Chapter Text
One vital thing about life is connecting those around you, making these connections be of use to you (and the other way around). You never know how or what they could do to really brighten your view of the world.
Except Ze is stuck residing with a lousy, irritating entity and also a deaf clown whom she communicates with via her red horn - indeed, clown-wise. Ze would have never imagined that he would end up like this, though together they have overcome countless obstacles on their journey.
As people have quoted, world peace is the absolute status of peace, the absolute unity of every being, and the end of all wars and conflicts, notwithstanding personal matters. Although the circle has achieved such peace within their household (at least), there is still unresolved tension within their respective bubble.
Ze has been struggling with an emotion he truly hasn't understood - love. Ever since he's been drafted into boot camp and left, he has unanswered questions about himself, his type, his sexuality, his identity. Only when he had met ReGect and Moe (the aforementioned entity and clown) did he find his true tune within these friends he had made.
One thing, however, to understand one's true feelings, one should listen to one's inner music and have time to oneself - everything takes time. Ze has been at odds with his music for quite a time for some reason... That's why he's been seeking therapy from the one and only Moe. Even if she honks all the time, she really has a good head for comforting others, which makes him wonder if she ever took psychology.
"HONKHONKHONKHONKHONKHONKHONKHONK?"
(So what troubles you to appear here at unearthly times?)
Moe questioned, pointing at the clock showing Moe o'clock" (2 A.M.)
"I, well... I just have these feelings that need to be expressed, you know? But you can't do so because of this barrier of doubt, negative thoughts such as unacceptance... You surely know this, right?"
"HONKHONKHONKHONKHONK. HONKHONKHONKHONKHONK, HONKHONKHONKHONKHONKHONKHONK!"
(Then we are definitely 2 peas in a pod. This had also troubled me in my early years, and I've learnt to overcome these differences, resulting in what I am now!" Moe places her hands on top of Ze's, a mark of reassurance and trust. "Now then, what are these feelings that you are unable to express then?)
However, this session turned out to be one of Moe's most insane revelations to have ever learnt about. Moe was sitting in patience, taking in the information, while Ze was shaking like crazy.
"HONK?!?? HONKHONKHONKHONKHONKHONKHO-"
(What?!?? You're not telling me you're in love with-)
Moe honked in extreme intensity, covered in shock.
"It is... undeniably the truth, despite how much I feel the need to deny. What would ReGect think if he found out a loser like me just happened to have a thing for a guy like him?!" Ze looks away in profuse embarrassment, as if he had just peed himself.
Apparently, all this time, Ze had a massive crush on ReGect. You heard me, the fuckass partly limbless entity. Moe sighed, but a smirk rose as she just attained a brilliant idea. She honked at Ze again with a hand on his shoulder.
"HONKHONKHONK,HONKHONKHONKHONK, HONKHONKHONK! HONKHONKHONK...HONKHONK, HONKHONK, HONKHONKHONKHONK. HONKHONKHONKHONK, HONKHONKHONKHONKHONK, HONKHONKHONKHONKHONK!"
(Alya Cesaire once said, life is not about waiting for the storm to pass, but learning to dance in the rain! You should try to... embrace those feelings, try being yourself, the you whom you always thrive to be. Maybe one day, something might spark between you two, though I am no prophet!)
Ze looks back at Moe with a grin and a tear in his left eye. He wiped it and took a chance to hug Moe tightly, thanking her truly for always being there for the group, in addition to her benevolence.
"Thank you, Moe, you truly deserve to be with us, you are genuinely the best, I could never thank you more."
It's a great weight off the mind after he consulted Moe for all the pressure he's been keeping to himself. It seems that he is really not alone - Moe had been through a similar situation until she met ReGect and him. Ze himself was glad that he was part of someone's path to true happiness, and then only did he realise that he could also accomplish such a thing.
That morning, Ze woke up to ReGect's stupid shouting and Moe's constant honking (as most time) as he caught sight of the clock. Ze really could not catch a break these days.
"WAKE THE FUCK UP, SLEEPYHEAD, YOU'VE ALREADY WASTED 11 HOURS OF THE DAY!!"
"HONKHONKHONKHONKHONKHONK!!!!" (WAKE UP ZE!!!!)
"Okay OKAY, JESUS CHRIST, I'M GETTING UP!"
Ze launches outta bed as he prepares for a punch on ReGect, but when the knuckle sandwich was inches away from the entity, he retracted his hand and kindly left for the bathroom. Both of the other 2 were confused why Ze didn't straightforwardly hit him. Regardless, they headed downstairs.
Back to Ze, he was palming his head while looking at the mirror. He continuously questioned his own actions just now. In deadly earnest, he couldn't resist hurting at that nonexistent face, knowing damn well ReGect would never truly feel hurt physically. Then again, do entities even have feelings? That is a question left to ask the gods themselves. Ze finished his preparation as he left the bathroom to greet the dining table.
On the table lies a plate of buttered toast and a nice sunny side up egg, Ze's favorite. He wouldn't have believed that ReGect could actually cook well, in spite of that being the truth anyway. His groggy eyes met ReGect's (does he have eyes?) as he started trying to validate this dish in front of him.
