A/N: So, before you follow to this delayed chapter, there are few things a have to address.
So, since Beastars Season 2 will only come next year, and I don't want to spoil myself with the manga, I kinda had to rework a lot of the plot and find a way to build things up without addressing show events too often. I will try to keep the tense atmosphere for sure, but I think I found something... intriguing that I could that to this story.
Now keep in mind that this story is NOT a crossover of any sort. I'm just adding a well know element to the mix as a way to build few characters and keep the story going without getting stuck on a Hiatus (Which nearly happened tbh, I was clueless on what to do), so please take the, huh, new stuff that some of you might notice with a grain of salt, lol.
On a second note, aside this story, I decided to go back on other two stories since I've been stale for some time due work and all this pandemic craziness. Hopefully I can get back on schedule soon. My apologies for the delay. I won't give this story up just yet. Cheers!
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"So, when exactly are we seeing them?"
"Tomorrow."
"What?! Already?! Why you didn't warn me sooner?!"
"I'm doing it just now if you haven't notice."
"Oh, no, no, no! What do you think I should wear? I don't even know where we are going!"
"Jack, relax. You don't need anything extravagant, we are just going downtown to enjoy ourselves."
The Labrador huffed while he precariously picked on his clothing options. Durham could only roll his eyes as a response to the dog's desperation.
The coyote was expecting some sort of panic reaction from him, but not to this extent. He would imagine that Jack would be less worked up about being somewhere with Shiira, surprisingly it was not the case. The mere idea of going out with the girls was somewhat worrisome, the coyote could agree with that feeling. Yet, out of the three of them, Ellen was the one that worried Durham the most.
The zebra was very unpredictable even while inside the campus, there was no telling on how she would act on the outside. Durham wasn't sure how to keep her out of trouble if any problematic situation arises. Ellen could go from sweet and innocent to downright furious and aggressive in the blink of an eye. There was yet to happen a situation in which she would feel threatened, especially due her being an Herbivore. Durham hoped that moment would never come.
Wishful foolish thinking.
"How did you even manage to convince Shiira to come? I don't think she's one of going out anyways." Jack asked distractedly. The Labrador was struggling to decide which colors and shapes of clothing would fit better for tomorrow's special occasion.
"Wasn't that hard to be honest. She told me she wasn't really having any reasons to go out, no to mention that she has been dragged down by the excessive amount of things she had to do due Louis absence. Now? Heh, she seems eager to get away from this place."
"If you say so. Hey... did you notice anything weird with Legosi lately?"
Durham stared at Jack, an odd sense of Deja Vu as he thought carefully about an answer.
"Haven't you asked me that before? Not sure when, but I know you did. What would be your definition of weird exactly?"
"I did?! Oh, I guess... well, I'm just worried about him. He's been acting more off than usual ever since he came back with Aoba, you know? On that day that they went with Bill and Tao downtown." Jack explained hesitantly, the Labrador wasn't sure if he was getting too worked up about the way Legosi is currently behaving.
Durham nodded absentmindedly. The coyote wasn't sure if he wanted to ponder over whatever is bothering Legosi, that was up for Jack to figure it out, these two were best friends after all.
Despite what the majority of the other students think they saw, Durham was pretty sure that Legosi beating the hell out of Bill wasn't just an act. It seemed that Jack also took notice of that odd occurrence.
'I know Jack is worried but there's not much I can do, besides, I want to focus on Ellen for now. I neglected her and it's obvious that I made her upset. Seeing her face that day made me feel really bad.'
"You sure it has nothing to do with them going to the black market?"
Jack grimaced at the mention of such place. It was no wonder why. Jack, like most dogs, is capable of controlling their carnivore urges while other kinds of canines struggle. It was a mystery for everyone till this day on why they have it easier than others. The Labrador hated the idea of meat consumption, and the mere mention about eating another person made him particularly sick.
"N-No, I'm sure it has nothing to do with that. Still, I may wait for him to come back. I need to ask him about few things that have been going on." He said while opening a bunker drawer. "Also I need to find a magazine that I borrowed. Say, you doing anything this afternoon?"
"Yeah, preparing for tomorrow. Like you should." The coyote replied with a frown. Jack smiled sheepishly in return.
"Oh, yeah! That, huh, event. I know. I will think of something. You think we give them a present or something?"
Durham stared quizzically back at him.
"What are you talking about?"
