Grizz didn't wake up until after noon.

He returned to consciousness slowly, gradually coming to terms with his surroundings. It wasn't the first time he had woken up in an unfamiliar bed. He had stopped being surprised when it happened long ago... but he never stopped being nervous. He studied the room for easy exits: The bedroom’s only window was small and near the ceiling. But right next to him was a chair, the same chair he had taken a catnap on the day before. This was Geode's house.

He was in Geode's bed. His head was killing him.

What had happened last night?

He forced himself upright, his body sticky with sweat. There was a scrap of paper on the chair, but all his limbs felt like lead and he struggled to reach it. And when he finally got it in his claws, his eyes refused to focus long enough to read it. His head throbbed, and he felt like he could vomit at any minute. He managed to crawl out of bed, bringing the note with him into the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and sat down at the kitchen table, finally taking the time to read the note while he nursed his headache.

[i]"You're welcome to stay as long as you need to. I brought the key with me, just lock the doors behind you as you go. I'd like to talk to you and know you're alright, so visit soon... or come back this afternoon, if you're up for it. -Geode"[/i]

He had spent the night with Geode? In Geode's bed? The thought that he might have had sex with him... it didn't horrify him, but the notion seemed to have a sort of gravity that his other sexual partners didn't. He didn't remember coming home last night, and his thoughts were scattered shortly after they had started drinking. There was that other stallion, and then... fear? Being carried? The end of the night was just brief flashes of images that he couldn't make sense of.

Grizz wasn't used to having friends. He took care of himself, and when he fucked up, that was on him. He didn't want to drag other ponies into his problems. But now he'd fucked up, bad, and Geode was cleaning up the mess. 

He planned his next move. It would probably be good manners to leave, but honestly he didn't have anything else to do, or anywhere to go. He wondered if Geode would mind it if he just stayed here until he got back. They needed to talk about last night.

The day passed slowly for Grizz, who even after the week in the hospital still wasn't used to lying around doing nothing. He caught himself several times staring out the front window like a puppy waiting for its master to come home. The house was situated at the top of a hill, such that anyone inside had a view of anyone approaching, without being visible themselves. A house built for the paranoid, which suited Grizz just fine.

The rest of the time he put toward exploring Geode's house. He took a shower, obviously, and discovered more types of shampoo and scented body wash than Grizz knew existed. Then he realized how hungry he was and raided Geode's icebox, only to remember that ponies ate a wholly vegetarian diet. Still, he ate some fruit that he found, keeping a tally of it on the note Geode had left so he could pay it back later. He also found a bookshelf and skimmed through some of the books to stave off boredom. Geode owned several sappy romance novels, most of them about exotic interspecies romance. This discovery put Grizz off at first, but after some thought, he figured this was the closest reflection Geode could find to his own body issues, as opposed to xenophilia.

In the end, he dragged his new favorite chair out onto the front balcony, along with a book and a bowl full of cherries. There were worse ways to spend an afternoon, and Grizz would know. If only he still didn't have such a throbbing headache.

He was ten chapters into "The Qilin's Quest" when he saw Geode coming up the path. Geode's clothes were covered in dirt and sweat, and he looked exhausted. But as soon as he spotted Grizz on the porch, he picked up the pace. Grizz rushed to meet him halfway, his only regret that he had to walk instead of flying.

The two embraced, and Grizz didn't care that his friend was absolutely filthy. He was too occupied with enjoying their reunion... and one small part in the back of his mind was still worried about what had happened last night. He looked for Geode's reaction to his hug, to determine how badly he had fucked things up while blackout drunk.

"Hey, you're still here!" Geode was so overjoyed, so there was no misunderstanding his words: he was beyond thrilled that Grizz had decided to stay.

But then Geode got more serious, concern flooding his features. "Are you alright? Do you remember what happened to you last night?" He looked so tired from work; Grizz had to help him up the steps, where Geode immediately collapsed into the conveniently placed chair. And yet, what energy Geode could manage to muster was focused entirely on Grizz’s well-being.

"I don't remember much," Grizz admitted. "I've blacked out before, but this feels worse. My entire body is rebelling. My head's trying to kill me and I feel like puking my guts out. How much do you remember?" He didn't ask the question he really wanted answered: did anything happen between us?

