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"Can I buy you breakfast?"

I looked at the boar, Breakfast? Isn't it like, 9? It took me a minute to get what he was implying. I had to stifle a laugh. That was a cheesy line, but an effective one. Usually when I get approached by a man at some bar, they try to subvert my expectations with some story about their past and then follow it up with some flirtatious language. However, this boar had some other ideas for how this will play out. "That's a cheesy line," I said, mirroring my thoughts earlier, "but maybe you can." The boar let out a grin, and I couldn't help but smile.

"I'm Dylan" Dylan said, stretching out his arm. He wanted to shake my paw, but instead I met the paw with words. "Well, Dylan, I love to shake your hand, but I dont touch on the first date." He let out a hearty laugh, after that his eyes met mine.

"Looks like we have different Ideas about first dates." His paw retreated back to his side

"Maybe so"

"So, still thinking about that offer?"

He was obviously talking about breakfast. I'm not gonna lie to you, I was highly considering it. For some reason, I love men who are straightforward with me. My grin came back, and so did his.

"Maybe I am, Mr. Dylan." I said, trying to act smooth

"That's good, usually I get laughed at" I can sense the sorrow in his voice, he shifted a bit in the stool.

"I'm not laughing just yet." I offered him a challenge, I hope he can meet it, "but if you do, maybe this night will go smoothly... for the both of us"

"I like you..."

It took me a while to get it, the pause was for him trying to search for my name. I thought he was longing for me to say I like you too as if we're two lovers confessing for the first time. I gave him my name.

"Lee."

"Pretty name." He says, trying to come off as smooth, look like we both try to do things we can't do. The bar was filled with the usual patrons, I recognized a few of them, and they recognize me too. The bar, known as The Leaking Ship, is a small bar on a road that connects to the main highway. The only people you see here are traveling and this just happens to be the only bar between here and there. There's a few regulars, like any bar has. The man who drinks his life away, the girls who come here every Thursday night to catch up, and men in suits who just came from their 9 to 5 job. A few more oddjobs and this bar stays afloat (pun intended) just by the regulars. Me, on the other hand, I come here once a month just to soak up the atmosphere. I don't drink a lot, maybe a beer, and if i'm feeling extra dangerous a Pina Colada. Tonight is just a regular night, I already gulped down two beers. I havent ordered my third and I was considering just leaving early, until Dylan came along. We sat there in silence, waiting for the other one to make a move. There was a tinge of awkwardness in the air, it bound to happen you can hit things off perfectly. He looked at me, but i was looking at the screen that was held in the air. Typical bar setting, it was playing some baseball game. I love baseball and all, but its kind of boring to watch. When I turn back to Dylan, he has two beers in paw. He gives one to me, and opens the one for him. He takes his first swig, I haven't opened mine just yet. We both stare at the TV screen, the air was starting to kill me. I'm already halfway through my drink when Dylan orders his second one, or maybe he's had more before he decided to talk to me.

I think for a second, maybe I should start a conversation? I usually dont start them, they come to me, but this time it feels... different. I look back at the boar, he taking a drink when I opened my mouth.

"I guess you can say its a pretty name, I never liked it much." He just stares at me while finishing his drink, I caught him at the worst time. It took a few seconds for him to respond but it felt like a few hours. The awkwardness was starting to set in during those seconds, but it quickly went away when Dylan started talking. "Why not? I knew a guy named Lee in high school, he was the best first basemen we've had." I can tell he was trying to make some kind of connection with baseball. He's smart, I guess he noticed I was staring intensely at the game.

"I know from my experience that i'm not a good first baseman" I continue this connection, if we have to talk about baseball for a bit to have a nice night, I don't really mind.

"That's fair," he holds up his paw, and the bartender gives him another bottle. As he was opening his third bottle he finished his thought, "he was a stag, so I'm pretty sure you both were not the same person." He took a small gulp, "that would be weird."

I felt like pressing him, maybe this other Lee guy was an ex lover who broke this poor boars heart. Now, the boar must hit on random guys at bars to fill that stag shaped hole in his heart. "Was he an ex lover or something?" I said, I didn't want to fill in that last part with my thoughts.

