FSE

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Jesse's eyes were tightly closed as he mentally stepped through exactly where he would stand when the song started and where he would go from there. He needed to be standing next to Zane by the bridge, so that meant he had ... about thirty seconds to transition across the stage within the first verse. He could then share the mic for those parts in the bridge and then he needed to be...

This was draining. Jesse opened his eyes and stared at the diagram he'd drawn; lines and circles scribbled all over a sketch of the stage he would be using for his first performance of the year. It was the second music class of the year, and already Jesse was hard at work planning his first performance. He stretched in his seat and looked over at Will, letting a mischievous smirk twist his lips at seeing his friend fast asleep in the seat next to him. Will, Harry, and Jesse had left their friends at lunch early to start some serious discussions about what they could do for their first performance.

Their focus was short-lived: Harry wanted to play with the brand new mixing decks and so shortly he left the table and walked into the control room of the studio in which they were working. Soon after, Will had fallen asleep at the table while Jesse was visualising his stagecraft.

Jesse scrunched up the paper he had been writing on and carefully attempted to balance it on Will's elongated muzzle, pointed directly to the ceiling. He succeeded in resting the paper ball between the equine's nostrils, the horse breathing through his mouth and in no danger of suffocating. Jesse struggled to stifle a cackle, the anticipation almost too much for the feline. He drew a deep breath in and...

"William what the hell are you doing!" he projected at the horse all at once in as deep a voice as he could muster. The horse jerked awake, eyes wide with fear of being caught sleeping in class, and snorted the paper straight up at the ceiling. The ball promptly fell straight back down and hit the stallion on the muzzle.

Jesse let out a wild laugh at the surprised look on the horse's face and needed to lay his arm on the table to support him. The palomino stallion was unimpressed with his friend's prank. "Oh har frickin' har, ya dickhead. What does a guy need to do to not have his powernaps interrupted?"

"Powernaps?" Jesse repeated. "Dude, you were out for ages."

"I was napping with power; that makes it a powernap." Will defended his choice of words.

"Well you and I, powernap, need to at least pick a few songs before the lesson ends" the feline reminded him, playfully shoving the horse.

Will shoved back and said "I say we do a set mixing some classic rock songs and whatever the kids are listening to these days. You know, crowd pleasers."

"Yeah, that's totally a good template but that's exactly what everyone will expect and what all the other performers will be doing too! We need to throw in something they won't expect, something..." Jesse trailed off, noticing the large number of students piling into the control room and Harry acting extremely animated about something.

He and Will shared a look, wondering what would make the otter so excited - it definitely wasn't the equipment, since only a few students knew how to work it all. Jesse considered walking up to the glass window to sign to Harry his curiosity, but could not be bothered to get up - figuring his friend would soon come over and share whatever it was.

"Jesse! Jesse! Come listen to this!" Harry squealed out the door to the feline. Now Jesse was more than curious, he would say definitely intrigued enough to warrant having a look himself. He looked to Will "Want to come?" he asked. "No thanks. It's probably a fart noise or something and I've been trolled enough for today." the equine responded in a deadpan tone.

Jesse waved Will's pessimism off and stood up to go see what all this fuss was about. He saw the challenge ahead of him in the form of a furry mass - bodies pressed into that small space were packed together rather tightly. He had little choice but to cleave his way through the teens with his strong arms acting as icebreakers - or in this case, furbreakers.

As gently as he could without losing momentum, he pushed his way to the front of the crowd and leaned in next to his otter friend. "What is it, Harry?" he asked, too apathetic to make it sound like a demand.

Harry didn't reply to him immediately but instead smirked and addressed the clamour of furs present, raising his voice. "Does anyone know who this is?" he asked, then hit play on the computer and twisted the master volume knob up to an almost uncomfortable loudness.

Jesse recognised the chords of "You" by Nathaniel Willemse humming out the speakers, looking at the shiny charcoal boxes emblazoned with 'ADAM audio' on the front. To Jesse's surprise, he heard a vocal dub come in over the instrumental track. The voice was almost ... unearthly. An undoubtedly male voice was precisely and flawlessly hitting every note he knew to be exceptionally difficult for most male vocalists to reach. There was more than technical expertise to this voice though; he could hear in the voice something that was truly amazing. The nuanced emotion conveyed by this voice was ... astonishing. Jesse was almost blown away by the indescribable quality of this male's vocal style.

"Only you can make me fall to my knees, boy. When I'm with you I can finally breathe, yeah. I want you to take over - I want you to take over me..."

Jesse could feel the voice communicating directly to his soul... and surprisingly his libido. The honest desire conveyed with those words and fragile pitch bends was almost enough to make Jesse pant. Ne never panted. He wasn't a dog! "What is this sorcery?" he asked Harry in a low voice, who only responded with a shrug coupled to an expression of "you've got me there". Harry whispered back "I found this dub lying unsaved on the mix deck, so I checked it out and ... well, you have ears."

Jesse was about to ask Harry to save it for him when a high-pitched voice came from the back, clearly audible over the music "Is that you, Tyler?" Jesse recognised the voice of Max the fennec pianist and turned to see who the fox was talking to. Harry turned the music down to near silence as the whole crowd turned to look at Max and the fur standing next to him.

It was like a bolt of lightning straight to his chest when his gaze locked on to a pair of laser-precise ultramarine eyes. Jesse felt like they were discharging electricity straight into his own eyes as he met the gaze and realised exactly how familiar it was. His eyes took in the starkly-contrasted white and black fur colour of the husky he had spied yesterday in the assembly, the monochromatic pattern looking even more beautiful at this close distance. Yet again, he found the husky already looking at him before he even realised he was there.

