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High School of Clichés: Homecoming

By: Domus Vocis

Hunter Thurman dreamt what some would call a wonderful dream. He stood in a deep wooded forest, naked as the day he was born and fur free in the timber air. Moonlight leaked through the tree line above, and the German shepherd marveled at how it felt to be without clothes. Hunter marveled and basked by every passing tree, and murred at how cool the night air felt against his body.

As crickets chirped and the wind blew like a whistling angelic calm, the German shepherd perked his ears in the midnight breeze. Hunter felt a familiar presence nearby, and smelled that person's aura from where he stood. He turned his tail to the scent and jogged over to behind the distant trees.

"Oh Hunter~?" a voice called from the branches. Hunter looked up to see an orange and black fox hanging by his paws from a branch, his tail swaying and covering his crotch from view. "There you are, big guy."

Hunter blushed red underneath his golden brown fur, his fingers shyly covering himself as the fox climbed down the tree and turned to swish his tail around his lithe but graceful body. All he could see was above his foxy classmate's waistline, but the German shepherd tried everything to not look down and see below that. If he did, Holden would see how...'excited' he felt.

Suddenly, he found himself only a foot away from Holden's foxy eyes, a foot away from his tender lips, and close to his warm chest as they hugged and lay together in a grassy forest field. Above them the moon shone down on them like angelic rays of light, the darkness around them barely allowing the shepherd and the fox to see each other in the night. Hunter felt this instinct, this primal need to touch Holden, hold him in his arms and take themselves far away.

But before he even leaned close to his lips, he woke up.

"Oh Holden..." Hunter suddenly lifted his head panting and muzzle wet with sweat and saliva, eyes blinking at the tent underneath the covers of his blanket. "Cockblocker..." he groaned while sitting up. "You just had to ruin it, didn't you?"

I aim to please my audience, and what better way than a dirty dream?

The German shepherd huffed. "You pervert!" He got out of bed and checked the time, sighing before heading to the shower. "And by the way, you probably went a little too far with the imagery porn, pun intended." Laughing, Hunter closed the door and took a quick shower.

He normally didn't like getting up early, but since the dream with Holden got him worked up, Hunter felt the need to get out of bed. After getting cleaned and putting on a plain black T-shirt with scraped blue jeans, Hunter felt ready for school in two hours. It felt strange waking up early to a quiet house. As a pair of frozen waffles cooked in the toaster, Hunter eagerly waited for them as his stomach growled like a hungry canine.

"Oh ha ha," he muttered. "Way to use meta-humor in that metaphor."

I aim to please.

Suddenly a pair of footpaws walked down into the kitchen. "Hunter, is that you?" a tired female voice appeared behind Hunter. He turned fast to see his mother in a white nightgown, rubbing her eyes and swishing her golden-black tail in confusion. "W-Why are you up so early? You'll wake Dad up."

"Sorry, Mom. I-" a ding by the toaster saved Hunter as he got up and grabbed his hot waffles. So hot they almost burnt his fingers while he placed them on a plate. "Hot! Fucking a-"

"Watch your language and turn the coffee on for Mommy please..." his mother muttered aloud while sitting down. Turning the coffee machine on and grabbing some peanut butter from the fridge, Hunter awkwardly sat next to his mom. "So why are you up this early? Didn't sleep well like Yours Truly?"

The German shepherd took a bite, his ears flushing red from remembering the dream. "Not really," he stated as if on trial, not bothering to calm his curling tail. "I mean, I slept well but-a dream...and...yeah." He felt Holden's paws in his, smelled his musk even when awake. "So how about you, Mom?"

The elder shepherd smirked at her son's awkwardness and shrugged. "I had a late shift and heard something interesting last night," Mom spoke curious.

Hunter raised an eyebrow while pouring some milk into a glass. "What is it? Did the neighborhood weirdo go through our garbage again?" he laughed softly while placing the gallon in the fridge and sitting back down. "You know, that geeky raccoon dork who wants to build a satellite?"

"No it was something else actually," she said while Hunter took a sip. "I uh, heard you talking...or rather moaning in your sleep -" Hunter sprayed some milk all over the counter, coughing as he wiped his lips and groaned embarrassed.

"Really, you went with that dumb gag?!" he growled in annoyance.

"Honey, clean that up now!" Mom sighed with a tired grunt. "Should've seen that coming." As Hunter reluctantly swiped it up, she added, "Listen, you kept saying this boy's name over and-"

"Mom, please keep it down!" Hunter folded his ears and tried distracting his shame by staring at the TV screen as it played some infomercial crap.

