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--Naki--

Fen and I don't talk as much for a few days. When I do manage to get him on the phone, our conversations are short and they don't flow as well as they did in previous weeks. I notice he's more agitated, especially on the topic of registration. I can tell he's stressed out about it, and I can't blame him. Even so, I wish I had a better chance to speak with him about the dinner issue. If nothing else, I get a chance to think more about the issue.

At home, alone, I think on what I should do. A sigh exits my muzzle and I settle down on the old couch in our living room. The smell of fabric fills the air, accentuated by the humid spring day outside. I know Fen is right, I know that eating micros is wrong; I knew it before I met him even if I still did it. How far would I go for Fen, though? He's fighting for his rights... could I fight with him? Would he expect me to? I pick up my phone and stare at it for a moment; he'd be free now, his parents are at work. I hit his contact and the phone starts ringing only to stop halfway through the first. I wait for him to answer but, instead of him, I hear: "This number has been blocked."

I tilt my head a little, feeling a light sense of nervousness. "Okay, wait... maybe it was just a glitch or something," I tell myself before trying the number again.

"This number has been blocked."

I pull the phone down to stare at it again. He blocked me. I don't know how to feel for a moment-- why would he block me suddenly without saying anything? My mood deteriorates for a while as I try to figure out what's going on. I'm -certain- Fen wouldn't do this, but how can I be sure? All at once, Sian pops into my head. If I could get in touch with him then maybe he could tell me.

I look through the school phonebook until I find his number and, soon enough, I'm dialing his home number.

"Hello?" I luck out, it's Sian. Don't even have to talk to his parents.

"Sian? it's Naki-- hear me out, please?"

"Huh? Hear you out?"

"Uh, well, I wasn't sure if Fen told you what happened after graduation. I didn't want you to hang up--er, anyway! Fen... I think Fen blocked my number," I say worriedly. "Do you know anything about it? Did he mention anything?"

"He told me about what happened at dinner," I hear him grumble. "And you know what I think, right? If he did block you then you deserve it, Naki."

I feel my heart sink again. He's never going to help me out. "Yea, I do, I know," I admit. "Look, Sian... I'm not perfect, obviously... I don't know what to say anymore, though. He could give me a billion chances at this but I'd screw it up every times because I just don't understand. You guys are the first micros I've ever talked to..."

"Yea, the rest you just shoved down your throat."

I can already see this isn't going anywhere. Maybe this really is the end of things. Not how I expected to break up, at the very least. "Sorry for calling, next time you see Fen just tell him it was fun whi--"

"Slow down, alright? I don't know that Fen blocked you. All I know is that his parents were -pissed- when they found out you came over. They've been on his case about you, I bet that had something to do with it. His parents may've even blocked you on their own."

"That'd make sense," I say, feeling the dim glimmer of hope in me steady a little. "...Do you think there's anything I can do about it?"

"Nope. His parents are going to fight you every turn now." The raccoon pauses for a second. "Hold on, lemme call Fen."

"Cheeky jerk," I say while I'm on hold. In reality, though, Sian is about my only hope. The fact that he's fighting for me is more than a little encouraging.

"Alright," I hear him as he opens the line again after a few minutes. "Before we go further, you gotta tell me something: Why do you like Fen? Why should I even bother?"

I frown a little, really uncertain of how I should answer that question.

"The clock is ticking~"

"Ugh! Alright!" I blush a little, pressing my head to the phone a bit. "I don't know how to put it in words... when I met him I really just enjoyed the looks he gave me. The way he'd stare, the fact that he was just interested in talking and getting to know me. I loved just swimming around or relaxing and having a conversation. He's the first person to show me that I'm gay, and then he stood next to me when I asked him to come back after our initial rough-patch. He's been so willing to trust me, and I've just made it hard on him at every turn. Even after only knowing him for these last five or six weeks I feel like he's made me a better person, and I don't wanna let him down; I want to do the same for him. I know I'm not perfect, but I'm not a bad person and I wanna prove it."

"Huh, interesting. You might have a shot in the wind, otterboy." Sian chuckles audibly over the phone. "Kind of sappy if you ask me, but Fen's kinda sappy too. Anyway, I think I have a plan..."

--Fen--

"They blocked Naki's number?"

"Yea," Sian responds over his phone. "He's all worried that you did it because of what happened. Still wish I were there, sounds like it was a ball."

"I can't believe they'd just do that without telling me... I know this registration thing is messing with their heads but that's just too far."

"He did say he eats micros, Fen. What did you think they were gonna do?"

"He -used- to eat micros," I say, hardly believing I just used that to defend him. "Look, he's a blockhead and I'm not letting him off the hook that easily, but whether I talk to him or not isn't their decision."

"I know what you mean, it's pretty screwed up that they won't even tell us what they've been talking about. You think Naki's really worth forgiving, though? I mean, they do have a point about him... y'know."

I sigh a little. It's true, and convincing them will be impossible if I can't even convince myself. "I don't know, Sy. Maybe not. I'll tell you this much, though: It doesn't feel like he's lying. I was by myself with him the other day; he could have captured me right there but he didn't. He's given up too many chances for me to believe he's doing anything malicious. Not only that, but he can be really sweet. More often than not he's been supportive. It might sound... weird, especially considering I haven't known him all that long-- but I actually feel less worried about the future knowing he's around. Call him misguided, confused, ignorant... but I really doubt he's a bad person. Wish I could prove it... which is why I want to give him a chance. He's already gotten so much further than I expected him to get. Hell, I never thought anything between us would begin in the first place. Am I just... being crazy?"

"You're asking me if -you're- being crazy? That should answer your question pretty well on its own. Anyway, I gotta go for now. Seeya at reg in a couple days."

"Huh?" I ask before he hangs up. I wonder why he was so quick to leave for a moment before simply shrugging it off. I'd have to worry about Naki after registration.

The day comes far too quickly. We waited until three days after registration opened to even attempt to do our own; just to see what would happen. We're aware that, at some point, we're given collars to wear that mark us as micros. So far, the norms had held up what they said they would: No one has been harmed yet, and all micros that registered were allowed to carry out their lives as normal save for the collar.

