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"writing": "[center]What the Heart Wants[/center]\n\nAuthors’ Note: Holy heck, there’s actually nothing really to warn about in this story. It’s sexless. We’ll probably still label it mature just because it’s a chapter in a porn series, but this one doesn’t have any actual porn. It’s a plot story. Please read it if you’re interested in these characters! Otherwise, next month’s mainline will be back to porn. XP\n\n\n \nIt had been a week since Sophie’s birthday sleepover. It felt weird having Becky and Sophie over after that truth or dare game, but despite how weird it got, Tanya was still friends with them, and she didn’t want to cancel on them. She didn’t have a lot of friends, and she didn’t want to lose the few she had.\n\nShe still had an hour until her friends arrived, and something had been eating at her. Robbie had invited her to his birthday party in two weeks. There was no way her parents would approve if she asked outright… but Veronica could help.\n\nTanya snuck down to the basement and knocked on her sister’s door. “Hey, Veronica?” she said.\n\nHer sister opened the door. “Hey, little sis. What’s up?”\n\n“C-could we talk? Privately?” Tanya asked.\n\n“Anytime. Come on in.” Veronica ushered her sister in and closed the door, then sat down in her computer chair. “What’s up?”\n\nThe younger bat took a breath. “A boy invited me to his birthday sleepover.”\n\n“Ooooooh, exciting!” Veronica said. “You gonna go?”\n\n“I want to, but… well, mom and dad,” Tanya said.\n\n“No problem,” Veronica said. “Just tell ‘em you’re going over to Becky’s. I’ll volunteer to drive you there. They’ll never need to know.”\n\nTanya perked up. That was just what she wanted to hear. “You’re sure they won’t find out?”\n\n“Duh,” Veronica said. “Trust me, they never check in.”\n\nShe nodded. It felt wrong lying to her parents, but if it meant seeing Chuck again, it was worth it. “Okay… thanks sis.”\n\n“Anytime,” Veronica said. “You ever want to see your little boyfriend, you just ask me.”\n\n“He’s not my boyfriend!” Tanya said. “He’s just a friend who’s a boy. Besides, I more wanna be there for another boy who’s coming…”\n\nHer sister nodded. “I see. Who all’s gonna be there?”\n\nTanya ran down the list.\n\n“So not too many. Yeah, just tell Mom you’re sleeping over at Becky’s and you’re golden,” Veronica said.\n\nThe younger bat smiled and hugged her sister. “Thanks.”\n\nVeronica grinned as she hugged her back. “Like I said… anytime. Trust me, I’m an expert at this.”\n\nTanya felt a little lighter heading back upstairs. Though it felt wrong lying to her mother. Maybe if she broached the topic obliquely…\n\nFor once, she caught her mother alone in the kitchen. Bunica must have been taking a nap. She cleared her throat. “Mom, what would you say if a boy invited me over to his house?”\n\nThe elder bat raised an eyebrow. “You know your grandmother wouldn’t approve, nor would your father.”\n\n“I know,” Tanya said. “I’m just… wondering what you’d think?”\n\n“I’d advise you to politely decline,” Mom said.\n\nExactly what she thought. “Okay. Thanks,” she said.\n\n“Why? Did a boy invite you over?”\n\nWas it wise to tell her? She’d gamble. “A boy invited me to his birthday sleepover. Becky and Sophie are going, and he’s got two little sisters.”\n\nMom raised an eyebrow. “That’s all who’s going to be there?”\n\n“He invited a few boys, too,” Tanya said.\n\nHer mother nodded. “Well… I suppose one time couldn’t hurt,” she said. “I’ll tell your father and grandmother you’re going to Becky’s. But I want to meet this boy’s parents.”\n\nTanya blinked. “Wait, really?”\n\n“Just between us,” Mom said.\n\nShe didn’t have to lie! Not to her mother, at least. She ran up and hugged her mother. “Thank you!” she said.\n\n“Just don’t make a habit of it,” Mom said.\n\n“Deal,” Tanya said. She kissed her mother’s cheek, then headed off to the living room to play on her phone until Becky and Sophie arrived. She even sent a quick text to her sister telling her the good news. Veronica’s response was a simple heart.\n \nBefore she knew it, her friends arrived, driven by Sophie’s mother. She greeted them at the door and invited them up to her room.\n\nAs soon as they were in her room, Becky flopped onto the bat’s bed and grinned at her. “Alright, girl, spill. What did you and Chuck end up doing at Sophie’s sleepover?”\n\nTanya groaned. “Like I’ve told you every other time you asked, we just talked. He mentioned wanting to try wearing girl clothes, so we swapped pajamas. That was it. Nothing. Else.”\n\nThe rabbit looked skeptical. “You can tell us, you know. We won’t spill.”\n\n“Tell her, not me,” Sophie said. She brushed her hair back. “But Becky, if she says she didn’t do anything with him, then she didn’t do anything. Drop it.”\n\n“Oh, fiiiiine,” Becky said. “Did you guys at least kiss?”\n\n“Becky!” Sophie snapped.\n\n“Right, right…” The rabbit sighed and shook her head.\n\nOkay, so maybe Tanya hadn’t told her EVERYTHING. But that night was special. That was just between her and Chuck, and it was going to stay that way. Becky didn’t need to know that they had very briefly explored together, or that they had kissed, or that they held paws on the bus and sometimes even snuck kisses there. That was for them and them alone.\n\n“It’s too bad your parents won’t let you go to boys’ houses,” Becky said. “Robbie’s house is great. Then you’d get more time outside of school to make out with Chu-“\n\n“Becky, I swear to whatever god you believe in, if you don’t stop,” Sophie growled.\n\nTanya was thankful for Sophie’s intervention. She wouldn’t mention yet that her mom had actually granted her permission to go to Robbie’s. The rabbit wouldn’t be able to keep it in, and she didn’t want her dad and especially Bunica to find out. Maybe at school she could tell her.\n\n“Fine, fine, I get it, jeez,” Becky said. “But seriously, hanging out at Robbie’s is great. His parents are super chill.” She giggled and grinned. “Sometimes we hang out naked!”\n\n“Eww! Why would you want that?” Sophie asked.\n\n“What? It’s fun being naked!” Becky said. “Heck, my family usually hangs out naked when we don’t have guests over.”\n\nSophie rolled her eyes. “Well, thanks for keeping your clothes on when I’m over I guess?”\n\nTanya blushed. She’d seen all of Chuck, and while it was fun, she didn’t really get the appeal. But thinking of the discovery that he was still a night time bed wetter… well, it was a good thing her nightgown was so long. Otherwise the girls might’ve learned that little secret, too. While she was certain Sophie wouldn’t tell, she wasn’t so sure about Becky. The rabbit seemed intent on tormenting the boy and teasing her for liking him.\n\n“So, we gonna watch scaaaary moooovies?” Becky asked.\n\nThat got the bat girl to perk up. “Duh! It’s spooky month, after all.”\n\n“I’m still surprised you guys don’t decorate the house for it,” Becky said.\n\n“You know Bunica’s pretty traditional, and Mom and Dad don’t really ‘get’ Halloween,” Tanya said. “It’s okay, though. Halloween’s kinda weird, anyway. But scary movies are cool.”\n\nThey fell into their usual routine. Watch movies, play games, make fun of the latest gossip going around school. Once Tanya’s parents went to bed, though, Becky was back on her Chuck train.\n\n“So, Taaaanyaaaaa,” Becky said. “I know you sometimes go to Mr. Fox’s classroom with Chuck, but have you ever thought about going somewhere more… private?”\n\nThe bat girl tilted her head. “Why would we need somewhere private?”\n\n“Ya know, to kiss, maybe do a bit more exploring,” Becky said.\n\n“Eww! At school?!” Tanya said.\n\nSophie rolled her eyes. “I know from Brain-dead where all the best spots are to go for privacy if you ever wanted to know…”\n\nTanya blushed. “W-why would I even want to do that?”\n\nBecky patted Tanya’s head. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”\n\nThe bat raised her nose indignantly. “Not funny, Becky.”