It'd been a week since Hunter and Holden kissed in the Ion Saturn, and about a few days since their date. All the German shepherd could do was think back to the date, how he brought him to that coffee shop, and how they spent their time talking about random things in monotone whispers. They shared some pumpkin bread, laughed awkwardly, and played checkers at the board table laying in the middle of the place. And surprisingly, Hunter found himself having a great time with the smaller fox, listening to Holden talk about his favorite books and what he'd done since moving away.

When it was brought up their last time seeing each other years ago, Hunter got incredibly uncomfortable. He nearly left the coffee shop, mainly because the atmosphere became thick enough with painful memories. He heard it in Holden's pausing voice, the way he pretended to smile. Not knowing what to do, Hunter patted the fox's shoulders with folded ears.

He stared into his eyes, and felt his ears flush in shame yet his heart quicken at seeing how his pupils glowed in the autumn sunlight. "Holden, I-"

"It's okay, big guy," the fox smiled up to him and wagged his tail. "I forgive you. What happened was years ago, so let's enjoy our date!" Hunter would've felt chipper, but he froze in alarm as he looked around the coffee house.

"Holden, ixnay on the date, eh?" he hissed in a whisper of fear. "What if someone is listening?!" Holden gave him a deadpan gaze, pointing to everyone around the one-room establishment. All wore earbuds. "Okay then, ixnay on holding my paw like we're a couple then?"

Holden simply held his paw into a tighter grip. "Awww, come on Hunter, stop being such a sourpuss!" he chuckled, standing up to pull the German shepherd toward the checkers table. Next thing Hunter knew, he fell in love with the energetic red fox all over again, though he wouldn't admit it in public. "Oooh! Wanna play, Hunter? Hunter? Hunter?"

"Hunter, are you listening?" his mom asked. "You thinking about that boy?"

Hunter widened his eyes in a bulging spectacle. "What?! No idea what you mean!" he tried hiding the smile on his muzzle, but to no avail. "M...Maybe?"

Before she could probe further, footsteps overhead saved the teenager from embarrassment. It was Dad, who waltzed over to the coffee like a zombie from its grave. With his age and how his golden fur had been graying, you'd swear he'd actually became a ghost.

"If I weren't tired as hell, I'd kick the narrator's ass," Dad mumbled while pouring some coffee. "And if I recall it correctly, you randomly picked that I'm forty-two."

Exactly, a ghost.

"Sleep well, Greg?" Mom asked while getting a pan. "It looks like you'll need more than a cup of coffee in order to work. Here, I'll make something for you two."

As dawn crept through the kitchen window, Mom handed Hunter and his father a plate of her famous 'wake-up' pancakes. Complete with fresh maple syrup and some cut strawberries melting on some warm butter, the German shepherd moaned at smelling them in his nose. He'd forgotten how much he loved these pancakes; he hadn't had them since joining the football team.

"I normally don't think it's a good idea for our star football player to eat something like that, but this'll be an exception," Mom lectured Hunter. "The Homecoming game is coming and I don't want you to get a belly like your dad here." Dad perked his ears and grumbled. "Only joking sweetie." They kissed, and their son didn't know whether to belch or smile. "By the way, since you're up this early Hunter, I want you to drive over to your aunt's and drop off our old TV."

Hunter groaned as he saw how close he'd shave for school. "But Mom, I-"

"Listen to your mother, son," Dad grumbled while diving into breakfast eagerly. "Now finish your breakfast, then head to your aunt's before going to school. Do this and you'll have five minutes to spare, son."

Despite the damn errand, the pancakes really got Hunter's spirit up for the Monday drive. Aunt Patricia house stood on the other end of town, next to the edge of Meadowview, an unincorporated ghost town of suburban homes. Many of the town's stoners, rebellious loners and hobos wandered in and out of it, leading it to be Greenville's 'ghetto'.

Oh yeah, that happened to be the name of Hunter and Holden's small hometown: Greenville, a town of about eleven thousand residents and a total of 572 high school students bored as hell. With only a post office, a small elementary school, a mediocre middle school by the city limits, a high school in the center of town, an actual drive-in, a couple fast food chains, the Preacher family's mansion, two gas stations, three grocery stores, one auto-repair shop, a small downtown shopping boulevard and a public library, Greenville was hardly Paris. It wasn't hard to find on a map, resting only twenty-nine miles east of Eau Claire, thirty-one miles north of Madison and thirteen miles south of Green Bay.

Hunter folded an ear confused. "That's physically impossible!" he shouted, turning a corner onto Main Street. "Explain to me how that works, and don't do another time skip until after we talk about that damn dream-"

By the time he drove into the duplex's driveway, the canid teen only had half an hour until first bell. As always, Aunt Patricia's side looked so unkempt the German shepherd often wondered how she'd rent so long without complaints from City Hall.

No car, means she's already left for work, he thought. Better drop it off.

