He´s done it again, Ladies and Gentlemen! He blessed us with another Haru/Juno bonus-chapter!

As it should be pretty obvious from the noticeably higher quality of writing, this chapter was written by the very talented RedLiteAlexi once again.

I hope you enjoy this chapter just as much as I did ;)

Have fun!

Beastars – Into the Spotlight

Bonus Chapter – Committed to Complicated (by RedLiteAlexi)

POV Haru

My ear twitched hard and suddenly my eyes were open. The light from a slit in the curtains made its way into my vision. As a herbivore, my eyesight was rather weak but I still winced as I felt it. Once again my ear twitched and it made contact with an object harder than the pillows and blankets.

As more of my body started to wake up, I realized that I wasn't in bed alone. I moved my hand and felt the soft but firm arm of another animal beside me. The arm laid over me and in effect pinned me to the body of the larger mammal. The next thing I noticed was the warm gusts of breath on the back of my neck, coming with each time they exhaled. It made my back fur bristle and I felt my heartbeat increase.

The animalistic drive made me more aware and alert. The defenses of a small rabbit that protected it from danger in this instance just made me uncomfortable. The thing that I noticed the most was the pure warmth of the larger animal's presence.

I had spent a lot of nights in the shed. The thin walls didn't offer much insulation from the winter. Feeling the soft warmth of another body in bed was something I was familiar with but not an animal this large. My memories of the night prior came flooding back. I rolled over and was met face to face with the slender sleeping wolf.

Juno looked rather uncomfortable as she slept the morning away. Her expression portrayed slight pain as she cuddled up in the small bed. I rolled over again to find my cell phone. I reached out of the wolf's grasp to the small device. I tapped it and saw that the time was 6:50. I woke up early and had beaten the alarm by a few minutes.

The thought of waking up the she wolf popped into my head. She probably would want to return to her dorm and get ready for class. Shimmying my body, I was able to gently slip out of her grasp. My pads hit the floor and a cold shiver shot up my spine. I instantly regretted leaving the hot embrace. I stood in my bra and panties that offered little protection from the cold. I groaned and tiptoed over to the little space heater. I flipped it on and I huddled over it. I shivered and my ears and tail twitched madly. I found my dress and pulled it on over my body.

In the heat of my heater, my glance returned to the sleeping wolf. She continued to sleep quietly. I was getting warmer and figured I might as well get ready. I walked over to the wolf and was about to touch her. I stopped and figured I would leave her be. I placed the phone by her face. It would ring in a few minutes and would allow her to sleep in a few minutes. I took another pass by the space heater while walking to the bathroom to brush my teeth.

Last night had really been something else. While I had done a fair amount experimenting with girls, I never imagined I'd ever share a kiss with Juno. It was nice to set my boundaries but I still felt like I was on shaky ground with the wolf. Hopefully she'd be okay with taking it slow with whatever we had. I thought about how I could have done something really stupid if I wasn't more careful.

"Come on dumb bunny, you can't loose your cool over a kiss. Even if it was admittedly a very hot kiss."

I said with a chuckle. Even a glancing thought about the slight mouth action of the night before made me weak kneed for a moment. I started to brush my fur with a small grooming brush.

Legoshi definitely needed to talk to her. Regardless of how I felt about him, what he did was rotten. He needed to apologize for everything. He also deserved to have his big dumb ass chewed out by Juno. That would do so much for her well-being. Juno having control over him for a moment might give her some well needed self-confidence.

From the little room, I heard the phone alarm begin to ring. It chimed for a moment before being turned off. I poked my head out the door, the brush still in my mouth. The wolf had shifted her head and laid back to bed. I spat out the paste and rinsed before returning to the bed.

"Juno." I said aloud to the sleeping girl. She mumbled, seeming upset. "Come on hon, you have to get up so you can go back to your dorm."

She curled up tighter and her back fur stood on end. I grimaced and reached out a hand to touch her. As my fingers got closer, I could feel a warmth radiating from her body. When they made contact, I felt the wolf burning up.

"Juno? Are you okay?" I crawled up next to her on the bed and put my hand on her head. Her eyes opened and she looked up at me meekly. Her fur felt damp and her skin even hotter.

"Oh you're burning up hon!" I said as I pulled my hand back. She rolled over and looked at me with red eyes.

