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“Sorry, but Louis isn’t here,” the doe, who Legoshi couldn’t help but recognize as Louis’ wife, revealed as she held the door open. The wolf’s ears drooped, eyes lowered toward her green dress, feeling like a bumbling idiot.
In the corner of his eye, he could see Azuki’s questioning gaze leap from his silly colorful cone hat, the party blower that nearly punched her when she first opened the door, and finally, the slice of strawberry cake he waved around. Likely out of sheer pity for the overly celebratory wolf, Azuki informed, “He said he was going home.”
Legoshi hummed in acknowledgement as he disarmed the party blower from his mouth—pocketing it for later use—to mutter, ”Thank you.” Although he wasn’t confident he even expressed it loud enough for her to hear.
“Good luck. I hope you find him,” Azuki affirmed, slowly craning the door shut. Legoshi nodded instead, finding it easier than scaring her with a glimpse at his fiendish fangs. With a tail tucked between legs, Legoshi sauntered away, nose twitching as he subconsciously followed the faint trail Louis left behind this morning.
It was potent enough to calm some of the wolf’s woes. Before he could reach the elevator, the door suddenly swung open again, Azuki exclaiming, “Can a carnivore like you really make Louis happy!?”
The chilled room ran its coarse fingers through the wolf’s spine, Legoshi immediately straightened his back, whipping his head back around with surprise. He swallowed the lump in his throat before sort of answering, “What… Uh, what did Louis tell you?” If Louis had said nothing regarding the nature of their relationship, Legoshi was in no position to expose him, especially not to his legitimate wife.
Another look of pity flashed across Azuki’s face as she revealed, “Even I can tell his heart’s taken refuge in another place. And I know I forgot his birthday today, but a carnivore? Is he mocking me?” Her fingers fiddled with the knob nervously, repeatedly twisting it side to side.
Her revelation caused Legoshi to feel strange inside, wishing he could just shrivel up and disappear on the spot. “I…” he realized she was waiting for his response, “I don’t know…” Legoshi muttered. She was right. How could a carnivore make an herbivore like Louis happy?
“Of course you don’t know…” The answer teetering the fence wasn’t what Azuki was looking for. However, she must’ve realized who she was speaking to: Louis’ preferred partner. With a softening voice, she concluded, “Look…forget what I said… Just wish him a happy birthday for me, alright?”
Legoshi nodded, only to quicken the end of their discussion. Thankfully, Azuki hurriedly shut the door, as if afraid she’d be made victim to the wolf’s hunger. With a solemn sigh, Legoshi turned away, closing the gap between him and the elevator to hit the button for a ride.
It’d take a while for it to come: the couple(? Legoshi wasn’t sure how else to call Louis and Azuki) lived in a penthouse. But he was ok with this, it gave him time to reflect on Azuki’s hint.
If their apartment wasn’t home to Louis, then what was? The Horns Estate? It made sense. There were so many servants, they could hold a banquet for Louis with so much more to offer, more than what a measly strawberry cake could. Legoshi spared the dessert a weak frown, just now realizing how tasteless it was.
Ding. The elevator doors opened, thankfully vacant—an herbivore would rather use the stairs than be trapped in an elevator with him. As Legoshi stepped in and pressed for the first floor, he thought before he sought out for the massive manor.
“This was a mistake. Sorry for dragging you here,” Louis told him in the confines of his bedroom with a sigh. Legoshi frowned, both in his memory and present. At the time, Louis originally planned on upping Legoshi’s marine speak over the summer—it was a useful skill to have, according to the deer—but the swarm of stares at the wolf’s arrival easily made things harder. “If I’d known how they’d treat you…I’d have invited you somewhere quieter.”
Louis muttered that last part, but it was frivolous to think it’d escape the ears of a wolf. Ding. Legoshi quickly scurried past the extravagant guests crowding the elevator seeking to enter, all herbivores, some staring. Pushing past the doors of the entrance, Legoshi made sure not to look back. Louis always told him not to.
Stumbling through the sidewalk awkwardly, Legoshi glanced in every direction, past every animal, for another hint of Louis’ home. He’d already graduated from Cherryton Academy, so thinking of their dorms was an inane idea.
Drop. Legoshi froze, eyes widening: the drop of carnivore drool—a lion suffering from meat withdrawals, evident by the sporadic twitch in his hand—broadened the wolf’s horizon to someplace he didn’t even want to conceive. He prayed Louis hadn’t actually entertained the idea.
But he would. He was Louis after all.
