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Having run all the way from his house to the campus, Laios finally reached the top of the stairs and staggered for a few steps before dropping down to his knees, and proceeded to crawl towards the wall, where he finally settled down, taking off his backpack and placing it in his lap as he leaned his back against the wall, with his eyes closed and his hand clasped over his gaping mouth to muffle his heavy breathing. He wiped his brow and cracked one eye open. Once his vision was able to focus, he checked the time on the clock affixed to the wall overhead and a sigh of relief escaped from his lips at the realisation that he made it just when Kabru’s class was about to end. That was close! Definitely made it worth running up all those stairs and nearly tripping multiple times on his way there. Slowly, carefully, with one hand covering his mouth and the other holding on to the wall, Laios got up to a crouching position and looked curiously around the hallway. As far as he could remember, this was where he dropped Kabru off earlier, and the door immediately to his right was the one he’d gone through. Now he would only have to wait for him to come out to be sure.
Annoyed by the pressure in his skull that made him feel like his ears were stuffed with cotton, combined by high-pitched buzzing, Laios rubbed his temples with a pained expression Once the ringing in his ears subsided, he was able to make out some noises coming from the other side of the door: moving chairs, shuffling feet, human voices, and it occurred to him that it would probably be a good idea to move out of the way. He sprang up to his feet, putting on his backpack, and scurried towards the corner just in time to avoid being hit by the door as a wave of students spilled out of the classroom. He stood motionless and quiet, strategically positioned behind a fake plant, trying his best to blend in with the background, his eyes scanning every passing face in search of Kabru. Just when he was starting to believe that he got the wrong classroom after all, he caught a glimpse of Kabru, who was amongst the last few people to come out, and his heart leapt in his chest.
Laios instinctively took a step forward, raising his hand in a greeting, but quickly retreated back into his corner, unsure if it would be safe to approach Kabru while there were so many people around him. It seemed that Kabru was pretty popular with this particular group. Some people stayed behind just to exchange a few words with him before they went, though Laios couldn't make out what they said. Kabru was currently talking to some girl Laios didn't recognise, listening to her speak with a patient smile and an occasional nod, giving her his full attention. For some reason, the sight made Laios feel a pang of jealousy, which in turn made him feel horribly selfish.
There was nothing wrong with Kabru talking to other people. Obviously. So, where did that feeling come from? Was it because watching Kabru treat other people the same way he treated him made their bond less special? Did he subconsciously see the girl as competition? That would've made sense, maybe, but Laios trusted Kabru way too much to be insecure about something like that. Besides, it wasn't as if he would've preferred for Kabru to only ever be nice to him and nobody else... right? That certainly never felt true until now, at least. That was just the kind of person Kabru was, nice and friendly, and really good at making others feel like he truly cared what they had to say – that was, in fact, what endeared him to Laios to begin with.Was it possible that he had a possessive streak that he wasn't aware of? That didn't really seem right, either. Laios could definitely understand why other people would want to be friends with Kabru, and Kabru himself seemed to enjoy having a lot of friends. It wouldn't be right to take that away from him, and Laios had no desire to do so. Seeing Kabru surrounded by so many people who liked him and wanted to talk to him did serve as a painful reminder of Laios' own loneliness and inability to make friends all his life, though. Was this actually what elicited the jealous reaction from him...?
Suddenly Kabru glanced past the girl's shoulder and fixed his gaze on Laios' hiding spot, his expression instantly softening into a fond, tender smile, his eyes lighting up with the joy of recognition. The whole thing only lasted for a split second before Kabru's face returned to normal as he reluctantly turned his attention to the girl again, but it was enough for Laios to forget all about whatever worries he may have had just a moment ago. His chest swelled with pride, a curious warmth spreading through his body. It felt pretty incredible to have someone like Kabru look at him with so much affection, to be able to tell just how happy he was to see him by the way he smiled at him, to remember that he willingly chose to be with him, Laios, of all people.