The dream he had the previous night featuring that husky had caused him to strip his bed sheets the following morning, needing to wash out the stains of feline arousal. He recalled the way the husky had lustfully looked at him in the dream; eyes glazed over and mouth agape. That look turned Jesse on so much and before he knew it, he was mentally painting that look on the husky's face despite the amazing amount of pink and red showing through the white fur decorating his adorable face.

He realised he was being very obvious about checking this husky out. Now that they were both standing a few metres from each other, Jesse could easily make out the husky's taut figure under that shirt. Nowhere near as muscled as Jesse, the husky appeared streamlined like a swimmer despite his not-so-short fur fluffing out that figure the tiniest bit. The loose crimson dress shirt this husky wore was opened at the top and afforded Jesse a peek of a white chestfur tuft: an enticing display of exhibitionism that seemed out of character for this blushing dog.

Jesse regained eye contact with the husky, mentally toying with the name he heard. He rolled it around his maw, testing out its feel in his throat before he parted his lips and spoke it.

"Tyler?" he asked, more meaning "Is that your name?" than "Is Max right?"

The husky went even redder, and Jesse was becoming worried he was about to pass out. He did have a strange look on his face, like he was concentrating on several things at once.

"Y-yes, that's me. I'm Tyler." the cute husky finally responded. Jesse knew as soon as he heard that soft, melodic voice that this was indeed the fur singing on the recording. There was a drawn-out moment where Jesse and Tyler were doing nothing but simply looking at each other, unaware of their audience. The crowd of teen furs was waiting for one of them to say something - anything would have done, and one of them needed to say it. Jesse realised it was his turn to speak, so he swiftly took control of the situation.

"I'm Jesse, it's wonderful to meet you." the leopard forced out, trying his best to not sound like a dork in front of this beautiful male. He scratched the back of his furred head and offered a paw out in greeting. That seemed the appropriate thing to do.

Yes, that's exactly the right thing to do in this situation, especially with an audience.

Tyler took it in his own and shook, squeezing Jesse's paw softly. The contact lasted just a little longer than it should have, and both knew it. They reluctantly withdrew their paws and once again stood in silence.

Will, having joined the crowd and witnessed the odd behaviour of his friend whispered to Harry, who was leaning on the horse "Is it just me or is this ... awkward?" Harry smirked and whispered back "It's not just you."

Jesse spoke again, trying to break the tension "So you are really ... your v... um... How's it going?" he tripped over his words, absolutely unsure how to behave. Tyler was equally unsure of what to say. "Yeah, um... good. I'm new here so... what do you play?" the husky asked, his eyes showing his nervousness.

Jesse thought to reply, but then remembered the dozens of eyes on them. He turned to look back at everyone, meeting as many gazes as he could "Alright fags, show's over. You've all got things to do!" he said, adopting an aggressive demeanour.

"Are you guys gonna kiss?"

Jesse's maw opened in shock "Who said that? I'll fuck you up!"

"Take your best shot, kitty." came the reply.

There was only one person in this class who would give him such sass. "Will, I swear to god if you don't shut the fuck up..." Jesse stopped, realising he was being way too defensive. His breaths were becoming shallow and rapid. No please not now, Jesse pleaded with his body. To his astonishment, his heart and lungs acquiesced and he managed to calm down by himself.

Will stepped out from behind a tower speaker with a grin wider than Jesse had ever seen on the stallion's muzzle. "You guys should do a sing-off. Right now. Or at least a duet."

Fucking Will, Jesse thought to himself as the room suddenly burst into roars of agreement from every other fur. Harry led the chant "Sing, sing, sing..." Tyler was still pink and black instead of his normal immaculate white and black colouring, but he plucked up the courage to place a paw on Jesse's muscled shoulder. "So you're a singer too?" he asked sweetly "What's your range?"

Jesse turned, softening his features "Uh, I have a pretty typical Baritone range."

"Cool," Tyler chirped "would you be up for a duet? I've got a song in mind that just might be perfect for our ranges." A smile slowly spread across the husky's muzzle. How could Jesse say no to that? "What song?" he asked, a little uneasy but willing to follow Tyler's lead and hoping the shorter canine knew what he was doing. "'Holding You'. It might be a little sappy, but the duet is great. Please tell me you know that one?" Tyler looked into the taller feline's eyes, his own searching for some level of comprehension in them.

"Yeah, I love that one. I think this could work, and it might just get these clowns off our backs." Jesse replied, grinning back at Tyler. The husky looked over to Max, who immediately knew his cue. "Yep, I got it!" and before Jesse or Tyler could say anything more, the fennec dived into one of the isolation rooms and dragged out a keyboard "Who doesn't love that song?" he chimed in.

"Okay guys, we're gonna try 'Holding You' so maybe you'll shut the fuck up?" Jesse shouted at the assembled males. He was replied to with cheers and a gigantic grin and thumbs-up from Will. Did he recognise Tyler and the way Jesse was looking at him yesterday? The thought crossed Jesse's mind but he dismissed it for the moment, psyching himself up for this performance.

The crowd fell silent as Max hurriedly set up two microphone stands for the pair of singers. He connected them to a control deck and within minutes they were ready to start. Tyler and Jesse both were humming and taking deep breaths, trying to prepare themselves as fast as they could. The two were obviously nervous, every fur could see that if the nervous sweat they could smell wasn't enough of a give-away.

