Part 3.
Note: I hope you guys are enjoying this because I like writing it haha :)
Light poured into the office as daybreak came. There wasn't an alarm to wake the snoozing koala because it was the weekend and there was no pertinent appointments Buster had to attend to. So, sleep he did; his chest rising and falling softly as he dreamed.
It was the theater office Buster had owned for twelve years. He was doing what he usually did which was rummaging through papers, reviewing some shows to decide what to put on next, various letters from audience members, notes from the stage crew who reported needed fixes and budgets for new costuming and sets. It was just a regular setting for Buster. There was a knock at the door.
"Hello? Come in!" Buster said whilst still going through his paperwork.
A thin sheep walked in while wearing a classic red track jacket.
"Hey Buster." The familiar sheep said.
"Eddie! It's good to see you."
"You too. What's going on?"
"Not much, just some paperwork."
"Sounds boring."
"It is but I don't mind."
Eddie moved closer to him until he stood behind the koala. Buster felt tense once the sheep made his presence close to him; he could feel the hot air behind him whenever the other took a breath. Buster just continued looking at his papers as his hands became sweaty from the tension of what the sheep was going to do. Eddie finally moved and placed his hands on both shoulders of him. Eddie's hooves moved in circular motions. It was nice, but very out of character for Eddie to do.
When he couldn't take it anymore, Buster asked, "Uh, Eddie? What're you-?"
Eddie cut him off with, "Shh, you worry too much. You are very tense; I just want to help you."
"Uh, I-I mean, t-hank you, Eddie, but uh-" He fidgeted around and started to squirm in his seat.
The sheep turned the koala around in his desk chair. Eddie took hold of Buster's face. The older male was left wordless at the affectionate display. The younger leaned down close to his face before speaking.
"You are real cute, Buster."
Eddie leaned down to press those soft lips against his own-
Buster woke with a start and ended up hitting his head roughly against the top of the desk he slept in. Daylight broke into the crack of his sleep space and his eyes needed a moment to adjust to both the light and the dazed feeling he got from hitting his head. He rubbed at the sore spot on his head and checked the time. 9am... he thought, not necessarily paying attention to the numbers thereafter. He rolled over onto his back and thought the dream over. Is this what my life has come too? Inappropriate dreams about my friend?... Doing such things to me?... In my office? Buster shook his head away from the dream.
"Boy, I am lonely. Eight years is all it takes for me to suddenly become a goddamn pervert..." He thought aloud.
Buster sighed. He had hoped all thoughts about the kiss from last night would go away but they didn't. Buster was still thinking, kept replaying the moment and how it was. How it had felt. It felt good. For what seemed the hundredth time, Buster shook his head. He quickly dressed and emerged from the drawer to sit at his desk. There would be no iguana greeting him today for she took the day off to go on a date Johnny had suggested. Even Mrs. Crawly is meeting people... Buster set his hands and head upon his desk. His finger traced small patterns across the wooden surface. He thought back to the conversation he had with Eddie about getting an apartment. He pulled out his phone and looked at his bank account; never before had Buster had so much money that he needed a bank account. And never before was Judith so happy to open an account for him and even give him a credit card. He decided he would do it. He went into his contacts to call Eddie but then quickly decided to forgo calling the sheep. One reason was due to the fact Eddie would not be awake at this time and the second reason was that he got a pang of anxiety when reminded of the events of last night. So instead, he pulled out his laptop (also recently bought) and searched for complexes nearby. He then started searching for furniture. Then a new bike, then suits, then shoes... Soon enough, Buster had exhausted two hours just browsing stores nearby. Buster never once spent his money frivolously and, while the window shopping online was fun, he decided to make the shopping trips spread out. Today his focus was to get a new bike and check out some apartments. Buster grabbed his jacket and headed out onto the streets of the city. He walked for a bit until he reached a bus stop. While waiting he heard a pair of wheels come towards him and looked over and saw a gorilla on a skateboard.
"Oh! 'ello, Mr. Moon!" Johnny greeted him.
