Friends, or More? (ZelkPVP)

Chapter 1 - Some People Just Suck

TWs: Abuse/Slight Violence

[POV]: Mega

Mega loves the rain—why wouldn't he? It keeps people away, it shields him from judging looks, and it always fits his mood. Unfortunately for him, however, it wasn't currently very effective. People were getting too close to Mega, close enough to notice his face, partially hidden behind a green scarf. The "politer" ones shot him weird looks and turned away quickly, but the more shameless individuals blatantly pointed at and ridiculed him, making no effort to hide their cruel whispering.

He hated it. Did no one realize that he hadn't chosen to be born with vitiligo? Even if he had, why in the world would he choose for it to be on his face of all places? He could only hide so much of his condition.

Raising his scarf higher on his face, Mega focused his vision on the flooded ground below him and hurried to his destination.

By the time he arrived, Mega was thoroughly soaked. He mentally praised his past self for investing in a waterproof backpack. It had protected one of his most valuable possessions, his laptop, from the worst of the downpour. The café's black-and-white-striped awning sheltered his clothing from getting drenched any further, and it was just barely in range of the business's free Wi-Fi.

Despite the weather conditions, Mega almost wished that it had taken him longer to seek shelter. He found the glaring situation he was stuck in to be mortifying, at absolute best. He had been kicked out of his home—by his own mother, no less. Now, he needed to find a place to stay until he could save up enough money to rent a small apartment... somehow.

Mega strongly preferred to keep to himself, but he knew he needed help. I guess it's better to get it over with sooner rather than later...

He reluctantly grabbed his phone from his backpack and opened the messaging app. Mega had actually given his phone number to a select few people whom he trusted (to even his own surprise), though he had threatened each one of them with an instant block if anyone decided to abuse the privilege. None of them realized that, if faced with such a situation, Mega could never bring himself to permanently block any of them. He relied on them more than he'd dare admit to himself.

Blankly staring at his phone's too-bright screen, memories Mega had been suppressing abruptly flooded his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut, begging for the thoughts to stop.

—

"MONSTER!"

Mega flinched as his mother slapped him in the face, again. His cheek stung red.

"I FED AND CLOTHED YOU, YOU UNGRATEFUL MUTE FREAK! WHY DON'T YOU SPEAK LIKE A NORMAL BOY? CREATURES LIKE YOU DON'T DESERVE TO BE TREATED AS PEOPLE."

He desperately wanted to say something—anything—but he wasn't able to force a single word out the one time he needed it most. The only sound he could manage was a pitiful squeak. He hadn't uttered a single word in years. His voice had grown far too weak.

Slap.

"FINE. GET THE HELL OUT OF MY HOUSE! NO ONE WANTS YOU HERE! GO ROT IN THE STREETS FOR ALL I CARE. I DON'T WANT TO SEE YOUR HORRIBLE FACE EVER AGAIN!"

Mega scrambled around his room, grabbing the only thing he cared about: the backpack sitting on his bed.

His mother's face suddenly softened, her voice taking on a cloying tone. "Can't you see? I just want the best for you. You make it so hard on me. I've done so much to support you, and now you're trying to run away from me? You do love me, don't you?"

Shaking his head, Mega ran past his mother and out into the dark streets. It isn't my fault; she's trying to manipulate me. He repeated this over and over in his mind. The sound of shattering glass rang out behind him. He felt guilty. So overwhelmingly guilty. I don't deserve her kindness. I betrayed her. I'm not good enough. I deserve to die...

—

Lightning crackled in the distance, snapping him out of his trance. His phone slid out of his hand, and a lone tear slowly slid down his face, just as lost as he was. This is what I deserve, not kindness. I don't deserve my friends either.

Mega frowned. No, she's still getting to me. I'm the victim, not her.

...Right?

He buried his head in his hands, willing all his problems away.

—

[A/N]:

I apologize for the somewhat short first chapter. Future chapters will be a bit longer. For now, I'm excited to finally get this published!

Don't forget to drop a vote and comment, and stay hydrated :]