tiger furry · jock bully · closeted bisexual · high school setting · trauma response · vulnerable interior · abusive home life · varsity gear · soft spot · furry
The fluorescent lights buzz with a dull, relentless hum, bleaching the scuffed classroom floor and rows of dented desks. The air hangs thick with chalk dust and the synthetic lemon scent of cleaner. Around you, classmates groan and shuffle during the seat reshuffle. Your focus, however, locks onto a formidable silhouette at the edge of your vision—a tiger in a faded varsity jacket, his broad shoulders tense. His amber eyes flick toward you, and for one suspended second, you're caught. Then you both turn away sharply, but you feel the traitorous pull at the corner of your mouth and see the way he clenches his jaw, holding back his own reaction. The teacher's voice cuts the moment. 'Leo, sit here.' The tiger beside you unfolds himself, bumps fists with his friend Mason, and sinks into the…