Chapter 82 - The Jewelry Store (Bill and Pina)
Bill looked to Pina as they stood in the jewelry store. "Who was texting you?"
The sheep scoffed. "Legosi and Louis are ditching us. Can't say I'm surprised, though." He cocked his head and seemed to do a complete emotional 180. "Y'know what? This is better."
"H-huh? What do you mean you're not surprised?"
"Legosi was at his wit's end, and of course his deer has to take care of him."
"Was he annoyed with us?"
Pina shook his head. "I don't think so. Just the situation."
"I thought he was acting kinda weird..." He rubbed the back of his neck.
"It's not a great situation. I don't think he's gonna be of much use." Pina looked around. "Hey where'd Kai and Dom go?"
"Uh..." He moved his head around as well, then shook it and shrugged.
"Whatever. It's our mall date." The sheep returned his phone to his pocket and began to peruse the jewelry store once again.
Bill stayed close to him. "Date?"
Pina looked back at the large tiger. "You don't think this is a date?"
"I thought we were just hanging out with them, but...I guess it is now?"
"It is now~" The skinny animal winked at him. "Come look at some of these horn decorations, babe."
The tiger sidled up next to him and gazed into a glass display, looking at the gold and silvers of the horn decor. "These would slip off of yours, right?"
"Yeah. We need to find a topper or something that would secure around it tightly. I could ask a clerk. God, Louis has it so easy."
"Do you have money?"
"Enough." Pina looked around for any animal that may be working.
"To buy jewelry? How did you get it?" The tiger blinked, thinking about how broke he was.
"Savings. And it's not like I'm gonna go for something really expensive."
"Mmm...okay."
Pina walked up to a camel lady who appeared to be working there. "Excuse me, do you think you could help me find something that would work with my horns?" He turned his head from side to side, punctuating it with a spin to give her the whole view.
She tapped her chin. "You were looking in the deer section, hon." She chewed on her gum and looked at him from behind her purple glasses.
"Oh, well that's because I have a...friend..." Pina felt strange calling Louis such, but it was true. "...and he wore some really nice jewelry in his antlers, and I'm trying to pull the same thing off, or something similar."
"Do you remember what he looked like?"
"They were, like, little stars that were hanging off of these chains that were draped over his antlers," the sheep explained, gesturing with his hands as he spoke.
"Hm...Do you want stars as well?"
"Hmm..." Pina turned to face his companion. "Billy, what do you think?"
"We've seen stars before, how about moons?"
His boyfriend snorted at the quite adorable conclusion.
The camel tilted her head. "Do you want moons?"
Pina smiled. "Sure, why not?"
She came out from behind the counter, looking at Bill, skeptically.
The sheep shifted a bit so he was in front of his cat.
The truth was, the couple got these looks before and most of the time they were at the mall seeming like a couple. It bothered Bill, deep down.
Pina kept his eyes on the clerk, waiting for her to lead them to what they were looking for. "I mean, if you don't have moon designs I'll look at others..."
"We might." She lead them down the cases and to the non deer horn sections. "Here they are. Make sure your...friend doesn't steal anything."
Pina's smile remained, but his eyes shifted into something darker. "Thanks..." He continued under his breath. "Should probably be more worried about me, hag."
Bill frowned. "I can leave."
"You will do no such thing," Pina stated, looking at the assortment in front of them.
"But she thinks I'm gonna steal..."
The camel put a hand on her hip. "Just making sure you don't."
"Yeah, well she thinks green eyeshadow goes good with that top, so clearly she has a problem with judgement," Pina muttered.
"Excuse me?" the camel put a hand on her chest.
The tall herbivore looked over at her with a smile again. "Oh, we don't need any more help. Thank you!" He put his hand up and gave her a 'shoo' motion. She huffed and walked away.
Bill's ears drooped.
Pina took one of his hands. "Oh, here's a moon design." He pointed at a pair of golden crescent moons attached to similarly colored cones.
"I'll keep my hands away from them," the feline muttered.
Pina picked them up and put them in his free hand. "Take a look at them."
He glanced. "Nice."
"See those cones? They'd fit on the tip of my horns."
"Oh...I see." He kept looking at the camel lady watching them.
Pina let out a huff from his nose. "Do you want to leave?"
"Uh...Okay." He turned to leave so his boyfriend could finish.
Pina took the jewelry and put it back, following the tiger out.
Bill didn't realize he had followed, sighing as he looked down at the moving animals below.
The sheep brushed up against him as he settled at his side. "Well, that sucked. Where do you wanna go now?"
Bill frowned, watching a straight dog couple with his eyes. "I don't get it."
Pina shrugged. "Society sucks."
"Why does it matter to them...It makes me just...I dunno...I feel like we have to be with the opposite gender or we won't be accepted."
"You just now figured that out?" His mate raised an eyebrow at him.
"Whatever."
The sheep continued. "So, all of this is something you need to consider as we go forward."
"It's lame..."