There are all of about fifty others in the line with us and, as with the previous two days, the news media is out covering the entire thing. Reporters talk to various micros in line, as well as a few of those who've finished. Since there's not a lot of room within the building, the line is pressed along the outside wall nearest to the door and we're called in one by one. This also allows the reporters to have free reign over finding micros to speak to since they have all the room they could ever want.

"How do you think it feels? We're being forcefully outted by the government. If the cloakers were the only things keeping us safe before, then, now, we're all just screwed. We're going to be abused, captured, tormented; you name it. I don't care what Natbur says, he's just -trying- to give norms a way to make our lives harder-- as if you all hadn't been effective at that already."

All of us turn to peer at the lemur going off at the camera. Despite everyone seeming a bit uncomfortable at the level of her voice, I'm certain we all agree. With these collars, we'd be walking targets.

"Do you think things will become better for micros after registration is complete?" The reporter asks of the Lemur.

She sighs a little, lowering her head a little. "Look, why d'you ask these kinds of questions? What do -you- think?" she peers at the bear, whom nods a little, understanding the message. The cameraman turns the camera back onto the bear, who begins to speak: "Emotions run high among the micros here at the Secretary of State as hundreds register themselves as living here in our very backyard. The goal of registration is still unclear to the public at large, but it seems our little neighbors are not optimistic despite the president's apparent will to make this transition peaceful. Back to you, Diane."

After the camera is finished rolling, the bear peers back at the disgruntled lemur. "Y'could always come live with me," he grins a little. "You look like you could make a nice toe-rubber."

She glares at him a little bit, but shifts back into line and diverts her gaze.

"Aww, afraid? Don't worry, I've owned micros before, I know how to take care of one; a nice cage, a bowl for food and a bowl for water-- it's perfect for you little pests." The cameraman, a rabbit, chuckles a little at the bear's words.

"I kinda like stuffing them in my shoes for the night, they also make nice kids' toys. Break a little easily sometimes, but my boy has gotten good at training them. We have one, now, that tugs my slippers over whenever I come home. Takes him about five minutes to get across the floor, kinda pathetic, but what do you expect from a micro?" The bunny grins.

By this time, the Lemur is scowling but she keeps her gaze forward, and so do my parents. The line is entirely quiet while the two norms talk to one another. No one wants to risk speaking up; sensible, considering what's about to happen.

"Aww, look at'em! Not going to complain or whine about how you deserve rights? What's wrong? No one disagrees with me?" I hear his deep voice rumble in a gentle, condescending laugh. "You're all damned lucky we don't just decide to finish what you started fifty years ago. Should've just put you all in your place beneath our paws and left it at that," The bear grumbles.

"We're on again in a few moments, Bill," the rabbit speaks, staring at this watch again.

"Yea, alright. Let's try interviewing one that's already registered. If they're whiney enough maybe we'll just shrink'em and give'm to your boy, eh?" The bear chuckles as they walk off.

"Bastards," Sian mumbles to himself. I nod a little, looking on towards the bear and bunny who're now approaching one of the micros who'd just exited the building post-registration.

"What's worse is that we can't stop him... we can only watch."

My mom moves to comfort the lemur they'd been bothering. "You alright?"

"I'll be fine-- thanks," she says. "Hopin' it wouldn't happen but... times haven't changed that much, I guess."

"You said it," mom nods.

Everybody in our group seems even more anxious after that. Our parents stare off into space or at the reporter as he continues to, undoubtedly, start more trouble. Other micros in line follow suit. Everyone simply waits for the inevitable. The moment we leave the Secretary of State, we can no longer remain hidden. Everything we'd worked to keep a secret would be revealed to the world. I look to Sy, who is uncharacteristically serious. We share a brief glance before it's our turn, and we enter the building to be registered.

"Please approach in groups of two or less," a shrill voice shouts from behind the counter we're all ahead.

Our parents go first, starting with Sian's mother and father:

"Identification?"

"Mitsuna and Gillian Connerly," Sian's mom states before handing over their IDs.

The raccoon at the computer taps at her keys for a while before looking to the two. "That way," she says, pointing at a doorway to her left and our right. They look on towards the entryway they were pointed to and, after exchanging glances, they start off in that direction. I notice Sian keeping his eyes on them, as if this might be the last time he sees them.

"Identification?"

"Christine and Roger Luwinfe," my parents state before handing over a couple pieces of paper.

Again, they're directed to the door to our right after the raccoon receptionist does something at her computer. It's my turn to stare as my parents walk off. "See you guys at the end!" I shout after them; my mom turns and smiles before they disappear into the corridor.

"Identification?"

"I'm Fen Luwinfe," I say before handing over my license. Right afterwards, Sian answers.

"Sian Connerly." Likewise, he gives his license.

She taps at the computer for a while, then looks to her right; our left. "That way."

Sian and I look at one another for a moment. "Why that way? What's the difference between that door and the other?" I ask.

"Next," she grumbles, looking past us.

"Hey, it's just a question. What's the diff--"

"Just go, you're holding everybody up," a husky behind us growls.

I give him a stare, but give in when it doesn't seem worth the trouble. Nothing bad had happened to anyone, yet, so maybe this is just where younger micros go.

"There's gotta be some difference," Sy states, rubbing beneath his muzzle as he thinks.

"We'll just have to wait and see. Let's try to stick together, though, right? We don't go anywhere alone."

"Yea, agreed."

We enter a room with a lot of cubicles; there're stacks upon stacks of boxes behind all of them, and it's obvious from the labelling that these boxes contain the collars Sy and I would soon be wearing.

"Over here!" A voice shouts. We twist our heads to see an orange tabby waving to us. "I can help you two."

We walk over and settle into the cubicle, looking around at all of the binders and binders of papers lying around the keyboard and the glowing screen of the tabby's computer.

"Sian and Fen?" he asks, to which we both nod.

"I'm Sian, this is Fen," Sy clarifies.

