Chapter Text
Legoshi stared down at his folded hands, trying not to watch the city pass through the tinted car window. They were on their way to the city suburbs, going to his old neighborhood where Gosha still lived. He was nervous, extremely so, and he was trying to distract himself by staring at his rough hands. It wasn’t working.
He saw a tan-furred hand cover his, and looked up. He had been so deep in his thoughts that he didn’t notice Louis had scooted towards him.
“Babe, are you feeling alright?” Louis asked softly. Nothing could get past the deer, not that Legoshi was hiding his nervousness really well.
Legoshi leaned against his boyfriend, Louis letting out a small grunt of exertion as he suddenly had to support the large wolf.
“Yeah, I’m fine…” Legoshi sighed, slightly upset at himself for worrying him. “Louis, you- ”
He paused. Did he want to worry Louis more? Today was supposed to be relaxing. They had slept in together, watched an old action movie, and now they were on their way to Gosha’s house so Louis could meet his grandpa.
He knew he should have told Louis about his… unique heritage sooner, but every time he wanted to tell him, he got too scared of the answer and backed out.
And now it was too late.
“I what, Legoshi? Are you really okay? We can go back home if you’re not feeling well, I’m sure your grandfather would understand.”
Legoshi flinched. Of course Gosha would understand, he was so used to being treated differently for being a Komodo dragon. He had been trying very hard to re-establish a good relationship with his grandpa, so today was very important for them.
“No, no. I’m fine, I promise. I’m just nervous about you meeting my grandpa. He’s…”
‘A Komodo dragon!’ Legoshi’s mind supplied. But he couldn’t say that, he couldn’t ambush Louis with that knowledge right before they met (not that Louis finding out first-hand was any better). Instead, Legoshi finished with,
“... a bit eccentric.”
Louis laughed, kissing the top of Legoshi’s head, only able to reach because Legoshi was still leaning against him.
“I’m sure we’ll get along great, honey. And if we don’t, that’s totally okay. Remember, you didn’t get along with my dad at first, but now you guys can have conversations longer than two sentences!” Louis said cheerily.
Both of them turned their heads as they heard a knock on the driver’s partition. Louis reached over to lower the divider, Legoshi’s head flopping into Louis’ lap as the deer leaned to hit the window switch.
“What’s up, Dolph?” Louis asked, sitting upright once more and idly scratching Legoshi’s ears.
“Pardon for the intrusion, Boss. I just wanted to inform you that we’re almost to the destination.”
“Thanks, Dolph. And thank you for driving us.”
“Of course, Boss. It was my turn this week.” the lion replied matter-of-factly, before he raised the partition once more.
Louis sighed. He looked down at Legoshi, shaking his head. “I don’t know why he’s still so serious around me, it’s a little awkward. All the other lions treat me more like family than as their boss now, but he’s still… stiff.”
“He’s just doing his job, Louis. Most of the time when you interact with him, he’s on guard duty or chauffeur duty, so of course he’s going to be serious. He doesn’t want you to get hurt.”
Louis raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“What? Sometimes when you’re doing paperwork you actually have to focus on, I get bored and talk to whoever is at the hideout. Most of the time they’re drunk or high on silvervine, so I get pretty truthful answers.”
“Hmph. Makes sense, I guess. Never thought of it that way.”
They fell into a comfortable silence, Louis idly scratching and petting Legoshi. The wolf had closed his eyes, trying to focus on how Louis’ fingers ran through his fur. It was only a couple minutes more before the car stopped, Dolph getting out and opening the door.
“Boss, please call me when you’re done, and I’ll come as quickly as possible.” He said, helping Louis out of the vehicle. Legoshi exited out the other side, closing the door and joining his deer.
“Legoshi, I’m entrusting the Boss to you, please take care of him. Have a nice dinner.”
And with that, Dolph bowed and got back in the car, pulling away from the curb and driving back towards the city.
It was only then that Louis realized how far outside the city they were. It didn’t feel like they’d been driving all that long, but the skyscrapers looked so much smaller than Louis was used to. It felt… freeing.
Louis turned around, looking up and down the street at all the buildings. They were all very different, mismatched. Old and new houses standing side by side, some small apartment complexes, and Louis could even see a small market further down the street, some beasts milling about near the entrance. Despite how all the styles of buildings should have clashed, all of it came together nicely. Louis had never been here before, and yet he felt almost nostalgic just looking at them.
As Louis excitedly drank in the mundanity of suburbia, Legoshi was feeling differently about being here. He was staring at the building right in front of them, arms crossed in worry.