Geode melted into a puddle in the chair: his limbs felt like solid lead. "I remember everything. I was definitely drunk, but not [i]that[/i] drunk. And neither were you. Do you at least remember that asshole that sat down at our table? He fucking roofied you. Kept talking about how you were his and I should just leave." Just remembering it made him want to break something, but in his current state, he just idly swatted at the air in front of him. "I almost did... because I was too dumb to realize what was happening. But then you came after me. You were all slurry and stumbling, and I could tell you needed help. I took you home after that. He tried to stop me, but one kick to the junk and he wasn't up for arguing."

Grizz's first reaction was shock: he questioned how accurately Geode had assessed the situation. Geode was so new to the hookup scene, had he misread things and beaten up someone who was just looking for a hookup? Grizz had been on the scene for years, and he'd never been drugged like that before. Not that he could remember, at least...

Shit.

A frightening possibility began welling up inside him, but he quickly quashed it. He recalled all the other times he'd blacked out and woken up in a stranger's bed, bruised from a rough fuck. He'd always assumed it had been consensual, he'd just been too drunk to remember, but he'd never had someone else there to watch over him...

Given that he couldn't remember what had happened, he had to defer to Geode's conclusions. And that would explain why he felt so awful. He'd been out of the chair too long and needed to lay back down. He grabbed the second chair from the living room and reclined it.  His head was near Geode's, but they appeared upside down to each other.

"Thank you for looking out for me," he said. He could see Geode's mounting rage. "I'm okay now," he said quickly, but then he clutched his aching head. "Well, I will be okay. Look, I'm sorry I caused you so much trouble. We don't ever have to do that again."

"Hey, it wasn't your fault," said Geode.

Grizz didn't want to argue with Geode right now, but the truth was, it certainly [i]felt[/i] like his fault. He had chosen to ignore him to pay attention to the other stallion long before he'd started to feel sick. How could he have been so stupid? Geode had every right to leave him... and he'd stayed. How often did you meet someone like that?

A memory stirred. Geode had been carrying him, and he'd been wallowing in self pity...

It had been a long trek back home, although how long Grizz couldn't say. His mind had been swimming in delerium for most of it. He remembered they'd been climbing the stairs of Geode's house when he felt his bladder release as he pissed himself on top of Geode. He remembered apologizing, his cheeks burning bright with humiliation. Geode had done so much for him, surely the least he could do was not be a goddamn baby. "Sorry..." he’d muttered.

He remembered Geode helping him into bed, tucking him in before slipping to the bathroom to wash the gryphon piss out of his fur.

He remembered his world growing cold the second that Geode left the room and wasn't there to take care of him. He remembered the feel of laying in an alien bed, dampening the sheets with sweat and the urine that still clung to him.

He remembered Geode returning to check on him, and he remembered losing his composure completely, having even less control over that than he did over his bladder. "Thank you for not leaving me," he had said. "I was so scared you were going to leave me with him. You looked so angry..."

The pieces were starting to come together, but Grizz still didn't have an answer to the big question: did he and Geode get intimate together? Signs were pointing to no, but he needed to know for certain.

But Geode, oblivious to the turmoil, kept talking. "Anyway, I don't think the scene is for me at all. The worst thing that happened to me was some chick tried to hit on me outside the bar, and that was still too much." 

That last part made Grizz smile for the first time all day. "A chick? You sure? Not many chicks flirting with stallions at a gay bar."

Geode whistled. "Really? They looked great. But either way, they were going to be disappointed when they got me home. I'd've disappointed everyone in the whole place."

Why was it that sometimes even when Geode was keeping it positive he managed to slip something self-depreciating in? Grizz felt compelled to counter. "That's not true, not everyone. You keep saying that you're going to disappoint ponies, but you've never disappointed me. I couldn't care less about what you look like between your legs, because I know you as a person. And anyone who matters is going to tell you the same thing. So if it's that attitude about disappointment that's keeping you from meeting new people, I say ignore it. I look at you and I see..." he paused to actually look at Geode, deep into his eyes. "I see the best stallion out of everyone in that bar."

Maybe that was a little too much honesty too fast, because Geode shied away from the direct eye contact and sat back up, trying to hide a blush. "I meant physically."

"So did I."

"I'm talking about sex!" Geode suddenly shouted. "Those ponies... they just wanted sex, and I don't have the equipment for it. I would've disappointed them." He then smiled a little, still blushing as he leaned into his chair once again. "But I'm glad to know you're looking past it. Means a lot to me to be able to hold a fifteen minute chat without someone trying to either get with me or ask who I last had my dick in."

