Axel groaned. He really hadn't had too much to do the first week of classes, but he'd been assigned his first essay of the year on Friday. The puma hated writing... the work itself wasn't bad, but he'd been assigned a topic and had to research it. Not being able to choose what he wrote about... that's what he hated most. He was walking into the school on Monday morning, when he spotted a familiar orange fox going around the corner. Oh, Isaac! I need to tell him about the paper! I wonder if I can catch him...
Axel took off after the fox, but he seemed to be winding his way around the school, sticking to crowded corridors but slipping through the throngs of students with a practiced, graceful ease. Finally, Isaac came to a stop at a locker. Axel stopped at the end of the hallway, just watching, panting slightly. How is he so fast?! Then, he glanced up. A short, burly badger was creeping up on Isaac. The puma started to approach him. "Colt? What are you-?''
Suddenly, the badger lunged at Isaac, abruptly shoving him into his locker. Axel watched helplessly as the fox banged his snout on the side of the locker, letting out a yelp of pain. Colt slammed the door and spun the lock. Then, he turned to Axel and beamed. "Hey, man! Got `im! Got `im good this time, too. Up high!'' The badger raised his hand for a high five, ready to receive praise for his prank.
Therefore, it was with great shock that Colt found himself face to face with a snarling, furious puma. Axel leaned right into his face, showing his massive teeth, and growled low and menacingly. "This shit ain't funny anymore. He's getting hurt. Hurtin' people ain't funny to me. I'm not picking on him anymore. You're not gonna pick on him anymore either. And anyone else who hurts him is gonna hafta deal with me. You understand?''
"Wha-... bu-... I... what the hell, man? When did you start caring about the runt? He's been the team's favorite kick-toy since freshman year! What gives?!''
Axel stood up tall, towering over Colt, and roared. "DID I SAY `ASK QUESTIONS'?! NO! I SAID LEAVE HIM THE FUCK ALONE!'' The puma pointed in the direction of the gym. "TELL THE TEAM WHAT I SAID! GO!''
The badger cowered and scurried off, along with most of other students who were still in the hallway. With everyone cleared out, Axel went up to Isaac's locker. He leaned in close, and spoke gently. "Um... hey, little dude. Are you... okay?''
He heard a sniffle from inside the locker, then Isaac's trembling voice. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, sorta. Can you... are you going to let me out?''
"Of course I'm gonna let you out! Don't be stupid... I just need to find a janitor, they should have a key...''
"Um... or I could give you my combination...''
Axel felt that strange fluttering feeling in his chest again. The puma had only ever given his locker combination to a few of his girlfriends... People he really trusted... He held his breath for a few moments.
"A-Axel?''
"Oh! R-right, um... i-if you trust me. I'll probably remember it, though, I'm real good with numbers. So, if you're sure...''
But a piece of paper was already sliding out of one of the vents in the door. Axel took it, and entered the combination into the lock. The locker swung open, and Isaac fell out of the opening.
"Woah!'' Axel rushed forward, catching the tiny fox in his arms. It looked like one of his legs had fallen asleep.
Isaac looked up at the puma. "Um... sorry. Thanks for the save, again... I guess you really meant it, huh?'' The fox beamed up at his rescuer.
BA-BUMP
Axel felt his heart leap into his throat. He swallowed heavily, but couldn't get the lump to go back down where it belonged. That smile again... he's so small... so fragile... The puma glanced away. "I, ah, don't get it... I-I meant what?''
The fox sat up a bit, adjusting himself to be out of Axel's grasp, but still bracing himself against him. Axel flexed his arms a little; suddenly they felt so... empty. Shaking his leg a little, Isaac elaborated. "You said you were going to protect me from the bullies. And you did! I honestly didn't think you would, or even could. It's social suicide to be seen with me, you know that, right?''
"What? Screw that. I don't have any friends worth a damn if they won't let me help you. Hell, Colt was my best friend, and he's the one who shoved you in there! Fuck that! You're a nice guy, Isaac. I'm just sorry I didn't stop him sooner... I didn't think he'd do anything like that...''
"Colt? He's not so bad, honestly. Tucker likes to yank hairs out of my tail. And Pete snaps me with his towel in the locker room so hard it bruises...'' Isaac tried to smile again, but winced this time. "Mmnnn!... Damn, I hit myself good on that locker...''
"Colt hit you on that locker. You didn't do shit. Show me your muzzle.'' The fox looked down at the floor, silently refusing. "You stubborn... Look at me, damnit!''
