(I’m gonna just add on to make something happen…)
Ezra was about half way finished with his drink when he gathered up the courage to ask to talk to Max. He glanced up at the werewolf, biting his lip and hoping the others wouldn’t care too much, “C-Could I talk to you, Max?”
“Sure,” he said, raising his eyebrows. “Do you wanna go talk privately?” He gestured to away from their table.
“Y-Yeah, that would be nice,” He said softly, standing up and not daring make eye contact with anyone else. Most people gave him looks of fear whenever he told them about his curse, so he started bracing for the worst as stepped away from everyone else.
Max followed him, looking concerned. He ran a hand through his messy hair, looking at Ezra. “What is it?” he asked kindly.
Ezra double checked to make sure everyone was out of earshot before sighing, “I wanted to tell you about my curse, since you invited me and were being so nice…” Ezra bit his lip, trying to keep his features stony even though he knew in just a few moments he’d probably crack. “My curse… it’s-it’s dangerous. Whenever I’m nice to anyone or show anyone any affection, they could get hurt or-or-,” Die, “They could get hurt. S-So I wanted to tell you so you-you don’t invite me to- to anything else.” Ezra looked away, not wanting to see Max’s fear or disgust just yet.
Max wasn’t at all disgusted, though it would be a lie to say he wasn’t at least a little scared. He was mostly surprised, however. “Oh,” he replied, trying to think of a way to still include Ezra. “I’ll still hang out with you. You shouldn’t have to be friendless because of a curse.” He gave the other boy a smile that was more confident than he felt.
Ezra glanced up at him, searching the guy’s face in confusion when he didn’t find hatred. “I-I shouldn’t have friends, it’s dangerous,” He protested, but despite his words, he really wanted to listen to Max. To have some he could lean on despite his curse.
“I know it might seem crazy, but I don’t think you should isolate yourself because of that,” Max responded gently. “People used to be scared of me because of my curse, though I know it’s not at all the same thing. But I met so many great people who help me see that I am more than my curse, and I want to do the same for you. I don’t want to ever feel like you can’t count on me. And I’m sure that I’m not the only one.”
Ezra wrapped his arms around himself. He had never, never been met with such support after he told someone about his curse. “What if the others don’t think the same?” He asked weakly, closing his eyes in fear on himself breaking entirely, “I’ve hurt people, I-I don’t want to hurt them, th-they all seem so nice.” Ezra’s only options were to be rude to them or to hurt them. That was the box his curse forced him into, and. he hated it more than ever right now.
“I don’t know all of them very well, besides Romilly, but I think most of them will,” Max replied, hopeful. “And even if some of them don’t, I’m sure someone else will. People who really care will like you anyway. The curse isn’t your fault.” Max had never been in this situation, but he felt for the kid. He really wanted to be able to help him, and he hoped that Ezra could see that.
(This is so wholesome)
Ezra felt something in his chest swell. Gratitude, maybe? “That’s the first time I’ve ever heard anyone say something like that,” Ezra told him, blinking away some small tears of joy in his eyes. It meant so much to him to hear those words. Something new sparked in his chest, something like confidence. Hope that someone else would accept him too.
It made Max a little sad that he’d never heard the support that Max was offering before, but his heart also swelled, glad that he could make Ezra feel better. “You’ll be able to hear that kind of thing a lot more now then,” he said with a smile.
Ezra smiled, and before he could stop himself he gave Max a quick hug, something he barely gave anyone in fear of hurting them. “Thank you,” He said softly before pulling away, wiping at his eyes just to make sure the tears were gone. Talking to Max… it gave him confidence to try to tell everyone else now.
“Of course,” he replied, genuinely touched. “You know that I’ll always be here for you. Are you ready to head back to the others?”
“Yeah, I am,” Ezra said with a nod, taking a deep breath before smiling one last time and going back to the others and sitting down.
“Hi,” He started, glancing at everyone before settling his eyes to stare at the wall, “I wanted to tell you about my curse, since it puts you all at risk.” He swallowed, reminding himself that at least Max would support him. It made him a bit more steady as he told the group, “It’s that if I’m nice to anyone or show anyone any kind of affection, they could get hurt. From something as little as a paper cut to something as bad as a car crash or heart problems.” Ezra looked up, waiting as he held his breath for their reactions.
Elizabeth looked up and stared for a moment. "That's a new one," she commented. "Don't worry, I don't make friends easily."
Max sat back down as well and shot Ezra an encouraging smile, hoping that the others would show him support and acceptance. He had already grown fond of the kid.
Lexath was currently snoozing with their head in their arms, you couldn't judge them though, they traveled all of last night and didn't sleep.
"Eh, I've had worse happen," Gavriel said, speaking up. "So has everyone gone around and said what their curse was?" He asked as he pulled his milkshake and food close to him.
Elizabeth tapped her fingers for a few moments before speaking. "I haven't, but I'm sure you've noticed that I can't touch the ground," she said drily.
Ava smiled at Ezra. ” It's ok it's not like you can control your curse, ” she says but then stayed quiet when Gavriel asked if everyone shared. She took a long sip from her milkshake.
Ezra smiled a little at their reactions. He hadn’t expected anything like that. For them to know that he was putting them all at risk, yet they still accepted him. It warmed his heart, and for the first time in a while he didn’t feel so alone anymore. “Th-Thank you,” He replied, still slightly shy but his eyes glimmered with joy.
(he’s so pure)
Max grinned, happy to see that everyone else seemed to be embracing Ezra as well. His heart swelled at the expression on the other boy’s face.
Lexath sleepily gave him a thumbs up before going back to snoozing into their arms.