FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

With something like the concert coming up and then prom afterwards, I would've expected time to slow down even further. I was wrong, though: one moment Thursday morning, I'd just rolled over in bed to turn off my phone alarm and go through my daily ritual of lounging around for about seven minutes and risk falling back asleep, before I got up and got ready for school... and then what seemed like an hour later after, my head had just hit the pillow again, the lightbulbs up in the ceiling fan still glowing that pale greenish-white in the way they did right after turning off.

Of course it _was_a full day. Lying there in the dark with your mind too busy buzzing around for you to fall asleep, you had a lot of time to think and reflect. Kind of forced to, actually. Not that I was really complaining: today was the first day of the week where Tyler wasn't back at our spot, but even so, none of us stopped to gather there. We'd already moved on. Tony had a few minutes after his morning rehearsal, and took me by surprise by wrapping his arms around my waist while I was talking to Lexi, then pushed his nose up into the fur along my neck, gave me a small nuzzle, a smaller kiss, an even smaller nip. The shivers didn't quite go away until after I'd sat down in my first period.

That was something else, too: his confidence, continuing to build after this past weekend. Maybe that was a way for him to handle some of the nervousness about his upcoming concert; I remember how I used to feel about performances, the two weeks I was in orchestra. This was something entirely different, though.

Lexi had visibly struggled with holding back a little laugh, and she actually brought her paws up to cover her mouth... I'm not sure if she noticed the way his paws had slid up under my shirt and pressed into my sides and belly, though knowing her, I wouldn't be surprised. Not only that, but there were other people around to see, too, and that brought me some measure of hesitation, but... Tony didn't seem to care. His bright eyes flicked around, and his ears and whiskers showed that the realization and thought had crossed his mind, but that didn't seem to impact him one bit. Not what I was expecting, coming from the boy who'd been afraid to fall in love.

That gave me pause, too, and like every other damn thing about this cheetah, kept me awake for a while longer. The word stung my tongue to say, like that kind of sizzling, pleasant sting you get from eating something spicy, and caused the fluttering warmth in my chest to bloom out even brighter and stronger. But still, though - it had been... three weeks since we met? Three weeks since I first saw him that Monday morning, when I'd noticed him getting of the bus and then found him asking me for directions shortly after.

Seems like I'd been in this spot a lot lately, staring up at the spinning fan, eyes already accustomed to the darkness yet still not seeing much of anything, head filled with warm thoughts of cheetah. Naturally, thinking of him brought me back to remembering this past weekend, and everything we'd done, and the way those things and the way he had felt, and...

Some fifteen or so minutes later I was just rolling over again, actually settling down to go to sleep. Back when I was with Sasha, I'd miss having her in bed next to me for a couple of days after she spent the night. But like most things between the two, the way I felt about Tony was just so much stronger. The last thoughts bubbling around in my head were of his arm draped lightly over my lower body, and his nose nuzzled up underneath my chin; each breath, warm and slow and relaxed, had tickled just slightly through my fur, and if anything that feeling had made me squeeze him even tighter against me and nuzzle down into his softer, shorter fur.

Either I'd gotten used to it, or his scent on the other pillow had faded no matter how much I tried to find it.

~ ~ ~

Then, the day came. Tony, naturally, seemed a bit distracted during the time we got together, and when I went in to hug him after lunch, he held me for a moment longer - and I almost asked right then and there if he'd like to go to prom with me. Odd thing, too, since that was one thing that hadn't crossed my mind until that point.

I say _almost_asked, because right as I opened my mouth to do so, he brushed his nose across mine and fixed me with that solid citrine gaze, ghost of a smile giving a quirk to his lips.

"I will see you tonight," he said, and that was that. I wonder if he was talking to his mom about us this week - I wouldn't put it past her if it turned out she was the one to goad him into being all... all like this. Every time we made eye contact in class, she gave me that same damn smile that her son had gotten from her. Today actually when she handed back a graded assignment to me, she kept hold of the paper for a second longer-

"You are coming to the concert?"

Jeez. Like I'd gotten in trouble with my mom. "Yeah, I wouldn't miss it, I-"

"Good." She let go of the paper. "We had him fitted for a beautiful suit and everything." Then, the sparkle, the glimmer. She flicked her tongue out over her lips. "All I have been hearing from him is 'ooh, Matt will be there', 'ooh, I have never played for him before'... he really likes you, perrito. We have the suit for another week. Would be a shame if it went to waste."