Hunter hurriedly parked the car and went to the trunk for the TV set. Reluctant to be late, he grabbed the 38" screen and carried it to the front porch. Sooner than you could shout, 'It's an otaku!' the door slammed open to reveal a smaller German shepherd with wolfish traits. It was Hunter's anime-obsessed cousin, a middle-schooler, and it probably wouldn't help that he wore anime clothing and memorabilia like a fashion statement.

"Morning, Hunter-senpai," Michael greeted.

Hunter laughed while gripping the screen. "Michael-kun," he greeted back with a smirk. It had always been like this; he and his cousin would talk to each other in these Japanese terms called honorifics, such as '-chan' for a cuter direct object, '-kun' for an younger, teenage male friend, '-senpai' for an older colleague and so on. "Listen, my mom sent me to drop this off."

"The TV?" Michael asked eagerly. "Finally, now I can watch that One Punch Canine DVD!" He wagged his tail as Hunter grunted and placed the set in the living room. "I bet the neighbor's daughter will let me watch Sailor Moon with her now! Thank you Hunter-senpai!"

The younger teen happily hugged his older cousin, and Hunter hugged back. "No problem, kid uh...kid-chan," Hunter said while prying away. "Shouldn't you be heading to school soon?"

On cue, the yellow school bus skidded by the driveway. "Uh oh!" the little otaku scurried for his backpack and out the door. "Bye, Hunter! And by the way, congrats on being gay!"

Heat ran up Hunter's ears. "Say what?" he freaked in an inaudible gasp, grabbing Michael's shoulder. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, I saw you and your boyfriend at that coffee café," the middle school student tried pulling away. "You two look so cute together! I would so love to write something-Hey, let me go, the bus!" Michael yanked away, leaving a dumbstruck Hunter standing.

"D-Does everyone know?" he asked to no one. Five minutes later...he saw the time. "Oh fuck me! Fuck me, fuck me, and triple fuck me!" Boy, you and everyone else have got such a potty mouth. "Shut up and help me with a shortcut! I'm gonna be late!"

~*~*~*~*~

By the time he got to homeroom avoiding the gazes of classmates, the bell narrowly rang. Announcements spoke about how today marked Homecoming Week, with today being Twerk Day (don't ask), and this Friday being the annual homecoming football game and dance afterwards. Instead of being excited like a normal football player would be, Hunter sat in his desk thinking about what Michael said.

Who else knows about me and Holden? Do they know I'm gay, no bisexual!? Is everyone talking about us right now? Hunter tried wrapping his head around the situation all the way to second period, where said fox happily waved to him in front of the entire class. Today, he wore a vest so colorful that it made a couple other students flinch at its brightness. The German shepherd meekly waved, and all he could do was watch Holden in class as they took more notes on "David Copperfield". Goddamn, he's so cute...

On the way to the next class after fourth period, Hunter got a text from the cute red fox, even though both walked a few feet away. "Something the matter Hunter?" it read, along with a sad and curious emoji.

"People know," he texted back. "About...us."

"So what's the problem with that Mr. Athlete? XP"

"You're not that concerned? :/ Word will get out."

"Let them talk, Sugah." The German shepherd gulped. He hated/found it cute that the fox gave him a nickname. But what if someone leaned over his shoulder and saw it? Would they assume it was just a teen girl with a boy's name? Unlikely since only one Holden went to Greenville High. That made Hunter mentally mortified. "Anyway, how r u, bf?"

He rolled his eyes and looked over his shoulder; nope no students looking over his shoulder. "Good, but tired from football practice ? Beating me up more each time."

"Aww, my poor bf." That got Hunter freaking out, though he didn't show.

Hunter perked his ears as he saw Holden sigh in front of him. "Listen, can I ask you something afterschool? Before you go to practice?" he texted a reply, then added, "And don't worry about dropping me off, I can walk back home."

"Okay," Hunter was surprised by the fact Holden didn't use emoji's or misspelled words on purpose. Even he held his serious moments to close regard. "TTYL."

"<3"

Lunch came later, and Hunter sat down with his teammates, including a school-spirited Jason in his trademark football t-shirt for the Greenville Goliaths. "Hey man, how are you doing? I hope you're as excited for this Friday as I am?" Jason asked him while nicking his shoulder.

Hunter's smile lit up, since the tiger proved as a best friend in more ways than one. "Oh don't remind me, Jason. I'm still recovering from Saturday's practice..." he sighed, stretching his arms out in a display that caught a couple of fangirls' attention across the cafeteria.

"Oh stop being such a lady, Hunter," a wide receiver named Freddie chuckled while frowning after trying the disgusting lunch. "Mfh, the Goliaths will trample the Rukisburg Reapers!"

