It was Friday of the first week at school. I was in the cafeteria, chewing on a bite of my sandwich. Calvin was talking animatedly at his friend, some raccoon kid whose name I couldn't remember, about some video game he's been playing. I wasn't really paying attention, I just liked to hear the sound of his voice. How did I get like this? He was just supposed to be someone I perved on in the locker room and now I actually liked him? The younger cat had been following me around since I saved him from Marcus several days ago, hitting me up for swimming lessons during our swim class (he's making great progress thanks to his excellent tutor), and even invited me for a sleepover tonight. 

I got snapped out of my thoughts when he said my name. It took a second for me to realize what he asked. Something about playing this new game with him tonight. "Yeah, of course." I said. He beamed, it was clearly the right answer. 

The raccoon- Mark? Marvin?- said something about some hard boss in the game. His bushy tail waved about excitedly as he talked and I silently cursed the table for blocking my view of his lower half. All that tail movement had to be revealing something fun down there. 

Their talking faltered, Calvin's upright tail lowered, his ears folded and he looked down at the table. A large brown paw landed down on the table to my right. Marcus. "Let's go." He walked off. 

Calvin gave me a worried look. "Don't worry, I'm just going to see what he wants." I told him and turned to follow Marcus out of the cafeteria. 

"I got a new one picked out. You better not stop me this time." Marcus said. 

"Stop you? Naw, that was a one time thing. Not gonna happen again" I promised. I don't think I'd get away with stopping him a second time. "Who's the lucky target?"

"Dog boy. Vic. Never shuts up. Hal just texted me, he's next to the locker rooms." Marcus said. 

"Oh fuck yeah! Annoying brat deserves it. I bet everyone's hoping you'd get him anyways." I said. Normally, it's just a few new photos for the spank bank, but I will actually enjoy this one. 

We found the golden lab right where Marcus said he'd be. The little ninth grader was talking to a couple other kids his age, flexing one of his biceps. "So I showed em this and told em you don't want any of this and they ran like the pussies they are." The story seemed unlikely, the kid has some muscle but he wasn't about to intimidate anyone. The younger kids looked impressed anyways. The older ones just looked annoyed. 

"You're a tough guy, huh?" Marcus asked, pounding his fist against the locker near Vic's head. 

"Together than you, I bet." Vic said as he turned around. He didn't back down when he saw Marcus, despite the obvious size difference. 

"Really? Let's see how tough you are." Marcus grabbed Vic's shirt in a fist and dragged him in. I took my first picture right there. Shirt raised and a tantalizing slip of black waistband peeking over Vic's shorts. 

"Whoa, hey I-" Vic started before punching Marcus in the stomach. Marcus grunted but clearly wasn't too hurt. 

"You're gonna regret that." Marcus turned Vic around, pushed his head down, and pulled the back of Vic's gray underwear up in a fierce wedgie. That was my second picture.

"Ahhh! Let go!" Vic yelled as he squirmed. Marcus gave a couple more tugs and I took more photos. Marcus let go, letting Vic try to run before grabbing his arm and pulling him back into a master lock. Vic struggled to escape as Hal approached. Hal got in close and grabbed the legs of Vic's shorts. He waited, giving Vic a chance to realize what was about to happen. "What? Wait! No no no! Please! Don't!" Hal tugged his shorts down to his ankles revealing his gray briefs. 

Seriously? He's 14 and he's still wearing briefs? I took several more photos, making sure to get some good shots of his bulge.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Marcus growled at him. He gave Vic a front wedgie and held it long enough for me to get some good shots of it before bringing it back down. "I can go further, if you want." Marcus hooked a thumb under Vic's briefs, ready to expose him even further. He's never gone this far before, even Hal looked like he was having second thoughts. 

Vic cried quietly and pleaded. "No, please. Please don't." 

"Maybe I won't. I didn't do it to anyone else, but you're a special kind of annoying." He pulled down a little, exposing the kid's pubic fur. I snapped another photo. "Tell you what. Since you said please, I'll let you go. Just this once. But I don't ever want to hear you badmouthing me again. Got it? I'm going to go all the way next time." He finally let go.

Vic ran while trying to pull his shorts up and Marcus went in the other direction. He'd get his pictures later. Some of the older kids were laughing, others were carefully pretending they didn't see anything, the younger kids though were staring in shock. 

"Don't be such annoying little shits and that won't happen to you." Hal threatened. Being good wouldn't save them, Calvin proved that on Monday, but it would make them less likely to be targeted.

