FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Half-Blood Chapter LVII- Back to School

"My bed... why MY bed!?" Lucas heard Greg shout in a dismayed tone from the dining room as he was fixing breakfast for everyone. Ian had worn him out last night and they had made love several times before they had fallen asleep so his ass was a bit sore, but it was a good kind all the same. When he and Ian had gotten up, he was surprised to see Xander was rushing around the laundry-room with Tyler just casually sitting at the dining room table in just his boxers. The giant wolf just gave them a cheerful smile while he greeted them.

"Morning, you guys look like you slept well," he teased lightly, making both Ian and Lucas blush.

"We did! How did you sleep Tyler? You sleep in Greg's room with Xander?" Ian asked before he heard loud stomping come from the basement and after a few minutes Lucas saw Greg enter, looking very upset and glaring right at Tyler who seemed completely unphased by it and Lucas was extremely curious at why exactly Greg was that upset.

"What on earth happened on my bed! I went downstairs to my room to get my uniform but I saw the covers of my bed missing and my room smelling like sex!" he said, before something seemed to click in his head and Lucas rushed into the kitchen to get away from it all, leaving Ian and Tyler to deal with the furious tiger.

"I'm gonna fix breakfast so see all of you in a bit!" Lucas shouted and right as he closed the door he heard Greg bellow out.

"YOU GUYS HAD SEX IN MY BED!?!?" the tiger roared in a pure rage and Lucas couldn't help but shiver at the fury in his voice.

"Easy there tiger, we did, but Xander's washing your sheets as we speak. Plus you got laid also didn't you? How did it feel?" Tyler said in a casual tone, not at all bothered by the tiger's rage, but that didn't really surprise Lucas much. Tyler being a brotherhood member meant he wasn't easily rattled, in fact, he seemed almost amused at the situation. Lucas couldn't help but chuckle at how silly the situation was. He had decided to make some bacon and eggs so he quickly got out both of those things and started to fry them. After a few minutes he had everything made up. He was amazed at how magic made cooking so much easier. Especially when it was a large amount of food. With a telekinesis spell, he placed the food on every plate, making sure each portion was perfectly proportionate and when he was sure that was done he floated them behind him as he entered the dining room and saw everyone had arrived and was sitting at the table. Greg was off to the side still pouting a bit while giving brief glares at Tyler and Xander. Erin was next to him, patting him on his shoulder while smiling at him every time he made those glares.

Jordan seemed to notice this and gave the occasional looks at them, but didn't say anything, just shaking his head and sighing. Lucas figured the man was annoyed that his rules had been ignored, but Lucas could only laugh, he was basically asking for it since he had him sleep in Ian's room despite knowing the two were sexually active. Things were quiet mostly, the Agents were talking amongst themselves about BCGF business he figured. He wondered how long the two of them would be on bodyguard duty? He had guessed Sergeant Wilson was basically serving as a Protector for Jordan. He remembered that Greg's father had served as Jordan's Protector before he was killed. He wondered who had taken his place afterwards and why they didn't move along with the rest of them. He could ask Ian when they were at school since he didn't really feel comfortable asking Jordan something that personal.

Soon enough breakfast was finished and everyone left to get dressed, and soon enough they found themselves all in the car. Tyler had offered to drive Xander and Jonah who he seemed to have bonded with a bit over the weekend, and soon enough they were on their way to school. A cool sense of dread started to enter Lucas's stomach as he remembered this would be his first day back since his mom's funeral and after he had gotten shot. He really hoped he wasn't swarmed with attention again. Ian seemed to have noticed this as he wrapped an arm around the fox and kissed the top of his head.

"Don't worry babe, I'll protect you and I'm sure Tyler will look after you in the classes I don't have with you." Lucas just nodded and snuggled up against the wolf, burying his head under the wolf's chin. He also wondered if Jai would be at school, he had texted the cheetah once forgetting the fact that Jai was now blind and wouldn't be able to see the message. That had made him wince and he felt guilty. In all honesty, he was more worried about the cheetah more than anything, he was worried people would swarm him and it would overwhelm the feline. Lucas wasn't exactly sure how well the cheetah was coping with things, being blind couldn't have been easy for him and getting harassed by nosy classmates was the last thing he needed. Eventually they arrived in front of the glamorous academy. They saw Evan's car and Lucas's father was sitting on the hood looking a bit cold and slightly annoyed, and once they pulled up his face brightened up somewhat as Lucas, Erin and Akira got out of the car and greeted them. The fox didn't say anything and simply hugged all of them and kissed them on the forehead.

