Kyle did his best not to thump or twitch his tail. It was a bad habit when he was playing games; squirming in his seat, tail thumping, arms twitching. It was especially hard when Kyle was holding his own, and might even win, against Aadi. It was rare Kyle would win a set, and he was so close. But he had to keep his tail still. Jiffy was cuddled up, more accurately wedged, between the caiman and roo, fluffy tail blanketing him. The poor thing had needed a mid-drinking nap. 

Kyle, on the other hand, was feeling somewhere really buzzed and happy.

“... Hell yeah,” Kyle chuffed, relaxing back into the couch. Not a single tail spasm and he had won. 

“Nice. Your E. Honda’s getting pretty good. You just have to start relaxing your paws. Cradle the controller, don’t clutch it. You’ll react faster. And not rip the controller in two,” Aadi rumbled.

“Now I’ve seen it all. Kyle taking an actual best of three, and he didn’t even luck it out,” Kevin laughed, sitting forward. “Alright, I’m gonna go for a run before dinner. You boys have fun!” Kevin pushed himself up and passed behind the couch and rubbed atop Aadi’s head, “Later daddy,” which earned a soft growl from Aadi. 

“Ta-tah!” the golden quipped, slipping out the door. That left Kyle hanging out with Aadi and Jiffy, and Harry chilling on the bean bag. He was playing something on some handheld made for extra large furs. 

Kyle selected ‘rematch’ and got back to it. He tried to cradle the controller in his paws, but it was so hard not to grip down whenever he had to escape a combo or try to input quickly. Worse, his thumb pads were getting sore from flicking and mashing over the buttons. 

With Kevin gone Aadi finally asked, “Okay. What’s wrong, little guy? You sort of shut down halfway through the hangout.”

Kyle glanced over but Aadi’s eyes were still on the screen. Kyle had lost the first round by the time he looked back at the television. 

“Uh… Just the PAIA thing I guess. Uhm.” He rolled the thumbstick a few times. And having sex with his dad, he neglected to add. “I made my roommate flinch. Pretty hard. He’s a little cat dude. And my advisor was talking about it, and just… on my mind I guess.”

“Ahh, gotchya.” Kyle could see Aadi’s long muzzle bobbing up and down in his peripheral vision. “Yeah, kind of a bummer getting the ‘you’re scary’ thing rubbed in. I just kind of… got numb to it.” He glanced to the side, maintaining a combo despite not watching the screen. “You probably don’t get it often, so it hits harder. You’re a good person, Kyle. Don’t let it get to you.”

“Yes daddy,” Kyle cooed, mostly reflex. 

Aadi narrowed his eyes and turned his attention back to the screen. He got a perfect on Kyle the next round. The roo slumped back a little, sighing.

“Want to swap to a shooter instead? Or we could see what Harry’s into. He seems to have something fun going.” He glanced back at the elephant, who fidgeted around as he played, headphones keeping him oblivious. “Either way, we’ve been playing punchies all day.”

“Yeah, sure. I mean,” Kyle glanced down at the bundle of fur between them, “Maybe after-”

“I got it,” an adorable voice cut off Kyle. Jiffy’s tail moved away from his face, the squirrel yawning and rubbing at one of his eyes. 

“You doin’ okay? Need water?” Kyle chuffed, reaching a paw to gently scritch Jiffy’s chin. He paused at the contact, then gently worked his claw tips there. 

The little squirrel chirped indignantly, “I’ve been drinking longer than you, pouch boy. Stop worrying about me. Have YOU had water?” Jiffy asked while leaning into Kyle’s touch. 

Jiffy blossomed out of his curled up state, yawning and stretching. He pushed and wiggled his way up from being wedged between the larger furs. 

“Yup, I made him drink two while you were out.” Aadi rumbled, resting an arm over the back of the couch. 

“Hey Jiffy… why don’t you flinch from me?” Kyle asked in a hushed tone before he thought.

A pregnant pause hung in the air. 

“Are you kidding? I don’t flinch from anyone, Kyle. My dad’s been on it since I started walking,” Jiffy switching to a mocking voice, “‘No one will take you serious if you flinch like a’” Jiffy slipped into sciuridae for a moment, gave a huff, then looked up to Kyle. “Hell, I don’t flinch from Aadi and he’s actually eaten meat.”

Aadi grunted, glancing back to Harry, happy to see he didn’t react. Aadi glowered down at Jiffy. “You know that makes Kyle uncomfortable.”

“It’s fine, I know it's cultural … I know you don’t predate others. I don’t uh… seriously, it’s fine.” Kyle quickly chuffed, giving Jiffy a little prod. “Be nice.”

“Yeah yeah… why are you asking about making me flinch, Kyle?” 

