Raccoon One

Lowering his phone from his ear, Baron adjusted his aching back against the cold brick wall as he heard the man on the other end of the line rambling on, but he wasn’t processing what was being said any longer. It was the tenth lawyer he’d contacted, and every single one of them only pretended to consider his side of the story before quickly changing the subject to their price for representation.

The ones he’d called had been the cheapest in the city, but even the lowest ones were evidently too expensive for him now. His wife had cleaned out their joint bank account and somehow managed to get his father to put her name as the main collector on his will… right before he died of cancer.

Needless to say, he ended up with very little to his name after that whole chain of events and, unfortunately, there was more. Because, what were a few stumbles if one never really finished falling?

Thus, when the man on the other end of the phone finally realized he wasn’t listening anymore and hung up, a new chime began to emanate from the device.

It was his work calling.

Well, one of his three jobs.

He’d worked nearly every day for the past two and a half years. Ever since his daughter was born. He had been head over heels in love with his wife, too, and had worked especially hard so that she could have anything she wanted while staying home with their little girl.

Everything changed, however, when he first mentioned considering a daycare for their daughter. His wife had immediately shut him down, saying that she was the only one that could care for her. It had been a bit of a surprise that she wasn’t at least interested in looking at some of the local ones, but he’d shrugged it off and decided to give her more time.

Six months later, and absolutely bone tired, he’d asked again.

That was when things began to get nasty.

His wife not only shut him down again, but told him that he didn’t give a damn about her or their daughter. He’d tried to stand up for himself at that point, telling her that he needed help with the bills and couldn’t physically work three jobs anymore, but then things became physical.

The first time she hit him in front of their daughter was the last time he’d dared to argue. Unfortunately, things still got worse. He eventually began to get sick from working so much and eating so little from stress. Each day he missed work she’d berate him, and if he dared call out a second day in a row, even if he needed it, she’d call him weak and worthless.

Blinking slowly as raindrops began to fall from the darkening sky above him, Baron tilted his head against the dirty bricks and stared down at his ringing phone.

I don’t want to answer it.

He didn’t want to do anything besides talk to his daughter, but he couldn’t even do that.

Maybe I am worthless now.

Even though his mind was a mess, instinct still had him reaching for his phone and lifting it up to his ear before it could go silent.

“Hello, sir,” he said quietly, afraid that if he spoke too loud, something else might go wrong.

“I’m sorry to have to say this, but your performance recently has made us have to reconsider your employment…”

My… what?

He couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“I… I just closed that massive deal. The most money you guys have made in five years…” he said, his voice shaking as he tried to blink back tears, completely confused.

The man on the other end continued as if he hadn’t heard him.

“We’re sorry that our company didn’t end up being a good fit for you and we hope that you find a better one soon.”

Before Baron could respond again, the man hung up, ending his best paying job, and taking with it the two thousand dollar bonus he’d been promised if he could manage to close the deal with their competitor. Hell, the only reason he was even in Virginia was to close that deal!

“Four months of discussions, and emails, and video meetings…”

Leaning forward, he pressed his forehead to his bent knees and hugged them as the tears began to flow freely.

“I spent so long on that deal.”

He’d even worked through one of the rare times he was normally able to get home for dinner with his family to make sure that nothing would go wrong with it.

On top of that, his other two jobs wouldn’t come close to paying for the lifestyle his wife wanted…

“Not that she needs you anymore, anyways.”

She’d taken more than enough money from his dying father to be able to live comfortably for several years. Well, perhaps not that long, if she continued spending it on designer junk like he’d seen before she’d cut him off from the account.

The sound of a car horn snapped him out of his depressing thoughts and drew his tired eyes toward the street, then past it toward a bridge leading across a bay. He’d driven over it multiple times in the past three days in the car his company had lent him… that he’d just returned since he’d planned on leaving later this evening.

I don’t want to be here anymore.

He couldn’t go back to what he’d had without a lawyer he couldn’t afford, but the only thing in his life that he wanted was his little girl.

Slowly pushing himself back to his feet, Baron grabbed the handle of his luggage but left his phone on the ground.

Besides, he wouldn’t need it any longer, anyways.

Walking in a daze, he somehow made it all the way down the long stretch of sidewalk that led to that beautiful bridge, then crossed the street without bothering to look. He didn’t hear any horns, though, and nothing hit him, so it had probably been a red light.

It was unfortunate luck, but at the same time, he didn’t want to inconvenience anyone else trying to go about their own lives. Once across the street, he continued his trek, a smile slowly finding its way onto his face as he considered the height of the bridge.

His shift fidgeted nervously in his mind, but it didn’t dare question him.

I know you’re tired, too. You’ve been helping me keep going for so many years, yet you haven’t even gotten a chance to climb a single tree during that time.

His wife had thought that his shift was disgusting and forbid him from using it. Especially in front of their daughter, who had inherited her mother’s cute feline form.

I’m sorry that I’ve wronged you, but I can’t do this anymore.

He came to a stop near the top of the bridge as wind whipped his hair about and rustled his suitcoat jacket. He was honestly dressed to kill. Ready to take on the world and look good doing it… but he was also, evidently, dressed to die, too.

The only real safeguard against suicides that was in place on the bridge was a simple telephone about twenty feet away, but the only person he wanted to call, that he could still call, would be unable to receive it.

Giving an exhausted, quiet laugh, Baron set his suitcase against the railing, then easily hopped over it. The ledge was extremely narrow on the other side, barely giving him enough room for his feet.

Not wanting to cause a scene and back up traffic, he calmly bent his knees slightly as he turned to face outward.

He could sense his animal get more restless within his mind, but he knew that it wouldn’t matter soon.

We’ll just go rest for a bit. Won’t it be nice to sleep in for once?

His animal didn’t seem too sure, but he couldn’t blame it. Instincts were a powerful thing, and it had very good ones. It hadn’t liked his wife from the beginning, but he’d ignored it.

I owe you an apology, but I’m sorry, I can’t make it up to you any other way than this. Let’s just leave.

He was just letting his fingers slip from the railing when he felt his heart suddenly jerk in his chest as his vision flickered in and out!

What…?

Everything after that happened so quickly that he wasn’t able to do anything besides simply watch as it took place.

In the blink of an eye he had shrunk to an eighth of his size. At the same time, little black paws had reached out, desperate to grab hold of anything they could as his suitcoat jacket and pants blew away in the wind. His vision went black for a moment after that, but he could still feel the adrenaline rushing through his system as little scratching sounds met his ears.

Then, suddenly, his vision was partially back. With black dots swimming across from eye to eye, he watched as his little clawed paws scrambled to keep hold of the concrete ledge he’d evidently fallen over.

They were just-barely holding on and constantly had to reach forward as his weight forced them to slide closer and closer to the edge.

It’s okay to let go, little one.

Of course, it didn’t listen. Instincts outweighed everything in the end, forcing his animal to try its hardest to get back to safety. For nearly five minutes it fought, and when his vision was just about to black out again and he thought his other half was going to lose its battle, his little body was suddenly pulled the slightest bit forward by those little paws. Then, after a moment of hard panting and a stressed, shrill cry, one paw reached forward again… as the other one abruptly slipped.

His vision disappeared abruptly as his heartbeat thundered in his ears and wind buffeted his little animal. He could feel them sliding backwards to the edge again, and had no doubt that his other half had finally run out of energy to fight.

His own consciousness was slipping at the same time as he came to peace with what was about to happen.

I’m going to go to sleep first. We’ll be able to play forever once we get to the other side.

He drifted off moments later and didn’t hear the wind swirling around them as they fell.

Nor did he feel any impact from hitting the water, but that was probably for the best.

He would be free from all of the stress now.

They would be free.

Raccoon Two

(His daughter has a kitten shift, I forgot and fixed it. (this character came over from a random chapter in my other book, Crow, but he stands alone in this story… but Crow is adorable and you should still read it!) 

Slowing to a stop, King wiped at his brow, then stared up at the gray sky. It had rained for a short while, but then decided to stop, as per usual. It would likely start again soon, but he didn’t mind either way. The rain had felt good after running nearly two miles. 

He looked around for a few moments as he finished catching his breath, then noticed a good spot for a quick picture and walked over to the railing at the bottom of the bridge he was about to cross back over. 

It took a minute to get the best position for the selfie, but he managed to get a great shot right as the wind rustled his short, dark hair. The light also made his soft grayish-blue eyes shine perfectly. 

This one will work nicely. 

He quickly opened his gaming app and uploaded the photo onto his profile. With more than two-hundred thousand subscribers, he was one of the newer rising stars of the gaming industry. His skills had his number of watchers steadily increasing daily, but his looks also brought in quite a few people, too. 

Being in his prime at twenty-two, and with a strict workout regime and clean eating habits, he knew that he looked good… and used it to his advantage. He didn’t care if people followed him for his gaming prowess or for his looks. As long as they were reasonable to each other while posting on his profile, and didn’t go overboard, like the person who had somehow found his phone number a month ago and refused to stop calling him, he was okay with different kinds of fans. 

Grinning to himself, he quickly typed up a little description, then added the photo to it before hitting the post button. 

Good morning, guys. It’s a cool, rainy day. Perfect for a run! 

He waited a full five seconds before the replies began to come in. 

MNTN: Don’t catch a cold, our King! 

BWLofFRT: I’LL RUN WITH YOU!

GAY4KING: I’ll do other things with you! 

He shook his head and turned off his phone as the message board quickly became too busy to follow. 

“As crazy as always,” he said with a chuckle as he tucked his phone into his back pocket before beginning his trek back across the bridge. 

It wasn’t even a mile in length, but the incline was a great part of his workout and took a bit of extra effort to run. He managed to get nearly all the way to the top before he felt his body really begin to ache. 

Not too bad since you haven’t been out in a bit. 

The past week had been extremely busy. He’d finally moved out of his mother’s house and gotten himself an apartment with the money he’d saved up from streaming,  and   as soon as he’d gotten all of his stuff set up in his bedroom, he’d had to play in a sponsored tournament! 

He’d managed to do surprisingly well in it, too, and had received an email late last night about possibly increasing his streaming salary. If everything worked out well, he might not even need to get a real job!

Just the thought of being able to do what he loved as his main source of income had him grinning as he reached the top of the bridge. 

“Huh…?” 

Am I seeing things? 

He looked at the passing cars, then out towards the water. 

Everything else seems normal. 

Returning his attention to the oddity, he took another step forward, then looked around the small creature that was holding onto a dark red suitcase as if its life depended on it. 

That’s when he noticed something stuck in the railing to his right. 

A torn shirt? 

Walking closer to the railing while still keeping an eye on the shivering raccoon, King untangled the shirt from the damp metal bars, but then noticed something else and slowly let the torn fabric slip from his fingers and drift down into the water far below. 

A wallet? 

There were also several now-wet cards scattered about, prompting him to reach between the bars in the railing and retrieve a few of them, along with the wallet. 

They’re all for lawyers? 

And most of them had shaky X’s  written across them in running pen ink. 

Frowning, he tucked the ruined cards into his shirt pocket, then sat down against the railing as he opened the wallet to glance inside. 

Ah, here we go. 

He took out the I.D. from the front clear plastic and held it up so that he could read it. 

“Baron Reese King?” 

Your last name is the same name I use as my nick name for gaming… 

It was just so strange. The entire situation seemed like a set up. 

“Is this you, bud?” he asked as he turned the front of the I.D. towards the raccoon. 

It glanced at him for the briefest moment, then quickly tucked its face back against the suitcase and continued to shake. 

“Is life really that scary?” 

Even after he’d lost his dad in a terrible car crash that seriously damaged his left leg and arm, he hadn’t felt the need to end his life. It had hurt, sure, both physically and mentally, and it still did, a lot, but he had never considered killing himself. 

He felt a light drizzle begin and glanced up before frowning and looking back at the damp raccoon. It was peeking at him every now and then, but it was also flinching with every car that zoomed by. 

In all honesty, he wasn’t much of an animal person. He was fine with cats and dogs, but did he want one? Absolutely not. He had enough on his hands taking care of himself, especially when his old injuries acted up. 

If he really is the person on the I.D., then I can’t just leave him here, though. 

He considered using the emergency phone a little ways away, but then pursed his lips. 

He already seems really freaked out. Flashing lights and police might not be the best idea. 

Of course, he knew that they wouldn’t just send anyone out there, but it would cause a big scene, which meant more people… They normally tried to deescalate a situation by talking to whoever was considering taking their life, too, but how did one converse with a terrified raccoon? 

 It was quite a dilemma. 

You know what? Let’s try something first…

Pushing himself up slowly, he kept an eye on the raccoon but made sure not to stare directly at it. He was extremely careful with each movement, and whenever he saw a car coming that had loud music playing or was going excessively fast, he stopped completely and waited for it to pass so that the raccoon wouldn’t become too stressed and possibly try to run into traffic… or off the bridge entirely. 

He was so in-tune with everything that was going on that by the time he was able to stop within reaching distance of the suitcase’s handle, his own heart was likely beating just as fast as his new little friend’s. 

“Alright little guy, I’m going to just help you get off this bridge, okay? We’ll walk nice and slow. How does that sound?” he asked as he finally reached over and grabbed the damp handle of the bag. 

The raccoon’s little claws adjusted a bit on the suitcase in response, and when King gently leaned it closer to himself so that he could balance it on its wheels, his damp friend squeaked a little and took a step forward, pressing himself back against the bag. 

Okay, he really wants to stay with the suitcase. This might actually work. 

“There we go. One step at a time, okay?” he said as he set the slowest pace he’d ever walked. 

It was soon raining again, and the droplets were actually coming down harder than before, but the little raccoon didn’t seem to mind it at all. He was just thinking that it was a good thing no thunder had come with the rain, when a little rumble echoed across the sky. 

As expected, the raccoon’s already-wide eyes somehow stretched even wider and its little legs dragged against the sidewalk a few inches before he was able to come to a stop. 

Shit. 

Another rumble quickly followed the first one, making the little guy look around nervously. 

It’s looking for a way out. Somewhere to hide. 

There was nowhere. 

Hang on a second…

Licking rain droplets from his lips, King wiped his face with his arm, then slowly knelt down at the same time he tilted the suitcase until it was lying flat on the ground. 

The raccoon quickly moved to the other side of the item, but that was fine. 

“Let me give you somewhere to hide, okay? No one will bother you and I’ll get you somewhere safe,” he said as he grabbed one of the zippers and slowly began moving it around the container. 

The raccoon seemed just about ready to run as it panted heavily from stress, its mouth open and drooling slightly, but when he finally managed to prop open part of the suitcase cover and his fuzzy friend realized that he could get in, that was that. 

As soon as the raccoon had vanished inside the case, King yanked the zipper back around, sealing the little guy inside. 

“Sorry, but I need to get you to safety first. Then I’ll let you out and apologize profusely,” he said as he stood back up, leaning the suitcase slowly upright in the process. 

He felt the raccoon shift around inside in response, but it quickly calmed down, making him give a long sigh of relief as he finally continued his descent. 

Now that he didn’t have to worry about the fuzzy guy running off for the moment, King allowed his mind to wander back over what had happened. 

Something happened to him that required a lawyer, but for some reason, he either couldn’t find the right one for his case, or couldn’t afford it. 

Pulling out his wallet, King opened it again and glanced at what was inside. 

Two dollars. 

He closed it and tucked it back into his pocket. 

It’s not your business, anyways. Just get him away from the bridge and cars, then let him go. 

Even though he thought that, when he finally got to the end of the bridge and crossed the street, then walked down to the park at the end of the block, he paused. 

Looking down at the suitcase he still held, King pursed his lips again and sighed. 

“You’re all wet and your clothing probably needs washed now since you jumped in there…” 

As he was considering his options his smartwatch alarm began going off, reminding him that he had promised his fans that he’d stream that evening. 

Crap! 

Turning, he headed down the next street quicker than he had been. He could feel the raccoon moving around in the bag a bit, but he hated  being late for things, and while he wasn’t close to being late right now, he still had to shower and eat before he could comfortably play in front of the camera. 

Thankfully, his apartment wasn’t far away, but it was  up a flight of stairs. 

“Almost done,” he told the suitcase as an old lady walked by. 

Her expression looked a little nervous, considering that her soaked neighbor was currently talking to a suitcase, but she hurried along when he sent her a what are you looking at?  glare. 

By the time he had gotten the suitcase up the stairs, he was ready for a nap… and a soak. His left leg was throbbing badly and his left arm wasn’t far behind after having had to lift the suitcase up the stairs. 

Pushing the pain to the back of his mind for the moment, King fished out his keys and opened the door with a shaky hand. He locked it the moment he got himself and the suitcase inside, then leaned back to sag against it. 

“…what in the world did I just do?” 

A quiet squeak from the suitcase answered him, but he did not speak raccoon. 

“Alright, I need a shower,” he said as he laid the suitcase down and carefully undid the zipper. 

He didn’t dare open it, because he had no doubt that his new friend wasn’t happy right now, but it was completely unzipped, so he knew that he’d figure out how to push it open on his own eventually.    

“Okay, one thing at a time.” 

He straightened back up and headed into the bathroom to get the shower going, then walked back into the kitchen and filled a bowl with water before setting it close to the suitcase. 

Okay, that’s that for now. 

With his friend taken care of for the moment, King went about what he needed to do. He showered, blow-dried his hair, and got dressed in record time. He was actually a tiny bit worried that Baron would shift and find him in a compromising position, but when he stepped back into the living room area and walked towards the kitchen, he saw that he hadn’t had anything to worry about. 

“I see a little black nose…” he teased with an inquisitive grin. 

Said black nose quickly vanished back into the suitcase with a quiet squeak, making him raise an eyebrow as he took a step closer, then squatted down about five feet away. 

“Are you feeling a little better, Baron?” he asked before waiting patiently for a response of some sort. 

He wasn’t really sure exactly what kind of reaction he was going to get, but when that little black nose nudged the lid of the suitcase up the slightest bit again, then wiggled a little, he couldn’t help but chuckle quietly. 

Soon there was a little paw reaching out, but when it just continued to reach, but not grab anything, King tilted his head, confused. 

You looking for something to hold onto? 

He had a few extra blankets, but he wasn’t really sure if those would work all that well since there was already clothing inside the suitcase that his new friend evidently didn’t want. 

Hmm, maybe…

Getting up, he walked into his bedroom and grabbed the stuffed animal his mother had gifted him when he was eight. It was the only one he had and he took very good care of it. 

When he stepped back into the living room his new friend actually had his head out of the suitcase. Of course, it quickly ducked back inside when it saw him, but he didn’t mind. 

“I think I got you something you’ll like,” he said as he walked over and quickly set the stuffed otter in front of the suitcase. 

He backed up right afterward, and after a quick glance at his watch, quickly dismissed himself to get ready to stream. 

The next three hours were a blur of video games and selling himself in front of the camera. Even with his left arm hurting, he still managed to get some really good scores. His fans were quite active during his matches, too, and, unfortunately, they noticed how often he would glance towards his bedroom door every time he finished a match. 

Several of them asked him about it in the comments section, but when he ignored those questions for less intrusive ones, people began to make all sorts of guesses as to what he was expecting to come in. 

Let’s just say that raccoon was not amongst their guesses, but he evidently had at least three different mistresses, still lived with his mom, and was also evidently worried the police might break down his door for one reason or another. 

By the time he finally shut down his computer, he was ready for bed. 

Uh, I forgot to eat. 

Pushing his chair back, he stood up and stretched, yawned, then headed for the kitchen. His feet paused abruptly in the hallway entryway, however, when he noticed his new friend. 

It’s outside the suitcase…

It was also holding onto the little stuffed otter with one arm as it dipped its little paw into the bowl of water he’d made for it. That paw then found its way up to its mouth for a bit of licking, then was calmly dipped right back into the water. When it came up a second time, it actually went towards his stuffed otter’s mouth. 

Taking a few steps backwards until he was out of view, King quietly cleared his throat, announcing himself with the sound before walking back around the corner. 

The raccoon had reacted, as expected, but instead of slipping back into the suitcase, it situated itself on top of it. With his little otter still in his arms, of course. 

It honestly doesn’t even look that small when you’re holding it. 

It was only a few inches smaller than the raccoon, itself. 

“Would you like something to eat?” he asked it, though he figured that there would be no reply. 

When the little guy just stared at him, he quietly walked around it and into the kitchen. He didn’t really have much since he needed to go shopping, but he did pull out a few pieces of bread and make himself a sandwich… then doubled it so that his new friend could have one if he’d like. 

He quickly ate his own where he stood, but once done, he grabbed the plate with the other sandwich on it and gently set it on the floor a few feet away from the raccoon. 

“That’s all I have for now, but I’ll definitely go shopping tomorrow,” he said before calmly distancing himself from the animal. 

He got all the way to the hall before realizing that he’d forgotten to mention something. 

“The bathroom is right here. I’ll leave the door open, so um, if you could use it, I’d greatly appreciate it.” 

Of course, he got no indication that his friend understood him, but he couldn’t blame it. Its attention was constantly going back and forth between him and the sandwich. Clearly, it had more important priorities at that moment. 

“I’ll leave you to your dinner. Have a good night, Baron.”

He was just turning to leave when he thought of one more thing. 

“If you need me, I’ll leave my door open, too.”

Raccoon Three

He couldn’t sleep. 

The entire left side of his body was pulsing in pain. He’d overdone it on his run, but likely made it even worse by lugging the raccoon and its suitcase up a flight of stairs. 

Groaning as he turned onto his back, King finally opened his eyes and stared up at the hazy dark ceiling of his new room. A quick glance at the clock hanging on the wall near his door told him that it was close to two in the morning. 

Mom would just now be going to bed after watching her crime shows…

It was odd not to hear the television going, and he knew that she wouldn’t check in on him and see if his injuries were bothering him or not, either, because she wasn’t there anymore. 

Rolling to the right, he slowly pushed himself up with his good arm, then carefully rotated his body until he was able to sit with his legs over the edge of his bed. He’d already taken his strongest pain killer before he went to sleep, since he knew that it would be bad, but it just wasn’t doing enough. 

Maybe a bath will help. 

Standing up, he made sure to make at least a little noise in order to not startle his guest, then slowly made his way to the bathroom, limping the entire way. Said room was larger than most of the other units, as the apartment had several made specifically for handicap individuals who needed holding bars or space for wheelchairs.

He qualified because he was legally handicap, and he even had a wheelchair for when his leg refused to hold his weight, but he was stubborn and refused to even take it out of his closet unless he absolutely had to. 

By the time he got inside he was panting quietly, struggling with the radiating pain. 

You can’t take another pill. Just soak for a while. 

Carefully sitting down on the toilet with the help of one of the metal bars fastened to the wall, he relaxed there for a few moments, then reached over with a shaky hand and switched the plug for the drain to closed , then started the water. 

As he waited for the tub to fill up, movement caught his eye and drew his attention towards the hallway door. 

Barron was sitting there, leaning on his back legs, his little stuffed otter hugged in his arms. 

“Hey there, little guy. Sorry I probably woke you up. I’m not feeling that great tonight,” he said just loudly enough to be heard over the running water. 

The raccoon tilted its head, then took a little step closer before lifting the stuffed otter a smidgen. The gesture brought a smile to King’s face. 

“You like him? His name is Otterbahn, like the road in Germany that doesn’t have a speed limit for some of its length,” he said, earning another head tilt in response. 

He was beginning to think that the human Baron really was no longer there. Well, he literally  wasn’t, but he also wasn’t sure if his human mind was even present in his raccoon form at the moment, too. 

Hmm…

“Hey Baron, can you come here?” 

The racoon flicked an ear, then nervously took a step closer. 

Does it understand, or is it actually him? 

“Come here, buddy,” he tried again, wanting to see if it would come any closer. 

To his surprise, the little guy did walk a few paces more, but when it slowed to a stop about three feet away, it began to cower and shake a little. It even tucked its head and looked away, showing clear signs of stress and submission. 

Okay, you’re scared of being close to me, but you understand what I was asking of you. 

He thought for another moment before turning back around to turn the water off for the bathtub. Deciding not to bother the raccoon for a few moments so that it could calm down a bit, King carefully got himself into the tub, then settled himself down against the back with a long, tired exhale. 

His eyes slid shut soon after as the pain slowly began to ebb. He heard Baron move around a little here and there, but never come close enough to make him worry. In fact, the raccoon seemed quite busy outside of the bathroom, prompting him to blink open one eye curiously. 

What he saw nearly made him burst into a fit of laughter! He was able to just-barely contain himself, but come on! His new friend was literally  being the stereotypical raccoon right then. 

I guess you were still hungry, huh? 

Baron was currently tugging his entire  bag of trash he’d somehow managed to pull out of the closed garbage can, across the living room floor. He might have been pretty upset about it, too, if he wasn’t so tired already. 

“I would have made you another sandwich if you were still hungry, bud,” he said, humor in his quiet words. 

Baron froze in response to the sound, then perked his little ears up as he got up on his back legs and looked around. The moment he saw that he was being watched he darted back toward the suitcase and out of site… only to return a moment later and settle little Otterbahn in front of the garbage bag, then disappear again. 

Did you… just try to put the blame for the trash on my stuffed otter? 

When he didn’t see Baron for a few more moments he leaned on the edge of the tub and opened his other eye. 

“Oh Baron? Won’t you come here for a moment?” he called, his voice sweet with a hint of humor hidden beneath his words. 

It took the raccoon a few seconds to respond, and when it did, King really couldn’t help but laugh! The little brat hadn’t made a sound, but it did finally peak its head around the corner, only to twitch its nose, then look toward the trash and stuffed otter before ducking back out of sight. 

“Baron?” he called again, a sleepy smile settled on his face. 

The raccoon appeared a moment later, and this time it stepped into full view, then got up on its hindlegs before glancing over its shoulder at the bag of torn trash. 

“I’m pretty sure that was you, bud,” he teased.

If a raccoon could look indignant, Baron absolutely was. Considering how he was responding, though, he doubted that he understood the full situation. 

At least he has some understanding of positive and negative. 

“Well, if you don’t want Otterbahn, why don’t you bring him here so he doesn’t get dirty?” he eventually said, forgetting about the trash situation since he’d teased him enough about it already. 

It seemed to take his friend a moment to realize what he was wanting, but when he finally did, Baron quickly hobbled over to the stuffed toy and picked it up. However, instead of giving it to him, he hugged it closely and turned around to sit down, giving him his back. 

“Oh? I thought he was the one who messed up the trash? Now you’re going to protect him?” 

Baron didn’t respond. Instead, he began grooming the little stuffed otter as the tip of his fluffy tail flicked here and there. 

Grinning, King settled himself back against the foam pad he’d previously fastened to his tub and relaxed for a while longer. Eventually, he closed his eyes again, and didn’t realize that he’d actually drifted off to sleep until he heard a faint plop  sound that had him quickly blinking open his heavy eyelids some time later. 

Where…? 

He soon realized that he was still in the bathtub, and the water had gone quite cold. Sitting up, he looked around as his vision cleared, only to notice that something had been dropped into the tub at some point. 

Reaching over, he picked a very wet Otterbahn up out of the water, then looked at the raccoon standing on its back legs near the open bathroom door, clearly observing the situation. 

“Thank you for waking me up,” he said honestly as he set the stuffed animal on the ledge of the tub, then carefully got himself out after flicking the drain back to open . 

Baron flicked his ears and continued to observe him, seemingly a little more relaxed with his slower movements. Not wanting to stress him out, though, King continued his cautious pace, both for himself, and for the raccoon. 

By the time he’d managed to tug on a pair of pajama pants he was well and truly exhausted… but he had something he needed to do first. 

Turning back around, he carefully leaned down and picked up his stuffed otter. When he turned back to face the hall, Baron was a few steps closer, clearly nervous about the stuffed animal’s future. 

“I’m just going to toss him on a light cycle in the dryer with my towel so that his fur doesn’t get ruined by the water,” he said, earning a confused head-tilt from Baron before he slowly trudged out of the bathroom and toward the little laundry area. 

The raccoon followed him the entire way, making sure that his stuffed friend was still okay. 

When King finally got to the little room he quickly tossed the towel and stuffed animal inside the dryer, then set it for the quickest, and coolest cycle it had. 

“Alright, it will be done in a bit, but I think it’s finally bed time. We’ll get him tomorrow morning,” he said as he turned off the light and slowly wandered back through the apartment. He did grab the trash bag and return it to the can, too, as well as pick up the little bit of trash that had been spilled out, but that was all he had the energy for.  

He could hear Baron following him again as he returned to his room, but he hesitated at the doorway, then looked back toward the laundry room. 

“He’ll be fine, I promise. We’ll get him out tomorrow,” King said before dropping down onto his bed with an exhausted sigh. 

He was ready to pass out just sitting there, but when he heard a little squeaky, crying sound, he forced his head to lift and his tired eyes to focus. 

Baron was finishing turning in a circle as he let out another whimper and stared back down the hall. 

So tired…

Forcing himself to stand, King felt his left leg nearly give out, its weakness warning him not to take another step or risk falling. 

Dammit. 

Grudgingly, he listened to his body and sat back down, then reached forward with a shaky hand. 

“Baron, come here.” 

The raccoon immediately turned its attention to him, then hunkered down by the door and put its head on its paws.  

That’s cute, but I’m beginning to understand your body language, and I can tell that you’re not just going to leave this alone. 

He was going to feel bad for it, but there was nothing he could do. He had  to get some rest. So, leaning forward a little after tugging on a soft sleep shirt, King made a come here  gesture with his hand, while at the same time saying “Baron, you need to come here, please.”

The raccoon was full-on shaking now as it inched closer, dragging its belly along the carpeted floor as if it were training in boot camp. He knew that forcing him to come closer wasn’t very nice, but there wasn’t much else he could think to do. 

Once he got within reach, he slowly leaned over a little more and picked him up. 

Uh… you’re a lot skinnier than I thought you’d be. 

The fur made him look quite fluffy, so he’d thought he was in good health. 

I’ll make sure to make you extra food tomorrow. 

Once he had him settled in his arms, he waited a few minutes to allow Baron to calm down. 

“See? It’s not so bad, right? BahnBahn will be back tomorrow, but for tonight, how about just holding onto me?” he said as he gently pet the little raccoon’s back. 

When those nervous, dark brownish-black eyes finally looked up at him, he gave a small smile in return, then carefully scooted into his bed. Baron adjusted his little paws several times in response, making him glad that he’d tugged on a shirt before picking him up. 

Once they were in the center, he slowly laid back until his head hit the pillow. His mind immediately began to drift off at that exact moment, giving him only a few seconds to reach down with his free hand and tug the blanket up enough to partially cover himself and Baron. 

His fuzzy friend seemed quite a bit more restless than himself, but there was nothing more he could do. He honestly half expected him to just climb out of bed and walk out the door to go watch Otterbahn spin in the dryer, since he’d left it open, but when he felt Baron move a bit here and there, then wiggle beneath the blanket a little more before he stopped moving completely, he grinned. 

“…you’re a good boy,” he whispered into the darkness. 

He heard a quiet little squeak a few moments later, supposedly affirming that he was, in fact, a good boy, but before he could even really process the sound, he was fast asleep.

Raccoon Four

It was a bit of a surprise waking up to a raccoon snuggled against his chest, but as King began to come around from a deep sleep, he started remembering everything that had happened the day before and, technically, earlier that day.

“You really just tossed a random raccoon in a suitcase and brought him home, then gave him your Bahnbahn without a second thought,” he mused quieted to himself as things began to sink in.

He felt Baron begin to stir a moment later, likely from him talking to himself, so he was extra careful when he reached over to his nightstand and retrieved the wallet he’d found with the raccoon.

Turning on his side slowly, he waited for Baron to adjust himself, then carefully began looking through the wallet. It was faded brown and worn with use, but also still in reasonable condition. He knew that there wasn’t much cash in it, so he didn’t bother with the little bit that was there.

Besides, he wasn’t looking for money, anyways.

Ah, here we go.

He’d found a few credit cards, and one debit, but he just-barely glanced at them before pulling out a little crinkled photo that looked like it was taken out of its sleeve quite often to be looked at.

Cute kid.

Looking at the raccoon slowly stretching out against him, King cleared his throat quietly to make himself known, then spoke at about half his normal volume.

“Is this your baby girl?” he asked as he turned the little photo towards him.

Baron paused mid-stretch as his eyes opened to look at what he was being shown. King waited only a few moments before realization dawned in the animals eyes and it quickly rolled over and reached for the little picture.

He let him have it, and was rewarded with his sweet friend hugging the little piece of paper to his fuzzy chest as he began to make a quiet chattering sounds.

“She’s a cutie,” he said, earning the raccoon’s attention for a brief moment before Baron settled back down against him, still hugging the photo lovingly.

You clearly love that little girl… but things got so bad that you felt you needed to end it all.

He didn’t dwell on the thought for too long, because he didn’t want to make himself depressed. Baron had made a decision that he’d felt was necessary. Thankfully, his raccoon, it seems, managed to take control at the last second and saved his life.

I wonder if you’ll ever come back, though. It’s not so bad now. I can even keep taking care of you if you don’t want to go back to what you had.

He was a bit surprised at his own thoughts, but he didn’t feel like he’d take the words back if he decided to say them out loud.

As he continued to think, he noticed Baron slowly roll out of bed, then thunk to the floor with a little squeak. He didn’t seem surprised by the collision, however, and quickly stood back up to begin hobbling toward the door while on his back legs, holding the paper to his chest as carefully as possible.

“Where ya going, bud?”

Baron barely spared him a glance as he left his room, making King grin as he pushed himself up.

Man, I feel so much better now.

He just needed to be careful today and let his body rest before another big run… and raccoon kidnapping. After a quick bit of stretching, he began his quest to the laundry room, since he figured that was where Baron had gone, but before he could even make it out of his room, his phone began to ring on his bed.

The ringtone had him quickly retrieving it, then answering as he lifted it to his ear.

“Hi mom.”

His mother usually called him at least every other day since he’d moved. He should have expected it and had his phone on him.

“Hi sweetheart, I’m heading to the supermarket soon. Would you like to come along? I can get you some groceries if you’d like,” she said, clearly hoping that he’d be willing to join her.

He was just about to decline her request when Baron hobbled back in and reached up at him with a little black paw. Without thinking, King took it and allowed himself to be lead, hunched and in an awkward position, all the way to the laundry.

Ah, he wants Bahnbahn.

“Sure, one sec,” he told Baron.

“Wonderful! I’ll see you in twenty minutes!” his mother said before abruptly hanging up, making King slowly lower the phone from his ear as his face paled.

Wait! I was talking to my raccoon, mom!

It was too late for him to talk his way out of it, though, and his excuse didn’t exactly sound logical. Inwardly groaning, he quickly got Otterbahn out of the dryer and handed him off to an ecstatic Baron, then hurried to the bathroom to relieve himself and brush his teeth. That’s when he noticed something floating in the toilet bowl.

Oh thank the lord, you’re potty trained.

He quickly peed, then flushed the toilet and washed his hands before returning to his room to get dressed. Since he rarely ever took pictures while out with his mom, he didn’t bother dressing up much.

Just a simple pair of jeans and a black shirt was perfectly fine. He was just tugging on his bright blue and pink shoes when he heard a light knock on his door.

That sound was evidently not a positive one to Baron, however, because he soon had a stressed raccoon trying to climb his leg… with Bahnbahn clutched in one of his hands.

“It’s okay, sweetheart. That’s just my mom,” King said as he calmly leaned over and picked up the little guy.

“Nothing to worry about, okay?” he said as he carried Baron out of his room.

The little raccoon was clearly still nervous as it pawed at his shirt constantly, but King knew that once he met his mom, he’d definitely like her.

Hmm, hang on a second, though.

Taking out his phone, he carefully texted his mom with one hand as the other continued to hold Baron.

I’m going to unlock the door, but give me a second before you open it.

He waited a minute, until his mom responded with an Okay , then leaned forward and turned the bolt lock.

As soon as he did so, he took several steps backwards until he was nearly to the sofa he’d gotten from the local thrift store. He waited there as the door was finally opened and his mother stepped inside.

“Oh?”

The shock was clear on her face as she stared at him, and, more importantly, the raccoon clinging to him and his Bahnbahn in terror.

Thankfully, his mom had seen plenty of strange things during her career as a lawyer, so she only looked surprised for a few moments before she managed to change her expression to one of calm intrigue.

“Who is your friend, Rex?” she asked, making King look down at Baron, who was currently hiding his face in his shirt and Bahnbahn’s fur, shivering like a leaf.

You don’t like women, huh?

“Um, long story short, I found him on the bridge. I think his human form was trying to, uh… kill himself. I brought him home with his suitcase,” he said as he pointed to the red suitcase still open on the floor next to the entrance to the kitchen.

“I also have his wallet. His name is Baron Reese King.”

His mother remained quiet as she processed what he’d said. She was never one to speak before she analyzed a situation completely, so he waited patiently for her verdict on his actions.

“Well, first things first. You shouldn’t have taken someone home who was suicidal, or really, any stranger in general. I understand why you did, but that’s not a smart thing to do,” she said, making King nod.

He definitely understood that. Things had just sort of happened one after the other, and now, here they were.

“Alright, now that I’ve said that, how has he been behaving with you? He seems scared of me…”

King nodded as he slid his phone into his pocket, then patted Baron’s back gently.

“He was really scared of everything, at first, but never this bad. I think he might not be good with women,” he said as began rubbing his back.

“Can I see the wallet, please?” she asked as she remained where she was.

King didn’t see an issue, so he took it out and tossed it over to her.

His mom calmly opened it and found Baron’s I.D..

“Twenty-nine,” she mused as she went over it quickly, then slid it back into the wallet. She then began looking through it for anything else that she might find of interest.

He knew that there wasn’t much, but then he remembered the cards from before.

“Hang on a second,” he said as he went into the other room and grabbed them from where he’d set them on his desk.

Returning to the living room, he quickly walked over to the kitchen counter as his mother backed away into a corner in order to make Baron a little more comfortable.

Once he’d set the cards down, King quickly moved back over to the couch. His mom then stepped forward again and picked up the items to look over.

“He was looking for a lawyer…” she mused as she took out her own phone and dialed the number on one of the cards.

Someone picked up quickly on the other end, because she was soon asking for information about Baron. The other lawyer seemed hesitant to give it, but as soon as she gave her name, they caved quickly and supplied what she wanted to know.

When she finally hung up with the man, his mom didn’t look too happy.

“He was looking for a lawyer because his wife had evidently coerced his father into putting her as the sole beneficiary on his will before he died, and she also had a restraining order placed against him for several things he claims he hasn’t done.”

She finished speaking with a stressed sigh. It didn’t sound good.

No wonder you wanted to end it.

Of course, they didn’t know the real story, so they couldn’t just say that he was in the right.

But still…

Looking down, he saw Baron hesitantly glance up at him with his big, dark eyes.

“It will be okay, bud. We’ll figure things out.”

His mom replied to that with what he didn’t want to hear, but knew she’d say.

“King, you don’t know this man. Yes, he might be innocent, but he could also have done some pretty bad things, too. You really should turn him over to the police.”

Frowning, King looked over at her as he hugged Baron a little closer.

“That’s just it though, mom. I don’t think he’s even here anymore. I haven’t seen any indication that his human side is still here. He’s just been a scared raccoon since I’ve brought him home,” he said.

His mom didn’t look happy with his response, but she knew how stubborn her son could be. So, thankfully, she relented, to a point.

“Well, I came over to take you shopping. Do you think he would be okay coming with us?” she asked calmly.

He highly doubted it.

“I should probably leave him here,” he said as he gently removed Baron’s little paw from his shirt, then carefully lowered him to the floor.

The moment he started walking for the door, however, he heard a panicked squeak that immediately had him spinning around… only for Baron to grab hold of his pant leg and look up at him in terror.

Okay, I think you’re playing this a little too much.

Squatting down, he was just lifting a hand to pat the little raccoon’s head when Baron abruptly scrambled into his arms again!

This time he even dropped Bahnbahn and the picture of his daughter.

“Um…” King mumbled as he stood back up and turned to face his mom.

“I guess he wants to go,” he stated awkwardly as he settled a hand beneath Baron’s fuzzy bum in order to help hold his weight.

His mom shrugged.

“I don’t mind,” she said honestly.

King was just about to follow her out the door when she stepped outside, but then remembered something and picked up the picture of Baron’s daughter, then set it on the counter.

“We’ll come back for it, okay? Don’t want to lose it while we’re out,” he told the raccoon who was now staring at the little photo as if it was torn about leaving now.

Since he still didn’t try to climb down, however, King figured that it would be okay and walked out the door. Once he got it locked, he hurried down the steps and slid into the back seat of his mom’s SUV.

The ride to the store was quiet, and his mom even turned off her radio so that Baron was a little more comfortable. By the time they got there, he’d stopped shaking and was nervously glancing out the window.

“We’re just going to get you some food, okay bud?” King said as he carefully climbed out of the car, then shut the door gently but firmly.

“Here, see if he’d like to hide in this,” his mother said as she held out a thick winter coat.

He took it quickly, then carefully wrapped it around his fuzzy friend. Baron only hesitated for a moment before snuggling into the coat, leaving just his little wet nose and whiskers exposed to the cool air.

“There we go. Much better, yeah?” he said as he began following his mom into the store.

He let Baron be as his mom began picking out things she needed, and also, to his surprise, added different things she was looking up as on her phone as she shopped that would be good for raccoons, too.

“What? He needs to eat. He looks really thin,” she said when she’d finally had enough of him just staring at her as she added items to their cart.

King felt his face warm slightly as he looked down into the coat he was holding. Dark, wide eyes stared back at him, but Baron thankfully didn’t seem nearly as stressed as he had been on their way over.

“I think he’s finally calming down,” he said, then looked around the aisle they were in.

“It’s actually pretty quiet in here in general…” he noted, a bit surprised since the store was so big.

His mother set something else in the cart.

“Of course it is, this is sensory hour. It wasn’t intentional, since I didn’t know you had him with you, but it’s worked to our advantage. Between seven and eight, the store lights dim and there are signs for everyone to be quieter for people with sensory issues,” she said, making him think back to when they’d entered the store.

Oh, she’s right. I did see that sign.

“That’s good. It’s definitely helping keep him calm,” King said as he finally reached for something on the shelf.

They finished in that aisle a few moments later, then went to the fruits and vegetables section. That’s where his mom really got busy. There was soon a large pile of fruits and veggies in their cart, and even Baron seemed curious enough about the constant additions that he snuck his little head out of the coat to look.

At that exact moment his mom was putting a large bundle of grapes into a produce bag. He was normally a throw a pizza in the oven for breakfast, lunch, and dinner kind of guy, but those grapes did actually look pretty good. Baron seemed to think so, too, because he gave out the quietest squeak King had heard from him so far.

“You want a grape?” he asked, drawing Baron’s attention up to him for just a brief moment before he lost it to the grapes again.

“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said as he walked over and took two from the bundle.

“Just a couple, okay? We have to pay for them,” he said as he handed Baron both grapes.

The little raccoon took one in each paw, then happily ducked back into the coat as little chewing sounds echoed from within it.

“I think he really likes grapes,” King said, making a deduction that had his mother raising an eyebrow.

She was used to his humor, however, because she’d raised him to be pretty similar to herself.

“Grapes it is,” she said as she added an extra bag for them, then tossed in a watermelon, two cantaloupes, and two bags of apples.

That’s a little more than just grapes…

“Oh hush, you. Go get some bread and deli meat,” she said, reading his mind.

He knew better than to talk back so he went over to the deli counter and got some honey smoked turkey, oven roasted chicken, and a container of macaroni salad.

Once he’d finished and brought back all of the items, the cart was suspiciously more full than it had been. There were now potatoes and carrots, as well as way too many containers of greens for his liking.

“How much do you think he weighs right now?” his mom asked suddenly, snapping him out of his internal salad strife.

“Uh, probably five or six pounds?” he guessed, lifting Baron up and down a tiny bit to try and get a better idea.

His mom took that information and quickly analyzed it, then went back for two more containers of salad mix and a bag of sweet potatoes!

I… I was just going to give him sandwiches and pizza, though.

He also wasn’t the best cook, but that was mainly because he was just that lazy. He could follow a recipe perfectly fine, but to actually spend the time doing it? Nah.

“Well, if you want to take care of him properly, you’re going to have to put in some effort,” his mom told him, reading his thoughts again.

Looking down, King stared at the dark eyes now blinking up at him. When Baron realized he had his attention, he made a little chewing motion with his mouth, clearly wanting another grape.

“Uh, you can have more in a bi—here, give him this,” his mom said, cutting off his words as she handed him a banana.

“It’s from the free children’s plate they leave out with fruit. He’s not technically a child, but I’d say he’s close enough right now,” she said.

King took the offered fruit, then peeled it with his teeth before offering the open end to Baron. He, himself, wasn’t a huge fan of bananas, but, it seemed, that his new friend wasn’t nearly as picky.

The little guy tried to take the entire thing into his mom’s coat! Thankfully, he managed to hold onto it, and after a few moments of being pulled out by Baron’s little paws, he managed to snap off a big chunk and abruptly retreated with it!

“Uh, we might have to wash your coat when we get back,” he said, garnering his mother’s attention just long enough for her to shrug.

“That’s fine. I’m just glad that he’s eating everything you’re offering.”

That made sense.

Maybe his human form will come back once he gets healthy again.

They eventually moved on from the fresh food area and went to the meat section. Fish was evidently on the menu for Baron, while King grabbed himself a few packs of chicken. His little friend didn’t end up showing himself again until they were over by the dairy and eggs.

“Oh, here’s a good idea to keep him busy for a little bit,” his mom said as she put four cartons of eggs into their cart!

“That won’t make a mess?” he questioned, not liking the idea of raw eggs on his floor at all.

His mother gave him an are you serious look before clarifying, “you boil them first, my sweet son.”

Oh.

Turning around to the aisle of chips behind him, King selected a few bags of sour cream and onion, tortilla, and barbecue.

By the time he’d returned to the cart, there were thirty small yogurt containers stacked up next to the cartons of eggs.

My god, she’s going to make you a chubby little guy.

Baron popped his head out of the coat at that exact moment, his nose twitching as he sniffed for more food.

Uh, you have banana all over your face, bud.

He didn’t bother trying to wipe it off, though.

“Here,” his mom said as she handed him a little ball that looked suspiciously like a cat toy.

“I don’t think he’s going to like a cat toy, mom…”

Baron eyed it as he brought it closer to him, though, and once it was within reach, he abruptly grabbed it, then ducked back into the coat!

Uh… okay. I guess he does.

The tinkling sound of the little bell inside the ball was heard nearly nonstop for the remainder of their shopping trip, and while it had grated on his nerves in the beginning, King quickly got accustomed to the sound and even ended up grabbing a few more before they finally finished up and went to check out.

Raccoon Five

Hauling up nearly a year’s worth of groceries put some serious strain on King’s old injuries. By the time his mom finished going over what he should be feeding Baron, and how often, she already had two charts hung up on his fridge with magnets, expertly designed with everything he needed to know… and quite a few things that he really didn’t. 

“Alright, I think we’re all set, mom. Thanks a lot for helping me with the groceries, and with him,” King said as they both glanced at Baron, who was standing at the threshold to the kitchen on his back legs, holding Otterbahn in one arm and one of his new cat toys in his opposite hand. 

He was definitely curious about what was going on, but he didn’t quite trust his mom enough to investigate while she was there yet. 

“I’ll leave you two be then. If anything happens, please let me know. I’ll also start looking into what happened with him. Maybe we can figure this out and find a way to bring him back to himself,” she said as she pulled King in for a hug. 

He made a face at the physical contact, but returned the gesture anyways. He wasn’t a hugger, but he’d always let him mom do it. But anyone else? Hell no. 

When his mom walked out of the kitchen, Baron quickly high-tailed it over to the couch, his little ball tingling as the bell rattled inside it. 

Once his mom stopped by the door, she waved to his little friend. 

“You be good, okay? Take care of my son.” 

Before King could correct her she was out the door and gone, leaving him there with his mouth half open in confusion. 

Him? Take care of me?

Glaring at the now-closed door, King walked over and locked it, then promptly turned around to tell a certain raccoon exactly who  was taking care of who, when his suddenly jumped, startled by the fact that Baron had silently run over to him in the time it took him to simply lock the front door. 

Ah, you left your cat ball by the couch. That’s why I didn’t hear you. 

“Maybe I should get you a collar with a bell on it. You’re pretty sneaky when you want to be,” he mumbled, then immediately decided against it. 

He knew that raccoon were normally nocturnal, and since Baron had used the bathroom at some point without him knowing, he didn’t doubt that he’d been wandering around a bit at some point while he’d been asleep. 

His attention drifted away from his thoughts as he watched his friend wander into the kitchen with Bahnbahn in his arms. 

“Do you want something to eat?” he asked, surprised that he was hungry already. 

I guess it makes sense, though. You are pretty skinny and only had a banana and a few grapes. 

“Well, mom bought plenty of stuff, so what would you like?” he asked as he went to make himself a sandwich… then realized that he’d forgotten to get more bread. 

I… got cold cuts but no bread. 

He paused for a moment, shaking his head slowly at himself. 

You know what. That’s not really a surprise. 

He was great at forgetting the most important things. Noticing Baron now at the fridge, King walked over and opened it for him. He expected the little guy to immediately go after some of the chicken, eggs, or other meats his mother had bought for him, but when Baron climbed up onto the middle shelf and wrapped his arms, and Bahnbahn, around the watermelon she’d picked up, King raised an eyebrow. 

“You… want that? You sure? That’s it?” he asked as he reached forward and gently removed the raccoon from the fruit and set him back on the floor so that he could take the watermelon out of the fridge and get it cut for him. 

“You know what? I probably should give you a different name, don’t you think? Your daddy is Baron, but you’re definitely not. At least, not right now,” King said as he got his cutting board out. 

Haven’t used this thing in forever. 

He hadn’t used any of his good knives, either, because he rarely cooked anything that required them. 

“Alright, little Prince, let’s get you some food,” he said as Prince began wandering around his legs, eventually grabbing hold of one of them as he looked up eagerly. 

He began cutting it carefully, not trusting his knife skills much, but when he felt a little brat begin climbing up his leg, he glanced down. 

“You’re being a bit impatient, bud,” he said, even as he let Prince climb up onto the counter. 

The little raccoon was soon tapping the watermelon with its paws, as if to say hurry up. 

This guy. You give an animal fancy name and it suddenly starts acting like one. 

“You’re not a prince, you hear me? You’ll wait your turn to be served,” he said, even as he carefully cut out a big piece on the opposite side that Prince was pawing at. 

He was just about to hand it to him, but then realized something and lifted him up. 

“You need to eat it here, okay? I don’t want my counters stained,” he said as he gently set Prince down in the clean sink, then quickly offered him a large piece of the watermelon. 

To say that the poor slice of melon didn’t stand a chance would have been an egregious understatement. 

“I… how did you eat that entire thing before I could even cut myself a piece?” he asked, dumbfounded as he stared at the now juice-soaked raccoon. 

Thank god mom bought you so much stuff. 

He quickly got him another piece, then went to the fridge and took out a couple grapes and a cartoon of eggs. He quickly handed the grapes over to the little grabby paw reaching for them, then got the stovetop switched on and filled a pot with water using the other side of the sink. 

As he waited for that to boil, he watched Prince finish up his meal with loud, content chomps. 

So messy. You’re going to need a bath after you finish your lunch. 

He was honestly curious how he would handle water. Since he’d dropped Otterbahn in the tub earlier when he’d fallen asleep by accident, he didn’t think that it would be too much of an ordeal… hopefully. 

When he noticed Prince begin climbing out of the sink, clearly intent on finishing off the watermelon, King stepped in and scooped him up. 

Oh boy, you’re a mess. 

Glancing back at the eggs he’d just put in the pot, he noted the timer and pursed his lips. 

“They won’t take too long… I’m sure there’s another thing you could eat so you don’t have too much fruit,” he said as he opened the fridge, then glanced down at the overflowing vegetable drawer. 

“Ah ha.” 

He pulled out a long carrot and held it up to him. 

“How about this?”

Prince glanced between the carrot and watermelon, clearly torn. Eventually, thankfully, he grabbed the carrot and began gnawing away in King’s arms. 

“That’s a good boy.” 

With his little prince busy, King gently nudged the eggs a bit with a slotted spoon, then went to the laundry room to grab a few clean towels before bringing them to the bathroom. The entire time he was busy Prince was completely focused on his carrot. 

“That yummy, bud?” King asked as they finally returned to the kitchen. 

He got a quiet squeak in response right as the timer for the eggs went off. 

“I need both my hands for just a sec, okay? Can you hold onto my shirt?” he asked. 

Prince did as told after a bit of shifting around and a few swishes of his bushy tail. With the carrot mostly gone he was able to simply hold it between his teeth to accomplish the requested task relatively quickly. 

“Thanks, bud,” King said as he got the eggs drained, then piled up into a large bowl. 

He was just about to put them in the fridge when Prince reached out toward the bowl. 

“I can still see that carrot in your mouth, P. You can have one after your bath, okay?” King said, right before his little friend looked up at him with the most pathetic sulk he’d ever seen.

If it wasn’t for the carrot still clearly in his mouth, he might have caved and given him an egg right then and there. 

“ After  your bath,“ King said sternly as he put the eggs away, then carried his forlorn raccoon into the bathroom. 

He quickly closed the door once inside, not wanting Prince to try and run. The little guy didn’t seem too worried, thankfully, and even when King set him down on the floor and began filling the tub, he ignored him and worked on finishing off his carrot. 

“I think it’s almost ready,” he said after a few minutes as he looked under the sink, bringing out a few little bath toys his own shift had enjoyed many years ago. 

His animal actually stirred a tiny bit as it looked through his eyes at them. He didn’t dare try to tease it or even nudge it to come out, though. It wouldn’t. It hadn’t come out since he was eight. The crash that had killed his father had severely crippled his animal, as well, leaving it in constant pain and unable to enjoy much of anything while out. 

“Ready, Prince?” King said as he turned around and scooped up the little raccoon. 

He was thankfully well behaved as he was set down in the warm water. The shiny rainbow of bath toys he’d added definitely seemed to help distract him, too. 

“You like those, huh? They belonged to my baby, so treat them well, okay?” he said as Prince grabbed a little plastic blue fish and shook it a little, chattering happily. 

He felt his animal grumble a bit as it swam around within his mind.

He’s just playing with it a little. 

Of course, his shift had never been the nicest, but after the accident it had gotten pretty aggressive. He didn’t doubt that it was because of the pain, though, so he couldn’t blame it. 

Taking advantage of Prince’s relaxed demeanor, King got the fluffy guy soaped up, his smile turning downward into a frown as he felt how truly bony the poor raccoon was. 

He really is skinny. No wonder mom put so much food in the cart. 

Once he finished scrubbing him, King leaned away to give his back a rest, but Prince still seemed preoccupied with the toys. 

Taking his chance to sneak away for a moment, he stood up, then opened the door and walked out. He was only gone for a moment, and soon returned with a little boiled egg. 

“Hey there, my Prince. You still hungry?” he asked as he walked back over. 

By the time he got close to the tub there was a little black hand reaching up towards him. 

