Realistic or Modern The Pioneering Roommates

[Pokeking]

Josh knew this wasn't going to be easy. Why would it be? I am asking Matt to change his understanding of reality. He mumbled, "It's more than just changing my eye color." His eyes had gone back to the dark brown as his voice became pensive, "I am scared also and I am not trying to scare you either". A hiccup of the jovial Josh, "If I wanted to do that, I would have shifted more. Then again, Mom says I'm adorable as a wolf. Even if I just change my ears, she says I look cute." Back to seriousness, "I've been thinking about this moment for weeks, telling you about what I really am. Even before mentioning being boyfriends, I wanting to tell you. I've come close several times before and every time I am about to, it comes out in a jumble. My parents have known since I was a toddler. I didn't know how to tell you."

He smiles half heartedly, "Yes. We do need to talk, but could we in the morning? I don't think it helps to talk of important matters when a mind is half asleep."

 

[Rihou]

Matthew frowned even more, "Wait wait wait..." He said as he got up from the bed after make sure Josh was able to sit up. He turned to face the other. "Did I just hear correctly? Wolf?" He's crazy. "You..." Matthew let out a laughing breath in disbelief, "You think you can turn into a wolf?" He was only half asleep, but now he was more aware despite being tired. "Josh... I..." He groaned as he rubbed his face with his hand and sat down on his own bed.

"Great... the guy I like is delusional...wonderful." He muttered to himself, his face still in his hands before moving them to his hair and grabbing. "Uh ok... Okay. Uh...well... shit." He needed air and to think. Even if it was the crack of dawn, he was use to being up this early anyway it was easy for him to adjust. He suddenly got up grabbed some sweats and pulled them on, he paused realizing how this must look like to the other. Rejection.

Matthew paled slightly and looked at Josh. His bit his bottom lip before sighing, moving towards the other Matthew grabbed Josh's face and pulled him into a quick but deep kiss on the lips. "Not rejection. Okay?" he said to the other when he pulled away. "You stay here and sleep some more. I just need some air. I'll be back. I promise. Then we can talk." He said giving the other a small peck on the lips before pulling away completely, pulled his shoes on and walked out the door with a soft click.

When he was out of the building, Matthew took a deep breath and let it out. He needed to clear his head.

 

[Pokeking]

I'll just shut up now. He wondered how his parents would react once he told them that he told Matt. It was a possibility that he would tell him since they were becoming close. His parents knew that but there was only so much advice they could offer because they were human. It was a responsibility that crowned all others. Even Brett, best buddy Brett, had been kept in the dark. With Matthew, there was a certain feeling inside that prompted Josh to tell.

The young man was bewildered that Matt would think he was delusional when he showed him his wolf eyes. Josh looks at his roommate move about the room. Yes, I screwed up. He approached and he readied himself for whatever might happen, but what happened next caught him off guard. As I'm sure my earlier kiss for him was. It was a hopeful sign.

Josh's eyes tracked his roommate as he left. Left alone, he thought about trying to go back to sleep. He was grateful that this day was Sunday. He could take a nap later if he needed to. As it was, he rated pretty high on endurance. The flight from Houston to Los Angeles to Tokyo and then the return home from Osaka to LA to Houston was pretty daunting. Each time, he had been up for about 24 hours so he could go to bed according to the local time, not the time his body said.

To occupy his mind until Matt returned, he picked up his sketch pad and his pencils. He begins a new image, that of Kinkaku-ji which was located in Kyoto. He draws the water ripples and the lush trees behind the golden building. It brings a certain peace to his heart.

 

[Rihou]

It was about an hour later when Matthew came back. He had tried to process everything in his head, how Josh's eyes changed, how he said he's a wolf? It was all still farfetched and he still thought the other was a bit delusional since those things didn't exist. He paused at the door and bit his lip, he debated whether to go in or not, or even if Josh was even sleeping. Come on! Don't be stupid! Just go in! Sighing, Matthew placed his hand on the door handle and turned in before giving it a light push, stepping inside.

He was mildly surprised that Josh was still awake, but he did as he promised and came back. He never broke his promises. Closing the door behind him, Matthew reached up and tugged his shirt off of him leaving him shirtless once more. He sat down on his bed resting his arms on his knees before he looked at Josh.

"Okay... say I believe you. That you can turn into a wolf. So then... that makes you what? A werewolf? Shapeshifter?" He asked giving the other a weird look.

"If so... I need to see it. The whole thing. Kit and caboodle. Or else I'm not really going to believe you whole heartedly."

 

[Pokeking]

Josh's ears perked up when he heard the door because he was starting to get worried. He set the pad down and put the pencils back in the shoebox containing his supplies. He turned around and answered, "Werewolf, lycanthrope, loup garou, I don't know what term they would use because I've never met anyone like me. At the Nakayama household, we just say werewolf."

