Chapter 4: Self-conscious.

"Whoa hold up, not in there, go in the guy's side!" 017 demanded, 018 stopped and turned to the guy's side of the bathroom... flush.

When 018 came back out 'he' saw 017 scowling at 'him'. "So why did you just try to go into the girl's side of the bathroom?"

"You lead me there last time."

"Wha... I, I was half asleep then!" She defended. "You may not technically be a guy but I don't want you going in the same bathroom as me."

"Sorry."

017 felt bad for that but before she could say anything else someone spoke. "What was that, 'not technically a guy'? and why was this 'not a guy' vomiting in there?" 006 asked, coming out of the bathroom.

017 didn't feel like explaining everything to this experiment. "This is my roommate zero-one-eight, Jumba made 'him' yesterday, 'he' was made without a gender, but that doesn't mean 'he' can go in the girl's bathroom."

"Genderless, then why do you think it can go in the guy's side?" 006 retorted.

017 didn't have anything for this.

"It should not be allowed in there, and I certainly hope not to see it there during tonight's showers." 006 nearly ordered as he left.

"I hadn't thought about that and he's right, it's another 'shower day' tonight..." 017 started back to her, now shared, room, 018 followed silently as usual.

017 plopped down face first on her bed, reached for the CD player, set the earphones on and started mumbling the song into her sheets. "Mm yuukng a mm oche..."

018 wasn't taking it so hard, but what would 'he' do?

After the song, 017 flipped over "Sorry, I still have to get use to having a roommate." she turned the CD player off. "Want to do something?"

"Like what?" 018 asked.

"Uh... you could listen to a CD."

018 shook 'his' head.

"Well, we could look through these magazines..."

They were all titled 'Hat Fantasy', 018 shook 'his' head again.

"We could... toss hats around... Really there's not much to do here." 017 gave up and went back to her CD. "Somebody..."


Dinner time

"Hey, it's about dinner time again." 017 said, she had stopped listening to the CD about an hour ago, 018 had been sitting still the whole time, possibly listening to her singing... not likely, she thought.

"So you hungry?" She asked, 018 nodded.

"Alright..." 017 hopped off her bed and sifted through her hats for a new one. "Let's go eat."

As soon as they entered the cafeteria 016 and 015 ran up to them. "Hey, is it true what zero-zero-six said?" 015 asked 018 directly.

"..."

"About you not being a guy?"

018 nodded.

"Then why didn't you tell us that yesterday?"

"It's not important, is it?" 017 cut in, knowing 018 wouldn't say anything.

"It is, I thought that he w-" 016 caught himself. "Never mind, it's not a big deal now."

007 and 008 came up to them. "So you're not as lucky as I thought." 008 said.

"Enough, I'm hungry." 017 said with a hint for them to drop it, 018 followed her over to the food bar where a prepared meal and little carton of milk was set out for each of them, but the topic came back when they sat down. "So what are we going to do with you? Find a hose or would you prefer a bucket of water for your bath?" 006 remarked snidely.

"You're a real jerk, you know that?" 005 cut in "And I have to live with him... but he has a point, what will we do with you?"

"I say we vote. When and how should zero-one-eight bathe?" 006 announced, making sure everyone was paying attention. "By show of hands, who thinks it should bathe with the real guys?"

001, 002, 007, 008, 009, 015, 016 and 017 raised their hands. "Hey you three can't vote for that." 006 waved off the girls votes. "Just for that, who thinks it should bathe with the girls?"

"What!" The girls were obviously not amused.

005 raised his hand, everyone eyed him, except for 018. "What, at least if that happened I could get the details." "And I have to live with him..." 006 cut back in "Now who thinks zero-one-eight should bathe by itself after everyone else."

004, 005, 006, 010, 011, and 012 raised their hands. "That does it, five to six, it bathes alone."

From the looks of it, 018 might not have cared at all, 'he' was already done eating and ready to leave, although 017 hadn't even started on her food, 'he' stood up "Goodbye." and with no response, 018 left.

