Not Unlike You

Chapter 3

The day after Adam's freak-out, He awoke to a remodeled home, to which Yukino gave both him and Centorea the grand tour. The only real changes to be seen were two things in particular: the doorways had been heightened and widened, and the bathroom had been expanded to accommodate larger bodies, almost making it into a shallow swimming pool in Adam's eyes.

New furniture was being considered by Yukino, but Centorea insisted that she didn't want any special treatment. On the note of special treatment, Ms. Smith had caught wind of Adam's public breakdown through pictures all over social media outlets and had called Yukino after analyzing what she had found.

"Honestly, I'm not surprised this happened. I AM surprised that it happened so soon. So if it makes you feel any better, I won't bug you guys about going out on the town with Centorea like I do everyone else for a bit. Just make sure that he's...stable, and try to get him out again when he seems ready. I'd ask YOU to take her out, but you have a job that keeps you away from home on most days. Have fun, and make sure that no funny business happens between those two. Bye!"

After hanging up, Yukino scoffed and looked up at the ceiling from her seat on the couch. "Ha! As if. He may be a genius, but his libido is non-existent, lady." She sighed to herself. "But she's right. I need to make sure he's not gonna blow up or anything before I let him out again." She looked to her left. "Which is why the next few days will be you helping to keep him comfy until the apocalypse is guaranteed not to happen. You understand Cerea?"

Just as the aforementioned centaur was going to proclaim her loyalty once more, Yukino put her hand up to signal a need of silence. "And I get the fact that you're pretty much gonna be attached at the hip to him, so just a simple nod will do, capiche?"

Centorea blushed at being called out for her knightly enthusiasm, but nodded none the less.

Yukino smiled in satisfaction. "Good. Though I will warn you now: Adam grew up around a copious amount of dogs, so you may notice some odd...habits here and there."

Centorea couldn't hide the confusion on her face and asked the one question that would lead to her downfall. "And by 'habits', what should I expect of my Master?"

(The Following Day)

7:30 AM

"Okay you two, I'm headed to work!" Yukino yelled upstairs. "Breakfast is ready and on the table, so come and get it before it gets too cold! Also, keep the house looking good until I get back, and don't forget to let Gregory out!"

After closing the door, Adam rushed downstairs, smelling the telltale signs of bacon. Centorea followed slowly behind him. In his haste, Adam tripped on the last two steps and fell, rolling into the foyer with all the grace of a drunk sea lion.

Before Centorea could come to his aid, Adam rose on all fours and ran like a dog into the kitchen. While perplexed, she just followed along like nothing was wrong, realizing that this might be one of those 'habits' that Yukino mentioned.

8:00 AM

After breakfast, Centorea excused herself so she could get cleaned up for the day ahead.

Unbeknownst to her, Adam was only half listening, and after giving himself a once-over sniff, he decided to join in as well, not wanting to leave the house awash in his 'funk'.

Centorea had sat down and began to rinse her hair with one of the detachable shower heads on the wall when she heard a soft padding of paws join her in the washroom. "Ah, tis only Sir Gregory. Though what a canine would want in here leaves me baffled." Reaching for the shampoo, she heard someone sit on the stool next to her, causing her to turn and find Adam rinsing his head as well.

"I'd think he would be in here for the same reason as you or I. Also, when you're done, could I get the shampoo from you?"

In shock, Centorea immediately brought her arms around her bosom, trying to protect her modesty. "Lord Belmont! What art thou doing in here?! I am not decent in the slightest, and it is unbecoming of a knight to appear before their lord in such a manner!"

Adam just shrugged while looking her directly in the face, his eyes never wandering. "It only seemed logical to me. As we haven't really gotten to know each other outside short conversations, I thought that the bath would be a good place to start." Snapping his fingers, Gregory came to sit between the two, ready for a rinse and wash of his own. "In my eyes, Cerea, when naked, you have nothing to hide from the world. You can be as honest and open as you want without the fear of judgment, as most clothes would cover you up and keep the true you from being visible to those you are close with."

His words struck a cord in her, and the fact that he kept his eyes locked on hers the entire time was surprising to say the least. But even though he seemed honest in his statement, she couldn't help but still have her cheeks stained pink while removing her arms from her chest. "Very well milord. But next time, wouldst thou please announce thyself before entering. It's still a bit embarrassing to be seen like this."

Nodding in affirmation, Adam went back to rinsing his head before doing the same for Gregory. Once they were all clean to their satisfactions, one by one they entered the bath. Instead of sitting on the bench at edge of the bath, Adam let his body sink to the bottom of the tub, until only the top half of his face was visible. Gregory just sat on the bath bench and watched his friend relax.

While she was learning a little more about how her master thinks, Centorea couldn't help but sink deep into the bath as well, hoping to conceal her breasts. Thinking back a few minutes, Adam's eyes never once glanced at her breasts. This perturbed her for some odd reason. She had learned that most men couldn't help but stare when it came to women with larger chests. But this begged the question: Did he not find her attractive? After thinking this, Centorea shook her head, wondering where such thoughts could come from.

