AN: My excuse this time was that I had an awful week. I mean, I'm a gay woman living in America. My reaction to Tuesday was to be expected.

Chapter Thirty Eight- We Were Discussing Dogs

The sky rained down a flurry of hail that Monday morning, the pattering against the building's windows and roof echoed around the quiet classroom. Ymir yawned beside me, tapping her pencil against the desk. The professor had paused his writing on the whiteboard, briefly turning to scan his notes.

"Did you actually stay up to finish your homework?" I whispered upon leaning over. Ymir suppressed a laugh and shook her head.

"Annie and I were watching a horror movie last night" she explained in a low tone.

"And you got scared?" I teased. "Is that what kept you up?" She shot me a mockingly annoyed look.

"You didn't let me finish. We watched the movie, it was decent, so we figured we'd rent the sequel. You know, in hindsight, we should've realized that the second one would be bad. Sequels are always awful" she trailed off, staring at the whiteboard blankly. "Anyway, we stopped watching at like, two, I think? And then we, well… we stopped watching." She cut herself off. "Got, uh, distracted."

"You're telling me that you didn't go to sleep at two like a more responsible student would?" I questioned, the answer already being very obvious.

"That's about right" Ymir replied, abruptly yawning once again.

"Horny teens" I muttered, then remembered to jot down the new bullet points on the board.

She clearly heard me but chose to ignore the comment. "And how was your Sunday evening, Christa? Much more responsible, I'm guessing." She smiled at my sour look.

"My evening was fine, thanks for asking. Had a hard time falling asleep, but I apparently still got more rest than you" I responded simply, still considerably close to Ymir. I could hear her breathing, and although the repetitive sound often put me more at ease, I felt her presence setting me on edge today instead.

"Are you feeling stressed? Maybe you should ease up; try not to overwork yourself" she murmured as the professor stepped away from the whiteboard.

"It's not that. I'm doing okay" I replied softly. "Just… Stuff on my mind. Stupid, everyday stuff." Questioning your sexuality isn't quite everyday stuff, I reluctantly reminded myself.

"Hm" Ymir acknowledged simply. She flipped to a new page in her notebook, and I followed her lead by writing down the details of the homework.

The hail had let up, leaving only overcast skies and a distinct chill to the air. Ymir and I walked together to my last class of the day, only to find that it had been canceled. After a moments of silence, Ymir pointed out that her afternoon schedule was free. "Want to get a late lunch?" She then prompted.

We decided on a place on-campus, between the arts and literature departments. We traversed the school grounds together, bundled up in jackets against the harsh wind.

"Are you kidding me, Christa?" Ymir asked in disbelief. "Dogs are so much better than cats. They actually care about you."

I don't remember how we landed on this topic, only that we had harshly different views. Plus, neither wanted to back down in regards to opinion, as to be expected.

I rolled my eyes. "Oh yeah, because blind loyalty is so appealing."

"If you died in your home, your cat would eat you. You realize that, right?" She asked, seemingly exasperated now.

"Everything has to sustain itself."

"Yeah, and dogs need to eat too. Doesn't mean they're eager to rip off pieces of our flesh."

"I don't think you're arguing this point very well" I commented, stifling a laugh at her flushed face and alert eyes. She obviously took this very seriously.

"Okay, well, at least dogs actually want to be near you."

"Sounds suffocating."

"I don't know about you, but I actually enjoy companionship."

"Cats are more convenient, however. They don't have to be walked, and they don't need constant attention."

"At that point you're just raising a moody teen." She raised a challenging brow. "I'm right, aren't I?" Her smug expression read.

"I'm simply saying that ideally a cat would be better. I guess I wouldn't know for sure though, since I've never had pets."

"You see? Take it from an expert. I had a dog from ages one to nine. His name was Mackerel and he was a fantastic friend. Never attempted to eat me, either."

I snorted in laughter. "You named your dog Mackerel?"

She grinned, beaming down at me in that radiant manner of hers. "Hey, I think it was a cute name. And no, I didn't name him. I think my mom… did." Her smile fell back into a neutral position. She looked back up and ahead, shoulders stiff.

I recoiled a bit at her sudden coldness. God, Ymir, I thought, what happened to you?

Thankfully a distraction quickly presented itself. Or presented herself, I suppose I should say. Although honestly, her sudden presence was bringing me more stress than I needed.

"Christa, Ymir!" Ronnie shouted from a couple yards away. We both perked up at the tall woman nearly bounding toward us. Her wild hair bounced once more as she made a quick halt before us. "What brings you guys over here?"

"Food. And why are you over here? I thought you only had an English credit left?" Ymir retaliated all too swiftly.

Ronnie glanced back at the arts department to our left, the direction she had come from. "Oh yeah, that's right. I was just delivering some supplies that Lou forgot this morning." A darker cloud passed over the sun, casting a harsher shadow on the school grounds.

"Louis is my roommate" she hastily explained after taking notice of my blank expression. "Anyway, food you said?" Her face lit up. "Over there, I'm guessing?" She pointed in the correct direction.

"Yes" Ymir confirmed hesitantly.

"Cool! I'll join you then. Haven't eaten anything for hours." She smiled expectantly at us while Ymir released a slow, drawn-out sigh.

"You can't just invite yourself, Ronnie" she tried to interject.

"And why not? You do it all the time. Remember that time I was on a date with that red-head. Denise, I think it was? You just plopped yourself right into the booth. Stayed with us the entire evening. Ordered three beers, I'll add." She continued to smile.

"In my defense, I was expecting to get carded, and then I'd be on my way." Ronnie's stiff grin didn't let up. Oh shit, it was some sort of showdown of the wills.

As they both stared each other down in silence, I could see Ymir cracking. She already had little patience over our extensive homework. She couldn't possibly hold up much longer.

And I was right. "Fine" Ymir breathed, running a hand through her hair.

"Great!" Ronnie immediately replied, throwing an arm around my shoulder, standing right between Ymir and me, I'll add.

Ymir leaned forward to shoot me a slightly apprehensive, mostly apologetic look. I shook my head. Something tells me that this sort of situation was inevitable.

AN: Review if you want. I'm always up for a reassuring comment.