Chapter Seventeen
#18 of The Roommate
Sunday night was a quiet, inactive time for Hiro. He hadn't done anything all weekend, aside from his fun with Bel, and actually looked forward to going to work. Work had become quite an exciting, interesting place over the last couple of weeks and Hiro prided himself on being the root cause of all the drama.
Kyle probably hated his guts, which was a pity. Since Hiro had won the contest, he no longer felt rivalry with Kyle and was willing to get along with the wolf again. If Kyle wanted to hate him forever though, he could go ahead. Hiro didn't need him. If he ever wanted some action, he could undoubtedly get Bel into bed again.
The issue with Kyle and Bel was something to worry about later. Xaver and Oscuro made up the other half of the drama and Hiro was disappointed in himself for his lack of involvement with the two of them. Bel had been high on his priority list lately, but now he was less important.
Hiro stripped his shirt off, ready to go to bed soon. It was a warm night and he often slept half-dressed in such temperatures, and sometimes completely nude.
People like Xaver were what helped him appear strong on the outside. Kyle and Bel helped as well. All along, Hiro had been feeding off other people's anger, shyness, and fear so he could have the boldness to think and behave the way he did.
Hiro had sincerely been having fun torturing Xaver, but he wasn't really as terrible as he made himself appear to be. Perhaps it was his own insecurities that made him behave cruelly and out of control.
It was the end of the weekend and Hiro had been bored all day. He tended to get analytical about himself at such times. He scowled, putting on his tough guy façade because he didn't want to turn weak.
The next day would be eventful and hopefully good. Hiro always had an easier time being evil when he was at work.
"So I guess I'm going to be your alarm clock again tomorrow. Unless you've finally gotten used to waking up early here."
Oscuro sat across from Xaver at the kitchen table, finishing up a late dinner. He didn't know how it had happened, but he and Xaver had been eating meals together on a regular basis.
Xaver shrugged. "I can't risk getting up late."
"Then I'll wake you up tomorrow," Oscuro said with a sigh. "Though if I were you, I would get up extra early on my own. I've still only got one shower, you know."
"You won't force me to share the shower with you, right?"
"I know how much you love your privacy, Xaver. Showers are crowded when there are two people in them anyway."
"You're right. I bet it's not very comfortable," said Xaver. He stood up and took his empty dishes to the sink. He turned the sink faucet on and rinsed the dishes off so it would be easier to wash them.
Oscuro quietly got up out of his seat and crept behind Xaver. The cougar was busy and couldn't hear him because of the running water. Oscuro didn't know what possessed him, but he had the sudden urge to touch Xaver. He came up behind the feline and lightly put an arm around his waist.
Xaver gasped and dropped the cup he was rinsing off. "Who's there?"
"It's just me, Xaver. Relax." Oscuro tightened his grip just slightly and leaned against the shorter male's back. Xaver's pulse was racing, but he didn't move an inch. "You know, Xaver, I've told you before that you'll have an easier time getting up in the morning if you just sleep with me."
"That's true," Xaver said quietly. He was glad the sink water was still running, because silence would have made him uncomfortable.
"How about you try it just once? If you don't like it then I won't ever make you do it again."
Xaver had no reason to refuse when everything was going so well. "We're just going to sleep? And you won't take over the bed or steal the blankets?"
Oscuro laughed. "I'm a good bedmate, I promise. You won't even know I'm there."
"Well... all right," the feline consented slowly. "Let me get dressed for bed."
Oscuro tried not to look too excited. He had gained a major victory. He pulled away from Xaver and gathered up his dishes from off the table. Xaver shut the sink water off and left the kitchen wordlessly, headed for his luggage.
For the first time in days, Xaver would be sleeping in a real bed and forgot the fact that he would be sharing it with Oscuro. The thought of a real bed was absolutely wonderful after spending several nights on the uncomfortable couch.
Life had gotten a hundred times easier since he stopped fighting with Oscuro. The day before, the two males had gone driving, stopping to visit various places. oscuro had driven past Xaver's apartment building, just like he promised, and Xaver still couldn't wait to get back home despite the decline in misery he felt lately.
He changed into more comfortable clothing and brushed his teeth in the bathroom. He was getting tired and made his way to Oscuro's bedroom.
Just as Xaver was a couple of paces from the half-open bedroom door, he stopped walking. He was suddenly nervous about going into Oscuro's room. So many awkward things had happened in that room, like the night Kyle had come over and the time Xaver caught Oscuro with a hard-on just the day before. Nothing good had happened in that room and Xaver had doubts about anything positive ever occurring there.
He was being a complete idiot. It wasn't like the bedroom was cursed or anything. He pushed the door open all the way and forced himself to walk inside. Oscuro had finished changing his clothes, to Xaver's relief, and was straightening out the blankets on the bed. He looked up when he heard Xaver come in and smiled.
"I half-expected you to not show up, Xaver. You could have easily been trying to trick me."
"Well I'm here," said Xaver. "I can happily leave if you want me to."
"Sorry Xaver, but I can't pass up this opportunity." Oscuro walked up to the feline and took hold of his wrist, tugging him. "Come on. Which side of the bed do you want?"
