monachopsis.

f i v e

"corbyn. that is not fucking acceptable."

"he loves me, and i love him! it's complicated. you don't get it."

zach crosses his arms, scoffing. "what i get is that he is raping you, and abusing you, and you're somehow brainwashed into being okay with it."

corbyn winces at zach's loud tone of voice, glancing around quickly to see if anyone heard. "zach, it isn't—! don't say that word, people could hear!"

"honestly, i don't care. rape is exactly what it is, and you need to realise that and leave him," zach huffs.

"if i really didn't want to have sex, i would have stopped him," corbyn says weakly, and zach rolls his eyes.

"you tried to, but caved when he kept pushing it. and you never explicitly consented. so, rape."

"god, zach, would you shut up?" corbyn says frustratedly. "i thought you understood. you know how i grew up, and the shit i dealt with. you know that i owe jonah half my life! i wouldn't be where i am today without him. he saw something in me no one else did, and he gave me a chance. he loved me."

"what about me?" zach asks quietly. his defiant anger is gone, replaced by a vulnerable, muted pain and rage. "i gave you a chance. i saw something in you no one else did. i love you, corbyn. you're my best friend."

corbyn struggles for words, a bit gobsmacked. he isn't used to dealing with quiet anger like zach is currently exhibiting. he's used to sharp words and harsh blows and rough fingers. "zach—i'm—it's different," he says lamely, and zach's shoulders tense, his jaw clenching as he brings his head up, any trace of vulnerability gone.

"whatever, corbyn. sorry for caring about you."

with that, zach storms away, leaving corbyn alone on the steps of the college.

corbyn leans up against the railing of the stairs, pressing his fingers to the bridge of his nose in an attempt to ease the headache he feels coming on. he's so tired, and his ass is sore as hell after sitting in class as a result of the fucking he'd received from jonah. he just wants to go home and take a nap.

"hey," a soft voice says timidly, and corbyn glances up.

a boy is standing in front of him. his brunette hair is styled, and his bright blue eyes are shy. he's tall, taller than corbyn, but he isn't built like jonah. he's thin and delicate, and when he hesitantly gives corbyn a smile, corbyn catches a glimpse of the gap between his two front teeth—an endearing feature. it takes corbyn a moment to realise why he looks so familiar, and when he does, he's instantly on edge, stiffening slightly.

"sorry if i startled you. i, um, i'm daniel, in case you forgot," daniel says awkwardly. "i gave you my number, but you never texted me....?"

"i have a boyfriend," corbyn says shortly. "who i should be getting home to right now instead of talking to a random stranger who is hitting on me."

"oh, no, no," daniel rushes, "i didn't mean to make you think i was hitting on you. i just want to be friends. i've seen you around, and you seem pretty nice, so.....i thought i'd give it a shot."

"you....want to be friends," corbyn repeats slowly, skeptically.

daniel nods emphatically, and corbyn looks away, unsure of what to say. before zach and jonah came into his life, he'd had no friends. no one had wanted to befriend someone of his circumstances, until he got a job at a coffee shop and zach, a coworker, had taken him under his wing. then, a few months later, he'd been out delivering coffees and had met jonah, the second person to ever show interest in him as a human being—and the first to ever show romantic interest in him. so now, this random person wanting to be his friend is unsettling, to say the least. corbyn isn't used to this, doesn't know how to handle it, so he stands there, fumbling for words.

"i need to get home," he says finally, and daniel's face drops. "but i'll think about it."

daniel's face brightens, and he nods. "okay! um, do you want my number again?"

"sure," corbyn hesitantly agrees, holding out his phone.

daniel puts in his number, then hands it back to corbyn. "have a good day," he smiles, and just like that he's walking away.

corbyn watches him go, and wonders just how daniel seavey will impact his life.