I checked the time, Calvin should still be in the cafeteria with... his raccoon friend. Marius? No. That was some historical guy. Does he expect me to know his friends' names? I hurried back, slowing before entering the cafeteria, I didn't want anyone to think I was rushing back to see him. They were still at the same table, another boy had joined them. 

"Miss me?" I asked the group. Calvin and the raccoon's faces lit up. Why does he care? 

"You good?" Calvin asked. 

"I'm always good. Marcus leaves me alone." I tell them.

Calvin's ears fold. "Must be nice." He says. The raccoon pats his back. 

"He should leave you alone. He'll do that for me." The other two looked hopeful at this. I'm not risking my neck for them. "He won't let me get away with stopping him with someone else, though. He doesn't like me that much." I finished off my sandwich. 

The new boy, a weasel stood up. "I gotta get ready for class. See ya guys." 

"Bye Jeremy." The other two called. I waved. 

"Who was he?" I asked. 

"That's Jeremy, he's in my science class." The raccoon said. That wasn't helpful.

"I gotta get ready for class too." Calvin said. He started to get up and then stopped. "Will you, um, will you walk with me?" He asked me. My heart melted, he looked so small and vulnerable, he trusted me. 

"Yeah." It wasn't the first time he's asked for this and I hoped it wouldn't be the last. He has me bad, but maybe I can get something out of this. Maybe tonight at his place. 

He says goodbye to the raccoon, Martin apparently, and leads me first to his locker and then to his class. "Thanks, Kyle." He said. 

"No problem." You can thank me tonight. Strip for me. Let me see all of you. Let me touch you. "I'm here for you." His tail perked up at that, he looked like he wanted to say more. 

"I... I should let you get to class. I don't want to make you late." He backed into the room a little faster than I wanted. He could've at least turned around to give me a show while he left.

The rest of the day passed quickly. Classes I barely paid attention to, homework assignments written down, I gave Marcus his photos on a thumb drive. As the end came, I realized I was actually looking forward spending time with Calvin and not just talking him out of his clothes. 

"It's going to be great!" Calvin said. "My mom got us some sodas and she's cooking roast tonight and we can stay up late playing Mech Warriors 12!"

"You don't have a lot of sleepovers, do you?" I asked. 

He grinned. "Sometimes I do. Only with my other friends though. I never had somebody cool like you sleep over."

"I'm cool?" I asked. I never thought about it before. 

"Well, I think you're cool." He said. "Everyone knows you, even the popular kids. You're the pictures guy. Some girls today were saying they wanted to do photoshoots with you. In private." He studied me as he said this last part. I didn't care about girls, but maybe I can do some photoshoots for money. "Plus, you've been helping me. You know, with swimming and... and Marcus. You really saved me that day. So- um- yeah,  you're cool to me."

"Aw, thanks Cal." I patted his shoulder and wondered if he would let me hug him. Not yet. Don't scare him off.

I followed Calvin off the bus once we got to his stop. He pointed and told me his place was just a few blocks away. He lived on the third floor in an apartment complex. 

"We're here!" Calvin called out as we walked in. It was a larger apartment than I expected. A big living area, couch and TV to the left, a kitchen in the back separated by a counter, and a hallway to the right which I guessed had the bedrooms. A gray and white cat woman walked out from the hall. 

"How was school, Honey?" She asked Calvin as before hugging him and kissing his cheek. Maybe he'll let me do that too. 

"Mooom." He complained. His shoulders hiked up to his ears. 

"And you must be Kyle." She seemed study me. "Calvin's told me all about you. You can call me Mrs. Keller." 

"Hello Ma'am." I wondered what Calvin said to her. "Thank you for having me. He's been learning fast in swim class." 

"Good, he needs some exercise. I have cookies on the table for you boys to eat while you do your homework. Do you want anything to drink? We have coke, root beer, or lemonade." She offered. 

"Root beer sounds good, thanks." I said. 

The cookies were good and my homework didn't take long, so I got to watch Calvin as he worked. His cute little looks of frustration when he struggled, relief when he worked out a challenging math problem, little flicks and turns of his ears as he worked things out, he was a wonderfully expressive boy, I wondered if I could take pictures without being caught. His mom was too watchful, though.

"Do you need some help?" I asked him and held a cookie under his face. He had been stuck on this problem longer than usual. The frustration turned to surprise, gratitude, and then surprise again when I put the cookie in his mouth as soon as he opened it to speak. He started laughing, any trace of his upset being gone with this little act. 

"I can't figure this one out." He said, pointing at a problem. I took a look, it was just converting a word problem into an algebraic equation. The wording was a little tricky, though. I took a minute to walk him through the problem and then watched him do the next couple. 