The wolf had been here only a month ago, visiting his grandpa (something he’d been trying to do more often). He’d finally asked him if he’d like to meet Louis in person.
Gosha had said yes, of course, and now Legoshi was about to deal with the consequences of his actions.
“I didn’t know you grew up in the suburbs!” Louis finally said, uncrossing Legoshi’s arms to hold his hand.
“Yeah, I grew up here. Jack did too, actually, we went to the same school. Anyways, my grandpa lives in here.”
Legoshi gestured in front of them with his free hand, towards his childhood home. In reality it was an apartment complex, but it still looked the same as always, even after all these years.
“You ready?” Legoshi asked, turning to Louis despite the question really being for himself.
“Yes. I’m excited, I hope your grandfather has pictures of you as a puppy!”
Legoshi groaned as he led Louis towards the entrance. “He totally does, and he’s totally going to show you. You won’t even have to ask.” They got to the second floor, and a couple doors down. He raised his hand to knock, hesitating a bit before going through with it.
“One moment, please!” a voice called out from inside the apartment. They waited a bit, Louis still firmly holding Legoshi’s hand, before the door opened.
A Komodo dragon wearing a rugged-looking half gas-mask and a knitted sweater stood in front of them, staring directly at Louis.
The deer was confused. Who was this? The mask they wore looked like the ones the Dokugumi used, to keep their venom contained. That made Louis feel a bit safer, he had seen how the Dokugumi could melt walls with their venom.
But that still didn’t answer the question. Were they at the wrong door? Legoshi had his moments of brainlessness, but there was no way he had gotten this confused. Didn’t he visit his grandfather last month? There’s no way he had moved in that time, and hadn’t told his only grandson.
Louis started to feel a bit awkward. Each second that passed felt like an entire minute, and nobody had said anything. He squeezed Legoshi’s hand, trying to get the wolf to speak. Thankfully, Legoshi got the message, and broke the silence.
“Grandpa, this is my boyfriend, Louis. Louis, this is my grandpa, Gosha.”
Louis was about to faint. This was Gosha? How was that even possible? Was it even possible?
The Komodo dragon suddenly sprang to life. His voice was muffled a bit by the large mask, but his joyous tone was unmistakable. “It’s nice to see you, Legoshi, thank you for visiting again.” He held his arms up for a hug, Legoshi letting go of Louis’ hand to embrace his grandfather. Once their hug was done, Gosha turned to Louis, holding out a scaled hand.
“And it’s so nice to finally meet you, Louis! Legoshi has told me so much about you, I’m glad he’s finally found someone who can make him smile.”
Louis was still in a stupor, his father’s teachings thankfully kicking in and giving Gosha a firm handshake.
“Y-yes, of course, Sir. It’s nice to meet you, too.” Louis managed to say, trying to keep the confusion out of his voice.
“Well, come in, please.” Gosha took a step back, giving them room to come through the door.
Legoshi led Louis into the apartment, a small hallway leading forward then off to the left, in front of them Louis could smell the kitchen. He looked up at the walls. There were only three pictures hanging in the hall, one of a young Legoshi, and the other two of graceful looking female wolves. Louis realized they were probably Legoshi’s mother and grandmother, but he wondered which was which?
“I’ve spent all day cleaning, so there’s no reason to worry, Louis.” The Komodo said after he closed the door. “That being said, if you start to feel itchy at all, please tell me.” Gosha walked past them, making for the kitchen. Legoshi followed dutifully, gently pulling Louis further into the apartment.
When they got to the kitchen, Legoshi pulled out a chair for Louis, guiding the deer to sit down. The food was already waiting for them, a couple of take-out containers at the front of the dining table. Gosha went to the opposite side, taking the lone seat at the end.
“I’m sorry it’s not my own cooking, Louis, I hope you understand.” Gosha said, gesturing to his mask.
“It’s no problem, Sir.” Louis said, voice only wavering a little bit as he put on a facade of ‘knowing what the hell was going on’.
“Please, call me Gosha.”
“Of course, Gosha.” Louis replied smoothly, mask falling into place. He wanted so badly to freak out, to demand Legoshi explain exactly what was going on, but he didn’t. He needed to trust Legoshi, and that was that.
Louis opened the box in front of him. He was greeted by a steaming pile of yakisoba, smiling as the rich flavor reached his nostrils. Louis waited for Legoshi and Gosha to be ready to eat, when he noticed Gosha didn’t have any food in front of him.
