FSE

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*Timidly wanders in

Hello everyone! Yes, I know it's been nearly a month. Blame me and the projects I have left. Believe me, I still have an essay, a research paper, another essay, 3 exams, and a book report due this month. So I've been a little bit stressed.

Anyhow, please enjoy!

Chapter 17: Well-deserved break

Will fell back on the bed, moaning in exhaustion. Dan, the white tiger god, left Will a few minutes ago, after a week of intense training.

"Want me to give you a massage or something?" Jake spoke from his desk. The wolf was working on some complex mechanical device that apparently let a person cast magic without using any mana from the caster, or make a magic circle.

"No thanks...." Will mumbled into his pillow. Silence followed the short discussion for a second. However, Will could sense that the older wolf was on the verge of speaking.

"Will? Are you awake?" Jake softly spoke to the young white tiger after several minutes.

"Yeah. Why?" Will replied, sitting up. When he took a look at the wolf, he was apparently fixed on his work.

"Do... Do you like movies?" Jake asked. Will perked his ears.

"Not really? I just prefer to read, or watch at home. Saves time and money. Why?"

At this, Jake looked rather uncomfortable, but went on, slightly stammering.

"Well, I got some free movie tickets from my professor, but I couldn't think up anyone I could watch it with." Will thought for a second. It was true that he wasn't a big fan of theaters, but the tickets themselves were free. Besides, he was free for the rest of the month, having aced his exams.

"I guess if it's free, I'll come along. What kind of movie is it anyway?" Jake rummaged around his desk for a while before pulling out the two tickets. "This." he shortly replied and threw the tickets to Will, who managed to catch them after batting at the air futilely for a few seconds. He stared at them for a while, and then returned the tickets to Jake. "It looks pretty interesting. When do we meet up?"

"Well, it's for tomorrow afternoon, so why don't we meet at the theater in the city at noon? You don't have a lot of classes left, right?" after Will nodded, the wolf carried on. "So let's have lunch and hang out for a while before we go in."

"Sure." with the conversation finished, both werebeasts were lost in their own thoughts. Will fell asleep promptly, and Jake carried on with the work, humming.

The next day

** ** Jake anxiously stared at the clock, tapping his foot. He was standing in front of the theater, waiting for Will.

"Where is he?" the wolf muttered, taking a look around. Suddenly, he felt a tap from behind. Jake whirled around, on the verge of transforming into his wolf form, when he saw Will. Or at least, that's who Jake thought the human boy was supposed to be. Because of the complex enchantments woven over the school grounds, werebeasts did not have to transform into their human forms, as the enchantments fooled humans into thinking that the academy was nothing but a college filled with human students. This sometimes meant that werebeasts did not know other werebeasts's human forms.

"I'm sorry. Are you Jake?" the werebeast-turned-human boy asked.

"Yeah. You're Will, right?" Will nodded and went on. "It was really hard to find you. I've never seen your human form, so I had no idea how you'd look like."

"Wait, then how did you find me in all this mess?" Jake asked Will.

"Dan taught me this advanced searching skill. I just casted it on the area trying to find your mana signal." Will simply spoke. "'Do you have the tickets?"

Jake brought out his purse and pulled out the tickets. "Let's have lunch first. There are still some time left."

Slightly later

** ** The two werebeasts stood in the massive mall nearby, looking around. At least, Jake was the only one trying to find a place to eat. Will seemed to be more interested in something else.

"How does pizza sound to you?" Jake turned to ask Will, only to find him poring over a book in a nearby bookstore. "Will, are you even listening to me?" Jake asked, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "Pizza's good. Pepperoni please." Will spoke rather vaguely. He took a look at the back of the book, and then went in. As the white tiger went to the cashier, Jake went inside the pizza place. After placing their order, the wolf sat down on the nearby seat and waited for both Will and the pizza. After ten minutes, Will came in, carrying a paper bag.

