Chapter 7 - First Day on the Job

Legosi and Louis both jerked awake, holding onto each other tightly. It took a few moments for them to realize it was Louis' phone that had woken them up, and what was currently lighting the room from where it charged on the couch's armrest.

The deer reached over and looked at the screen, blinking. It was Selena, Lee's mom. "Hello? Louis speaking."

"Oh, Louis? Louis, it's Selena. Lee's mom? I'm not sure if you remember..." She seemed a bit frazzled, to say the least.

"I do, ma'am. Are you okay?" He rubbed the grit out of his eyes.

A deep sigh. "Well, something came up at my work and I have to work a shift today, and my husband works today, too. The daycare is closed Sundays, so I can't bring Lee there today. My husband leaves the house at 9 and I'll be home at around 5. Could you possibly watch Lee?"

"Oh, of course. Legosi and I just moved into our new home that's closer to you. I don't have a job yet, so I'm free until I do. And don't worry about payment, I already said I'd do it for free." He smiled as he spoke. He was going to see Lee again.

Legosi sat up, hanging loosely off his shoulders and yawning. He said nothing, humming softly as he nuzzled Louis sleepily.

"Oh, really, I can't thank you enough! Since you live close by, try to get there before 9 so Eiji can give you the rundown before he leaves. Lee's going to be so happy. Thank you again, Louis! I'll see you when I get back." She hung up, as it was obvious by the way she spoke that she was in a hurry.

Louis nuzzled his mate back, dropping the phone on the comforter. "Looks like I have something to do today, after all."

Legosi just smiled, eyes still closed. "Whuh time izzit?"

"Like 6 AM."

"Mmmph." The wolf pulled all his weight down, bringing Louis to lay with him once again. "Time still...to sleep..."

"For two more hours, yeah. What time do you work?" The deer curled around his midsection, kissing his stomach.

"Gotta be there...by 10..." Another yawn, which Louis couldn't see but could definitely smell.

He turned his head. "So I leave two hours before you."

"Mmm...you'll have to tell me how it goes..."

"And you have to tell me how it goes."

Legosi didn't respond, likely already falling asleep.

Louis reset the alarm and curled up with him, once more.

Two hours later, he was up again, getting out of bed and performing his morning rituals.

Unlike earlier with the phone call, Legosi slept right through Louis' alarm. The deer had found a certain alarm that never seemed to wake the wolf up. Very useful.

Louis made a sandwich and left it on the table for his beloved, leaving a note that he hopes he has a wonderful day at work and that he can't wait to see him again that night.

After finishing his preparations, the buck came back over, getting on his knees and planting a long kiss on Legosi's lips, scratching behind his ear gently and petting him for just a minute, before turning tail and going out the door, shutting it very, very quietly.

Around an hour later, Legosi's alarm went off, waking him up with a start. He groaned, reaching for the phone to shut it off. He considered laying there for a few minutes before he remembered what he had to do that day. He sprung up, heading over to the dresser and grabbing his brush, sorting out his fur in front of the small mirror on it. He licked his finger, trying to flatten a tuft sticking up on the top of his head, but to no avail. He whined, knowing that would haunt him for the rest of the day.

Legosi circled the room, piece by piece, getting ready for his day. Following Louis' suggestion, he put on the black floral print button up shirt and paired them with his brown khakis. Realizing it looked a bit unprofessional, he tucked the shirt in, pulling on one of his belts to keep it from slipping out.

After getting dressed, he finally noticed the sandwich and note on the table. Just seeing that made him miss Louis already. He pulled his phone out, shooting him a text.

Legosi: Thanks for the sandwich. Have a good day too!

The sandwich was gone in half a minute, followed by the grabbing of the wolf's notes he took the night before. He walked over to the exit, slipping his shoes on and heading out the door to his first day of work ever.

He was an interesting sight on his first commute to his job. He was fumbling through his handwritten notes, reading them quietly to himself to make sure he wouldn't stumble on his words. He was lucky it was Sunday and the car was empty enough for him to sit down.

The wolf's heart hammered in his chest, even when he reminded himself he had literally faced down a murderer just a few months before. But now I'm getting paid and that money is being used to support me and Louis...

