Chapter Ten
#11 of The Roommate
It was late morning when Xaver woke up from his state of sleep. He kept his eyes shut and wondered why he hadn't heard his alarm clock, and why he was so horribly uncomfortable. Where the hell was he?
Feeling extra tired because he slept in late, Xaver opened his eyes and immediately saw the legs of a coffee table. Lifting his head up to see what was going on, he remembered where he was and why he was there. He had slept on Oscuro's living room couch, but apparently he had tumbled off it at some point and was in a tangle on the floor between the couch and the coffee table.
"Damn it..." he moaned. He wasn't used to sleeping on such a narrow piece of furniture. Mysteriously, there was a blanket; half of it on the couch and half spilling over Xaver's body. He kicked it away and slowly sat up, straightening himself up.
It was his very first morning in Oscuro's home. The grey-haired buck was nowhere in sight, which did nothing to comfort Xaver. He didn't want to receive any surprises.
He felt awkward. If he was in his own apartment, he would just get up, use the toilet, eat breakfast, and take a shower. He didn't have that freedom in someone else's home and didn't know whether or not it was all right for him to roam around and take care of his morning needs. He got up and sat on the couch as if waiting for something, though he didn't know what he was waiting for.
He felt a poke in the back of his eard. "Boo!"
Oscuro was obviously behind him, and Xaver turned around to give him an annoyed look. "What was that for?"
"Good morning, Xaver!" Oscuro greeted. "How did you sleep?"
"Not very good. I fell off your stupid couch."
"Oh. Then you should have slept in my bed and you wouldn't have had that problem."
Xaver shook his head furiously, floding his ears back. "No way. I can handle a minor fall off the couch. Sleeping with you would only give me worse problems that I don't want to imagine." He plucked at the blanket beside him. "Where did this come from? All of a sudden it just appeared this morning."
Oscuro shrugged. "I gave it to you in the middle of the night. I thought you needed it."
Xaver was suspicious. The thought of Oscuro wandering around while he slept was not a reassuring one. "And you didn't do anything else?"
"No, damn it. I did nothing else. Quit getting so paranoid."
Xaver chose to believe him. "Thank you then," he muttered. "Can I have breakfast?"
"Yeah, help yourself. I already ate." Oscuro hadn't called Hiro yet and decided not to tell Xaver of his plans to end their situation as roommates. It would be cruel to get Xaver's hopes up if his intentions didn't work out. It all depended on an easily irritated midget who controlled the paychecks.
He left Xaver to fend for himself and grabbed the telephone. After taking it into his bedroom and shutting the door, he dialed his boss's home phone number. He listened to it ring a few times, and then finally on the last ring, a voice demanded, "What?"
"Hi Hiro," Oscuro said. "This is Oscuro and I called to talk about Xaver."
"Does it have to be now? I was trying to rest and you interrupted me."
"Well I don't think this plan with Xaver is going to work out," Oscuro explained, completely unafraid of the short dog's temper. "He's never going to cooperate, so I should just give up before I give him a nervous breakdown. Can he go home today?"
"Hell no," Hiro replied, still in a bad mood. "Xaver will think I have weak authority over him if I let him get out of this. He's staying at your house, and if you have a problem with him then it's your own damn fault for getting involved." Without saying goodbye, he hung up.
Oscuro put the phone down and sighed. He should have known that calling Hiro so early was a bad idea. Trying to reason with his boss a second time was also not a good move, which meant that he was stuck with Xaver for the time being and would have to make the best of it.
If only Xaver didn't have such a negative attitude towards him. He was interested in the cougar and wanted to get to know him, but Xaver still needed to get used to him first. Oscuro needed to take things slowly and attempt to change Xaver's repulsion of him. It was best to start as soon as possible.
Xaver was at the kitchen table eating a bowl of cereal when Oscuro found him. Thinking fast, Oscuro thought of an idea and approached the table. "After you're done eating and have taken care of yourself, you're getting in the car with me."
Xaver stopped eating, his ears perking up in alarm. "Why? Where are we going?"
"We're not going anywhere. You're going to sit in the car with me and I'm going to drive, paying attention only to the road and not touching anything but the steering wheel. I won't even talk to you."
"That sounds extremely pointless," Xaver commented.
"Too bad. Hurry up and eat." It did sound like a pointless tactic, but it would be worth it if it worked.
Bel was busy pouring cereal into a bowl when the phone unexpectedly rang. He smiled and picked the telephone up and putting the receiver to his mouth. "Hello?"
"Hey Bel! Guess who it is?"
The caller's voice was easily recognizable and Bel gave the question no thought. "Kyle?"
"Yeah!" Kyle sounded excited. "I wanted to know if you'd like to go to the amusement park with me today. It will be so much fun!"
