Hard Chicagoat Nights: The Zebra and the Priest

by Brasta Septim

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

And so time whittled away until the mid afternoon, where Zeke awoke in his chair with a start, smacking his parched lips and yawning.

As he awoke, the door creaked open, and Brasta walked back into the rectory. "Afternoon, Zeke. Still sleepy, I see?" he said with a smile.

"Haven't slept in a few, man, I'm sorry..."

Brasta just waved it off. "Don't worry, Zeke- it's alright." He took a seat on a nearby stool. "You up for some food?"

"Yeah, for sure," Zeke murmured.

Brasta glanced towards the door. "Want to head out and get a bite to eat? My treat."

"It won't end up like last time?"

"My treat, but you pick the place to eat."

Zeke nodded, tilting his head. "I dunno. I dunno what's around to eat..."

Brasta scratched his head. "Err... what are you in the mood for?"

"Chineighse, I guess," Zeke murmured.

"Chineighse, huh?" Brasta thought for a second. "I think there's a place near here. Something called Hot Wok." He glanced sheepishly towards Zeke. "Sound good to you?"

Zeke nodded. "Heard of that place. Good egg rolls, right?"

"Yep," Brasta said eagerly, glad to have decided on a decent place. "Ready to head out?"

"Most definitely," Zeke chuckled, hopping down from his chair and starting to step out. "Lead the way!"

Brasta headed out the door with the enthusiastic zebra following him, trotting down the street once more.

After twenty minutes of searching, standing in line, and trying to communicate in various pidgin forms of the Equestrian language with the restaurant staff, Zeke and Brasta made their way to a booth in the far corner of the restaurant.

Zeke groaned, slipping into the booth and slumping down almost immediately. Some quick eat this was; the waitresses were all doing fifty other things at once. It could be hours before they were served, hours Zeke did not want to spend on an empty stomach. He leaned back, popping his neck muscles and yawning.

Zeke's obvious frustrations did not go unnoticed by Brasta, who calmly sat across from him, eyes fixed on a ceiling fan. After about five minutes of waiting, and observing Zeke glance back and forth between a clock on the wall, Brasta sighed and leaned towards him. "Relax, Zeke. I thought I was supposed to be the fidgety one?" he said in a slightly playful tone.

Zeke smiled and nodded, chuckling. "Man, I'm just hungry, is all. Feel like I ain't eaten in days!"

Brasta rolled his eyes, "Be patient, Zeke. The food isn't going to disappear before it can get to us."

Zeke's eyes widened. "Man, you don't know that! W-What if, like, I dunno, they run out of ingredients or somethin'?! Then they can't make the egg rolls and then we came here for jack!"

The priest just shrugged, eyes directed heavenwards for a moment before resting back on Zeke. The zebra's antics were just too cute- he meant endearing, errm, he meant... oh screw it, he just meant cute. "Don't worry about that, alright?" he said in a comforting tone he normally reserved for penitents.

The soft tones of Brasta's voice wormed their way into Ezekiel's ears. It reminded him of his mother in a way, such gentle, caring tones. Faking a cough, Zeke looked away from Brasta's honest eyes, letting his body melt into the chair. "Alright," he murmured.

Minutes later, low and behold, the Chineighse waitress brought them their food. "See? Told you."

Zeke blinked a few times. "Yo, we did order, right?" His mouth salivated at the sight of the egg rolls... Delicious, delicious egg rolls, golden yellow little rolls, overfilled with ingredients...

"Yes, we did." Brasta looked from Zeke to the plate of egg rolls on a tray. "Dig in." He said, saying a quick blessing to himself before helping himself to some spicy noodles.

Zeke's eyes went very wide, very wet, and almost savage in a mere second upon hearing the words "dig in." He did as he was bidden, leaning down to grab an egg roll in his mouth and wolfing it down savagely, moving on to the next one, taking a mouthful of rice with it. "Mmph! Thish good shtuff!"

