It was always strange receiving a present from someone you didn't even know. In fact, most of the time it made you wonder what that person wanted in return, or how they really felt about you. The feelings you didn't and wouldn't return would haunt you.

That's how Tavros felt as he went the rest of the winter with Gamzee's purple coat. He watched the students stare at him even more than they normally did. They wondered why Tavros, the silent misfit, was wearing Gamzee, the problem child's, jacket.

Though Tavros was stared at and judged, he didn't care for once, because he was warm. He was also to busy wondering what to get Gamzee in return. May be he could make him something in art class? No that's stupid, what would he do with whatever Tavros made him? Tavros let out a long sigh as he walked down the long winding street that led to his apartment.

The teen was thinking so hard about what to get his not friend in return, he didn't notice the small group of adolescents following him. Tavros stopped for a second as his mind snapped back to reality. He heard the snow behind him crunching and he turned, facing the group of three.

The three stopped and stared at Tavros with a dark, dangerous look. Tavros didn't notice their faces though. The only thing he realized was:

THEY ALL WORE PURPLE JACKETS.

Of course Gamzee wasn't thinking when he gave Tavros the jacket that marked him apart of the gang he was in. What Gamzee did wasn't a malicious gesture at all; it was simply a gesture that said he didn't want Tavros to be cold.

Well Tavros was cold. Fear ran through his veins like ice and the scene played out almost in slow motion. Tavros turned to run, but they were already on him, dragging him into the closest ally. The men bound and gagged Tavros. They yelled insults and curses at him as they emptied his rucksack onto the snowy cement.

"Hey the bitch doesn't have fuckin nothing!"

"What the fuck man? You just got books! You aint even got an ipod or a phone!"

"What if it's on him man!"

At that the three advanced on Tavros. The smallest of the three grabbed Tavros by his hair, the middle one searched him," nothin man."

The largest looked down his long nose at Tavros, he spoke in a tone that just spoke death to Tavros," well he aint got no objects to give. We can still make the little poser pay for wearin our jacket."

Tavros' eyes widened as the largest slammed his boot clad foot into his stomach, knocking the wind out of him. The others soon joined in as well, slamming there boots down onto any part of Tavros they could reach.

"Why you all pierced up bitch? You a punk? You wanna say somthin?"

"Stupid bitch is softer than any nerd, what a fuckin poser!"

The insults carried on until a gunshot was fired and the three flinched and turned to look at the mouth of the alleyway. The silhouette of a tall, messy haired male stood in a relaxed stance, his arm in the air, holding the smoking gun. He dropped his arm to eye level and pointed it at the three," you can fuckin step off motherfuckers." Gamzee said as he walked out of the white light of the snow, letting the three see who it was.

"Oh hey man! Just showin this lil posin bitch who wears our coats and who doesn't." The largest said as he approached Gamzee.

Almost the second the large male started to advance towards Gamzee, the teen fired the gun in front of him, making him stumble back and cuss as he tripped over Tavros' downed body.

Tavros winced and Gamzee began to speak again, his tone low and laced with hate," all you motherfuckers leave this kid alone. He don't mean shit to the gang. Look at him. He's pathetic. What fuckin threat is that to you motherfuckers?" Gamzee asked, following the largest with the gun as he got up.

"What the fuck? Man what does this piece of shit even mean to you?"

"Hes my motherfuckin school bro. Step off." Gamzee said as he fired the gun at their feet again. His eyes were cold. He hardly blinked as he fired his gun at the three. He wasn't afraid to kill them.

The three raised their hands up and booked it away from the two. Tavros looked up at Gamzee, terror apparent in his teary blue eyes. Gamzee knelt down and ungagged him and untied him, the gun deposited back in the back of his pants," you ok lil bro?"

Tavros couldn't make even the smallest of noises; he shook, big tears rolling down his cheeks.

Gamzee sighed and looked over the bloody and beaten boy before him. He carefully pulled him into a tight hug, rubbing his bruised back," I'm sorry about them bro. It won't happen again. Seriously. I didn't mean for the coat to bring you trouble."

All Tavros could do was shake and cling to the skinny male and sob into his shoulder. Why was he clinging to this stranger? He knew Gamzee's name. He knew he was a part of a gang. He knew he was a drug addict. He also knew that Gamzee was the only person who was consistently nice to him.

Gamzee stood, taking Tavros with him," cmon bro, lemmy get you home ok?" He set the shaky teen on his feet.

Tavros stared at him with blank, scared eyes and was on the ground again.

"Shit man!" Gamzee knelt down and scooped him up once more, putting one of Tavros' arms around his neck, he propped the smaller male up and looked down at him," where am I taken ya?" He asked in a kind voice.

Tavros mumbled out his address and clung to the curly haired boy. He titled his head back to look up at Gamzee. One second he was pointing a gun at his fellow gang members, the next he was helping Tavros stand. What was with this guy? Why did he want to hang out with him so much? Tavros was jolted back to reality when Gamzee started walking him to his apartment.

A few blocks down the two finally came to a tall blue and grey apartment complex; a clock tower adorned the tallest part of the complex. Gamzee looked over it and smiled," heh the clock tower apartments? Cool man." He looked down at Tavros then scooped him into his arms bridal style," You said your place is on the top floor yeah? I aint draggin you up those motherfuckin stairs ok?" He said as he began carrying the smaller male to the top floor.