Isaac didn't want anyone to see how bad he was hurt. If nobody saw, he could pretend it wasn't there... pretend everything was okay... but then, two thick fingers grabbed him roughly by the chin and yanked his gaze up. He saw the massive puma's face, wearing a mix of frustration, concern, and worry. Axel gently twisted the fox's face from side to side, inspecting him. Isaac started to tremble... But, this time, I'm not afraid... so why am I shaking like this? His mouth grew dry, and his throat started to feel thick. What's... what's going on...? Choking on his words, he finally managed to stutter, "A-Axel...''
"Well, you don't have any cuts. Looks like it's just a nasty bruise. Damn... I'm so, so sorry I couldn't stop him, but it looks like you'll be fine...'' Axel hadn't released the fox's chin... I can't stop looking at him... he thought. I just want to see him happy, and smiling, and... what am I doing?!
The puma released Isaac and stepped back suddenly, almost causing the fox to fall again. Fortunately, Isaac's foot wasn't asleep anymore, so he caught himself. He gave Axel a half-smile, avoiding using the injured side of his mouth. "Thanks for checking me out... I appreciate it, really. Didn't know you were so experienced with injuries... I guess you do play a lot of football, though.''
``Uh, yeah...'' Axel shifted uncomfortably, looking away.
An awkward silence stretched between them. Isaac broke it first. "So, um... why were you here in the first place? Isn't your locker on the other side of the school?''
"Oh! Um, yeah, it is, but I was trying to find you before class. I have an essay that got assigned Friday, I was hoping we could look at it tonight.''
"Yeah, sure! That'll be great for our first real tutoring session, I'll-"
BRRRINGGG!
"Oop, time to get to homeroom. See you there?'' Isaac said, smiling again.
The puma briefly panicked. I can't leave him yet... I don't want to leave him yet! "Can't I... walk with you? We're going to the same place...''
"Well, uh... sure, I guess? If you really want to, I suppose that's fine.'' Isaac shrugged, then started walking.
Axel tried for conversation, anything to learn more about this fox. "So, ah... you move fast, dude! I was trying to catch up with you earlier and I got freakin' winded! How'd you do it?''
Isaac looked away, almost embarrassed. "Well... I'm on the track team...''
"Shit, really? I guess that's why you're in the locker room all the time with us... But that's cool! You're so fast, man. And the way you dodged between people... I mean, you could do some damage as a running back, you'd basically never get hit!''
"Do you really think I'd survive even thinking about joining the football team? Besides, one good tackle and I'm basically a pancake.'' The fox gave Axel a withering look, then sighed. "No, I honestly just... love running. It's fun. Feels good. Feels... free.''
The puma glanced down at Isaac. He was smiling again; this time, it was an easy, thoughtful smile, the kind where you know someone's thoughts are somewhere fond. Axel couldn't help but grin, too. I made him smile! Hell yeah! he thought cheerfully. "So, how good are you? You gotta be decent if you can outrun me.''
The smile vanished from the fox's face, and he turned his head away. He mumbled something unintelligibly.
Oh no, oh fuck, what did I do?! Axel's thoughts started to race. Say something, SAY SOMETHING...! "H-hey, look, there's no shame in not being good in competition. As long as you're having fun, who cares, right? Look, I'm sorry I brought it up, I-"
"I've... placed first in regionals since freshman year... and I made it to second in nationals last year...'' Isaac's voice was small and delicate, his chin trembling. Tears started to form in his eyes, and he shrank down into his hoodie.
Axel looked at him in utter confusion. "Dude, hold up, stop!'' The puma spun in front of Isaac and planted his hands on the fox's shoulders, holding him in place. "Isaac, that's incredible! That's... huge! Why the hell are you acting like you've done something wrong?''
"W-we're gonna be late to class...''
The puma scoffed. "Don't care. Nobody expects me to be on time and the teachers love you, they won't care. Talk. To. Me.''
The fox shifted uncomfortably. "Well... I guess... my dad makes fun of me because I don't play football... so no matter how good I do at a sport, unless it's football, he doesn't care...'' Isaac noticed the puma's face darkening, a snarl working its way across his muzzle. "Woah! It's really fine, sorta, he just... doesn't think track is a `real' sport.''
Axel relaxed, but still had a sour look on his face. "Well, he should know better. And for what it's worth, if anything... I think you're doing awesome. You made it to nationals three years in a row, and came in second last year? That's fantastic!'' The puma paused for a moment, mulling something over in his head. "Can I... come watch you at a track meet? Maybe?''