And that was a goddamn hint if I'd ever heard one.

Prom was the main subject on everyone else's lips in the halls, too. News of Lexi and Tyler's breakup had started to spread around, and apparently the vixen had already had to turn down two guys and one girl ("though I had to think about that one a bit", she said over lunch yesterday - and kept her eyes on me as she said it) and had no real plans of attending, unless her friends would be there. Also said with me in the center of her focus.

Concert at 7 PM tonight, more than enough time for me to get home, slack around for a bit - spring break was last week; can't expect me to go too hard at my school work so soon - then find something to eat, and head back up to the school. Dad tasked me with cooking tonight since I'd be getting home earlier than him, and luckily, nothing went horribly wrong. We had our tickets, since Tony had made sure to press them into my paw before the school day got out; Dad asked me if I was supposed to wear something nice, and I hadn't thought about it, but I went up and changed just in case; and on the way there I went through in my head what I'd say to him. Today would have to be the day.

Before, I'd never really had much of a reason to go out of my way to attend the school's orchestra concerts. We arrived a bit early, and at first there were about as many people there as I'd expected... and then as the clock rolled closer and closer to the starting time - third through first orchestra would be playing tonight, with third starting and first closing out the night - the seats in the auditorium filled out, and even the halls outside became a bit tough to navigate through.

Because of that, I wasn't really listening. Ears didn't perk at any of the voices or conversations, and all that kept my attention was the concert program I picked up on my way back from the bathroom and the thoughts in my own head. I didn't hear him calling, didn't see him weaving his way through the crowd... and only when his paw closed around my other did he pull me back to the present. Before I knew it, my smile was a mirror of his.

"There you are," Tony said, and drew me into a hug. "I have been looking for you. Are you excited?"

"Yeah! You bet I am." Our paws remained intertwined after we left the hug. That much felt natural, now. The others in the halls milled around us. "How about you? Nervous?"

"Un poquito. Concerts always get me like that." He smiled sheepishly, and squeezed my paw. Not the slightest bit of sweat. "But once you do it a few times, it gets better. It is all the same. If I stress about it, I will mess up... and I do a lot better if I just relax. Relaxing will be easy with you here."

"Aww." Half-jokingly, I touched my other paw to my heart. "That's sweet. Oh, um..."

Tony's whiskers flicked, and his tail swayed behind him. "Mm?"

Fluttering heart, words muddling right as I prepared to say them. Just because he knew how to handle nervousness, doesn't mean I did. I swallowed, licked my lips, put on my best smile, breathed in... "Okay, first - good luck. I'm looking forward to seeing you play."

This time he copied me, and did the same thing with his paw on his chest. "Aah. Gracias, perrito."

"And..." Oh boy. "One more thing. I wanna ask you something, I, um..."

Remember how I said the week was going slowly, then sped up all of a sudden yesterday? Well, right here, right then, it slowed right the hell back down. This time I lost the words because... well, because Tony was distracting me. His face, that little knowing smile, the sweet relaxation that showed through now that he'd found me... I'm not really sure who started it then, but somehow, one of us started to lean in. Or both of us. Good thing I licked my lips, too, because a second later, I wouldn't have had a chance to.

Paws still squeezing, now lowered down between us to each keep balance on the other's body, our lips met. Lightly at first, then with more force, more pressure, more sweetness... and then just the faintest flick of that softly-rough tongue against my upper lip when we broke out of it. I swallowed, and for that moment, couldn't look anywhere but at his face. Someone nearby us had stopped when they noticed, but I - I didn't give a shit.

"There." There was that little tongue again, dancing up as if to get one more taste of me from his lip. "Now I will do well. The last boy I liked wouldn't kiss me in public, you know." Cats were really good at that smug kind of smirk, exuding confidence and self-assurance. Was this really the same boy who'd had so much heart-wrenching doubt? Then - in public. With all these people around, so many that we could hardly stand still without getting jostled around. Actually, some of that flow had started to redirect into the open auditorium doors; the show would be starting soon. "You have your seats?"

