Why Don't We One Shots

Pieces - Zonah

Zach sniffles as he packs a suitcase. He can't do it anymore. With Jonah coming home everyday and getting drunk and being emotionally degrading, he knew he had to leave. Jonah was his drug, but it was finally time to quit him.

"Zach," Jonah slurs, coming to the doorway. Zach was busy shoving his half-packed suitcase into the closet, the door of it thankfully blocking him from Jonah's view. "Where's dinner?"

"You said you were going out with friends, so I didn't make any," Zach says through gritted teeth, carefully closing the closet door. He knew better than to get mad. Getting mad did nothing but get him beat, and he'd had the bruises and the black eyes to prove it.

Jonah scoffs, taking another swig of the rum bottle currently in his hand. "You're worthless," he tells the younger of the pair, rolling his eyes. Not knowing how much it crushed Zach's heart to hear him say that. Not knowing how badly it hurt.

Zach listens to Jonah walk down the hallway, the now empty rum bottle in his hands, mumbling to himself. He hears the shatter of glass against the wall and runs out, the instinct to make sure Jonah is still okay in place. Jonah is staring at the ground, the shards of glass in front of him. He looks at Zach with cloudy eyes. "Now look what you've done."

Jonah slides down the wall, the sobs coming out broken and in hiccups. Zach runs to him, he can't help himself. "Shh, shh, it's going to be okay."

"Zach," Jonah sobs, burying his face in Zach's sweater, crying into his shoulder. "I...I..."

"Shh, baby, I know," Zach whispers, running his hand through Jonah's hair, calming him down. "It's going to be all right."

Zach wanted to be there for Jonah. And he was. Through the beatings, the drunk nights, the tears. Through the screams and the sobs. Everything. Jonah always seemed to end up back in pieces, broken, and he was dragging Zach down with him. Zach knew it was toxic. Zach knew he needed to leave. But each time he summoned the courage, something like this happened. So he stayed. He hated himself for it, he hated Jonah for letting it happen. He told Jonah it was going to be okay, but really he was telling himself. Talking himself out of leaving Jonah behind to start over. He wanted to start over. But he also wanted Jonah. Zach missed the way things used to be. He wanted the sweetness of the relationship back, before all the bad came. He wanted to be sneaking kisses between flipping pancakes, he wanted to say the 'I love yous' in the most random moments, he wanted to be able to steal one of Jonah's sweatshirts and never give it back. He wanted unconditional love. And instead, he was stuck with this, whatever this was. Jonah in pieces, Zach trying to figure out how to put him back together for good.

And yet, every time Zach thought it was really over, that everything was back to the way it was, Jonah fell apart again. And again, Zach was there to pick up the pieces.

~