FSE

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Everything is so white... But... Who is this? Looks like... Me? No... Impossible, I'm here... Wait, here? Where is 'here?' Um? He runs... But why? Something's falling... The rain? Maybe... Behind him... There are two? They also run... I can't see what they look like... Why is everything so white... Um, I fell... I? No, it can't be me, I'm here... Here? But where's here...

The ringing of his phone brought him out of his white hell. He picked it up while shaking his head to clear his mind before looking at the screen. Aaron's name was displayed. He answered while getting up to look out his window as he leaned against it.

"A-Allo?" he said in a tired voice.

"Leo? Are you alright? You don't sound good." Aaron asked playfully.

"It's eight o'clock, Aaron, and it's Saturday morning," he said, watching the students entering and exiting the dining hall.

"Oops! Sorry, I didn't look at the time before calling. How can I make it up to you?"

"Having a good reason to call me so early will be enough."

"I have a surprise for you, I'm coming to pick you up in the early afternoon. I hope you didn't plan anything."

"Uh, not really."

"Perfect, because you have no choice. See you later!" Aaron hung up immediately, leaving Leo no time to respond.

"Well," he sighed, "I might as well enjoy the morning." He smiled when he saw Chris heading towards the dining hall. He dressed quickly and left the dorm as the sun slowly began to rise in the sky. At the dining hall, having collected his breakfast, he took his tray to where Chris and Theo were sitting.

With a bit of luck, he thought, maybe Theo won't run away like he's been doing since that evening at Sacha's house.

"Hi," he said, sitting down.

"Leo! How are you?" the shiba exclaimed, though the husky did not seem to share his joy. Chris glanced over to notice his ears were almost flat against his head. "Theo, are you okay?"

"I just remembered that I have to do something important this morning," he said, dodging Leo's gaze to the fullest.

"Theo...what happened to you, have I done something wrong?" the wolf asked softly, touching the husky's shoulder. Theo ignored the gesture.

"No, you didn't do anything," he said dismissively, "I don't understand why you'd think that." He stuffed the last piece of toast in his muzzle, practically jumping out of his seat. "See you later, Chris," he mumbled around the muzzleful of toast, as he hurried away. Leo, I'm sorry...

"What's with him?" said Chris, crunching into his croissant.

"I was hoping you could tell me," the wolf sighed. "I feel like he's been avoiding me since his confrontation with William last week."

"Do you think it's because of what he said before he left?"

"I don't know, it's possible. But he wasn't himself just now, something else must have happened," Leo said, lazily stirring his spoon in his cup of coffee.

"Did you tell Sacha or Clara about it? They've known him for a long time, maybe they'll have an idea."

"Not yet. It just doesn't seem like him to act like that. I don't know what to do or tell him," he said, shrugging his shoulders.

"I'm sure you'll eventually find an explanation," Chris smiled encouragingly, as Leo nodded. "So what are you planning today?" he asked, finishing his croissant in one bite.

"I have to see Aaron this afternoon. He said he's got a surprise for me," he smiled, sipping his coffee.

"That's right! Your birthday is coming up soon. The little wolf will finally grow up and be Big Wolf!" He batted his eyelashes at Leo.

"We'll see," Leo chuckled, tasting his own croissant, "That'll be up to your princess's mood,"

"My princess? I didn't decide to call her that."

"That's right, you just gave in to her whim," the wolf said, walking to the tray collection bin.

"From what I remember, you let her call you 'little wolf'"

"Touché," he said, dropping his tray onto the stack. "So, what are you doing today?"

"Oh...mmm... I have to meet Sacha for... American football, you know."

"Don't you have your practice on Sundays?"

"Right, but today is...different. I have to do this training today."

"You're weird Chris," the wolf said, narrowing his eyes at the grinning canine.

"It's just your imagination... See you tonight?" the shiba asked, pointedly looking at the sky as they left the dining room.

Leo nodded, tilting his head as the two separated.

His dream, Aaron's call, and now that? Today has started strangely...