"Good morning you three, hope you enjoyed your weekend," he said as he turned toward Akira. "I'm here to help enroll you. I'm sure you understand that Greenhart has an entrance exam much like the ones you have back home. Your mother is going to cover your tuition and you will of course be staying with me, is all this acceptable for you son?" he asked as he placed a gentle paw on the boy's shoulder. The grey fox just smiled and nodded before he spoke, sounding a bit nervous but excited at the same time.

"It is, thanks Tou-san," Akira said, his voice bright before he went and hugged the man again, which made Even let out a happy smile. Soon enough, he turned towards his other children and Curtis, his face and voice soft.

"I'll be picking you four up after school alright? I want to take you all somewhere nice, just something between us okay?" Erin perked up immediately and even Lucas couldn't stop the tail wag, it had been so long since his father had taken them somewhere. Evan seemed to notice that and smiled. "I just want to make up for not being there. I know it's a bit selfish, but I want to be a better father. What I should have been ages ago before your mother died. I have a lot of time to make up. Especially with you Akira, I missed out on your entire life up too now and I don't think I'd ever be able to forgive that. As for you Curtis, I have a lot of time to make up for being a shitty uncle," he said with a small sigh, before he turned towards Xander. "Do you want to come as well?"

"No sir, it's a family thing. I wouldn't feel right to intrude, besides me and Tyler were going to go out to get some food after school anyway," Xander spoke in a polite tone, bowing. Evan just nodded and let out another sigh, then Jordan shook his head and placed a paw on the other man gently.

"Don't be so hard on yourself Evan, all that matters is you are making the choice to be a proper father. While it is sad it took your wife's death to take the initiative, you are doing it. You should relish the chance you are able to do this when your children are still children," he said, smiling towards the three younger foxes. "As for Curtis, I'm sure he's just as excited to get to know his uncle and cousins. It was good of you to give him the chance to stay with you to get that chance," he continued before turning towards his own sons. "I'm going home now, I'll see you guys after school, Samuel and I will be the ones picking you up. Do you want Martin to go with you Evan?"

"I think we will manage, I think Martin can have a day off. Go see his family, I'm sure it's been awhile hasn't it Martin," Evan said, smiling at the bear who smiled brightly.

"It has been, are you sure you won't need me for the day, because if not I'll head on to Victoria after we are done here," he said, before turning towards Jordan. "Would it be okay if I borrowed one of your vehicles, Jordan?" he asked the man respectfully. Jordan just smiled and shook his head.

"Of course Martin. Take all the time you need, go see your family," he said, then turned towards Agent Wilson. "Why don't you go as well Samuel? It's been a good while for you as well. I'll be fine for a few days by myself, I'm far from helpless you know," he said with a wink. The raccoon looked uncomfortable, but Agent Wallace just laughed and slapped a paw on the man's back.

"Come on Sammy! You wanna see your wife and kids don't you?" The raccoon just stared at the ground for a few seconds before he spoke, his voice soft and gentle.

"More than anything, I hate being away from them like this. But we were assigned by Agent Parker to protect the Mansfield's and we can't abandon our duties," he said with a sad look, before turning towards Jordan, bowing in respect. "Not that I resent you over this, Lord Mansfield. As an agent of the Guardian Core, my duty is to protect our kind from threats and as your previous Protector has passed and you haven't taken up another, it's our duty to protect you and your children. It wouldn't feel right to leave my post without orders from Agent Parker." This was honestly the most Lucas had ever heard the man speak. Agent Wilson was very different from his partner in that regard. Jordan just laughed and waved him off once again.

"Seriously Samuel, I'll be fine. I'm sure Jennifer and the boys miss you greatly. You have five of them right? Please, I will contact Alonso and tell him I gave you both leave for a day or two. While I appreciate your service and your protection, you shouldn't neglect your family in the process. I already feel bad that you are so far from your family as it is, so please give me this and take some time to yourself," the wolf said, smiling at the raccoon who faltered and bowed again.