That made Kyle balk. He shrugged, “I … made Tommy flinch. And like…” Kyle lifted his paw from Jiffy, and paused to look at the size of it compared to the squirrel. “You’re smaller than him. I just-” 

“Don’t you fucking dare.” Jiffy hissed. Kyle hadn’t ever seen Jiffy look angry before. Not like this. and it was so sudden.

Jiffy lifted his paws and shoved Kyle’s away. “Don’t you dare pull that shit.”

Kyle withdrew his paw, putting it in his lap. He looked down at it, tucking his claws to his palm like he could hide them. 

“I just don’t want to hurt you.”

“You have hurt me before, Kyle. I’ve gotten scratches from you. Probably a bruise or two. But I have hurt you too. I know I’ve scratched when climbing you, and remember that time I slipped off your shoulder and kicked you in the face?”

“Yeah, but… Jiffy, I’m bigger.” 

“I don’t fucking care that you’re bigger. Remember what Aadi said? All that PAIA shit is fearful garbage. Anyone can hurt anyone.” Jiffy lifted his paws and rubbed at his cheeks. He looked more sad than angry when he met Kyle’s eyes again. “Kyle. You have always been gentle with me. But you’ve never been delicate with me. The first time we met you didn’t squat down and treat me like a kid. You just shook my hand and talked to me. Later that month you gave me an actual hug. Not just barely touching me with your arms while I hugged you.” Jiffy leaned and reached out to take Kyle’s hand with both his own. “That’s one of the things I love about you the most Kyle. I don’t know if it’s because you don’t have other roos around, or you grew up with carnivores, or whatever, but everyone’s just a person to you. Not delicate silly squirrels or giant scary scaled monsters. Please, please, never change that, alright? Never treat me like I’m glass. I couldn’t take that.”

Kyle nodded slowly. He let Jiffy pull his hand close and hug it. Kyle’s thumb lifted to stroke Jiffy’s cheek while he murmured, “Thanks, Jiffy. I’ll try.” He leaned in and nosed their muzzles together. “Ya little nut.” 

Jiffy nuzzled back, smiling sweetly when Kyle sat back up proper. “Thank you.”

“I’m a scary scaly monster, hmm?” Aadi growled, tip of his muzzle just above Jiffy’s head. 

Jiffy turned, an eyebrow raised, smirking. He lifted his paw and pushed at the dangerous, fanged muzzle. “You thought I was talking about you? You’re just a dorky old dad. Hell, you’re like, one step away from socks and sandals. I was talking about real crocs.”

“I’m a caiman you little shit.” 

“Crocodilia~” Jiffy squeaked in a sing-song way as he hopped off the couch. 

“You are such a pest.” Aadi tutted, laying his head back against the couch. He side-eyed Kyle, giving him an encouraging smile. “Rough few days?” 

It gave Kyle pause. Were they rough? They were good, for sure. Mostly. Crazy might be better. He shrugged and smiled, “I suppose. Glad to be back though.”

Aadi nodded, “Well you know dad’s always here if you need me.” He laughed heartily, patting Kyle on his shoulder. 

Kyle chuffed and laughed along, despite feeling his insides drop away. “Thanks, Daddy,” He chuffed in return. Aadi was elected the group ‘dad’ since several of them had crap or absent fathers- Jiffy and Kyle being prime examples. Or Kyle had thought he had an absent father. Clearly not the truth, now. But it made calling Aadi ‘daddy’ feel a little weird. Especially since he thought Aadi was pretty hot, and he thought Rupert was…

Fuck.

“Mind getting me another beer while you’re up?” Aadi asked. 

Kyle quickly added a “Ditto?” 

Aadi glanced over at Harry. “Hey, Harry?” to no avail. Aadi waved a webbed paw. The elephant took notice after a moment. He took off one of the- to Kyle- strange headphone ear clip thing he was wearing. They must have been great at noise canceling. “You want a beer dude? Snacks? There’s a lot left over. Er… if you drink. We’re totally respectful if you don’t.” 

Harry looked between the table and Aadi. He shrugged, “... You’re almost my size. You have to know how much food I can eat and how much I can drink.”

Aadi waved his paw dismissively, “Go for it. Food’ll go to waste otherwise. I’m running at low temperature, so I don't need as much food. Besides,” Aadi gestured to the squirrel swapping out game disks, “Mister rodent here funded me to get way too much beer for this little hangout.” 

“Hey, we all contribute something right? I didn’t bring anything, so I pitched in.”

“And then some.”

Jiffy stood and looked back, rolling his eyes as poignantly as he could. “I contribute what I can. I can’t carry a ton of beer. Easier to share money.” He scampered back toward the couch, paused halfway and stood. “I don’t think you met us properly? I’m Johan, go by Jiffy,” The squirrel raised a hand, “And he’s Kyle,” Jiffy pointed. The squirrel resumed his way to the couch, stopped, twisted, and scampered to the mini fridge.

