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Doro and Lexa

Chapter 1 - Coming Out

By XP Author

Jordan sighed, closing his locker with a bang. He looked to the one three down from his, still not seeing his friend. It wasn't like her to be late. Dot's last class was gym class, so she was probably still there, or coming from there at least. He hoped the girls weren't picking on her again. Jordan and Dot had been friends since middle school. Jordan had interrupted bullies picking on the smaller rat and had intervened, shoving one of them into a wall to get them away. He hated bullies, and seeing them picking on a girl already in tears set him off. He had been her protector ever since.

The two got along quite well, despite seeming so wildly different. Other than both being rats, they shared little else in similarity, though even that was different. Jordan was a common brown rat, while Dot was a fancy, her fur all creamy white. Jordan was tall at almost six feet, while Dot was barely over five. Jordan was well toned and athletic, enjoying things like swimming and running. Dot was extremely thin and almost frail looking, though she had managed to put a little onto her bones once in high school. Jordan was outgoing and had little trouble talking to people, while Dot was very shy and didn't like to speak up or engage. However, when they were together, Dot was a chatterbox, able to go on about whatever new thing she was passionate about. Dot had actually been able get him into a few anime and manga.

Jordan saw one of the girls coming from the locker room from the gym, a fellow sophomore. Unfortunately, it was one of the bitches that he hated, but still, he approached and asked, "Hey, have you seen Dot?"

The stuck up little rabbit looked up at the taller rodent. "Oh, you're freaky little girlfriend? Yeah, she walked off with Todd after class." The bunny chuckled as she brushed past. "They're probably banging under the bleachers. If you're lucky, he might let you join."

Jordan rolled his eyes. "She's not my girlfriend!" He sighed and walked off, muttering "Bitch." under his breath. He really doubted Dot would just walk off with someone like Todd. The canine was basically alpha jock. A senior, he was the quarterback for the football team, and thus the golden child of the school. He was also a massive prick, not the kind of person Dot would just walk off with, and certainly not the kind of person she'd lose her virginity to, especially behind the bleachers at school.

Jordan fought down the sense of dread as he walked to the rear exit of the school, towards the football field. He muttered to himself as he walked. "Calm down. He's probably just trying to get homework out of her or something." He looked around as he got to the bleachers area. He saw a pair of shadows moving behind one set and the dread rose again. "Or that bitch was somehow right..." He picked up his pace, jogging his way across the field. When he got close, his eyes went wide at what he saw. Then he just saw red.

Tears soaked into Dot's cheeks, but apart from sniffling, she was doing a good job of not completely breaking down. "That's a good girl. You keep yourself quiet and I won't beat you senseless." The large, toothy grin of the massive doberman loomed near her face. "You might even enjoy this." His hand, almost the size of her head, was pushed down her jeans. "In fact, I bet you are enjoying this. You're secretly a little slut, aren't you?" Dot just whimpered, not answering. "Yeah, you act all shy and innocent, but your kind are always the kinky ones. C'mon, let's drop these pa-"

"Let her go, dick cheese!" The voice of Jordan got the attention of both. Todd withdrew his hand to turn and look at the source of the outburst. Dot just shrunk back the moment the hand was removed, having to lean against one of the metal supports behind her to keep from collapsing onto the ground.

"Who the fuck?" Todd turned to face Jordan full on. He didn't get more than a step before the rat slammed her shoulder into the larger canine in a full tackle. His back slammed onto the dirt, but he managed to keep his head from bouncing off the ground.

Jordan's fists were suddenly in motion, slamming down against the older canine's face in sloppy but still powerful blows. "You fucking piece of shit!" He screamed down at the man.

Todd raised his arms to try and block the blows, tasting blood from one that had hit his nose. He rolled to the side, throwing Jordan off of him. "Get the fuck off me, you little bitch!" He quickly pushed himself up to his feet, Jordan already doing the same. "The fuck is with you? Jealous your little cunt toy is getting attention?" Jordan lunged forward again at him, only this time he was ready. The canine met the tackle, only to grab Jordan and throw him back against a metal brace. "Little bitch wants it anyway. She came out here with me!" He didn't bother saying the part where he threatened to break her arm if she didn't, of course.