He and other players agreed in loud unison, much to Hunter's and Jason's amusement. The Rukisburg Reapers of Rukisburg High had been rivals with Greenville Goliaths since the dawn of Wisconsinite time, and it was a tradition for the Goliaths to kick their butts every Homecoming Week. Hunter happily took in the tradition, and earned recognition from the Coach after stopping a quarterback from getting this close to a touchdown that would've cost the game.

Holden would've been so proud to see it, Hunter happily thought. Speaking of which... He looked behind one of his teammate's heads to see a lithe red fox chatting with the 'rejects' (that's what everyone at his table called them) on the other end of the room. They made eye contact for a brief moment, and exchanged soft smiles.

"Hunter, is that you?! Squeeee!"

Nearly falling off his chair, Hunter balanced himself as a female tabby came out of nowhere, hugging him tightly like a boa constrictor. "Mfh, easy there, what is it...?" he paused as he saw her familiar face.

"Oh Hunter, I hope summer's been a blast for you? It's been so boring for me!" she huffed while scooting closer to the German shepherd. "The house my family owns down in Florida lost its Wi-Fi, the help got sick from this stupid flu, not to mention I got sick and got my skirt ruined from a hike. Anyway, how are you?"

At eighteen and a senior, this golden she-wolf's blonde hair ran down all the way to her shoulders, her body thin as a ribcage and face as bright as the sun. Dressed in a bluish green cheerleading uniform with a white miniskirt and the school's team logo on her...promising chest, she jumped up and down in glee (much to his teammates' delight). Indeed, she seemed like the perfect high school chick to either meet with at lunch or go to a movie with. However, if you looked closely into her blue eyes, they shone less like Holden's oceanic orbs and more as the silvery glint of a dark sky.

Angela Preacher, the Queen Bee of Greenville High.

Hunter laughed nervously. "Angela...nice to see ya again," he lied while chuckling at her. Known to have a crush on him since freshman year, the German shepherd completely forgot about her. No wonder he'd felt a weight lost when his time as a junior started. "I'm fine. So uh, where'd you been? I hadn't seen you when the year started."

"Oh Hunter, I planned to come back last week from our trip from New York, but Daddy got pulled back when some employee wrecked this and-"

As the chatty Angela talked about her summer to Hunter (mostly everyone), the shepherd teen covertly grabbed his iPhone. He needed to talk to his friend a couple seats down the packed table, without the problem of everyone listening. Looking left and right, he texted Jason, "Gonna be a little late to practice."

The tiger casually checked his phone mid-conversation, then widened his eyes before replying back. "U insane? Coach will kill u!"

"Your point?"

"Whatever just don't be more than 5 min late!" he added, "Please."

"Easy there tiger." Hunter replied with a sigh. "It'll be a moment."

A long pause, a quick smirk at the nervous German shepherd from Jason, then a text from him that read, "Meeting with Holden, dude? ;)". He folded his hot and honest ears at the cocky tiger, then watched as his friend slyly added (much to Hunter's chagrin) a text that asked, "U popped his cherry yet?"

Luckily, he hadn't been drinking anything. Otherwise Angela would've scolded him to be a 'sophisticated man' for her. Ugh.

School went by, but the canid junior wondered the entire time about what the mellow fox wanted to tell him. He didn't give anything away during any of their classes, and nothing major was hinted at in gym. When the final bell rang, Hunter got another text from Holden. "Meet me under bleachers closest to lockers," it read.

Hunter smiled at talking to him again in private. The very thought made his tail wag, not stopping as he went past scurrying freshmen, busy juniors or disinterested seniors on their way home. Grabbing his backpack and sneaking around the school, he went to the football field and spotted the bleachers up against the gym.

A familiar red fox waved to him from underneath it, Hunter looking both ways for lingering stoners or cheerleaders before running up to Holden and lifting the smaller canid into a hug. The fox giggled and Hunter laughed, unexpectedly earning himself a kiss.

Seconds later... "Mfh, you insane?" Hunter gasped his lips away while darting his eyes around. "Someone could've seen us, Holden!"

Holden shrugged and flicked his tail at the dirt. "So?" he asked quizzical, then grinned like a fox while setting his backpack aside. Hunter wanted to be mad, but the look on his face made a smirk appear. "I've been waiting, and I wanted to uh...ask you something?"

The German shepherd paused to look at his...friend curiously.

"What is it, Holden?" he asked with twitching ears and a big smile. He saw the smaller canid as he nervously shifted his footpaws. Holden never acted this nervous, so Hunter assumed something was up. He could smell it in the air around them, hear it from Holden's breath. "Are you okay?"

The fox lifted his muzzle up and smiled. "Of course I'm okay, Hunter," he chuckled, asking, "Say uh after the football game, can I...can we go to the dance? Together?"

All thoughts about people listening in faded away for the shepherd.

