Past the Blood and Bruise, Past the Curses and Cries || ZARIAM
TAGGING: @zachwilde, @mir-iamwilde.
LOCATION: Midge's apartment.
TIMEFRAME: 10/23, afternoon.
WARNINGS: Mentions of violence.
SUMMARY: Zach goes to Midge's apartment to warn her that Aaron is angry with her.
zach wilde
It had been a couple of days since Zach had that run in with Aaron, and he needed those 48 hours to recuperate. Thankfully, Immy had been an absolute angel. And spending time with Malea was more healing than he ever thought it would be. But one thing had been on his mind, what started it all: that picture of Midge and Danny Sylvester. He made his way over to her apartment. Instead of knocking, Zach checked if the front door was open. It was unlocked - something he was going to chastise her for, but probably not right now.
Not wanting to scare their sister, Zach called out: "Midge? Midgie?" When they finally saw her, they couldn't help but walk over to her and give her a big bear hug. They loved Midge so much, and were worried about her - why Danny? Why that picture? "Hey, kiddo," they greeted, still calling her kiddo no matter how old she got. They kissed the top of her head. "Can we talk?"
Midge Wilde
Midge had been in her room finishing getting dressed after a shower. She'd taken at least 3 a day since getting out of lockdown. When she heard her name from a familiar voice, she bounded out of her room, a towel still wrapped around her wet hair. She stopped short when she saw their face, but they were coming for a hug, which she accepted gratefully.
As she pulled away she reached up, gently stroking her thumb over the bruise on his cheek. She knew that couldn't be from the earthquake but was afraid to ask what had happened. "Yeah, of course." She finally said, motioning to the couch as she grabbed two water bottles from the fridge and handed Zach one.
zach wilde
Zach took the water bottle but set it down on the coffee table, sitting down next to his sister instead. "So... Danny Sylvester. You want to tell me what that's about?" As far as Zach knew, Midge didn't have any type of father figure growing up that showed actual concern for things like this, and he wanted so badly to be that for her and Abby. Before she could answer, they spoke up again. "And I just want you to know.. I'm not judging you, Midge. But can you tell me what's going on there? I saw a picture of you kissing him with a drink in your hand."
Midge Wilde
Midge stared at him for a second, processing what he was saying. "How did you know..." She started but trailed off when he mentioned a picture. How could Zach have seen a picture of her kissing Danny? "We were in lockdown together, we...What do you mean you saw a picture?" She asked, as a hazy memory of taking a picture while kissing Danny came back to her, and then she gasped as she remembered texting it to...Her father? Midge jumped from the couch, grabbing her phone and looking at her recent texts.
She felt like she might pass out when she realized she'd actually texted that to him. But...it had been almost a week, maybe he wasn't that mad or he would have said something by now, right? "I just...Danny, is a nice guy, Zach. You don't have to worry, I know what his reputation is but you don't need to worry. Did Dad see this?"
zach wilde
"First of all, you're telling me Danny - the guy who's online and being crass to a bunch of women who didn't explicity ask for it, is a good guy? And I get it, Midge. There's more than meets the eye. And I trust you, but.. Come on. This guy?" He sighed. He didn't mind Danny's antics that he saw online, but knowing what he said and thinking that those things could be said to his sister made him feel some type of way.
Zach nodded. "Yeah. Dad got the text alright. He showed me. What were you thinking sending that to him?" They hated to seem like they were chastising her, but they simply just wanted to know. They didn't mind taking the hit from their dad because of the whole situation and didn't blame Midge at all - but still, they needed to know. "I'm going to go ahead and guess you were really drunk? Was that during lockdown?"
Midge Wilde
She let out a small laugh at his words. The thing about Zach was that no matter what, their main concern was, and always would be, making sure Midge was okay, making sure she was safe, and she was okay. So, it was easy for her to not bristle at his words, and understand where they were coming from. "I am telling you, he's a good guy. I know the way he presents himself, and ... I mean, we're not about to settle down and get married, but I like spending time with him, he gets me. And he cares about me." She said with a shrug. "Just trust me, okay?"
Midge felt a pit forming in her stomach as Zach confirmed that their father had seen it. She was about to ask when he'd seen their dad, but then her eyes caught sight of their face again, and she felt like she might be sick. Their father had seen that text and taken it out on Zach, the realization was like being struck by lightning. "Zach, fuck." She whispered, her hand coming up to cover her mouth, trying to stop herself from crying about what she'd done.
Midge reached out to gently stroke his cheek again, not wanting to hurt him, but just wishing she could take that pain away from them. "This is because of me, isn't it?" She nodded at his question. "I didn't even remember sending it until just now. It was lockdown and I was drunk and I just...I hate him, Zach. I hate him so much. I kept thinking about how much I hate him. And I ...I wanted him to know it. It was so stupid, but I was drunk."
zach wilde
Zach swallowed the lump in their throat at Midge's realization that Aaron had been the reason for the bruising and scarring on their cheek. "It's not because of you, it's because he thinks he can control us. He's always thought he can control us, especially through me. He knows how close we all are - he knew you'd find out. He's still trying to manipulate us, Midgie. I hate him too," Zach's voice croaked on the last few words, trying to stop themselves from getting to upset thinking about their dad.
"Come here," he murmured, wrapping his arms around her and hugging her tightly. "It's okay, really. You know I'd never hold any of this against you. His actions are his own. Don't blame yourself for this. He would've come up with another reason to do this. He always will." Zach pulled away from the hug, sighing. "I also just want you to know that he knows about this. Please be careful around him. If he shows up, can you please let me know immediately?"
Midge Wilde
"But I gave him the ammunition. I gave him the perfect excuse to take his anger out on you.” Tears welled in her eyes at the realization. She had let her hatred and anger get the best of her and hurt her sibling. She was no better than Aaron. Still she let Zach hug her, her own tears flowing now, "I promise, Zach, I'm never going to do anything like that again. I would never do anything if I knew it would get you hurt." She sat up, wiping her tears, and nodded. She knew there would be consequences for her when it came to her dad, but she couldn't think too much about that now. "I'll tell you, I promise."