"Oh man, is it that bad." She said,

"That's a no nonsense fever." I said. I hopped down and went back to the bathroom. I heard her softly groan. I returned with a little red pill and a glass of water.

"Ibuprofen and some water." I said as I greeted the ill wolf. She looked up at me with guilt.

"I didn't get you sick did I?" She said with worry. I thought about it and sensed for any aches within myself. To be honest, I felt wonderful. I was well rested and didn't have so much as a sniffle.

"I don't think I'm sick Juno, maybe it's not a virus." I said. "Take your medicine missy."

The wolf slowly leaned up and painfully placed the pill on her tongue. She swallows it with a gulp from the glass. She took a deep breath after the pill went down her throat. She breathed slowly as she sweat.

"You okay?" I asked with concern. Juno said nothing for a moment before having the sides of her mouth contorting. As a reflex, one of her arms flew to her mouth. With a queasy and panicked expression, she rapidly pointed to the garbage bucket in the corner of the room. My feet were moving before I even knew exactly what I was doing.

I had the garbage bucket in my hands as I rushed back to the bed. Juno held her mouth with one hand and desperately beckoned for me with the other. I passed the bucket and with great relief, Juno stuck her snout into the tiny metal pail and vomited loudly. I gagged and thanked god that I was tiny enough to not have to actually see it. I turned away as the sense of queasiness came over me as well.

"Oh god, are you okay Juno?" I asked sympathetically. The wolf just gagged as she strained to throw up.

"Oh my goodness, you're really sick with something." I said as the wolf loudly purged. I turned away and ran back to the bathroom to grab another Ibuprofen for her.

Juno coughed and sniffled as she painfully gagged.

"I'm so sorry Haru!" She cried.

"No no, it's okay. I just hope you feel better." I said, admittedly trying not to make direct eye contact with her, lest I see vomit. It would have made me super sick if I saw it. I placed the pill on the bedside table.

"If you think, you can stomach it, take another pill and it will break your fever." Juno nodded, still clutching the can for dear life. I maneuvered around her and snagged my phone. I looked at the clock and saw I had about an hour and a half before my first class.

"Listen Juno, I have to take care of a few greenhouse things, get another uniform and breakfast before class starts. Juno nodded as she perched her head over the can.

"You should take it easy hon, you should just stay in bed." I felt bad leaving her alone while she felt so uncomfortable but I really didn't wanna miss class. Juno nodded and shivered solemnly and held the pail.

Part of me wondered why this had come on now. Maybe the combination of the weather and all the stress had weakened her immune system. I picked up my things and prepared to walk for the door.

"Feel free to stay here as long as you'd like. If you could clean up your sick bucket, I'd be super appreciative. I just really hate the sight of another animal getting sick. Also, maybe you should visit the nurse. You're definitely sick enough to warrant an illness absence note." I said quickly.

Juno nodded and smiled weakly. "Thank you Haru." I smiled as well.

"Message me if you need anything. If you're still here, I'll get some veggie soup from the cafe for you. Just drink lots of water."

I walked over to the wolf and gave her warm wet leg a squeeze. "Sorry to mother you."

"It's fine, it's nice to have your concern." She said as she went to grab the glass.

I turned and waved before heading to the door. I certainly hoped that she would be okay. I wondered if her poor emotional state had brought on the episode of illness. The thought of confronting Legoshi myself crossed my mind. He really had broken her heart and that pain was manifesting into negative health issues. The last time we talked, I could tell he had a lot on his mind.

This winter hadn't been kind to him either. The grim realities of his new title and the new enemies he has made definitely made things more difficult. I wished this whole cheating business had never happened, I just wished I could talk to him about himself and how he was doing.

POV Juno

I felt a little ridiculous as I made my way through campus. I passed through the crowd of girls in their pristine white school uniforms. I on the other hand looked absolutely dreadful. I wore the only clothes I had available to me. The dirty sweater is covered in dirt and red plant stains. The black pants I wore had dried off slightly from the rain but we're still dampened and mud covered. I hadn't gotten the chance to change into a fresh uniform from my dorm and didn't want my roommates to have to bring me one.

