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His hand reached and grabbed another rock, holding it tightly. Adrenaline coursed through the otter's body, his glasses practically clouding from steam his own body seemed to emit. He didn't even know that was possible- It didn't seem possible, actually! But he had no energy to complain; all of it went towards staying close to the rocky wall, and refusing to look down.

Kramer let out a sigh, already an impressive feat considering how hard he was breathing. The moment he arrived at the forest, Baum practically shoved a pair of gloves and kneecaps on him, told him to buckle up and guided him on the opposite direction of his home. And just when he had finally memorized the route, ready to use that to brag to the bull. Instead, he guided the otter to the other side of the forest, where a tall cliff waited for them. It didn't take long for him to realize Baum intended to climb it, and still in the mood to brag, he took it upon himself to go first, despite the bull kindly telling him how stupid of a decision it was. But if you knew Kramer, you knew that once he set his mind on something he wouldn't stop, no matter how reckless, physically or mentally tasking, or just plain unadvisable.

"I'm... almost there!" he yelled, refusing to look down. Once again proving that gumption isn't enough to defy logic, his entire body screamed at him despite the adrenaline coursing him. He went to the gym almost daily, worked his ass out to have the physique to show off, and every single one of those muscles now felt heavy and almost cramped from the intensity of his climb. Part of him regretted literally everything and glued himself to the wall, thinking that maybe, just maybe, if he didn't move at all, the pain would go away. But that part of his head was but a whisper in front of his courage. He pushed himself up again, his hand reaching for the next rock, clinging to it for dear life, watching the large opening mere inches away from him, the goal Baum had pointed for him before. Just a few more inches, he thought, clenching his jaw as his body defied the pull of gravity. "Almost... there...!"

"Why are you yelling? You're not even ten feet up," Baum said from the ground, his horns coming into the otter's view when he finally had it in him to look down. "I'm standing on the ground and I can reach your legs," and of course, he proved his point by squeezing the otter's calf, making him blush. He wanted to kick him away, but there was no way he'd risk falling off like that.

"Stop that! I can do it on my own!" he kept yelling, pushing up with every ounce of strength left in his body... which was very little, as he didn't move a single inch. He heard a huff coming from the bull and felt his hand on his leg again, gently boosting him up. "I said stop! You're just freakishly tall!"

"I'm pretty average for my species. You're just tiny," and again, he tried boosting him, until Kramer slapped his hand away with his tail. The next thing that reached his ears was a chuckle, and he wanted to throw a death glare at the bull, but he knew looking down would spell his demise, no matter how tall he was. "I don't get why you're mad. Being small is part of what makes you so cute."

"C-Cute...?"

"Yes, you're cute. Come on, we're already past the mild embarrassment, aren't we? Get a move on," and again, the bull tried pushing him up. Every time he did so, Kramer's resistance waned just a little bit more. He was close to just giving up already and let him do it all the way up.

Maybe that's exactly what gave him the last energy boost he needed to push himself all the way up, away from the bull's tender touch and onto the small ledge he had been aiming for the past minutes. His hand reached for it and he finally managed to cross the edge, first his head, then up to his chest, step by step... And before he knew it, he was on all fours, gasping for air while staring at the flat rock in front of the small entrance. A single deep breath was the first thing he did after that, before turning around and looking at the forest from this new height. The small trees expanding as far as his eyes could see while he got a good look at the taller ones, overlooking the ground. There was nothing he could do to keep the smile from forming on his lips.

"Hell yeah!" he screamed at the top of his lungs, smiling and shooting his arms in the air. His voice got a few birds to fly off the tree branches in shock, but he didn't care. He only focused on this magnificent view, and the burn going through every muscle in his body, while his chest rose as far as possible with every deep breath.

At least until a hand ruffled his head, almost making him jump back against the rock wall.

"How did you get up here so fast!?" he yelled at the bull as he stretched after what seemed like a four second climb for him. Baum smiled at him, pushing his glasses up until the light bounced off them, making him look like an anime villain. Even after a couple weeks, Kramer was still amazed by how much of a weeb this massive bovine could be without even trying.

"I don't know, I guess it just happened," he held his glasses in the exact same position, but also took the chance to flex those massive muscles all over, fully aware that the otter would notice even the slightest movement in them. Kramer wished he could say he wasn't staring, but the more he tensed his arms and showed off his pump, the harder it was to look away- Was he pec bouncing under his shirt!? Fuck... "Also, I usually climb way higher than this. Around... up there."

