Chapter 32: Math and physics are fun

Felix Sythias’ POV (continued):

Sleeping in was great. Waking up when I wanted to was so much better than waking up when I had to. I’d set an alarm of course, but it wouldn’t go off for—I glanced at the clock, it was only ten in the morning—the alarm wouldn’t go off for another two hours. At least, mine wouldn’t. Alex’s classes started much earlier.

Looking at him, he was still fast asleep, and holding onto Drugu tightly, his tail entwined with the plushie’s tail. It was very cute. While I nudged him awake, I absentmindedly wondered what he thought of sharing the bed. Did he also put special significance on it like I did? Or did he just treat it like a standard sleep-over? I suppose I could ask, but I knew I was never going to do that. Next time—if there was a next time—he should sleep in his own bed, even if I had to carry him down myself.

Alex stirred awake, letting go of Drugu and yawned. He looked at me and a warm smile appeared on his face. It almost made my heart melt.

“Good morning,” he said. “What’s the time?”

“About ten. Your first class starts in like forty minutes, so it’s time to get up.”

He sighed and got up, stretching his whole body. He stood facing the clock, with his back towards me, unintentionally showing off those cute ridges of his. I wanted to run a talon over them next time we hugged and see how he reacted. I imagined it would feel good. I shook the thought from my mind. That wasn’t something a friend did, not even a very good one. And with all these inappropriate thoughts I’d been having, I could hardly call myself a good friend.

Alex’s scales were a smidge dull—at least the ones on his back were—but he still looked very handsome. He looked sleepy too and I kind of wanted to snuggle up with him and rest some more. He needed to go to class, though, and I promised myself to not do such things anymore; I ignored the fact that I was very bad at keeping to that promise.

While he stood there stretching, my eyes, like yesterday, were drawn to his butt. His thick and pretty tail rose and fell as he loosened his muscles, blocking my sight somewhat. Not that I minded in the least; it was a really nice tail. As my gaze shifted over his tail, though, I noticed the straps that kept his underwear in place around it had come loose during the night, his underwear having sagged down a little as a result, only prevented from sliding all the way down by his left hip.

“Your strap came loose,” I said, and when he turned his head, I pointed at his butt.

“Oh, thanks,” Alex said, and he fixed the strap. He’d sounded… disappointed?

No, he was probably just still tired, or maybe still a bit sad. But it did make me wonder: had he let the underwear hang loose for my benefit? I couldn’t imagine him not noticing; it had to be uncomfortable like that. So, had he hoped it would slide down, so he had to bend over to pick—I stopped that train of thought. It was pointless, and without any evidence. Had last night’s thoughts been useless? There’d been no indication that he liked me back, or even that he found me attractive at all. He probably just hadn’t realized the strap had come undone. He wasn’t completely awake yet, so I could see that happening.

I was just reading too much into this, wasn’t I?

“I’m going to grab us some breakfast while you put on your clothes. Was there anything specific you wanted?” I asked to distract myself.

“Just the usual,” he said, and I went to grab us both some food.

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Alex Sandclaw’s POV:

I walked into the classroom for mundane physics, still munching on a cheese sandwich. There hadn’t really been time to eat it back in our room. Next week I’d need to set an alarm. I’d planned on doing so after I talked to Felix last night, but I’d completely forgotten. Luckily he’d woken up before I did. I really narrowly dodged an arrow there.

I was glad he’d let me stay up on the loft with him. I’d been exhausted. That combat class and its aftermath had really sapped all my energy. I think I would’ve fallen off if I had tried climbing back down and I probably would’ve fallen asleep before I even hit the floor, just like I’d fallen asleep within moments of saying good night to Felix.

It was also just really nice to sleep so closely to someone else. It was comforting to hear their breathing, to feel their presence. To know you’re not alone. It was a bit weird to share a bed with another man, and if it had been anyone but Felix beside me, I probably wouldn’t have stayed. But there was something about him that put me at ease in a way no one else had done before. With him, I could be intimate without feeling judged or shamed for cuddling with another man. I once again felt really glad to have met him.

What if I hadn’t mustered up the courage to speak to him that first day almost two weeks ago? He probably didn’t even remember how nervous I was when I talked to him while we walked to our first destination. It had been a short conversation since he needed to answer questions from the other students, too, but it had been nice. Crazy how fast that went from meeting him to cuddling with him. It felt right, though. Like finally completing a difficult math problem.

Speaking of cuddling, another thing I was glad for was that Felix had given me his plushie, Drugu, to hold on to. Despite how it looked, it was actually very soft. With how big it was, I was sure it would be hard, or filled with straw, but it wasn’t. It felt as soft as my own plushie. I was still amazed at how detailed it was. Each scale had been individually sewn onto it. It had to be incredibly tough too, because it was still in an amazing state despite already being used for years by Felix of all people. There was a lot of strength in his limbs—one of the reasons he made a great hugger—and I could easily imagine any lesser toy accidentally being ripped to shreds in his sleep. It was probably enchanted.