He put the notes down, staring out the window to try and calm himself. It would be alright. If there was one thing Legosi knew, it was bugs. All the fact checking he did online just confirmed things he already knew.

The wolf was on pins and needles when he disembarked the train, and it just got worse once he saw the mall come into view. He whined. He wished Louis were there. Louis always gave him the courage to do anything.

He checked his phone to see if Louis had seen his first message and there was a message there.

Louis: Thanks, Legosi! I know you can do it!

His pounding heart fluttered and his tail wagged. He looked up at the building, a determined smile spread on his face. He could do this!

Luckily, Legosi remembered how to get to Big Bundle of Bugs since a candy store was situated next to it. Strange location, but the smell of sugar led him to where he needed to be. Soon enough, he was standing in front of the storefront, fumbling with his papers. He could feel the tuft of fur on his head catch a draft.

Inside, the manager was glancing at one of the terrariums. He wondered when his new employee would show up.

Deep breaths, Legosi. The wolf took long strides to enter the store, stopping short when he saw the chameleon. "G-good morning, Mel-san."

The owner's eyes moved this way and that. "Ah, Legosi-kun. Early on your first day? Starting off strong."

"Oh, yeah. I just wanted to go over everything with you." He brought his bundle of papers up. "I have notes on the specimens you want to show off today." The papers landed on the table that the wolf was going to use during his presentation as he looked down at himself. "Is what I'm wearing okay? Sorry about my fur, I couldn't get it to stay down. A-and my scars and stuff...I don't know if there's something to do about them but-"

"Hey, I don't judge. I mean...You didn't give yourself those scars. And yeah, that looks quite nice. You really took notes, though?" The lizard blinked.

"To organize my thoughts. I don't want to freeze up while talking. This is all stuff I knew anyway, really." Legosi cleared his throat, noting the space that had been cleared around the table. "So...you think a lot of animals will stop by?"

"Things are kind of slow here," Mel explained. "We're lucky there are quite a few bug lovers out there. Good thing you get paid hourly," he chuckled.

"A-about that. I just moved in with my Louis and he doesn't have a job yet so...would it be possible for me to do other jobs here other than the weekly bug presentation?"

"Oh? You want more work already? Your Louis...Was that the deer you came in with when you had your little...breakdown?"

Legosi cleared his throat, nervously. "Y-yeah. Everything is good now."

"You guys moved in together? Wow...I remember telling you about my friend. They're in a similar situation to you, but they don't live together."

The wolf managed a small smile. "Well, I believe they can make it. Any animal can, if they love someone enough..."

"And you're sure? They always message me about how hard it is..."

"Well...it's hard. And I don't know what specific things they're going through...but they just need to hang onto each other, and their friends, and I think they'll get through it. Please help them in any way you can, Mel-san. It'll mean the world to them." Legosi brought a claw up to his eye, feeling the moisture start to build.

The chameleon's eyes kept moving as he thought for a moment. "Are you okay?" He could tell this wolf was already going to be a strange employee.

Legosi smiled through the tears. "I'm alright, Mel-san! Thank you for giving me this opportunity! I await your decision to have me work here other days!"

"Let me see how you do today, okay?" Mel responded. "Haven't even seen you work one day, yet."

"I'll do my best. Thank you." The wolf bowed, quickly.

"So, just wait until it's time for you to present, and then teach them about the selected bugs and answer any questions they have. Remember not to be intimidating and think about sales first!" He raised a finger as he said this.

Legosi's ears folded. Intimidating? So maybe he did look scary...He pulled the table out a bit, making enough room for him to stand between it and the display behind him. He looked at the sign, noting there were 4 subjects to show. He walked around the store, noting that each one was in a sizable terrarium.

"Mel-san? Where are the smaller terrariums to put them in? Do I need to catch them?"

"They're in the back room," Mel said, pointing to a door.

"Okay." Legosi shuffled there, not moving.

Mel blinked. "Don't be nervous. You'll do fine."

"O-okay. Am I allowed in that closet to get the things I need?"

"You're an employee."

