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Will they get the results they hoped for?", "description_bbcode_parsed": "Pent and Xavier get to show off their science project at the fair. Will they get the results they hoped for?", "writing": "Fair and Fun by Pent Ghelsburg\n\nDisclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves some suggestive and/or sexual content and underaged characters. You have been warned.\t\n\nThe week that Xavier had been spending over at Pent's had come and gone. With it, life had returned to normal for the two cubs. The chipmunk was all too happy to see his parents as he had good relationships with both of them. He liked spending time with his boyfriend but time with his family was just as important to him. After all his parents did nothing but support and love him in any way they could.\n\n\tPent was glad to have things back to the way they were supposed to be as well. Having his boyfriend around all the time was great but he was beginning to feel bad for his brother sleeping on the sofa all night. Of course, Samaliel was all too happy to indulge him but the younger brother was getting tired of it and just put up with it to make the older boy happy. It was an issue neither of them confronted the entire time Xavier was at their apartment.\n\n\tThat weekend the fox kit worked on hashing out the finishing details of his Biology project. He hadn't forgotten about Xavier supposed to be involved, but he had pushed off creating the report for it until the last minute. For the first time in his life, he felt rushed about it and he wasn't about to bother his boyfriend with the issue. He decided to finish the project on his own and surprise Xavier with it at the Science fair.\n\n\tSamaliel was minding his own business and playing video games. He noticed that Pent had shut himself in the closet. He knew all too well what this meant and figured the older fox was working on another one of his projects. The salt and pepper boy decided to check on him to make sure everything was alright. The younger boy got up from the sofa and headed over to the closet before knocking on the door.\n\n\"What's up, Sama?\" Pent knew who it was without checking since the other boy was the only one home.\n\nThe smaller boy opened the door. \"I'm just checking on you to make sure you don't go overboard like always...What are you working on?\"\n\n\"The Science Fair project. Xavier helped me work on it…I'm just finishing it.\" The white fox wiped his forehead as it was somewhat hot inside the closet.\n\nSamaliel rolled his eyes. \"Knowing you….I question how much he did. How come he isn't over helping you finish it?\"\n\n\"Because…I should have thought about it while he was here and I procrastinated because…well…\" Pent stammered and didn't finish the statement as he was afraid of admitting the obvious.\n\nThe salt and pepper fox smirked at him. \"Because you were enjoying yourself? Nothing wrong with that. Are you sure you don't wanna invite him over?\"\n\n\"Nah. I'm fine. I'm almost done…\" The older boy got back to work.\n\nThe younger boy huffed and decided to take matters into his own hands. He knew that his brother was much too prideful to ask for help, even from his supposed boyfriend. Samaliel padded back to his room and noticed that the older boy's phone was on a counter. He figured Pent wouldn't mind if he just invited Xavier over. After all, it was just for a little while. He quickly padded out a text to the chipmunk on the phone.\n\n\"Hey, Xae…Can you come help with the project, please?\" He kept it short and sweet to not let the other boy onto who was asking him for assistance.\n\nIt was a short while before there was a knock at the door. Samaliel was still in the front room and all but expected it to happen. The younger boy made sure to answer the door so that Pent would be surprised.\n\n\"Hiya, Xae…he's in his so-called lab. By the way…he doesn't know you're here…I am the one who sent you the text. He wasn't going to ask you for help so I did it for him.\" The younger boy wanted to make sure the rodent understood what was going on.\n\nThe brown-furred boy shook his head. \"Oh, foxy…Alright, Sama. No problem.\"\n\nXavier ruffled the smaller boy's head fur and thanked him before heading over to the door. He opened the door without knocking on it. The white fox heard the door open and turned around. Upon seeing the smaller boy behind him, he couldn't help but smile. \n\n\"Xavier? What are you doing here?\" He asked as he hugged the other boy tightly.\n\nThe smaller cub hugged him back. \"You're brother asked me to come over. I can't let you finish the project on your own…that's not fair. Here…I brought some more sports drinks we can add to our experiment.\"\n\nThe chipmunk showed him a bag of the stuff brought with him that his parents had brought up along the way. He placed the bag on the small counter in front of him. Pent moved to the side and allowed his boyfriend to have some space next to him. Samaliel watched in on them from behind. His brother's tail was wagging gently behind him. It was apparent that he made the right choice and walked away with a smile on his face.\n\nPent and Xavier began to work on the project together. Of course, the groundwork for it had already been laid. The fox had already created a spreadsheet with the meter and having more samples would only add to it. He came up with an additional idea to add more juice and expand the existing profile of what they had. He asked the rodent to grab some of the juice boxes from the fridge.\n\nThe brown-furred boy made his way to the kitchen to grab the juice boxes. He grabbed one of each variety and one extra for each of them. Making sure to get one for the young boy as well. Throwing it to him as he went by on the sofa. The salt and pepper boy thanked him and continued focusing on the video game level in front of him. Xavier brought the rest of them with him to the closet.\n\nHe set them down on the counter. Pent had already organized the sports drink by its supposed nutritional value. He had already put them on the spreadsheet and began laying out a complete proportional outlook for each of them for each of the main electrolytes. He also made one for the supposed vitamin content in each of them to see if it measured with what they found.\n\nThey started the project as they did last time by measuring the voltage of each of the liquids. This was the easiest part that took the least amount of time. Next was measuring each of the most prominent vitamins, which Pent had bought a nutrient testing kit for. Xavier continued to read off each of the findings and the fox catalogued them. It was going much faster as a team than it would ever have alone.\n\nThe final step was a comparative analysis of each of them. They found that each of the juices had more electrolytes than any of the sports drinks. It was a conclusion that surprised only the chipmunk who wasn't aware of it. The fox was more than happy that they came to the conclusion of it and began writing it off. The project was now finished and all that was left now was turning it to show it off.\n\nXavier didn't stay much longer after the project was finished. He had promised his parents that he'd let them know when he was done. After all, he had to convince them to take him back. They were slightly annoyed that he and Pent hadn't finished the project when they were staying together. So once it was done he called them back to pick him up and it wasn't long before they showed up.\n\nPent put the final finishing touches on the project once his boyfriend was gone. He felt like it wasn't enough to hinge their success on electrolytes alone. He ended up adding more about vitamins and which of the drinks had more than others. Of course, it was a much easier process and one that probably wasn't necessary in the end. Yet, he was a perfectionist when it came to Science and that wasn't going to change just because he was in a relationship now.\n\nWhen the project was finally done, he showed it off to Samaliel. The younger boy listened to his brother gush a bit about how Xavier had helped him. How wonderful it was to have him enjoy the same hobby that the fox kit took so seriously. To the salt and pepper fox, it was always a bit strange to see his brother that way. Yet he wouldn't change it for anything as he felt like Pent had changed for the better because of it.\n\nThe rest of the day flew by pretty quickly with the Arctic fox thinking only about the project and how it would ultimately be displayed at school. He wanted nothing more than to win first prize. Anything less than that would be unacceptable to him and would break the long-lasting record that he'd been racking up over the last few years. His brother had to tell him multiple times to go to sleep but eventually, the older boy's active mind fell asleep due to overthinking.\n\nMonday morning arrived before long and with it the familiar sound of the alarm buzzer. Pent awoke to the sound of it and sprang out of his bed without delay. He did it so quickly, that he almost hit his head on the bottom of the top bunk. The white fox peered over the top and nudged his brother who was still fast asleep. It took only a few nudges before the salt and pepper fox was rousing and coming about.\n\nSamaliel sat up and gave the other boy a light smile. The younger boy shoved himself out of bed and slid down the ladder. They walked together to the kitchen. Pent focused on making them breakfast while the younger boy made sure that the older one didn't get distracted by his obsession with the perfection of his project. Yet the white fox seemed strangely content and relaxed compared to normal when it came to the day of the Science fair.\n\nPent had already worked it out in his head. He thought he had the perfect plan to score the first-place prize that he so much coveted. There was no uncertainty left in his mind. He was entirely confident that he would win. The older boy finished making them some fruit and granola and put them in a bowl together. He joined Samaliel at the table and the two began to eat breakfast again.\n\n\"Everything alright, Pent? You seem pretty calm considering it's the day of the fair.\" Samaliel asked as he was a bit concerned about his brother.\n\nThe bigger boy nodded. \"Yeah. I have it all settled. I know exactly how I want to present our findings.\"\n\n\"I\n suppose you didn't consider allowing Xavier to talk about it?\" The younger boy thought his brother was being a bit overbearing.\n\nPent shook his head. \"Oh, nah. I am going to talk to him about it today in the morning before the fair. I am not going to try and do everything. After all, we did it together so that wouldn't be fair to him.\"\n\n\"That's surprising. I wasn't expecting that. Never mind then…forget that I mentioned it.\" Samaliel wasn't as worried about it anymore.\n\nThe two brothers went about eating their meal together with not much more spoken between them. Pent was still quietly thinking to himself, ironing out any details that popped up into his mind. Overthinking things as he often did. When the meal was over, he asked Samaliel to clean up and went to get his stuff together. He went into his closet space to get the project together and put it in a small box that he had set aside for it.\n\nHe grabbed the presentation board he and Xavier had made and placed it by the door before going back to grab the box. Samaliel had finished cleaning up and had already grabbed their bags for them. The younger fox grabbed the board and handed off Pent's bag to him. Pent grabbed the box and they headed out the door together. Once they were outside the white cub locked the door behind them before they made their way out.\n\nThey proceeded to the bus stop where they waited for the familiar yellow vehicle. It wasn't long before it arrived. Samaliel had to angle the board to get inside the vehicle. He was able to manage to get through it with just a little effort, though turning the board inside the bus proved to be more difficult than he thought. They made their way to an open seat and sat together as they had usually done before Xavier started staying over.