The Core

Story by Rosenade on SoFurry

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#1 of The Core

Hello! This is a rather old story I wrote as a commission for someone, and I haven't posted it here on Sofurry yet! So here it is-look out for a sequel tomorrow!


In some ways, working out at The Core was secondary. The upscale gym had bleeding-edge equipment and amenities that made a grueling exercise regimen feel like a relaxing indulgence, but most of the men that came here (and they were all men) could already afford their own home gym more uniquely tailored to their needs and desires. They used the top-of-the-line weightlifting machines, swam in the Olympic-sized swimming pool, and wrestled in the pristine new ring in the gym's basement, but that was only part of the reason The Core prospered.

Kevin saw another reason for the gym's popularity sitting in the locker room, plush terry cloth towel wrapped around his waist. To his left, he saw a tall, toned deer murmur something into a blushing young human's ear, slipping him a business card and giving him a slap on the ass. To his right, a pair of musclegutted horses were a little less discreet, openly discussing their lewd plans for the night as they slid their clothes back on (as they exited the locker room, they were arguing the relative merits of steel or fuzzy handcuffs for the evening's entertainment). Kevin could hear loud, eager slurping noises coming from behind a storage closet door, biting his lip and trying not to think about it. It was one of those places-for society's wealthiest, most handsome men to work out and plan hookups.

So what was Kevin Cowan doing here? A short, skinny Riolu barely out of his teen years, Kevin was an unimpressive young man from a very impressive family. His grandmother had been governor of Massachusetts for eight years, his dad was a named partner for a prestigious law firm, and his twin older sisters were chronic overachievers (one became an opera singer, the other a district attorney). And Kevin? Well, Kevin did his best.

When Kevin told his friends that he only went to The Core for the workout equipment, they just rolled their eyes. It was like a horny middle-aged man saying that he only read Playboy for the articles, or a creepy guy in a white van saying that he only watched the school playground to study the sociological implications of elementary school playtime. What made it all the more frustrating was that he meant every word of it-at least, he thought he did.

A tinny harp glissando sounded, and Kevin's phone screen lit up. The Riolu glanced at it and exhaled, irritated, through his nose. Bree. The text read "Make reservations for tonight at Feldi's", and he could practically hear the Glaceon's voice through the phone-clipped and stern, as though she was a school principal reading off a punishment to the class troublemaker. He had only started dating her a month ago, and he was already thinking of breaking it off-but then what would he say to Mom? She'd been the one to give Bree his cell phone number in the first place. He was about to text a response when voices behind him made him turn his head.

"...your friend Felix? He's usually up for a few rounds." This voice was deep and oaken, Scottish-accented. When Kevin turned around, he could see its owner; a tall, broad-shouldered Delphox, whose bare chest mingled fluffy red chest fur with wiry grey hairs. The Delphox was speaking to a Lucario, even taller than he was; Kevin guessed that the vulpine was about six and a half feet tall, but the Lucario seemed comfortably north of seven feet.

"Felix isn't free tonight," the Lucario answered, his bassy voice speaking in a light German accent. "He's hosting a fundraiser at his place. Maybe James would be up for some fun?" He grunted as he sat down on the wooden bench, right next to Kevin; the Riolu felt like a ten year old standing next to the Empire State Building.

The Lucario's companion shook his head. "Jamie's come down with a cold," the Delphox said. "Think we should put out an ad online?" The Lucario answered with a contemptuous snort. "And deal with a dozen flakes? We don't need that." He reached into his locker, pulling out a black bag and rummaging about for some kind of powder.

Kevin didn't realize that he had been staring until he heard the voice of the Delphox. "Think the fellow next to you would be interested, Joseph?" This startled the Riolu out of it, gazing blinking and nervous at the two older, stronger men.

The Lucario-Joseph-turned around and cocked his head at Kevin. "I don't know," he said. "Would you?" Hearing the Lucario's voice when he was talking to his friend (husband? They were wearing wedding bands) was one thing, but having it focused upon him was another. His deep, authoritative yet friendly voice made Kevin feel like his bones were vibrating, and the Riolu could answer only with awkward "um"s and "ah"s until the Delphox mercifully cut in.

"My apologies," he said, turning his own gaze upon Kevin. "My name's Alistair, and this is my husband Joseph," he said, patting the titanic Lucario on the shoulder. "We've been looking for a, ah, partner for this evening, and we were wondering if you might be interested." He spoke with the polite yet confident air of a wealthy businessman-never self-consciously slick, never acting like he had anything to prove. Kevin, by contrast, could only offer a stammered, perplexed "why me?"

