HELLO, MY LOVELIES! So. Hi. How y'all doing? I'm guessing y'all have seen that I made this a mature-rated story now and that's because I'm actually thinking about using this story to push my boundaries storywise. Like, do stuff that I have never written before especially since I aged up the characters about four/five years. Now, one thing I know I might get asked a question about is if this will have a lemon in it and honestly, I don't know yet. I haven't decided if I'm going to go that direction or not but there is some angst/comfort things I want to toy with that might lead us there so we'll see.

Sorry this took a little bit, but honestly, when I started writing I couldn't stop. Like I was going to only aim for like three thousand words but this ended up at 8,483 and I was just like, "Huh. I overdid it just a little bit." but I know you guys won't mind.

Anyway! I hope you guys enjoy it and let me know what you think! Much love!

"Where did you find this place?" I followed the taller man as he looked up toward the stars with curious eyes that almost mimicked that of a child's. I crossed my arms over my chest as I ended up beside him before looking up toward the sky like he was.

"I was brought here by a guy that liked me in high school. One failed attempt and an embarrassing ride home later, I ended up with seventeen texts asking me to reconsider my 'no' and a pretty cool place to run to whenever my parents pissed me off." I walked past him and sat on the ledge of the cliffside before looking back over my shoulder toward the taller man. He was still looking up toward the night sky as a smile appeared on his lips. His hands were in his blue jumper jacket's pockets as the full moon graced his skin in such a way that it seemed to make him glow.

I knew he would like the view. What I didn't know was that I was going to enjoy one of my own.

I swallowed hard as he brought his eyes down toward me. He flashed a simple lopsided grin that I learned within the last six months I known him would cause my breath to get stuck within my throat every time I would see it. He made his way over toward me and I decided to pull my eyes away from the blue-eyed man as I figured it would help the blush that was creeping onto my face.

God damn it, Claire. You're acting as if you're some hormonal teenage girl. You're a grown-ass woman. Act like it.

I looked beside me to see that within those few moments I took to give myself a small pep talk that the man took the spot next to and was looking up toward the sky once more. His blue eyes sparkled like the stars that were above us as his smile could still be seen by his side profile. Honestly, I can't put to words how gorgeous the sight was as the moon still caused his pale skin to glisten under its loving light while his jaw relaxed into a simple but well-defined line.

I felt as if the only thing that would give the scene justice was a drawing.

Too bad the closest sketchbook was in the long-abandoned Mustang behind us.

"This place is beautiful." I watched as he turned his head toward me and gave me a genuine smile. "Thank you for bringing me here." I felt a smile appear on my face as I brought myself up to my feet.

"That's not even the best part yet. Lay down. I wanna show you something." He did as I asked as I brought myself around so I could lay down so my head could place itself next to his. "Ready?" I looked over toward him as I realized that my eyes were at the same level as his. I swallowed dryly for a second before tearing my eyes away from his to point up toward the sky. "You see that little faded star right over there?"

"That one?" He brought up his finger to point up toward the lit-up sky to show which one he was speaking about.

"Yeah! Now follow that one just a little bit to your right you can see the big dipper. Then not too far away from that-."

"The little dipper."

"Yup! Then we can see a little bit of the constellation of Hercules here too." I let out a content sigh as I dropped my hand onto my chest. "The sight is beautiful, isn't it?" I heard his jacket ruffle a little as it gave away his slight movement. I turned my head toward him to make sure nothing was harming him at all only to be greeted by his bright blue eyes looking back at me with the softest hint of a smile on his lips. The left corner of his mouth went up slightly as he then decided to speak in a soft whisper.

"It is." I searched for anything in his eyes that would give away any form of negative emotion even though I knew I wouldn't find anything. Jim wasn't that kind of guy. Never was. Never will. It was one of the many reasons I liked the flower boy in the first place. His words were true and his intentions were pure. Add in the fact that he looked at me as if I was a sight to truly uphold and it all made me putty in the taller man's hands. I felt like reaching out to touch him. I felt like leaning in. I felt like doing something. Anything to make this moment even better.

But my alarm had what it believed was a better idea.

I shot up into a sitting position with an angered look on my face before reaching over and slapping the hell out of the top of my alarm clock.

God damn fucking thing ruining my good fucking dreams. Next time I'll chuck your ass.

I sighed as I dropped my hand to my side before adjusting myself so I could lean against my headboard.

It was just a dream though. A very detailed dream, but a dream all the same.

I ran a hand through my hair before flinging my purple and black comforter aside so I could slip out of the bed and allowed myself to go into autopilot as my mind still toyed about with the dream.