"Wonderful, my name is Mark and I'm your registrar today," he purrs for a moment, apparently enjoying this much more than Sy and I. "Alright, since you two are already in the system, the only thing we need to do is update your data to reflect that you're micros and get you registered to your collars." He taps at the computer for a moment, then reaches into a box next to him to pull out two collars, handing one each to Sian and I.

"What's it for, anyway? Why do we have to wear them?" I ask.

"Primarily so that you may be immediately identified as micros. The Matter Manipulation Devices-- the things you call cloakers, aren't large enough. This way, we will know what you are at first glance. Once your collars are on, you are not permitted to remove them yourselves. Oh! I almost forgot. You will need to put your cloakers onto your fingers; I assume you have rings. If you have something else, you must wear it somewhere visible; so necklaces around the neck, bracelets around the wrists, etcetera."

"You realize this might make attacks on us easier to carry out? If we have the collars on, then why move our cloakers?" I ask, admittedly somewhat apprehensively.

"To protect ourselves. We expect aggression from micros if they feel threatened, and this is certainly a stressful time for you all. Because of this, micros must wear their cloakers somewhere easy for us to get at them. It's to discourage aggression."

"Against you," Sian states, adding to the tabby's sentence.

"...Right, against us. It's not fair, just the way things are."

"And what if we try to remove the collars?" I mumble.

"It's difficult to remove them without the proper tool, but if you do manage to, the police will be notified and a warrant will be put out for your capture," Mark answers .

"Great," I mutter in response. Seems more like they simply want to make us even more helpless. With our cloakers revealed, norms would only need to find a way to get them off.

Mark rubs his paws together when he sees we aren't asking any further questions. "Alright, you two. You'll need to move your cloakers to your fingers."

Both of us just stare at him for a moment, he's crazy if he thinks we're going to comply with that.

"You can do it one by one, alright? I just have to verify, I'm not going to try anything." He stands up and takes a few steps away before turning to watch us. "There, nothing to worry about."

We stare at him for a while longer before I sigh and get up to my feet. "Alright, I'll go first." I take the collar and slip it around my neck, attaching the ends to one another so that they latch. I hear something mechanical inside of the clasp click and the ends of the collar seem to mold together. I think I notice my cloaker vibrate a little, but it's subtle so I'm not certain. I take my phone and wallet out of my pockets and then reach back for my cloaker, grasping at it to tug it off. My eyes remain on the tabby for as long as I can keep them there, but as soon as my cloaker is off I become disoriented; stumbling a little, I lift my head to look around for a moment while trying to regain composure, staring upwards at Sian's looming frame for a moment.

He keeps his eyes on the tabby, sliding a foot near to me as if to keep me blocked off from him. Seeing him from this perspective is even more dizzying; he looms easily building-height or taller with me this small. After taking the time to re-orient myself, I slip the cloaker onto my right ring finger and return to normal height. Again, it's disorienting, but not as bad as going from big to small. "Alright, your turn," I state while feeling at the collar fitted to my neck. It's actually not uncomfortable.

Sy looks at me, then the tabby who has the biggest grin on his face. "What's so funny?" Sy inquires, causing Mark to try and cover his muzzle.

"No no, it's not... it's nothing. It's just so... interesting to see that happen. Those devices are amazing."

"Aye, they're pretty useful. Too bad they won't be for much longer. How soon do you suspect it'll be before norms make sport of stealing our cloakers from us and treating us like dirt again?" Sian mutters while I collect my wallet and cellphone and he empties his pockets. He puts the collar on next, clasps it, then removes his cloaker. Soon enough, he's tiny just as I was a moment ago. Like him, I keep my eye on Mark, almost daring him to try something even if, deep down inside, I'd never want to fight a norm head to head.

The tabby seems to try to stop smiling while Sy slips his cloaker onto his left ring finger and returns to normal height. "Alright, we're entirely exposed. You feel safer now that you could shrink us and stamp us into the ground if we decided to attack you?" I can't help but feel happy that Sian is here to be a smart-mouth.

"Look, I get it, alright? I'm just doing my job, I don't actually have anything against you guys. You're mostly done, anyway; your cloakers are visible and your collars are synced. Do you have any questions for me?"

"Yea, I do. What happens now? Our cloakers are out in the open...so are we protected at all? Can anyone just... capture us? And why were our parents taken to another room?" I ask.

"Well, I'll let you two in on a bit of a secret. Mind, it's not set in stone but... well, technically, you two are citizens. Remember how I said you both are already in the system? Even as micros, you were born here in a hospital and you were given proper documentation to be full-blooded Neotrians. Likely because you were protected by the field your cloakers generate. There's a legal battle quietly going on about that; whether to give you all the full rights or something lesser."

Sy and I look at one another for a moment; this is... huge news. Well, first, we're technically citizens and, secondly, there's a chance we'll be treated as such? "So we can or can't be captured legally?"

"I don't... know if any police officer would go out of their way to help you. As far as the law goes, though, you're sitting in legal limbo."

I lower my ears a little. "What about our parents?" I ask.

"Well, if they're in the other room, it means that their records weren't found. This means that they've likely... uh, forged documents. In this case, we need more information from them."

I frown at that. I did suspect that this was the case, in the past. Even so, hearing it from him only made me think it'd end up being trouble for us somehow.

"Does anything happen to those of us that forged documents?" Sian asks.

"No... well, not yet. We're only here to register you, we don't have the authority to have you jailed or anything," the tabby answers.

"I see." That much is good, at least. "Thanks, Mark," I say. He wasn't -so- bad.

"No problem, guys. Take care of yourselves."

Sian and I make our way out of the cubicle and towards the exit. "We might be citizens someday, Sy," I say almost hopefully. I'd be lying if I said I didn't dream of it some nights.

"I wouldn't get my hopes up but... yea, I didn't think about it that way. We -do- have birth certificates and everything that'd make us official. Our parents, though--"

"Let's ask them about it later, maybe they'll understand what it means," I reply. We meet back up with our parents; I'm actually relieved to see them in one piece. I didn't suspect anything would happen, but... well, the normals aren't the most trustworthy beings I've ever met.

