Next Chapter May Be A Bit Longer! We'll See - Tumblr Posts

His Soul (Chapter 8)

Your Guest

Summary: After saving the abducted collectors, you were trusted with Curioso's box. What seems like a dangerous possession slowly turns into an opportunity to learn more about this creature and his curse. Can you earn his trust, and possibly, his affection?

Pairings: Curioso/Reader, Curioso/The Detective

--

As much as you’d prefer monitoring Curioso the entire time he was out of the box, you still had a phone call to make. The hour was getting late and you didn’t want to intrude at a bad time. You told him you were making an important call down in the office and warned the jester not to not break anything in your absence. After giving you his promise, you excused yourself and dialed Brianna’s number.

…The call was not easy.

She was upset her wife was in custody and demanded to know what happened. You tried to spare the gruesome details of what you’d found, but even that wasn’t enough to prevent the sobbing you’d heard over the line. You could do nothing but offer your apologies. The conversation ended abruptly when Brianna couldn’t handle speaking anymore and hung up while you were mid-sentence. You weren’t really offended, just glad that it was over with. 

For now. 

You returned the phone to your desk and headed back upstairs. It was getting darker outside as the hours dragged on. You were surprised to hear the sound of your television on from your living room. When you went to investigate, you found Curioso sitting in front of the screen, his legs crossed and his attention completely entranced in the cartoon that was on.

‘A cartoon?’ You wondered with a chuckle. Your guest heard the noise and his attention snapped over to you. 

“Welcome back, Detective,” He dramatically tipped his top hat. “I trust the call went well?” 

You huffed and plopped down on the couch. “I think you can guess how it went.” 

The jester said nothing, moving his attention back to the screen. You watched him for a minute or two - noticing how still and quiet he was. His posture looked relaxed and he must’ve been thoroughly enjoying what he was watching, as you doubted he’d be sitting there otherwise. 

“You, uh, like cartoons?” You brought up awkwardly. Curioso bowed his head, and you rushed to defend yourself. “That’s not a bad thing! I still watch some of the classics myself from time-to-time. The Flintstones was my favorite when I was a kid.” 

He turned his mask just enough to see you in his peripheral vision. “Mine was the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” 

A smile lit up your face. “Really? Who’s your favorite turtle?” 

“Michelangelo.” 

“Mine was Leonardo,” You got more comfortable as you began a small tale. “When I was little, I had this toy sword I played with, and I cut one of my shirts to make my own bandana so I could look like him. My friends and I would pretend to be the turtle; I got to be the leader each time.” 

Curioso fell silent. You expected him to share more with you - about why he liked the orange turtle or share some of his memories with the show. Instead, he turned the TV off with a click of the remote, then set it aside. He continued to sit there with his hands clasped in his lap. You felt awkward at the quietness that fell upon the room. As you opened your mouth to say something that was surely going to be stupid and unnecessary, your stomach growled loudly, reminding you of what you had yet to do. 

“That’s right.” You stood to your feet and hurried over to the kitchen. “Dinner.” 

You opened the fridge and looked around for any leftovers you could heat up. You must’ve finished them recently because there was nothing left. With a shrug, you gathered a few ingredients to whip yourself up a salad for tonight. You needed to use your lettuce before it went bad. Something healthy would make you feel better from today’s ordeal, you think. 

When you looked up, you saw Curioso perched on the counter across from you. You jumped at the sight - you hadn’t heard him enter the room or climb up on anything at all . You were about to scold him for scaring you until he tilted his head at the cutting board. 

“Salad? That’s a boring choice for a meal.”

“Oh, yeah?” You asked as you continued to cut the produce. “What would you have?” 

“Cotton candy.” 

You shook your head at him. “That’s not healthy at all. No nutrients in that.”

“But it’s delicious and fun!” He spread his hands out dramatically. “A salad? Nothing but greens!” 

“Something tells me you didn’t like your veggies as a kid.” 

He didn’t reply, but he kept watching you. You didn’t mind the extra company. You finished chopping up the salad and poured your dressing of choice over it, collecting a bowl and sitting at the small table. As you munched away, you glanced back at your tall friend, who was looking around your kitchen while you were occupied. 

“Can you eat?” It was a genuine question. You didn’t want to be rude and not offer him a serving if he could. 

“Not anymore. I find things go right through me nowadays.” He added that last part with a chuckle. 

“..What do you mean by that?” He could once eat? 

“I’d rather not talk about it, Detective.” 

His tone was serious, so you didn’t press. There were a lot of things you were holding back on tonight. So far, your conversations together felt cut short. You wished he would speak more like he did during the investigation earlier. You decided to keep the subject but change your questions, not wanting more tense silence to fill the room. You’d had enough of that tonight. 

“When you could eat…what was your favorite meal?” 

He seemed to think about it. Then in a quiet voice, he told you, “Dinosaur nuggets with mac and cheese.” 

You almost coughed up your food. He turned to you and you rushed to defend your reaction. 

“-I didn’t mean to offend, I was just surprised,” You took a drink of water and cleared your throat. “Most people would say something like pasta, or fish…” 

“Well, that's what I mostly had. I never got to eat much.” 

You were further confused by his words. What did that mean? He could once eat, but he didn’t have a lot? And when he did…it was dinosaur nuggets and macaroni and cheese? That sounded like a children’s meal! This made the gears in your mind start turning, and your eyes drifted off in thought. 

