Page 2 of Unicorn Unashamed

One of the stupidest fucking things about all that was yeah, the virile period did have a lot to do with sex and certainly the need to have sex was strong… but in truth, it was more so that being a unicorn came with an innate need for connection and bonding and tactility. There could be plenty about those desires that were innocent. It was one of the reasons why in fairy tales, unicorns always ended up with their heads in the laps of “innocent” virgins. They were based on real sightings of young unicorns seeking out affection from people who wouldn’t be threats or predators

It just so happened that for most people, sex was one of the easiest ways to connect and bond with someone else, and unicorn biology had evolved to best achieve that. Just in a way that was super inconvenient.

But there were also documented cases of asexual and sex-repulsed unicorns who simply were overwhelmed with the need to cuddle and cocoon and surround themselves with people they considered warm and safe. Even Josh, when he happened to be in a relationship, had moments during his virile period where his need for sex had been satiated and all he wanted to do was curl up in his partner’s lap.

Not that that information ever made the news. It was much less exciting. So mostly? Non-unicorns ate up scandalous articles about sex-crazed shifters, bodice-ripper books, and seductive movies.

And fuck that, because he wasn’t ashamed of himself, but Josh always braced for other people’s reactions anyway. He was not about to start a working relationship with someone if they believed in the stereotypes.

Of course, not only had Raymond been able to sniff out Josh was a shifter too—even though he hadn’t been able to tell what kind of shifter Josh was—but Josh knew that he’d have to own up to his type regardless. His abilities affected how he needed to train, after all.

It had been a sigh of relief when Raymond had been totally professional about it. He’d asked Josh the expected questions about how being a unicorn shifter affected Josh on a purely skill-and-strength level, but otherwise had been completely non-invasive. Mostly he’d been a little surprised to find that Josh wasn’t stronger than average, like a lot of shifters were. He’d been interested to learn that Josh could jump really high and had crazy good cardio though. And, bonus, Raymond hadn’t even twitched when Josh had told him that he had fantastic stamina. He’d just nodded and said he’d do his best to make sure Josh was actually being challenged. Raymond hadn’t even made the overly-common and very unappreciated joke about wearing him out.

Josh had walked away from two separate personal trainers for that joke alone.

All in all, he was really happy with Raymond. Possibly too happy, because after working with him for nearly a year now, Josh could admit to having a bit of a crush.

More than just a “bit” of a crush, if he was being perfectly honest with himself.

It was just… Raymond was so… he was so nice? Which was a stupid understatement but he… he was so genuinely good. He never said anything he didn’t mean, and most of what he did say was so positive and helpful. And he was so encouraging, which made sense from a professional standpoint duh, but that wasn’t how all trainers worked. Raymond was the opposite of the “tear you down to build you back up” mindset. Instead he focused on how much you had accomplished and pushed you to be even better. He made Josh feel proud of himself, somehow.

He was also so smart. Josh had never bought into the built-body-empty-brain stereotype—he’d had enough people judge him from just one trait, thanks—but Raymond was really brilliant. They chatted through their sessions a lot, because one of the ways Raymond had found to challenge Josh was to make him talk during cardio, and it seemed like every week Raymond had a different topic of conversation. Which was interesting for Josh too, because he also liked to learn new stuff, and it turned out they both had a love for documentaries, and before he knew it, Josh was swapping watching recommendations with Raymond. Which sometimes turned into one of them picking a thing for both of them to watch, which they then could talk about in the next session. Like a documentary book club or something.

Raymond also applied that interest in learning to learn about his clients too. After they’d spent a few sessions discussing what Josh did for a living, Raymond had asked for some resources to check out on his own time so that he could better understand Josh’s medium. That was above and beyond what Josh would ever expect from a personal trainer he was just getting to know.

Now, after a year of working with Raymond and being his friend... there was so, so much about Raymond to like. He was a really sweet guy who also happened to be capable and strong, both literally and figuratively, he was gorgeous and—look, okay, biceps did something to Josh’s hindbrain.

Which was only exacerbated by Josh’s virile period starting. But he was fine. He had a good handle on things. Especially with his medications. Josh wasn’t a danger to losing self-control and, with his scent blocker, Raymond never even caught on to what was happening.

Exercising under Raymond’s watchful eye, while Raymond gave instruction and encouragement, was always kind of its own little thrill nowadays. During Josh’s virile period… that thrill was slightly more elevated.

But it was nothing Josh couldn’t handle.

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