FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

"Hey Al!"

"Al!"

"Sup Al!"

Alphonse winked at the direction of the diner's customers as he made his way towards the locker room. His co-worker, a leopard named Hilton was behind the counter, attending to a long line of hungry faces, all quite impatient to get their turn of ordering their food. The leopard saluted Alphonse with a smack of his finger on his lips before Alphonse disappeared behind the 'Employees only door'.

Alphonse opened his locker and exchanged his clothes for the diner's uniform: A slender, green and white checkered tie around his neck, a button-up half sleeves shirt for his torso and a same patterned apron around his waist to cover his jeans. He then reappeared back at the diner, bumped his waist against Hilton's body and shoo'ed him off with a wag of his palm. Hilton stuck his tongue out to Alphonse and smacked the fox's small rump before he went into the locker room to change for the end of his shift.

Alphonse's steeled himself for work. His shift matched the diner's busy times. Strangers were forced to sit with other strangers on the restaurant's picnic themed family-sitter table topped with the signature green-and-white checkered table cloths. The ground was littered with grass--an impression of wet and soppy growth, which in truth, was carpet with moss-green patterns. There were no walls, rather, windows were all around the square of the establishment overseeing the much faker, but more convincing mock grass scattered around the block. There was laughter and thunderous conversations among the families accepting the strangers into their social circle and Alphonse had to up his small voice a tone higher for his the line of customers to hear him.

He'd worked at this place for a year already--a long time, and enough that he was thoroughly acquainted with everyone. Contrasting with highschool, he was popular here. People lived the same life as he does, in meager money, food, shelter and constant danger. They were exposed to the elements as he was, saw things the same way he did, saw and accepted him for what he was: A gay fox working at a diner to pay for his daily needs. Not a self-serving, spoiled kid wasting his parent's money on a private school. Those were some people else. They simply called him 'Al' and not 'fag', in return he gave them their due respect and called them with their own names. But to excuse himself from name-calling was a pain in the head. He couldn't exactly know them all by their names. There were too many of them and only one of him--Perhaps that was why he calls himself Feminine Fox Alphonse.

There was Good guy Greg at the end of the line, letting an old lady go first, there was Sudden Clarity Clarence reading a book by the corner with wide eyes, there was Straightfaced Kirsten looking nonchalant over his boyfriend breaking up with him, there was Bad Luck Brian apologizing to their co-worker, the leopard Sex Scandal Hilton over a broken glass on their feet. Yes, they were a family here, and family no matter how poor or unfortunate they were, excuse themselves with a few alias, no matter how terrible or humiliating they were.

He played along with the small conversations the customers in line bring up with a constant smile on his face, the expression cemented too long that his cheeks ached when he speaks in between. The customers gets a good laugh everytime he squealed with excitement when he drops the cash on the register and he gave them a wink when they leave the line for the next customers.

He loved working here. The people were real, unafraid, friendly and filled with secrets they were willing to share. It was a highlight during his weeks, more than his time trying to act normal at school, more than his time trying to act in Drama. He was being himself. They loved him for it.

"Some onion burger for the old lady please." Good guy Greg said.

"Treating another stranger Greg?" Alphonse teased.

"Aw, come on now Mrs. Cougar's no stranger to me, ain't that right Mrs. Cougar?"

The old lady blushed under her wrinkly skin and Greg chuckled as he ordered his choice meal and paid for both of their fees. She tried to reject Greg's charity but Alphonse reassured her that Greg was a nice guy, and he doesn't rob old ladies like her. The last part got Alphonse a stink eye from Greg but Alphonse waved him off with his tongue out. Alphonse went on automatic after that.

After the previous rush of customers hunting for dinner, Alphonse rested his head on his paws on the counter and primed himself for the tides of senseless conversations. He yawned and seated himself on a high chair behind his counter. Every now and then, a customer would come in. He'd serve them and send them off and leave his scrawny lion co-worker Brian to attend them to their seats. He winked at Brian just as he was passing by and slipped on a wet spot on the floor. Both customers and employees shared a good laugh, and it was only a few seconds later that Brian shared in with the laughter and went on with his disaster-prone job...only to slip on the same spot again.

