Wednesday
Fox rose from his bed, yawning. He had walked home last night and dropped right into bed when he reached his apartment. What time was it? The vulpine glanced over at the digital clock resting on his bedside table. Twenty after eleven. Groaning, he sat up and pushed himself out of bed, searching the room for his PDA. He had faintly registered it starting to ring before he slipped into sleep the night before. Fox found it in his discarded jacket, and pulled it out.
The number who had called showed Wolf's contact info. Great. He redialed the number, walking to his kitchen. While he was waiting for Wolf to pick up, Fox realized how much of a mess the whole apartment was in. There were discarded bowls and clothes everywhere, and dust lining everything he didn't touch on a daily basis. But cleaning was difficult, and Fox never liked it, so he just put it off. The lupine finally picked up.
"Hey, Fox. Tried to call you last night," Wolf said.
"I know, I saw. I'd already fallen asleep. What did you want to talk about?" Fox asked.
"Well, do you want to go somewhere, tonight? Do something?"
"Depends on how public it is," Fox said, glancing at all of his unfinished laundry piling up in the corner of his laundry room. He could see it from the kitchen.
"I was just thinking we could go drinking, or something. If you want to, anyway."
Fox's ears perked. "Sounds good, Wolf. What time?"
"How about eight o'clock tonight? I can come over to your place."
"Sounds fine. Oh, dammit," Fox cursed, tripping on a discarded coffee mug that he had set on the ground.
"What? Can you not make it?" Wolf asked worriedly.
"No, I can. Just tripped on a mug. I'll send you my address," Fox said, sitting on his sofa.
"Okay. I'll see you then," the lupine said, chuckling.
"Bye," the vulpine said, hanging up. He then sent the address and room number to Wolf by text. He hoped it was the right choice to put trust in Wolf so quickly. He seemed sincere last night. Maybe he really could stop holding a grudge.
Wolf replied, Thx. See u at 8.
Fox closed the PDA, sighing and staring at the mess in his apartment. Worst part is, he didn't know how to do laundry or the dishes, so he ended up wearing the same thing and eating out of the same plates quite a lot. Wolf was going to love seeing his place a wreck. Not like he could do much about it.
Fox turned on the TV and listened to it without really paying attention, focusing instead on that stupid banquet. Unless the news involved Andross, he didn't care. Everyone was expecting him to go to the banquet, and with a girl, too. Fox didn't want to date anyone. Well, he says that, but he's really just waiting for someone he actually wants to date to show up. Every time he had to go to an event, the paparazzi and news reporters would crowd around his limo, waiting for him to step out with that special someone. Every time, they were disappointed. Because the moment he got with someone, it was all over the news within four hours. Great for the people, terrible for Fox. It seemed like nobody ever had privacy in anything anymore.
The vulpine decided he'd try and make the place look at least a tiny bit better than it had been before. Fox got up off of the sofa, and moved around his apartment, picking up clothing and tossing it all into a pile in his laundry room. He'd figure out how to wash and dry later. Next, dishes. He grabbed every bowl and piece of silverware he could find, putting it into a pile.
"I guess I just have to wash the stuff off," Fox said aloud, staring at the pile of dirty silverware in disgust.
One by one, the vulpine grabbed a piece of silverware, or a bowl, and ran it under the water until it was clean. He set the ones that wouldn't clean off in the sink, and put the rest back into the cabinets. If that was all to it, Fox could get used to being an adult. He was pretty sure it wasn't, though. The floor was still a wreck. The vulpine picked up all of the discarded trash, and threw it away. He couldn't believe how much that stuff could build up if not taken care of soon enough. It was stupidly insane. Three hours and a half later, and the apartment looked a little better. Still a complete wreck, though. And on top of that, Fox hadn't showered or brushed his teeth.
Groaning to himself, the vulpine stepped into the bathroom, and shut the door, taking off his clothes and starting up the shower. While it was warming up, he stared at his reflection in the mirror. Fox looked tired, and unkempt, his fur sticking out in different directions, dirt clumps stuck in it. He hadn't bothered to brush his fur, or anything like that in a long time. Personal hygiene wasn't a big deal for a guy who wanted people to stay as far away from him as possible. But then again, he needed to look presentable for Wolf. For some reason, he thought that as a good idea, and he was really starting to feel disgusting.
The vulpine climbed in the shower, feeling instant relief at the water cascading over him. Fox went through the ever-familiar routine of cleaning up his fur, sighing in content. He hadn't showered in what, a week? It was hard to keep track of time when he really didn't care about much. It seemed Wolf was trying to drag him out of the low. There just wasn't a big amount of stuff to be happy about, with Star Fox disbanded and Fox stuck on ground for God knows how long.
