Ch. 51:

If there was one thing Wade favored most about St. Zoo it was that it's roof was perfectly flat, allowing the students to enjoy their break and lunch hours atop the building and looking out at the city around them.

But right now Wade favored it for the solitude. He was the only mammal there, lying on the cement ground, eyes closed as the mid-day sun warmed his fur. If there was one thing he should've expected but hadn't when becoming Gazelle's boyfriend it was the attention.

He had arrived the first day of school after break, leaving behind his mother who was guzzling liquor, his father no where to be found, and saw Gazelle standing at the front doors. Waiting for him.

She broke into a grin as the wolf parked his truck and walked over to her. Wade had offered her hesitant grin, new to the whole dating thing and not sure what to do. Gazelle however decided for him, racing over and jumping into the wolf's arms, planting a kiss on his lips. Wade had his eyes opened so he caught the stares and gasps of shock of the mammals that were around them, his felt his ears flush with embarrassment but he was quick to return the kiss.

When she pulled away her eyes were sparkling like stars and his throat tightened with affectionate. Gazelle linked their arms together and led him into the school, telling him how worrying over tests was so less stressful than getting ready for concerts. Wade listened with one ear, unable to not notice the looks the two received. Yes, Wade had followed Gazelle around for a bit but they had never walked pressed up against each other. They were receiving stares that ranged from confused to surprise to angry, every time Gazelle noticed the wolf glancing at the crowd she would nuzzle against his neck in a reassuring manner that eased his nerves.

But all too soon the two had to separate for their classes, leaving Wade to suffer the stares and whispers on his own. He didn't like so much attention, it made him antsy and caused his fur to stand on end. When lunch came he practically ran up to the room, feeling like an ant under a magnifying glass. He had let out a breath of relief when the only thing to surround him was the sky.

A shadow fell over him, blocking out the sunlight, Wade peeled his eyes open to see Gazelle standing over him. She was smiling but her eyes were concerned, "I've been looking all over for you. You okay?"

"I'm fine," he replied. "Just needed to get away from the spotlight."

"I'm sorry," Gazelle laid down next to him, "I forgot that if I started dating animals would go crazy."

"Oh, is that why you've never dated anybody?" the wolf asked.

"I've been on dates but I never had a boyfriend, I didn't ever find someone worth all the extra attention."

"But I am?"
"Oh, incredibly so," Gazelle smiled at him, turning her head to look at him. Wade did the same. "You're worth even the most dedicated of paparazzi."
"I'm flattered, Popstar," he replied, flashing his teeth in a grin.

Gazelle went silent then, looking at him with a thoughtful expression that had the wolf's smile lowering. "What is it?"

She sat up, looking down at him with a serious expression, "Wade, take me to your part of town."
His brow furrowed, "What?"

She smirked, "I want to see what my boyfriend does for fun. Show me where you go to party."

He sat up and gave her a weird look, "Are you asking me on a date?"

She leaned in until her nose brushed against his own and fluttered her long eyelashes, "Yep."

.

Wade stood inside his Aunt Kate's thrift shop, wearing his brand new red hoodie and his least raggedy shirt and jeans, outside his old beat up truck ready for the date. Gazelle having celebrity business to finish up and told him she would meet him here, the wolf couldn't help but feel she wanted him to get embarrassed by his sisters.

The two pups were sitting on a couch of their aunt's store, smiling cheekily up at him. He scowled at them and they only giggled.

"So where you taking her?" Jenna asked him.

"None of your business," the wolf growled.

"It better be someplace nice," Lily ordered him. "A girl like Gazelle deserves someplace nice."

"And you two deserve to go sit in a corner," he replied.

"Girls stop teasing your brother," Aunt Kate spoke from where she was pulling out money from the cash register. "I'm proud he finally got himself a date."

Wade opened his mouth to tell her he had been on dates before but then remembered that that was false.

Suddenly the sound of an engine had Wade turning to look out the windows to see a limousine stopping by the parking lot and Gazelle came rushing out, reaching the door as the vehicle drove away.

