The event was not what Briar had been expecting.

Ever since entering his twenties, Harlow had introduced him to many different people; some were women seeking to make their friends squeal with jealousy over the tall and attractive young man on her arm. Most were businessmen seeking the company and pleasure of someone who wasn't their wife and were their preferred gender. A few were just attracted to the allure of trying something different.

They had taken Briar to all kinds of places; charity events, restaurants, hotels, parties, clubs- just to name a few. Never had he been taken to a... what was it anyway? He really wasn't sure even after Harlow explaining it. So he asked:

"Stephen, what kind of event is this?".

The man whose arm he was linked with smiled at him and chuckled. "Unusual, isn't it?".

That was one word for it. It definitely was not every day Briar saw people learning about safe sex in one corner and browsing dildos of frightening sizes on display in another. Was that a tentacle he saw? If it was, he wasn't going to question it and instead looked away. And then some people were lining up at a buffet like this was all commonplace!

"No need to look so terrified, darling" Stephen laughed, patting Briar's hand that was on his folded arm. "This is an event held every year for those in our community and many others, including BDSM. Would you like to look around?".

His first instinct was to scream no and turn away from the overwhelming scenes. But there was a small voice in him begging Briar to step forward and explore- the event and himself. It was scary but like with all things you are told to stay away from, it was also alluring.

"O-okay" he whispered and was met with a lovely wide grin then led deeper into the fray of people.

The longer they walked and Stephen explained certain things, the more Briar relaxed. At first he had felt deeply uncomfortable, as though people were looking and laughing at him. But then he noticed that out of all the people around him, he was definitely not the one who stood out the most.

Never before had he seen women leading men and girls around on leashes, some kneeling at their feet and even crawling! There were so many different people wearing all kinds of things they would usually be ostracized for yet they all seemed so confident. Accepted. Happy. Hell, he was smacked in the hip by a person wearing a strap-on over a thong- yes, by the plastic penis itself- and when they had stopped to apologise, Briar's outfit and appearance wasn't even given a second glance.

...do I fit it here? Is it okay for me to like the things I do?

"Are you alright, darling?" Stephen asked, stopping his explanation on exhibitionism once he noticed his companion seemed very emotional. The entire evening the tall beauty had been slumping over as through to appear smaller but now he looked about ready to snap his spine or touch his toes.

"Is it not weird for a guy like me to wear stuff like this?".

Stephen frowned and titled his head. "Why would I request for you to wear these if they were weird? Humiliation is not my cup of tea, darling".

"Oh..." he whispered. What was humiliation, he wondered, but quickly pushed that to the back of his head when his companion for the evening tugged his hand.

"Come with me Briar, there's something I'd like you to see".

They walked to a display surrounded by people then stopped. At first Briar wasn't sure why they were there but then, he saw it.

On men and women were beautiful pieces of clothing of all kinds; crop tops, soft jumpers, tight leather shorts and harem trousers. There were corsets, dresses long and short, skirts, bralettes and leggings. Jewellery from dainty studs to ones that draped across the body or attached to nipples and belly buttons caught the light magically. But they all had one thing in common: their models were masculine. Tall or short, breasts or pecks, they were quite muscular and some held a lot of body hair.

"The last few years my exhibits and projects have been aimed towards the plus size and this year, I have targeted people like you; people who are constantly told that they do not fit the mould of what society perceives as conventional beauty and feminine allure. What you are wearing right now are my favourite pieces from this collection and after seeing pictures of you from your friend, Mister Brooks, I immediately knew they had been designed for your body and begged for you to wear them. And I was not wrong: you look absolutely perfect, darling. Simply gorgeous".

Harlow hadn't bought them after all, the gifts, Briar realised. But pushing that crushing revelation aside, had he ever heard those words before spoken so honestly? It made his heart seize inside his chest and warmth overwhelm him. For the first time since they met earlier that evening, Briar looked at Stephen, truly looked, and blinked in surprise.

He was wearing a suit, yes, but it was no ordinary suit. It was feminine in cut, colour and style. And he himself had a neatly trimmed but prominent beard and a shaved head, chest hair peaking from his opened shirt buttons. 