“Haraprasad, but Harry’s fine. Nice to meet you both. Sorry I was hiding in the room earlier. My parents keep calling to complain that I didn't make my wife move out here with me.” 

“You’re married?” Kyle asked without thinking. 

“Yeah, about … eight years now? My memory arranges marriages. My wife and I were ten when we were married.” Harry glanced over. “Uh… That’s normal for us. Not like, sex or anything. Just sort of, ritual and we’re married.” He flicked his ears, “Oh, my memory is like a pack or pride or group. Not my archived thoughts. My families.” 

“Yeah gotcha. And no worries. All of us have our own things going,” Aadi laughed. He put both his sizeable arms along the back of the couch. He leaned back, watching Harry with a single eye. “Like being a cold blooded predator. Thanks again for giving me a chance.” He rolled forward and gripped the returning Jiffy, pulling the squirrel into his lap. Kyle did notice a brief moment where Aadi reached out, paused to make sure Jiffy saw his hands, before gripping down. Did Kyle do that?

“You and your wife don’t mind being apart for so long?” chittered the rodent. 

Harry’s trunk waved in a half circle. “We’re fine with it. She’s doing a science thing at Savanna Women’s College. We both want to branch out a bit and see more of the world. More diverse furs too,” He gestured toward the three with his trunk, “So I’m pretty lucky I got you in the room as a freshman. Seems you’ve got a pretty cool and social friend group. Are all of them queer?” 

Aadi’s muzzle gaped open for a moment, silent. “Uhh… that’s probably not the word you wanted in shared tongue?” he glanced at Kyle and Jiffy. 

“Oh? My wife is better at shared than I am. I think that’s what she uses. I didn't mean to imply anything bad. Same sex couples are normal to us. My family is also quite friendly with gender change. Uh… not all of my memory, given we’re matriarchal and… I’m sorry. Am I just making this worse?”

Jiffy laughed, “Nah you’re good dude. That’s cool! Not all of us. Daddy here’s straight. Our group’s got a mix.” Jiffy reached up and topped at the bottom of Aadi’s muzzle. “Harry’s sort of right though. Queer was a slur for a long time, but people are kind of using it now to say they’re not cis het without being all specific with what they actually are. Reclaiming it.”

“See? This is why you kids are useful, keeping me up to date on all the new slang and what’s PC.”

“So… Is there a better word than queer, or is that okay?” 

Kyle looked over. Harry was leaning forward on the beanbag, looking intent to correct himself. 

“Yeah, I think it’s okay. It really depends if you say it nice or mean, I guess? LGBTQ is a pain to say.” Jiffy answered while peeking over Aadi’s shoulder at Harry. 

“I see… thank you. I’d really hate to ostracize myself out of ignorance,” Harry smiled. All around interacting with the elephant was a little strange to Kyle. He had no idea what the trunk gestures meant, he couldn’t see expressions well with Harry’s trunk, and Harry’s voice was oddly higher than Kyle would have expected. 

“Yeah no problem!” Jiffy squeaked as he turned and shifted. He flopped back, his upper body in Aadi’s lap and his lower in Kyle’s. Kyle reached out, teasing at Jiffy’s toes with a finger, grinning drunkenly. 

“Weirdo,” Jiffy sassed. Despite it, he turned his foot so Kyle could access his sole better. 

“Jiffy, foot fetish is like, the most common fetish. Give Kyle a break. The poor joey’s got enough going on.”

“I’m teasing. I don’t actually care so long as he’s not tickling me.” Jiffy’s foot gripped down on Kyle’s fingers. “Why? Want him playing with yours instead, daddy?” 

“Not what I was saying. But I mean, why would I care if he did? It’s not like it’s any scales off my back. I mean, so long as he wasn’t-”

“Could we pleeeeeease not make me out to be a total weirdo the first time I meet someone?” Kyle grunted, half-sure he could see Harry was watching curiously in his peripheral version. Worse, he really would love to be on the floor playing with Aadi’s and Jiffy’s feet and

Damnit.

Luckily, Aadi took the lead in changing the subject. “Your sleep squeaks are real cute, by the way.” he teased Jiffy.

“Ugh fuck off. Says the croc who’s always rumbling and growling and does that cute grunty thing when he pregames too hard and falls asleep.” 

“Caiman.” Aadi softly hissed. “Cute? I think you mean hot,” Aadi teased before giving another deep mating bellow.

Kyle got a good rumble resting against Aadi’s side. Jiffy was right in Aadi’s belly, against his belly. Kyle could practically see the vibrations roll through his little friend. 

“Fucking… jeeze Aadi,” Jiffy huffed after a moment of recovery. Kyle gave a teasing grin, glad he wasn’t the only one being teased and turned on by their weird interests. 

“Is everything okay?” Harry asked from the beanbag. 

