Chapter 39 - He's Everywhere

After realizing he needed something from his parents, Evan decided to play by their rules again for a while. And that's how he found himself at the next pack meeting. And then another and another. Of course, whenever Ryan saw him there, he automatically joined him. And where Ryan was, there was Michael. At first, they both pretended that nothing happened, but apparently, they didn't succeed as Ryan decided to intervene.

"Can we change this awkward atmosphere, please?" However, neither of them wanted to start a conversation on this topic first, so he had to intervene again.

"Should I call you like a teacher?" he asked sarcastically, giving the two boys at his side a look that indicated he was waiting for a response.

"I'm not gonna apologize. I still stand by what I said," Michael began first.

"But?" Ryan, however, was undaunted. Michael was obviously aware of this as well, and it didn't take long for him to give in and do what his cousin wanted him to do.

"I didn't mean to upset you, and I'm sorry if it sounded like I said it because of that." Right then, chocolate eyes turned to him, expecting a reaction. And since Michael's words sounded surprisingly sincere, Evan decided to cooperate.

"I know I needed to hear that, I just didn't expect it. I take your advice to heart, but I don't want to talk about it anymore." After Evan's words, Ryan finally looked satisfied and the atmosphere between the three of them really improved. So much so that the very next day, Michael, and Ryan came to wait for the bus stop in the afternoon. Angie's eyes almost popped out of her head when she saw them.

"How's it going, Pachycephalosaurus?" Evan's words were immediately addressed to Ryan, who was clearly more than thrilled with his brilliant plan to wait for him. However, after Evan's words, his smile disappeared for a moment, and he turned to his cousin, punching him in the shoulder. Apparently, he forgot about his dark secret, which Evan learned thanks to him.

"Did you really learn that word just so you could mock him?" He just shrugged at Michael's question. Remembering useless things was his hidden talent.

"Nice," Michael commented, earning another punch from his cousin. Angie looked confused but surprisingly didn't ask anything. However, Evan had no doubt that she would try to find out all the details the moment they were alone together.

"So not nice," Ryan decided to throw in his own opinion. Not that Evan took that into account, since when the same situation happened again two days later, he had another remark ready.

The moment he got off the bus and saw two familiar people at the bus stop, he blurted out: "What's up, Buzz Lightyear?" And if Ryan had looked annoyed at the dinosaur comment, he looked outraged now. Especially after Michael reached out to high-five him.

"I think I preferred it when you two didn't get along," Ryan mumbled. Evan flashed him his best smile and slapped him playfully on the shoulder.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll keep my Yeehaw greeting to myself," Evan commented, and Ryan grunted. And as he promised, he did the next day, when on the way to the store he met the ink-haired boy again, but this time alone.

"If you say Yeehaw, I'm not talking to you," Ryan warned him with a raised finger before he could say anything. Evan laughed at his reaction and raised his hands in the air as a sign of peace.

He had to admit that he enjoyed provoking the boy in front of him, but at the same time, he had to constantly think about how it was possible that he kept bumping into him. Ever since he apologized to him, Evan felt like everywhere he looked, he was standing there in his full glory, and Evan couldn't take his eyes off of him. Maybe that's why he tried so hard to own the situation with his comments.

"Does this mean I can never talk about Toy Story in front of you?" he couldn't miss the last opportunity to make a final remark. After all, his smile did wonders for him, and his stomach took a long time to recover from it, it was only fair that he returned the favour.

Ryan, however, seemed immune to his sarcasm as he just rolled his eyes at his question and silently walked past him, shopping cart in hand. Apparently, he really planned to ignore him, just like he warned.

"Come on, you have to admit, that was creative." Evan didn't hesitate and ran after him. He was like a child's train on a string that Ryan held in his hands, and the moment he pulled, Evan automatically followed him.

The chocolate eyes gave him a single look with a raised eyebrow before their interest returned to the shelves of food.