Walking into a room at night with the lights off, right after spending three hours bent over a desk lamp doing homework, then two hours of surfing the internet... fumbling around, trying to find to find... to cover my spluttering, I coughed into my paw. Into the program. "Y - yeah. Up near the front. Dad's in there holding it for me."

"Good, good..." Then for a second, his shyness came back through. But only for that second. Sheepish grin returned and he laughed a little nervously, and then it was gone. "I must go get ready. Thank you, Matt. I feel a lot better now." He started to pull away.

"Wait! I still need to - ask you-"

"Ask me after the concert. Do you have plans? Mamá gave me money to take you out to dinner." Sweet smile. Only with a hint of that knowing smugness.

Cheetahs are dangerous.

I could still feel the tingling from that kiss, both on my lips and in my chest, for a good ways through the first group's intro piece. Being third orchestra, they were just toeing the line between eh and good; during their second piece, Dad nudged me and pointed to another dingo on cello, and quietly said "that could've been you".

"I'd be in _at least_second orch" was my response, and he had to cover his mouth with his paws to stifle a laugh. Tony may have knocked me temporarily off-balance (he'd been getting really good at that lately) but I'd at least found my footing.

As the show went on, I only got more and more excited to see just what that boy could do on his instrument; all of him I'd heard so far was, again, that one day in the orchestra hall when he thought I liked a girl. Strange how that seemed so long ago, and then just twenty minutes ago he and I had kissed in the auditorium lobby... and just like all the other times my mind wandered to him, I got lost in thoughts for the next several minutes. This time it was the applause that pulled me out of there and got my focus back on-track.

Second orch would be better, I think. Instead of eh and good, they were between good_and _wow - and besides, the program said they'd be playing a piece I liked. "Liked" as in, if it came on the radio, I wouldn't change the station. Still, though, it seemed to go slowly, and I found myself drifting back and forth between distracted thoughts and sleepiness. They closed out with a first violin solo piece - it's always first violin - but there weren't that_many solo passages, and those that were there, weren't too... you know. The violinist was a tall white-furred wolf I'd had a crush on my freshman year, but to be honest, I don't think she ever noticed me. Besides, that was a time that'd long passed. She also didn't stand up for her solo, so I think everyone could tell that it wasn't the _main feature of tonight's concert.

Actually, I think we all knew going into this - and we certainly learned when second orch went off the stage and first came on, some ten minutes or so later. Everyone except the soloists were in the usual uniforms for the show; for first orchestra, all they had were the solo performances tonight. That's the way it always went for the spring concerts like this.

First up was Ky, in his slim-fitting suit that looked grey in the ambient light of the stage, though shimmered to blue once he stood up in the spotlight and tore right into it. That would be 'the Tchaikovsky', I remember them calling it, and it _was_impressive. He really looked comfortable with his instrument, calm and at ease, moving and swaying, bow arm flowing... and he had charisma, too: during his breaks he'd tuck his instrument under his arm and take a bow, which always prompted a short bout of applause if there wasn't any going already, and put on his best grin or wag his tail or whatever.

Then there was hardly a break once his piece ended, and another spotlight flashed on and focused on Ari, cool moss-green outfit setting off the cinnamon-brown of his fur. This one was a duet between him and Ky, some 'Handel-Halvorsen' and a word I wouldn't be able to pronounce correctly for two hundred dollars. Fast and fierce, but they looked like they were having a hell of a time playing against each other; Ky hit some high notes that I think some of the audience wouldn't be able to hear, and during one part that had Ari's arm going like he was trying to saw through a giant padlock, the maned wolf actually tossed his head back and laughed out loud.

That one got a huge wave of applause from everyone, followed by Ari scooting himself forward in his chair more towards the center of the stage. The program marked his solo piece as an Elgar concerto, though if you ask me, it wouldn't sound out of place in a fantasy movie or something.

Right through the first three solos - or, first two and a duet - without a break. Ari's was longer than the others, about some twenty or so minutes total, and once he'd finished (admittedly it did give me chills; remember what I said about Ky's high notes?) he waved his arms out as if they were just now getting tired. Stand, bow, grin, wave, bow, tail-wag. Someone actually tossed him a rose, which I didn't know happened outside of movies, and he picked it up, kissed it, and slid it behind his lighter green tie.

