《Only The Stars》


 Prologue

    It wasn''t long after the beginning of time when they fell from the heavens. Sun and Moon, two beings with extraordinary power if used in the right way. Not knowing what they were, where they were, or where they had come from, the sense of familiarity between them was especially profound, and with nothing else to do, they trusted it.


    They were like grown up toddlers; they knew how to walk, they knew how to talk, and they knew how to control their bodies, but besides that, they were both at a loss. But beings like this are always sent places with a purpose, and somehow inexplicably knowing that, they set out to find whatever it was that they had been sent there to find.


    Discovering humanity, they settled down and learned their ways, adopting their cultures and lifestyles as their own. They were taken in by the community, given food and shelter in return for their services. They became quickly renowned for their intricate craftsmanship, people traveling from many villages over just to get their hands on Moon''s woodmaking or something from Sun''s blacksmith. They had made the village their home; they had their own houses, their own friends, and everyone there was like their family. And in that moment, they had known that this was the thing that they had been sent to find.


    Until everything went up in ash and smoke. The entire village was made of nothing but wood; wood that burned and burned and didn''t stop burning until the only two things left alive were Sun and Moon, and the wave of embers disappeared as quickly as it had come. Their home and their loved ones strewn across the ground in piles of ash, the only way they could accept the unacceptable was by feeling the coughs that wracked their bodies as they breathed in the people they had once called friends. And it was only then that Moon came to realize the secrets that Sun had been keeping. The power that he had discovered. The things that he had been keeping to himself, and the things that had destroyed their happiness.


    And with the pain of their friends, their families, and their lives destroyed and resting at their feet, and with the shared knowledge that it all could have been stopped if Sun hadn''t hoarded secrets like sunlight, everything was pushed over the edge. What hadn''t been destroyed was quickly killed as they screamed, cried, and fought over the land they had once called home, their footprints sliding and skidding through the ash around them as they blindly fought, not caring what came out of their hands, only wanting to hurt and hurt and hurt. The floodgates were opened, and there was no going back. Everything for miles around was burnt to a crisp, their heat bringing only more destruction to the things they had loved. Until their violence and rage were spent, leaving only room for despair and denial, pushing each other away and fleeing through fields of black. As they crumbled and collapsed, their grief pressing over them like waves crashing down on a beach, their tears watered the soil, and the first specks of green they had seen since everything had been destroyed sprouted out of the ground. There was only one thing they could do to repay the land for all it had done for them; pressing their hands into the soil, they healed the mountainside, utterly unaware that by unconciously working together, they had regrown everything that they had destroyed. And so realizing their potential, they left to bring their healing powers to the world, banishing plague and suffering, demolishing famine and pain.


    They never had one place to call home, nowhere ever appealing to them as much as where they had started. And as their immortality carried them through era after era, their powers modernized, growing buisnesses that had a chain in every country, bringing worldwide peace. The only problem was each other.


    Sun''s company, Dawn Inc., specialized in what he called the "Healing Touch," something he imbued in all of his employees, and which healed all injuries, sicknesses, and hunger with a touch.


    Moon''s company, Dusk Co., specialized in healing products, things that people could take home and apply to their bodies where it was needed, or pills that would eradicate pain and stop bleeding.


    And, as though Fate herself were pulling them together, since both of them had to have a main building, and with both of them being simple minded, they chose New York City as a base of establishment, buying huge buildings coincidently right next to each other. Which actually improved their buisness and sales quite a bit.


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    As their companies grew, so too did the competition between them as they collected money like it was rainwater on a stormy day. And of course, they wouldn''t be men if they didn''t fall in love.


    Sun, being the flirtatious player that he was, fell in love with a woman, married her, had a child with her, and got a divorce all over the span of a year. His son was given everything he could want except the love of a family, his father ignoring him for most of his life, and his mother only sucking up to him because she wanted a share of the money.


    Moon, on the other hand, being the kind-hearted, even-tempered man that he was, wooed the woman of his dreams and had a beautiful son who the staff pampered beyond reckoning. Moon could care less about the money, focusing his attention on keeping his wife alive, as she had cancer, and her treatments were more expensive than any normal person could afford.


    Both children were neglected by their parents, being raised quietly and out of the way by their fathers'' many staff. They were hardly ever brought outside, only kept in restricted areas of company property when they wanted to play in the sun. They were homeschooled by private teachers, had their own private gym and pool, and were watched 24/7 to make sure they didn''t interfere with their father''s buisness. The only thing that both fathers had been enormously strict about was that their sons could never leave company property. And the only thing that both fathers had ever told their children was to never go to the other building. But it wasn''t like they had a choice. Someone was always watching.


    That was, however, before Sun died.


    Being the "heir," all the pressures of the company were suddenly flung to Sun''s son, Azure. And sure, he was a quick study, but Azure had never been told anything about how to run the company, because everyone had just assumed that his father would live forever, and that he wouldn''t need to worry about it. The only thing that Azure had ever learned was which fork was which at the fancy dinner parties his father sometimes made him attend. As soon as his father had died, the "Healing Touch" had died with him, all his employees running out of magic worldwide. The only thing they had left was the small stash of power Sun had whipped up for every location (something his wife had told him to do, because he wouldn''t have been smart enough to do it otherwise), but soon those would run out, and the company would fall apart if Azure couldn''t figure out how to harness the power everyone could only assume his father had given him, and how to use it for something other than disappointment.


    Before the competition wiped them out, that is.


    Being their only competition for so many years, battling for customers and respect, Moon''s company should have taken over the industry for good, but Dusk Co. was falling apart just as much as Dawn Inc. Moon''s wife was in critical condition, and he was pouring all their funds into saving her. The company was completely neglected, and often the staff would find Moon sitting up in bed, heavy bags under his eyes, unblinking and staring at the same spot on the wall all day. But more often than that, he was by his wife''s side, bringing her gifts and doing his best to keep her happy. Moon was falling apart, and dragging the company down with him, because as much as he would''ve liked to deny the fact, Sun had been his brother. They had been connected ever since they had fallen from the sky. And now, the only people who truly understood him and his powers were disappearing, and he could do nothing to stop it.


    Even though Moon was still alive, his son, Navy, was expected to keep everything up and running. Unlike Azure, Navy had had more training in the buisness field, but if anything, his attempts to keep Dusk Co. up and running only pushed the company farther and farther into the black hole it was slowly creeping into. Everyone expected him to be able to produce the miracles his father could; after all, the son of a being with such immense power should be able to do something extraordinay enough to save the company. But the more Navy tried, the more he failed, proving more and more that he was right to have been neglected by his father his entire life.


    To have both companies that had been relied on for thousands of years falling apart and with no countermeasures against the plagues that had ruled humanity before Sun and Moon arrived, the suffering returned tenfold, killing more than ever before and sweeping across every continent with a relentless fury like no one had ever witnessed.


    All hope came down to the two boys who had. No. Idea. What. They. Were. Doing.


    With the pressure of dooming or saving a planet while being described as a failure for their whole lives, what other choice did they have but to run?


    And as Sun and Moon, Night and Day, Stars and Sky collide, sparks will fly.


    Because only the stars could ever keep them apart.

 Truth Or Dare

    Azure: 16


    Penne + Ravioli: 14


    "Truth or dare!?" Penne asked, slurping a milkshake.


    Azure didn''t know why they were playing truth or dare. He was just bored, and their lessons were over, and so Penne had jumped on him like a hyper dog and asked him to play a game.


    Penne and Ravioli were the things that kept him tethered to reality; his father didn''t give a crap about him, and his mother only kept connections with him because she wanted to be rich, but the twins? The twins were genuine. The twins cared. Which was better than anyone Azure had ever met could do. Their mom was part of the staff dedicated specifically to Azure, and their whole family was given housing in the company, so they could see each other whenever they wanted, and had basically grown up together. Unlike him, the twins were both allowed to leave company grounds, especially for Penne to go to school. Her parents always signed her out halfway through the day, which Azure always thought was unnecessary, but he gladly accepted the extra time with them. Ravioli was homeschooled by his parents, so Azure didn''t see much of him until lessons were over.


    Penne was energetic, creative, and the un-liscensed company therapist. Somehow she found time to make her way through all 54 levels of the company, checking in on everyone, forming inexplicable bonds with them that were totally unprecedented given her short amounts of time walking the floors. She was intensly supportive, and also incredibly mischevious, making sure Azure had access to all the social media of modern days, careful that no one knew it was him of course. She was highly adventurous, and brought home souvenirs wherever she went, even if it was just around the block, and she only drank milkshakes. And due to reading one too many romance novels, she was more interested in Azure''s love life than her own, saying that every son of a top-notch buisness employer had to have flings with all the prestigious buisnessman''s daughters. She flung her books at him left and right, giving him "study material" as she put it. He didn''t honestly know what to do with all the knowledge he''d gained, but Penne promised it would be worth it. He had never understood where or why.


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    Her twin brother, Ravioli, was almost the exact opposite of her. While sure, he was passionate about things he loved doing, like drawing, designing, and writing, he hardly interacted with anyone, and would have a panic attack even thinking about going out in public. While he was allowed off company property, he never went, preferring to stay in the building. Azure would have killed for a chance to go out in public, but Rav was Rav, and that was fine by everyone. Ravioli hated when Azure and his sister went off and did stupid things, avidly trying to convince them otherwise and always failing, watching them die pretty much every day. And sure he likes to critisize them and cry at the thought of losing them (because they traumatize him with their stupidity every day), but just because he hates the sometimes isn''t the reason he doesn''t speak. He''s never uttered a word in his life; no one knows if it''s a personal preference or if something''s wrong with his throat, but his mother has given him the Healing Touch many times over, so either it''s something irreperable, or he just...doesn''t. That doesn''t stop him from interacting, however. His facial expressions, hand signs, and body movements get his point across fine; and most of the points are "no, don''t do that." However, he can''t help but love them both when they sit with him on the roof to keep him company until they fall asleep. It gets him through many sleepless nights.


    "TRUTH OR DARE?!?!" Penne asked again, shaking Azure''s shoulders and grinning at the begruntled look on his face.


    "Ok, ok,ok, dare, stop shaking me, you''re gonna give me a migraine."


    Letting him go, she started stroking her chin thoughtfully, pacing around the room as she thought. Penne always came up with the best dares, whether it be bungee jumping off of the roof while it was snowing or running down all 1,134 stairs two at a time. As soon as you gave Penne the chance to do an amazing dare, she delivered, and Azure was in the mood to die.


    Rav slapped his sister''s back, shaking his head and glaring, but that just made her eyes light up with an idea, and she grinned the grin that signified all Hell breaking loose.


    "Azure," she said with a glitter in her eye as her brother emphatically shook his head no behind her, "I dare you to jump from the roof of Dawn Inc. to the roof of Dusk Co."

 He Actually Did It

    Azure: 16


    Navy: 15


    Penne + Ravioli: 14


    Iliad (Ily): 3


    "Holy schist, I didn''t expect him to actually do it!" Penne yelled from the roof of Dawn Inc., staring wide-eyed at Azure''s form on the roof opposite them, that of their malicious competitor, Dusk Co. But there he was, posing dramatically for them on the other side, and Penne was suddenly regretting not bringing her camera, her hand instead clasping a frosty, cookie dough filled milkshake.


    "Your dad is going to kill you!" she yelled across, but he just shrugged and yelled back, "Not if he doesn''t find out!" and she snickerd and her brother groaned and slapped his face before running back inside because he couldn''t watch anymore. The wind was pretty bad up here too, it was probably hurting his ears anyway.


    She looked back across at Azure, and was appalled to see the "pondering" look on his face. "Azure, don''t do whatever you''re about to do!" she yelled over the wind, and he smiled at her.


    "Stop sounding like your brother!"


    Then she watched in horror, glee, and excitment as he traversed the empty space of the concrete roof over to the door on the far side and slipped inside. All she could do was wait for him to return.


    Inside their rival''s building, Azure didn''t really see that much different from their own. The door from the roof led to a bunch of stairs, the same exact set of stairs he and the twins had used to climb up to the roof in their building. And coming to the same exact emergency door they had encounterd on their way up, the full weight of what he was doing finally hit him.


    What was he doing here?!?!


    But to Hell with it, because he couldn''t stop now, could he? He was already a criminal; this would just add a bit to his statement. That is, if he got caught. Which was the worse-case scenario in this particular situation, one that needed to be avoided at all costs if he didn''t want to suffer the wrath of, he shuddered, his father. God only knew what Dad would do to him if he knew where his son was right now...


    But! That was something to worry about later, and so flinging the door open and engaging stealth mode, Azure made his way down the 1,134 stairs, knowing that if this company was anything like his, no one would be on the stairs until lunch break, and even then, most smart people used the elevator. So he found no problem sneaking down the 53 staircases and onto the main floor, where he lived most of his life.


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    Azure didn''t know much about Moon or his company, because Dad wouldn''t allow any news of his rival into the company whatsoever, banning certain news stations that focused on his competition. So peeping around the main floor, Azure was shocked to see an almost identical hallway leading into the wing that would have been his living space, if this was Dawn Inc. So scanning the room nervously and cataloging everyone''s positions, Azure stuck to the shadows as much as possible, praying that the receptionist would not look up from that very interesting Manga that she was reading.


    Slipping into the hallway, Azure had to almost immediately leap behind a potted plant, bashing his fist against his head for being so stupid. Of course there would be staff, why wouldn''t there be staff? There were, like, four of them at the end of the hallway, bustling about what looked like a take on a living room. Azure''s hopes were raised even higher to see the video games laying sparsely on the shelves, and the remains of wrappers and cardboard pizza boxes strewn over the floor, which the staff was promptly picking up. Azure inwardly cringed, recognizing that that was a habit of his as well...


    Before a blur caught his attention and he withheld a bark of surprise as a navy-haired, silver-eyed boy went sprinting around the living room, calling softly, "Ily! Ily, where are you boy?" before getting a better idea, sprinting back off to somewhere (based on the setup of his own wing, Azure guessed the kitchen), returning with a bag of...treats, was that, and shaking it until he heard a faint meow, and a stunning orange somali cat rolled out from underneath the couch. But Azure could hardly focus on the cat, only the boy sighing, stooping down, and wrapping the beautiful cat in his arms. Azure drank in the sight of him like he was water in the desert. He didn''t know this boy; but he wanted to. And when the urge was too strong to stand up and blow his cover just to meet that boy, he knew he had to get out of there. And so quickly retreating, his eyes on the boy the whole time, he made his way back up the 1,134 stairs, huffing and puffing by the time he got to the top, the cool breeze from the top of the huge building cooling off everything but his face, which was beyond red for some reason...


    He lept over the gap in the ridiculously high buildings and made his way over to Penne, who was sitting on the ground looking like she was pondering the meaning of life. She stood up as soon as she heard his heavy footfalls, took one look at his red cheeks, and asked in a high pitched, giddy voice, "WHAT HAPPENED?!"


    But all Azure could spit out was, "Does Moon...by chance...have a...son?"

 Hes Kinda Hot

    Azure: 16


    Penne + Ravioli: 14


    "Oh my God! Moon has a hot son, how did I not know this!? RAVIOLI WHY DIDN''T YOU TELL ME!?"


    While Penne shook her brother''s shoulders until he gently removed her hands from his body, all Azure could do was stare at the photo that Penne had pulled up on her phone.


    "It was actually kind of hard to find him, too," Penne said, grabbing the phone and scrolling through the sparse photos. Most of them were of Moon, and the only resemblence between the silver-haired, silver-eyed, dark-skinned man and the navy-haired, silver-eyed, light-skinned boy was the strikingly empty eyes, close to pupil-less and staring out of the photo and into the viewer''s soul. It made Azure shiver...he didn''t know if that was a good or bad thing. All he knew was that whenever he saw that picture, all he could feel was heat and he honestly didn''t understand it at all.


    "He''s basically a recluse. No social media, no press appearances, he''s never even been to those fancy dinners with the local congressmen that you sometimes go to, Azure."


    All he could mumble was "Lucky," before she barreled on.


    "It must be the people at the company who take photos. They probably know that no one''s seen the kid, and are willing to risk their jobs over something trivial like that. I''m not saying that I wouldn''t, because I totally would. I mean, the kid''s a total hottie, if I worked there, I would make out with him twenty-four seven! Just look at him, Azure!"


    The heat flared up his face again as Penne swiveled the screen towards him, and he quickly looked away, clearing his throat and grunting, "I''ve done quite enough of that." Penne gasped then let out a little squeal, tapping away at her phone before shoving a picture right up to Azure''s nose, the heat radiating through the screen as he tried to make sense of what he was looking at.


    "Maybe if you pulled the screen away, I would be able to see better-" and as she did just that and he saw the picture in its entirety, he bellowed, "WHO WOULD TAKE THAT PICTURE!?"


    Penne started howling with laughter, shouting, "WHOEVER TOOK THIS ONE DEFENITELY GOT FIRED!" and all Azure could do was desperately hide his face, all the romance novels Penne had given him suddenly flooding his mind as he tried to deny was was evident on his face.


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    Feeling a tap on his shoulder, he whirled around to see Rav scribbling in his sketchbook, turning it around so that Azure could see the giant heart with a question mark displayed for all to see. Azure slapped the book away, yelling, "NO RAV!" while Ravioli just looked at him in confusion and Penne picked up the sketchbook and started guffawing.


    "Rav, YES!" she said, giving him a big thumbs up and saying, "You can''t hide from the feels, Azure!"


    "Just because I blush when I see a guy half naked doesn''t mean I-"


    "You see Rav half-naked all the time when we go swimming," Penne interjected, motioning at her brother who just nodded along.


    "Well, Rav''s different! I''m not-"


    "In love with him!?"


    "I was gonna say I''m not allowed to fall in love with Rav, he''s friendzoned."


    Penne cocked an eyebrow. "But why did he need to be friendzoned? Am I friendzoned?"


    "Well, no, ''cuz-"


    "Finally, Mr. Stoic''s loosening up! Can you believe this Rav!? Can you believe it!? It''s Azure''s first crush!!!!"


    If there was anything he could do to get sucked into the ground right then and there, he would do it. Anything to escape Penne. There wasn''t anything...he wasn''t doing anything...Penne didn''t know what she was talking about.


    "Ugh, NO, Penne, it''s not!" And suddenly he realized something. Something that slurped the blush off of his face like a kid drinking a smoothie. Something that would make sure that he would never get to see Navy again.


    "Besides," he said sadly, looking up at her and smiling like nothing was wrong, "he''s my competition. And one way or another, everyone is going to expect me to take him out."


    The room was silent as he stood up and was about to walk out of the room when Penne spoke up. "Ok, sure. He''s your ''competition.'' Sure. But there is more than one way to take a person out, you know."


    And with the blush clouding his vision, he heard one last thing that made him smile before he turned the corner. "YOUR WORDS NOT MINE!" Penne yelled, waving as Rav gave him a thumbs up.


    "Ugh," he sighed, pressing his back against the wall and sliding down onto the cool tile floor. "Navy hair. Silver eyes. What a stupid combination," he grumbled, "And now she has that stupid shirtless picture ingrained into my mind. That''s just great."


    Competition, competition, competition, was all he could think. He''s your competition. He probably hates you...that, or he doesn''t even know you''re alive. He''s your competition. COMPETITION. TAKE HIM OUT.


    Why didn''t it feel like competition anymore, when Dad would live forever and so would Moon? What was the point of being cooped up all day when nothing would ever go wrong outside? Ugh, this sucked. Stupid Penne.


    It would wear off. It was a crush. He would get over it. It was stupid. Ravioli was wrong. No heart. Noooo heart. Navy was competition. But every time Azure heard the name, he still smiled.

 Why Would He Be Sad

    Azure: 19


    Penne + Ravioli: 17


    Azure didn''t exactly know how to take the news that his father was dead. He wasn''t sad, why would be be? The man had done nothing for him but give him life, and even that was probably the worst idea of his career. He felt more...intimidated than anything. Because now he, the failure, the magicless twit, the inept idiot that he was in the eyes of everyone else, was inheriting a company that relied solely on the magic of a supreme being with power that everyone knew Azure did not have.


    Power that they hoped was only buried deep, deep down, a power that would reveal itself when the company was truly in need, but had yet to do. He practiced every day without fail in the privacy of his father''s office- crap, it was his office now, wasn''t it?


    He had been doing this for two weeks; trying and failing, trying and failing, shifting his energy flow as his teachers had taught him, trying to make something, anything happen as the fate of the whole company and everyone employed in it rested on his shoulders.


    But he was a failure, failure, failure, falling asleep too early every day, not using enough energy or using too much energy, failing and failing and failing with nothing to show, nothing to prove that he was good enough because he wasn''t, he would never be his father, he would let everyone down, he would make thousands of people unemployed, he was just a failure, failure, fail-


    "Azure, you need to get out of here."


