((Tyrell Lahti and Erika Stieglitz continued from Wanderlust))
Having Erika assemble outfits was a brave choice on his part, he thought, but she really knew what she was doing. Whatever misgivings he had about her fashion sense had all but dissipated when he’d first tried the suit on.
For the first time in his almost-adult life, he was actually dressed in a way one might consider formal. Most of his outfit was dark charcoal, with a white shirt underneath. The bright green tie and pocket square were to match with Erika’s outfit, and the glow-in-the-dark theme of the night. She seemed to know he wasn’t exactly crazy for her brand of brightly coloured outfits. According to her, he looked “handsome as fuck”. He found it hard to disagree, though he’d since shuffled off some of the ensemble. Any room full of dancing teenagers was bound to get almost unbearably hot; by the time they’d gotten to any kind of revelry, he’d long since taken the jacket off and rolled up his sleeves.
Erika’s own outfit was quite something; her dress matched his suit, with the same green accents. She’d stitched chartreuse and bright violet patterns into it, all of which glowed brightly under black lights. It would’ve looked ridiculous if not for the fact that she seemed to really know what she was doing when it came to sewing. Considering she made her own clothes, he wasn’t surprised.
They both matched, down to the bizarre glow-in-the-dark makeup Erika had applied. What started as a joke when they were getting ready ended with Tyrell showing up to prom with glowing eyeliner.
I have no idea what this looks like but I’m pretty sure it’s all kinds of crazy.
She seemed to think they looked cute, which was what mattered most to Ty; that, and salvaging a good time from what was the pretty lame ground-state of a high school prom. They’d danced like idiots on the dance floor together, and were now idling by a table replete with punch and various treats. Turning to look at Erika, Ty couldn’t help but smirk.
“Nice moves.”
She replied with a kiss on the cheek.
~
“You too. You know, you almost looked like you were enjoying yourself.”
Erika was giddy. Prom might’ve been the deformed mutant child of consumer culture and vapid high school social posturing, but it was at least happening. The thing that was supposed to happen when you were a teenager and couldn’t erupt from your home-town fast enough. The last hurrah.
Something she’d never expected. Never expected to be open with her affections, not here. Though it was easy to get caught up in nasty thoughts,
What does this all cost? How can this possibly be worth it? To anyone? What about everyone who’s left at home, alone?
…the music and dancing and delightfully awkward moments made it easy to push them aside. There were more than a few adorable couples to spot – seeing Jonah Heartgrave and Arizona Butler together was delightful, especially considering the story she’d heard about his promposal. It involved a cupcake, which meant it was probably face-meltingly cute.
She couldn’t help but enjoy a moment of Schadenfreude seeing Ivy Langley get matched up with her ex as Prom Queen and King. Fuck her, she deserved no less. Besides, it turned the whole spectacle on its head for all of those who knew what was really going on. GHHS wasn’t getting an idyllic couple, they were going to get a twisted funhouse mirror of what the top of the social ladder was supposed to look like.
Good.
Erika caught herself smiling at that last thought, something that Tyrell noticed. Perhaps some of his attitude of writing certain people off had rubbed off on her, just a bit. His certainty about things, his confidence – it was attractive. Maybe not the best quality to emulate.
Forget about the bullshit, relax.
Okay. She could do that. This was all going pretty damn great, all things considered.
“You know, I actually was enjoying it. It’s weird. I was going to be all edgy and ironic about this but once you got me in this suit I started taking it seriously.” He paused for dramatic effect. “Oh God Erika, what’s happening to me?”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let you become one of… them.” She replied, parrying his sarcasm.
She hoped they weren’t pushing away any of the others at the prom by being couple-y and gross. It would be nice to see some of her friends here, to see that they were enjoying themselves as well. Some folks took it really seriously, and that could stress a person out. It stressed her the hell out and she hadn't even expected to go. At least in her case, it seemed to have paid off.
Fear & Delight
Open!
Prom!!!!
Whoa. It was so glowy.
Zen loved it here immediately, because it was loud and there were a million people and dancing and this was exactly the kinda thing they wanted to be doing on, well, pretty much any night, actually! But this one was special. So special that they'd had to make a real special outfit for the occasion! And if it didn't match the theme at all, well... well, they'd kinda forgotten about the theme until the outfit was mostly done, and the material was too thick and dark to add any glowy bits onto, so they'd added a string of battery-powered white Christmas lights to the birdcage on their head and a wore a couple of glow-in-the-dark bracelets and bam! Totally on theme, right? Or close enough, anyway!
Their date had done a much better job of things. Well, when they said Date it made it sound like it was a Big Thing, which it was not! It was definitely Not A Thing, except that they were friends, and also they kissed sometimes, but that wasn't really a Thing, either. Yuka was funny and clever and real real cute and somehow didn't have a date for prom and so when no one asked Zen they went ahead and scooped her up! Which made them the lucky one, really. Of course there was someone else they had wanted to ask, but that would have definitely been A Thing. And if that person had said no Zen would be miserable for this whole thing and that was a risk that they were not willing to take, and maybe they were just a coward, but oh well! They were here now, huh?
Yuka's dress glowed in the low light. Zen's handiwork! They were happy, and proud, and things were gonna go fine.
They danced, cause of course they danced. What else were they here for? They danced, for a few minutes, and Zen maybe went a little overboard, took a step back, stepped on the netting dragging from their shorts, tripped and fell directly into a boy built like a brick wall.
Whoops!
Whoa. It was so glowy.
Zen loved it here immediately, because it was loud and there were a million people and dancing and this was exactly the kinda thing they wanted to be doing on, well, pretty much any night, actually! But this one was special. So special that they'd had to make a real special outfit for the occasion! And if it didn't match the theme at all, well... well, they'd kinda forgotten about the theme until the outfit was mostly done, and the material was too thick and dark to add any glowy bits onto, so they'd added a string of battery-powered white Christmas lights to the birdcage on their head and a wore a couple of glow-in-the-dark bracelets and bam! Totally on theme, right? Or close enough, anyway!
