"Brandon! Hey, kid, you in here?" Colton asked, knocking on the bedroom door before sticking his head through the open door.
	Brandon was sprawled out on his bedroom floor, headphones on, and Pokémon cards spread all over the floor in various, colorful piles. He was wearing a baggy, black t-shirt and sweat pants, and his back was to his bedroom door.
	Colton sighed and walked in, reaching forward with one of his feetpaws and nudging the smaller fox with his paw. "C'mon, kid, we've been calling for you," he teased as Brandon's head whipped around, saw Colton, and took his headphones off.
	"Huh? What for?" he asked, fumbling around in the pocket of sweats for his phone so he could pause his music.
	"Nathan's parents are coming over at six, did you want Nathan to come over here? Or would you rather watch him over there?" Colton asked, careful not to step further into the room and risk stepping on his kid's cards.
	"Oh, uh," the fox looked back at the floor of his room where he'd been organizing his cards for the better part of the afternoon. He sighed and put the stack of cards he was holding onto a nearby pile. "I'll head over to his place, I guess." 
	Colton grinned and reached a paw down to help his son to his feet. "Yeah, I figured. I'm making pizzas right now. You just want pepperoni?" 
	Brandon stepped across his cards towards the door, able to scoot around the outside ring to get into his closet. "Um, sure, pepperoni and... do we have pineapple?"
	"We sure do! Pepperoni and pineapple. Got it. I'll make you at least one for you, and one for him. He just likes-"
	"Cheese, yeah. I'll get dressed and be downstairs in a bit," he said, his voice sounding completely resigned.
	Colton leaned on the door frame, watching his son for a bit before asking, "What's up, pup?"
	Brandon's face screwed up at the nickname, but his tail wagged once before he could stop it. "I'm not a pup, I'm sixteen," he grumbled, fishing his backpack out of his closet before carefully easing over to sit on his bed. "I just don't want to go," he said after a minute of silence where he put a few other odds and ends into his backpack.
	"Why not?" Colton asked, as if the answer wasn't that big a deal. The more interested he seemed, the less likely he'd get a good response.
	Brandon was easy to read, at least to Colton. The kid had solid black fur, like his mom, though instead of a wolf like her, he was a fox like himself. Even as he was stuffing his backpack, the way he kept his eyes on anything other than where Colton was standing was enough to tell him that the younger fox was uneasy about something. He fidgeted with the strap on his backpack, kept glancing around at every surface in his room for anything to distract him. 
	"He's just so much younger than me," Brandon said, looking a bit guilty. 
	Nathan was four years younger, which had never been much of an issue to Brandon until he'd started high school. Now he was starting to struggle with his own identity, and was torn between keeping a close friend, and looking "cool" in front of people that were struggling with the same problems. Typical problems, though Colton knew Brandon wouldn't see it as such.
	"Ah, yeah, I guess," Colton said, casually leaning back out into the hallway and glancing away as if distracted. "You know your mom is like, five years older than me, right? That's more than you guys."
	Brandon's muzzle scrunched up, a bit disgusted. "Ew, he's not my boyfriend," the young fox complained.
	Colton grinned at his son's obvious discomfort. "Oh? So, it's only weird because he's not your boyfriend? It wouldn't be weird if it was?" he pressed, watching his son's cheeks turn red, even under his black fur. 
	"Dad! That's not funny," he complained, scowling cutely and looking more flustered than angry. "It's different! It just is," he mumbled, though he didn't sound as certain as he had a few seconds ago.
	"Right, right, well, I don't think it's all that weird, you guys like a lot of the same stuff," he pointed out, noting some of the Minecraft posters on the walls, or the Pokémon print on the bed sheets that Brandon had complained about a few months ago, then insisted on keeping when his mom tried to replace them.
	Brandon's ears flicked back, and Colton thought he might be losing him. "All I'm saying," he said, getting his son's attention again. "Is that if he's not into the things you like... maybe you should introduce him to them. Nathan adores you, you know. You're like his older brother." He worried that might have been a bit too far to push, but the contemplative look on Brandon's muzzle, despite his sullen demeanor, gave him hope.
	When Brandon didn't say anything else, Colton just patted the door frame as he stepped back out into the hall. "Anyway, I've got pizzas to make."
	He left Brandon to think about things and went down to the kitchen to start prepping food for the night. It was easy to make a bunch of dough ahead of time and bake a bunch of pizzas at once for next to nothing, and Colton was used to the work. It was simple, tasty, cheap, and impressed people for far less effort than they realized. 
	In less than ten minutes, the older fox had three separate pizzas in the oven, two more prepped, and was in the middle of another when Brandon wandered down drowning in an oversized, black hoodie that had a green spiderweb pattern all over. The fox had his backpack hanging off one shoulder, and he slumped down in one of the barstools at the kitchen's center island without saying anything.
	Colton poked around inside the large, stone oven to make room for the new pizzas, glancing over to his son. "These are just about done. Is your mom home yet? I didn't hear her come in."
	"No, she sent a text saying she had to stop for gas," Brandon said, pulling out his phone. "Didn't you see it?"
	Colton grinned and held up both paws, showing the gloves he was wearing that were covered in flour and oil. "I've been indisposed."
