#pdh zane

[awbublie]

oh phoenix drop high my beloved

I was a heavy believer of zanmau back in the day...

yeah this isnt canon, but I WANT IT TO BE

so listen :3

aph has choppy SHORTER micro bangs and generally has a more unkempt look. shes been holed in her room for so long, you think shes going to remember to being lotion with her everywhere? not to mention how to upkeep her makeup?? that being said smudgy eyeliner for THE BOTH OF THEM.

I need zane to be the weezy kid that brings his inhaler everywhere and mumbles the wrong answer in class.

loser core

they hangout under the bleachers and play ponies together. thats it. and he might have a crush on her. HE HAS ALOT OF THINGS GOING RN ITS HARD TO PINPOINT WHAT THIS FEELING IS! she feels more like shes babysitting.

LUCINDA AND KATELYN

okay so your telling me they stopped being friends bc they were fighting for a guy???

EEEEEHHHH WRONG !!!!

they fought bc they both panicked and picked him as a failsafe crush and their feelings both got hurt!!!

out of pride they both stood their ground on why they deserved the guy, basically one upping why the other SHOULDNT be with him.

you see where im going here?

anyways they miss eachother dearly!!

[dykefish]

a morning set in pdh, vylad not pictured cause he's the only one who doesn't spend 45+ minutes on his hair

first Sketch doodle thing of this concept, just flat stiff figures floating in nothing

[l4uranc3zv4h1s-bf444]

I feel like everyone in the fandom has just accepted the fact mys/pdh Laurence and mys/pdh gene are ex’s atp it’s practically canon but I just saw something saying zane and zennix are also ex’s and I will never be able to unthink this

[metalkaloids]

zanix, anyone??

i'm on a huge pdh kick rn and it's quickly becoming my comfort season.......

[starhvney]

Hello! I would like to go with PDH Zane, Gene, Dante and Travis. Tea is my favorite so I would like that too. Oh! And with some cream and a delicious jelly donut 😋

Just to give you an idea of what I want, they take the reader to somewhere special that they only shown to the reader! I think it would be really cute. Thank you, and I hope you have a wonderful day 🤭

𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝟎𝟐: 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐮𝐩 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫!!

𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐬: romantic tension, fluff, hidden location

𝐚/𝐧: it was, in fact, super cute! thanks for the request! i had fun writing this hehe. have a wonderful day as well!!

𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 ☆ 𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐄𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐓 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓

𝐙𝐀𝐍𝐄

“How long have you been coming here?” you whisper, warily glancing across the silent graveyard for any grieving visitors that you might be intruding on.

There wasn’t another soul around in sight though, at least not in your sight. You suppose no one comes here around this time of day, as the sun set and set an even colder chill in the bones of anyone who was still outside.

Zane was quiet for a moment, instead focusing on making sure the stone bench you’ve both stopped at wasn’t going to soak into your pants and really make you cold. He sits after a second, nodding for you to sit as he rests his elbows on his knees.

You don’t talk again, instead waiting for him to respond as you take the spot next to him. He’d been acting so different lately—actually getting into bad stuff and rebelling instead of just being all talk when he looked up to Gene back in freshman year. It worried you, but you didn’t feel like arguing about it in this peaceful moment between you two.

Despite the eeriness, you couldn’t deny it was pretty peaceful here. There were no voices, no expectations placed on you. Perhaps this is why he liked this place so much. Not that he’d admit it out loud, of course, but you’re sure a deep part of him just wants to be acknowledged for who he is.

A cold breeze rushes through the tall cypress trees as they sway above your heads, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake and making you shiver.

“Since middle school,” he finally admits, the thick layer of the outer coat he brought landing over your shoulders. “I like the quiet. Used to sneak out when I was annoyed by my family. No one else but you knows about it.”

You nod slowly, glancing over at him from the corner of your eye as you gratefully pull the jacket over you. A part of you wanted to question why he wanted to take you here, but you think maybe you already know when he glances back at you, his eye drifting up and down your face with a reserved susceptibility in it.

Yeah, he may have been trying damn hard to toughen himself, but you know damn well that emo dork is still in there wanting approval; especially from you.

𝐆𝐄𝐍𝐄

A distant creak from the hall behind you makes you jump, your hand clutching onto Gene’s sleeve as your head whips around the empty room. A vine that had grown down from the stained ceiling tile

“Are you sure there aren’t squatters here or something…?” You whisper, legs tense and ready to make a run for it—whether the punk calls you a wimp for it later or not.

A scoff echoes against the broken tile beneath your feet, and the arm you were clinging to suddenly wraps around your shoulder, tugging you into his side. The smell of cologne and cigarette smoke hits your nose, but something about it is a bit comforting—especially compared to the musty building you were in.

“You’re gonna be just fine, kitty. You really think I’d let something happen to you?” he says, not bothering to lower his voice like you did.

“Well if a murderous crackhead comes busting through a door? Then what?”

He cackles, seeming highly amused by a pretty valid worry you have. “I come here all the time. Not even they know about this place.”

You swallow, trying to reassure yourself by the fact he had to help you navigate through overgrown shrubbery to even see this place. As your eyes trail along a deep crack in the wall his fingers suddenly pinch your cheek, forcing you to look at him as a disgruntled whine leaves your lips.

“Hey, you look cute with your eyes all wide like that, but I don’t want you to actually be scared.” he glances over your face, briefly licking his lips as his eyes linger lowly. “Are you really scared? You trust me don’t you?”

Not completely. But regardless you nod, the butterflies in your stomach fighting against your instinct. He hums approvingly, a smirk tugging at his lips as he squeezes your shoulder.

“Good. We’re here.”

A wave of cold, fresh air washes over your face, clearing your head and the wild thoughts that had started

“Look. You can see the whole city from here through the trees, but they can’t see us.” he says, his husky voice brushing against your ear. You’re glad the cold wind rushing past the two of you through the broken window gives a good excuse for the way your shoulders tremble. “Pretty, huh?”

“Mhm…”

A chuckle brushes against your hair. “Cute.”

𝐃𝐀𝐍𝐓𝐄

“C’mon. I promise it’s not as far of a jump as it looks,” Dante gestures with his hands for you to leap forward, encouragingly leaning forward over the creek. “I’ll catch you, sweetie. Promise.”

You raise an eyebrow at his blatant flirtatious nickname, but knowing he wouldn’t relent you instead focus on the task at hand. He was right, you probably could make this jump, but damn is the water cold and deep enough to soak your shoes through.