He listened in to the group conversations of his favorite co-worker, Hilton on the near tables to battle his boredom. They wouldn't mind him listening, at all, there was no secret untold at this part of town, and if there were, then boy, you don't get out that much. Alphonse got wind of the words spoken by the leopard and his circle of listeners. There wasn't anything new. There was short talk about the leaking of his picture at his school, and Alphonse nodded with a smile with the amount of scorn his customer's and co-workers expressed towards the school's reaction and treatment towards him, though some of the facts were wrong and he gleefully interjected to correct them.

"First, I wasn't in a gown in the picture, mind you--I was in a dress." he said, "Second, there were only less than two hundred flyers--thank God--that I had to remove and--"

"Did you get raped by a six-foot muscle tiger?" Hilton hungrily asked.

To which Alphonse threw a sachet of catsup on the leopard's face, "No. And if I was gonna raped with something as big as that then I wouldn't be walking upright today. Get your facts straight Sex Scandal Hilton."

Hilton pouted his lips at the fox, "It wasn't a sex scandal! It's porn dammit! Porn!"

They chuckled and Alphonse went back to his chair behind the counter. He peaked sidewards at the sign at the door and saw a customer outside struggling to open the door. He giggled at the customer's silliness and motioned for Greg by the door to pull the door inwards to open it. Greg did so and just as the door opened and the customer slid in, he froze.

It was Zack.

Alphonse's tense claws scratched against the wooden surface, a strand of filling circling underneath his nails and over the counter. A combined feeling of panic and desire to flee went through his body but a stronger feeling of irritation and desire to kick the husky in the balls rooted him in place. Alphonse himself deserved a slap in the face for being careless enough to not notice the husky following him.

Alphonse observed Zack surveying his surroundings with caution. The customer's clothes were low-class compared to what Zack wore. Some were torn at the side, others were ten sizes bigger than what they should be wearing. They looked like beggars compared to Zack. The husky wore a white tank top over his chiseled physique, which contrasted with the ebony of his toned arms and torn jeans(which are indeed, supposed to be torn). The husky wasn't spared from the prying eyes of the Diner's customers, the volume of the conversations turned down by a couple of decibels as the customers started murmuring amongst themselves of the new guy that came. People from the well-to-do sectors of the state weren't at all welcome here.

Someone's in trouble.

Zack had the same face on from when he and Gideon had their stand off earlier that day, though he didn't cross his arms like he did. His tail which had been lively from when Alphonse remembered it, was set in a dead furry log in between his legs. He was scared and Alphonse knew it. The fox leaned down beneath the counter, feigning to check something to hide the content smile lining his face and snickered at the misfortune of the husky. When he went back up though, Zack's sea blue eyes were set on his own. The contact was only for a few seconds, then Zack fell into the empty line and looked up on the menu.

"Ordering, Sir?" Alphonse asked, failing to hide the mock in his tone. He was indestructible from where he stood.

"Erm...Uh...Do you have anything...healthy here?" Zack said. He rolled and narrowed his gaze downwards to Al, but the fox kept on smiling with wide eyes at his customer.

"I'm sorry sir but I fail to understand how any of the food on our menu is un-healthy. Did you mean clean, sir?" Alphonse said. To raise his voice was tempting, but pointless. He didn't need to catch the attention of his neighbors anymore. Stares were sent in a storm towards Zack's behind and Alphonse tapped his fingers patiently on the counter as he waited for the husky's choice. Either he'll run away or he'll stay and endure the scrutiny of the mass of eyes. Either way, Alphonse will enjoy this. It wasn't always that the tables were turned. That he was more popular and he had more power.

He could visibly see the discomfort in the husky's body. Zack's arm fur were starting to stand in tight frizzles, and a spot of sweat was forming on his tank top despite of the air conditioning. It seemed to Alphonse that the only thing that ran in the husky's family was the good looks and height. Poise under intense pressure was something that only Lulu had. Not Zack. Alphonse was actually starting to pity Zack. The husky hadn't even realized that he was standing in front of the counter for already several minutes, looking at the menu with his muzzle halfway opened as if he was asleep. He looked like a puppy right there.

Zack's eyes drifted towards Alphonse's again, and this time, Alphonse dropped the devious smile.

"Run," he whispered, "Go away."

Zack flinched, eyes blinked as if going out from his daze, "What?"

"I said go away."

"Wh--"

Alphonse shushed him. The fox turned to the group of Hilton. Some of the leopard's gang were already standing midway, a few snarled faces directed to Zack. Crackles sounded as the customers popped their fists' bones. Hilton himself had his hackles raised. A bad sign. Alphonse swayed his paw dismissively at the group, signaling him it was okay.

