TW: Homophobic slurs

"No way."

"That's not true."

"I refuse to believe that."

Josie couldn't help but laugh a little at everyone's slack jawed expressions. "I'm telling you, it's the truth."

Corey, Jack, Judy, and Josie were sitting together at lunch that Friday afternoon, talking and joking around with each other. About a week had passed since Corey first arrived at the school, and during that time, Jack and Corey had gotten closer, spending most of their free time together outside of school, sometimes with Josie and Judy tagging along with them. During their little meet ups, they would talk more and more about themselves: Corey would talk about his parents, Judy would tell the raccoon about her dream to be the first bunny police officer, and Jack would talk about any happy memories of his mother. Josie, on the other paw, would mostly listen to their stories, not contributing much.

That is, until…

The buck shook his head in disbelief. "You've told us a lot of things, Jo, but I'm calling bullshit on that one."

"Hey, that's offensive to bulls," Corey said with faux indignation.

Josie laughed. "It's true!"

"No, it's not!"

"Why is it so hard to believe that I had an emo phase two years back?"

"Because," Jack then gestured to the brown doe, "it's YOU! You just don't give off that vibe!"

"I'm with Jack on this one," Judy agreed. "Pictures or it never happened."

"Pictu- You want pictures?!" Josie scrambled to grab her phone. Quickly, she unlocked it and gave it to Corey. "Here!"

The raccoon took the phone and gave a long look at it, before eventually putting it face down on the table and cupping his snout with his paws, trying to hold back laughter. Both Jack and Judy's ears fell back in shock.

"No…"

"Corey, tell us this isn't true."

The boar in question was now shaking, trying so hard not to laugh. Eventually, Josie said, "Go ahead and laugh; I'm not going to be upset!" With that, the dam broke, and Corey burst out into laughter.

Judy quickly grabbed Josie's phone to see the picture, only to immediately start laughing as well. "WHAT?!" She passed it to Jack, who's jaw dropped as he looked at it with a mix of shock, awe, and disbelief.

"Holy. SHIT."

It was a selfie of Josie, who was two years younger at that time, wearing a black T-shirt showing a bunny's head with 'X'-ed out eyes, a black and white skirt, purple lipstick, two piercings in her left ear, and a heavy amount of eyeshadow, giving the peace sign in fingerless gloves.

"So," Josie started, giggling. "What do you think?"

Jack was silent for a beat before slowly saying, "We have been friends for over a year now." A massive grin broke out across his face. "HOW HAVE I NOT SEEN THIS BEFORE?" He started laughing as he gave her back her phone.

Josie was fully laughing at this point. "I don't know; you never asked."

"How much eyeshadow did you have to put on for it to show through your fur?!" Judy asked.

"I went through the entire bottle after about a week!" the brown doe revealed, laughing hysterically. Meanwhile, Corey was still hunched over, now crying from laughing so hard.

This went on for a few more minutes before Josie managed to compose herself. "OK, let's tone it down a bit," she said. "Everyone's looking over here now."

The other kits looked around, and sure enough, every student in the cafeteria was staring at them in confusion. Corey waved to them.

"That's all folks. Show's over."

At his words, everyone slowly turned around and conversation started up again. The four kits looked at each other and gave a little chuckle, now a little self-conscious.

"Speaking of shows," Corey said, pointing back and forth between Jack and Josie, "you guys have to do an emo night now."

"Oooh, that'd be awesome!" Josie exclaimed.

Jack smiled and nodded. "I'm down for that. Any suggestions?"

The raccoon shrugged. "As long as you guys do at least one Modern Furball song, I'd be happy."

"Don't think I know them," the buck admitted, pulling out his phone. "I'll add them to the list." He paused briefly before casting a look at Josie. "Is it possible for you to send me that picture?"

Josie laughed as she nodded. "Yeah, I got you."

Judy was giggling as well. "What, do emo girls do it for you, Jack?" she teased.

"So what if they do?" Jack countered, smirking back. He looked at the brown doe. "Maybe that's why we didn't click: you're not emo anymore."

Josie rolled her eyes, still smiling. "So that's the deal breaker, huh?" she joked. "Damn, should've known that boys are weak to emos."

