Dorm 100 [Jay]

[Fidel Mantangra]

It was only one flight of stairs to get from the lounge to dorm 100 but it still felt like much too long of a walk. Fidel exhaled noisily and hoisted his belongings over his shoulder, planting one foot in front of the other. "Well, it was going to happen eventually, buddy." he began muttering to himself unintentionally, he stopped and tilted his head back looking at the ceiling beaming, "Hehe, that was a good one too.." he decided aloud. He wasn't going to allow that to get to him. After all they should've taken him at his word when he said he could break locks and maybe should've put their naughty magazines somewhere a bit more secure before he could get to them and tack the pages all over the dorm.

He ended up in this situation the same way he usually did. Except this time it happened exceptionally fast. He had pulled some prank, freaked out one of his roommates and ended up with re-assignment. He had already been through two dorms- not good. The administration was definitely not going to 'let it go' if it happened a third time. He had to be careful in this new room, he promised himself he would do anything to scare his roommates... and the pranks would be gentle and kept to a minimum. He shook his head: no. No pranking. At all.

Reaching the top of the stairs he took a right turn and looked at the slip of paper in his hand. Adjusting his belongings to lay a bit more gently over his back. A solitary door lay just a bit ahead, Fidel straightened and lengthened his stride. That had to be it. He donned a smile, should there be anyone in it he would want to make a good impression. He stopped in front of it, looked to the number, to the tiny brass plaque on the door, and back to the paper. He drew in a breath and placed a hand on the doorknob. He paused to go over his rules; no pranking, and no scaring the new flatmates. He threw open the door and strode in "Geiá sou, roomies!"

'Geiá sou' pronounced 'YahSU' meant hello in greek. His parents forbade his grandmother from teaching him greek, but it didn't mean he didn't pick up bits and pieces of it. Unfortunately, there was no one there to impress.

With a sigh, he threw his belongings onto the nearest bed. It didn't matter if it already was someone's he was there and they were not. looking about the room he saw the two other four posted beds. He instinctively fingered his torn ear before removing his hat and plopping on the bed. He rubbed a hand over his face and fell backwards, suddenly noticing how exhausted he felt. He buried his face in the top cover and breathed in the musty scent. Within 7 minutes, he was fast asleep.

[Jayden Richardson]

Once again the boy and the Otter were happy. They had been out swimming again. They didn’t know if it was allowed to swim at the beach or not, but they didn’t care. They liked water so as far as they were concerned, swimming there was fine. Jayden skipped and twirled in a childlike manner as he went to his dorm, his two bags over his shoulders. He silently laughed happily as he made it to the floor where his dorm was.

He then remembered that he was getting a new roommate. The mute Eleventh Grader wrinkled his nose in disdain. As long as they pick on him for being mute and small, they’d be fine. The Otter within raised his hackles at that. They remembered the last person who had done that. The person had ended up going to hospital and had had to have stitches. They hadn’t seen the person since. Remembering this sent a small smile to creep onto his face. The boy and the Otter prided themselves on being able maul someone if the situation called for it. Shaking himself out of his daydream, Jayden continued his walk to where his dorm was.

Remembering that the new roommate may be inside, he silently crept inside, going to his bed, which was situated next to the sleeping boy’s. Once he had put everything back to where it was meant to be, Jay quickly examined the boy, noting the boy’s black hair and cuteness. Wait – cuteness?! The Otter growled at Jay, warning him that he shouldn’t do this with this boy. For all he knew, the boy could be straight. Silently sighing, Jay went on his bed and began to read. This book was called Sunwing, it was a book about a bat who needed to discover who was behind the disappearances of the other bats. He had read the prequel a fortnight ago, taking a break to read Myths and Legends: The Truth. He had met the Wolf girl, Natsumi Sayuri a.k.a Rin. That had been an interesting experience. He had never met anyone who was more in tune with their animal than her. She had even sniffed the book, which was...kind odd but maybe she didn’t have many friends. She seemed like a loner.

Shrugging the girl out of his system, Jay decided to read. He had so many books to read, and not to mention comics too. If the sleeping boy threw any of his books away, Jayden wouldn’t be held responsible for what happened next.

