Ricky
#2 of The City of San Yesenya
The man, or woman, or whoever lived next door played a beautiful piano. I could hear it through the wall, and it had woken me at 6:03, twenty-seven minutes before my alarm was due to go off, but I didn't mind. I laid peacefully on my bed with my eyes closed merely listening to the wide repertoire of tunes this mystery man had, each song he (or she) played was as if he'd practiced it painstakingly for hours on end, never missing a beat or playing the wrong note, and I suppose it didn't really matter if it woke me up early because I ended up laying in bed until whoever it was stopped playing; right at 6:30.
I told myself I was going to make new friends the previous day, and I was sure I'd just found my first one. It seemed promising. Whoever could play a piano with that sort of skill surely had a certain discipline or a touch of class, nothing like the degenerates rampant roaming aimlessly about the streets of the city. So I imagined what my new friend might look like, but I didn't care to have anything specific. All I needed now was a friend. I'd go cutie hunting some other time.
I looked myself over in the mirror. Sharp, as always! Well, at least I thought I was, and that's what mattered. I liked to wear a cozy, but thin button-down long sleeve shirt with a collar at the top, like something you might wear beneath a nice business suit. Some casual pants of a random color, (today,a navy blue) with a nice belt just for looks. I checked myself out for just a minute longer, eyeing the natural ruddy tint in my fur so common in coyotes, and wondering if it made me look bad or just rugged. I shrugged it off and decided it was time to head out and meet this new friend of mine.
The mystery person's door was but two feet to the left of my own, room 805. The door looked identical to any other, and one wouldn't expect an intelligent, cultured person to inhabit such a place. Somewhat nervously, I knocked on the door. There was an apparent fumbling of objects going on for a moment as soon as the knock knock knock sounded, and I heard the sound of what seemed to be light paws quickly treading across hardwood floor.
The door opened just a crack, to the end of the chain latch that every door in the apartment building was equipped with, and I saw just a part of my new friend's face. He was a fox, a typical red fox. He looked a bit familiar, but of course, I wasn't in any position to recognize someone through such a small crack of door.
"Um, hello there." The fox said, still not trusting my appearance enough to open the door fully.
"Heya!" I greeted cheerfully, hoping not to seem threatening in any way. At this, the fox smiled and undid the latch that held back the door, opening it and making a gesture for me to come inside. Not one to decline an invitation, I stepped in. There was much to see inside, as the fox had decorated his room quite colorfully. Posters of famous rockstars and pianists alike adorned the walls, leaving no white space remaining, and an aged upright piano leaned up against the right wall of his room. That would explain the loudness of it in the mornings! The thing was only a few inches of wall away from the pillow I laid my head on at night. But yes, the room did look beautiful, at least as beautiful as you could manage to make an apartment in a beat-up old ghetto like this.
After soaking up an eyeful of the fox's living quarters for a moment, I turned to look at the fox himself. Something stirred in me, and for good reason. He was... adorable! He looked five years younger than me and had a face like a kit, and a body that was lithe, supple and easy to get your arms around. He was smiling, too... My heart couldn't help but beat a little faster, and it didn't help that the only thing he was wearing was a white undershirt and a pair of loose boxers. His exposed legs and arms revealed black paws and mostly orange fur overall, typical of red foxes, but I still couldn't stop staring.
"Uh, can I help you with something?" the fox said, and I shook myself out of a trance.
"Oh! Oh, heh, I just heard you playing that piano. You're extraordinarily good at it!" The fox scratched the back of his head bashfully.
"I didn't wake you, did I?" the fox asked.
"Well, yeah you did actually, but I'm not here to complain, so no worries. I just wanted to introduce myself formally." I extended my paw to shake. "I'm JC. And you are?"
"Ricky." The fox met my paw with a firm grip, at least, firm for a fox, and we shook.
I was surprised that this fox was so comfortable while so loosely dressed around someone he'd just met, I mean, the fly in the front of his boxers could easily give out and expose his sheath any moment! Not that I cared, of course. Ricky pulled a pair of slacks out of his drawer that were the kind that'd go with a business suit, and began to slip them on in front of me.