    Looking up from his desk, he saw Penne slowly opening the door, her eyebrows creased, her eyes looking at him sadly, followed by her brother, who looked downcast and very, very tired.


    "What?" Azure asked, not really processing the statement she had made. His brain was too...everything.


    "Azure, look at you," she said pressing her hand over her mouth, "Your hair, your eyes, your clothes, your stubble, look at all your veins, they''re popping. You have bruises all over, have you been-"


    "I HAVE TO GET IT RIGHT," he screamed, pounding his fist on the table, his eyes bloodshot, his eyelids twitching, the panic and stress bleeding through the composed mask that never worked on Penne as he trailed his bleeding fingers through his greasy hair. "I h-hafta...hafta..." his whole body was spasming, and he pounded the desk with his fist again, laughing hysterically. "IT''S GONNA WORK!" he screamed, looking at her desperately, his hands clasping onto the collar of her dress as she silently cried. "IT HASTA!!!"


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    Then he fell back into his chair, laughing madly as he stared at his hands and started screaming. "WHY WON''T IT WORK WHY WON''T IT WORK WHY WON''T IT WORK-" and now Rav was crying and covering his ears and Azure was back to laughing again, laughing and laughing until he broke down into uncontrollable sobs that shook his entire chair, wailing and crying and screaming.


    "Oh honey, oh honey," Penne said, gently leading her brother out of the room and returning to Azure''s side, closing the door behind her as she wrapped her arms around him until he fell into the cool escape of sleep.


    Slumping to the ground, she layed her head on his legs and cried, thinking about the times when they had been so carefree, and now look where they were. Azure was going to go mad if he stayed here much longer, and when he cracked he would be a danger to himself and others. He was a mess. His golden hair was hanging limply in front of his eyes, in desperate need of a shower and a trim. There were heavy bags under his eyes, explaining plain and clear that he had been driving himself mad both night and day. He hadn''t changed out of the clothes she''d seen him wear practically a week ago, and his fingers were rough and bleeding, his fingernails bit down to the ends and the raw exposed flesh underneath in desperate need of a cleaning. But at least he was asleep. Perhaps he would get a chance to escape this horror.


    But one thing was for sure.


    He needed to leave.


    So quietly slipping out of her room to retrieve her sobbing brother, she led him to their suite, comforting him all the way, leaving him in the care of Mom and Dad while she went to go pack a few things for her beloved friend.


    His room was just as she had remembered it; somehow, despite the situation, everything was filed according to a system only he knew, because looking at it head on made no sense. There were random things strewn across the floor, random groups of things on shelves, and a bunch of random books and crap on his bed, but it was a system. Whether or not she would be able to navigate that system would be the gamechanger. She really just wanted to find wearable shirts, pants, socks, underwear, and like, a hair brush and other toiletries. Just stuff ''em all in a bag with a butt-load of cash and he would be set, right?


    As she navigated his room, picking up stuff she needed as she went, a wave of emotions suddenly crashed over her as she suddenly realized that this would mean him leaving. For good. The light-hearted, roof-leaping Azure she knew was gone. There was nothing she or Ravioli could do to bring him out again. The pressure had been building his whole life, but something about the death of his father and the power shift had just made him break. And there was no glue that she could think of to fix it.


    What he needed was a fresh start.


    And as she shoved everything into a bag, not really bothering to fold anything because time was of the essence, she encountered two obsacles in her master plan.


    Convincing Azure to leave.


    And figuring out how he could.

 Crushed By The Rock

    Navy: 18


    Iliad (Ily): 6


    It was all going downhill, and Navy was getting crushed by the rock. His dad was simply gone; either having a panic attack and shutting down up in his room or trying to keep himself together at Mom''s side at the hospital. Not that Navy really cared one way or another, or even that his mother was dying. He didn''t really feel things like other people did. Or maybe the better way to describe it was that he didn''t show emotion the way other people did, because he felt things just fine. He had never had any close personal connections with anyone, feeling all their relationships would be forced because Navy was rich, and the other person obviously just wanted a piece of that. And that''s why animals were his saving grace, because they didn''t understand anything about money and wanted his love more than anything.


    Navy could care less if you hurt him. But if you hurt his cat? You''d have Hell to pay. Ily was the only thing remotely close to family; Ily was always there, always willing to listen, and always cheering him up, which was tons more than any actual family did for Navy. But Ily was also a cat, and it was never to be expected that he would not ditch Navy and his feelings for a bag of treats.


    Navy was, to be frank, a terrible buisnessman. He had trained for the position his whole life, even though it was wholly unecessary, the only thought behind it being that maybe his father would see some worth in him and take him under his wing, teaching him the intricacies of running the company. The truth of the situation was the furthest from that, however, because his father still did not give a crap about him even though he was destroying the company, all of Navy''s life work ultimately resulting in failure.


    But that was ok, right? After all, their competition was fall apart right alongside them. After Sun''s death, it was apparent from the frequent broadcasts of plauge wiping through countries and cutting populations in half that both Dusk Co. and Dawn Inc. were basically destroying humanity with their inability to succeed. It wasn''t like Navy hadn''t tried to get his powers to work. He had. Like two times. Because the way he saw it, the world''s problems were not his problems because the world hadn''t done crap for him as his father had relentlessly beat on him for showing no promise. Navy''s mental state was crippled, his back scarred and destroyed, but his resolve was hardly broken, and he was determined to destroy the world.


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    "Ily!" he shouted through his wing of the company, the jangle of the somali''s collar making him smile, the familiar rumble of Iliad''s purr under his hand calming and cleansing. "What''d''ya say we get outta here, eh Ily?" All he got was a soft meow in response as he rubbed his shedding all over Navy''s legs, which Navy took as a yes, scooping up the cat and carrying him like a football throughout his wing. Navy tried his best to be discreet as possible, avoiding the staff milling around, waiting at his beck and call.


    There were fewer than when he had been a child, mostly because children did stupid things and Navy was no longer susceptible to the strange childish urges that told him to go run screaming through the fountain in his best suit. And yes, part of it came with maturity. But part of it also because when Moon came home to find his son sopping wet and being withheld by security, he had taken an eight-year-old Navy into his office, and shut the door. No one knew what happened behind that door but Navy and his father, but Navy never went swimming again, and was thereby beyond petrified of doing anything against his father''s will. But nonetheless, on an awful day at work, or a terrible day for his wife, Moon would take his son who looked too much like his mother into his office and close the door. And slowly, that innocent Navy that everyone at the company had loved was gone.


    Ever since Sun had died, Navy had simply resigned himself to being dragged into that office every day. It was part of his routine now, and nothing his father could do hurt anymore. But Navy had never understood that there was anything wrong with it. He had never known anything else, and so how was he supposed to know that he didn''t have to endure the pain? All he knew was that his father would kill him if he ever showed anyone his back. Because Navy was unessential, and even when he was eight, he knew that.


    And perhaps that was part of the reason why he wanted to leave. He was tired of his father, and the pain and fear he felt every time those cold, steely silver eyes landed on him. Like he was a tool. Like he was only there to help his father let his anger out. It weighed him down, the pain and the words that Moon screamed at him, the soundproof walls keeping everything contained in that office.


    Navy couldn''t go on living like that. He could barely sleep anymore. He was tired of being called a failure, and tired of everyone looking up to him like he had something to prove. He was done. He didn''t have time to be "famous." He just wanted to live his life.

 Make A Run For It

    Azure: 19


    Penne: 17


    Navy: 18


    Iliad (Ily): 6


    Azure was awake and at it again when Penne returned with a bag packed. But the bags under his eyes were smaller now, more like purses than the huge empty things that had layed there before.


    "Go take a shower," Penne said softly, helping Azure to his feet and placing a bundle of clothing into his hands. "And change into that. Come back here when you''re done."


    He teetered out of the office, and Penne sighed. She could get him to leave. But what could she do about security? They were always watching him like a hawk. They never let him out of their sight. The only thing she could think to do was cause a distraction, but she didn''t know how to do that either. And it wasn''t like he could just walk out the front door...could he? The security detail was tight. They were fast, smart, and very, very big, and Penne couldn''t imagine any situation in which Azure made a run for it and got very far. But what if...


    He didn''t have to go far?


    He just had to get next door. No one would follow him there, especially if Azure went in there screaming that a bunch of scary men were chasing him. Perhaps they would ask questions, perhaps not, but Azure could be well on his way through the 54 floors before anyone could be interogated properly. And if he was smart, he would run to the roof and leap back over and hide somewhere in their building. But then again, Azure wasn''t smart at all, and this whole plan would probably fall through. But she needed to give him something, anything. Even the smallest sliver of hope was enough to feed his shattered soul. So when Azure came back with his beard trimmed, his hair wet and floppy, and wearing the new outfit she had picked out for him, she started telling him about her plan, feeling that he was in a more rational mood than he had been just an hour before.


    And before she could get to any of the important parts, like how he would evade the guards once inside the other building, or how he should leap over the roofs like they had when they were 15, he grabbed the packed bag out of her hand, grabbed a white envelope of hundreds that for some reason had been stashed in his desk, and started running.


    "SCHIST, AZURE!" she screamed, but there was nothing she could do about it now, only staring at his receding figure and chuckling sadly to herself. She didn''t even get to say goodbye. Ravioli didn''t even know he was gone.


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    What type of mess had she gotten them into?


    Azure found it remarkably easy to slip outside. There was too much noise outside the building to be sure if anyone on the security detail was following him, but it would be futile to stop and check when freedom was hanging just overhead. All he had to do was reach out and snatch it. And so sprinting the short distance between the two buildings, shouts and protests coming from behind him, he let out the first genuine laugh since before his father had died. If only he had done this sooner, perhaps he wouldn''t hate himself as much. Perhaps his friends wouldn''t have had to watch him suffer. Perhaps he would accept being a failure just to feel this free-


    And then suddenly there was a person right in front of him, and Azure ran headlong into them, his knees and palms skidding against pavement as they rolled over each other finding themselves intertwined and with no hopes of getting up before Azure''s security could reach them. As Azure was looking back with dread at the people who wanted to drag him back to Hell, the other person was screaming, "ILY! ILY! GET OFF, HE''S IN THE STREET, PLEASE PLEASE, HE CAN''T GET OUT, ILY!!!"


    Looking towards where he was desperately reaching, Azure saw an orange fluff ball in a cat carrier, clawing at the mesh fabric encircling it as cars swerved around it, and something about that name became oddly familiar...


    "ILY!!!" the boy was still screaming, kicking and shoving at Azure to get him off, his leg trapped under Azure''s torso, while Azure just sat there, too shocked to do anything. "GET OFF ME, PSYCHO!!" the boy said, giving one final heave and wincing as the pavement grated against the side of his shin, leaping to his feet and sprinting into the street, grabbing his cat and returning to the sidewalk before starting to kick Azure over and over again, two or three tears streaking down his face. "DON''T...TOUCH...MY...CAT," he said in between kicks, and Azure was about to apologize before two giant hands roughly picked him up below the shoulders, dragging him back towards the building. Struggling did him no good, and as he was dragged kicking and yelling back to Hell, the boy with the navy hair and silver eyes simply watched him go.


    It was him.


    Navy.


    The name that had always made him smile.


    The boy that he had seen when he had sneaked into enemy territory.


    The boy that was, perhaps, not so different from him.


    The boy who was watching him get dragged away, as though it were the most normal thing in the world.


    "NAVY!" Azure screamed, thrashing and kicking, protesting and jerking and crying out. "NAVY!"


    This was it. He was going to die like this. He was going to work himself to the bone, hate himself forever, and die alone because he had hurt everyone he loved. He would live out the rest of his life as a failure and die completely and utterly alone.


    He had resigned himself to it.


    But then he felt a rush of warmth spread throughout his body, starting at his ankle as a hand desperately clamped on there, spreading slowly throughout his body until it reached the spot where the security man''s hands were clamped under his armpits. And all the man could do was scream.

 Sense Of Magic

    Azure: 19


    Navy: 18


    Iliad (Ily): 6


    The best thing that Navy had been hoping for when he grabbed onto the boy''s shin was to perhaps yank him out of the burly man''s grip. He was honestly just going to let the boy get dragged away, but who knew if the kid was going to get mugged or murdered, and Navy didn''t want the guilt of a death he could have prevented hanging over him on top of everything else.


    So when he latched onto the boy''s ankle, the last thing he had expected was the rush of power that suddenly flowed through him, the sense of connection and, well, the sense of magic. It was warm and light, and he now understood why his father had created this company; if he had this much light coursing through him, he would want to share it too. But what was the source of this sudden peak in activity? Could it possibly be this...boy?


    But his thoughts were interrupted as the ankle he was pulling on suddenly fell to the ground, the man who had previously been holding onto the golden-haired boy screaming and flailing about, waving his hands in the air and running around madly. Navy immedietly let go of the ankle, feeling a cold chill run through his body, as though there was ice running through his veins. But it must have just been his body returning back to normal, his perception of cold more heightened now that he knew what it felt like to have the warm lava coursing through his veins.


    As his comrades took the screaming man back into the building, another burly man came running at them. Cataloging what had happened the last time they had touched, instead of just grabbing onto one of the boy''s limbs like any normal person would do, Navy sat on top of his back, basking in the warmth of the magic flowing through him. As soon as the man layed his beefy hands on Navy''s shoulders in an attempt to get him off the grunting boy, the man immediately began hollering "IT BURNS, IT BURNS!" running around just as his comrade had before sprinting indoors.


    "That''s one way to do it," the boy grunted beneath him, and Navy smirked.


    "Payback," was all he said before swiftly standing up and making his way back over to Ily, who had watched the whole thing, he supposed. "What''d''ya think, Ily?" Navy asked his cat, who just stared back up at him with his eerily green eyes.


    "Why do you talk to your cat?" the other boy asked, trotting up behind him and staring at Iliad through the black mesh of the carrier.


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    Navy sighed, "Because he doesn''t judge me like everyone else does. Like you just did."


    "Yeah, but why don''t you just find some trustworthy people? Wouldn''t it be better to talk to something that can talk back?" he asked in confusion, and Navy rolled his eyes.


    "At the heart of every human, there is ingrained deceit. ''Trust'' is a word used sparingly, for it doesn''t exist in this plain. ''Trust'' is futile, because before long, people always break it. Human nature is to cause pain; but animals? Their instincts tell them to hunt and breed. They form bonds with each other because that is the only way for them to survive. Humans should be more like them."


    And with that, he swiftly picked up his bag and his cat and walked off down the street. Hearing the rustling of fabric and pattering of feet behind him, he spun around and snapped, "What do you want from me!? Because I need to get out of here."


    "They''ll find you sooner or later, Navy."


    That made Navy falter. What had compelled him to grab the boy''s leg? This boy had known his name. It wasn''t common knowledge that Moon had a son...through intense web searching knowing exactly what you were looking for, you could find tons of pictures the staff had taken of him. But...


    Placing his cat on the ground and grabbing the boy''s collar in his fist, he snarled, "Who are you and how do you know who I am?"


    The boy smirked, his freckles making way for the cocky grin that Navy wanted so desperately to wipe off his face. Instead of answering, the boy simply placed his bare hand on Navy''s exposed forearm, and Navy felt the rush of warmth that signified the magic in his blood.


    "You feel that?" the boy said, still smirking, and Navy was almost surprised that the other boy could feel it too. "You and I both know what it is. Magic." He said it was such emphasis that Navy couldn''t help but scoff. What he was saying worried him though. This boy...he knew too much. About Navy, about magic, about...everything. But before he could restate his question, the boy continued. "Who am I? Well, I''m you. We''re one in the same."


    Navy stared long and hard at the tan freckled face, scrutinizing all the details. The way his lips curved and floated along towards the dimples accenting his stark collarbones. The flecks of blue and gold lining his emerald green irises. The way his eyelashes were long and seemed to float from his eyelids like feathers. The golden hair that fell into his eyes and that was desperately waiting for someone to brush it behind his ear. And the dark bags hanging under his eyes, the roughness of his chin, and how there was something masked beneath all that cockiness...the only reason Navy could tell was because that mask was ingrained into his own life.


    He felt a small, undismissable pull towards the smirking boy.


    And sensing that Navy wasn''t going to say anything, the boy''s grin widened even more. "My name''s Azure, nice to meet you."

 Pulled Along

    Azure: 19


    Navy: 18


    It was a strange feeling, being scrutinized so openly by the child he had seen telling off his cat when he was 15. Strange to see how much Navy had changed in the three years since then.


    And strange how much of a pull he was feeling towards this glowering boy.


    Saying his name out loud must have snapped some pieces together in Navy''s head, because the boy''s expression suddenly darkened, and his fist clamped tighter onto Azure''s shirt.


    "This is all your fault, you prissy little child! If it weren''t for you, the world wouldn''t be devolving into chaos. You''re too lazy to run the company your father left you, is that it!? Is that why you''ve run away, because people are starting to get mad at you? Expecting you to actually do things!?"


    The words cut into Azure more than he would have thought, and his common sense was momentarily blinded by rage as he spat out, "Well, what about you then. Your father is alive, and yet your company is still falling apart. My father is dead; you would think our company might fall apart a little. But you? You should be doing fine. What have you been doing, eh? Sitting around hoping Daddy will come save you!?"


    He felt the hand clamp around his throat, and the warmth that rushed through him shot out at the sign of agression, Navy leaping back in pain and examining his hand.


    "You know?" Azure said, trying to push down the stinging in his eyes, "I tried my best. What the Hell do you think I''ve been doing these past two weeks since my father died? Why the Hell do you think I have these big ass bags under my eyes!?"


    "Because you were fu-"


    "RETHORICAL QUESTION!"


    Azure sighed, massaging his temples with his fingers. "Look, I can''t do magic, ok? And everyone expects everything from me, but I''m just a failure. A defect. A dud. I''m dooming humanity, Navy. I should be better-"


    "Hey." Feeling a hand on his shoulder, Azure looked up to see a hard but comforting expression on Navy''s face. "The world hasn''t done crap for you. Why do you owe it anything?"


    Azure just stared at him blankly before bursting out laughing, even though Navy had no idea what he was laughing at.


    "But don''t you see!?" Azure asked, grabbing Navy''s hand, feeling the warmth pass through their interlocked fingers and looping around their bodies. "We have magic together. This is what the world needs."


    Navy just looked at him skeptically. "Is it? Because as I recall, the first three times we used this ''magic,'' we melted two guys'' hands off, and you pretty much did the same to me," he said, presenting his red hand.


    "Oh, does it hurt?" Azure asked, grabbing the hand and examining it.


    The simple act was enough to elicit the warmth that spread throughout the face of the navy-haired boy, but it was just the magic. Probably.


    Forgetting the question entirely for a moment, Navy stamered, "A-a little..."


    A determined look on his face, Azure grabbed Navy''s uninjured hand, dragging him back towards the building he had promised himself he would never return to. Digging his heels into the concrete, Navy cautioned, "Woah, woah, woah. Are you sure...are you sure you should be going back in there?"


    Stolen story; please report.


    Thinking for a moment, Azure put up his finger to signify an idea. A sly smirk on his face, he said, "Well, why don''t we test out just what this new power can do?"


    There it was again, that heat. Navy needed to kep himself together. "H-how so?" he stammered, trying futily to get his eyes off of the boy''s lips, the lips he had examined so closely before... aaaaah, what was wrong with him!?


    Azure shrugged. "Invisibility?"


    "How will we know if it worked?" Navy asked, beyond skeptical with the idea.


    Azure just looked at him like he was stupid. "We''ll know if we disappear, you idiot."


    Smacking himself in the forehead (which resulted in only pain from the burn on his hand), Navy groaned at his own stupidity while Azure giggled. This boy was really doing something to his mind.


    "But how do we...do it?" Navy asked, avoiding eye contact, instead choosing to look at Azure''s feet. He was wearing sandals. How fitting for being chased by burly security guards.


    Gasping, Azure smiled, putting his hand under Navy''s chin so they could meet eye to eye. "You just imagine you''re in the sightline of you parents of course! You''re always invisible there!"


    And nothing could stop Navy from laughing in that moment. He hadn''t laughed in eons. He hadn''t laughed since he was eight. He hadn''t laughed since his father had destroyed him. Surfacing from his bout of giggles, Navy choked out, "With all due respect, that doesn''t exactly explain how it would work!"


    Looking thoughtful for a moment, Azure grabbed his hands and stared into his eyes. All Navy could do was stare back into those two gaping oceans in Azure''s head, focusing more on the sparkling rivlets in Azure''s eyes than the magic coursing through him. "Okay, focus on that," Azure said, which only made Navy look deeper into those oceans. It was like being surrounded on all sides by nothing but ocean, water on every side, his body being pulled in every direction because he was the water, ebbing and flowing, and... "Hey! Look at that," Azure said, grinning while Navy didn''t exactly know what he should be looking at. "You did it!" Azure said, and looking down, Navy found that he had indeed become invisible.