The otter followed the direction his finger aimed, and he was thankful he turned around to do so; he didn't need the bull watching his jaw dropping to the ground. Several feet above them, in multiple spots at different heights, where countless other entrances much like the one behind him. Maybe twenty, thirty- No, even higher than that! He was sure one of them went as far up as the top, and just looking at how high it was made him feel dizzy. And yet, Baum was casually telling him he climbed that high on a regular basis? With gear, he assumed- He hoped! Then again, if the bull could go all the way over there, muscles strained from the effort, shirt hanging from his back pocket as he dripped with sweat... Not the worst image, really.

In an attempt to clear himself of the picture of a tired, sweaty, defenseless and shirtless Baum, he turned over to look at Baum; the tiredness wasn't letting him think properly. And count his luck, he caught the bull just as he flexed and kissed his bicep. Of all the things he thought he would ever see this man doing... And Baum saw him as well. For a second, they stood there, both of them frozen in place, until the bull's hands crossed behind his back and he looked away. He looked cute when he was embarrassed, and Kramer would've loved teasing him about it, had he not been so flustered by the very same thing. As if he needed to be told how hot Baum was.

"Um..." like always, it was Baum who tried to clear the air between them. "Hey, you look good without sleeves, actually! I don't think I've mentioned that. You got really nice arms."

"I do?" he looked down at his own arms after that, hands going up his own biceps this time, flexing them almost out of instinct. The squeeze he gave them was more about vanity, slowly going all the way to his shoulder. He had been somewhat unsure of wearing the red tank today, despite the bull warning him of today's more demanding activities, but that compliment alone was enough to make him feel better.

"What, haven't you been told so before?" and it seemed like they would keep coming. He may have fished for them a bit. "No, I'm pretty sure I've told you before, actually. You're pretty buff for a guy your height. And, um... Without sleeves, there's nothing taking attention from your tattoos either. Never really detailed them, they look good!"

"Thanks," they were at least past the constant stuttering phase, he thought. But Kramer still hugged himself, eyes wide as the red burned through his entire body. His fingers trailed the tattoos on his forearms absentmindedly, and he flexed again without realizing. Anything to show off more of the body that the bull apparently thought was so good- Ah, was that a stretch? You're just friends, Kramer, he made that pretty clear. Still... a flirt or two from time to time never hurt anybody. "I have a few more, if you ever wanna see."

For the first time since they met, he heard Baum choking, doubling over to cough while he held his stomach. He swallowed and took a deep breath, the shock still evident in his eyes, which he refused to let on the otter.

"So! Come on, this is what I wanted to show you!" he let that one hanging. Kramer himself probably would've done the same thing, but that didn't stop him from chuckling under his breath as they entered the small cave. It seemed to go deeper than the first few steps, but for now, Baum stayed on the entrance, kneeling in front of a wall that the sunlight still reached. "Alright, come here. See this one."

Kramer kneeled next to him and looked at where the bull aimed for the second time. There, buried in a small opening on the gray rock, he saw the sunlight bouncing off a crystalline surface, in a color he couldn't quite put his finger on. Something between blue and green at one angle, then dark orange and almost black at another one. He knew what it was, he had the name at the tip of his tongue...

"It's an opal," and of course, he glared at Baum for cutting him off like that. Even if he knew there was little chance of him remembering, the bull just had to pop up and steal his thunder. But he didn't mind his mock anger; quite the opposite, seeing the pouting otter put a smile on Baum's face, followed by him ruffling his head again. Slower this time, much more tender, and his hand lingered for a second. It would've gotten awkward again had he not started trailing the wall, pointing at the tiny shining bits embedded on it. "And this is sandstone. You can tell from the tiny bits of silica all over the surface. Opal can also occur commonly on it, so that's further evidence."

"Alright..." it wasn't the first time this happened. He liked hearing Baum explaining things like this to him, not so much for the content but for the very fact that he got to hear the bull's deep voice go into some sort of serious mode. And there was something about the way he said things that made you want for more, made you really lean forward to get the rest of the story. And he always stopped right there to tease him, make him yearn for it. The cheeky lad. "And... what does that mean, teach?"