“Oh yeah! Everything’s great. Just teasing Jiffy with a bellow. It’s one of the ways we flirt with female caiman. It turns the little freak on,” Aadi rumbled and chuckled. He started up the match, Kyle relaxing back and waiting to be set on a team. 

“Oh, alright! Just checking if it meant something I should know. Yeah, you guys have fun, I don’t mind. Just let me know if you want me to leave the room.” The clip slid back onto Harry’s ear, the large anthro resting back in the bean bag again. 

“... Did he just say he didn’t care if we started fucking with him in the room?” Jiffy asked incredulously. 

Kyle flicked an ear. Maybe this new elephant dude was pretty cool. 

*** 

And then there were three.

After Harry headed out Kyle had shifted toward the arm of the couch. It gave him a better angel to massage on Jiffy’s sexy feet. Squirrel paws were so different from macropod’s, and Kyle couldnt’ get enough.

Jiffy was still sprawled across their labs, Addi tapping away as he played Final Fantasy. Shooties had lasted a little, but Kyle got too sloppy after the third beer hit. Watching Aadi play was more relaxing anyway. 

“Hey, Aadi…” Kyle murmured. 

The caiman looked over, smiling. “What’s up? You doing okay?” 

“Yeah. I mean… I’m drunk but I’m good. Can’t believe Jiffy holds it better than me.” he teased a finger tip against one of Jiffy’s toe claws. Jiffy was eyeing Kyle curiously as well. “Uhm… could you… I know you told Jiffy about the meat thing. Like, why and stuff. Could I know?”

“Uhm…” Aadi stared. And stared. Kyle was just about to take it back when Aadi rumbled, “Are you sure, little guy? I mean… You’re an herby, I don’t want to upset you.”

Kyle shrugged. “I don’t think it will? Like I said- like you told me. Your family doesn’t predate or anything. Just… you consume meat.” How that could work wasn’t clear to Kyle- some sort of carrion thing?- but it kept him from being scared of Aadi, at least. “I think if I actually knew, it might make it less… weird to me? Like eating eggs was really weird to me, until I found out like… your family would make eggs that wouldn’t ever hatch into a person.”

“Ugh, never been a fan of slugs… avian eggs are awesome, but reptile eggs…” Jiffy wrinkled his muzzle. 

Aadi ignored the interruption, still staring at Kyle. Staring into Kyle’s eyes. Kyle knew that Aadi wasn’t supposed to. Like how Tommy had stared too long at Jiffy when they met. But it didn’t bother Kyle. Eye contact with Aadi felt normal. 

“Kyle, I appreciate that you want to understand, but… I don’t want to change who you think I am. That’s just some abstract … you know I have eaten meat. It’s just a thing. If you know details… if you pictured it… Kyle. I don’t want to lose you as a friend,” Aadi said the final part almost pleadingly. 

“Oh. Uh. Did you lose herby friends like that before?”

“No. Not back home. It’s normal there. But you’re the only herby friend I’ve ever made out this way.” Aadi quavered. 

That was new. Sort of scary. Aadi was the solid one. Older, a veteran, the one who had seen everything. Playful and joking. Frequently bad jokes since he had been designated group dad. Aadi didn’t show sadness. His eyes always had a brightness, once Kyle had gotten over the strange look to them. But that was dimmed. 

It came slow to Kyle. The dimming wasn’t sadness. It was fear. Fear of losing Kyle as a friend. 

“Daddy thing aside, you’re family, Aadi. You can’t get rid of me at this point.” Kyle chuffed, making sure to smile extra brightly. It brought back a bit of the brightness. “If you don’t want to, that's totally okay.” 

Aadi mulled it over. He glanced down at Jiffy, the tip of his muzzle close to the squirrels. No flinch, Kyle noted. Aadi seemed to be looking for an answer, but Jiffy only shrugged. Aadi reached his hand over Jiffy’s belly, briefly paused, then let it gently rest down. Aadi started rubbing Jiffy’s belly as he looked back into Kyle’s eyes. 

“Tell me to stop if I make you uncomfortable, okay?” Kyle nodded mutely. “Okay, so. First thing’s first- we don’t habitually eat meat. Most of our diet is fish and insects. Alright… I’m going to start with where this comes from, not what I’ve done. The background makes it less… awful, I guess.” 

Aadi took a long breath. “Back in the basin there are four apex carnivores. Anacondas, giant otters, jaguars, and us black caimans. Forever ago they would off members of another species whenever they got the chance. Territory and resources and the like. Some stories say it was a blood feud. They celebrated killing the other species, and ate those they slayed. This was ages ago, so I don’t know how accurate the stories are, probably a lot of it is legend, but… it was brutal, from what was in the stories.

“So, there are those four species. And then there were the capybaras. The capybaras were the scariest species. They do not have fear, whatsoever. They walked right up to and past any of the predators. Everyone left them alone. If someone was stupid enough to attack one, a week later they would wake up finding every other member of their group dead, and they’d be left to tell the tale.” 