"So," the fox said without looking at me "You new in town?" I nodded.
"Yeah, it's an intimidating change for me." I said, the fox lifting and cocking his head at me.
"Ah, so you're saying you don't have a job yet?" Ricky asked, and how he managed to guess that was beyond me. Crazy city folk. But I shook my head anyway.
"Nope, I'm totally fresh here." I replied, putting my paws in my pockets and leaning against the wall. I just realized I hadn't thought of that yet. Where was I going to work? The wad of money my parents gave me before I left wasn't going to last forever. Ricky looked up to think for a moment, pausing in getting dressed so he was now wearing fine business pants and a ragged undershirt.
"Well, what're you best with? Got any degrees?" Ricky asked, and I nodded, proudly declaring
"Yep, I'm best with words and I got a well-earned four-year law degree. Also finished law school post-grad." The fox stroked his muzzle for a moment.
"Well, you ever thought of becoming a lawyer? We need plenty of those around here." The fox grinned, and I did too. It was obvious to me this city was full of bad people, crooks, killers and drug dealers. I nodded at Ricky's idea.
"Yeah, I was actually aiming to be one, but... who do I meet to get a fine job like that in a ragged old city like this?" I asked as Ricky began putting on his over shirt and business suit, the fox said something as he was scrambling to get his shirt over his head, but I couldn't quite hear it. Luckily for me he repeated it as soon as his head popped into sight, and it was a beautiful word to hear.
"Me." The fox said proudly. "I'm sure I could set you up somewhere, I'm the head of the San Yesenya Crime Lab after all." Suddenly I felt like I was talking to royalty, my shoulders even straightened up almost instinctively. A little respect would do me a lot of good, I thought. Finally Ricky had gotten all his clothes on, and it wasn't until I'd seen him in his nice suit and tie that I'd remembered who he was; he was that fox I'd seen waiting for the bus the day before, but I dared not mention it, it would've been awkward and he likely wouldn't have remembered me anyhow.
"Well, wow... you could really do that for me?" I asked, trying to sound as grateful as I could. I really needed a job, but wow, a job as a lawyer so soon? That'd get me out of this pitiful neighborhood in a snap, I was sure! The fox nodded in reply.
"It'd be no problem. In fact, you'd be helping us just as much as we'd be helping you. Like I said, never enough public defenders around here." I nodded, public defense was about as nitty-gritty as being a lawyer got but it still paid well. A lot better than any job I expected to get on my own, by a long shot.
With the fox fully dressed, he slipped right by me and into his bathroom and looked himself over in the mirror, messing with the locks of fur on his head. He then turned to me, smiled and walked out the door without another word. I raised my paw as if to grab at him and opened my mouth, but I said nothing and merely followed him.
"So, um, I'm following you, right?" I said, and the fox grinned.
"Well, yeah, if you want a job." Ricky replied cleverly. I shrugged, saying nothing else and following this fox. As we walked to the elevator heading down I couldn't help but notice Ricky's fruity gait. Whenever his right footpaw touched the ground, his tail swished to the left, and vice versa. Being the fag that I was, I watched his tail waggle left and right until I ran right into the elevator door.
"Ow! Oh, hah, wasn't watching where I was going..." I said, cursing to myself as the fox openly laughed at me, lightly punching my arm.
"Just don't go making that kind of impression at the office and you'll be fine. Also, just follow me, usually I take the bus but today we have enough time to walk." Ricky told me, and I was tempted to ask him to stop wagging his tail as he walked, but I resisted.
Once again, I sniffed at the air. This time it definitely did smell like shit. Or really bad pot, I wasn't too sure. But I just tried to keep my eye on Ricky while absorbing the city like I had the day before. As we walked we passed small family-owned delis and fancy restaurants, and a few guys laying out bootleg DVDs on towels they brought from home sitting in side alleys next to dumpsters and trying to get away from the man. I smiled to myself. This city was alive, and it was entertainment to just walk through it.
