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It Only Takes A Moment

Julian Armstrong walked into the new gym, inhaling softly as he looked up at the marquee. It was a rather small, unassuming little gym: off to the side, he could see men all around lifting at various machines and weight racks. The brown-furred bear finally inhaled, looking at some plates on a nearby rack and seeing that finally, finally there was a place that had enough weights that he would lift regularly. It was perfect: plenty of open space, lots of machines, and it looked like it went deeper than expected.

Julian inhaled, looking back at the door before turning to the reception desk. He still could not help the small tension he felt in his throat, though. For one thing, he felt everyone's gaze turn to him: Julian knew he was built like an absolute mountain, and even though every man looked at him he still felt a little self-conscious.

Oh, it was more than the fact he outclassed every man there: it was also the number of Pride flags that hung off the walls all over the gym.

He was not nervous because of the fact he was in a gay gym: the imposing bear had only just recently decided to try discovering something in himself. After all, women did nothing for him, and he ended up breaking off every single relationship he'd ever been in as a result of his disinterest and... certain other things he did not want to think about. Maybe there was something more going on, and where better to discover that than here, in a gym that flew the rainbow flag proudly?

But even this small step made Julian subconsciously glance behind him, feeling the weight of his mother's glare over his shoulder. Ever since she had heard of his desire to move all the way out here, the bear had to deal with her dismissive glares. It was nothing new, of course: he remembered all the times she would give him hell, from when he started his strongman training to every single break-up he initiated and especially the time he broke the engagement off. He had finally accepted that looking for her approval was an exercise in futility, and now he still could not shake the feeling that she was watching.

Julian exhaled: this was a foolish endeavor. There was no way anyone would--

"Hey there! You must be Julian, right?"

The bear exhaled, opening eyes he had not realized he'd closed. Well, too late now...

With this thought, he turned to the muscular rat who had been behind the counter. "Yes," Julian replied, the bear rubbing just behind his ears. He exhaled, looking at the rat. "You must be Matthew?"

"Yup, that's the one!" he said. He smiled, his buck teeth glinting in the light. "Welcome to Goldberg's! I know you're new to the area, how are you adjusting?"

"It's... going." Julian exhaled, glancing to the floor. "I'm still not used to it."

"Hey, ya can't get used to moving to this kind of neighborhood overnight," Matthew replied, brushing some white hair out of his face. "Give it a bit of time. I know it took about a month of bein' here before I felt comfy, you'll fit right in eventually."

And Julian nodded, taking a deep breath to calm himself. "OK," he said. He then looked up. "I'm just glad I finally found a gym with the weights I'd use."

"Yeah, tell me about it," Matthew replied. He crossed his arms, looking at Julian's massive musculature; his eyes glanced over the arm muscles that threatened to destroy the sleeves of his shirt, over the barrel-like chest that jutted out above a slightly round gut that nevertheless looked like it was made of pure muscle, and at the extremely toned legs. Julian was aware of it, of course, but he could tell the rat's look was more one of admiration than of anything lustful, which surprised him a little bit.

The rat nodded. "You do strongman competitions much?"

"Only more recently," Julian replied. He exhaled. "And I would like to do them more."

"Well, we've got the equipment, but I can't promise we have a regimen that helps that; I can ask some friends to help with that, though." Matthew then tilted his head to the side, walking into the body of the gym. Jules followed, his footsteps soft on the mat as the rat led him along. "So here is the gym floor. You see it by now, it's a pretty good area, has a lot of machines and heavy weights." He then gestured to a door close to where they were. "The lockers and showers are through this door over here." He then frowned. "And before you ask: no, fucking is not allowed in the main locker area. There's a separate locker area for that way in the back, and you'll know when you hit it because you have to pass the showers to get there."

Julian, however, sighed in relief, feeling some of the self-consciousness fade away. "That's... a relief to know," he said. He then looked to Matthew. "I should get changed, then."

"Go ahead," said Matthew. He then checked his watch. "I know you asked for a spotter, so I've asked a friend to get here to do that for me when he arrives today, but he seems to be running late." He shrugged. "All works out in the end."

"I suppose," Julian replied. He then inhaled, hoisting his gym bag on his shoulder. "Well, I'll go ahead and do that."

"Alright," said Matthew. "I'll let your spotter know when he gets here that you're getting ready."

Julian nodded, giving the rat a thumbs up. And with this, he walked into the locker room, found a locker, and noted with some surprise that all the unlocked locker room doors had keys inside the locks.

----**----

Julian adjusted the strap of his tank-top, letting it sit a little closer to his neck than usual. It always had a hard time staying there, but he knew that was just a side product of how he had developed his shoulders. He'd get used to it eventually, he figured.

He then rolled his shoulders, stepping out of the locker room, passing by a smaller eel who blushed as he walked past.

When he stepped outside, Julian saw Matthew standing off to the side, chatting. When Julian turned to see who he was talking to, however, Julian inhaled quietly, suddenly caught off guard by who stood there. He was a very muscular tuna, with a big tail waving behind him and a rainbow anchor tattooed on his right arm. Julian would not have noticed anything too much more, except that this tuna's smile was broader than anything else, and his bright blue eyes shone brilliantly in the light. The imposing bear did not quite know what came over him then, but he felt his heart skip a beat: this man was beautiful.

It was after a second that Julian realized he had never referred to any of his ex-girlfriends as 'beautiful' before then. And with this note, he swallowed, his hand twitching slightly.

Matthew turned back to the bear. "Oh, here he is!" said Matthew. He smiled at the tuna. "Charlie, this is Julian. He's coming to us for the first time." Matthew then turned to Julian. "Julian, this is Charlie Masthead. He's one of our part-time personal trainers."

Charlie then turned to him, and that smile widened as he approached. "Ooh, he's a big one," the tuna said, his voice rumbling and deep. "Hey there, big guy. How are you doing today?"

"H-hello." Julian swallowed upon realizing he'd stuttered slightly. "I'm... alright."

Charlie chuckled, crossing his arms in front of him and letting that chest bulge out slightly. "Good to hear," the tuna replied. He glanced over Julian once, nodding as he examined every muscle. "Matt wasn't kidding, you really are exactly the kind of man who should be doing strongmen comps."

"Y-yes," said Julian. He exhaled, glancing to the side. "This... this was the only gym that had equipment big enough, from what I heard."

"In this part of town," Charlie replied. He clapped his hands together. "Well, you're in luck, 'cause I've had experience training that sort of man." He exhaled. "You have a training regimen from a previous gym?"

"Yes," said Julian. He glanced over to a nearby bar, exhaling as he scratched behind his ear.

"And you remember it, right?" Charlie asked.

Julian nodded, rubbing behind his ear. "I think so..."

