Chapter 127 - I Love Breakfast

Legosi woke up that Tuesday morning to the same sound of rain he fell asleep to. He shifted under the sheet, sighing at the lack of animal next to him.

He stretched and reached for his phone, sending a text to Bill asking if he'd want to leave early for work so they could get breakfast at the mall. After that he got dressed and searched to see if they had an umbrella.

Legosi determined that whether or not they had an umbrella, he couldn't find it regardless, so he put on a hoodie and brought the hood up over his ears and stepped out.

Water was now flowing on either side of the street and flowing into drains, forcing Legosi to jump over the streams whenever he crossed the road. A hop on the train at the station and a quick ride brought him near Gosha's. It was an odd feeling going to pick someone up from his own childhood home. He checked his phone to see if Bill responded.

There was no response from the tiger. None.

Legosi hummed to himself. Bill was likely still asleep, since it was earlier than he told him to be up. He walked up the steps and pulled a key out to get in, since Gosha would be at work. He pushed through and took his shoes off, appreciating the quiet and homey atmosphere which was actually enhanced by the rain sound.

It was totally silent inside, minus that sound. Legosi noted that he didn't even hear Bill snoring. It honestly felt like nobody was even home. But Bill had to be, right?

Legosi walked slowly to his room and peeked in, looking down at the bed.

Bill was looking right at him, eyes open.

Legosi jumped up a bit. "Wah! Bill!"

"Yep."

Legosi gathered his bearings and walked in. "Did I wake you?"

"Been awake," he answered, coldly.

Legosi cleared his throat. "Did you...get my text?"

"Felt it vibrate."

All of Legosi's features drooped as he approached the bed and knelt down. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Just another stupid nightmare. It's dumb," Bill said.

"You've been having nightmares?" Legosi reached down to take his socks and pants off. Breakfast could wait.

"Mhm. Yeah. Like every day," Bill said.

"That's horrible." Legosi got his shirt off and slipped under the covers next to Bill. "I was haunted by nightmares after my mom died. After I attacked Louis. When we broke up. It's draining."

Bill sighed, clearly exhausted. He was only wearing his boxers, unusual from how he usually slept. "And they feel so real and it just sucks like...I don't wanna sleep if I keep going to that place."

"You even had one when sleeping with Pina?"

"Yyyyeah. You fucking melted in front of me."

"What? Really?"

Legosi moved closer. "Well, now you don't..."

Bill looked at his eyes. "Nope. A full head right here..." He tried smiling for Legosi.

Legosi rubbed his thumbs on the sides of his mouth to keep the smile there. "We have some time before we need to be in. I wanted to know if you wanted to leave early to get breakfast somewhere but we can lie here if you want."

"Sorry I didn't look at your text. Sorry..." Bill mumbled. "I just...I dunno."

Legosi held Bill's head and brought it down to rest on his chest as he further embraced him. "It's that fortune, isn't it?"

"Fucking fuck! That fortune is so stupid! It's infiltrating my mind. I don't even want to think about this much!"

Legosi held him closer and licked his head. "It's okay. We're all supporting you."

Bill rubbed his cheek on his chest, moving his leg against Legosi's under the covers. "Mm...warm."

Legosi moved his hands to rub Bill's back and planted kisses on his forehead. Their legs tangled beneath the covers.

"You took your pants off," Bill said, even though he had been watching when Legosi did it.

"Laying in a bed with jeans is uncomfortable," was all Legosi said.

Bill laughed. "Laying in bed with anything is."

"That's true. You are wearing boxers, though," Legosi pointed out.

"Yeah, I am. It's a travesty." Bill licked up his cheek.

Legosi shivered at the caress of Bill's rough tongue and melted into him. "Ahh, I always forget how potent that is..."

"I don't get how anyone likes how rough it is. I've licked my hand before and it feels weird," Bill said.

"Maybe it's that thing where you can't tickle yourself?" Legosi suggested. "It's like a brain thing."

"Oh, yeah, maybe. It's great that you and Pina love it, though." He moved closer to Legosi, trying to feel where his hips were.

Legosi let out a small moan as Bill found them. "Guess it's good you found us..."

"Yeah," Bill said, pulling him even closer as he licked up his jawline. "And I won't lose you..."

Legosi's legs went around him. "I can't afford to have anything happen to me, so don't worry."

"That's a lot easier said than done," Bill huffed, moving his legs to stroke Legosi's. "I'm not trying to!"

"Mm, well, we have the day together, at least. Nothing will change that."

"Yeah. Pretty excited to look at your cute mug all day and see you being like 'It's right over there, ma'am. Thanks for shopping with us, sir!'"

