Boner Scrapbook #3
His eyes widened in surprise. “Whoa, no way! That’s wicked cool.”
A smile fought its way onto their face, and they blushed hotter. “Thank you. I also think it’s cool.”
Palm up, he wiggled his fingers invitingly. “Deserves a high-five. C’mon, princess—I mean… your highness. Don’t leave me hanging.” Cya shook their head but offered Dex a half-hearted hand, and he slapped their palms together, tail thumping against his gym bag. “That’s what I’m talking about. Boom!”
As the train pulled up to the platform, Cya stepped aside to allow travelers to disembark before they made their way to an empty seat and settled in.
Dex dropped down beside them, his heavy bags jostling them nearly out of their seat.
To keep themself from falling to the grimy floor, they grabbed Dex’s arm, squeaking when the firm biceps flexed under their grip.
Dear gods, he had muscles. Like… muscles!
“Uh, you good?” Dex asked, bringing attention to the fact they were still grasping his biceps.
Mortified, they released him instantly and smoothed their palms down their tunic. “Careful! I almost fell.”
“Why’d you do that?” Dex asked.
“You did—” Their nostrils flared as they exhaled in a huff. “Just be more careful.”
Instead of answering, Dex shoved his bags under the seat, practically smashing Cya’s tail where they’d curled it beneath them to keep it out of the way of feet and hooves.
They clenched their teeth and fisted their hands around the strap of their purse.
The Lupyn was none the wiser as he leaned back and manspread until his knee pressed to their tail right below the hem of their tunic.
Silence settled between them as the train eventually pulled out of the station.
Like he had that day in class, Dex drummed nonsensical rhythms with his fingers, using his thighs as a surface.
He smiled at strangers anytime they looked his way, and when a mother settled across the aisle from them with a fussy toddler in her lap, he played peekaboo with the little girl, making silly faces until she giggled.
The longer Cya witnessed his overt happiness and gentle manner, the guiltier they felt.
Yes, he was annoying, but he might not have been the cocky, asshole jock they’d first assumed.
Well, he was definitely a jock and probably cocky, but an asshole?
Perhaps they had jumped to conclusions just a smidge.
Which made them feel even worse for how callous they’d been since he’d offered to tutor them. The whole tutoring-situation was humiliating, but it wasn’t exactly Dex’s fault. They could shoulder some of the responsibility. A small percentage.
And they did need him, didn’t they? To risk their GPA all for their pride was childish.
Fiddling with their bracelet again, they mustered up some courage, and the tiny amount of humility they possessed, and whispered, “About last week, my behavior was…”
Dex turned toward them but didn’t interrupt, and they swallowed thickly. “Well, I shouldn’t have, you know, ignored you.”
The Lupyn’s gaze was heavy on the side of their face, but when they peeked at him from the corner of their eye, he beamed at them. “Apology accepted.”
Technically, they hadn’t apologized because apologies were, as their father had stringently taught them, for the weak. But they didn’t see any benefit to correcting him.
“If your offer for tutelage is still open…” They left the sentence hanging, hoping he’d take the hint.
He didn’t.
“If the offer is still open?” he prompted with an infuriating expression of glee. They glared, but he didn’t back down. He tucked his hands behind his head, as if he was reclining on a beach somewhere. “What? You think I’m that easy? You gotta sugar me up a bit.”
“It’s butter you up. Not sugar,” Cya corrected because they just couldn’t help it.
“Ew, butter would make my fur greasy. I’m sticking with sugar.”
They rubbed the space between their eyes. “I hate you.”
Working his jaw, he hummed. “Nah, I don’t think you do. I’m too cute and lovable.”
As they resisted every urge they had to wrap their fingers around his neck and squeeze, Cya inhaled deeply, exhaling slow and measured. Then they dawned their most practiced smile and ground out, “Would you be my tutor?”
“I didn’t hear a please,” he said, and their tail rattled murderously, making his smile widen even more.
“Please,” they forced through their clenched teeth, and he practically giggled like a child.
“Yes, Cya, I will be your tutor, and more importantly”—he slung an arm around their shoulders and trapped them against his side—“I will be your best friend.”
Extricating themself from his hold, they crossed their arms over their chest with a scowl. “Just the tutor is fine. We’re not friends.”
“Not yet,” Dex declared so confidently Cya was nearly tempted to believe him. “You’ll see. I tend to grow in people.”
“On people, Dex,” they corrected wearily. “On.”
He simply shrugged dismissively. “Maybe I contain multiples too?”
“Multitudes! It’s multi—argh!” Defeated, Cya slumped in their seat and buried their face in their hands. “Fuck my life.”