AN:
Fact: I am absolutely guaranteed to get dino romances here. Why shuffle why. It's actually pretty fun though…
Warning: Number 3 is bordering on M-rating. And it's got rape.
Warning: Numbers 6 & 7 are BOTH about suicide. What the hell shuffle.
8 was supposed to be Valentine's Day from Linkin Park but at that point I was like NO MORE ANGST.
My iPod was feeling like the ANGST NEXUS here.
I cheated on 9, too, because how do you write a romance with the song Jesus Freak? You don't that's how.

Song 1: Herbivores from the Cretaceous Period [post-Mesozoic Extinction Event AU][141]

You both remember the end, the biting cold that should've killed you, your miraculous survival with the help of that big, fluffy, warm beast that you are now travelling with. It scared you, both of you, but you understood the need for warmth. There were four in the group – a little toothy one, the big fluffy one, and the two of you, small and scaly Protoceraptops.

When mating season came about, the golden one stayed behind, but you, white-and-red, went out looking, honked out a call, to no avail. There simply wasn't anyone left. You returned to their cave looking dejected and glum, and found the other lying there, looking at him with this look, why did you even bother looking anywhere else? It's only us, you know…

You snuggled up against him, and the next day made him your mate.

Song 2: Gone Forever [3 Days Grace][126]

Aporia isn't lying, he isn't. He'd swear it by Z-One, he's better off without Paradox. Paradox is angry and volatile, dangerous, he'd yell and scream at him. Even when he sits alone, looking through old photos, tears in his eyes, he's happy that Paradox is dead. It's just an alternative kind of happiness. There's no way he could be missing him.

And when it gets to be too much and he goes out and gets in fights and fucks random strangers and screams Paradox's name into the night, he's still not missing him. Not one bit. When he comes home and Z-One seems more comforting than angry and he cries on his shoulder and screams he's not sad or scared, he's better off.

He knows it.

Song 3: Wish I Had An Angel [Nightwish][153]

Aporia is incredibly innocent, end of the world or not. To an extent, it turns you on. He's the only virgin in your group – Z-One's slept with Antimony, everyone knows that, and you had a boyfriend back before all this happened, cute and blonde and so very vulnerable when the end came – and he's so despairing, so hopeless.

But he infuriates you. You want him and you can't have him. But he's beautiful and you have thoughts about him, thoughts about pinning him down and tearing off his clothes, taking him hard and forcing him to realize your love. You never act on them.

Then one day, you find an old bar and drink and drink. And you stop caring. It'll hurt like never before, at least for him, but you do it anyways, taking him over the table as he screams and begs you to stop, and it only turns you on.

Song 4: Ginko's Theme (Sad) [P2P Soundtrack][124]

You survey the destruction and it's hideous and yet beautiful, and it fills you with an almost comforting hopelessness. His hand is in yours, the only warmth in this infernal cold, and you can see piles of bodies, stacked about haphazardly, the stench of blood thick in the air.

You look to Paradox, nervous, feeling the presences that make you up rebelling in fear, Lucciano in particular shaking and mumbling to himself. But the blood and gore and stench and rubble isn't just scary – it has this grace to it, and when Paradox wraps you tight in his arms, whispering sweet nothings protectively, it fades away.

The hopelessness stays, of course, but you hardly mind it. It's as comforting as his hands on your body.

Song 5: All The Stars In Texas [I guess everyone loved Crashtown anyways][Ludo][215]

Everyone is dead here. Oh, they're breathing, sure, but their minds and eyes and hearts are blank. It doesn't bother you when you hold the gun to their heads as Paradox rummages through the vault, taking from them their money and jewels and everything else they've hidden away. With a grin, he picks up one of the only safes he couldn't crack then and there, and you get your getaway vehicle ready. And in moments, you're off.

No one can catch you. You don't really enjoy this – you'd like to have a home, wake up snuggled against your partner with a big smile on your face, soft and warm and simple. But he's different. There's this shine in his eyes, and it's the most beautiful thing you've ever seen, wild and untamed. You can't let go of that.

You met when you shot his dad. He hugged you close and followed you, saving your ass when the cops came after you when you learned he had a gun of his own.

