Exit Stage to the Right
Arden stared at the ticket in his paw. His russet muzzle contorted into a slight frown as he shoved the bright yellow piece of paper into his vest pocket. He tossed the envelope it came in into the trash and exited the mail room. The red fox waved goodbye to the young fennec at the welcome desk and stepped out into the warm summer day.
Arden tried not to think about the ticket folded up in his pocket. It blew his mind how his ex still thought of him enough to send him tickets to his plays. It happened at least once every month, and Arden found himself getting more irritated by the other fox's desperate invites. He didn't hate the arctic fox, he just thought that it was time for him to move on and let go. But some things are hard to let go.
The swift fox made his way down the street, trying to not look at the theater where his ex would be performing tomorrow night. It bugged him how the arctic fox was trying to win him back again by...by sending him free tickets? To his own shows? Arden wasn't a pro at trying to win a loved one back, but he was pretty sure that flowers or a date was the way to get to someone's sympathetic side. Maybe the arctic fox thought that inviting him to his plays was his idea for a date? Well if it was, then maybe it wouldn't hurt to go to at least one of them...
Arden shook his head. What was he thinking? Ren was his ex, for God's sake. There was a reason why he broke up with the arctic fox. How could he possibly even think about getting together with the self-centered vulpine? There was a reason why Ren was such an amazing actor. The center of the stage was where the egocentric fox belonged, and he didn't mind carrying his act from the play to the relationship. But that was months ago...
Arden entered his dorm and threw his backpack into a corner of the room. His roommate, a young fennec named Devon, glanced up at him from his textbook he was reading.
"Well hello to you too." The fennec said with a raise of his eyebrow. "What's up? Your mother didn't send you cookies in the mail this time?"
"Shut up." Arden sighed as he collapsed onto his bed. "I'm not in the mood."
Devon sighed as he closed his textbook and walked over to Arden's bed, where he sat down next to him.
"Okay Ard, what's up? What's really bothering you?" The fennec asked.
"Nothing. Go away." Arden muttered.
"Fat chance." Devon chuckled as he swept his tail to the side.
Arden sighed and sat up.
"It's Ren again."
"The actor?" Devon asked.
Arden nodded and Devon shrugged.
"He invited you to another one of his plays again?"
"Yeah. Romeo and Juliet. As if that one hasn't been done before." Arden snorted.
"It's a classic. Everyone does Romeo and Juliet." Devon replied.
"Yeah whatever. He's playing Romeo of course. I bet you anything though that he'd rather be kissing another Romeo instead."
Devon chuckled as he stood up.
"So, you gonna go?"
Arden shrugged as he fumbled with the ticket in his vest pocket.
"I dunno. I don't have anything else to do tonight."
"Well go then! What could possibly happen?"
Arden glanced up at the fennec.
"I could fall in love with the self-centered bastard again."
Devon crossed his arms.
"Okay, so that's the worst outcome. Just go for it man. It could really mean the world to him."
"Being the center of attention is the world to him." Arden grumbled.
"Either you're going to go or I'm tying you up and I'm taking you there myself."
"Okay, okay. Fine, I'll go. Happy?" Arden sighed as he crossed his arms.
"Yes."
Arden sighed again as he collapsed onto the bed.
"You'll be fine. It's just a play."
"Yeah. Sure." Arden muttered.
"I gotta get going to soccer practice, so I'll see you later tonight." He paused and glanced at Arden slyly. "Hang a sock on the door if you and Ren are-"
"Get the fuck out of here." Arden said crossly as he threw a pillow at the fennec. He couldn't help but smile slightly though.
The fennec stuck his tongue out as he grabbed his duffel bag and exited the room. Arden remained on the bed as he stared up at the ceiling. He glanced at the clock on the wall and calculated in his head that he had two hours and fourteen minutes until the play started. His mind was still in a battle of apathy against empathy, a battle that he was getting tired of fighting. Deep in his heart, he still cared about the arctic fox. Was it time for him to befriend all of the ghosts of all the things that haunted him the most so he could move on with his life?
Arden stood up and fished the ticket out of his vest pocket. He stared at the piece of paper in his paw. Should he really go to the play? He knew that it would make Ren really happy, but he also knew how sly the fox was. There was the danger of him falling for Ren again, and that would be a big mistake. Maybe he could just watch the play, and then slip out before the fox would have a chance to strike up a conversation.
He shoved the ticket back into his pocket and sighed. He might as well go. It beat just moping around in his dorm alone. The fox walked over to the closet and stared at his array of clothing. He wondered how nice he should dress. He picked out a pair of black dress pants, a white dress shirt, and a silver vest with a black tie. He remembered how Ren would always love it when he dressed in black and silver. The memories of the arctic fox laughing over wine at dinner brought a ghost of a smile to Arden's muzzle.
