Chapter Text
It’s been two weeks since Jabber last saw Zanka.
He hasn’t exactly been trying hard to spot him either, he’s only been out when asked, he was desperately set on not seeing him he hasn’t even dared to take trips to find new poisons either. Mankira is getting a little low, said poisons doing very little for him, but Jabber has other worries.
Like not running into his favorite cleaner.
And because he has such amazing luck the gods screwed him over because there is no way that the two toned hair paces in front of him isn’t Zanka Nijiku. No, those tasseled earrings are not his, in fact those aren’t even blue! In the past five minutes of seeing him he’s turned colorblind, they are actually purple! Yeah that’s why he sees them as blue!
Jabber smirks to himself, he thinks he’s doing amazing at pretending, but because his luck is shit he hasn’t even noticed the fact the “purple” earrings are now heading his way. His eyes closed, trying really hard to imagine him as someone else.
“Dreads! I have been looking for you!” Zanka shouts, Jabber’s eyes snap open, Zanka is closer now, not close enough to touch him but not close enough to reach out and grab him.
He bolts.
He hears Zanka shout for him, but he’s too busy trying to get outta there. He rounds a corner, a little too sharp, and stumbles.
He doesn’t exactly fall, but he doesn’t exactly stay standing. He’s caught by something, technically someone but he’s in the midst of trying to imagine that someone doesn’t exist in his vicinity.
“Dude, what is wrong with you?” Zanka huffs out as he pulls Jabber to his feet, even now he won’t look at him, his head down and his wicks falling to cover his face. Zanka sighs loudly, he isn’t exactly hiding his frustration and Jabber isn’t too fond of it.
“Wonger, I would appreciate it if you would at least acknowledge me” Jabber lifts his head just a little, hair still obscuring his face from Zanka. He tilts his head slightly towards Jabber “What’s your deal?”
Jabber’s eye twitches, he frowns slightly “Don’t wanna talk” it’s mumbled, hardly audible, but leave it to Zanka’s super hearing to still catch it, and his attitude with it. Zanka huffs as he shoves at Jabber’s shoulder, making his back hit the wall behind him. “Fine” Zanka snaps, his hands curled into fists at his sides “Then I will talk, and you will listen”
Jabber rolls his eyes, his head lolling back towards the wall. He lifts a hand, signaling Zanka to keep talking. Zanka takes a few deep breaths and relaxes his shoulders, unfurling his fingers.
“I don’t get you, I don’t understand why you acted like ya did.” He lets out a breath, shifts from one foot to another “But I wanna know why you did, I wanna know you, but I gotta understand you first.. ya’know?” He hasn’t looked at Jabber the entire time he spoke, he looks like he wants to pry, wants to take Jabber apart piece by piece just to “understand” him.
Jabber chuffs “You wanna know me Bad attitude? Wanna rip me open and inspect my insides?” Zanka peeks up at him, he looks confused but isn’t putting in the effort to respond just yet. Jabber tilts his head “So what do you wanna know?” Zanka lifts his gaze to look at him properly now “I wanna know why you freaked out on me. Twice.”
Jabber’s lips twist into a frown, his brows furrow “Cause I’m a mess, and I don’t want you around me” Zanka snorts “Yer a mess yeah, but I hardly believe that you don’t want me ‘round you” he sounds annoyed but doesn’t budge from where he stands, Jabber tries to move to leave but gets stopped by Zanka pushing him back against the wall.
Jabber puffs his cheeks as he moves to face the left of him, it’s then he notices they are in an alleyway, he cocks an eyebrow up. Was he that desperate to get away? How could he not have noticed they were in an alley.
Zanka’s hand doesn’t budge from his shoulder, he’s just standing in front of him, his typical scowl replaced with a desperate expression, hoping Jabber would let him in.