He... he's like me, we like the same things.

And he's so beautiful.

"Thank you. Thank you" Briar said, pushing every emotion within him into those words and towards the man who had just given him the most acceptance he had ever received.

"No, Briar, thank you for bringing me more potential clients!" Stephen winked.

"Huh?" He asked then followed the mans eyes to the people pointing and looking at him.

"Oh my god, look at those legs" a submissive boy gasped and Briar instinctively flinched, deeply wanting to hide his skin and body from sight.

"I know, ugh, they're so fucking hot. Look at how long they are! I wish I were those heels right now, he could step on me any day" another person said and he blinked. Huh? They... liked how he looked?

"Absolutely adore the way the dress hugs the waist and accentuates the slight curve of his hips. And look at that behind... perfectly sculpted. Should we get you one in a different colour, perhaps to match your collar?" A dominant man asked his submissive who nodded their head with wide eyes and practically vibrated in excitement as they talked to the two people running the stall.

It took more than a few minutes for Briar to get used to being looked at so closely while dressed in, well, a dress and to not be judged negatively for it. Not everyone may have thought he looked beautiful but no one seemed to find his attire, hair or makeup odd. It was wonderfully refreshing, and he couldn't stop giggling at the dramatic eyebrow wiggles Stephen did whenever Briar received a compliment or flirtatious advance.

"Have you considered modelling?" the older man asked, leading Briar over to the buffet where the younger lad immediately began piling noodles and anything with chicken in it onto his plate.

"Ha! No, I don't look like anything like a model".

"Well, as an ex-model and a current designer who knows what kind of a model people in this part of the industry are looking for, you most certainly fit what many are invested in right now. This is the twenty-first century; we are embracing diversity and realistic imperfections now more than ever in recent history. You're stunning facially, have gorgeous hair that has a lot of potential stylistically, you're fantastically in shape and have the personality to not make a photography shoot unbearable. You would be surprised at the amount of models who aren't given a second gig because they were insufferably selfish, stuck up and rude. But you, darling, are like a little ball of adorable fluff. Would you at least think about it a little bit and play with the idea before giving yourself a definitive answer?".

Briar agreed, blushing profusely. The sheer amount of compliments he had received in one night alone was astounding and it felt as though he was one comment away from combusting into a flaming disaster of embarrassment. But he found himself enjoying the evening as it continued, he and Stephen finishing their really quite tasty meal before continuing to browse the stalls and make small talk with people Briar found out were also designers of either clothing or equipment.

With a few business cards stuffed into the small bag on his arm, he was shocked to find that he was incredibly happy to have agreed to accompany Stephen that night.

Perhaps, he hoped, he had made a friend in the older man.

"Sorry darling, do you mind if I step away for a few minutes? I see old acquaintances of mine" Stephen asked and Briar almost laughed- he was being paid to be there. Whatever Stephen asked of him, he would do.

"Of course, go. I'll just..." he looked around before pointing at the first stall he saw, "go over there".

Stephen bit his lip to supress the laugh that threatened to steal his calm composure. "That one? You sure, darling?".

After taking a longer look, Briar was convinced he would be alright with dying in that moment. If the floor decided to consume him, he would've been grateful. Because the stall he had pointed to was in fact the one that had caught his eye the moment they arrived that evening- the dastardly dildos. And now that they were closer he could confirm that yes, there was indeed tentacles. And... good lord, was that monstrosity even possible to be inserted inside a human without causing serious harm?

He didn't want to find out.

"Um, n-no. I didn't mean that one" he mumbled, looking down at his feet and nibbling his bottom lip, almost beetroot purple in the cheeks. Stephen cooed at him, absolutely taken by the adorable sight. Briar reminded him of a much younger boy in that moment and suddenly curious, he tipped his companions chin up enough so they could see each other.

"Aw, darling, are you shy?".

When the young man nodded shyly and seemed to shrink in size, playing with the ends of his hair by twirling them around his index finger, Stephen had a little epiphany.

"That is absolutely precious, darling. You are adorable. Would you like to do me a favour?".

"If you stop being mean..." Briar said under his breath, tone much younger, trailing off and the man couldn't help but be completely convinced.

