Terran had to smile at Arron's lack of enthusiasm. Poor kid had probably been stressed out by the guy Rylan had said dropped him off the other day. He'd noticed some fur missing from the back of his neck, as well as a scar healing there, so when he heard about Rylan pressuring him at school earlier from Erin, he'd had to call his father.

The elephant shifter was actually a good friend of his from before he'd graduated and they still talked on the phone quite a lot. Not that he would help him land Arron over his own baby brother, but if Rylan kept stressing out the poor kid, he would definitely have to switch sides.

"Alright, let's go." He said with a reassuring smile.

Arron stared up at him like he was crazy, but when Terran grabbed his bag from the front door and tossed him his clothes, Arron seemed to figure out that he wasn't joking.

He hopped off the sofa and quickly pulled on his clothing. Before he could even straighten them out, Terran was grabbing his hand and tugging him out the door. He stumbled to keep up but when Terran stopped and dropped his bag again, Arron stared at him in confusion.

"What are you doing?"

Stripping, obviously.

"Shift again after putting your clothes in the bag." Terran said.

Now he really looked like he wanted to run away from him, but after a minute he did as told. Terran quickly zipped up the bag and set it down once Arron had put away his clothing, then shifted into his lion form. After picking up the bag with his teeth, Terran began sauntering down the sidewalk at a slow trot. Arron had no trouble keeping up even in his kitten form and pretty soon they had a nice pace going.

My lion is so out of shape.

He was panting after only a few blocks. Hopefully Arron didn't mind a little drool on his backpack.

When they finally arrived at their destination Terran walked Arron behind a bush so that they could quickly change back and get dressed before heading inside.

"Why are we at the mall?" Arron asked as soon as they stepped through the electronic doors.

He might still be confused, but Terran knew that the run would at least relax him. Cheetah shifters were always more calm when they got to exercise a bit. He just knew that he wouldn't have been able to run around in human form well, thus the shifting. He smiled as he lead the way toward a big store called Books 4 You. It was a cheesy name for a bookstore, but it had the best selection of stuff. It also had a tiny cafe in the back where you could buy drinks and small treats, then go sit and relax for a bit while reading.

"Well... I wanted to talk to you, and this seemed like a good place to do it." He finally said as they walked to the cafe in the back and he bought a chocolate bear claw pastry and a hot chocolate for them both. They then found a place to sit off in a corner. Settling down in two comfortable wing chairs, they sipped on their drinks and worked on their snacks before Terran began to speak.

"Sorry, but I'm not really interested in any kind of relationship with you. Not that you aren't adorable or anything like that, but I prefer not to go to jail." He said.

Arron chuckled a little at that before taking another bite.

Guess he figured out that I wasn't going to be serious.

"Anyways, I came to talk about Rylan."

That had him pausing.

"It's okay. I know you're not happy with my brother, or at least his attitude. But, I just wanted to tell you that he honestly does like you, like really likes you. It's just that he sucks at emotional things. It's mainly because of his lion but also his stubborn personality."

Arron slowly nodded but kept his mouth busy with the pastry, letting Terran know that he wouldn't be talking just yet.

"Well uh, I wanted to see if something would work. If you honestly want to try and date my little brother, that is."

Arron's brows furrowed slightly as he seemed to think about that.

"I think I know what could finally calm him down and make him understand that if he keeps being mean to you, you're not going to wait for him."

Arron glanced away for a second, then looked back up at him. "What makes it seem like I'm waiting for him?" He asked.

That had Terran's smile growing wider as he reached over and mussed up Arron's spiky hair.

"Tell me you aren't?"

The look on the kid's face actually went a little south, making Terran's lips part slightly.

"Hey sweetie, what's wrong? Was he that bad? Do i need to beat up my baby brother?" Because he would if he was that much of an ass.

"He's not... terrible, but he stresses me out a lot. I know that it's normal for lions to be bossy, but I'm not a lion." He mumbled as he fiddled with his hands in his lap, his food already eaten.

"Yeah, I can understand that, kid. It's hard to handle a lion when you aren't one yourself."

Arron looked up and pursed his lips. "I know he can be nice, but he seems to let his lion's attitude take over more often than not. It gets really frustrating since I've seen him be sweet."