"Sorry, sorry! I've been waiting for that book to come out for ages, so I couldn't wait!" Will profusely apologized as he sat down. Jake had to smile slightly at how fervently Will apologized to him. "Doesn't look like you bought just one." Jake remarked, glancing at the bag. It was looking rather full. Will opened his mouth-probably to unleash more profuse apologies- but at that point, the pizza came out. With two hungry predator werebeasts, the pizza didn't stand a chance.

"So, do you have anything you want to do? We still have about an hour left." Jake suggested to Will. Will thought for a moment, and then shrugged. "To be honest, I don't have anything that I want to do...." Will mumbled.

"What do you do for a hobby?" Jake asked the white tiger.

"I just.... read a book, maybe watch a movie on TV, or play computer games." Will awkwardly stared off into the distance. Jake glanced around the court, and found an arcade.

"Let's go there!" Jake tugged at Will's sleeves and pointed to the arcade. Will squinted at the arcade and tilted his head.

"I don't know..... I'm not a fan of arcade. It's usually too noisy and....?" Will was stopped from saying any more as Jake dragged Will over. "Come on! Live a little! I'll pay for the games!" Jake shouted as he dragged Will, grinning at the tiger. Will gave a slight smile and allowed himself to be led by the wolf. "You don't have to pay for my games, you know." Will spoke, half to himself and half to Jake.

As Will entered the arcade, his ears twitched, or would have if he was still in his tiger form. The noise was too loud, and the lights too bright. Will was never a fan of places like this, where it was too noisy and there were too many people. However, being with Jake made the white tiger feel a little bit better, as the wolf dragged Will along.

"All right, how about a little bet?" Jake asked, pointing to a game. It was a standard shooting game, where you had to kill enemies to gain points.

"What bet?" Will asked, reaching out for the plastic guns.

"Simple. The guy that dies first buys popcorn. The winner buys drinks instead." Jake spoke, also reaching out.

"Don't the loser usually pay for all of them?" Will asked.

"But you won't like it if you had to pay for all of them, right?" Jake gave Will a challenging grin. Before Will could retort back, Jake placed two quarters in the game, one for each of them. As the game started, Will thought that spending time like this wasn't that bad, at least, with Jake.

Jake sighed as the two finally went in for the movie. He was holding the popcorn, while Will was holding the drink.

"You told me you never went into an arcade." Jake spoke, half accusingly. Will gave Jake an amused look. "I said the truth. I guess I just got lucky." Will smiled as they entered the darkness. Minutes after they sat down, the movie started.

Halfway through the movie, Jake turned around and stared at Will. The young white tiger was focused on the screen, absently munching at the popcorn. Jake leaned back and gave a tiny sigh of happiness. It was one of those moments he seldom experienced when he was little. The only things he remembered about his childhood was intense training and the shadowy politics, as the adults tried to bring their own relatives down and encouraged Jake to do the same. Because of this, Jake deeply appreciated the moment, where he didn't have to tear others down, where he didn't have to study or act haughty to others. Jake looked at Will again, only to find the tiger staring at him.

"Is there a problem?" Jake whispered to Will. Will shook his head, and beckoned Jake to come closer. As Jake did, Will's lips came close to his ears. "Thanks for the movie." Will whispered, and then went back to watching the movie again. Jake also focused his attention to the screen. It took a while for Jake to realize that his heart was beating a little faster than usual.

"Well, that was pretty good. I normally wouldn't have watched movies like that if I had the choice, but this was really good." Will mused as the duo stepped out of the bus, after the movie has finished. After the movie, they had a small dinner, and caught a bus that took them back to their dorms.

"Oh really? Then what type of movies do you enjoy the most?" Jake asked.

"I usually go for SF or the old kid cartoons. Simple but good." Will spoke as they walked. Jake filed the information away for future references. Right when Jake was opening his mouth to tell something to Will, the white tiger suddenly slapped his fist on his paw. "Jake, could you go on without me? I forgot that I had to borrow and read a book! I have to go to the library right now!"

Jake frowned, but relented. "Okay. Come in soon though. It's not good to stay out late."

