The party! [PART 14]
#14 of The party!
This chapter is unusually long. Im sorry if it looks odd, too. I hope you enjoy.
Luna woke up in Vermont's bed with mixed feelings. For once he felt peace and it seemed like everything is perfect. But inside he wondered if Joe was okay and if he needed something. He stood up from the bed without waking the canine up and looked around the, now better illuminated, house. He walked down the hall where he was met with bright sunlight shining through the curtains. As he looked around, he found the kitchen which was extensively made of dark wood, even the refrigerator had a wooden design on it. The floor had a mosaic-esqe floral pattern across it. Luna's exploration quickly ended when he was tapped on his shoulder by Vermont. "Good morning." He said with a drowsy tone in his voice. "Good morning, Vermont." The canine rubbed his eyes and looked over at the clock, then back to Luna. "...Why are you up so early?" The wolf looked over to the clock. 6:23 am. "Im... Actually not sure. At what time do you usually wake up?" Vermont thought for a second. "Nine... Eh... Nine-thirty..." Luna nodded. "Okay, i'll try to sleep a littl longer next time." Vermont chuckled as he walked past the wolf. "You really should. It... isn't good for you." He walked into the kitched and pressed a button on his water boiler. "Apple or camomile?" The canine yawned as he asked this question. "Camomile, please." The wolf smiled lightly. Vermont grabbed out a small container with all sorts of tea inside. He looked inside of it and then grabbed the one which had a small picture of a camomile flower on top. "Say, Luna..." Vermont began as he grabbed out a cup. "...Do you have any plans?" The wolf thought for a second. "I have plans on having a job and a stable relationship." The canine poured the hot water into the cup. "That's nice. But at the moment you shouldn't bother too much with those. What you need is alot of rest." He brought the cup over to Luna. The wolf took the cup and smiled lightly. "Thanks." He looked into the cup and watched how the water slowly changed colour. "...Do you have any plans?" Vermont was surprised. "Eh... For today, not really. It's sunday, so i don't have to work. For the future, probably the same as you." Luna looked down into his cup. "W-would you mind showing me around a bit? I'd like to breathe a little fresh air." Vermont looked over to the wolf with a smile on his face. "Sure! While you finish your tea i'll go and get dressed. Make sure to wear something waterproof." With a quick motion, the canine walked back into the corridor. Luna was felt the warm feeling of excitement. As he took a big sip from the tea he was thinking about where he was going. Maybe a pool? Maybe some kind of water-related thing? Either way Luna was excited to breathe fresh air. After he drank the last bit of his tea and put the cup in the sink, he walked back into the bedroom. Vermont was spread across his bed with his phone is his palm. Luna moved over to the bag and grabbed his clothes. "'You excited?" Vermont smirked at the wolf. "Certainly." Luna replied with a genuine giggle and swiftly left the room again. He entered the bathroom and began redressing himself. He wore a pair of whiteswimming shorts with a blue checkered shirt. Before he left, he took a closer look at himself in the mirror. His eyes looked terribly bloodshot, just alike to Joe's. He opened the tap and washed his face. He couldn't lie to himself. He felt miserable. Along with his prior life, he lost his best friend and now he needs to start all over again. He dried off his face with the towel and exited the bathroom. He turned around and opened the door. "Im ready, we can go now." The canine stood up, stretched a bit and grabbed his bag. "Okay!" Luna went back out of the hallway and back to the front entrance, which he left his shoes next to. He hopped into his shoes and not long after, Vermont came too. He put of his shoes and opened the door. "Ladies first." Luna knelt and lifted an imaginary dress. "Truly a gentleman." The canine laughed as he closed the door behind him. "First i'll show you around in my neighbourhood a little. We'll probably meet one of my friends." Vermont smiled at the wolf. Luna looked around. It was eerily lively for this time. As the canine began moving, Luna was broken from his spying. They entered the street and there were two ways to go: Right leading into a wall and left leading to what seemed to be an archway. Vermont chuckled a little. "You better learn which house you're in." The wolf didn't notice, but all of the houses were identical to each other. "Just remember thirty-four." Luna and Vermont began moving forwards and down the street. Other than a few odd looks, the wolf didn't get much of social interaction. As the two were just about the exit, Vermont suddenly stopped. He