Monster under the bed

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#64 of Shorts

Rose moves into a basement apartment that seems almost too good to be true, only to find out it is. There's a monster under her bed, but not the kind you'd expect.


This is a work of fiction. Unless otherwise indicated, all the names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents in this story are either the product of the author's imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. All characters are of legal and consenting age, likewise if you are reading this story, you should be of legal age in your respective country.

All characters are my own creation, any resemblance to existing characters is purely coincidental and not intentional, please do not use them without permission. If you would like to use them in a story, please feel free to send me a PM either as Inja on SoFurry or TheRealInja on FA. As always, I am open to new story ideas or situations with existing characters as well.

And now...something a little weird.

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Rose huffed and panted as she set the final box down on her new living room floor. After months of searching for her own apartment in order to get away from her obnoxious roommate, she had finally found a place in the basement of an old building not too far from campus. For the price she was paying for rent, she couldn't complain about the floor she was living on, at least it was surprisingly quiet down here. The only disturbance she had was the occasional persons feet walking past her windows, but even that was very seldom she found. The combination of being an old building and being in the basement blocked out a majority of the noise, not only that, she had plenty of space to spread out and even had enough space to dedicate a corner to her art finally!

Rose had always been a bit of a loner and an outcast, due to her odd natural coloring and her curious "rosettes" that looked like a child's rendition of a rose that formed her spots, she really lived up to her name. Hell, she even naturally smelled of jasmine and honeysuckle, not that it was necessarily a bad thing. Though when she did build up a real sweat however, she smelled like a goddamn flower shop, even by her standards she smelled far too girly for her own liking. Her long strawberry blond hair sat about her shoulders in a mop of natural curls, but like nearly every woman ever, she wished it was straight so it'd be easier to do up into the style she preferred. It always took far too long to straighten in the mornings, so most days she just left it as it was, as much as it burnt her buns that her own hair defied her desires and wishes. Her pale blue eyes often hidden behind a pair of John Lennon-esque styled glasses with red lenses and her hair done up in a bun, Rose normally looked like a young Librarian in training. If not for her proclivity for leggings and loose-fitting tops more often than not smudged with paint, she might not have fit into the art scene at all.

The first few days in her new apartment were great, there were no classes for that week so Rose got stuck into her art and finally managed to finish a few pieces which had been hanging over her head for ages. With a feeling of accomplishment, Rose decided to treat herself to a pizza and some red wine while watching a cheesy horror movie that night. She was a real sucker for a good monster movie, though the really great cheesy B grade ones were few and far between that tickled her fancy.

As she sat on her sofa, feet curled up beside her under a blanket, a half-eaten slice of pepperoni pizza in her hand, Rose watched intently as the heroes on screen fired off their shotguns at the large tentacles crashing down the ship's hallway towards them in futility. "Damn, and I thought hentai tentacles were bad..." Rose laughed.

"I know, right?" came a disembodied voice from under the sofa.

"What the fuck!?" Rose yelped and bolted over the back of the sofa, looking around the room for the source of the voice and wielding her half-eaten slice of pepperoni like a weapon.

"Oh, hey. I don't think we've been introduced yet, I'm Ithukk. I'm the monster under your bed...well, sofa currently. Welcome to the building!" The voice called out rather nonchalantly.

Rose slowly got down onto her knees, gradually lowering her field of view down low enough to see under the sofa. She wasn't sure what she was expecting to see, but when she finally could see under her sofa, there was nothing there. "Is this some kind of fucking joke?" the pink snow leopardess growled, looking around for any cameras that might be recording her getting punked. Suddenly the "too good to be true" price for the apartment started to make sense.

"No no, no joke. I assumed Don the landlord told you about me. I'm guessing he didn't?" Ithukk asked, sounding almost disappointed.

"Alright, come out from where ever you are, pervert. Take your damned speakers and get the hell out of my apartment, right now!" Rose growled even more angrily, turning on the spot as she slowly scanned for anything out of the ordinary.

"C'mon Rose, don't be like that. Why do you think this place was going for so cheap?" Ithukk asked, as if confirming her suspicions.

"This isn't funny anymore, get the fuck out!" the feline snapped and stamped her foot.

"Alright, alright, I'll leave...for now. I live here too you know, so you're just going to have to get used to it!" Ithukk grumbled, his voice starting to fade as the sounds of footsteps walking down stairs was heard from beneath the sofa.

Rose moved over to shove her sofa aside, but there was nothing but solid wood floor beneath. Even when she tipped her sofa forward to look for a speaker stuck to the underside or some sort of prank device, she couldn't find anything. Returning her sofa back to where it was before all the madness started, Rose snatched up her mobile and began to angrily type out a message to her landlord.