Gosha saw Louis’ concerned gaze, and waved him off. “Don’t worry about me, Louis. I’ve already eaten. I wanted to keep the venom mask on, to be safe.”
Legoshi had started eating, and Louis could tell the wolf was enjoying it. Louis dug in as well, eating the delicious noodles with gusto. They ate quickly, it had been a while since they had lunch.
“You enjoyed it, I hope?” Gosha asked after Louis finished his food. Louis nodded enthusiastically, wiping his muzzle with a napkin.
“Yes, it was fantastic. Thank you for having me.”
“What a cordial young man you are. So, Legoshi tells me you two met at Cherryton?”
“Yes, Si- Yes, Gosha. I was his senior at Cherryton, we were in the Drama Club together.”
“Oh yes, he mentioned that. What he hasn’t mentioned was how you two actually got together, if you don’t mind my asking.”
“O-oh, um…” Louis looked over at Legoshi, the wolf mouthing a small ‘Sorry.’
“Well, to make a long story short, I helped him out of a bad situation last New Year’s, and that made me realize I loved him. I confessed to him a little over a week later, and thankfully he felt the same way.”
“Aw, how lovely.” Gosha said, smiling behind his mask. “I remember a couple days after that New Year’s, when he told me he had fallen in love with a herbivore. I was a little shocked, I never would have guessed that inter-special romance runs in the family!” The Komodo laughed heartily at his own joke.
“Yeah, haha.” Legoshi laughed along, feeling guilty as Louis gave him a pointed look. “Grandpa, is it okay if I show Louis my old room really quickly? He told me earlier he wanted to see it.”
“Of course, of course. I’ll clean up here, you two take your time.” Legoshi stood up, motioning for Louis to follow him. They returned to the hallway, reaching the last door and going into Legoshi’s room.
The wolf gently closed the door, then turned around. Louis was standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed and an eyebrow raised expectantly. “Eccentric, huh?”
“Louis, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.” Legoshi said quietly, not wanting his voice to carry. His ears were flat against his head, and he was wringing his hands nervously. “I just… wasn’t sure how you’d react to… me being a hybrid.”
Seeing Legoshi’s fear, Louis deflated. He hugged Legoshi, holding his wolf as tightly as he could.
“Legoshi, there’s nothing that could change the way I feel about you. For Rex’s sake, you ate my leg and I still love you.”
“I know…” Legoshi whined. He hugged Louis back. “I kept telling myself that, but… I don’t know, I was still worried. I’m sorry.”
“There’s no reason to be sorry. I understand, I was just a little shocked that your grandfather was a Komodo dragon! Is there anything else you need to tell me?”
Legoshi kissed Louis, then mumbled, “That I love you.”
“I love you too, Legoshi. … So this is your room?”
Legoshi let go of Louis, moving to sit on his bed. “Yeah. Now you understand why I thought your bedroom was huge, huh?” He patted the covers next to him, and the deer sat down.
Louis looked around as they sat in silence. The room was an average size, Legoshi’s bed was in the corner, with a small desk next to it.
The wall above the desk was littered with drawings of bugs, all varying in level of detail. There was even an illustrated poster with a menagerie of different bugs, all of them labeled with a common and scientific name.
“Wow, you really liked bugs as a kid, huh?”
The wolf scratched the back of his neck, embarrassed as Louis pointed out a particularly old drawing, made with crayons and sloppily labeled ‘Soljr Beetl.’
“I still do, you know. Back at Cherryton I had a pet Rhinoceros Beetle named Kabu.” He stood up, holding out a hand to help Louis up. “Um, anyways, we should go, my grandpa is probably waiting for us.”
They went back to the hallway, closing the door behind them and going partway down the hall. In the living room there was a shelf with more photos, an old couch facing an even older television, and a sliding glass door that led to a small balcony overlooking the neighborhood.
“We’re back, Grandpa.” Legoshi said as they entered, Gosha looking up.
“Oh, welcome back! I was just looking through these photos of Legoshi as a pup. Would you like to see, Louis?”
“I told you.” Legoshi groaned, “You didn’t even have to ask.”
Louis laughed. “I would be delighted to, Gosha.”
Gosha and Louis flipped through the old album, Louis giggling whenever he saw pictures of baby Legoshi. Legoshi had been a cute pup, but Louis preferred his version more. Gosha would point out and explain some of the photos, and there were quite a lot.
“... And this one was when Legoshi made his first friend! I’m sure you’ve met Jack, he went to Cherryton with Legoshi.”
