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The Game v2.0 - Round 4

"Ben, I -"

"Get out!" Ben roared, his voice carrying well into the hallway.

David was dumbstruck and unable to reply. Tony quickly placed himself between both Ben and his father but found him was facing off against a man equal to his size. It frightened him that after losing just once to the Game, Ben was already on par with him in build. Anger did not suit Ben's features but it brought memories of his snarling lupine self that made Tony's courage shrink away. Physically, however, he stood his ground despite how far his mind wanted him to run.

"Hey, cool down," he demanded. "Your dad -"

"Just set off a fucking cum bomb!" Ben roared, pointing an accusing finger at his father. "He was supposed to be the one that keeps us sane! The one that keeps us human while we try and end this nightmare! And then he goes off and blows off his gun!"

Tony thought fast. "Is it possible that considering your father's experience with firearms that he knew exactly what he was doing?" He was fishing for ideas as he spoke, quickly grasping onto one and the other until he came to a solution. "I mean, I know you said you wanted your dad to keep us sane but why should he put his own son at risk? Maybe he played the martyr here?" He glanced over at David, searching for clarification. By the look in the man's eyes, they both knew it was a lie and a long stretch. "Isn't that right, Dave?"

Ben regarded his father intently, searching for either the answer he was expecting or the answer he wanted. David Chambers looked at a loss and the quick glance at one another revealed what both father and son already knew. This was a no-win situation. Ben knew what his father wanted at the end of the last round and David's win was just luck. Agree with Tony or not, David had lost his son's confidence.

"I'm sorry, Ben," David said, his shoulder slumping. "But... You have to understand..."

"I don't want to hear it!" Ben growled, seizing his clothes nearby. He pulled them on roughly, grunting as they felt tighter especially around his chest and shoulders. As he shoved his feet into his shoes, a pang of fear bolted through his heart when they would no longer fit. Resigning himself to his fate, he seized a pair of sandals and stormed out of the dorm, slamming the door shut behind him.

He was down the hallway and out into the open campus before he could feel the cold, slightly wet concrete beneath his feet. When he slipped on the sandals, he instantly became aware how uncomfortable they were as his feet were far too oversized for them. Buying another pair was out of the question as he left his wallet back at the dormitory and he had no intention of going back there any time soon.

A heavy sigh came from him and he stormed off into the folds of campus. Many people avoided him and it wasn't hard to see why. In the few puddles that remained on the streets, he could see his features. While still clean shaven, his jaw was more pronounced and his brow curved naturally towards the bridge of his nose, giving him a permanent scowl. This shirt across his chest barely contained his pectoral muscles and his abdominals were showing through the thin fabric. A few inches had been added to his height, making the pants he wore rise up away from his ankles.

He looked like an odd cross between a jock and a hipster.

Another sigh escaped him as he tried to lose himself in the crowds. The clouds continued to blot out the sun, taunting him with its hollow threats of another downpour. Somewhere in the distance, thunder roared but it was hard to tell which direction it was coming from. This time, he made sure not to circle the same place over and over again.

Lost in his thoughts, he wondered what he had hoped to achieve my allowing his father into the Game. Did he really think his dad could save him from the evil device? Maybe. His hero, however, turned out to be just like any other guy. Maybe even worse. Maybe this was just the hero's fall before rising stronger than ever like in all those classic tales? It was just hard to imagine his father as anything but his hero and yet the proof was there...

"My dad is a horny bastard," he murmured softly. As much as he wanted to believe Tony's lie about David actually sacrificing himself... He just couldn't. Though he had to give Tony props for coming up with such a convincing lie in such a short time. Right after a spectacular orgasm too.

Ben had to laugh softly. Tony was such a horndog but he still managed to maintain his sanity somewhat. He appreciated his roommate actually trying to defend his father and perhaps even patch up the rift that had appeared between father and son.

Was he mad?

No.

Just disappointed and a little disheartened.

If they were to finish the Game with their humanity intact, he couldn't rely on David.

Ben found a bench, taking a seat and closing his eyes firmly just to consider how grave that statement was.

He couldn't rely on his own father.

No. If he was going to come out of this human, he had to rely on his own strength and not on anyone else's. It was odd... For the first time, he felt like he had a direction in life, a goal. Even if it was something as trivial as 'completing the Game human', it felt like something that could drive him forward, to push his feet one step at a time.

Doubt still nagged at him, however.

Though he had never been a religious man, Ben gazed up at the sky and sought guidance.

"Please give me the strength," he begged. "Give me the strength to make it through this. Heck, not just that. Give me the strength to save my dad... and Tony, I guess."

As of to answer him...

The skies boomed with thunder and opened up, dumping an ocean's worth of rain. Ben could only laugh at the answer from whatever deity was watching. He imagined the Game was probably sent by the divine to punish mortals. Being the only one to have read the tables and rules thoroughly, it was clear the Game was targeted at males. There was no 'plus vagina' or 'plus breasts' in the lists. Everything was male oriented. Somehow, he wondered if the Game was God's way of punishing gay men by turning them into sex-crazed demons.

A Devil's Game, maybe? Perhaps it was designed as a method for mere mortals to run a gauntlet of temptations and if they made it through intact, they would be stronger for it. If not... their souls would be devoured. Maybe all those guys he had sucked off in the second round were the souls trapped within the Game?

Ben laid back, staring blankly at the raining skies. Even as the droplets stung his eyes, he didn't have the strength to close them or even to find shelter. If thousands of men before him had failed, what chance did he have when his dad - his knight in shining armour and hero - could not stand against the tide of temptation?

Who could be his hero and protect him from the storm?

The heavens must have laughed at that moment because the rain abruptly stopped.

To be more precise, it stopped raining on Ben. He blinked a couple of times, noting the cloth-like, black texture the skies had taken. Steel ribs had cut through the fabric and he realised he was staring at the underside of an umbrella.