Jordan growled at him. "Like hell she did!" As soon as Todd was grabbing him again, he thrust his head forward, slamming his forehead against the canine's and sending him stumbling backwards. It hurt like hell, but it hurt Todd more.

"Ah, fuck!" Todd grabbed his forehead, looking at his hand and seeing blood on it, though not very much. The blow had cut him all the same. "Oh, that's it. You're fucking dead meat!" He stomped forward again at Jordan. He took a swing at him, only for the rat to narrowly duck under the blow. He wasn't so lucky with the follow up sucker punch to his gut, knocking the wind from him and sending him to his knees coughing. Todd grabbed him by the throat and leaned down. "I'm going to break your fucking face, you little piece of sh-AHH!" he cried out as Jordan lashed out and bit his arm, drawing more than a little blood this time as teeth sank in.

"What is going on!?" The gym teacher, Mr. Telaram, came storming over. The fight had gotten the attention of many students quickly, and thus also the teacher. The middle aged tiger saw just as Jordan bit Todd and ran over. "Stop that! Break it up!" He put his not inconsiderable size between the two, pushing them both away to arms length. "What the hell is going on?"

Todd held his bleeding arm. "This little psycho just tackled me and started biting."

Jordan spat and wiped some of the blood from his face. "That asshole was trying to rape Dot!"

Todd growled back at her, being stopped from getting closer only by the teacher's hand on his chest. "Lair! I wasn't doing anything!"

Dot emerged from the bleachers at that point, slowly stepping behind Jordan. Her blond hair was half-covering her face, as always. "J-Jordan was just trying to help me..." Her voice was soft and shook a little, but she couldn't just sit and watch her friend get into trouble because of her.

Todd was furious. "Little bitch! You said you wanted me out here! This is a set up!"

Mr. Telaram shouted. "That's enough!" He pointed at Dot and Jordan. "Both of you to the principal's office right now!" Jordan opened his mouth to protest, but closed it quickly as a finger was pointed right at her nose. "NOW!"

Todd let out a smug snort of laughter. "Serves you right, you-"

He was cut off as the teacher spun to face him. "YOU! Not another word. You get to the nurse's office to have that bite treated, then you're talking to the principal." The teacher cut off another attempt at protest. "No excuses! I expect better behavior from the quarter back. Getting into fights!? I'm benching you from the next game while that arm and your nose heal."

Todd gave a shocked look. "What!?"

Jordan gave Dot a grin as they heard the canine complaining as they walked away. Dot gave one back to her friend. "Thank you..." Jordan just pat her head gently.

* * *

Jordan sighed as he sat in the uncomfortable plastic chair. He'd had a lengthy talking to by the principal, Mr. Harath, about not starting fights and how much trouble he was in and threats of suspension. The tune changed when Jordan dropped the word 'rape' of course. He explained himself, agreeing that he might have taken the fight a little far with the biting, but at least the threats of being suspended weren't mentioned again. Dot was talking with the principal now, to give her side of the story. Jordan knew she would tell the truth, though he also knew it would be extremely uncomfortable for her.

The door beside him opened. "Come back in here, Mr. Kaedin." Jordan stood up with a sigh and walked inside the room again. Dot was still there, sitting in front of the graying goat principal's desk. "Ms. Zei has told me her side of the story." Dot just stared at her knees silently. "I'm sorry for what happened to you, Dorothy. Don't hesitated to talk to the guidance counselor or even myself if you need to." Dot just nodded. He looked at Jordan then. "As for you. I see what you did was just to help a fellow student. I can appreciate that." He held up a hand. "However! We will not tolerate fighting at our school. You should have just gotten a teacher and told them what was happening."

Jordan stared at the older man. "What? So I see a senior with his hand down the pants of a crying sophomore and I should just walk away and let him keep doing that while I find someone else? No, fuck that!" He winced.

