He couldn't help but stare. 

They had both fallen asleep on the sofa, and while he'd intended to at least drape a blanket over Baron before he settled himself on the floor, that had evidently not happened... at all. 

It's more like I draped myself over him. Geez. 

Blushing, he carefully unwrapped his arm from around the man's warm back, then tucked it against his own chest. 

Once that action was completed, his mind, unfortunately, seemed content with the situation and wouldn't allow him to try and put anymore distance between them!

King had a tiny little panic attack because even with his arm now tucked against his chest with his other one, that didn't leave more than an inch of space between their foreheads, maybe two inches between his hands and Baron's gently moving chest, and their legs...

Yeah, those were still completely tangled up together. 

He couldn't even avert his eyes unless he closed them, and his willpower wasn't strong enough to even consider doing that. 

That nose... 

He could cry from the cuteness!

And now that he was close enough to really look at the guy without worrying about seeming weird, he didn't hesitate to take in the man's gorgeously-long eyelashes, smooth, pale lips, and had he already mentioned his nose? 

I really should stop being creepy. 

He was just about to force himself to at least close his eyes for a moment in the hopes of breaking the enchantment that was clearly cast on him when he suddenly realized something. 

Rex? 

He felt a faint response, like the flick of a tail within his mind, but something didn't feel quite right. 

Rexy? Are you alright, bud? 

He felt another, more dismissive nudge this time, but instead of coming from the back of his mind, it almost felt like the sensation was tickling his forehead...

Without realizing it, King found himself inching his head foreword on the couch cushion bit by bit as if he were moving to the forefront of his mind, trying to figure out what was going on with Rexy. 

As he wandered throughout his own thoughts, he couldn't find any trace of his little buddy, making him quickly grow more worried. 

Rexy? Sweetheart? Can you come here for just a moment? 

He heard his otter's dismissive chatter in response, but it sounded way too far away for his liking. 

Determined to at least find the little guy, King pressed on and, eventually, found himself in very unfamiliar territory. 

It's never been this dark inside my mind before... 

His legs were also feeling quite heavy, even though he had definitely gotten a good night's rest. 

Maybe it's because our legs are still tangled. 

That didn't make a whole lot of sense, but he wasn't sure what else would cause his legs to feel so heavy. 

Rexy? 

When he didn't get an immediate response like the other times he'd called for him, King felt his heartbeat pick up a bit. It continued to patter against his ribs as the area around him grew darker and darker. 

Rexy? Please come here.

He waited in the darkness, his beating heart the only sound keeping him company until, finally, he heard something else. 

The little squeak definitely wasn't from his Rexy, though...

P?... Prince? Are you there, sweetheart? 

When the faint yet-familiar patter of paws met his ears, King couldn't believe what he was hearing. Then, after waiting a few more moments with baited breath, seeing. 

My sweet Prince!

King quickly hurried forward as fast as his heavy legs could take him, then dropped to his knees to scoop up his sweet ball of fluff. 

"What are you doing in my mind, little guy? Are you alright?" he asked as he hugged the little purring baby to his chest. 

Thankfully, Prince seemed just as spunky as usual. 

"Where is your daddy, sweetie?"

The little raccoon took a few more moments of attention for himself, then turned his body in King's arms a little and waved in the direction he'd come from.

"That way?" King whispered as he stood up, then began trudging through the darkness again. 

The farther they went the harder it became to walk, but he refused to stop until he found his Rexy. 

I can barely see my own hand in front of my face, let alone a dark brown otter, though.

Still, he refused to leave his baby, and after what felt like hours, he heard another sound. At first, he thought he was hearing things, because such a sound had never met his ears before, but when he realized what it was, he couldn't help but push himself to move forward as fast as he could!

I want to hear more of that sound. 

And he did, along with a quiet chatter that soon joined it, bringing a relieved smile to King's ethereal face. 

Rexy! 

The little otter came into view a few moments later, but there was someone with him, holding the little guy in his arms. 

Baron...

