King watched through Prince's eyes as his mom doted on them both. Of course, she might have given Rexy a few more hugs and kisses, but Prince definitely got his fair share of attention, too. 

Besides, King wasn't really one for physical attention anyways, and his mom knew that. He definitely wasn't getting jealous. At least, not in that way...

Prince, please let me shift back, he groaned for the fourth time as his raccoon wandered around his mom's feet as she cooked them something that smelled delicious. 

I wanna hold Baron!

Of course, he knew that it was really Rexy, but still! The guy was beneath the otter, and this was probably his only chance to love on him. 

He didn't even want to hug me earlier...

He had no doubt that he would have been nudged away if the man hadn't been busy focusing on his phone call. 

Inwardly sulking, King waited and watched as their evening played out. His mood wasn't the best at the beginning, but as the day went on, he couldn't help but relax more. 

The crab leg he was crunching on might have had something to do with it, or the little otter that was now leaning against him, working on a clam after having finally been released from his mother's arms. 

As he finished his last bite of crab meat, Prince looked over and noticed Rexy still struggling. 

He hasn't been able to use his left side for so long. It seems like it's a little awkward for him right now. 

Before he could think further on the situation, Prince reached over and took the treat right out of Rexy's paws! 

Prince! Give that back! 

The little brat didn't listen at all, though that was no surprise. He worked away at the shell even as Rexy squeaked his disapproval and swatted at his fuzzy shoulder!

Prince, that's not fair. That was Rexy's...

His raccoon didn't seem to give a fluff as it finally pried the shell apart, then lifted it to its mouth. Except, right before he could bite down, the mollusk mysteriously vanished! 

The confusion Prince felt surged into King's mind as the brat looked around, and then came the indignation as he found where his treat had gone! 

Rexy happily chewed away on his squishy snack, and it was quite clear now what had actually happened. His mom had taken it away and returned it to Rexy... and she was now glaring daggers at Prince, making the raccoon feel a tiny bit nervous. 

"Prince, is that how we share?" she said with her arms crossed over her chest. 

Uh oh, she means business, bud. 

Suddenly feeling a lot more nervous, Prince hunched his shoulders and gave a quiet chatter as he looked away. 

She has a point. You shared so well in the bath tub, but not so well with food, huh? 

It did kind of make sense, though, if he hadn't normally been allowed out. He probably just wanted to finally have all the tasty things he'd missed over the past several years. 

When King felt his mom's hand gently pat Prince's head, the little guy looked up, curious but still nervous. 

"Be good and don't take what isn't yours, okay?" she said gently, making Prince flick an ear, then lick a paw.

 His response seemed to please her well enough, because he was soon handed a warm shrimp from the pot she'd used to make dinner. 

"Good boy." 

While the two living stuffed animals munched away, Anne brought up a small folding table from her car, then got the table set with plates, cups, and she even brought up three chairs, too.

It's a nice little table, but I don't think we'll be able to reach our plates if we're sitting normally. 

"Alright my sweet boys," Anne said as she walked back over to Prince and lifted him up. 

"Time to shift back." 

Shift back? It doesn't exactly work like that does—it," King finished out loud as his body grew in an instant, leaving him standing before his mother in his birthday suit!

"Go get some clothes on, sweetie," she said, dismissing him as she walked over and lifted up Rexy. 

Instead of holding him like she had Prince, she gently set him down on the floor, kneeling in front of him with a warm smile. 

"You too, sweetheart. I'm so glad I finally got to see you again, but it's time for your new daddy to come back for a bit."

As King watched from the hallway, Rexy gave a big yawn, then his form began to blur.   

Oh! 

Quickly turning, King went to grab the clothing Baron had been wearing and brought them out to the kitchen. Anne had already turned her back to give Baron some privacy, so King just handed him the clothes and turned away, too, not wanting to stress him out. 

They were soon both dressed and as he walked out of the hall, he noticed Baron and Anne already deep in conversation. 

My... stomach hurts a little all of a sudden. 

He didn't think he'd eaten too much before their meal, so he just chalked it up to having a new shift so suddenly. 