"Hey, dude, did you actually fucking make this?"
"Of course I did, jackass. If you're that fucking picky, I'll gladly take it away-" Regect roughly replied as he tried to put his nonexistent hand on the plate.
"I did not mean that at all bitch! It's just..." Ze snatched the plate of toast back, blushing a bright red. Then, he got defensive out of nowhere.
"...How did you even find out what my favourite breakfast is!? I never even told anyone-" Ze continues his rambling, being unable to look him in the “eyes””
"Oh yes, you did, I overheard your complaining ass after breakfast the other day when you said something like [Ugh, I wish I was still home and get to enjoy my egg toast]-" The entity remarks, including a girly Ze impression (purely to piss Ze off), standing his ground as it looks back at a mess.
"You... You fucking creep!!”
"Well, I'm so sorry that you're just a walking speaker!!"
And like that, they initiated their usual arguing session, and Moe had to be the one to step in and stop the quarrel.
[Please cut this clown some slack.]
This time, Moe was going to initiate her own plan (referring to the aforementioned brilliant idea). She was going to set them up for quality time, and she started by putting an end to the mess firsthand.
“HONKHONK!! HONKHONKHONKHONKHONKHONK?!"
(STOP THIS INSTANT!! WHEN WILL YOU TWO STOP ARGUING FOR ONCE?!)
ReGect and Ze immediately halted their fierce movements and stood to look at Moe, looking down, like 2 kids being punished for misbehaviour.
"HONKHONKHONK! HONKHONKHONKHONK, HONKHONKHONKHONKHONK..."
(I'm telling y'all! If you don't get along, then I have no choice but to...)
The two were shivering, sweat accumulating on them, waiting for Moe's statement to be finished, the tension rising in the air intensely. Then she spoke up again. Behind her stood some of her luggage that neither of them had noticed at first.
"HONK... HONKHONKHONKHONK, HONKHONKHONK. HONKHONKHONKHONK, HONKHONKHONKHONKHONKHONK."
(Well... I had no choice in the first place; I have to pay my family a visit. I'm afraid I wouldn't be here for a week or more, hopefully not too long to cause you sadness.)
Moe looked down for a moment before smiling mildly again.
"HONKHONKHONKHONK... HONKHONKHONKHONKHONKHONK. HONKHONK?"
(I hope for a fact that... you guys could take care of the house while I'm gone. Could you?)
Moe glanced at Ze and Regect, who seemed to look at each other before looking back at the clown.
Regect took Ze's hand all of a sudden and answered fiercely.
"Of course we could! Don't you worry, Moe, have fun with your family!!"
"Hey, what are you doing- Hah, bye Moe! You can trust us with this, hehe.."
Moe smiled deeply, fidgeting with the suitcase handle as she sent her goodbyes to the guys before exiting through the front door. There was a moment when they could hear the wind blowing slowly, the birds chirping, and such noise was separated by the door Moe was about to close. After the door shut, Ze began talking again, yanking his hand out of the entity's grip. He was seen blushing for the duration.
"Oh my god, did you have to hold my hand like that, dude!?"
"It's not that big of a deal, Ze! It's our house, we have to take care of it after all!" ReGect remarked proudly, while Ze just facepalmed himself.
It was not extraordinarily pleasant that now there are just 2 people left in the house. Ze prayed that the house wouldn't explode while ReGect was enjoying the fact that they could spend more time together. Ze was not going to disappoint Moe, not after the therapy session yesterday, not after the promise ReGect and he made when she left for family matters. He had to make his move.
On the third day of the week Moe left, Regect was spotted on the couch watching those weird horror movies at around 10 P.M. God, why are these entities so profoundly weird? Nonetheless, Ze grasped the opportunity to sit next to ReGect, and that certainly gave it the expected reaction.
"The fuck are you doing at this hour? I thought you hated these movies?" ReGect raised its "eyebrows", questioning Ze's appearance.
"Look... Without Moe it's just so boring and well... Who doesn't want to try out new things?" Ze replied heartily, scooting closer to ReGect inch by inch.
"Well, me-"
"That's besides the point. Put something interesting on."
ReGect sluggishly grabbed the remote on the coffee table in front of him, and changed to a classic which ReGect wholeheartedly cherish since the beginning of its existence (???). ReGect noticed how Ze was trying to seek his warmth, so it pulled Ze even closer by the hand, gripping his waist.
"You could've told me if you were cold, Jesus. Your body temperature contrasts with mine terribly."
Ze couldn't tell if it was an insult or a side of the entity that it cared about, but he just focused on the horrific movie. Throughout the film, there were moments where Ze screamed like a little girl, including jumping on ReGect from seeing disgusting things on the screen, which ReGect totally understood. Even if the entity had made fun of that detail, inside it truly adored Ze.
By the time the movie almost ended, ReGect felt a weight on its shoulder, a literal weight - Ze's head leaning on it. Ze looked so innocent sleeping like that, though he worried a tiny bit about how he was falling asleep after a horror movie. Maybe Ze was... amazingly brave, it thought. The entity turned off the TV to initiate its own "shuteye", whispering: "Goodnight, my Ze." Before you know it, they were both fully asleep, in each other's arms as well.