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Two exhausted otters stumbled through Rye's welcoming door. Hours had passed since their departure from the Lagoon, and every second of those many long hours were filled with playing games, sports and video games with their friends, dancing and even some bad karaoke and a dozen other sorts of activities.

"I am exhausted," said Cloud with a big yawn. "I haven't been that active for who knows how long."

"You played more video games than not," muttered Rye, giggling. He allowed himself to fall back onto the couch. The other otter did the same nearby.

"That's not what I meant," Cloud admitted. "Can we watch something? I need to rest for a while."

"Sure," answered Rye. He activated his television screen and scrolled through his list of movies, settling on one titled Guard of the Zealot.

Advertisements of many other movies flashed on the screen while the otters watched them with heavy eyelids. Cloud eventually curled up against the arm of the couch, resting his head on his folded arms and Rye laid his head on his paw. In truth, after the first few title screens appeared the otter didn't remember what happened. Next thing he knew, both the otters were back in the locker room, now was deserted.

Over the top of the shower stalls, Rye could see Cloud showering himself only a few stalls from the one he stood in himself. Although it was dark, save for a single light opposite of the showers, he could see the otter he desired very clearly. Staring at the white otter who didn't even notice Rye's presence, an intense emotion began to swell within the otter which guided his movements.

Without any clothing, Rye stepped out of the shower stall and slowly moved closer to Cloud, step by step. His emotions made his heart beat fast and hard, contradicting themselves. The otter desired nothing more than for Cloud to turn and look upon him to see the truth of his nakedness and emotions. And yet he feared revealing his true self to the white otter he wished for himself.

Step after step, the white otter refused to look at him. While he drew closer, Rye's heart started to beat faster and harder. He knew if he were to see Cloud now, his true nakedness with nothing hidden from view, the otter would truly know who Cloud is.

Half a meter from the edge of the stall, Rye's hindpaws stopped standing in a puddle of water. No matter how much he willed his hindpaws to take another step, he simply could not take that last step. It was his fear that stopped him, and it made him want to cry with anger and sorrow. The temptation to learn everything there is about Cloud and to show that otter everything there is to know about him, conflicted directly with his overcautious fear. The white otter still showered himself, refusing to notice Rye.

Staring at the white otter, a flood of emotions began to overwhelm the poor otter. His heart screamed to share these emotions openly while his mind refused to allow it. Cloud's ears perked up, and he slowly started to look over his shoulder. At the same time, the visual barrier of the stall separator began to withdraw toward the wall, almost revealing the naked white otter. Cloud's gaze was nearly on him, and his fear quickly turned into excitement, but then the shower room sighed with a breeze that felt cold against Rye's damp fur.

Darkness replaced the locker room, until a faint blurred light of a television screen playing a movie replaced the scene. Irritated, the otter rolled over on the couch, and huddled against himself to stay warm. He willed himself to fall back asleep with a passionate hope that his dream will start up again from where it left off.

Alas, the dream was not revived and those that followed did not hold any emotion at all. The otters slept through the night and a majority of the morning without stirring in their sleep any more.

Tweeting of wild birds revived him, and his mind was still searching through the haze. The light shining through some of the windows was too bright, and Rye kept his eyes shut for a moment while he tried to remember when he had fallen asleep last night and he could not remember. With the haze thinning, the otter dared opened his eyes. He could only see a bright blurry image of his living quarters. Squinting his eyes, he started to see his surroundings better including Cloud.

The white otter was lying on the couch, snugged right up against Rye. His heart immediately began to race. Not only were they still spooning, but Rye's arm was lying casually across the white otter's chest, and Cloud's tail was tucked between Rye's legs, tucked up firmly against his groin.

What did I do to him?!

In a panic, Rye practically jumped over Cloud off the couch. The sleeping otter only rolled and moaned softly, but did not wake. Rubbing his eyes, Rye searched his memories furiously of what happened last night.