was greeting somebody. There was a tall and slender grey cat standing in front of the canine. "And who's this, may i ask?" The cat grinned at Luna. "He's Luna, my companion." The grey feline reached his arm to the wolf. "Im Timothy, nice to meet ya'!" Luna smiled as he gave Timothy an handshake. The two continued their business and Luna began to peek around again. There seemed to be alot of couples in the area. And especially alot of families. As Luna was snooping around he heard along to the conversation. "He needed help, so i helped him." Vermont said. The canine knew that he shouldn't mention the wolf's backstory to strangers, so he simply left it with Luna needing a roof to stand under. "Aw... That's sad!" The grey cat rubbed his neck. "I hope you'll be treated well, Luna!" The wolf smiled in response. "I am in good hands. Don't worry." Timothy smiled. "Okay then, i'll join you guys later! I got some stuff to do! Bye!" And with a wave the cat rushed away. "Nice fellow." Luna said before he continued walking with Vermont. "Say, where will he join us though?" The canine grinned. "Eh, we will go to a park today. It's a private place, very pretty." The wolf was excited just by hearing such descriptions. "Will there be more people?" "Im pretty sure only Timothy and us will be there." It didn't take long until the two reached the exit. Luna was just following the canine around the part of town and looked at the place. It seemed like this was the rich part of his town. The wolf and the canine were both walking along an enormous hedge. "We're almost there. The entrance is just around the corner." Vermont smiled at Luna walking next to him. Slowly a gate came into sight. That thing seemed everything but nice. Twirled spikes, automatic lock, barbwire and quite a few danger signs. As the canine pulled out a card, Luna herd voices calling him from afar. "Luna! Hey! Over here!" The wolf looked around to see where the voices came from. A car slowly approached the two. A voice quickly mumbled "I'll walk from here on, thanks." The car door opened and a familiar tiger caught Luna's eyesight; Chester! "Luna! I was searching for you. You guys weren't home and Joe's phone is completely shut off!" As the wolf caught up with the tiger he began to explain. "Um... I-it's kinda sad. At one night Joe came home drunk again and this time he was mad too. I tried my best to go out of his way, but it stopped in the bedroom. A-and... W-well..." Vermont rubbed Luna's back. "Joe got violent and collapsed Luna's throat. He was in hospital for three days. Afterwards Joe decided to go to a rehabilitation center himself. Luna is staying with me untill then." The tiger looked at Vermont. "A rehab? Which one?" The canine shrugged. "We're not sure. Probably the nearest one." Luna held his hands on his eyes and tried to forget the horrible images he still had in his head. "Chester. Please tell that George and Benji too." Chester nodded. "I will. Im glad to know you're both safe and sound. Give me your phone number incase somethin happens, alright?" After the two exchanged their numbers, the tiger gave Luna a quick hug. "Watch yourself. I'll see you sometime." The wolf smiled weakly. "See you sometime." With these words, the tiger waved off and went his ways. "Was he a friend of Joe?" Vermont asked. "Yes. He's a strong guy. I wish i was more like him. Im weak as shit." The canine brushed Luna through his headfur. "You aren't weak. You are perfect just the way you are." He pulled his hand away and slid the card from before through the slit in the lock. With a sound the door unlocked itself. Luna looked around the "Park". It was enormous. Alot of green and some Cherry blossom trees. There also were alot of benches and tables for table tennis. In the middle was a roofed area with a pool inside. Next to it were multiple small fountains. There was another roofed area for grilling and such. All-in-all it seemed extremely expensive. The wolf was speechless. "H-how...?" Vermont smirked. "All of this is part of a club. Timothy is also a club member." Luna was stunned at the wonderful view of the so-called park. After the two entered it, the canine closed the gate behind him and lead Luna to the roofed area. The pool was at least four meters deep in all directions. This wasn't a problem, as the wolf is a great swimmer. "Timothy should be here any minute. You can undress whenever you want." Vermont chuckled a bit. "Well that didn't sound odd at all." Luna laughed as he began unbuttoning his shirt. After it was open, he pulled it off his back and threw it on a bench next to Vermont's shirt. "Today is really sunny. I really like it." The canine was fumbling through his bag and grabbed out a big towel. He swept it in the air and layed it down flat on the grass close to the pool. Luna meanwhile, decided to take a look at the pool. He slowly