Chapter 6
Chapter six
Public Indecency
Zef
This roommate-thing was not working out.
Over the last few weeks, Zef’s mug system had been disrupted numerous times, Bryce vacuumed the living room in the opposite direction they preferred, and the condo was littered with numerous glasses of water, all at differing levels of fullness.
Honestly, the vacuuming and the mugs they could get over, given that Bryce really was trying to honor the system and contribute to the cleanliness of the condo in a meaningful way.
But the water cups… the water cups.
They were everywhere. One on the dining table, one on the kitchen counter. Another on the coffee table and yet another on the windowsill behind the lounge chair. Zef had even found one in the bathroom of all places, sitting half-drunk and innocent on the shower stall shelf.
What did the human need a glass for in the shower? There was already water! Why could he not drink it from the showerhead if he was that thirsty?
Perhaps humans were constantly on the verge of dehydration, so they needed access to water at any given moment? They had never witnessed this with Oliver and Jude, but maybe they hid their insufficiencies better than Bryce could?
Or perhaps Bryce was simply forgetful. Everyone had blind spots, they supposed, and Bryce’s was water-cup-based.
Even now, Zef watched Bryce reach into the cupboard to retrieve a new, clean cup.
All the while, a half-full glass of water sat on the kitchen island behind him, remnants of an almost-melted ice cube still floating at the surface.
“Is that your glass?” Zef asked from the kitchen nook, taking a sip from their tea as they pointed a top hand at the glass on the island.
Pausing with his hand inside the cupboard, Bryce looked first at Zef, then followed their finger to the glass behind him. “Oh, yeah. I wondered where I put that.”
Zef hummed wordlessly in reply, inhaling the tea vapors as Bryce picked up the glass and took a gulp.
Perhaps the reason he needed so much water was to stave off his migraine attacks.
He had told them that he suffered from them from time to time, but they had not been prepared for how intense they were.
His first migraine had put him out of commission for two whole days.
He had stayed in his room, keeping it dark, leaving only to get fresh water or to throw up when the nausea grew too strong to fight.
When Zef realized how much he was suffering, they had done what they could to help, bringing him water and a bowl of ice so he could keep the cloth that he draped over his eyes cold.
But since he required darkness and quiet, they felt rather helpless to aid him.
They had been so relieved when the attack passed, and he was back to his healthy, happy self.
Thankfully, he had only endured one migraine attack since he had moved in, and Zef prayed it stayed that way. They hated knowing he was hurting, regardless of how many water cups he left scattered throughout the house.
The doorbell chimed, breaking Zef from their thoughts, and they rose, leaving their tea on the table, and crossed the incorrectly—freshly—vacuumed living room.
They opened the door to Tad finishing her sentence, “And that’s how I figured out the different ways to make bones disintegrate. Oh, hey, Zef.”
“Hello,” they greeted her as she waddled past them, giving their leg a pat. They stepped to the side to let Willow, their second visitor in, and the Dryad smiled sweetly at them as she wiped her roots on the doormat before entering.
“Hi, Zef, I love your skirt. What a beautiful pattern,” she said as she briefly grazed their shoulder with her rough knuckles in greeting. “Did you make it yourself?”
They flushed at both the praise and the intimate greeting. “Yes, I only recently finished it. The hemming was challenging, but I am happy with the result.”
“As you should be. It’s gorgeous. I bet it swirls when you twirl.”
Since Zef was not in the habit of twirling, they did not know if this was true. To test Willow’s theory, they spun in a quick circle, watching the material flare around their legs. An odd pleasure surged through them at the sight, and they smiled at Willow as she clapped her hands.
“Oh, hi, Tad,” Bryce said from the kitchen. “How are you?”
“I don’t do small talk,” Tad said as she climbed onto the counter to rummage through one of the cupboards.
Bryce backed out of the kitchen, shooting Zef a worried glance. “Okay, sorry.”
“Bryce, how lovely to see you again,” Willow said as she initiated a hug.
Surprised but pleased to reciprocate, he embraced her loosely, carefully batting vines of her hair out of his face. “Wow, hi, Willow. It’s good to see you too.”
“How has your adjustment been to living in the Pentagram? I imagine it’s very different, and perhaps…” She cocked her head, mossy eyes inspecting Bryce’s face before tears began well there. “Isolating. Lonely. Oh, yes, I know how that feels.”
His eyebrows did something complicated. “Uh, I’m actually doing good. Homesick sometimes, but I really am fine.”