"What...?" he asked in pure surprise. His heart beat like a drum, his fingers trembled while processing Holden's request. "You m-m-mean...as a c-c-couple? B-B-Boyfriends?" He then thought, stop making me stutter! Okay, okay, calm down kid. We're not kids dammit! Okay then, boy. Ugh, this is too much! Lemme think!

Turning to the embarrassed Hunter thinking over everything, Holden nodded, then slowly asked, "Are you okay with it? Of us being out in the open like that?"

Hunter twitched his ears and thought over the question. The very idea made him scared. Of how his classmates, his teachers, the local pastor, and his teammates would react. Good Lord they'd never let it down. Yeah, they'd probably ask if I jack off to them in the shower, he thought grim and panicked. God, I can already hear them acting like the asshole teammates from 'Out of Position'! Take it easy, you're not in that story's big leagues. UFL or NFL? Kyell's inconsistent with the names at first...

_ _ However, others people came to mind. He hadn't told his Dad yet, but Mom obvious knew something about him and Holden, a cheerleader from the first story found them adorable, Michael saw it like a slash fanfiction, and Jason supported him and Holden as a best friend should.

_ _ Getting the plot going, Hunter at last answered, "Yes. I'd love to go."

"Yes!" Holden squealed quietly, hugging the taller canine into a bear hug. "I can't believe my boyfriend's gonna be going with me to a dance!" Despite feeling excited at actually going out in public with his...boyfriend, Hunter couldn't help being nervous. What the hell did I get myself into?

A few days passed, with Hunter nervous as hell for the game, the dance, and everyone knowing the official truth. Meanwhile, Holden seemed chipper than ever about their date. And much to the shepherd teen's surprise, the week went by without too much drama in school. Hunter still stayed a part of the popular jocks at lunch, met up with Holden afterschool to drive around and talk about anything, and practice in football without worry.

Really, nothing changed. Hunter, he Jason and a few of his teammates ate their horrible lunches. The German shepherd felt calm and collected for the game ahead, yet nervous as hell with his date. Holden clearly showed his excitement on the other end of the cafeteria room. He saw it in the fox's eyes every day, even in a room full of students.

Sadly, Angela continued harassing the German shepherd, either flirting with him in the hallways or during lunch. She kept being persistent, even going so far as to whisper she'd worn a thong the day before. When push came to shove, Hunter didn't find Angela interesting. He saw her as an acquaintance at least and a friend at most, nothing more than that.

If only she saw it that way too.

"Oh Hunter, I'm going to this great party on the other side of town after the big game," she stated with that charming smile of hers. "Wanna go with me? I hear there's beer."

"I'll go," Jason held his paw.

"Ditto here," another player giddily said.

Hunter smiled and decided to let her down easily. "Sorry, but...I have plans," he replied. Before she could ask, he left for the bathroom until next period's bell rang.

At last, school ended and the time for the homecoming game was about to begin. Getting a text from Holden that read, "Soon as the game's over and ur outta the shower ;P go to the entrance. Good luck, Hunter! <3", Hunter eagerly went to the locker room to get ready for the game.

In many gay teen's eyes, the locker room usually seemed like the opposite example of a comfortable environment. To Hunter, it didn't make a difference to him; it was a locker room, so all he cared about was an occasional chat and getting back home ASAP after practice. However, until Holden returned into his life, the teenage shepherd never felt self-conscious about his and other teammates' bodies.

Okay, back up there: I'm only attracted to Holden, he thought bitter while getting to his locker and into uniform. To say I'm automatically attracted to every single one of my teammates after kissing a guy is just annoying. Ignoring the annoying protagonist with a passion, fate had something in store for the young teen. Great, what embarrassing thing is gonna happen to me now?

On cue, a wolf as tall as Hunter walked over to the locker next to him, a clear sneer visible across his muzzle. "Hey faggot, get the fuck away from me," he muttered while nudging the stockier canine away.

Hunter growled while putting his uniform on. "Shut the hell up George, or I'll beat your ass to the ground," he replied while adjusting his jockstrap. God mistake on the shepherd's part.

"Ugh, typical for homos to rub themselves!" the wolf spoke loud and with clear disgust. A couple players eyed what was happening, some either turning away, chuckling with the wolf or gazing curiously at them. Despite being a year older, Hunter had the same muscle mass as George. They'd get really bloody.

"Shut up and get ready, George!" a tall and stocky cheetah with a deep voice named Dustin Jones, said. He was Greenville High's quarterback, and took his role seriously for the scholarships. "It's not your concern!"

"Come on, you're defending this sad little fag?" the wolf whined.

"Screw you," Hunter grumbled while grabbing his helmet. He didn't have time to waste-

"Bet your fuck-buddy would like that, wouldn't he?"

