Two Sides of the Moon. (Beastars AU)

Chapter 22: Rook to E-5, Checkmate!

It had been a full hour since his breakdown and Jack was calm enough to think rationally again. After taking the time to look back at how things ended up between him and Juno, Jack, if he was being totally honest with himself, was surprisingly happy with how he had acted.

For the first time, he truly stood up for himself and fought for something he wanted. Despite feeling proud of himself, Jack couldn't get that vision out of his head.

He knew what it meant, but wondered if it was the right time to tell Legosi given their situation. The labrador may not have known if it was the right time to talk about how he felt, but he knew it was the right time to talk. He knew that Legosi was getting out of the club soon and ran straight to the empty pool to wait for his best friend, unaware that he was in the middle of his own battle.

***

Meanwhile, Legosi was in a standoff with his upperclassmen. Trapped in Louis's office the wolf was desperately thinking of a way to get out, while also coming up with an apology to the red deer for raising his voice.

The wolf's ears folded back as he looked down. "Louis I..." Before Legosi could say anything Louis put his hand up.

"It's alright Legosi. I was the one who got aggressive first," the red deer admitted.

Legosi looked back up at Louis, feeling a bit of relief knowing that his club superior wasn't mad at him.

Seeing that his underclassman was feeling a little better about the awkward moment from earlier, Louis took a moment to reevaluate his approach.

"Ok, looks like that did the trick." Louis thought to himself. "I hate that I had to apologize to him when he's the one refusing to talk, but I can't afford to upset him. As much as I'd hate to admit it, this annoying wolf has become an unofficial second leader and if I threaten him I could cause him to quit the club.

Louis continued eyeing Legosi, making sure he didn't give away what was going on in his head. "Ever since that night I made him stand watch for me and that incompetent goat, he's changed in ways I never thought possible.

"He became an inspiration for everyone, he got into a fight with Bill for my sake, and now he's standing his ground against me. ME! Someone who could intimidate him without even trying and who would do whatever he wanted to this large carnivore and not receive any sort of complaint out of him."

"Ha, it's funny really. I kept pushing him so that he'd show me that hidden side of himself. And I tried to get him to stop being that weak quiet wolf that I hated so much. But now it feels as if I've opened Pandora's box. I wanted to see what he was like behind that façade of his, but now I wish I'd just left him alone.

On one hand, he's grown a lot more secretive, more defiant, gained more allies, and has been showing up just about the entire club. On the other hand, the club has benefited greatly thanks to his change. Everyone is working much harder than ever, projects are getting done in record time, and even my actors have shaped up because of the competitiveness they feel towards the art team. Fact is, I can't say for sure whether or not his change is good or not."

Louis shook his head. "There's also that thing he told me the other day. About wanting to be there for those he cares about. He still looked and acted like his weak self, but there was this strange determination in his eyes that I'd never seen from him before. Still, I can't worry about all that right now. I need to focus on finding out what happened in the city. The question is, how do I do that without upsetting him?"

Legosi's ear flickered as he turned his head. "Louis, are you alright?" the grey canine asked. "You've been quiet for a while now and you keep looking at me like you want to ask me something."