Now seemed as good a time as any to pop the question. "Hey, speaking of... last night..." Grizz began. "We didn't... did we? I mean..." He became increasingly flustered as he tried to figure out the best way to explain himself.

Geode coughed awkwardly, blushing and then laughing it off. "No, no, we didn't do anything. I gave you the bed and slept on my chair to make sure you didn't, like... choke on your own vomit or something stupid." He frowned. "Why would you think we did? You're a cocksucker."

Grizz sat up too. This conversation was too serious for improper chair use. "After meeting you, I started thinking about some things. About whether I'd be willing to have sex with a stallion who had a vagina. And I think if I knew them really well, I don't think it would matter. It would be weird, certainly... but if I was in love with them... well, I wasn't in love with them because of what they were packing, I was in love with them because they were worthy of being loved by me. And just like anything else in a relationship, I'd find a way to make it work. So even as far as the mechanics are concerned, it wouldn't be a problem. I just really think you're selling yourself short, if a cocksucker like me would do you." He chuckled. "Then again, we both know my standards aren't that high."

Geode looked at Grizz sidelong, his heart pounding in his chest. "So... If you'd be willing to bang a dude with a vagina if you loved them... and you said you'd do me... So does that mean..?" 

Fuck. Grizz felt like he'd been caged and cornered. Like his words had been turned back on him in a way that was scary but exciting. "That was a hypothetical 'you'," he said quickly, blushing just as hard as Geode. "I didn't mean... I just thought, you know, if I was really drunk and was looking for a guy to lay with, that the vagina wouldn't be the dealbreaker is all, that's what I meant." He didn't understand why his heart was racing right now.

Geode didn't appear to be buying it. "Do you remember the last thing that happened before you fell asleep?"

Grizz tried to remember. He really tried.

"You kept asking me not to leave you," said Geode. "So I didn't. I stayed by your side all night. And the last thing you said before you fell asleep, and I quote: 'I don't want to be alone. I hate it. That's why I always do it. I love you, Geode.'"

Now that Geode was spelling it out for him, he did kind of remember that.

"I was willing to write it off as a drunken stupor or something..." Geode continued. "But was it true? Do you actually love me?" He looked straight into Grizz's eyes, showing the weight of the answer with the hopeful look he held there.

Grizz's mind raced but his mouth was sluggish. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea, Geode," he said. He felt like he was dancing around the issue, trotting out cliches. Why not just answer the question? How hard was it to just say no? Because that would convey the wrong idea, make it out like Geode meant nothing, which clearly wasn't true. "You've treated me better than anyone outside my own family. Heck, you treat me better than my own family. I feel safe around you. You make me happy. Spending time with you is better than just about anything else I could be doing. But love? Fuck. I care about you. I'm fond of you. I don't want to lose you."

But love? He didn't love anyone. Love was too complicated. This couldn't be love. But if it wasn't love, what was it?

"I don't know," he finally said, completely honest. "Why does that... Do you love me?"

Compared to the mental turmoil Grizz was going through, Geode didn't hesitate to answer. "I don't know either, but I care about you more than any other anyone I've ever met, including my own family. Plus, I got super jealous watching you get all kissy with that stallion." He slumped back down in his chair. "I really enjoy my time with you, and I want to always see you safe and happy, and that is something I can say about less people than I have hooves. But I'm way too tired to think about it right now"

Geode laughed, and his words came from a place of such earnesty that Grizz couldn't help but smile and laugh along even though he didn't really get the joke. "Then don't think about it. Let's just keep doing what we would do anyway and see what happens. How about a toast?" he suggested. "To not having a clue what we want but being brave enough to find out?" 

"I'll drink to that," Geode decided. He picked up the cherry bowl as Grizz picked up his water glass. Porcelain and glass clinked, which made it official. No take-backs. They were now in a committed... whatever the hell this was. Geode couldn't be more satisfied.

For a moment, they enjoyed each other's company in silence.

Then Grizz's head was infiltrated with a mental image that wasn't entirely unwelcome: of him kissing Geode. But he worried if he voiced it, he would come across as just like the other stallions from last night. He wanted Geode's company, not his touch. So he kept it to himself. Just have a normal conversation, he told himself. Talk about non-sexy things, like friends do.

“So… what goes on in those mine shafts anyway? I tried to imagine what you get up to at work, but I don’t really know where to begin.”

