Chương 7: Bed
Marnthe froze. He forgot that he had to start with the basics for Geale. Marnthe was on the same boat as him when he first arrived on the island.
"On second thought, I'll help you wear your clothes," he finally said. "But next time, you'll be on your own." He pulled Geale closer to the center of the bedroom which had more space for the both of them to move.
"I have to do this on my own too?"
"Of course."
"Why?"
"Because you'll need your privacy."
"What if I don't need my privacy?"
"You will, trust me. You need to learn how to be independent here. Someday, you'll grow tired of relying on me for everything."
"What if I never grow tired of relying on you?"
"Can we just proceed with clothing you?"
Geale pouted but resignedly nodded.
"Alright, remove the towel from your waist."
Geale pulled the towel away, flaunting the lower parts that Marnthe forgot was there.
"Right um…briefs," he managed to say, picking up the underwear from the stash of clothes on Geale's arm. He held it open like a parent would to a child learning how to clothe their self.
"Lift your right leg and slip it into hole on the right side. Do the same with your left leg."
Geale did as he was told.
Marnthe let go of the waistband as soon as it was securely above Geale's knees. "Now pull it up to your waist."
Geale complied, sloppily tugging the underwear up.
Marnthe bit back a snicker as he straightened the waistband. He then picked up the pair of shorts and handed it to Geale.
"Try to wear this one yourself. Just repeat what we did earlier with the underwear."
Geale did as he was told, losing balance and almost stumbling a few times before successfully donning on the shorts.
"Now the top," Marnthe said, holding out the tank top for him. "Just dive your head through this hole in the middle, right here."
He continued to guide Geale until he was able to wear the top, and patted it straight as soon as he was done. "We'll go to the market next to buy you your own set of clothes to wear."
"My own set of clothes? Can't I just share yours?"
"You will need your own set of things."
"What if I don't need them?"
"You will. Now sit down on the bed. I'll dry your hair," Marnthe said, motioning toward the double bed behind Geale.
The younger man stared curiously at the furniture before slowly sitting on the edge of it. He gasped and jumped away when it bounced slightly against his weight. "What is that?!"
"Don't worry, it's just soft. You're not going to sink and disappear into oblivion. Go on, try it." He turned around to pick up a hair dryer from a nearby table.
Geale warily eyed Marnthe, but trusted him anyway. He slowly sat down, shutting his eyes closed as he felt himself sink into the mattress.
Marnthe was right though. He eventually felt something hard underneath the soft membrane and it supported his weight.
"Why have that mushy contraption when you can sit comfortably on a rock?"
"It's called a bed," Marnthe said, returning to Geale's side and plugging the hair dryer to a nearby outlet. He then peeled the towel off of Geale's hair, burying the younger man's face under an explosion of reddish brown curls.
Marnthe gathered the locks and threw it behind Geale's head until it cascaded down his back.
"This is called a hair dryer," he began, showing Geale the gadget. "Hot air comes out of this nozzle. This is going to be noisy once I turn it on, but don't be afraid. It won't eat you. I'll hold this close to your hair until it's not a wet mess anymore."
"I'm not a coward!"
Marnthe flipped the switch of the hair dryer on. It roared to life.
Geale jumped off the bed and pressed himself against the closet, his eyes wide at the shrieking gadget.
Marnthe bit back a laugh and pointed the dryer to his own deep brown curly locks. "See? It's not going to hurt you," he said, fluffing his short hair with the dryer.
Geale narrowed his eyes at him before slowly returning to his place on the bed. He winced as he sat back down. "A rock is better than this bed."
"It's not for sitting anyway," Marnthe said as he pointed the dryer on Geale's hair, his long fingers fluffing his hair to make sure it retained some volume.
"What is a bed for then?"
"It's for sleeping."
"You sleep in this thing?!"
"I do," Marnthe said, noting the slight twitch Geale's stiff back made when the hot air caressed his scalp. The younger man was feeling ticklish.
"How?! This…this is an abomination!"
Merfolk slept inside ancient clams residing in the deepest parts of the ocean floor. Its hard shell protected them from predators during their slumber. The clam's flesh warmed them in the coldest ocean temperatures.
The ancient clams preyed on small organisms that clasped on merfolk tails. The clam's soft body gave merfolk comfort as it hummed to life against their skin.
They shared a mutual symbiotic relationship - something a bed didn't really share with humans.
Marnthe snickered. He turned off the hair dryer, placed it on a nearby desk and crawled toward one side of the bed. "Like this," he said, lying down next to the bedroom wall. "This is how humans sleep."
Geale stared aghast at him. "You're exposed!"
"It's okay. Come here and try it," Marnthe chuckled, patting the empty space next to him.
Geale bitterly grumbled before gingerly crawling over the bed. He winced in discomfort every time the mattress squeaked and bounced against his weight.
It took him a few seconds to finally rest his head on the pillow next to Marnthe's.
"It's not comfortable," Geale concluded, noting the stiffness of the mattress against his back, the firmness of the pillow under his head, and the thin blanket against his exposed skin.
Marnthe laughed. "You're right, it isn't comfortable."
He then pulled Geale close to his chest, letting his heart beat against Geale's. "This makes it a bit bearable, yes?"
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