Chapter Text
The playground at Riverbend Community School was unusually quiet today. Most of the students were clustered on the far side of the yard which teachers hovered nearby, trying to prevent the usual disasters. Which left one corner of the fence mostly abandoned. This is where Zuzu and Mrembo sat, pressed shoulder-to-shoulder beneath the shade of a tree.
Zuzu was quietly chewing on the sleeve of his shirt while Mrembo dug shallow trenches into the dirt with his hooved finger. Neither of them talked for a while, just enjoying existing around one another.
Eventually, Zuzu tilted his head slightly. “... Mrembo okay?”
“Don’t know.” he shrugged
Zuzu nodded. “...Okay.”
Zuzu went back to chewing on his sleeve, watching Mrembo sink his hoof deeper into the soil.
After a couple painfully long seconds, Mrembo spoke again.
“They look at me weird.” He muttered, never looking up from the ground.
“Who?”
“Adults,” Mrembo stabbed his hoof into the dirt again and scraped it back. “all of them.” He sank his hoof down again, this time with more force. “Like I’m gonna bite.”
Zuzu tilted his head again. “Mrembo do.” He snapped his jaws at the air, coaxing a dramatic gasp out of Mrembo.
“Only sometimes!” He shouted in mock offense.
Zuzu, failing to understand the tone, nodded sincerely. “True.”
Mrembo let out a small chuckle before going back to his original thought. “...They act like I’m dangerous all the time.” His ears flattened. “... Like I’m not a kid.’
Zuzu slowly turned himself so he was facing Mrembo, then put his hands in his lap.
“They stare at my teeth… And my hands…” He stops digging in order to flex his paws. “And when I get upset everybody moves away… even when I don’t wanna hurt anybody.”
“Teachers scared.” Zuzu mumbled.
Mrembo nodded. “Yeah.” He swallowed hard. “I hate it.” Mrembo went back to digging, jamming his hooves into the ground forcefully and scraping up the earth. “I’m not some animal.” A small growl escaped his throat.
“Mrembo is Mrembo.”
“...What?” He paused and turned his full attention to Zuzu, who was staring at him like he was the most important thing in the world.
“Mrembo is Mrembo!’ He repeated. “Not just bitey.”
Mrembo snorted.
“Mrembo fast…” He continued. “And strong… Good hugs… Good talk… Good fren.”
Mrembo stared at Zuzu for a long moment. “You really think that?” He muttered quietly.
“... Yeah?” Zuzu replied, genuinely confused.
“Do you even understand what I’m telling you?”
Zuzu immediately scowled. “Mhm. Zuzu hate too.”
“Oh…” Mrembo fidgeted with the hem of his shirt. “... Like what?”
Zuzu tugged lightly at the waistband of his pants. “... Baby stuff.”
“The uh…” Mrembo gestured to Zuzu’s pants. “That?”
He shook his head. “Nuh-uh. Talk.”
His ears shot up. “Talk? What talk?”
“Talk slow. Like this.” He scrunched up his face dramatically. “Goooood Jooob Zuuuuuuzuuuu.” His face immediately twisted in irritation. “HATE.”
Mrembo nodded.
Zuzu tugged angrily at the grass. “They think Zuzu dumb.”
“The teachers?”
Zuzu nodded hard. “All… But Baba.” He lightly smacked his hands against his thighs. “They pet Zuzu an’ talk weird an’ say ‘good boy’ an’ ‘good job using words’...” Zuzu let out a frustrated honk. “ZUZU KNOW WORDS…. Just… Mouth bad.” He tapped his mouth angrily. “Head slow.”
Mrembo frowned, hard.
“Zuzu say words wrong an’ everyone do face.” He scrunched up his face mockingly. “This face. Sad face.”
“Pity.” Mrembo chimed in.
“THAT. HATE PITY. Zuzu no baby. Zuzu just…. Just….” He growled in frustration. “Word STUPID.”
Mrembo watched Zuzu smack the dirt again.
“They think Zuzu no know.” Zuzu continued, voice wobbling now. “But Zuzu KNOW. Zuzu know when laugh. Zuzu know when stare. Zuzu know when talking… Think Zuzu no tell.” He snorted and kicked one of his feet. “An’ they… they do voice an’... an’ they MOVE Zuzu…Pick Zuzu up an’ wipe face… Tell Zuzu ‘inside voice’. ZUZU KNOW INSIDE VOICE.”
He let out a whine and kicked again. “ ZUZU EIGHT.” he blurted. “NOT BABY.”
The words cracked loudly through the quiet playground. A couple students across the yard looked over briefly. Mrembo immediately glared at them hard enough to make them look away.
Zuzu didn’t even notice, he was too wound up. “Zuzu know need diapees. Zuzu know need help. Zuzu KNOW.” He choked. “Everybody always sayin’ it nice but still THINK IT.” His breath hitched as frustrated tears started to form in his eyes. “An’ they- they- an’ Zuzu try say words an’ mouth bad… An’ then everybody say words FOR ZUZU. AND THEY NOT WORDS ZUZU WANT SAY” He grabbed at his hand, violently gripping one of his ears and pulling his other fist back to punch himself. “HATE. HATE.”
Mrembo gently grabbed his wrists before he could hurt himself. “Hey…”
Zuzu looked at him, or at least looked at his hands.
“I understand you.”
“... Do?”
“Most people don’t wait for you to finish… I do.”
Zuzu stared at him, completely silent now. Then his face crumpled in relief. “Oh.”
“You talk weird, but I get it.” Mrembo slowly let go of his wrists. “They just don’t wait for you to speak.”
Zuzu leaned into Mrembo. “Adults mean.”
Mrembo chuckled and wrapped his arms around Zuzu. “Yeah… Adults mean.”