Tino sighed, slipping his blue notebook into his backpack. He'd almost forgotten it. To forget his

drawing notebook would be like leaving his brain; without it he was a wreck. Drawing was his life. Sadly,

drawing couldn't help him with his homework. Only a human could do that. His mother was extremely

busy, as was his father. Even if his parents had not been working, they wouldn't have been able to

help him with his math homework. They were two extremely intelligent people who were gifted in every

area but math- the one subject he would rather die than study. It was as if the universe was playing some

cruel joke on him. For that reason, he had no option but to beg his friend Mathias for help.

Mathias wasn't necessarily smart, but he was a grade above Tino and remembered what he had

learned the year before.

He threw his backpack over his shoulder, ignoring the stabbing pain in his arm. Casting a wistful glance

towards his desk, he waved his colored pencils and oil pastels goodbye. He then forced himself out of his

bedroom and down the stairs, slipping and stumbling all the way to the front door.

"Well, if anyone ever wants to kill me, they know how. Just throw me into a pool and watch me sink. That

will prove backpacks are too heavy and dangerous."

His mumbling disturbed his little, white, wild-furred dog, Hanatamago or "Bloody Hanatamago" as he had

originally planned to name her. Since his mother found the idea of a dog with such a name unsettling, she

insisted that he shorten it. Now that he was older, he was thankful his mother had suggested he remove

"Bloody". If he had to call his dog to come to him, he definitely wouldn't want to be screaming that.

Someone might call the police and think that he was being murdered.

He opened the door, shouting a quick goodbye to his mother as he left. He checked his pocket to make

sure his phone was tucked safely inside.

"Good. If I happen to be chased by murderous clowns or the zombie apocalypse begins while I'm working

on my math, I'll have a way of calling mom. Not that that would really help."

Outside was an old, pine-sap-covered car with a huge dent that stretched from the middle of the front

door to the bumper. A jubilant teen was peering out of the window and clawing at the air. His cheeks

were distorted from the large grin he wore.

"Tinnnooo!" he cried.

"Oh god…you do know things like this are why you're not allowed at my house anymore, right?"

It was true that Mathias' obnoxious behavior earned him smiles from most of the girls in his grade (who

considered it "funny" and "cute"), but everyone else, especially his friends' parents, found him annoying.

All he did was talk and smile, oblivious to his surroundings. While this was an endearing trait that made

his friends like him in the first place, it could also get old quickly. You could insult him, kick him, hug him,

slap him or pull his arm so hard it popped right off. No matter what anyone did, he acted the same. His

happiness almost always turned into loudness.

"TINNNOOO!"

There was urgency in his voice. His thick, spiky hair reflected his inner excitement. Dogs had tails to show

when they were happy. Mathias had his hair. He opened the car door.

"Shut up or I'll shave your head."

Tino jokingly ran up to him and punched his shoulder. He cried, bringing his hand back sharply.

"Ow, dude! What the heck's wrong with your shoulder? I nearly broke my hand!"

He accusingly glared at Mathias.

"What? I can't help that you have the upper arm strength of a bunny!"

"For your information, bunnies kick pretty hard. Their scratches are also really painful."

He laughed. "Then scratch my eyes out, little girl."

"Little girl?"

His words were met with an Icy glare from Tino.

"Yeah, my mom saved a few of my sister's dresses from when she was about-I dunno- twelve? I think

they'd fit you quite well. They'd certainly flatter your girlish figure." he mocked him.

He grunted before he walked over to the other side of the car and flung the door open. He sat down

beside his friend, or at that time, arch nemesis. It was hard to make him furious, but Mathias had an

aptitude for learning new ways to do so.

They argued for the first fifteen minutes of the drive. Mathias was still smiling throughout their argument.

Tino, on the other hand, tore a candy bar out of the paper bag he had thrown in his backpack. He ate it

furiously, the sound of crunching filling the car.

"…If you hadn't been so rude to my parents you could just come to my house, but nooo you just had to…"

"…hey! That's not fair!"

"…In what way is…"

Eventually, there was silence. The air turned cold from the scowls cast in Mathias' direction. He shifted in

discomfort, ignoring these looks.

"Yeah, buddy. Why don't you keep eating those candy bars? Eat your feelings."

He attempted to strike up a conversation, but failed horribly.