dipped his toe in. It was cold as expected, but during this heat it will definitely help. "Do you want a towel too?" Vermont asked. "Sure!" Luna smiled. "Im here!" With a beep-noise the front gate opened once again and the slender grey cat from before rushed in. "Phew! Glad i cought you guys before entering the pool!" Vermont smirked. "Why that?" Timothy awkwardly smiled. "That's the most exciting part!" He mumbled under his breath. "Okay then. Luna, you can enter the pool anytime if you want to. Just be careful not to drown." The canine laughed. "Why not just say 'have common sense'?" The grey cat laughed as he began undoing his shirt. "Why not just say that i shouldn't try to find out if i'm a fish?" Luna smiled awkwardly. Timmy put the bag he had with him next to Vermont's and began setting up his towel too. Luna was standing at the edge of the pool. "Should i just jump in so i skip the whole warming-up part?" The grey cat smirked. "I dare you." The wolf looked down into the water. He clenched his fist and took a deep breath. With a quick motion he leaped into the air and into the pool. The freezing feeling was all over him. He swiftly snapped out of it and got back to the top. "Oh god. It's cold. It's cold. Ugh- I immediately regret this decision." The canine and the cat were both laughing hardly at Luna who barely kept himself over the water. "Okay, okay. Now i dare you guys. If you don't, you have to accept you were beaten by a dwarf." The grey cat accepted. He walked up to the pool and stood at the ledge. "Go on, Timothy." Vermont chuckled. The cat glared at the pool for quite some time before pulling himself away. "Nope. Im a coward." He laughed. Luna swam to the ledge and sat down on a protruding bit on the pool wall and breathed deeply. After that quick shock the water was mildly warm and very cozy. Just as he wanted to leave a little bit, the canine decided to join the pool. "There's no way i would jump in there. I might be a coward, but atleast i have pride." He chuckled as he slowly descended from the ladder into the pool. "Water is still the most comfortable thing ever." Luna yawned. "Water isn't very-much comfortable in clothes, though." The cat laughed, laying on his towel. As the chatting continued, the day slowly began to end. Just as the sky began turning darker, Timothy, Vermont and Luna began their way home. "Today was really nice." Luna said. "Yeah, i agree." The cat replied before yawning. "But every day has to come to an end." Vermont stretched as he walked. "Atleast the day that ended was enjoyable." The wolf chuckled a little. "I was only hoping to catch some air, but instead i got to catch some memories." Vermont sighed. "Tomorrow i have to work again, though. I hope you won't be too bored when im not at home, Luna." The wolf smiled. "I bet i won't get bored too easily." Timothy stopped walking. "Eh- Um... Can it be?" Luna turned around. "Can it be what?" The cat scratched his head. "That you two..." Luna giggled. "I am gay. Me and Vermont are only close friends though." Vermont laughed lightly. "I guess you did catch me." The cat was looking strangely at the two. "Don't worry though. We were friends for quite some time and you never did anything. Just because you know that i am gay doesn't change the way we're only friends." Vermont said. "I might be new to you, but i think the same way. Being gay doesn't mean you can't have friends of the same gender that are hetero." Luna explained. The cat nodded. "Y-yeah. You're right. It's just... Wow. Vermont hid it so long from me." The canine laughed. "I don't really hide it. Just because one's gay does not mean one has to love pink, has to wear heels or talk with a lisp. It only means you like the same gender. Nothing more." After the cat caught on, the three had reached their destination and Timothy waved off. Luna and Vermont entered the house again. "Thank you for making that talk a little smoother." The wolf winked at the canine. "Anytime." Vermont took off his shoes and wandered into the bedroom to change into comfortable clothes, as did Luna. After he was changed, the wolf sat down on the edge of the bed. "Vermont?" The canine turned around from his closet. "When Timothy asked if we were together, was that uncomfortable to you?" Vermont shook his head. "I'd be perfectly comfortable with anybody knowing im in a relationship anytime." The wolf blushed a little. "Even with me?" Vermont chuckled before he sat down next to Luna. "Even with you." He gave the wolf a little kiss on the forehead before he stood up and left the room. "Was he implying that i can make the first step?" Luna thought to himself before rolling over to his spot on the bed. "...And that i can make it anytime i like?" caught in thoughts, the wolf barely noticed Vermont already lying in bed behind him. "Goodnight." He said quietly. "Goodnight, Luna."
