Moondance
#1 of The Same Old Song and Dance
"A karaoke bar?"
"Sure! It'll be a blast!"
"You woke me up for... a karaoke bar?"
"Oh, don't tell me your dream was more important than singing and food."
"Well..."
"Because it wasn't. I'll come pick you up at six and we'll go."
"All right, I guess..."
Alex frowned at his phone, guessing that the "Call Ended" sign that was flashing at him had appeared before he'd even gotten his last words in. Brian was a good friend, but sometimes it was hard to keep up with his ferrety energy.
The wolf lay in bed a few more minutes, trying to catch some last shards of his dream. It really was a dream worth skipping dinner for. He was terrible at remembering any of his dreams, but he did recognize the feeling of sadness that accompanied a lost dream and a familiar tingling in his groin when he awoke. "Oh well," Alex yawned, sitting up and stretching his lupine frame with a loud yawn, "I guess it's gone now." There was no point in holding a grudge against his hyper friend for the loss; after all, he was a little hungry.
Alex shivered as he stood up from the warmth of his bed and looked at the clock. "Five o'clock, huh? I guess I shouldn't have expected to have too much time to get ready." He smiled, scratching his chest and moving toward his closet to pick out an outfit for the evening. He wasn't particularly worried about fashion on a regular basis, but since he was going out to dinner with a friend who would likely dress nicely for the occasion, he figured that he should at least make an attempt at looking decent.
He took an outfit toward the mirror and held it up in front of his body. "This will do," he mused, smiling at the faded red t-shirt and light blue jeans that he had picked out. It was nothing fancy, but at least it looked like he cared about his appearance. "Maybe a jacket, too," he sighed, looking out the window at the yellow autumn leaves falling past his bedroom window. He settled for the sleek, black sports jacket that he always wore, placing the jacket and the outfit he had selected on his bed for later.
"Five twenty," Alex sighed, looking at the clock once more. "I need to get a little faster at getting clothes ready, I guess." He stepped out of his room, listening carefully to the sounds of his house. No matter how much he loved his parents and little brother, he still found it a little awkward to be seen in his boxers by any of them. He remembered vaguely his parents telling him that morning that they and his brother would be out of town for a few nights for the younger wolf's baseball tournament. After testing his family's absence with a couple of yells, he calmly walked to the closet and grabbed a towel before heading into the bathroom.
Alex was relieved that his parents went out of town. The shower would be a more relaxing place without them there. His father always found things wrong with his showering habits. They certainly weren't dirty, but they were "wasteful." The older wolf would constantly sigh at his son and insist that the boy just jump in the shower and turn the water on. "Why wait until it gets warm?" he would ask. "Just a waste of water, if you ask me." Alex always turned on the water and let it get hot first, anyway. He couldn't help it that he obviously didn't obtain the same arctic genes as his father. If he couldn't control the temperature of the house (which was kept colder than the October air outside), then he could at least control the temperature of his showers.
When the water was heated enough, Alex stripped off his black silken boxers, tossing them carelessly on top of the clothes hamper in the corner of the room. Before jumping in the shower, however, he took a look at himself in the mirror. He tried to seem very humble in public, but in private he was overly proud of his body. When he was younger, he had been a chubby little cub. Now he was 17, and with a bit of work and a couple of growth spurts he had shed much of the baby fat that once plagued him. Now he was built like he felt a wolf should be built: lithe and handsome- muscular but not overly so. The guys in the locker room with muscles bigger than their heads mildly disgusted him, so he took care not to make himself become that way, even if it meant sacrificing a bit of potential lifting power.
He placed one of his hands on his stomach and trailed it down through his fur to his groin. He hadn't woken up with such a raging hard-on in a good while... what was that dream about?
Brian washed the final traces of soap from his short fur and turned off the shower. Sometimes he was glad that the bathroom that he used was the smaller of the two in the house; it held heat from his showers much better than the other, bigger one. It made getting out of the lovely warmth of the shower stall a little more bearable.
