Chapter 18 - Keeping His Eye to the Ground
Legosi opened the door to room 701, which was empty due to his roommates going home for break. Jack remained as always, since Legosi always stayed at school during breaks and he wanted to keep him company. He was on his bed now, reading a book, when Legosi walked in.
"Legosi? Where were you?!" Jack asked, looking up from his book.
The wolf froze. He forgot to text Jack like he said he would...oops! "Oh, I, uh, went to see how Louis-senpai was doing..."
Jack stared at him, dumbfounded. "For the entire night?"
"Heh, well, I ended up falling asleep there. We're going out into the city for breakfast, so I need to get dressed..." Legosi opened the closet him and his roommate Collot shared, due to their similar size.
"And now you're going to the city with him? I never thought I'd see this coming. I guess saving someone's life can make you fast friends, though..." Jack pondered. "Just don't forget old Jack when you're living the high life as best friends with the future Beastar!"
"I'll never forget about you, Jack," Legosi reassured, rummaging through the closet. He only had two sets of clothes, and neither shirt was something he wanted to wear in front of Louis. He dipped into Collot's shirts, grabbing a spiffy pink button up and pairing it with a pair of his own black jeans, then slipping on his sneakers. Jack raised an eyebrow at him.
"Collot will be fine with it." Legosi looked at himself in the mirror. The shirt was a bit tight, but it was fine. "Anyway, I'm off!"
"See ya later, Legosi!"
Meanwhile, Louis had changed into a white button up and khaki shorts. He gave some attention to his antlers to make them look nice and then waited for the carnivore to come back.
Legosi returned to Louis' dorm not even 10 minutes later, knocking on the door.
Louis opened it. He was showing a bit of fur, both arms and legs exposed. "Yo."
Legosi was taken aback by the casual greeting and...attire. Louis always seemed to wear long sleeves and pants, so this was...a change of pace. He tried not to stare. "Are you ready to go, senpai?" He couldn't stop the smile from forming on his face, or his tail wagging behind him.
"Yes." Louis stepped out and shut and locked the door behind him. "Let's be discreet. If I get caught, we'll be in a lot of trouble with my father."
Legosi nodded quickly, walking along behind Louis as they made their way toward the school gates. They were lucky the security in the school was so awful. "Oh, senpai! Before I forget, could I get your phone number? I mean, it's fine if you don't want to, but…
Louis easily gave it to him, just like that. "Don't give it to anyone else. And don't let anyone find out you're texting me." Contrary to his word, Louis was looking forward to texting someone other than Haru, for once.
"Of course I won't give it to anybody!" I want you all to myself. He immediately ignored that thought.
Louis felt his phone and he took it out, glancing at the screen.
Legosi: Hello, Louis-senpai! I'm right behind you!
Louis pulled out his phone and looked down at it. Then he turned around. "You dumb dog." But he said it affectionately.
They left the school grounds, making their way to the subway station which was the quickest way to the city from Cherryton. Legosi tried not to think of the last time he had taken it..."Do you know any good places to eat in the city?"
"Plenty. I'm not too hungry, but I think some hot tea would be nice, even though it's kind of hot outside." He texted him back with a few destinations.
"But you haven't eaten since waking up, right?" Legosi cocked his head at him.
"Oh...Uh...Right. But I'm just not ready yet." He didn't want to reveal to him that he only ate once a day.
Legosi looked through the places. Some only served food aimed for herbivores, which made sense. Of course he was too hungry to settle for something like that.
They entered the subway, and passed through the turnstile. They both took a seat on one of the benches to wait for their train. Legosi sat with his leg brushing against Louis'.
Louis looked down. He was trying to hide his face. Of course people out of town knew about Louis the red deer, future Beastar! But after the incident that took his eye, he was all over the news and if someone saw him he wouldn't see the end of it.
Legosi didn't realize this, though, and just thought all they needed to do was not make a big scene. "When was the last time you left the school, senpai?"
"I don't even remember," Louis whispered.
"How do you feel about it?", Legosi asked, quietly, to match Louis' volume.
"It's stressful," Louis said. Why did he come out here? This was a mistake. He was on edge. He was far too well-known to be sneaking around like this.
"Are you going to be okay? We can go back to school..." Legosi meant it, but his heart sank at the prospect of calling their outing off before it even really started.
Louis sat for a moment, thinking about their predicament. "Aha, I have an idea." He pulled out his phone and brought up a small cafe he knew about. He leaned over and showed the wolf. "There's an alley right next to this place where we can be in private."
Legosi flicked his ear, looking at Louis' phone. The picture of the cafe looked nice and discreet. If Louis said it'd work, it'd have to. "Are there really that many people that know about you?"
"Yeah...Unfortunately. It's like everyone knowing a prince before they are crowned king, plus the kidnapping didn't help," Louis sighed.
The wolf blushed. Louis wasn't just a prince. He was a king, in his book. "...if you'd want to move anywhere in the world, where would you move?"
"A small town, for sure."
"That'd be nice...a place where you could see the night sky clearly too, right?"
The deer moved his head a bit to look in his direction. "Exactly."
Legosi leaned against Louis more, ever so slightly. He looked down at him. He was so small and frail next to him, yet he commanded his attention and took charge whenever he was around him.
He thought back to that morning, laying on top of him before he had his freakout. He tried to savor that memory, since it'd probably be the closest he'd be to him...For now.
Louis stayed looking down. He was thinking about life in a far away place. It comforted him a bit.
Eventually, their train arrived at the stop. "It's not too far. Come on..." Louis said, as they got off.