Brasta just looked up from his half eaten noodles, fork levitating in midair to see Zeke making his way through egg rolls like a famished workhorse. He could barely repress a snicker at how messy an eater the zebra was, answering with a muttered "you're welcome" and getting back to his own meal (albeit at a much slower place than his dinner companion).

Zeke ripped through his third egg roll without remorse, leaning over to his drink to sip it, warm cider slipping over his lips as he did so. Glancing at his companion, he stopped himself to watch for a minute. "Man," he murmured. "You magic ponies got it all, huh?"

Brasta looked a little annoyed, but only for a second. He levitated his fork back down to his plate as his expression took on a more thoughtful look. "I suppose so... from a certain perspective. But not necessarily- we cannot grow food like earth ponies, nor manage weather and fly like pegasi, or even have the herbal magic and potion know-how of zebra shamans." He chuckled. "However, it does make it very convenient to handle things that can break easily." As he finished up his noodles, he noticed a bit of soy sauce on the zebra's face. And some rice. "Err... you kinda got a little something on your face..."

Zeke bit down into a particularly juicy egg roll, causing juices to streak across his face and Brasta’s. Looking shocked for a moment, the zebra pulled it the rest of the way in, chewed, and swallowed.

"You too."

Brasta looked across at Zeke, glanced in his own reflection in a nearby mirror, and instead of being annoyed, he could felt a little chuckle escape his lips. Spurred on almost by instinct, he took a nearby napkin and wiped Zeke's face with a smile. "Please, allow me to help." Upon realising exactly what he just did , Brasta's face flushed and he leaned back against the booth.

Zeke chuckled himself, letting Brasta touch his face, even licking his lips as he gathered up soy sauce around it. "Hey, mind if I return the favour?" he mumbled.

"Ermm... no, not at all."

Zeke slipped out his chair, swallowing, his eyes closed. He stood up on the table, forehooves upon it, and reached over to grab Brasta's head. Then he leaned down, looking over every detail.

Then he licked the sauce from the priest's cheek, from the chin all the way to his eyebrow.

To the priest's credit, he did not do anything quite as undignified as squeal girlishly at the sudden action. No, no chance of that. Instead, he gave a sudden, assuredly masculine squeak (at a pitch only dogs could hear) and turned a vibrant shade of red, shuddering slightly.

What.... what just happened? Why am I- oh, Theotokos, save me! Rejoice, Oh Virgin Mother- Hail Mary, full of...

Brasta found himself staring down at his plate in an attempt to avoid embarrassing himself more. "Errm... thanks." he said in a whisper he could have sworn only he could hear.

"Shuddup, I'm not done yet," Zeke muttered, licking across the priest's forehead.

Brasta's only response was a small nod and a quick glance in either direction. Dammit, why was he so nervous around this stallion?

And why in Equestria was he liking this?

Zeke pulled away, glancing over Brasta's face, contemplating his next move. If he did this, well, he was crossing a threshold that might not be good for his career, but... But his heart told him "Fuck it, we're in the corner away from other ponies, anyway. Go for it". Closing his eyes and swallowing, Zeke cleared his throat.

"You've got some on your lips, t-too..."

Brasta's mouth finally opened at that, "Zeke, w-what exactly are you-"

Zeke leaned in. His tongue went on Brasta's lips. Then his tongue slipped into the priest's mouth, and his lips slipped over the priest's lips, and an electric thrill of adrenaline shot through him as he kissed the colt in front of him.

What in the name of all that is holy am I doing? Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner. Hospodi Isusu Christi, Syne Bozhe, pomiluj mya hreshnago. Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have-

Brasta was silenced by the feel of warm lips against his, Zeke's tongue meeting his, and he felt himself melt into the kiss like butter in a dish, rational mind screaming at him at full volume to walk away, heart telling him to stay put. Brasta's eyes closed as he savoured the kiss. Here, it was just him and Zeke...