“Here you go, bud.” 

Prince gladly accepted the snack, and with a toy in one paw and his egg in the other, the little raccoon calmly settled down in the water as King got back to business and began rinsing out his coat. 

When a lot of fur began to come off on his hands, King retrieved a brush from beneath the sink and began gently working his way through Prince’s wet coat as the little guy munched away on the egg, shell and all. 

Once that was as good as he could get it, he set the brush aside and reached over for a few cotton balls that he’d left within reach. 

“Let me see those ears,” he said quiet as he gently grasped one between his fingers. It flicked a few times, clearly not used to being touched, but after only a quick glance back at him, Prince continued working on his snack. 

To his relief, his ears were pretty clean. Heck, all of him was, to be honest. 

Glad your human took care of himself, even when he was feeling so down. 

King was just about to grab a towel when he suddenly had a little paw reaching up towards him, offering the small blue bath toy.

“Oh? You want to share?” he asked as he took it, then lowered it into the water and pretended to make it swim around like a real fish. 

Prince watched the toy intensely, putting all of his focus on it as it swam around him. Pretty soon he was pouncing after it, splashing in the half-filled tub as he ran after the toy with so much excitement, chattering enthusiastically, that King couldn’t help but laugh along.  

His inner beast wasn’t too happy about watching another animal play with its  toys, but he disregarded it again, because he knew that it wouldn’t want to shift. 

That’s why, when his vision suddenly blacked out and the left side of his body burst with pain, King was so surprised that he couldn’t even fight the change! 

Soon he was a little river otter, his size barely less than Prince. Unfortunately for Prince and his now overly-excited expression and demeanor, he was not  a friendly otter. 

He was an otter who was never really friendly to begin with, but after the accident the crippling pain had greatly taken over its personality. As such, when his otter finally lifted its head to meet Prince’s adoring gaze, its own expression was far from pleasant. 

Prince didn’t seem able to read his disdain, however, because he quickly hurried forward and reached out to grab his new friend!

Uh oh…

The poor raccoon promptly got a slap across the face fit for a cheating spouse, complete with claws and all. 

I’m so sorry, I can’t control him!

To his surprise, however, Prince only seemed stunned for a few seconds before he turned his head back to face him. 

Why… does he still look excited? 

Before his otter could react, it was suddenly pulled into Prince’s arms and licked feverishly! His otter snarled and squirmed, trying to bite constantly, but when Prince accidentally squeezed its left arm while distracted, his otter couldn’t help but give a loud squeak from pain!

Thankfully, Prince understood the sound and immediately released him, and even stepped back just in time to avoid another slap to the face. 

King expected his otter to go after him, but instead of lunging, it lowered its tear-blurred gaze until it fell upon the little blue fish toy. 

With a shaky paw, it leaned forward, balancing most of its weight on its right foot and backside. Once its right paw was close enough, it swatted at the little toy, making the cooling water splash up and mist his face.

When he realized that he hadn’t managed to reach close enough to grab it, he tried again, but even King felt the zap of pain that flared on the left side of his back in response, making his otter quickly straighten back up with a quiet whine. 

Sweetheart, don’t hurt yourself more. It’s not worth the little toy. Why not shift back and wait until mom can come play with you? I’m sure she would be overjoyed to see her sweet baby after so many years. She will absolutely spoil you. 

Of course, his otter was stubborn and ignored him as it tried to push through the pain so that it could reach for its toy again. 

Right as it was blinking away the remaining blur from its previous tears so that it could see better, it paused abruptly and stared down at the two little black paws holding out the blue fish toy to him…

Before it could figure out how it wanted to react, the little fish was pushed into his fuzzy chest, forcing him to grab it with his right paw. 

Not a moment later, another toy joined it. Then another, and another . 

Pretty soon he was holding the majority of his old toys, more than a little bewildered as he stared at a wiggling Prince. 

I’m… not sure how this hasn’t ended in a bloodbath yet, but I’m just going to be glad that Prince isn’t nearly as possessive over items as I thought he’d be. 

In fact, the little raccoon seemed to become more and more accepting of what was okay and what wasn’t as the two interacted for a while. By the time his otter finally grew tired from the chronic pain and allowed him control again, King couldn’t argue that the two might actually become friends down the road. 

I’m proud of you, Rexy. 

His otter’s name had actually been King, but once it had stopped coming out, he’d decided to use the name for streaming, so he felt a little more connected to the animal he might not have ever seen again. 

Now, with it having finally made an appearance after so many years, he felt like a new name was in order. And what better name to give his strong baby than his own? 

“And you…” he said as he reached forward and lifted Prince into the air, making the raccoon wiggle a little in excitement. 

“You are an amazing little guy and I owe you so much for helping my otter come out and relax a little for the first time in years. I think more eggs are in order, then, perhaps, a nap for us both?” King said as he slowly got them out of the tub and dried off.

The entire time he worked, Prince was making a sound that he could only think of as a purr. He wasn’t quite sure what it meant, but considering how excited he still seemed to be as he climbed up King’s newly donned pajama pants, he could only assume that it was a positive thing. 

“Alright bud. Eggs, then nap,” he said as he hugged the damp animal to his chest with an extra towel, then stepped out of the bathroom. 

He couldn’t remember a time that he’d been in a better mood, at least, not within the past several years. He was also excited to let his mom know that his otter had finally come out again, too. 

I’ll tell her later, though. 

They needed to eat a good bit of what she’d already bought them first, because he knew that the moment he told her about what had happened she’d be at their door with twenty pounds of fish for Rex.

Heh… my mom’s the best.

Raccoon Six

The next couple of days flew by in a blur. Prince thankfully settled into apartment life much easier than King had thought he would. He was also gaining weight well and even began to get little bursts of energy where he would run around the living room like a crazy puppy for a few minutes here and there.

While they had settled in as unexpected roommates, King had been going over paperwork for his upgraded contract. It was quite a big deal, so he’d taken a few days to figure out the ins and outs of it.

He was basically going to be paid enough to easily manage his current finances and begin to start really saving. It was a dream… that was finally coming true. In fact, he’d signed the electronic papers last night, and now, with the confirmation email in his inbox, he was more than a little giddy for his streaming session later.

As Prince finished one of his little zooming sessions and wandered into the kitchen, panting quietly and eager for something to nibble on, King was already busy preparing their meal.

He’d been cooking quite a bit since Prince still needed to gain weight, and while he could technically still feed him pizza and junk food, he wanted to make sure that the little raccoon got the best that it could.

And besides, his mom had bought a crazy amount of stuff for them and he really disliked wasting food, or shirking her kindness. So, cooking it was!

I definitely prefer in game cooking to real life cooking, though.

In his game you just clicked a few buttons and had a bunch of food, but real life? He consistently spent at least an hour each night chopping food and preparing snacks for them. Even though he tried to make more than he thought they would eat that night, it never seemed to end up being enough.

Feeling a gentle tug on his pajama pants, King looked down with a smile.

“Hey there, P. Ran out of energy?” he asked as he reached down and handed the little guy a turkey, cheese, and lettuce wrap.

The little raccoon eagerly took the proffered item and sat down, chomping away at it right then and there.

King made one for himself after filling a small container with eight others. Leaning against the counter, he checked his social media account and grinned.

“I haven’t posted on here since the day I found you. I probably should do another picture,” he said as he quickly switched his phone to camera mode.

He thought about taking one with Prince, since the little guy was a part of his life now and that would definitely get him a lot of feedback, but he decided against it rather quickly.

He wouldn’t take advantage of Baron like that. Especially since he had no way of consenting to such a thing.

“Just me this time,” he said as he lifted the phone up and, after mussing up his hair just right, snapped a photo.

Okay, I look pretty darn good.

Turning the phone around and leaning over slightly, King smiled as Prince glanced up at him, done with his snack.

“Don’t I look handsome, P? You found yourself a really cool dad.”

The raccoon flicked an ear and tilted its head, then completely ignored the phone and stood up to tug on King’s pants for another snack.

“…kids these days don’t understand,” he said, grinning at his stupid joke since he was more the kid than Baron.

Instead of handing him another lettuce wrap, King straightened back up and quickly typed out a little post for his picture.

Having noticed that the lettuce wraps were in the background of it, he decided to make a joke about it.

Late morning snack. Eating healthy… save me.

After attaching the photo, he posted it, then closed the app. He’d glance at responses later.

A little huff near his feet told him that someone was getting impatient for another snack.

“I hear you, I hear you,” he said as he simply leaned over and picked up his little friend, then reached over and grabbed another wrap for him.

“Here you go, you impatient bum,” he said with a chuckle as Prince eagerly accepted the item.

He then took another for himself before wandering into his room. Once there, he set Prince down on his bed, then finished off his own snack before changing clothes into a pair of running shorts and a T-shirt. It was a little cold outside for such an outfit, but it would warm up just fine after he ran a bit.

He should be fine alone for just a short run.

There were plenty of toys around and Prince normally napped after running around, anyways.

“I’m going to go on a quick run. I’ll be back in less than an hour,” he said as he reached over and pet Prince’s fuzzy head.

The raccoon didn’t seem interested in responding, so he figured that it was fine. It would be a good test to see how well he handled being alone for a bit.

Smiling, King took his leave and walked back into the living room. He was just pulling his shoes on by the door when he heard a loud squeak, then the scrambling of paws on the carpet.

Uh…

There was soon a little shaking ball of fur firmly locked around his right leg.

Okay… I guess running isn’t going to happen just yet.

Leaning over, he carefully unwrapped Prince from around him, then lifted him up into his arms.

A walk should be fine, though.

“You want to come on a walk with me?” he asked as he unlocked the door and opened it, allowing a cool breeze to drift inside.

Prince didn’t really seem to understand, but he clearly understood that he would be left if he didn’t come, so he held onto King’s shirt tightly as he chattered nervously.

“A walk it is.”

Stepping outside, King locked the door, then headed down the steps, being extra careful that his bad leg didn’t give him trouble since he was carrying a little added weight.

“No problem,” he said happily once they were at the bottom of the steps.

Now then, which way to go.

He normally ran over the bridge, but considering his walking buddy today, he decided to turn right and head towards the park instead.

It took about fifteen minutes to get there, and thankfully by that time, Prince had calmed down quite a bit.

Standing on the corner, King lifted one leg at a time, bending them backwards a little to work out the pain the brisk walk had caused.

Not too bad.

He was just about to cross the street northward and continue past the park when he felt Prince tap a little paw against his chest.

“Yes sir, how may I be of assistance?” he joked playfully.

When Prince noticed that he had his attention, he quickly gestured toward the playground on the other side of the street.

“You want to go over there?” he asked, a bit surprised but not unwilling.

When Prince wiggled a little in his arms, then waved in that direction again, King smiled and turned.

“We can go over. There aren’t many people anyways, so it should be fine.”

The moment they began crossing the street towards the playground area Prince began wiggling and chattering. He made all sorts of excited noises right up until they came to a stop right next to the equipment.

Then he started to shake.

Hugging the little guy closer, King walked around the equipment, glad that there were no little kids running about right then.

“You wanted to come play, right? It’s okay, you’re allowed to,” he said, trying to get him to relax again.

He even tried to set him down on the equipment but still hold one of his little hands, but the poor guy immediately screeched and scrambled up along his arm, scratching the whole way until he was able to get back against his chest!

Uh… I’m really confused.

Figuring that their particular adventure with the playground was over, King began walking away. Evidently, however, he’d guessed wrong. No sooner had he turned around and taken a few steps, that he suddenly began to hear Prince go through an entire repertoire of vocalizations fit to make him deaf!

Holy crap!

Turning around right away, King quickly jumped up onto the lowest metal platform and rocked Prince until he was able to calm him down.

“We came back. We’re on the little playground, see?” he said several times until he noticed Prince finally look around again.

That’s when he started shaking once more.

What is even going on?

“You wanted to go on the playground, right? But not alone? I’m here with you and I’m standing on it with you,” he said, trying to keep him calm.

It took nearly five minutes before Prince was able to stop shaking, but King waited somewhat patiently the entire time. He wasn’t good at standing still when he’d previously decided to move, so stopping on any of his walks or runs made him a bit fidgety.

Thankfully, though, his patience finally paid off and Prince began looking around curiously.

“It’s fun up here, right? No one is here to bother us and we can climb around as much as we want,” King said as he took a little step forward, but didn’t ascend to the next platform yet.

Prince shook a little in response, but calmed down much faster than before.

“Look how fun,” King said quietly as he turned around and took another step, then took another one before turning again in order to stay on the small platform.

“Do you want to go a little higher? I can carry you and we can play together,” he said as he took another step, putting them back beside the next platform.

He watched Prince eye the higher area curiously, then waited nearly three more minutes before his little paw reached out to wave in that direction.

“Alright, ready to try it with me?” he asked as he slowly lifted one foot up and placed it on the coated metal.

He felt a little shiver in response from Prince, but soon the little guy was cooing and waving more, clearly eager to try and go higher.

“We got this, bud,” King said excitedly as he finally took that step and lifted them a few inches higher.

The shaking began again, but this time there was also excited chittering and cooing.

“We’re already so high up, see?” he said as they both looked over the ledge.

Granted, they weren’t really that high up, and if he set Prince down, he wouldn’t even come close to being as high as his counter at home, but in his arms? It was pretty high for the little guy.

“Want to go up again? We have two more steps before we get to the cool tunnel.”

This time, Prince was ready with an excited squeak and wave of his paw.

“That’s my sweet guy,” King said cheerfully as they stepped up again, then one final time, putting them about four feet off the ground.

“Here we are, all the way at the top!” he exclaimed as he squeezed his raccoon, then turned to face the bright red tunnel.

It was a bit worn from age and use, but it still looked plenty sturdy to be able to hold his weight.

“Want to crawl through it with me? It looks like fun and I think there’s a little set of monkey bars on the other side,” King said as he sat down in front of the tunnel and settled Prince in his lap, giving the raccoon the option to choose what it wanted to do.

Seemingly feeling more secure in their situation now that they’d been on the equipment for a bit, Prince didn’t hesitate for too long before he waved toward the tunnel, signaling that he’d like to go in.

“Want to try walking in yourself? I can be right beside you holding your hand if you’d like,” King said, trying to help his little guy gain some more confidence.

He honestly didn’t think that Prince was ready for such a big step, considering his previous nervousness, but when the little raccoon inched its way out of his lap and managed to stand on the little platform all on its own, King couldn’t help but feel truly impressed.

“Look at you, sweetheart!” he exclaimed with a big smile as he slowly followed Prince as he inched his way into the big tunnel, looking back every single second to make sure that King was following him.

“I’m right here. I promise I’ll be right behind you.”

Prince managed to get through nearly half the tunnel’s length before he finally ran out of determination and hurried back to him!

King, of course, quickly took his little outstretched hand, then squeezed it gently.

“You did so well, bud! Let me help you with the last half, okay?” he said cheerfully as they slowly continued together.

The moment that Prince stepped out onto the other side his energy seemed to skyrocket and he began spinning in circles, cooing and squeaking like a deranged dog toy!

Such an adorable little guy.

King sat at the exit to the tunnel and just let Prince have his little victory celebration. And boy did he celebrate!

I don’t think I’ve seen you with so much energy before, normally you fall asleep after your little zooming sessions, but you’re still going strong right now.

It wasn’t until a solid four minutes had passed that Prince finally scurried back over to him and climbed into his lap.

“All done, sweetheart?” he asked before getting to his feet with his raccoon clinging to his shirt.

Ouch.

His leg was beginning to give him problems again, but that was no surprise since he’d just squat-walked all the way through that little kiddie tunnel.

Good exercise… probably gonna regret it later.

Hearing a little snort, King looked down at an expectant Prince.

“What was that for?” he asked right before Prince turned a little and pointed at the monkey bars they had wandered upon.

“You want to go on those, too?” he asked as he walked over and reached up to grab hold of a bar.

When Prince didn’t try to move or reach for the bars in any way, King figured that this task was squarely set on his own shoulders.

“Alright, hang on tight, okay?”

He hadn’t really been on a set of monkey bars since he was a little kid, but he was willing to give them a try. It was no surprise, however, that after his first few swings, his left arm began to burn with pain.

Pushing through, he managed to swing for a couple more bars before he was forced to let go and drop down to the ground. The landing jarred his bad leg, too, eventually bringing him to a sitting position as he hissed in pain.

Thankfully, Prince seemed to have settled down and was even nuzzling against his hair making a quiet purring sound. He didn’t seem to mind that he couldn’t complete the obstacle.

Sorry bud, just need a few moments.

Prince waited patiently, giving him enough time to finally unfurl his tense body and heave out a long sigh of relief.

“Sorry about that, P. I overdid it a bit,” he said as he carefully got himself back to his feet.

Once he was finally standing straight again, Prince chattered quietly, earning a pat to his back as they began their slow walk back home.

He’d intended to talk to him along the way to keep his mind off of the pain radiating from his left side, but before they could even get to the street corner, his little friend was fast asleep, snuggled in against his chest without a care in the world.

Raccoon Seven

Heavy…

His left arm was aching uncomfortably, pulling King out of his doze. He tried to roll onto his right side, but something solid kept him still. 

“P…? You gained too much weight, bud.” 

When he only felt a slight nuzzle against his bare chest in response, King sighed and opened his eyes. The moment his vision cleared, the weight vanished, allowing him to slowly sit up and shake out the pins and needles he felt in his bad arm. 

Prince was there, and looked like he’d been sleeping on that arm until he was woken up by King’s movements. 

“P, let’s switch sides when sleeping, okay? I can’t have you on my left arm or leg now,” he said, still a little bewildered about the weight he’d felt. 

Curiously, he reached forward and picked up the little raccoon, then frowned. 

He’s really not that heavy. 

Prince wiggled sleepily in response to the attention, excited but still clearly drowsy. 

“Ah, sorry bud,” he said as he set the little guy down… and immediately got a snuggly hug for his efforts. 

“Love you, too.” 

He gave Prince a little back rub before looking at the time on his phone. 

“Oh, good thing I woke up. My alarm is gonna go off in a few minutes,” he said as he quickly got up and carried Prince with him to the bathroom. 

He waited for his friend to do his business, then quickly relieved himself before flushing and washing his hands, then lifting Prince up to the sink. 

“We’re gonna start washing our hands after we got potty when I can help you, okay?” he said as he turned the water on again for him. 

Prince, evidently, knew exactly what he was doing, because he immediately dipped his hands beneath the water and began scrubbing happily. 

“Oh, right. Raccoons do tend to wash their hands and food,” King mumbled as he grabbed the soap and put a pump of it into Prince’s waiting paws. 

He stood there quietly and watched as the little guy eagerly scrubbed his hands to perfection, then handed him a little towel to dry them. 

Once done, he set him down on the floor, then checked himself in the mirror. His hair was a bit messy, but that was easily manageable. Within four minutes he was stepping back out of the bathroom, his hair reasonably styled but still the perfect amount of messy. 

“What should I wear tonight, P?” he asked as his friend followed after him, always on his heels when not in his arms. 

Prince cooed and chattered quietly in response, understanding what was about to happen after having seen him work a few times already over the past few days. 

Thus, he quickly ran ahead and grabbed at the big, comfy sweatshirt King had draped over his gaming chair. 

“Of course you’d want that. You can fit inside with me and nap while I play,” he said as he grabbed the item, much to Prince’s delight. 

He couldn’t really wear it during a broadcasted game, though, because then Prince would be on his stream and that wasn’t fair to Baron. 

Granted, he never really stopped the raccoon from climbing up into his lap during streams or anything, but Prince just never bothered joining him unless he had his hoodie on, which was only during off-stream practicing.

“I’ll wear it later, okay? Then we can snuggle while I wind down from work,” he said as he went to hang it up in his closet. 

Prince didn’t seem too happy with his choice of a simple sweater in exchange, and quickly found his way up onto King’s bed to throw a little tantrum beneath the covers. 

Sitting down once dressed, King made sure that everything was set up, then looked over at the still-fuming raccoon beneath his blankets. 

I might have spoiled him a bit too much…

Just as he was thinking that, a little black nose poked itself out from beneath the covers and twitched a little. 

But on second thought, he’s adorable and deserves all the love. 

His second alarm began to beep, letting him know that it was show time. Quickly turning back to face his computer, he reached forward and booted up the game, then tugged on his headset and grabbed his controller. 

It was another scheduled match set up by his sponsors, which was honestly fine with him. Whichever side won got an extra three hundred dollars, and fans could also donate directly during the match since it counted towards the official ranking. 

So far he was number twelve, and while that might seem a little ways down the list, when you considered that nearly a million people played the game regularly, it was actually a pretty incredible feat. Especially since he’d only been playing for a little over a year and a half. 

The only thing that was actually holding him back from rising higher, faster, were the people he often got paired with during his competitive matches. 

While he was rather versatile and could play different jobs, as well as multitask in stressful situations, most of the players that had been assigned to fight with him as teammates over the past few months hadn’t been all that useful. 

Maybe they’ll actually give me someone good this time… 

The area where his character was waiting suddenly darkened before a notice of a match invitation flickered onto the screen in dark gold and black letters. 

Clicking accept on his controller, King allowed his character, who was a pretty burly guy with a mess of brown hair and thick armor, to be teleported into an arena. 

Aw man…

He recognized the person now standing beside him.

I don’t want to play with her again. 

MrsK. 

Everyone  knew that she was really just a super fan of his, as her name entailed. Not that she was terrible at the game, or didn’t deserve the starter endorsement she had gotten from the gaming company. She did play relatively well, but the one time they’d been paired together she hadn’t stopped fangirling and spamming him with questions while he’d been trying to focus on their match. 

They had lost, and he was still salty about it. 

He immediately considered muting her as soon as they were connected to the voice chat, but he knew that it would be frowned upon if he did. People liked hearing them discuss things and a lot of those people weren’t his subscribers… yet. He needed those people to hear him the most. 

Reaching over, he turned on his personal fan chatroom and was immediately greeted with a multitude of hellos , hi s, and OMGHESHEREs . 

He gave them his best nonchalant smirk, immediately making people spam the chat like overwhelmed teenage girls. 

Most of them probably were  overwhelmed teenage girls. 

Glancing toward his bed, he raised a slight brow. 

Really, P?

The raccoon was currently holding onto the edge of his blanket, staring at him with narrowed eyes. 

Don’t you tear that, he warned as he narrowed his own eyes to try and get his point across. 

When he looked back toward his game he noticed that he had been put into MrsK’s party and she’d typed an enthusiastic hello sweetie! Let’s do well together this time, too!

He couldn’t help but make a deadpan face, because it would have been something much less pleasant if he’d tried for anything else. 

His fans, of course, caught his displeasure right away, and it was no surprise when they began to spam the chat with their frustrations. 

CHR0N!CPÃ!N: How dare they put him with that stalker again!!!

ELEVATORMUSIC: SHE WAS PRACTICALLY HUMPING HIS CHARACTER LAST TIME THEY WERE PAIRED TOGETHER!

GAY4KING: Can’t blame her, honestly… but can we talk about who he was clearly looking at a moment ago? 

Looking away from the chat as he heard a new voice in his headphones, King steeled his expression. 

“Hi Sweetie! It’s so great to be able to play with you again!” 

King forced a smile. 

“Nice to see you again, too,” he said as he glanced at his bed again, only to see that a certain raccoon was now nowhere to be seen. 

P? 

He was about to start looking around when he remembered that he was streaming and quickly refocused as the MC for the match entered their broadcasted chat. 

“Hello to our King and Queen of Finality!”

The hell is my queen? 

Feeling a tap against his leg, King looked down without thinking as the MC continued to speak, going over the basic rules for those who were watching that were newer to the game.  

Prince looked up at him, opening and closing his mouth a few times to indicate that he was hungry. 

I just fed y—err, I forgot. 

They had come back from their walk and simply passed out for a nap. Then gotten up and immediately gotten ready to stream. 

I’ll feed you after! It shouldn’t be too long of a match. 

Prince, however, was having none of his silent promises. When he didn’t get up right away to go get him his overdue lunch, he began climbing up his pant leg! 

Unable to really do anything about it without causing even more suspicion, he tried to ignore the raccoon as the match finally got underway, but right as his character was teleported into the forested arena, Prince reached his lap and came into view of the streaming camera. 

The MC immediately went silent at the same time his comment channel seemed to pause, or freeze, from shock. 

Shit. 

King was about to try and explain himself when he noticed that the enemy team was already moving. The match had started, and now he was stuck with a frustrated raccoon in his lap and enough awkward silence to fill a hospital room after a failed paternity test!

He considered shoving him down, but when Prince just snuggled in against his shirt with a few quiet squeaks, he disregarded him and refocused his attention on the game. 

The MC seemed to snap out of his shock, too, and started announcing things for their… King glanced down at the viewer numbers and had to force himself to keep his mouth from dropping open in shock. 

He normally had about four or five thousand viewers, and it was clear that his numbers had likely been around there a few moments ago, but now…

Fourteen-thousand and climbing?!

“Team Alpha is looking strong as they form a plan…” King ignored the man’s rambling in order to focus on his own predicament. 

As he’d expected, MrsK just fell into step behind him, just like she’d done during their previous match.  

“I’ll follow your lead, Sweetie!” 

King wanted to roll his eyes, but instead he simply said, “you go ahead and lead. I want to see what you can do.” 

He had hated the last time he’d had to play with her because she always stayed in the back. Sure, she played a healer, but the healers in the game were versatile if you put in enough effort to learn how to play both versions. 

MrsK hesitated for a moment as she thought about her response, then replied with a nervous laugh. 

“Sure, let me show you what I can do!” 

King grinned and glanced at his chatroom, but then realized he shouldn’t have. There was so  much spam about Prince that he couldn’t even keep up reading it before the words flew off the page as new ones took their place!

I’ll deal with that later. 

He had no doubt that the question and answer session at the end of the match was going to revolve around his new friend, so he pushed the issue to the back of his mind for the moment and focused on keeping himself alive. 

At first, MrsK struggled to handle her character when they got to their first confrontation. She died within two minutes, even with King’s assistance. 

To his surprise, however, she’d managed to deal a decent amount of damage to the other teams main damage dealer, allowing King to finish the guy off and deal a reasonable amount of damage to the healer before being forced to retreat. 

Their opponent gave chase, but quickly realized that his speed wasn’t nearly enough to keep up and withdrew as well. 

That left King time to regain his hit points and regroup with his resurrected partner. 

“I’m sorry about that. I’m not used to being in front, but I won’t let you down again!” MrsK said, making King actually grin slightly as Prince carefully turned around to curl up in his lap, seemingly watching the game now with a twitch of his nose. 

It was obvious that MrsK wanted to ask about the fuzzy brat in his lap, too, but she thankfully kept her words to herself and as the second skirmish got underway, her playing did  improve. 

She had also taken the time during their regrouping to change some of her armor, giving her better defense against the enemy’s attacks. 

The opposing team hadn’t taken her for much considering that they’d likely reviewed her last match with him, but it was a pleasant surprise to see that she could adjust to new situations. 

Two faint beeps  alerted them to the other team finally  joining the group chat. 

“Hello,” one of them said in greeting, though his tone wasn’t the nicest. 

Feeling quite a bit more confident now than he had going into the match, King smirked and relaxed into his chair a bit as he returned the greeting, causing quite a stir from his chatroom. 

FLOATURGOAT: HE KNOWS HE’S A GOD! 

BLLSNMYMTH: I WANNA HUG HIS RACCON!!!

GAY4KING: I wanna BE that raccoon!

King gave a quiet chuckle as he returned his focus to the game. They were just approaching their opponent from a small rocky outcropping, giving them the advantage. 

“Hey King, you guys make it official yet?” their opponent who had greeted them a few moments ago asked out of the blue. 

Of course, King knew that he was just trying to mess with him concerning MrsK’s obsession over him, so he ignored his words as the MC began calling out plays. 

King was the first to attack this time, not wanting to seem like he was forcing his teammate to do all of the forward fighting. 

He quickly charged ahead with his weapon held low, swinging first upward, then around and downward. His movements were much faster than one would expect from a character so large. 

Normally brawny characters, and warrior classes in general, didn’t focus much on speed. That was more of a thief or rogue type of stat. 

King, however, didn’t care much for stereotypical things, so he’d put quite a bit of speed into his big guy. Of course, that left his defense and attack a bit lacking, but considering his ability to dodge, his opponents rarely got the chance to take advantage of that information. He easily demonstrated those skills, too, scoring them their second kill right before MrsK picked off the remaining injured healer. 

“With two more kills under their belts, team Beta is looking like they’ve learned a thing or two about working together since their last paired match!” the MC said excitedly, drawing King’s eyes back down to their number of watchers. 

Twenty-five thousand. 

He quickly redirected his gaze to his own personal blog and reached over, clicking the refresh  button. 

Four thousand…

He’d just gained four thousand  watchers in the time their match had been going on! 

Feeling a sense of adrenaline surge through him, King quickly had his character run forward, guiding MrsK toward the enemy’s respawn location. 

He then laid three snare traps and added a spell of immobility to a little grassy area before ducking back behind some trees. 

Soon enough their enemy had respawned, but they knew better than to just charge in since newly revived players got an invulnerability buff for the first thirty seconds. 

That’s why they waited and watched, biding their time and listening to the clicking of the other group turning on and off their group chat function so that they could talk privately between each other. 

Their opponent’s plans, however, quickly came to a screeching halt when their healer ventured ahead of their combat class and got tangled in one of King’s traps! 

Because they had already died several times, the healer’s teammate was forced to quickly defend them against MrsK’s immediate assault, awarding King an opportunity sneak around behind them and attack from the back, triggering a double-damage effect!

Within thirty seconds the combat class was down again, and while the two combined had managed to eventually kill MrsK again, King easily finished them off and promptly ended the match with a double-kill!

“And there we have it folks! Your king and queen of Infinity have done it! Crushing team Alpha in a shockingly-quick match!” the MC shouted, making both chat groups go crazy. 

Most of the messages he could catch were positive and in his favor, but their opponents had brought quite a few fans to the party, too, and several of them were spamming the chats saying that it was an unfair fight or that it had just been bad luck on their player’s part. 

Unfair and bad luck, huh? One of those players is ranked ten and the other is thirteen. While I’m rank twelve and MrsK is twenty. How is that unfair? 

“Alright, time for the Q&A with the winners, first, and I’m sure that everyone knows the first question I’m going to ask!” the MC said, making King slowly glance down at Prince, who was now staring up at him, seemingly understanding that the match was now over and food was likely to commence. 

Almost done, bud. Just a few questions left. 

“This question is obviously for King. I’m sure it’s not just me who is curious, so please tell us; Where did you get that raccoon? Is it a shifter? Is it yours?” 

King pursed his lips and reached up to pat Prince’s fuzzy head. 

“Um, I found him. He was having a pretty rough time so I brought him home to see if I could help him out a bit. He is a shifter, though I haven’t seen him change yet. And um, that means that he is definitely not mine,” he finished right as Prince began climbing up his sweater, clearly wanting his attention. 

King set his controller aside so that he could hold him and was rewarded with a happy little hum. 

“Ah, so that’s how it is. Well, do you happen to know his name? Or have you given him one?” the MC asked, making both chats suddenly begin spamming name options in case he hadn’t come up with one yet. 

“I do know his name, but I don’t feel like that’s appropriate to share, so I’ve just been calling him Prince.” 

Both chats immediately disintegrated into fangirling squeals of one form or another, and even MrsK cooed a bit over the name. 

“So, what are your plans with him? How long has he been with you?” the MC asked, making King shake his head and grin a little as Prince reached up to try and grab at his nose. 

“Um, I’m not really sure. I’d like to help him get back on his feet. He’s been with me for a few weeks and is really sweet so far,” he said honestly as he grabbed that little paw, allowing Prince to hold his thumb instead of his nose. 

“Alright. I’m sure everyone else is wondering, too, but will we be able to see him again in one of your upcoming matches?” 

MrsK added, “yes! That would be so awesome if we could. He’s absolutely adorable!” 

King smiled but shrugged one shoulder. 

“It’s really up to him. I don’t want to use him for any kind of promotion when his other half doesn’t seem to be in control. If he climbs up again like he did today, you guys will see him, but if not, then you probably won’t.” 

The MC made an agreeing sound, then finally changed the direction of his questions. 

“MrsK, how was it working with the King again?” 

Uh oh, here comes the fangirling again. 

To his surprise, however, MrsK was quite composed compared to their last time speaking to the MC together after he’d interviewed them as the losing team of their previous match. 

“It’s been great! I learned a lot this time and I didn’t even realize I could play my healer to be a partial damage dealer. I really appreciate the new information and I’ll work hard to perfect that way of playing to the best of my ability for our next match together.” 

Glancing to the side, King read through a few comments from his fan page. 

COSMICPOPCORN: Wait, hang on. King, I don’t like that expression!

GAY4KING: DON’T DO IT IT’S A TRAP!

Uh…

He was just turning his attention back to the little interview when he felt Prince climb up a bit higher, then snuggle against his neck with a few quiet squeaks. 

ITWASJIM: TRUST THE RACCOON! 

WAFFLES: I VOTE FOR PRINCE OVER MRSK!!!

STARTSTOP: MARRY PRINCE INSTEAD! HE’S CUTER!!

WEVILKNIEVEL: I SECOND THIS!

YOWHAT: Third! 

TRCKNTS: 4th! 

KINGLVR: NO MARRY ME!

Why am I suddenly marrying someone? 

Feeling another tap against his nose, King smiled and reached up to take Prince’s paw for a second time, then looked back up at the screens. 

“Is it alright if I head out? I forgot to feed him lunch and I feel like I might get beat up soon if I don’t get him something to eat,” King said, adding an adorable smile to his words to help get what he wanted. 

Normally he would stay for as long as the MC wanted, but there was  technically a set time limit that he had to stay. That limit, however, was up thirty seconds ago. 

“Ah, no problem! Go ahead and take care of your little guy, and thank you for such a great game!” the MC said right before MrsK replied. 

“Thank you for teaching me some new things today. I had a great time and hope to play with you again soon!” 

King nodded. 

“Thank you for the match, you’ve improved a lot since we last played and I look forward to seeing how well you do next time,” he said honestly. 

He then gave the camera one final grin before switching it off… then flopping back into his chair and hugging his little raccoon tightly. 

“You little brat. You couldn’t have waited, could ya?” he chided even as he grinned and pressed a kiss to Prince’s forehead. 

He got an excited bit of chatter in response, eventually making him push himself up. 

“I suppose its time to eat. Let’s have a big, early dinner, then maybe something yummy for dessert, hmm?” he said as he lifted his buddy up and headed out of the room, intent on further spoiling his already spoiled raccoon, even though he knew shouldn’t.

Raccoon Eight

It had happened again. 

And again. 

And again. 

Every other night for the past week King had been woken up by either excess weight, warmth, or, as was most common, a mixture of the two. 

Tonight just happened to be one of those nights, but he knew better than to move much now. The first time he’d woken up was because Baron had finally resurfaced… and slept on his bad arm. 

He’d only really put those pieces together because two nights later, it had happened again. Thankfully, he hadn’t moved as much that time, giving him the chance to actually assess the situation. 

That’s when he’d realized what was happening. 

Unfortunately, when he’d tried to very  quietly and very  slowly open his eyes and look to the side, he’d moved his arm the slightest fraction. The next moment, the weight pressed against him had vanished, returning to Prince’s meager six or so pounds. 

Okay, just keep calm and be careful , he told himself this time as he slowly began tilting his head to the right against his pillow. The faint outline of short, messy hair soon entered his vision, though it was hard to determine its color with such minimal light. 

He’s really here…

In all honesty, he’d expected himself to be pretty freaked out by a random naked guy sleeping in his bed every night, but he just kind of felt… relieved? 

It was a relief to see that Baron was still in there, though it was clear that he wasn’t quite conscious yet. If he moved too much, or made even the tiniest sound, the man would retreat back into his fuzzy counterpart. It was clearly a defense mechanism that his subconscious had created… and it hurt King’s heart just thinking about it. 

When he finally finished turning his head, he couldn’t help but smile. 

There you are. 

The man was curled up against his side, with his forehead pressing against King’s shoulder. 

I can’t quite see his face with his bangs covering most of it…

He knew that if he so much as sniffled too loudly, Baron would disappear, though. 

He sleeps so lightly, as if he has to worry about everything and anything trying to hurt him. 

Unable to help himself, King slowly lifted one arm and reached across his chest. Right as his fingertips brushed against the man’s soft hair, he noticed Baron’s form blur. 

Wait! 

It was too late. 

Right before his eyes, Baron shifted back to Prince, leaving a groggy, confused raccoon in his place. King immediately tugged that fuzzy baby into his arms and hugged him tightly, whispering little reassurances until he was rewarded with Prince’s content, quiet purrs. 

“I’m sorry, bud. I didn’t meant to scare you,” he said quietly as he slowly rubbed his back. 

Thankfully, it didn’t take long before the little guy was asleep again, leaving King to his thoughts. 

He was just falling back to sleep when the light weight on his chest suddenly grew again, drawing his blurry eyes open once more. 

He… changed back again? 

His hand had just-barely stopped rubbing Prince’s back, and without thinking too much into it, King carefully continued the action at its previously pace. This time, however, it was along smooth, warm skin instead of thick, soft fur. 

Are you comfortable again, sweetheart? 

He made sure to keep his hand moving at an even pace as the man rested against him. This time, however, his face was much closer since his head was now resting atop his right shoulder. Unfortunately, it was tucked again, only allowing him to see dark hair and… 

His nose is so cute. 

He couldn’t see all of it, of course, but what he could see was absolutely adorable! 

Wait a second. Why am I fangirling over some random guy’s nose? 

His mind immediately reminded him that it was Prince’s nose, but then seemed to fumble, itself, as it registered that Baron was the human version and Prince was the animal. The animal was obviously adorable, but the human? 

He was about to tell himself that Baron was not  adorable, and in all honesty, he couldn’t even see  the guy right then besides his dark hair, but his mind couldn’t seem to put two and two together. Or, really, that it was  putting two and two together. 

Prince was cute and Prince was Baron, so Baron was cute because Prince was cute and he was Baron. 

I… my head hurts. 

Instead of dwelling on whether or not Baron was cute any longer, since that didn’t seem like a good line of thought, King calmed his thrumming heart and closed his eyes again, allowing his body to relax and finally drift back off to sleep. 

The next morning he awoke to a snuggly Prince, with Baron nowhere to be seen. 

It was honestly for the best, though, since his mind was still a bit confused about what had happened the previous night. 

You already saw his face on his license, so what’s the difference?

Groaning, King reached up and rubbed at his face with his hands, unsure of how to answer his internal dilemma. 

His dramatic morning was interrupted by a tap against his arm, then a damp lick at the same spot a moment later. When he still didn’t respond, a loud squeak was Prince’s follow-up. 

“Alright, alright. I’m up,” King grumbled as he slowly pushed himself up into a seated position, then yawned. 

He had a Prince in his lap a second later, chattering away about how breakfast was late even though it was only… He glanced at his phone. 

Oh, darn. It is late. 

It was already noon. 

“Ah, sorry bud. Let’s get you some breakfast,” he said as he picked up Prince and sleepily walked into the other room. 

By the time they got to the kitchen Prince had told him all about how he was being starved to death with late breakfasts and lunches forgotten until dinner time. He honestly hadn’t heard the little guy chatter so much in days. 

“Here, you little turd,” King mumbled as he reached into the fridge and got out a turkey and lettuce wrap. 

Prince quickly took the proffered item with both paws, then inhaled it in less than five seconds. 

I… have I been underfeeding you? 

It was clear that Prince had gained weight and was likely around eight pounds now, up from the five or six he’d previously weighed. 

How much is too much though? he thought as he handed Prince a second wrap, then got one for himself. 

His phone rang right as the fridge door shut, and considering the familiar ring tone, he didn’t hesitate to pick it up. 

“Hi mom,” he said with a little push of enthusiasm. 

“You’re just waking up, aren’t you?” his mom replied, having read him like an audiobook. 

King blushed as he leaned against the counter, holding Prince in one arm as the raccoon worked on finishing off King’s wrap… that it took without him even realizing it. 

“Uh… what’s up, mom?” he said, skirting around her words with a smile. 

She only sighed in response, though he could sense that she was likely shaking her head, too. 

“I wanted to see if you’d like to go shopping again. Do you guys have enough food still?” 

Oh. 

Turning, King opened the fridge and freezer, then blinked dumbly. 

“Uh… We are almost out of everything, though I don’t remember eating this much,” he said, then looked at Prince as the little guy finished off a piece of lettuce with mustard on it. 

Wait a second… You little shit. My wraps have mustard on them!

It had taken him that long to notice that Prince had taken his food. 

“Oh, can we get some fish, too? Rexy came out a few days ago an—My baby came out?!” his mother shouted, interrupting his words and fracturing his eardrum!

He could hear her revving her engine not a second later. 

“I’m coming over right now. Be ready in five!” 

Then the call dropped. She’d hung up on him. 

“Uh… I guess it’s time to get ready to go,” he said awkwardly as he grabbed a fourth lettuce wrap from the fridge. He’d intended to eat it this time, finally , but Mr. Grabbypaws had other ideas and promptly swiped at it, too. 

I can’t with you today. 

Shoving the last wrap into Prince remaining hand, King went to the cabinets and reached up for a candy bar. He hadn’t had one since Prince had been there because they’d just eaten the same thing most of the time, but now that the brat wasn’t shari—A poke against his chest drew his attention downward until it fell upon the last lettuce and turkey wrap. 

“You kept taking mine…” he said as his eyes narrowed distrustfully. 

Prince looked away, chomping on the last bits of his own wrap before tapping the remaining one against King’s chest again. 

With a roll of his eyes, King accepted the last one and quickly put it between his teeth, then put the chocolate bar back up in its spot before closing the cabinet and heading toward the bathroom. They finished their morning ritual of bathroom time, washing hands, and King styling his hair a bit, then he got dressed in a pair of black cargo shorts and a personally made football jersey from one of his sponsors that had KING printed on the back and the #1 on front. 

It was a bit corny, to say the least, but it was also super comfortable and made of some pretty nice fabric. His fans also loved it, so he tended to wear it at least once in a while during a live stream. 

A loud knock on the front door had them both jumping a tiny bit before he quickly tugged on his shoes and hurried to get it.

The moment it was opened his mom rushed in with her arms completely  loaded with literally everything!

“My baby is back!” she said with so much enthusiasm that King had to let go of Prince so that he didn’t get clawed as the raccoon quickly retreated to a safer distance. 

King then helped take the items from his mom, not realizing that she’d brought over all of Rexy’s toys, beds, and other random doodads from when he was younger until he’d glanced inside the boxes. 

She… kept it all? 

He couldn’t even remember seeing any of that stuff when he’d lived with her. She must have put it in storage… and he was honestly glad for that. It would have hurt too much looking at the items she’d gotten for the half of him that he’d lost day in and day out. 

“Are you able to shift back to him when you want yet? Can I see my little baby?” she asked, hope shining in her eyes so brightly that he felt bad for having to tell the truth. 

“Um… not yet. He came out when I was giving Prince a bath because he was playing with his old toys. He got jealous, but was still in a lot of pain,” King said as he went to retrieve Prince while his mom calmed down from her previous excitement. 

“He hasn’t come out since then?” she asked once he’d finally coaxed Prince back into his arms. 

Shaking his head, King walked back over.

“Where did you want to go this time? The same store?” he asked as his mom stepped out the door, giving them some space so that Prince could calm down a bit, too. 

“No, let’s go to the fish market downtown, and I’m sorry, Prince. I didn’t mean to scare you,” she said as she took a handful of something out of her pocket, then offered it to Prince as soon as King got the door locked and turned around. 

Pretty soon his Prince was snacking on blueberries like a true royal. 

At least he’s not scared anymore… and I see that mom is back to her old ways of carrying around snacks in her pocket, though I’m sure those were brought more for Rex than Prince.  

“He looks like he’s gained some weight,” his mom said as she led him down to the car.

King was just about to go around to the passenger’s side when his sleeve was tugged, making him stop abruptly and look over his shoulder. 

“He goes in the back,” she said before stepping to the side so that King could look in the back seat. 

Uh…

“No buts . He’s too small to safely sit in your lap everywhere,” she said, making King purse his lips but do as she wanted. 

Strapping Prince into Rexy’s old car seat wasn’t hard, but the moment he walked away and slid into the passenger’s seat? 

King winced at the volume of the tantrum but a stern look from his mother told him that Prince would just have to get used to his new seat. 

Thankfully, the market wasn’t too far of a drive, and within twenty minutes he had a rather cranky raccoon unfastened and back in his arms. 

Unfortunately, now Prince was pouting and grumbling, clearly upset even as they tried to offer him grapes, lettuce, and even some pretzels. 

He was having none of it and threw each item on the floor with an angry huff. In fact, there was another plump green grape just about to be launched, but right before it could go sailing through the air, the little hand holding it paused abruptly. 

King slowed to a stop as he noticed Prince’s sudden change in behavior, allowing his mom to wander ahead as she continued to pick out fresh fish in the hopes of spoiling both Prince and  her baby Rex. 

“You okay, bud?” he asked as he gently turned Prince in his arms so that he could see him better. 

When they came face to face Prince quickly dropped the grape and tucked his face into King’s shirt, making him chuckle a little and pat his fuzzy back. 

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I didn’t like that seat when I was little, either,” he reassured him, trying to make him feel a little better about his fizzling-out tantrum. 

His mom came back up to them a moment later with a cart full of different fish, shrimp, clams, and even a few giant snow crabs!

He immediately sensed his otter perk up within his mind at the delicious cart of goodies. 

Prince even cooed as he looked at that cart, a little nervous but also clearly excited. 

“You want to look what mommy got you?” he asked Prince as he walked closer and gently set him in the cart. 

At first he looked so confused and nervous that King nearly picked him back up, but then a lightbulb seemed to switch on and he turned in a circle, in awe of the bounty surrounding him. 

Prince quickly went for the huge crab, easily tearing the package that held it. Pretty soon he was crunching away as King grabbed the cart and began following his mom again.  

Pretty soon their little snacking raccoon was surrounded by towers of fresh vegetables and fruits. His mom also found several sauces and fresh pastas that would work well with the seafood, giving them more options to make besides wraps and raw snacks. 

Well, he probably could  have made other things with what he’d had, but his cooking skills were limited to boxed pizza and eggs. 

By the time they were at the check-out counter Prince had gorged himself on that poor crab and was now clearly ready for another nap. 

“Want to grab him while I ring this stuff up?” his mom said as she made sure to take the now shell-filled package from the crab Prince had already eaten and hand it over to be scanned. 

Nodding King quickly but gently took his chubby raccoon out of the cart, then hugged him to his chest as his mom took care of the groceries. 

I think you’re about to go into a food coma. 

“Hey mom, can I go get him in the car?” he asked, wondering if he could have her keys. 

His mom didn’t even hesitate to toss them to him, earning his thanks before he walked out of the store. Prince was already sound asleep by the time they got there, making it easy to settle him into his car seat. 

Soon his mom was there, too, and King quickly helped her unload the groceries into the trunk. They talked quietly on the ride back home, then he got Prince tucked into bed as his mom put stuff away in the fridge and freezer. 

By the time he came back into the living room everything had been put in its proper place and his mom was waiting for her mandatory hug. 

Grinning, he walked forward and accepted, wrapping his arms around her gently. 

“Thank you for helping me so much, and him,” he said as she pat his hair gently, then leaned away. 

“Of course, sweetheart. I’ve looked into his situation a bit more, too, and I’m fairly comfortable in saying that he was a good man who got some very poor treatment. I don’t have the full story yet, as I can only assess information that I am given, or that is legally accessible to me, but it looks like his wife took advantage of him and his family. I’m going to continue to look into things, but please still be careful around him. He was desperate enough to consider suicide. When he shifts back, he will still likely be struggling to cope with things,” she warned, making King nod. 

He’s definitely struggling.

Thankfully, he’d been hiding in Prince instead of panicking in his human form. King doubted that he was doing it on purpose, but his subconscious seemed to know that he wasn’t ready to face the world again just yet, and that was perfectly fine. 

“I promise I’ll be careful,” he said honestly, though decided against sharing that the man had actually already made an appearance… several times. 

Since he wasn’t actually conscious for those situations, though, he didn’t feel a need to share them with her and cause more stress. 

“Alright, good. If Rexy comes out again, please tell me, okay? Sooner this time?” she said, her eyes practically begging him. 

Now I feel bad. 

He had waited because he wasn’t sure if his otter would bother staying close to the surface anymore, but to his surprise, it had been quite active within his mind ever since the day it had come out. 

“I promise I’ll let you know immediately the next time he shows up. I’m sure he’d love to see his mom again after so long.” 

She nodded and sniffled, then gave him one more hug before heading out. 

King closed and locked the door behind her, then turned around and ran a hand through his messy hair. He still wanted to do a practice session later on stream, and maybe goof around a bit with his watchers, but… 

Maybe I’ll try cooking something before that. 

He definitely wasn’t  a cook, but he quickly managed to find a simple-enough recipe that he could use a bag of the fresh pasta with, as well as some of the shrimp. 

Pretty soon he was busy in the kitchen, his focus completely taken by his current task.

Raccoon Nine

“I… think this might actually be edible,” King mumbled at he stuck his fork into the concoction that he’d made. 

Lifting it closer, he blew on it gently, then finally slid the warm pasta and shrimp between his lips.  

Oh. 

“Holy crap, I’m a chef!”

Overjoyed at his incredible accomplishment of hot edible food, King quickly scooped a big portion of it into a bowl, then hurried toward the hallway. 

“Hey P, lunch is ready and it’s freaking awesome!” he yelled, intending to wake him up. 

Right as he got to the entrance to the hallway, however, he slid to a halt, skidding on the carpet a bit as an overwhelming wave of dread radiated through his mind. 

Holy shit!

Suddenly shaking, he quickly backed up until he was over by the couch, holding his chest with one hand as he took in deep, calming breaths. 

He didn’t dare analyze anything until the unfamiliar sensation had subsided and he was able to straighten up again. He had a light sheen of sweat on his brow now and was more than a bit nervous. His mind quickly connected the dots once he was comfortable again, though. 

Baron…

Deciding to stay where he was, King thought for a long moment, trying to figure out how to handle such a situation. He knew that suicidal people could be dangerous, and it was clear that Baron was still under an immense amount of stress, if the wave of anxiety he’d just felt had been from him. Which was more than likely. 

Not sure how that happened, though. 

They definitely didn’t have a bond, and he hadn’t felt anything with anyone besides his mom, ever. 

He’s probably just so overwhelmed that the stress bled into my mind. Maybe I startled him when I yelled. 

Now feeling a little guilty, King slowly took a few steps forward. The moment he felt a hint of pressure in his mind he stopped, putting him a couple steps away from the hall. 

“Hey there, my raccoon Prince. Are you up for some lunch? I tried to cook for the first time tonight and it actually tastes really good,” he said, keeping his voice much calmer than before. 

Unfortunately, the wave of anxiety immediately grew stronger, but when he didn’t move or come closer to his room, it slowly began to ebb away again. 

It’s okay, sweetheart. 

Instead of continuing to try and get him to calm down, King decided to take the bowl back to the kitchen and get the dishes going first. As he worked, he felt little bits of pressure every so often, but there was no more strong bouts of anxiety. 

It will be alright. I won’t bother you until you’re feeling better. 

He understood anxiety. He’d had it quite badly after his father had died. 

Humming, King took care of all the pots, pans, and other assorted items he’d used over the past few days then, when he noticed that Prince still wasn’t interested in coming out yet, he got the food put away, then turned his attention to his next task. 

Mom sure did keep every little thing of yours, Rexy. 

Walking over to the boxes, he knelt down, then slowly began unpacking things.

Oh wow, I thought this really was gone, he thought as he lifted up one of his otter’s favorite old chew toys. He used to bring it to kindergarten, first grade, and even second to play with during recess. 

He quickly set it aside, then continued rummaging. Pretty soon he had a nice pile of things he wanted to keep, and his otter, which had swam to the surface of his mind as he’d been working, couldn’t have agreed more with his decisions. 

By the time he was through the first box he was in quite a good mood and eagerly went to start the second. Inside was a large, almost brand-new dog bed. His mom had gotten it for his otter after the accident. It had been the best one on the market.

Setting it by the wall, he pulled out a few little pictures that he quickly deciphered to be the paw print paintings he and his parents had done the week before the accident at a small family art class in town. 

I’ll hang those up. That will definitely make mom happy. 

He continued working for nearly an hour before he noticed something just-barely moving at the edge of his vision. 

Of course, he knew better than to turn and face him, but King couldn’t help the smile that found its way onto his lips as he focused on his current task. 

He could easily tell that the little bit of movement was from Prince as his buddy poked his head in and out of the room. King could feel his anxiety rising and falling, but it had calmed down a great deal, allowing him to relax, too. 

“Oh? These are just like P’s,” he said quietly as he held up a few larger cat toys. 

His mom had bought them for his ninth birthday, trying to lure his otter out with one of its favorite types of toy, besides the bath animals. Unfortunately, much like everything else, they hadn’t worked. 

He calmly began removing them from their package, then rolling them over toward the couch one at a time without really looking where they were going. 

Once that was done, he set the second box aside and got to work on the third. 

He was nearly halfway through sorting it when he heard a tiny little tinkling sound to his left, making him glance sideways without moving his head. He’d looked just in time to see a little brown and black striped tail disappear back into the hallway, the little tinkling sound accompanying the action. 

I see…

The sound grew quieter and quieter the farther it moved away until, finally, it disappeared completely. 

Two minutes later he heard the faint sound of something moving nearby again. 

This time Prince went a little farther into the room to get a toy that had stopped rolling by the couch. The moment he had it in his paw, however, he was a blur of gray fur and black paws as he quickly darted back into the hallway. 

He could hear those paws on the carpet as they headed back towards his room, likely intending to stash the new treasure with the other. 

You’re so darn cute. 

The scurrying of paws stopped abruptly, making him tilt his head and glance toward the hallway. 

Of course, Prince wasn’t there. 

He waited patiently for a few moments, then gave a quiet chuckle when he heard the little tinkling of the big cat toy again. It was good that the guy was still acting a bit like P, so perhaps he didn’t have full control yet. Or, possibly, his emotions were beginning to return and were overwhelming Prince a little. 

Either way, he was just glad that Baron was still there . 

Oh, hang on a minute. I forgot to eat. 

He’d gotten so distracted that he’d simply put the food away and began going through his mom’s old boxes. 

Standing up, he gave a good stretch, then wandered back into the kitchen to make himself a bowl of food. 

I need to stream soon. I wonder how he’ll handle me being in there…

He also didn’t want to just let Prince be alone by himself in the living room area, though. If Baron really was close to being in control, his current anxiety levels could push him to try and kill himself again. 

Hmm…

Wolfing down his food, he set the bowl in the sink, then opened the fridge. It smelled quite fishy, which would probably gross most people out, but he, and his otter, were more than happy with the yummy aroma. 

I think I’ve got a pretty good idea. 

Turning back around, he wandered over to the boxes he’d been sorting and grabbed a puzzle feeder toy his otter used to love. It immediately perked up in his mind again, making him shake his head as he brought it back to the sink and thoroughly cleaned it with soap and water. 

