A Fight For Two (Zombie x Zanabane)

[Zanabane]

Felix has been in an abusive relationship for over a year now, and only he is blind enough to not see it. Laurence, who has had a crush on him since forever attempts to set things right, but will he be heard or just ignored?

 

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Name: Laurence Moreau

Postition: Seme

Orientation: Bisexual

Age: 21

Physical Appearance: Laurence is tall and relatively muscular, with broad shoulders and powerful arms. His eyes are bright green and his hair is a light sandy-brown. He tends to wear professional clothes, appearing in dress shirts and ties even when he is supposed to dress "casual". His favorite color is a very specific shade of dark violet-indigo, and he usually sports some sort of accessory of that color, usually a scarf, a tie, or an ascot. Laurence looks approachable and understanding, despite his love for rich-looking outfits.

 

Background and Personality Traits: Laurence is hard-working, honest, and outgoing. He manages a popular restaurant in the city. Despite his calm demeanor, Laurence finds he worries an excessive amount and becomes easily stressed over minor details. His family is from France, and he enjoys European customs such as taking several hours to eat large meals, walking and biking places as opposed to taking a car, and greeting friends with intimate gestures. He loves food, dogs, and nature. As much as he wishes he could change it, he simply cannot bring himself to like cats. He has hated cats since he was a child, and, despite trying for a very long time to find something lovable about them (he even owns a cat), he has only been able to equate them with evil.

 

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Laurence hummed a merry tune as he made his rounds about the empty restaurant. His employees had done a pretty good job of getting it cleaned up tonight. Slowly pacing, he noticed that the garbage had not been taken out. Clicking his tongue, Laurence strode to a clipboard pinned to the eastern-most wall, flipped through the pages and scanned the writing. Todd. Laurence clicked his tongue, sighed, and shook his head. It had been Todd's turn to take out the garbage. Todd's new, I'll let it go, Laurence thought to himself, tying the top of the garbage bag and carrying it out of the building. Lugging the putrid thing to a dumpster and heaving it in, Laurence stared up and the quickly darkening sky. The sun was almost set and the moon had begun to rise, streaking a perfect equilibrium of warm and cool colors across the starry canvas.

 

Sighing in happiness at the scenery, Laurence began to walk back towards the restaurant. He jumped in surprise as a tiny shadow darted between his feet. Regaining his composure, Laurence glanced in the direction of the little demon. The demon in question happened to be a small, ratty, dark grey cat, hissing in fury as though offended by Laurence's stare. Laurence dropped down to a crouch and held his hand out to the animal.

 

"Here, kitty kitty kitty," he cooed at the pet. "Come on over. I'm not going to hurt you. Are you lost?"

The cat eyed the man suspiciously and took a few cautious steps in the direction of Laurence's hand. "Good kitty. Come on now," he whispered gently at the cat. After a few more tentative steps, the cat's ears flattened against its head as it emitted a low growl at Laurence and darted away into an alley.

"Hey, I tried!" he hissed after the beast. Figures, Laurence grumbled in his head as he made his way back to the building.

 

Finishing up the restaurant's closing procedure, Laurence's mind wandered to Felix. Felix always reminded him of a cat. Not a mean, stuck-up, hissy cat, but a good cat. The loyal kind that would cuddle up in front of a fireplace or on his lap.

 

Turning the key in the outdoor lock, Laurence strolled through a see of city lights and traffic noise. Not in the mood to tolerate the city, Laurence decided to take the long way home. He turned a corner at the local university and sauntered through a wooded trail. The darkness of the forest canopy shrouded him until he came upon a clearing. Before him ran a still length of river, surrounded by cattails, stretching to the right and left with no end in sight. Laurence hiked up old wooden steps to the simple wood bridge connecting the riverbanks. On the bridge he paused, leaning his elbows against the railing, and stared out at the calm water.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

 

Name: Felix Abbot

 

Position: Uke

 

Orientation: Gay

 

Age: 20

 

Physical appearance/Background and Personality: Felix's around 5'7, thin, his body appears to be graceful whenever he's moving (which is probably because since he was little he used to go to dance classes). His eyes are a soft blue color, his hair is the color of sand. He'd dye it bright colors when he was younger - there are still a million of photos left. He usually wears clothes that cover everything except his hands and head, seeing as most of the time his body is covered in what he describes as love marks - that includes the bruises from brute force as well.

