Chapter 9: Episode 9: Safety

WARNING: IMPLIED ABUSE AND TRAUMATIC FLASHBACK

Hide plopped himself on that old, patchy mess of a couch and fixed his eyes on the screen in front of him. His goat-like ear twitched at the sound of dishes being rattled and placed away amongst the kettle's screeches.

He shuddered at the thought of the abomination being made and kept his gaze on the page he was browsing. There were many things he could tolerate.

Carole's "no drugs in her house" rule. It would have been reasonable... If she did not drink booze like it was water.

Her "no sex or masturbation in her apartment" rule, was a full-on dictatorship, but he could bear with it.

It did make saying "no" to certain people easier.

But her cooking was his last straw. He rather eat the pitch off the side of the road.

He kept his gaze on his laptop. An imageboard, for perverts, people obsessed with cartoons with busty women, tech or random BS.

Random BS was his personal favourite board especially when the tech board was invaded by dumbasses that were not fun to mess with. The cartoon woman's boards, although fun, were full of the saddest virgins a person could imagine.

Full-on delusional, creeps.

"Hey, where can I get a cute femboi IRL? At least those probably aren't picky like the bitches"

"You know most are -"

He remembered a time when he would be overjoyed at the thought of a community of guys that liked him when he dressed up.

Still, even at his most naive, he would not trust staying in a home with any one of these greasy fuckers.

The dumb asses on here were too easy.

Who the hell still falls for “Welcome! Did you know this site hides your credit card info if you type it in? Example ************”

Some people deserved to be scammed.

“Here,” Carole shoved the vegan-friendly corn ramen cup in his face.

Hide twisted his face in disgust and said, “If that shit has black charcoal noodles again, I'm gonna-”

“No, I've followed the instructions,” Carole said as she took her cup and made her way to the chair, easing herself into it.

“That’s what you said last time,” Hide winced.

He looked at the cup, already regretting not making it himself.

He was no chef, but at least he never burnt water.

Carole's eyes narrowed before she peeled the noodle cup's cover, revealing…

Perfectly normal corn noodles.

Hide glanced in surprise as the woman took out a fork and said, “Perfect”

He knew if she was not cold-blooded, she would have held a smug smile.

Probably.

The goat boy sat himself up and began prodding at the limp inoffensive noodle with his fork. He raised it to his mouth and took a bite.

Relief washed over him as he found the noodles salty, below average and edible.

Praise the Lord almighty.

The taste, however...

Made him miss the salad the weird guy at the library made for him.

Very odd guy...

“Hey Carly,” Hide said, smiling at her.

She did not respond verbally, but he did not care, and said, “Did you fall from heaven? Cus, I see you hit every branch on the way. Hehe.”

“... Do you not want a place to stay tonight?”

“You wounded me Carly Warly," Hide clutched his chest. "Who would do your dishes once I've gone to heaven? Hide's special charity had his mercy on you.”

“Ew…”

Hide burst out laughing as he picked up both empty ramen cups and headed to that tiny apartment kitchen.

That kitchen had a simple microwave, a fridge with an entire section reserved for alcohol, and an under-used gas stove.

“I have to prepare my syllabus for tomorrow... Still haven't got half of it planned yet…”

Hide heard the tap of that cane and said, “Hey are you gonna be those teachers that halfway through the year, end up pregnant?”

“...”

“It's a serious question, Carly. Biology can be really weird. Think about it... Immaculate conception.”

“... When it happens to you... Your boyfriend would have a lot of questions."

“Ew” Hide shuddered at the thought before he realised… 

“N-no!” Hide rushed to block her path and glared at her. “Mi-Mi is not my boyfriend.”

Carole tilted her head and said, “True… He wouldn't consider you anything like that either.”

Many things hurt, but somehow that statement felt like a stab to his spine.

“Yeah, right, I know that… But whatever. Unlike you, I have a big tiddy GF. So I'm the winner.”

“Good for you… Does she even know?”