Hilton mouthed, "Are you sure?"

Alphonse responded, "He's with me." and hoped to God that they'll let Zack go. He didn't want to be responsible if Zack went to school the next day with broken bones and bruises all over. Hilton eyed him suspiciously and snorted.

"He hot, you fucking him?"

Alphonse heated underneath his fur, "No! Schoolmate."

Hilton snarled, "Bully?"

"No." he mouthed, then spoke the next words verbally, "Let it go."

The tension in the diner was raise, everyone silent. The whole of Hilton's group was ready to attack, claws unsheathed. Straight-faced Kirsten's ex-boyfriend was standing as well, teary eyed and prepared to release his breakup angst at the nearest punching bag. The mass of the customers no longer murmured, their metal utensils dropped in a choir of clinks on their plates, their muzzles, dead in a sea of silence. Only the unclean air conditioner's coughing resonated and Alphonse couldn't shake off the feeling that it was alive and was laughing at them. It was up to the cougar whether Zack would get out broken or not.

Hilton blew out a puff of breath and sat back down on his chair.

Everybody else soon followed and returned to their businesses. The conversations went back up and Alphonse droned under the blanket of noise. He glimpsed back to Zack and found the husky in an oddly lethargic state. The husky wasn't moving, stiffer than he had been compared to his standoff with Gideon. Wuss, , Alphonse concluded, Zack was a wuss, hiding behind his popularity, Lulu and his straight-mask.

Damn it.

"My shift's not ending til 8 o'clock. Could you wait 'til then?"

Zack's manner seemed to brighten, and his eyes sparkled under the counter's yellow light. His tail revived, and weaved in a zigzag across his back, "The floppy burger please. And make it extra juicy!"

Alphonse smiled, back to his employee-behind-the-counter display and yelled Zack's order to the kitchen.

"You might have to wait here sir." he said to Zack, "There's no seats available and--"

Alphonse stopped short when the door swiveled open and saw the retreating figure of Kirsten and his boyfriend out on the views of the window.

"--Actually, why don't you sit there." He pointed to the vacant seats, "Brian, clean it up will you?"

Brian nodded and went for the table, towel in hand. Zack was about to follow but Alphonse whistled at the husky before he could do so. Zack turned to him and Alphonse shook his head then tilted it towards Brian's direction. Zack whirled towards the table, just in time to see Brian spill his unsealed soap water spray over the table and make a bigger mess. The lion looked flustered, his long mane disheveled in tangles of red. He struggled to clean the mess, all the while the fox and the husky watched.

"Cute, isn't he?" Alphonse said.

"Dude. He's making an ass of himself. Shouldn't you help him?"

"Nah. Let him make his own mistakes. He's bound to learn from them."

Brian piled the plates and utensils over the chair and dried the table with his rug. Then he smiled when he saw his job well-done and left the table. He directed Zack to his seat and the husky graciously seated himself. He thanked Brian then gave a look on Alphonse, reeling his eyeballs to the seat opposite him, towards the stack of plates and utensils Brian left behind.

Or maybe not, Alphonse thought. He hooted at his co-worker and showed Brian the error. Shortly after, Brian apologized to Zack and corrected his mistake. Zack's meal was done minutes later and Al made it a point to deliver it himself and not Brian.

In a span of half an hour, Alphonse and Brian's shift was over, so was the busy hours of the day and so were the disastrous phase that Brian seemed to always bring with him. By the time Alphonse got out of the locker room, the customers already left with only Hilton's group and Greg and Mrs. Cougar remaining. Zack was still in his seat, forking his leftover patty into shreds. His ears perked when Alphonse sat down, now back into his casual attire.

"Bored?" Alphonse asked.

Zack's ears flattened on his skull, "Nervous. That leopard keeps looking at me."

"Meh. That's Hilton. He thinks you're hot."

"R-really?"

Alphonse shot him a disbelieving look, "Please. Don't tell me you're not used to that."

"To girls, yes, but to guys?"

"And the difference is?"

"Well..." Zack hesitated, stopping his ministrations of his fork with a clink, "He's a guy."

"You," he said, leaning in closer to Zack and whispered, "You do realize you're gay...right?"

"I do. It's just--It's the first time I got hit on by a guy."

"Not really." Alphonse said, "I hit you, remember?"

"That's a different thing," Zack said, "You hit me, not hit on me."