Did he grab Cloud while the otter still slept? Did Cloud snuggle against him? Or was he subconsciously seeking warmth for the lack of sheets? Does Cloud know that they were in that position? Rye didn't know. Paranoid, Rye turned toward his restroom to freshen up while he continued to think of what he must have done to the sleeping otter overnight.

Later Rye was changing his clothes when he heard Cloud stir on the couch with a yawning moan that often meant that the otter was stretching his body. Taking a deep breath, Rye returned to his guest with the plan to play ignorant their cuddle.

Emerging from his bedroom, Rye asked, "Beautiful morning. How'd you sleep?"

"Very well," replied Cloud, rubbing his eyes. "I slept like a rock, if rocks sleep."

Rye smirked but he did not dare risk saying more on the subject.

"What do you want to eat?" he asked, wandering toward the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry yet," Cloud admitted, turning in his seat watching the otter. "But a hot breakfast would be nice."

"After all those chips and dip last night, I couldn't agree more," said Rye. Sorting through his cooking utensils, the otter began to prepare for a meal. "Did we mean to watch a movie last night? I can't quite remember."

"I don't remember even leaving the party," Cloud admitted, yawning again. "Wait. Now that you mention it, I remember waking up in the middle of the night and seeing the screen on."

"If we were going to watch one, we both slept through it then," concluded Rye. He continued to mingle with utensils and food pulled from his cooler. "You can go take a shower and freshen up." Rye hesitated at the though of Cloud showering. Hints of the emotions experienced during a dream nearly almost surfaced giving pause to the otter but they failed to bring the memory of the dream to his conscious mind.

Searing meat, toasting bread and frying eggs, the otter kept himself busy cooking a simple breakfast. The scent of the food made his hunger grow more intense. Rye didn't hear the shower be activated and Cloud reemerged shortly with his fur slightly damped after splashing his face.

"Smells good out here," Cloud announced. Following his nose, he found himself in the kitchen with his host. "Anything I can help with? I feel like such a freeloader here."

"What do you expect me to do?" asked Rye playfully. "Let you starve to death?"

"It would make things look a little bad for you if I were to die in your apartment," Cloud replied with a smirk. "But still."

"You can grab down a few plates," Rye said, pushing the food around the frying pan. "In the cupboard above the sink to the left."

"Do you have to work today?" asked Cloud while he carefully fetched the dishes from the cupboard.

"No," Rye answered. "I have the next three days off. The Lagoon will be closed for four days, while our maintenance crews clean it up and rebalance the pool chemicals."

"Must be a tough job. What kind of juice do you want?"

"Vegetable juice if I have any left. And yes, our maintenance crews dread the days after the Games. Mountains of fur will be pulled out of those filters for the next couple days."

Cloud snickered. He placed the dishes around the dining table and took a seat behind it while Rye finished cooking. "So what will Rye CoHeart do on his day off?"

"I don't know," he answered. "I have to get some shopping done sometime but after yesterday I don't want to go out too much today."

"I understand what you mean."

"It is a really nice day outside today though. It'd be a shame if I didn't get some fresh air. Would you want to come grocery shopping with me?" asked Rye.

"What time would you be going?"

"Later in the morning," Rye said. The otter deemed the food to be cooked thoroughly enough, and separated portions onto two plates.

"Sure," Cloud agreed. "I'll need fresh change of clothes, and to shower before though."

"You can shower here," suggested Rye. With plates in his paws, the otter joined Cloud at the table. "You left some clothes here from last week, so I washed them for you. They're in one of my drawers."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Cloud said, looking over his food. "I don't mean to be leaving my things laying around your place."

"You spend so much time here, I would be surprised if you didn't," admitted Rye.

The morning sunshine moved slowly across the floor of the room and the apartment breathed whenever a breeze shuffled through the open windows. The morning consisted of the otters playing video games, eating snacks and taking turns showering.

