Sprinting down a dark alleyway, Johnny was desperate for a place to hide. He grabbed at the handle to the first door (which was conveniently unlocked) he saw in the wall, and slammed it behind him, he sat down on the floor. Groaning, he put his head in his hands. He wished he could even leave the safety of his home just to pick up a loaf of bread from the grocery store without being chased down by rabid fangirls. It had gotten so bad, Ms. Crawly would have a first-aid kit prepared for him when he would walk through the theatre door to heal any wounds from when they would try to tear at his clothes. Occasionally, his friends would walk with him on the way to lessen the chances of a "love attack", but it's not like he could rely on them 24/7.
Johnny was a nice guy, and didn't want to hurt anyone's feelings, but it seemed with each day, he wanted to come out and reveal his true sexuality to his fans in hopes of getting the extreme ones at an appropriate distance. He had recently come to terms with it himself, but just like with anyone staying in the closet, he held himself back out of fear of what was waiting on the other side of that door.
"Alright then, boss, I see you tomorrow night, ja?" startled, Johnny looked up at the familiar pig-shaped figure coming through a door on the other side of the room.
"Gunter?"
Apparently a bit confused, the figure flipped on the lights.
"Johnny, hey! Good to see ya!" The gorilla's cheeks slightly heated, the first thing that hit Johnny about his friend was that he was shirtless, and wearing tight, sparkly, spandex purple shorts. Johnny had never seen him show that much skin: it seemed a bit much, even for Gunter.
"What are you...doing here?" Johnny was trying a bit too hard to pull off a polite smile, he was sure it looked fake.
"Working at Le Bear is my night job! You know, they say strippers only end up here are just drug addicts or trying to pay some bills, but I'm here because I work what I love and love what I work!" he laughed. "Not to mention It's one of the few places you can get nearly naked in public, and not get arrested for it!" he whispered mischievously.
Nodding, if Johnny were being honest, Gunter being a gay stripper for a night job didn't surprise him in the least...or that he'd probably been arrested for public nudity at least once. But, he used to be a lookout and getaway driver for one of the most notorious thieving gangs in the city, so it wasn't like he could really judge.
"So what's with you?" Gunter's words brought him back to reality.
"Oh, you know, the usual."
"Ah. Well, if it's not safe for you out there, I could walk you home if you like," he pulled on his usual golden hoodie. Stepping into his sweatpants over his costume, he added: "it's only a few minute walk to my place anyway."
"Actually, yeah. I'd really appreciate that. Thanks, Gunter."
With only the street lights to guide their way, they decided to take the back roads.
Gunter, of course, being the much more talkative of the two, decided to break the ice: "I caught you blushing at me."
"What?" Johnny felt his face growing hot again. "No I wasn't."
"You are doing it again," the pig teased.
"I swear, I'm not," Johnny averted his eyes, his cheeks turning a deeper shade. "You are doing it right now, my friend. It's okay, I get it..." Gunter ripped off his hoodie again.
"Oh, god, Gunter."
"...you just can't resist all this PIGGY POWER!" He started to dance with his shirt off.
Johnny chuckled. Partially out of his own amusement for Gunter's boldness, and partially out of embarrassment and pity on his behalf. "Gunter, please. Put your hoodie back on, mate." Johnny picked it off of the pavement. "It's kind of cold out."
"Shmeh, how can it be cold, when I make it HOT AND SPICY OVER HERE?! YEAH!" He swiped the hoodie from Johnny and began to swing it around.
The gorilla shook his head. Regardless of what he thought about watching him dance in the light of the street lamps, the thing Johnny always admired about Gunter was that he was never afraid to be himself.
The rest of the walk had been rather awkward: Gunter had been suggestive jokes all the way back, and didn't seem to pick up on that he was making Johnny rather uncomfortable. Finally reaching the warehouse, Johnny breathed a sigh of relief.
"Home at last. Hopefully, that was the last of them...at least for today."
"Ja, let's hope so." Johnny went to open the door, but before he could turn the knob, he heard this little gem from his friend: "Gute nacht, handsome."
"Okay, Gunter, seriously!" he whipped around. "Have you been hitting on me all night?"
Though surprised by his friend's sudden uncharacteristic temper, it didn't stop him from smiling shamelessly. "I'm surprised it took you that long to figure it out."
"...How long?"
"How long what?"
"How long have you..." he sighed, putting a hand at the back of his head, "...liked me enough to hit on me?"
"Oh, I always thought you were attractive. I mean, really, it's not hard to see why those crazy girls are after you every day. But more than anything, I take pleasure in making the shy guys like you blush their faces off."
Johnny looked away at his face growing hot again.
"Ja! Ja! Just like that! I think it's the most adorable thing ever."
"Good night, Gunter," Johnny slammed the door behind him.
"...OKAY! I'LL SEE YOU TOMORROW, YES?"
Sighing, Johnny set the bread on the small table that sat in the middle of the warehouse, and stumbled through the dark to his bedroom in the back. He kept the place clean enough so he could make his way around without stepping on anything.
Collapsing on the bed and closing his eyes, he tried to just simply fall asleep, but his mind couldn't help but drift towards the walk home. Gunter wasn't exactly his type, but he still appreciated him as a good friend. Maybe he was even...interested in him. He would need time to figure out how he felt about all of this, but the more he thought about it, the more Gunter's advances began intrigue him nevertheless.