“It’ll be fine. This is my home." The resurgent memory immediately caused Legoshi to take off, practically squeezing the cake against his chest whilst hopelessly hoping for the combined safety of the pastry and Louis. “This was a wet market. I guess you could say I was raised here.”
Legoshi muttered a multitude of apologies as he scurried past animals big and small, squeezing past an elephant, nearly punting a lemur. The black market wasn’t far. Was that why Louis lived here? So he’d always be close to “home”? No matter how homely and comforting it may be to Louis, the old livestock tower was in the depths of purgatory, crawling with meat addicts, and he was still a deer.
The stench of meat in the air warned Legoshi of his arrival, his nose wrinkling in disgust. Briefly glancing down, the plastic container had been painted white from the inside, the actual cake losing all of its essential frosting. Legoshi whined, already predicting just how Louis would scold him for attempting to offer something so banal.
Regardless, his grip on the dessert tightened, spotting the broken tower in the distance. Slowly, Legoshi’s legs came to a halt, the wolf wildly panting as he lowered a hand to grasp a knee. The overhead rays of sunlight pointed to a small opening to the basement through iron bars, briefly catching his attention.
Ultimately, Legoshi quickly regained his bearings, storming inside. “Louis!?” he exclaimed, whipping his head in every direction. Although he had to stop due to getting dizzy from all the aggressive shaking.
Taking another bout of respite, Legoshi shut his eyes to use the time to wonder: if he were a dramatic, bold, affluent, cute, good-looking, stupidly handsome, debonair, deer, where would he hide? The last couple of biased adjectives caused Legoshi to open his eyes with a frown. Although they weren’t wrong.
His gaze landed on the stairs. Legoshi swallowed his last breath before darting towards it, downstairs, where all the depressing cellulars were. “Louis!?” he yelled again, only catching sight of hollow cells behind dirtied bars.
The lack of response caused the wolf to whimper. If the basement wasn’t so dusty and sneeze inducing, he would’ve tried searching for the deer’s scent. Despite the lack of utility he could utilize, Legoshi was blindly confident he was here, approaching one of the grim enclosures.
To boldly prove himself right, he slammed his foot against a bar, instantly yelping and recoiling in pain. Through his hissing, Legoshi raised an ear in suspense. The only response was silence, maybe a subtle creak. Regardless, the wolf’s expectation died down, reflecting in his drooping ear.
Lifting his hand to inspect the cake, the corners of Legoshi’s mouth fell: During his delirious daze, he’d unconsciously squeezed it, the smidgen of pressure causing the plastic to bend unevenly. With a sigh, Legoshi turned back around towards the stairs. Although his instinct was wrong—greatly saddening him—he figured the next place of interest would be the Shishigumi.
“Fuck!” a familiar voice screamed from afar.
The yell quelled Legoshi’s worries, a smile spreading across his face as he began to rush over. “Louis!” he exclaimed, mostly feeling relieved having found the deer whilst some other part of the wolf felt bad for causing him pain.
Inside the only cell with its door wide open, Louis tightly held onto his right foot, left curled up against the floor littered with playing cards, each painted with spades, hearts, diamonds, and numbers in black or red.
Slowly, the deer glanced up at him, curious at first, then surprised by Legoshi’s sudden arrival and appearance. “Legoshi…?” he muttered, eyes widening once he realized why the wolf was here.
Although, besides Louis, he wasn’t the only herbivore inside. Kyuu looked up at him with her immoveable blank expression, cigarette in one hand, cards in the other. San stared intensely at his own deck of cards, either not hearing or not caring. At least until he was elbowed in the arm by Kyuu. “Degoshi’s here,” she informed, the alpaca’s gaze flickering from the rabbit to the wolf.
“Oh, Legoshi!” San exclaimed with a big, inviting grin. He gestured towards the grimy floor, a stack of cards sticking to it. “Have you come to join us?”
Louis immediately swung his torso back up, head darting toward San to exclaim, “No! He’s not playing!” Before whipping it back around to Legoshi. The other two herbivores emitted a disgruntled grumble, seemingly getting bored of just the three of them.
It may’ve dawned on Louis why Legoshi was here, but it was also painfully obvious why his foot was suddenly struck with phantom pain, accusing, “Y-You did that on purpose!” Legoshi frowned, muttering an apology, to which Louis vented a sigh.
To make it up to him, Legoshi placed the party horn back in his mouth as he crouched beside the curious deer. In one swift motion, he thrust the crushed cake forward, into Louis’ chest, and blew into the mouth piece, the plastic propelling forward. “Happy birthday, Louis,” Legoshi said, shying away as his party blower drooped.
