“Moved in,” Baikal said plainly. “Like I told you I was going to do.”
“This is ridiculous.” He rubbed at his temple. “You can’t just insert yourself into someone else’s life like this.”
“Sure I can.” He flicked Rabbit’s nose as he passed, undoing the strap of his multi-slate and setting in next to the holo-tablet. “I’m taking this side of the bed. Cool?”
“Literally no.”
Baikal tipped his head contemplatively. “Do you sleep on this side? I figured you’d want to be furthest from the door. People with trouble sleeping in the dark tend not to feel safe enough to sleep close to the only entrance in case of an intruder.”
“Youarethe intruder!”
“You’re going to start to piss me off, little bunny,” Baikal warned then, fingers deftly starting down the line of buttons on his shirt, slipping them loose one by one. “It’s already late and I’m irritated you kept me waiting for so long. Don’t push your luck.”
“You know you make no sense, right?” Rabbit countered. “You say you don’t want to control me, and then you move into my house without permission. You say you like who I am as a person, and then you tell me not to speak if you don’t like what I have to—”
“I didn’t order you to be quiet,” Void corrected, pulling off his shirt and draping it over the edge of the bed as he advanced toward him. “I merely suggested you pick and choose your words more carefully. That’s all.”
“Oh, is it?”
“Yes.” While maintaining eye contact, he reached for the button on his jeans next, and then the zipper.
“Stop it.” Rabbit glanced away, hating how his cheeks started to warm.
“Stop what?” Baikal took another step closer, so the heat of his body wafted toward Rabbit invitingly.
Rabbit had already guessed that the two of them would be sharing a room, and, if he was being completely honest, at least with himself, he wasn’t actually all that upset about it. When was the last time there’d been another soul in here aside from him? His mother hadn’t been in over six months, and while he’d choose loneliness over her company any day, that didn’t change the fact that he was in fact a bit lonely.
Up until last year, he’d at least had—
He cut that thought short.
But it was worth recalling, at least in part. In the rush of it all, he’d almost forgotten that his mother was aware of his and Void’s relationship. He’d yet to hear from her only because the dozen or so voice memos she’d sent had been left sitting, but there was no way she was planning on letting this slide.
She could never stand back and allow anyone to get too close to Rabbit for fear they would distract him from his goal—aka, her goal. Prodigies didn’t have time for friendships or romantic entanglements according to December Trace, something that must have slipped her mind when she’d tried hoisting him off on the Zamir family.
Should he call her? Playing offense may be the safest way to ensure both he and Void were left alone by her in the long run. If she chose to get involved there was no telling what she’d do, or how she’d approach someone of Void’s stature.
“Hey.” Baikal’s hand was suddenly on his nape, forcing him to turn back and look at him. “What was that?”
Rabbit feigned indifference. “What?”
“You get this look on your face sometimes…”
“How would I know?” He shoved Void’s hand off of him and stepped back. “I can’t see my own expression. Whatever. I’m going to get ready for bed.”
“What do you think I’m in the process of doing?” Baikal stopped him, grabbing onto his wrist to lead him into the bathroom. He shut the door behind them, and then made his way over to the glass shower stall, flicking the spray on and testing it before turning back. When he saw that Rabbit hadn’t moved an inch from where he’d left him he quirked a brow. “Are you planning on getting in fully clothed?”
“Is that an option?” Rabbit asked before he could help it. Then sighed. “I don’t want to shower with you, Void. We can take turns.”
Baikal stared him down silently.
“Come on,” he crossed his arms, “it’s not like you have to worry about me making a run for it. This is my house, remember? I don’t have anywhere else to go.”
“Even if you did,” Baikal promised darkly, “I’d find you.”
“Yeah, yeah,” he shook his head and made light of it to mask the way that comment had his stomach twisting into tight knots—and not necessarily in a bad way like they should. “I get it. I’m yours, blah, blah, blah.”
Baikal’s spine stiffened and his shoulders went tense. In less time than it took to blink, his entire demeanor changed, hardening.
