Reaching for the Stars

Chapter 41: The Lone Lamp

"Haaah!"

Lucas stretched his body. Sitting in a chair all day felt really tiring. Somehow, he missed the green field, the classes, even the homework. He had been sitting all day in the office and now he had to sit again in the metro. Not that he was complaining; here he could lean his back against the wall or even put his legs on the seat if he wanted.

His thoughts wandered to the girl trio in the office, then he sighed. He wouldn't go as far as to call them horny bitches but... well... okay, he knew he was handsome, and some people had a thing with black fur and canines and he was a black coyote so... yeah.

Next to him, Tom yawned. That eyepatch made him look rather scary, but his soft smile didn't completely wash away the friendly look. He missed the wolf; really, Tom was the only one who could keep him entertained in the office. Granted, the wolf was not the chatty type, but still, having someone to be trusted was nice. And he was cute, too, in a way.

They were going to the bar tonight. Lucas only wanted some rounds with Tom, but since he was single now, meeting Mr Husky no longer seemed to be a bad idea. Heck, he could even ask for a private session, just without the usual pole dancing.

Lucas chuckled; Tom seemed tolerating, but would probably just sit there, dumbfounded, maybe uncomfortable. It would be too forward of him to invite the wolf to a private session with Mr Husky. However, Mr Husky was nice; he wouldn't just hit on customers. Besides, this bar wasn't all that horrible. No horny people were grinding on one another or anything in a way that might make them uncomfortable. The bartenders were kind of hot and flirty, though...

It never ceased to amaze him just how tolerant Barrowisle was. A bar can be both for gays and straights—bisexual bars, maybe? Here, gay bars didn't need to be hidden, while back in Hampstertown they were as rare and hidden as homosexuals themselves. He counted himself lucky to have tolerant college friends; his middle and elementary school friends had not been very open.

He... could like guys without anyone judging him.

Next station: Old Highwall. The door will open on the right side.

Glancing at his phone, it was now twenty. He nudged the wolf next to him and made a gesture to stand up.

"We're getting off here?"

"Yep, come on."

They got off the metro at the station, then took the stairs and tapped their phones on the exit gate. The station wasn't packed at this hour, which made him glad.

He felt Tom's tail brushing against his hand. Looking down at the wolf, he could tell that he was nervous. "Hey, it's fine. It's just a regular bar. No one's gonna start grinding you out of nowhere." He assured him.

"Y-yeah, just..." the wolf sighed. "I'm not really sure. Just... watch my back, okay?"

"Not your front, eh?"

Tom whacked his back softly.

They went out of the station. Lucas led him down the road. "It's not far from here. We'll just walk."

"Sure. Anyway, when're we leaving? The last metro leaves at 23."

"We'll take the tram if there's one or get an Over maybe."

The road to the bar from the station was quite deserted. Lucas couldn't shake the eerie feeling off as they walked close to the almost abandoned buildings. There were occasionally unlit lamps on the side of the road, making the road look frightening. This was why he took the bus or an Over more often than the train.

Beside him, Tom didn't seem scared at all, though. The wolf kept walking like usual, not even bothered by the eerie atmosphere. His ears were still up and his tail was waving softly. Lucas walked slightly closer to him and kept his tail close between his legs, kind of regretting having chosen this road.