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Old Trick: The ol’ switcheroo.

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“No fair!” Javier clutched the pillow, giving Stella wide puppy dog eyes over the top. “I have a traumatic backstory, too. Why don’t I get to cuddle with you?”

“Unsolicited cuddles are for emergencies only. Get out of my bed, you creeper.” Coffee. Coffee will help. Praying to the caffeine gods, Stella pushed the last of the covers aside and grudgingly crawled out of bed.

“Didn’t you wonder why we were both living in the park?” he asked.

“No.” Yes. But if she gave him an inch, he’d take a mile. She’d heard of a coydog’s troublesome nature before, but seeing it in person - and pairing it with the ability to shift - brought it to a whole new level.

“Why are you so mean to me, Stella?”

“Because you somehow both stretch out all of my clothes and you frequently don’t wear pants.” The wooden floor was cold under her feat, and she shuffled into the slippers by the bed. At least both of her houseguests preferred to go barefoot, or there would never be a moment’s peace.

“Speaking of,” she said sharply, not looking at him over her shoulder. “You’d better have pants on by the time I get out of the bathroom.” Not that she hadn’t seen him naked dozens of times already. He shifted naked, which wasn’t his fault. But he also did midnight trips to the kitchen and/or bathroom naked, left the shower naked, and slept naked, all which was totally his fault. While it was true that both he and Milo were easy on the eyes, she was about to buy a gross of robes and hang them from every door in the house.

“Are you kidding? These sheets have to be at least 1000 thread count - it’d be at total waste if I—“

”Pants.” She heard him sigh heavily.

“Fine.” She’d reached the door before he spoke again.

“Also,” he said quietly, “Milo seems to be doing okay. He ghosted because he gets embarrassed when he has a hard time; so, he’ll be more comfortable if you don’t ask him about it.”

“Thanks, Javier.” Don’t look. Don’t look. Don’t look. Stella reminded herself that he would still be sitting on the edge of the bed, naked as a jay bird with the possible exception of a strategic pillow and waiting for her to turn and thank him personally. When she only closed the door behind her, she heard him laughing to himself.