Eternal Damnation Chapter 14
Title: Eternal Damnation
Chapter: 14 “Let's Commiserate”
Author: KittyQuat
Series: Original
Themes: Yaoi, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic Setting, Adult Situations, Swearing, Violence
Rating: (This chapter) PG, (Overall) R
When I wake up in the morning, it is still dark outside. The bedside clock says it’s 6:07AM. I groan, flopping myself back onto the pillow and pull the covers back up, rolling from side to side until they are tucked underneath me on both sides. With a contented sigh I let my eyes drift shut again. By the time I wake up for real, the room is much brighter with the sun high enough in the sky to shine through the window. The air is warmer and I find it easier to get out of bed.
I notice that something feels strange as soon as I reach the bedroom door. I look down at the shirt I borrowed from Nemo. My shoulder had worked its way through the collar with the rim constricting my neck on the opposite side. The rest was twisted around my waist awkwardly.
I need my own clothes, I think to myself. I will have to go buy some. But I haven’t eaten yet. My stomach groans at the mere thought of food. I straighten out the shirt and yawn as I shuffle lazily over to the kitchen. Before even giving it a thought, I open the fridge. Dumb. I’m met with the sight of the same bag of apples as the night before. I search the other shelves but find only a box of butter sticks, some pickles, raspberry jam, a bag of coffee beans, salad dressings, some condiments, and a block of cheddar with a little patch of penicillium mold growing on the corner. I would have liked a couple slices of toast with some jam, but I had to throw the bread out last night. I scowl at the bag of apple. I can’t live on apples alone. In fact, none of these foods can add up to a meal, even together. I reach for the apples but then stop. It won’t satisfy me. The one I ate for dinner last night wasn’t enough; that’s why my stomach’s growling now.
I try all the cabinets finding a few canned soups and beans and a box of crackers that are probably stale. I sigh as I close the cabinet back up. “I guess I will have to go eat something while I’m out shopping for clothes. I better stock up on groceries while I’m out too” I mumble to myself as I stand up and start walking back to the bedroom. I go through Nemo’s drawers with the phone to my ear, listening to it ring, waiting for him to pick up on the other end.
“Hello Mickī. How are you this morning?”
“Starving. Other than that I’m fine. I’m just calling because I’m going to go do some shopping. So if I don’t answer the phone, that’s why.”
“Is there no food left?”
“Most of it had gone bad. Had to throw a lot of food away.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I’m sorry you have to go into town so early just for food.”
“Don’t worry about it. I was going out to buy some new clothes anyway, which reminds me. May I borrow some of your clothes again?” I ask, even though I’m already going through his drawers.
“Of course you may. Will you let me know when you get back?”
“Sure.”
“Alright, have a nice time. Be careful” he cautions.
I smile at the receiver, a little touched. “I will. Thanks.”
I get dressed and collect my coat from the closet, checking the front pocket to make sure the two cards are still inside. Wearing a coat that fits and a tee shirt and jeans that are obviously too large with a jacket that fits just write makes me feel a little strange, but oddly it’s not a terrible combination judging by my reflection in the mirror. I put on a belt and roll up the bottoms of my pants a couple times before grabbing my shoes.
I step out onto the porch and close the door behind me, testing the handle to make sure it’s locked. I start down the street trying to follow the route the cab driver used last night. I get turned around once or twice, but I eventually find my way into town. A little further and I can see the top of the hospital building where Nemo is recovering. I get a little melancholy feeling as I stare up at it. I sigh and move on.
My hunger pains return as I pass a bakery and a fast food restaurant. I stop in front of the café, the same one from last night. They’re open now and the patio tables are crowded with people. I approach the window and gawk at the scones and croissants. My stomach growls demandingly, and I give in. Opening the door to the café, I approach the line and wait. It is moving quickly but I’m in an impatient mood this morning. I stare at the menu ahead of me and try to decide. Suddenly, a young hybrid pokes her head out of the line and smiles sweetly at me. Not sure what to do, I simply smile back politely. She giggles just before the man standing next to her grabs her shoulder and pulls her back. “Skana, I told you not to stare at people like that; it’s rude.” She replies with a practiced “Sorry daddy,” but she steals one more glance at me to spite him.