"Good, then we've got a starting place." The tuna clapped his webbed hands together, and he followed along. "Start wherever you want."

----**----

"Three... Four... Five!"

Julian grunted at the last rep, and he let the bar down slowly, his arms shaking from the effort. It was just in time that Charlie's hands came for the bar, guiding the 315 pounds of pure metal down to the ground gently. With a clack, the weights touched the floor, and Jules relaxed, shaking his arms out.

Charlie rubbed his hands together, his eyes wide in shock. "Damn, that's your third set of that today! You really weren't kidding when you said you were going for strongman-type stuff!"

Julian nodded, looking over to the amount of plates he had on the bar before looking up at Charlie. "Of course," he said. He shrugged. "That's what was recommended."

"Yeah, of course, I know that," Charlie replied. "It's still amazing to see anyone actually lift that for that many reps, never mind one!"

Julian frowned, looking at Charlie with a confused expression on his face. The tuna blinked, tilting his head to the side as he regarded Julian's confusion.

Charlie blinked, before nodding in realization. "Oh, right, new to the area," he said. He shrugged. "Sometimes guys do the gym either to ogle or be ogled. It's not often you see someone actually interested in serious strongman stuff."

"Ah." Julian exhaled, feeling tension leave his shoulders.

"Yeah," said Charlie. "I didn't expect you to take it seriously when I was coming in. Now, though..." He chuckled, rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry."

"What for?" Julian asked.

Charlie shrugged. "Assuming you were showing off," he said. He looked down, smiling as he beheld the way the tank top hugged Julian's body. "You just look like one of those alpha male jocks that comes around here sometimes, but they're usually assholes." He shrugged. "You, though... you're different. You don't take the time to brag."

Julian nodded, simply shrugging as he took Charlie's words in. "I just want to feel strong," he said.

"Well, I'll tell you what: you definitely look the part!" he said. He grinned mischievously. "I'm almost jealous of anyone else here, big guy, 'cause I get you all to myself!"

This caused the bear to blush slightly. It was not out of embarrassment, though: if anything, he felt strangely flattered by the tuna's attentions. He rarely got this kind of attention back in Pensacola from anyone: the fact he was now getting it from a man was somehow the least bizarre part of it.

The bear thus glanced back to the rainbow anchor tattooed to Charlie's arm. He wondered how much of what he had said was due to any interest Charlie might have in him. As his gaze lingered on the tattoo, the tuna chuckled, patting it once.

"Hey, don't worry big guy, I'm not saying it in that_sense," he said. "Yet." He then shrugged, before pulling on his sleeve a little, unveiling the tattoo. "Unless you _also wanted a ticket to the gun show?"

Julian blushed even further, but this time he did not pull his gaze away as Charlie flexed his bicep for him. The bear had to admit that, despite being a slight bit shorter than him and not quite as built, the tuna still had nice muscles, and the tattoo complimented his figure beautifully. In fact, as he looked over the tuna, he paused, noticing all sorts of things about him: the way his chest bulged out of his own tank-top, the way his tail accented that beautiful butt, the way his smile almost accented everything else wonderful about his figure...

He blinked: was this what it was like to thirst over a man? Because Julian could not say he minded.

Finally, Charlie chuckled, before walking past the bench and patting the bear on the shoulder. "You're really cute, y'know that?" he said. "Come on, let's get some squats in, huh?"

Julian blinked. "O-oh, of course." And with this, the bear stood up, following Charlie to the

----**----

Julian exhaled, pulling his black muscle shirt back on.

"That seems a bit short-sleeved for this time of year, doesn't it?"

Julian glanced at Charlie, lifting his eyebrows as he pulled his shirt down. "Bear fur," he said.

Charlie nodded. "Right, I always forget that some fur species tend to be better suited for chilly weather." He shook his head, chuckling as he looked up. "I forgot your fur is actually kind of thick, with how close it's been to your muscles."

Julian shrugged. "Sweat doesn't help," he admitted.

"True," Charlie replied. He then glanced again at the thickness of Julian's fur. "Still, I guess it works well for cold weather, if you're used to it." He paused. "You are used to it, right?"

Julian nodded. "I haven't been in colder weather in a while, but I never got used to hot weather, so...." He exhaled, looking down. "I grew up in Maine for a few years: my father grew up in Boothbay Harbor, and that's where I was born."

"Ooh, Maine!" said Charlie. "Yeah, that definitely gets cold in the winter for sure!"

"Very much, so," said Julian. He then glanced to the floor. "I left when I was nine, though, and my mother and I moved to Pensacola after..."

He paused, wondering if he should go into what else happened. He had not often discussed what happened between his mother and father, much less to any stranger he had met off the street. He was wondering about whether he should or not when he looked back up to Charlie, and to those sky-blue eyes across the bench.

Most people sounded and looked bored by the time he got to this part. But Charlie stood by the lockers, his head tilted in concentration as he listened. His expression had dropped some of the joy that he had seen beforehand, but Julian knew this was a side effect of where the conversation went, and how serious it became. The fact that Charlie still was paying attention caused Julian's heart to skip a beat, but nevertheless he inhaled.

"Well... after she divorced him," he finished.

Charlie rose his eyebrows. "Really?" he asked. "And you haven't been back since?"

Julian exhaled. "No. She never let me speak to him after she left..."

"Oh." Charlie swallowed. "How do you feel about that?"

Julian shrugged, the bear glancing to the side. "Not... sure," he said. "I'm not sure about a lot of things with her. Especially now. I lived in her house for a while."

"Aaaaah." Charlie nodded. "First time on your own, huh?"

"Yes," said Julian. "And now that I don't have her anywhere near where I live, I'm... I'm not fully sure what to feel."

Charlie nodded, his hand sliding ever closer to Julian's. "There's always a strange adjustment period with something like that," said the tuna. He glanced over Julian's posture, noticing the way the bear's arm muscles looked wound up, perhaps too tightly. "But I get the sense you're still acclimating because there was a lot of pressure on you. I'm also sensing that, if she wouldn't even let you talk to your father and put a strong enough grip on that you haven't heard from him since you were nine, it was pretty restrictive as a household. Am I right about that?"

And here, Julian paused. In a strange way, he felt like Charlie had seen right through him, even after only knowing him for an hour. There was something that felt... piercing about that, but the bear did not know if that was a good thing or a bad thing yet. His lower jaw twitched once, and he found himself pausing, not wanting to say something that might give the impression he had been seen through.

That was when he gazed into Charlie's eyes. In those sky-blue eyes, Julian saw something kind that he had not seen in the tuna's demeanor before. His posture looked more relaxed, and that cocky smile had pretty much gone away, replaced only by a look of concern. This gave the bear some reason to pause, even more than he'd already had; could a look be piercing at the same time that it was concerned?