I looked forward to notice Ricky was already at least fifty paces ahead of me, but it was because he walked quickly, like the rest of the busy city folk. I began to dash after him and eventually caught up when he had to stop at an intersection. When I came up alongside him, he looked at me like I'd never even fallen behind and smiled. I wondered how he could stay so relaxed here in such a hectic, moving place, and I admired it, and wondered if I'd ever be the same way.
Ricky tugged on my sleeve and pointed ahead into the distance, a massive, grand looking building loomed ahead.
"See that? That's where my office is, and where I'll try to nab you your job." My jaw dropped at the mere scale of the place, and even more so as we drew closer. I felt dwarfed as Ricky and I began to romp up the sturdy, clean white steps typical of government buildings. At the top of the stairs, a large row of pillars supported the grand arch that awed visitors as they entered the beautiful building, and Ricky pushed open one of the tall double doors crafted of dark and polished wood.
Walking inside struck me even deeper than the outer architecture of the building. We strode through a large hallway with glistening marble floors and pillars following us on either side all the way up to the reception desks. Busts and portraits of important government executives and war heroes decorated the foyer. Ricky looked straight ahead as I scanned the room in bewilderment. I suppose it was all routine to him.
Ricky and the young lady behind the reception exchanged acknowledging glances and flashed each other waves as I followed the fox into another small hallway filled with more elevators. Even the elevator halls were beautiful, more paintings of beautiful landscapes and busts of the prestigious sat on the walls and floors between every elevator door. The elevator made a distinctive Ding! And I followed Ricky in.
Ricky grabbed my arm and looked at me gravely, and I flinched. Surely he was about to say something important.
"Now, JC, when you meet the fellow I'm about to introduce to you, look him right in the eyes the whole time. His eyes are burning red, and it might be hard, but this is crucial, and you have to not care about the feeling that his gaze is just going to burn right through your head." I raised an eyebrow in fear and shock. Great. No pressure. Just look right into the fucking sun. No problem at all.
The elevator door opened and my eyes darted around the room desperately as I tried to find this fellow who was supposedly so intimidating. For a moment, all I saw were what seemed to be endless waves of cubicles and computer desks, interns and secretaries skittering about left and right to perform their daily duties. Oh my god. There he was, that had to be him. Ricky waved at a giant figure of a beast across the room, who took his time in stomping across the room, his paws seeming to boom as they hit the ground like a Mechagodzilla. He was a great white leopard whose fur seemed pure and spotless, his build tall, wide and impressive, exactly what one would expect from an authority figure. As the great cat stepped in front of me, I did exactly what Ricky had told me; I looked him dead in the eye. Granted, he was wearing sunglasses so I was lucky to have caught a break. Then, he started to take them off, and the composure of my face did not break even though I was freaking out inside. Sure enough, there they were. His wild red eyes contrasted his white fur extraordinarily well, but still, I started with a confident grin. I was able to take a small breath to myself as the beast turned to look at Ricky for a moment.
"Who's this boy you've brought along with you? Not one of your toys, I hope." Ricky giggled femininely at the great cat's remark.
"Oh, no. This is my new friend JC, he's got two professional law degrees. He's also new in town and I wanted to recommend him for a position here." The leopard's eyes seemed to soften immediately as he looked at me once again, and I took relief. I wasn't sure how long I could hold my breath.
"Well Rick, you know I trust you enough. I'll make sure JC is given an office right away." I sighed. That was it? It seemed... too easy. Well, maybe Ricky had just been preparing me. Regardless, I felt good! I was in with this monster of a creature and that must've meant something. I looked at Ricky, who looked at me, then at the leopard. I turned again to see that the leopard had his paw extended to shake.
"JC, welcome to San Yesenya City Hall. I'm the big guy here, and if you ever need anything it's me you'll need to ask. My name is Cass Fullbreed. Cass or Full for short." I shook and smiled a professional smile.