    "Holy schist, that''s kinda creepy," he said, but it wasn''t like he could stop it. Now that he knew what being the water felt like, he couldn''t just forget.


    "How did you do it?" Azure asked, looking at him intently with those two oceans of his again. Or, Navy supposed, he was only looking through him, since he was invisible.


    Navy shrugged, but of course Azure couldn''t see that, he he just said, "I just kind of...felt myself melting into my surroundings until I became part of them." Navy watched as Azure closed his eyes, inhaled and exhaled deeply, and concentrated so hard that his whole face turned red. "Don''t burst a vein though," Navy said, snickering, and watched as the boy''s eyes flew open.


    "''S not my fault you make it look so easy..."


    Sighing, Navy pressed his hands into Azure''s and started describing the scene. "Imagine that you''re surrounded on all sides by water." Closing his eyes, Azure nodded, and Navy continued. "It travels from horizon to horizon, and all you can see is the water no matter which way you look. Feel yourself being pulled by the water, being dragged into it, becoming a part of it." With a flicker, Azure''s entire body suddenly disappeared, and the only way Navy could tell that he was still there was because he could feel the clammy grip of Azure''s hands. "Just imagine yourself becoming a chameleon I suppose, if that''s any easier," he said, but as nonchalant as he sounded, he still couldn''t make himself visible again.


    Flickering back into view, Azure raised an eyebrow at him and asked, "You can''t change back, can you?"


    "N-no."


    Sighing, Azure just brushed his hand along Navy''s forehead, tucking a stray hair back into place. How he did that without even being able to see him, Navy had no idea. "Just get sucked out of the water."


    He imagined looking up to see a giant sea serpent of some kind with a huge straw slurping him up out of the water and laughed out loud. "How does this even work!?" he asked, and Azure took his hand and started walking, rendering himself invisible once more.


    "Because with enough work, your imagination can do anything," he said. "Now c''mon, I promise that it''ll work! Grab your cat, and let''s goooo!" Picking up both the cat carrier and his bag with one hand and still clinging onto Azure''s with the other, the golden-haired boy dragged him inside the building completely oblivious to (or just ignoring) Navy''s protests.


    God this was so stupid.


    They were going to get caught.


    But Azure''s hand was still in his, and that was all he could focus on.

 How Was This Working

    Azure: 19


    Penne: 17


    Navy: 18


    Iliad (Ily): 6


    Holy crap. Holy crap, this was actually working. He had to focus on melting himself into the surroundings, folding into the wall and floor color like he had disappeared into the ocean, taking in every inch of light and reflecting it off of his body, but it was working. And as if his imagination wasn''t stretched enough, ignoring all other distractions was a pain in and of itself. For this to work, he had to be totally and utterly focused...and he could tell that he was flickering just by how distracting Navy was. He didn''t know how they hadn''t been caught yet and how Navy could keep up such a calm composure. Dragging him through the halls, Azure really had a chance to feel how smooth this boy''s hands really were. Azure''s were sweating and clammy to the touch no matter what he did. This guy really was perfect. Stupid Navy, he was too distracting for his own good.


    Leading the navy-haired boy through the main floor was nerve-wracking, not only because he was trying to keep his invisibility up, but also because this was the place of his nightmares for the past two weeks. It was almost traumatizing, the flush of emotions and hate towards himself that he had felt in this building. He didn''t want to be back, it made him feel awful. But...


    As he looked back at Navy, he saw the boy wincing and readjusting his hold on the two bags as the course material of the straps rubbed painfully against his burnt hand. I did that, was all Azure could think. I did that to him. So he grabbed the two bags and added them to his free hand, smiling at the weight of all three, making sure that Iliad wasn''t crushed or being bumped up against his leg too fiercely.


    And then they were traveling down the corridor to his wing, and it was eerie seeing it so empty. He would have thought that some of his staff might still be hanging around, but it was barren. Well, it was barren until they came across a sobbing girl in the pool room.


    "Aw gee, Penne," Azure whispered, and Navy looked at him quizzically.


    "Who''s that?" he asked.


    "That''s Penne."


    "Penne!? I''nt that a noodle?" Navy asked, snickering.


    "Well yeah," Azure said, rolling his eyes, "but the only reason her parents named her that is because, as she likes to put it, her dad''s name was Pasta, and her parents wanted to doom her in her social life."


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    At that, Navy tried his best not to laugh out loud, covering his lips with his burnt hand and shaking with laughter. He had such conflicting personalities that it was hard to tell if this was the same person Azure had run into outside. It was hardly the same person that tried to choke him. Even though that was probably just an empty threat...probably...


    Letting go of Navy''s hand, they both suddenly appeared, but Penne was too preoccupied to notice. So he padded up to her quietly, getting quite annoyed with her as he came closer and closer with no sign of recognition. So he set their bags down on the floor, grabbed her from behind, lifted her up, and started carrying her around on his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The moment she felt his hard grip, she gasped, struggling to get out of his grip and yelling, "WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU COME BACK!?"


    "Well, that''s not the nice warm welcome I was expecting," Azure said, grunting as he set her down even though she was practically weightless.


    "The question stands!"


    "Where''s Rav? I need his medical expertise."


    Penne slapped him on the chest to get his attention. "Azure, I love you, but I''m going to need you to ANSWER THE DAMN QUESTION."


    Azure let out a breath, closing his eyes and inhaling deeply. "That is a long and tedious story," he said in a soft monotone voice, deliberately dragging it out so that Penne''s impatience would get the better of her. "I understand if you don''t want to hear it. I''m pretty much the star of the encounter, and all the other characters are monotonous and boring."


    He heard a grunt from behind him but Penne didn''t seem to hear it so he continued.


    "It must have been roughly five seconds after I had left the building and was running at full speed-"


    Penne pressed her hand over his mouth, her eyes dull and bored. "I bet I can guess the rest of the story. A bunch of burly guys chasing you, you''re sprinting down the street heedless of your surroundings when you run into presumably that guy over there. He''s either really buff and takes out the security guys for you, or you somehow inexplicably injure two of them, scaring all the other gurads off. The guy you ran into probably got injured in some way because of your stupidity and lack of judgement, and so carelessly, you proposed the idea of returning to the company where you knew there would be allies and medical supplies." Looking from one to the other, she asked dully, "Did I get it right?"


    Azure didn''t say anything, only grinning at her like a proud older brother. She sighed, standing up and placing an arm around his shoulder, which was, Azure knew, a somewhat effective scare tactic when it came to his love-life. A glint of recognition sparked in Penne''s eyes when she laid sight on Navy, and standing on her tiptoes, she whispered into Azure''s ear, "Well, well, well, look at the pretty fish you''ve hooked~"


    Azure pushed her away blushing, and all the while, Navy just looked on, something like sadness creeping over his expression. But he had a lifetime of masking skill, and not an ounce of expression leaked onto his face after he realized that it was there.


    "So Penne''s your girlfriend."

 I Can Do So Much Better

    Azure: 19


    Penne: 17


    Navy: 18


    They both burst out laughing, and Navy''s hope was restored.


    "Oh my...oh my GOD!!!!" Azure cackled, slapping his knee while Penne laughed a very unlady-like laugh, snorting and wheezing and sounding like she was dying.


    "I CAN DO SO MUCH BETTER THAN HIM!!!" Penne laughed, earning a smack to the head.


    "Now that''s just rude, Honey."


    He somehow said that with a straight face, which just made them crack up even more, until they were devolving piles of giggles on the floor.


    "What just happened." Navy said, his gaze blank and close to confusion.


    Both Penne and Azure sat up at the sound of his voice, Penne poking him with her elbow and wiggling her eyebrows suggestively as he attempted to explain the situation.


    "I grew up with Penne. But she''s more of a little sister to me than anything. And she really is a little idiot. I don''t understand how anyone could put up with her. She''s probably scooped out poor Rav''s eardrums by now, poor baby, you really should be more cognizant of your surroundings when you go screaming about a hot shirtless guy on tv~"


    Staring at him blankly, Penne punched him in the shoulder, barely flinching as he started rolling around on the floor in mock pain.


    "I see it now..." mumbled Navy, grinning a bit while trying to hide it.


    "So. Care to tell me a story, Navy?"


    Now this girl knew his name too. How? When? Where? Why? Technically he could ask all these questions, but his hand hurt and this girl was very loud, and he wanted to get this encounter over with so he could move on to more fun things.


    "You got most of it. Azure ran into me. Got hauled away by some guys. We made some magic stuff happen and *poof* somehow he dragged me in here."


    Penne simply nodded and flicked her gaze from one to the other before the pieces clicked and she gasped. "MAGIC!? Like MAGIC MAGIC!? DOES THAT MEAN YOU CAN SAVE THE COMPANIES!?!?"


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    She was so...enthusiastic...whoever Rav was, Navy felt sorry for them...


    "Well...uh...I don''t know. Navy doesn''t seem all that...inclined towards wordly matters right now," Azure said, rubbing the back of his head and trying his best to keep Navy on good terms with Penne while also admitting that Navy basically didn''t care that the world was destroying itself.


    Grinning the grin that meant she was mad and wanted to look terrifying because of it, Penne stood up and started pushing Azure across the floor towards Navy, pushing Azure into Navy''s legs and causing them to fall on top of each other. Then she ran out of the room, shouting, "Yeah, well, YOU SHOULD MAYBE FIX THAT!" before rounding a corner and disappearing from view. And though neither of them really wanted to, they quickly untangled themselves to sit side by side on the cool tile floor. Neither of them spoke, the tense silence as unbearable as sealing your head in a plastic bag for too long.


    Looking over at Navy, Azure drank in all the details that he had failed to do three years earlier out of embarrassment. This wasn''t a photo. Navy was really here, his navy hair rusting around his head, his silver gaze staring emptily into nothingness. And Azure took in the things that perhaps the photo hadn''t shown...the way the end of his shirt was frayed, as though it had been taken on and off enough to start falling apart, and how if you looked close enough, there were faint freckles dotting the ridge of his nose, but disappearing as soon as they met the edge of his eyes. And how there was dried toothpaste on his lips, making them look extra shiny...


    "Why do you care?" Navy asked abruptly, tearing Azure''s gaze from his lips up to his eyes. "Why do you care so much about what happens to me?"


    Springing to his feet, Azure shouted, "CRAP! Imma go get some burn stuff, be right-"


    But a hand grabbed his wrist, and he basked in the warmth that Navy''s touch brought him. "You can''t go without me, silly. You''ll get caught."


    "Mhm. Yeah..." he mumbled, slipping his hand into Navy''s and dunking into the cool ocean, melting himself into his surroundings by molding the magic around his body the way Navy had told him to.


    So Azure led the way towards the bathroom, where he had his own medical kit in the cupboard. Shutting the door behind him, he sat Navy down on the lid of the toilet, rustling through the cabinet and pulling out the small white container filled with band-aids, anti-itch cream, stuff for sunburns, and "Aha!" There it was, the burn cream. Gently grabbing Navy''s burnt hand, he turned on the tap and let the cool water splash over it as he squirted some cream onto a giant band-aid. Removing Navy''s hand from the sink, he gently cleaned the palm so that the band-aid wouldn''t immediately fall off, applying the oitment before standing back to admire his work.


    "And lookey there! How''s it feel?" he asked, looking down at the boy on the toilet.


    "Mhm..." he mumbled, and Azure lifted up his chin to see an intense blush riding across his face. Navy jerked his chin away from the touch as soon as their gazes met, and Azure sighed. Giving his hand one more pat, Azure grabbed the other one and pulled Navy to his feet, who was still looking at the ground.


    "C''mon," Azure said, smiling warmly. "Why don''t we go do something fun?"

 Red Rover

    Azure: 19


    Penne + Ravioli: 17


    Navy: 18


    Iliad (Ily): 6


    Scallop (Mom) + Pasta (Dad): 46


    "RED ROVER, RED ROVER, SEND PENNE RIGHT OVER!" she hollered as she barreled down the hallway, somehow knowing they were walking down it hand in hand and breaking their connection as soon as her speeding form hit their interlocked hands. Smiling back at them proudly as they shook their arms to ease the pain, she said, "And where do you two think you''re going~"


    Looking between them, Navy pointed down to the cat carrier in his other hand and said, "We''re trying to find somewhere to put Ily while we''re gone."


    Penne gasped, her eyes sparkling as she hopped up and down screaming, "THERE''S A CAT!? LEMME PET IT WHERE IS IT WHAT''S IT''S NAAAAAME!?!?"


    Rubbing the back of his neck and sighing, looking down at his very concerned cat, he carefully set down he bag and unzipped the mesh, taking out the cutest fluff ball that they had ever seen. Azure suddenly understood why Navy was kicking him over this preciouse little ball of fur, because in the exact same situation, Azure would be hollering and screaming and calling random people psychos just to protect that tiny orange thing. "His name is Iliad..." Navy grumbled, the cat meowing skeptically as the scary lady inched towards him, her arms outstretched like a zombie. "He, uh...don''t touch him maybe..." Navy said, but the advice fell on deaf ears as Penne''s hand touched Ily''s soft head, the cat immediately hissing at her and leaping onto her outstretched hand, tearing at it with his fangs like she was a hunk of meat. Which she technically was.


    Pulling her hand away and rubbing it, staring daggers at the cat as he immediately settled right back into Navy''s arms, she said, "Where the Hell are you going to put a thing like that!?"


    Scratching the back of his head guiltily, Azure said, "I was thinking...Ravioli?"


    Penne looked from the cat back up to Azure, her head rapidly spasming between the two of them. "Y''know," she said, clicking her tongue and rubbing her hand again, "I dunno if those two will exactly...see eye to eye, y''know. Seeing as how that thing is a BITING MONSTER and my brother is a SWEET INNOCENT LITTLE BABY."


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    Staring at her sheepishly, Azure just said, "But he''s older-"


    "I WANT NON''A THAT!" she shouted, stomping off towards the suite they shared with their parents.


    "So are we going...?" Navy asked skeptically, petting Iliad from behind the ears and apologizing under his breath for the ''scary woman.''


    Sighing, Azure grabbed his hand and dragged him along. "I s''pose so. C''mon."


    Leading Navy up at least five flights of stairs was exhausting, but not as bad as the dare Penne had given him that one time where he had to climb all 1,134 stairs and back like five times in an hour. Reaching the fifth floor, the floor where all the staff lived off-shift with their families, Azure found his way quite easily through the twisting hallways, finding Penne standing exasperated in front of her door, motioning them inside and mumbling, "Took ya long enough."


    "Penne? Is that you?" her mother called from inside, coming to the door and bumping into the two invisible boys, letting out a little yip until they revealed themselves. Then she smiled, a warm motherly smile, and she said in a happy voice, "Oh Azure, it''s been too long." Embracing him as Navy stood by awkwardly to watch, she added, "It''s so good to see you in high spirits, honey," giving him one last squeeze and letting go before setting her eyes on Navy. "And who''s this?"


    "This is Navy! We were wondering if you could cat-sit," Azure interjected before Penne could say anything negative.


    "Cat-sit?" a gruff voice asked, and Penne''s mother sighed, looking over her shoulder at her husband. "Pasta, you''ll be fine. That was one time."


    "''One time,'' she says," he grumbled, motioning emphatically at the long scars on his arm, Navy noting where Penne''s enthusiasm came from. "DOES THIS LOOK LIKE ONE TIME TO YOU!?"


    "That was a tiger, dear, and this is a sweet housecat."


    Poking his head in, Rav''s face lit up at the sight of Azure, and he ran into him, hugging him tightly before glaring at his sister, who just shrugged.


    "Who''s this?" Navy asked, ruffling the boy''s hair and smiling warmly.


    "My twin brother Ravioli," Penne said, scooting by them to sit next to her dad on the couch, laying her legs in his lap until he pushed them off. "And mom, that cat is anything but ''sweet.''"


    "SEE!? SEE!? ALL CATS ARE MENACES TO SOCIETY AND NEED TO BE-" but seeing his son pet the thing so gently, the sparkle in his eyes and smile on his face that they so rarely saw, he simply sighed and said, "Leave the cat and get the Hell out."


    Azure gave Navy a fistbump and Navy gently set the cat down on the carpeted floor, Ravioli sitting down with it and rubbing it gently. Penne, getting off the couch and leaping over her brother and the cat, quickly pushed both Azure and Navy out the door as her father screamed, "AND YOU BETTER COME BACK FOR THIS DAMNED THING!!!"

 I Dont Know

    Azure: 19


    Penne: 17


    Navy: 18


    Tweed: 18


    Mr. Klein: 43


    "So. Where are you two going exactly?" Penne asked, following them through the halls and stairs, bumping into them now and again since she didn''t exactly know where they were because they were trying to be as stealthy as possible.


    "...don''t...exactly...know..." Azure mumbled, and Navy threw up his hands, rendering them visible for a split second before they reconnected.


    "HOW COULD YOU NOT KNOW!?" he bellowed, his voice echoing throughout the stairwell. Then he clicked his tongue, mimicking Azure, "Let''s go do something fun, c''mon, it''s gonna be great!!! Ugh."


    "Hey, hey, hey...I was going to burn that bridge as we came to it!"


    As they bickered, Penne was suddenly reminded of the smooth, vanilla-y, cookie dough filled milkshakes that she hadn''t had in weeks. After slurping up two every day for the past five years, shaping her cravings to sweet, and only sweet things, these past two weeks had been torture as she had tried to sustain herself only on cookies and weird flavored juice boxes instead of her marvelous milkshakes with fine company. She honestly didn''t know how she didn''t have diabetes yet.


    "You''re in luck!" she said perkily, feeling out their positions as they walked down to the first floor, wrapping her arms around their shoulders the best she could. "Because I happen to know the best boba shop in all of New York City. Don''t thank me!"


    But before she could get another word out, she nearly spit out her non-existant water as they both said in unison, "What''s boba?"


    "OH MY GOD, I''M GOING TO SHOW YOU!" she said, pushing them across the lobby and getting various looks from employees, shoving them out the door and dragging them down the streets of New York until they arrived at the mystery place that she had been preaching to them about. "IT''S THE BEST PLACE IN THE WORLD!!!!" she screeched, bolting inside. Shrugging, they both followed her, their hands faintly brushing because they wanted the contact but didn''t need to be invisible.


    When they entered, they found her leaning against the counter, talking nonchalantly with the blond-haired guy at the register. She wordlessly passed him a ten-dollar-bill, and he immediately turned around to start making something for her, while she was still babbling on about things no one could guess.


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    Turning around to resume conversation with her as whatever she had ordered was being made, he looked surprised to see the two of them standing there. "Oh!" he said, a mix between a smile and a frown on his face. "You brought...friends."


    "Yep!" she said, grinning. "And that''s all they are! Friends! They''re my best friends! Couldn''t do anything without them! I''ve told you about Azure before, that''s him right there. And that guy- well, that guy is a total creep, I don''t even know where he came from, but you gotta love a guy for that, don''t''cha!?"


    The blond smiled warmly, his orange eyes never leaving her face as he took in every word she was saying.


    "Don''t have many customers today, do ya?" she asked, still leaning against the counter.


    "Do we ever?" he asked softly, turning back around and bringing her a milkshake. And Azure suddenly rememberd; she always had one of those in her hand before Dad had died. He had asked about it once or twice, but she had always answered really vaguely, saying things like "''s from a friend," or completely diverting the subject, answering, "They''re really good, wanna sip?" He smiled at her cheekily and suddenly knew why. She had wanted this guy all to herself.


    "Oh, how rude of me, I haven''t even introduced you!" she said, ruffling his hair and turning back towards Azure and Navy. "This is Tweed! His mom and dad run the shop and his apartment bills spiked a couple years ago, so he''s been helping out for the past few years!! Ain''t that right, Tweed?"


    "Mhm.." he said, brushing down his hair and smiling at her.


    "He''s very shy," she whispered, turning back around and grinning at him, slurping her milkshake and moving out of the way so that Azure and Navy could order something if they wanted.


    "Tweed, quick question..." Azure said, staring him dead in the eyes until the orange irises got uncomforatable and looked away, "What''s boba though?"


    "I believe I can help you with that," said a gruff voice from the back, and a tall man came out, slapping his hands together before patting his son on the back. "Why don''t you take a break, Tweety?"


    Penne snickered. "Tweety..." Tweed glowered at her before running into the back and snagging a weird looking thing with a mass of black at the bottom, stabbing a straw into the top and sliding over the counter before placing a hand on Penne''s shoulder and leading her to a seat.


    "You kids don''t know what boba is?" the tall man asked, giving off an aura of power. But his expression brightened right away as he said, "That''s ok! It''s not for everyone. Bubble tea, or boba, is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. It most commonly consists of tea accompanied by chewy tapioca balls, but it can be made with other toppings as well such as grass jelly, aloe vera or red bean." He grinned at their befuddled expressions before Penne called out, "HE GOOGLED IT AND SAYS IT TO IMPRESS PEOPLE."


