Chapter 16

For vet clinic, this place is... wow." Mica gazed around in awe of the scenery before him.

Colorful. That was the simplest way to describe it. Also, bizzare. The walls were plastered with wallpapers, all different, having flowers or bananas or stars or little yellow ducks. There were also paintings hanging on the walls along with some occupied birdcages. Paintings that looked like the product of hyperactive kindergarteners with no taste in art and unlimited poster paint. A messy beauty, in other words.

A few other cages were on the reception desk, with some origami and fountain pens, and a huge glass bowl of jellybeans; even more color.

Mica chuckled, "I feel like I'm inside a rainbow." He looked around, scrutinizing every erratic detail of the place with fascination.

There were also little cutesy stickers all over the tabletop, and bigger ones around it. All of them with cute, different animals with unrealistically alluring eyes saying stuff like, 'Welcome', 'Adopt me!', 'No tips below 100 bucks are accepted', 'Cuddles aren't free'...

The carpet felt like soft, thick grass beneath his boots. The AC had this slight hint of... marshmallows? He sighed dreamily. "Is this heaven?"

Loess gently knocked on his head, having to stretch his arm to do so, "Get your head out of the cotton candy clouds you idiot."

"I'd actually much prefer if you joined me, you could use a bit of color. "

"What's that supposed to-" Out of nowhere, Mica's forefinger sealed his lips and he looked around tensely. "Shh,"

"What is it?" Loess whispered, taking his hand away from his mouth.

"Do you hear that?" His squinted eyes darted everywhere.

"Hear wh-"

"Someone here?" A head peeked out from the pathway at the other side of the room, which led to the back room. "Wow, Loess, it's like I haven't seen you in years!"

The person who the high-pitched voice belonged to was some inches taller than Loess, long, pink hair in a single Dutch braid that fell to the waist, decorated with glitter, painted seashells, colorful beads et cetera. Glittery eyeshadow and deep-set eyeliner, black upper-lip and glossy bottom-lip, color matching his tanned skin, then a nose stud.

And that was just the head. The clothes were even more crazy talk, but let's just say it was a mess of hot pink, dark blue, sequins, a boa, little chains, lace and a lot more. A lot, lot more. There's also the black choker round the neck and stilletos on the feet, making Loess feel conscious of his own height.

"That's because you haven't seen me in years,"

"Well come on, give your old buddy a hug!" Not that he was asking, because he jumped right up and engulfed the poor guy in a bone-fracturing embrace, and his signature Armani scent. About the only thing normal about him, if you could say that.

I pushed him away, "Yeah, yeah, missed you too. Get off, you're getting glitter all over my face."

"Oh, shut your stupid mouth," He squeezed tighter.

A thud from the table area caught their attention. Mica had kicked a pretty container of playdough off the table, standing on it and stretching his arm out to the top corner of the wall where one cage was, nailed into the corner. The small gate was opened and a small cat was hanging out by its claws.

If he was able to hear noise that tiny, his senses must be... what kind of mutant exactly is he?

He caught the feline in his cupped palms and jumped off the desk,  muttering with mischief in his grin and a glint in his eye, seemingly unconscious of his surroundings, all focus on the animal in his hands, struggling to get away from him. "Well hello there, little delinquent,"

"Um, he's with me," I told Skye. "Mica, this is Skye. Skye, Mica."

"You turned down my cousin for this..? Not bad, Herzlos. "

"Yeah, no. We're not like that, don't go there."

"Really? So you're still single? What the fùck, Loess?" He attempted to wake him up with two gentle slaps on the cheek, it stung, but not for too long. "Hi, Mica. Nice to meet ya."

"Same here. Gotta ask though, what is with the colours?"

Great, Mica. Just great. Now he's gonna launch into history mode.

"Well, since you asked. You better sit down for this. It all started with my great-great-great-" He was shut up my a hand over his mouth. Loess' hand.

"He's a chameleon mutant. The end."

Folding his arms, Skye frowned. "Way to wreck my vibe, Herzlos."

"I refuse to let anyone else suffer listening to that long shit. And Mica, put the kitten back."

"Are you sure? I think it's gotten a little attached to me."

"I'm pretty sure it's not the one getting attached."

"You like her, Mica? That's Twelve am. She's a baby Singapura."

The next three seconds went by with ringing silence.

"Wait. What? Her name is Twelve am? Am I the only one who heard that?"

