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Second Step:

Two's a Party

They stood outside the doors of the beachside hotel the school had rented for prom-night. Rubric heard the techno bass thumping inside, but he swore his heart pounded louder.

"Why Mr. Fitzgerald," Chaz said to the devil as he nuzzled in close, or tried to. "I don't see why Raz and Spazz get to have all the fun. Will you be my date for the prom?"

Jare sputtered for a second, and Rube saw his ear-tips redden as he blushed. "But...I'm not gay, Chaz."

Oh. Damn. Not unexpected, but Rubric still felt disappointed.

Chaz giggled. "That's okay! You said so yourself; I'm gay enough for both of us. And anyway, it's just 'til Raz's turn with Rube is over."

The devil huffed. "Fine, whatever. But no funny business."

Rubric was already having second thoughts about his hormone-induced decision, and if the idea of jumping into a hotel full of his classmates scared him, doing so while on a date with another guy (even Raz) was worse.

God, you're such a coward, taunted the voice in his head.Raz and Chaz don't care what they think. Jaron doesn't care what they think. Why should you care what they think? Man up, you chicken.

His date stood beside him, handsome in his white suit. Raz twined his fingers around Rube's as the red panda screwed up his courage to walk through those doors, and the rabbit's hand felt soft and warm in his. "You okay, buddy?"

He pulled a deep breath and released it slowly, reminding himself that he was surrounded by friends, and together they could face down anything. A bit melodramatic for a school dance maybe, but it made him feel better. "I'll be fine. Just enjoying my last few seconds inside that closet I've been holed up in the last seventeen years."

"Meh," called Chaz from behind him. "Being closeted sucks. You'll feel better once you're out and everything dies down."

He flashed them all a weak smile. "I hope so."

Jaron's growl made Rube's candy-striped tail fluff out. "And if anyone gives you crap, I'll kill 'em for you. With kindness if possible, and violence if necessary."

The twins snickered. "And we'll give 'em a metaphorical kick to the 'nads."

"I don't think anyone's gonna mess with you with what Chaz and I've done to some of them the last four years."

"Haha! Yeah! Remember what we did to Johnny Dirk sophomore year?"

"Yup! He walked funny for a week!"

Rubric winced. "You kicked him that hard?"

"Nope!"

"Never touched him!"

"We weren't even in the same room!"

"We can't vouch for the debate team, though."

"But we did learn something from them!"

"Yup! 'Never enter a battle of wits unarmed.'"

He rolled his eyes. "You two are nuts."

"That's what Johnny said!"

"Something like that, anyway."

"Nuts were involved, at least."

"And super-glue!"

Jaron cleared his throat before the twins could elaborate, pinching the bridge of his muzzle, eyes clenched shut like he had a headache. "I don't even want to know. Now are we going in, or not?"

The rabbits looked to Rube, and he steadied himself with a nod. "Here goes everything."

They pushed in the outer doors and through a large well-appointed foyer, then followed the signs leading to the Executive Conference Suite. A few of the hotel staff bustled down the transverse hallways, but they didn't see anyone else.

They hit the suite doors without slowing and Rubric tried his best to emulate Raz's nonchalance, though his bulk and the situation made him feel so...exposed.

The room had to be fifty feet wide and twice that long, with large glass doors leading to an open courtyard on the far end. Inside, students loitered along the walls and near the snack tables, with densely-packed groups chatting around the floor. Nobody danced in here, which was a relief, but he suspected that was an outdoor activity tonight.

The first thing he noticed was the heavy beat of the music hammering on the inside of his skull. Gah! His ears flattened to shut out the noise, but it was still unpleasant. Next came the mandatory disco ball; spotlights shining on the gaudy decoration left it twinkling from the ceiling like a kitschy kaleidoscopic star. And then came all the tacky prom decorations, the glitter-covered gold stars and strings of lights hanging off the walls. The school spent who knows how many hundreds or thousands of dollars renting a huge hotel suite, then skimped on the decoration budget. The tasteless flamboyance in here could kill a man.