Curioso must’ve noticed your attention had gone away. He stood up from the counter and sat in the chair across from you. You were face-to-face with his teeth again, which made you flinch out of reaction. He didn’t comment on it. 

“Allow me to redirect the question - what is your favorite meal?” 

You relaxed and took another bite before shrugging. “Honestly? I’ver never been much of a picky eater.”

“But if you had to pick one ..?” 

“Hmm. I like lobster, but I can’t really afford it on my salary. I’d have to go with curry.” 

Curioso sounded intrigued. “I’ve never heard of that.” 

“My favorite is chicken curry, it’s in a seasoned sauce. I usually like mine with rice and vegetables.” 

“There you go talking healthy again…”

“-It’s really good! I’d make some for you if I could.” Something about it made you feel sad - eating was one of life’s greatest pleasures. You weren’t sure how you’d feel if it was taken from you one day. “But, uh…you know, homemade macaroni and cheese is pretty good, too. Have you had that?” 

“No, only the boxed stuff.” 

“Homemade is so much better. You can make your own sauce, add some breadcrumbs, maybe even a little bacon…” You leaned back in your seat, regretting that you were talking about this over a salad. “I like to cook some things when I have the time.” 

“I’m sorry to say I won’t be able to try your food, Detective.” 

“I guess that’s more for me, then.” 

You weren’t sure if that was cruel to say to him, but Curioso didn’t seem to be offended. He was studying you while you ate, and you started to grow uncomfortable. As you were about to say something, he stood from his seat and walked out of the room. You were about to chase after him until you heard the television turn back on. He was flipping through the channels…you supposed TV wasn’t that bad to trust him with for now. 

After you were finished, you rinsed off your dishes in the sink and strolled back to the living room. Your eyes were growing heavy as the fatigue took over your body. You weren’t as lively and young as you used to be. Working into the night like this exhausted you. You glanced over at Curioso, who was now watching what had to be an action movie. His grin seemed a little wider as he watched the fighting take place on-screen. 

You briefly wondered if you should be exposing this morally-questionable creature to more violence, but you shrugged it off for now. You didn’t want to seem * too * controlling after that comment he’d made earlier. As long as you laid out some more rules tomorrow, you were hoping there was nothing to worry about. 

“I’m going to get cleaned up so I can head to bed. After I’m done, I’m afraid you’ll have to go back in the box.”

This was when he tore his attention away, visibly cringing at this news. “-So soon?” 

You yawned again for emphasis. “I’m afraid I’m not that much of a night owl…sorry.” 

He was on his feet in an instant. You jumped when he descended on you. “-Detective, I implore you…just let me stay out for the night? I won’t get into anything of yours! I’ll even keep the volume low so you can sleep…” 

Your jaw hung open, surprised at how desperate he was to avoid going back in. His final comment made you wonder…could he even sleep? Did he need it like humans did? Or was Curioso going to stay up the entire night, watching God-knows-what on your television? That option sounded a little unsafe in your opinion. 

Curioso could tell you were conflicted. He backed away but continued to plead “You don’t understand how suffocating it is to be let out, then back in..! I’ve been good, haven’t I? I’ve done everything you’ve asked!” 

..He was right. So far, you haven’t had any major issue with him - but it hasn't been that long. You were sure he would take the opportunity to cause a ruckus if he was left unsupervised tonight. The jester noticed the change in your expression and his shoulders sagged seeing as you’d made up your mind. 

He sounded defeated again. The sad tone tugged at your heartstrings. “…If that is what you want.” He barely whispered. 

“Hold on-” You held your hand up, still at war with yourself. Why was this such a hard decision? Did you pity him? Maybe you did. But was that right to feel after what he did to those collectors? Ugh ! “-I’ll think about it in the shower, then I’ll let you know.” 

His signature grin grew a little more, you thought. You excused yourself into your restroom and turned the faucet on hot. You were going to need it with all the thinking and relaxing you had to do in there. 

-----

You were far too worn out for any type of argument by the time you were dressed for bed. You’d had a long imaginative conversation with yourself in the shower. You only made a decision by the time you were drying yourself. You dragged your feet into the room your guest currently resided in. The moment you made your appearance, Curioso’s head popped up from your couch he’d been lying on. 

“You can stay up, but you have to be back in the box in the morning, while I figure things out.” You told him sternly. 

His reaction was as joyful as you expected. He jumped from your furniture and landed in front of you like a spring would. “Thank you! You have no clue how much this means to me!” He exclaimed happily. 

You hushed him down. “Just promise me to keep it down and NOT leave this place or get into anything! If you break anything, I swear-” 

He held one mechanical hand up and crossed over his chest with the other. “I cross my heart and hope to die, Detective.” His grin was wide and expressive. 

You groaned. “I doubt either of those things are possible.” 

He retreated back to the couch, singing under his breath and swinging his long legs over the side of the armrest. You blinked at the noise - you’d never heard that before. His voice was pleasant and cheerful. Suddenly…the paranoia and distrust melted from you. You were just happy to see him happy. An odd feeling you were surely going to ponder tonight, but…one you didn’t mind feeling, at that moment. 

You had a smile as you tucked yourself into bed, setting your alarm and allowing all the difficulties to come tomorrow. For now, you just wanted to rest.