Terran leaned back a little in his chair and nodded.

"You're right. He's so used to people bowing down to him and his lion that he doesn't let himself be more than that. His lion, especially, knows that it's in line to be head honcho at some point and feels like it has to boss everyone around already. His heart is still there, but it's buried under his lion's egotistical pride."

Arron nodded, remaining quiet for a minute before replying.

"I don't know what to do."

This is where I come in.

"I can help you if you'll give my brother one more chance." Terran said with a hopeful grin.

He could see the hesitance in Arron's eyes as he looked down, then back up at him, but after a long moment of silence he finally gave him a small nod.

Yes!

"Alright, come here!" Terran said, grabbing Arron's hand and pulling him to his feet, then down a few isles until they stopped in the psychology section.

It was more a place for teens, but he doubted that his brother's attention span ranged much farther then that for non-fiction books. After a quick search he pulled down a book with a cheetah on the front and handed it to Arron.

"You should give that to him, and..."

Reaching up again, he found another book, this time with a lion on the front, and handed it to Arron, too.

"You should read that one. Maybe it will clear up some things that are keeping you two apart." He said.

Arron looked at both books titled: Understanding Shifters.

While he was busy considering the books, Terran grabbed his hand again and tugged him to the fiction section, handing him two others.

"Those are to stem his temper from being handed such a childish book. He's been wanting to read them for awhile." He said.

When Arron took the books his eyes lit up and he grinned.

"I've read these, they're really good."

"Really? He loves talking about the series, but I never know what he's talking about. I'm not much of a fiction reader." Terran replied, making Arron chuckle.

"Maybe he'll talk to me about them."

That's the spirit, kid.

"I bet he will. Now let's pay and head out." Terran said.

He seemed a bit surprised that they were leaving already, but Terran just winked and tugged him toward the checkout line.

"Sorry I'm a bit of an ass for dragging you out here, but I wanted to make my little brother jealous and let him see what he's about lose." He said honestly.

The kid's face lit up with an adorable blush as Terran paid for the books and handed him the bag. He didn't seem to think he was worth getting jealous over, but he really didn't know how much of a catch he was. Even ignoring the cross-shifter stuff, he was sweet, adorable and very well mannered. He was everything that Rylan needed.

It took about an hour to get back to the house walking in their human forms and the second they stepped through the door Terran could feel the tension in the air. Jordan was still on the sofa but it was obvious that something had happened because he was still a bit tense. When he noticed that they were home he looked over and grinned, then nodded toward the stairs. Terran nodded in return and gently nudged Arron toward them.

"Good luck, kid. Don't let him walk all over you. Tell him how it is."

Arron hesitated, but after another slight nudge he started up the stairs.

Rylan was supposed to be studying, but he couldn't get a damn thing to stick in his head past the echoing voice of what his father had said downstairs.

Terran took Arron out on a date.

He wanted to roar he was so upset, his lion just barely beneath the surface. His nails were even partially extended into claws. He was so focused on his own frustration that he barely heard the knock at his door.

"What?" He snarled, not bothering to look at who was there.

It was probably just his father ready to punish him for his terrible behavior, again. Not like I have much else to take that I give a damn about. However, when the person came in and gently shut the door he glanced up, then growled.

"Get. Out."

Arron flinched and held up a bag of... books? to his chest, but didn't leave. He didn't even lower his eyes. Rylan's lion stirred beneath his skin as he climbed out of his bed and stalked over to the smaller boy. He could sense Arron's instincts screaming at him to run, but he stood tall, though a bit shaky.

"What? Come to rub your date with my older brother in my face? Did you enjoy it? How was the goodnight kiss?" He growled, unable to hold his words back.

Arron shook his head quickly, trying to stay strong, even though Rylan could sense his determination dwindling.

"I don't want to deal with you right. Just get out and let me cool off." He grumbled as he started turning around, but stopped when he heard the sound of the books dropping to the floor.

Understanding shifters: Cheetahs

The book behind it looked like one that was for... lions? He couldn't quite see the other two beneath them, but he really didn't care to look, either. His lion was just barely contained as he lifted his gaze back to Arron's.

