FSE

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Llewellyn Chavez shivered in the cool evening air. It had rained that afternoon and a chill was left on the breeze. Adjusting his coat, the zebra began the short trek back to his car. Deftly avoiding puddles and swearing under his breath. The university therapist was always the last one to go home, staying back after his co-workers and student interns to catch up on paperwork. He provided many different kinds of support, and the school had a lot of students. He always looked forward to the end of the day, but of course...not the cold that accompanied the late nights.

Just as he had started the cars engine and turned the heat up, a knock at his window made him jump. Turning his head Llewellyn spied young Riley, the fox standing outside. The young male's paws were pushed deep inside his pockets, a dark hoodie hiding most of his head. He was clearly stressed about something, and Llewellyn felt his heart go out to him. Unable to turn away a youthful fur in need, Llewellyn gestured for him to go around and get in the passenger side. After a moment's hesitation, the fox obeyed. As the student climbed in, the zebra made sure the heating was up as high as it could go. Still Riley shivered a little, but Llewellyn was betting it wasn't because of the cold.

"So." He began, pausing for a moment as he thought out what to say. "What can I do for you Riley?" He finally finished, straight and to the point had always garnered the best results with the fox in the past.

"Sorry for showing up late, I know you were going home." Said the young male, blushing in embarrassment.

"It's fine." Replied the zebra.

"It was just a last minute..."

"Riley." Interrupted the therapist. "It's seriously okay, are we gonna just sit in the car or...? How about I drive us to a café, and then we can have a coffee and talk in some comfort eh?"

"I dunno, I don't wanna take too much of your time..." Replied the youth. Llewellyn rarely saw this insecure side of the fox; Riley had always been good at false confidence.

"Really, it's no trouble. I know a place with a fire. Honestly, my girlfriend is out of town so it's just me at home anyway." He lied, sensing that whatever the fox's issue was, it seemed fairly serious. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah." Riley choked up a bit, looking down at his paws. "I just don't know what I should do is all..." Llewellyn rested a paw on his shoulder.

"Look, let's go get some coffee and talk about it okay?" The fox just nodded, and finally the therapist pulled out of the school car park.

The car ride was mostly silent, Riley fidgeting nervously in his seat. He hadn't been expecting this, and seeing his counsellor in such a personal light was a totally different experience to his usual sessions. As they pulled up to the coffee shop, the young male was attempting (poorly) to not appear too anxious. As Llewellyn climbed out of the car Riley finally moved, being conscious not to slam the door after himself. The wind outside was biting, causing the zebra's exposed ears to twitch slightly. Looking enviously at Riley's hood, he rubbed two paws together, trying to get warmer.

"C'mon." He said through chattering teeth. "Lets get inside, it's always warm here." The fox just nodded as the two pushed through the wind and into the coffee shop. Llewellyn hadn't been lying; it certainly was warm, probably due to the crackling fire in the corner of the room. They each ordered a coffee and found a seat relatively close to the flames.

"So Riley, what do you want to talk about?" Asked the zebra, adjusting to the comforting glow of the wood heater.

"I dunno..." Replied the younger male, restlessly rubbing the back of his neck.

"Well." Started the counsellor. "We can talk about movies, or music...if you want we can chat about the weather too, it's terrible by the way." That got somewhat of a smile out of the student.

"You know what I mean. It involves Lars." His eyes shot down to his paws, embarrassed.

"Recently most problems seem to." Said the zebra calmly. "Relationships as a young adult are often fraught with drama. But what we need to focus on is your way of working through that. So why don't you start by telling me what is actually wrong?"

The fox shifted awkwardly as the coffee was delivered, not sure where to put his gaze. It began in his paws, and then went to the roof, next it was somewhere over to the left and finally back to end at his hot drink. After taking a sip the male began to explain.

"One of my old boyfriends, Joey, decided to introduce himself. He was telling Lars how....I dunno, crazy and fucked up I am. How I'm so dangerous." Llewellyn nodded along, listening. "Lars seemed to take it to heart..."

"I see. What did Lars say? Have you two broken up?" Riley shook his head in response.

"No, no...At least, I don't think so. Not for now anyway. He just wanted some 'time apart'. And I...What the fuck does that even mean?"