The man didn't seem to hear him, but that wasn't surprising. Half of his face, parts of his arms, and even the majority of the left side of his chest were simply empty voids of darkness the same color as their surroundings. 

You don't even have any eyes right now...

And yet, the man was still gently holding his otter. And while he was even missing half of his mouth, a faint hint of laughter still emanated around them whenever Rexy reached up to wave with one paw or made a random sound. 

King immediately wanted to go over and sit with them, but he managed to stop himself right before he started moving. 

He can't see right now, and I doubt that he can hear well, if at all, either. If I just randomly step into his space, he might panic and wake up before I can. 

Resigned to his decision, King quietly settled himself into a comfortable sitting position, then, since he couldn't safely approach Baron at the moment, decided to give his sweet Prince some attention. 

The little raccoon was all for their one-on-one time, especially since his dad seemed busy with King's own little one. 

As he held an excited, wiggling raccoon up in the air like a fuzzy airplane, he couldn't help thinking that Rexy was acting strange. His otter had never been one to seek out attention much, even before the accident. 

While he played with Prince, he couldn't help but sneak little glances at Baron and Rexy. 

Oh... that's right. You aren't held back by your physical limitations when you're inside my mind. 

His little otter was waving its paws and tapping them against Baron's chest as it squeaked and chattered, seemingly lecturing him on something very important. 

Of course, Baron didn't seem able to see or hear him, but he did appear to be able to understand the otter's intentions by its tapping, making the situation somehow work enough to hold Rexy's limited attention span... and make Baron laugh. 

I like that sound. 

Granted, it would definitely sound different if they weren't within their own minds, as it was a little bit haunting and not quite in his tone of voice since most of his mouth was currently missing, but it still sounded perfect to his ears. 

As he switched to scratching Prince's fuzzy belly, King took more and more glances at Baron and Rexy. It got to the point where he was looking at them more than Prince, and that ended up earning him a bop to his nose as a reminder that there was someone else wanting and deserving of his attention still in his lap!

Ah, sorry. Sorry, he told Prince as he hugged the little guy tightly, earning a squeak, then a grumble. Those sounds weren't all that loud, but when a near-silent inhale followed them, King quickly looked up to see that Baron was now looking in their direction. 

Keeping his thoughts to himself, he quickly patted Prince's fuzzy back, trying to keep him calm so that they didn't startle his daddy. 

Thankfully, Baron returned his attention to Rexy after a few moments and the two calmly interacted until the darkness around them slowly increased to an obsidian nothingness. 

My legs...

At first, he thought King had tied him up to keep him from leaving, but as Baron took stock of his body, he realized that he really wasn't restrained in any such way. 

He doesn't even have his arm around me or a hand on my clothing...

He moved his legs a tiny bit and quickly realized what had actually happened. 

They're just tangled up together. 

He was about to begin carefully untangling them when he noticed a faint pressure within his mind... then another close by. 

Sweetheart, why didn't you go back to your dad? 

He could sense the little otter wandering around in his mind, as if checking out a new territory. And, of course, his raccoon was eagerly following after it, surprisingly excited to have another animal in its territory. 

Overly excited, I feel. 

The poor otter was constantly having to send a threatening hiss or frustrated swap toward his overly-eager raccoon. 

Behave... Prince. Don't bother our guest too much before I can get him back to King. 

His raccoon hesitantly backed off, but there was no helping its curiosity as it followed behind the little otter at a more reasonable distance. 

Good boy. 

Returning his attention to his little predicament, Baron finally opened his eyes. 

He was a bit startled, at first, since King's face was right in front of his own, but when he realized that the man was sleeping peacefully, he was able to calm himself down and assess the situation. 

We fell asleep watching the documentary last night. 

He... wasn't sure how to feel about that. 

Sure, he'd fallen asleep on the sofa at his house countless times, and honestly more times than in his own bed. Heck, now the thought of climbing into that bed for even one more night made his skin crawl.

Returning his attention to King, Baron looked over the younger man's face calmly. 

He really is asleep. Is he that comfortable with me already? 

