Chapter 86 - The Beginning of the Divide
The next morning, both boys had fallen asleep with Zulu still playing the cat anime. Legosi was spooning Louis as they laid in bed together. It was the morning that the wolf returned to school.
Much to their chagrin, Legosi had set the alarm days ago when he knew he would need it. Curse his foresight! It was one thing Louis had helped him more with, but being jolted awake by a vibrating phone is not how two lovers wish to awake in each others' arms.
Louis' eyes opened and he groaned. "Turn it off..."
Legosi groaned and made a grab for it, instead knocking it off the nightstand. He disentangled his body from Louis and lurched over the side of the bed, swiping the screen to shut the sound off. He sighed, picking the phone up and sitting at the edge of the bed. He looked back at Louis.
The deer yawned as their eyes made contact. "What was that about?"
"Alarm. I have school today." Legosi's gaze turned toward the door. He really didn't want to pass through it today. He stood up slowly, stretching his body with a few audible cracks.
"Oh yeah. I'm so lucky I'm not in school." Louis smiled just a bit.
"Yeah. I'm just going through all of this..." Legosi went to put on some underwear. "...For what, really?"
"For...learning..." his fiance yawned again.
"Yeah, but I can learn anything I want online, right? It's all for some...piece of paper that tells animals I can do a job..."
"Well, that's society for you."
Legosi's expression turned sour, putting on the rest of his clothes. "Yeah...the same society that doesn't accept our love."
"I feel so lucky." He moved and hugged the pillow, his full backside exposed thanks to Legosi moving the blanket.
The wolf looked back. "Why? Because you don't have to go to school?"
"Mmmmhmmm..."
"...have to agree with you there." The dog pulled on the striped pants and suspenders that were so ubiquitous to Cherryton. He slid the tie on, recalling all the times his mate had grabbed it in the past.
"I'll..wait for you..."
"You always do..." Legosi walked into the kitchen, turning on a light on the way, and grabbed many of the premade meals that had been prepared from the fridge. He shoved it in his mouth, chewing loudly. He looked down at a stain on the carpet. "Oh...oops."
"Hmm?" Louis' ear twitched.
"Uh, we forgot to clean up the floor last night."
"We...got stuff on the flooooor?"
"Seems like it. I mean, it had been over a week and you were...full?"
"Blehhhh..." The deer whined. He moved a bit in the bed, curling around the pillow. "...Clean it later..."
"Yeah." Legosi chewed on his food, staring longingly at the beautiful deer on the bed. It took all his willpower not to slip back into bed and embrace him.
Louis sighed and turned over, looking at him. "Have a good day..."
"I...will. For you." The wolf smiled.
"I have something else important to tell you."
"Hm?" Legosi's ears perked up as he walked over to the bed. "What is it?"
Louis reached and grabbed his hand. "I love you."
His wolf smiled. "...I love you too."
"Be safe." The deer turned around again to sleep.
"I will. For you..." Legosi finished up his breakfast and grabbed his backpack, turning back to the deer's sleeping form. "...and for myself, too."
Louis made one last content noise as he fell back into unconsciousness.
Understandably, the atmosphere of the school was somber. Gon delivered an announcement over the PA during first period. Legosi had a hard time focusing, since he had spent the last weeks romping with Louis and thinking about murderers. Actually coming back to classes was...strange.
Jack tried to rouse him, as was his responsibility as his best friend. It worked a little bit, but of course Legosi couldn't tell the labrador of their plan. First period came and went, as did second, and lunch.
After the meal, Legosi left the cafeteria, only to run into a familiar tiger.
Gon noticed him as the wolf walked down the hall. "Ah! Legosi-kun!" He waved.
"Oh!" The canine perked up, and his friends looked on in confusion and awe. The wolf waved back at their principle. "Hello, Gon-san!" He looked to his friends. "I'll see you guys around." He walked over.
"It's so good to see you. I'm sorry the last time we talked...wasn't pleasant."
Legosi looked down at their shoes. "I'm sorry too. It really was...awful."
"Everything's been a nightmare lately...I, for one, don't think segregation is going to help anything." This was the first time the frightening word had been mentioned.