This was good. Just existing near Geode was fine by him, better than fine even. He couldn't think of a situation that wouldn't be improved with Geode by his side.

"Eh, you know. Dug some rocks, broke ground on a new wing, dug more rocks, dug some dirt, broke up a fight, cleared some gravel… oh yeah, also dug some rocks.”

Most of that was about what Grizz had imagined, except for one part. “Wait, go back, you broke up a fight?”

“Yeah, two stallions were fighting over who spotted a gem first. Standard pissing contest. That’s one thing I don’t miss about not having balls; all that testosterone. Those stallions are impossible to please, y’know. And I spent most of the day with wood in my mouth." 

Grizz did his best to ignore the innuendo and not think about Geode using his mouth to please two dirty horny stallions. He didn’t want to think about Geode that way. He wasn’t an object, dammit. And that meant Grizz had to refrain from even acknowledging the obvious joke about wood. “Do they at least let you take breaks?”

“A couple, but it’s not enough to get the taste out of my mouth.” Geode rubbed his chin, thinking quietly. “Maybe if I had more practice getting my jaw around something big…”

Grizz gritted his teeth. This wasn’t fair. He was trying so hard to treat Geode like a person, and Geode was dumping a huge pile of sexualization onto the fire of his libido. And now he couldn’t help but imagine holding Geode’s soft head in his talons, the smaller pony nestled between his legs, smiling… Grizz focused intently on his drink, trying his hardest to ignore his pounding heart, or the rush of blood to his loins. He quickly rolled over on the recliner to hide his growing cock.

“Grizz, did I say something wrong?”

And god dammit, the poor bastard was blaming himself for it now. Grizz searched for words to explain himself but came up empty.

Geode tried to lean over to catch a glimpse of Grizz’s crotch. “Grizz… am I turning you on?” There was [i]something[/i] in Geode’s voice. Was he being sultry? Concerned? This was so not fair, so not fair.

Grizz needed to apologize.

He needed to kiss him.

He needed to protect him.

He needed to ravage him.

Grizz was ashamed of his sex drive. Why couldn’t he just keep it in his pants? He’d never had a problem with his promiscuous lifestyle before, but he wanted to be better for Geode. But… what if he couldn’t? What if he didn’t [i]deserve[/i] Geode, because he wasn’t [i]good enough?[/i]

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled, but before he could figure out what he was apologizing [i]for[/i], Geode cut him off.

“I think I know what you want…” said Geode, his lips curling. He hesitated, as if he was working up some courage. Then he stood up, turned around, and then in a moment that made time stand still for Grizz, Geode lifted his tail.

And there it was: Geode’s most precious and secret anatomy. Unobstructed, in focus, and in all its beauty. His mound was thick and puffy, a darker brown than the rest of his coat. It looked so soft and inviting. And nestled between those cozy lips, the pink nub of Geode’s clit poked out, giving a hint of the pink juicy flesh of his innards.

Grizz had never been particularly interested in vaginas before. But this one was different, on account of it belonging to Geode. Grizz’s imagination went wild. He saw himself rubbing it with his talons, tasting it with his tongue. He wanted to pin his best friend to the wall and dominate him, fill that space between his legs until it was overflowing with seed, with [i]foals[/i]...

Wait, where did that last one come from? Grizz was a gay queen, for gods’ sakes. The last thing he wanted was to raise a family that he couldn’t afford.

Geode dropped his tail, but the image was already burned into Grizz’s brain. And then he collapsed back into his chair, laughing. For almost a minute he didn’t stop laughing. Multiple times he tried to speak, but instead of words, more laughter came out. “I can’t believe I just did that,” he said. “I almost chickened out at the last second. I’ve never, uh, done something like that before. Never thought I would. But I knew you wouldn’t hurt me.”

That’s right, Grizz would never hurt him.

So why did he want to push him up against the wall and make him squeal?

Grizz sat still and said nothing, with the wide-eyed expression of a deer caught by hunters.

Geode hugged Grizz, nuzzling against his shoulder. “Thank you, Grizz. All my life I’ve had to act like I don’t have a sex drive. But I do, oh God I do. I’ve just never had anyone I can share it with. You should see what I get up to in my bed with my own hoof. Like, waterfall city. Ruins the sheets.”

