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As the black car rolled along the street, Rocky hummed to himself in the dark interior of the vehicle, just trying to keep his own spirits high. He turned to his side, squinting down at the piece of paper on the seat beside him. Was this it? He'd never been in this part of town before, but if the address he'd been given was correct, this was it. Bringing the car to a halt by the curb, Rocky let the car engine shut off. He glanced over his shoulder at the the backseat that had been his only residence for so long.
It was messy, even after Rocky had tried to smarten up a bit. After all, if all went well, he might not have to go back to sleeping here again for a while. Nights tended to be cold, especially in winter, and the frozen nights were already starting to take hold. Rocky smiled to himself and stepped out of the car. The nippy night air immediately cut through him, despite wearing his trusty old coat that usually kept him warm. It had served him well, especially in the days before Lackadaisy.
Rocky checked himself before he did anything else. He felt alright, even despite being bandaged up under his clothes. Of course, nothing he couldn’t handle; just a stray bullet from his last job, your usual working hazard. At the very least, he'd managed to get the booze home and Ms. May was reasonably pleased – even if he'd lost a bit of blood in the process. But he was thankful he had somewhere to recuperate that wasn't just his car.
Making his way on up to the building, Rocky took a moment to check the name listed on the building and found the one he was hoping for: Lucas Booker. He smiled upon reading the name. He'd been given a spare key a while back, but Rocky hadn’t taken the other cat’s offer up until tonight. Perhaps out of a sense of pride, maybe not wanting to trouble dear Lucas. But tonight… tonight seemed like it was the right time to make a change.
Moving back to the car to retrieve his belongings from the backseat. Rocky hesitated. He wasn't quite sure he could carry everything, but he intended on doing his best.
“Eugh… oh boy…” Rocky grunted in discomfort as he bent over to pick up some of his things, starting his violin case and his makeshift suitcase that was a larger instrument case that also just so happened to hold a disassembled standard issue Tommy Gun… among other things.
Rocky didn’t own a lot of things; his violin was arguably the most important item in Rocky’s possession. It not only let him play with the band at Lackadaisy, but also helped ease the loneliness in his car at night when he practiced. He had to make two trips up to the door to get everything, however. Rocky also made sure to bring his Cactus Friend as well, even if it was currently looking worse for wear. He figured it didn’t take well to the cold.
With his injuries, walking was a slight struggle, but Rocky powered through it, knowing that he’d soon be able to rest and recover. And the thought of being with Lucas was more than enough motivation for him.
Fishing around in his pocket with his hand, the gray tabby pulled out the spare key Lucas had given him and he successfully let himself in. he really had to make sure to thank Lucas for… well, everything.
It was a balancing act, bringing all his stuff inside, but the warmth that greeted him was more than enough for Rocky to not want to make a second trip – it was far too inviting. He set his stuff down inside the foyer, letting the instrument cases rest against a nearby wall. The foyer itself was small, but tidy and it seemed like it’d just been cleaned recently. Lucas’ own shoes were placed next to the welcome mat and after Rocky removed his heavy coat and put it on a coat rack with Lucas’, he decided to look around.
Under his coat, Rocky wore in a white dress shirt, his signature orange tie with his initial on it was tied loosely around his neck, and his blue pants were held up with suspenders. Not the warmest getup one could ask for, but it was the best he could do these days.
“Lucas?” Rocky’s voice reverberated throughout the empty-seeming home. The lights were on in the living room, but the other gray cat was nowhere to be found. Rocky took the briefest moment to look around the living room. It was sparsely decorated with nice furniture, though nothing overly fancy.
After calling his name yet again, Rocky made sure to check the doors that led from the living room, one leading to a bathroom, the other to a bedroom, both of which were just as vacant as the living room. Perhaps Lucas wasn't home… Moving back out to the foyer, Rocky was about to bring his stuff inside so he could wait for Lucas to get home when he noticed the open basement door.
Instinct told him to go down and check, even though it was seemingly completely dark down there. The door opened with a creak as Rocky stepped onto the first step and started to slowly descend into the dark. Each step brought another creak, and as Rocky descended the stairs and his eyes adjusted to the dim light, he noticed what appeared to be faint glows of blue on the walls.
What was Lucas doing down here? Some kind of light show? The assumption only seemed reinforced when Rocky reached the bottom of the steps and turned his head to see the source of the dim light. In the center of the room, he saw Lucas seated with his legs crossed, holding his hands up. Around him, shining, glimmering petals floated, each one emitting a glow. Joining them were smoke-like wisps that glowed like fireflies, except no firefly Rocky had ever seen had a blue light.
Staring in awe, Rocky’s eyes widened as he witnessed Lucas rising to his feet, but not in any normal manner. No, it was as if he was being pulled to his feet by an invisible set of arms. Once he was fully upright, he reached a hand forward to form a large blue shape in the air. Rocky’s mouth fell open and he stared in awe as Lucas casually stepped into the otherwise solid-looking, glowing shape and vanished.
