Seeing the inside of his father's study was a rare event, even more rare a desire. Most days, the computer inside did not even cross Charlie's mind, lest there were news on a game he wanted, and even then the awkwardness of obtaining permission to use it was more hassle than it was worth.
To approach it alone, in the almost otherworldly darkness, is both a terror and a rush.
Like a thoughtless blur, he finds himself curled up in the leathery rolling chair, hitting the power, and typing a memorized combination of keys to gain access. The screen flickers to life and floods the room with light, almost burning the poor pup's eyes. He throws a paw over them and peaks through his fingers, clicking the colorful icon he recognizes as his father's preferred search engine.
Shakey fingers on the keys, sweat dripping down to his shoulders, he types one letter at a time;
'can boys like boys'
---
The pup could only muster a meager "woo hoo" at the defeat of the mini-boss that had plagued the boys for half an hour. The moon had long since risen, their snacks had long since hit their stomachs, even the thrill of reaching the alleged witching hour had left them. Charlie set the controller down, feeling more relief than victory, "I always hate fighting that guy."
He looked over to his friend. Eli had sat with him on the floor the entire night, at some point having shifted to laying, almost cuddling up to him even. The bunny's eyes were open, but glazed, unfocused. Every few seconds, he would take a long, slow blink, muttering nonsense under his breath before suddenly snapping back awake, only to repeat the process again and again.
By the time of his 5th boss retry, Eli had his arms under his head and his legs tucked into his chest.
Unsure why, Charlie couldn't help but blush at the sight. At school Eli was always so serious and alert, eyes wide even if staring at nothing. Seeing him curled into a little ball, babbling like a toddler that missed a nap, it was endearing, almost cute.
"Ok, saved." said Charlie, hitting the power on the console and TV, "We should get to bed."
Eli opened his maw wide like a python, yawning the biggest yawn Charlie had ever seen. His body shivered through a single jolt firing down his spine before returning to his ball position, "Good night..."
Charlie raised a brow and began poking the bun back awake, "Uh, Eli? Don't you wanna get in the bed?"
That woke him up, "Huh?!" he gasped, immediately popping upright like he'd been pulled out of a nightmare, "Mmgh...what'ja say...?" he asked, the adrenaline quickly wearing off, making him try to rub the sleep out of his eyes.
"The bed? You don't gotta sleep on the floor." Charlie said with that familiar and reassuring chuckle.
The thought seemed to have not even crossed Eli's mind, "Huh? You mean your bed?"
"Yeah, silly, what other bed is there?" Charlie stood and patted the sheets invitingly, "I mean I didn't see you bring a sleeping bag or anything so I thought..."
There was hesitation in the bun's eyes. He would briefly look at the bed, then the floor, and back again, seemingly at an impasse, "Oh...um...I mean...I guess." he muttered, scratching at his ear, "Is that really okay?"
"Yeah, there's plenty of room!" the pup said with a cheerful smile, patting the sheets again for emphasis.
Eli slowly shuffled over to the bed. It wasn't fancy, or even standard; a frameless box spring and a mattress atop it, obscured by a single sheet, with only the wall of the room itself to serve as a headboard. It was much like his own, to the point he wondered how many holes and exposed springs were hidden by the sheet.
Charlie rubbed his chin in thought and looked to his door, "Uh, go ahead and hop up. I'll go find some extra pillows." With that, he was off down the hall.
Eli ran a nervous paw across the sheets and raised a knee onto the side. Time seemed to slow, the mattress so tantalizing yet so terrifying. A million concerns hit his mind as he stared into the empty spot he should allegedly lay.
What if he had a nightmare and spooked Charlie?
What if he drooled too much and got it on him?
What if he wet the bed?
His still-warm spot on the floor looked mighty appealing. What was so wrong with the floor? It worked just fine. Charlie was being too nice. Unnecessarily nice. What, was he too good to use the floor? Should he ask for the moon while he was at it?
Eli shook the thoughts away. He could not abide being rude and declining the offer, no matter how scared he was. Whatever consequence may come, he would deal with it in the morning and, regardless of what happened, have the memory of a perfect night to look back on.
The bun let himself crash onto the mattress. The moment he felt the cool, silken sensation of the sheets on his fur, the burning fears melted away. He was awash with comfort, sinking just slightly into not springs, but foam. It felt like he was being hugged on all sides, set atop a bundle of down from a creature too pure to exist in the world.
He was defeated. Throwing his paws under his chin, he assumed his favorite sleeping position and let it take him.
"Alright, extra pillows are a gooo~." Charlie jokingly cooed, entering the room with a bundle of pillows in hand, "Do you want one or t--woah." the rest of his words died in his throat as he looked to his bed.
There laid his best friend Eli, curled atop the mattress, already deep in slumber, and most strangely of all, tail hoisted high into the air. The hem of his shirt had fallen from his hips, revealing naught but a simple pair of briefs underneath; a tight pair that hugged his curiously round rear. Every few seconds, his little puffball tail would twitch. Never did it go limp.
Charlie gulped and dropped the pillows. Every neuron was telling him to look away, but he couldn't. He'd heard his dad call Eli tactless, but seeing him outright ass up on his bed was new territory. The bunny's sleepy mumbling proved it couldn't have been malicious or even intentional. Charlie wanted to wake him and ask him to roll over, but at the same time, he didn't.
The pup could feel his tail beginning to swish at his ankles, "Aah...E-Eli? Do you need a...thinner blanket?"
Eli only mumbled an incoherent mumble in response. No way was he was even awake.
"...hhhh..." Charlie breathed a haggard breath, standing there motionless, the only thoughts left in his brain playing on loop; how Eli stuck by his side all night, the way he smiled anytime the pup won a round of their game, how soft it felt when he accidentally brushed the bun's ear...
The swishing of his tail turned to outright thrashing. His cheeks burned, his paws trembled, his eyes refused to blink.
He couldn't really be thinking this, could he?
No.
That was just his friend. He couldn't...
A dim light peeking through the door down the hall caught his eye. The bun was sawing logs, no need to tiptoe. His breath quickening, Charlie raced out of the room and down the hall to his father's study. It was simple, nothing to even worry about. He'd turn on the computer, get to the bottom of this, hop in bed, go to sleep, wake up, and have a nice, normal breakfast.
A normal breakfast right across the table from his best friend...
His funny, nuzzly, soft best friend...
-----
Sequel to this piece, also by \r\n\t\t\t\t\t
| \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t | \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCausticutie\r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t | \r\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
MY GOD
THESE BITCHES ARE GAY