"Good job." I told him once he was done. "I used to struggle with those too." I couldn't remember if that was true, I just wanted him to feel a little better about it. 

"Thanks." He said. "I'm done, Mom. We're going to my room now." He called out. He snatched the plate of cookies and led me into the hall. "This room's mine." He said, pointing to the first door on the left. "This one's  the bathroom and that's my mom's room." The door across from him and the one at the end of the hall. 

The first thing I noticed was his bookshelf, it was filled with anime figures. There was a dinosaur poster on his wall, a stuffed t-rex on his bed, a little grooming brush next to the bed, and a gaming system and TV to the left. He suddenly darted forward, picked up a pair of dinosaur boxers off his floor, and tried to hide them as he threw them in his closet. 

"You sure like dinosaurs, huh?" I teased.

He's cringed. "What? I- I um..." He held his tail in front of himself and looked like he wanted to hide. It was so easy, I didn't know if I wanted to tease him more or hold him and comfort him. 

I took pity on him instead and pointed at the poster and then the stuffed animal. "Dinosaurs are cool." I said. 

His whole body sagged in relief. "Ye-yeah. I like dinosaurs." He threw his blankets over the toy, clearly embarrassed about that, too. I have to help you with your confidence, Cal. You won't survive high school if you're this easy to embarrass. 

"So tell me about this game we're gonna play." I said. 

His tail raised in excitement. "Oh yeah, Mech Warriors 12! It's awesome! The earth has been invaded by aliens with ships and their own giant robots so you have to pilot your mech to fight them and you can get upgrades and new weapons like a giant laser cannon and-"

Holy shit! I'm crushing on such a big nerd. He went into some complex plot about politics with different countries and even some alien diplomats, spies, and other things that I couldn't keep track of. He was so excited about it, though. I would try to like it for him. I want to keep him happy.

He eventually finished telling me the backstory and looked at me expectantly. "Sounds pretty cool." I said. The parts I understood, at least. 

He was satisfied with this, he turned on the console and gave me a remote. I've played a couple games with Mat before, not this kind, but I know how to hold the remote. The game was fun but very challenging. That was ok though, I think Calvin liked reviving my character, I think it made him feel good. A few hours of explosions, confusing plot, and excited jumping and yelling later, Mrs. Keller poked her head into the room. 

"Are you boys having fun in here?" She asked. 

"Yeah!" Calvin said. "We just beat a really hard boss!"

She smiled in the way parents do when they don't care about the details as long as you're happy. "That's nice. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes so why don't you two find a good place to stop." 

We finished up and went back to the table. His mom was putting plates on the table. I wanted to make a good impression and offered to help with the silverware.  

"What do you do for fun, Kyle? Video games like Calvin?" Mrs. Keller asked me. 

I swallowed a bite of roast. "Photography. I like taking pictures of things. Usually I edit the contrast and coloring to make the  pictures look more vibrant."

"Kyle even takes pictures at school." Calvin said. "Lots of people want him to take pictures of them."

"That nice. Are you going to do it professionally?  Weddings always need a photographer. Or you can work crime scenes." Mrs. Keller said. Who thinks of crime scenes? 

"I don't know, I never really thought about it." I admitted. Maybe I could work at modeling agency. That would be way better than crime scenes. "I also like painting, but I don't do that as much." 

"And do you like sports? You look athletic." She looked at Calvin when she said this. 

"Just a little. I like swimming and I play baseball sometimes. Sometimes volleyball." I wouldn't tell her my favorite part was the lockerrooms.

"Maybe you could take Calvin sometimes. He needs to get out a little more." She looked at him while she said this. 

"Mooom. I don't care about sports." He complained.

More sports meant I could see him in the lockerroom more. "Come on Calvin, it might be fun. You can invite Martin and, uh, Jeremy. I can invite Mat. We'll hang out and play ball. Go to the beach sometimes. Mat's got his license, he can drive us."

Calvin looked down. "I don't know."

I didn't want to push him too hard, but I wanted this. Maybe he wouldn't be so shy with only a couple of us. I thought about him showering without covering his cock, maybe he'd play with it a little like Mat does. Maybe not, but I could hope. 

"No pressure, Man. I don't wanna push you." Yes I do. "But at least think about it. You might like it."

"I'll think about it." He said. 

We finished eating, I offered to help with the dishes but Mrs. Keller said to just put them in the dish washer. Calvin and I went back to his room where we watched a movie. Calvin was looking tired near the end of it. 

"Wanna watched another?" He asked. 

