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-Naki - Monday-

Seniors have no school on Monday in order to prepare for prom, and it is a busy day. Motley and Samson are going to meet me there after I drop Fen and Sian off. I've been so busy that I don't even know who Samson or Motley are taking to prom. Guess I'll find out when I get there. As I'm getting all of my stuff together, mom walks into the room.

"I'll be leaving a bit early. Gonna meet Motley and Samson there," I say to her, having forgotten to mention it before.

"Why aren't you going with Motley and Samson?" My mom asks.

"I'm picking a couple other friends up, that's all."

"Which friends?" She presses.

"Fen, the friend I met on Saturday and a friend of his."

"Who is Fen anyway? We haven't met him before."

"He's a wolf, I only met him a few weeks ago. Told him I'd pick him up and take him a bit early so he can get ready to play with his band."

"Huh? So you're just going early to drive someone around? I hope he's planning to pay you. Where does he live?"

"Uhh, the east side," I say, not wanting to lie but certain she'll have something to say about that.

"And they need you to give them a ride? I don't buy that."

"They're just a couple of friends, mom. I wanted to be nice. They're going to give me some money so don't worry about that." I lie just to get her off my back.

She eyes me for a moment and sighs, nodding her head. "Well, alright. You have fun tonight, okay? Your brothers are going to have a babysitter so come back right after you're finished. Your father and I are going out tonight to buy things for your graduation and open house."

"Alright, mom. I'll come right back." I smile and she walks over to give a hug. I wrap my arms around her and squeeze.

"We're real proud of you, Naki. You enjoy yourself."

"I will." A happy grin spreads my muzzle.

That night, I stare into the mirror at the otter in a black tuxedo looking back at me. I smile a bit, get my whiskers in order and make certain my tail is fit properly through the hole behind me.

"You're being pretty careful for someone who doesn't have a date," Nathan comments as he watches me from his computer.

"Nothin' bad about wanting to look good, right?" I peer down at my shoes and flex my toes. I'd always had large feet; part of the reason I hate dress shoes. I'd much prefer going barefoot as I usually do.

"So you're really just going to go with your friends? Who're you gonna to dance with?"

"I'll find someone while I'm there. Don't cause any trouble for the sitter, 'kay? I'll be back as soon as I can."

"Yea, alright. Have fun," Nathan says, before going back to his game. I walk downstairs and smile at the younger cougaress playing games with Reggie. "I'm leaving, you have all our numbers... right?"

"Yea, no worries. I've got everything covered." She assures me and I give a nod.

"Alright! Take care, Reggie."

"Bye, Naki!" He shouts.

The fresh, cool spring air outside feels nice. I jump into my car and drive across town, admiring the much larger houses as I move closer to the polo fields and Fen's house. I turn into his driveway and three wolves are standing there waiting for me. One is Fen, of course, and the other two his parents, I assume.

"Hey, Naki." He says with a smile while I get out and wave. "Mom, dad? This is Naki." I walk over and hold out a paw.

"Nice to meet you both." I shake their hands and Fen walks over to stand next to me. In the waning sunlight I get a good look at Fen; we both chose a black tuxedo, but I love the way his irises contrast with it. They glow a little due to the reflection of the sunlight and the darkening area around us; I could stare into them for much longer than I do.

"You two just met, huh? Fen's just now telling us about you," his mom remarks.

"Heh, yea, we swam together for the past few weeks," I reply, peering at the slightly shorter wolf.

"More like you taught me how to swim over the last few weeks.," He chuckles. "He saw me trying one day and just couldn't resist lettin' me know how bad I was."

"It wasn't -that- bad!"

"Well, thanks for taking him, Naki." His dad speaks up and I nod. "No problem, my pleasure."

"Why don't you two take a picture? I'll send it to your parents, too, Naki. I bet they'll want to remember today."

"Uh... sure." I say, scooting in closer to the wolf who wraps his arm around my side. I follow suit and wrap my arm about his shoulder. His mom snaps a picture and we shuffle back to the car.