Maybe they could hang here for a half-hour, then do something less...seizure-inducing later? He'd have to ask.

They weren't even five steps in before a squeaky female voice drowned out the music. "Rubric! Over here, Rubric! You came!"

Crap.

A petite gray squirrel in a blue dress waved her hand in the air to flag him down. She immediately ignored the raccoon-girl she'd been talking to as she darted toward them, much to her friend's obvious annoyance. He couldn't exactly ignore the body flying at him, so he let go of Raz and braced himself as she leaped (in a hug if he felt generous or a flying-tackle if he wished to be accurate). The smell of alcohol wafted past his nose, which certainly wouldn't help matters.

He wanted to push her off, but he considered what happened last time. So instead he held his arms up, careful not to touch her. "Janelle! I asked you before, please don't do that!"

She looked up at him with a bucktoothed grin. "I knew you didn't mean it when you said you didn't want to come!"

He tried to keep his voice as gentle as he could while still yelling over the music. "Actually, I said I didn't want to go with you. I have a date, so please let go."

She released her grip and stood back, looking around to either side of him in disappointment and confusion. "You have a girlfriend? Where is she?"

"No, I don't have a girlfriend." Rube pushed for that last ounce of resolve, reached out, and pulled Raz in with an arm around the shoulders. "I have a boyfriend. I'm gay, Janelle. I didn't have the heart to tell you before. Sorry."

Her confusion swelled visibly. "You're not gay."

Jaron stepped up halfway between them with Chaz plastered to his side and a strangely pleased half-smile on his face. "Actually, I got to watch them making out. Either he's telling the truth or he's the best liar I've ever seen." Rubric got the impression his friend didn't exactly like the squirrel much. That made two of them.

She looked from Jare to Chaz to Raz then to Rube, and her expression darkened. "Don't think I don't know what you're trying to pull, Mr. 'I'm Gay'. If you didn't want to be my date to the prom you should've just told me, rather than using the Doubleslut-Twins to lie." She turned on her heel and stomped off.

"I did tell you! Several times!" But either she couldn't hear over the pounding decibels or she didn't care. He looked at his friends, his frustration plain. "Girls are crazy. It almost makes me glad that I'm gay."

He watched as Janelle reached her friend, and they exchanged a few very animated words.

Raz squeezed his hand. "Girls really aren't that bad..." His expression turned sour as he turned to look at the two specimens huddled together across the room. "...most of them."

Chaz nodded. "Take it from us."

"You just have to watch out for the drunk ones."

"And the crazy ones."

"And the crazy drunk ones."

Chaz's expression turned even more bitter. "And the spiteful narcissistic batshit-insane ones."

"I'll take your word for it." He grabbed Chaz with his free hand, pulled him in close, and gave both twins a hug. "What a jerk. She shouldn't've said what she did. I'm sorry."

They each pushed away far enough to cock identical eyebrows at him; sometimes they were so in sync it was downright uncanny. "Why? You didn't do it."

"And besides, we've been called worse."

"Much worse."

An all-too familiar voice snickered at them from the side. "Hey, faggots. Making little girls cry now?"

Oh no...

"See?" As one, the twins glowered at the polar bear leering from the sidelines.

Jaron wasn't far behind. "Go away, Rick. Just because you're team quarterback and two feet taller than me doesn't mean I can't pound you into the floor. Or won't."

Rick Sheer hardly ever backed down when he had the bit between his teeth, and it'd be just like him to make homophobia his new hobby. This could get bad.

Or not. "Whatever. But tell your red panda friend to watch himself," he said, ignoring Rube standing less than ten feet from him, "or those two carpetbaggers will have him on his knees sucking cock and out the door before he can blink." Rick waved them away as he turned to walk off. "And don't let those perverts fuck up the prom for us normal people."

"Yeah, yeah." Rubric read the devil's lips as he muttered, "Get bent. Ass."

He noticed Janelle and her friend watching the exchange, the squirrel glaring daggers at him for a moment before turning with a flick of her tail. The raccoon turned with her and they melted into the crowd.

The odd encounter left Rubric both relieved and mortified for diametrically opposed reasons. "What the hell was that?"