Refreshed and relaxed, the otters ventured out into the bright, windy day and walked nearly a three kilometers to a nearby grocery store.

Upon entering the store, Rye already knew that this usual tedious chore would be far more enjoyable with his otter friend. He already wore a grin, but throughout the trip, he continued to chuckle whenever Cloud was excited or confused about common or foreign items. After wandering the store, Cloud insisted on paying for the groceries, which Rye reluctantly agreed to.

When they finally returned, and stored away the groceries, the otters sat in front of the television screen playing video games for several hours. The light streaming through the windows dimmed over time, and soon dark clouds covered the sky horizon to horizon. The sound of thunder rolled over the apartment buildings.

Rye glanced through the window at the dark, swirling clouds. "I didn't know thunder storms would be rolling through today."

A lightning bolt slashed the sky, impacting the ground a few kilometers away. Immediately the deafening crack stampeded violently across the city.

Both the otters jumped at the sudden sound. Cloud waited for the echoes to fade away before he said, "That was close." The two otters stood and looked out the window.

"It snuck up on us," commented Rye staring at the Clouds. "Darn, I wanted to go for a dip later on."

"You have a pool here too?" Cloud asked, glancing at Rye. He nodded. Another bolt of lightning streaked across the sky in a thunderous stampede. "Maybe I will stay inside here for a while. I don't want to walk out there when it's this bad."

"Good idea," replied Rye. Heavy drops of rain splattered against the window. The rain steadily grew more intense, until the storm was down pouring rain.

Walking over back to the couch, Rye was just about to sit when a rapid banging echoed off the front door. Cloud nearly jumped at the sound, and turned reflexively toward the door. The otters exchanged a quick glance before Rye scurried over to the door, eager to stop the knocking.

"Thanks Rye," came Ariel's voice once the door was open. She walked in huddled over and shivering. Patrick came in behind her also shivering. Nate walked in last, drenched but seemingly unaffected by the story.

"It's not that bad," said Nate with a big wolfish grin. "I kind of like the weather. We're so used to being impervious to storms like this, so it's nice to experience being out in one for a change."

"Come on in," Rye muttered while all three of them pushed their way in. They didn't know that Cloud was here; would they think it suspicious for both otters to be in his place alone? "What are you all doing here?"

"Came to see if you made it home okay," replied Ariel, still shivering. "Damn storm came out of nowhere though. Can we use your dryer?"

"Go ahead," Rye answered, gesturing toward his bedroom that led into the bathroom with an open paw. His other paw was still on the door handle while he waited for them all to come in.

"Thanks," Patrick said, leading Ariel into the room.

A gust of wind pushed against the door and nearly caught the otter off guard. He shoved against it while rain spattered inside. After a brief struggle, Rye was able to shut the door and it locked automatically. Rye followed the felines into his room.

Stepping away from the first otter, the wolf noticed Cloud and waved. "Hey Cloud," he greeted.

Shyly, the white otter waved back at the wolf. Another crack of thunder shattered the sky causing Cloud to jump again. He stepped away from the glass windows, glancing back at the dark clouds.

"Intense storm," Rye commented, reemerging from his room with two towels. Passing one over to the wolf, he threw the other on the ground where the water had been dripping off of the furred bodies.

"I love it," Nate responded, drying himself off. "I like the wind blowing through my fur. I want to go back outside but that doesn't seem to be the smartest choice to do right now."

Cloud sat on the couch without saying a word and gazed out the windows. He appreciated the power of thunderstorms too but this was struck more fear in him than appreciation.

"I agree," said Rye, using his left hindpaw to push the towel around the puddle on the floor. "So why the surprise visit?"

"We were bored," Nate answered casually. Now dry, he sat down next to Cloud and smiled at him. "But we didn't know you had company over already. Why didn't you invite us?"

"We're not exactly doing anything special," said Cloud looking Nathan in the eye and returning the courtesy smile. "Haven't even brought out the video games yet."

