Work Text:
It’s been five minutes since Ze fell asleep on the couch.
Regect still wasn’t used to the silence, but at least it now had company. He watched Ze’s chest rise and fall slowly, as if to further convince himself that the idiot was still alive. His hand gently rested on Ze’s head, slowly running his fingers through his hair. The remains of his torn bandana sat on top of the couch, still stained with sweat and cave dust. His hoodie hung on the stairwell railing to dry.
Moe was asleep upstairs, leaving the entity the only one awake. Regect could sleep, but didn’t require it. He adjusted the blanket on top of Ze and continued to ruffle his sweaty mop of hair. If the boy was awake right now, he would absolutely sock Regect in his invisible face. And honestly? Regect would let him. He probably deserved it.
There were a lot of things unsaid; a lot of things unanswered. Usually, this would frustrate Regect, but he knew better. He knew Ze won’t just open up and spill everything out. That wasn’t like him. Then again, it wasn’t like him to be so quiet that sometimes you forget he’s even there. Alas, it would all be sorted out in the end, like it always had been.
This might not be like their usual shenanigans, of course, but Regect knew things would get better. They always did.
Ze wasn’t out of the woods yet, but at least he wasn’t lost anymore.
He was home.
-~=~-
Ten minutes ago, Ze had some beetroot stew.
Somehow, the kitchen remained intact and not a single fire was started. It was a goddamn miracle. Nobody in the group was a great chef, but Moe was probably the best of the three. She made some stew with the spare beetroots sitting in one of the barrels. When Ze was handed the stew, he stared at the contents in the bowl. Like he was waiting. Eventually, he took a spoonful and took a bite. For the first time, light returned to his eyes.
He finished the bowl in less than five minutes. The empty bowl sat on the coffee table in front of the couch. Flecks of beetroot juice decorated Ze’s face. He was staring at the bowl again. Regect stood in the corner. He didn’t want to get too close. He could break him, he conceded. Moe took the bowl from the table. Ze winced at the clinking sound made when she put it in the sink. When the clown came back from the kitchen, Ze stared her down as if she were an animal approaching their next meal.
God, the boy was still so terrified. So, so fragile.
Regect sighed and slowly walked toward the couch. He made sure he remained within Ze’s line of sight as he approached. “It’s just Moe,” he said, voice unusually soft. “She’s our friend. She’s not going to hurt you.” The entity stopped himself from reaching out towards Ze’s shoulder. To his surprise, Ze inched closer to him, head resting on his chest. He closed his eyes and exhaled through his nose. Then he sniffled. Regect carefully placed a hand on Ze’s back. He could see dark circles underneath his eyes. “You should probably get some sleep,” he finally said. “You look like you’re about to pass out.”
Ze only hummed in response, already half asleep. “Just don’t leave or wake me up, okay?”
-~=~-
Thirty minutes ago, Regect told Ze to take a bath.
“It’s because you’re stinky,” he said, “and you look like shit.” Only the second part was true. And Ze didn’t bother to argue against it. Not like he had the energy to. He just nodded and headed to the bathroom without a word. The lack of venomous words coming out of his mouth felt so wrong to Regect. He would take those stupid arguments over the overwhelming silence any day of the week.
Once Ze was in the bathroom, he caught himself staring at the mirror for an absurdly long time. He only sees himself. Nothing appears in the corner of his eye. And yet, it feels wrong. There should be a shadow that’s just out of his sight. There should be something there. And yet…it’s just him. Just Ze.
There’s a knock on the door. And there’s a voice he’s familiar with. “Ze?” Regect calls, his voice uncharacteristically gentle. “Are you still dressed or nah?”
He knows it’s real. He knows. And yet, he hesitates. He takes a breath. “I am.”
“Do you want me to grab you some clean clothes?” Regect asks. “I mean, I can just get some with commands and-”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure thing, dude.”
“Got it.”
Two seconds later, some folded pajamas were shoved through the crack underneath the door. They were white with thick black stripes. Ze sighed and placed the new clothes on top of the vanity cabinet. He then began to undo the bandana on his head. He knew it was beyond repair and needed replacement, but he wasn’t thinking about that. Hell, he was hardly thinking at all. He felt his mind swim in a horrid pool of fear and misery. But he quickly pulled himself back to the surface. This was real, he reminded himself. He was free. He was safe.
Finally, he turned the faucet, filling the bathtub with water.
-~=~-
It’s been forty-five minutes since that doorbell rang.
Regect was sure he was losing it when he saw the figure on the other side of that door. And, to be fair, so was Ze. They stared at each other for what felt like forever. Part of Regect’s heart was soaring with relief. Ze’s okay! Ze’s okay! But he decided to express something more bitter. “Jesus, where the hell were you??” he fumed. “It’s been–what, like, three weeks?!”
Ze said nothing. Before Regect could question him further, Moe honked with excitement and galloped toward Ze to hug him, only for him to move out of the way. His entire body recoiled, eyes returning to Regect. “She was just tryin’ to hug you, man,” he said. “The hell’s wrong with you?”
Ze’s lips parted but didn’t speak. He kept staring at the entity, fingers twitching at his sides. His face was white as snow, and his breaths were shallow. Regect thought his knees would give out any minute now because they were shaking. If the entity had a heart, it would sink.
Ze was scared. So, so fucking scared.
Regect began to open his arms, preparing to catch the idiot if he collapsed and fell. But he was quickly caught off guard by Ze moving forward and latching onto him like a leech. The boy’s nails dug into Regect’s torso. His entire body was shaking as if there was an unforeseen earthquake. God, he appeared so frail up close.
The entity returned the embrace, holding Ze aloft as he began to cry. Ze’s face was buried into Regect’s chest, staining it with quiet tears. Moe carefully joined the embrace, one arm around Ze and the other around Regect. They remained huddled together for two minutes straight. Their embrace was warm, Ze noted. Eventually, his body began to falter. He felt himself sway a little before fully leaning onto Regect. The entity held him close, keeping him from hitting the cold floor. “Easy, man.” Ze just kept clinging on like the entity was some kind of lifeline, still crying. No one had seen him cry before. And yet, right now, it felt so right to just silently sob while hugging a shadowy entity and a mute clown.
This was real, he reminded himself. He was home this time.
He wasn’t out of the woods yet, but he wasn’t lost anymore.
Ze was home.