The bull chuckled at that one, like he always did, before grabbing Kramer's wrist. It was a light, tender touch, the kind you could easily break free from if you wanted to; that was the trick, you never wanted to. The otter stood up with him and allowed himself to be guided deeper into the cave, seeing as Baum reached for a flashlight in his pocket. It was still illuminated enough, but he also knew the bull wasn't the type to take unnecessary risks.

"Opal is formed when water comes down and picks silica from sandstone, then falling on cracks. There are a lot other technical words in the process, but that's the gist of it. And sandstone is a resilient rock that doesn't erode fast, so large bodies of water can move safely across it."

That was all the explanation the otter needed. Perhaps Baum had more to say, a lot more to teach, but Kramer's attention was instantly taken by something else: The familiar sound going through the caves; a low rumor running all over, barely audible. More than his senses, perhaps it was a primal instinct of his species that allowed him to perceive that sound. And as if feeling his sudden excitement, Baum held his hand tighter, to keep him from running on his own. Something Kramer wasn't sure he would've avoided himself.

In a few more steps, they reached a much larger opening on the cave, and Baum turned his flashlight off to let Kramer really take in the sight in front of him. It was a gigantic lake of crystalline water, somewhere between a vivid green and blue, filling a bowl formed on the ground. Massive stone pillars linked the floor and the ceiling, twisted and perfectly smooth, leading his eyes upwards, where a massive hole allowed the sunlight to come in, illuminating the lake; the light that bounced off gave an almost ethereal feel to the whole place that the otter couldn't get enough of. And it was from that hole on the cave's ceiling that water ran down, falling on multiple smaller bowls all over the wall of the cave in a series of small waterfalls, before it came crashing down in front of him with the largest one of all. It was all simply perfect; almost impossible to believe that it was a natural arrangement, and yet at the same time, no one else could've made something of this level. He could barely contain his own excitement, practically jumping on the balls of his feet.

"Oh my god!" he squealed. Literally, he made this intense, high-pitched sound otters make, and Baum winced while covering his ears. But even if he noticed that, it didn't keep Kramer from jumping excitedly, shaking all over. "Can I get in? Are there toxic fumes in the water or something? Is it safe? Can I get in!?"

"Why would I bring you to a cave with toxic fumes?" the bull mused out loud, stretching his jaw after the otter's voice popped his ears too hard. But Kramer didn't pay attention to any of that. The moment he got the green light, he pulled his shirt off his torso, and Baum looked away blushing when he got the first hints of his bare torso. Any other day, both of them would've been far too conscious to even think about that without saying anything, but far more primal instincts had taken him over.

The shirt fell on the ground, followed by his glasses, only giving them a passing glance to make sure they landed safely. The next second, Kramer was already running towards the pool, his steps making wet sounds as he approached the edge of the water and leaped into it without a care in the world. The otherwise still lake was suddenly disturbed by a large splash that made water fly all over the place, a momentary explosion before it all came down, only a few drops landing outside the pool. For a second, there was no evidence of any of that but the ripples coming from the spot where the otter dove in; but just as the water settled down again, he came back up with the kind of grace you'd expect from his kind.

"Fuck, it's cold!" that grace vanished right away when he hugged himself, shivering in the middle of the lake. The water was clear enough to see his legs and tail swaying to keep afloat, but the rest of his body was barely in control. A shaky sigh escaped him, and the echoing chuckles that reached his ears next made him turn towards the bull. Baum had walked over to the edge of the water and covered his snout to try and muffle his voice, but even if he had been successful, his eyes said a lot more than he could hide. "Stop laughing! Jump in yourself if you're such a badass, then!"

"You just want an excuse to see me shirtless," he joked with the last breaths of his laugh, and Kramer pouted in response. He wasn't entirely wrong, actually... "Besides, I didn't bring a towel. And unlike a certain water noodle, my skin wasn't made for water."

"Water noodle, eh?" he had come to expect the bull's moments of snark, but some of the things he came up with still surprised him. With that one thought in mind, he turned around in the water until he was floating on his back, his tail gently swaying and keeping him in place. Just like Baum said, his skin and fur were meant precisely for this, and the cold no longer bothered him as much. He stared at the cave's ceiling, further up than he thought it would be, and the warmth of the sun coming in through the skylight- Should he call it a skylight? It was a cave... "So, why did you bring me to a lake if you weren't planning on joining?"

"I brought you to a cave, for a class, and it just happened to have a lake in it. I wasn't expecting you to just jump in. At all," Kramer had to pout again to keep Baum from seeing his blush. "If I wanted to get you someplace nice, I would take you to the hot springs."