Their date had done a much better job of things. Well, when they said Date it made it sound like it was a Big Thing, which it was not! It was definitely Not A Thing, except that they were friends, and also they kissed sometimes, but that wasn't really a Thing, either. Yuka was funny and clever and real real cute and somehow didn't have a date for prom and so when no one asked Zen they went ahead and scooped her up! Which made them the lucky one, really. Of course there was someone else they had wanted to ask, but that would have definitely been A Thing. And if that person had said no Zen would be miserable for this whole thing and that was a risk that they were not willing to take, and maybe they were just a coward, but oh well! They were here now, huh?
Yuka's dress glowed in the low light. Zen's handiwork! They were happy, and proud, and things were gonna go fine.
They danced, cause of course they danced. What else were they here for? They danced, for a few minutes, and Zen maybe went a little overboard, took a step back, stepped on the netting dragging from their shorts, tripped and fell directly into a boy built like a brick wall.
Whoops!
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
Yuka had stepped into the ballroom feeling well and truly blessed, in every sense of the word. Maybe even the religious sense, by the look of it. Even now, she had to stop and take in the dress she had on. It was almost literally angelic. She was well-aware of Zen's skills with fabric, but even this seemed above and beyond for them. Her dress glowed for God's sake. It was luminescent. The first time Zen showed Yuka the finished product, she couldn't close her mouth for what felt like several minutes.
There was also the fact that she was here with someone in the first place. Yuka had considered going to prom by herself and simply hanging around her friends, but only out of FOMO. Because there was the key word, 'around,' not 'with.' They'd all be busy with their partners, and she would just be hanging around, being their third or fifth or odd-number-th wheel, sipping fruit punch. Which was fine, she guessed. OK. Satisfactory. 6/10. Probably not something she would remember over many other Friday nights, despite all the promises of this being a night they would never forget.
And then, Zen swooped in to save the day. They just stopped her after drama club and asked if she wanted to go to the prom with them, she said yes, and here they were. She would have been fine going with anyone, really, but Zen was one of her favorite people. Energetic, bubbly, happy, fun. She had fond memories of the last time they'd hooked up. It would be nice if that happened tonight, but honestly, getting to be at prom with them was more than enough. Anything on top of that was a bonus.
They didn't seem to be hungry or tired yet, so the two of them danced, moving twice as fast as the music, with Yuka mostly following Zen's rhythm. She enjoyed it for the most part, but part of her had begun looking forward to the slow dance songs when Zen fell on Tyrell.
Yuka instinctively crouched to help Zen up from the floor.
"Are you OK?" she asked.
And then, she pulled them up, and looked up at Tyrell, taking a few steps back. Even as she stood, both he and his girlfriend towered over Zen and her, and getting some distance lessened Yuka's feeling of smallness. Ty was nice the few times they'd interacted at other parties, but word got around of the fights he'd been in. She doubted he would hit people half his size, but she didn't really feel like taking chances.
"I'm so sorry," she said to him.
There was also the fact that she was here with someone in the first place. Yuka had considered going to prom by herself and simply hanging around her friends, but only out of FOMO. Because there was the key word, 'around,' not 'with.' They'd all be busy with their partners, and she would just be hanging around, being their third or fifth or odd-number-th wheel, sipping fruit punch. Which was fine, she guessed. OK. Satisfactory. 6/10. Probably not something she would remember over many other Friday nights, despite all the promises of this being a night they would never forget.
And then, Zen swooped in to save the day. They just stopped her after drama club and asked if she wanted to go to the prom with them, she said yes, and here they were. She would have been fine going with anyone, really, but Zen was one of her favorite people. Energetic, bubbly, happy, fun. She had fond memories of the last time they'd hooked up. It would be nice if that happened tonight, but honestly, getting to be at prom with them was more than enough. Anything on top of that was a bonus.
They didn't seem to be hungry or tired yet, so the two of them danced, moving twice as fast as the music, with Yuka mostly following Zen's rhythm. She enjoyed it for the most part, but part of her had begun looking forward to the slow dance songs when Zen fell on Tyrell.
Yuka instinctively crouched to help Zen up from the floor.
"Are you OK?" she asked.
And then, she pulled them up, and looked up at Tyrell, taking a few steps back. Even as she stood, both he and his girlfriend towered over Zen and her, and getting some distance lessened Yuka's feeling of smallness. Ty was nice the few times they'd interacted at other parties, but word got around of the fights he'd been in. She doubted he would hit people half his size, but she didn't really feel like taking chances.
"I'm so sorry," she said to him.
Ty had just barely broken his googly-eyed gaze away from Erika when he saw a multi-coloured blur careen into his side. The soft bump felt almost comical, and he instinctively held out his hands to help the person steady themselves; they still managed to fall over.
Ah, crap.
Looking down to see a pretty intense outfit, Ty suppressed his urge to implore just where they thought they were going. She was dressed in an intense, and in his fashion-challenged opinion, awesome getup. The style reminded him of something he'd seen a metal vocalist wear a couple of years ago. She was some kind of classically trained opera singer and in spite of being pint-sized had more stage presence than the rest of the band put together. She had this kind of carnival ringleader vibe that cut through the black swamp of long hair and torn jorts that surrounded her. After a moment, Ty managed to get a handle on who he was looking at.
Oh it's Zen. Of course!
Right. Ty didn't get the neutral pronouns thing, but he wasn't going to very well question it. Erika could probably explain it to him later.
Ty and Zen had crossed paths at parties and he found them pretty entertaining, if not a bit high-energy for his liking.They were part of the whole colourful anime kids scene. In all likelihood they had next to nothing in common with them, but he didn't mind being around Zen. Before he could reach down to help them up, he noticed another person.
Oh, what the hell is her name? Yuko? Yuki? Yuka? Fuck if I know.
The most colourful of the japanese triplets, whose name he couldn't quite remember, swooped in to make sure Zen was okay. She too (and Ty was sure that she was a she) seemed to be glowing from head to toe. The more that he thought about it, the more this night seemed like it was meant for the colourful-neo-victorian-pastel-anime-goth-nerd crowd.
Hey, at least they have their thing.
~
"Oh heck, it's no big deal. You okay Zen?"