Rylan was about to tell him to take the stupid children's books and leave when he felt something soft brush against his lips. Before he could really process the fact that Arron had just kissed him, the guy was running for the door. Rylan's lion reacted with the simple instinct that his prey was running away and hurried to give chase. Arron had the door partially open when Rylan shoved it closed, then put a hand on either side of Arron's face as the guy turned around to look up at him.

He growled quietly in response which just made Rylan smirk and lean forward, nuzzling his nose against Arron's warm neck.

"Read me one of those books you brought back." He mumbled after a few moments, having finally reigned in his cat.

When he didn't receive a response right away, Rylan leaned back to see Arron frowning and blinking up at him. Shaking his head, he turned and walked back over to where Arron had dropped the books and picked each of them up.

Wait... these are the two I've been wanting to read. Damn you, Terran, you're a sneaky bastard. He thought to his brother.

Love you too, baby bro.

He grabbed the cheetah book and climbed onto his bed, moving his textbook aside before patting the spot it vacated.

"Come here, Spots."

Arron slowly climbed up into his bed and scooted next to him as he handed the book over. He knew that he should keep his hands off after that his lion's bit of aggression, but as Arron began to read, Rylan couldn't help but gently tug him into the space between his legs, making it easy to wrap his arms loosely around his middle.

"Understanding cheetah shifters. They aren't as complex as most of the other large cat shifters. Cheetahs tend to be solitary in the wild but that can vary greatly when a shifter. They enjoy a lot of exercise but moderate attention. Suffocating a cheetah shifter with attention could cause them to pull away from you as a friend.

They do not handle aggression well and will often try to run from the source. Cheetah shifters prefer to talk things out if running isn't a valid option, as their wild cousins are not built to fight. For those who are trying to get a cheetah's attention, approaching them with a calm smile is the best idea. An opposite example may be a lion, who's females tend to enjoy aggressive behaviors and possessive actions. Cheetahs are much more hesitant to engage in those types of behaviors because in the wild, aggression towards them could easily turn on to be fatal."

He stopped speaking after that paragraph but Rylan had a feeling that it was mainly because of him. He couldn't help it, he was licking Arron's cheek softly.

"I swear I'm listening. This is just helping me relax my lion a bit more." He said before he continued. "A little from this one, too." Rylan said as he handed him the lion book.

Arron took it as Rylan leaned back against the pillows he had stacked in front of the headboard. Arron remained where he was sitting, but that didn't bother him.

"Lion shifters are all about dominance."

This book went straight to the point.

"They are extremely family oriented and will often form prides of more than one family and share a last name. This type of family has been adopted by many other shifters, but the lion was the initial one to begin it. They often aren't afraid of showing public affection and punishment. Males often have trouble controlling their lion's temperament until adulthood. The more dominant one is in the pride, the harder it can be for them to handle their shift.

If you would like to get a lion's attention, most females can be approached without much focus on your specific behavior, as long as no threat is posed. For males, especially higher ranking ones, submissive gestures are the safest way. Many high ranking males are home-schooled because of their inability to handle normal negative human gestures or other shifter's mistaken challenges. If a male is challenged they will almost always take it personally and use it as a chance to gain favor with the females around them, as well as respect from other males."

There was more information to both books but the introductions had been spot on. Rylan's attention was now focused on the boy who was finally leaning slowly back into his arms. Their eyes were locked, but for once, Rylan's lion didn't consider it a challenge.

We've both interacted with each other incorrectly and now we know at least some of the things we need to do to fix it.

They would definitely be finishing those books soon.

"Give me one more chance? Can I take you out tonight?" Rylan asked as he smirked and leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to Arron's forehead, causing a bright blush to appear on the guy's face.

"I promise to keep my lion on his best behavior." He added.

Aurron chuckled and leaned up to lick his cheek once.

"Okay."

He never thought that he'd be the one asking someone out, or really trying to please them, but he honestly wanted Aron as a mate. Took me long enough to realize that.

"Alright, let's get the heck out of here!" He said.