Max received a nod from each vocalist and he began striking the keys with care and precision, building the atmosphere with carefully articulated chords. Jesse began

"It's no surprise that we ain't in heaven, we're on the earth."

Jesse with his deep, resonant voice momentarily surprised Tyler. He did not expect the leopard to have such a rich lower register, it just didn't sound like his spoken voice much at all. His voice was so ... evocative of a lover's whispered nothings. Tyler could feel that voice in his chest already, mentally slapping himself to snap back into focus, responding

"But you, you meet me in my darkest cavern. Can't count what you are worth."

Will and Harry sat next to each other, truly amazed at the spectacular vocal pairing they were witnessing. The singers' voices overlapped and it sent a shiver through Will, who could only stare in wonder at the pair's artistry and immediate accommodation of each other's voice.

"With every passing second, every drop of falling rain I realise: I'm lucky to be holding you."

The two harmonised, their voices in sync and their eyes open - laser locked on each other. Tyler and Jesse were singing the song from the heart to each other and in their voices was honesty; each hoping the other knew their meaning behind the words they were singing.

For Jesse, it was a true privilege to be complemented by such a melodic and exquisite tenor. Tyler's lips formed beautifully around each word; Jesse was extremely curious what those lips might feel like against his own. The leopard's heart swelled at the thought of sharing such an intimate act with this husky. He needed to maintain focus on his own vocal control to avoid disappointing Tyler.

Tyler could feel those same emotions he had tapped into the previous day; the leopard actually being there perhaps intensified them even further. Standing only a few feet from Jesse, Tyler could see every tiny detail in the leopard's face and was still amazed at the sheer beauty he saw in every aspect of this creature. If it were Tyler's decision, he would sing this song in Jesse's arms, nuzzled into his chestfur and breathing that tantalising musk he could just make out at this distance.

The audience was captivated by the performance, not even looking away or whispering to each other to communicate how impressed they were. The song came to its close far too soon for their liking, and none were more woeful of the final notes than Jesse and Tyler

"...I realise: I'm lucky" Tyler began their outro.

"I'm lucky" Jesse echoed.

"I'm lucky to be" Tyler slowed in to the final notes and waited for Jesse to join him.

"Holding" The two furs held that note for an impressive amount of time, both had closed their eyes to feel the magic of their harmony one last time for the day.

"You." The pair both opened their eyes, still matching each other's gaze. Max led them out with a soft ascending arpeggio on the last chord.

Immediately the entire room erupted in cheers and whistles, the audience having mysteriously grown over the duration of their song. The singers were scrambling to recompose themselves and once again hide what they had exposed to each other. It only felt right to make themselves completely open and vulnerable to the other in that song. They bowed to the audience and smiled - knowing that whatever they had sounded like, it was nothing compared to the nuanced inflexions in pitch and expression that they picked up from the other's performance - painting an emotional picture with sound.

"Woo! Get a fuckin' room!" Will boomed, his impromptu matchmaking service an apparent hit. Tyler blushed and looked over to Jesse. To the husky's astonishment, Jesse had acquired the tiniest shade of red barely visible through his goldenrod fur.

Jesse turned to the heavily blushing husky, trying his best to ignore the hot feeling in his own cheeks. "Your voice is incredible. At first glance you don't look capable of such a high pitch, no offense."

"Thanks" Tyler replied. "I was surprised too at your deep singing voice. It's funny how we both talk at the same rough pitch but we sing very differently."

"A good difference though." Jesse added "They seemed to like it." indicating the group of male furs who were excitedly talking amongst themselves.

"Yeah. For a first collaboration here at Perit, I think I picked an exceptional partner." Tyler wanted Jesse to know how grateful he was for the leopard's participation.

"Hey, it was all you - you really carried it. Walker's part sucks by itself." Jesse replied, not wanting to undeservedly take credit. "So after this class, would you like a proper introduction to Perit High?" Jesse asked, suddenly putting on the charm that had worked for him so many times before. It felt almost inappropriate to be hitting on this cute doggie, like pouring cheap soft drink into a crystal champagne flute. He could not think of an easier way to get Tyler to join him after this class so he resigned to the tactic.

A surprised expression flashed over Tyler's face, he was a little taken aback at how forward this gorgeous leopard was acting. He didn't mind it at all, though, and replied with a matching level of confidence "Sure! Mister Malowell gave me a tour of the campus but I'd love to get to know more guys..." he stopped himself, realising the promiscuous implication of his statement "uh, furs. Students. Classmates. Kill me now." he added, embarrassed beyond belief at his blunder.

Jesse chuckled, giving the husky a smile "Heh, I hope you're not too busy with 'all the guys' to meet my friends?"

"Hey, cheap shot!" Tyler protested "I'm not some kind of monstrous slut!"

"Good, because we've got too many of those around here." Jesse replied, relishing in being able to talk so openly about being gay now that the secret of Perit High was out amongst the students.

Their private conversation was not destined to last very long, as Tyler noticed the otter and horse that seemed to know Jesse well approach them.

"Did you ask him?" Harry asked coyly

"Oh, I didn't." Jesse realised what Harry was talking about after a moment of confusion. "We were talking about other things. So guys, meet Tyler. Tyler, meet Harry and Will." Jesse said, motioning to the otter and horse in turn.

"Nice to meet some fellow musicians." Tyler said, meeting their looks and beginning to feel much less nervous and reproachful about this school.