Bel frowned slightly. He now knew the reason why Kyle and Hiro were so eager to be friends with him and it was a little overwhelming. He had just gone out with Hiro the day before and now Kyle wanted to spend time with him. He never got any time to himself anymore. "Why do you want to go so badly, Kyle?"
"I really like you, of course. Don't you want to hang out with me?" Kyle's voice took on a pleading tone. "I'll only go on the rides that you want to go on and I'll win you lots of plushies!"
"You don't have to bribe me to go with you," Bel said. He was always more talkative on the phone, since nodding and shaking his head wasn't an option.
"Does that mean you want to go?"
Bel briefly pulled the phone away from his maw to sigh. Kyle was obviously eager to spend the day with him and Bel didn't want to disappoint someone who had been so nice so far. "Yes, I'll go. Are you picking me up?"
"Of course I am. I wouldn't make such a beautiful, innocent bunny drive himself. Try to be ready in a couple of hours."
"All right." Bel wondered if he had made the right choice, but it was too late to go back on his word.
"Bye Bel! I'll see you later!" Kyle hung up.
Bel put the telephone away and went into the kitchen. He had almost forgotten about Hiro, but the short canine suddenly resurfaced in his mind. Hiro and Kyle were quite different from each other, but they were the same when it came to never giving Bel a moment of rest. Hiro had been surprisingly forward the day before and Bel didn't know what he would do if Kyle behaved the same way.
He still couldn't even decide whether or not he liked either canine. Hiro was a little weird, but his kiss had felt good, and Kyle was extremely friendly and generous. If they would both leave Bel alone for just one day, then maybe he could form an opinion.
He was sure he would have a good time with Kyle that day, despite his doubts. Figuring he should start getting ready early, he went into his bedroom to pick out an outfit.
Xaver and Oscuro had been in Oscuro's car for about fifteen to twenty minutes, and Xaver still didn't understand what the hell was going on. Oscuro seemed to be driving nowhere in particular, with no destination in mind at all, and he hadn't spoken a word the entire time. That was the most disturbing part. Xaver knew the grey-haired buck had to have an ulterior motive, and since Oscuro wasn't speaking, he was silent as well.
It was sunny outside and there was almost no traffic, which meant it should have been a relaxing ride. Xaver's wild, ridiculous imagination, however, disturbed all chances of relaxation.
Oscuro's mysterious behavior couldn't be anything good. Perhaps he was sick of Xaver after all, but instead of ending the arrangement in a normal way, he was going to drive Xaver to some secluded place and dispose of him.
But no, Oscuro wouldn't do that. He was damn annoying, but he didn't seem like a psychotic killer. Maybe Oscuro had just gone completely crazy and developed an irrational need to go driving.
It was really too much to hope for, but there was also the slight, minuscule chance that Oscuro could be taking Xaver home.
"This is driving me crazy," Xaver muttered out loud to himself, tired of being ignorant. He gave Oscuro a hard whack on the arm, which caused the deer to become startled and temporarily let go of the steering wheel.
"Hey! What the fuck is wrong with you?" Oscuro yelled. He quickly regained control of the wheel and briefly glanced at his passenger. "Did you want me to crash, Xaver?"
Xaver shrugged. "It wouldn't be any sad loss to me."
"You're in this car too, you know," Oscuro said. "I wouldn't bother the driver if I were you."
Xaver almost couldn't believe it, but it was actually a bit of a relief to hear Oscuro talking again. It was fortunate though, because Xaver wanted immediate answers to all of his burning questions. "Where are we going?" he asked.
"I already told you, we're not going anywhere," Oscuro replied.
"But that's stupid. Why would you drive if you're not going anywhere? It's a waste of gas."
"Well you're not paying for the gas, so don't worry about it," Oscuro said. "If you want to talk, then find something interesting to talk about. If you can't do that, then shut up."
Xaver had to admit he was getting bored. It wasn't very interesting to just sit there and stare out the car window, looking at scenery that all looked almost the same. "I wonder why Hiro's so short," he mused out loud, blurting the first thing that came to mind. He usually hated starting conversations and was surprised at himself.
"He probably has some sort of disease," Oscuro responded, laughing. "It explains his mental problems."
"That makes sense." For a brief moment, Xaver laughed too. Realizing what was happening, he fell silent and kept his mouth closed. Shit. He actually had a friendly moment with Oscuro, and though it hadn't lasted long at all, it still freaked him out.
Oscuro glanced at him curiously and patted him on the leg. "Just relax, Xaver." He focused his eyes back on the road and saw that he had ended up on a street he had already traveled down. He supposed the drive had gone on long enough. "Ready to go home?"
"REALLY?" Xaver exclaimed, perking up suddenly, a soft purr coming from the back of his throat.
"Well yeah. I'd like to get back and have lunch soon."
"Oh." Realizing his stupid mistake, Xaver stared down into his lap. "We're going to your home."