\n\nThe ride to the school wasn't a very long one. The weather was clear out and the day was warm. Once they stepped back out of the bus, they found the breeze had picked up again. Samaliel insisted on helping his brother bring the supplies to wherever the fair was being set up. The older boy agreed since he knew he couldn't handle both items on his own. Pent led him through the school and to the cafeteria where the stuff was supposed to be set up.\n\nPent set the box in a space on the table and took the board from his brother to do the same. He told Samaliel he could leave so that the younger boy wouldn't be late. The salt and pepper boy headed off, leaving his brother to himself. The white fox spent a few more minutes at the table setting up the board. It wasn't long before Xavier came looking for him, less than surprised to find him already at the table setting up the project.\n\n\"Hiya, Pent. Need some help?\" The chipmunk touched him on the shoulder as he approached the bigger boy from behind.\n\nThe white fox turned around. \"Nah, I'm done. It's not hard to set up the board and stuff. What do you think of it?\"\n\n\"It looks good. Do you think we'll win?\" Xavier had never seriously put effort into a project before this one.\n\nPent nodded. \"I think we can but we still have to prove to the judges that our project is the best one.\"\n\n\"Ah, so what do they do?\" The rodent's ears perked up in curiosity.\n\nThe bigger cub hummed as he thought about it. \"They score each project against one another. There are usually a few parameters to follow…here is the paper.\"\n\nPent handed his boyfriend the score sheet. The other boy read it. The elements included things like purpose, hypothesis, data, methodology, conclusion, originality, appearance, difficulty, and presentation. Each of them was scored on levels of 5. It seemed a simple enough sheet.\n\n\"I think you should try explaining the part with electrolytes and our findings…I will do the vitamins and conclusions\" The arctic fox explained the plan he had worked out in his mind. \n\nXavier muttered a bit. \"Are you sure that's a good idea?\"\n\n\"Yup, I think you'll do fine. Just look at the data chart…read off it if you need to. I'll be there to support you if you need it.\" The bigger boy rubbed his boyfriend's back to ease his discomfort.\n\nThe chipmunk forced a smile. \"Alright…\"\n\n\"I promise you'll be fine…I trust you. Take the report with you if you want to brush up. But just give it your all and it will go great.\" Pent said with a confident look on his face.\n\nThe brown-furred boy nodded. \"You're right. Want to hang out for a bit before classes or do you want to stay here and finish up?\"\n\n\"I'm done here. We can go hang out in front of your first class since it's almost time to report in anyway.\" Pent grabbed a label and wrote their names on it before attaching it to the project.\n\nThe two cubs headed out together holding hands as they made their way out. They made their way to Xavier's first class, which was math that day. The schedule had been rearranged so all of the students were excused from Science that day. The final class before lunch would be the fair itself where each of the students would be allowed to go and look at each of the projects. It was something few of them looked forward to but it was still a way to get out of classes for a bit.\n\nXavier and Pent sat together outside of the chipmunk's first class. The two talked about nothing specific. The anxiety that had crept into the smaller boy's mind remained to an extent but it had been subdued for the most part. The white fox kissed his boyfriend on the cheek before going on his way. Just as he did the bell rang, signaling that classes were soon to begin and the day was to get underway.\n\nBoth boy's day was rather low-key for the most part. Xavier had to deal with a few bouts of uncertainty about the project. Each time he had to remind himself of what his boyfriend had told him. It was nothing that overwhelmed him but part of him was still uncertain of what would happen. After all, he wanted Pent to be proud of him. Especially because he knew how much the fox wanted to win the science fair and he didn't want to let him down.\n\nWhen the bell for the fourth class sounded and the announcements came on, Xavier felt a bit nervous. He slowly got out of his desk, making sure to wait for every other cub in his class to go out the door. The teacher even had to hurry him along since she was supposed to attend as well. She could tell he was distracted by something but wasn't sure exactly what it was. Eventually, he got the picture and carried on with his day.\n\nXavier made his way to the lunch room along with the rest of the crowd. He was towards the tail end of and followed along as he didn't want to keep other students from getting to where they were supposed to be. Once he was inside the lunch room, the chipmunk began looking around for his boyfriend. Sure enough, the fox had already arrived and was at the same spot as earlier, making sure that someone was at the project to prevent any mischief that might happen.\n\nThe brown-furred cub made his way over to the fox boy. Pent waved over at him once he noticed Xavier had arrived. Pent greeted him and the two boys went over the last minute details of the project. Once the arctic fox put the other boy's mind at ease again, the chipmunk was much more sure of himself about what was going to happen and what he needed to do to make sure it went well.\n\nBefore long an announcement occurred over the intercom saying that judges would begin going around the tables to check out the projects. They had about an hour to accomplish this so the teachers that had been assigned it knew they couldn't spend much time on any one project. They were all science teachers from each of the grade levels and Mr Bernard was included as the leader of the group since he'd been doing it the longest.\n\nThe judges soon began going around the tables. Pent was already budding with excitement as he waited at the table. The fox's tail was wagging in anticipation. He knew it was only a matter of time before they got to him and Xavier. The chipmunk grabbed his boyfriend's shoulder to settle him down and Pent didn't taper at all. It was strange for him to see the Arctic fox like this no matter how many times it happened, it just wasn't normal.\n\nIt was a bit of a wait before the judges got to their table. Pent was chomping at the bit to get started. Of course, the moment they arrived, the fox started talking their ears off. Mr. Bernard had to settle his former student down. Not surprisingly the fox listened to him and started to slow down. He allowed Xavier to speak and say his part. The white cub smiled at him watching his boyfriend go on about their findings of electrolytes.\n\nPent felt like the chipmunk hadn't said enough about their findings. That there were still details to be discussed. Yet he held off to make his boyfriend feel like his input was appreciated. To make up for it the fox added as much as possible as he could about the findings of vitamins. Even going as far as to add the obvious misrepresentation in nutrition labels. Something that fascinated the judges and shocked some of them.\n\nEventually, Mr Bernard urged the judges to move on. He knew full well that Pent was capable of going on longer than he should have. After all, he did it each of the previous years and to expect anything else was foolhardy. When they finally left, the bigger cub smiled at his boyfriend. Pent was proud of him and gently hugged him. The rodent couldn't help but smile, feeling like he'd made the right choice in participating with the other boy.\n\nThe two cubs chatted while they waited for the judges to finish. Pent was a bit nervous about it but the brown-furred boy was able to calm him down with a little reassurance. It was a while before the judges got through all the projects. When they finally did, the five of them went to the makeshift stage that had been set up for the event. The crowd's chatter died down as Mr Bernard held up two closed fingers to indicate it was time to settle down. \n\n\"We have gone through\n each of the grade levels…and scored all of the projects within. In front of me is a list that contains the top three prizes for each grade level. Please wait until the list is finished and you celebrate with your friends and peers. For the first years, the winners are….\"\n\nThe rat began going through the team and individual prizes for the first years. Neither Pent nor Xavier knew who they were and waited for bated breath for the second years to be announced.\n\n\"For the second years, for the teams, we have a first prize which will be Pent Ghelsburg and Xavier Noyer…..\"\n\nThe chipmunk couldn't help but give his boyfriend a high-four. Pent was ecstatic. The smile on his face covered his entire snout. The two boys hugged each other, each of them relieved for different reasons. They remained to listen to the rest of the winners to show their respect. But to them, the ordeal was done and over with. Once the winners were announced the two cubs were awarded ribbons along with all the other winners. They took it with pride and put them in their bags for safekeeping.\n\nWhen the event was over Mr Bernard asked the students to help take down the projects in preparation for lunch. Pent and Xavier helped along with the other students to disassemble things. All of the projects were taken back to the respective Science classroom for their grade. It was a lengthy task but one that didn't take nearly as long with the majority of students helping out. Of course, some did nothing but most of the ones who participated in the fair did their fair share and helped out.\n\nAfter everything was complete the students were allowed to go to lunch. Each of the grades was assigned the same lunch period that day to accommodate the fair. Upon returning to the lunch room, Xavier and Pent found the place packed. Every table was already full of students and the line strung around the sides of the room to fit all of them inside. Fortunately for the two cubs, they didn't plan on staying inside.\n\nStill, the two had to wait in line since both of them had to get lunch from the school offerings. The lunch period had been extended today as the administration in the building knew the demand would be overwhelming. The cafeteria staff was full of volunteers and with the extra people, things were going much faster than they would otherwise. The line moved rather quickly and many of the students were told to go outside.\n\nOnce Pent and his boyfriend got to the front of the line they worked through the selections of food in front of them. Despite the amount of students that had gone in front of them, there were still plenty of things to pick from. Each of them picked something they thought they would like. The fox thanked the cafeteria workers and the two cubs grabbed themselves something to drink before heading out to the outside like everyone else was.\n\nAn announcement soon went over the intercom indicating that gym class would be canceled. A cheer could be heard in the distance as the two cubs chuckled at it. Neither Xavier nor Pent cared much about the issue. They soon found that their usual tree was taken so instead they found an open spot by some tall bushes. There wasn't as much shade but it still gave them the privacy they wanted.\n\nThe two boys didn't chat about anything other than the Science Fair. Neither of them was gloating about it. Each of them gave the other cub candid compliments. It was the only thing they talked about the entire time. Xavier, for the first time in his life, was happy he'd participated in the event. The fox was equally glad to share his love of Science with his boyfriend. It was something they'd both fondly remember for some time and would continue doing in the future.\n\nSoon another announcement followed. It said that the rest of the day would be recess for all grades. The school was simply too overwhelmed with the combined cleanup of the Science Fair as well as the collective cafeteria gathering. They expected it to be much less messy than it ended up being. Asking only that the students stay outside so that they could clean up and get things back in order.