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The thin layer of snow was now padded by the time both tiger and dog made their grandiose exit through the front door. Cool breeze greeted their whiskers and head fur. Jasper, now catching the flow of the incident, reluctantly obeyed the white sabretooth's lead. It was cold, but his pride was somewhat colder to him.

"I think you can let go now," Jasper said to the exciteded sabretooth, pulling his paws away.

Slightly embarrassed, Axel released his grip. "Heh, sorry about that." They slowed down their pace when the valet handed him his keys to the black Golf. "Then again, I would say that I'm not sorry for storming out with you from that god-forsaken place. Figured something like this might happen. Here, I have something to show you," Axel continued, producing two tickets from his pant pocket.

The tiger pulled apart the sticker cover of the tickets and wrapped it around Jasper's wrist. The canine let his paw handled by the tiger, blushing ever so lightly from the warm touch. "What's this?" The orange Labrador asked.

"These, my friend, are tickets to the local skating rink. I figured we can skip this pretentious dinner, get some hot bagels on the way, and enjoy the winter with a few rounds of skating." Axel trailed off his words. Having explained the whole plan for their night, he found himself tongue-tied for not knowing where to go or what to do after everything. His mind was playing sweet fantasies about them two in bed, paws all over, warm sheets, scented candles..."Um, yeah, bagels..."

Jasper just smiled intently, flashing an adorable grin towards the tiger. "Impressive. And here I thought you were just an airhead for excitement. You really thought this through, haven't you?" He played with the ticket wristband. The canine and the tiger gazed in each other's eyes for a few moments. Then Axel broke it off.

"Shall we?"

"Yeah."

The engine revved and away they went.

Silence filled the car. They didn't speak for the first few minutes of the drive. It had become the usual setting between the two, never managing a decent, continuous conversation. One was scared to engage in a conversation for fear of hurting the other, while the other was just, by nature, a quiet person. Jasper tried opening his mouth, but only awkward subjects were introduced. "Cold, isn't it?" Realizing his rhetorical words, he lowered his gaze and minded the wristband.

"Yeah, but I'm kind of used to the cold, being a sabretooth and all." Axel said lightly, appreciating the conversation starter. He was then aware that they both of them never shared anything too personal, anything intimate. Hell, he didn't even mention that he had recently got out of a relationship, and a straight one at that.

They passed a road sign. 500 meters to the local ice rink.

Axel began to slow down, making a turn. "Jasper?"

"Yes?"

"How come we never, like, really talk?"

The canine didn't look surprised at all. "What's that supposed to mean? Is there anything to talk about?" He knew the tiger might want to bring up the idea. He was somewhat prepared. For them, other than knowing each other's name and home address, there wasn't anything else significant. Bonds made through mutual trust of personal - and most probably hurtful - information were a thing (apparently Jasper thought it was a thing) that he found most difficult to comply to. The Labrador had read of emotional scarring, and he wondered whether those who wrote such articles had suffered just like he did? Maybe... he thought.

Olie Masters, the otter. Olie, the canine's ex-boyfriend. Olie, the first fur that knew the reason Jasper now keeps his maw shut most of the time. It was really painful. He sighed in silence, accompanied by the drone of the car.

"I wouldn't say important. Well, other than your name, I don't really know much else. Then again, It's the same for you too, huh? I never did mention anything about myself."

The dog shrugged, but offered no reply. Not knowing what to expect, Axel just looked forward and focused on his driving. It's really different with a straight relationship, he thought. Previously, Layla was more than happy to talk about herself. Now that he was with Jasper, things didn't always go as planned. He thought of the canine as unpredictable. His head was rambling, thinking how the gods of relationship put forth a decree to screw any - or particularly his - relationship, the sentence of a damned time in his wake. He breathed in, numbing the thoughts that at times put his mind adrift from reality.

Another sign: Left to local ice rink. Both heads turned into the corner. The car made its way into the recreation center, welcomed by a ratty sign that, somehow, pulled a smile from Axel's gorgeous face.

*****

"Here we are. Come," said the white sabretooth.

"Big place."

