He wasn't really sure what to do.

If I move he'll wake up and definitely freak out, but if I don't, he'll still wake up at some point and definitely freak out.

He was also freaking out a little, himself, because he'd had his camera on when Baron had shifted. Thankfully, he was inside his hoodie, so they only saw his left arm and a little of his back since he had his face tucked a bit, but still!

Scowling at the computer, King considered his options Eventually, however, he came to the understanding that there was really only one thing he could do that made sense.

Leaning forward slowly, he focused on Baron's response, and, more importantly, his thoughts. When he didn't hear or sense anything, his brows furrowed.

You're not changing back?

He slowly turned his seat, then began scooting towards his bed, extremely grateful that he'd chosen a high end gaming chair. It was super easy to move and with only a little bit of effort, he had made the journey.

Alright, you're definitely still asleep.

He had no idea how, but he wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

Lifting up his free hand, he carefully unzipped the rest of his big hoodie, being as quiet as he could. Once that was done, he made sure to keep his eyes at the appropriate level, but had no other choice than to lower his left hand to Baron's backside in order to help with the man's weight.

Just getting him into bed. Nothing else is going on.

King kept telling himself that over and over again until the man was finally settled with his head against the pillow and a soft blanket over his body.

Relieved that their first ordeal was over and done with, he finally leaned back in his chair and actually looked at the guy now fast asleep in his bed.

Absolutely gorgeous.

Baron's picture on his driver's license had done him absolutely no justice. He still had some faint black marks beneath his eyes, but he didn't doubt that at least a little bit of that was from Prince.

In all honesty, it just made him look cuter.

Alright, so now I need to figure out a way to make him stay.

He paused abruptly, his face warming uncomfortably.

Stay until he's mentally okay, of course!

Licking his lips, King crossed one leg over the other and let himself get lost in thought. It was easy enough to keep Prince in his apartment, and even if Baron had control of Prince, it still wouldn't be too difficult, but now that he was back to being human and had hands that could easily unlock his front door...

Internally groaning, King looked up at the man still asleep in his bed.

Wait, he sleeps with his eyes open?

It took his brain a full ten seconds before it caught up with his thought. Then another ten seconds before he was internally panicking, making his poor otter dart around in a confused panic, too. Its little paws almost felt like they were stomping around on his brain as its worry surged, mixing with his own.

King now had so much going on inside his own head that he couldn't even think about Baron until he calmed Rexy down. Thankfully, it didn't take too long, but when he opened his eyes again after having needed to close them for a minute to focus, something felt a tiny bit off.

Why... is he just staring?

King could feel the waves of anxiety beginning to build in the back of his mind as the man slowly looked from one end of his room to the other.

"M-my name is King and this is my place. You're more than welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like," he quickly but quietly said as he did his best not to stare directly at the mostly-naked man.

Well, he was completely naked, but there was at least a blanket still covering his lap.

By the time those warm chocolate eyes finally returned to him King was internally fidgeting. The nervousness was partially their situation, but a bigger chunk of his unease was the man's growing anxiety that had morphed from a few simple waves all the way up to a moderate tsunami.

I need to try and calm him down before something bad happens.

Of course, thinking that and actually managing it were two very different things. He didn't know how Baron acted when he was extremely stressed... besides trying to jump off a bridge, and he also didn't know how to really calm him. He was used to Prince, not Baron.

He was just about to go grab some of the leftovers he'd made, hoping that maybe the man liked food just as much as his shift and could calm down over a warm bowl of pasta when he nearly jumped out of his skin from the sound of his phone ringing in his back pocket.

Oh shit, that's mom's ringtone.

The moment he began reaching for it he noticed an immediate shift in Baron's demeanor.

He's going to try and run.

The man's eyes widened as he watched him, seemingly surprised.

Without much time to think, King slowly nudged his chair a few feet backwards, then stood up and put himself in front of the door as he pulled his phone from his back pocket and answered it.

"Hey mom, what's up?" he asked, doing his best to keep his voice even but also adding just enough inflection to his tone to hint that something was a little bit off.

His mom paused for a moment, but then said something he definitely wasn't anticipating.

"Please put the phone on speaker and bring it close to Prince. I have something he'd probably like to hear."

Huh?

Not willing to argue, he took a step forward, but didn't dare get too close as he switched the call to speaker.

"Hello Baron, I'm King's mother and I have been working to try and help you while you've been resting. I have someone waiting on the other end who'd like to speak with you, if that would be alright?"

King winced as he felt Baron's anxiety skyrocket, but he knew that his mom wouldn't just let any random person talk to someone who was suicidal.

"I think it's okay, mom. He's here and he can listen," King replied calmly even though it felt like a thousand fire ants were marching beneath his skin.

His mom went silent for another moment, then they heard a faint beep sound. Almost immediately there was a muffled rustling, like someone wasn't holding a phone quite right.

"Daddy?"

The army of ants retreated immediately.

