It just felt better with Colin around. Zach wasn't fooling anyone. He felt like shite and probably looked like it too. But he sucked at being on his own when stuff hurt. Hell, he always liked to spend time with people, even when he felt so shitty as he did. He worried about being bad company, but that wasn't the same thing.
"I like your mum better than mine," Zach replied, in a muffled voice. His mum hadn't given him that much advice over the years. They talked at dinners and had seen each other around the house. But she had her interests, and Zach had his. She hadn't particularly ever pulled him along much, unless they were all going.
"I don't really care how people treat me unless I like them," Zach commented, "Besides killing, maiming, that sort of thing." Whether they yelled or looked down at him or...whatever, he didn't care. If Colin did that, Zach would care, but Colin was amazing. And his boyfriend.
He peered up, "You can't let anything like that happen to you. You can't."