 

No matter what, Felix always manages to find a good side to what is happening. Even when his father was diagnosed with cancer, he smiled and said that it was good he still had a chance to live. He, for some reason, really likes learning. He was always the top student, both in school and college. Although he already graduated in psychology, Felix decided to stay in college some more and began sociology. Otherwise, he's really outgoing and hates thinking of anything as bad - basically, he sees the world through pink glasses. He always finds an explanation to why people act mean, or tells himself it wasn't mean and that he's just overreacting. It's almost stupid how he refuses to acknowledge the darker side of life.

 

---

Breathe in, breathe out. Don't trip. Just keep going. Felix ran across the city, ignoring the ache in his side and left leg. He promised himself he would go jogging at least once a week from today, he wasn't going to back away from that. Besides, Paul commented on how he was too thin for his liking... He didn't want to lose his boyfriend for some stupid thing like this. All he had to do was put on some muscle and he would be loved again, right? That was all he wanted.

 

He liked the fresh air, especially as he got closer to the river. His muscles were burning by then, perhaps he should take a break for a little bit? Drink some water, maybe look at the sky... He always liked stargazing, alone or with someone. Space was magical, the more he learned about it the more he wanted to know. His secret dream was to someday get to space, but it was a stupid dream, even Paul thought so.

 

The blond slowed down until he was walking, reaching the bridge in a matter of minutes. The person there looked familiar, but in the dark he couldn't recognize him in a few moments before finally... "Laurence?" Felix called out as a wide smile graced his face. He walked up closer, still panting from the excercice. "How are you?" He asked with a soft expression on his face, realizing the other must've just finished working. He himself worked at a nearby cafe, it was the best job for him without interfering with his studies.

[Zanabane]

Laurence was lost in his thoughts as he watched the reflection of the sky in the calm water. His mind wandered back to Felix. Felix liked stars. Laurence remembered Felix telling him his dream of going to space. Good dream, he thought. He leaned back against the railing and wondered if Felix was okay. Sighing heavily in anguish, Laurence pondered his optimistic friend. He felt his face heat with rage as he thought of Felix's boyfriend. The bruises that started to mysteriously appear soon after he and Paul had gotten together, the sudden self-doubt on Felix's cheerful face...

 

Laurence clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening in anger. Paul doesn't deserve him. He should be mine...

Hearing the scratching sound of someone approaching on the dirt path, Laurence jolted from his thoughts. Who would be here at this hour? Another stargazer?

 

Laurence's heart quickened as he heard a familiar voice. "Felix?! Is that you?" He jogged in the direction of the gentle voice. He became worried upon noting Felix's sorry state. He'd never pegged Felix for the athletic type.

 

"Hey...are you okay?" Laurence asked, concerned, as he rummaged in his messenger bag, pulled out a bottle of ice-cold water, and reached out to hand it to Felix.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Felix grinned widely at his friend, ignoring the water bottle at first as he got closer to hug the taller man. "Why wouldn't I be?" The blond asked with a soft laugh, the finally accepted the bottle with a grateful smile. He took a few gulps, wiping off the sweat from his forehead as he lowered the bottle, looking at Laurence. "Why do you look so concerned? Did something happen?" As always, others came before himself - after all, he didn't think something wasn't alright with himself, so why would anyone be worried?

 

As he passed the water bottle back to his friend, the blond shifted his weight onto his right leg, letting the left one rest a little bit. He pushed his hands into his pockets, his hair ruffled up from the wind. "What're you doing out here, anyway?" He asked with a smile, his eyes holding that certain softness, as always. He hadn't seen Laurence in a while, they were both getting busier each day... He really missed him, though. He missed their little talks, he missed sharing their dreams and fantasies. The only thing he disliked about his friend, and even that was very little, was how he behaved when Felix talked about his boyfriend. Paul never did anything bad to either of them, so he had no idea why was he so against the man. Paul took care of him, he loved him... He didn't want to be without Paul, for as long as he could.

[Zanabane]

Laurence felt his cheeks heat as Felix hugged him. He wrapped his arms tightly around his friend, inhaling the sweet aroma of Felix's soft hair. He clung to him gently, not wanting to let the gesture be over. Eventually, he let go, allowing himself to drift apart from his long-held crush. Felix's question stunned Laurence. He never quite understood how Felix could be so selfless. His sweet lullaby voice was always asking if someone else was okay, never giving a single thought to his own comfort or happiness. It was as though it made him happier to screw himself over for other people than to focus on his own needs and dreams. It was this strange mentality of his, Laurence thought, that led him to date Paul.