"And a lot of telling you where stuff is and what to do." Legosi squeezed Bill and rubbed their noses together. "It'll be so...normal."

"Normal," Bill huffed. "Just like we fucking need."

"This will be like the dress rehearsal for normal," Legosi joked.

"I'll try not to dope up on any deer blood," Bill responded.

"I'll have to fight you again if you do~"

"That would end messier than last time." Bill lowered his voice to a whisper.

Legosi gave a playful growl. "Messy, huh?:

"We got blood on the stage, remember?"

Legosi nodded. "Or course. I think now we'd make a different kind of mess..."

"The best kind, some would say." Bill tugged his ear with his teeth.

Legosi's tail thumped at all the attention. "H-how would you take me on stage?"

"Depends. Is there an audience?"

Legosi nodded, turning red.

Bill leaned close to his ear. "I'd make sure that the best part of the show, your ass, was to them and then I'd take you as you clung to me. And no, they don't get to have you cum facing them because I want that shit all to myself."

Legosi shivered just listening to the description. "So selfish...but generous enough to put on the show in the first place."

"Yeah but then I'd probably get jealous of them feasting their eyes on my wolf and go wild."

Legosi whined and pressed against him. "Probably shouldn't get all worked up before work."

"Too late," Bill said. "You're fucking huge, remember?"

"What's that have to do with anything?" Legosi grumbled.

"I can feel your dick!"

Legosi sighed and closed his eyes. "I guess we could just lie here until it goes away."

Bill laughed. "Lay on your back."

Legosi's heart thumped as he promptly obeyed. His head sunk into the pillow, causing his cheek fur and ears to be pushed up, cutely.

Bill grabbed the top of the blanket and before Legosi could say anything, the tiger ripped it off of them and threw it on the ground, very intensely.

Now both carnivores were completely exposed, clearly tenting their underwear. Legosi instinctively pulled his arms and legs inward slightly as he looked up at the intense tiger.

"Pfft. Oh yeah," Bill said, slinking down to Legosi's feet and placing his own on the ground so he could grab the wolf's underwear and slide them down his legs, pulling them off and tossing them on the ground. "I'll keep mine on and make this quick."

"A-are you sure?" Legosi asked, looking down at Bill past his now freed erection.

"Do you want me to take mine off?" Bill asked with a head tilt, rubbing his leg.

"It's only fair..."

"You can just ask me!" Bill chuckled, mind currently off his troubles thanks to this wolf. With some tugging and a hip wiggle, his own drawers fell to the floor and he climbed out of them onto the bed, spreading Legosi's legs with his knees. "Open up for Bill."

Legosi spread them out the rest of the way, fluffy tail wagging below him.

Bill moved his striped hand up his leg and gripped his massive length, and a slight thing of note: In Bill's history, he would always be fixated on area's like that. His eyes drawn to what he was about to be enjoying. Of course, it was always baseless before...This time, though, instead of smiling at his penis, Bill only smiled at the wolf's face.

"Mmph." Legosi squirmed, enjoying Bill's large, warm hand. His ears flapped and his eyes were squinted in pleasure.

Bill leaned down and stuck his tongue out, licking up from the base of Legosi's shaft to his tip.

Legosi curled his toes and gasped. "F-fuck, I don't think you've licked it before..."

"Mm-mm." The tiger opened his maw and just went down on him, his experience from Pina helping with his fangs here.

Of course, the difference between the animals was night and day, so Bill had to approach this differently. Regardless, Legosi rocked his head back and forth on the pillow in pleasure, always the sensitive one.

Bill, thinking it would add a lovely attractive flair, raised his butt and let his tail sway, his other hand moving to play with Legosi's wiggling tail. He made sure to let his tongue stroke and wrap around the prize in his mouth.

Legosi bit his wrist and looked down at the spectacle. "Mmph, Bill...my whole carnivore..."

"Mhm...mmmm..." Bill closed his eyes and enjoyed what he was taking from Legosi. It didn't take long for his cheeks to ache because Legosi was just that big but the sounds of the wolf kept him fueled.

Legosi reached down and rubbed Bill's striped cheeks. He brought his feet up to rub his other striped cheeks.

"Hmmh~" Bill opened his maw as he gave a very dramatic and sexy lick to the top of Legosi's penis, letting his tongue just linger there as he looked at him with half-lidded eyes.

Legosi looked at him with a grumpy face. "Th-that's not fair."

"Mm?"

"You being all sexy..."

Bill pulled his tongue back. "And it's unfair?"

Legosi nodded. "Because...we can't just stay here all day."

"Yeah, adulting sucks. Let me just finish you off and we can get breakfast." And then he went back down and did just that.

