{"sf1_id":1668582,"sf2_id":"3eg0Agdm","title":"The Leaves of Fall Act 3: Something That Matters (Part 2)","author":"Oliver_Hart","words":6923,"posted_at":"2021-01-01T19:35:57.000Z","tags":["Adventure","Alternate Reality","Anon","Boy","Brother","Bunny","Classroom","Couple","Emo","Fight","Girl","Green text","Greentext","HMOFA","Halloween","Heterosexual","High School","Hmofa/","Human","Kissing","Plot Development","Rabbit","Siblings","Slow burn","Young Romance","anthro/human"],"url":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1668582-the-leaves-of-fall-act-3-something-that-matters-part-2","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/3eg0Agdm","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/14/3a/143a510e-9677-4ac4-bf1a-e676f01c6299","description":"You've never really 'fit in' with the heavily divided Ranchview High School crowd. Jock, Goth, Prep, Cheerleader, Nerd... you were never any of these. But as Halloween approaches, strange things start happening, and a dark ritual begins with the finding of a curious red book. It's a race against time for you and your friends to stop a group of students from ushering in an age of darkness, and to also figure out just what the hell is wrong with that rabbit.  \n~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  \n  \nAbout this version: originally, The Leaves of Fall was split into two pastebins to compensate for the length of the story. Given that pastebin has chosen to censor this story for ambiguous reasons, it will forever be stored here and on AO3. This new version contains spelling, grammar and content fixes. Please understand that the content is all the same as the earlier versions minus some sentences being changed and fixed up. I cannot stress this enough: no new content has been added. It's my hope that this is a cleaner, easier-to-read version of the story.  \n  \nCover: [https://imgur.com/a/vZS4Q](https://imgur.com/a/vZS4Q)  \nSam (drawn by Akella of /hmofa/) [https://imgur.com/a/nk3t1wT](https://imgur.com/a/nk3t1wT)  \nFan art collection: [https://imgur.com/a/SCCSIQv](https://imgur.com/a/SCCSIQv)  \nAccompanying playlist (WIP): [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9aXlzDRA49QKxgYsOV2JuDd410\\_nI-0J](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9aXlzDRA49QKxgYsOV2JuDd410_nI-0J)  \nAlternative link: [https://www.sofurry.com/view/1479078](https://www.sofurry.com/view/1479078)  \nTotal word count: 147,552 words","content":"\\\u003eUpon investigation, you don't find him in your car\n\n\\\u003eYou instead locate him a little bit down the hill, taking a leak on some low scrub brush\n\n\\\u003eProbably also taking advantage of the fact that nobody /ever/ comes up here\n\n\\\u003eExcept your gang of degenerates\n\n\\\u003eAnd the occasional group of punks to get drunk or trip acid\n\n\\\u003e\"Can I get some privacy here?\" He asks, speaking to you with his back turned\n\n\\\u003eHe must have heard you coming\n\n“Sure, just a quick question: I'm going to the store. Want anything?\"\n\n\\\u003eHis stream halts abruptly with ringing clarity\n\n\\\u003eI M P R E S S I V E\n\n\\\u003e\"The Shop N' Save?\" He says, stressing the words\n\n\\\u003eYou clear your throat\n\n\\\u003eIt's kind of awkward having to talk to him while he's obliterating this bush\n\n\\\u003eYet, you soldier on\n\n“Yeah, Jenna told me not to take you down there-\"\n\n\\\u003eHe raises his hand as if he were unpausing the conversation and starts peeing again\n\n\\\u003e\"Yeah, she's got a point. If you're getting food, bring back some donuts and maybe some Halloween candy. Peanut butter cups'll do.\"\n\n“And what do we say?\"\n\n\\\u003eAll he has to do is say please\n\n\\\u003eYou don't like being ordered around, especially by him\n\n\\\u003eInstead he says the wrong thing\n\n\\\u003e\"I'll pay you back. You know Mikey's good for it,\" he says, bending his neck around so you can see his smile\n\n\\\u003eAnd the fangs that push between his teeth\n\n\\\u003eYou're reminded that he still owes you like a whole six pack\n\n“Not what I meant, dude. Try asking again.\"\n\n\\\u003eHis smile collapses as he sighs\n\n\\\u003eYou can even see him do a quick eye roll\n\n\\\u003e\"Shit, right. Sorry. PLEASE would you get some donuts and Halloween candy?\"\n\n“That's better.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou wring a smile out of your minor victory\n\n\\\u003eShit if he just asks nicely you'll get all kinds of candy for him\n\n\\\u003eYou grab your keys, plug your phone into your cigarette lighter which hosts a charging plug, and soon you're off, traveling on barren roads under lightening skies\n\n\\\u003eBrilliant orange sunlight strokes the clouds, tracing them in flame\n\n\\\u003eThe little shops and the houses lay dormant and dark, save for the occasional parent meandering to their car for their morning commute\n\n\\\u003eStill plenty of time to get to school after breakfast, and you could use the solitude right now\n\n\\\u003eYou've always been introverted, as evidenced by your small squadron of friends and relatively brief social interactions\n\n\\\u003eOr you're just a boring, shy, coward\n\n\\\u003eNah, you've got a lot of positives\n\n\\\u003eYou're patient\n\n\\\u003eYou flick your turn signal on and coast into the Shop N' Save's lot\n\n\\\u003eYou're brave\n\n\\\u003eYou slide easily into a parking space, given that there's practically nobody here this early\n\n\\\u003eAnd you've got this kind of wisdom that only years of introversion and observation can cultivate\n\n\\\u003eIt's not street smarts, but you do think you've got a good head on your shoulders\n\n\\\u003eYou're gonna make it, brah\n\n\\\u003eWalking into the Shop N' Save, you're assaulted by colors like you owe them money\n\n\\\u003eNamely orange and black\n\n\\\u003eThere's plastic pumpkins on a big pile of hay at the front\n\n\\\u003eHalloween streamers run the length of the candy aisle, which is completely stocked and loaded up with massive packages of chocolates and sweets\n\n\\\u003eFake plastic skeletons hang their feet on top of the shelves, and