Arden took a quick shower to remove the day's scents from his russet fur, and then proceeded to groom his fur neatly. He brushed his teeth, put some pleasant smelling cologne on, and then slipped on his clothes. He stared at himself in the mirror as he straightened his tie and made sure his pants and vest were clear of any wrinkles and stains. He wasn't so sure why he was making such a big fuss over his appearance. It wasn't like he was even planning to see Ren anyways.
He was just about to leave his apartment when his cell phone rang. Arden grabbed it as he left his dorm and glanced down at the caller ID.
It was Ren.
He stared at the name flashing on the phone's front screen. Should he answer it? Taking a deep breath, Arden flipped his phone open.
"Hello?"
"Hey there Swift." Ren's voice was smooth and somewhat comforting over the phone.
"Oh. Hey Ren." Arden replied.
"So...um...just wondering, you get your ticket in the mail?"
"Like the past nineteen tickets you've sent me? Yeah, I got it."
"Oh, so you've been counting?"
Arden sighed as he made his way out of the dorm building and out into the evening sunlight.
"I suppose so. What do you want Ren?"
"I was just calling to check if you're coming. The play starts in about an hour and the ticket I gave you is the fourth row from the front. It's a really good seat."
Arden shook his head. Of course he'd give him a seat up front.
"I don't know Ren. I might go."
"Oh. Well that means 'No' right?"
"No. It means I don't know." Arden replied crossly.
"Hm really Swift? Because the last nineteen times I asked you, that was your same answer. And every play, that seat remained empty." Ren replied sternly.
Arden closed his eyes as he tried to calm his anger down. He was almost tempted to turn back around and forget about the play.
"Listen. I'll try to make it, but I'm not promising anything."
"Okay Swift. Talk to you later."
Before Arden could say anything else, Ren hung up. The line dropped with a click. Arden sighed and shut his phone. He really didn't mean to hurt the fox's feelings. He might as well attend the play now. He just hoped he wasn't making the wrong decision.
The theater was surprisingly crowded. Arden made his way through the crowds and easily found his seat, fourth row, middle seat. He swept his tail aside and sat down in the red velvet. He glanced around uncomfortably at the young wolf who sat to the right of him and the female skunk who was busy making out with her boyfriend in the seat beside her. He didn't recognize anyone so far. The fox sighed and rested his chin in his paws.
The lights soon dimmed and the crowd went quiet as the curtains slid open. Arden already knew the story of Romeo and Juliet, but he really appreciated the amount of hard work the drama students really put in to the performance. The acting seemed professional to him, and the scenery really helped settle the mood. Arden was relaxed throughout the beginning of the play, until Romeo was introduced. He tensed up in his seat as Ren stepped out onto the stage, already beginning to speak his lines with the expertise of a professional actor. Arden felt the arctic fox's eyes fall onto his seat, and he smiled amusingly at the slight glimmer of surprise that showed in Ren's eyes. The arctic fox recovered though, and resumed with his lines as if nothing happened.
Throughout the play, Arden found himself completely engrossed in the performance of the arctic fox. His voice, his emotions, even his movement was enchanting to Arden. His mind warned him that it was all just a show, a pathetic show to try and win his heart back. There was a reason why Ren was such a good actor, and Arden knew better to not fall for the arctic fox's act again. But the way Ren glanced at him out of the corner of his eye during every romantic line really sent a shiver down Arden's back. He knew that the lines were directed at him. Why did he have to be such a charming and swift fox?
The play was soon going to come to an end. Was he going to be polite and stay after to congratulate the fox? Or should he just leave as soon as the curtain closed. No doubt that there would be a standing ovation, so he would have to slip out of the theater after that.
As Juliet spoke her last dying words, Arden couldn't help but feel sorry for the arctic fox. Sure, they had their rough times, and there were several instances where Arden felt like knocking the teeth out of the fox, but he couldn't help but feel pity for him. Ren had been sending him tickets to his plays for several months, just hoping for at least a little bit of forgiveness, and Arden kept on ignoring those requests. He always looked at Ren as the selfish and arrogant one, but now he himself seemed like the selfish and arrogant one.
The curtains finally closed and the crowd stood up and applauded. Arden stood up with the rest of the crowd and applauded as the actors bowed. When Ren and the vixen who played Juliet stepped forward, Arden couldn't help but smile as the arctic fox looked directly at him. Ren smiled back as he took a bow. The curtains closed again and the lights came back on. Most of the crowd began to make their way towards the exits, while a few others decided to stick around and talk to the stage crew or actors. Arden stood there, trying to decide what to do. He really did want to congratulate Ren. He really did deserve that...