"Cloud's always over," input Rye, picking the towel off the floor. He decided it'd be best to tell the truth when possible, without revealing his secret crush on the otter. "It's not like he lives far away or anything."

"Did you spend the night?" asked Nate quickly. "No one has ever slept over at Rye's before."

"Really?" questioned Cloud appearing to be a little surprised and bashful. The otter was shy of the fact that he was granted an honor Rye's closest friends weren't.

"It was late when we left the party," said Rye. It was true that no one else has spent the night; he's never asked anyone to before. The otter could feel his cheeks burning with a blush hidden by his fur and whiskers. "We both crashed out here."

Dry once again, Patrick and Ariel came out of the room. Ariel had one of Rye's fur combs and was brushing herself with it. The storm continued to rage on outside but now they were all practically ignoring it.

"Thanks Rye," she said again. "I hate the rain."

"Anytime," replied Rye sitting in his second sofa seat. "Where's the rest of the group?"

"Probably still sleeping," Ariel answered. Both she and Patrick sat down next to the wolf, squeezing their way in; four bodies on a three-person couch.

"Except for Shasta," put in Patrick.

"Oh yeah," continued Ariel, leaning against her boyfriend. "He left the party early because he was getting advances from some doe. A college student from what I heard. But he's probably spending the day with his little brothers and sisters."

"I suppose today wouldn't be a great day to go out on one of his hikes," commented Rye, glancing at the storm. The rain calmed down for the moment but the wind seemed to be growing stronger.

"Anyone up for a game of Skirmish Perils?" asked Nate suddenly.

"I am," said Patrick eagerly. His girlfriend nodded.

Cloud raised an eyebrow at Rye, unfamiliar with the game. The otter shrugged and rolled his eyes before standing up and walking over to his gaming console. He passed four controllers to the occupants of the couch before grabbing one for himself.

"Cloud hasn't played it before so go easy on him," commented Rye, sitting back in his chair.

The television screen came to life, with it split up into five separate screens for each player. A first person view for each player was on their screen and in front of them lay out several weapons and vehicles, and a massive landscape beyond that. Several of the characters went for aircraft and began to fly around the large map.

"Be my copilot, Cloud," offered Nate while his video game character climbed into a military aircraft. "Just let me know if there's any enemies in the air with us."

"I'll try," replied Cloud, adjusting to the new video game settings.

Before the game could really begin, sirens outside started to sound off. All five of them glanced out the window. Small balls of hail were falling from the sky at this point.

"I didn't even notice the hail," mentioned Cloud.

"Must be heavier somewhere else otherwise the city sirens wouldn't be going off," responded Patrick. "Hopefully it doesn't come out this way."

"It's the worst part missed us," said Nate turning his attention back toward the game. "You can see the darker clouds moving away. Let's get back to the game."

After a few minutes, in Cloud warned of an enemy aircraft approaching his screen he could see a single-fighter style jet approach his own aircraft from the rear. A missile was launched toward the right wing of the aircraft. The wolf rolled the vehicle to the left, but that was the way the enemy aircraft was banking. The main cannons opened fire, ridding the aircraft with holes, killing Nate's and Cloud's characters.

"Damn it Rye!" exclaimed Nate enthusiastically.

The otter giggled and glanced at the white otter with a friendly grin. "Sorry Cloud," he said apologetically. "But you should know not to fly with Nate in this game. Or ever actually."

The white otter returned the smile, and stuck out his tongue. Rye giggled again. Nate's eyes turned toward Rye, catching him gazing at Cloud. The otter grinned sheepishly at the wolf and immediately returned to the game.

The five friends pressed at the controller buttons enthusiastically for an hour while the storm drifted farther and farther away.

"I'll sit out for a few minutes," said Nate after they started the third round. He activated the A.I. for his character in the video game. "I'm getting hungry."

The wolf stood and walked in front of the white otter while he headed for the kitchen.

