A/N: A pre-SA oneshot. Enjoy!

Dis.: Spring Awakening = Not mine

Playing Pirates

Through the darkness comes the laughter

All the stars bend over sideways

Oh my darling there's heaven

Such a comet on its way

"Argh! You'll not hold me captive, mateys!" The twelve-year-old pirate protested to his captors. His hair was a mess like it always was and he had dirt on his face but he was laughing.

"Face it Mortiz, we won." The boy beside him had a stick, obviously meant to be a sword, pressed against his best friend's neck. The pretty girl beside him giggled, waving her own stick at him.

"Ilse!" Mortiz called, annoyed. He looked around for the girl who was so often his first mate.

"I'm over here!" a voice echoed from through the trees.

"You're supposed to be saving me!" Mortiz yelled, wiggling away from his captors. At a word from her companion, the pretty little girl went and poked her stick in the boy's back. "Ouch!"

The second boy, who had a lot of dark curly hair and a rebellious smile, smirked at her. "Nice work Wendla!"

She blushed. "Thanks Melchi."

"Yuck." Mortiz made a face. "You guys are acting like my mama and papa." They ignored him and he glanced around again. "Ilse where are you?"

"Come on guys!" Ilse's voice was excited. "I found something!"

Wendla and Mortiz started at run towards Ilse's voice but Melchior stopped them with a flick of his sword. He glanced at Mortiz suspiciously. "How do we know this isn't a trap?"

"Come on!" Mortiz looked affronted. "I'm your best friend! Don't you trust me?"

Melchior grinned, his dark hair falling into his eyes. "I don't trust anybody when it comes to playing pirates."

Wendla pulled at his sleeve. "What about me Melchi?" She looked at him with big dark eyes and his face melted.

"Well, maybe I trust you Wendla."

"Ewww!" Mortiz protested. "You're doing it again!"

Wendla blushed and Melchior laughed. "Let's go find Ilse." Suggested Wendla, looking away from Melchior.

"Fine." Melchior put down his stick and glanced at his two best friends. "This better not be a trap." He muttered.

Mortiz rolled his eyes and walked into the trees. "Where are you Ilsie?"

"Here!" Her voice came from up in a tree a little ways from where they were standing. The three hurried to the tree to gaze up at the girl tucked in between the branches. "Look what I found!" she proclaimed delightedly.

"What'd you find, really?" Mortiz leaned against the trunk and gazed up at Ilse.

"A perfect tree for climbing, of course!" She said, looking down so her face was almost lost in her long hair. "Come on up, its big enough for all of us!"

Mortiz scrambled up the tree after his first mate and, with her help, was soon tucked into the branches. Melchior followed, climbing into the braches while ignoring Mortiz's outstretched hand. He turned to pull Wendla up beside him.

The four pushed each other for a while, each one vying for the best view. Melchior won, like always, and tugged Wendla to sit on the narrow branch. It creaked a little and for a moment she clung to him, scared. Ilse and Mortiz settled on a branch close to them.

"Wow." Mortiz breathed, looking through the leaves. They had a view of the sinking sun and a field of blue violets that shivered faintly in the wind.

"It's so pretty." Breathed Wendla, still leaning on Melchior.

There was a pause. Nobody spoke. They just sat together, watching the setting sun.

"I'm going to miss this." Ilse's voice broke the silence.

"We can always come back tomorrow." Mortiz sounded puzzled.

"No, I mean, school's going to start for you two soon." Ilse scooted at little closer to her friend.

"So?" Melchior looked down at her from his perch beside little Wendla.

"Well, we won't be able to play together as much." Ilse met his kind eyes with hers.

"And we'll be older." Wendla sighed. "My mama keeps talking about how I'm going to be a grown woman soon."

The whole tree laughed. Even Wendla smiled, her dark eyes glittering in the fading light.

"Yeah, but that's, like, forever away, Wendla." Melchior comforted. "And we can still be friends when we're grown-ups."

"I don't think grown-ups play pirates." Mortiz said. Then he laughed, picturing his mother and father running through the trees with sticks for swords.

"Well, I don't care what other grown-ups do." Ilse stated definantly. "We'll still play, right?"

"Of course." Melchior assured her, looking back at the setting sun.

The first wind of autumn brushed through the woods as they sat there. The leaves shifted restlessly. The flowers brushed against each other, whispering. And, though they didn't know it, everything was about to change.

A/N: The lyrics in the beginning a are from "A Comet on its Way" a song that was cut from SA and replaced "Bitch of Living." I recommend you look it up on YouTube. It's pretty amazing. Review, please!