Zeek's Freaks
Blanket
[1st draft]
Peaches isn’t sure what ze can get for so shoots for things that are at least convenient like blankets and a hoodie. One by one ze asks.
The blanket has the added bonus of being an offensive weapon.
Ezekiel deactivates the glass. Cordons off a 6 foot dimeter around saying to show how far Peaches can go before the collar activates in case something happens.
E: I wouldn’t advise stepping out of bounds but it should be safe out to here at least. *gestures around yellow line*
P *nervous*
E: I promise I won’t hurt you for coming out. If it’ll make you feel better, I’m not comfortable with this either.
But the doctors are supposed to always know what they’re doing and confident.
E: *pushes blanket* I hope this will suffice for the time being. I couldn’t find that hoodie
Peaches snatches it, smelling it, not lemony. For some reason, Peaches is disappointed. Still, ze wraps it around zemself and backs away, watching E set a timer.
1 hour.
Once its clear Peaches doesn’t intent on coming out any further, they say “I’ll be here if you have any questions. This is your time. I’m at your disposal.”
Peaches has trouble making sense of the word. They’re weird and soft from yesterday. “If your not a doctor, I don’t have to call you by your last name.”
“No, you don’t… It’s Ezekiel.”
“Ezekiel.” It doesn’t sit right.
Patridge shrugs. “People prefer Patridge. I suspect it has to do with the association with birds. Though, a few have called me zeek but it’s fairly childish.”
Zeek? Now that sounded just right. “zeek’s better.”
Peaches watches the way Partridge’s hair shifts as it falls smoothly as they turn away. Lemony smell dances in the air. Peaches breathes in, suddenly gripped by the sudden clenching of zir soul. Before ze knows it, Peaches crosses the great divide between them. the blanket thrown around Partridge as if to keep them warm. Pulling them over the threshold. Only to have something stop zem from going further. A rope attached to their belt.
Zeek struggle to push away from Peaches but it’s like a kitten struggling in zir arms. Too easy to keep a hand on its back so it squirms doesn’t it zem or itself.
Someone shouts something. For the first time, a chilling anger leas into zeek’s voice. “Dr Peterson, is this truly the time? Or would you rather me turn off the shock collar next time you tend to the octopus mer?”
“Oh, he’s plenty ware. Know how many times he’s done this?” His words sound distant, like he’s not even there. A smug grin pulled at his stubble. “Enough that we sedate him for any tests. Makes his data beyond useless but he’s fine at culling the heart. Say, Patridge, how’s that hour of uninterrupted time sounding now? Need someone to cut it short? Got a tranq gun right here?”
Zeek stills, breathing short and slow. “No I’m… fine.”
“You sure?”
“Yes. this is all part of the plan.” Their voice goes cold as the artic
Peterson jeers. “I’ll give you the night. Let you get acquainted. Maybe you’ll be married by morning. Give Johannus something fun to watch.”
Peaches keeps an eye on Dr Peterson until he’s gone. The ward breaks out into whispers. A few shout out. “Nice catch! Can I have a piece?” But they might as well not exist as Peaches curls around you. Pressed up to zir chest, zeek can’t move aside from their arms. Their hairs so soft and silky. If the proximity hadn’t dulled the ache, the touch made it go away. Peaches must’ve been doing it for awhile by the time ze registered zeek growling. “Peaches, I know you can hear me. You’re a good person. I’m not angry. But I need you to let me go.”
“Good person?” Peaches parrots the strange words.
“Precisely. I won’t report this. Dr Drew won’t know. I need you to…” Peaches cups their cheek, brushing away the hair. It makes zeek look away, jaw tight as tight as fishing line. “I.. need you to.. listen. very very closely. I am not angry. I don’t mind… sitting beside you but I need you to put me down, do you understand.”
No, no. they want to go. Peaches can’t let them go.
“Stay.”
“that’s right. I stay but you have to let me go.”
“Stay.”
“Stay. Yes.” zeek nods slowly, wriggling against the coils pinning their legs to Peaches. “You wouldn’t hurt a friend would you?”
“Friend?”
Zeek nods. “could be. But friends don’t hold each other hostage to pet their hair.”
“friends… friends stay close. They protect each other.”
For some reason, zeek’s eyes narrow. “I suppose.”
“zeek?”
“Yes?”
“Don’t go.”
“I won’t.” zeek says, affronted. “I’ll hug you before I go. Prom—but you have to let me go know.”
How did everything get so confusing?
Regrettably, Peaches loosens zir grip on zeek. uncoiling enough for zeek o stumble out onto the tile floor stretching and patting their legs. Relief only to wince.
“Did I—”
“They just fell asleep. They’ll wake up again.”
Zeek walks back with exaggerated steps before throwing their arms around Peaches. Zir girth a little much for zeek’s tiny human arms but the pressure was there.
Peaches pulls them close with zir arms instead. A looser hug than before. So much closer this time, ze can even hear their heart beat.
“Stay.” Ze purse.