It was about 8am and Luna slowly began waking up. It didn't take long for him to notice the spot next to him was already empty. He took a quick look around. Everything was neat and it didn't seemed as if he left in a hurry. Vermont left without the wolf noticing. Luna felt a bit guilty now that he remembered he accidentally woke up the canine on his free day. As he got up, the wolf noticed a small note laying on the small table next to his bag. "Dear Luna, im off for work and will return at 7pm. I've left some food in the fridge for you if you are hungry. Feel free to do what you want! -Vermont" The wolf smiled softly as he read the text. Vermont was such a lovely person. He put the letter away and began redressing himself. He felt compelled to go for a early morning walk. He redressed and drank a glass of water. Just as he was about to leave, he noticed his phone ringing. As he looked on the display he was confused. A private number is calling. He picked up the phone. "Hello?" He asked. "Hello." The sound of the call was quite odd. It almost sounded like a walky-talky. "Who's there?" Luna questioned. "It's me. Joe." The wolf was cought off-guard. "J-joe?" The phone began buzzing every now and then. "Joe... How are you..?" The leopard chuckled softly. "Im fine. How are you?" Luna was very glad to hear that Joe was alright. "I-im fine... Where are you right now?" The leopard sighed. "Im in the clinic. They are giving us one call per week." The wolf's heart was racing. "So you're in the rehabilitation clinic... I-it shouldn't have come this far..." The leopard paused for a moment. "Luna. It's alright." The wolf clenched his fist. "It's all my fault..." Joe huffed. "Luna. Listen to me closely. It's not your fault. If it wouldn't have hit you, it would've hit the next best whore. And if it hit somebody who doesn't know me as long as you, they would've sued me and instead of rehab, i would land in prison. You saved me." Luna sighed as he noticed that this was true. "I-im just happy to know you're alright. Your friends were also worried about you." The leopard was interrupted by a distant voice telling him to hurry up. "I'll have to go now. I'll talk to you in a week again. Goodbye." Swiftly, the call ended. The wolf remembered that Chester told him to keep him up-to-date with Joe's status. He searched the number in his contract and dialed. "Hello?" The tiger groaned. "Hello, Chester. Im sorry if i woke you up, but i have news from Joe." The tiger yawned. "Nah, it's okay. What's with him?" Luna began to explain. "He is currently in the rehab. He just called me and he told me he was alright where he is right now." "That's great to know, thanks for the update, pup." The wolf chuckled. "No problem. Goodbye!" Chester chuckled too. "Bye." Luna left the house and began his stroll around the area. Along with the clone-like houses, Luna noticed that almost every lawn was weed-free, but those perfect looking ones also seemed to be fake. Just as he wanted to continue, he accidentally walked into somebody. He instantly zoomed back on his feet to excuse himself. "Im very sorry, sir, i wasn't looking where i was going-" Luna recognized the feline he just bumped into. "Oh, Timothy!" The grey cat giggled softly as he stood back up. "No need to excuse, Luna. I wasn't watching where i was going either." The wolf dusted off his pants. "What are you doing up this early? The only other person i know that wakes up earlier is Vermont." Timothy asked. "I was just taking a stroll, what about you?" Luna answered. "I was just about to do the same! Would you mind if i walked around a little with you?" The grey cat grinned. "Sure. It's always nice to have some company whilst exploring." Luna smiled. As the two continued their stroll, the wolf didn't even notice how silent the streets were because he had made himself company to keep him entertained during that hour. Just as the two were making their way back, Luna's phone began ringing. The display showed Vermont's name. "Hi Vermont!" The wolf said, after picking up the phone. "Hey Luna. I was just calling to see how you are." The canine answered. "Im fine. Im currently walking back home from a stroll i took with Timothy." Vermont chuckled. "It's great to hear you two get along." Luna began to chuckle too. "Yeah, he's a nice guy." The grey cat glanced over to the wolf with an interested look on his face. "I'll talk to you