[Fidel Mantangra]

Fidel had a bad habit. It wasn't something he could control, nor something he did out of whim. If he ever was napping, not sleeping, (though that was often much worse) he would twitch, sometimes spasm. It wasn't and attractive sight, and when he woke up, it was instantaneous. It was no different this time, in his sleep he felt the raccoon turn violently inside of him, as though trying to get him to wake up. "Ai!" Fidel's eyes snapped open and he sat bolt upright. A sudden fear washed over him, but only lasted for a second. Groaning, he gently laid back down to stare at the white, generic ceiling. His inner animal seemed frantic... why?

Fidel's heart stopped and he sat up again, looking straight across at the boy sitting and holding a book, speechless perhaps, on the bed just across. So that's why he had been woken up so abruptly. He laughed and slapped a hand over his heart, making a show of it by grabbing the cloth of the tan shirt, "By the gods, kid! You damn near gave me a freakin' heart attack!" He laughed so hard he fell back onto the plush-and now rumpled- sheets.

Shifting all of his weight to the parts of his body on the bed, he leaned back, and then propelled himself forward, in this way he was able to stand up very quickly. He took a couple steps until he was only a little way's from the boy, he bent over a bit so he could look him in the face. He appeared to be a bit wet. The greek tried to remember if there was a pool anywhere around. He was short, very short, exceptionally short. It wasn't a 'bad' short but rather and adorable short. His face was well shaped and clear of blemishes. Actually, most of the students were clear of breakouts, Fidel hypothesized this was because the were constantly trading their skin for an animal's so imperfection didn't have time to work its way in. His roomate's eyes were hazel and looked quite surprised, understandably so. There was no such word as 'meek' in the greek dictionary (figuratively speaking of course), and Fidel Mantagra was not an exception.

It was the oddest thing, just standing there, looking at his new roommate sent shocks through the tip of his toes right up into his heart, his animal's spirit seemed to be urging him... to do what? Fidel straightened abruptly as if to distance himself, he had felt this before, but never so quickly. How very odd, he shook the feeling off and held out a hand. "name's Fidel," He grinned, "Fidel Scott Mantagra."

[Jayden Richardson]

Before long, Jayden’s new roommate began to thrash around and for a minute, Jay seriously thought he was having a fit. That is until he suddenly woke up and exclaimed how Jayden had woken him up. Surprised, the Otter and the boy watched the new boy quickly got off the bed and came near him, examining him before straightening up and extending his hand. Jayden gave a small smile and shook his hand, remembering the name. Fidel Mantangra, what an odd name. At least it wasn’t something like ‘Peaches’ or ‘Rainbow’. Jayden then realised that Fidel boy wanted to know his name, so he got an item, which in this case, was the crystal model of the otter, which had his name on it and pointed to the name Jayden before pointing to himself.

He then got up and shook the boy’s hand, noting the feeling that his mother had said to him once. That once you have met someone, and you touch their hand, then it’s a sign of true love. The urge to do something was indescribable. Surely this boy couldn’t be his true love. He’d only just him and didn’t know what to make of him yet. He put the book down and went to get his bag of cards, which just happened to be on the other side of the bed. This meant showing his butt to Fidel, which kind of embarrassing.

Once he had grabbed his bag, he sat down on the bed and pulled out his introductory card.

Hi,
I'm Jayden and I'm mute.

Jayden wondered what this guy would think to him being mute. He hoped he didn’t make fun, otherwise he’d get mauled and it was no joke. Jay didn’t want to have to send his new (and cute) roommate to the hospital on his first day here. It didn’t seem fair. But hey, if it didn’t bother Fidel that his roommate was mute then cool. Zander, Jay’s other roommate didn’t speak much but Jay was hoping to change that soon. They could have like, a pow wow meeting type thing. That’d be cool.

Focus! chided the inner Otter. Jayden mentally shook himself and smiled at Fidel before pulling out another card.

I heard we were having a new roommate. Zander, the other roommate is out at the moment. You’ll meet him soon enough though. So, why did you get assigned to this room?