\n\nThis bothered none of the students. There was a loud cheer celebrating it and the remaining students who were still inside came crashing out of the cafeteria. Pent and Xavier remained where they were, not wanting to bother with the other students. After all, neither of them had been that successful in making new friends. Yet even still they seemed happy to spend the time with each other and not worry about anyone else.\n\nPent and Xavier eventually got tired of sitting around and began walking around the school. Still, they held hands and remained together. Some of the other students stared at them but the couple was well past the point of caring about what anyone thought about their relationship. Before they knew it the final bell of the day rang. Many of the students had already made their way out front in anticipation of it so the fox and chipmunk were some of the last to do so.\n\nThey made their way to the bus loop where they usually separated when they weren't hanging out with one another. Samaliel was already there waiting there for his brother. Pent kissed his boyfriend on the cheek before bidding him farewell. The younger boy couldn't help but smile at the two. It was always strange for him to see them be affectionate in public no matter how many times he'd seen it before.\n\nThe two fox brothers made their way on board the bus and Pent waved to the chipmunk from the window he was sitting at. Xavier waved back and headed over to the car loop. As usual, the place was bustling with activity. He looked around to see if either of his parent's cars were visible in the lineup. He waited around until the familiar site of his father's truck showed up. The man made his way through the line until he picked up his son from where he was standing.\n\nOnce his father stopped, the boy got inside the vehicle. Xavier smiled at his father who greeted him after he got inside.\n\n\"How did the Science fair go?\" The man asked as he knew full well his son had participated in it.\n\nThe cub buckled himself in. \"It went well. Pent and I got first place.\"\n\n\"Oh? Did you know?\" The father started the vehicle back up and headed out of the car loop.\n\nXavier pulled the red ribbon out of his bag and showed it to his father. \"Yup.\"\n\n\"Very nice…this calls for some celebration. How would you like to go to play Mini Golf with Pent?\" The father figured it would be a nice treat.\n\nThe chipmunk seemed surprised. \"Really? But he already went home.\"\n\n\"You can text him or whatever and see if he wants to go. If he does…he can ask his mother and I'll stop by to pick him up.\" The father pulled to the side of the road to see what the fox's response would be.\n\nXavier perked up a bit. \"Really? Sweet. That sounds awesome.\"\n\n\"Sure, you guys deserve it. You two did a lot of hard work on that project.\" The man waited for his son to contact his boyfriend.\n\nThe brown-furred texted his boyfriend who was still on the bus. Pent felt the buzz in his pocket and reached in to grab his phone. Sure enough, it was a text from Xavier. His face lit up the moment he read it. It seemed that he'd have another date with his beloved. He quickly shot a text to his foster mother but was certain she wouldn't mind, as she never did. She responded before long and the fox passed along the message to the chipmunk.\n\nXavier told his father who diverted the direction of the car. They began to head their way to the Fox boy's apartment. It didn't take them very long to get there and by the time they did, the white fox cub was already waiting out front. Pent had already put his stuff away. He was still in his school uniform but so was the other boy, so none of that mattered to him. All he was interested in doing was spending more time with the other cub.\n\nPent quickly got into the back seat and Xavier crawled in with him through the space between the seats. The father chuckled as his son's tail flicked in front of his face. He waited for the boys to get settled in before starting the car again. Both boys buckled in next to each other. His father checked in the rearview mirror one last time before heading off again. He smiled at the two cubs who had big goofy grins on their faces as they often did when they were together.\n\nThe father knew just the place to take them. It was an old place that had been there a few generations now. It was a rather popular attraction for families. He had gone there with his wife a few times in the past and had enjoyed it. He figured the young couple in the back seat would enjoy it just as much as he and his wife had. They arrived before long and the man pulled into the parking lot out front.\n\nThe older male turned around and gave his son enough money for two rounds of mini golf. He figured it would be more than enough to occupy them until dinner. Telling them that he'd be back to pick them up for dinner. Pent had promised to be home for dinner and had made it clear he needed to be back by then. Of course, the chipmunk's father understood the issue and didn't question it.\n\nXavier thanked him for the money and the two boys got out of the car together. They waved to the chipmunk's father who drove away shortly after. Pent and his boyfriend made their way to the ticket counter. The brown-furred cub paid for their tickets to the venue and they made their way inside. Once they were inside each of them was given a putter and a single golf ball. Xavier picked out yellow and his boyfriend picked out orange.\n\nThey continued to the first hole. The first putting green was a windmill trick shot. Some flat blades circled a rotating spinner at the center of it. At the bottom of it was a small hole that fed through to the hole behind it. Pent allowed Xavier to go first. It had been a long time since Xavier had done any miniature golfing before and\n he wasn't certain how he would do it. \n\nHe put the ball on the placed it on the mat in front of him. He aimed his putter to the side of the ball and slowly hit it. The ball projected forward and batted right against one of the blades of the windmill. Xavier huffed as he watched the thing roll back towards him. He tried a second time and was able to get the ball to get to the other side. The chipmunk followed through to the other side and finished up his putting in just three hits.\n\nIt was now Pent's turn. The fox was much more calculated about his first put. He watched the blades as if he were projecting where they might be when he hit. Even go to the side of it to watch it from there. The other boy watched him closely, not surprised to see his boyfriend overthinking things as he often did. When Pent finally hit the ball, it sailed right through the first hole but didn't quite make it to the second.\n\nPent finished off his first hole in two shots. The two boys smiled at each other as patted their boyfriend on the back. Xavier wasn't about to be a spoiled sport around his boyfriend. Besides he still had plenty of holes to make up ground, he told himself in his head. They made their way to the second hole. This one was a spiraling ramp that led up a cake-like mountain. At the top was a hole that fed through to the other side.\n\nXavier told Pent that he was certain he'd have better luck with this one. Spending a little more time sizing up the put before putting some weight behind his shot. The chipmunk's ball sailed forward, reeling up the ramp to the top of the cake mountain. When it finally reached the top it rolled back down and right into the hole behind it. The rodent boy cheered as he was watching from the side. He had scored a hole-in-one.\n\nThe white cub congratulated him before filing over to the starting spot where the small mat was. He set his ball down and began gauging the task in front of him. It was difficult to make out the angle and incline rate of the ramp. Not to mention the spiraling of the ramp made it hard to see how large it was. It seemed his usual method of approaching things likely wouldn't work. So the fox made an educated guess and knocked his ball forward.\n\nThe fox watched his ball go up the ramp slowly. Curling around each corner with decreasing velocity. Just as it got to the top the thing stopped entirely. Pent had to hit it in with his hand since the cake mountain wasn't designed for people to climb up. Once the ball got rolling again, it had no issue in going down the rest of the ramp. It eventually found its way to the hole, putting the cubs at even stakes.\n\nXavier smiled at his boyfriend and said nothing. He led him over to the next hole which was a miniature merry-go-round of sorts. The merry-go-round had several holes at the bottom of it but the majority of the base was blocked off to make the hole harder. Pent smirked as he figured this one would be easier to gauge since the merry-go-round was rotating at the same pace and remaining unchanged.\n\nPent went the first time and watched the merry-go-round spin a few times to figure out how fast it was going. It was slow enough that he could see the multiple holes underneath each time they became visible. It seemed like an easier hole to him. He waited a few more seconds before knocking his ball forward with a hard push, sending the thing racing through one of the holes of the merry-go-round.\n\nThe thing had so much force that it sailed right over the hole and hit the back wall of the back area. Pent finished up with a second put and picked it up before allowing his boyfriend to take his turn. Xavier wasn't nearly as careful with his shot. He tried repeating what the fox had done but didn't have the same understanding the other boy did. When he hit his ball forward, the thing made it inside but ended up getting caught up within the merry-go-round.\n\nXavier ended up having to hit the ball release button which forced the ball out and cost him an extra shot. After putting it in he ended up a shot behind the other boy. The chipmunk shrugged at the issue and grabbed his ball from the hole before they made their way to the next hole. The game continued much the same way for the duration of it. Each cub has issues with different holes and their scores remain more or less in flux.\n\nWhen they got to the final hole of the first round, they found themselves on what was considered the hardest hole in the entire course. It was designed to look like a pirate ship with a ramp leading onto the ship itself. On the deck, there were several stairs and a mast with another ramp that led up to it. At the top of the hollowed-out mast, there was a hole for the ball to feed through to the other side.\n\nXavier decided to go first this time. He gave a hearty \"Arr…\" to be funny and the other cub couldn't help but laugh at his boyfriend's playful attitude. He hit the ball as hard as he could, thinking that it needed as much muscle behind it to make its way up to the ramp on the mast. He watched it go up the first set of ramps and be dumped onto the ship before getting stuck on the deck.\n\nThe ship was large enough for people to step onto it so he made his way onto the deck to make a second shot. This time he was able to get it to go up the mast and be fed through the after of the vessel. It once again fell short of the hole but he was able to follow up and get it in three shots. It was now the fox's turn and he had to get in the same number of shots he would lose. \n\nThe fox hadn't quite worked out a plan since the task before him wasn't one he could simply figure out in his head. He decided to approach it like his boyfriend did and hit the first shot with a hard knock. The first shot didn't quite make it up the ramp and the fox huffed in frustration. He took it much slower the second time around and was able to make it up the deck. Pent clambered up the ladder and made his way to the deck.\n\nTaking a deep breath he hit the thing for what he hoped would be the last time. Sure enough, the thing sailed up the mast and down it, right into the hole. It appeared the two cubs would end the first round in a tie. Both cubs chuckled at each other at the fact they had ended up even but they had enjoyed themselves so it didn't matter. They headed back to the start to begin the second round anew.