Dropping down into the seat beside Baron, he listened to their discussion for a bit, but to be frank, he was quite lost. While Baron gave a little more information about his background, the majority of their conversation was legal stuff. 

So, he decided not to butt in with unnecessary things and quietly ate his shrimp alfredo and garlic bread in silence.  It was really hard to keep quiet when the person he wanted to talk to was sitting right next to him, though. 

"Oh, you have your phone call with your daughter soon, right?" Anne said after a while, making King blink out of his daze and look up. 

Baron smiled and nodded, clearly excited. 

"Yes, I told her I'd call her tonight for my birthday." 

Anne returned his smile and stood as she began to clear their empty dishes. 

"I best be on my way soon, then." 

King quickly got up to help, and before Baron could even try to lend a hand, everything was rinsed and in the dishwasher. 

"You boys make sure to get some rest after your call, alright?" she said as she tugged King in for a quick hug, then turned and did the same for Baron. Except, right as she was about to let go, she gently grasped his shoulders and smiled. 

"I'm very proud of you, young man. Enjoy speaking with your daughter tonight, and we'll see about being able to get her to visit soon, hmm?" 

King watched the man's face immediately change as his nose and brow scrunched up and tears began to flow from his eyes. 

He got a soft pat to his shoulder from Anne in response, and to both their surprise, Baron even leaned forward again and wrapped his arms around Anne. 

"Thank you so much, Anne." 

His mom returned the gesture with a soft "you're welcome, sweetheart," before they broke apart a moment later. 

Soon after his mom left, leaving behind quite a lot of leftovers and two smiling faces. 

"Your mom really is amazing," Baron eventually said as he finished putting away the last container of pasta in their full fridge. 

King smiled and nodded, then lifted an arm to hide a yawn. He was about to open his mouth to agree that his mom was, indeed, amazing, when he was gently pulled against a warm, firm chest. 

"But you, sweetheart, are even more incredible." 

King stared over Baron's shoulder as his nose pressed gently into the fabric of his shirt. He'd wanted a hug all day, but now that he was getting one, he couldn't even move his arms from where they were pressed between their two bodies because his mind wouldn't calm down enough to process the situation. 

Even his mind was a mess of silent screaming, making it hard for him to even hear how fast his heart was racing in his ears. 

Unfortunately, the moment ended before long, and soon those warms arms were falling away from him. Then Baron's gentle warm dissipated as he walked away. 

I... wait. 

Looking over his shoulder, King saw Baron disappear into the hallway, making him quickly turn and take a step forward, then a nervous step back as he lifted his hands to his burning face. 

He tried to rub his cheeks to disperse the heat he felt, but it was no use. 

The sound of footsteps on the carpet quickly had him turning and hurrying over to the freezer! He quickly shoved his face inside, trying to cool himself off. 

"I'm going to give her a call. Would you like to talk, too?" Baron asked as King heard him settle on the couch. 

Taking a slow, calming breath, King grabbed two ice cream bars and closed the freezer, then held them up as he started walking over. 

"Of course. I was just grabbing your birthday dessert," he said with a nervous smile, hoping that his face had cooled off enough to not be obvious. 

He handed one of the chocolate-coated ice cream bars to Baron as he sat down. 

"It's not a cake, but they're pretty darn good," he said as he unwrapped his own, then began nibbling at it to keep his mouth and mind busy. 

Baron accepted the treat and unwrapped it to take a few bites, but then turned his phone on and dialed Anne's number to start the call. 

She picked up on the first ring, then immediately connected them to a waiting Tili. 

"Daddy daddy! Happy birthday!" 

The little girl's excited cheers easily washed away the remainder of King's embarrassment as he leaned closer, then paused. 

A video chat? 

He'd expected a simple call, but his mom had evidently managed to get a Facetime session instead. 

The man beside him was beyond ecstatic! 

"Hi sweetheart! Thank you for wishing me a happy birthday!" Baron said with the sweetest smile on his face. 