That almost did it for the German shepherd. Ever since Holden called out on George in the locker room all those days ago, the wolf's given shit to him. And now, Hunter was about to tear his throat out.

Thankfully...

"Okay, ladies!" Coach Sampson, a stocky bear with a lean build announced from the coach's office. "Get your sorry asses into uniform and listen up!" Whatever killer intent lay between George and Hunter dissipated as the Coach ordered everyone to listen. Uniform on and helmet in paw, Hunter went as far away from George as possible, anger lingering in his mind. "You were terrific last year; we'd beaten to hell the Kageville Hellfish, the Kyellvue Bullfrogs, the Watts Village Weasels, the Campbell Grove Crows, the Rikoshi Bay Dragons, and the FuzzWolf Park Pirates. Twice."

Hunter chuckled as Coach continued on with his 'inspirational speech' of the day. "Good thinking on the pun names," he whispered under his breath.

On the locker room bench, Duke begrudgingly sat beside him. "Ugh, they're about as painful as this story," he uttered in distain. He did tackle, and grumbled. "How about we get a writer who'sactually into football?"

Jason beside Duke shrugged. "I kind of like it." Of course he did; he lived for making puns. "Now that ain't...entirely true-"

"Ladies. Stop breaking the fourth wall and listen up!" Coach barked.

Everyone sat straighter. "Yessir!" they shouted attentive.

"Listen up, in about ten minutes we will be facing the Rukisburg Reapers like Spartan soldiers against the Persians at Thermopylae two millennia ago. Unlike the Persians however, our rivals have had a year to prepare, a year to harden themselves like marble into proper players," he told them while shifting his legs in a mock battle stance. "So have we. Any questions?"

A second later, George raised his paw in the air with a sneer. "Coach, after we beat their asses, can Hunter shower somewhere else?" he asked with all eyes on the German shepherd. "I'm uncomfortable."

Coach raised an eyebrow. "Why's that George?" he asked disinterested.

"I don't wanna shower with faggots," the wolf spoke like it were obvious. "I saw him kissing some loser under the bleachers a few days ago."

Like that, all of Hunter's teammates gasped at what was said. All eyes stared at him, all he could do was sit there frozen. Hunter's anger swelled into his ears, and the canine wanted nothing more to disappear. He wanted to run, but then they'd label him a coward and a pussy. With folded ears, he looked up and saw the only being in the room looking angrily at George was Jason and...

_...Coach?_Hunter thought shocked.

The Coach didn't yell or scream at Hunter, nor did he rally the other players to beat him to a bloody pulp. Instead, he stared intently at him. Strange, seeing how Coach Sampson was known throughout the school to be a real hard-ass. Especially in the heat of an oppressive football practice.

"Is he a student?" the coach suddenly asked.

Dumbfounded, Hunter quickly answered, "Y-Yes."

"Don't stutter. Terrible players stutter, and you're one of my best players," the coach said sternly, then calmly added, "This boy. Do you treat him well?"

"Yes."

"Does he treat you well?"

"Yes."

"Will he be a bad influence on your playing?"

"No."

Silence filled the locker room, the only noise coming from the music being played outside in the school's football stadium. It had to be the Spirit Rally of Greenville High. Distinctly, Hunter could hear either the "Cowboy Bebop" opening or a jazz solo being played by the school band. Coach stared at Hunter, then George, and back to Hunter again.

"Good, keep it that way Thurman," he spoke while checking his watch. With a frown, he turned to the Wolf. "George F. Johnson, shower somewhere else if you want, but harass either Hunter or his partner and I'll personally make sure younever use a shower here again. After all, I don't want to make my teammates feel uncomfortable." Everyone chuckled. "Is that clear?"

Reluctantly, the wolf answered, "Yes, Coach."

"Coach what?"

George sighed in defeat. "Yes, Coach Sampson."

The bear grinned. "Now are we ready to play some football?!" he shouted, followed by all of his players (including a certain German shepherd) cheering. "Now let's make some noise that'll be hear off of these damned pages!" On cue, everyone stood and went out to the field amid some cheering, with a laughing Jason and many of Hunter's teammates patting his back.

~*~*~*~*~

Four quarters, a dozen winks from Angela, two dozen smiles from Holden in the bleachers, a billion waves from Mom and Dad in the front seats, several tackles and touchdowns later, Hunter and the Greenville Goliaths won the game by several points. Cheer erupted from the bleachers, teammates exchanged pats and handshakes (save for George), and Hunter felt on top of the world.

Unfortunately, the dance got canceled.

At least, that what it said in Holden's text after opening his locker. "Why's thatq?" Hunter texted back.

"Some asshole from Rukisburg placed a stink bomb in the gym!" Holden texted back quickly. Hunter widened his eyes, suddenly feeling panged he wouldn't dance with Holden and that the Reapers pulled a petty prank. "Btw, there's no q in 'that'." Hunter rolled his eyes and sent an emoji with a tongue sticking out.