My dreams when I was growing up were always filled with stage lights, Shakespeare lines, and elaborate costumes. When I decided to pursue art, they ended up filling themselves with colorful patterns and scenes that I couldn't help but draw or paint when I woke up the next morning. They were always vivid and detailed to the point you would think they were real works of art even before I put them onto paper. It was as if I was watching a movie with each scene being even more unique and entertaining than the last.

Yet when the incident happened, I stopped dreaming in general. When I laid myself to sleep, all I would see was darkness and it stayed that way. There was some faint screaming here and there along with faded voices that I couldn't pinpoint, but those were the nightmares. Other than that, the dreams I used to love had become just another thing torn from me after that day.

But then I met Jim.

Suddenly, after only a month or two, I started to dream again. Not of muffled screams and hushed voices, but of laughter and soft whispers. No longer was I only greeted with the pitch-black sight I had become numb to. I was instead given glimpses of roses and silhouettes that slowly built itself up into scenes like that I just awoke from. I made me feel like a child most of the time but these dreams were the beginning to me understanding that I was getting past what had happened to me. Not just me saying I was over what had taken course those three years ago, but actually getting proof that I was returning to myself.

I felt a small smile appear on my face as I looked over myself in my long mirror. I had just finished getting dressed as I looked up in the top right corner of the mirror to see a small picture Toby had taken with a polaroid camera about a month ago. It was of Douxie, Jim, and I looking like goofy teenagers. Jim had his arm over my shoulders with his normal lopsided grin on his face as Douxie stood beside him with his signature rock-on hand gesture and tongue sticking out. I help up the same hand gesture as Douxie but it was obvious I was more entertained by the taller man next to me as my eyes were looking toward him instead of the camera. A soft smile dancing on my lips as I thought I wasn't caught.

It took a lot of threatening to get the photo from Toby, but it was worth it in the end. Especially since the slightly shorter man started to joke after seeing it himself that Jim had to be the first one to see it.

It was insane to me how impactful the flower boy was on my life. Within six months I went from an "I Don't Need A Man To Be Happy" mentality to "Jesus Christ Just Kiss Me, You Fuck" and I wasn't sure yet if I enjoyed it or if I was frightened by the idea. Probably more frightened than I would like to admit, honestly.

But who wouldn't change their mind on that idea when it comes to him? I learned so much about Jim within those six months that it felt like I have truthfully known him for my whole life. I learned that he's strongly dedicated to his family and friends alike to the point that he would lay his life down if it called for it. I learned that his favorite color was unironically blue and that his favorite movie was GunRobot 3. I found out first hand that the boy was terrible with keeping time. Especially if you tell him you want to do something on a specific day of the week. The guy just goes with the flow and takes on each day as it comes. He doesn't worry about what day it is until it's much too late. The fact that he is more of a momma's boy than Douxie let on in his stories about him was something I found absolutely adorable about him.

"My mom gave up her whole future for me," He had a soft smile on his face as he gave a small shrug. He was looking down at his hands before he brought them up to look at me with what I knew was probably the most genuine gleam that I have ever seen as he continued to speak. "Why not help her out in repayment? I owe her everything."

I smiled at the memory as I went over toward my desk to grab my leather jacket and my sketch pad before exiting my room as my mind adventured off once more.

Then there were the darker pieces that he had revealed to me. Like how he got the scar that goes through his right eyebrow from getting into a fight with his high school bully. Then one on his cheek came from how the kid thanked him for whatever it was that he jumped into the fight for. He spoke of how he lost someone dear to him around the same time that Douxie lost Merlin, but he believed that his friend was grieving more than him so he became more worried about him than himself.

All of this added up to me understanding completely why I was so infatuated with the motorcycle rider. He was attractive, sure, but there was so much more to him than that, and I barely even tapped the surface yet. We had only just started letting the other know about the pains that we bare and even after hearing the one that eats at me the most, he somehow still looks at me as if I was some kind of priceless work of art. Then no matter what hell he was placed through, he was somehow still the same gentle guy that Douxie had told me stories about in high school.

All of this, in the end, led to me suddenly having feelings for him and honestly? I wouldn't change a God damn thing.

"Good morning, Claire. You look like you're in a chipper mood." I smiled toward Douxie as I realized that while in my thoughts, I had made my way down the staircase and toward the kitchen.

"Good morning, Douxie. I had a pleasant dream. That's all." He flashed me a smile as he realized that I had my sketchbook in hand.

"Must have been one hell of a dream to have you inspired already. Did you draw it already?"

Oh, you have no fucking clue, Doux.