"Ah. So there was a difference between the two."

"Ya think?"

Alphonse smiled. Zack went back to forking on the tattered remains of the patty. The husky kept his head down, sneaking a few peeks behind Alphonse to look at Hilton's table. Alphonse observed the husky's eyes widen for a fraction of a second and his black tipped ears rolled down. Zack looked innocent this way, and probably, he was being himself. An innocent teenager who didn't know any better than a child coming to terms with his sexuality. Alphonse felt a pang of guilt over running away from the husky--and being rude to Lulu. He was right to have chased Alphonse. He was the only uncloseted homosexual in the school, it was only due to Alphonse's unwillingness they had to tire each other out over their hide and seek. All Zack needed was a friend.

And he was being hit on by Alphonse's co-worker.

Alphonse turned to Hilton's direction, just in time to catch the leopard winking. The fox crossed his arms, "He's not gay Hilton. Leave him alone."

Hilton pouted, "Then why's he sitting with you?"

Alphonse grinned, "Even straight guys wants to sleep with me me."

"Then they're not-so-straight--"

"And," Alphonse interrupted him, "I don't have a bunch of sex tapes floating around."

Hilton frowned then stuck his tongue out at the fox before he went back to his business and left the two of them alone. Alphonse whirled. Zack grinned at him, the husky looking like a kid after being rewarded with a treat, his red tongue half-way poking out of his closed lips, pointed ears fully upright towards Alphonse, "Thanks." He said.

"No problem." Alphonse said. He then, took the fork and plate away from Zack, blushed a deeper red when his hand brushed Zack's hand and turned to closely observe the fork and plate he put on top of the vacant table beside them.

"So..." Alphonse said awkwardly, "Are you going home yet?"

"Maybe?" he said, "After you go. I'll escort you to your house if you want?"

Alphonse stiffened.

"No need," Alphonse said, "You might want to go home early, like right now. These streets can get really dangerous at night."

"Which makes it safer with us together."

"You don't want to be seen with me, don't you?"

Zack shrugged and leaned his shoulders by the window, "Nobody from school comes here, should be safe."

Alphonse smirked, "Oh Zack, you have no idea."

"You mean there are?"

Gideon, he thought. But Zack didn't need to know that. Touchy subject.

"Why were you chasing me around school anyway?" Alphonse asked, steering the conversation elsewhere.

"Why were you running away from me?" Zack countered.

"Touché." Alphonse said, "So. In all seriousness, why? And why'd you so readily tell me you were gay?"

Zack readjusted himself on his seat, his head away from the window and supporting his face on the tabletop with an arm, "You're the only gay guy I know from school, there are probably more than just the two of us, but it's only you who's out. I thought you could help me understand these...feelings."

Alphonse grinned inwardly, "What... 'feelings?' "

"Feelings...you know?

"I'm a little slow and tired tonight, you might have to spell it out for me."

"I...I" Zack's eyes bore down on the table. He fiddled with his fork, only to realize it was already gone. Instead, he unsheathed a claw and started scratching on the table cloth. Alphonse, despite him being an employee, allowed the husky. He needed it to calm his nerves. Zack chewed on his lips and winced when his fangs pierced the skin, earning a silent chuckle from Alphonse. The fox waited patiently. He knew closeted gays were delicate. Admitting their feelings was a huge step to the unknown, an unknown, dangerous place where people's reactions were as volatile as chemicals. It was best to talk about it with someone who could relate. And this...This was Zack.

"I...I uh--"

"--I fantasized about that tiger. Gideon."

A rush of chilling excitement ran through Alphonse's skin and he had to clamp on his muzzle to stop himself from squealing. Gideon! He fantasized about Gideon! Gideon his other closeted friend!

Precious! Deliciously Precious!

Alphonse harrumphed, and covered his muzzle with his mouth to hide the impeding laughter that could break.

"S-so," he said, giggling a little bit, "W-who's on the top?"

Zack gasped, "AL!"

Zack's outburst earned a look from Hilton's group and Alphonse immediately reassured them nothing was going on--Nothing they're aware of anyway. Zack had his face buried on the table, both his hands gripping and crumpling the checkered cloth. No doubt, he was embarrassed by the revelation.

"Sorry," Alphonse said. He reminded himself that Zack was opening up to him and he had to be careful with his words and actions--Despite of the hilarity of the situation, "I couldn't stop myself."