"That," Raz sighed, "was par for the course." Chaz just shook his head in resignation.

"But you shouldn't have to put up with stuff like that! Why didn't you say something!"

Jaron rolled his eyes. "You know Rube, as much as I love ya, you're too soft. You're the biggest guy in school, and I bet you bench-press twice what he can. None of you would have to take shit from anyone if you weren't such a teddy bear."

The twins hugged him tight. "But we like our big softie, don't we, Chaz?"

"I know I do, Raz. Though maybe not too soft." And they giggled.

Would the twins really do what Rick suggested? Fuck him then chuck him? He'd been their friend for years, and he knew them as trustworthy and kind (albeit vindictive when you pissed them off enough); not at all what gossip said they were. Were the rumors wrong, or did he not know them as well as he thought?

But...why didn't they deny it?

Rube shook his head to clear it. "He's right. I should've said something. Rick shouldn't get away with stuff like that."

Their shared expression was pointed. "We've dealt with it this long."

"A few more weeks won't make any difference."

"School's almost done, then it'll be over."

"Just let it go, Rube."

"Please?" They shared the last word, and it hurt to hear.

"But..." He wanted to argue, to convince them to do something, but the look in their eyes stopped him. He sighed, then nodded. "Alright."

"It's okay."

"You're a lover, not a fighter."

"If we have anything to say about it, anyway."

He blinked. "Riiight." He knew where this would lead, if he let it. Time to change the subject before they worked him up too much to walk. "Why don't we hit the snack tables? I'm thirsty."

Raz grabbed a hand and tugged him toward the side of the room, and Chaz seized Jaron by the lapel and followed suit. Raz turned to him as they neared a big glass bowl full of neon-red liquid. "I wouldn't touch that stuff if I were you. It packs a helluva punch!" He laughed at his (admittedly horrible) pun, grabbed a can of Rubric's favorite brand of cream soda from a nearby ice-chest and handed it to him.

He popped the top and knocked back a swig. "Thanks, Raz."

The music switched tracks to a soft rock ballad after a couple of minutes: slower, mellower, and thankfully for his ears and his sanity, much quieter. The DJ sucked, but his developing headache thanked the guy nonetheless.

Raz grinned as his ears perked up. "You can slow-dance, right Spazz?"

He felt the tips of his ears burn as he blushed. "Err...not really, no. I've never done the whole 'date' thing before."

"Wanna learn?"

Whether he wanted to or not, he decided right there that he would, for Raz's sake. He nodded. His friend deserved that much, rush of dread notwithstanding.

The rabbit's grin widened. "Goody." And he pulled Rube out the sliding glass doors and into the crowd of boy/girl couples dancing in the courtyard.

He looked over the heads of the throng, and they seemed to be the only gay couple there. Were there others, sitting on the sidelines or hiding behind a girlfriend or boyfriend or whatever? Or were they the only ones? He'd feel more comfortable if they weren't. He wished he knew.

Raz tugged on his arm and Rubric turned to face him. "Okay now, you're bigger, so you lead. See how all the guys are holding their dates? Just hold me like that, and move the way they move. That's it! Easy!"

He mimicked the other couples and held Raz close. It felt so gauche at first. He tried to stop thinking and simply move, and it became easier. He melded into the movements of the dance, and holding the rabbit was suddenly so natural. It felt...good. Better than he'd felt in a long time. He noticed the rabbit's erection as it brushed his leg. Oh yes, definitely better.

Several people nearby broke away in open disgust, but he did his best to ignore them and focused on the young man in his arms; the fluid grace in his movements, the warm scent of his cologne. Others moved in to fill the breach; not everyone felt the same way obviously, and that made him feel better.

His half-closed eyes wandered around the courtyard as he drifted across the floor.

Jaron stood propped against the wall, his gaze following them on their way around the floor. Rubric wondered what he was thinking to put that sad look on his face. Was he remembering his mother before she died? Was he considering a visit to his father? Was he thinking about the fact that he'd have to go home to that huge empty house of his once the night was over? It hurt to see that look in his eyes, and Rube wished he could make it better.