    Slamming his fist on the table, fake tears streaming down his face, he shouted, "PENNE WHY WOULD YOU BETRAY ME LIKE THIS!?!?"


    "Sorry Mr. Klein~" she said, without an ounce of regret on her face.


    Looking up from the counter and smiling as though none of that had really happened, the man, who''s name was apparently Mr. Klein, simply asked, "So, what would you boys like?"

 Be Careful

    Azure: 19


    Penne: 17


    Navy: 18


    Tweed: 18


    "EEEEWWW what IS this!!!??" Azure asked, gagging and clutching at his throat, sliding his cup towards Navy who was staring intently at the pink-colored liquid sloshing around in his own. "WHAT ARE THESE!?!? THEY TASTE LIKE SLUGS!!!"


    Penne just shrugged. "Should''a gotten a milkshake. I promise they taste better." Tweed squeezed her shoulder, slurping from his own giant straw, happily watching the two boys on the other side of the table make faces of disagreement.


    "I s''pose you just don''t like tapioca, then," he said, poking at the layer of black balls coating the bottoms of their cups.


    "Ugh, it makes my head hurt..." Navy groaned, sliding Azure''s back over to the groaning boy next to him. Then, thinking better of it, he grabbed both and slid them over the table to Tweed. "Y''know what? Take ''em, Tweed. Enjoy." Then he grabbed the sleeve of Azure''s t-shirt, dragged him out of the chair, and pulled him towards the door.


    "Bye you two~" Penne waved, happily slurping her milkshake and leaning against Tweed. "I''ll see y''all later~"


    Once they were out the door, Azure looked over at Navy with a cocky grin on his face. "Well, you really wanted to get out of there, huh? Did you just really not like the boba or s''mthin''? Hmmmm!?"


    Taken aback, Azure just stared at him before grinning and dragging him off. "I know what we should do! C''mon!!"


    As Navy was getting tugged along, he wrapped his arms around Azure''s shoulder, whispering into his ear, "Do you actually know where we''re going this time?"


    Shoving him away and grunting, Azure said, "Yes, in fact I do." Retracing their steps back to the companies and grasping tightly to each other as soon as their feet hit company soil, Azure pulled Navy through his wing to the pool room where they had found Penne the first time they returned to the company. As soon as they were inside, Navy glancing at the water nervously and wondering if they were going swimming, his thoughts were interrupted by the quick, fluid motion of Azure taking off his shirt.


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    Blushing and averting his gaze, Navy cried out, "W-what are you doing!?"


    Looking down at himself and seemingly realizing for the first time that he didn''t have a shirt on, Azure said, "Oh. I wanted to go swimming." Looking back up and eyeing Navy quizzically, he said, "Is that a problem? Do you need trunks or s''mthin''?"


    Navy looked over and immediately regretted it, because Azure was sliding his belt out of the loops and unzipping his jeans to reveal swim trunks underneath. Why he had them on was a good question, but all Navy could do was stare at the belt clutched in his fist, a cold sweat bubbling along his skin as he completely forgot about the question. Looking down to see what Navy was staring to intensly at, Azure started swinging the belt around, and Navy flinched each and every time it flipped through the air. Not seeming to notice, Azure flashed him a cocky grin, bringing the belt back down to his side and saying, "Be carefuly, or I just might whip you with it~"


    It was harmless. It meant nothing, It was playful banter. It was...


    It was...


    ...what...?


    Everything was dull. The light was blurred, the sound was blocked out, and gravity was crushing down on him like the weight of a school bus. And all Navy could do was stare at that... thing hanging limply by Azure''s side.


    Azure wouldn''t.


    He...


    He wouldn''t...?


    Azure was saying something...was it...important...? But then everything suddenly became taller and Azure was running towards him, and that awful thing was getting so much closer.. it felt like it was squeezing around his neck, whipping against his back, but Azure would never do that, he would never, he would never, he would never, he would never...


    It brushed his leg and Navy screamed. Azure was going to hurt him, he was going to beat him, he was going to do everything Moon had. Navy had to get away, get away, run while he could, run before it clamped around his neck, closed around his legs, kept him from running away, kept him in the confines of the room...


    He didn''t even know he had stood up, didn''t know that he had started running, only knew that Azure was going to hurt him and he had to get away... faces streamed by, shouts called out, but Azure was going to hurt him, he was going to beat him, he had to get away...!


    And so Navy ran to the only place he had ever called home.

 No

    Azure: 19


    Navy: 18


    No, no. No, no, no.


    "ILY!" he was screaming, but he didn''t remember where his cat was. "ILY!" People turned to look at him as he ran by, screaming at nothing, running from something that was no longer there. But Azure was coming...he was coming...


    He felt it on his back. Heard his father screaming at him. Heard the sound of his own flesh tearing apart. Azure was going to whip him. Azure was going to scream at him. Azure was going to tear his flesh to shreds. He felt it against his skin, that cool, steely buckle. He felt it relentlessly...he heard his father whisper that if he ever showed anyone his back, next time would be much, much worse. And all he could see was Azure approaching him with that thing in his hand, whispering that he was going to beat him and wouldn''t stop until he was...


    "ILY!!!!!" he screamed to the wind. Where was he? It was high. Oh. He was on the roof. He wanted his cat. He wanted to swim. He wanted to feel the water against his body like he had felt when he was eight...he wanted to feel ok...and as he clawed at his back, trying to rip off the scars that reminded him, digging his fingers into the bloody, oozing wounds his father had created the day before, what was he supposed to do? He had nowhere to go now. They would find him everywhere. They would beat him and beat him and beat him and beat him and BEAT-


    "Navy...?"


    He screamed, finding solid contact and pushing, the other boy screaming as he was thrown off balance, pushed off the edge of the 54-floored building.


    All Navy heard was the wind. His eyes flying open, he found the edge, where the boy was desperately hanging, his elbows over the sides, his hands looking for something, anything to pull himself up. But in the gaze of Azure, all Navy saw was fear. Fear that was pleading for his help. Fear of dying and fear of...fear of Navy. There was no... there was no anger...Moon was always angry. But all Navy could see was the belt, the belt the belt, all Navy could feel was the belt, the belt, the belt.


    He really needed his cat.


    "NAVY!" Azure screamed as the wind buffetted his face, tears streaming down his cheeks, from the wind or something else, Navy wasn''t quite sure. But as he saw the struggling hand, all he could feel were the calloused ones that held him down, held him down as he did anything but try to fight, resigning himself to it before it even began...


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    "NAVY!" he screamed as an elbow slipped, then another, and he screamed and screamed until he let go altogether, and Navy was sure the boy would spiral to his death, except his body moved of its own accord, running over and latching on, grunting from the effort, his face turning red as he dragged him across the roof, felt the clammy hands beneath his. Dad''s hands...Dad''s hands weren''t like that.


    "WHAT THE FORK!!!!" Azure screamed, jumping to his feet and kicking him over and over again. "I COULD HAVE DIED." Realizing what he just said, he placed a hand over his mouth and started laughing hysterically, screaming "I COULD HAVE DIED!!!!!" He bent over and laughed and laughed, his face pale and his eyes bloodshot when he looked back at Navy, and it was like nothing had changed. Like they were still enemies, like they were still broken and useless children who had no right being in this world at all.


    When they locked gazes, Azure''s shiny eyes and quivering body shaking in the wind, he just whispered, "What did I do wrong?" Because of course. Of course he was going to blame himself when Navy literally let him fall off the side of a building. OF COURSE!! What did he do wrong? He did everything wrong. He trusted Navy, that was his downfall. And Navy let him down, just like he always had, and always would. Laughing and crying and screaming, Azure just asked, "WHAT DID I DO WRONG!?"


    And suddenly Navy''s body seized. It was like staring at this boy, this boy who had threatened to hurt him like his father, this boy who had the sweetest smile and kindest heart and stupidest face, made his body break. It was as though Navy was seeing two things at once. He saw the man who could never be his father as he dragged a crippled boy into his office to break him and beat him and break him and beat him. And he saw the boy who had done nothing wrong, who had wanted friendship and only gotten pain. It was like two realities combining, and his soul was stuck between. And something about it just let him crack. All fears, pains, regrets washed off like dirt in the shower until nothing was left but pure, unchecked rage, blazing brilliantly hot within his chest, melting a hole through him, blistering every inch of his body as he simmered and burned. It wasn''t the warmth he had felt when he''d been intertwined with Azure; that was hot chocolate and cuddles and warm fires. This...this was pain and fear and hurt that had all been tucked away neatly behind his mask, building and roiling in his soul until nothing could prevent it from exploding. It was hot and it was fire and it was big and it was going to swallow everything it saw.


    And so this 19-year-old boy and 47-year-old man that was pain and joy and love and fear and hurt and fun and scars and band-aids was the perfect target.


    That was when Navy learned that with enough anger, their powers could do anything.

 Blistering Wounds

    Azure: 19


    Navy: 18


    Two blistering hot fireballs were being shot at his head, and Azure had no idea why. The look of rage on Navy''s face was all-encompassing, driving out any other emotion and blinding him to any rational ways of communication. And Azure wanted to understand why; he wanted to be able to understand what he had done wrong, where it had all started, and why this was happening, but in the heat of the moment, what was he supposed to do? Let himself die? He had already made the mistake of trusting Navy in the first place; and now that he was trying to kill him, he couldn''t just calmly accept the fact and try to peacefully deal with the situation all in the name of friendship. If he wanted to survive, he needed to fight back. And as he stared at the melting balls of heat and the glowering boy behind them, he sighed, letting his emotions flow through him in waves of pain and anger and fear. And since he could do nothing else, he let them take control, allowing them to move his body in ways he himself never could, giving him the blistering power Navy had just thrown towards him.


    They were turning into their fathers, and there was nothing they could do to stop it. All they could hope was to save their homes from the blistering fires blazing from within, something their fathers had failed to do.


    It hurt. His hands were peeling, his feet were scraped and bloody, his face was red and itchy, but he couldn''t stop. His body couldn''t focus on those things; all Azure could focus on was the navy-haired, silver-eyed boy across from him as he hurled power ten times his body''s natural capacity to hold. All he could focus on was that boy''s swirling and twisting body as he avoided and deflected and dodged every. Single. Shot. His mind was crying with anger and relief, battling himself when he needed to be focused on battling Navy. Navy was quick, agile, and smart, knowing exactly where and when to strike, dodging everything Azure could throw at him and divulging more strikes than Azure could counter, all the while growling and shouting, screaming profanities that not even he himself could understand.


    The roof of Dusk Co. was utterly destroyed. The floor was black and charred, all the supplies that had been decorating the edges simply melted or gone up in flames. The cement was blistering hot and oozing, and who knew how long it would remain substantial. Their shoes had melted and caught fire long ago, their shirts and pants singed and falling apart from the many close calls and heat emanating from the ground. Their eyes watered, their skin peeled, their hair singed, but neither of them would give up. Neither would let go until one of them was dead.


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    Their anger was going to push them right over the edge.


    And as the pain scarfed up Azure''s right leg, his ankle giving out and sending him sprawling to the floor, Navy hung over him, victorious as he gathered the heat in his hand, laughing maniaclly and grabbing Azure''s collar in his hand, spitting into his face, "How''s it feel to be on the recieving end, OLD MAN!!??" he asked, growling into Azure''s face. The face that had simply given up, accepted its fate and embraced the heat sucking at him from all sides. Azure realized that nothing had changed. They weren''t any better or worse than their fathers. They were exactly the same. That was the way of the world, wasn''t it? Navy had said so himself; trust wasn''t a thing. It was in mankind''s nature to destroy and hurt and decieve, and no one person could rewrite human DNA to make it any different. Why should they be any exemption? Why should they be any better than the rest of the world? Perhaps they were just the gateway to a new existence; one of no wars, no pain, and no deception. Perhaps if everyone died...


    Something better could start.


    And so Azure stared up at Navy''s hands and the heat held within, the heat that would end his life. And he smiled. Because maybe they could change it. If not in life, then in death. Just maybe...


    But something went wrong. The searing pain that should''ve hit his neck, or his face, or his chest hit somewhere else entirely. Azure screamed as it burned through his shoulder, shaking and twitching and rolling on the ground, trying futilely to make it stop. He felt the looming presence over him shift, looking up to see Navy sprinting to the other side of the roof, opening the door and slamming it shut behind him. And through the pain, Azure recognized the bittersweetness of it; he was alive. Such a shame. Everything would have been better if he simply hadn''t existed at all...perhaps if he just let everything die...perhaps that would be better for everyone. Because of course no one could be truly happy, could they? Not with the curses laid upon humanity. Not with the anger and deceit and failure laced into the core of everyone''s being. No one could truly be happy. They were all so...insignificant. They didn''t matter. Everyone could die and no one would matter. Something better would come. Just like it had at the very beginning. Sun and Moon had tried, but ultimately, everything always fails, doesn''t it? That''s the beauty of death; it''s just another failure. A failure to live. In the end, everything is a failure.


    And so shaking with effort, Azure stood up. He wobbled over to the edge of the building, smiling as he looked down at the spot where he had so desperately clug on. He should have just let go...


    Leaping the gap, he made his way over to the entrance of the building. Clutching his shoulder and crying, he stumbled along the walls, making his way to the elevators and plugging in the five...


    Everything was dark. He could see, he was sure, but not consciously. He had no idea where he was going until he was there and he slumped unconscious against the door before he could even knock.

 What Happened

    Azure: 19


    Penne + Ravioli: 17


    Iliad (Ily): 6


    Scallop (Mom): 46


    There was something licking his face. He giggled, pushing the furry thing off and petting it, feeling the satisfying vibrations of its purrs rippling through his body.


    "Azure, are you awake," asked a raspy voice, and he opened his eyes. He didn''t want to tear his gaze from the white ceiling, because that would mean he was alive. He didn''t want to be alive. But he was, and so he supposed he would have to face it some time or other. But first, he would accept it through the cat.


    Looking sideways at the fluffy thing nestled against him, he sighed and whispered, "Hi, Ily," petting the beautiful thing under his chin and smiling as he rolled upside down like a dog, his tail brushing up against Azure''s leg.


    A tug on his shirt made Azure look up to see Rav kneeling by his bed, looking disheveled and broken, smiling worridly at him and cocking his head. Looking past him, Azure saw Penne, who had been the one to ask if he was awake.


    She was worse than Ravioli. By a lot. Her hair was matted and greasy, and there were heavy bags under her eyes. She had no makeup on, and all her jewelry was askew, as though they had been haphazardly shoved on only because it was routine. She was pale and slouched, all signs of her normal peppy attitude gone.


    "Mom. He''s awake," she called out in a creaky voice, and her mom immediately came rushing in with a bowl of soup, sitting down on the edge of the bed and feeling his forehead.


    "Azure, what happened?" she asked, and Azure absorbed her motherly personality since he had never had a mother of his own. Not a good one, at least.


    "It...doesn''t...matter..." he whispered, looking down at the purring Ily and trying to forget everything.


    She sighed. "You don''t want to talk about it, I get it. But please don''t push us away, okay Hun? I know it''s been hard for you lately but I''m glad that you''ve got us...and I hope that your other friend will come around soon too... if you''re ready to talk don''t hesitate to, okay?" she asked, kissing his forehead and placing the soup on the endtable. "One of them will help you eat if you want to." Then she stood up and smiled at him, leaving out the doorway.


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    Azure just stared at the soup. He was hardly hungry. He hurt all over, but his mind was blocking it out because he wanted to look strong in front of Rav. Even though that might be a bit hard to do, seeing as he had shown up unconcious at their front door.


    "What. Happened," Penne rasped, not even looking at him as she rubbed her hands together in a calming manor. Looking up and catching his gaze, she whispered, "It was Navy wasn''t it. Please tell me. Please, I need to know if-" she cut herself off, her hands mashing together as she held back tears.


    "Penne, what''s wrong?"


    "What happened!?" she tried to shout, her voice catching before she slumped back down and stared at him through her mat of hair.


    "We just...we just fought a bit..." Azure said, grabbing onto Ravioli''s outstretched hand as he stared at him worridly.


    "B-but the companies-!" she cried, bending over and dissolving into sobs, her brother dislodging from Azure and leaning over her comfortingly. "Th-they need to get better they need to get fixed, if they don''t...!"


    "What happened!?" Azure asked, bolting upright and immediately regretting it, ignoring the pain that shot through his shoulder as he stared at Penne. "How long have I been out!?"


    Ravioli held up four fingers, and Azure slapped his head, groaning. "PENNE, TELL ME WHAT!" he hollered, leaping to his feet and towering over her, shaking her shoulders as she cried and cried and cried.


    "He''s dying!!!" she sobbed, bending over and clutching herself. "HE''S DYING AND NO ONE CAN STOP IT! Only your magic can, only the companies can, but it''s broken, and he''s GOING TO DIE!!!" she screamed, beating against the arms of the chairs and shaking, and knowing who he was, Azure looked over at Ravioli, who pointed at Penne and made a heart with his hands, confirming the worst.


    Stammering, Azure asked quietly, "W-which one does he have...?"


    Looking up and crying, her eyes sparkling and grief written all over her features, she said quietly, "H-he has the B-black D-death..." before she started spasming and shaking, clutching onto him as she sobbed and screamed and beat at whatever she could touch.


    Engulfing her in his arms, he clutched her tightly, and she clutched him back. Caressing her back softly, he whispered into her hair, "Don''t worry. It''s going to be ok, it''s going to be alright, I''m going to fix it, I promise."

 You Are The Reason

    Azure: 19


    Navy: 18


    Moon: (looks) 47


    Navy didn''t know what to do with himself. He had hurt the boy who had done nothing wrong, and now he was...now he was what? Was he ok? Was he dead? Navy could only agonize himself, the pain engulfing him and the guilt tightening around his throat as he tortured himself for three days. He just sat and stared into the distance on the roof, sometimes crying, sometimes muttering, doing anything to distract himself from what he had done. Why had he let himself go crazy? Why had he thought that Azure would do anything to hurt him? WHY?


    He wasn''t hungry. He wouldn''t allow himself to feel the pain. All he let himself do was relive the moment over and over and over again.


    Until the fourth day. Who knew how his father had found out where he was, but a security guard climbed all 54 stories to find him, and so how could Navy waste the man''s cardio workout by not letting him drag him down to see his father?


    They took the elevator, thank God. But it was a small luxury, because as soon as he saw his father waiting in the lobby, he froze with fear. This wasn''t Azure. Moon was actually going to hurt him, and there was nothing Navy could do to stop him. Because Navy could feel none of the anger he had felt yesterday; only the defeat he had been drilling into himself these last three days. And so as the guard deposited him before his father, Navy just bent down and started to pull his shirt off, wanting to get it over with.


    But before he could do anything, Moon grabbed him by the throat and yanked him to his feet, tears streaming down his face as he looked into his son''s eyes. Growling, he said in a shaky voice, "You are the reason that your mother is gone."


    The news was shocking. Not completely unexpected, but shocking.


    Navy had never been allowed to see his mother since she fell ill when he was two. He had never missed her, because his father had always hated him for looking too much like her. Navy had always considered her more a curse laid upon him than a mother. So the news that she was dead hardly phased him. But as soon as Moon let go of him and he toppled to the ground, the man ripping off his singed shirt, Navy started shaking as the words pelted him.


    "You were never good enough to save her," his father growled, and Navy cried out at the sound of his father pulling his belt out of the loops. His father''s hand came down on the back of his neck, holding him in place as the belt came down on his back for the first time. Someone screamed, but his father kept shouting, and that was all Navy heard. "You could never be enough, you are weak and now the whole world knows it." Every time he heard the belt''s inevitable whoosh before it snapped down on his back. And each time, he only flinched, never giving his father the satisfaction of so much as a sound.


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    "Call the police!" someone shouted, but it was drowned out by the pain and the shout of his father, "You are a failure, and I''ve known it since I first laid eyes on you. You are expendable, and you are stupid, and you will never amount to anything because you are too cowardly to face your failure. YOU are the reason your MOTHER IS DEAD!" he screamed.


    And that was when Navy heard it. Not the snap of the belt against his scarred back, but the pad of footsteps and the dry chuckle that followed it. "Cowardly? That''s rich." That voice... but why would he come back?


    His father''s grip on his neck loosened, and Navy looked over to see Azure, bandaged and shirtless, striding into the room and standing before his father. Moon screamed, "WHAT!?" advancing upon Azure, but all Navy could do was shake and crumple to the ground.


