He was being watched again; Keoni Russell was positive that somebody was keeping their eye on him all through class. Even as he glanced across the lecture hall, he could spot a brown bunny with whitish spots, seated at the end of the row like normal, stealing glances down towards him. This had been going on for at least a week, probably longer if Keoni is only just now noticing. Keoni felt his fur stand on end, uncomfortable and slightly awkward.

Not that he wasn’t someone worth looking at. He knew he was a handsome tiger, with sleek white and black fur and a muscular frame of which he may admit to a bit of vanity. Even still, being watched like this from across the room was making him a touch self-conscious.

Who is this rabbit? Keoni wondered irritably.

Keoni looked down at his Professor Garnett, who was delving deeper and deeper into complex geometry. Keoni tried to put the rabbit out of his mind, to focus more on the class—he needed these credits to graduate. Yet even as he listened, he found himself looking again at the rabbit, who continued to look at him in an almost needy way.

Then their eyes actually met. The rabbit let out a squawk of surprise when he noticed, turning away. Professor Garnett looked up, confused by the sound and quickly locked eyes with the rabbit.

“Mr. Barr, is there an issue?” she asked, focusing on her student. The rabbit jerked in surprise and shook his head. “Then please keep the noise down. This”—she waved her marker at the dry-erase board—“is important information and it will be on your final. If you must make noise, do so outside of class.”

“Sorry, ma’am,” the rabbit, Barr, replied sheepishly, seeming to shrink into his chair when he heard giggles around him.

Keoni couldn’t stop the amused smile from spreading across his mouth.

Yet the glances continued all throughout class. When Professor Garnett dismissed them, Keoni delayed leaving, keeping a subtle watch on the rabbit who’d been staring him down since they’d entered the lecture hall. When the rabbit left, Keoni followed, studying him closely. The rabbit was… average. Not particularly handsome or cute, nor really tall or short. He wasn’t muscular or fat, but not exactly skinny. He was wearing a bright pink and yellow shirt with tan shorts but aside from the garish visual, he was just… plainly average.

Seeing a restroom as he walked behind the rabbit, he moved forward, putting a rough grip on the rabbit’s shoulder, steering him into the bathroom and quickly pushing him inside.

“Okay, who the fuck are you?” Keoni snapped viciously, unable to stop the irritation coloring his voice. “You’ve been staring at me for the past week, rabbit. What’s your deal?”

“You were just there and I was just looking around,” the rabbit replied fretfully. “And my name’s Joey… by the way…” His voice trailed off as the tiger loomed over him ominously.

“I know you’ve been watching me, Johnny!” Keoni growled. “I see you in class, just glaring at me! What for? What the hell did I do to you?!”

“Nothing! You just… look… You have nice clothes! I don’t know! You just look nice!” The rabbit seemed to be fumbling over his words, blushing beneath his fur.

Keoni shook his head and looked over himself.  “These are just my normal clothes. Black is my color.” A sly smirk spread across Keoni’s face as he gestured at the rabbit. “Unlike your weird pink and yellow getup!”

“It’s not… never mind,” the rabbit said, rolling his eyes. “But what about your…?” A snide smile spread across his face as the rabbit’s gaze looked a bit lower. “What about what you’re wearing underneath?”

Keoni swallowed and felt himself become more aware of the fact that his pants were drooping from his waist. He pulled them up slightly. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

The rabbit giggled. “They have happy faces on them.”

Keoni’s eyes went wide in surprise. “Why are you…? How did…? WHY ARE YOU LOOKING AT MY UNDERWEAR?!” he said loudly, then covered his mouth, peering around. Nobody else was in the bathroom, but that didn’t mean that the sound didn’t carry into the hallway.

The rabbit’s giggling died away. “Well… they look good on you.”

“That’s not… I just… I have to get to my next class, but you”—he poked the rabbit in the chest—“can stop staring at my ass!” He yanked up his pants and started to hurry out of the room. “I don’t wanna have to warn you again, Johnny!”

“It’s Joey!” the rabbit called but Keoni hurried out of the bathroom and into the hallway. He glanced over his shoulder but did not see the rabbit following behind.