Shaking your head, you decide to go for it, backing up a few paces before taking the leap of faith. His hands catch onto you and tug you the rest of the way onto dry land, though a splash still meets your ears when you see Dante’s eyes widen and shoulders get thrown off kilter.

“Damn!” He yelps. “That’s cold!”

Looking down, his foot is now soaked as he lifts it out of the running creek, his face gritting into a “whoops” expression. His shoe, likely his socks, and his jean leg are dripping with the icy cold water. He doesn’t seem upset, but you feel partially guilty for the boy’s misfortune.

“Sorry…”

“Ah, it’s okay. It’s not like you threw me in. C’mon,” he waves it off, taking another moment to shake off his foot before guiding you forward again, slinging an arm around your shoulder. “We’re almost there.”

You stumble at first as he drags you along, but it only takes a second for you to accept your fate and fall into step with him. All you can focus on as the two of you walk is his warm arm around your shoulder and the scent of his rather strong cologne and deodorant. Honestly, despite it being a little overpowering, it was better than him smelling like some of the other guys in the high school, that’s for sure.

Over broken roots and dead leaves crunching under your feet, the boy lightly squeezes your shoulder as you come to a stop.

“Here we are.”

Up ahead is a tall, thick tree, the roots gnarled and twisting out from the ground. It held up huge branches that were weighed down by their own weight, drooping across a large expanse that overpowered the younger trees around it. Around the trunk is a fort made of long sticks, a ladder coming out from the top and reaching up to a platform of random old planks that were patched together.

“This was a fort Gene and I made when we were younger,” he says, sounding a bit nostalgic and proud. “He doesn’t uh… ever come here with me anymore but I still come here to make sure it doesn’t fall apart and to chill for a little bit.”

“Woah.” Is all you can return, eyes wide as you take in the rather elaborate fort for it being built by young boys. “This is really cool…”

“Thanks.” He grins, taking his arm off from your shoulder to grab your hand instead, sending a wink your way as he drags you to the entrance. “Why don’t we picnic here as a first date?”

����𝐑𝐀𝐕𝐈𝐒

“How do you even find a place like this?”

Travis looks back to give a braced tooth grin at you, waggling his brows as he gestures at the old—likely highly out of regulation play set. Old mulch is overgrown by weeds and bushes, even some vines climbing up onto the slide and across the monkey bars. It wasn’t the right season right now, but you’re sure it would be even more beautiful with the spring and summer wildflowers.

“Ah, I didn’t have many friends except for Dante in middle school. So when I couldn’t hang with him I’d get pretty bored,” he explains sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Anyways, I ended up going out wandering while trying to learn how to skateboard and after busting my kneecaps twenty times I just… found this place.”

“Well, now you have more than just Dante as a friend, you have me!” you chirp, walking closer to the metal playscape.

“I wish… we… more…” he murmurs, just out of your earshot as you kick at some rotten wood chips.

“Hm? What was that?”

“What? I said… I wish uh…” Nervous chuckles suddenly burst from his mouth as he looks around, before pointing at the old merry-go-round to your right. “I wish we could try out that thing!”

You blink, looking at the hunk of metal with raised eyebrows. With a shrug, the two of you dash over to it, a sudden mischievousness forming on your faces.

“Wanna see how fast it spins?”

“Hell yeah.”

On either side, the two of you grab onto the rusted handles, the squeaky metal groaning in protest as you begin to push against it. As soon as you gain enough momentum, you both hop on, your mingled laughter overpowering the unpleasant sound of the squeaking and scratching beneath you.

Travis must’ve let his foot down to keep pushing, because soon your head feels like it’s spinning as fast as the contraption, everything around you melting into simple colors rushing by—with Travis’s grinning face in the center of your vision.

Before you know it, your side meets the mulch, and the teen boy responsible for your wood-chip demises can only continue to laugh, his head landing next to yours as you both try to regain your vision.

“I’m still spinning!” He cackles, eyes trained on the sky as the clouds above him likely swirl and mesh together like they are in yours.

You can’t help but laugh along, his stupidly contagious cheerfulness hard to be irritated at, even if you feel a little sick to your stomach now.

“That was kinda fun,” you smile.

Travis stares at you wide-eyed as you continue to giggle, his chest heaving with a big contented sigh.

“Wanna go again?”

“Hell nah!”

©starhvney 2024. do not plagiarize, feed to any AI, or repost my works to any sites.

taglist: @wasting-away-on-the-internet @angelhyperfixates @valentique @arienic @dazedbydeath @theaquaticplant @starsbrightly @kalegrinch @izzybella1807 @marst4rz

[creepybladelovers]

[sluttywizardcowboy]

besties

[creeky-cricket]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

[occasionallyprosie-mc]

MyStreet Headcanons (pt. 4)

Aphmau & Aaron / Katelyn & Travis / Laurance & Cadenza / Garroth & Zane & Vylad

AKA- How I make their PDH/MS actually reflect their MCD equivalents & how I lessen the questionable aspects

btw this is congruent with a MyStreet/MCD rewrite I have floating in my head and am slowly penning :)

MCD Ro'Maeve Brothers Headcanons (Coming Soon)

Garroth

So, so, so stressed

Literally, PDH!Garroth is the perfect modern version of MCD!Garroth purely due to their stress levels being appropriately equivalent

(keep in mind ages and era, PDH!Garroth's stress levels are appropriately equivalent to MCD!Garroth's, not the exact same)

He's Captain of the Baseball Team, Class President (Katelyn is VP and she's so mad about it), on the Ru'Aun/Minecraft equivalent of the National Society of High School Scholars, Valedictorian, etc

He is that cousin your parents compare you to at every family gathering

Not Mentally Stable but He's Trying

In freshman year, Garroth convinces Zianna that he needs twice as much food for lunch and shares with Laurance (Zianna falls victim to her oldest saying it's totally normal for a "growing boy" to need double the portions as her pediatrician suggests)

He is such a good friend

Has a breakdown in freshman year of college and ends up running away from his family to Laurance's house

Is it running away if he's an adult?

Lol he's the prodigal son

Anyways, he doesn't go back to college

Ends up joining the military bc college didn't have enough rules for him to follow and he doesn't know how to function without a thousand things restricting him

Serves for like two terms (idk how military works) before coming back

He works construction during MS S1-S3 and is forced to quit for Emerald Secret

He knows how to break doors with one punch because he's built them and learned how to demolish them for demo days

Starts volunteering at the fire station with Laurance during Lovers’ Lane

Is not as much of a dunce as canon

He's genuinely really smart, extremely people aware, charming to an annoying extent, but as of his college breakdown, he just lets loose

He says what's on his mind, he speaks his truths, he eats what he wants, goes where he wants, does whatever he feels like--and if that's buying an unholy amount of feathers to woo the girl he's had a crush on since high school, then he's doing that

He clings to his crush on Aphmau because it's the first real thing that He wanted, not Garte, not Zianna, since Zane was born

He is his most honest self in MS

Zane

You know how Garroth's that cousin you're always compared to? "Why aren't you more like Garroth?" "He was valedictorian!" "He got 100 in every class all throughout middle school and got 95+ in high school!" "He was captain of the baseball team!”

