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Just like he promised, Kabru came over for dinner and brought the notes from class with him so that Laios could study them to his heart's content and copy whatever information he needed into his own notebook. Seeing that Laios was planning to copy his notes word for word, Kabru offered to make a copy for him at the printing office on campus, but Laios declined his offer, saying that writing things himself helped him remember things better. And so, while they waited for the food, Kabru watched Laios diligently copy the notes, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. He wrote slowly, letter by letter, as if to make sure that every individual character would be perfectly legible. As a result, his handwriting was actually pretty neat, despite his frankly bizarre technique of handling the pen. It took Kabru a good few minutes to recognise certain aspects of his own handwriting in it. There was something very endearing about that. Imitation was the highest form of flattery, after all. Granted, the process seemed to be entirely subconscious on Laios’ part, presumably coming up as a side effect of trying to copy Kabru’s notes as faithfully as possible.
After dinner – cheese pizza with the creamiest tomato sauce and the thickest layer of cheese Kabru had ever seen, very tasty but quite heavy on the stomach – the two of them retired to the bottom bunk of Laios’ bed, clutching their stomachs. Kabru, not used to eating such big, hearty meals, initially found himself suffering from a bit of acid reflux that made him feel like he might have to rush to the bathroom. Thankfully the sensation disappeared on its own after a few minutes, leaving him with a vague sense of fullness that didn't feel quite so nauseating. Laios, on the other hand, mostly seemed to suffer from a build-up of gas in his digestive tract. His stomach bubbled, rumbled, and growled, occasionally causing a miniature earthquake in his belly. Cheese tended to have that effect on him, he explained, somewhat flustered, as Kabru gently pulled him into his arms and slipped his hand under his shirt to massage his stomach. Kabru suggested that he may have been lactose intolerant, but Laios wasn't convinced. His stomach was pretty sensitive in general, he said. Besides, it wasn't as if he could stop eating cheese, his favourite food, even if it was going to kill him one day. Unable to argue with that, instead Kabru focused on rubbing Laios’ belly in hopes of helping it settle down. The rumbles gradually transitioned into soft purrs.
Laios’ body slowly relaxed under Kabru’s touch. Usually, he would have taken a nap right about now, letting his body do its work digesting his meal while his mind wandered somewhere far away, but Kabru’s presence made him want to stay awake at all costs. He leaned his head against Kabru’s chest, breathing softly, evenly as he watched him from beneath lowered eyelids. “So, now that we've had dinner, do you wanna talk about whatever you wanted to talk about?” he prompted, rubbing his cheek against Kabru’s shoulder.
“Ah, yes. I suppose this would be the right time to do that,” Kabru said, thoughtfully stroking his chin. “To be honest, I may have made it sound more serious than it really is. There are some points of compatibility I would like to discuss with you, of course, but more than that, I just want to get to know you a little better. I've learned a lot about your interests over the past few weeks,” he went on, moving his hand onto the back of Laios’ head and gently ruffling his hair. “I’m familiar with your opinions on depictions of anthropomorphic animals, your thoughts on fictional worldbuilding, and of course your ultimate fursuit project. I've seen your creations and I'm in awe of your talent. In certain ways, I've gotten to know you quite well. I know that you're very passionate, knowledgeable and intelligent, as well as sweet, compassionate and thoughtful. That you're a fantastic elder brother and a loyal friend. I also know that your insecurities will likely prevent you from taking anything I just said at face value. I will definitely have to do something about that,” he said emphatically, pursing his lips. “That said, I can't help but feel like in many other ways, I don't know anything about you at all. It's only natural. We've only known each other for a little over a month, after all. Even if both parties are very open and forthcoming, certain things are just not going to come up within such a short period of time.” And neither of them were particularly forthcoming, as it were. “I would like to fill some of these gaps in my knowledge, if you'd allow it, by asking you some personal questions. You don't have to answer them if you don't want to, of course,” he added quickly, sensing some tension from Laios' body. “I can promise you that I'm not going to use anything you tell me against you, though.”
“Yeah, I know. I didn't think you were going to do that,” Laios said curtly. If Kabru wanted to hurt him, he'd already had more than enough information and plenty of opportunities to do so. That small comfort wasn't going to make it any easier to open up about some truly personal things, but he was willing to give it a chance anyway. “You know what? Yeah, sure. You can ask me anything. I doubt any of it is going to be super useful to you, though,” he added matter-of-factly, wagging his index finger. “You already know all the most important bits.”