[Fidel Mantangra]

Fidel was perplexed. One, because the boy didn't say anything; two, because he appeared to by comparing himself to a crystal model of an otter; and third, this seemed to most prominent to Fidel for some reason, how.. flushed his roommates face looked. Fidel swallowed involuntarily when their hands touched, the boy had the most peculiar look on his face, like he was scared or nervous. Nervous of what? of him? That was odd, it usually took about a day for his roommates to despise him. His spirits fell when the other boy seemed to turn to leave.

"Wait! I--" Fidel reached out a hand as if to grab the boy's shirt, but retracted his fingers as he saw he was only rummaging through a sack. He suddenly felt awkward, actually, embarrassed would have been a better word. He had never felt embarrassed before, it was an awful feeling to have your skin flash from hot to cold and back again. Inside he was berating himself for caring so much about this person's opinion. Only his mind was though, his raccoon spirit was running circles through his body often blasting the words, "go,go,go!" into his mind. It was all Fidel could do not to blush or collapse and try to hide. What was this.. what was happening to him? It was almost more painful then his first shift.

His thoughts cleared when the boy held up the card, Hi, I'm Jayden and I'm mute.. Although it was a relief to know that he wasn't hated, it was still a bit sad. He could never communicate with this person the same way he could other people. For him talking was everything, for his culture, a 'quiet greek' was one that could be heard across a street. Communication was everything in their family, it always made Fidel's mother laugh to hear grandma and dad carry on a conversation. It always sounded like they were having an argument- they weren't of course, but it was always quite amusing. He felt like chiding him or teasing him but he knew that would probably loose him a possible friend right quick. "Alright.."
he said, doing his best to swallow emotions.

"Jayden." He repeated. In those two syllables Fidel's heart quickened, even the raccoon inside him stopped, as if wanting to see what would happen next. That word 'Jayden' seemed to roll off his tongue perfectly, it also appeared to have a taste. Something similar to the word 'grandma'. It meant more than just spoken letters. He shook his head in a way so that Jayden wouldn't notice, Shut up. Drop it and let it be. He's just some dumb kid. In the back of his mind he heard a sort of laugh, a laugh that said clearly than any words could, "You cannot be serious, you're such an idiot, just admit it!"

He was relived when his roommate broke him out of his thoughts by presenting him with another card. He read it and began laughing, "Now that's a story!" He dropped to sit on the floor in front of him, he pointed at the card and began speaking, "My roommates kicked me out, that's why." He dropped his hand and putt it so he was supported from behind, with a grin he explained, "The idiots had been keeping some vulgar little magazines and books all locked up and hoping that I wouldn't find them. They played innocent little angels, but i was able to break in anyway." He stopped to laugh, "So I took those hypocrites nasty little publications and pasted the all up around the dorm! It was awesome."
He spread his arm's wide, as if to present himself, "And here I sit!"

He lowered his arms, wanting to say something more but not having anything come to mind except the words, "control yourself."

[Jayden Richardson]

Jay quickly put the otter model back on the table. Was he alright with Jayden with being mute, because if he wasn’t....ok, ok, calm down. The mute boy listened to what Fidel had done and silently chuckled at the end. This boy was interesting, and he was cute. Jayden hid his blushing face by looking down inside his bag, trying to find a new card. He then became sad at the thought of not communicating with this person. How he hated being mute! The sadness affected the Otter too, as he couldn’t yip in delight when he was in water or yell at someone or learn languages the normal way.

Tears attempted to burst out but Jay held them in check. He, at that moment, had something to ask. He bent down and took a whiff from Fidel but couldn’t detect any major smells. Usually, certain animals had certain smells but this boy didn’t appear to have any. Unless the Otter’s nose wasn’t working. No, that was absurd! Whoever heard of an animal that couldn’t smell? Jay tilted his head to the left, eyes narrowing in concentration. He bent down again and sniffed but got the same result. With frustration, Jayden read the card he had got out, stuffing it back inside, pulling out the right one. He showed the boy the card.

What animal are you?

