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Chapter 133: Nervous

The end of class came soon enough. The results had not come back yet, though they were promised that they would be around the next day, with the exception of the essay if they had to write one. The essay would take at least a week since the volume of papers was always so high.

Roger and Hunter went back to the wolf's house.

The fox hoped that he could get some alone time with the wolf there, and though he could do so at his house, he was unsure if they would really fit in the bed. He had gone so long without doing anything, however, he felt like he was but a beast starved.

At the wolf's house, there were noises coming from the kitchen and the television was on. A smaller wolf was busy playing games on it, while a larger, female wolf greeted them and told them that dinner would be ready in only a moment.

They attempted to sneak off into the wolf's room, but they were stopped by his brother. They were then volunteered to play games with him, as his tests were also the same day, and he needed to blow off some steam.

Roger agreed begrudgingly, and Hunter decided he wanted to just watch this time. His, apparently, was elsewhere. The fox hoped it was in the bedroom, but judging by his facial expression, he was still worried about the test results.

The fox wanted to soothe the wolf, but he knew it would have to wait a little until they could actually go into his room. Little by little, he was regretting not having gone to his house, but it was nice to spend a little time with the wolf's family.

Hunter remembered about the trip over summer break, and he asked his mother if he could go. They were all invited, he had told her. They would not even have to pay anything, just be able to find a ride there.

His mother looked enthusiastic about it but still inquired about the details. When the details proved to be agreeable, she saw no reason that they could not go. She would put in some extra time at work so that they could go on vacation then. They questioned his little brother whether or not he wanted to go, but he was engrossed in his game, so Roger paused it, despite his protests.

In nearly no time at all, it was settled. They would be going. Now Roger needed to get permission from his parents, though he was fairly certain that they would agree. He sent them a text to ask and invite them.

The fox and young wolf resumed playing the games until dinner was ready. Hunter looked a little less distracted, so the fox assumed that that had probably been on his mind. Perhaps he was worried that they would not be able to go, or that the fox would leave him behind.

At the dinner table they talked about how they assumed they did on the tests. Hunter was quite modest with his answer, though his little brother was not. Roger, of course, stayed silent, not wanting to brag or gloat, especially if it would overshadow Hunter's achievement. He was absolutely sure that the wolf had passed everything, if not excelling at it all.

Hunter's mother had never seen him even give himself any sort of praise, even if it was modest. She checked his forehead and asked if he was feeling well, thinking that perhaps he was delirious. She went back into the kitchen and brought out a cup of water for him.

Roger explained that they had been studying very diligently and that throughout the year he had made a lot of progress. He made sure to stress that Hunter was probably just being down on himself, and that he probably did better than he said he did. He thought he had never seen a parent look so proud at those words.

She promised him a cake and ice cream, like the very things that he had already been expecting from the fox. She would get him any gift that he wanted, within reason. She would even work extra shifts just to afford it, to which he declined, not wanting to put any stress on her. She insisted, though.

He would think about it. His ears were folded, his shoulders forward, and hunched over in embarrassment. The praise kept coming, though he had to bring the situation back to reality and said that their results had not come in yet, and that the celebrations might have been for nothing.

They ate their dinner silently, though his mother seemed quite pleased with the situation. Even when they were done, Roger thought that he could hear her humming a cheery tune, and could even see her tail swaying back and forth. He knew where Hunter got it from, at least.

The little wolf had gotten sleepy after all the food, even though it seemed to be meager amounts by the fox's standard. It was a different household and different life, so he thought that he should not judge. The little brother went to sleep, first on the couch, and then carried to his room by the larger wolf.

Roger followed Hunter into his room, finally able to get some time alone with him. He turned to the wolf after shutting the door behind him and was met with a very scared looking Hunter.

He had already been sitting on his bed, shaking a little, his tail between his head and his ears lowered. He whimpered softly at the fox, and Roger knew immediately that the wolf had bottled it up the entire time.

"Are you okay?" the fox asked him.

"I'm just... so nervous. What if I don't do well? You saw how happy mom was... I don't want to disappoint her," he said, his voice coarse. It was not quite a whisper, but his voice was very low.

Roger sat next to him and put a paw on his lap. "You'll be okay, Hunter. You've gotten so smart over the past year."

"I... I just don't know," the wolf said, a tear rolling down his cheek but soaking into his fur. He was nearly about to curl up into a ball before the fox put his arms around him, rubbing his back.

Roger felt bad for the wolf, but could not empathize. He had never had such a situation academically, though he had one that was a little similar when he once confessed his feelings. He tried to do what the wolf had done then, and tried to comfort him.

He could feel the wolf quickly put his large arms around the fox and could feel him squeeze him hard. It was a little too hard, as he could feel his back pop and it had gotten difficult to breathe, but he let the wolf do as he liked. He somewhat enjoyed at least being in the wolf's arms, if for an entirely separate reason.

He licked under Hunter's muzzle and said with a strained breath, "It's okay. You've got me here."

The wolf responded by letting go and apologizing. He took a few deep breaths to calm down, and then asked, "Do... do you think you can stay here tonight?"

Roger rubbed the wolf's thigh. "Of course. I'll just text my parents really quick, alright?"

The wolf stood up and nodded. "I'm going to go let mom know, then." He wiped away the tears and cleared his throat, and then opened the door. Roger wondered how many times that he had done that before. He did not want to think about it.

Roger sent his parents a text message saying that he would be staying at the wolf's house that night and if they could bring over a change of clothes for him.

He heard the heavy footsteps move away, and then they returned. Hunter came back, his tail swaying slowly, so that the fox knew the answer, but he still looked bothered.

It seemed nerves got to everyone.