The Trouble with Roommates Ch. 01

Nick was right in the middle of a firefight in an online shooter when he heard a knock on his door. His roommate Brian stuck his head in. "Hey Nick. Rent's due tomorrow, make sure you have it for me." Oh shit, Nick thought to himself.

Nick was regularly late with the rent. His website design job paid fairly well and let him work from home, but there were more important things like new video games or beers with his friends that he needed that money for. It wasn't like it was a big deal, Brian had a great job, he could pay for it all himself. Nick didn't even understand why Brian even wanted him for a roommate, he wasn't into weightlifting or sports like most of Brian's friends, he had never been athletic and was more of the artsy type. Brian's muscular frame and masculine features made him look tiny by comparison, and he had grown his blond hair out past his shoulders to emulate his rock idols in sharp contrast to Brian's short cropped hair. Still, they got along well and the only time Brian was upset was when Nick missed a rent payment.

The next day Nick was gaming again when he heard Brian get back to their house. After a few minutes he was at Nick's door again. "Hey Nick. It's Friday, do you have rent for me?"

"Hey Brian. Sorry man, I got the new Call of Duty game a couple days ago and I don't have anything left over. I'll get it to you next week, promise."

"This is two weeks now Nick. I can cover you again this time, but this is serious. We need to come up with a way to make sure you have the money for me."

"OK, I'm really sorry, it won't happen again"

To Nick's relief Brian left the room. Thank god. What's his problem? He knows I'm good for it.

A couple of hours later Brian called Nick into the kitchen. "Nick, I've had enough. I've been thinking of ways to get you to finally pay your fair share of rent, and I've come up with an idea.

"The way it works is simple. First off, I wipe your debt out. You don't owe me for last week, and you don't owe me for today. Starting next week if you don't have the money you'll receive a penalty that will stay in effect until you have paid. If you miss the one after that, the next level of penalty will be put into place. These penalties will continue to compound until you are able to pay yourself up to date. Do you understand?"

"Sure, Brian, I guess. What kind of penalties?" Nick was a bit worried. He couldn't really afford to live on his own and Brian was a great roommate, but this talk of penalty was starting to remind Nick of his parents. I can't move back in with them, Nick thought. They had kicked him out a year ago after they caught him with weed and Brian was the one who helped him get back on his feet.

"Each time you miss a rent payment you'll start that penalty and I'll tell you what the next one will be. If you're smart, you won't miss any payments past there. If you decide to keep skipping rent and keep compounding the penalties, you'll only have yourself to blame."

"Ok, ok, I get it. Let's just hear the first one."

"If you miss next rent, you will clean the house daily until you have made it up. Sweep and mop floors, wipe counters, and tidy up after us."

That doesn't sound too bad. Maybe this won't be too awful. "Ok, you're on. Don't worry Brian, I'll have rent for you next week."

***

Nick said he'd have rent next week, and he meant it. He got a good cheque Monday for designing a site for a local pawn shop, and went out for beers with his buddies to celebrate. Tuesday he took a trip to his favourite video game store and they had a rare Japanese copy of his favourite game, so he just had to buy it. On Wednesday his laptop died and cost him $150 to fix, and when Friday morning rolled around he was left with barely enough in his chequing account to buy groceries.

Nick considered his options. He didn't really mind cleaning... it'd take under an hour a day, and besides, it'd only be for a few days until he gets the cash together.

That night when Brian got home from the gym Nick found him in the kitchen. "Hey Brian... sorry man, some things have gone wrong and I don't have rent for you today. I guess I'll get started cleaning first thing in the morning."

Brian sighed. "I was afraid this would happen. I'm going to have to go a bit tougher on you from now on or you're never going to take this seriously. If you keep wasting your rent money on going out with friends, I'll make it tougher to go out with your friends. Next time you miss rent, your penalty is to shave all your body hair and to keep clean shaven until you have paid me back. In addition to this, you will wear light makeup every day. Just some mascara and lip gloss for now, enough for me to be able to tell you're wearing it. Your friends probably won't notice your smooth arms and legs or the makeup, but I assume you won't want to take that risk."

"Wow... ok. That's kind of weird, man." Nick nervously laughed.

"I am not concerned with your opinion of it, as long as you pay your rent. Let me know when you finish cleaning tomorrow so I can inspect it."

***

The next week flew by. Nick actually kind of liked the cleaning, but he didn't like how Brian had been acting. The day after rent had been due Brian had put a small box in his bathroom containing a pink razor, a bottle of women's shaving lotion, a tube of Maybelline mascara, and a tube of Maybelline "Cherry Kiss" lip gloss. "As a reminder" he said. Some reminder, thought Nick. How could I forget. He tucked the box away in a cupboard.

Brian was happy to see Nick had that week's rent on time. "Seems my idea is working! You're still on the hook for cleaning until you're caught up, but this is a good start! Maybe you won't be shaving after all." He laughed. Very funny thought Nick. I'll be caught up in no time, just wait. I won't be caught dead wearing that stuff.