\n\nPent and Xavier continued playing miniature golf through the second round. Both boys knew the course better this time and so their scores would marginally improve. The second time around Xavier was able to get luckier and was able to come out on top. A fact that frustrated Pent but didn't upset him. He was just glad to spend time with his boyfriend and the fox's competitive desire to win whittled away beneath his want to make the other boy happy.\n\nWhen they were done, they returned their clubs and balls to the stand. Xavier called his parents to let them know they were done. They proceeded to the front of the complex where they waited for one of the chipmunk's parents to pick them up. It was a short wait until the mother's familiar car pulled into the front of the place. Both of the boys filed into the back with the woman greeting them as they entered.\n\n\"How was it?\" She asked the two cubs who had huge smiles on their faces.\n\nXavier chirped. \"It was fun. We tied the first round but I won the second.\"\n\n\"Yup, Xae is the better putter to be sure.\" The bigger boy nuzzled into the other boy's cheek.\nShe chuckled at them. \"You guys are such a cute couple.\"\n\nXavier put his arm over the other boy and pulled him close. The mother started her vehicle before long. She knew the fox had to be taken home, regardless of what either of the cubs wanted. The woman made her way to the Arctic fox's apartment. The two cubs in the back chatted about their time at the miniature golf place. It seemed they had rather enjoyed themselves and Pent didn't seem sour at all about having lost.\n\nJust as she was pulling into the complex, Xavier asked the question that had been on his mind since he'd gotten into the car.\n\n\"Do you think I can stay over at Pent's for dinner?\" The chipmunk asked with a hopeful look about him.\n\nPent looked over at him with a smile, not seeming to mind being asked about it. The older woman pulled into the parking lot and peered back at them. The two were still shoulder to shoulder and holding hands. She felt like they were inseparable now. The mother thought about it for a second. \n\n\"Pent can ask his mother. If she's alright with it…then I don't mind.\" She smiled back at them.\n\nXavier nudged his boyfriend who pulled out his phone to give his foster mother a text. She was still working but responded rather quickly. By this point Pent's foster mother had no issue with the chipmunk coming over. Xavier had more or less become a mainstay at their home and it kept the fox cubs from complaining about other things. To her, it was a win-win situation and so she agreed.\n\nPent let the chipmunk's mother know and she nodded, telling them that she'd be back for Xavier later. She was less than surprised that the fox's mother had no issue with it. She almost expected it at this point. The chipmunk and fox got out of the back seat together and rushed to the front door of the white cub's apartment. She chuckled at the two giddy lovebirds and went on her way back to her home, hoping her husband wouldn't mind eating without their son again.\n\nPent and Xavier made their way to the front door of the fox's home. It was already dark so he had to rely on the outdoor lighting to find the keyhole. The bigger boy let his boyfriend in the door. Samaliel was in the front room and heard the front door open. He immediately paused the game to greet his brother. The younger boy was only a slight bit surprised when he saw the familiar sight of the chipmunk cub with Pent.\n\n\"I heard you guys won the Science Fair. Congrats. Where\n did you guys go after?\" The salt and pepper cub knew they went somewhere but wasn't sure where.\n\nPent nodded. \"Yeah, we won. We went to play miniature golf after. Xavier beat me.\"\n\n\"You didn't play bad though, foxy.\" Xavier shoved him playfully.\n\nThe bigger boy shrugged. \"What would you like for dinner, Sama?\"\n\n\"You guys can pick…I'll eat whatever.\" Samaliel didn't want to be difficult.\n\nPent smiled at him. \"Alright. Come on, Xae…let's go make something to eat.\"\n\nBoth of them kicked off their shoes and made their way to the kitchen. Xavier hugged the fox kit from behind, just enjoying his closeness for a moment. The white cub nuzzled into him a bit before kissing him on the cheek. They soon broke it off as they were still awkward about being affectionate in front of the younger cub. Pent went over to the fridge and opened it, looking through it to gauge their options.\n\nPent decided on some Salmon, French fries, rice, and vegetables. He asked Xavier to make the rice and vegetables while he worked on the fish and French fries. It was a simple enough meal, one that didn't take an extraordinary amount of time. The room soon smelled the scent of fresh food. The aroma of it wafting out into the living room where the younger cub was back to playing video games.\n\nSamaliel soon shuffled in as he assumed dinner was soon to be ready. Xavier and Pent were already setting the table with stuff. The younger boy wanted to do something nice for them and decided to make them drinks and pick out the cookies from the cabinet for after. Serving each two of them before putting the stuff away. It wasn't long before the entire meal was ready and Samaliel picked up his plate and drink.\n\n\"Going somewhere?\" Pent asked him, noticing the younger boy looked like he was going to leave.\n\nSamaliel shrugged. \"I figured you would like some alone time with Xavier.\"\n\n\"I mean…you can eat with us if you want.\" The older fox wasn't expecting that.\n\nThe younger boy looked back. \"I don't mind. What would you like, Pent?\"\n\nPent looked at his brother and then back at his boyfriend. Xavier didn't want to pressure him at all so he said nothing. The white fox hummed for a moment.\n\n\"Nah, you can eat with us.\" He didn't want to isolate his brother.\n\nThe salt and pepper fox turned around with his plate and glass of milk before rejoining them at the table. As always Pent and Xavier sat next to each other. The three of them began eating together and not much was said between them. They simply enjoyed the meal before them along with the company they had. Xavier reached over to clean his boyfriend's snout which had some cocktail sauce on it.\n\nSamaliel chuckled as he watched the chipmunk try to clean off the white fur. Even going as far as to dampen his finger with saliva and drag it over the stain on Pent's snout. The white cub couldn't help but blush a bit at it but didn't stop him from trying. When the meal was over the younger fox offered to clean up since the older boys had made the meal. Xavier went ahead and texted his parents to pick him up as he didn't want to make them angry.\n\nThe two boys walked together hand in hand back to the living room and sat on the sofa. Pent moved the controller that his brother had left there. The fox licked his boyfriend's cheek as the two sat there for a moment. Xavier played pawsie a little bit with him, rubbing his socked paws along the other boy's ankle and foot. The bigger boy watched him with interest but the moment the younger boy walked into the room they stopped. The fox kit couldn't help but smirk at him and Xavier smiled back softly.\n\nThey remained in the front room together until there was a knock at the door. Xavier and Pent got up since they assumed it was one of the chipmunk's parents. The brown-furred boy decided to get his shoes on while the fox opened the door. Sure enough, it was the boy's mother who smiled at the fox when he answered the door. Xavier turned around and hugged her once he was close enough.\n\nPent followed Xavier outside and the two shared a short hug and kiss before they parted ways. The chipmunk joined his mother in the car and waved goodbye to his boyfriend. They soon went their separate ways and the fox returned inside. The salt and pepper cub was waiting for his brother to come back inside. Holding something behind his back, waiting for his brother to ask about it.\n\n\"What are you hiding, Sama?\" Pent didn't take long to notice it.\n\nSamaliel revealed what he was hiding. \"I made this for you today. I figured you could put a picture inside of it.\"\n\nThe younger fox had made him a picture frame in wood shop. \n\n\"That's very nice of you, Sama. Thanks…\" The fox leaned in and hugged the younger boy.\n\nThe salt and pepper boy returned the hug with one of his own. After they broke off the hug, Pent took hold of the frame. He was already thinking about the picture he wanted to put inside. He wasted no time in returning to his room, going through the collection of photos that he and Xavier had taken in the past. Deciding on one of the earliest ones from their first date and putting it inside.\n\nPent washed up and got into his pajamas. As usual, he was the first one into bed, quickly burring his face into another new book. Eager to get started on a new publication about Quantum Mechanics, but his thoughts occasionally wandered to his beloved. It was one of the few concepts he was still grasping to understand and he wanted nothing more than to completely get all of its nuances. The older fox quickly lost track of time and was reminded by his brother that it was time to go to bed. \n\nPent finally put away his book. His mind was finally satisfied for the night, as he eased himself into bed. The salt and pepper fox soon turned off the lights and made his way up to the top bunk. Each boy tells the other good night. The older boy of course couldn't help but gaze at the stars, allowing his mind to settle a bit as he often did. Before long his eyes began to waver and he fell to sleep.\n\nThe fox slept soundly that night. His mind was still filled with thoughts of the other cub. Despite having occupied his mind with his love of Science, he couldn't entirely keep the other boy out of his thoughts. His dream that night of the two cubs on the beach together sitting underneath the sauntering sun, holding hands. The two of them slumber away beneath the warm rays of light.\n\nEarlier when Xavier had left, he was pretty quiet with his mother. Of course, she didn't mind as she assumed he was tired. But the chipmunk boy was deep in thought. Thinking about his day with Pent and about the Science fair. He couldn't help but be relieved that it was done with but part of him was proud that it went so well. He hoped that in the future they could do it again and he was almost certain they would.\n\nWhen they arrived home, Xavier was already feeling a bit sluggish. He'd had a long day and hadn't had much downtime. Still, he was able to make it in under his power. The boy's mother reminded him to take a shower before he headed to bed. The cub hadn't forgotten but it wasn't the only thing on his mind. He grabbed a change of clothes from his room before going into the shower to wash up and get ready for bed.\n\nXavier looked at his phone one final time before retiring it to its charger. The cub got into his bed and gazed out the window, wondering if the fox was doing the same. Eager for the next day, already considering things they might do together. Fantasizing a bit about sitting under the stars with his boyfriend once again. Soon his eyes began to flutter as the fatigue from the day began to set in.\n\nEventually, he fell asleep. That night he had perhaps the most unique dream he'd had in a while. Thoughts of him and Pent being much older. Living together under one roof and seeming all too happy together. The two of them share a room, sharing their lives, and sharing their entire being. It was perhaps his visions of what the future might hold for him and his boyfriend, or so he hoped.\n\nIt seemed that boy boys had become more and more a part of one another's lives. Neither was obsessed with the other. It was a healthy relationship to be sure. One that continued to grow stronger and more meaningful with each passing day. One that neither would have changed for anything in the world. One which they both hoped would continue well into the future…as thoughts of spending their entire lives together began to settle within their minds. What the future may hold…only time will tell.", "writing_bbcode_parsed": "Fair and Fun by Pent Ghelsburg

Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves some suggestive and/or sexual content and underaged characters. You have been warned.\t

The week that Xavier had been spending over at Pent's had come and gone. With it, life had returned to normal for the two cubs. The chipmunk was all too happy to see his parents as he had good relationships with both of them. He liked spending time with his boyfriend but time with his family was just as important to him. After all his parents did nothing but support and love him in any way they could.

\tPent was glad to have things back to the way they were supposed to be as well. Having his boyfriend around all the time was great but he was beginning to feel bad for his brother sleeping on the sofa all night. Of course, Samaliel was all too happy to indulge him but the younger brother was getting tired of it and just put up with it to make the older boy happy. It was an issue neither of them confronted the entire time Xavier was at their apartment.

\tThat weekend the fox kit worked on hashing out the finishing details of his Biology project. He hadn't forgotten about Xavier supposed to be involved, but he had pushed off creating the report for it until the last minute. For the first time in his life, he felt rushed about it and he wasn't about to bother his boyfriend with the issue. He decided to finish the project on his own and surprise Xavier with it at the Science fair.

\tSamaliel was minding his own business and playing video games. He noticed that Pent had shut himself in the closet. He knew all too well what this meant and figured the older fox was working on another one of his projects. The salt and pepper boy decided to check on him to make sure everything was alright.  The younger boy got up from the sofa and headed over to the closet before knocking on the door.

"What's up, Sama?" Pent knew who it was without checking since the other boy was the only one home.

The smaller boy opened the door. "I'm just checking on you to make sure you don't go overboard like always...What are you working on?"

"The Science Fair project. Xavier helped me work on it…I'm just finishing it."  The white fox wiped his forehead as it was somewhat hot inside the closet.

Samaliel rolled his eyes. "Knowing you….I question how much he did. How come he isn't over helping you finish it?"

"Because…I should have thought about it while he was here and I procrastinated because…well…" Pent stammered and didn't finish the statement as he was afraid of admitting the obvious.

The salt and pepper fox smirked at him. "Because you were enjoying yourself? Nothing wrong with that. Are you sure you don't wanna invite him over?"

"Nah. I'm fine. I'm almost done…" The older boy got back to work.

The younger boy huffed and decided to take matters into his own hands. He knew that his brother was much too prideful to ask for help, even from his supposed boyfriend. Samaliel padded back to his room and noticed that the older boy's phone was on a counter. He figured Pent wouldn't mind if he just invited Xavier over. After all, it was just for a little while. He quickly padded out a text to the chipmunk on the phone.

"Hey, Xae…Can you come help with the project, please?" He kept it short and sweet to not let the other boy onto who was asking him for assistance.

It was a short while before there was a knock at the door. Samaliel was still in the front room and all but expected it to happen. The younger boy made sure to answer the door so that Pent would be surprised.

"Hiya, Xae…he's in his so-called lab. By the way…he doesn't know you're here…I am the one who sent you the text. He wasn't going to ask you for help so I did it for him." The younger boy wanted to make sure the rodent understood what was going on.

The brown-furred boy shook his head. "Oh, foxy…Alright, Sama. No problem."

Xavier ruffled the smaller boy's head fur and thanked him before heading over to the door. He opened the door without knocking on it. The white fox heard the door open and turned around. Upon seeing the smaller boy behind him, he couldn't help but smile.

"Xavier? What are you doing here?" He asked as he hugged the other boy tightly.

The smaller cub hugged him back. "You're brother asked me to come over. I can't let you finish the project on your own…that's not fair. Here…I brought some more sports drinks we can add to our experiment."

The chipmunk showed him a bag of the stuff brought with him that his parents had brought up along the way. He placed the bag on the small counter in front of him. Pent moved to the side and allowed his boyfriend to have some space next to him. Samaliel watched in on them from behind. His brother's tail was wagging gently behind him. It was apparent that he made the right choice and walked away with a smile on his face.

Pent and Xavier began to work on the project together. Of course, the groundwork for it had already been laid.  The fox had already created a spreadsheet with the meter and having more samples would only add to it. He came up with an additional idea to add more juice and expand the existing profile of what they had. He asked the rodent to grab some of the juice boxes from the fridge.

The brown-furred boy made his way to the kitchen to grab the juice boxes. He grabbed one of each variety and one extra for each of them. Making sure to get one for the young boy as well. Throwing it to him as he went by on the sofa. The salt and pepper boy thanked him and continued focusing on the video game level in front of him. Xavier brought the rest of them with him to the closet.

He set them down on the counter. Pent had already organized the sports drink by its supposed nutritional value. He had already put them on the spreadsheet and began laying out a complete proportional outlook for each of them for each of the main electrolytes. He also made one for the supposed vitamin content in each of them to see if it measured with what they found.

They started the project as they did last time by measuring the voltage of each of the liquids. This was the easiest part that took the least amount of time. Next was measuring each of the most prominent vitamins, which Pent had bought a nutrient testing kit for. Xavier continued to read off each of the findings and the fox catalogued them. It was going much faster as a team than it would ever have alone.

The final step was a comparative analysis of each of them. They found that each of the juices had more electrolytes than any of the sports drinks. It was a conclusion that surprised only the chipmunk who wasn't aware of it. The fox was more than happy that they came to the conclusion of it and began writing it off. The project was now finished and all that was left now was turning it to show it off.

Xavier didn't stay much longer after the project was finished. He had promised his parents that he'd let them know when he was done. After all, he had to convince them to take him back. They were slightly annoyed that he and Pent hadn't finished the project when they were staying together. So once it was done he called them back to pick him up and it wasn't long before they showed up.

Pent put the final finishing touches on the project once his boyfriend was gone. He felt like it wasn't enough to hinge their success on electrolytes alone. He ended up adding more about vitamins and which of the drinks had more than others. Of course, it was a much easier process and one that probably wasn't necessary in the end. Yet, he was a perfectionist when it came to Science and that wasn't going to change just because he was in a relationship now.

When the project was finally done, he showed it off to Samaliel. The younger boy listened to his brother gush a bit about how Xavier had helped him. How wonderful it was to have him enjoy the same hobby that the fox kit took so seriously. To the salt and pepper fox, it was always a bit strange to see his brother that way. Yet he wouldn't change it for anything as he felt like Pent had changed for the better because of it.

The rest of the day flew by pretty quickly with the Arctic fox thinking only about the project and how it would ultimately be displayed at school. He wanted nothing more than to win first prize. Anything less than that would be unacceptable to him and would break the long-lasting record that he'd been racking up over the last few years. His brother had to tell him multiple times to go to sleep but eventually, the older boy's active mind fell asleep due to overthinking.

Monday morning arrived before long and with it the familiar sound of the alarm buzzer. Pent awoke to the sound of it and sprang out of his bed without delay. He did it so quickly, that he almost hit his head on the bottom of the top bunk. The white fox peered over the top and nudged his brother who was still fast asleep. It took only a few nudges before the salt and pepper fox was rousing and coming about.

Samaliel sat up and gave the other boy a light smile. The younger boy shoved himself out of bed and slid down the ladder. They walked together to the kitchen. Pent focused on making them breakfast while the younger boy made sure that the older one didn't get distracted by his obsession with the perfection of his project. Yet the white fox seemed strangely content and relaxed compared to normal when it came to the day of the Science fair.

Pent had already worked it out in his head. He thought he had the perfect plan to score the first-place prize that he so much coveted. There was no uncertainty left in his mind. He was entirely confident that he would win. The older boy finished making them some fruit and granola and put them in a bowl together. He joined Samaliel at the table and the two began to eat breakfast again.

"Everything alright, Pent? You seem pretty calm considering it's the day of the fair." Samaliel asked as he was a bit concerned about his brother.

The bigger boy nodded. "Yeah. I have it all settled. I know exactly how I want to present our findings."

"I
 suppose you didn't consider allowing Xavier to talk about it?" The younger boy thought his brother was being a bit overbearing.

Pent shook his head. "Oh, nah. I am going to talk to him about it today in the morning before the fair. I am not going to try and do everything. After all, we did it together so that wouldn't be fair to him."

"That's surprising. I wasn't expecting that. Never mind then…forget that I mentioned it." Samaliel wasn't as worried about it anymore.

The two brothers went about eating their meal together with not much more spoken between them. Pent was still quietly thinking to himself, ironing out any details that popped up into his mind. Overthinking things as he often did. When the meal was over, he asked Samaliel to clean up and went to get his stuff together. He went into his closet space to get the project together and put it in a small box that he had set aside for it.

He grabbed the presentation board he and Xavier had made and placed it by the door before going back to grab the box. Samaliel had finished cleaning up and had already grabbed their bags for them. The younger fox grabbed the board and handed off Pent's bag to him. Pent grabbed the box and they headed out the door together. Once they were outside the white cub locked the door behind them before they made their way out.

They proceeded to the bus stop where they waited for the familiar yellow vehicle. It wasn't long before it arrived. Samaliel had to angle the board to get inside the vehicle. He was able to manage to get through it with just a little effort, though turning the board inside the bus proved to be more difficult than he thought. They made their way to an open seat and sat together as they had usually done before Xavier started staying over.