I shook my head. An enchanted plushie. I really was in a different world now. I was surprised at how quickly I’d grown used to the constant luxury that surrounded me here. From the equipment they provided, to the fact they had clean water just flowing from the taps, to the great room I had—not that I used it, but that’s beside the point—to the simple fact I was here for free. Sure, I’d have to pay with service later, but it was a really unfair deal for them. All I had to do was to do contracts for a few years. I could even pick and choose them, mostly. I didn’t even have to pay for my food here—though I really should, I couldn’t let Felix keep paying for me, no matter what he said. And maybe I should help him out, too. As nice as it was, I couldn’t let him keep doing all the work. I’d go job-hunting this weekend. After Felix had shown me around the shopping district, I felt confident enough to try.

If I ever went back home, they’d be amazed by the stories I could tell of this place. Dad would have a stroke if he knew my living situation.

I shook my head to get rid of the thoughts that had begun springing up while I thought of dad. Focusing on Felix’s words, I pushed the intrusive thoughts away. What he said to me yesterday had been really embarrassing, but he had a point and I clung desperately to the arguments he’d made. If only they didn’t make me feel so embarrassed, it would be perfect.

I still couldn’t quite believe that happened. I was glad I couldn’t blush, since the thought of my erect dick pressed against Felix would’ve made me flush red; no matter how causal he was about it. It wasn’t all embarrassment, though. The thought also excited me in a way few things had before. It felt more real than anything I’d felt back home and I didn’t know what to think of that, so I just pushed it down. I had a physics class to attend, anyway.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

Looking around for a spot to sit down at, I spotted Tiki sitting alone. Now that she’d talked to Felix, I could talk with her again without feeling like I was being a bad friend. He may not have said it, but I could tell from his look that he’d decided to give her another shot. It wasn’t very surprising. He’d been nothing but kind and understanding so far, so him being forgiving, too, wasn’t that much of a stretch. Though, hopefully, he wouldn’t be too forgiving. Some people, like Alfred, would never deserve it.

I sat down next to her, making sure my tail went through the gap in the back of the chair. It was a bit uncomfortable, since my tail just hung loosely—my tail was heavy and got tiring holding it up. Tiki was tapping a pen on the table while she frowned at her textbook.

“Hi,” I said. “I thought you tested out?”

She stopped tapping and looked up.

“Oh, hi Alex,“ she said. “I wish, but physics and I don’t get along. Never have. It’s all the math, it just doesn’t make sense to me.”

I couldn’t imagine math not making sense to someone, but I knew I was weird for liking math and finding it so easy. Everyone always said so. It gave me something to do back home, but it also got me teased a lot. Here I wasn’t the only one who liked math, though. Felix, for one, liked math. But I also met a few other students who liked it. There had even been some talk about a math club starting up. I would probably join it if they did. For now, though, everyone was still too busy settling in.

“I’m pretty good with math. Maybe I can help you sometime?”

Her face brightened immediately. “You would? That would be great. Though I have to warn you I’m really bad at math.”

“I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think. Do you have time this afternoon?”

She nodded her head. “I do.”

“That’s settled then,” I said. “What do you like then, if math isn’t your thing?”

“Archery. I’ve always loved it and the sense of freedom it gave me,” she said. “And what about you? Besides math, I mean.”

I wasn’t entirely sure. I wanted to say sword magic, but I’d only yet attended one class. So far I’d liked it, but it was still way too early to say it was my thing. Maybe someday, though.

“Someday hopefully sword magic,” I said. “But for now it’s mundane physics. Speaking of which, there’s the professor.”

The professor walked into the classroom and all the students quieted down so the class could begin. It was pretty straightforward, and with Felix’s earlier help with the homework, I understood most of the new content without difficulty. Tiki had more issues, so I helped her. It felt nice passing the knowledge along, and it even helped me understand it better, too.

After class it was time for the lunch break. When Tiki and I walked outside, we spotted Felix lying on his back, dazing in the sun on a field of grass, surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands of pretty flowers. Their white and purple colors contrasted nicely with his sky-blue scales. The sight made me smile; he looked adorable like this. Pretty, too. A book laid beside him, though it was closed. Even from this distance I could see the green-ish color of the cover of the book we were reading together.

I was conflicted. Would I join Felix or would I stay with Tiki? Aside from me running into her, we hadn’t really spoken since Monday, and I wanted to spend some time with her. She was my friend too, after all. On the other hand, I also really wanted to join Felix in the sun. He had likely come here for me, since he could just as well have dazed back in the gardens at the dorms. I didn’t want to disappoint him by then hanging out with someone else. There was also the fact that I simply liked being around Felix. He made me feel warm and happy.

