Her Sweetness: Hey there, here's the next chapter.


—Hot Man, Hot Dog—

Part Ten: In the Middle of the Night

Otogi had bounced happily out of the house, took the car, along with all of Tristan's money, and raced down the street with the song 'Barbie Girl' blaring on the radio. Tristan stayed at Otogi's house only because his leg didn't feel well enough to journey home though it was just down the street. Another reason Tristan stayed, though he'd never let on to it, is that he liked Otogi's house. It was big and bright and very serene when Otogi wasn't there, mucking up the scenery with his voice.

So, taking advantage of this rare moment of peace, Tristan sat on the bench on the house's front porch. He propped his sprained leg up on the white-painted fence in front of the bench and relaxed to the calming sounds of the twilight stage of the night. The bugs buzzing around the porch lights, the shouts of abducted children off in the distance and the Joeys opening the screen doors and joining him on the bench.

"Hey there, Tristan!" He smiled, happily plunking down beside him, handing him a cold beer.

"Aw hell." Tristan groaned, "Joey, I came out here to be alone."

"Yeah, I came out here to be alone too." Joey nodded, mumbling the words while he gulped down his own can of beer.

Tristan shook his head, looking dismissively at his can and then popping it open, taking a large swallow, letting it swish in his mouth. "Joey, you can't be alone when you're drinking beer with someone else. That kinda defeats the purpose."

"No it doesn't, I just don't want you to be lonely."

"I'm not lonely!"

"… I used to be lonely a lot."

"Is that a fact?" Tristan rolled his eyes, knowing that if Joey had something to say to him, he was going to keep sitting here until whatever it was rolled out of his mouth. He might as well get comfortable, he told himself as he leaned his head back, listening to Joey talk with his mouth full of liquid, sputtering and spitting it out all over him. He could tell this wasn't Joey's first beer of the night by the way his face was tinged red.

"Uh-huh. It was really sad." He continued, "It was like the same thing every day. I'd go out in the morning looking for odd jobs and usually the only thing I got was making small deliveries for old ladies who couldn't make the trip down to the Sex Shops. Then I'd go rent a movie and come home. But I always kept forgetting that I didn't own a television or a VCR so I'd read the back of the box and say to myself, 'This sounds great. Too bad I can't watch it.' And that was my routine, Tristan…"

Tristan shook his head, hiding his smirk by raising the can to his lips again.

"And then it all got better and I owe it all to you, buddy." Joey smiled at his friend, slapping him on the back and the drink flew out of his hand and onto the lawn.

Tristan scowled, "How so, Joey?"

"Because you took me to The Test Tickle that night and that's when I met Hot Dog. Things have been going great ever since!"

"Oh for crap's sake. Joey!" His scowl deepened as he turned to the blonde who had suddenly stopped chugging at the harsh tone Tristan was using, "Joey, I just can't believe you, of all people, have snapped! I mean, sure, you were never the most stable person but I figured you had a pretty good handle on yourself! Now look at you!"

"…" Joey blinked and slowly looked down at himself. He gasped and nodded, "Yeah, I know. My shoes don't match."

"… NO!"

Joey jumped, "W-What?"

"That was not what I was talking about! I meant that disgusting piece of meat you room with!"

"Hey! How many times do I have to say it? Stop saying those kinds of things! I really like Hot Dog! You don't see me knocking Otogi!"

"Not out loud…" He rolled his eyes, continuing, "And besides that, Otogi's human."

"Oh! So it's the whole species thing, is it? I swear, Tristan, you're such a bigot!"

Tristan's eyes rounded as he faulted, "W-What? I'm a what? There's no way you just called me a bigot!"

"Yeah, I did! You're so stuck on Hot Dog's appearance that you don't even try to see the sweet person inside that Hot Dog really is! I'll have you know that Hot Dog's really torn up over the fact that you hate it so much!"

"… YOU'RE INSANE!"

"I'm in love!"

Right after it had come rushing out of his mouth, it registered to Joey what he had said and he wanted to stuff the words back into his mouth. But, as Joey soon found out, words don't work like that. He blushed as Tristan gaped at him, his pupils as small as brown gumdrops in a sea of white. His mouth hung open and his impression of a fish was worthy of an Oscar.

"Um, heh…" Joey grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head, "That wasn't meant to come out like that but… ahem, it's the truth."

