The story continues...
The past revisited, the present remembers and the future is guessed.
Ezekiel cannot forget the death of his first guardian, David, and his death has affected the life of his older self.
"Jones is pretending to be fine..."
"The patient is pretending to be fine."
"What was David like?"
"The most wonderful man you could ever wish for..."
"Was he like the dad you never had?"
"No.
"We were just living together... He'd raised me... Looked after me... Nursed me into health when I fell ill...
"But to me, a dad was a liar, someone who'd abandon you, hurt you, because my life was affected by the beginning and internet...
"David was not my kind of dad."
It would be a lie to say Ezekiel didn't want David back. David was special, important, necessary...
But Ezekiel knew how different this world was - too difficult - for David, and his personal world would be invaded.
Ezekiel knew that any love would be pushed away from the thief, and that he was not the same fourteen year old David had died in front of.
"You know... Were he alive, do you think you'd still be standing here? Would you know us?"
"No... I'd be crossing my fingers behind my back...
"Hoping for a miracle..."
They say eyes smile too, but David showed they could fake it too. Ezekiel, in spite of his young age of seven, could read the eyes and words of the old man.
David's voice was cracking with misery, Ezekiel did not know the reason why, and Ezekiel could barely speak, so they sat in silence - this was much preferred, as who would rather speak in sorrow and struggle than stay silent in peace and half fake happiness?
Both were quite happily quiet, and they sat.
"Ezekiel..."
"WHY DID YOU GO?!"
"You didn't need me..."
"I STILL NEED YOU! I'LL ALWAYS NEED YOU! COME BACK! COME BACK!"
"I cannot Ezekiel... I am sorry."
There's almost nothing for Ezekiel to stop him joining David.
"Trust me... I've tried..."
He tried when he was going on fifteen.
"The patient is pretending to be fine."
Hasn't since.
Wants to.
Might do.
"Cassandra... Why do you believe in a lost cause?"
"Because they don't exist. You exist."
Scars.
Mental.
Physical.
Nonetheless...
They are scars...
"No more pain."
"That'd be nice..."
I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house:
That don't bother me.
I can take a few tears now and then and just let them out;
I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while.
Even though going on with you gone still upsets me,
There are days every now and again I pretend I'm OK,
But that's not what gets me!
Ezekiel doesn't let people understand.
It hurt too much, to meet, to trust, to lose.
Too many tears...
"Don't make me cry."
"David?"
"I'm sorry for your loss..."
"I'm done with the lies."
"I can't watch anyone else die!"
"I STOOD BY AND WATCHED YOU!"
Death... It does so much to one...
Ezekiel knows so well...
"How long has it been since you died?"
"Was does it feel like to die?"
Like a cold room comes with the lack of radiators...
A cold heart comes with the lack or loss of love.
Ezekiel knows so well.
"I knew too much."
Warning: Contains trauma, depression, an OC, character death, unintentional shippings, feels, swearing and perhaps a bit of violence. Proceed with caution.
A/N: Yup.
You Can't Hurt Your Friends has a sequel.
None of you asked for this, whether that be because you dreaded the idea of learning more about Zeke and having your feels ripped apart again. Or you did want it but you weren't sure if I would agree to it or not.
So yeah.
Now wait. Mwhaha.