"Very," Axel said. He went to the boot of his car and took out a duffel bag.

"What's that?"

"Oh, just some stuff for us. Come on," He led Jasper into the entrance

The place was big enough to host four ice hockey games at once. The entrance was attended by a small looking pug. Middle aged, thought Jasper. He was busy handing out tickets. Instead of heading into the back of the queue, they walked straight pass all other patrons, towards the pug.

"Um, where are we going?" Asked Jasper.

"You noticed our tickets? See, they're in red. Means we're VIP." Axel was walking a little bit faster now, advancing ahead of the canine.

Jasper watched as Axel greeted the pug as if they were long lost friends. They hugged and did a fist-bump. "So, Henry, what've you got for me today?" said the tiger.

"Sorry, my man. You know how it is in winter. Even the VIPs are crowded. Say, I'm surprised to see you here. It's been, what? Nine months? I miss those slick turns of yours."

"Yeah, sorry about that. I got busy with work. Well, I'm here now. Hey, do me a favor and keep this place up afterwards, will you?"

"Anything for the Slick. What's with the getup?" Henry gestured to the suit Axel was wearing.

"Oh, this thing? I was at a dinner. I know, looks weird seeing me in this."

"I think so. Even though you're a White, I have never seen you in formal stuff. I have to say though, you look great... Anyway, who's your friend?" The entrance attendant extended his forepaws to a quiet Jasper. "S'up, I'm Henry by the way,"

"Hey, I'm Jasper. So you're Henry."

"Oh, so this guy actually mentions me? I'm touched," the pug laughed in good nature.

"No, not really," Jasper smiled at the joke he made.

The pug laughed a little louder. "Oh, you certainly got me on that. I like you Jasper." He slapped the canine on his side.

"Okay, we're gonna get something first at Macy's. Ring me if there's anything," said the sabretooth. He left the bag under the pug's care.

After a few moments and the two had made some distance, the pug yelled "Hey Axel, It's good to see you!"

Jasper thought about the conversation they had had. It was very new to him. The tension that usually bound Jasper and Axel was nonexistent. He was mesmerized by his charm. The big cat certainly knew how to mingle. His confidence was showing, his dominance guiding. Jasper sighed silently. He pondered the little time that they had spent. How every moment was burdened by mood-crushing silences. He felt somewhat at fault. "Where are we going?" he asked finally.

"To a small diner nearby that I used to go. I'm still starving, come to think of it. It's just around the corner, a small place. Shall we?"

Since Axel mentioned starving, the canine's stomach began rumbling. "Damn, I thought I hid that well..." He made the tiger smile at his small joke. What a cute smile, Jasper thought. "Yes, let's. I'm hungry too."

*****

The cold was starting to get to them. Luckily, the mittens produced from Axel's bag earlier helped them keep their paws warm. The diner was a good five minutes away by foot, and the comfortable silence between them started to fade, making room for Jasper to think of a million things to say, but none were.

"So, about earlier..." Axel said softly.

"Yeah?" Jasper continued, rubbing his paws together.

"I was just thinking of what you said, in the car."

"I don't really like talking about my past."

"Neither do I." The two walked in silence for a bit. "So, how about this weather?"

"Seriously, you want to talk about the weather?" Jasper retorted, but nonetheless he smiled, appreciating Axel for his effort.

"Kinda limiting my topics of conversation... Tell you what: Say one thing about your past, and I'll do the same. Fair?" This was Axel's best shot, and if Jasper turned this down, he wouldn't know what to try next. Fingers crossed, he thought. Another two or three steps in silence. "You first."

"Okay. Let's see... My name is Japer Roberts; I'm 19 years o-"

Axel cut him off midsentence, "That's not fair. I know all that; tell me something else."

Jasper chuckled, "Okay, you got me... Right, I was born in a family of four, with a little sister, in a small town up north. Your turn."

"You're not making this easy for me, aren't you?"

"Don't plan on it."

"Well, alright then, I'll take whatever you're giving me. Anyway, my turn; As you've heard what Henry said earlier, I'm a White. It means I'm from a filthy rich background, with filthy rich parents. We own properties, lots of them." Axel blushed, embarrassed a little at having mentioned his savvy background.