Legosi stood up straight. "R-right!" He marched to the door, going in and bringing out four smaller terrariums, as well as a small green net. He took one of them and made his way toward the first subject. "Come here, lil' guy. C'mon. There you go." With a little effort, the walking stick bug was coaxed into the new housing.

He did this with the others, too. It was quite a sight to see a big, hulking wolf with a scarred up face wearing a floral print shirt and gently coaxing bugs.

Just on time, Legosi had captured each bug and placed them on the table. He laid the papers for each one by the appropriate enclosure before standing there fiddling with his hands. "Mel-san? How much did you advertise this? How many animals should show up before I start?"

"Well, there's a sign outside in the mall. Any passerby will come in if they are interested."

Legosi just nodded, looking at the bugs. There was the walking stick, a tarantula, a millipede, and one of the hissing cockroaches he showed Louis when they came last. He ducked down to look at the notes for each, confirming that it was, indeed, knowledge he already had in his head.

Mel called out to him one more time. "I'll be behind the counter! Make sure you don't freeze up! They should be here any time now!"

The canine sighed, loudly. He glanced at the time. 10:55 AM. The sign said they would start at 11:15. Twenty minutes for animals to gather. What would he do while that happened? Just stare back at them? Would they wander around the store? Legosi picked up his papers again, pretending to be invested in them, despite knowing every word without even reading them.

He checked his phone again. Only two minutes passed. He brought Louis up again.

Legosi: My bug presentation is almost starting

Louis: Ooh, hey. You're going to do amazing. I wish I could see it.

Legosi: I think Mel-san will let me know if he'll hire me for more positions after he sees how I do today. Nervous

Louis: Come on! You know a lot about bugs. You even taught me. The Madagascar Hissing cockroach hisses when it's frightened, the jewel beetle is more for decoration than a pet, rhinoceros beetles die after mating.

Legosi felt pure glee reading that. He decided to use the smile that formed on his muzzle to his advantage. He turned on the front facing camera and angled it up, catching him and the terrariums on the table in the picture. The strands of fur still stood up on his head, but he took the picture anyway, adding in a peace sign like Pina would do. He quickly sent the picture to Louis with no comment.

There were a few moments that passed. Then, Louis sent a picture of him and Lee. Lee was sitting on his lap, waving and smiling with all of his teeth. Louis had a warm smile that was meant just for his wolf.

Upon seeing this, Legosi literally clutched his chest. "Oh!"

Louis: :)

Legosi: YOU ARE SO CUTE

Louis: DON'T MAKE ME BLUSH

Legosi laughed, and when he looked up he noticed some animals had entered the store, milling about. He jumped, going back to his notes. It was 11:07 now. He couldn't officially start yet. He looked around, noting about five animals in the store. Louis texted him again.

Louis: What time do you work until?

Legosi: The last presentation will be at 6. Home around 7? I don't know if Mel-san needs me after

Louis: Late. Later than when you get off of class...

Legosi: We can relax tonight and sleep all morning tomorrow though 3

Louis: Very true. Maybe some more of that cat anime?

Legosi: Yeah! I wonder when we'll finish it

Legosi looked up from his phone again and he felt his heart jolt. A sizable group of about ten animals were standing there, staring at him. One of them cleared their throats. He looked back at the phone, noting it was now 11:16. He looked over at Mel, who simply gave him a thumbs up.

"R-right then! W-welcome, everyone. To, uh, the Big Bundle of Bugs educational presentation." He looked down, squinting at his notes. He wondered if he should talk louder. He was naturally soft-spoken, after all. Louis told him how much he enjoyed his voice many times…

The wolf shook his head a bit. No, can't think about Louis now. Or maybe he should imagine him in the audience? He shuffled his papers and looked back up.

The members of the audience varied in animals and quite a few of them were looking at Legosi. A young, scarred up wolf who was missing a chunk of ear and had a wedding ring. The story behind that must be more interesting than any fact about bugs.

The carnivore's hand hovered over each of the plastic enclosures. "Today, we have some popular, uh, picks for pets. A walking stick, a hissing cockroach, a tarantula, and a millipede." He looked back over the animals, who were all staring at him instead of the bugs. "I-if there's no objections, I'll be looking at each one in order."