Jack glanced back at the coyote, visibly confused with Durham's obliviousness.
"Isn't this a double date?"
Durham snapped to attention almost instantly. He felt his muzzle loosening as he stared with incredulity towards his roommate.
'Double date?! What's he talking about? We are just hanging out with the girls.'
The coyote pondered carefully on how to take Jack's strange assumption. Sure, he and Ellen spent a fair amount of time together, but nothing went further than a well developed friendship. Durham liked the zebra a ton, but he wasn't sure that he wanted to take the next step just yet. He knew Ellen for only few weeks, they shared heartfelt conversations but nothing that brought the prospect of dating.
So why Jack was making such assumptions? Which also included Shiira in it?
Before Durham could come up with an answer the cellphone inside his pocket started vibrating, reminding the coyote that he had it set for silent mode before classes.
He picked it up distractedly, not bothering to check the caller's ID.
"Hello?"
"Durham! Who is she?!"
Durham nearly let the device fell from his hands, the loud shout scared him as he initially failed to recognize who was assaulting his eardrums.
"M-Mom?!"
"Don't you mom me! Who's the girl you've been seeing so frequently?! Do you have any idea how long I awaited for this moment to happen?! You didn't bother to tell me about her?!"
Jack stood nearby, hearing his mother's voice through the speaker as she shouted indiscriminately at her son. The Labrador looked understandably terrified.
Durham stood still, frozen in terror as he tried to process the situation. How had she manage to find out that he was seeing someone? Surely his father wouldn't have told her...
"And before you ask, yes, I got that information from White Fluff. If he thought he could hide this from me, well, I just proved him wrong."
White Fluff was a rather charming nickname his mother often used when mentioning Durham's father while using the phone. Although it was more for safety reasons than as an amorous joke. Being involved with a police officer came with some lifestyle changes.
Which also answered the question of how she came to know of such. Durham could only imagine how threatening his mother was towards the poor officer to dig the information out of him.
He swallowed dry. The idea of his mother finding out about Ellen so soon was not one he envisioned with great perspective. The female coyote was very unpredictable and having her son getting involved with an Herbivore could be quite... eventful.
'She's either gonna freak out or start a lengthy speech about consequences.' Durham thought, dreading every possibility.
"Huh, so... I was going to tell you. It's just that I'm taking it slowly. We're just good friends for now."
"You haven't asked her out yet?" His mother asked, sounding quite incredulous about his cautiousness. "I don't see why. You're in a campus for the love of... if anything she's probably desperate to get plowed by the first that cares to take her out anywhere."
"Mom! She ain't like that! What the hell?!" Durham retorted indignantly. He knew his mother could be quite blunt as him, but this was just demeaning. "Look, she ain't just some random person I decided to hook up for the sake of a good time! I... really care for her."
"Oh... that kind of girl then." His mother said hesitantly. "Well... do you want to introduce me to her? I would care greatly to know about whoever my son fell in love with."
"I don't know if I love her or-
"Oh, sure, sure. I'm not your mother either, just a distant cousin." She replied with a mix of sarcasm and disbelief. "Not fooling anyone my dear Straw."
"M-Mom!" Durham flushed red at the terrible nickname she often used on him. It never failed to get a reaction and she knew it.
"Straw? Why Straw?" Jack asked, a rather cunning smile on his face that the coyote did not like one bit.
"Be quiet Jack." Durham said carelessly which resulted in his mother hearing the reply.
"Jack? Is Jack there with you? Oh, it's been quite some time since I last saw him. How is he doing?"
At this Durham couldn't help the avengeful smile on his face, he took great joy on seeing Jack go pale, at least his face was of complete horror. It's hard to tell if a furry creature like him is actually pale or not.
It had been only one occasion in which Jack visited his house, an event that took place five years ago. It was the only time Jack ever hang out with him aside school, and a day he would never forget.
Turns out Jack, while getting accustomed with Durham's house, wasn't very familiar with basic things like where was the guest bathroom. The Labrador made a poor decision of walking upstairs by his own, making his way to the partially opened door at the end of the hallway.
His bad time resulted on him entering the bathroom area, which happened to be occupied by his mother. The female coyote had just finished bathing and was leaving the box area. Jack was granted a whole body sight as she turned around to face him, shocked as she realized it wasn't Durham who went through the door.
