AN: Hey guys, and welcome back to Chapter 2! Thanks so much for the feedback already! :) I really appreciate it! And be quiet, Lavs. XD You have awesome talent as well, darling!
Mitch and Jerome's are kind of similar, but I'll show you why they have these fears.
So now we have Jerome, Mitch, Ty, and Adam! Have a Happy New Year's from me to you!
I'm in Texas so it's currently New Year's Day as I'm typing this…yep.
X
JeromeASF–
His greatest fear is losing his Benja and never finding his family again.
It was never his fault, in fact probably a blessing, but no one can ever know the true story except for Mitch.
…
Jerome was a preteen in human years, but he was technically an infant in Bacca years.
His mother laughed as the Bacca squeaked and stumbled, blinking as he sat down on the dry earth. "Oh Jerome, you silly darling." She teased, smoothing back the fur on her face.
Jerome gave a gap-toothed grin and reached for his mother. She smiled and scooped him up, tickling the soft fur on his stomach and laughing.
Suddenly, his father burst into the clearing where the two were playing. His pure black eyes were wild with fear. "Sweetie, get Jerome and run! The hunters are here! They're coming for us!"
His mother gasped and held Jerome tightly to her chest right as the hunters followed him in, spears armed and crossbows at the ready. The huntsmen shouted some things and chased Jerome and his mother, who were running away already.
Jerome's mother had a head start and she dashed into the woods, trying to find a hiding spot. She came across a village and paused. There were humans running around, laughing and smiling with their children.
There was one in particular that caught her eye. He was just a young one, but something gleamed in his eyes that seemed only a Bacca could do. Determination, pride, and excitement to be a PVP warrior.
The boy had chestnut brown hair and coffee colored eyes, and he wore a checkered jacket with a golden dogtag that glinted in the afternoon light. He laughed with his parents, and Jerome's mother knew she would make a good choice.
She gently dropped Jerome and he let out a small cry. "Mom? Where are you going?" He whimpered.
"Shh, darling." She soothed him. "You're going to make new friends here and going to have a new family, okay?"
Jerome, eyes gleaming with unshed tears, nodded and watched as his mother pecked him on the forehead and dashed off into the woods again with tears streaming down her cheeks.
He struggled to his feet, spotting the golden tint of the dogtag on the boy. His eyes gleamed and he made his way to the boy, his mouth slightly ajar. "Shiny…"
When he came within range, most of the children gasped and pointed. "It's one of the fluffy creatures!" A girl yelled, backing away.
Jerome looked around worried, wondering what he did wrong. "What did I do? Is it because of my fur?" He asked, blinking.
The boy's parents didn't look fazed and they carefully made their way to him. Their son reached the Bacca first.
"Hello! I'm Mitchell Hughes. What's your name?" The boy asked, smiling widely with pearly white teeth.
Jerome hesitated. "I'm Jerome Aceti. I'm a Bacca…aren't you supposed to be afraid of me?"
Mitch shrugged. "Nah. My father found a Bacca in one of his traps and freed him, and I'm no longer afraid. Can I be your friend?"
Jerome smiled, and nodded. "That would be awesome."
BajanCanadian–
His greatest fear is losing his Bacca and never going to have a family.
The accident was never his fault. He was just a child, but thankfully he knew Jerome at the time. A friendship literally forged in fire.
…
"HELP US!" Someone screamed.
Mitch's village was aflame. Someone had dropped a firework on the ground and it was now consuming all the houses.
Mitch was staring in horror at his own house. He lived on the second floor, and the ceiling was glowing orange and gray with the smoke.
The boy started coughing and tried to make his way downstairs, where he found his mother crying out for his father.
"Mom? Where's Dad?" Mitch asked nervously.
His mother sobbed. "He was in the town meeting area. He didn't make it."
Mitch's world swam in front of his eyes, and he nearly collapsed. His mother rushed to grab him, coughing up a storm as she grabbed him. "Mitchell, listen to me. You're going to make it. Go find your Bacca friend! He'll take care of you! Please, Mitch, for the Hughes family. For everyone in this village! You shall live to tell the tale and I love you so much. Go, sweetie!"
She pushed him out the door right as his house collapsed. Mitch started to scream as he realized no one would answer him. Everyone had been roasted alive, and the situation started to dawn on him. He was alone. No one would help him.
