(Might be some mistakes but I finally got some time to edit this one) 

"Tiegen!"

An excited striped ball of fur ran toward him, bounding around like a puppy as he swung a rope toy from his mouth.

"Bring it here, you." Tarren said with a grin.

Tiegen looked at him, then bounded away, his large belly swaying beneath him with the movements. It had only been two weeks since they had checked him out of the hospital, but he was already getting pretty big... though they were having five, so Tarren supposed that Tiegen's size wasn't too surprising.

Tarren was suddenly shoved onto his back, a grumbling pregnant tiger looking down at him with a smug look on its face.

The first few nights back had been pretty stressful, especially when several lawyers came to his door asking about needing defense for the murders Tiegen had committed. After the third one Tarren had asked Larro and Jordan to go to the courthouse and straighten things out. It took awhile, especially since Tiegen was eighteen, but after his whole story had been heard a judge had decided that the deaths were caused by the years of abuse he had suffered and his tiger was only trying to protect something his parents had unlawfully taken from it several times prior.

A few days after that Jordan had decided to welcome them into his home, but there was one slight problem... which brought them to their current circumstance. Tiegen was slowly coming back out of his shell from what had happened and his body had healed nicely, but because of the amount of times he had been bred his attitude took a dangerous turn when his hormones spiked. He had gone after Jordan's boys twice and even took a swipe at Jordan himself, but thankfully the larger lion easily put a stop to each bout of aggression and promptly put Tiegen in his place. Jordan was an amazingly sweet guy, but he never hesitated to defend himself or his cubs.

After the last attack Tarren had decided to see if exercising Tiegen more would have any kind of affect on his tiger's aggression. Today was their first try, and so far it was looking pretty good. He had introduced him to one of Jordan's boys' worn rope toys, and after an initial investigation Tiegen's tiger snatched it up and began tossing it about the yard. It was obvious that he wasn't too sure how to play, but he was making it work in his own way.

"Hey there," Tarren said as Tiegen's tiger thumped him on the chest with a heavy paw, making him cough but laugh as he shoved him off and got up to start running. Tiegen didn't hesitate to follow as Tarren shifted mid-run. He could use the exercise, too, so he ran around with him for a few minutes, then turned and grabbed the rope toy to start a good long game of tug-o-war. Of course, Tarren let him win just to see the satisfied look on Tiegen's tiger's beautiful face.

"Hey Tarren!"

Tarren's head swung around to see his father walking over to the pool cover. He had put it on once it got cold, but he remembered him messing with the controls for the jets and heater earlier in the week...

"I heated up the pool, see if he likes it?"

Oh yeah, tigers love water in the wild and it would be great exercise.

As his dad pulled off the heavy cover Tarren nudged Tiegen and ran towards the pool. He could see steam coming off of the surface and didn't even hesitate when he leaped in.

Tiegen skidded to a halt at the edge, the rope toy still in his mouth as it dangled over the edge of the water.

"You can go in, Tiegen. You'll probably like it." Jordan said with a reassuring smile.

Tiegen wasn't really sure what to make of the hot water in front of him. It was way too big to be a bath and he thought that it might be called a pool, but he had never been to one. Heck, he was only allowed to go to and from school most days unless he had a vet appointment.

When Tarren swam over to the edge, Tiegen quickly backed up. His massive lion climbed out, tail swishing water back and forth before he walked over and grabbed the rope toy he was holding between his own teeth and grumbled quietly.

Tiegen tugged as hard as he could, but Tarren easily began pulling him forward toward the big pool. Tiegen's paws were mere inches from slipping in when he decided to give up his rope to save himself from something he was unsure of... but then he felt a hard shove against his backside that promptly sent him flying into the water with a loud, surprised roar.

The water itself felt surprisingly nice on his sore body, but he had to rely on his tiger's instincts to get to the surface for air. His parents hadn't taught him how to swim. He finally found his way to the steps and looked over as he rested to see Jordan in his lion form, preening away at his thick mane like he hadn't just headbutted his backside into the pool. Tiegen's tiger pinned its ears back and gave a quiet growl, getting the lion's attention for all of one second.