Kyle shivered. That thought was haunting. Even more so to know that apex carnivores could be taken so easily by ‘a big rat’, as Kyle had been told. Then again, when the big reds had stood up… Kyle listened with rapt attention, shocked by how little he knew. History classes really didn’t teach anything.

“The four carnivore species got worse and worse. They grew more hateful and it wore down all four populations- to the point extinction was a serious threat. And each group wanted to get rid of the other three, hoping it would prevent their own extinction. Eventually there was a meeting between the four. Some say it was a final showdown, others for negotiation, who knows… but they were there, then the capybaras showed up.

A bit drunk, Kyle’s eyes widened. He immediately jumped to the big rats killing them all- only to realize Aadi sitting before him proved that couldn’t be the case. 

“The capybaras enforced a treaty. They were tired of seeing it all, of bodies poisoning the water, and wouldn’t let the balance of nature change. They said all four of us were needed. And,” Aadi smirked, “That, it would turn out that any species who didn’t agree to the treaty might not actually be needed. So, peace was struck. And a ritual came up from it. Every one hundred and fifty moons, each species would bring a,” Aadi pulled his paw away from Jiffy’s belly, “A sacrifice. The meat of all four species was ground together, mixed with all four bloods and a few other things. Every single person would dab their finger into the paste and paint a line on the tongue of a different species. It’s supposed to symbolize… like… we trust one another, to the point we can put our hand in the other’s mouth. And that we’re all carnivores, but we’re also all meat. The value of each of us is the same, no matter the species.”

Aadi took a breath, thinking for a moment. “So, that’s where it came from. Are you doing okay?”

Kyle was a little disgusted at the imagery, but he was more intrigued than upset. He nodded.

“Okay, cool. So, that was forever ago. These days it’s different. The sacrifice bit is gone. No killing for the ritual. Instead, someone who meets their end some other way- so long as it’s not by disease- if they die and it’s near the hundred and fiftieth moon they are ‘chosen’. They get prepared. Preserved, I guess. On the hundred and fiftieth moon, the rest of the stuff happens. But since our species aren’t near extinction any more there’s a lot more of us. So it’s only once in your life- those born since the last one hundred and fiftieth moon and are old enough to understand the ritual. It’s actually… I didn’t like it. It kind of made me feel sick. But after the ritual there was a lot of hugging, and crying, and celebration that all of our species are still here.” Addi smiled solemnly. 

“That’s kind of beautiful, actually,” Kyle murmured. Jiffy nodded, reaching up to rub at Aadi’s cream scaled belly. “And like… does that even count? You didn’t like, eat meat.”

Aadi laughed out, rubbing at his snout. “Er… I guess not. But maybe?... depends who you ask. But yes, I do eat meat… It’s from the same thing. Same time, forever ago. The rivalry led to a ritual in us black caimans. To preserve our wisdom, our strength, and pass it down through the generations, we have a funeral ritual. So, it used to be the heart, a long, long time ago. But now, after someone passes, a muscle is taken from them, processed, cooked, and uh… each descendent from them eats a small slice. Mostly kids, and grandkids, or great grandkids if any are around yet.” He grunted, “Can’t say I’m a fan of that one either. But yeah, pretty sure it counts.”

“Oh. Yeah, I guess. Explains why you’re so big and powerful, huh?” Kyle laughed, reaching his tail over and coiling it against Aadi’s. Aadi smiled and laughed in turn, tail squeezing back, to Kyle’s relief. “Jeeze, Aadi. That’s fine. I mean… I guess it might freak some out, but like… You’re not like goring someone or like,” Kyle grinned, “Swallowing squirrels whole or something.”

“Would that really be any worse than splitting a squirrel in two on my dick?” Aadi jeered, looking down for Jiffy’s input. 

“You are BOTH on the naughty list. I’m telling the Pats on you two,” Jiffy huffed indignantly, folding his arms over his chest. He quickly started squirming as Aadi’s claws brushed and tickled his sides.

Kyle chuff-chuckled and resumed massaging Jiffy’s feet once the squirrel had settled.  Something about the talk had been a relief. The ‘monstrous’ meat eater was, if anything, softer than Kyle had thought. The species as a whole, even. Maybe Tommy flinching wasn’t so bad. Maybe big reds- maybe Kyle wasn’t a monster either, and he should be confident in that. 

***

After a while the room felt normal again. Aadi was playing Final Fantasy while the three idly shared updates on life, their semester plans, and the like. Kyle had already heard a lot of Jiffy’s news, so he half listened while scooting lower, slumping in the corner of the couch. Eventually he was straight up indulging in Jiffy’s paws, nuzzling at one foot and giving it a kiss, resting the other atop his muzzle and stroking along the top of the foot. Lost in his happy paw love zone. 