For a few seconds, Rocky simply gaped at the spot where he’d seen Lucas vanish from. When the shape had fully vanished, Rocky heard footsteps overhead. His ears perked up instantly and though he couldn’t quite run in his injured state, he still hurried up the steps as fast as he could, before barging into the living room. “Lucas!”
The gray cat was startled when Rocky appeared, a look of complete and utter terror on his face. “R-Rocky? When did you get here?”
Rocky was grinning from ear to ear. “What was that? How’d you do that?! I didn’t know you could do magic tricks!”
The other cat fidgeted with his hands in a nervous manner. He was clad as Rocky usually saw him, white dress shirt, black pants and a black vest. “You- You saw…?”
Upon seeing Lucas’ saddened face, Rocky stared at him in surprise, bright blue eyes blinking. He didn’t see why he would look sad; magic was real, what wasn't there to be excited about? Lucas didn’t meet Rocky’s eyes, instead looking away. Was he…? Gently Rocky put a hand on Lucas’ shaking shoulder. “Oh, what’s the matter, Lucas? Were you planning a surprise for me?”
Lucas shook his head and that was when Rocky noticed how shiny his normally cheerful eyes were. “No… I-… I-”
“You were afraid I wouldn't approve? Thought I’d judge you? Burn you at a stake like they did up in Salem?” Perhaps not the most sensible comparison he could've thought up, but as Lucas nodded, Rocky jus gave him a gentle kind of smile. “Hey, now, you know I would never, Lucas.”
Pulling Lucas into a hug, Rocky held him tightly, even despite how much it hurt, owing to his injury. But he needed to show Lucas that he was serious. “I’d never, Lucas… I love you, and that’s regardless of all the tricks you can do.”
Lucas let out a noise somewhere between a sob and a chuckle as he hugged Rocky back, his form still somewhat shaky. When Lucas pulled back, he tried blinking his tears away, before kissing Rocky on the lips. A sweet, gentle peck.
“I- Thank you, Rocky… I love you too… I was so afraid of what would happen when you found out,” Lucas admitted, finally wiping his eyes, before giving Rocky a squeeze. As Lucas’ grip tightened, the gray tabby gave a slight grunt of discomfort. “What’s wrong?”
“Oh, uhm… just a little workplace accident – things got exciting tonight, one might say” Rocky replied casually, giving a valiant sort of smile. Lucas looked horrified, however. When Rocky noticed, he offered a small smile. “No need to worry, I got patched up real nice! Good as new!”
“Are you sure? I can take a look… maybe even help it a little.” At the prospect of more magic, Rocky’s eyes lit up with child-like wonder and excitement.
“You can? Oh, please, I want to see more. That disappearing trick was really something.” Rocky made his way to Lucas’ couch as the gray cat rolled his sleeves up. He couldn’t help but chuckle lightly when he saw the expectant look on Rocky’s face as he laid down.
“I think I can. Just sit tight, Rocky.” He leaned down to peck the other cat’s cheek before he unbuttoned his shirt to reveal the bandages. They looked a bit red, as he had clearly bled through them. Lucas frowned at the sight, but carefully unwrapped them. It wasn't a pretty sight, but Lucas took a deep breath. “Alright, just let me know if it hurts…”
He rubbed his palms together and muttered under his breath before holding both palms towards Rocky, his pads glowing. Rocky felt a warm sort of numbness in his side where he'd been shot. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, but it was certainly different. “How long have you been doing magic?”
“Since I was very young,” Lucas replied, eyes still fixated on Rocky’s wound as he tried his best to heal him, his ears giving a slight flick. Their eyes met momentarily, and Lucas’ ears laid flat back against his head as he looked a bit embarrassed. “It wasn't always so easy practicing… But that’s another story for… well, when I feel more comfortable with it… People don’t take kindly to what they don’t understand.”
“Very much true, my dearly beloved,” Rocky chuckled lightly. “But then there are amazing people like you who will take kindly to all us misunderstood creatures of the night.”
Lucas blushed and smiled at Rocky, before he continued. He didn’t overdo it, as he stopped after a while to look him over, before bandaging him again. “There, that should do it for now… I’ll make sure you’re back in action soon, Rocky – promise.”
Rocky just grinned up at him, he even chuckled. “I really want to see what else you can do. I’m so intrigued. Who knew that magic was real? Just think, all he wonderful and weird things in stories of old, maybe they’re all true!”
“Well, I don’t know if they’re all true…” Lucas chuckled at Rocky as the gray tabby buttoned his shirt once more. “But I’ll gladly show you more. But maybe tomorrow? It’s late and you really ought to rest…”
“Oh, a little something to look forward to. Wait, can you make magic pancakes?!” Rocky asked eagerly, ears perked up as he sat up, taking Lucas’ hands into his own. “Please, show me everything. Or even better… Can you teach me magic too?”