He was just about to get out and run after him when he felt something tugging at his tail. Tiegen's head swung around to see Tarren's lion gently nipping at the tip before swimming away. His tiger was quick to follow but before he could catch him the darn lion was out of the pool. Granted, he was dropping torrents of water everywhere because of his mane, but he didn't seem to care in the least as he bounded around the edge, swatting at Tiegen's ears as he tried to follow after him while swimming.

When he finally got out to chase him Tarren leaped straight across the pool, making Tiegen's tiger instantly want to copy the action... because it knew it could. But it couldn't. Tiegen splashed into the pool several inches from the wall and had to paw his way back to the stairs to get out and try again... and again... and again.

You would think that his tiger would figure out that its cubs were weighing them down too much to make the jump, but no, it was determined. That is, until its tenth jump into the heated water. It finally got out and just flopped down, panting heavily, its breath showing in the chilly evening air. After a minute Tarren sauntered over and nuzzled its face, making him start to rumble. He remained still for a few moments before jumping up paws and promptly headbutting the cocky lion straight into the water.

"Boys, dinner!"

Tiegen quickly started for the door, but Jordan promptly closed it, making his tiger run right into the glass. Shaking his head, Tiegen pouted up at him but Jordan just shook his own head and pointed behind his tiger. Tiegen looked over his shoulder and noticed Tarren climbing out of the pool in his human form.

Oh.. right.

Tiegen shifted and grabbed a towel from the table nearby before tossing one to Tarren with a grin. The guy leaned over when he got closer and gave him a pick on the cheek, then hugged him before drying off and heading inside. Tiegen followed behind him as he wrapped his own towel around his waist and went straight to the kitchen where Mrs. Leo handed him a huge plate of chicken and pasta. After all of the years of him eating plain meat and uncooked vegetables, he was pretty excited for every cooked meal he was offered.

While they were all eating at the table Tarren leaned over and whispered in his ear.

"How about a date tomorrow?"

Tiegen nearly choked on the bite of chicken in his mouth before he managed to swallow and reply. "Yes, that sounds good." He was a bit nervous about it, but it did sound like fun.

Once dinner had finished Tiegen was just about ready to pass out. Tarren was quick to help him get cleaned up in the bathtub, then straight to bed. He would have protested, but when Tarren snuggled in with him instead of leaving to work the night shift like he had the past few days,Tiegen promptly glued himself to him, relaxing the second his arms wrapped around him.

"You're staying tonight?" Tiegen whispered as he began to drift off to sleep.

"Yes. I'm sorry for working late shifts now, but I love spending my days with you."

After causing the scene in front of his school days ago, Tiegen had been indefinitely expelled, leaving his days free, which prompted Tarren to start working nights in order to have more time with him. Jordan was actually helping Tiegen with homeschooling, too, and said that he would soon be able to meet his other son's mate and work with them on some of the things he needed to get caught up on to graduate.

"I appreciate it."

There was a faint vibration against his nose as Tarren laughed, making him smile sleepily before finally drifting off.

"Hey there, little mousy."

Grayson's head turned as he heard Erin's friend, Wolf, talk to him. He had to stand up in order to really see him since Grayson was leaning over to put books away in his locker.

"Hello, Wolf. What's up?"

The guy smirked and glanced down at the notebook Grayson was clutching against his chest.

"Did you happen to have finished last nights homework?"

Grayson's gaze deadpanned and Wolf pursed his lips.

"Aw, come on, please Gray? I'll do yours next time!"

Right, just like he did it this time and the time before?

Sighing, Grayson offered him the notebook anyways.

"Same as last time, you better be able to do these problems when I ask about them at lunch or I won't let you have the answers again."

Wolf yipped his approval and took the notebook, licking Grayson's forehead in awkward gratitude before bolting off with a too-loud "Thanks!"

Canine shifters and their licking habits. Yuck.

