Chapter Text
Charlie wasn’t an insecure person; in fact, he was pretty far from it and plenty of people would agree with him. He’s always the first person to initiate conversations, he participates in every activity, and he always loves socialising with others. If anything, he was the boldest person in the whole of Quesadilla Island!
Everyone knew his name, his face, his voice; they probably knew more about him than himself. It’s just how he was with everything.
He wasn’t insecure.
Not at all.
It’s just that sometimes when the others talk about their bodies or compare themselves, Slime has a habit of moving somewhere else. Particularly, when the hybrids of the island gather around and talk about all their fun quirks, it’s never about anything bad, but he just has nothing to contribute to the conversation.
He can’t say much when Jaiden, Philza or Quackity chat about their feathers and their advice about looking after said feathers. It’s definitely not because he’s bitter about their wings, or the fact that they can fly so gracefully in the air, or because everyone always compliments their feathers. No, he’s not bitter at all.
It doesn’t bother him that the avians can gift their feathers to the people they cherish. And it absolutely didn’t bother him when he watched Roier and Missa brag about their new feather earrings from their platonic partners. He totally didn’t cry late in the night when Juanaflippa asked him about where her special present was, because all the other hybrid parents gave their kids something to remember them by.
Bobby had been showing off his little feather necklace to Flippa at a recent sleepover, so of course now she wanted her own gift from him. Charlie had told her that he was still preparing it, that slimes took a bit longer to prepare their presents.
He didn’t tell her it was because he was insecure.
Because he wasn’t. However, comparing Jaiden’s stunning blue wings that match even the brightest of skies to his slime was just unfair. Her wings were the most eye-catching, always being brought up in conversations, it didn’t help that in certain lighting the feathers turn purple. His slime didn’t do that, it was just slime.
He was just slime.
Even Philza and Quackity got their fair share of compliments as well, their jet-black wings that blended into the night sky was a sight for all. The only difference was that Quackity’s feathers were tinged slightly blue against the bright light, another fun little surprise that Tilin had boasted about to anyone who would listen.
They were all perfect with their wings and their preening that made their feathers look extra shiny and gorgeous in the daylight. Charlie couldn’t even change his slime, it always looked the same no matter what, there was nothing special about it that his daughter could brag about. There was no gift he could give her and even if he did, the last time he gave his slime as a present it didn’t end well.
“Ew, what the hell is that!?” The fox hybrid, Fundy, snarled at him with ears drawn back and sharp fangs on display. His face was one of disgust, body hunched in on itself as he moved further and further away. Quackity was mumbling something about to just ignore it, rubbing his face tiredly while he too moved away from the situation.
And Charlie was frozen.
Smile stuck permanently on his face as he watched his best friend move away from him and now this new friend was also disgusted by him. He thought he did it right, he dapped him up, he welcomed him from his greeting hole and now Fundy from L’manburg should’ve accepted his gift of friendship!
Ever since he heard of a special person arriving, he had gooped himself inside his slime chamber and spent precious hibernation time on the perfect gift for his new friend. He had crafted his slime to look like the fox, making sure to get every little detail moulded perfectly into the little figure. The only issue was that he was too excited to give the actual present that he ended up accidently gooping it onto Fundy instead.
The small, detailed figure looked like nothing more than regular slime and it was with a twisted and heavy feeling in his non-existent organs that he watched Fundy flick it off his suit with nothing more than a simple swat from his paw. The slime fell to the ground with a small splat and then the rest of the world faded away.
He had stopped paying attention to the loud exclamations from the fox and the quiet apologies from Quackity as he stared at what was once his gift.
It shouldn’t have hurt, he should be used to people flicking off his slime, Quackity on more than one occasion had physically recoiled away from him when he got too close. It should’ve been fine, but it wasn’t and maybe it hurt him more than he wanted to admit.
Everyone always reacted that way with his slime, he was too sticky, too slimy, too gross for anyone to ever get close to him. And he didn’t blame them, his slime tended to get things dirty which made it especially troublesome for hybrids with fur or wings.
Quackity had taught him that.
“Slime c’mon man, we talked about personal space.”
The pair were by the large water display in the middle of Las Nevadas, Quackity stood firm in front of him with his arms crossed and a familiar tired expression on his face.
Charlie hated that face, it usually meant he did something wrong, and he hated upsetting his closest friend. He fiddled with his goopey hands nervously, his slime dripping down onto the road beneath him creating a small puddle. The nerves were swallowing him whole; he had a feeling he knew what Quackity was referring to. The avian stretched his wings out in front of him, showcasing his iridescent black wings.