As I near the front of the line the bell on the entrance rings and in walks a young male hybrid with long blond hair. There is something familiar about him. I squint trying to get a better look at him but he’s facing away from me so I can’t tell for sure where I’ve seen him before. He approaches the far side of the counter where one worker is stocking a glass display with pastries.
I hear a loud “Next” and turn my attention immediately back to the cashier. Oh, my turn. I approach the counter and begin to order a cherry filled pastry and a medium coffee, but before I can finish what I’m saying, someone yells “I said we don’t have any day olds! Now get out!”
It’s the man stocking pastries and the target of all his yelling is the blond who just walked in. “Filthy mongrel” the man grumbles as he tosses the last two croissants on the shelf before returning to the kitchen. The hybrid’s ears go from being tucked to drooping as he holds onto his own tail to keep it from disappearing between his legs. Hanging his head, he begins to walk away from the counter and as soon as I see his face, even with the shock and emotional pain distorting his features, I know who he is. The memory of that same face smiling at my former master resurfaces in my mind and suddenly, I forget about everything but that moment and all the pain I felt then comes rushing back to the surface.
“Sir!”
I reply with an alarmed “Guh!” as I jump back from the counter.
The cashier leans over the counter slamming his palm on its stainless steel surface. “Sir there is a long line behind you so if you’re not ready to order then I’m afraid you will have to give up your place and let others go ahead of you.”
Still stunned, I back out of the line, whispering an apology to the people behind me as I slink past them, slightly embarrassed. I see the blond opening the front door to leave and I quickly follow after him. It isn’t until we’re both clear of the crowded patio area that I’m able to catch up to him.
“Hey wait!” I call out to him.
He glances over his shoulder at me. He looks back the other way quickly, then he turn completely to face me. “Me?” he asks, pointing to himself.
“Yeah, wait a sec,” I say as I approach him.
He doesn’t say anything, he only stares at me awkwardly and I realize, I have no idea what to say either. I hadn’t thought that far ahead, I guess. “Sorry, I um… Well, I was going to offer to buy you something to eat.”
His eyes light up as he gazes up at me. “You would do that f-for me?” he asks with a little hitch.
I nod my head.
He takes a step back, suddenly cautious again “This isn’t a trick, is it?”
I smile at him and shake my head. “No. No tricks. I just didn’t like seeing the café staff treating you that way.”
He lowers his ears and blushes. “That was quite a scene… Sorry.”
I keep my smile on. “Don’t worry about it; that guy was just being a stingy jerk” I tell him as I glare at the café out of the corner of my eye.
He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks away, embarrassed. “But I should have stopped begging the first time he said no” he mumbles.
Why was he begging to begin with? For that matter, where’s Dio. Not that I look forward to seeing him out here but it is quite strange that his new pet is out in public without him. I decide to hold off on the questions for now. There is a diner at the end of the block. I gesture to it encouraging him to walk over there with me.
“You really don’t mind?” he asks.
“No it’s fine” I tell him.
“Okay” he says with a smile as he begins to walk next to me.
The Diner is not as busy as the café; you can actually hear their muzak over people talking and there is no wait to be seated. We take a seat at a booth near the back and a server greets us, sliding two menus onto the table. She’s a deer hybrid, which is a little rare. We order drinks and start looking through the menu. When the server returns, she sets a coffee in front of me and a hot cocoa in front of him and then takes our meal orders starting with me. When she gets to his order she actually moves to his side of the table and there’s a small change in her expression, like a little added fondness in her smile. Oh boy, I think as I can’t help a little smirk. I press my thumb and the knuckles of my index and middle fingers against me lips to hide my amusement.