Particularly due to the rumors that might spread if they spilled the beans as to where I asked them to deliver it. Haru had enough problems with the school's gossip to deal with and I didn't need to add to that. My fur looked gross from all the sweat and my body looked tired and achy. A few faces turned and looked at me as I just tried to reach the campus infirmary.

Also not helping with my overall disheveled appearance was the little blanket from Haru's bed that I was currently draping over my shoulders. To make matters worse, my fever had started to fade from the medicine. I was starting to worry that the nurse wouldn't even write me a note with how much my health had improved.

The entire ordeal was so strange. When I woke up, I felt like I was on death's door. After a little nap and some meds, I felt much better. Even still the desire to go to class was minimal. Emotionally, I still felt bad and the thought of dredging my way through a seven hour school day sounded awful. I kept walking and tried to ignore the girls who quietly mentioned me.

"Is that Juno?"

"Oh she looks a little rough."

"I guess she's not taking the breakup very well."

I heard the voices say. I tried to ignore them. Right now I needed to focus on getting to the nurse and getting the absence note. I needed to take everything one step at a time. As soon as I got this taken care of, I could focus on everything else that was making me stressed out. One step closer and I'll be away from these voices. No distractions and I won't pay them any attention.

"Juno!" I heard a cheery voice cut through the crowd. I stopped and turned to the side as a figure moved quickly towards me. The little angora goat smiled as she walked up to me. I looked down at Els and her friendly face. The goat had such a friendly demeanor and I had already acknowledged her. I couldn't just run away or feign ignorance at this point. I tried to fake a little smile.

"Oh...uh hi Els." I said with a little wave of my hand. The goat's expression dipped a little bit as she got a better look at me.

"Juno, why aren't you in your uniform? Oh goodness you're sick aren't you?" She said with a gasp.

I nodded and held the blanket tightly, the winter air sending a chill down my spine.

"Yeah, I'm actually on my way to the nurse's office to get a sick note for my classes.

"Oh well okay, did you have a good winter break." She said, refusing to be dissuaded by my soured demeanour.

"It was rather stressful to be honest, it was nice to see my family but I'm still a little sore from everything that happened… well you know." I said. I didn't want to get into it with Els. She was sweet and nice but I was worried I'd overshare.

"Yeah, I hope that everything is okay. I mean I hope it's not too awkward in drama club." She said, the conversation was skirting the line between aggravating and I hoped I could steer out of it.

"I'm a professional, it's nothing that I can't handle." I said with a newfound confidence.

"That's great, I'm sorry you're sick. Do you think you're gonna be at the club meeting tomorrow? Sanu is going to be announcing the new piece. I really wouldn't mind a musical or maybe a drama I don't know, hopefully just not a classic that's been performed a billion times. What are you hoping the piece is?" She asked.

I felt bad that I was starting to get a little visibly frustrated. Els was sweet but I wasn't really in the mood for chitchat.

"I think anything besides a straightforward romance would be fine. Maybe one that makes more use of an ensemble cast and has less focus on a main character." I said, moving slightly to signify my desire to disengage the conversation.

"I agree one hundred percent, it'd be nice if a wolf didn't hog the spotlight…" Els quickly caught herself and the look of horror on her face was there soon after. "I didn't mean you Juno! Damn I'm such an idiot!" She said as she slapped her forehead.

"Don't worry, I understand what you mean. Maybe I'm biased but I wouldn't mind it if Legoshi's presence didn't dominate the entire performance."

Else smiled at my words. I felt the conversation had long since run its course and I really needed to get to the nurse.

"Um Els, I still feel pretty bad and I really need to get to the nurse." I said, clutching the blanket to really sell it.

Her eyes went wide and she blushed. "Damn, I've been holding you up just so I could run my mouth. Sorry Juno, I'll see you tomorrow at the club meeting." The goat turned to walk away. I flashed a little smile and waved as she walked away. I refocused myself and resumed my task at hand, shuffling past all my fellow students and making my way to the nurse's office.

The conversation with the goat did make me consider something I tried to not think about. Tomorrow would be the first important club meeting since the holidays. I worked hard to mind my own business during the prior day's meeting. Fortunately for me, a majority of that meeting was just a formality. Much of it was spent talking to Legoshi and getting a closer look at his injuries. I really should have said something to him. Maybe it would have alleviated some of the pressure between us. Sadly I don't know if I could have trusted myself to keep the conversation relegated to wishing him well with his recovery.