King watched him intently for several moments until he realized that the man had moved the phone away from them a little bit, then said his name. 

Oops!

Turning his attention to it, he pressed himself against Baron a tiny bit more so that he fit in the frame. 

"Hi there, Tili!" 

The little girl greeted him pleasantly enough, but then she was suddenly all business!

"You gave daddy a good birthday party, right? He got good presents and cake?" she asked, her tone of voice making King glance at Baron, then bite back a laugh. 

The guy was clearly trying not to lose himself to laughter, too. 

Returning his attention to Tili, King grinned and nodded. 

"Yes ma'am! He was spoiled all day today. We went out to eat, bought you some fun presents that are already on their way to you, and I even got him a cool new phone!" 

The girls' face lit up as she hopped up and down with excitement. 

"Daddy daddy! Show me your new phone!" 

Baron frowned, then looked at him. 

How could he show her the new phone if he was using it? 

Ah!

King hopped up, then gestured for Baron to follow him. The man did as suggested and they both wandered into the bathroom. 

"Just face the phone towards the mirror," King said, making a faint hint of humor flow from the other man's mind. 

Once the phone was turned the little girl let out another squeal of delight!

"Daddy got a red phone! It's so pretty!" 

She paused for a moment as she looked it over, but then something seemed to come to mind. 

"Daddy, what happened to your old phone?" 

King noticed Baron's expression change the slightest fraction, but since the phone wasn't close, there was no way his daughter would catch it. 

"I dropped it somewhere outside," he eventually said as he turned the phone back to face himself. 

"It's alright, though. I like my red one much more. Don't you?" 

Tili nodded repeatedly, her smile wide and genuine. 

"Yes! I like it much more! Make sure you take care of it, daddy!" 

Baron nodded, then spoke again. 

"Speaking of taking care of things, have you been enjoying your iPad I got you before I went on my trip? You've kept the protector on and taken care of it well?" 

His daughter's smile faltered for a moment, then tried to recover, but it clearly wasn't the same. 

"Um, I really liked it and was taking good care of it and always leaving it with the charger, but then it disappeared two days after you left..." 

The sheer disappointment King could hear in her voice made his heart ache. Of course, they knew exactly what had happened if the girl had left her present where it should have been. 

"Mommy got one that looks the same a day later, but she won't let me play with it because I lost mine." 

That mother is something else. 

"That's alright, sweetheart. Make sure you keep an eye out for your presents tomorrow, okay?" Baron said, brushing off the iPad issue since there was nothing he could do about it and he clearly didn't want to upset his daughter further. 

Her father's reminder immediately brought her smile back and soon they were discussing their trip to the mall and the yummy food Baron had. Tili evidently loved trying new foods, too, and judging from her excitement, the dishes her father had bought were some of her favorites. 

By the time their call finally ended it was close to ten o'clock and King had made enough mental notes about what things Baron liked to eat that he could probably publish an entire book about it!

They had also wandered into his room and settled on his bed, so when the call finally ended, King was already lying down, snuggled up against his pillow and stuffed otter. 

At some point his eyes had slid closed, and while he was aware that the call had ended, his mind was already drifting in and out. 

"It's a little chilly in here..." Baron said quietly. 

There was silence for a short time before King heard the faint sound of feet shuffling on his carpeted floor. His mind slipped away soon after, but then came back when he felt a light weight settled overtop his body. 

"...mn?" 

That pressure paused, then something began lightly patting his hair. 

"It's alright, hun. Just tucking you in," Baron whispered before the weight over him was adjusted here and there, then gently settled in around his shoulders. 

As the warmth was sealed in, King felt his body relax and a content sigh slip from his lips. 

"Get some rest, sweetheart. I'll see you tomorrow." 

Tomorrow... 

The word floated around in his head, bringing with it a promise that Baron would still be there when he opened his eyes in the morning.

"I'll still be here. I promise." 

When the man said nothing more, King yawned a little, then drifted off, unaware that while the gentle movement of Baron's hand against his hair had long-since stopped, it had never withdrawn and, instead, had settled comfortably against the back of his head.