{"sf1_id":1677757,"sf2_id":"5nzwlWE1","title":" The Leaves of Fall Act 3: Something That Matters (Part 7)","author":"Oliver_Hart","words":1493,"posted_at":"2021-01-28T00:01:38.000Z","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/1677757-the-leaves-of-fall-act-3-something-that-matters-part-7","original_url":"https://sofurry.com/s/5nzwlWE1","image_url":"https://cdn.sofurryfiles.com/submissions/thumbnails/4f/92/4f92bca9-c21c-428a-b3ce-c9e46786485c","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":"\\\u003eImagine the most generic Halloween movie soundtrack possible, and you'd have a rough approximation of what's playing overhead at the costume store  \n\\\u003eFor the first time in what feels like a very long time, you are assailed by corny ghost moans and anything-but-bone-shaking thunder  \n\\\u003eAnd the cherry on top?  \n\\\u003eSquealing bat sound effects that sound like they got ripped from 1960s Scooby-Doo reruns on TV  \n\\\u003eAs the sliding door opens, and all these sounds strike you in one aural gut-punch, you breathe deeply and squeeze your eyes shut  \n\\\u003eYou're home, back in your memories  \n\\\u003eYou're a little kid again, trying to find a costume that will draw the least amount of attention because you didn't know, back then, that you had a crippling fear of judgement  \n\\\u003eMike shrugs past you, aiming to get this over with as soon as possible, tossing you out of the nostalgia  \n\\\u003eJenna is close behind him, but the glow of joy in her eyes is enough to tell you that she's plenty excited to be here, and not out stealing things from a liquor store, like Mike had initially suggested  \n  \n\\\u003eSam bounces from clothing rack to clothing rack, grabbing packages and pre-made costumes, turning them over in his tiny hands like they were precious gems  \n\\\u003eFrom a firefighter to a skeleton to an anime character… he seems immensely pleased by all of it  \n\\\u003eIt's like he's been dosed with rocket fuel. You've never seen him so reckless and excited  \n\\\u003eAnd as you dig through a bin of shitty plastic props and discount costumes, you can't help but smile  \n\\\u003eYou feel like you're doing the right thing  \n  \n\\\u003eYou're sorting aside discount costumes (mostly just wigs with gum in them) when you hear Sam beside you, breathing hard from exhaustion in little wheezes  \n\\\u003eYou straighten your back and look down  \n\\\u003eThe bunny has no less than 10 separate costume pieces stacked high, burdening his already thin arms  \n\\\u003e\"A-A-Anon,\" he stutters, nearly out of breath. “I-I-I want to t-t-t-try these on.\"  \n\\\u003e… It's not like he needs your permission  \n\\\u003eOh  \n\\\u003eWow  \n\\\u003eHe's probably been clothes shopping once or twice in his life  \n\\\u003eJesus Christ that's surreal  \n\\\u003eYou take clothes shopping for granted every time you go  \n\\\u003eDoes he…  \n\\\u003eNeed instructions?  \n“Go find the changing room,\" you tell him, as you pick a package of cheap 'priest vestments' from the refuse of the discount bin  \n\\\u003eHe throws you a confused glance at the mention of the word 'changing room'  \n\\\u003e\"W-W-What is that?\"  \n\\\u003eYou're not sure if this is irritating or adorable  \n“It's a room where you get naked and try on the costumes,\" you say, trying to dismiss him so you can find your other co-conspirators  \n\\\u003eWhen you got into the store you all fanned out in alternate directions  \n\\\u003eExcept Sam, who clung to you like he was glued to your hip  \n\\\u003eHe really likes hanging around you, you tell yourself  \n\\\u003eOr he's getting really touchy  \n\\\u003eOne of the two  \n\\\u003eSam looks unsure of his instructions  \n\\\u003eYou groan internally and point a lazy finger towards a hanging sign that says 'changing rooms'  \n\\\u003eSam fixes you with a 'I'm sorry' look, and then bounds off in the direction of the changing rooms, jockeying his stack of costumes  \n\\\u003eWhat the hell does he even need those for?  \n\\\u003eThe designs he came up with for himself —\u0026nbsp; 'Samurai Outlaw' — couldn't be simpler: a hoodie, some baggy pants, a bandana, and a baseball bat  \n\\\u003eWhatever  \n\\\u003eLet the kid have his fun  \n\\\u003eYou smile at the thought of Sam getting to finally enjoy what you've taken for granted for years  \n\\\u003eYou hold the costume you picked — a priest's robes — up to the light  \n\\\u003eIt's fairly standard — there's a picture of a rhino wearing them, and despite the rhino's size, the long, flowing, cheap cut of cloth hangs off his arms and around his waist in huge swaths  \n\\\u003eThey're primarily an off yellow, sickly like vomit, with a definite gold stripe running down the center of the piece with two lines branching towards your shoulder, like a 'Y' with a spike down its center  \n\\\u003eThey match Sam's drawing for you  \n\\\u003eThe kid has talent, that much is true  \n\\\u003eBut the costume is a scant reflection of Sam's vision  \n\\\u003eIn fact, like all Halloween costumes, it's cheaply made, and the cut is a bit large  \n\\\u003eYou'll have