Right before Mitch passed out on his front lawn, he spotted something running up to him, donned in a business suit and covered in fur.
"Jerome…" He managed before letting the darkness consume him.
…
It was a few hours before he woke up again. This time, instead of just Jerome next to him, there was a teenage boy with a pair of sunglasses and holding a huge cake in front of him. There was a rumbling sound that Mitch realized was his stomach.
"Biggums! You're awake!" Jerome cried with relief. He grabbed Mitch and held him tightly, wrapping him in a hug. "I thought you were going to die…I grabbed you from the fire. I don't know what I would have done if you didn't make it."
Mitch gave him a soft smile. "Thank you for saving my life. That is a debt I will never be able to repay."
He turned his attention to the other boy and smiled again. "Hi there. I'm Mitchell or Mitch, but I'm pretty sure that Jerome told you that. What's your name?"
The boy grinned. "I'm SSundee, or Ian. Nice to meet you, Mitch. Want some cake?"
Deadlox–
His greatest fear is not being able to keep Team Crafted together.
Everyone thought Sky was the founder, but it was actually Deadlox. It was in his high school years that he came up with the idea, and Sky actually supported him. It wasn't supposed to happen; one of the boys that was 'emo', and one of the smartest kids in the grade? It was a strange friendship, but nevertheless, it was a great one.
…
Deadlox headed through the hallways, pushing past kids. He nearly missed the dude in the purple and gray cloak, but the guy had already vanished into the shadows.
He was late for his daily meeting in the computer lab with his best friend. Deadlox was oh-so-proud that he actually had a friend to have fun with.
"Hey, Sky! Sorry about the wait; the quarterback wanted my money." Deadlox explained as he entered into the room.
Sky furrowed his eyebrows. "Deadlox, I told you that I could go beat them up!"
"And risk getting my only friend suspended? No way," Deadlox responded, shaking his head.
Sky sighed. "Anyways, what's up? Something cool?"
"Yeah! I was thinking of making a group of friends that had never met before called Team Crafted. Whaddya think?" Deadlox said happily.
Sky blinked. "You want to get a group of guys that never met before in their lives and make them a group?"
"…Yes."
The Butter loving Minecrafter got up and went to high-five him. "I'm in. When do we start?"
SkyDoesMinecraft–
His greatest fear is losing everything he loves.
The squids, actually, are a rank lower than this. He just doesn't want to admit it.
Having been adopted, it took a huge chunk out of Sky's life to realize this. His depression didn't help either. Sky honestly didn't know what to do with himself, that is, until he met Deadlox.
…
"Hey, you! Emo kid!"
Sky looked up confused. Who were they talking to?
On the other side of the cafeteria, a boy with long, dark brown hair covering his left eye flinched and tried to hide himself with his headphones. "No, please. Don't do this." He whispered, crouching down.
The quarterback of the football team loomed over him, an evil smirk plastered on his face. "So, you have any more money on you?"
"No," the kid whimpered. "No I don't. Please go away."
The bully got angry and lifted him by his shirt. "You liar! You do have money, now give it here or I'll make sure you'll never walk again!"
Sky, wallowing in his depression cloud, didn't usually interfere with this stuff. He was sometimes a bystander, not being able to do anything. But as he watched on, the boy's frantic crimson eyes gazed wildly around until they landed on Sky. They were locked with his, and Sky felt a spark.
"Hey!" Sky shouted, getting up from his table, his depression cloud apparently lifting for the moment. "Let him go!"
"Or what?" The quarterback sneered, dropping the boy and turning around.
Sky felt a flash of anger rise in him, something he hadn't felt in months. "Or I'll kick your sorry ass."
The boy scrambled behind Sky, his eyes wide with fear. Sky took off his sunglasses and stared the bully down, butter and gold and orange gleaming with fury.
Sweat appeared on the quarterback's face, and he stumbled backwards. "O-Okay! I'm sorry, dude!" He turned to the boy and glared at him. "You're dead next time I see you without your boyfriend!"
He dashed off, tripping over his feet.
Sky put his glasses back on and turned around. "Are you okay?"
The boy let out a breath. "Yeah. Thanks. See ya around." He got up, trying to vanish but Sky grabbed his arm.
"Hey, don't go. What's your name?" Sky asked.
The boy brushed back his long bangs. "Deadlox, or Ty. Haven't you heard of me? I'm infamous around school for being emo and crap like that. I usually get beat up by the quarterback."