"Nah, he was like... my cousin twice removed," He looked down, trying to think of something to follow up that sentence. "Or atleast, I think it was twice removed, I don't understand how the system works."

"Same, it's confusing to wrap your head around." I didn't feel like finishing my drink, I pushed it away and turned my whole body towards Dylan. "I only talk to my first cousins, or well use to anyways."

"They hate you?" He said, in an innocent voice

"Maybe," I shrugged, "Devout Christians and all that, hell my aunt named one of them Christian." A flash of childhood memories came back to me, going to church with my Aunt and uncle once a month. I only went because I got to stay the night and talked to my cousins.

"Well... shit." He wasn't expecting such an honest answer, guess he knows Im gay, but that much was obvious, "I thought it was maybe because theyre jealous of your looks."

I cringed at the comment, he probably did too after saying it. Implying that my cousins might be jealous of my looks? Bad move, but I won't hold it against him. That air of silence and awkwardness fell again. The game was over, I didn't check the final score. The after game show consisted of four guys around a semi circle table talking about the previous game. I didn't pay much attention to their rambling about so-and-so's footwork or how this guy should've stolen that base during that one play. Dylan wasn't all interested either he just went back staring at his bottle. He spoke up after what seems like 10 minutes of chatter from the patrons and rants about baseball. "So, you played baseball?" His drink was gone at this point, the bartender threw away his three bottles.

"Used to, then I realized I wasn't that very good." Half of that was true, I did quit baseball but only because I couldn't stand the pressure of trying to be good at a sport. "Going pro wasnt in my future, that much is true."

"Damn, here I thought I was talking to a genuine baseball player." He grinned from ear to ear. "What do you do now?" Here comes the part I dont like about meeting a guy at a bar, the small talk. It's just basic answers for basic questions. So, I decided to give a fake answer for this basic question. "Samurai." The thought of me being a samurai made the inner kid within me jump up. If only I was born in japan and a few centuries earlier, then maybe I would have the chance of being a samurai.

"Samurai, huh? You got any swords in your car? Or are they back at home?" He was gaining footing in the conversation, I knew where I can lead this too.

"Maybe both, you're welcome to see what I got anytime." Now we're getting somewhere. His grin turned into a sly smile, his mind was turning and he was thinking of something to say back to me. Maybe it was the beers he had, or maybe because he's never been this far before, but he was taking a little bit to answer my invite.

"I might take you up on that offer, Honorable Lee." He got a grin out of me, looks like he's beating this challenge I gave him. I thought back to my apartment and wondered if I cleaned my room, or if my roommate was home at the time. I look at my watch, it was 10 o'clock. Have I really been talking to this boar for an hour? Usually, the men come up to me and leave within 15 minutes, but this is different. I ask the bartender for a pen and some paper, he gladly gave the page. I wrote down my address and my number.

"Pretty handwriting for a pretty guy." I laughed a bit at him, I wasn't expecting such a comment. I looked at my handwriting, he continued the conversation. "Pretty laugh too, man you're on fire tonight, Lee."

"You better douse me then." I remained cool, but under my fur I was blushing a bit. Dylan was something else, that's for sure. I ripped the page from the legal pad and handed it to the taller man. "Meet me here in one hour. Then you'll be able to see my sword."

"I thought samurais had more than one sword," he caught on what I was implying.

"They do, but I'm showing you just one so you don't get carried away with them." His sly grin met my own grin.

"Can't wait to get my hands on it then." The bartender picked up the legal pad and turned away from our conversation.

"Me too, Dylan." His grin faded a bit, I guess calling him by his name was a weird move.

"See you in an hour, Tiger." He got up from his seat and started walking out. I took a deep breath. I actually got someone to go home with me. Or well... meet up with someone at my home. A part of me was excited, the other part of me was worried about bringing someone to the apartment. What if my roommate sees us? What if it's even MORE awkward than this bar scene? These thought I shook away, I can't worry about that right now, I got to drive back.