You can play with it later. 

His otter didn’t seem interested in the later  part, but no matter how much it chattered and whined, it still didn’t come out. 

You’re just being a drama queen now , he told it, making Rexy throw a tantrum that could easily surpass one of Prince’s. 

Deciding to ignore the brat, he walked back to the fridge and took out a handful of small fresh herring, then carefully shoved them into the little toy before washing his hands again. 

“Alright, I think we’re all set. Hopefully P likes this and Baron doesn’t mind,” he said as he turned his attention back to the hallway. 

He could hear the little cat toys still, but he hadn’t seen or heard Baron come out to the living room again. 

Hopefully I don’t scare him too much…

Trying to walk as audibly as possible without literally stamping his feet, King slowly made his way into the hall. The tinkling of bells quickly stopped the moment he moved into the space, but there was nothing he could do besides keep going. 

Unsurprisingly, when he finally got to his room and nudged the door closed, he couldn’t see Prince anywhere. 

Under the bed, then. 

He could also feel his anxiety spiking, but it was thankfully manageable at the moment. 

“I’m just going to play a little video game for a bit, but I brought you another toy to play with while I’m working,” he said as he slowly walked over and set the stuffed rubber toy down, then turned and got himself seated in his chair. 

It’s actually a little cold in here…

Getting up, he went to his closet and grabbed his big hoodie. Once that was on he settled back in and got his game going. He was about to turn his stream on when he noticed an important email notification at the bottom of his screen and reached forward to click it open. 

Oh.

The email was no surprise. 

His sponsors had sent it the previous night asking if he could have the raccoon appear in more of his streams. They added, of course, that they had heard that he was giving it the option to do as it wished and wouldn’t force it to walk into the frame of the camera, but they also mentioned that each stream it appeared in, they’d send him a bonus of three hundred dollars. 

Tch, trying to buy my Prince. Not going to happen. 

The guy was already stressed enough. He wasn’t going to force him to walk in front of a camera for his own gain. 

Glancing over his shoulder, King checked to see if Prince had come out at all. Unsurprisingly, he hadn’t, but that was fine. The anxiety he felt from him was still reasonable, so he turned his attention back to his screen and reached forward to turn the stream on. 

He expected there to be a few hundred watchers for his normal practice matches, but when he pulled up his profile chat, the number at the bottom of the screen made him nearly fall out of his chair! 

F-four thousand?!

That number alone was mind blowing, but when he looked up at the top right of the screen at the current donation amount for the day, he nearly fainted!

E-eight hundred dollars…

His practices normally only got him two hundred, at the absolute most. 

What is going on today? 

He awkwardly snapped himself out of his shock and grinned at the camera as comments came across the chat almost faster than he could read them. 

HubbaBubba: Our King is here!

BlessedIsKing: He’s so handsome! 

ReverseOreo: I first saw him play the other day, so handsome! 

Glazed4Days: I hope Prince appears for his King’s loyal followers!

King’s smile widened a little before he turned his attention to the game. He was paired with a random person that thankfully didn’t spam him with adoring messages. There was just a quick hello, nice to play with one of the greats!  before they got down to business. 

To his surprise, the player was actually really good, too, even though he didn’t have an official rank. That meant that his standing in the game was less than the top one-hundred. That was totally fine with him, though. A lot of people didn’t have the time to play so much, or didn’t want to bother with ranked matches, and so on. 

Either way, the guy was good and he appreciated it. 

They easily won their first set of matches. Wiping the floor with their opponents in the first two rounds. 

As they waited for their next set to begin, having chosen to keep each other as partners since they worked well together, King glanced over at his personal chat. 

Gay4King: Does anyone else think that he looks like he just rolled out of bed? 

Giggles&Shiggles: I want to be the blanket he used! Or that hoodie! I bet I could fit in it with him! 

The chat began flying by too fast for him to focus, but that was okay. The next match was starting and he was actually looking forward to another easy win. 

Their next match actually took a bit more work, but they still managed to easily clear both of the first two rounds, making the third an automatic win for them. 

“Hey man, thanks for the great games,” he said, not afraid to praise a good player. 

The other person wasn’t on voice chat, which was also pretty common during practice matches, but he replied in chat a few moments later. 

ConsequentialSyrup: Thank you, King! I’m not a competitive person but it’s been really fun playing with you. 

While they waited to be matched up with their third and final round, King heard something behind him and glanced over his right shoulder. 

Prince had grabbed the rubber toy stuffed with fish. King expected him to quickly retreat under the bed again now that he had the item, but to his surprise, he looked up at him. 

King averted his eyes but gave a closed-lipped smile before turning back to look at the screen. 

LeashMe: It’s Prince! It’s Prince!

WTRMLN: I want to see him! Come here, baby!

You would think that they’ve never seen a raccoon before… 

They weren’t exactly rare animals and quite a few people had them as shifts, he was sure. 

Of course, he also knew that his Prince was the cutest raccoon of all. 

He heard a quiet purr since his headphones weren’t on this time, making him grin again before the sound of rustling met his ears. Except, that rustling didn’t sounds quiet like what he thought it might. Instead, he heard Prince walking around behind him as their final match began. 

Unable to shirk his job, he quickly buckled down and focused as their characters darted into the forest. This time their opponents were actually decently skilled and required him to focus, leaving him to ignore Prince even as the raccoon wandered around his chair to settle by his left foot. 

The chattering soon began, drawing King’s eyes downward every so often, whether he meant to look or not. 

Prince ended up lifting the toy up, clearly trying to get his attention. 

He doesn’t seem nearly as stressed right now, maybe Prince has full control at the moment. 

He returned his attention to the game when his radar pinged an enemy up ahead, but Prince seemed intent on keeping his attention, because there was soon a fishy toy ball in his lap and a raccoon climbing his pant leg!

King forced himself not to pay attention, but there was no way he could stop Prince without freaking him out, either. Thus, he had to let the brat do as he wished for the second time while he was trying to play. 

To say that his chat began to beep with warnings of being overloaded was an understatement. It even froze a few times as his fans spammed and spammed, losing their minds over his  Prince. 

He felt an odd twitch in his belly right before he burned his entire bar of magic points to nuke their opponents healer with an Inferno Tornado spell. 

Needless to say, the poor guy died a terrible death. 

The healer’s partner managed to take advantage of his distraction, however, and actually killed him in return. 

While the respawn timer counted down, he quickly stared at the raccoon now sitting on his knee, holding the ball of fish out to him again. He did not look happy about being ignored for so long. 

Taking the toy with his left hand, King noticed that all of the fish were still stuck inside. 

“You’re supposed to try and get them out, bud,” he told Prince, earning a disgruntled sneeze in response before the raccoon reached forward and tapped the ball with its paw. 

“Really?” King said with a monotone voice as he set the ball in his lap and tugged out a small fish with his fingers, then offered it to his brat. 

Said brat gladly accepted the fish and munched away, mouth wide and loud, clearly enjoying the treat. 

King glanced past him to the chat, then felt his expression deadpan. 

YaoiFinder: OMGHE’SSOCUTE!

JustLickLife: Oh my gosh he actually showed up! He’s so cute! Hi Prince!! 

I’mACup: They are the cutest pair! Give him another fish, your highness! 

Is that ‘your highness’ for me or him? King thought as his eyes narrowed, then returned to Prince as the brat finished his fish and started chattering again. 

Rolling his eyes, King did as he was told and tugged out another fish from the toy that was supposed  to be occupying Prince’s attention. 

Well… it was, but he  was supposed to be getting the fish out!

“Here, take it, you fuzzy brat,” he said as he handed over the second fish. 

Prince gladly took the treat and began demolishing it. 

TheoryK: He’s not a brat! He’s an adorable baby and you should spoil him forever! 

These people are crazy…

Returning his attention to the game, he reached around Prince in order to grab the controller with both hands, then realized his mistake. 

I’m gonna need to clean this later. 

He loved the smell of fish, but not on his gaming devices. 

Prince eventually leaned against him as he continued to munch, leaving King to score a kill. Thankfully, his hoodie was much bigger than necessary, so even with Prince in his lap, it didn’t pull on the fabric. It was probably closer to a blanket on him than an actual piece of clothing he could wear outside. 

The only reason he could really play with it on was because it had cuffed wrists that kept the arms from sliding off. 

As soon as he’d managed to retreat back to his partner Prince’s little grabby-paws were tugging on his left arm. 

Scowling, King quickly grabbed out another fish and pushed it into those little hands, then hurried to return his hand to his controller just in time to dodge a blast that could have easily crippled his character!

MadamLicksALot: Look at those skills! Feeding the baby while still easily destroying his opponents! 

Gay4King: Marry me! I’ll take care of Prince, too! 

MimiIsPervy: If he can handle himself that well in a video game while feeding a raccoon, I wonder how well he can handle other things

without

being distracted…

Inwardly groaning, King quickly tugged out the remaining fish and pushed them into Prince’s arms, making the raccoon’s eyes immediately light up like the morning sunrise. 

He then got busy finishing the match. Him and his partner got two more kills in just three minutes, leaving them one kill away from winning. 

King leaned back a little as he gave his tense body a break for a moment while the other team waited out their respawn timers. 

I’m about ready for another nap. 

Of course, he would just wait until it was actually time for bed, but it still sounded nice. 

Prince, however, seemed to agree with his thoughts, because he soon wiggled his way beneath his excessively-large hoodie. 

Oh right. I am wearing the hoodie you like to snuggle in. 

He hadn’t meant to, but he also hadn’t thought that Baron would allow Prince enough control to do such a thing, too. 

Well, pretty soon he had a little raccoon face settled against his chest, its head sticking out of the generous opening at the top of the large hoodie. 

That’sNotPudding: I think I just died and went to heaven…

MooseAreBirds: Screenshot! Screenshot! Screenshot!

ChickenNuggies: It’s official. Just marry him! 

 King blinked at the chat, a bit stunned as the image of Baron’s adorable nose flicked through his mind. 

IYKYK: Blushing! Our gorgeous King is blushing!!!

He quickly returned his attention to the game just in time to block an incoming magical attack, then retaliate with excessive force… again. 

Thankfully, his attack managed to land, and his partner was right there to finish off the opponent’s healer before their combat class could help them, thus ending the game. 

As soon as the victorious chime began to play King leaned back the rest of the way in his chair with a long, drawn-out sigh of relief. 

Prince nuzzled against his chest a little bit in response, but he didn’t need to look down to know that the brat was out cold. He always fell asleep quickly when he snuggled with him in his hoodie. 

Hot…

Reaching up, he unzipped the clothing a bit, giving himself more room before he looked toward the chat, settling one hand against Prince’s back without thinking much about the action. As he glanced over the comments, he set his controller aside since his partner had already signed out, not feeling a need to stay around. 

PleasantlyDisturbed: I wish I had recorded this session. 

ObtuseOctopus: I got you, bro! Only the last half, though. Check your DM’s! 

KitchenUtensil: Oh, I want it too! 

ParkaParkaParka: Me too! 

DiviIsAlsoPervy: Amatures. I’ve recorded every single one of his matches since the beginning. 

He was just shaking his head, ready to turn the camera off, when his face suddenly brushed against something soft but firm, halting him mid-action. 

His eyes widened as he unconsciously continued to read the screen and began to notice that the weight pressed against his chest had greatly increased. 

Gay4King: My… heart… I surrender. 

InexplicableEggplants: Tilt the camera a tiny bit downward! For science…

King couldn’t read another line as they blurred before his vision. His heart was beating so fast that it hurt, but he couldn’t move a muscle. 

Well, not until his mind caught up with what was happening, thanks to the beeping of the overload warning from his chat being spammed. 

Without a word, he pressed his hand more firmly to the warm back it was settled against, then carefully but quickly leaned forward and shut off his streaming camera, then leaned back again extremely slowly. 

He then took a full five minutes to get ahold of his whirling emotions before, ever so slowly, tilting his head to the side to stare slightly down at the man curled up against him in his giant hoodie, his slim figure filling the majority of the extra space nearly perfectly. One of his arms was visible since the hoodie had previously been partially unzipped, and along with that arm, he could also see a delicate but masculine shoulder and a tiny expanse of smooth back. 

Swallowing, he tried to figure out what he could do without waking the man, thus likely causing an anxiety attack, but nothing really came to mind. 

Well, one thing did come to mind, but it definitely wasn’t appropriate. 

He… couldn’t help it, though. 

After so many nights waking up with the man snuggled against him, he was now uncomfortably stressed.  

Yes, he wasn’t happy that Baron had shifted in front of the camera without being able to consent, but something else was weighing on his mind… and heart. 

I… haven’t been able to see him clearly because he’d only shift at night, but just now…

He couldn’t help himself. 

Reaching up with his free hand, he carefully settled it against Baron’s soft dark hair as he breathed out a long, quiet sigh.

Why did they get to see you in the light first? 

Thankfully nothing bad had been visible, but still…

He was completely, uncharacteristically, jealous.

Raccoon Ten

He wasn’t really sure what to do.

If I move he’ll wake up and definitely freak out, but if I don’t, he’ll still wake up at some point and definitely freak out.

He was also freaking out a little, himself, because he’d had his camera on when Baron had shifted. Thankfully, he was inside his hoodie, so they only saw his left arm and a little of his back since he had his face tucked a bit, but still!

Scowling at the computer, King considered his options Eventually, however, he came to the understanding that there was really only one thing he could do that made sense.

Leaning forward slowly, he focused on Baron’s response, and, more importantly, his thoughts. When he didn’t hear or sense anything, his brows furrowed.

You’re not changing back?

He slowly turned his seat, then began scooting towards his bed, extremely grateful that he’d chosen a high end gaming chair. It was super easy to move and with only a little bit of effort, he had made the journey.

Alright, you’re definitely still asleep.

He had no idea how, but he wouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth.

Lifting up his free hand, he carefully unzipped the rest of his big hoodie, being as quiet as he could. Once that was done, he made sure to keep his eyes at the appropriate level, but had no other choice than to lower his left hand to Baron’s backside in order to help with the man’s weight.

Just getting him into bed. Nothing else is going on.

King kept telling himself that over and over again until the man was finally settled with his head against the pillow and a soft blanket over his body.

Relieved that their first ordeal was over and done with, he finally leaned back in his chair and actually looked at the guy now fast asleep in his bed.

Absolutely gorgeous.

Baron’s picture on his driver’s license had done him absolutely no justice. He still had some faint black marks beneath his eyes, but he didn’t doubt that at least a little bit of that was from Prince.

In all honesty, it just made him look cuter.

Alright, so now I need to figure out a way to make him stay.

He paused abruptly, his face warming uncomfortably.

Stay until he’s mentally okay, of course!

Licking his lips, King crossed one leg over the other and let himself get lost in thought. It was easy enough to keep Prince in his apartment, and even if Baron had control of Prince, it still wouldn’t be too difficult, but now that he was back to being human and had hands that could easily unlock his front door…

Internally groaning, King looked up at the man still asleep in his bed.

Wait, he sleeps with his eyes open?

It took his brain a full ten seconds before it caught up with his thought. Then another ten seconds before he was internally panicking, making his poor otter dart around in a confused panic, too. Its little paws almost felt like they were stomping around on his brain as its worry surged, mixing with his own.

King now had so much going on inside his own head that he couldn’t even think about Baron until he calmed Rexy down. Thankfully, it didn’t take too long, but when he opened his eyes again after having needed to close them for a minute to focus, something felt a tiny bit off.

Why… is he just staring?

King could feel the waves of anxiety beginning to build in the back of his mind as the man slowly looked from one end of his room to the other.

“M-my name is King and this is my place. You’re more than welcome to stay here for as long as you’d like,” he quickly but quietly said as he did his best not to stare directly at the mostly-naked man.

Well, he was completely naked, but there was at least a blanket still covering his lap.

By the time those warm chocolate eyes finally returned to him King was internally fidgeting. The nervousness was partially their situation, but a bigger chunk of his unease was the man’s growing anxiety that had morphed from a few simple waves all the way up to a moderate tsunami.

I need to try and calm him down before something bad happens.

Of course, thinking that and actually managing it were two very different things. He didn’t know how Baron acted when he was extremely stressed… besides trying to jump off a bridge, and he also didn’t know how to really calm him. He was used to Prince, not Baron.

He was just about to go grab some of the leftovers he’d made, hoping that maybe the man liked food just as much as his shift and could calm down over a warm bowl of pasta when he nearly jumped out of his skin from the sound of his phone ringing in his back pocket.

Oh shit, that’s mom’s ringtone.

The moment he began reaching for it he noticed an immediate shift in Baron’s demeanor.

He’s going to try and run.

The man’s eyes widened as he watched him, seemingly surprised.

Without much time to think, King slowly nudged his chair a few feet backwards, then stood up and put himself in front of the door as he pulled his phone from his back pocket and answered it.

“Hey mom, what’s up?” he asked, doing his best to keep his voice even but also adding just enough inflection to his tone to hint that something was a little bit off.

His mom paused for a moment, but then said something he definitely wasn’t anticipating.

“Please put the phone on speaker and bring it close to Prince. I have something he’d probably like to hear.”

Huh?

Not willing to argue, he took a step forward, but didn’t dare get too close as he switched the call to speaker.

“Hello Baron, I’m King’s mother and I have been working to try and help you while you’ve been resting. I have someone waiting on the other end who’d like to speak with you, if that would be alright?”

King winced as he felt Baron’s anxiety skyrocket, but he knew that his mom wouldn’t just let any random person talk to someone who was suicidal.

“I think it’s okay, mom. He’s here and he can listen,” King replied calmly even though it felt like a thousand fire ants were marching beneath his skin.

His mom went silent for another moment, then they heard a faint beep sound. Almost immediately there was a muffled rustling, like someone wasn’t holding a phone quite right.

“Daddy?”

The army of ants retreated immediately.

The tsunami subsided within seconds.

And Baron was on his feet, hugging King’s phone to his chest as tears fell from his eyes.

“Daddy? This nice lady said that you were really sick and that’s why you haven’t been able to call or come home. Are you feeling better now? Do you want to talk to me?” his daughter asked, her voice full of unsure excitement.

She also sounded really mature for a little girl.

To King’s surprise, however, Baron wasn’t able to utter a single word as tears continued to stain his face.

Okay, I can do this.

Inching forward a tiny bit, King made sure that he was close enough for the phone to pick up his voice but not too close as to invade Baron’s personal space… especially since he was still naked.

“Hi sweetie, your daddy is here. He just has a very sore throat because he’s been so sick. He would absolutely love to hear about everything you’ve been up to, though!”

The girl paused for a moment, perhaps processing the new voice, then replied happily.

“Hello! What’s your name? Is daddy staying with you? Are you taking good care of him?” she asked, making King smile.

“My name is King, and yes, he is staying with me and he’s already doing much better.”

There was an excited sound of surprise on the other end before the little girl responded.

“You’re a king?! Daddy, you found a king?!”

A new emotion flitted through the back of King’s mind as he picked it up from Baron.

Happy.

Well, perhaps it wasn’t quite happiness, but maybe humor?

That emotion seemed to fit better.

King was just about to respond that he wasn’t quite a king , when he abruptly swallowed his words at the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

“That’s right… Tili. Daddy found… a king.”

Baron immediately started coughing once he’d finished speaking, but that was no surprise. His voice sounded terrible, so being sick was definitely a plausible excuse for his absence.

At this point the guy was practically ugly crying, but he somehow didn’t look any kind of ugly, even with his nose running and his face covered in tear stains.

Still so beautiful.

In a masculine way.

Snapping back to himself, King quickly pulled his chair over and placed it behind Baron’s shaking legs. The man sat immediately, making King grin as he hurried over to his bed and retrieved one of his blankets, then tossed it into Baron’s bare lap.

The man wrapped it around himself right away, then tucked his legs up and covered them, too.

“What’s your king’s name?” his daughter asked excitedly once her father had caught his breath from coughing.

Her question seemed to stump him, though, and his soft brown eyes quickly sought him out for an answer.

Oh, I guess I can give my real name.

She evidently hadn’t caught that King was actually the name he used, and since she was asking for another name, her father was hoping that he’d have one.

“Um, it’s Rex.”

Baron smiled.

King’s mouth went dry.

The man was soon back to his quiet conversation, but King’s heart had yet to recover.

He stood there, openly staring at Baron’s profile for nearly a full minute before finally forcing his feet to move. They took him out of the room with a shuffle, the action unfamiliar and uncomfortable as his nerves itched beneath his skin.

Once he’d stopped moving he found himself in the kitchen, and without thinking, he quickly filled a cup with warm water and mixed in a little honey and ginger. He also warmed up a bowl of the pasta he’d made earlier, just in case he was hungry.

After everything was ready, he found his one small serving tray and used it to bring the food to Baron. The man was clearly engrossed in his conversation about unicorns and tying shoes, but the moment King walked back in and stopped before him, he looked up.

King’s heart gave a hard thump in his chest as he slowly lowered the tray with a nervous smile. When Baron noticed what he was giving him he quickly sat up a bit straighter and helped him settled the tray on his covered lap.

The moment King’s fingers left the tray Baron was picking up the drink and eagerly gulping it down. He’d been a bit worried that he wouldn’t like what he’d added, but the cup was empty before he could even think to question him on his preference.

The look of relief on the man’s face was clear, too.

As soon as he set the empty cup down, King took it and quickly went to refill it. By the time he’d returned Baron was nearly done with the bowl of food he’d been brought.

He didn’t try to refill that, however, since Prince had already eaten earlier and he didn’t want to make him feel obligated to eat more. Thus, King was just about to settle himself on his bed and relax for a bit after handing him the refilled cup, when he felt gentle fingers just-barely touch his right arm.

Baron’s warm eyes quickly lifted to his, and King couldn’t help but think, okay. Whatever you want to ask of me. I’ll do it.

The man’s eyes squinted as his lips tilted upward and he gestured towards him with the phone a little.

“She’d like to talk to the king .”

Awww…

King graciously accepted his phone back.

“Hello Miss Tili,” he greeted pleasantly.

“Mister King, are you rich? Do you have your own castle?!” she questioned, her attention span for chatting with her dad evidently only lasting so long.

Cute kid.

Smiling, King leaned against his desk.

“As a matter of fact, I am quite rich. I don’t have a castle yet, but I have a very nice palace,” he said, keeping an eye on Baron’s expression just to make sure that his little white lies were okay.

Well, if the man’s bright red face and him having to lift one arm to stifle his laughter was any indication, he didn’t mind him lying to his daughter at all.

The little girl squealed with excitement, then laughed out loud before correcting him.

“Mister Rex, do you really have a palace?”

Grinning, King pressed his hand over the receiver and whispered to Baron.

“Can’t fool her, huh?”

Baron shook his head.

“My girl is too smart, but she likes to joke around a lot when she’s comfortable.”

King felt his heart warm.

She’s already comfortable talking with me…

“Ah, you got me. Although, I do still consider my place to be pretty nice. Maybe you can come visit sometime if your daddy is up to it when he comes home,” he said, making the girl suddenly switch directions.

“Daddy? When are you coming home? It’s very quiet here without you. I don’t like it.”

Quiet? Isn’t there a mom?

Baron frowned as King handed him the phone back.

“I’ll be home as soon as I can, sweetheart.”

A faint sound in background had Tili pausing, then speaking quickly.

“Ah, mommy is home. I have to get ready to go to ballet.”

Baron’s brows furrowed.

“Was she not with you while we talked?” he asked, confused.

His daughter made a negative sound.

“No. She gave me the phone, then went to buy cigarettes.”

The look on Baron’s face quickly changed to an angry scowl but he managed to keep his voice calm.

“Alright, please call me again as soon as you can. I’ll answer, I promise,” he said with a smile in his words.

“I will daddy! The lady who called told me that I can call you whenever I want, so I’ll call you tomorrow, too, okay?”

Baron nodded as he let another tear run down his right cheek.

“Okay, sweetheart. You be good and I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Okay, talk to you tomorrow daddy! Bye mister King!”

The moment the call ended King could feel the man’s anxiety begin to creep back into his mind, but thankfully it stayed near the back and didn’t overwhelm him like it nearly had before.

“Thank you,” Baron said as he handed him his phone back.

King took it and slid it into his pocket with a content smile.

“You’re welcome. My mom is a lawyer and decided to look into your situation on her own. I hope you don’t mind,” he said honestly.

Baron smiled, then laughed a little as he leaned back in King’s computer chair, allowing the blanket he’d wrapped around himself to drop a bit, revealing his smooth chest.

It wasn’t toned or muscular, but it showed evidence that it once had been.

I’ll need to cook more. He needs some more weight still.

“Trying to make me fat, hmm?”

King averted his eyes and rubbed at the back of his neck as he felt his face warm.

“Maybe… Prince really helped you gain back some weight, though I don’t think he really minded.”

Baron blinked, clearly confused.

“Ah, Prince is the name I gave your raccoon. He is the sweetest little guy.”

The anxiety that had been quietly wandering around the back of his mind suddenly flared up so badly that King had to force himself not to wince!

“I-I’m sorry,” Baron quickly said, apologizing as he realized that his stress had somehow affected him.

“I thought I was the only one who could read a mind here,” he said, looking a little nervous now.

King quickly smiled even though he was beginning to feel a headache coming on.

“I can’t read your mind but I can evidently sense your emotions,” he said, making Baron frown.

“I really shouldn’t stay here any longer then,” the man replied immediately as he moved to stand up.

King abruptly stepped in front of him, making him remain seated as his expression darkened the slightest fraction.

“Please don’t go! I’ve been taking care of your raccoon for weeks and he’s so sweet. You don’t seem like a bad guy, either,” King hurried to say, trying to get his point across before he got punched in the face.

Baron’s brow furrowed as a myriad of emotions crossed through King’s mind. When the man finally decided on what he wanted to say after nearly two full minutes of silence, King couldn’t help but stare at him, his mouth slightly open from shock.

“I… I’m not gay,” King replied to the man’s previous question.

Baron didn’t look convinced, though.

“I’m really not! I’ve had girlfriends, it’s just that I don’t really care to be around most people.”

He still didn’t seem convinced.

What else am I supposed to say to get you to stay? At least for a little while? I don’t want you to try and hurt yourself again and I haven’t even gotten to say goodbye to Prince yet…

As he tried to come up with some way to change the man’s mind, King looked down at his wrinkled shirt, then farther down to his sock-covered feet.

What could I say to his daughter when she calls tomorrow, too? I couldn’t tell her the truth.

The flash of anxiety that tore through his mind had King whimpering and backing away several steps as he reached up to grab his aching head!

He could feel warm tears running down his own cheeks within seconds as his lower lip trembled. Thankfully, somehow, Baron managed to calm down after only a few moments, giving King a much-needed reprieve from his stress.

Unfortunately, once he could open his eyes again, he knew what he’d find. Thus, he took a few extra moments as his heartbeat hammered away in his chest.

Except, when he did finally open his aching eyes, he couldn’t believe what he was seeing.

Not only was Baron not gone, but the man had moved over to sit on the floor against his bed.

Are his ears looking a little gray, or do I just need glasses?

King wasn’t sure why he’d chosen such a spot, either, until he realized what the man was now holding tightly against his chest.

Otterbahn?

Taking a tiny step forward, King swallowed down his nervousness and smiled.

“You like him? His name is Otterbahn.”

He was about to explain that Prince really liked the little stuffed toy and he often carried it around with him when Baron suddenly looked up, one eye wide and dilated in clear, stressed confusion, while the other was wide and bright with… excitement?

…Prince?

Raccoon Eleven

(Suicide crisis hotline for the US: 988)

He couldn’t think. 

Every time he tried to focus on one thing, another issue would begin whispering in the back of his mind, but when he switched to consider it, instead, something else  would suddenly demand his attention. The more things he tried to focus on, the darker his thoughts grew as they melded together into one mess of a shitty life. 

He continued to try and fight against the negatives that were now relentlessly bombarding him, using the memory of his recent conversation with his daughter to try and fight them back, but for some reason, her voice was just so much quieter than any of his other thoughts. 

And, eventually, it was swallowed up altogether. 

Wincing as his already-aching body tensed further, Baron ground his teeth and lifted one hand to try and pull at his hair, needing something  to get his mind back to the present, but when he didn’t begin to feel the pain of his hair being pulled out, he blinked his left eye open. 

Unfortunately, his vision was so blurry at that moment that it didn’t seem to matter.  

He didn’t currently have control over his right one, either. His raccoon had become pretty brave during the time he’d been unconscious, and it was refusing to allow his other eye to close completely, even though he also couldn’t see anything out of that one but faint blurs of light. 

I just want to die… why do you want to stay? 

He couldn’t understand the stubborn creature. He’d kept it inside of himself for years  since his wife had hated it and thought it was disgusting and a bad influence to their daughter. She also thought that it would somehow give them rabies…

A faint, indignant chatter was his raccoon’s response to his question, but he could barely hear it over his own stifling insecurities. 

The only thing that actually kept him from hurting himself at that moment was the odd pressure wading around his mind. He’d never felt such a thing before and pretty soon it had the majority of his attention as he tried to pinpoint exactly what it was. 

At first he thought it was just King’s thoughts, since he definitely wasn’t used to those yet, but when it continued to silently slip just out of his reach, he realized that it might not be King. At least, not entirely. 

What is going on? 

Pushing aside the negative thoughts gnawing at his aching mind, Baron focused solely on figuring out what was running around his mind. 

“…him sweetheart.” 

Huh? 

His heart twitched painfully in his chest, exhausted from trying to fight off his demons for so long. 

“…toast for dinner?” 

He blinked both of his eyes several times as he felt his raccoon abruptly retreat, along with the other sensation he’d been chasing, returning control of his other eye and allowing them to blink in tandem as his vision finally cleared. 

King was on his knees in front of him with both of his hands wrapped firmly around  Baron’s right one.

No wonder why I wasn’t able to pull at my hair… 

There was something else that needed to be verbally said, though. He tugged his hand free from King’s, then scowled at him as if he were crazy. 

“Who the heck makes toast for dinner?” 

The young man in front of him looked confused for all of two seconds before he gave him a huge smile… and a few tears. 

“Does it sound so bad? I promise I’m good at making toast,” he mumbled, confusing Baron even more. 

King seemed to get himself under control quickly, because he was soon getting up and walking over to his big closet. He returned a moment later with a pair of sweatpants and a comfortable-looking long-sleeved shirt. 

Relieved to have something to cover up with, Baron eagerly stood up on his shaky legs and got dressed. 

It fits really well…

“Thank you,” he said honestly, giving King a tired smile as he finally met his gentle eyes. 

He got another smile in return. The man seemed to have no shortage of them to give. 

“So… breakfast for dinner? I’m not exactly a great cook, but I just figured out how to boil pasta so I think I’ll be able to manage eggs and toast,” King said as he calmly reached forward and gently took hold of the tips of Baron’s fingers. 

They walked in silence through the small apartment, allowing him the silence he needed to examine what he was seeing. 

It’s so… bare. 

His own home had so much stuff in it that just thinking about returning to it had added mountains to his anxiety. His wife always insisted that she needed this new gadget or that fancy tea set, but when she got the things she needed, she’d use them for all of a week, at most, then leave them lying around to collect dust. 

She never cleaned or put things away, either, and if he happened to move something she wanted to use only once a year …

“Hey B, how do you like your eggs? I can do scrambled and… something else. It’s kind of close to scrambled but a bit more runny?” 

B? 

Slipping out of his thoughts, Baron walked over and looked into the fridge as King held the door open for him. 

Uh… why do half of those eggs have smiley faces on them? 

“I can sense you judging my eggs,” King muttered, though he still had a smile on his face as he closed the carton and took it out of the fridge. 

“The smiley faces are from the old carton and need to be used first. I don’t like keeping extra stuff around so as soon as I can fit them into one container, I mark the old ones, then recycle the other.” 

Just the thought of not needing to keep extra things sitting around made his body relax a little more as he watched King bring the eggs to the counter, having switched to being the one holding the door open. 

“Was there something else you wanted in there? Go ahead and grab anything,” King said as he got a pan situated on top of the stove. 

Uh…

Baron returned his attention to inside the fridge, then reached in and pulled out a quarter stick of butter, then a bell pepper, some mushrooms, and a small package of ground sausage. 

I don’t know how to cook that stuff with eggs…

The thought he caught from King wasn’t a surprise considering how he’d described his ability to cook eggs in general. 

“I can help you if you’d like to learn how to cook a little better,” he said as he took down a cutting board and set it next to the stove. 

He’d prepared all of his family’s meals before he’d went to work each morning, so he was pretty good with most things. 

When he picked up one of King’s decent knives, the thought to hurt himself flitted through his mind, but stabbing himself would definitely inconvenience his new friend and possibly wouldn’t be fatal, anyways. 

It wouldn’t be worth it. 

“I’d love to learn some new things!” King exclaimed as he quickly turned his attention to what Baron was doing. 

“I’ve been trying to learn things as I go when I was taking care of Prince, but he’s not really a picky eater. He didn’t care if things were cooked or not, and he even ate an entire snow crab earlier. Right out of the package.” 

Baron glanced sideways at him as a faint blush tinted his cheeks. 

His wife had always made fun of people who allowed their shifts to be so uncivilized. That’s probably why their daughter had only ever played in her kitten form on the rare occasions when his wife wasn’t there. 

“Everyone thought he was adorable, especially my mom. And, of course, we paid for the crab, too. Heck, my watchers on my video game loved seeing him eat whenever he wandered into the view of the camera.” 

King paused abruptly after he finished speaking, making Baron suddenly curious. 

“Prince… my raccoon, was on a video?” 

He was partially freaking out about that, but partially disconnected. He wasn’t his raccoon. They were practically two different entities at this point. Did it really matter if his raccoon was seen by some people online? 

“Y-yeah. Not intentionally, but he wandered into view a few times and let’s just say that he now has a pretty large fan base,” King said, his eyes looking away every so often. 

Fan… base? 

“People… like him?” Baron asked, unable to comprehend what he’d said. 

People didn’t like  raccoons in general, let alone seeing one inside a home… right? 

King nodded as Baron added butter to melt in the pan, then mechanically cracked some eggs into a bowl. As he knelt down to retrieve a second pan, he heard King respond. 

“They love him! I’m always being asked if I can call Prince over when I’m working but I don’t like using him like that, so I just tell them that he’ll walk in front of the camera if he wants to.” 

Straightening up, Baron took a few moments to process what he was saying as he got the pepper and mushrooms chopped up, then left them for a moment to put the sausage in the hot pan, then season it. 

Uh, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 

“I can feel that disappointment. We can go shopping whenever you want tomorrow,” King said, making Baron blush slightly at having been caught judging his lack of spices. 

It honestly made sense that he didn’t have much. He wasn’t big on cooking.

“I-it’s fine. It’s actually nice not to have a lot of stuff to deal with,” he said, partially honest. 

He did used to love cooking, but after having to wake up before  his usual two-job day and cook full meals for his wife and daughter? It had just become another dreaded chore. 

Smiling slightly, Baron made sure the sausage was cooking correctly, then added the vegetables to the other pan and seasoned them lightly. 

King watched him in rapt silence for a while, making the entire thing honestly quite relaxing. He didn’t have to worry about getting done in time to make it to work without being late, and there was no one breathing over his shoulder about how they liked their egg whites an exact way with only a pinch of pepper and three slices of diced jalapeno. 

That actually reminded him…

Glancing sideways, he asked, “do you want your eggs a different way? Is the sausage and vegetables okay?” 

King simply grinned and leaned against the counter. 

“I rarely ever touch vegetables, to be honest, but it looks delicious so I’m definitely willing to try.” 

That smile again…

He thought that he’d be jealous of someone being able to live such a carefree life, and while he was a little envious, he also couldn’t help but be happy for him. 

“You said that you stream on a video game. Is that your main job?” he asked, actually wanting to fill a bit of the silence so that he wasn’t left alone with his own thoughts for too long. 

When King nodded and hopped up on to the counter, Baron felt his left eye twitch. 

His wife would have thrown an absolutely fit  if he’d even put their daughter on the counter to cook with, let alone if he’d hopped up there, himself. 

This isn’t your house, it’s his. The rules are different. 

That actually had him thinking… what exactly were  his rules? 

“It is! I just recently signed a contract to do it full time. They’ve also been giving me a bonus any time your raccoon has showed up on camera. I’ve been saving that money in an account for you, though. I also added some from my own fans if they mention you when donating.”

I… have money? 

King tapped a few things on his phone, then turned it to face him with a big, goofy grin. 

“Not bad, right? Prince is a little star.” 

He… couldn’t believe his eyes. 

Three… three-thousand and thirty-five dollars?

A text message appeared at the top of the screen as he was still trying to process that he actually wasn’t completely broke anymore. 

King evidently recognized the chime, because he quickly turned the phone away and opened the message. 

“Oh, looks like my mom just got the money you were owed at your last job, too. She said she just sent it over. Here, look,” King said cheerfully as he turned the phone again, showing his account once more. 

Seven-thousand? 

He’d only been owed two, though. 

“She mentioned that they also gave you a small severance package, so if there’s any extra, that’s probably why. You must have been a great employee for them!” 

His mind couldn’t comprehend the number he was seeing.

“They… they had fired me, though,” he eventually ended up whispering as he finally looked past the phone and up at King’s still-smiling face. 

Feeling the young man’s hand settle against his hair after he set the device aside, Baron couldn’t help but step closer, until he was able to press his forehead against the man’s soft shirt. 

Soon there was an arm around his shoulders and the hand that had been settled atop his head now gently sifted through his hair. 

 It was the first hug he’d gotten that wasn’t from his daughter in… he couldn’t remember. 

From a complete stranger, too. 

That didn’t stop him from accepting the offered comfort, though. They were also just about equal in height, so even with King sitting on the counter, he wasn’t too high or too low. 

This feels nice. 

He probably would have just stayed there until King got annoyed with him, but the scent of the sausage beginning to burn pushed him to react. 

He highly disliked wasting food. 

So, with more than a little effort, Baron forced himself to step out of King’s warm embrace and got busy tending to their dinner. 

Thankfully, King didn’t seem to mind in the least, and quickly got busy grabbing down plates and unloading the dishwasher to keep out of the way. 

It was a good thing that he could read the full situation, too. Because, while Baron had told him that he’d teach him how to cook a bit, everything needed to be done quickly right now to prevent anymore stuff from burning. 

Thus, staying out of the way was the best plan of action. They worked perfectly in tandem, though, even within the small kitchen. 

Every few moments he would catch little thoughts from King, too, but he knew better than to give away any hint that he was hearing just about everything from the other guy now. Especially the repeating  he’s so cute!  and I wish I could cook like that,  sentences. 

It had been a bit odd, at first, but now that he was getting more used to it, he didn’t really mind. Besides, being called cute wasn’t a negative to him. He knew that he wasn’t exactly the general idea of what masculine should be, but he also knew that he definitely didn’t look childish. 

He was handsome in a cute way, if he didn’t put much effort into dressing up, and that was fine. 

Once everything was plated, he realized something that had him pausing with both their warm plates in his hands. 

There… isn’t a dining table. 

“Over here,” King said as he hurried past him, making Baron awkwardly walk over to the sofa. 

He’d never  dared to eat near his wife’s expensive furniture.

“I got it from the thrift store. Don’t worry about it,” King said with his usual happy smile as he got himself settled near the arm of the couch after setting their drinks on the little old coffee table nearby. 

After another moment of hesitation Baron finally walked over and handed King his plate. 

“Thanks! Do you want to watch anything? I have a few streaming services, but I’m not familiar with a whole lot.” 

He honestly hadn’t watched more than two or three movies in the entire past year, but he did like some programs.

When King offered him the remote, he slowly took it, then pointed it towards the TV to turn it on. It took him a minute to actually get the hang of the app he found, but once he was comfortable, a nature documentary about North America’s wildlife began to play. 

To his surprise, King straightened up and crossed his legs in order to focus on the TV as it began. 

Does he like nature documentaries, too? 

He was about to consider asking, but then decided not to bother. King was clearly engrossed in the show already, and he didn’t want to start a conversation when all he really wanted to do right then was nibble at his food and relax, watching a show he hadn’t had time for in so long. 

About halfway through said show, as a little opossum was munching on a piece of bread that had been discarded by a human at some point, he realized something as he looked down at his now-empty plate, then over to the kitchen, then back to his plate. 

We… never even made toast. 

And come to think of it. He didn’t remember seeing a single slice of bread anywhere in that kitchen, either.

Raccoon Twelve

He couldn’t help but stare. 

They had both fallen asleep on the sofa, and while he’d intended to at least drape a blanket over Baron before he settled himself on the floor, that had evidently not happened… at all. 

It’s more like I draped myself over him. Geez. 

Blushing, he carefully unwrapped his arm from around the man’s warm back, then tucked it against his own chest. 

Once that action was completed, his mind, unfortunately, seemed content with the situation and wouldn’t allow him to try and put anymore distance between them!

King had a tiny little panic attack because even with his arm now tucked against his chest with his other one, that didn’t leave more than an inch of space between their foreheads, maybe two inches between his hands and Baron’s gently moving chest, and their legs…

Yeah, those were still completely tangled up together. 

He couldn’t even avert his eyes unless he closed them, and his willpower wasn’t strong enough to even consider doing that. 

That nose… 

He could cry from the cuteness!

And now that he was close enough to really look  at the guy without worrying about seeming weird, he didn’t hesitate to take in the man’s gorgeously-long eyelashes, smooth, pale lips, and had he already mentioned his nose? 

I really should stop being creepy. 

He was just about to force himself to at least close his eyes for a moment in the hopes of breaking the enchantment that was clearly cast on him when he suddenly realized something. 

Rex? 

He felt a faint response, like the flick of a tail within his mind, but something didn’t feel quite right. 

Rexy? Are you alright, bud? 

He felt another, more dismissive nudge this time, but instead of coming from the back of his mind, it almost felt like the sensation was tickling his forehead…

Without realizing it, King found himself inching his head foreword on the couch cushion bit by bit as if he were moving to the forefront of his mind, trying to figure out what was going on with Rexy. 

As he wandered throughout his own thoughts, he couldn’t find any trace of his little buddy, making him quickly grow more worried. 

Rexy? Sweetheart? Can you come here for just a moment? 

He heard his otter’s dismissive chatter in response, but it sounded way too far away for his liking. 

Determined to at least find the little guy, King pressed on and, eventually, found himself in very unfamiliar territory. 

It’s never been this dark inside my mind before… 

His legs were also feeling quite heavy, even though he had definitely gotten a good night’s rest. 

Maybe it’s because our legs are still tangled. 

That didn’t make a whole lot of sense, but he wasn’t sure what else would cause his legs to feel so heavy. 

Rexy? 

When he didn’t get an immediate response like the other times he’d called for him, King felt his heartbeat pick up a bit. It continued to patter against his ribs as the area around him grew darker and darker. 

Rexy? Please come here.

He waited in the darkness, his beating heart the only sound keeping him company until, finally , he heard something else. 

The little squeak definitely wasn’t from his Rexy, though…

P?… Prince? Are you there, sweetheart? 

When the faint yet-familiar patter of paws met his ears, King couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Then, after waiting a few more moments with baited breath, seeing. 

My sweet Prince!

King quickly hurried forward as fast as his heavy legs could take him, then dropped to his knees to scoop up his sweet ball of fluff. 

“What are you doing in my mind, little guy? Are you alright?” he asked as he hugged the little purring baby to his chest. 

Thankfully, Prince seemed just as spunky as usual. 

“Where is your daddy, sweetie?”

The little raccoon took a few more moments of attention for himself, then turned his body in King’s arms a little and waved in the direction he’d come from.

“That way?” King whispered as he stood up, then began trudging through the darkness again. 

The farther they went the harder it became to walk, but he refused to stop until he found his Rexy. 

I can barely see my own hand in front of my face, let alone a dark brown otter, though.

Still, he refused to leave his baby, and after what felt like hours, he heard another sound. At first, he thought he was hearing things, because such a sound had never met his ears before, but when he realized what it was, he couldn’t help but push himself to move forward as fast as he could!

I want to hear more of that sound. 

And he did, along with a quiet chatter that soon joined it, bringing a relieved smile to King’s ethereal face. 

Rexy! 

The little otter came into view a few moments later, but there was someone with him, holding the little guy in his arms. 

Baron…

The man didn’t seem to hear him, but that wasn’t surprising. Half of his face, parts of his arms, and even the majority of the left side of his chest were simply empty voids of darkness the same color as their surroundings. 

You don’t even have any eyes right now…

And yet, the man was still gently holding his otter. And while he was even missing half of his mouth, a faint hint of laughter still emanated around them whenever Rexy reached up to wave with one paw or made a random sound. 

King immediately wanted to go over and sit with them, but he managed to stop himself right before he started moving. 

He can’t see right now, and I doubt that he can hear well, if at all, either. If I just randomly step into his space, he might panic and wake up before I can. 

Resigned to his decision, King quietly settled himself into a comfortable sitting position, then, since he couldn’t safely approach Baron at the moment, decided to give his sweet Prince some attention. 

The little raccoon was all for their one-on-one time, especially since his dad seemed busy with King’s own little one. 

As he held an excited, wiggling raccoon up in the air like a fuzzy airplane, he couldn’t help thinking that Rexy was acting strange. His otter had never been one to seek out attention much, even before the accident. 

While he played with Prince, he couldn’t help but sneak little glances at Baron and Rexy. 

Oh… that’s right. You aren’t held back by your physical limitations when you’re inside my mind. 

His little otter was waving its paws and tapping them against Baron’s chest as it squeaked and chattered, seemingly lecturing him on something very  important. 

Of course, Baron didn’t seem able to see or hear him, but he did appear to be able to understand the otter’s intentions by its tapping, making the situation somehow work enough to hold Rexy’s limited attention span… and make Baron laugh. 

I like that sound. 

Granted, it would definitely sound different if they weren’t within their own minds, as it was a little bit haunting and not quite in his tone of voice since most of his mouth was currently missing, but it still sounded perfect to his ears. 

As he switched to scratching Prince’s fuzzy belly, King took more and more glances at Baron and Rexy. It got to the point where he was looking at them more than Prince, and that ended up earning him a bop to his nose as a reminder that there was someone else wanting and deserving  of his attention still in his lap!

Ah, sorry. Sorry, he told Prince as he hugged the little guy tightly, earning a squeak, then a grumble. Those sounds weren’t all that loud, but when a near-silent inhale followed them, King quickly looked up to see that Baron was now looking  in their direction. 

Keeping his thoughts to himself, he quickly patted Prince’s fuzzy back, trying to keep him calm so that they didn’t startle his daddy. 

Thankfully, Baron returned his attention to Rexy after a few moments and the two calmly interacted until the darkness around them slowly increased to an obsidian nothingness. 

My legs…

At first, he thought King had tied him up to keep him from leaving, but as Baron took stock of his body, he realized that he really wasn’t restrained in any such way. 

He doesn’t even have his arm around me or a hand on my clothing…

He moved his legs a tiny bit and quickly realized what had actually happened. 

They’re just tangled up together. 

He was about to begin carefully untangling them when he noticed a faint pressure within his mind… then another close by. 

Sweetheart, why didn’t you go back to your dad? 

He could sense the little otter wandering around in his mind, as if checking out a new territory. And, of course, his raccoon was eagerly following after it, surprisingly excited to have another animal in its territory. 

Overly excited, I feel. 

The poor otter was constantly having to send a threatening hiss or frustrated swap toward his overly-eager raccoon. 

Behave… Prince. Don’t bother our guest too much before I can get him back to King. 

His raccoon hesitantly backed off, but there was no helping its curiosity as it followed behind the little otter at a more reasonable distance. 

Good boy. 

Returning his attention to his little predicament, Baron finally opened his eyes. 

He was a bit startled, at first, since King’s face was right in front of his own, but when he realized that the man was sleeping peacefully, he was able to calm himself down and assess the situation. 

We fell asleep watching the documentary last night. 

He… wasn’t sure how to feel about that. 

Sure, he’d fallen asleep on the sofa at his house countless times, and honestly more times than in his own bed. Heck, now the thought of climbing into that bed for even one more night made his skin crawl.

Returning his attention to King, Baron looked over the younger man’s face calmly. 

He really is asleep. Is he that comfortable with me already? 

His raccoon perked up in his mind, purring at the thought of getting to snuggle with the man who had evidently looked after it for quite some time. 

Not right now. I need to figure out how to give your little friend back first. 

He really had no idea how he’d actually managed to get King’s shift, though. 

Was it just because we slept together? Did it swim over to my mind because we were touching? 

Confused and a little bit nervous, Baron double checked that King was still fast asleep, then cautiously leaned forward until their foreheads were gently pressed together. 

Okay little one, can you return to your dad now? 

The otter chattered a bit and moved closer to the front of his mind, but it didn’t try to leave. 

He was evidently a stubborn little guy. 

Leaning away a little, Baron gave a silent sigh and settled his head back down to think. He knew that he could just wake King up and ask if such a thing had happened before, and how he’d gotten his shift back, but if such a thing hadn’t happened before, it could really freak the guy out, and he definitely didn’t want to do that. 

He was just about to start stressing when he heard a faint ringtone from behind King. 

Um…

Pushing himself up a tiny bit, he looked at the coffee table, but quickly realized that the phone wasn’t there. That lead his gaze to a spot a little bit closer. 

Uh… it’s in his back pocket. 

He considered trying to grab it quickly so that King didn’t get woken up, but when the man began to stir before he could find the courage to do so, Baron quickly settled back down and shut his eyes!

Soon he felt King’s weight shift on the couch as he quietly exhaled, then stretched a bit and he retrieved his phone. 

A moment after that the ringtone was silenced, then he whispered a very quiet, “hey mom.” 

You sound half asleep…

Which made sense since he’d just woken up, but still. 

“It’s eleven o’clock, King.” 

There was a surprised pause of silence from King, but Baron was also quite shocked that they’d slept so long. 

I don’t think I’ve ever slept past four in the morning. 

Sometimes he’d even just skip sleeping if he got home too late and simply down a few energy drinks before work that morning. 

I don’t miss those drinks. They made my heart race so badly. 

“How are things going? Is Baron awake?” King’s mother asked. 

Figuring that was his hint to stop pretending, Baron moved his body a little bit here and there, then stretched enough to untangle their legs. He’d intended to just fake a small yawn, but there was no holding it back once it got going. 

By the time he’d closed his mouth again, then finally opened his eyes, he couldn’t help but sense what was coming. 

He’s so damn cute! 

There it was. 

Tilting his head after settling it on his arm, Baron yawned one more time before he heard King speak. 

“He’s awake now, mom.” 

His mom replied immediately. 

“His daughter wants to talk to him if that’s alright?” 

Baron immediately sat up, his eyes bright and eager even if his hair was an absolute mess and his clothing disheveled from sleep. 

“Yes, I think he’d really like to speak with her,” King replied as he handed the phone over to him without a second thought. 

It beeped twice as his mom did something, then went quiet for a moment. 

“Daddy?” 

He couldn’t keep the huge smile off his face. 

“Hi sweetheart, did you sleep well last night?” Baron greeted happily. 

Tili made a humming sound that she often used to relay that she was thinking, then replied after a few more moments. 

“No, my feet hurt.” 

Her feet? 

He was about to ask her why her feet would hurt, but then he remembered their last conversation. 

“From ballet? Did your mom sign you up for that again?” he asked, feeling his blood boil beneath his skin.

His daughter was good at ballet, but it wasn’t a child’s sport once you started getting even better. It was exhausting and could hurt quite a bit. After a while, she’d decided that she didn’t want to do it anymore. 

“If you don’t want to do it, please don’t, especially if it hurts.” 

His daughter was silent for a moment, then sniffled. 

“B-but mommy won’t give me dinner if I don’t do well.” 

He was seeing red. 

Before his mind could get too dark, though, the color began to dissipate as he focused on the warm hand now holding his left one tightly. 

Taking a deep breath, Baron squeezed King hand in return, using the pressure to release a bit more stress, then, he spoke again. 

“Ms. Ann?” 

A beep sounded. 

“Yes, Baron?” 

He thought for a moment, then replied. 

“Could… could I request a welfare check, please?”

He expected her to hesitate, because they weren’t technically even acquainted yet, but to his surprise, her response was immediate. 

“Yes sir, I can get that done for you.” 

Just like that? 

“What is that, daddy?” Tili asked, making him quickly return to his smiling self. 

“It’s nothing to worry about, sweetheart. Don’t tell mommy though, okay?” 

He felt bad for saying that, but it could really become a problem if his wife was tipped off beforehand. 

“Okay, mommy is out buying stuff again so she won’t know!” Tili said with her usual enthusiasm. 

Baron smiled and leaned back against the couch as his fingers firmly massaged King’s. It was an old habit he usually did with his own hands when he was nervous, but since one of his hands was currently holding the phone, he couldn’t do it. Thus, King’s hand was the only other option available. 

“Oh, daddy! Are you gonna be able to come home for your birthday tomorrow? You aren’t, are you?” she asked, her voice growing quieter the longer she spoke. 

It hurt. 

So badly. 

He would have honestly started falling into his normal depressive state right then and there but before his mind got a chance to darken King was leaning against him, a big smile on his handsome face. 

“I’m sorry I’m keeping your daddy for a bit longer, but I’ll tell you what. I’ll be picking up his present later tonight, and I think they might have just the thing for you, too, since your birthday was pretty recent too, yeah? What if I send you something so you can open a present with daddy over the phone?” 

The little girl immediately squealed in delight!

“Yay! My birthday wasn’t long ago! Oh, mommy is home with a lot of stuff, I have to help her or she’ll get mad. Bye daddy, call me tomorrow!” 

The girl hung up before Baron could say anything, but that was honestly normal. She didn’t have the longest attention span. 

But anyways…

Turning his head to the side, his nose nearly brushed King’s before he lifted an eyebrow. 

“Her birthday was nine months ago.” 

The man beside him sat up straight and grinned, seemingly without a care in the world for his mistake of assuming her birthday was recent enough to still celebrate. 

“That’s not that long when you consider how old we are. I think she still deserves a present, especially for dealing with ballet!” 

He… had no argument to that. 

“You boys take care. I’ll schedule that welfare check and let you know what happens before we do our call tomorrow evening,” King’s mother said, startling them both a bit since they’d forgotten that she was also on the line. 

“Th-thanks mom. I really appreciate it,” King said before Baron added, “yes, thank you so much. You and your son have been a blessing.” 

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. Take care and I’ll speak with you two tomorrow.” 

The phone went silent a moment later, leaving them to stare at each other for a few seconds before King’s grin returned. 

“Time to go out shopping!” he cheered as he quickly hopped up off the sofa, startling Baron a bit. 

“Sh-shopping? I…” 

He was about to say that he didn’t have any actual clothes, but when he looked to the side, he noticed his suitcase that had been pushed against a far wall. 

A heavy wave of dread spread over his insides as he slowly stood up, unable to look away from the one simple fabric box that held his life’s remaining possessions. 

I really don’t want to wear any of that. 

His wife had picked out every, single, thing. 

“You can borrow whatever you want of mine. I have plenty of stuff,” King said without an ounce of hesitation as he quickly took his hand again, then tugged him right into his bedroom. 