The kiss lingered, Brasta's lips so soft and warm and wonderful, his tongue wet, small, adorable, the way that he was leaning into this, enjoying this, taking this. Brasta wanted this. Somehow, that made it all the more better, all the more real, and it sent shivers down Zeke's spine as he hummed into the passionate embrace.

Despite their mutual enjoyment, Brasta knew eventually that this had to end. He gently broke the kiss, staring up at Zeke with wide eyes as various emotions sparked inside his head like a collision of deranged fireworks. "I.. I..."

Zeke's eyes were wide, almost as if he himself was shocked at what he had done. How could he... What... His gaze shifted left to right, but thankfully only a few eyes wandered. Still, he swallowed, desperately trying to find something to say.

"Sorry," was what he decided upon.

"It's... alright." It's not alright, he thought, but smiled back slightly anyway. He looked into the other stallion's eyes, and saw in them a familiar emotion; fear. Fear of the unknown, fear of discovery, fear of rejection. But hope had to overcome fear, did it not? He took a breath, and steeled himself, trying to take back his composure. "It's alright," he repeated a bit stronger, tentatively reaching a hoof across the table, hovering over Zeke's.

Zeke grabbed Brasta's hoof and held onto it, tightly, his face blank but his eyes aglow, trying to sort out how he felt. Hopefully, he could feel the same as Brasta did, right?

"Y'know, uhm, in the city and stuff, uh... I mean... I... I think I've fallen f-for ya but... I mean, well... Shit, man, I..."

Brasta silenced the zebra with a single glance. Still looking around like he was afraid the room would catch fire on him, he sighed and laid his head on the table. "Might as well come out with it now" the pony said to no one in particular. There was something heavy in his voice, weights trying to press down upon his words. "Let's cut to the chase, shall we?" he muttered. "I'm very attracted to you, and you're possibly attracted to me. It's a little early to talk of falling for anypony, but...* his eyes looked right towards Zeke's own. "At the very least, you're confused, I'm really confused, and... and... you're more than a little charming." he whispered over the rim of his glass.

"Shit, man," Zeke murmured. "I... I think the same about you. You're just... I feel... safe around you. You've been real nice to me, man. Lotta ponies don't do that for me..."

Brasta smiled slowly . "You know what they say- a little kindness goes a long way."

"Does it go this long, man?"

Brasta shrugged. "Not usually. This kind of a..." Shocking. Ridiculous. Insane. "surprising thing for me too."

"Not that I have a problem with that."

"N-Neither do I," Zeke blushed. "Uh... So." He leaned down and took another egg roll in his mouth. "Thish ish a date now I guesh..."

Brasta's eyes scanned briefly for listeners before responding. "Yes, I suppose so..."

Zeke swallows his egg roll, smiling at Brasta warmly. "Cool," he sighed. "I... I can roll with that..."

"So can I." Brasta responded quietly.

Zeke held the smile, leaning over the table with his hooves holding his chin. "Gimme another kiss?"

Brasta swallowed. This really wasn't a good idea...

Prudence, Temperance, Justice, Fortitude. Chastity, Charity, Humility, Diligence, Patience, Kindness... Think virtues... Think virtues...

"Alright," he said, gently brushing his lips against the other stallion's.

Zeke's smile just grew wider, his face bright red, giggling like a schoolfilly. "Heh... Good thing I'm just in the back mixin' beats, right? Though I've worked with the most closeted motherfuckers..."

"Yeah" Brasta said almost absentmindedly. "Right..." Truth be told, he was closeted. Excepting Zeke, an old friend of his, and the ponies at the coltcuddlers' bar, he was pretty closeted. And for good reason too. Various situations presented themselves dramatically in his head, all of them ending in either an excommunication, defrocking, being shunned by his entire congregation, or some terrifying combination thereof. God, he could almost hear the melancholy strains of a Dies Irae in his head while a bell tolled for him as he was consigned to the fiery pits of Hell amidst the shrieking of a thousand fiends...