"You're lucky that Cloud and I went shopping this morning," commented Rye without taking his eyes of the screen. "I think you owe me some food by now too."

Once in the kitchen, Nate began to rummage through the dry food before he called Rye over. "Hey otter, can you come tell me what I can eat that you haven't poisoned yet?"

Rye glanced at the wolf and chuckled before activating the A.I. for his own video game controller. He stood and walked into the kitchen.

"What are you in the mood for?" asked Rye, reaching into the fridge to pour himself some juice.

"Nothing in particular," Nate said in a suspiciously low tone. If the sounds from the video game didn't drown out his voice, the rain and wind would have. "I had a thought cross my mind the other day and it's been bugging me."

"Hm?" Rye hadn't yet poured the juice but Nate grabbed his full attention. He didn't like the fact that Nate was speaking so quietly.

"Are you and Cloud boyfriends?" Nate looked Rye straight in the eyes.

"No," answered Rye plainly, trying to be emotionless. His heart started to race.

"You two have been spending a lot of time together," continued Nate with his voice low. "And after your quarrel in the cafeteria the other day, I began to wonder."

"We're not dating," Rye said more sternly.

"You're friendlier than usual with him," muttered Nate, breaking eye contact as if he was thinking.

Was it so noticeable? Rye pulled a glass down from the cupboard and poured himself some juice.

"Rye, are you gay?" asked Nate unnaturally cautiously and seriously.

The otter's heart made an uncomfortable backflip. He set down his glass of juice. Whenever he thought when he'd tell his friends about this, he'd be lighthearted about it but that was not how he felt right now. Oddly he felt a sense of vertigo, causing his heart to race and the blood in his head to pulse.

"Why are you asking me such a strange question now?" asked Rye, controlling the tone of his voice. He glanced behind him to make sure no one else was paying attention to the conversation.

"You saw me catching you grinning at Cloud," answered Nate, almost backing down. "If you want to keep it a secret then I can help with that. Some of us have discussed the possibility a few times before."

"There is no secret burden weighing me down. I'm perfectly content with how things are now in my life." The thought that his friends have already discussed about him being gay caused the sense of vertigo to return quickly again.

"If you don't want to tell me then don't. I knew that you didn't like girls when Ariel, your best friend, started dating Patrick; you weren't affected at all by it." The wolf paused when all the background noise grew quieter for an instant but it quickly picked back up.

"Nathan, I really don't want any unnecessary drama in my life," said the otter almost too quiet for him to hear himself.

"So you are gay?" Nate asked, matching Rye's quiet tone.

Glaring, Rye hissed, "Yes."

The wolf grinned for a moment before he said: "Don't worry. I won't tell anyone, not even Ariel."

"Good. Now let's get back to the game." The otter raised his voice, ending the conversation as quickly as he could. Despite his slightly frustrated mood, Rye quickly started to feel an almost euphoric sense of relief, having shared his secret. He even dared to allow himself to grin.

"Sounds good to me," replied Nate.

The otter turned back toward the game but before he could even take a step, the wolf placed a paw on his shoulder and whispered in his ear. "Wait, so do you have a crush on Cloud then?"

"Nate," groaned Rye from his smile.

"Sorry," said Nate, letting go of the otter. "Let's get back to the game."

With his cup of juice in one paw, the otter returned to his chair with the wolf following him with his paws empty.

"About time," Patrick said his eyes glued to the screen. "Your A.I.'s suck. What took you two so long anyway?"

"Couldn't find anything to eat," said Nate, wedging himself back on the couch. "I don't understand how this otter can have so much food and yet nothing to eat."

"You're just too picky Nate," remarked Rye, his grin not fading. He failed to concentrate on the game, because he focused so much on the ecstatic emotion that came from sharing his secret with Nate.

Resuming their game, the five friends shouted and laughed with each other for several a couple more hours. The sun revealed itself once again before the game was finished but Ariel's PawPad also received a call shortly after the sun came out.