The tsunami subsided within seconds.

And Baron was on his feet, hugging King's phone to his chest as tears fell from his eyes.

"Daddy? This nice lady said that you were really sick and that's why you haven't been able to call or come home. Are you feeling better now? Do you want to talk to me?" his daughter asked, her voice full of unsure excitement.

She also sounded really mature for a little girl.

To King's surprise, however, Baron wasn't able to utter a single word as tears continued to stain his face.

Okay, I can do this.

Inching forward a tiny bit, King made sure that he was close enough for the phone to pick up his voice but not too close as to invade Baron's personal space... especially since he was still naked.

"Hi sweetie, your daddy is here. He just has a very sore throat because he's been so sick. He would absolutely love to hear about everything you've been up to, though!"

The girl paused for a moment, perhaps processing the new voice, then replied happily.

"Hello! What's your name? Is daddy staying with you? Are you taking good care of him?" she asked, making King smile.

"My name is King, and yes, he is staying with me and he's already doing much better."

There was an excited sound of surprise on the other end before the little girl responded.

"You're a king?! Daddy, you found a king?!"

A new emotion flitted through the back of King's mind as he picked it up from Baron.

Happy.

Well, perhaps it wasn't quite happiness, but maybe humor?

That emotion seemed to fit better.

King was just about to respond that he wasn't quite a king, when he abruptly swallowed his words at the sound of an unfamiliar voice.

"That's right... Tili. Daddy found... a king."

Baron immediately started coughing once he'd finished speaking, but that was no surprise. His voice sounded terrible, so being sick was definitely a plausible excuse for his absence.

At this point the guy was practically ugly crying, but he somehow didn't look any kind of ugly, even with his nose running and his face covered in tear stains.

Still so beautiful.

In a masculine way.

Snapping back to himself, King quickly pulled his chair over and placed it behind Baron's shaking legs. The man sat immediately, making King grin as he hurried over to his bed and retrieved one of his blankets, then tossed it into Baron's bare lap.

The man wrapped it around himself right away, then tucked his legs up and covered them, too.

"What's your king's name?" his daughter asked excitedly once her father had caught his breath from coughing.

Her question seemed to stump him, though, and his soft brown eyes quickly sought him out for an answer.

Oh, I guess I can give my real name.

She evidently hadn't caught that King was actually the name he used, and since she was asking for another name, her father was hoping that he'd have one.

"Um, it's Rex."

Baron smiled.

King's mouth went dry.

The man was soon back to his quiet conversation, but King's heart had yet to recover.

He stood there, openly staring at Baron's profile for nearly a full minute before finally forcing his feet to move. They took him out of the room with a shuffle, the action unfamiliar and uncomfortable as his nerves itched beneath his skin.

Once he'd stopped moving he found himself in the kitchen, and without thinking, he quickly filled a cup with warm water and mixed in a little honey and ginger. He also warmed up a bowl of the pasta he'd made earlier, just in case he was hungry.

After everything was ready, he found his one small serving tray and used it to bring the food to Baron. The man was clearly engrossed in his conversation about unicorns and tying shoes, but the moment King walked back in and stopped before him, he looked up.

King's heart gave a hard thump in his chest as he slowly lowered the tray with a nervous smile. When Baron noticed what he was giving him he quickly sat up a bit straighter and helped him settled the tray on his covered lap.

The moment King's fingers left the tray Baron was picking up the drink and eagerly gulping it down. He'd been a bit worried that he wouldn't like what he'd added, but the cup was empty before he could even think to question him on his preference.

The look of relief on the man's face was clear, too.

As soon as he set the empty cup down, King took it and quickly went to refill it. By the time he'd returned Baron was nearly done with the bowl of food he'd been brought.

He didn't try to refill that, however, since Prince had already eaten earlier and he didn't want to make him feel obligated to eat more. Thus, King was just about to settle himself on his bed and relax for a bit after handing him the refilled cup, when he felt gentle fingers just-barely touch his right arm.

Baron's warm eyes quickly lifted to his, and King couldn't help but think, okay. Whatever you want to ask of me. I'll do it.

The man's eyes squinted as his lips tilted upward and he gestured towards him with the phone a little.

"She'd like to talk to the king."

Awww...

King graciously accepted his phone back.

"Hello Miss Tili," he greeted pleasantly.

"Mister King, are you rich? Do you have your own castle?!" she questioned, her attention span for chatting with her dad evidently only lasting so long.

Cute kid.

Smiling, King leaned against his desk.

"As a matter of fact, I am quite rich. I don't have a castle yet, but I have a very nice palace," he said, keeping an eye on Baron's expression just to make sure that his little white lies were okay.

Well, if the man's bright red face and him having to lift one arm to stifle his laughter was any indication, he didn't mind him lying to his daughter at all.

The little girl squealed with excitement, then laughed out loud before correcting him.

"Mister Rex, do you really have a palace?"