The young man nodded, "The whole thing? Sure thing. I've never performed on demand before, but okay. It's been weeks since I shifted. My eyes were the first time since I left home." He peeled off his shirt and threw it on the bed. The rest of his clothes followed, "Just so you know, it sounds more painful than it actually is. Just mild sensations as if moving your joints. Also, if you change your mind and feel uncomfortable with my change at anytime, just say."

Josh shifted his eyes back to gold-hued as his ears became triangular. Black hairs sprouted from his normally smooth chest and grew dense. He shows Matthew the palms of his hands as they darkened into pads and fingernails became wolf claws, a unique blend of wolf paws and human hands. Onward, onward. Fur enveloped his entire body and his human countenance reshaped into a canine muzzle full of sharp teeth. Legs became digitigrade and a bushy black tail grew from the base of his spine. That's usually the limit of my shift. Functionally bipedal and I keep my opposable thumbs. He did say he wanted to see the whole thing though.

Josh's spine changed alignment and he stooped down as his structure became that of a quadruped. Fingers shortened and his legs reoriented. Soon, he completed his changes. The only indications that he wasn't a true wolf was that he retained his human size, his shoulder length hair translated into something like a mane, and his gold hued eyes betraying human intelligence. The mind of a werewolf is a spectacularly crafted instrument. Human intelligence and wolf instincts working together.

Josh sat on his haunches and looked at Matt, "Still me. My body's done a full 180 from human mode, but still me." He climbed onto his bed and relished in its softness. Upon the bed, his posture resembled the Sphinx as he waited quietly for Matthew's reaction.

 

[Rihou]

He couldn't believe his eyes, the man in front of him was changing into a fucking wolf! When the pop and snapping sounds began, he almost went to Josh to see if he was ok, but instead he had quickly backed away as far as he could, his back hitting the wall and covered his mouth from any sound he might let out. This also forced him to breath through his nose so he wouldn't hyperventilate himself. What in the fuck?! He wanted to scream out, when he said for Josh to prove it to him, to show him, he didn't really know what he was expecting but it sure as hell wasn't this.

He was glad that the other didn't come closer to him and instead had climbed onto his own bed and laid down. What the actual fuck?! This is some sci-fi shit! What is happening? This can't be real can it. I'm still dreaming! That's it, this is a dream and I'm still dreaming. This is like some weird fantasy that's being played out and you'll just wake up soon to the sight of your... wolfy boy...friend? Which hasn't really been established since it just came on all of a sudden.

All the while Matthew stayed silent his eyes wide as he looked at the wolf on his roommate's bed up and down. He was in shock and didn't know what to think. Slowly taking his hand from his mouth when he trusted himself not to yell or scream or whatever. "I..." His body began to tremble as he pressed himself more into the wall. "I'm..." What the hell am I suppose to say?!

"I'm... going to need some time." He really wanted to touch Josh and feel his fur but he had to wrap his mind around the fact that his world was literally turned upside down and he was trying real hard not to freak out.

 

[Pokeking]

Ever since he was a little boy, Josh and his parents had wished for an instruction manual or a mentor to counsel them. Josh would fantasized role models he could speak with about being a werewolf. Alas, no pamphlet came came in and no person ever discreetly introduced themselves to Josh and his parents.

Do I fully change back or partially or stay the same? Josh's ears drooped, "I understand. This is a big change for the both of us. My parents have known since I was about two years old when first changed because I was extremely frightened by the hurricane that was raging overhead. They've gotten used to this and it doesn't faze them to see me like this but I imagine they had the same type of reaction back then. This will just take getting used to."

The wolf looks at his pillow and then back at Matt and then at his phone screen after a bit of difficulty because of his paws. It's been about two hours since the nightmare. He sighs, "I think I will take your advice and try to recoup some Zs." He reaches for the pillow and manipulates it with his paws and head. He looks at Matt, "Being without thumbs is a pain in the tail which is why I don't go full wolf, but I make do."

Josh lays on his side and rests his head upon the pillow. He lifts his head back up for a moment to tentatively say, "I'll... I'll see you in a few hours. Okay?" He turns his body over so his furry back faces Matt and his head lands on the pillow again. He feels unsure if he did the right thing in saying his roommate was his boyfriend and in revealing his nature, but he has never felt this way about anyone before. He had gone on a couple dates since arriving, yes, but there was no spark with those other guys.

Although he feels the uneasiness in the air, Josh feels odd contentment now that he has shared this aspect of himself with Matt. His eyelids grow heavy and he falls asleep again.

 

[Rihou]

"O-okay..." What else was he suppose to say? Matthew didn't sleep at all those few hours, he sat there and watched the wolf.. Josh.. sleep. He did that for about an hour before he slowly got up and edged around Josh to get to the bathroom. Closing the door, Matthew turned on the shower and then stood under it after taking the rest of his clothes off. He stood there under the water, letting it splash over his head and down his body. He closed his eyes, Your whole world has been turned upside down and through a damn rabbit's hole. First, you throw yourself into your studies, then Josh starts going on dates...Matthew opened his eyes at that thought. He didn't like that the other went on dates. He wouldn't even tell him if they had kissed or not! Wasn't my business anyway... besides... I've been a few dates too. Nothing ever exciting... just dinner, maybe a movie... maybe a kiss afterwards. Matthew sighed, Nothing like Josh has done when he kissed me in front of that Shawn guy.

