#@ruby sup loser

[bestrongandhitstuff]

oh yeah guess I should make an intro post huh. Hi I'm Nora I only made this blog so I could make One joke.

I'm a bi acespec trans gal and a sorta canon-divergent fictive in an OSDD system. I'm 19, body age is over 21 but minors can interact since we keep things SFW here anyway

Basic DNIs: the usual shit, anti-MOGAI, anti-endo, NSFW-focused blogs uhhhhh that's probably it

oh also go say hi to my system's Ruby @wolfkid-reaper go tell him he's a nerd

[palaceofpassion]

just a resend of my ask, vol 2 library scene plays out as it does, rwby playing board game and jnpr studying Pyrrha taking away jaune's comic and giving him a text book instead, May being there early and is hanging out with her lovers, Neptune attempts to flirt with Pyrrha and Mat after meeting Weiss, how would they response.

"Sup losers?"

The whimsical voice of one Sun Wukong called out to the group of 9 teenagers all ding various tasks within Beacon's library.

Although Blake began to introduce everyone, Jaune was currently busy trying to study. Yes, he was actually studying and not reading comics, only because Pyrrha had it and was currently going through it with great interest.

He couldn't even feel the slightest bit of frustration as she seemed to genuinely enjoy what she was reading, having not exactly had much of a chance to really find other hobbies... this suited him well enough.

Of course, because he was so busy locked in his books, he failed to notice Sun's... friend?

Jaune wasn't super sure, especially as he got to know Sun more later on.

But said friend was the suave type, a lady killer if you will. And not like him when Yang made the joke, pretending he was one. Which he wasn't! He was just... very fortunate.

Though! Interestingly enough, as he brought his attention away from the book, he noticed the blue haired lancer looking guy start to flirt with Weiss. And she was being reciprocatively to it!.

'Good for her.'

Jaune still remembered the time that he'd thought Weiss was flirting with him. It was really embarrassing to let her know he was already taken, but he appreciated being noticed! It was a good feeling!

Of course he actually wasn't flirting with him, and was using him as an example so it was a bit heartbreaking. But hey, can't look at losses. Weiss was a very gorgeous girl, so it wasn't a s-

Jaune's brow furrowed as the Water-boy made his way over.

"Ladies~"

His blue brows waggled as he eyed the redheaded members of his friend group... well except Nora.

'Is there something wrong with Nora? She's gorgeous! Why isn't he flirting with her?'

Jaune had weird thoughts sometimes.

Regardless, for all intents and purposes, he wasn't worried. He seemingly ignored the guy as he tried and failed to flirt with May and Pyrrha.

May, surprisingly just kind of gave him the weirdest of looks. Her eye opened wide then went half closed as she tried to examine him...

May wasn't... really shy? She was just reserved, often times not speaking if not spoken to, just how she liked it. But... well...

"I'm sorry... were you flirting with me?"

"Well of course~! Who wouldn't want to talk to such a... bountiful beauty such as yourself."

"Someone who didn't just snub my friend... and also flirt with my girlfriend at the same time?"

Her head tilted to the side.

She could be a bit coarse if needed.

Pyrrha was just straight up ignoring him, too engrossed into the comic.

While poor Weiss was practically pouting, her face a flush red, as Ruby patted her on the shoulder.

Blake was giving Sun a quizzical look, the monkey boy simply shrugging.

Back to the group, Jaune got up from his seat and went over to Weiss, as if to tell her something.

The girl was obviously not taking it well, being as easily moved by her emotions as she was.

May though? May had it handled.

"Oh? You and miss stunning champion over here?"

Pyrrha was still ignoring him.

"How bout the three of us get together? It could be fun right?"

A roll of her eye and she simply ignored him. "Sorry, I'm not into femboys... no offense Ren."

Ren just shrugged, "None taken."

Neptune's mouth hung open as he stared at her for a moment. His demeanor plummeting.

"I'm not a femboy!"

"What? Are you sure? There's nothing wrong with it, so I don't know why you're freaking out about it."

Yang shifted over to the rest of her team, "Damn, remind me not to get May mad... I didn't know she had a mouth on her like that."

"Yeah... she doesn't say much but she likes to speak her mind if you get her that way."

Neptune couldn't hold on anymore and walked away.

"Rude!"

"Well then..."

May went back to studying, though she quickly eyed Weiss as Jaune continued to comfort her. "Hmm..."

"Wait did something happen?"

Pyrrha brought herself up from her comic, a little confused by the strange aura that everyone had about them.

[swimyghost]

Sup losers, this fic is a seriously written Re Animator AU Warriors AU (An AU within an AU) that features canon x oc shipping! Yayyyy...

Anyway, Sunshadow (AKA Rubi) is @self-insert-nonsense character and Maplespot (AKA Edna) is @holyfandomsnazz character so yeah, hope you like this (just think of it as an early Christmas present until I can get a real one, Sin)

-Warrior Names And The Human They Represent-

Sunshadow- Rubi Blue/West (OC)

Shadefrost- Herbert West

Oakblaze- Dan Cain

Daisyheart- Megan Halsey

Hillscar- Dr. Carl Hill

Maplespot- Edna (OC)

"Let me guess, you have another pine needle stuck in your paw?"

Sunshadow felt one of her eyelids twitch. It took everything in her to not claw off the ears of the short ShadowClan medicine cat, but she took a deep breath and gave him a forced grin.

"Actually, Shadefrost, it's Yarrowblossom. She believes that she's started kitting,"

The black and white tom just stared at her blankly, but his brown eyes had an annoyed glint to them. "What does Daisyheart think?"

"She's believes Yarrowblossom might be right,"

This time Sunshadow silently added. The new queen thought every cramp and twitch meant her kits were arriving, giving her poor mate a heart attack and the Clan false hope that would soon sour into pained groans and glares.

"Can't you get Hillscar to deal with this? I was about to take a nap," Shadefrost grumbled, referencing his mentor as he picked through leaves and berries without a second thought.

Sunshadow's ground her teeth, "Well, Hillscar isn't here, is he?"

"No need to get riled up," Shadefrost said, "you might burst something and die on my nest."

If you weren't a healer I'd turn you into lining for my nest, you foxheart!

Shadefrost pushed past Sunshadow and padded towards the nursery without even stopping to let a pair of kits run by him, instead choosing to shove them out of the way. He climbed under the bramble bush the queens called home and disappeared from the golden she-cat's sight.

May StarClan bless your nest with fleas and thorns Sunshadow cursed, stepping out into the open camp. The sun was blocked by thick pine branches with the only light breaking through the branches' wooden cracks and hitting the forest floor with an array of tiny bright beams. Brambles and another thick foliage guarded the cats against outside foes. Sunshadow watched the dark gray striped leader of ShadowClan survey his Clan with his amber eyes that appeared to be shards of the sun itself. Sunshadow, slightly perturbed by her leader's narrow gaze, slunk towards the fresh-kill pile with her eyes low. After an extra-long dawn patrol and the rest of her morning spent reinforcing the outer walls of the camp, the two-colored cat wanted nothing more than a bite to eat and a long nap.

What she didn't expect was a large brown tabby to ram into her with a hiss, "Move it, squirrel-muncher!"

Sunshadow winced at the sudden force but refused to speak a word. She knew that any form of verbal communication would just anger him more. Still, the tom continued to rile her up by slapping his tail across her muzzle.

"Mudstripe! Aren't you supposed to be on Ravenfall's hunting patrol?"

Sunshadow's ears perked up at the voice. A large light brown shoved himself in between the two, his eyes narrowed. Mudstripe backed up nervously, giving the she-cat one last scowl before taking off towards the thorn tunnel. The gold and black cat sighed then graciously blinked at the dark brown streaked tom, "Thank you, Oakblaze,"

Oakblaze sheepishly grinned, "It's no problem. Just trying to be a good clanmate,"

"Well you're doing better than most," Sunshadow grumbled, lashing her tail.

The large cat looked sympathetic, "I know what it was like being the outsider in the Clan. Trust me, it gets better,"

Sunshadow wasn't so sure, but she kept her mouth shut. Oakblaze and his mate, Daisyheart, were former kittypets abandoned by their twolegs. From what Sunshadow could gather from her conversations with the pair, traveling through the pine forest to ShadowClan was a last-ditch effort for safety.

"We heard the rumors are kit eating feral cats," Daisyheart had explained, "but Oakblaze, Dan then, was struggling to feed us and we were running out of options so we took our chances,"

The she-cat was glad the permanent queen and warrior were in ShadowClan. After the former ThunderClan warrior moved to ShadowClan after moons of being drawn to the pine-wood forests, everyone was suspicious that she was a spy sent to gather information or even kill their kits. But it was Oakblaze and Daisyheart who welcomed the she-cat with open paws as everyone else shunned her. The only other cat to appear to slightly tolerate her was Shiverstar, the Clan's leader.

The pair suddenly winced as a loud screech filled the camp. A few cats stopped what they were doing to glance in the direction of the sound. Sunshadow even noticed a few grumpy-looking elders had poked their heads out to gawk at whoever released such a terrible sound. Once she realized where it came from, Sunshadow's ears flattened.

"Is Yarrowblossom just being dramatic or is Shadefrost deciding to torture someone in broad daylight," the she-cat spat.

Oakblaze frowned, "I know you have some... Issues with him, but Shadefrost is actually a good cat deep down,"

Sunshadow snorted, "Yeah, and hedgehogs will fly,"

After another wail exploded out from the nursery, Oakblaze and Sunshadow decided it was best to move far away from the den. They stopped at the fresh-kill pile where Oakblaze gave her a friendly smile.

"Would you like to eat with me? You know, to get your mind off things?"

She wanted to protest, saying she was going to eat then immediately sleep but the tom's hopeful brown eyes won her over. She sighed and nodded, grabbing a frog off the pile while Oakblaze choose a plump mouse.

Despite what Mudstripe had said, Sunshadow hated the taste of squirrel (Too much fur to pick out of your teeth). While most of her former Clan deemed ShadowClan's main prey of frogs and toads to be disgusting, Sunshadow thought the amphibians tasted quite well. Yes, the flavor was quite bland in comparison to prey like mice and voles, but the texture was wonderful and the amount of muscle and meat trapped in a frog's small body was more plentiful than her former Clan's preferred prey.

Peeling the skin back and sinking her teeth into the flesh of the frog, Sunshadow was more focused on eating instead of conversation as Oakblaze was too, seeing as he was happily munching into his mouse. The pair sat in silence as they ate, only stopping when the in labor queen unleashed another cry of her pain. Once they finished, the pair started to share tongues while they waited for Yarrowblossom to finish. When Yarrowblossom cried out for what seemed like the fifth time in only a few seconds, Sunshadow turned to Oakblaze with an annoyed tint in her eyes.

