Paying The Rent (Edited and corrected)
Background for this piece:
This was a short and highly suggestive slice of life story that I knocked together in twenty or so minutes.
Ok...a bit of background on this one. My housemate wanted to do a bit of erotic artwork featuring his character and mine. I am open to cool things like that, so I said "of course." Before posting it on his FA account, he asked me if I could mind penning a bit of fiction to explain to the viewer exactly how we got in the situation depicted in the picture.
At the time he was having a bit of money problems, and as such I felt like the picture and story should have reflected the acts of kindness and compromise that people who share homes sometimes normally have to show each other. In this case payment of a bit of missed rent by "other methods."
Linked picture is available for viewing at my friend's FA account: http://www.furaffinity.net/view/5280979
Chracters:
Avon as Avon
Skavi as Skavi
The story as it appears here differs slightly from the one attached to the linked artwork. As I said it was done very quickly. Knocked together in a few minutes really, and I did not proof read it as well as I should have done first time.
*****
Paying the Rent - Story
By Avon
February 2011
Skavi kicked at the desk. Three months now, and still no offer of employment to help tide him over. He felt rotten, knowing that for another month he was going to have to rely on support from his parents and the charity of others to make life easier. He hated letting his friend down. Avon, the older deer with whom Skavi was sharing a home had been quick to offer him accommodation at a very reasonable rate in return for just doing a few household chores here and there. Having to wait for transfer to his bank account to clear in order to pay his cervine landlord what little he asked of him monetarily grated on the young reptile's pride.
Avon for his part would never demand payment from someone he knew to be short, and would instead insist that his younger housemate had nothing to worry about, as he'd support him as best he could. At least until said croc was able to find some gainful part time employment to help subsidise his studies. This is just the way the stag worked. A deep held belief that all who try hard, but fail through no fault of their own should never be punished with destitution for their failure.
Skavi both admired and resented this attitude. Clearly it was enormous benefit to him personally, but he had come to really like Avon in the years that he had known him and the months that he had lived with him. The croc always carried with him the deep worry that the world will always use people with such philosophy as a carpet. He was determined not to be one of those people. Which made asking for the favour he was about to ask for, all the more painful.
He knocked on the deer's door, as he went over what he was going to say in his mind.
"Avon..I'm a little short this month. I was wondering if you'd mind me owing you this months rent. Maybe give you a double payment next month instead?"
Sighing lowly and looking as embarrassed as a reptile was able to, he went over it again. No blushing, but instead a rather angered and frustrated expression. He knocked on his landlord's bedroom door again. There was no answer. He knocked yet again. Avon probably had his headphones on again. With a warm sigh, Skavi poked his head around the door, and saw the stag concentrating on the screen of his computer, and listening to music.
Avon for his part was quick to notice his friend hovering at the doorway, and happily waved the young reptile, removing his headphone. Always glad to talk to his lodger and listen to his problems.
"Avon...I have a favour to ask.." began the croc, as he stepped into the room a little way.
"You can always ask me, Skavi. What's the problem?" replied Avon as he set his headphones down on the desk.
"Well..it's about this month's rent. I am a little short, and I can only afford 100 of it. The rest WILL come to you..it just might be..later." grumbled Skavi in reply. The reptile looking rather annoyed with himself as usual.
"Awww..don't worry, dude. I remember well what being a student was like. If you're a little short, you can always owe me. I am happy with that. After all, I like helping you out when you're in a pickle. It's what friends are for isn't it?" said the deer with a wide smile. Clearly not upset over the delay to his rent at all.
"You're OK with this?" asked Skavi.
"At the end of the day if things get really dire, you can always pay in cock instead of cash." replied the deer, with a half joking wink and a teasing sway of his rump against his office chair.
Skavi grinned widely, showing off all his conical teeth. Somehow he had been waiting for his landlord to say something like. It seemed the cunning reptile was going to take his landlord a little too literally. Probably deliberately so.
"What?", asked the deer, rather nervously as he noticed his reptilian housemate shooting him a particularly carnivorous grin.
The crocodile merely continued smiling at the deer, approaching the cervine's desk before closing the door behind him....maybe just this once..just this one month...