Isaac blinked. His pulse sped up at the idea of Axel watching him, cheering for him on the sidelines... Why am I so... excited? "Um... sure? I mean, it's gotta be boring, you don't get to see us hardly at all until the very end...''
"Nuh-uh, this is great! I wanna see you win another medal. That'd be awesome!'' Axel beamed at him toothily.
The fox's knees nearly buckled. He's so friendly today! It's like he's a whole different person... and... I think I kinda like it...? Yeah, I like it a lot... Isaac patted one of Axel's muscular forearms. "Well, hey, maybe I'll even cheer for you at your home games this year. But, um... can you let go of me? You're kinda hanging on to me again...''
Axel twitched, and slowly released Isaac from his firm grip. He opened and closed his paws a few times... There it is again... that empty feeling... Do I miss... holding him...? The puma shook his head vigorously. "S-sorry about that. Come on, we're almost to homeroom...''
BRRRINGGG!
Students started filing out into the halls. Isaac went pale. "I-I-I... missed class?! Oh God, I've never missed a class before! I-"
"Calm down.'' Axel said soothingly. "I have, it's not the end of the world. We'll go see Mr. Lopez. Just... let me do the talking.''
They walked into the now-empty classroom. The sheepdog was cleaning the whiteboard when he heard Axel knock on the door. "Ah, I missed you two in class. I'm sorry, but I am afraid I'll be giving both of you detention... I did warn you on day one what would happen if you skipped class.''
"Yes Mr. Lopez, and we're sorry, but...'' Axel's voice trailed off.
"...But? But what, Axel?'' The sheepdog looked skeptical, but curious.
"Well, you see... it really was my fault that Isaac missed class. I was asking him questions about an essay he's tutoring me on, and we missed the bell. Time got away from us, and I didn't even notice how late it was. Please, it wasn't his fault. I have no excuse, but Isaac shouldn't be punished for my mistake. Could you forgive him? Uh... please?''
Mr. Lopez looked as taken aback by this act of altruism as Isaac did. "Ah... I understand. Unfortunately, it is school policy... Much as I would like to, I must still give both of you detention. You'll be staying after homeroom this afternoon, but...'' Mr. Lopez lowered his voice. "You two can work on your essay, and I'll let you talk, even though it's supposed to be quiet time. How's that?''
Isaac's shoulders slumped. So much for a perfect record... "Thanks, Mr. Lopez, I understand. We appreciate it...'' They walked out the door and started heading to their next classes. The fox looked up at Axel and smiled dejectedly. "Well, thanks for trying to get me out of it. It didn't work, but still... thanks.''
The puma clapped Isaac on the back, nearly knocking him over. "Hey, I had to try something! And we get to do our tutoring anyway! Win-win!''
The fox blushed. He's awfully... physical, today. What gives? ... Well, I might as well try it out too... Isaac bumped his shoulder into Axel's side playfully. "Careful, big guy! Remember, I'm small and fragile, and you're basically a tank on legs! I bet you could toss me like a football, no problem.''
"Hah! You bet I could!'' Axel's face was flushing underneath his fur, his cheeks burning. He... he played back! Haha! That's incredible! ... Wait... I'm so... happy...?
"Um... this is my class. Where is yours?'' Isaac had arrived in front of a door labeled "AP Chemistry.''
The puma's heart sank. "O-oh... I have bio, it's... back a little ways.''
"You walked me to class? What am I, your boyfriend now?'' The fox chuckled.
Axel felt like his heart stopped. Time froze. He couldn't move, couldn't speak, couldn't breathe... What... what did he say? N-no, he's... joking. He must just be joking... but why do I feel like this? Why can't I talk... say something!
"N-no, don't be stupid! That's stupid! I-I just wanted to talk more, that's all! Jeez... I'm going to class, I'll see you later...'' And with that, Axel turned and walked off, stalking aggressively down the hall.
Isaac watched him go, curiously. It... was a joke? He got so defensive, though... wait, could he be... No, no way. And even if he was, there's no way he'd... no, he dates cheerleaders and popular girls. He'd never want... and I wouldn't want... He shook his head and sighed, and headed into class. I really shouldn't even joke like that. There's no telling how people would react, and if I'm getting bullied now, if people thought we were actually... Isaac shuddered as he sat down and pulled out his books. He threw himself into his studies, and passed the rest of the day without incident.
Finally, homeroom came around for the second time that day. Axel and Isaac stayed seated when the rest of the class was dismissed, and Mr. Lopez walked up to the two of them.