The wolf returned to his room before deciding to go to the campus library to work on his end-of-year assignments. As he walked, he tried to think of a reason for Theo's strange behavior.

"Hey, Little Wolf!" Clara's playful voice brought Leo out of his thoughts.

"Clara!? What are you doing here? You're usually at your parent's house on weekends."

"I'm staying here for this one, we're planning something with Sacha."

"Something?"

"Something!"

"Something... Liiike?" drawled the wolf, making puppy eyes at the panther.

"Too cute..." She put a paw on Leo's head and rubbed it. "But you'll know soon enough," she said, pinching his cheek.

"Oh well, I tried," murmured Leo, a hint of disappointment in his voice. "Wait! Chris told me he has to meet Sacha for his training today. What are you hiding?"

"No-nothing, Chris must have made an error. Are you joining Theo at the library?" She took advantage of Leo's confusion to quickly change the subject.

"What!?" he yelped, startled. "Is Theo there?"

"Yes, I saw him enter there not too long ago. You look surprised."

Leo explained Theo's behavior to Clara.

"Since that night you say?" she said thoughtfully.

"Do you think it has anything to do with what he said?"

"Possibly. Or..."

"You have an idea?"

"Yes!" She smiled toothily. "You go in and try to talk to him, while I stay outside. If he tries to leave, I'll grab him."

"It sounds like some kind of trap."

"Maybe..." her whole face lighting up with her evil master plan.

"Well, here we go..." Leo said as he opened the door and slipped inside. He made a quick turn of the building before seeing Theo sitting in front of a table with stacks of economics books in front of him. He took a deep breath before proceeding.

Clara's plan is perfect, what could go wrong? He reassured himself and took a deep breath before walking up to the husky. I can't go back now!

"Hey Theo! Can I sit here?" he asked him in a low, but determined voice, motioning to a chair right next to him.

"Do whatever you want, I have to leave anyway," the husky replied nonchalantly.

"Were you working on our year-end assignments? That's why I came!" he said hoping that would be enough to make him stay.

"Yes," he said simply, tidying up his belongings.

"Why have you been running away from me since last week? What have I done? What happened? Tell me Theo!"

"I already told you, you've done nothing. And I'm not running away from you, Leo," Theo said, not stopping in his haste to leave. He looked away.

As he turned to walk away, Leo's paw grabbed his arm.

"If you're not running away from me, what are you doing then!?" he said forcefully, raising his tone.

"Let me go Leo, please..."

"First, explain to me why you're treating me this way! If I didn't do anything, then something happened! Tell me what it is!" he commanded, as Theo pulled his arm back out of his reach.

Unfortunately, the wolf's necklace clung to the husky's fur, pulling Leo off-balance. As the wolf fell to the ground, his necklace broke.

"Oh my god! I'm sorry! Are you okay?" the husky asked in panic, automatically reaching to help the wolf up.

"No it's fine," Leo whimpered, accepting the husky's paw to help stand up. "Oh no..." he said, desperately trying to reassemble his broken necklace.

"Sorry about your necklace. It clung to my arm. I didn't mean-" He suddenly looked all around to see if anyone was watching them. As soon as the wolf was standing, Theo backed up stiffly a couple of steps.

"It doesn't matter, I'll have it fixed," Leo said softly, looking down at the ground where he had just fallen. His ears were down, and his tail hung limply behind him.

Just as suddenly, Theo lunged forward, squeezing Leo in a breath-taking hug. "I'm really sorry." he whispered, closing his eyes for a moment.

Leo thought he heard honesty and sadness in his voice.

"I- I do trust you," he said just as quietly, confused that his anger had suddenly changed to embarrassment as he basked in the warmth and strength of the husky's arms. It felt good. It felt safe in Theo's powerful embrace. He wanted this moment to go on forever. But why-

"I... I have to go!" barked Theo as he grabbed his bags and fairly ran out of the library.

Theo... thought the wolf as he watched the husky fly down the stairs and out of the building. So that's it? My wish came true, but now it's over? Wait, what just happened? Are you toying with me? His head hung down.

