He was a Hopless Romantic

A Fearful Gaze Meets a Nervous One

A Fearful Gaze Meets a Nervous One

Summary: Pina finds trouble when he starts looking for Legosi.

WARNING(S)!: Hinted Post-Traumatic Stress-Disorder—PTSD

He wasn't sure what he was thinking. Actually, he probably wasn't thinking at all. His body was moving on it's own, careful steps, fingertips just grazing the railing of the stairs.

Honestly, Pina had expected at least some sort of trouble as soon as he stepped into the carnivore hallway, but the only thing he received upon his arrival were looks of surprise and even some of hunger.

"The hell is a herbivore doing down here?" someone whispered.

"That guy's got some balls walking through here."

Pina ignored them, gaze searching for the familiar brown eyes he had seen just two days before. His logic was cloudy, considering there was a small chance Legosi would even be here, but he had to look. He needed to look.

SLAM.

"You must have some type of death wish," a large bear had slammed his hand right by Pina's head, staring him down with malicious intent.

Pina swallowed, finally snapping out of his haze. He couldn't speak, unsure of how exactly to reply. He was usually cooler, more collected than this, but the growing pit in his stomach made him feel lost. This had happened before, hadn't it? He couldn't remember—didn't want to remember.

The bear was saying something, but Pina couldn't make it out. His voice was muffled, and the only thing he could hear was the sound of his heartbeat thudding rapidly in his chest.

What was he going to do? He wouldn't just kill Pina right here, would he? Surely someone would notice. But if that were true, why hasn't anyone come to help him yet? Why were so many students just walking past them? Why couldn't he speak, call for help? Did he deserve this for being so reckless?

"Hey, back off."

That voice. Pina knew that voice. He opened his mouth to speak, "Bill...?" his voice cracked.

The bear shot a glare at the tiger who had shoved him away from Pina, "I was just having a talk with him," he growled.

Bill glared at the other carnivore, placing a hand on Pina's shoulder. He turned to look at his friend, ignoring the weight in his stomach, "Come on, let's get you back to your floor," he spoke quietly, his hand moving to the small of Pina's back and gently guiding him forward.

Pina numbly followed, gaze fixed on the floor, his heart beat slowly returning to a normal pace. His voice was still lost, despite himself. He hated how he must look to Bill, just a vulnerable herbivore.

"What were you thinking?" Bill quietly snapped as the two got to the stairs, turning to look at the ram, "You could have seriously gotten hurt," he went on, watching as Pina shuffled up the stairs to his floor, "What if I hadn't shown up when I did? Huh?"

Pina swallowed, the words digging into his back. He knew Bill was right. He knew it, and yet he still felt he could justify his actions, just because—

"I wanted to see Legosi!"

There was a beat of silence. Pina cupped a hand over his mouth, blinking back the tears that threatened to slip from his eyes.

Bill stared at Pina, unsure of how to respond. Despite that he was only staring at his back, he could still sense the vulnerability that was flooding off of Pina. He was even trembling.

Bill glanced around their surroundings, noticing the few students lingering in the hall that seemed occupied with other things. He swallowed, taking a small step forward, "Pina," he tried, voice gentle, "Do you... like Legosi?" he wasn't sure what brought him to ask the question. Maybe it was because of how different the ram tended to act around him, or how pained he sounded when he said the gray wolf's name.

Pina let out a forced laugh, still facing away from Bill, "Don't be stupid," he tried to force a smile into his voice, "Why would I like a man? Let alone a carnivore?"

The tiger frowned slightly, unsure of how to respond. He sighed, turning to face the now empty hallway, "Right," he quietly replied, "I'll see you at drama club."

With that, the carnivore began his walk to his class, "Be more careful next time," he called to his friend, "The last thing any of us want is for you to get hurt."

Pina gave a small noise in reply, wiping his eyes with his sleeve. He took a deep breath, composing himself and putting on a smirk before continuing his walk up the stairs and heading to his class.