for a fleeting moment you're reminded of the fact that there is a skellington inside of you right this very moment\n\n\\\u003ev v v v spooky\n\n\\\u003eAnyway, the pharmacy is closed, but there's still plenty of over-the-counter pills to go around\n\n\\\u003eYou can't help but notice the 'feminine care' section is picked clean\n\n\\\u003eAll the scent masks\n\n\\\u003eAll the estrus blockers\n\n\\\u003eCompletely gone\n\n\\\u003eWell, you didn't come here for that stuff\n\n\\\u003eYou swipe a bottle of pain pills off a high shelf\n\n\\\u003eTurning over the bottle, you see that it also advertises itself as a fever reducer\n\n\\\u003eThere, this'll set Sam straight\n\n\\\u003eHeh, 'straight'\n\n\\\u003eYou still never found out if he was gay or not…\n\n\\\u003e… Or if you are at this point\n\n\\\u003eToo bad you chickened out\n\n\\\u003eNot like it matters anymore\n\n\\\u003eHe only makes your heart beat a little faster\n\n\\\u003eAnd you only care a lot about him\n\n\\\u003eY-You're just good bros\n\n\\\u003eWith the peanut butter cups, donuts, a gallon of iced coffee, and medicine for Sam, you cruise on back to the church just as the light begins to hit the roads\n\n\\\u003eIt drains through the retreating clouds, washing everything in a delicate salmon-pink\n\n\\\u003eYou take your time getting back to the old church, slowing down as you take a short detour through a couple of neighborhoods\n\n\\\u003eThe houses are all strung up with cheesy decorations like fake graveyards and glowing plastic jack-o'-lanterns\n\n\\\u003eTo be honest, you fucking love Halloween\n\n\\\u003eIt feels like the border between the living and the dead becomes thinner right around the 31st\n\n\\\u003eAnd with all the grass and leaves dying, you can totally see how your ancestors would have thought this was a sacred time where magic abounds\n\n\\\u003eUnfortunately, given all that's happened… they weren't entirely wrong\n\n\\\u003eBut hey, some good has come of this\n\n\\\u003eMike is your friend again, maybe more so than ever\n\n\\\u003eYou're going to save the world\n\n\\\u003eAlex is still Alex\n\n\\\u003eJenna is on your side\n\n\\\u003eAnd Sam\n\n\\\u003eYou got to know that little faggot who you used to hate, and you found out he's a lot braver than you think\n\n\\\u003eHe's just a good kid in crappy circumstances\n\n\\\u003eYou almost wish he was here next to you, enjoying the scenery\n\n\\\u003eHe probably doesn't celebrate any holidays because of his shithead father\n\n\\\u003eYour stomach ties in knots\n\n\\\u003eHis dad is still lurking somewhere\n\n\\\u003eHunting you and his son\n\n\\\u003eLike some kind of primitive animal stalking its prey\n\n\\\u003eThe thought is enough to make you floor it back to the church\n\n\\\u003eYou all sit on the caved in hood of your car, munching down on the sickly sweet donuts, watching your chilled breaths disappear into the lightening sky\n\n\\\u003eEvery bite tastes fills your mouth with pillowy dough and semi-sweet chocolate\n\n\\\u003eSam holds his donut in front of his face\n\n\\\u003eHe cautiously sniffs it, his pink nose twitching as he drinks in the rich scent of freshly fried dough and glazed chocolate\n\n\\\u003eAlex laughs, sending bits of mushy donut onto the pavement\n\n\\\u003e\"Don't tell me you've never eaten a donut before,\" he says, taking a large, messy bite out of his own\n\n\\\u003eSam looks at Alex, his mouth forming a soft and nervous frown\n\n\\\u003eWhich says everything\n\n\\\u003e\"JHESHUS CHRISHT\" Alex says through mouthfuls of donut\n\n\\\u003eYou pat Sam on the head, lightly digging your fingers into his oily fur\n\n“Just try it, dude. I promise you'll really like it,\" you say, ignoring Alex's obvious wink\n\n\\\u003eYou don't care\n\n\\\u003eYou're going to comfort this lil' bunny while he has his first fucking donut ever\n\n\\\u003eYou almost feel like you should be recording this\n\n\\\u003eLike a baby's first steps\n\n\\\u003eAs you lightly scratch at the skin beneath Sam's fur, his leg starts softly kicking\n\n\\\u003eAlmost like you found some kind of button connected to his stout haunches\n\n\\\u003eAnd even though everyone is looking at you, you don't care\n\n\\\u003eIt's cute as fuck the way his powerful legs pound into your door\n\n\\\u003eSam opens his mouth and extends a rounded edge of the donut past his teeth\n\n\\\u003eHe takes a meager bite\n\n\\\u003eAlmost instantly his eyes shoot open with glee\n\n\\\u003eThen he takes a huge bite out of his chocolate frosted donut, chewing thoughtfully and savoring the taste\n\n\\\u003eWhen he looks up into your eyes, their bright with pure affection and adoration\n\n\\\u003eAs if he was silently singing praise unto you for introducing donuts into his lowly existence\n\n\\\u003eY-You too\n\n\\\u003eYou stop scritching his fur and instead draw an anxious hand to the back of your neck\n\n\\\u003eThose big gooey eyes make you all gooey inside too\n\n\\\u003eYou don't even want to LOOK at Alex right now\n\n\\\u003eBut you can't help but look over\n\n\\\u003eAnd yeah, his eyebrows are shooting up and down, his face painted with an expression that says 'You gonna kiss him?'\n\n\\\u003eBut it's Jenna's confused glare that catches your attention more\n\n\\\u003eShe's staring in disbelief right at Sam as he mindlessly hews off hunks of his donut with his quick moving mouth\n\n\\\u003eJenna's nose twitches like mad as she sniffs at the air\n\n\\\u003eHer head tilts to the side in astonishment\n\n\\\u003eWhat is so perplexing about the way Sam smells?\n\n\\\u003eYou can only smell damp earth and the cold coffee…\n\n\\\u003e…Which Sam is now taking massive swigs of\n\n\\\u003eOh boy caffeinated rabbits\n\n\\\u003eJenna shakes her head in disbelief and focuses her attention back on her half-eaten donut\n\n\\\u003e\"Thanks for the food, Anon,\" Mike says, leaning back onto the hood with a cup of coffee in hand. “It's been way too long since I had proper food, you know?