There was something in this paradox that loosened Julian's jaw muscles just a little bit. This was not the harsh stare his mother would level at him: this was a different kind of look, one that he wished he had gotten over the years. And now that he got it, would the bear really refuse to answer?

And so, Julian turned towards Charlie. "I... didn't even tell my mother that I was moving here to explore myself like this," the bear began. He looked to the ground, his gaze lingering near his feet. "I... I don't even know if I'm gay, or what. All I know is that I kept... I could never hold a relationship with women."

Charlie nodded. "It never felt right?"

"It felt like I was forced to, to make her happy," Julian replied. He turned his gaze to the floor. "I really only realized how overbearing she was thanks to my last ex-girlfriend, Beth, and it took a while for what she was saying to get through my head. And..." The bear inhaled slowly, his shoulders shaking slightly in a way he never thought they could. "I wanted to come here to see if... if there was a reason why I kept feeling forced. And even then, I had to fight my mother every step of the way to even come here. Had to get her off my back, had to insist she not follow, had to reassure her I would never do something wrong..." He glanced further down, tapping his foot against the tile floor. "I know she's not here, but sometimes I feel like she's still watching me." He then glanced back at the locker room door. "Like... like she'd see where I am, and yell at me when I got home."

Charlie nodded slowly. He pushed off the locker wall, and then sat on the bench next to Julian. "I see..." He nodded. "I had a feeling there was something you were holding back."

Julian blinked, turning his gaze towards the tuna. "It was that obvious?" Julian asked.

"It is, when you're me and you know where to look for it," Charlie replied. He leaned back. "I've been in this city about seven, eight years now, and I tell you what; you learn to spot the types that are still discovering themselves from a mile away." He gestured to Julian. "I can't answer any of your questions for you. But what I can say is that you're not under her shadow anymore, and even if so, you've got us here to help you steer that thought away. You came here to explore yourself, so I say; explore away, Jules!"

Julian nodded, feeling his ear twitch at what Charlie called him. He inhaled, swallowing softly as he looked to Charlie. "Jules?" he asked.

Charlie blinked, and then he reared back, chuckling nervously. "Sorry, I just..." He shrugged. "Just seems easier to say. I know folks are particular about names. Sorry if that offended you."

But Julian paused, tossing the name around in his head. To be completely honest, he had never really liked being called Julian: his mother had called him Julian almost every day of his life. Of course, because of this, everybody called him Julian, from his teachers to his extended family and even his ex-girlfriends. He'd never heard anyone refer to him by such a shortened form of his name, nor did he even know it could be shortened to that.

But as he let it bounce around in his head, he realized that it had a really lovely sound. It was short, but not too grotesque. It was the kind of nickname his father might have liked: short, to the point, and very distinct.

And so, he smiled, shaking his head. "N-no, it's fine," he said. "I..." He blushed, glancing to the side as he splayed his left hand. "I like it, actually." He glanced to the side, rubbing the back of his neck with his opposite hand. He was more acutely aware of the hairs as they brushed past his pawpads, but strangely, it was not out of self-consciousness, but out of feeling a strange electricity come from those strands. "Julian's never felt right. Feels too formal. But it's what mom insisted on."

Charlie chuckled, nodding his head. "I see." He scooched forward. "Would you like me to call ya 'Jules', big guy?"

"Y-yeah." The bear smiled at Charlie, meeting those sky-blue eyes head-on. "Jules it is."

Charlie's smile returned full force. "Well, Jules, welcome to San Francisco," he said. "I hope it's as welcoming to you as it was to me."

And for the first time since he'd entered the gym's doors, Jules Armstrong smiled. "If everyone here is like you, then I think it's already welcoming."

A silence settled between the two of them. Jules found it was an extremely comfortable silence; he still had to get into his shoes, but there was no pressing need to do so, nor to step away from Charlie. He could not explain the magnetism that kept him rooted to his spot, but it felt nice: it was warm, inviting...

...loving? Jules wondered if he could go that far just yet. He had only known this handsome stranger for about an hour and twenty minutes, after all. But as he thought about what the magnetism meant, the bear wondered if this was what he should have been feeling towards his exes, this feeling of comfort that enveloped him, kept him warm, even in a room that was a little chillier than even outside. And there was the fact that Charlie listened: he knew all of this was a lot to dump on a total stranger, but the tuna stayed right there, internalizing every word. For the first time he could think of, Jules felt like someone heard him.

And as he sat there processing this, he realized that indeed, he knew precious little about Charlie. But even if they had only known each other for so long, what was holding them back from finding out more?

Jules breathed in gently. "You, uh... doing anything today?" he asked.

Charlie shrugged. "Well, I was going to meet up with a friend at the gay bar tonight, see what conquests we could get," he said. He then leaned forward. "But I don't see why I can't drag a plus-one with me. It _is_a gay bar, after all." He crossed his arms in front of his chest, his smile turning into a gentle smirk. "You haven't even been to a gay bar, have you?"

"N-no." Jules blushed, glancing to the side. "I haven't."

"Well, then that's an experience we'll have to fix tonight, won't we?" Charlie stood up. "Come on, let's get some food in your system first. My treat."

Something in Jules warmed up considerably, an alien warmth that somehow felt absolutely correct in every way. He thus smiled, standing up and pulling his feet into his shoes. "Sure," he said. "What do you know that's good around here?"

Charlie laughed, chuckling loudly at Jules. "Oh Jules," he said. "Sit back, and let me take you for a ride, buddy..."

----**----

"So then I'm there holding this big box of props, right? And I walk in, and I dunno what happened, but I tripped on my own feet. Next thing I know, this box falls right next to this bunny's toes. Three seconds later, I probably would've banged his foot up pretty bad."

"That got his attention fast, I guess?"

"Oh, it definitely did. We both got to chatting a lot after that, so after the shoot had wrapped we both went to get some fast food on the way to the gay bar. We barely even stayed there a half hour before he took me back to his place and he had his way with me all over that apartment."

"Sounds like he's wild."

"I mean, he and his buddy Yves were thinking of starting a porn studio soon, so you'd be pretty right about that."

"I see. And he'll be there tonight?"

"Yup!"

"Good. I can't wait to meet him."

"Neither can I."

Jules nodded, smiling over at Charlie from next to him in the booth table they had gotten. The bear tore at another chicken wing, tossing the bones onto the little appetizer plate the waiter had provided as his knee brushed against Charlie's gently. The tuna, for his part, did not move his knee, and in fact Jules could see that the tuna was almost leaning towards him.

He glanced out to the rest of the small pub they had entered. "So, you come to this place often?" the bear asked.

"Not really," said Charlie. He shrugged casually. "Usually it's a bit out of my price range. Tonight, though, I had an extra day on set for this big production, so I can't complain."

Jules nodded. "Film work really makes you happy, huh?" the bear asked.

