Work Text:
Hide flipped the lights on and the sound of the switch echoed throughout the dining hall. The lights flicker on, blinking rapidly until one of them went out, leaving a dark spot on the empty stage. A string of curses left Hide’s mouth as he glared up at the broken lamp. There wasn’t much time left before the show and he feared he'd lag behind. He opened his toolbox and took out a spare bulb from its packaging. After making sure it was the right model, he looked up at the other servants milling about.
“I need some help here!” he called out. Most didn’t even bother to acknowledge him while some glanced at him from their tasks but soon returned to their own work.
“I’ll help you if you help me,” someone said behind him. He looked over his shoulder and saw a short girl grinning at him. He thought he’d seen her before. If he was correct, she was a scrapper handler. The striped dress shirt underneath the black butler uniform made it clear. Compared to the plain white one the regular servants wore, no one else wore that.
“What do you need?” he asked plainly.
“There’s this new movie coming out and I promised to take my sisters to watch it, but I’m tied up in work… They called me on my day off.” She glared at someone over Hide’s shoulder. He followed her line of vision and saw the new director. It wasn’t the first time someone held friction with them.
“So if you take my shift for tonight, I could take my sisters out to watch it. It’s an easy job! Not that hard to handle.” Hide groaned at the thought of adding more work to his load.
“I’ll tell you all you need to know.” He glanced up at the lights.
“It pays well too.” Ah, the power of money.
“Sure.” He sighed in defeat. The girl grinned and clapped her hands together.
“Yes!” she cheered to herself. “So what do you want me to do?”
Hide pointed to the broken light up ahead. “I need to go change the one that died.” He then pointed to the power box by the wall. “Just turn the lights off, and once I’ve changed the bulb, turn it back on.”
“That’s all? Now I feel bad for making you take my shift!”
“You can always take it back.”
The girl looked at him and laughed. “No.”
Hide went to the ladder while sighing in disappointment. After making his climb, he walked along the ramp while holding onto the railings for support until he reached the profile spots. He signaled for the girl to switch off the power before taking out the old bulb to screw the new one in. Once done, he gave the signal again, and the bulb flared to life.
“Good.” Grabbing onto the side of the ladder with one hand, he makes his way down with the burned out bulb.
“Thanks,” he said to the girl but she waved it off.
“No biggie! Now, tonight you just go watch over the scrapper so that it doesn’t harm itself or the other ghouls. If that happens, put it down on the spot. After that, you need to take the scrapper back to its cage and help the others with serving the food. Think you can manage?”
He nodded. “Sounds easy enough.”
“Now, my good sir, I shall take my exit. Good luck!” She bowed theatrically then skipped her way out of sight.
He didn’t think he needed luck, until an hour later when he opened the door to the cell of a jittery, long-limbed and bug-eyed man. The contrast between them was near comical, with Hide in his pressed suit and the scrapper in dusty, torn leather trousers that smelt of old blood.
“Aight, Spidey, time to do your thing.” Hide held the door open and watched the scrapper nervously enter the corridor. Spider scrutinized his surroundings behind dirty lensed goggles. Behind him, Hide saw the deplorable conditions the scrappers were held in. The cage was literally an animal cage, all the way to the hay. He might’ve called it inhumane, but they couldn’t be considered human by any standard. Suddenly he felt like he was taking an animal up for slaughter - even though it was the scrapper committing said slaughter. There was no reason to pity them.
It was dark and Spider had to feel his way out, but for Hide, it was no problem as he lead the way to the stage. Spider was waiting for his sickles, but Hide didn’t give them to him just yet. The noise outside was getting louder, a sign of the ghouls moving to their places on the gallery to watch the show. The louder the noise became, the more Spider’s agitation rose.
“We aren’t going out just yet. No need to get jumpy,” Hide said, trying to calm the scrapper down. He tugged at his collar and smoothed out his shirt. Even if he was only a substitute handler, he had to look the part. Not just with his outfit but in his demeanor. Calm and collected with a straight back and tight posture.
Loud guffaws echoed from the hall to the corridor as the result of a bad joke from the host, and Spider tensed while letting out a screech.
“I know, it wasn't even that funny.”
The noise died down, and Hide knew the performance was about to start. He heard the mechanical grind of the fake ceiling moving to the sides, and the spotlights turning on. A light murmur rose as the audience appraised tonight’s meal. The hosts began their spiel on the quality of the meal, describing their journey there.
“A collection of sorts. All of them are well-respected members of the athletic community, so the meat should be low fat and juicy. Happy news for anyone who has been trying to keep their weight in check. I surely could benefit from that.” Some raucous laughter.
“Any second now,” Hide whispered as he handed Spider’s sickles. He glanced at the light above the door. A neon red signaling it was not the time to release the beast yet.
“Tonight we’ll see who is the fastest. The ghoul restaurant welcomes tonight’s delicious contestants with Madam and Monsieur J’s prized pet, Spider!”
The light blinked green and the door rose into the ceiling. Hide kept to the side as Spider waved his weapons around, screeching as the lights were directed at him.