 

"I..I'm fine, Felix, I promise. I was just worried about you. You're out of breath, and I've never seen you jog. I didn't know you were into that type of thing." He watched as Felix gulped down the water. He seemed so worn out that he looked unhealthy. Laurence couldn't help but wonder if Paul made him do this; Laurence had never heard of Felix running before, and they had been friends for years. Did Paul want Felix to be healthier? No, Paul isn't the type. Come to think of it, though, I do remember Felix changing his appearance for Paul... Laurence pondered this, then remembered the determined look he saw in the eyes of his friend when he had jogged up to the bridge. It was the same look of determined doubt that had taken over Felix's face when he'd first told Lawrence that Paul had told him to stop dying his hair "stupid" colors. Was that asshole now degrading his body?

 

"Huh?" Laurence blinked, brought back to the present world. "I didn't feel like taking the city route home. The city's a mess tonight."

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Felix laughed softly, shaking his head a little bit. "I'm not exactly into this, but I need to put on some muscle, you know?" The blond chuckled with a warm smile on his face. He was feeling awfully tired after the first jog, honestly. However he would still jog back, even if his muscles lit up on fire. After all, that was what Paul would like him to do... And he was never wrong. Ever.

 

"That's so like you." The man teased, leaning back against the railing. There, however, he flinched a little bit and rubbed his lower back with a soft sigh. Damn, it hurt... He glanced over at Laurence with an apologetic look. "Sorry, I guess my body isn't used to excercice at all." He sighed before glancing up at the stars. God, they always took his breath away. Just thinking of how many stars there were, of how many more they couldn't see, of how many unknown lives could be out there!.. He could spend hours just thinking about space. Well, he would, if Paul didn't think of it as stupid. Remembering how his suggestions of stargazing were shot down made him feel sad. This was one of the very few things he didn't agree about with his boyfriend. He kept quiet about it, of course. He didn't like their fights.

 

"We should totally get together sometime! Maybe you could treat us in your restaurant?" Felix asked suddenly, obviously thinking he would take Paul along. He barely did anything without his boyfriend anymore... His every step was tracked, actually. He didn't mind that too much. The blond actually thought of it as romantic, in a way. Like he was being protected with every step he took! If anything happened, Paul would see it on his phone and would come to rescue him. Wasn't that just romantic?

[Zanabane]

Laurence shifted his gaze downward. I knew it, Laurence thought. Felix was trying to put on muscle to appease Paul. Why doesn't he get that Paul will never happy with him, no matter how much he changes? He had almost given up at trying to explain this to Felix; those conversations never ended well. At this point Laurence cherished his friend too much to waste the precious time they had together fighting. But...he couldn't quite surrender to the sinking feeling of knowing that Felix was with someone who did not appreciate him. Laurence could not allow this attractive, brilliant, sensitive man be abused when he could be with someone who cares about him, someone who would support his dreams and dye his hair and encourage him to study astronomy...

 

Laurence gasped as he saw his friend flinch. It hurt him to see Felix in pain, and Paul's involvement caused Laurence's head to spin with rage.

 

Laurence sighed. He should have confessed to him years ago. He felt stupid for that. He had so many chances, so many times that he could have done it. And yet... the pain that rejection would bring caused him to look away every time, to cast his gaze away from Felix's starlit eyes. Felix was watching the stars again. He could never get enough of the sky. He was always searching the depths of the night, for what Laurence had no idea. For freedom?

 

Us? Laurence flinched as he spoke. Of course Felix wanted to bring Paul along. Of course their time together couldn't be complete without that asshole there, always standing millimeters away from Felix, never quite touching him with anything except his psychotic gaze. Sure, bring him along so I can beat the shit out of him, Laurence seethed silently. It was uncommon for him to be so angry. He could only ever remember feeling rage and hatred towards Paul; Felix was the only person who could trigger such strong emotions in the peaceful man. Maybe he was possessive. Maybe he was no better than Paul..

 

"Well...I was hoping you and I could have some time alone. Like we used to," Laurence looked down, wanting badly to add 'before Paul', but thinking better of it. "How about a picnic? I'll bring food from the restaurant and we could have it here, in the starlight," he gestured towards the grassy riverbank. "Oh, and," he reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a gel ice pack. "Put this on your back. It'll help," he held the ice pack out towards Felix. He was always prepared.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Felix didn't even notice his friend gasping when he flinched. Or, perhaps, he was just used to that reaction for now. He knew that Laurence disliked his relationship, but he loved Paul, and Paul loved him. They were happy together... He was protected everywhere he went, and the possesiveness of his boyfriend was sort of hot, honestly. His body was marked in all possible ways - everything from light hickeys to big bruises. They were all out of love, so he didn't mind even if they hurt. Although at first, Paul didn't leave anything more than a brighter hickey on him... Back then, their relationship was softer, in a way. Back then Paul would touch him when they were outside some more... Sometimes he missed a little bit how romantic his boyfriend was, but his dominant side was also nice. Nobody was perfect, after all...

