Chapter 31 - Grit Your Teeth and Bear It: Part 1

Just like any Saturday night, Gosha was relaxing on his easy chair enjoying some TV after his volunteer work at the daycare. He was having a much better time than last week, when his thoughts were constantly with his grandson and his at the time ex-fiance. He was certain that if the two of them hadn't gotten back together his lifespan would have shortened at least a decade.

Suddenly, there was a hard knock at his door.

"Now, who could that be?" Gosha wondered aloud. He groaned as he stood up, exhausted from playing with kids all afternoon. He walked to the door and looked out the peephole, revealing...

The lizard wracked his brain. He knew the animals standing out there, but from where? He scanned his memory, moving back week by week, only to discover he had met them when Legosi and Louis had moved in. They were their friends. But what were they doing here? He opened the door.

"Hi, Gosha-san~" The pretty dall sheep waved.

Bill had a nervous look on his face. "Sup."

Gosha nodded politely to them. "Gentleman. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Parents kicked us out, and we don't wanna go back to Cherryton where we'll get separated. Can we stay here tonight? We'll be gone tomorrow night," Pina promised.

Bill nodded. "Y-yeah..."

"Oh, well friends of Legosi and Louis are welcome, for sure! Just a bit short notice, so the place might not be the cleanest." Gosha chuckled, nervously. "I'm not going to get into trouble with you two here, right?"

"Not at all. Both our parents probably want nothing to do with us." Pina stepped in, his heavy boots falling loudly on the linoleum.

The tiger followed after. "Sorry about this."

"Not at all, not at all." The kind lizard stepped back to give them room. "Some animals just aren't fit to be parents. I do hope they come around, though."

"We'll see," the herbivore muttered, working to untie his laces.

Bill sighed, removing his shoes and looking around. "This is a nice place you have."

Gosha put his hands on his hips and looked around. "It is. This is where Legosi grew up."

"Oh..." Pina glanced around and noted the distinct lack of any other animals in the house.

His boyfriend did the same. "I heard that Louis came to stay with you when he got out of the hospital. Are you guys close?"

Gosha's face lit up ever so slightly. "Oh, of course. I see that boy as my own grandson! Such a sharp and pleasant animal."

The tiger nudged Pina. "You're not the only one that thinks so."

"Yes, Bill, I see Louis as my grandson, too." Pina shoved him back.

"You know what I meant!" His partner teased.

Gosha wasn't sure what was going on, so he walked into the apartment more. "You can stay in the first room on the right down that hall. The bed might be a bit small but Legosi and Louis slept on it with no trouble."

"We can make it work," Bill shrugged. He looked at Pina. "We should put our bags in there."

The two entered Legosi's childhood bedroom and put their stuff down. It was pretty much everything they would have expected from Legosi, with all the insect paraphernalia around.

"I swear if any of those models come to life..." Pina sighed, and sat heavily on the bed, bouncing a bit as he landed.

Bill smiled at him. "Don't worry. I'm right here. Sorry I got us kicked out, though. I can't believe their ideals are more important than you are..."

"It had to happen." Pina declared as he raised his chin up. "They're probably gonna tell their 'Herbivore Neighborhood Association' group about me." He smiled, but the look in his eyes was empty.

"They're still your parents..." He sat down, sighing, and looking at his feet. "You know, it's okay to be upset about it."

"Yeah..." Pina sniffed. "I...I just..." The actor's mask fell away once more. He leaned into Bill's shoulder with a sob. "...It's never gonna go back to the way it was. Before Luca..."

Pina shrugged. "Normal? I dunno, I was a kid and there were probably problems even then, but...I felt loved."

"You are loved."

"Not by them." Pina nestled into Bill's lap. "I hate how much I care about them."

The tiger rubbed his shoulder. "I mean, it's not wrong to care about them. They're your parents. I don't know why our families can't understand us, but that's their own fault. I guess all we can do is, get over it, I think. Louis would probably say something like there's no choice but to move on or something."

"Until he has a mental breakdown," Pina chuckled.