Buster smiled. "Hey Johnny! How have you been these days?"
Johnny got off of his skateboard and stood beside him.
"Been right good; jus' been runnin' me dad's shop while 'e spends 'is time in jail. From helping out at the theater I managed to pay for some o' his bail so 'is time in there is shortened by a considerable amount but 'e still got some time in der." Johnny looked happy at he thought of his dad coming out of jail soon.
Buster gave an awkward smile and replied, "That's good, Johnny. I, um, I'm sorry he is in there. I didn't mean for the show to get between you two."
"No, no, no! Mr. Moon! Please, it's all my own fault; I made the choice to do the show n' none o' it's any your fault." Johnny smiled. "I 'ppriciate the sentiment, though."
Buster stood there and thought.
"How much more is left of his bail?"
Johnny looked up from his phone. "Uh, about thirteen thousand. It was at thirty but I used some o' the money he got from recent robberies n' sold his jewelry, some cars and other worthwhile things." He ran his fingers through his hair and added, "And pretty much any paycheck I get goes towards the bail." He chuckled. "People still come to 'is garage calling to have them cars fixed despite everythin'."
Buster gave a chuckle. "Those are some loyal customers."
"Yeah."
There was a pause. Buster thought up a new topic.
"So, what brings you to the bus stop, Johnny?"
"Oh, I gotta get some new trucks for my skateboard; getting flimsy 'cause I use it so much. I don't want to spend money on gas for a car."
"Ah, seems pretty reasonable." Buster replied.
"Yeah, the bike shop 'John's Place' has got some pretty good deals wit' some high quality items der."
Buster gave a small gasp.
"It's funny you say that because that is exactly where I'm heading!"
Johnny grinned. "No way, what would you need der?"
Buster fumbled with his hands a bit before saying, "Well, now that I have the money, I figured it was about time I got myself some sort of transportation."
Johnny 'hmm'-ed before asking, "Don't ya got the money for a car, though?"
"I mean, I do but I, uh, I just like riding bikes. Gets me outside, helps keep the pudge off..." Buster blushed remembering his and Eddie's conversation.
Buster's attention was drawn to Johnny when he heard him laugh.
"Sorry, Mr. Moon. ''elp keep the pudge off'. You needn't worry about it, Mr. Moon, you're fine."
Buster smiled. "Thanks Johnny. Still getting a bike though, but now just because I like it, not because I've any shame of my figure."
Johnny laughed a bit more.
"That's good, Mr. Moon."
Just then the bus pulled up. Buster was about to get on when he turned around to Johnny.
"You, uh, you don't have to keep by my side if you don't want to." He twirled his fingers. "Just figured I'd say that in case you felt like you had to sit with me or stick with me in the bike shop. I know I'm not the most exciting company-"
"No way, Mr. Moon!" Johnny stopped him. "I enjoy you're company! I would be 'appy to make the trip wit' you!" Johnny gave a genuine smile at the koala.
Buster gave a smile back.
"Alright Johnny. If you insist! And, thank you."
"Yeah, I 'onestly would like to keep your company!"
Buster hopped up onto the bus.
"Let's get going then!"
To Buster, the bus ride was quite comfortable with the gorilla. It definitely made the trip a lot faster for the two of them having someone to talk to. Johnny talked about how it was learning to run his dad's shop independently and how he gained respect for what his father did aside robbing with running the house and business. Buster would bring up older stories of him helping his dad out at his car wash and the two of them talked about the theater's most recent shows and chatted about what show to put on next.
"How bout' a romance? Theater 'asn't done one o' those in a bit." Johnny suggested.
"No!" Buster said a little fast. Johnny looked at him in confusion before Buster recovered with, "Uh, I mean, no, I don't think people would be interested." He gave a nervous laugh.
"Hmm, I dunno, people always like a good ol' romance I've experienced." Johnny stated.
Buster sat while his hands fidgeted. Johnny noticed this but waited for the older man to reply.
