Occupations could be a tricky subject for some. Most chose individually, forging their own pathways and etching their own destinies. Some unfortunate souls had their lives set out for them, with others in their lives using them as a vessel to live through.
Screech was one of those individuals with limited choice.
He resided in a hotel containing freakish concoctions of smoke, ink, bone and flesh.
Screech was one of those creatures of ink, bone and flesh, a rarity among the rare. From first glance on a pitch-dark room, he was a perfect impersonation of a normal person. The lights being on, however, warranted a different story; black tendrils protruded from his scalp, giving an otherworldly appearance to an otherwise humanly creature.
He'd nabbed some clothes from his victims, even though his superior insisted he wore darker tones to blend into the lightless environments he lurked in. Given the restrictions, he lacked pigment to his skin. The darkness gave his flesh a ghostly white tone, and his eyes barely stood out from it.
Screech knew how destructive this lifestyle was, and he wanted out; nothing was as seductive as the option of leaving the hellhole behind to adopt a new life and conform to nobody's standards.
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It was like every other day; business was slow and Screech was left to sulk in the dark after letting an unarmed woman pass through. Harshly, he was punished.
As he let bitter tears fall onto dusty sheets, he recollected every horrid memory he'd ever lived.
How he hated Seek, the sociopath. An unfeeling black sludge with the ability to take on any shape. It had eyes everywhere on everyone. Nothing went undetected. Even Guiding Light was alarmed by how much surveillance Seek had, its own pailing in comparison.
His palms messily smeared his tears over his flushed cheeks; even so, they were incredibly pale.
Heavy footsteps came thudding through, and Screech straightened his back, only to slump back down and sob his heart out.
"Rush, go away!" His breaking voice cried out.
Yet, no response came.
With the footsteps slowing, Screech covered his tentacles with his hood.
"Rush, just go away!" He cries out, his voice shaking as he sinks into the mattress.
With the footsteps approaching more rapidly, he covers his mouth to silence every small, shaky breath from his mouth.
When the footsteps reached the doorway, Screech was on the verge of panicking; was this what humans felt whenever he had snuck up on them and screamed in their ears? This awful tension was unbearable.
Even as the steps drew close, he covered his eyes and clutched the sides of the hood to hide his face.
"Go...Go away..." He sobs desperately.
"...Are you okay?" An unfamiliar, masculine voice piped up.
His eyes shot open at that, but he remained locked in the position; he was on his knees, balled up with his hood hiding his head.
Sniffling, Screech gave a small,"...No."
As the footsteps drew even closer, he felt his heart failing, or beating so fast it wasn't registering.
A large hand landed on his upper back, the palm straightening as it came into contact with his spine,"Hey, sport, what's wrong?"
That was the first time he had been given sympathy. This complete stranger was offering him comfort, and every inch of him was screaming to bite him.
But, he couldn't bring himself to; his misdirected hatred for humanity was shoved aside all in that moment. Instead, his grip released the hood and he sat up, immediately looking at the person consoling him.
The human was quite pretty, in Screech's opinion. His face was shaped nicely, and he simply stared directly into his vibrant, angelic, (E/C) eyes.
As he took his hood down, he awaited the judgement to knock his mood back into the dumps.
"What are you doing sat alone in the dark?" He asks Screech, taking his place on the edge of the bed.
Knocked out of his comfort zone, Screech stammered,"I...I was just...uh...(What impresses humans..?)"
The way the human was fixated on him was unique to the way the entities did. While they were eyeing him in a dominant manner to express superiority or disgust, this human eyed him with clear concern, opposed to distain.
"You were..?" The stranger prompted, giving small nods as a gesture to continue.
Encouraged, Screech proclaimed in a simple, humble tone,"I was crying."
The entity kept close tabs on every movement of the humans visage, how his eyebrows raised, his eyelids opened a bit wider, and how the creases of his lips dipped downwards in some expression he hadn't seen before. It wasn't one of disappointment, which was what he was used to, but that was all he could determine.
"Crying? In this dark room? On your own?" The human pesters him with questions.
"Is crying in the dark by myself wrong?" Screech squeaked, his voice quiet yet scratchy.
A scoff of amusement escaped the human,"It wouldn't be if you weren't in a haunted hotel. Why are you here, anyway? Exploring because you saw it online?"
Screech stopped; was it not obvious that he wasn't one of them?
"I'm not from our there." Screech added, perplexed,"I'm from this hotel. I've been here since I was younger, and it's all I've ever known."
Screech watched as the human's brow furrowed with lostness, only to raise a minute later, accompanied by wide eyes,"...You live in this hotel?"
He realised that it hit harder after being treated to such a humanly atmosphere. To be shamed and be an outcast hurt, but it hurt more after the human had treated him fondly.
"I...yeah? I do." He stuttered.
Out of curiousity, the human groped Screech's shoulders, surprised to find mass under the hoodie,"You're...physical."
Having grabbed their lighter, Screech flicks it on, flinching slightly as the golden glow comes into view. Yellow casts across the room, as (Y/n) looks on in horror.
Without thinking, (Y/n) starts to laugh. It wasn't a sarcastic laugh or a mocking laugh. Just a laugh.
Throwing his arms around Screech, he held him,"Finally! A human! A physical person who isn't trying to kill me!"
In his arms, Screech tensed up before breaking down and hugging him back. (Y/n) rubbed his back, cuddling him tightly," You don't know how pleased I am to see you."
Scoffing, Screech smirked," Yeah, I'm pretty pleased to see you, too. Happy to not have to attack you, y'know? It's nice to just have a friend, as corny as that is."
"I can only imagine how lonely you must've been. Let's get you out of here." (Y/n) told him, getting off of the corner of the bed and offering his hand.
His eyes lit up at the opportunity, and he grabbed (Y/n)'s hand in an instant.
Finally, he was seen and understood.