"Oh yeah," said Charlie. "It's the entire reason I moved over here from Portland. Portland's kind of a small dump, and there's no real substantial film being made there. But here? Here, it ain't too bad."

"Aren't all the film jobs in LA?" Jules asked.

Charlie glared to the side. "Most of them are," he said. "And I lived there for three months before I got absolutely fed up with that city and came back here. It's super busy, the traffic is always bad and nonsensical, and it smells like a chlorinated pool. I got exhausted with that fast." He sighed. "At least the gay nightlife was OK, but it wasn't this city's nightlife, and most of the gays there are very judgmental and shallow, and I also got tired of that."

"I see," Jules said. "You don't find that here?"

"Oh, you can find it if you know where to look," Charlie replied. "Every place has that issue, it's just less severe here."

"I see," Jules said. He then leaned forward. "Then I look forward to seeing this gay life."

Charlie smiled, looking up at Jules. "I can't wait to show you around."

Jules sighed contentedly, tearing into another chicken wing before he leaned his torso down towards Charlie. The tuna, for his part, settled in, leaning his head towards Jules' and letting his hand snake down his leg. When he felt that scaled hand brush against his gently, Jules did not hesitate: he turned it around, clasping the tuna's hand in his, feeling both how cold his hand felt in his paw, and the strange yet pleasurable sensation of fish scales against his pawpads.

The large bear would never have done this with his ex-girlfriends, and yet the fact that he was doing this within a few hours of meeting this roguish tuna was telling him everything. And this brought its own euphoria with it: slowly, thoughts of his mother had ebbed away, until there was just the muscular tuna next to him, eating chicken wings with him, relating tales of all his gay friends in the town...

Jules' smile only intensified. The way this realization came to him was rather anticlimactic to the bear, but this just felt so right. Jules was attracted to men: there was a calm to this realization that left the bear smiling gently, the most genuine smile he'd ever given at any point in his life.

And nothing, not even thoughts of his mother, could take that away.

Charlie looked at the bear. "You OK there, Jules?" he asked.

But Jules beamed even brighter. "More than OK," the bear replied.

The tuna smiled. "Glad to hear it," he said. He exhaled. "And the entrée hasn't even arrived yet!"

Jules nodded, letting a small snort leave his nose. In that moment, though, he had a thought: his gaze drifted down to Charlie's anchor tattoo, and to how proudly it was displayed to all. The restaurant staff had paid it no mind, nor had they really paid attention to how close they had gotten. There was very little judgment here, and Jules wondered...

Even living in his mother's house, he had always found a way to see other people. Some of the men at his strongmen competitions also were heavily into modifying their bodies in similar ways. In particular, he remembered a burly Komodo dragon from one of his first strongmen competitions who had tattoo'd a snake onto his shoulder, but he more remembered the eyebrow piercing he had.

The eyebrow piercing thought returned to him then, but not with the shame he associated with it. And as he realized his mother would not be there to disapprove, he thought of something.

"Say, Charlie..." said Jules. "Do you... know any piercing parlors?"

Charlie rose an eyebrow, turning back to Jules. "Yeah," he said. "Why?"

He exhaled. "I've been curious about getting a brow piercing," he said. "Just... never gotten it."

Charlie nodded. "Mother?"

"Yes," Jules replied. He shrugged. "I think... I think I'd look good in one."

Charlie turned his head. He unclasped his hand from Jules', bringing it up to angle the bear's face down so he could look directly at it. His gaze stayed there for a few seconds, intently studying the bear as his eyes darted between his left eye and his right eye, and then to the rest of his face.

Charlie nodded, a smirk coming to his face. "The right brow, right?" he asked.

"Yes," said Jules. He glanced down. "I've... thought about it for a while, since I started doing strongman comps."

"And how long ago was that?" Charlie asked.

"About two years ago," Jules replied. "Just after I met Beth."

Charlie nodded, rubbing his hands together. "Well--and you can say no if you're not comfortable with this--but I have a friend who does piercings on short notice," he said.

Jules blinked, rearing his head back in surprise. "Tonight?" he asked.

"Why not?" Charlie asked. "We have a few hours to kill before the bar even opens, what else would we do with that time?"

Jules paused, considering Charlie's proposal. It did not take him long to ruminate on it: after a few seconds, he glanced to the side, looking Charlie Masthead directly in the eyes.

"How far is this parlor from here?"

----**----

Jules sat down in a chair inside the piercing parlor. Charlie sat at a stool next to him, the tuna smiling broadly at him as he leaned forward. Jules then turned to his piercer: she was a rather skinny little cardinal who was dwarfed by both men, but the way she carried herself as she grabbed the packet with the catheter and needle showed that she had done this many times before, and with great confidence to boot.

"Here," the cardinal stated, shaking the needle and catheter in the sealed packet. "Just so there's no doubt this needle is freshly used."

Jules nodded quietly. "Standard procedure?"

"If they don't show it to you like this, run," she replied. "More likely than not, questionable safety practices aren't the only_problem they have." She then exhaled, before grabbing a bottle and a cotton ball. "Also gotta sterilize the site real quick. You _might wanna close your eyes for this one, big guy."

Jules closed his eyes, and soon after he felt a light sting above his right eyebrow as the piercer dabbed it lightly. He exhaled, swallowing, but the tingle in his nerves remained even after the cardinal pulled away.

"Can't believe it's really happening, huh?" Charlie asked.

"No," Jules replied. He exhaled, and in this exhale he was aware of how bright the blood in his veins burned. "Especially not this fast."

"I've known Charlie a while, and he certainly has that effect on people," the cardinal replied as she pulled on some latex gloves. "He's quite gifted that way."

Charlie chuckled. "You flatter me, Courtney," he said.

Courtney smiled in turn, shrugging quickly as she tore the pack open. "Honestly, I'm more surprised how nervous you are, Mr. Armstrong," she said. "I wouldn't expect this level of nerves from a guy your size, and especially someone who said he'd been thinking about it for a while."

Jules inhaled, his fingers drumming on the arm rest nervously. "If I had done this back in Pensacola with my mother, she'd immediately make me take it out," he said. "So I never got it. Now that I think about it..."

"Ah, the big, sheltered giant," she said. "Well, I'm glad I get to be part of breaking you out of your shell." She then patted Jules on the shoulder. "But seriously, you'll be fine. You're not the first big guy who's ever been nervous of a piercing, and you won't be the last either."

Jules nodded, looking to Courtney as he took a deep breath. "Are clients always nervous?"

Courtney chuckled. "If they weren't, I'd suspect they either did way more research than they needed to or they're a sociopath," she said. "And in your case, with how fast you jumped in, you won't have either going for ya, so that sounds about right." She then nodded. "But trust me, you'll feel a lot better when it's done." She gestured to her own brow piercings, silver balls glinting all over the grey feathers of her face. "Take my word for it."