"What?" Kramer sank back into the water in a swift motion, leaving the surface practically undisturbed, and after a second of swimming he came back up on the edge of the pool, close to the bull, arms crossed on the floor while he looked up at him. "There are hot springs here? And you're just telling me this now?"

"They're kind of far away, it's a long trek. I usually only go on special occasions and have to stay the night over. Then again, I do like camping," can you really call it camping if you live in the forest in the first place, the otter thought. Then Baum sat on the ground next to him, legs slipping in the water next to him. His hooves barely broke the surface, and he could make out the silhouette of his muscular calves. "It's not that bad. A bit chilly. You're being dramatic."

"Excuse you, I'm used to long, hot showers. I could use one right now, actually."

"Man, I haven't had a hot shower in years."

"What?" it took a moment for that to click in Kramer's brain. A second during which he had forgotten Baum actually lived in the forest. Things he just always took for granted in his own life now took a completely different meaning in the bull's context. Thus, the first of many questions made its way out of his mouth with almost no conscious input on his part. "How do you shower at all?"

"Most people don't take as long to ask about bathroom stuff," he chuckled again, and the other questions in Kramer's head started bouncing harder and louder in his skull, telling him to get his answers. But better to let Baum keep the rest of the... bathroom stuff private. "There's a small waterfall inside my place. Nothing as cool as this, but it's strong enough to act as a sort of shower. But it's always freaking cold; I'm used to it by now, I have thick skin, but those first few days were just awful!"

Despite the tone he spoke with and the laugh he let out after his words, Kramer couldn't help a small part of him feeling sorry for the bull. He shuddered just picturing having to shower with cold water every day. Truly a scary prospect. But more than that, it was those last few words that had the biggest impact on him. The first few days, Baum said... He had to wonder what he was like back then, he pictured him leaner for some reason. Life in the outdoors made him bulk up, that made sense. Why would a lean, smart and sweet guy like that, clearly not built for the mountains, choose to live with nature? A whim, perhaps? It was all hypothetical, but the question remained-

"Something in your mind?" he caught him by surprise again, and the otter blinked and looked up at the bull. That lovely smile of his, the way his mustache shook when his lips curled, like a rabbit's nose, was soothing. "You look like you have a lot on your plate right now."

"Just the usual random thoughts, I guess," that was more or less a lie, but he had just decided to give Baum his privacy, and he wasn't about to go back on that. Besides, several other random thoughts did wander into his head the more he looked at the bull, the more the cold prickled at his bare skin. "Want me to get you a heater?"

"A heater that you'll plug to what pipes, exactly?" the sweetness in his smile gave way to a certain smugness. Something between wanting to get the upper hand while wondering how the otter would counter his argument.

"There are portable models, silly. Made for space exploration, camping, a lot of stuff," that was the kind of argument that made the smugness vanish from his face, replaced by the kind of honest curiosity most people left behind in their childhood. It was such a cute look on him, though. "I'd have to check the actual waterfall, but I'm sure there's a model that could work, somewhere out there. I could get a cheap one, mod it a bit to work with solar batteries or something, keep it green, just the way you like it."

"You know I can't let you splurge money on me like that," Baum sighed, and even doing that he looked cute. But as nice as he was to look at, and as much as he tried to shoot his idea down, Kramer already had way too many schematics in his head to just let go of.

"I'll do it..." his words got a frown from the bull, but before he said anything, a distracted and wet hand rose from the water and covered his snout. Kramer wasn't even looking at him, but at the ceiling- Or rather, he looked at nothing at all, buried in his own thoughts. "A camper model... A bigger one would be more expensive, but I can't make sun batteries that small- Or maybe I can...?"

"Kramer?" the bull's voice was muffled behind those fingers, but they flew away from his face the moment the otter came back to reality. He had yet to look away from the ceiling, though.

"You know that hybrid flower you're growing back at your place out of fun? It's like that," Baum's eyes widened in understanding with that explanation, but the words were already inside Kramer's mouth, inching to come out. "I already thought up way too many different things I want to try, I literally can't take no for an answer. Hell, I'll do it anyway, whether you actually take the heater or not. Might as well put it to good use, right?"