\n\nHer friend giggled. “You know I’m just teasing,” Becky said.\n\n“Well, it’s still not funny,” Tanya said.\n\nThe rabbit seemed to wilt. “Alright, alright, sorry, I’ll stop.”\n\n“Thank you,” Tanya said. Though she was fairly certain that Becky wasn’t going to keep her word.\n\n“But now I wanna know where to do it in school,” Becky said.\n\nSophie sighed. “I shouldn’t have mentioned that.”\n\n“Seriously, where does she do it to get away with it?” Becky asked.\n\nThe golden retriever looked around. “You didn’t hear this from me, but… the gender neutral bathroom’s pretty private. She’s done it in there. Really any of the bathrooms are usually quiet at lunch and recess. Then there’s the janitor’s closet on the second floor. The art classroom’s abandoned on Fridays…”\n\nTanya hated that she was mentally noting those down. It was unlikely that Chuck would want to do anything with her at school, or that she’d want to do anything with HIM there, but the thought was… intriguing. But no, she wouldn’t dare. What if Brandi walked in with another boy while she was there? She couldn’t risk that. If the popular girls caught her there, it’d spread around school in no time, and she didn’t want to share in Brandi’s reputation.\n\nShe wasn’t that kind of girl.\n \nThe following Monday, Tanya took her usual seat on the bus. In a few stops, Chuck would get on, and he’d most likely sit next to her like he always did. She was glad that his stop came later so there was no chance of her parents realizing that she sat next to a boy on the bus. But what Becky and Sophie had said at their sleepover kept ringing in her ears.\n\nLike, sure, there were places they could go if they really wanted privacy to… explore, but she wasn’t sure if she was that kind of girl. Plus, she was pretty certain that Chuck wasn’t that kind of boy. They could’ve played more at Sophie’s, but he turned her down, and she couldn’t blame him. She’d never hear the end of it if Becky caught them in the act. They were already suspicious when they realized they’d slept snuggled together. At school seemed even more dangerous. But more than that, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted it. Her friends were all horny as heck, and Tanya had no interest in any of that. It just felt like an expectation, almost an obligation.\n\nShe put that out of her mind as the bus reached Chuck’s stop. The pup got on, and as expected, he sat down next to her. She smiled and took his paw.\n\n“Hi, Chuck.”\n\nThe pup smiled. “H-hi.”\n\n“How was your weekend?” Tanya asked.\n\nHe blushed a little. “I-it was okay. H-had a sleepover at Robbie’s, with Martin…”\n\n“Oh! H-how was that?” Tanya asked.\n\n“G-good,” Chuck said. “Th-they say I’m g-getting better at M-Mario Kart…”\n\nTanya giggled. “I should ask my parents to get me a Switch… we could game online together.”\n\nThe pup blushed deeper. “I-I’d have to ask I-Isaac for one…”\n\n“Oh. You don’t have one yourself?” Tanya asked.\n\nChuck shook his head. “I-I just play at Robbie’s…”\n\nShe nodded. Another thought popped into her mind. She was curious, but did she dare to ask him? No, that was too much. “Well, if you get one, let me know.” Tanya wiggled a little in her seat. “Do you want to spend recess outside or up in Mr. Fox’s classroom again?”\n\nHe shrugged. “C-can we decide at lunch?”\n\nTanya squeezed his paw and smiled. “Sure. No pressure.” It felt nice having a friend more her speed to spend recess with. It was a shame they only saw each other for lunch, recess, and gym, but it was better than nothing.\n\nThey chatted the rest of the way to school. Parting was such sweet sorrow, but it had to be done. They waved to each other as they went to their respective lockers.\n\nAs she finished sorting out her books for her morning classes, she was approached by, of all furs, Jenna, one of the popular girls that Sophie hung out with.\n\n“Hey, you,” Jenna said.\n\n“H-hi?” Tanya said.\n\nThe persian cat leaned against a neighboring locker. “Tanya, right?”\n\nJenna knew her name. That could mean nothing, or it could mean trouble. She was the top gossip monger in their grade. “Y-yeah… why?” Tanya asked.\n\n“You’re friends with that border collie pup,” Jenna said. “What’s his deal? No one knows a thing about him other than that Sophie invited him to her birthday party and that you’re dating him.”\n\nTanya’s heart froze. Had Becky started spreading that rumor? If Jenna knew it was likely. “We’re not dating, thank you very much,” Tanya said.\n\nThe feline rolled her eyes. “Right, because totally just friends hold paws and kiss on the bus.”\n\nHow did she know that?! Maybe they weren’t being as sneaky as she thought. They might have to stop that if they didn’t want the dating rumors to be spreading. But if Jenna knew, then chances are Sophie knew, too. This also meant that she definitely couldn’t try taking him anywhere private. Jenna had eyes everywhere. If she knew about the stuff on the bus, she’d find out about her sneaking off with Chuck, and then the rumors would REALLY start.\n\n“So c’mon, spill, what’s his deal?” Jenna asked.\n\n“Why should I tell you anything? You’ll just spread rumors about him anyway,” Tanya said.\n\nJenna gasped in mock shock. “I would never!” She smirked. “But if you don’t tell me anything, I just might do that, friend of Sophie’s or not.”\n\nHer rumors could easily make Chuck the target of bullies. Maybe it’d be best to feed her just a little bit. “He’s from Arizona, he didn’t have any friends back there, he likes books and rock music and-“\n\n“Oh, so he’s boring,” Jenna said. “I bet he’s got some deep, dark secrets, and I’m gonna find ‘em out, one way or another.”\n\n“If he has any, he hasn’t told me,” Tanya lied.\n\nThe cat laughed. “Everyfur has secrets. Even you, I bet. But don’t worry, you’re close enough to Sophie that I won’t try to tarnish you… yet.”\n\nTanya bit her lip. “H-how many cubs know about the bus thing?”\n\n“Only like half the school,” Jenna said. “Honestly, I was surprised. With how he clings to Martin I thought he was gay. That wolf probably is too. No straight boy would tolerate that, plus he hangs out with that gay boy on the soccer team.”\n\nOh boy. Tanya was going to have to have a chat with Chuck. But as for Martin… “The whole soccer team hangs out with Kendal. Does that make them all gay?”\n\nJenna giggled. “A straight field fairy? That’s funny. Sure, Alexis is dating Michael but there’s no way that boy’s straight. Stupid, sure, but not straight.”\n\nThat cat was a mean one.\n\n“Heeeey, Jenna.”\n\nOh no. Alexis showing up was probably worse.\n\nThe poodle smiled sweetly at the feline.\n\n“Hey, bestie,” Jenna said.\n\n“Jenna, I just learned some juicy secrets. Come on, let’s ditch this loser and compare notes,” Alexis said.\n\nJenna glanced back at the bat. “I’ll learn your secrets sooner or later, too, you know. Just remember that.” And with that, she went off with Alexis, the two girls giggling like mad.\n\nTanya sighed. Inadvertently saved by the queen of the bitch squad. Who would’ve thought? She shook her head as she headed for home room.\n\nBecky caught up with her about half way there. “Yo, Tanya, why was JENNA talking to you?”\n\nThe bat groaned. “She wanted to grill me for info about Chuck and hold some secrets over me,” she muttered.\n\n“Oh, like how you make out with Chuck on the bus?” Becky said. So she knew.\n\n“We do NOT ‘make out,’ we just hold paws,” Tanya said. “And okay, maybe we kissed once or twice,” she muttered, “but that’s NOT making out. Gods.”\n\nThe rabbit giggled. “Just saying, I don’t need to spread rumors about you and Chuck when everyfur can see it.”\n\n“Don’t remind me,” Tanya muttered. “I need to talk to him about being more… discreet. Heck, Jenna thinks Martin and Chuck are gay.”\n\n“Oh, she thinks EVERY soccer player is gay, even the ones dating girls,” Becky said. “Well, I guess that’d make the girls’ soccer team gay, but who cares about girls soccer?”