"Care if I take a gander?" I blushed at my thought as I opened up my sketchbook. I tried to find a drawing that wasn't anything like my most recent pieces. Especially since my most recent pieces were of a certain blue-eyed flower shop employee.

"Oh, it's nothing really to be interested in."

"I doubt that!" He made his way over toward me and tried to lean over the counter to take a peak. "Let me see."

"Hey! Weren't you the one that said looking into another artist's sketchbook is like reading someone's deepest thoughts?"

"Yes. Doesn't mean I'm not interested to see what you're blushing about." I felt my blush darken as I decided to bring my sketchbook close to my chest.

"Fuck off, Douxie."

"Aw come on! Let your brother see. I promise I won't tease you if it's all the same flower or something." He snagged my drawing pad with ease after that as he made his way deeper into the kitchen. He started flipping through some of the pages before he landed on one with wide eyes. He looked back up toward me with a smirk on his face as he turned the sketchpad back toward me to showcase a drawing of Jim with his lopsided smile showcased on his face and his horned motorcycle helmet is placed onto his lap. His blue leather-like jacket opened to showcase a simple red v-neck under it as he seemed to have been posing for the one drawing him.

But he wasn't. It was just something I drew from memory.

"I knew you have a crush on the mate but I didn't know you were this deep."

"Exactly why I was telling you to, and I quote, fuck off."

"Aw! My little sister found someone she gives a damn about! Fucking finally, if you ask me." He flipped to the next page which I knew was another sketch of the flower boy. "This one's a keeper though. Damn, you even got his scar on his nose right."

"Are you done making fun of me?"

"Nope really, but I'm also being completely honest with you. This amazing stuff, Claire." I gave him a small smile as I looked over his shoulder to see he was looking at a close-up portrait I did of Jim. This was one that the subject posed for. My smile widened as I remembered how much begging it took me to get him to agree to it.

"I don't even think I can sit still long enough, Claire."

"Oh come on! Please! I'm always drawing feminine structures and I want to broaden my horizons a little."

"Wouldn't drawing Douxie be a little more visually pleasing?"

"I don't want to draw Douxie. I want to draw you. Also, you're rather visually pleasing yourself. Cut yourself some credit, Flower Boy."

"Thanks, Doux."

"Did you draw anything for him for his birthday?" I gave him a shocked and confused look as he spoke as he flipped to the next page. It was just a couple of speed sketches of flowers I had bought from Jim the week prior. "Oh, I guess he didn't tell you, huh? I don't doubt it, honestly. He hates it. Even though Toby and I have been trying to get him to at least enjoy it with small parties and get-togethers. But it seems his hatred for it overrode him telling you about it. Ironic since he spoke to you a little about Ven and he'd rather eat glass than talk about Ol' Ven."

"What about it does he hate about it?"

"It's an old story. But I guess you deserve to hear it." He flipped to the next page as it was a couple of wip sketches based on Merlin's old drawing. Some of a few swords as the one in the center was of a knight's helmet surrounded by a few sketched out roses. "A year or two before I met my little Atlas myself, he had just turned five. His dad told him and his mom to go out and pick out a gift for him at the local little toy shop down the way. They were gone for about an hour or so, but when they came back, he was gone. Everything that was his from their house, their store, everything he had, he took and left with the deed and divorce papers sitting on the counter."

"On his birthday?"

"On his birthday."

"Holy shit." I pulled my eyes away from Douxie as I placed my hands onto the counter so I could lift myself up so I could sit on it. "What an asshole."

"I know right? Ever since, I guess, he hated his birthday. It didn't matter who tried to make him enjoy it. It was as if he thinks it was his fault that he left. You know?"

"When is it?"

"Today." I gave him a shocked look as I dropped off the counter.

"Today?! You've got to be shitting me, Doux! Why didn't you tell me before?!"

"I thought he told you! Don't be freaking out, sis. You've got approximately six hours before the party."

"Party?!"

"I definitely kept you out the loop, huh? How about I help you out? I can help give you a few ideas. I already have my gift for him thrown together since Toby and I helped each other out with it." I reached out and took the sketchbook back from him that he was handing back toward me. I flipped it to the next clean page as I grabbed the pencil that marked the page for me off of the spiral that kept it together.

"No, I think I got an idea. I think." I gave a soft sigh as I started exiting the kitchen. "I just hope I can get it done."

"Well, the party is here at our humble abode so you've got as much time as you want, little Maria!"

"I'm gonna need it, asshole!" He just chuckled at me as I made my way back up toward my room so I could work at my little art studio desk.