\"\n\n\\\u003eProper food\n\n\\\u003eLol\n\n“Don't mention it. And hey, if you need blood-\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Pass,\" he waves a vacant hand at you\n\n\\\u003eYou can't help but feel slightly offended\n\n\\\u003e\"I'll be fine for a while longer. Besides, your blood probably tastes terrible.\"\n\n\\\u003eOkay now you're actually kind of offended\n\n“Implying there's good tasting blood?\"\n\n\\\u003eMike just stares off at the empty space\n\n\\\u003e\"I'm sure there is, dude. I'm not really all the way into this yet.\"\n\n\\\u003eHe looks pretty zoned out\n\n\\\u003eOr angry\n\n\\\u003eBut not at you\n\n\\\u003eLike, his future is basically over\n\n\\\u003eAnd he seems to know it\n\n\\\u003eBut a part of him — a part of you — wants to fight for that future\n\n\\\u003eAnd you can feel it\n\n\\\u003eSchool drags on with all the urgency of a stoned turtle\n\n\\\u003eYou spend most of your time pacing outside of Sam's classrooms, checking inside every so often to make sure that he's okay\n\n\\\u003eAlmost always he's near the back, idly doodling on a loose scrap of paper or staring out a window\n\n\\\u003eHow the hell this kid makes any passing grades is beyond you\n\n\\\u003eYou guess that if you had to put up with the shit that he does back at home, school would be pretty low on your priorities list as well\n\n\\\u003eYou're just thankful that he doesn't have any classes with any goths\n\n\\\u003eAnd that his dad hasn't come to school yet\n\n\\\u003eYou feel like a helicopter parent\n\n\\\u003eYou spend the few minutes you have not stalking Sam fraternizing with Jenna, Mike and Alex, who all rode with you to school\n\n\\\u003eAnd are damn sure leaving with you. No more running away separately\n\n\\\u003eThe plan, you all decide, is to head to your house after school and get some supplies and hang out there versus sleeping in the church\n\n\\\u003eYour half-baked 'plan' seems to be the only thing with some semblance of stability\n\n\\\u003eBecause your fellow students sure as hell aren't acting like shining beacons of peace, tolerance and stability\n\n\\\u003eAll the fighting and violence you saw yesterday?\n\n\\\u003eIt's only escalated\n\n\\\u003eThe hallways are no longer fast-moving streams of hormonal bodies, but are giant moving clusters of mammals surrounding fight after fight, fur flying into the air and claws rending into flesh\n\n\\\u003eWhen two groups pass each other, it's liable to end in friction\n\n\\\u003eLike two gears moving in opposing direction\n\n\\\u003eYou just try and stick to yourself as the hours count by, as teachers rush bruised and bloody students to the nurse's office, and as the administrative staff grows increasingly worried that they won't be able to weather this storm\n\n\\\u003eBy the time school ends, you've nearly been jumped twice just for being a human\n\n\\\u003eOr not belonging to any social cliques\n\n\\\u003eAnd every time a rival group jumped in to save you — not that they intended to. They just happened to have a bigger problem with the group that was assailing you than you than they had with boring, lonely old Anon\n\n\\\u003ePrimarily, it was jocks who targeted you, looking more and more feral with each passing moment\n\n\\\u003eThe humans were starting to grow facial hair and unsightly body hair, rippling out of their cliche letterman jackets, shearing the red and white fabric\n\n\\\u003eThey're getting taller and bulkier too, shoulders pulling outwards more with muscles bulging underneath their skin\n\n\\\u003eAnd the other mammals? They're starting to look more wolfish — their ears are coming up in points, their snouts are narrowing into aggressive muzzles\n\n\\\u003eYou observe all of this as you plaster yourself against the wall outside Sam's classroom\n\n\\\u003eThe bell rolls over and kicks itself as the proverbial floodgates open up\n\n\\\u003eStudents pour out of open doors in great throngs, but all too quickly there's more skirmishes between the different groups of mammals\n\n\\\u003eSam wanders out of class (last, again)\n\n\\\u003eYour hands shoot out and find his own before he can register what's happening\n\n\\\u003eHe gives a startled squeak until he realizes it's your own hands that are pressed into his\n\n“God damn, kid. What took you so long?\" You say, tugging him down the hall\n\n\\\u003eHe evens up the pace and falls in line next to you\n\n\\\u003e\"A-A-Are you mad at me?\" He says, looking up at you\n\n\\\u003eYou slink past a pair of ugly looking punks by pressing yourself and Sam into the lockers\n\n\\\u003eThe colorful group of mammals — mostly hyenas and weasels — pass by without incident\n\n“No, just… you know that there's people out there who want to hurt you, right?\" You say\n\n\\\u003eOkay maybe you're a little upset\n\n\\\u003eHe was taking this whole thing too lightly, you feel\n\n\\\u003e\"S-Sorry,\" he says pointing his eyes to the floor\n\n\\\u003eSudden pangs of guilt wash over you\n\n“I just want to keep you safe, is all.\"\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eYou're filled with determination\n\n\\\u003eYour march is bold, proud, determined… Your face says “DON'T FUCK WITH ME OR MY BUNNY\"\n\n\\\u003eAnd nobody does\n\n\\\u003eNot even when you pass Vanessa\n\n\\\u003eShe just stares after you from behind a black veil, her eyes sunken in from all the eyeliner and sleeplessness\n\n\\\u003eSwallows of black coffee and cigarettes hold her body aloft\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eShe wouldn't risk an attack in the open, would she?\n\n\\\u003eAfter all, her two most important targets are right in front of he-\n\n\\\u003eAh\n\n\\\u003eMike joins you at your side\n\n\\\u003eThat's why she hasn't attacked yet\n\n\\\u003eMike look especially pissy today, his eyes simmering with the desire to belt someone in the face\n\n\\\u003eAnd then Jenna falls in beside him, her head on a cautious swivel\n\n\\\u003eShe steers your walk down an even busier hall that leads out to the parking lot\n\n\\\u003eNot the direction you'd take, but hey, you're not going to complain\n\n\\\u003eIt's fairly roundabout, but anything to keep the bun safe\n\n\\\u003eAlex casually brings up the rear, his gaunt form looming over the group\n\n\\\u003e\"Same plan?