	Brandon's lips quirked up at one corner and he looked down at his phone, poking around on it. "She should be home soon, though. It's almost six."
	"Yeah, no biggie. Grab me a couple paper plates, would you?" Colton asked, sliding three pizzas into the oven, and then sliding the first set out. He slid both pizzas directly onto the counter top where they'd cool a bit quicker and began cleaning up the area. 
	"Do you really think he looks up to me?" Brandon asked, catching Colton completely off guard.
	"Who?" he asked, then blinked a few times in surprise. "Nathan? Uh, duh?" he said, shaking his head as if it were obvious.
	Brandon rolled his eyes and let out a put upon sigh. "Dad, you sound like the girls at school."
	Colton cackled. "Ah, kid. Don't worry. He really does, though. He's just young and bright-eyed about everything. You were just like him not that long ago," he teased.
	The black fox just grumbled something under his breath and looked down at his lap, fidgeting with his phone which was in his hoodie pocket. "I don't know. We'll see. How long are you guys going to play tonight?" he asked, clearly just wanting to change the subject.
	Colton let him and went back to cleaning up the counter. "Probably pretty late. I've got enough material to wrap up the entire story tonight, if they want to, and with it being a long weekend..." He sighed wistfully, thinking back to his earlier days of gaming all day and night. "But yeah, late, I think. Zach and Trav are probably going to be in the guest room, so if you hear noises, pretend you didn't," Colton half-warned, half-teased.
	"Ew, dad. Gross," the younger fox said, scrunching up his nose and sticking his tongue out, though he was giggling.
	Colton smiled, glad to have made his son laugh. That was harder with him getting older, or at least, Brandon made it seem that way. Laughing at things wasn't cool, after all. "Yeah, yeah. Did you pack a phone charger just in case you sleep over there?"
	"I'm not going to sleep over there," Brandon said flatly. "But yes, I have a phone charger."
	"Extra pair of clothes?" the older fox asked.
	"Dad! I'm not staying there, it's not like I'm going to need any of that," he complained, tail lashing beneath the stool.
	Colton began cutting up and plating the pizza for his son and his friend, covering them in foil and putting them on the corner of the counter. "Fine, fine. These are for you two. I'm going to start setting up the table. Need anything from me or are you good?"
	Brandon sighed one more time and just nodded. "Yeah, I'm good, I guess. Thanks for the pizza. It's always good."
	Colton smiled genuinely and reached over to ruffle his son's hair, pushing it out of his face just enough to see his dark, blue eyes. "Thanks, kid. Try to have a good time tonight, okay?"
	"I will," Brandon said, knowing it was true, too. Even if he didn't like to admit it, he enjoyed spending time with Nathan. 
	Colton smiled and turned his attention back to getting the evening ready. Brandon put his backpack on properly, then grabbed both plates of pizza before heading out the side door. Brandon's house was at the bottom of the street, and Nathan's was up the street in the back of the cul-de-sac.
	The nights were getting warmer, and soon Brandon wouldn't be able to walk around in sweats and a hoodie, which he found the most comfortable. He thought about what his dad had said on walk and about the secret he had stashed away in his backpack. Tonight was going to be a good night.
	Nathan's house was at the top of the dead-end street they lived on, which made it annoying to walk to sometimes with a hill so steep, but it bordered the forest, which made for good escapades. Plus, biking and sledding from the top of the hill was a premium experience.
	The black fox was panting slightly when he got to Nathan's front door. He knocked once on the door and leaned back against the railing while he heard a commotion inside. It barely took five seconds before the front door was yanked open and Nathan was standing in the doorway, eyes sparkling in the pre-dusk light.
	"Pizza?" He asked, his tail wagging up a storm behind him. 
	"Yeah, dad just got it out of the oven a few-hey!" Brandon laughed as Nathan surged forward and took both plates from his paws, hurrying back inside. 
	"Come in! Come in! I'm hungry. Come on," Nathan said, leaving the door wide open as he rushed back through the house.
	Brandon just smirked silently and closed the door behind him as he followed along behind. Nathan was always a boundless ball of energy, and it was kind of infectious. Most of the fox's high school friends tended to be more subdued, trying to be cool and mysterious. 
	Nathan was unapologetically friendly and excitable and didn't ever try to mask what he was feeling. The dalmatian ran to the kitchen and began unwrapping the plates to get to the pizza. "Oh my god, your dad makes such good pizza," he said, already biting into a slice as Brandon joined him.
	"Yeah, for sure," the fox said, pulling out some of his own pepperoni and pineapple. "Where's your parents?"
	"Upstairs," the spotted cub said around a mouthful of pizza. "Mom's packing up weapons," he said with a snicker.
	Brandon nodded, the answer not much of a surprise. Their parents loved to play tabletop games and had a few others who came over to join, and they got super into it. Brandon had played a few times when he was younger, but their parents mostly played with their own friends, which suited both kids just fine.
	"Did you have anything you wanted to do tonight?" the dalmatian asked, scooting around the counter to get a can of soda from the fridge.
	The fox's mind wandered to the small secret he had stashed in his backpack, and he grinned wide. "Yeah, I can think of a few things. What about you?"