Harry cut to the chase before Jesse could ask the husky himself "Would you like to join our band?" the otter eagerly put to Tyler. The husky was confused for a brief moment before Jesse explained.

"Harry, Will, my brother, and I have a band... well, Will's new. Anyway, we'd love you to join us or at least do some session-work with us." Jesse said. "It would be a good thing for you, since it's best to perform with others - the music teachers like that kind of cooperation." Jesse added, trying to incentivise the offer. His band-mates nodded their agreement.

"Sure, that could be cool!" Tyler responded, his tone brightened by the thought of being in a band. Less consciously, his mood was brightened by being in a group with Jesse.

Will chipped in, an annoyed look on his face "When do I get to meet your brother, Jesse?" The leopard had completely forgotten about introducing Will to Zane. He knew they would get along; he had no reluctance about that. He simply hadn't gotten around to it. "I'll give you the intro at the party on the weekend. I can't be bothered getting him over here during school hours. He's probably doing stuff today anyway." Jesse replied, taking the edge off the mood set by the equine's question.

Jesse looked to his watch. "Well the day's just about over for me. I'm gonna text the guys and see if we can all catch up now-ish. Will, you know how I like to show off my new friends to the guys." He gave Will a knowing grin, who returned the look. "Yeah I'm free after this too. Classes have been pretty light so far." the stallion remarked.

"Yeah I haven't even been set any homework yet!" Harry added "Oh and I'm free too after this. So should Ben. We were gonna just play some games when we got home anyway."

Jesse turned to Tyler, who had been a silent observer to the conversation for a while. The husky tilted his head, not sure what Jesse was trying to ask him with that look. The leopard clarified in a soft tone "Are you alright to hang out a little after class? I promise we're not a bunch of dickheads... well maybe Gary." Jesse smiled to himself at the last part.

Tyler gave a small smile, clearly a little nervous but still eager to make friends. "Yeah. I live on campus, in the apartment block just next to the car park so I'm not on anyone else's schedule."

Jesse nodded, internalising his less-than-pure thoughts about being invited back to that apartment one day. He took his phone out of his pocket and began composing a group message:

Hey guys, can we catch up at the cafe in 10? There's someone I want you all to meet. - Jesse

The leopard slid his phone back into his pocket and listened to Harry give Tyler a spiel about their band. "We mostly do covers of rock and jazz songs, but we need to expand our set list to include some more pop songs. A voice like yours would be an ace in the hole for us to nail that kind of music."

"Thanks." Tyler bashfully accepted the compliment. "Did you have any songs picked out already? I might already have some of them under my belt."

"Uh, well I think we need to talk to Jesse's brother before we decide on songs. He's a bit of a queen when it comes to choosing songs." Harry replied, thinking about Zane's opinion on pop music. The older leopard wasn't against pop music, he was just ... picky.

Jesse inadvertently disrupted the conversation when his phone started buzzing like crazy in his jeans. The others stopped and looked at him. Suddenly becoming very self-conscious, he fumbled for the phone and read the barrage of messages he had received and was continuing to receive.

_ Sounds good, see you there! I could go a coffee. - Ben_

_ Just finished weights, I'll be there soon. Did think about what we talked about at lunch? - Noah_

_ Do I need to bring lube? - Ben_

_ Heya sweetie, Noah's picking Alan and I up in a minute, who is it? - Gary_

_ Hey, I'm glad you're still inviting me to things. I'm sorry about yesterday. I'll make it up to you. - Alan_

_ ... no lube? - Ben_

_ Is it a he and is he sexy? - Gary_

Jesse laughed and silenced his phone. "They're excited to meet you." he said to Tyler. The husky wagged his tail and looked to his own phone to check the time. "Should we leave now?" he asked, seeing it was the end of class. The others nodded their agreement and packed up their things to leave the lushly carpeted music department.

The quartet of music students exited the large glass building and meandered toward the car park, Will and Harry leading the way with Jesse and Tyler walking side-by-side, talking about music and whatever else they could think of. "So you're not with your folks anymore? Did you have a falling out?" Jesse asked as delicately as he could, not wanting to hurt Tyler's feelings or bring up too many possible unpleasant memories.

"Oh no, nothing like that." Tyler replied happily "They love me and knew I wanted to go to Ensfield... Perit for ages. They live back in my hometown and I promised them a visit in the first holiday break we get."

"What do they do?" Jesse asked, curious why a couple would ever send their pup interstate for school.

"My father is a paramedic and my mother is a sales rep for a software company. It's not that they don't have time for me or my little sister, it's just they want me to get the best education I can. They can't afford the tuition fees this school charges, but I managed to get a scholarship."

"Oh, cool." Jesse replied lightly. "I'm not good enough to get a scholarship. Those are seriously competitive." he added, expressing how impressed he was by the husky. Tyler then countered "You sure they don't offer a scholarship for good looks?" As the words came out of his mouth he wanted desperately to retract them and keep that comment to himself, but it was too late. It was out there for the leopard to blush to and the husky to awkwardly shove his hands in his pockets in repose, having embarrassed himself enough for a thousand days in the span of an hour.

Jesse stammered "I, uh... that's very... th... thanks?" The leopard's tumble on his words made Tyler giggle. Tyler did want this beautiful feline to know he was interested, but what was the best and least awkward way to do that? Tyler didn't know so he was going for what felt natural. He saved Jesse's embarrassment "What about your parents?"