Chaz, meanwhile, was clearly pestering Jaron for a dance, but just as clearly was getting nowhere. Jaron merely huffed and said something Rubric couldn't hear, and ruffled the rabbit's head in a way he knew would annoy him.

A number of other people around the edges stared at them. Most simply gawked, though some of them looked quite disgusted, including Janelle, whose flattened ears were taken by the 'coon whispering into them. The two of them looked out of place together, one in an attractive blue dress and one wearing a black Lycra bikini top and a matching way-too-short skirt, her knee-high stiletto boots completing an outfit totally inappropriate for a formal dance.

The squirrel nodded to her friend before stalking off into the crowd. The 'coon practically oozed a self-satisfied smirk as she glanced at him and waved.

The red panda should've paid more attention to his own dancing, because he stumbled, nearly crushed Raz, and totally broke what mood was left. His ears burned. "Sorry, man. I tripped."

Raz laughed. "It's okay. Not everyone can be graceful as me." The DJ swapped tracks to some annoying pop-song and his ears twitched. This was not something either of them wanted to dance to. "The song's over anyway."

The rabbit led him to the edge of the courtyard by a concession table on the far side of the floor from Chaz and Jare for, he assumed, a bit of privacy, and squeezed his hand. "Thanks for the dance, Spazz. It wasn't that bad, was it?"

His thoughts went back to the disgusted glares he saw around the room. Most of which weren't directed at him so much as the rabbit he held, now that he thought about it. He looked around the room and saw several more students glowering at his friend in open revulsion.

Those looks didn't seem to bother Raz, but they certainly bothered Rube. Janelle and her friend troubled him the most; they were up to something. He still managed a smile as he leaned down and nuzzled into the rabbit's ear, making him shiver. "I don't know, Raz. It seemed pretty hard from here."

Raz giggled at the double entendre. "I should hope so! You're sexy, even if you are a klutz."

Rubric blushed. He couldn't help it. Comments like that took on an entirely new dimension when he knew Raz actually meant them.

He wanted to pull his friend close, but before he could manage it he felt a heavy arm clap him across the shoulders, and a deep gravelly slur bellowed in his ear, "Red! Dude, why didn't you tell me you were queer? I know this guy you'd like. Kind of a man-whore, but you like those, right?"

Rubric grimaced at the muscle-bound bull in a tacky purple suit, and tried his best to lean away from the cloud of alcohol billowing over him. "Excuse me? What the hell are you talking about, Garth?"

The bull's volume only increased. "You like guys that're easy! I dunno why you'd hang all over those scrawny jackrabbit twins if you didn't. They'll jump in the sack with anyone! I hear they double-fuck the Calculus teacher Mr. Moray 'cuz they were flunking out. That's how they get straight-A's."

He pushed the drunken bovine off him and glared. Why couldn't people just leave his friends alone? The twins didn't deserve to be treated that way. So they had some sex here and there...or people said they did. Who the hell cared! "First, I like them because they've been two of my best friends for years! And second, they get A's because they're smart; they help me on my homework all the time. And the rest is none of your business!"

Garth waved it off. "Well I heard they--"

That did it.

The panda stiff-fingered Garth in the chest, forcing him back on his heels. "I don't care what the hell you heard. Stop spreading rumors about my friends."

The bull looked stricken; Rubric never lost his temper. "Geez, man! I was just looking out for you. With all the gossip flying around, some of it's gotta be true, and I don't wanna see you humped and dumped."

"Garth! Raz is right here! At least grow some fucking tact!" He glanced down at the aforementioned twin, who stared at him as if he'd grown a second head.

"It's not rude if it's true!"

Rubric pinched the bridge of his muzzle the way Jaron had earlier, breathing deeply in an effort to calm down. "Thanks for the concern, but just...butt-out. Please. I know them, and I trust them." He hoped he could, anyway.

"But--"

He opened his eyes and looked into the bull's. "Do you think I'm stupid, Garth?"

Whatever Garth had been expecting, that wasn't it. "N-no. You're not stupid, Red."