“Fine but no braiding my hair. Its unprofessional.”
Soon as zeek settles into Peaches’s arms it was like everything was right in the world. No fighting. No tests no walls. No ceiling. Like back when the world was ig and good. Peaches closes zir eyes, imagining a long winding river. Fish a plenty for Ocean and enough game to keep Peaches sated for hours.
Peaches imagines holding Ocean’s far smaller form now in zir arms. The way Ocean would smile and murmur that he could go after “just one more.” A game that could go on awhile as each of them requested, “just one more” before they parted. It helped so much on the bad days.
“How’s my Peachie feeling?”
When was the last time ze heard Ocean’s voice?
Peaches shudders as ze feels a reassuring squeeze back.
Zeek’s head rests heavily on zir chest. Wait, is that enough breathing for a human? Peaches lifts their head up, they groggily murmur. “what was ..? Hmm.. Eyes half lidded, like they just woke up. A tiny light glowing from beneath their shirt. Peaches lifts it up. the cyan light grow stronger. Taking up a softball size dome in their chest, a glass orb contained their soul. So close to the surface, it’s a wonder they don’t keel over from the wind.
Dozens of wires plug into it. A fine mist fills it. Its beat slow and reassure as if on the verge of sleep yet twinkling bright.
Zeek tugs on the shirt to bring it down. As if they didn’t notice the light show being put on. It’s so pretty, is that what all human souls look like?
“Peaches…” zeek growls
The shirts down. lights gone. Zeeks a bit more awake and grumpy.
Peaches slowly let them go. “I didn’t…”
That was their soul. Singing. Human souls weren’t supposed to be visible like that outside of a fight. Someone did this.
Zeek stumbles, leading to Peaches scooping them into another hug. They shiver, gasping like being tugged back above water. there still was a light blue shimmer through the shirt. But slowly, Peaches rubbed zir back until it dissipated.
Awareness comes back to zeek, bracing against Peaches, zir breathes come in heavy, “No more.” pushing away Peaches hands.
This time zeek just leans against Peaches as they struggle for breathes. “need a minute. I’m.. almost there.” They murmur.
A part of Peaches feels bad. It must be terrible sharing your soul to someone whose not your mate but … how could zeek have known that. it was there.
A thin layer of sweat glitters along zeek’s skin. Their arm pits soaked and a patch of sweat at the small of their back. hair rumple. Peaches tries to pat it down. zeek shakes their head as if that’ll do it.
The hair settles.
Peaches hand waver as zeek finally speaks. “What just happened?” zeek waits, not getting an answer, they tap their chest orb. It clinks. “I felt so weird.”
Tears wells up in Peaches eyes. ze hurriedly wipes them away. unable to meet zeek’s eyes.
“Did you mean to do that?”
“No!” Peaches would never. That would be-that’d be one of the worst things, especially to someone who didn’t know what it meant. Just seeing it… Peaches would have to try to forget. It’s only right. No matter how beautiful the human’s soul was.
Still, ze couldn’t help but say. “Souls… shouldn’t be like that.. you aren’t sick but you’re…”
“Yes, well, mine is.” zeek straightens out their clothing, look in a hurry to leave yet pauses. “you grabbed me.”
Peaches reaches out only to get glared at. “Did I hurt you?”
“Beside the point…” zeek stared at the ceiling like it’d reveal the answers. “Ask next time.”
“You wouldn’t have come.”
Zeek stills but doesn’t argue.
“Can I hug you again, next time?” Peaches trails off, scratching at a mark that hadn’t healed right.
Zeek: maybe. How long’s this been happening.
Peaches: ??
Zeek: you didn’t look like yourself when you grabbed me.
Peaches: *shrugs* been awhile.
Zeek: how long?
Peaches: idk.
Zeek: you know how long. you don’t get that touched starved without knowing.
Peaches, stiffens: 365 cycles.
Zeek: cycle?
Peaches: 7 days a cycle.
Zeek: a week… *eyes widen* *sighs*
Zeek: this will have to be dealt with first. there must be a way to get you a.. uh.. nesting friend
Peaches hand rested on their side, not restrictively so. “Can’t you?”
“5 minutes.”
Peaches: ???
“5 minutes on the timer. I… I have other patients.” Zeek yawn stretching before muttering something about “stupd ideas.” They gave them an approving look. “For one of your requests, would you like my company?”
“Inside inside?”
Zeek nods.
“Like this?”
Zeek nods.
“and I can touch your hair?”
“Absolutely not.” They cover their head against zir wandering hands. “There’ll be rules. Strict rules. 1) no touching my hair. 2) making me.. feel the thing.”
“You’ll have to be more specific.”
“Don’t make me fall asleep.”
“I’d think that’d be a good thing, that means you’re very relaxed.”
“Neither of us will be very relaxed if I get fired. Do we have an understanding?”
Peaches nods for fear of losing out. zeek had to come back. even the idea of letting them go now hurt. Peaches is quick to cup zeek’s back, too nervous to do more.