Hearing his proclamation, Kyuu and San instantly darted their heads at their friend. Surprisingly, not a lot of people knew about Louis’ birthday. “Is it really your birthday, Louis? Why didn’t you tell us!” Although the deer waved San and his concerns away with one hand and accepted the pastry with the other.
Once Louis’ (and the others) gaze locked onto the plastic container, mostly unrecognizable with its white painted interior and crushed exterior, Legoshi practically shrunk, a small whine escaping his throat. “What’s with the face?” Louis asked, glancing back up at him with a raised brow, ignoring the dessert’s horrendous condition.
“I couldn’t afford a real cake…” Legoshi murmured, pulling away the party horn from his mouth to begin scraping up the abandoned cards off the floor. “Sorry if it’s bad…”
Louis hummed as he popped open the lid, properly revealing the wounded cake slice lacking any frosting with bits crumbling off. His gaze glossed over Legoshi a second time before asking, “You didn’t bring a utensil?” The wolf whimpered again, remembering the vendor shouting something to him as he left, but he was too overjoyed having bought something with his own money for Louis to listen. It was probably that.
The lid was placed back on as Louis asked, “How much did it cost?” However, by Legoshi’s frown—partly because of a particularly rebellious card refusing to peel off—it was clear he was reluctant to answer, knowing what Louis was scheming. His stare caused the deer to smirk.
“I don’t want you knocking on my door late at night telling me how this,” he lifted the container up, “was the reason why you’re homeless,” Louis joked. However, if Legoshi pulled out his wallet, the possibility wasn’t impossible. As Louis set the cake down on the floor, he continued, “But seriously, if you need help financially, just ask.”
He always said that, and Legoshi always declined. “I don’t want your money, Louis,” he began as he drew closer to offer the deer his deck.
Slightly startled at his sudden approach, it took a while for Louis to tear his eyes away from Legoshi’s, down at the wolf’s hands, then even longer to realize what he was holding before accepting it. “I just want you,” Legoshi concluded with a playful pout.
The two briefly stared at each other longly before, again, Louis was the first to lose the staring contest, focusing solely on Legoshi’s lips. He knew what he wanted, so Louis slowly- “Are you two going to kiss?” a spectator asked right beside them.
Only after the question was asked did either of them realize that, on one side, an alpaca was curiously calculating the distance between their faces, and on the other, the stingy stench of cigarettes was much closer.
Louis immediately withdrew from what almost looked like a four way kiss, glancing over at San in surprise as he exclaimed, “Huh!?” Across from the deer, Legoshi pulled back, wrinkling his nose whilst fastly fanning a hand over it to drive away the smokey smell.
“I asked if you were going to kiss him,” San repeated, staring at Louis’ reddened face before turning to Legoshi now. “Are you two a couple?”
“Degoshi in love? With Rouis?” the gruff voice of Kyuu assessed as she and San huddled back around their paused game of what Legoshi just realized was poker. “How annoying.”
“I-It’s not like that!” Louis blurted, joining their circle as he wildly waved his hands. However, hearing a whine from behind immediately caused the deer to turn back around to reassure, “Wait! I didn’t mean it like that!”
A puff of smoke wafted into the air as Kyuu removed her cigarette from her mouth. “Are you dating or not?” she asked, glare shifting between the dreadful deer, woeful wolf, and her shortening cigarette stick.
“He’s married…” Legoshi answered with an aloof air before Louis could spew out any more lies. Glancing to the deer, he added, “She wanted me to wish you a happy birthday, too.”
San was more surprised at that, briefly clapping as he cheered, “Congratulations, Louis! You’re better off than us.” While Kyuu hummed in agreement, she still seemed bothered by the idea of marriage, or just love at all.
The message conveyed via proxy caused Louis to grimace, clearly Azuki was the farthest thing from his mind at the moment. “Thank you…” he muttered, uncomfortably shifting on the floor. It was clear he wanted to say more, but refrained himself before he made a fool of himself.
Afterward, a moment of silence elapsed. In it, Legoshi curled into a ball, slowly dragging the strained string off his head. Meanwhile, Louis pressed his flat teeth against his lip, biting back more misinterpretable words. “...Why are you two looking at each other like that?” San inquired, squinting his eyes between the two.
Back stiffening, Louis yelped, “Like what!?” Even without speaking on it, he was saying too much.