“Yes, of course. He graduated alongside me, actually.”
“Oh, yes, he told me he graduated a year early. I’m so proud of him.” Gosha said, flipping to the next page. They must have been at the end of the album, since there was only a single photo on each page.
On the first page was a professional photo of a very young Legoshi, and one of the female wolves whose photo had been in the hallway, sitting in a fancy-looking chair next to him. Louis could only assume that she was his late mother, with the look of love she had on her face as she rested her hand on Legoshi’s shoulder. Standing next to them was Gosha, both he and Legoshi wearing suits. Legoshi’s mother wore a beautiful dress, the light fabric complementing the cream fur that she and Legoshi shared on their chests.
The second page had the only other picture of Gosha he’d seen. It was an older photograph, where the Komodo held a wolf pup with a female wolf, both of them smiling happily. Looking between the two photos, Louis could tell the pup was Legoshi’s mother, their fur patterns clearly matched.
Gosha sighed, a scaled finger gently caressing the first photograph. “Leano would have loved to meet you, Louis. I just know it.”
Louis stole a glance at Legoshi. He knew the wolf didn’t like to discuss his mother’s passing. The wolf had previously mentioned it, but never told him when or what happened. Louis never pushed the subject, but he had always been curious. Legoshi was sitting, looking wistfully out the glass door as the sun was slowly setting. Gosha must have noticed too, as he closed the album, then stood up and put it back on the shelf.
“Would anyone like some tea?” Gosha asked, trying to lift the mood.
“I would appreciate that, Gosha.” Louis replied, still worried about Legoshi. “Whatever tea is fine, I’m not picky. Thank you.”
Gosha nodded. He waited for a response from Legoshi, but when it was obvious he wasn’t getting one, he silently left for the kitchen.
Louis took the opportunity to scoot next to the wolf, caressing his arm.
“Do you want to talk about it?” Louis mumbled quietly, leaning against his wolf to let him know he was there.
Legoshi sniffled, then cleared his throat. ”No. N-not here.”
Louis hummed in acknowledgement, running his hand up and down Legoshi’s arm as they waited for Gosha to return.
Eventually, Gosha’s voice carried through the house, “Louis, would you mind helping me for a moment?”
Louis looked at Legoshi, the wolf nodding. He stood up.
“I’ll be right back, honey.”
The deer made his way down the hall, following the sound of the kettle. He got to the kitchen, where Gosha was sitting at the far end of the table. His hands were folded, mask off his face and placed in a glass dish. The air felt charged, Louis’ nose was tingling even as he stood in the doorway.
“Take a seat, Louis. The tea will be just a bit longer.” Gosha said, voice cold. It sounded less like a suggestion and more like a command.
Louis hesitantly pulled the chair out and took a seat, staring at Gosha across the length of the table. They sat in silence for what felt like forever, the tension so thick that Louis swore he had trouble breathing. Meanwhile, Gosha just sat at the other side of the table, studying Louis’ face as every now and then venom would drip from his mouth and land safely in the glass plate. Eventually, the Komodo broke the silence, but that only made the situation worse.
“So, Louis.” Gosha said. Louis could see the venom pooling in his mouth as he spoke. “Former Beastar candidate, Heir to Horns Conglomerate. Boss of the Shishigumi. My grandson’s boyfriend.”
Louis started stammering, trying to figure out which one to address first.
Gosha held up a hand, silencing the deer.
“Given what I know about you, I was afraid I was going to have to give you the graveyard talk. However, I may be old, but even I can see how much that boy loves you, and how much you love him, too. I take it he didn’t tell you I was a Komodo dragon?”
“No, Sir.” Louis answered immediately.
Gosha sighed. “I thought not. I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it, it’s simply a difficult subject to broach. Am I correct in assuming you don’t have a problem with that?”
“You are correct, Sir.”
“Good.” Gosha put the mask back on and stood up, walking around the table and placing a clawed hand onto the back of Louis’ chair. The deer could hear his sharp nails digging into the wood, undoubtedly gouging its surface. “You may be a Gumi Boss, but if you hurt him in any way, no amount of beasts will be capable of protecting you.”
“I would never hurt him in a way he didn’t ask me to, Sir.” Louis managed to say, mentally hitting himself after he realized what he said.
“Hm.”
Seemingly satisfied, Gosha moved, nails making a noise as he pried them free from the chair. He walked over to the kettle, a shrill screech coming from it as Gosha picked it up to prepare the cups of tea. Louis hadn’t even noticed the kettle’s screaming, blood was roaring through his ears as he fought his brain to sit still.