This wasn’t helping. Grizz’s cock, still rigid, gave a painful throb, a [i]lurch[/i], and a dollop of precum drooled onto the floor. Grizz prayed that Geode wouldn’t notice. He studied the path to the bathroom and calculated an escape plan. A mad dash, slam the door, and jerk off into the toilet and Geode would be none the wiser about how turned on he was right now.

“I need to go to the bathroom,” he stammered, already making a move to run to the door.

But Geode wasn’t having any of it. “Why, so you can jerk off?”

“Geode, please…” Grizz was begging now. He hated begging.

Geode scooted his chair closer, and he finally noticed Grizz’s twitching erection, so swollen and flush it was practically *glowing*, and still dripping a thin line of drool onto the floor. Any further teasing fled from his mind and he stalled out trying to think of a good response. "Oh wow. You're really worked up." He scooted his chair back again, as if he needed to give the angry cock some space.

Grizz’s smile was forced, almost as painful as his erection. "What can I say? All that testosterone."

Geode couldn’t stop staring. “We should probably… take care of that…”

Grizz’s heart skipped a beat. He felt like a colt with a schoolyard crush. “We?”

Geode flushed red. Perhaps that was a poor choice of words. “Or… you can, I mean. Yeah, you should take care of it.”

“Yeah. I know.” Grizz was trying hard to keep his patience. “That’s why I’m going to the bathroom.”

“Right.” An awkward silence fell, and Grizz awkwardly shuffled off into the bathroom. He sat on the toilet and sighed. That had been a royal disaster. And things had been going so well too.

He was usually so smooth. Why was Geode throwing off his game so much?

He figured that he wasn’t going to get soft again until he jerked off, so he might as well get to it. It felt wrong to think about Geode, so he did his best to clear his head and focus on his last sexual escapade, the one in the hospital after Geode had been checked out. But when he pictured that hospital room, the only face he could picture was Geode’s.

And not just his face. His strong back, and his filled-out hips, his kind smile staring back at him, welcoming him to mount him, rut him, push as far as he could into that tight vag…

Trying to think of anyone else was useless. Grizz was going to jerk off to Geode in his own home while he was in the other room, and that was that. He spat into his claws and worked them into his shaft, pretending that he was sliding into Geode’s pussy.

A knock on the bathroom door through Grizz out of the fantasy. “What now?” he called out, letting his irritation show.

“I’m sorry. I made things weird,” said Geode from behind the door. “I thought you’d enjoy it. You’re usually so cool about this kind of stuff.”

Grizz sighed. He couldn’t jerk off [i]and[/i] talk about his feelings. His claws dropped to his side, his boner bobbing in the air, unsated. “I [i]am[/i] cool about it,” he said. “But you’re not, and that’s okay. I get that you’re trying something new, and I’m happy for you. But I can’t risk hurting you because I misread something. Don’t put me in that situation.”

“You’re right,” said Geode, followed by, “Can I come in?”

What? Why now? “You do know what I’m doing in here, right?”

“Yeah, I know. But we watched each other jerk off in the hospital, remember? I think we’re decently past that.”

“Fine, come in.”

The door opened, but Grizz didn’t immediately turn to look. He didn’t have it in him to face Geode right now, but he also didn’t have it in him to keep jerking off, especially with Geode in the room.

“Can I be completely honest?” asked Geode. “I’m pretty sure I’m gay, and I’m also pretty sure I’ve never said that out loud. I act like I’m not interested in sex because sex is dangerous for someone like me. But the truth is I think about dicks a lot, even when I’m not in heat. You know that thing about how guys think about sex every seven seconds? That’s me.

“I assumed that’s how things were going to go all my life. And then I met you. And for the first time I can express that part of myself and not worry about disappointing someone, or getting beat up or worse. And yeah I’m super nervous, but I don’t want to pass up the opportunity to explore that. I always thought I hated being wanted. But I think I like being wanted by you. If you’re willing to want me, that is.”

Grizz finally turned to look at the friend that had been consuming so much of his thoughts. Geode’s face looked serious, but he was also sitting against the wall with his hoof rubbing his folds. Apparently Grizz wasn’t the only one being made horny by this conversation.

“Okay, I get it,” said Grizz. “But what do you want, and why did you come in here? Are you asking to have sex with me?”

Geode shook his head. “No. Not yet, at least. But maybe I could watch? We could, like, use each other as masturbation fuel. Unless that makes things weird.”

