Ziator Silverstar

Thin, slightly trembling fingers reached out to trace the edge of the photograph that sat there in the small box that he held. He hadn’t eaten in a couple of days now. That wasn’t highly unusual for him, though he normally took the food that Badeau offered him whenever he’d encourage him to eat. But lately, Ziator had refused. With most people, he would pretend to eat but with Bad, he didn’t do that. It felt like lying and he didn’t want to lie to Bad, even about something like that. He knew he’d have to eat something soon though. It was just that he had a lot on his mind lately and that made everything more difficult for him.

He was missing his mother. Or… maybe not missing. …Was it?  He wasn’t sure. His memories...

Like most evenings these days, Ziator was laying on the bed with Badeau, his head resting on the other’s chest. Zia stared up at the ceiling, daydreaming, as Bad read. It wasn’t an unusual situation for the two of them to be like that together but it was so different than Zia was ever used to. And yet, it felt so incredibly perfect. It was as if he’d been waiting for these moments his entire life.

Somehow, from the moment he had met the man, Badeau had made him feel connected in a way he’d never felt before. He’d always been an independent person, he had to be, but it was more than that. He had always felt cut off from others, disconnected in a way that made him feel very lonely. And somehow, he truly hadn’t noticed just...