In addition to that, I was also trying my hardest to avoid Kai. Part of me did feel a little guilty about ghosting him hard during the break. While he was annoying, I did more or less lead him on. It felt somewhat hypocritical to suddenly avoid him.

After a few minutes I came to a large hall with several cots lining both sides of the walls. I looked around the room and didn't immediately spot anyone else in the room. As a class period had just started, most students weren't roaming the halls. Strangely, one of the things that irked me the most about visiting the nurse´s office was being spotted.

Biologically, wolves sought to conceal their vulnerability in the wild. An injured animal often attracts deadly attention. On a more personal level, I really just wanted to be left alone. At this point, I would have been fine if I didn't see another animal for the rest of the day.

I noticed that one of the beds in the hall had the curtains drawn around it. My ears twitched and I heard a couple of voices coming from behind the curtain in question. I slowly walked in and took a seat by the door. Maybe someone one would come and check me in within a few minutes. Now that I had some time to myself, it seemed like a good time for a little introspection.

The conversion with the little goat had raised some concerns that I would have to address. The drama club meeting was coming up and I more than likely would have to see both Legoshi and Kai. I had been working overtime to avoid them but at this point, talking to them would be less work than hiding away as I had been. I thought back to what Haru had said about her relationship with Sebastian. She made it work by setting those boundaries and being firm in her resolve. Perhaps doing the same thing for the mongoose would be beneficial.

My eyes snapped up at the movement in my peripheral vision. From behind the curtained corner was the school nurse. A middle aged female ibex walked over towards the middle of the room. She looked at me and started towards me.

"Good afternoon miss. What can I do for you?"

I looked at her white uniform and said nothing right away. She had a small name tag on the left side of her chest.

"Yui." I read to myself. I was pretty sure I had seen her before. She wasn't the nurse that tended to Legoshi when I visited in the past but I distinctly remember seeing her in the room.

She looked nice enough, younger than most of the staff. Her tiny white hat was nuzzled between her tiny set of horns. She looked similar to Els aside from being a bit larger and having more caramel colored fur. I hoped she wouldn't be as talkative as my classmate. If I was lucky, she would take one look at me and simply write me a note so I could slump back to bed.

I opened my mouth and readied myself to speak. "Hello… nurse, I woke up super sick and I slept all morning. Do you know if I could be checked out and possibly be given a sick note?" I asked.

Yui looked down at a clipboard and removed a sheet of paper before handing it to me.

"Okay miss, just fill this out and we can get started with the diagnosis." She turned around and went to place a paper sheet on an examination table. I looked down at the form and began to fill it out. I felt a little nervous as all the questions glared back at me. Questions about my age and background were fine but further down the list, it got more intrusive. A few questions asked about sexual partners and how recently I had sex.

"Do I really have to answer these?" I asked myself. It seemed unnecessary for what I needed. I began to jot down my symptoms for the fever illness I had. Hopefully she wouldn't bring up the questions if I didn't respond to them.

I nervously walked back over to her as she filed another form.

"Uh… I filled this out, nurse." I smiled weakly before I handed the clipboard back to her. She looked it over and then spoke.

"Okay miss Juno, wanna have a seat up here and tell me what's going on?" She said as placed the board down and picked up a few items.

"Well I just woke up this morning with a really bad fever. And…" I looked over to the other occupied bed. The nurse must have caught my stare.

"That patient is asleep, your information and visit will be kept confidential." She gave me a small smile.

"Okay." I said. "Well I started vomiting really badly." I said with a tinge of embarrassment.

"Okay, well now that students are returning from winter break, we're going to see an uptick of sickness over the next few weeks. So we'll do a check up to see if you possibly have a contagious illness. After that we may have to issue a minor medical quarantine. Do you understand." She asked.

I nodded and tried to get comfortable. She lifted up a small thermometer and raised it to my mouth.

"Open please."

I slowly opened my mouth and felt the plastic disposable tip slip under my tongue. She spoke again.

"Has this been persistent?" She asked as she looked at the little display.

I hadn't thought about it much. Now looking back, I had felt crappy a handful of times over the break. One of those times, I even threw up. I chalked it up to stress about my relationships and everything.