Given that Grizz was already fantasizing about Geode, having him more involved actually made it less weird. What had worried him the most was not knowing what Geode wanted, but right now he was being pretty clear where his level was: Look, but no touch. Now things felt level.

“So what do you say?” asked Geode. I’ll show you mine if you show me yours.”

Grizz laughed. “I say you make it sound like we’re in high school.”

Geode scooted over to the toilet to be closer to his friend, his hoof still between his legs. “I wish I knew someone like you in high school. Maybe then I’d know what all my friends were talking about when they were bragging about ‘getting lucky.’”

Grizz did a quick bit of number crunching, made harder by raging hormones. “When you were in high school, I was in my fifties.”

“So? Not a dealbreaker for me.” Geode arrived at his destination, and now Grizz’s cock was bobbing a foot from his face. “You know, I’ve never really seen one up close… which isn’t even something I can admit to most ponies. I’ve never really felt safe around one… it’s a weapon of mass reproduction, after all. One shot in the wrong place and… whoops, you’re a dad.”

Grizz cradled his cock in his talons, rolling it around so Geode could see the different angles. Hippogryph cocks looked pretty much the same as horse cocks, so far as Grizz knew. Long, medial ring, flat head oozing with pre. “That’s what scares you about it? Getting pregnant?” Given that everyone else Grizz had ever fucked didn’t have a womb, it wasn’t something that Grizz had thought about a lot. But for half the population it was a real concern.

“When I was in heat I had nightmares about getting knocked up… which were also wet dreams. And I think the fact that I was fantasizing about the same thing I was terrified of actually made it scarier. Like, if I let my guard down, I might actually go and do it. God, heats suck so much, you have no idea.”

Geode was right; Grizz had no idea. Not only did Grizz not have heats, he’d never been with another partner who had. “Hey, why don’t you give me an idea then,” he said. “What’s it like to be in season? Turns you into a quivering mess of hormones, right?” He began to slowly stroke his meat, squeezing the base before running his tight claws up to the base, where he forced out a bead of pre.

Geode’s eyes tracked Grizz’s talons. “Pretty much,” he admitted. “You get this real deep itch inside you, and all you want is someone to help you scratch it. You start seeing everyone as a potential sex partner, no matter how much you usually hate their guts. Bad ideas start seeming less bad.” He pushed the tip of his hoof into his vag, biting his lip as he remembered the fire that his last heat had lit in his loins.

“That sounds pretty hot.”

“It [i]is[/i] hot. It also sucks. Those are not mutually exclusive.” He narrowed his eyes. “Hang on, are you fantasizing about me being in heat?”

Busted. “Maybe. Is that… okay?”

“I guess? Don’t really know how to feel about it. And you know if you stick around long enough you might get to see it yourself, right? You come over and I’m just… leaving a trail everywhere I go, begging for dick.”

Grizz could only imagine what a needy, lusty Geode would be like. So much sexual energy compressed into one pony, threatening to explode. His cock twitched appreciatively, and he kept stroking, using his pre to reduce the friction. “Aren’t you supposed to lock yourself up or something so you don’t do anything you regret?”

“Why? Should I be worried about you taking advantage of me in my compromised mental state? Why’s it my responsibility to hide if you’re the one who can’t keep it in your pants?” He sounded a little annoyed… but he was also speeding up thrusting his hoof into his cunt. “Hang on, I’ve got an idea.”

Geode stood up suddenly, climbing over Grizz as if he was going to sit in his lap. His hoof pressed into Grizz’s member painfully, making the gryph grunt and squirm. 
Grizz grabbed his cock to protect it from further abuse, and also to make sure that it didn’t go anywhere that Geode didn’t want it. “Hey, what are you doing?”

“Whoops, sorry, just a sec.” Geode didn’t seem to register that he had just touched Grizz’s cock, but if it wasn’t intentionally, did it really count as crossing that boundary? He finally got in position, hovering above the toilet seat, bracing his body with one front hoof on the sink that was across from them. The space was a bit too cramped for either of them to be comfortable, but Geode seemed determined to make it work. Once he seemed satisfied with his pose, he raised his tail again. “There we go. Got a nice view back there?”

He did. With their current orientation, Geode’s backside was about two feet from Grizz’s groin. Grizz could see the arousal pooling at the end of his thick vaginal folds. If Grizz really wanted too, he could mount him easily from this position. But they both knew he wouldn’t do that yet. This wasn’t just a display of Geode’s lust, it was a show of trust.

