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“Cmon Micha, you’ll love them.”
“I don’t even know them.” Micha retorted, his grip on Ze’s hand tightening. “You haven’t told me anything. At least tell me their names, please Zeeeeee.”
Sunlight poked through the trees, along with a warm breeze that helped banish the chill in both Micha’s and Ze’s bones.
The two of them were covered in dirt and grime, Ze having his hoodie torn up and Micha with his sweater practically a shirt from how ruined the sleeves were.
“It’s a surprise, and it’s better to meet them blind. You’ll understand what makes a specific annoying entity, all that annoying.”
“Ha! There’s an entity!” Micha shouted. A sliver of information given to him. “Are they scary?”
“No, he’s not scary.” Ze snorted his nose and was mildly displeased to see gunk fly out.
“He.” Micha repeated. “He’s a guy. More info.”
“Sometimes other things, I dunno, she emits toxic masculinity so…” Ze trailed off.
The small dirt trail leading home was littered with twigs and rocks, making Ze keep an extra eye on the child he was leading.
“I knew an entity too.” Micha mumbled, a sad frown on his face.
“Really?”
“Mhm, he was… loud. And silly, uh kinda mean sometimes but he built a lot. Like a lot-a lot.”
“How much did he build?” Ze joked at Micha’s explanation, trying to brighten the mood.
“Like, this much.” Micha spread out his hands to be as far away as he could.
“Do you know what happened to him?”
Micha’s frown got deeper. “I left him. I promised I’d come back, and I couldn’t.”
Ze stopped in his tracks, the light sunshine hurt his eyes a tad as he leaned down to get to Micha’s level.
“You didn’t mean to, okay? Never, and I mean never blame yourself for what happened.” Ze thought back to the hole less than a mile away, and the fakes. “It was those stupid eyes, not you. You got that?”
Micha sniffled, tears gathering in his eyes. “Do you think I’ll see him again?”
Ze stood up. “I’ll tell you what, tomorrow, I’ll help you find him.”
“We should make him a gift. Maybe one of those uhh…” Micha snapped at his fingers to try to remember. “Books! That like, people who make stuff have!”
“Uhh, what?” Ze laughed, failing to understand.
“Drawing, book thingys!”
“Ohhhh. Sketchbooks.”
“Yes! Let’s get him that! So he can plan out his building ideas better!”
“Smart kid, that’s a great idea.” Ze smiled, thinking of how he might nab Regect a sketchbook as well. “How bad are your cuts hurting now?”
Micha looked at his scraped knees, bruised arms and cut fingers. “They still hurt, just not as much.”
“Yeah, they’ll hurt for a while. We’ll get matching scars tho.”
Micha smiled, skipping a little with Ze.
“Hey hey, conserve your energy. We’re almost there.” Ze warned, pulled Micha back a little.
“You said that soooo long ag—“ Micha got cut off by a familiar deep voice.
“Ze! Fuck! Where are you dude!”
“Regect!” Both the man and child yelled before whipping around to look at each other.
“You know him!?” Micha shouted.
“What! Yeah!?” Ze’s brain raced for a second before he mentally facepalmed.
The dots connected instantly. Too many similarities for him not to make that connection.
“Holy fuck.” Ze whispered.
“Wha, cmon! Move!” Micha ripped his hand away and sprinted towards Regect’s voice.
“Regect! I’m coming! I didn’t mean to leave, I swear!”
Ze remembered a fatal flaw in Micha’s plan. The eyes made a fake Regect before. Hell, they even used a fake Regect to trick Micha himself.
Fake or not, Micha didn’t know that. He didn’t know that the eyes could make fakes before Ze told him.
“Micha! Fuck! Come back!”
Jumping between bushes and pushing past trees, Ze ran. He saw the small white shape of Micha close by.
Ze jumped forward and yanked Micha back, hiding him under his arm as Ze hid behind a tree.
Micha squirmed and yelled as Ze tried to get him to calm down and think.
“Micha stop! Micha! Micha listen to me!—“
“—Let me get to Regect! Ze! I need to find him!—“
“—I know! I get that but we need to think for a second!”
“Why!”
“Fake Regect! What if it’s not her?!”
The possible Regect continued shouting, getting closer and closer.
Micha went still, gripping Ze’s arms like a lifeline.
“What if it is him?” Micha begged.
“I can figure that out, okay? I need you to be safe because I don’t trust him just yet. Listen to me, I’m going to see if it’s the real him, stay out of sight and if I say ‘Regect! I love ‘70s music!’ You run in the opposite direction as fast as you can.”
Micha nodded, fear making his eyes comically wide.
“Don’t forget me.”
Ze smiled sadly. “I won’t.”