Legosi laid back and relaxed, knowing he should just enjoy it and not overthink it. He bucked his hips up slightly into Bill's mouth and grunted.

Unsurprisingly, the tiger really knew what he was doing and he didn't graze fangs on Legosi's length once. Needless to say, he was spectacular at giving head.

Legosi's hips kept thrusting upward until he came, clenching his teeth and eyes.

Bill caught every single drop, licking it up and bringing his head back. "Mmm...good shit, as always." He pat Legosi's leg. "Alright! Now get dressed and let's get to work!"

Through his panting, Legosi asked, "A-and, you're okay without cumming?"

"Yeah."

The wolf rolled off the bed and started putting on his clothes. As he did that, Bill did the same and placed the covers back on the bed. Once they were both all dressed, the wolf walked over to Bill and hugged him tightly.

Bill hugged back, doing that hand-on-the-hips hug he was so fond of. "Mmm...I knew you were eager for one of these."

"I always like hugs." Legosi pulled back and smiled. "You ready to go?"

"Hell yeah! I'm gonna be the...second best employee of the month!"

"Mm, that's very flattering."

The two made their way out, discovering that Gosha only had one umbrella but realizing that wasn't a bad thing. They held it between them as they walked close together, both able to stay dry under it.

"So this storm, huh?" Bill said, looking about. "Daaaang."

"Yeah. It's officially starting. Not so scary...yet."

"How are you with storms like this anyway?"

Legosi shrugged. "I like the sound of rain, but that's about it. Wind sucks."

"You don't like the look of it all? The atmosphere?" the feline pressed.

"If it goes on for too long, yeah. Flooding is kinda cool sometimes but not having to deal with it."

"Yeah, I agree. I don't like the look anymore after my dream. I miss the sun."

Legosi wrapped around one of Bill's arms. "So did you not sleep at all last night?"

"A little. Then I woke up and just laid there...for hours. Did you see my fucking eyes? Yikes, dude."

"Well, I'm glad you seem to be feeling better now," Legosi offered. "I hope you'll sleep okay tonight...but you'll be alone again. Maybe me and Louis can come over and crash?"

"Mmm...How will we have any fun then? I assume he wouldn't wanna be there for that."

"M-maybe he'd like to watch." Legosi looked away, blushing. "And I just meant so you'd have someone sleeping with you in the bed."

"You think Louis is gonna come home?" Bill asked.

"He usually doesn't stay there for more than a night or two. I'd like him to come home, plus it wouldn't fit his fake cover story."

"Right. But what if Ichi says fuck it and keeps him there? Has that ever happened?"

Legosi shook his head. "No, he hasn't. Too bad Pina didn't work it out so he could leave as often."

"Yeah...But...I dunno. Sometimes I think the breaks are good for us," Bill said.

Legosi nodded. "Breaks when we can be with each other, and Pina and Louis can be together. It's such a new thing. I just feel bad that they're stuck in the tower for their time."

"And when they aren't, our lives will be so fucking free. We'll have so much time we won't know what to do with ourselves."

Bill could feel Legosi's tail wagging behind them. "I can't wait! Going to another country will be kind of scary, but if it's with you three it'll be so exciting!"

"All you have to do is survive...What a fucking pain," Bill said, rubbing the back of his neck. "But Nori and I will train and I'll be strong."

"So...you're gonna punch the storm?"

"I bet I'm gonna punch something."

"And you'll do it really well," Legosi encouraged.

"I'm a natural-born fighter," Bill said. "Even though I just ate, I'm still hungry."

Legosi's ear flicked. "Huh? But we didn't even get on the train yet."

"Okay? And?"

"We didn't get breakfast or eat yet."

"Oh yes, I did~" Bill grinned.

Legosi's ears flicked faster in confusion. "Before I came?"

"During."

Those wolf ears, always so expressive, now laid out flat and sideways. "Oh my god, Bill."

"Finally!" Bill groaned.

"Well, I don't know how many calories my cum has, but it can't be a lot. Of course you're still hungry." They had just entered the station then, an exiting wombat giving them the most flabbergasted face as they overheard.

Bill and Legosi froze, just looking at them.

The wombat simply cleared their throat and walked out, leaving Bill and Legosi alone again.

"I...didn't think I was talking that loudly," Legosi admitted.

Bill barked out a laugh. "Hahaha! Did you see the look on their face?! Priceless!"

"Yeah, yeah, I saw it. Let's just get on the train. Are you in the mood for anything in particular to eat?"

"Hmmm...Hm hm hm..." Bill scratched his chin. "I dunno I haven't eaten in, like, two days."

Legosi gasped and clutched onto him. "What!? That's horrible! You need to eat!"