"And I'm Juan Carlos Westpaw. JC for short." I held back a grimace, I hated giving my full name, but it was common courtesy. He'd given me his, after all. The leopard nodded in acknowledgement and beckoned for me to follow. I looked back at Ricky one last time, who gave me a little "Shoo-shoo" gesture with his paws. I understood and began to follow Mr. Fullbreed through, who began to speak. Probably explaining the history of the building or something, but I wasn't listening. My mind was said on what Cass had asked Ricky when he first saw me. One of his... toys? Could I be so lucky? I mean, if I'd interpreted the word "toys" right... No. He must have meant something else. That's just too much of a coincidence. Still, I was curious, hopeful. I told myself I'd ask Ricky about it later when I heard my name being called repeatedly until it was loud enough to shake me out of my thinking state.
"JC? Mr. Westpaw?..." Cass called from the other side of the room. Man, I was dumb, as soon as I started thinking I must've stopped walking. Hitting myself on the side of the head once, I ran over to meet the leopard who was standing in front of yet another elevator, and I began to realize this place was a lot bigger on the inside. Cass handed me a key and I proceeded to ask a stupid question.
"What's this for?" I looked at the key as if it were an alien control panel.
"Well it's the key to your new office, of course!" The leopard patted me on the back... kinda hard. I stifled a grunt of pain and smiled instead. "Now listen, JC. Usually, you have to be an associate or have some kind of internship for awhile before you can be popped into the position of an official lawyer, but you're lucky to be friends with Ricky, there. He's got a lot of power here, probably more than he realizes, and you're in through him. Now, I don't know myself how trustworthy you are, but you're going to have to prove it to me in the next few weeks. If you mess up too many times, I'll have you sacked. Got it? Now, go on, second floor, office three-fifty-two." Cass said finally, and with that he left me off to my own business, abruptly leaving my side with not much more than a wave of goodbye.
For a moment, I looked at the key in my hand like someone had just handed me the controls to a jet and asked me to fly around the world with it. I was definitely thrilled... but a little confused. But I followed directions, eventually finding my way to my office, putting in the key, and sure enough, the door gave way.
What would become my new office was a decrepit old place that obviously hadn't been in use for a while. Dust covered every flat surface I could find in the room, from the desk to the keys on the keyboard of the computer that appeared to be at least a decade old. The blinds were closed, making the room dark, the only source of light being the hall outside, and when I tried to use the string to lift them, they were very reluctant, coming up slowly and surely but with a rusty shriek that sounded like nails on a chalkboard, making me grimace the whole time. But finally, the room was lit. I looked out the window from the great government building and had a nice view of a not-so-nice city, and then around at my office. The place needed cleaning pretty desperately, I doubt it would even be useful without a vacuum and a dustpan... So I got to work. Well, not really. I needed a vacuum first and was about to leave the office to find one when I tripped and landed flat on my muzzle. I got up to rub it and ease the pain and realized I'd tripped over - lucky me! A vacuum! The handle was sticking out into the doorway where someone's foot would usually cross and I was lucky to not have tripped over it on my way in. After plugging it in I found it was in decent working order, and began my first honest work in the city of San Yesenya...
**********
Ricky had a pretty stressful job, and while it had high pay he knew he'd never recommend it to anyone, unless you liked seeing dead bodies and bloodied clothes on a daily basis. But somebody had to have the guts, and he was the one. Ricky's actual job didn't really require a lot of actual work, what with finding DNA and all, that was left to the scientists who knew how to work the machines. Ricky was just the decision maker, if someone brought a piece of evidence to him, he'd tell you what to do with it and who to report to. If he caught wind of a new crime seen he'd just dial a number and send a few of his cronies to pick up the scraps for him. Life had been good to Ricky, his father retired as the old SYPD Crime Lab head and recommended that the position be passed to his son. Ricky's father was quite a trusted man who'd seen a lot of blood sweat and tears, (both in the figurative and literal sense) and nobody at the lab questioned his decision. Of course, little Ricky had a lot to live up to, and the job took a daily toll on the young fox both mentally and physically.