He is having trouble deciding and makes the rooky move of asking for her suggestion. She decides to sit down right beside him at the booth, turning her upper body to face him. He blushes, and rigidly backs himself against the wall of the booth at the sudden invasion of his space. I have to jam my lips together and grit my teeth to contain my laughter. Then he gives me this “help me” stare from the corner of his eye as she points to the menu and goes on about the different breakfast options with the enthusiasm of a child in a candy shop. All smiles and googoo eyes, she finished and asks him if any of her suggestion sounded good to him. He draws a blank and just stares at her, still stiff as a board, with his mouth agape and the only sound coming out is “Uh…”
She smiles more and I can tell she finds his speechlessness and confusion adorable. He points at me saying in a very soft voice and very quickly, “W-what he’s having.” She chuckle and winks at him before folding up his menu and leaving the booth to place our order. As soon as she disappears into the kitchen he breathes a sigh of relief and slumps into the booth.
I lean forward and whisper “I think she’s warm for your form.”
“W-what? Why?” he stammers.
“Why? You have to ask? Because you’re cute of course.”
“I-I’m not-”
“Ask anyone” I say, cutting him off.
“Fine, do you think I’m cute?” he asks.
Now we’re both blushing. He looks down at his cocoa, after a moment of awkward silence, and mumbles “Y-you don’t have to answer that.”
I chuckle slightly nervous but also amused at the way he retracts his question. “So, um… I completely forgot to ask you your name. Sorry.”
He looks up with a slightly confused look on his face. “Wh-Oh, yeah. Sorry, it’s Tēquin… I guess. That’s what my… Um…”
“What Dio calls you?” I say.
He turns his head slightly and gives me a suspicious look. “How do you know who Dio is?”
I don’t answer him. Instead I ask “Does he ever talk about his old pet, the one with the acid burn on his face.”
“He had a pet named Mickī with a sca-wait…” He leans across the table and lifts my bangs to the side before I can react. “You’re…”
“Yeah” I reply.
He stays leaned across the table staring at me dumbfounded. I begin to look around awkwardly. “Don’t turn to stone” I finally say with a hint of annoyance.
He lets go and backs away abruptly, as though he hadn’t realized how long he’d been staring at it. “Sorry, I was just shocked at the coincidence. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“Don’t worry about it” I tell him as I fix my hair.
“Um, there’s something else too. How did you know who I was?”
“That…” I drum my fingers on the table nervously. I suddenly feel guilty for acting the way I did when I saw him and Dio together. After all, I could have hurt him. I couldn’t give a shit about Dio of course, he had it coming, but Tēquin would have been serious collateral damage. I’d rather not admit to being the one who broke the window, but he wants to know. So I spill it. “I threw the rock at the front window. After he abandoned me, I walked home, and I saw the two of you eating together through the front window. I went insane with jealousy and I just wanted to get back at him for breaking my heart.”
“Oh, it all makes perfect sense now” he replies thoughtfully.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry; I would have done the same thing… I hope he doesn’t have the police out looking for me.”
I’m stunned. Staring at him with wide eyes, I ask “Did you run away? Is that why you’re out here alone?”
“He tried drugging me or poisoning me. I dunno, he put something weird in my drink” he defends, though I didn’t mean it in an accusing way at all. “I’ve been away since yesterday morning.”
When the server returns with our meals we both put the conversation on hold. She gives Tēquin another flirtatious smile but, this time, he barely notices. He digs in immediately. Huge bite after huge bite until his plate is half gone. I haven’t even started yet.
“Am I right in guessing that this is the first meal you’ve eaten since then?” I ask as I pick up my first bite of food.
He nods slowly. “That’s why I was begging today.” He slows down, taking smaller bites. I can see the strain in his face as he swallows and suddenly he looks as though he might start to cry right over his food. “I don’t know what to do” he chokes. “I can’t live on my own for very long but living with him is torture. I won’t go back. I’d rather die…”
I know how he feels. Reaching across the table slowly, I start scratching behind his ear, hoping it will relax him a little. He gives me a strange look at first but eventually leans against my hand. “Is there more to this story?” I ask.
He nods and I stop scratching. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He nods again, adding “Just not here.”
“I understand.”
We finish eating within a half hour and go to the register to pay. I withdraw $8 cash back and hand it to Tēquin. “Go put this on our table, and give that fawn a smile when you do.”
