Chapter 69 - Dinner With the Family

It was later that Sunday, before Louis left for the tower to train his Chimera abilities once again. He decided to text Pina.

Louis: Hey.

The sheep responded after a little bit.

Pina: yo

Louis: What are you up to?

Pina: getting fucin ripped

Louis: Gross.

Pina: im gonna have biceps like ni when im done

Louis: No thank you.

Pina: oh i wasn't aware i was ur property now

Pina: *beats you up wit his big musces*

Louis: I was going to ask if you wanted me to spend the night with you but now I'm not sure I even want to see you.

Pina: oh what did u have in mind?

Louis: Staying at the tower. Not sure what we would do but we're smart so I assume we'd figure it out.

Pina: guess we should start a plan of how to get out of all this

Louis: You think it would be too early to share a room so we could talk?

Pina: hmm dunno. ichi pulled me aside after u left friday to tell me to help get u more comfortable tho

Louis: Really?

Pina: yeah. i think its his good mood and also ive been trying to act very gung ho

Louis: I'm getting more used to him being happy now. It's better than before.

Pina: i bet. is legosi ok with you staying?

Louis: I'm going to make sure one more time. But how do you feel about it?

Pina: it'd be cool! like a sleepover. i hope its not too scary for u at night tho considering ur past…

Pina: o shit its my past too now sorry didnt mean to impose

Pina: also lego should be fine with it since we wont do anything right?

Louis: Right. He should be fine with it.

Louis switched to Legosi's direct messages.

Louis: Hey, whenever you have a moment, can I ask you something?

Legosi: yeah i'm between presentations now

Louis: I'm thinking about spending the night at the tower tonight with Pina. Would that be alright with you?

Legosi: oh that's a good idea since i want to have some information for melon-san by wednesday. you two can look around.

Louis: Exactly. I just wanted to make sure it was okay with you.

Legosi: it is. it's funny though because i feel kind of jealous. not about what you think, but because you're such close friends with Pina suddenly and i feel like i didn't form anything like that with anyone else in our friend group.

Louis: I don't really understand what it is. It's just sort of this invisible connection. Maybe it's because we're both herbivores. I'm unsure.

Legosi: yeah it could be. i guess i'm getting closer to Kai but i wish i had a good individual relationship with Pina and Bill and Dom, too.

Legosi: and also you have feelings for Pina too right

Louis: Feelings? It's complicated. I don't really know. I guess I'm just absurdly curious but it's also not something I should even be thinking about considering you're my husband.

Legosi: but you won't ever run away again right

Louis: Not without you.

Legosi: that does sound nice, but i would miss everyone.

Louis: Legosi. I'm starting to think that if this plan of ours goes awry, it might be our only option.

Legosi: yeah i'm trying to prepare myself for that

Louis: I'm sorry that I act strange around Pina. I have no intention of cheating on you or leaving you.

Legosi: it's okay. i was actually just thinking if you dated Pina on the side that would leave Bill for me, which doesn't seem fair hahaha

Louis: What do you mean?

Legosi: well you have an interest in him but i have no interest in Bill and i don't think i could

Legosi: it's unbalanced

Louis: I don't even want to date Pina, Legosi. I don't want to be his mate or boyfriend or whatever you want to call it. It's just complicated to explain. I want to hold him and I want to protect him and I want to be there for him and perhaps I have wondered what sleeping with him might be like and I do love him, but I don't want to spend my life with him. I don't think he's my missing piece. I could never see myself even being married to him in an alternate timeline. But there's just this sense of wanting to be...close?

Louis: He doesn't give me the feeling of being home like you do.

Much to Louis' surprise, Legosi responded fairly quickly.

Legosi: thank you for telling me. It sounds like you're really close friends with him, and I think wondering about sex with others is normal.

Louis: I don't know. I mean it, though. We've been through so much and are working to get better and I want to keep sculpting out our future together, no matter what it is. Even if I may act strange with Pina, it's not to make you feel bad or even to turn away.

Legosi: i don't think it's strange. i understand it. when kai kept getting close to me i felt like i wanted to hold and protect him. i don't know if it's exactly the same though.

