Chapter Thirty Six: days of the past Episode Two - Syrus and Carl.

('Big Man On Campus' One-Shot)

"even though they can cause such extreme emotional torment and physical pain, always remember that even the biggest bullies fall with an even bigger boom!"

"well said. but remember that allies as well as bullies can come equally as large or small, and i don't just mean in terms of mass!"

"isn't that first one just 'the bigger they are, the harder they fall' with bigger words?"

"err... yes... oh, woof that's bad..."
"and so was that canine pun... you're barking mad."
"shut the Frigging hell up, me."

-emperorwolf
-emperorwolf: human form (somehow coexisting)
-lightningblazer
-emperorwolf again (wolf-> human-> wolf)

-Heartrow's school for excellence, quite a few years ago.-

syrus tapped away at his computer, typing up his homework.
"dumb language homework. when am i ever gonna need this crap? i'm not gonna be a journalist!"

a scoff came from behind him, and he looked at the green and white cat on the top bunk clad in a blue pair of shorts and a grey singlet.
"and what is your problem, Davis?"
"just that i'm surprised you even bother filling that shit out. what was it you said you wanted to do? ... dentistry?" he laughed the last word mockingly.
syrus rolled his eyes "i'm not set like you are, davis, you were litterally made to be in the army, but I actually have to work for my future."
davis lay back on top of the covers and mumbled something beneath his breath.
syrus heard two words: 'Heretic' and 'Queer'
"WHAT was that, Davis?"
"i said: tough luck finding work as a heretic and a queer, syrus."
syrus stood up from the stool "i thought we were past that."
"hey, i'm straight, i think i'm allowed to be a little uneasy when my roommate's into bangin' other guys!"
syrus climbed the short ladder on the bunk bed, and glared into the biocat's sparkling garnet coloured eyes "it's EMOTIONAL. not physical. and in all seriousness, you're just a prick."
davis shrugged it off "meh."
syrus rolled his eyes "good luck in a war that'll never come, you dick."
davis smiled mockingly "heh, but i know you like d-"
"EMOTIONAL!!" the otter snapped back at him.
davis smirked "you know i've got no personal probs with ya personally, syrus... but i'm a.... well..."
syrus poisoned his words "fucking homophobe who believes in fake gods?"
davis looked at him and spoke flatly "that's kind harsh, isn't it? and hey, my creators are kinda like gods to my kind, just like you 'naturals' have your own gods..."
syrus sat back down at his desktop compuer and looked back threateningly at him
"you insult my way of life, i'll insult yours."
a blip sounded on the computer, and syrus opened the Email.
"huh? wait, what's this...?"
davis looked over curiously "the F?"

the message was from the social event staff.

syrus read the text aloud.
"got your dates?

the school formal, AKA; the 'prom' to some of you, is this friday, 9:00 PM.
the megaclass students meet in the gymnasium, but the event has been moved to next week for the miniclass students due to ... technical issues.
thankyou for your understanding."

davis scoffed "bet my bros'll go nuts over that!"
syrus closed the Email, his finger jabbing heavily upon the mouse with anger.
"yeah, your bros will at least get to go to it..." he said angrilly.
davis sat up "whazzat sposed to mean?"
"it means that 'next week' will be continuously moved up until it's forgotten. it's always that way for our class... forgotten about until we're needed."
davis climbed down, hanging from the ladder "how do you think I feel?! i'm the only bio-construct in existance that's not a towering behemoth yet! all of my siblings in Beta brigade are ten times my size! all one hundred of them! i'm scorned, and outcast, you've no idea what that's like..."
the otter slammed his fists against the table, making davis jump
"YOU BLOCKHEADED PRICK! OF COURSE I UNDERSTAND!! I'M GAY, YOU F-HEAD!!! I'M RIDICULED, I'M SCORNED, I'M BEAT UP, I'M OUTCAST, I AM WORSE OFF THAN YOU!!!!"
and then he stormed out, turning off the computer right before he ran, tears trailing from his eyes.

---

over in megaclass's dorm, carl closed the Email, and turned to an armadillo sitting on a couch
"formal's comin' up, who're you takin' this year?"

"i'm thinkin'... jezebelle."
carl scoffed "as in, my sister jezebelle? get real, antoine."
Antoine stood and protested "oi! i'm serious! she's hot!"
"well, get in line, balthazar's been hitting on her, too... in fact, so has most of megaclass."
balthazar, a white, 'shaggy' dog, lay on the floor in front of the fireplace "true 'nuff... so, are ya' thinkin' of goin' this year, carlito?"
"i..." he hesitated "dunno... i've got someone in mind... but i dunno if they'll actually come..."

everyone in the dorm room looked at him oddly.
balthazar laughed "dude, you're a stepcousin of the headmaster's daughters, any girl'd go with you! plus, the heartrows are loaded! incentive, bro!! MAJOR incentive!!"
"that why you're all tryin' to hook up with jezebelle?" carl asked annoyedly.
nobody answered, just fidgeted nervously.

carl logged out.
"i need some air."
he headed outside, ignoring the murmurs of surprise as he passed other students in the corridor, then an ewe leapt out in front of him "e-excuse me... m-mr. Carlito...?"
he sighed "what is it?"
"well... th-the prom's coming up... a-and i was... w-wondering if..."
he groaned, it was Lynette, one of his sister's friends.
she was incredibly smart, you wouldn't call her pretty, she wasn't ugly either, and she had some major self-confidence issues.
"... if i would go with you?" he asked boredly.

in every room surrounding him in the hall, he could hear excited whispers, the absolute shyest girl in school was asking one of the most popular guys out, after all.
"y-yes... s-so.... w-will y-you...?"

he turned his head away "i'm sorry lynette. it's nothing personal, but i might not be going. i've already asked someone, but they've yet to really reply."
with his highly trained hearing, he could hear her heartbeat speeding up.
"s-so if they... d-don't show?"