His eyes rolled but eh, he couldn't really be upset with him about the homework, he knew every darn problem whenever Grayson quizzed him. The guy was smart, but either never had the time to do it himself or was too lazy. With a shrug, Grayson shoved his locker shut and headed to class. Erin had been absent for a few days but when he walked into the room and saw him sitting in his seat Grayson quickly ran over for a hug.

"Where have you been?" He asked as Erin returned the hug, then let Grayson slide into the desk beside him.

"Sorry, my little brother's been sick. You have notes for our classes?"

Grayson smirked and crossed his arms over his chest.

"That depends... buy me lunch?"

"I have taught you well, young one." Erin said with a chuckle and slight bow.

Grayson was about to reply when the teacher walked in. The class was boring, but thankfully he let them out five minutes early.

"You still paying?" Grayson asked.

Erin pursed his lips and pouted, but then nodded.

"Sweet! I'm going to get one of everything!"

"There's no way you're gonna eat it all." Erin said with a quiet laugh.

Sticking his tongue out, Grayson grabbed a pudding cup, bottle of water, and a small salad before sauntering over to the register. Erin had picked up a small salad and followed him, paying for everything before they headed outside to a table.

"Hey, do you know where that tiger guy went? What was up with him?" Grayson asked, making Erin pause, about to bite into a baby carrot.

"Uh... I can't really say, but he's fine."

Man, if Tiegan knew that I had told someone that he was pregnant... I'd still win the fight, but he'd be very pissed.

Thankfully, Grayson took that as a good enough answer and began munching away at his salad. Erin did the same since he was quite hungry, being an elephant and all. While he ate his mind wandered a bit, specifically to the homecoming dance coming up. He was definitely going to ask Grayson, but couldn't think of a way how.

Wolf arrived after a few moments and Gray quickly jumped on him, testing what he'd learned from copying his homework, again. Erin knew that his friend was a bit lazy when it came to that stuff, but he always seemed to know it, so they didn't mind sharing their answers. The bell rang after they had finished their food and sudden pop quiz, signaling the end of lunch. Wolf ran off as Erin headed off to the gym with Grayson.

Coach had told them that they had free use of the gym for the day's class, which was nice, because it gave Erin the perfect opportunity to talk to Gray about the dance coming up.

They both changed quickly, not wanting to be bothered by the other students. Everyone usually waited for Gray to finish and leave before they began changing, but he didn't seem to care. When they stepped out of the locker room they grabbed two basketballs and headed to the far hoop. Erin was about to start shooting when he noticed Grayson acting awkward.

"Have you ever played basketball before?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Grayson paused and looked over at him, halfway bent over with the ball between his legs, about to attempt to throw it... poorly.

"No."

Erin grinned and walked over, then spun his ball in his hands a few times before easily shooting it through the basketball hoop.

"That's how it should be done."

Grayson looked up at the tall hoop, then down at his ball, then up again before nodding.

"Um, okay. I'll try."

With a determined squeak he attempted to mirror what Erin had done, but just ended up tossing the ball a few feet in the air before it dropped right back down and thumped him on the head. He stumbled a little, then dropped onto his backside.

Should I feel bad for thinking that was adorable?

"Here, let me teach you."

Erin offered him a hand up, getting him back to his feet before retrieving one of the balls.

"Okay, you hold it like this." He said with a grin as he walked behind Grayson and grabbed both of his hand so that he could position them correctly on the ball.

"Now, you throw using only one hand really, the other just helps with aiming. Watch me."

Grabbing the second ball, Erin knelt down and pretended to shoot towards the hoop, but only tossed it a foot or so before catching.

"Just like that, now you do it."

Grayson looked a little worried but knelt down right next to him and tried to do the exact same thing. The ball didn't hit him in the head at least... because Erin caught it on its way down, then handed it back to him, shaking his head.

"Here, stand up."

When he was up Erin stepped behind him and grasped his hands again, pretending to throw the ball several times to show him how it needed to be done. He was trying really hard to focus, but Grayson's hair smelled distractedly good.

"U-Um... Erin?"

