Watch out! Some gross stuff happens later this chapter, watch out u emetophobes.
A couple of days had passed since the incident, the two of us taking turns to check on the inkling and re-apply his bandages. He hasn't woken up since the day he came, but he was healing pretty fast. Our stock of healing supplies was growing a little low, however, so we texted our eldest brother, Terrell, if he could go out and buy some for us along with the usual groceries before he came back home today.
You may ask, "William, how have you guys not been caught by your parents yet?" Well, we don't necessarily have parents, y'see. When we were young, Alyssa and I, our parents had left us with no explanation. We had moved in with our aunt, but she was out most of the time so Terrell was forced to take care of us, and we were little asshats to him growing up. We started out in a very cramped and tiny house, but as the years went by, Terrell got bigger and better jobs, which resulted in us leaving our neglectful aunt and getting the two story house we have today. We even got a pool! A very cool brother we have.
Due to his current job, he was very 'in and out' of the house, though he always made sure to text us and call us when he could. He was never gone for too long, though one time he was gone for almost a straight month. He announced his return to the both of us via video chat yesterday, which produced a fire of worry in us that was quickly drenched as we remembered that this was our brother we were talking about, the one who nailed job interview after job interview with his warm and supportive personality, as well as his charming looks I've heard people claim he had. We had little to no doubt that he'd accept the inkling in our household, as long as we introduced him carefully.
"WILLIAM! GET UP! Terrell's home! He brought breakfast, too! He's got pancakes and everything!" I woke up with a start, Alyssa's loud call startling me awake.
Mumbling curse words directed at my sister despite her being out of range, I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes before stretching and giving a deep yawn, absentmindedly scratching at my neck. Shoving off the warm and comforting blankets that once covered my body, I was forced to embrace the cool and unwelcoming air around me as I got up.
Swinging my feet around to the side of my bed, I managed to slowly stand up, another yawn escaping my mouth. Lightly stumbling to my dresser, I pulled on a pale yellow shirt and some blue jeans, a plain and simple outfit. Spotting my glasses on the top of the dresser, I quickly put them on, the bandage upon my nose making it slightly askew, but it didn't bother me much.
To my left side, I saw a mirror that held my reflection, so I decided to take the time to examine myself. I wasn't the tallest guy for my age, only 5'4 while my sister was 5'6. I was also the same dark brown as my sister, only I had no noticeable freckles on my face like she did. The bandage on my nose was a very easily spotted contrast against my skin, so sneaking around in dark areas would be a no-no. My eyes were the exact same hue as my sisters, a nice choco-brown. Around them were my glasses, a very basic pair that had no touch ups or anything a typical teenager would have, but I loved them anyway. My hair was very loosely tied into a bun alike my sisters, only my hair color was a natural black rather than her dyed blue.
About to head out the door, I looked over my room. Messy, but not horrendously messy. Perfect. My dirty clothes from yesterday were scattered along the floor, and my bed wasn't made because honestly, who would make their bed if they're going to sleep in it just hours later?
Leaving my room, I walked down the hallway to the staircase, looking down from the banister. I spotted Alyssa and Terrell on the couch, happily eating freshly made pancakes that our older brother must've picked up before he arrived. Terrell was a well built man, since he went to the gym regularly, though he was as gentle as a mother cat. His hair was cut short and his face was warm and welcoming so he managed to strike up many conversations with random people who felt relaxed in his presence. Nearby were our two pets that he picked up from the kennel on his way home, our dog named Pepper, and our kitten named Salt. Despite their names, they were both very friendly animals, both to humans and to each other.
Pepper was a very peppy shiba inu, her coat was a nice charcoal black but her snout was was a mix of brown and white. She often played with Salt, our small and curious white munchkin kitten who never denied playing a game or two with her. The two were practically best friends, always chilling next to each other and never fighting. We were blessed with a good kitten and dog, thank you pet gods for whoever let this happen to us.
Dashing down the stairs, I ran over to Pepper and gave her a good pet on the head, and then lowering myself to gently scratch under Salt's chin, the kitten mewling in delight. After implanting the adorable sound in my memory forever, I turned over to Terrell and grabbed his shoulders, startling him into pausing in his chewing.
"Where the hell is the food, you have ten seconds or I will become cannibalistic." I jokingly growled at him, to which he chuckled at.
He swallowed his bite and pointed towards the kitchen, "Your pancake stack is in there, I got 'em made with chocolate chips just how you always like it. Alyssa told me about your little 'guest', so I got another stack for him to enjoy too. Then again, she didn't really 'tell' me right off the bat, so I had to go see for myself."
I stood there flabbergasted, before angrily turning to my younger sister. She backed into the cushion on the couch, able to easily sense my fury, before speaking up.
"You know I'm not a good liar!"
"But you're a good manipulator, couldn't you have kept him away until I woke up?!"
"You know full well that Terrell can tell when I'm trying to change his direction!"
I huffed, "Well, you could've tried a little harder."
"Oh! So you think I don't try my hardest, huh? Is that it?"