The dilemma was worsened as Felix noticed us and waved me over. I looked at Tiki, unsure of what to do.

She rolled her eyes, though I wasn’t sure why. “Just go to him. We can catch up later.”

“Are you sure? I can just…” I said, trailing off.

“I’m sure.”

“Thanks,” I said, and almost gave her a hug before I stopped. It didn’t feel… right, for a lack of a better word. But she was a friend just like Felix, why wouldn’t it feel right? I couldn’t exactly tell what was different, but then I realized it wasn’t the same: I knew Felix a lot better than I did Tiki. I ended up settling for giving her a light pat on the shoulder.

While I walked over to Felix, he continued waving me over, which confused me. I was already walking towards him. Did he want me to run? No… he wasn’t looking at me. I followed his gaze, which landed on Tiki. She pointed at herself in surprise and when I looked back at Felix, he was nodding. She hesitantly started walking in our direction and I waited for her.

“I’ve decided to give you another chance,” Felix told her once we arrived. “Please don’t make me regret it.”

“I’ll do my best, you have my promise,” she said and Felix smiled at her.

I settled down against Felix’s side. His scales were nice and warm from the sun. I pulled out a book—not the gay one; I didn’t feel comfortable reading that with Tiki here—and started reading while Felix and Tiki chatted. About halfway through the break we had lunch, and before long it was time for the next class. Tiki had a class on making arrows, while Felix and I had Unconventional Casting Media.

The class itself was less theory focused than last time. The professor had us continue the exercises he had given us as homework while he walked around and checked on everyone’s progress, offering tips and advice.

I had mixed feelings about the exercise. Manipulating the mana was fun, but it was frustrating how I couldn’t quite get it to do what I wanted. I knew that was just a matter of practice, though.

I grabbed the siphon and metal cylinder from my bag. The siphon was definitely the worst part about all of this. It was an enchanted glove that, well, siphoned mana from my mana-pool, after which I could try to manipulate it into other objects or spells—though I didn’t know any spells yet. I didn’t like the way the siphoning felt. It was hard to describe, and the closest I could come was that it felt like pee being forcefully sucked out of your bladder. It felt deeply violating, unpleasant, and like something was draining from me. I really needed to figure out how to do it on my own so I didn’t have to go through that every time I needed mana.

Luckily, it only lasted a small moment, though, after which the mana was mine to play with. That part was really nice. Mana felt different for everyone, and for me it felt like cuddling with someone while lying on a calm grassy field during a warm spring afternoon, the sun hitting our scales and warming us through-out. It wasn’t a strong feeling, nor an overwhelming one. It was just there whenever I touched my mana, faintly in the background. I liked it.

I took the sliver of mana and did some warm-up exercises with it. I wasn’t ready for proper shaping exercises yet, so I kept to twisting my mana in regular patterns. I made it follow a figure eight, do circles, make spirals, etc. My manipulation was far from perfect, especially since the mana drawing method didn’t leave me jumping for more practice, but it was hopefully good enough.

I guided the mana through the air and into the bottom of the cylinder. Normally moving mana through the air was a waste since it radiated a small amount of mana away each moment, but the gap was small enough that it wouldn’t matter. The mana entered the cylinder with ease, and like the instructions said, I forced it all the way through, and then let it spread out through the metal without letting anything seep out.

Before this, I couldn’t get past step one, but something was different this time. Maybe I just had that little bit of extra control I hadn’t had before, or maybe I was more relaxed than usual. I didn’t know, and it didn’t matter, because the mana went all the way through. Careful to not let it shoot out on the other end, I then loosened my control over the mana, letting it spread out. I felt the mana spread out, and out, and—the mana dissipated, having reached the edge of the cylinder and going beyond it. I sighed. So close.

[Skill ‘mana manipulation’ has leveled up! 3->4]

“No luck?” Felix asked.

“I almost got it, but I forgot to contain it. At least it got me level for my manipulation skill. How are you doing?”

“About as well as when I first started,” he said and sighed. “I just can’t get it to go through the damned cylinder. No matter what I try, it refuses to go past the beginning. I’m beginning to wonder if there’s anything wrong with the cylinder itself.”

I glanced at the professor; he was almost here. “Maybe you should just leave it be for a moment and read the theory again. Maybe you’ll find something you missed. The professor is almost here and he can help you then.”

“You’re right,” he said, putting the cylinder down a little harder than was strictly necessary and opening up his book.

A few minutes later the professor checked my progress, complimented me, and gave me a few pieces of advice to keep the mana contained: I had to give the mana a slight spin. That was something I’d try out later, though; I was thoroughly sick of using the siphon. So instead I just watched Felix while the professor helped him.