You got this, Claire. It's gonna be a little close, but you had worse time restraints with drawings.

Let's just hope it won't take umpteen times to fucking get it right.

I was always terrible with time.

Time was something I was never able to keep track of since I used it to its full potential. Days would turn to months and months would turn to years before I could even understand that it had happened due to how I never had a real way to keep time in check.

Well, with one specific thing. I do. But I always hated it. It didn't matter how long it has been since the event that caused me to despise it had happened. Just the fact that the hatred continued.

"GET UP BIRTHDAY BOY!" I groaned as I peeled my eyes open slowly. The sunlight streaming into my window attacked my eyes like it wanted to get vengeance on me for something I must have done as I pushed myself up to a sitting position in the bed in the middle of my room.

Today being that specific fucking day.

I sighed as I looked around my room. Ironically enough, even though Toby and I shared a little three-bedroom house together, it wasn't very different outside of how I had it in high school. A simple desk as under the windowsill while my bed, instead of being placed against a wall was in the center of the room and pushed up against the back wall. It was a bit bigger than the one I had back then, but it wasn't due to any, well, adult reasons. I simply upgraded from the twin due to how I grew out of the damned thing. A few posters covered the walls that only proved how much I changed as well as stayed the same in the same breath. A Vespa poster here, a Gunrobot theater poster there, and a few drawings and writings I had pinned here and there. Some of the art was my own, some from Merlin, and a lot by Douxie, but all the small scribbled poems on faded pieces of notebook paper were my own.

"Art is true human expression." I watched as Merlin drew on the small whiteboard as Douxie and I sat before him. The older man giving us a small nod before be turned the whiteboard toward us to showcase that he was drawn the two of us within the two hours we sat before him. In incredible detail as well and it intrigued me due to how the man only used a single black dry-erase marker and a piece of tissue paper. "And without art, we are no longer human."

"But what if we cannot draw? Does that make us not human?" Merlin chuckled at me for a moment as he handed the whiteboard toward Douxie who looked over it with large curious eyes.

"That just means you find your own form of art. As they say, even language is a showcasing of humanity's artistic ability. You just have to find your own path, James." I nodded my head once. I hated that the old man insisted to call me by the name I swore was dead to me, but he would then always go on a lecture that it was due to how we could not escape the ghost from our past.

I hate how right that fucking geezer was.

I looked over toward my right to see an old wooden nightstand with a few picture frames sitting on top of it. There was a photo of Douxie, Toby, and I looking like three smiling dorks who hung off each other like drunken idiots right next to a photo of me and my two uncles with oil and grease stains on our faces as they both had an arm flung over my shoulders.

But then there was a photo of me with a large white-bearded man with small circular glasses sitting at the edge of his nose. A much skinnier version of me had his large hands covering my shoulders as if it was the most normal thing in the world. The large man was obviously much older by the wrinkles that covered his face and arms, but it was obvious as well that the man was muscular and still seemingly at the top of his physical form.

"Left hook! Right hook! Double jab!" I followed the orders yelled toward me as I kept myself light on my feet while making my way around the punching bag. "That a boy! Now repeat. This time a little faster." I did as he told me as I followed through with each punch. Afterward though, I dropped my arms to my side as I tried my best to catch my breath. I felt a hard slap to my back that almost pushed me into the punching bag in front of me if it wasn't for the fact that I knew that the sudden force was going to happen. "Wonderful work today, little one." I gave an exhausted smile up toward the large older male who had his cane in his left hand as his right now had itself onto my shoulder.

"Thank you, Master Vendel." The older man chuckled at me.

"You know that when there is no one else here in The Forge that you can just call me Vendel. You are my Great Godson after all."

I felt a sad smile appear on my lips as I remembered looking up toward the man with admiration.

"But you always like being called Master." I muttered to myself.

It still felt like yesterday that he would train me to fight. He along with Blinky and AAARRRGGHH caught me enough how to not just protect myself but also those I cared about. They taught me not just what it meant to be a good man, but a good person in general.

But he died when I was sixteen and now I'm twenty-one.

"You up, Jimbo? Douxie and I got a whole day planned out for you! Especially since it's SATURDAAAAYYY!" I looked over toward Toby as he entered my room as he carried a small plate in his hands. "I even tried my hand at those birthday pancakes your mom always made you when we were growing up. Hopefully, I made them better than she did." I chuckled at my best friend as he came to the left side of my bed. "Eat up, dude! We gotta meet up with Douxie and you're little crush~!"

"Speak of her like that one more time, I dare you." I gave my best friend a half-hearted glare as I took the plate from him. I looked down toward the pancake to see he made the smiling pancakes eerily the same as my mother had made them for me when I woke up every morning when I lived with her.