Sky shrugged. "I don't really care if you are or not. Do you wanna be friends at least? I'm Sky, or Adam, whichever you prefer."
Deadlox blinked at him. "You want to be my friend?"
"Yeah!" Sky cheered. "That is, if you don't mind."
Slowly, Deadlox let out a smile. "I don't mind at all."
And that's when Sky felt it. That cloud of depression that was always there started to drift away. He had a genuine friend, someone that would always be there for him.
And that made Sky the happiest person alive.
He smiled back. "Thanks."
…
Sky finished his tale and sat back completely satisfied, proud that he finally didn't have to carry this burden anymore. "Hey, I have a quick question!" DeceptiBonks, Team Crafted's artist, called out. "How did you guys join Team Crafted?"
Everyone looked at Sky, who grinned. "One more story then. I regret nothing."
…
Sky and Deadlox paraded around their school with the butter ingot stitched on their clothing, showing their support for Team Crafted. A new boy that had transferred to the school stopped by them. "What's Team Crafted?"
Deadlox explained, "It's a group of friends that makes YouTube videos and just has fun in general."
The boy's eyes widened. "Can I join? That sounds really cool! I'll get my friend to join as well!"
Deadlox and Sky exchanged looks. "What's your name, kid?" Sky asked.
The boy puffed out his chest. "I'm Jason, and my buddy's name is Seto! We'd love to join!"
The two shared another look, then Deadlox broke out into a huge grin. "Welcome to Team Crafted."
…
The four boys walked downtown, chatting to each other about Pokémon. "Yeah, I know he's stronger than him, but my Pokémon is way better than yours!" Sky argued.
A Mudkip looked up, recognition dawning on his face. "Did you say Pokémon?"
Everyone turned to look at him. "Yeah. What's your name?" TrueMU asked.
The Mudkip grinned. "I'm Husky. Aren't you guys Team Crafted?"
"Yes, yes we are." Sky smirked. "You seem pretty awesome, so would you like to join us?"
Husky's eyes widened. "Does that mean I can touch your butts!?"
An awkward silence fell.
"Heh, nevermind. I would love to join." Husky smiled.
…
A few weeks later, the five of them headed to the PVP arena. "Do you think I could win?" Deadlox wondered, casting a look at the scoreboard.
"C'mon Deadlox, get serious here." Sky scoffed. "We're only good at parkour."
"You guys would get roasted by that Bodil40 guy, then." Seto shrugged. "I heard he made that new Butter Parkour Map."
Sky gasped. "He made that?! Holy crap! Yeah, we're screwed then."
Deadlox kept staring at the scoreboard. "Uh, guys…"
"He's made a bunch of maps. Didn't you know that? I've played some of them." TrueMU added to the conversation.
Deadlox kept trying to get their attention. "Guys?"
"But that's so cool! I want to meet Bodil now!" Sky said happily.
A bearded man with sunglasses walked up and tapped Sky on the shoulder. "Um, sir? I think the dude with the headphones wants your attention."
"Huh? Oh, sorry Deadlox." Sky apologized, turning around. "Thanks dude with sunglasses."
He laughed. "I'm SSundee. It's nice to meet you guys! Aren't you Team Crafted?"
"Yep. Anyways, Deadlox, what did you need?" Sky asked.
The boy pointed to the scoreboard. "Not one of us would win at PVP. Look at those guys!"
They all turned, starting to gape with shock as they saw the top positions on the board.
'BajanCanadian; Games won–234 (Games lost–10)
JeromeASF; Games won–234 (Games lost–10)'
"Holy Notch…" Sky whispered. "They're the literal Kings of the Hunger Games."
SSundee tipped his sunglasses back. "I know them. They're really nice and awesome. I know for a fact that they win a lot of that prize money and give it to charity."
Deadlox looked at him sharply. "Would they want to join Team Crafted?"
SSundee smiled. "If it meant that they could keep doing what they do, then yes."
Seto watched the exit for them, and spotted two boys walking out. One of them was a Bacca wearing a business suit, and he was swinging a diamond axe around and laughing.
The other was a boy wearing a checkered jacket and a golden dogtag. He seemed to be best friends with the Bacca, their arms around each other's shoulders.
"I think that's them, right?" Seto asked, pointing at them.