He wouldn’t tell Fidel his animal. He wanted him to guess, it was more fun that way. Once he was sure that Fidel had read the card, he stuffed back inside, a small smile spreading across his lips. His cheekiness was coming out. Hopefully, the boy would make things fun. Things were becoming a bit dull these days. It seemed like homework and school were being forced into the forefront of his mind. He needed to see Zach soon; he hadn’t spoken to him for a while. Maybe they could go to the cinema. He’d text Zach soon. Or he could always go to his room later on.

Jayden stretched, getting blood to the back and the stiff legs. He then stood up and shook his legs a bit before sitting back down. Jayden allowed a small pause to occur before he got another card out.

What are you majoring in? I'm majoring in Mythology, it’s quite interesting and fun.

Once again, he allowed Fidel to read the card before stuffing it inside his bag. He would need to teach this Sign Language – it would be so much easier to talk to him then. Thank god Zach knew Sign Language!

[Fidel Mantangra]

Jayden seemed alright for a bit, it wasn't hard for Fidel to catch the slight pinkish hue that he was trying to hide. He swallowed discreetly. Was it possible that Jayden was having the same foreign feelings that he was feeling? There was a tick of hope. It felt good, but at the same time it made Fidel ache from the inside. Then the real test came, for a few moments it looked as though Jayden was about to burst into tears. Fidel flinched, struggling to restrain his animal instinct to do what he wanted. But it wasn't just his animal instinct, it was his human side too. He wanted so badly to just wrap him up in a huge hug and tell him it was fine. But his rational side spoke up then, no! you can't you'll scare him!. Fidel just sat squirming, too pained an perplexed to make a decision. When the look passed from Jayden's face, he relaxed but only for a moment.

Before he could react, Jayden's face was right there, scenting him. It sent him writhing again, soft pricks ran up his spine and hit him in the chest, 'stop it, stop it, STOP IT!'. He managed to force a mile and sit still, it wasn't easy at all. He pulled back, but was suddenly there again. That small and adorable face so close, too close. That damn raccoon seemed to chanting now, "Go! Go!". Finally, after what seemed like ages, he pulled away again and the perplexed look came over him again. Fidel realized he had been holding his breath.

He read the next card aloud to distract himself, "What animal am I?" He gave an affectionate grin, "Why, I'm a raccoon! And you are?" he took another look at his face, it didn't look like he was going to tell him the way his lips curved upwards slightly and his eyes took on a shifty look. The greek teen raised an a eyebrow, "Ooh, so we're going to play a game then. Fair enough! I'm keen." he was happy that this kid had a sense of humor.

When the boy stood, Fidel got to his feet too. Jayden was purposefully drawing out the time. It was oddly irritating to Fidel, not in a way that made him angry, but in a way that made him restless. He turned his back, breaking his vision away from the shorter teen to grab his hat off the bed. He fitted it over his curly hair and leaned in to read the next card, "Ah! Yeah, I'm majoring in cooking. I make food."

He cut his eyes up at Jayden, "I didn't know you could major in Mythology, that's pretty cool. Hey, do you mind if I call you Jay?" He dropped back to sitting, "Most people just call me Fiddle, some.." He frowned making a sort of a mildly displeased face,"some call me Scottie." Bit by bit he felt his self-control return to him. Thank god.

[Jayden Richardson]

A raccoon, that was interesting, and one that did cooking. That was very interesting. This boy was turning out to be very interesting. When Fidel said that he didn’t know that you could major in Mythology Jayden gave off a silent chuckled and shook his head in response to Fidel’s question about calling him Jay. He seriously didn’t mind. That’s what his other friends called him anyway. Jayden made a note to not call him Scottie, as it seemed to bring up bad memories.

A mischievous little grin appeared on his face and Jayden got out another card out.

Ok, time for you to guess my animal, and no cheating.[/color]

When Jayden saw the hat, he smiled and gave a thumbs up to Fidel. Jayden didn’t know what to think of this Fidel, neither did the Otter to be frank. The two had been watching this boy, monitoring his movements. Something seemed....off, like the Racoon inside of him was not a little distracted. The Otter had to admit that this boy was cute but he wouldn’t say that to the boy. Rule #1 of person finding was to never say that you liked someone on first sight, unless it was true love.