A gust of wind blew Ze’s overgrown buzz slightly as he stepped in the direction of Regect’s yelling.
“Ze! Ze! Where are you!”
“Regect! Over here!” Ze shouted back.
In seconds, she was stranding right in front of Ze.
“Holy shit…”
Ze backed up. “Alright hold up. Prove to me you’re real.” He wrapped one hand over the gun in his holster.
“What! Prove to me you’re real!”
Ze thought for a second. Regect’s body language seemed a bit off. But then again he hadn’t seen her in god knows how long.
An idea for an effective question struck him.
“Who’s Micha?”
Regect froze. “How, do you know who that is.” Her eyes darted to the gun and she backed up a second, all emotion of finding Ze seeming to turn hostile.
“Answer the question.”
“He’s ten years old, white hair, purple in it as well. Used to build houses with smiley faces on it.” Regect gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.
“Go on.” Ze’s fingers slowly let go of the gun on his hip.
“And he’s dead, Ze. Thanks for making me tell you that, asshat. He fucking died.”
A sharp pang of guilt and pity shot through Ze like a bullet of the gun in his holster.
“God fucking!—“ Regect claws shot up to grab at Ze’s shoulders. “You’re fake! Daemon sent you to fuck me up more, didn’t he!?”
“Oh shit, let me explain dude!”
“No! Why should I!? I never told you who Micha was! The real Ze wouldn’t know who he is!”
Ze hissed out a breath and grabbed Regect’s claws.
Regect probably wouldn’t kill him, but he didn’t wanna take that chance.
“Micha! He’s real!”
“Dude! You— fuck you! you’re such a dick!” Regect and Ze ended up on the ground just as a white haired kid shot out from behind his hiding place.
“Regect!” Micha cried, running forward with his arms out wide.
Regect threw himself back away from both Ze and Micha.
“Regect?” Micha stopped right next to the shaking Ze. “It’s me? ‘Em! C’mon you didn’t forget me, right?”
“No! No ‘Em I promise I wouldn’t!” Regect hurriedly replied.
“Regect, it’s us.” Ze said, earnestly. “Th-there was a fake you, and Moe and everyone! I had— no I needed to check if you were actually you first. In case another one of daemon’s employees or whatever the fuck they are wanted to hurt us.”
Micha nodded, tears spilling down his face.
“You fucking hate ‘70s songs, that’s what made me figure out it was you.” Ze’s voice cracked as he fought tears. “And Moe, god I didn’t even realize it wasn’t her.”
Regect stayed frozen, staring at the two in front of him.
Micha stepped forward. “I tried to come back.” His voice was quiet.
Another gust of warm wind blew past. The leaves in the trees rustled loudly and Ze relished in the warmth.
“Please, ‘Em. What was the last thing you built.” Regect hid his eye window, but Ze caught the look of someone about to cry right as it closed.
“It was a smiley house, you built the castle.” Micha’s voice wavered as he cried. “You never got to show me the full thing.” That’s when the poor kid finally broke, sobs tearing through his body.
Regect stumbled forward and grabbed the boy she lost. He pressed Micha’s head into his stomach and wrapped both arms around him, almost enough to drive the air out of his lungs.
“I missed you. So, fucking much.”
Ze laughed while tears dripped down his face and stood up. “We’re really teaching him all these new words, huh?”
Micha nodded, a few giggles in between sobs.
“Ze. I’m gonna beat your ass when we get home.” Regect motioned for him to get into their hug.
Ze winced from pain as Regect’s golden arm pressed against a nasty bruise on his back.
“You good?”
“Fuck no, Micha isn’t either.”
Regect pushed Micha back and inspected every injury much closer, he opened up his eye window again and scanned the boy.
“We should go back, Moe’s gonna be so happy to see you.”
—————
“Ow! Be careful!” Ze muttered as he got another round of disinfectant.
Everyone was in the living room, the couch being turned into a makeshift station of medical care.
“Micha’s taking it pretty well.” Regect motioned to the very relaxed kid right next to Ze.
“He’s built differently, I guess.”
Micha nodded enthusiastically.
A few honks alerted the three. Moe showed up with more medical supplies she dug up and a lollipop for Micha.
“Awh yeah! Just like the doctor's office!” Micha cheered.
“Wait what flavor is that?” Ze asked as Micha popped the bright red sucker in his mouth.
“Uhhh, I dunno.” Micha shrugged.
“Bruh.” Ze slapped a bandaid over the last cut as Regect finished bandaging him up.
“So, now what?” Micha said, slipping his shoes off.
“Warm shower and a good meal probably.” Ze answered. “You can get first dibs, I’ll help make dinner.”