"Speak for yourself, dude," Corey teased. "I wouldn't be caught dead dating an emo kit." His eyes soon lit up. "Oh! Does that mean I can do all my emo jokes now?!"

"…Your 'emo jokes'?"

Corey smiled. "Why do emo kits hate high fives?" At everyone's blank stare, he answered, "They're always left hanging."

Everyone's reaction was what one would expect:

"DUDE!"

"OH MY DOG!"

Josie's reaction was laughter.

"See, the emo kit's fine with it," Corey said, grinning. "Just don't get any ideas from these, OK?"

"Oh, fuck you," the brown doe said as she shoved the raccoon, though her smile gave away that she wasn't really angry. "Like you don't have any skeletons in your closet."

It was barely noticeable, but Jack swore he saw Corey flinch slightly. He quickly looked at the does, who weren't paying any attention. He then heard the boar talk.

"OK, fair enough."

It sounded like he was trying to act nonchalant, but the buck could tell there was something else. Whatever it was, though, Corey was clearly uncomfortable now, and he hated that.

"So," Jack started, attempting to change the subject, "you guys down for season two of Avatar tonight?"

"YES," Josie said, nodding. "Though I can't believe you guys made me wait a week to watch it."

That brought some chuckles from everyone. Jack looked over at Corey, who looked a little relieved to be talking about something else. The buck wanted to ask if he was OK, but he also knew that he should ask the raccoon about it later in private.

"Yeah, we want to see your reaction to it!" Corey said.

Judy nodded her head in agreement. "You didn't look up any spoilers, did you?"

"No," Josie answered, with an exasperated sigh. "Because you guys would never forgive me if I did!"

Corey and Judy both started giggling at the brown bunny's comment. Jack started to giggle, too; he was glad to see the raccoon having a good time. Honestly, he wanted to see Corey smile more; he had a good smile…

"You good, Jack?"

The bunny in question blinked. "What?"

Corey, Judy, and Josie were all looking at him. "You were staring into space, dude," the boar said. "You OK?"

Jack quickly nodded, ears heating up. "Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Just kinda zoned out for a minute," he said. "So, Jo, what was your favorite part of season one?"

That instantly sparked a discussion on the best episodes, the best moments, the best characters, with everyone contributing their thoughts. Throughout the debate about whether 'The Great Divide' was actually a good episode or not, though, Jack instead found himself wondering one thing:

'What the hell just happened?'

"So, did anyone else notice that Mrs. Bruford looked a little…unhappy today?"

Jack shrugged as he, Corey, and Josie walked down the hall towards the front of the school. It was the end of the day, and they were planning on meeting up with Judy at her last class. "A little bit? I heard a rumor that she's having some problems with her husband at home."

"Like what?" Josie asked.

"Dunno. Again, just a rumor going around."

"Hmm."

"Hey," Corey interjected. "We're by my locker; I need to drop some stuff off. I'll meet up with you guys in a bit." Both bunnies nodded, and the raccoon split away from them to the lockers. Jack and Josie continued their way down the hall, eventually making it to Judy's final class. A few minutes later, the gray doe exited the room, looking a little irritated.

"Uh oh," Josie muttered.

"Uh, everything good?" Jack asked his cousin cautiously, as they stepped away from the classroom.

Judy sighed as she rubbed her eyes. "Yeah, I'm good. Just had to endure yet ANOTHER speech from Mrs. Anderson about how I 'need to start planning for my future,' and how being a police officer 'isn't the way to go'." She huffed. "Uppity bitch…"

Josie snorted. "You'd think they'd learn not to dissuade you by now."

"You'd think that, wouldn't you?" Judy agreed, throwing her paws up in frustration. Before anything else could be said, however, the three of them heard a commotion coming from behind them. They turned to see a mostly empty hallway, with the only other mammals present being Corey and…

Jack's ears fell back against his head.

"Oh no."

Josie jerked her head in that direction. "Come on, let's go break it up."

The three bunny kits quickly made their way over to Corey, who had his back up against the lockers by Chuck and his little group. As they got closer, Jack could hear the woodchuck say, "You've got some nerve, trash panda!"