"i might not go. i'm sorry, lynette."
he saw her shrink away, her confidence shattered.
but thankfully, he knew what to say to make her understand.
"please understand, i'm flattered you worked up enough courage to ask me, but it's... i asked my... well, i guess you could say 'crush' already, you see..." he said nervously, not making any attempt to hide it.
a myriad of gasps filled the hallway, nobody knew of his secret 'crush'.
"W-WOW! i didn't know..."
he smiled kindly "i wanted to keep it a secret. but now EVERYBODY knows." he said annoyedly, looking around the hall, informing everyone that he knew of their eavesdropping.
then jezebelle walked up behind the ewe, his sister basically looked like a female version of himself, but that was perfectly natural, they were twins after all.
"so, bro, you've got a crush? which girl is it? c'mon, gimme the scoop!"
his sister was an aspiring journalist, so she tended to use words like 'scoop' often.
"you, and everyone else, will find out this friday, tomorrow night."

he walked past them "later, jez."

he stood in the cold outside air, looking up at the moonlight.
a buzz on his PDA thrummed out, and he read the message.

[uh... carl, was it?
about what you said... i'll come if you want... unless you've got a date already... knowing how handsome you are, you've probably got admirers lining up to go with you...
call me if you want... but i doubt you'll want to...]
the sender ID was 'S.Revino.'
carl left a message.

[i've been waiting for your reply! you had me worried!
you're my first and only choice, my admirers are all kinda dull, so please, could you accompany me to the formal tomorrow night?
see you there, hopefully!
P.S: meet me somehere raised, so i can actually see you, wouldn't want you to get underfoot! :D]
he tapped away the message.

and shortly after, a reply came in the form of a call.

""y-yes... i'll... sniff i'll go...""
"are you okay? why're you crying?"
""doesn't matter... uh, i gotta go. bye.""
"see you tomorrow night."
he hung up, and turned, seeing all of megaclass looking curiously back at him.
jezebelle had her reporter's cap on "who were you talkin' to, your crush? why were they crying? you said they were crying, right? who is she?!"
"uh... wait, were you all seriously eavesdropping!?" he asked annoyedly, causing everyone to back away.

carl closed his eyes and spoke through gritted teeth "you'll meet my date tomorrow, when... you're... supposed to! just like everyone else!!"
everyone but jezebelle ran back to their rooms.

"woah, bro... calm down..." she put up her paws defensively "i'm sorry... i know you prefer your personal life to stay personal..."

"you're damn right i do!" he retorted "now stop prying, jez, i'm sick of this crap!"
he stormed off, headed back to his room.

as he went down the corridor, he could practically sense the curious eyes peering at him through the peepholes in the doors he passed, and as he passed one door, it opened a crack, and he could tell that someone was definitely looking at him.
he glared back, and the door slammed shut, an audiable panicked gasp came from behind it.
(anyone'd think i was some kinda monstrous creature, considering how much i get stared at...)

he reached room 36, and entered, gaining yet another stare from balthazar, who lay upon the bottom bunk.
"balthazar, stop starin' seriously, i've had more than enough of that tonight."
balthazar let his fringe flop back over his eyes "sorry... but... can i ask somethin'?"
carl sat down on the desk opposite the bunk "fire away."
"who exactly... are you taking?"
carl exhaled, letting out a hushed growl with it.
balthazar looked away "sorry, but... it's on everyone's minds... you're the most popular guy in megaclass, in the whole school, even.... everybody wants to know who the lucky girl is..."

carl knew balthazar had a point, but still felt annoyed.
"You... Will... See... With... Everyone... Else..." he growled, gripping the desktop hard, actually succeeding in making it creak under the pressure of his grasp.

there was a knock at the door.