When he didn't, Johhny asked, "What's the matter, Mr. Moon? You want to talk bout' it? Someone break ya heart or somethin'?"
Buster leaned against the window and his ears drooped.
"Uh, nothing like that, no; I haven't really dated someone in eight years. It's just... Recently things with me and romance have become, let's see... complicated."
It's only complicated because you keep thinking about it, an irritated thought said. Johnny shifted next to him.
"'M sorry to hear, Mr. Moon. Whoever they are don't know what they're missin' fo' sure!" The gorilla grinned but it did nothing to lift Buster's mood.
"I don't know if you want to listen to me ramble on about it, kid." Buster said a little sadly.
He was upset because he just felt so conflicted. Conflicted about something that shouldn't even be an issue. All he has been is anxious since the kiss that happened and, because he couldn't get it out of his head, Buster was questioning whether or not he was developing feelings due to it. Feelings that shouldn't exist... He's my friend! He's twenty-five! I've still got to pay his parents back...
Johnny again distracted Buster from his thoughts saying, "I don' mind listenin' as long as you don' mind tellin'."
"I don't know," Buster's ears fell a little more.
"Maybe it would 'elp talkin'. I was part of a gang, remember? I know when to keep my mouth shut!"
Johnny made a motion of zipping his lips and he laughed. The notion made Buster give a small laugh and smile as well.
"Well, I mean, alright." He motioned with his hands for affect. "I'll tell you, but no names will be used! I'll just describe the situation to you."
"Fine by me, Mr. Moon." Johnny sat back and crossed his arms and waited for the koala.
Buster cleared his throat. "Well, first things first, I'm into guys. So, there's that..."
He looked at the gorilla expectantly. Johnny just nodded his head for him to continue. Buster took in a breath.
"I'm friends with this guy. He, uh, he is a bit younger than me. Um, by eleven years."
Buster looked again to Johnny. He just smiled at him and nodded his head. Buster was confused by this part.
"Does it bother you? The, uh, age difference that is? I mean, since you are a younger man?" Buster blushed at what he was asking and adverted his eyes.
He looked back when Johnny said, "Not really. I mean, it's not that huge a gap and you're both legal. So, I mean, no use in taking offense to it. Me mum was a lot younger than my dad so I guess I kind of grew up with that. Cept' me mum left when I was lil' but that's another story."
Buster took this in.
"Oh, okay. So, yeah, me and him are pretty close despite the age gap. I met him when he was in college; the same college I went to when I was younger. He took a theater class and, well, I told the professor they could use my stage for what they needed. And he just kept coming back to my theater. We became good friends because of that." Buster smiled at the memories of his and Eddie's early days in their friendship.
"Anyway, fast forward to just last night. He had me over to his place. We hung out, you know, watched movies and played games, had dinner. Well, he got to drinking and-"
Johnny interrupted.
"Okay, 'old it there. I just don' want to hear any 'bed stuff' before you get into it."
Buster turned crimson and began blabbering.
"Oh! N-no! No, no, no. It didn't get that far, I promise!"
Johnny laughed. "Okay, Mr. Moon. Continue on den!"
Buster took a moment to collect himself and smooth his ear fur. "Alright, so he got to drinking and talking about how he misses having a 'sweetie' and someone to love. Then he asks me if I've seen anyone. I've just gone on some dinner dates but nothing more than that; nothing lasting within the past eight years. So, he goes and tells me that I'm..." He pauses and gather himself. "That I'm adorable... and good-looking... that I smell good, like flowers..." Buster hesitated as heat rose to his face before continuing, "and that I should be with someone."
Buster shifted in his seat.
"Was that all then?" Johnny asked.
"N-no..."
"What 'appened next then?" Buster could see the excitement in the younger man's face.
"Uh, well, uh..."
"Go on!" Johnny's full attention was on him now.
Buster just wanted to go into a hole.
"It might seem really stupid, but uh... When I was about to leave he grabbed me and... and said I am real cute and he just, uh, wellhekissedmeonthelips."