 

"Huh? Like, right now?" Felix asked when he heard Laurence's suggestion. As the other offered him an ice pack, the blond grinned widely before laughing softly. "I bet you have some sort of a future vision, hm?" He chuckled softly as he pressed the ice to his back. After that, he stared off into the distance, lightly nibbling on his lip. "I don't know, I don't think I should do it tonight.. I mean, Paul will get worried." The man said softly as he glanced down at his feet. "I don't want him to think something bad happened. I guess I could try calling him, you know?" Felix thought out loud as he looked back up at the taller male and smiled gently. "Or we could just do it sometime later."

 

His gaze travelled back to the stars soon enough. He liked sky in general. He liked when it was sunny, he liked it when it was stormy, he liked it when it rained or snowed... Anything that was above him, above anything human has built, it all caught his interest immediately. He was always curious about the stars, and even as a child he found himself wondering if, maybe, somewhere out there was a planet that contained life similar to Earth. Maybe there was his clone? Or maybe his dark side - or the light one. Depends on which one he was. Thoughts like that always managed to bring him away from the harsh reality of the world which sometimes hit him a little bit too hard. Sometimes, when Paul wasn't home, Felix would lock himself in his room and just cry. He wasn't necessarily sad when he did it, he just needed to.

[Zanabane]

Laurence winced as Felix mentioned Paul being worried. He won't be worried. He'll be angry. He doesn't care about you; he just wants the power that abusing you will give him, Laurence wanted to grab Felix by the shoulders and shake him. Maybe he could shake him out of it. Maybe he'd wake up. Maybe if Laurence just shook him hard enough...

 

Then he would be just like Paul.

 

The thought forced Laurence to bite his cheek in rage. Why couldn't Felix understand? Felix was a rare endangered bird, too delicate for captivity, and Paul was the cruel hunter who kept him in a cage. If only he could find some way to explain it to Felix... It didn't make any sense. Felix studied psychology. He was brilliant; if anyone should have understood the imbalance of power Paul craved, it would be Felix. But then it's all about perspective... Laurence couldn't erase the aching in his heart as he thought of the pain that Felix would come back to after he left here. He would go back to a place he didn't belong, to a man who treated him like a door mat. There was a deep pain in Felix's eyes beneath the lies he told himself. Surely he has to think that something is wrong. Come on, Felix, you know better...

 

He noticed Felix staring at the sky again. He really was a dreamer. Sighing gently, Laurence took a few steps closer to Felix until their shoulders were barely touching. He tentatively wrapped his arm around Felix's waist and watched the stars with him.

"Sure. We can do it some other time," he sighed, watching the burning balls of gas twinkle above him. He hugged Felix tighter as a chilly breeze blew past them. The warmth of Felix's body pressing against his was enough for him to forget that Felix was someone else's. He almost stopped thinking about everything he missed as he stood there with his love, their hair blowing westward in the breeze.

"You want to escape, don't you?" Laurence blurted without thinking.

[Zombie_In_A_Box]

Felix didn't back away or even try to pull away when he was hugged in such a way. Instead, he just hugged back, resting his head on Laurence's chest. He liked listening to his heartbeat... Paul used to let him do that, but nowadays if they touched, it usually just ended up with sex. He adored being held this way, however. He felt warm and safe, as if nothing could do anything bad to him! Honestly, Laurence gave the best hugs ever. "Okay~ Can you write me sometime so we can decide on the time?" The blond asked with a soft smile, his eyes closing.

 

He let the wind mess up his hair, just breathing in the freshness of the night. He was definitely a night person, if one could say that. He liked winter more because it meant longer nights, as well as poofy sweaters, and hot chocolate, and snowfights, and snowmen, and fireplaces, and... And he loved all of those things so much!

 

"Huh? Escape? From where?..." Felix looked up in confusion, blinking a few times. "Are you going to start about Paul again?" The blond asked with the smallest frown forming on his face. "I mean, if you are... I, nevermind. I should head back home." The man muttered and took a step backwards. He was always very defencive when it came to his relationship. Especially when talking to Laurence. He loved him as a friend, and he really wanted for him to support his relationship too...