Turning to his right, he found himself staring at the letterman jacket of one of the college's football players. His eyes trailed up the firm, round, natural muscles of the man standing in front of him, holding an umbrella in strong, calloused hands. The faintly tanned skin was tinged slightly with gold and the dark brown, almond eyes that fit well into the sharp, angular features of the man in front of him exuded an aura of warmth and friendliness.

"Need a hand there, buddy?" the man asked.

"I need more than that," Ben laughed bitterly. "A lot more."

The footballer sat next down to him, ignoring the wet bench. There was a faint odour of sweat coming from him and Ben guessed the guy just came off practice when the rain started. "I know that look. Someone let you down, huh?"

"That obvious, huh?"

"Nah. I've just been there." The guy gave him an appraising look, one bushy eyebrow raised. "Hmmm... Let me see... Your best friend stole your girlfriend?"

"That would be easy."

"Alright... Your girlfriend cheated on you?"

"Even easier."

The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The smile on his lips hinted that he already knew the answer but just enjoyed playing this little game. "Okay... How about -"

"Look," Ben interrupted, "you're a nice guy but -"

"Your dad let you down"

He choked down his next words and regurgitated them as, "How did you know?"

The man leaned back, shrugging sadly. "Like I said, I've been there. My dad disappointed me too not long ago. He kicked me out of my house just because I wanted to play ball. Told me that the 'Chi's don't do that. They become lawyers, marry and have plenty of kids'."

"You're kidding," Ben laughed.

"Well, actually he said it more like, 'No Chi do that, boy! They marry. Have kids. Have grandkids. Many kids!'." The man's mockery of the stereotypical Asian-American accent made Ben laugh. Finally, the man held out his large, meaty hand. "The name's Shaun Chi, by the way."

"Benjamin Chambers. People just call be Ben."

"Just Shaun," answered the footballer, his handshake firm but not crushing. As they let go, Shaun made a conscious effort to hold the umbrella over Ben despite being only built for one person. "So you've gotten to that point in your life where you learn your dad isn't the superhero to make him out to be, huh?"

"Something tells me I should have hit that point a long time ago..."

Shaun laughed softly. "It hits us all differently. I know this one guy who still thinks his dad is his hero. Thinks the guy is infallible. And he has my back on the team."

"Nothing wrong with thinking your dad is awesome," Ben said.

"Awesome is different from 'hero'." Shaun flexed his impressive bicep. "There's got to be a time in your life when you grow up and no longer stand in your dad's shadow, looking towards him for support."

"So you think I should outgrow him?"

"Outgrow but don't do what I did." Shaun patted Ben's shoulder encouragingly. "I stood up to my father and shut him out of my life just as he shut me from his. You still love your dad."

"How can you tell?" Ben asked, pretending to be sceptical. There was no denying he still held affection for David.

"I think it's the way you were praying a few seconds ago." Shaun smiled brightly. Even though the downpour continued, his smile just seemed to bring a much needed bright break in the gloom. "We're lucky, you and I. We had fathers. Some people aren't so lucky. But your luck eventually has to run out. Your dad can only be who he is and we are who we are. He can suggest, maybe even force a little but he can't live our life for us. He gave us life but he doesn't own it. No one does but us."

Ben lifted his eyebrows and wondered what could have caused Shaun to have such insight. "Wow... That's pretty deep."

Shaun shrugged and got up, still keeping the umbrella over them both. He offered his hand to Ben. "Hey, bigger muscles mean you just have to go deeper to get to the heart. Come on, why don't I get you somewhere dry?"

Ben could only nod numbly and let Shaun help him up. They huddled together underneath the umbrella and Ben gave directions towards his dormitory. All the while, he wondered what caused Shaun to just come over and help. He didn't spot any crucifixes or anything to indicate Shaun was the overly religious type. His good natured walk was far from a swagger and had a light skip to it, a ray of sunshine in the rain. Jock or no, Shaun was really kind of...

...

"Hey... Can I ask you something?" Ben asked.

"Sure."

"Why did you decide to come over and give random, unsolicited advice to a guy sitting out in the rain?"

"I make it my goal to be nice to at least one person every day," Shaun answered, bobbing his head from side to side with a bright grin. "I did that early today when I helped a mother meet her kid. But that doesn't stop me from being nice to anyone else."

"So you decided to give me possibly life changing advice just because you wanted to be nice?"

"Does there have to be any other reason? Just a couple of days ago, my neighbour was moving in and I helped him out for no other reason than I wanted to."

Ben laughed softly. "Did you lose your way from heaven or something? What's an angel like you doing on earth?"

Shaun threw his head back and let out a bright laugh. Even the roar of thunder was drowned by his musical laughter. "That has got to be the lamest pickup line ever."

"Never said I was hitting on you."

"Pity." The little twinkle in those brown, almond eyes was both cute and enticing.

Ben could only smile quietly to himself and accept the help. However, as they approached his dormitory, he felt a heavy weight in his heart and deduced that... well... He couldn't go back there just yet. He wasn't ready to face and forgive David. He had to forgive himself first and knowing himself, that would take a while.

So instead of heading straight through the swinging doors, he just walked right past it and let Shaun take the lead. Trying to gloss over his hesitation, he decided to continue their random banter.

Though there was something that was bugging him...

"Your dad got mad at you because you decided to 'play ball' and you couldn't give him grandkids, right?"

Shaun smiled knowingly. "Ah-yup!"

"Just checking."

Was he gay?

Did he care?

They approached the nearby parking lot and the big, red pickup truck sitting there. Shaun opened the doors with a click and gestured that Ben hop in. The insides smelled a little like instant noodles and he didn't want to seem racist by mentioning it. The dashboard seemed rather high-end however and it was a very new model of pickup.

"Nice wheels," Ben said, again kicking himself for using such a dated expression.

"Thanks. My parents got it for me before the 'Event'." Shaun laughed as he enclosed the word 'event' in air quotes. "It's really funny. My dad treats the 'Event' like taboo that he doesn't even want to call it what it is. My mom rolls her eyes every time she mentions it and all my relatives do as well."