Now make that your big brother

Zane is compared to Garroth from the moment he's born

He hates it

At first he looks up to Garroth bc Garroth is so good and how could he do any wrong?

Obviously he starts to feel overshadowed

It doesn’t help that Zianna dotes on Vylad when they’re really little out of fear he will feel different from his brothers

He can't do as good as Garroth did so he seeks attention by doing far worse

Starts acting out in middle school, gets worse in high school when Vylad accelerates a grade

In Graduation Days, Aphmau says that Zane "made everyone's lives hell" during junior and senior year with his Shadow Knights

I've chosen to translate that as he became the literal bane of everyone's existence

Has blackmail on almost the entire PDH faculty and the district board of education, he rules PDH for all intents and purposes

Nearly gets arrested/expelled/sent to juvie after Nicole gets her dad involved, replaces the whole faculty, and ends his reign of terror but the threat still lingers

Only reason he isn't in juvie is because Garte pays off about everyone to keep quiet and keep his son from going to jail and causing a scandal

Zianna thinks he can do no wrong so after a summer of being essentially on house arrest she gets him into FCU

He mellows out by MS, he's no longer the tyrant king of the school but the HOA Karen (that's basically canon I mean have you seen him in S1?)

Has measured Garroth/Laurance/Dante/Travis's lawn multiple times and hit them with a fine when it's 0.01 inch too tall or too short

Has fined them for packages on the street, for not shoveling their driveway, for the hot tub in their backyard, everything he could find

Had a cowboy phase as a little kid (homage to Kestin (his VA))

He blackmailed Vylad with being an affair child into joining the SK's in high school

Even while living with Garroth in Lovers’ Lane, when he’s especially mad, he will walk outside, measure their definitely not Up To HOA Regs lawn, and slam a fine notice on Garroth’s bedroom door

Garroth never pays him but he does buy Zane’s favorite consumer snack (ie. favorite snack not homemade by KC or Zianna) 

As of late S1 (Vylad's arrival), he gets extreme embarrassment the moment someone mentions him in high school

Has literal, physical plans on how to take over the world but burns them before moving in with Garroth and Laurance

Garroth didn't blind his eye!!!!

He covers one eye because of the Forever Potion experiments, the reason Garte pulled him and Garroth out is because one of Zane's eyes is permanently green (like both Travis' are)

Zane believes he just has heterochromatic eyes, but kids used to always ask about it so he hides it because it was annoying and then he just preferred to keep it hidden

He wears an eyepatch to keep it hidden even when his hair moves

For Minecraft/Mystreet Magic reasons, if he took off the eye patch, he could see in the dark only through that eye

Had a crush on Katelyn in high school

He doesn't realize this, but the reason for his animosity towards Laurance is because kid him saw Laurance's friendship with Garroth as Laurance stealing Garroth from him

Also the reason why he hates Aphmau during high school bc she's friends with Vylad

Aka despite claiming and actively trying to hate his brothers:

Zane loves his brothers

He was just trying very hard to prove that he hates them

Especially in high school...

He and Vylad do NOT get along bc of SK's in high school

Remember how in S1, Vylad just sorta says "Hi Zane" versus runs and hugs Garroth? Yeah

As soon as he sees Vylad in S1, Zane immediately regrets 100% of his actions in high school

He tries to apologize but Vylad avoids him, the closest they get to interacting is the fake dating arc, and Zane hates it bc he's realizing he actually cares about his brothers and he definitely screwed up with his little brother

He got a degree in finance at FCU

Intends to take over the family company bc Garroth doesn't want it and no way is Vylad taking it

Works at Ro'Maeve Co., has a company credit card but never uses it and instead uses the family card that's unlimited

Vylad

Garroth was Garte's golden child who had to do everything perfectly

Zane was Zianna's baby boy who could do no wrong

As a kid, Zianna tried to make sure Vylad didn't feel different from them then Zane started acting out for attention and she fell for it 

Basically raises himself

Garroth tries to be a good big brother but is usually too busy

He is 3 years younger than Zane, but in preschool Zianna fought for him to start early (he was a smart kid, Garroth and Zane used to teach him the things they were learning so he could do basic math and by like 4)

He nearly got kicked back down a grade because he refused to talk in class

Had a Parent-Teacher meeting and he tells Zianna “She talks to me like I’m stupid, why would I listen to her? Dad says—“ And Zianna covers his mouth and tells the teacher he can talk just fine, and he’s plenty smart, so please stop treating him like a baby

Aaron skipping a grade leads to Garte forcing Vylad to skip two grades and start high school early (he passes, the certified child prodigy) and starts at PDH on the second week of classes

The Most Chill Guy but Very insecure throughout high school

Knows he's an affair child and thinks that's why Garte ignores him (he's right) and why Zane hates him (no it's because Zianna gave him more attention when they were little and Zane hasn’t noticed that Zianna barely looks at Vylad when Zane’s in the room)

Sees Laurance more of an older brother than both Zane and Garroth

He's on the soccer team in high school and brings Zianna's kimchi once before practice and introduces Laurance to spicy food

Is 20x more likely to respond to a text from Laurance than from Garroth or even Zianna and Garte

Bonds with Dante over their 'Zvahl adoptions' (see Laurance and Cadenza's headcanons for elaboration)

High-key hates Zane in high school bc Zane blackmails him with affair child info

They both know that if it got out that Vylad wasn't Garte's, Garte would blame it getting out on Vylad and it would not be pretty

Vylad genuinely believes Garte would kill him if it got out

Betrays Zane in junior year by saving Garroth from getting hurt by the SKs, does it on instinct, and runs away out of fear

Literally goes off the grid/vanishes

The police CANNOT find him, he's like 14 (remember he's two-three years younger than his grade) and is hiding from EVERYONE

This is why he’s absent in Graduation Days despite being in Aphmau’s class and graduating with her

Zianna's literally heartbroken, she's terrified for her baby

This is a factor that leads to Garroth's total breakdown and drop out from college

Comes back pretty feral

Aphmau's the reason he comes back to civilization (Not-Alone-Buddies FTW)

He comes back like two years into FCU

To those who read the Travis head canons:

IF PDH takes place in a world with modern technology (as in it technically takes place in like the 2000s/early 2010s and they do not have snap, but if it DID)

Vylad starts a snap streak with Travis and Aphmau in early freshman year

Aphmau's ends bc of Ein in sophomore year

BUT EVEN THOUGH VYLAD DISAPPEARS

His and Travis' streak is going strong

They have like a streak of 3000+ and are on a leaderboard online

Vylad ends up going to college, lives on-campus and has a Ro'Maeve credit card, assimilates back to society through college

Gets a journalism/environmental science degree

He immediately ditches civilization the moment he graduates 

He has a blog and youtube he periodically updates with him doing the most absurd stuff

You know that River Monsters tv show? He's got a selfie with almost every single one of those river monsters

Has a selfie of him on top of the Eiffel Tower. Not on the platform, like he is literally hanging on the spire like he's a superhero or something.

