There was something about walking through those doors for the first time in quite a long time that was far greater than nostalgia alone for Rusty, Though that was certainly present as well. From the swirling lights, to the pumping music, to the unmistakable scent of man sweat that filled the air like a cloud of humidity, It all battered at his senses immediately upon crossing that threshold. It reminded him of who he was, what he was. It brought forth memories both sweet and bitter alike. It even elicited a shudder down his spine that unexplainably made him feel ten years younger. But above all else, It felt like walking back into his home after being gone for far too long.
There was a younger guy working the door that he didn't recognize, but from what he could see so far, the place seemed to be exactly how he left it. Rusty stepped forward with Pup Phoenix in tow on the leash behind him, and walked up to the counter to speak with the boy manning the position. After a brief greeting, Rusty pulled both ID's from his wallet and handed them over, after verifying Clay was indeed the one under the hood, He waved them through without much of a second thought. (Between us, he never checked the date of birth, or he'd have stamped Clay, but the kid was having a rough night with his boyfriend, So his mistake would be for their benefit.) Rusty tugged the pup's leash and started walking.
The pair arrived at a bartender who had a beard longer than Clay's forearm, dressed only in a pair of undies, and after a brief moment of realization, the bartender let loose a huge smile and reached over the bar to hug Rusty. Clay saw him whisper something into his ear, and after the coach gave a brief nod, went to pour a drink. The pup tilted his head to the side a bit and questioned his owner lightly, but received no response other than a quick wink. The scruffy man behind the bar returned a moment later with some kind of brown liquor on ice, and a bottled water. When Rusty went to hand his card over, the man only held up his hands and shook his head. Clay only assumed it was on the house tonight or something. After frowning shortly for a moment at the unrequested hospitality, Coach Duncan simply shrugged, handed the water to Phoenix behind him, grabbed the glass from the bar, and started walking with the pup in tow towards the outdoor patio.
When they passed through the open door, Coach looked around briefly and spotted Alan sitting at a nearby table, chatting with a few old familiar faces. Rusty took in one last deep breath and started towards the small party. The pair didn't make it four steps before one of the men noticed them and nearly rocketed out of their seat to meet them. Rusty knew the man, and was glad to see he hadn't changed much, well, aside from some graying hairs. The coach stopped when the approaching man was almost to him, the man, however, did not, at least, not until he was embracing Rusty with the full force of his physique.
"I didn't believe it! I thought Alan was just spewing his bullshit, but you're really here! Goddammit Rusty! How the hell have you been? Oh my God, I've missed yoouuuu!" The man finally released Rusty from his entrapment with a huge grin. Clay couldn't help but feel small behind the pair, the man was just a hair shorter than his Sir, but definitely had a bit more huskiness to him. That thought was pushed aside when his Sir greeted the man back.
"Did you miss me Kevin? What's the matter? Did all the other tops in Texas finally get tired of visiting your glory hole?" Rusty flashed his signature smile as he finished that sentence. The one on Kevin's face didn't seem to relay the apparent joke however.
"Oh good, you're still a cunt, I wasn't sure what to expect after everything that happened to be honest. Now, come sit, and let's catch up on all the super important, definitely non-boring stories from an old hermit who decided to run away and join a Catholic nun covenant while living a life of chastity." Kevin ended the remark with a cluck of his tongue before turning his head a bit to peek at the little leashed puppy boy looking just a bit out of place before continuing. "And this must be your pup, Alan has not shut up about him since he got back from that trip earlier this week." Kevin walked over to Clay and introduced himself with as much enthusiasm one could muster. Clay greeted him back and the group merged with the one at the table a moment later. Clay was introduced to 2 other old acquaintances by his Sir and greeted them respectively. After a few moments of introductions, and questions, Clay felt two hands clasp down on his shoulders, and was met with a loud and husky bark behind him. He turned to see what the hell had just happened, and was pleasantly surprised at what he saw.
There was a 6 ft. 1 pup standing directly behind him, with his green eyes shining brightly behind the orange hood. There was a hefty dog chain around his throat, and the pup was wearing all black, shirtless with a leather vest on. It only took Clay a moment to recognize the combat boots and the man behind the hood. It was Andy. Seeing him there and in his gear made Phoenix smile behind his own hood. He liked the guy, he made him feel good about himself, so a friendly face was a welcomed sight to the nervous puppy. Clay never would've guessed he was a pup too, but he relished the idea of having a friend that shared some interests about something he enjoyed so much. Andy unexpectedly let out a small howl into the air and looked expectantly at Clay. He raised both eyebrows and Clay caught on. Andy howled into the air again, and this time Clay joined him. It felt oddly liberating to Clay.