Coming up for air, Adam saw Centorea debating with herself internally and decided to sit next to Gregory and engage his new housemate in some inquisitorial banter.

"So Cerea, are you enjoying your stay so far?"

Centorea looked up at hearing her nickname. "Verily Master. Yourself and Lady Hazama have been most gracious hosts, though I should apologize for not leading you away from that crowd from before. Had I known your reaction to be so severe, I would have leapt into action sooner!"

Adam spread his arms behind him on the bath's edge, sighed, and looked toward the ceiling. "Yes, but you didn't know. I only gave you a small snippet of a bigger personal problem, back when we were still in the hospital. I didn't think it was a problem worth worrying about."

To Centorea, he sounded like he was waving it off as 'no big deal', but this only agitated her. "What? Forgive me Master, but from what I saw, it most certainly is something to worry about! Why did you not divulge such important information earlier?"

Shrugging and folding his arms, he only replied loud enough to barely be heard. "I just don't like talking about myself. I'm no more important than anyone else. If anything, I question why you would devote yourself to someone as freakish as me."

Not liking where this was heading, Centorea lifted herself up, leaving only her equine half underwater, and walked over to face Adam directly. Standing at her fullest height in front of him, she forgot her embarrassment for a brief moment and pulled him into a hug, his head being made to rest above her bosom. "Centaurs do not choose their masters solely on merits of beauty or strength, but of action. You went out of your way to mete out justice on behalf of someone else, and though you were injured, you defended me in my moment of weakness. I could see no one else to be fit enough to be my Noble Master."

Sighing in resignation, Adam returned the hug. And though his face didn't show it, on the inside, he felt uplifted by his new friend and her kind words. What's more, he could hear her heartbeat, and it was quite soothing, in a way. But the moment was over after Centorea realized what she was doing. She walked backwards and submerged herself as low as she could go, her face as red as a cherry. This caused Adam to chuckle, and Gregory decided to swim circles around the embarrassed centaur, for reasons no one could guess.

8:45 AM

After the bath, the three of them had separated to do their own thing for a while. Adam had decided to check his email for new assignments from the magazines he wrote and translated for. Centorea had let herself out to the backyard, hoping to do some training and polish her sword. Gregory, with nothing else to do, followed his house guest outside and laid down on the back porch.

Centorea swung her sword with a grace that spoke of years of diligent training and effort. On a final thrust in her practice, she couldn't help but think something felt off. Her hoof placement was as steady as always, no wasted movements in her arms, and her breathing remained steady the whole time. So what could it be that bugged her so?

Sitting down next to Gregory on the porch, she began to polish her sword and let her mind wander. She thought back to the time they all shared in the bath earlier, and then it hit her. Adam's eyes had never wandered to her body, always keeping eye contact. While polite, this struck a nerve in the centaur.

Gregory could smell the distress in her thinking and lifted his head with a grunt to look at Centorea.

Sighing, Centorea looked back at Gregory. "I am unsure why it bothers me that Master didn't look at my body. If anything, he should be commended for his etiquette. But this feeling is problematic. It distracts me and makes me second guess myself. What do you think Sir Gregory?"

The dog only tilted his head in confusion before rolling over on his back, demanding belly rubs. Chuckling at his response, Centorea obliged. "Perhaps I am just overthinking on the circumstances surrounding us. Thank you Sir Gregory. Truly, you are a wise canine."

The dog only grunted in satisfaction, Centorea's soft hands making circles in his fur.

Meanwhile, Adam had been sifting through his emails, but came to one under the subject of "Notice Of Termination". Disturbing was a word that came to mind as he opened and read it to himself.

Dear Mr. Belmont,

We regret to inform you that as of this week, you are being let go. You have been a valuable asset to the company, but what you've contributed doesn't seem to resonate well with more of our readers as of late. Please be aware that your final paycheck has been wired to your bank account, and we wish you the best of luck in your future endeavors.

Sincerely,

Taro Kimura

Looking further down his inbox list, he found several emails, all saying similar things. Adam couldn't believe his lack of luck. Every single company he had been working for or with had decided to kick him to the curb. Sure, he wasn't hurting for money and wouldn't be anytime soon, but it still stung.

He began to feel something he wished he couldn't, but it persisted, and he felt the tears slowly fall down his cheeks.

Making his way downstairs, Adam sought the comfort of his loyal sidekick Gregory. Walking toward the back, he found Centorea polishing her sword with Gregory by her side. He wordlessly sat between the two. It took a few seconds, but after seeing the tears, Centorea and Gregory wrapped their friend in a warm embrace.

Centorea didn't have much experience in consoling others, but from what she'd seen and read growing up, a hug was almost always a good start in any path to emotional recovery. But something was off. Adam was shedding tears, but she couldn't hear any sob or slight choking of breath. Then she remembered back to something Yukino had told her the day before.

(Flashback!)

"As far back as I can remember, Adam's always functioned on logic over emotion. He always found reason to why he wasn't allowed to do certain things or couldn't have everything he wanted. While bizarre, it made dealing with him easier, especially when he misbehaved. So don't assume he can't feel emotions because of his stoicism. His feelings are still there, just more...subdued."