"Y'know, I think that's more offensive to actual pandas than to me-"

Corey's remark was cut off as one of Chuck's friends, a ram, suddenly grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him further into the lockers.

"Hey!"

Everyone turned and saw the three bunnies approaching them. Chuck sneered and said, "Piss off. This has nothing to do with you," before turning back to the raccoon.

"Leave him alone, Chuck." When that didn't work, Jack tried something different:

"Leave him alone, Charlie."

THAT certainly got his attention, as Chuck and his group now focused on the buck, letting go of Corey, who fell to the ground. "The FUCK did you call me?!"

"Your name, what else?" Glaring at the woodchuck in front of him, Jack said, "Leave him alone."

"I liked you better when you could be ignored, Savage," the woodchuck grounded out.

"Trust me, I could say the same about you," Jack retorted. "What did he even do?"

"He fucking tripped me!"

The three rabbits turned to Corey, who shrugged his shoulders, looking baffled and perplexed. Jack turned back to the woodchuck.

"Oh no, what a nightmare!" the buck exclaimed sarcastically. "Seriously, get the fuck over yourself. I seriously doubt he tripped you, and even if he did, I doubt he did it on purpose."

"Don't call me a liar," Chuck spat out. "That faggot waited to trip me!"

Jack could hear Judy and Josie inhale sharply behind him, and he could barely see how pale Corey's face had become. Even some of Chuck's friends looked uncomfortable. Jack didn't acknowledge any of it, though, as he took a step towards the woodchuck, getting face to face with him, now angry.

"Now you listen here," the buck said in a low but threatening tone. "Corey happens to be a friend of mine, and if you know what's best for you, you won't call him that again."

Jack and Chuck stared each other down as everyone watched with bated breath. Finally, one of Chuck's cronies, a zebra, spoke up.

"Chuck, we gotta go, mam," he said. "The bus will leave any minute now."

The woodchuck continued to glare at Jack for a few more seconds before he finally said, "This isn't over, Savage." With that, he turned and started walking away, his friends following him.

"Then I'll end it next time," the buck snapped back.

Once the woodchuck and his friends were far enough away, Judy turned to Jack, concerned. "You sure it's a good idea to antagonize him?"

The striped bunny scoffed. "What's the worst he's going to do? Make fun of me for my parents again? I can handle him."

Josie sighed as she turned to Corey, holding out her paw to help him up. "You OK-"

"Yeah, I'm fine," the boar quickly interrupted, not taking her paw and standing up. "I'm good."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure." He then took a deep breath. "Well, I gotta get home and drop my stuff off; I'll catch y'all later today."

"Corey, are you sure you're-" Judy started.

"GUYS." The three of them jumped at his raised voice. "I'm FINE. Really."

Jack looked at the girls, and it was clear that they weren't buying it. He then turned back to Corey and said, "If you say so."

"I do," the raccoon said. "See you guys later?" At their nods, he gave a small smile and turned around and started walking away. As soon as he turned the corner, the buck turned and faced the others. In an unspoken agreement, they quietly but quickly started following him down the hall. They turned the corner to see Corey quickly enter a restroom further down the hall, shutting the door just as fast. The buck let out a heavy sigh.

'Shit.'

"Jack," Josie started, causing him to turn around. "You should go talk to him. Make sure he's OK."

"What? Why me?" he asked.

"Because he'll talk to you."

The buck looked a little conflicted. "But, what about-"

"We can reschedule season two for tomorrow," the doe waved off. "Go."

Jack quickly nodded and practically ran towards the restroom. He could faintly hear Judy call out, "I'll tell everyone you'll be home a little late!" He slowed down as he approached the restroom door and took a deep breath before entering. Surprisingly, it was empty. The only signs that someone was in there were what sounded like ragged breaths coming from one of the restroom stalls.

"Corey?"

The stall fell silent. Jack continued. "Look, I know you said that you're OK, but-"

"Leave me alone, Jack."

The buck's ears drooped. "Listen, I-"

"Go. AWAY."

The harshness in the raccoon's voice stopped Jack dead in his tracks. He hadn't ever heard Corey speak like that. The striped bunny took a breath.