"I don't think you can stay awake for another." I told him. His eye were bloodshot and his ears were drooping. "I think you'll fall asleep before it really gets started." Maybe he's not THAT tired, but we definitely can't finish another movie.

"No I- I won't." He yawned in the middle of this and could tell I didn't believe him. I cut him off before he could protest more. 

"Yes you will, you might even fall asleep while we're talking about this. What am I going to do if you fall asleep on me?" That sounded nice, actually. Maybe I should let it happen. 

"You can just wake me up if I do. Not that I will." He said. 

"No I can't." Do it. I bet you're cute when you sleep. I'll hold you and keep you warm and safe all night. "You're probably, like, a super heavy sleeper or something. Come on, let's go brush our teeth. Maybe you'll wake up and we'll see about watching something else." 

We brushed our teeth and went back to his room. He started digging in his closet for his pajamas while I stripped to my gray plaid boxers. He turned and jumped when he saw me. 

"Where are your pajamas?" He asked. His eyes strayed down my body and he had to visibly force them back up to my face. Go ahead Calvin, you can look, I don't mind. 

"I don't have any." I told him.

"Do- do you wanna borrow mine? I have more." He said. 

"Nah. I always sleep in my boxers. Besides, you're like a size small. Maybe extra small. Yours wouldn't fit." He looked down again, just for a second, and I had an idea. "Don't tell me you always wear PJs to bed."

"Y-yeah? I do." That wasn't a surprise but did he really not know where I was going with this? 

"Really? You NEVER sleep in your underwear? You should try it." I put a hand on my hip and studied him. He looked embarrassed just talking about it but also a little excited. Yes, I think I can't talk him into it. He just needs a little push. 

"But."

"Come on, it's not like I haven't seen you in your boxers before." I reminded him. 

"You said nobody looks at each other in there." He was quiet, almost whining. 

Except for me. I always look at you and I know you look at me too. "Yeah, but that doesn't mean nobody sees. It's not the same thing." He gulped nervously. Was I pushing too hard? Was I going to scare him off? Maybe I was wrong, maybe I should back off. I'm sorry, Calvin. "Hey, if you don't want to that's ok. It was just an idea, I don't want to make you uncomfortable." I was surprised to find out that was true. I want to see him, but I want him to be happy more. 

He was quiet for a second. Was he thinking about it? Was he going to tell me to leave? What if he didn't want to see me again? "No, I-I'll try it." He gave me a nervous smile. "Maybe it really is comfy. Just promise you won't tell anyone."

"I won't tell anyone." I promised. 

"I'm gonna go to the bathroom first." He left, almost running. Was it just nerves or was it something else? I grinned, maybe he was rubbing one out so he wouldn't get a boner in front of me. A part of me wanted to listen through the door. I decided not to, I would give him his privacy. He doesn't deserve some pervert like me intruding on him. I looked around his room while I waited. He had a lot of anime figures, I only knew the more popular ones. Maybe I'd ask him about them, that might make him feel more comfortable when he gets back. Yes, I would try to learn about his hobbies, I wanted to be a real friend. 

He came back in his room after a while, moving carefully like he was trying to sneak in and closing his door quietly. He looked nervous. 

"Ok, I think I'm ready." He announced. I smiled, trying to make him feel better. "T-turn around first." I tried not to laugh at him. Why did it matter if I watched? I was going to see him anyways. Besides, he wasn't getting naked, just to his boxers. I listened closely and pictured it as he undid his zipper, I heard his jeans hit the ground and then his shirt a couple seconds later. "Ok. You can look now." 

I turned and saw him standing there, his ears were turned out to the sides, one arm across his chest gripping the other, his tail curled protectively in front of himself. He was wearing the same boxers he had on in the locker room today, striped with two different shades of light blue. His jeans were still around his ankles. He looked so vulnerable, I wanted so bad to pull him into my arms and comfort him. 

"See? It's not so bad." I told him. 

"I guess." He looked down. 

"Relax, Cal. You look good. You got nothing to be ashamed of." His tail twitched. Crap, did I really just say that? He's gonna know. 

He looked back up at me with a small smile on his face, his tail relaxed to a normal position. "It still feels kind of weird." He rubbed his arm a little. "But I guess it's not so bad if it's just you here." He took a little step to get free of his jeans and breathed deeply. 

"We gotta work on your confidence, Cal. Not just for the lockerroom. You could pull plenty of the girls in your grade. Hell, you could get some of the guys, too. Especially if you started working out." I poked his chest as I said this, making him laugh. 

"Really?" He asked, eyes wide. 