"Well, we had seen you staring," Alistair said, gesturing to himself and his husband. Seemingly sensing that Kevin was about to apologize, he said, "No need to be sorry! I understand completely. Lots of boys like you come here for a good time. We're happy to provide it."

Kevin had a lot of thoughts running through his mind, often wildly contradictory. Reasonable thoughts, like "I don't know these guys" and "I've got plans" clashed with wordless, slavering lizard-brain responses to the handsome, muscled older men.

Those lizard-brain thoughts grew stronger and stronger. The Lucario was more obviously built; his biceps bulged, taut and firm in a way that conveyed strength without approaching the engorged, veiny excesses of roided-up bodybuilders. His pecs and belly seemed as hard as rock, and yet they jiggled slightly when they moved-a delicious musclegut. Alistair was thinner and somewhat shorter, but his muscles were no less impressive; chiseled pecs, toned abs, and a sliver of hairy, beefy thigh visible through the fold of his towel.

All these thoughts went through Kevin's mind, almost all at once. The thought that reached his lips was "I have a girlfriend!"

Alistair leaned down, a charming, rakish smirk spreading across his face. "Then she doesn't have to know."

Kevin blinked, considering. Then, he darted his head down to his phone screen, texting Bree back. "Going to take a rain check. Sorry, something's come up." He could almost see her peering disapprovingly down at him from behind her wire-frame glasses, and the thought made him small smile as he started to gather his things.


"NNNNAAAAAUUUUUGH!"

"Hmmm? What's that?" Alistair sounded almost bored as he said that, as though he was investigating a strange sound from the kitchen rather than squeezing Kevin in a merciless bearhug. The two beefy Poke-daddies had taken Kevin back to their place-a stately yet modern mansion with its own gym-and they were clearly about to put him through the wringer. Alistair had hoisted the Riolu off the ground as though he weighed as much as a pillow, and the Delphox's hard, toned arms wrapped around Kevin's midsection, cinching tighter and tighter. The Riolu's legs kicked in the air as he struggled in Alistair's grip, but his efforts only earned him a deep, purring little chuckle into his ear.

"And where do you think you're going, lad?" His voice was low and murmuring, intimidating yet oddly paternal. "I'd like to see you try and break out of this..." With that, he grunted, giving another bruising bearhug that made Kevin suck in a sharp breath through his teeth. The Riolu made a noise somewhere between "eeeerkhh!" and "grrrrrggggh!" as he wrapped his arms around the Delphox in turn. He wasn't trying to squeeze (it would be like trying to take down Stonehenge with a chisel), but rather to get some leverage, to make it so his ribs wouldn't feel like they were about to be ground into powder.

From somewhere out of Kevin's view (which consisted mostly of hairy Delphox chest), Joseph spoke. "Don't hog him all to yourself," he said, the Lucario's voice still making the Riolu shiver. Alistair answered. "Well, don't just stand there, love!" Kevin heard big, heavy feet walk along the hardwood floor of the home gym before a hot, heavy warmth pressed up behind him. In his periphery, he could see Joseph's big blue arms come from behind, wrapping Alistair (and Kevin) up. He wasn't squeezing, but he didn't need to; the Lucario's big body pressing up behind him added even more unbearable pressure to the situation.

"Grkh...nnnnghf..." Kevin's utterances of protest were smothered out by two hairy, rock-hard bodies. Alistair's arms continued to bear down on his back, burying his face deep into the cleft of that furry chest. The Riolu's nose was clogged with chest hair, the warm, oaky musk of the Delphox flooding his nose as Joseph's musclegut put him in place.

As though he was underwater, he could hear Joseph say "think he'll pass out?" Reinvigorated thrashing earned a peal of rich laughter from the two studs, before the Riolu was unceremoniously dumped on the ground, like a gasping blue sack of potatoes. Kevin covered his mouth, giving heavy, ragged coughs as he tried to get his breath back. Still, those two muscled daddies loomed over him, smirking deviously.

"That's alright, little one," Alistair said. "Take a minute to catch your breath. No one's stopping you." As he caught his breath, Kevin thought about those last four words. No one was stopping him from telling Alistair and Joseph that he was in over his head and asking them for a ride back home. He could take a long shower, call up Bree and invite her to a movie for the night. But he wouldn't-he wouldn't ask them to stop. Maybe it was because he was scared, but maybe...