--Naki--

"Alright, so everything is ready then?" I ask, checking the piles of supplies we'd picked up from the store only moments before. Currently, Ian, Motley, Samantha, and I are about a mile away from where Fen and Sian should be arriving shortly to register.

"Yea, I think everything is here," Samantha says, taking tally of things on her clipboard while Motley finishes loading the water, food, and playing cards.

"You sure you're up for this, Naki?" Motley asks, peering at me for a moment. "This is kinda puttin' your neck out there, don't ya think? Well, not jus' you, but all of us." He looks to Sam and Ian as well. "They could put us on the news and everything if it all goes ta plan."

"Sian and Fen are worth it," Ian says, grinning from beneath his hat.

"Yea, they deserve the help. I can't imagine what they feel like right now. We're their friends and we should be there for'em."

I nod at Samantha's statement, then look at Motley. "I may've not cared as much in the past, but... well, after getting to know Fen, I can't just set and watch this all unfold. You don't have to, though, Motts. This was a huge help already, I don't want you getting in trouble for me."

"Trouble? It's -your- parents that'd be pissed to see you out here. Not mine," he chuckles. "Anyway, I think we're all loaded so how about we go?"

Soon enough, we're piled into my car and it's off to the Secretary of State. It's not clear if Fen is already in there or not, but we get out and begin the arduous task of unloading and getting our stuff prepared.

"You're going to help calm the micros that show up for registration," Sian's voice rings in my head as I recall the conversation we had a few days ago.

We all walk towards the line of micros carrying our various snacks and bottles of water. I can see the nervous look on many of their faces. I grab the megaphone that Sy provided us with and, with Motley, Sam, and Ian standing next to me, I address the crowd:

"Uh, hello everyone! My name is Naki and this is Ian, Samantha, and Motley. We're all here on behalf of a couple friends of ours who also happen to be micros like all of you. If uh, if you're anything like our friends, then this has been a pretty rough week or two for you. No doubt you've seen all of the news reports and heard all of the talking heads treating you like you're not people-- I can't imagine how it feels. We're here, though, to show you that not all of us want to see you all suffer." I shift a little on my feet. "T-that sounded a bit better in my head-- sorry, what I mean to say is that we want to try and make this a bit easier on you all so we brought some water and snacks and card games and we're just going to kinda sit here and offer our ears if any of you want to talk."

I pull the megaphone down and stare at all of the blank faces. It's only now that I notice a foxen cameraman from the news focusing on me. I feel more than a little exposed and look to the other three.

"Uhh..." Motley looks around, then reaches for the box of snacks we brought. He walks over to the line and holds it out. "It's all free and such... take as many as you'd like."

"You have more experience with them than I do, Ian... What we do now?" I ask, feeling as if we somehow made things worse than better.

"Hell if I know," Ian mumbles. "I know Sian and Fen, that's all."

"You could stop whispering to one another, first," Sam states, peering at both of us. "Let's get this table set up nearby the line and set some of our stuff on top of it. They'll open up, just give them time to see we're not here for trouble."

We do just that, getting various fruit-snacks, fruit, water-bottles, salty-snacks, cookies; we have some of everything.

"Can we get some, mom?" I hear, twisting my head to see two akita puppies, apparently twins, begging their mother and pointing at our table. Quietly, I grab a few of the snacks we brought and walk over to the three; winning their attention quite a bit before I get near to them. The two quickly shuffle back into line and watch me while the mother stares a little defensively. I keep some distance between them and I. "Uh... want some?" I ask, stooping to the ground and settling two bags of fruit snacks, chips, and water onto the ground.

The two look up at their mother whom gives me a once over. "Alright... yes, you two go pick what you'd like," she says, still staring at me. They walk over slowly and I smile a little, backing away to give them space.

"What do you say?" their mom asks after they both grab at the fruit snacks and chips.

"Thanks mister!"

I smile a little. "You're welcome," I stand again and offer the bottle of water to their mom.

"We have plenty of it, may as well have it just in case?"

"Uh, yea... thanks," she smiles a little and takes the bottle. I make my way back to the table, still feeling awkward but at least that seemed to work out well enough.

"Who are you guys, anyway?" A fox asks, peering at us from the line. "Why're you bothering with any of this?"

I let Sam answer this time. "We thought it'd be nice; we have friends that're like you, so we have a light idea of what you're going through."

"You have -no- idea of what it's like, I don't care what your friends said to you," he mutters. "You're probably here for the same reason as some of those reporters: To laugh at us. Go ahead, then. Get a good chuckle in; you norms deserve it, after all."

"We're not here to laugh at you, we're genuinely--"

"So you're here with comfort foods instead? 'Sorry you can't be treated with dignity, but have some water'," he mocks, now glaring at us a bit.

"No need to start anything, man," Ian states. "We're trying to hel--"

"Drop the act, then. Your kind has -never- cared and we don't ne--"

"Shut up, asshole," my eyes shift to find a squirrel staring at the fox that'd been bad-mouthing us. "They ain't all bad, and these are just kids. They wanna help out and they brought some food and water for us, you can't paint that as bad no matter how pissed you are about reg. They said they got friends who're micros? I believe'em. I wish I had normal friends like these guys. Maybe they'll keep those reporters at bay, too."

He turns to look at us. "Good on you four. Ignore this guy."

I try not to stare, already feeling uneasy about the situation. I peer down the line to see Motley handing out snacks and laughing with some of the people towards the end of the line. How'd he manage that?

"Ohh, sucking up to them, eh? What? You want one of them to take you in as a --" The fox begins to say.

"Oh -do- shut up," another fox, behind the squirrel, scoffs. "Don't start something here, last thing we fuckin' need is the police coming around to make this even harder."

The first fox glares at the second, then hrmphs and turns to face forward in the line again. There's another moment of awkwardness before the squirrel that spoke up earlier points at the snacks. "Can I have a bag of fruit-snacks?"