Legosi popped the plastic lid off the first terrarium, reaching in and allowing the bug to walk onto his hands. He brought it out, using his other hand to give it infinite space to walk. "As I said, this is what most animals call a walking stick. They evolved a very interesting form of camouflage. Does anybody know their more official classification?"

No one said a word, just watching him. A dog sneezed in the back.

Legosi forced a smile onto his muzzle. "W-well you'll all learn something today! I mean...that's the point of this...bugs like this are called phasmids. And there's even some that look like leaves!" The insect in question continued to march along the wolf's big hands. He swallowed. "Y-you can come and take a closer look, if you want."

No one moved, especially the herbivores. They didn't want to get close to a wolf who looked like that. They just kept looking at him and the bug.

Legosi glanced over at Mel, who was watching with an unreadable expression. Typical of a lizard.

"Phasmids..." Legosi cleared his throat, making his voice more gentle while still trying to be audible. "Most species of phasmid are parthenogenic, which means the females can lay eggs without male involvement. Such offspring are copies of the mother." He glanced back down at his notes to make sure he said the right words.

Everyone still listened, staying quiet...watching him. All those eyes trained on him.

"A-any questions?" Please.

"How is it with kids?" An avian woman asked.

Legosi smiled gratefully, tail waving behind him. "Thank you! Members of this species are a good first pet for kids, since they don't have wings and they crawl pretty slowly." He scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "I...actually had a pet rhinoceros beetle fly away last year, so for animals like me, this would be a good pet, too."

The lady just nodded, but that was the extent of the reactions.

Legosi cleared his throat, continuing. "They don't bite, don't need constant care, and eat simple grocery store items like lettuce, so they are a very easy first pet."

The woman raised her brows, along with some others. No one spoke a word, it was almost maddening silence.

The dog's face felt hot. He returned the bug to its plastic prison, moving onto the next one.

That familiar hissing sound emanated as he reached his finger down and scooped up the cockroach. "Here's a Madagascar hissing cockroach." He recalled when he info dumped about them to Louis. He tried to imagine he was talking to him once again. "The reason for the name is obvious." Once again, he reached his hand out over the table, inviting the animals for a closer look.

A few of them leaned in, which was more than last time, and yet still no one said a word. Were they really intimidated by this wolf? Or just listening?

"The hiss sound is created via openings on the fourth segment of its body. Unlike most insects that emit noise by rubbing their body parts together, this roach hisses as one of us might. With air." He continued with the information, saying everything he had to Louis all those months ago, finally ending with their function as pets. "They only require a small living space, but they dislike light and cold. Make sure you have things in the enclosure for them to climb on, but also make sure they can't climb out." He put the cockroach back into the container, leaving the lid off and sliding it forward on the table. "If anyone wants to walk up and give it a pet, go ahead! It won't bite, but will probably hiss."

No one moved a muscle. In fact, some of their faces seemed a little uncomfortable. From the counter, Mel had a worried face. His new employee was doing great, what was with the tough crowd?

The nervous wolf grinned awkwardly. He held his hands up. "D-don't be scared." He swallowed. Might as well talk about it. "I-I had a bad accident a few months ago, so don't mind...this." He gestured to his face area, smiling as much as he could without showing his teeth.

Someone raised their hand. The dog who had sneezed earlier.

Legosi pointed to him. "Hello, yes? What is your question?"

"What happened?"

The wolf's brows furrowed, slightly. "I fell off my bike. A-anyway...any questions regarding the cockroach? Really, it's completely fine to come over and touch it." He turned to the chameleon. "R-right, Mel-san?"

"You fell off a bike and got all of those scars?"

"I fell on my face...and through a lot of foliage. That's why you should wear a helmet." Legosi brought the terrarium back, returning the top curtly before moving on.

"And that chunk of your ear? The claw marks over your eyes?" Other animals whispered amongst themselves.

"Yes." He paid the chameleon a pleading glance, his ears now folding and tail dipping between his legs. This was a bad idea.

Mel called out. "Let's keep the questions about the pets, please!"

The dog crossed his arms. No way this wolf fell off his bike.

