Chapter 6

If I was being honest with you, Reader, I'm a pretty tough guy both physically and mentally, but when your friends pitch you crap, the line between bullying and having fun can be blurred. Sometimes it's all in good fun, other times you can be legitimately hurt by it. Even then, you don't really feel like you can say anything sometimes because they're your friends, and you don't want to wreck the friendship by coming off as over sensitive. That can sometimes sting worse than the words themselves.

Mid afternoon, almost two months after the debacle with Centorea had been resolved, one of my friends asked me for my help moving into a new apartment. He was fine, but his homestays, girls whom I love dearly like little sisters, are normally pretty rough. Today, they were just brutal.

Perhaps you could say that I was to blame for not even attempting to stop them, but either way, I needed a nap, and maybe a cuddle session, but not from either Miia or Rachnera. I needed Centorea.

After her confession of loyalty and declaration of fealty, Miss Smith got the construction crew back into my house within 24 hours, expanding the rooms again, but not the halls or doorways since those had already been widened for Rachnera. While she and I tried to ease the minds of my girlfriends, they broke into the upstairs guest room and turned it into a feudal Japanese cottage which made Centorea squeal when she saw it. The room aside, though, it became a near permanent mission to make sure she wasn't killed by the others. The biggest problem was her. Whether it be stopping Rachnera from using her webs on me or preventing Miia's nearly violent form of affection, she took her role as a knight way too seriously. Every mistake I pointed out practically destroyed her, and any fun was quickly dashed in a misguided effort to protect me. Both of the senior homestays were close to snapping.

It wasn't until I got really stern with her that things finally sunk in that she was going too far. As my "knight," or some other nonsense, she wanted to do her best to serve me, but what she was doing was the complete opposite of good service. She was overzealous and far too meticulous to be any good. I knew she had good intentions, but if doing what was right and justifiable ended at our intent, then we could justify the most horrible atrocities this world has ever seen all because the people that carried them out meant well. Sure, that's an extreme example, but the point still stands- she meant well, but she wasn't doing well.

I scolded her. I let her know all of her faults in one sitting, not in the form of individual wrong doings, but instead as a lecture on how she carried her duties and the thoughts that came with them. I let her know to allow me to do my thing and not hover over me like she was. I let her know how I felt about the girls that I was already staying with, and the kinds of things we did together (much to each of their chagrin) and made it a point to tell her to back off.

Most importantly, I gave her praise. This wasn't a punishment I was giving her, nor was it any kind of blind rage I was expressing, but constructive criticism, and the only way to do that was to tell her about what she did right, then proceed to show her what she could be doing better. I made sure she knew I appreciated her help. Not only that, but my advice wasn't just a blind proclamation of "please do better," but instead, I told her specifically what points she could improve on, where, and how. What's the point of constructive criticism if it isn't, you know, constructive?

Her improvement was immediate. Overnight, I found myself back to my normal routine with nightly bindings, morning relief, and post-relief coffee with more bindings, and outside of that, Centorea helped me work my training back into my mornings while still satisfying the others. Since I could ride her now, as her master, it made working out really easy. Who knew that horseback riding could build so much muscle?

The best part about this, however, was that since Centorea was no longer attached to me at the hip outside of our sparring sessions and wake up jogs, her relationship improved tremendously with the girls. Miia and Centorea practically fell in love, becoming best friends over the course of a week thanks to their mutual love of martial arts and Centorea's inquiry of how to better serve the household (which made Miia feel like the matron of the house, thus earning the centaur gooey, fudgy brownie points with the lamia). She had a few more problems with Rachnera, however, but they managed OK. I didn't think the two would be friends any time soon, being completely conflicting characters, but at least they were civil towards one another. Frenemies? A rough friendship?

I didn't really care at that point at night if I was being honest with myself. In the state I was in, stumbling into the building with an emotional hangover from my friend's two homestays and sporting the physical fatigue of moving, I needed the woman's motherly, caring personality. Miia would be too rough, and Rachnera wasn't good with comfort. Sure, I could give them a chance. Once Miia realized that she didn't have to snap any of the other girls in half, she would most likely immediately wap around me in the protective way I love, and I could easily teach Rachnera that the best way to comfort me was to scratch my back and play with my hair, but I wasn't in the mood for that crap. I headed straight for Centorea's room.

