#is that what you’re wearing to church? must be since it’s so holey!

[rebelliousdandy]

i feel like veb would wanna be the spot’s sidekick based solely on his number of holes

[capnebula]

Winter Cherry - I

A/N: So this is what happens when I stay up late. The school and powers in the story are heavily inspired by X-Men since I'm a nerd who can't have 100% original ideas, like, ever. I hope you all enjoy it!

BLURB: It was always said that if you met a mutant with the opposite power as you, that person was your soulmate. Stan Uris, who steals life with his power, didn't believe in superstitions like that until he met Mike Hanlon, the boy who gives life.

PAIRINGS: Stanlon (main), Reddie (side), Benverly (side)

WARNINGS: main character with negative self-image (will update as needed)

WORD COUNT: 1,931

Stanley Uris was mostly a loner, but he liked it best that way. It was safer for everyone, he knew. His friend, Richie, disagreed, however. Richie thought Stan should go to school with him. Yes, it was a special sort of school made specially for mutants to go to, but that did not mean the people working there would be able to protect everyone from his power. It was more of a curse, he thought. Everything he touched just died in the blink of an eye. Touch the grass? Dead. A tree? Dead. Everything he even brushed lightly died. So, he wore gloves and turtlenecks, even on the hottest days of the summer. He didn't want to go to a school where he would have to be careful of everyone there. He already had to be cautious around his only friend and saw no reason to add a hundred something other kids to that equation. It was simple; Stan stayed away from people and people stayed away from Stan. That was how it should be. It was the most safe that way. So when suddenly his parents were pushing with Richie to get him to go to this school, he was partly confused and partly upset. He did want to know people, but he didn't want to hurt them, and he was bound to kill someone at some point if they weren't too careful around him or vice versa. No one he knew seemed to get the message, though. Richie brought it up every time they spoke, saying things about how fun it was and how much he would love the classes. Stan was getting fed up with it, and even entertained the idea of going just to shut up everyone else. But he didn't go. Not for a whole school year. Eight, maybe nine months, Stan stood his ground and refused to go. Everyone who knew him kept hammering him to go, however, and after months of thought and processing the pros and cons, he decided to just go. Richie was elated to hear the news. Really. He wouldn't shut up about it the whole time he helped Stan pack his things. Stan simply rolled his eyes and tuned the loud mouthed kid out until they were done packing. When they were done packing, though, they sat down at the foot of Stan’s bed in silence. “I'm honestly scared right now, Richie,” “Scared? Why?” Richie questioned. He wasn't the best at staying quiet, but he could do it to listen to Stan. “I kill people with just a light touch. You realise me being at this school means I have increased chances of accidentally killing someone, right?” Rich nodded. “I do realise that, Stan. I do. It's just that you're so lonely all the time and I think it's worth the risk if you get to meet new people and make good friends that aren't me. It'll be worth it, I swear. And if it isn't, if you really give it a chance and can't do it, then I'll get you back home myself. Deal?” “Okay, sure, deal,” Stan sighs. “Aye, I knew you had some sense. Not as much as your mother, but-” “Shut up Richie,” They looked at each other for a split second and both laughed quietly. Stan had to admit, he cared deeply about Richie and was glad his friend was showing caring just as deep, even through his stupid jokes. He truly was a great friend.

When the time came for them to get going, the realisation of just how scared he was came to him like a weight falling right on top of him in attempt to crush him. He didn't want to hurt anyone. That had always been the last thing he wanted. But then Richie was there, and he gave Stan a new pair of gloves, thick and almost leathery, yet flexible and easy to move. “Figured you might need a new pair. Seems all that time in the church made your gloves as holey as you wanna be,” “Thanks, and I appreciate it, but shut up,” Stan stated as he took the gloves. He went to take of his old, worn ones and noticed that Richie's joke had a bit of truth to it; the gloves were getting a few holes in them. “Alright, fine, cool. But you should know that those gloves that I just handed you are the best material and I saved up for a long time to get them. They won't be getting holes any time in the next ten or so years, so you won't need new ones too soon! Which saves me a lot of hassle with getting you cheap ones all the time for your birthdays. I can be more creative now!” And the dork let his hair become bright highlighter yellow just for the fun of it. Stan grinned; he honestly couldn't think of a power that would be more annoying for Richie to have, but it was fitting. “That's pretty nice! Thanks, Rich,” Stan really appreciated the gloves. He finally got to putting them on and wow, they felt nice. He could tell they had to have been really expensive. “Anything for a best friend,” They were waiting for the bus all this time, and the loud release of steam alerted them that they needed to go get on. The two stood and went to go inside. Stan was getting prepared to pay, but Richie did something that shocked him. “We're headed to Sharon Denbrough’s School for Mutants,” he said. The driver just nodded and motioned for them to head back. Stan was rather confused by this. “Why did he just let us go?” “He’s a mutant. He takes us schoolkids to the school for free because when he was young he suffered a lot of oppression.  He wants us to be able to go safely.” Richie explains. Stan nods, thinking deeply. It was strange, seeing another mutant. “What's his power?” “Telekinesis, I believe. I've heard he uses it to save this bus from crashes and hitting pedestrians. Seems pretty cool, but I personally think there are cooler mutants out there. More original,” “You're just saying that,” “Yeah. But that's because of you and Eddie,” “I hear a lot about this Eddie. He's at the school?” “No shit Stanlock. Of course he's at the school; where else would he be?” Richie rolled his eyes and grinned. “Okay, okay, just making sure, gosh,” Stan replies, though anyone could see that he was grinning as well. The bus started to move, and Stan realised that they were officially going to the school. He held onto one of the poles and continued talking to Richie, but his mind was filling with doubt as they sped up and were suddenly moving. The original worries of accidentally killing someone were at the forefront of his mind.