"I was feeling icky a couple of times over the break. I guess I've been super stressed out because my boyfriend was in the hospital." I stopped myself. "Uh… well my ex boyfriend." My ears fell.

"Idiot! Why did you tell her that? She doesn't care or even know you." I yelled at myself. Although maybe she did. A lot of staff attended the drama club presentations. My relationship with Legoshi was pretty high profile and popular gossip. It was a real possibility that the nurse had heard about the grey wolf couple.

My thoughts were interrupted by a beeping. The ibex pulled the thermometer from my mouth and looked at the readout.

"104 degrees, slightly higher than normal canine temperature. It looks like your fever is certainly breaking. How do you feel?" She asked me as she looked over my form.

"Honestly, I feel a lot better. I thought I was on the verge of dying this morning but now I think I'll be just fine soon." I smiled lightly.

Nurse Yui said nothing as her gaze focused on the form. She looked around the room and then back at me.

"Any other symptoms, sneezing, coughing or sore throat?" She asked.

"No, none of those." I responded, part of me felt worried.

"Irregular appetite, either loss or excessive?"

I blushed. I had been eating a lot while visiting my family. I don't think there was a day I didn't venture down and get a sweet treat at 3am.

"Well I have been eating a bit more as of lately, but I think that's just because of the holiday break. I'm sure I'll have a more regular eating schedule now that I'm back in school."

The ibex looked at the form again and back at me. "I just want you to know that your visit is confidential and we can go to the back room if you would like to continue the examination there."

I was perplexed. What was exactly happening now. "Oh okay… I'm okay right here. What exactly do you wanna discuss?"

She looked up at me with a straight face and pulled out a pen. Yui placed my form on the clipboard.

"Juno, have you ever had sexual intercourse?" The nurse asked. I felt like I swallowed a stone. Why did this have to come up? Why wasn't I back in bed? Why couldn't this nurse just issue me a sick note and let me be on my way.

"Uh…ma'am…" That was all I could squeeze out.

"It's okay, I'm a medical practitioner, it's just a rudimentary question." She said slowly.

I gulped and thought about how to answer the question. "Well…Yes." I said slowly. My ears twitched as I heard the pen tip scraping against the paper.

"Okay, now when was the last time you had sexual intercourse?"

I sighed. "Just…just before winter break."

"So a little less than a month ago." The pen scribbled loudly yet again.

"Did you use protection?" She asked. I felt sweaty and clammy again. I wanted to be anywhere else. I would have happily stood nude on the school stage in front of everyone. I would have talked to Bill for hours and hours. I just wanted out of that moment, to not have to keep talking.

"No… but I use… birth control…" My heart was shaking as the questions came. Was this really what it was about? My mind suddenly jumped and I wanted to suddenly be sick.

"My birth control, why haven't I seen birth control?!" I started to twitch.

I hadn't actually had my birth control for a few weeks. Not since Legoshi and I had stopping having sex. In the last few weeks of our relationship, we hardly spent time together that wasn't in drama club. We had arguments and the entire time it felt like one of us was avoiding the other. I would spend nights in his flat. Sometimes with Jack and Anita, but rarely would he join us. I brought some small toiletries to his flat in the past and when we broke up I hadn't had a chance to go back and collect them.

"Oh Fuck!" I thought to myself. My eyes had gone wide and I was now on the verge of screaming. Yui must have seen me spacing as she called me back to attention.

"Juno, have you been taking your birth control regularly?" She asked.

I thought about lying, she wouldn't know one way or another. But I stopped myself, lying wouldn't help anything at this point. Like so many other things, direct confrontation of the things that scared me might have been the best course of action.

I gritted my teeth and spoke. "Well, I haven't for about three weeks." The truth stung as it hit my own ears. Was this really the situation I was in? Discussing how I stopped taking my birth control because my boyfriend didn't want to be fuck me or even be around me.

"Okay Juno I need you to think very deeply, have you gone into heat recently?" Yui asked with a little more concern in her voice.

I was trembling as I thought. I felt so stressed out and ill over the past few months. I could have gone into heat I guess. Perhaps a very minor one.

"I don't know, I've been really rundown and stressed out. Maybe I had a minor one. My birth control messes with my hormones a lot and with the stage training sometimes I don't even notice that I've gone through it."