"Ah, what... but!" 017 stammered but she couldn't leave without eating. "Now look what you've done!"

"Hey, you didn't vote for 'him' to bathe with you." 005 joked.

017 was not amused and tried to finish her meal as fast as she could.

When she did catch up with 018 'he' was already back to sitting on 'his' cot not doing anything.

"Hey uh... what zero-zero-six did wasn't fair. You shouldn't have to take that, just tell Jumba and he'll straighten it out." 017 told 'him'.

"..."

"...You, ok."

018 nodded sincerely, 'he' didn't see what the big deal was. "What is the problem?" 018 asked flatly.

017 blushed "Wh-well... You know that having a gender means having... reproductive organs, right?" 018 nodded 'he' understood that much, they have them and 'he' doesn't.

"Well most experiments... or rather, most species have a... sort of shame about them. They don't want anyone to see their..."

018 nodded, 'he' got it now. "Then just tell me when they're done."

"Yeah, it might be best to wait on them, they do have a right to privacy just like us girls want." 017 agreed. "Well we are supposed to shower after we eat, I'm going to go, I'll tell you if they're done when I get back."

018 nodded as 017 tossed her hat off and left.

"So that's why they aren't ashamed by their antenna or tail..." 018 surmised, seeing 'he' was completely alone, 'he' extended 'his' tail and antenna, tuned to an unused or at least out of range radio signal and tossed off 'his' hat. "But why am I ashamed? I shouldn't be..."

After about twenty minutes of sitting 'nude' 018 was getting more comfortable, but then 'his' thermal eyes noticed 017 coming back. "It'll be fine..." 018 told 'himself' uneasily, she was a few steps away from the door. "I... can... can't!" 018 slung the hat back on and snapped 'his' antenna and tail back in just as the door opened.

"Ah, room sweet room!" 017 nearly threw her towel off, as she usually would upon entering her room after a shower, but she caught sight of 018 and stopped herself. "You know, I really need to get use to having a roommate... They're all done, so you can go bathe now. Um, you know where it is right?"

018 shook 'his' head.

"Did you see the door in the back of the bathrooms? It's through there, towels are in there too." 017 informed.

"Thank you." 018 headed for the door. "You shouldn't take that hat, it'll get wet." 017 told 'him', 018 hesitated, making sure 'his' antenna were retracted, then threw the hat back to 'his' cot, leaving 017 alone, "Well this gives me some private time..." she mused.

018 arrived at the bathroom entrances "Was I supposed to go in the guy's side or not... the guys don't want me in there with them, but the girls don't want me in there at all..." 018's thermal eyes swept the room, it was empty, so 'he' went on into the guy's side.

Alone again, it somehow felt comfortable for 018, 'he' let lose 'his' tail and antenna. The first thing 'he' did was make sure there was a spare towel to use, there were plenty extra in an adjacent closet.

There were only ten shower heads, and no privacy curtains, so 018 would have to reuse someone's. There weren't any wash cloths or soap bars either, just a couple bottles of 'Body Wash. For skin and fur!'.

The water was still warm, that was nice... 018 just stood there enjoying it as water ran over 'his' antenna, down 'his' face, through 'his' fur, and off 'his' tail.

018 was lost in this sensation and didn't notice the door open. "Huh what is zero-one-eight doing here...? Hey!" Hearing that 018 panicked, snapped 'his' tail and antenna back in, 'his' thermal eyes quickly surveyed the room, there was someone at the door.

"I'm sorry!"

"What? Sorry for what?" That voice and the size of the form, it was 003. 018 was slightly relived that it wasn't 006 but thought 003 would yell at 'him' for being in there too.

"For being in the guy's bathroom. I thought everyone was done already." 003 was moving towards 'him'.

"What does that matter? It's a communal bathroom." 003 was now standing under the shower head right next to 018.

018 was a little scared. Why, this wasn't dangerous, 003 wouldn't, or at least couldn't, do anything to hurt 'him', even if he could 018 wasn't afraid of pain... was it shame?