"I can't do that, Corey," he said at last, propping himself up on the sinks. "Because the last time I did that to a friend, she disappeared for hours, and we had no idea where she was or where to find her." He paused. "I can't help but think that if I hadn't done that, she wouldn't have run off." Jack looked down at his paws while Corey remained silent. "You don't have to say anything; I won't make you. But I'm not just going to just leave you alone right now."

Silence fell upon the two of them for what seemed like forever. Finally, Jack heard the stall door open and looked up to see Corey walking towards the sinks, looking miserable. He leaned forward against it, clearly trying to compose himself. After a few seconds, he spoke.

"He's a lovely mammal," the boar said sarcastically, head hanging low.

Jack nodded. "Yeah. Told you he's a real ass."

Corey gave a small smile, though it was strained. "Isn't that an insult to donkeys?" That got a small laugh from both kits. After a while, the raccoon fell silent again. Jack was growing more and more concerned by his friend's behavior. Sure, Chuck was awful, but no one ever really gave him the time of-

"Does he call everyone that?"

Jack's thoughts were interrupted by Corey's sudden question. "What?"

"Does he call everyone he hates a faggot?"

"…I don't know," the striped bunny started, noticing the tense posture his friend had. "Probably? I make it a habit to not talk to that dipshit. You shouldn't take it personally-"

"Oh, yeah? And what if I do?" the raccoon interrupted, facing the buck. Jack could see that he was shaking now.

"W-Well, I don't think you should-"

"Well, I AM taking it personally, Jack!"

"Why?"

"BECAUSE I'M-"

Corey suddenly stopped, his eyes widening in horror as he quickly looked away from the striped bunny. Jack stared at his friend, his ears falling back in shock.

"…Oh."

Corey cringed. "Really, fucking 'oh'?" he grounded out. "That's all you have to say?"

Jack felt his stomach drop before stammering out, "Shit, I-I'm sorry, dude, I d-didn't mean for it to sound like that-"

The boar barked out a laugh, though there was no humor to it. He then straightened himself out, running his paws down his face. "Fuck, dude, this is NOT how I wanted my day to go."

"…"

Finally, the raccoon took a deep breath and faced Jack.

"Well, go ahead: say it."

The buck was confused. "Say what?"

Corey scoffed. "What everyone always says about this! 'Are you sure it's not a phase'? 'Is this a joke'? 'Did you have a crush on me'? 'You know this is against scripture, right'? There's enough of that shit back in Deerbrooke, I don't need it here, too!"

"Corey-"

"Oh wait, hold on; you want to hear me say it first, because I didn't actually say it, did I?" he asked sarcastically. "Is that it? Fine!" He held his arms out wide.

"I'm gay!"

Both kits just stared at each other in silence at the raccoon's declaration. Finally unable to stand the silence, Corey spoke again.

"Well," he said, his voice breaking. "Say something!"

At that, Jack slid off the counter and faced the raccoon, his arms held out in front of him.

"Come here."

Corey looked at him, confused. "What? Why?"

"Because you need a hug," Jack said. "And I promise you, bunnies give the BEST hugs out there."

Corey stared at him, before slowly getting closer to the bunny. Once he was close enough, Jack wrapped his arms around him and embraced him. The raccoon tensed up briefly, before wrapping his own arms around the buck. They held each other for a while before eventually breaking it off. Corey sniffed as he wiped his eyes.

"You weren't kidding," he joked, giving a small smile. Jack couldn't help but smile back at him. Corey took a breath and stepped back. "OK, I can tell you have questions, so," he gestured towards the buck, "I open the floor to you."

Jack thought for a second before asking, "How long have you known?"

Corey scoffed. "Fuck if I know. I guess I've always been like this." He leaned back against the wall and slowly slid down it. "Remember how I said Deerbrooke's a conservative place?" At the buck's nod, he said, "Well, THAT is one of the things they have an opinion on. I figured that out firstpaw in second grade. With Terry…"

Jack slowly sat down next to him. "What happened?"

"…I kissed him," Corey revealed, playing with his necklace. Jack picked up very quickly that he played with the pendant when he was nervous. "I liked him a lot, and I thought that all best friends felt like this and that he felt the same way. So, I told him and then kissed him."