"it's unlocked..." balthazar called a little fearfully.
the door opened, and in walked none other than Jason Quillin, the bear who'd previously been tormenting syrus.
carl immediately shot him the death-stare, curled his toes, and tensed his legs, purposefully displaying the intent to kick the bear once again at a moment's notice.
the bear shook his head, and raised his arms in surrender "no no, wait! don't-!"
carl growled in rage, and dropped from the desk into an all-fours fighting stance.
"i thought you were expelled, you manipulative, self-centred, abusive, rapist sonofabitch!"
balthazar went wide eyed at jason, nobody really knew of his actions against the little otter.
but now, carl had announced it to the entire dorm.
luckily, without actually mentioning the otter.
"i... i, uh... it's not final, 'till the day after the formal..."
carl was prepared to leap and shred the bear to pieces for what he'd done, carl knew that if he hadn't been there that day, Syrus Revino could have been killed, all for the sake of jason's sick desires.
"BEAT IT, YOU SICK BASTARD!.... BEFORE I MAKE YOU!" he roared agressively.
jason panicked, waving his arms in protest "no, wait! i'm... i'm only here to... to ask..."
the bear looked longingly over at balthazar, who backed away in revulsion "URGH! back OFF you frickin' gaybo!"
"b-but..." the bear tried reasoning "i think you're... really hot, baltha-"
carl leapt over, clamping the bear's snout shut with his paws as he stood on top of him, his teeth bared, eyes practically burning with sheer malice "GET.... OUT...."
he began to squeeze on the bear's snout, and unsheathed his claws, both on his forepaws and hindpaws, making jason wince as he stared into the leopard's big yellow eyes, seeing nothing but contempt and hatered in them.
balthazar was flustered "HELL NO! I'M INTO CHICKS! YOU KNOW, FEMALES?! GET AWAY FROM ME YOU FAG!"
carl noticed a tear run down the bear's face as balthazar said it, but he didn't care.
a broken heart wasn't nearly enough punishment for what he'd done.
not...
even...
close.

carl backflipped off jason, using his feline flexibility to avoid the ceiling and light fixtures, and landed with a near soundless, soft thump on the other side of the room.
he still showed his aggression, and jason hurriedly got up and ran out.
"PRICK!!" carl roared at him as he ran.

everyone had their heads out of their doorways to watch the bear flee, eager to know what was happening.
they looked back at room 36, and carl glared.
they all retreated back into their rooms.
carl closed the door, and looked back at the trembling canine on the bottom bunk.
"you okay, balthazar?"
"f-f-fine! s'just... i had no idea quillin swung that way... goddamn faggots, am i right?"
"no." carl said sternly, but confusedly

he recieved a confused look from his canine roommate "what? isn't that why you hate quillin?"
"no... he'd been abusing and... using... one of the miniclass sudents... nearly killed him just to satisfy his own frickin' sick desires... i can't tolerate that kind of revolting crap."
carl's eyes widened when he saw that balthazar's phone was turned on in his paws, likely transmitting the explanation to the entirety of megaclass.
"wait a minute... you're... DAMMIT BALTHAZAR! WHAT'RE YOU DOING?!"
the phone was then turned off "th-thought you were an anti-Queer... y'know, like me... wanted everyone to know you might join us..."
"WHY?!"
balthazar balled up his fists, and mockingly punched at the air "gay-bashin', o'course! best activity ever!"
carl looked at him with wide eyes, mouth gaping. shocked at what his roomate had just said.
"you're... not serious, are you?"
he had yet to reveal to his roommate that he was gay, and it looked like it was good that he hadn't...
the shaggy dog lifted his fringe, and looked confusedly at the leopard "course i am... guys and other guys shouldn't be together like the frickin' fags want! me and the rest o' the rugby team's been bashin' 'em for ages... even the miniclass' got their own faction! we were gonna do some t'night, even!"

carl opened the door and sprinted out, full speed.
right now, he didn't care who saw.
he had to reach syrus, who everyone knew was gay.
if balthazar was telling the truth, the otter was in danger.

---

syrus was also running.
running for his life.
just a few minutes earlier, he'd been sitting next to the lake, just recently ended the short call to the big leopard, enjoying the full moon's light...
then he'd heard a rustling in the bushes, and a huge group of other Miniclass students had burst out, yelling
"bash the Fags up! K-O the Queers!" in an evil chant.
he'd bolted when they ran toward him, he'd heard "can't run forever, fag!" from behind him, and he'd run even faster than before.
there was no way they wouldn't catch him, they were all canines and felines, much faster than he was; an otter on land, AND he was panicking, he'd be caught soon, and he didn't want to think about what they'd do to him when they finally did...
he weaved between trees, leapt over boulders and ducked under low branches as he sprinted away, but they didn't lose him. they were too determined to get him.
he could hear cold, cynical laughter getting closer...
he clenched his eyes shut.
and then his collar was tugged back, yanked down by a feline.
but when he reopened his eyes, he first thought they decieved him to his captor's identity.
the cat wore a black leather jacket, knuckle gloves with metal knuckle studs, and black denim jeans.
but it was his fur tone that disturbed syrus...
white and green.
and his eyes, garnet-orange, glowing brightly in the darkness.
Davis, his roommate and close friend.

"D-Davis?!"
he was surrounded by the gay bashers, all dressed just as Davis was.
the biocat looked apologetic "i'm sorry, syrus... but i've gotta beat up a gay to get into the rugby club..."
syrus stared "the RUGBY CLUB are the gay bashers?!"
syrus thought he saw a tear in Davis' eye, but then he hauled syrus up off his feet.
"damn it... Damn it!... DAMN IT!!" syrus screamed "fuck you and your fucking superstrength!"
Davis had been designed with enhanced physical perameters and hightened senses of perception, because he was created as a bio-weapon intended for military use.
"I TRUSTED YOU!"
merciless sneers surrounded him, and the gay bashers formed an inescapable barrier around syrus.