Zeke smiled again, and put his hoof over his... coltfriend’s hoof. Brasta was his coltfriend. Great Zebra Goddess, he never thought this would happen. He never thought he'd turn out this way. His coltfriend looked... Frightened in a way. Clearly, duly frightened. It broke Zeke's heart to see it, even though he was just as afraid. He closed his eyes and kissed Brasta again, just to make sure it was real.

As Brasta felt Zeke's lips on him again, he felt his fear retreat for a moment. It was still there, but... maybe now he had someone to help him bear it. Brasta shook his head slightly. This was real. Not the imagined events. This... is... peaceful, he thought.

No. No. No. No. Yes. Maybe. Yes. No. No. Yes. Uggh...

Ignoring the fear, he kissed his... coltfriend back back.

Zeke was loath to pull away, but it was necessary to speak. "You got nice lips," he muttered with a smirk.

Brasta's blush returned in full force. "Yours aren't so bad, either."

Zeke smiled, nuzzling his friend and pulling him up. "Wanna go about town?"

Brasta took one final look at the restaurant, and nodded hesitantly. "Sure." After all, this wasn't the section of town too near his parish, so there was no danger of seeing them together being taken out of context... right? With that in mind, he followed Zeke out the door.

As soon as they had cleared the restaurant, Zeke pulled in a huge breath, grabbing Brasta and hugging him tighty. It felt right. It felt needed.
Brasta was a little surprised by the sudden hug, but hugged back just as fiercely, as if trying to squeeze every bit of fear and trepidation out of his system.

"Shit," Zeke murmured. "Fuck... I hope... Shit..."

Brasta buried his face in the other stallion's shoulder. "You hope what?" he asked, voice muffled.

Zeke kissed his partner's neck, sighing. "That... That we can be okay..."

Brasta clung to Zeke tighter. "So do I, Zeke. So do I..."

Author's Note:

Done with the editing help of ME Lovecolt.

Comments

[lonely colt]

This chapter was absolutely beautiful... and adorable as fuck at the same time

[Brasta Septim]

4055417 Glad you like it. There's more to come, so don't worry!

[Vivid Syntax]

4055836

There's more to come, so don't worry!

Glad to hear it!

I really liked this chapter. Zeke's first admission seemed kinda sudden, but I love Brasta's reaction and the way the rest of the scene played out. If you don't plan on continuing this, I think just a couple tweaks to this last chapter could make it a great, complete story, albeit one with a bit of a cliffhanger.

Great work! I really enjoyed this story and it's very original ideas.

[MxGoat]

I'm glad I finally read this. It was short and sweet and feelsgoodman.jpeg. I especially liked the character dynamic between Zeke and Brasta.

I would write more but it's 5:20 AM and I got no sleep and I've been up all night reading this and oh Kek I'm gonna just go pass out now. Good day, lad.

[Brasta Septim]

8101529 Thank you! For when you're awake, could you tell me what else in particular you liked or disliked? It'd be most appreciated, if you don't mind.

[MxGoat]

8102228 A lot of the things I would say would just be an echo of what Guy_Incognito said. Zeke and Brasta are well-created foils; Zeke's laidbackness compliments Brasta's conservative attitude quite well. In fact, I'd compare the relationship between the two to be similar to how the fandom often portrays the relationship between Octavia and Vinyl Scratch—except Brasta isn't stuffy, Zeke isn't arrogant, and there isn't an air of frustration between the two in the ways that they foil each other. It doesn't feel like they're butting heads but their personalities still contrast, which is somewhat refreshing.

Really, though, there was not a single point in the story in which one of the characters felt...well...out of character. At the same time, the characters' behaviors weren't extreme stereotypes of common archetypes; they feel more like people than let's say...Pinkie Pie.

My only notable complaints are the following: The romance feels a little too fast to be believable and you mention Zeke's drug addiction but never really go anywhere with it.