Oscuro laughed. "Did you really think I would actually take you back to your own apartment? I know you're unhappy, but I'd like to keep my job." The conversation ended after that and Oscuro headed for his apartment, feeling positive because he was sure that the drive had done some good. When he pulled up in the apartment building's parking lot, he stopped the car and looked at Xaver. "You've been all alone with me in this car for a fairly long amount of time, and nothing happened to you."
Xaver hadn't thought about it before, but he knew that it was true. Oscuro's logic was infuriating. "That doesn't mean things will be like this every time I'm around you. This is only one incident."
"But it proves that you can survive with me. I'm really not so bad, am I?"
"Yeah, when you're quiet." Xaver unbuckled his seatbelt. "I get a break from you now, don't I? I deserve it after being cooped up in this car with you." His words made him sound annoyed, but he was actually slightly surprised at how normal Oscuro's behavior had been during the car ride. If only the deer was like that all of the time.
"I'll help you out of the car if you want me to," Oscuro said with a smile that Xaver found obnoxious.
Xaver sighed and shook his head. "No." Good things couldn't last and Oscuro had gone back to his usual self. He opened up the car door and helped himself out of the vehicle, doing it quickly before Oscuro could decide to help him anyway. He followed the other man through the parking lot and couldn't help asking more questions. "Am I ever going to know why we went driving today?"
"So you would get used to being around me," Oscuro answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "This is only your second day here and you need to learn to live with me."
"Well why didn't you tell me that was your plan earlier?" Xaver demanded. "It would have saved me some anxiety."
Oscuro didn't respond, as his mind was working again. It was obvious that the next thing he needed to do was try to find a way to make Xaver happy. Or at least semi-happy.
Bel sat in the ferris wheel next to Kyle, holding a bunny plushie in one paw. So far, the amusement park had been enjoyable and Bel realized how little he got out and had fun. He hadn't been on a park ride in years.
The view from the ferris wheel was beautiful, but Kyle could only focus on the rabbit next to him. Bel appeared happy and Kyle congratulated himself on knowing exactly how to please a person. An amusement park was trivial though. What Kyle really wanted was to please Bel in the bedroom, but he would have to wait a little longer for that.
"Let's get ice cream after this!" he decided, bouncing slightly in his seat, wagging his tail rapidly. "Do you like ice cream, Bel?"
Bel smiled. "I love it."
Another point for Kyle. He was much better at making friends than Hiro was and understood people better. Hiro probably just wanted sex, but Kyle wanted sex that Bel would enjoy.
Kyle grew impatient with the ferris wheel, not liking to sit still for too long. When the ride came to a stop, Kyle took Bel's paw and excitedly dragged him along with such force that Bel almost lost his plushie. There was an ice cream stand nearby and the two fur approached it, Kyle leading the way.
"What flavor do you want, Bel?" the tall wolf asked.
Bel shrugged. "Just vanilla."
Kyle grinned. "You like the white stuff then, don't you?" Amused at Bel's wide-eyed response, he ordered two ice cream cones and handed one to the rabbit.
"Thank you." Bel brought the ice cream up to his muzzle and started licking the white, creamy substance with his tongue, appearing innocently erotic while doing so. Kyle forgot about his own food and watched Bel busily lick.
Bel felt Kyle's eyes on him and self-consciously stopped eating. "What?"
"Nothing." Kyle gave his own ice cream a lick. "You just look sexy." Damn it, he wanted to get into Bel's pants so badly he felt like throwing a tantrum. He forced himself to look away from the pretty rabbit before his cock developed a mind of its own and decided to pop up.
"Ah!" Bel yelped a couple of moments later.
"What's wrong?" Kyle asked, inspecting Bel with a worried expression, his ears perked up in attention.
Bel looked mildly embarrassed. "It's nothing... Some ice cream dripped on my shirt and it startled me."
"Well let me help you get it off," Kyle said, eager for an excuse to touch his companion. He grabbed a napkin from the ice cream stand and approached Bel with it. "Where did the ice cream spill?" Bel pointed a couple of white drops on his chest and Kyle tried not to smile pervertedly. He took the napkin and carefully cleaned the ice cream off, then subtly ran a clean side of the napkin over one of Bel's nipples, pretending there was a mess there.
Bel flinched slightly, sensitive to being touched there. Kyle badly wanted to strip the rabbit's shirt off and give his nipples a real touch, but he restrained himself. "Is that better, Bel?" Kyle gave the nipple a second rub and then pulled his paw away.
Bel looked down at his shirt and saw that it was spotlessly clean. "Much better. Thanks, Kyle."
The tall wolf crumpled up the napkin and tossed it into a garbage can. "You know you can call me Ky if you want. You're my friend."
After all that Kyle had done for him in only a few days, Bel supposed that he really could consider the other man as his friend. He lapped at his ice cream and smiled sincerely. "All right, Ky."
Kyle felt himself getting closer and closer to having Bel in his bed. Hiro was such a loser.