human friend was laying on the cart, completely naked, wrists tied behind his back, a gag over his mouth, legs buckled to short poles sticking up from the corners of the cart, and with an enormous blush on his face. It was like he was being presented as a toy to Arek, and it took him a few moments for his addled brain to make sense of the scene enough to even respond. “Wha...what the...what's going on?"

“He's your present," cackled Chet. “Why don't you go play with him?"

“Buh?"

“We told you, didn't we?" Corey started to push Arek upright, still grinning madly. “Your present was something we knew you always wanted and knew you would love." He leaned up into Arek a bit, pretending to whisper but being plenty loud enough for everyone to hear. “And just so you know, this was his idea, he's been wanting you to pound him hard and fast for a long time. And he owes you...so don't keep him waiting, either."

Ordinarily Arek would have questioned every single word...well, he was still kind of questioning most of it. But, there was enough alcohol in his system that when his brain suddenly started flooding him with signals of desire and want, it was hard to put the brakes on. Panting hard, feeling flushed and overwhelmed and so hot, he quickly shed his shorts and stepped up to the care, twin poles exposed to the air with nary a thought about what the others might think. After all, they seemed to WANT to be watching…

There was still a hint of doubt, something keeping him from going full speed ahead...warnings from his brain that this didn't jibe with his previous knowledge, that Warren wasn't into that sort of thing. The hesitation persisted even as he continued forward, reaching for the human's exposed ass...but he could see underneath Warren, just enough to tell that his dick was solidly erect and leaking. And when he tested the human's rear end, he found that the pucker stretched quite easily - far more than if he was an untouched virgin.

Holy shit...he's been practicing.

It wasn't truly a guaranteed conclusion, but it was the one his blitzed mind instantly jumped to...and with that, any pretense of hesitation was gone. Warren undoubtedly wanted this...and he was going to give it! He thumped down over Warren, clenching his dicks together and pressing them against the human's anus...and with a forceful buck, shoved them about halfway inside. An eager whoop from Chet went barely noticed as he struggled to process the tight wrapping around his dicks, Warren's passage hugging his significant bounty tight, yet pliable enough to yield to his next energetic motions as he speared deeper. Eevrything coming from Warren's mouth was entirely muffled, yet it sounded far more pleasured than tortured to Arek, encouraging him to further action.

Soon the sounds of the snake's forceful slams were ringing in the air, squelches from his ample pre slurping out with every extrusion only to redouble with a wet slap when he hilted. In his alcohol-fueled buzz, Arek was lost in the pleasure, the sensations of Warren's ass tensing down on him, clearly trying to hold him in rather than keep him out, and the thrill of just being able to give the human he wanted to badly his all. He was hissing and moaning loudly, tongue lolling out as he panted hard, the forceful fucking he was giving was putting his others to shame. He wasn't even that aware of the audience, most of whom had phones out and were taking photos and video of the sexy scene, showing remarkable restraint in not whipping it out themselves, though Chet was fingering his slit under his shorts with one hand.

Soon Arek was feeling the rush hit hard, and a more aggressive attitude started to break out. “Fuck...so good...ngh, you like taking my twins like this?" he hissed as he started slamming in harder. Warren's response again was muffled, but there was a clear nod from the human that only fueled that lusty overdrive. “Gonna get to feel them in you a lot more then, gonna make that ass so wet with my cum everyone'll know you're mine…"

“Rrrr, yeah, go to town on him like that," Corey rumbled as he tried to keep his phone steady. “It's what you've always wanted, right?"

“Fuck, yes, so bad...wanted you more than anything I've ever wanted in the world," Arek said breathlessly, directing it at Warren even though Corey had said it. He pushed himself closer to Warren, trying to press his body on top of the human's even as he was starting to struggle with his footing. After a few seconds he simply climbed onto the cart and started pounding down with everything he could muster, driving himself past the point of no return with nary a hint of restraint. He almost yelled out as he came, two thick gushes of creamy snake seed surging deep inside the taut passage...and the next moment he felt Warren start to buck underneath him and clamp down hard on him, as he too hit his pleasure peak. The scent of his own cum soon hit Arek's nose, making him feel even more lit up with ecstasy as he kept filling Warren, a good bit of seed leaking out of the human and making a mess on the cart.