"Ah...yeah. But that doesn't mean it's not true," Bill said, feeling like he was getting smarter each day.

"Guess so." The herbivore turned around to rub his cheeks. "I just hate how you keep getting misunderstood and mistreated."

"That's just what it's like being a carnivore. It sucks, yeah, but I'm used to it. It's pretty nice when people do understand me, though." He smiled warmly.

The sheep cupped his face closer. "I don't want you to suffer anymore. You don't deserve it."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

Pina pointed to his horns. "Use these babies! Or my beloved nailbat, who thirsts for flesh still..."

"Hahaha," the tiger rolled his eyes. "You and that bat. One day."

"I have it under my bunk at the dorm. I'm waiting," the sheep smirked. He brought their lips together.

Bill chuckled, then pulled back after their kiss. "What are we going to do? If we go back to school, you know what will happen."

"Can't be without me for that long, can ya, kitten?" Pina purred.

"How could I? Especially after all that!"

"Dropping out won't be easy, especially since we would need a consent form signed by our parents, and they'd be contacted too." The gears in Pina's head started to turn. "If we stopped showing up, the cops would probably be called, thinking that we went missing. Plus, we would need a plan for how to live before we'd even stop going to school."

"So, there's no point..."

"We'll think of something, big guy. But for now, we just have to grit our teeth and bear it." Pina patted his big head and kissed him again.

"Fuck..." Bill pouted. "Fine..."

His boyfriend went in for another kiss, only to be interrupted by Gosha. "Oh, sorry boys. Just wanted to see if you two were alright."

Pina turned to him. "Yes, we're fine. Thank you for asking!"

Bill blushed. "Do you got any food?"

Gosha smiled. "Help yourself! I just have to go into the kitchen and clean everything in case my venom touched it..." The old lizard hurried off and Pina pat Bill's stomach.

"You already ate, too. Guess that wasn't a proper carnivore meal."

"It was probably all the negative energy and arguing at the end..."

Pina raised an eyebrow. "That makes food not fill you up?"

"It makes me hungry again!"

"Then what makes you full?"

"Food, like normal."

Pina stroked his pecs. "Food with a dash of love and care."

"Exactly!"

"Well!" The sheep stood suddenly, managing to pull Bill up with him. "Let's get you fed and full!"

"Okay! You're probably not hungry, huh?"

"Not really."

"Is...watching me eat weird?"

Pina thought. "It's...a journey. Not unpleasant."

"A journey?"

"Yeah. Makes my instincts act up," the sheep admitted. "But it's not a big issue."

"Wait, like how?"

Pina groaned. "Well, like lil' voices in my head being like 'watch out!', y'know?"

"Am I a sloppy eater?"

"Sometimes. It's not a problem. Don't worry about it." The herbivore shrugged.

"You sure?" Bill made a note to be more mindful when he ate.

"Of course. C'mon, let's see what grandpa Gosha has to eat."

The cat nodded, moving with him to the kitchen.

After dinner and some conversation with Gosha about what exactly went down and Pina's parent's house, the couple returned to their room, and Bill looked out the window, sighing. "I can't stop thinking about how shitty this trip was. I really thought I could make them like me."

"Their minds were already made up. Even if you acted timid and reserved the whole time and I didn't speak up, they'd probably think you were hiding something." Pina had gotten comfortable under the sheets, wool spilling out from under his neck and head onto the pillow.

Bill turned around. "Then what was the fucking point?"

"I thought maybe something good could happen. Guess hope is for suckers." He turned on his side to face him. "You comin' to bed?"

The cat came over. He was wearing a white tee-shirt and basketball shorts and he looked down at his boyfriend in bed. "This is the first time we'll be able to do this for the whole night..."

"Yeah. Alone, at least. And you'll hopefully actually be able to fall asleep." Pina said, thinking about the time they had spent in Louis' dorm room in the winter.

"Watch out for the horns, bud," Pina cautioned as he presented his back to Bill. He couldn't help but think how such a display would have been seen as a death wish to most herbivores.