Copies that picture on every single major skyscraper he can (Empire State Building, Chrysler Building) even the Kurj Khalifa

He takes a video while on top of Christ the Redeemer (the huge Jesus statue in Brazil)

Vylad is on the FBI's watchlist

He's on multiple countries's watchlist actually

Had a selfie of him alone in the North Korean equivalent of the oval office and is now on their most wanted (the photo technically doesn't exist anymore, but it's somewhere in the bowels of the internet and a physical copy exists in Vylad's travel scrapbook)

Has the biggest internet following of his entire family

Is technically more profitable than the rest of his family off his blog and YouTube and has a lot of money in his bank account which he never touches

He uses Laurance's address for his bank account

He considers access to the Ro'Maeve family bank account reparations for the emotional damage and childhood neglect, and exclusively uses it for first class plane tickets to whatever continent he wants

The only reason he moves in with Aphmau is because his name isn't on the lease and if the gov't wants to try and catch him at the airport let's see them do that when he stays in country

Has had the government track him down before but literally evades them, and they can't prove that he's evading them because technically they can't really be searching for him without a warrant which they do not have

I have a lot of thoughts about these three in particular...

[moonlit-escape]

random extra #67: i bet you couldn't make a sentence without "a"

Garroth: oh? i bet i could.

Zane: you thought you did something there, didn't you? well sorry to burst your bubble but numerous sentences could be constructed without employing the first letter of the english lexicon.

Vylad: fuck you

[dilly-dahlia]

guys to me Garroth is actually gigantic (especially in mcd and mystreet, not so much pdh or fcu). like 6’4-5” gigantic. big burly man. absolutely huge. his Jury form in mcd makes him 6’8”

Laurance is six feet tops. if even that. he’s probably a little shorter. and he’s also kind of lanky. like. sleeper build i feel like idk. his Shadow Knight form makes him a little bulkier and 7’ and he brags about being taller than Garroth in that form

Dante is 5’9 1/2” and he makes sure you add that half inch. he pretends to be the tallest because six foot is “the woman’s ideal man” but anyone with eyes can see he’s like three inches below that. he used to get sad that he didn’t have an alternate form that changed his height but then he handed Garroth and Laurance’s asses to them during that spar in mcd season 2

Travis is 5’10” and he lies about being six foot. often. he got the short end of the stick because unfortunately his demon form only makes him like two inches taller while it made the Demon Warlock almost a foot taller. he joked one time that that’s the reason he doesn’t like that form

Katelyn is six foot on the dot in all universes. she uses herself as a measurement when guys tell her they’re six foot. she takes great pride in being tall. she’s actually taller than Laurance by just a smidge and that fact destroys him.

Aphmau (named Adelaide in my mcd rewrite) is 5’5”. she’s average height but next to all of her tall ass guards and friends she still looks short as hell.

Zane is also tall. not as tall as Garroth but he’s like 6’1-2”. he has minor scoliosis though (only in pdh/mystreet) so it makes him look a tad shorter. in mcd he absolutely wore shoes with thick soles to make himself seem taller and more intimidating. his robes covered his shoes though so nobody knew.

Vylad however is only 5’8” (the tall gene came from Garte). he’s the shortest of the trio and that’s another big reason why people don’t typically assume he’s the third Ro’Meave brother, since being unreasonably tall is an iconic gene for the Ro’Meave family. in mcd it’s another thing that makes him self conscious about being an affair baby and in mystreet it gives him more reason to distance himself from his family (that’s a whole spiel i’ll go on it later)

Lucinda is 5’7”. she’s very curvy and seems like she wouldn’t be very strong but she can lift a little more than her own weight. she used to glamour herself to make herself seem a little shorter because she didn’t like being above average height

Nicole is 5’3”. she’s also very light. she taught herself martial arts in modern universes because she didn’t want to get kidnapped. the same could be said for mcd but she probably didn’t start doing that until she and Garroth got engaged

Nana is 5’4”. she’s from Tu’la and people, especially meif’wa, are typically shorter there. if she were in Tu’la she would actually be considered on the slightly taller side. she isn’t very strong but her magicks allows her to basically become a necromancer if she’s desperate enough (she never has been)

Aaron is 5’11” but so many people think he’s six feet. like he’ll say 5’11” and people say “no you look six feet” and then he says six feet and people are like “no not quite” so he uses them interchangeably. unfortunately Katelyn is not the accurate form of measurement for him because some days he’s as tall as her and others he’s slightly shorter (and he’s wearing the exact same outfit)

i think that’s all did i miss anyone??

masterlist

[awbublie]

maybe i should stop cooking...

the type of awkward silence that asks "can I kiss you?"

IM GIGGLING LIKE A FOOL!!! THIS WILL NEVER BE CANON

[raisunomii]

Btw if you portray Zane as socially inept or anxious you’re going against his character and should label it OOC because that man’s charisma is off the fucking charts and chooses to be alone. People flock to him he just hates them.

[l4uranc3zv4h1s-bf444]

was editing my pdh zana / zane chan whatever fanart and this song came on the radio. Genuinely got war flashbacks.

[dykefish]

i dont think i ever posted this here

[starhvney]

𝐒𝐔𝐁𝐉𝐄𝐂𝐓 𝟑 | 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟑: 𝐒𝐔𝐌𝐌𝐄𝐑 & 𝐀𝐍 𝐎𝐋𝐃 𝐅𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐍𝐃

𝐂𝐖: paranoia, anxiety, physical violence

𝐀/𝐍: mama, a kidnapper behind YOU <3

𝐖𝐂: 5,800+

𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐑: @arienic

𝐋𝐀𝐒𝐓 ☆ 𝐍𝐄𝐗𝐓 | 𝐀𝐎𝟑 | 𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐌𝐀𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐋𝐈𝐒𝐓 | 𝐎𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑 𝐖𝐎𝐑𝐊𝐒

“i can’t believe your parents casually own riverfront property in the mountains. i know we’re here already, but i still can’t get over it.”