Louis: I think it is, minus the fact of wanting to sleep with him. I think we just really care about our friends and with everything we're going through...I think we need them.

Legosi: i sort of wanted to kiss his head when he left. i don't know he becomes so calm when he's with me and it feels like only i get to see that side of him and it's special. maybe it really is just a different form of love.

Legosi: proves that we're not complete weirdos then hahaha

Louis: I don't know what will happen with Pina tonight, honestly. Nothing too extreme.

Legosi: just let me know

Louis: Of course! I will!

He switched back over to Pina's direct messages.

Louis: He says he's okay with it, but to let him know if anything happens between us.

Pina: ahh i wasnt planning on it

Pina: but like ill comfort u if its too much at night

Pina: with the darkness and stuff

Louis: Not if I comfort you first.

Pina: pff please not with these bad boys

Pina: talkin about my muscles

Louis: Shut up about your muscles or you won't even be allowed to touch me.

Pina: y r u such a musclephobe? bill will be distraught if he finds out

Louis: It's okay, I'm not worried about it.

Pina: has he tried to contact either of u

Louis: Actually, now that you mention it, no.

Pina: i feel really bad abt it obviously. i want to take some time to go see him but im afraid juu will follow me

Louis: Maybe one night we can sneak out. I'll just have to pay Juu or something. We can make something up for you. There's so many things to keep up with, it's frutrating.

Pina: o ya i forgot u can just pay her off. her loyalty must be pretty weak

Louis: Quite mysterious, indeed.

Pina: r u close now?

Louis: What?

Pina: to the tower. when r u coming

Louis: Do you miss me that much?

Pina: haha ofc but also i like havin u around here. havin another guy here in the know

Louis: Well, we'll be able to be together all night so cherish it while you can. We have a mission to do during that time anyway.

Pina: ooo what's the plan?

Louis: We have to map out the Tower.

Pina: why's that?

Louis: I can't tell you. Just trust me.

Pina: oh? keeping me in the dark? Why

Louis: So you don't trust me?

Pina: tell me why i cant know

Louis: Stop pushing.

Pina: ugh fine but tell me the instant it becomes need to know

Louis: I'll tell you in person.

Pina: ok let me kno when ur here so i can come to meet u. Go is on door duty be careful haha

Louis: I'll see you there, Shichi.

Pina: aye aye shi

Arriving at the Tower, Louis spotted just who Pina had said would be there. The red Panda by the name of Go, equipped with his claws was leaning against the doorframe, watching him arrive. "Welcome back, Louis."

The deer blinked. "Looks like you're up and running again, Go. That's good."

"Yeah, well, being sick sucks."

"Why did you call me Louis?"

Louis snorted. "Why did you call me Louis?"

Go rolled his eyes. "Maybe because I'm trying to 'make nice' like everyone said I should. Don't think too much of it."

Louis smiled a bit. "I'm glad you're feeling better."

Go looked to the side. "Whatever."

The deer stepped closer. "We could be friends, but I won't tell the others to maintain some of your 'cool guy' attitude."

"What?"

"I'm just saying."

Go considered this. "I don't know. Things are weird for me right now. I don't know how to really...talk to people without becoming a joker."

"You're talking to me right now," Louis said.

"I know. But if we became friends or whatever, wouldn't you be upset if I kept shitting on you while we were around the others?"

"It was my idea, wasn't it? Why do you care all of a sudden?"

The red panda huffed. "You just don't get it."

"Don't get what?"

"Nevermind."

Louis rolled his eyes. "You really like dodging subjects, don't you?"

"In my time here, I'd say I've gotten pretty good at dodging."

"Right, because?"

"Just go find Ichi, Shi. Leave me alone. I have a lot on my mind."

"Does Ichi know that?"

"..." Go sighed. "We can talk more later in my cell after everything winds down. But just shut up for now and go do your thing. San is excited for your training today. I'm sure Shichi will be there to watch you."

Louis took a breath. "Alright, Go. I'll see you later, then."

He just got a clawed wave in response.

The deer did the normal routine of ascending to his cell and putting on his outfit and then stretching a bit. He texted Pina once more.