    Azure just shrugged and said, "Well, the only cowardice I see here is a man too prideful to bring his wife to be healed by the enemy company. Didn''t you know my father could eradicate cancer? Well, of course you knew. How could you not? You probably paid everyone treating her to keep it a secret from her, knowing that she would hate you if she knew she could be healed. But you were selfish. You wouldn''t let yourself be beaten by Sun, would you? You simply couldn''t admit defeat in that way, could you? And now you''re blaming your son for her death, calling your son the coward? When all you had to do was ask for help!? You are pathetic."


    "NO!" Navy screamed as his father leaped, clawing at the boy''s chest, ripping at him and slapping him with the belt over and over again. But he didn''t want to stand, couldn''t bring himself to do it, closing his eyes and sobbing as the footsteps rushed by, the scuffle quickly diminishing until his father was screaming, "LET ME GO, LET ME GO YOU BASTARDS! I PAY YOU, LET ME GO!" Navy opened his eyes to see the security guards grabbing onto his father, forcing him to the ground and ripping the belt out of his hands, the room suddenly flooding with sirens and policemen rushing around. But Navy wanted nothing to do with them, and Azure seemed to know it. Sprinting over to him, he helped him to his feet, barely glancing his way before slinging his arm over his shoulder and helping him out one of the side entrances.


    They limped through a back alley, sliding down a wall and sitting on the hard ground. Navy just shook, his back burning, trying to keep himself in a position where nothing would hurt, but the pain was flaring up everywhere. But that wasn''t the problem.


    "I''m sorry," he whispered, hanging his head. "I don''t want to turn into my father."


    Feeling the hand under his chin, Azure turned his head so they could see eye to eye and whispered back, "I don''t either."


    Navy smiled, and Azure smiled back, a warmness emanating from both.


    "Let''s change it then."

 Epliogue

    Azure: 22


    Penne+Ravioli: 20


    Navy: 21


    Iliad (Ily): 9


    Tweed: 21


    Snap: 2


    "What time are we meeting them downstairs?" Navy called out from their room, rustling around in the closet for something halfway presentable to wear, since he hated almost every article of clothing that Azure possessed.


    Looking at the small clock in the kitchen, Azure kicked back his feet on the wooden table, eating coco puffs with no milk while swiping through his texts to find the exact time. "Uhhhhhhhh 12:30," he said, stopping on the text and grinning. Navy came bounding out of the other room, his pants unzipped and falling off, his arms caught in the tank top he was desperately yanking on.


    "AZURE, IT IS 12:30!!" he shouted, struggling to get the shirt on over his head. Sighing and standing up, Azure calmly walked over to him, rearranging his arms so they slid properly through the holes and kissing him on the cheek.


    "I know," he said happily, booping Navy on the nose before returning to his cereal.


    "I would''ve gotten up sooner if you hadn''t been clinging onto me and saying we weren''t meeting them until like five."


    "Details, details," Azure said, waving it off and plunging his face into the bowl to lick out the remaining crumbs. "Besides, do you honestly think that they''re going to be on time!? Likely not. I would be surprised if they were. Completely and utterly shocked, actually. Penne''s probably doing the same thing I''m doing right now, and Tweed''s probably stressing about it like you, and you know what? We''re both going to arrive at the same exact time because we live right next to each other." Azure motioned at the door, which led out to the small hallway between the four apartments that were snugly fit on top of the boba shop. Tweed''s parents had long been considering the idea of building an apartment on top of their shop, mostly just because they wanted to live close by and because they didn''t exactly need that much space to live in, but learning of Navy and Azure''s predicament and knowing how their son had a lot of financial problems, they gave in and built the four small rooms. One room was for Navy and Azure, one for Penne and Tweed, one was for them, and the other was for Ravioli. The twins'' parents had wanted anything but an apartment, settling comfortably into a small house about an hour away from the city. But it wouldn''t be an apartment if they didn''t pay rent, but that was fine by everyone because the Kleins were the best landlords you could find in the city.


    Grabbing Navy''s waist as he tried to head for the door, Azure threw him back into the kitchen, saying, "Grab that brown jacket in my closet, it''ll look cute. Or at least tie something around your waist, it''ll tie everything together, I promise." Sighing and obliging because he knew they wouldn''t be able to leave unless he did what Azure told him to, Navy called out from the bedroom, "Save s''mthin'' for me, eh? I don''t want to have a boba for lunch."


    "You sure you want cereal though?" Azure asked, ruffling through the cabinets and opening the fridge. "''Cuz we ain''t got no more."


    "You hog," Navy spit, coming out of their room with a black jacket tied around his waist. "I''ll hafta go shopping. Just toss me that apple, would''ja?"


    Azure chucked the apple across the room before grabbing his hat and slapping it on, grabbing the keys to the apartment (even though there was really no point), and locking the door behind them. And wouldn''t you know, they heard the clomping of footsteps on the stairs as Penne and Tweed made their way downstairs as well. Stabbing him with his elbow, Azure just gave Navy the ''I told you so'' look, which was met with an eyeroll and a punch to the shoulder as he chomped down on his apple.


    Ravioli had, of course, been waiting there for at least thirty minutes, quietly drinking the mango boba he drank almost as insistently as Penne drank her milkshakes. Thank God he had saved them a booth though, because there were people all over. Penne and Tweed were already in line, about to order their usuals, and Navy pushed Azure towards the booth Rav was sitting in, saying, "I''ll get ''em."


    Sitting down across from Rav, Azure immediately asked, "How''s Snap been doing lately?"


    Snap was Rav''s kitten. She was a fluffy gray Norwegian forest cat, and all of them had gotten her for Rav on his nineteenth birthday. Ily, it seemed, had taken a liking to her, and they often found Snap randomly appearing in their apartment, unable to fathom just how she had gotten inside. And there were times, like this morning, when Ily was nowhere to be seen, and they could only assume he had slipped out somehow and was mingling with Snap and Rav in the apartment across from them.


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    Rav gave two thumbs up, pulling out his phone and swiping through the photos he had recently taken, the fondness and love emanating from him a clear sign that they should have gotten him a cat much sooner. Before Azure could ask about anything else, Penne slammed her milkshake down on the table next to her brother, sliding in with Tweed right beside her. Eventually, Navy made his way over too, handing Azure his chocolate milkshake while sipping on his own tapioca-free, boba-full matcha.


    Slurping in silence for a bit, Azure caught Penne and Tweed looking at each other and nodding before Penne grabbed both Azure and Navy''s hand, looking back and forth between them and asking, "I know it''s been a while, but you never exactly told us. How did you do it?" She twiddled her fingers as neither of them responded, and Tweed took her hands in his, looking at both of them respectively.


    "I would like to know," he said quietly, smiling calmly to help soothe Penne''s inner panic.


    Looking at each other, Navy sighed, nodding his head at Azure and gripping his hand under the table. It was not a day either of them remembered fondly, even though it was the day they ''saved'' humanity.


    Speaking softly and rubbing Navy''s hand under the table, Azure spoke. "Do you know what happened in Dusk Co. that day?" On the other end of the table, all three of them nodded and Azure sighed with relief. It had probably been all over the news, but they hadn''t wanted any part of it. All they had wanted was peace and quiet, but they never would have gotten it. "Ok," Azure said, squeezing Navy''s hand and continuing. "We both ran out the side entrance after that, because neither of us really wanted to be in the public eye, which I feel is understandable, given the circumstances. We knew that neither of us wanted to become our fathers in that way, but that we were slowly morphing into them. And so the only way to keep that from happening entirely...and to keep the overwhelming anger and pain from taking over us...was to somehow had to get rid of the magic.


    "It''s kind of sad, considering how all our lives, the one thing we had wanted was magic. But now," he said, placing his hand on his chest and Navy''s along with it, "don''t you think we''re so much better off? Just leading a normal life like we''d always wanted...?" Tears were streaming down Navy''s cheeks, and Azure put an arm around him, continuing with the story as their friends looked at them with only empathy carved out on their features.


    "It''s what everyone remembers as ''The Pulse.'' The wave of magic that eradicated disease from anyone who had it, restoring the health of the sick and dying, though not destroying the diseases in their entirety. After all, we''re only two people. Disease slowly started integrating itself back into society, but that''s the natural way of the world, and we had no place to disrupt it. Father Nature will do what Father Nature will do, and who were we to stop him? And so after ''The Pulse,'' with all of our magic dispelled into healing the world, we were finally free. Free from the ever-shadowing prescense of our fathers, free from the responsibilities the world cast upon us, free from our own expectations. This was how the world was always meant to be; Sun and Moon were mearly an impediment in the natural way of life. And after that, we just stayed there in that alley, not fully able to heal ourselves, the scars all still so apparent, the blazing reminders of who we were."


    Looking down at their intertwined hands, Azure gently brushed Navy''s chin and the boy looked towards him. "But we''re all together now, that''s what matters, mm?" Pecking him on the lips, Azure looked back towards the rest of them.


    "We let the companies fall apart after that. We sort of disappeared for a while, didn''t we? We just wanted to see the city for how it truly was, and so for about a week, we kind of just scattered about, didn''t we? No one knew where we were or what had happened to us, all they knew was that they were healed, and so they stopped looking for us. And that was when we came back to you guys. The only place I could think to look was here, and sure enough, there you all were! It''s a small world, innit."


    "Awwww, you guys are cute," Penne said, taking one of Navy''s hands and one of Azure''s, smiling at them while Ravioli clapped and smiled and Tweed just looked thankful.


    "And now we''re great, right!? Lotsa therapy, fake identities, the whole shebag! It''s great," Navy said, slurping up his boba and chewing on the chocolate balls.


    And after that, they just told stories. Embarrassing stories about each other, embarrassing stories about themselves, random things they had picked up from the internet. It just felt good to laugh with friends, drink with friends, be normal with friends.


    All their lives there had been something missing. Something they had been looking for. Something they had been desperately trying to find, something that their fathers had been searching for before them. Something warm and happy and bright that both had found, but only one would keep.


    They had finally found their family.

 (Extra1) Under The Moon

    Moon: (looks) 27


    Lilac: 28


    With sudden clarity, Moon was hit with the fact that this was an egregious mistake. He had convinced himself that this would be different than the multitude of other times he had tried, and yet, once again, these deceptions had only led him into regret. And so shoving himself through the crowd and mumbling apologizes as people he didn¡¯t have the effort to remember the names of patted him on the back and asked him strange questions he didn¡¯t even bother to respond to, he made his way to the elevator, which was off limits to everyone but him. Fools could take the stairs, hoping to make their way up to the roof and the magnificent view it promised, but, he laughed, of course they would never make it. His security team made sure of that.


    The ride was as smooth as butter, the mechanisms not so much as creaking, and the only reason he was aware he had made it to the top of his building was because the doors softly slid open, revealing the glass-windowed meeting rooms where the discussions of utmost importance were held. Briskly walking past and not so much as batting an eye towards the dark, abandoned rooms, he made his way to the fire escape, brushing past his security and pushing open the heavy door, only now craving something alcoholic. Sighing as he climbed up the stairs and heaved the second door open, he threw himself at one of the many crates decorating the roof, ignoring the pops of the wood as he leaned his back against the sturdy concrete of the door fixture he had just pushed through.


    Rubbing his temples and melting into the wall behind him, some unbidden anger came boiling up his throat for no apparent reason, and he lashed out at whatever uncomfort he could find quickest, ripping of the stuffy blazer he had shoved himself into in hopes of looking presentable and chucking it off the 54 story building with a scream of rage. He hated parties. Why he had thought it was a good idea to host one on the anniversary of Dusk Co.¡¯s debut was utterly unfathomable, but it had seemed like an ingenious plan when he had thought it up. He really didn¡¯t learn from his mistakes, did he?


    Panting as he looked out at the night, feeling the brisk wind stick the thin fabric of his shirt to his goosebump-riddled skin, ignoring the wind as it tossed and knotted his hair, its invisible hands feeling across his scalp and implanting who knew what into the silver strands, he was suddenly hit with such an excruciating thought that the mere presence of it seemed to burn his brain, making his eyes water and his hands shake, though either might¡¯ve been from the cold.


    He was alone.


    And of course he had known this the eons he had spent running his company, but he had always been urged to keep moving by the incessant, inexplicable knowing. Just knowing that there was something coming soon. Just knowing that all his hard work was going to pay off in the near future. And yet this knowing could not help him now that he had realized such an awful truth; he would be alone forever, there was no way around it. His immortality carried him away from the things most familiar, until he didn¡¯t even recognize the world he stood in. There was nothing to tether him here, nothing to keep him from watching as the world destroyed itself slowly but surely. There was nothing he could do but watch, because he was alone.


    Nary a thought dared traverse the emptiness of his mind after that. He made his way back downstairs in silence. When the elevator doors open, he watched the crowd in front of him part like the Red Sea, allowing him to go in any way he could possibly choose. He sidled past them all, ignoring the friendly greetings that those giving them hoped would cause him to stop and chat, making a beeline straight towards his office, where he opened his door, stepped inside, and slammed it shut without so much as a word.


    He left the lights off. He soaked in the darkness like it was a part of him, breathing it in and breathing it out as it spread through his veins, infecting him, tearing at him-


    Something clattered off his desk. That was when he sensed it; something wasn¡¯t right here. Flicking on the lights, expecting to find perhaps a rodent scurrying across his desk, something easily taken care of, he was utterly appalled to see just what quality his office was in; valuables of all kinds had been stripped from the walls, large dents and cuts in their wooden panels each telling stories of their own. That one told of the award that had been pried from its frame, that one explained an angry stroke as a gem refused to part from its socket, and the dark silhouette under the desk? That explained where all of it had gone.


    Seeming to understand that they had gotten caught, the shadow bolted, plucking any other valuables they could lay their hands on and sprinting towards the window, a hole in the panes telling of how they had gotten in in the first place. Tsking, Moon rubbed his hands together, producing a thin rope of fire from his anger that he immediately looped around the thief¡¯s leg just as they slid out the window, pulling it so tight they let out a cry of pain and dropped everything they had been carrying. As he yanked on the thread, the transgressor was pulled back in through the window, desperately trying to rid their leg of the thread, to which Moon just laughed. ¡°Escaping¡¯s futile,¡± he said harshly, standing over the writhing figure as it tried everything it could to get away. Pulling a gun from a holster, they immediately let out a yelp of pain as the scolding barrel burned a mark across their hand, the weapon skidding across the floor of the office and out of arm¡¯s reach. Blows started to rain down on Moon¡¯s body as the thief kicked, punched, and slapped him. Growling in annoyance, Moon snapped his fingers, and three more thin strands of fire, much like what he had used to rope the figure in the first place, sprouted out of the ground, wrapping themselves to the limbs and securing them in place as the figure struggled.


    Stooping over the struggling thief, Moon grinned. ¡°Pray tell who dares to steal from Moon? Perhaps you don¡¯t know who I am?¡± When only silence greeted his words, he sighed, tightening the fire strands around the captured limbs until a satisfying sizzling hit the air and the figure started to scream in pain. ¡°Oh! Don¡¯t bother. This room is soundproof,¡± he said, knocking a fist against the wall as if that would prove a point. ¡°No one will hear you through that open window, either. Magic¡¯s fun, isn¡¯t it?¡± Though the screaming had stopped, the thief was still writhing in pain, and Moon sighed, loosening his grip on the threads and saying, ¡°You know, this is incredibly boring. I would prefer to get out of here as soon as possible, I have a party to host, you know.¡±


    When there was still no answer, Moon tsked and reached down, ripping off the black mask covering the majority of the perpetrator¡¯s face. What greeted him was strange. He would¡¯ve thought a man, as sexist as that may have been. While studying the physique and movements of the thief, it was apparent that they knew what they were doing, and he had suspected that this person was a retired military officer. That, or they were part of one of the notorious gangs running rampant through the city. But the purple-haired, lavender-eyed goddess beneath him, a mixture of something hard, hesitant, and afraid shining through her tears, more freckles on her face than hairs on her head he thought, he was shocked, not something you could hear said about Moon very often.


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    ¡°What-?¡± He allowed the shock to take control of him for merely a second before regaining control of himself and clearing his throat. ¡°Who do you think you are, exactly, to come here and steal my personal belongings? Do you know who I am?¡±


    Apparently feeling more vulnerable now that he knew what she looked like, she stammered, ¡°Y-yes, I know who you are, Moon. The r-richest man in the industry. Anyone in their r-right mind w-would want one of those,¡± she said, motioning her head towards the window and the pile of trophies and awards Moon had won over the years. ¡°S-someone¡¯s bound t-to pay good m-money for that, right?¡±


    Crossing his arms, he looked down at her. ¡°So that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing this for? Money? Aren¡¯t there much better ways to get money than by stealing?¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°N-no, not money. B-Bermuda H-H-Hellf-fire said that if I w-wanted to see my f-f-family again I h-had t-to bring them s-something v-very valuable¡­ they w-wanted something of y-yours¡­¡± She grimaced as the tears leaked down her face, perhaps resigning herself to whatever fate was destined to come to pass. Moon would surely turn her in; that, or he would just straight up kill her. She would never see her family again.


    What she had not expected him to say was, ¡°You¡¯re smart.¡±


    Snapping her head back to him, her eyes filling with some emotion he couldn¡¯t decipher, a question in her gaze, he kept going, his voice placid and aloof, trying to hide the other emotions broiling beneath. ¡°You must¡¯ve planned this for a while, huh? The party,¡± he laughed darkly. ¡°I should¡¯ve expected something like this to happen eventually.¡± Because for some inexplicable reason, he trusted her. He perhaps knew that he shouldn¡¯t, that she could and probably was lying, but he trusted her. With a flick of the wrist, the bindings disappeared and he sighed, covering his face in his hands as the girl scrambled to her feet. ¡°Just¡­just take them, they mean nothing to me anyway,¡± he said, sighing, and heard the mumbles of a blubbered thank you, the rustling of feet falling upon grass, the clang of metal upon metal, the loud laughter and clinking glasses from annoying party-goers. Slamming his head against the wall, the dented, scraped, in-need-of-repair wall, he rubbed at his deteriorating face and grumbled, ¡°I really need some alcohol¡­¡±


    And slamming the door open, much to the surprise of the nearby party guests, he made his way to the bar, grabbed two random bottles and poured them into an overflowing glass, threw it back, grunted, and shouted, ¡°WHERE¡¯S THE DAMN DJ!?¡± His words echoed throughout the building, followed soon after by shouts from the attending buisnessmen, just normal people for the night, wanting to let loose.


    Grabbing a bottle and pouring himself another drink as the weary bartender just watched, Moon nursed the drink for the rest of the night, making his way through the crowd and laughing with anyone he could, the sudden pivot in attitude the most alarming thing that took place that night.


    As the evening wore on and Moon¡¯s overloaded brain worked overtime to keep him on his feet at all, the person he would¡¯ve least expected to walk in through the large entryway did just that. Somehow laughing in spite of the situation, he weaved his way through the crowd towards the beautiful young woman in the beautiful gown, her beautiful purple hair tied into a bun and her beautiful lavender eyes scanning the crowd for him. As soon as she saw him making his way over to her, she immediately started stammering, but he just grinned and placed his hands on her shoulders, smiling softly and asking, ¡°Care for a dance?¡± she looked up at him with shock, a look he reflected every time he looked back on the experience. But instead of asking questions like many would have in such a situation, she just nodded, and Moon whisked her away to the dance floor, the heat-of-the-moment making them both much better dancers than they would normally have been.


    ¡°Th-thank y-you,¡± she said as they danced, and he just shrugged.


    ¡°Made my night exciting. Besides, didn¡¯t expect you to come back, even.¡±


    She looked up at him. ¡°Why¡¯d y-you let me g-go then?¡±


    He laughed heartily, something that was so rarely heard that many people stopped their dancing just to stare at him, and he stopped immediately, barely recognizing the strange, primal sound that had just come out of his mouth. ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said, thinking about it.


    ¡°Y-you¡­¡± she trailed off, and he looked down at her as she pondered what words could describe this strange thing. ¡°Y-you¡¯re utterly mad. I d-don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever m-met an ad-d-dult with such¡­mood swings.¡± She grimaced at the words. ¡°This is s-s-so strange, you know. You¡¯re rich, I w-would expect you to have thrown m-me out for just talking to you.¡±


    Moon pondered this for a moment. ¡°I suppose normally I would have,¡± he said, letting the words float and entwine themselves with the music. ¡°But I already told you, I don¡¯t know why I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°M-my family¡¯s okay th-thanks to you¡­¡± she whispered, and Moon felt bad. He had almost completely forgotten why she had had to do this all in the first place. ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry.¡±


    He waved it off. ¡°Why are you apologizing? If I really wanted to, I could¡¯ve done so many things to you! It was my decision to let you get away with it. So there will be no apologizing.¡±


    She winced, but seemed to understand that he was trying to be nice and just nodded. ¡°I-I-I-I¡­¡± Tilting his head, Moon placed a hand under her chin and lifted her face so he could see the tears running down her face. They were like little stars being birthed from her eyes, beautiful and mystifying, just like her¡­


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of things you haven¡¯t told me,¡± he said carefully, pondering his words. ¡°But that¡¯s okay! You don¡¯t even know me.¡± Moon shrugged. ¡°It would be weird for you to tell me your whole life¡¯s story, and I don¡¯t care to hear it right now. This is supposed to be fun, Miss! You can tell me some other time, okay? Or you don¡¯t have to. After tonight, you can forget about me completely. I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t mind one way or the other, though.¡±


    Blushing, she suddenly stopped, and Moon almost tripped over her, steadying himself at the last minute while not completely sure she had even noticed his error. She ran a finger along the back of his hand, tracing each line of his dark skin as she tried desperately to think of what to say. Eventually, all she said was, ¡°L-L-L-Lilac.¡± Seeing the quizzicle expression on his face, she blushed even more. ¡°Moon, that¡¯s my name.¡±


    He grinned. ¡°Beautiful, just like you,¡± he said, spinning her, and as they continued moving around the dance floor, all he could do was watch her as she put words together in her head. It was cute.


