IncuBUST

Backup Boyfriend

I arrived at the vet's office nearly two hours late. I skipped my break and worked half an hour late in an attempt to make up for it. It was after seven by the time I got home. I plowed through the front door, dropped my wallet and keys on the shelf by the door and made straight for the hall bathroom.

Octavia caught me on the way and signed, "Hey, what's up? How was your day?" I looked at her with a frown and replied, "I got peed on." She made a face, and I brushed past her. I entered the bathroom, tossed my dirty scrubs in the trash and took a long, hot shower.

I emerged some time later in a cloud of steam with a towel wrapped around my waist. At the same time, Sissy was making her way towards her room. She paused and looked at me asking, "Did you just take a hot shower?"

"Yeah," I replied, and she looked me up and down saying, "Hm." I edged around her and started towards my room. She followed me. I turned just before entering my room and she nearly smacked into me.

"If you smell something funny in the hall bathroom, it's my scrubs in the trash. I got pissed on by two dogs and a cat," I said, and she stared at me still trying to figure out what was different.

"Don't you usually just wash them? I got the good detergent while I was out shopping today," Sissy said and I grimaced replying, "Yeah, but there's also blood on them and—"

"Oh no! Did a doggy get really hurt?" she exclaimed, and I sighed glancing away from her and mumbling, "Not exactly." I hadn't realized the entire collar of my scrubs was stained with blood until Nora pointed it out halfway through the workday. I entered my room and found Octavia sitting on my bed tapping on her laptop.

"What are you doing in here?" I asked and she looked up at me, her cheeks flushing pink as she realized I was practically naked.

"If Niki's on the couch, I figured I'd bunk with you," she replied trying and failing not to stare. I blinked several times and did a mental once over of the apartment.

"Where is Niki?" I finally asked and Octavia shrugged. I looked at Sissy and she said, "Don't look at me. When I got back from shopping, he was gone. Babysitting your backup boyfriend was not on my to-do list today."

"He's not my—You know what, never mind," I said closing my eyes and squeezing the bridge of my nose between my thumb and first finger. I shook my head and asked, "Did he take his stuff?" Octavia nodded and I sighed opening my eyes and muttering, "Whatever."

"Do you want me to text him and make sure he's alright?" Octavia asked and I threw my hands up saying, "Do whatever you want. I don't care."

"Chase," Sissy said, and I strode over to my closet snapping, "No. He's a grown man. He can go wherever he likes."

"Chase, did something happen after we left?" Sissy asked and I slowly ceased rifling through my clothes.

"It's none of your business. Now, get out, both of you. Barapha's gonna be here in like twenty minutes and I need to find something to wear," I said, and Sissy started, "Barapha? When did you--"

"Out!" I shouted pointing at the door and Sissy made a rude face at me before grabbing Octavia by the arm and escorting her out of the room. I shut my bedroom door and locked it before removing the towel from around my waist and hanging it up on the hook on the back of the door.

I pulled on a pair of boxer briefs and stood in front of my closet once more. Eventually, I relented and threw on a pair of skinny jeans, a tank top and an oversized sweater. I stuck a pair of socks on my feet and pulled on my ratty Chuck Taylors. I then glanced at the full-length mirror on the inside of my closer door and saw that my hair was still a soggy mess. I sighed and left my room, crossing the hall to duck into the bathroom.

I rifled around under the sink for some gel or leave in conditioner or... "I have no idea what I'm looking for," I mumbled.

"Trying to do something with your hair?" Sissy asked and I looked up to see her leaning against the frame of the bathroom door. I sighed and she smiled shooing me away from the cupboard and commanding me to sit on the toilet.

"Don't go overboard," I said, and she scoffed retorting, "When have you ever known me to go overboard?" I lowered the toilet lid and sat down asking, "Do you really want me to answer that?" She rolled her eyes and stood up holding a blow dryer and a jar of lightweight hair wax.

"You're gonna have to tell me what happened this morning eventually, you know," she said plugging the hair dryer in and unscrewing the lid on the jar of wax. I sighed and muttered, "I don't know if it was the tequila or being around Nikolai all night, but I was starving this morning. I didn't want to feed on him so I ran out thinking the feeling would go away if we were apart."

"Why didn't you want to feed on him? He smells wonderful and his aura—" she grunted softly in appreciation, and I rolled my eyes trying to focus on the feeling of her warm fingers running through my hair.

"For how powerful he is, Nikolai's life thread is depressingly short. It's barely longer than the average human's," I said, and Sissy frowned muttering, "Well, that is depressing." She set the hair wax aside and grabbed the hair dryer asking, "So, that's why you called Barapha?"

"I didn't mean to," I said, "I was just so hot, and everything was all swirly." I shook my head as I recalled the horrible, suffocating feeling and continued, "I felt like I was going to pass out. Then I dropped my stupid keys under the car, and I couldn't reach them. I felt so suddenly overwhelmed I almost started crying and all I could think about was how much longer Barapha's arms were than mine."

Sissy laughed and I cracked a smile saying, "Then he just shows up and I lose complete control of myself. A moment later, he's got me laid out on the hood of your car. I look to the side and there's Niki."

"He had you laid out on the hood of the car?" Sissy asked a salacious smirk spreading across her face. I rolled my eyes saying, "Not the point." She giggled and proceeded to dry my hair.

She turned off the dryer and said, "So, Nikolai caught you getting dicked down by your honey. Why does it matter? Like you said, he's not your boyfriend." I grimaced and muttered, "Don't be gross." She rolled her eyes and ran her fingers one last time through my hair. I sighed and stood up saying, "I like him, Sis, and Barapha knows it."

"That could be a problem," she said, and I nodded gravely. We left the bathroom and started down the hall.

"Then Barapha starts doing all this macho, passive aggressive shit like lifting up the whole ass car so I could get my keys," I said, and Sissy laughed retorting, "Not gonna lie, bro, that's kinda hot."

I covered my face with my hands and whined, "I wanted to be annoyed, Sis, but it was so hot." She laughed again as we came into the living room and slung her arm around my shoulders.

"Chase, you have two hella fine men vying for your affection. That's a good thing," she said, and I looked at her mumbling, "Not when one is a several millennia old mass murdering frost monster and the other is hardly more than human."