Mr. Harath scowled. "Language, Mr. Kaedin! And yes, you should just let someone else handle it, instead of tackling someone and biting them! You could have seriously hurt Mr. Ilgot, or gotten yourself hurt." The goat sighed and sat down in his chair, his expression softening. "However... in light of just what you are accusing our quarterback of doing, I will not be suspending you." Jordan breathed a sigh of relief at that. There was no way he wanted to hear his father's reaction to THAT news. "You will still be spending the next month in detention."

Jordan opened his mouth to protest, then closed it again. He sighed once more, then nodded. "Yeah, that's fair."

Mr. Harath looked at the sullen Dot before looking back to Jordan. "It will start next week. You two can go home for today. I'll make sure Mr. Ilgot won't be bothering Ms. Zei again. And you'd best stay away from him as well, Jordan."

Jordan nodded. "Yeah, don't worry. I want nothing to do with that-" He stopped himself, not wanting to voice the insult at the principal. "I'll stay way from him."

The goat nodded. "Good. Now, both of you go home. If you need to call for a ride, you can use the phone in the main office."

Dot stood up slowly, moving past Jordan silently and out into the hallway. Jordan shook his head. "We'll walk. Thank you." The goat just nodded, then looked down at whatever paperwork was in front of him. Probably some form about the incident and accusations made. Jordan turned and left the office, seeing Dot already walking down the hall to the front. "Hey! Wait up!" He jogged to catch up with his friend, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?"

He felt Dot tense up at the touch. "I'll be okay." Was her only response. She would definitely not be okay, and Jordan wasn't letting her walk home alone right now.

He nodded again, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze. "Okay. C'mon, let's go home."

Dot just looked at the ground as they walked out the front door. "You don't have to..."

Jordan scoffed. "Nah, I don't. But I want to. You're my friend, after all. Wanna make sure none of Todd's friends try something stupid."

Dot tensed again. "You... don't have to do that, either." She sniffed, and Jordan realized she was crying, or doing a bad job of trying not to. "You don't have to get in trouble just because of me... or keep getting made fun of because you're friends with me. You're so outgoing, you could get better friends than a freak like-"

Jordan put a stop to that right there. "Hey hey! No! None of that!" He jogged around in front of Dot, crouching down to look her in the eyes. He put his hands on her arms, gently holding her and feeling her shaking. "You are my friend. You are my BEST friend! And you are NOT a freak. You're just different, and they can't understand that." Dot looked at him, tears willing in her pale blue eyes. "I'll get in trouble every day if I have to to keep you safe. Not because you're somehow forcing me to. Because I want to keep you safe and happy and smiling."

Dot got a weak smile, one so fragile it looked like it would shatter at a whisper. She suddenly leaned forward and hugged him. "I don't deserve a friend like you."

Jordan smiled and just held her close. "Sure you do. I'm the lucky one here. If I didn't know you, I might have ended up like THEM."

Dot let out a soft laugh, though it sounded like a sob at the same time. "No you wouldn't. You'd have been thrown out for beating them all up already."

He smiled a little more. "Yeah. You're probably right." She slid back away from him slowly, sniffling a little. He reached up and wiped a tear away from her cheek. "C'mon. Your parents are probably worried sick right now."

* * *

"Oh my God! I was worried sick!" Dot's mother, Margaret, came rushing out of the front door of their house the moment they stepped onto the walkway, flinging her arms around her daughter in a tight hug. "Are you okay!?" Dot's father, Jason, was a little more reserved, but did follow his wife out to stand beside his daughter and put a hand on her shoulder supportively.

Jason looked to Jordan. "The school called and told us what happened. Thank you for keeping them safe. I hope you didn't get into too much trouble."

Jordan shook his head. "Nah. Probably be in more trouble with my dad. I'll just explain it to him and he should understand. Probably still be really pissed, though. Ah... sorry. Really angry." The Zei's didn't like swearing in their home. They were a very religious couple, and what one would call conservative. Jason was the owner of a bookstore downtown, Bound and Tagged, with Margaret as the finance manager. Dot looked much like her father, though was still much thinner than either of them, as well as shorter. Both parents had blond hair and cream fur, though Jason was the one with blue eyes and the more rounded snout that Dot inherited.