Kabru raised his hand to interrupt the flow of the conversation and promptly excused himself, sending the girl an apologetic smile before immediately turning his attention to Laios once again with a curious glint in his eye. Relieved not to have to hide anymore, Laios stepped out from behind the plant and raised his hand in a greeting, but, seeing Kabru dashing towards him at full speed, he instinctively spread his arms to catch him in a tight embrace. Kabru pounced on him, wrapping his arms around his neck, and gave his cheek a quick peck before pulling away, looking up at him with a wide smile. “You made it!” he beamed, his eyes twinkling with joy, both of his hands reaching for Laios'. Laios gave each of them a gentle squeeze. “I never expected anything less from you, of course,” Kabru added in a teasing tone, poking Laios' nose with his index finger. “Did you bring the goods? Other than yourself, that is,” he remarked, sending a wink.
“Aah...” Feeling his face grow warm, Laios lightly shook his head. “Y-yeah, you bet I did!” he blurted out, giving a thumbs-up, and pointed at his backpack. “I've got it all right here! I made you cheese-and-ham sandwiches with a ton of ketchup, I hope that's fine. Do you wanna eat them while we walk? It would be nice if we sat down. I dunno if there's anywhere to sit around here, and we probably don't have time for that right now anyway, but I figured it's worth a shot.”
“Ah, that's a good point... ” Kabru mused, stroking his chin. Suddenly his face lit up. “Oh, I know! There is a table near the classroom where my next lecture is to be held. That sounds like the perfect place for us to settle down and enjoy the fruits of your labour, don't you think? Assuming that it's not already occupied, that is. Well, I suppose we'd better get going if we want to claim it for ourselves, shall we?” he remarked in a playful tone, sending Laios a wink, and, without waiting for an answer, he grabbed him by the wrist and began to drag him down the hall.
Laios was perfectly happy to be led through the maze of vaguely familiar corridors and stairwells. It had been a while since his janitor gig at the university had ended, and he definitely wouldn't be able to say where each department was off the top of his head or give directions to a specific classroom, but now that he found himself inside the building, some things were definitely coming back to him. It was the same kind of familiarity one would sometimes experience in a dream, in a location they'd never been to before, and likely didn't exist anywhere in reality, and yet gave them a sense of deja vu regardless – except for the fact that he'd actually been here before, obviously.
Eventually, Laios couldn't resist the urge to ask. “What did that girl want from you?”
Kabru glanced back at him, his eyebrows raised in surprise. “Hm? Oh, she had some questions about the presentation I gave in class today,” he explained matter-of-factly.
Laios perked up, somewhat relieved. “Oh, cool. You gave a presentation? What about?”
“Well…” Kabru hesitated, crinkling his eyebrows. “I don't think that's going to tell you much, but my presentation was about non-governmental and intergovernmental organisations. I could tell you more about it if you'd like, but I'm not sure if it would hold any interest for you.”
Laios nodded. “Yeah, sure, you can tell me about it sometime. I like listening to you talk about stuff, even if I've never heard of it before. You always make it really easy to understand.”
At last, they reached the table Kabru was talking about, and were relieved to find nobody there. They sat down on the bench, their knees touching under the table, and Laios took off his backpack and rummaged through it in search of Kabru's lunch, a task that was made the slightest bit more difficult by Kabru clinging on to his arm and leaning on his shoulder. The position of his legs subtly shifted until he was basically sitting in Laios' lap, his legs thrown over his knees, and he began to pepper Laios' cheek with kisses, which only flustered him more. Finally he fished out the foil-covered sandwiches with a triumphant smile. “Here we go! You don't have to eat it all right now,” he instructed, handing Kabru the packet. “Only as much as you can handle.”
“Thank you,” Kabru hummed appreciatively, attempting to unwrap the foil with one hand. “I'm sure the sandwich is delicious, but, to be honest, I would rather be eating you right now.”
Laios considered that remark for a moment. Was that supposed to be an innuendo or not? Was Kabru into vore? That would be a little unexpected, but, at this point, he couldn't quite rule it out. More than likely, though, he meant it in a more metaphorical way. “Yeah, I can tell by the way you kissed me earlier. By the way, Kabru… Are you sure that this is fine? I mean, I don't mind it, but I figured you might want to keep it on the low when we're around people you know.”