"Are you sure Shadefrost isn't abusing her or something?"

Oakblaze stopped mid-lick to growl at her, "Shadefrost is a medicine cat, he wouldn't hurt an injured cat, especially one in labor,"

"Are you sure about that?" The she-cat questioned, thinking about how she watched the small cat purposely draw out pulling a thorn out of an apprentice's paw pad to teach them a lesson.

"Yes!" the tom shouted before immediately ducking his head at the realization of how loud he was. He turn to his Clanmate with a frown, though Sunshadow could tell he had a desperate look in his eye, "Listen, I understand Shadefrost is a hard cat to get along with, much less like, but he's my friend and I know he has some good deep down in him. Can you trust me on this?"

"Well can you trust Hillscar!?" Sunshadow snapped, immediately regretting her words.

Oakblaze turned away from her, his posture and the fact his fur was slowly rising betraying his seemingly calm composure, "That's different, you of all cats should understand that,"

Sunshadow did. Hillscar, the head medicine cat of ShadowClan and Shadefrost's mentor, had a disturbing fondness for Oakblaze's mate, following her around and fawning over her, giving her unwanted advice whenever possible. His worst and the most recent stunt was blocking Daisyheart into the dirtplace to have some alone time with her. While only the Clan could speculate his true intentions, Shiverstar deemed it important to punish him by having a chaperone follow him for an entire moon, a move that sent the medicine cat in a raging fit outside of camp.

Sunshadow reached her muzzle out to comfort the tom, but Oakblaze held up one of his white paws. She knew it was a sign he wanted space so she backed away before turning completely away from him. She heard his footsteps grow farther and farther away until she noticed him slide through the thorn tunnel to the outside world. Sunshadow felt like throwing herself into the lake.

You know that's a sensitive subject, mouse-brain! The ShadowClan cat thought to herself.

Lost in her thoughts, Sunshadow almost didn't notice when Shadefrost stepped out of the nursery. The bobtail tom gave himself a little shake then turned to a nervous-looking ginger tom. Shadefrost simply twitched one ear before meowing out a short sentence, "Two tom-kits, they're both healthy. Yarrowblossom wants you there so you can name them,"

The tom stammered out a thank you before diving into the nursery. Shadefrost rolled his eyes as he walked back towards his den. He stopped when he noticed Sunshadow. He gave her a pointed look. "Where's Oakblaze? That furball has the nerve to lead me back to my den anytime he sees me,"

Sunshadow blinked in surprise at the lesser insult Shadefrost ascribed to Oakblaze. Perhaps Oakblaze is somewhat right about being his friend.

"He's uh out of camp," Sunshadow replied, refusing to meet the medicine cat's gaze.

"You had some sort of confrontation with him, didn't you?"

"Pardon?"

"You know," Shadefrost sat down and neatly wrapped his tail around him, "Oakblaze is very close to Daisyheart, closer and sappier than most of these love blind fools. You understand that his loyalty is completely to his mate,"

"What are you saying?" Sunshadow asked.

"You're a fool, but not that foolish, I know you have feelings for Oakblaze-"

"EXCUSE ME?" Sunshadow interrupted, pushing her muzzle into his face.

"You're excused, anyway-" Shadefrost tried to start, but Sunshadow cut him off again.

"I know Oakblaze is loyal to Daisyheart, I'm not blind, unlike some cats around here. Besides, we're friends, both of us aren't even remotely interested in each other,"

"You don't need to bring my poor eyesight into this," the ShadowClan medicine cat stated, referring to the medical condition that sent him down the path of a medicine cat, "it's rude to dig up personal information like that for crude insults. Besides, you should expect that cats are going to assume your relationship with Oakblaze is unusual due to the time spent with each other,"

"So are you going to say I'm interested in Daisyheart now?" Sunshadow lashed out. She couldn't believe this tom had the nerve to claim she wanted to seduce one of her closest friends into having an affair with her.

"I wouldn't think that because I know you're not interested in she-cats," Shadefrost meowed.

"You wanna know what we were talking about? We were talking about you!" Sunshadow hissed.

"Me?" Shadefrost's usual composed manner of speech was broken by her statement.

"Yes, because he was trying to tell me that you were exactly a respectable cat instead of a weasel!" Sunshadow's fur puffed up into an incredible size as she spoke, "but you have been anything but a self-center, selfish, cold weasel of a cat who has the gall to accuse me of having an affair!"

Shadefrost just slowly blinked at her, "Are you done yet?"

Sunshadow let out a groan of anger before storming off towards the Warrior's Den. She could feel the glares of her new Clanmates but she just ignored it. The wave of exhaustion that fell over her combined with the frog and anger rolling in her belly made the she-cat want to sleep for the next moon. She walked into the den which was almost empty save for a few sleeping cats and curled up on her nest. Due to her past, Sunshadow was placed in the front where everyone could see her.

It's also the coldest spot in the den She thought bitterly.

Slowly, sleep began to overtake her until a pair of squeaks erupted nearby. Sunshadow lazily opened one eye and lifted a single ear to see what the commotion was. To her delight, it wasn't a laboring queen but the two kits she saw earlier. They were sitting in the clearing near the stones where the elders would sun themselves. Three elders perched themselves on the rocks with one looking fondly at the kits.

"You wanna hear a story? Well, what about the tale of how TigerClan gained their stripes?"

"But we heard that one already, Mousemuzzle!" one kit, a dark gray and black she-cat whined.

"Tell us a scary one!" the other kit, a dark gray and white tom chimed.

"Yeah! A scary one!" the first kit shouted, bouncing in place.

"Alright, alright, you want a scary one? Fine, let's see," the gray tom paused for a moment before breaking into a wide grin, "have you ever heard the tale of Maplespot?"

Maplespot? Sunshadow thought as the kits shook their heads. She grew up on most of the myths and legends elders liked to tell, but she had never heard of anyone named Maplespot. Perhaps it's a ShadowClan only story.

"Are you sure, Mousemuzzle?" one of the other elders asked.

"I won't go into all the gory details, don't worry!" Mousemuzzle said, giving a sly wink to the giggling kits.

"Now, here's the tale of the exiled medicine cat, Maplespot," Mousemuzzle dramatically began, "Once, a long time ago in ShadowClan, lived a medicine cat named Maplespot. She was deemed the best medicine cat not just in ShadowClan, but in all the Clans. She memorized every herb and berry, had a knowledge of all sicknesses and ailments, and supposedly heal cats with a single touch. Her connection to StarClan was so great, cats started to believe she was a gift from our ancestors. Maplespot, while appreciative of the praise, believed she was a failure-"

"How!?" one of the kits shouted, a sentiment Sunshadow agreed with. Even if a quarter of her good deeds were true, she'd still be one of the best medicine cats of all time.

"He was gonna tell us, frog-brain!" the other kit growled.

"Stop fighting you two. Now, where was I? ...Oh! Right, yes, Maplespot believed herself to be a failure due to not being able to cure the one affliction that not even StarClan themselves could fix...," Mousemuzzle leaned in close for dramatic effect, "...Death,"

"Death!?" the kits squealed.

Death? Sunshadow was left stunned.

"Yes kits, death. Maplespot had a long history with death. Both of her parents passed due to their age before she could finish her training and her two siblings died from accidents; one from being in the path of a mudslide, the other from a sudden hawk attack. Maplespot believed she could've saved them if she knew how to conquer death. The Clan thought her obsession was strange, but because of her abilities, everyone decided to ignore it, believing it'd simply pass with time. But oh, my dear kits, it didn't. It got worse with the arrival of a rogue tom,"

"One day, a patrol found this rogue tom on the border. He had been brutally attacked by badgers and left for dead. The patrol brought him to camp and told their leader that they couldn't just leave him there, saying that he deserved a burial. Suddenly, Maplespot stood over his body and proclaimed in the name of StarClan she would heal this tom. Believing it to be a fool's errand, the leader at the time, a beautiful she-cat named Vinestar, tried to convince her that giving him deathberries would be the best course of action but Maplespot stood firm that she could save him. Knowing that arguing was just a waste of time, Vinestar agreed and Maplespot began her work. It took an entire moon, but Maplespot proved herself right and the tom was healed,"

"Whoa!" the black and white kit whispered.

"What was his name?" her sister asked.

The gray elder shook his head, "I'm afraid that has been lost to time. But we do know that during that time treating his wounds, Maplespot fell in love with the tom. He was a charismatic young cat with a world full of knowledge about all the places he had been and the cats he had met. He also treated Maplespot as a friend, not a high-ranking healer. Maplespot was smitten and, after the tom had been officially stated to have a clean bill of health, Maplespot found herself to be pregnant,"

Pregnant!? She could've been! Sunshadow knew that one of the biggest laws that the medicine cats had to follow was they mustn't take a mate or have kits.

"She hid the pregnancy well, knowing what herbs to use to treat her aches and pains and random bursts of nausea. The only reason we know she was pregnant was her newly found apprentice discovered the aftermath of her intense labor. She only had one kit, a son, but he died just after taking his first breath. She begged her apprentice not to tell, saying StarClan had punished her enough. Her apprentice agreed, allowing the secret to die with the kit. Only... It didn't. Maplespot, furious at all the death in her life, saw the loss of her son as the final act of disrespect. She decided to not take this loss standing down,"

"ThunderClan and ShadowClan were at war over territory with SkyClan attempting to stop them with little success. The number of casualties-"

"What do casualties mean?" one of the kits questioned.

"It means a lot of people sadly lost their lives over that silly land feud. Anyway, Maplespot decided that if StarClan can grant lives to leaders, they must be able to grant lives to the dead,"

Sunshadow felt her heart drop. She didn't like where this was going.

"She started secretly taking bodies away and even digging up bodies to test her theories. Maplespot brought them to the Moonpool along with her strongest herbs to bring their souls back to the land of the living. Maplespot spent an unknown amount of time acting out her sinful goal when her apprentice got curious about her mentor's whereabouts. To her horror, she watched as Maplespot desecrated StarClan's holy site as she attempted to raise the dead. Rumor has it that when her apprentice watched, the body had brought move on its own,"

The kits whimpered and huddled together.

"I told you it was too scary!" The elder that had protested the story piped up.

"I can stop if you wa-" Mousemuzzle began, but was interrupted by an indignant mew.