The ride to the school wasn't a very long one. The weather was clear out and the day was warm. Once they stepped back out of the bus, they found the breeze had picked up again. Samaliel insisted on helping his brother bring the supplies to wherever the fair was being set up. The older boy agreed since he knew he couldn't handle both items on his own. Pent led him through the school and to the cafeteria where the stuff was supposed to be set up.

Pent set the box in a space on the table and took the board from his brother to do the same. He told Samaliel he could leave so that the younger boy wouldn't be late. The salt and pepper boy headed off, leaving his brother to himself. The white fox spent a few more minutes at the table setting up the board. It wasn't long before Xavier came looking for him, less than surprised to find him already at the table setting up the project.

"Hiya, Pent. Need some help?" The chipmunk touched him on the shoulder as he approached the bigger boy from behind.

The white fox turned around. "Nah, I'm done. It's not hard to set up the board and stuff. What do you think of it?"

"It looks good. Do you think we'll win?" Xavier had never seriously put effort into a project before this one.

Pent nodded. "I think we can but we still have to prove to the judges that our project is the best one."

"Ah, so what do they do?" The rodent's ears perked up in curiosity.

The bigger cub hummed as he thought about it. "They score each project against one another. There are usually a few parameters to follow…here is the paper."

Pent handed his boyfriend the score sheet. The other boy read it. The elements included things like purpose, hypothesis, data, methodology, conclusion, originality, appearance, difficulty, and presentation. Each of them was scored on levels of 5. It seemed a simple enough sheet.

"I think you should try explaining the part with electrolytes and our findings…I will do the vitamins and conclusions" The arctic fox explained the plan he had worked out in his mind.

Xavier muttered a bit. "Are you sure that's a good idea?"

"Yup, I think you'll do fine. Just look at the data chart…read off it if you need to. I'll be there to support you if you need it."  The bigger boy rubbed his boyfriend's back to ease his discomfort.

The chipmunk forced a smile. "Alright…"

"I promise you'll be fine…I trust you. Take the report with you if you want to brush up. But just give it your all and it will go great." Pent said with a confident look on his face.

The brown-furred boy nodded. "You're right. Want to hang out for a bit before classes or do you want to stay here and finish up?"

"I'm done here. We can go hang out in front of your first class since it's almost time to report in anyway." Pent grabbed a label and wrote their names on it before attaching it to the project.

The two cubs headed out together holding hands as they made their way out. They made their way to Xavier's first class, which was math that day. The schedule had been rearranged so all of the students were excused from Science that day. The final class before lunch would be the fair itself where each of the students would be allowed to go and look at each of the projects. It was something few of them looked forward to but it was still a way to get out of classes for a bit.

Xavier and Pent sat together outside of the chipmunk's first class. The two talked about nothing specific. The anxiety that had crept into the smaller boy's mind remained to an extent but it had been subdued for the most part.  The white fox kissed his boyfriend on the cheek before going on his way. Just as he did the bell rang, signaling that classes were soon to begin and the day was to get underway.

Both boy's day was rather low-key for the most part. Xavier had to deal with a few bouts of uncertainty about the project. Each time he had to remind himself of what his boyfriend had told him. It was nothing that overwhelmed him but part of him was still uncertain of what would happen. After all, he wanted Pent to be proud of him. Especially because he knew how much the fox wanted to win the science fair and he didn't want to let him down.

When the bell for the fourth class sounded and the announcements came on, Xavier felt a bit nervous. He slowly got out of his desk, making sure to wait for every other cub in his class to go out the door. The teacher even had to hurry him along since she was supposed to attend as well. She could tell he was distracted by something but wasn't sure exactly what it was. Eventually, he got the picture and carried on with his day.

Xavier made his way to the lunch room along with the rest of the crowd. He was towards the tail end of and followed along as he didn't want to keep other students from getting to where they were supposed to be. Once he was inside the lunch room, the chipmunk began looking around for his boyfriend. Sure enough, the fox had already arrived and was at the same spot as earlier, making sure that someone was at the project to prevent any mischief that might happen.

The brown-furred cub made his way over to the fox boy. Pent waved over at him once he noticed Xavier had arrived.  Pent greeted him and the two boys went over the last minute details of the project. Once the arctic fox put the other boy's mind at ease again, the chipmunk was much more sure of himself about what was going to happen and what he needed to do to make sure it went well.

Before long an announcement occurred over the intercom saying that judges would begin going around the tables to check out the projects. They had about an hour to accomplish this so the teachers that had been assigned it knew they couldn't spend much time on any one project. They were all science teachers from each of the grade levels and Mr Bernard was included as the leader of the group since he'd been doing it the longest.

The judges soon began going around the tables. Pent was already budding with excitement as he waited at the table. The fox's tail was wagging in anticipation. He knew it was only a matter of time before they got to him and Xavier. The chipmunk grabbed his boyfriend's shoulder to settle him down and Pent didn't taper at all. It was strange for him to see the Arctic fox like this no matter how many times it happened, it just wasn't normal.

It was a bit of a wait before the judges got to their table. Pent was chomping at the bit to get started. Of course, the moment they arrived, the fox started talking their ears off. Mr. Bernard had to settle his former student down. Not surprisingly the fox listened to him and started to slow down. He allowed Xavier to speak and say his part. The white cub smiled at him watching his boyfriend go on about their findings of electrolytes.

Pent felt like the chipmunk hadn't said enough about their findings. That there were still details to be discussed. Yet he held off to make his boyfriend feel like his input was appreciated. To make up for it the fox added as much as possible as he could about the findings of vitamins. Even going as far as to add the obvious misrepresentation in nutrition labels. Something that fascinated the judges and shocked some of them.

Eventually, Mr Bernard urged the judges to move on. He knew full well that Pent was capable of going on longer than he should have. After all, he did it each of the previous years and to expect anything else was foolhardy. When they finally left, the bigger cub smiled at his boyfriend. Pent was proud of him and gently hugged him. The rodent couldn't help but smile, feeling like he'd made the right choice in participating with the other boy.

The two cubs chatted while they waited for the judges to finish. Pent was a bit nervous about it but the brown-furred boy was able to calm him down with a little reassurance. It was a while before the judges got through all the projects. When they finally did, the five of them went to the makeshift stage that had been set up for the event. The crowd's chatter died down as Mr Bernard held up two closed fingers to indicate it was time to settle down.

"We have gone through
 each of the grade levels…and scored all of the projects within. In front of me is a list that contains the top three prizes for each grade level. Please wait until the list is finished and you celebrate with your friends and peers. For the first years, the winners are…."

The rat began going through the team and individual prizes for the first years. Neither Pent nor Xavier knew who they were and waited for bated breath for the second years to be announced.

"For the second years, for the teams, we have a first prize which will be Pent Ghelsburg and Xavier Noyer….."

The chipmunk couldn't help but give his boyfriend a high-four.  Pent was ecstatic. The smile on his face covered his entire snout. The two boys hugged each other, each of them relieved for different reasons. They remained to listen to the rest of the winners to show their respect. But to them, the ordeal was done and over with.  Once the winners were announced the two cubs were awarded ribbons along with all the other winners. They took it with pride and put them in their bags for safekeeping.

When the event was over Mr Bernard asked the students to help take down the projects in preparation for lunch. Pent and Xavier helped along with the other students to disassemble things. All of the projects were taken back to the respective Science classroom for their grade. It was a lengthy task but one that didn't take nearly as long with the majority of students helping out. Of course, some did nothing but most of the ones who participated in the fair did their fair share and helped out.

After everything was complete the students were allowed to go to lunch. Each of the grades was assigned the same lunch period that day to accommodate the fair. Upon returning to the lunch room, Xavier and Pent found the place packed. Every table was already full of students and the line strung around the sides of the room to fit all of them inside. Fortunately for the two cubs, they didn't plan on staying inside.

Still, the two had to wait in line since both of them had to get lunch from the school offerings. The lunch period had been extended today as the administration in the building knew the demand would be overwhelming. The cafeteria staff was full of volunteers and with the extra people, things were going much faster than they would otherwise. The line moved rather quickly and many of the students were told to go outside.

Once Pent and his boyfriend got to the front of the line they worked through the selections of food in front of them. Despite the amount of students that had gone in front of them, there were still plenty of things to pick from. Each of them picked something they thought they would like. The fox thanked the cafeteria workers and the two cubs grabbed themselves something to drink before heading out to the outside like everyone else was.

An announcement soon went over the intercom indicating that gym class would be canceled. A cheer could be heard in the distance as the two cubs chuckled at it. Neither Xavier nor Pent cared much about the issue. They soon found that their usual tree was taken so instead they found an open spot by some tall bushes. There wasn't as much shade but it still gave them the privacy they wanted.

The two boys didn't chat about anything other than the Science Fair. Neither of them was gloating about it. Each of them gave the other cub candid compliments. It was the only thing they talked about the entire time. Xavier, for the first time in his life, was happy he'd participated in the event. The fox was equally glad to share his love of Science with his boyfriend. It was something they'd both fondly remember for some time and would continue doing in the future.

Soon another announcement followed. It said that the rest of the day would be recess for all grades. The school was simply too overwhelmed with the combined cleanup of the Science Fair as well as the collective cafeteria gathering. They expected it to be much less messy than it ended up being. Asking only that the students stay outside so that they could clean up and get things back in order.

This bothered none of the students. There was a loud cheer celebrating it and the remaining students who were still inside came crashing out of the cafeteria. Pent and Xavier remained where they were, not wanting to bother with the other students. After all, neither of them had been that successful in making new friends. Yet even still they seemed happy to spend the time with each other and not worry about anyone else.