"Sure!" Sam states, grabbing two bags and some water before walking over to him. "Take some water too. Thanks for speaking up for us back there... Oh! Here, you have some too." She hands water and a bag of fruit-snacks to the fox that'd joined the squirrel in warding off the other micro.

"No problem, you guys are just trying ta help."

"Yea, we appreciate it, really." The fox behind the squirrel speaks again, smiling.

It's slow at first, but, eventually, things begin to speed up. People are coming over for food and water, talking to us about college, highschool, and how they ended up with cloakers; we even see some of our old classmates in line. The news crews pack up and leave shortly after the micros start to warm up to our offerings; I did notice a few of them giving us weird glances, but none of them said anything to any of us to my knowledge. I find out from someone near the front of the line that there was a bit of heckling earlier, which is likely what the fox from before was talking about. I hope Fen didn't end up at the receiving end of any of it.

Finally, I spot Fen and Sian walking out of the door with their parents. They're already staring at us, so I guess they saw us as they were walking towards the window facing the outside of the store. I notice the collars around their necks and cringe; the gov really did take this a little far. I smile a little and wave at them as they come out. Fen's dad grasps his shoulder when he moves to walk over, and before long I hear a bit of a spirited exchange going on between them. Sy holds his finger up and turns to face Fen and his father. The parents all seem to join in but, in the end, Fen tugs away and marches over to me with Sy in tow.

"Uh... hey," I say, uncertain of whether I'd somehow made things worse or not.

"What're you doing here, Naki? Ian? Sam? Motley?" Fen asks, frowning.

"I did it," Sian states, peering at Fen. The wolf's frown shifts to confusion. "What?"

"Everybody here is so stressed out and afraid. We figured it'd be nice if they had something to take their mind off the impending doom," Sian wiggles his fingers and holds his hands up mockingly as he says doom. "So while we were getting registered, I had your boyfriend and our friends get together to pass out things to help people relax. Seems pretty successful if you ask me," Sian states, looking at a number of micros eating the snacks we'd been passing out. A few of them are even laughing and talking with Motley or Sam who are still making their way around the line. "Plus, if enough of us are out here supporting then maybe those news people from before will leave us alone."

"We aren't causing any trouble, Fen." Ian smiles a little. "You angry that you didn't get any fruit-snacks?"

Fen stares between us for a moment, then sighs a little, rubbing over his ears. "You guys are too much," he smiles a little. "I think it's a good idea. Wanna stay and help?" He looks at Sian.

"That was the point! What were we going to do otherwise? Go home and cry or something?"

I don't quite know what to say to the wolf. With his parents standing behind him, I don't think hugging him would be alright even if that's what I want to do right now. He twists his head to peer up at me for a moment and an even wider grin cracks across those black lips. "-You- let Sian con you into doing this too? What're your parents going to say if they see you on the news?"

Honestly, I hadn't really thought that far. "Well, they always wanted me to do more community service. This is kinda like that, right?" I chuckle.

Before we can soak in the lightened atmosphere for too long, Fen and Sy's parents all approach.

"We have to go, Fen. There's still more to do today," his dad says, paying me no mind at all. Both his parents ignore me, in fact, simply staring at their son.

"We gotta go too, Sian. Stuff to talk about tonight and all," the older raccoon states. He -does- give me eye contact, but it's not the jolly look I remember from before prom.

"We were just trying to help out a bit," Ian states, noticing the distaste in the air. Ian may or may not know what happened, I'm not certain. "They all seem to like it."

"It's very nice," Fen's father states, smiling at Ian for a moment before tugging at Fen again. Sian has already shifted to stand next to Ian and I.

"No." Fen states, causing my gaze to focus on him. The shorter wolf shifts away from his parents and now stands next to Sian, staring at the four adults who now seeming more than a little agitated.

"Fen," Mrs. Luwinfe states firmly. "Comeon, we don't have time for this right now."

"I'm not leaving, they're doing something nice here and I want to help. Look at that! People're laughing over there. You guys can go and I'll come home with Sy later."

"Why do you have to do this right now, Fen?" his mom asks.

"Both of ya," Sy's father states while his mother simply stares at her son with a worried gaze. "We're going home, we don't have time for this right now."

"Oh calm down, dad, we aren't in trouble here," Sian mumbles. "Why don't you just say why you don't want us to stay? If you're gonna get up in arms then say it so we can all hear."

Fen's dad walks forward a little. "You two are completely out of line! Let's go bef--"

"It's okay, Fen, Sy. We'll finish up here, you two can go home," I say, already feeling awkward enough. I know why they don't want them to stay.

"We're staying here," Fen states again, crossing his arms and keeping a steady gaze on his parents. "I'm an adult, I can make my own decisions-- and I know what you're going to say already: I just don't understand, I'm just too young... It won't work anymore, though. I'm almost in college! What're you going to do while we're on campus?" Fen asks, looking to Sy for a moment. The raccoon nods, agreeing.

"You won't be able to stop us forever, we have to be able to make our own decisions," Sy continues from Fen's statement. "And that includes who we think should be friends with us and who we don't."

I smile a little inwardly, struggling to keep it from appearing on my face.

"Listen to your dad, Sy. We can talk about it at home, alright?" Sy's mom asks but Sian shakes his head.

"Why not here? Naki's standing right next to us, after all. He's the one you want to talk about," Fen states. "Or were you going to leave me and Sy out of the conversation again?"

There's a silence, then Fen's father begins to scowl. "I can't believe this. Who is this... this..." he looks at me, glaring hard enough to make me feel like he might take a swing. "-Murderer- to you, anyway, Fen? We were over this before, we talked about it in the car! Why do you want to defend him so badly?"

"He's not a murderer, I told you that before," Fen states firmly, challenging his father with a soft growl. Finally, his mom steps in between them.

"Alright, fine. Stay, Fen. If you wanna stay, you can stay."

"Christine!" His dad starts only to be interrupted.

"He's an adult, Roger, he's right. He can make his own decisions and he already knows how we feel."

Fen visibly calms down a little, especially after his mother moves to set her paw on his shoulder. "We aren't trying to hold you back, Fen, we're trying to protect you... so how about a deal?"