"No finish the story!" one kit yelled.

"We need to know what happened!" the other proclaimed.

Mousemuzzle chuckled, "Alright, alright, fine, I'll tell you,"

"Her apprentice, shocked at her mentor's crimes, went behind Maplespot's back to tell Vinestar, and the leaders and medicine cats of SkyClan and ThunderClan what she had learned. She begged the leaders to listen and put the feud aside. ThunderClan's leader was suspicious that he couldn't find his Clanmates' bodies after they died so he agreed as long as ShadowClan would cease this war. Vinestar, tired of seeing her Clanmates die, agreed with SkyClan being a mediator between the two and helping set the terms of their agreement. With the war settled privately, each leader took their best warriors and their medicine cats with Maplespot's apprentice leading them to the Moonpool. To their horror, Maplespot had brought the body of a kit, her kit, to the pool to bring him back from the dead. Somehow, using the ability to travel into StarClan via the Moonpool and her own secret techniques had worked. Her child stood up and walked as if he were alive,"

Both the pair of kits and Sunshadow were left speechless as Mousemuzzle continued, "However, something was wrong. It was as if his spirit was broken and sick because the second after he was able to stand he immediately attacked his mother. Maplespot tried her best to calm the reanimated newborn but it was no use so she had no choice but to put him down. Just after getting her son back, Maplespot had to lose him once more,"

"This was the proof the Clans needed and the patrol immediately pounced on her, dragging her screaming body back to camp. Her mate, now a full ShadowClan warrior, watched as three Clans put his mate on trial for not only disrespecting the dead but taking a mate and having a son. Her apprentice told the three Clans everything she knew and Maplespot said nothing to defend herself, only defiantly looking up at Vinestar and the other leaders. The three 'stars came to an agreement: she'd be exiled. Her mate, furious that everything Maplespot had done was now being ignored, threw himself at the leaders. They tried to settle him down but when he managed to take a life from ThunderClan's leader, he was killed in the middle of the camp,"

"Maplespot sobbed. She sobbed over the body of her mate, thinking of him and her son and her parents and her siblings and everyone else she failed. As the cats slowly started to circle around her, Maplespot ran out of camp and was swiftly followed, but was lost due to the lack of a moon in a pitch-black sky. No one ever saw Maplespot again, but cats claim that she targets the young and old, waiting for them to be left alone so she can snatch their bodies for her personal use,"

The kits squealed with terror and rushed back to the nursery as Mousemuzzle laughed at their antics. Sunshadow simply sighed and buried her nose in her fur. Although she was still tired, her mind was racing.

That's just a story. No cat has ever brought the dead back to life and no one truly believes they can bring back the dead.

...Right?

[ofsilvas]

             *           𝒄𝒍𝒐𝒔𝒆𝒅    𝑠𝑡𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑟          ,          @rubyyang​​          .

                  𝒄𝒂𝒔𝒔    𝒉𝒂𝒅    𝒈𝒐𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒏    𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒕𝒓𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒅    while    in    the    hotel    but    now    that    they    were    back    on    the    ship    and    things    were    getting    back    to    normal    ,    it    felt    a    lot    less    hectic    .    which    was    exactly    why    he    made    his    way    to    ruby’s    room    ,    giving    the    door    a    knock    before    letting    himself    in    .    being    that    he    didn’t    make    it    to    her    room    in    the    hotel    he    figured    he’d    come    bother    her    now    .    making    his    way    in    her    room    ,    he    was    glad    her    roommate    wasn’t    in    there    at    the    moment    or    barging    in    probably    wouldn’t    be    all    that    cool    .      ❝      sup    loser    ,    i’m    here    for    that    devils    lettuce    you    were    supposed    to    save    me    .      ❞      he    said    with    a    smile    ,    walking    over    to    her    bed    and    plopping    down    next    to    her    .

[soundtrack-scribe]

Since Kindergarten

Summary: Jaz and Michael slowly learn that maybe they shouldn’t be too harsh on Ashton for having a crush when they can’t even figure it out themselves.

A/N: Spin off/alternate storyline of @cxddlyash​’s work Make You Mine

Word Count: 5.8k

And away, and away we go!

__

“Club meeting after school. It’ll be on the announcements, but I know you never pay attention,” I tell Michael.

“I’m Vice President, Jaz. I know when my club meets,” the boy rolls his pretty green eyes.

“Our club,” I correct, patting his chest.

His eyes roll again. “Yeah, yeah. Catch ya later Madam President.” He gives me a mock salute before dashing down the hall to his class.

I laugh to myself as I walk into my science class, stalling as I spot a girl I’ve never seen before in my usual seat. “Uh… you’re in my seat,” I tell her, taking the desk directly to her left.

“Shit, I’m sorry…” the girl mumbles, grabbing her things.

I wave my hand for her to stay where she is. “I’m fucking with you. Mr. C doesn’t give two shits where we sit anyway. Something about encouraging our growing minds to make the right decisions for ourselves. I’m Jasmine, by the way. Everyone calls me Jaz, though.”

“Y/N,” she replies, her voice a little stronger as she relaxes back into the desk.

“So, where’d ya move from?”

“North Carolina.”

“Shit,” I nod approvingly. As if I knew fuckin’ anything about North Carolina… “So you’re probably used to the heat then?”

She laughs politely. “Yeah. It’s a lot dryer here though.”

“Yeah, that’s California for ya.”

“Aw, look at that!” a voice behind us cooed sadistically. “The old loser’s making friends with the new loser.”

“Well, that’s not a very nice way to talk about your friends, Rachel,” I deadpan, offering Rosie my award winning smile.

The girl with strawberry blonde hair that falls in perfect waves down her designer sweater scoffs. “Whatever. You would take in the strays, wouldn’t you?”

“Funny, we say the same thing about you dating Greg, Ruby,” I respond, continuing to butcher her’s and her tool of boyfriend’s names on purpose.

Rosie scoffs again, and I smirk at the little stamp of her foot. “At least I don’t sleep with all my friends. Or are you into girls? I can never tell when you hang out with those boys who’s fucking who.”

“You should ask George, I’m sure he knows. Run along now, Ruth. I heard today we’re gonna figure out why scientifically some girls peak in high school.”

“Ugh! You’re such a loser!”

“Sorry about that…” I apologize to Y/N, who has her eyes squeezed shut and is white knuckling her desk. “Just ignore her. It’s what everybody else does.”

“Not you,” she points out. “You stood up to her…”

I shrug my shoulders. “Nah, standing up to her would be slugging her right in her pretty lil face. I just like to remind her that she’s not the only one who can run their mouth. Anyway... North Carolina, huh?”

~~~

I spot my friends already hanging by the doorway of the cafeteria with their lunches. I mutter a quick thanks as I grab my lunch before making my way over to them. “Sup, losers?” I grin, balancing my tray in one hand so I can throw my other arm around Michael’s shoulder.

The boy laughs, before looping his own arm across my shoulders. “What’s the game plan for lunch?”

I shrug, carefully so as not to nudge off his arm or jostle us into spilling our lunches. “No idea. Guys?” I ask, looking over at our other friends. 

Calum shrugs while Luke suggests, “Outside like always?”

“Works for me, I’m starving,” Michael complains.

“You’re always starving,” we all answer before heading for the doors to go outside. All but Ashton, who’s frowning and still frozen in place. “Ash?” I ask, getting the hazel-eyed boy’s attention. “You coming?”

He nods quickly before jogging to catch up with us. “So… did no one see what Rosie did to Y/N?” he asks as we all sit down at our usual table off in the shade.

I snap my head in his direction at the mention of Rosie. The things I would do to that girl and her snobby friends given half a chance. My eyes scan across the quad, locating the strawberry blonde bimbo with her posse and douche of a boyfriend, Grant. “What?! What did she do?!” I demand, feeling my hands curl into fists at my sides. I hated the way she thought she could just treat people like shit and get away with it because no one wanted to ruin their reputation by standing up to her. And since Y/N was still the new kid, that made her a fresh target for Rosie’s bullshit. It made my skin crawl just thinking about it. Yeah, the girl was shy, but she was sweet as could be, and one hell of a science partner. She deserved better than Rosie constantly fucking with her.

“She roughly pushed her into the lockers, claiming she was in the way,” Ashton quickly explains.

The disgust was clear in his tone, but there was an underlying sadness to it. I scoff and push back a few loose strands of my hair. “Of course she did. She never liked her.” I let out a sigh, remembering every faked “Whoops,” Rosie gave her in science class when she purposefully kicked our bags each time she walked by or dropped our papers so they didn’t get handed in with everyone else’s. God, that bitch was one move away from me blowing up her next science experiment.

“Who really cares?” Calum pipes up. “She keeps to herself. She’s kinda asking to be a target.”

I’m not sure when all this cliche shit went to my friend’s head, so I give him a good punch on the arm to remind him just who he’s friends with.

He groans, moving out of my reach, rubbing at his arm. “Fuck, Jaz! What the hell?!”

“Don’t be a fucking dick!” I snarl, feeling Michael’s hand cover my own as a silent plea not to beat Calum senseless. “Who cares if she keeps to herself? That doesn’t mean she should get picked on.” I roll my eyes at him. Honestly… Plus, was Calum really that dense that he couldn’t see that Ashton clearly had a thing for the new girl? Well… what better way to get Ashton to talk to her than by inviting her to sit with us?

Ashton’s eyes widen as I get up from the table, spotting the girl alone at a table on the outskirts of the quad. “Jaz, what are you doing?” It’s a hissed whisper laced with panic as he frantically waves me back over to them, eyes darting about trying to get help from the other guys.

I look over at him, a smirk on my lips. “I’m gonna bring her over here, duh.”

Y/N’s working on homework when I walk up to her, so I wait patiently for her to take notice of my presence, my hands clasping together in front of me. “Hey,” I smile brightly at her when she slowly lifts up her gaze.

“Hi… What’s going on?” Her fingers shake a little as she tucks a stand of hair behind her ear. Oh, she was like a kicked puppy… I’d like to give Rosie a good kick…

Deciding to just go for it, I reach for her bag. Her hand reaches out to stop mine, but I already have it in my hands. “C’mon,” I coax, nodding my head in the direction of my table. “I want you to come sit with me and my friends. I’ve got one that really wants to meet you.”

Her cheeks flush as she shakes her head. “Jaz… I- I appreciate the offer, but I’m fine right here.”

I sigh, but I’m not ready to give up so quickly. “Please?” I slightly beg. “Just for today?” When her hand grabs again for her bag, I hold my arm out of her reach. Great, hold her bag hostage, that’ll work…

The girl’s eyes dart back and forth between me and the chaos that is high schoolers vying for space despite being out-fuckin’-side. “You guys don’t wanna be seen with me,” she diverts, but I just shake my head. Her excuse is about as lame as my holding her schoolbag hostage. She lets out a sigh and I cheer internally. “F-fine, but just for today.”

I grin, handing her back her backpack. One battle at a time. I stop in front of my table, feeling her bump into me. She mutters a quick apology, but I don’t acknowledge it, instead choosing to start introducing her. “Y/N, these are my friends,” I begin, pointing towards Calum first. “This is Calum. You might know him from the soccer team.” She shakes her head at me, so I keep going. “This is Luke. He’s in the choir.” They exchange a small wave of hello while my hand finds Michael’s shoulder. “This is Michael. He and I created the video game club, and he’s currently still mad that I’m president.” I break off into a giggle, realizing I’m rambling the most about him.

Michael scoffs, moving his pastel purple hair out of his face, that I swear he only dyed purple because I dyed the tips of my own hair purple. Or had I dyed my hair to match him? “Of course you’re the president,” he tells me, sarcasm dripping off his words. “You’re a pretty girl in a club with a bunch of gamers.”

Did he just call me pretty on purpose? I give him a look, crossing my arms over my chest, deciding to keep the banter going with him to hopefully distract from the heat I feel in my cheeks. “Mhm, sure. Keep telling yourself that. It’s really because I’m a better gamer than you.”

Y/N smiles softly, taking everything in before her gaze flutters over to Ashton expectantly.

“And finally we have Ashton!” I grin, leaning in to whisper for just her to hear, “He’s the one that really wanted to meet you.”

I motion for her to sit down as I sit across from Michael. When she does, I turn my attention on the green-eyed boy across from me. Had calling me pretty just been to make his playful insult have a little more sting to it? Or had he really meant it? His nose scrunches up as he tosses a fry at me. “What’re you staring at me so hard for, weirdo?”

“Still trying to figure out how you think you’re the better gamer,” I fire back.

“What? You want me to prove it?”

The idea of playing videogames with Michael? How was I gonna pass up that offer? It wasn’t like I had gone out of my way to make a club just to make sure I had an excuse to be around him more or anything crazy like that… Okay, well I had… sort of. He’d been the one complaining that all our friends had their thing. And running the club together had meant we had been spending more time together which wasn’t bothering me in the slightest, considering I’d been crushing on the kid since we became friends in kindergarten. But, I didn’t want him to know that just yet. Or ever. “You’re on, Clifford.”

Whatever his response is gets cut off with a giggled "Oops! Making new friends I see?"

My attention shifts in time to see Y/N give a shake of her head, while scrambling to get up from the table. "N-No… I was just leaving," she stutters, beginning to walk away. She doesn’t make it far because Rosie sticks out her foot, sending Y/N crashing to the ground.

The quad erupts in laughter as a crowd gathers to watch Rosie’s newest torment. Yeah, laugh harder jackasses, cuz each one of you knows it coulda been you, I think bitterly, rising to my feet. "Hey, Rosie, how about you fuck off?" My voice is a growl. 

My response is a snicker that makes me wanna give her a real reason to get a nose job. "Nice to see you sticking with the loser still, Jaz. Be careful. She might steal your man," she states while her eyes glance towards Michael. She gives Y/N one good last hard look of disgust before slinking off. 

I let out a huff of breath, crossing my arms over my chest. "God, I fucking hate her…” I ignore Michael’s look of confusion, sitting back down and gesturing for her to do the same. “C'mon, Y/N, sit back down."

She shakes her head at my offer, taking a few steps back. "I told you, you guys wouldn't want to be seen with me," she mumbles before walking away.

“Y/N? Y/N!” I call out after her. I sigh in defeat, looking to find Rosie still laughing with her friends. “Hehehehe,” I mock under my breath flipping her off.

Michael grabs my wrist, lowering my arm. “Do you really need to give her a reason?” he asks.

“Oh, please… like she needs a reason.”

“Still. Don’t stoop to her level, Jaz.”

“You say stooping, I say leveling the playing field.”

Michael rolls his eyes, sighing. “Anyway…”