He looked up at the two and nodded. "Ready?"


When Kevin had first eaten Bree's pussy, the Glaceon wrapped her legs around his head, locking her ankles and bearing down as he snorted and groaned through the ordeal. He wanted to ask her what that was all about, but he was a little too meek to just ask something like that (besides, it was difficult if not impossible to ask a question with your face buried in your girlfriend's snatch). All this was to say that the situation he currently found himself in was familiar.

"Aaaaah, that's it," Joseph rumbled, his rich, bassy thrum of a voice nothing but vibrations to the Riolu as he struggled with the pair of thighs latched around his neck. The Lucario had trapped him in an airtight headscissors, one heavy foot crossed over the other as Kevin's hands gripped those hard, hairy blue thighs. The Riolu was quietly impressed by the firmness and musculature of those quads-when he slapped at them, they barely jiggled. Of course, it was hard to be vocally impressed when your throat was being squeezed to the width of a drinking straw.

Kevin knew enough about wrestling holds to know that this was what was called a reverse headscissors-rather than staring up at the Lucario's sweaty jockstrap bulge, he was a captive witness to Joseph's big, hairy musclebutt, practically jiggling with every shift of his weight. Errant beats of sweat ran down those jellylike buns, sometimes going down to Joseph's thighs and occasionally landing on Kevin's face. The Riolu's nose wrinkled, but that was small potatoes compared to what was to come.

"Think his face fits the both of us?" Alistair asked, earning a weak "hrrrkgh" from Kevin as Joseph shrugged. "Let's try it, then. Sit back, will you, love?"

Kevin's eyes widened as Joseph shifted effortlessly, that gargantuan ass moving from just out of reach to hovering like two massive blue moons over his face. He could barely get a noise out before Joseph settled down, the lower half of the Riolu's face swallowed by the Lucario's mighty rump. Kevin's nose was shoved deep into that crack, sweat and ass hair making his nose burn and itch as his wide eyes looked up at the smirking Delphox.

"I think I'll fit. Do you?" Of course, it wasn't up to Kevin, which was made all the clearer as Alistair turned around and lowered into a squat. Alistair's ass was slightly smaller than Joseph's, but no less juicy; the rich red-furred glutes grew bigger and bigger until they swallowed up the top half of the Riolu's face. The two daddies sighed, resting themselves back to back, sharing their sub's face and relishing Kevin's twitches and wriggles.

"Do you like that?" Joseph asked, earning a muffled "mmmmmf" from Kevin. "I think he does," Joseph continued, Alistair happily building upon it. "I was surprised that you took to this so quickly," the dominant Scot said, his voice barely audible from beneath those two hairy butts. "Breathplay is less common than we'd like. It's nice to meet such an eager little smother toy like you." Another "mmmmf" from Kevin, before Alistair continued. "Think he's a keeper, love?" Joseph nodded. "I'd say so." This earned an alarmed squeak from beneath their asses. "Don't worry, we're not kidnapping you. We'd just want to keep in touch, that's all!"

Kevin was silent for a moment before raising his hand, giving a thumbs up.


And so the fun continued anew. After a few more minutes spent atop the Riolu's face, the two burly studs stood up, looking down at Kevin with satisfaction as he gasped and coughed for breath. They gave him a moment to recover, but only a moment-they didn't want Kevin to get too comfortable, after all.

Joseph started the bearhugging this time, scooping the short, skinny Riolu up in his heavy, muscular arms. Kevin gulped in a big breath before those arms squeezed tight-he knew he would need it soon.

"You really are a lively one, aren't you?" Joseph murmured, his voice gently amused as the Riolu kicked and squirmed in his vise grip. "Usually they pass out at least once before the half-hour mark, but here-rrrrgh!" He cut himself off with a grunt as he cinched his arms tight, squeezing a strangled squawk out of Kevin. "Here you are!"

Kevin could only respond by doing what he had been doing-gritting his teeth, groaning out from the constant pressure bearing down on his ribcage, and ineffectually pushing against Joseph's big, hard, hairy moobs. It was to no avail, of course-the Lucario was going to be using Kevin for as long as he pleased.