"So everyone else in your family is okay with it except your dad?"

"Pretty much."

Ben was starting to have doubts that Shaun's falling out really was what he suspected it to be. These worries washed away when Shaun started the car and a warm blast of air exploded out of the heaters. Shaun drove quickly and quietly through the streets of the city to a location not too far away from campus but still far enough to justify taking a car.

The tall, urban apartment building was just one of many sitting on the same street with nothing really to set it apart except for the number. Shaun took him through the rain one more time and up the apartment complex to the third level.

"My bud is probably in already," Shaun said. "Don't mind him. He's a little rough around the edges but he and I have been best friends since primary school." Shaun lowered his voice to a sneaky whisper. "He's the guy that still has a sort of hero worship of his father."

Ben nodded in understanding as Shaun pushed open the door. He half-expected a bachelor pad of sorts with clothes strewn everywhere, beer cans sitting in a pyramid not too far from the door and pizza boxes littering the floor like landmines. Instead, what he got was a furnished, neat, tidy, modern apartment. The floorboards were polished, the couch and sofas made of leather in front of a widescreen TV resting on a sleek, black table top. The kitchen had marble benches and metal lamps. While it seemed inherently dark, the moment Shaun switched on the lights, the entire area instantly became a wash with glistening lights that gave the apartment an almost unearthly feel.

"Wow..."

"I keep the place tidy," Shaun admitted. "Aiden... not so much. He usually keeps himself to his room and that's like trying to wade through a garbage dump."

"Not a bad place for a college student..." Ben admitted. "How can you afford this...?"

Shaun gestured that they enter deeper into the home. Ben was a little hesitant considering he was still dripping wet but took Shaun's lead.

"I'm on a scholarship," Shaun answered. "Football pays for all my tuition and my mom gives me a monthly stipend to keep me alive. I also have a part time job at the gym as one of the team members."

Ben was very much impressed. "Wow... How do you do all that and find the time to study?" He glanced over at Shaun. "What are you studying anyway?"

"Taking some courses in personal training and business management." Shaun wandered over to one of the doors leading away from the lounge room, gesturing slight inclination with his head that Ben follow. "Hoping to become a personal trainer someday. Maybe open my own gym and then maybe a franchise from then on."

"Big goals."

"For a big guy," Shaun added flexing his biceps just for emphasis. Ben felt something stirring in his groin and hoped to God it didn't show through his soaked, much-too-small pants.

Shaun pushed open the door and Ben wasn't sure if he should follow or not. Maybe it was the way Shaun swished his hips a little as he stepped inside or the sly smile he gave Ben as he vanished through the door but something just activated in Ben's head and heart, something that he never knew he had in the first place.

Gaydar.

Still, that tiny little blip could have just been a glitch.

"You coming in or what?"

Ping!

If Ben had his tail he was damn sure it'd be wagging at that point. He strolled happily into the room beyond and was startled to find it so clean and pristine. The bed sat on a slightly elevated platform which had a few compartments for storage at the base. Despite being a football player, there were no posters of famous footballers hanging from the walls. Everything was neat and a little Spartan. Even the furniture seemed a little minimalist.

Shaun headed over to his closet and pulled it open. "You look to be a few sizes smaller than me but I guess my stuff should fit you anyway."

"Whut...?" Ben managed to stutter.

The footballer emerged from the closet sporting a baggy pair of sweatpants and a muscle shirt, both black in colour. "You're not going to be standing there dripping wet all night, are you?"

"I'm staying the night?" Ben could have smacked himself for that question. Of course he wanted to stay the night. It was pouring outside with thunder rolling so loudly that it sounded like God was bowling. Going back to his dormitory was not in his priority list and he had nowhere else to go. Besides, asking Shaun to drive him back to campus in the rain was pushing his luck.

"You have somewhere you got to be?"

Ben shook his head. "No, I guess not."

Shaun tossed him the clothes and hike a thumb at the en suite. "Well then, go get dry. We can wash your clothes and get them dried so you have a fresh pair to head out on tomorrow."

"Thanks."

Still feeling like he had met perhaps the nicest guy in the whole world, Ben entered the en suite with the borrowed clothes and stood in front of the bathroom mirror. The man looking back at him seemed so... alien and yet startling familiar. His face was much broader and the veins on his neck popped every time he swallowed or even took a breath. With rising apprehension, he lifted his shirt with much difficulty, wincing as it felt like he was peeling off a second layer of skin.

Once he dumped the wet clothing on the bathroom counter, he stared at the chiselled abs and firm pectorals that the man in the mirror possessed. One part of him was excited at the transformation but the other was fearful that he had no idea what he had lost to get so far in his transformation. His forearms were a network of veins that all funnelled into a single river of blue-green that rode up his bicep even relaxed. Everything felt so different... yet so natural at the same time.

As he pulled off his underwear and his pants, he feared what changed could have seized his cock. A great sense of relief washed over him when he found his perfectly human member staring back up at him, dribbling a little bit of precum that trailed down his thick, plump thighs. He gave little Benny a smirk.

"What do you want?" he snarled. Then he rolled his eyes and turned towards his reflection. "Great, I'm talking to my own cock... which I just named."

With a sigh, he picked up the borrowed clothes and threw them on. It surprised him how well they fit. They were a little big for him but nothing overly unbearable. One look at his reflection and his cock twitched.

There was little he could do about his appearance at the moment but he was still determined to return to his former self. If that meant completing the Game... Well, then so be it. As he reached for the door with wet clothes in hand, however, he stopped and considered a new thought. As the only one to have actually read the rules of the Game, he recalled that certain rolls of the die would subtract transformations from people and white tiles removed the effect of the last card from the target.

What if... What if finishing the Game didn't actually reverse the changes? What if finishing the Game just relieved the players of their obligation to play the Game and they were stuck with the changes that they had procured after so many losses. What if he was stuck as this muscle jock with a rock-hard cock that badly tenting his borrowed sweats?