"Hey there Swift."
Arden turned around to see the arctic fox standing there, still clad in his Romeo costume.
"You look...nice." The fox said with a smile.
"Oh...um, thanks. You look...well...very Elizabethan." Arden replied with a slight grin.
Ren chuckled, showing off a perfect set of white teeth and pink tongue.
"I see you haven't lost that great sense of humor."
"And I see you haven't lost that sarcasm of yours."
Ren raised an eyebrow as his ears flicked.
"That wasn't sarcasm hon."
"My mistake." Arden replied with a smug grin. "Shouldn't you be mingling with your fans? You know, where you belong?"
Ren's ears flicked forward again.
"Well I'd rather talk to you."
"Really now?" Arden snorted as he crossed his arms. "What makes me more important than your adoring fans?"
"Oh come on Swift. You know you're important to me."
Arden remained silent.
"I miss you Swift. We hardly talk anymore, besides some brief words here and there. I just want us to be friends again."
"Really now? How are you going to do that?" Arden replied as he tried to hide the trembling in his voice.
The arctic fox looked at the floor and shuffled his feet.
"Well...I was wondering...would you like to come over for dinner?"
Oh great. He's an actor and a cook now? Arden was almost tempted to turn the fox's invitation down, but he stopped when he saw something in Ren's eyes that he had only seen once before. It was the same sadness that Ren had in his eyes on the day Arden broke up with him. Arden suddenly felt his heart ache, and a lump formed in his throat that made it difficult to swallow.
"Please Arden?"
Arden balled his paws into fists. Why was he the one feeling like this? It should be the other way around.
"Please..."
Arden took a deep breath and looked at Ren straight in the eyes.
"Sure Ren. I'd like that." Arden whispered with a smile.
The walk to Ren's apartment was uneasily quiet, besides a few comments about the play. However, when Arden entered Ren's apartment, he felt himself go completely speechless. The table in the dining room was decorated with crystal china, a beautiful red tablecloth, candles, and crystal wine glasses. Ren smiled at his stunned expression.
"I was really hoping you would say yes. I worked really hard on preparing this." Ren grinned as he lit the candles.
"I can tell." Arden whispered as he looked around the apartment.
The arctic fox definitely liked to keep his place tidy and stylish. Leather furniture decorated the living room with red plush carpet that sank underneath Arden's paws.
"Champagne?" Ren asked as he opened a bottle.
Arden nodded as the arctic fox poured the bubbly beverage into his glass.
"Perrier-Jouet?" Arden asked in disbelief as he read the bottle. "And it's a Fleur de Champagne Rose 2002 bottle? How the hell did you get your paws on this?"
Ren chuckled.
"I can see those French classes are doing wonders for you. And it was a gift actually, from one of the directors."
"Expensive gift." Arden replied.
"Very expensive. Has a superb taste though. Very unique."
Arden chuckled as he took a sip and swallowed. The alcohol blazed down his throat and sent a pleasant tingle throughout his body.
"It's been so long since I've had champagne." Arden giggled as he licked his lips.
"Well I'm glad you like it. Let's just hope you'll like what I've prepared for tonight."
"Oh? What's that?"
"Your favorite." Ren replied with a grin as he opened the oven. "Roasted duck with seasoned potatoes and buttered vegetables."
The aroma from the cooked duck overtook all of Arden's senses. He felt his stomach rumble violently.
"I'm surprised you remembered." He commented as he tried to hide his excitement.
"How could I ever forget?"
The two soon began to eat, having friendly conversations in between bites of the wonderful food. Arden tried his best to not enjoy the meal, but the food was just so good, and Ren...well...he was actually being a sweetheart. The arctic fox seemed more interested in Arden's life then his own, which was quite surprising to Arden. Their conversation started about classes, moved on to hobbies, then moved on to relationships and other topics of life.
When they both finished, Arden offered to help clean up, which Ren politely refused. Still, he helped wash some of the dishes, and Ren didn't try to stop him. Afterwards, they moved to the couch in the living room. Arden felt that awkwardness come back to him, but it soon diminished as Ren started up a movie. During the movie, Arden felt Ren's paw rest on top of his, but he made no intention to move it. He knew what he was doing was wrong. Ren was still his ex, and although it seemed that the arctic fox had changed for the best, he still couldn't tell if the fox was just putting an act on for him, or if he actually had sincerely changed.
The awkwardness must've shown on Arden's face, as Ren nuzzled the fox.
"Something on your mind hon?" The arctic fox asked casually.
"Nothing. I-it's just that..."
Arden fell silent as he stared at the television. He felt the other fox's arms wrap around him and pull him close.