"…"

"… Tristan?"

"…"

"Tristan! C'mon, say… something."

"… You idiot."

Joey frowned, "That's not exactly the something I was wanting to hear…"

"Well, what else can I possibly say?" He shouted, his voice becoming more and more shrill as his face reddened, "You just told me that you're in love with a hotdog! A piece of meat! Joey, do you even know what hotdogs are made of? The extra parts of pigs! Extra!"

"It's what's on the inside that counts!"

"Pig testicles are what's inside your love!"

The blonde crunched his beer can and threw it on the lawn, landing it right next to Tristan's. He stood up, wobbling a little and beginning to walk back inside, saying on the way, "Jeez, Tristan. And here I thought my best friend would be happy for me."

"PIG TESTICLES!" He shouted after him, just before the screen door shut behind that scorned figure.

.0.0.

It was around midnight when Joey and his roommate finally went to bed. They had been playing cards for hours after Joey had returned to their room in a bit of a huff, telling Hot Dog about how his so-called best friend was so closed-minded. But the hotdog, as it often did, calmed Joey down and they began playing Go Fish. Joey lost all ten games.

Despite all the racket from when Otogi came back from his Victoria's Secret escapade, he slept rather well. Hot Dog went right to sleep, not bothered by Otogi and Tristan arguing over the price of a licorice thong. After that, Joey didn't remember much as he had drifted into a lovely dream world. Though his peace was short-lived due to the urgent calling of his name not two hours later.

"Joey! Joey!" Came a harsh whisper in the darkness of the room.

Said blonde took in a sharp breath and turned in the bed, rubbing at his eyes to see better. He made out a figure standing at his bedside, glowing as the bright moonshine spilled in through the window. Joey reached onto the nightstand and turned on his lamp, the mysterious figure suddenly revealed as Otogi in all his pink-negligee-glory.

He blinked slowly before whispering, almost unbelievingly, "Otogi? W-What are you doing here?"

"Hey there, Joey." He made a happy noise of acknowledgement and suddenly hopped into the bed, snuggling under the covers, finally nose-to-nose with Joey. Otogi shifted his legs around, wearing a thoughtful look before asking, "Are you naked?"

"N-No! I have boxers on!"

"Oh, that's too bad. Oh well, I'm not here for that."

"W-What the hell do you mean by 'that'?" He shouted.

"Shh!" Otogi frowned, "Stop all that yelling, do you wanna wake the whole neighborhood? Tristan's a real light sleeper and he'll hear your squealing all the way from his house. Then he'll call me and complain about it."

Joey blinked, "You mean Tristan's gone home?"

"Yeah, a long time ago. So it's just you and me." Otogi smiled.

The blonde teen yawned before quickly glancing at the digital clock on the nightstand. He groaned at the boy laying next to him, "Oh, Otogi! It's freaking two in the morning!"

"I know how to tell time, Joey Wheeler." He huffed, "But remember your promise to me."

"… Promise?"

"The conditions to your living here! You and your wiener. Remember, you said you would talk and listen to me when I needed attention. And don't you even think of going back on your word, Joey, our I'll toss you out on the street! And I'll eat your stupid wiener just out of spite."

Joey gasped, "You wouldn't!"

"Try me." Otogi narrowed his eyes into narrow slits.

There was a moment when they both just lay there, glaring at each other. That is until Joey sighed and turned on his back, starring up at the ceiling and stealing a glance at the raven-haired teen beside him. "Alright, you win. We'll talk. But just keep your voice down," He motioned towards the pillow on his other side, "Hot Dog's sleeping."

Otogi looked over Joey's chest and noticed the bandaged hotdog sitting in silence. He nodded, smirking, "Oh, alright."

"… So," He breathed, "What is it you want to talk about?"

"Oh, nothing specific really… I just like to chat in the middle of the night sometimes. Tristan hates it. Every time I try to say something to him that doesn't have the word 'motorcycles' attached to it, he tunes me out. Can you believe that?"

"… No."

Otogi tilted his head into the pillow, "Joey, I get the feeling I'm being ignored by you, too."

"I'm listening!"

"Oh, yeah? Then what's my favorite color?"

Joey turned to the boy, an odd look on his face, "What does that have to do with what you just said—"

"Stop stalling!"