He opened the door very slightly and peered into the next room at where Shaun sat, pulling on his own set of dry clothes. Ben caught a glimpse of Shaun's perfectly shaped back. All those muscles bunching and bulging against his golden brown skin was like watching a living statue of gold.

Would it be so bad if he was stuck as he was now?

Well... Maybe he could do with more muscle...

If he attracted a guy like Shaun... Why not, right?

He stepped through the door, coughing faintly to catch Shaun's attention. The footballer turned with a grin on his face. "Hey, looking good!"

"Thanks," Ben answered, confidence rising in his voice. He brushed aside the wet hair that still plastered itself against his skull. "So, where do I put these?" He gestured at the lump of wet clothing in his arms.

"Hamper," Shaun said, gesturing at the plastic clothes hamper sitting beside the en suite door. As Ben placed the clothes in with Shaun's, the footballer asked, "So, you hungry?"

"Starved."

"Come on then. We're making pasta."

They stepped back out into the kitchen where the soft thump-thump-thump of hard rock music came from the room across the lounge from Shaun. They both ignored it and Ben waited patiently to be told what to do. He grew suspicious when Shaun plucked some eggs, flour, fresh tomatoes and herbs. The little sprig of green in the modern kitchen was a miniature herb garden growing right next to a window over the sink.

When Shaun began measuring flour, Ben had to ask, "Um... What're you doing?"

"Making pasta," Shaun answered simply.

It took Ben a few seconds to process those words. "As in... from scratch?"

Shaun laughed. "What did you think? I was going to buy one of those pre-packaged junk? This way, I know exactly what I'm putting into my food." As he began to beat the eggs into the flour with a pinch of salt, he said, "If you want to really get cut and ripped, you got to be meticulous like that."

"News to me."

"You sound like you haven't worked out in your life!"

"I haven't."

There, Ben got a sceptical look. "Get out. A body like that? How'd you get it without hard work?"

"Magic."

Again, Shaun laughed, his the sound of his voice musical and strong enough to send Ben's heart trilling. "Right. Anyway, why don't you chop up those tomatoes and onions for me?"

Glad he could help in some way, Ben grabbed a knife and did as he was told. Idle chatter continued between them. While Ben made sure every slice was precise and he took his time, Shaun was moving in and out, weaving across the kitchen with an agility that belied his bulk. Ben's heart skipped a beat when his big, meaty hands would rest against his waist and he'd whisper 'excuse me' in his ear before gently pushing him aside to grab this piece of cutlery or that utensil.

Ben couldn't believe it... but even he knew what this was.

He was seriously falling for this guy!

"Where'd you learn how to cook?" Ben asked, desperately trying to push aside these thoughts.

"My dad's a judge and my mother's a doctor. They're never at home most of the time and most of the staff were more my parents than my actual parents were."

"Wait..." Ben interrupted, lifting his hand. "Staff? You had staff working for you?"

"Yeah. My parents are pretty loaded. I used to live in a mansion in the 'rich' part of town. And by that, I mean my parents built me a poolside house that became my gym and I eventually moved in there before my dad and I had our falling out. I learned to pretty much fend for myself from an early age."

"Colour me impressed." Ben finished chopping the onion and tomatoes. "Anything else I can do?"

"How about the garlic and some basil?"

"Sure."

It surprised Ben when Shaun began dusting the counter top with some flour and dumped his dough on the layer. His new found friend picked up a rolling pin and began to roll out the pasta.

"Erm... Don't you have a pasta maker?"

"I'm pretty well off but not that well off," Shaun laughed. He gave Ben a playful punch. "Nah. I'm going through a 'pasta phase' right now. Never thought about making my own pasta until recently. Haven't had a chance to buy myself a pasta maker yet."

"Heh, okay. Fair enough."

"So you've been asking me all about my life. What's yours like? Apart from your dad disappointing you that is."

Ben didn't know why but the nonchalant way Shaun mentioned David's disappointing behaviour just seemed to make the situation all better. "I'm just taking an arts degree. Not sure what I want to specialise in yet. I guess that's sort of been my problem all my life. Always relied on my parents for guidance and when I finally stepped out into the world, I was kind of lost. Then my dad comes back and messes things up again..."

"Your life, your way, dude," Shaun said, flipping the dough so he could roll it out more evenly. "Just as long as you're willing to live with the consequences of your actions, no one can fault you for the choices you've made."

"Where do you come up with these?" Ben asked, unable to keep the grin from his face. "Not to be racist but do you have some sort of Asian Zen master or something that teaches you life lessons every week?"

"I have a fortune cookie after every meal," came the sly reply. "But really, it's just stuff I picked up on. Living by yourself... You need to make some morals and guidelines for yourself or you'll just end up running around in circles." As he began slicing the pasta into thin strips, he said, "But you've got to have your own philosophies, right? Things that you learn just by living. You don't really give it much thought but when it happens but I bet it is something you hold dear."

Ben considered the question. His mind was filled with such recent events that it was impossible to truly come to grips with any lesson that he may have learned in the past. His entire perception of reality had been thrown into the wind. With Tony messing with his past and his memories, he had no idea what was reality and thus what events were truly worth taking a lesson from.

Though if anything...

"Never trust what anyone says while they're horny."

Shaun laughed and gave him an 'are you serious?' look. "Really? That's your life lesson. Don't trust what guys say when they're horny?"

"I never said just guys," answered Ben with a sly smile.

For the first time since they met, Shaun looked flustered and went straight back to slicing the pasta slices. Ben decided he enjoyed playing that 'is he gay or not' card with Shaun. He was pretty sure his gaydar was right but that little show of rosy cheeks from the footballer was enough to tell him even Shaun was having his doubts.

Once all the vegetables were sliced and diced, Shaun instructed Ben on how the make the sauce while he boiled the pasta. They batted around some stories and tales, laughing when it was funny and consoling one another when it was depressing. Ben continued to play coy. Sometimes his remarks were witty and well thought out like...