~~~

“Ha!” I laugh in victory. “Told ya I’m the better gamer,” I continue to gloat at Michael. 

“That’s cuz I let you win.”

“Oh, yeah frickin’ right…” I roll my eyes. “You can say it Mikey. I won’t tell anybody. Go on. Say it. Say ‘Jaz, you’re the better gamer.’ Well? I’m waiting…”

“Jaz,” he starts.

“Yes?” I ask sweetly. 

“You’re batshit crazy,” he grins.

I swat his arm. “Yeah, yeah, tell me something I don’t know.”

“You actually suck at videogames. I play with my controller inverted so you can win.”

I gasp at the confession, grabbing his controller and checking the settings he has on it. “You lil liar,” I laugh when his controller is set in a manner similar to mine.

His head tilts back as he laughs, his eyes crinkling in the corner. They’re soft when he pauses to take a breath, a crooked smile on his pink lips. “Nah, you’re actually pretty good. But, in my defense, I didn’t grow up with 3 older brothers. So all my gaming skills are self-taught.”

I scoff, jerking my thumb towards my bedroom door. “You think those idiots are helpful? Do you know me at all?”

“What kinda question is that? ‘Course I know ya,” he huffs.

“Mhm… sure…”

“What? Want me to prove it?”

I cross my hands behind my head. “Dazzle me,” I deadpan.

“Well…” he leans forward. “I happen to know that if I do what I’m about to do, there’s a fifty-fifty chance I get slapped.”

My breath catches in my throat. “A-and what are you about to do?”

His tongue wets his lips as he leans in even more. Before he can do what I think he’s about to do, my bedroom door bursts open. “Dinner!” the youngest of my older brothers, Ian, shouts. “And keep your door open when you have guests, Jaz,” he says with a smirk in Michael’s direction.

I stalk over to Ian. “Knocking is a thing, jackass. Try it sometime.” I push him in the chest so he staggers out of my doorway before slamming the door in his face. “So…” I say, turning back to Michael. “You staying for dinner?”

He grabs his backpack, slinging it over one shoulder. “Nah, told my parents I’d be home. I probably won’t be on later…” One of his hands rubs at the back of his neck. “Homework and shit, ya know… but see ya tomorrow?”

“Yeah, see ya...” I was going to kill Ian...

~~~

It was getting harder and harder to be around Michael. We hadn’t talked about what had almost happened in my bedroom, so every attempt at any other type of conversation felt awkward and forced. I hated it. I wanted my friend back. But I also wanted one of us to grow a pair and finish what we had started. And the more time that passed without either one of us bringing it up, the weirder our new limbo state became.

Right now, my only saving grace seemed to be that at least Ashton appeared to be in the same boat Michael and I were in. Only he didn’t have ten plus years of friendship with his crush.

“What are you staring at?" Michael asks Ashton while taking a bite of the pizza on his plate. Pizza sauce gathers in the corner of his mouth, and it takes all my instincts to not wipe it away. Michael’s gaze follows where Ashton’s is. "You're staring at her again?" It’s a stupid question. Of course Ashton’s been staring at Y/N. That’s all the boy does anymore. Problem was he needed to actually talk to her to accomplish anything. Wow… project much, Jaz?

Ashton snaps his head towards his friend, a blush forming on his cheeks. "What do you mean again?!" he asks and Michael gives him a look before glancing towards me. My heart flutters in my chest. I loved the way Michael would always start to say something, then look to me to finish it. Like we were a team. Which I supposed we were. But… ugh…. Teenage boys...

"What he means is that you stare at her a lot, which is okay! You like her, it's cute. But, it'd be more effective if you actually talked to her," I elaborate.

Ash scoffs softly. "I talk to her. We're friends," he states.

I raise an eyebrow. My fingers tap against the table, my eyes scanning over the paper he has covered up with his arms.  "If you're just friends… what's this?" I ask.

Ashton’s answer is in the way he blushes. He picks up the paper as the rest of the boys glance at him. "It's nothing," Ashton mumbles and folds up the letter before stuffing it into his bag. "I've got a concert tomorrow night, so I'm gonna go practice."

"You think he'll have the balls to ask her out?" Michael asks me and I glances towards the lilac-haired teenager.

"I wouldn't talk, Mike," Luke mentions. Michael is quick to smack the blue-eyed boy’s arm, giving him a hard look.

My eyebrows furrow together as I look at my friends. Of course Michael would have told Luke what had happened. I avert my gaze, searching for Y/N. The girl hasn’t eaten lunch with us ever since that first time and I couldn’t exactly blame her after what Rosie had done. I frown when I don’t find her in her usual spot. “Whatever… I’m gonna go talk with Mr. C about things for the club. Make sure we have the right equipment for our kick off to spring break party.” I stand up quickly, grabbing my backpack. It’s a meeting the could definitely wait until after school considering I TA for Mr. C for my last period, but if I was gonna have to sit and listen to Michael deflect Luke’s offhand comment, I was gonna scream.

“Well, shit,” Michael wipes at his face, still managing to miss the pizza sauce in the corner. “I’ll come with.”

I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. I should’ve said I was returning a library book… “Well, c’mon then.”

“So…” he says, falling into pace with me.

“So?” I ask as both our hands reach for the door, his fingers wrapping around mine as we both pull the door open.

His green eyes shift around, almost like he’s checking to make sure we’re alone in the hallway, before landing on me. They hold that same trace of softness they had when he had almost kissed me nearly two months ago. I hold my breath, hoping against hope it’s gonna happen again and this time we won’t be interrupted. When he leans down, I stretch upwards on the tips of my toes. Our noses knock together before his lips find mine. It’s gentle and shy, but then there’s a fierceness that takes over. My hands travel across his shoulders and up his neck to tangle in his hair. His arms snake around my waist, one hand settling just above my ass, the other firmly between my shoulder blades. And holy shit… Michael Clifford is making out with me in the school’s hallway…

We both seem to realize that we could get caught at the same time, jumping apart from each other. “So…” he says again, his hand rubbing at his neck and ducking his head down and away from me.

“So…” I breathe, my heart racing in my chest.

“How are my chances of getting slapped now?”

“Depends. Did you mean that?” I point back and forth between our lips.

“Yeah.”

I nod. “Is it a one time thing?”

He chuckles. “God, I hope not.”

I smile, grabbing his chin to pull him towards me. “Good,” I whisper before pressing a kiss to his cheek.