Jayden shifted to a comfortable position. He’d love to hear Fidel’s suggestion of his animal. He could be one of those brainy types that got everything right in one go or one of moderately intelligent who took a little to figure things out. Fidel didn’t seem like the stupid kind. Jayden couldn’t stand stupid people, not that it was their fault but Jay couldn’t hold a decent conversation with them.

Focus!

Jayden mentally cursed himself for not paying attention. He was such a daydreamer at times. It was a bad habit that he should try to lessen if he could. The thing is that daydreaming helped him with his poetry and stories. As a writer, he was constantly trying to think of new ideas and that’s where daydreaming came into play. Jayden then thought about his roommate’s animal. From he knew of raccoons, they were sort of like scavengers and hoarders in one, unless he was mistaken. He’d have to ask Fidel at some point, and type the animal into the database he was compiling, which he needed to update soon.

Jayden flopped on the bed, showing his toned midriff. He may be short but he was fairly muscular.

[Fidel Mantangra]

Fidel read the card and stood. Chuckling a bit when he got the 'thumbs up' sign. "Like it?" He moved his hat a bit self-consciously, brushing his hand over the rip in his ear, as was his custom.

"All right. I'll do my best," He folded his left arm just below his ribcage and rested the heel of his hand just below his chin. He bent forward a tad to contemplate him closely. Narrowing his eyes he focused. What did he know about his personality? He seemed shy yet somewhat curious, but definitely a bit cheeky. Not really rude- but he a sense of fun. Hamster maybe? Rat? Some kind of rodent. ...Badger? He shook his head, no.. badgers were ornery. Playful..playful... what sorts of animals were playful. Foxes and dogs were. He straightened with a groan and rubbed a temple. This was turning out to be harder than expected.

He glanced down at Jay again and noticed something. It wasn't wet anymore, but his hair had been damp! Sure he could've taken a shower or something, but he had brought a bag of belongings with him. Who would take a shower with their stuff anyway? So he had to be a water type, maybe a dolphin or orca. Perhaps even a fish, the thought made him hungry, fish was his favorite food. That would be awkward if he was indeed a fish. But fish weren't playful so that was ruled out.

It was near impossible. Out of the 20,000 species of fish, 6,000 species of reptiles, 9,000 birds, 1,000 amphibians, and 15,000 species of mammals- which could he possibly be? This was a cruel, cruel game. Fidel's pride wouldn't let him quit though. He racked his brains looking for a solution. Then it caught his eye, the otter figurine the table! When they first started talking he had taken out that and pointed to it then to himself! That meant---

He didn't get to finish his thought, just then Jayden dropped back onto the bed. As he did so, his shirt had come up just enough so that a bit of his midsection was exposed. It was thin, sculpted and had a hint of tan, overall: flawless. A bit of sun glinted off of it from a window nearby. It was too much.

Words shot through his mind like ticker tape, 'Do it! One chance! Go,go,go!'. Fidel was taken aback by such abruptness and was disgusted by his thoughts. His heart seemed to stop. The teen slapped a hand over his mouth and collapsed to one knee, tearing his eyes away. His heart started again, slowly. It beat once.. twice. Then all at once- threefourfivesix! The fingers of the hand on the floor balled into a fist, 'Why? What is this! Why can't I breathe?!' He swallowed and realized where he was. Making a complete and total idiot of himself, acting dramatic. How long had he known this kid anyway? Maybe 15 minutes? Less? An irritating phrase kept coming to mind, though he knew not why. It was something his grandmother used to say, a greek proverb; "Love and a cough can't be hidden". Why love? Why that phrase? He definitely could not be in love with this kid. It simply defied the rules of basic logic. But then- what if? Just what if..

All the same he was still on the floor, looking like an retard.
He took his hand away from his mouth and reached blindly for the bed post. He caught a hold of it and hoisted himself up, trying to desperatly think of a cover story.

"S-sorry." He muttered, avoiding Jayden's eyes, "I get dizzy spells sometimes. I'm.. i'm ane-anemic."
Still averting his gaze he reached for the gleaming otter on the table, picking it up, he cupped it gently in his hands and presented it to Jay. "You're an otter... right?"