\n\n“Hey!” said a girl that they passed. She looked pissed.\n\n“Probably a soccer player,” Becky said.\n\nThe other girl huffed and stormed away.\n\n“Anyway, yeah, I wouldn’t worry too much about the rumor mill,” Becky said.\n\nTanya shrugged. “I guess it’s easy to ignore when you don’t have a reputation to protect.”\n\n“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Becky said.\n\nCrap, she’d said that out loud. “I didn’t mean anything,” Tanya said.\n\nBecky rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”\n\nThey took their seats, and Tanya pulled out her sketch pad to draw until homeroom started. At least Becky left her alone while she worked on art.\n\nThe morning classes flew by. At gym she was kept mostly away from Chuck by virtue of how their dodge ball teams were divided up. She’d have to wait until lunch.\n \nBy the time she got to the cafeteria, the lunch line was already insane. She spied Chuck with Robbie and Martin a good ways up. She shouldn’t have taken her time changing, but it’d be okay, she reminded herself.\n\nWhen she got to their usual table, Robbie, Martin, Chuck, and Becky were already there. The fox was tucked in between Martin and Becky, and Chuck was sitting solo opposite them. She took a seat next to him.\n\n“Hey, Chuck,” she said.\n\n“H-hi,” the pup replied.\n\n“Can we do recess in Mr. Fox’s room? There’s some stuff I need to talk to you about. Nothing bad, just… stuff,” Tanya said.\n\nChuck’s eyes widened, and he nodded. “O-okay.”\n\n“Aww, not going to go somewhere more private?” Becky teased.\n\nRobbie groaned. “Becky, if you do this one more time, I’m uninviting you to my birthday party,” he said.\n\nBecky gasped. “You wouldn’t.”\n\n“Try me,” Robbie said.\n\nTanya gave him a grateful glance, then turned to her food. “Oh, speaking of your birthday party… my mom said I could go. She just wants to meet your parents.”\n\nRobbie smiled. “Oh, awesome! I can give you my parents’ numbers and she can call them whenever.” Tanya took down the offered phone numbers in her phone, then set her sights on lunch.\n\nShe and Chuck were quiet while they ate. The other three were excitedly talking about video games again.\n\nMuch to her surprise, Sophie took a seat next to her.\n\n“The princess arrives,” Becky said. “What brings you here?”\n\nSophie tossed her hair back. “Jenna needs a reminder that Tanya is my friend. She can spread rumors all she wants about other cubs, but not my friends.”\n\n“What rumors is she spreading this time?” Martin asked.\n\n“None yet, but she’s cooking some up,” Sophie said. “Though there’s whisperings about you, wolf boy,” she said.\n\nMartin shrugged. “Not like I care.”\n\n“She thinks you’re gay and you’re fucking Kendal and Chuck,” Sophie said.\n\nThe wolf spit out his juice. “Jeez, for real?”\n\n“Kendal’s openly gay, and you’re both on the soccer team,” Sophie said. “Of course, she’s been spreading that the whole team fucks after games, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Chuck, however, is far too clingy for furs not to ask questions.”\n\nTanya groaned, then leaned towards Chuck and whispered, “That’s what we need to talk about.”\n\nThe pup stiffened. He clearly wasn’t a fan of the idea.\n\n“Stay calm, let’s just eat lunch and we can talk after,” Tanya said.\n\nHe nodded. She could tell that Chuck was spooked by the idea of being gay. It seemed pretty obvious to her that he wasn’t, not that there was anything wrong with it. She’d still want to be friends with him even if he was gay. Imagine having a gay best friend. Well, Robbie was already a gay friend of hers, but he could hardly qualify as a BEST friend. Chuck might, though.\n\nThe other cubs spent the rest of lunch talking about the gay rumors. Tanya tuned it out. She didn’t particularly care one way or the other. When lunch ended, she and Chuck went off to Mr. Fox’s classroom.\n\n“Welcome, welcome,” the otter said as they entered.\n\n“Hi, Mr. Fox,” Tanya said. “Hope it’s okay if we stay here for recess.”\n\n“Always,” the otter said. “Need to talk, or do you need a bit of privacy today?”\n\nTanya shrugged. “There’s just rumors going around…”\n\n“As they do,” Mr. Fox said.\n\n“Some furs think Chuck is gay,” Tanya said.\n\nThe otter chuckled. “Not that there’s anything wrong with being gay, but it can be upsetting if you aren’t and get accused of it.”\n\n“What would you do if somefur said that about you?” Tanya asked.\n\n“Show them wedding pictures of me and my husband, of course,” Mr. Fox said with a laugh.\n\nTanya gasped. “You have a husband?”\n\n“Married for five years now,” Mr. Fox said. “I don’t come at being a queer safe space just from a purely theoretical stance. I’ve known I was queer since I was your age. A lot of us have figured out that we’re at least some kind of queer by puberty, if not before then. Though what that can mean varies and can shift.”\n\nThe bat nodded. “So… we’d know if we were gay?” she whispered.\n\n“Maybe, maybe not,” Mr. Fox said. “Some furs don’t figure it out until later in life. Some know that they’re not straight, but aren’t sure what they ARE. Queerness can be messier than heterosexuality in some ways.”\n\nShe nodded, then looked at Chuck. “Do you think you might be gay?”\n\nThe pup shrugged. “I… I d-dunno…”\n\nTanya took his paw. “It’d be okay if you were… I’d still want to be your friend.”\n\nChuck was quiet. She wasn’t sure if she should push it.\n\n“You can like both. Or neither,” Mr. Fox said.\n\nA thought popped into Tanya’s head. “What if… you start to like someone after you get to know them?”\n\nThe otter chuckled. “That’d be demisexuality. You don’t experience attraction unless you have a bond with someone first. Could also be demiromantic if there’s no sexual attraction there.”\n\nNow that sounded more right. Demiromantic. She still wasn’t sure if she’d want SEX in it, certainly not the way her friends did. But that was a term she could explore.\n\n“Well, well, well. Hello, Martin,” Mr. Fox said.\n\nTanya and Chuck whipped their heads around. Sure enough, the wolf boy had entered the classroom.\n\n“Hey, teach,” Martin said. “Hope you don’t mind if I pop in. I wanted to ask you a few things about history.”\n\nThe otter laughed. “You’re always welcome to come to my classroom. What’s on your mind?”\n\nTanya retreated to the back of the classroom with Chuck while Martin and Mr. Fox struck up a conversation about the ancient Greece. They took seats at the back desks.\n\n“But yeah… it’s okay if you’re gay,” Tanya whispered. “Maybe just try not to make it obvious that you like Martin…”\n\nThe pup’s eyes widened. “B-but… I-I’m n-n-not gay,” he whispered.\n\nWell, at least she got confirmation. “Okay. You just… cling on him a lot.”\n\n“H-he’s my f-friend,” Chuck muttered.\n\n“Yeah, and he’s trying to keep his own sexuality a secret while already being friends with two openly gay boys,” she whispered. “We don’t need to add to the rumor mill… for either of us… which reminds me… I guess a lot of cubs know we kiss on the bus.”\n\nChuck blushed. “O-oh. S-s-sorry…”\n\n“It’s okay, Chuck, I just…” She sighed. “I dunno… I don’t want rumors going around about us.”\n\nThe pup flicked his ears. “W-what does it m-m-matter… i-if other cubs th-think we l-l-like each other?” he whispered.\n\nThat question caught Tanya off guard. “Of course it matters!” she whispered. “Because… because…”\n\nBut she didn’t have an answer. Maybe the pup had a point. What DID it matter if other cubs thought they liked each other?\n\n“Well… d-do you like me?” Tanya asked.\n\n“I… I d-dunno… m-maybe?” Chuck said.\n\nTanya smiled and took his paw. That was good enough for her for now. She glanced towards the front of the classroom. Their teacher was still deep in conversation with Martin. She dared to lean towards Chuck and give him a quick peck on the lips.\n\n“So, I guess I’ll get to see you outside of school again next weekend,” Tanya said.\n\nThe pup blushed and nodded. “Y-yeah…”\n\n“What do you guys usually do at Robbie’s house?” she asked.