"No, you couldn't." Zack stated, face still buried on the table.

"Do you want me to be honest with you?" Alphonse asked, trying to lower his tone to a more soothing pitch.

Zack looked up, "Be honest. Not frank."

"I fantasize about him too. Alot." He said and smiled. It wasn't far from the truth.

"Really?"

"I think anyone would with all those muscles in that bod of his? I wouldn't mind getting under that. His face doesn't look half bad either--Compared to Butch. "

Zack nodded enthusiastically, "Ugly dog!"

Alphonse giggled. Zack was a puppy, and that was that. Alphonse asked, "What about the other part of the question?"

"Question? I forgot."

"Why'd you tell me you were gay?"

Zack seated himself upright again, and straightened his loosened tank top. He spoke, "I didn't tell you I was gay. I just told you you were cute."

"Again, the difference?"

Zack sighed, "Isn't the reason obvious?"

Alphonse frowned.

"It's my reputation isn't it?"

Zack nodded.

Alphonse clasped his muzzle and they stayed silent, an uncomfortable hush. He listened to the squabbles between Hilton's group. Their nonsense provided a temporary distraction from the husky in front of Alphonse. The fox didn't know at all what to say. He felt like he should be offended with Zack taking advantage of his less-than-fortunate status at the school, but then he couldn't blame the guy can't he? Alphonse crossed his arms and turned his gaze outside the window. The night had already set in, and the meager lights came from the curtained apartment windows across the street. The icy beams of the moon sent out a gloomy ambiance on the streets, yet the uncomfortable silence put-off Alphonse more than the outside. The exit of the diner was starting to look more attractive.

It was Zack who broke the silence, "You aren't wearing the glasses I gave you."

"Oh. Yeah," Alphonse scratched his neck, slightly startled by the sudden break in silence, "They're a little high in grade, I thought I told you my glasses were fake."

"Huh," he said curiously, "I guess I forgot. Is the fit good though?"

"Terrible."

"Oh." Zack said and pursed his lips.

"Hey. Thanks for the effort though. But they're a little bit too expensive for me."

Alphonse took the glasses out from his pocket and laid them out on the table. He pushed them to Zack, but the husky seemed reluctant to take it back. He held out a black and white furred paw to the glasses and put them on. Alphonse looked at Zack. Even to him, the glasses don't fit. The nosepiece seemed like they weren't meant for the long-nosed breed of furs, they'd fall off too easily, and it did, onto Zack's lap. The husky retrieved them from his lap and put them back on the table.

"You know, those glasses would look good on Gideon." Alphonse said.

Zack raised a brow on Alphonse, "Are you implying these were supposed to be for him?"

Alphonse raised both his paws defensively, "I didn't say that." he said," I just said they'd look good on him."

"You think nerdy jocks are hot, hmm?"

"Uh uh, I just said they'd look good on him."

"You're going around in circles," Zack stated, "What were you doing at the theater anyway?"

Alphonse cringed. Danger.

"Afterschool work. He's failing his subjects, he needs additional credits."

"Work?" Zack said, "I heard that Crow teacher of yours is quite the flamboyant character--He's not asking you to do naughty things, is he? Behind closed doors and all?"

"What? No!" Alphonse said, his voice raising in pitch, "Dude's a jock, he's bound to fail at some of his subjects, you know, and have you heard about them jocks' afterschool parties with their girlfriends? It's sick I tell you!"

When Alphonse finished, he was heaving for breath, the many reasons he said, all made-up. Lies. The remarks he made were all racist--Jock-racist, and if Gideon were to hear what he said, he's bound to get mad at the fox, but he'll thank him afterwards, he knew. If word gets out from Zack's mouth that Gideon was gay, not only will there be rumors going around, there would be an uproar over a husky and tiger fighting during their class hours.

Zack's expression was intense, though Alphonse couldn't read the specific emotion underneath. The husky displayed a mix between curiosity and rage, and Alphonse snapped at himself for being careless about his choice of words. He could've offended the husky!

Zack broke into a smile.

He whispered conspiratorially, "Dude, no need to defend him. Damn straight he wouldn't do anything with a guy! I saw him making out with a girl one time, pretty intense kiss if you ask me, and I doubt he's gay even for a little bit. And--" He clasped his fingers around his chin, "--No gay guy would hit this beautiful face of mine, right?"