"Have fun, you two!" His mom calls and we wave before I back out.

We arrive at Sian's house to find his parents standing out there with him, much like with Fen's parents. His mom is a petite raccoon and his dad is quite a bit larger; not mordibly fat but he's certainly pudgy around the middle.

"We're just sooo happy you both made it this far," his mom comments to Fen and Sian while we stand up for another picture, this time with Sian added. "And you too, Naki. It's nice to meet you." She smiles. "Can we do anything for you before you go?"

"Heheh!" her husband bellows. "They've gotta go, hun! Plenty o' girls to woo and such I bet."

"Heh... yea, dad, girls." Sian mumbles to himself.

"Yea yea, I know you say you like lads more but just wait til ya find the right one! She'll sweep you right off your feet," He grins, giving my car a bit of a slap. "You guys get on your way, now. Don't be late."

"We love you, Sian!" His mom smiles and leans against her husband, staring on proudly as we leave the driveway.

"Ugh, glad that's over," Sian sighs.

"Your parents seem nice," I chuckle.

"Yea, for about the first ten minutes... then you won't be able to -stand- them. Believe me, I've been there my whole life."

"We're only singing two songs, and we're the opening band so, afterwards, we'll have time to dance. Sure you're up for it?" Fen peers at me while I focus on the road.

"Yea, may as well, right? I mean, last week of highschool so what could anyone really do?" I don't actually feel quite as brave on the inside. I hadn't really thought about the fact that we'd be dancing in front of -everyone-.

"Good." He rubs at my arm a little bit. "We're in it together, just remember that if ya get nervous."

"Right. So where's your band equipment, anyway?"

"Ian'll bring it; Sam's parents have a truck that Ian is going to borrow tonight. He should be there waiting for us when we arrive," Fen states

"Wait, we're counting on -Ian- to be on time?" Sian grins. "Why did we think this was a good idea?"

"Sam's with him." Fen smirks. "She'll keep him honest."

We arrive and show our tickets to the a chipmunk standing by the door. At first he tells me I have to wait but Fen and Sian convince him that I'm going to help them set up. Once inside, Fen smiles and turns to me. "Alright, wish us luck. I'll find you after we're done." He walks forward and opens his arms for a hug. I do the same and we embrace; I press his head to my chest a little and feel over the fur between his ears, enjoying the smooth texture against the webbing between my fingers.

"Goodluck!" I smile, releasing him and watching them both run off. Now I just need to wait for Motley and Samson.

--Fen--

Seeing Naki outside of school and having him meet my parents was actually thrilling. I know they have no idea, though I'm kind of hoping they picked up on me wrapping my arm around him. Honestly, I don't know how my parents will react to me dating a norm-- if we continue dating, at least. There's still so much I need to tell him, and there's no right way.

"Stop with the day-dreaming, Fen." Sian pokes at me as we briskly walk down the wide, mostly empty hallways of the school.

"Are you taking anyone, Sy? I never asked..."

"Nah, no one worthwhile. Just gonna hang out with you and Ian. You and I gotta dance at some point, though." He grins and I shudder.

We make it into the cafeteria where, thank god, Ian and Samantha are already getting our equipment set up.

"Hey, guys!" Ian grins. "Made it on time, whatcha think of that?"

"You want us to compliment you because you made it on time?" Sy smirks.

"Thanks you two," I mention happily, cringing a bit as the mouse ruffles over our heads. "Hey! Tonight's not the night for that," I grumble, fixing my headfur.

"Alright, so you hafta finish the drums 'cause I think you're the only one who knows how, Sy. Fen's is easy and I have my stuff set up."

"Alright, works for me." Sy moves to start getting his station set up.

Ian sniffs the air for a moment, then looks down at me. "You smell like otter. Did someone get a prom date?"