"Oh I live with them and my brother." Jesse regained his composure "Yep, we're a typical nuclear family. They do company things that I really couldn't tell you much about. I don't understand half of what they do, myself."

Tyler let the vagueness of Jesse's response resonate.

Maybe he was just uncomfortable talking about his family.

The two waved to Harry, who peeled away from the group and paced over to a bright scarlet motorcycle; donning the matching helmet he had been carrying and zipping up his jacket.

Will spun and walked backwards, facing his feline and canine friends. "Jesse, how're we all going to get there? Isn't your car only a two-seater?" he questioned the leopard, whose expression was now one of reluctance.

"Well, technically it's got four seats..." Jesse trailed off.

"Oh, well no problem then." the stallion cut him off, smiling his relief. The trio approached Jesse's glossy crimson Audi RS5, the paintwork as immaculate as ever. Tyler's eyebrows furrowed. This car was familiar to him... somehow. He couldn't place it but he had seen this car before. He set that thought aside and expressed the second thought he had about the car "Wow. This is yours?" he said in disbelief.

"Don't encourage him," Will instructed his new canine friend "but yeah I know what you're thinking - fuck rich boys, right?"

Jesse said nothing, simply smiling coyly and unlocking the vehicle.

Once they were all seated, Will spoke up. "Ya know what I said about this being no problem? I was wrong." Jesse turned to see the tall horse folded into the seat, knees pressed up against his chest and hooves hanging limply mid-air. His head was still clipping the ceiling despite his whole body hunched over and neck bending as far as he could manage. Tyler and Jesse had no chance of containing the laughter that exploded from their mouths. Jesse had only once tried to fit someone in the back of his car and that was Ben, who was at least a foot and a half shorter than this amusingly squished equine.

"Seatbelts." Jesse reminded his passengers, finally suppressing his laughter.

"Fuck you. Just drive." came the reply from the back seat. Tyler could barely hold his giggles in, snickering at the horse's predicament.

"Aye aye, captain." Jesse replied and took off, being careful with bumps and braking on the road despite his jovial reaction to the horse trying to fit his tall body in the back seat.

Almost no time passed for the three before Jesse was parking the car at the group's favourite cafe. He ceased the rumbling V8 engine as he stopped in the space between a familiar black SUV and two Ninjas. It appeared the others were already there and had grabbed a booth.

Tyler only recognised Harry's bike but assumed the owners of the SUV and other bike were friends of Jesse's. He stepped out of the low-slung sports car and let Will out of the back, the equine immediately flopping legs and arms into the free space and wedging his way out of the confines of the rear seat.

The three walked into the cafe and Will waved to the group as he spied them in the largest booth in the corner. He walked straight to the group, apparently not thirsty just yet. Jesse leaned toward Tyler and asked "What would you like? I'll buy."

"Oh that's okay, I-"

"Please. It's your first real day at a brand new school. Let me make you comfortable. I won't take no for an answer." Jesse implored the shorter fur, circling a strong arm around the husky's shoulders and guiding him toward the counter. Tyler didn't mind the firm guiding, in fact being surrounded by Jesse was rather intoxicating. His scent was earthy and soft, reminding Tyler of the qualities he had felt in the leopard's voice.

Tyler glanced at the booth Will had joined and saw several pairs of eyes watching him and a paw pointing at him and Jesse. He felt a wave of uneasiness gush over him as he became worried what they were saying to each other. Before he could give it any thought, the pair were facing a perky vixen sporting a black apron who was ready and waiting for their order.

"A short black and ..." Jesse looked to Tyler, waiting for him to complete the sentence. "And a latte macchiato." Tyler finished. Jesse reluctantly withdrew the arm as the barista made their drinks. The leopard paid and Tyler followed him over to the corner booth, every step magnifying his nervousness.

"Guys, I'd like you to meet Tyler." Jesse proclaimed, sidestepping a little to make sure everyone could see him. Tyler was so nervous he could barely speak "... Hi?" he said.

"Hey!"

"How's it going?"

"Yo."

"Hi."

A variety of greetings sounded out from those he hadn't yet met. Jesse was quick to get introductions out of the way "So Tyler, meet the greatest bunch of guys ever. You know Will and Harry." he said, waving his hand past them. "Next to Harry is his twin brother Ben - you can tell them apart by which ear is pierced and if they're carrying drumsticks." The twins each gave Tyler a wink as Jesse continued "Next to them is Alan," the wolf gave a reserved wave "Gary," the cheetah waved overenthusiastically with both hands, which made Tyler giggle "And Noah." the huge bull gave Tyler a warm, welcoming smile and motioned the husky to sit next to him.

Jesse entered the booth after Tyler, letting the husky feel more included in the group than if he were sitting on the end. Gary raised a paw above his head, as though asking a question in class. "What is it, Gary?" Jesse asked.

The cheetah leaned in, feigning some level of confidentiality and loudly whispered "Is he your boyfriend?" the looks on the group's faces seemed to echo the sentiment. Jesse and Tyler both immediately turned pink and practically shouted "NO!" simultaneously. Gary cackled and sat back down to chuckles from the group.

Jesse explained "Tyler just transferred here from out west. We met in music class and-"

"And Tyler can belt it better than Jesse!" Harry cut the leopard off. "We - the class - kinda forced them to duet on the spot. They were brilliant though."

"Wow, you guys are so harsh. Especially on a new kid." Ben commented. "You remember when we started at Ensfield? We were lucky to know each other. Shit was tough." the otter turned to Tyler and reassured the husky "We'll make sure you settle in nicely. What classes are you taking?"