"So you're calling me fat?"

"Should I start calling you my girlfriend, because I wasn't aware it was my job to tell you if you're fat or

not. And, let's be honest here, no matter how I respond, you're still probably going to cry and say that you are fat."

"You're a jerk. Now I see why you can't get a girlfriend."

"What? Girls love me! No one can resist Mattie!" He ended his words with a dramatic hair flip.

"In fact, you're right. I certainly can't resist the urge to punch you."

Satisfied with his response, Tino smirked. Behind his smirk, he was anything but resisting the urge to

punch him, he was resisting reaching out and grabbing a handful of his hair. He blushed at the thought.

Mathias frowned, forehead creasing with concern.

"What, did I make you mad, Mr. Happy-go-lucky?"

He stopped himself from waving his hands about in victory.

"No, Tino, look. It's that car in front of us…why is it swerving so much?"

He shuddered, repressing the weariness that started to grow in his stomach.

"Don't worry. Just pull over and wait for them to pa-"

The car in front of them stopped abruptly and pulled backwards. Tino slammed his eyelids shut and

braced himself.

There was the sound of glass shattering and a loud thump. His eyes flew open. His heart was racing and

his head was consumed by a maddening throbbing sensation. He reached for his seatbelt and slowly

unbuckled.

He finally came to his senses, and when he did, he realized his current situation.

In front of him was the destroyed hood and partially-smashed windshield. When Mathias had pulled the

car off the road, they had crashed straight into a tree. The tops of the pine's branches were highlighted by

the dull, gray sky. Bits of tree bark lay strewn across the ground. Drops of blood streamed down the

steering wheel and slowly made their way to the floorboard.

"What- where-" The blood certainly couldn't be his.

Guilt replaced the pain in his head. "Mathias! Are you okay?"

Before he turned to look at his friend, he noticed how the air was laden with the dense smell of copper.

He coughed, nearly choking on the stench. The entire car reeked. From that smell, he knew what sight might await him.

"Oh, god, please don't let him be dead."

Tino's throat tightened at what he saw.

His face was covered in fine glass dust and his nose was bent at an odd angle, as was his neck. The blood

on the steering wheel had come from his jaw, which was twisted sideways. His eyes were glossy and

blank, void of their usual joyfulness.

Tino didn't dare to move him out of fear that he would injure him even more…If he was still alive.

"M-Mathias?"

With trembling hands, he pulled his phone out of his pocket. The picture of Hanatamago on his screen

was of no comfort as he frantically dialed his mother's phone number.

"Wait!"

He ended the call, realizing that his mother wouldn't be able to help him now. He needed to call 911.

When he began typing, his phone's screen froze. He pressed the home button as anxiety built up in his

chest. He tried again, but the screen went dark, and Hanatamago disappeared.

"How? I thought I had full charge…"

He didn't even bother to get angry over it. He merely fell back against his seat and buried his head in his

hands. His friend was possibly dead and he was stranded along some desolate road. Why did Mathias

have to live in the middle of nowhere? If they hadn't been driving for so long… if he hadn't fought with

him so much…

He looked to the seat next to him and stared intently at its occupant, willing him to move just a bit.

Just when he had decided he was dead, Tino heard ragged breathing.

Mathias slowly blinked. He gasped with pain as he tried to move.

"Don't move!"

"I'll… be fine."

"No, just don't."

"I can…move, damn it!" He struggled to speak.

Mathias pulled himself forward using the steering wheel before collapsing. He coughed, more blood

spewing from his jaw. He held his hand over his rib cage, arching his back in an effort to not put so much

pressure on his chest. He pulled his shirt up to inspect the source of all his pain.

The skin covering his ribs was bruised. A dark red gash in his side was coated in more of the sticky, scarlet

liquid Tino had already seen far too much of that day.

"Do you have a cell phone?"

He awaited his response.

Mathias managed to nod before falling against the door, barely able to sit upright.

"I-I think my ribs are-"

He fell silent. He didn't even have the energy to speak.

Tino hesitantly reached for the keys and twisted them sideways.

"Nothing."

He tried once again, but, as he expected, the car didn't start up.

Tino kicked the bent car door until it opened. He then raced across the grass and towards the road. He

stood there for twenty minutes, flailing his arms wildly and shouting, desperate for a car to pass by.

