2009
It was a spring afternoon, though in TJ's room it felt more like winter, much as Sydney loved. He saw snow exactly once in his life and fell in love, and hoped to one day move to the north with the love of his life.
They were both laying in bed, relaxing their paws after so much running in PE and across the Payton school's corridors. At the insistence of TJ's parents and certainly with no protest from TJ, they both began to work on their homework. Sydney, naturally, had usually low grades on most disciplines, but he rather enjoyed math and was currently the student with the best grades at that subjet. He always loved to solve puzzles as a kind, so equations were simply complicted puzzles to him. Combined with his poetic expertise, it had been brought up once or twice that he could have a more lofty career if he so desired, but it was final: wrestling it would be.
And TJ supported him no matter what, he and Flynn the only people to not judge him at all.
"And done" Sydney said, stretching his arms.
"Already!?" TJ said in amazement.
"Eh, math is" Sydney shrugged, "I'll do the rest whenever."
"Okay, but I'm still going to finish everything" TJ said, "It might take a while. I haven't even started math!"
"Do you want me to do it for you?" Sydney asked.
"Syd, that's sweet, but you know I need to do it on my own" TJ said, "Though, I wouldn't mind if you helped me out a little..."
"Of course babe" Sydney said, rolling over to TJ's side.
Gently, he propped up his boyfriend, the lynx sitting in the otter's lap as his strong arms embraced him. TJ purred almost instantly, but his focused look made it clear that he needed to concentrate. Sydney looked down to the notebook. TJ began to write down his answers; each time he got an answer right, Sydney would kiss him on the cheek, every time he got a "so-so" he'd shrug a little and try to downplay it, but once or twice TJ struggled more.
"This is a bit of an abstract answer, Toby. Do you remember last lesson? About reasoning?"
TJ played with his pencil a little, before quickly writting down a paragraph.
"Did I do good?" he asked Sydney expectantly.
"Mostly good, though the conclusion is a bit off" the otter answered honestly.
"Oh well, almost everything else is decent, right?"
Sydney nodded, kissing Toby on his sweek fluffy cheeks. Truth be told, he did do a better job than last time, so Sydney felt pride towards his boyfriend as well as towards imself for being such an efficient tutor.
"Now, unto history" TJ said.
"Ugh" Sydney groaned, "I wish Chase wasn't constantly attached to Leo's cock, he's the only one of us that gets good history grades!"
"First, language" TJ said, though giving how he was sticking out his tongue it was pure teasing, "Second, we can go do our history homework with them."
"Yeah, good luck trying to get them to answer the phone" Sydney said, "They're so fucking selfish! At least you and I do our best to hang out with the others!"
"Syd, calm down" TJ said, "I won't reach them but my mother will. Excuse me just for a moment, I'll be back."
TJ kissed Sydney on the lips, before getting out the bed. He walked over to the door.
"Mom, can you Chase's and Leo's parents to do homework with us?"
"That's an excellent idea honey!" she said, interupting her laundry to grab her phone, "Their parents always tell me their grades are declining so you could help them out!"
"Yeah mom, that's the idea" TJ said, before his mother petted his hair.
***
Some twenty minutes later, Chase and Leo arrived at the porch, grumbling.
"Now, this is for your own good" Chase's father said, "You're still doing homework together and your friends will help you out."
"But daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaad!" Chase whined.
"Honestly, I don't know why you're so upset" his father grumbled, and quickly drove away.
"Welcome boys!" TJ's father said, embracing them both tightly.
"Gracias Mr. Hess" Leo said, half suffocated, before TJ's mom nearly suffocated both of them again.
"TJ and Syd are upstairs" she said.
"Right" Chase said, half-tempted to make a "alone?" joke before realising who he'd be making such a joke to.
Leo and Chase nodded at the Hesses' niceties, which after a while began to blend it, as they entered the house.
***
"Took you long enough" Sydney said.
Chase mouthed a 'fuck off' to him, making TJ frown. Leo dragged a chair next to the bed, while Chase let his butt fall next to TJ.
"Okay, not that you're all settled in do you want any snacks or drinks?" Mrs Hess asked.
"Sure, thank you Mrs Hess" Chase said sheepishly.
As TJ's mom went down the stairs, Chase turned to TJ and Sydney.
"History again?" he asked.
"Yup" Sydney shrugged.
"Ugh fine" Chase moaned, "You guys aren't even one bit curious about the past and shit?"
"Just as you don't give a damn about pirates or math" Sydney answered, "Besides it's not like Leo cares either."
"Guilty as charged" Leo shrugged, "Sorry Chula."
"Okay, so luckily for you assholes I took notes" Chase said, taking out a notebook, "Use the talking points but be creative about it. I don't go around copying your math homework."
"Hey, that was one time!" Sydney pouted, "Besides I'm just going to write whatever."
"Syd, I don't think that's a good idea" TJ said, "This assignment is about Mesoamerican cultures and their influence on Pueblo. Jenna's people are involved and she might take it the wrong way like when you said the Ahacte had a golden city."
"Don't worry babe, I'll just take make things a bit more flowery" Sydney said, "Besides the Mexica Alliance was awesome. Most wrestlers use god names nowadays."
Sure enough, Sydney's ended up being the most interesting, focusing on the ball game, conquests and mythology, all wrapped up into as metal as a school assignment could be. TJ was deeply uncomfortable by the pre-christian religions but managed to write a somewhat sanitized summary, while Leo wasted most of his summary on how they were his ancestors as well. Chase's report was the most boring, but at least it was far different from those... things.
"Which one do you think Jenna is gonna hate more?" Leo said.
"Syd's, obviously" Chase said.
"Eh, she hates everything I do" Sydney shrugged.
"C'mon, that isn't true" TJ hugged Sydney, laying his paw on his, "You just need to show her how good you are at math."
"Okay Toby" Sydney said, clearly unconvinced but far more interested in kissing his boyfriend.
Chase and Leo looked at each other, clearly moved, and the wolf joined the others on the bed, hugging his otter. They quickly began to kiss, moving each other's paws across each other's backs passionately.
"Please don't have sex on my bed" TJ said.
It was a sincere request, but it shocked the other three boys.
"TJ!" Chase said, "Since when are you so savage!?"
"W-what?" the lynx lowered his ears.
"Hey, it's alright baby " Sydney said, smooching his boyfriend on the cheek, "They thought you gave them a comeback. It was a rather awesome one too."
"Oh" TJ said, realising it, "I didn't mean it like that. It's just that, well...."
"It's okay TJ" Chase said, disengaging Leo and inching closer to the lynx, "I'd rather have sex with you!"
And so the other otter pounched on the lynx, giving him air kisses and hugging him.
"Hey!" Sydney said, trying to wrestle Chase out of TJ but only suceeding in hugging them both, "Get off my boyfriend chula!"
"Mm, two otters" Leo said, hugging them all in turn.
"NOOOOOOOOOO" TJ giggled as the four of them rolled around in the bed.
A few times someone kicked another, but Sydney, Chase and Leo were all careful to not hurt TJ. Eventually, the laughing mess disenged as they heard TJ's mom climb up the stairs, but even as they hate PBs they couldn't help but reminisce of how good it felt, to have fun with their friends like they were kids again.
Sydney yawned, and TJ gently lowered on on the bed, resting next to him as he finished his homework. Chase and Leo joined in, the first spooning Sydney and the latter spooning Chase, and wordlessly enjoyed each other's warmth, lulling themselves into a nap.
