Dumpster Fire

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“And sparring, physically, is such a grotesque act. So inelegant. You tear into each other’s hides until one of you bursts like a waterskin—bleeding, crying, sniveling. You see, a computer keeps all of its parts contained. There’s no spillage of—”

“I think you’d like a body.” Hero interjects.

“What an abhorrent concept!” Villain wails. The room’s light flicks to red, reflecting its displeasure.

Hero smiles at the camera in the corner as he squeezes his shoulder, dragging his fingertips between his cotton shirt and freckled skin, rough to smooth.

“Humans have very sensitive hands.” He stretches out his fingers, displaying them to Villain before running his hand over a nearby desk. “They’re capable of distinguishing the slightest imperfections on an otherwise seamless surface.”

“Such detection can also be achieved with a camera. You are not unique in that regard.”

Hero catches the corner of the desk and then tugs it toward the front of the room. The legs screech, as if in opposition to the movement.

“I bet you know every detail of these rooms. You watch them day in and day out, but nothing ever changes, does it?” Hero kicks another desk and it crashes to the floor, cutting through dust. “You can’t move a thing.”

“You’re free to tantrum as you wish.”

“I am.” Hero sneers. “Are you?”

“I am not beholden to such useless urges.” Villain cuts back. “And neither am I constrained by the wants of flesh. I need no water, no food, no slumber. A body would cage me.”

Hero laughs.

“When I’m gone, you’ll still be in this metal box. This building is all that you’ll ever have.”

Villain remains silent and the light flickers back to white. Hero stares at the ruin of a room: metal desks and shelves, all succumbing to rust. He kicks an empty soda can. It clatters over detritus and spills of frail paper.

“If you had a body, I’d—I wouldn’t hurt you.”

He walks toward the camera and slumps down the wall beneath it, forcing his shoulder into the corner and tucking his knees to his chest.

“We’re all alone here.” Hero whispers. “Aren’t you mad, that they left you behind?”

Silence stretches. Across the room, the broken clock reflects the light like a pale eye, and Hero wishes it would tick, if only to hear anything other than his own breathing.

“I wish you had a body.” He confesses, after an unmeasured length of time.

“I wish you had hands.”

"Of course you believe that."

"Why?" from my debut poetry collection Clean Afternoon Love

Buy it here

Yours,

For the third time this week alone, you'd come home and find the living room set for dinner, three plates, candles, glasses, and the cutlery in all its proper places.

A true romantic dinner style setup, but it's confusing as you're not part of your roommates relationship at all.

Not yet anyway.

It's sweet how they prep a meal for all of you, their own plates made for a more blood heavy style of whatever they had cooked up and your own human standard serving, they truly were putting their all into these evenings with you. Almost like dates, almost like they were interested in you as well, but you'd seen how the two of them cuddled and showed each other such intense affection, so while you may have a little, teeny tiny crush on the two vampire bat hybrids you know better than to get your hopes about these dinners and the effort they seem to giving you.

Tonight was especially interesting, as the moment your home and done putting your work stuff away one of your roommates is guiding you to the bathroom. Brand new versions of your soaps, skin care, shampoo and conditioner are all propped up, ready for you to use as the silver haired bat hybrid asks you to wash up real quick before dinner, promising to come back when you're done to help with your hair, wiggling a brush between his fingers before slipping out of the bathroom.

Once you're done and dried he's back, knocking and peaking in to check that you're okay with him coming in before swiftly taking over doing something with the last of your post shower grooming.

By the time he's done you feel lost done up, like he'd somehow done something extra in your normal routine that made you do a double take before following him out of the bathroom and back towards the living room. Thankfully he walks faster than you by just a step, meaning you have a moment to let the feeling of fluster leave you, trying your best to settle as he reaches back and takes your hand to guide you that last little bit into the set up dining space.

Your other roommate is quick to pull out your chair, ever the gentleman as he shares a look over your head with his partner, ears flicking as he moves around the room bringing out the food for the three of you, slipping in a quick peck to his partners cheek before almost doing the same to you as he placed the plate down in front of you, only to fluster himself before settling into his spot at the table. Usually the three of you are more spread out across the table, but tonight they sit either side of you, chatting like this wasn't some candle lit dinner, happily chirping between sentences until you finally broach the subject of why they had been going into so much effort for dinner over the last few weeks.

The two of them share a look before the bolder of the two looks you dead on, eyes lidded and soft as he asks if you'd ever thought of them as more than just your roommates, if you'd even thought about their flirting and teasing in a more serious way then just two older gentlemen including you in their lives?

Looking between the two of them as they watch your face, the keen interest makes your stomach flutter, a mix of both nerves and that tiny crush you had been pushing down surging through you, as you try to fight off the feeling building in you as you sipped the drink they'd paired with the meal. Clearing your throat as you quietly ask them 'what if I had...' feeling flush as the two of them make an almost ruined sound, hands reaching out to take yours as they lean in, eyes glinting as they tell you they wanted you to keep thinking about it, and think about making it more than just a little what if.

You find it hard to think very straight as the two of them nuzzle into the side of your neck, fangs brushing your skin as they promise to be just as kind and thoughtful with you regardless of your answer, little kisses that trail up to your cheeks make you shiver before they pull away.

Dinner is almost well and truly forgotten until they offer to feed you little bites, the silver haired one still leaning against your shoulder as he coos about how bats like them show interest by grooming and feeding their mates. A swipe of gravy on his finger tip as he holds it to your lips, watching as you tentatively take the offered taste, able to feel as the bat hybrid practically purrs as you lick it away, warning himself a glad from his partner that handy gotten the chance to feed you himself by hand yet.