"Oh yeah. I played ball every now and then. Sometimes, I have these dreams when I'm swimming in them. I end up waking up hot and sweaty but that only happens during the summer. It gets pretty hot here..."

Others were crude and designed to bat away whatever doubts Shaun had like that moment when he turned to Shaun with two tomatoes in his hands, hovering suggestively over his genitals.

"What do you think? Too ripe or just plump enough?"

Ben was thoroughly enjoying himself and when dinner was finally ready, he had a smile plastered permanently on his face and his heart was pounding hard in his chest - not fast enough to pump blood into his cock but just loudly enough that he was aware of it.

Shaun called over his roommate as Ben laid out the meals on the glass dining table. He was rather surprised that Shaun hadn't switched on the TV. He detected a hint of being old fashioned in Shaun and that made him all the cuter. As he sat down at his designated seat, the door to Aiden's room sprang open.

Out came perhaps the biggest guy he had ever seen - second only to his lupine form. He almost fell out of his seat when the huge mountain of muscle stormed out, looking grouchy and with a brow so think he might have been a direct descendent of cavemen. A mop of blonde hair framed his stone-like face with bright, blue eyes shadowed by his thick, bushy eyebrows. He paraded across the room shirtless. Big as he was, he was far from lean. Ben could make out the guy's abdominals but only barely. His chest was huge and his arms meaty.

"Who's this?" Aiden grunted, nudging his chin at Ben.

"He's Ben," Shaun answered. "Just a friend I met today at the field. Got caught out in the rain."

Aiden's features lightened slightly. "Sup."

"Hey," Ben responded dumbly. He had no idea what else to say to the giant.

Aiden swiped up his food and quickly retreated back into his room. The moment he shut the door, the thump-thump-thump of heavy metal music died down.

"He's not much of a conversationalist," Shaun said, taking the seat next to Ben. "But he's a good guy, really. Heart's definitely in the right place."

"Good to know."

They began to eat and as before, conversation continued. However, this time Shaun seemed to catch onto Ben's coy game and began firing his own salvos of doubt-inducing sentences.

"I used to do wrestling," Shaun said. "Coach said I was pretty good at guessing my opponent's moves but I just didn't have the body for it back then. All my strength is in my legs and not my upper body. Still, I miss that feeling of having skin-tight spandex wrapped around you while you're pressed up against another guy, trying to keep them from topping you."

Try as he might though, Ben was pretty darn sure Shaun was gay and that... well... The attraction between them was mutual. Both of them were just a little too shy to admit it.

Dishes were washed a moment later and they watched some TV for the rest of the evening.

When the hour grew late, Ben found himself following Shaun into his bedroom before realising that it was probably prudent that he sleep on the couch.

"Thanks for putting me up for the night, by the way," he said, hiking a thumb at the couch. "Don't suppose you have a spare blanket or anything to keep me warm throughout the night?"

"Sure do," came the innuendo-tipped reply. Shaun bent over his bed, making sure to show his tight, bubble butt as he fetched a loose blanket from the storage compartment beneath it.

Rolling his eyes, Ben strode over and squeezed Shaun's ass tightly. That got the footballer to spring upright and spin around, shock in his eyes but at the same time a spark of interest.

"Let's stop playing this game," Ben said. "Are you gay?"

Shaun looked startled at the question and Ben began to wonder if he had just blown his chance with this sweet, amazing, normal guy and his hope of staying dry out during the storm. Then, Shaun bent over and pressing their lips together in a light kiss, slowly mounting in pressure. Ben felt Shaun's strength slowly pushing him back and he had to push in return just so that he wouldn't fall over.

The moment quickly passed and Shaun gave him a sheepish grin.

"Does that answer your question?"

Ben, dumbstruck that he was actually right and that his gaydar was accurate, could only stare numbly at Shaun. The world suddenly took a weird, twisted turn and he found himself lying down on the bed with Shaun above him, brimming with muscles and that cute grin on his face. Their lips met again and his surprise faded into a lusty daze.

Instincts kicked in and Ben found himself grasping for Shaun's shirt, desperately trying to rip the fabric off so that he could spy that chiselled form and worship it. He barely noticed that Shaun returned the favour. Once their shirts were off, they stared at one another, hungrily devouring one another's forms with their eyes. It didn't take long before they were grappling against one another, tongues and lips desperate to taste a piece of delicious, muscular flesh.

Shaun scored first, seizing Ben's left nipple and causing a great gasp. Not to be outdone, Ben seized Shaun's ass, squeezing it tightly. Firm muscle resisted him but he got a cry of surprise as a reaction. It was a moment of distraction that let him roll Shaun over so that Ben was on top. He dove down and rang his tongue over Shaun's neck, tracing the thick veins against his golden flesh until he found Shaun's shoulder, biting down on some unknown instinct. He got a thrust of Shaun's hips against his groin as a reaction.

Using that moment of weakness, Ben trailed his tongue down Shaun's perfect form, drawing circles down thick, firm pecs and lapping at Shaun's erect nipples. He pecked at each of those perfectly shaped abs before licking the valleys between them. Shaun shuddered beneath him, giving him enough time to eagerly tear off Shaun's shorts. He growled when he saw a pair of briefs barring his way to the tented cock that taunted him so.

He bit down on the elastic, getting a strong whiff of Shaun's musky, manly scent. Ben committed it to memory, implanting it in his mind and filing it into the compartment called 'Mine'. With one mighty tug, he let Shaun's impressive nine inch cock free, gasping in surprise at its size and girth.

"Fuck me..."

"I've got a better idea," Shaun said, winking at him. He rolled onto his back, lifting his ass and revealing it tauntingly at him. "Fuck me."

Ben was suddenly caught at a crossroads.

Suddenly, everything seemed so real.

He was in bed with another guy - a totally hot, sexy guy - and being asked to pound said guy's ass like there was no tomorrow. His groin was begging him to go for it, to ride Shaun like a bitch. His head was begging him to consider but his heart... it was undecided.