	Nathan had already scarfed down one slice and was starting on another. He practically vibrated where he stood, chowing down on the slice, a bit of cheese hanging over the end of his chin. "Can we play Pokémon together? Please, please, please?!" the boy asked, bouncing on his paws.
	Brandon sighed inwardly, not really wanting to play with the dalmatian. "I don't know..." he began to say, though when he saw the puppy's ears droop, he quickly added. "Why do you want to play Pokémon with me so much? I kick your butt every time."
	Nathan chewed on some pizza for a moment as he thought about it. "I don't know, because we both like it! And maybe I'll win."
	Not likely, Brandon thought with a sigh. "We don't have to play against each other, you know. We can just play next to each other," the fox offered.
	The dalmatian's nose scrunched up as he thought. "Are you sure? Wouldn't that be boring?"
	"We watch movies together, right? How's that different?" Brandon snagged another slice of pizza, ears perking up as he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.
	"Oh, I guess so. Sure!" Nathan finished off his second slice and was covering the plate of food back up when his mom and dad entered the room.
	Ricki, his mom, was a Dalmatian like Nathan, though instead of his red, Charizard shirt and black gym shorts, she was wearing what looked like pirate regalia. "Whoa, hi Mrs. T," he said, looking over her attire. It wasn't the first time he'd seen it, though her costumes were always fun to look at. When Halloween came around, Mrs. T would help all of them with their outfits. 
	"Ah, don't be calling me Mrs. T now. I'm the Sinister Seafaring Seraphina," she said, making a big show of pulling one of her 3d printed muskets from beneath her black doublet and pushing back the rim of her tricorne. "You best be remembering that one."
	Brandon grinned up at her-those pirate heels gave her even more height on him-and just nodded. "Arrgh, yes ma'am," he said, his cheeks a bit pink under his black fur. Roleplaying wasn't his strong suit.
	Nathan's whip-like tail was wagging excitedly and he started washing the sauce and grease from his paws. "Mom! Brandon's dad made pizza tonight!" he said, nodding towards one of the plates.
	Falling more into her roll, she turned on her son. "Listen here, ye scallywag! Don't ye be fillin' yer belly with too much grub or snacks, lest ye be cursed with a bloated belly and a storm o' misfortune! If ye end up with a bellyache, ye'll be in deep trouble, and I'll have no mercy on ye, ye hear?" As she spoke, she took several long strides over to where Nathan was giggling, pulling back the tin-foil on the plate with the tip of her gun.
	The dalmatian boy's tail was wagging happily and he just nodded quickly, teeth on full display as he smiled. "I know, I won't," he said.
	Ricki dropped the act and reached out a paw to ruffle Nathan's messy, black hair. "Yeah, yeah, I know. Be good, okay? We'll probably be gone until late-late," she said.
	Kevin, Nathan's dad, walked into the room on the tail of that sentence. "If we come home at all! The big bad might get us tonight," he teased his wife.
	"Hey, don't put that evil on us," she said, turning around and leveling her fake pistol at the dog on the other side of the kitchen.
	Kevin was a chocolate lab with dark, red wizard robes on, the hood pulled up to obscure his ears and eyes. He had a tall, wooden staff with some fancy star on top that had been printed and painted. He stuck his tongue out at his wife and wiggled his fingers at her all spell-like. "Yeah, yeah. But seriously, Jess is bringing drinks, so we might not."
	Ricki lifted the gun up out of the way and then slid it back into her doublet. "Fair enough."
	"So, do you want me to just stay here if you don't come back?" Brandon asked. It wasn't out of the ordinary, and Ricki and Kevin were more like his aunt and uncle than just neighbors.
	"Yes, please," Ricki said, beaming over at him before turning back to her husband. "Do you have everything?"
	Kevin motioned to the backpack he had over one shoulder, the only thing not part of their attire, and nodded. "All set."
	"Then let's set sail, ye scurvy dogs! Adventure, bloodshed, treasure, and the sweet taste of victory await us on the horizon. We'll vanquish all foes, or we'll be tossed to the depths of the briny deep, where no soul shall find us!" Ricki cried, now brandishing the saber that she'd had at her waist, grinning down at Nathan who just laughed along with her. "And call us if you need anything. Be safe, okay?" she added in her own voice, leaning down to kiss Nathan on the end of his snout.
	Nathan gave her a quick hug, careful not to get caught on any of the extra odds and ends sticking off of her, then gave his dad one. "Alright! Have fun. Kill all the baddies!"
	Brandon watched as Nathan's parents closed the front door behind them, walking down the driveway in their full costumes without a care for anyone else. Something about that clicked for him. His own parents did plenty of weird and "childish" things all the time, so it was hard to judge based on them. Nathan's parents, though, were just as relaxed and carefree about things, and didn't care about what others thought. They just had fun without having to pretend to be cool or mysterious.
	"Woo! We've got the whole place to ourselves!" Nathan cheered, throwing both fists in the air triumphantly.
	Brandon snorted. "We always do."
	Nathan stuck his tongue out at the black fox. "So? It's awesome every time!" He grabbed Brandon by the pocket of his hoodie and dragged the fox with him into the living room.