"All right, so you'll be staying for an hour today. As usual, if I catch you talking or slacking off, I'll issue you another detention for tomorrow. Now...'' The sheepdog winked at them. "I'm needed in the teacher's lounge for a bit. I'll be gone, oh, for almost an hour? I'll be back before you leave, certainly... Isaac, I trust you to stay on task. Axel... your reputation precedes you. Behave.''
The fox looked at Mr. Lopez gratefully. "Ah... thank you, sir! Good luck at your... function...'' He watched silently as the sheepdog left the room. "Well, that was... nice of him. So, ah... your essay. What's it supposed to be about?''
Axel opened up his backpack. "Well, it's...''
They talked about the topic of the essay, and how many cited sources were needed. The puma got overwhelmed when it came time to write the outline of the essay, but Isaac calmed him down by breaking the process into small chunks.
"Okay, so we're just going to write a topic sentence for the essay, then list three things we're going to talk about. Then, do that again for each thing you want to talk about.'' The fox kept his tone calm and soothing, trying to keep Axel's anxiety at bay.
"Mmkay...'' The puma murmured in assent, jotting some things down. "I uh... haven't done any research yet, I'm not really sure what I want to say here...''
"We can change it later, right now just go with what you know.''
"O-okay...'' Axel spent some time scribbling things down into his notebook, then held it out to Isaac. "How does this look?''
The fox leaned over to take a look. "Hey, that looks great! Good job!'' He grinned widely at Axel.
The puma felt his face flush at the praise. "T-thanks... heh...'' He stuttered, and moved to put his notebook down. As he did, he bumped his pencil, and it fell off the desk, landing in between them. ``Ah, hell, lemme...''
At the same time, Isaac was already reaching out. "No, I got it...''
They reached it almost simultaneously. Isaac grabbed the pencil, but Axel grabbed...
Isaac's paw...
BA-BUMP. Isaac slowly looked up at the puma, paw perfectly still... for some reason, he didn't want to move his paw from under Axel's...
BA-BUMP. Axel gradually raised his gaze, meeting Isaac's. His eyes... it's like they're shining, like stars... How is that possible?
They stared at each other for a moment, then the fox spoke, shyly and softly. "Uh, y-you're... holding me again...''
Still not breaking eye contact, Axel whispered, "Sorry...'' but this time, he didn't flinch or let go. Instead, almost on instinct, he tenderly squeezed the fox's paw, giving it a slow rub. "Sorry... wow, you... you have really soft fur...''
"T-thanks, and you're... surprisingly gentle, I guess. Why... are you holding my hand, though?''
"I-I dunno... just wanna, I guess?'' The puma really didn't know why; It just felt... right. "Do you... d'you want me to stop?''
Isaac didn't fully understand what was happening... but... I don't want it to stop. He leaned a little closer to Axel, half out of his desk. "N-no, it's... fine. Nice, just a little... confusing.''
Axel leaned forward too, hands starting to sweat and tremble as the distance between them started to close. "I'm... I'm confused too. But I think I... like this? No, I don't... I can't...''
"Axel...'' Isaac whispered his name, and the puma's heart melted at the sound. "It's okay... I trust you...'' He leaned closer, and closer, and closed his eyes...
Axel swallowed. His heart was back in his throat, and he could feel his pulse in his neck. Blood had rushed to his face, causing a tingly heat to rage across him. He... trusts me? Does that mean he wants to... am I really about to... I can't be, but he's... so... And a sudden realization hit the puma like a sack of bricks. He's... cute! Shit, he's cute! Why do I think he's cute?! With movements that almost didn't feel like his own, Axel leaned in and closed his eyes, his lips parting...
CLICK-CLACK.
Mr. Lopez unlocked the door and walked back in. "Well, that was fun... I hope you two learned a valuable lesson about punctuality-" He stopped, looking at the two of them sitting bolt upright at their desks, both red as a beet. "I'm sorry, is everything all right? You boys seem tense...''
"Yep! We're fine! Totally fine! No worries here!'' Axel's voice came out strangled. Isaac couldn't even speak, simply nodding along, not daring to look their teacher in the eye.
The sheepdog looked skeptical. "Isaac, was Axel bullying you? You can tell me, it's fi-``
"N-no! Uh, no, he's fine. H-he's honestly... really nice...'' It was impossible for the fox to get any redder, so he just looked down at the floor and swallowed a few times. After a moment, he swallowed hard and looked up at Mr. Lopez, smiling nervously. "Don't worry, I really would tell you if something was wrong. But everything's great! You don't have to worry about me.''