While rubbing himself dry with one of the coarse towels his mother insisted on buying, he began dancing back and forth on his feet. He had been planning to take Alex to this karaoke bar for weeks, but he had never had a good chance with all of his and his friend's activities taking up all of their free time. This night was perfect, however, since the school's fall break also convinced all of the coaches to leave town for the time. With no practice, the normally busy players of Ignus Falls sports found themselves with more free time than they knew what to do with.
Even with all of the free time, Brian couldn't understand why his friend would be napping on a beautiful autumn day like this! He could be out running or singing or dancing or playing or hiking or horseback riding or even swimming! Well, not swimming. The wolf couldn't stand the climate inside his house, much less the chilly waters of a pond in October.
The ferret burst out of his bathroom with a towel wrapped around his waist and a smile dominating his features. At least he had gotten the wolf to agree to do something. Brian couldn't understand how his grey friend managed to stay so fit when all he did was hide in his house when he wasn't actually playing his sport of choice, golf. For that matter, how was golf a sport? Even marching band could be seen as more of a sport than that crap!
With all of his musing, Brian hardly noticed himself getting dressed in the outfit that he had worn so many times before: a simple blue t-shirt with a penguin smiling cutely in its lower center and a pair of slightly faded and ripped blue jeans. He loved how the color blue accented the white of his thin body so well. He also loved the black jacket that he got from Alex for his birthday the previous month. The wolf finally got the hint that he wanted it after he had been drooling over the wolf's jacket of the same kind for about five months.
"Five forty-five," the ferret cried in a sing-song voice, quickly putting on the jacket and grabbing his holy trinity (his phone, wallet, and keys). "Gotta run or I'll be late!" He ran downstairs and blew a kiss to his mother as he ran out the door.
"No drinking, Brian," she smiled after him, looking up from reading one of her idealistic romance novels.
"Mom, you know they don't serve alcohol to minors there!" He replied over his shoulder, drowning out the last few words with the slam of the house's front door. He realized that she probably didn't get those last few words, but he didn't bother going back. He couldn't be late for his big date!
"Date..." he stopped for a moment outside of his car, key in hand. It was the first time that he had stopped moving since he had woken up. "A date..." He blushed, quickly shoving the key into the car's door and jumping in. He thought of all outings with Alex as dates. They were never romantic, and he'd certainly never thought of himself as gay, but there was something about the wolf that he found himself attracted to. He wondered if his friend felt the same; and he certainly hoped so.
The car clock blinked at him, "5:50."
"Oh crap, I'll be late!" He frowned, quickly turning the car on and backing out. "I can reflect on romance later, it's time for food!" He zoomed down the street toward his friend's house, ready for an evening of fun and...
Alex looked out his window dreamily, admiring the colors of the leaves on the various trees on his block. He then looked at the clock and mused aloud, "Six-oh-one... He's late." A sudden gust of wind rattling the windows brought his attention back outside. Maybe he'd need something heavier than his light jacket... still, Brian might be offended if the wolf wasn't wearing the jacket that was a mirror of the one that he'd bought for his friend's birthday.
A honk signaled the ferret's arrival, and Alex turned up the thermostat a bit as he was leaving. With his father out of town, there was nothing keeping him from being warm when he got in from the chilly evening air.
"Hurry up, foxy!" Brian yelled to the walking wolf. "I'm hungry!"
"You're the late one!" Alex smiled, "And besides, it's �wolfy' to you!"
"Whatever, pussycat. Get in the car or I'll have to wrestle you in; and we all know who wins our wrestling matches!"
Alex opened the passenger side door and climbed in, basking in the warmth that contrasted so drastically with the bitingly chilly breeze. "I can't help it that my raw manpower can't stand up to your slipperiness."
"You could be slippery, too. Just oil yourself up!" Brian winked, putting the car in reverse and pulling out. They always flirted in their own ways, but only recently had it started to take new meaning for Brian. I'm just overanalyzing, he thought. After all, everybody flirts! "I'm glad you decided to come."
"Well, I can't turn down my little weasel's invitation. Not that you gave me a choice in the first place."