"What are you, my mother?" Will retorted, smiling. As he ran up the hill along the path to the library, he waved and called out to Jake. "I'll keep that in mind!" Jake waved back and went in, humming and grinning. He entered the dorm room and was just shutting the door when a voice spoke from behind him. "Had fun with your date?" Jake whirled around only to find Todd. "Oh, it's just you, huh?" Jake sighed as he sat back. "Where's Jonas?"

"He has a date. He said that he'll be coming in a bit late." Todd spoke casually. Jake grunted, and the room was silent for a moment. "So, are you going to answer my question?" Todd asked again with a playful tone. Jake, lost in his thoughts, spoke absently. "What question?"

Todd grinned, and leaned forward. "Did you have fun with your date?" he whispered, or pretended to. Jake stuttered "It.... It wasn't a date! We just watched a movie together!"

"Oh come on. You're not fooling me. I know that you like Will; don't try to deny it. Why else would you be so friendly to him? You've never been so friendly to us."

"I just thought he was interesting!" Jake snapped back, but Todd was unfazed. "And that's the reason you have a photo of him, secretly taken when he wasn't looking? What a stalker you are, huh?"

Jake abruptly stood up, and headed toward the door. "If Will comes, tell him that I'm at the gym." Todd looked up from his work, and nodded. When Jake left the room, he leaned back with an amused look plastered onto his face.

It was well past 11 when Will came into the room. He cautiously opened the door, and looked in. Usually, at least one of them was awake for something, but that didn't mean that he could just kick the door open. When he did so, he found Todd working, and Jake and Jonas asleep.

"Rather late, aren't you?" Todd absently replied as he shut the book and leaned back.

"I was reading some books, and lost the track of time." Will explained as he stepped in. "Is Jake asleep?"

"Of course he is. He went to the gym to work out, and then came back all exhausted. He was a bit worried about you when you weren't here, though. Don't tell him that I said that."

Will gave a tired smile and headed to the shower, rubbing his eyes.

The next day, Will woke up and found the room empty. When he looked at the clock sitting on the top of his desk, it was 10 a.m. in the morning. Normally this would be a big issue to the white tiger, except that he finished all his classes and was just waiting for the summer vacation. After a quick shower and a change of clothes, Will went downstairs for a light breakfast. As he left the building, Will took a look at his surroundings, wondering what to do. The problem with no school, Will reflected, was that it gave him too much time and too little things to do. He then remembered that he didn't do the daily exercise that Dan had given him to do yet, so he began to walk, with the practice hall in his mind.

Will came to a stop in front of a large building. The building resembled a gymnasium more than anything else, and the interior was no different, except that it had been enlarged magically by a Sphere. As Will stepped in, he saw various werebeasts- and some humans- locked in a practice battle, launching bolts of magic or practicing their martial arts skills. Will found an empty corner, and placed his belongings there. After a quick stretch, Will took a deep breath, and then concentrated. Immediately, a metallic marble erupted from the ground and hovered to a stop in front of him. Will then began to twirl the marble around, making it go faster. While doing so, he raised his paw, and made a beckoning motion. As he swung the metal around in more complex shapes, more metallic marbles joined the first one, until Will was surrounded in a whirl of metal spheres. Then, the white tiger brought out his Ideas- two swords- and swung them around. He practiced the moves he knew, while simultaneously maintaining the complex movement of the metal spheres. After an uncountable amount of time, Will was locked in a speedy but elegant dance of blades, lost in thought. After continuing the movement for a while, the white tiger slowly lowered his sword, and the orbiting metal came to a halt. Then, Will suddenly thrust his paw out, and the metal spheres turned into a spike and impaled themselves on the ground. Will blinked his eyes and took a brief look at the scene. With a satisfied grunt, Will picked up his belongings and went to the shower. The damages done to the floor would be easily repaired.

After he left the building, Will had a quick lunch, and went to a nearby park. He then sat down and plucked a book out of his backpack when his phone rang. Will took a look, and found that Jake was calling him. "Jake? What's up?" Will asked as he picked up the phone.

"Uh, Will..... can I see you at 9, at the Aestos park? The one right near my class? I.... I have something to say to you."