"Yes it fucking is you-"
"William. Alyssa." Terrell firmly stated our names in that 'I'm not taking this shit today' parent voice, prompting the both of us to shut our mouths before we said anything else stupid. "Will, you should head to the kitchen and pick up the pancakes, both for you and our 'guest'. We'll eat our breakfast, and then go up and check on the little guy, alright? Calm down, no need to attack each other."
Roughly exhaling through my nose but not daring to roll my eyes, I grumpily trudged over to the kitchen, spotting the still hot pancakes on the counter. One stack was, sure enough, chocolate chip pancakes, making me lustfully lick my lips as I stared them down. Another stack next to them were plain buttermilk pancakes, complete with butter and syrup on top. I gently took both plates of pancakes into my hands, heading back into the living room with a fork in my mouth.
We sat and ate on the couch for a couple of minutes, silently watching TV and appreciating our time together after Terrell's return. Soon after we finished the last of the pancakes, me licking my plate of its syrup before Alyssa oh so rudely snatched it from my hands, off to wash the dishes. She stuck her tongue out at me before walking to the kitchen, so I flashed her a finger when Terrell wasn't looking, like a good older brother.
My older sibling stretched for a second, before exhaling a relieving sigh through his mouth, "Okay...Ready to go feed our unconscious guest that you two have been caring for in this house without me knowing for almost a week?"
I put on the best poker face I could muster, "Yes."
Terrell laughed, warmly patting me on my shoulder before reaching down and picking up the pancakes from the coffee table and shooing off Pepper, who was starting to grow nosy. Alyssa saw us heading up the stairs on her way out from the kitchen, hurrying up to join us on our ascent.
Amused, I put on a sly smile, "Don't you have dishes to wash?"
She nonchalantly waved her hand, "Dishes smishes, I want to see the inkling dude finally wake up after doing nothing but changing his bandages every so often. Plus, if he doesn't like pancakes, I could just take them instead."
"Oink oink." I mocked her in a teasing tone, prompting my sister to stick her tongue right out at me.
Terrell opened the door to the guest bedroom, the inkling still resting on the bed but looking much more healthier than on day one. His cheeks weren't as flushed and he seemed less tense, looking like he was sleeping after an exhausting day rather than recovering from a fever. His pointed ear twitched at the sound of us all quietly walking in, but he showed no signs of waking up.
Gently lowering himself on the bed, Terrell reached an arm out and slowly shook the inkling in hopes of waking him. The boy stirred slightly, turning over onto his side and opening his eyes for a split second before heading right back under, still too tired to properly wake up. Terrell gave an amused hum before grabbing the fork with the buttermilk pancakes and tearing off a piece, steadily waving it under the kid's nose.
That did the trick. The inkling slowly woke up, stretching his arms as he yawned and murmuring something under his breath in what seemed to be agitation. He gently rubbed his eyes before blinking them open and slowly taking in the world around him. Bright, lime green eyes looked around the room, quickly focusing on the beings before him, us.
Alyssa and I glanced at each other for a moment, apprehensive to whatever the inkling could be thinking as he stared at us. After a couple more moments of awkward, tense silence, I slowly began to speak up.
"Uhh, hi. You've-uhh-you've been in our house for a while and you got pretty banged up. You-uh...you feeling okay? You understand me?"
All I got was a blank stare in reply. Of course. I could hear Alyssa take in a breath to say some sort of snarky comment, so I stomped on her foot to keep her quiet. The inkling stared at me for a moment, then glanced at the forkful of pancake Terrell was still holding in front of him expectantly. There was a slight pause and we all could hear his stomach growl quite loudly in the silence, prompting the inkling to stutter and look off to the side in embarrassment with his cheeks flushed bright pink.
"C'mon." Terrell encouraged, pushing the plate of pancakes toward the blushing inkling and handing him the fork, "Eat. I know you're hungry."
His eyes flickered up at Terrell's face, unsure, before he took a small, hesitant bite off the pancake on the fork.
His face lit up and he quickly went at it, the little inkling happily digging into the pancakes after realizing just how hungry he was. He was going so fast that Terrell had to pat his back when he choked on his food like seven times. He managed to scarf down four pancakes in a manner of minutes before pushing away the rest of the stack with a content expression on his face.
Alyssa was quick to nab the leftover pancakes, immediately going to inhale the food like the pig she was. Within a minute she had cleaned the plate, which had to be some kind of record or something.
Rolling my eyes, I went to the side of the bed and squatted down to the inkling's height, holding out a hand for a kind handshake, "Hey, little dude. I'm William. What's your name?"
Instead of receiving the polite handshake I was expecting, I got a defensive growl, the inkling baring his teeth and shrinking back against the pillow he was leaning against. Alarmed, I backed away with both hands in the air in a defensive gesture, glaring at my sister who was hiding her laughter behind her hands. The kid didn't change his posture, looking at me warily before shifting his gaze over to Terrell, who was still on the bed but a reasonable distance away from him.