I wanted to turn tail and run. The images of my sight began to blur as the horrific reality settled in. Legoshi and I had sex maybe once or twice just before or after I lost my birth control. Not smart but not the worst thing. However, the mongoose had slipped my mind yet again.

The reality being that I had slept with Kai while I was not taking birth control or using any protection. My eyes and ears twitched. I saw nurse Yui scribbling on another piece of paper. Without looking, she began to speak.

"Okay Juno, listen very carefully. After our check up it appears that your early ailment is clearing up. However, given your symptoms and other prevalent information, you could possibly have a much bigger problem."

I stood in fear as the ibex ripped the small paper from a pad and handed it to me.

"What's this?" I squeaked out.

"It's a sick note for the remaining day. It's also a medical note to leave the campus for an errand." She said with a stern severity

"But…why?"

She sighed and spoke. "Juno, while it's possible that you really just had a stressed related fever and queasiness, your information and symptoms sound like signs of… morning sickness."

"What the hell is she talking about, morning sickness. That's the kinda thing that happens when…"

I froze, I could finish the thought. My hand went limp and the note fell slowly to the ground. I didn't acknowledge it until Yui placed it back in my hand.

"Juno, I need you to focus. This is very important, we don't carry them in the infirmary supply inventory but many grocery stores and local pharmacies carry first response pregnancy tests."

"Fucking hell! She just said the goddamn word!" I cried within my mind.

"They will also carry emergency contraceptives. However if you are experiencing morning sickness symptoms, I don't think they will be effective. Do you understand what I've just told you, Juno?" Yui held my hand placing the note in my palm.

I said nothing and stood still as she continued to talk. "I heavily advise you to do what I've said. And after everything I want you to come see me again. Please just remember I'm on your side and I just help you in any way I can."

I pulled away from the ibex and I was already running for the door. I heard her call out my name but it was useless to try and stop running. My sight was even worse now, obscured by tears and tunnel vision. I had to know, this nightmare had to be put behind me. It was just one more stressful thing that I had to get over today.

I began to realize I was getting close to the campus gates. Various dormitories passed through my peripheral gaze. I couldn't stop running. I had to get to a pharmacy or a store. I had to know, I might have sucker punched anyone that stood in my path, I didn't care. At that moment, I was primal. A wild animal driven by fear who only could respond with running or fighting.

"You've really fucked it up this time!"

POV Haru

The walk back towards the shed was nice and well deserved. The winter afternoon had a nice breeze that kept me cool while the declining sun gave a few nice bright rays. In addition to the sunshine, a little plastic bag that I held near my hip made me feel all the warmer. I carried two little bundles of soup from the cafeteria. The two styrofoam cups of vegetable soup and egg drop soup produced a small steam that wafted up into the air. The poor wolf had been so ill earlier, I hope she was feeling well enough to at least get this soup down. I lifted the latch of the garden gate and proceeded towards the shed.

I thought about the wolf hanging around in the garden the past few days. Aside from some emotional issues and thick sexual tension, I was having a lot of fun with Juno hanging around. Sometimes the long nights working and sleeping in the shed were so gloomy and isolated. Having another animal to hang out with made the days a bit more stimulating. I hadn't had winter garden days this riveting since Louis was attending. All and all, it was nice to not be so alone. I walked up to the door and set down my little bag.

I pulled out my key for the door when I suddenly stopped. It probably wasn't locked given that she was likely still here. I gave it a try and as I suspected, the door creaked open as I turned the handle. I passed through the door frame and entered the little room. The air was stale and stuffy so I left the door open for a moment. I looked around but didn't immediately see the wolf girl. The bed was made, a little rough but it was obvious that she had done it.

"Maybe she went back to her room?"

I thought to myself. My ears dipped slightly at the thought. I was kinda looking forward to spending another night with Juno. I let out an audible sigh and placed the bag of soup cups on the ground. I let my school bag fall to the floor with a resounding thud. Subsequently, I heard the sound of movement from the bathroom. My ears twitched and I took a step towards the door.

"Hello! Juno is that you?" I asked. I heard another sigh before the wolf called out.

"Haru I'm in here." She said with a sorrowful whine. I moved, a little quicker than I realized, to the open door. From the door, I saw the wolf laying down more or less in the fetal position near the toilet.

