Blood curdling screams echoed off the buildings, sharp claws scrapped against the brick, and the smell of burning flesh filled the air. A hand reached out, a spider like silk was netting the space between fingers together to create an almost aquatic web feature.

"Th-they...he…" Words fell from a distorted mouth, a jaw half decayed with rough scales in place of lips. The scales reflected a bluish hue under the lights, it sparkled on a pair of shoes and danced across a panicked expression. "They're talkinnnn about me."

Nejire swallowed down a scream. She trembled. She hadn't come here to see this. She was supposed to be searching for, "Tamaki?"

"Ne...Nejiiiire." Smoke rose off the body, as his skin changed, paper pale to sea green. Pointy ears seemed to grow larger as they twitched and flattened against his skull. His eyes opened—coal, black, but just like the midnight sky there were twinkles of sadness.

"You're more scared than I am." Nejire knelt down, her hand brushing over Tamaki's trembling figure. "It's alright. You know I won't hurt you." She could see her cheerful smile reflected in dark black eyes.

Tamaki seemed to shake less feverishly. His veins glowed yellow, as they seemed to bulge with each throbbing heart beat.

"Why'd you run away from class? Miro and I went looking for you." Nejire asked.

"They're talkinn and alalal...laughing ab-ababab-about me. The bastards." Tamaki curled in on himself, dropping his face into his knee caps, where pointy fins jutted out.

"They don't even know you, Tamaki." Nejire tilted her head to get a better view. "Why would they talk about you?" She watched how Tamaki's eyebrows knitted together: it was hard to know what was going on in his brain. That was the thing about anxiety attacks, they would come and go, each time tearing Tamaki apart into a fit of hysteria.

"I don't...ev..eveve... even know me!" Tamaki shouted, revealing two rows of knife-like yellow stained teeth. Blood oozed from the corner of his mouth, probably from where his newly formed tongue had cut his inner cheek. His tongue had changed to look like a centipede's skeleton, the scraggly legs, sharp like fish hooks. "Wha...whaaaah...what have I've become?"

Every food he'd consumed was manifesting, his quirk activating then changing his form. He didn't seem very human like, nothing about him did now. Not when anxiety was taking control, digging inside of his brain, like a worm does dirt, blindly shoving old memories to the surface, making fear top reason.

"You're beautiful." Nejire whispered, tucking a strand of black hair behind his large pointy ears. She thumbed over his skin, the scales felt reptilian almost fish-like. Her voice softened, "Because even like this, you're still you. You're still my friend Tamaki." She pulled him into a hug. "I don't like seeing my friends sad. Please, don't be sad."

"I...I'm..." Tamaki wiggled and squirmed. "I can't! I can't...gooo ba-back." His breathing increased in speed, as he pulled and grasped Nejire's back, clawing up her school uniform. "Don't make me. They laugh...I hate iiittt."

"Alright. Okay, you don't have to." Nejire didn't ease her embrace. She held him close, trapping him in warmth. "Let's get Miro."

"No! Not like this...he beli lili.. Li me. I don't wanna diss—aah...point him."

"You could never."

"He said I can consume, even...even the sun. I don't wanna have..have him see me out of control like this."

"I don't think he'll care. Really!" Nejire felt the smile drop from her face. "We're your friends." Her shoulders slumped as she released Tamaki. He was different, like a monstrous side. A side of him that he kept under wraps to conceal the unhappiness, the disconnect, the loss.

"Everyone laughs. Don't look at me. Don't look over here. Each time I try to be myself. They laugh like a joke...I'm a joke. I can't control it...can't stop the tears. I wanna disappear." Tamaki seemed to be talking to himself. "I just want to do what makes me happy. Why is that funny to everybody?"

"Some people are just mean. It's okay to enjoy what you want, because you're not hurting anyone's feelings!" Nejire said. "Everyone else is being jerks. They can't see who you really are!"

"Do you re...re...reeeeeeally think I'm beautiful?" Tamaki clung to her. His pitch black eyes narrowed, the yellow twinkles shrank to slits, as his skeleton tongue licked away the blood from his face. "Boys caca...can't beee beautiful."

"Why not? I think you're a beautiful boy, Tamaki!" Nejire poked at his cheek. She pulled forcibly to make him smile. It looked more terrifying than sweet and comforting-but to her it was lovely. "It doesn't matter what anyone thinks, only focus on what I think! Focus on what your friends think!"

"It's just...just weird."

"I don't! You're the most beautiful boy!"

"Ssssstop saying that!" Tamaki's face tinted red. "You...you don't really mean it. How can someone so pretty think that of me?" His voice seemed to get more horrifying, deeper, almost a growl.

"Eh? I'm pretty to you, Tamaki?" Nejire felt a grin spread on her face. She stood up and spun around, her long blue hair blowing behind her. "Am I beautiful?"

"Ye-yeah." Tamaki croaked. "You're really beautiful. You use your quirk so well. Everyone in class likes you." He started to shake again and Nejire grabbed his hands. She pulled him to his feet. "Why are you friends with someone like me?"

"That's an easy answer." Nejire leaned inwards, her lips growing closer to Tamaki's. "You're chicken hearted and need someone to cheer you on!"

"You're so bluuu...blunt." Tamaki said.

"It's true! I'm your biggest cheerleader!" Nejire squeezed Tamaki's hands. They were slimy, frog like and cold. She brought them closer to her chest to warm them up. "I think between the three of us, you're my most favorite!"

"I'm..a..a failure. I can't eveeeeen control my quirk." Tamaki squeezed his eyes shut.

"That's not it! You're just like a frog prince." Nejire giggled. "All you need is a kiss from a princess." She bounced up on her tippy-toes, her mouth meeting Tamaki's.

Kissing Tamaki was rough, wet, and jarring. His skeleton tongue nicked at her cherry flavored gloss. It squirmed against her as if wanting entrance to her cavern—hands weren't enough it craved the feel. His strong chest pressed against her own, his body almost collapsing over her as she felt his weight shift from his knees buckling.

She became his rock, holding him steady as the smell of burning flesh slowly dissipated from the air. He went jello in her embrace, his body morphing back to normal.

"Are you okay?" Nejire asked, breaking their kiss.

"I...don't know." Tamaki blinked and touched his lips, as if surprised to have them back or shocked by the transformation sensation. He sounded so unsure and it pained Nejire, because she knew the anxiety would be back soon. It would come knocking like a noisy neighbor, that he could never get to move away. He'd fall apart again, splitting into fragments—but she'd always try to help him sort it out.

Thanks for reading this short drabble...They're in middle school. Nejire x Tamaki is a rare ship, but I love them and wish there was more stuff on these soft babies. (^o^)/ Have a good day.~Mel