“Nice!” Micha bit at his lollipop as Regect led him upstairs.
“He seems sweet.” Moe honked, helping Ze off the couch.
“Yeah, he is.”
Moe wrapped him in a hug, Ze buried his face in her clown outfit.
“I’m sorry. I’m really sorry Moe.”
She held up her horn near his ear. “Talk to me when you’re ready, please.”
Ze leaned back just a bit. “I will.”
“And I forgive you for bringing a new kid into our life.”
Ze chuckled. “He’s with us for good now, I assume.”
“Damn right, where’s he gonna sleep?”
"Regect’s room, I think.”
Moe froze. “Uhh, me and Regect kinda… merged our rooms together. It’s like one big room now. With a king sized bed too.”
“Oh.”
“We were both afraid the other would ya know, disappear.”
“Are you guys like, together?” Ze mumbled, a bit of jealousy biting at his chest.
Moe grabbed at his chin and lifted it up to meet her eyes. “All three of us were always together. It’s no different than when you left.”
Ze grabbed her hand and leaned into it. “Can I be apart of the sharing-a-bed thing?”
Moe nodded. “I already had it set up for you since we first started sleeping together.”
Regect came back downstairs and made his way to the kitchen.
“Micha figure out the water?” Ze followed him with Moe close behind.
“Yeah I told him not to turn it too hot, and not to come out until he’s cleaner than a brand new car. He should be down in… twenty-ish minutes.”
“Alright. What do we cook?” Ze questioned.
“Who’s we? Nah dude you need rest, the couch is pretty fuckin’ good for a nap.” Regect held up a packet of pasta to Moe as he spoke.
“Uhh, I don't really need it?”
Regect snorted. “Wait till the adrenaline runs out. Then talk to me when you’re actually fighting for your life.”
“Can I go into my room at least?”
“No, we can't see you there.” Moe honked.
Ze just shrugged, not too upset about having to avoid cooking with Regect. Also, sleeping near his roommates always made his dreams easier.
He flopped down on the couch and shut his eyes, expecting it to take a while to fall asleep.
He was out in seconds. The exhaustion of escaping everything, physically and mentally wore him out.
After a nice, dreamless sleep. Ze was awakened to loud claws snapping.
“-Hm?” He sat up instantly, feeling a blanket he did not go to sleep with pool around his waist.
Regect set down a plate of simple pasta with red sauce and meatballs on the coffee table in front of Ze.
“Did you eat in the hole?”
“Uh, yeah I did.” Ze wiped away the built up of eye-crust. Gross.
“Alright, eat slowly. Like, slow-slow.”
Ze’s mind went back to how Micha speaks, and he vaguely wondered what other grammar rules and words the entity and the boy share.
“Alright. Doctors orders I guess.”
“Moe’s the doctor, I’m a nurse.”
“Nurse’s orders.”
“That’s not a thing.”
“You’re not a thing.”
“Fuck off.”
“Nah.” Ze raised a fork to his mouth and tasted some very nicely seasoned pasta.
“This is good, better than what you usually make.”
“What do you mean? I feel like I’m pretty good at cooking.” Regect questioned.
Ze’s stomach dropped. Fake Regect was bad at cooking, real Regect wasn’t.
“Shit, yeah sorry you’re right.”
“You good?”
“Hole stuff, can we change the topic?” Ze replied quickly.
“Yeah sure.” Regect’s tone was gentle as he sat down next to Ze. “Micha used your shampoo stuff, but I guess you’re the only human so that makes sense.”
“We need to go on a shopping trip, he needs some fresh clothes and stuff. Kid stuff, like some not-spicy toothpaste.”
“That’s a tomorrow thing.” Regect replied. “Relax tonight, he’s fine, you’re fine. Everything’s fine.”
Ze sighed. “Sorry, yeah I’m just worried.”
Regect slipped off Ze’s bandana and tossed it aside, his claws felt the greasy and unkempt hair.
“You wanna try washing this?”
“Holy you’re being too caring.”
“Fuck you this hair is gross go shower.” Regect retorted without a drop of malice.
“Thanks.”
“Okay uh.” Regect fiddled with his claw thumbs. “But, Moe and Micha are hanging out, you wanna shower with me?”
Ze blinked for a second. “Sure, I don’t really er, wanna be alone right now.”
“I assumed.”
So that’s how the two ended up under a warm rain of water, Regect working various products through Ze’s hair.
They hardly spoke, a silent agreement to let the peace of the moment seep into their bones.
Ze grabbed Regect’s claws and wrapped his arms around the entity, the water pouring down on both of them.
Regect quietly hummed a tune Ze has never heard before while she rocked him back and forth on their feet.