“have you seen our house?” zane deadpans sarcastically, rolling his eyes and looking back at aphmau. he’d been hunched over on that log the whole morning, squinting down at the nintendo he’d brought with him.

“you shouldn’t brag,” vylad murmurs from where he knelt down by the ice chest, right by garroth who was cooking everyone lunch on the grill.

“whatever. i don’t know why either of you or mom wanted me to go on this stupid trip.”

“because you need to get out more. the sun is healthy for you, you know.”

you turn your head from the squabbling brothers, rubbing them out as you look around at the scenery. aphmau’s shock wasn’t lost on you, either. the summer sun wasn’t too hot thanks to the northern region this property sat on, yet the rays that shone through the tree leaves and hit your face still kissed your skin with warmth. the distant noise of the river flowing and birds chirping was the only thing heard aside from your friends’ chatter. tall, beautiful trees surrounded the area, closing in the clearing this camping—or more glamping setup was in.

a tall watchtower loomed up on the small hill above you, and below it laid a bunker you hadn’t yet explored. you and the group are currently gathered around the fire pit, the small log cabin everyone was bunking in just off to the side. honestly, as shocked you were to be in a place this beautiful, you’re more shocked everyone’s parents were okay with you guys coming here alone. a bunch of teenagers alone, with no adult supervision? you guess due to your parents’ past friendship (save for laurance), they trusted each other’s kids to be good and not stir up too much trouble. but still.

it makes you wonder. when everyone else in this group grows older, will you all trust each other the same as your parents do? as you all do now? would your kids be friends? would you even keep your friends for that long?

“you look lost in thought,” aphmau murmurs from beside you.

katelyn is next to her, turning her attention to you as she adjusts her blue flannel that matches aphmau’s purple and your own favorite color. the incoming sophomore had insisted you three matched, saying flannel shirts “so matched the camping vibe” and that the girls of the group matching would be “super duper cute”.

“just… thinking.”

“about what?” katelyn prods.

if you’d tolerate my friendship for much longer. 

“the future.”

“ooh, what about it?”

“just what we become. if we’ll all be together by then.”

“hopefully not,” zane grumbles under his breath, earning a sharp glare from not only his brothers but also laurance who’d been quietly observing the conversation.

“it would be so cool if we all lived in the same neighborhood one day!” aphmau suddenly says, hands clasped together as she completely ignores zane’s remark. “on the same street!”

“do you know how hard that would be to find a bunch of houses for sale together like that? you’d have to know, like, a really important realtor.” katelyn says, before her own words clip short at the end as she looks over to the ro’meave brothers, eyebrow raised. “i guess it’s not completely impossible… perhaps…”

“you’d have to really do something big to convince our dad to do that.” vylad muses. “unless something super crazy happened and we all had to live together for like… our safety or something.”

“that’s a weird way to put it.” laurance snorts.

“i’m just saying! it would be a huge loss money-wise for him.”

“he’s right,” zane mutters. “thankfully something like that won’t be necessary, so i won’t have to live by you freaks.”

aphmau gawks, putting her hands on yours and katelyn’s heads. “excuse me? i bet the three of us would be amazing roommates. we’d be the best neighbors!”

“ehhh…” katelyn starts.

“ehh?! what do you mean eeeehhhh? you wouldn’t want to room with me?”

laurance turns to you, leaning in to whisper in your ear, “did one eye just call us freaks? has he seen his haircut?”

“stop,” you snort, giving a scorning slap to his hand. “don’t be rude.”

“hey! he’s garroth’s little brother, so he's my little brother. i get to make fun of him like one,” he defends, eyeing the younger boy with mischief in his eyes. “besides, i’ve been sent here on this earth to humble both him and garroth. they desperately need it.”

you roll your eyes, but you can’t help the smile inching onto your face. it was kind of fun to tease them. “but not vylad, huh?”

“nah, look at him.” he gestures towards the youngest, the boy smiling absentmindedly while listening to aph, kate, and zane squabble. “you really can’t make fun of that. bro’s at peace.”

“that’s… so true. he’s really well put together, actually.”

your eyes drift to garroth, who’s setting the freshly cooked food down on the trays

“damn, no plates,” he sighs under his breath, looking around. “how did we forget that?”

vylad frowns, looking at his older brother. “i thought there were some in the cabin…? do we need to run to the store?”

the blond shakes his head, setting the freshly grilled meat onto the metal tray. “no, no. there should be some in the bunker’s storage. i’ll go look.”

you jump to your feet at the mention of the bunker, dusting the stray bark and dirt that stuck to your legs. “i’ll help. i wanted to see what it looked like, anyways.”

garroth shrugs with a smile, slowing his long stride for you to catch up as he trudges up the hill. “it’s not really anything special. just some dusty boxes and stuff down there.”

“aw, man. no secret lab?”

“i’m afraid not. sorry to disappoint.” he grins, stepping forward to open the hatch. 

a shiver runs down your spine at the cool air that wafts up from the dark room below, the contents inside hidden beyond the creaky staircase before you. something about the energy it gave off both drew you in and repelled you at the same time, keeping you still in place as you stared at the dark pit below.

“you scared? i can go first,” garroth offers, waving his hand in front of your face.

“huh? oh no, i’m not scared.”

“…sure…” he teases, snickering at the glare you send as he leads the way. “don’t worry. if you turn back now i won’t tell the others you’re a scaredy cat.”

“scaredy cat? how old are you?”

“older than you.”

you roll your eyes, and despite wanting to smack the boy’s forehead, your focus turns to the buzz of the single lightbulb that flickers on as you both make it to the bottom of the steps. garroth walks over to some boxes and crates that had been stacked in the corner, leaving you to look around at the concrete walls around you.

he was right, there wasn’t much special about it. nothing but cobwebs and crates filled the bunker, aside from a pile of rocks and dirt piled in the corner behind the stairs. as garroth continues to shuffle through his family’s storage, you curiously walk over to the debris. strange. sure, this was just a small vacation spot for the ro’meaves, but they always kept everything so tidy. why would they just leave this junk in here?

squinting your eyes, you catch a dark, brownish red painted on the wall. the shadow of the staircase kept it too dim to read, but you also catch a crack in the wall that looked like an old covered-up doorway. something about it sent a shiver up your spine, the hairs on the back of your neck standing up. why is this place freaking you out so much?