"I'm so sorry," she said as soon as the she entered the store, "I was talking to a recording studio about my next album and I couldn't get him off the phone-"

"GAZELLE!" Jenna and Lily squealed, hurrying over to stand before the singer, tails wagging in excitement.

She smiled down at them, "Hi, girls."

While Gazelle talked to the two pups Wade felt his mouth going dry as he looked at her, he had asked her to dress casual and he guessed she technically did, wearing a loose gray sweater that revealed a bare shoulder and black jeans. Yet she was still dazzling in his vision. What had this prey done to him?

Aunt Kate was smirking at him as he walked over to Gazelle, who was listening to Jenna tell her how all the kids in class couldn't believe her brother was dating Gazelle.

"I don't think he believes it either," Gazelle smiled, looking up at Wade, her eyes doing that sparkling like stars trick again and his throat still felt dry.

Lily pulled on his pant leg and loudly whispered, "Tell her she looks pretty."
"You look…nice," he mumbled lamely.

Gazelle smiled at him while Jenna let out a disgusted sigh. "She looks better than nice, Wade, at least pretend you've been on a date before."

Wade curled his lip at his sister, "Shouldn't you and Lil be in bed by now?" The two pups stuck their tongues at him.

Aunt Kate laughed, "Alright girls, your brother and Gazelle need to get going. Be safe you too."

"We will," Wade said, "Goodnight, Aunt Kate."

"Goodnight girls," Gazelle waved at the wolf pups as he led her out to his truck.

He had tried to straightened the inside of it up though there was nothing he could do about the tears in the leather. Funny how only a few short months ago Gazelle had rode in his truck and he could've cared less of her opinion of it.

She relaxed in the passenger seat as he started the truck and headed off, going to the edges of Savannah Central. "Where are we going?" she asked him.

He smirked, glancing at her from the corner of his eye, "It's a surprise."
"Can't even give me a hint?" she asked in a teasing way.

"I think you'll like it," he told her. "It's been a long time since I last went."

Wade drove through some of the older streets of Zootopia, only a few mammals walking around the street. He could tell by the way she was looking out the window that Gazelle had never been close to here. They finally parked by an old house with the words for sale on the door. Surrounding them were close-knit buildings of varying heights, all in dark colors that made the evening seem that much darker.

Gazelle looked at him with surprise as he climbed out of the truck, "What are we doing here?"

"Parking," he told her, walking over and opening the passenger door for her. He smiled at her nervous expression, "Our destination is only a few blocks away, it doesn't have a parking lot."

He grabbed her arm and helped her out of the truck, leading her down the dim street. She stayed close to his side, looking at the dark windows of the shops and houses anxiously.

"Here we are," he said after a few minutes of walking. They had stopped by a rickety looking building that looked ready to collapse, the windows dark and dusty.

Gazelle looked at it dubiously, "No seriously, where are we going?"

He chuckled and urged her to a door that creaked when he opened it, the inside just barely lit by old flicking light bulbs. Gazelle stood in the doorway, her muscles tensed.

Wade placed his paw on her waist and made her walk inside, closing the door behind them walking farther into the room.

"It's pretty gloomy in her," Gazelle said, keeping a grip on his arm. "Not that I'm scared or anything."

"Gloomy?" Wade swatted away a cobweb he noticed on the wall, "You kidding? This is the most beautiful place in the world. Wolves come from miles around just to be right here."

"I can't imagine why," Gazelle admitted as they stopped in front of a door.

He smiled and leaned in to whisper in her ear, "That's cause you're only looking skin-deep." He then opened the door and Gazelle gasped at what lay beyond it.