Matthew turned the shower off and got out wrapping a towel around him. He paused, "Shit..." He didn't grab any change of clothes he was just worried about not waking the wolf...Josh up. "Stupid." He put his hand to his head scowling himself. "Hm.." He sighed as he placed his hands on either side of the sink and stood there leaning down. "What are you doing? He said it was still himself... just.. a werewolf?" He sighed once more, he found himself doing that a lot. I don't know what to do... What do I do? He closed his eyes and did something he thought he'd never do since he was a younger boy being forced to go to church. He prayed.

He slowly opened his eyes and bit his bottom lip before letting out a breath. He walked out of the bathroom glad that Josh was still sleeping, he quickly slipped some clothes on before looking at the clock. He didn't realize that he had been in the bathroom for an hour and half. He looked back over to Josh, his hand shook as he reached for the other. He didn't want to wake him. But he needed to know that this was real and not just some dream. He steeled himself before he ever so lightly touched the black fur. He finally let out the breath he was holding in as he began to gently run his fingers through the soft fur. It... it's soft... His breath had increased minimally.

 

[Pokeking]

Josh was oblivious of the outside world. Most of it was due to too many sleepless nights. Part of it was not being able to shift in Matthew’s presence. It all added up to a deep sleep.

Back home, the body he slept in was as varied as the briefs he wore or the clothing he had on while he slept. If someone looked upon the sleeping Josh, they were most likely to see an ordinary young man asleep. He is an attractive youth with an athletic build, but there is nothing off about his appearance. Then there were times that the sleeping Josh looked like he was wearing a night cap made of wolf fur with lupine ears adorning it. You ask yourself why the night cap isn’t coming off and your heart skips a beat as you find that it’s not glued on. Fur and skin merge flawlessly. Colder months bring more drastic changes and you will hardly see the human called Josh in the bed. Most of the time, he appears as if he was plucked from an animated program featuring anthros. Every now and then, however, you will see a large wolf.

The large wolf’s right ear twitched as his fur was being caressed. His muzzle formed a smile. It was difficult to discern at first because the face was that of a wolf's, but a smile it was. Josh’s eyes open as the sun outside starts to wake. He looks at Matt looming overhead and appears puzzled at first. His eyes slowly switch from the gold hued to the dark brown eyes of his human guise. He still looks like a wolf though as he yawns serenely, “Good Morning Matthew.”

 

[Rihou]

Matthew jumped slightly when Josh stirred, ad jerked his hand away and gave a small smile. "Mornin' " A bit of his country accent slipping through. I'm talking to a wolf?! What. the. Fuck?! NO, it's Josh, get yourself together! Yeah, Josh as a freaking wolf! He stood there not really knowing what to do, other than stare back at Josh and even let his eyes scan the wolf's body. "I... I think. I'll definitely need time to get use to.. to this but... I.. if this is who and what you are, I want to.... I want to accept it." Matthew took a deep breath and let it out. "All of it." He said. He need to get it out before he chickened out.

"I'll try and be open about it. But you can't expect me to suddenly be ok and randomly change. You'll have to give me some type of warning for a bit until I really am use to it." He continued to just lay down ground rules if any relationship forward was going to work, whether as friends or boyfriends. Josh couldn't just suddenly change on him, he had to give me a warning. And if he had certain tendencies or urges he needed to know. He also needed to be completely honest from now on, no more hiding or lies. And to also not let his fur clog the drain in the shower, at this he laughed a bit needing to relax a bit more. He had moved over to his own bed and sat down.

"Okay? We have a deal?"

 

[Pokeking]

Josh was still puzzled. Why did he jerk his hand away like that? He looks up and utters from a muzzle that has shrunk some, “Uh? Were you just touching my fur? I suppose there was still room for doubt. I appreciate you wanting to accept what I am and I'm sorry for terrifying you. As interesting as it would to be Josh the wolf all day, I can't. I gotta be Josh the human."

The somewhat wolf climbs off the bed and heads to his closet. Near human hands grasp the handle and he takes out his navy blue yukata. He wraps it around his lightly furry body which has now returned to a bipedal stance. Animals without clothes is one thing, a human is another. He wraps himself in the garment and makes sure that it is secure before using the door as a barrier so he can slip his underwear back on. He closes the door and comes back. "I'm for real as is my fur. Helps keep me warm during the cold months. I wear regular cold wear just like everyone else, but not as many layers if I can help it. I like jackets and coats, but not sweaters. Never sweaters because they are a hassle to take off. I don't like wearing undershirts under regular shirts either. If I get hot, I have to take my shirt off and then the undershirt, then put the shirt back on. I much prefer outer layers. I just tie them around my waist or hang on a chair."