"Are you sure Lord Mansfield? I would love to go back home for a few days, but are you sure you will be okay? Absolutely sure?" Jordan just smiled and shook his head.

"I'm sure Samuel, and please call me Jordan, the Lord nonsense is tiring enough back home, but here in Canada I have no special position of power as I'm not part of a Canadian Clan. Treat me as you would any fellow mage." This caught the Agent by surprise as he rambled.

"I couldn't! You might not be part of a Canadian Clan, but you are the direct heir of the Mansfield clan, one of the most prestigious Clans in the entire Hidden World. No matter what country you are in you deserve the utmost respect for your position." Jordan just chuckled and rolled his eyes a bit as he placed a paw on the man's shoulder.

"Please Samuel, I'm just a man like you. I might be someone of higher status in our society, but that doesn't mean I'm any better, status means little to me. You have been a good friend of mine since we met. Have a nice day with your family, or even take the week if you feel the need, I won't do anything crazy so don't worry." Agent Wilson's head shot up about that and he looked at the man in shock.

"Lord Mansfield, you can't be serious... an entire week... I couldn't."

"Then don't take a week, but still take as long as you need," Jordan said, before he looked back at the kids and hugged his sons before he got back into the car with both agents saluting them all and then driving off. After a few more minutes of talking, the group broke up and started heading to their own respective homerooms with Akira and Evan heading to the office for Akira's entrance exam. Soon enough Lucas, Ian and Greg found themselves in their homeroom and, much to Lucas's dismay, he was immediately swarmed by all his classmates, which made him wince and hide behind Ian.

"There you are Mason! I was wondering if you would be back this soon! How are you? I heard you got shot? Did it hurt?" a particularly loud alligator boy named Austin Morgon shouted at him, his gray eyes shining in excitement. Another student this time a female gerbil being just as loud as Austin.

"I'm so sorry to hear you got shot! But glad you are better!" she said. This continued for several minutes before Aydin decided to break up the fiasco before Lucas had a panic attack.

"Okay everyone, please let Lucas breathe. He's been through a lot in the past few days, so please don't bother him." This turned their attention on him and Austin started asking him questions.

"Wait, Dr. Közen, you are Mason's uncle correct? Weren't you there during the attack on the funeral?" Aydin just nodded before he spoke, his voice firm and hard.

"I was, and I am grateful we all made it out alive, but enough of this. Stop harassing Lucas or I will send all of you to the Headmaster, do I make myself clear?" There was a brief shiver in the room as everyone suddenly felt a chill down their respective spines. Even Lucas shivered at the threat, as nice as Aydin was, he could be kinda scary when he wanted to be. Soon enough, everyone sat down in their respective seats and just as Aydin was about to take roll call, there was a loud clicking noise and everybody froze before the door open and a long white cane was the first thing to enter before a lanky cheetah wearing a pair of black sunglasses entered after, looking somewhat unsteady in his gait, but Lucas saw a look of determination on his face and before he could stop himself, he got out of his seat and rushed towards the cheetah and wrapped his arms around the boy, nearly knocking him over in the process.

"Jai! I didn't think you would come in today! When did you get out of the hospital?" he said, he heard people laugh and chuckle, but he didn't care, he was just glad Jai made it alright. The other boy just gave him a bewildered look... or at least at his general direction before he spoke.

"Lucas... is that you?" the other boy asked as he felt around to touch Lucas's face. Lucas just smiled and nodded, hugging the boy closer. Seeing the young cheetah out of the hospital and back at school and living a normal life was a wonderful feeling.

"Yeah, it's me..." he said as he felt a few tears go down his cheek. "But how are you? How are you feeling?" he asked rapidly, which made the cheetah chuckle a bit before patting Lucas gently on the cheek in an affectionate manner. It felt nice, Jai had probably become his best friend over the past few weeks and not for the first time Lucas wondered why he hadn't reached out to the feline long before given they had known each other since middle school.