Davis shoved him away, taking a brawling stance "i'm sorry, syrus... but you know i don't like gays."
syrus turned toward him, helpless "davis... i thought you were better than this?!"
Davis stalked toward him "i wanna get popular, and rugby's the best way to do it... nothing personal..."
the bashers began to whoop, and Davis lunged at him.
syrus tried to dodge, but the bioweapon-sharp senses of the biocat saw it coming, and his fist cracked against syrus' ribcage, and he felt something break somewhere inside of himself.
any which way he ducked or weaved, the lightning fast reflexes of his attacker persued him, and a set of three hard kicks landed against his stomach.
Davis grabbed syrus' tail, and swung him around, letting him crash into the wall that was the gay bashers, their fists colliding with his chest before tossing him back to Davis.
syrus coughed up blood "fuck... you..."
he shakily tried to stand, only for a spinning dropkick to snap down on his back, knocking him back down.
Davis crouched beside him, mouth close to his ear "hmm... stay down, play dead, please... maybe you'll be let go..." he whispered to the downed otter, but syrus grunted, and looked hatefully back at the person who had once been both his roomate, and trusted friend "i hope... there is... an afterlife... for... your kind... so... you can... GO... TO... HELL, YOU... BASTARD!"
syrus swung up, his legs smacking into Davis' jaw, but only succeeding in making his head snap back, he didn't go down, he was built for such treatment, after all.
the bashers jumped in, five of them, each grabbing onto one of his extremities; his arms, legs, and tail.
"do it Davy, do it! knock this fag's block off!!"

syrus glared as Davis stalked closer, remorse in his eyes, but violence in his body movement.
"i'm sorry, syrus..."
"no you're not... i hope there is a war someday... so that someone tears your goddamn head off!"
Davis' fist rushed forward, aimed at syrus' face...

GRRRRR...!

everyone froze, and looked up to find two golden orbs blazing above them...
a set of pearly spears bared below the orbs...
and an unmistakably enraged growl rumbling from the body they were attatched to...

Davis trembled in fear "C-Carlito Blenin..."

syrus' heart leapt, the leopard had saved him once before, had he come to do so again?

"THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"#

his voice boomed, he was making no attempt to lower his voice.

"b-bashin' this f-fag..."
one of the bashers had no fear, just a wicked smile "you want in? s'okay, we won't rat on ya!"

GRRRRRRRGH...!

the rumble of the growl practically shook the air, and everyone cowered.
but Davis and the five holding syrus didn't move. petrified with fear...

"IF YOU DON'T GET OUTTA HERE RIGHT NOW, I'M LIABLE TO HAVE NOT SEEN YOU AS I WALKED PAST IN THE DARK..."

he threatened them, putting his left footpaw over their heads and slowly lowering it, stopping as he felt the green and white feline's head fur touch his pads.
one of the bashers whimpered pitifully.
carl growled again, and lowered his foot another centimetre.
"OKAY OKAY, WE'RE OUT, WE'RE OUT!" the restrainers screamed, and the bashers bolted, leaving the beaten otter on the cold ground, and the petrified feline trembling where he stood.

"TELL ANYONE AND YOU'LL BE SORRY!!"

carl's voice boomed at an even louder volume, likely yelling in his behemoth-like voice, and a frightened mass of 'yeses' called back as the gay-bashers ran for their very lives.

GRRRRRRRRRGHHHHH...!

Davis trembled uncontrollably, his eyes wide, staring at the charcoal-black pads as they just barely touched his head, it was likely that the leopard himself could even feel him quaking in fear beneath his massive foot.

"WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF, VERMIN!?"

Davis collapsed, holding his head as he knelt balled up on the ground "please don't kill me! all i wanted was to be popular through rugby! i didn't want to bash syrus, but they didn't give me any choice! i'm begging you, PLEASE DON'T SQUISH ME!! I'LL DO ANYTHING! ANYTHING YOU WANT!!"

carl lowered his foot until he felt the trembling feline touch his pads, and the tickle of syrus' tail about a meter or two away from his attacker.

"DO YOU SWEAR?"

"i swear! i'll do whatever you want! just don't kill me, PLEASE!!" Davis wailed in pure fear.

"REMOVE THE OTTER FROM BENEATH MY PAW... NOW."

Davis, although whimpering like a scared kitten, did as he was told, and as soon as syrus' body cleared the leopard's gigantic, hovering toes...

WHAM

carl brought his foot down upon Davis, pressing him into the ground.
"AGH! But i... did... as you... asked?!" he choked, straining under the giant's weight.

"I DON'T TOLERATE THIS CRAP, LEAST OF ALL FROM A LITTLE PRICK LIKE YOU!"

Davis could feel his bones bending, starting to give under the massive pressure...
he screamed in pain
"PLEASE, NO! OH, GOD, NO!" he pleaded, but carl ignored him.
he screamed in agony as his bones neared breaking point...

"STOP!!"

the pressure stopped coming down, pausing.
"wh-what?" Davis asked, panicked, swivelling his head as far as he could from between the leopard's toes.

carl couldn't move, practically frozen... the little otter he'd come to save was reaching out to him from the ground, begging him to stop what he was doing.
"don't kill him! please don't!"