They were beautiful.
And they were covered in slime.
He had ruined them.
“Seriously, you need to learn to control yourself. My wings take long enough to clean, and I don’t need you to make them worse, okay buddy?”
“Sorry-”
“I know, I know, but Slime, apologises don’t work if you keep repeating your mistakes.”
“Ok.”
“Good, now I gotta go clean this stuff off; you just stay there and please don’t get any more of your slime on things.”
Quackity took flight, leaving Charlie behind to watch him leave.
Slime glanced back down at himself, his hands hadn’t stopped melting and now he could see that his legs were slowly starting to merge into the ground. He quickly reformed his body, the words of his friend instilled into his brain to ensure the perfection of the area.
He hadn’t meant to get slime on Quackity’s wings, he just got too excited and forgot to maintain his form. His friend had left him to look after the city for a few days and once he returned, Slime wanted to greet him properly like a normal human. He had watched the other citizens of Las Nevadas greet each other with hugs and he wanted to try it too.
He hid underground to surprise his bestie and when the avian finally returned to the city, Slime had lunged at him from behind and clung to his back.
And Quackity had laughed!
He had laughed and spun around with Charlie still on his back and everything was good.
But he got too excited, he always got too excited.
He got distracted and hadn’t noticed his body slightly melting onto Quackity’s back, eventually spreading on the wings. There was no more laughter after that, and Slime quickly threw himself off his friend’s back and hurriedly absorbed back his slime.
However, the damage had already been done and he ended up upsetting his friend. Again.
After that he learned to never get too close to the other inhabitants, no matter how much it hurt to watch everyone else embrace each other warmly. There was no way he was going to risk another repeat of that mistake. He taught himself to shift his slime underneath his clothes, to not risk another person having to suffer from accidentally touching his goop.
Especially now with more hybrid friends on the island, he was more alert than ever to make sure his sliminess didn’t affect anyone else.
He made sure to not brush up against anyone’s wings, moving entirely out of the way to avoid them all together. He always looked at his reflection constantly to make sure that not a singular molecule of slime could be visible on his body; only ever revealing it unless someone asked, which no one ever did.
It didn’t bother him.
He didn’t have cool wings or a massive shark tail that moved oceans, he had nothing to offer compared to the others. There was just no one like him and that was fine, he was just a mob that gained sentience, he wasn’t even a real hybrid.
Just a fake. And it didn’t bother him at all.
It didn’t bother him at Las Nevadas and it won’t bother him on Quesadilla Island. He’s mastered being human long enough to ensure that his wife and daughter won’t be grossed out by him. Both are fans of physical contact and Charlie is terrified that he’ll slip up and accidentally reveal his form. The fear of them finding out about the truth motivates him to maintain his form, and sure it tires him out and leaves him slightly snappish towards Mariana, but it’s for the greater good.
And maybe Charlie leaves their bed late in the night to go recharge in the forest, and maybe Mariana is starting to notice his disappearances and accusing him of unsavoury things; it’s all fine, because whatever his partner thinking, it’s better than the truth. The truth that he’s nothing but a gross slime who can’t control their goop.
And if Juanaflippa keeps getting more and more insistent about her gift, then Charlie will find her a pretty rock to distract her. He’ll lie to her and claim it’s a tradition for slimes to gift their family pretty little rocks, because it’s better than the truth. And no one will ever know, no one will ever know about his traditions.
He’s not insecure about them at all.
But sometimes when he recharges in the forest, he’ll catch Bad and Dapper practice rituals together with their ghost friends dancing around them. They always look so happy together and Bad never hesitates to show off what he’s taught his son and vice versa. It’s something that all the parents do, showing off their kids and their special talents.
He’s not insecure, but learning demonic rituals is way better than any slime tradition that Charlie could ever teach Flippa. He’s already had to shoot her a down a couple times about them, biting his tongue when she starts tearing up in frustration. She just doesn’t understand that he’s saving her from embarrassment from the other egg children. Flippa already has good aim, great manners, and a fantastic builder! Charlie doesn’t want to ruin her reputation by suddenly showing her what he knows.
It’s not that he’s ashamed or anything, but in the long run she’ll probably thank him that he didn’t infect her with his embarrassing traditions. Besides, she can just go to Mariana instead and learn better ones anyways.
He tries to ignore the way his wife always gives him a strange look when he refuses their daughter, tries not to think about the way he can feel his silent questioning. Mariana wouldn’t understand, he was already perfect. He wasn’t disgusting like Charlie was.