As the high of his orgasm faded, Arek felt a contentment and bliss unlike anything he'd ever known before. It was starting to sink in, he'd just gotten what he really had wanted for so long...and not just that, but offered to him. Slowly his fingers fumbled with the gag, releasing Warren's mouth, letting the human gulp in heavy breaths of air as he too recovered from his climax...and the first thing he heard out of the human was a breathless “thank you…"

“That...should be my line…" Arek hissed back dreamily. He worked to undo the bindings on Warren as the spectators clapped a bit, a couple of hoots coming from some of the more excitable ones. When Warren was finally unbound, Arek lifted him and staggered back to his chair, still keeping his shafts buried in the human. He didn't care at all how lewd it looked...they'd just watched him fuck, he doubted any of the others would care. And the feeling of Warren's warmth against him mattered more anyway.

---

The morning sun was only just starting to creep through when Arek woke up, and it took a moment for him to remember why Warren was in his arms. The lay at the party had only been the start...after sobering up somewhat, he'd given Warren a much more private and sensual time afterwards, one they'd fallen asleep after despite a relatively early hour. It was everything he'd always dreamed of, though a little different from what he'd expected - despite being untied and free to do as he pleased, Warren definitely seemed on the submissive side to him, a rather unexpected thing to Arek. Not that he was complaining.

“Mmm...wow, it's early…" Warren mumbled as he too roused. He pushed back into Arek's body, moaning a bit. “Mmm...really feels good…"

“I'm glad you think so," replied Arek with a sleepy warmness. “So...are we going to talk about this?"

“Yeah...guess we should…"

With some effort, the two pulled themselves into a sitting position against the headboard of the bed. Arek kept his arm around Warren, keeping their bodies close to each other. “So...I thought you weren't bi."

Warren reddened a bit. “I...didn't think I was, either. But, uh...I guess I was, uh, wrong on that."

“...How exactly can you be wrong about something like that? Uh...that kinda came out wrong. I mean, I know sometimes it's confusing, but you seemed pretty clear on who you liked since I knew you."

“Ah, that's because...well...I'm kinda dumb sometimes. To be honest, I've had, uh, sexy and sexual fantasies about you and other guys I was close to, but...I don't know how I got it into my head, but...uh, well, I thought it was, uh, just...normal. To have erotic fantasies about friends no matter what your sexuality was."

Arek held back a laugh but couldn't hold back the grin. “Wait, what? Really?"

“I know, I know...well, I know NOW. But yeah, I thought it was...you know, when you're a hormonal teenager and stuff, and you're really close to people and like them a lot, why wouldn't you have thoughts about them that way? I mean, that's just how comfortable you are with them, it doesn't mean you swing that way in general. That's how I always thought about it...I think I might have heard it from someone else a long time ago when I didn't really understand things and just kinda stuck with the whole idea. So when I had thoughts about you that way here and there, I just...didn't think anything of it. It was just because you were my close friend, and it was normal to think things like that."

“Wow, I wouldn't have ever seen that coming...so what finally told you that that wasn't true?"

Warren let out a quiet laugh. “Well...Anya."

“Wait, you mean your ex-girlfriend, that Anya?"

“Probably the only Anya you know, so yeah. We were talking several months back, and she was having trouble with a friend because she felt awkward around her lately because she'd seen her talking about a dream she'd had about Anya that was a little racy, and she thought she was totally straight and was upset that she was hiding it from her, or something along those lines. And being the way I was, I said that she could still be and that it was normal to fantasize about friends and I did it all the time."

“And how'd she react to that?"

“She called me a fucking dipshit and wondered how we had ever gone out."

“I remember that being your sentiment not long after you broke up."

“We were totally wrong for each other, I was letting my dick do the thinking. Anyway...she got me in no uncertain terms that that was NOT a normal thing and that it probably meant I was bi...although, she said the way I was in bed, maybe I was a, uh, total fag through and through."

“Well, that's hardly fair. You've had relationships with plenty of women. Short-term, but they were there and I don't recall hearing complaints from them."

That got a shrug from Warren. “I know, I think she's still a bit sore about a few things...I mean, I wasn't really as into it as I should have been with her, so she's got a different idea of how I am, I guess. Anyway, I had another friend suggest it was something else, like...I think he called it demisexuality or something like that, like I think he said it was not being attracted without having an emotional connection or something. I don't really know if he explained it well, because I still don't think I understand it well. But I don't think it's true anyway, because I've gotten turned on by plenty of people I don't know...I think it's more than I just didn't realize I was actually bi and just...ignored when I felt it for guys, unless I could explain it away or something."