"Juno!" I yelled and hustled over to the wolf. I knelt down next to her and felt her temperature. She didn't feel as hot as she had this morning. She seemed as though her chills and fever broke. "Are you okay?" I asked with obvious concern in my voice. Juno pulled me closer to her and placed her head in my lap. I was a little off guard as the wolf touched me. My hand came down and I began to pet her fluffy little ears. I could feel the dampness of her tears on the fabric of my uniform.

I wondered if she had another breakdown about the whole Legoshi situation. I felt terrible that she had been curled up on the bathroom floor all alone. While the entire thing was a bit of an undertaking, I stood firm in my decision to help the wolf girl pick up the pieces. She had cried so many tears in this little shed. In the short time that she had been here, that's the thing that she did the most.

She sobbed slightly, her breathing becoming erratic as she hyperventilated. I felt my body shake as the larger animal rested on me. I still said nothing, I had to wait for my perfect time to open the conversation. I just petted her head and ran her floppy fluffy ear in between my fingers.

She shifted her head and looked up at me with her beautiful eyes. Big pools of deep amethyst, shining brightly from the wetness of the tears.

"Haru…" she said to me. Her voice carried the tones of utter defeat. My ears perked up and I gave her muzzle a little stroke. This was my opportunity to open her up.

"Yes Juno…" I said slowly.

"It's… such a fucking mess!" She said before a new stream of sadness poured from her eyes.

"I wanna help you… but you're gonna have to tell me what happened." I said, trying to comfort the wolf. Even still she continued to cry. I leaned up and pet her. I really had no idea what had brought this on. A flurry of ideas ran through my head about what had just happened. Perhaps she had seen Legoshi at some point during the day.

"Juno please I wanna help you, did something happen did someone say anything to you?" I asked. She shook her head rapidly and cried harder.

Another thought ran through my head. "Is your family okay, nothing bad happened with your parents right?" I asked. Soon after my words had entered her ears, she became more aware. She took some loud deep breaths and gritted her teeth. Tears ran down her face and seemed not only distraught but super stressed out. She gripped my arm tight enough to be uncomfortable. I winced and pulled away.

"Ow Juno, that was too tight!" I responded. She turned her attention towards me and was pulled out from her pain.

"Haru… I didn't mean to…" She said, reaching out a hand to console me. I reached out and pulled her close to me.

"It's alright, and now that I know you can use your words, let's slow things way the hell down and just talk." I said with fake confidence. I don't think the wolf was capable of smiling right now, but her pained expressed face began to relax.

"Okay Juno, if you think you can please tell me what happened. We can take as slow as you need. I just want you to be comfortable with what you tell me."

Her hand was much bigger than mine. Both my little white furred hands clasped the wolf's slender fingers. Her eyes seemed to never meet mine head on. I heard that canines were very bad at hiding emotions like sadness, shame or guilt. Could that be what all of this was about?

Juno's eyes were at my feet when I heard her mutter something under her breath.

"I'm… I'm…" She spoke softly. The words fighting for their entrance into the world. I leaned in with my face.

"Juno?"

"I'm… such a fucking idiot…" she said defeated. "Haru… I really value you as a friend, as a confidant. Even just as another woman that I can turn to." Her eyes met mine. The other shoe was about to drop.

"What's happening right now… I'm going to need some time to figure this out." Her other clasped my own.

I felt a little disappointed. I really wanted to help her and I felt like I was failing at that. "Juno, I ask because I care. I wanna help you. Do you need to figure everything out by yourself? Isn't that exhausting?" I said, my own sadness and frustration starting to appear.

"I trust you Haru." She said, the slightest smile appeared through the despair in her face. "You've already proven that you are worthy of it. But I don't really know if I trust myself to have this conversation right now." She said with slow streaking drops of water sliding down her cheeks.

I sighed and thought back to what I said. I had promised to be patient even though my mind began to try and decipher the meaning of all of this. Maybe Juno's nudes were leaked by someone? I was doubtful, she would have said something if it had been something like that. Could it be something that was going on at her home? Maybe a relative had passed away. Could it be that her parents' marriage had fallen apart?

Every possible reason I could think of ultimately came down to the question of would this be something that she wouldn't want me to know. I didn't feel a strong yes about any of the ideas. I sighed and recognized that I might not be able to get the truth out of her.