Bill looked at him, blinking. "Huh? Well, yeah, I know. But I'm just not feeling it, lately."

"We're getting you a really big breakfast," Legosi declared. "And you're gonna eat all of it."

"But what if I don't wannaaaaa."

"You really need to!" Legosi insisted. They swiped their cards and headed to the tracks. "Especially if you're going to be strength training!"

"Also, where the fuck are we gonna get a big breakfast?"

"There's a place in the mall that makes the best stuff. Omelettes and pancakes of all varieties, sweet, savory. All sorts of stuff."

"Is it hidden?" Bill asked.

"No. Why do you think it'd be hidden?"

"I've never heard anyone talk about it or been there."

"Oh, well it is pretty new." Just like earlier, the train cars seemed emptier than usual, meaning Legosi and Bill could take a seat.

The two sat down and Bill yawned. "Anything I need to know for work?"

"Well, since it's just me, Mel-san, and now you, we all have to do a lot of tasks. Today we'll be cleaning out the terrariums and taking care of some of the bugs. We usually get our shipments in on Tuesday too." Legosi looked down and traced the stripes on Bill's hand with his claw.

The tiger nodded. "I wanna stay busy, so that's good. I'm not gonna be a lazy worker, if you're worried about that."

Legosi shook his head, the glasses on his face sliding down a bit. "Oh, no I'm not worried about that. You just have to not get distracted."

"Don't plan on it," Bill said. He felt comforted by Legosi's soft stroking. "What do you think our boys are doing right now?"

"Being miserable in a soggy tower. Aside from having each other, of course."

"Yeah...Away from us, too," Bill said. "It sucks not knowing the other side."

"I could text him, but Louis says I should always wait for him to message me first in case he's in the middle of something."

"Makes sense," Bill said. "And I don't wanna make a mistake and text Pina at the wrong time and have them find out he's dating a tiger."

"All because of one animal," Legosi grumbled, hanging his head down.

"One animal?"

"Ichi." Legosi picked Bill's hand up and sniffed it. Canines...

The feline raised a brow. "What are you doing?"

Legosi looked up. "Sniffing."

"Just cause?" the tiger asked. "I like when you do."

Legosi nodded. "Canines enjoy the scents of the ones they love...I spent so much time sniffing Louis back at his place in Cherryton."

"And how was that?" Bill queried.

"Wonderful." Legosi put Bill's hand down and gave it a pat. "Do tigers place a lot of importance on anything besides stripes? I mean, I guess that doesn't apply to you anymore anyway..."

"Nah, but I'm just imagining you laying with Louis every night and getting to smell him for, like, hours at a time. It's basically like a never-ending catnip."

"Do you even do catnip?"

"Do? You say that like it's a drug!"

Legosi's ear twitched again. "Isn't it?"

"It's legal!"

"It's still a drug."

Bill crossed his arms. "No, it's too damn expensive. That's for rich animals."

"Sebun brought wine over for us once and...that didn't end up so good. It was fun I guess."

"Oooh shit, really? Louis always struck me as a wine drinker," Bill chuckled.

"I'm sure his dad is."

"Never met him," the tiger said. "What's he like? A prick?"

Legosi shrugged. "I don't know. I mean, he used to be...but he's trying to change. He seems nice now. I'd like to get to know him more."

"Where's he at? Far?" Bill asked.

"No, just at the Horns building. It's in the city."

"And he knows about..." Bill made a circle motion with his hand.

Legosi nodded. "He said he's going to help Louis and I get married if he can, even if he doesn't really get it."

"Woah! That's great, Legosi! Dang! Could he even?"

"I mean, he's rich. He can probably do it."

"I really hope so! God damn, that would be so cool..." Bill sighed.

Legosi brushed their shoulders together. "So, what do you think you and Pina will do?"

"About what? Getting married?" Bill blushed. This was a topic that could always get him to.

"I mean, yeah. Whether you want to or not and if you have a plan." Legosi looked at him with wide, curious eyes.

"Yeah, I do!" Bill said. "Our plan is you guys."

"Yeah, but will you two get married?"

"Do I look like husbando material to you?" Bill raised his brows.

Legosi nodded, confidently.

"Whaaaat?! No. I'm not some anime pretty-boy that people want to date and/or bang."

"That's not what a husband should be! That's just silly stuff." Legosi shoved him gently.

"Give me the husband assessment, then," Bill blushed more.

Legosi grabbed his hand again and started fiddling with it. "Well, you're strong and supportive and brave. You're really nice and passionate and you've really come a long way from the animal I knew just a year ago. I have no doubt in my mind that you'll be a great husband for Pina."