I shift on my feet a little. "Well, yea... We met up on Saturday. It was a... I'll tell you about it later. But, yea, Naki and I are here together. Officially. We'll be dancing after we're done playing."

"Aww," Samanta pipes up. "How cute would it be if he's alright with your... y'know..."

"I'm not gonna get ahead of myself," I say quickly, blushing a little. "Anyway, let's get set up."

It doesn't take long for us to be ready, and before long people are filtering into the room dressed up with their dates. The room we're in, normally the cafeteria, is set with round-shaped tables as opposed to the long, rectangular ones. The tables are covered in cloth and have candles in the middle to set the mood. They're arranged around the center of the room where people are meant to dance. On the opposite side of the room, away from the band stage, there seems to be food and refreshments but I can't see it the best from here.

Mr. Longorn, a bull, and the guy in charge of the speakers and other various sound equipment we couldn't bring ourselves, walks over.

"Alright, boys. We're ready for you in about ten minutes, so get ready. You'll have enough time for your two then we have to switch out."

"Sounds good," Ian says. He gets onto the stage and we follow suit. Sam goes over to help Mr. Longorn with the sound board.

"We're gonna blow'em away, boys," Ian boasts. "No one will be able to follow us."

Sy and I grin to one another and we get ready to start. Mr. Longorn's voice sounds over the speakers as the room is beginning to fill with seniors. I can see Naki walking in next to Motley, some beaver and their dates. I watch him for a while, until our band is announced.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen; welcome to the 106th annual prom night. We're not gonna hold you up with long speeches. Our first two numbers are by a local band whose members you may all recognize as your classmates: O.T.T.S."

--Naki--

After meeting up with Motley and Samson, as well as their dates; a beaver named Meliney for Samson and a badger named Isa for Motley. We pick a table to get ready for things to begin. Samson is already off to get some food with his date, leaving me with Motley and Isa.

"What does 'O.T.T.S' stand for?" I ask, peering over at Motley sitting next to me.

"Hell if I know, I'll see if I can find it online," he says, whipping out his phone and tapping away at the screen.

"So you're here without a date?" Isa asks, peering at me and, apparently, just now noticing my lack of female.

"Well, no, not really," I say, feeling a bit of a twinge in my throat.

"He's here with Fen." Motley answers for me, leaving me to wonder if he sensed my hesitance. "He's the singer in that band."

"So the rumors were true, then." She just stares at me for a while, seeming uncertain of how she should react at first. "That's... great." She smiles a little, diverting her gaze over to Motley. "I'm gonna go get some punch. Want any?"

"Yea, sure. Thanks!" Motley peers at her before she gets up and walks off.

"I don't know if I can handle the questions, Mott," I grumble. "I feel like the entire night's gonna be about who I'm with."

"Only if you let it be, man," he says, tilting his head a little at whatever is on his cellphone screen.

"Yea... maybe it'll get better once we're on the floor," I say, partially to myself.

"Hey, Naki" I hear a familiar voice and spot Loraine walking over with another fox in tow. She glances at Motley for a moment. "Motley," she says, giving a nod to the badger who grins and looks up from his phone.

"Hey, Loraine. Who're you with?" Motley asks.

"This is Brian. Brian, this is Motley and Naki." The black-gloved fox waves, wearing a wide grin. No doubt he's happy to be here with someone like her. Can't blame the guy.

"Glad to see you. Things been well?" I ask her and she nods with a smile. "Yea, yea. Just great. You look good yourself. Are you here with anyone?" She asks, looking at the other three spots at the table that have stuffed piled atop them.

"Uh, yea," I say, shifting a bit in my chair. "Well, let's just say I took your advice."

She seems confused for a moment before her eyes widen and a grin spreads her face. "Really? That's great, Naki!" She peers at the stage to see Fen's band tuning and preparing to begin. "That's really great. Come get me when you two are gonna dance. We'll go with you."

