Claustrophobic | Skephalo

Significant Other

10k????? this is so crazy! it means the world to me that so many people read & support this story.

i've been in a really rough place mentally for the past few months and although i don't openly talk about it, this fandom and all of the people in it have helped me get through so much.

i won't ramble anymore because i know you guys want the chapter, but i just wanted to say thank you so much, i love you all!! and if any of you ever need anyone to talk to about anything, my dm's are always open <3

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Zak

After what seemed like forever just listening to the rain, Zak decided that he was bored. And when Zak gets bored, he thinks. Mostly about the past, like life before the apocalypse, or the future, like his worries and fears of what will happen to him in the long run. Today, though, Zak decided that he wanted to think about something a little more personal, and he wanted to bring Darryl into it, too.

"Darryl, have you ever been in love?" Zak asks, his voice slightly muffled from the blanket covering his mouth.

"What? Why are you asking me? Have you never dated anyone?" Darryl responds, clearly surprised by the randomness of the question.

"I've dated a bunch of people. I'd like to say I've been in love with one, but I don't know for sure. How can you tell?"

"Well, love is different for everyone. Maybe you can answer your own question by describing what you think love is? Or, more importantly, what you look for in a significant other?"

"A significant other? Who talks like that?" Zak laughs.

"Date! Lover! Soulmate! Partner! I don't know what you call it!"

"Okay, okay, um... What I look for... Probably someone who can make me laugh super hard. But they have to be cute too, you know? Not creepily funny."

"Cute like what? Like a short girl, or a tall girl, or a redhead—"

"No, I mean cute personality-wise. I could care less about what someone looks like on the outside. Good looks never hurt, obviously, but it's just not what I'm picky about."

"Okay, so, the girl you thought you were in love with. Was she super funny?"

Zak hesitates, looking up to see if Darryl was looking at him. When they made eye contact, Zak quickly looked away. "Boy."

"Boy?"

"Mhm."

"Oh, I didn't... I just assumed—"

"—I've dated girls, too, by the way. To answer your question, though, yes. He was funny."

"What else did you like about him?" Darryl asks, skipping over Zak's comments about girls.

"I liked... The way he always made me feel like I belonged. Does that sound cheesy?"

"No, I get it."

"It was high school, so you probably know how it went down. People were cruel. But... I don't know, he was kind. He looked out for me, made me feel safe a lot."

"Why did you guys break up?"

"He told me he couldn't handle long-distance relationships, and he was attending a university across the country. It sucked, but I got through it."

"Okay, last question. If you had the opportunity to see him again, would you want to?"

"No, I guess not."