Chapter XXVI Part 4: Puppy or Wolf

"Horo," Ren pushed the addressed male's arm out of the way as he moved his body to sit up. "Horohoro, get up." He shook the Ainu's shoulder to emphasize.

"Why?" The blunette whined and hugged a pillow to bury his face.

"Because we can't sleep here forever." Ren pressed with a firm edge to his tone that didn't even hint where his mind had been traveling to before returning to the present.

"Why noooot?" The pillow muffled Horokeu's lazy whine, making Ren sigh. The younger teen let go of his shoulder and swung his legs over the edge of his bed.

"I'm going to take a shower." Ren said over his shoulder, blatantly dismissing the older teen's rhetorical question. He locked his jaw in response to the slight discomfort in his lower half as he stood up from the bed. But other than that, he didn't let on anything as he strode across the floor to the shower room. He stopped at the doorway and looked back again, confirming that the other still didn't move. He resembled nothing less than a puppy the way he was curled up against the pillow. A very big puppy.

"If you're not up by the time I get out, I'm kicking you out of the bed." He considered himself generous for not doing so already. Not that he would kick a puppy, especially when he's all tuckered out like that. Ren rolled his eyes with a snort as he turned away, reminding himself that he needed to stop spoiling the said puppy. But when he stepped into the glass confinement he paused below the showerhead and blinked. He tried not to gag on his own train of thoughts as he grabbed the knob, not even wanting to know how he let it happen. He just hoped that it would wash away as hot water gushed out. He closed his eyes as it poured over his head and cascaded over his eyelids, trailing down his body.

Eyelids shot up to the sound of the glass door sliding open.

"Horo, what do you think you're doing!?" Ren whipped around and grabbed the wall as he almost slipped on the wet tiles. Horokeu just blinked at him like he was confused by the other's reaction.

"I thought you wanted me out of the bed." The blunette quirked a brow at Ren who grit his teeth.

"Is this necessary!?" The smaller hissed as he gestured at the Ainu who still just stood there, and added, "I just told you to get up!"

"Well, I'm up, aren't I?" Horokeu shrugged and his earnest tone made Ren put his shaking head in his palm.

"Can you at least have the decency to wait your turn?" He groaned wearily as the blunette's casual attitude drained him of the energy to yell at him anymore.

"Or we could both get done in one turn." Horokeu laughed anyway. "That'll save us some time, right?"

"Unbelievable!" Ren muttered under his breath and turned away from Horokeu, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stood below the hot shower.

"Speaking of which," Arms snaked around Ren's narrow waist before he could turn around and azure strands obstructed his peripheral as he felt Horokeu hover over his shoulder. "Why'd you rush me like that? I saw what time it is, we have hours until we have to go." A lazy voice came from an even lazier grin.

"Yeah, well," Ren's trained features remained neutral, almost bored, not wanting to let on that Horokeu spoke too closely to his ear. "I figured if I didn't wake you up now, I doubt you'd be able to wake up on time to make it back before curfew."

"I guess you make a good point." Maybe Ren did it too well because Horokeu's face remained there as he shrugged.

"So since you know how much time we still have, can you get out and wait until I'm done?" Horokeu's low chuckle rumbled in the hollows of Ren's ear. Ren hoped the shower drowned out his swallow.

"Come on, Ren. It's not like there's anything we haven't seen from each other already. Besides, when you said shower," the blunette's arms closed tighter around Ren. "Did you really think I was gonna pass that up?" His deep whisper sent something down Ren's spine and the younger teen closed his eyes to hold back the noise rising in his throat. He managed to keep it to a sigh. The hold around him loosened.

"Or it's ok if you really need me to back off." Horokeu took a step back and Ren noticed the cautious hesitation in his tone that added, "I get it if you're not ready yet." Right. Ren forgot Horokeu thought he was a virgin not too long ago. He mistook Ren's sigh for hesitation.