It was a sheer miracle Jack didn't die on the spot. Although that particular experience traumatized him forever. Durham only came to know of what happened after consulting his mother, since Jack bolted from the house without further notice.
It was no wonder Durham's mother didn't hear from him for ages. She took the event rather well if compared with the Labrador, at least she was able to crack some jokes about it.
"I'm not here." Muttered Jack desperately. Durham snorted.
"Yeah, he's around. Busy though. He sends his best regards."
He heard her chuckle at the other side of the line, most likely she didn't buy his excuse.
"Can't you tell me anything about her? I promise I won't judge. Some details would be nice to know before we meet." His mother requested gently enough. Durham knew she really wanted whatever info she could get to assess their relationship success.
"Mom..." He hesitated, unsure if he could put so much faith on her judgment. He knew she was going to judge the girl, no matter what. "You have to promise me you won't try to persuade me away from her. I have enough to worry about, I really could use someone on my side on this, aside my roommates of course."
His plea was followed by a quiet pause. No doubt his mother was considering whatever possible candidates Durham would've chosen to be his life partner. He knew by a fact that none of these candidates were Herbivores.
"Is she that much different that you need to be assured of my possible judgement?"
"Well, she's exotic and... taller than me, but just a bit. Huh, athletic despite being on a club unrelated with sports. She's gotta an attitude to her that I really like. I mean, I could say a lot more but I won't risk giving what she is right away."
"I see... well, let me know when you're ready to present her. I will make sure White Fluff gets a day off so we all can get acquainted."
Durham could only chuckled while imagining the scene. They would be spooked once they find out who Ellen truly is.
"Sure thing mom. Say, you know anywhere they might be hiring for delivery? I kinda want to fill on a summer job. I don't think being out of any obligations for six weeks is going to do me any good."
Jack glanced at him, surprised that the coyote was actually looking for a job so early.
It seemed the Labrador wasn't the only one taken aback by Durham's decision.
"A-Are you sure? I thought you would wait till you were finished with school. Du...Straw, you know I don't like the idea of you alone at the streets so late."
Durham nodded despite his mother being unable to see it. He was perfectly aware of the danger, but he couldn't shy away from making any sort of income by being afraid of 'what if's'.
"Yeah, but... she's totally worth the risk. I wanna make things work. For both of us."
"Gosh, you're making me feel older than I wish to think. To hear you're already thinking on settling with a mate... I can't wait to see her!"
Durham winced at the sudden excitement on her voice.
"Okay, just keep your promise, okay? It means a lot."
"Of course. Of course. I will. Sends my regards to your friends. Love you."
Durham couldn't help the sheepish smile on his face. It wasn't very often she said such a word, considering her tough attitude most of the time, at least not after he reached his teenage years.
"Yeah, love you too. Bye."
Jack awaited until Durham closed the call before addressing the situation.
"Sooo... I take your mother might be okay with Ellen?" He guessed unsure. Durham laughed bitterly at that.
"I wish. I'm betting on her freaking out but keeping it to herself. I... just don't know. It's an unknown territory for me. Maybe she likes Ellen, which would be one hell of a lucky event. Anyways, let's not worry with that for now." Durham eyed the Labrador with an scrutinizing look. "Are you done deciding on your clothing? I need to go after Juno. Kinda promised I would talk with her today."
Jack's ears perked in surprise, which was saying a lot considering they were always droopy.
"Juno? Why?"
"Eh, some things I have to address, aside her still looking a bit out of place with the whole Legosi deal. I don't know, she kinda seems a bit lost lately. It would do her good to have something to focus other than getting into a relationship. It's just her first year anyways."
"Sure? I don't know. This whole deal with Juno is just strange. I don't get why Legosi is so evasive of her. Well, I better get ready then. See you later Durham." Jack said as he started opening some drawers, apparently looking for something.
The coyote nodded, despite not having the Labrador's attention, before exiting the dorm. He barely made his way out when he nearly collided with the tall form of Legosi standing by the wall nearby.
"Legosi? What you're..."
Durham paused as he realized that the wolf was currently walking on just one leg, seemingly bothered by something on one of his shoes.
"Huh? Oh, hi Durham. It's nothing. I just had some misfortune of stepping into a porcupine's leftovers." He quickly explained while limping inside the dormitory. "If you don't mind I have to take this off. I will see you later."