He gives me a look of complaint. “Do I really have to smile?”
“It’ll make her day, now go on” I order softly.
I stand back and watch as he does exactly what I told him. Though he only looks over at our server for a moment, she smiles with delight giving him a little wave. He shudders as he approaches me at the door and I chuckle softly at his reaction. “You’re cruel” he mumbles.
I take him around the town with me for a couple more hours while I hit the clothing stores and pick up groceries. I buy him an outfit as well, knowing he will need it eventually. It isn’t until we leave town, arms full of bags of clothes and a week’s worth of groceries, that he starts enlightening me about his brief stay with Dio. The things he tells me make me feel sick.
“I’m sorry.” It’s all I can think to say.
“I’m sorry too. That he just deserted you like that.”
“He told you about that?”
“Yeah, it was when he was getting mad at me for bruising myself. He told me if I left a permanent mark, he would do the same thing to me that he did to you.”
The man really didn’t have a soul, did he? The more he tells me, the more I realize how much worse this has been for him than it ever was for me. Even when he lost interest in me, he was never that abusive. It’s hard to believe, but somehow, all the behaviors he describes to me seemed to fit my former master’s personality to a tee, and I know it is the truth.
I feel slightly apprehensive, but for a different reason. We are walking straight back to the house, and I know I’m breaking Nemo’s rule by bringing home a guest, but I can’t leave Tēquin alone in the town. Besides, Nemo made that rule to prevent me from having sex with strangers in his home more than anything so maybe this doesn’t apply. I’ll discuss it with him when I call him and hope he allows it.
I set down my bags on the porch so that I can get out the key card.
“Who’s house is this?” he asks looking around at the outside.
“It belongs to a friend you took me in after Dio kicked me out” I reply, realizing a few seconds later that it was the first time I’d referred to Nemo as a friend.
Once inside I lead the way to the kitchen and we set the bags of food and clothing on the counter top. I make sure the perishable items are all in the fridge before I leave the kitchen to use the phone. “What about the rest?” he asks.
“Just hang tight for a sec. I’ll help you put that stuff away but I need to make a quick phone call.”
“Oh, okay.”
I go down the hall and get the phone in the bedroom. I hear the dial tone three times before he finally answers.
“Hi Mickī. How was your shopping trip?”
“Um, yeah. About that…”
“You use up your cash card already, did you?
“Wha-oh, no. I um… I kinda bumped into somebody today.”
“…Who?”
“Dio’s new pet. He was in a café begging for food since he ran away.”
“Dio’s new pet left him? What happened?”
“For Tēquin’s sake, I’ll just say he had good reasons.”
“…Is this person with you now?” he asks with a slight angle of concern.
“Um… well, I didn’t know what else to do so...”
He sighs into the receiver. “Mickī, we agreed you wouldn’t…”
“I know, I’m sorry but he needed help and I didn’t know what else to do.”
“I get it Mickī, I do, but he still can’t stay. You have to understand, he is Dio’s property, as much as I hate to phrase it that way. He is registered as belonging to Dio in the X.A. Database. No doubt Dio has investigators combing the city for his lost pet. If they find out you are hiding him in my home, you and I will both suffer the consequences. What you’re doing is considered stealing and it’s a felony punishable by up to ten years, of course for a hybrid, the punishment could be much worse.”
My enthusiasm quickly dies under his logical explanation. I understand his reasoning now but then, what should I do with him? I can’t take him back to town now and I certainly can’t just hand him over to Dio, but I don’t want to cause trouble for Nemo either. “I’m sorry Nemo, I wasn’t thinking. I…”
He quickly interjects. “I know you’re trying to do the right thing, and I’m gonna try to help, I just can’t offer up my house as shelter in this case. I have a friend who might be willing to take him in though.”
My ears perk with renewed hope.
“Let me make a phone call and I’ll get back to you in a few minutes.”
“Thank you Nemo” I say in a tone that reflects the smile on my lips.
After saying goodbye, I hang up the phone and begin the waiting game with my fingers crossed.