"You're going to buy a heater and tinker with it for fun, and you have the audacity of saying I'm the nerd? You're lucky you're cute," there he went, calling him that again. But Kramer took it in stride this time, grinning at the word. It felt nice, dammit. But his thoughts were interrupted when the bull's legs pulled out of the water and he stood up again, stretching. "Ok, yeah. I feel the cold now. Come on, we have to get some samples, and I want to teach you how to tell the trees apart before it gets dark."

"But I just got used to the water! You want me to step out and into the cold, and make me a shivering mess? I can't put my shirt back on, I'm all wet," his playful complains were met with an equally playful shrug and a bit of a grin on the bull's lips. Part of Kramer wanted to splash him with the cold water, but he held back because he knew he was right. Didn't mean he was looking forward to the cold water clinging from his fur- Maybe not the best impulse he's have lately. "I'll get out if you promise to take me to the hot springs."

"You're supposed to negotiate from a position of power," Baum's words fell on deaf ears, with Kramer putting the best puppy eyes he could. The bull actually stopped for a second, looking away and covering the smile that started to form on his snout. "Fine. I'll check the weather later tonight and plan the trip. I've been meaning to go for a while myself, anyway."

That was all the confirmation he needed. Just as Baum turned around and back up the same tunnel they came through, Kramer slipped out of the water, shaking all over to dry his fur somewhat. Or perhaps the bull went down a different tunnel, eh wasn't sure, they all looked the same. And the cold air going through the cave was making it harder to keep focused, definitely not the best impulse in the least. As he grabbed his shirt and glasses, he begged the tunnel Baum waited him at was the exit; he needed the sun right now.

---

"He's just wonderful like that, you know," Kramer said that night, already back in the city yet still thinking about the bull. Every compliment that came out of his mouth only made him think of him again, his eyes lingering on the picture of that broad back, those strong shoulders that looked like they could hold the entire world, the long golden mane going down his neck- Truly, all of him was simply too much to not look at. He was too much. And the otter sighed at that image in his head for the thousandth time, before slumping between his arms to muffle the squeal that came out of him.

After yet another busy day with the bull, Kramer was left with a myriad of emotions and sensations coursing his body. A powerful satisfaction that made him smile like a fool all night long, coupled with the exhaustion that pushed down every single muscle in his body. Going back down the mountain in a bike after exerting himself so hard was easily one of the most tiring things he had ever done, but it was all worth it for the chance of learning, growing... And yes, checking out a certain gorgeous bovine man. While squealing, he hugged himself tighter, taking the chance to grope his own bicep; the growth wasn't just a metaphor, he thought with another smile.

But all good days in life come to an end, and like we mentioned before, he was back in the city, sitting in a table at a certain diner, the second half of a massive burger waiting for him in the plate in front of him. The table sat next to a window, and on the other side the darkness of the city was illuminated by countless street lights, windows from the buildings and so many cars passing by, it barely felt like it was night at all. Nothing compared to the quiet starry sky he had admired with the bull the first night he spent at his place. Yet more thoughts regarding his newest, very tall friend. He couldn't afford another squeal, so he sat back up and dove for his meal once again, taking a huge bite out of it to keep his mouth busy with something.

"Yeah, you seem very into cow meat these days," and of course, he choked at that. While he coughed and blushed from the sudden shame, a cheerful laugh reached his ears from the other side of the table. He looked up at the Inca tern across from him laughing her ass off, her feathered hands going up to push the strands of ebony hair that got over her eyes. "God, I'm sorry, it was too good to pass- Fuck, you should look at yourself, I can't...!"

Inés kept that up for a while longer, making the small otter frown in response. She was an attractive woman, her body covered in smokey gray feathers, wings tipped with a bright yellow that added a certain stylish edge to her; one that certainly matched her personality. A simple button-up shirt hid the curves of her torso, with only a hint of the ample bosom underneath, and a hairpin decorated with white flowers helped keep the long locks off her face, showing the long beak, the yellow feathers over those violet eyes of hers that Kramer only recently realized were similar to Baum's color. Anyone who looked at the bird's way would think of her as a modest professional, a beautiful woman that didn't need to show off. It was hard to swallow that someone like her had such a natural talent at teasing others, the dreamy otter in particular.

"It wasn't that funny," he pouted, taking another bite of his food after Inés was done. But that only made her voice rise again, the few remaining chuckles turning into another quick laugh. Kramer tried to ignore her and keep eating.