(Back in the Present)

Thinking back to when they met, Centorea saw a small amount of determination in his eyes before they gave chase to that purse thief. His smiles were there throughout their short discussions, just not immediately noticeable to those unfamiliar with Adam's personality. To note, he had chuckled at her embarrassment earlier in the bath. Centorea wondered if her Master was truly as subdued as Yukino had described.

Unnoticed by the centaur – whose thoughts kept her busy – Adam had leaned into the hug more after feeling how warm Centorea truly was. Sharing this trait with horses, centaurs had a higher base temperature in body heat to help combat harsh winters or freezing rain. Being sensitive to the cold, Adam naturally tried to snuggle deeper into this new heat source.

9:54 AM

After Gregory woke Centorea up from her train of thought (with repeated headbutts to the side of her horse half), she managed to dislodge herself from the hug, albeit with some effort due to Adam being stronger than his thin frame appeared.

"Master. With your new lack of employment, I feel I should ask: what shall you do with your free time , if not searching for a new source of income?"

A simple question, but not one Adam could answer off the top of his head. Pacing back and forth, he thought of all the free time he now had to pursue new hobbies or areas of study. So many possibilities, but where to start?

10:15 AM

The three housemates relocated to the living room, and Centorea had let her hair down on her Master's command. When Adam was younger and had met his half-sister for the first time, he had spent many of his mornings before school brushing her hair, saying that it provided him a sense of zen. Adam speculated that doing the same for his new friend might help him straighten out his train of thought.

Sitting upon the back of her other half, he ran a brush gently through her golden locks. The light from the window made every single hair glint like untarnished treasure. Adam couldn't help but wax poetic. "Like cascading waterfalls of gold. You must have made plenty of girls jealous back home."

Centorea blushed at the compliment. "T-thank you Master, but you are mistaken. Others jealousy came from my mastery of the sword. My mother made sure that not even the strongest male centaurs could stand against my blade. Which would explain why I had no suitors try to vie for my attention."

Adam couldn't help but wonder about centaur society. "Hmm. Well I'm sure that there were plenty who admired you, but they were probably scared of you kicking the crap out of them at the slightest provocation. Yukino was the same way when she was younger. My cousin Zack was the opposite after he joined the military. Men and women looked at him like he was a Demi-God, and he may as well have been. He forged a Buster Sword and preferred that over any gun. In fact, the only gun he ever carried was a Taurus Raging Bull. Everyone in his platoon always wondered how he could be so strong as to swing that sword, but he never gave a solid answer. But besides all that..."

Just listening to him, Centorea could sense the respect and admiration her Master had for his cousin, and wondered if she might challenge this man to an honorable duel sometime. Before her fantasy of an epic battle could play out in her head, she noticed that Adam had ceased his brushing with a thoughtful look on his face. "Cerea. Do you like games?"

With that one statement, they began a game marathon of nothing but RPGs, playing to Centorea's love of story and epic combat, like stories her mother had read to her when she was but a little filly. While the more sci-fi heavy ones were hard for her to get at first, Adam saw her adapt to them like a pro. Inventory management, excellent reflexes, keen perception of enemy weaknesses, and she told Adam that she had never really touched any video games before. This was hard to believe, but Adam yielded on account of her societal upbringing.

The two sat next to each other and reveled in one victory after another, while Gregory could only think to himself about how happy his best friend looked, playing video games with their new housemate.

5:12 PM

Yukino walked inside with a spring in her step. Today, she had been put in charge of bathing the dogs, and she had gotten two Pit Bulls, one Shih-tzu, one Shiba Inu, and three Huskies. The second Husky had been her favorite, what with those sky blue eyes and pearly smile. It made her heart practically melt. In her left hand, she had a bag filled with food she picked up on the way home, including a large salad bowl for Centorea. Her right hand held a bag containing her work clothes for today, ready for a good wash.

"Yoohoo, I'm home, and I hope you guys are hungry!" Yukino yelled into the house, but received no response. Hearing some noise in the living room, she went to investigate, only to find Ms. Smith sitting in a chair, drinking coffee and smiling her way. "Welcome home, but keep it down. They're sleeping." Smith pointed to the couch, where Centorea sat next to the arm on the floor, Adam's head leaning into her chest while her arm wrapped around him and rested on the back of Gregory's neck, the dog having his head in Adam's lap. The noise she heard was the menu music playing for Final Fantasy XV.

Smith set her coffee on a coaster and chuckled lowly. "I thought I'd pop in for a surprise visit, but I found these three knocked out after...what appears to be a LOT of games. Wish I had that kind of free time."

Just as Yukino was going to comment on how cute this looked, she changed her mind once a dreaming Centorea reached her arms up and proceeded to gently pull Adam's face deeper into her bosom, muttering to herself. "Please do with my body what you will. I am all yours, Master."

Slowly but surely, Yukino retrieved two ice packs from the freezer in the kitchen before returning with a wicked frown marring her face. She then proceeded to shove said ice packs down the shirts of both Adam and Centorea.

"Stop molesting my brother in your dreams, dammit!"