Waiting for One by Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves underaged characters. You have been warned.
The sun burns brightly overheard. Kids run to and from, scampering around barely supervised by the few adults supervising the area. The chatter is loud and the people talking can scarce hear each other. Colorful banners are draped over the fencing with the words “Happy Birthday” in bright bold letters emblazoned upon them. The only tree in the yard, labored with a small pinata that had already been broken open. Its tattered form lay scattered beneath it, with no candy remaining except for mints that had been strewn through the dirt.
Mike wanders through the small crowd of people. Most of which are classmates of his. It is by no means a large affair. The party had been going on for a while and the gifts had not been opened and yet this was not what he was looking for. The now 12-year-old cub had been promised by his best friend, Tyler, that he would show up. Tyler was one of those kids who was rather popular and found it hard to spread his time evenly.
Mike had known Tyler since they were very young. Introduced to each other in Kindergarten as lunch partners. Ever since then the two had been close. Tyler was a pretty active fox cub, who had taken an interest in sports rather early on. Even still he had never been seen as a jock by his peers. Instead, the boy kept a low profile by avoiding hanging out with his teammates. Of course, what Tyler didn’t realize was that despite his best efforts he was still envied by others and viewed as “popular”.
Mike continued to walk around the backyard of his home. Other kids walk into him without regard for anyone’s safety. The raccoon trying to maintain his purpose is stopped a few times by some of his friends to be given ceremonial birthday punches. By this point, his arm was rather sore and he wasn’t putting up with the so-called tradition anymore. Eventually, he passed by the bouncing house, which from the looks of the lack of movement appeared to be empty.
The raccoon boy sighed gently, his tail hanging loosely behind him as he gave up.
“Maybe he’s not coming…” Mike told himself as he dropped his head lower and continued to walk.
An hour passed and Mike had almost forgotten about the issue. Looking over at the table, he could see that the small pile of presents was being prepared for him. He smiled at the thought of opening them and yet still something didn’t seem right. Suddenly he felt a slap on his back. Slightly annoyed about being hit, he turned around and prepared to complain. Upon making a roundabout he found himself looking up at the slightly bigger fox boy he had been longing for all day.
Mike reached in and hugged the other cub. “Tyler, you came!”
“Uh, yeah. Duh!” The bigger cub backed off, feeling estranged by the awkward show of emotion.
The raccoon's tail began to wag behind him. “Cool, thanks. I think my parents are gonna let me open gifts soon. Maybe we can hang out after?”
“Sure. Oh neat, you got a bouncing house?” The fox noticed upon looking over the smaller boy's shoulders.
Mike shrugged. “Yeah, I kinda think it’s silly though.”
“Nah, it’s cool. We can go bounce around in it after if you want.” Tyler combed the back of his red fur off his face.
The raccoon pumped his arm. “Oh, heck yeah then!”
Soon enough he was called over by his parents to blow out the candles and open his gifts. Mike wondered what kind of things he might have gotten but was most curious about if Tyler had gotten him something. The raccoon boy made his way behind the table and waited as the birthday song was sung to him. Mike couldn’t help but feel embarrassed as everyone stared at him and he fidgeted in place.
The singing ended before long and he was instructed to blow out the candles and make a wish. Mike knew all too well that such things were silly as they never came true. Yet he closed his eyes and decided to make one anyways.
“I wish Tyler would hang out with me more…” He murmured under his breath and blew out the candles.
He opened his eyes and the cake was passed around. In the meanwhile, he was expected to work through the wrapping and boxes of the presents which had been left for him. Mike began to work through, them reading each of the labels first as he wanted to make sure he knew who they were from. His parents had told him countless times in the past to be thoughtful but he had other things in mind besides that.
There weren’t that many to work through, so it didn’t long for him to finish. His gifts ranged from toys to clothes, and of course games. His parents watched closely as the boy didn’t seem that interested in any of them. The party group had already started to thin out since things were wrapping up now. Mike left the mess behind, seeming distraught about something. His parents looked at him concerned. Had they made a mistake with the gift list they provided to the guests?
