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Paul sat down, adjusting his tie on his collared shirt. His laptop in front of him was booted up and his Skype account was open. He had an interview today and was just a tad nervous. The recent college grad was finally ready to go out there and make an impact on society, of course he needed to get a job first. He closed his eyes and took a few calming breathes. He ran over the common interview questions in his head and his answers. Scattered about the table was his notes, research on the company, and other things to assist him convince his interviewers that he was a suitable candidate for the position.

The sound of footsteps from the hall brought him back to the present. His roommate and boyfriend Kay popped into the kitchen practically nude and wearing nothing but boxer briefs. The display put his tiger stripes on full display, the parallel lines spiraling about his body accented by the orange and white that filled the spaces in between. His long, slim tail brushing left and right as his hips swayed to and fro. Paul blushed a little bit after he found himself admiring Kay a little too intently, he needed to focus on his interview.

He shook his head and checked his front facing camera on his laptop that his image was clear and presentable. He combed his fingers through his hair to get it to lie straight. Not that he needed to bother, his short otter fur was almost always presentable. Kay plopped down next to Paul at the table his head focused on the phone in his hand almost oblivious to Paul except when he snaked his foot up Paul's leg affectionately.

``You nervous?'' Kay asked without looking up from his phone.

``A little.'' Paul answered while fiddling with his notes and things. Kay locked his phone and turned toward Paul and grabbed his hands. They were always warm to the touch. Paul smiled and looked into Kay's emerald green eyes.

``Remember to breathe, you are brilliant and they are fools if they can't see that.'' Kay always knows what to say to help Paul calm down. Paul always had some self-worth issues, that's what made Kay a good fit for him. He always made sure that Paul knew his efforts were rewarded. Paul nodded and took another steadying breath.

``Do you want me here or will I be distracting?'' Paul froze on answering. On one hand, Kay gave him confidence on the other the tiger was a very diverting entity and sitting here with almost no clothes on already had Paul nursing a semi in his pants. Paul looked away sheepishly.

``Would it be too much to ask you to wait in the other room?'' Kay rubbed Paul's paw with his thumb.

``Not at all if it makes you more comfortable.'' With that Kay stood up and leaned over to Paul. Paul smiled as the big cat placed a kind peck right on his forehead. The tiger stepped off into the kitchen to grab a bag of chips and stepped off down the hall from where he came. Again, Paul found himself admiring Kay's form again, especially his ass. The form-fitting underwear hugging his cheeks. Paul shook his head of such thoughts, it wasn't the time. He again confirmed that sending Kay away was for the better.

The Skype incoming ringtone started playing, the name of his contact flashing on screen. He noticeably felt his pulse spike as he moved the cursor over to the accept call button, the shaking arrow matching his hands.

``Hello, Mr. O'Donnell. Can you hear me okay?'' The voice at the other end of the call coming from a smartly dressed canine that Paul knew as Simon Tooley.

``Yes, Mr. Tooley, I can hear you just fine. What about my connection?'' Paul asked back.

``It appears all good on my end. So how is your morning going so far?'' Mr. Tooley clearly trying to ease Paul into the conversation.

``Just fine, sir.'' Paul confidently responded.

``Good. Good. Shall we get started then?''

What followed was one of the most nerve-racking interviews that Paul had ever been on. Along with the added struggle of the media, this was for a high-profile position within Tooley's company and as such every applicant was extensively vetted. Paul was asked some hard-hitting questions and more than a few were ones that he hadn't prepared for. He fumbled his answers more than once and each time caused his anxiety to rise. By the end of it, his knees were practically clacking together under the table.

As the interview was winding down, Paul was grateful.

``Well Mr. O'Donnell. I thank you for being so understanding about interviewing over Skype. I understand that there are some added struggles with the convenience.''

``Oh, it's no problem Mr. Tooley. I greatly appreciated this opportunity to speak with you.'' Paul's mind was close to running on autopilot. His responses coming from subconscious practice than conscious thought.

``Well, I do have a few more interviews to complete today before lunch so I must be off. The rest of this week will be the remainder of our interviews and you should hear from us next week, alright?''

``Alright, thank you for telling me. Have a nice day.'' Paul wished.

`Yep, you too.'' He responded as he ended the call. As soon as the canine's face dropped off of the screen Paul slammed his head into his hands. His body was racked with tremors and shivers. He felt the nausea building in his stomach.That was awful' he told himself. Every single mishap and error he made welled together in his brain, being blown to greater and greater proportions as he dwelled on them. Eventually he couldn't sit still anymore. He got up and delicately closed the laptop screen. And trudged on down the hall.

He stopped outside the bedroom with the door half closed, the light was on so Paul knew Kay was in there. He was likely trying very hard not to run out and ask Paul how it went. Paul snorted to himself, Kay was wonderful, certainly someone Paul didn't deserve. An emotional, nervous wreck like Paul was no companion for the confident, caring, charismatic tiger. Paul breathed in to steady himself and pushed the door open.