"I'm fine, I think I'm slowly getting used to the blind thing," Jai said with a tiny smile. "I miss being able to see, and I will for the rest of my life, but being blind really isn't that bad. I can still hear, smell and feel and with more training I should be able to get around without much assistance. I spent pretty much most of my time in the hospital after you left figuring out how to navigate with a cane. It was tricky at first, but I managed it. As for when I got out of the hospital? Honestly just now, I came here straight after I checked out. I thought if you were going to school so soon after what happened so should I." Lucas could only nod, he was glad that Jai seemed to be doing so well despite being so badly robbed of his sight. He still partially blamed himself for Jai's blindness, but he admired the other boy's strength. "Besides, Monet did offer to teach me some of her super cool skills! I can be like Toph from Avatar! Minus the earth bending I guess," he said with a laugh, which made Lucas smile. Their little moment, however, was broken when Aydin gently walked up to them and patted them both on the shoulder, smiling gently.

"While this reunion is sweet, can you two please sit down, I want to get roll call done before classes start. But I'm glad to see you back and well Mishra, I was worried we'd lose you as a student," the man said gently, before gesturing for them to return to their seats. They both did so and soon enough roll call was done right before the bell rang and everyone went off to their own classes. Given he, Jai, Ian and Greg all had French as their first class of the day, they all greeted the teacher before heading to their seats and started talking amongst themselves.

"I'm glad you are doing well Jai," Ian said in a cheerful tone. This made the cheetah smile and laugh gently, before he nodded and spoke.

"Thanks Ian, I'm glad as well. It's still a bit weird not being able to see, but I'll get used to it. I've been looking up a lot of famous blind people and what they accomplished. My phone has a screen reading feature which is a godsend, but it gave me some hope. If these people can make something of themselves while being blind, so can I. I mean, Stevie Wonder is blind, and he's one of the most famous singers of all time. If he can play piano as well as he does, I can do journalism. I'm not going to let anything stop me from living my dream." Ian just nodded, smiling at the confidence the cheetah exuded and Lucas couldn't help but smile as well. He was so glad that the cheetah hadn't been crushed by what happened.

"That's good Jai, and we'll support you the entire way," Lucas said with a wink, Jai just smiled in his general reaction and scratched his chin. He was blushing lightly and Lucas couldn't help but find that adorable. But then, Ian asked something which surprised him.

"So, can I see your eyes? I know it's incredibly rude to ask, but I'm curious, I've never met a blind person before." Lucas and Greg both glared at Ian and he just gave a helpless shrug at the outrage, but Jai didn't seem to take any offense and simply smiled.

"I'd figured someone would ask that, you probably won't be the last to either so it's okay really," he said, aiming the last part to Greg and Lucas. As he said this, he took off his glasses and opened his eyes, exposing the blank pale eyes that had at one point been a lovely light brown. Ian winced a bit and let out a surprised curse, before he blushed and apologized to the cheetah, feeling guilty for his reaction. Jai just shrugged it off. "It's alright, don't worry it does look weird I'm sure," he said, placing the dark-tinted glasses back on his face, hiding those blank eyes from view. "I saw Beau's blind eye, so I have an idea what they looked like," he said, then turned towards the front where the teacher came up and approached him.

"Hello Jaidev, here is our lesson, I made sure to translate everything into braille for you. Will this be enough for you?" Jai nodded once again, ignoring the muttering going on throughout the class. A few people were pointing and whispering at Jai, but a glare from Greg and Ian silenced those whispers quickly and a few of them bowed their heads in shame. Jai was oblivious to this however.

"Yes, it is. I learned a good amount of braille while I was in the hospital so this should do... thank you ma'am," he said with a charming smile. The teacher nodded and smiled back before leaving his side to go back to the front and start the lesson. As she did this, all the group focused entirely on her. Lucas also noticed that several people were staring at him now and he felt a sense of dread, he hoped that they wouldn't swarm him like the kids in his homeroom did. He actually shared the class with a few of them, not counting Greg, Ian and Jay, they seemed willing to keep their distance, but he wasn't sure about the ones who weren't around in the class.

The class went by fast enough and eventually they were all dismissed and walking towards their next class, but before they could get fully on their way, out of nowhere someone kicked Jai's cane of his paws, which made the blind feline lose balance and he would have fallen flat on his face if Lucas hadn't caught him in time, letting out a mild grunt as the feline's full weight fell on him. The next thing they knew there was a loud nasty sounding laugh, then a swift cry of pain. Lucas looked up to see a sniveling chubby ferret nursing a particularly nasty bloody nose with an enraged black wolf standing above him.