I smile a little, lowering my ears at her enthusiasm even if I'm happy to hear it. "Yea, definitely." I smile. Her date looks a bit confused at what just happened, but before he can ask she grabs his hand.

"Alright, we're gonna go say hi to more people. Don't forget, Naki. Seeya, Motley!" She tugs Brian along behind her and Motley pats me on the shoulder.

"See? Everything is gonna be fine, Naki. Anyway, this is interesting," he says, holding his phone out to me and showing me the screen. A local band register website has the acronym O.T.T.S. as belonging to a band named 'One Tall Two Small'. Below it, the names of the band members are listed; I recognize Fen and Sian.

"That's them," I say. "One Tall Two Small? Huh..."

Motley grins, "Interesting name, eh?"

"Yea," I chuckle, looking at the stage again and peering at Fen. Isa, Samson, and Meliney return just then, and Isa sets Motley's drink down next to him. Samson sets a cup down next to me and then settles into a chair, wrapping his arm around his Meliney and smooching her on the cheek.

"Heheh, let's dance after we eat alright?" Meliney says, prodding at Samson.

"Of course, I'll just eat quickly." He looks to me after a moment. "When're you and Fen going out?"

"After he sings," I respond.

"Alright, I'll be done before that, then." He nudges me, then leans in against Meliney while Motley pays attention to Isa.

With those two occupied, I just sit there and listen to the music. I'd never heard Fen sing before, so I lean forward and rest my muzzle in my hands, staring off into space while listening to his words.

The song itself isn't bad. I find myself pondering into the future and wondering just what might happen between us. I know we haven't made things official, yet, but it is still fun to ponder. We'd have to get past my parents, and god forbid they find out he's a micro if he really is. I can only imagine what my dad would say. I wonder how -his- parents would react, too. They seemed nice, at least.

I watch some students dance and twirl in the middle of the cafeteria while thoughts race about my mind, only stopping when I realize the music has stopped.

--Fen--

A wide, toothless grin spreads over my muzzle after I finish the number. It felt great. I only partially notice the mumbling Sy and Ian are doing in the background.

"Alright, ready?" I ask, turning around to begin the next song only to find Ian scooting over to me from where he was standing with his guitar.

"Go find Naki; Sy and I wanna play for you two," he grins, "Comeon, now, don't make the crowd wait."

"I-Ian, uh..." I shift a little on my feet. "Who's gonna sing?"

"Don't worry about that! Go get him." Ian gives a light shove and I hesitate.

"Ohhh, alright," I smile, "thanks..." I jump off of the stage and walk to where I know Naki is. The otter is staring at the dance floor when I approach and the way he jumps when he sees me makes me think he was daydreaming.

"Are you... ready?" I ask, holding my paw out to him.

He stares at it for a second, then at me. "Uh..." I can feel the tenseness in his body. Up to this day he'd told everyone that he's straight. Now he'd show them the truth.

"I'll be with you," I say, reaching to grasp his hand and help him up. He holds mine and nods, smiling nervously.

"Okay okay... let's go before I change my mind," he says as quietly as I've ever heard him speak.

"Hey! Wait up!" The beaver next to Naki shouts, finishing a bit of food up before moving to follow us with his date. I notice Motley and, whom I presume to be his date, stand too.

"Loraine?" Naki calls, waving at a female fox settled at another nearby table. When she sees him she gets up and tugs at another fox whom -was- talking to someone. Not anymore, though. By the time we get out there, three other couples have joined us.

"Alright, this next number wasn't exactly planned but we wanted to give a shout-out to our singer, Fen. He and Naki just recently started dating," Ian announces, grinning down at us. I would have expected Sy to pull something like that, but not... Actually, I guess I should've expected it.

Naki tightens up from the attention and, admittedly, I do too. I try to ignore it, though, and stare up into his eyes. "Relax," I say, gently. "It's just us. Just me and you..."