Well, at least until his husband asked for a turn. "Think I could have a crack at him, honey?" Alistair had been waiting patiently, idly stroking his hardening cock through the fabric of his jock, but there was nothing quite like the real thing, was there? He took the Riolu from Joseph's arms and gave that teasing, wolfish grin, purring in Kevin's ear. "Didn't think you'd be used quite like this, ah?"

Kevin would have answered, but as those heavy arms squeezed around his midsection, he only gave a choked little "erkh...!"


"Oh, would you look at that..." "And you said he was going to be too scrawny for it, dear." "Well, isn't he?" "You can see he's toned, can't you?"

Indeed, Kevin was toned. He liked to take care of himself, and while he wasn't at the same level as either Alistair or Joseph (that would take twenty years and effort he didn't particularly want to put in), he was rewarded with a lean, limber body. Of course, that didn't mean he could really take being put through such squeezes and holds-and it certainly didn't mean that he was fine with Joseph holding him in a half nelson while Alistair felt him up.

"You've been toning your biceps nicely, I see..." Alistair rubbed his large hands up and down Kevin's arms, making the Riolu blush and squirm. "Nice pecs, too," Joseph remarked, keeping his hold on Kevin as Alistair's hands travelled downwards. "Nice, indeed...!" He rubbed up and down Kevin's chest, making the Riolu sigh and relax in the Lucario's grip...before his eyes opened up, yelping as his nipples were given a firm pinch.

Alistair just chuckled. "Oh, come now," he said. "You didn't think I'd ignore these, did you?" He punctuated with a sharp tug downwards, making Kevin hiss out through his teeth. His thumbs started to work over the Riolu's nipples, rubbing and teasing as Kevin gave a flustered little moan.

"You're getting awfully bashful for someone who took both our asses on his face," Alistair reminded Kevin, smirking as that made the Riolu even more flustered. What the hell had gotten into him? This day was not supposed to end with being the plaything of two rich hunks with a taste for squeezing him like a tube of toothpaste. Tonight, he was supposed to go to The Core, go home, shower, get dressed up, drive over to Bree's place and take her out to dinner. Then they'd go home, catch up on whatever TV show she had gotten into, maybe cuddle, and then...and then...

It's really something, how quickly you lose your train of thought when a firm hand reaches down to your jockstrap bulge and gives it a vigorous massage. Any protests Kevin had trailed off as he turned to putty in the manly Poke-stud's arms.


Kevin was exposed to the fragrance of the underarm relatively late. He didn't have any brothers, and his two older sisters preferred practicing coloratura and reading arcane books of law to anything that would actually work up a sweat. In high school, of course, he got plenty of it-being a short and weak kid surrounded by mean, immature, repressed Catholic teenagers meant that he had his face planted in more than a few pits. Even then, though, he couldn't be prepared for something like this.

"Hmmm? Are you tapping out already?" Joseph watched with dry amusement as Kevin's hand frantically hammered against the Lucario's barrel chest, keeping his left hand firm against the back of Kevin's head to trap him deep in that hairy, sweaty armpit. "Come on, now. I thought you'd take this better than you took our asses in your face..."

As his mind was being fried by that hot, raunchy musk, Kevin wondered the same. Their asses were just as sweaty and hot as this armpit, but his reaction against this was so much stronger. Did they not use deodorant? No, Kevin thought-it's not an unwashed stink. It's just...rich, was the word for it. Like sticking your nose into a bottle of aged Scotch, except sweatier and saltier.

As the minutes went by, and as Joseph's grip on the back of the Riolu's head kept firm, Kevin's struggles grew weaker. He still wriggled in Joseph's grip, and his hand kept gripping and tugging at the Lucario's chest, but there's only so long you can go without fresh air before you start to get tired. Soon enough, Kevin's struggles weakened to a point where he wasn't moving much at all. Joseph shook his head.

"Maybe he'll do better with you?"

The Delphox reached out, taking control of the weak Riolu, now much easier to manipulate thanks to the time he spent snorting up Joseph's pit. Alistair took the back of Kevin's woozy head, guided it towards his side, and lifted his arm.

"Mmmmf?" Kevin opened his eyes, before taking a breath. "MMMMMMGGGHHHHF!" Alistair just laughed as the kicking and squirming and muffled complaints began anew.


WHACK! "OW! One!" WHACK! "OW! Two!" WHACK! "OW! Th-three!"