Josh looks back at Matt while be puts away yesterday's clothes in his laundry basket and said, "You probably have lots of questions. Who wouldn't? Thankfully today is Sunday and we have time. I will try to answer your questions, but I will sound like a broken record because most of it is guesswork. The only werewolf I know is the one that stares back at me whenever I look in the mirror."

He sat down as human as he was yesterday morning. Josh listens to Matt talk and made no attempt to interject as he offers undivided attention. When he seems to have the chance to speak, "I'm not going to change on a whim. I know I'm not home. I'm not a little kid anymore either. I had a few close calls when I was much younger. I did have an accident when Dad took me to that haunted house attraction, but thankfully no one saw anything and by the time we got outside, I was back looking human. So fair warning since you asked me to give you a heads up, I will be furrier as it gets colder. I can regulate the changes so my hands, feet, and head remain human while the rest of me is furry. I do have clothes that keep me warm when I'm all human. I didn't forget to pack those or my special shorts."

"Tendencies and urges? Just the same ones I always have unless you mean like bringing back a piece of raw meat or hunted prey and chowing down. A couple times a year Dad took me camping for fresh air, hunting really. Pretty intense, that dance between predator and prey. I thought about heading off to nearby Mendel Forest to see what's out there at night, but I've only been there during the day. I will say it's full of tantalizing prey if my nose tells me anything during my afternoon jogs. Oh and you don't have to worry if you invite me over to your place, I'm not going to make a meal of your livestock. Stalking domestic animals is wrong. It's stealing because they are owned by someone else."

Honesty? Complete honesty? Josh reflectively says, "Except for keeping my other self a secret, I don't think I've kept anything back. If you think I've not been forthcoming about something or someone, let me know. If you're concerned that I did something improper on the dates I've been on, nothing like that happened. Also, I've never been really good at lying. Living with the Diamond Empress does that." He realizes that he used that moniker for the first time so he clarifies, "That's what some people back home call Mom. She's a tough strong prosecutor and is really good at seeing through lies." A puff of air, "I'm going to have to tell my folks that I told you. That's going to be something. I won't call them right now because they're probably still asleep. I will definitely call them today."

Josh stands up and hands over to the dresser to get a pair of briefs as well as green camo-patterned cargo shorts and a tee bearing the logo of St. Isidore High School's Athletic Department, "Speaking of shower, it's my turn to bathe. Think about what you want to ask while I'm inside" He heads in that direction and pokes his head out the door to ask, "This sounds like a common sense thing, so sorry if this sounds stupid of me, but I hope you don't include birthday surprises also when you say for me to not hide things." He then closes the door and the sounds of cascading water soon follows.

As he lathers and lets the warm water flow all around him, Josh does his best to go over how he wants to respond. I can only try my best and be as truthful as I can.

After showering, Josh dries himself and puts his selected clothes on. He rubs his face and takes a deep breath, then crosses himself, before exiting. "Here I am." He grabs a bottle of juice and sits back on his bed to wait for any questions his roommate might have.

 

[Rihou]

"Yeah... well... I..." He didn't have a good response for Josh about him touching his fur. He watched the other go to the shower, waiting for the to close the door before he actually freaked out. 'What the fuck?!' He whispered to himself as he stood up and paced the dorm. You can do this! It's just Josh, your friend...boyfriend now. How do I act? Ugh! I'm going to need to get use to this...

Matthew was sitting back down on his bed, sketch pad in hand when Josh came out of the shower. Matthew sighed as he put his sketch pad down. "I can't think of anything to ask." Why do I feel bad? "I think...I'm just a bit overwhelmed by it all. I mean... I don't know. We establish to be boyfriends and then you just spring this up on me all in the same night, I might add. I... I think it just all needs to settle down a bit. Let me get use to the fact that you... you're a werewolf and that..." Matthew groaned as he ran a hand through his hair. "I don't even know what I'm saying." he muttered as he casted his eyes down before looking back up to Josh.

"I guess... I just need to let that fact settle that you are a werewolf. But..." the blonde shifted and moved off his bed in favor of sitting down next to Josh. "I promise, I won't say anything. To anyone." He said before he leaned over and kissed the other's cheek. "I think I just need time to wrap my head around things, ok?"

 

[Pokeking]

Josh’s shoulder-length hair swayed as he made his way back to his bed. He takes a sip of the strawberry/watermelon juice, “That’s okay if you can’t think of anything, right now. I sure didn’t think this through, did I? That nightmare sacked me big time. I could have tried to bluff my way and said it was no biggie, but it was awful to the extreme.” He became quiet, disconcertingly quiet. “I know that you would have seen through that fib. How can a dream be that dark and it be no biggie?” He tries to smile but it falters, the horror is read plain on his face. “You would have asked and I don’t think I would have been able to keep what spooked me from you.”

He breathed deeply and Josh shed some light on what terrified him, “It was me but far younger. I was about five or six. It was in the middle of the night after we celebrated Setsubun. Armed men broke in and took me away from my parents and they threw me into a bus with others of my kind.”