~~~

“Sup, losers?” I grin, throwing my arm around Michael’s shoulder. “Videogames?”

“Soccer practice,” Calum says.

“Yeah, and Ash and I got that concert tomorrow,” Luke adds.

“Mikey?” I ask, looking up at the boy I’m half tangled up with.

“Videogames, huh?” he smirks, his eyes dancing.

“Why, you got a better idea?” I challenge, laughing when the guys go “Oooo!” suggestively. Yeah, if only they knew.

“Guess you’ll have to wait and see,” Michael whispers, using the small chance to place a swift kiss under my ear.

I giggle, an embarrassingly high-pitched girly one, clapping my hand over my mouth in shock. “Anyway!” I laugh, trying to quickly move on, until I hear a familiar scoff as my shoulder gets bumped. Ugh, Rosie… which means… I spot Y/N standing in front of her locker, looking dejected. Oh, that fuckin’ does it… “Y/N!” I call out, and start walking her way, trusting the boys will follow.

She glances up towards us, shutting her locker. I expect her to walk towards us, or at the very least wait. Instead, she turns and rushes for the door.

"Hey, hey, wait!" I call out again, before breaking out into a jog. I run around in front of her, but she just continues to walk past me. "Y/N!?”

"Can you just stop?!" Her tone is harsh as she glares at me.

I raise my hands in surrender, becoming more and more mad at Rosie by the second. What had she done to make Y/N ready to bite my head off when I hadn’t done anything?

"What's going on?" Ashton asks when him and the guys finally catch up with us.

She glances towards him, her face falling as she scoffs in disgust. "You know… I thought you were different," Y/N tells him and Ashton looks just as confused as the rest of us. "I really, really thought you'd be different." 

She shakes her head before starting to walk off again, but Ashton stops the girl. "Wait, what do you mean? I… what did I do?" 

She pulls out a piece of crumpled up paper, waving it in his face. "This stupid fucking note. Rosie told me everything."

I was gonna vomit. We’d all seen Ashton writing the note at lunch. Rosie had spewed her lies for the last time "This fuckin' bitch," I mumble and Michael rests a hand on my shoulder. “What'd she-”

“Jaz,” Ashton cuts me off and glances towards me, giving me a look to let him handle this.

I curl and uncurl my fingers at my side, letting Michael pull me towards him, both of his hands now on my shoulders, his fingers rubbing softly to ease the tension in them.

"What'd she tell you?" Ashton finally asks.

She licks her lips, fingers fiddling with the hair tie on her wrist. "She told me that Grant put you up to writing the note. That you don't actually like me.”

Great… Grant was part of this shit, too. Of course he was… Much like Rosie, the guy was a piece of work. Honestly, they really did deserve each other.

Ashton shakes his head and sighs. "That's not true. She's just saying that to get in your head, Y/N," he explains. "Plus, I don't even talk to Grant. Like, at all. Not once."

"Plus, we saw him writing it during lunch before he left," Luke chimes in and we all nod in agreement.

"Did you read it?" Ash asks.

The girl shakes her head. "Not thoroughly," Y/N mumbles and we all turn our attention away so they can have their moment.

“I like you. I really, really like you. You intrigue me. You're funny, sweet, adorable, shy. Your personality is truly amazing. I… I want to be with you," we hear Ashton tell her.

"R-Really?" she asks in a whisper and Ashton giggles softly.

"Yeah, absolutely. If you want I-I could take you out for dinner tomorrow night?"

"I'd like that," she tells him.

“Awww!” I croon. Michael, Calum, and Luke join me, making us all laugh.  “Alright. Now that you're seeing each other, I'm gonna fuck Rosie up," I tell them before heading off in search of Rosie and her friends. 

I hear Michael curse softly before following after me, everybody else trailing behind him.

When I spot Rosie, Grant, and a few of their friends standing towards the other end of the school, I yell out, "Ayo, bitch!"

The strawberry blonde glances in our direction, rolling her eyes. Yeah, your eyes are about to roll alright, I think as I cock my arm back before clocking her in the face. Gasps leave some of the girls lips as Grant's eyes become wide. I smirk, putting up my both fists. This shit ends now.

"What the fuck!" Rosie screams. She takes a swing at me, but I duck, my fist connecting with her ribs this time.

"You think it's okay to just pick on everyone here, huh?! Does it fuel your fucking ego?! How's it feel to be belittled?!" I scream while taking a chunk of Rosie's hair in my hands, pushing her back. I’m not sure if I’m gonna hit her some more or keep screaming every insult I can think of, but it doesn’t matter.

Michael grabs me around my waist, dragging me away from her. "Jaz, stop," he mumbles as I fight against him.

"No, lemme at her! She deserves it. He does too!" I snarl at Grant, twisting my body and breaking free. My next punch goes straight into Grant’s eye, causing him to slump slightly forward, his hand flying to where I struck him.

"You bitch!" he growls and takes a step towards me.

My mouth drops open in shock, before a gleeful smile crosses my face. Hit me, you fucker… Make. My. Day.

Michael pushes me behind him with one hand, shoving Grant with the other, his green eyes glaring at the jock. "Yo, were you about to hit a girl?!"

If my heart wasn’t racing before, it sure was now. I beamed at Michael in pride, before glancing around. All of our backpacks were a heap on the ground. Calum had a look and stance that I’m sure matched my own, ready to show these jerks what happens when you fuck with the “losers.” Luke’s eyes held traces of panic, but his hands were clenched in fists at his sides. Michael was still glaring at Grant, daring him to do something, anything to give him a reason to knock him out cold. Ashton looked like his mind was racing to come up with a way to calm this down before it became a straight up brawl. Y/N’s hand landed on my shoulder. Her eyes were soft, pleading for us to drop it.

C'mon, let's just get out of here," Ashton states and urges Michael to step away.

"Please," Y/N adds.

I look over at Rosie, with her bleeding lip, eyes wild and on high alert, stunned into silence for probably the first time in her life. My gaze shifts to Grant and his black eye. Part of me wants to start kicking Rosie’s ass again while Michael wails on Grant next to me. But, I’m satisfied with the damage I already dealt. Fine. I don’t need to hit them again. But… “I don't want you coming near us ever again," I threaten Rosie. I get a sick thrill of how she flinches back when I take a step towards her, her scoff stuck in her throat. "You hear me?!"

She rolls her eyes and nods her head. "Fine, yes. Jesus, just get the fuck away from us," Rosie states.

Good enough for me. I grab my bag and practically skip off. “You alright there, slugger?” Michael asks, grabbing my hand and examining my knuckles. They’re mid transition from red to a purplish blue.

I flex my fingers, wincing slightly. “Just a bruise. I’ll be alright. Were you really gonna hit Grant?”

“Well I wasn’t gonna let him get away with him hitting my girlfriend. Although I probably shoulda slugged him for calling you a bitch.”

“Girlfriend?” I ask.

“Well… yeah… You think I’m just gonna make out with you in a hallway, and then not ask you to be my girlfriend?”

I shrug. “I dunno. You’re the one who made out with me and then didn’t ask.”

“Well I was gonna until you went all Mortal Kombat on Rosie and her little gang.”

“You kissed me a whole two hours ago, but sure… blame the fight.”

“Has it really been two hours?”

“Yep.”

“Huh, guess I should fix that.”

“Mikey!” I squeal with laughter as he starts covering my face in kisses.

“So?” he asks, his eyes bright with excitement.

“So?”

“Girlfriend?”

I laugh. “That is the worst ask in the history of asks!”

“Alright, alright. Jaz, will you be my girlfriend?”

“Where are you taking me on our date, boyfriend?” I ask in lieu of answering.

~~~

I skip over to Y/N when I see her after spring break. “So, how are things going with you and Ash?” I ask suggestively as we fall in step together as we walk towards our first periods.

She hugs the books she’s holding tight to her chest as her cheeks turn pink. "It's going good. We hung out for most of spring break.”

I note the smile on her face with a squeal of excitement."That's awesome, Y/N. You two are fucking adorable," I grin back. "Have you guys kissed yet?"

"N-No," she stutters, looking towards me with wide eyes. 

I blink a few times in confusion. They’d been together for as long as Michael and I have, and Ashton hadn’t kissed her yet? I would kill Michael.

"What?! I mean… should we have? We've only been together for a few weeks,” she continued to sputter.

I ran a hand through my hair, letting out a huff of breath. "Well, I just assumed that he's kissed you goodbye after a date or greeted you with a kiss," I mention and she just shakes her head, swallowing thickly. "It's probably nothing. He most likely wants it to be special or both of you are just too nervous to make a move,” I explain, hoping to put her mind at ease, and I’m still turning it over in my own mind as we split up.

“Hey, beautiful,” Michael winks as I sit down at the desk next to his.

“Hey,” I smile, leaning across the aisle to give him a quick kiss. “Did you know that Ash and Y/N haven’t kissed yet?”

“So?”

“So, don’t you think that’s weird? Like, they’re dating.”

He sighs, the lilac colored fringe fluttering softly with his breath. “Honestly, babe, I don’t think about it at all. Like… they’re still working at a faster pace than we did in terms of first meeting to first date.”

“Ha-ha,” I laugh humorlessly. “All I’m saying is is that Ash needs to do something about it.”

“Or what?” my boyfriend laughs. “You’ll hit him?”

I crack my knuckles. “Maybe. You don’t know what I’m capable of.”

Michael laughs harder. “Stop beating people up, Jaz. That was like, the worst week of my life.”

“It was only detention. Coulda been a lot worse.”

“Yeah, detention and your parents grounded you. I was alone, babe. It was terrible.”

“Aw, you poor baby,” I tease, giving him another kiss as the bell rings.

~~~

“Jesus, didn’t Ash just have a concert?” I ask in fake annoyance as I walk hand in hand with Michael towards the auditorium. Nearly a month and the contact still set off butterflies in my stomach.

“That was the spring concert,” Luke informs me. “This is just the band’s showcase.”

“Mmm,” I nod, scanning around the crowd to see if I can find the man of the hour.

“Can you see him?” Y/N asks me.

I shake my head, my eyes noticing the snack bar.

“You guys go ahead, I’m gonna check the band room.

We nod at her, Calum and Luke muttering about how we’ll save her a seat. “Yeah, go get us seats,” I encourage, nudging Michael’s shoulder. “Mikey, snacks.”

“Good eye,” he tells me proudly, before leading us through the crowd to get in line.

“Hey, Mikey?” I ask suddenly.

“Hmm?”

“Why’d you kiss me?”

“You’re gonna have to be a lot more specific than that, babe.”