Kevin was surprised that these two were still going. From what he had seen of them, they had to have been at least in their early forties. Weren't older guys supposed to slow down when they got to that age? It had only been an hour or two since the trio arrived here, but it felt like months of being passed back and forth between Alistair and Joseph-or, indeed, trapped in between them.

Currently, Joseph had the skinny Riolu bent over his lap, and had just set to work giving Kevin's bare, toned ass a firm spanking. The Riolu had, of course, been spanked before; if not by his parents, certainly by a few frat brothers with some latent homosexual urges to work out. But even the most sadistic, clearly closeted member of Sigma Phi Epsilon would be gentler than Joseph.

It was obvious that Joseph wasn't winding up and spanking with full force, which made the sharp and growing sting of his blows all the more pronounced. The way the Lucario's left arm wrapped around Kevin's neck to keep him still through the process was yet another reminder that the Riolu wasn't able to put up much resistance to any of this.

Kevin was told to count each spank, which he did, through grit teeth. "Four!" he said, after a painful blow to his left cheek. "Five!" he said, after a sharp smack to his right cheek. "Six! S-seven!" he counted, after two hard spanks in quick succession. "FUCK!"

That last exclamation came after an especially painful strike that, despite being given by a hand, felt as hard and heavy as a wooden paddle. It was hard enough to knock the wind out of him for a moment, bent over Joseph's lap and panting for air.

Joseph just raised an eyebrow. "If I remember my schooling in Munich correctly," he said, dryly, "the number that comes after seven is eight, not 'fuck'." He punctuated that with another hard spank that made Kevin squeal out in pain. "Just for that, we'll go up from ten spanks to twenty."

That made Kevin's blood freeze. "Oh, shit," he exhaled, biting his lip and steeling himself for what was to come.

The sound of Joseph's palm cracking against Kevin's backside was like a firecracker, and the sharp burst of noise made the Riolu jolt even before he registered the burning pain. Joseph continued from there, his pace steady and consistent, his heavy blows raining down upon Kevin's ass mercilessly.

Kevin counted along for each blow-at least, he tried to. "Nine! Ten! Eleven! OW! Twelve! OOOOOW!" The pain coursing through his rear was throbbing and red-hot-it felt like his ass was sizzling like a skillet. He wasn't used to this, and it showed. "Th-thirteen! Fourteen! FUCK! FIFTEEN! FUCK! SIXTEEN! SEVENTEEN! FUCKING OOOOOOOW!"

The tears he had been holding back since the fifth spank finally burst free. He wasn't crying out like he was during the spanking-this was quieter, a gasping, sniffling burst of tears. A pitiful little moan escaped from his lips. Joseph, for a moment, was taken aback, before glancing at Alistair.

The Delphox nodded, going over to the two others and gently caressing him behind the ears. "Ssssssh, sh sh sh sh," he whispered, his warm voice soothing the Riolu slightly. "It's alright, now. Not everyone takes it well the first time. Just let it out."

Kevin nodded, laying limp over Joseph's lap, eyes red and nose running. Alistair kept murmuring into Kevin's ears. "Don't you notice how you feel better after crying? It's cathartic, isn't it? That's why Joseph goes so hard, bless him. This hurts for a little, but you feel good later. Isn't that right?"

Kevin just stayed there, his breathing slowing down to normal before the tears stopped. Joseph gave him a fond pat on the back. "Are you ready for the last three, now?"


It always seemed to return back to bearhugs, Kevin thought to himself, as he was once again hoisted up by strong arms. He didn't know if it was a specific fetish they had, or if they just felt the urge when seeing his short, toned self, but at any rate he had gotten used to it; in fact, he would go as far as to say he liked it! Of course, it wasn't easy to say much of anything when you're being squeezed in the iron grip of a dominant Lucario stud.

Joseph, having apparently mellowed since administering that stern spanking, grinned with an uncharacteristic mischief as he bore his arms down upon the Riolu's midsection, making Kevin arch his back and give a loud, grit-teeth groan. "Coming around to this, hmmm?" Joseph murmured, grunting as he gave another bruising squeeze.

Kevin nodded, wrapping his own arms around Joseph to brace himself. "Y-yeah," he said, before wincing from another cinch. "W-wonder what my girlfriend would think, though," he said. Actually, he knew exactly what she would think-she would neatly pack her things, move out of his apartment within three hours, end up marrying a hedge fund manager, and dutifully give him hell for the rest of their lawfully wedded life. He didn't say any of that, though, not least because Joseph bowed his head and smothered Kevin's lips in a heavy kiss.