"You! You come over here right now!" Clara quickly grabbed Theo by the collar as he exited the building, guiding him out of sight and tackled him against a wall.

"Since when do you have so much strength?" Theo wheezed out as his back hit the wall of the library, caught off guard.

"Since I know you're deliberately avoiding one of your best friends! Although 'friend' is perhaps not the most appropriate word here, is it?" she sneered angrily, somehow looking down at the larger husky.

"What are you talking about?" he whined as Clara held him with steely resolve.

"Leo told me everything!" she said, staring intensely at the husky. "So, tell me right now! What justifies you running away from him like the plague?"

"I'm not running away from him, I'm protecting him," he said, trying to dodge Clara's gaze without success.

"Oh? From what? Really, I'm all ears," she said spat, losing patience.

Theo simply looked away, his tail motionless between his legs.

"Well?" She took a couple of deep breaths to calm down before continuing. "I have two hypotheses and I know you enough to know that one of them is true. It's up to you to tell me which one," she said, letting go of Theo. "You'd better be honest with me."

"I'm listening." The husky gave a long sigh as he stood up straighter.

"Either it's related to what you said at Sacha's just before you left and you're afraid of his reaction... What was that crap anyway? After that, I'm surprised Leo isn't avoiding you. You know he's gay, but now you're avoiding him? It doesn't make sense.

"What, Leo is gay!?

"Stop lying to yourself, you know very well he is. That brings me to my second hypothesis." She paused and looked him straight in the eye. "Did something happen with William?"

Theo simply nodded, remaining silent. His tail was deathly still, and his ears fell lifeless to his skull.

"What happened?"

"He's blackmailing me..." he said softly. "If I stay with Leo... he'll do what he did to Camille and Alex." He trembled slightly. "I don't want anything to happen to him." His eyes started to glisten.

"And you think you're protecting him by running away from him!? Why don't you really protect him rather than run away and leave him unprotected? You know better than anyone that William doesn't need to blackmail if he wants to hurt someone."

"Clara! It's not that simple. I..." He sighed heavily, pinching the bridge of his muzzle.

"Alright. Sorry about that. Then tell me, Theo, honestly please. Do you have feelings for Leo?"

The husky hesitated for several seconds before answering. "M-maybe... I don't know. I can't afford to have any now."

"Because William is here. You're always afraid of him and you deny your own feelings to protect yourself or the one you love from him." She looked off, biting her lower lip in thought. "So, he was right."

"Did Sacha tell you that?" Theo moaned plantifly, his pride falling to pieces.

"Theo, do you think this is the right way to handle this? What are you going to do if William keeps following you?"

"I don't know. I haven't really thought about it."

"Stop being intimidated by that damned tiger! Just think about what you really want." She paused and huffed slightly. "We're having a party at my house next week for Leo's birthday, you better be there if you don't want to see me angry." She stated flatly before turning around to leave. She stopped and turned back to the drooping husky. "Theo, you love him and he loves you. Don't let someone take that from you. I know you had bad experiences with gay or bi people because of William, but even if it takes you time to accept your feelings, don't reject them, or you will regret it later."

What I really want, huh? Being with him...

Clara was right. He knew she was, and he certainly didn't want to see her angry. Maybe it would be an opportunity for him to move forward and turn the page on his past. He was going to have to think more about it and time was against him.

For his part, after recovering from what had just happened with Theo, Leo put his broken necklace in his pocket as he left to go find his friends. He eventually bumped into Clara as she headed to the campus exit.

"So what happened with Theo?" he asked the panther, impatiently.

"Don't worry too much about him. I'm sure he'll come around. And, he'll be here next Saturday."

"Saturday? That's-"

"Your birthday, yes!" she chuckled amicably before realizing her mistake. She winced, shutting her eyes.

"So that's what you're up to with Sacha and Chris?"

"Maaaybe?" she said, opening her eyes, suddenly very interested in the clouds.