\" He says\n\n“Same plan,\" you acknowledge, still glaring straight ahead\n\n\\\u003eWhen you get outside, you see that the parking lot is absolute chaos\n\n\\\u003eCars dart in every direction — almost as if they're trying to ram one another\n\n\\\u003eBut you're not playing this game\n\n\\\u003eNot even when an SUV nearly clips Mike\n\n\\\u003eYour short, stocky friend, reaches out his hand…\n\n\\\u003e…And scrapes into the SUV's paint, peeling up the metal like he were a human can opener\n\n\\\u003eJesus Christ\n\n\\\u003eThat's some real vampire shit\n\n\\\u003eMike only scowls as the driver lays on the horn and stomps on the brakes\n\n\\\u003e\"C'mon kiddies, everyone to Anon's shit beater,\" Mike says, casually strolling towards your car, paying the driver he just clawed no mind\n\n“Well fuck you too, buddy. You can walk,\" you say sarcastically\n\n\\\u003e\"Bet I'd still beat you there,\" Mike replies\n\n\\\u003eYou all pile into your car, just like this morning\n\n\\\u003eThe sun was already starting on its way down, shooting godrays across your dashboard\n\n“Anyone need the heat?\" You say\n\n\\\u003eMike climbs up in the passenger seat\n\n\\\u003e\"Not when I'm here,\" he jokes\n\n\\\u003ehurrrr durrrr\n\n\\\u003eBut he might be right,\n\n\\\u003eYou look behind you, and everyone is crammed so closely together you can't help but assume that they're trading body heat\n\n\\\u003eAlex is sitting in the center\n\n\\\u003eJenna and Sam are at his flank, looking incredibly uncomfortable\n\n\\\u003eEspecially Sam, whose pink nose is wrinkling in earnest\n\n\\\u003eHe probably smells something really strong, because his face is once again pulsing with a blush\n\n\\\u003eMaybe Alex farted…\n\n\\\u003eNo, because Jenna is squinting at Sam, processing something wordlessly\n\n\\\u003eYou just remember you forgot to give Sam his medicine\n\n\\\u003eWell, when you get to your house, you'll remember\n\n\\\u003eBecause everything will be as it should be, and you'll finally get some reprieve\n\n\\\u003eEverything is not as it should be\n\n\\\u003eOhhhh everything is far from that\n\n\\\u003eLet's start with your kicked in front door\n\n\\\u003eIt sits in two splinters, loosely suspended on its hinges\n\n\\\u003e\"It could be the wind,\" Alex observes quite dumbly\n\n\\\u003eNo, it was not the wind\n\n\\\u003eIt was someone with huge, powerful legs\n\n\\\u003eOr… something…\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eMoving into the house, there's more shit that's fucked up\n\n\\\u003eFirst off: everything is in disarray\n\n\\\u003eTables and chairs knocked over\n\n\\\u003eCouches on their sides\n\n\\\u003eJesus Christ someone had to be really strong\n\n\\\u003eOr really mad\n\n\\\u003eTo do this\n\n\\\u003eThe TV sports a massive hole in it that'll cost you your non-existent college fund\n\n\\\u003eThe fridge is open and food is everywhere\n\n\\\u003eAnd\n\n\\\u003eYou sprint to your room\n\n\\\u003eIt's completely destroyed\n\n\\\u003eEverything is upside down, smashed, or seemingly tossed against the wall\n\n\\\u003eThat includes your PC\n\n“Muh rig,\" you whisper, staring down at the shattered and snapped silicone pieces\n\n\\\u003e\"I'm just going to assume you don't normally live like this,\" Jenna observes with suspicion, speaking low. “So it looks like someone knows where you live.\"\n\n“Right,\" you say, bending over a torn sleeping bag from the night that Alex and Sam slept in your house. “So, we're sure as hell not staying here until Friday. Take what we need — extra clothes, money, beer…\" your eyes quickly sweep over Sam, who is sniffing at the air. “Soap…\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Speaking of soap,\" Jenna cuts in. “I want to shower.\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Same,\" Mike agrees\n\n\\\u003eYou're dumbstruck\n\n“My house just got broken into and trashed and you want to shower… here… now?\"\n\n\\\u003e\"It's not like they'll come back. They already broke in and didn't find what they were looking for,\" Jenna says, kicking at your tossed up bedsheets. “Besides, I have something I want to test.\"\n\n“What did you want to test, if humans bathe with their tongues?\" You fold your arms across your chest\n\n\\\u003eJenna blushes\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh fuck off… I just want to test something with Sam. You go get him to shower.\"\n\n“Is this really urgent? Like, do we need to do this now?\" You hiss\n\n\\\u003eMike is already stripping off his clothes\n\n\\\u003e\"You two have five seconds to get out of here before I'm naked,\" he says\n\n\\\u003eJenna's neck turns on a dime\n\n\\\u003eHer blush only strengthens when she sees Mike's half-naked body struggling to get out of a pair of jeans\n\n\\\u003eSam comes rolling in to the room with a Dr. Bepper in hand\n\n\\\u003e\"W-What's going on in he-\"\n\n\\\u003eYou shield his delicate little eyes from the sight of Mike's stocky, shirtless body\n\n\\\u003eNobody deserves to see that\n\n\\\u003eJenna squeals and slaps Mike on the back\n\n\\\u003e\"God damnit, put your clothes back on until you get to the bathroom!\" She cries\n\n\\\u003eMike lurches forward from the blow\n\n\\\u003e\"Jesus! Claws!\" He wheezes. “Fucking snapjaw!\"\n\n\\\u003eYou gasp\n\n\\\u003eSam gasps\n\n\\\u003eJenna snarls\n\n\\\u003e\"What did you just say?\"\n\n\\\u003e\"I-\" Mike struggles his shirt back on his head. “It just kind of slipped ou-\"\n\n\\\u003eJenna growls deep in her chest and bares her fangs\n\n\\\u003e\"Go shower, Sapone, or I'm going to bite your dick off.\"\n\n\\\u003e\"I'm going, Christ. Watch the claws next time!\" He hobbles through the doorway, past Sam, his pants still barely on\n\n\\\u003eYou lead Sam up to your shower, grabbing a towel from your room\n\n\\\u003eHe's still slurping on his Dr. Bepper\n\n\\\u003e\"W-Where are we going?