Without waiting for his response, Rylan hopped out of bed and grabbed Arron's hand, tugging him down the stairs and out the front door. He wasn't going to ask his father for his keys back since it was an appropriate punishment for him being an asshole, and anyways, the book had said that cheetahs liked exercise, so he figured a good walk would be much more appreciated than a drive.

They walked for a good while before finally coming upon a strip mall with some nice stores lined up for about a block. It was near the beginning of downtown where Erin had taken him before, but this time he was there with Rylan. He held his hand the entire way there, swinging their arms playfully until they stopped in front of the stretch of stores and looked down at him with a smile.

"Where would you like to eat?"

Arron was about to respond with whatever Rylan would have liked, but then he thought back to that book. Male lions liked to be in control and aggressive. He was holding that back to allow him to pick a place. With a giddy smile Arron looked along the row of restaurants and stores.

"There!" He said with excitement as he pointed down the line of restaurants. "The Vietnamese place."

The look on Rylan's face told him that he had chosen very poorly, but he quickly covered it up with a smile and nodded.

"Alright, let's go."

His grip was a bit tighter on his hand, but when they got inside the restaurant he relaxed and they slid into a booth across from each other. Their waiter was at their table a moment later with glasses of water and their menus.

"Hello and welcome to The Spice Garden. I'm your waiter, Mitchel. Please look over our menu and let me know if you have any questions. I'll be back momentarily to take your order." He said.

They both nodded, though he did see Rylan wince at the mention of the restaurant name.

Perhaps...

"Do you not like spicy food?" Arron asked.

Rylan looked like he was about disagree, but then Arron gave him a look and he pursed his lips, then nodded.

"Cool! Cause I'm not a huge fan either." He said.

He raised his right eyebrow and eyed him like he was nuts. Probably questioning his choice of restaurants.

"Look." Arron said as he ducked under the table and reappeared right next to him a second later, then opened the menu and read until he found what he'd wanted.

"Here." He said as he pointed to the entree and read it out loud.

"Sweet grilled chicken with ginger pork fried rice. Comes with a pork egg roll and seaweed salad."

Rylan glanced at him, earning a grin.

"I love this dish. It's sweet, unlike most spicy stuff from Vietnamese restaurants. It's also usually a lot of food." Arron said.

Rylan smiled and leaned over to press a kiss to his cheek.

That's when the waiter returned and asked if they were ready. Arron quickly leaned over the menu and gave him his order, then heard Rylan give the same one. They both ordered Dr. Pepper to drink. Once he walked off with their orders Rylan turned his attention back to him and began talking.

"Well, let's see... what's your favorite color, Spots?" He asked.

He really wants to know about such a trivial thing? 

"Blue." He replied, realizing that Rylan was trying to be nice and start some small talk.

"Same."

"Okay, what's your favorite book?" He asked.

Thank you for the answer to this, Terran!

"Raiding the Lost. Worlds Torn Apart." Arron said with a grin.

Rylan's mouth nearly fell open at his response.

"Really?" He asked, clearly surprised.

"Yup!"

The rest of the night went pretty great after that. They actually had quite a few things in common, like that they both hated chemistry. They had an addiction to sweet things, and they didn't like backing down from a challenge... except that Rylan could win them and he could, well, transform into his kitten form and try to cute his way out of getting hurt.

When they finally finished their meal and began walking home Arron felt totally stuffed, but completely content.

"This was really nice." He said after a bit of silence.

Rylan looked down at him and winked.

"I'm glad. You know... it's not as hard as I thought it'd be to keep my lion in check. It just takes a bit of focus."

Arron was just opening his mouth to reply when everything zoomed out and darnit.

"Come here, cutie." Rylan said as he leaned over and scooped up Arron's clothing, along with himself, then grabbed his shoes by the laces.

"I know you don't like being picked up, but I'm going to be a bit of a bad lion and do it anyway." Rylan said with a chuckle as he continued walking.

Fine, but just this once.

By the time they got home Arron was yawning and snuggled against his chest. He didn't realize where rylan was carrying him until he was tucked into bed, and well, into his arms. He felt his body shifting back to his human form after a while and thought about putting on clothes, but when soft lips met his forehead he relaxed back into Rylan's arms beneath the blankets and just let himself drift off to sleep.