to go try it on  \n  \n\\\u003eAs you make your way to changing rooms, you pass by Alex  \n\\\u003eHe smirks and pulls the brim of a fedora lower, having tossed his signature yellow beanie aside  \n\\\u003eHis whole body is clad in cheap cloth that's been textured to look like a striped suit  \n\\\u003eBut you know? The cut is tapered in at the sides and shoulder, so from a distance, he really does look like some kind of 20s-30s gangster  \n\\\u003eThe fedora tho, invokes your inner elitist again  \n\\\u003eToo much time on the internet  \n\\\u003e\"Nyyeeh sheeee,\" he says in the worst accent you've ever heard  \n\\\u003eThe utterance of those words causes something physical to seize up inside you  \n“Listen, Alex, comrade… Never say that again like that, okay?\"  \n\\\u003eHe nods in agreement  \n\\\u003e\"Save my charisma for Friday. Gotcha.\" He winks at you  \n“That's not what I meant, but aright. Save it for Friday.\"  \n\\\u003e\"Was it good?\" He asks, already having decided for himself it was Oscar-worthy  \n\\\u003eYou agree with him, in the way that a parent agrees with their child when they say they're going to grow up to be 'The President of the Moon'  \n“Don't change a thing, Alexi.\"  \n\\\u003eHe fires dual finger guns back at you, and you almost wish they were real so you can be spared an encore performance  \n\\\u003eYou can feel a shiver still running up your spine as you pace off towards the changing rooms  \n\\\u003eIf only you were dead  \n  \n\\\u003eThere's only two available changing rooms  \n\\\u003eHmmm  \n\\\u003eYou try the one on the left and get a metal rattle as the lock catches  \n“Sorry,\" you say, face going flush with blood  \n\\\u003eYou probably just scared the piss out of someone who is stark naked in there, trying on a slutty 'nerd' costume or something  \n\\\u003eBut the response you get back is as empty as your wallet is about to be  \n\\\u003eThere's sadly no dividers for your voice to carry over  \n\\\u003eThe sound isolation must be insane  \n\\\u003eThese are just closed-in rooms with mirrors pasted onto walls and signs that say 'changing room' glued on the windowless doors  \n\\\u003eClassy  \n\\\u003eAlright, Sam must be in the one on the left, you reason  \n\\\u003eMeaning you've got the one on the right to try  \n\\\u003eYou find it's not locked, and you hear no voices of protest as you crack open the door  \n\\\u003eGood!  \n  \n\\\u003eYou twist the nob and slip inside, snapping off the endless chime of cheap Halloween sound effects as the door shuts with a meaty \\*thunk\\*  \n\\\u003eA distinct, girlish falsetto shrieks behind you  \n  \n\\\u003eYou don't even think about the consequences of what you do next, because your body moves autonomously  \n\\\u003eYou don't consider how turning around changes your life almost completely in less than a fraction of a second  \n\\\u003eSo much can happen in the resonate space between heartbeats  \n\\\u003eA car wrapping around a tree, impaling the driver who held his eyes down at his wheel for one pulse too many  \n\\\u003eA baby's first, catching lungfuls of air, and the exhaustive sigh of the mother who was told her son would be a stillborn  \n\\\u003eThe small gap between the barrel of a gun and the temple is one heartbeat across  \n\\\u003eThis is one of those moments  \n  \n\\\u003eYou turn around and behold Sam Garlen, who has one bulbous leg down the throat of a pirate costume's trousers, and is standing, otherwise, stark naked, all of his clothes scattered around him in a pile  \n\\\u003e\"A-A-A-Anon!?\" He shrieks, voice rising and rising in pitch  \n\\\u003eBut his words bounce off your useless eardrums   \n  \n\\\u003eYour eyes sweep over him, up and down, focusing on absolutely everything all at the same time, soaking in the near-flatness of his chest, the slenderness of his shoulders, but also the play of the overhead light on his body, like he was the lone actor in a very bright spotlight, directing your eyes downward  \n\\\u003eAnd downward  \n\\\u003ePast the pink of his nipples, the meager puff of his breasts, the slender and exposed bones of his ribs (still mysteriously bruised)  \n\\\u003eDown the tuck of his midsection, pinched inward…  \n\\\u003e…Which only emphasizes the girlish bow of his hips…  \n\\\u003e…To the pink slit of his sex, begging for a gentle hand to spread it like a flower that only blossoms in the fall  \n\\\u003eAnd then you look up at him, feeling drugged, completely senseless, like your head was a balloon floating away from the stalk of your neck  \n\\\u003eAnd then you open your mouth  \n\\\u003eAnd you say the DUMBEST fucking thing anyone could possibly say in a situation like this  \n“Dude, where's your dick?\"\n\nArt for the scene:\n\n[https://www.sofurry.com/view/1719662](https://www.sofurry.com/view/1719662)","series":{"name":"The Leaves of Fall","previous":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1675506-the-leaves-of-fall-act-3-something-that-matters-part-6.json","next":"https://fse.anthro.fr/stories/1679565-the-leaves-of-fall-act-3-something-that-matters-part-8.json"}}