\" He asks as you flick on hallway lights\n\n“Jenna thinks it's best if everyone gets a shower in,\" you grumble, clearly unhappy with the decision\n\n“It doesn't look like whoever fucked up your house did anything to the bathrooms, strangely enough\n\n\\\u003eSam pales\n\n\\\u003e\"S-Shower?! I-I-I don't need to s-shower or b-bathe with yo-\"\n\n\\\u003eWew lad\n\n“Slow down there buddy, you and I aren't showering together. You're showering by yourself. And yes, you do need a fucking shower.\"\n\n\\\u003eMan, you're awfully pissy\n\n\\\u003eYou run the water in your bathroom\n\n“There's shampoo, conditioner, and a bar of soap,\" you say, pointing to all the dark blue bottles lining the shower floor\n\n“Oh, and this is for you. You've been burning hot since this morning,\" you practically throw the little pill at him\n\n\\\u003e\"W-What is this?\" He squeaks\n\n“Just take it,\" you sigh. “I'm going to go keep watch. You know how to use a shower, right?\"\n\n\\\u003eDamn\n\n\\\u003eYou're REALLY pissy\n\n\\\u003eThe bunny nods, clearly hurt,\n\n\\\u003eHis greasy bangs fall across his eyes\n\n\\\u003eYou shut the door on him as the hiss of the shower starts up\n\n\\\u003eYou slide backwards with a tremendous sigh. “Fucccck,\" you mutter as you lean into the door\n\n\\\u003eYou were hoping to be able to spend the rest of the week here, where there's beds and bathrooms and showers\n\n\\\u003eBut now either Sam's dad or the goths know where you live\n\n\\\u003eThey could have easily got your information from the school\n\n\\\u003eOr followed you one day\n\n\\\u003eOr\n\n\\\u003eBleh\n\n\\\u003eIt doesn't matter\n\n\\\u003eIf your information is compromised, then so is everyone else's'\n\n\\\u003eThere'll be no holing up at Jenna's, Mike's, or Alexi's\n\n\\\u003eNope, just more nights at the fucking church\n\n\\\u003eJehsush Chroist\n\n\\\u003eYou are Sam\n\n\\\u003eOh shit oh fuck oh fuck\n\n\\\u003eIt smells like Anonymous in here\n\n\\\u003eEvery breath you take coats your lungs in his scent\n\n\\\u003eYour insides are starting to feel hot and confused, like balloons knotted together\n\n\\\u003eThe illustrious human musk — kind of sour, masculine, spicy, is your drug\n\n\\\u003eYou've been addicted to it ever since you met Anon\n\n\\\u003eOr maybe it's just him?\n\n\\\u003eYou run your hands through your long-ish hair\n\n\\\u003eYou are really, really greasy, and you do need a shower\n\n\\\u003eBut the whole room is spinning something awful\n\n\\\u003eYou quickly down the pill Anon gave you\n\n\\\u003eMaybe you are getting sick?\n\n\\\u003eOr…\n\n\\\u003eWorse… You're in your cycle\n\n\\\u003eYou gasp, but that only serves to put more of Anon in your lungs\n\n\\\u003eBeing in heat right now is absolutely not what you or anyone else needs\n\n\\\u003eChrist, why are you such a burden to everyone?\n\n\\\u003eEven Anon seemed pissed off at you\n\n\\\u003eYou jump 10 feet into the air when you hear a light rapping on the door\n\n\\\u003e\"Yo, dude, are you going to shower? Because I have to go after you,\" Anon says, his voice tired and uninterested\n\n“Y-Yes!\" You stammer, shucking your ratty hoodie and whipping it onto the sink\n\n\\\u003e“Good,\" Anon says with a flatness to his tone. “Just don't clog the drain with fur.\"\n\n\\\u003e\"R-Right!\"\n\n\\\u003eYou tug on the waistband of your pants with hesitation\n\n\\\u003eYour eyes flick over to the door\n\n\\\u003eAs quiet as a mouse (though they're not that quiet, in actuality. One of your neighbors was a mouse and she was up all night 'squeaking' most night) you jiggle the knob and find that the lock holds\n\n\\\u003eUnlike back home\n\n\\\u003eBut you're not thinking of /that/ home. You don't live there anymore\n\n\\\u003eYou finally lose the pants\n\n\\\u003eAnd there you stand, in the mirror, wearing a stained white undershirt and a pair of old boxers\n\n\\\u003eYour meager breasts stand like little bumps against the thin white fabric of the shirt\n\n\\\u003eYou delicately palm them and wonder why you even have them?\n\n\\\u003eYou're still a woman, you know that much is true\n\n\\\u003eYou're just not a good woman\n\n\\\u003eYou could never make Anon- Y-You mean, any man, happy\n\n\\\u003eSo why do you care so much?\n\n\\\u003eThe most feminine feature you posses, you think, is your hips and thighs\n\n\\\u003eBecause of your slender, delicate frame, your prominent haunches look simply ridiculous\n\n\\\u003eEven as emaciated as you are, your thighs are rounded and powerful, nature-built for sprinting and kicking\n\n\\\u003ePut all of this in one body and you're like a badly cobbled together art project\n\n\\\u003eYour proportions are all wrong\n\n\\\u003eYou lift your shirt just a little bit, blushing all the while\n\n\\\u003eHere goes nothing\n\n\\\u003eOne a quick motion you jerk your shirt off, tugging it over your long ears\n\n\\\u003eAnd there you stand, again\n\n\\\u003eA brown Mini-Rex rabbit, wearing nothing but her boxers, blushing furiously\n\n\\\u003eIt must be the scent of Anonymous in here that's throwing you off\n\n\\\u003eYou shake your head again to try and loosen your… urges…\n\n\\\u003eBut it's no use\n\n\\\u003eMaybe a shower will help?\n\n\\\u003eBuilding a curtain of steam, you take probably longer than you should under the rinse\n\n\\\u003eBut…\n\n\\\u003e… You actually got to shower for the first time in a /long/ time, and that feels like heaven\n\n\\\u003eYou look into the fogged mirror, wiping aside a layer of mist with your paws\n\n\\\u003eWith your fur freshly scrubbed, hair shampooed and conditioned and laying in thick, wet strands across your face, you feel…\n\n\\\u003e…Cute?\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003ePretty?\n\n\\\u003eOh god\n\n\\\u003eAre you pretty?