At least he had something to look forward to. A night out with his former rival. Fun times for all.
The vulpine finished his routine, turning off the shower head and stepping out of the tub, drying off his fur with a towel. When he finished, Fox wrapped it around his waist, and looked at himself in the mirror once more. This time, he looked cleaner, his fur poofing out in all directions, and eyes sparkling with new drive. That shower really did him good. The vulpine then grabbed a brush and set out combing his fur flat, brushing everywhere until it finally settled. A few torn clumps of fur taken out was all of the pain he got for combing it for the first time in weeks. Fox stepped out of the bathroom and went to his closet to search for a set of clothes. He had one set of clean clothes that he'd been saving for something special, actually.
The vulpine pulled out the jeans and green shirt, putting them on over a pair of boxers and calling it good. Now that he'd showered, what else could he do to kill four hours?
-o0o-
Having found nothing else to do with his apartment, Fox had sat back down on his old sofa and turned the TV back on, flipping through the channels disinterstedly for around four hours. It seemed like nothing good was ever on, and any news was bad news. On top of that, he was nervous about his date with Wolf. Whoa, date? Where did that come from? Fox thought, grimacing. They were just hanging out. As friends. That was it, no strings attached.
The vulpine was startled by a heavy knock at the door. He looked down and checked his watch. Ten past eight. He got off of the couch, and went to the door. Fox looked through the peephole and did, in fact, see the lupine standing at the door, fidgeting nervously.
Fox opened the door, smiling. "Hey, Wolf."
"Hi, Fox. Can I come in?" The lupine asked.
"Sure." Fox stepped aside, and Wolf entered the apartment, looking around at the mess.
"Christ, Fox. When was the last time you cleaned this place?" Wolf asked, wrinkling his nose.
"Today," the vulpine said, shutting the door.
"Really? Do you know how to take care of a place properly, Fox?"
"No. I've been a mercenary for the later part of my teenage years. Remember, I was never taught to be an adult, because of the Wars."
"Oh. Right." Wolf's ears folded, his expression saddening.
"Hey, it's fine. None of that was your fault. Now come on, we've got a place to be, right?"
"Of course."
Fox grabbed his coat and sunglasses, following Wolf back out of the door and locking it behind them. He shrugged the jacket on and put his sunglasses over his eyes. They walked into the elevator, and waited for it to reach bottom floor.
"So, what place did you have in mind?" Fox asked.
"It's a bar not terribly far from your place. Not too busy, either," Wolf replied.
"Hey, where do you live, anyway?" The vulpine asked.
Wolf sighed. "I'd rather not say."
"Alright then."
The doors opened, and the vulpine followed Wolf out of the door and down the street sidewalks. The nighttime city wasn't quite as busy outside, with everyone either at home or partying at some stupid nightclub. Fox stuffed his hands in his pockets as he mimicked Wolf's steps, keeping an eye on the lupine's tail. Occasionally, it was start thrashing around erratically, and then stop and droop for awhile. He wondered what that was all about.
"We're here," Wolf said, stopping in front of a small brick building. Fox nearly collided with him, not paying attention. He looked at the sign. The Escape, a neon sign hanging above the entrance read. The two canines walked into the building, and were met with a dark, but homely atmosphere. The bar was small, and cozy. It wasn't too crowded, either. A few individuals sitting at booths and other places, and two avians were playing pool.
"You can take a seat, Fox. I'll get the drinks. What's your poison?" Wolf asked.
"Just get me a soda, or something. The only thing I will stand to drink is champagne at those stupid parties," Fox replied, grimacing.
"Alright then. Whatever," the lupine said, going to the bartender. Fox sat at a booth in the corner of the bar, away from most others. He then realized that this could be taken quite a few different ways, and blushed. Wolf walked back over a moment later with a bottle of soda and some beer. It looked really strong, too.
"Planning to have me drag you back home?" Fox asked, raising an eyebrow and taking the soda, unscrewing the cap.
"Eh, just wanted to relax. I haven't been to a bar in a couple weeks," Wolf replied nonchalantly, taking a sip of the alcohol.
"Alright then. Why'd you invite me out, anyway?"
"Well, we haven't exactly seen each other in awhile, so I figured we could just catch up. Is that alright?"
"Yeah, of course," Fox said, drinking his soda.
"Alright then. How's your life going? Got any girls or something like that?" The lupine asked, draining more of the glass.
"Well, I've been trying to figure out how the hell an adult is supposed to act. I guess it's just a ton of cleaning and buying food. On the romance side, though…"
"Yeah?" Wolf's ears perked.