Most of the kids and their parents had left by this point and clean-up had already gotten underway. Mike saw that Tyler was still hanging around. The fox was still eyeing the bouncing house and hadn’t paid much attention to the gifting ceremony. Mike was a little disappointed in not seeing anything in the pile from his best friend but he had been taught that gifts were never to be expected and to instead simply enjoy the company of others.
Mike padded his way next to the bigger boy, not leaving much space between them.
“All done?” The fox tilted his head to the side, looking over at the other boy.
The raccoon nodded softly. “Mhm.”
“Get anything good?” Tyler asked, shoving one of his hands into the pocket opposite where the other boy was standing.
Mike shook his head. “Just some games.”
“Well, that’s good. You like games right?” The fox smiled, pulling something out of his pocket but still kept it hidden.
The raccoon boy huffed. “So did you want to go inside since everyone is gone now?”
“Mhm…but first…close your eyes.” Tyler wanted to keep it a surprise as long as possible.
Mike hesitated before closing his eyes, feeling certain that he was going to be tricked. Tyler looked over to make sure his friend had complied. Sure enough, the raccoon boy had closed his eyes. The fox slowly extended his hidden paw forward and thrust it so that it was on top of the other boys but not touching it.
“Open your palm.” The bigger boy continued to instruct the smaller one.
The raccoon did what he was told. Tyler adjusted the other boy's palm so it was facing upward and finally put what he was hiding on top of it. Two pieces of paper with a small box on top of them.
“You can open your eyes now.” The fox withdrew his touch and waited for the other boy's reaction.
Mike slowly opened his eyes. He knew something had been put in his hand and he couldn’t wait to see what it was. Once they were open he pulled his hand closer to his eyes to look at them. His heart skipped a beat as he saw what looked like two tickets under a small closed box.
“Are those tickets to the Bonkerz concert?” The smaller boy asked as his heart picked up the pace.
Tyler nodded. “A-yup and that’s not all. Open the box.”
The raccoon nodded and popped open the box inside was a glittering piece of what appeared to be. Looking at it closer, it appeared to be two necklaces with pendants representing both sides of the yin-yang symbol. A small encryption was emblazoned on it, the acronym “BFF” scribbled so it was on both sides of the symbol.
“Oh wow…this looks expensive.” Mike held it up, causing the two pieces to separate.
The fox smiled. “Perhaps. Take which side you prefer and I will take the other.”
Mike leaned in and hugged the bigger boy. The two share an affectionate embrace. Tyler was awkward about it at first but soon shared in the hug. The raccoon’s parents spot the surprising public display and just watch it afar. Their son's tail visibly wags behind him. Neither of them said a word, glad for the cub to be happy. Eventually, the boy's mother tugged on her husband to take him inside, leaving the two boys alone.
“Thank you…I will take the dark side and I will never lose this ever!” Mike pulled away from the other boy holding out the necklace so the other cub could take his half.
Tyler took his half and smiled, already placing it around his neck. “Alright…so bouncy house?”
“Sure, if you want. We gotta take off our shoes though.” The raccoon said, beginning to slide off his shoes by stepping on the back of them.
The fox nodded. “Uh-huh and make sure you leave those tickets inside so they don’t get lost.”
“How did you afford this anyhow…I thought those tickets were sold out?” The raccoon hopped out of his shoes and stashed the two paper tickets inside them.
Tyler touched his snout with a single finger. “I saved my allowance and did extra chores.”
“Wow, that’s nice of you. I hope my parents will let me go.” Mike had almost forgotten about having to ask permission.
The bigger boy shrugged. “It will be fine. We can convince them if nothing else.”
Tyler eventually kicked off his shoes, wasting no more time before making his way into the bounce house. The fox cub began to hop around and giggle rather loudly. Mike smiled and quickly rushed to join him, crawling his way inside as his body hopped up and down against the other cub's movement. The raccoon struggled a bit before he managed to finally pull himself up and began bouncing around with his best friend.
Mike’s smile eventually grew around his face. This was more time than he’d spent with Tyler in quite a while. The other cub was always busy with his various sports. He watched as the bigger boy hopped around without a care in the world, seeming to rather enjoy himself. The raccoon continued to follow the other cub around. Soon Tyler turned around and faced the other cub, slowing himself down to jump in tandem with his friend.