Dot managed to extract herself from her mother's embrace. "I'm going to go take a shower..." She turned to Jordan. "I'll talk to you online later, okay?"

Jordan smiled. "So long as my dad doesn't unplug my computer. I'll text you if I can't get on." Dot nodded.

Margaret smiled. "Yes, go get yourself washed up. I'll be starting dinner soon. Lasagna tonight."

Jordan sighed. "Oh man, that sounds good. I'm jealous!"

Jason gave the younger rat a smile. "You're welcome to stay for dinner."

Jordan shook his head. "No. I really should get home before dad starts blowing up my phone calling for me."

Jason nodded, then stepped forward as Dot went inside. He got close and spoke in a low tone, his expression concerned. "Mr. Harath wasn't very specific with details. Just what happened?"

Jordan hesitated, looking at the older man. Jordan was actually an inch taller than him already. "I... uh... I'm not sure I should say. Dot's the one you should ask..."

Margaret was the one to speak up next, her expression just as concerned as her husband's. "Please. I don't want to make them have to think about it anymore than they already are... Just tell us how bad it was..."

Jordan sighed. "One of the jocks had his hand down her pants. I don't know if he was actually doing anything, but she was... she was crying. I saw that and the next thing I knew, I was fighting him. Even bit him when he tried to grab my throat. That's when it got stopped by the gym teacher."

Margaret frowned, looking at her husband. Jason sighed softly. "At least you stopped it before they did anything worse. I'm sorry if you got hurt, but I mean it from the bottom of my heart when I say thank you for looking after him." Jordan blinked, surprised by that last word.

Margaret nodded slowly. "Yes, he's been through so much. You've always been such a good friend to him. Thank you." There it was again.

Jordan just looked between the two. His surprise must have been obvious as Jason asked. "What's wrong?"

Jordan hesitated for a moment. "Uh... just... you said 'him.'"

Margaret nodded. "Yes... OH! Oh dear... did you not know! I thought you would... Oh dear, I'm so sorry..." She suddenly looked very worried.

Jordan held up a hand. "N-no, I know. He told me a few months ago... I'm just... kind of surprised that you know..."

Jason gave a questioning look. "Why?" Jordan hesitated again, tilting their head from side to side as they tried to find the right way to say it tactfully.

"It's because we're religious." Margaret said matter-of-factly.

The younger rat nodded. "Yeah... kinda that..."

Jason smiled. "Being religious, being traditionalist, and being closed-minded are not all the same thing. Don't believe everything people like to scream online. Most people who are religious are actually pretty open-minded."

Margaret nodded. "Yes. I may not fully understand it myself, but I'll support my child no matter what gender they want to be."

Jordan just smiled at the two. He'd always respected his friend's parents, now more than ever. "I'm really glad. Calling Doro 'Dot' all the time feels really odd now..."

Jason smiled. "Well, you can call him what he wants here. We made a deal with him. Once he's 18, he can make the choice to transition if he wants. Until then, he's still growing, and will have to wait. It will give him time to be sure he wants it, and be ready for it if and when he makes that choice." He held up a hand. "However, we will respect that he wants to be called him, and Dorobo instead of Dorothy. As long as he's comfortable being himself, then I'm happy to have a son instead of a daughter." Margaret nodded with his every word.

Jordan let out a melancholy sigh. "You two are, like, the coolest parents ever, you know that?" The two older rats just smiled. "Anyway, I really need to be going home now. Tell Doro I'll try to talk to him later if I can."

* * *

The sky was turning orange as the sun started its final descent towards the horizon. Jordan walked up the stairs to his father's apartment, dreading just how he would be greeted when he opened the green door to his home. Yet open it he did. "Dad... I'm home..."

"What the hell is this about you getting into fights?" Jordan winced. His father, Kyle, stood at the doorway to the kitchen, leaning against the frame. "I raised you to be better than that." Just slightly taller than Jordan, he was a bit overweight. Sharing the same brown fur and black hair as his son, they didn't look much alike. Apparently, Jordan took after his mother, though he never met her. She had left when he was still very young, vanishing into the ether and leaving Kyle to raise his son alone. Kyle had never remarried, though did have a few girlfriends since.