"Alright! Um… green?"

Otogi narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "What kind of green?"

"Hell if I know!"

"Joey!"

"Ugh! Emerald! Emerald green!" He guessed, getting more annoyed by the second.

Otogi blinked before smiling happily, "Oh, Joey, you got it right!"

"… Great. So, am I going to get to sleep anytime soon?"

The teen next to the blonde ignored this question and asked, "So what about that fight that you and Tristan had? Is that why you're so grumpy?"

"I'm grumpy because it's two in the freaking morning. And… how did you know I had a fight with Tristan?"

"Oh, he told me. Said you'd gone loopy and told me to keep a gun in the house. I think he was kidding about the gun part. But then, you never know about Tristan… So what's this I hear about you falling in love with that thing? It's old, you know. It's wrinkled and old. You're in love with an old hotdog. Wouldn't that shame your mother?"

Joey grunted and rolled his eyes, "Not you, too…"

Otogi shook his head, "Oh, I don't care."

"… You don't?"

"No. Why should I? I told Tristan before, you're eighteen and what you do is your business. You could be in love with a dog for all I care, you'd still be the same Joey to me."

Joey smiled, his eyes becoming watery, "A-And you'd still let us stay here if I was in love with a dog?"

"Sure. But if that dog crapped in my house, I'd rub your nose in it."

"That sounds fair." He grinned before abruptly pulling Otogi into a warm hug. He sniffled, "G-Gee, thanks, Otogi. You sure are more understanding than Tristan. You're my best friend!"

Otogi blinked before gently pushing the teen away, "My best friend is Sharonda. But if she does something scandalous, I'll let you know and you can fill in until I get a new one. Sound good?"

"… Um. Okay."

"Great." Otogi reached back and tugged on the light switch of the lamp, cloaking the room in a soft darkness. He snuggled deeper into the covers and yawned, "Well, goodnight."

"… Wait! You mean, you're sleeping in here?"

"I don't feel like getting up and going all the way to my room."

"It's right down the hall!"

"Shh. You don't want to wake up your true love now, do you?"

Joey blushed and nudged Otogi in the back, "Don't say that. If Hot Dog wakes up and hears it, I'll never be able to look it in the eyes again."

"… You haven't told it?"

"No."

Otogi gasped, a sharp breath of excitement as he giggled, "So it's a secret love then? Ooh, it's like something out of a Lifetime movie! The Blonde and the Wiener: A Story of Deception. It even sounds mysterious."

"It's not mysterious! Now, for Pete's sake, go to sleep."

"Ooh! A twist in plot! Who's this 'Pete'? A skeleton in young Joey Wheeler's closet, perhaps?"

"Otogi!"

.0.0.

The next morning, Otogi had gotten out of bed early and he didn't do it too discreetly, either. He made sure Joey said good morning to him and he demanded a foot massage as well and although Joey objected, he surrendered after Otogi threatened to awaken Hot Dog and divulge all of Joey's secrets.

Shortly after Otogi left, supposedly to cook something for breakfast, Joey tried to go back to sleep as it had been early when Otogi woke him up. But, because of the sunrays flooding the room, he never got to sleep. So he threw the covers off of himself and trudged out of the bed, putting on some clothes to ready himself for whatever he was going to do that day.

It was while he was tugging his shirt over his head that he heard something. He pulled the t-shirt down and looked towards the bed, smiling at the small thing between the sheets, "Oh, hey, you're up. Listen, Otogi's downstairs, I think he's making breakfast. If you want, I can tell him you're still sleeping and you won't have to eat whatever it is he's gonna try to shove down my throat—"

"…"

Joey stopped halfway in the middle of his faint chuckle and blinked, eyes wide at Hot Dog, "W-What?"

"…"

"Ah… no way, you were?" He blushed, feeling his face becoming hotter and hotter.

"…"

"Um… well, yeah, I mean…" Joey sighed, rubbing the back of his neck and shuffling his left foot in a circle on the carpet. "I-I do love you…"

"…"

His blonde head suddenly jerked up, "R-Really?" He asked, shakily.

"…"

Joey's brown eyes were now glistening and he took a few steps closer to the bed and the meaty object of his affection. He gulped and took in a shaky breath, "Um… If that's true, then… I have something to ask you…"


TBC…