They continued walking for a while. "You don't say. I suppose three quarters of a million dollars is nothing to you?"

"Not really. I've never been one to indulge from my family's wealth. In a way, having rewarded that sum of money is actually is a big deal for me. I'm not even comfortable wearing suits. Your turn."

"My family is religious, like crosses-on-the-walls-scriptures-in-drawers religious. And yes, as you might've figured it out, I'm not. Don't really fit in, with me liking guys and all..." Jasper looked to the ground as they walked. He was retrieving a bad memory, and he was unable to look at Axel at the moment.

Sensing his companion's distress, Axel suggested, "Umm, we can stop this, if you want. We're near the place, anyway."

"No!" He said, a little too quickly. "I mean, it's okay, I wanna continue. As I was saying, I didn't fit too well in my family. Not that I resent them or anything, it's just, well, I got disconnected from them as time went, and now we only talk during the holidays. They still don't know about me being gay and all. "

"If it's any consolation, I'm disconnected from your family too."

Jasper couldn't help but laugh at the comment. "Yeah, I guess we are."

There it is, that beautiful boyish laugh, Axel thought. "So, my not wanting to use my parents' fortune made me lawfully wedded to pushing papers all day in the cramped up, dead boring office. But, I got that recent cash pot, which is nice." They were now at the diner's doors. "Anything else to say?"

Upon entrance, the sweet smell of hot onion bagels wafted into their needy nostrils, inviting their stomachs to churn with appetite.

"How about we eat first? This smell is really getting into me." Jasper's expression was that of awe and hunger, as the diner was filled with assorted bakeries and bagels.

"Thought so." Axel smiled.

Axel got his nostalgia rewarded as he bit into the onion bagel, and Jasper was hungry enough not to stare his usual stare while his partner got crumbs into his whiskers. They enjoyed their meal in silence for a while. It'd stopped snowing outside, and they were glad enough that it did, enjoying the view outside the windows while sipping their hot coffees. It reminded Jasper of his ex-boyfriend, the two of them sharing a moment similar to this.

He sipped his coffee once more, took a deep breath, and spoke. "I used to have a boyfriend."

Still enjoying his bagel, the white sabretooth turned his head towards the Labrador. "Oh?"

"It was about a year back, when we were in our first year in college." Jasper sounded candid, him trying his best not to wince at the memory.

"Bad terms?"

"Yeah, sort of."

"Then don't talk about it. I don't like seeing you like this; pained at an unwanted memory."

"Thanks, I guess."

Axel felt the timing was opportune, so he confessed, "I just got out of a relationship too."

"Oh?" The orange furred Labrador wiped his muzzle after a sip of his coffee.

"Her name's Layla, a tabby."

Jasper just nodded, not knowing what to respond.

"...Sorry, I feel like a wreck right now, rushing into all this." Axel put down his bagel, raised a paw to his temple and rubbed it, indicating the general sign of an imaginary headache.

The Labrador couldn't help but reach out to him, putting his paw onto the sabretooth's, squeezing it reassuringly. "Hey, you're not a wreck. I, I enjoy your candor. And it's really sweet that we're in a small, dingy diner like this."

Axel chuckled a little, chucking the guilt that was building up in his throat. "You're okay with all this? I thought this dinner was a lost battle."

"Well, yeah. I mean, this dinner - as you called it - is beyond hope. But I think it brought some good. Imagine, if we're still inside Pour Deux, you and I would be tip-toeing around each other, and the night would end up awkward." Jasper squeezed again, reassuring the sabretooth.

"You think so?"

"As I hate to be a know-it-all, yes, I do." He grinned at the white feline.

His whiskers now spread again as he shone that beautiful grin. "Eat up, the weather's perfect. And I know just the place to end this night."

"I thought we're going skating." Jasper cocked his head a little, puzzled at Axel's ever growing grin.

"We'll see." Axel reached to Jasper's paw, and raised it in his own, clasping it between them, and he smiled again.