@/Touri_Kun: "I got another request! :D It's based on a song. It's called "Leave A Light On" by Tom Walker. So basically, Skeppy is living a really harsh home life and has an extreme trust issue. Although he has friends, he kind of lost trust in them. His friends are extremely worried about his life, especially Bad. One day, Bad decides to confront Skeppy about his problem by encouraging him that he's not alone and that he can open up. Basically, just listen to the meaning of the songs to have a bigger understanding :,)"

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⚠️ verbal abuse, depression, physical abuse, alcohol, mentions of death

No One's POV

The door slams shut, creating a new atmosphere around him as he hears the familiar, heavy footsteps making their way towards him.

With the sound of wind suddenly whooshing by him, the glass bottle slams against the wall beside him, causing him to flinch.

"I fucking told you to be here at 9! It's 9:32 you asshole!" The drunken alcoholic slurs as he points a finger at his son.

Zak scoffs and growls, feeling his hands clench up as he glares at his so-called "father." "Oh shut the fuck up! You don't even care if I'm here or not! All you do is lay in the living room and drink!"

The older man hisses and he steps forward. Zak's cheek suddenly tingles and a hand-print sticks onto his skin. He raises a hand to where his father slapped him as he just shouts back. "I cannot fucking wait till I move out of here! You are such a fucking disgrace!"

The father laughs and he suddenly grabs ahold of Zak's neck, bringing the boy up from the ground and his eyes sending death-glares as his son. Zak gasps as he moves his feet around, trying to get any contact onto the ground as possible as his hands fly up, trying to pry the devil hand off. "You do not fucking talk back to me, you hear?! Your mother fucking died because of you! You ruined this fucking family, you hear me, you bitch!" With a flick of a wrist, Zak is thrown onto the ground. He gasps out loud and hisses at the harsh contact.

The father kicks him, sending the poor boy to miserable pain as his stomach twists and turns.

Zak squeezes his eyes shut as he hears his father start to walk away. Small tears start to form in the corner of his eyes as he feels his body slowly start to break down.

———

His empty glares struck the lunchroom as he makes his way to the familiar table. The school is filled with different conversations around the cafeteria and his ears don't bother trying to decipher every single gossip.

"Geppy!"

Zak looks up from his gaze after hearing the familiar nickname. He mentally smiled a bit, hearing the word coming out from the voice he liked the most. Darryl sits there at their table with their other friends chatting and complaining about other things.

Darryl waves at the smaller boy, who just stays quiet and doesn't wave back. Instead, he ignores Darryl and just sits down at the table, making the poor boy's heart break. Darryl frowns and moves his attention to his lunch, trying his best to ignore the fact he didn't wave back, which was normal.

Zak takes out an apple and starts to slowly eat it, taking out his phone to ignore every conversation at their table. Darryl takes this opportunity to examine the smaller boy beside him. He notices a bruise on his neck, something that wasn't there before. It looked like a handprint like someone was choking him. (wait, now that i write this, this sounds so bad...)

His heart cracks at the sight. He trails up to his face to see the familiar, emotionless expression Zak had every day. But this time, he notices something different in his eyes. A small hint of a broken emotion swam in the back of the irises.

"Darryl..." He hears his name being called and he turns to see George and the others eyeing him. They all looked concerned for Zak. "Is he okay?"

Darryl shrugs, turning to look back at Zak before hearing his voice quiver quietly, "I don't know..."

——

School ended quickly. Darryl decided to confront Zak. He waits at the smaller boy's locker, hoping to get his attention. The hallway is filled with a couple of students walking up and down the halls. Darryl is looking down at his shaking hands, playing with his hoodie string as he leans against Zak's locker.

Then his ears prick up at the familiar voice in front of him. "What are you doing by my locker?"

Darryl jumps slightly and he looks up to see Zak standing there, emotionless as usual. "Zak! Hi! Uh-..."

"Can you move?" Darryl hesitates before moving aside. Zak doesn't say anything and just steps forward to open up his locker. Darryl stands still as he thinks about what to say.

Zak notices that he was still there and he just slams his door shut, making Darryl jump at the sudden noise. The older boy looks up to see Zak walking down the hall, away from him. He shrieks quietly and he jogs behind Zak, slowly catching up to him. "Zak! Wait!"

Zak grumbles slightly at the sound of his name being called. He slowly turns around and stops as he just glares at the older boy, making Darryl frown and stop in front of him. "What do you want Darryl?" He asks, a hint of annoyance in his voice.

Zak couldn't lie. He didn't want Darryl to leave. But he knew Darryl shouldn't be involved with him. Being friends with him was fine.

"Are you okay Zak?" Those main three words hit him like a truck. His eyes widen but he quickly recomposes himself.

"I'm fine." And with that, Zak turns back around and continues to make his way down the hall.

Darryl just stutters, unable to speak as he chases off to catch up again. "Zak! Please! You don't look fine to me! Please, you muffin!" It hurts him, watching as Zak ignores every word he says. He sighs and he reaches out from behind to grab Zak's arm.

The sudden touch makes Zak flinch and he uses his reflex to elbow Darryl in the stomach, immediately making the older boy let go. Darryl cries gently as he clutches his stomach and Zak suddenly freezes. He turns around and he watches helplessly as he feels guilt rushing through his veins. He curses quietly and takes a step forward. "No, Darryl, shit, I'm sorry. I didn't mean-"

Darryl shakes his head, sucking in a breath as he composes himself and straightens up his stance. "First of all, language, and second of all, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to grab you, I just wanted to stop you and I wanted to make sure you're okay."

Zak digs his hands into his hoodie as he awkwardly looks at the ground. Darryl notices and takes a step closer. He sighs, "Zak, I genuinely care about you. Please, I know something is wrong. You aren't alone Zak. I'm here for you. If you need to talk, please come to me or find someone trustable. I don't like seeing you like this. It makes me... sad..."

Zak looks up. His emotionless stare suddenly shows signs of sadness. He clutches his hands and he feels himself wanting to break down. He swiftly grabs Darryl's hand and drags him to the nearest bathroom, making Darryl really confused.

As they enter, Zak notices they were alone and he turns around. Darryl raises an eyebrow as the smaller boy faces him and his heart breaks as he watches the smaller boy slowly start to look genuinely upset. His eyes soften and he bites his bottom lip and soft whimpers slowly exit his lips.

"Oh, Zak..." He whispers, slowly stretching his arms out, hoping Zak would accept the comfort. He does, throwing himself onto the older boy and slowly breaking down. Tears slide down his cheeks, soaking up into Darryl's hoodie as he releases everything he has been holding in. Darryl just softly shushes him, caressing his back and gliding his fingers through Zak's hair, trying his best to comfort the boy in any way.

Zak's body relaxes under Darryl's touch. He misses the feeling of arms wrapped around him, showering him with love and protection instead of hate and destruction. The pain given to him from his father slowly melts away as he feels his heart melt from Darryl's touch.

He was correct on allowing himself to trust Darryl. The older boy was different. Nothing like his other friends and that, he enjoyed.

WC: 1460