"It's your own fault for sleeping on a day like today," Brian chastised, smiling at the wolf's sudden look of shame. "You should have been more awake so you could reply faster!"
"I suppose so. I'll make it up to you by buying you dinner." The wolf smiled, taking amusement from the ferret's surprised look.
"Well, I do declare, sir!" He smirked, losing some of the look of surprise and replacing it with a southern accent, "I don't know what a southern belle such as myself would do without a big, strong man like you! But I'll be buying. After all, I invited you!"
The conversation continued throughout the entire 20-minute trip into the center of Ignus Falls. Brian's discursive nature caused the subject to change multiple times throughout the trip, but Alex had learned to keep up. Eventually his energy will wind down, the wolf always thought, and it always did. Instead of being incredibly hyper at late hours like most of the teenagers that he knew, Brian's energy tended to wane very quickly after dark.
Eventually they arrived at a scarcely populated parking garage. Alex glanced around nervously as they got out of the car. "Why are we in this place? " He whispered.
"It's a good place to bring my rape victims," the grinning ferret replied, "And I don't trust parking on the street anywhere near where alcohol is served."
"Ah, I see." The wolf smiled, only a little reassured by his friend's joking.
"Now, now! Don't be frightened by the little old garage. I assure you that the drunken men coming out of the bars around the karaoke bar would do much more damage to such a fragile boy than the bums of a parking garage."
"Bums?" Alex frowned, his skin prickling at the thought, "I think I'd rather face the drunks, actually."
"You're such an elitist, Alex. I was only joking. Besides, when have you ever seen a bum in our precious little town?"
"Never, I guess. Still, it's the thought that counts, and that thought sent chills down my spine."
Brian locked his car, setting off out of the garage and down the street at a quick pace. Alex initially had to jog to keep up, but he soon adjusted to the hectic pace of a hungry ferret.
While they were walking, Brian gave his lupine friend occasional glances. He liked having Alex as a friend- not only because of their great compatibility, but because he was taller than the wolf. In his home, he was the shortest of three evils. It wasn't a great offense (though having a Nordic giantess of a ferret for a mother and her giant counterpart for a brother did make him feel short at his 6'8" height), but being around some of the shorter breeds of furs made him feel more powerful.
He was knocked off of his height pedestal by a cry that was a bit farther behind him than he had thought it would be.
"I thought you said it was only a couple of blocks!" Alex cried as he struggled to catch up to his friend, "And you need to slow it down a bit. I can only keep up with your long legs for so long, you know."
Score! Height compliment! Brian cheered for himself inside his mind as he sighed at the wolf in front of him. "Maybe you just need to grow some more, shorty. You've been sleeping all day while I was out and about, and you still can't keep up. Stamina!"
Alex was about to retort when a strong gust of wind nearly froze him and, moreover, succeeded in blowing him over headfirst into the ferret's chest. He looked up to apologize and found something that he hadn't seen on his friend's face very often. Though it had gotten darker outside, the soft moonlight made it easy to see the pink blush covering the ferret's features. What was more suprising to the wolf, however, was the blush which he felt start to cover his own face. He had to admit, Brian was pretty cute for a ferret...and for a guy.
Brian sucked in a breath and puffed it out in a cloud of white. "Well if you were that cold, you could have told me. Of course I'll warm you up!" He helped the wolf stand up and wrapped an arm around the smaller fur's shoulders, hoping that the warm feeling that crept across his face a few moments before had not been too obvious to the wolf.
"So...where is this place?" Alex shivered after a few more minutes of walking, trying to get back in a conversational mood. "You're sure we're going the right way?"
Brian suddenly stopped and turned toward the wolf, looking him in the eyes. Alex backed up a bit and felt the familiar warmth of blush creeping across his face again. The ferret's eyes reflected the stars that were visible very well and gave him a slight look of nonentity. Then Brian reached out a hand and placed it on the wolf's shoulder, applying a little pressure in order to get the blushing boy to turn around. "We're here."