He had seemed like just a nice old man, where had that come from? And how did he know that Louis was the Boss of the Shishigumi? Legoshi had said he wouldn’t tell him.
Gosha poured two cups of tea, placing one in front of Louis before heading for the door. He reached the entryway, and turned around.
“Are you coming, Louis?” Gosha said, voice back to normal.
Louis quickly stood and followed the Komodo without a sound. He got to the living room and sat next to Legoshi, who had the other cup of tea his grandfather had made.
They drank slowly, Gosha’s ‘happy grandpa’ act back up and running flawlessly. “So, Legoshi. How’s work? Are you still working at BeBeBe?”
Legoshi took a sip of tea, then put his cup down. “Yeah, I’m still working there. It’s alright, I mostly do deliveries now, I’ve been doing a lot to the coast, since my neighbor is teaching me Seaspeak.”
“Ooh, how exciting! And you, Louis? What do you do?” Gosha asked with a gleam in his eye.
“O-oh. I w-work for Horns Conglomerate, I’m the P-president’s son.” Louis said, unsure if that was the answer Gosha wanted.
“Ho ho, so you’re the breadwinner! I hope you’re taking good care of Legoshi, then.”
“Of course, Sir. I mean, uh, yes Gosha.”
“Good, good.”
Gosha watched them as they drank their tea, taking the cups when they were finished.
“Well, boys, I think it’s about time I turn in. You’re more than welcome to stay the night, but I’m sure a young couple like yourselves have better places to be than here. Regardless, have a nice night. Thank you for visiting, Louis. I look forward to seeing you again.” Gosha slightly bowed and went to put the cups away.
The pair sat in silence, Louis worried about his boyfriend. Legoshi was again looking out towards the balcony, watching the full moon slowly appear behind the city skyline. Louis only spoke when he heard a door close, Gosha must have finished cleaning the cups and gone to his bedroom.
“Legoshi, do you want to stay here? Or I can get Dolph to pick us up, it’s up to you.”
His boyfriend didn’t reply at first, staring at the shelf full of photos.
“Can we go?” He asked quietly.
“Of course, honey, let me just call Dolph.”
Louis stood up, going out onto the balcony to make the call.
“Hey, Dolph. Could you come pick us up?”
“Of course, Boss. I should be there in less than 20 minutes, I apologize if that’s too long.”
“No worries, Dolph, that’s perfect. Just give me a call when you’re outside, thank you.”
“Understood, Boss.”
Louis ended the call, going back inside to the living room. Legoshi was gone.
He peeked into the hallway, seeing Legoshi’s door was slightly ajar. He turned the living room light off, softly making his way to Legoshi’s room. He pushed the door open, seeing Legoshi was lying on his side on the bed, facing the wall. The blinds were open, bathing Legoshi in a silvery glow as the moon hung in the sky.
The deer walked to the side of the bed, sitting down and placing a hand on Legoshi’s side.
“I called Dolph, he should be here soon. How are you feeling?”
Legoshi didn’t say anything. Louis could tell he was awake, his eyes were wide open, staring at the full moon hanging in the sky. Louis decided to join his wolf, laying on top of the covers and hugging him from behind.
“I love you, Legoshi. Nothing will change that.” He whispered, resting his muzzle on Legoshi’s neck.
The wolf started shaking, his chest felt like an earthquake as Louis hugged him. He was about to ask what was going on, when he heard Legoshi start crying.
“Oh, Rex. Legoshi, I promise I’m not upset you didn’t tell me.” Louis said, trying to figure out why his boyfriend had suddenly started sobbing.
Legoshi sniffled, “No, it’s not you.” He said, drying his tears against his old pillow. “Gosha was right, she would have loved you.”
“Your mom?”
“Yeah. Her name was Leano. I know I told you she died, but I never said how.”
“Legoshi, you don’t have t-”
“I need to, Louis. I need to get this out.” Legoshi managed to hiccup out. “My mother… killed herself. She was a hybrid, too, and when she was our age she started growing scales. She hid in her room until I was twelve, then one night she came in, hugged me just like you are, then left. I never saw her again.”
“Rex, Legoshi, I’m so sorry.” Louis said, starting to remove his hands from around Legoshi, only for Legoshi to grab them.
“No, please, don’t.” Legoshi begged, turning to stop him. Tears were streaming down his face, leaving tracks in his fur. “Don’t go.”
Louis quickly settled back down, face to face with Legoshi. “I’ll never leave you, Legoshi. You’re mine and I’m yours, I’m not going anywhere.”