Tavros let out a squeak as he was picked up and let himself be led to his room. He was set down in front of the door and he patted himself down," my key is in the alley way….um….with my books….and school work…um and my bag…." Tavros said slumping against the wall next to his door.

Gamzee blinked and slapped his forehead," shit man! I'm fuckin sorry! I'll be right back lil bro!" He said as he began to run, and basically tumble down the stairs.

Tavros let out a long sigh and let himself slump down to the wooden deck. He fluttered in and out of consciousness until finally he was asleep.

Tavros woke a few minutes later to Gamzee shaking him, saying his name in a soft voice. The brown haired boy fluttered his eyes open and looked up at Gamzee, a small smile appearing on his beaten face," hi Gamzee…."

"Hey lil motherfucker." Gamzee said scooping Tavros up into his arms. He pressed the key into the lock and pushed the door open. He carried Tavros inside, swinging the bag onto a chair. His droopy eyes scanned the living space, it was a studio apartment and very very small. A twin bed was shoved up against the far wall, a large window above it, looking out onto a small stretch of trees.

A blue loveseat sat in front of a boxy TV that sat on two cinder blocks. A small coffee table separated the two pieces of makeshift furniture. It sat, covered in trading cards and soda cans and a magazine about kittens, but even the coffee table itself was stained and one corner was propped up with a cinder block. Under the cinder blocks and coffee table was a blue, flowery rug.

Behind the couch and shoved against the wall and next to the bed, was a stout, dark wood dresser. Little key chains hung from the nobs and on top of it, sat action figures and little plastic dinosaurs along with a lamp that reflected pictures of fairies and mermaids on the walls.

Gamzee smiled as finally he looked over the pasty white walls that had posters of fairies, dragons, unicorns and mythical things all over them. A poster of Peter Pan was stuck to the ceiling over his bed. His apartment looked like a small child's wonderland.

After taking in the site he carried the smaller male to his bed and carefully lay him down on his butterfly print sheets. He then shuffled across the hardwood floor, picking up socks, pants and under ware from the floor. He tossed them into the hamper that sat next to the dresser and continued on to the small black and white tiled kitchen. He grabbed a paper towel from the roll next to the sink and wet it with warm water. The lanky boy then turned and hurried back to Tavros, who was now mumbling about roses in the window box. Sure enough, as Gamzee approached Tavros again, he saw little spikey stocks sticking out of the window box outside of the large window by Tavros' bed. Gamzee smiled softly, thinking how beautiful they'd look in the spring and summer when they bloomed.

After admiring the thorny stalks, Gamzee knelt down and gently tugged Tavros' Jacket and shirt off, examining the bruises his gang members had given him. He let out a long sigh as he looked them ov—hello….

Gamzee raised an eyebrow when his eyes fell on Tavros' collar bone, four little silver balls adorned each end of his collar bone, one little sphere right above the other. He chuckled and examined the rest of Tavros' piercings as he gently started to clean the blood from his pierced nose and lip. He had a small silver bull ring piercing through his nose and one ring on his left nostril. On his lip he had a ring on the left side to match his nose.

The curly haired teen finished wiping his nose and lip, and began to wipe the blood from his forehead, his eyes looking over the two little rings on his left eyebrow and the one on his right. Gamzee smiled and finished cleaning the cut of the little pin cushion bellow him.

Tavros mumbled something else out about a teddy bear and Gamzee let out a chuckle as he picked up a stuffed crocodile from the floor, figuring that this was the "teddy bear" he was talking about. He tucked the crocodile into Tavros arms and undid the smaller teen's pants; he paused and looked at his shoes. He grinned, socks and sandals, really? Gamzee couldn't stop smiling as he undid the Velcro and pulled the sandals off. He went back up to his pants and tugged them down and off, biting his lip so he wouldn't laugh as he looked over Tavros' dinosaur boxers. He let a small snrk, out as he pulled the covers back then over Tavros' small form, tucking him into his bed.

Tavros fluttered his eyes and looked at Gamzee for a split second then shut them and was sound asleep.

Gamzee watched this with a soft look on his face, he was so adorable. May be now, he'd give him a chance. Gamzee's smile faltered as he thought about his first conversation with the little mohawked boy:

"Hey motherfucker can I borrow a pencil?"

"Um….mother…uh…fucker?"

"Yeah! Cuz you're ma mothafuckin bro! Gimme a pencil!"

"Uh….um…o…ok…."

Tavros had succeeded in fumbling with the pencil so bad, he somehow flipped it across the room as he tried to hand it over to Gamzee, and it had hit the teacher in the back of the head. Tavros had then been sentenced to a good week of detention on Gamzee's behalf.

Gamzee let out a sigh as he ran his fingers through his curls, what was he kidding. He didn't deserve someone like Tavros. As a friend or as anything else…he knew he was nothing but trouble for the little pin cushion. Why was he even trying? Gamzee shrugged his shoulders and continued to muss with his hair, he'd keep trying regardless and he knew that. Gamzee wanted, no, he needed to know Tavros better. He did. He didn't quite understand why, but the second the boy had mumbled out his "ums" and "uhs" out to him, he needed to know him.

Gamzee removed his hand from his hair and shot one more look at Tavros before he left the apartment, locking the door behind him.