Rusty only chuckled at the pup's performance, He had been expecting Andy at any moment, They did pre-plan his role tonight after all. So he reached a hand out and tapped his pup on the shoulder, bringing his attention from the other pup back to him. Phoenix instinctively cocked his head slightly, inquiring from his handler. Rusty tapped the pup's neck twice and Clay moved closer. That was the command for leash on/leash off. Rusty let his forefinger lightly brush below the pup's collar for a moment before it hooked inside it and gently drew the pup a bit closer. His other hand reached up and snapped the clip off of the leash, freeing his puppy for the time being. He tugged the collar towards himself a bit more and leaned in so that the pup could hear his words over the background music and noise.
"Go. See what a pack is. But mostly, just have fun. Dance, talk, make friends. Just check in every so often, I'll be right here." Phoenix cocked his head a bit more drastically, (It was completely unintentional,) and repeated the request back to his handler, or more so, the part he had a question about.
"Pack?" Right on queue, Andy let out a piercingly loud whistle that made Clay, and a number of others that weren't paying attention, jump in their seats. Clay turned towards the pup behind him, still wincing a bit from the sound, and almost asked why the hell he would do that. That is, until he saw his answer. Right as Andy dropped his fingers from his mouth, Clay watched a group of four? Wait, six other pups that were coming up behind him. It was then he realized what was happening. Andy was an Alpha, and Clay was about to meet the pack.
"Do you think he'll be alright?" Rusty asked Alan a few moments later. "I mean, we both know Andy can be a little... much." Alan let out a sincere chuckle before he replied,
"You know that's pretty rich coming from you. If that boy of yours can put up with your grumpy ass, he can handle the Gingerbread Pupcake and his pack of many colors. Besides, That little young gun that used to crush on "Daddy Duncan," has grown quite a bit since the last time you've seen him. Hell, we all have Rusty." The two paused for a moment and smiled at each other before Alan continued, "It's good to have you back, old friend."
"It's good to be back, I've missed your wit. Glad to see you're still playing community guide. There are thousands of gay men in this city, and I think you know every damn one, and probably helped over half in some way or another. Good to see some thing's just don't change... And I'll have you know, Phoenix is quite the little handful himself, I'm worried his newfound bravery and alter ego may end up giving us all a run for our money in time." The pair chuckled again for a moment before the man that greeted him earlier, Kevin, in his usual sarcastic tone that Rusty found he had missed, cut in as he idly stirred his drink with the straw.
"Oh yeah, it's fine. You know, just disappear from the face of the earth for twelve gay years and suddenly pop back up one day just to spend the night talking to Alan. Glad to see where the rest of us stand. Cool. Well, this has been so nice Rusty, but you can disappear again now." Kevin, the big ol' butch queen that he was, punctuated his jab by taking a sip of his vodka/soda before flashing a coy smile back to Rusty.
"I know I can, you're used to men walking out on you, so it won't be anything new for you at least." Rusty couldn't help but think of how nice this all felt. Bantering with friends he used to burn through this town with. Catching up, and yet, still feeling like nothing really changed at all. Like he skipped ahead a few chapters in a book without missing any information, but he knew better than that, things have changed. So he went about letting the other men fill him in on anything and everything he had missed. From marriages, to losses, to the most fickle drama, to the most important events, Rusty was spared nothing between the group. Not that he minded, for some reason, he expected this whole thing to be far harder than walking in this bar and sitting down at a table. So he let the men speak for a while, while he simply basked in the feeling of nostalgia.
The conversation carried on like this for quite a while, until Rusty's attention was snatched away as he noticed a particular person walking by in the crowd. It was someone he had nightmares about, but not in the way you may think. The friendly high school coach had dreamt of that man on the ground, staring up into his own eyes as Rusty's hands clamped tighter around his throat. He could vividly remember the details every time he had dreamt it, the feel of his neck popping below his fingertips as he squeezed ever harder. The man's flailing arms desperately trying to free himself in vain. The shallow gurgling sound as he struggled to breathe. His own sadistic smile plastered across his face as he delivered justice... But mostly, the feeling of watching the man's life fade away beneath his own hands. Rusty had dreamt of killing this man time and time again, and it terrified him, how badly he craved his revenge. This man, as you may be wondering, was named Eric. He was the dealer that let Rusty's ex Jason overdose in his living room six years ago. Alan followed the coach's gaze, and interrupted the wave of anger and regret he was feeling.
"Rusty... I'm sorry, I didn't know he was going to be here, he hardly ever shows his face... unless..." Where Alan trailed off, Kevin picked up.
