Burdens - Chapter 101: Prepare
#101 of Burdens
Chapter 101: Prepare
The morning found a bed with only but one in it. The figure stirred but did not wake fully.
Roger had snuck out of the bed an hour earlier. He had wandered about the house and found that it was empty. His parents were starting to plan their ventures based on his own schedule, but they had left food behind in case they got hungry.
His goal, however, was not food. He merely wanted to check if anyone was present.
He had gotten back in the shower, and had begun to prepare himself through any means he thought necessary. He did not even know if he was mentally ready for what he planned, but he had convinced himself that waiting would only eat up whatever precious time they had, especially when it was inevitable.
Was it really, though? He could not base it on an assumption, but it tended to be the pattern. He hoped it persisted.
It was an hour and a half of preparation before he was completely satisfied. Now he found himself cold and wet, but he thought nothing of it. He was hungry now, but he avoided food for the moment.
When would it happen, he wondered. Possibly later that day, or even immediately.
He figured the place would just be in his room. On his bed, perhaps? What if he had not prepared enough? He began to doubt himself.
Would a towel be sufficient? He thought it might be, but in the case that it was not, perhaps the floor might work.
Images and videos flashed through his mind, all recollections of what he had used as study material, as he was as inexperienced as the wolf was in this field. Some positions remained the same while others looked complicated and varied. There were things he thought he would try, and other things that he would never try in his life.
Materials. What did he need? It was not much, but he grabbed a towel and brought it back with him to the room, where wolf was still asleep.
Lubricant. He had read, and even seen, the use of it, and had noted that he might make use of it, but never ended up obtaining any. He had made it a point earlier in the week to head to the store, but it must have slipped his mind.
What could act as a substitute? He quietly moved to the kitchen and searched around for some kind of oil, though all that he found was cooking oil, and he did not really want to use that. Would saliva be enough? After initial entry, perhaps it would be self-lubricating, he thought to himself. It probably would not be enough.
He returned to the room, thinking that if he ran over to a local store, he could purchase some, or maybe even postpone the event. A nagging thought entered his mind, and he reminded himself that he had waited long enough, and that waiting longer would be to go against what he had convinced himself of previously.
He encountered a woken wolf, watching him from under the covers. Roger smiled. It looked oddly cute, to see but a head popping out from under the blanket looking at him.
He asked nonchalantly if the wolf would be adverse to heading to the store before starting the day, or perhaps if he just went back to sleep while the fox went and retrieved something, the latter being much more desirable.
The wolf rolled over and went back to sleep. It was a simple response, and the fox was thankful of it.
He took his leave of the area and made sure he had everything he needed.
The store was not far away. Just a local drugstore. He had always passed by it, but never actually entered it.
He walked in, looked around, and saw that it was mostly empty. He sighed, relieved, and walked toward the back of the store where he thought it would be, and sure enough, he found it, next to many other things that made him blush.
He hesitated, and then turned around. What would the cashier think of him purchasing it? Of course it was none of their business, but... he grew anxious.
He went back to the front of the store, grabbed a basket, and began to wander the store once more. He grabbed some junk food, some water; perhaps, he thought to himself, he could just hide it among many other items, and then they might overlook it.
When it came time to purchase what he needed, he paused once more. He looked around, as if someone could have been watching him. No one was there, so he grabbed the most generic brand and, as he had read online, avoided the warming variant.
He brought it up to the cashier and gulped. Suddenly, he wanted to flee. Drop the project, abandon the mission. The items in his basket were disappearing rapidly as they joined their brethren in plastic bags. He turned around and pretended to look at the candy as the cashier continued to swipe the items.
He counted the beeps that he heard, wondering which one of them would be the one he worried about. He began to feel warm and faint, but he continued to just listen.
There was a pause, and he panicked. Had the cashier been looking at the item? Judging him, perhaps? What was running through his mind?
The cashier informed him of the total and asked how he wanted to pay the amount. Roger turned around and quickly handed him enough money to cover the cost. He pocketed the change, grabbed the bags, and quickly retreated home.
He found the wolf still asleep. He set the bags down and joined him in the bed.
Before he could do anything, he first needed to calm down. He closed his eyes and held the wolf close to him, and sighed. He hoped that this was truly the right road to walk down.