Tyler shuffled in his seat and replied "Music, Science, Drama, English, History, and Sports."

"Well you're guaranteed at least one of us in every one of those classes." Noah said, finally speaking up. The massive bovine seemed like a wall of judgemental silence to Tyler until he began talking, then Tyler realised Noah was probably one of the gentlest members of the group.

"So what can you tell us about yourself, Tyler?" Gary asked. "Other than that you are a talented singer and extremely pretty."

Tyler nervously laughed off the compliment "Well I got into Perit with a full scholarship. I'm pretty hard-working with my studies..." He wasn't sure exactly what these guys wanted to hear but tried his best to share only the key details about his life.

"What about ... boys?" Ben asked coyly, with an identical smirk to Harry's when they were being surreptitious about something.

"Ah!" Tyler felt his cheeks flushing red for the umpteenth time.

Don't look at Jesse. Don't look at Jesse. Don't look at Jesse.

He couldn't help but sneak a glance at Jesse: only for a single instant did he look at the leopard. He hoped it was fast enough to go unnoticed. "I'm not really... it's probably too soon for me... I don't..." he grasped for the right excuse, unable to coherently form a decent phrase about his love life, or lack thereof.

Why was it so hard for him to admit his attraction even amongst a group of gay males? He was drawn to every aspect of the leopard sitting beside him. Perhaps it was that he seemed so perfect that Tyler felt uneasy about him, like there must be some extreme character flaw yet to be revealed. Jesse was, to Tyler's sensibilities, too perfect to be real and exactly what he presented to the world.

A derisive snort broke his train of thought. He looked over to the only fur yet to say anything to him, the wolf, looking_... what even was that look?_ Contempt?

"Do you actually know anyone who doesn't have their head up your tail hole?" Alan sneered at the husky. The group's response was immediate and aggressive.

"What the fuck, Alan?" Gary immediately shot at the wolf. The rest of the group responded in a similar manner, all but Jesse. Jesse waited until the booth was a commotion of different voices trying to berate Alan and apologise to Tyler simultaneously. He then drew in a deep breath all the way to the bottom of his diaphragm, focusing his jade stare on the wolf and when Tyler looked to the feline, any hint of joviality or friendliness was gone from those eyes. Jesse projected his voice enough to drown out even Noah.

"Stop."

Tyler now saw that Jesse's vocal talent was for more than making beauty. Here, it was a tool: a hammer that could fell any fur at ten paces. Tyler's shock was mirrored by all in the booth.

"Please excuse Alan and I for a moment." Jesse said in a less loud but no less forceful voice. His tone, coupled with the glare he was giving Alan left no room for any misinterpretation. While Alan met the leopard's anger in his expression, his was also mixed with a hint of fear. Tyler noticed a new flavour blended into Jesse's scent. It was wild and spicy, and would have made his tail tuck between his legs had he not been in a seated position.

Alan shuffled past the others and followed Jesse out the door of the cafe. The other furs were left dumbstruck, the otters even standing with their jaws hanging open. Gary shoved Noah "Get out there, bull. This could get nasty." Noah resented being the designated muscle, but was not about to complain given the current circumstances. "Will - if anything starts to happen... I might need your help." the bull warned Will, who simply nodded.

Tyler was scared and confused. He would've let the insult slide to keep the mood light but the room had just exploded. Gary saw Tyler's expression and intimated "Alan and Jesse used to date but they... um... Alan had some issues with staying monogamous." Tyler's expression of confusion doubled. "Is that Jesse's type?" he asked, suddenly feeling insecure about their flirtations.

Ben chipped in, knowing Alan the best "He used to be different. Alan was really sweet until he started dating Jesse. Then things started changing. He started acting... conceited. When they split, Al was a wreck and I don't think those wounds have healed yet. It's like Jesse leaving him ripped him open and he's sewn himself back together as best he can, but... he's wrong now. Not himself."

That scared Tyler more than whatever could happen today here at the cafe. The thought of Jesse leaving a trail of emotionally broken furs in his wake was... horrible. Tyler tried to banish the thought, but like any idea - it only takes one single seed.

Noah walked out the cafe door and was greeted with the sight of Alan and Jesse in each other's faces shouting back and forth, both talking over each other and showing no signs of stopping the argument.

"... like some fucking slut. I mean honestly, where did you find him - a brothel? Is that what you go for now?"

"Like you can talk about going for sluts and how dare you?! He's a transfer who needs some new friends and you slap him in the face with your sour bitch mood? Nice, Alan - welcome to fucking Perit High!"

"You look me in the eye and tell me you weren't thinking about knocking that one back the whole time you were in that cafe!"

"It's none of your fucking business who I sleep with. You gave up that right when you yiffed around behind my back."

"You don't see how that's hurtful? You parading around your new tramp in front of me so soon after we split! I wanted to make it up to you, but you come in with that and expect me to be cool?"

"Jesus, Alan. It's not about you. It's not about me. It's not about us. I'm giving him new friends!"

"That all you want to give him, huh? Not even considering giving him my scraps?"

"Again, not your business and you did not just refer to me as your scraps."