For all of the drama, the karaoke bar was sort of disappointing. The building was orange and square, sandwiched between a deli that seemed to be permanently closed and a hair salon that seemed to be flourishing. Even at the evening hour (which Alex, watchless, assumed to be seven), the salon's lights were shining brightly and people were busily moving about inside. The karaoke bar, in contrast, seemed too much like the closed-down deli. The only sign of life that Alex could detect from where he stood was the faint sound of music coming from the bottom of the stairs that led to the entrance of the bar and which could have just as easily have come from the bustling hair salon.
"This isn't what I expected," the wolf stated frankly, looking to the ferret. "You're sure this is the place?"
"Of course! I come here often enough to know which building is which," the ferret whined, "I can't believe you have no faith in me after how long we've known each other!"
"Well prove me wrong," Alex smiled, moving aside and bowing in the direction of the door, "Show me inside, will you?"
"With pleasure," Brian winked, walking dramatically past his grey friend and down the stairs to the door. He pushed it open with another dramatic gesture and slid inside. Alex followed hurriedly, so as not to be left outside alone.
"Impressive," the wolf nodded to his friend, taking in the bar's surroundings. It was more of a casual restaurant than a bar, he noted. The only sign of alcohol was from the safari-themed and roped-off area to his right. The rest of the area seemed to be just a very plain (and very orange) restaurant floor with tables and chairs and a large stage at the front. On this stage rested some simple karaoke equipment and a single cheetah girl that was putting it to good use and being watched by every one of the twelve or so pairs of eyes that Alex could count in the establishment.
_Kiss me goodbye,
Love's memory.
You put the dream
In my reality._
The cheetah finished these last lines of her song, and Alex joined the other patrons of the restaurant in clapping for her. He could tell, even from the small amount of singing that he had heard her do, that she was very talented. She was cute, too, and that always helped a singer's case.
"Brian!" She cried as she walked off the stage, jogging across the room to hug the ferret fiercely. "I'm glad you're here!"
"Good to see you, too, Shelby." He replied, giving her a kiss on her golden forehead. "I even brought a cute friend for you to play with!" He motioned to the surprised wolf behind him.
"Oh, he is cute! I'm Shelby, sweetheart, who are you?" She stuck out a paw which Alex shook quickly. Not only is this kitty cute, he thought, she has a bit of an Aussie accent, I think!
"I'm Alex, nice to meet you." He blushed and dropped her hand quickly, avoiding eye contact.
"Too bad I can't stay and romance you both at once," she lamented, dramatically feigning a faint into Brian's arms, "Alas, I must go home and help mother with some chores or be punished tremendously."
Brian stood her up again, twirling her before letting her go completely. "It is too bad, but it's okay. Alex is still at the point where he only needs one date at a time."
Alex glared at the giggling pair and joined Brian in waving Shelby away before leaning in as close as he could to the ferret's ear and whispering, "Who are these people you introduce me to and why me?"
Brian took the comment as a joke and picked a table close to the stage as another person stood up to get his five minutes of fame. He sat across from Alex and motioned to get some attention from a waitress.
He managed to get a tiny fox boy instead of one of the busty waitresses that usually waited on him. With a wistful glance after one of the vixens disappearing into the kitchen, he turned to the boy that had come to serve him. He couldn't have been more than 5'3", the poor guy. And since one had to be at least 21 to work here... Oh, the poor, short people!
"Coke," Alex was saying to the waiter when Brian snapped back to the present. "And you," the waiter smiled at Brian. "What can I get you to drink?"
"Coke, Todd," The ferret sighed, leaning his chair back and wincing as the person on-stage began singing. "And you should just tell the chef to fix up my usual for both of us. We're hungry men, here!" He yawned, stretching his arms back and trying to unplug the microphone with a swoop of his arm. Drat, missed!
"All right, B. Back soon." The fox turned and glided across the floor into the kitchen. The boy had amazing posture, Brian could give him that. He was still a tiny little thing though.
He looked across the table at his lupine comrade and noticed that the blush that had appeared on his face when he had been introduced to Shelby had yet to disappear. "Did Shelby shake you up that much, man? You didn't even complain about my ordering for you." Brian gibed, "Or... are you just trying to hide the boner you got when you met her? I see!"