Axel stared at Isaac, shocked. He... after everything I've put him through, he could've said anything... but he stood up for me. He thinks I'm nice... how long has it been since someone said I was nice...? The heat in his cheeks spread to his eyes, and they started to well up. The puma rubbed them furiously. "Keep it together...'' he mumbled under his breath.
"Well, you boys are free to go. It's a little early, but it seems like you've been working hard, and I'd hate for you to be too late getting home. Travel safely!'' Mr. Lopez waved them out of class, shutting the door behind them.
The two of them walked slowly, in silence, towards the exit. Isaac spoke up first again. "So, um... do you wanna talk about... what happened in the classroom?''
Axel blushed again. "I, uh, I dunno what happened... sorry about that, I didn't mean to get so, um, personal, I just...''
"No, it's okay... I-I didn't mind.'' The fox smiled shyly and looked sideways at Axel. The puma was fidgeting his thumbs together, and sweating nervously. "Um... what's up? You're acting kinda... weird.''
``This whole thing is... weird. I don't understand what's going on... I'm really confused, and I don't like that I don't understand...'' They reached the school's parking lot. "I'm headed home, I-I'll... I'll see you later, Isaac...'' Axel started to slowly walk away.
"Wait!'' The fox called after him. He stopped, a few feet away, and turned slowly to face Isaac. "Do you... want a ride home? I don't mind.''
The puma pondered this for a minute. I don't understand what I'm feeling for him... but, I know I really do like him... and he's so small, and... and CUTE... and he cares... I need space to think, but I don't want to be apart from him yet... Ugh, what are these feelings?! Axel took a deep breath, then opened his mouth to speak, but his voice came out high and squeaky. "I'd...!''
Isaac raised an eyebrow. "Are you okay...?''
Axel coughed to clear his throat, bringing back his deep, rumbly bass voice. "Eh, yeah, sorry... I'd love a ride, honestly. Thanks.''
They got into Isaac's car, and he fired up his GPS. The puma was surprised to see that Isaac had saved his address. "Hey, uh, I don't mind, but why did you save my home address?''
"Oh, well, I figured at some point I'd need to stop by your place to do a tutoring session. Thought I might as well keep it, just in case.'' Isaac shrugged, and started driving.
"You wanna... come by my house sometime?'' Axel asked incredulously. "I thought you didn't want to hang out...''
Isaac gave him a sideways glance, before sighing and focusing on the road again. "I didn't want to hang out... at the time, anyway. I didn't want you back at my place, so I saved your address so I could come to you. Eh, but about that... I did say if you could prove to me you'd changed, I'd consider hanging out with you. And, well, you really came through for me today; standing up to your best friend, rescuing me...'' Axel saw a soft smile creep across the fox's muzzle, though Isaac winced a little as his bruise hurt him. "I think... if you still want to be friends, I'm okay to try that. If that's okay with you.''
The puma's heart started to race, and it took all his effort not to whoop with joy. Play it cool... "Yeah! I'd really, um, like that! Friends, then!'' Axel smiled widely, showing all his teeth.
Isaac saw him baring his fangs, but for the second time today, he didn't fear the massive beast before him. Instead, he thought it was... It's kind of endearing, in a way... He's built like a tank, but he's so, so gentle. I think... No. I'm certain he hurt me on accident last week. I can't believe I'm friends with Axel now. I... can't believe I wish this would've happened sooner...
The fox pulled up in front of Axel's house, parked, and shut off the car. He turned to the puma and smiled, ignoring the pain in his muzzle as he grinned as wide as he could. "Awesome! I'm friends with my bully now... Who would've thought?''
Axel flinched a little. "Yeah, I'm, ah, still sorry about that... I really don't know why I did all that stuff, I just-"
"Hey, don't worry about it.'' Isaac put his paw on Axel's shoulder. "I'm not worried about it anymore. If you want to talk about it sometime, that's fine, but you've already apologized, repeatedly. I get that you're sorry, but more importantly, you're already making up for it. And... we're friends now, right? And friends forgive friends, so...'' The fox inhaled deeply, held it for a second, then let it out. Then, he looked Axel in the eyes. "... Look. It's not easy for me to do this, but I really want to move on, too. So... I forgive you. For everything you've done to me. It's forgiven, and we can start over, I... H-hey now, d-don't cry!''