“You pushed a couple buttons. That’s it, that’s all, stop pesterin’ me, stop tryin’ to know me.” Jabber hisses out, he looks like a wounded puppy hiding under a mock snarl “I don’t want you ‘round me, not now, not ever, and if you ever believed differently you're wrong. You aren't anything other than a good fight to me, so fuck off.” His tone is sharp, his voice doesn't falter, even as he shoves Zanka’s hand off him and walks away.
He keeps walking, stewing in emotions he doesn't quite understand, parts of him yelling to go back and apologize, other parts saying he should have said and done worse. He sucks in a gust of air, his lungs restricting the more he thinks and feels. Maybe he was a little too harsh but this is Zanka, he’ll get over it. He heads down a path he's familiar with, down this way holds plenty of poisons he can stock Mankira up with.
He gets ten steps down before he feels the others' presence, he ignores it and keeps going forward, hoping to come across something, anything, soon.
They manage to get to Jabber's favorite spot, and the entire five minutes of walking he hasn't heard a peep from his follower. Jabber is currently trudging around in the dirt, so far he's found plenty of mushrooms, he decides to keep a handful of every type just so he doesn't run low any time soon. As he's picking up a couple weird colored and shaped ones, ones he knows are deadly and not his fun ones, Zanka finally speaks up “This is so gross, why are you digging around for those things, ugh” Jabber turns his head towards the others direction, he's hardly even in the mud yet he’s making faces, meanwhile Jabber himself is crouched down, his fingers covered in dirt. He raises his eyebrows at him, frown sliding across his face “Needed more poisons” his voice void of emotion, as he stands, wiping his hands off on his pants as he starts to walk away.
Zanka sighs, following after him “Okay where else are we goin’ then” Jabber grumbles under his breath, not bothering with a response.
They keep walking, with an occasional stop here and there as Jabber collects whatever it is he wanted or needed. The entirety of their walk is silent, neither speaks as the hour goes by, it's darker now, and Zanka is feeling a little defeated. He followed jabber in hopes he would at least look at him, maybe fight him, but he got nothing but deafening silence instead.
It’s been about twenty minutes since Jabber last stopped and grabbed a creepy crawly or some ugly plant and the area looks slightly familiar to Zanka, like he’s passed by this area before. It isn’t until he sees light does he remember. This is the exact way he went after his job two weeks ago, he ran into Jabber somewhere around here, except he didn’t come from the trail they were on. He spins around, locking eyes with the walk way he came from, separated by rocks, trash, and a few dead tree husks.
He twirls back around and meets Jabber’s eyes, a little shocked he’s even looking at him. They stand there for a second, just staring, the silence daring one of them to speak. Jabber nods his head towards his way home, turning back around to head home. Zanka stands stiff for a moment before following his lead, his walk a little eager, either to be with Jabber, or to finally rest after walking for half the day.
Once the pair finally make it to Jabber’s place Zanka does everything not to burst at the seams, he hasn’t had a moment to rest since he left HQ, as soon as they enter Jabber walks into his bedroom as Zanka removes his boots. He looks around and notices that the house is rearranged.
The couch is now up against the window in front of the door, the dining table moved closer to the corner near the bedroom. Zanka walks towards the sofa, and he notices the TVs gone, the side of lips quirks down. The bedroom door gets thrown open, he hears Jabber wince when his door hits the chair, he’s holding clothes in one hand and a thin blanket in the other, Zanka feels like he was just hit with a bag of bricks.
Jabber hand delivers the clothes he half heartedly picked out for Zanka, he may be letting Zanka stay over but he still doesn't wish to speak to him. Zanka takes the clothes and blanket from him, tossing them onto the couch so he can undress. Jabber practically squawks when Zanka removes his top, he recovers the second he makes the noise, doing his damndest to look unaffected by the topless Zanka, a half naked Zanka, an arm's length away from him. “Would you like the TV or are you good without it?” Jabber asks as Zanka pulls the top over his head “I’m good without”
Jabber has to do everything in his power to keep his eyes up as Zanka removes his pants “Okay, fine, Night” he turns back for his door, leaving Zanka alone in the living room. He drags his feet to his bed, plopping down on his back, legs dangling. Rubbing his eyes he sits back up and gets undressed and debates putting on sleep wear, he decides against it.