Erika was surprised to note that Ty was appropriating her muted not-curse words. It sounded cute coming out of his mouth, which she was used to hearing spew countless creative profanities. She smiled pleasantly at the thought. Either he was having a good time, or he was going soft.
As far as he can, anyhow.
As she looked to the person on the ground, she suddenly had to make a conscious effort to hold the smile. It had been Zen Feliciano who'd ran into Ty. She was in a pretty fantastic outfit, and no doubt had run into Ty because she was a ball of excited energy that was probably having the time of her life. Looked like her date was Yuki too, which meant they were both rocking the kind of awesome intense styles that the so-called adults in the room would probably refer to their peers later as anecdotes of how they "don't really get kids these days."
That was cool, wasn't it? No reason to look down on them. Them. The plural. As in these two totally cool girls that she had no problem with and that she kind of admired for their no-holds barred commitment to personal styles and the subcultures that they evoked. The fact that they were the kind of people that liked to live the art that they were into. That was awesome, and both of them Erika had reasonably good personal interactions with. Hell, she might've gotten Zen high once though it was hard to remember. That group was probably half of anyone who'd been to GHHS parties.
Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.
Those pronouns, though.
God-fucking damn it.
It made her so angry.
Nope. Not gonna do this, Erika.
She kept the smile on her face, and leaned into the very thing that was making her uncomfortable. It was the only way.
"I think you're the only one who missed us; we're pretty much the Two Towers over here." Ty looked down at Erika, giving her a sideways glance. "Yeah, and you're the one with the evil eye."
Jokes. All the jokes. Friendly. Be good people.
"It's Zen and Yuki, right? You guys look freakin' great!"
Ah, crap.
Looking down to see a pretty intense outfit, Ty suppressed his urge to implore just where they thought they were going. She was dressed in an intense, and in his fashion-challenged opinion, awesome getup. The style reminded him of something he'd seen a metal vocalist wear a couple of years ago. She was some kind of classically trained opera singer and in spite of being pint-sized had more stage presence than the rest of the band put together. She had this kind of carnival ringleader vibe that cut through the black swamp of long hair and torn jorts that surrounded her. After a moment, Ty managed to get a handle on who he was looking at.
Oh it's Zen. Of course!
Right. Ty didn't get the neutral pronouns thing, but he wasn't going to very well question it. Erika could probably explain it to him later.
Ty and Zen had crossed paths at parties and he found them pretty entertaining, if not a bit high-energy for his liking.They were part of the whole colourful anime kids scene. In all likelihood they had next to nothing in common with them, but he didn't mind being around Zen. Before he could reach down to help them up, he noticed another person.
Oh, what the hell is her name? Yuko? Yuki? Yuka? Fuck if I know.
The most colourful of the japanese triplets, whose name he couldn't quite remember, swooped in to make sure Zen was okay. She too (and Ty was sure that she was a she) seemed to be glowing from head to toe. The more that he thought about it, the more this night seemed like it was meant for the colourful-neo-victorian-pastel-anime-goth-nerd crowd.
Hey, at least they have their thing.
~
"Oh heck, it's no big deal. You okay Zen?"
Erika was surprised to note that Ty was appropriating her muted not-curse words. It sounded cute coming out of his mouth, which she was used to hearing spew countless creative profanities. She smiled pleasantly at the thought. Either he was having a good time, or he was going soft.
As far as he can, anyhow.
As she looked to the person on the ground, she suddenly had to make a conscious effort to hold the smile. It had been Zen Feliciano who'd ran into Ty. She was in a pretty fantastic outfit, and no doubt had run into Ty because she was a ball of excited energy that was probably having the time of her life. Looked like her date was Yuki too, which meant they were both rocking the kind of awesome intense styles that the so-called adults in the room would probably refer to their peers later as anecdotes of how they "don't really get kids these days."
That was cool, wasn't it? No reason to look down on them. Them. The plural. As in these two totally cool girls that she had no problem with and that she kind of admired for their no-holds barred commitment to personal styles and the subcultures that they evoked. The fact that they were the kind of people that liked to live the art that they were into. That was awesome, and both of them Erika had reasonably good personal interactions with. Hell, she might've gotten Zen high once though it was hard to remember. That group was probably half of anyone who'd been to GHHS parties.
Don't think about it. Don't think about it. Don't think about it.
Those pronouns, though.
God-fucking damn it.
It made her so angry.
Nope. Not gonna do this, Erika.
She kept the smile on her face, and leaned into the very thing that was making her uncomfortable. It was the only way.
"I think you're the only one who missed us; we're pretty much the Two Towers over here." Ty looked down at Erika, giving her a sideways glance. "Yeah, and you're the one with the evil eye."
Jokes. All the jokes. Friendly. Be good people.
"It's Zen and Yuki, right? You guys look freakin' great!"
[Amelia Fischer Prom Continued From The Lovers Arcana]
Amelia felt a bit lost at the moment.
Not that she didn’t know where she was exactly, because obviously she was at the senior prom, even she knew that much. More-so, she felt lost in a sense that everyone she was with seemed to have vanished into the crowd and now she was all alone. Like a child in a grocery store waiting for their parent at the front desk. It wasn’t exactly a bother, but more of a slight bewilderment. She wasn’t upset by any means, Dolly and Marceline probably wanted some alone time, that made sense. Plus she’d gotten plenty of cute photos of them dancing so she was quite fulfilled in that department. Artem though was the bigger question. He’d wandered off to get them drinks what seemed like hours ago. It was obviously less than that, but it sure felt like it.
Maybe she could find Declyn and use his time-lord powers to go back and make sure he didn’t disappear.
That thought made her giggle to herself a bit.
Realizing she was laughing alone and might look a bit strange, she covered her mouth with her hand and slowly began walking her way through the crowd. Everyone looked so fancy, compared to them she thought she looked out of place a tad. She was wearing dark colors, and most of the others were wearing very bright ensembles. That was alright though, it made her stand out more, right? Not that she figured anyone to really notice her as she sifted through the mass of students. None of her friends were around, so who else would want to stop her to chat?