Alex glared, "Well A: I hesitantly trust your judgement in food, B: there was no boner, and C: I'm just not used to girls being so forward."
"I don't know how you manage this, Alex," Brian sighed, shaking his head, "With a body like yours, I still think that the girls should be throwing themselves all over you."
"I guess they just know I don't like sluts as much as most guys do."
"Well, Shelby was only joking anyway," Brian stretched again, taking another swing (and a miss) at the microphone plug. "She doesn't like men. Total lezzie, that one."
"She's a lesbian?" Alex gasped, muffling his voice quickly as Todd approached again to deliver their drinks and quickly walk away. "No way!"
"I know, I know. She's pretty effeminate for a lezzie, huh? Still, I swear it! No man has tapped that and lived to tell the tale."
"Wow..." Alex sighed, "I guess you just can't tell with some people." His mind drifted back to the countless locker rooms in which he showered. How many of those guys had been checking him out? He shuddered a little. He was never really comfortable being naked around any but his closest friends anyway.
"I guess," Brian smiled, turning to glare daggers at the singer on-stage. Though he would never admit it, the ferret was a bit of an elitist when it came to singing. Only a bit though. He couldn't help it if he felt that people who were utterly tone-deaf should keep off the stage forever.
The man's song ended to very little applause, and he finally walked off-stage. "Thank goodness," Alex whispered, "I thought he'd never stop singing. Why can't they have amazing voices like you?" He realized then exactly how that came out. His face, just recovering from its last bout of blush, began to redden again.
Brian looked at the wolf and blushed, only blushing deeper when he saw the wolf's face, which was blushing as deeply as he felt his own must be. Suddenly the situation got incredibly awkward. "I...I don't know," the ferret stuttered, turning his face away.
Was Alex flirting? Now that caught him off-guard. He had to get away from the table and regain a little composure. He couldn't escape to the bathroom; that would be too obvious. However...
He jumped up and announced, "I suppose I will have to exemplify what a singer is supposed to sound like." Alex gaped as Brian jumped up on stage and flew through the list of songs to find a really good one. Maybe he took the comment a little too much to heart. "Jazz, country, rock, pop... no..." He decided to hit "random" and see what challenge presented itself. It felt good being up on stage for the ferret, so it didn't matter what song appeared. He'd make it happen.
--- Moondance ---
The ferret gasped as the quick-paced jazz began. He loved this song.
He smiled out at the audience as he grabbed the microphone and began singing:
_Well, it's a marvelous night for a moondance,
With the stars up above in your eyes.
A fantabulous night to make romance,
�Neath the cover of October skies._
He looked out at his the lupine sitting alone at his table and received an encouraging smile in return. He was doing alright. With his eyes locked on his friend for inspiration, he continued,
_And all the leaves on the trees are falling
To the sounds of the breezes that blow.
And I'm tryin' to please to the calling
Of your heartstrings that play soft and low._
Alex was blushing, oh gods. This was going too well, maybe. He didn't usually put so much emotion into his singing, but...
_And all the night's magic seems to whisper and hush,
And all the soft moonlight seems to shine in your blush!
Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with you, my love?_
Brian realized something at that moment and it became so obvious why his choir directors always complained that his singing held too little emotion: he had never been singing something so truthful to someone so important before.
Alex's heart beat in his throat. He locked eyes with the singing ferret on stage and there they stayed. For the remainder of the song, the two never stopped looking at each other. It was like d�j� vu for the wolf... where had this happened before?
_Well I wanna make love to you to-night,
I can't wait �til the morning has come!
And I know that the time is just right,
And straight into my arms you will run._
That dream that he had been woken up from only a few hours earlier... could this have been it? It all seemed too recent, too familiar... Too... natural.
_And when you come, my heart will be waiting,
To make sure that you're never alone.
There and then all your dreams will come true, dear,
There and then I will make you my own._
That was it! The heat of the dream, the passion... Alex knew from the moment he awoke that it was a particularly dirty dream, but he just couldn't remember the details! But now... he remembered the gleam of white fur in soft candlelight... the smell of musk on the air... The feeling...