The young student gulped. "Oh. So...that's definitely happening?" He looked outside the window, soaking in the dreary day.
"School board insists," Gon sighed. "Every carnivore and herbivore separated."
"...When is it going to happen?"
"Between the semesters. And I mean every carnivore and herbivore has to be separated."
The wolf nodded somberly. "Yeah...I know..."
"You know what that means, don't you?" He was trying to lay this on him softly.
"I said I know." Legosi immediately looked away, ashamed that he had snapped at his friend like that. "...Sorry."
The feline sighed. "You should probably move your things out of Louis' dorm."
"The school year doesn't end until March, though," the dog pleaded, trying not to sound so desperate.
"You'll get used to living without him if you get out earlier. He'll still be allowed to stay on campus, at least. But, you won't be allowed to stay over or live with him any longer."
Legosi sighed, leaning down on the window sill. He continued to stare outside as he spoke. "...We're getting married. Well...I guess you knew that."
"I know. And I'm sorry I have to be the one to tell you this. At least I can give you my congratulations."
Legosi turned to the tiger with hope in his eyes. "Can...can we actually get married? A couple like us?"
"Not legally." Gon looked to the side. "I wish it were a fantasy like that."
Legosi bristled and his heart sank to his feet. He had expected that, but he didn't want to confront it. Neither he or Louis (that he knew of) had researched the specifics yet, living in their own perfect world where they could get married. The wolf sighed again. "Maybe...in a different country."
"I'm sorry, Legosi...This is society. There are herbivores and carnivores everywhere. This is how it is."
The student stood up again, eyes wet as he looked into the cat's own eyes. Without much thought, he retreated into his large form, hugging him tight.
Gon blinked and hugged back. "Legosi-kun, calm down. Calm down. I should have waited until after school to tell you this..."
The canine took deep breaths, trying not to cry. "I feel...I feel...like we're all alone. That we don't have anyone that can help us..." Animals walked around the two, gawking at the sight.
"You know I'm here for you," Gon said, then chuckled. "I feel like a counselor, even though we have one of those."
Legosi drew back, only then realizing what he was doing. "I'm sorry. I know this isn't your job. You've just been so good to us..."
"I care about you both. You're absolute proof that carniherbi can work!"
"Thank you, sir!" The wolf did a little bow, before his mind went elsewhere. "We have...friends who are in relationships like us. I wonder if they'll do okay with segregation..."
"Oh boy..." Gon rubbed his eyes with his thumbs. "This is getting stressful."
"I-I'm sorry for intruding upon you, Gon-san!" Legosi bowed once again. "I'll be on my way."
"Have a good day in class. Talk to me any time."
The wolf walked off, a feeling of dread looming over him.
The rest of the day was even more of a haze for Legosi. He didn't take any notes or do any work, just stared straight ahead. Time flowed past him and before he knew it, classes had ended for the day. He immediately swung his bookbag to his back and trudged home. He forgot to knock as he came in, simply unlocking the door and stepping inside.
Louis looked up from where he was cutting fruit on the counter, wearing clothes and his special apron. He must have gone out since he was dressed.
Legosi looked at his deer and smiled for the first time since leaving that morning. He set his backpack down and took his shoes off before walking over.
Louis set the knife down. "Welcome home."
The wolf said nothing as he wrapped his arms around Louis' waist and kissed him on the lips.
The cervid kissed back. "Happy to have you back where you belong."
Upon hearing those words, a few stray tears dropped from the wolf's eyes.
"Woah, hey. What's wrong?" He used his thumb to wipe his tears.
"Uh, well, um." Legosi had reached down to grab his hands, kneading them with his own. "Gon-san...He said that starting next school year...Cherryton will be segregated."
"What?!" Louis pulled his hands back. "What do you mean?!"
The wolf reached out to grab him again, not bearing to be apart from him anymore. "We'll all be segregated, and I'll have to leave..."
"L-leave?! Where?!"
"Back to Room 701, I guess." Legosi sniffed, wiping an eye.
"What the fuck?! No." His brows furrowed in anger.
It was saddening to see the deer react in that way. He didn't deserve this. Neither of them did. Legosi gripped Louis tighter, staring into his one eye. "Louis...after we find this killer...I'm going to drop out. We'll move in somewhere and live together."
