No, and stop acting like the cats are my fault.
He’s scared to spend money on a spare pair of pants.Or on a single pair of pants.
So tell him he has to.He’s a pup.A firm hand should do the trick.
Sage leaned against a display of socks and rolled his eyes.
Firm hand, huh?“Will.Get three pairs of pants and at least ten shirts to go with them.Decent ones.Nothing that’s going to come apart in the wash.”
Will’s jaw tightened, but he nodded, never meeting Sage’s eyes for more than a second.He seemed to have trouble with the whole decision-making process though, looking from one pair of pants to the next.
Sage was torn.On the one hand, he wanted to step in and help Will, but on the other, Will was a grown person.Sage’s phone vibrated, and he looked down at a new text from Peter.
Help him if you must.
Sage narrowed his eyes at the text.
Did you follow us or something?R U watching us?
Sage, unlike yourself, I cannot spend an afternoon at the mall to frolic about.Be a darling and help the pup.
“Okay, be a dick, Peter,” Sage grumbled, but went over to Will.Will looked up, and the helpless expression on his face would have been hilarious if Sage didn’t have the feeling it came from some deep and still-raw hurt.“Is it okay if I help you find what you like?”
The relief on Will’s face made him look younger.He nodded eagerly.
“Okay.”Sage wasn’t sure how to do this.He wasn’t in sales, he was in magic, and even that wasn’t a straightforward affair.He grabbed two pairs of jeans, one in either hand.“Don’t think, just answer.Black or blue?”
“Black.”
Sage put the blue pair back.He did that until he had four pairs of pants over his arm, then did pretty much the same with the shirts.Will really seemed to have an easier time this way, and when Sage sent him to try everything on and just tell him if the stuff fit and was comfortable or not, Will could handle those yes or no responses as well.
“That’s a lot of clothes,” the young werewolf said when Sage dragged him to the checkout counter.“And there are four pairs of pants.You said to get three.I don’t mean to correct you, but…there’s four.”
“Yeah, one to spare.I’m bad at doing laundry on the reg.”
Will still looked uncomfortable.
“It’s fine,” Sage tried.
“It’s just…a lot.”
By that time, the cashier was giving them questioning looks.Sage smiled his biggest smile at her and motioned for her to keep going.
“It’s just clothes, Will.And not even fancy ones.This is fine.You’re fine, okay?”
Will nodded, looking anything but fine.Sage wanted to squeeze his arm, but he didn’t dare, not after how touch had upset Will earlier in the kitchen.
Maybe… Well, he’s a werewolf.They have such strong pack bonds and stuff.Hmm, I wonder…
“Does it help if I tell you I like you wearing new clothes?”
Will shrugged, but this time, he lifted his gaze and actually looked at Sage.
Fuck.I have to dig up that old book on shifter behavior and read up on all of this.It’s not like I can go and ask Peter for advice without getting his fucking judgment too.At least I finally said the right thing.
“You two are really cute together,” the woman behind the counter said as she handed Sage the bag with Will’s new if modest wardrobe.
Will stiffened.
