I.

This was it.

Senior year of high school; the year when Tommy Dawkins was going to be able to walk into school with his head held high and everything lined up perfectly just for him. He had to admit being captain of the football team had it's perks, and being admired by the whole school populace was one of them. He was going to have fun this year, and he couldn't wait to see how the girls of his class had matured during the summer. Especially Stacey..

Everyone was maturing-- changing.

It was absolutely everything he could have wished for until that fateful camping trip.. and a freak attack by some wolf-like thing. Those glowing yellow eyes held him captivated, fear boiling up which he pushed down like an old pro. "Very funny, Mitchell."

It wasn't Mitchell though, he knew that before he even started running. It was coming for him.. closer and closer.. he was glad his friends weren't there to hear him screaming, because they would have teased him for acting like such a 'girl'.

He tripped. He fell.

The wolf moved in for the attack.

And life was never the same.

II.

This was it.

Merton Dingle was finally at the end of his high school career. After this there would be college, a place where more intellectual minds gathered to seek higher learning-- and not toss people into lockers. Not that he hadn't enjoyed the occasional getting his head stuck in a toilet, or the wedgies people seemed to love to give him-- or those wonderful 'creative' nicknames that followed him down the hallways. Soon he'd be done with everything here though and he could go pursue the rest of his life somewhere nicer.

"Haven't you missed us, Mertonia? It's been such a long summer without seeing you."

Merton turned a corner, rushing under the stairwell, a common hiding spot. There he was again, only five minutes after the first day of school began, and already he was back home under the stairs. He tried to catch his breath as he heard a couple of members of the football team pounding up the stairs.

"Where'd he go?" Merton heard someone ask and moved closer to the far wall of the stairs, hoping not to be seen. As this was a usual occurrence though, he didn't mind taking the time to unwrap his peanut butter and jelly sandwich and start eating it. Breakfast on the run. He sighed. It was just like old times.

The last football player pulling up the ranks passed by the stairs, he paused right by the opening in the stairwell, so close Merton was sure this guy would find his secret hiding spot. Merton was sure if he moved just a centimeter, he would be able to reach out and grab him, so he held himself tight into a ball. Instead of being found out though, the football player-- captain of the football team, if Merton remembered correctly-- called up to the other guys, "Come on, can't we just leave him alone? He's just a little freaky kid who wants to be left alone."

The only reply from up high, was one of the heavyset players shouting back down, "Stop being such a wuss, Dawkins."

Dawkins-- that was right, Merton remembered-- Tommy Dawkins.

Tommy sighed and continued to walk up the stairs, passing Merton by as the goth felt something rising up inside of him. It was the first time anyone in the school had ever stood up for him, the only time anyone ever thought he was more than just a punching bag. Hell, even Merton's own sister thought he was good for an emotional punching bag.

He felt something then, and life was never the same.

III.

"What's up?" Tommy asked later, by their lockers. There was absolutely no recognition on his face. "You new here?"

"No, Tommy, I'm Merton Dingle." Merton said slowly, feeling just a little hurt. "We've had lockers together since kindergarten. I'm president of the Gothic Fantasy Guild. The school cut our funding when the other guy graduated, but we're coming back strong. Hey, you interested?"

Tommy shook his head, walked away and Merton knew that this wasn't going easy. He could throw out all the bait he wanted, Tommy was still going to be out of his league. As he watched the other man walk away, he knew he had to try harder, he had to be there for Tommy when no one else was.. he had to be friends with him first if anything was ever going to come from these feelings that still threatened to overwhelm him.

He promised to try to help Tommy-- no matter what-- and from then on, life was never the same.

IV.

Months later, Merton kept that promise to himself. He was there through Tommy's whole transformation into his new werewolf identity, he helped keep the night safe with Tommy, helped keep Tommy's secret. There were growing the kind of friendship Merton never had before. He didn't much care about what happened between them anymore, as long as Tommy continued to be his friend and they continued to be there for each other.

They needed each other, especially on nights like this when Tommy still coming to terms with his werewolf side. He'd just ruined another date, almost wolfed out in front of a whole crowd of classmates.

Merton couldn't run as fast as Tommy, even when the other boy wasn't a werewolf. He still managed to find him by the lake not far from the party, only ten minutes later.

"You ran off so fast, I thought you saw the batsignal or something." Merton said softly, the only thing he could think of to break the silence.

Tommy starred at his own reflection in the moonlit lake, seemingly appalled at what he saw. "I'm a freak, Merton."

He shrugged. "We all are. So what?"

"So what?! So what?!!" Tommy crumbled and sat down on the edge of the lake. "I didn't want them to see me like that. I didn't want them to see what I was-- I thought I had dealt with being a werewolf, I thought I had a good handle on it and then.. and then--"

"Sometimes it's harder to deal with being weird when other people are starring at you," Merton sat beside him, comforting. "But screw them. Who cares what they think? They're just a bunch of high school seniors who will probably end up working at the gas station after high school.. whereas you have a fine future as a crime fighting werewolf with superpowers in front of you."

Tommy laughed and shook his head. "And how exactly am I going to handle doing that and leading a normal life?"

"Normal is overrated, Tommy."

"You would know." He smiled, teasingly. They sat there for a moment, deep in thought, as they inched closer to each other. Merton was the only one who could calm Tommy down when he got overworked, and Tommy was the only one who really understood Merton. They fit, even if it was strange and a little weird.. but normal was overrated anyway..

Before they knew it, they were touching lips together.

And life was never the same.

-End-