“Use whatever you want. I’m gonna go shower first real quick, then you can take your time,” he said before walking to the door, then pausing for a moment before turning back around. 

“Oh yeah, and I know you have my Rexy, though I’m not sure how. He’s a bit stubborn, so don’t let him push you around too much.” 

You… know I have him? You’re not freaking out that I took a part of you? 

King’s smile widened slightly. 

“Don’t worry about it. I know you wouldn’t have taken him on purpose. He’s probably just worried about you or wanted to play with Prince… though I have my doubts on that last one. Either way, I trust his judgement and I’m sure he’ll come back to me soon.” 

He could tell that the guy was at least a little bit worried about his shift suddenly swimming into someone else’s mind, but when he didn’t hear any real panicking from his thoughts, he relaxed a bit. 

And with that, King was gone, leaving a rather bewildered Baron standing in the middle of his room wondering what he should wear, what they should get his daughter for her extremely late extra birthday gift, and what on Earth he should do with an extra shift in his head!

Raccoon Thirteen

(Still working on Crow but this one keeps sneaking in between XD) 

“All set?” King asked as he turned at hearing Baron’s footsteps approaching from the hallway. 

The man appeared a few minutes later, but King immediately knew that something wasn’t quite right. 

Rexy… you brat. 

Walking over to the clearly uncomfortable man, King gently took his hand and led him back into the warm bathroom. He could have told him that he’d already warned him about Rexy bossing him around, but the guy clearly didn’t need to be poked at. Thus, he simply had him sit down on the closed toilet seat and grabbed a clean, soft towel. 

“He really likes it when my hair is wet,” Baron said after a minute of awkward silence. 

His words had King smiling as he continued to work on drying the guy’s surprisingly thick, soft hair. 

“He does, but there’s a time and place for everything, and I’m not letting you go out with wet hair with how cold it is outside,” King said firmly but gently. 

His tone drew the man’s attention as he looked up at him, then, thankfully, returned his smile with a cautious one of his own. 

“You’re very sweet.” 

King’s hands paused abruptly as the towel stilled in Baron’s hair. 

I-I… 

He was going to argue that he wasn’t really sweet to most people, but then bit his tongue. Saying that he was only sweet to Baron wouldn’t help their delicate situation. 

Instead, he thought for a moment, then gave him a toothy grin as he abruptly mussed up his hair enough to make the man quickly but carefully swat at the towel!

King gave out a playful laugh as he jumped back just in time to avoid getting swatted, himself, though his actions still earned him a much deserved look  through Baron’s now-messy bangs. 

I wish I could take a picture of him right now… 

That thought distracted him just long enough for Baron to score the upper hand and, before King could do a single thing about it, he was lifted up like a three year old and nearly smacked his head on the ceiling before Baron settled him in his arms. 

I’m going to die. 

His heart was beating so fast!

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts again that he didn’t even realize that he was being carried until he was unceremoniously dropped onto the sofa with a surprised squeak! 

His hands immediately moved to cover his burning face as he heard Baron laughing so loud that his ribs were likely to hurt very soon if he didn’t calm down. 

While he was embarrassed from constantly being distracted, King couldn’t help but move the fingers covering his right eye just enough to allow him to peek at the other man. 

As he’d expected, Baron was nearly doubled over, holding his belly as he began to calm his laughter a bit. 

I… made him laugh like that? 

No longer minding his embarrassment much, King slowly pushed himself up, then leaned against the arm of the chair and rested his head against his hand. 

He waited patiently with an intrigued look on his face until Baron was finally able to straighten and wipe the tears from his eyes. That’s when the man noticed him watching and gave him the cutest smile. 

“Sorry, are you okay? I got a little carried away. I’m not used to my raccoon being able to control me so easily.” 

Ah, that actually makes sense now. 

He had been pretty shocked when Baron had picked him up, but if Prince was influencing him then it made perfect sense. 

Leaning forward, King settled his arms on his knees and returned his smile. 

“That’s alright, I know he loves being tossed onto the bed, so he probably just wanted to simulate that for me,” King said, chuckling a little at how the situation had actually played out, though. 

Baron nodded sheepishly as he rustled his hair, the blush King had expected to eventually show up finally coloring his cheeks. 

“Ready to head out? I’m starving,” King said as he finally got up and walked over to take Baron’s hand without a second thought. 

He was about to pull him right out the door when he realized something and took a quick detour to the couple of coats hanging up nearby. 

After only a moment of consideration, he took down a light brown puffy coat and helped Baron into it, even though the man clearly didn’t need the assistance. 

Once that was done, King opened the door, only to have a coat abruptly settled on top of his head!

He quickly wrestled it down into his arms and was about to say that he wouldn’t have a problem with the temperature outside, but the look on Baron’s face told him to just put it on. 

Okay, okay. 

Sliding his arms into the coat, King adjusted his long-sleeved shirt within it, but froze mid-reach towards the door handle when Baron reached forward and zipped up his coat for him, then even pulled the little turtleneck part together and sealed it with the intended Velcro, leaving only King’s wide eyes visible. 

He was about to tell the guy that he didn’t need to bundle up this  much, but he bit his tongue again as Baron leaned forward and pulled the door open and a rush of chilly air rushed into his apartment! 

Holy crap, it wasn’t this cold yesterday!

“There’s a cold front moving in,” Baron said as he took King’s hand and tugged him outside, giving him just enough time to lock the door before leading him down the stairs. 

The guy wasn’t kidding! It felt like it was getting close to freezing outside, and in the middle of the day, too! 

Not wanting to be outside any longer than necessary, King quickly unlocked his car and slid in as Baron got in on the passenger’s side. It wasn’t nearly as nice as his mother’s, or as new, but it got him from point A to point B and had been reliable, so that was all that mattered to him. 

Baron only glanced around the inside for a moment before fastening his seatbelt and turning his attention to their surroundings. 

“Want to just go to the mall? There’s a grocery store nearby, so we can grab food after we get some gifts?” King said as he got his car pulled out onto the road. 

Baron turned his head to look at him, but King couldn’t look at his expression while driving. He was a very cautious driver, though he didn’t go super slow or anything, but just needed to focus a little more than most. 

“Presents? I thought we were just getting something small for my daughter?” he asked, confused. 

King was silent for a minute but he couldn’t hide his grin as they turned into the massive mall parking lot. 

“It’s your birthday, Baron,” he finally said as they found a pretty good spot and hopped out. 

Of course, Baron quickly met him at the back of the car and began walking in step with him. 

“But I don’t need anything. I don’t even celebrate my birthday.” 

He had no doubt about that considering how his wife apparently treated him, but…

Reaching over, King hooked an arm around one of Baron’s as he tugged the guy forward a bit faster than they had been walking, forcing him to hurry along or risk being dragged. 

“Well I celebrate birthdays, and since it’s yours, we’re going to go have a bit of fun and find some things that you want, not need,” King said as he looked over his shoulder at the exact time a strong gust of wind rustled his dark hair. 

The sensation of warmth he felt from Baron’s mind at that moment made him truly feel like what he was doing with their situation was right. He’d been right to take Prince home, and he’d been right to give Baron a chance. 

“Wh-what’s that look for?” Baron mumbled as he lifted the fabric of his own borrowed jacket up to cover up to his cute nose as they stepped through the automatic doors. 

King unzipped his jacket since it was warmer inside, then suddenly stepped in front of Baron and grabbed his other hand, forcing him to stop in front of him. 

“It’s for you! Now, what do you want to eat?” he asked as he turned a little and pointed at the big sign they’d stopped in front of that listened all of the stores in the mall, including the food court. 

It’s been a while since I’ve been here but man, the Chinese is so good, and the burger place. The pizza was great, too… 

A light chuckle drew his attention to Baron as the man stepped up beside him. 

“What about here?” he asked as he raised his hand and tapped a finger against an unfamiliar restaurant. 

Vietnamese and Thai? 

He’d never had either, but he wasn’t going to argue. 

“Sure! Let’s go there,” he said cheerfully as he began tugging Baron towards the food court, only for the man to quickly overtake his long strides with measured ones of his own until, somehow, he was leading him by the slightest margin. 

I’m… really not used to someone having legs as long as mine. 

Of course, that didn’t mean that Baron was going to win! 

King quickly sped up, nearly having to jog a little to overtake the man’s pace, only for Baron to speed up again with a slight smirk on his handsome face!

You!

King tried to speed up again, then again , but no matter the pace he set, Baron easily surpassed it by just enough to make his competitive side itch!

By the time they finally got to the food court both of them were panting quietly and while Baron was simply grinning, King was frazzled and trying not to blush as he worked on catching his breath. 

A faint squeeze to his hand was the only notice he got before Baron started walking again, but instead of competing, King allowed himself to be led along like a tired puppy that had finally given up trying to nip at his new leash. 

When they stopped a minute later, he looked up, in a bit of a daze. 

He quickly realized that he didn’t know any of the dishes he was seeing on the menu. Even the seasoning on their descriptions was lost on him. 

I have no idea what to get…

To his surprise, Baron stepped forward and easily ordered himself a meal and a few sides, then had King pay before he could even process what was going on. Then, not a moment later, he was being led away. 

“H-huh? W-wait your food?” King stuttered, confused. 

Baron slowed to a stop in between the pizza restaurant and the Chinese one, then looked at him with a gentle smile. 

“They said it will take a few minutes to make. Why don’t you get something you’d like?” 

But, don’t you want us to order from the same place? You wanted to go there…

Baron lifted his free hand and settled it atop King’s hair, then rustled it gently. 

“I wanted to go there and I got what I wanted. I don’t want you to get something you might not like, though. I got a few extra small dishes and you’re welcome to try any that you’d like, but I want you to get what you know you’ll enjoy eating.” 

King pursed his lips but didn’t argue. After glancing between the Chinese and pizza place a few times, he went with the simpler option: Pizza. 

Soon they both had their meals and a table in a quieter part of the sitting area. King easily downed one slice of his pineapple and mushroom pizza, but then his curiosity began to set it as his stomach settled a bit. 

The first thing he tried was a shrimp spring roll. It had come with a dipping sauce, but he found that he preferred it without. It had been simple and a bit familiar, since he did eat Japanese food sometimes, but the next item he looked at was definitely not something he’d come close to eating before. 

It looks like an egg pancake…

“It’s a rice flour pancake with pork, chives, and turmeric,” Baron said as he cut a small piece from the pancake and offered it to King with his fork. 

“Want to try?” 

I have no idea what turmeric is. 

That didn’t stop him, though. 

Leaning forward, King took the small piece of pancake from the fork with his teeth, then cautiously chewed it. 

Uh…

It wasn’t bad , but he wasn’t sure if it was good, either. 

“Here,” Baron said as he reached across and pressed a napkin to King’s lower lip. 

“I won’t be upset if you spit it out.”

His mom would have definitely been upset, but since she wasn’t there, he gratefully accepted the napkin and spit out the strange-tasting pancake, then washed away the flavor with a sip of his soda. 

He wasn’t deterred, however, and quickly leaned closer to another dish, earning a light bit of laughter from Baron as he nudged it towards him. 

“Those are fried mung bean and sesame balls. Definitely a different taste than the pancake.” 

Reassured that it would at least be different, King took one of the little balls, then popped the whole thing into his mouth. 

Oh. 

This one was great!

“We have a winner, hmm?” Baron said as he nudged the plate closer to King. 

“Help yourself, hun.” 

King didn’t argue and gladly devoured another yummy ball of goodness. He nearly ate the entire plate of them before he managed to catch himself right as he was reaching for the last treat. 

He quickly nudged the plate back to its original spot closer to Baron, then picked up his other slice of pizza and used it to fill his mouth. 

I can’t believe I ate all of his bean things. 

They had tasted so good that he’d just eaten them like mini donuts!

“Don’t worry about it. I liked watching you enjoy something new,” Baron said as he lifted a spoonful of soup to his mouth. 

King watched him a few times as he finished off his pizza. 

I think that’s papaya and I know I don’t like papaya, but it smells good…

“Want to try?” Baron asked with a knowing smile that made his dark eyes shine softly. 

“It’s cooked papaya, fish sauce, ginger, spinach, and a few other odds and ends.” 

That still didn’t sound that great, but he really did want to try it!

“Want me to go get you a spoon?” Baron asked, looking like he was about to get up and go get one either way. 

“I-I can just use yours if you don’t mind,” King said without a second thought. When his mind was focused on food, that was all he saw.

Baron didn’t seem to mind, so he simply dipped his spoon back into his soup, then lifted it towards King’s lips. It was accepted immediately, even though King still had his doubts on the flavor. 

Oh my gosh!

He could still definitely taste the papaya, but as Baron leaned away, taking his empty spoon with him, King couldn’t help but lick his lips in between chewing. 

The bowl soon found its way into his hands and, without thinking, King downed the remainder of the soup in seconds. 

So good!

Once it was completely empty and back on the table King finally realized what he’d done and blushed. 

“I-I’m sorry, I’ve been eating all your food,” he stuttered, embarrassed. 

Baron didn’t seem to mind at all, however, as he was all smiles while cleaning up their dishes to return. 

“It’s totally fine. I got more than enough to eat and I’m glad you enjoyed some new things with me.” 

Oh…

Unsure what to say, he helped Baron clean up, then went back to the restaurant Baron had ordered from and got himself another two orders of the fried mung bean treats.  

They were hot and absolutely delicious so, of course, he made sure that Baron actually got several this time around as they finally began their walk through the mall. 

Hmm, he definitely needs some of his own clothes, so that should probably be our first stop. 

Thinking back to what the man had in his suitcase, King deduced that he wouldn’t want anything formal. At least not right away. Sneaking a few glances at the man walking beside him nibbling at a mung bean bun, he couldn’t help but think that he could just keep borrowing his clothes forever, because he looked really good in them, but that clearly wasn’t plausible. 

“How about here?” he asked as he took the man’s free hand in order to get him to slow down in front of the shop to their left. 

Baron finished his treat and licked the tips of his fingers as he stopped, then turned. 

King felt a nervous hint of emotion come from the man, but then it seemed to mellow out. 

“Am I not a little too old for this kind of clothing?” Baron asked after a moment of silence. 

King tilted his head, eyeing the man from head to toe again. 

Definitely not too old for it. 

“You’re only thirty-err, thirty-one, and you have a great body. You’ll definitely look good in this stuff,” he said honestly, making Baron raise an eyebrow at him before he returned his attention to the shop in front of them, then awkwardly took a step forward. 

Thankfully, there were was a decent range of people shopping inside, further placating Baron’s worries as he slowly began sorting through racks of shirts. 

Since he seemed pretty focused on what he was currently doing, King let him be and wandered over to a display for pants. 

Hmm, he’s wearing mine right now, but they might be a tiny bit too small once he’s back to his normal weight.

He grabbed a size up for each color of cargo pants he was looking at, then went over to a display for jeans. Two pairs of those were added to his arms before he realized that they’d need a cart. 

“Here, I got this for us,” Baron said, drawing King’s attention over his shoulder as he turned to see the little shopping cart the man had found. 

“Ah, perfect!” he said as he gladly relieved his arms of the weight of the clothing, then quickly tossed in a few more pairs of pants. 

“Planning a wardrobe change?” Baron joked as he held up one of the pairs King had chosen. 

He only put two items in for himself. 

One pair of pants and one long-sleeved shirt. 

He glanced up at Baron with an eyebrow raised. 

“Wh-what? Is it too much?” the man asked, completely serious. 

Is it too much, he says. 

The guy had thousands in his account right now and King had heard his phone beeping every other hour, which was a notification letting him know that money was still being added to Baron’s account he’d made. 

Not that he was going to let him pay for a single thing to begin with…

With a blank face King turned and grabbed more stuff, then took hold of the end of the cart with one hand as he grabbed Baron’s with his other. He then proceeded to tug the man along as he put item after item into the cart until it was a literal fabric tower on wheels!

By the time they finally stopped next to the changing rooms, Baron’s face was bright red. 

“Alright, time to try some stuff on. It doesn’t matter which color you choose as long as you grab one of each kind to make sure they fit correctly,” King said as he quickly pulled out seven different pairs of pants, four shirts, and four pairs of shorts. 

Baron nearly disappeared under the mountain of clothing he shoved into his arms!

Thank god they don’t have a limit on what you can try on here. 

He could sense Baron’s emotions jumping all over the place, but the guy wisely decided not to bother trying to argue and silently went into the open stall. 

King followed him halfway in before he realized what he was doing and quickly took a step backward. 

“Um, just let me know if you need a second opinion or any help,” he said quickly. 

Soon after the door was shut and he nervously wandered back to their cart a few paces away, then started chewing on a nail. He could sense Baron considering each item, but time after time, the man refused to step out wearing anything. 

Pursing his lips in a pout, King leaned on the cart and sighed out his nose. 

I just wanna see one thing, at least…

He knew that he was being a brat, which was why he wasn’t saying anything out loud. He just… might have had ideas in his head about Baron asking for his opinion since it had been so long since he’d gotten new clothes.   

Nudging the toe of one sneaker against the carpet, King continued to pout until he heard the door to the dressing room inch open, immediately stealing his attention and making his face light up as he saw Baron peeking out from behind it.  

“U-um, could you see if this outfit looks good? It’s the only one I’m not sure about,” the man asked quietly. 

Yes!

King cleared his throat and hurried over. 

“Of course. Let me see,” he said calmly as he stepped into the dressing room, then gently slid the door closed. 

When he finally turned around again, he couldn’t help but lift a hand to his lips to keep his smile hidden. 

He’s so handsome and cute! 

The guy was wearing a pair of dark blue boot cut jeans that hugged his hips perfectly without being too tight or too loose. They didn’t quite match the shoes he was wearing at the moment, but that was something he intended to solve next anyways. 

Lifting his gaze, King didn’t skip a single inch of the man’s body until his eyes finally landed on the shirt he was wearing. 

Oh. 

Now he couldn’t  hide his smile any longer. 

Stepping forward, he deftly undid the mismatched buttons on the striped plaid shirt, then just as easily buttoned them all back up. Once done, he took a step back and grinned contently. 

“Looks perfect,” he said honestly, then turned to see that Baron had already sorted out the remainder of the clothing. 

Looks like most of it fits, good. 

“Alright, if that’s the last one go ahead and change back to what you were wearing and I’ll pay, then we can go get you some new shoes,” King said as he stepped out and quietly closed the door. 

He was all smiles when Baron finally came out and happily paid for everything that fit before they grabbed their bags and headed toward the shoe store. 

Baron seemed a bit more nervous in that place, making King question him about what brands he liked. The answer he got wasn’t a surprise anymore. 

“if you haven’t picked out your own shoes in years, do you remember what used to be comfortable?” he asked as they walked through the aisles after having set their bags down nearby in view. 

The man shook his head, looking quite embarrassed. 

“Okay, well, no problem. Do you like the ones you’re borrowing from me right now?” 

Baron looked down, then nodded a little. 

“Okay, those are Puma, they’re over here,” he said as he took Baron’s hand and tugged him along. 

He was soon pulling boxes off the shelf in all different colors as Baron hurried to try each shoe on. When they started, the man’s expression hadn’t been all that favorable, but the longer they spent in the store, the more he got into trying out shoes. 

“These ones would look really good on you,” Baron said as he pulled a bright blue and pink pair of shoes off the shelf and proudly showed them to King. 

Those aren’t bad…

With a smile he gladly took the box, then nudged his own shoes off before sliding on the new ones. 

Oh, I really like these. 

He quickly decided that he was getting them and slid his old shoes into the box they’d come in so that he could wear them out. 

“They’re comfortable, right?” Baron said as he slid on the same color pair with a content smile. 

They look really good on him, too. 

“Okay, so we’re definitely getting these. How about those, too?” King said as he pointed at the two boxes of shoes Baron had also liked.

“They’re running a buy one get one half off, so we can get four.” 

Baron nodded, not willing to argue that he was getting three pairs to King’s one. He simply gathered the three that he wanted, then added King’s box to his stack before they headed to the check-out desk, grabbing some socks along the way. 

Once they finished with that they returned to his car to put their stuff in the trunk before going back inside. He could tell that Baron was running out of steam, however, so they didn’t dawdle as they made their way to the children’s store at the end of the mall. 

Once inside Baron immediately began looking through things, clearly focused on finding something that his daughter would like. 

King could sense his enthusiasm and overall determination and smiled, but then glanced to the side as a bright neon sign caught his attention. 

Ah…

“Hey B, I’m gonna go next door for a minute. I’ll be right back!” 

Baron looked up and nodded, then returned to his task, leaving King to hurry to the other store. It was thankfully not busy and he was helped immediately, making it easy for him to get what he needed done before Baron was finished. 

By the time he’d returned to the other store Baron had picked out some little things for his daughter. 

Ah, that’s a cute coat. 

There were also little unicorn socks and a small rainbow bracelet. 

“Those look good!” King said as he gladly paid for the items, then handed the bag to Baron. 

“We’ll mail them out on our way home,” he said as they finally headed out of the mall. 

It was still chilly outside, but not enough to warrant zipping his jacket up again.

“Oh yeah, this is for you. Happy birthday, Baron,” he said with a smile as he stopped on the sidewalk and handed the man the small bag he’d been carrying. 

Baron seemed a little surprised, since they’d already bought so much, but he sincerely thanked him and took out the small rectangular box inside. 

He could immediately feel a bunch of emotions come from the man when he realized what it was, but the most prevalent one was panic. While he didn’t understand, King still reached out and gently pat Baron’s soft hair. 

“No one knows the number to this phone but me, and no one else has to know it if you don’t want them to. I just wanted to make sure that I’d be able to contact you in case we can’t be together at some point,” he said honestly, hoping to calm him down a little. 

The man took a few moments before he seemed to come around, his emotions relaxing enough to release him from his worry and finally look up to meet his eyes. 

King wasn’t sure what he expected to happen next, but when Baron slid the phone back into the bag, then stepped forward and wrapped him in a tight hug, he couldn’t have possibly hoped for a better outcome. 

The man was silent the entire time, but that was perfectly fine. And when he finally leaned away again, King couldn’t help but rustle his beautiful hair a bit. 

“I think I’m about ready for a nap. Wanna hit the post office, then go home for some rest before we call your daughter later?” 

Baron didn’t hesitate to agree with a few nods. 

“That sounds great, and thank you so much for taking me out today.” 

King was about to respond that it was no problem at all, but his words got stuck on the tip of his tongue as he noticed something behind Baron’s eyes. 

He’d seen Prince looking out at him a few times since he’d known the man, but those eyes…

Hey there, sweet Rexy. You’re helping Prince take care of B, huh? 

No wonder the man’s previous panic hadn’t compounded into something worse. 

The light behind the man’s eyes flickered slightly, then faded, making King grin as his otter retreated to likely wander about the man’s mind as it normally did. 

“You’re very welcome.”

They were quiet for the remainder of their walk, then the drive to the post office. By then it was pretty obvious that Baron was really sleepy, so they quickly got their package shipped to his sweet daughter, then got home just in time for King to get him to his bed before he passed out completely. 

Phew. 

He honestly wasn’t really tired, but he knew that Baron was still recovering from his personal struggles and would need a lot of rest. That’s why he’d suggested going home for a nap. 

Hmm, what to do…

He knew that he couldn’t game with the guy sleeping right next to him, so in the end he simply decided to settle on a spare blanket on the floor and mess around on his muted phone until he, too, unintentionally, fell asleep.

Raccoon Fourteen

Ow…

Hmm? 

…it hurts. 

Blinking open one blurry eye, Baron exhaled as he tried to figure out what he was hearing. 

Dad? Dad?! 

At first, his sleepy mind thought that his daughter was calling out to him, but as he woke up more, he realized that the voice in his head definitely wasn’t  his daughter’s. 

After a quick glance around the room he was in, he finished putting the puzzle pieces together and looked down. 

King…

The guy looked like he was having a nightmare. 

Hmm? 

Reaching over and downward toward where the man rested on the floor below him, Baron was just about to touch King’s right hand where it was tightly holding his left arm in the hopes of getting him to release it and possibly calm his tumultuous dream, when the man suddenly awoke with a startled gasp! Almost immediately, that gasp turned into a pained groan, making Baron realize that his pain was actually real and not part of his nightmare. 

Quickly scooting off the bed, Baron carefully knelt over King with a leg on either side of his body as he gently began massaging the muscles in his left arm. 

They’re really tight. 

It felt like what had happened when his wife had gotten into a bad accident. Thankfully her injuries had fully healed, but…

He doesn’t look like he’s been in a wreck anytime recently, and he hasn’t mentioned anything. 

Either way, he pushed himself to focus completely on what he was doing since one wrong move could make the injury worse. He also felt King try to pull his arm away a few times as he worked, but the man never seemed to really commit to completing the action, making Baron all the more intent to keep working. 

It’s going to hurt a little more, but it will feel better soon. 

In fact, he could feel the muscles slowly beginning to relax beneath his hands as time passed, though the amount of effort and pressure it took to continue massaging was beginning to make him sweat. 

He worked for another ten minutes or so before he felt one of King’s warm hands gently grasp his wrist. The faint touch broke his concentration and had his hands immediately relaxing as he finally looked toward his face again. 

Aw, babe…

He quickly but carefully lowered the young man’s arm back down to the carpeted floor, then moved himself so that he was sitting between King and the bed. 

It was a tight spot, but he hadn’t realized he’d been partially sitting on top of him before. 

“King?” he asked as he looked upon that exhausted face covered in tear stains. 

The man had closed his eyes at some point, but there had been no stopping the tears from flowing. 

Rexy…

Baron felt his heart skip in his chest. 

I have your Rexy… your support….

Reaching forward, Baron carefully helped King sit up, then leaned him forward as he moved his own legs to either side, eventually managing to settle him against his chest for a hug. 

“I’m sorry, sweetheart. I’ve got your Rexy with me. He’s right here for you,” Baron said soothingly as he began running his fingers through King’s soft hair. 

He even pressed his cheek to the guy’s forehead, hoping that the contact would return his little one to him. Baron could clearly feel Rexy wandering around at the forefront of his mind, obviously nervous about his other half. 

Go home, sweetheart. Your daddy needs you. 

A faint pattering of jaws joined Rexy a moment later as both  their shifts grew anxious. When Rexy still didn’t transfer, though, Baron gave a long sigh and hugged King closer. 

“He’s right here, I promise. And Prince is worried about you, too. You have two babies watching over you right now, and I won’t leave, either.” 

Rexy, please go back to him. He needs you. 

More paws tapped here, then there. Then a squeak was heard, then a little nervous cry. Then, finally , he felt a set of little paws crossing through his connection with King. 

Thank you, sweetheart. 

He wasn’t exactly sure what he’d expected to see as a result of Rexy going back, though he’d hoped that the little guy would be able to finish calming its dad, but when he actually felt King begin to shake a little in his arms, Baron frowned and lifted his head a little. 

What’s going on? 

Leaning forward a bit so that he could see a little of the guy’s face, Baron blinked, then blinked again. 

He’s… giggling? 

He wasn’t sure what was funny. 

Maybe Rexy? 

The little otter in his mind perked up at hearing its name, making Baron grin. 

You’re a good b—wait. 

The otter flicked an ear, then yawned. 

…Prince? 

When he got no response, Baron furrowed his brow and reached over to gently nudge King’s chin upward, allowing him to get a good look at his face.

The set of soft blue eyes staring up at him were amplified by the mischievous darker ones right behind them. 

You…

The beaming smile he suddenly got from King immediately cleared all of his previous worry about their current situation. 

“Prince is so sweet!” King said, making Baron smile awkwardly. 

He was  sweet, but he was also a rambunctious little deviant sometimes. 

“Your hair’s all messy, B,” King said as he suddenly got up on his knees and turned around, then settled back down in his lap before reaching up to mess with his hair. 

His actions, and words, caught Baron so off guard that he simply let him do as he pleased, restyling his hair one way, then another. He had a feeling that King’s sudden enthusiasm was, at least in part, from his raccoon wandering into his mind, but while it was a bit awkward, he couldn’t find a reason to push the man away. 

Besides, he was no longer crying and his arm seemed like it was managing well enough now. 

He’s smiling, so it’s alright if he just wants to play with my hair. 

Baron even moved one hand to the man’s waist so that he didn’t unintentionally fall backwards. 

“Having fun?” he asked after a few more moments of having his hair messed with. 

King quickly nodded, humming an affirmative sound at the same time. Baron felt a faint tug on either side of the back of his head as King leaned against him a little bit. Baron immediately moved his hand up a little, making sure that King stayed balanced. 

“What are you doing?” he asked with a smile as the tugs on his hair grew in consistency, but thankfully not pain. 

He heard a mumbled response as King moved a little here and there, making Baron’s smile grow a little as he focused on holding him and staying still. It didn’t take him much longer to figure out what he was doing, though, and once King finally sat back down in his lap with a pleased expression on his face, Baron could feel the tiny ponytail at the back of his head. 

Didn’t think my hair was long enough for one yet. My wife would have a fit if she saw it. 

Granted, it definitely wasn’t something he’d go out in, but considering how entertained King seemed by making the simple thing, he didn’t mind leaving it… especially if it would annoy his wife if she ever saw it. 

That reminds me. 

Moving his hand from King’s waist, Baron reached up and retrieved his new phone from the bed, then turned it on and looked back up at King. 

“Um, would it be alright if I asked for your mother’s phone number?” 

King’s smile faltered slightly, but was soon back in place as he took the phone and quickly punched something in, then hit a few buttons before typing something else. When he handed it back to him after a minute and Baron glanced at the screen, he noticed that there were now two names in the phone’s contact list. 

He put his number down as the first one…

Unable to hold back a chuckle, Baron reached up with his free hand and mussed up a bit of King’s hair as he tapped his mom’s contact information, then pressed the call  button. 

As he lifted the phone to his ear, he felt King lean forward and wrap his arms around him. 

Um…

“Hello, you’ve reached state attorney Anne Law, who may I be speaking with?” 

Baron was just reaching up to try and gently remove King’s arms from around his neck when he heard a familiar, quiet purring sound rumble from the young man’s chest. 

Prince? 

Distracted, he quickly lowered his hand until it was simply settled against King’s lower back, then spoke into the receiver. 

“Hello ma’am, it’s Baron. I got your number from your son.” 

“Ah! How are you doing, sweetheart?” 

She’s so nice. 

Moving his thumb absentmindedly against King’s back, Baron smiled as he replied. 

“Very well ma’am, thank you. King and I went out earlier and bought some things and he also got me this phone. I hope you don’t mind that I got your number from him, too.” 

Anne laughed quietly, clearly not bothered. 

“That’s perfectly fine, hun.” 

Relieved, Baron continued. 

“Um, I know you’ve helped me a lot already, so if this will be a hassle, please disregard it, but if you have the time, would you be able to help me file for divorce?”

King’s arms tightened around him a little but Baron ignored him since he was busy talking on the phone. 

“That’s not a problem. I actually have the paperwork all set. I can email it to King if you’d like? All you’d have to do is e-sign them and send them back.” 

King, your mom is amazing. 

“That would be perfect. Thank you so much, ma—” Baron coughed from inhaling so suddenly, startled by what had happened!

“Is everything alright?” Anne asked, sounding a little worried.  

Swallowing, Baron stared down at the little raccoon now standing in his lap, its little black paws reaching as high as they could up his chest, as if it was asking for attention… because it was. 

“I-I was just a little startled. King shifted suddenly,” he said without thinking. 

There was a long moment of silence on the other end of the line once he’d finished speaking, making him frown, now the one confused. 

“…ma’am?” 

The sound of someone running around quickly met his ears, then the sound of keys jingling, then a door slamming. 

“I’m on my way!” 

Before he could get a single word out in response, the line went dead. 

“What… just hap—” he paused as the raccoon began climbing his shirt, clearly frustrated that it wasn’t getting attention. 

Sighing, Baron lifted Prince into his arms, then stood up.

“Your mom’s coming to see you,” he told the raccoon still reaching for his face with his little grabby hands. 

Unfortunately, he couldn’t sense King at all right then, which meant that there would be no changing back so soon. 

Let me just go get the door unlocked before she breaks it down… 

She had sounded like she would, too. 

How long has it been since you let your mom see your otter? 

Prince replied with a little excited wiggle as he tugged at Baron’s borrowed shirt, squeaking every few moments. 

“Hang on, you brat,” he said as he got the door unlocked, then walked over to the fridge. 

Hmm, lots to choose from. 

Prince was already squirming to get out of his arms and dive into the fridge, but he knew better than to let him. It might have been a stereotype for raccoons, but it was honestly true that they ate just about everything. 

“Alright, this is what you’re getting, you little dumpster-nugget,” he said as he pulled out what appeared to be a lettuce and bologna wrap and handed it to his other half. 

Prince greedily took it and began crunching away like the garbage disposal he was. 

Okay, now I need to figure out what I’m supposed to say to your mom when she gets here, because I’m sure she’s not expecting to see a raccoon in place of her otter. 

Pacing back and forth in the little kitchen, Baron went through idea after idea, but he couldn’t decide on anything specific. Unfortunately, his time ran out far quicker than he’d thought it would, because, all too soon, he heard someone hurrying up the stairs right outside! 

No! 

“K-King!” he whined as he looked down at the plump raccoon in his arms. 

Prince looked up at him with a disinterested expression as he crunched loudly on his last bite of lettuce. 

Feeling his anxiety begin to claw at his mind, Baron squeezed his eyes shut and buried his face in Prince’s fur. 

Please don’t be mad! Please don’t be mad!

He could just barely hear the door handle depress as his heart roared in his ears. Then, somehow, everything went quiet. 

His heart steadily calmed to a reasonable pace. 

His demons quieted within his frantic mind. 

And, slowly, he blinked open his eyes and looked up. 

He was a little surprised to see that King’s mom had walked over to him and knelt down only two or so feet away, but what he didn’t understand…

Why are you crying? And why are you so big? I swear I’m not a small guy.

“My baby…” 

Baron was about to start apologizing profusely for the odd situation, but when he opened his mouth, all he heard was a tiny squeak. 

Uh?

He tried again, but got the same, pathetic-sounding, result. 

Did I lose my voice? 

 Before he could question himself more, fuzzy arms were around him, pulling him into an awkward hug before they began toting him forward. 

Wait, what’s going on? 

Lost in his confusion, Baron didn’t put up a fight, but he did freeze when he was suddenly picked up by King’s mom and hugged to her chest! 

U-um, this isn’t quite appropriate, is it? 

“My sweet baby is finally back!” Anne cried, tears running like water down her cheeks as she held him close, petting his hair like one would a…

Well. Shit. 

Twitching his whiskers, Baron finally realized what had happened. 

I guess this could work, but I’m not sure how to act. 

Feeling a faint hint of pressure near the back of his mind, Baron focused on it until he began to hear static-like words. 

King? 

A few more moments passed before he could finally make out what he was thinking to him. 

Just let her love you. She hasn’t seen Rexy since I was eight. 

Baron felt his heart skip a beat as he snuggled into the woman’s arms, no longer minding that it might not be quite appropriate. He couldn’t fathom not seeing his daughter’s kitten for so long, let alone his daughter in general. He already missed her dearly. 

Thank you, Baron. 

Baron was about to respond when he saw Prince wander over and promptly try to climb up into Anne’s arms, too!

Uh… 

He felt bad that his raccoon was being greedy for attention when Anne needed some time with Rexy, but before he could even try to chastise his shift, the woman had scooped him right up and hugged him close, too!

“Oh you sweet little angel. Thank you so much for bringing my Rexy back to me!” she said as she sniffled and hugged them both again, then pressed a kiss to each of their foreheads, stunning Baron into silence. 

He wasn’t used to having someone show him such affection, let alone someone older, since his mother had passed away years ago, and his father, while having just recently gone to heaven, had been bedridden for quite a long time. 

Sorry, I can’t control Prince, but it seems like it’s okay , King thought to him a few moments later. 

It was okay. More than okay. 

“Would you guys like some snacks?” Anne asked as she finally stood back up, easily holding them both. 

She opened the fridge and nonchalantly set Prince right inside, but before the raccoon could wreak havoc, she spoke a warning. 

“You behave, King. You only get one for now. No ruining your dinner,” she chastised, making Baron nod Rexy’s head in agreement. 

Yeah, and you already had a lettuce wrap right before she came in, too. 

Prince didn’t seem interested in listening, but after grabbing a big boiled egg he was promptly removed from the fridge by an arm around his fuzzy belly. 

Of course, he grumbled out his protest, but Anne wasn’t hearing it, and honestly, Baron wasn’t either, because his mind was already on something far more important that he’d missed only moments ago. 

She called Prince King… she knows we switched.

Raccoon Fifteen

King watched through Prince’s eyes as his mom doted on them both. Of course, she might have given Rexy a few more hugs and kisses, but Prince definitely got his fair share of attention, too. 

Besides, King wasn’t really one for physical attention anyways, and his mom knew that. He definitely wasn’t getting jealous. At least, not in that way…

Prince, please let me shift back, he groaned for the fourth time as his raccoon wandered around his mom’s feet as she cooked them something that smelled delicious. 

I wanna hold Baron!

Of course, he knew that it was really Rexy, but still! The guy was beneath the otter, and this was probably his only chance to love on him. 

He didn’t even want to hug me earlier…

He had no doubt that he would have been nudged away if the man hadn’t been busy focusing on his phone call. 

Inwardly sulking, King waited and watched as their evening played out. His mood wasn’t the best at the beginning, but as the day went on, he couldn’t help but relax more. 

The crab leg he was crunching on might have had something to do with it, or the little otter that was now leaning against him, working on a clam after having finally been released from his mother’s arms. 

As he finished his last bite of crab meat, Prince looked over and noticed Rexy still struggling. 

He hasn’t been able to use his left side for so long. It seems like it’s a little awkward for him right now. 

Before he could think further on the situation, Prince reached over and took the treat right out of Rexy’s paws! 

Prince! Give that back! 

The little brat didn’t listen at all, though that was no surprise. He worked away at the shell even as Rexy squeaked his disapproval and swatted at his fuzzy shoulder!

Prince, that’s not fair. That was Rexy’s…

His raccoon didn’t seem to give a fluff as it finally pried the shell apart, then lifted it to its mouth. Except, right before he could bite down, the mollusk mysteriously vanished! 

The confusion Prince felt surged into King’s mind as the brat looked around, and then came the indignation as he found where his treat had gone! 

Rexy happily chewed away on his squishy snack, and it was quite clear now what had actually happened. His mom had taken it away and returned it to Rexy… and she was now glaring daggers at Prince, making the raccoon feel a tiny bit nervous. 

“Prince, is that how we share?” she said with her arms crossed over her chest. 

Uh oh, she means business, bud. 

Suddenly feeling a lot  more nervous, Prince hunched his shoulders and gave a quiet chatter as he looked away. 

She has a point. You shared so well in the bath tub, but not so well with food, huh? 

It did kind of make sense, though, if he hadn’t normally been allowed out. He probably just wanted to finally have all the tasty things he’d missed over the past several years. 

When King felt his mom’s hand gently pat Prince’s head, the little guy looked up, curious but still nervous. 

“Be good and don’t take what isn’t yours, okay?” she said gently, making Prince flick an ear, then lick a paw.

 His response seemed to please her well enough, because he was soon handed a warm shrimp from the pot she’d used to make dinner. 

“Good boy.” 

While the two living stuffed animals munched away, Anne brought up a small folding table from her car, then got the table set with plates, cups, and she even brought up three chairs, too.

It’s a nice little table, but I don’t think we’ll be able to reach our plates if we’re sitting normally. 

“Alright my sweet boys,” Anne said as she walked back over to Prince and lifted him up. 

“Time to shift back.” 

Shift back? It doesn’t exactly work like that does— it,“ King finished out loud as his body grew in an instant, leaving him standing before his mother in his birthday suit!

“Go get some clothes on, sweetie,” she said, dismissing him as she walked over and lifted up Rexy. 

Instead of holding him like she had Prince, she gently set him down on the floor, kneeling in front of him with a warm smile. 

“You too, sweetheart. I’m so glad I finally got to see you again, but it’s time for your new daddy to come back for a bit.”

As King watched from the hallway, Rexy gave a big yawn, then his form began to blur.   

Oh! 

Quickly turning, King went to grab the clothing Baron had been wearing and brought them out to the kitchen. Anne had already turned her back to give Baron some privacy, so King just handed him the clothes and turned away, too, not wanting to stress him out. 

They were soon both dressed and as he walked out of the hall, he noticed Baron and Anne already deep in conversation. 

My… stomach hurts a little all of a sudden. 

He didn’t think he’d eaten too much before their meal, so he just chalked it up to having a new shift so suddenly. 

Dropping down into the seat beside Baron, he listened to their discussion for a bit, but to be frank, he was quite lost. While Baron gave a little more information about his background, the majority of their conversation was legal stuff. 

So, he decided not to butt in with unnecessary things and quietly ate his shrimp alfredo and garlic bread in silence.  It was really hard to keep quiet when the person he wanted to talk to was sitting right next to him, though. 

“Oh, you have your phone call with your daughter soon, right?” Anne said after a while, making King blink out of his daze and look up. 

Baron smiled and nodded, clearly excited. 

“Yes, I told her I’d call her tonight for my birthday.” 

Anne returned his smile and stood as she began to clear their empty dishes. 

“I best be on my way soon, then.” 

King quickly got up to help, and before Baron could even try to lend a hand, everything was rinsed and in the dishwasher. 

“You boys make sure to get some rest after your call, alright?” she said as she tugged King in for a quick hug, then turned and did the same for Baron. Except, right as she was about to let go, she gently grasped his shoulders and smiled. 

“I’m very proud of you, young man. Enjoy speaking with your daughter tonight, and we’ll see about being able to get her to visit soon, hmm?” 

King watched the man’s face immediately change as his nose and brow scrunched up and tears began to flow from his eyes. 

He got a soft pat to his shoulder from Anne in response, and to both their surprise, Baron even leaned forward again and wrapped his arms around Anne. 

“Thank you so much, Anne.” 

His mom returned the gesture with a soft “you’re welcome, sweetheart,” before they broke apart a moment later. 

Soon after his mom left, leaving behind quite a lot of leftovers and two smiling faces. 

“Your mom really is amazing,” Baron eventually said as he finished putting away the last container of pasta in their full fridge. 

King smiled and nodded, then lifted an arm to hide a yawn. He was about to open his mouth to agree that his mom was, indeed, amazing, when he was gently pulled against a warm, firm chest. 

“But you, sweetheart, are even more incredible.” 

King stared over Baron’s shoulder as his nose pressed gently into the fabric of his shirt. He’d wanted a hug all day, but now that he was getting one, he couldn’t even move his arms from where they were pressed between their two bodies because his mind wouldn’t calm down enough to process the situation. 

Even his mind was a mess of silent screaming, making it hard for him to even hear how fast his heart was racing in his ears. 

Unfortunately, the moment ended before long, and soon those warms arms were falling away from him. Then Baron’s gentle warm dissipated as he walked away. 

I… wait. 

Looking over his shoulder, King saw Baron disappear into the hallway, making him quickly turn and take a step forward, then a nervous step back as he lifted his hands to his burning face. 

He tried to rub his cheeks to disperse the heat he felt, but it was no use. 

The sound of footsteps on the carpet quickly had him turning and hurrying over to the freezer! He quickly shoved his face inside, trying to cool himself off. 

“I’m going to give her a call. Would you like to talk, too?” Baron asked as King heard him settle on the couch. 

Taking a slow, calming breath, King grabbed two ice cream bars and closed the freezer, then held them up as he started walking over. 

“Of course. I was just grabbing your birthday dessert,” he said with a nervous smile, hoping that his face had cooled off enough to not be obvious. 

He handed one of the chocolate-coated ice cream bars to Baron as he sat down. 

“It’s not a cake, but they’re pretty darn good,” he said as he unwrapped his own, then began nibbling at it to keep his mouth and mind busy. 

Baron accepted the treat and unwrapped it to take a few bites, but then turned his phone on and dialed Anne’s number to start the call. 

She picked up on the first ring, then immediately connected them to a waiting Tili. 

“Daddy daddy! Happy birthday!” 

The little girl’s excited cheers easily washed away the remainder of King’s embarrassment as he leaned closer, then paused. 

A video chat? 

He’d expected a simple call, but his mom had evidently managed to get a Facetime session instead. 

The man beside him was beyond ecstatic! 

“Hi sweetheart! Thank you for wishing me a happy birthday!” Baron said with the sweetest smile on his face. 

King watched him intently for several moments until he realized that the man had moved the phone away from them a little bit, then said his name. 

Oops!

Turning his attention to it, he pressed himself against Baron a tiny bit more so that he fit in the frame. 

“Hi there, Tili!” 

The little girl greeted him pleasantly enough, but then she was suddenly all business!

“You gave daddy a good birthday party, right? He got good presents and cake?” she asked, her tone of voice making King glance at Baron, then bite back a laugh. 

The guy was clearly trying not to lose himself to laughter, too. 

Returning his attention to Tili, King grinned and nodded. 

“Yes ma’am! He was spoiled all day today. We went out to eat, bought you some fun presents that are already on their way to you, and I even got him a cool new phone!” 

The girls’ face lit up as she hopped up and down with excitement. 

“Daddy daddy! Show me your new phone!” 

Baron frowned, then looked at him. 

How could he show her the new phone if he was using it? 

Ah!

King hopped up, then gestured for Baron to follow him. The man did as suggested and they both wandered into the bathroom. 

“Just face the phone towards the mirror,” King said, making a faint hint of humor flow from the other man’s mind. 

Once the phone was turned the little girl let out another squeal of delight!

“Daddy got a red phone! It’s so pretty!” 

She paused for a moment as she looked it over, but then something seemed to come to mind. 

“Daddy, what happened to your old phone?” 

King noticed Baron’s expression change the slightest fraction, but since the phone wasn’t close, there was no way his daughter would catch it. 

“I dropped it somewhere outside,” he eventually said as he turned the phone back to face himself. 

“It’s alright, though. I like my red one much more. Don’t you?” 

Tili nodded repeatedly, her smile wide and genuine. 

“Yes! I like it much more! Make sure you take care of it, daddy!” 

Baron nodded, then spoke again. 

“Speaking of taking care of things, have you been enjoying your iPad I got you before I went on my trip? You’ve kept the protector on and taken care of it well?” 

His daughter’s smile faltered for a moment, then tried to recover, but it clearly wasn’t the same. 

“Um, I really liked it and was taking good care of it and always leaving it with the charger, but then it disappeared two days after you left…” 

The sheer disappointment King could hear in her voice made his heart ache. Of course, they knew exactly what had happened if the girl had left her present where it should have been. 

“Mommy got one that looks the same a day later, but she won’t let me play with it because I lost mine.” 

That mother is something else. 

“That’s alright, sweetheart. Make sure you keep an eye out for your presents tomorrow, okay?” Baron said, brushing off the iPad issue since there was nothing he could do about it and he clearly didn’t want to upset his daughter further. 

Her father’s reminder immediately brought her smile back and soon they were discussing their trip to the mall and the yummy food Baron had. Tili evidently loved trying new foods, too, and judging from her excitement, the dishes her father had bought were some of her favorites. 

By the time their call finally ended it was close to ten o’clock and King had made enough mental notes about what things Baron liked to eat that he could probably publish an entire book about it!

They had also wandered into his room and settled on his bed, so when the call finally ended, King was already lying down, snuggled up against his pillow and stuffed otter. 

At some point his eyes had slid closed, and while he was aware that the call had ended, his mind was already drifting in and out. 

“It’s a little chilly in here…” Baron said quietly. 

There was silence for a short time before King heard the faint sound of feet shuffling on his carpeted floor. His mind slipped away soon after, but then came back when he felt a light weight settled overtop his body. 

“…mn?” 

That pressure paused, then something began lightly patting his hair. 

“It’s alright, hun. Just tucking you in,” Baron whispered before the weight over him was adjusted here and there, then gently settled in around his shoulders. 

As the warmth was sealed in, King felt his body relax and a content sigh slip from his lips. 

“Get some rest, sweetheart. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

Tomorrow… 

The word floated around in his head, bringing with it a promise that Baron would still be there when he opened his eyes in the morning.

“I’ll still be here. I promise.” 

When the man said nothing more, King yawned a little, then drifted off, unaware that while the gentle movement of Baron’s hand against his hair had long-since stopped, it had never withdrawn and, instead, had settled comfortably against the back of his head.

Raccoon Sixteen

…hmn?

Just-barely awake, King nuzzled against his pillow, then yawned as he drifted in and out of consciousness. He would have just let himself fall back asleep right away if it hadn’t been for the faint pressure he felt growing in the back of his mind.

As it were, it took him a few minutes to pull himself together enough to blink open one heavy eyelid. Then another minute before his vision cleared enough in the darkness to see.

Wait a second…

Now that he was actually coherent, he could easily hear a faint sniffling sound.

B?

The man had his arms folded on the edge of his bed with his head tucked behind them.

Sitting up slowly, King watched the man for a few moments before moving his left hand against the blankets just enough to make a decent amount of sound.

Baron’s shoulder jerked in response, tensing up from being startled. The man himself, however, seemed able to recover quickly and, after a few moments more of sniffling, he tilted his head a tiny bit upward to look up at him.

There were a thousand things suddenly running through King’s mind as he looked at that tear-stained face with only an adorable nose and bright eyes visible above his still-crossed arms, but after a moment he quieted his thoughts and forced himself to relax. He knew that Baron could read his mind and the guy was clearly already stressed enough, so there was no need to add more fuel to that fire.

He hadn’t even gotten up onto the bed, either. He’d just slept leaning against it.

“Hey there, B…” he finally whispered, paying close attention to both the way the man reacted, but also the mess of anxiety he could hear roaring from him inside his mind.

Baron stared at him for several moments as the situation processed in his tired, frantic mind. He honestly looked extremely calm on the outside, but was clearly struggling pretty badly on the inside.

When everything finally seemed to click, he slowly lowered his chin back to the blankets and nuzzled his cute nose against his arms.

“King… did I wake you?”

His voice sounded terrible…

Doing his best to keep his mind calm and quiet, King reached forward slowly and, when Baron simply watched him with his big, nervous eyes, he gently settled his hand against his hair, then began patting it lightly just as the other man had done before he’d fallen asleep earlier.

“Don’t worry, I’m used to being up at odd hours when gaming,” he said without an ounce of hesitation, because it was completely true.

In fact, he was pretty much wide awake already.

Baron watched him in silence for a few moments before finally lifting his head up again, then sniffling.

“I… still, I’m sorry that I woke you up. It was just a nightmare,” he eventually said in a quiet whisper as his gaze slowly lowered from King’s.

That wouldn’t do.

“Hey B?”

The man looked up at him again, his eyes anxious and sleepy in the darkness.

“Want to play a video game?”

Baron’s lips parted the slightest amount, then he sniffled a few more times before looking over his shoulder and to the left at King’s gaming PC.

“I can hook up a controller to my spare computer,” King said with a small smile, hoping to keep the man distracted.

In fact, he got up after a moment of silence and dropped down into his seat, then heard Baron come closer a moment later.

As soon as he was beside him Baron slipped an arm around the armrest of the chair, then scooted closer until he was practically hugging it against his side… and just-barely brushing King’s clothed leg with his elbow.

King did his best to focus on turning on his computer, then tugging his old spare laptop forward to boot up, too, but as the game’s loading screens came up, he was left with nothing to do but stare straight ahead… but his eyes refused to do so for the necessary period of time.

Eventually, they wandered to his left, then downward until he saw gentle eyes staring up at him.

Puppy…

King immediately felt his head get fuzzy and his heart stumble around in his chest as if he’d just drunk a gallon of beer…

“Oh? It looks pretty.”

Baron’s voice snapped him out of his daze and made him realize that he’d gotten distracted simply staring at the guy!

Quickly returning his attention to the screens, he got the games set up, then hooked up the controllers and handed one down to Baron.

“I’ll lend you my spare account. I haven’t used it in a while but the gear is still pretty nice. Oh, and you can change the name if you want. I have an extra naming potion.”

Baron seemed a little taken aback as the screen for the laptop lit up a little more, showing a rather cute cat boy with fuzzy black cat ears, messy hair, and a tail that swished lazily back and forth behind him.

“Cute.”

He didn’t seem to notice the name right away, but after looking through the character’s stats, he actually read what it was and glanced up at King with an are you serious? expression.

“Wh-what? He was a test character for some things so I named him Testcat…”

Now that he thought about it, it was a pathetic name.

Reaching over, he pressed a button on the controller he’d given Baron, then pointed to the screen.

“Just use that name potion and call him whatever you want,” he said before turning his attention back to his own game as he tried to ignore his warming face.

He heard the guy push a few buttons, then the sound of letters being put in came from the laptop before he heard the select button confirm the new name.

When he looked over again, he blinked, then looked slightly down at Baron.

“Prince?”

The guy grinned up at him, then shrugged one shoulder.

“I think it fits, since you mentioned Prince was already on your stream a few times.”

King nodded his agreement.

“Yeah, he was.”

You were, too, once.

King was just turning back to face the computer monitor when he felt a spike of anxiety from Baron, immediately making him turn his attention back to him.

The guy looked about ready to have a panic attack, making King quickly review what they’d said over the past minute or two.

Wait. It wasn’t what I said…

“U-um, it wasn’t intentional, I swear. I was sitting with my big sweatshirt on, the one Prince likes to cuddle in. Y-you shifted while I was playing, but the only part of you that could be seen was your shoulder and the back of your head. I-I swear there was nothing else and I turned the camera off immediately!”

King honestly felt more anxious than Baron soon as he did his best to keep from shaking while the silence stretched between them.

Baron had turned his attention to the floor and King could sense his mind working overtime trying to figure out what he wanted to do in response to having been told such an embarrassing thing.

He was nearly beginning to sweat when Baron finally looked up at him again, then spoke in a calm, measured voice.

“Are there any pictures from when it happened?”

Pictures?

He definitely hadn’t taken any, himself, but he knew who did.

“Yeah, there are…” King mumbled as he leaned forward to grab his mouse, then clicked a few buttons to open his personal streaming channel.

Within a minute he was able to pull up several screenshots of the situation. Thankfully, none of them were anything different than what he’d told Baron. All they could see was his left shoulder and the back of his head.

Even when he’d reached forward to switch off the camera, it was still the same.

He was just about to ask if he was okay now after seeing the evidence when he felt a hint of something inquisitive press against his mind, drawing his eyes down to one of the three comments he could see beneath the pictures they were currently looking at.

PurplePuffyPancakes: Dude, that guy is gorgeous! I wish I could see his face!

He waited patiently as Baron continued to consider the situation, then, after a full minute had passed, King scrolled down a tiny bit in the comment section, praying that he was making the right decision.

Another comment soon caught his eye.

IPlayForTheMods: He really does look like he could be a prince. I’d love to see his face sometime!

Then another…

TheQueen: King found himself an adorable raccoon,

and

a hot guy! So jealous right now!

OnlyHalfNaked: Right?! Why can’t I randomly find an adorable raccoon boyfriend when I’m out exercising?!

The comments kept going and going, and thankfully, the majority of them were beyond positive. As they continued to read through them, he felt Baron’s anxiety slowly morph into something more akin to curiosity.

