Marcid

Thirty-Four - Zeke

He couldn't believe that he had said it. Out loud. Audibly. I think I love you too. It all felt like a dream now. The tension in Zeke's shoulders left almost immediately, a faint, shocked smile making his once emotionless face spark with joy, confusion, and a sense of relief. Zeke ran his fingers through his short yet overgrown buzzcut, feeling the curls start to show up little by little. He was due for a haircut.
Zeke had just noticed that Kory shifted closer to him. Kory's hand gently moved to hold Zeke's. His heart pounded. Not out of fear this time, but out of... love? Excitement? He could barely identify his feelings.

"Really?" Kory smiled. Zeke didn't know what to say. His words were true. He 'thinks' he loves him. It feels that way, at least. What other way did he feel? 'Love' felt like the only word that was even slightly compatible with the way he felt. It had been going through his mind for ages, wondering if his feelings were true, and not just another play from the devil.

Zeke nods, making a futile attempt to suppress his big smile. He shouldn't be smiling, should he? Aaliyah had just died. He had been staring at her corpse for hours beforehand, so what was different now?
He had told Kory the truth. Even if he told himself it wasn't true, that it was Satan trying to bring him down to hell, but it wasn't. It was all true. He loved him. Every single thing about Kory; Zeke loved endlessly. He had been thinking about him all the time when he... disappeared. Not died. He wasn't dead before, of course. He couldn't have been. How else could he have come back?

Zeke saw the bullet go through Kory's head. He still remembers the 'last' breath he took, the blood that splattered as that military officer pulled the trigger.

He didn't get it. Why was he such a danger to the outside? Were his abilities that out of control? He didn't want to know, at this point. Everything felt too confusing. Kory came back, looking as if he had never been shot in the first place. Which only made Zeke's curiosity rise.

***

Zeke found himself not staring at Aaliyah's corpse for a change. Instead, he was focused on Kory, listening to him stutter between words out of nervousness. He noticed the blush that started to color Kory's cheeks, giving him a more 'alive' look. He had looked empty since he came back, so a smile on his lips made Zeke feel a bit better. The more he listened, the bigger the smile spread on his face. Kory's stutters died down, clearing his throat sheepishly. "Sorry," he mutters. Zeke shook his head.

"Don't sweat it." Zeke smiled. "I learned that from Raymond. Did it sound cool?" He had forgotten what it actually meant, but it seemed cool to say at the moment. And appropriate. Kory giggled, nodding softly. Zeke felt his stomach flutter as his eyes captured Kory's smile. Something in him lingered about Kory. Doubt, it felt. What if this wasn't Kory? It felt unreal. This felt unreal. There was no way that Kory actually came back, right? It was impossible. He saw Kory die, he carried his body to the others. He was dead before, all those hours of him laying limp on the floor, dead. So why was he alive now? His thoughts made his once big smile fade slightly. Kory noticed it.

"What's wrong?" Kory's eyes showed immediate guilt. "Did I say something wrong?"

Zeke shook his head, raising his hands up slightly. "No, of course not." He stared at Kory's guilt-filled eyes, the sight making his chest feel heavier than before. Now he felt more guilty than ever. Way to ruin things. "I'm thinking too much, don't worry."

He was unsure of why he felt this way. Kory was back. He should be grateful, right? There was no point in dwelling on how he came back. He came back either way. It didn't matter if it wasn't actually him. It looked like him, sounded like him, and acted like him. It was Kory, one way or another. Perhaps this was another dream of his. A figment of his imagination. Another voice in the back of his head that seemed to get louder the more he listened and responded to it. Zeke forced a smile to make Kory's worries fade away. It also reassured himself, too. This wasn't a replica of Kory. Admit it, Zeke. You're overthinking it.