"Well, every time I take a limo to one of those parties, I'll step out, and the paparazzi is always there, waiting to see if I have a girl with me. Every time, I don't, and they get disappointed. But really, imagine if I did. What the fuck what the reporters think? 'Oh man, better put this in the tabloids and screw Mr. McCloud's life over!' Seriously, I don't know if I want to date anybody," Fox explained, sighing in exhaustion.
"Ah. That really is a terrible situation you're in. Too bad I can't help."
"Its alright. You've got your own problems."
The conversation between the two canines continued through the night, tension dropping away with every beer that Wolf would down. He wasn't a terrible person to speak to; talking with someone who could relate was nice. Different. Fox could relate to the lupine pretty well, even though they were in different situations.
So the night wore on, and around midnight, Wolf had accumulated four glasses next to him, and was waving down a waiter for a fifth. Fox decided that he probably needed to get home.
"That's enough, Wolf. Time to go home," Fox said, getting up and helping Wolf.
"Awww, but I was jus' startin to have fun," he slurred, leaning on Fox heavily. He grunted, adjusting his weight to accomodate, and set a pile of cash on the counter, not caring about the amount he dropped. The others in the bar gave them funny looks, but he didn't care.
"Yeah, fun's over, man. You're going home."
"Alright, alright. Take me to my place, Fox," he said.
"Where is it?" Fox asked, leaving the bar with Wolf in tow.
"Jus' go this way. I'll tell ya when we make it."
Fox then walked Wolf down the street, getting strange looks from the passersby. He was drunk, what did those people think he was? Shaking his head, he started to listen to Wolf's ramblings.
"You know, there's somethin' seriously fuckin' messed up with me, Fox," the lupine started.
"Yeah. What would that be?"
"Well, you know, I was kinda hoping to find ya sometime. You know, out in the place. Not to you know, murder you, but jus' talk. Have a good time. Didn't expect something else to happen, though. Go left."
"Mm hmm," Fox replied, turning the corner accordingly.
"I still don't get it, and I'm really damn frustrated with m'self, too. Like, I dunno what the hell is so fucked up with me," the lupine slurred, chuckling.
"Well, you better hurry up and get to the point."
"Alright, but ya should stop. We're here."
The vulpine stopped, looking at the building they had stopped in front of. It was an apartment building. Not quite as nice or as tall as Fox's, but good enough nonetheless.
"Can you walk yourself in?" The vulpine asked.
"Yeah. Lemme tell ya something first."
"Alright."
Wolf stopped leaning on Fox, and turned to face him. He then leaned in unexpectedly, kissing the vulpine and catching the latter completely off guard. Wolf held the kiss after realizing that Fox wasn't doing anything. Something in the back of Fox's head told him to stop, run, go away, but he wasn't listening. It felt good. He liked it.
The lupine broke off, staring at Fox. That rush of want left him, and he realized what he had just done.
"Didn't expect that, huh? Neither did I," Wolf said, smiling.
"Wolf….."
It was too late. The lupine stumbled into his apartment building, leaving Fox standing there in the middle of the sidewalk. After a few moments, he finally started walking away. Then he started to jog. Then it was a full on sprint, pushing past people and free running over parked cars and other barricades. A thought kept racing through his head. A few, actually. My ex-rival is in love with me. I didn't mind the kiss. What the fuck is wrong with me? Wolf is in love with me, and he's a guy. When the vulpine reached his apartment building, he burst in and started climbing the stairs, reaching his floor and turning off, going to his apartment. He fumbled for the key, and after a moment, unlocked the door, out of breath and sweating.
Fox was still so damn confused by the time he got back into his apartment, closing the door and sliding down it. What the fuck happened earlier? Wolf kissed him, and he liked it. Really liked it. But why did he like it? What the hell was wrong with him? He needed help. But from who? Fox thought about that. Who did he trust the most, who wouldn't tell a soul about this. Who was so close to him and wouldn't judge at all?
Oh, he knew who he could trust. Fox stood back up, walking over to a table in his kitchen. The vulpine threw his coat somewhere in the living room, and took his sunglasses off, setting them on the table. He sat down, pulling his PDA out of his pocket. He dialed the number of an old friend, putting it up to his head.
"Hello?" The voice asked after a few moments of waiting to pick up.
"Hey, Bill. It's Fox. Could you come over tomorrow morning? I need to talk to you about something," Fox said, tapping his claws on the table nervously.
"Sure, Fox. I'll be there around eight. What did you want to talk about?" Bill asked.
"I'd rather tell you in person, otherwise you might not believe me. Okay?"
After a moment of silence, Bill replied, "Alright. See you then."
"Thanks. You're the best," the vulpine said, closing his PDA. Maybe Bill could help him. Maybe not. It was still worth a try.