The fox rubbed his face with both paws as if he were having a headache. It really wasn't easy being the man that everyone turned to for their orders. You had people yelling in your ear all day every day, and when you finally got home, sweet silence was the most beautiful thing you could hear. Even more beautiful was a fine tune on a piano, which was the main reason the young vulpine had picked up the instrument. The first thing he did each day was sit down and play something on that old upright that would soothe his nerves after a long day of "Rick, shootout on Third Avenue today!" or "Mr. Burnam, bloodbath at the pier!" These days it seemed he was actively looking for something to relax him, at least until he toughened up and got used to the job, like his good old dad did. Ricky never knew how he did it, his father was always so iron-willed and dependable, no wonder nobody doubted him when he retired and passed the baton to young, scrawny little 24-year-old Ricky Burnam. It took a lot of trust for people to believe in such an audacious move, surely that trust was something Rick's father had.
Ricky took a look at the clock in his office, his ears perking up. 4:30, oh sweet lord yes, 4:30 PM. He supposed he'd take the rest of the day off. After all, he was the man in charge and he really needed it. Not like anyone could argue with him, so he marched right out of his office and waited for the elevator. Desperately. He knew it was only a matter of time before he heard footsteps and the scientists would be all over him yelling about their stupid reports and asking dumb questions about what to do with their DNA samples. Sometimes Ricky felt a little too powerful, like he was the brain of the crime lab and everyone else was just a mindless drone that had to go through him first before they even had the ability to do anything. The fox entertained the thought, chuckling to himself and daring not to look behind him, lest he see someone in a lab coat getting ready to tug on his shoulder. Luckily the elevator opened quickly enough and Ricky hopped right in, jamming the "Close Doors" button in order to shelter himself from the rest of the fools. Ricky sighed. He was safe! Home free. At least, he thought he was. On the way down the elevator stopped on the second floor, opening up to invite someone in, and Ricky cursed to himself. God forbid any more interaction with people...
But Ricky's ears perked up once more! It was only JC, still sporting the casual clothes he'd worn only this morning... and covered from collar to belt with grime and dust. Ricky smiled.
"You look like you got in a fight with a rug." He said. JC just shrugged.
"Well the office they gave me was a pit. Lucky me I even got it in working order by the end of the day!" JC replied, rubbing the back of his head. Ricky raised an eyebrow in surprise.
"You worked all day cleaning that office and only just finished now?" The fox asked.
"Yeah, basically... but it's all right. Cass said I wouldn't start having to deal with clients until next week, so I have some leeway." Ricky merely nodded and said nothing else. The elevator door opened a final time, and the two canines stepped out together, Ricky waving goodbye to a few people he noticed standing around in the lobby, JC shamelessly checking the fox out while he wasn't looking. His tail was still swishing that same faggy way, and the coyote's mind turned to what he intended to ask as soon as he and the fox were at home and behind closed doors.
**********
Both Ricky and JC sighed in relief as they swung open the door to the apartment building and stepped in. The place was cool and breezy as opposed to the crowded office that radiated body heat from all the busy, stressed working men that ran around and kept the place running, and it was quiet. The lobby was almost always deserted save for a few people passing in and out to go about their daily duties. The two canines walked to the elevator together, stepped in together, and walked back to their rooms side by side. As they approached their doors, JC gave the fox a warm smile, and Ricky returned it, raising a paw to wave goodbye as he stepped into his room and away from the world. The coyote stood outside for a moment with his paw on the doorknob, sighed to himself somewhat disappointedly, and shut himself in his apartment.
**********
Ugh, those business suits were so tacky. I wish they'd just let me come to work in a t-shirt and some jeans. Or even a button-down or something. I threw off the clothes of claustrophobia, as I liked to call them, and got a little more comfortable, donning a pair of basketball shorts with no underwear and a loose t-shirt for sleeping. I had to admit, I loved going commando and probably would every day if it were decent.
This city's busy nature wasn't one to let me show off my wild side, every day I had to see dead bodies and blood and deal with misfortunes beyond what a twenty-four year-old kid should have to even see, deaths of the famous and forsaken alike. These days I looked for anything and everything to ease the nature of my life. I thanked God for JC.
I was afraid to admit it to myself, but he was a cutie. Humble, yet confident, not cocky like a lot of the other guys it was common to run into in a city like this. I laid myself out in bed and thought about him for a moment. What did he mean to me? Why did I feel so generous as to hook him up with a job? I never did things for people like that; so willy-nilly. Maybe I was just tired...