SSundee nodded. "Yep! Mitch, Jerome! Over here!" He called.
The two broke into a light jog as they headed their way to Team Crafted with grins on their faces. "Didja see the look on that dude in deathmatch? He never saw Betty coming!" The Bacca grinned.
The other one–everyone guessing that was Mitch–smirked. "Definitely. You just got lucky with that last swing!"
"Nah, dude. That was just me power moving my way through the Games!" Jerome replied.
SSundee pushed them in front of him. "Guys, meet Team Crafted. They would like to know if you want to join them."
Mitch and Jerome stared at them in shock. "What? Us?" Mitch blinked.
Sky shouldered his way to the front, dragging Deadlox with him. "Yep! I'm Sky and this is Deadlox. SSundee here was telling us about how you guys usually win and give the money to some charities, right?"
Jerome nodded numbly. "Yeah. We were gonna head to the Haven for Hope after this, so we give them the money…" He held up some gold blocks, surprised.
Deadlox smiled. "That's the best thing I've heard all week. Would you like to join?"
Jerome immediately nodded, and Mitch pointed at SSundee. "Only if he joins as well. I've known him since I was 13 and so has Jerome."
The guys looked at each other, and Seto spoke up. "There will be 8 guys in Team Crafted, and I approve of this. Agreed?"
The rest of the members gave their approval, and Sky grinned at them. "Welcome to Team Crafted."
…
"And we've been here ever since!" Mitch bowed, causing laughter to echo through the room.
"Yeah," Jerome smiled. "This is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and with Mitch by my side and my friends–now family–as well, I don't think my fear is going to return."
"Me neither," TrueMU spoke up. "You guys are my family, and I'm so grateful for that."
"I won't lose my friends." Seto smiled. "All of you will never leave me behind and I'm so happy."
"I have my Annie and Team Crafted. That is all I need in life." Husky hugged a blushing Vengelfe, who kissed him on the cheek.
SSundee poked Seto in the side. "I won't lose my glasses if Seto keeps making me new pairs! Thanks buddy, and I love Team Crafted for everything."
Deadlox glanced at Sky. "I wouldn't have been able to start us without the help of Sky, so thank you. I know Team Crafted will always stay together."
Sky hugged the brunette. "You guys are my family now. I'm not giving you up for anything, not even butter."
"To family, friends, and Team Crafted!" Bonkers shouted from her end of the table. Everyone sitting at the table clinked their mugs together. "To Team Crafted!"
Seto quietly slipped away from the table with TrueMU following him.
"Guys, the New Year is going to happen soon! We have one minute!" CaptainSparklez called out.
Everyone got their respective other, and Jerome slowly scooted closer to Mitch. Deadlox got closer to Sky.
A firework went off, courtesy of Seto. More fireworks popped in the sky and the clock ticked down.
"10!"
Ashley chatted with Cupquake, reminiscing the year's events.
"9!"
CaptainSparklez reached under the table and held hands with AntVenom.
"8!"
Seto hugged Jason and thanked him.
"7!"
Bodil chucked a smoke bomb at Logdotzip, who screamed and fell out of his chair.
"6!"
Bonkers hugged WeedLion and BlueMonkey.
"5!"
Jason kicked started his jetpack.
"4!"
Bashur ran around screaming with sparklers.
"3!"
Husky gave Vengelfe a soft kiss.
"2!"
Sky leaned over with a smirk.
Jerome and Mitch leaned closer.
"1!"
Jason shot off into the sky, spelling out 'Team Crafted' with the orange smoke buffering out.
"HAPPY NEW YEAR!" Everyone cheered.
Sky pecked Deadlox on the cheek and got up, hugging other members and leaving poor Deadlox with a huge blush on his cheeks.
Jerome and Mitch gave each other a quick kiss and pulled away, blushing crimson red.
"Ah, New Year's." Ashley remarked, taking a sip of her wine. "A time for new beginnings and to start anew. One of my favorite times of the year."
"Right? I love New Year's." Cupquake smiled. She raised her glass and shouted, "TO TEAM CRAFTED!"
The group cheered with her. "TO TEAM CRAFTED!"
X
Fin~
AN: I accomplished the first day of the New Year by sleeping until 3 in the afternoon and doing nothing. XD
Happy New Year's Day, everyone! Let's hope 2014 will be awesome! ~Wolfy