Jiffy’s toes drummed atop Kyle’s muzzle, bringing Kyle’s attention upward. Both were looking at him; Jiffy grinning mischievously, Aadi watching with amused curiosity. 

“Having fun down there?” Jiffy chirped, tapping his toes against muzzle. “You getting close?”

Kyle rolled his eyes and sat up a bit further, “Brat. I don’t even have a boner.”

“Like we could tell, mister prehensile.” 

Kyle chuffed indignantly and turned his ears outward, hopefully hiding the blush in them. He glared at Jiffy a moment before looking up to Aadi apologetically. 

“Hey, I don’t care, little guy. I was sort of wondering if Jiffy was exaggerating with the paw teasing bit. You really are that hot on them, huh?”

Kyle gave Jiffy an even harder glare. 

“What?! You’re the one who did it! I didn’t even say anything, I just got your attention.”

Kyle winced. It was true. He had done it himself, guiding Jiffy’s feet, not the squirrel tempting him into embarrassment. He huffed and looked down at Jiffy’s sexy feet. 

“Yeah, I guess? Like, hot on them, yeah. They’re a turn on. But it’s not just that. I really don’t have a boner.” He reached between his thighs and lifted, so his sheath and ball bulge were clear and there was a distinct absence of an erection. He let go, realizing that it was probably unnecessary, and rested his hand in his lap. “They’re hot but at the same time, they’re comforting? I just feel happy and relaxed doing that. Apparently I used to cuddle on my dad’s feet when I was a joey,” Kyle added, then regretted adding. 

“Now that I didn’t know. Man, you’ve been a paw addict your whole life.” Jiffy batted his tail tip at Kyle’s muzzle. 

“It’s kind of cute. I wish I had something that just put me in a happy place,” Aadi remarked. He tilted his head, lifting a leg, “If you’re that into it, you really are welcome to rub mine and stuff. Put a little guy in his happy place.” His toes splayed, showing off the webbed membrane between them. 

“Seriously?” Kyle asked in a mix of drunkenness and surprise. Maybe a little paw lust. 

“Yeah, go for it.” Aadi reached, pause-grip, and lifted Jiffy a little. He swung around, resting his tail off the couch and propping his feet up in Kyle’s lap, then resettled Jiffy in his lap.

Kyle just stared at them for a good moment. The creamy white scales on the bottom of Aadi’s soles were fully displayed. The soft webbing between the toes. The large, powerful toes. Kyle reached forward and started to stroke over the soles, sides, then tops. He rubbed at the soles with his thumbs. The scales were softer than he had expected, a bit of give despite the strength of Aadi’s foot paws. 

“... Uh, okay. This is actually leaning way more into turn on than happy place.” 

Aadi laughed out loudly, putting his arms up behind his head. “Cool. My feet are hotter than Jiffy’s. No idea what I’ll ever do with that, but it's still fun to know.”

Kyle was going to protest- Jiffy’s were certainly hot- but Jiffy spoke faster. 

“SO not fair,” Jiffy whined. “You let him do that, but leave a poor squirrel high and dry.”

“I’ve bellowed for you a few times today, little snack.”

“That’s just teasing! Kyle’s a paw addict. You might as well be showing him your dick right now. And letting him touch it, even!”

Kyle chuffed and lifted his paws off Aadi’s feet, folding his arms over his chest. 

“Oh come on Jiffy. You could look up a crocodilian’s dick anywhere online. They’re mostly the same. I bet there’s a ton of porn out there you could enjoy.” Aadi stroked along Jiffy’s spine with the backs of his claws. 

“I mean, I have. Of course I’ve looked it up. Crocs, gators… Caimans are rare. But I’m not hot on crocodilians, I’m hot on you.” 

“Never actually seen that. Do croc types have two?” Kyle chuffed, his hands having drifted back to Aadi’s feet. 

“Just one.” Jiffy squeaked. 

“You’re such a pain.” Aadi bumped his muzzle atop Jiffy’s head. “Go get my tablet,” Aadi ordered with a soft- playful- growl. He gestured to his desk. 

Jiffy looked curiously upward, then dashed to the desk. He came back holding Aadi’s tablet, far too large for a small fur, and pushed it up into Aadi’s hands. Jiffy climbed back into the couch, more on Aadi’s thighs than lap. 

“So there’s this bear chick that’s been hitting me up. Think she has some scalie fever going on. Don’t really care, she’s looking for someone to blow off steam while she’s here at Woodfall. She’s pretty hot, no chance of eggs, and no crossover STDs. Seems like a sweet deal. Anyway.” Aadi turned the tablet so both Kyle and Jiffy could see. It only showed from chest to mid-thigh, but it was definitely Aadi. 