Pent and Xavier eventually got tired of sitting around and began walking around the school. Still, they held hands and remained together. Some of the other students stared at them but the couple was well past the point of caring about what anyone thought about their relationship. Before they knew it the final bell of the day rang. Many of the students had already made their way out front in anticipation of it so the fox and chipmunk were some of the last to do so.

They made their way to the bus loop where they usually separated when they weren't hanging out with one another. Samaliel was already there waiting there for his brother. Pent kissed his boyfriend on the cheek before bidding him farewell. The younger boy couldn't help but smile at the two. It was always strange for him to see them be affectionate in public no matter how many times he'd seen it before.

The two fox brothers made their way on board the bus and Pent waved to the chipmunk from the window he was sitting at.  Xavier waved back and headed over to the car loop. As usual, the place was bustling with activity. He looked around to see if either of his parent's cars were visible in the lineup. He waited around until the familiar site of his father's truck showed up. The man made his way through the line until he picked up his son from where he was standing.

Once his father stopped, the boy got inside the vehicle. Xavier smiled at his father who greeted him after he got inside.

"How did the Science fair go?" The man asked as he knew full well his son had participated in it.

The cub buckled himself in. "It went well. Pent and I got first place."

"Oh? Did you know?" The father started the vehicle back up and headed out of the car loop.

Xavier pulled the red ribbon out of his bag and showed it to his father. "Yup."

"Very nice…this calls for some celebration. How would you like to go to play Mini Golf with Pent?" The father figured it would be a nice treat.

The chipmunk seemed surprised. "Really? But he already went home."

"You can text him or whatever and see if he wants to go. If he does…he can ask his mother and I'll stop by to pick him up."  The father pulled to the side of the road to see what the fox's response would be.

Xavier perked up a bit. "Really? Sweet. That sounds awesome."

"Sure, you guys deserve it. You two did a lot of hard work on that project."  The man waited for his son to contact his boyfriend.

The brown-furred texted his boyfriend who was still on the bus. Pent felt the buzz in his pocket and reached in to grab his phone. Sure enough, it was a text from Xavier. His face lit up the moment he read it. It seemed that he'd have another date with his beloved. He quickly shot a text to his foster mother but was certain she wouldn't mind, as she never did. She responded before long and the fox passed along the message to the chipmunk.

Xavier told his father who diverted the direction of the car. They began to head their way to the Fox boy's apartment. It didn't take them very long to get there and by the time they did, the white fox cub was already waiting out front. Pent had already put his stuff away. He was still in his school uniform but so was the other boy, so none of that mattered to him. All he was interested in doing was spending more time with the other cub.

Pent quickly got into the back seat and Xavier crawled in with him through the space between the seats. The father chuckled as his son's tail flicked in front of his face. He waited for the boys to get settled in before starting the car again. Both boys buckled in next to each other. His father checked in the rearview mirror one last time before heading off again. He smiled at the two cubs who had big goofy grins on their faces as they often did when they were together.

The father knew just the place to take them. It was an old place that had been there a few generations now. It was a rather popular attraction for families. He had gone there with his wife a few times in the past and had enjoyed it. He figured the young couple in the back seat would enjoy it just as much as he and his wife had. They arrived before long and the man pulled into the parking lot out front.

The older male turned around and gave his son enough money for two rounds of mini golf. He figured it would be more than enough to occupy them until dinner. Telling them that he'd be back to pick them up for dinner. Pent had promised to be home for dinner and had made it clear he needed to be back by then. Of course, the chipmunk's father understood the issue and didn't question it.

Xavier thanked him for the money and the two boys got out of the car together. They waved to the chipmunk's father who drove away shortly after. Pent and his boyfriend made their way to the ticket counter. The brown-furred cub paid for their tickets to the venue and they made their way inside. Once they were inside each of them was given a putter and a single golf ball. Xavier picked out yellow and his boyfriend picked out orange.

They continued to the first hole. The first putting green was a windmill trick shot. Some flat blades circled a rotating spinner at the center of it. At the bottom of it was a small hole that fed through to the hole behind it. Pent allowed Xavier to go first. It had been a long time since Xavier had done any miniature golfing before and
 he wasn't certain how he would do it.

He put the ball on the placed it on the mat in front of him. He aimed his putter to the side of the ball and slowly hit it. The ball projected forward and batted right against one of the blades of the windmill. Xavier huffed as he watched the thing roll back towards him. He tried a second time and was able to get the ball to get to the other side. The chipmunk followed through to the other side and finished up his putting in just three hits.

It was now Pent's turn. The fox was much more calculated about his first put. He watched the blades as if he were projecting where they might be when he hit. Even go to the side of it to watch it from there. The other boy watched him closely, not surprised to see his boyfriend overthinking things as he often did. When Pent finally hit the ball, it sailed right through the first hole but didn't quite make it to the second.

Pent finished off his first hole in two shots. The two boys smiled at each other as patted their boyfriend on the back. Xavier wasn't about to be a spoiled sport around his boyfriend. Besides he still had plenty of holes to make up ground, he told himself in his head. They made their way to the second hole.  This one was a spiraling ramp that led up a cake-like mountain. At the top was a hole that fed through to the other side.

Xavier told Pent that he was certain he'd have better luck with this one. Spending a little more time sizing up the put before putting some weight behind his shot. The chipmunk's ball sailed forward, reeling up the ramp to the top of the cake mountain. When it finally reached the top it rolled back down and right into the hole behind it. The rodent boy cheered as he was watching from the side. He had scored a hole-in-one.

The white cub congratulated him before filing over to the starting spot where the small mat was. He set his ball down and began gauging the task in front of him. It was difficult to make out the angle and incline rate of the ramp. Not to mention the spiraling of the ramp made it hard to see how large it was. It seemed his usual method of approaching things likely wouldn't work. So the fox made an educated guess and knocked his ball forward.

The fox watched his ball go up the ramp slowly. Curling around each corner with decreasing velocity. Just as it got to the top the thing stopped entirely. Pent had to hit it in with his hand since the cake mountain wasn't designed for people to climb up. Once the ball got rolling again, it had no issue in going down the rest of the ramp. It eventually found its way to the hole, putting the cubs at even stakes.

Xavier smiled at his boyfriend and said nothing. He led him over to the next hole which was a miniature merry-go-round of sorts. The merry-go-round had several holes at the bottom of it but the majority of the base was blocked off to make the hole harder. Pent smirked as he figured this one would be easier to gauge since the merry-go-round was rotating at the same pace and remaining unchanged.

Pent went the first time and watched the merry-go-round spin a few times to figure out how fast it was going. It was slow enough that he could see the multiple holes underneath each time they became visible. It seemed like an easier hole to him. He waited a few more seconds before knocking his ball forward with a hard push, sending the thing racing through one of the holes of the merry-go-round.

The thing had so much force that it sailed right over the hole and hit the back wall of the back area. Pent finished up with a second put and picked it up before allowing his boyfriend to take his turn. Xavier wasn't nearly as careful with his shot. He tried repeating what the fox had done but didn't have the same understanding the other boy did. When he hit his ball forward, the thing made it inside but ended up getting caught up within the merry-go-round.

Xavier ended up having to hit the ball release button which forced the ball out and cost him an extra shot. After putting it in he ended up a shot behind the other boy.  The chipmunk shrugged at the issue and grabbed his ball from the hole before they made their way to the next hole. The game continued much the same way for the duration of it. Each cub has issues with different holes and their scores remain more or less in flux.

When they got to the final hole of the first round, they found themselves on what was considered the hardest hole in the entire course. It was designed to look like a pirate ship with a ramp leading onto the ship itself. On the deck, there were several stairs and a mast with another ramp that led up to it. At the top of the hollowed-out mast, there was a hole for the ball to feed through to the other side.

Xavier decided to go first this time. He gave a hearty "Arr…" to be funny and the other cub couldn't help but laugh at his boyfriend's playful attitude. He hit the ball as hard as he could, thinking that it needed as much muscle behind it to make its way up to the ramp on the mast. He watched it go up the first set of ramps and be dumped onto the ship before getting stuck on the deck.

The ship was large enough for people to step onto it so he made his way onto the deck to make a second shot. This time he was able to get it to go up the mast and be fed through the after of the vessel. It once again fell short of the hole but he was able to follow up and get it in three shots. It was now the fox's turn and he had to get in the same number of shots he would lose.

The fox hadn't quite worked out a plan since the task before him wasn't one he could simply figure out in his head. He decided to approach it like his boyfriend did and hit the first shot with a hard knock. The first shot didn't quite make it up the ramp and the fox huffed in frustration.  He took it much slower the second time around and was able to make it up the deck. Pent clambered up the ladder and made his way to the deck.

Taking a deep breath he hit the thing for what he hoped would be the last time. Sure enough, the thing sailed up the mast and down it, right into the hole. It appeared the two cubs would end the first round in a tie. Both cubs chuckled at each other at the fact they had ended up even but they had enjoyed themselves so it didn't matter. They headed back to the start to begin the second round anew.

Pent and Xavier continued playing miniature golf through the second round. Both boys knew the course better this time and so their scores would marginally improve. The second time around Xavier was able to get luckier and was able to come out on top. A fact that frustrated Pent but didn't upset him. He was just glad to spend time with his boyfriend and the fox's competitive desire to win whittled away beneath his want to make the other boy happy.

When they were done, they returned their clubs and balls to the stand. Xavier called his parents to let them know they were done. They proceeded to the front of the complex where they waited for one of the chipmunk's parents to pick them up. It was a short wait until the mother's familiar car pulled into the front of the place. Both of the boys filed into the back with the woman greeting them as they entered.

