1 Chapter One

Tossing and turning in bed. A sleepy student grumbled at his ringtone, searching for his phone under his blankets before sighing because his phone had fallen down the back of his bed. Reaching into the depths below, he answered the phone with an exhausted hello.

"I'm at the bus stop, where are you?" His best friend's voice was usually a treat in the morning, but the sudden realisation that he'd be late for school got his butt instantly out of bed.

"I'll be there in five!" hanging up the phone. He fixed his hair and changed into fresh boxers before dressing to impress. "Bye, Mom. Love you!" sliding on his shoes and grabbing his coat, he was grabbed by the collar and handed his assignment and an apple.

"Don't forget this, sweetie." She pecked his head and fixed his collar.

"Thanks, Mom. Bye."

Sprinting down the street, he held his assignment tightly under his arm and pulled out his phone. Hide's text telling him to hurry because the next bus was in five minutes. He'd been late before, but that was due to dentist appointments and check-ups. If he was late because of sleeping in, Hide would never walk to his house and wake him up until graduation.

'Why's it so cold?' he thought. Hide in sight as he slowed his sprint to a fast walk.

Turning his head, he promptly hid his exposed tail under his jumper and looked around in case anyone saw. It wasn't common for male demons to have tails and Katsuko was a recessive omega, which made him ten times as self conscious about his appearance. Their school was diverse and the only people who had tails were half breeds (half human half animal/supernatural.) and girls. Being the only male demon in school with a tail made him the subject of gossip; Hide had seen him cry once or twice because of guys making jokes in the changing rooms.

There was a pause in his step. A feeling of exposure came to make the male blush a dark red colour. He noticed his tail was on show, and he immediately put it under his shirt and hid it from the world.

"Why do Demons have the chance of developing a tail and ears?" he thought, dwelling on his sadness before realising just how much he didn't want one.

"I'm sorry! This won't happen again." He apologised for his tardiness.

"I'll call you tomorrow morning, I will not be late because you went to bed late." he sighed. Giving him a smile before stepping onto their bus.

Passing street corners for twenty-five minutes with their, a pair of earphones shared between them and the chatter of students discussing the latest gossip in their classes. Katsuko leaned his head against Hide's shoulder and closed his eyes.

Hide had been Katsuko's best friend for as long as either of them could remember. He moved in with his grandmother as a small child because his parents were business orientated, they favoured meetings over vacations and new projects over their son's birthdays. It was a painful life for Hide to adapt to.

Their stop was sadly upon them, grabbing his bag and hopping off the bus, he tripped and grabbed Hide's arm. Regaining his footing, he apologised and fixed his blazer; the sleeve slightly ruffled from his sudden clutch.

"Sorry, ha."

"Mashito, Hide!" Ai Watanabe. Another childhood friend with everything a friend could ask for; kindness, boundaries and a good heart.

Grammy; I'm making curry tonight. Invite your friends over.

Obaasan's text was a window of opportunity. If Hide could get Katsuko to stay over by inviting him for dinner, it'd mean they could celebrate their two decades; near enough. Friendship. They weren't the anniversary type but it felt nice.

"Someone woke up on the right side of the bed?" Hide commented. Ai happier than usual.

"You know it, baby." he hugged them both. Grinning from ear to ear before joining them on the walk through the entrance gate.

The courtyard lively with chatter until the school bully, Namiji, walked in with his posey and keychain girlfriend; he was known for going through girlfriend's like water bottles. Ai personally disliked him for stealing his girlfriend during his first year of high school.

"Fuck off, worm." aggressively pushing a random boy into his female friend, a class rep gave him a scolding to which pushed past her and sat around the fountain.

"Where does he get off being an asshole?" Ai grumbled. Saying goodbye as he headed to class early.

Katsuko tried to cool Ai down but he left too quickly to do so. It pissed him off knowing bullies got away with harassing other students because there was no "evidence", to prove the extent of their actions. Teachers often brushed off bullying unless it became extremely physical.

First period was English, a strong class for Hide, Katsuko not so much. He hadn't gotten an A in English since middle school, an obvious sign his understanding of the subject and language failed him many years ago. Writing in English was like completing a puzzle with the wrong pieces. A challenge far greater than God himself; if only he'd studied harder in middle school, maybe then he would've had a chance to get a decent grade.

"Give me your answer for number four?" a girl whispered to her friend. Her pencil case, obnoxiously colourful.

"Did you hear, Mashito has a tail!" gossip was something Katsuko rarely engaged in, but hearing people laugh about his tail and come up with their own twisted reasons he'd developed one pissed him off.

"He's recessive too, how sad?" a girl snared. Her gaze went to and from him while she spoke.

Hide turned his head and gestured for him to calm down. His expression told his classmates everything they wanted to know.

In high school, your species is like a status and the bloodline improves your life or most likely worst. Therefore, being recessive isn't at all helpful when it comes to being a demon - having slightly feminine features and a deep voice that's smoother than most husky dudes isn't something girls want. Reproduction is vital in the demon world but, living for a good few hundred years, isn't fun if you're lonely.

"Mashito, show us your tail?" A girl commanded. Her hair is long blonde with lilac ends and ears pointed at the top.