"Hello? . . . No, we're at Rye's. . . . Sure, Rye won't mind. We're playing Skirmish Perils and we need one more player so we can have three against three... Okay... Hey, are you okay? ... Alright, I'll see you when you get here then... Bye."

With the game never halting, Nate asked, "Who was that?"

"Marvin," Ariel answered, obviously distracted now. "He's coming over. He sounded kind of sad. I hope he's okay."

"Why'd he call you then?" asked Rye, still focusing on the game. "He and Shasta are best friends."

"I don't know," replied Ariel. Silence followed for the next half hour while they all focused on the game until there was a knock on the door. Ariel got up immediately and hurried to the door.

"Can I talk to you alone?" Marvin was overheard asking her.

"Of course, we'll use Rye's room," answered Ariel, leading Marvin inside. The others respectfully greeted Marvin, who responded with a weak smile before they disappeared into Rye's room, with the door shutting behind them.

The walls were solid so nothing could be heard between the room and where the Rye's television was so the four remaining players continued to play the game.

Several minutes went by before Ariel came back out of the room. "Rye, Nate, can you come here for a minute?"

The two stood up without a word and walked to Ariel. She led them into Rye's room where Marvin was sitting on the bed, clearly fighting back strong tears. Nate immediately went over to him.

"Hey, Marvin, are you all right?" he asked, touching him gently on the shoulder. Marvin shook his head, unable to speak. Nate embraced his friend in a hug, causing Marvin to weep openly.

Rye turned to Ariel once the door was shut. "Why is he so upset?"

"He's had a serious crush on Shasta," she said, glancing at him. "I didn't know anything about that but he says he has liked Shasta since they met two years ago."

The mention of Marvin having a crush on their squirrel friend was shocking to the otter. He knew Marvin was gay but never knew about that.

"Really?" questioned Rye, unable to think of anything else to say.

"Yes," continued Ariel. "Apparently, Marvin confessed his feelings in an unsubtle way the night of the Games."

"What did he do?"

"He won't say. Shasta turned him down, and now he's heartbroken. That's all I could get out of him right now."

Rye looked over at Marvin, who was leaning against Nate now still crying. Nate was doing his best to comfort him. The otter's thoughts wandered to his own crush, on the otter sitting in his living room right now.

"I never thought Shasta was gay, but I always thought they kind have looked like a couple," Rye admitted, still watching Nate rub Marvin's back. "Shasta never showed any romantic interest in anyone before."

"I know," agreed Ariel. "I think he has no preference for males or females. He might be one of those who never have desire to be with anyone romantically."

Rye walked over to Nate and Marvin, and knelt down in front of them.

"Hey Marvin," he said. "I have some beets. I'll go make you a sweet beet pie. That's still your favorite right?"

Marvin nodded. "I'm sorry Rye," he sobbed. "I don't want to be burden on all of you with this. I know I'm shouldn't be feeling like this but I can't ignore it."

"Don't worry about it," said Rye, giving a weak smile of encouragement. "That's what friends are for. I'll be back in about an hour with your pie."

"Thanks," he sobbed, regaining some of his composure.

Rye stood, exchanged a quick glance with Ariel and walked out of the bedroom. Shutting the door behind him, Rye entered the living room where Patrick and Cloud were showing little enthusiasm to the game they were abandoned with.

Glancing at Cloud, Rye smiled but his thoughts quickly went back to Marvin and his situation. If Rye told Cloud about his feelings, would he act any better? He didn't believe he would, but he couldn't believe he'd be able to handle that kind of pain either.

"Is everything okay?" asked Patrick, a concern look on his face.

"Yeah," replied Rye. "Marvin's really upset right now but he'll be fine." Would I be able to recover if Cloud rejected me? "I'm going to bake him his favorite dish so I won't be able to play again yet."

"Do you need some help?" offered Cloud, neglecting the video game.

