holy S H I T

the new character designs are out and i-

i

AM

LIVINGGGGGGG

AHHHHHHHH EVERYONE LOOKS SO GOOD WTF

literally mary and jace and vasco can beat the shit out of me and i'd still say thank u

__

Propping my head against the window, I sighed as the soft bounces of the bus lulled my morning mess of a mind into a slumber. Fluttering my eyes shut, my muscles relaxed as my thoughts drifted once more to my friends. They'd been gone for almost a week now, and I had no idea why.

Major changes were going on in the school, and more and more people were altering. Including me. I'd gotten a haircut, and light bags under my eyes were now visible from all the stress I'd been receiving from my grades and my social life. The situation of my friends being in possible danger really took a toll on me.

It was a matter that had been troubling me for quite a while, and I felt like I'd seemingly lost all connections with them as people. I knew they wouldn't suddenly quit school, not like that, while there were midterms coming up. Even the almost nonexistent teachers were beginning to show more signs of distress, verbally bringing up the topic in the middle of lessons.

And there was chaos within the students. A lot of the girls were worried about Daniel Park, and the guys about the missing females. However, the most prominent figure that almost everybody missed was Vasco.

He had a significance around school. People were more afraid of others when he wasn't around. His presence was like the blessing of a Robin Hood in J High. Without it, more of the lesser "gangs" around school acted up -- disrupting lessons, bullying the occasional new kid, stuff like that. But he was my boyfriend, and I'm supposed to care about him.

Honestly, I didn't know what I'd do without him in my life.

But my thoughts suddenly came to a halt as someone bumped into me, their backpack pushed into my face. I groaned and shoved it, getting up and gathering my things, knowing that we'd arrived at my stop. With tired eyes, I trudged to the exit and started to walk towards the school, gloomy and somber as ever. I noticed the bus arrived reasonably early, so I stopped by the cafeteria for a morning snack.

I purchased a chocolate milk, and my normal breakfast item, and paid. It was fairly peaceful in the early mornings, so I could walk the halls in peace, without anybody disrupting the nirvana. Clutching the chocolate milk carton in my hand, I felt a weight on my chest as I remembered Vasco again. I took in a shaky breath and let it out, my bottom lip quivering as my eyes clouded up with mist.

I stood there for a minute, holding in my tears and shaking my head, trying to regain my composure. Mumbled and muffled words of comfort spouted out of my mouth, a desperate attempt to try and conceal my emotions as I heard the approaching footsteps of two people. Thinking that I'd done enough to cover, I continued to walk as if nothing had happened, but at a faster pace, and with my head down.

"Woah, are you alright?" A strong hand grasped my arm and stopped me from moving forwards. My breath hitched as I tugged at my sleeve, silently demanding to be let go. They didn't relent, and instead, their grip got tighter.

"Hey, are you okay?" I scoffed and pulled my arm free of their hold, not recognizing the uniform they were wearing. The chocolate milk carton in my hand fell to the ground with a thunk, and the figure bent down to pick it up for me. His friend crossed his arms and I felt his eyes bearing into my skull.

"Vasco, you don't have to keep doing favors for rude people." The name graced my ears and I immediately whipped my head up, eyes blown wide, body frozen.

"Where-?" I whispered, suddenly face-to-face with Jace. It took him a split second to recognize me, but when he finally did, his mouth fell into an open gape, shoulders slumped over and arms dangling by his side. I choked on my own words as Vasco finally got up and handed the carton over to me, a hand combing back his hair, a few strands untouched by his fingers as he looked down at me.

Both of them had new undercut hairstyles and a more modern fashion, as opposed to their usual grey jumpsuit. My face felt hot as I looked at Eun Tae up and down, my insides churning with an unfamiliar but not uncomfortable feeling. His features were definitely more defined and I liked his new stubble. It complimented the whole outfit nicely.

The whole "exposed chest" thing didn't hurt either.

"Are you new here?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow. "You look familiar, though. I can't seem to put a finger on it." I nearly fell over, flabbergasted. Jace turned to his friend with a face of 'Bro Are You Fucking Serious,' his eyes even wider than before.