Louis: In my cell.

Pina: were at sans. i hate him hes so cute i hate it

Louis: Do you want me to join you?

Pina: ye

Soon, Louis was walking in, yawning. "Good afternoon."

San looked up. "Oh, Shichi said you were coming!"

Kyuu looked up from her phone. "Seems like you two are already best friends."

Shichi stood up and beamed. "Well, we are the two newest members, plus we're both from here, even if we never did interact much as kids."

Today, Pina was wearing his Cherryton tracksuit, leaving Louis as the sole animal there wearing black.

Louis tilted his head. "Still no uniform?"

Shichi shrugged. "Hachi won't let me in to see. They always shoo me out."

"It must be really special then." He adjusted his long gloves. "Of course, it won't be as nice as mine," he teased. "But you can rest easy knowing you have second best."

"We'll see about that." Shichi rolled his shoulders and stepped toward their alpaca instructor. "Now, let's start, shall we?"

The training was much as it always was, with stretches, exercises, and sparring. Louis' muscles still ached from all the other times, but he pushed forward. The Chimera training that came afterward was just like it was last time, only the sheep joined in. Once again, there were no apparent results but San assured them it normal.

"Whew, I think we could all use some showers?" the alpaca suggested.

Louis sniffed himself. "Eugh...yeah...Sounds good."

"Looks like you'll have to change out of that outfit already. Has anyone been washing it, actually?" Pina asked.

"Uh...I assume so," Louis mumbled.

"Hachi does," San informed.

The deer became visibly relaxed. "Thank goodness." His eyes flitted over to Pina. "Does anyone wash that old tracksuit?"

The sheep nodded. "Yeah, I do. Did you even know there's a washing machine in this tower?"

"I did," he fired back.

"Alright," Shichi challenged. "Lead us there!"

The buck squinted. "You lead us there if you're so gung-ho about washing clothes, Shichi."

"And ourselves, cuz it's the same room! I've been here shorter than you and I already know this!"

San raised his hands. "Ah, don't argue, please!"

Kyuu snorted. "They're not."

"Then lead the way," Louis gestured. "Oh mighty, Shichi, who knows all."

"I will!" The pretty sheep stomped away with the three animals in tow.

They went down to the ground floor, which Louis hadn't explored much aside from the main lobby. Tucked in the corner was a door that led to a sort of communal bathroom. Surprisingly, it was kept relatively clean.

"Wow. You really did remember," Louis blinked, looking around.

"Of course, it's the fucking bathroom. I guess you never had to go while you were here."

"I...may have avoided it."

San laughed and Kyuu sputtered. "Wait, then when did you go before that mission with Roku? Where did you go?"

"Don't worry about it."

"Ew. Gross buck." Shichi moved forward and began taking his clothes off while San and Kyuu followed suit. It seemed they had no qualms with seeing each other naked.

The deer turned, even though he had seen Pina naked before, he didn't want to see the other two. He slowly, very slowly, removed his clothes, trying not to think about it.

Shichi laughed. "Aww, don't be shy! We're all training buddies after all."

"Yeah!" San agreed. "Also do you need clothes to change into?"

Louis didn't answer, too busy not thinking about the situation. Especially Kyuu being there. Sure, he had seen a female naked before. A bunny at that. Haru-chan. But now...it was just...different.

"How are you gonna see what we did with my leg if you don't look?" the sheep bargained. Kyuu and San had already walked away to the showers.

"Shush, Shichi..." Louis got out, not realizing they were alone.

"Interesting..."

"But seriously, are you gonna change into what you wore here? That's all the way in your room, right?"

Louis pulled his pants down. "I'll figure it out. I'm sure San will fetch me clothes. Right, San?"

"Sure!" the alpaca's voice echoed from one of the showers.

Pina walked into one of the stalls and sat down, taking his leg off and placing it outside. "Oh, by the way, the hot water takes forever to kick in here, so I hope you don't mind."

Louis pulled his underwear down. "Y-yeah...whatever. Shush it. Just let me shower in peace."

Shichi did, and the four showered in silence. The only soap available was scentless bar soap, but it got the job done.