\n\n\\\u003eNo\n\n\\\u003eThis is just the heat talking\n\n\\\u003eYou've n-never been pretty\n\n\\\u003eYou're just a dumb useless rabbit\n\n\\\u003eStill\n\n\\\u003eWhen you lean in closer, you can't help but feel a gentle tinge of heat come into your cheeks\n\n\\\u003eYou drop your slender, rounded shoulders and summon a deep, misty breath\n\n\\\u003eWith unsure eyes, you scan over your body, lightly twisting your long, floppy ears that hang down like two useless snakes growing from your scalp\n\n\\\u003eYou let a wandering finger trace their pink insides before smoothing the fur out across your face\n\n\\\u003eYour nose and whiskers wrinkle at your own gentle touch\n\n\\\u003eYou run your hand through your hair and push it back\n\n\\\u003eIt'll dry soon\n\n\\\u003eNow, it's time for the real moment of truth\n\n\\\u003eYou close your eyes and slowly exhale a knot of nervous air\n\n\\\u003eThe towel drops in a damp pile around your feet\n\n\\\u003eYou've done it\n\n\\\u003eYou're totally naked\n\n\\\u003eYou haven't been totally naked in…\n\n\\\u003e… Well it's been a long time\n\n\\\u003eWith appraising eyes and wandering fingers you scan over your still sodden body, its fur matted down with warmth\n\n\\\u003eYou have a thin, almost emaciated midsection that draws down from your upper torso\n\n\\\u003eDotting your chest are two pink nipples, suspended on your two palmable breasts, hanging softly above your quite visible ribcage\n\n\\\u003eYour bones are delicate and fragile, almost hollow\n\n\\\u003eLike a bird's\n\n\\\u003eYou travel down further to where your waist pinches in\n\n\\\u003eAnd then bows out again gently with noticeable exaggeration\n\n\\\u003eSet back powerfully are your haunches, which meld into your rather apparent thighs\n\n\\\u003eAnd between them…\n\n\\\u003eYou shiver as you brush a finger over your sensitive clit\n\n\\\u003e… Is the pink slit of your sex\n\n\\\u003eYou've never known how to feel about this, since girls aren't tough, and vaginas aren't either…\n\n\\\u003e… Is what you tell yourself\n\n\\\u003eJacob wanted you to be tough\n\n\\\u003eDad wanted you to be his son\n\n\\\u003eBut you couldn't be either of those things\n\n\\\u003eYou don't feel like a boy — you know you're not\n\n\\\u003eNo matter how hard you try, you can't make it happen\n\n\\\u003eYou can only pretend for Jacob's memory and Dad's approval\n\n\\\u003eYou've done it for so long that you hardly know your feminine side. But it's there, lurking beneath your sensitive skin\n\n\\\u003eAnd you don't feel brave\n\n\\\u003eYou just feel like a weakling\n\n\\\u003eSo you pretend to be someone you're not, so you can be strong\n\n\\\u003eJust like Jacob would have wanted\n\n\\\u003eStill…\n\n\\\u003eYou give a quick spin\n\n\\\u003eYour poofy tail flairs out, and you catch a quick glimpse of your naturally padded buttocks\n\n\\\u003eGlutes from all the running and from what nature gave you\n\n\\\u003eAnd that's just how rabbits are built, you guess\n\n\\\u003eOh God\n\n\\\u003eYour face flushes as you think back to the cheerleader who absolutely M O G G E D you in the hallways yesterday\n\n\\\u003eD-Do you honestly compete with her?\n\n\\\u003eBetter question: do you think you do?\n\n\\\u003eGod, deep in your tiny, fluttery little heart, you hope so\n\n\\\u003eBut you'd never admit that\n\n\\\u003eNobody finds you attractive\n\n\\\u003eAnon is just so nice to you since you're his friend\n\n\\\u003eYeah\n\n\\\u003eYou're friends\n\n\\\u003eYou don't have feelings for him!\n\n\\\u003eEven though being near him makes your heart start to race\n\n\\\u003eAnd when you're with him all the noise in your head just goes quiet\n\n\\\u003eIt's like nothing else matters\n\n\\\u003eHe's handsome, and kind, and brave, and you're so glad he's your…\n\n\\\u003e… friend\n\n\\\u003eOh who the hell are you kidding\n\n\\\u003eHe's you knight in shining armor, Jesus fucking Christ\n\n\\\u003eYour knight in shining armor bangs loudly on the door, sending you 10 feet into the air\n\n\\\u003e\"Yo Samuel. Sammy. Sammethy. You done in there?\"\n\n“J-Just a minute!\" You scramble to throw on your clothes\n\n\\\u003eAnd you check one last time for hair in the drain\n\n\\\u003eThankfully, you managed to scoop all your loose trimmings into the trashcan\n\n\\\u003eYou don't want to offend Anon\n\n\\\u003eAfter all, he's probably not used to having anthros in his house\n\n\\\u003eYou and Jenna need to set positive examples\n\n\\\u003eYou open the door and slip on out, fully clothed, but still damp\n\n\\\u003eA trail of steam follows you\n\n\\\u003eAnon looks up at you, his trailing his eyes from the red book suspended in his palms over to you\n\n\\\u003eYou nervously brush your hair out of your eyes\n\n“I-I'm done,\" you say\n\n\\\u003eFor whatever reason you feel extra self-conscious, just standing there in the hallway, still wet, wearing some crusty old clothes\n\n\\\u003eAnon studies you with interest before slapping the red book shut and loosening his tie\n\n\\\u003e\"Lookin' sharp, kid. My turn.\" Anon slides past you, and you just stand there like some kind of gawking idiot\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e“I promise I'll be quick,\" he says\n\n\\\u003eThe door slams with a \\*WHOMF\\* and the hiss of the shower can be heard not long after\n\n\\\u003eYou… You don't know what to do now\n\n\\\u003eYou've always waited for someone to tell you what to do and where to go\n\n\\\u003eYour eyes scan the hallways, lined with shattered family portraits\n\n\\\u003eYou bounce a little on your heels\n\n\\\u003eWhat now?\n\n\\\u003eAh\n\n\\\u003eWait\n\n\\\u003eDoesn't Anonymous have a comic book collection?\n\n\\\u003eOh my fuck he does\n\n\\\u003eYou bound off down the hallway, using your nose to sniff out Anon's room\n\n\\\u003eFinding his is easy: It's the one that smells the most like a mix of sweat, cologne and human musk\n\n\\\u003eThe smell hits you like a massive wave, and in an instant, you're dizzy\n\n\\\u003eYou steady yourself on the doorframe\n\n\\\u003eYour head swims through the musk, drawing your legs into a mechanical trot through the doors\n\n\\\u003eUnwashed clothes are strewn about the floor like land mines of pheromones\n\n\\\u003eWew\n\n\\\u003eYou can hardly think straight\n\n\\\u003eAnd it's by sheer luck that you manage to wander over to Anon's book shelves\n\n\\\u003eYou find the comics, but you're barely reading\n\n\\\u003eMostly just sitting there with an open copy of Superman, rubbing your thighs together absentmindedly\n\n\\\u003eIt might be time to admit your heat is getting to you\n\n\\\u003e…\n\n\\\u003eNah, you'll be okay. You can control this\n\n\\\u003eAnon casually strolls into the room wearing nothing but a towel\n\n\\\u003e[Thigh rubbing intensifies]\n\n\\\u003eYou squeak loudly and shield your eyes with a copy of The Man of Steel\n\n\\\u003eAnon jumps back\n\n\\\u003e\"Oh FUCK, dude!