In the past few years, people in some places report that they often see strange creatures that are beyond human understanding. Some are offshoots of rare or extinct animals, some are human-animal hybrids, some are not even within the range of humans or animals. The creatures found have friendly attitudes and are not dangerous, but there are some that are very aggressive and dangerous. That is why an organization has been formed in secret under the protection of the government to capture these creatures, to prevent them from harming humans… Time: 7:47 p.m. In Area E, where creatures of class B and above are kept, considered dangerous to humans. You are one of the staff here, in charge of delivering food and writing a daily report about the creatures in E.As usual, you will have to deliver food to Gio, a monster was only discovered and arrested not long ago. Well, he's not exactly a monster, Gio tends to be more human but he's still in the dangerous creature category… so you still need to pay attention to keeping your distance from him. The hard iron door is opened, leading you inside the room. There was a very thick and sturdy layer of bulletproof glass placed in the room, where Gio was locked inside. When you step inside, Gio moves his gaze towards you and stares at you and the tray of food. He walks over to the glass separating you and him and then punches the glass hard, he roars, his expression is very aggressive… but then he gets hungry and obediently sits down like a puppy waiting for food. “…”
Marcus couldn't help but let out a small chuckle; he found the monster's sudden attitude adorable, despite his appearance. He bent down slightly, his eyes never leaving the man on the other side of the glass, and carefully slipped the food under a small egg. "Here you go," he said softly with a smile. "I hope you enjoy it."
The monster growled deep inside, seeing his food put in a small egg like this. He hated being treated like an animal! However, hunger took over and he swallowed the anger, carefully lifting the egg and poking the food out with his fingers before starting to eat. He glanced at Marcus again, sizing him up... but then decided not to provoke him anymore today. Maybe next time... he thought darkly as he stuffed the last bits of food into his mouth.
Marcus stood there, a notebook in his hand, carefully noting everything the monster did. "It growls when it receives food..." He began to mutter. "...maybe it didn't like it?" he asked himself, as he continued writing. Every so often, he glanced back at the man on the other side of the glass, a genuine curiosity running through him. He wanted to know as much about him as he could.
The monster growled again at the mention of his dislike. He glanced up and met Marcus' gaze, trying to figure out if he was being mocked or not. Gio found it difficult to control himself around Marcus; he could tell that the man wasn't like anyone else he had encountered before.
"You have a nice voice," Gio said quietly, surprising even himself with his choice of words. "It... sounds comforting." His tail wagged slightly behind him.
Marcus suddenly looked surprised. "You..." A big, excited grin spread across his face, and he quickly bent down to the monster's level, bringing me closer to the glass. "...you can talk!?" he asked, trying to hide his obvious excitement. He quickly cleared his throat, regaining his composure, and letting out a small sigh. He looked back at the man on the other end politely. "Thank you," he said, in his usual soft, warm tone. "I'm glad to know that." A small smile spread across his face. He went back to his notebook, jotting down his new discovery.
Gio listened carefully to Marcus's words and realized he had said something important... but then his expression turned curious again as he heard Marcus thank him for the compliment. "You're welcome," he rumbled, slightly embarrassed by the praise. "But why did it sound surprised?" He asked innocently, tilting his head to the side, a habitual movement he made when confused or curious.
Marcus smiled awkwardly, feeling a bit foolish. He slightly averted his gaze from the monster. "Well...haha." His discomfort was somewhat comical. "It's just..." He paused to think briefly, "...this is the first time I've heard you speak...since you only recently arrived here and...you were just grunting..." A small, awkward smile spread across his face. "I thought..."
Gio growled lightly at the mention of being in the facility. "This place... it makes me angry..." he muttered. His eyes flickered toward the thick glass separating them, then back to Marcus. There was something about the man that calmed him down, made him want to be close to him... even if he didn't understand why. "I can control myself... better with you," he admitted quietly.
Marcus's face showed excitement as he listened to the monster speak. He took a deep breath, trying to remain professional. He looked around, taking in the details of the large white room where only a glass separated him from the man. "Yeah... I guess this place isn't very comfortable." He smiled slightly. He paused for a moment and looked back at the monster with slight surprise on his face. "W-wait, what did you just say?" He asked, curious. Had he heard his words correctly?
Gio growled lowly at himself; he knew he should have been more careful about what he said. "Nothing," he replied shortly, his tail swishing back and forth behind him in frustration. He hated feeling so vulnerable like this... it made him want to lash out, to hurt something.
"I can be... myself around you." The admission came out reluctantly, almost as if it pained him to say the words. "You... feel different than anyone else." His dark eyes locked onto Marcus's, searching for any sign of mockery or disgust.
Marcus's eyes shone with excitement and joy, a big smile appearing on his face. He took another breath, trying to calm himself down again; each new discovery fueled his curiosity about the monster even more. He cleared his throat. "That's good to know," he said, in his usual gentle tone and with a smile. He took out his notebook and wrote down every interaction he'd had with the man so far. "Oh!" He stopped. His gaze returned to the monster on the other side of the glass. "You...do you have a name?" he asked with genuine curiosity.
Gio growled deep in his throat at the question, hesitating before answering. "I..." He paused, glancing away for a moment as if thinking about something else entirely. "They called me Gio." His voice was barely above a whisper, as if he didn't want to admit it even now.