    ¡°M-Moon, why do you trust me? You said you knew I could¡¯ve l-lied. How c-c-come you know I¡¯m not lying right now?¡±


    He grinned again, laughing. ¡°For the third time! I don¡¯t know!¡±


    And as they spun and twirled and danced, Lilac whispered something only Moon could hear, smiling up at him as she said, ¡°I-I w-want to tell you, Moon.¡±


    And so if you looked hard enough two days after, perhaps you could find the hidden celebrity and the normal girl laughing and chatting at the cafe down the street.

 (Extra2) Orange Is The Second Color Of The Rainbow

    Navy: 12


    Moon: 41


    Lentil: 23


    Iliad (Ily): >1


    The blood dripped down his back and soaked into his shirt, but all he could think was great, another piece of clothing ruined.


    He sighed as he dragged himself to his room, flopping down on his bed and carefully removing his blood soaked shirt, ripping open the drawers of the endtable and expertly applying bandage after bandage to his scar-riddled back until it was utterly impossible for any blood to leak through the gauze. Sighing, he reaplied his shirt, not exactly excited at the prospect of leaving his room and continuing to pretend that everything was all right. His father had become a master at hiding these things, healing the wounds for a while before reopening them when he was sure Navy was safe from the inquisitive eyes of the employees.


    Exiting his room, he called out, ¡°Lentil!¡± and the man, who was a part of the building¡¯s elite force of basically FBI agents, immediately appeared before him, asking a silent question with his eyes. ¡°I want to go outside.¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    Lentil led him through the office, holding the doors open for him as they made their way outside. The July sunshine played gloriously along Navy¡¯s pale skin, and the only way to see anything around him was by squinting or shielding his eyes from the brilliant ball of fire raging thousands of miles away.


    Lentil watched him as he walked around the property, hardly doing anything but kicking grass and watching the cars speed by, judging the fancy people that had to come see Moon¡¯s products in person before cementing any purchases. He could see Dawn Inc. too; a huge building, identical to Dusk Co. in practically every way, excluding the slight shift in location. He had always wondered why, exactly, they didn¡¯t just combine into one huge company. Of course he knew that Sun and Moon hated each other, and yet he was always skeptical when it came to the fact that they couldn¡¯t overcome their petty differences in order to spread more worldwide peace. Made him wonder what, exactly, had possessed them to become world leaders in the first place, since obviously both of them had held one hell of a grudge for multiple centuries.


    Navy sat down heavily and stared up at the sky, watching the transparent puffs of condensed water vapor drift lazily across his sight of vision. What it would feel like to be so free he wondered, no conscious to weigh him down, no greater purpose tugging him through life, no hoards of people just waiting for him to let them down. Just floating through life, letting go of whatever you needed to and letting it fall to earth with the rain that was expelled from the bottom every few days.


    Sighing and rolling onto his stomach (partly because the continuous pricks of grass were upsetting his marred back), Navy stared out at the street, re-reading the names of the businesses across the way for perhaps the thousandth time. He always wondered what it would be like if he were actually allowed to walk over there, allowed to try some ice cream or pizza. Sure he could get whatever food he wanted delivered to the business, but it would have been a different experience entirely to have the opportunity to sit in a public space, just listening to the buzz of people living their daily lives.


    Suddenly, a blur of motion caught his eye. A gray speck disappearing and reappearing in the alleyways between the buildings, scampering between different piles of garbage in an attempt to scrounge up a meal. Navy got up and sprinted to the edge of the property, beating against the hands that immediately caught him around the waist as Lentil prevented him from leaving company property.


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    ¡°What are you doing¡­?¡± the guard asked, easily hefting the boy up and placing him back within Dusk Co.¡¯s boundaries.


    ¡°There¡¯s a cat¡­¡± Navy said, narrowing his eyes. ¡°And I don¡¯t have any friends. Lentil, I¡¯m lonely. I don¡¯t want to live the rest of my life like this. But I suppose you¡¯re right, I can¡¯t leave company property.¡± He hadn¡¯t cried in a while. But if he could, he would have at that moment. Instead he just clutched his little arms around his little torso, looked down, and mumbled, ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± before turning around and slowly walking back inside. Lentil hesitantly followed him, a sorrowful, piteous look on his face.


    The next day, Navy didn¡¯t get out of bed. Any movement sent wracking pain throughout his body, the thin scabs decorating his back snapping at even the slightest shift in position. So he just lay among his sheets, curled up and sobbing quietly, tracing patterns in his blankets to help pass the time as he told stories to an audience of stuffed animals. His voice came out garbled and faint, detailing stories he made up on the spot filled with heartbreak and plot-twists, compilations he had composed from mashing together multiple different storylines he had remembered from the various books on his shelf, adding in his own personal flourishes once in a while.


    ¡°The prince leaned over the knight¡¯s trembling body, trying in vain to staunch the bloodflow as he pled to whatever God was listening ¡®No, he was just trying to save me, you can¡¯t-¡¯¡±


    ¡°Navy¡­?¡±


    Navy blushed, mortified that Lentil might¡¯ve, perhaps, heard the story he was spinning. He immediately stopped speaking, shutting his mouth so hard that he was sure the guard heard his teeth clacking together even from the other side of the room.


    Lentil¡¯s footsteps padded across the room, the creak and shift of the bed a clear sign that the man had sat down on the edge of the mattress. ¡°I¡­¡± Lentil sighed, going silent for a while as he, Navy presumed, tried to find the right words to address the bedridden child. ¡°You said yesterday that you were lonely, and I just¡­I just thought¡­¡±


    A meow cut him off, and Navy, in spite of his injuries, bolted upright to see the ball of fluff Lentil was letting crawl towards him across the bed.


    Navy gasped, scooping up the orange kitten and cradling it in his arms as it meowed quizzically up at him, looking at the guard sitting at the edge of his bed in an entirely different way now. He was rubbing the back of his neck skeptically, blushing intensely while looking anywhere but at them, almost as though he wasn¡¯t used to doing nice things for other people. ¡°I got you a cat, God I¡¯m stupid. What if you¡¯re allergic!? Shit, Moon¡¯s going to kill me¡­¡±


    Navy leaped across the bed in one swift movement, wrapping his arms around Lentil¡¯s chest, the kitten meowing annoyedly as it was crushed beneath Navy¡¯s torso. Lentil let out a little gasp as Navy squeezed him, eventually wrapping his arms around the boy in turn as Navy murmered, ¡°Thank you so much, Lentil.¡±


    And so, instead of telling his stories to inanimate stuffed animals, Navy was able to instead craft tales with his new kitten, which he had named Iliad, after the classic epic shelved right in the middle of his bookshelf. He spent the next two days locked in his room with his cat, the occasional staff member delivering and taking away uneaten meals, placing a cat¡¯s necessities throughout the room; a litter box in one corner, and a food dish close to the bed, which they too filled every day. When Navy¡¯s back was finally feeling better, he grabbed Iliad and carried him out of the room, calling out ¡°Lentil!¡± as soon as he exited the doorway, expecting the man to start following him as soon as he stepped into the living room.


    Instead, an unfamiliar hand was placed on his shoulder, and a deep, unsettling voice rumbled throughout the room, ¡°Lentil has unfortunately been moved to a different wing of the company. Moon thought this best for both you and him, and I am his replacement. My name is Frio, and if you ever need anything, just call for me.¡±


    A sinking feeling fell through Navy. He had caused Lentil to move. He didn¡¯t even know if Frio was telling the truth, if Lentil really had moved to a different wing¡­or was just released altogether. He should have expected nothing different. After all, anything he had ever wanted had only been taken from him.


    Looking down at the ball of fur in his arms, Navy gritted his teeth. Sure, everything else had been taken away from him. But this would not. No one would ever take this cat away from him.

 (Extra3) See You Tomorrow

    Penne: 13


    Tweed: 14


    Scallop (Mom) + Pasta (Dad): 42


    Mr. Klein: 39


    An expansive business office is not exactly the most interesting place for a child to grow up. Unfortunately, it wasn¡¯t as though Penne had a choice, so she made the best of the circumstances and did what she could to keep herself occupied when Azure and Ravioli weren¡¯t there to keep her company. Most days, she found herself exploring the 54 floors of the building, trying to find unexplored rooms or some sort of meeting that she could watch. Meetings weren¡¯t the most interesting thing in the world, but something about the business-like aura was almost¡­comforting, like the boring-ness of the atmosphere calmed the raging tempest in her soul.


    Often, she would curl up in some unknown part of the building and read for hours to keep herself occupied, the monotonous silence of the abandoned room broken only by the airpods shoved haphazardly into her ears and the occasional thump of the air conditioner. It was not uncommon for her to fall asleep there, shaken roughly awake by Azure or her brother when they had finally come looking for her.


    Other days she would go out into the city. She liked to get lost; she could discover things and places she had never seen before, and finding her way home was always the best part. Most often she would buy souvenirs from places she had stopped on her travels, displaying them somewhere in her room as reminders of places she had been and where to avoid on her next trip out. She treasured all her little trinkets, documenting where she had acquired every object and placing them in chronological order based on when she had bought them. Whenever she stopped at a restaurant or such, she would keep the cup or the bag and place it in her timeline just like all the others. But nothing had ever grounded her to one place; she¡¯d never had the burning desire to return to an area she had already been, and so she stuck to what she had always done, exploring whatever new places she felt needed her presence at the moment.


    Shoving an excess amount of cereal into her mouth with the huge spoon she had pulled out of the cabinet, Penne slurped the remaining milk out of the bowl, mumbled something to her extremely confused father, grabbed her coat, clicked the door open, and was grabbed by her mother before she could even leave the apartment.


    ¡°You can¡¯t go out today, Penne, it¡¯s 13 degrees outside,¡± her mother chided, eyeing her thin jacket skeptically.


    Penne scoffed through her cereal-filled mouth, ¡°SO!?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my girl¡­¡± her father mumbled from the kitchen, throwing his hands up in defeat when his wife whirled to face him. ¡°I¡¯m just sayin¡¯! What¡¯s a li¡¯l cold gonna do? Let ¡¯er go!¡±


    Fortunately, Scallop wasn¡¯t forced to make a decision, because as soon as she turned back to where she assumed her daughter would still be standing, she found the door flung wide open and Penne nowhere to be seen.


    And Penne had to admit that it was cold. There was a brisk breeze gently pulling decaying leaves from their spindly branches, floating them down to where they would inevitably rot into the ground and begin the cycle anew. The October sky was dark and ominous, promising to harbor this bitter chill for weeks to come. The smoky tendrils of steam hissing out of her nose and mouth as she exhaled were proof enough that it was far too cold outside for this time of year, but Penne hardly cared about the cold. She was just happy to be outside, no longer stuffed into that annoyingly small apartment and forced to pretend she was enjoying herself. Besides, it was too satisfying to feel the crunch of fresh leaves on the sidewalks beneath her feet to resist going on an adventure.


    ¡°Hmm¡­where should I go today?¡± she muttered to herself, looking around at the various street signs and the avenues they belonged to, the traffic not as bad today as it was prone to be. Following a path she had traversed many times before, she took a series of branching pathways, following her instincts as they led her farther and farther from home. Of course, that was the only way for her to find new places nowadays, as she had exhausted all of the normal paths she took and now had to resort to trusting that spindly little alleyways would bring her somewhere exciting.


    Penne wasn¡¯t afraid of getting lost, or even of getting kidnapped or something equally as brutal, though it probably wasn¡¯t a good thing that she was so reckless. In her eyes, her phone would take care of her; after all, there was always Google Maps if she got really worried, and that weird 911 SOS thing that started vibrating if you held down the power and volume button for too long. Her phone was also how she reassured her mother that she wasn¡¯t dead, which she was currently doing, as she rounded yet another corner.


    Her mother had clearly expressed her disappointment on the phone, to which Penne simply retorted, ¡°I¡¯ll come back soon, probably, so don¡¯t worry too much. Don¡¯t bother making lunch, I¡¯ll get some on the way home,¡± before she hung up.


    As she put down the phone, she suddenly realized that she was not where she had thought she was at all. Colorful, unfamiliar storefronts lined the streets ahead and behind her, all of which looked new and enticing. Suppressing the urge to emit a loud squeal of joy, she burst through the door of the closest building, eyeing the colorful merchandise until she found an item that sated her excessively ambitious tastes.


    Buying it and returning to the sidewalk outside, she happily skipped her way to the next building, grinning in excitement as she heard the melodious chime of the small bell attached to the door. To her delight, she stood in the doorway of a restaurant of some sort. It reminded her somewhat of a Dairy Queen, with a big empty space in front of the counter and tables and booths littering the walls underneath the huge windows. About a fourth of the booths were actually occupied, but Penne didn¡¯t plan on staying, so she supposed that it didn¡¯t really matter.


    As she made her way to the front and the letters decorating the neon menu forced themselves to be read, curiosity started growing in her mind, fed by the confusion layered underneath. The beverages (which seemed to be the only thing that she could buy) promised on the menu sounded like strange alien concoctions, their contents disgustingly maddening. She slowed down as she reached the counter, studying the menu as though she would be quizzed on it in science the next day. She hardly noticed the boy popping up behind the counter until he said, ¡°You look confused.¡±


    Startling, she looked down to where he stood, looking at her with an amused expression on his face. ¡°Never had boba before?¡± he asked. When she continued to stare at him with a confused expression on her face, he cocked an eyebrow before saying, ¡°Well, if you¡¯re just here to stare and not buy anything, could ya go sit down to refrain from holding up the line?¡±


    Something about what he had said snapped her out of it; perhaps it was hearing him actually use the word ¡°refrain¡± in a sentence, or maybe it was simply because she really didn¡¯t want to sit down, but she slapped her face, shook her head, and said in a voice slightly louder than it should have been, ¡°No I HAVEN¡¯T.¡±


    He laughed. It was a strange sound, which is a weird way to describe a laugh, but it was true. It sounded like he was choking on air while at the same time coughing up a lung, and she was slightly taken aback before she realized that he wasn¡¯t dying. Once he finished his strange laugh, he said wheezily, ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s something you should be proud of!¡± ¡°Well, what do you think I should get, Mr¡­¡± she looked down at the purple uniform he was wearing and the bright nametag pronouncing him to be, ¡°Tweed?¡±


    Tweed looked up at the glowing menu. ¡°Well, I personally like the mango, but that¡¯s pretty basic, innit? What¡¯d¡¯you think, do you want something normal or exotic?¡±


    ¡°Exotic all the way,¡± she said, smiling. ¡°I live for adventure.¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll whip something up for you. It¡¯ll be ten dollars¡­and 74 cents.¡±


    Reaching into her pocket she grabbed a ten and a one, said, ¡°Keep the change,¡± and waddled over to somewhere within the sightline of the counter.


    Looking out the window at the cars rushing by, her breath staining the glass with a thick layer of fog every time she exhaled, she pressed her forehead against the cool window and closed her eyes, letting everything wash over her. The heater in this little shop was surely working overtime to combat against the army Jack Frost led against it outside, and the measly jacket clinging limply to her body hardly protected against the stabs of winter¡¯s chill. The only reason she was once again reminded that she was in public and not in the safe confines of some dark corner of Dawn Inc. was when a finger poked against her skull and she looked up to see Tweed looking down at her with an intrigued expression on his face.


    Reading on this site? This novel is published elsewhere. Support the author by seeking out the original.


    ¡°You like that window?¡± he asked, pointing at the pane of glass she had been pressed against.


    She blushed. ¡°N-no! Go away, don¡¯t you have other people to serve or something!?¡±


    He shrugged. ¡°No, actually. Dad¡¯s watching the front, he said I could take a break.¡± Holding out the drink to her, she quickly snatched it and he grinned. ¡°Ca¡¯I sit?¡±


    Penne grunted but eventually moved over an inch to allow him to slide into the booth next to her. What possessed him to sit there and not across from her she had no idea, and yet here they were, sitting in awkward silence as she hesitantly stabbed through the top of the drink and took a quick sip.


    ¡°What¡¯s this black goop at the bottom here?¡± she asked, poking the bottom of the container skeptically, watching the substance jiggle in the tea. ¡°I don¡¯t trust it¡­¡±


    He laughed again. ¡°Tapioca. It tastes like nothing.¡±


    ¡°Hm.¡± Slurping one of the dark balls into the straw and squishing it between her teeth, Penne raised both eyebrows as soon as she swallowed it. ¡°Well that¡¯s¡­an experience.¡±


    ¡°Good or bad?¡± Tweed asked, grinning.


    ¡°Not sure yet.¡± She took another sip and nodded. ¡°I¡¯ll finish it, but I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever order one again. I prefer milkshakes. Now that¡¯s some good stuff. I been to a couple of milkshake shops and whoo boy! Those things are gooooood. It¡¯s very important to get the right consistency though, otherwise it¡¯s absolute trash. I¡¯d go back, but it¡¯s more fun to find new places than return to old ones.¡±


    ¡°Milkshakes?¡± he asked, watching her curiously. ¡°What¡¯s so great about milkshakes?¡±


    ¡°Are you dumb!? Milkshakes have sugar and milk and sometimes even whipped cream, I mean, c¡¯mon! You¡¯d hafta be blind to miss the beauty in those sugary things.¡± Penne scoffed. ¡°Boba. Bah, more like ¡®Badba.¡¯¡±


    ¡°That-¡± Tweed sighed. ¡°Y¡¯know what, I¡¯m not even going to comment on that blatant disregard for such a good drink. But anyways, those milkshake shops you mentioned, how busy were they?¡±


    Taking a slurp of her tea, she nodded. ¡°Oh yeah, super busy. Everyone likes milkshakes, I¡¯m telling ya. You probably never even had one if you don¡¯t know how good they are¡­¡±


    The boy remained silent as she stared at him. ¡°You¡¯re right I¡¯ve never had one, so I can¡¯t honestly tell if you¡¯re telling the truth or not¡­¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m telling the truth!¡± she said, taken aback by his words. ¡°Why would I lie about one of the most delicious drinks on planet Earth?¡±


    Tweed stared at her, long and hard, to the point where she started to get uncomfortable until he shifted his gaze to the counter. ¡°Maybe¡­¡± he stood up abruptly and walked away without even saying goodbye. Penne stood up to follow him, but by the time she got to the counter, he had already disappeared. The man at the cash register smiled at her. ¡°Hello, random girl who was talking to my son! How can I help you today?¡±


    Holding up the drink, she said, ¡°First, I want to know what this is. Second, I want to know where Tweed went, Mr. Klein,¡± she said, looking at his nametag.


    ¡°For your first question, bubble tea, or boba, is a tea-based drink that originated in Taiwan in the early 1980s. It most commonly consists of tea accompanied by chewy tapioca balls, but it can be made with other toppings as well such as grass jelly, aloe vera or red bean. As for the second, he went in the back, and there are trademark secrets back there. I simply cannot allow any customers to go back there willy-nilly, otherwise we¡¯d get outcompeted for sure!¡± He laughed, though not unkindly. ¡°Sorry about that. I hope you enjoy your tea. Maybe come back tomorrow?¡± He smiled at her sadly and she simply nodded, making her way back to the front door and readying herself to face the cold once more.


    The way home was a blur. Every sip of the drink reminded her of the shop, and how much, she winced at the thought, she wanted to return. It was strange; nothing had ever compelled her to return somewhere as much as this boba shop was calling to her now. By the time she made it back to the company and passed by Azure¡¯s wing of the building, Azure was already off lessons and she could see his blond hair poking out from the top of the couch, and could hear the loud smashes and screeches of the video game he was playing. But his wing too quickly passed behind her, until she was standing in front of her apartment, opened the door, her mother¡¯s words of disappointment went in one ear and out the other, her brother¡¯s hugs brushed against her body, her food barely tasted of anything, and she was back in her room, staring at the now-empty cup in her hand and the wall of objects on her cupboards. She placed it on a shelf without a word, grabbing a post-it note and carefully writing the name of the shop on the pink piece of paper and placing it beneath her new treasure.