"I did and that's because that's what you are: a scrap of meat going dry - being picked at by a sexual vultur-"

Noah realised what was happening too late and rushed over to Jesse - hating to use any kind of self-defence knowledge on a friend but he needed to restrain Jesse, the leopard not pulling a single punch even though the wolf was down after the first. Noah gripped Jesse's elbow, resisting Jesse's shakes and threaded an arm of his own underneath. He then swept the arm back toward the spine and held tightly to the growling and viciously struggling body. It was clinical and disconnected; he warned his friend they were going down and swept a powerful hoof across the leopard's legs, bringing them both down to the ground a safe distance from the wolf. He had Jesse pinned and locked, on the ground yet still struggling to harm the wolf, bellowing his anger.

"Sshh, sshh. Jesse. Calm down. It's over. It's over. Let it go." Noah implored his friend who was finally ceasing his struggle, realising he couldn't do anything more. "Jesse, it's important you listen to me. Can you breathe?" Noah needed to make sure Jesse wasn't about to choke on an anxiety attack.

"I'm not... I'm fine. Yes I can breathe. I'm not having an episode." Jesse replied. The bull was honestly surprised by this; he had never seen Jesse angry like this and not go into at least a mild episode.

"Are you sure, Jesse?" the bull was not going to give up until he was certain.

"Yes. It's not about me. I'm fine. That bitch got what was coming to him." Jesse said, now speaking reasonably calmly.

Noah looked over to see Will with a hand on the wolf's chest, telling him to stay down. Alan had bruises and cuts on his face, throat and chest. Noah was glad the stallion was there to help him, as the situation could've been far worse - especially if the wolf decided to get back up and retaliate.

"Jesus, Jesse." Noah could only say as he slowly eased the lock, freeing the leopard. Now Jesse had his cool back, Noah felt comfortable releasing him. True to his normally compassionate nature, Jesse immediately approached Will and Alan.

"I'm so sorry, wolfy. I didn't mean to strike you. Everything just went red and..." Jesse trailed off, almost in tears seeing the damage he had done to his friend. True, Alan was a shitty excuse for a friend, but he was Jesse's friend either way. The leopard began tending to the wolf's wounds, daubing the bloody cuts on his chest with his once-white tee shirt. It seemed inefficient to have the rag still on his body so Jesse pulled it off and used it wholeheartedly to absorb the bright red blood. After a few seconds of helping his friend, Jesse began to notice the wounds he had inflicted weren't as bad as they initially looked.

Gary, Tyler, Ben, and Harry had by now left the cafe and were watching the incident unfold. Tyler was dumbstruck, cursing himself for not realising that the strong and playful leopard was capable of a vicious assault like that. It also worried him greatly that watching the shirtless leopard mop up blood was ... arousing. Not very, but there was some level of erotic satisfaction in Tyler at seeing this physically powerful being performing such a caring and gentle task.

Tyler shook his head to clear that urge from his mind. He looked to Gary, who was simply watching. Noah beckoned the cheetah over and said to him softly "His injuries aren't that bad actually. A couple of little cuts and a few bruises. He's fine, really."

"Okay, but what happens now?" The feline who was usually all sass was at a loss for any kind of snappy one-liner.

"We all go home. I'll take Alan and Will to their homes and you can come home with me. Jesse wants to take Tyler home." Noah said flatly, still making an effort to maintain a calm facade.

Jesse, finishing his work of stemming the blood flow, said softly to Alan. "I am really sorry Alan." the wolf returned an OK gesture, apparently not wanting to speak to the leopard right now but still wanting to show he was okay. Noah and Will helped Alan into Noah's SUV and waited for Gary. The cheetah took hold of Jesse's arms and sternly said to him "We'll take him home. I'm not gonna say what you did was right but I'm not gonna say he didn't have that coming either. We should all just go home and get some rest. Tomorrow will be a new day and we can let this be ancient history."

Gary hopped in the passenger seat of Noah's vehicle and they left, no more needed to be said. The otters geared up and left on their bikes shortly after, leaving the leopard and the husky with a goodbye wave and awkward expressions on their faces.

Jesse turned to Tyler, feeling terribly guilty about what had just transpired. It didn't even register to him that he was topless; standing before the husky baring his paler-furred regions. Tyler was feeling a confusing mixture of emotions: he was shocked that such a beautiful and gentle fur was capable of violence on any level but he also felt relief that Jesse hadn't done any serious damage and immediately regretted his actions.

"I'm truly sorry you had to see that." Jesse said, his voice betrayed exactly how bad he felt about what had just happened. Tyler wasn't sure what to say, but instinctively responded "It's okay. We all have issues. Yours just needed to be sorted out physically, by the looks of it." Tyler shivered in spite of the late afternoon sun warming him. He was more than a little fixated on Jesse's bare torso, his eyes hungrily lapping up the spectacular sight. "Do... um... if I had a spare shirt I'd lend it to you but I don't think you're my size." Tyler said slowly, trying to drag out the time he could spend staring at that fit, defined body.

"It's alright. Shall I take you home?" Jesse asked, his normal playful mood returning as he offered an arm to lead Tyler to his car. Tyler took it with a slight giggle, tentatively regaining his own sense of playfulness.

The ride home for Tyler was quiet. Despite their lightened mood, the two were still reeling from how quickly the situation at the cafe had escalated. Jesse kept giving Tyler reassuring smiles, but Tyler knew they were more for the leopard's own benefit. "So how do you like my friends?" Jesse finally said, breaking the silence.

Tyler almost laughed. Despite the explosive end to the gathering, Tyler found Jesse's friends very friendly. "They are nice guys. I think I'll have to get to know them properly tomorrow." Jesse did laugh at that; even though a full-blown fistfight had occurred, the husky was still feeling positive about making new friends. Jesse found that optimistic quality so wonderfully fresh and desirable. Tyler was definitely a special husky, and Jesse wanted to make him feel special. If only he knew how.