"Yo-you hit me! What the fuck Mansfield!?" the ferret cried out, but winced when Ian lifted him up and threw him into the nearest wall, holding him high enough that the ferret's feet weren't even touching the ground. Lucas was once again impressed by the wolf's strength as he didn't even seem to be struggling the slightest bit holding the heavy ferret. Instead, he got right into the ferret's face and hissed, which made the other boy let out a terrified squeak.

"Where the fuck do you get off on shit like that Douglas? Tripping a blind kid, are you serious!?"Ian snarled, letting the ferret feel the full force of his fury. Lucas was a bit worried that the wolf would hurt the other boy, but he then remembered he was holding onto Jai who was asking Greg where his cane was and his own belly filled with fury. He had an immense desire to curse that ferret into oblivion, but he knew that wasn't an option given they were in public, so he was content on letting Ian handle this.

"Why are you defending that towelhead!" the ferret hollered, looking frustrated.

"Towelhead? You mean Jai? He's my friend, that's why you obnoxious creep! He's literally done nothing to you! Bullying is low enough, but bullying a disabled person? Where on earth do you think that's okay!? Regardless of anyone's religion. Jai is blind Douglas, you realize that right? You are a piece of shit for trying to bully him," Ian said, his voice calmer, but even Lucas could feel the fury in his voice. Taking his attention away from Ian, he focused on Jai.

"You doing alright man?" he asked as he slowly got him back on his feet and handed him his cane.

"I'm fine, thanks for catching me Lucas. Falling would have hurt," he said, before he turned towards Ian and the harried-looking ferret. "Why do you hate me Emmett? I've never done anything to you, we've barely even talked, but throughout the years since we've met you've despised me." Douglas just snarled and spat at Jai's direction, which only resulted in getting another smack from Ian in retaliation.

"I hate you because you are a filthy towelheaded foreigner! You don't belong here!"

"I'm a foreigner too you know, so is Greg you racist shit," Ian snarled in the boy's face, but Douglas just glared at him.

"I don't have a problem with you. But that half-breed thing over there is disgusting. His family should be ashamed that his father sullied his bloodline with filth, same with the Thorne bastard. He thinks he is so great, but it doesn't change the fact he's filthy." This was the stupidest thing for him to say because as soon as he let that out, Ian snarled even louder and Lucas could feel the air around them heat up and the lights above them started to flicker in brightness. It was clear that Ian was starting to lose control of his powers.

"Oh fuck you, don't you EVER say that shit about Greg in front of me!" He snarled, getting right in Douglas's face. "He is like a brother to me and I will never allow some two-bit little racist like you to disgrace him. He's five times the man you'll ever be," he snarled, but before he could do anything else they heard a familiar voice.

"Mansfield! Put Douglas down now!" Aydin said as he rushed towards them. Ian did as he asked and let go of Douglas, causing the ferret to fall flat on his ass. As he got closer, he glared at Ian and once he reached them he placed his paws on his hips. "What is going on here Mansfield? Why were you assaulting Douglas?"

"I don't need your help you fucking muslim trash!" Douglas shouted towards Aydin, which made Lucas's blood boil. It was bad enough that Douglas treated Jai so horribly and the fact he even tried to trip him was horrific, but Aydin was not only his uncle, but also a teacher. The fact Douglas couldn't put his racism aside to show respect towards a member of the faculty was outrageous. Aydin, however, just ignored the ferret and kept his focus on Ian.

"He tried to trip Jai sir, he kicked Jai's cane out of his paw. If Lucas hadn't caught him he could have been badly hurt." Aydin just nodded before turning towards Douglas, his eyes cold.

"Is that true Douglas? If true, you could get in serious trouble. Bullying someone for their religion is one thing, but bullying a disabled student on top of it all could get you expelled."

"I don't have to say anything to you!" Douglas said harshly, glaring at the dog who looked down at him with no expression on his face. "I can't believe this school allows foreign trash like you and Mishra in this school! It should be for Canadian's only!" he spat out angrily. This made Jai's ears twitch and he dawned a confused look on his face, seemingly confounded by Douglas's words.

"But I was born here Emmett, same as you," Jai said in a soft tone. "I'm not a foreigner, I'm just as Canadian as you are," he said, before looking towards Aydin. "But please Dr. Kozen, I don't want him to be expelled. He might not be the nicest person, but I'd feel awful if he lost his chance at an education because of me." Aydin just sighed and patted the boy on the head gently.