"I'll be fine, you two can continue playing," Rye said, passing the couches and entering the kitchen. "If you two want you can switch to Spiral Galaxy."

Seeing the pain of a crushed hope distracted Rye now, even while he prepared the dish. He knew that could be a pain he'd be feeling very soon, and even if he wished he'd never feel that pain, it is a very real possibility. It worried him.

"Why is he so upset?" Patrick asked once the games were switched.

"He had a crush on Shasta but Shasta couldn't return the feelings," answered Rye, quietly. Normally Rye wouldn't have shared that information but Marvin was good friends with Patrick and was quick friends with Cloud too.

"Oh, poor guy," muttered Patrick.

"Yeah," agreed Rye, still distracted by his thoughts. "It's not Shasta's fault. Not Marvin's either. It's just... unfortunate."

Silence followed with only the sounds of the video game and Rye cooking. Cloud didn't say anything, even after Rye put the pie in the oven and Marvin came out of the bedroom with the other two. He smiled weakly again but better than the first smile.

"I heard someone needed a third player on their team," Marvin said, obviously trying to lighten the mood. His eyes were still slightly red and teary from crying.

"That'd be Ariel and me," said Rye. With Ariel and Nate on either side of Marvin, they sat on the couch shared with Patrick. Rye wandered back to the game, looking for a seat in his own living room. Cloud smiled and moved over in the sofa the best he could, allowing Rye to squeeze in. Excited, Rye sat down in the small sofa next to Cloud, their hips and shoulders pressed tight together.

"You two don't need another team member," argued Nate. "We're tied with it two verse three right now."

"Rye's still in the aircrafts huh?" asked Marvin. A few of them chuckled lightly.

"Hey, Cloud has been shooting me down before I can do any serious damage," Rye defended with a smirk. "He's going in the AA towers. No one ever goes in them."

"I'll switch teams with Nate then," Marvin challenged, a mischievous grin spreading. "I'll beat Rye out of the aircrafts and Nate out of the tanks."

A game started and they all played together, serving well to distract Marvin from his rejection. The pie was soon ready and Marvin eagerly ate it while they played the video game. The sun was finally setting and night quickly approached.

It quickly became clear to Nate that Marvin didn't want to leave and be alone with his thoughts so he suggested that they all spend the night.

"Sure," agreed Rye. "You all can stay if you want but you might have to go get blankets and pillows. I don't have enough from everyone."

"Six of us staying here might be a bit much," Ariel said. "Patrick and I like to sleep alone together."

"You don't mind, do you Rye?" Marvin asked, a little shy to admit that he wants to stay. "I mean only Cloud has spent the night here before."

"I don't mind at all," said Rye. "You and Cloud can have the couches, Nate and I will sleep on the floor."

"You're not going to sleep in your room?" asked Cloud, puzzled by Rye's decision. "You don't have to sacrifice sleeping on your bed for us."

"I don't mind," said Rye with a smile. "Besides, Ariel and Patrick can sleep there if they change their minds."

"Give us a minute to come up with a better excuse," stated Patrick with a smile.

"Our bed is more comfortable," Ariel stated. "Besides, an otter sheds a lot."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to hold it against you for not sleeping in my place," said Rye with a light chuckle. He got up and disappeared in his room before coming back with an armful of blankets and pillows. He passed them out to the four who were staying, and lay out his sleeping bundle next to the sofa where Cloud was currently seated.

"I'll sleep here so don't fall down and crush me," he said.

Cloud smiled crookedly and rolled his eyes before accepting the sleeping bundle from Rye. They all rearranged themselves into a more comfortable position with the blankets and pillows before resuming the game.

It was late in the night before Marvin drifted to sleep, the felines left and the otters and Nate settled in for the night. Rye caught Nate grinning at him, glancing up at the sleeping otter above him occasionally. Rye didn't know what he was thinking of but responded with an irritated glare before rolling around and closing his eyes.

Nate laughed when he received the glare and finally went to sleep too.