"Master! Good evening," Centorea greeted me with a smile, wearing a purple kimono she wore at night, her hair down and cleaning her replica sword, "What can I do for you?"

"Don't get up!" I said hurriedly, making her sit back down as she was about to do that weird social custom of standing up when someone enters a room, "I um… I was wondering if I could hang out with you for awhile?"

"Of course, Master! You're always welcome in my room," Centorea declared honorably, a hand on her chest and speaking with passion, then getting nervous, 'Unfortunately, I don't have anything I can entertain you with."

"I've got my Liam Neeson collection and a dozen bags of popcorn already prepared downstairs," I said without missing a beat, "I'll grab a few blankets and meet you down there."

Two minutes later, she and I were in the living room with the lights turned off, resting on the floor, and Taken 2 playing on my flat screen. Centorea knelt down in front of the couch after we moved the coffee table aside, having put on a tank top that was working like its life depended on it while I snuggled up next to her, a blanket over my legs and a bowl of popcorn at my side at just the right angle for both of us to reach.

"You're taking this movie in surprisingly well," I noticed.

"Ugh, Master! Why wouldn't I?" the centaur shot at me.

"You seem offended," I said flatly but with a teasing smile.

"Just because I train extensively in martial arts, doesn't mean I can't appreciate the fine choreography in an action movie fight scene, no matter how unrealistic it might be!" she proclaimed, crossing her arms and turning up her nose.

"I was referring to the fact that this movie is undeniably terrible compared to the first one," I pointed out, "I didn't say anything about martial arts."

"Um- well- you see- I-" Centorea stammered, a blush growing on her cheeks.

"The fact that you think I was seems like a you issue." I couldn't help my grin as she kept stuttering. "Seriously, I wasn't even thinking that. Did you assume I was, Miss Cerea? Do you doubt your ability?" She gasped.

"I do not!" she squeaked. I laughed and turned into her, guffawing into her side as she grumbled and put an arm around my shoulder almost reflexively. I leaned into it. Shortly after she used the one arm came the second, and then I found myself pressing back against her glorious knockers like they were fluffy pillows as we began watching Star Wars 1.

"So, essentially, this takes place during the time of the Old Republic but just as it was ending into the new," I explained to Centorea with my limited and often wrong knowledge of Star Wars lore, "This was when battle droids were the epitome of military technology since they were inexpensive and expendable, but the real thing about Star Wars, or what most people are into anyway, are the Jedi. I could talk for hours on that topic alone." That last bit of bravado was entirely true, but chances are I would only be right about half of it at best.

"The jedi are the ones using the light sabers, correct?" Centorea asked.

"I'm surprised you remember what the weapons are called and not the people who use them," I noticed.

"Any weapon enthusiast knows what a lightsaber is," Centorea said normally, "But I never even heard of the Jedi until watching this movie. Who is Liam Neeson's character in this one again?"

"Qui-Gon Jinn," I introduced proudly before getting into a movie long spiel over the morality, ethics, and politics of the Jedi versus the Sith, the origins of the Je'daii, and most importantly, Qui-Gon's problems with the Jedi Order and how he can be consider 'Grey' instead of Light or Dark. Come to think of it, I hadn't seen Episode 8 yet, but wasn't that what the Last Jedi was about? Ending the Jedi Order, or something?

Somewhere along my explanation that ended alongside the Phantom Menace, I had to get up to go to the bathroom, and when I returned, having been fully cheered up by spending most of the night alone with Centorea, I jumped on her back and wrapped her in a hug. She screamed so loud, I thought she might have woken the others up. Giggling, I nuzzled my face in her hair and tightened my hold on her waist.

"You're adorable, you know that?" I said playfully, "You're so on edge. Seriously, Cerea. Relax." On one hand, I could feel her lean back against me. On the other hand, I could feel her shaking and her whine at how much she regretted breaking her knightly code.

"Gah! How can I be having these thoughts about my master?!" she moaned, "It is imprudent for a knight to engage in these activities!"

"Why don't I put in the next movie?" I said, my chuckling never dying down, "How about… The A-Team?"

"Yes, please…" Centorea whimpered after a minute of self reflection, but then gasping again just after I put the movie in and returning to my previous seat, "Master, what are you doing?!"

"So, what?" I said sternly, raising my eyebrow as I ran my fingers through her hair, "I can cuddle you against your side and your chest, but the minute I try to cuddle you on your back, it's a problem?"