Tyler smirked at the other cub as an idea came to his mind. Crouching he reached in front of him, taking a grab of the other cub's pants. Mike was too slow to react, his body bounding upward and his pants came sliding down his legs.
“Gotcha!” The fox said as he pointed and laughed before retreating to an upright position and making his way away from the other cub.
Mike blushed profusely as he covered himself. “Hey, no fair!”
“Haha…tighty whites!” The bigger cub pointed and teased his friend.
The raccoon turned around before reaching down to grab his pants.
“Wait…how about I join you? Will it still be a problem?” Tyler headed back over to him, wiggling his tail as if teasing the other cub.
Mike murmured. “Wait…what?”
“I can take my pants off too…then it will be fair.” The fox turned around as he fiddled with the fly on his jean shorts.
The raccoon’s mouth opened in awe as he watched the other cub slide out of his pants and kick them off, not seeming bothered by the fact they were in a somewhat public place.
“Come on…forget about your pants. Who cares…you’ve seen me in undies plenty of times in gym class anyways.” The fox slapped his friend on the back.
Mike hesitated a second before dropping his pants again. “Fine…”
“Kick 'em off…no cheating.” Tyler stuck his tongue out playfully at the other cub.
The raccoon waited another few seconds before finally kicking them to the side. Tyler started to hop around again, his boxer clad but in full display for the other boy to see. Mike smirked as he got an idea. Waiting for the fox to get near a corner, the raccoon prepared himself to tackle the other cub.
Just as Tyler was slowing down to turn himself, Mike lept forward, using the upward motion of the house to propel himself. The fox felt a jolt as his body was taken out of the air, rolling into a ball as the two boy's bodies catapulted into the side of the rubberized building. The raccoon landed square on top of the other cub. His legs straddled over top of him as the bigger cub rubbed himself to ease a bit of the initial shock.
The two looked into each other's eyes for a moment. Tyler smiled at the other cub and the two remained transfixed, without motion for a few moments.
“Your eyes are nice.” The bigger boy complimented the smaller one.
Mike blushed. “Thanks…”
“Think you could get off me…?” The fox asked his friend as he was struggling under the other boy's weight.
The raccoon hesitated a moment before draping his shirt over his front side. “Yeah…”
Mike got up, continuing to hang his shirt over his groin area. He hadn’t gotten worked up but was still squeamish about showing his bits off.
Once he was off the other cub, Tyler wasted no time retaliating. The fox pounced on all fours, wrestling with the other cub. The bigger boy hated being outdone physically and he wasn’t about to be put in his place by the other boy. The two tangled with each other, rolling around the bounce house as their bodies bounded back and forth against the rubbery bottom. Neither was willing to give way and Mike put forward the best fight he could but soon found himself underneath the bigger boy.
The fox had the necklace in his maw. Tyler had a huge smirk on his face, satisfied that he was now in complete control of the situation. He sat straddling the top of the smaller cub, feeling something poking into him from below. Mike was sticking his finger into his side attempting to get him to laugh. Yet, the fox cub was not ticklish there and remained on top.
“Say Uncle and I’ll get off.” The fox grinned and tightened his legs around the other boy.
Mike winced. “Please? I give up…Uncle…”
Tyler nodded and picked himself up, offering a paw to the other cub. Mike took the offer and pulled himself up. Holding his side, The raccoon began to head out of the bounce house.
“Are you alright?” The bigger boy couldn’t help but notice the other boy's somewhat limp form.
Mike turned around and nodded, trying not to show weakness. “Yeah, I’ll be fine…just tired.”
The fox immediately sprinted to the other cub's side offering him some support. “I’m sorry if I hurt you…I didn’t mean to. Is there anything I can do to make it up to you?”
The raccoon and his friend slid together out of the bounce house. Silence followed for a few seconds and Tyler began to think he had upset his friend.
“Please? I’ll do anything. I didn’t mean it…I’m sorry.” The bigger boy was feeling very stupid about his competitive nature.
Mike turned around and smiled before reaching around to hug the other boy. “Don’t worry, I’m okay.”
“Good…you had more worried…haha.” The fox embraced the other boy and the two shared a hug for a few moments again.