I need to talk of something else. Josh said, “I saw that guy talking with you and I first thought I was missing out on my chance to be more than just a friend. The more I heard, the more it disgusted me and I knew I had to do something. It was either kick his ass or kiss you to make him go away. I knew what I wanted more.”

Josh smiled as Matt came over and sat next to him, “Thank you.” He then feels Matthew’s lips touch his cheek. He places his hand on Matt’s hand and nods, “Right. Let’s just take it one day at a time.”

 

[Rihou]

Matthew listened to Josh talk about his dream and could instantly tell that it bothered the other with the quick change of subject. He gave a small smile, "Well I'm glad you chose the more...uh.. pleasing path?" He couldn't help but chuckled softly at his own words. "I must admit thought..." Matthew looked down in embarrassment. "I was jealous of all the guys you went on dates with." His face turned red as he remembered Josh getting ready for his dates and Matthew silently watching the other.

Looking at the hand on top of his own, Matthew smiled softly and looked up at Josh. "One day at a time then." His heart pounded in his chest. He maybe a werewolf, and I may not have grasped it all, but... Matthew pulled his hand from under Josh's in favor of placing both on either side of his face and leaned in pressing his lips against the other student's.

 

[Pokeking]

Josh’s eyes got wide, “Jealous? I didn’t know. Well, I kinda wrote off campus guys and chose to go local. They were okay. Nice guys, but I didn’t feel anything lasting.” He has finished the juice box and moved onto the cinnamon roll. He tells Matt that he first went out with the man from the art store, “Remember him? He was the guy at Artisan Haven who was at checkout when we bought out stuff that first full day here in Sutter. I couldn’t believe that he actually wrote his number on the back of the receipt. I thought that kinda stuff only happened in movies. So after not finding any interesting guys or anyone who took enough of an interest to ask me out, I thought I’d give him a ring. Second guy I went out with was named Lance, and you’ll find this hard to swallow, but he’s the son of Mr. Leitner. Yes, the bakery owner. I wasn’t aware that even Mr. Leitner had another son until Lance told me.

As he eats a cinnamon roll, “Remember that night two weeks ago, when I got in really late? He and I went to a dessert place called Sweet Vibes after being among the last to leave the gym when it closed for the day. We got to talking about sports and went there to talk some more. He told me about the cakes they had there and where they came from. That's when he told me what his full name was. He asked if I wanted to meet up again. I said that I would be open to being gym buddies again, but not sure about anything more. I don’t know why I said that. There was an attraction there, and he was a nice guy, but I didn’t feel like there was relationship potential there. He seemed fine with just being friends. Next time we go there and you see a guy in the back of the store with poofy brown hair, that’s him. Now I know why I said no. You are my yes.”

Josh’s lips come into contact with Matt and he wraps his hands around his roommate. This kiss is as strong as the one from last night, longer than the one from last night. Several minutes passed before Josh hears a familiar ring tone. It’s the theme to The People’s Court. It is mom’s ringtone.

Josh’s keeps one hand around Matt and searches for his phone with the other. He tenderly extracts himself from the kiss, “More kissing later?” The young man presses the button and he hears rock music in the background, “Hi Mom.” She sternly asks him why he hasn’t called in a week and he says that he has been busy with school work and late hours, but mostly he forgets. While he tries to defend himself against her tart reply he asks, “Is Dad there? I have something very important to tell you about me and Matt. It’s not easy for me to tell you this.”

Voices in the background and the music stops. “We’re both by the phone. What’s wrong?” Josh replies, “Half wrong because there are two things that I need to tell you. The good news is that I’ve told Matt how I feel about him.” His dad says, “That’s wonderful Josh. When we come to town to take you out for your birthday in a few weeks, you should bring him along. We’ve only seen him very briefly, so what’s the bad news?” Josh said, “I’ve told him about me.” The quietness follows for so long that Josh thought there might have been a bad connection but his mother asks, “How did he take it? Is he there in the room with you?” Their son replies, “Yes. We’re in the room together. It was a stunner, but he wants to accept that this part of me. He knows the importance of keeping this a secret. Say hi Matt.” Josh then positions the phone so he can speak to his parents if he wants.

 

[Rihou]

You are my yes.

That rung in his head like a mantra as they kissed getting more heated as time passed only to be interrupted by Josh's phone ringing. Thankful for the small distraction, Matthew didn't know if he or they both would have stopped if the phone had never rang. Matthew couldn't help but follow Josh as he pulled away, but stopped himself, his face turning red. Still feeling the arm around his waist, Matthew didn't move wanting to stay close to the other but also didn't want to eavesdrop on the other's conversation with his parents. Though at the mention of his name, Matthew looked at Josh in question. He sat there and listened to Josh talking to his parents.

"Uh.. H-hi Mr. and Mrs. Nakayama..." he said not really knowing what else to say. He gently moved out of Josh's hold on him and went into the bathroom and shut the door. Soon after the sound of the toilet flushing and the sink running was heard. Matthew then came back out and grabbed a water bottle, opening it, he took a drink and then sat down on his own bed before he laid down as he waited for Josh to finish his talk with his parents.