"Well Riley, time apart from partners is often a good call.... I mean you're separate furs. It's important to spend time apart and grow as individuals. Maybe Lars is working on that?"

"You don't understand, that's not how he processes stuff. Lars...when something bad happens, he locks himself away and thinks about it for like a week. Then he makes some kind of decision and sticks with that. I think it'd be better for us to actually talk." Explained the fox.

"Maybe, but is that because you think you could change his mind if he decides to leave you?" The zebra paused for a moment, allowing Riley time to process the information. "Because kiddo...that's not up to you, I hate to say it but if Lars wants to break up that's his call."

"I know I know....but I just....I don't_want_ him to."

"You can't do anything but you, just worry about your own behaviour. Either Lars will decide he likes that...or he won't." Riley was blinking back tears at this point.

"But....can't I do anything about it? I mean, what if I apologise or..." He was pleading now.

"The best thing you can do, in my opinion, is give Lars some space. Let him work it out. If he comes to the conclusion to stay himself, it will be much stronger in the long run."

Riley looked down, dejected. He'd been naively hoping Llewellyn would have some kind of magical answer, as if A-plus-B can equal Lars loving him. He knew it would never be that simple though, getting furs to love him had always been a challenge.

The zebra sighed to himself, feeling awfully protective of the young fox, he knew Riley was lonely. He didn't mind being by himself, but everyone needs company sometimes. After finishing his coffee, he made a snap decision.

"Look...would you like to come over for dinner with me and my girlfriend? It's nothing special but I mean, just to hang out? She's not actually out of town, I just said that to get you to talk to me." Riley hesitated at the request; it felt like he was intruding far too much on the kind zebra already. That said, dinner with friendly faces would be refreshing at the least. Although he'd never met the girlfriend before. He fidgeted a little, paralysed with indecision. Llewellyn could see it written plain as day all over the young fox's face.

"Riley, it's fine. Lola would love to meet you." He said, casually laughing at the male's discomfort. Riley, now at ease, smirked.

"Your girlfriends name is really Lola?" He asked. Llewellyn scoffed.

"I can retract the invitation, if that's what you want." He said sarcastically. Riley shook his head.

"No, no. I'll come, it'll be fun. Thanks."

---

Lars sat on the floor of his dorm, knees tucked up to his chest, in the dark. His mobile was ringing in his ear, the number getting dialled. Come on, pick up already. He thought to himself worriedly. He'd been stressed and nervous all day, his stomach had been in knots and he'd been sweating like nothing else. What if he'd made the wrong call? What if Riley decided he didn't want to be with him anymore because of this? Lars knew most of those thoughts were fairly irrational, but it didn't stop them. He still loved Riley. He knew that much was true. He had no intention of ending the relationship, but couldn't make it right in his head...violence had never been Lars' go-to option for problem solving. But maybe it had been the right thing to do? How could he know?

"Hello?" He breathed a sigh of relief, hearing his mothers voice on the other end.

"Hey Mum, it's me." He replied.

"Oh? I know a lot of me's...which one?" Lars, despite his worries, rolled his eyes.

"You know who, det er mig mor." The last sentence was Danish for 'It's me mother'. He heard her giggle on the other end, knowing how much she liked it when he spoke Danish (What little he did).

"Okay, okay. What can I do for you, young Johansen?" He smiled, loving his family's stupid jokes. He didn't call them much, but they never seemed to mind, and just enjoyed when he did. The tiger made a mental note to tell them one day how much he appreciated them taking a step back and letting him live his own life.

"Well, actually I was ringing to speak to Dad..." He finally said, his tone more serious now.

"Oh I see, too good for your mother eh?" She joked.

"Something like that." He heard her yell out his fathers name, then his own name. After a moment he heard the familiar male voice.

"Lars!" His father always got excited when speaking to him like this. Lars knew he'd get a kick out of the fact he wanted to speak to him specifically too.

"I was wondering if I could ask your advice about something, it's about Riley." He said, biting his tongue.

"Oh? What's our favourite fox gone and done this time?" Henrik was trying to sound casual, but his son could hear the concern in his voice.