He didn’t have to worry about hiding his gross body or having to constantly double check the things he picks up in case he left slime residue anywhere; there was nothing for him to worry about. Charlie wasn’t jealous. He really wasn’t, at least of Mariana anyway.
He’s long ago accepted that he won’t measure up to the other hybrids and humans of the island and slowly he’s accepting that this would be his life from here on out. Watching idly from the balcony as the other families interact with each other.
It was a school day and rather than go with his wife to drop off Flippa, he had decided to stay home and tidy up. It wasn’t because it was show and tell or anything, and it definitely wasn’t because Flippa had wanted to take him with her as her ‘show’. Supposedly, some of the other kids were using their parents to show off their abilities. In Charlie’s opinion that was just cheating, and he said as much to her, once again ignoring Mariana’s look as he turned their daughter away once again.
He just couldn’t do it. Everyone to some degree knew he was a slime; his name obviously gave it away and it didn’t help that both Quackity and Foolish were on the island. The others knew what he was, but there was a difference in knowing and knowing. Not everyone wants to see yucky green goo just appear on someone’s skin, it was unhealthy and gross.
And it doesn’t even appear, more so it’s blended with his skin and that’s not as aesthetically pleasing as say Missa who has black smoke that trails behind him. The smoke doesn’t look like an infectious disease, and it doesn’t leave any markings, it’s perfect. Even Foolish who is often swimming around the island, doesn’t have to worry about getting things wet, his scaley skin simply absorbs it and makes him glow beautifully. Whenever, Charlie absorbs something, it always makes a squelching noise that makes people uncomfortable.
He just wasn’t like them and Flippa really needed to understand that.
He wasn’t insecure, but maybe he just didn’t want to deal with tiny children nitpicking his existence, and maybe he didn’t want to see the judgemental stares of the other parents. He had heard recently that more neighbours had arrived, and Charlie wasn’t willingly to make a bad first impression on them, or really any impression. He was more than happy to let Mariana deal with all that because it was only fair for them to split their responsibilities.
Charlie has already met with the other parents, and they all know vaguely of his existence, so it shouldn’t matter that he hasn’t gone out as much as he used to. It had nothing to do with the fact that apparently another bird hybrid had arrived as well as a turtle and supposedly a magic user. He wasn’t insecure that they might outshine him or anything, he wasn’t even worth the competition, but maybe he didn’t trust himself to maintain his form long enough for them.
They might start asking questions about his origins like that one cat did, Cellbit was his name, or he might risk a run in with Forever, who no one told him was a werewolf. Mariana had come back one night after having a little get together with some of the neighbours and revealed to him that Forever could smell something ‘off’ about him. The Brazilian didn’t know that Slime was a hybrid due to his human appearance and was badgering his wife while half-drunk about his scent.
Charlie nearly dropped the cup he was holding, a new fear entering his mind at the idea that he didn’t smell right. He didn’t sleep that night or rather the whole week, not like he needed it anyway. His mind was racing with the possibilities of being exposed and thus began his new shut-in life at home, committing to being a stay-at-home Dad.
Everything really was going wrong for him and Juanaflippa becoming more and more insistent about his heritage was just the icing on the cake.
It happened the next day too, Flippa glaring at him from across the kitchen table with her arms crossed and a strong pout on her freckled face. She wanted him to go with her. Slime glanced at his partner, urging his assistance only to be met with a single raised brow as if to tell him, ‘This was gonna happen eventually’. Charlie adjusted his glasses nervously, trying to think of a different excuse for his stubborn little girl.
Nothing seemed to satisfy her, it was evident that her angry was reaching new levels with each huff that escaped her body. Her wings flapped angrily behind her as her tail kept repeatedly hitting the table leg in annoyance.
He stared at her bright green eyes and could feel himself start to give in, the lack of sleep and constant hyper vigilance was taking a toll on his mind.
He nodded his head slowly.
Flippa cheered, a dramatic 180 from her other mood and was now celebrating loudly at her victory, shooting bullets in the air. Despite it all, Charlie couldn’t help but smile at her, his bundle of joy, he really loved her so much. It really was a matter of time until he gave into her, she would always get what she wanted eventually. Mariana reached out for his hand and gently pressed a kiss against their matching wedding rings.
He felt at peace.
“Dad, look there’s everyone at the school!”
He was freaking out.