\n\nChuck shrugged. “Play video games… watch cartoons… th-there’s a trading card game Robbie’s getting into… he t-taught me to p-play it…”\n\nTanya giggled. “Sounds fun.” A thought popped into her head. “Oh, I should probably get him a gift… wonder what he’d like?”\n\nThe pup shrugged again. “I-I dunno… I-I’ll probably a-ask him what he wants…”\n\n“I suppose I could do that, too,” Tanya said. “Robbie’s nice enough, I’m sure he won’t mind.”\n\n“Heck yeah he is,” Martin said as he approached them. “Sup, you two?”\n\nTanya squeaked. She hadn’t noticed that Martin had wrapped up his conversation with their teacher. “O-oh, umm, n-not much,” Tanya said.\n\nMartin laughed. “You sound like Chuck right now. You guys don’t mind if I join you, do ya?”\n\n“I guess not,” Tanya said. “Right, Chuck?”\n\nThe pup blushed deeply but nodded. “I-I don’t mind…”\n\nThe wolf grinned and ruffled the pup’s headfur. “Yeah, that’s my little buddy. So what were you guys talking about?”\n\n“Just the rumors,” Tanya muttered.\n\n“Ah, those,” Martin said. “I don’t care if Chuck clings to me. He’s my little buddy. If other cubs wanna spread rumors, let ‘em. We know they’re not true, right, Chuck?”\n\n“R-r-right,” the pup muttered.\n\nMartin leaned in and whispered, “You are cute, though.”\n\nThat brought a rush of unexpected feelings for Tanya. On the one paw, she agreed that Chuck was cute. He was cute and smart and thoughtful and shared her interest in books, even if she hadn’t yet tried getting him into anime and manga. On the other, it felt like a little stab to hear that the gay boy found him cute. He wouldn’t try to steal Chuck, would he? Was this… jealousy?\n\nNo, it couldn’t be. She and Chuck weren’t dating or anything, nor did she have any interest in dating him. She just liked him as a friend, that’s all.\n\n“M-Martin, you and R-Robbie are f-f-friends… w-what do you think he’d l-like for his b-birthday?” Chuck asked.\n\nThe wolf chuckled. “Hard to say with him. His parents get him pretty much every video game he wants, not that there’s a lot. I still have to ask him myself. Might get him a Lego set, he loves those.”\n\nTanya perked up. “That’s easy enough.” She rubbed her chin, then looked at Chuck. “When’s your birthday?”\n\nHe squeaked. “O-oh, umm… A-august.”\n\nWell, that was a let down. It’d be nearly nine months until his birthday. “So you just turned eleven, huh?”\n\nChuck shook his head. “I’m t-twelve…”\n\n“Oh! So you’re the oldest of all of us,” Tanya said.\n\nMartin laughed. “Yeah, he is. I didn’t find out Chuck’s birthday till after it passed, but I got him a late birthday gift when I did.”\n\nTanya had to admit, she felt a little silly not having asked him about his birthday earlier. But at least she knew now. Still, it was funny how shy and small he was considering his age. A thought occurred to her. Becky had mentioned that Robbie’s house was clothing optional…\n\n“Umm… what do you guys wear at Robbie’s house?” she whispered.\n\n“Hm?” Martin said. “Oh, uh, usually nothing,” he whispered. “Chuck usually keeps his undies on, if not everything.”\n\nShe nodded. “So it’s okay to stay dressed?” she whispered.\n\n“Well, duh,” Martin said. “Whatever makes you comfortable. I’m sure if you asked everyone would stay dressed.”\n\nTanya had to think about that. “I-I dunno… we’ll see.”\n\n“Fair,” Martin said.\n \nThey parted ways as recess came to an end. It sucked that she didn’t have classes with Chuck, but that was the nature of the beast. She made her way to her afternoon classes in silence. At least there was the bus ride home to look forward to.\n\nThe afternoon was surprisingly quiet. Becky didn’t bother her about the sleepover. She didn’t even try to hunt her down at the end of the day, which was unusual. Maybe she should text the rabbit when she got home.\n\nShe shrugged as she made her way to her bus. Tanya looked around and spied Chuck. He fell back in the line to stand with her while they boarded the bus.\n\nThe two made their way to the back, sitting as far back as they could. She let Chuck take the window seat, even though his stop came first. He leaned against the side of the bus as the rest of the cubs streamed in and took seats.\n\n“I can’t wait to see you next weekend,” Tanya said.\n\nChuck smiled. “I-it’ll be nice… I l-like it at R-Robbie’s… i-it’s safe there…”\n\nSafe. That was an interesting way to describe it. “Are you not safe at home?” Tanya whispered.\n\nHe squeaked. “N-no, i-it’s not that… I-I-Isaac’s super nice…”\n\n“Just not used to having friends and going over to their houses?” Tanya asked. The pup nodded. That made sense. “Well… I wish I could have you over to mine, but there’s no way my parents would allow it. Not while Bunica’s still alive, anyway,” she said.\n\nThe pup nodded and leaned into her. “I-I guess this’ll h-have to do…”\n\nTanya beamed and leaned back into Chuck. It was nice to snuggle like this. So what if the other cubs would assume they liked each other? The reality was that they did. Or at least, she liked him. And he wouldn’t snuggle like this if he didn’t like her, too, right?\n\nThey snuggled together for the entire bus ride, right up until Chuck had to get off to go home. Tanya wore a huge grin the rest of the way home.\n\nBunica was waiting in the living room when she got inside.\n\n“Hello, my sweet,” Bunica said. “You look exceptionally happy today.”\n\nThe younger bat blushed. “I just… had a really good day at school,” she said.\n\n“That’s wonderful,” Bunica said. “Your mother tells me you’re going to Becky’s house next weekend. She’s a nice girl, even if she has too many brothers. You be careful around those boys.”\n\n“I always am,” Tanya said. It felt weird lying to Bunica, but it meant seeing Chuck, and that was worth it. “I’m going to go do my homework.”\n\n“Such a studious girl,” Bunica said.\n\nTanya went right up to her room. She had a text from Chuck. ‘I think I do like you.’\n\nHer heart sang. That was exactly what she needed to hear. She texted back, ‘I like you too.’ She thought for a moment, then sent another text. ‘Want to see my room?’\n\nUpon getting an affirmative reply, she started taking photos of everything: her bed, her dresser, the posters on her wall, her bookshelf of manga. She sent them off in rapid succession, excited to get to show her friend - boyfriend? - her room.\n\nHe sent back a few photos of his own room. It was much plainer. No posters on the wall, plain old bed sheets… he did have a massive bookshelf, though.\n\n‘Have you read all of those?’\n\n‘Uh huh. Some of them multiple times,’ he texted back.\n\nShe giggled. He was such an avid reader. ‘That’s neat. As you can see, I read a lot of manga.’\n\n‘What’s that?’\n\n‘Japanese graphic novels. Comics, basically. There’s so many good ones! Maybe I can lend you some of my favorites.’\n\n‘Sure. I’d like that.’\n\nHe sounded so much more confident in text, probably because he didn’t stutter there. ‘I’m happy you’re my boyfriend,’ she texted, hoping she wasn’t being too forward putting a label on it.\n\nHis response took a little bit to come in, but it put a grin on Tanya’s face that she’d wear the rest of the week: ‘I’m happy you’re my girlfriend.’\n* * *",
"writing_bbcode_parsed": "What the Heart Wants
Authors’ Note: Holy heck, there’s actually nothing really to warn about in this story. It’s sexless. We’ll probably still label it mature just because it’s a chapter in a porn series, but this one doesn’t have any actual porn. It’s a plot story. Please read it if you’re interested in these characters! Otherwise, next month’s mainline will be back to porn. XP
It had been a week since Sophie’s birthday sleepover. It felt weird having Becky and Sophie over after that truth or dare game, but despite how weird it got, Tanya was still friends with them, and she didn’t want to cancel on them. She didn’t have a lot of friends, and she didn’t want to lose the few she had.