"Come on, tell me everything now that I know," the wolf laughed lightly.

"Well... Look! In the sky!" she said pointing at the sky to her right.

Distracted, Leo glanced in the direction she pointed. "Huh!? There's nothing, you-" Leo did not have time to finish his sentence as he felt a breeze next to him. He looked back to see the panther's tail slipping out the gate.

"Be patient Little Wolf!" she called back as she disappeared around the corner.

"She got me..." Leo said, stunned. He shook his head at his own naivety, thinking back to what she had said. Did this have anything to do with Theo's hug and what he told him?

"You're late Princess." Chris smiled at Clara when she arrived at her car.

"Don't tell your princess she's late! It's you who's early..." She smiled at him in response. "Sorry, I had to deal with a last-minute problem."

"What happened?"

"I'll tell you on the road. Get in!" She opened her car and headed to meet Sacha.

---

"So, where are we going?" Leo asked Aaron, sitting in the passenger seat.

"Have you ever gone bowling?" He answered, heading for the nearby town.

"Not really."

"Well, there's a first time for everything!" he chirped. "I liked it when I was still living in Europe, and I haven't taken the time to do it since I moved here."

"But, with my shoulder..."

"Only one arm is needed for bowling, don't worry. By the way, did you ask Sacha if he could help you?"

"Yes, he said he has to think about it. But I don't know when he'll give me his answer."

"Maybe in a few months our tennis champion will be back."

"You exaggerate, I wasn't bad but far from being a champion."

"Don't be so modest, Chris told me you finished third in your category in a regional tournament. It's far from 'not bad.'" he chuckled.

"If you say so." he said, scratching his neck nervously.

Aaron sighed. "You are incorrigible! Look, we're here."

The fox locked his car and the two headed for the door.

"Why don't you have your necklace today?" he asked, intrigued. "I thought you never parted with it."

"I didn't know you were so observant," the wolf huffed. "Theo broke it this morning," he said, staring at the ground, putting his paws in his pockets.

"What!? Why would he do that?" he said sharply, his ears straight up in surprise.

"It was an accident, and a bit of my fault."

"Your fault?"

Leo nodded. "It clung to his fur when he pulled away from me, and the pressure broke it in half." The wolf stopped, wondering if he should tell the fox everything. "But..."

"Buuut? Something else happened?"

Leo had a dopey grin on his muzzle. "After that he took me in his arms."

"So, how was your first snuggle with him? I'm almost jealous right now!"

"His fur was so warm and soft... I would love to snuggle against him again." His tail was wagging slowly.

"A male wolf who wants to snuggle against his male dog. It's sooo cute!" Aaron put his paws under his muzzle and struck a pose, head cocked to the side.

"Don't laugh."

"I'm not laughing! It's really cute," he said honestly. "Come on Little Wolf, I can't stand the cold as much as you can."

"Hey, only Clara has the right to call me that!" Leo gave him a friendly punch in the shoulder as they entered the large building.

"I feel like you like that nickname."

"I used to have such bad nicknames, and this one is kind." He smiled foolishly. "That's the first thing she thought of the first time she saw me."

"Yeah, I saw you sitting next to each other that first day."

"You noticed us?"

"I've been watching everyone."

"Creepy..." the wolf said as his face blanched behind his already white fur.

"Why?"

"It's like a predator looking for it's future prey... Wait! I'm your prey!?" He drew back as if panicked.

"EXAAACTLYYY!" Aaron intoned in a ghostly voice, reaching towards him, showing his well-manicured claws.

"... If you hadn't been a fox it actually might have scared me." Leo said, without emotion.

"Raaah, you could at least pretend to laugh..."

"Okay." The wolf looked straight at the fox. "Ha." he said flatly, " Ha. Ha. Ha."

"Okay, stop, forget what I said! You look stupid," the fox said, his ears falling somewhat. He looked down melodramatically at the ground.

"No, you're stupid!"

"No! You!"

"You!"

The wolf and the fox began to growl at each other when they were both suddenly interrupted by a voice behind them.

