Chapter Text
Depression is like a storm that arrives without warning, but unlike a common storm, it arrives and stays like a hurricane, destroying everything in its path until leaving no trace of what was there before.
And yes, although sometimes the damage can be repaired and leave no mark, there are other times that the damage remains and settles permanently where it arrived.
"The William Miller incident" was something that marked a turning point in David's life. The end of his quiet life and the beginning of a mental battle against his inner demons.
Although well, it was a battle that had already begun, but that never reached a magnitude as high as the one he was experiencing. Before he could coexist without giving them importance or just ignoring them, but now it was a constant battle with them for something as simple as getting out of bed or talk to people
Even people he loves and cares so much
He couldn't even talk to someone without feeling instantly tired or suffocated by his intrusive thoughts surfacing as he tried to listen to the person in front of him. Any tiny action required a lot of effort on his part and that made him avoid doing many things. His constant absences from football training caused him to be kicked off the team even
It's not like he really liked going to football, but it made him realize how much he was missing school and how little he was leaving his new home, even his room.
His entire social circle was extremely worried about him, quite a lot to tell the truth. David was characterized as a boy with a Golden Retriever personality, always talking and smiling at everyone with the best possible attitude. But now there were only remnants of what was before, now there was only a boy with no desire for anything.
And that hurt everyone in quantity, but especially Exer.
Exer felt immense guilt about what happened to his boyfriend even though everyone—including David—had told him that he wasn't to blame for anything at all. All the blame was on William and exclusively on William
Who, now that we mention him, had not shown any signs of life in weeks, which calmed everyone down, but not to much
An immense pain lay in Exer's chest and stuck like thorns in his heart, giving him pangs that made him want to stop everything he did and simply collapse. But he couldn't, not now that David needed him more than ever. He owed it to him after the whole situation with his magic throughout months
Now he was washing the dishes used in the last half hour of work he had on the cafe in an attempt to distract himself. He just had a call with David, and let's be honest, he didn't sound good. His voice was hoarse and somewhat muffled, suggesting that he had been sleeping or that something bad had happened.
He prayed it would be the first option
They talked for a while about each other's day until David suddenly ended the call, which alarmed Exer at first. Fortunately he had only hung up by accident. Exer smiled foolishly when he heard a tiny laugh from David when he mentioned it. Although the laughter did not last long, because during the conversation topics were discussed —even Exer didn't know where they came from— and that made David uncomfortable. The call ended two minutes after that.
Remembering the whole situation worried Exer again, who felt the magic flowing in his veins, ready to explode. He just wanted his sun to shine again, he just wanted everything to be like before. What should he do?
"Exer?" Bailey's repeating appearance scared Moreno, who almost made a plate fall "Damn, you were definitely distracted, is everything okay?"
"Yeah, don't worry" Exer responded almost automatically. Bailey was still noticeably worried.
"You don't convince me, I don't think anyone really does."
"Don't be rude, Dylan! Maybe he doesn't feel ready to talk about it"
"Bailey, the reason for his attitude was heard throughout the cafe. That call was NOT discreet. Everyone knows it"
"What?!" Exer glanced quickly at Dylan, who remained neutral as usual. He shrugged his shoulders still calmly.
"It's not my fault you don't even censor the name or gender of the person you're talking to, kid. To begin with, you shouldn't even be talking to him during work hours, the boss could have seen you.."
"Dylan!"
"Don't worry, Bailey. Dylan is right" He sighed audibly as he went to dry his hands "I just...wanted to see if he was feeling better today.*
Both adults looked sadly at brunette, who was organizing the clean dishes in the cupboards. All Cup or Cat employees knew about David's situation. —Exer did not give details, he only mentioned that he had problems with his father— And they felt just as sad or worse than Exer. David had become a frequent customer and someone adored by everyone in the cafe. Not seeing him constantly sitting at the café tables again had been a notable change, quite notable.
They had also noticed the drastic change in Exer's attitude. Even though he always tried to smile at everyone, he couldn't make it convincing. David always made Exer's mood improve when he came to visit the store, and now that he no longer appeared or went out not so often, Exer seemed down.
"He's gonna get better, blondie is strong!" Marco suddenly appeared, putting his left arm around Exer's shoulders. " It's just a matter of time, give time some time"
"You said time quite a few times in a very short time."
"It's been two weeks, I'm desperate." Exer completely ignored Dylan's statement *I want to help him recover, but I don't know how! I feel useless watching him sink deeper and deeper into his sadness...."
"Have they mentioned him going to therapy?"
"Yes, he said he would think about it, and that was a week ago."
"I repeat, give him time. He needs to clear his mind first. It can take quite a while, so you need to be patient and be with him in the process."
"Wooow! that was sage, Marco!"
"Thanks! They call me "the guru of love" " That phrase made Exer laugh a little
"Thanks for your advice guys, I'll do my best to help David, even if it's at a distance*
*Space is something very important in relationships, without it at the right times, everything can end badly."
*Okay, what did you do to our Marco?" Bailey joked, making an offended gasp from the brunette, who put his hands on his hips and glared at the girl.
Bailey tried to hold back a laugh, but couldn't manage it and ended up bursting into laughter at that moment, causing Marcó to snort and look at her with some noticeably feigned annoyance. Dylan shook his head somewhat tiredly.
Exer smiled more calmly, feeling a small warmth settle in his chest. He had grown fond of the entire Cup o Cat team in the weeks he had been working there. He trusted them so much that he told them about his relationship with David. Bailey's excited screams, Marco's mischievous smile, and Dylan's tiny smile proved to him that he was in the right place with the right people.
"It hurts me that you doubt me so much, Bailey, I had faith in you...."
"It's not just her, we all do it"
"Okay, Dylan! I understood! And that's why I'm going to give the best love advice to Exer so that you can swallow your words!" He grabbed Exer by the shoulders, causing him to be slightly surprised by the sudden contact. "Listen, Don Juan! If you're looking for a way to make him feel better, distract him! Mention things he likes and make them take up the entire conversation until he seems calmer. What does blondie like?*
*Well.....he likes pop Music, especially David Bowie and Queen, In fact, I was the one who introduced him to that band" He smiled with a light blush on his cheeks. "He also likes dance, Banana flavored candies, videogames, flowers-"
"That's it! Bring him flowers, he'll probably like them. My partner looooves flowers"
*I don't think you should base this on what your partner likes...."
"I'm trying to help, you know?!"
"No no, guys, I think Marcó just gave me an idea"
*AHA! I knew that my love skills would be useful for something at some point." Marco did a victory dance, causing Bailey to roll her eyes as did Dylan.
Exer ran to get his things from the employer lockers, taking off his work apron and putting it in his bag. He took all his belongings and before leaving, he approached the three adults one last time.
"I'm going home! I have an idea how to help David, although I don't know if it will work...b-but I have faith that it will!"*
*That's the attitude, kiddo!"
"Go for it, Exer! I Know you can do it!"
"Good luck, I guess"
After the good wishes of his friends slash coworkers, he left the cafe and got into his car, looking for the keys and starting it. He drove quickly home with an idea in mind.
He just prayed that his dad was in home.