"BUT--"

carl stopped, quieting his voice before continuing "... ahem but, he attacked you... how can you have sympathy for him?"

the frightened otter started to cry "don't kill... don't kill him... let him live... please let him live!"

both the giant leopard and the small biocat looked at him in disbelief.
carl slowly eased the pressure off, but kept the smaller feline pinned.

Davis whimpered, and looked at the otter pleadingly "syrus..."
he didn't look at davis, and bit his lip.
"i know he hurt me... and he probably deserves it... but don't kill him... he was my friend before all this... let him go out of our past friendship... please..."

the huge paw lifted away completely, revealing that Davis was mostly unharmed, albiet lying in a paw-shaped crater... but his bones didn't seem to be broken, nor was his 'blood' leaking.
"uh... will you still go with me?..." carl whispered nervously to syrus
the otter nodded slowly "i... i will..."
carl collapsed onto his knees, making the biocat and otter jump as he thudded down.
"i'm sorry... i got carried away... i just can't stand gay bashing... it's just wrong..." he whispered, trying not to damage their tiny ears any further.

syrus stood, and limped over to Davis' body as he lay flat on the ground.
he put out his paw "get up..."
Davis shook his head "i don't deserve it... you're right... i'll just die in a war anyway... it's what i was made to do, to lay down my life for reasons i don't even undrestand... my job is to die..." Davis wept.

carl smiled awkwardly "no, you don't deserve it. but... i think... you were telling the truth... did you really only go through with it out of peer pressure?"
Davis nodded

syrus punched him in the back, and yanked his tail, a playful smile on his face.
"A-AAAGH... o-okay... f-fair... en-enough..." he admitted through gritted teeth.

carl carried the otter and biocat back to the edge of the forest, staying under the canopy.
"don't tell anyone i was here after hours, okay?"

Davis nodded "i won't..."

syrus looked at Davis "you tried to let me get away... you told me to play possum... you really didn't want to hurt me... did you?"

the green and white feline shook his head "no... i kept trying to let you slip away, i lagged a bit, i tried to herd you over more difficult terrain for us to traverse... i knew there was another body of water nearby, so you could've swam to safety, but it was too difficult getting you there, especially when they barricaded us like that..."
syrus slapped the biocat's shoulder "maybe you coulda... y'know, lead them away from me?"
Davis laughed "yeah, but it's kinda hard when they can still see, hear, and smell the target, especially such a slow, loud, and... fragrant... one."
a slight chuckle came from overhead
"true, and i doubt i could've have found you if you'd hit him in the face right away, he was yelling so much i couldn't have missed him if i tried! and that scent, unmistakable."

carl deposited them at the edge of the forest, and prowled back toward the megaclass dorm.
"see you 'round the ground, little ones..."

Syrus and Davis reached their dorm's commonroom, finding all of the rugby team/gay bashers waiting for them.
"big leopard can't save 'im here, block the doors."

once again, they were surrounded.
"Davy, get 'im now!" one of them said cruelly
Davis looked at Syrus, and smiled.
"fuck that," he stood back to back with the otter "queer or not, he's my friend, you wanna get to him, you go through ME!"
Davis took a brawling stance, and looked plenty fired up.
syrus smirked, it was good to have his friend back.
the bashers rushed them, but as syrus ducked down, the biocat leapt up, and in a flash of white and green, he knocked them all down and out.

in the aftermath, the green and white feline laughed "hello? doesn't 'Bio-Weapon' mean anything to you?"
he walked syrus back to the room they shared.
"so... you actually on the rugby team?"
"yep. that was just an initiation for a club..."
"the... anti-gay club, by any chance?"
"... bingo." Davis groaned

-the next day, 8:30 PM, the formal-
carl stood in a formal light blue velvet tuxedo, next to him was jezebelle, who had ultimately come with balthazar after all.
she wore a 'little black dress' with a white sash, and was linking arms with the shaggy canine who wore a white tux, ironic, considering his natural white fur tone.

"so, where's the mystery crush?"
everyone in attendance looked at him, all eager to see who his 'crush' was.
"i said 'like' a crush. and they're arriving in three... two..."
a whistle sounded out from a knothole in a nearby tree, and carl went over and retrieved the whistle blower.
"it's not someone from megaclass."
everyone nodded, that was something they'd worked out on their own, since everyone already had a date.

carl was cupping and coccooning his paws to conceal his passenger, as he walked back over to the crowd.
"my date is..."
he removed the top paw.
everyone gasped.
there, in the middle of carl's palm, clad in a tuxedo, and with a pair of bulky, old-fashioned, sound-muffling headphones on, stood Syrus Revino of miniclass.
a guy.

"not a 'lucky lady' at all, and i never actually said my date was female!"
even jezebelle stared "bro... you're..."
"what? i'm not cool anymore 'cause i'm into guys? like i care!" he laughed
Syrus bowed respectfully, wincing a bit at a pain in his chest from the previous night.
"c'mon, party's inside!" carl laughed
he walked right into the gymnasium, ignoring all the stares he was given.

"wow... that explains why he ran out yesterday..." balthazar mentioned, recalling how the leopard had bolted at the mention of the Gay-bashers.
antoine walked up "no question... so carlito's a fag? who'd 'a thought...?"
jezebelle smiled "he's happy, at least that's something!"
the class nodded and agreed, and followed the leopard's example, and entered the gym for the formal.