Finally breaking free of the crowd for a moment, she looked around to see if she could spot a familiar face. A bright dress nearby called out to her, and when she looked at the face belonging to the dress she smiled in recognition. Erika! Great! Someone she knew was around! She quickly skipped over to the group that had formed around her friend. There was a very tall boy there, with whom she’d seen Erika with from time to time. Even if his face was kind of scary, Erika wouldn’t hang out with a bad person, so he was A-OK in Amelia’s book. There was a girl in a very pretty dress who she sort of recognized, and as she got closer was surprised to find was Yuka! She knew the other girl a bit, and Amelia thought she looked super pretty! Like a princess! The fourth person was not someone she was very familiar with. She knew she’d seen them around school, but they hadn’t interacted much if at all.
Amelia couldn’t remember their name either. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if they were a boy or a girl. Either way they looked very nice in their outfit.
Amelia bopped up to the group and shouted a greeting. Maybe they’d seen Artem around?
“Hello! How is everyone?” She smiled. “Erika! You look so pretty!”
“Question. I lost my friend, have you seen him? He’s like.. this tall.” She motioned with her hands about where Artem’s height went to.
“And he’s got really long hair. And he’s dressed like a vampire!” She spread out her arms in conclusion, and looked to the group awaiting hopefully a location.
Amelia felt a bit lost at the moment.
Not that she didn’t know where she was exactly, because obviously she was at the senior prom, even she knew that much. More-so, she felt lost in a sense that everyone she was with seemed to have vanished into the crowd and now she was all alone. Like a child in a grocery store waiting for their parent at the front desk. It wasn’t exactly a bother, but more of a slight bewilderment. She wasn’t upset by any means, Dolly and Marceline probably wanted some alone time, that made sense. Plus she’d gotten plenty of cute photos of them dancing so she was quite fulfilled in that department. Artem though was the bigger question. He’d wandered off to get them drinks what seemed like hours ago. It was obviously less than that, but it sure felt like it.
Maybe she could find Declyn and use his time-lord powers to go back and make sure he didn’t disappear.
That thought made her giggle to herself a bit.
Realizing she was laughing alone and might look a bit strange, she covered her mouth with her hand and slowly began walking her way through the crowd. Everyone looked so fancy, compared to them she thought she looked out of place a tad. She was wearing dark colors, and most of the others were wearing very bright ensembles. That was alright though, it made her stand out more, right? Not that she figured anyone to really notice her as she sifted through the mass of students. None of her friends were around, so who else would want to stop her to chat?
Finally breaking free of the crowd for a moment, she looked around to see if she could spot a familiar face. A bright dress nearby called out to her, and when she looked at the face belonging to the dress she smiled in recognition. Erika! Great! Someone she knew was around! She quickly skipped over to the group that had formed around her friend. There was a very tall boy there, with whom she’d seen Erika with from time to time. Even if his face was kind of scary, Erika wouldn’t hang out with a bad person, so he was A-OK in Amelia’s book. There was a girl in a very pretty dress who she sort of recognized, and as she got closer was surprised to find was Yuka! She knew the other girl a bit, and Amelia thought she looked super pretty! Like a princess! The fourth person was not someone she was very familiar with. She knew she’d seen them around school, but they hadn’t interacted much if at all.
Amelia couldn’t remember their name either. Honestly, she wasn’t sure if they were a boy or a girl. Either way they looked very nice in their outfit.
Amelia bopped up to the group and shouted a greeting. Maybe they’d seen Artem around?
“Hello! How is everyone?” She smiled. “Erika! You look so pretty!”
“Question. I lost my friend, have you seen him? He’s like.. this tall.” She motioned with her hands about where Artem’s height went to.
“And he’s got really long hair. And he’s dressed like a vampire!” She spread out her arms in conclusion, and looked to the group awaiting hopefully a location.
Some people were just Real Big. Zen kinda had a skewed idea of what counted as Big, since they happened to be Pretty Darn Small, but they were pretty sure Tyrell counted as Big from pretty much anyone's measurement, unless you were an actual real-life giant or something, and Zen was pretty sure there weren't any of those here because they probably would have noticed by now? Anyway, Tyrell! That was his name. They knew him, not well, but well enough that... well, recognizing him wasn't really a feat considering the whole Bigness thing, but well enough that she could say some stuff about him that was true. Like that he was nice, and he had a nice laugh. And his date was Erika, who they also knew, kinda! Well, they assumed they were dates, cause they were standing together and also they'd seen them together at Swiftball and that seemed like a Date Thing, They knew her too, also kinda, well enough to know she was nice and went to a lot of parties and also climbed on the roof at Swiftball Zen was pretty sure they'd heard which was an admirable trait if they'd ever heard of one.
"I'm fine! Totally okay!" They grinned at both Yuka and Tyrell in turn. "Wasn't looking where I was going! Prom's so exciting, isn't it? There's so much dancing to do and so little time and I was trying to fit too much dancing in too little time I guess and kinda lost track of where I was!" They scratched the back of their neck a bit bashfully, looking at Tyrell. "I am sorry, though! Don't mean to be making excuses or anything."
They beamed at Erika at the mention of their outfits, though they felt compelled to make a correction first. "It's Yuka, actually! Happens all the time, no worries. But thank you!! I worked really hard and I don't really make dresses often cause I usually make stuff for not-girls anyway but I did my best and it came out perfect and Yuka looks super perfect in it even though she'd probably look pretty perfect in anything so I dunno how much credit I get for that!"
They gestured downward at their own outfit. "This was a little more in my wheelhouse but I'm still happy it came out! I should, uh, maybe unclip the netting, though. Shoulda guessed I would have tripped with all the dragging." They giggled a little at their own mistake. They'd made sure the netting was detachable for the Express Purpose of not tumbling over it like a clumsy dork in the middle of the dance floor but they'd gotten so excited about all the dancing that they'd totally forgotten!
And then another person appeared! This one Zen's name didn't know, which bothered them, because her dress was gorgeous, and Zen wanted to know the sort of person who would wear something so pretty.