Chapter: 14 “Let's Commiserate”
Author: KittyQuat
Series: Original
Themes: Yaoi, Science Fiction, Apocalyptic Setting, Adult Situations, Swearing, Violence
Rating: (This chapter) PG, (Overall) R
When I wake up in the morning, it is still dark outside. The bedside clock says it’s 6:07AM. I groan, flopping myself back onto the pillow and pull the covers back up, rolling from side to side until they are tucked underneath me on both sides. With a contented sigh I let my eyes drift shut again. By the time I wake up for real, the room is much brighter with the sun high enough in the sky to shine through the window. The air is warmer and I find it easier to get out of bed.
I notice that something feels strange as soon as I reach the bedroom door. I look down at the shirt I borrowed from Nemo. My shoulder had worked its way through the collar with the rim constricting my neck on the opposite side. The rest was twisted around my waist awkwardly.
I need my own clothes, I think to myself. I will have to go buy some. But I haven’t eaten yet. My stomach groans at the mere thought of food. I straighten out the shirt and yawn as I shuffle lazily over to the kitchen. Before even giving it a thought, I open the fridge. Dumb. I’m met with the sight of the same bag of apples as the night before. I search the other shelves but find only a box of butter sticks, some pickles, raspberry jam, a bag of coffee beans, salad dressings, some condiments, and a block of cheddar with a little patch of penicillium mold growing on the corner. I would have liked a couple slices of toast with some jam, but I had to throw the bread out last night. I scowl at the bag of apple. I can’t live on apples alone. In fact, none of these foods can add up to a meal, even together. I reach for the apples but then stop. It won’t satisfy me. The one I ate for dinner last night wasn’t enough; that’s why my stomach’s growling now.
I try all the cabinets finding a few canned soups and beans and a box of crackers that are probably stale. I sigh as I close the cabinet back up. “I guess I will have to go eat something while I’m out shopping for clothes. I better stock up on groceries while I’m out too” I mumble to myself as I stand up and start walking back to the bedroom. I go through Nemo’s drawers with the phone to my ear, listening to it ring, waiting for him to pick up on the other end.
“Hello Mickī. How are you this morning?”
“Starving. Other than that I’m fine. I’m just calling because I’m going to go do some shopping. So if I don’t answer the phone, that’s why.”
“Is there no food left?”
“Most of it had gone bad. Had to throw a lot of food away.”
“Oh, that’s too bad. I’m sorry you have to go into town so early just for food.”
“Don’t worry about it. I was going out to buy some new clothes anyway, which reminds me. May I borrow some of your clothes again?” I ask, even though I’m already going through his drawers.
“Of course you may. Will you let me know when you get back?”
“Sure.”
“Alright, have a nice time. Be careful” he cautions.
I smile at the receiver, a little touched. “I will. Thanks.”
I get dressed and collect my coat from the closet, checking the front pocket to make sure the two cards are still inside. Wearing a coat that fits and a tee shirt and jeans that are obviously too large with a jacket that fits just write makes me feel a little strange, but oddly it’s not a terrible combination judging by my reflection in the mirror. I put on a belt and roll up the bottoms of my pants a couple times before grabbing my shoes.
I step out onto the porch and close the door behind me, testing the handle to make sure it’s locked. I start down the street trying to follow the route the cab driver used last night. I get turned around once or twice, but I eventually find my way into town. A little further and I can see the top of the hospital building where Nemo is recovering. I get a little melancholy feeling as I stare up at it. I sigh and move on.
My hunger pains return as I pass a bakery and a fast food restaurant. I stop in front of the café, the same one from last night. They’re open now and the patio tables are crowded with people. I approach the window and gawk at the scones and croissants. My stomach growls demandingly, and I give in. Opening the door to the café, I approach the line and wait. It is moving quickly but I’m in an impatient mood this morning. I stare at the menu ahead of me and try to decide. Suddenly, a young hybrid pokes her head out of the line and smiles sweetly at me. Not sure what to do, I simply smile back politely. She giggles just before the man standing next to her grabs her shoulder and pulls her back. “Skana, I told you not to stare at people like that; it’s rude.” She replies with a practiced “Sorry daddy,” but she steals one more glance at me to spite him.