"...alright, what do I have to do?"

"Not just you..." she looks to me suddenly, leaving me to cringe a bit. "You too, Naki."

"S-sure, w-what's on your mind?" I respond, realizing I'd been quiet this entire time.

"You have to come over for dinner."

Dinner? At first I'm relieved but, then, I realize what her plan must be. What choice do I have, though? Fen looks at me and I return his gaze, honestly uncertain. "Uh..." I look at Mrs. Luwinfe again. "Sure, that sounds good... when?"

"Tonight." She states. "You agree, Fen? Roger?"

"You sure you want to come? We don't have any sentients on the menu," Mr. Luwinfe mumbles at me and I lower my whiskers a bit.

"I--"

"Don't answer it," Fen states. "I agree."

"Yea, I do too," his father says, turning to walk back to the car. "Don't be late."

"Good," she nods and Fen cracks a little grin. "Thanks mom," I hear him say quietly.

Sy's dad looks to his son and sighs a little. "You lads are the most trouble when you're together. Yeh might make a good team, but you two are a handful you are."

"He's just like you used to be," his wife states as they turn to walk back to their car too. "Stay safe, Sian. Come back -with- Fen."

"Will do." Sian smiles, watching his parents leave.

As Fen's mom turns to leave, I take a few steps toward her. "Uh, Mrs. Luwinfe?"

"Hmm?" She turns to peer at me.

"Thanks... Uh, just... thanks."

She tilts her head a little, then nods before shuffling off after her husband.

"Wow, what was that all about?" Ian asks while the rest of us visibly relax a little.

"It's a long story, probably best told later," Fen says gently. "But you definitely have to hear it, remind me to tell you tomorrow."

"Sweet, I'm gonna go check on Sam. She's been over there for a while now." He turns to walk off towards the brown-furred female mouse, leaving Sian, Fen, and I alone.

"Thanks, guys. Like, really. You didn't have to stand up for me like that..."

"Not just for you," Sy states. "They'd been treating us like dirt lately anyway, you were a good excuse to get even."

Fen chuckles. "Or Sian doesn't want to admit that he likes you too."

"He wouldn't be -your- boyfriend if I did," the 'coon shoots back to which I can't help but chuckle. While they go back and forth while a while, I begin thinking of what's going to happen at this dinner. I'd need to call my parents and tell them I'll be home late.

"You're not out of the woods yet, Naki," Fen states suddenly, pulling me from my daydream. "You've got a some explaining to do, especially to my parents. They're not going to just let this go, and neither am I... but I'm glad you came." He smiles and moves in against my body, hugging. I hug back while wearing my own grin, squeezing the warm little wolf.

"Awww, what a cute couple," I hear Motley's voice from behind and turn to see him settling his empty box down. "That was pretty fun, micros ain't half bad. So what'd I miss?"

"Everything you should've," I chuckle, reaching out to pat Motley on the shoulder after letting go of Fen.

"Huh? I missed somethin' good, didn't I? Damn..." he grumbles to himself.

We get back to work, passing snacks out and getting into conversations with various micros for the next few hours. It -is- actually pretty fun, each of them have a story and many of them had been through so much just to get their hands on these cloakers. It really does bring to light how devastating this registration thing is for them; their entire lives are being turned upside down. I call my parents to excuse myself from dinner tonight, and they seem okay with it, which is good since I need to devote some energy to figuring out how I'm going to keep Fen's parents from trying to keep us away from one another.

Ian offers to take Motley home since I need to meet up with Fen's parents, and Motley seems alright with that.

"Thanks, Motts, you were amazing out there; they all loved you for some reason..."

"Heh, yea, for ~some~ reason. Am I really that bad?"

"You know what I meant," I grin. "Anyway, remind me to tell you a story tomorrow; you need to know what happened after graduation but now's not the time."

"Alright, then, Naki. Tomorrow."

"Time to go," Ian states, getting into his truck with Samantha and Motley. "See you all next time!" He shouts.

"Take care, Naki! Goodluck!" Motley shouts.

Sian, Fen, and I all pile into my car and I start towards Sian's house.

"We should do that again, I wanna try and get out at least twice a week if not more. I think we could really help make this a better experience for everyone," Sian states.

"Yea, they did seem more relaxed. Where'd you get the money, anyway?" Fen asks.

"Me," Sian says. "I can't pay -every- time but I bet we could get money from somewhere. It's a good cause."

"I think so, too." I state.

After we arrive, Sian gets out and walks over to my window. "Goodluck, Naki! Try not to let Fen do the talking. He and his dad don't argue a whole lot but, when they do..."

"You're no better with your parents than I am with mine," Fen huffs.

"Alright, you two. I don't wanna be late. They don't think much of me as it is," I mutter.

"Heheh, alright, alright. Take care, guys!"

"Later, Sy!" we both shout as he walks up his driveway and into his house.

I'm really happy I get at least a -little- private time with Fen, even if it's only in my car as I drive to his house. First time we've had some privacy in real life since our argument after graduation.

"How was it? Did they treat you alright?"

"Yea," he says, looking out of the window. "We have to wear these collars... and..." he holds his right hand up, showing off the ring I'd seen on his tailbase before. "We have to wear them somewhere visible."

"Really?" I say, feel slightly annoyed. "Why? That's just asking for abuse," I state, thinking back to t when I saw Fen, Sian, and his parents all wearing those collars. How could they ever go out in public without fearing for their safety?

"You're telling me." He turns his head, looking at me now. "It's maddening, Naki. I just... it feels so much like they're just -trying- to make things hard. I guess it makes sense, though. Our safety isn't really what they're fighting for."

"Yea, I believe that. So what -was- their reasoning?"

"The registrar said that they were worried we'd get aggressive due to registration... so, to solve it, our cloakers have to be visible. If we get aggressive--"

"Then the norm can just take it off." I finish his sentence and then sigh. "I'm sorry, Fen."

"It's not like you came up with the rule. Anyway, it's not important right now. What's important is that we get past my parents. You know what they want to talk about."