_And any time I touch you,
You just tremble inside,
And I know how much you want me,
That you can't hide!_
But he had to hide it! Before now, he had never had a gay thought in his life. Sure, he had never actually had sex with a girl, but he did always enjoy what they HAD done... But loving them... being with them! It never felt as natural as when he was with Brian. Realizing this hidden love... felt so... expected! Innate! Like it had been decided from the moment they first began their friendship!
_Can I just have one more moondance with you, my love?
Can I just make some more romance with you, my love?_
But if it felt so natural, why hide it? Why not tell Brian? If it felt so natural, wouldn't it feel the same to the ferret? Of course! Of course, what if he didn't? Telling him something so shocking would tear their friendship apart! Alex couldn't do it. He would remain silent; he would leave their relationship intact. Intact... and...
False. That is how the choir directors said Brian's vocals sounded. False. He would sing of love, of devotion; he would sing of fair maidens and loving families. None of it was ever emotional. Now it was. Now he realized the feeling of love. It was sudden. It was warm. It was FULL of that emotion which his music had always lacked.
Can I just have one more moondance with you?
Brian's mind was racing even faster than normal. He felt like he was in Alex's shoes. The ferret of his mind was quickly running ahead, and he couldn't keep up! He was winded and scared and cold. The shadows were everywhere; he had to catch up! He had to find safety! He needed warmth!
And there he was, the savior in grey:
Alex.
My... love.
Brian and Alex locked eyes with each other for what seemed like years as the restaurant erupted in thunderous applause. Every person was out of his seat, clapping and cheering for the ferret with the beautiful voice.
Alex jumped as a plate was set in front of him by the small fox boy from earlier. Todd smiled at him and placed the identical plate at Brian's empty spot.
"You're lucky to have him," The fox smiled softly, "He's very talented... and cute to boot." With that comment, he left the steaming food and retreated back to the kitchen.
The wolf closed his eyes and didn't notice the ferret sit down in front of him. He was lucky. Such friendships, in his experience, did not come easily. He must have done something right in order to attract such a friend.
"Something wrong?" Came the ferret's winded voice from across the table. "How was I? I thought it turned out all right."
The wolf looked up in reply and tried to cover his blush with a nervous smile, "You were incredible! I really wish I could sing like you."
"Oh, hush!" Brian laughed, waving off the compliment with a paw while placing his napkin in his lap with the other hand. "I don't have the soothing bass action that you can reach. Besides, I really like your voice."
Alex looked down at the steak and French fries in front of him. Brian did know what he was doing in ordering, after all! "Medium?" The wolf guessed, placing his own napkin in his lap.
"Medium-rare, of course," the ferret grinned, sinking his fork dramatically into the center of his piece of meat. I thought you'd like it.
"You know me a little too well, methinks." Alex sank his own fork into his meat. Stop blushing, he told himself. Stop. Blushing.
They ate the rest of the meal in silence. Nobody else in the building wanted to get up on stage after a performance like the one Brian had just given. Todd didn't even pay a visit until they had both finished their meal and the ferret called out to him for their check. The fox dropped the check and took Brian's payment for both his and the wolf's meal ("I invited you, I'll pay! You can invite me next time, okay?"), and the two friends left the building in silence.
It was colder outside than either of the two remembered, but neither wanted to walk underarm this vtime. Both of them had the same reason for that. There was something between them to which neither would admit. They reached the car in silence and both climbed in, blasting the heat to ease the near-frostbite they managed to acquire in the cool, autumn evening. Brian wanted desperately to make a joke about the scary bums that Alex had mentioned at some point... it seemed like it was years ago.
"Anything interesting happening at your house, wolfy?" Brian asked, attempting to act casual. "Late-night parties, mom baking brownies, dad dancing a jig?"
"None of the above, my friend," Alex said, failing to hide the quiver in his voice. "Family is out of town. Won't be back for a few days." He tried to imply an invitation, as he normally would, but the quiver in his voice betrayed him and made known his anxiety. That or the ferret just completely ignored the offer.