Hide folds his arms with a huff as his ears flatten, “She can’t see shit on me so I saw no point in telling her.”

Other than Carole, it was rare to find a mostly human person who could see this kind of stuff. Even in Carole’s case, as far as he knows, she was not human herself...

Hide’s eyes turned to her cane and thought, “A descendant with all the physical consequences.”

“Good for her… about Makhi-”

“Anyway, I met someone else with that unique sight of yours,” Hide said, changing the subject to something less painful.

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That seemed to have caught Carole’s attention; she placed her hand underneath her chin in thought.

“Hehe, I knew you'd be interested, bitch.”

“Just say it.”

“Some rich, pretty boy at the university,” Hide clarified as he leaned in the doorway. “I doubt he’s 100% human, with those red eyes and knife teeth.”

Carole tilted her head at his description, with her eyes intense with focus, “... Hmm... Odd... very rare for fae descendants to have red eyes…”

Really?

That's her take on this?

“I say it's rare for them to have any features. I mean, look at you, I almost see no odd features... Almost, oh wait, that's just your face.”

“Hilarious.”

“I know I bring the entire house down.”

“... Don't mess with him.”

Hide was caught off guard by her tone; he raised a brow in confusion at her.

Then... He realised what she meant...

What made everyone think he was that “....Easy.”

Hide tried not to think too deeply about it and shrugged his shoulders as if it did not bother him too much.

“Fine, whatever, you know I have my standards Carly Warly.”

“Hmm.”

Carole turned around and picked up a brown paper bag, “here.”

Hide snatched the bag from her hand and said, “Eh? The fucked is this?”

“Nail polish.”

Hide blushed slightly.

He forgot he asked her for this. He honestly thought she would forgetten herself.

“Um… thanks,” Hide said as he searched through the bag to find quite a collection.

Blues, pinks, blacks, and purples. He even found a bit of eyeliner and stuff he did not bother to ask for.

“...”

It was still odd to get stuff like this and not… Dealing with crap from people. Either they bitch or they want something.

“Is something wrong?”

Hide jolted from his thoughts as he scoffed, “Nah, you just have shit tastes. I mean, where’s the pastel?”

“I don't like makeup. Even when I tried it out. I just picked the colours I liked...” Carole shrugged as she seemed to think back on it, "I'm still not sure why many people were rude about it."

“Yeah… I know,” Hide accidentally said before covering his mouth.

“... Rude like you?”

“No, I'm too awesome,” Hide shot back, blowing a raspberry. He knew she changed the subject on purpose. An act he was grateful for.

“Now, let me take care of that brace of yours. Adjustment day,” Hide said with a sickening cheer. Carole sighed as she headed to her room.

“Don't look that excited.”

“We've been over this. Gay fugly gals aren't my tastes. They suck without knowing how to suck.”

“Thrilling… I am very happy to learn of this.”

Despite the smaller size, the broken heater and similarly cold owner, Hide would pick this tiny apartment repeatedly as his home.

 It was his heaven compared to…

That man.

With his gross hands on his neck and his mouth filled with a gross, bitter slime. His touches repulisive his compnions equally so.

Hide winced as he pricked himself on one of his sharper tools.

A red orb swelled from it was bright and bold, taking him back to that day.

He was... Pathetic...

What help him was a kiss that tasted of metal and alcohol. All on that cold rainy day.

A comforting hand held his chin, Hide's right eye was swollen to a blue softball. Snot ran down his busted, bloodied nose in an a red and sickly yellow paste. The stranger with honied words said, "Who would do this to you?"

He told him who.

"Hmm...You trust me right?"

“Hey, I thought you wanted to fix my brace?”

“Oh, well yeah,” Hide focused his attention back to the girl and that brace.

He knelt on the bed and beside her as his hands held onto the comforting coldness of the metal.

Hide knew he should work, but he just wanted to hold on to the comforting and stable brace just a little longer.

Oddly, the woman did not move nor commented on his current lack of action.

He was here.

He was safe.

And that was all that mattered.

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