@/Omq_ItzRanch requested @/SkeppyStanhehe 's request: "They bump into each other at a costume party after not seeing each other for a very long time due to Zak's parents not being accepting of his sexuality..."

⚠️ homophobia
——-

No One's POV

Zak: 16
Darryl: 17

Darryl waves, smiling at the younger boy who has a large plastered on his face. "Bye Darryl! See you tomorrow!" Zak giggles, lowering his hand as he walks into his house.

"Bye Zak!" And the older boy soon walks off.

Zak sighs, closing the door behind him. He can hear the sound of water boiling, indicating his mother was cooking something, and the sound of people shouting coming from the living room. He walks to the living room, finding his father on the couch watching football. "Hey, Dad." He grins, watching as his father smiles and waves. "I'm going to be in my room."

Then he proceeds to make his way up the stairs. He hears a bark from behind and he turns to see Rocco following him. He greets his dog by scratching the pup's ears and continues to his room. He throws his backpack on the bed and slumps onto his chair. He hears a buzz from his phone and he slips it out of his pocket to see Vincent texted him.

French Kid: did u tell ur parents yet?

derp kid: no. im thinking during dinner. god im so fucking scared. theyve never expressed their feelings before on homo and skfjksjf

French Kid: ikik. but, ill be here if anything happens. plus dont u have ur bf also?

derp kid: HES NOT MY BF! stfu kid. and he doesnt know

French Kid: it pains to see the romantic tension between u two. u both r so dumb

Then he hears his mother call him for dinner. He tells Vincent peace and he walks out of the room, making his way back down to the dining room.

There, his mother and sister are setting up the table and his father is already in his chair. He smiles at his family, but his stomach becomes queazy at the thought of coming out. He sighs, taking sit seat as he watches his mother bring the food to the table. They are having soup and she is handing out the soup-filled-bowls.

"Alright, everyone dig in." His mother smiles as she sits in her chair across his father and soon everyone digs in. They eat in peace, but Zak was nervous. During his meal, he kept thinking about the different scenarios. His father must have noticed because he rose an eyebrow and called Zak's name.

"Zak, you feeling alright buddy? You seem lost." Zak's father causes his sister and mother to stop and look at Zak.

Zak's eyes widen as he looks around the table. "I-I,... uh... y-yeah... I'm good..." He awkwardly chuckles, scooping up some soup and allowing it to soothe his throat.

"Are you sure Honey? You seem to be really nervous about something..." His mother whispers, her tone so soft as she frowns and eyes Zak.

Zak can feel the beads of sweat start to form as his leg starts to bounce up and down. He gulps, looking down at his food. "A-Actually, there's something I need to say..." He mutters, placing his spoon down and feeling the eyes glued on him.

"I'm gay."

...

He squeezes his eyes shut, feeling the tension in the air. He doesn't want to see their reactions.

Just then, a loud slam shakes the table. His father has flames in his eyes as Zak feels the death stare from his father. "What did you say, son? Did I hear that correctly?" The venom dripping in his voice.

His sister awkwardly slumps in her chair, frowning as she watches her parents start to become frustrated.

Zak's mother sighs in disbelief. "Go to your room, Zak."

"I tell you, it's the dumb phones injecting these kids into these stupid things! You know being gay is a sin, Zak! I'm so disappointed right now."

The tears are already forming and sliding down his cheeks as Zak jumps up from the table and sprints out of the dining area. He can hear his parents shouting at him as he slams the door shut behind him. He sobs quietly as he grabs his phone.

derp kid: they hateg me

"Give me your fucking phone Zak!" His father roars and slams his fists against the door.

——-

It's been years. Zak is now 25 and living alone in an apartment. He moved out when he was 18 and his life couldn't have turned even worse. His father and mother insulted him every day, blaming the internet for "turning their son gay" and they took his phone away. They forbid him from hanging out with anyone and gave him strict rules to follow.

His friends realized Zak has disappeared. Vincent tried talking to him, but his messages never went through. They never saw him at school and no one knew where he went. Darryl was the one worried the most. He noticed that Zak never texted him anymore and he never showed up to school. He tried asking Vincent, but the boy wouldn't answer. Both didn't know where Zak went, but one did know why.

"Dude, you should come to this party I'm throwing!" Finn cheers through TS, making Zak shake his head.

"I think I'll pass..." Zak chuckles, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair. Zak finished editing a video and was publishing right now. Finn was one of his only friends.

"Oh c'mon Zak! It will be fun! Plus I'm sure there will be some cute boys!" Finn smirks, making Zak blush.

"I should have never told you, Finn..." Zak sighs, facepalming. "But, it would be nice to try and make a new friend."

"See! That's the spirit! It's going to be a costume party at my place! I'm inviting many of my friends and you will like them! It's going to be held this Saturday and you can stop by anytime. Party begins at 7." Finn continues with details and Zak just agrees.

——

Zak fiddles with his pirate hat on his head, pulling up to Finn's house and he watches the lights beaming through the windows. There were many people in different costumes inside, laughing, and drinking. Thankfully Zak wasn't underaged but he didn't think about drinking.

Zak gets out of his car, locking it behind him as he steps up across the front lawn and towards the front door. He rings the doorbell, hearing shuffling from the other side and he watches as Finn opens up the door. The two greet one another and Zak complements his costume, which is a gamer-girl look.

"Glad you can make it Zak! Please, walk around and make yourself at home!" Finn tells over the loud music and he slips away through the crowd. Zak walks around, spotting many people dancing and laughing, pretty much having a good time.

He makes his way to the kitchen, finding the punch bowl. He avoids it and grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. He grabs a slice of pizza and takes a bite, leaning against a wall nearby and watching everyone.

He hears a cough from beside and he turns to see a brown-haired boy with bright green eyes standing there. He has a blushed face and he was rubbing his arm nervously. "Hi, I saw you were alone and I wanted to come and say hi..." The boy mutters, pushing his glasses up and smiling shyly at Zak.

Zak blushes, liking how the boy is cute and smiles back. "Hey, I'm Zak." He finishes his final bite of the pizza, cleans his hand with a napkin, and stretched his hand out. The older boy accepts and shakes his hand gently.

"I'm Darryl."

Then Zak's heart stops. Darryl...

Then it clicks. The boy was super familiar. The same green eyes he loved to stare into and the same brown locks he loved to dig his hand through.

"Darryl?" Zak mutters, making the other boy raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah... that's my name..." Darryl whispers, slowly letting go of Zak's hand.

Zak smiles widely, feeling his eyes start to water and he points to himself. "Darryl, it's me, Zak! From high school!"

Darryl freezes. His mouth hangs open as he just stares in shock. Then he shakes his head and points to Zak. "Zak? Z-Zak? You can't- where- how-?" Darryl shakes his head, digging his hands into his hair and squeezing his eyes shut. Small tears slip out of his eyes and down his cheeks. "But my Zak disappeared... what? I thought- oh my goodness..."

Zak grins, throwing himself into Darryl and he feels the older boy tense up, stretching his arms and wrapping them tightly around the smaller boy. "Oh my goodness... Zak... it really is you..." Zak hums, digging his head in Darryl's chest and closing his eyes. "I missed you so much, you muffin..."

"I missed you too Darry..."

WC: 1510