The Housemate (Patreon)

My housemate Reed wasn’t just a lazy dudebro - he was a damn liability. He’d turn his rent in late, he’d actively make me late to work by hiding my car keys under piles of his mess and he was always so loud whenever he brought girls home for the night. He wasn’t even that great in conversation, his deep slow voice barely able to muster more than the crudest of jokes. Truthfully the only positive thing about having Reed as a housemate was how often he’d walk around in his briefs and give me a free show of his well-built muscular body. He knew I was gay of course - there was no way of successfully hiding that - and caught me staring more than once but the only thing bigger than his muscles was his ego so he reminded me on the regular that it was okay to look, I just couldn’t ever touch.

Eventually though I’d hit my limit with Reed and was actively plotting on how I could get him out of the house. I couldn’t afford to move anywhere else, nor could I live alone with my own measly wages, but even though Reed came from a well-to-do family he was apparently content to live in our tiny house with a guy he shared so little in common with. My habit of cleaning up after his mess probably or fulfilling his every request explained it, even though I tried my best not to act like his live-in butler. I’d never been good at standing up for myself, especially guys I was physically attracted to and Reed definitely ticked every single one of my boxes with his perfectly symmetrical features, the well-groomed stubble and all of his rippling muscles. How could I not crumble before such a fine specimen of a man?

It took some time but eventually I stumbled upon the perfect solution. I wouldn’t have to get rid of Reed at all, I just had to make a few adjustments to make living with him a little more tolerable. Learning how to properly hypnotise someone and ingrain lasting changes within their minds wasn’t cheap - professional hypnotists had to make a living too, after all, and didn’t share their secrets without considerable financial reimbursement - but knowing what I could get out of it made that monetary cost well worth it. If all it took was a few hundred dollars to transform Reed from a nightmare roommate to an absolute dream then I’d actually consider it a bargain.

Thankfully Reed wasn’t the most mentally resilient of individuals and as such it was only a few more months of tolerating his gross slacker behaviour before I was able to make my move. It didn’t even take all that much to get him to agree to being hypnotised - he’d been complaining about being bored after his latest on-again-off-again girlfriend had ditched him for the third time that month and I suggested that trying to hypnotise him could be a fun way to pass the evening. “Why not,” he grunted, a playful smirk decorating his pretty lips. I could tell that he was highly doubtful I’d succeed in getting him to do anything and that only made the anticipation continue to bubble up inside my mind.

As I turned my laptop around his eyes were caught by the swirling spiral on the screen and a small laugh escaped his lips. “Focus on the very center of the spiral,” I advised. “Let it pull you in until you can’t help but fall.” I watched as the smile began to fall from his lips and his eyes began to glaze over. “Let it consume you, Reed. Clear your mind, breathe in and out slowly. Become empty.”

“Empty,” he echoed, although his face remained expressionless. The spiral on the screen was soon reflected in his eyes and I knew that he was ready to be remolded into a brand new Reed, one who would actually be a delight to live with.

“Do you know who’s talking to you right now, Reed?” My heart was racing as I began. This would be a make or break situation and I knew it.

“My roommate, Bobby.” The infantile nickname he’d given me shortly after moving in always made me cringe and I saw the opportunity to quickly eradicate it for good.

“No, this is your boyfriend Robert,” I corrected him, keeping my voice firm as my instructor had taught me. I needed to believe the words in order for Reed to believe them too or this was never going to work. I didn’t even want to contemplate what would happen if Reed discovered what I was trying to do to him. He’d never been violent towards me before but that could easily change given the extremes I was going to.

“My boyfriend Robert,” he repeated, although there was a tone of confusion to his voice. Sexualities weren’t so easy to manipulate as just your average memories. That would have to be dealt with as soon as possible.

“You love me very much,” I continued sternly, “You do everything I ask of you: cook, clean, make love. There is nothing you love more than making me happy. Do you understand, Reed?” He nodded his head in response, although there was still a moment of hesitation. “I want to hear you say it, Reed.”

“I love making you happy,” he droned in response, beginning to sound more sure of the words. “I want to make my boyfriend Robert happy.” The corners of his lips began curling up into a smile and I knew that I had him won. He was mine. 

Despite that knowledge I still felt apprehensive as I pulled him out of his trance and closed the laptop screen. My heart thundered in my chest as I waited for him to readjust but as our eyes met he lit up with a bright smile and surged forward to steal my lips in the perfect first kiss! His strong arms circled around me, one grabbing my ass while the other cupped the back of my neck and I was all too happy to melt into his powerful grasp.

My relationship with Reed since then was a complete turnaround. Once upon a time I had been getting endlessly frustrated with the mess he left around the house and the skanky good-for-nothing bimbos he’d bring back that would scream his name for hours on end. Now though, our house was spotless and I’d always return home from a stressful day at work to find that he had prepared our dinner and was ready with a back massage should I even hint towards wanting one. We were even beginning to go house hunting for somewhere nicer to live now that he was more open to sharing his wealth. There was no more late rent, no more crude jokes and certainly no more “look but don’t touch.” It took some time but I think I’m finally okay with this housemate situation!