She still had an hour until her friends arrived, and something had been eating at her. Robbie had invited her to his birthday party in two weeks. There was no way her parents would approve if she asked outright… but Veronica could help.
Tanya snuck down to the basement and knocked on her sister’s door. “Hey, Veronica?” she said.
Her sister opened the door. “Hey, little sis. What’s up?”
“C-could we talk? Privately?” Tanya asked.
“Anytime. Come on in.” Veronica ushered her sister in and closed the door, then sat down in her computer chair. “What’s up?”
The younger bat took a breath. “A boy invited me to his birthday sleepover.”
“Ooooooh, exciting!” Veronica said. “You gonna go?”
“I want to, but… well, mom and dad,” Tanya said.
“No problem,” Veronica said. “Just tell ‘em you’re going over to Becky’s. I’ll volunteer to drive you there. They’ll never need to know.”
Tanya perked up. That was just what she wanted to hear. “You’re sure they won’t find out?”
“Duh,” Veronica said. “Trust me, they never check in.”
She nodded. It felt wrong lying to her parents, but if it meant seeing Chuck again, it was worth it. “Okay… thanks sis.”
“Anytime,” Veronica said. “You ever want to see your little boyfriend, you just ask me.”
“He’s not my boyfriend!” Tanya said. “He’s just a friend who’s a boy. Besides, I more wanna be there for another boy who’s coming…”
Her sister nodded. “I see. Who all’s gonna be there?”
Tanya ran down the list.
“So not too many. Yeah, just tell Mom you’re sleeping over at Becky’s and you’re golden,” Veronica said.
The younger bat smiled and hugged her sister. “Thanks.”
Veronica grinned as she hugged her back. “Like I said… anytime. Trust me, I’m an expert at this.”
Tanya felt a little lighter heading back upstairs. Though it felt wrong lying to her mother. Maybe if she broached the topic obliquely…
For once, she caught her mother alone in the kitchen. Bunica must have been taking a nap. She cleared her throat. “Mom, what would you say if a boy invited me over to his house?”
The elder bat raised an eyebrow. “You know your grandmother wouldn’t approve, nor would your father.”
“I know,” Tanya said. “I’m just… wondering what you’d think?”
“I’d advise you to politely decline,” Mom said.
Exactly what she thought. “Okay. Thanks,” she said.
“Why? Did a boy invite you over?”
Was it wise to tell her? She’d gamble. “A boy invited me to his birthday sleepover. Becky and Sophie are going, and he’s got two little sisters.”
Mom raised an eyebrow. “That’s all who’s going to be there?”
“He invited a few boys, too,” Tanya said.
Her mother nodded. “Well… I suppose one time couldn’t hurt,” she said. “I’ll tell your father and grandmother you’re going to Becky’s. But I want to meet this boy’s parents.”
Tanya blinked. “Wait, really?”
“Just between us,” Mom said.
She didn’t have to lie! Not to her mother, at least. She ran up and hugged her mother. “Thank you!” she said.
“Just don’t make a habit of it,” Mom said.
“Deal,” Tanya said. She kissed her mother’s cheek, then headed off to the living room to play on her phone until Becky and Sophie arrived. She even sent a quick text to her sister telling her the good news. Veronica’s response was a simple heart.
Before she knew it, her friends arrived, driven by Sophie’s mother. She greeted them at the door and invited them up to her room.
As soon as they were in her room, Becky flopped onto the bat’s bed and grinned at her. “Alright, girl, spill. What did you and Chuck end up doing at Sophie’s sleepover?”
Tanya groaned. “Like I’ve told you every other time you asked, we just talked. He mentioned wanting to try wearing girl clothes, so we swapped pajamas. That was it. Nothing. Else.”
The rabbit looked skeptical. “You can tell us, you know. We won’t spill.”
“Tell her, not me,” Sophie said. She brushed her hair back. “But Becky, if she says she didn’t do anything with him, then she didn’t do anything. Drop it.”
“Oh, fiiiiine,” Becky said. “Did you guys at least kiss?”
“Becky!” Sophie snapped.
“Right, right…” The rabbit sighed and shook her head.
Okay, so maybe Tanya hadn’t told her EVERYTHING. But that night was special. That was just between her and Chuck, and it was going to stay that way. Becky didn’t need to know that they had very briefly explored together, or that they had kissed, or that they held paws on the bus and sometimes even snuck kisses there. That was for them and them alone.
“It’s too bad your parents won’t let you go to boys’ houses,” Becky said. “Robbie’s house is great. Then you’d get more time outside of school to make out with Chu-“
“Becky, I swear to whatever god you believe in, if you don’t stop,” Sophie growled.
Tanya was thankful for Sophie’s intervention. She wouldn’t mention yet that her mom had actually granted her permission to go to Robbie’s. The rabbit wouldn’t be able to keep it in, and she didn’t want her dad and especially Bunica to find out. Maybe at school she could tell her.
“Fine, fine, I get it, jeez,” Becky said. “But seriously, hanging out at Robbie’s is great. His parents are super chill.” She giggled and grinned. “Sometimes we hang out naked!”
“Eww! Why would you want that?” Sophie asked.
“What? It’s fun being naked!” Becky said. “Heck, my family usually hangs out naked when we don’t have guests over.”
Sophie rolled her eyes. “Well, thanks for keeping your clothes on when I’m over I guess?”
Tanya blushed. She’d seen all of Chuck, and while it was fun, she didn’t really get the appeal. But thinking of the discovery that he was still a night time bed wetter… well, it was a good thing her nightgown was so long. Otherwise the girls might’ve learned that little secret, too. While she was certain Sophie wouldn’t tell, she wasn’t so sure about Becky. The rabbit seemed intent on tormenting the boy and teasing her for liking him.
“So, we gonna watch scaaaary moooovies?” Becky asked.
That got the bat girl to perk up. “Duh! It’s spooky month, after all.”
“I’m still surprised you guys don’t decorate the house for it,” Becky said.