Zanka stands in the living room, fully dressed in the baggy clothes Jabber had handed him, its a baggy top and pants decorated with tiny little cats, he chuckles, leave it to Jabber to own soft pink kitty pants. He expects nothing less from him. He slowly moved over to the bedroom door, spinning through the options and his consequences of his going in or not. He squeezes his eyes shut and twists the door knob.
The door gradually opens and squeals the whole time. Jabber is right there when it opens, his face deadpan, and then he makes eye contact with Zanka, he's squeezing his eyes closed so tight it's comical, he can't help but chortle. Zanka’s eyes open wide and he blinks at Jabber, out of all the outcomes he did not expect this one.
His laugh tails off and he wipes his cheeks and sighs, he pats his hands to his thighs, his head cocked to the side as his eyes stay trained behind Zanka. He huffs and his gaze slides over to the boy. “What's up? Need somethin’?” Zanka shrugs, he’s not too sure why he thought this was a good idea, it’s not like he’s getting in good with Jabber now.
Zanka sighs as he taps his finger tips with his thumb “After I left here… I did some reading on body dysmorphia..” Jabber scoffs crossing his arms across his chest, before he can say anything back, Zanka quickly starts again “Not to judge, and not for any other reason but to try to understand why it hurt you, just to see if there is something I could possibly help you with” Jabber groans and tosses his head back, gritting his teeth together in sheer annoyance.
He sighs, loudly “Zanka, i don't need your help, stop handing it out, you look pathetic” Zanka guffaws and shakes his head, looking down at his feet “Why would i expect anything else from you” he groans, he rubs a hand across his face as Jabber starts to speak again “I look like my ma, and it reminds me i’m her spawn, and according to family members lookin’ like her is the worst thing in the world.” Zanka stills, his brows furrow “and I loved my mother, I still do, but she wasn't exactly… well” Zanka raises his gaze to the other, his head hangs low as he speaks.
“Oh.. I'm sorry..” its weak, mumbled and Jabber chuckles “Don’t apologize, it’s not your fault my family is dysfunctional as shit, not your fault i look like my ma either” Zanka smiles “I look like the women of my family too, i understand the disheartened feelings that come with it” Jabber grins and he slides closer to Zanka “Wanna know a secret” his grin widens as Zanka flushes, his eyes wide and his lips gaping like a fish as he whispers a ‘yes’ to the older boy.
Jabber giggles as he leans closer to Zanka’s ear, instead of a secret Jabber licks into his ear, Zanka shrieks and shoves Jabber away as he laughs like a madman. Zanka glares at him, his hand cupping his ear “Why would you do that!” Jabber shrugs, his bottom lip pushed out “Thought it would be fun, and i was right” he says gleefully, his grin wide and his canines protruding as he bites his bottom lip.
Zanka has a streak of being stupid it seems, because instead of walking away from the freak he surges forward and kisses him, it takes Jabber a second before he reciprocates, it's messy and full of teeth, they both suck at this but neither care enough to stop.
Jabber pulls back first, his cheeks pink and eyes wide. “You suck at that” Zanka snorts “So do you” they both stand in the middle of the bedroom trying to breathe before Jabber places his hands on Zanka’s chest, he grabs Jabber’s wrists, rubbing his thumb along his scars.
Jabber moves Zanka out of his room, removing his hands he sucks in a breath “Night Zee” and he shuts the door on him. Jabber stares at the door before moving to his bed. Curling up towards the wall as he falls asleep
Zanka stands at the door for a little longer than necessary, he presses his fingers to his lips, as he walks back to the couch. He lays down, the thin blanket over top of him, his fingers pulling at his bottom lip as he falls asleep. He at least knows something new about Jabber now.