Later that night...
Louis was laying on the side of the fountain. He was just looking at the sky and thinking it was a shame that the light pollution was hiding most of them from view.
Legosi had been planning to come to the fountain that night ever since Louis had said to do whatever he wanted. This is what he wanted.
He stalked closer to it and saw the familiar form of the deer. Louis was lying down tonight...Legosi wondered if he'd be inside the fountain next time. It made him smile a bit thinking about it.
Legosi walked over, making enough noise as to not startle his senior when he sat down next to his head, just an inch or so away from where his antlers ended.
"You came. I had a feeling you would." The buck's tray was on his stomach. "Just can't stay away," Louis joked.
Legosi chuckled softly. It was only the third time, and the second time wasn't pleasant, but he could already tell that these moments between them were special. He got Louis all to himself for just a little bit of the day. That white rabbit might have his heart, but she couldn't take these moments away from him...
He opened the box he brought with him, taking out a peanut butter bar and biting into it, chewing softly. "I brought something to eat, if you wanna try..." He said, mouth still slightly full.
"I'm okay." Louis hadn't touched his food.
"Oh, okay." Legosi sounded a bit disappointed. "I guess deer might not like peanut butter as much as canines do. My friend Jack made these." He put the rest of the bar in his mouth.
He looked down, noticing Louis looking up, so he looked up too. "The night sky looks beautiful, huh?"
"It could be more beautiful," Louis said, blankly.
"Does it upset you?"
"Yeah."
"Have you ever seen it clearer than this?"
"No. Sometimes I only see one star up there and find it a cruel metaphor."
"Well, it's probably a planet then..." Legosi quickly moved along, not wanting the deer to think he was insulting his intelligence or something. "Oh, back where I used to live, the sky would get pretty clear at night."
Louis sighed. "Cool."
"I'm sure you'll see a clear sky one day." He set the box of treats down on the ground, and slid himself up on the concrete, laying down just as Louis was, his head next to his. His ears lightly brushed his antlers. "Are you okay, Louis-senpai?"
"Sure."
Legosi sighed. He knew that wasn't true, but he wasn't going to get it out of him easily. He decided instead to speak his mind. "Thanks...for not being afraid of me..."
"I can't afford that." He brought his legs up so his knees were bent, staying on his back.
"Afford what? Being afraid?" Legosi blinked at the sky.
"Yeah."
"Well, it makes me feel good about myself..." Legosi bit his lip and fumbled with his claws. He couldn't get a peep out of the deer...
"The way I see it, we're only animals. There's no carnivore or herbivore. But instincts and society make that very tough to stand by. We can't just be animals unfortunately. Even so, you're just an animal to me. Even if you are a carnivore."
Legosi smiled. "It'd be nice if more animals could see the world like that..." Louis and Tem were the only herbivores that ever regarded him without fear...and look what happened to Tem...
He shook those thoughts from his head. "Senpai, if you're stressed out, you can tell me about it."
"It's hard, Legosi-kun," Louis looked to the side.
"It must be. And the Meteor Festival is tomorrow and everything..." He thought about what the future Beastar must be going through. "You'll make it. You have the entire club there supporting you."
"I'm just...thinking about my past. The black market brings up really bad memories."
A chill ran down Legosi's spine. "I-I'm sorry."
"It...doesn't matter."
The wolf felt like he was in a minefield. He wanted to help Louis in any way he could, but he also respected his privacy. Although, it almost seemed like he wanted to talk about it? Of course, Legosi couldn't be sure of that. "So...that's why you reacted so strongly to...hearing about us going there."
"Yeah."
Legosi stretched his arms a bit, one of his claws catching on Louis' antler slightly. He quickly retracted his hand, muttering another apology. "Well...whatever happened there, back then...you're safe now." The words felt hollow to him. He wasn't safe...he was almost eaten over a month ago.
"I never feel safe."
Legosi screwed his eyes shut. He felt so bad for what he was about to say, but he knew he would never let his instincts get the better of him again. "I'll protect you." It was quiet, and he wasn't sure Louis would even hear it.
"I don't need protection," the herbivore said, quickly.
"But...you don't feel safe."
"..." He moved his head back to look at the wolf.
Legosi felt the movement of the antlers, causing him to crane his neck, facing his snout backwards, head upside down. He looked into those big eyes, pools into Louis' fragile soul. "What is it, senpai?" He wasn't sure what Louis was looking for, but he couldn't look away either now. Those eyes always dragged him in..."Are you...feeling okay?"
Louis' eyes tore away. "Nevermind."
Legosi rolled to a sitting position, looking back at him. "You can talk to me...please..."
Louis sighed. "It's nothing," he said. "...I'm better now."
The canine laid back down, this time on his stomach, facing the other animal. "Well...I'm here for you..." He looked down at the box of treats he brought. "You sure you don't want a peanut butter bar? They're really good..."
Louis huffed. "Fine." He took one.
Legosi's tail began wagging. I hope he likes it...
Louis took a bite. He was still looking at the sky. "They're good. Thanks."
"Hehe." Legosi's tail wagged more, despite the response being a bit deadpan. He got that feeling of wanting to scoop Louis up again and hold him close. This time...he wasn't sure if that was predatory instinct. Of course Louis would shoot him if he tried. Probably.
The deer started using his own feet to take his shoes off.
Legosi, remembering the previous night, went to take his off, too. If Louis could do it, so could he! The night was warm, anyway.
The buck sat up and put his feet in the water. He looked down at his reflection again.