Ah, that’s what I’d felt building up.

“They… really think I’m a catch?” he eventually said as he finally looked back up at King with a bewildered expression on his adorable face.

Fuck, you’re more than a catch. You’re fucking gorgeous and smart, and honest, and— he quickly forced his mind to shut up as he gave Baron a small smile.

“Because you are one! You’re a really great person, and you’re handsome and nice, to boot,” King said honestly.

Baron glanced back at the comments for a moment, then lifted his free hand to rub at the back of his neck for a moment before bringing them both to the controller he had grasped in his other one.

“Should… should we try playing?” he asked as he looked back up at him, then toward the laptop’s screen as he pressed a button, confirming his character and transporting it into the gaming world.

King was a bit shocked that he still wanted to play with him, but when he started up the game, he quickly got his own character logged in, too.

“I’ll teleport to you, hang on a second,” he said as he did just that after looking over to make sure he remembered the city where he’d logged out his test character.

Soon they were together, but he didn’t bother Baron right away. Instead, he allowed him to look around the city and read over the quests and missions the character had been working on previously.

When he decided on one he wanted to do, King followed him with his higher character, aptly named King . He got quite a few greetings from random plays as they went, and some even tried to tag along with them, but he made sure to politely decline until they were finally left alone out in the open world.

“Alright, here we go. So in order to do the mission you selected, you follow the prompts on the right side of your screen. I’ll help you if you get stuck on anything, but the game is pretty straightforward and I suggest just playing around with your buttons to learn what works best for you.”

Baron nodded and began doing as told, working his way through his character’s skillsets and weapons, quietly focusing. While he did that King made sure to keep the monsters away from him, easily cutting down the lower level mobs without any issues.

“Okay, I think I’ve got the hang of this. I need to kill those little goblins up there on that hill for this part,” Baron said as he directed his character towards the creatures.

King followed close behind, because he knew what was going to happen…

Soon Baron was being accosted by not just the goblin he’d been targeting, but three of its friends, too.

“They are a type of mob that links. So if you shoot one, you might end up with four,” King explained as he healed Baron back up to full hit points with one high level cure spell.

Baron nodded at his explanation, then put all of his focus on taking down his first target. Once that goblin was dead, he looked at the other three that were using ranged attacks on him from a good distance away.

He was about to offer him advice as he healed him again, but bit his tongue when he felt the man’s thoughts swirl around in his mind.

…far for physical without a bow.

Maybe a distance magic spell, but it says they work better closer…

King’s heart nearly stopped as he heard that adorable voice in his head.

Even cuter than when he speaks!

“Okay, I killed them all,” Baron said out loud, snapping King out of his euphoric daze as he blinked at the screen, then frowned.

“Oh… you did kill them all.”

That was fast.

Much faster than the first one…

“I casted poison spells on the three from a distance, then got closer to do physical damage before switching my weapon back to a staff in order to cast an area-wide fireball,” Baron said, surprising King enough to make him speechless.

When the confirmation for the mission being completed chimed, Baron grinned and looked up at him.

“Not too bad.”

Not… not too bad.

“How did you know that you could switch your weapons like that in the middle of a fight? How did you do it so quickly?” he asked, finally able to talk again.

Baron shrugged one shoulder as he crossed his legs to get more comfortable.

“I just assumed that I could if I could, and I couldn’t if I couldn’t. Turns out that it worked really well.”

I mean, it did work really well. Much better than it should have, honestly.

Spells were almost never used in close range combat because even the simplest of hits could interrupt your casting, yet Baron had run in and just nuked the entire group after beating them down with his axe!

He wanted to ask him to do it again, but before he could voice his request Baron was on his way back to the city to turn in the mission.

Not wanting to bother him when he was clearly entertained, King simply let him do as he pleased.

They soon fell into a comfortable pace with Baron clearing mission after mission as if he’d started the game from level one instead of sixty-three.

Within an hour he was level sixty-five and getting better and better at rotating his abilities and managing his spells.

While starting from the beginning sort of drilled into a player that their character should be only physical or magical. Most players couldn’t even manage switching between abilities and weapons quickly enough to utilize both playing styles, so seeing someone who could, like himself, was beyond rare.

And yet here my sweet guy is, flipping this game on its head after only playing for two hours.

He was giddy.

It was five in the morning and he was giddy as all hell!

He was just setting up his character to automatically follow Baron’s so that he could relax for a moment when he noticed movement and glanced up at his spare screen. He’d left his personal channel open and it was now being flooded with comments.

PingPongBong: Am I high or is a raccoon now playing this game?

DabMaster9000: You probably are high, considering your name, but I swear I saw King running around with someone named Prince!

Gay4King: Bro I got a screenshot! There really is a Prince now with King!

The screenshot was attached to the comment, and sure enough, it showed them both heading for Baron’s second mission of the morning.

I guess it was only a matter of time.

BlasphemousFruitLoop: Wait, if King is gaming with Prince, then that means that Prince is in his human form right now!

There was a plethora of spamming comments that could only be considered equivalent to fangirls squealing, then came what he expected.

WTRMLN: Stream! You’ve gotta stream, King!

GigglesAndShiggles: Please stream! I’ll donate fifty tabs!

WafflesAllAroundUs: I can do 20!

CandiedArmadillo: I only have 5, but you will have my unending gratitude if you stream for us now! We want to see Prince!

“What is a tab? Are they actually offering to pay you to turn your camera on?” Baron asked, immediately drawing King’s attention.

“O-oh, uh, yeah. They usually are really good when they promise that kind of stuff,” he said, then reached forward and scrolled up with his mouse to the top of the page.

It was normal to see a few donations everyday, but when he scrolled up, he noticed that it was already close to two-hundred dollars, and rising in steady increments of five to ten dollars every few seconds!

Dang, they really want to see him.

“I… should we turn the camera on?” Baron asked, looking at him with an adorable nervousness.

Absolutely not! No way! There was absolutely no chance that he’d turn that camera on and let other people see his Prince’s sleepy eyes, messy hair, and… and… and there was no way in hell he was going to share him!

“It’s this button, right?” Baron asked, making King nod without really thinking.

He was still fuming in his own mind about others wanting to get a peek at what was his, so he didn’t even process what the other guy was doing.

A loud beep notified him that the camera had been turned on, making King frown, then blink at his computer screens, confused for a moment, since he hadn’t been the one to do it.

The sudden flurry of chimes he heard from the comment section right after that quickly snapped him back to himself. His eyes widened as he looked at the little box on the right side of his screen, reflecting his own unkempt image back at him.

IThinkIJust: Died! I just died!

Floop: HOW FCKING CUTE! OMG THAT BED HEAD!

BelatedlyLate: My future husband is so adorable!

WetCat: Dear god, I thought he was handsome, but he’s downright adorable when he’s fresh out of bed and embarrassed!

The comments kept rolling, along with the donations, but King could only stare, dumbfounded and embarrassed enough to reach up and try to hide his blush behind his hands.

He knew that he was getting a ton of money right then, undoubtedly because he definitely looked a little mussed up from having gone straight from bed to gaming instead of properly getting washed and dressed, but uh…

His emotions were quite a mess, but as his mind turned into mush, he felt a string of new emotions coming from Baron.

Before he realized what was going on, the other guy had reached forward, just out of view of the camera, and clicked it off.

GlitterInYourSocks: Noooo, he turned it off!

SexyMarsupial: Wait, he didn’t even move his hands from his face…

ILovePrince: PRINCE TURNED OFF THE STREAM! HE

HAS

TO BE IN HIS HUMAN FORM OMG!!!

King stared blankly at the screen for several long moments as people began swarming around their characters at the entrance to the city where they’d intended to start Baron’s next mission.

He didn’t snap out of his thoughts until he felt something gently wrap around his left leg, then press up against it, drawing his eyes downward until they landed on the back of Baron’s head.

The man had settled with his back against a small extra portion of his gaming chair cushion and was leaning the right side of his head against King’s left knee.

And the arm that was wrapped around it had since brought its hand back to the controller, allowing him to begin moving his character in silence.

B… Baron?

The man looked over his shoulder, his nose softly brushing the fabric of the sweatpants King had worn to bed.

“That was going to be too distracting. We can stream another time,” the man said in a stern, calm voice before he looked back up at his screen, clearly not interested in discussing the situation further.

That was a good thing, at least, because King couldn’t even think of a single word to say in response. His mind felt like a crumpled up newspaper. A million words were present, but nothing would make sense until he could smooth it all out again.

And , considering that Baron was literally hugging his leg to his side as he nonchalantly played his favorite game… well, it was going to take a long time for King to figure out how to speak again.

Thus, he simply followed his Prince around like a lost puppy, healing him and helping him with mission after mission, just as obsessed with him as his followers were… if not more.

Raccoon Seventeen

He needed to stream in a few hours. 

They’d stayed up most of the day and  night getting Prince’s character leveled and through some of the more important missions. King managed to stay up until about three in the morning, but since they’d both been woken up by Baron’s nightmare very early the previous morning, he’d eventually run out of stamina.

Stretching out against the sheets, King tried to remember how he’d gotten into bed, cause he knew  that he’d fallen asleep in his chair sometime around when Baron’s character had gotten to level sixty-eight. 

Hmm? 

Something smelled really  good. 

He was just pushing himself up into a sitting position when his phone began to ring, clearing his mind a bit as he reached over to answer it with a gruff “hello?” 

“Ah, sorry if I woke you, King!” 

Huh? 

“Mr. Lawson? It’s rare for you to call me directly,” he said, wondering why the guy in charge of his contract with Finality

was calling him instead of just sending an email like he usually did. 

Hopefully he didn’t want to talk about that time Baron had accidentally shifted on camera. 

“We’ve been notified that you’ve been playing with a specific character on your time off from streaming yesterday and I just wanted to ask you about it,” he said, making King raise an eyebrow as he looked up at the sound of his bedroom door quietly being opened. 

Uh.

His mind blanked as he swallowed down a mouthful of saliva. 

Yum…

Licking his lips, and forcing his eyes away from both Baron and the two large plates of food he was holding, King crossed his legs on his bed and focused on his call. 

“Um, yes, Prince ended up changing to his human form again and we decided to play around a bit on the game for fun,” he answered honestly. 

He knew that just playing with a random person would never be an issue, so it was clear that Mr. Lawson was just trying to be courteous and build up to what he wanted to really ask him about. 

“Ah! So it really was him. Okay, well that’s good then. I wanted to ask if, instead of matching you up with a teammate for today’s stream, how about you bring Prince? Do you think he’d be comfortable playing?” 

How about I not? Just because he played with me a bit doesn’t mean he’s ready to do person versus person content. Nor does it mean that he wants to. And furthermore, even if he did actually want to, there is no way in hell that I’m going to ask him to be on camera with me! 

Inwardly seething, King scowled at his blankets until he suddenly felt a warm hand settle atop his head, snapping him out of his frustration in an instant as he lifted his eyes up to Baron’s. 

The man was leaning over him the slightest bit, a gentle smile on his handsome face. 

“Is everything alright, King?” Mr. Lawson asked. 

Blinking out of his daze, King quickly cleared his throat and replied into the phone.

“Y-yeah, sorry. I got distracted. Um, I don’t think it would be a good idea to force him to play on camera,” he said, not willing to argue that point. 

He was the streamer and he, himself, was in the contract to do it. There was no mention of Prince or  Baron in the writing, so as far as he was concerned, Mr. Lawson had zero control over him. 

“Oh no, not stream. Definitely not that. Even I wouldn’t want my face to be shown so abruptly. And I definitely wouldn’t ask you to force him to play, either. It was just a thought since you already played together earlier. Your followers seem to really like him already.” 

Oh, he definitely knew that. Even though he’d tried to keep Baron’s character away from the majority of people that were determined to follow them around yesterday, there had been no way to keep him completely isolated unless they went into an instanced dungeon on their own. 

“Ah, yes, they do,” King replied simply as he watched Baron sit down on the bed beside him, waiting patiently as he continued his conversation. 

“Then um, I just wanted to remind you that today was your match-day for donations. The day you chose this month to have us match the amount you earn on your stream later.” 

Oh, right. I did pick today. 

It was a little thing the company did to help some of their rising streamers gain some extra money. They basically offered them one day a month where they would match whatever they made from their followers and deposit it directly into their account. It was basically a big push of motivation on both the streamer’s side and the audience side.   

A lot more people tended to donate on match-days because they knew that their money would go twice as far as it normally did. 

“Alright, well I have to make a few more calls so I’ll let you go now. If you have any questions or concerns, or want to change something before the match tonight, just toss me an email and I’ll get back to you right away.” 

King nodded and said his goodbyes, then hung up his phone and tossed it aside. 

Food! 

He was promptly handed one of the two large plates by a quietly chuckling Baron. There was a huge bacon, mushroom, and cheese omelet on the left side, two extra pieces of bacon on top of it, and two huge chocolate chip pancakes on the right!

Overjoyed, he immediately dug in as Baron handed him a fork, barely stopping in between bites to suck in enough breath to devour another forkful!

He was completely done with half the omelet and one full pancakes before he felt a gentle touch against his shoulder, drawing his attention up and back to Baron. 

“Here, sweetheart.”

King hurried to swallow down his mouthful, then parted his lips as Baron pressed a cup gently against his bottom one. 

Within moments he’d downed half the glass of water without even taking it from the other man, having clearly been thirsty but too distracted with eating to realize that he’d been brought a drink, too. 

Once it was lowered and set aside, he swallowed his last mouthful of water, then grinned as Baron returned to his own meal of pancakes and scrambled eggs. 

Ah, he has a few strawberries, too. 

There hadn’t been many left in the package in the fridge to begin with, and he really wasn’t a strawberry person anyw—Prince immediately perked up in the front of his mind and gave a surprisingly-loud squeak right between his ears!

H-hey! What was that for?!  King questioned, wincing as the raccoon continued pacing and squeaking. 

 “Here, sweetheart.” 

Blinking out of his thoughts, King automatically opened his mouth so that Baron could press a small strawberry against his tongue. 

“He loves strawberries. I hope you don’t mind.” 

Slowly closing his mouth to begin chewing, King realized that Baron had been right. He was so used to Rexy in his head, who wasn’t a huge fan of the fruit, but would tolerate it well enough, but he hadn’t thought about what Prince would want him to eat. 

“Your otter didn’t seem too happy when I was putting strawberries on our plate out of habit. I’m so used to feeding Prince’s tastes to at least try to keep him satisfied while he’s cooped up in my mind…” Baron said with a small smile. 

“I hope it’s okay. You don’t mind eating them for him, do you?” 

King quickly scooted closer after shaking his head. 

“Of course not. I’m just not used to eating them that often because Rexy isn’t a huge fan of them,” he said after he finished chewing, then swallowing the strawberry. 

Baron gave him an adorable, relieved smile, then lifted another strawberry up to King’s lips. 

“I’m glad.”

King paused for a moment, the faintest hint of pressure against his lips from the new strawberry. 

It had taken him that  long to realize that Baron was willingly, and even with a smile , feeding him not only breakfast, but hand feeding him strawberries! 

His face immediately began warming as it caught up with his thoughts, but before he could begin worrying about anything, Baron tilted his head the slightest bit, then smiled a little wider, revealing a small portion of his beautiful white teeth. 

Without a single word King opened his mouth and accepted the second strawberry, then chewed and swallowed before a third was presented to him. 

As he chewed the new one, he tucked his right leg and turned his body to face the other man a little better. Prince was completely focused on each strawberry, and whenever King began to worry about the slight awkwardness of the situation, the raccoon would simply placate him with quiet cooing or chatter, distracting him until another strawberry was presented. 

It wasn’t until there were no more strawberries left to give that he finally snapped out of his daze and stood up, then turned and reached for Baron’s now-empty plate. 

“I’ll take them to the kitchen,” he said, wanting to help since Baron had cooked for him. 

The other man gladly handed over his empty plate, then downed his remaining water before setting their empty cups on top. 

“Thank you. Go ahead and shower first since you’re going to be on camera,” Baron said as he followed behind him. 

Instead of following him all the way to the kitchen, however, he redirected toward the suitcase they’d pushed against the wall in the living room. 

“Do you mind if I throw some things out that I don’t want?” he asked as he knelt down beside it. 

King joined him a moment later, having dragged his trashcan right over. 

“Of course not. Toss whatever you want.” 

He was a firm believe in not cluttering up spaces, and if there was emotional baggage attached to said clutter, all the better to be rid of it. 

“Thank you. If it fills it up I’ll run it down to the dumpster,” Baron said, his voice the slightest bit off as he began sorting through the items of his past life. 

King stayed with him for a few moments, but then seemed to understand that he wasn’t needed right then and decided to just go wash up. 

When he entered the bathroom, however, he stood there, stunned for a few moments. 

He’d… cleaned it all. 

Every single surface was scrubbed until it sparkled, and even his shower, which he thought hadn’t been too bad, now shone like the sun! 

He was surprised, shocked, and honestly impressed, but as the situation sunk in, he began to feel nervous and looked over his shoulder at the man silently toiling, kneeling over a suitcase full of pain. 

Turning his head, King looked at himself in the mirror. He wasn’t sure what he could do to help the man relax again. 

Can he really be relaxed all the time, though? Even I stress out a lot sometimes, especially when I’m remembering the crash…

His eyes widened when he noticed an adorable fuzzy baby staring back at him through his own eyes. 

Prince! Let’s go!

Seemingly having read his mind, Prince suddenly took over! He stretched and shook out his coat first, then slowly turned around until he had Baron square in his sights. 

You know him best, bud. Help me help him out, okay? 

 Prince twitched his whiskers and puffed out his chest… then promptly scrambled into the kitchen! 

W-wait! You’re supposed to go over to him, not run in here!

Inwardly groaning, King watched through the raccoon’s eyes as it easily climbed up onto the counter, then hurried over towards the basket of fruit his mother had filled when she’d come over. 

His little grabby paws easily yanked out a banana from the stack and began peeling it with a few nips. Well, he peeled some of it. 

Uh, how can you eat the peel? It tastes so starchy. 

Prince didn’t seem to mind at all as he chewed loudly, mashing the sweet fruit between his jaws without a care in the world. 

This isn’t what was supposed to happen, and we just ate dinner. You’re going to give me a stomach ache during my stream, he told Prince, trying to get through to the brat. 

Of course, he knew that it was pointless, and when Prince finished off his banana and decided to reach for an apple, King resigned himself to having to puke when he was eventually allowed to shift back. 

Except, right before Prince’s banana-covered paws could grab his next treat, he was picked up, earning a squeal of surprise from him as he reached with both arms towards his lost prize!

“You’ve had enough, little one,” Baron said in a despondent tone as he held Prince against his chest, seemingly not caring about getting some leftover banana on his shirt. 

“Come help your daddy with some things,” he said as he brought the unwilling raccoon over to his suitcase. 

He was just getting started again, with one hand, when his phone chimed beside him on the floor with an incoming text. Pausing his unwanted task, Baron reached over as Prince turned his head, curious about the sound. 

With the raccoon’s eyes on the screen, King was able to read exactly what Baron was. 

Anne: Thank you for signing and emailing those papers back to me quickly. Your wife declined to sign hers, so I’ve already filed a petition to continue with the divorce proceedings. She has twenty days to bring forth her reasons for refusing. 

What? 

King felt his heart drop into his stomach as Baron’s emotions flooded his system with confusion and misery. He was confused about why she’d decline the divorce after having already currently having custody of their daughter and taking his money, but he didn’t try to figure that part out right then. 

Prince, I need control back please!

The raccoon seemed to grow more distressed the further Baron sank into his panic, making King feel even more stressed!

Wait a second…

Doing his best to push through the growing clouds in his thoughts, King focused outwardly until he felt the faintest brush of Baron’s mind. 

Okay, there you are. 

He pressed his subconscious closer and felt a chill seep into his bones, but still, he pressed on. 

My sweet Rexy, please let me in!

His otter took a few seconds to respond to his request, but thankfully it wasn’t completely overwhelmed by Baron’s emotions. 

It was, however, extremely stressed and not very happy, at all. 

Before he even managed to settle himself into a sitting position, Rexy was in his arms, whining and pawing at him like a lost little pup. 

Of course, he hugged him tightly and immediately started whispering soothing words to him. 

“It’ll be alright. Your new daddy is just overwhelmed. Let’s calm ourselves down first, then share our peace with him, hmm?” he said as he gently pet his sweet otter. 

Rexy squeaked quietly in response, but it didn’t take him long before he stopped wiggling around anxiously. Then, after another minute passed he looked up at King in the darkness, his gentle eyes still stressed but clearly much calmer now. 

You were with me when the crash happened, and every night I couldn’t sleep afterward. 

His otter was a master at calming him down in stressful situations, but now that the tables had been turned, King couldn’t help but realize how lucky he was to have such a strong other half. 

“Let’s take care of your new daddy the way you took care of me, too, alright? We’ll help him together,” King said with a cheerful smile for his baby. 

Rexy gave his head a good shake to settle his fur, then squeaked as he tapped a paw against King’s chest. King immediately responded by lifting his little one up above his head. 

“Such a sweet little otter! I’m so glad that you’re no longer in pain and can enjoy your life again, too!” 

Rexy squeaked and wiggled happily, making King smile… but as he watched his otter, he could see something else at the edge of his vision. 

He continued to cheer Rexy up and, in turn, the clouds around them began to disperse back into the darkness. 

When the person at the edge of his vision moved closer but out of his line of sight after a moment, King wasn’t worried. 

He also wasn’t worried when he felt that person appear behind him a few seconds later. 

Nor was he worried when shaky arms wrapped around his middle and someone pressed themselves against his back.   

“Your new daddy is so sweet and takes such good care of you. I’m glad that you got a chance to stay with him for a while,” King said honestly as he lowered Rexy back down to his chest. 

His sweet otter immediately wiggled its way up to put his paws on his shoulder, drawing King’s attention as he followed him with his eyes just in time to see Rexy press his little nose to Baron’s. 

The man’s blurry face suddenly became completely visible, then the rest of his mind quickly became brighter and brighter until King blinked his eyes open, then sucked in a deep breath before sighing it out slowly, relieved. 

They’d managed to get Baron back to himself, and now he was back in his own body, too. 

Thank you, Prince. 

Letting his body finally relax completely, King looked across the room with his chin resting on his arms as he processed their current situation. 

His arms were wrapped around Baron’s neck, but that was no surprise. 

He could also feel the man’s arms tightly wrapped around his back and waist, holding him painfully close. 

That was also expected, but after a few more moments of quiet contemplation, King realized something that he’d forgotten about. 

I just shifted back from Prince…

His face immediately began to burn as he took note of where Baron’s hands actually were. 

The one on his back was gripping his side tightly, but it was plenty high enough to be appropriate. 

His lower one, however…

It’s… literally less than an inch from my bare ass! 

As his mind turned into a crossword puzzle written in a foreign language, King heard a few chimes from Baron’s phone, making him abruptly turn his head and lean back slightly so that he could read what his mom had texted him.

He expected Baron to move his lower hand to reach for the phone, if not for any other reason than propriety, but to his disbelief, he removed the higher one and used it to pick up the phone. 

Anne: She submitted her reasons quickly but none of them will be valid in court. I also got a few dates set up that could work for your daughter to visit. I’ll send them in an email and you can pick whichever one works best for you. 

Anne: I’ve also been working on getting your remaining money back to you that she stole through your father’s will. She agreed to return half of it willingly after I presented evidence that she’d changed the will illegally, but I’m not interested in half. 

I’m going to be busy for the remainder of the day, but feel free to call me tonight if you have any questions or, of course, you can always text me back or email, too. Have a good day and tell King I love him… and to behave. 

King felt his eyebrow twitch. 

She’s telling me to behave when he’s got his hand nearly on my ass!

“You’re going to miss your chance to shower if you don’t go now,” Baron said, snapping King out of his thoughts as he looked up and over towards the clock he’d hung on the wall. 

Oh shit!

Scrambling out of Baron’s lap, King ran for the bathroom, no longer caring that he was completely naked! 

He heard Baron’s light laughter following him into the room, and when he stopped in the open doorway and glared over his shoulder at the man still sitting on the carpet, he was surprised to see him staring right back at him with a content grin on his face. 

King wanted to chastise him for having nearly grabbed his ass earlier, and also for staring so openly right now as he chuckled quietly at him, but when he finally parted his lips to speak, the only thing that happened was the edges of them tilting upward as he matched the man’s grin, then shook his head as he turned back around to face forward and nudge the door mostly  closed. 

It was a simple signal to Baron that, even though he was going to take a little time to himself to shower and relax, he was still willing to be available if he was needed. 

He wouldn’t shut him out, no matter the day or time. If he needed him, he’d be there.

Raccoon Eighteen

(Dear god this chapter was a lot of work XD 5654 words)

For the first time in a long while, King was nervous about streaming. He had everything set up and he looked pretty darn good in a pair of black jeans and his King jersey, but still…

Nervous.

Lifting his hand to sift through his hair for the hundredth time, King nearly choked on his own breath when his fingers were gently grasped in warm ones, drawing his attention up to a calmly smiling Baron.

“You’re messing up your hair, hun,” the man said as he gently fixed it before handing him a glass of water.

King took it, but then stared at it for a moment before looking up at Baron.

“We just had water a bit ago.”

Baron nodded but instead of taking the glass back, he sat down beside King’s chair with one of his own, then looked up at him.

“You’re dehydrated.”

Huh?

“You had a small cup of water, but you’ve been licking your lips a lot and even used chapstick twice already.”

King furrowed his brow, still confused on the correlation, but didn’t bother to argue as he lifted the glass to his lips and downed half of it in one go.

When he lowered it again, he raised an eyebrow at Baron, earning a grin in return.

“Thank you,” the man said before lifting his own glass to his lips and slowly drinking a few sips.

King openly stared as Baron turned his attention to the screen, seemingly oblivious to the fact that he was currently the main focus of someone else. Well, that was until he turned his attention back to King a moment later and removed the glass from his lips, snapping King out of his daze.

“I think it’s time to start your stream? Your game has been beeping for a minute now,” Baron said, making King quickly look at his computer monitors.

Oh crap, I really spaced out. I’m so used to staring at his cute nose. I wasn’t expecting to suddenly be distracted by his lips, too.

It had probably been because they were pressed against the rim of a glass, but then again, he hadn’t gotten distracted by them the last time the guy had drunk something!

Inwardly groaning, King forced himself to focus as he accepted the voice invitation from the matches MC.

“Ah, there is our King! Welcome to today’s match, your highness!” the man said, his enthusiasm boiling over into the two chat windows he’d pulled up.

They were both surprisingly active already, with several wondering why King, who had always been on time before, had been late this go around.

Only by a minute or two guys…

Glancing down and to his left, he caught Baron’s eyes at the same time the man looked up at him, a hint of humor to his grin as he mouthed ‘unforgiving, huh.’

King grinned, then turned his attention back to the computer screens… only to realize his mistake too late.

Floop: Bro, Prince is there! I bet you he was looking at him just now!

MimiIsAPerv: Plz tell me he’s naked this time, too!

“Sorry I’m late guys,” King replied, ignoring the comments about Prince.

“Not a problem, our King! As luck would have it, your partner is running a bit late, too. They did inform us ahead of time that they were having connection issues, though, and were working on getting things taken care of,” the MC said, making King’s eyebrow twitch.

Connection issues my arse.

He was just about to look back down at Baron when he remembered that he was on camera and forced his eyes to stay straight ahead. In fact, since he wasn’t playing just yet, he reached over and grabbed the half-full glass of water Baron had brought him and began sipping at it to give himself something to do.

A little chime caught his attention a moment later, then two more a few seconds after that one.

What’s going on?

He slowly lowered the glass from his lips and eyed the donation bar as it steadily began to go up, then glanced toward the comments on his personal profile.

CompletelyInnocent: How is he so cute just drinking water? Does anyone remember seeing him drink or eat when streaming?!

Gay4King: Never! Not even once, but I’ll pay to see it again!!!

Uh, they’re thirstier than I will ever be…

A quiet chuckle sounded from beside him, drawing his attention to Baron without his own mind’s consent.

The guy was grinning again, and clearly trying to stifle his laughter with a hand over his mouth.

He must have heard his thoughts again, or he was reading along with the chat. Or , more than likely, both of those things.

The chime for his donation notification suddenly sounded almost as if it were a song playing note after note to a specific rhythm.

GayJesus: THAT WAS PRINCE LAUGHING JUST NOW!!

Gay4King: I-I think I might be gay for the Prince, too… that sounded so adorable!

Hey now…

“I’m afraid I’m currently taken, guys,” Baron said suddenly, making King jump a little and look back down at him, surprised that he’d actually say something when he had his microphone turned on!

As the chime for his donation account triggered nearly nonstop, King felt as if his heart was also beating at that same speed. He wasn’t sure why Baron had said such a thing when he was currently getting a divorce, but he definitely wasn’t about to ask him about it.

Instead, he shook off his shock and decided to look at the chat again.

B!tchPlz: Omg I’m so jealous! Someone’s got King’s heart?!

Size15Shoes;): Is there room for one more?!

Gay4King: ^I second this!

FriendlyNeighborhoodHerpes: I picked the wrong name for this chat but can I third the above statement???

King quickly reached back and rubbed at his neck, rather uncomfortable with the whole situation.

“Alright, so it looks like your partner isn’t able to login, so what would you like to do, King? We can do a roulette and just let the computer pick someone who is online, though they might not be as close to your level, or if you know someone you want to play with, you can get them online,” the MC said, giving King at least a little break from the comment section.

He really didn’t know anyone close to his own rank and level that would work well with him. He wasn’t about to ask that girl he’d played with before, either.

I guess I’ll just have to try my luck with the roulette system.

He was just about to tell the MC to generate a random player for him when he felt a hand gently squeeze his thigh, immediately bringing his attention down to Baron and a pink tint to his cheeks!

“Would I be good enough for this kind of thing? I’m willing to try it. Though I don’t want to bring you down if you know I’m not ready yet,” he said, no doubt making the chat ping with a million messages of swooning fangirls and boys.

King ignored them all, however, because Baron had asked him an honest, serious question.

The guy was really good already, but it was true that he’d never done person versus person content, and definitely not at such a high level, either. He would pretty much be throwing him to the wolves, but at the same time…

Glancing at his donations steadily rising, King paused for a moment, then looked at both his personal, and the match’s comment sections.

OneScoopPlease: I’ll pay! Even if he isn’t good yet!

Same: Same! He’s just a baby to Infinity but he looked great when you were playing with him the other day! Let him experience a PVP match!

B!tchPlz: I agree! We won’t be upset if he’s not great. He’s still learning! We’d love to see him try though!

King pursed his lips and thought it over. He didn’t mind if Prince played, but if he lost, his rank would drop a bit. Not that it would likely affect his current contract, but it would be some work to rebuild. However, if they somehow won, not only would his rank rise since he was using a completely new player as a partner, but Baron would also gain a good amount of points, and they’d both likely earn a hefty chunk of change, too.

There’s only one real problem, though.

Looking up, King addressed the MC.

“I have a friend who is willing to play, but his character isn’t at the level cap yet. Can you give me a minute so I can buy a jump token for him?” he asked, curious if it would be allowed.

You had to be a certain level before you would even be allowed to buy such a token, and it took millions of in-game gold just to afford a single one.

For higher ranked players, however, they were extremely useful and helped level a character to max when you don’t have time to do it yourself.

The MC paused for a moment as he considered this, or, more likely, waited for an OK from the higher ups, then after a minute he replied cheerfully, “we’ll take care of that for you! The character is Prince, correct?”

King nodded as he said “yes,” then set his controller aside and leaned forward to begin setting up the laptop for Baron.

“B—Prince, you’re going to have to look at a quick guide for the job you’re playing so that you know what your new skills are. Pull it up on your phone real quick,” he said as he began the login process for the game on the laptop.

Baron quickly did as told, then scrolled through the new information.

“It doesn’t look too bad. I think I can learn it quickly,” he said as King finally leaned back and handed Baron his spare controller.

“Don’t worry about winning, okay? Just do what you’re comfortable with and I’ll handle the rest. You might want to stay behind me for the first round to learn what the other players can do, too,” King said, earning an understanding nod from Baron as he glanced between him and his phone, doing his best to memorize what he could as his character loaded onto the screen.

King took that moment to teleport back to the standard game, then run up to Prince once his character materialized next to where he’d been left previously.

“Here, take this gear real quick. It’s not perfect for your class, but it’s at least appropriate for your new level,” he said as he quickly traded the items, then looked back up into his camera lens.

“Alright, I think we’re good to teleport back to the private PVP instance,” he told the MC, needing the man to initiate the teleportation spell since it wasn’t one that could be used by most players.

The MC quickly did as told and teleported both their characters back into the area King had originally been.

“Alright, it looks like we’re all set! Your opponent today is team Firestorm, though I’m sure you’ve already read that in your match notes! I’d like to give them a big thank you for being so patient as we got things fixed!”

“Not a problem, guys,” the leader for Firestorm said over the mic, surprising King a bit.

He didn’t even think they were in the voice chat yet.

“It’s nice to finally get the chance to play against you, King,” the young man said, making King return his words with a smile.

“Likewise, let’s have a good match.”

He knew better than to ask for any kind of leniency for Baron. He’d agreed to play a ranked match, so the other team wasn’t going to go easy on them. Besides, they might gain some points for killing him a few times, but they won’t gain a whole lot for killing Prince, since he had absolutely no person versus person standing to begin with.

Allowing him to play was pretty much one of two things to the other team. A free, easy win, or a chance to play against King that they didn’t want to pass up.

Either way, they wouldn’t bother with Prince much until they got him out of the way first.

Reaching up, King pressed the mute button on his headset, then looked down at Baron.

“Don’t play defense at all, okay? They aren’t going to care about you nearly as much as they will me since you aren’t worth half the points I am, and even if they go after you, once they catch you you’ll be dead almost instantly since I couldn’t get together fully upgraded gear for you so quickly.”

Baron looked up at him and nodded with a calm smile.

“Got it. I’ll just focus on attacking and evading instead of shields or healing,” he said, making King smile and nod.

He was extremely nervous about the match about to start, but it seemed like Baron was quite calm and collected as he attacked one of the fake NPC dummies that were set up in the area to test your newer skills on before matches.

He continued to focus on it right up until they were teleported into the battlefield.

“Alright! Thank you everyone for your patience! I’ll be the MC for this match, my name is Butch, by the way, and without further ado, I’d like to introduce to you a fan favorite, team Firestorm!”

King watched as Baron continued to press buttons, changing around his abilities and skills last second.

“And their opponents; I’m sure everyone knows our main man, the King of Infinity!” the MC said, making King quickly look up and smile sheepishly.

“I’d also like to introduce those who are just now joining us to our King’s partner for this match! Since his original assigned partner is having connection issues, King brought in none other than his sweet Prince to play at his side today!”

You’re milking this quite a bit, huh?

Baron chuckled again, his smile contagious as he shrugged one should and grinned up at King.

Deciding not to let it bother him, since Baron seemed perfectly fine with the added nonsense, King just continued to smile until the match was finally started.

“Alright, so the goal is to pretty much either take over their base by destroying the pillar within their borders, or the easier way, in my opinion, is get enough kills to win by points,” King said as he began advancing slowly, making sure that Baron was keeping up fine.

“You aren’t going to be worth many points because you haven’t even finished the main storyline, let alone done any PVP, so their main target will be me. That will leave you to either help me kill them, or go after their pillar. I’ll leave that up to you,” King said, glad that he’d turned his mic off earlier so that the other team couldn’t hear him.

The game started off as he’d expected, with Inferno, Firestorm’s head player, immediately coming after him. Neither him nor his partner, Flame, even batted an eye at Baron, leaving Prince to do as he wished as they chased King’s character down like rabid dogs.

Baron struggled to keep up with his casting right off the bat, and his ranged attacks were missing, too, due to the opponent’s speed and fulling upgraded stats and gear.

“Don’t worry, just do what you can,” King reassured him as he spawned a shield just in time to block a fireball aimed at his back, then jumped to the side as an arrow whizzed past his nose!

Baron simply gave a hum of agreement and continued to focus, but King was hearing a surprising amount of buttons being pressed when considering how much the guy’s character was actually doing.

Is he resetting his abilities again? In the middle of a game?!

“Oh ho? I can see Prince’s character’s statistics changing faster than his arrows fly! I’ve never seen someone do such a thing in the middle of a match before!” the MC yelled, confirming to King what was happening.

Well, I did tell him to do as he wished…

Shrugging off the odd tactic, because he couldn’t fault Baron for anything since he’d just thrown him into the match as a newbie, he simply refocused his attention on keeping himself alive.

Darting into the forest, he hurried through the trees, bushes, then finally out into a small swampy area. It was harder to move in such a location since the sandy mud automatically reduced your speed, but that also meant that it would slow down his attackers, too. One of which was a much stronger melee than they were a caster, saving him from taking too much damage as he focused more on deflecting his partner’s stronger magical attacks and returning fire whenever possible.

Still, he would likely end up dying soon, though he was trying his best to at least take out one of them before he went down.

“I think I figured this out,” Baron mumbled to himself as the screen on both of their computers suddenly shook as the edges turned a sandy brown before slowly fading away.

Did… did he just cast gravity? In a PVP match?!

“Whoa! I haven’t seen anyone use gravity when doing a ranked match! There are so many better spells, but we can’t fault Prince for not knowing!” the MC said, being completely honest.

Gravity wasn’t bad when fighting against lower level monsters, but to use it against opponents in a ranked match was kind of bad. There were much better spells, like fireballs and blizzards, that could be useful in those magic slots.

“King? The guide said that water will conduct electricity in this game. Do you have any of those attacks on your hot-bar available right now?” Baron asked calmly as King continued to deflect the blasts and their opponents completely ignored that their character’s movement speed had been reduced further by Prince’s gravity spell.

Since he was so busy, King simply nodded and pressed the button on his controller to unleash a massive storm of lightning! It wasn’t the strongest spell he had, and he definitely favored water abilities against their current opponents who were wearing fire armor to deflect that element better, but when the bolts of lightning hit the water and Flame’s hit points immediately went from sixty percent to zero, King blinked, stunned.

Inferno’s points also took a bad hit, dropping to twenty-five percent and were now dead even with King’s.

“I’ll finish him,” Baron said calmly as he unleashed his own weaker single lightning bolt attack.

Inferno tried to dodge out of the water, but the gravity spell was still in effect, halving his jump distance and slowing down his movement speed enough to allow the attack to overtake him with the help of the water still clinging to his armor.

“Did… did you guys just see that?! Not only did Prince use gravity in a competitive match, but him and King used the conduction utility of water and caught not only Inferno and Flame off guard, but I think all of us as well!” the MC yelled, clearly stunned.

King glanced at the comments for only a moment, but it was clear that no one had expected such a simple set of skills to work.

He was about to say something to Baron, congratulating him on a great plan, when he noticed the guy pressing a bunch of buttons on his controller again!

Another set of changes?

Unable to help himself, King just grinned and winked at the camera.

“My Prince is pretty amazing, huh? Even having only played for a day, he’s got the hang of it,” he said, making his personal crowd, as well as the match’s general chat, erupt in excitement!

His payment chime also hadn’t stopped going up ever since Prince had made his first kill.

There’s going to be a lot of money coming out of this match.

“I’m going to go try something alone. Is that okay?” Baron asked, making King nod as he got back to business and ran from the swamp, unwilling to risk getting caught trying the same strategy twice.

“Go for it, do whatever you’d like,” he said as he quickly healed himself, then began putting up several magical shields around himself.

He watched as Baron’s character disappeared off the edge of his map, going out of view of the distance he could see… and likely what their opponent could see, too. Most people didn’t bother using abilities to extend their sight in person versus person since the highest points were always gained by killing your highest level opponent.

If someone tried to attack your pillar, an alarm would go off and let you know to return, so paying attention to people who were so far away that your map didn’t register them was generally pointless.

Hmm… if Baron is going after their support pillar then maybe I can help him out.

Switching his own abilities around a bit, King began placing binding traps, the first time he’d used them in PVP since he was new. They didn’t hold strong players long, a mere few seconds, if that, but most people didn’t expect to see them in a serious PVP match, so they wouldn’t have any upgrades to deal with the binding timers.

“Can anyone tell me what King is doing? Your highness, what are you doing?!” the MC asked, clearly confused since King never bothered with such basic tactics.

Pushing a button on his headphones to turn his microphone function back on, King smirked and used a cloaking spell, making his marker disappear from the map before he jumped up into one of the trees there to wait for Inferno and Flame.

At the same time, Baron spoke, calm as ever.

“Can you turn your mic off please?”

King immediately pressed the button to mute them again, making the MC quickly begin throwing out assumptions on what they were discussing to bolster the ever growing crowd of spectators.

“I’m going to put down some timed spells to deal damage over time once they are completed, then start attacking their pillar,” Baron said as he got to work.

King’s cloaking spell wouldn’t last much longer, so he was setting up his own spells to get his best possible chance at a surprise attack.

“Okay,” King replied, but then paused as he thought of something.

“Hey, could you actually start attacking the pillar as soon as you’re done with the spell you’re working on? I have an idea.”

Baron didn’t even hesitate when he replied, “sure.”

Not a moment later the notification came up on the screen that Firestorm’s team pillar was under attack!

“Oh ho! The newbie has gone directly for Firestorm’s pillar! This won’t end well for King’s Prince if he doesn’t get him out of there quickly!” the MC announced loudly, sounding almost like a fanboy, himself!

As expected, Inferno and Flame both slowed their characters to a stop, likely discussing who was going to go back and handle the new guy’s pathetic attempt at toppling their pillar, but King couldn’t have picked a better spot to not only wait in hiding, but also to have set binding traps.

While Flame was sent to dispatch Baron’s cat boy, Inferno stayed behind to keep tracking King’s human. Except, right as he turned to continue in the direction he’d been going, magical vines of light suddenly erupted from the ground, wrapping around his legs before his character could jump out of the way!

“Gotcha,” King whispered as he quickly unleashed a multitude of magical spells to practically fill the entire area with blinding light, then he leaped down from his hiding spot, withdrew his sword, and scored a perfect critical hit for the meager remainder of Inferno’s hit points!

“Did you guys see that?! Did you?! Because I didn’t see anything after that mass of spells, but now Inferno’s HP is completely gone!” the MC squealed like an overly excited little girl!

“You guys! He’s not the King of Infinity for nothing, yeah?! For those of you just joining us, this is the King’s match day for donations, and his little Prince has even joined him for his first ever PVP match!” the MC said, then added as he caught his breath, “and Prince even got first blood!”

Unable to control his excitement, King leaned forward and tapped the microphone button on his headphones.

“That’s right, you guys underestimated my Prince, and now you’re going to feel the consequences,” King said as he quickly dashed through the forest towards Firestorm’s pillar.

It was still slowly losing stamina points even as he saw Prince’s own hit points steadily dropping as he tussled with Flame.

Surprised you’re still standing, but I really shouldn’t be, should I?

While Inferno was still waiting on his respawn timer, King arrived just in time to deflect a fireball, making Prince spin around abruptly in order to seize the opportunity he was given! He quickly sent a blast of water just over King’s head as he ducked!

King finished Flame off with a quick water whip, then immediately turned to begin a full-on assault on Firestorm’s pillar!

“Look at them go! I’ve never seen our King bother to go for the enemy’s pillar, but if they can get it down, the match will end and all remaining points will be awarded to his team!”

A quiet beep alerted them to Inferno’s approach, but King just grinned down at Baron, who was looking up at him with a similar expression.

They didn’t need to speak to know what the other was thinking now.

Let’s go… friendly fire.

He’d heard Baron tapping away at his controller as he was simply resetting his damage over time spells, so when he suddenly became much faster, but his overall attack and defense dropped dramatically, he knew what he was going to try and do.

As Inferno actually ignored King and went after Prince in a rage of explosive melee attacks, King hurried about, intercepting the guy’s character at every chance he got! Inferno had to be extremely careful not to damage his own pillar, though, so with Prince’s speed helping him, Baron was actually managing to survive the guy’s erratic but cautiously-aimed attacks.

“Look at that dodging ability from Prince! It seems like he’s downgraded all of his attack and defense in favor of speed and maneuverability, but you can’t tell me that isn’t pure skill, too!” the MC shouted excitedly!

Inferno’s hit points actually dropped to zero right before he could finish off Prince, leaving Baron’s character at 2% hit points!

“Look at that mastery! It is art! Art I tell you! These two were born to play together!”

With Inferno out of the way again, King and Prince turned their attention to the pillar and attacked as fast as they could, ignoring Prince’s slowly regenerating health in exchange for the chance to deal more damage!

“They’re going for it! They’re doing it!” the MC shouted as the comment and donation section both hummed with nonstop notifications!

“Focus on the pillar. Ignore everything else!” King said as he set up as many shields as he had the mana for, then continued tearing at the pillar along with Prince!

He could hear Baron switching his skills again and noticed his attack rising steadily as his speed dropped, but ignored it in favor of making sure that he was doing as much damage as quickly as possible, too.

“Flame is up! He’s coming, guys!” the MC yelled, clearly on the edge of his seat, too.

King completely ignored the attacks now leveled at him, not even bothering to dodge as his shields took the brunt of the force.

“Four percent! It’s at four percent!” the MC shouted!

King’s hit points began to drop as Inferno finished respawning and joined the attack on him, quickly dropping him below fifty percent!

King still refused to pay them any mind as he unleashed as much damage as he possibly could over and over again!

“Oh no! King is about to go down but Prince definitely doesn’t have the amount of attack he does! He might get killed before he can finish off the pillar! This is a close one, guys!”

King ground his teeth together, knowing that the MC was right.

If they died, then the pillar will automatically begin restoring its hit points while they respawn on the other side of the map. It would have been a wasted effort.

We have to destroy it right now!

Noticing a blur within the flurry of effects, King forced his mind to ignore it as he summoned the last of his stamina! In that exact moment his hit points stopped dropping at three percent, giving him exactly the amount of time he needed to deal the killing blow to the pillar!

The animation for the massive pillar of stone slowly falling from the sky to crumble before his character’s feet took over the screen as the words VICTORY appeared on the screen.

With his hands actually shaking as they held the controller, King waited with baited breath as the cutscene finished, then returned them to the battlefield. Only then did he heave a loud sigh of relief.

He’s still alive.

He had no idea when he’d started thinking about the time he’d found Prince on the bridge right after Baron had attempted to kill himself, but somehow he had known that the fleeting image his eyes had picked up right before he’d dealt the final blow to the enemy’s pillar was Prince darting in front of his own character to shield it from attacks just long enough for them to succeed, but…

Leaning back and letting his controller drop from his hands, King closed his eyes, then pinched the bridge of his nose.

Jesus, that scared me to death…

“Let’s here for our team Royalty!” the MC shouted, making King blink open his eyes as he sat back up with a tired smile.

Team Royalty?

“That was an absolutely amazing game! We’re going to give our players a few minutes to take a break and relax before we do our after-game interviews, stay tuned!” the MC said, signaling that King could turn off the stream for a few minutes.

King did that immediately, then made sure his mic was off before leaning back a little and looking down and to his left.

Baron was there, smiling up at him as he always did.

He’s here, and alright.

Swallowing, King sniffled, then felt a tear run down his cheek, making Baron’s smile quickly vanish as he reached out just in time to catch King as he fell right into his arms!

You scared me! I know it’s just a game but I was so distracted and I thought…

Strong arms held him firmly to Baron’s chest until he managed to calm himself down, then finally look up with damp eyes and cheeks.

Baron had returned his smile to his face, but it was a careful one this time as he leaned forward a little to press a kiss to King’s forehead.

“I’m sorry I startled you, sweetheart. I was so focused on making sure that we won that I didn’t think about anything else,” he said honestly as one of his hands began to gently rub along King’s back.

King stared at him, blinking silently for several moments before he finally simply leaned forward and settled his head against Baron’s shoulder, then closed his eyes.

“We won…” he said after a little while.

Baron replied immediately.

“We did. I really enjoyed playing with you.”

Tilting his head up a little, King blinked open his eyes, then froze.

Baron was staring down at him, his steady smile still on his face, but the expression in his eyes had changed.

Swallowing for a second time, King pursed his lips, then licked them, feeling quite dehydrated now.

“Alright, let’s call our teams back for their interviews! We’ll start with our winners, Royalty!”

King abruptly snapped out of his daze and sat up as Baron’s arms easily fell away from his back and the man’s eyes cooled.

“I-I have to do the interview,” he stuttered as he felt his face warm.

Baron simply gave a quiet chuckle and reached up to rustle King’s hair.

“Go ahead, hun.”

King nodded, then carefully got back into his chair on his now-wobbly legs.

“King?”

Looking to the side right before he intended to turn the stream back on, he froze as he felt Baron’s thumbs gently press beneath his eyes and brush away the remaining moisture there.

The man had gotten up on his knees in order to reach his face, which put his face just-barely below King’s… and he didn’t seem interested in removing his hands just yet.

“I just wanted to say that you did very well in our match, and I’m proud of you.”

King felt his face warm further, but before he could respond he heard a beep from his computer, telling him that the MC was waiting for him.

Smiling, King decided to settle on the quick way of responding and turned his head to the side, then pressed the briefest kiss to the palm that still hadn’t lowered from his face yet.

“Thank you, my Prince.”

He didn’t get a chance to even look at Baron’s expression in response to his words or actions because he knew that he was on a timer and quickly reached forward to turn his stream and microphone back on to do their interview.

Besides, he probably wouldn’t be able to handle any kind of response from Baron right then, because his heart was literally pounding in his ears as his tongue struggled to make the simplest of words as the interview began.

Wh-what did I just do?

Raccoon Nineteen

The interview was a lot longer than his normal few minutes since it was his match day, but King didn’t mind. He’d needed the distraction to calm his mind down. 

Baron had also gotten a phone call right before the questioning had begun and left the room, giving King some much needed space to regroup his thoughts. 

“Alright, let’s look at a few questions from our wonderful followers before we end our interview! Let’s see…” 

King skimmed the chat, but things were flying by way too fast for him to catch anything specific. 

“Oh, here’s a good one!” the MC said before seemingly reading a comment he’d managed to see. 

“Are you and Prince together? He said he was taken…” 

Of all the questions you could have picked.

King felt his eyebrow twitch. 

“U-um… I’m sorry but I can’t answer that question. There are a lot of things going on right now,” he said, leaving his response at that even as his mind tossed the question around like a Ping-Pong ball.  

Together…

“Ah, okay! Let’s look at a different one then!” the MC said, understanding that the topic was now off limits. 

King answered the next three questions calmly, but on the inside his mind just refused to forget the first one, no matter how many times he told himself that the man was  technically still taken until his divorce was processed. 

“That’s all we have time for today! Thank you for the amazing match and please let Prince know that we greatly appreciated his participation and hope to see him again soon,” the MC said cheerfully as King noticed his email alert flash twice on the bottom right hand corner of the screen. 

Mr. Lawson, who would have guessed. 

Forcing a tired smile, King thanked everyone, then finally signed off the stream and turned off his mic… before slumping back in his chair with an audible sigh and closing his eyes. 

He heard his bedroom door open a few moments later, but he was already beginning to drift off so he didn’t bother opening his eyes. 

Baron’s footsteps came over to him, but the man seemed to realize that he was resting his eyes, at least, and simply turned his attention to shutting down the computers. Once that was done King figured he’d go relax on the bed or into the other room to maybe make some food or watch TV, but to his surprise, he felt the man’s warm hand gently settle atop his hair and pat it gently. 

Then, when he didn’t respond, Baron gently removed his headset that he hadn’t taken off yet and set it on the desk. 

Okay, now  he was going to go relax. 

Except, that didn’t happen. He heard the man walk around his room quite a bit, then walk out several times. 

What is he doing? 

King nearly swallowed his own heart when he felt one arm suddenly slip beneath his knees as the other wrapped around his back, bringing with it Baron’s clean scent. 

Soon he was being lifted and hugged gently against the man’s firm chest. 

He’s gained some more weight back. I’m glad, but why pick me up? 

Baron started walking, but to King’s surprise, he wasn’t settled into his bed a few steps away for a nap, but carried out of the room. 

A few moments later and he was set down on the couch atop what he now knew were blankets the man had taken from his bed. His pillow was even there, too. A third blanket, this one the one they left on the sofa, was settled overtop him, then he heard Baron click the TV on to a low volume before finally walking away again. 

Soon the faint sound of chopping met King’s ears as Baron begin preparing to cook. The sound of the knife moving against the chopping board matched the pace of his heart as his face began to warm. 

How could someone give up someone so perfect? Hurt him so badly?

Sure, everyone had their faults, but Baron was such a sweet guy. He could cook, worked hard, and even played competitive games well. He also loved his daughter unconditionally and respected everyone he met. 

Tilting his head up against his pillow on the armrest, King slowly opened his eyes, surprised by how much effort it really took to complete the gesture. 

I really am tired. 

Which wasn’t really that much of a surprise. He often took naps after stressful matches, and when Baron had run in front of that blast at the end to take the hit for him instead of just letting his character die… 

His heart twisted in his chest. 

The action was common in competitive matches. It was called a suicide tactic, but it had meant a lot more than just a game tactic when it had come from Baron. 

Staring sleepily straight at his kitchen, he watched as Baron moved about, unable to see his hands due to the partial wall that rose to about four feet. 

He’s so handsome.

Especially when he was focused on something. 

He’s so cute, too. I bet his daughter is just as adorable as her dad. 

She sounded sweet, and very smart. 

“Hey there, babe,” Baron said quietly, stirring King from his thoughts as he pushed himself up on his pillow just enough to be able to lean forward and receive the slightly damp, cold strawberry. 

He tugged against the leafy stem Baron still held, easily separating the fruit with little effort. He should have been focused on the food he was now chewing, but his eyes never managed to stray from Baron’s soft ones. 

I really like him.

The man’s smile widened slightly as his eyes crinkled at the edges and his free hand rose to gently rustle King’s hair. 

“I really like you, too, hun.” 

King’s face immediately turned as red as the strawberry he had just swallowed. He wanted to hide beneath his blankets for a good hour after realizing that Baron had read his mind just then, but Prince evidently wasn’t interested in hiding when there were strawberries to be had. 

Thus, King was left to face the man now kneeling in front of the arm of the chair, his expression calm and patient. His hand was still in King’s hair, too, playing with a few strands, tugging gently. 

When he didn’t respond for a long time, Baron took over the conversation and spoke again. 

“I think you’re very cute, too. Your eyes are always so expressive and your beautiful heart lives on your sleeve.” 

King tucked his nose into his now-folded arms on his pillow, trying to hide his blush, though he knew that it was futile, even in the dim light of his small living room. 

The faint tugs he felt every few moments kept taking King’s attention as the silence began to stretch again. He could hear the clock he’d hung on the wall ticking the seconds away over the quiet hum of the television. 

I like having your attention , he eventually thought, unable to speak, but finally understanding that Baron really could hear the majority of his thoughts. 

“I like giving you attention,” Baron replied without missing a beat. 

King glanced away, but his eyes were quickly drawn back to Baron’s. It was like they were magnets that pulled his towards them, no matter how much he tried to look away to calm his embarrassment. 