The bus pulled to its final stop and the doors opened. Stan and Richie, who had since sat down as the bus emptied, stood up and went to the front. “This is is, boys. Enjoy that school; it's a blessing to have it,” the driver said to them. Richie thanked him and made some stupid joke that Stan didn't really hear. As he followed his best friend out of the bus and onto new territory, he could only think of what a huge mistake this probably was. It was too late to make a change, of course, but he still regretted coming. “Rich, I'm still not sure this was a great idea,” “I thought you wanted to meet Eddie! Come on, you're gonna kill my mood before anything else with that attitude,” “Are you seriously going to go there?” “Already did. Now come on! It's seriously like three yards away. That's less than fifty steps. Get a move on,” Richie took Stan’s suitcase from him and started speed walking off. Stan jogged to catch up, sighing. He knew he wouldn't win with this kid. They passed through the gate that separated the normal world from a school full of mutants. Stan looked around in awe at it. There was a large field before him that had kids using their powers in various ways, and an immense amount of plants and wildlife. It was the most gorgeous thing he could ever remember seeing in his life. Richie looked back to see him gaping at the scenery and grinned. “So I take it you like it?” he asks to confirm. “It certainly looks nice. Can't jump to conclusions just yet,” “Well then let's get you to Mrs. Denbrough. She'll show you the good stuff and get you settled in,” he started walking towards a building, “you're gonna love it. And her. She's a great head to the school and has an awesome power. Her son goes here too, but he's little. Cute kid though.” “Richie,” “Hmm?” “Shush,” The boy listened, but didn't stop walking. Stan took a deep breath; it was going to be an interesting day. He knew that, but when Richie dropped the suitcase and went running, Stan was even more certain. He was pretty sure his best friend had yelled “EDDIE”, but he had been pretty deep in though so he wasn't sure until he saw a boy significantly shorter than Richie walking back with him. “So this is the famous Eddie?” he asks. Richie nods. “And you must be Stan. Nice to finally meet you,” the boy responds with a grin. He holds his hand out in greeting. With some hesitation due to habit, Stan takes it and shakes his hand. “Guys guys guys we should get Stan to Mrs. Denbrough! Come on!” Richie once again grabs the suitcase and goes walking off to the building he had been headed to when he saw Eddie. The other two followed him just a bit behind the suitcase. Stan was mostly observing the people around out of curiosity. There were kids levitating and making fire spark in their hands and turning things to what looked like ceramic with just a touch. He looked over to Eddie and noticed the fingerless gloves he was wearing. “Hey, Eddie, just wondering, what makes you a mutant?” “I make things show their true form by touching it. Like, if Richie were to change himself to look like, say, you, I could touch his arm and he would change back to himself,” Eddie explained. “Is that why you wear the fingerless gloves or..?” “Oh, those are mostly just a fashion statement, but they are useful for that, too,” Stan nodded and went back to looking around before he noticed they were about to walk up the steps to the building. He noticed just in time for him to step up, walking up to the door behind Richie and, now, Eddie. They walked inside, and Stan found himself gaping at his surroundings. It was a room with a high ceiling and gorgeous paintings on the walls. He looked at it all, almost overwhelmed by the amount of beauty in this room alone. It was almost more overwhelming than outside. A woman came in through one of the doorways. She had her hair falling loosely around her shoulders, though half of it was pulled up into something of a bun where her hair looped and came out of the hair band into a cascading ponytail. She smiled at Stan. “Mister Uris, I assume,” her voice was pleasant, something like honey, but also firm. Stan nodded. “Um, yes, I'm Stan Uris,” “Well, Stan. Welcome to my school for mutants,”