"That's kind of you Mishra, but his fate would ultimately be up to the Headmaster. Either way, his actions cannot go unpunished," he said, before looking towards Ian. "I might have to take you to the headmaster as well. I'm sure you understand, but you punched a fellow student, even if Douglas deserved it, you should have gone to me or another teacher before you resorted to physical force." Ian just nodded, understanding and accepting the consequences of his actions.

"I understand sir," Ian said politely, which made Aydin smile.

"Very well then, get up Douglas, we are going to the headmaster." Douglas looked like he was going to say something smart, but he was cut off by the intense glare Aydin gave him. "No lip, get up or I'll make Mansfield get you up. Which would you prefer?" he asked, before looking towards the rest of them. "Lucas, Mishra and Moore, you all should be heading to class, you are running quite late I think." Douglas just swore under his breath, but he looked like he decided to weigh his losses and got up, and soon enough both he and Ian were following the teacher to the headmaster's office, leaving the three of them alone.

"Shouldn't you be following him Greg?" Jai asked in a confused tone as he glanced in the tiger's general direction. Greg just shrugged lightly, before he spoke his voice calm.

"Ian will be fine, he's just going to the headmaster office, likely he will get a slap on the wrist given his actions were to protect Jaidev. So I'm not too concerned, but let's head to class, we're going to be late." Jai and Lucas both nodded and the trio went on their way to the next class. They arrived right before the bell rang with only seconds to spare. They explained the situation and why Ian wasn't with them and the teacher shrugged and told the trio to go to their seats. Once they did so, class went on and about halfway through the class, Ian walked in with an office pass, which he handed the teacher before he made his way to his seat next to Lucas.

"Hey, how did things go? You didn't get in too much trouble did you?" Lucas asked in a worried tone. "What happened to Douglas?"

"I just got a warning, and a few minutes of Dr. Erikson telling me how violence wasn't the answer and yada yada. As for Douglas, he got suspended. He would have gotten expelled, but Dr. Kozen told him how Jai didn't want him expelled, so he took some mercy and warned Douglas if he heard any more antics like this or if he gave any lip to any of the faculty he would be expelled, no ifs, ands or buts," he said with a small smile, looking pleased. Jai seemed to be relieved at that, which made Ian ask. "I'm curious, why didn't you want him expelled? He certainly deserved it. I wouldn't have batted an eye if he had gotten expelled. He's gonna get throttled one day and his daddy isn't going to be able to save his ass." Jai just shrugged lightly and sighed before he rubbed his eyes.

"Maybe it's soft-hearted, but I felt if he got expelled, it would only deepen his animosity for people like me and Greg, so my thinking is if he just gets suspended instead of outright expelled he could turn over a new leaf."

"I doubt that would ever happen, from what Tyler said his dad is a total scumbag. I doubt there is much hope for him unless he gets away from the man," Xander said sadly. Lucas shook his head and sighed, he had always heard about the elder Douglas' reputation and it kinda saddened him a bit that it poisoned his son too. He wondered what Emmett would be like if he wasn't under his father's toxic influence.

"I always hear about his father, but never his mother, did Tyler have anything to say about her?" Lucas asked in a confused tone. Xander just shrugged, but answered the best he could.

"From what he said, she left shortly after Douglas was born. Abandoned both him and his father and hasn't been seen since." Lucas just nodded, starting to understand the ferret better, not only was he raised by a vile and toxic father, his mother abandoned him, it was really no wonder why he turned out the way he did, he didn't have any hope of being different.

"I guess that sucks, but it doesn't change the fact he's a complete cunt and bully," Ian said with a firm shrug. "Maybe he can change, but I still think it'll take getting his ass stomped before it clicks."

"Hopefully it doesn't come to that," Jai said gently, rubbing his ear. "I really do hope he can change. It would be a shame if he got hurt because of his views, others might not be as merciful as you were Ian." Greg was next to speak, his voice calm, yet there was an underpinning of fury.

"I don't really care what happens to him, I just hope he doesn't try and get revenge, cause if he does I'd quite happily break his spine." Lucas and Jai both winced at how blunt he was about that. Ian didn't say anything and not even Xander seemed fazed too much, though given the horror he had gone through it didn't really surprise Lucas much. He had to wonder just what all the other boy had seen during his time with that bull.