“The first time. The day of the fight.”

“Cuz I like you. Why are you asking me this now?”

Because I’ve been in love with you since we were 6 and don’t want to make a fool of myself by telling you so early into us actually dating. “Keep forgetting.”

“Mmm. Well, it’s like I said,” he tells me, pressing a kiss to the side of my head. “It’s cuz I like ya.”

“And… how long did it take from you realizing you liked me to you actually kissing me?”

He lets out a huff of air in thought. “Geez… I dunno… I mean, I tried to kiss you like two months before that. Why? How long have you liked me?” he asks, flipping the conversation.

“Since kindergarten,” I mumble fast and low, my cheeks burning. No sense in hiding it now.

“Jesus…” he giggles. “That long, huh?”

I push his shoulder. “Don’t make fun of me!”

“I’m not, I’m not,” he continues to giggle. “Just… damn… wish I’d known that so I would’ve kissed you sooner.”

“How much sooner?”

“Kindergarten.”

I pull up my shirt to hide how bright red my face is. “Mikey!”

“What? It’s the truth. Well… half the truth anyway.”

“Excuse me?”

“‘Like’ isn’t a strong enough word. Now, ‘love’ on the other hand… Yeah. That feels better. So I take back what I said. I didn't kiss you because I like you. I kissed you because I love you.”

“I love you, too,” I beam up at him.

“Since kindergarten?”

“Since kindergarten.”

__

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[ask-rwby-multishipper]

Dare-Ruby, Neon, Harriet and any that want to join, in a naked 3 lap race around Beacon. No fighting No cheating Otherwise anything goes winner gets their clothes back and the others clothes losers have to WALK back to their dorm. Second place can get their underwear Third-place gets just either there bra or panties Everyone else gets nothing 😎😎😎😎😎 Have fun😎😎😎😎😎

Harriet, eyes narrowing dramatically: At last, a chance to prove I am the fastest.

Elm: You have to do it naked though.

Harriet: A small price to pay to prove that I am the fastest.

Elm: Okay.

Harriet: The fastest....

Neon: I have to do more streaking?

Ruby, facepalming: Oh gods....Well at least when I use my Semblance I just burst into petals, no one will be able to see me naked.

Weiss: Who else would even want to join this race?

Yang: I’ll join.

Weiss: What....

Yang: Sure, why not?

Harriet: No offense, Yang, but you don’t seem like the fastest runner.

Neon: Even if you were, the three of us have speedy Semblances. You’d never outrun us.

Yang: Who said anything about running?

Harriet: Huh?

Yang: The dare just says a three lap race around Beacon. It doesn’t say it has to be a foot race. And I just happen to have a motorcycle.

Neon: Uhh.

Ruby: She’s got a point.

Harriet: Oh hell no. You are not going to ride a motorcycle naked and upstage me in my moment of triumph.

Blake: But she could!

Neon: I hate to say it, but I agree with Ruby. There’s nothing that says vehicles aren’t allowed.

Harriet, scoffing: Fine, no matter. I can outrun anything.

Yang, scoffing right back: Even a motorcycle going full speed? You’re bound to run out of gas before ol’ Bumblebee does.

Harriet: Oh yeah?! Well I’ll show you! Let’s do this right now! *starts taking off her clothes*

Elm: Uhh, wouldn’t it be wiser to wait to do this at night? Since it’s, like, outdoors, in public?

Harriet, almost about to take off her bra: I...guess that would be a better idea.

Ilia, gritting her teeth: So close....

Yang: Sounds like a plan. Let’s meet up at the Beacon courtyard, at midnight. We’ll see who the fastest really is.

Harriet: Oh, we certainly will.

Midnight....

Nora: Alright! I want a good clean race! Remember the rules! If there’s any fighting or cheating you’ll be immediately disqualified, and I’ll hit you with my hammer!

Pyrrha: That was never part of the rules.

Nora: I’ll do it anyway! Ready girls?

Neon, naked and trying to cover herself: I’ve been ready for a while now, what’s taking so long?

Harriet, just now taking her clothes off: That’s what you get for showing up early, but you’re gonna be late to the finish line.

Yang, sitting on her motorcycle, naked: That’s if you don’t run outta gas, bunny rabbit. *glances at the adoring crowd of girls to her right* ‘Sup. *winks*

Ilia: Hot naked girl on a bike hhnggrrrrnnn... *faints*

Blake, staring intensely: I’m gonna burn this image into my brain.

Emerald: So hot....wait, Weiss?

Weiss: Huh?

Emerald: Your nose is bleeding.

Weiss: What?

Emerald: You have a nosebleed.

Weiss: The fu—I have an aroused anime nosebleed?!

Emerald: I was just calling it a “nosebleed,” but you’re probably right.

Ruby, also naked, standing off to the side, covering herself: Well, I guess the perks of having a hot sister is that she distracts everyone so they don’t look at me.

Penny: Oh Ruby, you must be terribly embarrassed.

Ruby: I’ll be fine, Penny. It’s just....really awkward, but it’s all just a game, and....it’s kinda thrilling in a way?

Ciel: It is?

Ruby: Thrilling, in like a terrifying way. But I’m cool, it’s all good.

Penny: Well if it is any consolation, you look very cute.

Ruby, blushing: Thanks, I guess that does make me feel a little better.

Ciel, grinning mischievously: Especially your butt. Your butt’s really cute.

Ruby: Quit looking at my butt!

Ciel: *sticks her tongue out at her* Just messing with you.

Ruby: Meh!

Nora: Is everyone ready?

Harriet, now naked, a deathly focused glare in her eyes: I’ve always been ready.

Neon, very intimidated standing next to her: Ready, I guess?

Yang: Ready to go. Oh, wait. *turns Bumblebee’s ignition and revs the engine* Oh yeah, now I’m ready.

Blake: This is my entire sexuality.

Ruby: Uh, I’m ready, too.

Nora: Alright! Three laps around Beacon, and the finish line is right here! *raises her hand* Get ready! Get set! And.... *throws her hand down* GO!

Harriet, Neon, Yang, Ruby: *ZOOM*

Ilia, waking up from the loud noises: Wha?!

Blake: You misses it.

Ilia: Missed what?

Blake: All of it.

Ilia: Ugh....wait, why does Weiss have a nosebleed?

Weiss, stuffing cotton up her nose: I’m working on it!

Emerald: Okay wait. Aren’t nosebleeds caused by high blood pressure?

Blake: I think so.

Emerald: And fainting is caused by low blood pressure.

Blake: Yeah.

Emerald, gesturing to Weiss and Ilia: How’s that for a lesbian spectrum?

Ilia: Hell yeah, we out here getting winded after climbing stairs.

Weiss: I’m pretty sure I just have allergies.

Blake: Sure you do, Weiss.

Weiss: I do!

Harriet: *ZOOM*

Nora: Harriet is in the lead!

Blake: Wow, I figured Yang would be winning.

Emerald: Speaking of....

Yang: *VROOM*

Ruby: *PEW*

Neon: *NYAN*

Nora: And Yang, Ruby and Neon are neck-and-neck-and-neck for second!

Weiss: I guess Harriet really is the fastest.

Elm, standing behind her, sighing: Just wait.

Weiss: Huh?

One minute later....

Harriet: *slightly slower ZOOM*

Yang, Neon and Ruby: *following closely behind*

Blake: Is Hare getting slower?

Elm: I’m pretty sure a lap around Beacon is a few kilometers. She’s gonna run out of Aura pretty soon.

Weiss: Won’t Ruby and Neon run out as well?

Blake: Oh don’t tell me Yang is going to win on her bike.

Half a lap remaining....

Ruby, trying her best to keep up with Yang and Neon: Gotta....maintain...Aura levels....dang it! *stumbles and comes to a halt, allowing the others to overtake her and speed off* I’m so exhausted.... *puts her hands on her knees and takes some deep breaths* No....I can do this....if I push myself to my limit, I can blow them all away. I just need to.... *activates what’s left of her Aura* Focus it all on one....last....burst! *her feet dig into the ground, and she takes off like a rocket*

Harriet, still leading but gasping desperately: Almost....almost....FUCK! *she trips, stumbles and falls, allowing Neon and Yang to pass her* NOOO! *slams her fist in the ground*

Ruby: *ZOOMs past*

Harriet: FUCK!

Ruby, gaining on Yang and Neon quickly, gritting her teeth: Almost....yes! *passes Yang and Neon, then crosses the finish line* I won!!! *stumbles and face plants into the ground* Oof.

Nora: Ruby wins! Followed by Yang and Neon in a photo finish!

Elm: And there’s Harriet, throwing a tantrum.

Harriet, in the distance: AAAAAAAA

Penny, picking up Ruby and hugging her: You did it, Ruby, I’m so proud of you!!!

Ruby, getting swung around wildly: Penny! Need....clothes!

Penny: Oh yeah, that. *puts her down* I’m just really happy for you!

Ruby, beginning to get dressed: Thanks. *takes a few deep breaths* It honestly took a lot out of me.

Penny: I can carry you back to the dorm!

Ruby: Aww, thank you.

Yang: Nice one, sis. *looks are Nora* So who came in second?

Nora, shrugging: It was too close to call.

Velvet, holding up her camera: I got it. *pulls up the picture of the finish* Yang’s bike crossed the line first, but Neon’s body crossed before Yang’s body did.

Neon: That means I got second, right?

Yang, sighing: I concede.

Neon: Woo! Almost champ right here! *picks her underwear up and starts putting in on* I outran a motorcycle!

Yang, picking up her bra and panties: Yeah, gotta hand it to you, that was pretty impressive. *turns to far the others, holding up her choices of undergarments* Which do I leave off?

Blake: Topless.

Emerald: Topless.

Weiss: Topless.

Yang: I figured. *slips her panties on* Well that was fun.

Nora: Let’s head back to the dorm before anyone sees us.

Penny: Yes let’s! *picks up Ruby into her arms* Onward, winner!

Ruby: Yay!

Meanwhile, a little ways away....

Elm: Uhh, Hare?

Harriet: *sobbing into the grass* Eehhhhhhh!

Elm: So you tripped up and fell. That’s no reason to beat yourself up about this.

Harriet: Eeeeehhhh but I wanted to be the fastest, and now I’m the....clumsiest!

Elm: You know who you’re talking to, right?

Harriet: But....but....

Elm, sighing: Here. *takes off her shirt, picks Harriet up and puts the big t-shirt on the small girl* There. Now let’s get you back to the dorm so we can keep playing with the others.