Alphonse sighed in relief. Those diehard virgin girls did some good after all. Rumors like these were a natural occurrence. Like typhoons, they go around and make a fuss--Everyone would know about it. Names are stated but details were kept vague until the news reach the ears of the more creative rumormongers.

"Yeah! And have you heard about that one where he did it with--"

"Five girls at once?" Zack interrupted, "Dude yeah, tiger's got some stamina to do that." Then Zack did something Alphonse didn't expect him to do.

He purred.

Alphonse smiled. He hadn't intended to help Zack, talking to him out of pity as a fellow homosexual man, yet he was triumphant in getting Zack to liberate himself from his restraints no matter how critical and long their conversation had been. Zack was easier to talk to than Gideon had been when he was outed. Maybe it's because Zack was more willing to talk it out with words rather than fists. The said husky seemed to shrink when he slipped out from his musing and found Alphonse staring at him with a goofy grin.

"So uh..." he said weakly, "Could I do you a favor?"

"A favor?" Alphonse asked.

"Yeah. Let me replace the glasses with something else that fits. Something that'd make you look better perhaps?"

"Oh," Alphonse said, "Sure."

"No," Zack said, shaking his head, "I mean...gah, how do I say this? I mean come with me, you can pick anything you want or ask for a refund and buy something else."

"But this costs a hundred times more than what I had!"

"All the more you could buy with. So deal?"

Alphonse glowered, "Are you donating this to me? Just because I'm poor doesn't mean I have to accept this you know."

"Don't misunderstand me," he said and eyed Alphonse thoughtfully, "Think of it as a thank you gift for talking with me."

"Still," Alphonse said, "This costs a hundred times more than my other glasses' worth."

"Then you have to talk to me many times as payback." Zack said and smirked. Alphonse realized he fell for the husky's trap.

"You and Lulu, both of you the same," he said, "Sly devils."

Zack chuckled, "We're brothers and sisters, we're bound to be similar one way or the other."

Alphonse scoffed, "Maybe you're more different than you think."

"We've got different plumbing if that's what you mean."

Nah, you're a wuss, Alphonse thought.

"So deal then?" Zack asked, holding out a hand to Alphonse.

"Well," he said, shaking Zack's hand, "If you put it that way."

Alphonse pawed his way through the darkness, slipping his feet against the stubbiness of the floor's wood and rubbing his back against the wall to find his bearings. His hips hit something hard, and he pawed down and recognized it as the end table by his apartment's kitchen entrance. He fingered around for the bowl where he kept the candles and matches, found them and lit them with a flick against the rough stonework of the bare apartment's walls. He was in the apartment's second floor hallway, he had arrived an hour later after he and Zack separated. The husky offered to escort him back home, but Alphonse reminded him of the possibilities of their wandering classmates seeing them together. That effectively got rid of the husky. His guts weren't as stubborn as he was.

Alphonse made his way along his apartment, relying only on the light his candle gave off. It casted a ghostly pale on his apartment's walls, the growing green mold on the old rocks washed by the dense illumination gave them more of a pallid blue than the color they should have. The floorboards creaked under his weight, and the muffled squeaks from the household mice sounded from under the holes of the rotten wood. He made his way towards his bedroom, the plastic from the diner in-hand. He placed the objects in his hand on the bedside table and collapsed on his bed. A spring bounced on his back, and he yipped when the metal nipped his clothes. He cursed and pushed it back inside the mattress where it belonged and cursed as an afterthought.

He was tired, and he wanted to sleep but his thoughts were going back to Zack. He was no genius in relationships, in fact, he'd never even had any relationships before. Pariahs don't have that privilege. But...

Did Zack just ask him out on a date?

He didn't know. He needed someone to talk to.

As if on cue, the Nokia cellphone on his jeans' pocket rung and he pawed it out and found a text message from Gideon. He drew his pointed claw out from their sheath and inserted his claw into the socket where the 'Read' button used to be.

"Still up?" Gideon's text message read.

Alphonse quickly clawed his response, managing to get every letter and word right despite of his difficulty with the Nokia phone.

"Yeah. Just got home actually."

After a few seconds of waiting for a reply, Gideon's text message came as it always did. The tiger was a fast texter, as all most other teenagers are.

"Good god! That thing still works? I thought the keypads already fell off?"

"They did. I'm using my claws to click on the letters. Hard stuff."

"LOL! That's so CUTE! So it's true foxes use things several times before they throw them away. Do you do the same with tissues?"