There's that untamed flame in his eyes, that wonderful greed that makes him grin so widely, that lean, powerful body and sharp-witted mind, and you might've thought you were in control at first, but you know better now. You would do anything for him.

Song 6: Hurt [Thousand Foot Krutch](201)

Back then it was just the two of you, and you were scared. Aporia is so much stronger than me, you thought, I'm so hopeless. You were scared to be alone, and although you'd see a loneliness in his eyes that hurt you sometimes, he didn't ever seem to be.

You were heading to one of your favorite places to scavenge for food when he dropped the ball, when you could see the real him.

"…'Dox, could you do me a favor?"

"Of course." In this world, favors were so very reserved, but it was never like that for the two of you. You trusted each other more than that.

"Shoot me."

You blinked and shook your head. "This is a joke, right?"

He shook his head. "Please. I've tried this on my own, but I couldn't do it." And the way his voice cracked there, it hurt so much that you couldn't help but hug him close, and you could feel his heartbeat. What would you do if you hadn't met him? If he'd done it? You'd never have fallen in love.

"…No." And you kissed him on the lips, because you hurt too much to be on your own.

Song 7: It's Never Too Late [Three Days Grace][165]

At first, he was just a friend. When he started to talk about taking his life, you'd try to talk him out of it, telling him that the old world just wasn't coming back and they couldn't live the same lives they did before, but they could make new ones. But back then you wouldn't have made big sacrifices for him.

But it became deeper and deeper, and when you kissed and when you did more than just that, you could still feel that want, that need¸ for death, shaking in his body. And over time you started to realize that you would give more and more to make it go away, until everything you had was his, could be his, if he would only love himself like he does in your dreams.

"Everything'll be okay. It's alright."

"I don't even want to be alive."

He never did kill himself, but when he died in that last duel you knew it was what he wanted.

Song 8: Please Don't Go [Mike Posner][151]

In those times everything seemed so temporary, and even when you brought people into your bed half the time you'd wake up and they'd be gone. Normally you didn't care. But Paradox, he was different. You didn't want him to go, you wanted him to stay with you forever. When you told him that he smiled and nodded.

"I feel the same way, but we'll see what tomorrow brings."

"If tomorrow might make you leave, let's make tonight last forever."

He kissed you, needy, and you let him, submitting to his will in a way that was comforting for you. It was nice, for a fleeting moment, to let go of your absolute control. You weren't always the one who felt that, of course, at times he'd need it as badly as you did right then.

When you woke up the next morning he was there, his arms warm around you.

Song 9: Waking Up In Vegas [Katy Perry][177][again because WE NEED MOAR HAPPY]

In retrospect, it was pretty unbelievable how you two had gotten here. Antimony and Z-One had wanted some "alone time" (because everyone wasn't perfectly aware they were fucking) and thought you two should "go have some fun." And so you and Paradox found yourselves gambling away the truly incredible amount of money you had. Ylliaster didn't need all the cash they had anyhow (not that even a full night of high stakes gambling could put a dent in it).

Of course, if there's one thing Vegas is good for outside of gambling, it's getting really drunk. You could hardly see anything, and you knew Paradox wasn't exactly sober.

You hadn't even reached your hotel when you pinned him up against the wall, licking at his lips, needful. Thankfully, he was sober enough to at least get you back to the hotel room before he started to pull off your outfits.

"I assume the title of 'couple from the future' has been passed on to us now?" he joked the next morning, and you couldn't help but laugh.

Song 10: Dream Big [Ryan Shupe & the Rubberband][the happy has FINALLY found us! :D][120]

Z-One's insufferable happiness is starting to get to me, Aporia thought as he tried to untangle himself from Paradox's arms. I'm actually starting to enjoy things again.

He told his partner as much when he woke up, and he almost seemed to smile. "Yeah, as long as we have each other, things are pretty good, aren't they? It's not like we can't fix this. Z-One's a god, isn't he? We can't lose with that kind of power on our side. I know it."

"…what do we do when we do win?"

Paradox snorted. "Obviously we adopt a dog and name it Princess, then open a cake and dress boutique using our magical gay powers."

You were still laughing when you got to the throne room.