"Then trust me. Stop listening to gossip, because all it does is hurt people that don't deserve it, and you're better than that."

Garth slunk away, his tail drooping. Rube hoped the rebuke would stick with him after the alcohol flushed out of his system; he didn't want to have to give up a friend for the sake of the twins, but he would if he had to.

The lop giggled, unfazed by Garth's insults. "You're too cute, Spazz." He nuzzled against him, and Rube draped his arm around the rabbit's shoulder.

They snuggled for a bit, and Rubric's body grew warm from the closeness. Raz looked up at him, and his eyes were such a beautiful blue. He leaned down, shifting so he held his friend in both arms, and kissed him gently. It wasn't the hard passion of back on the beach, but something softer.

The tension between them mounted the longer they kissed, and Rube found his hand straying lower and lower on Raz's back, until the clearing of a throat interrupted. It was Chaz; he and Jaron stood a few feet away, and the rabbit had his arms crossed. "Not to interrupt here, but the prom is like halfway over, and I still want my turn."

The panda realized they'd been groping each other in public and his blush practically glowed through his fur.

Raz grinned. "Alright, then. 'Scuse me, boyfriend-mine. I've gotta hit the little bunny's room anyway." He turned to his brother with a wink. "Take care of him while I'm gone, Chaz!" And he left, his delightful backside holding Rubric's attention as he darted away through the crowd, pulling out his cell phone as he went.

"I'd love to." Thing One was no sooner gone than Thing Two filled the void, pressing against him in a way totally inappropriate for anyone else. But this was Chaz, so it wasn't at all unexpected.

And oddly, the panda relaxed under the attention. The situation wasn't nearly as awkward as before, despite being considerably more intense than mere hand-holding. Maybe the dancing and the making-out had loosened him up. Maybe he'd finally realized that he loved his friends more than he cared about anyone else's opinions.

Or maybe he needed a therapist.

"Uh, Chaz?" he whispered. "Not that I would normally mind, but isn't it cheating if you grope me while I'm dating your brother?"

Charles's grin widened, his lavender eyes crinkling at the edges. "Only if he actually minds. He did say to wait until his turn was over, and I say it's over. And Taz already said he doesn't care."

"You aren't going to fight over me, are you?"

"Nah. We share everything." His grin held a world of meaning. "And I mean everything. Hope you don't mind."

His head spun. "What, date both of you? Can I do that?"

Chaz shrugged. "Sure, so long as everyone you're dating is fine with it. And believe me, neither of us minds. I still want my turn, though."

Rube felt giddy; his first boyfriend, his first kiss, his first date, his first dance, and his first ménage á trois, all in under an hour. How awesome was that?

And then there was the whole out-of-the-closet thing. He'd already told his best friends, and everyone who saw them on the dance-floor knew. Students around them were glancing covertly in his direction, and it was obvious what conclusions most of them had come to.

He would normally feel embarrassed...self-conscious...something. But his hormones were running full-tilt, and he was flying too high to hide now.

Chaz rubbed one hand up the inside of his thigh as high as it would go, squeezed, then pulled away with a shit-eating grin. "I think I'll get myself a glass of punch. Want any?"

He shuddered. "Uh...sure. J-just...please don't get us drunk. You saw what it did to Janelle."

Chaz waved it off. "It's only one glass! This is a party! Live it up!" And he moved toward the far end of the table. Damn, that bunny was cute. He was glad the concessions stood between him and the rest of the room, or his telltale bulge would be visible to someone other than the rabbit.

And Jare, apparently, who stood on the other side of the table, just far enough that Rube figured he hadn't heard their whispered conversation. "They really weren't kidding, were they?"

Both of the twins were so damned distracting in their form-fitting white suits. He couldn't help but be mesmerized by the hare in his crosshairs. "Hmm?"

"I didn't know if the twins were joking at first when they said you were gay. Obviously they weren't. I never noticed before; I must be fucking blind."

Chaz stopped at the punch bowl and looked back, and Rubric turned away to keep from gawking, waking from his trance. He blinked and looked back at the devil. "What?"