Jack winced. "I take it that it didn't go over well?"

Corey shook his head ruefully. "Nope. Turns out that all it did was make me lose my best friend for good." He sighed. "The teachers and adults found out, but they were willing to 'forgive and forget'." The bitterness in his voice was not lost on the bunny. "Afterall, I was a little kit, and I 'didn't know any better,' and 'didn't know that it was wrong'." The raccoon brought his knees up to his chest as he took a deep breath.

"Is it wrong?" he asked quietly after a few seconds. "It doesn't feel like it is."

Hating to see him like this, Jack placed an arm around the boar's shoulder. "Can I give you some advice?"

He felt his friend shrug. "Sure, I guess."

"In the wise words of Jonathan Wilde: 'fuck 'em'."

Corey looked at him, surprised. "What?"

The bunny gave a small smile. "Corey, if this who you truly are, then fuck what everyone else thinks. Just be yourself."

The raccoon looked at him for a few seconds before letting out a small sigh. "Trust me, Jack, I've been trying to do that for years. It's hard to 'be me' when everyone seems to hate what I am."

"Not me," Jack adamantly told him, removing his arm. "And I'll fight anyone who has a problem with it."

"Chuck?" The buck nodded fervently. Corey fell silent. "…Even your other friends?"

That made Jack pause as he considered what to say. Finally, he said, "If it comes to that, then yes. But I can assure you that it won't." He nudged the raccoon. "I do know this, though: no matter what happens, I'm still your friend, OK?"

Corey looked at him, still a little surprised. Jack could see tears starting to form before the raccoon chuckled and shook his head.

"Damn bunnies, making me all emotional."

Jack laughed. "Yeah, fuck you, too."

The two shared a smile when Corey's phone went off. The raccoon pulled it out and winced.

"Shit, my ride's here; they've been waiting for almost ten minutes now."

"Alright," Jack said, getting up. He offered his paw to Corey and helped him up. "Let's not keep them waiting any longer. I need to get home, too." The boar nodded, and they made their way out of the restroom and down the hall. A few seconds later, Corey spoke up.

"It wasn't an accident." At Jack's confused expression, he clarified, "I totally tripped that prick."

The buck couldn't help but snicker. "Fuckin' knew it."

Finally, the two of them made it to the front of the school. A few seconds later, Corey pointed to a lone car in the parking lot.

"That's my ride."

"OK. We moved season two to tomorrow; that fine with you?" Jack asked. Corey nodded, and the buck added, "OK, I'll see you then." He turned and was about to walk away when the raccoon spoke up.

"Hey, Jack?"

The striped bunny turned around. "Yeah?"

Corey shifted his feet a little. "Nobody else knows about this. I mean, some mammals back home have suspicions and are questioning it, but no one's been brave enough to confront me about it. No one really knows the truth. Not even my parents or grandparents."

"It's just me?"

The raccoon nodded. "Just you. And I'd like to keep it that way."

"Don't worry," Jack quickly reassured. "I won't say anything, though I highly doubt that Judy or Josie would have an issue with it."

"I know," Corey agreed, "but I don't know if I can tell them. Maybe in the future, but not yet."

The buck gave a reassuring smile. "There's no pressure, dude. And if you're ever ready to tell them, I'll be right there with you."

The raccoon gave a small smile and nodded before quietly saying, "Thank you."

Jack grinned back and said, "What are friends for, right?"

"Right," Corey agreed, nodding his head again. They then heard a car honk its horn, making them jump a little. The boar chuckled lightly and started walking towards his ride. "See ya tomorrow."

"See ya." With that, Jack finally started walking towards the school entrance. A few moments later, a car passed by him, signaling that Corey had left, too. The buck sighed, thinking back to the conversation he had with the raccoon in the restroom, the words still clear in his mind:

'I'm gay!'

The one thing that stood out to him wasn't the actual confession itself; no, it was the look of pure and genuine fear in Corey's eyes. The raccoon did say that he lost his friend when he came out to them.

'Did he think that I would turn on him, too?' Jack wondered.