Kabru’s lips curled into a mischievous smile. “Ah-ah, I'll be the judge of that,” he said cheerfully, poking the tip of Laios’ nose with his index finger. “Well, then. For a start, I would like to know more about your background. All I know based on what I've been told by you, your sister and Marcille, is that you came to this country as a teenager when your parents sent you to school here, you quit before graduation, reunited with your sister years later and have been doing odd jobs ever since to stay afloat. You have to admit that that's not an awful lot of information to work with. More specifically, I'm really curious about your hometown, to be honest. I realise that it's been over a decade since you left, and your memories might have faded during that time, but if you could just tell me whatever you remember, like when you told me about your Easter-related customs, that would be of great help to me.” He gave an apologetic smile. “Ah, forgive my curiosity. It's a professional vice, I'm afraid. As an anthropologist, I simply can't help myself sometimes.”
“That's fine, but...” Laios said, scratching behind his ear. “My hometown was pretty boring. Nothing ever really happened there. Hang on,” he added, closing his eyes, “I'm gonna try to think of something to talk about.” He fell silent for a moment, his chest and belly rising and falling with every breath. His stomach occasionally let out quiet gurgles and hisses. “All right, I think I've got it,” he said, putting up his index finger. “Let's say this is where we are right now. My hometown would be somewhere around here,” he explained, moving his finger a few centimetres to the northeast. “...Yeah. Close enough. We lived in the highlands, if that tells you anything. That's where that huge mountain range is.” He glanced towards Kabru for confirmation before continuing on. “You'd think living near the mountains would be really cool, and in a way it kind of was, but the village itself was pretty boring. Just some houses and a bunch of sheep and goats. And dogs, obviously. Sheepdogs to protect the sheep, and also hunting dogs. My father had a bunch of them. But I think I already told you that.” He stroked his chin thoughtfully. “What else... Ah, yeah!” He snapped his fingers, his face lighting up instantly. “There was a legend about a dragon that lived in the mountains. When we were little, Falin and I wanted to go hunting for it. Obviously, we never ended up finding the real dragon, but we saw a sculpture of it when we went to the city.”
“Ah, that's exactly the kind of thing I was hoping to hear!” Kabru exclaimed, his eyes twinkling. “A dragon in the mountains, you say? Interesting! I believe I know what you're talking about.”
“The Wawel Dragon, yeah. Pretty cool,” Laios said, nodding to himself, and tilted his head back slightly to look at Kabru. “What about you? Where did you come from?”
“Huh?” Kabru raised his eyebrows, taken aback by the question. Then he furrowed them, looking off to the side, and seemed to hesitate for a moment. “I see. Since I asked you a question, I suppose it's only fair that I should answer one of yours in return. Very well.” He cleared his throat. “I assume that you know where the Himalayas are. It's a large mountain range in Asia. I'm sure you've heard of it. That's where I spent the earliest years of my life,” he said softly, his voice tinged with nostalgia. “Um... I suppose I could narrow the location down further, but I doubt that would tell you anything. All you need to know is that I'm from the northernmost part of the Indian subcontinent.”
Laios' eyes twinkled with delight. “Ah! So you're from the mountains, too! You're a highlander just like me! That's so cool!” He stirred against Kabru's body. “Wow! India, huh? That's so far away! You've got tigers over there, right? Have you ever seen a tiger? Or an elephant? What other animals live there?” he rattled on enthusiastically, poking Kabru's shoulder as he spoke. “Wait, wait! The Himalayas... That's where the Yeti lives, right?” he asked, nearly out of breath from excitement.
Kabru put his hands up. “H-hold on! One question at a time, please! I need a moment to respond!” He heaved a sigh. “Um, let's see... Yes, tigers and elephants are found in the area, but I have never seen one in person. Other animals...? Um, there are foxes, I suppose, and pangolins... I imagine you know more about animals than I do.” He anxiously rubbed his temple. “About the Yeti... Um, kind of, yes. It's found much deeper in the mountains than where I lived, though.”
“Huh! So it's the same as my dragon, in a way. Your animals are much cooler than mine, though. It's giving me ideas for your fursona,” Laios mused, stroking his chin. “How did you get all the way over here, anyway? Did you want to go to school here, or something?”
“Ah, that's kind of a long story,” Kabru said vaguely, avoiding eye contact. “We don't really have the time to get into it right now. Perhaps I will tell you about it some other time.”
“All right, got it,” Laios said, only a little disappointed. At least he would have a story to look forward to in the future, and it already sounded like it would be way more interesting than his own. “Was there anything else you wanted to ask me about?”