Jesse pulled up in front of the student accommodation building and smiled again at Tyler, this time taking the husky's paw in his own. "Thank you for giving me a chance to introduce you to some good guys, I'm only sorry I included Alan in that list. I'll see you in English tomorrow?" Jesse asked, trying not to force or overdo his honesty.

Tyler nodded "Yeah it will be nice to be in a class with you where we're not being pitted against each other." That remark elicited a chuckle from both furs, reminiscing about the day's classes. Tyler adopted a soft expression that made Jesse's heart beat faster; it reminded the leopard of his dream the previous night. "Do you... would you like to come up to my apartment? I could make us some tea - that might calm us down."

Jesse stiffened; afraid Tyler would ask that question. Afraid because he knew it was a very bad idea to be alone and shirtless with this fur so soon after meeting him and without the distraction of driving. He knew exactly where that offer was leading. It would be a few minutes of sitting next to each other, then the inevitable paw on the thigh... then the husky's hot breath on his neck... then ... he gulped.

What's the right decision?

He couldn't think. Then Alan's voice from earlier answered the question for him

_ "... Not even considering giving him my scraps?"_

Jesse took in a breath, letting his mind settle. "A shirtless boy chasing you up to your apartment, what would the receptionist think?" He joked.

Fuck you, Alan.

"It's an extremely tempting offer, but I don't want to rush you into anything you might regret." Jesse explained, mentally kicking himself with every syllable escaping his maw.

Now he thinks you're not interested. Smooth, you dopey fuck.

"Oh." Tyler said, his ears drooping enough for Jesse to notice. "That's cool. I thought I'd offer... I'm gonna go now in case I embarrass myself more." Tyler turned and began opening the car door.

Jesse then had the smartest idea he would have all day. "Hey" he said, making Tyler turn back. Jesse knew this was the worst timing but he needed to show the husky he was honestly interested in him. Unambiguously. Jesse leaned over and planted a small kiss on the husky's cheek, taking the time to savour the husky's sweet scent. He then leaned even further in and whispered into Tyler's ear "Ask me again tomorrow." Jesse had a paw on Tyler's other cheek and could feel heat wash over the husky's face.

"I... Um... Oh... Yeah... That's... I'm... Th-thank..." Tyler could not get a single coherent phrase out. Jesse giggled and chased the stammering "Oh I didn't break the little cutie, did I?"

"Ah!" Tyler exclaimed and immediately jerked out of the awkward embrace, opened the door and ran to the safety of his apartment. His paws were up over his face, hiding the redness - Jesse guessed it was a lot. He waved and called out after him "See you tomorrow!"

Jesse could not stop grinning to himself. He'd told the husky exactly enough to show his interest without overstepping the bounds of his 'moving too fast' rule. He really hoped Tyler would ask him again tomorrow because after a night's sleep and a cold, cold shower he would be in a mental state to responsibly answer. If the magic was still there the next day, then Jesse would accept Tyler's offer and let whatever was going to happen run its course. He revved the engine to the red line, joy overtaking any previous emotion clouding his mind. He wanted to bellow his feelings to the sky, but he settled for burning rubber all the way home.

His mother greeted him with an analysing stare when he walked through the front door. "Hi sweetie, you seem in a good mood." Jesse laughed and replied "Yeah I fell in love and beat up Alan. All in one day." He grinned dreamily, much to his mother's displeasure. "What do you mean beat up Alan?"

"I just gave him the wake up he needed."

"Alright well... be safe, honey." his mother said worriedly, not sure to take Jesse's confession seriously. He kept that stupid smile pinned to his face all the way to his room. Zane was waiting outside his bedroom "Harry says you've gone and found a bass player and a second singer. I actually wanted you to meet someone I heard the other day, he's really good." The older brother tersely shot at Jesse.

"Sorry Zane, not now. I need to lay down." he dreamily replied.

"... Are you on drugs?"

"Maybe. God, I hope not." Jesse replied and shut the door in Zane's face.

"What the hell was that?" Zane said to himself, slinking back into his room.

Jesse flopped heartily onto his bed and hugged a pillow, wrapping himself up in thoughts about Tyler and every way he was perfect. Perfect in and of himself and perfect for Jesse. Just perfect.

_ And so am I, I'm not anybody's scraps. I'm someone worth loving. I'm going to show Tyler I'm worthy of his love._

Tyler giggled to himself uncontrollably, kicking the mattress as he lay on his stomach hugging a pillow. He simply couldn't stop giggling and blushing, even though he had been alone for the last half an hour. Jesse - that wonderful, gorgeous, simply amazing feline wanted him. He was such a gentleman - not exploiting their adrenalised state and admitting he wanted to be clear-headed to say yes to Tyler. That kiss, even though it was on the cheek, had been electric! Tyler was ecstatic that Jesse wanted him. He wanted to be part of Tyler's life.

Tyler's tail was wagging back and forth with such force, he could've smashed something. He didn't care about anything at all except making sure Jesse knew how much he wanted the leopard right back.

_ I'm going to show him exactly how much I want to be with him._

///////////

Next time:

Perit High: Chapter 4 - Lié (pt. 2)

Jesse and Tyler express their feelings, verbally and physically. The group discuss how they can help Alan get over Jesse. Jesse invites Tyler to dinner to meet his family.