Harriet, Elm’s shirt covering her all the way to her knees, blushing: I....guess.

Elm, holding her in her arms and smiling: That’s better.

Harriet, tucking her nose under the shirt’s collar as Elm begins taking her back to the dorm: Thanks, Elm....

Elm: No problem, loser.

Harriet: Too soon!

[thanotosomega]

Ruby: Hey Penny you want to see something funny?

Penny: Why yes! i would love to observe an object of humor!

Ruby: Hey Yang!

Yang: Sup Sis?

Ruby: Ruby Rose is a stupid loser!

Yang:...MUST PUNCH PERSON FOR INSULTING SISTER BUT CAN’T HIT SISTER! ERROR! ERROR! CANNOT RESOLVE CONFLICT!

[razorblade180]

Lasting Embers pt18: Brewing Storm

[Blake’s Study]

*giant bookshelves on each side and a skylight up top. A desk with a stack off papers on it with Sun hard at work*

Sun:*wearing reading glasses*.......

“You look good in glasses; so official”

Blake:*wearing nothing but one of his shirts half buttoned up and no pants* You’re up early; I woke up and was surprised you weren’t there.

Sun:Had work that needed to be processed. Almost had it done before our unexpected reunion last night. I wish I was in bed.

Blake:*drapes herself over him* Not surprising, you barely got a wink of sleep last night. *kisses his neck and face*

Sun:*chuckles* Gee I wonder why? *reaches his left hand up to rub her ear.

Blake:*purring* Can you blame me? I spent ten years missing you. I like your new clothes by the way; orange is nice on you.

Sun:Thanks, I was going for a sunset vibe. After all my “moon” wasn’t around to make the tougher decisions. So I had to channel some of my inner Blake hehehe.

Blake:Active High Leader Sun Wukong. Looks like the people don’t even need me. Maybe you should keep the job for good.

Sun:Please don’t joke like that. I don’t know how I’ve kept this thing going for a decade but you can have it all back. I miss being second in command.

Blake:Well it’s a good thing I’m more than happy to be back. *picks up some papers* Is this the report from Illia?

Sun:Yeah, prevented another assassination attempt on Whitley. Not to mention the our unwanted guest that were promptly dealt with thanks to the little terror of the desert. Jael really is something else.

Blake:I met up with them before I came here. She looks healthy which is good; also she’s grown like a weed. Wouldn’t be surprised if she’ll outgrow my clothes in awhile.

Sun:She definitely has her father’s intensity that’s for sure. I’m worried about these attacks; there’s never been such a drastic attempt like this. Especially back to back. How did the last part of your mission go?

Blake:A lot of explosions in a mine. *pulls out a map with dozens of red x’s on it* we hit every single one we found. Even went around the world twice for a year just to be sure. Maybe this is a last stitch effort?

Sun:.....I hope so. *stands up* you might wanna get dressed. Adam should be back in a few hours, there’s a festival tonight for your return, I’m sure Illia wants to spend time with you, not to mention your parents.....

Blake:Sigh, no rest for the wary. Guess I’ll go shower, but.....*grabbing Suns arm* you’re helping me wash. High Leader’s orders.

Sun:*smiling* Well if they’re orders!

[Jaune’s Porch]

*Ruby sitting down and taking off her shoe*

Yang:*opening the door*I was wondering where you were. Go for an early jog or something?

Ruby:Visited dad. Felt nostalgic about seeing our home again. Almost nothing as changed; except the boarded up doggy door....

Yang:Oh....how long?

Ruby:Three years; Zwei just ran out of bark he said. Wish I got to hold him one more time.

Yang:Yeah that’s rough. *sits next to her* So, how long you’re bunking with us? Not that anybody wants you gone but I assume you want your own place?

Ruby:My home burnt down before our adventure started. Sure I could easily get another one but.....I’m in no rush to be alone.

...........

Ruby:This is gonna sound terrible but a piece of me wishes I didn’t have to deal with readjusting to life. Maybe our last mission should’ve been my-

Yang:Don’t say it...*holds her hand tightly* there’s no way I could’ve lived with myself coming home without you.

Ruby:....I’m sorry. I should no better than to say things like that by now.

Yang:You’ll get through this, with me. Just like always. I’m always in your corner sis. *smiles*

Ruby;....*hugs her tightly* Yang, I don’t know what I’d do without you. Thank you for everything; for being my sister. *whimpering*

Yang:*looking up at the sky*

*Dark clouds forming in the distance*

Yang:*rubbing Ruby’s head* (A storm is coming. Why.....am I worried?)

[Vale]

*alarm clock ringing*

Tenzen:*in his bed*Zzzzzzz

Ren:*shaking him* Tenzen wake up! You’ve over slept again.

Tenzen:Zzzzzz

Ren:Pancakes are made.

Tenzen:Zzzzzzz

Ren:Yujin made them...

Tenzen:*jumps up* Lies! She makes french to- what time is it?

Ren:Past sunrise; your mother is probably waiting for you to show up and running drills again.

Tenzen:Shoot! She’ll probably ramp up the difficulty now. *starts zipping around his bedroom causing the lights to flicker*

Ren:You might blow a fuse at this rate *catches him as he passes by* remember to eat before moving like that or you might just ended up worn out and sleepy again.

Tenzen:Valid point, I’ll probably end up grabbing some snacks to eat before I see her.

Ren:*holds up a protein bar* here, I doubt you have time to make breakfast.

Tenzen:You’re the best. I’m surprised you haven’t made breakfast yet.

Ren:*points to luggage outside* I’ve been preoccupied this morning.

Tenzen:*eyes widened* Already going on the medical trip? Didn’t think you’d pack so soon.

Ren:Nora is finishing up your training, thanks to you everything is paid for, and hopefully by next month you’ll ace the entrance exam to Beacon. Looks like you don’t need me around anymore.

Tenzen:Don’t phase it like that. *hugs him* I’m always gonna need you dad. Have a safe trip and speedy recovery! Looking forward to dancing with you whenever you return.

Ren:As long as there’s no camera; I’ll leave internet fame to you.

Tenzen:Deal! *suited up in his previous attire* well I’m off to another brawl in the emerald forest.

Ren:Some advice, go after your mom first.b

Tenzen:Got it! *dashes away*

Ren:*still holding the protein bar* Hehe Nora he is like you through and through sometimes.

•

*Blake fully clothed in a version of her father’s chief outfit. Complete with the the purple and gold family colors*

Blake:*drying her hair* You know it’s impolite to spy on people right? *looks up at the rafters*

Adam:I see you haven’t lost a step. *jumps down* also you sort of hired me to spy remember? *kneels*

Blake:*opens her arms* Stop with the formalities and greet me like an old friend. Or did you forget how to do that?

Adam:Sassy as always I see. *hugs her* Good to see you safe; I’ll admit I had my doubts.

Blake:You think you’d know better than to bet against your first pupil. *moves his hair* how’s seeing the world with two eyes?

Adam:Bright hehehe, but really nice. You’ve been back long?

Blake:Just since last night. Stopped by and visited your family. Jael has become quite the looker.

Adam:It terrifies me every day.

Blake:*snorts* got to talk to her a little bit. She seems lonely. Also missing you a lot.

Adam:Things haven’t exactly been....easy for her. It’s a lot to talk about.

Blake:Well there’s gonna be special spot here for higher ups only during the festival. You could bring your family without worrying about people seeing you; maybe we could all catch up them?

Adam:*rubbing the back of his neck* That might do her some good honestly. I sort of think I’m screwing up the one good thing I’ve brought into this world.

Blake:*smiles*......

Adam:What?

Blake:It feels really good to just talk to you again. We’ve been through some shit you and I. I missed this.

Adam:*smiles* You’re such a sap....

Blake:Wow! Okay you jerk. *folds her arms and smiles* the real sap is you; family life suits you well.

Adam;It’ll probably do wonders for you too. You’re only thirty something. It’s not too late.

Blake:*blushing* Mind your business! I just got back and that’s what you want to say!?

Adam:I’m just saying you might want to think about it. Sun won’t admit it but he was always his happiest spending time with Jael or any kid that ran up to him. *walking away*

Blake:......

Sun:*walks in* Oh hey loser. *holds out fist*

Adam:Sup loser *fist bumps him* see you tonight with my family.

Sun:Aye tell Jael her uncle I’ll make her favorite dessert! *grinning*

Adam:She’s supposed to be eating healthy! *leaves*

Sun:This is why she likes me more! So how was seeing your old everything basically.

Blake:*red*.........fruitful.

•

*Tenzen sprinting down a dirt path connecting to the forest. Clouds looming over him*

Tenzen:(I hope mom isn’t too mad I’m late. If she is this storm probably won’t my situation. Maybe I should’ve-) *immediately tries to stop. Skidding several feet anyways* What the!?

*trees snapped in half and bullet holes everywhere. Prints of human and multiple grimm types around the area with some blood as he looks around*

Tenzen:......(This isn’t right. So many grimm prints but not much blood. Who could get away from these numbers? Why would different grimm attack in these numbers?) Something doesn’t feel-

“tu...rn arou...nd.....”

Tenzen:*flips around and draws his weapons* Who’s there!? Fair warning I- *gasp* Emerald!?

*a flickering illusion of Emerald dawning a black and green trim version of her outfit points to a bush before fading *

Tenzen:*Walking through the bushes and looking*Emerald.......?

Emerald:Hey kid *cough* up here.....

Tenzen:*drops his weapons on sight; his face going pale* Guys?

*Mercury unconscious and bleeding on Emeralds back. Her chain dangerously close to being around their neck as they hang from a tree*

Emerald:*beaten up* H...help....

Tenzen:*snaps the tree limb off and catches both of them* What happened to you two!? Why are you-*yanked by the color*

Emerald:They....know where *cough* Nora.......

Tenzen:..........

[Launching cliff]

Nora:*sitting down* Late again I see; what am I going to do with that boy? We did spar pretty rough so maybe I can give him a break this one time.

*pit pat pit pat pit......*

Nora:Hmm? *turning around* finally decide to show up Ten- *gasp!!*

*several cult members stand facing her. Dozens of ursas, beowulves, and death stalkers behind them*

M:I’m sorry, were you expecting someone else? *eyes glowing read*

*the rain started to fall.....*

[joesinteriormonologue]

IRC: The End of Pokeforum

The sun bore down on the abandoned city. Not a single sound could be heard within the run down walls. No insects. No birds. No people. Nothing. All that was left was the shell of what used to be a great city. There wasn't even any greenery. Just rocks that had the shape of houses, because can it be called a house if it's not lived in? The soil had dried up too, leaving the Earth cracked and hard. All that was left was dust. The dust covered everything, and on the odd occasion there was a gust of wind it would engulf the city. Following the main road within this city would lead you to a huge castle. Just like the city the castle had begun to crumble too, one of its four towers had collapsed and the water that was supposed to fill its moat had dried up. The wood of one of its huge doors had dried up so much that it had cracked under its own weight and torn the hinges off the wall, leaving only a small space to walk through. Surprisingly the sound of voices emanated from inside the decaying castle.