\" His hands fly to his waist\n\n\\\u003eHe tightens the towel around his midsection\n\n\\\u003eBut your eyes still creep over the top of your hastily constructed visual barrier to catch a glimpse of his bare, hairless chest\n\n\\\u003e\"What are you doing in here?\" He asks breathlessly\n\n\\\u003eYou can't tell for sure, but is his face going scarlet?\n\n\\\u003eYou forget to answer\n\n\\\u003eYou're just…\n\n\\\u003eStaring\n\n\\\u003ePossibly drooling\n\n\\\u003eAnon snaps his fingers\n\n\\\u003e\"Yo, dude. I need to change. So just like… turn around or something.\"\n\n“W-WHAT!?\" You practically shriek\n\n\\\u003eAnon looks at you with an expression of confusion\n\n\\\u003e\"I'm going to change. In my own room. Is that not okay with you?\"\n\n“Y-You mean like you-your're g-going to b-b-b-be naked?\"\n\n\\\u003eA moment of silence passes\n\n\\\u003eAnon blinks a few times and droops his shoulders\n\n\\\u003e\"I mean… yes. I planned on it. I'm not wearing anything except this towel right now.\" He pats his hip\n\n\\\u003eYou can't help but watch the whole thing, eyes wide\n\n\\\u003ecome to think of it, you don't think you've ever seen a naked human before\n\n\\\u003eSure you've seen shirtless humans (briefly), but never…\n\n\\\u003eOh god\n\n\\\u003eYour heat is so fucking bad\n\n\\\u003eThis is bad\n\n\\\u003eAnon, oblivious as fucking usual, turns around and starts grabbing underwear, socks and a pair of jeans from his drawers\n\n\\\u003e\"I-\" you stand up, still shielding your eyes with a copy of superman\n\n\\\u003eJust put down the comic\n\n\\\u003eC'mon\n\n\\\u003eHis back muscles are probably so hot\n\n\\\u003eMaybe the towel will slip off\n\n\\\u003eAnd maybe he'll turn around\n\n\\\u003eAnd maybe he'll say to you:\n\n\\\u003e'Sam, I want to make sweet, gentle love to you.'\n\n\\\u003eOH GOD WHAT IF HE DOES GET NAKED WITH YOU IN THE ROOM\n\n\\\u003eHE STILL THINKS YOU'RE A BOY\n\n\\\u003eYou open your mouth to stammer out an apology, but the sound of heavy, damp fabric hitting the carpet makes your heart stop\n\n\\\u003eHe did it\n\n\\\u003eHe's naked\n\n\\\u003e\"Turn around a sec,\" Anon says quite casually\n\n\\\u003eYou oblige, absolutely GLOWING RED in the face\n\n\\\u003eQuickly you drop the comic and start tugging painfully at your ears\n\n\\\u003eStupid\n\n\\\u003eStupid\n\n\\\u003eWhy did you think you could just WALTZ right into Anon's musky room and start going through his shit?\n\n\\\u003eStupid\n\n\\\u003eWell, he doesn't seem to care too much, so maybe this isn't entirely a fuck up on your behalf\n\n\\\u003eMaybe he's just really mad at you and he isn't showing it\n\n\\\u003eOh god, he's probably so mad\n\n\\\u003eWell good going fucktard, you fucked up something else\n\n\\\u003eDad was right\n\n\\\u003eStill clenching your ears, you (very stupidly and impulsively) turn around and begin to apologize profusely\n\n\\\u003e…Which was the wrong move\n\n\\\u003eAnonymous, bare-chested and in a pair of boxers, stands in front of you, one leg shoved down the length of his pants\n\n\\\u003eYour eyes meet\n\n\\\u003eAnd for a brief second, nobody moves\n\n\\\u003eYou're pretty sure your heart stopped beating\n\n\\\u003eAnon is glowing red, his mouth working like he's trying to say something\n\n\\\u003eYou slut\n\n\\\u003e\"Sam?\"\n\n“Y-Yes…?\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Are you gay?\"\n\n“…I g-guess not.\"\n\n\\\u003eAnon slips his other leg into his pants and hikes them up to his waist\n\n\\\u003eHe studies you\n\n\\\u003e\"…Because if you are, I won't judge you.\"\n\n\\\u003eYou don't realize you're breathing hot, sultry breaths\n\n\\\u003eOr that you haven't taken your eyes off of him\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eOr that you're gently rubbing your thighs together\n\n“I…\" you start to answer, but Anon interjects impatiently\n\n\\\u003e\"Would you… just… turn around, or something?\"\n\n\\\u003e…\n\n\\\u003eAh, right\n\n\\\u003eYou blink yourself back to reality\n\n\\\u003eYou turn to face Anon's bookshelf in shame while Anonymous throws on the rest of his clothes\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003e\"Do you feel better?\" He asks in a concerned tone\n\n\\\u003eWhat?\n\n\\\u003eNO! There's a fire in your heart!\n\n\\\u003e…A-And between your legs\n\n“Wh-What do you m-mean?\" You ask, because you're curious\n\n\\\u003e\"From the fever. You were burning up this morning. Thought I was going to have to pretend to be your dad and get you out of school or something.\"\n\n“O-Oh.\" You nervously dig your feet into the carpet\n\n\\\u003eHe thinks you have a fever\n\n\\\u003eCan you imagine if he really knew the truth?\n\n\\\u003eYou clutch your ears tightly\n\n\\\u003eHe can never know\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eNobody can ever know what a weak bitch you really are\n\n“Y-Yeah, I f-f-feel a lot b-bett-tter. T-Thanks for the m-medicine. B-Besides I-I don't think I-I have an-any more s-s-sick days left.\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Christ,\" Anonymous says. “Did your dad keep you home a few days?\"\n\n\\\u003eYou struggle to keep your eyes forward\n\n\\\u003eAll you want to do is turn around and drink in Anon's unremarkable body\n\n\\\u003eSure, he's not ripped\n\n\\\u003eHe's just… an average build, slightly tall\n\n\\\u003eBut to you, he's your superhero\n\n\\\u003eHe's your Man of Steel\n\n\\\u003eGeeze, humans must take awhile to get dressed\n\n\\\u003e\"Sam?\" Anon asks again\n\n“S-Sorry. I w-was t-thinking. Yeah I-I got sick f-for a week an-and some d-d-days I just ca-can't go to sc-school. T-T-T-Too much g-going on a-a-at home.\"\n\n\\\u003e\"With you and your dad? Where's your mom in all of this? And your brother? You mentioned you had a brother, I think.