The day had already been monumentally shitty. The worst of the worst days. An absolute steaming-pile-of-crap day. So, really, it was only natural to finish it with a perfect cherry on top - his call from Death-Cast.
He was alone when the unmistakabl...
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𝚉𝚊𝚢𝚗 𝙳𝚎𝚌𝚎𝚖𝚋𝚎𝚛 𝟸𝟷𝚜𝚝, 𝟻:𝟹𝟺𝚊𝚖
Zayn really couldn't tell you how he felt about Michael, Harry, and Ashton dying. He knew he would miss Michael. The kid was a good guy and he certainly didn't deserve to go so soon. It was similar for Harry, who had always been good to Zayn and treated him with respect. He was a great boss and Zayn would be sorry to see him go. Ashton, in the end, was the one that was complicated.
There was a point in time where Zayn was close with Ashton - really close. He was his bodyguard, so it was his job to be by his side almost every second of the day. Ashton used to like that, having someone around to talk to. He was younger back then, though. Different. He was quieter, too. He only ever left the house when Harry and Louis did, and he was a sweet, albeit shy, kid. Zayn was probably the only person who he'd really talk to about difficult things, because Zayn had known him the best. He'd known everything about the kid. Nothing Ashton did ever surprised him and he never had to worry because all the boy ever did was read, listen to music, and play the drums. At any given time, you could find the kid either in his bedroom, or in the garage. No question about it.
It wasn't one isolated event that changed things. Maybe if it was, Zayn might understand it. But, no. It was a series of blow after blow and, every time, Zayn could feel himself being iced out just a bit more. Luke was the last straw, really. By then, things were already fucked, but that bastard really sealed the deal. Ashton became mean, and Zayn didn't give a fuck about the reasons. He and Ashton were close and you don't treat the people you care about that way. Life is hard, he knew that first-hand, but that doesn't give you an excuse to be a dick. And it wasn't like Zayn didn't try to get through to him. Of course he did. He tried for months. But, every time, the kid would say something more and more hurtful until Zayn was just done. He'd do his job and protect Ashton, but they weren't friends and they did not talk if it wasn't necessary.
That said, maybe somewhere deep down, he still had a soft spot for the boy. Deep, deep down, of course, but still, perhaps, there. He didn't want the kid to die, not today, not with such little notice. He'd always thought maybe the pair of them would patch things up one day when Ashton grew up a little and learned that his actions have consequences. It would seem, though, that that day would never come. So, was Zayn to try and make amends or let Ashton die without closing the gap between them? He feared that, even if he tried, he would be greeted with the same, snarky exterior he'd been faced with for the past year. The kid would say something mean and Zayn would do something he'd regret. He had to try, though, right? How could he not try? Ashton would be dead by tomorrow and Zayn was sure he would regret not at least attempting to fix things between them. That is, if the kid wasn't dead already because god knows the way Calum was freaking out wasn't doing anything to calm Zayn's nerves.
"They should be back by now. I don't understand where they could be." The boy paced back and forth across the carpet. "I mean, we've checked everywhere. Maybe they were kidnapped. Maybe they fell into a sewer. Maybe they're buried under a wall of snow."