“what are you looking at?” garroth suddenly asks from behind you, making you jump in place.

“oh, i was just trying to read this.” you point to the wall, and he pulls a flashlight from his pocket, shining it onto the dusty surface.

you were right. dark, reddish brown is rather messily painted onto the wall as if it were done in a hurry. the writing is illegible, whether it’s in another language or just poorly written indiscernible by you. though, above the writing, you did recognize one thing. it wasn’t words or strange signs, but instead a symbol of a very familiar divine figure.

“is that the irene sigil?”

“oh, yeah. that was there since i was a kid—as long as i can remember. mom just brushed it off saying it was dad playing a prank on us to try and scare us or something. but honestly, i always thought it was just kinda weird.”

“yeah… i know it’s probably paint… but doesn’t that look like blood or something?”

garroth snorts and begins to shake his head, before he hums and leans forward with furrowed brows. “you know… i remember it being brighter red when i was younger. now it’s kinda brown. i’m not great at science but isn’t that what happens when blood oxidizes for a long time or something?”

you raise an eyebrow at that, the two of you making nervous eye contact from the corners of your eyes.

“surely it’s just dirt and time that made the paint fade. why would it be blood?” you dryly laugh, standing straight again.

“yeah. blood would be weird. i think it’s just this place. always gave me the creeps.” garroth nods, following your awkward laughter as he stands tall himself, lifting the small stack of paper plates in his hand. “i uh—i found some plates by the way. so we should probably go eat now.”

“right, right,” you agree, glancing one last time at the ominous drawings before the two of you climb the stairs quicker than you had descended them.

☆

“man. to be able to spend the rest of my days floating around in the water. that would be the life,” katelyn murmurs, her head bobbing on top of the water as she floats on her back. “i know i’m a mermaid in another life.” 

you glance over to her from the float you had lazily thrown your arms over. her hair flowed from her head in tendrils, the color darker from the water but occasionally shimmering as the sun's rays hit the strands. her pale skin and light blue swimsuit stood out from the darker water below her, making her practically glow against the river’s surface.

“i could see that, actually.”

katelyn lifts herself upright, starting to giggle. “right?”

“hey guys! if we want to kayak then we should do it before it gets dark,” garroth calls from the rope swing on the opposite side of the river bank. “you still want to go?”

“of course!” kate calls back, as if the answer was obvious.

vylad whoops while laurance swings himself over the water, the boy flipping back in the air as he goes. he appears on the surface a moment later, smiling as he spits the water from his mouth. “we’ll grab them from the shed!”

“is zane coming?” you ask, wading backward towards the small wooden dock that aph was perched on.

“he’s still pouting up in the cabin. you can go see if he wants to come,” vylad says. “…he probably won’t, though.”

“okay, i’ll go check, anyways.”

“are you sure you don’t want to come in the water, aphmau?” katelyn asks, swimming up to the edge with you.

“ummm, yep!” she smiles, her demeanor seeming a bit nervous as she eyes the flowing river ahead. “just don’t feel like swimming.”

“well, maybe you can kayak with us instead. you don’t even have to get wet for that.”

“maybe…”

wrapping a towel around your shoulders, you begin the walk back up to the campsite, grateful for the stone steps that had been built into the steep hill. trees hung over the path, keeping you shaded while the cool mountain breeze bristled the leaves over your head. your friends’ laughter and splashing in the water fade into the background as you finally make it to the top, your footsteps falling into the grass and dirt as you march up to the cabin door.

it’s dark inside, save for the natural light that filtered through the windows and the lamp lit up next to zane’s bunk. he laid back on the pillows, hoodie pulled over his head as he clicked away at his game. despite your obvious entrance, he completely ignores it, not even sparing a glance in your direction.

“hey.”

“what.”

you hold back the eye roll that fights against your eyelids, instead quietly sighing under your breath.

“we’re going kayaking in a minute. want to come?”

“no.”

“it’s the last evening of our trip. don’t you want to at least try to have a little fun?”

“no. i don’t care about swimming or kayaking, so why would i?”

“because i came all the way up here to get you to go.”

“then it was a waste of your time.”

you pull in another sharp breath, and despite the desire to just turn around nagging at your brain, you couldn’t ignore the image of him curled on the school tile. clearly, despite his harshness and wanting to seem like he didn’t care, he did seek validation from others. his whole act of being a punk and trying to get that validation from gene of all people nagged at your head.

“you know… actually not having people and friends who care about you isn’t very much fun. i’m sure a lot of people would kill to be in your place right now.” you shift on your feet. “not trying to lecture you or something, but you should at least try and have a little fun, since you’re already stuck here. in the future, you might regret not taking advantage of this time with everyone.”

“i don’t need you to tell me anything,” he grumbles, though not sounding as snappy as before. “i don’t like socializing. is it that hard to understand?”

“no. i don’t necessarily like it all the time, either. it can be really draining. but so is being alone all the time. you can think you like it but it eventually just makes you bitter. you never know when you’ll turn around needing someone to help you only to realize you’ve pushed them all away.”

“oh, like you’d know anything about that,” he snips. “you get coddled by everyone 'cause you can’t go outside without getting scared about some—“

he flinches like the sour words that left his mouth had spat out of his lips before he could even think of them.

“what an awful thing to say. you don’t know anything.”

his mouth is agape, and the eye that’s visible to you for once seems full of guilt.

“the offer still stands. i just thought i’d let you know.” you turn around, teeth tugging at the skin of your lip as you step out of the cabin.

stupid boy.

you make it to the edge of the camp, at the top of the stone stairs, when the cabin door creaks open and closes. quickened footsteps follow after you a moment later, before the lanky boy quietly falls in place next to you. his head is low, eye trained on the rocky path beneath your feet.

a beat passes in silence, your eyes locked on the steps ahead. he sighs tensely, shoving his hands in his pockets.

“sorry,” he mumbles. “that was shitty to say. even for me.”

you start down the steps, shrugging. “it’s fine.”

he starts to follow, and while no more apologies leave his lips, you can tell he’s sorry enough based on the fact he was still following you to the dock. that alone was enough to surprise you, considering he’d likely rather shoot his own foot than apologize even to his own two brothers. 

“woah, you actually got him out here. you have secret powers or something?” laurance raises his eyebrows, shooting a questioning look at zane who loomed behind you as you approached the dock.

“something like that,” you muse.

“i don’t know if i want to go,” aphmau mutters, her arms wrapped around herself as she rocks on her feet by the water. 

the kayaks are lined up by her feet, four double-seaters in a row.