"Fuck yeeeah~" Bill's ears twitched. "You know I love hearing you compliment me? It's like a reverse of our roles."

"Well, I'll try to do it more, then." Legosi traced up his arm with a claw. "You know, being with you has helped me appreciate myself even more."

"There's a whole club dedicated to appreciating you. Wanna join?" Bill showed his teeth.

"Well, I mean, I didn't mean it like that. I don't want to be a narcissist."

"You're a sexyssist."

Legosi reached up and cupped his cheek. "Ah, very smooth."

"I can't help myself," Bill laughed. "I used to do it with women, too."

"Did it work?"

"They thought I was a perv."

Legosi smiled and kissed his cheek. "Well, at least you found people that appreciate your perviness."

"You guys are worse," Bill affirmed.

Legosi shrugged. "Maybe..."

"You fucked in public at a club! I haven't got to do that yet!"

"It was an illegal club and a lot of others were doing it anyway," Legosi grumbled.

"Sounds like a fun time."

"...It was..."

The rain from outside continued to pound against the train window. If the ride were any longer, one of them might have fallen asleep against the other. Soon, though, it was their stop so they had to stand up and go back into the rain. The umbrella protected them well enough, but their general dampness once they entered the mall made them both fairly cold.

Bill looked around. "Ugh...the wind is getting stronger..."

Legosi nodded. "I hope the older buildings are strong enough to withstand it."

"If they've survived that horrible tsunami from when we were kids, some strong winds should be fine. Japanese architecture is made to withstand these kinds of things. They taught it in school, didn't you pay attention?"

"S-sure I did! Doesn't stop me from having anxiety about it..."

"Oh no, it's horrifying," Bill said. "Honestly don't know how I'd handle something like that. Also, let's try and not break Gramp's only umbrella."

Legosi looked up at it. "Well, now that we're inside you can probably fold it up."

Bill pulled it back and grabbed the piece at the top and slid it down along the pole, closing the umbrella, and then wrapping it with the strap. "There we go. Uh...do I gotta carry this shit the whole time?"

Legosi sighed and held his hand out. "Here, I will."

"No! Not after you sighed like that!"

Legosi chuckled and looked forward. "Alright, the place is on the first floor at the other end of the building."

They walked through the structure, noting just how big it looked with hardly any animals there. The water flowed mesmerizingly down the glass ceiling above them, creating moving shadows all across the ground.

"You would have never seen this storm coming last week," Bill said. "I heard America has tornadoes."

"Sounds scary" Legosi looked over to Bill, trying to gauge his mood. "I guess you've really been looking into it."

"Remember how I told you I read a lot back in school? Kind of gave me an affinity for it. But yeah. Have you ever heard of a tornado or are you just saying that?"

Legosi shoved him. "Of course I've heard of a tornado! They're in like, tons of movies and stuff."

"Pina likes the American one with the sharks," Bill chuckled. "The CGI suuucks. We pirated them all."

Legosi snorted. "I wonder if any sharks have seen that. Or if ocean animals ever watch our movies. Waterproof screens..."

"Yeah, cause like those sharks' lives were probably ruined in those movies. It was a catastrophe for both land and sea," Bill said. "Actually, I think that was on one of the covers."

"Maybe that's what this storm is gonna be," Legosi pondered while looking up at the ceiling. "And you're the protagonist. That's why you got that fortune. It did seem like something that'd happen in a movie."

"Time to buy a chainsaw," Bill said. He yawned again, tears stinging his eyes. "I kinda wanna get the world's biggest megaphone, go to the tallest point in the city and make a PSA."

Legosi intertwined their arms more. "What would you say?"

"I would say...'Everyone in Japan! I don't know how to explain this to you but make sure you tell your loved ones that you love them because a lot of you might die due to this storm!'"

Legosi's eyebrows furrowed. "That's pretty grim."

"And think about how even that isn't possible."

"If it gets really bad, won't the government do something?"

"What's the government going to do over a natural disaster?" Bill asked.

"Open up a stadium for people to stay? They've done stuff like that before."

"And if it floods? They'll be trapped in there!"

"Then they'll have people go up a mountain."

"...Maybe. When that tsunami happened, a lot of people lost their lives and family. All we can do is hope that there isn't something like that on top of your little gang war."

"I guess that's another thing you've been researching, since that happened when we were too young to remember." Legosi guided them around a corner to their destination.

Bill nodded. "Yeah. Crazy how that could happen again at, like, any time."

"Well, this is different than a tsunami," Legosi reasoned. "We'll just have to keep an ear out and see if the government is going to have us evacuate or something."

"Government, ha," Bill smiled. "Kay, so, where's that restaurant?"