He barely knew Shaun. Yes, they had some meaningful conversation for a couple of hours and right now, Shaun felt like the best friend Ben had grown up with and always secretly had a crush on but that was a likeness, not truth. Could he go through with this?

Would this make him any better than Tony or his father who would do anything to get off?

Besides, he hadn't ever fucked anyone before.

... or had he...?

"Something wrong?" Shaun asked.

Ben felt he needed to confess his lack of experience but instead, what came out was, "Got any condoms or lube?"

"I got your lube right here."

Shaun showed just how flexible he was as he turned back around and bent down and removed Ben's pants in one, smooth gesture. Before Ben could even gasp at the touch of cool air on his cock, Shaun was wrapping his warm lips around his member. The wave of pleasure that crashed upon Ben's rocky shores was immense and broke down the barriers between heart and cock. His entire body shuddered and a soft moan left his lips.

"Try to keep it down," Shaun said, winking at him. "Aiden doesn't really like the idea of two cocks in one bed, if you get my meaning."

Unable to verbally respond, Ben could only nod and whimpered as Shaun took his entire eight-inch cock in one gulp. The feeling of Shaun's hot throat around his member felt so right and unbelievably pleasurable Every muscle in his body tensed as his cock twitched and squired precum into Shaun's throat. The footballer expertly bobbed his head up and down, sucking deep and pulling as much precum as he could from Ben's balls.

Shaun's warm, meaty hands travelled up Ben's abs, his fingers exploring the curves of Ben's body before they found his nipples and gently caressed them. The waves of pleasure coursing through Ben's veins washed away all doubt and he knew he needed to fuck this guy and fuck him hard. When Shaun began fondling his balls, all reservations were brushed aside and wild, feral instincts took over.

With a deep, feral growl, he yanked his cock out of Shaun's mouth, stunning the footballer. Showing surprising strength, he spun Shaun around, pressing him hard against the bed. Then, he seized Shaun's hips, lifting them up so that he had a perfect line of sight of his target. He grunted as he slowly pressed his cock deep into that tight, pink pucker. Shaun bit down on the pillow, whimpering softly as Ben penetrated him.

Just like Shaun's mouth, his ass was warm, welcoming and squeezed down hard on his cock, milking every drop of precum from Ben's balls. Ben, overcome with lust, was driven by instinct and began thrusting deep into the footballer. Hard muscle pressed up against his thighs and it seemed that they fit together like two, perfect, gyrating puzzle pieces. Shaun quickly got into the groove as he pushed back on Ben's cock every time Ben thrust deep into him. His tight, muscular ass would squeeze down on Ben's member every time all eight inches pushed deep into him.

Ben laid his body down against Shaun's even as his hips continued to thrust into the footballer. Rough, muscular back felt so warm and the ridges of Ben's abs and pecs somehow found perfect slots amongst the valleys and mountains. Two puzzle pieces.

Ben nibbled at Shaun's shoulders, bringing a soft laugh from the footballer which was quickly muted by their lips meeting in a hot, passionate kiss. Reaching around Shaun's waist, Ben seized that throbbing, nine-inch cock and squeezing hard on the hot rod that twitched and vibrated with each of his wild thrusts.

Shaun moaned deeply into his throat with mounting intensity. Their thrusts began intense, wild and would have put a jackhammer to shame. The bed squeezed and groaned with their passion. Sweat rolled off their hot, muscular bodies. The windows fogged up quickly as the heat in the room mounted.

Their passion grew until their hips were a blur of thrusts.

Ben lost himself first, squirting cum deep into Shaun's ass while his body tensed, thick legs clamping down against Shaun's and his howl of pleasure drowned deep into Shaun's throat. Shaun came a second later, his warm spunk spraying onto the sheets and all over Ben's hands. Strong legs and all, Shaun collapsed onto the bed in his own cum.

Ben, dizzy with afterglow and pleasure...

... drifted off to sleep.

*****

Come morning, the rain had finally let up to a faint drizzle. It was a soothing way to wake up. Ben didn't mind the small of Shaun's sweat as he nuzzled against the crook of the man's neck. Naked and still feeling warm from the previous night's escapades, Ben felt like he was on top of the world... Well... at least on top of Shaun.

Who would've thought such a hunky footballer would be so willing to take a cock!?

Ben couldn't help but giggle a little to himself as he snuggled up to Shaun.

Did this mean he had a boyfriend?

Well...

A soft murmur completely woke him up - in more ways than one. Shaun opened his beautiful, almond eyes and gazed at Ben through a sleepy daze.

"Morning."

"Afternoon actually," Ben corrected.

"Really? We slept so late?"

"Sort of," Ben replied, reaching around Shaun and squeezing his semi-erect cock. "If you remember, you woke up about one and demanded more cock. Then again at seven when you shut the blinds and then pounced on me. Then about two hours ago..."

"Okay, okay, I get it," Shaun laughed, raising his hand in surrender. "We fucked like wild animals. Can you blame me? You're goddamn sexy, cute and fuck me if you rode me like a pack of sled dogs last night!"

Ben was feeling very... macho at the moment. Being a virgin, he was very unsure about his actions but in the end, he let his instincts take over. Apparently, those instincts were very good.

"So... Does this mean we're in a relationship now?"

Shaun gazed upwards as if trying to consult his own mind about the question. "Let's see... One could argue it was a one night stand... except we took it all the way into the following afternoon... Oh and we can say we've at least had sex three times..."

"Five, actually..."

"Even better. So I suppose one more time means one of us has to propose, right?"

Ben couldn't help but laugh and slapped Shaun's ass playfully. "Get up, you horndog!"

Shaun laughed back, leaping to his feet and being surprisingly spry - including his cock. "Why? Got to be somewhere?"

Ben considered that question. The Game was due to be available again soon and he still wanted to have a conversation with his father. And Tony. Yeah, he needed to have a chat with them both. Plus, now he had something to lose. He wanted to finish the Game and get back to his life. He feared what would happen if the Game did indeed end and he was left looking scrawny again but he decided to push that aside and deal with it when it came.