Feeling sore all over, he decided to go into the shower. To his surprise, all the football team cared only about how they'd won and frowned at anyone giving Hunter cautious glares. Jason didn't even mind patting his ass in a playful manner.

"Hey, don't touch the merchandise Jason," Hunter chuckled while getting under a showerhead. "I'm...uh taken already." God, he sounded like a dork.

The buff tiger laughed under the steamy shower. "Whatever dude; you were killing it out there!" Jason clapped his paws along with a couple of the guys as well. "By the way, did you hear about the dance man?"

"I know, it's a huge disgrace dude," Hunter nodded in agreement. "The Reapers are sore losers." Everyone agreed in united displeasure.

Soon, everyone left for home with a bittersweet taste in their maws, leaving him to go and thank the Coach for standing up for him. "Don't thank me," the gruff bear sighed while putting his trademark clipboard down. "Just...stay safe, and stand up for yourself. Still, if George or anyone else is giving you a hard time, do talk." He held out a firm paw, and the shepherd firmly shook back. "Good night, Thurman. And good job!"

Hunter nodded. "Thank you, Coach Sampson."

After getting dressed in regular clothing, Hunter literally ran into Holden outside the locker room doors that led to the field. Smiling as he saw the fox wearing Greenville High t-shirt over his usual vests, the German shepherd caught him in a hug.

"You did so well out there!" Holden laughed while nuzzling Hunter's neck.

The canid junior didn't push him away, and instead kissed his lips passionate before smiling down into his eyes. "Holden, the team knows."

That got a reaction out of him. "They do?" he asked in shock. Hunter explained everything that happened to him in the past few hours, from George bullying him to Coach's questions, then the way the team reacted. "Wow, so they basically didn't give a rat's ass huh?"

Hunter shrugged. "I guess so," he snickered, still trying to comprehend his evening so far. "God, Coach even told me to be...safe."

The fox wagged his tail mischievously. "Safe, you say?" he asked with that look. "Well, that must've been awkward. It's one thing for a parent to say that, but your coach?"

"Oh it was, believe me it was," the German shepherd laughed, then unexpectedly held his paw onto the lithe fox's. Without thinking, they walked. "So sorry about the dance."

Holden shrugged. "It's okay," he replied with a bright smile. "I'm just glad to be here with you. Listening to a bunch of high school jocks scream and cry like animals is just boring."

"You were bored?" Hunter inquired all of a sudden. "I mean, I know it was off screen since the writer's got no idea how to write football."

Shut up and get romantic already. My readers are already getting bored.

Holden shrugged and smiled. "Only when you weren't playing sweetie," he chuckled while curling his tail around Hunter's. To his own amazement, the taller and built canine blushed and curled his tail at the fox's ticklish touch. He even sweated in the palms of his paws. "Something wrong? I was only kidding about-"

Hunter cleared his throat. "N-No no, it's just..." he sighed, his eyes and expression calming. "I'm just jealous. You don't flinch about being yourself in front of other people, didn't care about us being the only gay couple at the school dance...yeah. And hearing you call me 'sweetie' and 'honey', I dunno, it's weird."

An awkward moment, with Hunter staring into Holden's searching eyes as they blinked once. Then, a look of innocence covered the fox's appearance. "Do you wanna call me something else?" he asked softly, leaning up to whisper in Hunter's ear. "...Daddy?" He then pinched the German shepherd's ass.

The hairs on all of Hunter's body stood high, and a flabbergasted Hunter groaned while laughing and pushing him away. "That's awful! You're awful!" he snickered while catching his stomach. "Fuck, now I can't get the images outta my goddamn mind!"

"If I weren't going to Hell before, I'm definitely going now," Holden huffed and patted the larger canine's shoulders. "You should've seen the look on your face, Hunter! You looked like you were gonna have a heart attack!"

"With what's happened lately, I might make my lifelong wish come true." he commented. They eventually chuckled down and heartedly kissed again, then strolled over to Hunter's car.

On this clear early October evening, the autumn air felt as warm as their entwined paws. Everything sounded quiet, and the taller canine felt it in the air. Just hours ago the bleachers stood packed, screaming with drunken cheer and school spirit. As Hunter and Holden walked into the deserted parking lot though, the German shepherd felt his cheeks rise with heat. He felt so happy at this moment. He felt on top of the world.

"Hey Hunter, if you're not busy tomorrow, you wanna see a movie tomorrow night?" Holden quizzically asked waiting for him to unlock the car doors. "I know you've got homework, but...how about you text me when we're done and see if the drive-in's got something?"

As Hunter almost replied, a noise nearby stopped him.

