The evening was progressing at a pace which frustrated Hide; Rush's persistent efforts forced the human to enter and re-enter the closets so frequently. Hide was feeling particularly cramped in a closet, shoving the human out just after Rush ended his excursion.
"These humans are getting on my nerves..!" He huffed, slamming the closet doors out of anger.
Now it was just him.
He didn't really know if any other entities knew of his existence, aside from Seek, and he hovered his hands over the doors of the wardrobe, pending any further actions. A strong wonder engulfed him and, as he ruled out any downsides to exiting, he shoved the doors back open.
Gingerly, he stuck his foot out, brushing it on the carpeted floor outside. Hide was unfamiliar with the texture of threaded carpet, and recoiled.
"Having fun there...touching the carpet?" A voice called out to him, humoured by his antics.
Hide's face lit up like Christmas lights, and he leaned forward and out of the closet,"Is there somebody there? Seek?"
"You can Seek me out, if you'd like. Doubt you'll find me though." They teased, a scoff escaping the wardrobe opposite him.
Hide couldn't tell if he was impressed they thought alike or was disappointed that hiding in closets wasn't just his thing anymore, but he was curious, nonetheless. Opening the door of the closet, he discovered a ghostly white entity.
"Darn, I thought fellow entities couldn't open these wardrobes." They moaned, believing Hide's harsh glare was out of disdain.
Hide's white eyes widened, locked onto the new entity,"Who are you? You look familiar to me, somehow. Have we met?"
"The name's Jack, and I like to hang around in the wardrobes of this place." He introduced himself, extending his hand to be shook.
Reaching out, Hide shook his hand with a firm grip,"Hide."
"I'm...already hiding." Jack murmured, retracting his hand.
Furrowing his brow, Hide appeared lost,"No, that's my name. I'm named Hide because I stop humans from hiding."
"Ah, right." Jack awkwardly mused, rubbing the back of his neck tenderly,"It makes sense you'd be called Hide if you hide like I do."
Rush's familiar sounds of crackling electric and distorted screaming played and he sped through the room, unknowingly shoving Hide into the closet as he sped onward.
Stumbling forward, Hide landed in the closet, supported by Jack.
Hide's face burned as he withdrew from Jack's hold, and he covered his visage with his hands, mumbling an apology,"I'm so sorry, it was an accident..."
"No, no. It wasn't your fault. Rush is so harsh when he comes through. And loud, too." Jack assured, chuckling at the last statement.
Hide brightened up, separating his head from his hands,"Oh, he always wakes me up. You can't get any sleep around here with Rush or Ambush screaming their way down the hall, can you?"
"Tell me about it! The two of them are the reason there isn't a single alarm clock in this hotel; who's able to get any sleep while they're running aloof?" Jack pressed on, wrapping an arm around Hide's shoulder.
He didn't want the moment to grow awkward, so he didn't mention it,"Don't get me started on Eyes. I know the crack in the wardrobe doors is small but their light is so vibrant and shines right in."
"Where have you been all my life?" Jack joked, playfully rubbing Hide's shoulder,"I seriously don't know why I haven't met you sooner. You're literally perfect."
"Eh?" Hide quizzically hummed, his face coloured brightly by his fluster,"I-I...the closet, probably."
Jack brought Hide's head beneath his chin, resting his own head atop Hide's,"I hope this doesn't make you uncomfortable."
The intimacy was a foreign concept to him, and he enjoyed it more than he felt he should have,"N-No! No! I'm really comfortable...a bit too comfortable...I mean-"
Jack removed Hide from the crevice, much to his disappointment, and compromised it for a normal hug. They pressed against eachother, and Jack lightly pat Hide's head.
"Is this better?" Jack asked, lowering his head so his mouth hovered above Hide's forehead.
"Y-Yeah, I'm fine with it." Hide stammered, his words failing him.
He didn't know how long Jack held him for, but he didn't really want it to meet an end. There was something about being held so close and treated so kindly that had his breath lodging in his throat.
When Jack went to withdraw, Hide let out a disappoint whimper which caused him to pull back in.
"Please...can we just stay like this?" Hide groaned, his arms snaking around Jack's torso,"I just...I'm sorry if this is making you uncomfortable.."
"No, it does get lonely living in a wardrobe all the time. Company's nice, but you only get it from creepy humans who hop in and out of these things." Jack reasoned, moving his hands onto Hide's back and rubbing gently.
Jack contemplated whether he should kiss Hide's forehead, given how close they were together in that confined space. He didn't know how the entity would feel about it, but did it regardless.
Feeling a warmth on his forehead, Hide saw Jack lightly kiss him, and he let out a small whimper of appreciation. He had grown very fond of the entity in the short span of time he'd known him, and felt like he could kill every and any human who would enter just for his approval.
"I don't know what it is we're doing, but I don't want it to stop." Hide mustered, burying his face in Jack's shoulder.
Jack's grip fell to Hide's waist, and he held it tightly, whispering in the entity's nonexistent ear,"I couldn't agree any more than I do."
It didn't escalate or de-escalate but instead remained at a standstill as they enjoyed the warmth of each other and the joy of a hug.
It would've gone on forever, had Seek not come searching for his sibling. Hide desperately pushed Jack away, as to not let Seek discover them close together. When Hide and Seek both left, Jack held hope he would return and they could commence where they had left off.
Hide, still caught up in the fresh memory of his first encounter with Jack, smiled like a dork to himself as Seek led him toward his hallway.
"Jack...I'll see you again soon..."