The car seemed to be at capacity, and that was being generous. It was a bit early in the morning still, so many animals were still on their way to work. Legosi and Louis squeezed on, as did all the animals at their stop. Enough animals got off to allow the newcomers room, but just barely.
Legosi and Louis managed to find a spot, the herbivore's back to the carnivore's stomach. Legosi reached up and grabbed the handle that hung from the ceiling, careful not to poke himself on the deer's antlers.
Louis felt even more stressed. His heart thumped a bit. All these people...? He had never really been pushed so tightly into a crowd like this...He felt kind of anxious. What could happen with all these people in such a tight space...He felt a sinking feeling.
Because his head was down, his antlers were in the way a bit and someone bumped into them, grabbed both of his horns and pushed him back into Legosi, who growled a bit at them. Louis made sure to hide his face. His anxiety almost increased after this…
Legosi looked down at Louis, and it was clear he was uncomfortable. He gently placed his free hand on his shoulder, keeping him still. He rubbed softly, trying to ease whatever was troubling him. He leaned down next to his ear. "Are you okay, senpai…?"
"Uh..." Louis was very anxious. His eyes never left the ground. "I think I realized I hate crowds..."
"It's okay, I got you." Legosi's voice was low, but loud enough to hear through the ruckus. He pondered upon the words he had just said, as he had barely given them thought before they came out.
Louis closed his eye. He kept reminding himself that Legosi was there and wouldn't let anything happen to him.
The train hit a bump, and the blob of animals all bumped into each other. Legosi's arm wrapped around Louis instinctively, keeping them as put as possible. Louis's antler scraped against Legosi, but it didn't cause any pain.
The deer kept his eye closed. Don't freak out, Louis.
The tracks smoothed out a bit, and the crowd managed to not smash into each other for a good stretch of five minutes. Legosi looked back down at Louis to see how he was doing. Eye still shut, he looked a bit calmer. Just a bit.
Legosi's arm stayed around Louis. He realized that he didn't know what stop they had to get off at. "Senpai? What stop is it?"
Louis mumbled the name, but the wolf heard it.
It was only then that Legosi realized how close he was to him, and the intimate position they were in. He adopted it to keep him safe at first, but now...He moved his arm so he was just holding him by the shoulder again. The ride was smooth enough now that they'd be okay.
It was only another five minutes before their stop.
Once they were there, they got off and Louis quickly sped to a wall, thrusting his back against it and letting out a breath. He blinked as he stared at his shoes.
Legosi walked over to him, leaning down slightly to be at eye level, but Louis was moving. "Um...well at least it won't be as crowded as that on the ride back...probably."
"...Let's just go." Louis sighed.
"Alright." Legosi waited for Louis to go, since he was the one that knew where this place was.
The deer led the way, staying in front of Legosi.
They made it to the café. Louis pulled out his wallet which was clearly filled with money. Where did he get all that? "Go inside and buy us two hot teas and whatever else you want."
"Hm? You're not coming inside?" Legosi blinked, Louis handing him the money.
"I'm gonna wait in the alley." He turned away.
"We're going to eat in the alley?"
"Remember? I told you about the alley so we can be alone."
Legosi felt a little strange about that, but if it was to protect Louis…"I'll be right back, senpai."
The wolf entered the cafe and ordered teas, as well as some scrambled eggs and two hash browns. He hoped Louis would eat the other. The deer needed to eat something. He kept peeking out the window as the food was being made, seeing if he could spot his senpai. He didn't like him out of his sight in an unknown place.
Louis went to the alley and sat down next to a small murky puddle, looking at the graffitied wall across from him. Even though the wall was kind of weathered, he could still make out what it said.
Predator = Prey
He smiled a bit. At least someone got it.
Around 15 minutes later, Legosi entered the alleyway with the food in a bag. He sat down across from Louis on the ground, opening the bag and giving him his tea while getting his food out as well. I guess I overdressed for this…
Louis had his legs pulled to his chest. "I'm sorry...It was dumb of me to accept your invitation out here."
"N-no! It's okay! Just...you deserve a lot more than this, senpai!" Legosi poked at his food, taking a bite of egg.
"What? No...I don't even deserve this." He sighed. "I can't believe the supposed future Beastar is afraid of crowds...That makes me weak..."
He put a hand to his head. "We should have just stayed back home. The longer I'm out the worse it can get." He was really overthinking things.
Legosi looked at his friend sadly. This side of Louis...did it only come out for him?
"Louis-senpai, you need to calm down. Everything is fine." He held his hands up in the most calming way he could think. "The best way to get over your fears is to face them, anyway. I think." He took another bite of his food.
Louis sighed, taking Legosi's words to heart. He looked up. "You know what?"
"Hm?"
"I think I'll try to enjoy my time with you," he said. "I want to. Heaven knows I don't have any other close friends..."
Legosi's ear twitched, as it so often did. Close? "I...I would like that." He cleared his throat. "I got an extra hash brown for you, if you want it..."
Louis smiled a bit and grabbed the bag, pulling it across the ground and reaching inside. He took a small bite and then a sip of his tea, savouring the natural flavour. "Thank you...Even though I paid for it."
"Well...you didn't ask for it?" Legosi grinned in his lopsided fashion. "Um, do you think we could maybe go back and sit in the cafe? We could find a spot in the corner where nobody could see..."
"H-huh?" Louis blinked. "You still want to go back in?"
"The ground here is cold...also this isn't my shirt and I don't want to get it dirty."
Louis blinked, then chuckled.
"Hm? What is it?"
"Just...You." The herbivore stood up with his tea and the bag. "Let's go inside, then."