"Hunter!" he turned to the right and saw four female figures rushing toward him. Narrowing his eyes in the barely-lit lot, he widened them when he saw a golden she-wolf in a cheerleading outfit with her giggling cronies. "Hunter, is that you? I'm so proud of you, wanna go and-"

Knowing what'd happen next, Hunter didn't bother hiding his panic. "Oh shit, get in the car Holden! Hurry!" he got in and started the car up, putting it into gear and pushing on the gas as Holden closed the door. In the rearview mirror, he saw Angela and her posse stopping and turning the other direction to her car.

Meanwhile, Holden had been laughing at what just happened. "Did you just rebuttal some cheerleader by speeding away from her?" he snickered while sitting up properly. "What's next, you gonna have sex with me in the hallway, Mr. Popular?!" While the German shepherd blushed and covered his cheeks with a free paw, Holden laughed for another moment.

"That wasn't just a normal cheerleader," he clarified, "that was Angela Preacher, my biggest and probably most obsessed fan ever since I joined football, Holden."

"Truly," his partner spoke serious, then both of them fell into laughter.

This fox is gonna be the end of me, Hunter thought chuckling.

It was almost thirty minutes to midnight, and the canid jock drove Holden to the address provided. They talked, awkwardly held paws together while being wary of passing cars, and listened to the local radio station play random music. And when either a solemn Green Day or Eli Lieb song played, both sang along with it.

Pulling into the drive way, Hunter couldn't help but feel like the address sounded familiar. All thoughts about it erased however as he hopped out and opened the passenger door for Holden.

"Phew, what a night!" he stretched his arms out while grabbing his backpack from the backseat. "Note to readers: the author was too lazy to write in that we placed our backpacked safely in Hunter's trunk before the game."

I resent that.

Hunter closed the door and smiled. "So...I had fun tonight," he slowly said while tenderly holding and caressing the fox's warm paw. "Good...good night."

Holden gulped and blushed while staring up into his eyes. "...Bye, Holden."

In one fluid motion, Hunter and Holden's muzzles made contact and their lips melted into one another. Ever since the McDonald's, they'd practiced a bit, and slowly started to lick and fondly kiss deeply. The world around them disappeared for Hunter, and moaned into the fox's black-and-white-furred lips as a paw groped his rear. And when the taller German shepherd grew a hardened erection, he pressed close into Holden's squirming and thriving hip. As they got closer and paws clawed at their hot backs in the passionate embrace, Hunter noticed another erection press at his pelvis, causing him to murr and pant while pulling away and panting as their noses touched and their eyes sparkled.

I'm in love with him all over again, both of them thought with doofus smiles.

"Smile!"

A flash came from the porch, and our main couple blinked in confusion at a figure with an old-fashioned Instant Polaroid camera.

"Damn it, Michael!" Hunter groaned, then widened his eyes. "Wait, Michael-kun?" Indeed, Michael stood in his Korro-Sensei pajamas and a black Attack on Titan hoodie, giggling as he pulled a printed picture out and shook it.

"That was so kawaii, Hunter-senpai!" he scurried down and jumped giddily over to his older cousin. "So neighbor, you're the one dating Itoko-chan? That's so cool!" Blushing redder than a strawberry and shocked by revelations, Hunter and Holden stared at each other.

"This is your cousin?"

"Yourfamily's living in my cousin's duplex?"

_ No wonder this place looked familiar!Hunter realized. _And Hunter saw...

After a moment of the shock fading away, Michael chuckled chipper. "Hehe, the picture's already coming out now," he held it up for the three of them to see. As they stared at the picture dumbfounded and embarrassed, "Hehehe, this is cuter than Naruto kissing Sasuke the first time!"

Hunter plucked the picture out of the little cub's paw. "Alright ya little otaku, go to bed and let me talk to Holden," he stuffed it into his pocket, pushing the cub to his side of the duplex. "Good night, sleep tight, and forget you saw what happened!" Come on, the boy was just curious. "Stay out of this!"

"Oooh, ooh, narrator can you do me a favor? Have these two get together by the end of the entire story-"

Hunter closed the door behind Michael and sighed before chuckling nervously to Holden. "Sorry about that," he apologized while scratching the back of his head.

Holden wagged his tail and smiled. "He was right," he stated. "We do look cute together." The junior fox student turned to his side of the duplex and waved. "Good night, Hunter! Love you!"

The German shepherd jogged to the driveway and waved back to his fox as he went inside. "Love you too," he blurted out, then went to his car to head home. Lord knew Mom and Dad were probably worried sick and/or wanted to congratulate him for the homecoming game. And while turning the car on, Hunter pulled the picture Michael took and smiled at the nearby memory. "We do." He then drove away, possibly pissing off readers for there being no sex scene.

Again.

The End...of Part 2