"I knew I knew that voice! I don't want to disappoint you Aaron, but wolves are better than foxes for growls." The unknown voice chuckled.

"Ah, you're... You were at Sacha's the other night, weren't you?" Leo said, surprised, as he recognized the silver wolf from the party. His fur was short and even shinier up close. He had a long, thick tail and he had to be almost 2 meters tall... without his ears!

"Yes, I saw you too. I'm Matthew, but call me Matt." He smiled as he offered a paw.

"Leo." the wolf said simply, smiling back as they shook.

"Matt!?" Aaron suddenly raised his head. "What are you doing here?" His tail started to swish instinctively.

"I work here." he just chuckled. "Well, I have to go back to work. We'll meet later if you're still here?"

"We'll wait for you!" Aaron said a bit too quickly, giving him his best smile as he walked away.

"Didn't you know he worked here? I thought you had harassed him with questions..."

"No. I only managed to learn his name. I couldn't even get his number." He sighed. "I didn't even think I'd see him again one day."

"You could have asked Sacha, he must have it."

"I didn't dare... He would have thought it was weird."

"Don't tell me you're shy with this kind of stuff when it's for you?"

"Just when it's for me," he said with a little shame in his voice.

"I've just found a way to pay off my debt."

"Your debt?"

Leo smiled and nodded. "For all the things you have helped me with in the last months."

"Thank you, Leo," the fox smiled at him.

"Well, are we going to play or are we going to stand here?"

"Let's play," Aaron said, moving to the counter. "Hello, two players please."

"15 bucks, please," the panda sitting behind the counter answered as he took the fox's money. "Lane 14 at the end. Thank you and have fun." The panda gave them a bored smile while returning the fox' change.

"The balls look heavy," Leo said slightly worried as he watched the other players throw them.

"Don't worry, you won't have to force your left shoulder," Aaron assured him as they took their position at their assigned lane. "Well, do I need to explain the basic principle?" he said, teasing.

"No, it should be fine," Leo chuckled.

"Look, you've got three holes in the ball. Put your fingers inside like this and..." Aaron demonstrated as he explained, stalking up to the limit line, before swinging the ball like a pendulum. He released the ball as close to the floor as possible. It bounced ever so slightly as it landed on the slick wood and slid towards the pins, knocking over 8 of them.

"8 out of 10! That's good!"

"It's not too bad." Aaron smiled. "You've got two throws to get all the pins down. If you succeed it's a 'spare.' If you succeed in a single throw, it's a 'strike.' You get bonus points based on your result," he explained as he made his second throw, knocking over the two remaining pins. 'Spare' appeared on the screen at the top of the lane. "See?" He smiled at him proudly.

"I'll give it a try." He smiled and took his first ball before standing in front of the lane.

"Don't hesitate to take your time to aim." He said as Leo started swinging his arm. "Wait!"

Leo stopped immediately.

"What's going on?"

"Put your left leg a little further forward, it'll give you better support," the fox said, placing his hands on Leo's hips to help him get a better position.

The wolf resumed his swinging motion before throwing the ball on the lane. Unfortunately, his ball swerved into one of the gutters just before touching the first pin.

"Pity," Leo said slightly disappointed.

"No, it's not bad for a first throw. For my first, the ball ended up on the lane next to mine..."

"Are you kidding me...?"

"Nooo..." Aaron said in an exaggerated voice. "Come on, throw your second ball."

"You'll see..." He smiled mischievously before taking his second ball. He concentrated several seconds before launching it. It rolled to the first pin and...

"Not possible!" Aaron exclaimed, his eyes wide open as the word 'spare' appeared on the screen at the top of the lane. "It's obviously beginner's luck... There are simply no other explanations!"

"It's karma. It'll teach you to make fun of me." He laughed at Aaron's disbelief. "But, why isn't it a strike? I knocked them all down in one throw."

"A strike can only be achieved on the first launch."

"You're cheating! You didn't tell me! I want my money back!" Leo said, laughing.