"Just at the end here..." They continued down a slight curve in the pathing until a restaurant called 'I Love Breakfast' popped up. "Kind of on the nose name," Legosi commented.

"Do they love breakfast?" Bill asked.

"I think it's supposed to be said by the customer, you know? They just serve breakfast."

"Do you love breakfast, then?" the tiger joked.

"I do! You should know, since we had that whole argument about pancakes."

"Oh god, I remember that shit," Bill shook his head.

"Are you going to order blueberry pancakes, Bill?" Legosi teased.

"Nooooo, my blueberry pancake traum,aaaa!" Bill cowered, holding his hands up.

"Hmm, something else then. Let's go in."

Bill rushed forward and opened the door for him. "There you go."

Legosi shook his head and stepped through. "How chivalrous."

"What! It's the right thing to do for the woman of the relationship!"

Legosi rolled his eyes as they reconvened. "Is that how you see me?"

"I mean, I'm definitely the guy of the relationship, typically speaking. But I dunno if that really has anything to do with it. Me and Louis both realized we like guys with dresses at the New Year's dance."

"Yeah, but I'm still a guy," Legosi complained. "Wait, Louis likes guys in dresses, too?"

"Yeah! Me and him talk about it, sometimes. We talk about a lotta things," Bill shrugged, eyes gazing up at the menu.

"I wonder if that's when his attraction to Pina started," Legosi pondered. "Kind of weird to think about." He looked down at himself, then. "Do you think I'd look good in a dress?"

"I can tell you if you were wearing a dress, you wouldn't be wearing anything underneath it~" Bill growled. "Let's continue this talk after we get our order in." He stepped up.

A few minutes later, and now with their meals, Bill and Legosi sat at a table for two, the tiger completely forgetting the dress conversation by that time.

Legosi picked a few pieces of fruit from the plate in the middle and poured some syrup on his french toast, but he didn't take a bite, instead staring at Bill and waiting for him to start eating.

The tiger was just looking off to the side, his elbow on his knee and fist under his chin. He clearly needed to keep being distracted from his own mind.

Legosi brushed his foot against his leg. "So, you were saying about the dress thing?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. What about it again?"

"If you think I'd look good in one," Legosi reminded.

"Oh yeah. Oooooh yeah. Louis and I even talked about what color would look best on you."

Legosi's face went hot. "Y-yeah? What color?"

"Red," Bill said. "I said that and I'm pretty sure your buck creamed his pants."

Legosi covered his eyes as he reached down and picked up some toast to eat. "Mmmm."

"What's wrong?" Bill asked.

Legosi swallowed. "Just, uh, imagining wearing one and having you guys appreciate it. You should eat."

"I'm telling you," his boyfriend said. "Louis fucking described sliding his hand up your dress and...Damn, this looks pretty good, actually."

"It does! Please eat. And uh, maybe try not to get too worked up with what we're talking about."

"Just be glad I'm not Louis," Bill laughed, finally taking a bite of his blueberry pancakes, having seen the picture and folded.

Legosi squirmed in his seat. "I think Dom said he wanted to design us dresses."

"I think he was already doing that," the feline responded, chewing and then pouring some syrup. "Thought he'd be done by now."

"Well, he's got his actual assignments to do." Legosi took some more fresh fruit, always a favorite of his. "They have a lot of food places in America I heard, right?"

"Oh yeah," Bill nodded. "That's me and Pina's thing. Always talking about things in America."

"It just seems so far away." Legosi took another bite and then a sip of his drink, swishing it in his mouth.

Bill shook his head. "Whatever is left after this storm...That's what we'll take with us when we go."

Legosi let a long breath leave his nose. "We're not gonna know what we're doing when we get there, are we?"

"Nope. But we'll have money and heart, I suppose. And hopefully most of our limbs."

Legosi grimaced. "I hope no more go missing. Poor Pina..."

"And Louis..." Bill muttered. "I can't imagine what things look like for him."

"Well, it's just like if you closed one of your eyes. Forever." Legosi took some more fruit.

"The forever part just makes me sad."

Legosi nodded. "Louis was so sad about it at first. He still is, but now there's more stuff going on to distract him. Really, it'd be ideal if it was just his eye he had to worry about still."

Bill slammed his fist on the table. "SERIOUSLY! Like, fuck!"

Legosi jumped up and a few other patrons stared. "Uh...it's like...okay..."

"No, it's fucking not! Why you? Why Louis? What kind of fucking game is the universe playing?! And now this storm!" He looked around at the customers. "So what if I'm mad!? Life is shitty right now!"

The animals cleared their throats and nodded. Someone said "Right on, tiger dude." Legosi just held his head down in embarrassment and continued eating.

