Tattooed Mistakes (Are Gonna Fade Over Time)

Chapter 8

(And we're back with some more angst~ What a wonderful gift, just in time for Christmas ^^ (I'm sorry for ruining your holiday...)

Only a couple of chapters left on this story. Then we can pretend it never happened. Btw, the "Under The Mistletoe" prompt I wrote for the Screw Sleep Circle's Christmas week? The next Limelights featuring the BGZ ships will lead on from that so give it a read if you haven't already ;) )

THREE MONTHS AGO - MAY

"You know what that's called, Roz?"

"Zephyr, don't."

"Hypocrisy."

They sat with their head in their hands while Zephyr glared at them.

"It's not the same thing."

"It basically is. You're keeping a secret from Al because you know he'll blame himself for it."

Roz dropped one hand, brushing their hair aside with the other. Zephyr didn't move.

"The difference is I'm only asking you not to say anything because I'm going to tell him myself. When the time is right. And you've been lying to him to cover your mistake up. I never lied to him. I haven't even mentioned Keira to him these past couple of months."

He looked at them, holding back every snide comment he could make, "Still. You gonna get off my back about the fight now or what?"

Roz returned his gaze, "No. He's your boyfriend. And you're lying to his face. You need to tell him the truth."

"... Fine..."

– TATTOOED MISTAKES –

On the day of Alonzo's release, Zephyr was up bright and early. Way too early for Rizzo's liking, but she was still forced to get up and accompany her brother to his boyfriend's house. They waited outside, Rizzo sitting down on the sidewalk trying to at least rest her eyes while Zephyr refused to keep still for even a second. He was too anxious to see Al back home at last to just sit around and be patient. Before too long though, a face appeared at the window and Al's mom came out to join them. Soon after, Zach and Roz arrived and eventually Zane was there too. The only one out of their circle of friends not there was Paizley. None of them said a word about it. They all knew why she wasn't coming.

Lindzey came running over excitedly and her mom had to catch her before she crashed into a wall or something. What surprised everyone, though, was that her father was with her. For most of Alonzo's life, their relationship had been rather strained, to the point that Al was actually glad to see his parents split up, only for him to end up bitter over his dad getting custody of Lindzey. He hadn't even once visited his son in containment, and yet he was showing up now.

None of the young zombies gathered there cared to talk to him and kept their distance, but Zephyr couldn't help shooting him a dirty look. If he saw, he ignored it. And anyway, everyone's attention was now on the approaching zombie patrol van that had just turned onto the street.

The doors were opened and Alonzo climbed out, a little unceremoniously but to Zephyr, the world seemed to stand still. He was home. Finally, finally, he was home. This was what Zephyr had needed: Alonzo back home again, in Zombie Town, with him. His skin was still unusually pale, and he was still thinner than he probably should be, and he looked weak overall, but he was home.

His mother was the first to greet him, running to hug him the second his feet touched the ground. She clung to him and pressed kiss after kiss to his face and he tried to resist until he was laughing through tears. When she stepped back, wiping her own eyes, Al saw Zephyr behind her and the two smiled, but then Al's gaze drifted a little further and his face fell. Zephyr frowned and turned to find Alonzo's dad standing there, watching his son pretty much emotionlessly. He held onto Lindzey's hand tightly and she looked nervously between the two of them. She needed to diffuse this situation. She slipped her hand out of her dad's grasp and ran to hug Alonzo. He crouched down a little to return the hug and murmur in her ear.