	The night proceeded like most every other night they spent together, with Brandon coming more out of his funk the longer the two hung out. The pizzas were almost completely devoured, a twelve-pack of soda emptied, and game cases littered the floor in front of the TV where they'd swapped games all night. 
	Trying to keep the basement a bit clean, Brandon had just thrown all the cans in the recycling, disposing of some of their trash, when there was a yelp from the basement and a few not-quite swear words from the younger dalmatian.
	Brandon finished washing his paws off before running downstairs, not bothering to dry them. "You alright?" he asked, jumping down several steps at a time and speeding around the landing to find the dalmatian standing in the middle of the floor with his shirt off.
	"Yeah, I'm fine," the dalmatian boy complained, rubbing his belly fur with some wadded up paper towels. "I spilled my drink on me, that's all-what's wrong?"
	Brandon was staring at the younger boy with wide eyes, nostrils flared, and ears swiveled focus like he was staring at prey. "H-huh? Oh, nothing. Just uh..." he fumbled for something to say, though Nathan was barely paying attention. "Thought maybe you spilled some on the carpet. That'd have sucked."
	Nathan quickly looked down and around, panicking for a moment, but the carpet was fine. "Oh, hahah, no." The boy just finished cleaning up the fur around his navel then went to the bathroom to toss the paper towels away. With that done, he flopped back down on the couch and snatched up his controller.
	Brandon watched the younger dalmatian with interest, unsure what exactly it was he was feeling. He'd looked at enough porn for him to know he wasn't gay. Not really, or anything. The porn could be good, sometimes... No, he shook his head and sat back on the couch on the opposite end, trying not to look at the young dog out of the corner of his eye, and failing.
	"You sure you don't want to play anymore?" Nathan asked, eyes glued to the screen as his little horse character on screen fought off waves and waves of weak monsters with a staff and ice attacks. 
	The fox turned his head deliberately away, determined not to ogle his (maybe) best friend. "No, I'm good. I can just watch you play," he said, though his eyes were drawn back to the younger boy seconds later.
	Nathan just nodded and leaned back into the cushions, seat reclined and feetpaws up as he let the controller rest on his slip, white belly. His black hair fell into his eyes in a similar fashion to Brandon's, though it had a bit more of a curl to it than the fox's. There were no spots on his muzzle or face, but both ears had plenty, and they continued down the sides of his head, neck, and chest, framing the white expanse of his smooth belly and chest. 
	Brandon's sheath twinged as he looked over his friend's body and the fox decided that was enough. He needed a distraction. He reached over the arm of the couch and grabbed his backpack, pulling it up and into his lap to dig around in it for something to take his mind off of the young dalmatian boy half-naked within arm's reach. He dug around in the front pocket, not even sure what all he might have in there but froze when his paw touched something small and metallic.
	It felt like a USB flash drive, but twice as long, and he pulled it out into the open to get a look at it again. It was a small, metallic vape pen used for smoking, though instead of nicotine, it held weed. His parents smoked semi-frequently, though generally used disposable vapes like the one Brandon currently held, instead of using a bong. 
	Monday night, when he'd gone to take out the trash, he spotted one of his parents disposable vapes in the trash can and fished it out, finding it still a third full. He'd smoked weed with his parents once, when he turned sixteen, and it had been fun, though they hadn't let him try it again since, and he hadn't been allowed to tell Nathan, who hadn't even been twelve then. He'd found other disposable vapes in the trash, but they never had anything left in them for him to get any use out of.
	Brandon stared at the vape for a couple seconds, having nearly forgotten his earlier plans. "H-hey." His voice came out a bit hoarse and he had to clear his throat. "Hey, Nathan."
	"Yeah?" the kid asked, not taking his eyes off the screen.
	"Wanna try something... new?" the fox asked, grinning over at his friend and holding up the little vape pen.
	Nathan kept mashing buttons, afraid to look away for fear he'd lose his game. He glanced over, then did a double-take when he saw it. "Whoa, wait," he said, pausing the game and dropping the controller on the couch next to him. "Is that...?"
	Brandon wasn't surprised the younger dog knew what it was; their parents smoked together on game nights. "Yeah, I found it in the trash this week. There's still enough left in there for us to try it."
	The half-dressed dalmatian was now kneeling next to the fox's lap, peering down curiously at the vape and tilting his head to one side. "Really? Uh... like, you mean, smoke weed? Now?" he asked, sounding a bit reluctant. He'd always been a good kid, and not even his best-friend's rebellious teen years had started to lower those barriers.
	Brandon's muzzle split into a sneaky grin, knowing how to try and corrupt his little friend. "What, you afraid of it? I smoked some on my birthday, you know," he said, whispering the last, as if his parents could somehow hear him. "Mom said I could have some with them, but that I couldn't tell any of my friends," he said, watching as the dalmatian's eyes grew wide.
	"What!! That's not fair, I want to do that, too! My parents would never let me," he whined, his little whip-like tail flicking back and forth behind him now as he squirmed on the couch cushion, paws tugging on the black mesh of his shorts.
	Brandon knew that wasn't true. His parents told him that Nathan's parents would let him try when he was fourteen, but Brandon wasn't going to spoil that secret. No way. "Well, they might not, but I'm not your parents," he said, making the first move and bringing it up to his lips right in front of Nathan's shocked face. The kid actually gasped. Brandon would never admit how endearing he found it.