It was a club but none like she had ever seen. It was a very large room, small round tables at the edges of the room to give mammals plenty of dancing space. The club was ninety eight percent full of wolves while she spotted a fox and cow sitting at one of the tables. On the ceiling was a large circle of glass, she could see stars twinkling in the night sky, also on the ceiling were strobe lights that were pointed to the floor, showing multi-colored lights. It took Gazelle a moment to realize it was supposed to look like the northern lights. These wolves were dancing on the northern lights. But not only that, they were singing, just like Wade and his music, only it was much more energized and playful, actual music vibrated through her feet and up her legs. She smiled at the sight.

Wade noticed her expression and grinned tenderly, "Welcome to my part of town: The Howling Room."

Gazelle hurried forward, always swaying a bit to the music while Wade followed more calmly, they had barely moved before a reddish brown wolf hurried over to them with a big smile on his face: "Wade!"

The wolf smiled, "Hey, Ginger."

"Where have you been?" Ginger grinned. "I haven't seen you here in months!"

"Yeah," Wade shrugged apologetically. "I've been busy."

Ginger looked to Gazelle who was standing a few feet away, his ears pricked in interest, "Who's this?"

"My girlfriend," Wade replied, having known no one here was into pop culture and would recognize Gazelle. "She wanted to see what I did for fun."

"Heh," Ginger said, "Well hope to hear you howl." He ran off, already lifting his head back and howling with the music.

Wade led Gazelle to an empty table. "So you do have friends?" she clarified as they sat.

"No, I had associates," Wade replied then gave her a smile along with a serious glint, "Honestly I think you're my first real friend"

She smiled softly at him, her eyes twinkling.

"Want me to get you something to drink?" he offered, feeling a little embarrassed from admitting something so personal.

"Sure, I'd like that," she replied. "But let me walk with you, this is a date after all."

They walked to the end of the room where there was a bar, both of them ordering soda. While the wolf bartender fetched their drinks, they leaned against the counter waiting patiently when a she-wolf walked up to stand by Wade's other side.

"Wade Jones?" she spoke. "It's been too long."

Wade jolted when he got a good look at her, "Hey, Lola."

The cream colored wolf smiled sweetly at him, it had been a long time since he last saw her. The last time was when he had gone to Ginger's house for a party, someone had put something in the drinks and his inhibitions at being touched vanished and he let Lola lead him into a bedroom. After that night Wade made a point of not drinking or going to parties. But now Lola was here for Gazelle to see, the singer watching the exchange between the two wolves silently.

"I haven't seen you around recently. Where've you been?"

He leaned away from her, "I've had school."

Lola smirked at him, "You've never been that dedicated to your studies before." She glanced at Gazelle, "I think you've simply been preoccupied." She shook her head and patted his arm, "Don't be a stranger, darling."

Lola, knowing that what had happened between her and Wade was a one time thing, walked away with an easy swish of her tail. He nearly deflated in relief; he had been so sure she would say something about their night together if only to tease him.

He glanced at Gazelle and by the look on her face she had already guessed. "She's pretty," she commented, taking her drink from the bartender with a nod of thanks. Wade got his glass and walked after her, "It was a one time thing. I got drunk at a party."

"It's fine," Gazelle replied easily, sitting back in their seats. "You think all I did on my dates was talk?"

Wade honestly didn't want to think about what other males had done to her before she met him but he didn't say anything, instead taking a sip of his iced drink.

They watched the wolves howl and dance, an impressive sight with the star light streaming through the glass and the colorful lights waving across the floor.

"So you like this place?" Wade asked her almost hesitantly.

"This is amazing," Gazelle said, "Even better it's so far away that it's practically in it's own little world. I don't know if any of our classmates know about it."
"I know Gary and Larry do," he told her. "I saw them here the last time I came."

Gazelle turned her attention to him, "It sounds like it really has been a long time since you came here."

"Almost a year now," the wolf replied, keeping his eyes on the crowd.

He felt her hoof rest on his paw and he looked over to see her looking at him worriedly, "Why did you stop?"

"Troubles at home," he said quietly. He didn't want to go into detail, tell her his father's punches had gotten stronger, leaving bruises on his eyes and swelling on his lip, that his mother would get so clingy and look so pitiful that he didn't have the heart to leave her alone. Gazelle's placed her other hoof on his paw and squeezed.

