Chapter 5 - The Power of "Stay"

They continued forward, Legosi unable to keep their previous slow pace. The closer they got, the more confirmation that it was, indeed, a park. The wolf's eyes went wide when he saw a frisbee soar through the air.

The deer blinked, never having even seen a frisbee before. "Slow down! Let me catch up with you!"

Legosi whined, wiggling his body adorably.

"Legosi! Stay!" Louis called. He had learned this when reading about canines one time.

Like clockwork, the dog stopped in his tracks, obediently, chin held up high.

His fiance caught up. "Wow. So it really works." I could use this.

"O-oh. You know about that..." Legosi remained still, waiting for further instruction.

"Like I wouldn't research my own boyfriend."

The canine blushed, ashamed that he didn't know any handy deer facts. Other than the fact they were beautiful.

Louis grinned. "Can you tell me about that flying disc?"

"Frisbee!" Legosi pointed frantically at it.

"Weird name. It's a canine thing?"

"Toy for any animal, but canines specifically enjoy them." It was clear this canine did, as his eyes kept following its steady arc in the sky. Alas, his feet remained planted.

"You look like you're about to explode."

The deer was right. Legosi's tail was wapping the behind of his jeans with great force and he was quivering. Still, he remained steadfast. Louis' "stay" command was especially effective, after all.

"I almost want to let you go..." He was smiling at all the wolf's movements. He reached up and began scratching behind his ear. "Good boy! Good boy!"

Instinctually, at hearing those words and feeling the pets, Legosi leaned down and lathered Louis' face with long, sloppy licks.

The deer laughed and shoved him, very lightly. "You're getting me all wet! My fur is gonna stick up!"

The tongue barrage halted, and Legosi took his thumb and shaped the wet fur on Louis' head. "There! Now you look cute."

Louis blinked and felt around, lightly. He huffed, a tiny Mohawk between his antlers and the fur on his cheeks sticking out a bit. "Hmph..."

The wolf smiled, a wayward fang poking out, before his eyes were drawn back toward the park.

"Stay..." Louis warned, his fur staying in its cute position. "Were we supposed to get you a chew toy?"

"No! But let's find a place that has a frisbee so we can go there!" Legosi pointed desperately to the park, bouncing up and down once again. Now that Louis thought about it, he never really did see him do much physical activity.

"You mean, you want to purchase one?" he asked.

"Yeah! We wouldn't steal! They're cheap!" The wolf's tone was growing in insistence.

"I have no idea where to get something like that," Louis said, noticing Legosi's foot tapping on the ground. "We better find one quickly, though."

"Probably close to the park! It only makes sense!" Legosi was a bundle of energy now, tail whapping loudly. Louis half expected him to make a crater in the ground where he stood.

The deer was constantly smacked with the appendage that seemed to have a mind of its own. He started walking around him. "Hm...But since I made you stay, I could keep you here and tease you since you're under my command."

Legosi groaned. "Y-you're ruthless!"

The animals walking around them took notice of the small, confident deer walking circles around the tall, wiggling wolf. They were curious as to just who this carnivore tamer was.

Louis smirked. "Poor wolf...Stuck here by a deer. How does it feel to be trapped with a command by someone shorter than you?"

The wolf flinched. "I...I can't answer that in public..."

Louis raised a brow. "Oh? Speak, Legosi!"

"It's kinda hot!" he blurted.

The buck grinned more. "I bet~" He kept circling him, grabbing his tail and pulling it through his hand as he wrapped around him. "If I had known you were this easy, I would have used it a long time ago."

Animals gawked from a distance, some moving along once they realized what was going on.

"W-what would you have used it for?"

"Don't worry about it," Louis chuckled. "You'll find out soon enough. Let's go find a frisbee, shall we? Or, maybe I'll go find one on my own and leave you here~" He began walking off.

Legosi's ears flicked back as he held his hands up to his mouth. "L-Louis! Louis!" The words came out as a whispered yell.

"Stay, Legosi!" Louis repeated, disappearing into the crowd.

The animals watching chuckled at the scene before moving on, leaving a few to stay and watch what the wolf would do.

And what the wolf did was turn around in a circle a few times and stomp his feet, before ultimately bowing his head down and folding his hands together by his legs, awaiting his beloved.

Minutes passed without any sign of the deer.