"You want me to leave?"

"Why, I kind of like company, I'm usually late and have to eat and shower alone." 003 turned his shower on. "Ah, still warm. It's usually cold..."

"The others, they didn't want me in here with them. I had to wait. I thought, when you came in you'd want me to leave... because I'm not really male." 018 explained.

"...Wow you're becoming talkative. That doesn't matter, it sounds like some of them are really insecure, who started all this? Did they all really agree?" 003 picked up the bottle of body wash from the floor.

"...It feels easier, while alone... I don't know, he was light brown he didn't introduce himself, at dinner they voted, five to six, girls weren't allowed to vote."

"Zero-zero-six, he is stuck up, now I know he's really insecure. About... were you, different, when I came in you looked... different?" 003 wondered.

018 blushed. "My tail and... Zero-one-seven told me 'people are ashamed of their reproductive organs' I don't have any, I'm not sure why but I feel that way about my tail and antenna."

"You shouldn't be, the reason they're ashamed is because they need to mate, but you don't... not everyone is embarrassed about it, I'm not." 018 just now noticed that 003 was exposed, 018 blushed more, 003 would have had to be blind to miss it.

"What, you embarrassed for me? You need to lighten up it's not like we could mate." 003 almost laughed but didn't, thinking it would make 018 feel bad, "Plus you do need to wash those parts too, here." 003 handed 018 the bottle.

"You know Jumba hates that, we go through about ten bottles of this stuff a week, that's why it's generic brand and why we only bathe every other day." 003 commented.

018 squirted some on one hand, then gave the bottle back to 003. "There's no way you're going to wash all your fur with that little, here." 003 squeezed out, what was probably a third of the bottle onto 018, then only a little less onto himself and tossed the bottle across the room.

Of course they started to lather up... "I didn't think it would spread so thin..." 018 thought aloud. "It is the cheap stuff..." 003 replied.

...

"So have you noticed that I've been trying to not ask so many questions?" 003 ironically asked. "Yes, but why, does that mean something?" 018 answered.

"You don't remember? It was what you said, that it's ok too ignore my programming most of the time. Well you didn't really say that but-" "I get it. But why ignore it?" 018 cut in.

"Most of the others... all of the others, they don't like it when I ask questions, it bothers them and you were my first friend." 003 stopped and looked to 018 for confirmation, 018 nodded. "Yeah, you were the only one who cared to see me as me and not 'that new experiment' they didn't even say hi the second time I saw them and the first thing they did was vote me away form them."

"You mean not even zero-one-seven likes you?" 003 asked. "That's different, she's nice but also... she makes it feel like she is obligated to like me, always saying 'roommate' and when she's with the females it's like I'm not there at all." 018 stopped his washing.

"...You know you're not gonna get clean that way, and you still need to wash 'those parts'." 003 teased, 018 was blushing again, "Do I have too?" "Yes, you really do." 003 said.

018 closed 'his' eyes, although 003 couldn't see this, extended 'his' tail and antenna and began to lather them with what little suds 'he' had left.

003 was finished and turned his shower off. "See, there's really nothing to be ashamed about."

018 was just rinsing off the last of the suds. "Maybe..." 'he' turned off the shower.

003 was wrapped in a towel to cover himself, he handed one to 018. 018 took the towel to dry off but simply retracted 'his' tail and antenna. "That's handy for you. It'll be a while before they'll let me take this off." 003 tugged on his towel.

"It's kind of funny, 'perfectly fine to be nude here' but on the other side of this door it's 'so wrong'." 003 joked as they left.

"Well, it's time for bed." 018 said, "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow, goodnight... and thanks for being my friend." 003 waved as he went down the opposite hall. "Goodnight!" 018 called back, waving.


Author's note: A little "weird" but it's just a friendship. Also this will be the last time you'll see 018 throw up, it's just not important to the story, but 'he' does wake up and 'go' every night.