"Hi! I don't think I've seen your friend? Is he actually a vampire? Do we have vampires? School would be way more interesting if we had vampires. Also I love your dress by the way it's really pretty where did you get it?"
"I'm fine! Totally okay!" They grinned at both Yuka and Tyrell in turn. "Wasn't looking where I was going! Prom's so exciting, isn't it? There's so much dancing to do and so little time and I was trying to fit too much dancing in too little time I guess and kinda lost track of where I was!" They scratched the back of their neck a bit bashfully, looking at Tyrell. "I am sorry, though! Don't mean to be making excuses or anything."
They beamed at Erika at the mention of their outfits, though they felt compelled to make a correction first. "It's Yuka, actually! Happens all the time, no worries. But thank you!! I worked really hard and I don't really make dresses often cause I usually make stuff for not-girls anyway but I did my best and it came out perfect and Yuka looks super perfect in it even though she'd probably look pretty perfect in anything so I dunno how much credit I get for that!"
They gestured downward at their own outfit. "This was a little more in my wheelhouse but I'm still happy it came out! I should, uh, maybe unclip the netting, though. Shoulda guessed I would have tripped with all the dragging." They giggled a little at their own mistake. They'd made sure the netting was detachable for the Express Purpose of not tumbling over it like a clumsy dork in the middle of the dance floor but they'd gotten so excited about all the dancing that they'd totally forgotten!
And then another person appeared! This one Zen's name didn't know, which bothered them, because her dress was gorgeous, and Zen wanted to know the sort of person who would wear something so pretty.
"Hi! I don't think I've seen your friend? Is he actually a vampire? Do we have vampires? School would be way more interesting if we had vampires. Also I love your dress by the way it's really pretty where did you get it?"
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
Yuka put a hand on Zen's shoulder as words spilled out their mouth, and gave it a little squeeze. She knew that it was just Zen being their usual nervous ball-self, but a little assurance never hurt. A little assurance for them, a little assurance for herself. Axel's amiable demeanor brought her great relief, and released tension she didn't even know she had. A would-be conflict that was now just that. Zen's shoulder was like a stress-ball that served as an outlet of tension, a stress-ball attached to a living person.
She laughed a bit when Erika called her Yuki, and a wide grin grew on her face as both she and Zen complimented her clothes. She knew she looked great, but having other people confirm it meant the world.
"Yeah, what they said. I honestly don't know what I would've worn, done, if I even would've come had they not stepped in. The dress is perfect and they're perfect." With that, she gave Zen a quick peck on the cheek.
She gave Tyrell and Erika's outfits a quick look-over. "You two don't look so bad yourselves. I wish I'd thought of glow-in-the-dark makeup," she said while gesturing towards their faces. "It's genius! It would pair well with my hair also."
"Ah. Also, don't feel bad about getting my name wrong, happens all the time. Yuki's the smart one. I, Yuka, am the one with the dresses and makeup and everything."
Mistaken identities came part and parcel with being triplets. With having matching names too. She'd have to ask Mom one day why she and Dad thought that was a good idea. She supposed it's why her style turned out the way it did. If both she and Yuki ever went out together without makeup, they would probably just merge into the same body. Of course, it's not like all her fashion kept people from getting her name wrong anyways, as one could see now. Sometimes people would even mix her and Yuko up, even though the latter had nine inches on her. But the make-up helped. After the whole pastel goth thing set in, people went from switching her and Yuki up once a day to once every two weeks.
Leaning into whatever people reduced them into also helped. After middle school, people just referred to Yuka as the party girl, Yuki as the smart girl, and Yuko as the sporty girl. Which was true, if a bit simplistic. If it helped people separate them in their minds, she would take it.
Her train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of Amelia. She too looked beautiful, if not on-theme. She hadn't coordinated with any of her friends or acquaintances on their plans for proms since she hadn't even planned on coming, so seeing any friend here was a pleasant surprise.
Yuka beamed at Amelia. "Hey! Nice to see you here!"
She frowned slightly in confusion as Amelia described who she was looking for, but then her eyes lit up at the mention of vampires.
"Artem, silly!" she said with a giggle while lightly elbowing Zen. "She's talking about Artem probably. Unless there's another vampire goth-type in Hunter High? Anyways, I wouldn't know. We just got here. But where did you last see him?"
She laughed a bit when Erika called her Yuki, and a wide grin grew on her face as both she and Zen complimented her clothes. She knew she looked great, but having other people confirm it meant the world.
"Yeah, what they said. I honestly don't know what I would've worn, done, if I even would've come had they not stepped in. The dress is perfect and they're perfect." With that, she gave Zen a quick peck on the cheek.
She gave Tyrell and Erika's outfits a quick look-over. "You two don't look so bad yourselves. I wish I'd thought of glow-in-the-dark makeup," she said while gesturing towards their faces. "It's genius! It would pair well with my hair also."
"Ah. Also, don't feel bad about getting my name wrong, happens all the time. Yuki's the smart one. I, Yuka, am the one with the dresses and makeup and everything."
Mistaken identities came part and parcel with being triplets. With having matching names too. She'd have to ask Mom one day why she and Dad thought that was a good idea. She supposed it's why her style turned out the way it did. If both she and Yuki ever went out together without makeup, they would probably just merge into the same body. Of course, it's not like all her fashion kept people from getting her name wrong anyways, as one could see now. Sometimes people would even mix her and Yuko up, even though the latter had nine inches on her. But the make-up helped. After the whole pastel goth thing set in, people went from switching her and Yuki up once a day to once every two weeks.
Leaning into whatever people reduced them into also helped. After middle school, people just referred to Yuka as the party girl, Yuki as the smart girl, and Yuko as the sporty girl. Which was true, if a bit simplistic. If it helped people separate them in their minds, she would take it.
Her train of thought was interrupted by the arrival of Amelia. She too looked beautiful, if not on-theme. She hadn't coordinated with any of her friends or acquaintances on their plans for proms since she hadn't even planned on coming, so seeing any friend here was a pleasant surprise.
Yuka beamed at Amelia. "Hey! Nice to see you here!"
She frowned slightly in confusion as Amelia described who she was looking for, but then her eyes lit up at the mention of vampires.