"Yeah, let's see!"

"I wanna see too."

Katsuko's eyes began to water, the students treating him like an exhibit at the zoo. The boy from behind him grabbed his blazer and attempted to lift it up. His abrupt jolt out of his chair, causing the teacher to scold the boy who grabbed him.

"Mr. Sarou, take yourself down to the principal's office immediately!" she paused. Watching as the student excited the room. "As for everyone else that thinks it's okay to harass another student, pay attention and work in silence." her words were cold. She reminded Katsuko of his mother when she scolded his elder brother, Kylian.

"Thank you, Sensei." he sat down. Wiping his eyes as class resumed. 'Who tries to grope someone in school?' he thought to himself. Finishing his final paragraph for the short story project they were currently working on.

He wanted to write about summer for his short story because Him and Hide had spent the first month together, which wasn't a recurring theme. They often hung out over summer, but never every day for a month. It was special to Katsuko and knowing his tail also developed during summer and the classroom drama putting a downer on his morning. Brought him discomfort writing about it.

He wasn't fond of his tail and there'd been a few inconveniences since its development; late bloomers common in his family. His brother teased him about his tail and they had a moment, which he handled. However, it didn't change the fact he hated his tail for causing him trouble. Showering was a process, getting dressed and finding clothes which fitted his tail without irritation, and so on.

Knowing people were making rumours about his tail was another inconvenience. Male demons aren't known for having tails, they are primarily female organs and naturally associated with femininity. Being male and recessive gave bullies ungodly amounts of ammunition against him, which added to his struggles.

The bell chimed and class was finally over. Grabbing his bag and walking out the door with the rest of the students. He was tripped at the threshold, falling on his side in front of a hallway of people. Ai entered the hall as he gathered himself and brushed off his humiliation.

"Hey, are you alright?" Ai picked up his bag as Hide took his hand, pulling him to his feet.

"Yeah… I'm fine." he removed his blazer. Dusting off the smudge of dirt.

The pair's eyes widened at Katsuko's shirt, the white stained by dabs of blood. Hide put his blazer around his shoulders and asked if he's alright.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Mhm. Why? Is there dirt on my trousers?" he sounded tired.

"Nah, you're bleeding, Mashito." Ai pointed out. Katsuko's bag over his shoulder.

"What!" he looked over his shoulder but couldn't see the blood.

Hide knew a lot about various species anatomies, which was one of the reasons he wanted to study biology in college. If anyone knew why Katsuko was bleeding, it'd be Hide. However, he had to ask the uncomfortable questions to give a reasonable diagnosis.

"Mashito, have you had any trouble with your tail lately?"

Katsuko was taken aback by the question because there'd been one situation related to his tail that'd caused him extreme discomfort, which involved his brother. He feared his friends would become disgusted by him if they knew what his brother had done last week. If it were his parents, they'd be absolutely brutal about it so it was mildly comforting to know his friends could one day forgive him, parents aren't as easily forgiving. Especially when it came to intimate actions.

"Uh… well." he looked around, the corridor quiet. "Last week, Kylian touched my tail." confessing to the truth he hoped they'd understand. "I know it sounds messed up and it is. I just didn't wanna tell you guys because I was embarrassed and ashamed." he sighed. "Please, don't hate me? I thought you guys would be grossed out by me if I told you." trying to take deep breaths, his face was heating up and tearful. He genuinely feared losing his friends over something that wasn't his fault.

They listened and comforted him with a group hug. Just what Katsuko needed.

"Let me take a look, okay, we're not grossed out by you at all." stepping around him and lifting his shirt. Hide examined his friend's tail, a thick white skin covering a third of its length. "Mashito, did you…" he paused. The question is very personal. "Uh, did you release sclero?" Hide's peachy cheeks and red ears were enough for Ai to understand what the question entailed.

Answering with a nod, Hide tucked in his shirt and offered his gym t-shirt to him. Wearing blood stained clothes wasn't appealing to anyone going through a seven-period day. They headed to the boy's locker room and waited for Katsuko to change. Second period, officially skipped because arriving late was just as bad.

They sat in the common area with their books out, working on their history assignments. Ai asked if they wanted anything to drink, but Katsuko offered to buy the drinks instead. Taking a little list, he wanted a chocolate filled bun with his cold coffee; despite showing his bleeding tail to his friend's he was embarrassed by his rumbling tummy. Skipping breakfast for the second time this week, he hoped a sweet snack would take his mind off lunch.

"Lemon soda, cold black coffee!" reading the list over and over so he wouldn't have to look at it every five seconds. He put two notes into the machine and reached for the keypad.

His eyes suddenly became heavy. Pressing the buttons for Hide's drink, he rolled his eyes and shoulders.

"What did Ai want?"

He looked to the list, the writing spacing out of focus and his vision blurring. He thought he was fine until he walked to the vending machine, maybe he shouldn't have skipped breakfast.

'Lemon soda?' he thought hard. The note was no longer useful.

Entering the letter then number, he heard the bottle drop and went to take them out of the holder. His body suddenly went limp and eyelids fluttered closed involuntarily. The sudden thump alerting his friends to his collapse, the iced coffee leaking onto the floor.