Jules nodded. "Alright," he said.

"OK." Courtney leaned forward, inspecting his eyebrow. "Well, if you're ready to go, let's do this. This will sting a little bit, and then you'll feel a little discomfort, but it'll all be in one motion. You ready?"

Jules nodded.

"Alright, close your eyes."

And with this, Jules closed his eyes. He felt the piercer's hands move in around his brow, feeling at his skeleton there. He then nodded, before he felt the piercer squeeze very lightly along the flesh of his brow, just to coax his brow out. The anticipation began to seep into him, so much so that he subconsciously splayed his left hand out.

He felt a scaled hand take his hand and squeeze around it. Suddenly, the fire that he felt in his veins seemed to cool down just a little bit, his muscles relaxing a little bit more. Jules could just imagine the tuna smiling at him as he felt those gloved claw-hands work over his brow, preparing it for the point waiting to pierce through.

"Alright, breathe in deep for me, big guy."

And then, with one shove, Jules felt the needle pierce his brow. It was painful enough that he squeezed on Charlie's hand, but it faded away very quickly. After that, he felt some discomfort as the needle retreated. Very shortly afterwards, Jules felt the catheter retreat, and Jules could sense a little bar was left behind. Briefly, Courtney's claws seemed to screw something in, and then, her hands peeled back.

"Alright, exhale, and that should be it! Here, let's see what that looks like, yeah?"

And then, Jules finally opened his eyes again, to see Courtney holding up a mirror to his face. Jules looked into that mirror: his face stared back at him, but from near the edge of his right eyebrow, two little balls were visible above and below the fur there. They glistened slightly in the light, and the silver complimented his eyes beautifully.

He did not know what came over him at that moment, but his muscles instantly relaxed, and Jules allowed himself a very, very rare kind of smile, his teeth glinting in the light and his eyes lighting up in elation. For the first time in a long while, he felt completely satisfied with the way his face looked in the mirror, and there was something powerful about that feeling.

"Looks like you were right, big guy," Charlie replied. "It looks really good on you."

The bear nodded. "It does..." he said. He then looked to Charlie. "I... Thank you. For bringing me here."

Charlie smiled back. The smile made Jules feel warmer than he had ever felt in his life, and it was only then that he realized that he had never let go of Jules' hand the entire time.

----**----

"So, three months of healing, huh?"

"I'm ready for it, though."

"It sounds like you are. Just don't go too crazy, OK?"

"Of course. I'm usually cautious about that sort of thing."

"I don't doubt it, big guy."

Jules and Charlie walked on, the bear jamming his free hand into his pocket as they walked along the path in the park. Jules had held on to Charlie's hand almost since leaving the piercing parlor, only parting briefly to readjust his windbreaker slightly. It was a chillier evening than expected, after all, but Jules could handle it.

After all, he did grow up in Maine.

He looked down at Charlie, glancing back to the path ahead of him. Just before them, he could see the arches of the Golden Gate Bridge stand up just past a row of houses, but other than that he and Jules remained surrounded by trees. They certainly stood out in the waning light of day, and while the sky burned a bright orange on one side he could already sense the darkness coming on. But if anything, it gave the path they walked on a certain brand of intimacy that reminded him even more of home. It was quite lovely.

The fact he happened to have a handsome tuna next to him made the whole thing better.

"Strange they call this 'Lover's Lane'," Jules noted. "Nothing really sticks out about it as being especially romantic."

"If I recall correctly, it wasn't even initially relating to lovers," Charlie replied. "I think the Spanish used it as some shortcut or something." He shrugged, looking at Jules. "But maybe right now, it's not that bad a name."

Jules blushed, taking his free hand and scratching just behind his left ear. "I-I..." He turned away slightly, but could not help the smile that broke out at the front of his mouth. Jules found he could not reply with any sort of rebuff, for he lacked the will to do so.

Charlie smiled, squeezing Jules' hand gently. "But yeah," he said. "Some will say that the prettiest part of San Francisco is the bay. For me, it's this place right here. It's got trees, got the nature, it goes up to the Golden Gate, and it's perfect for evening walks."

Jules nodded. "I wish there were more trees," he added. "It would remind me of Maine that way."

Charlie bowed his head down. "You miss it, don't you?" he asked.

"I do." Jules looked to the tops of the trees. "Imagine this, but with no row of houses. On some trails, there would be no houses for miles." He exhaled, glancing to the ground as his smile fell. "My father would take me along paths like this sometimes, just let me wander around in nature. It was really lovely."

Charlie exhaled. "It sounds like you miss him," he said. "Why not contact him?"

Jules glanced down and to the left. "I don't know how. I don't have his contact information, and he is not exactly in a high-profile enough field that he'd turn up on an internet search."

"You could always go back to Boothbay Harbor," Charlie offered. "It's a small coastal town in Maine, right? Can't be that hard to find him."

"It was a tourist town, and they did film parts of _Carousel_there, so I don't know how small it counts as." He inhaled, shaking his head. "But I guess you've got a point; the locals knew each other well enough. Even if he moved, they'd probably know where he moved off to."

"See? There's a chance." Charlie nodded, pulling himself closer to the bear. "You don't have to think about it today, or even tomorrow," he said. "But to me it sounds like you really want to talk to him again. And hey, with your mother out of the picture, you're free to do so, right?"

"I guess," Jules replied.

"Then I say go for it," Charlie replied. "Life's too short to spend it thinking about what-ifs, and if your memories of him are as fond as they are now, I think it'd be a family tie worth rebuilding, right?"

Jules looked up at the sky, seeing that the orange was just starting to fade out. Soon, the dark night sky would overtake everything: Jules did not know what light pollution would look like in San Francisco, but he imagined it would blot out a lot of stars, and then soon it would look nothing like his home state. He wondered what the night sky looked like over Boothbay Harbor now, what his father likely looked at, and how good it would be to see it again...

He turned back to Charlie, pulling his free hand up to his chest. "Would... would you be willing to come with me if I did look for him?"

Charlie chuckled at the question, and so he stopped, turning to Jules and tilting his head. "Already asking me to come on trips with you, huh?" he asked playfully. "We only met a few hours ago!"

The bear glanced down to the trail, his feet shifting awkwardly. "I... I can't help it..." That blush worked its way back on his cheeks. "You just..."

In response, Charlie smiled broadly, his thumb gently ghosting over the fur on the back of Jules' hand. "I've got a lot of commitments to keep in mind here," said Charlie. "But Kirk is always telling me I need to get out of the city more often, so I could spare a couple days, maybe even a week. If you decide to do it, let me know and I'll come with ya!"

And at this, Jules' heart swelled yet again. "Thanks," he said. "I... I appreciate that."