“Like longing lovers. If you’re gay for each other, just say that,” Kyuu remarked, flicking away her cigarette to exchange it for a new one from a box labelled “Paruboro”. She glanced over at Louis to add, “I think it’s more surprising that you’re married to a woman than dating a guy.”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?” Louis exclaimed with a huff, however he quickly calmed himself with a sigh. Regrettably, he began, “Legoshi and I…”
That was all Louis could muster, for now. Seeing this, whilst meticulously eyeing his own deck, San piped up, “I think it’s pretty obvious… When we first found you after you both fell from the roof, you two were in a pretty compromising position…” Louis frowned and glanced away, attempting to hide his blush. Conversely, Legoshi squeezed his eyes shut, mentally berating his tail for retaliating against his wishes at the memory.
“That’s…” Louis muttered, gaze lowering to the cake beside him, untouched, still in its messy plastic container. Behind him, Legoshi was waiting for them to hold a real celebration for the deer. Steeling himself, he faced San and Kyuu, announcing, “Fine! We’re dating!”
“A royal flush!” San exclaimed, placing his deck flat against the floor. Legoshi’s eyes glanced over each of its faces before remembering he didn’t know how to play. “Sorry about that. I’ve been holding it for a while and couldn’t wait any longer. That, and I wanna know what happened to your foot. Did you hit it on anything?”
Louis stared at the cards with a flat frown before tossing his pile away. Despite the inquiry on the injury, he didn't want to see what Legoshi would look like turned into a rug for harming the deer. “Nothing. You win this time. I’m done,” he deadpanned whilst scooting away, close enough to touch Legoshi shoulder to shoulder.
The brushing of their forearm fur caused the wolf to silently placate, unbothered by how uncontrollably his tail wagged this time. “We already said it was obvious,” Kyuu informed, stacking the cards together before cramming them into an empty cigarette box—different from her own. Legoshi wondered if they’d lost the original box.
While Louis placed his cake into his lap—feeling oddly affectionate toward the disastrous delicacy—San continued, "I think we ought to celebrate! Is that why you were so adamant about seeing us?” Louis hummed as his fingers found the plastic, playing with the crushed container as if it were anything special.
“You didn’t give us time to get you a gift,” Kyuu mused, tossing the pack of cards onto her bed. “All I can offer you now is a smoke.”
“I don’t want presents from anyone…” Louis muttered. Beside him, Legoshi felt slightly reassured that Louis wasn’t secretly upset at the lack of surprise gifts. Or maybe he was and just hid it well. Legoshi began to stare harder at him for any inkling of doubt. “Why is everyone so intent on getting me something…?”
The wolf’s gaze must’ve been intense, as Louis glanced up at him. “What is it this time?” he asked with a raised brow. With how close Legoshi’s face was, Louis was quick to misconstrued his intentions.
Placing a hand under Legoshi’s muzzle, Louis guided it closer, pressing their lips together for a quick peck. Legoshi immediately flinched away, eyes widened, jaw slack, needlessly startled by the sudden act of intimacy, especially in front of others. “Don’t act so innocent now. You’re the one who initiated it, so see it through,” Louis criticized with an accusatory finger pointing him out.
As Legoshi subconsciously licked his lips, the taste of Louis resurging, laughter erupted from the side. “That’s the first time I’ve ever seen a carnivore scared of an herbivore!” San noted, rubbing his chin in intrigue. Legoshi glanced over with a frown, realizing he’d never let the wolf live it down.
“Keep your lovey-dovey stuff to yourselves,” Kyuu sneered, her already dark glare darkening. And after some contemplation, she added, “But make sure you treat him right.”
The contrasting reactions tossed Legoshi into a whirlwind of emotions, but grounded enough for him to rapidly nod in panicked agreement. Even without her warning the wolf was already determined to treat Louis as if he were a prince—which in some way, he kind of already was.
“That’s enough. Lest you scare him off,” the deer sighed, although he knew Legoshi was far too loyal for that. While getting up, cake in one hand, he gestured with the other for the wolf to follow, who’d quickly done so, clinging to his side even harder now. Glancing back at the amused alpaca and pouting rabbit, the deer added, “Come on, you guys too. I know a bar in the black market that’ll serve us.”
San was the first to move with mirth, evident by his elated smile. “It’s been a while since we had a night out on the town! But aren’t you a lightweight, Louis?” he asked to the deer’s dismay.
“That doesn’t matter! I was gonna order vegetable juice anyway!” Louis exclaimed, grumbling as he watched the alpaca snicker. Relinquishing his frustration through a sigh, he turned to Kyuu to ask, “Are you coming?”
