before chasing after him. Ethan paused to look around. Why was no one recording this? Cael tried to strip while Ash did his best to stop him, but Cael was determined to shift into his Therian form to play in the giant box. Ethan had to admit he was tempted. There was enough room in there for at least two of them in their Therian forms. Maybe. Okay, maybe one of them. It was so big and cardboard-y. He did love a good box….
“Don’t even think about it,” Calvin murmured, bursting his bubble. “You wouldn’t fit in there.”
I don’t have to fit in there. The fun part is trying to fit. Ethan huffed and folded his arms over his chest. Party pooper. Humans were walking contradictions. When they were little they loved boxes as much as Felid Therians. Then they grew up, and suddenly they were too mature to play in boxes, yet many of them spent their lives working inside cubes.
For every piece of clothing Ash attempted to keep on Cael, another piece came off. Until Cael’s attention was seized by a rustling sound. He gasped.
“Packing peanuts!”
Calvin took a sip of his cappuccino. “So that’s what happens when he has coffee. I always wondered.”
Dex went to the fridge and grabbed three bottles of water. “It hasn’t even fully kicked in yet. If we don’t move quickly, he’s going to shift, pounce all over the place, climb the freakin’ walls, and scratch the shit out of whatever he can get his little cheetah Therian claws on before he passes out from exhaustion.” Dex turned to Sloane with a somber expression. “Babe, your pouf is about to become a casualty of war.”
“Not my pouf!” Sloane darted off to save the round pouf that resembled the Death Star. Ethan had thought it was Dex’s. Apparently there was a lot they still didn’t know about their Team Leader.
Dex let out a dreamy sigh. “One day I’m gonna marry that man.” With a chuckle, he headed off in Ash and Cael’s direction. Cael was emptying all the packing peanuts into the giant box. How come Cael gets to have all the fun? Dex handed Ash a bottle of water.
Ash took it and tried to get it into Cael’s hand. “Sweetheart, you need to have some water. Lots of water.”
“But I’m not thirsty. What should we do with all the peanuts?” Cael continued to pour packing peanuts into the box while Letty and Rosa snickered in amusement at their partners from their perch on the love seat. They sipped their coffees and munched on their donuts.
“Let’s build a peanut pit! Like a ball pit but with packing peanuts!” Cael said excitedly. He was actually bouncing. Ethan gave him five minutes before he was stripping again.
Dex returned and leaned against the counter, shaking his head in amusement.
“So you’re going to leave Ash to it?” Calvin asked. “What about all the furniture you were worried about? Also, I’ve never seen Sloane move that fast. Has he always been a closet nerd, or was it all your doing?”
Ethan would have put his money on it being Dex’s influence. It would also explain the gallons of coffee Sloane now consumed on a daily basis or the occasional eighties song Ethan heard Sloane humming.
“Nope. He’s always been a closet nerd. Speaking of, he’s got a cardboard cutout of Han Solo in his bedroom closet. It’s on the left side to the back. I didn’t tell you. Pretend you stumbled across it. And yes, I’m going to let Ash take care of it. He has to learn how to handle these types of Cael-mergencies.”
“Cael, sweetheart, please get out of the box.” Ash held a bottle of water out to him. “Or at least drink this.”
Ethan pointed to the box and Cael, who was already nestled in the packing peanuts. I think Ash needs more training in that department.
Cael smiled sweetly up at Ash. “I’ll take the water if you join me.”
“No.”
“Why?”
Ash let out a heavy sigh. “Because I don’t fit.”
“Get your phone ready.” Dex dug into his pocket and pulled out his smartphone. At that moment Sloane reappeared.
“What’s going on?”
“Cael’s asked Ash to join him in the box,” Calvin replied with a chuckle.
Sloane wrapped his arms around Dex. “You think he’ll do it?”
“Are you kidding me? Cael’s about to bust out the sad puppy face. Not even my dad’s immune to that shit. Ash is finished, and he knows it.”
“Please, Ash?” Cael jutted out his bottom lip. “It’s not fun if you’re not with me.”
Damn, he’s good. Ethan turned to Calvin, his bottom lip jutted out. Please can I play in the box?
Calvin didn’t hesitate. “Still no. If I let you shift now, you’d never get out of the box, and we both know it.”