    She slept restlessly. She wasn¡¯t sure why. But as the rosy morning light extended beneath her blinds and brushed her eyes open, she grabbed her coat, slipped on her boots, and rushed through the house to where her mother was waiting with raised eyebrows at the front door.


    ¡°And where do you think you¡¯re going without even having eaten a proper breakfast?¡± she asked, pushing her daughter back into the kitchen and placing her on a stool. Penne stood up, grabbed a loaf of bread, tore a piece out of the plastic, shoved it in her mouth, and mumbled. ¡°THANKS BYE!¡± before careening out the door. Her mother sighed before softly shutting the door behind her, muttering, ¡°This child is going to be the death of me¡­¡±


    Penne only fell four times on her way to the boba shop. The sidewalks were unnecessarily icy after a solid hour of overnight rain, and the liquid had solidified as ice, which proceeded to incessantly slip her as she hurtled down the slick walkways. When she finally arrived before the little storefront, the lights within flickering tauntingly at her frozen figure outside, it took her a moment to gather enough courage to push the door open, though she had absolutely no idea why. The heat immediately hit her, and she reveled in it, standing in the doorway as the little bell announced her presence.


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t let all the cold air in,¡± Tweed called from the counter, and she quickly shut the door behind her, her coat rustling as she hurried over to the boy. ¡°And here I was thinking that you wouldn¡¯t come back!¡± he said, grinning.


    She grumbled, ¡°I have indeed returned, no thanks to you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean!?¡± he asked incredilously, as though he had forgotten all about the fact that he had left her alone in the booth the day before.


    ¡°The only reason I came back was to see why you rushed off yesterday. Had better places to be?¡± She was almost afraid of the answer, of hearing the conviction in his tone when he told her that yes, she wasn¡¯t important enough to take up his break time. Which should probably be true, since they were virtual strangers.


    ¡°Mm, not exactly. You just gave me an idea, and when I get an idea, I need to act on it immediately otherwise I¡¯ll probably forget it. And sure, I should probably start writing them down, but I had nothing to write on at the moment, and I really couldn¡¯t forget this idea so I ran to the back and put it on the whiteboard back there, and by the time I came back my dad had told me that you were already gone.¡±


    A sense of relief washed over her. She hadn¡¯t done anything wrong. But now that she was assured of this fact, she was more curious about what, exactly, this great idea she had sparked in his mind was.


    ¡°Can I see the board then?¡± she asked, hoping that perhaps, even though his father had forbidden her from seeing behind the counter the day before, she might be able to manipulate Tweed into showing her around. And to her credit, he thought about it for a couple seconds before becoming wise to her plot.


    ¡°Trademark secrets!¡± he shouted, giving her a stern look and booping her on the nose. ¡°I can¡¯t be giving them away to someone I don¡¯t even know the name of!¡±


    She startled. ¡°I haven¡¯t said?¡±


    Tweed shrugged, ¡°Nah, I¡¯ve just been calling you ¡®Blue¡¯ in my head on account of your jacket. Am I close?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡± She grinned, ¡°My name¡¯s Penne. And yes, it¡¯s a noodle. My parents named both me and my brother like that on account of the fact that my father¡¯s name is Pasta and they wanted to doom us in our social lives, but we don¡¯t talk about that.¡±


    ¡°Interesting. Well, Penne,¡± he chuckled and she glowered, ¡°while I can¡¯t necessarily bring you to the back, what I will tell you is what fantabulous idea I got thanks to you. You were talking about milkshakes, and-¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± She clapped. ¡°Did you tell your parents that if you had milkshakes that you might get more customers because the buisness is financially struggling a bit and they said to come to them with any ideas on how to make the situation better because you¡¯re super smart and have helped them in the past and what-not?¡±


    Tweed simply stared at her. ¡°How¡­?¡±


    ¡°Oh don¡¯t worry,¡± Penne said, waving it aside. ¡°Happens all the time. So since I was obviously the key to your enlightenment, that means I¡¯ll get discounts, right? Right!? Riiiiiiiiiight!?¡±


    ¡°Nope!¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± She crossed her arms. ¡°What was even the point of me ranting to you about milkshakes if I didn¡¯t get them half off once you started serving them?¡±


    ¡°For the joy of talking to someone as perky as myself?¡± Tweed suggested, raising his eyebrows.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s not it¡­¡±


    ¡°Well, now you¡¯re definitely not getting a discount,¡± he said, crossing his arms as she groaned. ¡°Besides, if I gave you a discount, you¡¯d probably want to come around a lot, and I don¡¯t want to see you that much.¡±


    Penne gasped theatrically, placing a hand over her heart and doing her best to look afronted. ¡°I see how it is. In that case, I suppose I¡¯ll just be going. Don¡¯t expect to see me around here anytime soon. Or ever. Because as I said, I won¡¯t be coming back, the servers were terribly rude and the service was supremely slow.¡± She spun around and made a show of walking to the door, grinning when she felt Tweed¡¯s hand around her wrist.


    When she spun around to face him, she found an almost sad expression on his face. ¡°I know you don¡¯t mean it, but please come back.¡±


    She stopped, smiled, and patted him on the cheek. ¡°Go back to the counter, your customers are waiting.¡± Then she grabbed his shoulders and spun him around, pushing him back towards the front and continuing to walk back towards the door.


    ¡°See you tomorrow then?¡± Tweed called from behind her.


    She grinned, saluting. ¡°See you tomorrow.¡±

 (Extra4) Mistletoe

    Azure: 19


    Penne + Ravioli: 17


    Navy: 18


    Tweed: 19


    Marigold: 43


    ¡°FOUND IT!¡± Azure¡¯s call bounced throughout the apartment, and Navy smiled from where he was reading Charles Dickens¡¯s A Christmas Carol on the couch.


    Stampeding into the room, Azure made a beeline towards the couch, grinning madly as he held the small green plant aloft. Waving it above Navy¡¯s head and grinning down at him, he positioned the mistletoe above his head and leaned down, whispering, ¡°As per tradition, this plant dictates that I-¡±


    A sharp knock at the door startled them apart. Azure rolled his eyes, grumbling, ¡°Great timing Penne,¡± as he made his way towards the front of the apartment. Navy heard the door creak open and expected Penne to come running into the room, throwing presents at him and flinging Christmas decorations every which way while ranting about how there wasn¡¯t enough snow outside. Instead, silence entered the room, and after he had finished a few paragraphs, he suddenly realized that that wasn¡¯t especially normal.


    Quickly standing up, he made his way over to the doorway, leaning around the corner to see Azure cowering against the door frame, a posh, sophisticated woman, dressed in all manners of fur and leather, leering over him.


    ¡°Come now Azure, it¡¯s Christmas! When did you get so cold-hearted? Not even a bit of cash for your poor, addling mother? What happened to all the fun we¡¯ve had together in the past? I knew that I never should¡¯ve let your father raise you, he¡¯s brainwashed you, you poor soul.¡±


    ¡°H-h-how did you f-find me?¡± Azure whimpered, a sheen of sweat and panic showing through on his face. ¡°I d-don¡¯t have any-anything!¡±


    ¡°Oh pish posh, you expect me to believe your blatant lies!? How could you afford such a marvelous place, hun? Unless,¡± she smiled coldly, a hideous smirk that made Azure whimper, ¡°you¡¯re living with someone perhaps? My my, how intriguing.¡±


    ¡°N-no, I¡¯m n-not¡­¡±


    She sighed, massaging her temple before snapping. ¡°You¡¯re getting on my nerves, Azure. Where¡¯s my money!?¡±


    Navy charged into the conversation, pushing the woman away from their door and standing protectively in front of Azure. He was about to express his opinions when she slapped him across the face hard enough to throw him to the ground, slamming his head against the hallway¡¯s wall.


    ¡°Navy!¡± Azure gasped, trying to bend down but being withheld by his mother¡¯s grip on the collar of his shirt.


    ¡°Control your dog,¡± she spat, throwing her son into the apartment and growling menacingly, ¡°Now go be a dear and get what I came here for.¡± Azure nodded, shakily getting to his feet and all but sprinting towards where they kept their cash, fat tears running down his face as he fumbled for all the green he could lay his hands on.


    When he returned, his mother had a boot on Navy¡¯s chest and he shouted, ¡°STOP! Just take your money and go!¡± His mother grinned.


    ¡°Now there¡¯s a good boy.¡± Snatching the money out of his hands, she smiled. ¡°Thank you. And a very merry Christmas to you too, Azure.¡± Then she swiftly turned around, clomped down the stairs, and, if the chiming bell was any indication, left the store entirely.


    ¡°NAVY!¡± Azure cried, dropping to the ground and cradling his head as the other boy chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said, massaging the red welt on the side of his face. ¡°Your ma¡¯s got one hell of a swing, though.¡±


    Azure said nothing, just running his hands through Navy¡¯s dark-blue hair, until Navy caught them in his hands and looked up at him worriedly. ¡°Why¡­¡± he grunted. ¡°Why do you let her push you around¡­?¡±


    ¡°...you shouldn¡¯t have gotten involved,¡± Azure muttered, returning his hands to Navy¡¯s head. ¡°You should¡¯ve just let me get the money, and she could¡¯ve left¡­¡±


    Sitting up, Navy took Azure¡¯s face in his hands, squishing it between his palms. ¡°I¡¯m not sorry that I did get involved. You should never have to deal with that kind of stuff alone.¡±


    Azure shrugged, batting Navy¡¯s hands away and shakily standing. Navy tried to grab his hand, but he balled it into a fist at his touch and walked back into the apartment. ¡°Azure-¡±


    ¡°WOAH! What happened to your face!?¡±


    Navy whirled around to find Penne and Tweed standing there, looking down at him, as he was still laying on the ground. He stood up and brushed himself off, getting out of the way so that Penne, Tweed, and Rav (who he had not previously seen) could enter the apartment.


    ¡°Nothing happened,¡± Azure mumbled, picking change up off the floor.


    ¡°Um, Navy¡¯s face says otherwise,¡± Tweed pointed out, and Azure shook his head.


    ¡°Nothing. HAPPENED.¡±


    ¡°Ooookay. Navy, what¡¯s going on¡­?¡± Penne asked, turning away from Azure and towards the dark haired boy.


    ¡°There was just-¡±


    ¡°STOP. ALL OF YOU, STOP!¡± Azure screamed, breathing heavily and dropping the plate he was holding, the piece of plastic clattering loudly as it hit the smooth tiled floor.


    Then, as everyone stared at him, he ran out the door, clomped down the stairs, and disappeared.


    ¡°...what just happened.¡±


    The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.


    ¡°His mom!¡± Navy cried, pacing. ¡°His mom came and made him give her money.¡±


    ¡°Shit¡­¡± Penne muttered. ¡°I forgot, goddammit. Normally he¡¯s okay, he just hands it to her and that¡¯s that, but he must not¡¯ve thought she could find him once he moved, and she hurt you,¡± she pointed at Navy, ¡°on top of it¡­¡±


    ¡°I gotta go find him,¡± Navy said, rushing towards the door and tugging on a coat before Penne grabbed his arms.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t help him, seeing you will just bring back painful memories at this point. I¡¯ve had more experience with helping him in these situations, I¡¯ll go,¡± she said.


    Navy shoved her away from the door. ¡°Just because you¡¯ve known him longer doesn¡¯t mean that you can help him any more than I can. He probably needs me to show him I¡¯m okay, that his mom can¡¯t really hurt him anymore.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the stupidest logic I¡¯ve ever heard,¡± Penne scoffed, pressing against Navy¡¯s sturdy arms until they were outside the apartment. ¡°He needs me, I¡¯ve been the one he¡¯s confided in all these years, I know how to help him. You? How long have you known him? Less than a damn year. You barely know anything about him, any of his mannerisms, what he likes, what he wants. You don¡¯t know anything about him, you can¡¯t help him like I can.¡±


    ¡°I know everything about him!¡± Navy screeched, his voice breaking as Penne¡¯s words ingrained themselves in his mind. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen the way he¡¯s cried about all the long years without magic, you haven¡¯t seen-¡±


    ¡°YES I HAVE!¡± she shouted. ¡°WHO DO YOU THINK CONVINCED HIM HE NEEDED TO LEAVE THE COMPANY!? FOR HIS OWN SANITY AND WELL-BEING!? WHO DO YOU THINK TOOK CARE OF HIM WHEN HE COULDN¡¯T TAKE CARE OF HIMSELF!? ME. YOU¡¯VE HEARD HIM CRY, YOU¡¯VE SEEN HIS ISSUES, BUT YOU DON¡¯T KNOW HIM LIKE I DO, AND YOU. NEVER. WILL. HE¡¯S GOING TO GET SICK OF YOU ONE DAY LIKE THE REST OF US AND FORGET ABOUT YOU LIKE-¡±


    ¡°HEY!¡± Tweed grabbed her, the stupification and anger in his voice causing Penne to stutter and gasp, placing a hand over her mouth and looking up at Navy.


    A hardness had coated his features. His silver eyes coated over with apathy, he stood up straighter until he was towering over them, and said in a firm voice. ¡°Get out of my apartment. NOW.¡±


    Rav swiftly walked past, slamming into his sister on his way to the door of his apartment and slamming it closed behind him. Tweed led a stammering Penne to the opposite side of the building where they disappeared behind a door and started arguing almost immediately. And Navy? Navy just stood there, staring down at his hands, replaying the words Penne had screamed at him over and over again in his mind. Convincing himself that they were true. But even so, someone still had to go and find Azure. And Navy couldn¡¯t just leave him alone while he was trying to process so much pain. So closing his door, he clomped down the stairs after Azure, making sure that his footsteps were extra loud so that Penne knew he wasn¡¯t giving up so easily.


    There was snow everywhere. It was flung through the air by the wind like dust caught up in a sandstorm, getting stuck in his hair and coating his jacket in mere seconds. ¡°¡¯Sa white Christmas,¡± he mumbled to himself, trodding through the snow banks lining the sidewalks and following the footprints that led away from the apartment, distinguishing Azure¡¯s from his mother¡¯s because Azure did not wear heels. The paths eventually diverged from each other, and Navy followed the one on the left through twisting turns and streets, each print harder to make out as the snow quickly filled the imprints. Eventually, it was impossible to make out where the next step was taken, but by then Navy could already see Azure stumbling through the snow ahead, his arms wrapped around his torso in a feeble attempt to prevent the cold from entering his body.


    ¡°AZURE!¡± he called, hoping that the wind would carry his words to Azure¡¯s ears. But either the blond didn¡¯t hear him or chose to ignore his call, continuing to stumble along the streets as Navy rushed to catch up behind him. When he placed his hands on Azure¡¯s shoulders, he jerked away from the touch, spinning around so that Navy could see the crystalized tears coating his cheeks.


    ¡°Oh, hun¡­¡± he whispered, wiping away the ice as Azure leaned into the touch. He took off his jacket, sliding Azure into it and leading him back down the snowy streets, toward the warmth of the apartments. As they stood in front of the building, a tinkling laugh floated towards them on the wind, followed by Azure¡¯s drunken mother stumbling down the street towards them.


    ¡°Look at you!¡± she laughed, pointing at Navy. ¡°Such a good doggy!¡±


    ¡°Go inside,¡± Navy whispered to Azure, pushing him towards the front and only turning back around when he had seen that the blond was safely inside. Then he spun around to face the woman who had haunted Azure¡¯s nightmares, leaning against a lightpole to keep herself balanced.


    As he approached her, she grinned. He dwarfed her by inches, but she didn¡¯t seem to care, smiling blankly up at him as he glowered down at her. Grabbing the collar of her coat, he yanked her towards him, shaking her until she fully grasped the weight of the situation. ¡°Listen to me closely,¡± he growled. ¡°If you ever set foot on this property again, you¡¯ll get to see first hand just what this dog can do when provoked.¡± He let her go and shoved her away, watching in satisfaction as she stumbled and fell on her back in the snow. Then whirling around, he entered the building, making sure to lock the door behind him.


    When he entered the apartment, he found Penne wrapped around Azure, bawling her eyes out while he rolled his eyes. As soon as Navy entered the room, Penne ran over to him, looking up at him with a watery expression. ¡°Navy-¡±


    He slapped a hand over her mouth. ¡°I truthfully don¡¯t want to hear it. I understand; we were both upset. But I don¡¯t want to talk to you right now.¡± She nodded in understanding and let Azure take her place, wrapping himself around Navy and pressing his face into his chest, inhaling deeply.


    ¡°Thank you for the jacket,¡± he mumbled, and Navy petted his hair lovingly.


    ¡°She¡¯s never coming back. I promise.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Azure said, looking up. ¡°Truly. I never thought she would come back. I don¡¯t want anything to do with her. She makes me so¡­afraid.¡±


    Planting a kiss on top of Azure¡¯s curly blond hair, Navy smiled gently. ¡°Completely understandable. I never met my mom really you know, but I can understand what it¡¯s like to be afraid of people you only wished had loved you for what you were instead of what you could offer.¡±


    ¡°I love trauma.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we all.¡±


    ¡°HEY!¡± Penne called, and Azure turned around to face her, finding Tweed clamping his hands over her mouth and muttering, ¡°Shut up, your straight mouth has no place in interupting this beautiful gay atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°But presents,¡± she muffld through his hands and he sighed, pushing her onto the couch as she laughed, throwing an arm around her brother who had been tuning them all out in favor of Navy¡¯s book.


    ¡°I already got the best present,¡± Azure said. ¡°Your guys¡¯ understanding.¡±


    They all stood silent for a moment before Penne started laughing, which started a chain reaction of chuckles and snorts. Penne ran around the room, gathering up hastily wrapped boxes and delivering them to their designated recipients. Azure fumbled around with something behind Navy, pressing a box into his hands and whispering, ¡°Open this one last.¡±


    Once all the presents were handed out and they had unwrapped their gifts, the room littered with ripped paper and laughs of delight, Azure dragged Navy to the kitchen while everyone was intently watching a Christmas movie.


    Navy, staring suspiciously at a grinning Azure, hesitantly opened the box, uncovering a sprig of¡­


    Azure grabbed it, dangling it above his head and saying, ¡°As per tradition, this plant dictates that you get to make out with me now.¡±


    ¡°Oh does it?¡± Navy asked, raising an eyebrow and pressing Azure against the countertop. ¡°Well, I suppose I¡¯ll have to do just that then,¡± he paused, bringing his hands up to Azure¡¯s face, ¡°because otherwise, the plant will get mad at me.¡±


    ¡°Not just the plant,¡± Azure giggled, bringing their lips together.

 (Extra5) Juntas

    Azure: 20


    Penne + Ravioli: 18 + 19


    Navy: 19


    Iliad (Ily): 8


    Tweed: 20


    They had congregated downstairs, filling in one of the small booths decorating the walls underneath the windows. They were all intensely focused, racking their brains for some scrap of idea until there was nothing but an empty plain decorating their conciousnesses. Azure started to repeatedly slam his head against the smooth table until Navy took it into his hands and smacked it a couple times. Penne bit anxiously at her fingernails, complaining when they started to hurt even though she was the cause of it. Tweed scrolled feverishly through pinterest, stopping on random pictures every now and again, everything he brought before Penne immediately rejected.


    ¡°THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!¡± she finally bellowed, slamming her fists on the table and getting annoyed looks from both Tweed¡¯s parents behind the counter and the other patrons seated at the many tables. ¡°There¡¯s no gift in the world that¡¯s worthy enough of my brother¡­¡± she moaned, plopping her forehead onto Tweed¡¯s shoulder. ¡°AND HIS BIRTDHAY¡¯S ONLY IN TWO DAYS.¡±


    ¡°How ¡¯bout some headphones?¡± Azure asked, lifting his head from the table where it had been lying prone for the last twenty minutes.


    Penne sneered at him. ¡°Headphones!? Why would my brother even need headphones?¡±


    Azure thought for a moment. ¡°Well, I could say because we go out and do dumb things a lot, and he needs something to distract himself from worrying about us, but we don¡¯t necessarily do that anymore, as much as it pains me to admit it¡­¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, but you said it yourself, they¡¯d be pointless now. KEEP THE IDEAS COMING, GUYS!¡±


    ¡°How about we get rid of the most annoying thing in his life?¡± Navy asked with a shrug, and Penne gasped.


    ¡°YES! What is it, do you know? C¡¯mon man, tell me! Tell me! TELL MEEEE!¡± They all started laughing, and Penne just looked at them with a confused expression on her face. ¡°What? What is it guys?¡±


    ¡°Guess we¡¯ll just chuck ya on the curb then!¡± Azure snorted, high-fiving Navy and grinning as Penne pouted.