Pressing quick kisses into Ze’s neck, Regect practically felt the smile Ze gave.
“You ready to get out? Moe set up the tv in our room, we’re gonna have a movie night.”
“What movie?” Ze asked, turning off the warm water.
“Anything you or Micha want.”
“Awh, we get special treatment?”
“Hell yeah you do.”
They both stepped onto the cold bathroom tiles, Ze dried himself off with a towel while Regect snapped. All the water around himself moved towards the shower tub and dropped down with a loud “fwap!”
“Can’t you do that to me?”
“Nah, I like it when you look like a wet cat.”
“‘Course you do.”
Ze slipped on a plain gray shirt, a zip up hoodie and spiderman pajama pants.
“I’m so fucking cozy right now it’s great.”
“We bought a weighted blanket by the way.”
Ze dapped up Regect, and a few water droplets went flying.
“Autistic people and their weighted blankets, god damn.” Regect laughed.
“Can it.” Ze opened the bathroom door and made his way to the shared Regect-Moe room.
Inside was decorated with warm toned string lights, a few fans giving the sound of white noise, curtains covering every window and a large bed pressed against the back left corner. Which had way too many pillows and blankets to count.
Moe and Micha were making the bed the most comfortable for four people, the tv set up on what seemed to be a desk moved to be at the edge of the bed because of the marks on the carpet.
“Hey guys.” Ze greeted.
“Look who finally decided to show up.” Moe joked, earning a laugh from Micha.
“We’re gonna watch Doctor Who! I haven’t seen it in so long and apparently, none of you guys have seen it!” Micha said, throwing up a large pillow onto the bed. A large nest like shape was made, with a few blankets off to the side for anyone to grab and use.
“Nice setup here, I like it.” Ze hopped up and started making himself comfortable, Moe passed him the weighted blanket which he took gratefully.
Micha crawled up next. He sat on Ze’s right and had a large ikea bear plush that Regect owned.
“How long is Doctor Who?”
“About 13-ish days.” Micha shrugged. “But Regect said we should only watch a few episodes tonight.”
“Maybe we’ll find the time to watch it all.” Ze gave Micha a light noogie.
“Ha! Yeah we should!”
Moe sat down behind Ze, putting both her legs around his torso and pulling him close. He flopped his head into her lap and looked up at the clown.
“Hi Moe.”
She signed a hello, her horn on by her side in case she needed it.
Micha complained about Regect being late.
“Let’s say her name three times like beatlejuice, maybe she’ll appear.” Ze joked.
“Yes!”
“Regect, Regect, Regect.” Micha and Ze chanted.
Instead of a flash of light and an appearance of an entity, Regect simply opened the door and sat next to Moe and behind Micha. A bowl of popcorn in his grasp.
“It worked!” Micha giggled.
“Don’t test your luck, I know you tried that.” Regect flicked one of Micha’s curls in his face.
“Awh man…” Micha fake pouted as he reached for the popcorn.
Ze curled up more into his blanket as the show started. He was surprisingly not mad at Micha for interrupting every few minutes to explain things, say behind the scenes stuff and share some trivia.
Eventually all the voices of everyone became a blanket fog over his brain, and Ze closed his eyes as Moe worked her fingers through his hair.
Ze tried to think about what they were now.
Lovers? Friends? Enemies? None of those fit exactly what they were, and he couldn’t put a label on himself and Regect either.
They were people who loved each other.
Ze loved Moe and Regect.
Moe loved Regect and Ze.
Regect loved Ze and Moe.
Why force themselves to fit into a box instead of making their own box.
Why look at the entity next to him and say he’s just an “antagonist he fell for?”
Why feel the hands of the clown whose lap he lay in and say she’s just a “friend he fell for?”
Ze wasn’t just a “human they fell for.”
But then again, the trio never “fell” for each other.
They merged their very existences together, even when one of them was away, he was never alone.
And Ze knew that.
He knew that Moe’s bright red hair would always stick to his clothes.
He knew Regect’s claw tears would be found in his hoodie.
They were stuck to each other, not like dirt under each other's nails. But the blood in their veins, the wrinkles in their skin, the curls in their hair and the beat of their hearts.
And at the end of the night, when the tv went dark and the quiet sound of the bugs outside leaked through the closed windows.
Ze would lay between Regect and Moe, his arms wrapped around both of them.
Regect would have a death grip on Micha’s shirt, making sure to not let go.
And Moe would run her hands along Ze’s back until his breathing went even.
In the ungodly hours of the darkness, Regect and Moe would sign to each other back and forth until the sun poked through the curtains.
Each person had a growing relationship with one another, each person had a different definition of love.
Because why should they define the undefinable?