But it was too late. The puma sat shaking, staring into Isaac's eyes, and tears overflowing down his cheeks. He spoke with a shuddering, gasping voice. "I-I-I'm so sorry... Oh, thank you!'' Suddenly, his arms shot out from his sides, and he wrapped Isaac in a tight hug. The fox jumped a little in surprise, but then returned the gesture, rubbing and patting the puma on the back. Axel rocked Isaac slowly from side to side, continuing to sob, a small wet spot seeping onto Isaac's shoulder.
"Shh, shh... It's okay... it's okay...'' The fox stroked Axel's head, whispering soothingly into his ear. Wow... he's got really soft fur too... and he's so warm, he's like a furnace... "I didn't know... I can tell how upset you are about how you acted. You know, that just makes me more certain that I want to be your friend. You're showing remorse for what you've done. I'm glad I forgave you today. I-" Isaac's voice suddenly trailed off, because...
Axel had lifted his head up, so he was face to face with the fox. Their muzzles were mere inches apart, so close they could feel each other's breath. Still holding Isaac, the puma looked straight into his eyes. Like stars again... they're... beautiful...
Isaac flushed red, his thoughts racing. He was transfixed by Axel's eyes, soft and gleaming with emotions that no-one had ever shown the fox before. What's going on...? Wait... is he about to... No, he's not... he couldn't be...
Axel put a paw behind Isaac's head, pulled him close, and gave him a kiss.
Isaac thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest. He tensed up at first, but quickly relaxed. He put a paw to the puma's cheek, caressing him slightly. This... is kinda nice... no, this is... incredible...
Axel felt a surge of new and unfamiliar emotions. I feel hot and tingly... my fingers are numb... I'm dizzy... but I can't stop... I don't want to stop... Do I really like...
...
Guys...?
Abruptly, the puma pulled away from Isaac. He wiped his mouth on the back of his paw, then turned towards the door. "S-sorry about that. I don't know what I was thinking, I... I really gotta go...''
The fox grabbed him by the shoulder again. "Wait! I-I... We really need to talk about this! Please, don't leave me hanging..." Isaac's voice grew soft and fragile. "You... you were my first...''
Axel flinched, but still shrugged Isaac's paw off him. "I... I can't... not right now... I need space, time to think. I'm really, really sorry. I understand if you hate me for this, but... I need time to think.'' He opened the door and got out of the car.
The fox called after him. "I don't hate you, you idiot! Just... look, promise me we'll talk about this soon, okay? I need to talk about this with you.''
Axel turned, and looked Isaac in the eyes once more. He could see the fox's eyes were misty and wet. He's hurting... I hurt him. I'm so sorry, Isaac... "Yeah... okay. I promise.''
Sniffling, but satisfied for now, Isaac turned his car back on, and started driving away. Axel watched him go again, staring the sedan until it was out of sight. Then, his emotions hit him. His knees almost buckled, his head was reeling, and his heart was like a jackhammer beneath his ribs. Everything started to fade to black... The puma quickly sat down on the sidewalk. It's... it's just another panic attack, just breathe... He forced himself to take slow, measured breaths, holding his head while his thoughts raced. I can't believe I kissed a guy... I kissed Isaac! Do I even like guys? I've had tons of girlfriends, I've had sex with them even! I don't understand... I've never wanted a guy before. Do I... actually want Isaac? Axel had started to calm down, his breathing less forced, his vision clearing. I mean, Isaac's cute and all, but... wait, if I think he's cute, what about... The puma thought about other guys he knew, picturing them in the locker room, undressed, screwing around... No, I don't think any of the guys are cute, or hot, or whatever. What does that mean? What makes that fox so damn special?!
Axel growled, unable to come up with an answer. He stood up, and stalked into his house. His mother greeted him at the door.
"Hey, sweetie! How was school today? Anything interesting happen?''
"Hey, mom... Um, n-nope, nothing interesting. I had a tutoring session for my essay, that was good.''
"Oh, I'm glad! But you know, no matter what college you get into, I'm gonna be so proud of you! You really don't need to overwork yourself, you know...'' The slender puma patted her son on the shoulder. "Go wash up, dinner's almost ready.''
"Okay, okay...''
Axel went to the bathroom and washed his paws, then his face. But as he was toweling off, the puma looked in the mirror, and softly touched his lips. Isaac's smile flashed through his mind. I swear, it's like I can still feel him... I can TASTE him... Damnit. I don't understand, but...
...
Shit, I definitely need to talk to Isaac...
...
Tomorrow. Yeah, tomorrow...