“Oh, plenty of things.” Kabru slightly shifted the position of his leg, brushing his knee against Laios' thigh. “Let's see... Perhaps you could tell me about your parents?”
Laios knitted his eyebrows. “If you really want me to...” he murmured, pouting. “My mom... she was really anxious all the time. She freaked out over the smallest things, you know. She was pretty all right otherwise, though.” His expression grew heavy and sharp. “My father was something like the village chief, I guess. He was probably hoping that I'd take over after him. Well, that's never gonna happen now,” he said resentfully, with a bitter smile. “I'm not going back there, no matter what. Not like I have a reason to, anyway.” He paused for a moment, scratching his cheek. “Honestly, you'd be better off asking Falin about it. She's still in touch with them, I think.”
“Oh, really?” Kabru hummed.
“Yeah. I don't really get it. They weren't exactly good to her when she was little. That's why we both left, you know.” He offered a shrug. “I guess it's not my business if she wants to send them letters from time to time. She probably knows what she's doing better than I do.”
“Right...” Kabru furrowed his brow sympathetically as he rubbed Laios' back. “Let's change the topic, then. There's something I wanted to confirm with you,” he said, running his fingers through Laios' hair. “You haven't had any prior romantic engagements, right?”
“Well, technically, I was supposed to have one,” Laios said, tapping his chin. “There was a girl they were going to set me up with. If I didn't leave when I did, I'd have no choice but to marry her.”
“Arranged marriage, huh?” Kabru blinked. “Wait a second, how old were you when you left?”
“Almost thirteen, I think. It's kind of messed up when you think about it, right?” he mused, stroking his cheek with his index finger. “I guess that's just how things are when you've got a small village like ours. There's not a lot of people living there, and most of them aren't gonna go and move somewhere else. In that sense, letting your parents pick someone out for you ahead of time can be pretty convenient, I guess. It's not like it's gonna make that much of a difference, you know? You're gonna be unhappy either way. It's a pretty boring life, no matter who it is that you're married to. ”
“I see,” Kabru hummed. “It doesn't seem like you have any regrets over your decision to leave.”
“Not really. I mean, I only saw the girl I was engaged to once before I left. She was all right, I guess. I barely remember anything about her. It's probably better for both of us that it didn't work out, you know? There was no way that it would've ended well. Besides,” he added, defiantly crossing his arms, “there was no way I was gonna stay, anyway.”
“Right.” Kabru tilted his head. “Out of curiosity, do you have any interest in women at all?”
“Huh? No, not really,” Laios responded, lightly shaking his head. “Honestly, I don't really understand girls. Probably because I haven't been around them much. Even my school was an all-boys school. I had some co-workers who were girls, but I wasn't really close with any of them. There's Marcille, obviously, but I never thought of her this way, either. That would be weird.”
“I see! That's what I thought, but I wanted to be sure,” Kabru said, hiding his smile behind his hand. “What about men? What do you like about them? What traits do you find most attractive?”
“Oh boy!” Laios chirped, positively beaming. “Where should I start! Um, well... Obviously, I like beast-men a lot. Werewolves, weretigers, centaurs, minotaurs, you name it. I love beast-men. They're amazing.” He sighed dreamily, stroking his flushed cheek with his index finger. “Ah, but that's probably not what you meant,” he said, momentarily snapping out of his daze. “After all, beast-men aren't really. As far as we know, at least,” he added, raising his finger for emphasis. “Then, uh... The usual stuff, I guess? I admire guys who are really nice and smart, like you. That's a big one. Ah, and I really like hairy guys. They make me super jealous, though. I wish I had more body hair. It would be nice to at least be able to touch it, you know.”
“Well, then,” Kabru said, obviously stifling laughter, “I suppose you and I are both in luck. You see, I actually haven't so much as trimmed any of my body hair since the beginning of Winter. I considered doing it now that it's gotten warmer again, but I held back just in case you had a preference for body hair. Evidently, my hunch was right. They usually are.”
“You're hairy?! No way!” Laios cried, fully turning towards Kabru, his hands hovering at his sides, shaking slightly. “Ah, let me see, let me see! Let me touch! Come on! Please!” he pleaded.
Kabru pursed his lips, pressing his index finger to Laios' mouth. “Shhh. We're not done talking yet. I promise that I will show it to you very soon,” he said softly.
“Aww, man, come on...” Laios whined pathetically, scrunching up his nose. “Now that you said that, I'm not gonna be able to focus on anything else. So unfair!”