"It's just...I dunno. I played with the guys at that club I told you about? The Revolution. It went really well, but after...this fox comes up saying he's an ex-boyfriend of Riley's."

"I see."

"Well, he told me this story about one time when Riley flipped out and broke his paw...sound familiar?"

"I see. Was it a similar situation to what happened here?"

"I...I don't know. The fur claimed nothing happened, but Riley said that he found out his ex had been selling ecstasy to teenagers." There was a moment of silence.

"Ah, well I'm to understand that's generally frowned upon." Despite the serious nature, Lars couldn't help but laugh. After a moment of giggling, he regained his composure.

"Yeah, I just...I dunno, don't know what to do. I told him I need a break, to think. He was pretty upset about it."

"I see. Well, I can't tell you what to do here. It's up to you to decide what you feel comfortable with. I'd try to make it personal, y'know? If someone had been giving some kind of drug like that to Marcus...how would you react? Would his behaviour become more or less warranted then?" Lars spent a moment sitting in silence, thinking. He gently rocked back and forth, almost unconsciously. Henrik just waited, letting him work it out.

"I...I don't know. I guess it'd be better? Maybe. I just don't know." He rubbed his eyes in frustration, feeling the tears welling up. Desperately trying to not cry.

"It's up to you. I know what I'd do. I can't tell you what you would do though."

"Yeah. Thanks Dad."

"Anytime dude. Love you."

"I love you too."

---

Riley sat back, laughing his head off. As it turned out, Lola was hilarious. She was a zebra too, like her boyfriend, but much better with words. Llewellyn just kept everyone topped up with wine and watched the hilarity ensue. At the end of the meal, he cleaned up all the plates and offered ice cream. Both Riley and Lola declined, but the counsellor just shrugged and fetched himself one. Sitting around the table, things began to quieten down, Riley and Lola each had a glass of a delicious red wine, and Llewellyn looked content eating his ice cream.

"I'm really glad you brought this one around, he's terrific." She said to her boyfriend.

"You're far too kind." Stated the fox.

"Oh not at all." She replied. "I can be a downright bitch most of the time. You are most welcome to dinner here any time though."

"Well...thanks. That's very kind." Replied the fox.

"Llewellyn mentioned you have a cute boyfriend too, you should bring him one day." The zebra male's eyes widened in panic.

"Riley, Riley...I've only mentioned you in passing. Nothing deeper has been shared here." He said, worrying all the work he'd done to gain the fox's trust had been shattered.

"It's fine, really. I mean almost everyone knows Lars and I are dating....or at least, that we were." Lola's mouth fell open in shock.

"Are you two split up now?"

"No..." Said Riley awkwardly. "But...it's complicated at the moment. We're on a break, whatever that means" Lola reached over and squeezed his paw.

"Don't worry honey, it'll work out one way or another. These middle parts are always some of the hardest, because you don't know what to feel. There's no guide and I hope it doesn't last too long." Riley smiled at her.

"Thanks, that's a really good point. Like, have a lost him...or are we still together? Am I supposed to be sad that he's gone, or just waiting for him to get back? Ugh....it all seems so confusing." Llewellyn was just watching in shock, he felt like Lola had done in an evening what it took him three months to do, get Riley to actually open up honestly.

"Try not to worry, I think the best thing to do is give your boy some space, let him work it out and come back to you. And if he decides not to..." She shrugged.

"Yeah I know, move on and all that." Said the male.

"Well, I was gonna say burn his house down but whatever floats your boat." She replied, eliciting a laugh (Much to Llewellyn's exasperation) from the fox. Checking his phone, Riley yawned.

"I uh, think I need to go home, it's getting late." Llewellyn nodded, grabbing his keys.

"Yeah, here I'll give you a lift home."

Lola cleaned up a bit until Llewellyn got back, dropping his keys casually on the table. Stepping into the kitchen, he saw his girlfriend looking in the freezer. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her midsection. Kissed her neck.

"Ice creams are behind the ice box." He said straight into her ear. She nodded, pulling out one for herself.

"He was a really sweet kid." She said, unwrapping the frozen treat.