It definitely sounded confusing for Arek, but he hadn't had to go through all that. Still, he had to wonder, how long had Warren been fantasizing about him when he'd been pining for Warren? All that time where the human might actually have gone for it… “So, uh...how'd you get from there to, uh, yesterday?"

“Ah...well, that was the, uh, other part of the story. I had to think about the stuff I learned, and kinda come to terms with what it meant...and then, I, uh, remembered our...well, sort-of deal that went sour. Like, when you said you wanted to...I didn't really think that much of it at the time, that it was just a fair turnabout kind of thing, but in that different light, I wondered if it meant you were actually attracted to me, not just as a friend thing. You'd never said anything, but now I was questioning a lot...and so, I kinda took a chance and went and talked to, uh, Corey about it. Asked him if there was any chance that you were into me, in that way…"

The cobra groaned. “Let me guess…"

“Uh, yeah, he, uh...he kinda busted out laughing, and when he finally got done with that told me you were, uh, 'stupid in love with me.' Kinda made it seem like it was super obvious, where I felt kinda silly for not picking up on it...and then when that hit home, that kinda made me have a little bit of a freak-out, when I realized how you felt and what I made you do…" Warren's gaze lowered to the side. “It kinda...came out, without me really wanting it to...but, he was super cool with it, he was more concerned about the fact that I'd kinda pushed you into it than that you did it."

Hearing that had made Arek tense up a bit; it wasn't something he'd wanted his friends to know about especially. Then again, he had always suspected it would come out eventually…hearing that Corey hadn't been judging him for it was certainly taking some of the edge off of hearing about the revelation. “It wasn't like that...I mean, I could have said no, I just...I didn't want to see you lose out because of something that wasn't your fault…"

“Still...I took advantage of your feelings. Feelings I didn't know you had, but it was still taking advantage. And to do something that major...and I realized there wasn't anything I could do in my life that could ever really compare to that. There's nothing that...stigmatizing for me, nothing that would really violate and humiliate me like that. So...I decided probably the best alternative was to try to help by giving you something you really wanted...me."

Arek felt himself flushing now. “You didn't have to do that…"

“I felt like I did. I owed you somehow...you helped me out of a huge bind by doing something so drastic, I saw how it hurt you and I knew I couldn't go without making it up to you somehow. And once I knew that you loved me...well, I mean, I was pretty sure I loved you too, otherwise I wouldn't be dreaming and daydreaming about you like that. So...I wanted to do something like that, and it wasn't hard to come up with the idea of giving you a birthday gift. Since you'd wanted to take me then...well, I mean, it was kind of an easy direction to take, but I thought it might make for a nice rush in the heat of the moment, especially when you were nice and soused."

“And here I thought they were making me drink just because it was my first legal chance. They were all in on it, trying to get me loose enough not to think too deeply about it, weren't they?"

Warren nodded. “I kinda set it all up with them. And they, uh, helped me 'prepare' for you, since I was unfamiliar with that kinda thing...I mean, I didn't have sex with them, but they helped me figure out what I had to do to practice, and Corey gave me some, uh, hands-on work with some of the toys, so that I didn't hurt myself trying to use them. I was a bit worried about being prepped enough to take you by your birthday, but it actually went pretty well, it didn't take long for me to get a lot, uh, looser. I didn't know if it was enough, really, to make up for what I did to you, but...it was the best I could really do."

“Wow...I can't believe you did all that for me. That was way beyond anything I could have asked for for repayment." Arek sniffed a bit, fighting back a slight case of tears as he held Warren closer. “I don't want you thinking it all has to be you paying me back...I love you, Warren, and I want to make you happy, and I'll do anything to make sure you stay happy. Even if it means having to do...all that all over again."

“I promise you, that won't happen again," Warren said with as deep and forceful a sincerity as he could. He smiled a bit, reaching down towards the snake's slit. “The only snakes getting milked from now on are these two. And I'm gonna make sure I make up for the time they weren't able to be milked properly."

“I'll be more than happy to catch up. And you...want it this way? Me a little bit on the, uh, dominant side?"

“Yeah...that's how I always imagined it before, it just felt really nice to think of you that way, and it felt like it fit."

Arek nodded. “Then I'll be more than happy to, if it makes you happy." And he vowed to himself that he would always try to make Warren happy. Every relationship, friends or otherwise, had its high and low points, its ups and downs...but they had not only weathered the roughest waters, it had brought them to a new level. If Warren could do that much for him, he could do that much for Warren, so they could share their love on equal footing every day.