As I near the front of the line the bell on the entrance rings and in walks a young male hybrid with long blond hair. There is something familiar about him. I squint trying to get a better look at him but he’s facing away from me so I can’t tell for sure where I’ve seen him before. He approaches the far side of the counter where one worker is stocking a glass display with pastries.
I hear a loud “Next” and turn my attention immediately back to the cashier. Oh, my turn. I approach the counter and begin to order a cherry filled pastry and a medium coffee, but before I can finish what I’m saying, someone yells “I said we don’t have any day olds! Now get out!”
It’s the man stocking pastries and the target of all his yelling is the blond who just walked in. “Filthy mongrel” the man grumbles as he tosses the last two croissants on the shelf before returning to the kitchen. The hybrid’s ears go from being tucked to drooping as he holds onto his own tail to keep it from disappearing between his legs. Hanging his head, he begins to walk away from the counter and as soon as I see his face, even with the shock and emotional pain distorting his features, I know who he is. The memory of that same face smiling at my former master resurfaces in my mind and suddenly, I forget about everything but that moment and all the pain I felt then comes rushing back to the surface.
“Sir!”
I reply with an alarmed “Guh!” as I jump back from the counter.
The cashier leans over the counter slamming his palm on its stainless steel surface. “Sir there is a long line behind you so if you’re not ready to order then I’m afraid you will have to give up your place and let others go ahead of you.”
Still stunned, I back out of the line, whispering an apology to the people behind me as I slink past them, slightly embarrassed. I see the blond opening the front door to leave and I quickly follow after him. It isn’t until we’re both clear of the crowded patio area that I’m able to catch up to him.
“Hey wait!” I call out to him.
He glances over his shoulder at me. He looks back the other way quickly, then he turn completely to face me. “Me?” he asks, pointing to himself.
“Yeah, wait a sec,” I say as I approach him.
He doesn’t say anything, he only stares at me awkwardly and I realize, I have no idea what to say either. I hadn’t thought that far ahead, I guess. “Sorry, I um… Well, I was going to offer to buy you something to eat.”
His eyes light up as he gazes up at me. “You would do that f-for me?” he asks with a little hitch.
I nod my head.
He takes a step back, suddenly cautious again “This isn’t a trick, is it?”
I smile at him and shake my head. “No. No tricks. I just didn’t like seeing the café staff treating you that way.”
He lowers his ears and blushes. “That was quite a scene… Sorry.”
I keep my smile on. “Don’t worry about it; that guy was just being a stingy jerk” I tell him as I glare at the café out of the corner of my eye.
He shoves his hands in his pockets and looks away, embarrassed. “But I should have stopped begging the first time he said no” he mumbles.
Why was he begging to begin with? For that matter, where’s Dio. Not that I look forward to seeing him out here but it is quite strange that his new pet is out in public without him. I decide to hold off on the questions for now. There is a diner at the end of the block. I gesture to it encouraging him to walk over there with me.
“You really don’t mind?” he asks.
“No it’s fine” I tell him.
“Okay” he says with a smile as he begins to walk next to me.
The Diner is not as busy as the café; you can actually hear their muzak over people talking and there is no wait to be seated. We take a seat at a booth near the back and a server greets us, sliding two menus onto the table. She’s a deer hybrid, which is a little rare. We order drinks and start looking through the menu. When the server returns, she sets a coffee in front of me and a hot cocoa in front of him and then takes our meal orders starting with me. When she gets to his order she actually moves to his side of the table and there’s a small change in her expression, like a little added fondness in her smile. Oh boy, I think as I can’t help a little smirk. I press my thumb and the knuckles of my index and middle fingers against me lips to hide my amusement.