The Riolu's eyes widened, squirming in Joseph's grip as he was kissed so strongly and suddenly. Of course, even in the moment he knew that was a futile endeavor-when you're as strong as Joseph, you could do pretty much anything you wanted to whoever's in your grasp.

Joseph, for his part, didn't ease up on the bearhugs for even a moment. Even as he was kissing the Riolu like a lover, those arms stayed locked in place, pressing down on Kevin and pinning him against the hard, heaving warmth of the Lucario's body.

After overcoming the initial surprise of the liplock, Kevin accepted it, shutting his eyes and moaning into Joseph's lips, even kissing back. The Lucario's mouth was strong and powerful, and there was no "fight for dominance" among their two tongues-Joseph merely plowed right through, owning Kevin's mouth with a kiss. The Riolu's eyes rolled upwards, his mind feeling fuzzy and tingly. If you've run your hand over a television screen right after it turns off, you're halfway there to understanding what it felt.

This continued for a moment, eyes shut, arms squeezing, lips smacking and kissing and suckling, before Kevin tapped Joseph's back quickly. Joseph broke off, and Riolu gasped for air, turning his head away from the Lucario and coughing.

As Joseph asked Alistair if he wanted a turn, Kevin felt a certain twitch downstairs and sighed. Guess I'm gay now, he thought, with resigned acceptance.


After bearhugs, headscissors and facesitting, after wrestling holds, groping, pinching and armpit smothering, after a blistering spanking and a brain-frying makeout session the two Pokemon studs were just about ready to sign Kevin off. Alistair sat on the ground, keeping Kevin sitting in between his legs. He leaned his head over, looking the weak Riolu over with that teasing, wolfish grin of his.

"Would you like me to choke you out, boy?" "H-huh?"

WHAP. That earned Kevin a firm smack to the cheek from Joseph. Alistair repeated the question. "I asked if you wanted me to choke you out. Do you?"

"I'm sorry, I just-GLK!" Kevin was interrupted by Joseph pursing his lips and spitting, a hot wad of saliva splatting against his face and cutting him off. Alistair smiled up at his husband before repeating the question, one more time. "Do you want me to choke you out?"

This time, Kevin got it. "Y-yes, I do..."

"Ask me nicely." "P-please choke me out, Alistair...!" "Call me daddy, boy. Ask daddy to choke you out. C'mon." Kevin leaned his head back, finally submitting to the Scottish hunk. "Please, Daddy...I want you to choke me. Please?"

With a nod, Alistair acquiesced. His legs wrapped around Kevin's midsection to hold him in place, before his right arm wrapped firmly around the Riolu's throat. It was form-perfect-later, Kevin would wonder if Alistair had some kind of special forces training that required him to learn chokeholds. Whether or not he did, it sure as hell worked.

Kevin didn't move at first, staying still in Alistair's lap for a moment, letting him feel powerless and used in the Delphox's grip. Once the lack of air got to him, he started to twitch, making little coughing noises muffled by the arm around his neck. His nostrils flared, still trying to take in air.

As Kevin's hands shot up to Alistair's forearm to pry it off, he heard that warm voice murmur in his ear. "Sssshhhh...just relax, boy. Just relax and let Daddy take you off to sleep. Doesn't it feel nice? Like a big, strong hug..."

Kevin gave a strangled little choke before going limp, a smile starting to drift across his face...


"You're really very lucky, you know," Alistair murmured into Kevin's ear. After the evening's fun, they lay on the gym floor, two burly hunks cuddled up against a blushing Riolu. In contrast to the crushing, painful bearhugs he had been receiving throughout the evening, these hugs were warm, gentle, and loving. Kevin shut his eyes, and the tension escaped his body through his breath.

He couldn't remember the last time he felt this secure-maybe when he was eight, falling asleep in the back of the car on the way back from Peg's recital in New York, head resting on Maura's shoulder while she paged through college applications. He certainly never felt this secure with a man, let alone two.

"We don't give our personal numbers to just anyone." Joseph nodded, giving a peck on Kevin's cheek. "Especially not after the first time," he added. "Add us later, alright?"

Kevin nodded, almost in a daze, as he rested his head against one warm, furry pec. "Mhm," he said, weakly, before strong arms swept him up in a tight daddy-cuddle. He smiled, let his eyes close, and sighed in satisfaction.