Xaver looked at the bed. It wasn't quite as wide as he would have preferred, but there was enough space. "I'll sleep there." He pointed at the left side, choosing it at random. Unsure of whether he should lie down yet or not, he stared awkwardly down at the blankets.
Fortunately Oscuro rescued him from feeling like a complete idiot. "I'm getting tired. I suggest we go to bed right now." He got into the right side of the bed and pulled the blankets around himself.
Xaver was obligated to get in bed as well. He couldn't just continue standing there or else his nervousness would be obvious. Trying to calm his heart rate, he slowly climbed up onto the edge of the bed and lay there facing away from Oscuro. He drew the blankets up as high as he could.
"Goodnight, Xaver," said Oscuro.
"Goodnight," Xaver mumbled. He closed his eyes and all of his fears faded away. He forgot Die was next to him and enjoyed how warm and comfortable it was to be in a bed. He didn't want to ever get up.
For once, Xaver was not visited by crazy dreams or thoughts. Feeling peaceful, he fell asleep.
Oscuro knew that it was a good morning and wasn't sure whether to feel pleasure or laugh out loud. The weak rays of early sunlight came in through the window and cast gentle light upon the man sharing his bed.
Xaver was asleep, obviously, or he would have realized his position and immediately pulled away. Oscuro hated to disturb him, but he knew the cougar would be pissed with him if he didn't wake him up on time.
Careful not to alter the positions of his and Xaver's bodies, Oscuro shook Xaver by the shoulder and spoke into his ear. "Xaver!" He gently gave him another shake. "You don't have to move or anything. Just wake up and open your eyes."
Xaver groaned and woke up. A yawn forced its way out of his maw and he didn't bother to stifle it. "What time is it?"
Oscuro tried to keep from smiling. "It's early. You've got plenty of time to get ready for work. So did you have a good rest, Xaver? I think you secretly enjoy sleeping with other people and just won't admit it out loud."
Xaver didn't know what the buck meant until his senses fully awakened and he realized that one of his paws was not at his side.
He often tossed and turned in his sleep; it was the reason he had fallen off the couch on his first night there. Though he was turned away from him when he first fell asleep, he was now facing Oscuro and his paw rested between Oscuro's legs, right on top of his crotch.
"Oh shit!" Alarmed, Xaver wrenched his paw away. "How did that happen?"
"Don't ask me. You're the one who did it."
"Are you sure?" Xaver looked at the Grey-haired buck suspiciously. "This kind of joke is exactly the type of thing you would do."
Oscuro shook his head. "I said I wouldn't touch you and I kept my promise. You must have been moving around in your sleep and your hand randomly found something to lie itself down on. It's a perfectly normal thing to happen."
"All right. I believe you." Xaver started to get up out of bed, then gave Oscuro another inquisitive look. "Hey, why didn't you move me then?"
"You looked peaceful and I didn't want to bother you. Plus I kind of liked it."
"You're a pervert," said Xaver. "That kind of talk will make me never want to sleep with you again."
"I'm sorry then," Oscuro apologized sincerely, not wanting the threat to come true. "Sleeping with me wasn't that bad, was it?"
Xaver felt surprisingly well rested and was relieved to have gotten up early. "No, it wasn't bad at all aside from that one little incident. Let's not talk about it anymore and get ready."
The morning went by without further mishap and Xaver put all his energy into making himself ready so he wouldn't lapse into moments of thinking. He was still embarrassed over his interesting sleeping position and wanted to put it out of his mind forever. Luckily Oscuro managed to have the tact not to mention it and the two left the apartment for work.
Xaver proceeded to his work desk with caution, fearing another sex-related prank waiting for him. His desk was clear, but Xaver still thought even that was suspicious. Just because he couldn't see anything on the surface didn't mean something wasn't hiding.
He carefully sat down in his seat and spent the next minute doing everything slowly, as if afraid of setting off an explosive.
His worries proved to be both useless and ridiculous. Feeling stupid, Xaver admitted that nobody had touched his workspace since the dildo incident. He sighed and got to work.
Since there was no mysterious joke that day, Xaver expected Hiro to come up and harass him, but there was no sign of the short canine. Perhaps he was sick. Very, very sick with an illness that would keep him confined to his bed for days, maybe weeks.
Xaver silently laughed to himself at that thought. Without Hiro controlling the financial aspect of his life, he could easily leave Oscuro and go back home. He had to admit though, that it was really because of Oscuro that he wasn't a jobless bum on the street. At least he still had a home, even if he wasn't allowed to live in it for a month.
Kyle's eyes scanned the building, searching for a thin, quiet rabbit who might possibly be wearing a skirt. Since Saturday, he felt like he needed to be Bel's bodyguard and wanted to find him as soon as possible so he could protect him from the menace that was Hiro.
He would also love to find Hiro and give him a good ass kicking, but he would undoubtedly get in big trouble. He couldn't believe he used to be attracted to Hiro and would throw himself at his boss, eager to please him and give him sexual favors. It felt like those days had never existed.