Jordan sighed, closing the door behind him. "Dad, I can explain."

Kyle pounded his fist on the wall. "I don't want to hear your excuses!" Jordan flinched, ears turning back and tail drooping a little. "I mean, you BIT someone! What are you, someone's pet dog? Do I have to get you a bite collar?"

"Dad..."

He was interrupted again. "No! You do not start fights! And you do not BITE people, Jordan! What if he was sick, huh? Blood transmission, right? You've learned about that stuff already, right!?"

Jordan nodded. "Yes, Dad. But-"

"No buts!" Kyle was clearly furious, his fists clenched. "You're lucky that you aren't getting suspended for this. But you can bet your tail you're getting grounded for the rest of the school year! Just what were you thinking!?"

"He was trying to rape Dot!" Jordan finally just yelled his reason instead of trying to wait for a chance to explain.

That certainly caught his father off guard. He stared at his son, his anger suddenly evaporating, replaced by confusion. "What?"

Jordan continued. "Yeah. That asshole Todd had his hand down her pants. Was I supposed to just stand there and let him keep groping my friend?" He let out an exasperated sigh and started off towards his room. "I'm fine, by the way. Thanks for asking."

Kyle winced, letting out a sigh of his own. "Jordan, wait!" Jordan did stop and look back. "The principal didn't say that when he called. Just that you and some senior had gotten into a fight and you bit him. Didn't give the details." He walked up to his son, reaching out to gently put a hand on his shoulder. Jordan was already a little taller than him. "Are you okay? Is Dot okay?" The anger in his voice was gone, replaced by genuine concern.

The younger rat sighed. "Yeah... I'm fine. And so is Dot. She's... pretty shaken up and upset, but I think they'll be okay." It still felt odd calling his best friend 'she' right now, but they hadn't come out publicly yet, and the last thing Jordan wanted to do was make things harder. Especially now. "I was going to talk with them tonight on IM... as long as you haven't completely dismantled my computer by now."

Kyle shook his head. "No." He pointed to the kitchen table, and the object sitting on it. "I did take the power cord for you video games though."

Jordan sighed. "Thank goodness they auto-save." He turned to his father again. "I know I shouldn't have bitten him, but the guy was trying to strangle me and I panicked."

Kyle nodded. "Well, at least he won't forget what you did any time soon." He smiled and ruffled the already messy hair of his son. "I'm proud of you for defending your friend. You still shouldn't fight, but... at least you had a good reason for it." He pat Jordan's shoulder again. "Go talk to your friend. Make sure they're alright. Though I'm still keeping the cord for the weekend."

Jordan nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's fair."

* * *

Jordan sat on Doro's bed, while Doro sat on the floor, controller in hand. Both boys were dressed in fairly casual clothing, Jordan in a loose t-shirt and jeans, Doro in a more fitting tee with jean shorts. On screen, the character Doro was playing as, a dragon in Chinese armor, swung their weapon about, cutting down waves of enemies that all looked the same. With the push of a few buttons, the character turned into an ancient eastern dragon and flew about, summoning lightning to obliterate a massive group of minions. Jordan shook his head before looking back at his phone. "Man, they're ultimate is OP with big groups."

Doro chuckled. "Yeah, but they make up for it by being really slow." It had been two weeks since the incident behind the bleachers. Doro was doing much better, thanks in large part to Jordan just being around for him. Just knowing his friend was there if he wanted to just cry was more than enough. The school had only learned half of what had happened, with most of the senior football team now having it out for Jordan for hurting their star quarterback. The school was doing its best to sweep the whole incident under the rug, to the point that Todd had only gotten a slap on the wrist at worst, being benched for two games and nothing more. Not even detention.

The words 'LEVEL COMPLETE' flew across the screen as victory music played. Doro setting the controller down and looking back at his friend. "You want a go?"

Jordan shook his head. "Nah. I'm not as good as you. I'm fine just watching."