"I mean it." I did. He had the looks. He could go from skinny and shy to athletic and cool if he tried. But then he wouldn't need me anymore. If he had his pick of anyone at school, why would he pick me when there were so many better choices? Did I really want this? Yes. As long as he's happy.

He seemed pleased. "Maybe I should. Maybe I will try sports with you. Yeah, I'll ask Martin and Jeremy to join us. And Mat, as long as he doesn't make fun of me when I suck at it."

"Nah, Mat's cool." I said. I've been friends with Mat since sixth grade, he always had my back, even when he learned I was perving on guys in the lockerroom.

Calvin looked down at himself again. "Um, can I wear a shirt tonight? Just-just until I get used to this?" 

I  stepped back and shrugged. "Up to you, man. I'm not making you do anything." Baby steps. We'll get there. "So, you got  an air mattress or something for me?" I asked while he pulled on his pajama top. 

He looked around. "Oh, uh, I thought you could sleep in my bed. It's big enough for both of us. Is that ok?" 

"Yeah, that's cool." That's better than cool. Maybe I can snuggle up to him. I can just tell him it happened when I was asleep, he won't know. No. No, I shouldn't take advantage of him like that. 

I sat on his bed and waited for him to come over. He climbed on and to the other side and curled up with his back to me. Only a few inches separated us, I could feel his warmth under the blankets. I was almost asleep when I heard his voice. "Kyle? Are you still awake?" 

"Yeah." I said. I didn't want to be. 

"I just wanted to say thank you for being there for me. In swimming class and with Marcus and for walking me to class and- and now. You're always making me feel better."

Dammit! Stop that! I already want to kiss you! "Of course, Cal. What are friends for?" I reached over and patted his shoulder, getting a quiet purr from him before he went to sleep. 

I woke up early in the morning to the sound of someone moving outside Calvin's room. Calvin had moved closer to me in his sleep, I could feel his back pressed against my arm and couldn't resist turning to hug him. 

There was more movement outside, a light shone dimly under the door. Must be Calvin's mom. Maybe I could go say good morning. I needed a drink anyways. I got dressed and made sure Calvin was completely covered, he wouldn't want his mom to see him. He was holding his stuffed dinosaur. Did he grab it before or after he fell asleep? I wanted to imagine he slept better with it.

I went out, his mom was moving in the kitchen. "Good morning." I said and then noticed  the police uniform she was wearing. 

She continued packing things into a backpack. "Good morning, Kyle. You're up early." 

"I got thirsty. I thought I could get some water and go back to bed." I told her, not wanting to say she woke me up. 

She pointed to a cupboard. "Cups are in there." 

"Thanks." I took one and filled it in the sink. 

"Calvin told me about the bully the other day." She said. I turned to her. "He didn't tell me what this Marcus kid did, only that you saved him. Is Marcus a friend of yours?"

"No, he's not a friend." I wondered where she was going with this. 

"But he just listened when you told him to stop?" She was interrogating me, I realized. 

"I've helped him out with some things before." No, she's going to ask about that. "And he likes my pictures. Sometimes I give him some." Please don't ask about that. "I think he was just doing me a favor."

She studied me for a moment, I couldn't tell what she was thinking. "Ok." She finally said and went back to getting ready. "You helped Calvin, that's what I care about. Don't be a bad influence on him." She looked me in the eyes as she said the last. It felt like a threat.

"Never. Calvin's a good guy, I just want to help him." That was true. I really want what's best for him.

She nodded. "I believe you. When Calvin wakes up, tell him I got called in. I'll be back in time to watch our shows with him." She left and locked the door behind her. I took a long drink of my water. I have to be careful around her.

I went back to the bedroom, Calvin was sleeping soundly. I lifted the blanket and admired the view before climbing back in next to him.

I woke up some time later when Calvin started moving, twisting and stretching, he yawned. "Morning, Cal." I said to him. 

"Morning." He was rubbing the sleep out of one eye. He crawled out of bed and stumbled to the door, not fully awake. No morning wood. That's too bad. 

"Your mom got called into work, but she'll be back in time to watch TV with you." I told him. 

This seemed to take a moment to register with him. "Ok." He walked out the door, leaving it open, and to the bathroom. He came back to his room a few minutes later, more awake but also visibly self conscious. "I'm not wearing pants." He said, making me laugh. 

"Boy, you're out of it in the morning!" I sat up. "Your mom's not here, though, nobody will see." Nobody but me, you're all mine. He tugged down on his shirt. "Come on, you can put pants on later, we need breakfast." I walked him out of his room with an arm around his shoulder. I'm going to keep him like this as much as I can today.