The sky began to drizzle and the two remained there in a sweet embrace for a few moments.
“Wanna come inside? I’m gonna get some ice and you can have some cake with me or something if you want?” Mike asked as he wanted to ignore his discomfort.
Tyler nodded. He wasn’t about to say no after thinking he had hurt the boy. He wanted to make sure that the boy was truly alright. The raccoon made his way back to his house while his friend retreated to grab their pants and shoes from the bounce house. Once he had collected them he followed his way back toward Mike’s house. After arriving inside, he looked around for the other cub.
“Where’d you go?” Tyler called out.
An older female voice answered. “He’s in here with me. You can come in.”
Tyler’s heart skipped a beat as he assumed the voice was the other boy's mother. He knew he had to be in trouble. The fox put his pants on before stashing the two pairs of shoes by the door. Still carrying Mike’s pants he arrived in the kitchen to see the older fox woman tending to the boy's small wound on his knee.
“Is he alright?” Tyler asked as he approached the two, offering out the other pants in front of him.
She nodded and smiled. “Oh, yeah. It’s no big deal. Just a scrape.”
The woman patched him up and slapped the boy on the knee. “All set…go play with your friend…and for crying out loud put your pants back on.”
“Yes, mom…” The boy hung his head lowly at her as he took the shorts from Tyler.
Mike was still sitting on a chair in the kitchen. He hadn’t moved yet. Tyler quickly rushed his arms around the other boy, some tears flowing into his eyes.
“I’m so sorry….I didn’t mean to hurt you.” The fox cub sniffed between his muffled words.
The raccoon smiled and tipped the other boy's head. “It’s okay. I’m not angry. It doesn’t hurt bad. I promise.”
“Really? Do you mean it? You’re not mad at me?” Tyler asked with red watery eyes.
Mike nodded. “Uh-huh. Wanna go to my room? Mom said it’s gonna rain harder and she said you can stay the night if you ask your parents.”
Tyler wiped his eyes. “Okay, yeah. That would be cool.”
The raccoon hopped off the chair, still in just his underwear. The two made their way back to Mike’s room which was towards the back of the home. Tyler lagged behind him a bit, his mind still thinking about what had happened. The boy had his room separate from his parents. They had recently given him a full-size bed, though most of the other furniture in the room was getting too small for him to use now.
“You gonna call your parents or what?” The smaller boy asked once they were in his room.
No answer followed for a few seconds until Tyler trickled in from behind knocking into the other cub.
“You paying attention? Come on, dude…” Mike said as the two stood almost eye to eye again.
Tyler hesitated a second before answering. His heart was beating rather fast. He wanted to make it up to the other boy. He was searching in his mind for an answer to his problem. Mike soon shook him abruptly, hoping to snap the other boy out of whatever funk he was in.
“Oh, uh…what?” Tyler said as he returned to the moment again.
Mike rolled his eyes. “Are you gonna call your parents so you can stay? It’s raining hard out and I dunno how you got here.”
“Oh, yeah sure. But wait one second…before I do…can I do something to make it up to you?” The fox cub said sheepishly as he trailed his foot on the floor gently with his tail between his legs.
The raccoon shrugged. “You already apologized…I said I forgive you. I promise I’m not mad.”
“I know…just trust me okay? Close your eyes?” Tyler’s heart was beating faster and faster.
Mike sighed and closed his eyes. “Okay…”
Tyler took a deep breath as he leaned in closer to the boy. His snout meeting against the other boys as they kissed. The awkward moment remained a moment before the fox backed off. Mike opened his eyes and wiped his snout with his hand. An awkward silence followed for a moment.
“What was that about…?” The raccoon asked, not sure what to make of it.
The fox shrugged. “I dunno. My mom always kissed me when I was hurt so I wanted to try it for you.”
“It wasn’t bad I guess. Come on…call your parents. I want you to stay over!” The smaller boy stomped his paw on the carpet.
Tyler rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah. Gimme the phone.”
The fox got the okay from his parents to stay the night. The two played through the night as they often had in times past. Seemingly having forgotten about the little show of affection. Neither boy making anything of it, moving on to more important things in their young lives.
