CARNIVORE [MxM+]

Chapter 21 [Revised]

Tycho Black. 

ANOTHER FULL DAY PASSED BY, and I stuck to a solid routine. I woke up, sat in bed with my back to the wall and a blanket covering my lap for the entire day, ignored the three men who tried to keep things comfortable for me, ate their food, then went back to sleep. It was the morning after that day that Alexei suddenly burst into the room, disregarding the boundary I had clearly set.

 "Tycho! Hey." Alexei pranced around as I stared out the window, not attempting to continue the interaction. I don't know why I was behaving like this, but shortly after I agreed to stay here, something in me clicked. I couldn't bring myself to speak to any of them, much less make eye contact. 

I didn't want to be rude. Why am I like this?

My pessimism didn't seem to affect his excitement. I just hoped he'd go away soon after realizing it was pointless.

He suddenly stopped moving and looked up. Without warning, he deeply inhaled through his nose, but stopped halfway through because he began coughing. He made a disgusted face before looking at me.

"Is that you?" Alexei laughed, making a point of plugging his nose. "Holy shit, we have got to get you a shower. Like, now." 

My embarrassment was obvious. "Sorry. I didn't bring clothes with me."

I felt gross for being unshowered. I know I couldn't help it, but some part of me dreaded the thought of being naked in this house, even if it was alone behind a locked door. It was a cruel thought, but an honest one.

"That's okay. Here, I'll be right back."

My eyes found the window again when he left. I don't know how much time passed before he came back, a bundle of clothes in his hands. He came over and dumped them at the foot of the bed.

He had a smile on his face as he began dissecting the pile, occasionally holding a rather large T-shirt up to me, as if he were trying to see what it'd look like on me. Finally, he seemed to have everything picked out for me. He took the rest of the clothes that he didn't need and set them on a chair. 

He spread out the outfit on the bed and beamed up at me when he was done, like a kid trying to get praised for doing his homework. My curiosity got the best of me, so I decided to entertain him. 

The shirt was surprisingly not basic, considering it was Mr. Mendoza's. It was merch of some band I didn't recognize, and the logo in the center was thoroughly faded. The style of it was alternative. 

"You said this was uhm, Mr. Mendoza's? That's surprising. I didn't take him as a metal fan."

Alexei furrowed his brows. "Wait, 'Mr. Mendoza'?" He awkwardly laughed. "Why do you call him that?"

I cleared my throat. "I... Uh," I fear him. "I- I don't know. Just thought I should."

I could tell from the look on his face that he didn't believe me. "Okay, well, uhm, you don't have to call him that, you know. You can just call him Xavier. He prefers that anyway."

I scratched the back of my neck. This topic was uncomfortable. "Yeah, yeah, I will."

He nodded slowly. "Okay. That's good." 

He dropped eye contact. "So yeah, no, he's always been very into heavier music. I've gone to a few concerts with him, but that music isn't really my style, so I stopped going. Riley doesn't really like it, either. Do you?"

I pursed my lips. "Yeah, I mean, I guess. I'm definitely into like, the post hardcore scene and stuff like that. It's hard to find new music, though, 'cause I never have time. That and I don't have headphones or anything, and I'm not exactly allowed to listen to music loudly at home."