"A bit brutal don't you think Greg?" Jai asked gently, but Greg just shook his head.

"Nope, my job is to protect Ian and, by extension, everyone close to him. If Douglas proves a threat to any of you I will retaliate with as much force as warranted and I will greatly enjoy doing it as well," he said, his voice cold as ice. "But I doubt he's that stupid. Even if he doesn't know about magic, he must know the Mansfield's are not a family you want to get into a trifle with," he said with a whisper. "Even outside the Hidden World, the Mansfield's have a lot of connections with other powerful and wealthy people. Old man Isaac is a shrewd person; he was the one who directed the Mansfield families company to its current focus and he has been ruthless on forging alliances with other companies. It's honestly a bit scary, but he's a good man all the same." Lucas gulped at that, he knew he would have to meet the man eventually and the thought honestly terrified him. His approval was the most crucial for his and Ian's relationship, as the head of the Clan, he was the key to Ian being able to be open about their relationship.

If they got his approval, it would mean there was a greater chance Ian would be able to keep his birthright and they could be together without having to hide. But if he refused to accept them, he wasn't sure what would happen, they would either be forcefully separated, or worse, Ian would be stripped of his birthright and exiled from Scotland. Lucas really hoped that wouldn't happen as he knew it would devastate Ian no matter what he said, and Lucas would never be able to forgive himself if he was the one who ruined Ian's life. Ian seemed to pick up on his musing and poked him gently.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice soft and gently worried. Lucas gave him a small smile and nodded, but Ian seemed to sense something was wrong and looked the fox in his eyes. "Something is on your mind, tell me?" Lucas just sighed and smiled at him in a slightly strained manner before he spoke.

"I'll tell you when we get out of school and we're in private alright? It's nothing serious so don't worry yourself." Ian just grimaced, but didn't say anything else, instead just patting the boy on the head, which made Lucas smile. He knew how badly Ian wanted to embrace him and the fact he couldn't must have killed him. Not for the first time Lucas cursed the rigid society that forced Ian to hide who he truly was. He had to hide parts of himself and that broke Lucas's heart. He swore to himself that he wouldn't rest until the world was one where Ian could be truly happy. Deciding to change the subject, he focused on Greg. "By the way Greg, I never got to ask you. How was your date with Erin? You have a good time?" Greg sat straight up, his face swiftly going bright crimson which made Lucas smirk a bit.

"Um... I did have a good time... we went to Takahara's restaurant and had a good time," he said, being a bit stiff, obviously embarrassed which made Lucas chuckle, it was adorable. It was nice to see him being a normal teenager. He seemed to be growing into himself, which thrilled the fox, he was sure he would be a good partner for his sister.

"I'm glad you had a good time," Lucas said with a smile, which made Greg return his own tiny one. Soon enough, class had ended and the day went along as normal with Lucas being swarmed numerous students asking him about the funeral attack, but thankfully Ian and Greg managed to scare them away. Even Jai was accosted a few times with people asking about his blindness and other inappropriate questions, a few asked him about what happened with Douglas as word of his near expulsion had rang around the school, but he dealt with it with much aplomb, which made Lucas a bit jealous, but he figured it made sense. Jai wanted to be a journalist after all, so he would have to deal with people and it made sense he could handle stuff like this. Finally though, it was lunch and right as they sat down to eat, Lucas heard a loud booming voice that made Ian's hackles rise from his position next to him.

"Lucas!" the voice cried out as the fox was swept off of his feet by a tall, burly snow leopard who gave him a bright smile. "I'm so glad to see you back at school! I heard Tyler stayed over at Mansfield's place, any reason for that?" he said before kissing Lucas full-on on the lips, which made Lucas blush and Ian snarl.

"It's... um, a long story, if you sit with us, I'm sure I can explain it," he offered, giving Ian an apologetic look as he glared towards Santiago with pure hatred, which the leopard happily returned. 'Oh boy, what did I get myself into?' was the only thing Lucas thought as Santiago took a seat next to him on the opposite side of Ian, he really hoped those two would behave themselves. And with that, he began to explain everything to Santiago on the circumstances of yesterday.