Kay was laying on the bed, just as naked as he was an hour previously, reading a book that Paul knew he had read at least three times before. Paul smiled to himself knowing that the tiger was trying very hard not to be the overbearing concerned individual that he sometimes can be. Kay glanced over to Paul and smiled.

``Hey there. You all done?'' Kay said nonchalantly.

``Yeah'' Paul responded subdued. Kay closed the book and placed it on the night stand. Paul walked over and crawled on the bed and laid down next to his boyfriend. The pair laid facing each other for a while, just losing themselves in each other's eyes. Paul knew that Kay likely had a million and one questions but was trying to be respectful. The otter really tried to keep it together, but it was just too much.

Paul just lost it and broke down crying, Kay scooted closer and wrapped his arms around the emotional otter. The light coos and soft pats letting the distressed Paul know he wasn't alone. Paul buried his head into the tiger's chest the soft fur ticking his face as his tears soaked into the bristles, he gripped Kay's arms and held on. The tears eventually slowed to a stop. Kay was calm through out the whole ordeal, being the bastion of strength that Paul needed from him.

``Feel a little better?'' Kay had asked as soon as Paul was calmed down. Paul just nodded into Kay's chest.

``I'm going to tell you something, and you are going to immediately disagree with me, but no matter what happened on that interview it wasn't as bad as you perceived it to be.'' Paul snorted indignantly.

``It's true.'' Kay continued.

``You weren't listening.'' Paul responded.

``I didn't need to. I know that you did as well as you could have and, while it wasn't perfect, there are certainly others who would have done much worse.''

``That doesn't help me.'' Paul retorted.

``Well, let's take a step back and look at the situation. Did he say that you weren't going to get the job?''

``...No''

``Was he conversational and engage with you or was it one-sided?''

``We both talked.''

``Did the interview end abruptly or come to its natural conclusion?''

``We parted decently.''

``Did he say when he would follow up with you?''

``Sometime next week.''

``Then for all we know at this point you are a candidate still in the running and even if we can't be optimistic we can be realistic. You have no real evidence that suggests that you are out of the running.''

Paul was just silent for a moment, he was angry, hurt, tired. He didn't want to think, it hurt to think. He just wanted to be sad, Kay was making it decidedly difficult to accomplish that desire. The otter's breaths rustled Kay's fur and tickled his nose. The wet patches from his tears stuck to his face.

``It's hard to be optimistic.'' He finally said.

I know'' Kay sweetly returned, his voice soft and low.I will be optimistic for you, all you have to do is not be pessimistic.'' Kay twirled his finger around Paul's nubby ear, the sensations tingled their way across Paul's scalp. Paul loved it when the big cat played with his ears.

How is it so easy for you?'' Paul asked,I can't even get through a job application on my own, but here you are having complete faith in me with no issue.'' Kay chuckled a little at that.

Oh Paul, that's because I can see how great you are. You are one of the smartest people I know, kind, considerate, absolutely adorable.'' Kay said the last phrase with squeeze.You have a way to connecting to people by just being yourself, they are all drawn to your charisma, your charm. People like you, Paul. But I love you. I have watched you struggle, misstep, fail. And every time you do you have this moment where you beat yourself up, but almost as soon as it arrives it passes. You are on to the next task, a little better than you were before. This cycle of growth is one of the best things about your personality. You set yourself huge standards and almost always meet them. And when you fail, you address the problem and move on. You don't dwell on missed opportunities because you go and make new ones. And it is for that reason that even though you aren't that confident yourself, I am confident in you. Because after all is said and done, you are worth more than you think.''

Kay was silent for a time, Paul was ruminating on what he had just said. Sure, he recognized the behavior that Kay was describing, but he had a different interpretation. When it came down to it, however, Kay believed in him and he hated feeling sorry for himself. He looked up into Kay's eyes, the crystal clear emerald vibrant against the back drop of orange. There was no hesitation in those eyes, only clear assurance. Paul wiped his eyes with his hand and blinked a few times. He cuddled back into Kay's chest and pulled his legs up. Kay cradled him back and the two sat there just basking in each other's presence as time passed.

Paul idly traced along Kay's stripes, following the patterns along his chest and arms. Paul always loved how aesthetic tiger stripes were, so much more distinct than his tan brown, coarse fur. Eventually, Paul let out a huge sigh. ``Thank you'' Some words were difficult to say and at the moment those were the hardest. Kay leaned down and kissed the top of Paul's head.

``You are always welcome''

The pair sat there long into the afternoon, neither wanting to leave. Eventually, Paul slipped into sleep. The large cat next to him the best and only blanket that he needed.