[Jayden Richardson]

When Fidel asked Jayden if he liked the Raccoon’s hat, he nodded, noticing that his new roommate moved a piece of his hair in front of a ripped ear. Poor Fidel – that must be really annoying to always do that. A slight look of surprise followed by a sly smile emerged on Jayden’s face when he was being scrutinised. Jayden liked it when people had to guess his animal. It made the game all the more interesting that way. He watched the new roommate some more before deciding to flop out on his bed.

However, when he did that, Fidel seemed to have a gagging fit. Worried, Jayden got up and watched as Fidel had a moment, unable to think of what he could do to help the poor guy. What was wrong with Fidel all of a sudden? It couldn’t be because of him, could it? He’d only met the kid what, like fifteen minutes ago...and yet, Jayden and the Otter liked this guys – not as friends but sort of....maybe.....had a crush on him. He was cute for one thing, and he seemed alright. When Jay heard the anaemic story, the Otter knew that the Raccoon was lying, he could smell the lie but he let it slide as he saw Fidel going to his otter model. In answer to the boy’s question, Jay beamed, indicating that the answer was right. He slid over to where Fidel was and stood close, smiling and gently taking the model from his hands, putting it back on the table. As odd as it may have seemed, Jayden didn’t want the Raccon to steal his model. He knew that Raccoons were well-known hoarders – he wasn’t saying that Fidel was going to steal his model...or maybe he was. This caused a dilemma in both the Otter and the boy, as they didn’t want to say this aloud but they were sure that their recent action had blatantly stated that. He then realised how close he was to Fidel, and his eyes widened. He swiftly turned away from him and sat on the chair, which situated next to the desk.

What is wrong with me? I hardly know this guy. Come on, Jayden – snap out of it!
You know you can’t resist him so why bother?
Shut up, didn’t ask you!

The Otter didn’t say anything but Jayden that it was giving him evil right about now but Jayden didn’t care. He’d have to wait and see what happened next.

[Fidel Mantangra]

"Yes!" Fidel smiled when he had indicated he was correct, "Winner!" It was just the sort of thing to get his mind of..of... well never mind. He heard a laugh again in the back of his head and nearly smacked himself just to get it to shut up. Actually he couldn't do that, he still had the little otter in his hands, it would have been disastrous had he done that. When he took it, Jay's hand barely brushed over his fingertips. Fidel visibly flinched. It wasn't even a very perceptible or special of a touch, all the same, it made Fidel consider collapsing again.

Jayden seemed very particular about his placing of the otter figure. Kind of like he was worried Fidel might damage it, or at least, that's the first thought he had. The second set his heart beating. He was so close, their shirts were even touching. Fidel turned his face away so Jayden wouldn't see and made a sort of face. What a weird thing to notice. But then, making such a bid deal out a kid flopping on a bed, was a weird thing.. that and noticing that touch. He shivered a bit remembering it. He looked back at his roomate and swallowed as tactfully as he could manage. He was going to try something. Jayden didn't seem to be paying much attention to him anyway.

Cautiously and inconspicuously he shifted his weight to his other foot, the one closest to the mute teen. He realized he was holding his breath, he didn't release though. Careful..carefully. The raccoon had even shut up and seemed to be waiting for something. He continued until finally he felt it, underneath the cloth he felt firmness of skin. Very gradually, almost harrowingly gradually, their shoulders were touching. Or.. rather Jayden's shoulder and his upper arm, he was quite short. Fidel held his breath for two more seconds, then released; He hadn't moved! Well, maybe that's just because he didn't notice, still, it was something.. right?

Wrong.

The second he thought that, Jay turned away sharply and sat on a chair a bit away. It appeared that he was trying to distance himself. Fidel cursed himself inwardly for being so bold. Still, what a strange reaction! He raised an eyebrow and took a step towards the chair, "Hey, that was kind of rude." he folded his arms, feeling a bit of indignation. He widened his stance a bit, out of habit, but kept his voice at an even tone but firm. Sure it may have been bold of him, but there was no need to act so curt "It's not like I smell weird or anything, Right? So what was that for?"