"That was really_good," Dad said over the clapping. I nodded: throughout everything else, the piano had been kept way in back behind all of the other performers, but it seemed like now there was a short break to allow some movement. The lights dimmed, but the curtains never closed: a few of the others helped move the piano out in front, and the other instruments spread out and moved around to allow room for it. Then he nudged me _again, as if I I didn't know that up next was my boyfriend's performance.

And, holy God, when he came out on stage... huge roar of applause, Tony grinning and waving, not visibly nervous in the slightest. And his suit, too - sharp greyish-white with carefully-placed slashes of regal orange, asymmetric and coarse without being an eyesore. 'Near the front', I'd told him, and while the applause still went on he looked through the front few rows... until his eyes fell on me. Then, we held each other's gaze for just a moment, before his muzzle split into another big smile and he turned to take his place.

That was something that I couldn't even hope to describe. It wasn't a piece I could say I recognized, but it - the way Tony played it - was impressive, coursing technical passages and smoother, softer lyrical melodies, most often a combination of both that just sounded right. Usually you could tell someone's skill on an instrument by the comfort and ease with which they played it: there had been Ky, there'd been Ari, and now there was Tony. Back straight but not stiff, arms relaxed though responsive, fingers... hard to see but here, but man, everyone could hear what they were doing.

As he played, he looked much the same as he did with me the morning after our night together, or those few times in the halls when we got a moment of solitude to ourselves and a few good nuzzles in. Eyes kind of half-lidded as they danced back and forth, faint smile tickling at his lips, whiskers forward and down at his ease. I felt like I could just... watch him forever, flowing and swaying, almost therapeutic, I guess. I don't know.

Maybe I should see about playing cello again. Tony seemed like he liked Ari; maybe he could give me some pointers.

Chills all over, man. Especially as he neared the finale, and as some of that easy relaxation melted away into... into something else. Before, it'd seemed like he had been transferring energy from himself into the instrument and the music, but now it looked like the other way around, where he was drawing that energy and excitement from the playing itself. Crescendo from both him and the orchestra, percussion, final chord... another final chord, another final chord. Then silence for a half-second - and then he stood and grinned, tail all of a sudden lashing behind him with the roar of the crowd.

I couldn't take my eyes off of him. Usually with concerts these days, you get this feeling where the audience is kind of compelled to stand - but this time, it actually felt real. Tony took his bow alongside the orchestra director, then took another one, and waved first to his left, for the cellos and back to stand, and then to his right, for the violins, and took a third bow. Then he found me in the crowd again, and I swear to God he winked and blew a kiss. Dad grinned at me as he clapped, then stuck his fingers in his mouth and whistled. And he was neither the first nor last to do so.

The same general opinion floated through the crowd as we all made our way back into the auditorium lobby, as I'm sure you could imagine. That and one other thing remained on my mind, though - he'd told me to ask him after the concert, but he never told me where to wait. Would they come back out here, or did he expect me to find him somewhere else, or what? The nervousness about actually asking the question had receded while I'd been distracted with the music, but now that I was starting to close in on myself with it again...

My dad tapped my shoulder, and waited until I looked up at him. "You waiting for him?" he said, easy and simple. I just nodded. "Thought so - I'll be outside the door, okay? Too many people in here for my taste."

Some people had started to leave already, but those who remained were sure to stay for even longer now as the double doors leading down to the orchestra hall itself opened, and those we'd seen came out tonight. Everyone had a big smile on their face, and at least in third orchestra, relief glimmered in their eyes as well. Last concert of the school year: all that was left was final exams, and then off to summer break. I don't know if this whole thing had been organized in advance, too, but then second orch's soloist strode out, all full of herself in that dress... and then Ky and Ari afterwards, arms around each other, looking just as they had during their duet. Ari laughed again, then said something to Ky and headed off towards the bathroom down the hall.

Then there was Tony, in that goddamn stellar suit. He had to weave his way through the crowd, a fair number of people coming up to him and probably giving their compliments - not like I could hear - and as I watched, he looked around, found his mom, went to her and said something. She responded with what looked like a question; he thought about it, nodded, smiled; she laughed, said something else; his ears and whiskers perked up, and though I couldn't really see it from here, I think it'd be pretty safe to say that blush glowed on his cheeks right then. Then he stuck his tongue out at her, she laughed again, and he started to slide his way through the crowd again - directly towards me, which took me a bit by surprise. I hadn't even seen him look for me.