Snapping his head back, Erin blushed and grabbed his basketball to start shooting it, totally trying to ignore that he had been nuzzling into Grayson's soft hair.

"Hey, um, Erin?"

Please don't be mad at me for that. I really didn't mean to be creepy.

With a shaky sigh Erin turned on him and quickly babbled;

"So I just uh did that but I didn't mean to it was a mistake...."

Grayson's confused smile faltered, then faded as Erin finished verbally throwing up.

"Um, okay. I guess we should head back to the locker room and change out for art. Gym will be over soon."

Erin looked over at the clock, surprised that time had gone by so quickly. "Okay, yeah. Let's go."

When they got to class and sat down, Erin glanced up at the board where the day's assignment would be posted, then groaned. He'd wanted to ask Gray to the dance but they had to another shifter painting.

"Hey Grayson, can we talk before you sh—" He stopped talking when he noticed Grayson's little mouse already sitting at the canvas they'd been provided.

"Sorry to say, but I'm not giving you cheese this time."

His tiny pink ears flattened to his head, making Erin's heart thump. He wasn't going to bend on what he'd said, though, because he really didn't need to deal with the lactose intolerance again.

"Not going to happen."

Giving a huffing squeak, Grayson turned around and flopped down, splaying his tiny arms and legs out, silently declaring that he would not be their paintbrush this time around if there was no cheese involved.

I know how to deal with this.

After squeezing out a bunch of different paint colors onto the canvas Erin grabbed a bunch of those foam brushes used for smearing paint and put one in front of Grayson, then another on his left side.

"Ready to play paintbrush mouse-hockey?"

Grayson glanced up at him with a glare, but Erin just smirked before nudging him around with the brushes. Gray squeaked but couldn't do much as Erin rolled him through the red. He got up with a huff and tried to run off the canvas, making red paw-prints until Erin stopped him at the edge with the foam brush. Of course he tried to climb over it, but Erin quickly pushed him backwards into a puddle of blue, getting it all over his fuzzy back.

When he got back up, a bit dizzy, he promptly launched himself at the brush and bit it.

"Hey, that's cheating!"

Erin lifted the foam brush to try and shake him off of it but his fuzzy butt just swayed back and forth.

"Alright... if you want to play it that way."

After a slightly creepy smirk Erin dragged Grayson's m o use across a big glob of black paint, then got busy working with his new furry paintbrush. He quickly moved Grayson around everywhere, snickering to himself as the guy squeaked every now and then, frustrated but determined to hang on.

When Erin finally stopped moving the brush Grayson released it to flop down on his back in a smudge of purple, tongue lulling out from the side of his mouth.

"Oh come on, it wasn't that bad."

Erin poked his blue belly and made him squeak, but then he rolled over and darted up his arm, leaving blue and black paw prints on his way to his face.

"Wait, don't do that!"

Erin reached over to grab him but right as it started to close around Grayson's tail his mouse suddenly vanished and a full-grown kid fell into his lap. Before Erin could even orient himself Grayson was smearing his hands all over his cheeks and nose. Grabbing him, Erin tossed Gray over his shoulder and bolted for the bathroom.

As he came skidding into said bathroom, Erin realized two things. One, with the black paint between his legs, it looked like he'd peed himself. And also, Grayson had a very nice black-painted butt.

Setting the kid down, Erin raised a brow and crossed his arms over his chest.

"So, what do you have to say for yourself?"

His lips pouted as he balled his hands into fists at his sides.

"You used my butt as a paintbrush and shoved me around!"

"You wouldn't do the assignment!" Erin retorted.

Crossing his own arms, Grayson grumbled and turned his back on him. "You could do it sometimes, too, ya know."

The bull elephant in him bristled as Grayson turned away.

"Yeah, let me get right on that. I'd crush the darn canvas."

Gray suddenly turned around, a surprising look of hurt on his cute face.

"Fine! I didn't want to ask a mean elephant to the dance anyways!"

Before Erin could figure out what he'd just said Grayson snatched his clothing from his hand and ran out of the bathroom.