Bill just crossed one leg over the other and looked to the side, his hands in his lap. "Whatever. Sorry."

Legosi reached out with his foot again to reassure him. "It's okay. I understand. Sometimes I just want to...do what you did. And more..."

"Now everyone's looking. I'm one of those animals." Bill took another bite.

"Just for now. You haven't eaten for a few days so it makes sense. I still love you..."

Bill cracked a smile. "...Maybe we can eat somewhere else. I feel pressure."

"We can take the food out into the court," Legosi suggested, already standing up.

Bill stood after him. "Yeah. Sorry again, everyone." The two walked out and found a table away from the restaurant. "I feel like my old self."

"Your hungry and tired self, maybe," Legosi huffed. "Just don't shout at people when we're at work, okay?"

Bill's tail drooped. "I wanna have fun working with you."

"You can. Just don't shout at people. Pretty simple. Legosi closed his eyes and popped the last of his bread into his mouth.

"Okay, okay. Stop scolding me. I got it," Bill said, digging into his pancakes again.

Legosi finished up with his own meal and stacked all his garbage up. "So, do you like it?"

"Well, fuck yeah, I do," Bill said. "They used fresh blueberries, too. This is like a little date."

"Our little date before our work date," Legosi added, tail waving idly.

"We can't be romantic at work, though..." the cat sighed.

"Maybe..."

"...And if we get any people trashing gay people it will be even worse. But I was thinking about it and seeing big ol' carnivores like us care for small bugs might paint us in a delicate light."

"Oh, definitely! A lot of animals around here know me now and they've seen how I am with the bugs and they trust me now." Legosi rubbed the back of his neck as he continued. "Of course, we're not doing a presentation today. Those aren't on weekdays."

"Oh, yeah...Less chance of me to fuck up in front of 'em, at least!"

"Yeah. You won't be performing, just serving, if anything. Just leave everything to me today, though. You're here to learn." It wasn't often Legosi sounded firm and in charge, but when he did he could be pretty convincing, thanks to his solid, deep voice. The glasses just made him seem like a nerd, though.

"Well, if there's anything I'm good at, it's serving~" Bill cooed, eating more, thankfully.

Legosi cleared his throat, his mind transporting back to earlier when they were in bed. "Ah, well, yes. Yeah."

His boyfriend made a strange sound. "Ooh, I know exactly what you're thinking and you're right."

"Mhm." Legosi checked the time on his phone. "We should get going in a few minutes."

Bill ate faster. "Mmm...Is the boss cool?"

Legosi nodded. "He knows about me and Louis. He has friends who are in a carni-herbi relationship, so he's kind of protective of us. Uh, I didn't tell him about us but I don't think he'd mind."

"We haven't gotten as supportive responses with this..." Bill said. "Even our friends..."

"Are you talking about Aoba and Tao?"

"Yeah...you could tell they weren't into it. But I get it. It's so different from the norm," Bill said.

"I'm sure they'd get used to it. Well, if we weren't gonna be leaving." Legosi kicked his feet against the linoleum. "Well, there's always social media."

"Well, well, well," Bill nodded. "Yep. It's gonna be weird being in America and getting used to...all of that."

"Yeah, and I'll miss everyone, but it'll be good. Much better than what we're going through now." Legosi stood up and took his garbage. "Ready?"

"As I'll ever be," Bill said, half of his last pancake still on the plate as he stood up. He and Legosi began heading toward Big Bundle of Bugs and right before they got inside, Bill grabbed his shoulders and turned him around.

"Ah!" Legosi's fur was frazzled by the sudden movement. "Hey..."

"How do I look?!" Bill asked, quickly. "How's my fur?"

Legosi smirked, his fangs poking out of his mouth. "You look great, really."

Bill smoothed down his fur and clothes anyway. He grabbed the bottom of his striped shirt. "Should I tuck this in, or?—"

Legosi thought about it. "Well, try it and let's see how it looks."

The tiger quickly shoved his shirt in his pants. "Okay?!"

Legosi looked down at how his shirt hugged his frame now. "Yes."

"Just yes? Yes what?"

"It looks good."

Bill sighed and put his hands on his shoulder again, squeezing. "Thanks, babe. I wanna make a good first impression."

"You will," Legosi promised. "Now let's go in and get started."

Bill was looking out the window of the little shop, watching animals pass by, not even sparing a passing glance to Big Bundle of Bugs as they went about their lives. "Come on! Isn't anybody interested in at least checking this place out?!"

"It's Tuesday and the storm is keeping people from even coming here," Legosi explained without looking up. "It just means we can focus on the upkeep. You're doing well at handling the bugs," he admitted. "I thought they'd freak you out."