His friend rolled his eyes as he often did, but something about him seemed off. Down, maybe. Whatever was on his mind during the dance must still be hanging around. "Nothing. Nevermind."

Chaz returned with his glass of punch, and they spent some time talking and palling-around. This really wasn't any different than their standard modus operandi, except Chaz took more liberties than he used to. Rube had another glass of punch after the first, and he noticed that Jaron continued being preoccupied, but he wouldn't talk about it, and Rube didn't press.

He started to relax; this wasn't so bad. The warmth of his third glass of punch definitely helped, and he found himself responding more openly to Chaz's advances, even going so far as to goose the rabbit with his tail when he wasn't looking.

A few of his other friends came by, some congratulating him, some nervous, but no outright rejection. They all seemed wary of Chaz, however, and he saw several of them whispering as they left, agitated. Rubric frowned; were they talking about the twins behind their backs? Behind his back? At least a few did; he caught the words 'twins' and 'slut' more than once.

He tried to stomp on the anger, to push it down, but each time he noticed it got harder to keep his calm. He wanted to yell at someone, to tell them to stop, but all of it was whispered so low he could hardly make it out; it might well have been his imagination.

Jaron sniffed the punch Chaz gave him and wrinkled his nose, setting the plastic cup on the table. "You know Chaz, I really wish you and Raz hadn't..." Jaron began, but his face fell into a scowl when he looked up.

Something slammed into them from the side, knocking Chaz out of Rubric's grip and into the table, where he landed on several bowls of food, scattering potato chips and ranch dressing in all directions and coating his white coat in dip and crumbs in the process. All that kept Rubric from the same fate was his hand, which managed to grab the edge of the table before he toppled over too.

Several people watching them laughed, including a feminine squeak that sounded suspiciously squirrel-like.

"Oops! Clumsy me!" Rick's voice dripped with sarcasm. It dropped to a growl as he sneered at the rabbit sprawled across the table. "I slipped."

Rubric glared as he helped Chaz out of the mess he'd fallen in. "Like hell you did."

The edges of the bear's mouth twitched as his gaze slid from white rabbit to red panda. "Oh, like you'll do anything, you fucking pansy. I heard what your boyfriend said about me." He turned to the rabbit. "You'd better come clean you little whore, or I'll make sure the rest of your night is full of pain."

Jaron took a step forward, fangs bared, but stopped when Chaz raised a hand, shaking his head.

He stood there, ignoring everything dripping from him, his face blank. Rubric had never seen him so...resigned. "I didn't say anything."

Rubric grabbed Rick by the shoulder, as much to hold him back as to catch his attention. "He's right. Jaron and I've been here the whole time, and he hasn't said anything to anyone. Leave him alone, Rick."

"Liar." The bear pushed his hand away and snarled. "Fine, if he won't 'fess up..." He snatched Chaz up by the arm and brandished the claws on his other hand. "...he's gonna bleed." He made to swipe the rabbit across the face, but stopped as Rubric caught his wrist.

"Don't." Rubric's voice went low and quiet as anger seeped into the words.

Rick struggled against his grip, then let go of the rabbit with his other hand and reared back. But instead of throwing the punch he intended he screamed as the panda squeezed. Hard.

"I said, don't." He let go of the bear's wrist and shoved him back, hard enough to knock the wind out of him when he hit the wall. "Leave him alone, Rick. He hasn't done anything to you."

The quarterback coddled his wrist with his other hand and growled. "Like hell he hasn't! Apologize you little slut, or you're going to end up in the hospital."

Something inside Rubric snapped; he vaulted forward, grabbed Rick's shirt, and lifted him into the air one-handed, pinning him against the wall. He moved in close, glaring into the bear's suddenly-wide eyes from a couple of inches away. "You lay one more finger on him," he snarled, "and you're going home in a full-body cast. Do you understand?"

Rick nodded mutely, his face a sudden mask of fear.

Rubric dropped him, and he scurried off.

He heard applause from across the table. If it'd been anyone but Jaron he would've thrown something.