"Disgusting Gid."

"Kidding sry sry D: "

"Why'd you text me anyway?"

"Worried about you, thought that Zack guy was harrassing you. Just texted to know if you're still alive."

Panic and embarrassment fluttered in Alphonse's chest. The things Zack said to him about Gideon! They sounded like trumpets on his mind. Zack who's crushing on Gideon! In a hurry, Alphonse thumbed his text message, taking careful measure to make the words sound as nonchalant as possible.

"Yeah, I still am. He just came to give me the flyers around school. That's all."

"Why'd he do that?"

Exactly. Why did Zack do that?

...To get close to him and ask about his feelings. Gay feelings. Gideon--his fantasy. Gideon! His paws were clammy, but he still managed to send his text message clearly, "Principal asked him to give it to me, since I made that scene with him and all."

"The principal huh? That's weird. I thought he never cared about you : "

"Dude. He gives me my scholarship."

"You deserve your scholarship. It's his duty to give it to you."

"Meh, you're right. But keep your mouth shut will you?"

"Hmph. School politics. Anyway, just be careful. I thought I saw that Zack dude following you at the field. He might be up to something. I think he needs some more scaring but I had my hands full with Butch."

"You and Butch ;) I'm starting to think you dig the guy."

"Nah. He's just a prick AND he's got a small prick. I like things big. So, did he follow you or not?"

"Well..." Alphonse texted, and it quickly got a "?" reply from Gideon.

"He visited me at the Diner."

"THAT PRICK!" and Gideon started sending him one-worded texts for many seconds, all curses. A habit he does when he's angry. Angry as a dog...Angry as a husky crushing on him.

"Dude, calm down. He just talked to me is all."

"About what?!"

Alphonse couldn't tell him about that, can he? Instead, Alphonse chose to speak it to as close to the truth but vague enough as possible.

"I told you that he broke my glasses right? Besides the flyers, he got me new glasses. Pricey ones. So calm down will you? <3 :( <3"

"Will you send me more hearts if I keep myself angry? "

"Stupid."

"Kidding. Well? What'd you talk about?"

"Uh...Stuff. The glasses didn't fit me, and they had a grade, he just checked to see if they were good, but they weren't. He offered to have them replaced together."

"Together?"

"I said 'together' didn't I?"

"Hmph. If only he wasn't straight then I'd think he did that on purpose to go on a date with you."

You have no idea, "Ha.Ha. Very funny Gideon Scotts."

"Oh dear, you used my full name. I'm in trouble aren't I?"

"Shut up. Go to sleep Gid."

"Fine fine. Good night then Foxy <3 Sweet dreams."

"Night night tiger."

Alphonse checked for the time and found it to be already past midnight. He turned the cellphone off with a claw on the socket and laid his head down to the pillow. Zack really took alot of time out from his paws, he hadn't been able to do his homework for the next day. Thankfully, it was Friday and his classes weren't until the afternoon. But he still haven't got the answer to his question: Did Zack just ask him out on a date? Gideon wasn't the right person to come for help. The tiger asked too many questions, the most of them almost always the correct and worst questions to ask. So...

He sighed.

Lulu.

Alphonse twitched when he heard the floorboards in his bedroom creak, and he turned his eyes to see a furry figure sitting by the window. He hadn't really noticed him when he entered his bedroom, nor did he expect him to be here in the first place. The man was always silent, his movements as inaudible as a mouse's sneaking. The darkness sent out an eerie cast on the figure. Alphonse couldn't make out his features, but he could smell the man even amongst the dust on his apartment. Musk and sweat hit Alphonse's nose hard and it became more apparent by the man's approach that he was naked. His movements made him look like a phantom, his steps wobbly but with a definite purpose of getting to bed. With Alphonse.

"Move." the man said, and Alphonse obeyed, rolling himself to the farthest side of the bed, by the walls but still faced the figure.

"Dad, I bought you food." Alphonse said.

Alphonse's father didn't reply. He descended on the bed and threw his legs up and rolled to face Alphonse. Their eyes met, Alphonse's reddish brown--Black under the meager illumination--and his father's brilliant blue. His father raised his arm and placed them on Alphonse's back, pulling him towards him until their skins touched. Alphonse felt his father's heat emanate towards him, and he closed his eyes and let himself be calmed by his father's presence.

"Aren't you gonna eat?" He asked one last time.

He felt his father shake.

"No. I just want you tonight."