Legoshi was silent for another couple minutes, sobbing silently as Louis laid with him.
“I could have stopped her, I was awake.” The wolf choked out. “I was afraid that she would be hurt if I saw her like that, so I stayed as still as I could. I could have saved her.”
“Hey, no, don’t think like that.” Louis lifted Legoshi’s muzzle to look him in the eyes. “I can’t imagine how you felt, but you can’t hold that against yourself. You were a kid, there’s no way you knew what was going to happen.”
Legoshi just sniffled. “Can I hold you?” He asked, voice feeble.
“Of course.”
Louis shuffled around, Legoshi grabbing him and pulling him in. It was a familiar position, the wolf wrapped around his deer perfectly, like a puzzle piece clicking into place. Louis caressed Legoshi’s arms, whispering to him that he was right here no matter what.
Eventually, Legoshi’s grip relaxed, and he tried to clear his throat.
“I’m sorry, Louis.” He said quietly, voice hoarse from the tears. “Seeing that photo again, I realized how much I would give to just… talk to her one more time.”
“Don’t apologize, it’s okay. I’m glad you got that out, babe.” Louis whispered, trying to console him. As Legoshi calmed down, the deer remembered his earlier conversation with Gosha. He squeezed Legoshi’s arm, trying to get his attention.
“This is, uh, off topic, but did you tell Gosha that I’m the boss of the Shishigumi?”
“What? No, I told you I didn’t. Why, did he mention them?”
“Something like that. He gave me the ‘boyfriend’ talk, but he somehow knew I was their boss.”
“I think he used to be a detective or something before he settled down with my grandma, so it’s not impossible that he figured it out.”
Louis paused. “Yeah, but then he’d have to know someone in the Market. Or go there himself, but I get the feeling he wouldn’t go willingly.”
Legoshi was about to respond when Louis’ phone went off. The deer sat up in the bed and fished it out of his pocket, seeing a picture of Dolph lighting up his screen. He swiped the screen to answer, bringing the phone up to his ear.
“Boss, I’m outside.”
“Got it, Dolph, we’ll be right there.”
Louis put his phone away. “You ready to go?”
“Yeah. Thanks, Louis.”
They got off of the bed, Louis quietly exiting the bedroom to not wake Gosha. Legoshi got to the door and stopped, looking around his old room, bathed in the moon’s soft light. He sighed, then closed the door behind him.
They made their way to the front of the complex, seeing the car idling nearby. Louis held the door open for Legoshi, who got in. Louis went to the other side and sat down, knocking on the partition to signal to Dolph it was time to go.
Gosha watched silently through the window as the car drove away. He was glad to have been wrong about Louis, but now he had to make some calls. He walked back towards his bed, the mask sitting on his bedside table next to his old flip-phone.
He flipped it open, scrolling through his short list of contacts. He reached the contact labeled ‘Sav’ and hit the button to dial. It only rang once before the other side answered.
“What do you want, old man?” a rough voice came from the speaker, sounding annoyed.
“Old man? I’m not that much older than you.” Gosha replied sternly.
“Yeah, well, you act like one. Why’re you calling, anyways? Shouldn’t you be asleep by now?”
“I’m calling to thank you for lending me the mask.” Gosha replied. “And to tell you to stay away from the Shishigumi.”
He could hear laughter coming from the other side of the phone.
“And why the fuck would I do that, Gosha? You gave up your chance to lead the ‘Gumi when dad died, and you ran off with that stuck-up horse. Did you really have to ditch that guy, anyways? He’s such a fuckin’ pain in the ass now.”
“That’s no way to speak to your older brother, Savon. And as I’ve told you, I ditched him to start a family.” Gosha grumbled. “Speaking of, the reason you’ll do it, is because if I hear that any member of the Dokugumi fucked with my future grandson-in-law’s gang, I will personally come down there and descale you, and whoever the fuck it was that did it.”
“Alright, alright, I get it, chill the fuck out. I’ll tell my boys to take it easy with those shitty lions.”
“I appreciate it, Sav. Have a nice night, and thanks again for the mask.”
“Yeah, whatever, gramps.”
Gosha smiled as he hung up the phone. He was glad Legoshi wasn’t running around like a vigilante anymore, as hypocritical as that was. The Komodo sighed, remembering the years he spent with Yafya, on their quest to be Beastars.
He knew Yaf was still running around, it was on the news pretty often. Sometimes, he wondered what it would have been like if they’d stayed together.
…
He should call him.