Terrell saw the unease in the inkling's stare and stood up off the bed, backing away too. We all stood there for a moment, watching the inkling's eyes jump from looking at one of us to the next, his posture unchanging.
Alyssa spoke up in an angry whisper, "Pretty smart of him to eat pancakes offered to him by total strangers and then act like we're the bad guys."
Terrell sighed, "He was just trying to fill his stomach and has every right to be wary of us. Go easy on him, he's possibly just incredibly terrified, we are absolute strangers to him."
I shrugged, "Plus, he's still kinda sick. If you had just possibly gone through hell, came in through a portal, and woke up feeling incredibly hungry and confused, you'd probably be a little irritable too."
After a couple more moments of my siblings and I having a stare down with the inkling, the squid made the first move.
Hopping off the bed with a speed to envy, the inkling darted over to the only window in the room and tried to pry it open to no avail. The effort behind it was clear when he whipped back around, already starting to pant heavily. He was trying to escape.
Terrell quickly instructed Alyssa to shut the door and for me to stand back so we wouldn't get hurt. He then slowly stepped toward the inkling and tried to get him to calm down with a soft voice, but the kid wasn't having it. When Terrell got close enough, he started shaking in immense terror and looked like a cornered puppy. Then, right when Terrell was going to 'trap' him in the corner, he lunged forward and sunk his teeth into my older brother's arm.
Alyssa and I both screamed at the sight and Terrell grunted, furrowing his brow and trying to get the inkling off of his arm. No matter how hard he tried, however, the inkling stayed on and seemed to sink his teeth in even further. After a second, he let go and swiftly kicked Terrell in the shin as hard as he could before running over to Alyssa and I.
We both had a mini stare down with him, while he was staring right back up at us. His bright green eyes flickered between the two of us before he quickly made his move.
"FUCK!" I yelped as he lunged at me, the force of him crashing into me knocking us to the floor. I wheezed after the impact and didn't get to recover before he stood up and kicked me straight in the sack with as much force as he could. I could feel my lower half dying and rotting on its deathbed as I curled up in agony and watched with watery eyes as he slowly turned to my sister and stepped towards her, my sister in turn backing against the exit to the room.
He looked like he was about to attack her when he suddenly fell to his knees, holding himself up with his shaky arms. He strained to stand up and when my sister bent down to make sure he was alright, he straight up spat into her face.
Well, not necessarily spat but a thin stream of his ink flew from his mouth and into her face. More importantly, her open mouth.
Naturally she screamed, then choked, then frantically began trying to spit it out of her mouth, completely distracted from the inkling, who had a clear path to the door and gladly threw it open before running out into the hallway.
Apparently he wasn't faking the whole 'struggling to stand' shit, as he immediately collapsed a few steps out right down onto his knees and was starting to make a gagging noise.
Ahhh fuck.
I took a small breath, and then a couple more to get my breathing under control because holy FUCK THIS HURTS. Trying my damned hardest to bear through the pain of my nuts getting assaulted, I slowly crawled over to the inkling, the kid covering his mouth with his hands and had his eyes squinted shut. With a bit of effort I sat up into an odd position to keep my lower half from screaming, resting beside him and rubbing his back in a comforting manner.
Soon after I began rubbing his back I saw him lurch forward, gross vomit leaking between his fingers and onto the carpet floor. I scrunched my nose at the sight but despite it I kept rubbing his back, knowing that he probably upset his stomach with all that activity he did to try and escape.
By the time he threw up a second time on the floor I could see Terrell walking toward us with a slight limp and bleeding arm. He crouched down in front of the inkling and gently patted his shoulder in sympathy with his good arm before taking my still shrieking sister and helping her out of the room.
I looked back down at the inkling and saw him trembling before vomiting what he had left in his stomach, adding to the gross pile of slightly digested pancakes in stomach acid. The inkling sat there for a second to get his bearings before he turned to look up at me, looking incredibly distressed.
He shuddered, hot tears gathering in the corner of his eyes and slowly slipping down his red cheeks. The poor dude tried to stand and slowly walk away from the gross pile he created in one last attempt to leave, though only got a couple of steps in before he promptly collapsed onto the floor and passed right back out.
At that moment, Terrell walked back into the room and saw the inkling passed out onto the floor and me just sitting there with a blank look on my face.
He sighed, "I'll get the carpet cleaner. Will, you should shower. Or at least change your clothes."
I gave him a look, "Why? It's already a huge effort as it is to change my clothes, plus I'm not really in the best of shape to do literally anything right now."
"Because the inkling wiped some of the puke on his fingers onto your pants." He informed on his way out the door.
Sure enough, looking down at my pants I could see the streak marks of gross, mushy, brown puke on my pants and I immediately hobbled out of the guest room and into my bedroom for a change of clothes. As soon as I got my pants off I tossed them out of my room and into the hallway, those pants were now a disgrace to me and my family.
Do you guys have any sources on where to buy or rent a flamethrower? Asking for a friend.
the inkling's quite the charmer, would yall date him?