"False. I just wasn't specific enough," the fox said coyly. "Well, it's my turn! Watch the master..."

"Well, modesty certainly won't suffocate you. I wonder if you'll be so proud and confident when Maaaatt gets back." Leo made kissing noises at the mortified fox

"Oh, shut up!" He chuckled before resuming his concentration on the game.

The wolf and the fox each continued in turn, neither missing a single opportunity to make fun of the other. When they were done, their respective scores were displayed on the screen. 112 for Leo and 198 for Aaron.

"Hey, it's really good for a first game. I don't remember scoring more than 100 my first time," Aaron said encouragingly.

"198... I didn't even have a chance" Leo chuckled to himself. "Where did you learn to play like that?"

"112 points for your first time? You clearly have nothing to blush about Leo!" The wolf and the fox suddenly heard Matt's voice behind them.

"Really? Thank you!" Leo smiled as he turned around. He glanced over at the fox. "Can you speak, or will I have to do it for you, 'Master?'" he whispered to Aaron.

"I already told you to shut up..." he hissed, turning red under his white fur.

"198 is not an amateur score, I'm curious to know where you got this skill?" Matt asked the fox with a smile.

"It's possible I've participated in several contests before..." he replied, his tail wagging shyly.

"That explains it. Can I offer you a drink?" he asked them.

"I'd love to." Leo replied as the group walked to the attached restaurant. During the quick trip, Leo gave friendly taps to Aaron to encourage him to speak more.

Upon entering, they were greeted by a female lynx behind the counter. "Wow! Matthew with new people? If I had been told I would see this one day... Nice to meet you!"

"Why do you say that?" Leo asked, intrigued by the remark.

"Because Matthew is probably the least sociable person I've ever met."

"Stop it! I've already asked you not to say that..." he said, looking embarrassed.

"Okay, okay Matt..." She smiled. "Well, what can I get you?"

"The same as usual for me, please. What about you?" she asked, turning to Leo and Aaron.

"A black coffee, please."

"And a coffee with milk for me."

"Well, a milkshake, a coffee, and a coffee with milk. Go sit down, I'll bring it to you as soon as it's ready."

"Thank you," Matt said and guided Leo and Aaron to a free table not far away.

"You don't look that unsociable. Why did she say that?" Leo asked, sitting down.

"I have trouble talking to strangers. But I already know Aaron a little, and I saw you at Sacha's house. So that's easier for me." He smiled simply while shrugging his shoulders.

"Oh, okay." The wolf smiled back at him.

"And what brings you here?"

"Aaron wanted me to discover bowling. He bowled a lot before he moved to the area. But he never told me he had competed."

"I knew your accent wasn't from here," he chuckled. "Where are you from?" Matt asked, looking at Aaron, who did not give an answer.

"Excuse him, he's very shy..."

"Leo! You know very well I'm not shy!" the mortified fox squeaked.

"Really?" The wolf looked at the fox with a dubious air, making him groan in frustration.

"You look close, it's cute." Matt smiled at them. "Are you together?"

"Huh!? N-No... We're just friends." Aaron answered shyly.

"At least you've recovered your voice," he chuckled as the lynx brought their drinks. "Thanks, Linda, how much do I owe you?"

"It's on the house, it's nice to see you with new people." She smiled before walking away.

"Thank you then." He smiled back at her. "So Aaron, where are you from again?" he asked, trying to get an answer out of the quiet fox.

Leo gave him a friendly pat on the back, feeling his hesitation.

"Uh...From Austria... I came here several months ago."

"Interesting." He smiled at him. "And you Leo, I bet you're from France. Am I right?"

"Félicitation!"

"Lucky you two met."

"In fact, we're both in college in the same class. That helped a lot," Leo explained.

"I see... I've never been very good at school."

"And, what kind of work are you doing here?" Aaron asked, quietly.

"Nothing very glamorous," he said looking a little embarrassed. "I'm a maintenance worker. But it suits me very well. That gives me a lot of free time for music."

"Music?" Leo asked.

