Midge the Neko - Boyxboy -complete- - Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Midge washed and dried the dishes and pan and walked over towards the couch. "Can I get you anything SiSsscott? I could bring your pillow, or help you back to bed."
"I'm feeling a lot better Midge. I'm not great but it's just a cold. Come sit with me. I don't want to go to bed yet, I don't think I could sleep. Let's talk and then watch a cartoon, okay?"
"Whatever you like." He perched on the arm of the couch, managing to make it look normal. His legs were bent up with his knees under his chin, his arms wrapped around his legs. His tail draped over the edge, slightly swinging back and forth. His head rested on his knees, facing Scott, one ear angled towards the front door.
If Scott had tried that there was no doubt in his mind that he'd be on the floor in seconds. "Please don't fall.  That doesn't look safe or comfortable."
"I am...." he looked down, trying to understand Scott's displeasure. "Oh, I can move to the chair." Trent had also been nervous when he perched.
"No, close is fine." Scott pulled up his legs and made room at the end of the couch. "Here."
"But you should relax. I am fine, truly."
"Okay, if you say so. I don't know what you can or can't do, or what you like so I have to trust you to tell me. Can you do that? Will you be honest and tell me if you're not happy and comfortable? If you don't like something?"
"That is not my place Scott."
"Yes, yes it is. It sure as hell isn't mine, okay?" He could barely think through this fog of a headache but the guessing what was really going on in that boy's mind was driving him crazy and he knew he probably wasn't doing a very good job of it. "Okay, let's try this. You're telling me what I want to hear in order to please me and not make me angry, right?"
"Yeee....Yes Sir." he said, his voice questioning.
"Well what I want to hear and what would make me happy is the truth. I know that may be different than what you're used to, but it's what I prefer. Can you do it now? It's not an... an order or whatever the heck, oh, a rule or anything, it's just a request, as a friend. Alright?"
"You want the truth even if it... if it makes things harder?"
"Yes, yes. Absolutely Midge."
"I will do my best to remember that."
"I want to talk about your, God I hate the word, masters, or owners, whatever."
"You said Trent." His ears flattened down a bit, his tail flicking onto the back of the couch and beating out a steady, unhappy rhythm.  He could handle speaking of Trent but the others were much harder.
"Yes, only because I didn't think you'd talk to me about the other ones. Tell me everything you can. I want to know about the last, what, six years of your life."
"May I ask why you want to know? No one has ever asked before."
"Because I want to help you, understand you a little, make you happy. Because I'm your friend."
"Friend?" he asked, rolling the word around on his tongue. "I have not had a friend in a long time." His ears flicked again to the door, then back. "I do not think a human and a neko can be friends. Humans are masters and we are made to serve. It is our job and what we are best at."
"How are you made to serve? Tell me why you think that."
"We are.... resilient. Quick, helpful, kind. We are happier than humans who need things and everything to always be perfect. Humans need control, and comfort, and stuff. All we need is company, shelter, and food. We live in the moment, we are made for joy."
Resilient. Yes, yes you are. Scott thought back to all the times he had unintentionally scared Midge, how he had bounced back seconds later. How he had trusted Scott and come home with him even though he'd run away from something that Scott probably didn't want to know about. "I think you're better than us, Midge. I wish I could be that strong. Now, tell me about your humans."
"My humans. That is a funny way to say it. I... can I sit near you? I need comfort to talk about Mark." He saw Scott's tiny nod and hopped down, kneeling on the floor between the couch and the coffee table. "May I put my head in your lap? I am dressed."
"You, yes you are. You're funny. You can sit up here on the couch with me if you want but yeah, that's fine too. Whatever makes you comfortable."
He folded his hands in his lap and tilted his head so it just barely rested on Scott's thigh. "Mark was a miserable, broken man who liked to break boys. I do not like to speak of him. It was a horrible year, a year during which I forgot how it felt to laugh. Luckily for me he did not like the broken, so once I gave up he sold me to Jose.
