Chapter Text
Ze wakes up, his vision blurry as he sits up. The shuffle of the couch beneath him, the stiffness of his back ached him. He looks down, catching a glimpse of his bandaged arm beneath his sleeve.
Right. It wasn't another weird dream.
He brings his hand to his cheek, rubbing the grainy bandaid on his cheek. He clenched his fist, tightening his wings around his body and clamping his knees to his chest.
He can see the faint droplets of dried blood on his clothing, staining his sweats. He grumbles, moving slowly off the couch and wandering the shared home.
He finds Moe, to which he lets out a sigh of relief. She honks, hand on her chest.
“I did not notice you woke up. Hey Ze, are you feeling okay?” She signs, hands reaching for his and taking hold of them as she studies his face. A wrinkle of worry in his brows, a glimpse of rage in his eyes.
“I'm fine, Moe. Where did that bastard run off to, huh?” He snapped, his tone sparked like a firecracker.
Moe honked, clenching his fingers in hers to ground him. She then shakes her head, a gentle shrug of her shoulders.
Regect's location is unknown, for a moment Ze worries. But the moment is short-lived, rolling his eyes.
“Well if you see him, tell him I don't want anything to do with him. That fucker is insane!” He pulled away from Moe, stomping away. Her honks fade into the background as Ze bursts through the front door and leaves.
He doesn't know where he's going, but he doesn't want to be there when Regect inevitably comes back. He crosses through the oak trees, the fallen leaves crunch beneath his soles.
The breeze is cold on his face, cooling his temper. His stomps grow into slow steps, as he threads through the forest with the deep rise and fall to his chest.
He pauses, looking around. Surrounded by trees, bushes, and nature, he leans his back along a tree trunk and slides down until he is sat on the cushioned grass.
He digs his fingers into the dirt, feeling the grim in his nails as he throws his head back against the tree. He looks at the sky, the canvas of light blue slowly welcoming dense grey clouds.
He scoffs, “Just my luck.” He presses his back closer against the tree, hoping the foliage above him would provide him cover for the approaching rain.
He sits and thinks, hearing the rumbling of the clouds as he loses time in his thoughts. He was livid at Regect, he really considered the guy his friend. His fists clenched at that and he gritted his teeth.
“Some friend you are. Dumb bastard.” Ze grips, taking a clump of dirt in his palms and throwing it. He wipes his hands on his sweats, looking down at them. He pulls his sleeve up, looking at the neatly wrapped gauze.
He blinks, unaware of the tears welling in his eyes. He wipes them away roughly, muttering insults to himself. “You shouldn't cry over this, over him.” He grunted, eyes narrowed.
“I shouldn't have to deal with this! With stupid fights and stupid Regect!” He yells, his voice coarse and raspy as he brings his hands to his hair and tugs it.
He stood up abruptly, the rain began to pour around him. He stumbled around, chest heaving as he looked back and threw his knuckles against the trunk.
WHACK.
They barely leave a dent in the tough wood, scraping his fist. He inhales, throwing another punch.
WHACK.
His eyes are wide, his body strained as he feels the skin tearing.
WHACK.
With each punch he lets out a shaky grunt. He doesn't care about the bleeding, the stinging. He throws another punch, and another.
WHACK. WHACK. WHACK.
The impact finally left a dent in the trunk, but Ze's arms slouched as they shook heavily. Whether it was the cold or the bloody fractures, he exhaled.
He takes a few steps backwards, before pivoting and beginning the walk home. The sky is dark, the rain is heavy.
His hair sticks to his skin, blood dripping off his hands and leaving a small trail behind him. His clothes stuck to his body, the cotton of his hoodie grew thick and heavy.
He felt the slosh of mud beneath his steps, and he looked forward and recognized the dim of the house in the distance.
When he approached the door, it was already night. He burst in, catching a glimpse of Moe.
And Regect. Both of them looked tired, stressed. But Moe seemed relieved at the sight of Ze, rushing to him.
“Ze, where were you-” Her hands stopped, her worried honks grew louder as he snatched Ze's hands and examined them. She honked, eyebrows wrinkled in worry as she pulled Ze along the house.
There is a pang of distress in Regect's eyes, their glances caught on one another momentarily. Ze looks away quickly, Moe dragging him to the bathroom.
She pulls his hoodie off and turns the faucet, instructing Ze to run water over his fists first. He does, watching as she then points to the shower and walks out.
He sighs, staring at the mirror. He strips slowly, undoing the bandage on his arm and ripping the plaster off his cheek. It all stung, but he ignored it. He stared at the mirror a moment longer, before forcing his feet to move towards the shower.
He put on the clothing Moe provided, a pair of warm pajama pants and a black tanktop. She hurried to his side, kneeling to bandage him up again and help dry his hair.
Ze tried to ignore the figure lurking at the bathroom door, standing there with arms crossed and wandering eyes. A flick of the tail, a gentle thud on the floor.
Moe pulls off, letting out a low honk as she looks at the doorway. She exchanges looks between Ze and Regect.
“I am tired of being in the middle of this tug-of-war. Talk it out.” She signed, her movements precise and sharp. She was stern, pushing past them and out the bathroom.
Regect's mouth opened, only to shut it. Ze groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sighed, wings tense. He looked away, annoyed. “And where did you run off?”
Regect cleared his throat, “Building. To clear my mind, I guess.” He muttered, hands fidgeting. “And where were you- for starters, you scared the hell out of Moe.”
“Oh don't go making me out to be the bad guy. And I bet you know a lot about scaring people.” Ze snapped back, to which Regect huffed.
“Seriously Ze, I didn’t mean any of that to happen! But your stubborn ass won't listen.”
“You want me to listen to you?” Ze laughed out loud, and stood. “You know what I haven't heard from you? An apology, Regect!”
Regect takes a step back, eyes narrowed in on Ze. The avian continued to approach closer, making exaggerated motions with his hands.
“It's ‘Ze listen!’ This and ‘Ze stop!’ That! But why don't you stop and listen for one fucking second, Regect?” He takes hold of the gold collar around Regect's neck, pulling him in.
“You are a monster, and you hurt me and just left without even trying to help. Without so much of a pathetic sorry.”
Regect's chest heaved, looking down at Ze. His face twisted in anger, waiting for a response.
Regect didn't have one. He didn't have the words, he wanted Ze to stay, to beg for his forgiveness, but at the same time he wanted to pry away from him and never see his face again.
“Well?” Ze scoffed, letting him go. “Cat's got your tounge? I knew you had nothing to say but try and defend yourself.”
“But Ze, I-”
“No, Regect. No.” Ze interupts, pushing past the entity. “You hurt me, I can't just forget that.”
“But I didn't mean to.”
“And what will happen when you do?” Ze looks back at Regect sharply. “If that was an accident, what will you do when it's the final straw? When I finally cross that line?”
Regect stammered, stuck between excuses and the truth.
“You gonna kill me, Regect?”
“I'd never do that, Ze. You know that-”
“I don't actually, so stop saying I do. I thought I knew you, Regect.” Ze turns his back, taking a few steps towards his bedroom door. “I thought we were friends.”
The door slams shut behind him, and Regect stares at the spot where Ze once was.
Empty, quiet, tense.
He can feel his heart drumming in his chest, a sick feeling to his gut. He swallows the lump in his throat, staring at the door and he steps closer. His palm hovers over the knob.
But his hand pulls away. With a shaky exhale, he shuts his eyes and teleports away again.