“There’s nothing to be embarrassed about, love. You are an amazing human being and you deserve attention.” 

King pursed his lips behind his arms as he nuzzled his nose against them. 

I get so much attention from my game. I shouldn’t want more. 

“There are differences, sweetheart,” Baron said as his hand finally left King’s hair to gently glide down past his ear to settle against his cheek. 

He gently guided his head up slowly, until King’s whole face was visible again… and Baron was cupping the right side with his warm hand. 

“Have you had a lover before, King?” Baron asked just as calmly as his other questions. 

King would have likely shoved his head beneath the pillow if Prince wasn’t right at the front of his mind, tapping against his thoughts, wanting another strawberry. 

Instead, he gave his head a jerky shake from side to side. 

He’d tried to date a little bit, but he was just not someone who was good being around other people for long periods of time. He liked being able to do what he wanted, when he wanted. 

Baron seemed to take an extra couple moments to consider his response, making King suffer silently as his heart beat loudly in his ears.

“Would it be alright…” Baron began, then decided to say it a different way. “If you’d like, may I give you some attention now before our dinner is ready?”

King blinked, then blinked again. 

He was about to decline outright, because he didn’t want to feel like he was pressuring Baron to do something he might not want to, but then he realized that the man had said that he liked  giving him attention. 

Slowly pushing himself up and back into a sitting, King processed the situation slowly but meticulously. He always liked the attention Baron gave him, even though some of it had made him nervous. The guy had never been rude or imposing. 

“O-okay,” he eventually whispered, his voice a little rough as he finally watched the man stand back up. 

His eyes then followed him as he walked around the edge of the couch to stand in front of him with his same calm, collected smile. 

Realizing that he was hogging a good bit of the couch, King quickly moved aside a bit, giving him room to sit. When he did, and once he was comfortable with the footrest up, Baron looked at him and extended a hand to him, beckoning King forward. 

Settling into Baron’s warm, strong arms felt like heaven. His previously-tense body relaxed as he wrapped his own arms around the man’s neck and nuzzled his nose into its crook, taking in his scent again. 

Even though they used the same soap, he still smelled the slightest bit different. 

I like it. 

A hand was soon rubbing along his back in a content, gentle rhythm, drawing a smile to King’s face as he allowed his eyes to drift closed. 

They remained like that for nearly a full five minutes before King’s sleepy mind noticed that Baron’s previously stationary hand was moving a little from where it had been settled on his waist. 

It was moving south. 

The thought of being touched didn’t really bother him, since he’d been in Baron’s lap naked before anyways, but it still made him nervous. Especially since this wasn’t that situation. His body tensed a little in response, and the hand immediately stopped tugging the hem of his shirt up. 

He could feel two of Baron’s fingers settled against his bare skin as his other three remained atop the bunched up shirt. He really had stopped the moment he’d gotten nervous. 

I’m not used to this kind of thing. 

“…is it okay?” Baron asked after a few moments of silence. 

Releasing a long, tired sigh, King made his body relax bit by bit. 

“Yeah, it’s okay,” he eventually whispered as his nose nuzzled against Baron’s soft hair, needing a bit of a distraction as the man finished settling his hand beneath his shirt. 

He waited a few minutes as the scent of what he was baking filled the air, making King’s belly grumble quietly, then his hand rubbing along his back made its way south, too. Eventually, it tugged up the fabric on the opposite side as his other hand, then slid beneath. 

Warm…

This time, however, that hand didn’t stay where it had stopped for long. Soon, it was heading back up along the small of his back, moving slowly but surely, though not in a teasing manner. He wasn’t brushing his fingernails along his skin or trying to tickle or annoy him in any way. It was just a simple touch. 

King found himself unbothered, though still a little nervous. His body didn’t tense and he actually found himself enjoying the attention as he continued to relax in Baron’s arms. 

I like it…

Baron’s other hand began to move a moment after he thought those words, but instead of heading north, it slowly began to slip beneath the waistband of his shorts. It’s movement was painfully slow compared to his other hand, but King simply focused his attention between each of them, as well as a pouting Prince who made sure he knew that he was still  waiting for another strawberry. 

Your raccoon is a bit spoiled now, he thought to Baron as he used the fuzzy sweetheart as a bit of a distraction. 

Baron picked up on what he was doing and chuckled quietly, though didn’t stop his hands descent. 

“I believe you’ve spoiled him a bit, love, but I can’t say that I wouldn’t have done the same. He deserves to be spoiled a bit, hmm?” 

King actually grinned as he took in a deep, comfortable breath. 

“He does,” King finally said out loud as Baron’s hand settled against his bare backside at the same time his other hand stopped against his upper back, then pressed him closer in a warm hug. 

“You do, too,” he said after a quiet moment, his words making Baron turn his head a little towards him. 

“We might just have to spoil each other, because your sweet Rexy is about to throw a tantrum if he doesn’t get acknowledged soon, too.” 

That was definitely his Rexy. 

Chuckling a little, King carefully leaned back and Baron’s hand easily let him, but remained lightly against his skin for support. The action pressed the man’s lower hand more firmly against his backside, but he didn’t mind. Not when he was now able to look up into a surprisingly-blushing, handsome face. 

“He definitely deserves another treat soon, and maybe, when your daughter comes to visit, we can all go to the water park across town?” he asked, the idea coming out of nowhere, though he quickly found that he really liked the thought of a relaxing day out with Baron and his little girl. 

The guy looked surprised at his words, at first, but he was soon all smiles as he leaned forward to press a kiss to King’s cheek. 

“That sounds wonderful, love.”

Before they could speak anymore on the topic, the timer for the oven began to go off, making King realize that their attention time was over for now. 

I… 

He wasn’t sure he wanted it to end, but Baron did  have to go get their food so, grudgingly, he carefully got out of the man’s lap once he’d withdrawn his hands, but instead of waiting on the couch, he hopped up, too, and followed him into the kitchen to help get things set up. 

That’s how, after about five minutes, they found themselves back on the sofa with full plates of chicken pot pie and tall glasses of water. There were a few strawberries on his plate for his dissert, and to spoil Prince with, while Baron’s own plate had a few hand made crab and cream cheese wontons for Rexy. 

One of those wontons might have ended up in King’s mouth, and he, himself, might have ended up in Baron’s lap after they’d finished their meals, but neither of them seemed to mind as their borrowed shifts drifted off to sleep, content, and they stayed up to watch a movie.

It was a pretty good day, he realized, as he curled up closer against Baron, who welcomed him with kisses to his hair and gently tightening arms. 

I like this… I like him. 

He didn’t quite make it to the end of the movie before he drifted off to join his sweet raccoon for a nice, long rest.

Raccoon Twenty

Nuzzling into his soft pillow, King gave a content sigh and stretched his legs, his toes nearly reaching the other end of the couch. He hadn’t slept so well in a very  long time, so he was hesitant to wake up just yet. 

His stomach, on the other hand, couldn’t ignore what his nose was smelling, making him sniff once, then twice, as it sent the information it was receiving to a sleepy brain for processing. 

Pancakes…

And eggs, and something else. 

Tugging the blanket higher, he snuggled into it, then inhaled again. 

Baron’s scent immediately entered his nose, rousing his mind further as it mixed with the scent of breakfast cooking. 

I like it…

That short sentence, the same one that he’d thought several times the previous night, sprang to mind again as a smile slid onto his lips. 

He moved his body a little here and there, an arm reaching forward, a leg inching backwards. Of course, there would be no Baron, because he was the only person who would be at his home cooking the breakfast he was smelling, but his mind hadn’t caught up to that fact just yet. 

Baron…

About a minute later he finally realized that the man had gotten up. King stretched a little more, then slowly opened his eyes. Normally, he’d reach for his phone to check his gaming profile and social media stuff, but for once, he completely ignored it and pushed himself up. 

His eyes immediately went toward the kitchen, and after a few blinks and a yawn, Baron’s blurry image came into view. The man’s back was to him as he worked over the stove, allowing him to look to his heart’s desire… which was beating quite quickly for having just woken up. 

Baron worked for a few more moments before setting his pan aside, then putting down his spatula and turning around with a knowing smile on his handsome face. 

The man’s eyes stayed on him as he walked over, making King’s sleepy mind realize that he was completely shirtless. He looked away quickly, but then slowly allowed his eyes to return to the person now standing right in front of him. 

His heart in his throat, King tried to speak, but wasn’t able to get any sound past the lump. He tried to swallow it down twice, but he couldn’t manage the task. 

“Good morning, love,” Baron finally said quietly as he slid onto the arm of the couch. 

King leaned back just enough to give the man room, but he immediately wanted to lean closer again. Baron seemed to understand, because he slowly scooted closer until he was able to slide down onto the couch cushion. 

The moment he was situated King slid into his lap, straddling his legs before Baron’s arms slid around his waist and pressed him close. 

“I made pancakes and eggs. There are also a few fried fish for your baby,” Baron said, making Rexy perk up in his mind, startling King enough to make him lean back. 

Baron loosened his arms so that he could move freely, but still kept them gently clasped behind King’s back so that he wouldn’t fall. 

“Rexy… is back?” he asked, though it wasn’t really a question. 

His otter stood on its hind legs behind his eyes, eager for the fried fish it had heard were part of breakfast. 

“Yes, sweetheart. Our animals switched back,” Baron said as he gently brushed a length of King’s bangs behind his ear. 

“I suppose they can switch when we’re sleeping beside each other,” he added, making King blush and nod his agreement. 

He hadn’t minded when Baron had borrowed his Rexy, and he definitely hadn’t minded babysitting Prince, but he sure was glad to have his other half back now. 

Smiling, King leaned forward and wrapped his arms around Baron’s neck, settling in before closing his eyes. 

Hey sweet Rexy. How was your little vacation? Are you feeling alright? he asked as he focused inwardly as he faintly sensed Baron begin to rub his back like he had the day before. 

His little otter ran up to his ethereal form, squeaking in excitement, asking to be held. It was odd for it to want attention, but King didn’t dare decline as he sat down and welcomed his baby into his lap for some cuddling. 

While he loved on his sweet otter, he felt Baron nudge his cute nose into the crook of his neck, making King automatically tilt his head slowly to the side, offering more room. 

Baron accepted and after a moment, was pressing his lips against the warm skin there, nudging at King’s mind that something was a bit odd. He heeded the faint warning from the strange sensation a few moments later and pulled himself out of his thoughts, opening his eyes. 

Oh. 

His heart began to race again in his chest as he realized what Baron was doing, but right before he was about to open his mouth to question him, he realized that he’d made room for him previously when he’d tilted his head. 

I hadn’t been paying attention, but…

He wasn’t sure if he minded such intimate attention, though. Nuzzling had been fine, and he was definitely getting used to Baron’s hands, especially since there wasn’t one grabbing his butt right now, but… the sucking motion he could feel against his neck, along with the intermittent scraping of teeth against his skin made him uncomfortable, and he wasn’t sure if it was a bad uncomfortable, or just a nervous uncomfortable. 

Baron paused in his attention a moment later, seemingly considering something. Soon, he was leaning away enough to look King in the eyes, but all King could focus on were his slightly reddened lips. 

“Sorry, I should have asked before I did that. You leaned your head to the side so I thought I read the situation correctly,” Baron said, his face turning an adorable shade of pink King hadn’t seen on him before. 

Reaching up, King pressed his fingers against the slightly damp spot on his neck, his own face warming. 

He was just about to try speaking again as he lifted his gaze back to Baron’s nervous one when they both suddenly jumped at the sound of a loud knock on their door!

“Sh-shit! That’s my mom!” King hissed as he quickly scrambled out of Baron’s lap! 

“Wait, your neck!” Baron called out to him, his voice strained with worry. 

King came to a skidding halt in front of the door, then turned on his heels as his face burned as bright as a chili pepper! He quickly ran past Baron as the man hurried to the door, bolting for his room!

He expected to hear his mother immediately begin talking, but the only sound that met his ears as he quickly wrapped a scarf around his neck was a faint rustling. 

Hmm? 

Confused and a little worried, King hurried out of his room, only to stop at the entrance to the hallway and simply stare. 

His mom was  there, but she definitely wasn’t what he was paying attention to right then. Not even Baron was looking at her, because his attention was  completely focused on the little girl he was hugging tightly in his arms as he sat on the carpet.     

Everything was absolutely silent for nearly fifteen minutes before the little girl in Baron’s arms slowly looked up. Her eyes were soft and warm, just like her father’s, but what King saw there when their gazes met made his stomach hurt. 

She’s just a little kid, but her eyes feel like they have already seen too much. 

Sniffling a little, the girl pressed her nose against her daddy’s shoulder and spoke with such a quiet, nervous voice that King almost didn’t hear what she was saying. 

“Is he Mr. King, daddy?” 

Baron slowly lifted his head, then looked over his shoulder until their eyes could meet. 

Awww…

The guy’s face was covered in tear stains and looked like quite the mess, but his smile was blindingly bright. 

“He is, sweetie. That’s Mr. King,” he said, his voice just-barely managing to keep itself from cracking. 

When the little girl lifted her head to stare at him, King cautiously walked forward, then sat down beside them. He expected the little girl to shrink back a bit, but she only fidgeted for a moment before reaching towards him. 

King smiled calmly and reached up, gently taking her little hand in his own, then squeezing gently. 

“Nice to meet you, sweetheart.” 

The little girl looked at their hands, then back to King’s face as she remained comfortably held within her father’s arms. 

“You’re really pretty.” 

King watched Baron’s face change the slightest bit, as if he were trying not to grin but about to fail miserably. Unfortunately for him, his daughter immediately turned to look at him, though she refused to let go of one of King’s fingers. 

“Daddy, isn’t he pretty?” 

Baron gave a faint chuckle as he looked over at King again, then back to his daughter. 

“He sure is, my sweet Tili.” 

King got a bit distracted as he watched the two begin to talk about things that happened since they’d been apart. Tili even brought him into the conversation a few times, clearly not wanting him to be left out. 

When he noticed his mom sit down beside him, however, he quickly gave her the majority of his attention as she leaned close to whisper. 

“I tried to contact you guys but your phones were either off or on silent. CPS did a welfare check and while her mother passed, there were a lot of issues that she needed to fix and since I’d contacted her previously about visitation, she decided to have one of her girlfriends  bring her over to me this morning without any warning because she was heading this way on a trip.” 

Wow, what a piece of shit. 

“It’s already been documented and I sent Baron a text about it, as well as you,” she said, then pinched his arm. 

“Turn your phone on.” 

It had probably died since they’d gotten distracted last night and fallen asleep without plugging them in, but that was no excuse, so he simply nodded his agreement. 

“I have to go now, and I’m not sure when I’ll have to send her back. Is it okay that she’s here for now?” she asked, being very clear that he might be stuck with a plus one for a bit. 

It made him a tiny bit nervous, but at the same time, the girl seemed really sweet and Baron was over the moon that he was finally able to see his daughter. He was pretty sure that the guy wouldn’t try to force him to help take care of her in any way if he wasn’t comfortable. 

“Yeah, it’s fine. Thank you for bringing her by, even though you weren’t able to reach us.” 

His mom nodded, but before she could stand up she looked him over, then raised an eyebrow as she tugged at the winter scarf around his neck. 

“Ah, mommy had one of those marks before, too. She said it was a bug bite and that she taught the bad bug a lesson,” Tili said, drawing King and his mother’s attention to her for a moment before they looked back at each other. Baron was looking away, not daring to meet either of their gazes.

King could tell that his mom was considering giving him a quick lecture, likely about protection and such, since he had never really dated… or randomly let someone put a hickey on his neck, but she ended up releasing his scarf and simply sighing, then standing up. 

“Make sure to charge your phones. I’ll likely be calling you guys soon,” she said simply. 

Baron nodded as his daughter finally slid from his arms. He looked a little nauseous now as he turned his head back to facing forward, but thankfully his mom didn’t bother him about the hickey. 

“Yes ma’am.” 

The moment she left King turned to face Tili, who had been gently tugging on his scarf enough to reveal the full hickey. 

“You should put medicine on it. Does it hurt?” she asked as Baron lifted a hand to delve into his hair and tug, clearly stressed about the situation. 

I gotta admit, I wasn’t really intending to show my mom a hickey when she dropped off your daughter, nor had I planned to obtain one in general, but… 

Reaching up, he gently took Tili’s little hand and smiled. 

“It doesn’t hurt, and honestly, I kind of like the bug that gave it to me, so I won’t get mad at him,” he said, making the girl’s eyes widen as she thought about what he said. 

“Really? You aren’t mad at him? It looks like it hurt,” she said as she glanced at it again, but didn’t try to touch anymore. 

King gave a quiet chuckle before slowly standing up, then reaching down to lift the little girl into his arms. It was strange for him to actually pick up a child, since he’d never really had a reason to, but it felt natural at that moment. 

“I’m not mad at him, and I promise, it doesn’t hurt at all. Now that we have finished that discussion, I think your daddy was just finishing up making breakfast. Are you hungry, sweetheart?”

Her eyes immediately lit up as she looked toward the kitchen, the bruise completely forgotten as she kicked her little feet in excitement. 

“Did daddy make pancakes?!” she quickly turned her attention down to Baron as he watched her, looking up with still-worried eyes. “Daddy, did you make pancakes?! I missed daddy’s pancakes so much!” 

King smiled down at him, trying to stay as calm as possible, hoping that some of his emotions were able to drift into the other man like his own did to him sometimes. 

“A-ah, yes, yes I did,” Baron finally replied as he got to his feet and walked into the kitchen. 

King followed on his heels, and the moment Tili saw the big stack of pancakes on the stove, she squealed with excitement! He was about to tell her that they needed warmed up, but when Baron grabbed one and folded it in half, then handed it to his daughter with a careful smile, Tili gladly accepted it!

She didn’t say a single word about it being cold. In fact, she didn’t say anything until she was completely done with the big pancake. 

“I missed… daddy’s pancakes.” 

Before King knew it Tili was bawling !

Baron quickly took her from him and began to rock her gently back and forth as he pressed little kisses to her hair. 

“It’s okay, Tili. Daddy’s here and he’ll make you all the pancakes you could eat,” he said quietly. 

King watched, getting more and more anxious because, evidently, he was terrible  at kids crying. Adults didn’t bother him much, unless it was Baron, but…

Before he could figure out what to do, his vision slowly lowered until he was looking way  up at them. 

Uh…

“Mm, Daddy?” 

The girl had spotted him and immediately stopped crying. 

Rexy, why did you take control? She’s going to want to pet you and your arm and leg… 

His heart would literally break into pieces if Rexy ended up biting Tili. 

“Ah, that’s Mr. King’s animal. His name is Rexy,” Baron said as he carefully sat down on the tile floor with Tili in his lap. 

She seemed to want to move closer, but he held her well enough. 

“He doesn’t really like to be pet, so we are going to wait and see what he does, alright?” Baron told her, earning her attention for a split second before she returned it to the adorable otter in front of her. 

When Rexy only continued to stare, Tili looked up at the stove, then pointed. 

“Does he like pancakes?” 

Baron fought back a grin and shrugged a shoulder. 

“I’m not sure, but I did make some fried fish that I think he might want,” he said as he stood up again and had Tili grab the little plate he’d put the fish on before sitting back down again. 

The moment Rexy realized what the little girl was now holding out to him he quickly inched closer, then took the long fried fish between his paws, then quickly transferred it to his mouth. As soon as he had a good grip on it he retreated, then began crunching away happily. 

Hmm, you’re using your left side decently well, but I can still feel a little pain. 

The thought that being in Baron’s mind for a while might have healed his baby had King looking at the man in a new light. An even brighter  light than he’d already normally saw the man cast in. 

Rexy quickly finished off the treat, then inched closer and squeaked. Tili happily offered him another fish, but after he took it, she tried to grab him, making his fur abruptly stand on end as he tensed. 

Baron quickly grabbed his daughter’s hand and withdrew it, making her look over her shoulder, clearly understanding that she shouldn’t have tried to grab at him. 

“Tili, sweetie, King might look super tough and strong, and he is, but he also got hurt very badly many years ago. His otter, too, got hurt. He broke his arm and leg very badly… you wouldn’t want someone to randomly touch you after being in pain for so long without your permission, right?” 

The little girl looked on the verge of tears, but after a moment she sniffed twice, then gave an understanding nod before turning her attention back to Rexy. 

“I’m sorry Mr. King and Mr. Rexy. That wasn’t nice of me.” 

Rexy looked up at her midway through his fish, surprising King, to give her another squeak and a twitch of his whiskers. He finished off his treat a few moments later, then, instead of taking the next fish presented to him, he carefully climbed up onto Baron’s leg, then turned around to settle into a little spot. 

He’s… not actually hurting much. I think he would be okay if she gently pet his back , King thought to Baron carefully, hoping that he was reading his animal correctly. 

“I think he’s saying that you can pet him a little, but we’ll only do along the back, okay? And gently,” Baron said as he took his daughter’s left hand in his own. 

Tili hummed her agreement, then, so gently that King could barely feel the pressure of her fingers, carefully stroked Rexy’s smooth fur. 

His otter tolerated the attention for nearly three minutes before it hopped out of Baron’s lap and wandered off back into the bedroom. He could hear Tili and Baron talking quietly but King was forced to get himself dressed before he could rejoin them since Rexy had evidently decided to relinquish control abruptly. 

Thanks for not doing it in from of his daughter. 

His otter scoffed at him, as if to say ’ you really think I would do that?’ 

His attitude made King chuckle, then smile as he finished tugging on his shirt, completing his simple outfit. 

I think this will work out just fine. 

His otter already liked Tili, and it was their biggest obstacle. 

“Mr. King, help me wash daddy’s face? He has snot on his nose!” Tili yelled near the bathroom, drawing his attention over to them with a faint laugh. 

Baron returned his smile as King walked forward and into the bathroom with them. Since Tili was still in Baron’s arms he grabbed one of his clean hand towels and lightly dampened it beneath the spigot, then handed part of it to Tili. 

“Let’s do it together so we don’t miss a spot, okay?” he asked, earning a stern nod from her in agreement. 

They carefully cleaned Baron up, making the guy laugh a little here and there, especially when Tili tugged on his adorable nose and King grabbed an ear. 

“One more towel,” King said as he tossed away the dirty one, then wet the new one just enough before handing one side to Tili. 

They both got busy again, but as Tili wiped over everywhere again, even though the guy was pretty much clean now, King only pretended on his end, because he was much more focused on something else. 

He looked from Baron’s lips, up to his adorable nose, then finally stopping on his eyes. 

Those eyes burned into him, then lowered until they landed on his lips. He hoped he was reading the cues correctly, because, before he could let himself chicken out, King leaned forward as he lifted his side of the towel just enough to shield their faces. 

Their lips pressed together for the briefest moment, then separated, leaving Baron with a delighted smile while King took a step back and looked away, releasing his end of the towel. His face was burning like a raging fire and as he lifted a hand to his still-tingling lips, he couldn’t stop one thought from playing over and over inside the inferno of his mind.

His lips were so soft…

Raccoon Twenty-One

He hadn’t expected.

His entire life for the past several weeks could be summed up with that one, simple sentence.

He’d intended to die to remove the burden of life from his shoulders, but he hadn’t expected King to come along and pick him up in his arms.

He’d intended to leave his home quickly to keep from burdening him, but he hadn’t expected to hear the young man’s adorable thoughts about him.

He hadn’t expected to get so involved with him, but now they were standing beside King’s car at the local waterpark wearing brand new bathing suits and flip flops as the sweet guy knelt down and helped his daughter put some sunscreen on her smiling face.

They’d had his sweet Tili for two days now, and unfortunately, they’d have to give her back to Anne to send home tomorrow. His anxiety had been jumping all over the place since he’d gotten that text earlier that morning, but each time his mind began to struggle King took his hand, or elbow, or even slid a few fingers into the back pocket of his bathing suit and gave the fabric a gentle tug as a reminder that he was there for him.

His heart was currently beating in his throat as Tili, in her black pair of boy’s swim trunks and hot pink bikini top pointed in excitement as they finally got to the front gates. King stepped in front of them and scanned their tickets on his phone, then let the guard check their bag of towels, sunscreen, and snacks.

“Daddy?”

Baron immediately turned his smile to his daughter as she settled her hand back on his shoulder.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

Her arms wrapped around his neck as she leaned in and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

“Thank you for taking me to play today, and for reading and going for a walk with me yesterday. Dinner was really yummy, too!”

Those really aren’t things a child should thank their parent for…

He nudged aside his upset as King walked back up to them, all smiles.

“You’re welcome, sweetheart. I love reading with you and Mr. King likes going for walks, so he was happy to join us, too.” 

She smiled wider.

“I really like Mr. King!”

Me too, sweetie.

They headed inside and easily found a spot right in the middle of the park on a large man-made beach. Lockers were available nearby, so they put their phones away, then settled on the towels King quickly laid out.

Baron then carefully got his daughter outfitted with some cute pink and blue blow-up water wings. She knew how to swim rather well for her age since he’d taken her to classes when she’d turned one, but that didn’t mean that he would dare take a chance.

As he was finishing up, he caught King’s shadow moving and looked up just in time to see the young man tug his soft gray shirt, that had Level Up printed on it, up and over his head.

His mouth was suddenly dry.

In the bright afternoon sun he could easily see some marks on the man’s upper left arm from his accident long ago, but he quickly skimmed over those before taking in everything else.

He had the makings of abs starting and his body was decently toned, but not overly so. He was a gamer, not a gym bro, but his young metabolism was definitely shining through.

His own face warmed as he saw the band-aid that had been placed over the hickey he’d given him the other day. He would have loved to see him not covering it, but he would never tell him that. If he wanted to cover the mark, he most definitely could. Just the fact that he’d allowed him to put it there was more than enough to make Baron smile for days.

“Wanna take your shirt off, too?” King asked, startling Baron back to the present, making him blush a little as he stood up and took his daughter’s hand.

He was okay with having it off at the apartment sometimes, but with so many people looking… It wasn’t even that he was big, he was still a bit underweight, but he definitely wasn’t as nice on the eyes as King. Or, at least, that’s what he thought. His wife had always told him to keep his shirt on whenever they went anywhere it would be appropriate to take it off.

“I… maybe later,” he eventually said as he looked down and scooped up his daughter to try and silently signal that he didn’t want to continue the conversation.

He might look out of place amongst the hundred plus people that were all dressed down to swim, but he just wasn’t comfortable.

“Okay, Tili, what do you want to do first?” King asked as he took Baron’s free hand and squeezed it gently.

The little girl quickly pointed to a big set of red slides that towered over the sitting area.

“Alright, let’s go!” King cheered as he tugged them along like he, himself, was just as excited to ride.

Turned out, he was.

The guy shot down the slide like an excited, well, otter.

Baron even glanced over the side of the risen platform as he saw King splash down at the bottom, then swim around with a big grin on his face.

Rexy must be in heaven right now.

His own shift was really happy, too, now that he thought about it. Prince had desperately missed his baby and as they settled at the top of the slide with Tili in his lap, his raccoon was squeaking and hopping on its front paws, excited to spend some fun time with her.

He was a little overly nervous when they finally began sliding down the giant slide, but when Tili just squealed with delight, he couldn’t help but relax. Of course, he made sure to lift her up a little to make sure she didn’t get water up her nose when they exited into the huge pool, but the whole situation went surprisingly well.

“Tili! Hey Tili!”

Seeing King on the edge of the sandy pool about ten feet away waving and calling to his daughter, Baron chuckled and began swimming that way, but then stopped once he knew he was far enough away from the slide to not hinder the next rider.

“Want to go swim to Mr. King?” he asked his daughter with an encouraging smile.

She immediately began paddling that way, moving surprisingly quick for her size.

Baron watched her for a moment, savoring the simple memory before walking forward, since he’d already gotten to a spot that was shallow enough for his feet to touch the sandy bottom.

The moment Tili got to King he took her hand and they kicked around in the sand for a few moments until Baron got out of the water to meet them.

He would normally discourage kicking sand at anything, or anyone, but King was returning the gesture with little kicks of his own, and since both of them were smiling as they ran around on the sand, he couldn’t bring himself to reprimand either. Even in his mind.

“Daddy, let’s go to the river!” Tili said loudly as she ran over, tripping over the sand halfway to him since she hadn’t been watching her feet.

He started hurrying towards her to help her up, but she just jumped back up and brushed her knees off, then ran the rest of the way and grabbed his hand with a beaming smile.

King was already up on the little paved walkway leading that direction, one gangly arm raised high in the air to wave at them.

Tili turned and hopped up and down, waving back before she began tugging Baron in that direction.

The lazy river, as it was aptly named, was basically a winding waterway that stretched around the majority of the right side of the park. A current propelled swimmers and rafters along at a comfortable pace and the area was split down the middle, allowing those who wished to swim a chance to do so without getting run over by rafts.

They chose the swimming section, but they did rent a little kickboard for Tili so that she didn’t wear herself out too quickly. To his surprise, King actually stayed with her nearly the entire time, watching and helping her float along, giving him a chance to relax a little.

Of course, the entire time the two were a few feet ahead of him Baron was watching them interact. His wife wasn’t a fan of getting sweaty, so any kind of theme park had always been out of the question for her. This was actually Tili’s first time at anything but a regular neighborhood park, and it was clear that she was having an absolute blast.

He did understand that King wasn’t completely comfortable around kids, though, considering how he panics a little bit with certain situations and especially abrupt emotional changes, but considering he’d just recently had a kid dropped off at his house without any warning…

He’d be an amazing dad.

His content smile quickly turned into a full one as he laughed lightly and swam forward a bit to grab King’s swim trunks. He’d shifted rather abruptly into Rexy, though he doubted that the man had done it on purpose.

Can’t blame your baby for wanting to come out. This is practically an otter paradise.

With Rexy swimming around, Baron stepped up to watch his daughter. He was just about to start talking to her, asking if she was having fun, when she suddenly squealed, then kicked her little feet!

Blinking, Baron glanced into the water just in time to see a little brown body dart away.

“He nibbled my toe daddy!” Tili laughed as she reached over the front edge of her kickboard and stuck her hand into the water.

Rexy evidently took the bait, and within a few seconds he’d bumped against her fingers, eliciting another loud squeal of delight from his daughter.

“Rexy! Rexy!” she shouted excitedly, her calls coaxing the little otter closer as it breached the surface several times, swimming happily as if it were out in a real river.

Baron couldn’t help but be glad for it, but he could also sense that something wasn’t quite right. Or, really, King was struggling a bit. While his otter was definitely enjoying itself, it was also in quite a bit of pain, and that pain was also affecting King, which Baron could feel in his mind.

He’d somehow managed to help heal a bit of Rexy’s injuries when he’d switched over to his mind, but he hadn’t been a miracle worker.

Torn between letting the poor otter have its fun and saving his love from a painful evening, Baron let the little otter do as it pleased for a few more minutes, then gently reached forward with his hands just beneath the surface.

“Sweet Rexy, can you come here please?”

The litter otter listened after one more drive-by toe nibble, its smooth, soft body slipping seamlessly into his grasp. Being extra careful not to put any pressure on his left leg and arm, Baron carefully lifted him out of the water and hugged him gently against his chest.

“Hi sweetheart, are you having fun?” he asked as he made sure to keep an eye on his daughter, who was kicking ahead a little as they began turning a wide corner.

Rexy squeaked and wiggled, tapping his right paw against Baron’s chest as he told him all about the fun he was having! The little guy was just so excited. He might even be thinking that they came to the water park just for him!

I don’t think I have the heart to tell him to shift back so soon…

Pursing his lips, Baron held up the little guy and pressed a kiss to its forehead, then set him gently back in the water.

“Be careful and come back to me for a rest often, alright little one?” he told it, getting an overly-excited squeak in response before Rexy jetted back beneath the crystal clear water.

Thankfully, the little guy listened, and as they made their way around the long, winding river, he returned to him every minute or so until, finally, he could sense King’s mind coming back into focus.

That gave him just enough time to slide the young man’s swim trunks over the lower half of his otter before he was suddenly holding a very tired King in his arms.

Thankfully, Tili was an understanding kid and when she noticed what had happened, she quickly turned her board around and swam back to them.

“Is Mr. King okay?” she asked curiously, clearly worried.

Baron gently rubbed King’s warm back for a few moments before the man seemed to come around and lean back enough to look up at him, then toward Tili. He could see the pain behind the man’s eyes, but that didn’t stop King from giving his daughter the sweetest smile.

“I’m alright, Rexy just wore me out a bit so I’m going to barrow your daddy’s arms for a few minutes. Is that alright?” he asked calmly even as he noticed the man discretely reach beneath the water and grab his left arm.

“Sure! Daddy’s arms are always the best when you’re tired! I’ll share him with you!”

Baron couldn’t help himself as he wrapped his arms comfortably around King and sank a little lower in the water, allowing it to hold the majority of the man’s weight as they continued to drift along with him just-barely needing to take a step on the bottom here and there.

His little girl paddled around them for a few minutes, then settled at his side to drift along together.

They did one more lap before King finally leaned away, making Baron, reluctantly, let him go. Within a couple minutes they were climbing out, and thankfully, King seemed to be doing a bit better.

The decision was made to take some time to rest, and honestly, before Baron could even return to their spot with the shade umbrella he’d borrowed for a stand nearby, King and Tili were both out cold, curled up together on one of their big towels.

Well, Tili was curled up against him, but King was splayed out a bit haphazardly. It was absolutely adorable.

He got the umbrella set up as quietly as possible, then sat himself down right next to his two sweethearts. The time ticked by so slowly that it felt fast. Before he knew it fifteen minutes had passed, then thirty. The place was beginning to get a bit busier, but no matter who settled into spots around them, he only had eyes for his two people.

His eyes blinked like a camera shutter, taking permanent pictures time and again. He really wanted to take a real picture with his phone, but he wasn’t sure if King would appreciate it. At least not without his consent.

“B…?”

Blinking out of his thoughts, Baron realized that he’d been staring at a very awake King and quickly looked down at the sand between them as his face burned.

“I don’t mind if you look at me.”

Baron’s heart suddenly flipped over like a pancake in his chest!

Even though he’d just been given permission, he couldn’t bring himself to lift his eyes up to meet King’s.

You sweet goofball.

The thought made him furrow his brow, frown, then smile as he finally forced himself to lift his head and gaze.

King was grinning at him like a mischievous high schooler who’d stayed up all night gaming instead of studying for their exams the next day. He had a tiny bit of sand in his drying hair, too, from having stretched the slightest bit off the blanket.

Gorgeous.

“Mn, daddy? Can I have a snack?”

Baron’s eyes immediately redirected as his sleepy daughter sat up next to King and yawned, stretching her little arms over her head. 

He quickly went through their snacks and produced a little baggie of trail-mix with nuts, pretzels, and a few pieces of chocolate candy mixed in. Cheese sticks were next, followed by peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.

Their picnic was absolutely perfect and to his surprise, Tili decided to settle in King’s lap instead of his own. His love didn’t seem to mind at all as he shared bites of his sandwich and Tili pressed little pieces of her trail-mix against his lips.

It was like the two were literally meant to be in each other’s lives.

Baron jumped slightly when he felt something soft press against his own lips, startling him back into the present as he realized that he was being offered a bite of King’s sandwich… that had evidently been stolen by his daughter.

“Oh, thank you, sweetheart,” he said with a growing smile as he took a tiny bite to appease her.

He was soon being offered a little piece of chocolate, too, then a sip of water from the large bottle they’d brought from home.

By the time the snacks he’d taken out were gone, he couldn’t help but think that he’d eaten the majority of them!

He was just about to ask if they wanted to go do more at the park, since there was still plenty they hadn’t gotten to yet, when he suddenly shut his mouth. His little girl was already out cold again, snuggled contently in King’s arms.

“I think it’s time to go,” King whispered with a knowing smile.

He was clearly tired, too, so Baron had no intention of arguing. Besides, he was already more than content with their trip. His little girl had really enjoyed herself, and judging from King’s tired smile, he had, too.

With a silent nod Baron quietly got their things packed up, then returned the kickboard and umbrella before picking up their bag. He then looked over at King as the man slowly got to his feet. His body was tense and he was clearly favoring his left side, but he still managed to hold his sleeping daughter on his right side without complaint.

Thankfully, they’d gotten there really early, so while the entrance was bustling, the exit was a simple quiet pathway.

They discussed what they wanted to do for dinner, but it was clear that neither was going to be very useful as Baron, himself, began to yawn as they made their way to the car.

Within moments they decided that they would just order something a bit later.

King managed to settle his daughter in the car seat they had bought the day before but with his mind half asleep, he quickly bowed out when it came to strapping her in correctly.

Baron appreciated it. Safety was his number one priority, for both of them, so he gladly took over, then even held the passenger door open for his love before leaning in to buckle him in, too.

By the time Baron slid into the driver’s side and adjusted the seat, he could hear King faintly snoring in the seat beside him. After watching him for a moment, Baron glanced into the rear-view mirror and smiled at the sight of his daughter fast asleep, too.

Leaning his head back against the headrest, he closed his eyes for a minute and just sat there as the air conditioner cooled the car to a comfortable temperature.

His heart was so full, but for once, it didn’t contain any trace of worry, anxiety, or stress. Instead, it was pleasantly filled with happiness, calmness, and love.

Raccoon Twenty-Two

They ended up ordering Chinese delivery, and much to his delight, and Tili’s, Prince made an appearance right when he was opening the door for the delivery driver. 

Thankfully, Prince simply walked over and hugged King’s pant leg, remaining there like a little toddler until King waddled over to the coffee table and unloaded the big bag of food in his arms. 

They’d picked out a bunch of things Baron knew Tili loved, but evidently wasn’t allowed to have since she had to be perfectly shaped for ballet… even though she didn’t, but as soon as Prince showed up she was cooing over him like an elderly lady to a newborn baby. 

Pretty soon, Prince was the one being spoiled as he was settled onto the couch and hand-fed bites of crab wontons, bourbon chicken, and just about anything else Tili could get her little hands on. 

King made sure to get a few bites of food into her belly, too, whenever she finished slipping something to Prince, but all in all, he just let her do what she wanted. 

Of course, he watched her the entire time to make sure neither of them got carried away and ate too quickly, but honestly, he should have had someone watching him, too, because the spicy chicken they’d ordered disappeared faster than Prince when he’s called to the kitchen for strawberries! 

The soup vanished next, but before he could demolish anything else, he quickly ran to the kitchen and brought back a big tupperware container, then made sure to fill it to the brim with all of the things Baron had wanted. 

Once that was safely stowed away in the fridge, he returned to the couch, only to see a passed-out raccoon on the sofa, belly up with its feet in the air.

I don’t think I’ve ever seen Prince so happy… and thick. 

When he noticed there was now a set of eyes staring at him, King quickly redirected his attention to the little girl standing in front of him, holding a little crab wonton up to him with a toothy grin. 

King leaned over and accepted the food with a smile and a “thank you”, then sat down right there on the carpet as he happily crunched away at it. 

Before he knew it Tili was in his lap, feeding him whatever she could manage to grab just like she had with Prince!

He ate as much as he could, but even with his bottomless stomach, he’d run out of room before he could manage the last few bites. 

I think I’m finally experiencing one of those things they call a food coma. 

Internally groaning, he flopped over right there on the floor, his belly nearly bursting as it tried to process the insane amount of food it had been given. 

To his surprise, Tili curled up right against his side, hugging him with her little arms. 

“Mr. King?” 

King turned his head so that he could smile at her. 

“Hmm?” 

When her eyes met his, he paused, surprised to see such emotion in such a young soul. 

“I like your home better. My house with mommy isn’t like this.” 

Blinking back a wave of sudden tears, King slowly pushed himself up, then lifted Tili into his lap for a snug hug. 

He wanted to tell her that his home was different because it wasn’t just a place to live, but a place where people loved you unconditionally, but he knew better than to say such things to such a little girl. 

Instead of speaking his mind, he took a deep, calming breath and began rubbing Tili’s back gently. 

“I’m glad that you’re comfortable here. You will always be welcome, okay? If you want to come back, just talk to my mom, alright? Ms. Anne will help you.” 

Tili pursed her lips and nodded, then snuggled into his shirt and began to… hum? 

Wait, is she purring? 

King glanced over at Prince, then back down to Tili. He’d heard Prince make a similar sound, but when Tili began moving her fingers in his shirt gently, almost as if she were kneading the fabric, he couldn’t help but furrow his brows. 

Your wife didn’t like Prince being out around your daughter, so she clearly wouldn’t be a raccoon, herself…

Smiling softly, King continued to rub Tili’s back.

Your daughter is a kitten, how adorable. 

They stayed just like that for what had to have been close to an hour before the sound of Prince moving around on the couch drew his attention. 

Ah, he changed back. 

Baron didn’t look any better than his stuffed counterpart, however, and the man took several minutes after sitting up to lean over with his head bowed, likely trying to keep from being sick. 

He would have gone to him and rubbed his back, too, to try and calm his belly, but with his daughter having just fallen asleep in his arms, he was kind of stuck at the moment. 

“May I use the bathtub?” Baron half-whispered and half-groaned a few moments later. 

“O-of course,” King replied right away.

He saw Baron smile as the man shakily got to his feet, his uncomfortable movements making King want to get up right away and help him. 

“She won’t wake up… if you want to put her to bed,” Baron eventually said as he made it to the entrance to the hallway. 

King heard him, but it took his flustered mind a moment to process his words because, in all honestly, he’d been staring at the guy’s naked body the entire time and had gotten completely distracted. 

Why am I even ogling him at a time like this?! 

Annoyed with himself, King carefully got up, then carried Tili into his room and tucked her into his bed, where she’d been sleeping the majority of her time while visiting. Baron had been right, too, she didn’t so much as fidget. 

Once that was done, he stepped out and nudged the door mostly closed before nervously walking towards the bathroom. 

“Are you alright?” he asked as he forced himself to stop right next to the opening. 

The sound of running water made him hesitant to step inside, or even look  inside, but he knew that he really shouldn’t be so nervous. 

He’d seen the guy naked before when he’d shifted from Prince. Heck, Baron had slept  against him naked several times. And yet, things just felt different now. 

“I’m alright. The warm water is helping,” Baron replied after a few moments. 

The sound of the water soon quieted, leaving them with just an awkward silence. 

“If you’d like, you can come in and sit with me…” Baron finally said, making King lick his lips as he pressed his back more firmly against the wall next to the open door. 

His heartbeat soon found its way into his ears, making it hard for him to focus on anything but the other man’s words echoing around in his head. 

You’ve already let him bite your neck and touch your butt, what’s there to worry about now? 

The look on his mom’s face when she’d discovered the hickey on his neck came to mind, making him fidget uncomfortably. She hadn’t told him that he was making a mistake or anything, so he knew he shouldn’t be stressing so much, but his mind just refused to chill out. 

“It’s alright if you don’t want to, but would you be able to grab me a towel? We seem to have run out,” Baron said with a hint of humor to his last few words, clearly trying to ease the tension a bit. 

Snapping himself out of his worry, King quickly hurried to the small towel closet on the other side of the doorway, then grabbed a big armful before stepping into the warm bathroom. 

Absolutely adorable. 

The sudden thought from Baron nearly made King drop all of the towels and flee, but he thankfully managed to bite his tongue and calm his heart down as he carefully set the items on the counter, then put two towels on the back of the toilet and hung two up on the bar opposite it. 

With that done, he froze facing the wall, suddenly at a loss, as his mind evidently forgot how to function. 

Hearing the faint sound of water sloshing, King swallowed, then slowly turned his head until his wide eyes met Baron’s calm ones. 

The man was leaning over the edge of the tub slightly, his arms folded there as he settled his chin atop them. 

Fucking cute…

Baron grinned, the smile easily reaching his eyes and calming King’s fumbling heart. Without even thinking he began to inch his way closer, then carefully knelt down before leaning forward to press his forehead against one of the man’s crossed arms. 

He was soon rewarded with a gentle pat to his head, which in turn had him sighing out another bit of his previous nervousness. 

When the man began to gently tug at his hair, King couldn’t help but smile and half-heartedly nudge at Baron’s hand, only for his own hand to become the target as it was grasped and softly squeezed. 

That finally had King looking up, tilting his head against Baron’s still-folded arm so that he could meet his gaze again. 

“Hey there, love,” Baron said as he leaned in to press a kiss to King’s forehead. 

King nudged his nose against Baron’s warm arm, then, much to his own surprise, pressed a kiss to it. 

He could feel the man’s eyes on him, but since he wasn’t being reprimanded and Baron wasn’t moving his arm away, King figured that he was okay to continue. So, remembering what Baron had done to him the other day, King focused and opened his mouth just the slightest bit, then hesitantly bit down just enough to allow him to tug on a tiny portion of Baron’s skin. 

It felt weird to do to someone, but since he still wasn’t being scolded, he carefully tugged again, then pressed his lips back down in the same spot before carefully sucking. 

He stayed that way for some time, and even brought one hand up to hold Baron’s arm in place… even though the man seemed more than content to simply watch him nibble at him and clearly had no intention of withdrawing it. 

In fact, when King finally removed his mouth and glanced up at him after what felt like forever, he noticed that not only was Baron clearly appreciative of the attention he’d been shown, he was practically beaming at him brighter than the sun! 

Confused, King looked down again, then felt his entire face drain of color. 

“You’re bleeding!” he squeaked out, his voice cracking from shock as he quickly scrambled to his feet and went to the medicine cabinet to find some bandages and antiseptic! 

The heck were you thinking?! 

He honestly hadn’t really been thinking in at all. At least, not about appropriate things. 

Turning back to Baron with his hands full, King was just about to step forward and clean up the man’s injury when his feet froze in place and he could do nothing but stare. 

Baron had lifted his arm up and leaned over to lick at the wound he’d just given him! Just seeing the man’s tongue calmly swipe along the damaged skin made King’s heart nearly stop beating! 

He waited there, rooted to the spot, holding his breath until Baron finally lifted his eyes back to him with a content smile on his face. 

“All better now,” he said simply, as if he hadn’t just let him suck and bite at his arm until it freaking bled! 

At a loss for words, King stood there for several long moments before Baron folded his arms against the edge of the tub, then settled his chin on them again. 

“Biting is my love language, sweetheart,” he said honestly, his eyes never leaving King’s to prove his sincerity.

King took his time processing those words as his face slowly cooled to a somewhat normal temperature. Then, finally, he took a step forward. 

 Soon he found himself kneeling again, but this time he didn’t dare grab hold of Baron’s arm or lean forward to bite him again. Instead, he simply stared at the angry mark he’d left on his skin in disbelief. 

“I-I’ve never done that before, but you seemed to like giving me one, so I thought I’d try…” he eventually whispered, unable to look away from the bruising mark. 

Wait a second…

Thinking back on where Baron had put his mark on him, King reached up and touched the spot on his neck, then glanced back at the one he’d just given Baron. He then thought back on the very few pornos he’d watched in his lifetime and fidgeted as something became very  obvious. 

“Sh-shit! I put it where you can’t easily cover it!” he groaned, now angry at himself for not realizing his mistake right away. 

To his surprise, however, Baron just gave a quiet chuckle and reached over to rustle his hair. 

“It’s okay, sweetheart. I absolutely love it and I wouldn’t change where it is for anything. That’s where you wanted to mark me,” he said, making King’s face begin to burn all over again. 

“However, if you’d like, I will gladly offer up my neck, or anywhere else you’d be interested in placing a proper hickey,” he said with another chuckle, making King scowl. 

He’s messing with me now. I know he is. 

Baron’s eyes lit up as his smile grew. 

“I am, sorry love. You’re just so cute when you’re embarrassed. I couldn’t help myself this time.” 

King considered reprimanding him, but he had no real reason to. He was the one that had bitten him in the first place, and in such a bad spot, too. He  was the one that deserved to be chastised. 

“I’m feeling much better thanks to you. I think I’ll get out now,” Baron said, earning a simple nod from King… and no other response. 

Baron hesitated for only a moment before turning and leaning forward to unplug the drain. He then waited another moment before turning back to face the side, then carefully standing until he was back to his full height, right in front of him. 

King couldn’t look away as his mind seemed to be working overtime, committing every inch of Baron’s body to memory. Even though he’d seen it plenty of times before, for some reason, this time was different. He wanted  to see it now, and he wanted  to remember it. 

It might have also helped that it was currently dripping wet, too.

“Sweetheart?” 

King slowly looked up, feeling as if he were in a daze as his heart thrummed away in his chest. 

“Do you like what you see?” Baron asked, his words calm but sincere, yet also seemingly a tad nervous. 

After a long stretch of silence, Baron hesitantly reached towards the closest towel hanging next to the tub, but before his hand could grasp it, King had intercepted and gently grabbed his wrist. 

 When he realized what he was doing King quickly released him, then rubbed at the back of his neck as he awkwardly met the man’s eyes again. 

“I-I still want to look, i-if that’s okay?” he asked, his voice shaking right along with his nerves. 

It wasn’t that he was trying to be a pervert or anything, though he felt like maybe that was what it seemed like. He was honestly just enjoying being able to look at someone else that he found attractive. 

Hell, they’d only kissed once, and just-barely, yet Baron was willing to stand in front of him naked. 

That’s when he remembered that the man had actually asked him a question. 

“I-I like what I see!” he stuttered out in a very  late response. 

Thankfully, his words seemed to be all that Baron needed to hear in order to relax again, his beautiful smile calmly returning to his lips. He remained standing as the remainder of the water drained from the tub, then, to King’s surprise, he tilted his head the slightest fraction and the edges of his eyes crinkled. 

“Would you be comfortable if I asked you to take your shirt off? I’d love to look, too, if it wouldn’t be any trouble,” Baron asked carefully. 

Just my shirt? 

King nearly flicked his own forehead when he thought such a thing. Of course  Baron would want to see him without anything on, but the guy knew that this was all new to him and clearly didn’t want to push things too quickly. 

With his own smile finally finding its way onto his face, King removed his shirt, but in the process, he felt the muscles in his bad arm suddenly tighten and pull all at once. 

The sudden pain had him immediately dropping the fabric to the floor as he grabbed his arm and hunched over. He’d expected the pain to come at some point tonight, but of all the times it could have shown up…

Baron was quick to react, and before King knew it, he was being settled into the man’s lap with only a thin towel covering the man’s lower bits. 

“It’s okay, don’t hold your breath, love,” Baron whispered by his left ear as King felt the man’s fingers begin to knead the aching muscles in his arm just like he had before. 

After a little while King ended up leaning against Baron’s chest, his head tilted back slightly as he gasped for air, wincing off and on. Little whimpers could even be heard in between his panting, but he refused to let anything louder than that slip out. He didn’t want to wake up Tili and worry her… and they weren’t exactly in the most appropriate position, either. 

So, he suffered as quietly as possible for what felt like forever until, finally, the tenseness in his muscles began to ease under Baron’s care. 

“Feeling better, love?” the man asked a few minutes later once King had managed to get his breathing back under control. 

He gave a shaky nod in response as his body shivered, having sweat out a good bit of water from the excruciating ordeal. 

When he finally managed to open his eyes again, Baron’s face was there, staring down at him with his sweet, gentle smile. 

The word sorry  settled on the tip of his tongue, but King swallowed it back down and switched it to something he felt fit the situation better. 

“Thank you.” 

His voice sounded rough, but that was to be expected after having an episode of muscle spasms. Baron didn’t even bat an eye at it and, instead, leaned forward to press a kiss against his cheek, stopping a teardrop on its way towards his chin. 

“You’re welcome, love.”

 King settled in more comfortably against Baron’s warm chest but he couldn’t manage to keep his body from shivering due to the stress of the pain he’d been under and the sweat still coating his body. 

“I should bathe, too,” he eventually mumbled, even though he didn’t even bother trying to get out of Baron’s lap, or arms, after he’d spoken. 

Baron let him be… at least for a little while. Eventually, though, he felt the man nuzzle against his cheek again, then press another kiss there before speaking. 

“It’s time to wash up, love. I’m going to go get dressed and check on Tili,” he said, making King give a quiet groan as he forced himself to his feet. 

His leg was also beginning to ache, but thankfully it didn’t hurt enough to cause a problem. Quietly, he walked over to the spigot and got the warm water running again. 

He was just leaning back up when he felt a firm arm settle around his belly as a warm hand slid partially beneath the waistband of his shorts. Soon, a warm chest was pressing against his back, making his face turn the color of a freshly ripened tomato! 

“Just wanted to say thank you for the love bite, and enjoy your bath, love.” 

Baron paused for a moment, then pressed a kiss to King’s left shoulder-blade before continuing. 

“I’ll be back to check on you, be good.” 

Before King could even respond, the hands on him disappeared, and when he finally turned around to give the man a half-hearted glare, Baron was gone. 

You… you’re more a brat than I am!

Raccoon Twenty-Three

(5299 words wut XD) 

Warm…

It felt like his cheap blankets had suddenly become the perfect temperature to snuggle up with on a cold winter night. 

King stretched his body out like a content cat, then released a long breath as he pressed his face against a solid warmth, then nuzzled happily. He could faintly hear something going off that sounded like one of his phone alarms, but it was clearly in another room. 

Not worth getting up…

“Babe?” 

King pressed his forehead against the warmth in front of him, earning a quiet chuckle that vibrated through the firm surface. 

“As much as I am enjoying having you in my arms, your alarm has been going off for some time,” Baron’s voice said next to his ear, making King grumble and turn his head so that he could try to disappear into the blankets. 

Baron was silent for a few more minutes before speaking again as his arms loosened from where they had been wrapped around him. 

“I should go turn it off, at least,” Baron said, making King immediately reach forward to grab the man’s shirt, but when his hand pressed against something warm and solid, and clearly not fabric, he blinked open one eye, then the other. A few more blinks and his vision was clear… and a blush darkened his face! 

“You look startled? Is everything okay? Did you have a bad dream?” Baron asked as he quickly sat up, worried. 

After a few moments of processing, King realized that he’d fallen back asleep after his mom had come to pick up Tili earlier. Her flight had been at four in the damn morning, but that didn’t stop them from waking up early and making her a big breakfast, as well as some snacks for the trip. 

Baron had even carried her most of the time he was preparing things. His growing stress had been evident through their bond. 

When it had finally been time to say goodbye he’d been crushed, and honestly, King hadn’t faired much better. Seeing that sweet girl cry as she was picked up in his mom’s arms to be brought to the airport had made him want to scream. 

After she was gone they’d basically sat on the couch together in silence, watching an old movie and nibbling at some leftovers trying to distract themselves, but eventually he’d drifted off. 

He tried to remember how they’d ended up in his bed, and without Baron’s shirt, but he was drawing a blank. 

“You fell asleep on the couch so I picked you up and brought you in here to sleep, but when I tried to let you go, you wouldn’t release my shirt, so I ended up shrugging out of it,” Baron said, making King slowly nod as he accepted his words. 

That all makes sense, but then why were we sleeping together? 

Baron grinned sheepishly, but King could tell that there was sadness behind the gesture. 

I wonder how long he’s practiced hiding his pain for…

Baron’s smile immediately slipped from his face as he lifted a hand up to rub at the back of his neck, averting his gaze. 

“I’m sorry I slid into bed with you. It was inappropriate.” 

King watched as Baron sank into himself, clearly uncomfortable with his own decision. 