"N-no, but-" she hushed when I rubbed my head against her hair again.

"Cerea," I said gently, "I know what's going through your head right now."

"You…" she said, breathing heavily, "You do?" I nodded against her.

"But do you think you can deal with this for a bit longer?" I asked kindly, "This is… it feels right, and I'm comfortable like this."

"W-well if you're comfortable, I can grab a pillow for you to sit on to make it more so for you?" she offered. I laughed against her.

"That's not what I meant," I whispered, "Just this once, do you think that my knight can have just a bit of inappropriate feelings for her master? If it helps..." I gulped, my volume failing me. "You don't have to be my knight for tonight. Please?"

Centorea went silent for awhile, which is pretty much par for the course with her when something tense like this happens. She doesn't speak when things get difficult. When I tried to teach her Five Card, which was a little manipulative on this front on my part, the girl had no poker face and ended up losing all of the cheetos we had been betting with in her second hand. She was silent for so long that I figured she was either going to pass out or buck me off, but then she began moving again. She leaned back into me hard. I was surprised for a second, but then I realized that wasn't going to hurt me, and was instead choosing to cuddle against me, yet knowing that, I still yelped when I saw her hand move. I thought she was grabbing her sword, but she ended up placing a brush in my hands.

"Could you do my hair?" she asked, letting her hair down metaphorically while I grabbed a loose handful of her physical hair.

"Sure," I said, grinning madly, then following up with a bad Brooklyn accent, "So, tell me all about your day, Dah-lin. How ya doin?" She smiled triumphantly and laughed only once.

"I'm doing fine, but there is one thing that has been bugging me for awhile," she said coyly.

I raised my eyebrow curiously. Where was this side of her normally? I hadn't seen her more casual and friendly side directed towards me this way since before she moved in, and it was a welcome change. She seemed like a real person. I wanted that to last as long as possible, but normally, she was so straight forward and genuine. Guile like this wasn't something I'd see her using. I could read her like an open book before, but now, I was so curious what was on her mind.

"Yeah?" I asked, my voice back to normal as I ran that brush through her silken locks, "What's that, Dear?"

"Oh, you know the usual story," Centorea toyed, "There's this guy I like but he's totally clueless about it. Actually, knowing him, he knows all about how I feel about him, but I don't think he knows he can make a move any time he wants."

I choked on my own saliva. That's what she was thinking about?

"Can he now?" I said after a gulp, "That's news to me. I would think that if you wanted something like that to happen, knowing you, nothing would have stopped you."

"It's true that certain things have gotten in the way," Centorea said, a frown etching her brow, "For starters, he's already in a relationship with two other women, and we have a more professional relationship than most would think, and both of those present their challenges. The only way anything would happen is if he allows it."

"What do you mean 'allows' it?" I asked, not thinking my words through for a second and kicking myself when I realized I gave her the upper hand in this weighty banter.

"He will have to make the move," she said, smiling and leaning back against me, grabbing and wrapping my arms around her waist, "I've been honest with him about my feelings, let's say about four seconds ago, so if he wants anything to happen between us, then it will be his choice. I… I don't just want to be his knight. I'm fine sharing him with more than one woman since I know I will hold my own special place in his heart, but as his knight, I can't do anything about my feelings if they aren't reciprocated. He knows how I feel. There's nothing else to say now. If he wants it be, then…"

Would you think better of me if I said I hesitated to give an answer? Because I didn't wait. In fact, Centorea had gotten so far into my head that she was strangling my tongue with my brain stem, and had broken me. Normally, I'm in complete control of myself and my emotions, my mind being an impenetrable fortress of steel, and always working any conversation to my favor, yet somehow, Centorea had taken the reigns. She had taken my control and snapped it like a twig, and the worst part was that I wasn't even sure how. Maybe pretending to talk about someone else ruined me. Maybe it was the way she was snuggling up against my chest, her head digging its way under my chin the whole time we talked. Either way, when I gave her my answer, it wasn't controlled. When I gently cupped her chin while straddling her back, when I turned her head to mine, the kiss I gave her was passionate and inflamed with romance.

It wasn't a long kiss, though. As hot and fiery as it was, it was twice as brief, and our lips pulled away from each other with a smack, a line of saliva splitting between us as our faces flushed. We panted heavily, unable to look each other in the eyes, but still pressing them against each other.