 

[Pokeking]

Josh didn't mind if Matt was overhearing conversations with his folks. If there was something truly personal and private, he could always switch languages.

His father says, "He seems such a nice young man." Josh's eyes looked at Matt fondly as his roommate extracted himself and headed to the bathroom, "He sure is wonderful Tosan." The background music came back on and he was curious about what was happening back home. "Um? What are you doing?" His father replied, "Since you are away, we thought we'd paint your room. You were still in middle school last time it was painted. We had to move your bed from the nook so it'd be with the rest of the furniture. Now then son, we know you like guys and you like to express yourself, but we found some of your drawings. Do they have to be so expressive?"

Matt had returned to the room and passed by Josh's bed when his when dad said "your drawings" and by the inflection of that phrase, he knew right away which drawings he was taking about. I thought I got them all. His face clearly gets red from embarrassment and he mouths to Matt that he'll tell him later. Wandering minds are liable to produce such works. Which drawings of Cygus Hyoga and Phoenix Ikki did they find first? "We put them in a box and will give them to you when we see you." Josh sheepishly says, "Thank you. So what else has been happening?"

Swap, his mother comes on the line. "Last night we attended a campaign gala for Chet McPherson. His platform has really resonated with many people. He certainly got our votes even if we didn't personally know him. He's up by 10%. We're still about two months out from Election Day so we're cautiously optimistic. Anything else?"

Josh replies, "Not right now." She replies, "I'll let you two go enjoy the rest of your day. Now remember to call us at least once a week even if it is to say hello or tell us what you had for dinner." He replies, "Yes Mom. I love you and Dad too." The phone call ends.

Josh runs his hand through his unfurled hair, "Brett's dad is running for mayor of Houston because the current mayor is term limited." Keeping to his word from earlier, "I thought I had accounted for all of them by bringing them with me, but looks like I missed some because my folks found some of my naughty drawings while they were moving my furniture around so they could paint. Thankfully, they put them in a box so they can return them to me." A nervous smile follows, "I have watched lots of Japanese programs over the years and some have provided fuel for my vivid imagination." He picks up his breakfast trash sitting on his desk and discards it into his trash bucket.

 

[Rihou]

Matthew couldn't help but smirk slightly as Josh turned a lovely shade of red when his dad talked about some drawings Josh had done. Although he was still racking his brain that there is supernatural in the world, he had to keep reminding himself that Josh was still Josh, no matter what form he was in. He picked up his own phone and began to look through it. He had missed a text from his brother and texted him back.

While Josh and his parents where talking with each other, Matthew kept himself busy with texting his family and such, mainly his brother asking how everything was at home. When he heard the call end on Josh's end, Matthew put his phone down and turned his head followed by his body to look at the werewolf. The blonde smiled slightly at the small confession, "Never would have pegged you to be someone who drew things like that." He said almost teasing the other. His blue eyes followed the other as the werewolf got up to discard his trash. "So what kind of drawings are they?" he poked a little at the other with his words. He was curious, couldn't blame him though. He wanted to know more about Josh. He rolled back onto his back and put his hands behind his head.

"What's your favorite food? I don't remember you telling me." he asked casually as he looked up at the other college student. He was trying to figure out if he could find anything close to what Josh liked to ask him out on a date. He wanted to take Josh on a proper date, whatever that is. Granted Matthew had never really been on a proper date. His only experience was with his Ex where he chose all the spots and told Matthew what to do and wear and just controlled everything. Matthew never knew any better, there were instances where there would be other guys interested in him but he could never bring himself to trust anyone.

So why is Josh different? He knew why and it wasn't because of the other being a werewolf or anything like that. He felt comfortable with Josh and felt like he could be himself and trust him. He could tell that Josh wouldn't do anything to him like his Ex.

 

[Pokeking]

Josh chuckled, “We come in all sorts of flavors.” He got up and crouched down to look under the bed where he had all his sketchpads and the shoebox with his tools. “My more mature artwork began with self drawings. Sorry if this seems pompous, but check out this bod.” He flexed his left arm to show off his 15 inch bicep and then ran his hand across his torso, hand flowing over the riveting hills and valleys of pecs and abs. “Taking pictures is easy. Just hold up the phone to a mirror and click. I got plenty of those stored on my phone, but drawing the same form is on another thing altogether.” He thumbs through the pads and exclaimed, “Ah, here we go. Here’s one.”

He holds up the pad and shows Matthew one of his self portraits. Here is bare chested Josh Nakayama with hair unfurled. He wears just white football pants with black and purple stripes, compression tights and cleats. A small circular patch of grass is beneath his right foot as he dashes and looks upward to spot a glimpse of a phantom ball. Careful attention is lavished upon the torso and the arms and his bubble butt.