"It's not my fault that we meet so often that I had to make it special," Evan said, though he didn't mean it. Their meetings were indeed special, whether Ryan realized it or not, and it wasn't just Evan's fault. With their almost daily conversations, Evan could feel the bond between them growing and it was getting harder and harder to ignore.

And although he tried to keep Ryan from associating him with only positive emotions, he couldn't stand being ignored for long. Plus, he was really starting to worry that he had hurt his feelings and that was the last thing he wanted.

"Sorry," he apologized, and Ryan finally gave him a look that lasted more than a few seconds.

"I hope it's clear to you that the moment I find out something embarrassing about you, I'm going to use it against you?" he voiced it as a question, but Evan had no doubts about the truth of his words. After all, he had been bothering him for a few days.

"If it helps, just ask Angie. I'm sure she'd love to sell me down the river," he advised him. Ryan's face returned to the amused expression that Evan was used to.

"Maybe I'll let her steal your diary," he suggested.

"What makes you think I have one?" Evan mimicked his tone, and Ryan smirked. It was the type of smile that Evan had never seen on him before, and he had to admit it made him even more attractive than he already was.

"You seem like the type." He shrugged but judging by his expression, that wasn't the only thing on his mind. However, Evan did not find out what the other thing was, as Ryan immediately turned their conversation to more common topics. They went through the entire store together and then parted immediately as they both hurried home.

Of course, they met again the next day.

Evan's parents again used words that could drive Evan insane, but since he still needed their permission to go to Lola's party, he decided not to voice his opinion and instead excused himself to go for a walk. With winter slowly but surely approaching, he bet on his werewolf genes and the ability to not catch a cold and carefully crossed the puddles in his older sneakers. They were shabby, and a little dirty, and a hole was starting to appear on the bottom of the sole, which Evan naively ignored, hoping that if he didn't pay attention to it, it would gradually disappear on its own.

He didn't have a specific route in mind, so he let his legs go by memory. He passed the shop, then the bus stop, and after a while, he realized that if he kept going, he would end up in Nowhere. Oddly enough, one visit to this place had etched this place into his memory. Maybe it was because it was Ryan's special place, and maybe, it was because Michael's words that he had said there were still stuck in his head. Either way, Evan doubted it would be a good idea to go there. After all, it was the Saunders' place, and he had no business being there.

His feet remained glued to the pavement as he wondered where to go next. Not enough time had passed for him to just return home, but he was also fed up with this aimless walking. And like any introvert, Evan didn't like spending time alone in public. Maybe that's why the coffee at Rock Pop Diner alone sounded like the biggest challenge to him. On the other hand, he could always take it with him, and so it was decided.

Of course, the fact that he hadn't met Ryan on this day was finally not an exception after all those days where he was everywhere Evan turned, but rather a foreshadowing that he would meet him soon as the day was slowly winding down.

When Evan turned the corner, the sight really took him by surprise.

"Why the hell are you holding a cat?" the words fell out of him automatically. Ryan's head shot up in surprise, his gaze quickly searching for Evan.

"Because it's the cutest thing alive?" was his reply. Evan couldn't disagree more. Felines and canines couldn't be more different, and it didn't matter if they were real animals or shifters. And Evan, being a wolf, felt no affection for the little demons called cats.

"I don't see the cute part," he had no problem expressing his opinion. And despite not being inclined to meet the cat, he headed straight for the ink-haired boy.

"Are you blind?" Ryan looked like Evan had personally insulted him. He held the cat closer to him in his arms and even rested his chin in her fur for a moment. With scratching behind her ear, the cat didn't seem to mind. And the closer Evan got, the better he could hear her purring. And that wasn't the only sound that reached him.

"Don't listen to him," Ryan whispered to the cat in his arms, and Evan was surprised at the soft tone he used. A small chuckle escaped Evan. Even though it was absurd, he couldn't help but admit that the picture in front of him was cute. But not because of the cat.

"I wonder if she would treat you this way if you were in your wolf form." Instead, however, he preferred to focus on something else before his thoughts once again took him somewhere they shouldn't have.