Louis finished last, as he was taking his sweet time.

Meanwhile, Shichi put all of their clothes into the wash while San fetched Louis' street clothes.

The deer stood, waiting, holding his towel. His body still hurt from the training and he honestly felt like sleeping or going home, but he knew he had a lot of exploring to do that night.

The alpaca came back, setting the clothes down. "I smell Hachi cooking up something really nice! What say we all go and grab dinner!"

"What do you think it is?" Louis asked.

"Smelled like stir-fry," San observed. "Juu will probably be making some food too. Let's go!"

They ascended to the dining room.

Sure enough, the elk and sparrow were in the kitchen preparing meals. At one of the tables sat Roku, who was reading a book.

Roku looked up. "Oh, Shi. Haven't seen you for a while. Those two are probably in his office or something."

The deer sighed. "It's nice to see you again. I apologize for...you know."

The horse blinked and went back to his book. "Don't worry about it, kid."

Louis' head turned to Pina, wondering where he'd sit.

Pina sat at one of the empty tables, followed by San and Kyuu.

Louis sat next to him, looking at Hachi, who was still cooking. "It smells very good, Hachi."

They just smiled a bit and nodded in thanks.

Juu laughed. "Hey! I'm helping, too!"

Louis grinned a bit. "I know, I know. I apologize."

"Shi, get us some drinks, will ya?" the sheep intruded, giving him a shit-eating grin.

"Drinks? Like what?" the deer frowned.

"Whatever there is in the fridge."

Louis walked over to the appliance and opened it, peeking inside.

Inside were various containers of fruit and vegetable juice, along with some beer.

The buck stepped aside, gesturing. "What do you want, my liege?"

Shichi clapped his hands together softly. "Some white grape juice, loyal servant."

Everyone else in the room glanced at each other.

"White wine?" Louis raised a brow.

"There's white grape juice in there, I can see it!"

"Okay, I was just making sure!" Louis huffed, pulling out the carton. "You're lucky I'm even doing this for you."

"We already sat down. Cups are in that cupboard over there, by the way."

"I was sitting as well." He went to the cupboard and pulled out a glass, setting it down and beginning to pour the drink.

"WHOOOO! Shi, gimme some of that too, will ya!" Go said as he walked in, finding a seat quickly and kicking his legs up.

Louis blinked. "Alright, then. Does anybody else want a drink?"

Everyone raised their hands, aside from the cooks.

The deer groaned and poured everyone a glass, right as Ichi and Ni walked in.

"Oh? What's all this then?" the asymmetrical cervid questioned.

"Don't tell me you want drinks too..." Louis mumbled. "We're going to run out of grape juice at this rate."

"No, I'm going to have water." He walked in, followed closely by his second in command.

Ni looked directly at Louis. "I'll have some."

The deer squinted.

Pina glanced at Louis for a moment before turning back to the newcomer. "Hey, Ni, what do you and Ichi do all day?"

"Discuss and plan."

Ichi stepped forward. "Like I've been saying, the Okamigumi are on the move, and it's only a matter of time before we'll have to take them on. This will be the largest organization we've faced yet."

Louis swallowed. "Right, of course."

Ichi sat with the others, with Ni awkwardly sliding in next to him. Shichi looked them over and then back to Louis. "Hey Shi, once you sit down all of the original crew will be together!" He looked over at the serow. "Except you but I guess Shi considers you an honorary one..."

Roku squinted his eyes at the sheep. "You're really fuckin cocky for a newcomer, you know that?"

Go huffed. "Tell me about it. Pretty boy got mouth for days."

"Isn't that part of my charm, though?"

"Ugh," the red panda groaned.

Ichi laughed softly. "I'm just glad you feel comfortable here." He glanced at Louis for a split second.

Louis put the juice away and sat next to the sheep once more, looking to the side.

"Nonetheless..." Ichi began, looking around the room. "Looks like everyone is here. For the first time."

Juu gasped. "Wow! You're right. We're all together now!"

San sipped at his juice. "Should we do something?"

"We're about to eat..." Kyuu pointed out.