"Whaaat?" Bill looked at him, wide-eyed. "Really?"

Legosi looked away. "Kinda. You struck me as that kinda guy I guess..."

"Well. We were wrong about each other all around."

"Well, I'm glad to have gotten to know you better." Legosi bumped Bill's cheek with his nose as they continued with the bug upkeep.

Then, Legosi's phone vibrated, and even Bill heard it, perking up.

"Probably Louis." Legosi quickly pulled his phone out to check.

Louis: Hey.

Legosi's tail immediately started wagging.

Legosi: Hi!

Bill smiled. "So it was him."

They went back and forth texting, Louis telling them about the attack and swapping pictures and delivering the news that they'd have to stay in the tower due to Ichi's wishes. Legosi sent the last message and slowly returned the phone back into his pocket. His fur was standing up on the back of his neck.

Bill rubbed his own cheek. "So, uh...sounds like it was pretty crazy. Pina finally fought..."

Legosi nodded, staring off into space.

Bill poked him. "Hey...They did it, babe."

Legosi blinked and looked over at Bill, sighing. "Yeah...yeah...they did it." He moved on to the next terrarium. "But now they're going to be stuck in that tower for the storm..."

"I mean, it can't last that long, right?" Bill said, knowing he had to be the positive one, now.

Legosi shrugged. "I just hope that tower can withstand it..."

"I haven't been there, so I don't know. Pina said it was really old or something. Can't believe they went through like a whole raid while we were here bonding over bugs."

"Well, it happened last night and into this morning and they're just now going to bed," Legosi clarified. "So while we were sleeping. Well...I was sleeping."

"...Yeah," Bill nodded. "I wonder how long it took. Damn, it's just crazy to think about."

"And they got through it with no casualities. Their training really was effective..." That at least made Legosi feel a little better. "Pina had a big bandage on his face, but he looked okay other than that. Louis barely had a scratch."

"We have strong boyfriends. Thank fuck Ichi wasn't there. Multiple animals would have died."

"Ichi." Legosi growled the name, looking off into space again. "That ignorant piece of shit buck..."

The tiger's tail perked. "Woah. Easy, Gosi."

Legosi's body drooped and he held his head. "Ugh, he's the only one keeping them there. I really can't stand it."

"That's why you're working with the Shishigumi, yeah? Even though you don't meet with them that much..."

"I'm meeting with them to train to fight the Branded but Louis and Pina don't want that to happen..."

"You're telling me you're going to fight the fucking Branded that Louis and Pina are on? Don't they, like, care about them?"

Legosi nodded. "So the Shishigumi thing is like pointless now. I don't know what I'm gonna do..."

"Do? Is there anything we really can do? They're stuck there."

Legosi huffed. "Yeah...yeah...I guess all I can do with the Shishigumi now is try and help Melon-san...even though you said it wasn't my responsibility."

Bill looked at his eyes. "...I've never seen you so angry before. Your muzzle is doing that wrinkle thing."

Legosi looked away and covered it up. "Sorry...I just needed to vent, I guess..."

"Have you even met Ichi yet? I can't remember?"

"Wh-what? No, of course not. He wants me dead."

"Ohh, yeah. Well, maybe he threatened you in person! I wanted to kill you during our stage performance and I was there. Oh wait..."

"You wanted to kill me?"

"I was doped up, okay? And mad. I mean, I raised the sword, didn't I?"

"The fake, prop sword," Legosi said in a deadpan.

"I dunno, it was still pretty hard..."

"I guess we were just so caught up in the moment...and now..." Legosi intertwined their hands.

Bill smiled. "And now our boyfriends are being fucked by a racist."

Legosi clicked his tongue. "I highly doubt that...literally..."

"Louis said Ichi liked him."

"Yeah but they're not having sex."

"Hopefully."

Legosi clenched his fists. "Of course they're not! There's no way they are!"

"I'm just kidding, I'm just kidding! That would be beyond fucked up if Louis even thought about it. Pina...eeeehhh."

"You'd think it's hot, right?" Legosi asked with some disappointment in his voice.

"What!?"

"You were just thinking about Pina and Ichi going at it, right?"

"No, I wasn't!" Bill argued. "Why would you say that?"

"Because you said his name after talking about it with Louis."

"That doesn't mean I imagined it! I didn't imagine Louis and Ichi doing it!"

"Mmm, whatever, let's just get back to work."

"What about Louis? Are you okay?" Bill asked.

"I'll be fine. The storm will pass and it'll be fine." Legosi moved along, but didn't feel fine. He had to do something. "C'mon, we have to unpack the rest of the shipment."