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Chapter Twenty-Four--The Mall

Thomas's phone rang around ten-thirty, just as Thomas got out of the shower. Still dripping slightly, he picked it up from the countertop, unsurprised to see that picture of that smarmy, snarky rabbit.

"Good morning, Oz," he murmured.

"HEY! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS?!" Ozzy bellowed. Thomas held the phone away from his ear and stepped out of the bathroom.

"Shower's all yours," he said to Damien, who had spent the majority of the morning in bed channel surfing.

"DON'T IGNORE ME!" Ozzy yelled.

"Hi, Ozzy," Damien said calmly as he walked passed towards the bathroom.

"I'm not ignoring you," Thomas answered, "I'm just waiting for you to calm the fuck down. I'm in a good mood. Don't need you busting out my ears."

"Well, where are you guys? I thought you'd be coming straight back," Ozzy wondered.

"Well, it was late so we got a hotel room."

"Oh," Ozzy said. Then, in a more excited voice, "OH! Did you two finally do it? Did he tie you or did you make him howl all night long?"

"Ozzy--"

"Come on, details," Ozzy said. "He's a screamer, ain't he?"

"I'm going to hang up on you if you don't stop that," Thomas scoffed, though he was smiling as the memories of the previous night replayed themselves in his mind, his private "collection" which he imagined adding to in the days, months, to come. He glanced back into the bathroom. The door was open and he saw Damien shirk off his pants and boxers. Damien glanced over his shoulder and smiled in a strangely innocent way before turning on the water.

"So, that's what's got you in a good mood," Ozzy reasoned. "Congrats, kitten. Ah, I'll miss when I was the one getting rammed by you."

Thomas's breath hitched and he lowered his voice as he spoke. "Can we not bring that up? That was the past."

"I know, I know," Ozzy remarked calmly, still in his usual, playful tone. "But that's not why I called you. You know, Freddie's got a plan for that most glorious of holidays. He's throwing a huge party at his parents' place. You know, the kind that anyone who's anyone's going to be at."

"Okay, I might go. What holiday?"

Ozzy scoffed. "Halloween! How could you not know that?! And it's a costume party! Whoever has the best costume wins a prize."

"What kind of prize?"

Ozzy was about to speak, but there was a pause as his mouth closed, teeth clicking oddly as he thought of a reply. "What an interesting question. Why don't you ask him when you get your tail back to school? You know you can't afford to miss practice today. Coach'll have your tail on a plate if you do."

Thomas sighed. "Yeah, I know. We'll be back."

"In time for practice?"

"... Maybe."

"Okay. I warned you. Anything else you do is on your head and in the doggy's ass."

"OZZY!"

"Bye!"

The line went dead and Thomas rolled his eyes, silently questioning why he was still friends with that hyperactive bunny. And yet, somehow, he couldn't imagine his life without that rabbit there beside him. He glanced back at the bathroom--when had Damien closed the door? Would he be able to imagine his life without Damien?

---

"Wanna go shopping?" Thomas asked suddenly.

"What?" Damien wondered. They had only just stepped out into the parking lot after checking out of the hotel room. He stopped before opening the passenger side door of Thomas's car, looking over at the panther curiously. "Shopping?"

"Shopping. There's a mall on the way back and I feel like killing time."

"Don't you have practice tonight?" Damien asked suspiciously. His eyes narrowed. "And after skipping out on it last night, shouldn't you--?"

"Yes or no?" Thomas interrupted.

"Maybe, but you owe me an answer," Damien said, opening the door. He sat down gingerly. Thomas got in as well and was soon pulling away from the hotel. "Who're you avoiding?"

"I'm not avoiding anyone," Thomas answered.

Damien leaned forward, craning his neck to be able to see both of Thomas's eyes. "Who are you avoiding?" he repeated.

"Nobody," Thomas repeated, his golden eye twitching.

"Thomas, don't lie to me. Who is it?" Thomas came to a stoplight and began to hum to himself. He glanced over at Damien and reached for the radio. Damien quickly slapped his paw away. "THOMAS! WHO ARE YOU AVOIDING?!"

"Geez, don't yell!" Thomas countered. "First Ozzy, now you? What is this, pick on the panther day?"

The light turned green and Damien leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. He took a deep breath to calm himself before speaking. "What're you hiding from me?"

"I'm not!"

"Then why can't you tell me the truth? Is this about your call with Ozzy?"

"Kind of."

"What'd he say?"

"Not much. Just told me about a party one of the guys is throwing on Halloween," Thomas answered with a shrug. "Nothing major."

"Oh," Damien said dejectedly. "I was going to ask you to come to my show on Halloween... at the Scream Park."

"I didn't know you had a show."

"I meant to tell you but it just slipped my mind, I guess," Damien said. "No worries, you go to your party. Hang out with your buddies."

"But what about you?"