Carl had his picture taken with Syrus, the first time ever that the little otter sat atop his head.
at one point, the stereo broke down, everyone was panicking that the event would be cut short, until the little otter offered to go inside and fix it.

"found the problem!"
carl peered into the little entry hole syrus had used "what is it?"
syrus could be heard laughing hysterically from inside the stereo "you guys aren't gonna believe this! there's a frickin' PEANUT jammed in here!"
everyone looked at the large squirrel in the back of the gym, holding a bag of mixed nuts.
the one who'd been in charge of the music.
"okay, i'm gettin' it out!"
there were few little thumps, and the music came back on.
everyone cheered.
syrus reemerged holding a collapsable sledgehammer that was twice his size.
"And that is how you de-peanut a stereo!" he laughed

the night rolled on smoothly, and the partying students of megaclass slowly came to know the otter less as 'syrus the queer' and more as 'syrus the party saver' as he helped keep the night interesting, right up until midnight, when the formal ended.

as carl walked back to the Miniclass dormitory, he realised that by bringing syrus, his popularity had decreased a bit, but had skyrocketed back up twice over its original level with everything the little guy had done for the larger students over the course of the night.
"thanks for coming, Revino, i appreciate it. i had a lot of fun!"
the otter in his paws smiled back at him "aw, forget about it. it was an honour to party with giants!"
"forget? no way! nobody'll forget your little 'breakdancing on the table' moment! you've got big moves for a little guy!" carl remarked "you were the life of the party!"

carl soon stood towering over the miniclass dorm "here's your stop."
"uh... can i ask something?"
"fire away."
"do you... do you have plans this weekend?"
carl crouched "no, why?"
"i... i think i like you... like, like you..."
carl smiled as he put syrus down "8:00 AM, meet you here, rooftop?"
syrus nodded.
carl stood, and turned, walking away, already nearly a hundred meters away in a few steps "then it's a date."
syrus blushed, he'd just admitted to a crush on the most popular student in school, and he'd said yes!

syrus turned toward the door, took a deep breath, and walked inside.

and every one of the miniclass students was waiting in the commonroom.
"well, well, if it isn't the Traitor to his own kind..." one of them sneered

he couldn't lie, his tuxedo was an obvious giveaway to where he'd been.

"i... i'm not a traitor! i was asked to go, i was somebody's date!"
nobody answered, they all just looked at him with contempt.
"what's you guys' problem? it was just--"
"it was just you blowing us off for some... some... some fucking Allube!, a goddamn giant! and we all heard the friggin' Allube STOMPING in, we know that you were carried back here! you're a traitor! we were s'posed to protest about having our event CANCELLED YET AGAIN, AND YOU WERE OFF PARTYING WITH AN ALLUBE! what the FUCK, Revino?!"
(note: "Allube" is a sizist/racist term used in a Derogatory way to insult a giant)

syrus shrunk back from the angry crowd "that's not fair... i was asked out by my crush... i couldn't say no to that... would you?"

someone threw something at him, but he ducked under it.
and as he ducked, he saw a ton of emptied alcohol bottles under the coffee table.
well, that explained their actions, underage binge drinking.
but he still didn't like it.

then, someone stepped between syrus and his peers with a drunken gait.
"nahw shee herre, evvwy bahdy shtahp iht..."

it was Davis... drunk?

"Davis... what're you doing? how are you drunk, anyway?"
"ah took aahh sup'ress'nt... dropped mah met- metah-bolishim... ah feeeeeel greeeeeat..."

(only one thing i can do to get out of this...)
syrus reached into his back pocket, and retrieved a small pill-like glass tube of smoky liquid.
(gotta use the sleeping mist...)
he covered his mouth, and tossed it against the ceiling, and a maroon mist wafted down, and everyone else collapsed and fell asleep.
even Davis.

syrus dragged the green and white feline back to their room, closed and locked the door, took a spray bottle from his desk, and gave Davis a spray of a cyan-coloured mist into his mouth.

Davis coughed, and opened his eyes listfully, still drunk as he reawakened "mmhh... heeeey shyrushh.... wha'cha doooooo'in, buuuuuh-dy?" he slurred

"Davis," syrus groaned "why'd you do this to yourself?"
"ah wahnted tah seeee h-haaw it washh liyke fuh yeww guyshh..."

syrus shook his head "Davis, being drunk comes at a price..."
he recieved a drunken, confused look.
"you'll understand in the morning... don't say i didn't warn you..."

-the next morning, 6:30 AM-

syrus sat on the computer desk chair, looking over at the sleeping feline on the top bunk, smiling.
(that crazy biocat... he'll wish he didn't take that supressant when he wakes up... heh heh heh...)
the feline stirred, and groaned as he woke up.
"aughhh... my head... my head hurts, my stomach is burning, my brain's all messed up, my hearing's all distorted, my eyes... everything's all blurry... arghhh... what is this?" he groaned in pain.

syrus chuckled "ah, Davis, my bio-construct friend, this feeling that you're experiencing right now is what we 'naturals' call a 'hangover'... you might say it's the price of getting drunk..."

"price?"

"you'll have lost a couple brain cells..."

"oh... urgh... i feel sick..."