Kabru looked up at him with wide, surprised eyes, chewing on his sandwich. Kabru always took small bites and kept them in his mouth for minutes at a time, as if he was too anxious to swallow, which probably explained why he rarely finished his meals. He'd been getting better about it, though, which was really nice to see. “Of course it's fine! Why wouldn't it be?” he asked indignantly, furrowing his brow. “I realise that it might seem contradictory given my aversion to acknowledging our relationship in a conversation, but that was not dictated by my desire to keep it secret in the first place. In fact, I'm pretty excited to show you off. You're quite the catch.” This wording conjured the image of Kabru with a fishing rod, casting bait into a river and pulling Laios out, which did seem pretty accurate. “I would hate to make you feel like I'm ashamed of our relationship, you know. That would make me a pretty terrible boyfriend, wouldn't it? Unless,” he added nervously, “you would prefer it if I kept public displays of affection to a minimum.”
“Not really. I mean, you told your friends about me, and you didn't even have to do that, which goes to show how serious you are. Besides, I don't really care who knows about us, as long as they don't hurt you. That's the only thing that's got me worried. But if you think it's fine, then it's fine.” Laios leaned his cheek against Kabru's temple. “By the way, Shuro noticed the marks.”
Kabru's eyes twinkled curiously. “Really?” he hummed, his lips curling into a wide grin behind the sandwich. “What did he say? What did you tell him?” he demanded.
Laios returned his grin. “He said that I should get it checked, and I told him that it's fine because I like them,” he said, snickering. “Ah, to be clear, I didn't tell him that you gave them to me, and I don't think he would've assumed that, so we're probably safe for now. You know…” he mused, rubbing his cheek against Kabru's temple. His fluffy hair tickled his skin and filled his nostrils with the smell of coconut oil. “It really is pretty fun to do things this way. I can see why you've been having so much fun with it. Obviously,” he added, “we're probably gonna have to tell him sooner or later, but now I kinda want to see if he figures it out on his own. Honestly, I kind of doubt it,” he added, knitting his eyebrows. “He would never believe me if I told him that I have a boyfriend. Hell, he probably wouldn't believe you, either. There's no way he's gonna know without us saying something about it.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, I've got more stuff for you.”
“Even more? Oh, you spoil me!” Kabru giggled, trying to look into his backpack.
“Yeah. You mentioned that you sleep better when you're next to me, so I figured that it might help if I gave you something that would remind you of me on the nights when we're not together,” Laios explained patiently as he pulled his wolf plushie out of his backpack. “I thought long and hard about it and figured that my best bet would be to let you borrow Anowtrid for now. I cuddle her a lot so she should smell like me, and she's really soft, too. I think you're gonna like sleeping with her,” he said fondly, petting the wolf's head as he spoke.
“Oh…” Kabru stared at the plushie in awe. Suddenly his brows furrowed and he lightly shook his head, sending Laios an apologetic look. “That's really sweet of you, and I’m very honoured, but I don't think I can accept such a responsibility. What if I lose it?”
“Oh, you're not going to. Don't worry,” said Laios dismissively, with confidence-inspiring certainty. “If you'd rather take something else, though, I guess you could take my hoodie,” he offered after a moment of consideration, tugging on the hood. “Since it's getting warmer lately, I'm probably not gonna need it anytime soon, so you can keep it for as long as you want. It's up to you, though.”
Kabru breathed a sigh of relief, nodding his head. “Yes, I will take the hoodie, thank you. I do appreciate that you were willing to entrust me with one of your plushies, though.”