"I'll be fine," Damien assured him with a smile.

"Damien--"

"Drop it, I don't mind," Damien insisted with a weak chortle. "Besides, I think you owe it to your friends to spend a little time with them once in a while. You've spent so much time around me that they might be feeling a bit left out."

"Well, when's your show? Maybe you could come by afterwards? I can introduce you to the guys."

Damien shook his head. Memories of Jet and Frederick at the pool replayed in his mind. "I don't think that's a good idea. I've already met some of them and they don't do really like me, do they?"

"They just haven't had the chance to know you," Thomas said confidently. "I'm sure they'll--"

"Anyway, what's at the mall?" Damien interrupted.

"Well, it's a costume party," Thomas said, slightly put out by the audible change in Damien's tone. "I need a costume."

"Okay... I suppose we can go look. I need a costume for the performance too."

"So, costume shopping... Want to?"

Damien shrugged. "Why not?" he said halfheartedly.

---

Somehow, Damien hadn't expected any mall to be decorated so completely for Halloween, such a non-major holiday as it was. Yet the mall was decorated in lights of orange and black streamers across the hallways. Several kiosks had been set up inside, selling little Halloween trinkets and candy and other small decorations for the holiday. But of them all, the Ghoul Shoppe was the best of them all, a store which sold everything from costumes to decorations, dyes for hair and fur and all manner of accessories. As Damien stepped into the store, he marveled at how big it actually was--Halloween had never seemed so important.

Or expensive.

Even as he followed Thomas throughout the busy shop, his eyes scanned a few price tags. Certainly, he thought, they were misprinted. Again. And again.

"Thinking I'll go Sherlock Holmes," Thomas said, pulling down a package, a Sherlock Holmes costume.

"Huh?" Damien glanced over. "Why a detective? Why not a chef?"

"Because that's not me."

"And yet I could live off your food and be happy," Damien said with a grin. "I think you should try..." H glanced around the store. "A superhero."

"No way! Not my thing," Thomas said. He replaced the costume on its rack and looked around the store. "Maybe a villain. Like the Joker!"

"You couldn't pull off the Joker," Damien said. "You can't even laugh right for it."

"Oh, and you can?"

"Probably," Damien said. "I can probably do it better than you can."

"Really? Show me."

Damien's ears flattened against his head and he backed away shyly. "No, no--"

"Come on! I wanna hear it," Thomas insisted. "Please?"

"Tommy, we're in public. I can't--No," Damien said.

Thomas looked down sadly. "Fine. But... if you want be a Joker, maybe you'll be my Harley?"

"Harley?" He thought for a moment, then shook his head. "No! NO! ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"Why not? I think you'd make a cute Harley Quinn," Thomas said. Damien shook his head and tried to take another step back--why was there a wall there? Thomas leaned in closer. "Well, if not my Harley, I could always use a cute cheerleader. Maybe in a miniskirt." Thomas let out a warm breath against Damien's neck and at once, Damien felt his body shiver. He hurriedly jerked away. Thomas laughed.

"That wasn't funny, Thomas," Damien snarled, face burning with embarrassment... and want.

"It was just a joke," Thomas said. "Look, sorry. I just wanted to tease you a little bit. I'm sorry..."

Damien turned back around, smiling weakly. "Well, can we just keep things like that private?"

"I promise," Thomas said. "Scout's honor."

"Were you a scout?"

Thomas shook his head. "So, what're you going to do for your costume?"

Damien shrugged. "Maybe I'll go as a football player," Damien suggested. "Can I borrow your jersey and stuff?"

"Can you fit my jersey?"

"No. But it's something different. I can pretend to be a jock. And maybe you could pretend to be a rocker," Damien answered. "A little role reversal."

"Sounds interesting," Thomas said, "although I'll regret not getting the Holmes costume."

"Trust me, you're no Sherlock Holmes," Damien said. "I mean that politely, but you're not exactly a detective."

"Nope." He looked over at the costume once more with a saddened expression.

"Why do you want it so badly?" Damien questioned.

"Well, my dad's a detective," Thomas answered. He chortled. "Wonder if he'd find it funny to see his son as a detective too."

Damien frowned. "When was the last time you talked to him?"

"When we went to the cemetery to visit Theo," Thomas answered nonchalantly.

"That was a month ago!"

"I know."

"Thomas, you should call him."

"And say what?"

"Just call him. Let him know you're okay and you love him," Damien said. "I'm sure he's worried about you."

"Doubt he is, but whatever. You know what you want?"

"Thomas, he's your--"

"Can we not have this conversation right now?" Thomas asked. "Let's get our costumes and head back. I'm sure your friends'll be glad to see you again."

"You know what, I don't want anything," Damien huffed. He looked away. "I don't get you. You say you don't care about your dad, but you want to pretend to be like him. You say you don't care, but you do."

"You just don't understand."

"Then help me to."

