Steven POV

“Welcome back! How was your day?” June asked. “OOF! That bad?” she asked once she had acknowledged my face. “Do you want a lollipop? I went buying them yesterday and it’s a new flavour.”

“And what is this flavour?” I muttered, already excited from the idea of getting a new flavoured lollipop.

“I found a rose and dark chocolate lollipop,” June whispered like a goddamn drug dealer. I’m kinda addicted to those candies tho and she is the one who provides them to me after all.

“Hey, June! You are my lollipop dealer.”

“Hell yes! That sounds super cool. June the lollipop dealer!”

“Now where is the stuff?”

“Follow me bud.” Damn, she really takes this dealer role seriously.

“Where did you find those anyway?” I asked when I had tasted the lolly. It was really the best thing I ever tasted. The chocolate didn’t cover the rose taste like I taught first hand and much to my surprise, the candy wasn’t made in chocolate. It was a regular lollipop texture.

“An artisanal candy store just opened and there is a whole section destined to lollipops.” That must have been expensive as hell. 

“June, you are officially the best auntie of the whole wide world.”

“Love you too, dear!” She was smiling so much it was almost creepy. Is it really so rare I tell her I appreciate her?

“Yes, it is.”

“Thank god you are finally back! I’m so sorry I blocked you! I let myself get carried away.”

“It’s fine. It was kinda funny to watch you try to send that teacher away. Common! I am not feeling well but I’m well enough to go outside. What is this kind of excuse?”

“I panicked okay?” He’s really lucky I learned my lesson today or I would’ve blocked him again already.  I started walking to my room, already having homework for tomorrow. Who gives homework on the first day of school? “Your math teacher.” I rolled my eyes, sighing. “Except him.” As I got my notebook and my math book out of my backpack, getting ready to work, I heard scratchings coming from behind me, reminding me that I wasn’t alone. I turned to look at the source of the noise. “Hey beautiful, how are you? Oh! You want out, don’t you? Alright, princess. Come here, my love. Who’s the cutest turtle in the world? Who is it? Yes, it’s you!” I cooed to Mishell, my turtle. Penelope gave her to me for my tenth anniversary and she was the most precious thing to me ever since. At fifteen years old, I found my turtle with mushrooms painted on her shell, a gift from Pen again. That day is quite well engraved in my memory. I was so mad at my sister because she poisoned my turtle and that she should have known that paint is toxic. 

*         *         *

“What did you do?” I yelled hysterically to June.

“Relax! I just taught that would be cute…”

“Oh yeah it is cute, thank you. It’s so cute that it’s worth Mishell’s death! What were you thinking?”

“Relax, she’s not in danger or anything…”

“Fuck you! Go die bitch! I’m bringing her to the vet. She better survive or you are dead!”

“Hey don’t talk to my mate like that you little piece of shit!” Raphael growled before he got hit by June. “Don’t call him that Raphael!” I could feel how furious Raphael was just by the pheromones he was giving off. “Shut up, omega! Don’t you dare disrespect me. How can you side with this son of a bitch?!” 

“Hey! I have the same mother as the ‘son of a bitch’! Be careful of what you say!” As the three of them fight, I grabbed the transport bag of my turtle and putted her carefully in. I then shifted and grabbed the handle with my wolf’s mouth. As I was running like my life was on the line, I could still hear the three adults bickering.

*         *         *

“Yeah, maybe you over-reacted a bit? After all, they were all sleeping in different rooms for a month after that.”

“Hey! I really thought she killed the only thing I lived for.”

“Okay, okay. Still, do you really think she would have done this? If we think about it, it’s clear she would’ve chosen some biological, non-toxic paint.”

“I was fifteen, okay?” The vet told me she would be fine and that June went to see him a week before to know if her painting project was realizable. I felt so damn shitty. The day after, the news about a wolf wandering in the streets were all over the region and my pack couldn’t shift for a whole three months because of a big wolf hunt. Let’s say my pack doesn’t like me just as much as they used to now… Happy birthday to me! 

“Not to pop your bubble but we still have homework to do.”

“True,” I said out loud before continuing to my mushroom turtle “Don’t worry, my love. I’ll pick you up again soon. Here, do you want to walk around my room while you wait?” I gently let her go on the floor of my room, making sure my door was closed and locked and that her food and water were attainable. Now to the mathematics. 

“Bullet, I will need your help. I don’t understand at all.”

“Of course you don’t. What would you do if you didn’t have me?”

“Fail.”