"Bel!" he exclaimed, spotting the feminine rabbit. He went up to Bel and put his arms around him in a tight hug.
Bel looked startled. "Ky, you're crushing me..."
"Well I missed you! I haven't seen you since Saturday!"
"I had a lot of things on my mind," Bel said quietly. "Sorry I left you kind of abruptly."
"It's all right." Kyle loosened his hold on the other, though he didn't release him completely. "Maybe we can work together today. You've only been here a couple of weeks and I can just say I'm helping you." Keeping an arm around Bel's shoulders, he walked up to Bel's desk and sat down with the other male.
"What are you doing, Kyle?" Bel asked. "You should go to your own desk."
"But I'm your best friend in the entire world!"
Bel sighed. "I know. But everything feels weird now." He began to fidget. "On Saturday... Why did you do that?"
"I had sex with you because I really like you," said Kyle, resting a comforting paw on Bel's arm. "We don't have to do it again if you don't want to."
Bel shrugged helplessly. "I don't know."
"Just make sure you stay away from Hiro," Kyle warned. "You don't need somebody like him."
Bel resented the wolf's words. Hiro had never treated him badly and had given him an enjoyable time on Friday night. He honestly didn't see what was so supposedly bad about the short man. "Miyu has been doing really well lately," he said, changing the subject.
Hiro decided to check up on Oscuro and find out how Xaver was doing lately. He hadn't made any inquiries in a few days and needed to know the progress of his two employees. He had the weird, unexplainable desire for Xaver to quit being such an antisocial prude and have some good sex already.
"Hey Oscuro, did you fuck your bitch yet?" he asked when he found the Grey-haired buck.
"No, but I think I'm getting close!" said Oscuro excitedly. "I didn't think Xaver and I would ever get along, but I'm really starting to like him despite his oddities."
"Well that's good for you. Just try not to make Xaver too happy. I'd still like to know that I have the power to ruin his life."
Oscuro laughed. "I don't think you ever have to worry about somebody like Xaver becoming too happy."
Feeling reassured, Hiro took his leave of the other. glancing at his watch, he was surprised to see that it was nearly lunchtime. The day was going by fast. Aside from his brief conversation with Oscuro, he had kept to himself for the most part and hadn't yet seen Xaver or Bel.
Xaver was due for another session of being annoyed by his boss, but it could wait. Hiro wasn't sure what he would say to Bel if he saw him, since he had no idea what impression he had made on the pretty rabbit.
He suddenly sensed tension in the air, because Kyle was walking nearby. The secretary caught sight of Hiro and looked as if he had seen a rodent he wanted to exterminate.
"Hi, Kyle," said Hiro. "What's it like being a loser?"
"I got Bel too, you know," Kyle said. "You just got to him first. He's very nice and he needs to be with somebody who will make him happy, not a horny bastard like you."
Hiro shrugged. "I won the contest. If you want Bel though, you can have him. I'm not going to get in your way."
Kyle looked surprised. "Really?"
"This entire fight has been stupid, even if it made life more interesting. You can have your nice, quiet little Bel and go back to pleasing your boss, just like things were before." Hiro smiled. "I wouldn't admit it before, but I miss your blowjobs."
Kyle didn't know what to say. "So you decided you like my sex better and are choosing me over Bel? You're a shallow prick."
"That has nothing to do with anything. I never made any comparisons between you and Bel at all. I just don't think this is a big deal anymore since I accomplished my goal and completely kicked your ass at seduction, and I think it's best if we make up and go back to normal."
The tall wolf grinned. "If you're letting me have Bel, then I won't need you anymore. You're going to be very lonely."
Hiro sighed and wondered why he had even bothered. "So you're still mad at me. I actually try to be a decent person for once and you can't even acknowledge it. I guess I'll just have to go back to being evil."
"Well... maybe I'll forgive you in a few days," said Kyle. "We both did behave pretty stupidly, even if I did have a reason to be mad at you. I don't know if I can go back to being your personal pleasure giver though. Bel's still kind of shy, but I want to try to have a relationship with him!"
Hiro looked at Kyle in surprise. "You've changed over the last couple of weeks. You're not quite as loose and slutty."
"I'm not?" Kyle hadn't noticed that about himself, but when he thought about it he realized it was true. Bel had unintentionally changed him for the better. "Wow, I guess you're right. Of course, there's the time I went over to Oscuro's place recently, but it was mainly so I could help him. I guess you'll have to find a new whore, Hiro."
"Come on, Kyle. I don't even get make-up sex?"
Kyle thought it over. "Since I'm feeling good about myself right now, I'll consider it. If I feel like your behavior has been good, then I'll reward you."
Hiro didn't press the subject further, knowing he wouldn't get a better answer. "I'm going to go have my lunch now. Have fun with your precious Bel."
He walked away from the wolf and wondered if he had just done something completely stupid. He didn't know what had possessed him to give up on Bel, but it was too late to take back his words. Bel probably had no interest in him anyway, so perhaps he had done the right thing, but he couldn't help a very small twinge of jealousy over Kyle and his newly found happiness.