"Dude. You can't deny it. You two have become pretty cozy if you know what I mean. Especially since you two only met six months ago." I smiled to myself as I knew that his words were true. The tattoo artist and I found excuses to hang out with each other as much as we could despite our schedules.

Well, despite my own schedule. Hers was a lot less cluttered than mine.

We went on rides most of the time. Each of us taking each other to our favorite spots within the town as we then spent the time we had together just talking and getting to know each other better. Even though it was obvious the two of us had a lot of contrasting interests, we still found things to share happy moments together. Even if we were talking about the darker bits of our histories.

All of which, did not help the growing feelings that weighed in my chest that only spread each moment I spent with her.

I knew I found her attractive, but for the love of God, I started to find her even more endearing every moment we spoke together. I knew from the moment we met that she was so much more than a pretty face, but did I believe that I would be one to witness it? God fucking no. Do I enjoy it? God fucking yes.

"Doesn't mean I need you fucking with me about it."

"SO YOU ADMIT IT! FINALLY!" I chuckled at his reaction. "Bro, does this mean you're actually going to get into an actual relationship? One where you actually go on a date?"

"All because I like her does not mean she likes me, Tobes."

"Aw come on! Who wouldn't like you, dude? You've got that mix of both bad boy and soft momma's boy. The best of both worlds! Or at least that was what Mary told me that girls look for. Still have no clue why Darci's still with my ass if that's the case."

Mary Wang and Darci Scott. Two friends of Toby, Douxie, and I that dealt with our shit for as long as I can remember. We were sixteen when Darci and Toby started dating as Mary would toy with me on the fact that I never had a true relationship even though my childhood best friend was in a committed relationship.

Well. More like she toyed with the fact that she believed I was the attractive one as Toby wasn't in her regard yet he was the one with a girlfriend. Specifically her childhood best friend.

"Honestly, I have no clue either." My best friend slapped his hand onto my shoulder for a moment before making his way toward my best room door.

"Anyway! Eat up, get dressed, and make yourself presentable! We've got a party planned for your ass, Jimbo."

A party.

He closed the door with a soft thud as I looked back down toward the pancakes.

Fucking great.

The music blared around me as I sipped out of the water bottle I grabbed from the fridge as I leaned against the wall next to the main staircase of Douxie's home as I scanned my eyes over the people that were in attendance at the party that was supposedly in the name of my twenty-first birthday. But as I watched drunken bastards made messes just trying to chug beers together in a corner as I took another sip out of my water bottle, I knew that they weren't here for me but were here for the free party.

Hell. I didn't even know who the fuck the four guys I was watching were.

I rolled my eyes as I looked over my shoulder to my left to see Toby and Douxie being close to my side.

"You enjoying yourself, mate?" I gave Douxie a small chuckle as I knew that the Englishman already knew I didn't care for the event.

"Do you want me to be honest or save your feelings?"

"Aw come on, Jim! You've gotta loosen up a little. You don't want to be a stick when Claire shows up."

"You know parties aren't my scene, Tobes."

"He's kind of right. You need to experience new things, my friend. Not for Claire's sake, but for your own." I gave Douxie a soft look as I took another sip out of my water before screwing the top tight.

"I've been to these things for years. There's always something that happens that ruins it all."

"Finally I found you fuckers!" I turned my head toward my right to see Claire beaming up toward me as she reached my side. The white tank top with a simple black skull was on the right bottom corner of the cloth she wore bore her inked arm and chest on display. Her blue skinny jeans were different than her normal black as they seemed to tear due to design beside her favorite faded black ones. Instead of her normal combat boots were switched with simple black vans which caused a peak of interest in me since I knew the punk rarely went without her steel-toes. With a simple glance over her though, I noted that the change of shoes caused her to be an inch or two shorter than she normally was.

Maybe that was why she never went without the chunky leather boots.

I smiled toward myself as the thought danced within my mind. I was pulled out of my thoughts though as I felt her place her left hand onto my right shoulder as she flashed a toothy smile up toward me.

"Happy birthday! You are enjoying yourself, right? If not, I'll make you." I chuckled a little at her response as I slipped my free hand into my jeans pocket. I felt slightly overdressed beside the punk as I wore my normal blue false leather jacket with a loose black button-down matched with my normal jeans and tennis shoes.

"You've of all people know this isn't my scene, Claire."

"Doesn't mean you can't have a little fun, Lake." She flashed me a smirk as she patted my shoulder before bringing her attention toward our mutual friends. "Even then though, you two should know this isn't his kind of style."