"Wade…" she said cautiously, not sure how to talk about this subject. "If you ever…"

The wolf quickly stood up, lacing his fingers together with her own and offered a smile, "Dance with me?"

She frowned at him, knowing he was changing the topic. He shrugged, "What was the point of going to a club for a date if we aren't going to dance?"

She sighed but offered a small smile and stood up, following him onto the dance floor. Ginger noticed the two and let out a whoop, howling energetically. A few other wolves smiled at Wade, he forgot how well-liked he was here if only for his singing voice.

The music changed, starting a new song. Wade cleared his throat, a bit self-conscious with Gazelle and other wolves watching him, but he forced his head up and broke into a howl-and just like that, any form of bashfulness or insecurity evaporated.

Instantly the other wolves joined him, Gazelle smiling gleefully at her wolf, who started to move to the music like the others. He turned to her and grabbed her wrist, pulling her to him and spun her around. She laughed, her skin warm and she joined the howls. The two ran their fingers over each other, jumping and spinning to the music, nuzzling against each other when they got the chance. Once or twice a wolf would pull Gazelle away for a dance and Wade tried not to get too jealous.

The excitement only grew when the full moon shone through the class of the ceiling and the wolves let out ecstatic cries that sent shivers down Gazelle's spine, this was really like nothing she had ever heard of. She watched as Wade sucked in a breath and howled, his voice strong and carrying through the room, she couldn't help but snuggle against his side, his fur warm from the dancing, she looked up at him, illuminated by the moon and the northern lights.

Wade's howling slowed to a stop and he looked down at her, his green eyes glowing and a smile pulling his lips apart. Gazelle was barely in control of her limbs as she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her lips.

.

They left The Howling Room after the moon passed away from the glass of the ceiling, Ginger, Lola, and a few other wolves making Wade promise to come again soon. Then he and Gazelle had made it back to his truck and ended up in a fierce make-out session.

Wade leaned against his door, the back of his head pressed against the cool glass of the window. Gazelle sat in his lap, fingers clutched to the front of his hoodie. Wade had one paw on her waist and the other on her bare shoulder, his claws running through her soft, well-groomed fur.

He let out a whimper as she pulled away from his lips, and just when he thought he could get her toes to curl, and she peppered kisses across his muzzle, cheeks, and neck. He leaned his mouth forward to nibble against one of her horns, even though he had no idea if she could feel it, he was practically drowning in her scent.

He pulled his mouth away as he felt her hoof slip under his shirt. "H-Hey," his voice was low and breathless, Gazelle kissing the edge of his jaw. "Shouldn't we slow it down a little?" A moan rose up his throat as she grinded against him. "G-Gazelle, I may be a wolf but I like to think I'm a little classy."

Those latter words had her pulled her lips away from him, her eyes hazy with want; she licked her lips before speaking, "Sorry. I think my jealousy made me a little impatient."

His eyes narrowed slightly, "Jealousy?"

"I know it's silly, and pretty stuck up but I…" she trailed her fingers over his neck. "I had kinda hoped I was the first one to kiss you and…and touch you."

Gazelle the pop singer was jealous over Lola because of him? That was the last thing Wade had expected. "Hey," he reached up, trailing his paw across her face, "You were the first one that matters."

She smiled, leaning her cheek against his paw before lying down and snuggling against his chest, "Can we just snuggle for a little while?"

"For a little while," he breathed, wrapping his arms around her. "Then we need to get back or my aunt will get angry at us."

Gazelle snuggled closer against his chest, "This was a really nice night. I had a lot of fun."

"Good, I'm glad," he told her, kissing her ear.

Wade might have to deal with staring and whispers and who knew what else, but having Gazelle resting in his arms, her heartbeat against her ribs and her delicious scent flooding the truck. It would all be worth it.

Sorry guys only one chapter today. I'm trying to hurry and finish up some one shots, the next update should be at least two.