Honestly, if he’d been awake, he wouldn’t have minded one bit if he’d gotten into bed with him.

No need to stress about such a thing.   

“I don’t mind,” King said after only a few moments. 

“I was just a bit startled because I didn’t remember waking up earlier at all.” 

Baron looked up as he spoke, his eyes terribly red from crying earlier. 

Aww, my— he paused, surprised by his own thought. 

“U-uh, let me go get my phone. I think that’s my alarm for a stream I need to do,” he said as he quickly got up and walked into the other room. 

When he picked up his phone, his face paled and he hurried back. 

“I-I have to stream in twenty minutes, crap!” 

Normally he set those alarms to go off an hour before it was time to play, but…

Glancing up at Baron, the man looked even more ashamed than before. He then mumbled out a nearly mute “I’m sorry, I let it go for a while because you were so soundly asleep.” 

The guy before him seemed nothing like the adorable, strong, Baron he had gotten to know. His shoulders were hunched and he could barely hold his gaze. His hair was also an absolute mess and it looked as if he might cry again at any second. 

Walking over to his computer, King turned it on, then hesitated for a moment before switching on the laptop, too. Once that was done he turned around with a small smile and moved back over to the bed before sitting down and grabbing hold of Baron’s warm hands. 

“B, would you like to play with me again?” he asked, trying to get the man’s mind off of his stress… at least a little. 

Baron seemed to consider his words, but instead of replying to his question, he asked one of his own. 

“Um, how much money do I have in my account now?” 

King opened his mouth, then shut it before turning his phone screen on and clicking on the app he was using to hold their money. 

When he pulled up Baron’s account, he was surprised to see that the number had grown quite a bit again. 

“You’re close to seventy-five thousand,” he said, startling the guy into a sloppy, confused grin. 

“R-really? I have that much now?” he asked, his voice a whisper of disbelief. 

King quickly nodded and scooted next to him, then held up the phone between them. 

“See? The money we made last time was on a matching day, so it got us close to thirty-thousand. Since we split it, fifteen went into mine, and fifteen to yours. It also looks like my mom is still getting your money back, so she added more, too,” he said with a proud smile. 

Baron’s eyes were still wide when he reached for the phone and carefully took it in his shaking hands. 

“I-I really have this much money?” he asked, looking back up. 

King reached up and patted his head, unable to help himself. 

“Yep! That’s all yours!” 

Now tears did  start falling from Baron’s eyes as the man stared back down at the screen, dripping a few droplets onto it without even realizing. 

King was going to say something else to cheer him up, but before the words could come out of his mouth there was a plump, wailing raccoon sitting on his bed, bawling its eyes out!

“Aw, baby,” King cooed as he tugged Prince into his arms and immediately began rocking him while pressing little kisses to his fuzzy head. 

“Your daddy worked hard so that you’ll be able to have all the strawberries you want, isn’t that great?” he said as he rubbed Prince’s back and stood up, then walked over to get situated in his gaming chair. 

Thankfully, Prince calmed down reasonably quickly as he got his game set up one-handed, but didn’t turn on the stream yet. Instead, he opened his personal profile channel and chat, then logged his character in. 

Another moment later and he had his headset on but muted, and was clicking into the voice chat server. 

“There he is, guys! Our King is here!” the MC immediately shouted as the chats started spamming. 

“Hey B? Are you alright with being on camera right now?” he asked Prince as he patted his back a little more. 

He’d thankfully cried himself out quickly, leaving a sniffling baby nibbling at his shirt like a child. 

I…

King smiled. 

Recently he’d been able to catch tiny bits of Baron’s actual thoughts, though the majority of it was still just emotions. And, considering what he was feeling from the guy right then, he understood that he was alright with being on camera as Prince. 

So, after checking his reflection in his computer screen, he fixed his hair a bit, then switched on his camera. 

The amount of noise his profile chat made at that exact moment could only compare to an ambulance siren blaring right up against your ear!

Needless to say, all he saw was an insane amount of; O mg, it’s Prince! Prince baby! And his favorite so far,  Where is our fuzzy baby’s strawberries?! 

Reaching up, King pressed the unmute  button, then smiled at the camera. 

“Hey guys, Prince is just going to watch for today.” 

LIKLEY DRUK: Thats fien! We Lvoe im!

FriendNeighborhoodHerpes: That’s okay! Hi sweet baby! 

Thankfully, Prince’s thick coat hid any obvious signs of his little bout of crying, making it much easier to continue with what he needed to do without a bunch of questions being sent his way. 

“I’m ready to go. Hopefully there won’t be an issue with my teammate’s connection this time?” he asked, pointing the question towards the MC. 

“O-of course not! They’ll be ready in just a moment!” the man said, sounding as if he hadn’t  planned to provide a partner this time, too. 

Fool me once. 

Though honestly, he hadn’t really been fooled the first time, either. He’d just wanted to play with Baron and things had worked out well overall. This time, however, there would be no Baron and the MC needed to provide him with a person if he wanted a duo match and not a solo one. 

“Ah, here they are! Your partner today will be another well known player, Grim!” 

Uh…

His chat suddenly went completely silent for all of three seconds before blowing up like a volcano!

BabyDrama: Wasn’t he just recently unbanned for intentionally killing his partners in PVP? 

YeahItsBig: How could you throw our baby to that wolf?! 

George: This isn’t going to be a fair fight! It’ll practically be a three on one if the other team can bribe Grim!!!

King pursed his lips and inwardly sighed. It really was  going to be a three on one. Even if his opponents didn’t end up bribing Grim, the guy was a complete nut. He wouldn’t hesitate to take him down, teammate or not. 

They need to change the rules to a full ban if you intentionally kill a teammate during a broadcasted match. He’s done it too many times. 

Or heck, at least ban him from competitive matches. 

He knew that they wouldn’t, though. Some people actually liked him and just wanted to watch the world burn.

I guess I’m the one up on the offering plate now. 

Maybe Grim was his punishment for not having Prince play. 

Looking down, he pressed a kiss to Prince’s fuzzy head, then grinned at the camera. 

“Fine, let’s do this.” 

MissileOrgy: HE KISSED HIS HEAD! I WANNA KISS PRINCE’S HEAD! 

ISitBehindYouAtSchool: I’m so jealous right now. 

He’d just have to play a bit extra in the coming week to build back his rank points after this match, but that was fine.     

The MC quickly got them situated, knowing that King was clearly unhappy with the pathetic excuse for a teammate he’d been given this time. 

His chat was also quite peeved, but they quickly began writing stuff to try and encourage him instead of make him worry. They all knew that he was likely going to be dead the majority of the match, but he would still do his best. 

Glancing up at the faint sound of chiming, King noticed that his donations were already starting to climb. 

Thanks guys, I really appreciate it. 

Grim: Hey there babe, how’s it going? 

King felt his eye twitch as Prince abruptly nipped at his ear, making him tug his fuzzy tail gently as a reprimand. That only got him a snarky squeak and lick to his cheek in response, though. 

You’re a brat, you know that? 

To his surprise, Baron responded with a smug sensation drifting through his mind, making King grin at the fuzzy doofus hugging his right side. 

LickTheDoorknob: Who’s he calling BABE?! You ain’t getting none, Grim! 

DiviIsAPerv: NO ONE TOUCHES PRINCE’S KING EXCEPT ME AND PRINCE!!! 

King glanced back up as the image of someone came onto the screen in the upper left hand corner. Grim’s greasy smirk and narrowed eyes were staring right at him, making him nearly want to puke. 

“Hey there, my King. How about we talk in private for a minute?” Grim said, getting right to the point… and winking. 

King was just opening his mouth to decline the offer when he felt a little clawed hand slip inside as Prince turned his body partially toward the camera and grumbled. 

MimiIsAlsoAPerv: You tell him baby! You should shift back right there, too, and tell him verbally where we can all see! 

King felt his face deadpan at his perverted fan before he gently removed Prince’s little paw from his lower teeth and replied calmly. 

“I’m sorry, but I’m not interested in speaking privately before a scheduled match.” 

If he had to bribe Grim just to play fairly, he wasn’t interested. 

Grim raised an eyebrow up into his black hair and smirked. 

“You sure you wanna decline so soon?” he asked as he leaned forward a little. “I’ll give you another chance to accept.” 

King leaned back in response, his mind not wanting to even appear like he was interested in the guy coming closer to him. 

“I’m good, I don’t need to bribe other players in order to earn donations on this game, but thanks for the second chance.” 

His donation chime rang several times after he’d said that, making him give a quiet chuckle as Prince settled in his lap, facing the screen. 

Grim narrowed his eyes and shrugged. 

“Alright babe, then I wish you luck in our match,” he said, making King’s smile widen as he gave off a boyish impression. 

“Thanks!” 

The MC was wisely quieter than usual as the game got started, only announcing the bare minimum as the characters for the match spawned into the arena. 

Grim tended to play a character that focused more on healing and debuffs, so if he liked you, you would get amazing healing and assistance to take down enemies, but if he didn’t like you, not only would his healing be terrible, he would use his bind, blind, paralyze, and other debuffs to make your life hell until you were killed by their opponents. 

I’ll just have to try and dodge as much as I can when he starts coming after me. 

Unfortunately, it didn’t take him long to start biting at King’s heels. As soon as they entered the jungle area closest to the enemy’s pillar he noticed a flash of light from his left, giving him just enough time to dodge to the right to avoid a binding spell!

“Sorry babe, thought it was our enemies,” Grim said, playing it cool that he’d nearly bound him right there in enemy territory! 

Prince tapped his paws on the controller King had settled in front of him, clearly frustrated by the move, too… or by the fact that there were still no strawberries. 

King considered just charging ahead, but in all honesty, Grim was pretty much the textbook example of the quote keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. 

The moment you try to get rid of him is the moment he shows his true colors without holding back. 

I can still use him. I just need to be extremely careful. 

Soon their opponents, some up-and-coming team he hadn’t yet heard of or been paying attention to when the MC was talking about them, came into view on his radar. 

King licked his lips and leaned forward slightly as he began casting a rebound spell on himself. It wasn’t something he’d normally use, and he could hear the MC questioning him at the same time Grim gave out a quiet hum of consideration. 

Of course, the guy knew what his spell did, but if he were to continue pretending to only accidentally hit him, he would have to deal with having the spell rebounded at him multiple times. It could happen twice, or it could happen up to five times. It all depended on how high King had his intelligence skills set at the time of casting.  

Which was impossible to tell since he’d switched gear just to cast it, then quickly switched back to his main set without giving anyone time to check. 

Alright, let’s do this. 

He sensed Baron focus in his mind, too, making him grin as their first enemy finally came into view. 

Not wanting to waste time and risk having three people targeting him at once, King immediately let loose with a barrage of massive spells, taking down the other person faster than he’d thought possible. 

He made sure not to let his guard down, however, and quickly dodged to the left as a paralysis spell zapped past him to hit their other opponent who had evidently been trying to sneak around to the side. He’d been right in the middle of casting a massive inferno spell, too, making King think that the first guy had just been a decoy to distract them. 

Thankfully, the paralysis immediately took affect, interrupting the other player’s casting and giving King a chance to move into close-range combat to pick him off with a few well-placed weapon skills. 

Not wanting to waste time, King hurried forward toward the enemy’s pillar and immediately began attacking it. Since they had no enemies to pretend to hit, Grim would have to deliberately attack him now, too, if he wanted to try any of his underhanded tactics.  

“You’re a smart one, babe,” Grim said as he nonchalantly began attacking the pillar on the opposite side. 

He wasn’t using very strong spells, but he was at least not using his weakest ones, either. 

They got it down to about half before their enemies appeared on his radar again. 

The other one’s in front this time…

Focusing, King jumped down from the pillar platform and began casting a quiet spell. It was also something most people didn’t bother with in person versus person content, and boy did the MC make sure everyone knew that. 

“He’s casting a quiet spell?! Guys, this is not how professional players work! What has happened to our King?!” 

The comment section also seemed a bit confused, but that was only to be expected. A quiet spell chose a spell at random from the ones on the players available set list. It could be anything from a simple blind spell, all the way up to blizzard or inferno. It was completely random, and even the caster didn’t know which one would be picked. 

The only positives to it? It was extremely  quick to cast, though it had a long recast timer. That then put the spell it summoned as a question mark overtop the quiet spell icon until it was used. That spell, in turn, was given the same cast time, shortening it far greater than it normally would be.  

 “So then, how about we exchange numbers once we win this match?” Grim asked as he cast a gravity spell that just-barely clipped the hair of King’s character. 

Since it hadn’t outright hit him, he only slowed down for a few moments before the affect wore off, but it was enough to get the guy’s point across. It had been a warning about declining again. 

King bit his tongue on his response as he faced off against the other party’s caster. It was clear that they weren’t as good as him, but they still weren’t a pushover and required a good amount of attention to take in a head-to-head confrontation. 

At least, without the help of his partner. 

He’s about to shift gears and earnestly start attacking me…

“Oh ho! It’s King and Magenta, facing off, but where is Onyx?” the MC shouted right before King noticed the faintest shadow to his left! 

The other character, a female cat girl, had snuck through the grass and now had a dagger nearly at his throat! 

King cast a knockback spell right before Magenta could try another attack, leaving him just enough time to lean backwards, avoiding the dagger by a fraction at the same time his rebound barrier triggered, reflecting a binding spell back at Grim! 

Son of a…

Grim easily dodged it, since he’d expected the response, but what he hadn’t expected was an enhanced binding spell to be cast on him right afterward! 

Caught off-guard, King watched his spell hit home, then quickly turned and ran just far enough away to be out of Grim’s range before spinning back around and unleashing an inferno blast on their two approaching opponents! 

It finished dropping the caster’s hit points to zero, but the physical class, the cat girl, still had just enough left to leap at him as he was recovering from the spell’s aftershock. Unfortunately for her, his rebound shield was still active, turning her attack back at her, knocking out the rest of her hit points and sending her character back to the respawn marker. 

King immediately darted forward afterward and into the thick forest nearby, moving as quickly as possible to put as much distance between himself and Grim as he could. 

The guy should still be bound for at least another two minutes, giving him time to try and pick off their opponents again. Attacking their pillar had only been a distraction, since he figured they’d already made a deal with Grim. The guy wouldn’t let him win so easily. 

Casting a sneak spell on himself to silence his footsteps, King moved a little further away, then added an invisible spell to it before doubling back. 

He ignored the caster as he passed them heading toward his territory. They were normally less points when they focused solely on magic because it took time to cast some of their main spells, leaving them open to attack much more often than melee types. 

He was technically a melee type character, but he’d melded in some higher level spells after a lot  of hard work and quests. 

Ah, there you are. 

He saw the notification that Grim’s binding affect had worn off right at that moment, bringing a grin to King’s face as he began casting blaze on the unsuspecting feline before him. 

You think you’re sneaking up on me with your ability, but you still move the greenery around you the slightest amount. 

The spell hit home, and at the same time, set the surrounding forest on fire! 

“You know, I’m pissed at you, babe, but you sure know how to play this game well,” Grim said with a hint of humor to his words as his character got closer and closer on the radar. 

Without his invisibility spell, which had fallen off once he’d casted blaze, he was easy to locate and would, no doubt, have Grim on him in moments. 

Not wanting to waste his chance, as he had no doubt that the cat girl’s caster partner had turned around by now, King quickly casted a freeze spell, then added a poison one to seal the deal. 

He then quickly disappeared, recasting invisible as the cat girl was consumed by fire and poison, frozen in place just long enough for the spells to eat up her remaining hit points. 

“Did you guys see that? King really knows what he’s doing here!” the MC shouted, his enthusiasm excessive. 

YoureNotMyMom: Bro, he’s been amazing this whole match, where were you? 

DiviIsAPerv: How dare you not announce all of my baby’s moves! What is your job again?! 

Not five seconds after the melee opponent died, Grim was upon him, flinging spells left and right, ignoring the rebound spell as it sent the majority of them back at him… until it didn’t. 

Suddenly King was hit with a static attack by their other opponent, adding a paralysis affect that he couldn’t manage to dispel! A gravity spell was soon added to it by Grim. The guy didn’t even bother trying to say that he was aiming for the other guy, either. He simply sat there, smug that they now had him trapped. 

FriendlyNeighborhoodHerpes: This isn’t fair! Hey Grim! I’ll come hang with you, ‘babe’. Let me spread my love to you!! 

As much as he tried to put up a decent counter-offensive, King was stuck moving at half his normal speed with  a paralyze spell interrupting a lot of his abilities and spells. Overall, he only managed to get the caster to half life before he finally dropped to the ground, dead. 

Unsurprisingly, Grim’s hit points dropped quickly afterward, as if he wasn’t bothering to put up a fight at all. 

Bastard is gonna try and respawn with me. 

There was nothing he could do but immediately dart from the respawn point and cast another invisible spell on himself. He ran until he saw his opponents on his radar, then slowed to a walk, drastically reducing his movement speed but silencing his steps in the process. With the invisible spell hiding him from radar, he calmly waited and watched as his three enemies regrouped with each other, but before he knew it, Grim’s hit points were already at zero again!

You… you’re feeding them kills! 

“It’s alright if you stay away, sweetheart. They just wanted to get you once. I’ll take the rest of the deaths so that they can win and you won’t lose too many rank points. Aren’t I generous?” Grim said, making King glare at the screen until he felt something tapping at his controller. 

Glancing down, he met Prince’s eyes as his fuzzy buddy looked up at him over his shoulder. 

“What’s up, P?” he asked as he watched Prince turn back to facing the controller, then tapped on it a few more times. 

“You want to play, bud?” he asked as he glanced up, frowning as his invisibility spell began to wear off. 

When Prince gave a determined squeak, King couldn’t help but grin and relax a bit. 

“Well, this is just a game, so why not? Play with me,” he said calmly as he quickly casted another rebound barrier on himself then activated a strong defensive buff that would greatly increase his defensive abilities… as long as he was standing still. 

One last thing…

He switched one of his main skills to a simple draw-in ability. 

Alright, ready. 

Without another moment of hesitation, King leaped out from behind a large tree and began blanketing his surroundings with fireballs! 

It wasn’t a very strong attack, but that was fine. It’s purpose was to stir up dust, making it impossible to lock onto another character without having already been targeting them.  

Thus, when his current target, the other team’s caster, was the only one that moved forward, King counted his lucky stars, relieved that he’d been targeting that player when his spell had gone off. 

They quickly battled it out once again as the smoke began to clear, but no matter how hard the guy tried to attack, the rebound barrier continued to reflect everything thrown at it until, finally, his hit points dropped to zero. 

I just need to kill that cat again and I should have the win. 

That, of course, would be easier said than done, because as soon as the caster had died, he was attacked by not only the cat, but Grim, as well. 

“Player Grim, intentionally attacking a teammate in a professional match is grounds for a character ban,” the MC said, though his enthusiasm wasn’t quite there. 

He already blatantly attacked me before, yet you’re only just chastising him now?

King didn’t have time to be frustrated by the annoying announcer as he pushed his knockback ability, then tried for a spell, of Prince’s choosing, only to be knocked back himself! 

“Sorry bud, I was aiming for the opponent,” Grim said, having ignored the MC altogether. 

You’re only saying that to pretend to appease the MC. 

Their opponent hadn’t been anywhere near him at that moment, but she was now! The last shield from his rebound spell reflected her axe attack, but now that it was broken, King had to meet her next swing with his own large sword! They battled it out with Grim carelessly throwing spell after spell at them, hitting them both before King could dodge much. 

He was pretty much relying on his previously-cast defensive spell to get him through the onslaught. 

Their hit points slowly dropped in unison with Grim’s help, but King wasn’t completely  focused on the cat girl. He waited and watched as Grim continued to cast, splitting his attention until, finally , the guy started casting thunderstorm. 

If that  hit him, he’d be dead, but the cat girl clearly had on lightning gear, thus protecting her from the majority of electrical attacks. 

No wonder her defense isn’t great. They planned to take me down with lightning once things got tight. 

Before Grim could finish casting, however, King targeted him, then Prince, reading his mind, activated his draw-in ability with a smack before King returned his target marker to the melee. At that same moment, Prince hit the controller again, twice, switching to his right sheet of magic, then pressing the quiet spell with an aggressive squeak! 

King’s character immediately lifted its weapon into the air and instantly casted inferno on himself, burning out the remainder of his own hit points, but also obliterating his melee opponent and Grim, too!

ItsNotAToy: Brooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! 

JustALittleRabies: HOLY SHIT BALLS DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT?!?!

CudMuffin: Dude I think I just c—I mean, fell in love. 

The MC, seemingly stunned into silence, took nearly a full minute before he managed to announce the winners. 

“King and Grim pulled off the win! I have no doubt that King will be named our MVP for the match, too!” the man yelled, making King roll his eyes as he tossed his controller aside and picked up Prince, then turned his microphone to mute and walked off camera just in time for the little wiggling raccoon to shift back into Baron… and pull him in for a perfectly-tight hug! 

“You are so fucking amazing,” Baron whispered against his ear as he held him close. 

King blushed and returned the hug, though his arms were much more gentle since the man was naked right then. 

“Thank you. Your sweet Prince helped me out at the end, and man that luck for that quiet spell. I can’t believe it was one of my most powerful ones,” he said, ending his words with a chuckle as the adrenaline from the match began to drain from his body. 

 Baron gently rocked him side to side a little, then released him as the MC started talking about interviewing the winning team. 

“Go ahead and do your interview, I’m going to start making dinner, if that’s alright?” he said, earning a raised eyebrow from King as he slowly looked over Baron’s naked body, then returned his eyes back up to his. 

“Ah, I suppose I could put clothing on first,” he said with a chuckle, only for King to force himself to speak before he chickened out. 

“Y-you could stay that way, too. I-if you want,” he said, fumbling over his words before realizing how perverted he sounded! 

Before Baron could even respond, King was diving back into his seat and sitting up nice and properly as he turned his mic back on and forced a smile. 

Interview time! Let’s just do the interview! 

As he settled down to answer the MC’s questions, he heard Baron give a quiet laugh, then saw him step out of the room from the corner of his eye, still completely buck naked. 

Darn it… I want to go watch him cook!

Raccoon Twenty-Four

His heart was beating like crazy as he finally finished up his interview and turned off his stream and voice chat. The MC had suddenly gotten much more talkative after the match… and after King had secretly reported him for not doing his damn job. 

They often rotated MCs, and most of them were fine, but this guy definitely seemed fishy. 

Anyways…

Tossing his headset aside, King quickly got up, stretched, then headed for the kitchen. His mind was buzzing with the possibility that Baron might have actually taken him seriously and started cooking naked, but if he had  done that, he would feel bad since it was never a good idea to cook without clothing on in case something splashed. 

Now worried, he hurried along, only to stop abruptly at the entrance to the hallway as he saw Baron in his tiny kitchen area… without a shirt one. 

“Don’t worry, babe, just frying some eggs,” Baron said as he stepped out from behind the partial wall, allowing King to see that he had at least put on a pair of shorts before starting to cook. 

 King tilted his head as he silently sniffed the air, then walked over with a pointed look on his face before stopping inside the kitchen. 

Baron was blushing now, having been caught red handed having cooked a bunch of bacon and ham, too. 

“I swear I’m fine,” he said as he moved the pan off the burner, then reached over and picked up a crispy piece of bacon before walking over to slip it between King’s slightly parted lips. 

“I know I should have put a shirt on, but I was just too happy that you wanted me to cook naked in your kitchen, even though I knew you were probably joking, at least a little bit,” he said honestly, his smile making it hard for King to even pretend to be mad at him as he chewed the delicious offering. 

He’s so fucking adorable. 

Baron gave a quiet chuckle as he reached up and gently tugged on the tip of King’s nose, then moved that hand to sift through his hair as he leaned forward to press their lips together the slightest amount. 

King’s heart immediately squeezed in his chest, but while he was suddenly extremely nervous, he was also very excited to have Baron’s attention. 

In fact, the moment he felt Baron begin to withdraw he pressed forward, grabbing the hem of his shorts with his hands as his teeth took hold of his lower lip, preventing his retreat.

He quickly relaxed his hold, just-barely keeping the man’s damp lip between his teeth for a few more moments before allowing it to slide free.

His nerves had him too worried to look up into Baron’s eyes afterward, but at the same time, he desperately wanted to see his expression. And, most importantly, to gage if he had liked it or not. 

He did say biting was his thing, but I don’t know if he meant that or just hickeys, or mayb— his thoughts immediately blanked out when Baron’s mouth returned to his own with much more fervor.     

King quickly forced his mind to focus as he tried to match the other man’s attentions with his own, but it didn’t take long before they were forced to break apart so that he could gulp in some much-needed air! 

He expected Baron to laugh at him, at least a little, for messing up his breathing again, but instead of hearing even a faint chuckle, he was gently pulled into the smiling man’s warm arms and squeezed until he, himself, was grinning like a fool. 

“Let’s wash up and eat, hmm? Unless you’d like to keep exploring? Though the food will get cold…” Baron said, bringing King’s attention down to the fact that he’d practically tugged the guy’s shorts down to the point of being indecent! 

With a startled sound between a yelp and whine, King quickly lifted his hands away from the guy’s front, then held them up as if he were suddenly under arrest as his face burned the color of the sun!  

Baron seemed entertained by his reaction, an entertained smile sliding across his slightly bruised lips. 

“Horny, babe?” 

King felt his mouth go dry from embarrassment, but right as he was beginning to look away, he stopped himself. 

Should I be embarrassed? 

Licking his lips, King thought over the situation, then slowly turned his head back to meet Baron’s gentle eyes. 

The man gave him an encouraging smile, making those beautiful eyes crinkle the slightest bit at the edges. 

He’s so handsome… and sweet… and adorable…

King took a step forward, putting him just-about right up against Baron’s bare chest. As he opened his mouth to speak a moment later, he began to lower his eyes again, but caught himself and forced his gaze back up to Baron’s patient, waiting one. 

“Yes, I am… a-and it’s—” he paused, then quickly rephrased the end of his sentence from it’s your fault , to “i-it’s because of you.” 

His words were a little quiet, and also a tiny bit shaky, but they were still clearly audible and firm. 

Baron’s smile widened, showing off a few beautiful white teeth. 

“I’m glad,” the man finally replied, making King a little confused. 

It must have shown on his face, too, because Baron was soon reaching around him again and tugging him into another hug. 

“I’m glad that your body is just as interested in me as your heart, love.”

You… are? 

King pressed closer as he tilted his head up slightly in order to kiss Baron again. This time, however, they were calmer, though somehow hotter. He could feel himself steadily getting hard, even though he wasn’t watching porn or even touching himself. 

It was strange, but when he felt one of Baron’s hands slide behind him to grab his backside tightly, while at the same time pressing him closer, he realized that not only was the guy glad that he found him attractive, but he was also very  clearly attracted to him, too. 

He’s really warm… and hard. 

The thought of mimicking one of the girls in the few porn videos he’d watched made him consider dropping to his knees to try a blow job for the first time, but he immediately ruled out the idea. He didn’t like the thought of him having his mouth around someone else’s private parts… no matter if they were male or female. 

“May I?” Baron suddenly asked, snapping King out of his thoughts as he noticed that the man’s gaze had lowered to the space where their lower halves were touching. 

May he…

“If it’s not alright, that’s perfectly fine, but I’d love to be allowed to pleasure you if you’re interested,” Baron said, his gentle smile still settled on his handsome face as he lifted his gaze back up to King’s. 

He looks like he wants to eat me instead of our breakfast… 

Baron did  give a little chuckle then. 

“I would definitely love a chance to have a few nibbles, with permission, of course,” the man said, replying to his thought with a wink. 

King’s mind immediately went into the gutter at the thought of Baron wrapping his hands around him and jerking him off, making his face, which was already aching from blushing so much, flush even darker. 

“I-I want to try,” he eventually said, then added, “with you. If you want to…” 

Baron immediately hugged him tightly, then pressed a kiss to his head before turning towards their food. He got everything packed up and in the fridge faster than King could even put together what he was doing, then he was suddenly in the guy’s arms and being carried back into his bedroom!

In moments he was situated in Baron’s lap with the man’s hands on his thighs. They gently squeezed his skin over the thin material of his shorts, making shivers run down King’s spine.

Those hands actually reminded him of something, though…

Looking over his shoulder, King paused in thought, then laughed quietly as a smile spread across his face. 

“Babe, you act just like Prince when you want something,” he said before looking back down at the hands kneading him, then grabbing one to bring up to his lips for a kiss. 

“You have grabby hands, too.” 

Baron tensed the slightest bit in response to his words before stuttering out a response that broke King’s heart. 

“I-is it alright? Um, I haven’t done it in a long time, since I learned how to control myself. I messed up, I can st—” King nipped his pointer finger, effectively silencing his words before he glanced back over his shoulder. 

“I like you and I like your raccoon, and I also like that you act like him sometimes. He’s part of you, and these hands, and what they do, are also part of you,” King said, his tone serious but gentle. 

Baron blinked in silence a few times as he simply stared at him, but as King’s words sank in, he seemed to relax more and more, eventually finding his smile again before leaning in for a soft kiss. 

His hands quickly returned to grabbing at King’s body, and while the right arm looped around his middle to hold him with an arm, his left one went lower, sliding beneath the waistband of his shorts to carefully wrap around his length. 

It had an immediate affect as King leaned his head back on Baron’s shoulders and gasped, his eyes squeezing closed, back arching slightly. 

“Sensitive…” Baron whispered against his neck right before his teeth began to nibble at a particular spot. 

King couldn’t argue for two reasons. He couldn’t seem to get in enough air to even try, and he also had no valid argument. He’d never felt any kind of sensitive the few rare times he’d decided to jerk off in the past, yet now he was practically writhing in the man’s lap, nearly about to come!

Heck, he used to not even bother the majority of the time because it would take so long to become aroused enough to get to the point of release that his hand, and length, would ache for the remainder of the night just for his efforts.   

Err, hold it in! Don’t embarrass yourself any further! 

It didn’t help at all  that Baron was now earnestly making a nice hickey on the side of his neck, either. 

“I-I’m gonna come if you keep… doing that,” he rasped as he moved his hips more, easily feeling Barons’ own arousal just beneath his backside. 

Baron continued to work on his neck for a few more moments before lifting his head just enough to speak. 

“Come for me, love. I’m not interested in how long you can last. I only want to make you feel good as much as I can,” he whispered, his hot breath ghosting against his skin serving as the final straw for King’s willpower. 

Pressing his hips downward and his body more firmly against Baron’s chest, King let himself release with a loud moan, not caring in the least that he had just gotten his shorts a little dirty. 

Holy…

His mind was a little foggy as he slowly came down from his orgasm, making him a bit confused when he felt a hand gently petting his hair and warm skin pressed against the side of his face. 

“Hmm?” he mumbled as he slowly tilted his head up to look at Baron’s face. 

Oh, I moved a little to rest against him. Or he moved me… 

The man was now looking down at him with a glowing smile, making King blink a little.

“You’re absolutely amazing, love.” 

Amazing? I couldn’t even hold it in for a minute. 

Baron leaned down and pressed his lips to his, then nipped his nose as if chastising him. 

“I love that you couldn’t hold it in. I love that being touched by me felt that good.” 

King felt his blush return in full. 

“O-oh, what about you? I can try, if you want,” he said, already getting up on his knees to straddle Baron, then reaching down between them. 

When he carefully tugged the man’s length free, he frowned, then looked back up at him. 

This time Baron was the one who was blushing like a tomato. 

“I-I really couldn’t hold myself back, either. You were moving against me so much and I hadn’t really done anything physical in over a year…” he said, looking a little embarrassed. 

He’s… so damn cute!

Since he couldn’t do much at that moment, King released Baron’s length and pressed himself closer, gratefully accepting the tight hug and soft kisses that followed. 

“Now the questions are, would you like to keep going after we relax for a bit? or would you like to take a shower, then go have breakfast?” Baron asked before stealing another small kiss. 

King only had to think for a moment before he grinned and nipped Baron’s lip. 

“I was thinking instead of a shower, how about a bath, and maybe other things , then  breakfast?” 

Baron’s eyes lit up like a young boy who’d just gotten exactly what he’d wanted for Christmas! 

“Let’s go!” the guy shouted immediately as he easily lifted King back up into his arms, then dashed for the bathroom with his loose shorts quickly dropping down his knees and King’s uncontrollable laughter acting as the soundtrack for their awkward, yet sweet, attempt to continue steadily growing their relationship.

Raccoon Twenty-Five

(How I see my boys. King and B) 

How did I manage to find such an angel? 

Squeezing the man sound asleep in his arms, Baron simply watched him, just like he had for the past week and a half… ever since they’d gotten more comfortable with each other. 

He’d learned so much about King since that day, too. 

Baron grinned as he nuzzled his face into the man’s soft hair. 

He was an absolute sweetheart, but once he became more comfortable with physical attention he was the cutest  thing!

He loved to snuggle now, and even went out of his way to hug him whenever he wasn’t in the best mood. They’d also begun sharing his little bed instead of him sleeping on the couch most nights. It was a tight squeeze, but he enjoyed it beyond words. 

Over the past week he’d also had another call with his daughter, as well as a few more emails about the divorce proceedings, and two calls from King’s mother. 

King sighed quietly and moved a little in his arms, making Baron immediately hold him closer. 

It’s okay, babe. I’m right here. 

Of course, he didn’t think King was having a nightmare anyways, but just in case he was, he wanted to be there for him. 

It turned out, King was simply just beginning to wake up. 

It was Baron’s favorite time of the morning… or early afternoon, depending on how long they slept. 

Glancing past King, he noted that they had, indeed, slept into the afternoon. 

You set your alarm for one, so it’s probably getting close to going off. 

He wanted to turn it off so that they didn’t get startled by it, but he’d learned his lesson yesterday when he’d done just that… and then nearly fell back asleep! 

“…B?” King whispered as his hands, which were already tucked against Baron’s bare chest, slowly uncurled and pressed against his warm bare skin, trying to grab it but clearly unable to. 

So cute. 

“I’m here, sweetheart. Good morning,” he replied as he gently sifted his fingers through King’s soft hair, trying to help him wake up a little more. 

I could do this every day for the rest of my life and never get tired of it. 

Baron watched with a content smile as King tried to snuggle closer. A quiet sigh then slipped from his lips before his beautiful, soft blue eyes slowly blinked open.

Now that you’re awake…

Before King could even process what was going on, Baron had leaned forward and gently licked his favorite spot at the base of his neck. The sudden attention brought out the quietest little moan, making Baron’s heart flutter in his chest. 

As much as he wanted to begin nibbling, King’s answer to his silent question was a no . The man had reached up and gently brushed a hand against his cheek, signaling that he’d prefer a regular kiss as opposed to being nibbled at right then. 

Baron gladly obliged, until he was given another tap against his chin a few moments later, telling him that he’d had enough for right then. 

Not wanting to crowd him since he’d made it clear that he didn’t want anymore intimate attention, Baron pushed himself up into a sitting position, though his eyes stayed on his sleepy love. 

“You have a match soon, sweetheart,” he reminded him, even though he knew that he already knew. 

King was extremely  punctual when it came to his job, even though it was simply playing a video game. He was almost never late, and if he was, it was only by a minute or two. 

Groaning quietly, King tried to burry his face in the blankets, but at that moment his alarm decided to start going off, making quite a lot of noise in the quiet room.  

Another groan was soon heard as King tried to tug the blankets over his head. 

“B… turn it ov’,” he mumbled, slurring his words adorably. 

Unfortunately for him, though, Baron wouldn’t turn it off. 

“Time to wake up, love. You have a match soon,” he told him again as he reached over and began rubbing his warm back firmly.

It didn’t take long before King stretched out, his back muscles flexing beneath Baron’s hands.  

The thought to move overtop him and feel those muscles against his own chest came to mind, but he quickly brushed it aside. He wasn’t interested in stressing King out by trying to force his wants onto him. He wouldn’t even ask. 

Besides, their relationship, if it could be called that, was already a bit blurry. He was still technically married because his wife had refused to sign the divorce papers, and King was the son of the lawyer he had helping him, as well as his savior. 

What a mess we are…

Baron blinked out of his thoughts abruptly when he felt warm arms suddenly wrap around his neck as a familiar body pressed against him in a hug. 

“…King?” he questioned even as his own arms wrapped around the young man now sitting in his lap. 

Baron was about to question him further when he realized something and slowly closed his mouth to enjoy the attention. 

You sensed that I was a little upset about something and immediately got up to hug me, even when you were being too stubborn to get up to your own alarm.

Closing his eyes, Baron sighed out a quiet breath and buried his face in the warm crook of King’s neck. 

You have such a sweet heart. 

They stayed that way for nearly another full minute before Baron gently leaned away, signaling that he was alright. 

“Go shower, l—uh,” Baron paused, frowning down at the otter now sitting in his lap, reaching up towards him for attention. 

He picked it up, of course, and hugged it close, but after a few moments he pressed a kiss to its smooth fur, then leaned away. 

“Sweet Rexy, your daddy has to work soon. Can you let him have control back and I’ll play with you as much as you want later?” 

Rexy didn’t seem interested in his offer. Not in the least. He continued to paw at his chest and shoulders, then began to whine when he wasn’t given anymore attention. 

You’re going to get your dad in trouble… 

Thinking that Rexy might change back if he was  given the attention he was asking for, Baron quickly began squeezing the stubborn otter, cooing at him, and playing with him. Unfortunately, that only seemed to make him less interested in changing back.  

“Okay, um, King needed a shower. Let’s just do a bath instead so that he’s at least ready when you let him have control back,” Baron said as he lifted his happy little friend and brought him into the bathroom. 

The moment he set the otter down in the tub it ran over to the spigot, suddenly transfixed as it waited for the water to appear. 

“You sure do love your water,” Baron said with a chuckle as he leaned over and turned it on for Rexy, making sure that the temperature would be perfect. 

Once that was done he got a few towels ready, then stepped into the tub, himself. He decided to keep his shorts on, since Rexy tended to get a little too excited sometimes and had quite sharp claws for such a little guy. The small otter quickly demonstrated his excitement as he ran over, squeaking and chattering as he easily climbed up into Baron’s lap, then jumped off to splash into the rising water! 

“Careful bud, you’re going to hurt yourself if you run around too much,” he chastised gently, even though he knew it was no use. 

It’s alright, maybe he’ll get his energy out and let me have control back faster if he runs around a bit. 

King’s thought echoed around his mind like a gentle breeze circulating through a cool room. 

He knew that they probably had to just let Rexy run out of energy, but at the same time, once he shifted back, King would likely be in a lot of pain. 

His animal had healed quite a bit when they’d unintentionally swapped before, but he couldn’t heal King. 

“Alright, let’s play some, then your daddy can get his work done,” he said as he began tossing a few toys into the water that they kept in a little bin near the tub. 

Rexy immediately half ran, half swam towards them, making quite a bit of noise and splashing water all over the place. 

Baron soon felt his own animal behind his eyes, but he gently nudged it back. They both  couldn’t afford to get stuck in their animal forms right before King’s match. 

We’ll go to the playground another time, okay? 

That got his raccoon’s attention! Prince immediately began planning their next outing, leaving Baron to focus on playing with Rexy, then bathing him once he’d finally calmed down enough to sit still for it. 

After nearly half an hour, Baron was finally able to unplug the tub and get out. 

He made sure he dried himself well after removing his shorts, then got the majority of water off of Rexy’s smooth coat. 

Glad otter fur is built to withstand water. 

“Alright, I think it’s about time to give King his body back for a bit, hmm?” he told Rexy as he carried the content otter back into the bedroom. 

Unfortunately, he’d forgotten one very important thing, and Rexy let him know with a loud, distraught squeak as soon as he was set down without it. 

“A-ah, right. Just a sec!” Baron said as he hurried into the kitchen to retrieve a frozen fish for Rexy and a strawberry for his own very good boy. 

Rexy was waiting impatiently on the bed, standing on his back legs in a lump of towels. 

“I got ya,” he said as he walked back over and handed the little guy his reward for behaving. 

Glancing at the clock, Baron gave a silent sigh of relief. 

Still some time. 

While Rexy was busy munching away on his treat, Baron got himself dressed in a pair of loose black shorts and a white shirt with King  written across it. He then got  King’s computer turned on and made sure everything would be ready to go as soon as he shifted back. By the time he was done they had about ten minutes left before the match started… yet still there was no King. 

Walking over to a now relaxing Rexy curled up in the towels he’d used, Baron knelt down in front of him and reached up to pat his head. 

“Sweetheart, I need your daddy back. He has to work so that he can afford those fishies for you,” he said, trying to coax the little guy to finally relinquish control. 

He doesn’t seem to want to listen today, King thought to him, making Baron frown. 

“What should I do?” he asked, his voice beginning to show his stress.     

King was silent for a few moments before he replied calmly. 

Let’s just cancel the match for today. I’ve never canceled one so it won’t count against me. 

Ah, well that made sense. He hadn’t even thought about calling off the match, but since it was technically considered King’s job, he should be able to have some leeway in case issues arose and he couldn’t make a game. 

Baron sat down in his computer chair and began following King’s step-by-step on how to submit his withdrawal request for the match when he noticed something and paused.

“It’s… your match day today? Didn’t you just do one recently?” he asked as he looked at the big bold lettering next to where the donations would normally show up once a match began. 

I can set them for any one day of the month I want. I’ve been trying to save up recently so I wanted to put my next one as early into the new month as possible, King replied, making Baron’s heart sink in his chest. 

“Will they let you reschedule your match day, then?” he asked, already having a feeling what the answer would be. 

No, but it’s alright. I think I’ve already saved up enough to do what I want, King replied. 

Baron pursed his lips as the mouse hovered over the withdraw button. He didn’t want to just have King throw away his best money-making day, but what else could he do? 

I know they were interested in giving me a contract, but I never really looked into it… 

“Hey um… what if I played for you? Do you think they would let me? I doubt I’ll be able to do much, but maybe I can help get you a good amount of donations anyways?” he asked, then fidgeted. 

He shouldn’t have offered to play a professional competitive match for one of the game’s best players. That was really dumb. 

“I-I’m sorry, that’s definitely not a good idea,” he quickly said, stumbling over his words to try and cover up his mistake. 

They might have practiced a lot this week and gotten his character some better gear, but that didn’t mean that he was suddenly a professional.

Wait a minute, King thought to him as Rexy gave a big yawn, then hopped off the bed to wander over to him. 

Baron picked him up as soon as he was within reach. 

Grab my phone and pull up my contacts. My boss should be one of the first ones, King said, making Baron hurry to do as he asked. 

He quickly found the contact. 

Text him that you’re Prince and you’d like to sub in for me and that I can’t play right now but I’ll still be on camera , King said, making Baron quickly type out his request. 

He honestly didn’t expect a response back anytime soon, but to his surprise, they got one within thirty seconds. 

I can send you a contract for Prince and you can substitute for King’s match as long as his scheduled opponents approve, but you cannot play his character. 

Baron felt his heart begin to race as he quickly replied. 

If I sign the contract will I be able to play for King’s match day? 

The man’s response was immediate this time. 

No, but I can put it in as your own match day. 

I… I’ll get my own match day? 

That worked just as well! 

Sure! Please send it to King’s email and I will sign it right away! he replied, then quickly opened King’s email. 

He’s fast , he thought as he clicked on the new message less than a minute later and opened the contract. 

Are you sure you want to do this? It’s fine if I don’t play today. You don’t have to play for me, King said, clearly a little nervous about what he was about to do. 

Baron, on the other hand, was quite happy as he skimmed through the paperwork on the screen. 

“I’m sure. It’s only a three month trial contract, too, so if I don’t want to continue it I don’t have. It also says I only have to stream three times a month.” 

It really wasn’t a bad contract to start with. 

He electronically signed it after one more quick read-through, then clicked on the link he was emailed a moment later to set up his own account. 

“Alright, let me just get this done real quick,” he mumbled as he got busy putting in a little basic profile information as Rexy slid from his lap to wander around the room. 

Once he finally felt ready, Baron logged his character on, then turned on King’s microphone as he entered the voice chat for the match. 

“There he is! You guys won’t believe this, but King has petitioned for a substitute for the first time ever!” the MC for the match immediately began. 

Baron quickly turned down the volume in the headphones to a more comfortable level, then reached forward and opened his profile chat. 

Ah, of course it’s empty. 

He’d just created the web account, after all. 

“Okay, I think I have everything ready,” he said to King, not realizing that the mic was on. 

“And there he is! Prince will be playing for us today in his first official sponsored match!” the MC yelled, making Baron wince. 

“Everyone please make sure to go over to his new official profile page and give him a big warm welcome!” 

This guy is a bit too hyper…

Baron was just about to click away from the profile page and finally get the camera going when he noticed the page automatically refresh. 

What? 

He couldn’t believe his eyes. 

The profile pages automatically refresh every few seconds. You’re popular, B, King said, his words sounding smug in his mind. 

He already had over a thousand followers in just one minute! 

“Let us know when you’re ready to start, Prince,” the MC said patiently. 

Baron quickly clicked away from his profile page and opened up the game to get his character logged in since he didn’t understand how to use King’s dual-screens yet. As that was loading, he took a deep, calming breath, then reached over and turned on the streaming camera. 

You look great. Just be yourself, King told him as he began to notice a lot of pinging  sounds coming from the monitor. 

It’s your profile chat, King added helpfully. 

Ah, right. His does make that sound whenever people are talking. 

“And there you have it guys! Our highness, Prince, has finally graced us unworthy followers with his gorgeous face!” the MC cheered as the sound from his profile chat just got more flurried. 

Curious, he reached over and clicked on the minimized profile, pulling it back up.  

NeverSayLever: Bro, no FUCKIN wonder King is always smiling now!

MimiIsAlsoAPerv: I’m gonna need your guys’ address… for science. 

PastaSandwich: Nice to meet you Prince! Can I have your children?! 

I… shouldn’t be surprised. 

King’s profile had been just as strange. 

This time, however, before he could read anymore he felt little claws pawing at his legs. 

“Ah, right. King is here, guys. He just got a bit stuck today so he’ll just be watching,” he said as he gently lifted Rexy back into his lap. 

The little otter promptly huffed and wiggled its way up until he was snuggled against his chest, glaring daggers at the camera. 

A different chime suddenly began to go off constantly from the monitor, making Baron frown in confusion. 

You’re getting donations! King supplied excitedly, making Baron realize that he actually recognized that sound. He was just a bit frazzled right now and was stressing a bit. 

He wanted to look, but he’d already returned to the game screen and didn’t want to keep delaying the match. 

“I-I’m ready,” he told the MC, then added, “will I be getting a partner today?” 

“Absolutely! Renegade will be your partner today!” the man said, making Baron smile as he felt King’s emotions. 

That guy’s great! King thought to him a moment later, making him give a silent sigh of relief. 

At least he would have a good player on his side and not have to deal with someone like Grim.  

“Hello, Prince. It’s nice to meet you. Let’s have a good match together,” came a calm, deep voice from his headset. 

Baron smiled into the camera as their characters were teleported to the arena while their opponents, a mix of two normally-solo players, too, were introduced. 

The man’s character was about the same height as his own, and was also a cat boy, though his hair was darker and his tail a bit more fluffy. 

“You have a cute character,” he said without really thinking. 

He heard Renegade chuckle a little before the man replied, “thank you, hun. You do to. I know that you’re pretty new to the game, and of course, professional matches in general, so would it be alright if you focused on healing me and debuffing our opponents at the beginning so I can see what we’re up against first before we make a solid plan?” Renegade asked as they began to cast protective spells on themselves. 

Baron nodded as Renegade cast a few extra spells on him, boosting his defense a lot higher than his own were able to. 

“Ah, thank you,” he replied right away. 

Renegade hummed in acknowledgement as he finished up his casting, then had his character kneel down to rest its magic points back up. 

Ah, right. 

Baron copied him as Rexy nibbled and tugged at his shirt. 

Ignore Rexy, he’ll get bored once you don’t pay him any mind , King said, his head clearly already in the game even though his otter wasn’t watching the screen at that moment. 

Baron gave the slightest nod of acknowledgement, then licked his lips and took a few calming breaths as he reset a few of his spells to be more useful in support situations. 

You’ve got this. Just follow your partner’s lead and do what you can, he told himself.   

It would be a little strange not playing with King, but at least Renegade seemed friendly and willing to work with him. 

He waited until his partner stood their character up, then mirrored them. 

“All set?” Renegade asked. 

Baron nodded even as his heart began to race from nerves. 

“Yeah, let’s do this.” 

There was another quiet chuckle from his partner, then he replied with a simple, relaxed but confident, “let’s.”

Raccoon Twenty-Six

The match was already getting crazy! 

Baron was doing his best keeping his partner alive with as many cure spells as he could manage, draining his magic points over and over again as Renegade cut through their opponents one by one. 

The man was thankfully keeping a close eye on his magic points and whenever one of their opponents tried to distract them so that the other could sneak around and kill him, Renegade would easily intercept them. 

He really is very good. 

Rexy yawned in his lap where he’d settled a few moments ago. 

It’s very hard to make him upset, too, since he just plays for fun. Don’t worry about making mistakes, King thought to him.   

That made Baron a little less nervous as he casted a paralysis spell on one opponent before sending a high power cure spell to Renegade. 

The man was fighting using mostly ranged weapons, with the most interesting one being a set of chains. He had multiple versions of push-back abilities, which sent his opponents flying away from him, then he’d hook them with a chain and slam them into whatever surface he wished. 

Once the target opponent’s feet were off the ground, they were at Renegade’s mercy. 

It was honestly a really cool set of skills. 

Most people don’t use chains as their main weapon because it’s really hard to get the combos correct, but he’s a master at them. 

Clearly. 

Baron watched as another one of their opponents, the healer, was slammed into a tree, their remaining hit points dropping to zero in an instant. 

  So cool…

He was just staring at the dissipating enemy’s body when a chain suddenly wrapped around his waist, yanking him backwards and out of reach of an oncoming attack just in time to save his hide! 

“Careful hun,” Renegade said calmly as he wrapped his second chain around the other player’s neck, then yanked it back abruptly, dealing critical damage and stunning them long enough for Baron to cast one of his few remaining high damage spells, inferno. 

“Good job,” Renegade said as they watched their opponent fall to the ground. 

Baron nodded and immediately got busy setting his buffs back up. Once he was done Renegade added an invisible spell to him, then sent him a message on their private text channel. 

Renegade: Stay right there, I’m going to push one of them towards you. 

Baron read over the text, then nodded again as he did as told. 

Get a binding spell ready, these guys are still a lot stronger than you with your current gear, King thought to him as Rexy climbed back up against his chest.   

Baron immediately did as told, and added a gravity one, too, just in case. 

Soon enough there was a marker showing up on his radar, approaching quickly. 

Just one? Isn’t Renegade leading him here? 

King replied immediately, he’s probably using a cloning technique. Controlling two people at the same time isn’t something most can manage, but he’s very good at it. 

Right as King finished his thought a copy of Renegade bolted past him, making Baron immediately focus his full attention on the person that burst out of the underbrush in front of him a moment later! 

The bind spell that he cast a second later, however, was fully resisted, leaving his invisible spell to fall off. 

“Oh crap!” he gasped out as he quickly switched to casting gravity!

His opponent was already heading for him, but thankfully the gravity spell managed to stick, reducing their speed and giving him just enough time to run out of range, then recast his binding spell. 

Yes!  King cheered as it landed, binding his opponent in place. 

Baron quickly changed to casting his inferno spell, then followed it up with a blizzard for the kill!

“Alright! Nice job,” Renegade cheered, making Baron grin from ear to ear as there was a notification signaling that their other opponent had just been killed, too. 

“You too,’ Baron added as they regrouped again, then went after their enemy’s pillar together. 

They managed to get it down to the halfway point before their opponents caught up to them, but to Baron’s surprise, Renegade told him to keep attacking the pillar as he, himself, went to deal with both their enemies. 

Not being one to argue, he did as told, but kept an eye on his teammate as he swung his chains, knocking both their opponent’s over before following the attack up with a severe lashing. 

Renegade was taking damage, too, of course, but he was managing to keep both of them at bay well enough. 

Baron did his best damaging the pillar, but when he saw his teammate’s health drop into the danger zone, he quickly switched his job abilities, then pressed the button for a single enhanced heal before casting his strongest cure spell!

That added about half of Renegade’s hit points back, giving them both plenty of time to complete their goal and topple the opponent’s pillar!

“And there you have it, folks! Renegade and Prince have won Prince’s debut match! What an amazing team they made!” 

Baron leaned back in his chair as Rexy climbed up his chest, earning a tight hug and a kiss to his fuzzy forehead as a reward. 

You did really well, B! 

“Let’s also give a big congratulations to Renegade, because the system has tallied up the points for this match, and without further ado, I’d like to present to you all, the new number one player of Infinity, our emperor, Renegade!” 

Oh wow. 

“Congratulations!” he said happily, glad that the guy had made first place as a result of their match. 

He was also very glad that he hadn’t been told about his possible promotion in rank until the match was over! The amount of stress that would have caused… he definitely would have made a lot of mistakes!

I’m not surprised he’s rank one now. That’s so cool that you got to play in his promotion match!  King said, making Baron chuckle a little as he hugged Rexy to his chest with one arm. 

“Thank you for the excellent match,” Renegade replied respectfully. 

Baron smiled and nodded. 

“Why did you accept a match with a complete novice as your promotion match, though?” he asked, honestly curious why someone would put their rank on the line for a newbie. 

“Your rank is very low because you just started, which means that when someone of higher rank gets paired with you, they’ll get more points for taking the risk. Since I was originally ranked fifth before our match, taking a complete novice as a partner boosted my points a great deal. I also watched your last match with King, so I knew you had potential. You saved me having to play a few extra matches, thank you.” 

Oh, that makes sense. 

“Well, thank you for taking a risk on me, and I’m glad I could help you out,” Baron replied, then reached up to turn his mic off and stand up. 

You’re supposed to let them know that you need a minute before the match interview, King thought to him, making Baron hesitate as he stepped out of view of the camera. 

“Oh, right. I totally forgot about that,” he said as he quickly sat back down and turned on his headset again. 

He ended up doing the first interview, then they asked a few questions for both him and Renegade before they were finally allowed to log off about twenty minutes later. 

No wonder you’re always tired after a match. 

After making sure that all the equipment was turned off, Baron leaned back with a drawn-out sigh. 

He was just hugging Rexy and leaning in for a kiss to his forehead when the otter suddenly vanished, leaving a naked King in his lap. 

Even better. 

He gladly gathered his love up in his arms, then peppered kisses on his soft hair until King tilted his head up for a mouth to mouth kiss. 

They spent the next five or so minutes giving each other attention before King ran out of steam and settled his head against Baron’s shoulder, panting quietly. 

It was good timing, because only a few moments passed in silence before Baron’s phone rang. 

“Hello, Ms. Anne,” Baron answered immediately as he gently held King against him with his free arm. 

“Good afternoon, Baron. I called you because I got a request from your wife,” she said, then added before he could begin to stress too badly, “she wants to meet face to face and discuss a possible agreement to scrap the divorce proceedings.” 

Baron felt his heart squeeze in his chest, but before he could begin sweating, warm arms wrapped around his neck and snuggled in close.