Durham could only chuckle as the giant wolf made his way inside hastily before closing the door. The coyote started making his way downstairs, mindful of avoiding the path that was currently filled with porcupine's hazard material. He picked up his cellphone, his finger scrolled through the list of contacts, an action that always made him wary of his fingertips. He had his fair share of scratching the screen due not cutting his claws short enough. He paused his search as he realized he needed to know where that store his mother talked about even was. Perhaps searching through the web would give him an idea.
Before he could even move towards the navigator his phone started vibrating. His ears perked in surprise, of all times this wasn't the one he expect Ellen to be calling him. He accepted the call without hesitation.
"Hey Stripes."
"Hmmm, hey. Damn, I need to give you a nickname of some sort. It sucks to be the only one being stereotypically labelled by their appearance." She complained jokingly. Durham rolled his eyes at her fake attempt at dramatics.
"You almost sound like Louis, but even more girly." He replied back with a grin splattered across his face.
"You fucker! Don't you dare compare both of us!" She shouted indignantly followed by an audible laugh in the background. "Urgh, shut up Els."
"Oh, is Els there?" He asked right away.
"Yeah, I am. Ellen forgot the call was set on speaker. We are at our dorm right now. Not much to do around with no more classes for today." Els explained. Durham could tell she sounded a bit lost without the usual class activities to keep her busy. He wasn't sure what Els did to keep herself busy in the weekends. Not to mention he worried for her well being, after what happened with Tem, it only made her a more likely target for whoever was the culprit.
"That is true. Say, Els. Why don't you come with us tomorrow? I'm sure we can hang out and have a good time, better than being stuck at the campus." He offered gently. There was a pause on the other side of the line, which made him curious about what these two might be thinking.
"Well, I would..." Els started hesitantly. "I just don't want to become a distraction."
"What?" Durham asked distractedly, he had to avoid few students that were currently walking around the hallway of the ground level before making his way outside. The lack of classes for today had many students going around, not to mention most clubs were out of any agendas for the rest of the week. With the proximity of summer most activities were coming to an end.
"Els has other things to care of. That's what she's trying to say." Ellen explained, although Durham was dubious of the veracity of her words. "Do we have a place to meet tomorrow before going out?"
The coyote frowned at how quick she changed the subject, but he let it pass as he debated with himself a good spot to meet up.
"Sure, I guess the fountain at the plaza near the Theater? It's usually easy to find and very accessible. We can find each other without much trouble."
"Fine by me. See you tomorrow then. Don't be late."
"Oh, wait! I almost forgot." Durham replied quickly.
"What?"
"Huh, I kinda have to go around downtown to find this store. I wanna apply there for a job. I heard they might be hiring."
"Oh. Okay then. Hum, why you're looking for work this early? I thought you would want to graduate first?" Ellen asked dubiously.
Durham had mentioned about getting a job before, but she wasn't expecting for him to it just after his second year. Yet, she couldn't help but be happy that he was this ambitious about getting on his own feet so early. The coyote, unlike many other students, already had a set idea of what he wanted to do in his adult life.
"Let's just say that being out of the Sports club made my work choices very short." Durham said somewhat bitterly. He still wasn't taking his suspension with such ease despite the time he isolated himself from the world. Something that Ellen understood and he was immensely grateful for her being on his side, even after he neglected her during that period. "So I have to start somewhere. Something is way better than nothing."
"Yeah, I know. Sure, we can go there, just let's find the place quick. Being on downtown is not something any Herbivore would like to experience. Place is the most dangerous of all for our kind. You know how high the rate of predation incidents is in that area."
"Oh, I am aware." Which was a lie. He didn't really know it. Suddenly the plans for downtown were all down the drain. He would have to rethink a better place for the group to spend their time at.
"I guess it's fine since we are in a group, so I shouldn't worry too much."
"Sure thing about that. Like someone would be crazy enough to try pissing you off." Durham replied jokingly. 'And if anyone tries something on you I will just shoot them.' He added in his own mind.
"Humpf. We will see about that. Until tomorrow then." Ellen replied, most likely rolling her eyes at his sarcastic dismissal.
"See ya."
Durham turned the screen off before shoving the cell back into his pocket. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now that he knew that downtown wasn't the best option for a fun night.
"Hmm, maybe I could ask Juno. She looks like the type that likes to walk around and discover new things." Durham wondered aloud to himself. "Eh. Not like she's busy or anything."