Howl (BW version)

You need to rub my belly

Chapter 7:

Win briefly wondered whether Bright was only doing it to annoy him before he poured the pot of lukewarm fish oil all over the bed. Watching as the slippery substance splashed over the nude bodies of Bright's latest group of friends, which had a mix of men and women. Win had to admit that a part of him was enjoying their shocked reactions a just little.

One of the men tried to stand, only to slip from the oil coating his feet. While a woman wailed as she brought her hair up to her nose and sniffed.

Win's lip twitched imperceptibly. Okay. Maybe he was enjoying it more than a little.

Bright stared at Win as everyone else ran out, a shocked expression on his face.

"What?" Win asked, his face serious, the challenge apparent in his voice.

Bright lay in the oil, a stunned smile spreading across his face. He laughed.

"Nothing."

"Good. I'll be in the kitchen," Win added, taking the pot with him as he left.

An hour later, a freshly scrubbed Bright sat at one of the seats in the kitchen, grumbling about never buying fish oil again. Win looked up from the notepad he was jutting notes in, not at all surprised that the model's mood had turned sour.

"Do you know how much those sheets cost me?" he accused Win. He sniffed his arm. "And the smell is still on me. Do you know how many times I've scrubbed this arm?"

"I'm sure you have more than enough money to buy another set of sheets." Serves you right, he thought happily.

Bright eyed Win suspiciously. "You seem happy."

Win looked back at his notes. "Do I?"

"Yes, you do. I saw you smirking in there when Armand fell down." Bright groaned. "Oh no. Armand. Now he's probably going to start spreading rumors around about me. Wasn't it enough that there were only five this time?"

No. "It doesn't matter to me how many there are. I expect a certain level of professional courtesy from my clients. Not introducing me to your personal harem would be a great way to start. You could also try waking up on your own while you're at it."

Bright rested his head on the countertop, lip jutting out in a pout. "You're a meanie, you know that?" Silence. "I'm hungry."

"Then make yourself something to eat."

"But I want you to make it." Bright looked up at Win, hoping to convey his self-pity. Win ignored him, walking out of the kitchen. Taking a seat on the sofa, Win continued to make notes. He was in the middle of trying to compile all the information he knew about lupins and their hunters. Although he had had a lengthy talk with Green and Tay, he was finding that he actually knew very little about the species in general.

Hissing softly in frustration, he closed his book, trying to think. He needed to find out more about lupins if he was going to work with one, preferably useful information that weren't of the X-rated kind, thank you very much.

He considered calling Green for a moment. Green did seem to know a fair amount about lupins for someone who claimed to not be one. Even so, his knowledge seemed to have holes in it. Tay wasn't an option either. When Win factored in all the things his boss would edit in the process of explaining lupins to him, plus all the holes in Tay's knowledge, asking Tay anything would amount to asking Green the same question while he was asleep. Closing his eyes, Win leaned his head back.

Then there was the third option.

Win opened his eyes and stared at the ceiling. Bright was always an option. Unlike Tay and Green, he actually was a lupin, which made him privy to a lot of things an outsider wouldn't be aware of. Plus, he was less likely to hide something from Win, having no incentive to lie to someone trying to protect him. Case in point, Bright had readily informed him just a day ago when he casually observed if no one in his harem had any sense of self-preservation since he never seemed to spot any used... protection amid the porn-like tableau he sees every morning (a fact that he was very much glad about not seeing).