"Yeah," Go nodded. "And I don't want all the fairies at the table ruining anything where the goo-goo eyes."

Louis frowned. "Legosi's not even here."

Shichi snickered. "He refused to look at Kyuu in the shower."

Ni stopped looking at Ichi after this was said.

Go's foot came off the table and he leaned forward. "You're kidding!"

"Men not looking at me is a welcome change..." Kyuu muttered.

Louis squinted. "At least I don't have to sit on a booster seat at the table."

Go huffed. "I ain't the only one. Juu has to do it, too, along with Kyuu. And they're just bricks."

The buck just chuckled. "So small."

The red panda opened his mouth to speak but just curled his hand upon the wood of the table, staying silent.

Roku pat his back and chuckled. "Don't think I ever see the lil guy get shut down like that."

Hachi and Juu finished the food and because the elk didn't speak, the sparrow hopped off her stool. "Alright, everyone! Fill your plates! There's plenty to go around!"

Everyone got up to serve themselves, after which they returned to their respective seats. Before they began, however, Ichi held a hand up.

"Now, before we eat, a moment of silence for our siblings who couldn't live to see this wonderful meal." After saying that, he dipped his head and closed his eyes.

All the other animals did the same, Louis hanging his head last. He thought about Tem and Els and all the things they couldn't be doing right now.

Ichi cleared his throat, and everyone opened their eyes again. Louis saw Ichi wiping at his eye and looking away.

Once everyone was looking away, Ni slid his hand on Ichi's leg under the table and squeezed lightly in a reassuring manner, even though his face stayed blank.

Pina, of course, decided to swing at a hornet's nest. "So, what was this sushi trip I keep hearing Go talk about?"

Go looked at Ichi, squinting. "Go on. Tell them how you ditched us and made us pay!"

Ichi chuckled. "You were the ones that insisted on tagging along. Me and Ni had business to attend to."

Louis played along with Pina's shenanigans. "What kind of business?"

"Recon. We were following a lead on the Dokugumi doing business outside of the city under a front."

Go hissed. "Bullshit. You've never talked about the Dokugumi."

Ichi sighed. "It wasn't relevant at the time. Besides, it turned out to be nothing."

Louis took a bite of his food. "Anything...else happen?"

Ni was getting annoyed at this rate. Why couldn't they just leave him to be happy with his boyfriend. Even though he couldn't show it outwardly, he was happier than he ever had been on the inside. Couldn't they just shut up?

He squeezed Ichi's leg more, the thought that they were sitting closer than anyone else occurring to him, but he couldn't move his arm now...They'd notice! He was having a war with himself and no one would even notice.

"Awh, lay off him. He brought us all together, anyway," San said, clearly trying to mediate.

Kyuu scowled. "I haven't heard about this..."

Roku sighed. "It wasn't too big a deal. I understand completely, boss."

Go frowned. "At least Shi and Shichi got my side..."

"Yep, you'll have to take us ALL out for sushi one day, Ichi," Shichi teased as he gobbled up some green beans.

"Then nobody would be here at the base," their leader pointed out in a deadpan voice.

Hachi raised their hand.

Shichi looked over at them. "Oh, but we'd miss you!"

They blushed and seemed to chuckle, but shook their head, pointing out themselves anyway. They pointed to their mouth and shook their head, basically saying, "It's not like I have anything to say."

"Mmm, okay," Shichi sulked. "We'll be down one attractive animal, but we'll still have me in the group at least."

Hachi covered their face.

"I never said this is even happening," Ichi stated, trying to sound serious but a smile crept in.

Louis just smiled at Pina. "What about me?"

Go squinted at him. "Roku's prettier than the two of you combined."

The horse squinted at him. "Was...that an insult to them?"

Ni raised his brow. "I see you have a thing for horses now."

Go shook his head. "No fucking way! Maybe if he was a girl or something! We'd probably already be dating!"

There was a long silence.

Surprisingly, it was Ichi who started bursting out laughing. He leaned into Ni and buried his face in his shoulder for a second before recovering. His laugh was infectious, spreading to San and Shichi as well.

And then everyone was laughing, even the silent Hachi, who was chuckling in their own mute way.