Legosi's tongue stuck out slightly while he whined softly. Louis would be back. He would have a frisbee. And he would be so happy! They would both be so happy. And Louis would throw the frisbee for him, properly playing with him for the first time. He had been embarrassed to ask him up until then, but one of the most important aspects of canine relationships was play. And video games didn't always cut it. His tail wagged as he imagined what playing with Louis properly would be like.

Even more time passed without his fiance. Here was this large wolf, just standing there towering above quite a bit of the crowd, locked in place by an herbivore's "stay"'command.

Legosi's wagging tail started to slow, and soon it pointed straight down. He didn't want to think it, but...what if Louis never came back? What if he never saw him again? How long had it been already? Half an hour? An hour? Three hours? A day? A week? Legosi brought his hands up to his face, dragging them downwards. What would he do without Louis? Without his scent? His touch? His love? Would his grandfather have to collect his bones off the sidewalk?

He started to whine more audibly, earning confused and concerned looks all around. He didn't notice them. All he could think about was the absence of Louis.

Suddenly, there was the pattering of footsteps and before he could completely smell him, Louis jumped on his back, wrapping his arms around him. "Ha!" He held a red disk in his hand that rested against the wolf's chest.

A surprised bark escaped Legosi's mouth, and since he was caught off guard, the light deer almost made him lose balance.

Louis chuckled. "I've got you."

"L-Louis!" His voice and scent confirmed it. Legosi's head turned in a desperate attempt to look at him. "Louis, you were gone for so long! What happened! I was so worried!"

"It was seven minutes," the buck mumbled. His hands were soon the victims of a licking flurry. He giggled and bumped the frisbee on him. "Look what I have~"

The tongue retreated back into the wolf's maw. "Frisbee!"

Lousi smiled wide. "Frisbee!" He wrapped his legs around him. "To the park! Go!"

All animals looked at them weirdly and some even shouted slurs. Once again, they were ignored.

The storm that had been brewing unleashed, and Legosi shot off with his deer backpack toward the park.

Louis clung on tight. "Hoo! Careful!"

Legosi could barely hear him as the large clearing barreled closer and closer. The pavement beneath his feet turned to grass, allowing his pace to quicken. The park goers all stopped what they were doing to stare at the spectacle.

The run cycled down to a jog, and then to a walk once they were in the center of the field. Legosi let Louis down and he turned around and faced him, tale waving in anticipation.

"Oh, I don't know how to use this," Louis said. He tossed it pitifully and it bonked against Legosi's nose, falling down into the grass.

The irritation made the dog sneeze. He reached down to pick up the hunk of plastic, holding it up with the proper form. "It's like this! Flick the wrist out and give it a spin with your fingers!" He mimicked the motion a few times, never actually throwing it.

Louis took it back and then tried it out, throwing it very softly, the disc going barely any distance.

Despite the lame attempt, Legosi went all out in going after it, bounding and tackling it, rolling on the ground before getting up and handing it back to Louis. A noticeable grass stain sullied the lemon-yellow of his t-shirt.

"Oh...We probably shouldn't have made you dress all nice before this."

"I don't have any play clothes, though." The wolf's eyes didn't leave the frisbee.

Louis took it back once more. He bent his arm and then slung it forward as it flew off, wobbling in the air. The deer realized this was harder than it sounded.

Legosi shot off again, tail wagging wildly. He managed to jump up and catch it with his hand, although he definitely didn't stick the landing. He recovered quickly and sprinted back.

Louis blushed, taking it again as he repeated the ritual. So this is what pure canine action was like. There were so many sides to his mate it made him want to scream with happiness to the sky.

This time, Legosi jumped up and caught the disc in his mouth. It stayed in his maw as he jogged over, the plastic clicking loudly against his teeth with each bound.

Louis reached up and grabbed it, his smile never disappearing. His tail wiggled as he looked into the excited eyes of his mate. Those perfect Iizard eyes in a wolf's body…

That carnivore's body stooped down low, ready to run off again. He was smiling. too.

Louis tossed it again, laughing. This went on for a while, back and forth between them. Eventually, the deer had an idea and he pretended to throw it, seeing if Legosi moved, hiding the red disc behind his back.

Legosi sprung off, but stumbled over himself when he realized he lost track of the frisbee. He looked around frantically. Where did it go?

Louis was smirking, watching his head move this way and that. "Where'd it go, hon?"