"Any time, big guy." Charlie looked up at the night sky, watching as the last of the sunset faded away. "We should start thinking about getting over to the club. If we try to get in late, we'll be stuck at the door for a while, possibly hours."

"Of course," said Jules. He then chuckled. "And what happens when the music starts?"

"Well, that's up to you," Charlie replied. "I personally like to break it down on the dance floor after a couple drinks, but I know most people's first time in the gay club can be overwhelming, so let's play it by ear and see how you feel at that point."

Jules smiled. "I'd like that," he said.

"Good!" Charlie checked his watch. "Come on, let's get going."

And with this, the tuna turned onto a side street on the left, Jules following along as the tuna pulled him with.

----**----

It was quite dark by the time they got to the club, which was given the singularly appropriate name of Bottoms Up. They also arrived so early that the line had not even formed yet: after a very quick ID check, they were both in, and Jules could see for himself exactly what it was like.

The space was a little bit darker than he expected: the lights were of various dark blues and purples, and they gave the club a particular feel that, while Jules could not describe it as seedy, he also could not describe it as normal either. He could not quite make out what he was meant to feel about it just yet, except that it was also an incredibly wide space, with most of the tables on the outskirts of a large dance floor. Jules wondered if this was where the party would pick up, before turning to the tuna.

Jules leaned towards Charlie, his eyes darting about and noting how few other furs were there. "Nobody here?" he asked.

Charlie chuckled. "This is actually normal for this hour of the night," he said. He then looked to the bar, grinning as he rubbed his hands. "But we get a head start on the alcohol. And it's also good for us, for one big reason..."

And with this, Charlie pulled Jules towards the bar. The bar was manned by a stoic-looking mountain of a blue whale, whose eyes loomed over everything as his head almost hit one of the light fixtures just from moving to the other side of the bar. As they approached, though, Jules' attention was pulled towards a muscular pink rabbit sitting in the center of the bar. He sat there with a glass of water, and as soon as the rabbit's attention turned to Charlie, he absolutely beamed, standing up and holding his hands out.

"Charlie, you're early!" the rabbit replied.

The tuna smiled, letting go of Jules' hand only then so he could step forward and give the pink rabbit a hug. "You know me, Kirk," he said. He shrugged, a broad smile playing on his face. "I love to show up early to things." He leaned back, before tilting his head towards Jules and shrugging. "Well, that, and I'm showing someone new around town."

Kirk turned, and his eyes bulged out upon seeing the mountain that was Jules Armstrong. "Whoah!" He chuckled, approaching the bear. "How'd you meet this hunk, Charlie?"

"At the gym," the tuna replied. "Kirk, this is Jules. Jules, this is my friend Kirk I was telling you about." Charlie turned back to Kirk.

The rabbit reached for Jules' big hand, taking it in his and shaking it vigorously. "Welcome to the club, big guy!" he said.

"H-hello." Jules shook it gently, his hand peeling away slowly. He then offered a sheepish smile, that blush coming to his face again.

Kirk only replied with a smirk, leaning to the side. "Ooooh, the strong but shy type, huh?" he asked. He looked to Charlie. "He's real cute. Mind if I take him back to my place tonight?"

But the tuna shook his head, his expression turning serious for a second. "He's kind of new to the whole gay nightlife thing," Charlie replied. "Be gentle with him, he's still discovering stuff, and I don't even know if he'll be up for a dance."

Kirk nodded. "Fair enough," he said, lifting his hands up and stepping back. "But it's a shame I can't explore that."

Charlie shrugged. "Not all of us can be me, Kirk," he said. "But I know you'll respect that."

"Yup, no fun if you don't want it." Kirk turned back to Jules. "So you met at the gym, huh? Which one?"

"Goldberg's," Jules replied.

Kirk nodded. "Aaaah," he said, wagging his finger in the air. "That's where I thought. That's Charlie's standard gym, and that's the only one I know that would have weights for guys your size. You doin' strongman stuff?"

"That's the hope," Jules replied. "Matthew asked Charlie to be my spotter during my work-out today." He bowed his head towards Charlie, a small blush came up his cheeks. "We... have not parted since."

Kirk rose his eyebrow at this, sitting back at his place in the bar. "Oh?" he asked, his left ear tilting upward. "Grabbed some food on the way here?"

Jules rubbed behind his ear, looking up at his brow, and the glint of metal he could see just past the edge of his vision. "And a piercing."

Kirk frowned, before leaning forward. His eyes then widened slightly. "Oh shit, that is as new as I thought it was!" He turned to Charlie. "You haven't even known him half a day and you've taken him out on a date already?"

Now it was Charlie's turn to blush. The tuna reared back, his face turning a shade of violet that was almost unnoticeable under the club lights. "K-Kirk!" Charlie replied, his cocky grin vanishing. "Don't even go there!"

But Kirk leaned back, a knowing smirk growing on his face. "You were holding hands earlier," he replied with a slight sing-songy tone to his voice.

Charlie huffed, crossing his harms and turning away, saying nothing. Now it was Jules' turn to chuckle: seeing the tuna pout like this was actually rather cute, he had to admit. He also realized it was a side of this handsome man that he had not seen before: he wondered if it was often that men tried to deny such things.

Thus, Jules shrugged. "I... don't know what it is," he offered. "But it feels good, whatever it is."

Kirk shrugged. "See?" he said to Charlie. "He's enjoying it! So whether it's a date or not, everybody wins!"

Charlie nodded, nodding as his smile came back. "I guess that's true," he said. "Got any alcohol yet?"

"Nope," said Kirk. He tilted his head towards Charlie. "I was waiting on you, was gonna buy you a drink tonight. Yves has to shoot a scene and Darren has to perform at Golden Hustlers, otherwise they would be here. You know how they are."

"Professional to a fault," Charlie replied, taking a seat at the bar. He then gestured for Jules to join him. "Treat my new friend here too as well, huh?"

"For a hunk like that, I'll cover all the drinks," Kirk replied with a smile. He turned to Jules, rubbing his chin. "You strike me as a... gin type."

Jules tilted his head. "They have that?"

Kirk nodded, gesturing to the blue whale bartender. "It may be a gay bar, but you'll find we all have different tastes," he said. "They'd be a shitty bar if they didn't." He then leaned towards the bartender as he approached. "Tony, one gin on the rocks for my ursine friend here, one screwdriver for me, and a craft beer for the tuna, please. On my tab."

The bartender nodded, preparing the drinks at a speed Jules did not think possible. He thus sat at the bar next to Charlie, blinking in surprise. "Um... thank you," he said to Kirk sheepishly.

"Hey, I love buying drinks for new friends," Kirk replied. "It's common courtesy around here." And almost as soon as he finished saying this, the blue whale dropped three cups in front of them, all with different drinks in them. Kirk grabbed his own drink, lifting it up as Charlie picked his up. "To new friends?"