later, okay? Cya!" Luna hung up the phone and put it back in his pocket. Timothy was still looking at the wolf. "Say, uh... How did you mean that?" He asked. "Mean what?" Luna replied. "That point where you said that im a nice guy..." The wolf laughed. "Oh! I didn't mean it in any flirty way, haha! I know you're straight, i wouldn't bother trying to change that, which in itself is probably impossible." The feline sighed. "Thank's for the explanation, as you can tell, im the best in misunderstanding everything." Luna smiled. "It's okay! Feel free to ask anything." Just as he was about to wave goodbye, the feline muttered something. "What was that? I didn't quite hear you." Luna said. "I was just thinking why parents never teach their children about this... Atleast my parents never told me what gay people really do." The fine rubbed his neck. "All we do is love the same gender, really. You may be somebody who thinks about the stereotypical 'gay'." Luna explained. "You know the stereotype: Pink everywhere, a lisp and tons of make-up." Timothy chuckled. "Yeah, it was kinda rude of me to think all gay people are that way." The wolf laughed slightly. "Everybody was their thoughts! I was glad that you actually listened, rather than throwing religion at my head." Luna was laughing until he realised he doesn't own keys to Vermont's house, meaning he was locked-out. "Ugh, shit." The wolf groaned. "What's the matter?" Timothy asked. "I forgot i haven't gotten any keys for the house." The grey cat smiled lightly. "You can stay at my house untill Vermont comes back, if you like." Luna smiled back. "Sure thing." He followed the grey feline to his house, which was only a few steps away. Timothy opened the door and Luna followed inside. The inside of the house was very casually, unlike Vermont. Basic wooden furniture was found everywhere, except in the livingroom, where Luna saw the metal-framed sofa, a TV mounted to the wall and plants here and there. "Well, here's my home." Timothy giggled as he put his keys in a bowl. "It looks nice and cozy." Luna smiled. "Thank you. I needed some furniture when i was new here and i had basically no money, which explains why some of my stuff looks so extensively cheap." Timothy said as he awkwardly rubbed his neck. "I like it. It gives a nice and homey feeling. But what exactly do you work as?" The wolf asked as he continued looking around. "Im a teacher. I teach history and PE." The grey cat invited Luna to sit down with him, which he accepted. "A teacher! In a preschool or high-school?" The wolf didn't see many young teachers in his school, which makes this encounter quite interesting. "Im in a high-school. It's kinda intimidating how almost all my students are almost taller than me." Timothy laughed. "I wish i was tall," Luna chuckled. "I look like a teddybear." The feline smiled as he crossed his legs. "That's kinda true, you look like you haven't even reached puperty yet." The wolf giggled as he leant back into the chair. "Well that was mean." Timothy sighed. "I bet your looks are kinda influencing your dating life, eh?" "How do you mean that?" Luna asked. "Well, you look pretty young, so i bet most people you meet are sincerely creepy." The wolf laughed. "Well, i haven't met an extremely creepy guy yet, but i bet my looks attract some weird people." Luna shrugged. "But as long as they keep their hands off me, im alright!" The grey cat laughed and Luna couldn't help himself but join in. Once he stopped laughing, Timothy asked: "But say, don't you want to call Vermont and tell him that you locked out yourself?" Luna sighed. "Im way beyond sure im annoying him. He seems so happy most of the time, but i doubt he actually is." The feline nodded. "I understand." The wolf gave an awkward smile. "Im probably the most subconsciously-obnoxious person to exist." Timothy chuckled softly. "Now try and say that three times!" Luna pouted. "Just because i have a thing for playing smart!" The felines chuckle turned into a laugh again. "Just kidding, just kiddning!" The wolf huffed as he rested his head in his paw. "But being honest here, i really think Vermont is just sick and tired of me. I really need to chill." Timothy smiled. "I bet he isn't. He's a very kindhearted person from my experience and i bet he really cares for you." Luna looked over to the cat. "Are you sure?" Timothy nodded. "Definitely. Now, do you want to call Vermont or not?"