"Ok..." again, a few chuckles, followed by a deep breath, and she was finally done. "Ok, I'm good. But seriously, these past few months all you ever talk about is this guy and how badly you're crushing on him. It's cute, but you're borderline obsessed."

"I'm not crushing!" he tried to defend himself, but that only got a raised eyebrow from his friend. "I'm not... I mean, he's a nice guy, and really cute, and... Well yeah, he's freaking hot, but it's not a crush per se. I wouldn't call it that, more like an innocent infatuation with some... occasional sexual overtones."

"I'm 87% sure that if I google 'crush' right now, I'll get that exact definition," once again, he chose to ignore her. "But seriously, you keep talking this guy up so much and I have yet to see him. I mean, what do you really know about him? The guy lives in the middle of nowhere, that's already suspicious- What if he's a serial killer, and that's why he's hiding? Have you thought of that? Is he hot enough to account for that?"

"First, he's not a serial killer, I actually looked that up already. Second, yes, he is," and the otter took out his phone in a flash, swiping through his gallery in search of one of the many pictures Baum took with him. He fondly remembered how excited he got when he saw the camera quality for the first time, how many selfies he took after that, and considering the number of shots he got of the bull in his phone now, it was certainly worth it. He found one of him lying on his couch, his chest pushed slightly forward, arms spread to both sides, really showing off his size, his definition, and the mustache in the middle of one of those quick shakes that made him melt. Kramer didn't realize he was smiling at the picture, and it took him a few seconds to hand it over to Inés. "Here, make your own impressions."

"Oh! Hello, daddy."

"Dude..."

"Come on, look at him. This is the sexual overtone you were talking about. I'm sending this to myself," and of course, Kramer swiped the phone off her hands before she even had the chance to tap at the screen. That only prompted another quick chuckle out of the bird, which he copied. "In all seriousness, I'll admit he's hot. And yes, he looks nice. Some serial killers can look nice."

"Stop that. He's just a guy..." Kramer didn't realize how his voice started to trail off when his eyes landed on the bull's picture again, how everything, even the food left in front of him, stopped mattering for a second when he had such a man in front of him. "A really hot guy, yeah, but there's so much more to him. He's really sweet and tender- I mean, physically tender. Like, he takes care of his plants so delicately, and when he puts a hand on my shoulder he does it really softly, like he's scared I'll break if he's not careful. And he's incredibly smart, but at the same time kind of dumb, in an endearing way? Like... You know those movies when characters meet with less technological people and they have to explain how their newer tech works? Like time travel movies where you have to tell knights what a phone is."

"Those make me cringe," she said with a sip of her iced tea. "Is that it? Is he some Tarzan type that doesn't know how anything works at all?"

"He's certainly built like Tarzan," he chuckled, to his friend's approval, before looking at the picture again. He was definitely bigger, actually. And he had yet to get out of the gallery, but he couldn't bring himself to do so. "No, he's extremely smart in what he does. He knows about every single plant and every single rock in the forest; I've asked him about random ones and he knows their names by heart, identifies everything with just a glance, it's amazing. But he's just outdated enough to get shocked by everyday stuff and still figure out how it works on his own. And it's so damn cute when he does. You can't fake that excitement! And it's so weird to get a fresh opinion like his about some things. He got wi-fi right away, but he's still awed by it, you can tell from how his eyes shine when I show him a video on my phone. And you should've seen his face when I explained him what gachas are."

"Why would you subject him to cursed knowledge like that?" another sip, and a chance for the otter to snicker in response. "Well, seems like he's paying attention, then. Really soaking up the things you're teaching him. Are you doing the same? Could you tell me what any plant you see is called?" Kramer's eyes widened at the sudden request, making him look away with a growing blush on his cheeks. That only got him poked with a straw. "So you're just going over to check him out, you naughty boy."

"I mean! That's one of the reasons, yeah," he had to admit it, really. If he didn't, the red on his face would do it for him anyway. "Ok, some of the more technical stuff doesn't really register; I'm more interested in the self-sustainability part, anyway. I figured I could apply that to work. Plus, it's interesting on its own. He... He makes it interesting, and not just because he's hot! I get the feeling he likes teaching. Or at least he likes teaching me."

"Ok, little guy. Let's not get ahead of ourselves, remember last time-

She reached for his hand across the table, but the moment those words came out, Kramer pulled back. He didn't even think about it, nor did he really want to do it. It just happened... And he looked away not because of Inés words, but because he suddenly felt bad about how his body reacted.