He is having trouble deciding and makes the rooky move of asking for her suggestion. She decides to sit down right beside him at the booth, turning her upper body to face him. He blushes, and rigidly backs himself against the wall of the booth at the sudden invasion of his space. I have to jam my lips together and grit my teeth to contain my laughter. Then he gives me this “help me” stare from the corner of his eye as she points to the menu and goes on about the different breakfast options with the enthusiasm of a child in a candy shop. All smiles and googoo eyes, she finished and asks him if any of her suggestion sounded good to him. He draws a blank and just stares at her, still stiff as a board, with his mouth agape and the only sound coming out is “Uh…”
She smiles more and I can tell she finds his speechlessness and confusion adorable. He points at me saying in a very soft voice and very quickly, “W-what he’s having.” She chuckle and winks at him before folding up his menu and leaving the booth to place our order. As soon as she disappears into the kitchen he breathes a sigh of relief and slumps into the booth.
I lean forward and whisper “I think she’s warm for your form.”
“W-what? Why?” he stammers.
“Why? You have to ask? Because you’re cute of course.”
“I-I’m not-”
“Ask anyone” I say, cutting him off.
“Fine, do you think I’m cute?” he asks.
Now we’re both blushing. He looks down at his cocoa, after a moment of awkward silence, and mumbles “Y-you don’t have to answer that.”
I chuckle slightly nervous but also amused at the way he retracts his question. “So, um… I completely forgot to ask you your name. Sorry.”
He looks up with a slightly confused look on his face. “Wh-Oh, yeah. Sorry, it’s Tēquin… I guess. That’s what my… Um…”
“What Dio calls you?” I say.
He turns his head slightly and gives me a suspicious look. “How do you know who Dio is?”
I don’t answer him. Instead I ask “Does he ever talk about his old pet, the one with the acid burn on his face.”
“He had a pet named Mickī with a sca-wait…” He leans across the table and lifts my bangs to the side before I can react. “You’re…”
“Yeah” I reply.
He stays leaned across the table staring at me dumbfounded. I begin to look around awkwardly. “Don’t turn to stone” I finally say with a hint of annoyance.
He lets go and backs away abruptly, as though he hadn’t realized how long he’d been staring at it. “Sorry, I was just shocked at the coincidence. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”
“Don’t worry about it” I tell him as I fix my hair.
“Um, there’s something else too. How did you know who I was?”
“That…” I drum my fingers on the table nervously. I suddenly feel guilty for acting the way I did when I saw him and Dio together. After all, I could have hurt him. I couldn’t give a shit about Dio of course, he had it coming, but Tēquin would have been serious collateral damage. I’d rather not admit to being the one who broke the window, but he wants to know. So I spill it. “I threw the rock at the front window. After he abandoned me, I walked home, and I saw the two of you eating together through the front window. I went insane with jealousy and I just wanted to get back at him for breaking my heart.”
“Oh, it all makes perfect sense now” he replies thoughtfully.
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry; I would have done the same thing… I hope he doesn’t have the police out looking for me.”
I’m stunned. Staring at him with wide eyes, I ask “Did you run away? Is that why you’re out here alone?”
“He tried drugging me or poisoning me. I dunno, he put something weird in my drink” he defends, though I didn’t mean it in an accusing way at all. “I’ve been away since yesterday morning.”
When the server returns with our meals we both put the conversation on hold. She gives Tēquin another flirtatious smile but, this time, he barely notices. He digs in immediately. Huge bite after huge bite until his plate is half gone. I haven’t even started yet.
“Am I right in guessing that this is the first meal you’ve eaten since then?” I ask as I pick up my first bite of food.
He nods slowly. “That’s why I was begging today.” He slows down, taking smaller bites. I can see the strain in his face as he swallows and suddenly he looks as though he might start to cry right over his food. “I don’t know what to do” he chokes. “I can’t live on my own for very long but living with him is torture. I won’t go back. I’d rather die…”
I know how he feels. Reaching across the table slowly, I start scratching behind his ear, hoping it will relax him a little. He gives me a strange look at first but eventually leans against my hand. “Is there more to this story?” I ask.
He nods and I stop scratching. “Do you want to talk about it?”
He nods again, adding “Just not here.”
“I understand.”
We finish eating within a half hour and go to the register to pay. I withdraw $8 cash back and hand it to Tēquin. “Go put this on our table, and give that fawn a smile when you do.”