Kabru snapped his fingers, instantly drawing Laios' attention towards his face. “Laios. Listen to me. If you behave now, your patience will be rewarded very soon. Do you understand?”
Laios gulped, feeling even more aroused than before, and subconsciously squeezed his thighs together. “Yes, Kabru. Sorry, Kabru. I'll behave,” he murmured, apologetically rubbing his cheek against Kabru's shoulder. “By the way, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?” Kabru asked, gently running his fingers through Laios' hair.
“Ah, well, it's a few things, really,” Laios mumbled awkwardly, his voice a little muffled. “I guess I'm gonna start by asking you the same thing you asked me just then, about other relationships and stuff. It doesn't really matter to me, I figure it might be good to know anyway.”
“Oh, you wanna know if I've ever been with anyone before?” Kabru hesitated for a moment, moving his hand down the nape of Laios' neck, causing him to squirm. “Hmm...” He furrowed his brow. “Well, it's kind of complicated... Let me put it this way, I suppose. I've had a number of casual sexual encounters in the past, but I've never been in a steady relationship before.”
Laios nodded his head. “Ah, I see! So you've never dated anyone before? That's kind of unexpected,” he mused, stroking his chin. “So, then... I'm your first...?”
“...Boyfriend?” Kabru suggested, his voice noticeably rising in pitch. “Yes, you are.”
“Aah!” Laios immediately buried his flushed face against Kabru's chest, his entire body vibrating with excitement. Kabru gently rubbed his back with both hands, burying his face in Laios' hair to hide his smile. “Wow! Oh, wow!” Laios squeaked, kicking his feet. “So we really are boyfriends! Ah, that's so cool!” He lifted his face slightly and rested his cheek against Kabru's shoulder. “You know, it's pretty reassuring to know that it's a first for you, too. I was worried that you'd be annoyed with me for having no idea what I'm doing. I guess we're gonna have to figure it out together.”
“That's right,” Kabru murmured fondly, kissing Laios' scalp. “For what it's worth, I wouldn't have been annoyed with you regardless,” he added emphatically. “Just so you know.”
“I know, but still...” Laios sighed, and promptly shook his head. “Oh, yeah, the other thing I was going to ask you! You're gonna sleep over again tonight, right?”
“Ah!” Kabru fluttered his eyelashes, his cheeks flushing lightly. “I'll admit that I did pack a change of clothes, as well as all of my textbooks, just in case I were to stay the night again. I probably should have asked if you were fine with that ahead of time, though.”
“No, no, it's all good! I was hoping that you'd wanna sleep over again, so I'm really happy about it! I enjoyed sleeping next to you and having breakfast together last time. I can't wait to do it all again! And then we're gonna go to class together! That's pretty convenient, huh?” he hummed with satisfaction, impressed by the cleverness of his own plan. “You can sleep over whenever you want. I don't mind at all. The reason I brought it up is, well, if you're gonna keep sleeping over here, it would be a good idea to leave some of your stuff here. Just so you don't have to keep going back and forth, I mean. I could get you a toothbrush. They're pretty cheap. And uh, the other reason I wanted to talk about it...” he went on awkwardly, looking off to the side. “Look. I didn't mention this before, but Shuro is gonna be moving out pretty soon. Sometime in June, I think. Anyway, that means that I'm gonna need a new roommate once he's gone. I know it's still pretty early, but I wanted to ask,” he gulped, “if you'd wanna move in with me.”
The corners of Kabru's mouth twitched. “Ha! Funny you should mention that. As a matter of fact,” he said, a smile dancing on his lips, “this is the next question I was going to ask you. It seems like you beat me to it.” He huffed with amusement. “The answer is yes, of course.”
“You already knew about that? I guess he must have told you,” Laios mused under his breath. “You're gonna do it? Really?! Oh, thank goodness,” he exhaled with relief, burying his face against Kabru's chest once again. “You know, Kabru,” he said softly, “ever since I met you, everything's been going really well. It's kind of amazing. You're amazing,” he added emphatically.
“I even healed your stomach ache, didn't I?” Kabru teased, patting his belly.
Laios' eyes grew wide. “Huh! Yeah, you really did,” he admitted, getting up to his knees. “I should probably still go to the bathroom, though. Just in case.”
“That sounds like a good idea.” Kabru giggled into his hand. “Go ahead. I'll be waiting here for you. And, who knows? I might even take my shirt off,” he teased, sending Laios a wink.