He’d been tricked and now he was freaking out. Mariana the bastard, somehow managed to not join them on their trip to Flippa’s school. He was by himself and was probably going to have to face the onslaught of the other parents by himself too. It didn’t matter that Mariana had to do this for weeks, it was different because he was human, and Charlie was not.
Not matter how much he wished he was.
Flippa tugged at their joined hands and lead him to the school, personally he’d never been, only watching from a distance. As they got closer, all Slime could think about was managing his slime, making sure every piece was tucked underneath his clothing like usual. He’s used to hiding his form, but the fear still lingers in the back of his mind.
A shrill bell echoed around the forest, notifying the eggs and their parents that school was starting with everyone lining up along the wall. Charlie took notice of which parents arrived with which kids and promptly wished he’d never agreed to this arrangement. It was like Little J knew he was coming and decided to choose the worst people imaginable for him. Firstly, he completely forgot that Quackity was the teacher so that already sucked and of course, both Cellbit and Forever decided to join their egg, Richarlyson. It didn’t help that all the other eggs also had a singular parent with them, meaning it would be a full class today.
As they joined the back of the line, Slime noticed how Forever sniffed the air almost immediately upon their arrival. He made a mental note to avoid the wolf for as long as possible, if his mind was as sharp as his sense of smell than Charlie might be in danger.
So, with practiced ease, he painted on a smile and attempted to blend in with the other parents, moving closer to Bad and Foolish who were bickering like always. No one had made a comment on his appearance yet and as they entered through the classroom doors, Charlie could feel his insides melt and not in a good way.
The room was packed with children rushing to their desks and parents having to sit by the walls to watch their kids. There looked to be a teacher’s podium at the front of the room, complete with a whiteboard. His eyes trailed around the unfamiliar room, taking in all the details such as the student’s drawings and labelled parent chairs on the side. Juanaflippa led him to his chair and grinned brightly at him to which he returned a nervous grin back.
He should’ve noticed the chairs next to him, or rather the parents that seemingly rushed to sit next to him. A sudden arm draped over the back of his chair, jolted him out his thoughts and he silently prayed he hadn’t dripped his slime anywhere.
Charlie turned to his left and promptly wished he hadn’t. He was met with a sharp grin, slitted brown eyes and blonde hair that was braided into a long plait.
Dammit.
Forever eyed him with interest, the kind that screamed ‘I’m going to figure you out!’ and it terrified the poor slime. As he leaned back to provide space, he pressed up against another body from his right, and though thankfully it wasn’t Cellbit, it was still someone Charlie rather not chat with.
Roier.
It was his luck that he managed to get placed between the two most talkative members of the island and judging by their expressions, they had a lot to talk to him about.
Thankfully, Quackity clapped his hands to start the class and thus promptly took the attention off Charlie, though it didn’t last long. Throughout the day, the pair would whisper but not to Charlie directly, more like over his head.
“What kind of parent wouldn’t show up to their own child’s show and tell?”
“Must’ve been for something important.”
“Yeah, maybe they’re hiding something?”
Slime clenched his hands together, nails digging into his fabricated skin as he remained quiet. His eyes never left his daughter’s desk as she worked diligently throughout the class. He refused to let the pair distract him, he could care less about their whispers or whatever they tell the other parents. It didn’t matter, so he simply smiled and ignored them, besides he had more pressing matters to worry about like maintaining his human form.
“….was so worried for their daughter y’know?”
“Couldn’t imagine leaving my kid like that.”
Just ignore them Slime, just ignore them.
“Heard they disappear at night too.”
“Really?”
Just maintain your form.
“Apparently-”
“Alright! Thank you for your show and tell, Ramon! Now, next we have Juanaflippa!”
Oh no.
Why him?
Why was it always him?
Charlie closed his eyes, slumping in his chair as his daughter skipped merrily towards him without a care in the world. Her smug eyes met his and she led him up to the front of the class for her presentation.
He wasn’t insecure, but looking at all the other parents certainly made him nervous and all the little kids whispering between each other wasn’t helping either. He kept his eyes to the ground, tuning out the background noise and trying to focus on the present. But he was struggling, his mind was like a fog and all thoughts were leaving his mind. He couldn’t even focus enough to understand what his daughter was saying, it all sounded like static, and he didn’t know what to do.
He wasn’t insecure, he swears he’s not insecure.
He wasn’t shy or nervous, he loved performing in front of others, he bathed in their attention. Charlie was a people’s person, but that didn’t necessarily mean that people liked him back, in fact usually it meant quite the opposite. They all hated his slime, he was gross, he was sticky, he was too much, it was all too much.
It was all too much.