The music starts playing; thank god they chose something medium-paced. It sounds like Sy is taking my place as the singer while Ian strums on his guitar. I start moving and Naki follows my motions pretty well. Soon enough, we've got a smooth pattern going. "There, see? It's not so bad." I lean up to give his chin a very light lick. He smiles down at me.

"A few weeks ago I never thought I'd be doing this," he says, shivering subtly. He must've been experiencing a bit of an adrenaline rush.

"Well, you're here now. That's what counts. Who're these other guys? I know Motley..."

He looks around at the others dancing with us and waves at Motley as he and the other badger close in on us. "The beavers are Samson and Meliney. The foxes are Loraine and Brian."

"Ohh, that's Loraine," I say, peering at her for a moment.

"See? Not so bad, right?" Motley's deep voice states as he and Isa twirl and sway nearby.

"I'm just glad I made it out here without falling," Naki chuckles, winning a grin from Motley.

"Thanks for givin' me another chance, Fen," Naki says, peering down at me while we follow the music.

"Don't mention it," I say, pressing up against him and wrapping one of my arms around his back so I could feel more of his warmth against my body and lay my head against his chest. "You have no idea how much I wanted this to happen even before you told me you'd ever consider it."

I feel him laugh a little, and just know he's grinning down at the top of my head. Damn my shortness.

"What about after this?" He asks suddenly, causing my ears to flick slightly.

"After this...?" I ask, lifting my head to look up at him again.

"Yea," he says, shifting his body backwards a few steps and leaving me to follow; which I do. "Is this just a one night thing?" He asks.

"Well..." I start to say, uncertain of how I should answer. There's a lot more to it than just 'I want to be with him' or 'I don't want to be with him'.

"We should talk about it later," I say, hoping to avoid the topic for now.

"I'm just curious... why are you uncertain?" He presses, leaving me just a little annoyed.

"Why are you curious?"

"Because... I like you. And I have you here now, I figured this is as good a time as any to ask."

"You'll have me tomorrow, too. I don't plan on finding another boyfrie--" I stop myself, cursing Sy beneath my breath for instilling that in my head.

"Boyfriend?" Naki grins down at me.

"Look..." I sigh, peering up at his face. "I really like you, Naki. I do. There's... more to it, alright? Let's talk later. I promise I won't find someone else before we do." I nudge at him playfully. "Okay?"

He stays quiet for a while and the music begins to wind down. In a moment, I'd need to help them take our equipment down so the next band could set up.

"What if..." He starts to say, his voice quiet again. "What if I told you I know why you're hesitant?" He asks, looking at me with a face I can't read. It's almost a look of uncertainty.

"I'd call your bluff," I chuckle, though the memory of Motley's words at the championship stirs in my head.

"Just... we can talk more about it later, Fen, but I want you to know that I don't care..." His voice becomes quieter, "about any difference there is between us; species, beliefs... height. None of it matters to me."

The last word makes me stop. I'm glad the music finishes around the same time or it might've caused a slight stir.

"Height...? I don't know what you're talking about," I say, fighting the instinct to try and pull myself from his grip. Worst thing I could do is cause a commotion now.

Apparently, he feels my apprehension because he loosens his grip and simply rests his hands on my shoulders. Despite my discomfort, I don't back away yet.

"I know it's probably scary for you, and I can't give you more than my word, but I promise it's okay. I won't tell anyone else, and I don't expect you to show me. Just know that it doesn't matter to me, alright? If anything happens between us... or doesn't happen between us then I don't want it to be because of something like that," he whispers.

I give a careful nod, uncertain of what else I should do. I'm frozen there in the middle of the floor.

"Nice dancing, you two," Loraine says, peering between me and the otter and panting from her and Brian's dance. "Fen, this is Brian and I'm Loraine. Brian, this is Fen and you know Naki."

Brian reaches a paw out to me and I shake it; it takes a lot more effort than I try to make it seem like. "N-nice to meet you," I say, trying not to quiver.

"Nice to meet you, you have a great voice," Brian compliments and I smile.

"Thanks."