Doro just kept looking at his friend for a little while, then shrugged. "Okay." He turned back and picked a new character to play another level. Doro's room was fairly neat overall. The big TV with his console hooked up to it, the computer desk sitting beside that just as organized. The bed was only a single, with plain blue sheets. There weren't even posters on the walls like Jordan had, just the off-white color... or eggshell, or whatever it was called.

Jordan's mom knocked on the door before slowly opening it. "Hey, you two. I'll be starting dinner in a little bit. I'm making some burgers. Will you be staying with us, Jordan?"

The boy nodded. "Yeah. I got permission from dad."

Margaret smiled at him. "How many would you boys like?"

Jordan shrugged. "I'll have two, if that's alright."

Doro didn't look up from the game. "Just one for me." Margaret nodded then walked off to start the food.

Jordan shook his head. "Man, it's still weird hearing your parents calling you a boy."

The smaller rat paused his game and looked back at his friend. "Why? I am one."

Jordan smirked. "I know that! I just didn't think they'd be so cool with it is all. I know my dad wouldn't be."

Doro looked a little uncomfortable then. "You... haven't told him, have you?"

Jordan blinked, setting his phone down. "About you being a boy? No. He wouldn't take it well, and I don't need to hear him spouting all kinds of transphobic nonsense just because of who I want to hang out with. Just imagine if we were dating!" He laughed a little.

Doro tilted his head. "Aren't we?"

Jordan blinked at his friend, looking nonplussed. "I... what? We just hang out and chat and game and stuff. Not like we go out on dates. I mean, we've never even kissed or anything!" He let out another laugh, this one far more awkward. His face felt a bit hot from a blush.

Doro turned fully to lean on the bed, looking at his friend more fully. "Would you want to?"

Jordan just looked at his friend, very confused. "Where is this all coming from?"

Doro chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. "Okay, this is going to sound stupid, but... after you saved me from Todd, I've been thinking a lot about... a lot of things. Mostly what you said. That you don't have to hang out with me and all that, but that you want to. And... it made me really happy to hear that." He glanced away, blushing more than a little. "I've always looked up to you, and I guess... kinda had a crush on you for a bit now..."

Jordan just stared at him, mouth slightly open. He wasn't sure what to say to that at all. "Uh... I... um..."

Doro suddenly buried his face in his sheets, waving his hands above his head. "No... sorry. I shouldn't have said that. God... I'm sorry I made it weird." His tail pulled in a little, even as he looked up with a soft smile. "Sorry. I won't bring it up. Forget I said anything."

Jordan sighed softly. "I... I mean, yeah, it's weird, yes. SUPER weird... and awkward." He continued before Doro's smile could fully fall away. "But that's just you all over, isn't it? Weird and awkward. You've always been that way. And you'll always be that way." He grinned a little more. "And that's kinda part of why I like you, man. You've always been... different. Breath of fresh air, y'know? Not someone just... fitting in because it's the thing to do."

Doro nodded and turned back around, sinking to the floor again. He closed his eyes and let out a breath softly. Well, at least he tried, and he didn't lose his only friend as a result, so it could have gone a LOT worse. "Yeah, I guess that's me all around." He unpaused his game and went back to slaughtering hundreds of digital cannon fodder, only to feel a tap on his shoulder a moment later. He turned slightly, then froze as Jordan's face was up close to his, having shifted to lay on his belly at the edge of the bed.

Jordan leaned in and gave his friend a gentle kiss on the cheek. "I didn't say I wasn't willing to at least give it a try." Doro's face blushed so bright it was almost like his fur turned pink. "Never thought about dating a guy before, but... well, it's you. So it's okay."

Doro let out a little trill of laughter, feeling suddenly giddy. "Y-yeah..." He smirked. "Maybe you can be the girlfriend then."

Jordan shrugged. "I dunno, maybe. I think I'd look pretty good in a dress." The both burst out laughing.

Margaret came into the room to the boisterous laughter. "Well, I'm glad you two are in good spirits. Dinner's ready."

Doro gave his mother a huge smile. "Okay." He looked at Jordan, who was smiling just as wide. "We've got something to tell you at dinner."

* * *