Hey guys! 20 units in college is no joke!

I will be taking a break until December. I am so burnt out! Thank you for reading so far!

12:00 PM.

Legosi stretched open his eyes, the first thing entering his eyes the obnoxiously bright numbers on the alarm clock. The dull throb in the back of his brain made him want to close his eyes once more and feel the peace of the descent into slumber, but the distant clambering of kitchenware made him open his eyes further.

I won't be able to go back to sleep.

Pulling himself up upright and yawning widely, he briefly drew his blankets that he stole from the bathroom closet tighter around himself in a silent plea for more rest before unwrapping himself from his warm cocoon and pushing himself to his feet. After reaching up in a stretch, his head swiveled aimlessly in a search for his t-shirt he'd laid out, eyes settling on it soon after; he reached for the red fabric on the end table and brought it to his head, slipping it on as he stepped towards the door.

When he stepped out of his room, a quick look to his left revealed his grandfather fingering through his spice rack, a pan on the oven and the faint smell of egg floating from the steam that rose from the oven. He looked horrible - his eyes were sunken, as if he were dead, and a matte white substance leaked from the sides of his face and his nose; his jaw was set lowly.

"Grandpa?"

Gosha cringed, bringing his hands to his ears. "My boy, don't be so loud," Gosha hissed, eventually bringing his hands back from the sides of his head and studying them. His face sunk even lower when it clicked that the white goo came from his ears, and he took the pan and dumped it over in the empty sink before gently setting it down, sniffing lightly. "Legosi, I'm sorry," he whispered, eyes downcast as he opened the cabinet below him to pull out a massive round pail. "I don't... feel so well this morning." He submerged his hands in what Legosi could only assume was his disinfectant and tenderly wiped his ear holes and nose to rid himself of the gunk. "I was going to make you breakfast, but-"

"I-it's okay, grandpa," Legosi assured, lowering his voice to accommodate Gosha and holding his hands out. He's probably getting over a hangover. The gray wolf remembered several times in his young life where Leano had ushered a muttering and disgruntled Miyagi to the breakfast table to eat in the mornings. He also remembered the rank stench of stale alcohol that expelled from his mouth during these mornings, and the fact that he couldn't play much when Miyagi woke up on the wrong side of the bed. "M...maybe try going back to sleep?"

Gosha nodded slowly after a moment, chest heaving a slow sigh. "...Okay," he eventually agreed, reaching up and opening his mahogany cabinets to pull out a shiny glass, filling it to the brim with tap water and putting it to his lips. He sipped shakily, placing it on the counter with a dull thunk, making Gosha wince slightly. "I… I should probably eat, though," he reasoned, turning himself around and weakly pulling the handle of his stainless steel refrigerator. "I think I have some leftover spaghetti-"

"Grandpa," Legosi said, keeping his voice to a low rumble and stepping forward cautiously. "H-how about you just sit down and drink some of that water, and I'll reheat your spaghetti."

Almost obediently, Gosha nodded, turning to wrap his fingers around the water glass as he began his journey back to the table, shuffling his feet the whole way as Legosi pulled the tupperware out of the fridge and stuck it in the microwave, punching in two minutes before pressing the start button. The sun shone brilliantly through the blinds of the kitchen window, casting everything in a cold light; it made the floor feel less comfortable to step on and made everything feel more fragile to the touch.

When the microwave beeped, he took the tupperware, grabbed a fork from the drawer below the microwave and tiptoed his way to Gosha, setting the food down before him.

"Thank you," Gosha grunted, setting his elbows on the table and leaning over his food as he took the fork and twirled it in his noodles. For a moment he remained like that, simply turning his fork in mindless circles. "...Legosi?" Gosha eventually asked, slowly turning his head toward his grandson.

When Legosi's eyes met Gosha's, he sensed a completely new sentiment - they weren't Gosha's usual loving grandpa eyes, or even his protective slits that shifted into while protecting him or when he got angry. The raw pain amplified by loneliness that reflected in Gosha's eyes hit Legosi in the gut. Just how long had Gosha been living on his own, with no one to talk to? This was yet another angle to his grandfather - a more honest version of him, another mask that fell right in front of Legosi. "Yes, grandpa?" he answered, folding his hands together nervously.

Gosha didn't say anything for a while, looking at Legosi as if making sure he was really there. His mouth opened and clicked back shut more than once; Legosi could hear Gosha's mind clicking and turning, mentally discarding ideas and things that would have been perfectly fine to say at that moment. "...Please just be careful," he finally sighed, shoulders hunching over as if a weight that had been placed over him finally took its physical toll. "I…" He swallowed thickly, eyes beginning to water up as he looked forward into nothing absently. "It's clear that I can't protect you anymore," he choked out, folding his fingers together tightly. "And whatever this situation is with… Yafya, and... now you've had to see Miyagi twice in one week, and you're trying to manage a relationship with a rabbit of all animals…" He brought his scaled hand to his forehead, rubbing it lighty. "I don't know what to do anymore, Legosi. I can't fight this monster for you like I could when you were younger, and you can't just hide behind my hand anymore. Things are different. Please, just be safe. I don't want to think what I'm going to do if you step in the wrong place and get yourself killed-'' he stopped, a sob pressing itself against his throat, and he shook his head, setting his elbows on the table and pressing both his hands to his face, sighing shakily. "You're all I have left."