"Artem, silly!" she said with a giggle while lightly elbowing Zen. "She's talking about Artem probably. Unless there's another vampire goth-type in Hunter High? Anyways, I wouldn't know. We just got here. But where did you last see him?"
Ty tried his best to beam in a friendly manner, though he wasn't entirely sure what to contribute to the conversation. These kids seemed to be bouncing off of one another, and he had some trouble keeping up with them. It was a different game, socializing with girls and... well, not-girls?
This gender-bending thing is confusing.
It was different with girls. Fewer jibes, more questions. A softer tone helped, most girls he'd met outside of his fighty hardcore circles had less tolerance for the kind of crude bullshit that was expected around dudes. Smile more, don't be creepy. It wasn't really hard to figure out, though it meant flipping a mental switch.
Makes me wonder how Demetri manages to fuck up so badly.
Ty managed a chuckle on realizing that Erika had gotten Yuka's name wrong, though no one could blame her given the similarity in the triplets' names. At least Yuka was giving him something to work with.
"Thanks! The makeup was, unsurprisingly, not my idea." He glanced to Erika, who he noticed was squeezing his hand. Probably a bit of social anxiety, if he had to guess. Hard to really understand that one, but he knew where it came from at least.
"Your parents must have some sense of humor, Yuka. The worst thing that happens with my name is people think it's short for Tyler - which is a terrible name."
Noting their search for the aforementioned vampire goth, he scanned the room. If he was here, he wasn't easy to make out. Not that Ty really cared that much about running into Artem, but making a show of looking for him meant he had something to talk about. Other than that, he hoped to follow Erika's lead. She knew her way around these bubbly, colourful kids. For now, he mostly watched the three of them and tried to glean as much as he could.
Zen, some kind of genderspecial with an incredible aptitude for fashion.
Yuka. With an A. Zen's date maybe? She was "the one with the dresses and makeup and everything."
Amelia, the goth-y space cadet.
Well, at least Erika's taking point here.
---
Is this girl just high on life, or what? Zen's being true to her name. I wish I could be like that without drugs.
Erika flinched at Yuka's correction, though she managed to keep a smile on her face. Zen's presence was a little bit overwhelming at first, and then the arrival of Amelia seemed to amplify that feeling. Still, Erika had told herself that she would try and soldier on through any uncomfortable social situations at prom. People came and went, and she was sure to have a good time if she just hung on and didn't focus too much on little things that might bother her.
Not-girls? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Do you have any god-damn idea what it's like to live like thi-
"Heh, you guys are adorable. She did an amazing job." Erika's eyes widened slightly as she noted once again that she made something of a mistake. She tried her best to make it look like she was just admiring the cacophony of sound and colour surrounding them all.
I can't be expected to keep up with this shit if I don't think it's right. Not gonna make a scene out of this. Her life, her choices. Respect, and take a chill pill. Move on.
She looked to Zen, hoping to drown the slip-up in more words. "I mean like, I only ever really dabble in this kind of thing. I guess like, I do make a lot of my own clothes but I don't really go too crazy, it's kinda just really granola hippie stuff because I don't like buying from big companies that use sweatshops. I mean, I guess I liked the clothes before I found out that most clothes are kinda spun from children's tears but now I just can't even, y'know? So I can do like, comfy things but nothing too stylish. This kinda stuff is like-" Erika waved her hands at Zen and Yuka's outfits. "-I dunno if I'd have the patience, the detail is really impressive."
Realizing she was babbling somewhat, she took a deep breath. "Whew, sorry I just get a little excited about this kinda stuff, y'know? There's so much colour in here. I bet if you were looking for your vampire, you'll want to look in the shadows, right?"
On the outside, Erika seemed to be carefree and having as good of a time as the rest of them. People probably expected her to be high, if anything. Plastering a smile on her face was a defense mechanism she knew well, especially if her inner voice was ranting too loudly to focus on charitable and pleasant thoughts.
I can't just ignore it!
Most of the time she just avoided these people. They were all over the school. Them and their stupid fad that everyone who wasn't on the right side of the political spectrum seemed to unquestionably buy into. How many of them had ever really like, critically analyzed the underlying assumptions about just making up genders? About claiming you didn't align to either one? It didn't withstand scrutiny - certainly not if you were the kind of person who thought gender presentation could be flexible. If you were different, it must mean that you're a super special different gender that only you understand - and it's such a terrible struggle to be so misunderstood isn't it?
People just trying to figure themselves out. Let them do their thing. It's not a big deal.
If it wasn't the implicit threat of physical violence that came with being out in the South that kept her in the closet, it was the fact that they had become what most people thought of when they thought of trans people.
It's not about me.
Fabricating a personality out of a struggle they barely understood because their sense of identity was so paper-thin and their self-awareness was so completely underdeveloped that they just had to make shit up to deal with the omnipresent sense of unease that any sane person would attribute to growing up and developing as a human being. The worst thing was, she couldn't say anything. Not without outing herself to everyone. Then what, she was the bad queer who was putting people to some kind of litmus test for their identity?
No one would understand.
You probably think you're just like me don't you? Who the hell would be so goddamn eager to be like me?
She felt a scratch on the inside of her palm. Looking to Ty, she noticed his eyes dart to their hands. Both of their knuckles were white. It wasn't like her noodle arms possessed the strength to do him any serious harm, but she let up in any case. If he didn't know something was wrong before, he did now. Erika hoped it wasn't apparent to anyone else.
Prom was a mistake.
This gender-bending thing is confusing.
It was different with girls. Fewer jibes, more questions. A softer tone helped, most girls he'd met outside of his fighty hardcore circles had less tolerance for the kind of crude bullshit that was expected around dudes. Smile more, don't be creepy. It wasn't really hard to figure out, though it meant flipping a mental switch.
Makes me wonder how Demetri manages to fuck up so badly.
Ty managed a chuckle on realizing that Erika had gotten Yuka's name wrong, though no one could blame her given the similarity in the triplets' names. At least Yuka was giving him something to work with.