He choked out the last part. The anxiety was back and Buster felt stupid at how he told the story and felt childish. He was a situated adult and should be able to talk about kissing. His shoulder's tensed as he awaited Johnny's response. He looked over and saw that the gorilla had his face in his hands.
"Aw, that's just adorable though! Like, how 'e was complimenting you n' all! And by the way you said it, it sounds like you fancy this bloke!"
"That's just not it though, Johnny!" Buster sounded slightly desperate.
"Like, I don't know if he kissed me because he is interested or if he was just drunk! And his age; he doesn't know what he wants! And I don't want to lose his friendship. Eddie is my best friend-"
Buster immediately closed his mouth and his eyes went wide. He looked frantically at Johnny who had a similar expression.
"Oh my gosh." Johnny said.
Buster's heart fell and then the younger said, "I was right this whole time!" He gave an air fist pump.
"What the... right about what?" Buster was lost.
"About you n' Eddie! Oh my Lord, you two are going to be the best couple; I knew it! I knew you guys had a thing for each other."
Johnny laughed some more and some passengers started looking in their direction.
"Okay, Johnny, okay... How could you even tell? I haven't had conflicting feelings for Eddie before this moment! I don't understand how you could get that kind of vibe-"
"It's jus' the way you two act around each other." He smiled.
"Anyone could assume you guys were already datin' considerin' how you two act with each other. Everyone also thought you two were partners after the theater collapsed cause' you ran off to 'is place immediately. You were also the only one Eddie called out when the glass broke from them bears. You guys care about each other but I think that it could reach farther."
Buster heavily considered what Johnny was saying to him. Everything he said was true, but Buster had never really thought about it in this light before. Eddie was someone Buster always went to. I guess, in this perspective, it does make sense. Now don't go getting crazy there, Buster. There still is an immense amount of doubt...
"You really think he could think of me like that? I mean, you don't think it was just because he was drunk?" Buster shyly asked the gorilla, his voice losing some of its usual power.
"Yeah, definitely! I mean, he didn't try taking you to 'is bed so, I mean, he couldn't have been that drunk; just enough to get some truths out that's been buggin' 'im lately is all. I mean, that's what I would call it at."
Buster's ears perked at the idea that Eddie would actually consider him.
"I don't know, I mean, there's still so much..." He bit his lip trying to decide on what was so much.
"I dunno either, Mr. Moon. But, I mean, if you were to pursue somethin' more with him, I don't think it would end badly. I think, if you really want it and are just afraid of trying, not afraid of 'im but just afraid of trying a relationship, then just go for it! See what 'appens, yeah?"
Buster pursed his lips.
"I wish I had your confidence."
"Don't wish for my confidence, Mr. Moon; aim to have more than mine! I mean, Eddie said it himself; adorable, good-looking, flower scented and cute and now owner of a successful theater! You're the whole deal! And you're getting a bike to keep that pudge off!"
Buster laughed aloud at Johnny's statements.
"You know how to tickle someone's ego, don't you?" He wiped a tear.
"Yup! I've always been the one to keep things together most times at 'ome. Being criminals ain't easy." Johnny gave another grin to the koala.
"I'll give it a thought. I definitely feel more comfortable about the whole thing after talking with you, though." Buster looked at the gorilla smiling in way that he hadn't done the whole day.
"Yeah, no problem, Mr. Moon! I'm happy to 'elp! Thanks for talkin' with me bout' it."
"Yeah. Also, you can call me Buster when we're not at work if you want."
Johnny's smile grew bigger.
"Alright... Buster." Johnny said with a bit of a question hanging on the end.
They both laughed. The bus stopped a bit away from the bike shop they were planning to go to. They hopped off and walked down the street towards their destination. They took a few steps, both thinking about the conversation. The silence was broken by Buster.
"You know, Johnny, if I really am going to pursue Eddie, I'm going to have to pay his parents back for the shows they've funded for me."
They chuckled at the slight humor found in the statement.
"Yeah, that would be a good place to start." Johnny replied.