Legosi's jaw gaped at Gosha's sudden vulnerability, a solid block of conflicted confusion weighing down his chest. I had... no idea he felt this way, he thought to himself, bringing his own hand to his head and rubbing it, almost overwhelmed by the display of emotion. He knew this was all his fault: one half of him knew he wasn't nearly as careful as he knew he should be, that he was too reckless and put himself in harm's way too often, but the other wolf within him was firm in that the nature of his existence was dangerous. He'd fought the gang he now worked besides upon the rare chance he ever got to see Louis, he had trained with the Back Alley Market psychologist and put his health, schooling, and life on the line for his damned sense of justice and confused feelings of love. In retrospect, it wasn't hard to see how someone like Jack could get so frustrated at him for leaving the school and for putting his own sense of direction before his childhood friend who cared about him so much. It also was easy to see why Haru went on her angry rants about his well-being. By fighting for love, he was fighting love and pushing his loved ones away - but he had to fight this way, or he would never have a chance at marriage. And now he had Miyagi to balance on his plate, as well.

After several moments of silence, Legosi cleared his throat, putting his hand over his muzzle. "...Grandpa," he started cautiously, conscious of the tension in the room and the fact Gosha was still suffering from his hangover. He opened his mouth and shut it, sighing before he continued. "You've done more for me than I can say - you've fed me and bathed me, you practically raised me even after I blamed you for Mom's death. So, uh…" He laid his hand on Gosha's solid and cool shoulder, taking a seat next to him. "Thank you. I promise I'll be careful in the future, okay? Don't worry about me."

Another moment passed in silence, and Legosi briefly wondered if the old man had gone to sleep in his position. Gosha's moved his hands from his face, however, and his eyes opened as he folded his fingers in front of him, turning to Legosi and smiling, after visible effort. "...Thank you," he eventually said, wrapping his arms around Legosi in a half-drunken attempt at a hug, which Legosi reciprocated. "...Who drove us home, by the way?"

Legosi's eyes widened, mouth gaping a little bit before he answered. "That's a funny story," he started, laughing sheepishly and pulling away from the hug. "There was a passerby who saw that you were asleep, and the truck wouldn't start. He reached out to help us, and eventually he got the truck started and he offered to drive us home since he was headed to around this area himself. Pretty funny, if you ask me."

Legosi hated lying to his grandpa, but he knew if he told him that he had been the one to drive them both home, Gosha wouldn't forgive himself. Mercifully, the highway was empty the whole way home, so Legosi had plenty of opportunity to learn as he went.

"That is funny," Gosha replied, leaning back in his chair slightly. "Who was he?"

"Uh, Drake. Yes, Drake - another komodo dragon named Drake."

Gosha scoffed, shaking his head. "A popular name for komodo dragons nowadays," he said. "Almost every stinkin' couple names at least one of their children Drake." He sighed and stood up, putting his hand to his head and sitting back down. "...Can you help me back to bed?" he asked punily. "I can hardly walk."

Legosi stood and helped lift Gosha out of his chair. "No problem," he replied, a small tinge of worry edging his voice as he walked his grandpa down the hall. "Get yourself better," he added once Gosha was laying in his bed and covered up.

The old komodo dragon's eyes closed, and Legosi waited until it was clear he was asleep before carefully twisting the cool doorknob and opening the door enough for him to slip out of the room.

The rest of the week flew - Gosha recovered from his hangover and they didn't go out anywhere after the incident at the Picky Eater. The odd duo were at the crowded train station - it was a Monday, and Legosi was beginning to have second thoughts about coming during lunchtime as a crowd of small herbivores pushed their way past the taller animals, mindlessly chatting among one other or on the phone.

When they finally waded their way through the crowd and Legosi was near the door, he turned to Gosha, lifting a hand in farewell. "I'll keep you posted about things," he promised, knowing fully well he couldn't keep it. "And, uh… thanks for letting me stay."

Gosha also lifted his hand, the smile on his face only broadening. "Thank you for coming," he replied warmly, putting his hand on Legosi's shoulder. "And if you need anything, text or call me."

Legosi nodded and smiled, the flow of the foot traffic bringing him to the inside of the train and eventually dumped him off into a seat.

As the train rolled away, his last glimpse was a raised and scaled hand, the sunlight reflecting off of it in a brilliant array.