“well, even zane is going so you definitely have to,” katelyn says, splashing a bit of water by the girl’s feet and giggling when she leaps back.

“you don’t have to, but it’ll be fun! you can go with zane since he also doesn’t want to get wet. then you can both be reassured knowing you won’t tip the other in,” you suggest.

“i would rather not share with her.” zane sneers, eyeing aphmau up and down with a rather sassy look.

the girl takes great offense to this, her fists clenched by her sides. “well—! i don’t want to share with you, either! you have a stupid face!”

“wow. i thought we left kindergarten.” garroth rolls his eyes, nodding his head to laurance, who has already dragged one out into the water and is occupying himself by attempting to jump inside. “looks like he already left with one, anyways.”

katelyn pulls you towards one of the three left, pushing you into the spot in front of her as she slides in herself. you nearly tip over into the water again from the sudden movement, yelping as water splashes on your lap.

“well, that leaves vylad and me in this one. come on you two.” garroth motions to the last kayak left, raising his eyebrows challengingly at the two pouting teens left on the dock. “let’s be civil.”

it took ten minutes of complaining and nervous shuffling before the whole group was out on the water. despite the drama of it all, it was worth it. despite aphmau’s sudden fear of water which you hadn’t noticed before and zane’s reluctance to experience any joy, you could tell they were at least slightly enjoying this, too. the sun was painting the clouds in different shades of orange and pink as it made its way to the horizon, leaving you all surprisingly quiet as you all soaked in the moment.

“what’s on your mind?” katelyn suddenly asks from behind you, and despite nobody else turning their heads over, you could tell they were listening. “and don’t say nothing like you usually do lately.”

a huff leaves your nose, and a few moments pass before you answer. “just about… how…”

“the stalker?” aphmau whispers, pulling everyone’s eyes towards you.

“...yeah. just how weird it was that he showed his face, and now it’s been since before prom since i’ve seen him or the black suv. i just want to know what he’s thinking.”

laurance spins the kayak oar in his hands, before using it to pull himself closer to you.

“you hadn’t seen him before?”

“well, no. i mean, yes, but i didn’t realize it was him until later.” you rub your eyes with the palms of your hands. “it isn’t the first time he’s disappeared for a while, but he gets bolder each time he 'shows' himself to me. it’s just been making me feel on edge, lately, is all.”

there isn’t a response to that for a few beats.

“sorry, that was a mood dampener.”

there’s a collective shake of heads (besides zane), a few protestant “no”s echoing across the group.

“it just sucks. how has police not done anything?”

“they can’t actually do anything unless an actual threat to my life is made. plus, he’s so inconsistent with his appearances that it would take a lot of resources and time from emergency services if they tried tracking him. at least, that’s what the cops said before. that’s why i moved in the first place.”

katelyn scoffs. “that’s such bullshit. they just wait until something bad happens? it shouldn’t matter how long it takes. that’s psychological warfare.”

you shrug, bringing your knees up to your chest and resting your chin on them. “yeah, but unfortunately that’s how it works. i guess i’m just scared that i’ll have to run again. i’ve never had friends like you guys… so the thought of having to leave you all behind right as i get to be normal is really scary.”

“no matter what happens, you’ll always be our friend," vylad says, giving you a hopeful grin. 

“and as your friends, we’re here to protect you,” garroth adds, uncharacteristically serious. “we won’t let anything bad happen to you.”

☆

the van rocks forward as garroth parks, the sunset shining through the windows and creating bright shapes across your eyelids. cracking your eyes open, you reluctantly pull your cheek from where it had snuggly rested on katelyn’s shoulder, consequentially stirring up aphmau who was laid across your lap. the icee she’d gotten on the trip back was still precariously set between her legs—it was shocking that it hadn't spilled onto her lap as the three of you slept in the back.

aphmau’s house meets your eyes as you clamber out of the back seat, your own just right down your line of vision. you were back home. a smile lifts on the corner of your lips at that. it wasn’t just a place you moved into, anymore. it was home. as were the teens that crawled out from the ro’meave’s van. home.

a strange shiver of being watched prickles at your neck, and your attention turns from your friends to the street behind you. nothing is there but the other houses on the street, the cars you saw regularly parked in their driveways. 

everything is fine. the neighborhood is peaceful in the evening time, the summer insects chirping away as their time of the night comes. the air around you is calm, yet your breath seems to catch in your throat, the hot air invading your lungs rather than warming them. your heart thuds in your chest, its pace so rapid it feels like it’s stuttering against your rib cage. 

you hadn’t stopped thinking about the markings on the bunker wall the whole trip, the imagery of the creepy, bloody-looking drawings still imprinted in your mind. on top of that, the conversation you’d had last evening was still buzzing around in your head, making for a rough mix of paranoia.

“are you okay?” aphmau whispers from right next to you, finally pulling your eyes from the street to the worried-looking girl next to you.

“yeah… just thinking. about things.”

that was eloquent.

you’re grateful for this trip. ever since she’d started talking to that aaron guy she seemed to have a lot less time to hang out or even talk to you as much, so having some time with the girl by herself was nice. you honestly didn’t blame her for her puppy love with the guy. you’d thought of him as a delinquent at first, but he wasn’t so bad at prom. he was a little quiet, but he was actually pretty nice as far as you could tell. he was the tall, dark, and handsome type, and that was a perfect contrast to the walking sun that aphmau was.

she hums looking unsure, before reluctantly letting it go as you wave her off.

“really?” katelyn suddenly groans, staring down at her phone.

laurance turns to look over his shoulder at the girl, a mischievous smile dancing across his face.

“what?”

“you know what! you little creep, why'd you post this? delete it, now!”

laurance begins to snicker. “no. it’s funny.”

you walk to katelyn’s side as she sends a sharp glare at him, peering over her shoulder to see her instagram open. recently posted by laurance was a picture of him and vylad cheesing into the camera, their faces at the bottom of the screen while you, kate, and aph were passed out in the background.

“i look awful. my mouth is open! i look like a mouth breather!”

“no… you three look… adorable…” he says between giggles, before yelping as the girl charges at him. aphmau chases after them as they run inside, her hands frantically waving for them to stop.

you walk after them, the ro’meave brothers—save for zane who’d been dropped off on the way—following along behind you into the salome residence. surprisingly you didn’t hear any shouting or wrestling as you’d expect, and instead, kate and laurance have crowded around the kitchen island that was filled with snacks.

sylvanna lets go of aphmau, who’d been wrapped up in her clutches for a tight hug, and sets her sights on you. 