He scans his artwork to see what he brought with him, “I think my parents found some of my Saint Seiya fan art. During the summertime growing up, I would stay at my grandparents’ house. Those would be Mom’s parents. my great-grandparents live in the same house. They are the parents of my mom's dad. They don’t speak much English, just enough to get by, so we speak Japnese exclusively there. If I ever take you there, I will serve as your own personal translator. My grandparents have cable and it was always on the Japan channel. From 6am until Noon, every day, nothing but anime." He closes the pad and he leans against the wall while he reminisces. Sometimes, it seemed he lived there also because several times he would spend a few nights in a row there.

After a few moments, he sits back up "One program is called Saint Seiya which is an older program. It got me hooked on Greek mythology and I’ve even collected the figurines of the main five characters. My two favs are Cygnus Hyoga and Phoenix Ikki since they use ice and fire attacks respectively. Nice contrast. That drawing is one of the ones I forgot at home but I have this one of Pegasus Seiya and his rival Unicorn Jabu making out." He shows Matt that illustration which shows Seiya and Jabu on the bed wearing just pants while pieces of their armor are scattered around the bed as they kiss.

Not all of his drawings are fanart. One is of two males, one human and one familiar looking minotaur with light brown fur, in a large sudsy tub. They look at each other fondly as they bathe each other. Josh looks up, “Just a sample of what this came up with.” He then taps against his head.

His mind enters a fond haze as he looks through his artwork and stays put until food is mentioned. Mention food to Jaws and you will get his attention in a jiffy. “Favorite food? Ooh, rats." He looks at Matt in alarm, "That doesn't mean rats the animal. I've never hunted them because I bet they taste awful. What I mean is that my favorite food depends on what mood I’m in. Many times, I’m the last one to make a decision when my parents and I go out to eat.” Josh growls at himself, a simple human groan, because of his inability to settle on a particular item. “So some of my favs. I like chicken fajitas, gyros with lamb meat, liver and onions, chicken fried steak, catfish and lasagna. My favorite side dish is red beans and rice. Goes great with most anything and the squishiness heard as the beans and rice and sauce is stirred sounds so rad.” He smiles wide "Yum yum yum."

His attention falls upon his laundry basket, "We've showered and had breakfast. Need to tackle Mount Clothmore over there." The basket is nearly overflowing. "You?"

 

[Rihou]

Flavors? Matthew’s face immediately turned red as Josh shown off his body, his jaw went slack slightly. His blue eyes followed Josh’s hand across his built body. I want him to wrap me up and never let go. Matthew had to close his mouth or the saliva that pooled in his mouth would slip out. Clearing his throat, Matthew shifted in his spot, his pants had become just a bit tighter. The blond looked down at the pad and mentally groaned, if this was a drawing of something else I’d be able to appreciate the lines and shading, but it’s not. I think he’s already trying to kill me!

“Uh.. it’s.. good.” Was all he could say to the piece of art. He’s more than a fucking piece of art he’s a goddamn master piece. Why do I want to taste his abs?! So many lewd thoughts ran through the blonde’s head he almost missed everything that Josh was saying. He looked at all the art work the other was willing to show him. He hoped the werewolf didn’t notice his... excitement of seeing his body.

Right! Food.. I asked about food! He listened to Josh list his favorite foods. “That’s a lot of food. Um... maybe we could find a good fish fry place. Back home there is this place I go to with my family every Sunday. They have all you can eat catfish. It’s amazing. They have other thinks too, I guess is more like a barbecue place than anything. Their brisket and pulled pork are really good too.”

He then had a confused look on his face when Josh started talking about something else. “Huh?” He followed Josh’s line of sight. His eyes widened. “Shit. It was my turn to do laundry this week wasn’t it? I’m sorry.. “ he looked guilty, “I have my project that I’ve been working on.. it kind of got away from me.” He said giving a nervous laugh as he scratched the back of his head. “But.. other than that” he indicated to the laundry. “I don’t have anything going on for once. Which is a relief.”

“Is there anything you wanted to do?”

 

[Pokeking]

Josh's nostrils flared and realizing what had happened, he awkwardly and hastily put his naughtier drawings away. "Sorry. Didn't mean to do that." Having a wolf's sense of smell on all the time may seem awesome, but it can be maddening. Rampaging hormones swarming around him and from within had threatened to overwhelm him. To save himself, he buried himself in his meditations, in his workout routines, and in his cooking. Even running around as a wolf in his backyard or in nearby Shepherd Park in the wee hours of the morning helped immensely.

Last pad stored away for now, Josh looked back at Matt. "I like fried fish. Back home, there's this fish place called Galvan Company Seafood close to midtown that we regularly go to. Luis Galvan bought a old passenger train car slated for demolition and refurbished it. He built onto it and made a restaurant. The Galvan Company has all sorts of restaurants all within a mile of each other, but the seafood place is probably the biggest draw in my opinion."

Josh shook his head, "No. Don't be sorry. I know that seems peculiar coming from me since it seems I say sorry plenty of times, but these things do happen. I was hoping that we could share the chore together." He blinked because he didn't have a suitable answer, "Anything I wanted to do? I hadn't thought about it, but wanna go out to eat out later today after our laundry adventure? I don't mean school cafeteria. I mean a restaurant. Seems like it's been forever since we've been out to eat. I've got a hankering for burgers. No fast food burger place though. There's that new burger place called The Burger Dome on the other side of town I've been wanting to try out."