"How was it?" She asked the two cubs who had huge smiles on their faces.

Xavier chirped. "It was fun. We tied the first round but I won the second."

"Yup, Xae is the better putter to be sure." The bigger boy nuzzled into the other boy's cheek.
She chuckled at them. "You guys are such a cute couple."

Xavier put his arm over the other boy and pulled him close. The mother started her vehicle before long.  She knew the fox had to be taken home, regardless of what either of the cubs wanted. The woman made her way to the Arctic fox's apartment. The two cubs in the back chatted about their time at the miniature golf place. It seemed they had rather enjoyed themselves and Pent didn't seem sour at all about having lost.

Just as she was pulling into the complex, Xavier asked the question that had been on his mind since he'd gotten into the car.

"Do you think I can stay over at Pent's for dinner?" The chipmunk asked with a hopeful look about him.

Pent looked over at him with a smile, not seeming to mind being asked about it.  The older woman pulled into the parking lot and peered back at them. The two were still shoulder to shoulder and holding hands. She felt like they were inseparable now.  The mother thought about it for a second.

"Pent can ask his mother. If she's alright with it…then I don't mind." She smiled back at them.

Xavier nudged his boyfriend who pulled out his phone to give his foster mother a text. She was still working but responded rather quickly. By this point Pent's foster mother had no issue with the chipmunk coming over. Xavier had more or less become a mainstay at their home and it kept the fox cubs from complaining about other things. To her, it was a win-win situation and so she agreed.

Pent let the chipmunk's mother know and she nodded, telling them that she'd be back for Xavier later. She was less than surprised that the fox's mother had no issue with it. She almost expected it at this point. The chipmunk and fox got out of the back seat together and rushed to the front door of the white cub's apartment. She chuckled at the two giddy lovebirds and went on her way back to her home, hoping her husband wouldn't mind eating without their son again.

Pent and Xavier made their way to the front door of the fox's home. It was already dark so he had to rely on the outdoor lighting to find the keyhole. The bigger boy let his boyfriend in the door. Samaliel was in the front room and heard the front door open. He immediately paused the game to greet his brother. The younger boy was only a slight bit surprised when he saw the familiar sight of the chipmunk cub with Pent.

"I heard you guys won the Science Fair. Congrats. Where
 did you guys go after?" The salt and pepper cub knew they went somewhere but wasn't sure where.

Pent nodded. "Yeah, we won. We went to play miniature golf after. Xavier beat me."

"You didn't play bad though, foxy." Xavier shoved him playfully.

The bigger boy shrugged. "What would you like for dinner, Sama?"

"You guys can pick…I'll eat whatever." Samaliel didn't want to be difficult.

Pent smiled at him. "Alright. Come on, Xae…let's go make something to eat."

Both of them kicked off their shoes and made their way to the kitchen. Xavier hugged the fox kit from behind, just enjoying his closeness for a moment. The white cub nuzzled into him a bit before kissing him on the cheek. They soon broke it off as they were still awkward about being affectionate in front of the younger cub. Pent went over to the fridge and opened it, looking through it to gauge their options.

Pent decided on some Salmon, French fries, rice, and vegetables. He asked Xavier to make the rice and vegetables while he worked on the fish and French fries. It was a simple enough meal, one that didn't take an extraordinary amount of time. The room soon smelled the scent of fresh food. The aroma of it wafting out into the living room where the younger cub was back to playing video games.

Samaliel soon shuffled in as he assumed dinner was soon to be ready. Xavier and Pent were already setting the table with stuff. The younger boy wanted to do something nice for them and decided to make them drinks and pick out the cookies from the cabinet for after. Serving each two of them before putting the stuff away. It wasn't long before the entire meal was ready and Samaliel picked up his plate and drink.

"Going somewhere?" Pent asked him, noticing the younger boy looked like he was going to leave.

Samaliel shrugged. "I figured you would like some alone time with Xavier."

"I mean…you can eat with us if you want." The older fox wasn't expecting that.

The younger boy looked back. "I don't mind. What would you like, Pent?"

Pent looked at his brother and then back at his boyfriend. Xavier didn't want to pressure him at all so he said nothing. The white fox hummed for a moment.

"Nah, you can eat with us." He didn't want to isolate his brother.

The salt and pepper fox turned around with his plate and glass of milk before rejoining them at the table. As always Pent and Xavier sat next to each other. The three of them began eating together and not much was said between them.  They simply enjoyed the meal before them along with the company they had. Xavier reached over to clean his boyfriend's snout which had some cocktail sauce on it.

Samaliel chuckled as he watched the chipmunk try to clean off the white fur. Even going as far as to dampen his finger with saliva and drag it over the stain on Pent's snout. The white cub couldn't help but blush a bit at it but didn't stop him from trying. When the meal was over the younger fox offered to clean up since the older boys had made the meal. Xavier went ahead and texted his parents to pick him up as he didn't want to make them angry.

The two boys walked together hand in hand back to the living room and sat on the sofa. Pent moved the controller that his brother had left there. The fox licked his boyfriend's cheek as the two sat there for a moment. Xavier played pawsie a little bit with him, rubbing his socked paws along the other boy's ankle and foot. The bigger boy watched him with interest but the moment the younger boy walked into the room they stopped. The fox kit couldn't help but smirk at him and Xavier smiled back softly.

They remained in the front room together until there was a knock at the door. Xavier and Pent got up since they assumed it was one of the chipmunk's parents. The brown-furred boy decided to get his shoes on while the fox opened the door. Sure enough, it was the boy's mother who smiled at the fox when he answered the door.  Xavier turned around and hugged her once he was close enough.

Pent followed Xavier outside and the two shared a short hug and kiss before they parted ways. The chipmunk joined his mother in the car and waved goodbye to his boyfriend.  They soon went their separate ways and the fox returned inside. The salt and pepper cub was waiting for his brother to come back inside. Holding something behind his back, waiting for his brother to ask about it.

"What are you hiding, Sama?" Pent didn't take long to notice it.

Samaliel revealed what he was hiding. "I made this for you today. I figured you could put a picture inside of it."

The younger fox had made him a picture frame in wood shop.

"That's very nice of you, Sama. Thanks…" The fox leaned in and hugged the younger boy.

The salt and pepper boy returned the hug with one of his own. After they broke off the hug, Pent took hold of the frame. He was already thinking about the picture he wanted to put inside. He wasted no time in returning to his room, going through the collection of photos that he and Xavier had taken in the past. Deciding on one of the earliest ones from their first date and putting it inside.

Pent washed up and got into his pajamas. As usual, he was the first one into bed, quickly burring his face into another new book. Eager to get started on a new publication about Quantum Mechanics, but his thoughts occasionally wandered to his beloved. It was one of the few concepts he was still grasping to understand and he wanted nothing more than to completely get all of its nuances. The older fox quickly lost track of time and was reminded by his brother that it was time to go to bed.

Pent finally put away his book. His mind was finally satisfied for the night, as he eased himself into bed. The salt and pepper fox soon turned off the lights and made his way up to the top bunk. Each boy tells the other good night. The older boy of course couldn't help but gaze at the stars, allowing his mind to settle a bit as he often did. Before long his eyes began to waver and he fell to sleep.

The fox slept soundly that night. His mind was still filled with thoughts of the other cub. Despite having occupied his mind with his love of Science, he couldn't entirely keep the other boy out of his thoughts. His dream that night of the two cubs on the beach together sitting underneath the sauntering sun, holding hands. The two of them slumber away beneath the warm rays of light.

Earlier when Xavier had left, he was pretty quiet with his mother. Of course, she didn't mind as she assumed he was tired.  But the chipmunk boy was deep in thought. Thinking about his day with Pent and about the Science fair. He couldn't help but be relieved that it was done with but part of him was proud that it went so well. He hoped that in the future they could do it again and he was almost certain they would.

When they arrived home, Xavier was already feeling a bit sluggish. He'd had a long day and hadn't had much downtime. Still, he was able to make it in under his power. The boy's mother reminded him to take a shower before he headed to bed. The cub hadn't forgotten but it wasn't the only thing on his mind. He grabbed a change of clothes from his room before going into the shower to wash up and get ready for bed.

Xavier looked at his phone one final time before retiring it to its charger. The cub got into his bed and gazed out the window, wondering if the fox was doing the same. Eager for the next day, already considering things they might do together. Fantasizing a bit about sitting under the stars with his boyfriend once again. Soon his eyes began to flutter as the fatigue from the day began to set in.

Eventually, he fell asleep. That night he had perhaps the most unique dream he'd had in a while. Thoughts of him and Pent being much older. Living together under one roof and seeming all too happy together. The two of them share a room, sharing their lives, and sharing their entire being. It was perhaps his visions of what the future might hold for him and his boyfriend, or so he hoped.

It seemed that boy boys had become more and more a part of one another's lives. Neither was obsessed with the other. It was a healthy relationship to be sure. One that continued to grow stronger and more meaningful with each passing day. One that neither would have changed for anything in the world. One which they both hoped would continue well into the future…as thoughts of spending their entire lives together began to settle within their minds. What the future may hold…only time will tell.", "pools_count": 1, "title": "Fair & Fun", "deleted": "f", "public": "t", "mimetype": "application/msword", "pagecount": "1", "rating_id": "1", "rating_name": "Mature", "ratings": [ { "content_tag_id": "2", "name": "Nudity", "description": "Nonsexual nudity exposing breasts or genitals (must not show arousal)", "rating_id": "1" } ], "submission_type_id": "12", "type_name": "Writing - Document", "guest_block": "t", "friends_only": "f", "comments_count": "2", "views": "164" }