"I know what you're thinking hon. You're afraid of me. You don't know if I really changed for the best."
Arden remained silent as the lump formed in his throat again.
"I want to let you know, I'm not that prideful and arrogant fox I was back then. I've changed Swift. Really. And there's nothing more I want in life other than to be with you again. Please give me a second chance Swift. I'll never hurt you again."
Arden swallowed as he felt his eyes grow wet. He felt Ren's paws slip up his dress shirt and caress the muscles underneath his fur.
"All I'm asking for is a second chance."
Arden gazed into the arctic fox's bright blue eyes. He smiled and without any hesitation, pressed his muzzle against Ren's. Ren melted into the kiss and pressed the other fox against his body. Arden's tongue slipped into the other fox's muzzle. How much he had missed that taste.
When they finally broke the kiss to breathe, both were panting lustfully. Arden eyed his bulge in his pants, then noticed that Ren sported the same bulge in his.
"You haven't seen my bedroom yet." Ren suggested sheepishly.
Arden chuckled as he took Ren's paw into his.
"Well lead the way then."
It only took a few seconds for both foxes to strip out of their clothes. As soon as the underwear was removed, they both fell into another kiss and collapsed onto the bed. Ren's paw brushed against Arden's erected member, causing a soft squeak of pleasure to escape the fox. Before Arden could stop him, Ren had taken the fox's length into his muzzle. Arden squirmed against the satin sheets and moaned in pleasure as the arctic fox's tongue swirled around his member. Ren began to bob his head and allowed his teeth to lightly graze Arden's shaft. Arden dug his claws into the mattress and moaned even louder. His senses were being overloaded with pleasure. Ren moved up to the head of the member and started sucking the tip of it while his other paw moved underneath Arden's tail and began to tease his tailhole.
"Damn Arden, how long has it been since you've had your tail lifted?" Ren chuckled as he teased his finger into the tight tailhole.
"Ah! ohhh um...it's been-ah!-awhile!" Arden gasped as he felt the fox's finger slip in.
"Here. Let's make this more fun." Ren grinned as he reached across Arden and rummaged around in his nightstand's drawer. His paw took out a tube of something, where the arctic fox squeezed some of the liquid out onto his paw.
"Make sure you're lubed up nice." Ren purred as he smeared some of the cold lube underneath Arden's tail.
Arden yelped at the sudden coldness.
"You'd think they'd find some way to keep lube warm." Arden moaned as Ren teased his tailhole with his fingers.
"Oh hush Swift." Ren giggled as he positioned his member at the opening of Arden's tailhole. "This should warm you up."
Arden yelped as he felt Ren's member plunge into him. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to relax his muscles so as to let the intruder spread his tailhole without too much pain.
"Fuck you're tight!" Ren growled as he thrusted into Arden. "You doing okay?"
"Y-yeah. I'm okay." Arden gasped as Ren grabbed his ass and started to thrust slowly.
"Ohhhh." Arden moaned, and right next to his ear Ren echoed his moan.
The arctic fox started to increase his thrusts, and Arden planted his paws firmly into the mattress. The arms around his body, the weight upon him, the slick warmth inside of him, and the paw that gripped his foxhood were the only things that Arden was aware of.
"You feel fantastic." Ren panted as his thrusts increased in speed.
Arden whimpered as the arctic fox's member slid in and out of him. He felt himself getting close and he whimpered loudly.
"I know...I'm close too." Ren gasped.
Arden felt the pressure start to build up in his balls. He squeezed his eyes shut as Ren continued to jack him off. The pressure expanded from his cock up through his chest, and soon Arden yelped loudly as his seed spurted from the tip of his member and splattered all over Ren's paw and the bed. His whole body shuddered in delight as Ren moaned behind him, and an intense wave of warmth spread inside him as the arctic fox filled him with his own seed.
As Arden finally relaxed, letting the warm afterglow take him, he felt the arctic fox slump atop him.
"That was great. You were great." Arden panted as he turned over and kissed the arctic fox on the muzzle.
"You did a great job yourself Swift." Ren chuckled as he returned the kiss.
"Sorry about the mess on your bed." Arden apologized sheepishly.
Ren waved his paw.
"Doesn't matter. These aren't my best sheets anyways."
Arden chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the arctic fox and nuzzled him.
"So you're not mad at me?" Ren asked as he rubbed his paw down Arden's back.
"After tonight? Of course not." Arden whispered as he looked at the arctic fox. "I want to give you a second chance."
Ren smiled warmly and wrapped his paws around Arden.
"I promise, I won't let you down hon. Never again."
"Hush now. Let's get some sleep." Arden yawned as he hugged Ren tightly.
Ren hugged back, and soon the two foxes were sound asleep.