"Yea, I do. Not looking forward to it... but I deserve it. I have to face it sometime... right? I have to try and make up for what I did. So this is as good a place as any to start... I think."

I see him smile a little out of the corner of my eye. "Sorry they blocked your number, I didn't know. I'd never just ignore you like that, Naki. Even if I'm furious at you. If we're going to be together, we have to listen to one another."

"I agree," I state, already feeling a bit better despite preparing to walk into the fire. We pull up in front of his parents' house and park. I stare towards the house, taking a breath. I feel his paw press into my shoulder and turn to peer at him.

"It'll be fine, alright? Just be you. Yea, you've made some big mistakes... but you're not a bad person. No one's perfect... kay?"

"Y-yea," I say, staring towards the house again. We make our way to the door and he unlocks it, walking in ahead of me. I can already smell dinner, it smells wonderful. I look around at the entryway which leads to a living room at the very end; to the left, just before the entryway becomes the living room, there's a door to the dining room and, connected to that, a kitchen.

"Come on in, boys, wash your hands and take a seat." I hear his mom call out. We get our hands cleaned, both of us quiet. I can tell he's just about as tense as I am. I really hope this goes smoothly.

--Fen--

We get to the table and I'm already on edge. Strangely enough, my displeasure with Naki is entirely eclipsed by how I feel about my parents right now. Naki had clearly done wrong, and my parents were only trying to protect me. Still, they'd been treating me like a pup for the last two weeks. Whether Naki is bad for me or not is my choice, not theirs.

They come in and sit down after settling our plates before us. Naki and I sit next to one another and my parents sit opposite of us.

"Thanks for inviting me over," Naki offers.

"Don't thank us yet," my dad replies, looking up at Naki for a moment after cutting into the beef on his plate.

"Let's try to be civil," my mom states.

"Yea, right. So, how do we taste, Naki?" my dad asks.

"That's not fair, Dad."

"Roger, comeon. We're solving the problem, not encouraging it," says my mom.

The three of us, discluding Naki, begin eating.

"I'm sorry," Naki says. He hasn't touched his food yet. He's staring down at his plate, though, undoubtedly too nervous to make eye contact. I would be too. "Nothing I say can make up for it... but, for what it's worth, I know it's wrong now."

"Ohh, all is forgiven then. I bet their families--"

"Dad-- look, Naki is a norm. He grew up around other norms and, not only that, but on the -other- side of town. Yea, he ate some of us and he was wrong for that; but holding it against him now isn't going to fix anything. His family taught him that it's alright, and norms have no laws that forbid consuming micros... who would have taught him that it's wrong? No one. No one in his life until -now-. Naki wants to make up for what he did, so you can keep chiding him if you want but you're not making us any friends." I look down to cut a piece of beef and shove it into my muzzle, waiting for someone else to start talking.

"Still defending him, Fen?" dad stares at me.

"Him, yes. Not his actions. If you can't forgive -any- normal who has ever wronged a micro then how do you expect any of this to end? Someone has to begin by forgiving somebody else."

"He's da--"

"Why do you care so much, Fen?" my mom asks, suddenly. "Actually, not Fen... Naki? Why do you care so much? You call Fen every night, you show up to the Secretary of State -just- to see him after we block your number? Why's Fen so important to you...?"

"I... uh," he shifts his paws into his lap and sits back, returning my mom's gaze for a moment before shifting his away again. "I... like Fen."

"You like him?" my mom asks, now frowning a little.

"We're dating," I say definitively, too tired to beat around the bushes now.

"Yea," he says a little, visibly holding back a smile when I say it. I don't blame him, I smile a little myself. "We're dating-- we have been for the last few weeks."

My mom chuffs a little and bites into a piece of beef. "I told you, Roger."

"How long have you known about Fen's identity, then?" my dad asks.

"I learned after prom. I didn't know before that, though; I've always liked Fen because of who he is. Finding out that Fen-- that you all are micros uh... well, it didn't change the way I felt. I don't know how I'll manage to prove that to you, but I'm... I'm telling the truth."

"So you told him, Fen? And you didn't tell us?" dad growls. I knew it was coming.

"He guessed it-- it's a long story. The point is that we liked one another and I didn't want you to keep us apart. I know what you'd have done, and you'd be right to do it-- normally. Naki isn't the same as the others, though--"

"How do you know, Fen? You haven't known him for long enough!" My dad exclaims. "Excuse me, Naki, but we -don't- know you. Only thing we know for certain is that you've eaten micros before."

"And that he -hasn't- tried anything, yet, despite having ample opportunity, Dad." I point out. "He had me alone every day of finals week, the night of prom, after graduation at dinner, and a moment ago in the car... and at none of those points did he ever attempt to take my cloaker off. He -knew- we were coming here to talk about this. If he really wanted me then he'd have taken me already."

"I think we can come to a temporary solution, then," my mom states, causing all of us to look at her.

"Fen... you're an adult and you'll be in college soon, so it's your responsibility to associate yourself with people who will support you and bring happiness. This also means that your father and I will not always agree with your choices. We are, however, still your parents, and our advice should be taken to heart."

"I agree with that, and I do take your advice to heart. Just... this time, you're wrong--"

"I'm not finished, Fen. Naki? You like our son, or at least you say you do. We don't trust you, though; not yet. So I propose that, when you and Fen want to see one another, you have to come over here and visit him in our home. You're not allowed to go out with Fen without our explicit permission. This allows you and Fen to be together, and it allows us to keep an eye on you." She hesitates for a moment as if uncertain of what she's about to say next. "...There's, also, one more thing you could do. As much as I hate to admit it, we could use a norm to help us get around. These collars make it a huge risk for us to move about in public, so if we had you around then you could just be there to keep an eye on us. We could pay you for it and it'd help us get to know you a bit better."

Her gaze shifts around the table now. "What do you all say?"

My dad looks to her for a moment before sighing. "I don't like it, but you might be right. As long as Fen promises not to try and see Naki outside of the home without our permission... I can accept those terms," dad says. "We have to set up rules about this escorting thing, though. That's a dangerous idea-- but so is walking alone."