"Hey Don, did you perhaps forget to mention something about your apartment to me!?" Rose glared at her screen as soon as she saw the three dots appear when Don started typing.

"Oh shoot, I forgot to tell you about your roommate. Don't worry though, he's harmless" Don replied nonchalantly.

"Roommate!? Harmless!? Where is he hiding and how can I get rid of him, Don!?" the feline instantly snapped back.

"If he's not under something in the shadows, then he's probably gone back to his realm, or sleeping. He sleeps a lot. Doesn't like the light, so make sure you turn them off then you go out. About to board my plane to Hawaii, have fun!" Don replied, no longer responding to Rose's follow up questions.

"Don't blame Don, he was just helping me out and now we're both kind of stuck with this situation is all," Ithukk's voice sounded beneath the sofa again.

"Fuck sake!" Rose yelped and quickly curled her feet up beside her. "What are you? Where are you!?"

"I already told you, I'm the monster under your bed...err...sofa. My name is Ithukk and I live here!" the voice replied in exasperation.

"That doesn't answer shit!" Rose pointed out in frustration.

"Okay, well you see, it's like this. You know the boogeyman and all those childhood monsters you heard about growing up as a kid?" Ithukk asked simply.

"Yeah..." the pink feline responded.

"Well, they're all real. Only, they're not all as bad as people make them out to be. Well, except for the sleep paralysis demon, that guy is a real asshole. The Boogeyman is just trying to help parents get their kids to behave, he loves discipline and order" Ithukk began to explain.

"So what are you then? I thought the Boogeyman was the monster under the bed?" Rose asked, her curiosity being peaked.

"Hell no, I'm straight. Why do you think he hides in the closet?" Ithukk retorted, even without seeing his face, Rose could tell he was probably smiling.

"You have got to be kidding me..." despite herself, she found that rather funny, but she wouldn't allow herself to laugh just yet. "So what are you doing here?"

"Feeding...for a lack of a better term. Sort of like how plants use photosynthesis, my kind feeds off the energies of your kind," the voice explained as simply as possible.

"So...you're a parasite, you suck our lifeforce or something?" Rose asked with a slight frown, suddenly feeling the need for a drink and grabbing her bottle of wine to take a swig straight from it.

"No, only the Boogeyman sucks..." He did it again, the damn creature was smiling and again despite herself, Rose nearly ejected red wine through her nose.

"Then what, how does it work if you're not a parasite?" she persisted.

"Well, depending how much and what kind of energy we process, also what kind of relationship we have with those around us...we can do things. All sort of things, from as simple and boosting your immune system, to in your case, probably amplify your artistic talent...be a muse if you will," Ithukk noted with confidence.

"Huh, is that why I haven't been battling with hay fever the last few days like I normally do?" Rose noted, wiggling her nose which had been oddly clear and not so stuffy lately.

"Yep, you're welcome!" Ithukk confirmed, sounding oh so proud of himself.

Rose and Ithukk spoke throughout the night and until the early hours of the following morning. The more they spoke, the more she grew to understand and even like the disembodied voice. He had an oddly soothing tone and was incredibly easy to talk to, not only that, he was downright funny and entertaining. He even made a show of eating a slice of pizza Rose slid under the couch for him, giving an obnoxious burb and sending the crust scuttling out from the shadows, much to Rose's amusement. He didn't need physical food to survive, but he could eat it if he wanted to, just for the taste and sensation more than anything.

At first Rose was dubious about giving Ithukk free reign over the apartment and kept the lights on, even though that did make sleeping rather difficult. But as time wore on and the more she got to know Ithukk, the more comfortable she became with turning lights off and letting him roam about. She had accidentally found out that he would instantly vanish as soon as a light was turned on, so she always had that as a backup should he prove to be untrustworthy. She had been half asleep when she'd absently turned off her beside lamp out of habit, casting her room into darkness. Only the dim light from the streetlights beyond filtered into the room, highlighting a shape as it gently pulled her covers up and tucked her in. Rose had woken with a start and scrambled turned the light on; the figure was nowhere to be seen, the only sign she hadn't imagined it was Ithukk apologizing for giving her a scare from beneath her bed.

Ithukk also proved to be very good at giving massages Rose found out. A few days after the bedroom incident she had come home complaining of a stiff neck after lugging a heavy book bag around campus all day. The living room was cast in gloom as Rose had become accustomed to leaving the majority of the lights off in her apartment for Ithukk, soon she felt firm but gentle hands starting to massage at her shoulders. Ithukk seemed to be in multiple places at once though, as she heard the bath going along with her fridge opening and a wine glass being set down and filled for her. Ithukk even started on cooking dinner for the tired feline as he ushered her towards the warm bath he'd drawn for her. "I could get used to this..." she half mumbled as she made her way towards the inviting warmth of the bubble bath.