No, he must've meant something to me. Why didn't I see it? This was my chance! But... what if he wasn't gay? It wasn't likely, he seemed so sheltered, probably brought up by a conservative family with conservative values in a small town somewhere where everyone shared the same religion and sexual orientation. I sighed, assuming a fetal position in my twin-size bed... and I fantasized out of desperation. Fantasizing that the coyote would come by and knock on my door, ask me if I were gay to which I'd nod shyly, a blush crossing my white cheeks, and then we'd just start making out right then and there, how perfect it'd be...
Knock knock knock! I imagined... Or at least, I thought I did. That actually sounded kind of real. My eyes shot open and my ears perked up as I sprung out of bed and dashed for the door. Luckily my paws were nice and light and didn't make so much noise as I hurried across the hardwood. Trying my best to open the door slowly and appear calm in my panicked state, I stood before JC and smiled. Oh God... he was dressed in pretty much the same thing I was, a plain white shirt and shorts that were very loose and very unsupported. It was painfully obvious he wasn't wearing anything underneath, either. I held my breath for a moment, then gulped it back, all the while retaining my friendly expression. He broke the silence.
"Hey Ricky, um... I had something kind of important to ask you." He said, and I nearly froze in that instant. I knew what he was going to ask me. There couldn't possibly be anything else.
"Yeah? Go right on ahead." I replied, trying to sound as collected as I could, but my body betrayed me horribly the way my leg jittered and the way my face stiffened in suspense.
"Fullbreed said something earlier today that got my attention; he asked if I was one of your 'toys'. C-can you tell me what he meant by that?" I relaxed. He was stuttering. I had a fairly respectable knowledge of psychology, having worked with liars and crooks for a few years already, and having taken a few courses in college. Not that it took deep knowledge to know what this meant; he was nervous, too? Could I be so lucky? I was on the verge of taking one of the biggest risks of my life, and I couldn't say I wasn't shaking...
**********
And just like that, the gutsy little fox threw his arms around my taller frame and kissed me! Never in my life had I been so stunned, and by a fox, no less. For a moment I stood there like a damned fool and looked upon this fox like a fifth grade kid watching a sex-ed video, but eventually I woke up and returned the zealous little vulpine's delicate embrace, leaning into the lusty kiss and working my tongue into Ricky's muzzle, our silken muscles wrestling energetically and swapping our tastes with one another. My thoughts and feeling of shock completely disintegrated as I melted into the kiss, concentrating only merely continuing the rigorous wrestling of our tongues. It went on for what seemed like an eternity, and then, he pulled his muzzle away and fell backwards onto his rump, looking at the ground. As my thoughts returned to me, my words did not. What was I supposed to say? Nobody had a retort for this kind of situation, at least, I sure as hell didn't...
Ricky scrambled up onto his feet again, "I- I'm sorry," he said, "I'm really sorry!" he turned to walk towards his bed but I grabbed him and hugged him, and I felt his tense body loosen in my arms.
"It's all right, Ricky. I'm not angry at you." The fox squirmed and managed to wriggle free of my grasp!
"No! It's not all right! You're not gay, I know it, and I've just embarrassed myself!" I chuckled. He was so silly, the truth was right there in front of him. Before he managed to steal away, I grabbed him once more.
"Look, think about this." I began to nuzzle at one of his black ears. "If I weren't gay, why would I have kept that kiss going so long?" Ricky loosened up, his ears falling against his head.
"I... I don't know." He was looking at the ground again, unmoving. I let him go, and he stepped towards his bed, not even looking back at me. "We'll talk tomorrow, JC. I... I don't feel so good right now." I raised an eyebrow quizzically. Why would he feel bad? I had just told him I was gay. But regardless, I took my leave from his room, making sure to lock the door on my way out, and shut myself back in my own room again.
My room seemed warmer, but it might have just been me, or him. My heart beat with a certain hope that I couldn't identify, and yet, it wasn't terribly exciting either. Never one to worry, I walked over to my bed, stripping down naked, and tucked myself away beneath the sheets. As I closed my eyes, I heard that beautiful music again.