	Nathan's eyes were wide, showing white all around as he watched the older canine exhale a soft plume of smoke. "I can't believe you just did that!" he whispered, scooting closer until his knees were touching Brandon's legs. "What if we get in trouble?"
	"Why would-" Brandon hiccupped hard and almost lost the voice. "-we get in trouble?" he asked, hiccupping again and holding up a finger while sucking in a deep breath to hold.
	The younger boy's eyes sparkled, and he grinned at his friend's misfortune. "What if my parents come home?" he asked, then followed his friend's eyes and finger, thinking about it himself. "Because... they said they'd be playing late!"
	Brandon gave him a thumbs up and nodded, his cheeks puffed out as he tried to hold his breath long enough to get rid of the wretched hiccups. He held his paw out with the vape pointed at the dalmatian's muzzle. He'd intended for the boy to take it and use it himself, but instead, Nathan leaned down and wrapped his lips around the end. Seeing no reason not to help out, Brandon hit the button and let his friend inhale for a few seconds before he pulled away.
	Nathan's eyes unfocused for a few seconds and then he started coughing, smoke billowing from his muzzle. "Gack, help," he whined, coughing a few times while Brandon fumbled around and pushed a bottle of water into the preteen boy's paws. The dalmatian twisted the cap off, coughed again, and then chugged down a mouthful of water. It helped keep it from coughing and he steadied himself by putting a paw on Brandon's shoulder. 
	Brandon let out the breath he'd been holding, waited a second to see if the hiccups were gone, and then spoke. "You okay? I coughed a lot my first time, too," he said, reaching up to pat his friend's back. The dalmatian boy's back felt soft and warm under his paw.
	"Y-yeah, I just *cough* didn't think," the boy fumbled with the bottle and managed another small drink before composing himself. "Whoa..." he lifted a spotted paw to his forehead and closed his eyes, swaying where he sat.
	The older fox just grinned and put the vape on the end table. "Yeah, just lay back and relax."
	Nathan shifted around and slumped against the fox's side, closing his eyes. "Am I supposed to feel kind of dizzy?" he asked, rubbing at one of his eyes and blinking a few times to clear his vision.
	Brandon's cheeks heated up when the dalmatian boy just leaned into him. "Yeah, a bit. Try to keep your eyes open. I find it helps." He tried to lean more into the arm of the couch and give Nathan room, but the dalmatian just squirmed closer until they were both sharing the cushion.
	"It feels kind of weird," Nathan said after a few seconds, giggling to himself. "But I thought it'd be like... more or something," he said, muzzle scrunched up in confusion.
	The black fox just sighed and draped his arm over the boy's shoulder, grabbing the remote for the TV. "Give it time. Want to watch something? It'll help."
	Nathan just curled against Brandon's side and nodded. "Yeah, can we watch Pokémon or something?" he asked hopefully.
	Normally, the fox would have rolled his eyes at that, not wanting to get stuck watching something meant for kids, but it did amuse him that they could watch it high together. "Yeah, sure. What'cha want?" he asked, flipping over to where all the Pokémon content was. 
	The expression on Nathan's face alone made it worth it to the fox, and it only took a minute to decide on a movie. Brandon made a note to himself to try and be nicer to the dalmatian boy and stop teasing him about being younger, especially as he found himself wrapped up in the movie just as much as Nathan was. When it was over, they grabbed a few snacks, took another careful hit off the vape, and put on the next movie.
	Brandon felt pretty relaxed and spaced out as the movie played on TV. He'd leaned back into the couch until the seat reclined fully, and Nathan was now lying back next to him, still pressed to the fox's side. He had both paws resting on his flat, exposed stomach and his muzzle hung open dazedly as the characters on screen all chatted and joked around. Brandon was feeling pretty good about the night, all things considered.
	An intense Pokémon battle was going on screen, and Nathan was squirming a lot beside the teen fox. Brandon was able to ignore it at first-a little shift or wiggle here and there-but the dalmatian boy kept moving about where he lay.
	"You doing okay?" Brandon asked, his eyes unfocused and barely paying attention to the movie at this point. 
	Nathan didn't answer at first, though he gave a slow nod that the fox couldn't see. "Y-yeah, just kind of hot," he mumbled.
	Brandon grunted as was his usual response when he didn't have anything to say. His muzzle quirked up at one side and he was about to joke that the boy could take off his gym shorts, but a glance over at the young boy made his mouth go dry. The front of Nathan's gym shorts were poking up in the front in a way that any guy his age was familiar with.
	The fox's eyes went back to the screen, and he gulped, trying not to think about what he just saw. He wasn't into guys, so it shouldn't matter, but another glance over at the dalmatian's shorts made his own sheath start to stir between his legs. Nathan was still watching the movie, just shifting his legs around and trying to get comfortable.
	"I-if you're too warm," the fox said, biting his tongue to keep from saying the lewd thing that came to mind. "You could move away. I'm, uh, probably kind of warm," he said. It was true, too. He hadn't felt warm a second ago, but ever since his eyes caught his younger friend's boner, it felt as if someone had lit bonfire nearby.