"Toby and I just thought it would be a nice change for everyone. Mainly because we also agreed that the little introvert needed a change of scenery, for our dear old friend."

"That and we got some people showing up for his ass that wouldn't have come if it wasn't for the big extravagance Douxie threw together here." I looked over toward the two of them with a confused look for a moment as two other voices joined our little conversation.

"JIMMY JAM! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

"Mary, slow down. You're going to run into some-." I looked over toward who I already knew was my two old high school friends as their eyes landed onto Claire with excited looks taking over their faces. "CLAIRE!" The two of them ran and engulfed the punk in a hug that she welcomed the two women with wide arms as she just laughed at the two of them.

"You two are going to kill me! Losen your grip, damn it." Her laugh danced over the thundering music as if it battled against the music's melody with one of her own. I felt my face flush as if I had much more than just the simple water that I was sipping from as I looked over the small scene. The song that was her laughter playing in my head more than any song I have heard before.

You've got it bad, don't you? Why does Toby always have to be right?

"Why didn't you two assholes tell us you knew Claire? I would have skipped this whole semester if I knew!" I chuckled at Mary as she now had her arm wrapped around Claire's shoulders as she brought both of them into our direct line of attention. Darci only shaking her head at her friend's antics as she stood on the side of both of them.

"You act like we didn't know that she was in Arcadia Oaks this whole time."

"Well, we couldn't just walk around the town asking for her! She's always been on the move since we were in high school, anyway."

"She's right. I was never one to stay in the same spot for too long." Claire crossed her arms over her chest as she then looked over toward us three not too far away from them. Her eyes landing on me for the longest as I felt my blush only deepened while a smirk appeared on her lips. "Until recently, that is."

"I was going to ask, what happened to that plan of going to Los Angles? Just decided another path was better." She turned her head toward Darci as she answered her with a smile.

"Douxie offered me a job to work with him at Merlin's parlor. I couldn't possibly say no with how much he and Merlin had helped me through the years. Even though he was a thorn in my side for a little while there."

"Hey! I was just being a good friend, mate!"

"I know, Doux. I appreciate it, really, but at the time there were so many times I wanted to just curse you out about it."

"Honestly, I don't doubt it." Douxie chuckled at this as Mary decided to change the subject.

"Alright! Enough sadness. This is a party, God damn it! Let's have some fun!" She moved so she was in between Claire and Darci before grabbing them both by the arms and dragging them toward the make-shift dance floor in the living room. "Let's go, ladies! We haven't danced together in years!"

"Slow down, Mar!" Darci yelled out with a laugh as Claire just laughed at her friend's antics and followed along with it. I smiled as the three of them found a spot together and started just moving in rhythm with the music as they made a small circle.

"Here I thought they would be hanging out with us, but damn. I guess we're not as cool as a girl with a Shakespeare tattoo." I laughed wholeheartedly at Toby's comment before I uncapped my water bottle and took a quick sip.

"Dude, Claire's cooler than the both of us combined."

"Just the two of us? What's that mean about Douxie?"

"Douxie's on Claire's level of coolness, Tobes."

"Hell yeah, I am!"

"Don't let it get to your head, Casperan!"

"Too late, TP!" I laughed at the two of them as I looked out over toward where Claire, Mary, and Darci were. All three of them seemed to have joy-filled smiles as they carelessly danced to the rhythm. Specifically, the shining smile of Claire brought a smile onto my own lips as she seemed to be enjoying herself. It was wonderful to see in comparison to the last "party" we had been to together.

She was always pretty, but God was she beautiful when she smiled.

I smiled as I took another sip out of my water and brought my attention back toward my two best friends.

Maybe not all parties are bad if she's able to find some joy within this one. Maybe I should enjoy myself a little as well.

Just a little bit of fun won't lead to anything wrong, right?

After a few hours of chilling and talking with just the right amount of alcohol in my system. It wasn't enough for it to impair my thoughts or judgments, but it was enough to cause the cold night wind to chill my now exposed skin as my jacket was forgotten on the step I was sitting on. The short sleeves of my button-down ruffled a little here and there as the wind decided to push against me ever so gently. It was nice to have a little bit of silence in comparison to the thundering bass music that was within the house.

Even though I was enjoying the atmosphere a bit more than I normally did, but it didn't quite matter when your social battery decides that it drained itself too far and you needed to recharge for a moment. Thank God no one else was out here or I don't think I would be as content sitting on the wooden back porch steps of Douxie's house.