Legosi joined him, after a bit of fumbling. He scooched over next to him, their thighs touching ever so slightly. He had to lean down farther to look in the water. He saw a wolf and a deer staring back at him.
Louis' eyes didn't move from the concentration they held on his own mirror image. "This is wrong...Isn't it?"
Legosi chuckled. "Yeah, but nobody's going to know we're putting our feet in here."
Louis' eyes slid over to Legosi's wavy reflection in the clear water. "I meant this." How could he sit so close...
"U-us?" Legosi's tail stopped wagging. "What's wrong with it?"
"It's wrong."
The dog lowered his head even more. He knew what Louis was talking about. Carnivores and herbivores rarely got past surface level friendships, commonly, and society wasn't keen on supporting them. Romance was an entirely different story. Regardless, Legosi stayed sitting right where he was. "Well...then I'm wrong."
"What do you mean?"
The wolf curled his fingers up on his knees. "If it's so wrong to want to be close friends with an herbivore, then I'm wrong." His heart was thudding in his chest, which was strange. Even when that panda kidnapped him, he remained calm. Maybe it was the vagueness of Louis' reply...Well, the deer wasn't moving, so that was a good sign.
"It doesn't matter, Legosi-kun. Do you know why?"
"Hm?" Legosi looked over at him.
Louis looked back with a smile. "We're only animals."
Legosi blinked, before grinning slightly, his fangs poking out from his lips. His tail was wagging again. The wolf suddenly felt bold. "Louis-senpai...Would you like to go someplace sometime? Like, to hang out. Outside the school where nobody knows you're supposed to be the Beastar."
Louis considered for a moment. "Sounds very risky." He moved his feet in the water.
"That's alright! We don't have to." Legosi kicked his feet in the water, too, unable to feel sad despite the answer he was given not being the one he hoped for...
Louis looked down again. "I enjoy your company. Usually it's just me, as you know."
"Y-you do? Well I mean, that's good." Legosi thought about it. It was true. Louis was surrounded by fans, but how many friends? There was that rabbit girl...but he wasn't supposed to know about her. He didn't want to mention her unless Louis introduced her. "I'm glad I can...make you feel less lonely..."
It was strange, he was the most popular animal in school and Legosi probably had more friends than him...
"You know...It's kind of sad. My whole life, even my love life, is decided. I already have a fiancée. There's this bunny girl who loves me...But I'm torn on what to do. I can't be with her, and I don't really like my fiancé. Do you think the current Beastar went through all this before he became the Beastar?"
Legosi was taken aback. It seemed Louis had a habit of unleashing deluges of information at a moment's notice. He just gasped. "Y-you have a fiancée? Already?"
"Yes. That's why I can't be with Haru-chan, the bunny I mentioned. There's also the fact that...I don't want to spend my life with her...I don't think she's the one for me..." He looked at his reflection again. Would things be easier if he was more like Legosi?
"I...I can't imagine what that must be like. I've never been in love. It must tear you apart inside, though..."
"It does." He looked at his own eyes in the water, then at Legosi, who was looking at him.
"Haru...what's she like?"
"She can see through people. Very easily. It's...kind of scary. I don't feel like I can be myself around her, anyway. It always feels like there's a wall between me and other animals. She's...lonely. We both are." He turned his body away when he said that part. "And she's not what everyone says she is...And she loves me..."
"So...no matter which one you choose, there'll be a part of you that's not comfortable?"
"That's the pleasure of being me."
"Well...you're still young. You might find someone when you get older."
"I can't. I have a fiancée."
Legosi cocked his head, confused. "But...you're also dating this Haru girl?" He was completely clueless.
"It's more complicated than that. You wouldn't understand," Louis sighed.
"I...I guess I wouldn't." He scratched his head. "Uh, this might seem like a stupid question, but...what's it like to be in love?"
Louis looked at him, very seriously. "I wouldn't know."
"O-oh." Legosi looked back at their reflections. That was...unexpected. "...So...how do you think the festival will go tomorrow?"
"I don't know. It doesn't matter to me, superstition and romance wise."
"Ah, yeah. Juno was talking to me about how couples that place a candle underneath the dinosaur are fated to be together forever. It'd be nice if it were true...but I don't think it works that way. I didn't want to tell her that, though."
"Juno doesn't know anything she's talking about. She's just a confused pup." He frowned.
"Oh, she seemed nice every time she talked to me. I think she's glad there's another wolf in the club."
"I bet." Louis moved his feet again. "Just...be careful." He had a thought of she and Legosi lighting a candle at the festival and it felt...wrong. He didn't know why. But he didn't think the male carnivore would be happy.
The wolf looked at him with a raised eyebrow, and crooked smile "All right..?"
"It's getting late. You should go back to your dorm."
"I guess so...I should walk you back, though."
"You don't have to. I'm capable."
"B-But, a gun doesn't do any good if you get surprised, senpai!" He argued. "You could still get attacked!"
"Really, I'm fine, Legosi-kun."
"I...I..." He took his feet from the water and swung around so he was sitting opposite of Louis. "I just get really worried about you...sometimes. If something happened to you...I don't know what I'd do..."
"You shouldn't care so much," Louis said. He took his feet out of the water and swung around to grab his shoes.
"I...I do..." Legosi muttered. He picked up his box of peanut butter bars, and stepped into his shoes, shoving his discarded socks in his pocket
Louis stepped into his and got up. "Please have a good night, Legosi-kun." He didn't face him as he began walking away.
Legosi stood up, watching his new friend leave, wishing he could stay longer. "You too! Have a good night, Louis-senpai!"