Will took a brief look at his watch, which now read 3. "Well, I have no problems with that, but why then? Can't we meet a bit earlier?"

At hearing this, Jake's voice became even more awkward. "I... I have class until then, and..... this is something that I really want to show you. So... please?"

"Sure." Will spoke casually. When he spoke, he could've sworn that Jake said 'yes!'.

After a hurried discussion, Jake hung up, and Will opened his new book. Within moments, he was totally absorbed in the book.

Jake anxiously paced the hallway, his tail constantly flicking.

'What was I thinking?' Jake thought as he kept pacing, his thoughts jumbled. They barely knew each other, and were roommates for only about a month or so. He still didn't know much about Will. They also had a great thing going as friends. What if this ruined their relationship? What if Will became disgusted with him? What if he said no? Jake called Will on an impulse, after the talk with Todd. He knew that he liked... or loved Will. He wasn't too sure about his feelings, but he did know that what he felt for Will was stronger than 'just buddies' thing. He never had a crush, or a romantic relationship that didn't involve parents trying to hook him up with another girl from a great family. And that, Jake reflected, was another issue. If his parents found out, they wouldn't be pleased. When Jake looked back at everything, he nearly called Will and canceled their meeting. He was so anxious that he only noticed someone else was there when they collided with him.

"Be a little more careful, Jake." Jake looked up, and found his professor, Professor Masine right in front of him. He had been so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the professor at all.

"Sorry professor. I was..... just thinking." Jake spoke respectfully, and sidestepped. Instead of going on, however, the professor turned around and faced the wolf.

"Thinking about what?" the professor asked. He looked a bit concerned. Jake then suddenly felt the desire to share this with someone. He needed advice, someone that can tell him what he should do.

"Well, it's a long story, professor. But I have this problem, and... can you help me?"

The professor sat down on a seat that happened to be nearby, and patted the seat next to him. "Sit down, and tell me what your problem is." Jake sat down next to him, and began to talk.

"So, you have someone that you really like, but you don't know if you should confess or not?" the professor sounded a bit amused as he summarized Jake's tale. "And on top of that, you think that your parents might not approve your relationship with that girl?"

Jake nodded. He told his professor the near-complete truth. He just changed a few things, such as Will's gender. He just told the professor that he had a girl that he liked, but he was worried about various things.

"Well, I'm not much of an expert at these things, but don't you think that asking that girl is the best thing?"

"I know, but...." Jake trailed off. The professor was saying what Jake has been thinking this whole time.

"Jake, you never know if you try. I know that you're worried that she might reject you and your parents might not like your choice, but it's better than a massive 'what if?' hanging over your life. Do you really want to be 'just friends' with her when you know you love her? If you ask her, than at least you can give up easily."

Jake gave a slight smile. It was what he had been thinking all the time, but when he heard it from his professor, it was somewhat reassuring.

"Thanks, professor. I'll keep your advice in mind." Jake stood up, and took a brief look at his wristwatch. It was almost 7, only two hours away from the fateful hour. But this time, Jake was determined to sort out his feelings.

"Do tell me how it went, Jake!" Professor Masine shouted as Jake jogged away. "Kids these days, huh?" he then sighed, leaning back.

Will walked around the park, looking around for Jake. It was now 9:05, and the wolf still hadn't appeared. Suddenly, he felt a paw grab him from behind. The white tiger grabbed the paw and almost tossed the unknown being, but relaxed when he saw Jake.

"Sorry. I guess I should've said something first." Jake apologized. The wolf led them to a bench, and they sat side by side. Awkward silence reigned for a minute, and Jake coughed.

"Will, I wanted to say something to you. But....." Jake trailed off, suddenly looking very nervous. Then, he took a deep breath. "Will, close your eyes for a moment, please?" Slightly bewildered, Will closed his eyes. For a moment, everything was quiet. Will continued to close his eyes for the next few seconds, but then felt something on his lips. Startled, he tried to move back a little, but found something holding him close. When he opened his eyes, he found the large wolf kissing him.