"Look, Horo." Ren sighed again, and crossed his arms. "Stop treating me like I'm so damn fragile you might break me." He tried to hold back his annoyance, tone it down to leave room for patience. Because he did appreciate the blunette's consideration. But that didn't mean he wasn't going to set the record straight. Still, it was a bold claim.

"Because you won't. I can handle a lot more than you probably think... I can certainly handle you." Ren felt his face flushing and he knew it wasn't just because of the steam filling the space they were confined in. He couldn't turn around to face the addressed male because he didn't know how to make the statement to his face. And he waited for some kind of response from the male behind him. He could barely stand the seconds that already passed.

Ren flinched when arms folded over his crossed own, and hands cupped over his, interlacing their fingers. Horokeu pressed his lips against the side of Ren's head, trailed down his jaw, to his neck. Ren's eyes narrowed as he let Horokeu pull his hands out to uncross his arms. He felt his wet body as it leaned in against his to make him lean forward too, distracting him from realizing what was happening. The smaller one's body bent forward until his hands were pinned against the marble wall in front of them. He was being positioned, Ren realized.

"Are you sure you won't regret that?" The voice made Ren go still as it rolled down his spine, the low whisper creating fog in his brain. Like it triggered a deep instinct that forced him to recognize the moment he was about to be devoured. The awareness made Ren turn his head.

Forget the puppy. Ren was staring at a wolf. A very hungry wolf grinning down on him with unfiltered desire to sink his thirsty fangs into him. Just knowing how that desperation, the rawness of his yearning was focused on him... that was enough to heat Ren's core, turn it molten all over again, melting his will to resist. Ren wasn't even sure if he was able to hide how much he wanted to accept that he was the prey as he said,

"I told you, I can handle you." Horokeu flashed another grin and then he dipped down to bite at the nape of Ren's neck, making the Tao shudder his eyes shut as he released a moan.

They got so lost in each other that they exited the shower room with skin deeply flushed and slightly pruned, clouds of steam tumbling out with them. It was an effort for Ren to not limp or even cringe as they made their way downstairs, neither boys bothering to wear anything other than their underwear to let their bodies cool down. Horokeu flopped back on the sofa and Ren went straight for the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator and for a short moment he closed his eyes in bliss to the rush of processed cold air. He grabbed a bottle of water and chugged it down his raw throat. Horokeu certainly didn't turn down the heat. He wasn't quite sure if his screams were just reverberating off the shower room walls or if Horokeu really made him that much louder in there.

"Can I have some?" Horokeu poked his head in from the threshold. Ren finished his bottle so he tossed the blunette another one who took a few long sips. "Hey, let's order some pizza." Ren sent him a stern look.

"You do realize we're going back to school later, don't you?"

"Aw come on, we still have a lot of time. And I'm hungry!" There's that puppy again. Ren rolled his eyes.

"Fine, order something." The young Tao waved a dismissing hand at his whining friend who beamed ear to ear before disappearing again.

"Any toppings you wanna leave out?" The blunette's voice called from the living room.

"Just make sure there aren't any pineapples." Ren called back as he scanned the fridge again. He pursed his lips as he left the kitchen. No milk.

"Should be here in an hour." Horokeu said just as he got off his phone when Ren walked in.

"Fine." Ren nodded absently as he sat down on the sofa next to the Ainu.

"So, since we have a whole hour," the blunette pounced on top of Ren, straddling himself on his lap. "Wanna go another round?" There's that grinning wolf again.

"Again?" Ren eyed the taller one with careful sharpness. Horokeu leaned in to his ear.

"Please, Ren?" A sorry excuse for a beg because Ren could hear the grin that didn't falter. He tried not to shudder to the warm breath against his ear and the delicate flesh of his neck. But he couldn't hold back the defeated sigh.

"One. Hour." He growled through his teeth biting on his lip. Puppy or a wolf, it didn't matter which one it was. The problem was, he might be developing a habit for spoiling both.

To be continued…