Well, I wouldn't have minded in a specific punk was by my side, but I knew she was enjoying the company of some old friends of hers.

"There you are! I kinda figured you were off somewhere on your own, but I thought there were would be a group chilling here so you would try to go somewhere else."

Speak of the devil.

I looked over my shoulder to see Claire slid the sliding glass door shut before making her way over toward me.

"Is this spot open?" I moved my jacket off the step instantly and placed it onto my right leg with a smile.

"Sure is." She flashed me a smile in return as she took the spot beside me with ease. This is when she noticed the half-empty beer bottle that I had forgotten was sitting to my left.

"Didn't think you were much of a drinker."

"Honestly, I'm not. I usually make sure not to drink anything at this." I flashed her a smile as I picked up the bottle and eyed it for a moment before deciding to just toy with it in my hands. "I actually hate beers."

"Then why drink it?" Claire stifled a laugh as leaned back and put her hands behind her.

"I have no fucking clue." I gave her a dopey smile as this just caused her to laugh at me a little more.

"You're not planning on riding home, right? You're acting a little more bubbly than normal."

"Oh, definitely not. I have a one beer rule when it comes to driving home and by the looks of this," I brought the beer up to my eyes to see that it was a little under half of it left. "I think I've had four and a half too many."

"Wow. Here I thought you would be a lightweight if you drank."

"You should have seen me when my Godfather Vendel got onto me drinking at some of these when I was nineteen. He decided to teach me the consequences of hangovers so he gave me I think about twenty shots of vodka before I completely passed out. Taught me to next drink that heavy again."

"At least you found out the side-effects in a friendly environment. I found it out at seventeen and let's just say I started keeping a one-drink rule myself afterward. Not for driving home but to never had what happened to ever happen again." I felt a frown take over my face as I saw a dark look take over her hazel eyes.

"That wasn't the same night as the one event, right? The one with the guy from the concert?"

"No, it was another. It's nothing to worry about."

"It is when you have that look on your face." I twisted so I could give her my full attention and placed my jacket on the top step behind us so it didn't fall between the steps. "If you want to talk about it, we can. But you know by now that I won't force you." I gave her a dope smile as I poured the liquor in my bottle onto the grass between the wooden steps before putting the empty bottle next to where I put my jacket. "There, so you know I'll remember it if you want me to." When I brought my eyes back toward Claire, she was giving me a large smile on her face as that haunted look had completely removed itself from her eyes.

"I know I've said this a lot to you, Flower Boy, but you really are something different."

"In a good way, right?"

"In the best way." My smile went up further on the right side of my face as she continued speaking. "It was a few months before the assault. I had a boyfriend at the time that wasn't the best of guys to hang out with, but he upset my parents so it didn't matter to me at the time. I really should have been smarter about it, but I guess wisdom comes from experience." She laughed a little at herself before she continued. "He kept just passing me drinks and I took them without question. I thought he would take care of me if anything went south so I just followed along, you know? Next thing I know I'm hungover like a sailor and somehow my bra was missing as I found myself laying in the front yard. Nothing beyond that had happened, luckily. Or at least, from what I could tell. Basically, I paid with a missing bra and a hangover to find out that just taking whatever the fuck was handed to you, no matter who it's from, is a bad idea." I chuckled at her for a moment which caused her to shoot me a smirk. "You act as if you've never done anything stupid, asshole." She smacked my shoulder lightly as I just continued to chuckle a little before replying to her.

"Oh, I'm a dumbass. The king, if you may. Trust me, I've done some dumb fucking shit, Claire." At this point, the wind picked up a little more and I saw the Latina shiver lightly at the sudden chill that past us. Without a second thought, I reached out for my jacket and flung it over her shoulders. After I adjusted it so it had fit as best as it could, I pulled back with a large smile and a blush flushing over my cheeks as I realized exactly what I did. I watched as she slipped her arms into the jacket with a smile.

"Thanks. You didn't have to."

"No big deal. I wasn't wearing it anyway. You make it look better anyway." I felt my blush deepen as I reached up with my left hand to scratch the back of my neck nervously.

Okay, you know you can't blame that on the alcohol, jackass. You didn't drink that much, you fucking dip.

"Nah, I think it's owner pulls it off better. Purple's more my color anyway." She gave me a smirk as she leaned back and slipped her hand into her jeans pocket. "Oh! I almost forgot! I drew something for you. You know, for your birthday." She pulled out a folded piece of sketching paper and held it out to me with a large smile. "I didn't start it till today since I didn't know it was your birthday till this morning, but I'm still rather proud of it." I unfolded the paper to see that is was a silver pocket watch looking object surrounded by blue Hibiscus flowers as the object had a blue face to it with a troll's skull in the center of it. It was obvious to me that it was her take on something I knew all too well from my childhood with Merlin and Vendel. They always spoke of the story of a hero that they called The Trollhunter. Merlin had drawings of the amulet he said was what gave the hero his powers to protect the veil between humans and creatures. Both of them would always call me their "Little Trollhunter" as I was growing up because of how I reminded them of character.