"Thanks! The makeup was, unsurprisingly, not my idea." He glanced to Erika, who he noticed was squeezing his hand. Probably a bit of social anxiety, if he had to guess. Hard to really understand that one, but he knew where it came from at least.
"Your parents must have some sense of humor, Yuka. The worst thing that happens with my name is people think it's short for Tyler - which is a terrible name."
Noting their search for the aforementioned vampire goth, he scanned the room. If he was here, he wasn't easy to make out. Not that Ty really cared that much about running into Artem, but making a show of looking for him meant he had something to talk about. Other than that, he hoped to follow Erika's lead. She knew her way around these bubbly, colourful kids. For now, he mostly watched the three of them and tried to glean as much as he could.
Zen, some kind of genderspecial with an incredible aptitude for fashion.
Yuka. With an A. Zen's date maybe? She was "the one with the dresses and makeup and everything."
Amelia, the goth-y space cadet.
Well, at least Erika's taking point here.
---
Is this girl just high on life, or what? Zen's being true to her name. I wish I could be like that without drugs.
Erika flinched at Yuka's correction, though she managed to keep a smile on her face. Zen's presence was a little bit overwhelming at first, and then the arrival of Amelia seemed to amplify that feeling. Still, Erika had told herself that she would try and soldier on through any uncomfortable social situations at prom. People came and went, and she was sure to have a good time if she just hung on and didn't focus too much on little things that might bother her.
Not-girls? What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Do you have any god-damn idea what it's like to live like thi-
"Heh, you guys are adorable. She did an amazing job." Erika's eyes widened slightly as she noted once again that she made something of a mistake. She tried her best to make it look like she was just admiring the cacophony of sound and colour surrounding them all.
I can't be expected to keep up with this shit if I don't think it's right. Not gonna make a scene out of this. Her life, her choices. Respect, and take a chill pill. Move on.
She looked to Zen, hoping to drown the slip-up in more words. "I mean like, I only ever really dabble in this kind of thing. I guess like, I do make a lot of my own clothes but I don't really go too crazy, it's kinda just really granola hippie stuff because I don't like buying from big companies that use sweatshops. I mean, I guess I liked the clothes before I found out that most clothes are kinda spun from children's tears but now I just can't even, y'know? So I can do like, comfy things but nothing too stylish. This kinda stuff is like-" Erika waved her hands at Zen and Yuka's outfits. "-I dunno if I'd have the patience, the detail is really impressive."
Realizing she was babbling somewhat, she took a deep breath. "Whew, sorry I just get a little excited about this kinda stuff, y'know? There's so much colour in here. I bet if you were looking for your vampire, you'll want to look in the shadows, right?"
On the outside, Erika seemed to be carefree and having as good of a time as the rest of them. People probably expected her to be high, if anything. Plastering a smile on her face was a defense mechanism she knew well, especially if her inner voice was ranting too loudly to focus on charitable and pleasant thoughts.
I can't just ignore it!
Most of the time she just avoided these people. They were all over the school. Them and their stupid fad that everyone who wasn't on the right side of the political spectrum seemed to unquestionably buy into. How many of them had ever really like, critically analyzed the underlying assumptions about just making up genders? About claiming you didn't align to either one? It didn't withstand scrutiny - certainly not if you were the kind of person who thought gender presentation could be flexible. If you were different, it must mean that you're a super special different gender that only you understand - and it's such a terrible struggle to be so misunderstood isn't it?
People just trying to figure themselves out. Let them do their thing. It's not a big deal.
If it wasn't the implicit threat of physical violence that came with being out in the South that kept her in the closet, it was the fact that they had become what most people thought of when they thought of trans people.
It's not about me.
Fabricating a personality out of a struggle they barely understood because their sense of identity was so paper-thin and their self-awareness was so completely underdeveloped that they just had to make shit up to deal with the omnipresent sense of unease that any sane person would attribute to growing up and developing as a human being. The worst thing was, she couldn't say anything. Not without outing herself to everyone. Then what, she was the bad queer who was putting people to some kind of litmus test for their identity?
No one would understand.
You probably think you're just like me don't you? Who the hell would be so goddamn eager to be like me?
She felt a scratch on the inside of her palm. Looking to Ty, she noticed his eyes dart to their hands. Both of their knuckles were white. It wasn't like her noodle arms possessed the strength to do him any serious harm, but she let up in any case. If he didn't know something was wrong before, he did now. Erika hoped it wasn't apparent to anyone else.
Prom was a mistake.
Amelia grinned and blushed when the person whose name and gender she couldn’t recall complimented her dress. They also got really excited at the prospect of vampires at the school, and their energy really started to bleed into Amelia’s own rather easily excitable nature.
“Thank you! My Grandma helped me pick out this dress. And these are actually her gloves from when she was younger!” she beamed happily.
“Your outfit is super awesome too! Everyone looks so great tonight, I feel like I’m out with a bunch of celebrities!” She let her eyes flicker over the group ad their outfits and found there wasn’t a single one she didn’t enjoy.
It really was exciting to be surrounded by so many people who were all dressed so out of character. Amelia wasn’t sure the last time she wore heels, but here she was, skipping around in them like it was an everyday affair. It was really nice to get to see her peers all dressed to the nines and having a great night together. It really made her feel like she was a part of something amazing. Maybe that was a bit extreme, but that’s honestly how Amelia felt. Yuka spoke up, happily greeting Amelia and making it clear that she was on a search for Artem and not any generic Vampire. Amelia was grateful, and found herself realizing she should have used his name from the get -go. She asked where she saw him last, and Amelia tapped the pointer finger of her right hand on the tip of her nose a few times as she thought back.
“Hmm… let’s see… He went to go get us drinks he said. But then he never came back, o I think he must have gotten lost.” She shrugged her shoulders and giggled.
Ericka then suggested that if she was going to find a vampire she should start by looking in the shadows, and Amelia immediately perked up.
THAT WAS A GREAT IDEA!
“You’re right! I didn’t think of that! Thanks Ericka! You’re the bestest!” she clapped her hands together in triumph and smiled widely a her friend. She pulled her phone out of her bra quickly and held it up.
“Before I go and find him, can I take pictures of everyone? You all look so amazing, I wanna remember it forever!”