Thomas took a deep breath. "So, what time's your performance on Halloween? I think I'd rather be at your gig than at the party."

"Stop deflecting!" Damien insisted and he was absently aware that his voice was steadily getting louder in his frustration. Thomas gazed at him in surprise. Damien took a calming breath and spoke in a quieter tone. "Why don't you want to talk to your dad? Is it because of me? You don't want him to find out about us, right?"

"Damien, it's not that..."

"Then tell me what it is. If it's not that, then why not give him a call? Text him. Just ask how he's doing and let him know you're okay."

"Why is this a big deal with you?" Thomas wondered.

"Because he's your dad," Damien snapped. "I know you guys have a complicated history and I get that I'll never really understand what happened but..." He shook his head and shrugged, throwing up his paws in surrender. "I don't know why I'm even arguing this with you. Something tells me you're not even really listening to me."

Thomas looked about to answer but he stopped himself. "Let's get something for lunch."

"And there you go again, just changing to the subject."

"I'm not! I promise. Let's sit down at the food court. We'll have a nice chat and hopefully you won't be so mad at me anymore."

---

Finding a free table and sitting down with burgers and fries and a (Damien cringed) green shake for Thomas and a soda for Damien, they ate silently. Damien watched Thomas carefully; he was tense and uncomfortable and Damien felt as though he should apologize. Perhaps he had gotten angry over something he shouldn't have. After all, he barely knew what Thomas's father was like. Perhaps there was a good reason why they were so detached from each other.

Then Thomas pulled out something from his wallet. It was a photograph and he set it on the table, in full view of Damien who looked at it curiously. Four panthers looked back at him. He recognized Thomas, those heterochromic eyes gazing back at him. Then, beside Thomas, a younger panther who looked shy, with his paws behind his back. Behind the shy panther was a female, in a dark red dress and pearls and beside her, an imposing figure who almost seemed to be glaring.

"That was back when we were a family," Thomas said. "Middle school. Dad was a completely different guy. Mom was catering all over the city and Theo was becoming a chess champion. We were all busy but when we were together, it was great. Mom would always make some of her awesome desserts and Dad would tell stories about the crimes he'd solved." Thomas chuckled, but then frowned. "Things started changing when Dad caught Theo kissing another guy. He was furious and there was a lot of yelling and fighting and screaming... Theo and I just ran off to Ozzy's and didn't come back for two days. After that, everything seemed so different. There were times when Dad wouldn't come home for days at a time, he was always working and Mom was stressed out about it and everything. He didn't want to be around us, I think.

"And then Theo died... and Mom shortly after..." Thomas sniffled. "Dad and I were never exactly the closest, but we just were drifting apart. And by the time I graduated, I didn't really think much of him."

"Did he go to your graduation?"

"He was there, but he left after the ceremony. Always had somewhere else to be."

"Thomas, I get that it's hard and I know I'll never completely understand what happened between you and your dad... but please, for me, just... Can you try to make up with him?" Damien asked.

"Why're you pushing this so hard?" Thomas wondered. "I don't really mind it."

"I do. Thomas... You already lost your mom and your brother and I know that's been hard on you but do you really want to go through life without the one bit of family you've got left?" Damien asked. "I could've lost my dad this week. And just thinking that he could've died without me telling him that I loved him..." Damien swallowed. "I know it's not the same. And I know my family's not like yours. But you do love your dad, right?"

"I do."

"Then why not tell him?" Damien asked. "Even if you just text him and say you hope he's doing okay, that's better than nothing."

"... Alright. I'll text him later," Thomas said.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

"And Tommy, I don't care if you decide to keep us a secret," Damien answered. "I don't mind. But I just hate the idea that you and him aren't talking."

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you so upset."

"It's fine... I'm sorry for nagging you about this."

"Sorry for teasing you about the miniskirt thing too."

"Don't worry about it. Just don't do that in public."

"Can I do it in private?"

"Thomas..." Damien said warningly.

"I wonder what you'd look like in a miniskirt," Thomas murmured thoughtfully. Damien could tell that he was imagining it in his mind and his face heated beneath his fur. "Probably not too bad. Maybe some pa--"

"Stop it!" Damien said, purposely kicking Thomas beneath the table.

"Ow," Thomas said chortling. "I was just joking."

"That's not funny!"

"Only because we're in public, right?" Thomas said. He chuckled and Damien wished he could disappear. Thomas lowered his voice so he wouldn't be overheard. "What's a little joke between lovers?"

Damien felt his heart start to race. Thomas gathered up their garbage and went to throw it away and Damien watched him do it; somehow, Thomas looked more magnificent now than before, as Damien watched the muscular, young Adonis move. Thomas had called them "lovers". Why did that term seem heavier than just "boyfriends"?

Thomas quickly returned. "Want to head back to school now or--?"

"N-no," Damien said. "We still need to get our costumes."