[Jayden Richardson]

Jayden looked at Fidel, eyes full of sadness and suppressed longing to....wait, what? Seriously?! This had to be a mistake. Jayden Richardson couldn’t really be in love with this guy, could he? He’d only just met him plus, he was his roommate. Roommates couldn’t date – what if they broke up and then everything got funny between them? That’d be horrible. Poor Zander would be in the middle of it all. He didn’t want that to happen. It’d be a nightmare for all three of them. Yet.....as he looked at the boy with cute face and the hat, Jayden couldn’t help but feel something for him. He had felt it when they had touched hands.

Jayden knew he didn’t have a card for that so he got a small notepad and a pen out and wrote a message. Once he had written the message, the mute Otter boy checked the message to make sure that it was what he wanted before he showed it to Fidel.

Sorry, but I....I sort of am feeling stuff...for you. Oh god, I know this is utterly wrong but I can’t stop now. That’s why I left your side just now. By the way, I liked your hand on my skin – it felt nice. I just didn’t know if you felt the same way.

Having told Fidel why he had gone, he chewed his bottom in unsurity. He looked, close to tears. Be strong, don’t let him see you this way. Jayden mentally nodded, agreeing with the Otter. He looked back, trying desperately not to cry. He then had an idea. He looked at Fidel with unreadable expression. He got up slowly, still looking at the Raccoon. Then, ever so slowly, Jayden went to Fidel. The heart pounding in his chest – Fidel could probably hear it as well. He then stopped, unsure whether he should go through with the idea. What if he rejected his advances? Jayden would be so embarrassed then. Still, he had come this far so he couldn’t back down now. He gave a silent gulp and continued forward.

Once Jay was as close as he was beforehand, he looked up at Fidel, trying to give a sexy look but probably getting it wrong. He then leaned in and bestowed a quick kiss on Fidel’s lips. The mute Otter boy stepped back a couple of times, allowing Fidel time to do something –whether it was hit Jayden...or kiss him back.

[Fidel Mantangra]

There it was again. That sad look. Suddenly Fidel felt a deep remorse for immediately jumping to conclusions. He had probably just blown any chances for relationship he might have had. His inner animal was screeching at him now

"You Dumbass!!"

"J-Jay, I--" He made a step towards him. But then out came the cards. He stepped down, waiting to get a royal ass-whooping via mute kid cards. He flinched a way that held a sense of nervousness, and yet at the same time a readiness to bear the brutalities of his own idiocracy. Finally after the pencil stopped and the card was pressed into his hand, he squared his shoulders and took a deep breath. He looked down at it and began reading.

"Sorry, but I....I sort of am feeling stuff...for you." in those words, those simple few words, Fidel's heart seemed to crumple and then unfold itself in pure joy. It was unambiguous, it could've meant something else. But that was the first sentence only. He read on, the Raccoon was doing laps though his body, it hurt, but it was a good sort of hurt. A validated kind of hurt. But when he came to the words "I liked your hand on my skin – it felt nice. I just didn’t know if you felt the same way.". Everything stopped, ...the same way. His face was burning. It was true then. His fingers brushed over the words and under the other side of the card. He could feel the light imprint of when the pen had pressed. He had written it sincerely.

The greek teen was so busy staring at the card, trying as hard as he could to trust his eyes, he didn't notice Jay stand and was even more surprised to see him only centimeters away when he looked again. Way to close, if he didn't step back soon then..
There was no need, their lips brushed, pressed together for an instant and it was over. Jayden was backing away. Fidel was shocked, did that really just happen, he brushed his fingers over his lips. He couldn't have imagined it.