“God I am so bad at drawing!” complained a rather chubby man who was sitting at a desk in the right hand corner of the room sketching, he then slammed his colouring pencil against the desk out of frustration. In the centre of the great hall, atop a few steps which were made out of marble, was a huge throne of gold, silver, rubies, sapphires, diamonds, emeralds and many other precious things, but even though they were made from such beautiful material the throne looked wrong. The engraved stones didn't shine, the colours seemed dull, it was as if the throne wasn't real, it was a cheap copy made from bad material. Atop this throne sat a very thin man, so thin in fact that in a different light you could mistake him for a skeleton. The man's sunken cheeks looked sharp enough to cut the very stones of the castle, and from his chin grew a very long and wiry grey beard, which was unusual considering the long hair on his head was black. In his hands was a PSP, but after hearing the other man's reaction he slowly looked up, his neck cracking in several places as he did so.

“Hoyle, you're disturbing me whilst I play Fire Emblem,” croaked the man.

“Wait, there isn't even a FE on PSP,” said Hoyle under his breath, “Ah, bugger off Silver, why don't you go and complain to somebody else. Oh, wait, there is nobody else to complain to, except Porygon2 maybe, and even he's looking worse for wears.” he added, frantically rubbing out the drawing he had started.

After hearing his name being said Porygon2, who was in standby mode just beside Silver, was activated, his circular robotic eyes lit up: “I am Porygon2 how... may...I...,” Porygon2 collapsed into a pile of rubble on the floor. Hoyle let out a sigh. The castle hall fell silent once again, the silence occasionally being broken by the scratching of Hoyle's pencil. Beyond Silver's throne were many hallways which led to dormitories, but all of them were empty and abandoned. Silver had stopped asking Poyrgon2 to clean them a long time ago.

A faint erupted in the throne room and a metallic figure had suddenly appeared. He was very square and angular with a single antenna protruding from his head.

“Losers,” said the robot. Silver grunted.

“'Sup Jenova,” replied Hoyle, who didn't even lift his head from off the paper. Jenova grunted back and pulled out a copy of JoJo from someone on his person and walked over and sat down on one of the marble steps in front of Silver. Silver frowned at him, and then passed out from the exertion of frowning. The trio sat in silence once more and some time past until another pop was heard and a very short and stout person appeared.

“Losers,”

“Met,” said Hoyle. Silver grunted. Jenova beeped. Met sat down beside Jenova on the marble stairs.

“As lively as usual then,” said Met to Jen.

“Indeed,” replied Jen. Met nodded slowly but his nod was a mere acceptance that things didn't look like they were going to change anytime soon.

You see, dear reader, in the world of IRC it is the people who bring life to the channel. The more people there are in a channel, the stronger it becomes. It creates more life, breathes energy into the lands and the people who live there. Whilst there are people a channel can thrive and prosper. In fact, this very channel, pokeforum, was once a great place full of life and things happening all the time: omnipresent pineapple deities who loved to observe the people of IRC and gift them with unique abilities and write down the annals, strange crab, dorito and shark creatures, actual women, and reality altering games of “mafia”. The channel had become such a force that enemy channels attempted to destroy it and steal its life force for their own, but the people of the land came together and used the power of mystical artefacts and fought them off. Some of those people are the ones sitting down in that throne room right now. Silver, although grouchy and selfish he may be, actually gave his life for the channel. He was later on revived by the mysterious Phoenix clan but that's a previous story. But alas, all great empires must end. And so too did Pokeforum. One by one the people started to leave, some had moved on to other channels which suited them more, others had simply departed from IRC and some had simply suffered the same thing we all go through, life. All that was left of the once great empire were the few who remained to abandon the place they called home, but that very place was slowly decaying, crumbling, dying.

Another pope resonated through the hall and suddenly there was a very muscular man shouting at his phone, “FUCKING POKEMON DUEL AND IT'S FUCKING HAX,” screamed the man, his thin Spanish moustache bristled and the veins on his neck and forehead looked like they would explode at any minute.

“Why the fuck are you giving yourself a Spanish moustache?” said the man to no one in particular.

“Joe's raging again,” said Silver rolling his eyes, well, at least he imagined himself rolling his eyes, because actually doing so would mean taking his eyes off his PSP and that would be unforgivable. Joe sat down in the far left corner, he made sure to sit far away from the others, because he once threw his phone against the wall in one of his many fits of rage and it rebounded and left Met in a coma for a week.

The others just grunted. Time passed and day turned to night. The once sweltering heat of the wastelands turned to very frigid air and the company of IRCers wrapped themselves up in another layer of clothing. To the surprise of the group of men the sound of someone entering the channel reverberated in the hall. A very young man in his twenties stood triumphantly in front of the giant throne. He had an acoustic guitar around his shoulder and was wearing jeans and a simple orange tee, his hair was short and chestnut brown and his skin was very white and peppered with freckles. Silver didn't bother looking up, but the rest of them did.

“Get out,” snapped Hoyle, “we don't want new people”

“Ah, Hoyle, you never change, do you?” said the young man with a soft smile on his face. He looked around and whistled, “wow guys you really let this place go to the dumps didn't you.”

“Do we know you?” asked Hoyle.

The man laughed in shock, “Hoyle? Don't you recognise me? It's me, Ruari.” said Ruari pointing to himself.

“Nope. Can't be. Ruari's 12, well, maybe, just maybe, 14 now.” Hoyle said.

“Yeah, and you're like, twenty something,” added Met.

“But he does have that guitar on him, and Ruari always carried his guitar on him.” commented Joe. The others looked Ruari up and down.

“Do you want me to play?” he asked.

“NO!” They cried back in unison.

“Okay, so it's definitely Ruari,” said Hoyle, “what are you doing here?”

“I've come to save you all,” he said with a smile “I am your new Jesus,”

“We don't need saving,” snapped Hoyle, “leave us alone. Let us die a lonely and miserable death. That's all we want now.”

The rest nodded in affirmation. Ruari let out a sigh, he knew it was going to be a difficult task to convince them but he wasn't going to give up just yet.

“Okay guys, listen to me. What if I say that the new place I'm want to take you to has all the ice cream,” Hoyle's eyes lit up, “JoJo,” Jenova buzzed in excitement, “super...friendly friends, or whatever it is you watch,” Ruari said looking at Met who clasped his hands together like an eager child, “Fire Emblem” Silver actually looked up and scowled at Ruari, “and...”

Joe looked at Ruari eagerly, what on Earth could he have that he desired as much as Hoyle wanted ice cream?

“weights,” Joe smiled, but deep down inside that wasn't the answer he wanted to hear.

“In this new place we will once again create a lively channel, full of conversation, and laughs and entertaintment. Together gentlemen, we can make Pokeforum great again.” said Ruari ending the speech with his hands on his hips.

The group of men looked at each other, and then at the despair around them. The dust covered curtains, the crumbling walls, the silence, the nothingness the channel had become. What did they have to lose? All they had to do was finally take a leap of faith and leave IRC. They wouldn't be going back to a forum, or a chatango or god forbid a Xat. Ruari promised them something exciting, something different, something more up to date.

“Silver, what do you say?” asked Ruari, who stared directly at the carcass like figure sitting on the throne. Silver grunted, sighed, squirmed. He raised his and spread his palms. Ruari stared at him, his eyes wide open, Silver's hand began to shake, along with his arm, finally it collapsed on his arm.

“I don't even possess the power to kick you now,” said Silver ashamed, “I am the creator of this channel, the founding father and I have done everything possible to maintain peace and order. Many have tried to overthrow me, many attempts have been made to start a second channel because I am a” he raised his arms and air quoted “dictator, yet all of those attempts failed and I survived. Even when I had to leave to do business elsewhere with other channels and that fool GEC was in charge this channel still thrived. And now, after all these years, after everything I have done, the channel still stands, perhaps not as great as what it once was but it is still here and still alive. Are you really asking me to abandon this place, after all this time?”

“I'll give you powers,” said Ruari.

“Okay!” Silver suddenly leapt from his throne, the bony skeletal figure that he once was transformed completely into a middle aged man wearing jeans and a purple tee, “I guess it's time to finally turn off the lights, shut the door and say goodbye to the old girl.” Said Silver placing his hand on the broken door. Suddenly it started to creak, it then began to levitate, the hinges that had broken were suddenly fixed and reconnected to the wall and within the blink of an eye the door was once again brand new.

“We've had some great times in here,” said Joe putting a hand on Silver's shoulder. Silver let out a sigh, he looked at Joe, his eyes were full of sadness, he looked down and then...

“Get off me!” Silver shrugged Joe off him, “God it's just an IRC channel, no need to get all emotional on me, ugh,” Silver said in disgust. He walked out of the throne room. Joe watched in shock.

“Looks like the old Silver is back,” said Hoyle.

“Well, that's that then!” chirped Ruari, “time to make a move,”

The band of men followed Silver outside the castle, as they all left the castle vanished out of existence leaving behind it nothingness. Literal nothingness. With each step they took away from the castle the land behind them disappeared. In the meantime Silver raised his right hand, everything to his right disappeared, he raised his left and the same happened. Suddenly the group of men were surrounded by darkness, with the only thing ahead of them being a great white light. They were walking too, but it was if they were walking but not actually moving. Silver stopped and faced the group, the great white light making his face invisible.

“It's the end, but the moment has been prepared for,” he said.

“I don't want to go,” added Joe sadly.

“We should always remember when the IRC was us,” said Hoyle.

“Run!” shouted Ruari. Suddenly the group were in the middle of a bustling city, cars and pedestrians sped past them. Hoyle, being half blind almost walked straight into a car but was save thanks to Jenova's quick reactions. A red convertible with a lemon wearing sunglasses sped past them, rearing behind it was another car being driven by a shark-like being, next to him was a young man and a crab-like thing. Upon seeing the group the car screeched to a halt, the driver's window slowly winded down.

“Welcome to Discord losers, it was about time,” said the shark.

“God they're so lame, LOL!” said the young man.

“I know right, LOL!” added the crab.