And Aadi was naked, lounged in a seat, legs spread. His paw came into view, stroking down his belly. Aadi’s groin had a prominent slit that bulged outward. His fingers traced along it, then pushed in. Kyle would think it was a female if there wasn’t the prominent bulge and clearly Aadi. The fingers sunk in and out a few times, traced bottom to top, then pulled free.

“Us caiman are always erect, just retracted, so we can-” 

Kyle’s soft gasp let Aadi know the video had hit that point. 

“That.” 

Aadi’s shaft had pushed free in the video. It shot out rapidly, bits of slime splattering Aadi’s belly scales. It went from slit to full blown boner in a second. The shaft flexed, Aadi’s paw returning to grip and stroke it. Slow, languid pumps, from slit to tip. 

“Father above, that would actually split me in two,” Jiffy whispered. 

“Told ya.”

Kyle worked his thumbs at Aadi’s soles but stared intently at the video. He had seen a few reptiles and slit stuff before, but Aadi’s shaft was shocking. A single big, very big, cock. Not two, like Kyle had seen on others. And the shape was so different. Paler than Kyle had expected, and the coloration was different from base to tip. And the slit was pulled open, revealing the shaft base and…

“Are those your balls?” 

Aadi shook his head. “Those are evertor muscles,” he corrected. “My testicles are deep inside my body like all reptiles.”

Jiffy gasped when the video ended, “Awh, no cum shot?”

Aadi laughed and rolled his eyes. He flipped the tablet off and set it on the coffee table. “Such a greedy nut! There, you saw it. And you know it’s way too big for you.”

Jiffy glanced at Aadi's groin, wishing there wasn’t a pair of shorts in the way. “I still want it.”

“Little freak,” Aadi growled teasingly.

Jiffy gave a brief huff before slumping back against the couch. 

“I am going to jerk off so much when I get back.”

Kyle was staring at Aadi’s feet again. The toes splayed as his thumb stroked along the webbing. 

“Yup.”

Aadi laughed harder. 

***

The remnants and tingles of Kyle’s buzz left as he hopped up to his dorm building. He left Aadi’s a bit late for dinner, but wanted to be sober enough no one would notice he was drinking. 

Kyle let himself into the building and launched himself up to the third floor. After a few times it felt natural to just bounce up the flights instead of taking the stairs. The building was pretty much deserted, leaving him free to bound about.

Kyle slipped into his dark room. He flipped on the lights and hopped to his side. Kyle quickly disrobed down to his underwear. He wadded up the clothes and tossed them onto his bed. Being ‘rooey’ wasn’t the end of the world. The smell of beer on his clothes, however, would be an issue with the RAs around. Kyle pulled on a new shirt and jeans. He tugged on his shoes and stood to leave before he noticed the room had changed. 

Tommy’s poster collection had expanded. Now most of the wall around his bed had overlapping posters. All of them musicians as far as Kyle could tell. Tons of different felines from different genres of music. One particularly large one stood at the head of the bed. It had two of whatever the naked house cat breed was. The two cats- a male and female- were both naked. They were positioned just right so the male’s wrist covered the female’s nipples. Her leg just concealed his sheath and sack. 

“Huh.”

Kyle turned and stopped in the shared bathroom. He did a quick rinse with mouthwash, a wipe over his muzzle with a damp towel, and he was ready to go. A couple bounces down the stairwell, hops across the walkway, and Kyle entered the cafeteria. 

A ruckus of laughter, voices, and scents filled Kyle’s muzzle. A couple of glances peeked over as the door shut behind him, but no one seemed to pay much attention. Tommy was at a table nearby, surrounded by other felines, oblivious to Kyle’s entry. 

Kyle had a bit of an appetite despite the snacks and beer earlier. Most of the herby snacks weren’t the calorie-dense kind. It took a lot of calories to run Kyle’s body and keep up with all the hopping. He swiped into the food area. Kyle took a plate of veggie pasta and a large tea. He nabbed a bowl of grass jelly on his way out.

A cursory glance around didn’t give much hope for Kyle finding a seat. He was feeling pretty socialed out. Most of the tables hosted large and energetic groups. A waving paw took Kyle’s attention. He spotted José. The gila monster smiled and gestured to the seat next to him. He was at a smaller table, sitting with the crazy big rabbit and hyena lady. Better the RA than the crowded tables. 

Kyle walked over and settled next to José, careful not to overtake his seat space or bump the smaller scaly. 

“Thanks!” Kyle chuffed. “José, right?”

“On the money. Yep, and thank you for joining Kyle! I’m glad you could make it. One less tail we have to chase down.” José gestured across the table to the hyena, then the huge rabbit, “These are some of our first years, Jessica and Ashley. Kyle here’s a second year, if you two ever need the dirt on any faculty. If I recall, you all share a floor… ceiling? Kyle’s your downstairs neighbor.”