Bill wrapped his arms around him, pulling him as close as he could (minding the horns) and rubbing his legs with his feet. He made a contented sound that was a mix between purring and humming.

Pina rubbed the big arms that held him safely and let out a contented breath. "Hey, Billy?"

"Yeah?"

"What are your instincts saying right now?"

"I think they're telling me this is enough to be satisfied."

Pina smiled. "That's good." A beat of silence fell. "...Mine aren't saying anything."

If the horns weren't in the way, Bill would have nuzzled his neck, but instead he just kissed the back of it. "Because we're okay, babe."

"We're okay..." the sheep echoed, sinking into the pillow.

"Did you ever have this with your exes?"

"Have what?" Pina inquired, sleepiness to his tone.

"Like...how close we are...I don't think I've ever felt so...warm? Like, in my heart. Ugh, that sounds dumb, you know what I mean!"

"Yeah. You're talking about love." Pina laughed, and then went quiet as he searched his mind. "You...are the animal I've been with the longest. I thought I loved some of my exes, but now I know I didn't. I know because I know I don't have to impress you. I know I don't have to constantly charm you or catch your attention. I know because you love me and I can recognize that you love me. I know..." He choked a bit and laughed again. "I know because I'm reciting a soliloquy straight from my heart and it's all genuine!"

Bill took a moment to sit up and remove his shirt and then come back, moving his tail around him. "And didn't ever realize I needed this so badly...It's all so cheesy, but I love it. You don't need to impress me because you're always under a spotlight to me, no matter where you go or what you do..."

The herbivore gasped. "Billy, that was beautiful! You really have a way with words. Can't believe you've never wooed a guy before." He squirmed a bit out of Bill's grasp to remove his own shirt, revealing his lustrously long wool on his torso.

"Cause guys are gay..."

"I think you made me gay, Billy boy." Pina giggled.

"Only cuz you're staying with me now..."

"Well, I think my venture to try and date boys was a complete success." He reached up to pat Bill's face. "This one's a keeper."

"I really do love you a lot, ya know..."

"I know. I love you a lot, too. So much that I think I really do wanna try and carve out a future with you."

"Then do it, I'll be right there next to you."

"Right now? Jeez, alright." Pina cleared his throat. "So, going forward and assuming minimal to no schooling, I think being a model could work for me. Actor is nice but I think you need college for it. I dunno. Ironic that I'm actually planning this sort of thing now but not when dad wanted me to."

"You actually want to be a model? I thought we were lying to your parents."

"What? You think I shouldn't? I love wearing different clothes."

"You can always do that and I'll always get to see them. One of the best parts about dating you!"

"How's about you, Bill?"

"I can't see anything, honestly. Even if I try, I have no idea what the fuck is going to happen."

"Maybe you could be a firefighter?" Pina suggested. "That'd be hot. Not even in a punny way. I've been thinking about it."

"Wow. Really? I've never even thought about that."

"Just thinking about you in the firefighter uniform, but with no shirt. With the big hose wrapped around you. You dancing on those poles they slide down." Pina pushed himself back into Bill. "Of course, none of that is actual firefighter stuff, but it could give you an excuse."

Bill cleared his throat. "E-eheh...y-yeah..."

"I was about to ask you if you'd want me to take up pole dancing, but I don't wanna get you too worked up. Don't wanna fuck in the bed Legosi and Louis have already done it in." The sheep giggled.

"Who cares about that..." the tiger muttered. "The bed will have a legacy."

"Billy, no. We're already imposing enough on Gosha-san."

Bill only huffed in response.

"Let's calm you down. What do you wanna do tomorrow before we head back?"

"You talked about visiting Riz. I think you should do that before we return. It won't take that long."

Pina blinked. "Does visiting someone in juvie not take long? How do you know?"

"How long can it really take, Pina?"

"I dunno. Guess it's worth a shot."

"I'll wait outside for you."

"What, you think if you see him, you'll get so mad you'll break through the glass and kill him?"

A moment of silence. "I'll wait outside for you."

Pina nodded. "Okay."