His raccoon perked up in his mind, purring at the thought of getting to snuggle with the man who had evidently looked after it for quite some time. 

Not right now. I need to figure out how to give your little friend back first. 

He really had no idea how he'd actually managed to get King's shift, though. 

Was it just because we slept together? Did it swim over to my mind because we were touching? 

Confused and a little bit nervous, Baron double checked that King was still fast asleep, then cautiously leaned forward until their foreheads were gently pressed together. 

Okay little one, can you return to your dad now? 

The otter chattered a bit and moved closer to the front of his mind, but it didn't try to leave. 

He was evidently a stubborn little guy. 

Leaning away a little, Baron gave a silent sigh and settled his head back down to think. He knew that he could just wake King up and ask if such a thing had happened before, and how he'd gotten his shift back, but if such a thing hadn't happened before, it could really freak the guy out, and he definitely didn't want to do that. 

He was just about to start stressing when he heard a faint ringtone from behind King. 

Um...

Pushing himself up a tiny bit, he looked at the coffee table, but quickly realized that the phone wasn't there. That lead his gaze to a spot a little bit closer. 

Uh... it's in his back pocket. 

He considered trying to grab it quickly so that King didn't get woken up, but when the man began to stir before he could find the courage to do so, Baron quickly settled back down and shut his eyes!

Soon he felt King's weight shift on the couch as he quietly exhaled, then stretched a bit and he retrieved his phone. 

A moment after that the ringtone was silenced, then he whispered a very quiet, "hey mom." 

You sound half asleep...

Which made sense since he'd just woken up, but still. 

"It's eleven o'clock, King." 

There was a surprised pause of silence from King, but Baron was also quite shocked that they'd slept so long. 

I don't think I've ever slept past four in the morning. 

Sometimes he'd even just skip sleeping if he got home too late and simply down a few energy drinks before work that morning. 

I don't miss those drinks. They made my heart race so badly. 

"How are things going? Is Baron awake?" King's mother asked. 

Figuring that was his hint to stop pretending, Baron moved his body a little bit here and there, then stretched enough to untangle their legs. He'd intended to just fake a small yawn, but there was no holding it back once it got going. 

By the time he'd closed his mouth again, then finally opened his eyes, he couldn't help but sense what was coming. 

He's so damn cute! 

There it was. 

Tilting his head after settling it on his arm, Baron yawned one more time before he heard King speak. 

"He's awake now, mom." 

His mom replied immediately. 

"His daughter wants to talk to him if that's alright?" 

Baron immediately sat up, his eyes bright and eager even if his hair was an absolute mess and his clothing disheveled from sleep. 

"Yes, I think he'd really like to speak with her," King replied as he handed the phone over to him without a second thought. 

It beeped twice as his mom did something, then went quiet for a moment. 

"Daddy?" 

He couldn't keep the huge smile off his face. 

"Hi sweetheart, did you sleep well last night?" Baron greeted happily. 

Tili made a humming sound that she often used to relay that she was thinking, then replied after a few more moments. 

"No, my feet hurt." 

Her feet? 

He was about to ask her why her feet would hurt, but then he remembered their last conversation. 

"From ballet? Did your mom sign you up for that again?" he asked, feeling his blood boil beneath his skin.

His daughter was good at ballet, but it wasn't a child's sport once you started getting even better. It was exhausting and could hurt quite a bit. After a while, she'd decided that she didn't want to do it anymore. 

"If you don't want to do it, please don't, especially if it hurts." 

His daughter was silent for a moment, then sniffled. 

"B-but mommy won't give me dinner if I don't do well." 

He was seeing red. 

Before his mind could get too dark, though, the color began to dissipate as he focused on the warm hand now holding his left one tightly. 

Taking a deep breath, Baron squeezed King hand in return, using the pressure to release a bit more stress, then, he spoke again. 

"Ms. Ann?" 

A beep sounded. 

"Yes, Baron?" 

He thought for a moment, then replied. 

"Could... could I request a welfare check, please?"

He expected her to hesitate, because they weren't technically even acquainted yet, but to his surprise, her response was immediate. 