"Dude." Vasco still looked as confused as ever.

"What? Are they new or not?" Jace sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, eyebrows furrowed.

"Dude, that's literally (Y/N). You know you're literally dating them, right?" It was Vasco's turn to look surprised, as his mouth dropped open, his dark brown eyes gazing at me, cheeks tinted pink, absolutely flustered. I started wheezing as I saw his expression of pure shock and amazement.

"(Y/N)?" I couldn't stop smiling as he blinked, rubbed his eyes, and kept on looking at me. Covering my face with my hands, I silently screamed and tried not to cry, a flurry of mixed emotions coming out and attacking me all at once. I heard a gentle click as Vasco's teeth bumped together, Jace closing his wide mouth by pushing his chin up.

"You guys are so stupid," I sobbed, a grin spread across my face, but eyes dispelling tears of relief. "I missed you so much, you idiots." I felt two pairs of arms wrap around me, covering me in the familiar scent of comfort. My hands clutched onto the fabric of their jackets as I cried into their shoulders, bawling out all the stress and anxiety I'd experienced whilst they were gone.

"I didn't know what happened to you, and- I got so worried," I sputtered, my voice like a garble due to all the hiccuping. "I thought something bad happened, and you weren't going to come back, and all I could think about was if you were safe or not- Don't ever do that to me again, you hear me?" The boys hummed and nodded in understanding as I wiped my tears and lightly smacked their foreheads.

"You should've told me," I mumbled, my eyes red and puffy.

"We're sorry, (Y/N). It won't happen again."

"It better not, you brickhead."

__

At the end of the day, I'd found out everyone had returned, and I was blown away with joy and elation. The sleepless nights seemed so minuscule in comparison to the excitement I felt.

We all can be happy again.

Once the bell rang, I raced to pack up my things and rushed to meet Vasco at our spot. I spotted him sitting under a dogwood tree, waiting for my arrival. Shouting, I waved to him. Eun Tae turned to me and his face immediately broke into a grin, cheeks dusted pink. I ran up to him, beaming.

"Babe!" I jumped onto my boyfriend, arms looped around his torso, and legs wrapped around his lower body. Vasco toppled over when I tackled him, landing on the ground with a thud and a groan, having the wind slightly knocked out of him. He started to laugh as he gently peeled my shoulders away from his, getting a clear view of my face.

"Hey," he chuckled, his expression happy, but slightly contorted with pain. I smiled with him, cheekily laughing. He hugged me, pressing my body closer to his, one of his hands cradling my head while the other laid on my lower back.

"I forgot how much I missed you," he muttered, voice taught with distress and pinches of agony. "I can't believe how much we've changed." I laughed airily, my eyelids suddenly feeling heavy.

"Yeah, I guess so. You couldn't even recognize me." Vasco sighed, burying his head in the crook of my neck, taking a deep breath and then releasing, his hot breath breezing across my sensitive skin.

"I'm sorry, again." We stayed this way for a few more minutes, basking in summer heat until he lifted his head to meet my eyes. The hand that previously held my head was now delicately placed upon my cheek, his thumb stroking the patch of skin right under my eye.

"Even though you look different," Eun Tae hummed, smiling lovingly at me. "You're still so beautiful." I burst into laughter and hid my face, planting it on top of his chest, giggling madly and blushing furiously.

"That's so cliche!" I complained, my entire face beet-red. My boyfriend laughed and pecked my forehead, also very flustered. I could feel his warm skin touch mine as we shared a tender moment -- shameless, and with complete and utter trust in one another.

"Oh, Eun Tae..." I leaned forwards and grabbed his shoulders. My face moved closer to his and my eyes flickered shut as I firmly planted a my lips on his. He let out a mumble of surprise, but soon eased into it, hands cupping my face as small sparks of joy lit up. The kiss didn't last for very long, but it was almost like magic. Once we separated, Eun Tae's pupils were blown wide and his hair was a mess.

I felt a bit guilty, but also relished the sight of him so distraught and surprised, yet so loving at the same time.

"Even though you're such a mess right now," I echoed, referring back to his sappy words, "you're still so handsome."