"Jose was better, not so cruel, but ruthless and commanding. He was strict and I had a hard time remembering all his rules. I was...." He started rocking slightly, trying to comfort himself. His tail wound up and around his shoulders in a pitiful attempt at a hug.
Scott pulled himself out of the rage that was burning behind his eyes and looked down, trying to decide the right thing to do. He couldn't imagine Midge not laughing for a year, how bad it would have to be to keep that boy from being happy. His hand moved on its own, coming to rest between Midge's ears. He patted him lightly, smoothing his hair down. When Midge nuzzled closer he got braver, running his fingers through his hair. He lightly tickled around his ears, worried that perhaps he was treating him too much like a cat but when Midge's tail unfurled and wrapped around his calf, he decided to continue.
"Thank you" he mumbled. "I was... not good enough for him. He tried to teach me, in many ways but even his belt did not work. I am so forgetful. I did not please him so he sent me to Trent."
"Why don't you get us a drink and then we can talk some more, if you want. Okay?" He wanted to give Midge a break, some time to snap out of the horror he must be feeling.
"Yes Sscott, of course. May I have milk?" He gently unfolded himself and walked into the kitchen.
"I bought it for you, so help yourself. Any chance you'd want to make me a cup of hot tea?"
"I can do that. What do you like inside the cup?"
"Oh, just a squirt of honey would be great, thank you." He chuckled to himself at Midge's phrasing; every now and then he said something in such an odd way that it cracked him up. He sat up, making room for Midge at the end and motioned to him to sit when he brought the cup in a few minutes later.
"Trent was very good to me. He let me sleep in his bed, and sometimes he brought me Happy Meals. I love chicken nuggets, and they have TOYS! He took me to a movie once, and he was kind. He did not use me so much and when he did, he, he was kinder to me. He was older though, and sick. At first I did not know, he was not so bad but after awhile he would come back from the doctor visits and still not feel better. When the nurses started coming, I had to hide a lot but it was alright. He locked me in then, he said he was scared I would run away and leave him but I would never have done that. I sang to him, and bathed him, and pleasured him. I cooked his food and helped him with everything. I learned a lot. One day when the nurse came, he left with her. He did not come back. I waited many days because I thought..... Eventually some other men came to the house and said they were going to empty it out and sell it so I left. I had a few things he had bought me so I packed everything, and the last of the food.
"After a few days though I was hungry so I started stealing out of the trash cans at night. There was a restaurant, it smelled delicious and I would go every night. One day I got caught though. That was Steven. He was going to call the police but he figured out I am Neko. He took me home with him and kept me there. He was very mean. I do not want to talk about him. I ran away and that is when you found me. Is that enough?"
"My poor, poor Midge. I'm so sorry."
"It is better now. I think you are as nice as Trent. He was very good to me and I am very happy to be here with you now. I hope you will let me stay."
"Wait. Hold on a minute." He took a deep breath, shook his head to clear it an immediately regretted it when a dagger stabbed through his skull. "A master who only raped you now and then, who kept you locked in his house, who treated you like a slave and pet instead of a person was 'good to you'?? And you think maybe, maybe I'm as nice as HE was?"
"I am sorry. You are mad. I did not mean to offend. I was... I am sorry."
"No, no dear. I am sorry. You have no idea how sorry I am that your standard for humanity is so damn low. Do you need a hug?" In a flash he was wrapped up by Midge. Somehow that tiny boy managed to be everywhere, yet light as a feather. His head was cradled in his neck, one leg thrown over his lap. He wrapped his arms around the light bundle, rubbing small circles on his back. "It'll be okay now. I'm going to take care of you, and make sure you can take care of yourself. I just have one more question."
"Yes?"
"Can you read?"
He paused, thinking about his answer. "No, I can not. I know most of my letters though, and I can write my name."
"We'll fix that too, little one."