Even though it was quite different than the one Merlin would show to me, I couldn't help but love this version more than the one I idolized as a child.

Was it because of the artist? Was it because it seemed to be for me specifically? I couldn't be able to tell you at this point, but it didn't really matter either. I love the drawing just as much as I loved hearing the story from Vendel and Merlin as a child.

"Claire. This is beautiful. Thank you." I looked up toward her with a wide toothy grin before looking back down to the drawing. "How did you even know about the Trollhunter story? I know you used to know Merlin too, but he stopped telling that story once Douxie and I turned ten."

"Douxie told me about how much you loved it and Merlin gave me a lot of his old sketchbooks so I just tried my best to mimic it with my own little twist to it. I hope that's alright."

"More than alright." I brought my eyes back up to her as I gave her a soft smile. "I love it. Truthfully." She gave me a genuine smile as she reached up with her right hand to tuck a stray piece of her hair behind her ear.

"I'm glad then." I looked back down at the drawing as I kept my smile on my face.

Even though Toby and Douxie had explained to me that their gift was making it possible for me to see our old high school friends again, I had to admit that the drawing was beyond my favorite from any of the gifts I was given within the years. Not just because it came from a pretty punk tattoo artist, but because it was obvious she put her heart into it. The skilled and steady lines with the in-depth detail made it seem that she purposely spend hours on something I knew she could draw within thirty minutes tops.

And that is why the next set of words came flowing out of my mouth.

"Would you tattoo it on me?" I brought my eyes back up toward the tattoo artist who gave me a shocked look in reply.

"Are you sure? You don't have any other tattoos, right?"

"Nah, I have one actually."

"Wow. Flower Boy has a tattoo and never told me? I feel hurt." I laughed lightly at her before replying.

"Do you wanna see? It's on my chest. Ironically, I wore the perfect kind of shirt to show you."

"You bet your ass I want to see your ink!" I laughed wholeheartedly as I started unbuttoning the top few buttons to my top to pull the left side of it gently to show the decently sized black ram's skull that is right over my heart. I looked up toward her to see she was pleasantly surprised at the skull. Probably due to the detail and subject of choice. She lifted her left hand for a moment before she spoke once more. "May I?" I nodded my head wordlessly as she then placed a gentle finger onto the art piece. She traced the figure for a moment as if that was the only way to truly appreciate the art piece. "Every tattoo has a story," She pulled her eyes away from the ram to look me in the eyes as she continued. "What's yours?"

"It's the symbol of my Godfather's old gym." I kept my eyes on her's as I felt her finger still gently grazing my skin which only caused a small chill to run through my body as I spoke. "It was called The Forge. He and Blinky opened it together, actually. When he died, Blinky decided it was best to close the gym and open his own little shop instead. Said something about how fighting was never his passion and decided to use the skills he learned in the army to help others in Arcadia. So to keep The Forge and Vendel alive, I decided to get this done. Douxie did it for me. After he made sure I wasn't just getting it for grieving purposes."

"Smart friend." I didn't realize at that point how close we were as we were barely even more than four feet apart. She brought her hand off my tattoo as she kept her eyes on mine. "Where would you like the other then?" I bought up my right forearm as I showed her the flattened side of it.

"Do you think this would be fine?" She glanced down at my arm and placed both her arms onto it to get a feel for the skin there. Her skilled right hand grazing the skin with ease as her left gently cradled it to keep it still. When she brought her eyes back up to meet mine, I felt my breath hitch slightly as her thumb rubbed gently onto the pale skin.

"Perfect. As long as you still feel the same in the morning."

I think I'll feel the same for the rest of my life.

A lopsided smile took over my face as the thought rang through my head. I couldn't trust myself to speak as I looked into her hazel eyes. I felt as if I could sit here forever just getting lost within her beauty, but the sound of the sliding door slamming open caught my attention as my head spun toward it almost instantly to see Toby standing there with a frantic look on his face.

"Jim! We have an issue." I gave him a confused look as I raised to my feet.

"What's wrong, Tobes? You're acting like a deer in headlights."

"Steve's here." I gave him a wide-eyed look as my mind only had one single word ringing through it.

Shit.