\"\n\n\"Mom is…\" your eyes fall to the copy of Superman at your feet\n\n\\\u003eYour courage seems to drain out through your toes\n\n\\\u003eNo\n\n\\\u003eYou're brave, damnit\n\n\\\u003eYou promised Jacob you'd be brave and strong\n\n“…Gone. I d-don't kn-know where s-she w-went. Dad said s-she ra-ran away because of me and Jake.\"\n\n\\\u003eAnon hums In thought\n\n\\\u003eThere's a quick hiss as he applies a shot of cologne to his chest\n\n\\\u003eThe sweet, slightly bitter scent hits your nostrils instantly\n\n\\\u003eIt's pleasant and sharp, and your nose seems addicted to it\n\n\\\u003e\"Jake… is that your brother?\"\n\n\"Uh-huh.\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Were you two tight?\"\n\n“W-What?\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Sorry. Were you two close?\"\n\n\\\u003eYour heart catches in your chest\n\n\\\u003eYes, you were close\n\n\\\u003eBut at times, you were distant\n\n\\\u003eJacob was your protector, your guardian angel\n\n\\\u003eHe tried to teach you how to be strong\n\n\\\u003eHow to defend yourself\n\n\\\u003eStand up for yourself and others\n\n\\\u003eBut he had too much of Dad in him\n\n\\\u003eToo much bitterness swallowed down like each hard pull on Dad's bottles\n\n\\\u003eToo much vitrol, spite, choking on it at times\n\n\\\u003eHe'd turn against you sometimes\n\n\\\u003eOther times he was downright psychotic\n\n\\\u003eBut you knew it was always done out of a desire to make you tougher\n\n\\\u003eLike an Indian Summer, he wouldn't be around forever\n\n\\\u003eAnd he must have known it, somewhere deep inside of him, where the whiskey rotted his guts\n\n\\\u003eYou only helped accelerate that\n\n\\\u003eWhen you…\n\n\\\u003eYou know…\n\n\\\u003eOn the tracks-\n\n\\\u003e\"Dude!\"\n\n\\\u003eAnon drags your hands away from your ears, his heavy fingers ringing around your slender wrists\n\n\\\u003e\"You're going to hurt yourself!\"\n\n\\\u003eYour eyes crack open\n\n\\\u003eAnon has your hands forced against your sides before you even realize what you're doing\n\n\\\u003eFor the first time in years, pain rings dully in your ears, like a pulsing heartbeat\n\n\\\u003e\"Christ almighty, kid. You scared me.\"\n\n“S-Sorry,\" you squeak helplessly. “I-I didn't m-mean t-to do it. I j-just th-thought of my-\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Brother?\"\n\n\\\u003eYou nod\n\n\\\u003e\"You don't have to talk about him if you don't want to. I'm sorry, I didn't know this was so hard for you.\"\n\n\\\u003eYou squeeze your eyes shut again, and all you see is Jacob's worn face, eyes sunken in and smoldering with anger, like Dad's\n\n\\\u003eHe haunts the pinks of your eyes and the space behind your skull\n\n\\\u003eThe image of that day on the tracks comes rushing back to you, and your legs start to tremble\n\n\\\u003eGod DAMNIT! Jacob didn't die so you could continue to be a coward!\n\n\\\u003eYou aren't alone anymore! You have people that care about you\n\n\\\u003ePeople that love you\n\n\\\u003eThe fact that you're even in a friend's house right now is proof of that\n\n\\\u003eYour trembling subsides into little tremors that you press into the carpet\n\n\\\u003eYou suck in some of the cologne-y diffused air\n\n\\\u003eHere goes nothing\n\n\\\u003eTime to play all of your cards (except, obviously, your most important one)\n\n“M-My brother is d-d-d-d-dead,\" you say, exhaling the tightness of your chest on the last syllables\n\n\\\u003eAnon tightens his grip, as if anticipating another anxiety attack\n\n\\\u003eYou slacken the muscles in your shoulders and arms\n\n\\\u003eLike some kind of scared animal injected with morphine, your tension stymies\n\n\\\u003e\"I had no idea. I'm sorry,\" he says, after a silence that drags on for far too long\n\n\\\u003eHis grip comes loose as he feels you go soft\n\n\\\u003eYou inspect the scarlet rings pressed into your skin encircling your wrists\n\n\\\u003eNothing you can't handle\n\n\\\u003eStrange, this time it was done out of concern, and not out of rage\n\n“I-It's okay. W-We were cl-close, b-but i-it was f-four years a-ago,\" you breathe out, still not able to turn around and face Anonymous. “I-I need to g-g-get over i-it already.\"\n\n\\\u003e\"Shit, right before you started high school?\"\n\n“Y-Yeah. T-The summer before…\"\n\n\\\u003eYou wait for another question, but only feel Anon shifting behind you\n\n\\\u003eYou feel two pairs of gentle, stiff arms slip around your scrawny midsection\n\n\\\u003eAnon pulls you against him, into a hug\n\n\\\u003eYou can feel the rigidity of his whole body against yours\n\n\\\u003eThe sharp angles of a boy, the arc of his body bent over yours\n\n\\\u003eThe gentle fabric of his shirt\n\n\\\u003eThe coarseness of his jeans digging into your back\n\n\\\u003eYou take in a whiff of his cologne, his clean-smelling deodorant, his freshly scrubbed hair and skin\n\n\\\u003eYour legs go weak, and you dissolve backwards into your friend\n\n\\\u003eThat's right\n\n\\\u003eYou're safe\n\n\\\u003eHe's your friend\n\n\\\u003e\"You know?\" Anon's voice is deep and scratchy so close to your ears\n\n\\\u003eYou like the way it sends shivers up and down your body\u0026nbsp;\n\n\\\u003eLike little veins of electricity\n\n\\\u003eYou even like the feel of his chin digging into your shoulder flesh\n\n\\\u003eYou just like… him\n\n\\\u003e\"For all the shit you've gone through, you're really strong.\"\n\n\\\u003eYour heart sinks in your chest\n\n\"I-I-I d-don't th-\"\n\n\\\u003e\"It's true,\" he says in a low, gentle voice, sending more electricity coursing through your nerves. “You're one of the strongest people I know.\"\n\n\\\u003eHow can he say that, after what your cowardice did — what it continues to do to people?\n\n\\\u003eBut you thank him meekly anyway, hoping he never lets go","series":{"name":"The Leaves of Fall","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1667155-the-leaves-of-fall-act-3-something-that-matters-part-1.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1670329-the-leaves-of-fall-act-3-something-that-matters-part-3.json"}}