“You know Bunica’s pretty traditional, and Mom and Dad don’t really ‘get’ Halloween,” Tanya said. “It’s okay, though. Halloween’s kinda weird, anyway. But scary movies are cool.”
They fell into their usual routine. Watch movies, play games, make fun of the latest gossip going around school. Once Tanya’s parents went to bed, though, Becky was back on her Chuck train.
“So, Taaaanyaaaaa,” Becky said. “I know you sometimes go to Mr. Fox’s classroom with Chuck, but have you ever thought about going somewhere more… private?”
The bat girl tilted her head. “Why would we need somewhere private?”
“Ya know, to kiss, maybe do a bit more exploring,” Becky said.
“Eww! At school?!” Tanya said.
Sophie rolled her eyes. “I know from Brain-dead where all the best spots are to go for privacy if you ever wanted to know…”
Tanya blushed. “W-why would I even want to do that?”
Becky patted Tanya’s head. “You’ll understand when you’re older.”
The bat raised her nose indignantly. “Not funny, Becky.”
Her friend giggled. “You know I’m just teasing,” Becky said.
“Well, it’s still not funny,” Tanya said.
The rabbit seemed to wilt. “Alright, alright, sorry, I’ll stop.”
“Thank you,” Tanya said. Though she was fairly certain that Becky wasn’t going to keep her word.
“But now I wanna know where to do it in school,” Becky said.
Sophie sighed. “I shouldn’t have mentioned that.”
“Seriously, where does she do it to get away with it?” Becky asked.
The golden retriever looked around. “You didn’t hear this from me, but… the gender neutral bathroom’s pretty private. She’s done it in there. Really any of the bathrooms are usually quiet at lunch and recess. Then there’s the janitor’s closet on the second floor. The art classroom’s abandoned on Fridays…”
Tanya hated that she was mentally noting those down. It was unlikely that Chuck would want to do anything with her at school, or that she’d want to do anything with HIM there, but the thought was… intriguing. But no, she wouldn’t dare. What if Brandi walked in with another boy while she was there? She couldn’t risk that. If the popular girls caught her there, it’d spread around school in no time, and she didn’t want to share in Brandi’s reputation.
She wasn’t that kind of girl.
The following Monday, Tanya took her usual seat on the bus. In a few stops, Chuck would get on, and he’d most likely sit next to her like he always did. She was glad that his stop came later so there was no chance of her parents realizing that she sat next to a boy on the bus. But what Becky and Sophie had said at their sleepover kept ringing in her ears.
Like, sure, there were places they could go if they really wanted privacy to… explore, but she wasn’t sure if she was that kind of girl. Plus, she was pretty certain that Chuck wasn’t that kind of boy. They could’ve played more at Sophie’s, but he turned her down, and she couldn’t blame him. She’d never hear the end of it if Becky caught them in the act. They were already suspicious when they realized they’d slept snuggled together. At school seemed even more dangerous. But more than that, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted it. Her friends were all horny as heck, and Tanya had no interest in any of that. It just felt like an expectation, almost an obligation.
She put that out of her mind as the bus reached Chuck’s stop. The pup got on, and as expected, he sat down next to her. She smiled and took his paw.
“Hi, Chuck.”
The pup smiled. “H-hi.”
“How was your weekend?” Tanya asked.
He blushed a little. “I-it was okay. H-had a sleepover at Robbie’s, with Martin…”
“Oh! H-how was that?” Tanya asked.
“G-good,” Chuck said. “Th-they say I’m g-getting better at M-Mario Kart…”
Tanya giggled. “I should ask my parents to get me a Switch… we could game online together.”
The pup blushed deeper. “I-I’d have to ask I-Isaac for one…”
“Oh. You don’t have one yourself?” Tanya asked.
Chuck shook his head. “I-I just play at Robbie’s…”
She nodded. Another thought popped into her mind. She was curious, but did she dare to ask him? No, that was too much. “Well, if you get one, let me know.” Tanya wiggled a little in her seat. “Do you want to spend recess outside or up in Mr. Fox’s classroom again?”
He shrugged. “C-can we decide at lunch?”
Tanya squeezed his paw and smiled. “Sure. No pressure.” It felt nice having a friend more her speed to spend recess with. It was a shame they only saw each other for lunch, recess, and gym, but it was better than nothing.
They chatted the rest of the way to school. Parting was such sweet sorrow, but it had to be done. They waved to each other as they went to their respective lockers.
As she finished sorting out her books for her morning classes, she was approached by, of all furs, Jenna, one of the popular girls that Sophie hung out with.
“Hey, you,” Jenna said.
“H-hi?” Tanya said.
The persian cat leaned against a neighboring locker. “Tanya, right?”
Jenna knew her name. That could mean nothing, or it could mean trouble. She was the top gossip monger in their grade. “Y-yeah… why?” Tanya asked.
“You’re friends with that border collie pup,” Jenna said. “What’s his deal? No one knows a thing about him other than that Sophie invited him to her birthday party and that you’re dating him.”
Tanya’s heart froze. Had Becky started spreading that rumor? If Jenna knew it was likely. “We’re not dating, thank you very much,” Tanya said.
The feline rolled her eyes. “Right, because totally just friends hold paws and kiss on the bus.”
How did she know that?! Maybe they weren’t being as sneaky as she thought. They might have to stop that if they didn’t want the dating rumors to be spreading. But if Jenna knew, then chances are Sophie knew, too. This also meant that she definitely couldn’t try taking him anywhere private. Jenna had eyes everywhere. If she knew about the stuff on the bus, she’d find out about her sneaking off with Chuck, and then the rumors would REALLY start.
“So c’mon, spill, what’s his deal?” Jenna asked.
“Why should I tell you anything? You’ll just spread rumors about him anyway,” Tanya said.
Jenna gasped in mock shock. “I would never!” She smirked. “But if you don’t tell me anything, I just might do that, friend of Sophie’s or not.”
Her rumors could easily make Chuck the target of bullies. Maybe it’d be best to feed her just a little bit. “He’s from Arizona, he didn’t have any friends back there, he likes books and rock music and-“
“Oh, so he’s boring,” Jenna said. “I bet he’s got some deep, dark secrets, and I’m gonna find ‘em out, one way or another.”
“If he has any, he hasn’t told me,” Tanya lied.
The cat laughed. “Everyfur has secrets. Even you, I bet. But don’t worry, you’re close enough to Sophie that I won’t try to tarnish you… yet.”
Tanya bit her lip. “H-how many cubs know about the bus thing?”
“Only like half the school,” Jenna said. “Honestly, I was surprised. With how he clings to Martin I thought he was gay. That wolf probably is too. No straight boy would tolerate that, plus he hangs out with that gay boy on the soccer team.”
Oh boy. Tanya was going to have to have a chat with Chuck. But as for Martin… “The whole soccer team hangs out with Kendal. Does that make them all gay?”
Jenna giggled. “A straight field fairy? That’s funny. Sure, Alexis is dating Michael but there’s no way that boy’s straight. Stupid, sure, but not straight.”
That cat was a mean one.
“Heeeey, Jenna.”
Oh no. Alexis showing up was probably worse.
The poodle smiled sweetly at the feline.
“Hey, bestie,” Jenna said.
“Jenna, I just learned some juicy secrets. Come on, let’s ditch this loser and compare notes,” Alexis said.
Jenna glanced back at the bat. “I’ll learn your secrets sooner or later, too, you know. Just remember that.” And with that, she went off with Alexis, the two girls giggling like mad.
Tanya sighed. Inadvertently saved by the queen of the bitch squad. Who would’ve thought? She shook her head as she headed for home room.