Jules blinked, seeing his drink on the countertop. He then picked it up, swirling it and the single ice cube in the cup. As he did, he smiled: he had always thought to come to a place like this, he just had not expected it would happen so quickly. A great many things were happening really fast, but one thing Jules had learned was to just go with it.

He'd already pierced his brow by that point: what more would calling it a date do that wasn't already true of this situation?

And so, he lifted his glass, clinking it with Kirk and Charlie. And as he did, he smiled.

"To new experiences."

----**----

It did not take long for the club to fill out after that. The music remained at a constant low murmur for a while, staying out of the conversation that Jules was having with Charlie and Kirk. And then, after a while, it really picked up in volume, and the furs that were milling about before all made their way down to the dance floor. From there, it became a mass of gyrating bodies, with some being lewder than others. Jules could feel the heat all the way from where he sat, and he had to admit it looked energetic.

Kirk, Charlie, and Jules had more or less stayed rooted to the bar, although Kirk's gaze did wander quite a bit. Jules thought to the fact that Charlie mentioned they were there to pick up guys, and so some doubt settled deep into his gut.

But every time he talked to Charlie, every time he looked over, the tuna was always keeping his gaze on him. It was never that kind of gaze where Charlie was looking over, either: he knew the twist of the head, the motion of eyes whenever that happened, and this was not it, and if it did happen it was only when he was turning away from Kirk. It made Jules feel special in a way.

Jules inhaled, looking back at the gyrating bodies. He exhaled, sipping his second gin for the night as he watched. The alcohol burned in the back of his throat slightly, but the tingle he felt in his arms was unmatched, and he wondered what he would be like to dance with. He was not trained, but then again he imagined most people there were not, and it looked simple enough...

Charlie inhaled, downing his second beer before standing up. "Sorry guys, I gotta pee. I'll be right back."

Charlie quickly stepped away, stretching his arms out as he made his way to the bathroom. This left Kirk with Jules, and Jules noticed faintly that the rabbit had just winked at a lithe marten on the other side of the club. The marten blushed, but found he could not look away from the rabbit. The rabbit smirked, lifting one finger up before turning to Jules, beckoning him closer.

Jules nodded, leaning his ear to Kirk's mouth.

"Dance with Charlie!"

Jules blinked, peeling back as he looked at Kirk. "Kirk?" he asked.

The rabbit winked. "I've never seen Charlie act like this around anyone," he said. "He won't admit it, but I can see it plain as day: he likes you, and from the look of things I think you like him too."

Jules blushed, glancing away. "I..."

But Kirk winked, downing the last of his drink. "Make him your own, big guy," he said. "'Cause if you don't, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

And with this, Kirk patted the bar, before standing up and sauntering over to the marten. Jules watched the rabbit lean over him, the marten blushing but not pulling away. Kirk had a gentle laugh, and he watched the marten's nerves leave him as they began to chat.

Jules sat back, inhaling as he watched their interaction play out. He realized in that second that there was something to what he and Charlie had shared throughout the day that felt much like that, but on a much deeper level. Ever since they had met in the gym, there was something about Charlie that beckoned to him. He'd followed it every step of the way until then...

...so why should he let his nerves about dancing stop him at that point?

Jules jumped as he felt a muscled hand pat his shoulder. "Alright, I'm back, big guy." Jules looked down, and exhaled in relief upon seeing Charlie come in. He glanced at Kirk's spot, before looking across to see where Kirk was playfully flirting with the marten. "Ah, I see someone's already caught his eye, huh?"

"Yes," said Jules.

"Yup, that sounds about right for Kirk," said Charlie. He then sat back, looking up at Jules. "I dunno about you, though, but I think I've got--"

"Dance with me."

The words came out of Jules' mouth before he even realized he'd said them. The bear blinked in surprise, but this time he did not peel away, afraid his words had been swallowed by the techno. Nevertheless, a look at Charlie saw him blink briefly in surprise, the tuna tilting his head as he looked up at the imposing bear.

Before Jules could start wondering if he had misspoken, however, the tuna's smile grew ever broader, and he reached for the bear's hands. "I thought you'd never ask, big guy," he said. "Here, let's dance."

And with this, Charlie led Jules down to the dance floor's edge. At the bar the techno had been loud, but here Jules felt the music more than heard it: the bass pounded in his ears, and after a little bit he felt his heartbeat match it. But overall, with the haze that took over his body, he felt the desire to move, the wish to gyrate his hips, wave his arms...

Before he knew what he was doing, he was doing most of those things, his shoulders starting to bob along with the beat. Everything else loosened up shortly afterwards, and so he began to move, and he moved quite easily.

He felt a leg bump up against his knee. He then opened his eyes, looking right at Charlie as the tuna began to do similarly. His movements were much freer, however: he managed to fit a little twirl in there, his thick tail swaying behind him as he moved. His moves were more energetic and joyful, and Jules simply watched him for a few beats, his motions moving along.

After a few more bars, Jules noticed that Charlie began to move his hips in sync with his. They latched onto a rhythm, and it was then that Jules realized that Charlie was slowly inching ever closer to Jules. Their hips moved in sync, and then he realized that Charlie's arms were raised up close to his. Their torsos grew closer, and after a second, Jules could feel their chests slowly start to touch.

Jules smiled, before closing his eyes. He reached down, placing a hand on Charlie's hips. He used this to synchronize his motions a little better, the two of them moving more in sync than before. Charlie looked up at Jules, their gazes meeting as they looked in each other's eyes. Even in the lighting, the sky blue was more prominent than before.

It was then that Jules felt Charlie's hands settle on his chest, the first time they had done so since the gym. Here, though, their touch was more tender, like they were almost ghosting over his chest. The bear could not quite get what he felt, but those hands began to travel up and down his torso to the beat. It brought a very pleasant warmth to him: even though there was no actual lingering happening, Jules felt like those hands left a warm trail behind on his shirt. It was not quite touching his fur, but suddenly Jules founding himself wishing it was that.

The bear lost track of time this way, their hips moving together. Slowly, Jules brought his other hand to the other side of Charlie's hips, pulling him closer. This was the first he had felt of the need to pull himself closer to Charlie, and as he did he wondered why he did not earlier. Their hips were thus smushed together, their torsos rubbing against each other slowly. And Charlie's smile... Oh, how wonderful it looked from this angle... And how close his mouth was, how he felt Charlie's breath tickle his nose, how he wanted more...

Jules leaned in first, planting his mouth on Charlie's as he closed his eyes. The second he did, he felt one of Charlie's hands run up his neck, settling onto the back of his head and pulling him deeper. Jules parted his mouth slightly, and soon their lips intertwined, their motions slowing down as they shared a kiss. The fact it was a kiss entered Jules' awareness slowly, but even as it did it did not bother him, nor did the fact that it was a point of no return.