If anything, if he did revert back maybe he could play the Game with Shaun. With nothing but affection between them, there wouldn't be any harm, right?

He got up and took another borrowed shirt and pants from Shaun. They had a quick brunch without Aiden as he seemed to have gone for the day. With the awkwardness gone, both Ben and Shaun went all out in their conversations. Ben found himself opening up in ways he never did with Tony or even his own father. Shaun offered his insights but was otherwise incredibly supportive.

After they took a shower - having another little romp after their meal - they decided it was time for Ben to report back to his dormitory.

As they were out the door, Shaun said, "I guess I never gave you an answer about whether or not we're in a relationship, did I?"

"No," Ben answered, smiling hopefully. "Are we?"

"Fuck yeah. And I do mean 'fuck'." Shaun wrapped his meaty arms around Ben, hugging him playfully. "I really like you, Ben. I don't believe in 'love at first sight', but shit you made one hell of a 'first sight'."

"What? Depressed, wet and out in the rain?"

"Hey, you look good in a tight shirt that gets semi-translucent in the rain."

Ben nudged him playfully in the ribs. "Horndog."

They jumped into Shaun's pickup and drove back to campus. The entire time, they were holding hands. Even as they left the car park and headed into the dormitory, they strode very close to one another.

Once they reached Ben's room, Ben didn't even consider who could be waiting on the other side for him and pushed the door open. Only when he saw Tony did his heart spring to his throat in fear.

"Ben!"

"Tony..."

Tony stood up, looking surprised. "You were expecting someone else? Your dad maybe?"

"Sort of..." He cast a gaze around. "Where is my dad? What happened after I left?"

Tony let out a soft sigh. "It was pretty bad. He... He broke down, Ben. I tried to console him but he was out the door before I could even catch him. I tried to call you but I remembered I didn't have your number."

"We've only known each other for a couple of days," Ben said offhandedly. "Did he say where he was going? I want to talk to him."

Shaking his head sadly, Tony finally caught sight of Shaun. He walked over and offered his hand. "Hey, I'm Tony."

"Shaun. Shaun Chi. I'm Ben's boyfriend."

Ben's heart leapt up at the title but also because of fear.

"Boyfriend...?" Tony asked. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend..."

"It moved pretty fast," Ben admitted, bobbing his head from side to side. "But after you fuck each other six times -"

"Seven," Shaun corrected.

"Seven times in the past twenty-four hours, it's pretty much said."

Tony still seemed suspicious but thankfully kept his mouth shut. "Okay... But you should find your dad, Ben. I'm not sure what he would do. I mean, he is a cop... and he had a gun..."

The thought of his father committing suicide suddenly sparked a lot more desperation in Ben. He joggled his mind and remembered his father gave him a card with his address on it. As he started to look for it, he realised he had tucked the card into his pants pocket... which he had discarded during the last session of the Game... then put on again as he stormed out into the rain... And then had it washed in Shaun's laundry machine.

If that piece of paper had survived that, he would be very surprised.

"Crap..." he muttered. "I have no idea where he lives..."

"Hey... Is this your dad?" Shaun asked.

Both roommates turned towards Shaun who was standing over Ben's bedside table and holding the picture of the Chambers family.

"Yeah... Why?"

Shaun let out a sharp laugh and pointed at David in the picture. "Remember how I told you I helped my neighbour move in a couple of days back? This is the guy!"

*****

The door opened and David staggered out, eyes red and the smell of alcohol on his breath. He sported a rather ragged stubble and a bottle of beer in one hand but he was still sober enough to let out a slurred, "Shaun, hi... This isn't a good time..."

Ben pushed past his boyfriend - it made him giddy to be able to think that - and stood in front of his father. "Hi dad."

David was suddenly very much away and standing straight. "Ben..."

Lifting the Game, Ben said, "Can we talk?"

David nodded numbly. "Um... Sure, yeah... Come in."

Ben let out a sigh of relief and let Tony go in first but blocked Shaun's path. "Hey... Listen... I know this sounds weird but you know how my dad disappointed me?"

"Do I ever," Shaun replied. He held out his hand smiling wisely. "Let me guess, whatever happened Tony was involved. Heck, I wouldn't be surprised if you caught him in bed with your roommate."

He might as well have been, Ben thought bitterly. "Um... Why would you say that?"

"Dude, gaydar." Shaun tapped the side of his head. "When I helped your dad move, I felt his eyes on me the entire time. Trust me, I knew he was gay. That's why I found it funny when I learned he was your dad." He patted Ben's shoulder encouragingly. "I'll be next door if you want to come over. Hope you work out things with your dad."

Ben couldn't help but smile and hugged Shaun tightly. "You are seriously awesome."

Shaun patted his back encouragingly and departed.

Shutting the door, Ben turned back into his father's apartment. There were still a lot of boxes strewn about the place, partially unpacked but joining the mess were some beer bottles. Carrying the Game, he strode over to where his father and Tony sat on the couch. He slammed the Game in between them.

"Ben..." David began.

"Save it," Ben said, holding his hand up. "My boyfriend taught me that we have our own lives to live. You can't tell me how to live my life just as much as I can't tell you how to live yours. It wasn't right of me to force this responsibility of saving me in your hands. I've got to save myself. It's about time I started doing that."

David lowered his gaze. "Maybe... But still... I should be -" He stopped and lifted his gaze, staring at Ben in surprise. "Wait... 'boyfriend'?"

Ben tried to fight down the grin. "Yeah. Shaun. We met yesterday."

"You met him yesterday and suddenly he's your boyfriend?" David asked sceptically. "Isn't that a little soon?"

"If I told you we had sex six -"

"Seven," Tony corrected.

"Seven times all day yesterday and most of today help?"

David blinked in surprise multiple times. "That's what that sound was... I thought it was just the thunder..."