Jay looked sheepish, almost scared. Fidle didn't like that look, he wanted to make the other boy feel safe and loved. He took a step towards him and caught up the shorter boy's wrist, pulling him in close. He was acting on instinct now, The raccoon was all for it. Using his free hand he cupped Jay's chin, such a small chin, so delicate, almost feminine. He rested his thumb on Jayden's lower lip it was warm and soft, almost so much so that he feared the touch of his thumb might somehow damage it. It was just too perfect, he let out a low laugh, Fidel looked into the wide hazel eyes and said, "I'm happy." And with that, he tilted his head ever so slightly and kissed him.
Not a small peck on the mouth but long and meaningful. The hand that had been on the other's chin, made it way up to touch his light brownish-blonde hair, while the other released his wrist to snake around his waist and draw him even closer.It was the oddest thing; their mouths seemed to fit together just perfectly.

[Jayden Richardson]

When Jayden stepped back, waiting for Fidel to do something. He watched as Fidel touched and then came over to where the Otter was. Jayden’s breathing quickened and his heart beat more rapidly. What happened next both really surprised and pleased Otter and boy. Fidel grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer. He then put his thumb on Jayden’s chin, looking at him before stating, “I am happy” and planting a long kiss on Jayden’s lips. Jayden felt one hand go to his hair while the other hand snaked around his waist, pulling him closer. Jayden’s hands went to Fidel’s chest for a minute before making their way to his head. After a few seconds of passionate kissing, Jayden broke away, his head inches away from Fidel’s. Man, he was a good kisser!

Gently untangling himself from Fidel, he took the card from the boy and went to the desk. He wrote another little message underneath the first one. Once he had done that, he showed Fidel the message, this time holding the card himself

Ok, so we both like each other....so what does make us then? I mean ‘cos I don’t mind if we date but if you hurt me in any way – then we will maul you – me and the Otter.

To show he meant he was being serious about the last part, he gave off a silent growl. Once he was sure that Fidel had read the card, Jayden put the card back on the table and stood near the chair, uncertain of what to do now. The two of them had kissed – and it had been a wonderful kiss at that – but Jayden didn’t want to do just that with Fidel. He wanted to find out about him, see if he was worth the risk or not. Maybe he could ask around – someone had to know about this guy. He then had something else to say, so he took the card and wrote something on the back of the card.

And I need to teach you Sign Language, Mister! If you’re going to be with me, you have to learn it whether you like it not.

Jayden gave a small, imp-like mischievous smile. One that had both seriousness and playfulness in it. One thing that Fidel was going to have to get used to was Jayden’s sort of double meanings in certain situations and with certain phrases.

[Fidel Mantangra]

It was somewhat bittersweet when Jayden pulled away. Bitter because of, well, the obvious. But it was good because, even Fidel needed to come up for air.Jay took the card from his hand and used it to write down something else. But the black-haired young man could only stand there, just trying to get his erratic heartbeat under control again. He was very interested to read the card when it was held up.
"What does that make us..." He repeated aloud, he cut his eyes at jay smiled pleasantly,"Huh, I really don't know."

He read some more and burst out laughing, "You're going to maul me?" He quieted as fast as he could manage and tried to hide his grin with hand, "Alright, fair enough. Do feel free to tear me into bite-sized pieces if I act like jerk to you, but can I have a warning first?" His smile disappeared, he knew Jayden was.. somewhat serious and he didn't want t seem like he was teasing, "But really, I'll do my best." He scratched his head bashfully, "hehe.. it's sort of weird,but I think you're actually the closest one to me right now.. I don't have that many friends."

It was only a half truth. Fidel didn't have any friends he could name. It wasn't necessarily his fault, he just didn't have much experience with people. From what he experienced with with parents, people were looking for a show, and if you could entertain them long enough, you had a relationship. Fidel hadn't yet had a lasting relationship.

The otter boy went to write on another card. Fidel again felt a twinge of regret for not ever being able to communicate with him like he would anyone else. But he supposed it was less awkward after that interaction. His heart fluttered a bit at the thought of it. The next card was comforting though. He wanted to teach him! That was they wouldn't have to go through all of these obnoxious cards. He slipped the card he was still holding into his pocket- he wanted to keep it- and took the card Jay was still holding.

"Sign language, eh? I'm game for it!" He held up his left hand and wiggled his fingers a bit, "I'm pretty good with my hands."
He placed the card back on the table and cracked his knuckles, "Let's start right now, shall we? How do you say 'Fiddle'?"