"Fuck this," the deer huffed.
Legosi gripped even harder. "Gon-san said I should start my move out right away, but I won't do it. We'll find the killer before the end of the school year, and after that we're getting out of here."
"You've already decided this?" Louis asked, hands balled into fists.
"I thought about it after Gon-san told me, but I decided right as I saw your face when you heard about it..."
"Well I was about to go off and tell you I wanted you to drop out if things are going to be miserable like this."
Legosi blinked. "Oh...I thought you would be mad at me, since you told me I needed to focus on graduating like, a few months ago..."
"That was a few months ago," Louis said. "I don't care about school anymore."
The wolf nodded. "Yeah! Plus, I have that job, hopefully. And you could get a job, and we could stay at grandpa's until we get it all sorted out."
"This changes everything," the deer huffed. "Our home..."
"I hope Gon-san would allow moving trucks to come here to take everything...", Legosi mumbled.
"He better. Is he kicking me out?"
The wolf shook his head. "He said you could still stay."
"Legosi..." he moved a finger on the counter a bit.
"...Louis."
"What's the point of finishing the year at this point?"
"We have to stay to find the killer..."
"Does that mean you have to go to class? What would that do for you?"
Legosi considered this. "...You're right. But, if I drop out now, I won't be able to stay here..."
"I dropped out and I'm still here."
"Oh...hmm..."
"Maybe you could use that canine charm and do some begging...?"
"Maybe..." His fiance turned heel and walked away, scanning the room. "Do we have any pieces of paper?"
"Yeah, in the drawer over there," Louis pointed.
Louis picked up the knife once more. "I was making you a fruit salad as a snack for when you were done with class."
"Well, I hope you're still doing it," The wolf offered a small smile.
"Yeah, I am." He said, going back to cutting fruit and adding it to a colorful bowl of other cubes and pieces. "When is the soonest you can talk to Gon, because it needs to happen."
"I'm going to write a formal document of...dropping out." Legosi pushed the end of the pen to his chin, scratching his neck in thought. "I just...don't know how to word it."
"Why don't you just go to him and discuss the matter?" Louis asked.
"Um...I feel more comfortable just, dropping it in his mailbox."
"Legosi."
The wolf turned quickly to the deer. "Louis!"
"What?!"
"What?"
"What do you mean what?"
"What do you mean? Huh?" Legosi cocked his head at Louis, his mouth agape slightly and ears crooked.
"What do you mean what?"
Legosi shook his head, grumbling. "St-start over. You said my name first."
"You need to go to him personally!"
The wolf drooped down. "B-but he'll be so disappointed in me..."
"Then I will."
His mate put the pen down and sighed. He was about to speak when his phone went off. He dug into his pocket and checked it. "It's Pina. Wants to know where we should meet."
"Meet for what? Oh," Louis frowned. "Don't you think this is more important?"
"M-more important than the murderer?"
"I don't care about that as much as I care about us!"
"Well...maybe Pina and Bill can work on it alone today..." Legosi suggested.
"You seriously need to talk to Gon immediately."
"...Come with me?"
"You want me to come with you?"
Legosi nodded.
"What about this?" Louis pointed to the bowl. "Put it in the fridge and leave it for later?"
"I guess. I'll message Gon-san and see when we can meet."
"I'm waiting." He began to cut quicker.
Legosi took out his phone, typing the message quickly.
Legosi: Can I come and meet with you today?
Gon actually responded quickly.
Gon: When?
Legosi: As soon as you can.
Gon: You can come now.
Legosi nudged Louis. "Oh, we can go now."
"Let me just finish this real quick and we'll go." The deer's mood had completely changed from the smiling deer that greeted him.
His partner went off to change out of his uniform as Louis finished his dish, sighing audibly the whole time.
The buck was aware of how he was feeling, because he felt the exact same way. Sadness and anger, mixed into one emotion.
Legosi was redressed, wrapping the scarf Louis bought for him all around his face. He sat on the bed and waited.
The deer got on his winter clothes after finishing the fruit salad and sticking it in the fridge. "Let's make this quick. I'm not taking no for an answer."