"Yes. I compose at home. I play several instruments."

"Which ones?" Aaron asked, suddenly interested.

He sipped his milkshake before answering. "I play mostly guitar and piano."

"I'd love to hear you...one day." Aaron smiled at him, amazed.

"I don't know... I've never actually made anyone listen."

"Please, I'm sure what you're doing is great!"

"Okay, one day." Matt smiled at him as a female otter entered the restaurant, drawing attention to herself, and to Matt.

"MATTHEW BARTHOLOMEW MCKINSKY!" she cried with a slightly high-pitched voice as she walked towards the table where they were seated, surprising everyone.

"Oh no..." Matt suddenly said in despair, his ears folding on themselves.

"You were supposed to pick up your stuff after your work! What are you still doing here?!" the otter said, loudly and angrily.

"I didn't forget, I was going to come..."

"I'll give you another hour. Pass this deadline, and I'll throw away everything that belongs to you!" she said brutally before turning around to leave.

"Who was that?" Leo asked, disturbed by her sudden appearance.

"My ex. We split up recently."

"Wow, she looked angry," Aaron said, just as disturbed as Leo.

"It's 'he.'"

"Wait, seriously?" Leo asked, astonished.

"Yes why? Is there a problem?" the wolf asked, eyes narrowing.

"No, I am too... I mean... I never met anybody like me in France, and since I've been here I've known more in three months than I've experienced in my whole life. It's just strange."

"Oh, I see." He smiled. "I'm sorry I have to leave you there. See you next time?"

"I'd love to," Aaron answered, looking impatient.

Leo and Aaron left shortly after Matt, climbing in the car to go home.

"If you want to see him again, you can't be so shy like today, or it'll just make it weird," the wolf said, mockingly.

"I already told you to shut up, or maybe you'd rather hitchhike home?" the fox quietly growled at him.

"Ok ok, message received. But, Aaron?" Leo caught his attention, looking thoughtful.

"What?" Aaron barked, stomping on the brake to scare the wolf, making the tires squeal.

"You forget anything?"

"His number! Oh no...I'll never make it..."

"You know where he works now, it won't be complicated to see him again." Leo smiled.

"You're right." He also smiled, relieved, as his phone chimed a new message. "Can you see who it is?" handing the phone to the wolf, as he maneuvered the car out of the parking lot.

Leo nodded and looked before answering. "Unknown number. You want me to read it?"

"Please."

He pressed the button on the phone, and a few seconds later, Leo burst out laughing.

Aaron was not amused. "What? Who is it? What's going on?"

"You should stop before you read." Leo said with difficulty, still laughing. Once Aaron stopped the car, Leo gave his phone back.

"You really want to hitchhike huh?" the fox glowered, grabbing his phone.

Hi, it's Matt, sorry to have left so quickly. I heard you say that you didn't dare ask Sacha for my number when you arrived, so I just asked him for yours. I hope we will see each other again soon.

With pleasure!

"He wants to see me again..." His face blushed as he read the end of the message, making Leo laugh even more. "Hey! I don't make fun of you when Theo is there..."

"Sorry..." Leo answered, calming down. "That's really good news, Aaron. So, am I hitchhiking or are we okay?"

"No, we're okay... I can't leave a defenceless little wolf on the side of the road. Theo and Clara would kill me..."

"Hmm... Yeah maybe," he said dully.

"Leo... What happened?"

"Huh?" he replied in the same monotone.

"Nevermind, forget it...." The fox raised an eyebrow. "By the way, my mom'd like to meet you since I told her all about you. Do you mind coming to my house?"

"What did you tell your mother about me?"

"I told her that I had met a French wolf who had a crush on a certain husky. Since then she keeps telling me that she wants to see you one day. She'll be happy."

"And you're going to tell her you've met another wolf you've got a crush on?"

"Maybe not right away," he said, parking in front of a small two-floor house. "Welcome home," he smiled as he walked to the door and opened it.

"Mama? Wir sind zurück!" Aaron said out loud.