"Nice dancing yourself. You were always good at it, though," Naki says to the vixen whom just nods with a smirk plastered over her face.

"Damn straight. Anyway, we'll be next to the table you guys were at. Come by before the end of the night, kay?"

Naki nods. "We will."

She runs off with Brian in tow and I stare to Naki again, recalling what'd just happened. He walks forward and wraps his arms around me again, hugging me to his body. I do the same, hugging him back, partially out of reflex. Eventually, though, it becomes sincere as I finally start to comprehend that he knows about my cloaker, but isn't trying to steal me away.

"Are you alright?" He asks gently.

I shift my head a little and he lets me go. "Yea, I'll... I'm okay. I need to help the band take stuff down."

"Alright. You'll meet me at the table, then? Not going to run away, are you?" He asks. It seems like he's only partially joking. "I could help take your stuff down if you want," he offers.

"No... I won't run away," I say, in return. I probably should, though. If my parents were here they'd tell me to. "But...just go sit and I'll come over after we're done."

"Alright. Thanks, again, Fen. I'm really happy we met." He smiles and I smile in return. He walks off to sit at the table and I quickly move to start helping Sy and Ian.

--Naki--

Whether I'd just made a mistake or not, I wasn't certain. The look on his face, his demeanor... I know he's distressed, I just hope it doesn't chase him away. I'm not sure why I chose -now- to bring it up, in retrospect maybe I should've waited. I just hate to think that something like that might linger over our heads and keep us from enjoying one another. By his reaction though, I think that Motley and I are, at least, correct."

"Have you tried the food, Naki?" Samson asks as I arrive back at the table. "The subs are amazing! Same with the burgers. Comeon, let's go get some for the table." He gets up and grabs my hand, pulling me over to get some food. I follow him, smiling but still wondering what Fen will do now.

"It's almost like you're more excited for the food than anything else," I tease the beaver.

"Well we can eat or we can dance; my muscles still hurt from Friday so eating it is." He chuckles, picking from the various trays set out for us. I follow his lead.

"How was it? Your dance?" He asks while I fill my plate.

"Great," I say, thinking back to it. "It was less stressful once I was up there dancing, at least."

"Yea, did you see Brad?" Samson asks and I shake my head.

"No, why?"

"He was all smiles until he saw you call Loraine over. The moment she came out and started dancing with us he left."

"Haha, really? What a jerk, serves him right," I laugh, finishing my plate off with one of the subs Samson apparently loves so much.

"Yup! Smooth sailing without him, right? Anyway, where's Fen? He gonna come sit with us?"

"Yea, he'll be back in a moment," I say, walking back to the table with Samson once we're both finished.

The next two hours become progressively worse as Fen doesn't return. I look at my phone to see 10:30pm.

"I'm sure he's got his reasons, Naki. Don't worry about it, want me to get you s'more punch?" Motley asks.

"No, I'll be fine. You guys have fun..." I say, trying to get them to just leave me alone.

"Well, you could dance with someone else? I mean, uh... Motley'll dance with you." Samson grins a bit, but quickly erases it when I don't smile back. "Alright alright, bad joke... I'm sorry."

"No, it's alright Sam. I'll be fine. Go have fun." I smile at them both. "I just need some time alone, alright?"

"Yea, alright." Samson says, standing with Motley to go join their dates which leaves Brian, who is talking to someone at a table next to ours, and Loraine who looks a little worried still.

"Maybe you should call him? He was supposed to come back here, right?"

"Yea, I'm sure it's nothing though. Don't worry, Lorry..."

"You wanna dance with me and Brian? It'll take your mind off of things. If you're so sure that Fen is okay then why're you so worried?"

"It's..." I look down. "I think I said the wrong thing to him. Kind of like I came onto him too fast, you know?"

She seems to understand that, giving a nod and patting me on the shoulder. "Well, give him time, maybe you'll just have to talk to him tomorrow or something."

"Yea..."

