Chapter 5

He's at school when he gets the call from the quiet girls he's been talking too every night for the past week and for a brief moment he's not quite sure what to do, their conversations have always happened under the cool veil of night where all secrets (lies, disappointment, burden, more and more) should be kept.

He's never told her where he lives, and he's 99% sure she's not aware of exactly how far ahead he is timewise or how late her calls come, otherwise she might question what it is he's doing up at 3:30 at night on a Tuesday (tired, can't stop, protect protect protect).

He makes an excuse to his friends and ignores Sam's suspicious glance at how he's protectively cradling the phone; he's really getting tired of being stuck in this sort of half relationship. They didn't make the transition between friends and something more smoothly; what with his extracurricular activities (fight, tired, pain, excitement, pain, protect protect protect) bringing them too close too fast while also providing a wedge between them and now they were getting burned by flame that should've fueled them.

'Man I'm only eighteen, still a teenager, I'm not ready for all these complex relationship (Valerie, I'm sorry, protect protect protect) problems', he thinks opening his phone to the only girl who he doesn't have relationship problems with.

"Iz-tanbul?" he asks questioningly

"I don't I can't I do this…I'm I'm I'm not you… I don't just… their practically strangers" he hears her stammer into his ear, and for another second he's utterly lost on what the heck she's talking about.

"You wanna run that by me again Iz, I think you're breaking up" he sarcastically refers to her stuttering

"Shut up Ass, this is your fault" she says even as she listens and takes that breath of air.

Ah there's the little kitten who thinks itself a tigress

It had been utterly hilarious to him how someone so clearly recluse and even shy had such an easy to rile up temper. Then there was the fact that her insults where usually so… not childish per say but genuinely innocent compared to most of the filth that came out of teenagers these days. This was partly what made it so hilarious the few times she cursed or like now calling him an Ass.

"I don't think I've committed any crimes in Washington Iz, most of my cross country or international acts of quote unquote 'delinquency' aren't usually rooted back to me because of how little time I stay outside of my hometown." He answered honestly ignoring the dirty look he was given by a passing teacher.

'What was this (ungrateful, useless, you didn't help me) lame excuse for an educator doing eavesdropping on a kids conversation anyway?'

"Why am I not surprised" she says dryly and he bites his lip from saying something sarcastic, because he knows a deflection technique when he hears one, he's certainly given enough of them.

"What do you need?" he asks in a measured tone both reassuring and stern; he's dealt with "people" a lot more emotional than Isabella 'Black smudge' and has learned that he can't pressure people nor can he sound like a pushover.

"Talk me into going to talk to my friends" comes her answer and now all the stuttering makes since.

He has to stop himself from making a joke about her "friends", air quotes very much intended, being a nest of viper snakes that honestly remind him more of the A-list than it probably should, until at least after she's gone to talk to them at least once.

Instead he stops and gives it some serious thought; people say put yourself in someone else's shoes all the time, but actually putting it into practice is far harder than one might think, especially with his own growing list of psychosis.

'Search inside and find a way to manipulate your biologically ingrained obsessions (protect protect protect, human, fight, Danielle, don't cheat, survive, protect protect protect) to give you the courage' he thinks to himself dryly and his own courage gaining method.

Still motivation is what she needs, which may not be a pep talk- he always hated those, Thank You Jazz- so what can turn the kitten into a tigress.

"Sure stop being some whiny teenage angst machine and get it over with you scaredy cat" pissing her off obviously.

"I'm not-" he can hear her gritting her teeth, which meant no nervousness

"Mooo, CHICKEN, MOOO!" he cuts her off as obnoxsiously as possible

"CHICKENS DON'T MOO!" Iz shouts and his inhuman hears her die of embarrassment not two seconds later, "help me" she whispers mortified.

Aw, damn that probably would have worked on prideful Sam (or Valerie) but guess she's not there yet, so instead he laughs and moves on to plan B.

"Chill out Izze soda"

"Bella" Iz interrupts unnecessarily and quite rudely in his opinion

"Gesundheit" he answers back just as quickly and hears her silent glower, "Just do what you do when you talk to me, you're not afraid to call me an Ass to my… voice, we should really exchange pictures."

"I can't see you" Iz replies ignoring his add on

"Would it matter if you could." He asks "Now get over there and stand your ground, I doubt you care about their opinions anyway and what right do they have to make you feel out of place."

He hears her take a breath before he releases the tension, "Besides if they hate you, then you can continue talking to the sexy voice only you can hear"

"More like baritone and echoey" she grumbles back and he laughs to hide his slight nervousness at her description of his voice.

"Baritone (red eyes, flame hair, wail) is Sexy" he replies and she snorts

"…Thanks Danny" she mumbles out

"Anytime kid" he calls her despite knowing their probably the same age. In body only.

Protect protect protect

"Anytime"