Amidst her frown, she seemed to really be considering her answer. Eventually, she pocketed her cigarette box and lighter. “Fine. As long as you two can keep it in your pants for each other,” she answered whilst joining their side. San’s attempt at hiding his giggles hadn’t gone unheard by the wolf, ear raising.
“No promises…” Louis muttered with a frown. Although Legoshi merely looked down at him in confusion, then at their pants. They looked fine to him. Still, on their way out, he double checked his belt as Louis informed, “I should mention there’s no smoking in the bar.”
Kyuu frowned.
Some time after escaping the dingy and rotten basement, Louis glanced up at Legoshi. “Sorry for vanishing this morning without a word, but how exactly did you find me?” he curiously asked. Conversely, and to his annoyance, Legoshi was made alarmingly aware of the way the fur on their fingers brushed past each other, just shy of any real contact.
“Oh, nothing really!” Legoshi exclaimed, ear flicking in an attempt to avoid eavesdropping on the conversation behind him between Kyuu and San, discussing their thoughts on Louis’ potential infidelity. “I just remembered a couple of things you said!”
Louis hummed in acknowledgement, gaze dropping down to the cake. As the sun hit their figures, Legoshi sighed, he couldn’t help the desire for more creeping in. To keep their relationship in the dark, only open for a select few, the wolf wasn’t sure what to make of it.
At the very least, according to Azuki, Louis had no interest in pursuing anything with her. But seemingly neither did he intend on moving forward with Legoshi. Suddenly, the wolf yelped, back stiffening as he immediately looked down at his hand. In it was Louis’, their fingers interlaced.
Quickly checking back on the deer, Louis gave him a small smirk, however something about it wasn’t comforting. Not this time. And it was apparent to them both. “You seemed so deep in thought. What about?” he asked, attempting to squeeze the wolf’s hand affectionately.
But it just baffled Legoshi even more. “It’s nothing…” he murmured, glancing away, down at the measly paved road.
“That means it’s definitely something,” Louis sighed, grip subconsciously tightening on the wolf. Despite shoving it to the crevice of his mind, it didn’t take a lot of thought for the deer to piece things together. Eventually, he glanced over his shoulder to inform, “The bar’s just up ahead. Go without us.”
While initially confused, Kyuu and San soon overtook them as the rabbit grunted, “Don’t do anything funny.” Although, maybe having understood their request for privacy, the alpaca hurried her, leaving behind a trail of nervous laughter.
Alone now, Louis weighed his words as their steps stopped. “Knowing Azuki, she wasn’t the most amiable to you, was she?” he began, looking down at their mundane, trivial shoes.
However, before he could continue, an index finger was laid under his chin in order to lift it. “Louis, it’s your birthday. I don’t want you to worry…” Legoshi muttered, although it wasn’t enough to hide the sadness afflicting him.
“And I don’t want you to worry! You know it was an arranged marriage!” Louis asserted. If it meant never having to see such a downtrodden expression from his wolf again, the deer would do anything. “If blowing out the candles did anything, I’d be with you.”
As if sensing how serious Louis was about this, partially taken aback for only a moment, Legoshi lowered his hand. Suddenly, Louis felt a pinky finger wrap around his own. From the corner of his eye, he watched their locked pinkies raise. “Then let’s make it a promise,” Legoshi answered, a bright light of delight returning in the glint of his eyes.
“You really believe a pinky promise will work?” Louis asked, unable to resist the urge to smile even a little. With a sigh, and Legoshi’s almost immature gaze, the deer concluded, “I’ll swallow a thousand needles if I can’t convince my father.”
Although the deserved punishment only brought Legoshi distress, exclaiming, “You don’t have to go that far!” With how panicked he was, it was as if he could really picture the deer tormenting himself with the unsavory meal.
Failing to stifle his laughter, Louis giggled as he undid the interlacing of their pinkies to instead grasp Legoshi, hand in hand. “It’s too late! I’ve already made up my mind down to the pack of needles I’ll buy. Or did you want to choose?” he asked as he began to drag the wolf away.
Legoshi could only grumble in response, neglecting to name any brands. “No needles, then? Fine. Let’s just celebrate for now. They’re waiting for us. And you can put back on your silly hat,” Louis mused as he let go to open the door to the bar.
“It’s not silly!” Legoshi exclaimed, having grown quite attached to its bright colors. Although, as they stepped inside, Legoshi fetched it from where he crammed everything: his pocket. Slowly stretching the string under his snout, he added, “It wasn’t cheap either…”
Squeezing his hand, Louis glanced back at him to assure, “I’ll pay you back for it.”