Home Visit

“HUGO~!!” Hugo wakes up to a child and a dog pouncing on him first thing in the morning, punching all the air from his lungs.

 

“Kenny, I told you to let him sleep.” Hugo hears his mom say something somewhere behind the sofa, exasperated. “He’s had a long flight.”

Hugo just shakes his head and sits up, brushing stray hair and a dog away from his face. “It’s fine. I needed to get up anyway.”

 

To put it mildly, last night was chaotic. Hugo was surrounded by his younger brother, Kenny, and their two dogs the moment he arrived through the front door. Playing games, having fun, and wrestling with King had occupied his evening. Hugo ended up sleeping on the couch since his former bedroom had been converted into a game area. It's likely that he would remain there till he returns to Romania. Even Lucy seems tuckered out, and she doesn’t even need sleep.

 

His mother just nods.  "You'll have to eat breakfast with us out here; we've got it in the kitchen." That makes Kenny whimper right away. “But Mama, I wanna eat in my room!”

“Don’t you want to have breakfast with Hugo? He’s only going to be here for a few days.” She asks. The boy can only whine.

 

Hugo huffs at the dramatics. “It’s fine; we don’t have to go to the dining room.” Kenny suddenly perks up. “Yeah?” “Yeah.” Hugo gives a nod. “Yeah, I don’t need mom’s food. I have something better. Riiight here-!”

Hugo lifts Kenny off the ground and holds him upside down, lifting the mask just enough for his mouth to peek through, he blows raspberries on his tummy and makes fake eating noises. Kenny kicks and screams in a fit of laughter. He carries him to the dining room this way.

Though it doesn't stop him from pouting, the child is too exhausted to object when Hugo puts him down, and as a gesture of goodwill, Hugo brings them both a plate of food. Kenny is a forgiving person.

Hugo looks down at his own plate in silent debate, while Kenny is busy cramming his face with eggs (figuratively). He's been discussing his mask with his therapist for some time now, and they agreed that it would be wise to begin experimenting with going without it occasionally. That made sense, but it was said with consideration for the dorms. This is not the dorm.

When Kenny looks up from his plate, he sees Hugo staring at his bacon and eggs as if they've somehow insulted him. A second later, it becomes clear what might be wrong. Hugo has never eaten in front of others. Never. Mama has told him on multiple occasions that Hugo doesn't like it when others can see his face, so he figures this has something to do with the mask.

Hugo is typically alright when he's near Kenny, so maybe they can sneak inside his room and eat there! He's about to make this offer when something unexpected happens.

Hugo can hear his mother in the kitchen somewhere. He hasn't seen Michael around, and his father's truck isn't in the garage, so he must be at work. Kenny is the only person sitting across from him, and of all the people he's just mentioned, Kenny causes him the least concern because of his facial dysmorphia. Hugo slowly removes the mask from his face, until he hears Lucy hissing-

“The h-ll? When did you get here?” He hears Michael say from the doorway. Hugo's courage has vanished, and the mask is back on in the blink of an eye. Kenny tries not to look too disappointed. 

Hugo says nothing but "Last night" while he pokes his food with a fork. Lucy had gotten up on the table at this time to act as a barrier between him and his brother. The action is meaningless, yet it gives Hugo a sense of comfort.

"Huh.." Michael looks at Hugo as if he’s, ironically, some sort of ghost. "I know mom said she invited you to come back but I didn't think you actually would." He doesn't wait for a response and goes into the kitchen to prepare his own dish. He hears his mother speak up, telling Michael something that clearly makes him uncomfortable. Hugo doesn't have to guess what was said when Michael and his mother arrive at the table with their own plates, the former looking hilariously out of his element.

To say the least, it was unpleasant. Hugo never ate at the table with everyone else, but he knows it's not always this quiet. His mother would occasionally inquire about his work, such as "How is it going?" "Is Romania beautiful?" “What kind of places have you been to?” And he'd answer truthfully (while glossing over a few specifics). Even Kenny started to join in with questions of his own (while making sure to avoid talking about Hugo’s ‘super powers’)

This was all well and fine, until Michael decided to chime in.

“I don’t even know how you manage to live around those freaks and furries.” He says through a mouthful of bacon. “Though I guess it’s kinda like being in your element, huh.”

Hugo grips his fork just a little tighter. “They’re not ‘freaks and furries’.” He breathes out through his nose. It’s too early for this. 

“Well what about that one dude who was with you at the gas station?” Michael asks, and Hugo tenses. Their mom’s face already looks weary as she tries to change the subject, but he continues. “A–hole steals my girls and I find out later he’s some famous guy on TV wearing ears and a tail.”

Hugo would like to defend Jamie at the very least, but he is concerned about how they may react. Hugo was raised to believe that the occult was just a bizarre fandom. A significant group of people that enjoyed dressing up and fantasizing about being someone they couldn't be. It was a really stupid perspective, and Hugo is glad he knows better now, but no one else here would be that tolerant except Kenny.

Thankfully, Michael appears to have nothing else to say, and after finishing his meal, he retreats to Hugo's old room.

It’s quiet again, up until his mom sighs. “I’m sorry Hugo. I thought Michael would behave himself while you were here. You’ll have to forgive him, you know how he is-” “I know. It’s fine.”

He looks to his side. Kenny sneaked back to his room with his plate at some point. 

This is going to be a long day.