"It's my pleasure, madame. Your happiness is like a fine wine to me!" Ithukk said in his best fake French accent, causing Rose to roll her eyes and shake her head at his antics.

As Rose began to strip out of her clothing, the faint scent of something delicious began to catch her nose. "That smells so damned good..." she said to herself as her tummy growled in eager anticipation, setting her wineglass down on the side of the tub while tying up her hair so it wouldn't get wet.

"Thanks, it's a lovely recipe I found in one of your old magazines" Ithukk's voice sounded right beside her.

"Aargh! How long have you been there?" Rose asked with wide eyes, covering her breasts with an arm while her other hand covered her crotch.

"Oh relax, nothing I haven't seen before" He laughed in response to her reaction.

"What? You've been spying on me while I bath!?" Rose asked, anger starting to rise.

"Well...yes and no. I live in darkness, remember. So I'm sort of where ever there is no light, but believe me, it's not like that at all" Ithukk tried to explain, but seemed to be battling to find the words.

"Oh, well then what's it like, Ithukk?" Rose growled low, looking around herself.

"My kind, especially ones like me, we're formless. We don't have a set shape or size, or any defining features. So it's just curiosity on my part, I just find you very interesting. Like your art, you're pleasing to look at is all" he replied, sounding a little hurt.

"Oh...uh...thanks..." Rose was caught off guard by his honest response, suddenly feeling silly. Slowly she lowered her arms and stood exposed in the darkness, feeling awkward for Ithukk having seen her in the nude.

"Need help scrubbing your back?" Ithukk suddenly offered, sounding more upbeat by her response to his honest answer.

"Sure, but keep it PG or else I'm busting out the candles mister..." Rose teased.

"Scouts honor...whatever a scout is...I know you can't see me, but I'm crossing my heart area!" Ithukk replied, once more sounding like he was smiling.

True to his word, Ithukk's touch didn't wander and remained professional as he helped scrub Rose's hard to reach places. He did almost nearly accidentally drown her though, giving her one killer scalp massage that nearly put her to sleep and sinking into the water before he caught her and woke her up.

The dinner was amazing and Ithukk followed it up with another longer massage that left Rose a purring pile of mush on the sofa. She found she couldn't keep her eyes open and soon drifted off to sleep where she was; when she awoke the next morning however, she was tucked in bed. Ithukk had obviously carried her through once she fell asleep, he'd even left a scribbled note on the floor over an oddly colored patch on her carpet which read "No more red wine on the rug!". It seemed she'd accidentally knocked her glass over and stained the carpet, but dear Ithukk had tried to clean it up for her.

Over the following weeks and months, Rose and Ithukk developed an odd relationship. Rose often joked it was the best relationship she'd ever had, while Ithukk admitted that it was the only relationship he'd ever had. It wasn't uncommon for Rose to keep all the lights off in her apartment anymore, her natural eyesight sufficient enough in the dark that she could find her away around without them on just be the faint glow from outside or even from her bedside alarm clock. But it also allowed Ithukk to move about freely, she'd gotten used to seeing his shape walking around. Most often he seemed to resemble a canine of sorts, but at times he had a long feline like tail. Though she knew this was more for her benefit than his, he was just trying to give her something to focus on so she wouldn't just be talking to a voice in the darkness.

They'd even started to get closer, often sitting side by side in the dark, on the sofa and talking about her day, or Ithukk just retelling old stories. She hadn't thought to ask how old he was initially, but from the stories he told her, he'd been around long before the invention of electricity even. But time passed differently for his kind, in their culture he was still barely out of teenagerhood. Relative to Rose, he was a bit younger by comparison.

"So tell me more about how you feed? I mean, I've seen you eat pizza and you really are a magician in the kitchen..." Rose began one night out of curiosity.

"Well there are different kinds of energies we can feed off of, each of us has our own tastes. Just how you prefer red wine to white, both do the same thing, it's just the flavor. The Boogeyman likes the taste of adolescent fear, apparently it has a sharp sweet flavor, kind of like a not quite ripe cherry. I personally prefer happiness, much like you, it tastes like a good red wine to me," Ithukk tried to explain in relative terms so she could understand.

"Happiness, huh? So that's why you do all these nice things for me, to make me happy?" the feline asked curiously.

