Submission (#2068) Approved

785 words
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LIGHTS OF THE SKY

It was a night like any other. Well, maybe not so much. It was late December and he had been invited to a party. He was getting ready in front of the mirror, not that he minded but...he had nothing better to do that night. Most venues were already full with reservations and it's not like he could just fall asleep early with all the noise that was going to be going on in the middle of the night.

Unlike his normal suit, he was wearing a short vest in a shade between navy blue and black with sparkles that matched his bow tie. Should he tie his ears like a ponytail? Yes, he would do that, not too tight so as not to hurt them.

He called for a car and drove quietly to the agreed place. It wasn't even a friend who had invited him, just an acquaintance...he didn't have high expectations, after all, he had been to a lot of parties. High society, low class...everything. The main reason for attending was to look for who to spend the night with or who to 𝙙𝙚𝙫𝙤𝙧𝙖𝙧.

He had no appetite of any kind today.

Before he knew it, he was already inside the building's elevator, looking at the buttons. He pulled out his phone to check the floor and press before anyone else tried to get into the elevator with him. He was kind of hungry...would there be good food? He doubted it, maybe some champagne...grapes.....
He hadn't even made it through the door and was already checking the time. 11 pm...probably 1 am would be a prudent time to retire, late enough not to be rude and say a decent hello and early enough to avoid the more awkward moments of drunkenness and insipid conversation.

Many did not know this was his mindset. With such a charismatic and flirtatious personality, a reputation as a party animal, and an appearance that was the icing on the cake, anyone would believe he was living the good life.
Ignorant...

Ah, the beep of the metal doors opening brought him out of his thoughts, and he stepped outside. He waved to a couple of people, until he noticed someone in the group. Ah, the little guy had come. Mm..he smiled a little at the memory of how wild he could be, he approached the little eared dragon, stroking his head and bringing a hand to his hip. They weren't strangers, even if no one would believe it, they had had the odd bit of mischief together...he chuckled to himself, well at least he had the pleasure of seeing a familiar face, but he couldn't stay with Yam all night..or..maybe..? No no, it was tempting but he didn't want to sleep that late or go with him.

He stole some canapés and got rid of a few glasses of champagne and cheap liquor, lowered with some energy drink or complement. His mood was no longer so sour, slightly softened by the effects of the alcohol to help him relax. He started talking about his stories, after all, 1000 bad days meant 1000 good stories, and good stories got him good fame at parties. So it was 11:40...so fast but so slow, he had 20 minutes left, a time not as tedious as half an hour and not as acceptable as 15 minutes.

He loosened his ear bun and let his ears perk up naturally. From one moment to the next, everything around him felt unreal.
He didn't want to be there, what was he doing there? Was his life really about looking for sad excuses to pass the time?

The mouth of his chest smiled.

The cold air surrounded and soothed his hot muscles, coming in through his chest and soothing some of the heat coming from his stomach.
He was on the street, on an abandoned corner, how did he even get there? He didn't know, and he didn't care, all he cared about was this. The bittersweet taste that soothed all the doubts in his head, clouding him with pure dopamine. He straightened up, his mouth and hands stained. Sitting on the ground, he looked up at the sky. He was unable to hear the explosions above the ringing in his ears, but his eyes could see the colors that filled and illuminated the sky.

He stared. Yes...this was his life. This was his way of ending the year, the same way he had lived every day for the past few....
. . .
Happy New Year, and thanks to the poor being who decided to escape the party with him in search of something more "fun" but ended up being consumed by the rabbit's gluttony.