After all, it was with the handsome Charlie Masthead. At that moment, there was nobody he would have rather kissed.

The kiss parted slowly, and in the haze of the music and the alcohol Jules could only smile. He then leaned towards Charlie's head, holding him close as he moved his muzzle to where he assumed Charlie's earholes were.

"You live near here?" he asked.

Charlie nodded. "Yeah," he replied. "I've still got some more dance in me, though. Wanna dance a couple more numbers and head home?"

Jules nodded. "Sounds perfect to me."

And with this, the two of them pulled their heads back, and continued to dance along to the music.

----**----

When they had gotten into Charlie's apartment, the two of them essentially went straight to bed: Jules was not so used to being up so late, and so they both fell asleep in each other's arms, wearing only their boxers as they settled into Charlie's bed. Jules wondered if Charlie had expected anything else, but the tuna snored in his arms, and then the bear forgot about this worry as he followed Charlie into sleep.

The bear was woken up by the rays of the sun peeking in through the edges of the blinds in Charlie's bedroom. They cast a rather strange light across the room, illuminating just enough of the blue-walled interior to give Jules a sense of how small the room was for such a big man. It felt cozy, though, and for Jules this was just as well.

And then he looked down, and smiled upon seeing Charlie sleeping gently. The tuna looked quite adorable with his head resting just above his nipple. It warmed his heart, and the fact that he was in the bed of a man he had only met about half a day earlier was not even disturbing to him when he thought about it.

He paused as this thought came to mind: he realized this was all moving incredibly fast. No relationship he'd ever been in had gotten to this point, not even with Beth. And now, there he was, willingly sharing a bed with Charlie. Was all this a stupid decision? Everything about this felt right to him, but he was not even sure how Charlie felt about it. Charlie had gone along with everything up to this point, but how far would he follow him?

Jules felt a bolt of self-consciousness overcome his whole being. He knew what he was like to his ex-girlfriends: he had always walled himself up. Would he do that to Charlie as well? No, he would: he felt free and wonderful, but eventually something would happen, and he'd wall up, and then Charlie would lose interest... How long would that take?

Before Jules could answer this question by himself, he felt Charlie stir on his chest. The tuna yawned, stretching the arm that had been across the bear's torso off to the side, before he looked up and smiled at Jules, his eyes shining as if they were in full daylight.

"Hey there big guy," Charlie began.

And in spite of himself, Jules smiled. "Hey," he said. "You sleep well?"

"Very," Charlie began. He drummed his fingers on the bear's chest. "And you?"

Jules glanced to the side, his smile fading slightly. "Very well, too," he said. This was not a lie, either, for he had slept better than usual that night. But as he laid there, he paused, his hand coming up to gently scratch behind Charlie's head.

"Somethin' on your mind, big guy?" the tuna asked.

Jules sighed, looking down to Charlie. "Is this... moving too fast?" he asked.

Charlie chuckled, reaching a hand up to rub under Jules' chin. "In my estimation, it's movin' at just the right clip, big guy," he said. He then glanced to the side. "Even if it is a little fast." He then looked up, before sitting up at the edge of the bed. "Now, are you worried it's moving too fast?"

"Maybe..." Jules sat up in turn, swallowing as he looked at the tuna in the eyes. "I just... I've never felt like this about anyone before. Never felt..."

"...this in love?" Charlie asked, his smile dropping for a second.

"Yes! That!" Jules exhaled, shaking his head as he looked at Charlie. "You're... you're just so wonderful. So fun, so free, so understanding... I feel different when I'm around you. Like nothing I could do would ever be wrong." He then sighed, his eyes watering. "But what about me? I didn't even really know how much I liked guys until yesterday when I met you. I didn't know..." He exhaled, looking to the floor. "I'm just scared..."

"...Scared I won't like the person you'll turn into?" Charlie asked.

Jules blinked. "Y-yes," he said. He shook his head. "I'm... I'm probably not going to be that interesting. And then you'll find out I'm not that interesting, and..."

Charlie nodded, his expression soft as he listened to Jules. He sat there for a second, swallowing as he looked over the large bear. Jules found his expression hard to read, but the fact he had not pulled away yet was a small comfort.

Finally, Charlie shrugged, scooching closer. "You're probably right," he said. "I don't really know that much about you. I don't really know what you like, what you'll be like when you grow into yourself a little bit more..." His smile finally returned. "But from what it looks and sounds like, you don't fully know who you are yourself."

Jules blinked. "I guess that's true," he said.

"Exactly," Charlie replied. He then leaned forward, placing his hand on the bear's chest. "You say you won't be interesting; I say it's too early to tell. And I don't know about you, but I'd like to discover who you are when you're allowed to do what you want, because I'll bet you anything you're kind in your own way."

The bear's ears twitched, pointing straight at the ceiling. "Really?" Jules asked.

"Yeah." Charlie let his hand rub down over Jules' chest. "And either way, it won't make any difference to me. You're handsome, you're humble, you're smarter than you give yourself credit for, you're a bit of a hopeless romantic..." His smile lit up the room again, and his hands stopped wandering all over Jules' body. "You're already plenty interesting to me, Jules, and nothing anyone can say will take that away from you, or from me."

And as soon as Charlie said this, Jules felt a shudder overcome his whole body. It was the most pleasant shudder he could feel, however, and he suddenly felt more loved in that moment than he ever had his whole life.

Jules smiled, and he felt a tear escape his eye. "Charlie..."

Without much preamble, Jules leaned in, his lips almost mashing against Charlie's. The tuna was only too happy to return the kiss, Jules feeling his scales brush against his fur very lightly. It was a little more passionate than the kiss on the dance floor, for briefly Jules felt a salty tongue brush against his for the briefest of seconds, and Jules wished he could always kiss Charlie like this.

The kiss parted, and Jules found himself smiling, not even caring that there was moisture soaking into the fur of his cheek. Not that he would have the time to, for soon after he felt Charlie's thumbs wiping away those tears.

Charlie then looked up at the eye piercing. "We should probably get your saline solution applied to your piercing, huh?" he asked.

"Yes," said Jules. He then pulled his knees up, smiling. "I almost want to stay with you another day."

Charlie smiled, shrugging. "Well, I had no plans today, so I'd be down for that," he said.

Jules nodded. "Know any breakfast places?" he said.

Charlie chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "In this neighborhood?" he asked. "They are everywhere, and they're all good."

The bear leaned forward. "Then it's on me."

And as he said this, Jules felt himself smile broader than he ever had in his life. For the first time he could think of, he felt like he was where he belonged, and something about that filled his heart with a warmth that he could not describe.