	Nathan, blessedly, scooted a few inches away, and Brandon thought that was going to be the end of it, but the dalmatian just grunted and rolled over until he was pressed right up against Brandon's side. "Mm, no, it's not like... hot hot," he mumbled, not making much sense to the fox.
	Brandon tensed up when the young dog cuddled up at his side again. This time, he could feel the young boy's erection pressing against his leg. The fox's own sheath stirred more, and he grit his teeth. Nathan shifted around at his side and Brandon felt the preteen dog shiver as he ground himself against the fox's thigh. "You're uh, kind of... poking me," he said with a light chuckle.
	The dalmatian's face reddened and he turned his face towards the fox's chest, bringing a paw up to cover his face. "S-sorry," he mumbled, grinding his hips forward again and shuddering. "Just feels good."
	Brandon couldn't help but shiver all over when the dalmatian said that, and his arm draped cautiously over Nathan's shoulder, giving him a one-armed hug. The fox wasn't sure what to think. It couldn't feel that good. "You've um, pawed before, right?" he asked, suddenly not sure. Sex wasn't a topic that they'd really talked about.
	Nathan's eyes were half-lidded and focused in the direction of the TV, but not really seeing much. He had one arm draped over Brandon's stomach, one of his legs twined between the fox's as well. His small erection ground needily into his friend's thigh and he shivered at the feeling. "Um, like, a bit?" he said, remembering the few times he'd tried touching himself. It hadn't felt quite like this.
	Brandon was so conflicted with what was happening. He'd never touched anyone or had anyone touch himself before. He'd pawed plenty of times, and looked at porn on the internet, but this was something entirely different. He wasn't even sure if he liked guys at all, but the way his friend was humping at his leg was hot. His own member was straining at his boxers, though with how his shirt and hoodie lay, the dalmatian didn't notice. The fox was about to try and gently remove himself from the dalmatian's grasp, when that small hand traveled right over his crotch.
	Both young canines tensed up as the dalmatian's paw slid right over the bulge in his shorts. Even through the hoodie, the hard lump was unmistakable, especially as it flexed up against his paw. Neither moved for a good thirty seconds. Nathan's paw just rested atop Brandon's trapped erection, occasionally pressing down whenever the member would flex upwards. 
	Brandon grunted when he felt the dalmatian's paw press down against his cock, and he felt the young dalmatian grind his hips forward experimentally.
	"Yours feels bigger," Nathan said suddenly, his small paw giving a tentative squeeze to the fox's package.
	The fox felt a spike of pleasure at the compliment and attention, and he couldn't help but lift his hips an inch from the couch. "I'm older," he said, still laying prone on the couch with an arm around the dalmatian.
	"Can I see it?" Nathan asked, turning his face away from the screen to look up at his older friend.
	"Okay." The word was out of Brandon's muzzle before he could even process the request. A few seconds of silence passed where nothing happened, and Brandon was going to change his mind and call it off, but he didn't.
	They lay there for another half minute before the dalmatian's paw carefully lifted the fox's hoodie and shirt up out of the way. The movie scene was kind of dark, so the pair was swallowed in shadows as a spotted paw carefully explored the fox's stomach and the hem of his sweat pants. Brandon's eyes closed when he felt the boy's paw close over his shaft again, squeezing him through one less layer of fabric than before. There was a soft gasp of interest at the fox's side, and he felt the young boy grind his smaller cock against his leg.
	Brandon had stopped worrying about whether or not this was gay. His parents had told him over and over it didn't matter if he was, and while he'd never thought he'd like another boy, it turned out that having someone else's paw play with your dick could certainly sway his opinion. He wouldn't admit it, but he liked the way Nathan was dry-humping his leg, too.
	When the dalmatian pulled his paw away and sat up, breaking their close embrace, the fox was sure that their little game of exploration was over. Instead, Nathan shifted until he could use both paws to grab onto Brandon's pants and began pulling. The older fox gulped and lifted his hips. The dalmatian boy's paws had a good grip and he pulled both the grey sweats and blue boxers underneath down. The waistband caught on the fox's boner, pulling it down until it pointed straight up, and Nathan had to rearrange his grip to lift it up and over the older boy's shaft.
	Brandon's cheeks turned pink under his black fur as he watched his fox-cock flop back down onto his belly, a bead of pre dribbling into his fur. It was only a few inches out of his sheath, maybe not even average yet, but the dalmatian stared at it with an open maw, mesmerized.
	"It's so big!" Nathan said, looking down at the slick, pink shaft. Before Brandon could preen under the compliment, the boy knelt up and tugged down the front of his gym shorts and underwear, revealing a couple inches of his own pink member. "See?"
	It was Brandon's time to gaze hungrily at the dalmatian's body. Sure, he'd seen much bigger online, and his own was probably twice as long before their knots started to swell up, but there was something hot about getting to see someone else's junk this close. He couldn't even respond before the dalmatian reached out and wrapped his fingers around the fox's bare flesh.
	Brandon's hips humped up, sliding his shaft between Nathan's fingers and getting them slick with pre. "Nngh, h-hey, careful," he said, wriggling about until he could pull his hoodie and shirt off. 