"Ist dein freund hier?"

"Ja, mama!"

"Was that German?" Leo asked him, astonished, tilting his head.

"Yes, we only speak German between the two of us, don't worry." He giggled at Leo's incomprehension, when a fox of similar size to Aaron came in.

"You must be Leo! Nice to meet you. Don't hesitate to visit whenever you want, our home is yours." She spoke with a much more pronounced accent than Aaron's.

"Thank you ma'am." Leo smiled at her, bowing respectfully.

"Please call me Sylvie." She smiled back. "I'm going back to take care of dinner Aaron, don't eat anything!"

"Ja, mama..." He sighed and turned to Leo. "Come, I want to show you something," he said quickly and guided him to his room on the second floor.

"Seems your mom trusts me a lot without having met me before. Is she that kind with everyone?"

"Yes, she's very kind, but... Maybe I told her everything that happened to you, so she sees in you something like a second son." He turned to him before entering his room, getting no response. "You're not mad at me are you?" he said, slightly worried.

Leo sighed. "No Aaron, but I hope you didn't tell anyone else. I don't want everyone to know what I've lived."

"Just her, I promise you."

"It's okay." He put a friendly paw on Aaron's shoulder and they entered his room. Once inside, Leo saw at least fifteen trophies and medals on a shelf. "What's that?"

"Tournament awards I've won, or almost," he said, sitting on the edge of his bed, beckoning Leo to sit beside him.

"Then I really did have no chance of winning... I hope I can teach you a lesson in tennis later to avenge myself!"

"Mit vergnügen mein freund!" He giggled when he saw Leo's stare. "It means 'With pleasure my friend!'"

"J'ai hâte d'y être!" He chuckled in turn when he saw Aaron's vacant look. "It means 'I can't wait to be there!'"

The fox smiled at him and put a paw on his shoulder. "Leo, I'll ask you again... What happened with Theo?"

Leo looked at him, confused.

"Each time I talked about him today, you looked like a pond..."

"A...pond? What do you mean?"

"Silent, alone, motionless... You're not like this usually. Where's that spark you have when Theo is with us?"

Leo's ears folded when he heard Theo's name. "It's going out.."

"But, you told me your snuggle with him was great."

"It was. But what he said last week, and how he's acting with me this week... And this morning. I'm scared I'm just a toy he's going to throw away later."

"Leo, if he decides to throw you away, it's us who's gonna throw him away." He gave him a friendly pat on his back.

"Us?"

Sacha, Clara, Chris, me... Even Matt I'm sure! Do you really think we're gonna let him do what he wants with you?"

"Right... Thanks Aaron. But the first step for you is to be less shy with him."

"Oh shut up..." he chuckled, raising his fist and moving it halfway to the wolf. "Together, forever?"

The wolf did the same and bumped his fist against Aaron's. "Together, forever!"

December 13, 10:46 p.m. One week later. One day before Leo's birthday party.

Clara's phone chimed.

Theo: I'm sorry, I'm about to do something stupid. But I have to...

Theo turned off his phone and put it in the pocket of his pants, as he stood in front of a door with the number 241 marked on it.

I've made up my mind, Clara! I'm going to protect him, no matter what it costs to me!

The husky gave 3 powerful blows to the door with his fist.

"Who's there?" William's voice called from behind the door.

Theo did not answer and pounded three more times on the door of William's room.

"I said, 'Who's there?'" the tiger's voice was louder behind the door.

Theo still did not answer, pounding three more times.

"I don't know who's there, but you're going to regret it!" William got up and threw open the door, coming face-to-face with Theo - a different Theo than usual. "What are you doing here!?" he said, clenching his own fists.

"We need to talk!" Theo growled in a deep voice, pushing William back into his room and slamming the door behind him.

"Theo! What did you do?" Clara whispered, closing her eyes, and clutching her phone to her chest.

---

Notes:

Felicitation = Congratulation

Wir sind zurück! = We are back!

_Ist dein freund hier? = Your friend is here?

_