 

[Rihou]

Matthew blushed, "It's ok.." He said as he watched the other quickly store away his drawings. He felt bad for making Josh uncomfortable because that was the last thing he wanted to do. HE turned his attention back to food as the other talked about it. "Maybe we could find something here?" He never really gotten the chance to explore the town and find out where things were except for that first outing with Josh.

At the prospect of going out with Josh, Matthew perked up a bit, "Yeah, we can go out to eat after. I'm up for almost anything." He said as he got up. He was still wrapping his head around the werewolf thing, but with Josh acting his usual self was making things a lot easier for him to be able to process the overwhelming information. He went over to the basket of dirty laundry and picked it up. "Can you grab everything else? I got this." He said as he maneuvered around Josh to get to the door.

 

[Pokeking]

Josh grabbed an empty basket, "We can put the clean stuff in here" He then placed the bottle of liquid detergent and the box of dryer sheets as well as a pouch full of quarters. Bottle seems light. He picked it up, closed his eyes, and gave it a jiggle. "Sounds like we need to get a replacement." He was about to head out the door when, "Oh! Can't forget the phone." He slipped his phone in one of his pockets.

The halls were somewhat quiet. In Selby Hall, there were three laundry rooms. One for each of the three sections. Two rooms had four washers and four dryers. The main section's laundry room had five of each. Here they enter one of the rooms of four. No one else is here. Not yet. In addition to the laundry machines, there are others machines. Located near the front of the laundry room on the left side of the door, there is a bottled drink vending machine, a snack vending machine, an ice machine, and a coin exchange machine. On the right side of the door is a bulletin board which notates dorm and campus events.

A washer is chosen and it is turned on and the liquid poured. Josh croons "Color guard. Only the best" while loading it up and he asks Matthew to be a second set of eyes so they account for all the garments they brought with them.

They will be here for a while since they have the towels after tops and bottoms after socks and underwear. Josh sits down and motions for his roommate to sit next to him. He takes out his phone and searches for the website of The Burger Dome. He moves it so they can both look, "Let's take a gander at the menu. We can get a head start on deciding what we want." Based on what he sees so far, he eagerly awaits paying the eatery a visit.

 

[Rihou]

"We can get more when we're out and about. " He said referring to the laundry detergent. Once they got to the laundry room, Matthew helped load the washer and then sat down after it was all started. He sat close to Josh as they looked at the menu to the burger place.

"What looks good to you?" he asked as he looked at the menu with Josh. He had to lean close to the other in order to look at it. Minus the werewolf thing... this feels totally normal. Is this how relationships should start out? Matthew didn't know, his ex was the only person he could compare with and that wasn't saying much considering the guy tried to kill him. Jason was deranged he concluded. His brother told him when he went to court --Matthew mentally not prepared to see Jason didn't do-- that the guy kept spouting off that he loved Matthew and was going to marry him. But then 'someone' had tried to take Matthew from him and had to make sure no one but him could have Matthew. And that was why he tried to stab the blonde.

Matthew glanced at Josh before he looked back to the menu, he saw a few things that he would probably order. Now it was just narrowing it down to just the one. Sitting there waiting for the laundry to finish was boring as hell. He hated doing it even though it was a necessary hell in order to have clean clothes. He sighed as he sat back, he was doing looking at the menu. Some times I wish I had magical powers then my laundry would be done in a blink of any eye.

 

[Pokeking]

Josh’s cheeks bulged, “Duh. Why didn’t I think of that?” He chuckled, “We can go after the burger run. Mom always said don’t go to the grocery store on an empty stomach. We can get anything else we might think of.”

His fingers swiped all over the screen, “Unfortunately, everything. As usual. I do know I want onion rings. It’s been years since I’ve had them. Places I’ve been have fries, sweet potato fries or potato chips. Ugh, I don’t like sweet potato fries. It’s a toss up between that lamb burger with the feta cheese and the tzatziki sauce or the mushroom burger with the smoked gouda cheese. Might have to toss a coin, eh?”

Josh’s ears picked up footsteps and one of the dorm staff members walked in and tilted her head in greeting, “Good Morning”. She takes out a key and unlocks the case that displays the notices on the bulletin board. New notices for the week are added, unnecessary ones are discarded. She winks at them, “Good bye.”

With not much to do besides keep an eye on the laundry until completion, Josh look at the board to see what was new in the world of Magin University. Here is a notice about the upcoming production of Waiting for Godot among other flyers. One catches his eyes.

It is a flyer about a charity that will be coming by the campus in the coming week. As he reads it, he fingers his hair which was still unfurled. “I want to do this. I think my hair is long enough to donate.” The charity asks for volunteers to get their hair cut for a good cause: constructing wigs for children who have lost their hair.