Legosi let out a shaky breath, moving to the next terrarium. "Now, I'm sure you all know who this hairy guy is. Tarantulas are, of course, arachnids, and many species can fall under this name. This one here is a Mexican redknee tarantula." Popping off the top, Legosi deposited the creature onto the table. It slowly started to crawl around, exploring the flat surface.

Some animals moved back, wearily.

"O-oh, don't worry! This particular species is quite docile. They can bite still, but only if provoked." Legosi demonstrated this by placing his large hand flat on the table in front of the spider, which, humorously, walked around it.

A fox raised their head. "What would provoking mean, exactly? I'm afraid to even touch it!"

"Well, just don't make sudden movements or poke it too hard. It can actually kick out hairs from its abdomen and legs as a defense mechanism, too, but the most the hairs do is cause irritation. I forgot to mention that. But, they're slow moving and good for beginners. Treat them the same way they behave, essentially."

The fox nodded. "Do you have any cute bugs?"

Legosi let out a steady breath from his nose. "Well, that's up to personal opinion. I, personally, believe all bugs are cute, especially our last specimen over there." He indicated the long millipede, walking in circles in its prison.

Someone in the crowd made a light gasp as they noticed it. Bugs were definitely hard to sell people on. Mel made that clear during the interview.

"Well, my favorite bug is the rhinoceros beetle. Dynastinae in general, really. Their horns are quite beautiful, like antlers." Legosi hiccupped, making sure he didn't speak further as his tail waved lightly.

A deer looked proud in the back of the crowd. He raised his voice. "Why aren't you showing us one of those, then?"

"W-well, these four are on the program for today. These will be held weekly, so I can ask Mel-san to include it in next week's presentation."

"So I have to come back next week?" The deer groaned.

Legosi smiled, feeling calmer looking at the buck. "If you want to learn about them, yes."

He sighed. "I guess...Only because you said they have horns like antlers..."

"Well, once this presentation is over you're all free to look around the store. I can show you where their terrarium is." Legosi smiled again, this time his fangs poking out.

Some herbivores jumped back, quickly, the deer raised his hands. "Woah, woah! Fine! Just put the fangs away!"

Legosi gasped, quickly hiding them. "S-sorry, I just get so excited talking about insects..." His face turned red, heart pounding. He forgot just how much of himself Louis tolerated. It was a smack in the face trying to talk to other herbivores that weren't in his friend group.

He quickly put the tarantula away, which barely moved that entire time. Finally, he reached into the last display and brought the millipede out. "Here is a millipede! Animals say that they have one thousand legs, but that's false! The most legs counted on a species of millipede is 750."

"Then why is it called a millipede?" A jaguar asked.

"It's an old name given to it by animals that didn't care about accuracy. It's also a good way to separate them from centipedes, since they have more legs than them. Incidentally, centipedes do not have one hundred legs." The millipede crawled up Legosi's arm, its many legs moving in an almost hypnotizing way. He didn't even bother asking if the animals wanted to inspect it closer.

The jaguar just made a face that said "yeah, that doesn't make sense, but okay".

"Another name they go by is 'diplopod'," the wolf offered. "They are in the arthropod phylum, which includes everything from lobsters to the ancient trilobite." He looked at the millipede on his arm fondly, bringing a gentle claw to its head and stroking it. "Hey, lil guy..."

The crowd blinked, watching this larger than average wolf petting this tiny creature. The way he looked and his actions didn't mix.

"Millipedes need a lot of room to crawl around in, but don't need much vertical space. Just provide water and fruits and vegetables, as well. It also needs calcium in its diet in order to molt and grow." Legosi stopped the bug from reaching his shoulder with one of his hands, scooping it up and bringing it back down near the table.

A small mouse called out; "So it would probably be a bad pet for a rodent?"

Legosi looked down at the mouse, just realizing now that they were there. "Ah, yes. Smaller bugs are a better pick for a rodent's pet."

"Like...an ant?"

"Exactly! Although, ants live in colonies, but many animals keep something called an 'ant-farm', which is a see-through glass case that allows you to view how they live as a group! Of course, that's a different sort of pet keeping than what I've shown today."