"Yes sir, I can get that done for you." 

Just like that? 

"What is that, daddy?" Tili asked, making him quickly return to his smiling self. 

"It's nothing to worry about, sweetheart. Don't tell mommy though, okay?" 

He felt bad for saying that, but it could really become a problem if his wife was tipped off beforehand. 

"Okay, mommy is out buying stuff again so she won't know!" Tili said with her usual enthusiasm. 

Baron smiled and leaned back against the couch as his fingers firmly massaged King's. It was an old habit he usually did with his own hands when he was nervous, but since one of his hands was currently holding the phone, he couldn't do it. Thus, King's hand was the only other option available. 

"Oh, daddy! Are you gonna be able to come home for your birthday tomorrow? You aren't, are you?" she asked, her voice growing quieter the longer she spoke. 

It hurt. 

So badly. 

He would have honestly started falling into his normal depressive state right then and there but before his mind got a chance to darken King was leaning against him, a big smile on his handsome face. 

"I'm sorry I'm keeping your daddy for a bit longer, but I'll tell you what. I'll be picking up his present later tonight, and I think they might have just the thing for you, too, since your birthday was pretty recent too, yeah? What if I send you something so you can open a present with daddy over the phone?" 

The little girl immediately squealed in delight!

"Yay! My birthday wasn't long ago! Oh, mommy is home with a lot of stuff, I have to help her or she'll get mad. Bye daddy, call me tomorrow!" 

The girl hung up before Baron could say anything, but that was honestly normal. She didn't have the longest attention span. 

But anyways...

Turning his head to the side, his nose nearly brushed King's before he lifted an eyebrow. 

"Her birthday was nine months ago." 

The man beside him sat up straight and grinned, seemingly without a care in the world for his mistake of assuming her birthday was recent enough to still celebrate. 

"That's not that long when you consider how old we are. I think she still deserves a present, especially for dealing with ballet!" 

He... had no argument to that. 

"You boys take care. I'll schedule that welfare check and let you know what happens before we do our call tomorrow evening," King's mother said, startling them both a bit since they'd forgotten that she was also on the line. 

"Th-thanks mom. I really appreciate it," King said before Baron added, "yes, thank you so much. You and your son have been a blessing." 

"You're welcome, sweetheart. Take care and I'll speak with you two tomorrow." 

The phone went silent a moment later, leaving them to stare at each other for a few seconds before King's grin returned. 

"Time to go out shopping!" he cheered as he quickly hopped up off the sofa, startling Baron a bit. 

"Sh-shopping? I..." 

He was about to say that he didn't have any actual clothes, but when he looked to the side, he noticed his suitcase that had been pushed against a far wall. 

A heavy wave of dread spread over his insides as he slowly stood up, unable to look away from the one simple fabric box that held his life's remaining possessions. 

I really don't want to wear any of that. 

His wife had picked out every, single, thing. 

"You can borrow whatever you want of mine. I have plenty of stuff," King said without an ounce of hesitation as he quickly took his hand again, then tugged him right into his bedroom. 

"Use whatever you want. I'm gonna go shower first real quick, then you can take your time," he said before walking to the door, then pausing for a moment before turning back around. 

"Oh yeah, and I know you have my Rexy, though I'm not sure how. He's a bit stubborn, so don't let him push you around too much." 

You... know I have him? You're not freaking out that I took a part of you? 

King's smile widened slightly. 

"Don't worry about it. I know you wouldn't have taken him on purpose. He's probably just worried about you or wanted to play with Prince... though I have my doubts on that last one. Either way, I trust his judgement and I'm sure he'll come back to me soon." 

He could tell that the guy was at least a little bit worried about his shift suddenly swimming into someone else's mind, but when he didn't hear any real panicking from his thoughts, he relaxed a bit. 

And with that, King was gone, leaving a rather bewildered Baron standing in the middle of his room wondering what he should wear, what they should get his daughter for her extremely late extra birthday gift, and what on Earth he should do with an extra shift in his head!