Reaching for the Stars

Chapter 49: Road Untravelled

If only I had a brother who already came out to the family before me X'D

---

Did... did all of that really happen?

Max lay on his bed, staring at the ceilings. So, Tom asked him out. It was somewhat like Lucas, but he'd only known Lucas for maybe two months before the coyote asked him out. Tom, though, he'd known the wolf for two years. Even though he was technically the one who made Tom ask him out, it still felt... unbelievable.

He let out a sigh. A guy—no, a man asked him out, and this time, he was thinking about it seriously. His masculine side was repulsed; he should be the one asking out, not the other way around, but his rational side didn't feel that way. He should be the one asking a girl out. Everything was upside down now.

Was it a bad thing? He didn't know.

He had been straight all his life. He never messed up with any guy, ever. Not even with the football guys during high school in the locker room. Yes, he had seen men's private parts, but he didn't think much about it. He never did things like comparing dick size or jack-off marathons with anyone. He had never been interested in that kind of thing.

But what was between him and Tom was not just physical, it was emotional. This was totally different from what he used to believe, that gays were attracted to each other physically. Tom told him that he used to like him only physically and now he also liked him emotionally.

That alone broke so many premises that he knew about gay people.

If it were just a guy asking to have a fuck, that would be easy. However, this was not; Tom asked him out properly and it messed up what he knew about himself. While Lucas did not beat around the bush and asked him out in a short time, Tom waited for two years, making him comfortable first. In a way, the wolf seemed to want to make sure that he wasn't overstepping any boundaries, and even if he did, he asked if he could do that. Unbeknownst to him at the time, he allowed the wolf, and now he had to be responsible for that.

He never expected Tom to be gay at all. He had suspicions, but they seemed like a passing thing. The wolf was not what he thought gay men were. He just... was. The polite, soft-spoken, apparently deadly wolf he'd known for two years.

Should he give it a try? His past relationships were not something to be proud of, so he wanted to try again properly even though this was a guy asking him out. Good thing they were in the same species, so he only needed to think about the homosexual side of this.

Could he even do this? Coming to terms that he might be bi was one thing, but actually being boyfriends with a guy was another thing entirely. Looking back at it, he seemed to already have feelings for the wolf, but till now he wasn't sure if he really was crushing on him or it was just a phase.

Was this just a phase or did he really like Tom? He didn't know, and frankly, was afraid to find out. Yet, when he remembered Tom's smile, something inside him felt happy. He really was happy with Tom around. He wanted to be the one the wolf could depend on and the one making the wolf happy too. Tom was hurt, and somehow, he wanted to be the one protecting him.

Ugh. He wanted to talk to Octo, but he didn't want to tell anyone. He felt somewhat ashamed, like his masculinity was at stake. He should sort this out by himself.

"Hey Rob, dinner's almost ready!"

Max looked at the door, then sat up and sighed. "Coming!"

Perhaps he could talk to his family in the meantime.

He scratched his nape as he sat up. Would he be able to be in a relationship with a guy? Was he brave enough for that?

Standing up and looking at the mirror, he stared at his reflection there. Yeah, he admitted, he was hot. Kevin had said several points about him being irresistible to gays. Coupled that with the fact that many gay guys used to hit on him, no wonder Tom liked him.