Chapter 7 Sage
Sage
Sage hated the mall. He bought most of his stuff online.
But he also knew the mall might be easier to navigate for Will, plus it gave the young werewolf a chance to get outside.
Sage got the sense just going outside hadn’t been a thing for Will in a while, and the way the wolf had stared at, well, everything had confirmed that.
While Will anxiously looked at price tags in the men’s clothing section, Sage pulled out his phone to text Peter.
You want to tell me what shit Will went through?
That’s privileged. He did not run away like your cats, did he?
No, and stop acting like the cats are my fault.
He’s scared to spend money on a spare pair of pants. Or on a single pair of pants.
So tell him he has to. He’s a pup. A firm hand should do the trick.
Sage leaned against a display of socks and rolled his eyes.
Firm hand, huh? “Will. Get three pairs of pants and at least ten shirts to go with them. Decent ones. Nothing that’s going to come apart in the wash.”
Will’s jaw tightened, but he nodded, never meeting Sage’s eyes for more than a second. He seemed to have trouble with the whole decision-making process though, looking from one pair of pants to the next.
Sage was torn. On the one hand, he wanted to step in and help Will, but on the other, Will was a grown person. Sage’s phone vibrated, and he looked down at a new text from Peter.
Help him if you must.
Sage narrowed his eyes at the text.
Did you follow us or something? R U watching us?
Sage, unlike yourself, I cannot spend an afternoon at the mall to frolic about. Be a darling and help the pup.
“Okay, be a dick, Peter,” Sage grumbled, but went over to Will. Will looked up, and the helpless expression on his face would have been hilarious if Sage didn’t have the feeling it came from some deep and still-raw hurt. “Is it okay if I help you find what you like?”
The relief on Will’s face made him look younger. He nodded eagerly.
“Okay.” Sage wasn’t sure how to do this. He wasn’t in sales, he was in magic, and even that wasn’t a straightforward affair. He grabbed two pairs of jeans, one in either hand. “Don’t think, just answer. Black or blue?”
“Black.”
Sage put the blue pair back. He did that until he had four pairs of pants over his arm, then did pretty much the same with the shirts.
Will really seemed to have an easier time this way, and when Sage sent him to try everything on and just tell him if the stuff fit and was comfortable or not, Will could handle those yes or no responses as well.
“That’s a lot of clothes,” the young werewolf said when Sage dragged him to the checkout counter. “And there are four pairs of pants. You said to get three. I don’t mean to correct you, but…there’s four.”
“Yeah, one to spare. I’m bad at doing laundry on the reg.”
Will still looked uncomfortable.
“It’s fine,” Sage tried.
“It’s just…a lot.”
By that time, the cashier was giving them questioning looks. Sage smiled his biggest smile at her and motioned for her to keep going.
“It’s just clothes, Will. And not even fancy ones. This is fine. You’re fine, okay?”
Will nodded, looking anything but fine. Sage wanted to squeeze his arm, but he didn’t dare, not after how touch had upset Will earlier in the kitchen.
Maybe… Well, he’s a werewolf. They have such strong pack bonds and stuff. Hmm, I wonder…
“Does it help if I tell you I like you wearing new clothes?”
Will shrugged, but this time, he lifted his gaze and actually looked at Sage.
Fuck. I have to dig up that old book on shifter behavior and read up on all of this. It’s not like I can go and ask Peter for advice without getting his fucking judgment too. At least I finally said the right thing.
“You two are really cute together,” the woman behind the counter said as she handed Sage the bag with Will’s new if modest wardrobe.
Will stiffened.
“Thanks, but we’re just friends,” Sage said.
She just raised her eyebrows at them, and Will wouldn’t really look up from the floor at all after that, almost like Sage had done something wrong.
After they left the clothing store, they went to get Will a phone, which was marginally easier, especially when Sage told Will it was necessary for work.
It really wasn’t, but the white lie helped Will relax.
When that was done, Sage started heading back toward the exit, but he came to a halt when something snagged the sleeve of his jacket. He turned to see Will had gingerly taken hold of Sage’s sleeve.
“You forgot the sugar. You need it. For your coffee.”
“Well, fuck me.” Sage turned on his heel. “Thanks, Will.”
Will brightened, which meant his eyes came unglued from the floor long enough that he could smile up at Sage.
“No problem.”
Baby steps, Sage thought. But at least I’ll have sweet coffee for the foreseeable future.
It was late when they got home, the day already waning. Will carried the bulk of the shopping inside, and when Sage came in after, he found the young werewolf in the kitchen, looking at the one bag of clothes among the groceries he’d put on the table.
“Want to get changed?”
Will jumped. “Oh. I…can?”
Sage shrugged. “You do you. Hey, also, I don’t know how much shifting you like to do, but if you want to be in fur every now and then, be my guest.”
Will’s eyes widened. He kept doing that.
“I’m allowed? In the house?”
Sage snorted. Stopped. Considered. Someone forbade him from shifting in the house? How fucked up is that? He’s a fucking shapeshifter.
“Yeah, sure. I don’t mind.”
Will pointed toward the stairs. “Can I go upstairs? Please?”
Sage shrugged. “Sure. You live here too now. Go wherever you want. Explore. We can start real training tomorrow if that works for you.”
Will nodded, his bangs falling into his face, and he was halfway to the kitchen door before he doubled back and grabbed his new clothes.
“Forgot this,” he mumbled.
Sage didn’t see him for the rest of the day. When he headed toward the attic, he stopped briefly at Will’s door. There were soft noises coming from inside, like a dog sounding happy to be running around or rolling in fresh grass.
I think I get to call this one a win. For my apprentice. To whom I’ll teach everything I know to the best of my ability.
On the attic stairs, Sage picked up one more piece of rubber and looked at it as it tied to caress his finger.
“I guess Peter had a point dropping him here.”