He looked exactly like his namesake when he got on all fours and rushed towards the first moving thing he saw, a man with his face twisted in fear with tears rolling down his face. Spider attacked by slicing his ankles to stop him from running away. The lights followed Spider and his erratic crawl while Hide kept a watchful eye from the sidelines. From his peripheral vision, he managed to take in the audience above. They all wore expensive masks, gowns, and suits. Cruel eyes excitedly followed the gore fest happening on stage, and some were even leaning over the railings to get closer to the enticing scent of freshly spilled blood.
The show was almost over. Most of the participants were strewn into haphazard piles of limbs. There was only one left and his blood was pooling on the floor like the rest of his deceased fellows. Hide wished he had eaten earlier because he felt kind of hungry, but he knew this wasn’t for him.
The man screamed and begged for his life, had even used the dismembered leg of the woman beside him to fend off Spider’s advance. He managed to get a good hit in, but it was in vain as Spider simply swiped his sickles into the man’s stomach, then dragged out his guts. He kept hacking until the man’s stomach started to look like minced meat.
Hide wasn’t exactly sure how long he was supposed to allow the scrapper to hack away, but after a good minute, he grabbed Spider by the neck and tried to turn him towards the entrance they originally came from. However, Spider didn’t budge and his eyes slid in their sockets in a disturbing manner to direct their gaze at him. He should’ve expected that the ecstasy of the kill would’ve left the scrapper berserk. Hide barely avoided the sickle slashed at him and reacted by slamming Spider face first into the floor with his foot. Spider didn’t move again, but Hide heard his faint heartbeat, so, at least, he hadn’t accidentally killed him.
“A round of applause to Spider!” The announcer shouted as Hide began to drag the limp body off the stage. The couple that was most likely the scrapper’s owners leaned over the railing.
“You did wonderful, honey!”
“Try to make them scream more next time!”
A small whine escaped Spider’s lips as he acknowledged their words.
“While the meal is being prepared, you might have noticed a few unfamiliar masks here tonight.” The host gestured beside him at two girls and a young man standing under the spotlight.
The audience turned its eyes towards said newcomers seated in the VIP box with unconcealed curiosity. While the amount of members they had was considerably large, they seldom got new ones, so it was easy for everyone to take note of who didn’t belong. Their piercing stares reminded Hide of a pack of wolves, stalking its prey, ready to pounce at the first sign of weakness. Only one of the new ghouls shied away. Her curly-haired, doll-like figure hid behind the back of who he supposed was her sister, discerned by their matching monochrome gowns and other superficial features. The man beside them, on the other hand, was dressed in a dark purple suit with a porcelain white mask in the shape of a crescent moon. He was the only one who seemed pleasant as he genially waved to some that caught his attention.
For some reason, he decided to look down at the floor where Hide was dragging away the scrapper. Hide, sensing someone’s gaze on him, tried to find the source, and when he did, the man smiled a bit wider, showing perfect white teeth, and wiggled his fingers at him in hello. Hide stumbled at the gesture, and in his embarrassment, his feet weren’t the only things to picked up their pace; his heart was working itself double time.
He might not have been a regular in the side show, but even he knew that staff and members didn’t usually interact with each other beyond their station. Under no circumstances was this normal.
Everything that happened between getting Spider back in his cage and getting himself to the dining room was a blur. The only thing he can recall from that time was thinking, ‘Oh fuck,’ and ‘I want to see him again.’
Hide kept his eyes low as he followed the army of waiters to the kitchen. He took his platter and headed for the gallery. When all of them were gathered, he fell in line and climbed up the stairs where a hungry crowd awaited.
The ghouls devoured their meals like ravenous beasts, polishing off their plates in a matter of seconds. Hide kept the platter close to his chest. The mystery dish sitting in the middle smelled delicious even under the cover and it made his mouth water, but he had another mouth in mind he knew it belonged to.
Walking behind other waiters, he stayed out of sight while steadily getting closer to the VIP box. Hide almost panicked when someone’s grabby hands reached towards him, but another waiter rushed through the space between them, effectively cutting off their attempt. Hide sighed in relief and slipped further into the crowd.
The door to the VIP box was open, and the members were in the middle of a friendly chat. Hide stepped in and raised the platter. The arrival of the meal gathered everyone’s attention and all eyes were on him. For a second, Hide considered just leaving the plate at the mercy of whoever happened to be closest. That thought was immediately followed by him silently chiding himself for even thinking of taking the coward’s route, and he stepped closer to who he had intended to serve.
He stared into the man’s eyes. “I’d give you my heart on a golden platter,” he said while raising the plate. The plate cover was removed and revealed the heart. “But I hope silver will do.”
All were quiet but for a moment. Then the people around him giggled at the cheesy pick-up line.
“I think he fancies you, monsieur MM!”
MM flashed a soft smile at Hide. Something in his chest tightened at the sight.
“Who am I to refuse?” The man asked before he wrapped his fingers around the heart sitting there on the plate. The muscle was wet and squishy and spills blood all over his bare hand, but he didn’t seem to care. He brought it to his lips and bit, all while staring at Hide.
Hide kept staring back.
He ate his heart.