She seems to decide to leave me alone now, moving over to talk with Brian and his friends. Finally alone, I start to brood a little. I brought it up too quickly, he's afraid of me now. I can't help but replay the conversation in my head, looking for the flaw, wondering which word pushed me over the edge. In the end, I figure bringing it up at all was a bad idea. I was just hoping he'd understand that I'm not trying to hurt him, I just wanted to make his decision easier.

Fifteen or thirty minutes drone on before I sigh and stand up, staring at the others still dancing and enjoying themselves to the music. I decide to slip out quietly and just go to bed. I pull my phone out, figuring I'd text him just in case he needs a ride... if he even trusts me to do that much.

'Hey, I'm leaving. I can give you a ride if you're okay with that,' I type, sending it off before moving towards the back of the room where the door is.

"Weren't going to leave them, were you?" I hear behind me, spinning to find the only member of the band I haven't met; Ian.

"Where's... Fen? Is he okay?" I ask.

"Hi to you too, how am I? Just fine." The mouse shakes his head a bit. "Alright, sorry. He's still here, I came to find you.

"Sorry... I'm just worried. Where has he been? He said he'd meet me back at the table. It can't have taken two hours to put your stuff away."

"You know why he didn't come back," Ian says, staring at me evenly. "He's also the only reason we aren't gone, though. He said he told you he wouldn't run away, so we've been staying put. He's coming back now, but I came ahead first."

I feel relieved when I hear he'll be returning, even if I'm a little confused as to why Ian came back first. He starts walking, motioning for me to follow him. We go just outside of the cafeteria, surrounded by the cool, evening air. No one seems to be around, which is, apparently, the point. The mouse stares around then peers at me again. He's about as tall as I am, but not quite as large.

"You scared him, is all. It's hard for them, y'know? Without those things they wear they're basically helpless if they're caught."

"I know, and Fen was nervous bec--"

"Yea, you're right. Look, I've known for years now and I've only ever seen them at their normal height -once-. The fact that Fen hasn't left yet says a lot about how much he trusts you for whatever reason."

I'm relieved, though still rather defensive. Perhaps I want to justify my actions to myself as much as I want to justify them to Ian. "I told him because I don't want him to distrust me just because of something like that. I want to get rid of that fear -now- so that we can measure each other on the things that matter... Whether we love each other and not whether I'm going to turn on him because of the way he was born."

Ian stares at me for a while, then cracks a small smile. "Yea, alright. Could've used more finesse but no fixing it now. The whole point is they want to be able to live like normal people do. Hell, -they- call -us- normal... if that gives you an idea of just how much they want it. Treat him well, alright? And don't tell anyone else."

"I won't," I say, trying to sound reassuring. Ian seems to accept it. His phone vibrates and he checks it for a moment. "They're coming in. Let's go take a seat?" He motions with a paw. I walk ahead and, soon enough, we're at the table again.

"Where ya been, Naki? Who is this?" Motley asks, apparently winded from dancing again.

"Ian." The mouse says, sticking out a paw and shaking Motley's. "Friend of Fen's, sorry he's late. He's coming now."

"Oh! Awesome. Told you he'd be back, Naki" Motley smiles.

"Heh, yea..." I rub the back of my head and notice a group of three approaching our table.We scoot our chairs around and steal a few from other tables to make room for them and, soon, we're all together. Sian looks a little uneasy, but only I notice, I don't ask because I'm sure I know why. Samson is busy cuddling with his date while Loraine is yapping about something with Brian and a few of his friends. Fen walks over to where I am and slowly sits down next to me. Neither of us do anything for a moment, but, eventually, he leans to the side and rests his head on me. I smile a bit and wrap my arm about his shoulder, noticing his tail sway slowly behind him.

"Glad ya made it." I say to the wolf.

"Yea, well, you didn't make it easy." He mumbles, giving me a gentle nudge. "Sorry I'm late."