“Amazing view,” said Grizz. “Breathtaking. You sure you’re balanced? Need me to grab your ass?”

“Mmmm, not right now. Just keep your claws on that cock and enjoy yourself.” Geode’s hoof slipped between his legs, feeling how slick he had become. He was going to enjoy this.

Grizz resumed jerking off, his eyes peeled on the plump pussy lips in front of him. It looked so warm, so inviting. He imagined sinking into it, bouncing Geode on his lap. He imagined that Geode was in heat, gushing fluid into his lap and muttering obscenities as he finally had that itch deep inside of him scratched.

He imagined Geode [i]happy[/i], happier than he’d seen him so far. Was it hubris to think that he could bring his friend true joy (with his dick, no less?) Maybe. But as far as fantasies went, he liked believing in it.

Geode pressed his hoof into his mound and rubbed in slow, smearing his arousal around. Grizz couldn’t tell what fantasy was going through the stallion’s mind, and he hoped it was a good one. He paid close attention to all of Geode’s little movements, the ways his hips twitched, and then began to gyrate in small circles, teasing the air in front of Grizz’s groin.

“Is this… are you giving me a lapdance?”

Geode peeked his head between his legs. “I hadn’t thought about it in those words, but I guess I am. You like it?”

“Hell yeah.” Grizz had to resist the urge to smack that ass. “You have a nice body. I’m glad you’re showing it off.”

“Honestly? Me too.” Geode pressed his hoof harder into his needy sex. “You’re not too bad yourself. A buff little beefcake bird. A birdcake?” Geode kept up his rubbing, eventually closing his eyes and biting his tongue. “Oh yeah,” he moaned. “Almost there.” His breathing grew heavy.

Grizz sped up his wanking, eager to let spill all the tension that had been building up all evening. “...same,” he said, huffing. “...where?”

“All over my rump. I can always just step in the shower after.” He quivered in excitement, both for his approaching orgasm and Grizz’s.

Grizz needed no further prompting. He furiously jerked his meat a few more times as he pushed the tension over an edge, and then an evening’s worth of pent up sexual frustration exploded out of him all at once. He fired off rope after rope, painting Geode’s back and inner thighs, and painting a strike right across his pussy.

Geode shuddered, riding out his own orgasm. His breath came in deep gasps and shudders.

Finally, as their libidos crashed and the sexually charged nature of their actions waned, Geode crashed into Grizz’s lap, his thighs brushing against the older gryph’s half-hard cock. Neither paid it much attention.

“I gotta say,” said Geode, still gasping for breath. “That was probably a top ten experience for me. How about you?”

Grizz fell silent, and Geode realized he’d put him on the spot. “Sorry, sorry, shouldn’t have asked.”

“No, it’s not that,” said Grizz. Figuring that he could touch Geode no as long as it wasn’t sexual touching, he wrapped his arms around his friend to support the weight that was suddenly in his lap. “I just forget how inexperienced you are.”

“And I forget that you’ve been around the block… how many times?”

Grizz hemmed and hawed as he tried to figure out the best wording. “Is it bad if I don’t know the answer to that question? Let’s just say it’s been enough that I don’t really keep track of top tens or anything like that.”

“Oh.” Geode had to process that.

Grizz gave him a gentle squeeze. “I had fun though. Want to get cleaned up?”

After a quick shower (one at a time, Geode first), the sun was beginning to set, and the pair retired to the porch to watch. Grizz realized he didn’t know what to do next.

If he left, would he regret it? Should he ask to spend the night again, or would that be overstaying his welcome? He was happy to give Geode the bed this time… he just knew that if he let this meeting end, it would be anyone’s guess when they’d see each other again, what with how busy they were. 

But Grizz didn’t have a job anymore. Geode did. If he stayed and kept eating Geode’s food and sleeping in his chair, would that make him a freeloader?

The sun vanished over the horizon, and Grizz stood up and stretched his legs. “I should… probably get going,” he told Geode. “Tomorrow I need to figure out how to get a job so I can repay you for those cherries.”

“Yeah… I guess you should,” said Geode absently. “See you around.”

Part of Grizz was disappointed that Geode didn’t beg him to stay. But maybe Geode was disappointed that he didn’t ask to stay. So they said their goodbyes and Grizz began the slow trek back to his own apartment, thinking about Geode the whole time.

He should have at least kissed Geode. But it was too late for that now.

How long would it be until their paths crossed again?