"Well...mostly. The happy energy you radiate is delicious, but it's become more than that. I like you, Rose, I've never really had a friend before. So even if it wasn't something I required to live, I think I'd still just want to make you happy, because when you're happy...so am I" Ithukk had formed into his shadow-self beside her, gently taking her hand in his own as the canine like face stared at her. Even without discernable facial features, he was remarkably adept at displaying emotions. Everything in his body language was telling her that he was being honest with her.

The sensation against her lips felt almost cold and tingly, but he didn't pull back when she leaned in to kiss him. His ears were perked and standing straight up in obvious surprise however. When Rose didn't stop kissing him, he leaned back into her a little too. His arms wrapped about her shoulders lightly as he cradled the pink snow leopardess against himself. Ithukk smiled as he realized that Rose was purring as she shifted about to settle in his lap while he pet and stroked along her back. There was no rush or desperate need in the kiss, it just felt like the natural progression to their relationship, an expression of their growing feelings for one another. While being from two completely different worlds and not even of the same plane of existence, they had found something they both had needed and craved for so long. Ithukk saw Rose for what she was, a work of beautiful art and she in turn gave him shape and form to find himself.

"If you feed off of my happiness, how far does that extend?" Rose sat back in Ithukk's lap to give a shy little grin at him.

"Well, the happier I make you, the more energy you exude. Doing something small to get a little smile is a nice snack, making you purr while I massage you is like a full meal..." the canine shape explained in earnest.

"So...what happens if we...y'know...do it..." Rose stammered, feeling silly for even suggesting something like that to Ithukk.

"Do it...you mean like..."it" it?" Again, the canine shape before her managed to look surprised, even without eyes or eyebrows. Somehow he even managed to look like he was blushing when Rose nodded in confirmation. "I uhm...don't know...I've never..."

"Would you like to?" She pushed gently, even in the darkness and with her natural pink coloring, it was easy to tell the snow leopardess was blushing brightly as well. She'd never made the first move before, but yet here she was putting the moves on a centuries old being that technically didn't even exist in her world.

"Yes" came Ithukk's response, sounding thankfully more sure of himself than he really felt.

"You can start by touching me, if you want?" Rose offered as a suggestion, no sooner had the words left her mouth would she feel dozens of hands all over her. A truly unique sensation for sure, but one which she was mostly used to by now after all the massages Ithukk had given her in the past couple of weeks. Only this time, his touches began to gently brush at the borders of indecency and wandering closer to her more intimate spots. Even though she had offered him this, Ithukk still would not rush in and outright grope her, but she was fine with that.

Eventually he would get his first touch of her nipples and breasts in something other than a platonic fashion, pausing briefly to make sure Rose was still alright with it before moving on. His touch was electric cold, it left a pleasant tingle behind that perked her nipples almost instantly. Rose hadn't even noticed, but she was hovering a couple inches above Ithukk's shadow form lap as he lifted her so effortlessly. Hands began to caress every inch of her at once, feeling like another full body massage, but with something more. He was touching her everywhere, even spots he'd never touched before, and Rose was loving every moment of it. She felt incredibly relaxed and aroused at the same time, Ithukk was the most attentive lover she'd ever had. He paid very close attention to her breathing, her gasps and groans, even just the way her body moved when he touched certain spots to find what worked the best for her.

Rose had never been particularly fond of the intimate side of relationships before, they usually were one sided and she was often left unsatisfied and feeling used. It was also one of the main reasons she had never pursued anything with anyone since her last breakup, it was just too much effort for so little reward. But Ithukk was different, he only wanted to please her and make her happy. At first she realized that was perhaps selfish of her because she wasn't giving him anything back, sure he was surviving off her energy, but there was nothing beyond that which she was giving to him. But this, this felt like she was truly giving him everything, she wasn't holding anything back anymore.

Ithukk's fingers curled inside her and began to work in a series of waves, making a "come hither" motion within her. The sensations at her nipples was hard to pinpoint as well, somehow he managed to make it feel like he was pinching her stiff little buds with just the right amount of pressure while simultaneously sucking and nibbling at them all at once. Down between her thighs that damned cold electric tingle was toying with her clit, keeping her hips squirming and bucking as the feline couldn't decide if she wanted to escape that pleasurable torture, or grind roughly against it. For someone that had never been intimate before, Ithukk was showing Rose heights of ecstasy she had never thought possible.

With a shuddering gasp and a firm rolling of her hips down against the fingers working in and out of her below, Rose reached her peak faster than ever before. With a strangled cry she called out his name as her muscles briefly went taut, the feline collapsing into a quivering heap in his embrace. Once her heartbeat lowered to something slower than a gallop, she heard an odd almost electric crackle all about her. With weary limbs she sat up and looked at the smiling shadow form before her.

"Oh my God, Ithukk...your eyes..." Rose gasped out aloud.