Becky caught up with her about half way there. “Yo, Tanya, why was JENNA talking to you?”
The bat groaned. “She wanted to grill me for info about Chuck and hold some secrets over me,” she muttered.
“Oh, like how you make out with Chuck on the bus?” Becky said. So she knew.
“We do NOT ‘make out,’ we just hold paws,” Tanya said. “And okay, maybe we kissed once or twice,” she muttered, “but that’s NOT making out. Gods.”
The rabbit giggled. “Just saying, I don’t need to spread rumors about you and Chuck when everyfur can see it.”
“Don’t remind me,” Tanya muttered. “I need to talk to him about being more… discreet. Heck, Jenna thinks Martin and Chuck are gay.”
“Oh, she thinks EVERY soccer player is gay, even the ones dating girls,” Becky said. “Well, I guess that’d make the girls’ soccer team gay, but who cares about girls soccer?”
“Hey!” said a girl that they passed. She looked pissed.
“Probably a soccer player,” Becky said.
The other girl huffed and stormed away.
“Anyway, yeah, I wouldn’t worry too much about the rumor mill,” Becky said.
Tanya shrugged. “I guess it’s easy to ignore when you don’t have a reputation to protect.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” Becky said.
Crap, she’d said that out loud. “I didn’t mean anything,” Tanya said.
Becky rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”
They took their seats, and Tanya pulled out her sketch pad to draw until homeroom started. At least Becky left her alone while she worked on art.
The morning classes flew by. At gym she was kept mostly away from Chuck by virtue of how their dodge ball teams were divided up. She’d have to wait until lunch.
By the time she got to the cafeteria, the lunch line was already insane. She spied Chuck with Robbie and Martin a good ways up. She shouldn’t have taken her time changing, but it’d be okay, she reminded herself.
When she got to their usual table, Robbie, Martin, Chuck, and Becky were already there. The fox was tucked in between Martin and Becky, and Chuck was sitting solo opposite them. She took a seat next to him.
“Hey, Chuck,” she said.
“H-hi,” the pup replied.
“Can we do recess in Mr. Fox’s room? There’s some stuff I need to talk to you about. Nothing bad, just… stuff,” Tanya said.
Chuck’s eyes widened, and he nodded. “O-okay.”
“Aww, not going to go somewhere more private?” Becky teased.
Robbie groaned. “Becky, if you do this one more time, I’m uninviting you to my birthday party,” he said.
Becky gasped. “You wouldn’t.”
“Try me,” Robbie said.
Tanya gave him a grateful glance, then turned to her food. “Oh, speaking of your birthday party… my mom said I could go. She just wants to meet your parents.”
Robbie smiled. “Oh, awesome! I can give you my parents’ numbers and she can call them whenever.” Tanya took down the offered phone numbers in her phone, then set her sights on lunch.
She and Chuck were quiet while they ate. The other three were excitedly talking about video games again.
Much to her surprise, Sophie took a seat next to her.
“The princess arrives,” Becky said. “What brings you here?”
Sophie tossed her hair back. “Jenna needs a reminder that Tanya is my friend. She can spread rumors all she wants about other cubs, but not my friends.”
“What rumors is she spreading this time?” Martin asked.
“None yet, but she’s cooking some up,” Sophie said. “Though there’s whisperings about you, wolf boy,” she said.
Martin shrugged. “Not like I care.”
“She thinks you’re gay and you’re fucking Kendal and Chuck,” Sophie said.
The wolf spit out his juice. “Jeez, for real?”
“Kendal’s openly gay, and you’re both on the soccer team,” Sophie said. “Of course, she’s been spreading that the whole team fucks after games, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. Chuck, however, is far too clingy for furs not to ask questions.”
Tanya groaned, then leaned towards Chuck and whispered, “That’s what we need to talk about.”
The pup stiffened. He clearly wasn’t a fan of the idea.
“Stay calm, let’s just eat lunch and we can talk after,” Tanya said.
He nodded. She could tell that Chuck was spooked by the idea of being gay. It seemed pretty obvious to her that he wasn’t, not that there was anything wrong with it. She’d still want to be friends with him even if he was gay. Imagine having a gay best friend. Well, Robbie was already a gay friend of hers, but he could hardly qualify as a BEST friend. Chuck might, though.
The other cubs spent the rest of lunch talking about the gay rumors. Tanya tuned it out. She didn’t particularly care one way or the other. When lunch ended, she and Chuck went off to Mr. Fox’s classroom.
“Welcome, welcome,” the otter said as they entered.
“Hi, Mr. Fox,” Tanya said. “Hope it’s okay if we stay here for recess.”
“Always,” the otter said. “Need to talk, or do you need a bit of privacy today?”
Tanya shrugged. “There’s just rumors going around…”
“As they do,” Mr. Fox said.
“Some furs think Chuck is gay,” Tanya said.
The otter chuckled. “Not that there’s anything wrong with being gay, but it can be upsetting if you aren’t and get accused of it.”
“What would you do if somefur said that about you?” Tanya asked.
“Show them wedding pictures of me and my husband, of course,” Mr. Fox said with a laugh.
Tanya gasped. “You have a husband?”
“Married for five years now,” Mr. Fox said. “I don’t come at being a queer safe space just from a purely theoretical stance. I’ve known I was queer since I was your age. A lot of us have figured out that we’re at least some kind of queer by puberty, if not before then. Though what that can mean varies and can shift.”
The bat nodded. “So… we’d know if we were gay?” she whispered.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Mr. Fox said. “Some furs don’t figure it out until later in life. Some know that they’re not straight, but aren’t sure what they ARE. Queerness can be messier than heterosexuality in some ways.”
She nodded, then looked at Chuck. “Do you think you might be gay?”
The pup shrugged. “I… I d-dunno…”
Tanya took his paw. “It’d be okay if you were… I’d still want to be your friend.”
Chuck was quiet. She wasn’t sure if she should push it.
“You can like both. Or neither,” Mr. Fox said.
A thought popped into Tanya’s head. “What if… you start to like someone after you get to know them?”
The otter chuckled. “That’d be demisexuality. You don’t experience attraction unless you have a bond with someone first. Could also be demiromantic if there’s no sexual attraction there.”
Now that sounded more right. Demiromantic. She still wasn’t sure if she’d want SEX in it, certainly not the way her friends did. But that was a term she could explore.
“Well, well, well. Hello, Martin,” Mr. Fox said.
Tanya and Chuck whipped their heads around. Sure enough, the wolf boy had entered the classroom.
“Hey, teach,” Martin said. “Hope you don’t mind if I pop in. I wanted to ask you a few things about history.”
The otter laughed. “You’re always welcome to come to my classroom. What’s on your mind?”
Tanya retreated to the back of the classroom with Chuck while Martin and Mr. Fox struck up a conversation about the ancient Greece. They took seats at the back desks.
“But yeah… it’s okay if you’re gay,” Tanya whispered. “Maybe just try not to make it obvious that you like Martin…”
The pup’s eyes widened. “B-but… I-I’m n-n-not gay,” he whispered.
Well, at least she got confirmation. “Okay. You just… cling on him a lot.”
“H-he’s my f-friend,” Chuck muttered.
“Yeah, and he’s trying to keep his own sexuality a secret while already being friends with two openly gay boys,” she whispered. “We don’t need to add to the rumor mill… for either of us… which reminds me… I guess a lot of cubs know we kiss on the bus.”
Chuck blushed. “O-oh. S-s-sorry…”
“It’s okay, Chuck, I just…” She sighed. “I dunno… I don’t want rumors going around about us.”