"Does that mean I'll have to come back to learn more about that?"

Mel was taking notes from the counter.

Legosi nodded. "We're going to do this every Sunday, and each week will talk about new bugs. I'll talk to Mel-san about putting together a schedule."

The animals nodded, some ears perked as if they were waiting for anything else to be added.

"Um..." The canine put his hands over each other to give the millipede crawling room. "A-any questions? About any of these specimens or insects as pets in general?"

No one had any further questions and some even decided to go off.

"W-well, I'd like to thank you all for coming to this presentation, on behalf of myself, Mel-san, and Big Bundle of Bugs! Thank you!" He put the millipede away so he could bow properly.

The audience scattered, some leaving while muttering to themselves, others looking around the store a bit more.

Legosi breathed in deep and let it out slow, closing his eyes. Awkwardness and huge blows to his self-esteem aside, that smoothed out at the end. He gathered up his papers, now realizing he really didn't need them, before looking around for that buck who wanted to see the beetles.

The deer was no longer there, unfortunately.

Legosi walked over to the shopkeep. "S-so...how do you think that went, Mel-san?"

Mel's eyes continued to move. "Well...that was just about the toughest crowd I've ever seen."

"R-right?" Legosi whispered, mindful that some were still in the store. "I hope the other ones that stop by today are a little more engaging..."

"Yeah...Looks like you were quite intimidating, after all..."

Legosi whined. "Wh-what should I do? I need this job..."

"I mean...It's not your fault you have those scars, animals are just going to have to learn to get over it," Mel explained. "How is your Louis? I saw you messaging him before you started."

"He's babysitting right now. I should let him know that I'm done with my first presentation, actually."

Legosi pulled his phone out to do just that.

Legosi: First presentation is done. Nerve-wracking...

Mel rapped his digits on the counter. "Yeah. You can use your phone while you work, as long as you're still working."

Louis: Hold on. I'm covered in milk.

Legosi snorted, tail wagging again, not even hearing that Mel had said.

The deer didn't text back before his next presentation.

The rest of the day's little shows went about the same, although some of the groups had outlier animals that actually came up to see the bugs. Each time this happened Legosi's tail would wag wildly.

Once the last presentation finished for the day, it was 6:20pm. Legosi felt like he had run a marathon as he put the bugs back into their main terrariums.

Mel clapped from his counter. "Whooo! Nice job on that last one!"

The wolf offered a small smile. "Thanks. I don't think I stuttered once there."

"You didn't. Has Louis called you back? You kept checking your phone between presentations but never typing, so...I dunno. You're a carniherbi couple, so I worry, knowing my friend..."

Legosi looked back at his phone, grinding his teeth. "I-I don't know. Maybe he didn't receive my last message..."

Legosi: Are you okay?

Louis: I'm doing great. Selena came home a little early. Funny, there's a wolf in this bug store that looks just like you.

Legosi's ears perked up, looking around frantically. He felt a poke on his shoulder from behind and jumped. "WAh!"

The deer laughed. "I couldn't resist seeing my big bad wolf on his first day of work..." He reached up and pinched his cheek, wiggling it.

Legosi dipped down and pressed the top of his snout under the deer's chin. "Mmm, I missed you all day." The audience members of the last presentation that were still present in the store gawked at the site of their host cuddling an herbivore in public.

Louis kept a hand pressed between them. "Let's eat at the food court when you're done and talk about how our days went. As you can see, no longer covered in milk."

"I'm actually done now..." Legosi turned to his boss. "Right, Mel-san?"

The chameleon shook his head. "No. You gotta stay until midnight, clean all the tanks, mop the floors, change all the lightbulbs, repaint the whole store..."

The herbivore chuckled at his words.

Legosi's eyes went wide, but they soon rolled once he heard the ridiculous list. "Okay then, Mel-san. I'll see you next week, then. Unless you want me back for other things..."

"I will call you and we can discuss a more involved schedule. Thanks for your work today and great job, I can already tell you'll be a great employee!" Mel waved. "Enjoy your food, you two."

Legosi and Louis waved back as they left, ready to share their dinner and their days.