	Nathan was examining the slickness on his paw when Brandon ditched his hoodie, and the boy took the opportunity to slip his shorts and underwear off completely, Brandon kicking off his sweats the rest of the way, too. "This is pre, right?" he asked, holding his paw nearly in the fox's face after they'd both finished stripping.
	The fox reeled back and then just snickered. "Yeah, it is. Thought you didn't know, though," he teased back.
	Nathan's ears pinned back against his head, and he pressed back up to the fox's side like he had been when they were clothed. "I've had health class!" he said indignantly, though he didn't really remember too much about it.
	"You haven't even pawed off," Brandon said, grinning a bit wider as he watched the dog squirm at his side. Maybe a little bit of teasing was okay.
	The young dalmatian let out a soft whine and closed his paw back around the fox's shaft, giving it a squeeze. "So? You have, right? Show me!"
	Brandon snorted, having expected the question, and just shrugged the shoulder that didn't have a young dog boy on it. "Fine, but only because you're my best friend," he said, sticking out his tongue. He found, too, that he meant it.
	Nathan's eyes went wide hearing that-though he'd heard it before when they were younger-and he began wiggling back and forth happily. "Yes! You're mine too, you know?" The dalmatian beamed up at the fox, brown eyes big and soulful.
	Brandon's face heated up and he couldn't help but return the smile. "Course. Always," he said, ruffling Nathan's hair. 
	"So, what do I do?" Nathan asked, his paw still gripping the fox's shaft just above his sheath. "Just like, rub it, right?" he asked, trying to do just that.
	The fox grunted and carefully reached down with his free paw and placed it atop the dalmatian's. "Here, just kind of watch what I do, okay?"
	It was a bit awkward at first, but Brandon carefully started stroking a couple fingers back and forth over his length, teasing a few drops of pre out along his member that got spread around. Nathan was gently humping his own member into Brandon's thigh, leaving a small patch of wetness there. He teased a couple fingers up over the fox's shaft, exploring whenever Brandon would help guide his paw around.
	"Does it feel good?" Nathan asked, his paw now cupping the fox's balls; they were twice the size of his own.
	Brandon nodded, blushing at such a question, but realized that maybe Nathan just didn't know. "Here, let me try it on you, okay?" he said, waiting for the dalmatian to nod before he carefully rolled onto his side to face the younger boy.
	Nathan let himself be rolled onto his back, eyes watching with interest as the fox's black-furred paw ran down over his mostly-white stomach. He couldn't help but whine and lift his hips against the older boy's paw whenever those fingers closed around his slick length, and he felt the small pouch of his sheath be tugged down, exposing his knot. He let out a soft gasp and bucked up against those paws, marveling at how much bigger his shaft looked, though it had barely gained an inch.
	"You okay?" the fox asked, pulling his paw away from his friend's shaft and watching the dalmatian's face for any signs of discomfort. 
	Nathan just nodded, face flushed, and he met Brandon's gaze for a second before looking away shyly. "Yeah, it always just feels odd," he mumbled, though he'd never seen his knot as swollen as it was now. It was a big bigger than a ping-pong ball, and the fox's black fingers were hovering a few inches above it, giving him space.
	Brandon grinned and lowered his paw down to rest on his friend's shaft, feeling it jump against his palm. "Don't worry, a lot of it kind of feels odd at first. Just try to relax and ignore it, okay?" His own cock throbbed, laying against the dalmatian's thigh in a mirror to their early position. It was hot getting to feel someone up for the first time, and the way the boy trembled and gasped made his own body shiver in shared pleasure.
	Nathan let his head roll to one side, forehead tucked up under Brandon's chin. He gasped whenever the fox squeezed down on his small cock, pre dripping out onto his belly to make a sticky puddle. It felt good, but almost in a tickling way. His toes curled and he nestled in more at Brandon's side whenever the fox's paw squeezed his knot. Brandon's cock was grinding wetly into his thigh, and he wormed around on the couch until he could slide a paw down to grip the thicker shaft.
	Brandon's nostrils flared when he felt the dalmatian's small paw grip the middle of his shaft. He rolled his hips forward, grinding his engorged knot against Nathan's fingers. The boy didn't try to stroke or squeeze him at all but just felt onto his cock while the fox's paw began to slowly pick up speed. With the dalmatian cuddled up to his side, Brandon's wrist just made small, circular motions, teasing the dalmatian's pink, twitching shaft and giving it a soft squeeze. 
	The movie played on, forgotten, as the boys touched and explored each other. Brandon's hips were gyrating slowly against Nathan's hip, his cock sliding back and forth between pre-slicked fingers as the boy just lay there, almost too overwhelmed by the sensations to pay much attention. The fox could tell his young friend was getting close. The spotted boy was squirming, and his muzzle would open a fraction of an inch, tilt his head back, shudder, and squirm closer. It was cute, and the sticky mess accumulating beneath the boy's navel only grew as Brandon teased him.
	Nathan's eyes were nearly shut, and he started sucking in cute, ragged gasps of air. "Brandon," he whispered, teeth grinding together as he kicked out one leg, toes curling. He whined and turned his head fully towards the fox, pressing his face into the fluffy, black chest fur.
