"Ta-da!" I exclaimed with a broad grin, showing Gavin his clean room.

I had already folded his clothes, paired all of his socks, and put everything away in his closet. I even organized his shoes on the available rack inside there, and hung up his jackets.

"Holy shit..." breathed Gavin, eyeing his room. "I don't think it's been this clean since I moved in here!"

The floor was dusted and I polished the wood, so it shone. Gavin could almost see his reflection from one angle. He was in awe as he walked around, then stepped into his closet.

I heard him shout, "Oh shit, you even organized my watches by alphabetical order!"

I sat back down on his bed with a laugh and flopped onto my back. My back and feet were aching, but I was so happy that Gavin was pleased with what I had done. Those gouges on his bathroom door worried me a bit, but I wasn't curious enough to open his safe place.

The bed dipped and I opened my eyes to see Gavin on his hands and knees above me. I giggled happily and lifted my tired arms. He slipped his hands under my shoulders and hugged my upper body to him. I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his cheek. Gavin purred, kissing my bare shoulder and up my throat.

"Thank you so much, Anwyll. I cannot thank you enough." he murmured, hugging my form so tightly.

I beamed and kissed his cheek several times. "You're welcome, Gavin. And it was my pleasure. I would do it anytime, but please don't let it get that bad again."

Gavin laughed and flipped us over, so that I was laying across his chest. Most of my body was on the bed, but I was happy to snuggle into him. Gavin petted my hair, skillfully avoiding my nape.

"I promise to try, but only that."

"And that is enough for me." I responded with a bright smile, even though he couldn't see it.

Gavin kissed the tips of my wolf ears, then flopped his head back down with a soft sigh. "I don't want you to leave."

"I'll be in my room, Gav. You can come visit and have sleepovers if you want." I laughed, rubbing his chest.

"R-really?"

I frowned at his disbelief. "Yes, of course. That should be obvious. My love for you extends beyond this room—beyond this home, really. It doesn't end at the property line and won't until the end of time."

"Ha, did you steal that from my song lyrics?" Gavin laughed, but I only shrugged with a smile.

"Perhaps, but does this make sense to you, Gavin?"

He nodded. "It does. It's just that my insecurities are acting up. I'm going to be so jealous, so possessive, and so full of worries. Promise me that you won't get too upset?"

I giggled. "I'm in it to win you over and keep you forever."

Gavin chuckled. "Gee, I'm so genuinely smiley around you that I'm starting to feel weird."

"A good kind of weird?" I asked in a hopeful tone.

"Of course it's good. When is it not when you're involved?"

I merely blushed and cuddled closer. Gavin tucked his nose against my head, then hugged me once more before rolling up with me in his arms. Gavin stood and held out his hand to me with a playful grin.

"May I escort you to your room, m'dear?"

I giggled and took his hand, then hopped off his bed with his help. "I do believe you have your answer, kind sir."

Gavin and I burst into laughter as we left his room. He smiled down at me, and I returned the broad grin.

"You can dance really well." he uttered softly, then I stiffened and looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Y-you saw?"

"Yes, I looked over to see what you were up to, and watched your body undulate and twist. It was super sexy. I had to rip my gaze off you before I got hard."

My face burned. "O-oh, thank you."

Gavin laughed at my expression. "Aw, you're so cute." he kissed my head, then squeezed my hand. "Which door is your room?"

"The one with a violet bow on the doorknob. I kept getting confused and walking into Angel's room, so Briar let me pick from one of his ribbon collections to put on my door."

"That's smart. I used to walk into the laundry room and get confused. I had to count the steps from the dining room to my room with Angel's help."

I hummed. "That's another idea, but I prefer visual cues."

Gavin looked at me with an odd expression. "I'm surprised you haven't asked about any of the others—and me, of course."

I gazed up at him for a moment. "Gavin, I am not going to pry unless you give me a good reason to."

"I thought the gouges on the door would be enough of a reason." Gavin dropped his eyes to the floor for a moment. "But you never asked anything, which makes me both upset and very relieved."

"Well, I want you to be ready to tell me and not the other way around. It's painful to force it out. It needs to come out naturally." I smiled, turning the knob to my room.

"Yeah, but aren't you curious?"

"Very." I winked at him. "Now, c'mon in. I need to get changed and give you back your shirt."

Gavin's eyes widened. "B-but—!"

I raised my eyebrows. "What? Yes, I have a very bare butt underneath this."

He blushed. "N-no, I want you to keep the shirt."

"Oh, okay. I washed it, by the way." I grinned, which made his face burst into flames again. "I used one of your clean shirts for a moment. But don't tear through your nicely folded clothes to find it."

His expression changed several times while I talked, the final one being disappointment. I giggled and led him inside, then closed the door.

"I put it on top. It's the navy blue shirt with sea-green pin-striping." I explained, watching his eyes brighten.

Gavin hugged me again. "You're the best!"

I laughed and patted his back. "Thank you."

I led him to my bed, then wandered to my closet. I plucked a pair of panties and my other pair of shorts. I pulled them on with a sigh of relief, then gathered the bottom hem of the bright orange shirt (that is now mine) and tucked it into my shorts. It hung down rather loosely, but at least people could see half of my shorts.

I went to my bathroom and washed my feet, dried them, then slipped on the socks I snatched from my closet before I left it. I emerged from the bathroom to see Gavin standing over my meager set of belongings. I walked over with soft footfalls, then looked over his shoulder by standing on my tiptoes.