A hundred things went through my head when he took my paws again, his now about as sweaty as my own. Not that I minded. Could feel his pulse in his fingers, grip as gentle was it was.

"You wanted to ask me something?"

His voice made it sound like he already knew what it was. "Yeah." I swallowed, inhaled, held that breath... there were lots of people around to hear (if they bothered to listen, at least), but again, I didn't really care. Being close to him, touching him, feeling his paws in mine, seemed to build up this invisible bubble of comfort around us. "Will you go to prom with me?"

The cheetah's reaction to that both was and wasn't what I was expecting. Nothing about his expression showed that he was surprised, but still that blush deepened, and he let go of one of my paws to cover his mouth, a shy giggle shaking his shoulders. He glanced away, looked down, shifted his feet, looked up at me again, half-nodded, looked away again... then leaned forward and bumped his head against my shoulder, muzzle pointed in towards my neck. My now-free arm naturally made its way down around his waist. The stiff fabric of his suit coat was an unfamiliar touch, when I was used to short, soft fur there.

"You know..." he purred, "I was expecting this, and still you have made me blush."

"You were?"

"Mhmm." Small kiss to my neck - that made me shiver; I think he noticed - and he straightened up again. "Since Wednesday, I have had to say no to two other people who asked me."

Jeez. I'd had zero. Whether it was amusement or relief, a laugh of my own bubbled up out of my chest. "And you didn't ask me?"

Tony shrugged. "I knew you would do it if I did not."

"Oh my God. You're impossible."

"I am a cat."

We watched each other's faces for a second there, smiles sustained by themselves... I felt like I could kiss him right then and there. And, then - ended up asking anyway: "Can we kiss again?"

I think another thing he was getting good at was making me say things without thinking. This time he actually made me half to take a half-step back to balance myself against the way he almost jumped in on top of me, arms fastening themselves around my shoulders. Kiss, break, kiss, break... I could feel myself tugged along by that string, pulled deeper into his presence and the warmth he brought me, and-

Someone clearing her throat nearby abruptly yanked us out of our little bubble, though, and for a quick moment I thought we were about to get a firm talk of disdain, or at least a disapproving glare from some mom who couldn't stand to see two boys being affectionate with one another. You know, all the shit that you hear about in the stories.

With the way things had been going this evening, though, I guess I shouldn't have been surprised to learn instead that it was just Lexi, standing there with her paws on her hips and a grin on her sharp muzzle. "You done?" she said, and looked between the two of us; Tony chuckled and untwined his arms from around my neck, and I let my paws drift down from his waist. Didn't want to give up the touch quite yet. "I heard all of that. Matt, if you hadn't asked him, I certainly would have."

"Wait." I swallowed, and unconsciously licked my lips. I could get used to this. "Why're you here? I thought you didn't have an interest in the-?"

She pointed a thumb at Tony. "I was informed that there'd be something I would want to see tonight. You don't really think he and I haven't been talking, right? And, like I said - if you weren't gonna ask him, which we both knew you were going to..."

I shifted my gaze to the cheetah. "You knew?"

"I literally told you that..."

"Do you have your suit yet, Matt?"

Part of me wanted to look around and see if Ms. Amador was watching this whole thing, and part of me didn't. Some third part of me felt confident that she'd seen everything already. "No, not yet. I... wanted to ask first..."

Tony draped his arms around my waist and pulled my hips against his, which earned an embarrassing little squeak out of me. "You did not think I would say no, did you, perrito?" he cooed quietly. That got another shiver.

Lexi took a step closer, and rested a paw on either of our shoulders. "Since I didn't get a chance to catch you before, Tony - you look absolutely bomb. That's a good thing. And, Matt, remind me later and I'll send you the place where my brother got his getup when he took his boyfriend to prom."

"Oh. I'd appreciate that, thank you, I-"

"And also..." She leaned in close enough that I had to move my head back. "May I take you two beautiful boys to dinner? I'd already asked Matt, but I think he forgot again."

Earflick. "...I did."

"I can pay," Tony said, and looked between me and her. "Um. Mamá already made dinner... is ice cream okay?"