Kyle nodded and smiled to each in turn, “Nice to meet you both.” His gaze lingered on the rabbit. Kyle wasn’t surprised the hyena was around his size, but the rabbit being larger than him was strange. And it only got stranger. She had something wrapped up around in a style atop her head, and it slowly dawned on Kyle that-

“Ask away, They’re used to it,” Jessica laughed. Ashley smirked and put her elbow on the table, cheek resting in her open paw. Kyle glanced at José, who sported a grin and wouldn’t meet Kyle’s gaze. He felt like he was being set up.

“Uh, you’re a bit large for a lapine?” Kyle questioned as he met Ashley’s gaze. 

“Yep,” Ashley quipped. Kyle’s ear flicked. The voice sounded more masculine, but he was in no way an expert on rabbits. She- they, Kyle corrected himself- were sporting a cute blouse. “Dad’s a lop, mom’s a swamper. The cross seemed to ruin the brakes on growing. I ended up with gigantism.”

“Woah. That’s intense. Welcome to the too-tall club,” Kyle chuffed a laugh. He quickly scooped up some pasta and shoveled it into his mouth. He sat back up, relieved the rest had resumed eating as well. Halfway through his plate, and after a few glances at Ashley, Kyle couldn’t help himself. 

“Ashley… if you don’t mind…”

“Ash’s fine. And she goes by JayJay.” Ashley tilted her head toward Jessica.

“There were four other Jessicas in my class. I got SO sick of ‘Jessica’. So yeah, if you would please?” JayJay urged. 

Kyle nodded, trying to push that into memory. JayJay. And ‘they’.

“Anyway, yeah, I don’t mind. Yep, those are my ears!” Ash proclaimed proudly. Kyle glanced at the woven pile atop Ash’s head. Their ears were split into long, two-inch wide ribbons, braided and woven together. “I'm into body modification. I’m an art major, and use my body as a canvas.” They stuck out their tongue. Their double-tipped tongue. Bifurcated, Kyle realized, with a stud in each of the two tips. 

Kyle could tell JayJay and José were watching him for a reaction. Kyle poked at his food with his fork, “That’s really cool. Uh… actually, I was going to ask if you were going to join the LGBTQ+ club?”

“Oh!” Ashley perked. They laughed, “Wow, that’s a first! Never had someone not start with all this.” They gestured to their upper torso, then continued, “I’m thinking about it. I’m poly-romantic and asexual. I don’t identify as trans, though.” Kyle’s expression must have conveyed confusion, since they continued. “My tribe is kind of out there. We don’t recognize physical sex, so genitalia doesn’t really mean anything. We think souls can be male or female, but some aren’t either. I don’t think my soul is either, so…” They shrugged. “Fluid is closest I think? But not trans, since I never… transitioned from one thing to another. I don’t care if people call me he, she, they, whatever. I’ll be wearing all sorts of stuff, so don’t stress about it.” 

“That’s… so cool. I have a few friends who’d love to talk to you about it, if that’s something you’d be cool with?” Kyle couldn’t help but think of the Pats adoring Ashley.

“Yeah, I’d love to! We’re native to a real rural area and live pretty naturally, not a lot of members… it’s no surprise few furs know about us. Hoping to change that.” 

Ashley had the most charming smile. Her eyes were such a beautiful blue too. Their. Her? Kyle chuffed and scritched at his ear base. 

“That’s crazy awesome of you. Man, I wish I could do something cool like that.”

“Kyle… you’re a big red. Isn’t that kind of the same thing, being here instead of your homelands?” José suggested.

Kyle opened his mouth to respond, but wasn’t sure what to say. He looked at José, meeting the reptile’s solid black eyes. They were so hard to read, and made Kyle’s fur feel a little itchy. Nothing like Aadi’s eyes. “Uhm… I guess… kinda? My parents were here, I didn’t really do it on my own.”

“Still counts if you ask me,” JayJay mumbled around her spoon. 

“So, poly-romantic…” Kyle quickly tried to shift the topic, “does that mean you two are…?”

Ashley snorted out a laugh, leaning back in her seat. “Are you kidding? She’s normal.” 

“Bitch! Normal my ass. I might be straight but I am anything but normal. Besides, you’ve got a dick. What does being straight have to do with it?”

“And she’s way too horny for an asexual like me.” 

JayJay snarled and lunged, wrapping her arms around Ashley and squeezing hard. She dragged her tongue along Ashley’s cheek, growling, “You know I love you, you little bitch.” 

Ashley laughed, leaning her- their- head away. “You just love having a rabbit you can taste without getting reported!” They winked at Kyle. 

Kyle chuffed a laugh, “So thaaaat’s why my friends lick me so much.”

The rest of the meal was pretty uneventful. Ashley was pleasant to talk with, and she- they- shared more about their life growing up in their tribe, half cut off from the rest of the world.

Kyle was really going to have to work on the ‘they’ thing.