Grinning, King pressed his hand over the receiver and whispered to Baron.

"Can't fool her, huh?"

Baron shook his head.

"My girl is too smart, but she likes to joke around a lot when she's comfortable."

King felt his heart warm.

She's already comfortable talking with me...

"Ah, you got me. Although, I do still consider my place to be pretty nice. Maybe you can come visit sometime if your daddy is up to it when he comes home," he said, making the girl suddenly switch directions.

"Daddy? When are you coming home? It's very quiet here without you. I don't like it."

Quiet? Isn't there a mom?

Baron frowned as King handed him the phone back.

"I'll be home as soon as I can, sweetheart."

A faint sound in background had Tili pausing, then speaking quickly.

"Ah, mommy is home. I have to get ready to go to ballet."

Baron's brows furrowed.

"Was she not with you while we talked?" he asked, confused.

His daughter made a negative sound.

"No. She gave me the phone, then went to buy cigarettes."

The look on Baron's face quickly changed to an angry scowl but he managed to keep his voice calm.

"Alright, please call me again as soon as you can. I'll answer, I promise," he said with a smile in his words.

"I will daddy! The lady who called told me that I can call you whenever I want, so I'll call you tomorrow, too, okay?"

Baron nodded as he let another tear run down his right cheek.

"Okay, sweetheart. You be good and I'll talk to you tomorrow."

"Okay, talk to you tomorrow daddy! Bye mister King!"

The moment the call ended King could feel the man's anxiety begin to creep back into his mind, but thankfully it stayed near the back and didn't overwhelm him like it nearly had before.

"Thank you," Baron said as he handed him his phone back.

King took it and slid it into his pocket with a content smile.

"You're welcome. My mom is a lawyer and decided to look into your situation on her own. I hope you don't mind," he said honestly.

Baron smiled, then laughed a little as he leaned back in King's computer chair, allowing the blanket he'd wrapped around himself to drop a bit, revealing his smooth chest.

It wasn't toned or muscular, but it showed evidence that it once had been.

I'll need to cook more. He needs some more weight still.

"Trying to make me fat, hmm?"

King averted his eyes and rubbed at the back of his neck as he felt his face warm.

"Maybe... Prince really helped you gain back some weight, though I don't think he really minded."

Baron blinked, clearly confused.

"Ah, Prince is the name I gave your raccoon. He is the sweetest little guy."

The anxiety that had been quietly wandering around the back of his mind suddenly flared up so badly that King had to force himself not to wince!

"I-I'm sorry," Baron quickly said, apologizing as he realized that his stress had somehow affected him.

"I thought I was the only one who could read a mind here," he said, looking a little nervous now.

King quickly smiled even though he was beginning to feel a headache coming on.

"I can't read your mind but I can evidently sense your emotions," he said, making Baron frown.

"I really shouldn't stay here any longer then," the man replied immediately as he moved to stand up.

King abruptly stepped in front of him, making him remain seated as his expression darkened the slightest fraction.

"Please don't go! I've been taking care of your raccoon for weeks and he's so sweet. You don't seem like a bad guy, either," King hurried to say, trying to get his point across before he got punched in the face.

Baron's brow furrowed as a myriad of emotions crossed through King's mind. When the man finally decided on what he wanted to say after nearly two full minutes of silence, King couldn't help but stare at him, his mouth slightly open from shock.

"I... I'm not gay," King replied to the man's previous question.

Baron didn't look convinced, though.

"I'm really not! I've had girlfriends, it's just that I don't really care to be around most people."

He still didn't seem convinced.

What else am I supposed to say to get you to stay? At least for a little while? I don't want you to try and hurt yourself again and I haven't even gotten to say goodbye to Prince yet...

As he tried to come up with some way to change the man's mind, King looked down at his wrinkled shirt, then farther down to his sock-covered feet.

What could I say to his daughter when she calls tomorrow, too? I couldn't tell her the truth.

The flash of anxiety that tore through his mind had King whimpering and backing away several steps as he reached up to grab his aching head!

He could feel warm tears running down his own cheeks within seconds as his lower lip trembled. Thankfully, somehow, Baron managed to calm down after only a few moments, giving King a much-needed reprieve from his stress.

Unfortunately, once he could open his eyes again, he knew what he'd find. Thus, he took a few extra moments as his heartbeat hammered away in his chest.

Except, when he did finally open his aching eyes, he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

Not only was Baron not gone, but the man had moved over to sit on the floor against his bed.

Are his ears looking a little gray, or do I just need glasses?

King wasn't sure why he'd chosen such a spot, either, until he realized what the man was now holding tightly against his chest.

Otterbahn?

Taking a tiny step forward, King swallowed down his nervousness and smiled.

"You like him? His name is Otterbahn."

He was about to explain that Prince really liked the little stuffed toy and he often carried it around with him when Baron suddenly looked up, one eye wide and dilated in clear, stressed confusion, while the other was wide and bright with... excitement?

...Prince?