His tensing body relaxed a little as he forced himself to take a calm, deep breath, then slowly let it out from his nose before responding carefully. 

“I’m willing to meet face to face, but please draft up a paper version of the divorce documents so that she can sign them at that time. Would you also be able to look after Tili while we talk?” he asked, knowing that his wife likely wouldn’t trust King to watch her. 

Heck, his wife would probably try to use their daughter to keep him under her control, but he wasn’t interested in a life with his wife anymore, and he was going to make that very  clear. 

“That won’t be a problem. I’ll set something up for this coming week and make sure that all the necessary paperwork is ready,” she said. 

“I’ve also sent a few pieces of mail to you for signatures. The bank released more of the money she took, but I need you to sign for those portions because they were in specific accounts. You should be getting that mail soon, and I can pick them up when I come by with her.” 

… to tell him? 

Baron blinked, a little surprised by the sudden partial thought from King. He normally heard the majority of his thoughts now, so it was a bit odd to have one cut off. 

He finished his call with Anne and hung up a few moments later, then wrapped both of his arms back around King as the young man tried to snuggle in closer. 

“Did you have something you wanted to tell me, love?” he asked, curious. 

  Should I re…

Baron leaned down a little and pressed a kiss to King’s soft hair. 

“It’s okay if you don’t want to say it. I’m just curious. What did you want to save up for, by the way?” he asked as he reached forward with one hand and grabbed hold of the mouse for the computer. 

“Ah, I made twelve thousand for that stream. How much more do you need for what you were saving for?” 

He felt King lift his head a little, then settle his chin on his shoulder. 

“Two thousand, to be safe,” he eventually said in a quiet whisper. 

Ah, only two? He was pretty close. 

“I’ll give it to you,” Baron said as he returned his free hand back to King’s body. 

It was hard not to just grab his backside, but he knew that they were having a serious conversation right now, so he had to behave. 

“I was planning this before you came, so don’t worry, okay?” King eventually said, making Baron frown and furrow his brow. 

“What is it, sweetheart?”  

He tried to keep his heart steady, but it still skipped a beat here and there as it slowly began to fill with nervousness.

King had given him access to the account he’d made for him, so he definitely wouldn’t be without money if he wanted him to go, but that wasn’t what was bothering him. 

He never thought he’d want to be around another person again besides his daughter, but after living with King for the past several weeks, he couldn’t imagine just letting him go. 

“I was planning on buying a house…” King finally said, making Baron’s eyes jerk open wide. 

What…? 

He took a few moments to process what he’d said, then his lips slowly turned upward into a beaming smile as he squeezed King like a stuffed animal!

“Babe, I’m so proud of you! That’s amazing!” he said with so much enthusiasm that the nervous worry he felt from King nearly completely flew away right then and there as the young man slowly leaned back in order to see him better, straddling his lap. 

Such a beautiful man, Baron thought as he looked him over once, but didn’t allow his eyes to linger for too long before lifting them back to meet King’s shining ones. 

“I’ve been looking into some things I want to have with it, and I think I’ve found a few nearby that would be really nice,” King said, suddenly looking a little bashful as his cheeks turned red. 

“U-um, would you want to go look at some? I-it’s going to be my first time doing this kind of thing, so I’d definitely be open to suggestions,” he said, mumbling his last words as if he was somehow being rude by requesting help with such a task. 

“I would love to help you, sweetheart. I’ve bought a house before, so I know the general ins and outs. I also know what to look for when checking for issues,” he said, glad that he was finally going to be useful for something important. 

The big relieved smile that King gave him just then made his entire life worth living. 

I don’t regret it now…

His life the past few years had nearly brought him to kill himself, but now he didn’t regret any bit of it, even as he was still having to deal with his toxic wife. He had gotten a brilliant and sweet little girl out of his traumatic situation, and now he was being given the second piece that had been missing from his heart.  

All of those struggles and stresses brought me here. 

He felt Prince sneeze quietly in his mind, making him mentally grab his little nose and give it a gentle squeeze. 

You too, love. You saved me and gave me so much, even after I kept you locked away for so long. 

He owed his sweet raccoon the world. Unfortunately, he didn’t own the world, but he did have enough money to buy him a strawberry a day for the rest of his life… and then some. 

Prince wiggled excitedly at the thought of a daily treat. He wasn’t one to hold grudges, and since he’d been spoiled quite nicely the past several weeks, he was more than happy with his current situation. 

“So um, want to go look tomorrow? I’ve actually already contacted the realtor and she said she’s available,” King said, his expression now eager with excitement. 

Baron honestly shared it. 

“Absolutely, let’s go see what’s out there tomorrow.”   

They paused their conversation for a moment as King kissed him briefly, then reached up and mussed up the guy’s gorgeous hair. 

“For today, though… I was thinking grilled cheese, tomato soup, and maybe some scratch-made strawberry cake for our fuzzy kids?” Baron said as he finally reached down and squeezed King’s warm butt. 

King nipped his ear, earning a moan before hopping out of his lap and tugging on a pair of loose shorts. Baron followed him, first with his eyes, then with his body. 

His inner raccoon was quite close to the surface, making him more handsy than usual. Of course, he still paid attention to King’s cues, but the guy seemed content to let himself be groped a bit. He did  stop once they actually started cooking, and scrubbed their hands, but they goofed off more than anything as they worked together to get their lunch ready. 

King ended up taking over the grilled cheese and simmering soup while Baron split off to get the cake ready and in the oven. 

By the time everything was done and the cake was cooling on the counter, with dripping frosting because evidently you have to wait for it to be completely cool, they had gotten themselves more than a little covered in flour and frosting and there was even some cheese in King’s hair.  

Ignoring the mess they’d made, they sat down at the little table Anne had brought them, though it didn’t take King long to settle in Baron’s lap. 

Taking the man’s actions as a tentative signal that it was okay to touch more, Baron focused the majority of his attention on squeezing King’s legs as his love fed him bites of sandwich over his shoulder every minute or so. 

In all honesty, he was much more hungry for some simple physical contact than he was for food. King seemed to realize that rather quickly, too, because he didn’t bother to tell him to eat more, and he also didn’t talk a whole lot. 

By the time their meal was actually done, King had eaten about eighty percent of it… and Baron had cuddled him from behind, snuggling against him, peacefully content. 

Of course, as soon as they were done eating Prince took over, then high-tailed it to the counter and literally dove  into the strawberry cake! 

Uh… glad I didn’t make a big one. 

It was evidently just large enough for one gluttonous raccoon…

He doubted Prince would even share it, too, as he shoved big handfuls into his mouth, almost as if he’d been starved for the past week!

King was just getting up to try and remove him from the temptation before he ate too much and got sick, but before he could even walk around the table he was suddenly fuzzy, too. 

Soon Rexy was standing beneath the counter, looking up with the hopes of being given some cake. 

There was no way it would be able to climb up, but when Prince noticed him, he simply twitched his frosting-covered whiskers and snorted before going back to stuffing his face. 

Prince, sweetie, won’t you share? He probably only wants a little, anyways, Baron told his shift, who continued to ignore him. 

It’s okay, we can spoil Rexy once Prince eats himself into a coma, King thought to him, making Baron smile sadly as the little otter whined. 

He was about to agree when he noticed Prince reach to the side and promptly drop a chunk of cake right onto Rexy’s head!

King’s otter squeaked indignantly, then shook the crumbs from his fur before glaring up at Prince. 

Prince tilted his head back and chewed loudly with his mouth open, making an absolute mess, ignoring the otter’s glare. Baron couldn’t be mad, though, because he hadn’t felt so much happiness from his raccoon in years. 

It also began sharing a little better as it got more full, eventually leaving them with two very  stuffed animals.    

Thankfully, Rexy didn’t have nearly as big a sweet tooth as Prince, and he soon allowed King to have control back so that he could curl up for a nap in his mind. 

Already half asleep, Baron watched through one slightly-open eye as King quickly cleaned up what he could, then dusted the crumbs from his raccoon, wiped his paws and face, and lifted him up into his arms. 

His eye slid closed soon after, but he still felt himself being carried, then snuggled. 

“Get some rest, B. I’ll be here when you wake up,” King said as a gentle hand began to run along his fur, the gentle rhythm it soon settled into soothing his aching belly. 

It seemed a bit odd being cuddled in King’s arms again instead of the other way around, but he definitely found himself enjoying the attention, and soon after that, his raccoon drifted off to the sleep, taking him with it into a warm, comfortable darkness.

Raccoon Twenty-Seven

King tucked his head against the pillow and groaned as his wet dream ramped up.

He was partially aware that he was beginning to wake up, and that he was sleeping right next to Baron, but at the same time, his body was humming with a need that he desperately wanted to alleviate.

Honestly, he expected the man to climb on top of him and start helping, but even as he squirmed and moaned as the hands in his dream played with him incessantly, he still didn’t feel any real ones on his body.

Eventually, when he still couldn’t get himself off in his dream, King squinted his eyes open and turned his head on the pillow so that he could look to his left.

His eyes quickly narrowed on the smiling man staring at him, making Baron look a tad sheepish.

“I’m sorry, love, I didn’t want to touch you while you were asleep,” he said, making King groan as he pressed himself closer, signaling that he was more than okay with him touching him right then.

You and your consent stuff…

He loved it, but damn it he was horny.

“You can touch me now,” he grumbled out, knowing that he shouldn’t be upset.

Baron chuckled quietly and reached over to settle his hand atop King’s head. King gladly closed his eyes for the attention, but when nothing else happened, he opened them again and glared at a smirking Baron.

“Hmm? What’s wrong, sweetheart?” he asked in a tone of voice that told him that he knew exactly what was wrong.

Teasing me…

King clenched his jaw and considered just getting up and going to take a shower. In fact… he began to do just that, and sat up before swinging his legs over the edge of the bed.

He didn’t get much further in his plan, though.

A warm hand soon found its way around his wrist, though its grip was extremely gentle. The faint touch had him looking over his shoulder, then nearly dying from cuteness!

Baron was still lying down on the pillow they’d evidently been sharing, but his teasing smirk was nowhere to be seen now. Instead, he was pouting and looking up at him while biting his lower lip.

That’s cheating!

Even as he thought those words, King couldn’t help but turn around and move closer on his hands and knees.

Baron, of course, was waiting for him, no longer willing to risk losing his chance to love on him just to tease him a little.

They were soon kissing quite passionately as Baron’s arms wrapped around King like vices, unwilling to let go. King had slept in only a simple pair of briefs this time, and, as per his request, and after Baron confirmed that he was perfectly comfortable with it, Baron had continued to sleep naked.

King could easily feel the man’s arousal through his thin underwear as he settled between his legs, but it no longer made him nervous.

Baron could have done a lot of things while staying with him. He could have tried to take advantage of several situations, time and again, yet he chose to be a gentleman.

Even while he was dreaming about him, he didn’t try to be inappropriate.

The man really was too good.

“May I touch you here?” Baron asked suddenly, his voice gruff as his fingers massaged the edge of King’s underwear.

King grinned against Baron’s lips and pressed his hips down against the man’s arousal. Baron read his silent signal loud and clear, but instead of simply grabbing his butt like the man usually did, he inched his fingers beneath the fabric, then kept going until King felt one of them press against his entrance.

He hesitated a little in their kiss, making Baron retract his finger and simply rest his hand on his backside. His withdrawal gave King a chance to think without stressing, making him quickly come to the realization that he was perfectly fine with Baron touching him in such a way.

In fact, he quickly returned to fervently kissing his man as he spread his legs across Baron’s waist. That signal was also read loud and clear, and soon King felt himself being explored in an area he’d never thought would be touched by another person.

He found out that he rather liked it, too. A lot .

Baron gladly continued giving him attention, adding a finger after a few minutes, then a third once King began moving against him. He was also groaning quite loudly and had redirected his mouth to Baron’s throat, where he was making quite a few bloody marks.

Soon he was arching his back as he released onto Baron’s hot chest, honestly shocked that he had gotten so worked up just by having someone’s fingers in his ass.

As he calmed down, he realized that Baron’s free hand was now rubbing his back, seemingly not caring in the least that he was now quite sweaty and had made a mess between them.

“That was amazing, love,” Baron finally said as King leaned up on shaky arms until he was able to meet his warm gaze.

That’s when he realized that he’d made a mess of something else, too.

“I-I tore your neck up!” he squeaked as he reached up with one hand, but then hesitated, nervous about hurting him more.

Baron didn’t seem nearly as worried about the amount of damage he’d done. In fact, he was all smiles as he looked up at him and even patted his head with his free hand.

“Babe, I have to admit that you have some beautiful, yet surprisingly-sharp teeth, but I love biting, and being bitten. Don’t fret about a little blood. I enjoyed myself just as much as you did.”

He was just about to fumble out a reply to the man’s confession when his phone alarm suddenly began blaring from the nightstand next to them.

Oh shit, we’re going to look at houses soon!

King scrambled to get off of Baron… and nearly fell out of their bed as his underwear, which had evidently been pulled down quite a bit, restricted his legs just enough to trip him up.

Thankfully, Baron was there and paying close attention, so there was never any risk of him falling.

“Careful, love, and sorry, I got a little carried away and pulled your underwear down quite a bit,” he said with a cheeky grin that showed that he definitely didn’t regret it.

No wonder why I came on his chest instead of on the fabric…

King snapped out of his thoughts quickly as he reached for his phone to silence his alarm, then stood up after nudging his underwear the rest of the way off. A good stretch followed before he noticed Baron’s hot gaze on him.

He was about to ask him if he wanted help getting off, too, but then he noticed that the man wasn’t hard at all.

Oh, he probably came when I was on top of him.

King’s face burned, but only for a moment.

“Shower?” he asked instead as he reached forward, offering Baron a hand.

They hadn’t actually showered together yet, since they were both a bit handsy when the other was naked recently, but considering they’d both just gotten off, it should be okay.

That was, however, not the case.

They had to wash themselves three times before King finally managed to step out of the shower… with a few extra bite marks on his collar bone, shoulder, and hips.

Glaring back at the now-closed curtain, he could just tell that Baron was smirking at him from behind it as he finished rinsing himself off.

King quickly brushed his teeth and combed his hair, then walked out right as Baron was stepping out of the shower. He could sense the man’s emotions the entire time he was getting ready and knew that he had to scoot along or they’d get distracted again.

Thankfully, they both managed to get ready in time to be a little early to meet their realtor at the first house on their list.

It was a good thing, too, because right as he was finishing slipping his shoes on, and checking to make sure that the nibbles Baron gave him were covered, he heard a quiet knock on the front door.

Hmm?

He wasn’t expecting the realtor to meet them at his apartment, nor was his mom supposed to be over today…

Frowning, confused, King hurried to the door and looked out the peephole.

I don’t see anyone. Maybe it’s a package?

He didn’t remember ordering anything, but sometimes his mom sent him things randomly.

Mentally shrugging, he opened the door, only to blink down in shock at the little girl staring up at him with tears in her sad eyes.

“T-Tili?!” he squeaked as he quickly picked her up and ran inside to a surprised Baron.

Thankfully, the man immediately dropped the shirt he’d been about to tug on in order to take his daughter and hug her close.

“Sweetheart, what happened? Where is your mom?” he asked immediately, sending a few confused looks at King.

He, of course, had no idea what was going on, either.

Instead of questioning him in return, King reached into Baron’s back pocket and took out his phone, then turned the screen on.

No messages.

Baron took the phone after situating his daughter on his hip, then unlocked it and dialed his soon-to-be ex wife.

“Hey babe,” the woman’s toxicly-sweet voice immediately chimed over the phone, making King nearly gag.

“Why is Tili here? Why didn’t you call me before you dropped her off?” Baron asked immediately, not bothering with a greeting.

His wife didn’t seem worried as she replied in a nonchalant tone.

“I knocked on the door. Aren’t you going to thank me for letting you have her while I get my nails and hair done? She wanted to see her daddy.”

Why is that demon even in town yet?

They weren’t scheduled to meet her till this coming week!

“Let’s have dinner tonight and talk without that nasty lawyer you found, babe.”

Before Baron could even respond with the rage King could feel storming within his mind, the woman hung up on him.

What just happened?

Baron immediately dialed another number and lifted the phone to his ear as he turned his head and pressed a kiss to his daughter’s cheek to keep her calm.

“Hello Ms. Anne, my wife just dropped our daughter off outside my door without notifying us.”

King couldn’t hear his mom’s response since she was a lot quieter, but Baron nodded several times as the two conversed back and forth. Thankfully, Baron calmed down rather quickly as they spoke, which helped his daughter relax, too.

When he hung up a few moments later, he was all smiles as he slid his phone back into his pocket, then lifted his daughter above his head.

“You’re gonna come with us today!”

Tili squealed happily, her previous upset completely replaced by the promise of a whole day with her dad! They quickly adjusted their plans and as Baron finished getting dressed, King filled a small tote bag with some snacks and things to bring along for Tili, then they headed out the door.

They picked up a quick breakfast on the way to their first showing and had just enough time to eat before the realtor showed up.

The first two houses weren’t quite what he was looking for, but Tili still had a lot of fun running around looking at stuff with her dad, so he didn’t rush them since the realtor didn’t seem to mind.

She honestly seemed to enjoy chatting with Tili as she showed her different things about the houses they were looking at. Thankfully, though, Tili didn’t ask anything specific… like about having her own room.

He definitely planned to get a three bedroom place specifically for that purpose, but he didn’t want to seem like he was using her to push Baron into a corner, like his wife was, by mentioning that the third room would definitely be hers if she stayed with them.

Things would fall into place as they should.

It was around eleven when they got to their third house. It had been one that had needed a little work, but nothing crazy. It was worth checking out.

As funny as it was, Baron actually began walking around noting which things he could easily fix with the right tools and, of course, his little helper.

It was a new side to him that King hadn’t seen yet, and he was more than happy to quietly follow the other man through the home and simply listen as he and the realtor spoke about what would need done.

Overall, though, it was a gorgeous house with high ceilings, granite countertops, a large two car garage, and plenty of space outside. It also had a beautiful bit of forest in the back with a little stream running in front of it.

He could sense his animal stir in his mind as they stepped out onto the large back deck, but his grin was all for Baron, because it was far more clear that he was struggling to keep Prince from taking over and—yeah, Prince was now out and bounding down to the beautiful stream, kicking off Baron’s clothing with Tili hot on his heels!

King glanced at the realtor, but she seemed perfectly fine with them having some fun. The house was currently vacant and the owners had already moved out of state, so they wouldn’t be waiting for them to leave. There also were no other scheduled showings for the home until later that day.

Rexy was now whining in his mind, so when the realtor just leaned on the railing, watching Prince and Tili down below, King decided to kick off his shoes and head down to play, in his human form, for a few minutes, too.

Except, that few minutes turned into twenty, then they took a more detailed tour of the house, with a damp Prince in one arm and wiggling Tili in the other.

He honestly found that even with its little issues, he really was falling in love with the home. It had big rooms, great natural lighting, and the kitchen was gorgeous.

This is a beautiful home, King, Baron thought to him, managing to get a full sentence through their bond.

King nodded as he looked up at the high ceiling.

“We could totally make a climbing area for Prince in here, too,” he said, responding to Baron’s thought with one of his own out loud.

“The previous owners had shelves installed on the walls for their cats, too,” the realtor said as she pointed to the shelves that King was just now noticing.

Tili seemed to realize what they were for, too, because soon she was the most adorable little kitten, mewing in his arms to be lifted up onto one!

How freaking adorable…

He, of course, obliged and helped her up onto one of the wooden shelves. It didn’t take long for Prince to hurry and follow, but while Tili could easily hop from shelf to shelf with ease, Prince was a bit too… portly. King had to catch him several times from failed jumps, making the raccoon become frustrated, unable to play with its daughter.

After his third coon-catch King chuckled and squeezed the squirming fuzzball. He wasn’t sure how Prince was so much chubbier than his human counterpart, but it was a simple fix.

“We’ll work on some exercising and soon you’ll be able to run and play with her easily, okay?” he said as he lifted Prince up again.

This time the chubby raccoon refused to let Tili’s kitten go once he managed to catch her, resulting in the poor thing meowing in protest… while licking Prince’s face.

Since the two were currently busy bonding, King turned his attention to the realtor and began talking price. With Baron’s help, he could easily manage the down payment, and after Baron finally changed back, he sat down with them, after getting dressed, of course, and fill out the necessary paperwork that she’d brought with her.

They were just about finished when Baron’s phone rang.

Judging by the look on his face, it wasn’t going to be a good call, so King gladly accepted Tili’s kitten and stayed quiet as Baron excused himself and stepped outside.

By the time he came back in King had everything signed and was all smiles as he cuddled a sleepy Tili in his arms. Of course, as soon as she saw her daddy she was purring loudly and making biscuits on King’s shirt, eager to be handed off to Baron.

The man’s gloomy expression immediately changed to contentment as he picked up his daughter and kissed her fuzzy head.

“Were you good for Mr. King?” he asked as the little kitten yawned, somehow looking even more adorable with her little teeth visible.

“She was a sweetheart, and we’re all done signing to make the offer,” King said as he stood up and pulled them into a gentle side hug.

“Fantastic, if you’d like, let’s go out to dinner?” Baron asked as he pressed a kiss to King’s forehead, seemingly unbothered that they were in front of the realtor.

She didn’t seem to mind at all either, though, so King just went with it.

“Dinner sounds great,” he replied as they headed out of the house that he hoped would soon be his.

“I’ll let you know if they accept as soon as I can,” their realtor said before shaking both their hands, then Tili’s outstretched paw.

They thanked her and waved as she left, then got into King’s car and started on their way to a little family friend restaurant nearby they’d been wanting to try.

Baron didn’t bring up what had been said on the phone call, and King didn’t ask. He knew that the man wouldn’t put his daughter in any kind of stressful situation, even if he was mad, so if it was fine that they took her out to dinner instead of back to her mom, then he would trust him and they would go enjoy themselves.

Halfway through their meal, and with Tili’s kitten covered in alfredo sauce, they got the call that turned their relaxing dinner into one of celebration.

He was going to be a home owner.

Raccoon Twenty-Eight

Two days. 

Two full days he’s had with his daughter after King’s amazing mother managed to file for temporary custody due to intentional abandonment. 

They had refused to give the girl back to her mother that evening, and evidently thinking that she could get in better graces with him, his wife decided to tell them to just keep Tili until Sunday. 

Unfortunately for her, her plan had backfired. Anne had already been drawing up the paperwork to submit for full custody, and to his utter shock, King had already written him a contract to rent with him for the custody request, too, though it was really just for show. 

And show it they did. Along with the previous time where she just sent Tili across states with her friend abruptly… of whom she forgot he still had the phone number for.  

Thankfully, when they went to the courthouse the day before their expected meeting with his wife, Tili was absolutely amazing and spoke honestly and firmly, answering any questions that she was asked. 

Now, as he sat across the table from his wife at Anne’s practice, Baron couldn’t think of a single thing she still held over him. 

Sure, she was clearly going to fight to keep their daughter, but now he had a leg up on her scheming. 

His wife wasn’t even talking to him yet, still very busy reading through the twenty or so papers he’d given her. She’d originally been about to shrug them off and toss them to the floor so that she could just try to convince him verbally, but when she noticed the bold print at the top of the first page, her brow had furrowed and she immediately began reading. 

The further she got, the more color drained from her makeup-coated face. While she’d been playing around and seemingly so sure that she would be able to take him for a ride, he’d been planning to make things right. 

By the time she was finally done reading through the papers he could tell that her thoughts on the situation have greatly shifted. 

“You know that you won’t get full custody if we take this to court,” she warned right away, making Baron simply smile calmly and shrug off her words. 

“You’ve given me plenty of evidence to claim that you’re an unfit mother, and considering the amount of money you attempted to steal from me, we could be easily looking at other charges.” 

His wife narrowed her eyes on him. 

“You would need Tili to lie to make your case even close to plausible,” she sneered. 

Baron stayed calm and confident. 

“I would need Tili to tell the truth , if I wanted my case to be plausible. Thankfully, she’s a very smart girl and doesn’t like lying at all.” 

He paused for a moment, then leaned forward and crossed his arms on the table. 

“She also really  dislikes ballet.” 

That  sentence probably made her the most angry. 

“She’s a little girl! Of course she likes ballet, and dressing up, and doing her hair and makeup!” she screamed, making Baron give a quiet chuckle. 

“You know what she actually likes? Water parks, playing with my raccoon, and cuddling with my boyfriend for a nap,” Baron answered resolutely, much to his wife’s horror. 

“Boyfriend?!” she screeched, suddenly not caring at all about what her daughter did or didn’t like. 

Baron shrugged one shoulder, his smile sincere. 

“Yes, boyfriend. He’s an amazing young man and I’m extremely proud to call him mine. Tili loves him, too, and he treats her like the princess she is.” 

His wife couldn’t seem to make her mouth work, as expression after expression crossed her face… each more hideous than the last. 

How did I ever fall for such a woman? 

“Y-you can’t be serious! Exposing our little girl to such a vile person? He’s going to turn her gay and slutty!” his wife finally managed to yell, nearly making him burst into actual laughter. 

If he’s made anyone slutty, it might just be me. 

He’d been groping King a lot more than he thought he ever would recently. 

I really am falling hard for him. 

Heck, he’d even probably roll over for the guy after his divorce was final if he wanted him in such a way, though he doubted King was interested in topping. The man had became quite entranced by his fingers whenever they got some time to themselves. 

The thought nearly made him blush but he managed to shake it from his mind before he could embarrass himself or give the wrong idea. 

“So then, let’s talk about what you’re really here for, because I know it’s not Tili,” he said, getting to the point now that he had the image of King’s naked body behind his eyes. 

He wanted to love on his man, not listen to his soon-to-be ex preach about falsehoods. 

“Sign custody of her over to me and you can keep the car,” he said simply. 

She had been vicious with him to the point of him wanting to kill himself. He wasn’t going to make this situation easy for her. 

“The… the car?! You want me to give up my  house and  my daughter and you’re going to leave me with just my  car?!” she screamed, her terror honestly music to his ears. 

He had zero remorse for her. 

“Technically, it’s my car, but the house isn’t mine anymore. I signed it over to my sweetheart months ago with the help of his mum, and he already has ownership of my current money account, too, since he created it and I had no interest in putting it in my name yet,” Baron said with an impish grin. 

“Technically, I have nothing to my name right now besides that wonderful new car I purchased.” 

His wife sneered at him as her nails dug into the metal table, making an unpleasant screeching sound. 

“If you don’t have anything in your name, then how the hell do you think you’re going to win custody of my baby?!” 

Baron still seemed unruffled. 

“I’ve already spoken to the judge I’m going to use for our case, should you try to bring it to court. I informed them that I’m currently renting from a very nice young man and provided proof that I have started a steady job,” he said, making her sneer falter. 

“The only thing you could even try to win in a divorce right now is that car, so if you want to fight me on it, go ahead. Or , you could simply give me custody of my daughter and take the car in return. Either way, my love likely plans to sell the house soon, as we have no plans on moving to that area,” Baron said calmly, completely in control of the situation for once. 

His wife simply stared at him, open-mouthed, as she realized one of her biggest mistakes. 

She hadn’t gotten a lawyer before speaking with him in person. They would have caught the prenup right away and likely tried to have it absolved.  

“If you want to try and take this to court, then we can fight over Tili and my new car, though I don’t think you’ll win considering you don’t actually own my love’s house.” 

Fuck he’s being so hot right now, King thought from behind the one-way glass Baron knew was behind him.   

He felt his heart skip a beet as he caught the thought. 

Since they really were planning to move into King’s new home together as a family, they did have to sit down and talk about some things before this meeting. Thankfully, King didn’t really have many things to speak of, but Baron did end up having to bring up one thing. 

He’d prayed that it wouldn’t be a deal-breaker and had honestly been stressing about it for a long time, but when he’d told King that if  they ended up considering marriage, he’d need at least a few years before he’d feel comfortable walking down that path again. 

Much to his heart’s relief, however, King had immediately said that he wasn’t interested in marriage and just considered it a piece of paper that brought about unnecessary stress. 

He was more than happy being his boyfriend or, if they wished to call each other husbands, he’d also gladly accept the title. 

The woman across from him seemed unable to speak further as he returned back to what he should be focusing on, making him wait a little longer, then slowly scoot back his chair and stand up. 

He was just about to exit the room when he heard her slam her hands down on the table, drawing his attention over his shoulder as he raised an eyebrow. 

“You think you can just take all of my  money, then threaten to take my house and my  car?!” she snarled at him as Baron slowly turned back around to face her. 

“You agreed to separate accounts, and even signed documentation with a lawyer because, at the time, you had a decent amount of money and a nice car.”

Until she’d wrecked it while drinking and driving with Tili in the back seat. 

“We also decided on one large joint account for bills and such. So we each had our own main account, and fed money into the joint one. Just because you decided to stop working on your own, and drained your main account, forcing me to pick up two extra jobs to pay our bills and necessities, does not entitle you to what is mine now that you want out of our situation.”

He paused, waiting for her to respond, but she seemed to have nothing more to say. 

“So then, if you would like to keep that new car I bought recently, you can sign those documents in front of you and give me full custody of our daughter, as well as agree to vacate my house within thirty days. The divorce papers are also in that packet. If you’d like to fight for more than the car… I’ll see you in court, with a copy of the prenup you made me sign before we got married.” 

He turned back around and walked over to the door, then grabbed the handle and opened it before sparing her one final glance. 

“Have a good rest of your day, ma’am. If you have any questions, please feel free to speak to my lawyer before you leave.” 

The moment he stepped out he walked to the little waiting room Tili and King had been using. His love had already returned to it, having likely only stepped out for a moment to see how things were progressing. 

Tili met him at the door with Otterbahn snuggly held in one arm. She was rubbing at one of her eyes, clearly trying to nudge the sleep away. 

He’d felt bad for having to wake her up so early for this, but it had been unavoidable. 

When she reached up to him with her free hand, he gladly lifted her, stuffed otter and all, into his arms. 

“Hi baby, daddy’s all done talking to mommy. Want to go get something yummy for breakfast now?” he asked as King walked over and gave him a gentle side hug, then reached up to pat Tili’s messy hair. 

They had just had to throw together some snacks and fruit since the discussion time had needed to be changed to an earlier one due to some things that had come up for Anne. Thankfully his wife had wisely made it to the earlier time, and they’d managed to crawl themselves out of bed and make it, too. 

She nodded sleepily as she reached to the side, silently asking for King to hold her… even though he probably had been for most of the day already. 

His boyfriend gladly took his daughter and situated her on his hip with a sleepy smile of his own for Baron. 

“Breakfast sounds good… and a milkshake.” 

This guy… is fucking adorable. 

King wasn’t super big on sweets at home, but there was one brunch place that made some rather impressive milkshakes that he had become quite addicted to recently. 

“Alright, breakfast and milkshakes at Kay’s, it is,” he said, as he leaned over and pressed a kiss to his daughter’s forehead, then his boyfriend’s. 

Twenty-five minutes later they found themselves sitting at the restaurant, enjoying their spread of food with a vanilla bean and pistachio milkshake-covered kitten… and Otterbahn.

Raccoon Twenty-Nine

King flexed his arm slightly, but already knew that he wouldn’t be able to move it. 

Someone climbed up on the couch with me again, huh?

Tili was asleep on the footrest that he’d extended from the recliner portion, her little arms around his right one. 

He didn’t have the heart to wake her, so he simply stared up at the soft white ceiling fan above him, a smile slowly forming on his lips. 

Baron had been out for a while the past few days, working with his mom to get things settled once and for all with his wife. The woman needed a bit more convincing from Anne, but she seemed like she was close to coming around. 

They had given Tili the choice to go to the meetings, too, and she’d agreed to go once, but after seeing her mother’s poor behavior the first day, she had no longer wanted to be around her. 

The sound of someone at the door had King’s smile widening, but he still remained stationary as his man quietly stepped through the door, then closed it as he slid his shoes off. 

Soon he was over by the sofa and picking up his sleeping daughter. After pressing a kiss to her forehead, she seemed to come around enough to realize that he was back and wrapped her arms around his shoulders with a sleepy “welcome home, daddy.” 

“Thank you, sweetheart,” Baron whispered before settling himself on the edge of the sofa where King quickly made room for him. 

One he was situated King pressed his hands against his back, then settled his chin on his free shoulder. 

Welcome home, love. 

Thank you,  Baron replied, their connection having grown strong enough for them to speak telepathically the majority of the time if they wanted to. 

How did things go today? King asked after a few minutes of peace and quiet. 

Baron tilted his head to the side and smiled softly. 

“She finally signed the papers and took the car. The house is ours to sell, and your mom is now working on moving the account you made for me into my name,” Baron said, making King’s heart soar!

“Do I get to stay with daddy?” Tili asked, now a bit more awake as she settled in her father’s lap. 

Baron nodded and pressed another kiss to her forehead. 

“You do. You’re daddy’s now and won’t have to be around mommy unless you want to, sweetheart,” he said, surprising King a little. 

He’s still leaving the mom open as an option? 

Of course, likely not as a custody option, but to still allow visitations even after all the crap she put him through… 

I don’t want to push her mother completely out of her life. If she wants to speak with her or see her every once in a while once things have calmed down, I will consider facilitating that, Baron thought to him, making King’s heart warm. 

That makes sense, and it’s fair to Tili if she wants to see her mom after the stress from this situation blows over. 

To be honest, she probably will want to eventually. 

“Daddy, what’s for dinner?” Tili asked, oblivious to their mental conversation. 

How about grilled cheese, tomato soup, and chicken nuggets? King offered as he slid out from behind Baron to head towards the kitchen. 

Baron followed him with his little girl still snuggly in his arms. 

“Want your favorites, sweetheart?” Baron asked Tili, earning an immediate squeal of delight!

“Yes please!” 

King got busy setting things up while Baron let Tili sit on the counter next to the stove in order to help  them cook. From the short amount of time they’d had together so far, he couldn’t think of a smarter child. 

She was responsible and sensible, and she knew better than to do things most young children wouldn’t even hesitate to do. A good example was not touching the stove. 

King set the oven to preheat for the nuggets, and got a good stack of barbeque wings situated on the other side of the sheet pan while Baron and Tili finished preparing the ingredients for their sandwiches. 

After a few minutes he slid the food into the oven, then got a pot out for the soup and a pan with a little butter warming on the stovetop for the sandwiches. 

The fun began from there. 

Baron lightly buttered a piece of bread, then handed it to Tili to drop into the pan from a safe distance. From there, King helped her add two slices of cheese. 

After cooking until it became a nice golden brown and the cheese had mostly melted, King helped her add another piece of bread, then her and Baron worked together to flip the whole sandwich with a spatula. 

They repeated the process until they had eight sandwiches, then while Tili was being held in King’s arms, nibbling at a half of sandwich that her dad had cut for her, Baron finished up the soup and got it into bowls, then took care of the chicken in the oven. 

The dinner table was loaded up with stacks of everything and each person had a hot bowl of soup set beside their plate. Tili chose to sit on her father’s lap instead of her chair, while King settled right beside them with a big smile on his face. 

“I’ve looked into the preschools around here and I’ve found a few that I think you’d really like, sweetheart,” he told Tili as she finished another half sandwich, then accepted a spoonful of soup from King with a giant grin. 

She would be a little young for it, but King could totally see her being the best student. 

“I get to go to school?” she asked, her eyes lighting up with interest. 

Baron chuckled and patted her hair. 

“Soon, hun. We’re going to look into it,” he confirmed, earning a hug from his daughter before she began telling him about all of the things she wanted to learn, all while stuffing her face with chicken nuggets and grilled cheese. 

Their night moved along at a gentle, comfortable pace until Tili drifted off in the middle of watching one of her favorite cartoons, Bluey. They had thankfully noticed that she was getting tired and had helped her brush her teeth and get ready for bed beforehand. 

While Baron tucked her in, King used the restroom and got himself ready for bed, though he was a bit more jittery than he normally was. 

He’s finally free. 

King paced around their room for a little while, then climbed into bed… before jumping right back out of it and tugging his shirt up and over his head. 

He wanted to look good for his man tonight, but not seem pushy. Baron likely wanted to celebrate finally being removed from the shackles of his wife, but at the same time, he might be too tired from sparring with her all day to want to roll around with him. 

Glancing towards the little nightstand to his left, King felt his belly flip flop in his chest. 

They’d bought condoms and more lube over a week ago since things were heating up a lot between them, but they’d managed to wait until the divorce documents were signed. 

Now that that flimsy paper barrier was out of the way, he was nervous and more than a bit horny. 

Maybe he won’t want to do it tonight, though. 

The guy was staying with his daughter for a long time. Maybe they were just talking about what had happened and stuff. 

I should at least lie down. 

He walked back over to their bed and sat, but couldn’t bring himself to actually get in the bed. 

To be honest, he hadn’t gone to bed alone since him and Baron began sharing his twin one back at his old apartment. Even when Baron had to stay out late dealing with legal stuff or he, himself, had errands to run into the evening hours, neither of them went to bed without the other. 

When did I become so dependent on him? 

Rexy snorted in his mind, giving his head an abrupt shake as his whiskers twitched. 

You’re right. I was dependent from the moment I found sweet Prince on that bridge. 

It had never been Baron that clung to him, now that he thought about it. Sure, the guy loved getting attention from him and giving it, but King knew that he  was the one that became addicted first. 

Prince became his baby, then Baron became his person. 

He hadn’t realized how much he’d needed another being sharing his space until he’d brought Prince home. The strawberry-loving raccoon kept him busy when he wasn’t playing his game and gave him something to look after. 

Then when Baron entered the equation, King hadn’t thought twice about letting him stay, too. Heck, he’d become addicted to making him smile. 

Just the memories of all the different times Baron had turned to him, his eyes crinkling at the edges as his lips turned upward…

The sound of their door opening quietly drew him out of his thoughts just in time to be enveloped in his favorite warm arms. 

Baron was finally there, holding him tightly and peppering light kisses against his hair. 

King gladly pressed himself against his chest and inhaled his familiar scent. 

“Tili wanted her favorite bedtime story,” Baron said after a few moments of comfortable silence. 

King had already closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around his man’s waist, clearly comfortable in his embrace. 

“Mmm, and which one would that be?” he asked, his smile easily sliding into his words. 

Baron chuckled a little. 

“The one where Prince tries to steal an entire package of strawberries from the grocery store.” 

He couldn’t help himself, King burst out into a fit of giggles. 

It took him nearly a minute just to be able to calm himself down enough to ask the question now on his mind. 

“Is it safe to assume that it’s based on a true story?”  

Baron gave him a crooked grin. 

“Definitely.” 

He began explaining exactly what had happened, but King’s attention was quickly diverted by the man’s hands as they began slipping beneath his shorts to squeeze his ass. And by the time Baron was getting to the part about the security guard apprehending his young chubby shift and carrying it kicking and screaming back to his mom, King was on his back, naked beneath his man. 

Baron continued his story as he retrieved some lube from the nightstand, not missing a single detail even as he uncapped the bottle and got busy prepping him. 

The chill of the stuff made King shiver a little, but he knew that they’d warm themselves up soon enough. 

A condom was rolled onto Baron’s length a few moments later and King gladly spread his legs, then lifted them to wrap around Baron’s waist as the man got himself situated overtop him. 

As soon as Baron pushed himself into him he was extremely glad that he’d bought a prep toy and tried it out a few times while alone. It had definitely helped him get accustomed to having something inside him besides fingers, but damn… 

Ouch!

Baron was watching him like a hawk and adjusting himself accordingly, but King could tell that the guy looked a bit surprised. 

Blushing deeply, King reached up and after only hesitating for a moment, Baron leaned closer for him. 

“I wanted to make sure that you didn’t need to go too slow, so I used a toy a little, just to make sure that I was going to be comfortable,” he said honestly. 

He hadn’t wanted Baron to know what he was doing originally, but now that the man was staring down at him, he couldn’t hold his tongue even if he wanted to. 

He couldn’t tell what Baron was thinking right away, making his stomach twist into a knot. 

When the man’s expression seemed to soften a few moments later, however, King chanced a sheepish grin and wiggled his hips a little. 

Baron didn’t hesitate any longer. 

He began moving slowly at first, making sure that he wasn’t causing too much pain. 

It still hurt a little, but because he’d already practiced and was more  than turned on around his man anyways, it didn’t take King long before he was feeling pretty damn good. 

In fact, his legs’ grip around Baron’s hips quickly tightened and without realizing it, his nails began to dig into his back. 

His actions spurred his lover on to move quicker, and soon they had a pretty comfortable pace going. 

Neither of them seemed interested in speaking any longer, and instead, used their mouths for other purposes. King quickly began accumulating bites on his upper chest, neck, and chin. There would be no hiding what they’d done from his mom… or any sensible adult, but he would put band aids on the bad ones later for Tili’s sake. 

Besides, it was their first time together, he wasn’t going to hinder Baron in any way. If the man wanted to mark him everywhere, so be it. He didn’t have to stream anytime soon and his man was clearly having the time of his life. 

No longer able to help himself, either, King tilted his head back and opened his mouth to moan. He knew that he had to keep it generally quiet though, so he didn’t let himself get too overworked. 

What sound he did allow to escape his mouth clearly had an affect on Baron, though, because the man somehow sped up more, the momentum from his hips beginning to make King’s ache. 

F-fuck.

Squeezing his eyes shut, he felt his body tense up and his back arch at the same Baron’s weight pressed down on him and he, too, arched with a stifled groan. 

He didn’t open his eyes again until he felt soft lips peppering kisses against his chin, cheek, and then finally, lips. Baron was careful not to seal his mouth, as he was still panting a little, but the man gladly showed him just how much he adored him with the onslaught of attention!

King did eventually lightly tap him on the shoulder as he was busy gently licking one of his many sore bite marks, silently requesting a few moments of peace. 

Baron immediately responded by leaning away, giving him space… except for where they were still connected below the waist.

King closed his eyes and turned his head on the pillow so that he could focus on finishing up catching his breath. If he’d left his eyes open, he wouldn’t have been able to avert his gaze from the gorgeous man leaning over him. 

It took him about five minutes to get his body to relax again. 

Finally, licking his lips, he turned his head back to its normal position on the pillow and opened his eyes with a gentle smile. 

Baron was grinning down at him like a giddy teenager, and King could clearly feel why…

The throbbing sensation in his ass made him a little hesitant for a second round, though. At least, not right away. 

Baron clearly read his unease and didn’t hesitate to carefully slide himself out of him. He then discarded the condom and dropped down beside him before pulling him into his arms. 

King could sense wave after of happiness from his lover’s mind and gladly snuggled into his arms. 

“Give me a couple minutes,” he said quietly as he nuzzled his face against Baron’s chest. 

The man had gained a small amount of muscle since they’d first met, and he was finding himself quite content rubbing his face against it like a cat. 

“Want to start working out like we’d planned soon? Once Tili is in school we’ll have plenty of time,” Baron said as he nuzzled into King’s hair. 

I’ll gladly get in shape if you like my muscles , Baron thought to him, not bothering to use his mouth any longer since it was now busy kissing his hair. 

“Me too,” King replied as he took in Baron’s scent with a deep, content inhale. 

“Let’s start a garden, too. I bet Prince would love to grow his own strawberries,” King said. 

“Tili has always shown interest in plants. I can build some small raised beds and we can grow a bunch of good stuff,” Baron said, making King grin sleepily. 

His mom would be so excited to see a garden. She always wanted to do one, but her work kept her extremely busy. She’d just never had the time to tend to one. 

This is going to be great. 

“I agree,” Baron whispered as he settled one hand on the back of King’s head. 

King tilted his head up to receive a soft kiss in response, then closed his eyes as the man leaned forward to gently press their foreheads together. 

“This life is going to be great, and I’m so glad that I get to spend it with you and my little one. I love you, my sweet King, and I’m so honored that I get to be your Prince.” 

-End

There WILL be an epi, just give me a bit, and thank you guys for coming along on this story :) 

Opossum is the spin-off from this specific book, check it out if you haven’t already, Grim is there! These guys might show up in it at some point haha

Tips always welcome :)  https://ko-fi.com/theorykierei

Epilogue

(Snowman will be ending this one, as always. I’m sure he’s happily shedding down on everyone from heaven.)

He couldn’t have been happier. 

Flipping a burger on the new grill they’d just purchased, Baron watched the two loves of his life play on the huge jungle gym they’d built last week. 

Prince was hanging on the monkey bars with Tili’s kitten easily balancing on his fuzzy shoulders and head. 

They had switched shifts again, leaving him to watch a relaxing Rexy while his hyper raccoon enjoyed running around with King and his daughter. 

Several months had passed and Tili was already two weeks into pre-K. She absolutely loved it, and he loved being able to have some more alone time with his boyfriend. 

He was glad that King didn’t change at all after their first time together. Sometimes he wanted to have sex, but other times he didn’t. He never hesitated to decline if he wasn’t interested, and that was totally fine with him. 

Adding some sliced bell peppers and pineapple to the grill, he checked the other burgers before returning his attention to his loves. 

They had moved to the slide now, with Prince carrying Tili’s kitten as they zoomed down it with Prince on his back and Tili riding on his fuzzy belly. They landed in a bit of a lump, but it didn’t take them long to untangle themselves, then, surprisingly, run all the way up the small grassy hill and onto the deck towards him! 

With a kitten climbing his left pant leg and a raccoon hugging his right, Baron quickly got his cooking done and set the full plates aside. He’d intended to pick up both his loves and get them ready for dinner, but when he suddenly got much closer to the ground, he realized that dinner was just going to have to wait. 

Rexy wasn’t too interested in playing, but Prince didn’t seem like he was going to take squeak  for an answer. He soon had the poor otter in his arms and was dragging it back down the hill with Tili happily prancing along beside them.

He was promptly tugged up the little steps and platforms to the slide, then unceremoniously tossed down it with a startled squeak! He managed to recover quickly once at the bottom, and moved away just in time to avoid being bowled over by a plump raccoon and purring kitten!

Although, honestly, as he stood to the side and watched the two untangle themselves again, he couldn’t not  see it. 

She’s grown. 

When she ran over to him a moment later, he realized just how much. 

She’s getting close to Rexy’s size already.

He was going to cry. 

Through all of the stress of the past few years, on top of their most recent dilemma, he’d missed watching his daughter grow up. 

Tili didn’t seem to sense his unease, however, because she immediately began circling him, rubbing the side of her face against his while at the same time, nipping at his nose!

You little brat… I love you so darn much. 

Prince came over at that moment and, seeing Tili as an example, promptly grabbed poor Rexy in a bear hug and began trying to fit the little otter’s entire face in his mouth!

Of course, Rexy wasn’t going to stand for that  kind of treatment, and before Prince could thankfully do any damage, he got quite a few paws to the snout until he regrettably released him. 

They all played for a while longer on the equipment, though Rexy was dragged more than anything, until he had to run back over to the grill area and shift to answer his phone. 

What he heard on the other end had him grinning and looking back over towards the two brats still running around. 

“Hey Tili? Wanna go sleep over at grandma’s tonight?!” he called to her, making Prince and Tili’s kitten freeze abruptly to process the information. 

Prince only needed a moment to think about it before he reached out to grab Tili, unwilling to share, but her cat was faster and easily leaped out of range as she darted over to Baron and promptly climbed up his leg as soon as he had his pants back on. 

The utter look of heartbreak on Prince’s fuzzy face made Baron force himself not to laugh. 

“I think we have a resounding yes  from Tili.”

King’s mother replied with enthusiasm and said that she’d cleared her schedule for the rest of the day and the next morning and would be over shortly to pick up her sweet granddaughter!

As he hung up, Tili shifted and got situated in his arms to be brought inside. It took only a few minutes for her to get her things ready, as she wasn’t a very materialistic girl. She’d left a large amount of the things her mom had bought her when she’d moved, not wanting her new room to be cluttered like her old one had been. 

“You be good for Grandma Anne, okay?” Baron said as Prince waddled over and hugged her around the waist once she was fully dressed, not wanting to let go of his baby… until they’ve played more. 

“Yes Daddy!” she said excitedly before leaning over a little and hugging Prince tightly. 

“I’ll be back Princey! Take care of Daddy till then, okay? and eat lots for dinner” 

The chubby raccoon gave a few wines of disagreement, but eventually he calmed down… with a strawberry in each hand. 

He tried to waddle his way out the door on his back legs to follow after Tili once Anne came to pick her up, but Baron easily reached down and grabbed him, preventing the grand escape. 

“Have a good night you two, I’ll see you both tomorrow,” Baron said cheerfully as Prince shoved a strawberry in his mouth to drown his sorrows.

As soon as the door was closed, however, Prince was looking up at Baron, his large puppy dog eyes doing their best to guilt more strawberries out of him to replace the two that had just mysteriously disappeared. 

“Come on, we’re gonna eat what we cooked,” he told his other half as the raccoon protested and wiggled, but couldn’t even come close to squirming free. 

Mainly because he was just trying to put on an act and didn’t want to actually be put down. 

Prince adjusted himself to Baron’s shoulders and got comfortable as his new servant packed and put away some of the food for them all to share tomorrow, then used the rest to make a plate for both of them to eat from while relaxing on one of their outside lounging chairs. 

It took two full burgers and a couple slices of grilled pineapple before Prince relinquished control, leaving a gorgeous, and naked, King splayed out over his chest. 

Thankfully, they had a nice privacy fence up so he didn’t have to worry about people looking in. 

Grinning, Baron finished off his last bite of burger, then reached down to rest his hands on either side of King’s warm backside. 

“Ready for our first match as an official team?” King asked as he rested his head against Baron’s shoulder and lifted his beautiful eyes to meet his. 

Ah right, we do have a match soon. 

“Of course,” Baron replied, though it was clear from the look on his love’s face that he didn’t believe him. Or, at least, didn’t think he’d remembered. 

“U-um, you’re really distracting,” Baron said honestly as he squeezed King’s backside a little… then a little more. 

His ex wife had always hated his grabby hands, but King simply got himself a little more comfortable, then closed his eyes to relax. 

I love you so much…

They remained that way until both his and King’s phones went off at the same time with their reminder that they did, in fact, have a match to get to soon. 

Baron reached over and silenced his phone, but there was no way to reach King’s without getting up. 

Alright, alright. 

Groaning quietly, he adjusted his lover until he was situated in his arms, then stood up and carried him inside like a bride on their honeymoon. 

It still felt like that, too. 

Even before they’d begun their physical relationship, he’d always looked forward to waking up in the same apartment as King, then in the same bed. 

He never thought he’d love anyone ever again after what had happened to him, but then a sweet young guy came along and picked up his terrified raccoon, and loved him so much that he was able to put not only the broken pieces of his life back together again, but also the pieces of his heart. 

“Pause,” King said, making Baron blink out of his thoughts right before he was about to sink his teeth into King’s throat to make a nice hickey. 

Oh, right, streaming soon. 

With a camera on. 

Leaning away a little, he made the observation that King’s neck was quite clear of any previous marks he’d given him. Everything had healed perfectly. 

Just a little nibble…

Of course, he wouldn’t do it, even if he wanted to. King had said no, so that was that. 

“You can make a new one after,” King said a moment later, making Baron immediately beam at him!

“For now though, give me back my little brat,” he said as he leaned up and sealed his lips over his own. 

Baron immediately sensed Rexy respond and run back into King’s body. To his surprise, however, the little otter was soon dragging a snoring Prince back into his own mind, clearly not willing to share his space anymore. 

As soon as the unconscious raccoon had crossed the threshold Rexy returned to King’s mind, making Baron grin as he leaned away. 

“All set, love?” he asked before glancing down, then back up to King’s face. 

“Ah, need clothing,” he stated helpfully as he finally let King slip out of his lap and stand up. 

He watched unabashedly as his man walked around their room getting dressed, despairing losing the sight of his gorgeous naked body, but glad that he was putting on an appropriate outfit. 

His streamers didn’t need to see anything extra. 

Baron pursed his lips as his mind betrayed him and unintentionally imagined King sitting in front of his audience without a shirt on… or other articles of clothing, though thankfully the lower areas were off-camera. 

Still…

“Babe, no need to get jealous. I’ll only ever strip for you,” King said as he walked over and pressed a kiss to Baron’s nose, then leaned back and winked. 

He’s so cute. 

He’s so damn cute. 

“You’re adorable too, my Prince,” King replied to his thought as he dropped down into his gaming chair and got his computer started up. 

Baron blushed a little and got up, himself, then walked over to get dressed and settled into his own chair. He had on King’s jersey, while King now wore one that proudly displayed the words Prince on its front. It had been gifted from the owners of Infinity, just like the King jersey had. 

Being only a few feet away from each other, they knew that having two active mics wouldn’t work, but instead of Baron moving to the spare room, they just decided to have Baron’s mic on push-to-talk, so he’d just have to hit a button if he wanted to say something. That way it wouldn’t pick up any of King’s conversations. 

Tugging on his headset, he got his own new computer up and running, then logged himself in. 

His adorable cat boy character had gotten some rather incredible upgrades in the past few weeks and was now looking very much like the pro gamer his owner now was. 

Both of their contracts had also seen a pretty nice improvement in terms of money and duration. Of course, King was still making the bigger bucks, but Baron was definitely climbing the ladder and had a nice paycheck coming in now. 

“And here they are folks! Our newest official Infinity team, Team Royalty!” the MC said enthusiastically as they both joined the match’s voice chat channel. 

Their characters were quickly warped to the starting arena as the MC introduced their opponents. 

Baron could sense Rexy eager to watch the match through his bond with his love, but his own little one was still out cold, snoring contently in his own mind. 

“Good evening,” King said politely, though his smirk foretold what he was really thinking. 

They wouldn’t be polite during this match. 

He’d realized pretty quickly that King enjoyed playing to the camera in his own way. He definitely wasn’t an ass, like Grim, but he also wasn’t a sweetheart all the time like Renegade. 

He was a reasonable mix somewhere in the middle. 

Now, himself?

He was generally quiet, but now that he didn’t have to have his microphone on all the time, he got away with a few whispers and grumbles here and there about the audacity of some people trying to sneak up on his love or trash talking him in general. 

In all honestly, the Prince had more or less taken the role of protector while the King had taken a small step back and now devised strategies and focused more of massive magic attacks, but was always ready to switch skills at the drop of a hat. 

They worked together perfectly, in sync no matter what was thrown at them both in the game, and in real life. 

It was incredible to watch them play, and behind the scenes, Baron found it incredible to simply live their lives. He’d been given not only a second chance at it, but a second perspective. 

He loved his boyfriend. 

He loved his daughter. 

He loved his new stepmom. 

And, most importantly, he had come to love himself. 

He felt Prince squeak sleepily in the back of his mind, clearly slightly frustrated… or just hungover on food. 

Ah yes, how could I forget. I love you, too, sweetheart. I’m so glad we both got our second chance, and I promise that there will be many, many strawberries in your future. 

Prince lifted one paw up while still lying on his back and gave an excited squeak before promptly falling right back to sleep. 

Baron grinned and looked over at King, and King met his gaze without hesitation, then gave a quiet chuckle and smiled contently. 

Love you, B and P, King thought to him.  

You’ll both forever be mine and Rexy’s Princes.