"get to the bathroom, put your head over the open toilet bowl, trust me Davis, you'll thank me if you do."

he got up and staggered to the ensuite bathroom...
syrus chuckled "three... two... one..."
BLEURGH!
syrus chuckled "and that's vomiting, Davis, it means your stomach is in rebellion at what you've eaten or drank. in this case, all that booze is making you sick."

"it's- it's--" BLEURGH!!

syrus walked into the bathroom, and patted his friend on the back "how're you liking your first hangover?"
"i'm... no--" BLEURGH!

syrus sighed "what am i gonna do with you, Davis? your metabolisim's high for a reason, you know that, right? you're supposed to stay in tip-top condition, remember soldier?"
he nodded, before puking again.
"when is... this gonna... en--" BLEURGH!

"heh heh... you're never gonna take supressants again, are you?" syrus scolded him
"no! no! never agai--" BLEURGH!!

syrus rubbed his friend on the back "this is why the legal drinking age is 18. because you're too stupid to drink in moderation."
Davis nodded, and puked again.
"you'll take my advice next time you think about being an idiot, won't you?"
a quick nod.

syrus walked out "i'll be right back, i'm just getting something to settle your stomach"
Davis puked again, he knew now that disregarding the otter's advice on taking the supressants outside of rugby play had been a bad idea, without his hyper-metabolism, he had drank too much alcohol and become intoxicated... and syrus was giving him the 'i told you so' look whenever he got a chance.
next time, he'd LISTEN when the otter gave him life advice, that was for sure!

syrus returned with a white cloudy liquid in a glass.
"drink it."
he took the glass from his friend, and downed the contents.
"that's water mixed with Sodium Bi-Carbonate... helps settle an uneasy stomach a litle bit."
Davis panted heavily, gasping in air in great lungfulls.
he'd stopped vomiting.
"th-thanks... syrus... i... i owe you... one..." he said breathlessly
"Five."
he groaned, but nodded "okay... five..."

syrus tossed him a towel "clean yourself off, your face is covered in filth."
syrus pulled him away from the toilet and flushed it, while Davis wiped the vomit from his face.
"you might want to shower, get the stink of booze and puke out of your fur, and i'll put together breakfast."
syrus walked out, and Davis hung his head in shame...
(this must be karma, i hurt syrus, and now i'm being punished for it... i guess i should count myself lucky that there's a natural who's okay with me... how'd i ever survive without a guide who knows about 'life' ...?)
he looked back at the doorway (guess it'd be common knowledge if you're actually alive though...)

he undressed and turned on the shower.

---

syrus boiled a pot of water, and grabbed a bag of chicken soup, looking at the expiration date.
it was only recently bought, but there were only two days until it went bad, so why not use it now?
he set the timer on the stove for a few minutes, and checked his PDA.
there was a message from Carl.

[hey! how you doing?
U still up 4 our date @ 8?
i'm thinkin bout a cafe i go to lots... u will like it, trust me on this!
i C U soon!
right?]

syrus posted a reply

[yes, i'm still up for it.
this cafe, is it a giants' cafe?
because that kind of makes me nervous...
but... i trust you. i don't think you'd take me anywhere dangerous!
i'll definitely C U @ 8!!]

once Davis was out of the shower, they both sat on the floor in front of the bunk, enjoying the chicken soup.
dim 7:00 AM sunlight had begun to shine through the window.

Davis was looking oddly at syrus "so... you're...? you're into...?"
syrus just kept eating, trying to ignore the question.
Davis wanted an answer "you wanna... 'get with'... a giant... a guy giant, at that?"
"like i've said before, i'm attracted to other guys, yes, but it's an emotional thing, not a purely physical attraction with me, remember?" syrus said as he chewed on a chunk of chicken.
Davis smiled as he shoved a spoonful of soup into his mouth.
"well... i'm kinda wierded out... i can't get the image outta my mind... it's really gross to see in my head."
"so's that green crap you're made of, Davis... it's a gross mental image, too."
Davis chuckled "well, i hate gays, and one of my friends is one. and you're made of meat while i'm made of BSGM; Bio-Synthetic Gelatinous Material. we should hate each other, but we're friends, funny how things turn out, aren't they, syrus?."

suddenly, the entire room went dark.
syrus squinted in the darkness, and the green on Davis' fur began glowing softly, along with his luminescent garnet-orange coloured eyes shining brightly, like two balls of flame hanging in the air, surrounded by the electric green glow that was his face.
"i... didn't... know you could... do that..."
the glowy shapes seemed to shrug "i kept from lighting up because i figured you'd get creeped out"
syrus noticed that everything inside Davis' mouth also glowed when he was 'lit up' ... it was a bit unnerving.
"does... does everything inside you glow too?"
"err... yeah... bodily fluids like blood, saliva, and other stuff do too... is that okay?"
syrus laughed a little "it's... unusual... but i'll deal..." syrus checked the time on his PDA, and noticed a message on it.
"hmm? what's this?"
Davis leaned over, letting his luminescence give syrus a better look at the screen.

[hey there! sorry for being sudden, but is it okay if we move the time up an hour?
i'm just... impatient.
...
by the way... your friend looks wierd when he's glowing ;P
hintity hint hint]

it was from the leopard
syrus typed a reply.