“mija!” she rushes you, pulling you in her arms and rocking side to side. “did you all have fun?”

“yes! it was a lot of fun,” you laugh, the tenseness in your shoulders leaving with every shake from the woman. “thank you for letting us all stay here for the night.”

“of course! as long as the boys here behave themselves, then your vacation doesn’t have to end just yet!” she says, her head whipping to the three guys who stiffen at her burning glare.

laurance looks at the feisty woman from the corner of his widened eyes, cheeks full of chips as he nods.

“of course. we’d never, miss sylvanna.” garroth smiles. “our mum taught us better.”

“of course she did!” she lets you go from her grasp, walking back over to the group with a chipper grin. “just making sure you don’t forget. zianna gave me permission to whoop all of your asses if you try anything!”

“mom…” aphmau sighs, rubbing her forehead.

“what? just speakin’ the truth, yo!”

aphmau groans into her hands.

you walk over to the snacks, picking up some small bite-sized things to nibble on as the lively conversation continues around you. everyone looks so happy. their smiling faces bright in the dim kitchen light, laughter carrying through the air of the cozy house and wrapping around you like a tight warm hug. part of you wishes you could sit in this moment forever, standing in the kitchen and watching your friends chatter amongst themselves. it was such a simple moment, yet you felt as though you should hold on to it.

“nothing—“ you start, before shaking your head with a smile. “i’m just glad we’re all friends.”

everyone stops, and as they all smile at you you don’t feel the need to hide or curl away like you usually would when faced with many eyes on you. there’s no prickling in your hands, or a coldness in your chest. you just feel warm.

“awwww,” sylvanna coos, aphmau making a similar sound as the two wrap their arms around you and press their cheeks into your hair. “we love you too!”

“you’re the cutest.” katelyn laughs, wrapping her arms around the three of you—with the boys following quickly after.

the moment lasts for a good ten seconds before you feel overwhelmed by the love being poured onto you.

“okay, okay. i’m gonna run to my house really quick to grab some things.” squirming out of their arms with a giggle, your cheeks burn hot from the affection.

“okay, mija. don’t take long.” sylvanna taps your nose.

you nod and make your way to the front door, pausing when you realize the sun has already disappeared, leaving the space beyond the window dark and black. for some reason, it sends an anxious feeling through your chest, and as you reach for the door you nearly jump out of your skin as garroth’s hand lands on your shoulder.

“hey. didn’t mean to scare you.” he smiles nervously, his hand waving over your shoulder like it would wipe away the fright he’d just given you.

“oh! it’s okay, garroth. what’s up?”

“you just looked a little nervous earlier,” he says, shifting on his feet. “are you thinking about… everything? i can walk you to your house if you’re feeling scared.”

a deep breath of air fills your lungs. sweet garroth. all of your friends were, and you knew they’d all come running to help you if you called—and you were just stepping right down the street. there’s nothing to worry about.

“no, that’s okay.” you reach out to pat his arm. “thank you, garroth. i’ll be okay.”

“are you sure? i really don’t mind.”

“yeah. i’m sure.”

he looks hesitant, but takes a step back with a small smile. “okay, then. see you in a bit.”

“mhm.”

you open the door, step out, and give a wave before continuing out to the pavement. the lingering heat from the summer sun wavered in the air, though the cool night breeze was beginning to blow it away, leaving the air perfectly warm against your skin. ignoring the tingling in your fingers, you keep your shoulders high as you cut across the lawn to the sidewalk, shoes clicking against the concrete.

glancing back one last time, garroth was slowly closing the door, watching you walk away before completely shutting it.

your eyes rake the street beside you, street lamps and the moonlight lighting up every car on the road. each neighbor had their vehicles in their regular spots, everything seeming in order as you check every house one by one.

everything is fine, right? so why do you feel so on edge?

swallowing thickly, you take a shaky inhale and bring your sweaty hand up to zianna’s locket. this walk to your house feels longer than usual.

what’s that noise?

eyebrows pulling together, your eyes narrow as you look ahead, to where the street lamp ahead shone down on an idled vehicle in the road.

black paint reflected back at you, but not the lights. no, the only hint that it was on was the low hum of the engine.

you don’t realize you’ve frozen in place—nor that your breaths had stopped—until you suck in a sudden breath to chase away the swirling black dots that swam around your peripheral vision. you’re one house away from your home, two from aphmau’s. the vehicle is in front of yours.

would you have better luck running forward to your house? or turning around and booking it back to hers? have you already messed up by standing here like frozen prey?

you tear your eyes from the suv, flicking your anxiously blurred vision to the street ahead of you. a woman’s silhouette approached you, and you finally registered the clicking of her heels over the pounding of your heart in your ears and labored breathing. the distant street lamp shines on her hair, the powder blue a strangely familiar shade on your eyes. should you ask her for help? but why would a woman be out here in what looked to be formal attire?

no. she’s with him. you need to run.

it takes a second too long for your body to obey your mind, but you do turn, legs unlocking from their stiffened place and ready to run. you only make it two steps before you look up, a gasp you can only describe as terror filling your lungs when you see the man standing just five steps behind you. dark eyes bore into you, and it felt like you were staring into the depths of an evil entity rather than whoever this man was.

you bring your fist up to your face, slotting the metal whistle between your lips.

before you can even take in a full breath, the man has closed the distance, the back of his hand smacking across your cheek and pulling the locket from your fingers. you vaguely feel the clasp of the necklace break off from the back of your neck, the locket clattering to the ground and away from your reach. stumbling back from the sting of his strike, there’s barely any time to stand upright before his hand is gripping you by the back of the head, the other bringing a damp cloth up to cover your mouth and nose.

it smells sweet, overwhelmingly sweet. suddenly it’s like cotton candy has filled your head and lungs, your vision swimming dizzily. with whatever strength you have left, you dig your nails deep into the man’s hands, dragging down and successfully getting him to drop you with a grunt.

stumbling forward, you fall on the pavement, crawling to the street. your vision turns and twists, feet clumsily dragging underneath you like an injured deer.

you hadn’t made a sound yet. no one can hear what’s happening right now.

weak arms give out from beneath you, your cheek colliding with the rough street. turning your head, you try to scream, but your lungs give out on your attempt and merely exhale a small helpless whimper. heels appear in front of you, and you look up to see a halo of blue before something pricks against your neck.

and everything goes black.

©starhvney 2024. do not plagiarize, feed to any AI, or repost my works to any sites.

tag list: @orinlin @pain-in-the-ashe @youmake1mistake @arienic @wasting-away-on-the-internet @angelhyperfixates @remiechu @valentique @kalegrinch