Fighting to contain her emotions, Willow nodded. “Good. But I hope you know you are always welcome to come by for tea anytime.”
“Thank you, Willow, that’s real kind.”
“Of course. I spent a few months solo traveling through Australia, and while it was a very positive experience, I remember how lonely it was at times. Us adventurers have to stick together,” she said with a squeeze to his shoulders.
“Adventurer? I don’t know about that,” the human said, the crests of his cheeks flushing a delicate pink.
“Well, you’re here, aren’t you?” Willow cupped his face in her rough, bark-like palm for a moment, making him blush darker, before she dropped her hand and stepped back. “Are you going to join us?”
Like he was checking for permission, Bryce turned to Zef. “Uh, I don’t… what are you doing?”
“Finishing Gem’s dress,” Zef said, gesturing to the slinky, white dress draped over the mannequin.
“And I will be working on a baby blanket.” Willow set down the canvas bag she was carrying and pulled out the beginnings of a crocheted throw in pastel pinks, blues, and greens.
“And you don’t need to know what I’m making, ’cause it’s none of your business,” Tad barked from beside Bryce, making the human jump.
“Holy cow, you scared me,” he said, rubbing his chest.
Tad grinned up at him. “Good.”
The doorbell rang, and since Bryce was closer to the front door now, he opened it. Gem bustled inside immediately, giving Bryce a quick side-hug and peck to his cheek as a greeting. Bryce blinked in surprise at the affection but said nothing as he closed the door behind the Araknis.
“Sorry I’m late!” he cried as he kicked off his ankle boots. “I was totally ready to leave on time, but then I got distracted by… something super important.”
Judging from the thick pheromones clinging to his skin, Zef assumed the “something super important” revolved around intercourse. They tried to keep their tone neutral as they asked, “Did you at least shower upon completing coitus?”
Bryce choked on his water as Willow smothered a giggle behind her hand. All eight of Gem’s eyes widened as his dark gray cheeks flushed. “Oh my gods, Zef! What the fuck kind of question is that? Are you slut-shaming me, right now, because I’ll be honest, that’s so uncool!”
With a sigh, they pointed at the dress. “For the cleanliness and integrity of the fabric, it would be best if you did not contaminate it with bodily fluids.”
Several of Gem’s smaller eyes darted to the dress. “Oh. Right. If you must know, I did, in fact, shower. Hence why I was late.”
“Oh, come off it, Zef,” Tad said as she plopped down in front of the couch and leaned back against it. “A little spunk never hurt anyone.”
“In most circumstances, girl, I agree,” Gem said.
Bryce’s expression matched Zef’s own distaste, but they were both distracted by Gem shedding his coat—a long, drab thing that reminded Zef of an old-fashioned cinematic detective—to reveal he was wearing nothing but a pair of briefs underneath.
“My God, where are your clothes?” Bryce wheezed as he choked on yet another sip of his water.
Willow thumped Bryce on the back as he coughed harshly, and Gem looked almost offended as he gestured to the dress. “Um, I’m putting on that dress in a second, calm down.”
“You rode the train here with no clothing?” Zef asked, nearly as horrified as Bryce, though much less surprised given Gem’s… well, given Gem.
“I wore a trenchcoat!” The Araknis crossed several sets of arms over his bare torso as he scowled. “No one saw.”
“You still took public transportation wearing no clothes,” Willow said, and Gem’s leg fur vibrated a warning hum.
“Oh my gods, you sound like Rusty. He was all, ‘Gem, you can’t go on the train naked!’ And I was like, ‘Bitch, watch me. No one’s gonna know.’” Leaning forward, he jutted his chin stubbornly. “And guess what? No one knew.”
Still smacking Bryce’s back, Willow asked, “Rusty was there? I thought you had sex right before you came here?”
Gem blinked from left to right. “That was before.”
“Before the sex? Or before Rusty?” Tad asked.
“That doesn’t matter,” Gem sniffed.
“Seems like an important continuity error,” Zef said.
“Oh my gods, can we please move on so I can stop standing in Zef’s living room in my underwear?” Gem screeched.
“If you’d worn clothes under the trenchcoat, you wouldn’t have that issue,” Bryce said as he finally caught his breath.
“And if I knew I’d be cross-examined the moment I walked through that door, I wouldn’t have come at all!” Gem stomped his foot childishly before he finagled the dress off the mannequin rather aggressively.