All except for Go, who was steaming. "Ugh...you just...Can we just eat!"

"We have been eating, dear," Shichi stuck his tongue out.

The red panda just buried his face on the table.

In that moment, Louis stopped laughing. Go was usually like this, but he constantly shut down and now the deer was starting to wonder if there was actually something wrong. He shouldn't care, but he did.

After everything died down, Ichi turned to Ni and spoke in a quieter voice. "This is nice, isn't it?"

The serow looked around, then into his eyes. "This is what you wanted."

The buck smiled. "Are you enjoying it?"

"It is...nice." There was a faint smile.

Unbeknownst to them, Pina and Louis were watching them from the corner of their eyes.

"Like...family."

The serow had a soft gaze. "Just like family."

Ichi shook his head, still smiling. He looked over to the alpaca. "So, San? How is the training going?"

San had to swallow back the food he had in his mouth before responding. "Oh, on track! These two have great potential!"

Louis nodded. "I am hopefully getting close to summoning my Chimera."

Ichi chuckled. "I think you're still a few weeks off, but it's good to see you excited about something."

"...As long as it's not wanton murder. It's...interesting."

Everyone in the room grew silent but continued to eat.

Shichi was the one to break the silence after finishing his dish. "So...we gonna do anything since we're together? Or..."

Ichi shook his head. "Oh, no, I'm busy tonight. The night is yours to decide what to do."

Go huffed. "Is Ni busy tonight too?"

Roku nudged him. "When's the last time Ni's been free on a Sunday night? You know the answer."

Louis blinked. "Really?"

"We all have different schedules we follow," Ichi explained. "In due time maybe even you will have one...well, probably not since you don't live here."

Louis nodded. "You meant to say that to Shichi, considering he does."

The sheep flipped his wool. "I think Sundays should become my horn polishing days. What does everyone else think?"

Go blinked. "Eugh. They have those?"

Shichi whipped his head to look at the smaller animal in mock offense. "Of course they have horn polish! You non-horners don't know anything."

"That's so weird."

"I see you polishing your so-called 'claws', so it's not that weird," Roku mentioned with a chuckle.

"They're claws and they're awesome!" Go argued. "You're just jealous!"

"Nah," Roku dismissed the panda easily as he took a sip of his juice.

Meanwhile, Ichi stood up and deposited his dishes into the sink quietly, hoping the ongoing discussion and/or argument would mask his and Ni's departure.

The serow got up as well, already moving toward the door.

The two left, and Pina glanced over at Louis, seeing if he caught it too.

The deer did, a small smile on his face.

After a few minutes everyone cleaned up, and San came up to the two once again.

"So, any plans for you two tonight?"

Louis tilted his head. "Thinking about staying tonight."

The alpaca smiled wide. "Oh? Really?" He turned to look down at Kyuu. "Maybe we should do something!"

"Like what?" the bunny asked, skeptically.

Louis frowned. He needed to be alone with Pina so they could map the place out.

Pina rolled his shoulder and cracked his back. "Actually, I just wanna take it easy tonight after all of that training. We can do something another time, maybe."

"Tomorrow," Louis said. "I'll still be here."

Louis rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry, San. I have therapy tomorrow. Maybe another time."

San chuckled. "I think we all need it, huh?" He smiled but his eyes did not. Kyuu had walked off already.

The deer chuckled. "Yeah..."

"I think me and Shi are gonna look around the tower. It's pretty massive, and we never got to see all of it when we were kids." Shichi nudged his shoulder.

The buck nodded. "Yeah. I'm quite curious if I'm being honest."

The alpaca nodded back. "Ah, sounds like a good idea! Nothing really that stands out, but knock yourselves out! I'll be in my cell if you get bored."

Louis just nodded, grinning. San was too innocent for this work.

And soon, the two were alone.

Pina smiled crookedly at him. "So, explore the tower or go snoop after the boss?"

"Are we doing both?"

The sheep shrugged and brushed some wool from his face. "We could. Which first?"

"Exploring would take longer, honestly," Louis sighed. "We might miss them."

Pina rubbed his hands together. "Well then, what are we waiting for?"