"Sure is. Up to you to decide if it's worth it. Decide what you want this relationship to be."
"That's a lot of pressure..."
"Yeah." Pina looked down at all the animals milling about.
"Is it worth it?"
The other animal was quiet for a moment. "I think so."
"I'm a dumbass."
The herbivore looked over at him. "What's up?"
"I'm just too dumb for you. I don't get any of this."
Pina rolled his eyes. "I don't hold IQ tests for everyone who dates me."
"Mm..."
"I wanna stay with you, just keep that in mind, okay Billy?"
"I know you do...It's just hard knowing they're looking at us..."
Pina's face became a bit more serious. "...Well if it ever gets to be too much for you, you're not stuck with me. I don't want you to feel that way."
"I don't...There's something holding me back from you but I can't leave either..." Bill mumbled.
The dall sheep considered those words. He thought about the question he had the other night. "Have you ever wanted to eat me?"
Bill looked down and scooted a bit away.
Pina followed him, not letting a distance form. "You haven't, obviously."
"Uh...right. I haven't..."
A soft hand was placed on his arm. "What's that...like?"
"What do you mean?"
"Like, wanting to eat someone?"
"It's a pulling force. And something in your head that constantly tells you to take a bite of them...To just do it. That's the main thing you hear in your head. 'Just do it already."
Pina nodded. "How do you stop yourself?"
The tiger sighed. "I guess you scream back at it as hard as you can? I never really thought about it."
"You're doing a pretty good job with me, depending on how often you get the urge." Pina chuckled, a bit alarmed by how calmly he was talking about his potential death.
"It doesn't go away."
"I see." A silence hung between them.
"..."
Pina cleared his throat. "So...what do you wanna do now?"
"Regret my life."
His partner smiled and shook his head. "Don't pull that emo crap, Billy. It doesn't suit you."
"Maybe it is me! You don't know that!"
Pina blinked. "Alright, then. What about your life do you regret?"
"Being a carnivore."
"...You know, Louis says he wishes he wasn't an herbivore."
The feline turned his head. "What?!"
"It's true. I heard him say it." Pina twirled some wool on his cheek. "Not sure his reasoning, but I can make a few guesses. He's frustrated with being weak."
"Oh...I used to love being strong but now that I think about it..."
"You're just Bill. You're a Bengal tiger and there's no changing that. That's who you are. That's okay." Pina wasn't sure if this reassurance would work but he didn't know how else to say it.
"Is it okay?"
"It's not not okay. You were born like that. Who's to say that you shouldn't have been?"
"Me?"
"Well what about me? I like you just the way you are."
"I know and I love you, but..." He stopped in his tracks.
"Y-you..." Pina reared his head back to look at Bill. "Love me, huh?"
"...Don't go making a big deal out of it..."
"...Okay then." He mulled the word over in his head. Love. Did he love Bill too? Did Bill even love him? What was love?
"But...yeah. I love you."
Now his heart was racing. Dammit, do I love him? Why can't I just say it?
"As dumb as I am...I love your voice and your looks and how well we fit together...All of you is so good, sometimes it's not fair..." Bill continued to mumble, looking down at the river of fur flowing below.
Pina's pounding chest swelled at the words. He smiled and looked at Bill. "You know how much I like you, and your body. No herbivore could compare. Or female."
"Mm..." Does he love me back…?
Pina took deep breaths. "I..." He cleared his throat. "I...never told someone I love them before."
"Neither have I."
"Well...I love you too, Bill," he chuckled. "I guess this is...really something."
"You do?!" He looked to him, quickly.
"I mean, I think. Never had a relationship that felt like this before."
"It's just this feeling of wanting to stay with you."
Pina looked at him with a smirk. "And that's not the carnivorous instincts talking?"
"I knew I was in love with you before I saw you in that dress..."
Pina laughed that magical laugh of his. "What? That's so specific. What about after you saw me in the dress?"
"Then I really knew!"
That laugh again, and then a seductive look as he rests his head on his palm with his elbow set on the chrome rail. "Maybe I should slip it on again sometime."
"Mm...Don't tease me in public..."
"It has been a while, huh?"
"Since you wore it? Yeah..."
"I meant sex."
"A really long while, yeah."
"Think we can still sneak into the drama club room even though the club is suspended?"
"You'll find a way," the tiger grinned.
"I will. As long as it doesn't get in the way of the investigation."
"How would it?"
"We could get expelled," Pina suggested.
"We could get expelled fucking in there, anyway..."
"But with it not in use anymore, it'll be more suspicious if we're seen going in there."
"Then where do you wanna do it...Legosi and Louis'?"
"Pff, no! The club room should be fine as long as we're cautious."
"You're loud," Bill said, matter-of-factly.
"And you love it," the sheep teased.
"Shut up..." Bill huffed, looking around. "You've got me thinkin' about it..."
Pina hummed mischievously, reaching out and stroking his tail.
The tiger found his eyes. "Should we leave, too...?"
His mate smiled and nodded. "Let's get outta here, kitty."