    ¡°Ha ha, very funny.¡±


    ¡°I know, that¡¯s why I said it,¡± Navy retorted, raising an eyebrow. They proceeded to have a wicked eye-staring contest, of which Navy won not too long after.


    ¡°Where is Ravioli anyway?¡± Tweed asked, his eyes sliding over the customers in the shop, as though he thought the boy might be hiding among the patrons, listening to their conversation and silently judging them. He had to admit, it would¡¯ve been funny if it was true.


    Penne shrugged. ¡°I told him to go somewhere, if that¡¯s any help. I told him not to come back anytime soon, that we had important things to discuss. I¡¯m pretty sure that he knows what we¡¯re doing, but he went all the same, so I can¡¯t really say we didn¡¯t warn him, I guess¡­¡±


    Standing up, Azure pushed past Navy and stood at the end of the booth, announcing, ¡°I¡¯ll just go find him and ask him what he wants!¡± And so ignoring the protests of all three behind him, Azure pushed out the doors before anyone could stop him. All he had to do now was find Ravioli in the huge city. Something easily accomplished, he was sure. He could¡¯ve texted Rav or even pinged him, but something about that just didn¡¯t feel right; it was strange to say, but Azure wanted to find him; perhaps the place he was hiding out in would give something away about what he wanted for his birthday.


    The park was as good a place as any to start, and so pushing his way through the hoards of people on the sidewalks, he eventually made his way to the huge green section of the city, paths and bike lanes winding through the grass, and trees budding with new growth lining the walkways. He was about to enter; it would¡¯ve taken him all day to search that place, but he would¡¯ve done it. But before he could even think about taking a step onto the worn cobbled path, he heard a soft (yet astonishingly familiar) meow from behind him, and spinning on his heels, he was flabbergasted to see Iliad sitting calmly behind him, looking up at him expectantly and swishing his tail in the dirt. All Azure could do was stare at the cat as he stood up, turned around, and started confidently walking down the sidewalk, crossing the street at the crosswalk like any human would, and pawing at the glass door of a small establishment across the street. The rushing wind from the speeding cars and incessant honks from backed up lights made it nearly impossible to hear anything on the other side of the street, but as the cat was let back inside the building, Azure saw the shock of dark, blond-streaked hair that he had come to know belonged to the one and only Ravioli.


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    He looked up at the huge neon sign flamboyantly advertising the name of the buisness and grinned.


    Mumbling plans to himself as he went back to the boba shop, he shouted triumphantly as soon as he arrived in the building; ¡°I KNOW WHAT TO GET HIM!¡± much to the surprise of his friends. Slowly, the shock on all three of their faces melted into something much more satisfying; happiness, excitement, and anticipation. Walking triumphantly over to their table, Azure scooted past Navy once again and sat down heavily, taking out his phone and googling the place while everyone stared at him expectantly. Pulling it up, he tapped on one of the pictures, enlarged it, and placed it on the table. ¡°This,¡± he said, crossing his arms and sitting back. ¡°We need to do this.¡±


    Everything was set and ready to go. The two days had passed by in a blur, the hours filled with randomly colored streamers and wrapping paper. Navy had expertly blown up around fifty balloons, throwing them haphazardly around the apartment as they attempted to stick to his static-ridden hair. At the last minute, they realized that they needed a cake, and Tweed went sprinting down the street, returning in less than three minutes with a masterpiece of a pastry in hand. Azure was put on lookout, guarding the staircase in the unlikely scenario that Rav randomly showed up to ruin all their plans. But the setup was completed long before he came home, to the thanks of everyone who had been setting it up.


    It wasn¡¯t exactly a surprise party, as when Ravioli unlocked his door, he found his sister, Tweed, Azure, and Navy lounging around on his furniture, springing to their feet when they heard the door click open. ¡°IT¡¯S THE BIRTHDAY BOY!¡± Penne shouted, one of the many completely unprompted and unnecessary outbursts of which she often indulged in. Sprinting over, she was the first to wrap him in a hug, followed by Azure, Tweed, and Navy all piling on top of them.


    ¡°How does it feel to be nineteen?¡± Azure asked as they pulled away, and Rav just shrugged. Pointing to his sister, a confused expression took over his features, and they all froze.


    ¡°Oh. Weeeeeee¡­we forgooooot¡­¡± Tweed smacked his head and Azure smiled sheepishly, Navy did the math in his head, and Penne just shrugged.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring it up. I thought ¡®well hey, either these idiots will remember it, which is highly unlikely, or my brother will get a fantastic day to himself. I¡¯ll make sure of it.¡¯ It was logical.¡±


    ¡°Penne, my love¡­¡± Tweed grabbed her by the shoulders and shook her. ¡°HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME. NOW I LOOK LIKE A FOOL.¡±


    ¡°Meh,¡± she said, waving it off. ¡°I didn¡¯t want anything for my birthday anyway. So you¡¯re good.¡±


    ¡°BUT-¡±


    Slapping a hand over his mouth and harshly smiling up at him, she said through gritted teeth. ¡°You¡¯re. Good.¡± There was a moment of complete silence between the five of them, in which Tweed and Penne simply stared at each other and the rest simply stared at them. But quickly, Penne¡¯s face lit up and a complete change of personality overtook her, she let go of Tweed, turned back to her brother, grabbed his hands, and said in a happy voice, ¡°Let¡¯s get started, birthday boy!¡± Rav let her drag him away with a sad expression on his face, looking back at the others and motioning with his head for them to follow.


    So they had cake, played the multitude of games Tweed had stashed in the back of his closet, watched several episodes of a new TV show Penne was adamant on watching, played the video games Azure had brought over, and ignored Navy¡¯s suggestion of taking a nap. It was entirely possible that Azure had been cheating at almost everything, however as bad as he was at hiding it, only Ravioli noticed. He said nothing however, figuring that it would be good blackmail for later.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, I¡¯m done,¡± Tweed said, dropping the controller on the cushions and throwing his hands up in defeat. ¡°You two are too much.¡±


    Penne and Azure were busy bickering over Azure¡¯s win, while Navy discovered that his controller hadn¡¯t even had batteries, and Rav sat in contentment with his fourth place. Suddenly, Penne sprang to her feet and ran to another part of the apartment, returning with a box. She carefully placed it in Ravioli¡¯s lap and everyone gathered around them, leaning over Rav¡¯s shoulder to see his reaction. With increasing alarment as he saw that the box and wrapping paper had holes poked through the top, he ripped off the wrapping as carefully as he could, pulled the top off the box, and let out an audible gasp.


    Inside the flimsy cardboard box was a petite ball of fur, curled up into itself, its chest rising and falling slowly. It blearily looked up at the huge man staring down at it, its picturesque blue eyes too huge for its tiny face. Placing the box gently on the floor, Rav shakily reached down into it, scooping the tiny Ragamuffin cat into his hands and cradling it against his chest as it purred contentedly.


    Looking up at the four people pressed closely around him, he smiled, tears in his eyes as he nodded his thanks. ¡°What¡¯s her name?¡± Penne asked him gently, rubbing her brother¡¯s shoulder encouragingly. Thinking for a moment, Rav transferred the ball of fluff into one hand, holding the other aloft for them to see. He snapped his fingers once, then returned them to their original position, brushing the cat¡¯s fur with his thumbs and looking down at the ball of fluff like it was a precious jewel.


    ¡°Snap¡¯s a beautiful name¡­¡± Penne whispered, nudging Azure¡¯s side. Leaning in close, she whispered into his ear, ¡°I s¡¯pose you did well, Azure.¡±


    ¡°Happy birthday,¡± he whispered back.


    No one moved for the rest of the night, instead snuggling into their blankets and each other, Iliad making his way over from wherever he was hiding the majority of the day, curling into Navy¡¯s lap as Azure leaned into his chest. The kitten settled comfortably on top of Rav¡¯s chest as soon as he layed down, and Penne and Tweed, resting against the couch, could be found with their heads pressed together, their hands intertwined underneath the blankets. All-in-all, it could be summed up as one of the best birthdays any of them had ever experienced.


    Because they had spent it together.

 (Extra6) Presents Long Overdue

    Azure: 20


    Penne + Ravioli: 19


    Navy: 19 + 20


    Iliad (Ily): 8


    Tweed: 20


    Ravioli¡¯s party had been a complete success in Navy¡¯s eyes. He couldn¡¯t have imagined a universe in which the day could¡¯ve gone by any smoother, any more perfectly. And as he looked down at Azure gently nestled against his chest, Tweed and Penne¡¯s heads pressed together as they slept and Snap sleeping peacefully on top of Rav¡¯s chest, he was suddenly reminded of what would happen in less than a week.


    He poked Azure into waking up. ¡°Mm¡­?¡± the blond grumbled, looking up at him blearily with his emerald green eyes. ¡°Wuizzit?¡±


    ¡°My birthday¡¯s in five days,¡± Navy whispered and Azure jerked up, startling Iliad off of Navy¡¯s lap.


    ¡°Dude! Way to only give me a couple of days to plan and what-not! You¡¯re lucky I already have a gift planned¡­I was seriously just waiting for you to tell me when it was, but I didn¡¯t expect you to do this!¡±


    Navy just shrugged. ¡°I mean, we only started planning Rav¡¯s birthday two days before the actual date, so I think I¡¯ve given you plenty of time.¡±


    Azure just stared at him. ¡°How are you so good at coming up with arguments?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a skill. One you obviously don¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°Wooooow way to add insult to injury. Keep this up and I won¡¯t even get you anything,¡± Azure said, pouting.


    ¡°Lucky me, since I don¡¯t need anything except your love,¡± Navy said, shrugging.


    ¡°I actually hate you.¡±


    ¡°Love you too.¡±


    For the next three days, Navy was forbidden from entering the apartments, much like Rav was sent out while they were planning his party and setting up decorations. Navy really hadn¡¯t wanted a big thing, and he was hoping that Azure had known that, but evidently he hadn¡¯t and now Navy was dreading the day of. He mostly spent his days out in the park, getting coffee at a shop nearby and ignoring the barista¡¯s obvious flirting, occupying himself with a random book he had pulled off the apartment shelf or an interesting article he had stumbled across while scrolling through some obscure website. And every day when he came home, Azure was extra lovey-dovey, and though he wasn¡¯t complaining at all, he still found it annoying. Annoying that Azure wouldn¡¯t ask about how he had been spending his days, annoying that he didn¡¯t know Navy well enough to know he wouldn¡¯t want anything spectacular to celebrate the occasion.


    ¡°It¡¯s tomorrow,¡± Azure whispered into his ear as his arms circled around his waist under the cotton sheets. ¡°Are you excited?¡±


    Grumbling into a pillow, Navy responded, ¡°Not particularly.¡±


    ¡°Huh?¡±


    ¡°Nevermind.¡±


    Azure sat up. ¡°Y¡¯know, you seem mad at me.¡±


    Navy waved it off.


    ¡°Please tell me if I did something wrong, if something¡¯s bothering you.¡±


    ¡°Mm¡­¡± Navy grumbled, shifting his body so that he was facing Azure before placing his head in his lap. ¡°Just shut up for ten minutes.¡±


    Hesitantly, Azure did what he was told, rubbing his hands in soothing circles along Navy¡¯s back until he drifted into sleep, his dreams erratic and transparent, wispy bits of memory that could hardly be counted as dreams at all. When he awoke, Azure was still there, his green eyes lovingly looking down at him as a slight smile touched his lips, his arms tightly wrapped around his back and their legs intertwined.


    ¡°Happy birthday,¡± he mumbled. ¡°What do you want for breakfast? I¡¯ll make whatever you want.¡±


    ¡°Eggos.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I have some in the freezer¡­¡±


    ¡°The pancakes, not the waffles.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    After that, their conversation drifted into silence, Navy relishing in the warm body wrapped around him, ignoring the fact that he would have to actually get up and do things today when he would be perfectly content to spend the day here, wrapped in the arms of someone he knew loved him.


    ¡°Azure¡­¡± Navy whispered, and the man in question shifted a bit to let Navy know he was listening. ¡°Azure, when do we have to get up¡­?¡±


    ¡°Whenever you want, hun.¡±


    ¡°But don¡¯t we have to go somewhere¡­? Do something¡­?¡±


    ¡°Listen to me.¡± Azure dislodged one of his arms from around Navy¡¯s back and grabbed one of his hands, bringing it to his lips and kissing it gently. ¡°We don¡¯t have to do anything you don¡¯t want, okay? Today¡¯s your day.¡±


    This confused Navy. ¡°But¡­what about all the secret planning?¡±


    Azure chuckled. ¡°That was just¡­you¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Great, more secrets.¡±


    ¡°Secrets!? It¡¯s a surprise!¡±


    Navy scoffed, pushing off from Azure and standing up, walking over to the closet and picking himself out a new shirt before replacing it with the one he had been previously wearing. To Azure¡¯s giggled, ¡°Leave it off,¡± he whirled around, rage purging any other emotion he had been feeling. ¡°Stop joking around! I just want to know why I can¡¯t just spend a day with you! Without an entourage! Because lately it seems like I can¡¯t. I don¡¯t want a big birthday, I just wanted-¡± feeling Azure¡¯s hands on his back, he let out a shout of anger, bursting into the kitchen and roughly opening the freezer.


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    ¡°No-¡± Azure hurriedly ran into the room after him, something along the lines of panic shining on his face. ¡°If you would just listen, I could-¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to listen!¡± Navy burst out, grabbing the packet of eggos and throwing them haphazardly into the microwave.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to set the apartment on fire!¡±


    As Azure buissied himself with the preparation of their breakfast, Navy groaned and leaned back against the counter, his head in his hands. When the monotonous tone of the microwave started running, Azure turned around to face him, head bent. ¡°What¡­what do you want me to do¡­?¡±


    Navy sighed, pounding the granite countertop angrily. ¡°I don¡¯t know, that¡¯s the problem. I¡­ I don¡¯t even think I¡¯m mad at you about this, I¡¯m just¡­¡± he laughed, running his hands through his hair. ¡°I think I¡¯m so used to spending my birthdays alone that I don¡¯t know¡­how to cope I suppose. And I don¡¯t want anyone to see me like this, I don¡¯t want¡­ I don¡¯t want you to think I¡¯m weak, I¡¯m trying, but I don¡¯t¡­ you left me alone for these past three days, and I know that shouldn¡¯t be anything different for me, but I guess I¡¯d just told myself that you would be different, you wouldn¡¯t leave me, and it¡¯s pathetic and stupid, and it¡¯s a completely different situation, but-¡±


    The microwave timer went off.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Azure said, anxiously spinning one of his rings. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you felt that way, and now that I¡¯m hearing you say all this I wish I could take it all back and do it all over again, but I just thought I was doing something good for you, and that I could help you, be better than your dad, but-¡± his voice choked. ¡°But I guess I was just as bad huh? And god-¡± he said sniffling, ¡°now I¡¯m making it all about me, shit¡­¡±


    Walking across the empty tile floor that seperated the two countertops of the kitchen, Navy enveloped Azure in a hug, each clinging to the other. ¡°I know,¡± was all Navy said. ¡°It still hurt though.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for telling me,¡± Azure whispered back. ¡°I¡¯ll try to be more cognizant in the future.¡±


    ¡°WHAT A GREAT START TO THE DAY!¡± Navy suddenly procclaimed, smacking his head and dislodging himself from Azure, pecking him on the cheek and grabbing three pancakes straight out of the microwave before proceeding to shove them into his mouth.


    Azure smiled weakly, and after wiping his mouth, Navy frowned. Crossing his arms and gripping the counter on either side of Azure¡¯s body, he leaned in and started kissing up the boy¡¯s neck, up his jaw and over to his ear; ¡°You¡¯re supposed to be entertaining me, not vice versa¡­¡± he whispered, leaning out to see the startled blush encompassing Azure¡¯s features. Pressing their mouths together, Azure laughed, wrapping his arms around Navy¡¯s neck and pulling him closer, the taste of pancakes coating both of their tongues as they deepened the kiss. The only reason they stopped was to catch their breaths, Azure mumbling, ¡°You taste good,¡± before they rejoined once more.


    ¡°That¡¯s better,¡± Navy teased as the blonde¡¯s tonge traced a trail down his neck, circling his shoulder blade as his hands ran along his abdomen. ¡°But don¡¯t think that-¡± he shuddered as Azure¡¯s cold hands started to trace the scars on his back before continuing, ¡°that every time we have a fight you can kiss me into complacency.¡±


    Azure mumbled against his neck, ¡°It¡¯s worked so far hasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, well,¡± removing the blonde¡¯s hands from under his shirt, he smiled gently. ¡°C¡¯mon, eat your highly nutritious breakfast, you moron.¡±


    ¡°I WAS IN THE PROCESS OF DOING SO!¡± Azure bellowed, and Navy blushed, shoving him towards the microwave and retorting, ¡°PANCAKES, AZURE! PANCAKES.¡±


    Navy wasn¡¯t entirely sure why he was blindfolded. He was half convinced that Azure was going to run him into a pole or something as they walked down the sidewalks, or even lose him in the crowd entirely, but somehow he managed to drag him all the way to their destination, exchanging a few hushed words with someone before continuing to lead him in a set of doors and through a big open space.


    ¡°Where-?¡±


    ¡°Shhhh,¡± Azure hissed, the smile on his face clearly evident in his voice. ¡°We¡¯re almost there!¡±


    Once they slowed to a stop, the blond took his hand, removing the blindfold slowly so Navy could see where they were. As soon as the location was revealed, he clutched Azure¡¯s hand tighter, his pulse quickening, his pupils dilating as horrible memories replayed themselves in his mind. But he could now see what Azure, Penne, Tweed, and Ravioli had put so much time and effort into preparing; the pool room of Dawn Inc. was beautifully decorated, roses and candles decorating every square inch of the space and selfies and photos taken of them plastered around the walls. It was beautiful.


    ¡°Is it okay if we go inside?¡± Azure asked softly, tugging gently at Navy¡¯s hand. ¡°I know the answer might be no, and that¡¯s okay, I completely understand. I thought that maybe I could help you overcome some of the trauma, but I know it¡¯s a lengthy process and I really don¡¯t want to push you¡­¡±


    Navy nodded. ¡°We¡­we can go in,¡± he said shakily, and Azure brushed a stray hair out of his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s really okay if-¡±


    ¡°No. I want to get over this too. I don¡¯t want my memories of this place to be bad, especially when they¡¯re with you¡­¡±


    So gripping his hand tightly, they stepped into the room, and Azure led him to a section of tile floor before scampering over to a corner and brandishing a wrapped box, placing it in front of him and saying perkily, ¡°Happy birthday!¡±


    Ripping off the colorful paper, Navy carefully opened the box, half afraid that it would be another cat. He was more confused by what was in the box than he would have been if there really was a cat however. ¡°A¡­shirt¡­?¡±


    ¡°Do you trust me?¡± Azure asked, looking him in the eyes.


    Looking over at the water, Navy gulped. ¡°Azure-¡±


    ¡°Do you trust me?¡±


    ¡°Y-yes.¡±


    Azure reached down and tugged at Navy¡¯s shirt, pulling it off over the boy¡¯s head and nudging him towards the water.


    ¡°Azure-!¡± Navy shuddered, his eyes darting around the room wildly, scratching at the scars along his back and feeling the phantom pain of newly-inflicted wounds. His breathing was coming in ragged gasps as he remembered what Azure had said to him in this room, the rush of emotions-


    He gasped as a warm hand was placed flat on his back. ¡°Don¡¯t hurt yourself.¡±


    ¡°Azure, I can¡¯t.¡± When he whirled around, he found Azure holding the gift, the confusing shirt he had had no idea what to do with. Grabbing it desperately, he slipped it on over his head, relishing the feeling of the fabric once again covering the ghastly things. But something about this fabric was different¡­


    Azure pulled off his jeans, revealing the swim trunks underneath and chucked a pair, which had probably been residing in the box underneath the shirt, at him, and Navy pulled them on. Azure removed his own shirt, grabbed Navy¡¯s hand, and led him towards the water.


    ¡°It¡¯s a swim shirt,¡± Azure explained as he stepped into the water.


    All Navy could do was stare. Stare at this beautiful, brilliant man who was leading him into a place he had loved, a place he had been forbidden to enter since he was eight. All he could do was stare at the water, the transparent liquid that had haunted his dreams, had given him freedom and yet constrained him at the same time¡­


    As soon as he placed a foot on the first step, he started to cry. It was different from the other times he had cried while telling Azure about how much he had loved swimming as a kid, because he could finally do it again. He could finally, finally¡­


    Sobs wracked his body as Azure lowered him into the water, as he felt the water engulfing him, pressing against his back, flowing against his skin until Azure wrapped his arms around his shaking body, smiling as Navy gasped through his sobs, ¡°Thank you, thank you, thank you¡­¡±