"Yeah he's had a hard lot. Pretty asocial, really bright though. One of the most switched on students I've ever met. He deserves to be happy." His girlfriend nodded in agreement.

"Whoever this boy is he likes so much, hope he gets his act together. Cause he'd be missing a great one."

"Yeah, wow. Well done by the way, you broke down his defences like a pro. It took me three months to get him to say something that personal." Said Llewellyn, leaning against the bench.

"Ah, you probably just opened him up to the idea that maybe his feelings are valid and worth something." She replied, smiling.

"Still, Riley is...quiet at the best of times. He was laughing, joking, and wasn't wearing that damn hoodie the whole night. I don't think you realise what a big impact you made."

"Well shucks, now you got me blushing, Mr. Chavez. Stop, you big tease." She said coyly, the ice cream now finished. Llewellyn walked over and put his paws on her waist.

"Ah, but you're so cute when you're all flushed like that." Then he leaned in, embracing and kissing her in a sweet moment of quiet.

---

Riley heard the knock on the door, but his mind for some reason didn't register who it could be. With a casual air about him, he strolled downstairs and opened it. The tiger was standing there, in a dark blue hoodie, his left arm hanging limply, the other crossed over his stomach protectively. Riley gasped. He was surprised at the sight of his boyfriend; he hadn't been expecting this...at all.

"Lars." He said, which pushed the tiger to finally meet his gaze. Riley could see the fur around his eyes was wet, the eyes themselves red and bloodshot from crying.

The tiger didn't say anything, he simply stepped forwards and hugged his boyfriend. Riley, surprised, took a moment to process what was happening before returning the motion. They stood like the for a moment, embracing quietly, realising how much they'd missed the feel of one another's bodies. Eventually Riley pulled back, allowing Lars space to come inside as he closed the door. He followed the tiger into his lounge room, both taking a seat awkwardly. They sat on opposite facing couches, it was clear to both of them a conversation needed to be had.

"I'm sorry Riley, for all the drama." Lars finally came out with. He rubbed the back of his neck anxiously, searching for words. "I just needed time to think things over." Riley nodded.

"It's okay...I get it. A lot has happened to us." He replied, unsure where this was going. "Are...are we still?" He let the question hang in the air, relief washing over him when Lars eyes widened in shock.

"Oh, of course! I mean...well, if you want to be that is. I think what we need now are boundaries though. We just...jumped right into this thing without much thought." Riley nodded, rubbing his paws over his legs.

"Yeah I guess we did. But I really love you, and I don't want this to be over." Lars shook his head.

"Me neither." He said. "But I just...The thing about Joey is...I don't even have a problem with what happened. I don't hold anything against what you did when we were up with my family. It's just...the fact that you didn't tell me bothered me." Riley hung his head, embarrassed. Why had he not mentioned this before?

"You're right. That's a pretty important thing."

"Yeah, you think?" Asked Lars, not unkindly

"Those kinds of furs, you have to understand Lars, they just get filtered out. I don't pay them much thought because I honestly don't think that they're worth it." Lars sighed.

"I know, but...stuff like that, it matters. And you have gotta think about it. I can't date somebody who I don't trust Riley, and I really want to date you." The fox looked up, smiling.

"I wanna date you too." He paused. "But...you're right. I should think about that more."

"I trust you, and I love you...I just want to get a heads up." Riley could feel some tears forming in his eyes, why did he always make these kinds of stupid mistakes? Of course Lars should know history like that, how could he not? Especially if they were going to have any kind of long-term future.

"I'm sorry. I...that was a stupid thing to do. Or not do."

"Are you gonna break the paws of everyone that annoys you?" Said Lars finally, trying to put the conversation back onto a healthier track. The fox smirked in response, rolling his eyes.

"Trust me, Joey was a real piece of work. I bet he didn't tell you all of it."

"Oh?" Lars eyebrows going up.

"Later." Was all Riley replied, standing and yawning. The tiger smiled, plenty of time for that tomorrow. Stepping forwards, he placed his paws gently onto the fox's waist, pulling him in for a tender kiss. When they finally stopped for air, he smiled.

"I'm so glad to be back here." Riley pressed his mouth to Lars', also smiling.

"I'm so glad that you're back."