"I-I don't know! Did you see where you threw it?" Legosi turned back to him with such a genuine expression it almost hurt to look at.

The herbivore's face softened. "Aw...I'm not sure."

"Maybe we should ask someone..." The wolf went on his toes, craning his neck to see if he could spot a blotch of red in the sea of green.

"They wouldn't have seen it! They weren't paying attention!" Louis made a small snort. He almost couldn't keep this up!

The dog dropped to his hands and knees, sniffing around for it. He crawled for a bit before his head slowly turned back to Louis. His eyes narrowed.

The deer averted his gaze. "What?"

Suddenly, the canine shot forward. "You have it!"

Louis gasped and turned the other way to run, giggling as he clutched the red disc to his chest.

"You have it! You have it! Give it back! Throw it for me!" The wolf's long legs allowed him to gain on him quite quickly.

Louis kept running. "Eep! Hahaha!"

Concerned onlookers watched the scene, phones at the ready if things got ugly. It seemed like good fun, at least from the outside, but one couldn't be too sure...

"Hah!" Legosi dove, wrapping his arms around Louis' torso and sending them both careening to the ground.

The deer kept his head lifted so he didn't break his antlers on the ground.

His partner reached down with his mouth and yanked the frisbee away, getting up and jumping around. All of the animals watching let out a relieved sigh.

Louis laid there, eyes wide, as his bottom was on fire after all that movement. "Guh..."

Legosi turned, the disc falling from his mouth. "O-oh! Oh no! Are you okay?" He was beside Louis in an instant, kneeling and cradling his head.

"Yeah just...my ass is on fire..." He mumbled.

The dog looked away quickly, blushing furiously as he scratched his cheek. "S-sorry...we can stop now."

"Lay down."

Without hesitation, Legosi rolled over, arms and legs brought up slightly.

Louis smiled and crawled on him, resting his chin on his chest and letting the sun hit his back and his antlers. "It's a beautiful day today." He winced as he adjusted again. "I...probably shouldn't have ran from you like that."

His mate blinked. "O-oh yeah. Instincts and...such." His face wrinkled as he thought. "I...didn't even think about it as chasing prey. It was just a game."

"Oh, no, I just meant because I'm in pain down there," he laughed, kissing his nose. "But it's a beautiful day, isn't it?"

"It is. I'm excited for spring and summer! Maybe we can grow some plants on our balcony?"

"That would be really nice," Louis said. "Just give me a moment so I can recover from that and I'll throw the frisbee again. So...We have quite a bit of spectators."

"Hm?" Legosi looked around, seeing their audience. Without much thought, he waved gently to them. He turned back to Louis. "Haru can help with the plants!"

"I hope she won't be too lonely on her own," the deer sighed. "Himiko and Kasumi are waiting for us to come visit them any time, now."

"Yeah! I need to get a new scarf..." Legosi sat up, sliding Louis down between his legs.

Louis sat in the grass now, nodding. "...Yeah." He looked around, then up at the clouds. "Is it sad to say this is the first time I've got to enjoy being outside?"

"Hmm...that makes sense, since we haven't been able to be out much before winter..." Legosi stood up slowly, helping him as well.

Louis hissed his teeth as he stood, leaning against him. "I mean in my whole life. I never got to just...enjoy how the sun feels, or how soft the grass is."

Legosi grasped his small hands between his own. "That just means we have a lot of catching up to do!"

"Can you hand me the frisbee?" Louis asked. "And you have no idea how much of an understatement that is. It's still foreign to me what fun is. Beep boop. Robot Louis is still processing 'fun'."

"Oh wow! Haven't brought Robot Louis out in a while." His beloved handed the frisbee back, tail already wagging.

"What is this strange pancake you have given me?" Louis robotically looked down at it. "You know I can't eat this. I can't eat. Period."

Robot Louis always got a laugh out of the wolf, and this time was no exception. "That's a toy that, uh, we flesh bags use. It flies!"

"Toy? Your organic mannerisms elude me. Beep boop beep."

Legosi brought his large hand up to Louis' head, tapping his claws on the top of it, lightly. "I'm programming you to throw the frisbee."

Louis made static noises with his mouth and twitched a bit while he was reprogrammed. "Beeeeeeeep! Reprogrammed to frisbee mode." He moved his arm and threw the disc, once more.

"Yes!" Legosi took off after it.