“Yeah, of course! I mean, you're not the type to break my stuff on purpose, so I have no reason not to trust you.” Laios shoved the plushie back in the backpack, secretly relieved that he'd get to keep it. Still, it would probably be a good idea to give Kabru a plushie, one he could actually keep. Maybe an otter. Ah, speaking of that! He fished his sketchbook out of the backpack and flipped through the pages until he found what he was looking for. “Look!” he exclaimed excitedly, pointing at the illustration. “It's just a prototype, but I drew you as an otter, like I promised. I wasn't sure if you'd rather be a river otter or a sea otter, so I did both. I made the fur on your head a little darker and fluffier so that it looks more like your hair, see? And here…” He flipped to the next page. “Here's what our offspring might look like. The proportion of wolf and otter traits may vary from person to person depending on which genes are more dominant, so I did a few variants. This one looks more like a wolf, but has the same kind of fur as an otter so it can live in the water, and this one is more like an otter but with a wolf’s body proportions, and so on… What do you think?”
“That's fantastic! Incredible work! It feels strange to say, but you really captured my likeness,” Kabru said, his eyes twinkling with delight. “Thanks to you, I've become quite familiar with the mating habits of wolves, but I don't know anything about otters, and I feel like I should if I am to embody one. Could you tell me something about that?”
“Oh, sure! Let's see…” Laios stroked his chin. “Well, it depends on the species. Both river otters and sea otters are technically polygynous, meaning that the male will mate with multiple females, but for sea otters, they will sometimes have one mate they'll keep coming back to every year. It's more convenient to stick with one mate that you already know to be reliable. European otters, the ones that live around here, don't really interact with each other outside of the mating season. They're very territorial. When a female wants to be with a specific male, she'll enter his territory and signal her readiness to mate. Once they're done, though, that's it. The males aren't involved in raising the pups at all.” He wagged his index finger. “Oh, by the way, the reason why male otters mate with multiple females is that the rate of mating-related fatalities is super high. You see, otters mate in water,” he explained, illustrating the process with rich gesticulation, “and the male holds the female down and bites her face and neck to get her to stay still, and a lot of the females will die from stress or drowning in the middle of coitus. You'll want to mate with as many females as possible to raise the odds that at least one of them will be able to live through the pregnancy.”
Kabru grimaced, furrowing his brow. “That’s awful.”
“Yeah, well. That's just how it is sometimes in nature,” Laios observed matter-of-factly. “It is pretty bad for the otters, though. Their population's been dwindling because so many of them die before they can reproduce,” he added, stroking the side of his nose with his index finger.
“I'm not sure that I want to be an otter anymore,” Kabru said miserably.
Laios regarded him with mild curiosity. It was always interesting to see how other people's reactions to learning about wildlife differed from his own. “Well, if it bothers you so much, we can always change your fursona to something else, but there's always gonna be something else that comes up. That's just how it is with animals. You've got to remember that being a furry isn't the same as being the animal itself, though. Sure, you borrow some of their traits, but not all of them, and you get to keep your personality, too. From everything I know about you,” he went on, subconsciously adopting a softer tone, “I bet you'd be the gentlest mate anybody could ask for, regardless of species. All the otter ladies would wanna mate with you, since they'd know that you would make sure that they wouldn't get hurt. That's what I think, at least,” he concluded clumsily.
Kabru sighed softly. “That does make me feel a little better, thank you.” He stroked his chin thoughtfully, his lips curling into a smile. “I’d be popular with the otter ladies, you say? That flatters me,” he murmured, glancing at Laios curiously from the corner of his eye. “ And yet, instead of any of them, I chose to mate with a wolf-man. Funny how that goes, I suppose.”
“Yeah...” Laios studied Kabru's face for a moment, trying to determine if the remark was supposed to be a call-out for him getting jealous earlier. Kabru must have realised that – he was really good at reading people, and especially good at figuring out what Laios was thinking. But all he could see in his gentle smile and bright eyes was confirmation that he chose the wolf-man knowing full well what he was getting into, and would happily choose him every time no matter what, even if it would make things harder for him in the long run, and the intensity and conviction behind his feelings made Laios' heart squeeze in his chest. “Yeah,” he repeated in a soft whisper, burying his face in Kabru's hair, his arms wrapping tightly around his body.