It made sense, in a way: Corey had only known the striped bunny for about two weeks, and even though they had become close, he didn't blame the raccoon for not telling him. This was extremely personal and, as the both of them found out, there were still mammals out there who were prejudiced against it.

Why would he tell him?

Jack shook his head. It doesn't matter; Corey was his friend, and he made a promise to him. And by Frith, he was going to keep that promise.

A few minutes passed when Jack heard his phone start ringing. He checked the call ID and saw that it was Judy. He quickly pressed 'Answer.'

"Hello?"

["Hey, it's Judy."]

"I know, I saw," the buck joked.

["Ha ha ha ha."] Jack didn't even need to see his cousin to know that she was rolling her eyes. ["Are you on your way home? You've been there for quite a while now."]

"Yeah, I'm on my way back," Jack said. "Should be there in a few minutes."

["Good."] Judy fell silent until she finally asked the question the buck was waiting for:

["How's Corey doing?"]

Jack fell quiet, trying to find the right thing to say. Eventually, he said, "He's doing better. All we really did was just talk about stuff."

["Like what?"]

The buck suddenly stopped. 'Shit.'

"Well," he started, trying to come up with something, "you know, about how much of an asshole Chuck is, bands that that Josie and I could do for an emo night, season two of Avatar; stuff like that."

To his relief, Judy bought it. ["Ah. Did it work?"]

Jack nodded, then realized that the doe couldn't see him. "Yeah, got him smiling again in no time."

Judy chuckled, before letting out a quiet sigh. ["The school really needs to do something about Chuck; he went too far this time."]

"As long as his dad's on the school board, they won't do anything," the striped bunny said. "Not without proof, anyway."

Another sigh. ["Yeah. Speaking of Avatar, is he coming down tomorrow to watch it with us?"]

"Yeah, he said he's fine with it."

["Good. Well, I just wanted to call and see how far out you were. See you in a few minutes?"] the doe asked.

"Yeah."

["OK. See you then. Bye."]

"Bye."

Both bunnies hung up, and Jack pocketed his phone with a sigh of relief. 'Thank Frith she didn't question anything.' His phone then buzzed, and he brought it out again to see that he received a text. He smiled when he saw who it was, which grew even bigger when he read the message:

['So, guess who's coming up next weekend for a specific bunny's birthday?']

Jack's binky could not be helped.

THE NEXT DAY…

*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*

A few seconds later, the front door to the Hopps' house opened. Jack smiled when he saw a familiar raccoon.

"Hey, dude," he greeted. "We just finished setting it up; you ready?"

Corey nodded. "Yeah, let's do it."

Jack led him inside and down the hall to his room. Along the way, Corey asked, "Were the girls upset that we had to move season two?"

The buck shook his head. "They were the ones who suggested it, actually."

"Really?"

Jack faced the raccoon. "Corey, that was the last thing on their minds. They were worried about you; they wanted to make sure that you were OK."

Corey fell silent at that. Eventually, they made it to Jack's room and walked inside to find Judy and Josie sitting on the buck's bed, talking. Josie smiled when she saw who it was.

"Hey, dude!" she said, getting up and giving the raccoon a hug.

"Hey," was all he said.

After a beat, the brown doe broke off the hug as Judy asked, "You feeling better?"

Corey nodded. "Yeah. Jack said you guys were worried about me?" Both does nodded. "Listen, you guys didn't need-"

"The hell we didn't," Josie interrupted. "We're your friends, Corey. We've got your back, OK?"

Corey was quiet for a few seconds before softly asking, "We are friends, aren't we?"

"Yes, we are," Judy told him adamantly. She then turned to Jack. "Ready to get this started?"

Jack smiled. "Yeah, let's go." He walked over to his laptop when Corey spoke up.

"Hey, um," he trailed off when all three bunnies turned to him. "I've…got something to tell you guys. Jack already knows, but I think you guys should, too."

Jack's eyes widened as Josie and Judy looked at each other confused before looking back to the boar. "OK," Josie said tentatively. "What's up?"

Corey looked down at his paws, wringing them, before giving a small look at Jack. The striped bunny gave him a reassuring smile and a small nod that seemed to say, 'You've got this.'

A few seconds later, Corey took a deep breath and closed his eyes.