"Sorry..." it wasn't her fault. He wanted to tell her so bad, but the words stuck on his chest, refusing to come out. "Look, I think it's nice you're crushing on someone, and you look really cute when you gush about the guy. Almost like you're glowing, it's lovely. And ever since he..." and she stopped herself again. For his sake. Kramer leaned back on his seat, staring at the ceiling to keep Inés from seeing his deepening frown. "It's just nice you're considering a relationship again. Or at least something close to one. If it's just sex you want, that's cool too, he's a total stud, I get it."

"Wow! It's not just sex..." and just like that, the small otter got back to his usual mood. Inés did that on purpose, he was sure; she was a blessing like that. "I mean, would I like to have sex with him? Well... You saw him. But I'm serious, there's so much more to it. Have I told you his mustache shakes when he thinks too hard about something? It's the cutest thing I've ever seen, and it makes me want to lean forward and just smooch his silly face, he's the best."

"You've mentioned that repeatedly, yeah. The first time you did kiss him, for example," that one memory got him to blush again. It was supposed to be a bad one, a moment when he made the bull feel uncomfortable, but Kramer couldn't shake how confident he felt after doing it, and how bad he wanted to do it again. "Do you even know if he's into guys?"

"I have a very strong inkling."

"Riiiiiiiiight," yet another of the tern's legendary raised eyebrows. "Just be careful. Wouldn't be the first time your wishful thinking gets you in trouble. And don't buy him a heater, that's a bit too much, in my opinion. Again, you barely know the guy."

"At this point, I'm doing that more out of fun than for him. He actually said the same, he doesn't want me to spend money on him. Isn't that cute?"

"Or reverse psychology manipulation," ok, that was getting old, and Kramer wanted to say as much. But before he had the chance, a familiar ringtone reached their ears and Inés dug in her pocket for her own phone. "Ah... I have to go, work stuff. Sorry, I know you wanted to keep gushing. Even though you do it every single week."

"Yeah, I get it. I'll see you Monday, then," and that was the end of their conversation... Or so he figured, before he looked back up from his burger at the tern still sitting in front of him. Her face was still, her expression neutral, save for the wrinkles on her face. And a sigh left Kramer as he braced himself for the words he predicted he would get months earlier. "What?"

"Look, I know you don't want to hear this, but I can't just leave you floating adrift like this and not say something. I've seen this Kramer before: The nice guy that wants to help everyone, no matter what. I saw it with Dimitri."

He... was ready for that, really. He expected to hear that name again, and he had convinced himself he was ready for it. It was just a name, just a memory, he kept telling himself as much. But the moment he heard the name, the memories came crashing down on him. Memories that made him unable to face the bird to the eye, and that got him to put his face on his open palms, taking off his glasses and scrubbing his eyes. He was suddenly tired for no reason.

"This guy, Baum... I'm not saying he's the same; he seems like a really nice guy so far. But so did he, back then. And we all know..." she stopped again. All for the best, Kramer thought. He knew it was all for his sake, that Inés was simply worried about him, but there was that part of him, that little, spiteful voice in the back of his head that just wanted her to shut up and leave already. "All I'm saying is, most people get to know someone before investing their time and money on them. So, get to know Baum some more. You guys are going to some hot springs, right? Get him to talk about himself, figure out why he moved to the woods- Preferably before he flashes you with his awesome muscles, barely concealed by the steam," that got a chuckle out of him. Inés was so good at that, it was almost a superpower. "Anyway, I'll go pay. And I'll tip as well, so you don't have to. Save your money for your bull boyfriend."

"He's not my boyfriend yet," he surprised himself with that last word, but rode with it. Inés winked at him as she stood up, probably thinking the same kind of things he was before reaching for her purse, pulling out a few bills and leaving them on the table in front of him. She was probably the only person he knew that still used cash. And when he looked up, she was already halfway down the diner, only looking over her shoulder once to wave at him.

Left alone once again, Kramer took another bite out of his burger, more out of instinct than anything else. He barely registered any flavor, his mind taken over by several other things. Images of a certain raccoon flashed before his eyes, making him tap his foot impatiently. But those images were soon swapped by a much larger body, a broader, more reliable back, and a much warmer smile crowned by golden fuzz. Despite what Inés told him, he couldn't help but smile.