The pup flicked his ears. “W-what does it m-m-matter… i-if other cubs th-think we l-l-like each other?” he whispered.
That question caught Tanya off guard. “Of course it matters!” she whispered. “Because… because…”
But she didn’t have an answer. Maybe the pup had a point. What DID it matter if other cubs thought they liked each other?
“Well… d-do you like me?” Tanya asked.
“I… I d-dunno… m-maybe?” Chuck said.
Tanya smiled and took his paw. That was good enough for her for now. She glanced towards the front of the classroom. Their teacher was still deep in conversation with Martin. She dared to lean towards Chuck and give him a quick peck on the lips.
“So, I guess I’ll get to see you outside of school again next weekend,” Tanya said.
The pup blushed and nodded. “Y-yeah…”
“What do you guys usually do at Robbie’s house?” she asked.
Chuck shrugged. “Play video games… watch cartoons… th-there’s a trading card game Robbie’s getting into… he t-taught me to p-play it…”
Tanya giggled. “Sounds fun.” A thought popped into her head. “Oh, I should probably get him a gift… wonder what he’d like?”
The pup shrugged again. “I-I dunno… I-I’ll probably a-ask him what he wants…”
“I suppose I could do that, too,” Tanya said. “Robbie’s nice enough, I’m sure he won’t mind.”
“Heck yeah he is,” Martin said as he approached them. “Sup, you two?”
Tanya squeaked. She hadn’t noticed that Martin had wrapped up his conversation with their teacher. “O-oh, umm, n-not much,” Tanya said.
Martin laughed. “You sound like Chuck right now. You guys don’t mind if I join you, do ya?”
“I guess not,” Tanya said. “Right, Chuck?”
The pup blushed deeply but nodded. “I-I don’t mind…”
The wolf grinned and ruffled the pup’s headfur. “Yeah, that’s my little buddy. So what were you guys talking about?”
“Just the rumors,” Tanya muttered.
“Ah, those,” Martin said. “I don’t care if Chuck clings to me. He’s my little buddy. If other cubs wanna spread rumors, let ‘em. We know they’re not true, right, Chuck?”
“R-r-right,” the pup muttered.
Martin leaned in and whispered, “You are cute, though.”
That brought a rush of unexpected feelings for Tanya. On the one paw, she agreed that Chuck was cute. He was cute and smart and thoughtful and shared her interest in books, even if she hadn’t yet tried getting him into anime and manga. On the other, it felt like a little stab to hear that the gay boy found him cute. He wouldn’t try to steal Chuck, would he? Was this… jealousy?
No, it couldn’t be. She and Chuck weren’t dating or anything, nor did she have any interest in dating him. She just liked him as a friend, that’s all.
“M-Martin, you and R-Robbie are f-f-friends… w-what do you think he’d l-like for his b-birthday?” Chuck asked.
The wolf chuckled. “Hard to say with him. His parents get him pretty much every video game he wants, not that there’s a lot. I still have to ask him myself. Might get him a Lego set, he loves those.”
Tanya perked up. “That’s easy enough.” She rubbed her chin, then looked at Chuck. “When’s your birthday?”
He squeaked. “O-oh, umm… A-august.”
Well, that was a let down. It’d be nearly nine months until his birthday. “So you just turned eleven, huh?”
Chuck shook his head. “I’m t-twelve…”
“Oh! So you’re the oldest of all of us,” Tanya said.
Martin laughed. “Yeah, he is. I didn’t find out Chuck’s birthday till after it passed, but I got him a late birthday gift when I did.”
Tanya had to admit, she felt a little silly not having asked him about his birthday earlier. But at least she knew now. Still, it was funny how shy and small he was considering his age. A thought occurred to her. Becky had mentioned that Robbie’s house was clothing optional…
“Umm… what do you guys wear at Robbie’s house?” she whispered.
“Hm?” Martin said. “Oh, uh, usually nothing,” he whispered. “Chuck usually keeps his undies on, if not everything.”
She nodded. “So it’s okay to stay dressed?” she whispered.
“Well, duh,” Martin said. “Whatever makes you comfortable. I’m sure if you asked everyone would stay dressed.”
Tanya had to think about that. “I-I dunno… we’ll see.”
“Fair,” Martin said.
They parted ways as recess came to an end. It sucked that she didn’t have classes with Chuck, but that was the nature of the beast. She made her way to her afternoon classes in silence. At least there was the bus ride home to look forward to.
The afternoon was surprisingly quiet. Becky didn’t bother her about the sleepover. She didn’t even try to hunt her down at the end of the day, which was unusual. Maybe she should text the rabbit when she got home.
She shrugged as she made her way to her bus. Tanya looked around and spied Chuck. He fell back in the line to stand with her while they boarded the bus.
The two made their way to the back, sitting as far back as they could. She let Chuck take the window seat, even though his stop came first. He leaned against the side of the bus as the rest of the cubs streamed in and took seats.
“I can’t wait to see you next weekend,” Tanya said.
Chuck smiled. “I-it’ll be nice… I l-like it at R-Robbie’s… i-it’s safe there…”
Safe. That was an interesting way to describe it. “Are you not safe at home?” Tanya whispered.
He squeaked. “N-no, i-it’s not that… I-I-Isaac’s super nice…”
“Just not used to having friends and going over to their houses?” Tanya asked. The pup nodded. That made sense. “Well… I wish I could have you over to mine, but there’s no way my parents would allow it. Not while Bunica’s still alive, anyway,” she said.
The pup nodded and leaned into her. “I-I guess this’ll h-have to do…”
Tanya beamed and leaned back into Chuck. It was nice to snuggle like this. So what if the other cubs would assume they liked each other? The reality was that they did. Or at least, she liked him. And he wouldn’t snuggle like this if he didn’t like her, too, right?
They snuggled together for the entire bus ride, right up until Chuck had to get off to go home. Tanya wore a huge grin the rest of the way home.
Bunica was waiting in the living room when she got inside.
“Hello, my sweet,” Bunica said. “You look exceptionally happy today.”
The younger bat blushed. “I just… had a really good day at school,” she said.
“That’s wonderful,” Bunica said. “Your mother tells me you’re going to Becky’s house next weekend. She’s a nice girl, even if she has too many brothers. You be careful around those boys.”
“I always am,” Tanya said. It felt weird lying to Bunica, but it meant seeing Chuck, and that was worth it. “I’m going to go do my homework.”
“Such a studious girl,” Bunica said.
Tanya went right up to her room. She had a text from Chuck. ‘I think I do like you.’
Her heart sang. That was exactly what she needed to hear. She texted back, ‘I like you too.’ She thought for a moment, then sent another text. ‘Want to see my room?’
Upon getting an affirmative reply, she started taking photos of everything: her bed, her dresser, the posters on her wall, her bookshelf of manga. She sent them off in rapid succession, excited to get to show her friend - boyfriend? - her room.
He sent back a few photos of his own room. It was much plainer. No posters on the wall, plain old bed sheets… he did have a massive bookshelf, though.
‘Have you read all of those?’
‘Uh huh. Some of them multiple times,’ he texted back.
She giggled. He was such an avid reader. ‘That’s neat. As you can see, I read a lot of manga.’
‘What’s that?’
‘Japanese graphic novels. Comics, basically. There’s so many good ones! Maybe I can lend you some of my favorites.’
‘Sure. I’d like that.’
He sounded so much more confident in text, probably because he didn’t stutter there. ‘I’m happy you’re my boyfriend,’ she texted, hoping she wasn’t being too forward putting a label on it.
His response took a little bit to come in, but it put a grin on Tanya’s face that she’d wear the rest of the week: ‘I’m happy you’re my girlfriend.’
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