"That's what we were hoping people would think to," Ben answered, grinning. His smile fading slightly, he said, "Look dad, I think I get it. This Game is evil but it's trying to lead us on a path, each one unique from one another. Yours is different from mine. I wanted to stand on my own two feet all this time and when I left home, I thought I could finally do that but as soon as you came in, I went back to being your little boy."

"But you'll always be -"

"To you," Ben interrupted. "Yeah. I get that. To you, I'll always be your son and you'll always be my dad. But I've got to be able to stand myself." He laughed a little bitterly and kicked the Game mildly. "If anything, I wouldn't have learned that without this stupid thing so..."

"You want to play again?"

"If only to see it end. I've got a boyfriend now. I don't want to risk losing him in any way shape or form." He glanced over at Tony. "Ready for the next round?"

"Definitely," Tony replied with a bright grin.

"Dad?"

David wiped away the tear that was forming in his eyes. "Yeah. Of course. If I can learn half as much from this thing as you did, I'll consider myself lucky."

"Okay then... Let's play."

On cue, the Game let out a soft click and somehow, each of them knew that was the device telling him it was ready to start playing again. Slowly, Ben reached over and prised it open. He took a deep breath as he set the Game on the floor and quickly stripped off his borrowed clothing, taking a moment to sniff them and take in Shaun's scent one more time before he got lost in the throes of the unholy game board.

Once he, Ben and David were all stripped down to their bare underwear, he reached for the dice but then stopped.

"One thing," he said. "The instant we transform, we jack off."

"What!?" David exclaimed incredulously.

"Making sound decisions while horny is next to impossible. We're horniest when we transform so we jack off, get it over and done with and not put each other and our futures at risk because of we want to fuck. Got it?"

A quick exchange of glances was their confirmation.

Ben picked up the dice and felt them quickly grow hot in his hands. He tossed them to Tony and watched with a mix of fascination and dread as well as a degree of familiarity as the same, pulsating veins began crawled up his fingers and across the back of his hand. He fell onto his back the change progressed faster than before. Unable to resist the pleasure it brought him, he just reached straight for his instantly hard cock as the veins worked their magic and coursed up his arm. Instincts drove him to flex his muscles, grunting softly as his forearms grew to broad hams and his biceps became the size of footballs. Black fur sprang up to consume his tanned flesh almost instantly.

The veins made a beeline for his spine, pumping blood into the bone and forcing them to grow and add a few extra vertebrae. As they did so, he felt his back grow hot as the muscles firmed and grew, becoming several layers of iron-like plating across his precious spine. He felt his deltoids grew broader, pushing his shoulders wider and his arms to hang by his sides at an angle as he obtained that typical V-shape of bodybuilders. His pecs came in next, making him groan as the firm muscles plumped up around his sensitive nipples.

Ben was stroking his himself already with his left hand but quickly had to switch as the transformation took that arm. The contrasting touch of his soft, human hands with the coarse, rough clawed paws of his lupine half was both strange and arousing. Precum was pouring down his chest like drizzles of water from a sprinkler, feeding the weed-like growths of fur like grass quickly spreading. His abs tensed and released abruptly, forming the delicious eight pack that he knew would be the envy of every player.

The change soared down his legs, purposefully avoiding his cock and face as it always did. His thighs grew bigger, firm and cut perfectly. Muscle pressed against muscle, forcing him to spread his legs wide. The veins pumped more strength into bone and muscle. They stretched out further away from him, the sensation like that one of stretching his legs after a long nap. He felt twitching flesh against his left foot and throbbing muscle against his right.

When he leaned up to peer at what his feet were pressed against, he saw both Tony and David in the throes of their own transformation. To his left, Tony was leaning against the couch, on his knees with Ben's foot against his twitching thighs. One hand was on his cock while he used the other to hold himself up. Every fibre of his body twitched, his eyes rolled up into his head as the golden fur spurted all over his body, muscle keeping the fur wrapped tightly against his muscled flesh. Tony, unable to keep it in much longer, was the first to spray his load. As always, the amount of cum he produced was impossible, forming a pool right in front of him. It wasn't long before an arm sprang out of the pool and knowingly seized Tony's cock and stroked the thick member.

To Ben's right, David took his son's foot and shoved it into his lips. Ben was shocked as his father changing face took his entire foot into that equine muzzle. A long, slick tongue lapped at his foot from sole to toes, making him giggle but also moan a little lightly as the sensation sent tingling waved across his body. The veins quickly consumed his foot, increasing their size and mass, turning them into clawed paws but David took no heed. His equine muzzle eagerly lapped at the claws, sliding his tongue between the toes. At the same time, one hand throbbed and bulged out as he seized his middle cock. His two other members quickly pushed out on either side, thick cylindrical, mottled tubes that were squirting precum like a three-headed fountain.

Ben couldn't deny that seeing his dad with three cocks was totally hot. Still, his mind was quickly taken over by images of Shaun and the previous night. Some part of him wondered what animal Shaun would become. Feline? Canine? Equine? Bovine? He wasn't sure why but Shaun looked feline to him... Not a lion like Tony. No... He looked more... like a tiger. A lewd grin cross his features as he imagined it was a big, buff tiger that was licking his toes savagely, stroking his single, nine-inch cock and giving him that suggesting grin that made him so damn adorable.

Ben imagined it was this tiger's paws that wrapped around his cock, stroking it hard and driving him closer, and closer... until...

"Fuck!" he howled, arching his back.

Cum sprayed out of cock, spraying his chest and dropping white spots all over his black, furry chest. He heart similar cries from both his father and Tony. Warm liquid splashed across his chest and muzzle. He guessed that was David letting loose with his three cocks. Strangely, he didn't find himself disgusted as he would have been yesterday.

He had come to terms with his father's choices.

That was his life to live.

Ben had his own... and he wanted to spend that with Shaun.

Speaking of which...

Ben lay back, dazed... With his positioned as it was, he had a clear view of the door... and a rather familiar cock that was clearly visible through the crack of the slightly open door. He instantly sat up and Shaun jerked back in surprise, forcing the door open just that little more and betraying him.

"Shaun!?"