Nick made the next week too, and he had enough in his account to be covered for Friday with a good amount of extra left over. He decided to go out Thursday night with some buddies to a bar downtown. The next morning he woke up with a huge hangover and when he went out to the kitchen there was a note from Brian. "Nick, rent's due today, please have it for me when I get home from work". Ugh, I guess I have to walk to the bank.

When he selected his usual withdrawal, the machine beeped and spit out a receipt. "Insufficient Funds" it read. A cold chill settled in his stomach. Oh no. What did I do last night? He went home and logged on to his online banking. Taxi - $12, that's ok. Irish pub, $155! ATM $100! I'm screwed! Nick frantically called some friends. None of them were willing to lend him any money. "Look Nick," his friend Jeremy told him, "it's nothing personal, but you still haven't paid back the $120 you borrowed last year for your laptop repair. I just can't lend you any more."

That night Nick tried desperately to explain. "Brian, I got way too drunk last night and spent a ton of money. I'm really sorry, can you cover me just this once? I swear I'll get you money first thing Monday."

Brian looked grim. "Nick, I don't know if you were aware of this, but you missed a total of 12 weeks of rent for stuff like this last tear. That's 3 months worth – all emergencies, all you swore to pay back but never did. I have to be strict with you or you'll never learn.

"You will present yourself to me in the morning for inspection. I will insure you're fully shaved and wearing your makeup, and I will tell you your next penalty should you miss another week."

***

An hour later Nick was in the bathroom. He retrieved the box from the drawer and opened it, laying out the razor, shaving lotion, mascara, and lip gloss on the counter. He weighed his options. He couldn't afford to move out, he didn't even have the money to pay his current rent let alone pay a deposit for a new place. He couldn't refuse or Brian would kick him out and he'd be homeless. He'd lived on the streets for 3 weeks after his parents kicked him out and Brian had been the only one to offer to help him out. He'd burnt his bridges with his friends that could take him in, and his folks would never let him move back in. I guess it's not too bad, he thought. At least it won't be too noticeable.

The shaving lotion had a fruity strawberry smell. Nick lathered his legs and started shaving, taking care not to cut himself. It took longer than expected, he moved slowly shaving behind his knees, up his thighs and around his cock and balls. For some reason his clean shaven cock looked almost... feminine, he thought to himself. As he worked higher, the combination of the smell and the smooth feel of his legs and groin felt nice and he found himself getting aroused. He had to use a small hand mirror to shave his round ass and when he saw it in the mirror he was surprised at how nice it looked pink and clean shaven. He had barely any chest hair or arm hair, but he did note that his arms seemed more slender and graceful without the hair. He took a long, hot shower and felt ashamed at how much he was enjoying the feeling of his silky smooth legs. When he had dried himself off he put on a pair of sweatpants and shivered as the soft fabric rubbed on the bare skin. He saw himself in the mirror and noticed he was blushing. Get a hold of yourself, he thought, you're a man. He carefully applied the mascara and lip gloss in the mirror. The mascara was only noticeable if you were looking for it, but he was dismayed that the lip gloss gave his lips a light pink sheen that stood out more than he'd like. I guess it's not too bad, I can say it's chapstick if anyone notices.

***

The next morning Nick put on a coat of mascara and lip gloss and went to find Brian. He found him at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee and reading the paper. "Well," Brian said "let me get a look at you." He stood up and stood over Nick. "The lip gloss is nice, it suits you. The mascara brings your eyes out, too. You should've been wearing these all along." Nick felt his face burning with embarrassment. "Take your pants off. I want to ensure you followed instructions."

"Please Brian, I'll just pull my pants up a bit at the bottom, you can see."

"No. You will do as I say as long as you're in my debt. I won't ask again."

Nick's face was bright red as he dropped his pants and boxers, exposing his pink shaved cock and ass. Brian made a slow circle around him, before stopping directly in front. "It was wise of you to do as I say. That kind of cooperation will make this whole agreement much more painless for both of us. You can pull your pants back up now.

Nick knelt down to pull his sweatpants back up his smooth legs. "Now, you will be remaining clean shaven and wearing makeup until you have repaid me. I trust that the constant feeling of your skin and the regular application of your makeup will be enough of a reminder to keep your finances in check. In the event that it is not, however, this is the next level of penalty." Brian opened a cupboard and took out a rectangular box. "Open it." He placed the box in front of Nick.

Nick nervously opened the box. Inside the box there were 3 matching bra and panty sets. One black with white lace trim, one violet, and one pink with tiny pearl white bows. He gingerly picked up the pink set, feeling the satiny fabric between his fingers. "No, Brian... this is too far."

Brian moved close to Nick, cornering him against the table and towering over him. Nick felt completely physically overpowered by the sheer size of Brian and slunk down a bit, but the table was blocking him from moving away. "Let me make this clear, Nick. You do NOT get to say 'no' to me as long as you owe me money. I can have you out of this house in a heartbeat. I make the calls until then. I decide what you do and when you do it. If you miss your next rent payment, you will wear lingerie until you're settled up, no negotiation. Is that completely understood?"

Nick nodded timidly. "Ok, man... ok. No big deal, alright? It's cool..."

Brian backed off. "Good. I was worried we'd have some trouble. Now get to your cleaning, I have work to do."