	Brandon just let out a pleased churr of excitement and squeezed down on the dalmatian's small knot, giving it a tug in the same way he liked doing to himself. It had the desired effect as the young dalmatian yipped and humped up against his paw, knot pulsing. The fox was watching his own administrations rather intently, and a small moan escaped from his muzzle as he watched the tip of the dalmatian's cock expand before a wet rope of preteen cum splattered out onto Nathan's belly, followed by another and another. 
	The fox just squeezed down on the knot in his paw, thumb tracing over the underside of his friend's slick, pink shaft and watching him squirm and whimper helplessly, cumming for the first time. The spotted paw gripping his shaft was squeezing down, and Brandon jerked his hips back and forth in response, panting through his nose as he felt his own peak sharply climb. Brandon's eyes watered and he held back a yelp as he hastily released Nathan's knot so he could squeeze his own. He was cumming a second later, humping the boy's thigh and emptying out a rather pent-up load all over Nathan's leg, side, and crotch. 
	The two lay there on the couch cushion, pressed tightly together and making soft, pleasured noises. Nathan lay there, cum decorating his body from his belly down to his thighs, panting openly while his chest rose and fell. His cock jutted straight up, still hard as a nail, and coated in a thin layer of jizz. He was tucked into the crook of Brandon's arm, who lay there, shivering and grinding his cock against the dalmatian's leg. He felt a lot more tired than he had before their fun and could tell Nathan was in a similar boat.
	"Mm, you doing okay?" he asked drowsily, letting go of his knot so he could give the dalmatian boy's cock a teasing squeeze.
	Nathan gasped and lifted his hips to meet that paw before a cute growl bubbled from his throat. "Y-yeah, I feel so..." he was going to say tired, but the wonders of youth meant that wasn't quite true. "Sticky," he said, looking down at the mess all over his belly and legs.
	Brandon grinned and carefully rolled away, one arm still trapped behind the boy's head. "Well, we can go shower up if you'd like," he said.
	Nathan nodded, though his attention was caught by the movie that was still playing. "Can we after the movie?"
	Brandon was surprised the credits weren't rolling by this point. It felt like their little distraction had gone on for hours, but it wasn't that much further along in the movie. "Oh, uh..." He surveyed the mess, but it was mostly on his friend, not himself. A teaching moment, he decided with a grin. "Yeah, that's fine."
	The movie wrapped up a bit more than half an hour later, the pair of them still mostly cuddled together. Brandon was careful not to get himself glued to the sticky dalmatian boy, and took great joy in watching Nathan's face get all scrunched up and grossed out when he tried to move and found his fur more crunchy than sticky. There was a shower in the basement they used to get cleaned up before wandering back out to the living room to watch more movies.
	Back in clothes, and now under a blanket, the third movie of the night was well underway on the screen when Brandon heard the front door open upstairs. "Nathan, your parents are home," he said, gently rocking the young dalmatian that was nestled up against his side. The boy didn't move, just grumbled and snuggled in closer, eyes closed tight. 
	Brandon's head rolled towards the stairwell as he heard feet clomping noisily down the stairs and he wasn't surprised to see his dad. He looked like he'd just changed into a pair of shorts and t-shirt, because there was still some face paint covering half his muzzle and face. 
	"Aww, look at you two," the older fox said, paws on his hips with a shit-eating grin.
	"Shut up," Brandon whispered, rolling his eyes as he tried to squirm his way out from under the sleeping dalmatian.
	Colton dropped the teasing and moved over to lift the sleeping pup up with far more ease than Brandon was going to manage. "Here, I'll carry him upstairs."
	Freed from under Nathan, Brandon put the couch back in place and stuffed a few things in his backpack before following up after his dad. Colton carried Nathan up the stairs, and was saying something to Kevin, Nathan's dad, as he handed off the sleeping boy. 
	"Yeah, what did you do?" Kevin asked, laughing as he held Nathan in his arms. "He's passed the hell out."
	Brandon, ever-grateful for having black fur to hide his intense blush, just shrugged one shoulder. "I don't know, we ate pizza and just watched Pokémon," he said. He suspected he could have said anything, and Kevin wouldn't have really heard him. 
	"I'll put him upstairs. You got everything?" he said to Colton.
	Colton just clapped a paw on Brandon's shoulder, giving a gentle squeeze. "Yeah, probably. If not, I know where you live."
	Brandon just rolled his eyes.
	
	Colton pulled the front door shut as they stepped out into the chilly night air. "You two have fun, then?" he asked.
	Brandon knew he could have told his dad anything and everything, but instead settled with a stereotypical, teenage, "Yeah."
	Colton rolled his eyes with a grin and put a paw on Brandon's neck, squeezing gently. "Yeah, yeah. You looked like you were getting along better, though."
	The younger fox's ears laid back a bit and he shrugged. "I guess. I mean, we do like a lot of the same things."
	"Well, good. Haven't seen you two cuddled up and watching Pokémon in a while," his dad said.
	Brandon couldn't help but grin as he thought about what they'd done while watching. "Yeah, it was fun."
	Sensing that was probably the most he'd get out of his son, Colton just put an arm around the kid's shoulders as they walked back towards the house. "Good. Now, let me tell you about the kind of bullshit I had to put up with Seraphina and your mother," he said, starting in on how their tabletop session had gone.