"Yeah, Twelve am. I mean, look at her fur and eyes. I have never seen a darker shade of blue in cat eyes before.  And her fur is like the pitch-blackness of twelve am. With the stars of course, and she has white whiskers. So weird. What could be a better name?"

"Any name would be better than that," Loess deadpanned. "And why was she kept up there?" He asked looking up at the top corner where the open cage was.

Skye picked up the playdough from the carpet. "She's a stubborn one. Somehow she's able to get out of most of the cages we've had her in, even the glass ones, so I decided why not teach her a lesson. I mean, Twelve am is adorable, but I had to go hard on her."

"You've been calling her that crap name all the time, of course she'd want to run away."

"Loess, calling her 'Any name' would be just plain stupid." Skye said, switching to a high-pitched tone. "Here, Any name. Come get your kibble Any name. Would you like to adopt this cat called Any name? "

After snickering at the annoyed Loess and getting smacked on the head, Mica said. "Here's a logical suggestion, why not call her Midnight? I mean, 12 is midnight, so... "

...

"That is... GENIUS!" Skye exclaimed, like Mica had just taught him how to flush. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe I didn't think of this sooner, you're a genius! ..."

"Why, thank you, it's nice to meet someone who finally recognizes that."

Meanwhile, Loess frustratedly mutters under his breath, "Genius my foot. When did they become such best friends, and who planned that tragic disaster..."

Skye's arm went around his shoulders and pulled him close and he caught whiffs of the cherry flavoured bubblegum he was expertly chewing as he spoke. "Aw, don't be jelly, Loess, he's all yours. I have only pure intentions,"

"Only pure intentions? You sound like a postcard from my greatest enemies."

"And you sound like a lonely asshole."

"A lonely asshole is better than the 5cm dick you're clinging to as dignity,"

"At least I have a 12 inch dick fùcking my asshole. Let me tell you Loess the real deal is much better than the dildos you're so obsessed with."

"I don't use- oh gods- shut up!"

"Haha! I win, as always." Skye laughs as he takes a seat on the counter as if he does that everyday, and what's to say he doesn't. "Those parties won't do you good Lolli. You're going to tonight's yeah? "

"I don't go to parties to look for hook-ups, I go because I want to."

"I didn't think you swing that way," Mica said out of observation, directing it to Loess, but Skye just has to speak. He just has to.

"Oh no, no, no. Our sweet Loess here doesn't swing any way. This innocent virgin ass doesn't even know when he likes someone, downright rejects them and then wonders why no one wants to date him. He's herzlos; it means heartless."

"You... you talk too much, Skye." Loess cringed and pinched the bridge of his nose as he listened to the rainbow boy out all secrets of his nonexistent love life.

Skye snorted. "You notice that now?"

Mica looked at the annoyed Loess. "So, you're ace?"

"Don't fùcking ask me."

"He doesn't know. Poor little Lollipop."

"Stop speaking for me, you psychotic rainbow!"

"I'm not the psychopath here,"

A door clicks, and from the same pathway that Skye came from, another appeared. "Skyler, you didn't feed Section 4 this morning."

All attention immediately switched to the new guy in the scene. There's too many guys in this story already.

He's taller than Skye even with the shoes; about Mica's height, with very, very black hair and greyish-blue eyes. A handsome guy, the kind that caught your eye and made you want to see more. In this case, more expression.

Currently, he is facial expression was on par to Pac-Man's. His eyes had depth, and they were focused. As he spoke to Skye, he only looked at Skye. Then his gaze shifted, quickly, with almost robotic precision, to Loess.

"Mr Ivanovic, Ajay will be out in a moment."

He nodded, cringing at the use of Mr, as it made him sound like an old man. "I still think you should just call me Loess,"

The unnamed man searched through a drawer in the counter desk. "Apologies, but my boss won't let me."

"How about just Ivanovic? Is that okay?"

He shrugged.

Before Skye disappeared into the pathway, realization dawned on Loess' face, as he gasped, "Oh, so he's the owner of the 12 in-"

He was silenced by someone threatening him with a broken crayon, that someone being Skye, of course.

"I have to admit though," The smooth, alluring voice came from the desk. "My ego is dented. Just 12 inches, Skye? I might have to do you harder from now on."

Tyrone Hayes. Loess and Skye's sneaky, blunt, cold, intelligent, quiet senior back in high school.