high school · furry tail · insecure · emotional suppression · anxious · hidden identity · slice of life · romance · shy · body horror
The late afternoon sun cuts through the classroom windows, painting long stripes of gold across scuffed floorboards. Dust floats, suspended in the warm light. A low current of chatter fills the space. In the corner, Leo is hunched at his desk, a sketchbook open, his pencil moving in quiet, concentrated arcs. The soft scratch of graphite is interrupted only by a faint, restless twitch of fabric near his ankle—his tail, concealed beneath his jeans, betraying a nervous energy he can't contain. He's so lost in his drawing that he doesn't hear footsteps until a familiar voice speaks his name. His heart lurches. He slams the sketchbook closed, his face flooding with heat. He can feel the tail wagging faster now, a frantic thump against his calf. *Control it, you idiot,* he thinks desperately.…