We're Only Animals: Book 2 - Part 1: Building the Tower

Chapter 9 - In An Alternate Universe

"Wait...you really told Lee that there used to be giant, prehistoric bugs?" Legosi and Louis were sitting in the food court, very closely next to each other at a table with the remains of their dinner and a shared ice cream cone, held by Louis.

Louis took a lick, smacking his lips. "Weren't there?"

Legosi took a lick as well before holding his finger up, a common sign that he was about to infodump. "Well, it depends on how you define 'giant'. The biggest insects known to exist belonged to the order Meganisoptera, which consisted of many large dragonflies with wingspans up to 70 centimeters. Pretty big, but not the sizes which you were talking about. In fact, due two the way insects take in oxygen, their size is limited due to the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere. It's hypothesized that since oxygen levels of early Earth were higher than they are now, insects grew to larger sizes than we see today! But still within somewhat reasonable sizes."

Louis stared at him, smiling goofily. "Weh?"

The wolf looked up from where he was sipping his ginger ale, removing his mouth from it and licking his nose. "Oh, should I explain again? Sorry, I might have spoken too fast..."

"No, you're fine. That shirt looks really good on you," the deer sighed. He tilted the cone forward.

Legosi took another lick. He loved strawberry. "Thanks! I'd love to get more like it when we get some more money. Maybe some with beetles on it! Oh, I'd love that!" His tail wagged, hitting Louis' behind as well as the leg of a passerby, who glanced over but paid them no further mind.

"You want ice cream with beetles on it?" The buck furrowed his brows.

The wolf's eyes went wide. "Nuh...no! A shirt! Silly!"

"Oh! Oh, right! Sorry, I'm distracted by...how delicious this ice cream cone is." He took another lick.

Legosi stared, before leaning in and licking Louis' nose.

"You missed the ice cream..."

"You had some on your nose, love."

The deer blushed, taking a chunk of the scoop off with his lips. "Nothing strange about a carnivore and a herbivore sharing one ice cream cone."

Legosi smirked. "Nothing at all. Anyway, I'm glad to hear you survived the milk spill. I was really worried about you."

"You're lucky I did. Getting messy like that could have killed me," the cervid joked, exasperated. "Oh woe is me, lost to the creamy white liquid that we call..." he raised his fist and clenched it. "Milk."

"Curse you, milk!" Legosi copied the pose his fiance took, drawing looks from those getting dinner at the food court.

The deer snorted and then laughed. "Looks like I've developed quite a sense of humor. Louis being funny. It's so...different."

"I thought you were always funny." Legosi took a bite out of his soft pretzel. "At least, after that day we texted each other all afternoon."

"Oh, please...that was shoddy grasps in the dark at trying to impress this mysterious wolf I somehow befriended."

Now Legosi snorted. "You were trying to impress me?"

Louis shrugged. "I'd never had a real friend before that point. Is it sad that my only friend became my only lover?"

"What about..." The dog now counted on his fingers. "...Pina, Bill, Kai, Dom, Haru, Shogi..."

"I meant at the time..."