A bright light approached him. He felt a glimmer of hope before the light passed and his hope was

smashed- just like Mathias' ribs.

"They. Ignored. Us."

He couldn't believe it. It was difficult to even entertain the idea that there were humans cruel enough to

do such a thing. He knew humans were stupid enough to drive drunk, that was probably why they were

there in the first place, but, he couldn't fathom what had just occurred. How could they be that apathetic

in a situation like that? He had been rejected by the one individual who had the ability to help them.

At that moment, he knew he could only rely on himself to help Mathias. It was a startling conclusion to

come to since he didn't have the slightest idea of what to do.

He tugged open the door on the left side of the car.

"We-we're only…four miles away from…my house."

"You can move, right?"

"Y-ye…s"

"Good, then, can you walk?"

He instantly regretted asking such a thing. Walk? How could I ask that of him? It's too much already to

just ask him all of these stupid questions.

"My…R-ribs…not really."

His voice cracked with exhaustion.

He couldn't have him lean on his shoulder, Tino was too small. He couldn't be dragged, that would hurt him.

"I told y-you…we're only four miles away…"

And with that, his eyes closed. He was still breathing, but faintly.

I can't leave him here.

Tino looked at how pitiful he was, jaw awkwardly turned, gradually losing more blood. He had stayed alive

for a long time, but who knew how bad of a condition he was actually in.

On second thought, I have no choice. Yet, I don't know where he lives…

He thought for a second.

…But his driver's license does.

He carefully rolled his friend on to his side. From Mathias' pocket he pulled a black wallet fletched with

blue and green. He reached in and removed the driver's license.

His eyes skimmed over the card, stopping at the one thing he needed.

7027 Pebble Rivulet Trail

With that precious bit of information, he began running beside the road, ignoring the burning in his head.

He ran for what seemed like hours, until his legs ached. The tall, dark pines that reached their branches

towards the sky like the claws of a ravenous animal all blurred together. Their stunning beauty was

meaningless to him. When he noticed the glistening of the dying sunlight on the water

that collected on the asphalt, it motivated him to run faster. It made him think of Mathias' blood

staining the ground, forming tiny streams in the earth- and how that blood would be on his

hands if he didn't reach his destination in time.

EPIC TIME SKIP OF EPICNESS- BROUGHT TO YOU BY MR. Mother'effin PUFFIN, BIATCH!

He collapsed on the doorstep of Mathias' house, his heart threatening to burst from his chest. Tino

threw his hand against the doorbell repeatedly. The door opened, and before him was Mathias' older

sister.

"Please. The car crashed and…"

He took a deep inhale.

He barely needed to speak before she practically dragged him inside. She whipped her cell phone off the

kitchen table.

I'm not letting you die. You can't die. I don't know what I'd do without you.

ANOTHER F%# ing TIME SKIP! AWW YEAHHH BABY!

"I'm so bored!" Mathias moaned.

Five weeks had passed since the crash and the King of Obnoxiousness was slowly healing and becoming

his old self again.

Mathias reached over and stroked Tino's cheek. Even though he forced his hand away at first, he quickly

took it back and gave him a quick peck on the cheek.

Mathias' hair seemed a little more spiky for the rest of the day.

A NOTE:

Okay, peeps. Finland may seem a little OOC...but he's not. He's SASSY Finland. You could claim I should have used Norway instead, but Lukas would have told Mathias to get up and walk by his own damn self or die XD. Sorry if the margin, indentation or spacing turned out weird...whenever I uploaded this, it messed up a bit. It originally was a project for school. The teacher was all like, "Okay, you little b! %$es, you're gonna write meh a mother effin short story about friendship and love and determination and s$#% like that." Since I used their human names, she never knew this was a fanfic. BWAHAHA! Victory is mine! I had to tone down the romance since this was going to read by my teacher...the original was a full-out lemon! Just kidding, but seriously- those two are extremely smexy together. One of my OTPs. Please Review, it means the world to me! PWEASE T-T!

One more thing, to those of you who are reading "I'll see you again", I haven't stopped writing it. I'll have it finished eventually. It'll take a really long period of time, but I assure you it will be completed by, at latest, early 2016. Warning: The only reason THIS story had a happy ending is because my teacher forced me to do so. In "I'll see you again", I'm going to be heartless.