"That's step two in my plan," Ryan replied promptly. Evan was finally just a step away from him, and Ryan turned around, so they were facing each other. From the way he alternated between looking at him and the cat in his arms, Evan hoped he hadn't expected him to pet the little creature.

"Do I even want to know what your exact plan is?" He would never have guessed him to be a cat lover, but on the other hand, he wouldn't have expected him to like dinosaurs either. Evan was so focused on the things he saw through his eyes that anything else always surprised him more than it should have. He found out more and more that Ryan was not the kind of person he had been pigeonholed before he got to know him better.

"Step 1 - make her fall for me like I fell for her. Step 2 - make our animal selves be friends." Ryan lifted his face from the cat with the biggest smile Evan had ever seen on him. Two emotions ran through him at that moment, one of them being jealousy (which was quite ironic since it was a cat) and the other made him blush.

"Are you blushing?" Of course, Ryan noticed. Evan started to panic and quickly lowered his head to his feet. Suddenly his head was empty, and he had no idea how to talk himself out of this situation.

"I guess I finally found something I can use against you," Ryan chuckled. Evan dared to return his gaze back to him, and the smile on Ryan's face looked more endearing than mocking. But honestly, it was probably because the tuft of fur in his arms decided to snuggle up to him.

"I'm not sure you can laugh at me when I find out about your penchant for cats," he shot back.

"I have nothing to be ashamed of." The dark-haired boy just shrugged his shoulders as if it was nothing.

"Okay, Snow White." It wasn't the best analogy, but Evan was having trouble thinking at the moment. The sight of Ryan snuggling with the cat was too much for his sanity.

"You're the one to talk, Rapunzel," Ryan answered without hesitation. Evan had no idea why he had compared him to her. From what he remembered, Rapunzel was a princess with long blonde hair that she pulled everywhere behind her.

"Why the hell am I Rapunzel?" he voiced his confusion. Ryan just laughed at his confused expression, and this time his laughter didn't die down as quickly.

"C'mon, tell me." Evan knew he wasn't actually mocking him, but he still wanted an explanation to make sure he didn't have to be offended.

"Okay, okay." His laugh turned into a soft smile. "Rapunzel is a princess imprisoned in a tower where she has to obey her mother's orders and cannot fulfil her dreams. But she knows what she wants all this time, and then she finally decides to escape."

Evan thought that made perfect sense, except for the escape part. He still had a long way to go. But instead of adding seriousness to the conversation, he decided to turn it in a different direction.

"Guess I should grow my hair out," he snickered. Ryan looked at him as if trying to imagine it, and Evan felt the crimson rise in his face again. His gaze was too intense, and Evan felt like he could see right into his soul. Or rather their soul.

"I think it would look cute," he finally concluded, and his gaze changed to a more casual one.

"And my parents would have a heart attack because they'd think it would look too feminine," Evan added, ignoring the part where Ryan called him cute.

"I don't know your parents, but it looks like a lot of things could give them a heart attack." At first, Evan didn't understand how Ryan came up with that, but then he remembered that he had said a similar sentence in front of him once before.

"My parents don't like anything out of the ordinary," Evan tried to keep his tone neutral, but he couldn't help a little sadness seep in.

"Maybe they'll change their minds because of you," Ryan immediately tried to cheer him up.

"Maybe," Evan repeated, though he honestly didn't believe it himself. Ryan noticed that the mood between them had changed, and he immediately set about improving it again. He fixed the cat in his hands, which was still purring loudly, and picked it up. Evan thought he was going to put her on the ground, but he couldn't have been more wrong when suddenly her little white head appeared right in front of him.

"Just take her." He didn't even have time to protest before Ryan placed the cat in his arms and guided Evan's hold with his hands. When he was satisfied, he pulled away from him and stared at the two of them.

"Perfect." His bright smile was contagious and suddenly even Evan, despite having a little beast in his arms, was smiling from ear to ear.