"Okay… but please tell me the truth soon. I wanna help you." I pleaded. Juno closed her eyes and nodded at me. I kept holding her hand. Another year rolled from her eye which she then wiped away with her free hand. She gulped hard and exhaled.

"I promise, as soon as I can process everything. I'll tell you everything. Thank you for being so understanding." She smiled lightly, about as much as she looked like she was capable of doing.

I reciprocated the small smile. I was caught off guard as the large canine suddenly lunged forward and engulfed me in a hug. I don't think I would ever be used to being wrapped up in a wolf's embrace but it felt good after the initial shock. Juno kissed my forehead and released me.

"Um, Haru?"

"Yes Juno?"

"When you came in, I thought I smelt food. I'm really hungry, like downright starving." She said with a little blush.

I giggled. "Yeah, I got you some soup."

We mostly ate in silence, over the evening. The wolf rarely made eye contact as she devoured her soup. I watched her as she looked desolate. Part of me immensely wanted to try and get to the core of her sadness. Although maybe I should have just let it be for the time being.

Just me bringing it up earlier had her on the verge of a breakdown. I could see the wolf was battling a deep turmoil in her mind. I felt so sorry for her.

"Some friend you are…" I thought to myself. It seemed that for the time being. My mission to be the helping hand for the saddened she wolf was a failure.

"Haru…" Juno said as she slowly stood up. I looked over at her and smiled meekly.

"Yeah, you doing okay?" I asked. Juno nodded as she wandered over to the bed.

"I'm really tired, can we go to bed?" She asked, already stripping down to her undergarments. I blushed and tried not to look. She didn't seem to react playfully at all. Being cavalier would have been very inappropriate for the time. I looked at my phone and saw that it was about a quarter after 8.

"Little early, don't you think?" I asked. She exhaled and crawled onto the bed.

"I just… wanna sleep. I'm really sorry, I'd go back to my dorm room but I don't really wanna deal with my roommates at the moment. If I wake up early, I can get a change of clothes and take a shower before class starts." She yawned.

I nodded, she certainly had a point. I thought about it for a moment. I guess I didn't mind going to bed with her. I only had a little homework and I could likely knock it out before class. Then again, I was a senior and didn't really care about trivial things like small assignments.

"Okay Juno, I'll go to bed too." I started to undress when I noticed that she already closed her eyes. She left room for me to join her but I could feel her stressed demeanour from across the room. As I joined her in bed, I could tell that she wasn't the same wolf from the night before. She was holding in pain and I wanted to ease her struggle.

A warmth emanated from her as she laid beside me. I didn't say anything and just let her fall asleep. I looked up at my ceiling and thought about the prior events of the day. The world felt like it was in retreat as the realm of possibilities seemed more limited. As opposed to just a month earlier, the aftermath of the winter left its mark. The school, the staff, and the students didn't seem as inviting as they once did. Even for a pariah like me, this year has been pretty different.

I had more friendly conversations. I felt a little more accomplished in my gardening. Sebastian and Legoshi had made good company and got me out of my shack every once in a while. I had hopes for Juno and I's relationship. After how it started I was excited for the prospect of having another girl to hang out with and maybe fool around with. Yet that flame seemed to be fading rapidly.

Perhaps it was a blessing that all of this was happening now. I was approaching the end of my high school career. I couldn't stay in this shed forever. Sooner or later I would have to move on. Maybe it was best that I left with as little baggage as possible. I could fade out without a sound and make my one way.

I never really belonged here, but then again none of us do. This school is merely a transition. As I leave, I'll turn off all the lights behind me. Leaving nothing to look back on and the only option being to push forward.

So here we are. I´m sure RedLiteAlexi would love to hear what you think of this chapter, so kindly let him know in the reviews!

Also: I can really recommend to check out his own stories on AO3! Go check them out and show him some love if you like his writing!

If you´d like to join us on discord, have fun talks about Beastars, Aggretsuko, memes, porn and basically everything else, feel free to add me (Furrwolf#8163) and I´ll personally invite you to the server ;)

The next chapter for this story will be released quite soon, as I haven't just been sitting around either, but I think it will need just a few more days to finish it all up.

Until then, stay safe and have a great time!

See you soon,

~furr