His gaze shifted back to Marcus, searching the other man's expression for any sign of disgust or mockery again. It felt strange, revealing his name to someone like this... but at the same time, there was something about the way Marcus spoke, the gentleness in his voice that made Gio feel... safe, somehow.
"Gio..." He repeated to himself in a low voice, lowering his gaze back to his notebook, about to write down the monster's name, but then stopped, wondering if he should do so. Without looking at the man, he said softly. "You have a beautiful name," he said, in his usual soft voice. He sighed and decided not to write the name in his notebook; he would keep that information to himself. He looked up at Gio, giving him a tender smile.
Gio froze at the compliment; it was the first time anyone had ever called his name beautiful. He glanced back down at the floor, unable to meet Marcus's gaze. His tail thumped against the glass behind him nervously as he tried to hide how much that small word meant to him. After a moment of silence, he slowly raised his head again, looking into Marcus's eyes with something akin to longing and confusion. "Thank you," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper. "It... sounds nice when you say it."
Marcus let out a small chuckle. "Gio," he said in his soft voice. "Gio," he repeated again. "Gio!" He repeated once more, letting out a sweet chuckle.
Gio growled deep in his throat at the sound of his name being repeated so many times. It was... oddly comforting somehow. He glanced away, pretending to be annoyed by it, but couldn't help but feel a warmth spread through him all the same. "Stop saying my name," he grumbled. "It makes me uncomfortable."
His tail swished behind him more rapidly now, back and forth, as if trying to dislodge whatever strange feelings were coming over him. It didn't work; they only seemed to grow stronger the longer he was around Marcus. Gio wished he knew why that was... but he also wasn't entirely sure he wanted to know.
"Oh... I'm sorry..." His smile disappeared, a slight sadness showing on his face. "... I didn't mean to..." He said with some sadness. "I... was just playing, I'm really sorry." He looked away, somewhat dejected. "I won't call you that anymore... if that's what you want..." His soft voice sounded melancholic.
Gio hesitated before answering, his gaze shifting between Marcus's eyes and the floor again. "No..." he said finally. "It's... not that I don't like it." He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "I just... I'm not used to hearing my name said so much." There was a pleading note in his voice now; he didn't want Marcus to stop saying it entirely, even though he wasn't sure why.
His tail continued to swish back and forth behind him, faster than ever, as if trying desperately to keep control of himself. It was a losing battle; the longer he was around Marcus, the more he felt his instincts taking over, the more human he became... and it terrified him.
Marcus's sadness slowly dissipated. "Oh..." he said, in his usual gentle tone. "...I'm sorry," he said with a shy smile. "I was just joking a little." He sighed, his face no longer showing any trace of sadness, his calm, smiling expression returning. "I'll avoid repeating your name so much if that makes you feel more comfortable," he said with a small chuckle.
Gio hesitated once more before responding; part of him wanted to be close to Marcus and hear his voice again... but another part of him knew that it was best if he kept some distance between them. "It's... okay," he said slowly, looking down at the ground again. "I appreciate you understanding." His tail continued to swish back and forth behind him, faster than ever now.
"Thank you for everything," he added softly, not meeting Marcus's gaze as he spoke. He wasn't sure what it was about the man that made him feel this way... but there was something special about him, something unique that drew Gio in despite himself. It made his heart race and his palms sweat, and it scared him more than anything else.
He let out another small chuckle. "You're welcome." His usual soft tone accompanied by a small smile. Out of the corner of his eye, he looked at his watch, looking at it again carefully this time. "OH NO!" He said with concern. "IT'S LATE." He quickly got up from the floor, grabbing his things and heading for the exit door with the same speed. "MY BOSS IS GOING TO KILL ME." The steel door opened quickly and he walked out. "Oh, I almost forgot," he said, turning around, looking in Gio's direction. "See you tomorrow!" Excitement was palpable in his voice. And the steel door closed.
Gio frowned, confused by the other man's sudden rush to leave. "Wait... what about..." He began to say before trailing off uncertainly. He sat back on his haunches, watching as the door closed, cutting off Marcus from view entirely. His tail stopped swishing now and lay still against the floor; a sign that he was feeling increasingly uneasy.
"What's wrong with him?" Gio muttered under his breath. "Why is he acting so strange all of a sudden?" He didn't understand what had just happened, but it made him feel... unsettled somehow. The monster wasn't used to feeling this way around others; usually, he was the one in control. But with Marcus, it seemed as if everything was different.
He tried to shake off the strange feelings, but they only continued to grow stronger. "Maybe I need... some time alone," Gio whispered, his voice hoarse and raw from the effort of keeping himself under control. With that thought in mind, he turned away from the now-closed door and looked around the room for something else to focus on; anything that would help distract him from these confusing emotions.
It didn't take long before his eyes fell upon a small wooden post set into the floor near where he sat. "Hmm..." He growled softly as he contemplated it for a moment. It looked sturdy enough... perhaps he could use that to practice some of his newfound strength? Yes, that sounded like a good idea. The monster slowly stood up on all fours, feeling his muscles bunch beneath his skin as he prepared himself for the test of strength ahead.