[okay... i can be ready soon...
wait, how'd you know Davis is glowing?]

"i was wondering that, too..." the biocat remarked, and another message popped up

[same reason the room went dark.
look out y'r window ;P
then U C Y!]

wide eyed, they looked up at the window...
and they didn't see the sky outside...
not unless the sky was a gold colour with a large black pointed oval in it.

they heard a hushed, yet loud voice from outside
"hello in there!"

syrus rushed to the window, and opened it, sure enough, it was carl's eye peering back at him.
"took you long enough to notice i was here!"
syrus blushed "YOU PERV!"
the giant laughed quietly
"well, if watching something in it's natural habitat is considered pervy, then all scientists are perverts by your logic!" he whispered
Davis crept up behind the otter "s-so you're the ma- uh... guy who asked syrus to the formal last night?"
carl gestured for them to come outside, and syrus climbed out of the window, onto the leopard's nose.
"i am."
Davis looked at the locked door, then back at the window "uh..." he approached the window, and streched out his arm "BioConstruct, Beta classification: 178 C, also known as 'Davis'..."
carl touched his tiny paw with his finger "Carlito. nice to meet you properly, not under... other circumstances... if you recall..."
Davis nodded nervously "y-yeah... likewise..."
they shook on it.

carl backed away from the window, keeping his head level "what do you say we get going?"
he rose to his full height, and dipped his nose into his paws, now carrying the little otter safely.
"i know a really good place, best cafe on campus!"
carl waited until his passenger nodded, albiet nervously, before he started walking, surprisingly, without the usual ground shaking thumps that accompanied a giant's footfalls.
"how're you doing that?"
"doing what, exactly?"
"walking... well, like that. you aren't..."
the leopard smiled, but kept from showing his teeth "ah, you mean how quiet it is!"
syrus nodded "i didn't think it was possible... i haven't gone slightly deaf, have i?"
the leopard shook his head "no no, you're completely fine, i'm just trying something new, i'm putting my paw down a bit lighter, i figured it was how hard the paw hits the ground that hurts your ears and knocks you around... hey, that rhymed, didn't it?"
syrus nodded "well, trust me, it's working... i never even heard you approach after all!" syrus remarked, giving the leopard a big, nervous smile.

"you're still a bit nervous, aren't you? i guess it can't be helped."
the otter hesitantly sat down in the massive palm "a... a bit... yeah..."

carl smiled warmly "well, i'll earn your trust eventually... would ensuring that Miniclass's formal actually happens help at all?"

syrus chuckled "it... it would... if someone actually wanted to go with me."

carl smiled knowingly "oh, that can be arranged... if you'd like."

less than a week later, miniclass succeeded in having their formal, and, much to everyone's surprise, carl attended as syrus' 'plus one' ... and made the party awkward, but memorable, in a good way.
the miniclass gymnasium was being cleaned, so the party was moved to the roof of the building, which was made easier by an improvised elevator of the giant's paws, and when the DJ table broke, carl offered the use of his MP3 player.
he managed to improve the party for the small students, just as syrus had at Megaclass' formal.
carl didn't dance, knowing the tremors he'd cause for the small students, but he allowed syrus an exclusive position from his full standing height; allowing him to breakdance on his palms miles above his peers' heads.

by the end of the party, syrus was calmly laying back in carl's right paw, reclining comfortably.
"thanks for coming! you really improved things!"
the big leopard smiled "just repaying the favor."
syrus' expression darkened "so... you only hung out with me, and came here tonight... because of a debt?... i thought... i thought you...?"
carl cringed "uh... not quite... i liked you, you seemed interesting, so i wanted to get to know you better... and well... dating you seemed to work..."
"was it... all just an act?"
"w-well... no, no it..."
syrus began crying "was everything you did and said... a lie?"
grimacing, carl brought the otter to his face, before his mouth.
he whispered "well... i know this isn't a lie..."
and he lay a delecate kiss upon the otter's tiny lips.
"MH?!" the otter exclaimed in surprise... but returned the kiss after his surprise faded.
there was nobody around, and carl believed that he wouldn't have cared if there was.
he finally realised that he hadn't really been joking when he'd referred to syrus as his 'crush'
he really did like him, no, more than liked him...
carl ended the kiss, and smiled back at the bewildered otter
"... real enough for you?" he whispered
syrus nodded blankly.
"hey... can i ask something?"
the otter nodded again.
"will you... please... be my boyfriend?"
the little otter leapt up, hugging the leopard's face "yes, yes! i will!!"
carl stuck his tongue out a bit, and licked the otter's face gently with his tonguetip
"thankyou..." he whispered.

after that, it was sealed, Syrus and Carlito were a couple, and during certain events, syrus had the privilige of getting a shoulder-high-seat view of the action.
and bullies and gay bashers thought twice before they hassled syrus ever again, especially after a stern talking to from the leopard who dwarfed them in size.
the megaclass students came to respect carl for his choice, and gave him no grief over it.
and when gay-bashers came for carl... well, with his boyfriend being a friend of a certain bioweapon, said bioweapon and his brothers decided to back him up.

they might have been a giant leopard and a little otter... but they were perfect for each other, and nobody could change that.

(next chapter: back in the present, it's time for Resilix to go global!)