"So…" I started, breaking the silence before it even had a chance to be awkward, "Thanks for staying up with me." She laughed breathlessly as she reached up and stroked my cheek.

"It was so worth it," she agreed, then yawned heavily while her body grew limp against me, "But I am so tired now."

"Me too…" I seconded.

It didn't matter whether it was the kiss or the fact that we had been up for hours. While sitting there on the floor, myself still straddling Centorea's back, we were too tired to pull away from each other and fell asleep in the center of the living room.

(...)

"Well, aren't you two cute?" Rachnera's voice woke us up. I opened my heavy and tired eyes, the lids feeling like they were glued together. When my vision became fully functional, I saw the spider girl standing at the entrance to the gathering area with an amused smirk on her face, her arms crossed loosely over her chest while Miia had her fists balled tightly at her sides. Although, the more rambunctious girl was wearing a jealous look that contradicted her angry stance.

"How could you guys have a movie night without us?!" she whined, "I would have joined you if you asked me! I could have gone the whole night without sleep!" Laughing, I threw my leg over Centorea's back and stepped over to the brat, cupping her cheek and kissing her lightly.

"I'm sorry, Love," I told her honestly, "I thought you were asleep by the time I got home." She pouted and pecked me one more time.

"You're lucky you're cute," she grumbled, then slithered over to her centaur roommate to help her put the living room back together.

"What happened last night?" Rachnera said, leaning down to hug me over my shoulders, practically head locking me. I grabbed her wrists lightly.

"What do you mean?" I replied curiously, but I already had a feeling I knew what she was getting at.

"You're staring at Centorea like you want to tickle her and find her 'special tickle spot,' and she's looking at you the same way," Rachnera mentioned, her voice in a low whisper so Miia and Centorea didn't break their pleasant conversation after hearing her, "Something happened. I want to know what you may be hiding."

I knew I couldn't hide this from her. I also knew I had to tell her the truth about this because if she could get that web-whip into her hands without me even noticing, particularly when her hands had been in front of me that whole time, I would be in for a world of bad-hurt if I lied.

"You remember when you confessed your feelings to me?" I asked. Rachnera jumped away from me with her hands to her lips, moving just slowly enough to not be noticed by the others.

"Oh, my. She didn't, did she?" she asked.

"She did," I said through a nod, "And I'm not going to lie. It was pretty romantic last night when it happened. That said, I'm going to make breakfast so we can all chat about this. I'm not about to hide this from you."

Miia watched me cross the room into the kitchen with a dumbfounded look on my face. I accepted that Rachnera was trying to be discrete about this, not for my behalf but to try to blackmail me, but I raised my voice so everyone could hear me. Not only did this need to be said, and Centorea knew it as well, but I wasn't about to let Rachnera have that kind of hold on me. Miia's tail swayed back and forth bemusedly.

"Hey, Cerea? What's he talking about?" she asked the horse girl. With the broken poker face of a horny knight, all the blonde could do was laugh nervously while the other two girls glared daggers at her. Almost protectively, she jumped over to me and handed me her sword.

"Save yourself," she whispered intently. It probably wasn't my best idea, but having just woken up, it seemed like pure gold to pull her head down and kiss her, only to hear the blood curdling screams of the innocent behind the half wall to the kitchen, and running out to see Miia passed out on the floor with Rachnera standing over us with an exasperated look.

"So, we have some stuff we need to talk about," I pointed out, grabbing Centorea's hand and leading her to the table.

"Obviously," Rachnera said. She was the only one who didn't yelp when Miia jumped back up in pure furry.

"Centorea!" she shouted, only to get restrained by Rachnera in Total Defeat.

"Start from the beginning, Honey," Rachnera said innocently, sitting at the table with a threatening smile, "And we'll decide what gets to happen from here."

The wording of that last phrase, "We'll get to decide what happens here." may have sounded harsh to some people, but in a relationship like ours, you had to talk about things like this, and if one person wasn't going to consent to bringing in another partner, then any respectable boyfriend wouldn't. I knew something like this was going to happen when I chose to kiss Centorea. She knew it as well. This conversation would get to decide where the household would go in the future, and ultimately define Centorea's fate in the exchange program, and knowing that, neither of us backed down when we explained our feelings for one another.

It didn't go well at first, but in the end, they were surprisingly understanding.