Keoni stepped outside and began to cross the campus. He had no other classes for the day, yet he did not feel like returning to the dorm, nor going to the gym for the second time again. After a short moment of internal deliberation, he made the decision to go to the library. He did have some homework left to do and, thanks to that damned rabbit staring at him all through class, he hadn’t taken any usable notes at all.

He hurried into the library and found an empty table to unpack his textbook and start to redo his haphazard writings from geometry. He had only filled half a page in his notebook when someone tapped him on his shoulder. He jerked and turned around; his eyes widened when he saw that damned rabbit again. The rabbit—whose name escaped him—was holding up his hands defensively as Keoni’s gaze narrowed.

“Will you be my tutor?” the rabbit squeaked in nervousness, just before Keoni could snap at him.

The question curbed the angry outburst forming on the tip of Keoni’s tongue. His mind raced as he considered the question. “What?”

“Will you be my tutor?”

“I heard the question. Just why? Who are you and why are you so fixated on me, you fucking creep,” Keoni scoffed.

“You… Wait, you don’t remember my name? We have two classes together!” the rabbit scoffed. “You forgot me, even after you threatened me over your yellow undies?”

“Keep your voice down,” Keoni snarled, pulling the rabbit into a headlock using his paw to cover the rabbit's mouth. Keoni looked around him and noticed that a few people had looked over when the rabbit's muffled voice started eeking out. He let the rabbit go and glared daggers at him. "Stop staring at my underwear, you creep."

“Then wear a damn belt,” the rabbit retorted. “First, my name is Joey Barr. We’ve got the same engineering and geometry classes. I need your help and you need my help.”

Keoni scoffed, snorting in indignation. “I don’t need the help of some weirdo rabbit who’s obsessed with me!”

“I’m not obsessed,” Joey said. “Look, let’s just talk. Can I sit down or are you gonna threaten me over that too.”

Biting back the dark retort he wanted to give, Keoni just nodded. Joey sat himself down and smiled at Keoni.

“I can tell you’re struggling with geometry,” Joey said simply, “and I can help.”

“Who says I’m struggling?!” Keoni countered.

“Well, looking at your notes, you don’t understand what Professor Garnett said,” Joey said, looking over at Keoni’s notebook, the scribblings which were sloppy and haphazard. Defensively, Keoni closed his notebook. “I can help. I’m not judging you. I’m here on a math scholarship anyway. But this isn’t a one-way street.” Keoni’s eyes narrowed, though he could not deny his curiosity. “I understand mechanics on a book level. But when it comes to actual… tools and stuff, I struggle. I want to be an architect.”

“Good for you. What do you want from me?”

“Well, I saw that you excel in the practical side of engineering and tools and building,” Joey remarked. “And I need a tutor for that. So… will you tutor me?”

“Why me? Why not go to Professor Albarn?”

“Well… I figured you’d be interested because I can help you too,” Joey remarked.

“And what would you have done if I didn’t need your help in math?”

“So you do need my help,” Joey surmised.

Keoni swallowed. “I didn’t say that!”

“You didn’t have to,” Joey stated, rising from the table. “Think it over. I’m in dorm 18-C. Come see me if you want to. And by the way, just so you don’t forget again. My name is Joey.” He started to walk away but soon turned around, leaning down to speak in a low voice. “By the way, I didn’t think that such a tough-looking tiger would wear such kiddie underwear. Yellow smiley-faces? Really?”

“If you don’t wanna get hurt,” Keoni snarled, “go away.” He was more than over Joey talking about his lucky briefs.

Joey chuckled. “If you don’t want anyone to see, start wearing a belt. Anyone who looks can see them when you walk.” And without another word, he had turned and walked away, looking smug.

Keoni clenched his fists, eager to punch something or someone. That damned rabbit was working his very last nerve. But… he couldn’t deny that he needed help. He was teetering on the verge of failing Professor Garnett’s class and he needed the assistance. If he really could help, then maybe…

Keoni swallowed—he wasn’t going to go to Joey’s dorm yet. He was going to wait a bit. Just long enough so that he didn’t seem desperate for help.