"Fun times. At least you can run the heat as you please, eh?"
"Yeah. I guess it'll be nice to not have to wear two sweaters to bed for once."
"It is not that cold in your house."
"You're right," the wolf replied, regaining some semblance of humor, "Three quilts usually suffice."
The small talk that they made on the ride home was meaningless, and neither remembered anything that was said five minutes after It had been stated. It was the quietest that the ferret had possibly ever been in his life. And yet so much was said in that silence that those moments could also be considered his most vociferous.
Alex frowned out the window as another bout of uncomfortable silence dawned upon the two. He had figured out now that the two probably wouldn't ever have the same friendship again. There was no way that the wolf could be as casual with the ferret now that there was such a great thing hanging over their heads. He wondered, too, if the ferret even knew why there was such discomfort.
Brian, too, was feeling the silence. Maybe Alex was just his muse. Maybe having the wolf in the room just made him want to perform better, so he wouldn't embarrass himself. Or maybe that feeling really was just... love. It was so pure and felt so...right. He could sing to Alex for hours or days and never crack a note... just to express his feelings to the other. He should tell the wolf what he was feeling.
Alex had always been very level-headed. But was he homophobic? Brian couldn't recall an instance where the wolf had ever disparaged gays... but he also couldn't recall a situation where he had supported gays. What if the feeling that he had felt really was one-sided. There was only one way to find out... could he risk it?
No! How could Alex risk his friendship? Maybe if they just didn't spend time together for a while. Time heals all wounds, after all. Absence makes the heart grow fonder! That was it! He would just keep making excuses and avoid contact with the ferret altogether for a while! At least until he felt that he could talk to his friend again without blushing or shaking.
He felt a soft hand touch his arm, which sent a shiver up his spine. "We're here," the ferret smiled, "Are you all right?"
"I'm fine," Alex replied, smiling back at his friend, "Just dandy. A little tired. We'll do that again, yeah?"
"Of course, of course," The ferret replied, stretching a bit. He looked at the clock. 10:00 PM. Later than he thought it would be. What a long dinner they must have had.
"Well... I guess I can... see you tomorrow."
"Will do, puppy!" Brian laughed, feigning calm. Now was the time. He had to tell Alex now. They could never have the same friendship if some secret like this was kept.
Alex closed the car door softly, but heard the window rolling down behind him. "Alex!" The ferret called, causing the wolf to spin around. "I..."
The ferret paused, blushing. Alex held his breath. He...?
"Nevermind, I forgot what I was going to say. I'll see you later." The ferret began rolling up his window.
"Oh, okay." Alex frowned, surprised to feel his eyes start to water. "See you then."
He couldn't do it. He couldn't just leave it at that. He had to risk their friendship in order to save it! That was the only way!
Brian stepped on the gas pedal more forcefully than he usually did. "I couldn't do it," he sighed, "I had everything I wanted to say and I had him in the perfect place... and I couldn't do it." He slowed the car a bit, not feeling safe driving with his eyes clouded by tears. Then he jumped as he heard a thump on the back of the car.
"Brian!" Alex yelled, running after the car as fast as he possibly could, "Brian, wait!" He slammed his hand into the side of the ferret's car and felt relieved as its driver pulled to a stop. He ran up to the passenger side window to see his friend get out of the car on the other side.
"Alex! Oh thank the gods, I thought I'd hit something. What's wrong?"
"I..."
"Are you okay? You're shivering!"
"I just..."
"What's wrong!?"
"It's...it's a marvelous night..." Alex panted.
"It... it's a cold night, Alex. Really, you ran after me? You should get inside and-"
"No!" The wolf cried, placing his head on the cool side of the car. It felt surprisingly good against his flushed face. "No... I mean..."
The ferret walked around to the wolf's side of the car and looked at his friend. "You mean?"
Alex grabbed his friend by the arm and looked at him, his lupine eyes shimmering with tears and the reflection of the stars above.
"I mean...it's a marvelous night...
for a moondance."