"I'm just glad you're here, really. Guys; this is Fen, Sy, Ian, and.."

"Samantha." Ian tugs the mouse girl over to him and kisses her on the cheek.

"Nice to meet you all," She says.

"And you," I say before motioning about the rest of the table.

"This is Samson, Meliney, Motley, Isa, Brian, and Loraine" I say as I point out my friends and their dates.

It takes a while but, eventually, the gloom that'd engulfed the night begins to fade into jokes, laughter and, most importantly, stress relief. We're all talking across the table as if we'd known each other since the first day we entered the school. By the end of it all; I'm entirely full, my abs hurt from laughing, my throat hurts from talking, and I can barely drag myself back to my car with Sian and Fen. The ride back is quiet, partially because the awkwardness of what happened earlier creeps back into the picture. I'd already put my foot in my mouth so I decide that, perhaps, it's better that way.

I pull up to Sian's house and he gets out of the car. Before he leaves us, though, he peers into my window. "Thanks, you made the night... interesting. You better treat him right, Naki." He says. That's as serious as I've ever seen the raccoon... not that I've known him for more than a day.

"I will, thanks for the fun, Sian," I say.

"I'll be fine, Sy. Goodnight." Fen says, smiling at his friend.

Fen seems to loosen up a bit after that. I pull up to his house, but he stays put in his seat for a while.

"I had a lot of fun," he says, smiling a little and shifting to rake his claws through the fur covering his tail. "Despite what happened... I'm sorry I left for so long, I didn't know what to do. Our parents... t-they tell us that if someone finds out we're supposed to run. Ever since we were kids. It's... hard to trust uh... normals. I've been a fan of you for so long, though, and to finally get to meet you and find out that... you like me too... I guess I didn't want to give it up so quickly."

"I get it, don't worry. I... I was just happy to see you come back. I thought I'd lost you for a moment, there. I thought you'd never speak to me again."

"Yea, if I listened to my mom and dad then we wouldn't ever speak again." He smiles a little, "But I was never -that- obedient. Still friends with Ian, after all."

"Heheh, you won't regret it, Fen."

"Tell me, though... How did you...find out?" He asks, tensing up again.

"Motley uh... well, I'll be honest, it wasn't due to any effort on my part. Motley's a bit of a... jerk sometimes. Remember he mentioned some rumor floating around about you and your cloaker? There isn't one. He made it up just to see how you'd react after seeing your ring."

"He made it up? Ugh... so if I'd just kept smiling and brushing it off he would never have guessed it..."

"Well, he wasn't certain even after that. Nothing would've come of it if you didn't ask me about it on Saturday. Your question made me curious so I talked to Motley about it after we met. He and I agreed that it might just be true because you wouldn't have reacted so strangely if it weren't. And then there was your band name..."

"That wasn't my fault, Sy and Ian came up with the name." He groans.

"So Sy is a... uh... micro..? Too?"

"Yea."

"That makes sense."

"Promise me you'll never tell anyone, okay? Promise. I really don't want this going around and it's bad enough that you and Motley know now. My parents woul--"

"It's okay, I won't tell anyone. I told you, already, it doesn't matter. I promise, nothing exits my lips. This all started because I liked you... and you liked me. I accept you for who you are because... you do the same for me. So don't worry, I just want to continue what we have without stress like that getting between us."

A small smile creeps over his muzzle and gives a slight nod.

I watch him take his seat belt off, letting it slide back into the slot before he looks at me again. As smoothly as I've ever seen him move, he shifts and leans close enough to press his muzzle to mine. My eyes widen a little but, before I can react, he slips his tongue into my muzzle for a mere second before slipping it out again and opening his door with a wide grin.

"Goodnight," he says.

"Uh..." I blush a little, licking my lips. "G-goodnight," I say, moving my hand to adjust my pants somewhat.

He gets out of the car and I sit there, staring at that tail of his flick side to side. I wait to see him enter his house before I drive off. I think I love that wolf.