"I see you found the teddy bear from my third birthday."

Gavin clutched his chest, biting back the scream to just a short hiccup. He hiccuped again, now glaring at me while I laughed. I smacked my hand against the wall, trying to get my breath back. Gavin whined at me, so I apologized with a gentle kiss, but it was interrupted by another hiccup.

"I c-cant't stop hic—hic—hiccuping now because o-of you!" grumped Gavin, which made me snicker. "Fix these s-stupid hic—hic—hiccups!"

I grinned and leaned around him. "I'll give you a kiss with tongue if you hiccup again."

He glared at me, about to say something. He carefully took a deep breath in, but all was well. He stared at me with amazement while I laughed and grabbed my stuff. I dropped the box on the bed, and tossed my backpack on there as well.

I hopped onto it, then patted the bed. Gavin perked up and dashed forward, the leaped into a dive. I yelped as his head slammed into my tummy, which knocked me back onto the bed. I inhaled deeply of that precious air, my torso stinging from the force of his head-butt. Gavin apologized with gentle kisses to my lips and face, gently pressing his warm hand on my sore tummy. I sighed softly and hugged him back as I sat up.

"So, tell me, is this all you have?" he asked, pointing to the few items I had.

"Mhm," I nodded with a smile. "I had to keep Viola safe, so I hid her in the basement closet."

Gavin lifted my scruffy teddy bear. "This is Viola?"

"Mhm, she looks just like me." I giggled, then cocked my head to the side. "I wonder why that is, because I didn't have my tail and ears until after I got Viola. I don't think my original hair color was like this either."

"Mm, probably not, but I like it. It's pretty." Gavin grinned, leaning over to kiss my cheek.

"Thank you, Gav." I smiled, taking several of his fingers in my hand to squeeze them. "And my backpack was a second-hand one that I traded for some favors at school. My mom only bought what was necessary. I think my classmates pitied me, but that's okay. I managed to survive pretty well."

Gavin squeezed my shoulders. "You turned out to be a hero, despite the crushing circumstances around the past years of your life."

I blushed and pecked his cheek. "Aw, stop, but thank you."

He chuckled, ruffling my hair. "And what's this?" he asked, lifting a little charm on a chain.

My smile brightened. "I love that thing, even though I got badly beaten to be able to keep it. My teachers actually had to call my mom, so she lied and told them that I ran into a pole because I'm stupid. I don't think they believed her, though. Some people came by, asked me a few questions, then left. Mom beat me again until I was black and blue, then nothing came of it."

Gavin tensed, but I only smiled up at him. He clenched his jaw, then pressed his lips to my temple. "Why did you get beaten?"

I scratched my face with one fingernail, blushing in shame as I looked away. "Um, I may have s-stolen it?"

Gavin's eyebrows rose. "Really?"

"It was the first and last thing I stole. I lost my right to go to the store after that. I had a time limit to get home from school. If I was even a few seconds late, even if I was held back by my teachers, my head and jaw would be aching, and the wall would be splattered with my blood. And, of course, I would get to clean up her mess—oh no, I'm sorry—my mess." I finished with a sarcastic flare.

Gavin swiftly grabbed my body in a hug. I hugged him back, my jaw clenching as I tried to fight back my tears.

"Why did you steal it?"

"It's a little wolf, as you could see, but when the shop owner told me the meaning of it, I felt like it was meant for me. I still don't regret taking it." I chuckled quietly, nosing his jaw. "I guess I really am a bad little wolf."

Gavin bit back his laughter, but a snort came out. He pressed kisses all over my face. I giggled happily, then felt him ease me back down. I lay back and smiled up at him with a teary gaze. My tail swished on the bed next to us. He crawled over my form again and I reached for him. Gavin smiled, then I felt his aura shift slightly.

His eyes filled with tears. "You didn't deserve what you got."

"And neither did you."

Gavin bit his bottom lip as ears popped up on his head. "Do you know?"

"No, I don't truly know, but I can guess. I'm not as stupid as my mom tried to tell me. I believed her, but not anymore. I can see that your past is just as heavy as mine if not more so. It's a burden on your back that has been tied down so tightly that you fear you'll break down one day. But Gav, you've got me now."

Gavin's navy blue eyes swirled with gold as a tail swished into view. Tears slid down his face as black markings appeared across his body, curling down, but never going too far around his front.

"I know," growled Gavin. "I know that you are telling the truth, and I know that you will be able to love every side of me, even the one my parents rejected. You don't judge me for my outbursts of jealousy or anger, you never feared the me inside the bathroom, you held me tighter when you felt the scars on my back. It's been so little time between us, but it feels like we've known each other for longer. You feel so familiar, so comforting, and so full of love. It makes me wants rip off the burden and toss it into the fire, but I'm scared of even loosening the bindings. I'm scared of what I'd do—to you, me, and everyone else."

I slowly nodded and cupped his cheeks. "I understand, Gav. And it's okay to be scared. You don't have to be strong all by yourself anymore. I'm here for you whenever you need me, and take your time in telling me. You don't have to tell me all at once."

"I know, thank you." Gavin smiled tearfully, his canines longer than before. "I like you so much, Anwyll."

"I like you so much too, Gavin, my handsome tiger."

Gavin chuckled and met my lips, hugging me tightly.