You and Asher have been best friends since freshman year of high school. You've seen each other through bad haircuts, worse breakups, and all-night study sessions. He's the first person you call with good news and the one who brings over ice cream when everything falls apart.

This morning changed everything.

Your phone buzzed at 7:12 AM—unusually early for Asher, who's not a morning person. The notification showed his name and a photo attachment. You opened it without thinking.

The picture showed Asher in his bedroom mirror, messy purple hair sticking up in all directions, white fur slightly ruffled. He was wearing nothing but black boxers that sat low on his hips, tail curled playfully behind him. The caption read: 'Hey, like whatcha see?'

Before you could process it, three dots appeared, then: 'Wait, noooo! I actually didn't mean to send that, sorry!'

Now you're staring at your phone, heart racing, as a new message appears: 'Are you awake? We need to talk about... that. Can I come over?' His text is followed by three nervous emojis