"I'm sorry, I'll stop. So will you go over there and wait for me, darling? I won't be long and will stay close by in case you need me".

Briar, wanting to be good, nodded and went to where he had been asked to, waiting patiently for Stephen to come back. For the first few minutes he didn't really remember walking there, not properly anyway, but when he did come back to himself he felt sad.

It had been a long time since he had felt himself slip into that strange headspace, years actually. It made him uncomfortable. So when he realised just where he was standing, Briar felt conflicted.

The leaflet closest to him read the stalls name, 'Little Treasure's' and as he looked at the various things... he felt this odd sensation in the back of his mind and in his tummy. It wasn't an outright bad feeling but it wasn't a welcome one either. He wasn't supposed to get that feeling anymore, it had been dormant for years.

Harlow hadn't liked whenever it appeared and over time, it seemed to happen less and less until... well, Briar couldn't actually remember the last time he had felt this way. A long time, he supposed...

"Ooo, so pretty!" a voice perked up beside him and Briar just about shat himself. He was about to curse when he looked down at perhaps the cutest thing he had ever seen.

A fox! A very adorable, small and pink eared fox. His tense muscles instantly relaxed and melted at the sight of the small bundle of cuteness bouncing up and down on the balls of their feet.

"Isn't it pretty?" the person said again and pulled Briar from his gooey brain puddle. He followed their eyeline to a blanket with swirls of greens, auburns and browns, very reminiscent of a forest floor. "It would look perfect in my playroom..." they murmured almost to themselves but Briar had fantastic hearing.

"It's very pretty. Do you want one?".

The fox sighed and rolled their eyes with a tangible amount of exasperation. "My master only gave me seventy quid and I just used it on these" they pointed to the fluffy pastel peach ears and tail they were wearing.

"They're really pretty too, I like them. They suit you" he admitted.

"Thanks! I'm- oh damn" the person finally turned away from the blankets and looked up, almost comically slow, and blinked far more than necessary. Briar's heart fell, fully expecting to be laughed at or bullied by the fox.

He was used to it though, he could take it.

"You're so pretty! Damn" they said and Briar was seriously wondering if it was healthy to constantly flush, as he had been all evening. Were the people there intending to kill him by way of a heart attack or an adrenaline overdose? He could feel his cheeks burn, not really sure they had actually been cold in hours.

"Thank you" he whispered softly and the fox's eyes widened before they looked back at the stall, then at Briar.

"Are you here alone?".

"Oh, no, my friend is over there" he said, pointing to Stephen standing within eyesight distance which was oddly reassuring.

And yes, Briar said he had a friend! Which was very exciting for him but he fought off the urge to do a happy wiggle or release a giggle. He was just so excited and wished he had someone to share the great news with.

"You're here with Stephen?! Holy shit, is that from his new project? Now that I look at it, it's definitely one of his designs. Fuck, they look so good" they said, surveying the dress and jewellery on Briar, who blinked. He hadn't expected the little fox to have a sharp tongue but honestly, it was weirdly fitting.

A cheeky little fox, Briar thought to himself.

"Yeah, Stephen's new collection is over there" Briar said and a lull in conversation fell. What was he supposed to talk about? He didn't want the silence to become awkward, or was it already? Did the fox even want to keep talking or were they only sticking around out of obligation, possibly even feeling stuck in conversation and unable to leave?

Briar was working himself into a panic, chest tightening and tears threatening to burst out in a frustrated sob. Why couldn't he just be normal? He never used to have trouble socially but now, he felt like a complete outsider. Barely a functioning human. Gosh, he despised himself.

"Hold this for me!" The fox suddenly spoke, thrusting something into Briar's hands that grabbed the object out of reflex.

It was a stuffed animal, a penguin to be exact and it had a stunning orange colouring on it's belly surrounded by white and further, black. Briar stroked it absentmindedly, mind lost in the imagery of a fresh sunrise over a barren tundra. Air cold but calm, complete solitude with only the gentle creaking of ice carried on the gentle wind to fill the nothingness, and a dawning sky high above, stars twinkling in their final moments before daylight came...

Peace. He felt overwhelming peace.