There was clapping, why were they all clapping?
Juanaflippa had just finished speaking and now she was looking at him, they were all looking at him.
What did they want him to do?
What were they expecting?
Didn’t they know how gross his body was?
He looked over at Quackity who looked just as interested as the rest of the class; everyone was waiting on him, and he didn’t know what to do.
He’ll just do what he’s always been doing.
“Heh, sorry guys, I’m afraid I can’t do much today…”
He scratched the back of his neck nervously, pointedly ignoring the parents and instead making eye contact with his daughter, who looked disappointed.
He hated that look, but there was nothing he could do about it. Flippa just didn’t realise yet how important it was that he kept himself hidden. And if a small part of him died when his daughter turned away from him and returned to her desk quietly, then that was nobody’s business but his own. He went back to his chair and tuned out the rest of the school day, not even Roier’s and Forever’s combined whispering could bother him.
He ignored them.
He ignored how the other parents showed off their abilities and ignored how the kids clapped and cheered and how everyone was happy because it all would’ve been different had he decided to participate but it was better if he didn’t and he needed to remember that and ignore the spiralling feeling he had in his mind and the way his eyes felt slightly tearing because he should be used to this by now and it still shouldn’t hurt.
He should’ve been used to people rejecting his slime, he should’ve been used to people recoiling from him and he should’ve been used to people being disgusted by his body. Yet it always hurt as much as the first time.
And now it seems that he must get used to disappointing his daughter too.
If only he weren’t a slime than things could’ve been better for them, instead his family is stuck with a gross mob as a partner and a father.
Juanaflippa ignored him for the rest of the day, they walked together in silence on the way back with Charlie trailing behind her at a slower pace. As they entered their house in the walls, Flippa walked through the doors and straight to her bedroom, speeding past her mum before stopping at her bookcase door. She whirled around in a fury, her braids swinging wildly as she glared at Charlie with an emotion he hadn’t seen on her before.
Hatred.
“Bobby gets to go on all these fun adventures with his parents, Ramon gets to build machines, Dapper gets special rituals and Pomme’s even younger than me and she gets to learn magic too!”
Her voice reverberated around the house walls, wings outstretched and slitted green eyes visible from behind her lenses. Flippa was visibly shaking, looking like what Slime had looked like a minute ago back in the classroom.
“Everyone gets to share all these cool stories and just for once I wanted to show off my dad too! I’m tired of seeing everyone else’s parents get to be all gloaty in their talents, I want- I want-” She struggled over her words, hands gesturing wildly in the air.
“I just want my fucking dad to be there! I want you to be there!”
“Juanaflippa-”
“No! No, ‘Juanaflippa’! What about ‘Charlie’, what about ‘Slimecicle’? What about my dad, the only slime hybrid on the island!”
Charlie looked at her, no words could escape his throat at the utter pain in her voice. Tears were falling down her face and yet she didn’t move to wipe them away, instead she continued staring at her father.
“You don’t teach me, you don’t show me, you don’t tell me anything; Mum doesn’t even know anything about you!” She heaved, gasping for breath before falling to her knees against the wooden floorboard. “Am I not your child?”
“Oh no, no, no, no, of course, of course you are, my precious baby.”
Charlie rushed to her, wrapping her up in his arms and hugging her tightly against his chest. His own tears falling as he hurriedly assures her of her importance, Juanaflippa was his whole world and he’d be damned if she thought any less of herself.
A second pair of footsteps could be heard, before Mariana makes his appearance from the entrance as well. He was covered in dirt and most likely coming back from another adventure, he paused taking the scene before dropping his tools and joining the cuddle pile in front of their daughter’s door.
The sun was starting to set by the time the small family unlatched themselves, a comfortable silence settling between them. As Charlie looked over his family, he came to realisation that maybe he could let a few secrets go. Not all of them of course, but maybe enough so that his daughter would never feel inadequate again.
He grabbed his daughter’s and wife’s hand, staring at both of them as he felt the words unravel instantly.
He didn’t talk about his gross body, but he did tell them that slimes can differentiate from size, colour and even smell depending on the birthplace. He didn’t talk about his disgusting gifts, but he did mention that slimes often collect little treasures on their journeys. He didn’t talk about his yucky discolouration, but he did discuss that slimes can separate into different packs and switch colours to match their current location.
He didn’t tell them everything, but he told them enough that made Juanaflippa giggle happily and even Mariana was looking at him with a certain level of fondness in his eyes.
He wasn’t insecure, but that didn’t mean his daughter had to be.