"We will, another time though," my mom remarks.

I look to Naki for a moment and he gives a quick nod. "I agree, I'll happily help you all out."

"Then I agree too," I say.

My mom nods. "Good, then it's agreed. We'll unblock your number and get in touch with you about particulars later-on, then."

My father starts finishing his beef up. "You'd better not hurt him, Naki. Fen might believe you're nice or that you can change, but I've seen norms like you before."

"I won't, I promise," Naki says quickly. "I get why you can't just trust me, especially after dinner that day. Fen isn't in any danger, though, and neither are you. Hopefully I can get you to see that sooner rather than later. All norms aren't evil."

"Yea, yea, alright. I still want one more answer from you though," my dad states. "Why did you eat micros? And why do you just now suddenly feel it's wrong? Just because you know Fen? Because I don't believe that."

"We're not the richest family. It's gonna sound like an excuse, but, well-- when I was a kid there were entire stretches of days and, sometimes, weeks where we were just scraping by. My parents would dumpster dive for leftovers every now and then. Micros were our way of making up for what we couldn't buy. As a kid I didn't see the harm in it, but after dad managed to get another job and I got older I began to feel more and more uneasy. I don't have a better answer for you... but it is the truth. With any luck, the extra money from helping you guys will keep us from having to fall back on our old habits again. I'm going to try and encourage them not to..."

Dad nods a little and gets up to go put his plate away. "Yea, well, we can only hope," he grumbles, obviously not convinced yet. He exits the dining room to go sit in the living room. The rest of us are a bit silent as we finish our food up. I'm just happy to have that conversation over with, even if I haven't convinced my parents yet. Honestly, maybe it's good they're so hard to convince. The more Naki exceeds my expectations, the faster I find myself trusting him.

Since the new agreement is that I can see Naki if he comes over here, I'm able to convince my parents to let him stay for a while longer tonight after we finish dinner. We go up to my room to enjoy some private time together.

"I can't believe we got them to relent," I say with exasperation.

"No kidding, I thought your dad was going to kill me." He takes a seat on my bed and I walk over to sit next to him, leaning to kiss at the side of his muzzle once before smiling and pressing against his shoulder. He resists at first but, then, lies down as I wanted. Soon enough, I'm on top of him, feeling at the flesh beneath his fur; you'd never realize how strong he is just by looking at him. My fingers stroke over the curves his of musculature before I lean down and sprawl out over him, holding my muzzle above his to lick at his muzzle-tip a few times.

"We might just manage to make this work, blockhead." I grin.

He grins back and wraps his powerful arms around me, squeezing my body to his and leaning up to plant a kiss on my lips. He tries to tug back, but I push forward to hold the kiss for a moment, slipping my tongue into his muzzle before I tug back, drawing my tongue out of his mouth to nose at him again. He blushes cutely beneath that brown pelt, obviously not used to this yet.

He smiles back for a moment. "S-so registration went smoothly, then? As smoothly as something like that can go, at least?" He asks while I scoot down and lie on him so that my head rests on his chest and my toes can pet over the tops of his larger footpaws, clasping and scrunching to grasp toe-fulls of his fur and tug gently. "Well, mostly," I say, sighing as I recall Mark's words about my parents. "They only thing I didn't expect was... well, they split Sian and I from our parents. We thought it had to do with age at first but, it turns out that Sian and I are technically citizens, which is why we were directed the way we were."

"Citizens? Wouldn't that mean you're protected by law...?'

"There's some court case going on about it... our registrar said something about us being in legal limbo-- A-although, that's not the important part. The important part is that my parents had to go through the door for people who -aren't- citizens."

"You think something will happen to them?" Naki asks, shifting his claws down my back and toward my tailbase before he glides them upwards again. I shudder at the feeling, flicking my tail in the air for a moment while I try to focus on his heart beating nearby.

"Only God knows," I respond.

He sighs a little and moves his fingers to now rub over the collar I'd received at registration. "Does it feel alright? The collar?"

"It feels fine, I just wish I didn't have to wear it. I don't know how I'll go out in public with it."

"I'll go with you. If your parents let me, at least."

I smile a little at that, then press the side of my head into his chest.. "Well, you're supposed to be our escort now, right? I think you'll get your chance, at least." I ponder bringing the dinner thing up again, I still want to settle that argument. I decide against it, though. Enough's enough for one night.

"Heh, you're forgetting one thing: My parents. We can only hope the fact that I'm making money will get them to overlook the fact that I'm driving across town so much. Not only that, but... well, helping out at registration means I might end up on the news. How'm I going to explain that?"

"We'll figure it out," I say, cuddling into his frame a bit and yawning.

"Oh, -now- you relax. We're not out of hot water, wolf." He pokes at my head a little. "Your parents knew you were gay, my parents have no idea. Not only that, but I'm dating a micro. My mom's gonna have a heart attack when she finds out... I don't even know what my dad would do-- I don't know if I want to imagine it..."

We lie there for a while and I begin to grow tired with time. I know he's worried, and with good reason. I'm just happy to be where I am, though. Today was busy and I'm entirely exhausted. When I don't respond to him, he starts nudging at me.

"..Fen? Fen... you're not sleep are you?"

"No," I mumble sleepily.

"Ahh, alright. What do you think?" He asks, staring down at the top of my head and shifting a little so he can pet over my ears and headfur. He appears to give in to my unresponsiveness after a while, though, as I feel him relax somewhat. This is a mistake since I just let myself become comfortable atop my giant otter.

I don't even realize the fact that I fell asleep at some point. At least, not until I wake up and feel his frame pressed against mine. I shift a little and wriggle my way out of his arms, smiling as he lays sprawled out in his street clothes. I notice something vibrating on my desk and reach to pick it up; it's Naki's cellphone. It stops vibrating and, on the screen, a message pops up: "10 missed calls." Below that, I see that all ten are from his mom. I grimace a little, pondering, for a moment, if I should wake him up-- I don't think he was supposed to stay the night.

I think I'll let him sleep for a while longer. He's going to have another busy day.