He gives me a look of complaint. “Do I really have to smile?”
“It’ll make her day, now go on” I order softly.
I stand back and watch as he does exactly what I told him. Though he only looks over at our server for a moment, she smiles with delight giving him a little wave. He shudders as he approaches me at the door and I chuckle softly at his reaction. “You’re cruel” he mumbles.
I take him around the town with me for a couple more hours while I hit the clothing stores and pick up groceries. I buy him an outfit as well, knowing he will need it eventually. It isn’t until we leave town, arms full of bags of clothes and a week’s worth of groceries, that he starts enlightening me about his brief stay with Dio. The things he tells me make me feel sick.
“I’m sorry.” It’s all I can think to say.
“I’m sorry too. That he just deserted you like that.”
“He told you about that?”
“Yeah, it was when he was getting mad at me for bruising myself. He told me if I left a permanent mark, he would do the same thing to me that he did to you.”
The man really didn’t have a soul, did he? The more he tells me, the more I realize how much worse this has been for him than it ever was for me. Even when he lost interest in me, he was never that abusive. It’s hard to believe, but somehow, all the behaviors he describes to me seemed to fit my former master’s personality to a tee, and I know it is the truth.
I feel slightly apprehensive, but for a different reason. We are walking straight back to the house, and I know I’m breaking Nemo’s rule by bringing home a guest, but I can’t leave Tēquin alone in the town. Besides, Nemo made that rule to prevent me from having sex with strangers in his home more than anything so maybe this doesn’t apply. I’ll discuss it with him when I call him and hope he allows it.
I set down my bags on the porch so that I can get out the key card.
“Who’s house is this?” he asks looking around at the outside.
“It belongs to a friend you took me in after Dio kicked me out” I reply, realizing a few seconds later that it was the first time I’d referred to Nemo as a friend.
Once inside I lead the way to the kitchen and we set the bags of food and clothing on the counter top. I make sure the perishable items are all in the fridge before I leave the kitchen to use the phone. “What about the rest?” he asks.
“Just hang tight for a sec. I’ll help you put that stuff away but I need to make a quick phone call.”
“Oh, okay.”
I go down the hall and get the phone in the bedroom. I hear the dial tone three times before he finally answers.
“Hi Mickī. How was your shopping trip?”
“Um, yeah. About that…”
“You use up your cash card already, did you?
“Wha-oh, no. I um… I kinda bumped into somebody today.”
“…Who?”
“Dio’s new pet. He was in a café begging for food since he ran away.”
“Dio’s new pet left him? What happened?”
“For Tēquin’s sake, I’ll just say he had good reasons.”
“…Is this person with you now?” he asks with a slight angle of concern.
“Um… well, I didn’t know what else to do so...”
He sighs into the receiver. “Mickī, we agreed you wouldn’t…”
“I know, I’m sorry but he needed help and I didn’t know what else to do.”
“I get it Mickī, I do, but he still can’t stay. You have to understand, he is Dio’s property, as much as I hate to phrase it that way. He is registered as belonging to Dio in the X.A. Database. No doubt Dio has investigators combing the city for his lost pet. If they find out you are hiding him in my home, you and I will both suffer the consequences. What you’re doing is considered stealing and it’s a felony punishable by up to ten years, of course for a hybrid, the punishment could be much worse.”
My enthusiasm quickly dies under his logical explanation. I understand his reasoning now but then, what should I do with him? I can’t take him back to town now and I certainly can’t just hand him over to Dio, but I don’t want to cause trouble for Nemo either. “I’m sorry Nemo, I wasn’t thinking. I…”
He quickly interjects. “I know you’re trying to do the right thing, and I’m gonna try to help, I just can’t offer up my house as shelter in this case. I have a friend who might be willing to take him in though.”
My ears perk with renewed hope.
“Let me make a phone call and I’ll get back to you in a few minutes.”
“Thank you Nemo” I say in a tone that reflects the smile on my lips.
After saying goodbye, I hang up the phone and begin the waiting game with my fingers crossed.