“Thank you! My Grandma helped me pick out this dress. And these are actually her gloves from when she was younger!” she beamed happily.
“Your outfit is super awesome too! Everyone looks so great tonight, I feel like I’m out with a bunch of celebrities!” She let her eyes flicker over the group ad their outfits and found there wasn’t a single one she didn’t enjoy.
It really was exciting to be surrounded by so many people who were all dressed so out of character. Amelia wasn’t sure the last time she wore heels, but here she was, skipping around in them like it was an everyday affair. It was really nice to get to see her peers all dressed to the nines and having a great night together. It really made her feel like she was a part of something amazing. Maybe that was a bit extreme, but that’s honestly how Amelia felt. Yuka spoke up, happily greeting Amelia and making it clear that she was on a search for Artem and not any generic Vampire. Amelia was grateful, and found herself realizing she should have used his name from the get -go. She asked where she saw him last, and Amelia tapped the pointer finger of her right hand on the tip of her nose a few times as she thought back.
“Hmm… let’s see… He went to go get us drinks he said. But then he never came back, o I think he must have gotten lost.” She shrugged her shoulders and giggled.
Ericka then suggested that if she was going to find a vampire she should start by looking in the shadows, and Amelia immediately perked up.
THAT WAS A GREAT IDEA!
“You’re right! I didn’t think of that! Thanks Ericka! You’re the bestest!” she clapped her hands together in triumph and smiled widely a her friend. She pulled her phone out of her bra quickly and held it up.
“Before I go and find him, can I take pictures of everyone? You all look so amazing, I wanna remember it forever!”
It was nice, wasn't it? The way they'd just kinda fallen together like this, just a kinda random group of kids talking on the dance floor, cause that was what parties were for. Making friends, or making better friends with the friends you had, or just talking to people. Well, their date wasn't a random kid, cause their date was Yuka and Yuka was their very good friend who was very pretty and was going to be getting kissed a lot later. And Tyrell and Erika and Amelia weren't really kids either cause they were all kind of adults now, weren't they? That was pretty weird. Wait, they were getting off track.
Their point was that it was nice. Maybe. Maybe it wasn't, though.
Zen was pretty good at feelings. It was one of the few things they'd say they were Really good at, actually, though sometimes they overreacted a little bit and assumed things were wrong when they weren't, but that was kinda more a Better Safe Than Sorry thing than a Being Wrong thing. But this time they were pretty sure they weren't wrong. They glanced up at Erika, who'd messed up their pronoun and just kinda cut past it and normally Zen would say something but this time they didn't. She'd changed the subject so quickly they'd be the difficult one if they made a thing about it, but. But. But they knew Erika knew. Erika knew and she'd gotten it wrong anyway and they wondered if maybe this was the wrong outfit? Maybe a shorter wig? Maybe it was just their voice. It was their voice a lot of the time. They hadn't figured out how to fix that yet, though. Either way, something was wrong. Maybe it was something wrong with them. Probably it was. But there was a tension in the air and they kind of wanted to run away from it.
Suddenly they felt real real uncomfortable but that was their own problem so they were just going to have to deal with it!
"Um... thank you," they responded, their voice a little too quiet. "About the outfits, I mean. I was pretty... proud of them."
Zen totally appreciated Amelia's energy, because it was a mood in 95% of situations, but suddenly it felt pretty draining. They made a mental note to get the girl's number, though, cause she seemed like a blast. "Yeah! I mean, of course. If that's okay, um, with everyone?"
Their point was that it was nice. Maybe. Maybe it wasn't, though.
Zen was pretty good at feelings. It was one of the few things they'd say they were Really good at, actually, though sometimes they overreacted a little bit and assumed things were wrong when they weren't, but that was kinda more a Better Safe Than Sorry thing than a Being Wrong thing. But this time they were pretty sure they weren't wrong. They glanced up at Erika, who'd messed up their pronoun and just kinda cut past it and normally Zen would say something but this time they didn't. She'd changed the subject so quickly they'd be the difficult one if they made a thing about it, but. But. But they knew Erika knew. Erika knew and she'd gotten it wrong anyway and they wondered if maybe this was the wrong outfit? Maybe a shorter wig? Maybe it was just their voice. It was their voice a lot of the time. They hadn't figured out how to fix that yet, though. Either way, something was wrong. Maybe it was something wrong with them. Probably it was. But there was a tension in the air and they kind of wanted to run away from it.
Suddenly they felt real real uncomfortable but that was their own problem so they were just going to have to deal with it!
"Um... thank you," they responded, their voice a little too quiet. "About the outfits, I mean. I was pretty... proud of them."
Zen totally appreciated Amelia's energy, because it was a mood in 95% of situations, but suddenly it felt pretty draining. They made a mental note to get the girl's number, though, cause she seemed like a blast. "Yeah! I mean, of course. If that's okay, um, with everyone?"
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
"Hey, Tyler seems like an OK name, to be fair."
She chuckled a bit at Ty's remark. While the idea of her parents giving them themed names as a joke was kind of amusing, Yuka was of the opinion that they just panicked. Instead of just getting Yuko, they got two more girls, so they just changed the vowels and thought that would be good enough. That was just her personal theory, anyways. Again, she would have to ask Mom about that.
And then Erika complimented them, but misgendered Zen at the same time. And it was a blink-and-you-miss-it sort of thing, she just sped right past it. Probably didn't even notice. Or maybe she did and tried to move past it without making a big deal. Which was fine sometimes, bringing attention to mistakes like that sometimes made it worse. And understandable. The first time Yuka had a friend who changed pronouns, it took her a few weeks to stop switching them by mistake. But either way, Zen noticed.
Hearing Zen speak low and quiet worried Yuka. It didn't happen often, but when it did happen, it meant something was very, very wrong. She put her hand on their shoulder again, and gave it another squeeze, while continuing to smile at the others. It was just an innocent mistake, no need to make a big deal.
But there was a need to acknowledge it.
"Yeah. They are just gifted when it comes to this stuff. I also don't know how they do it. And maybe I should get around to making my own clothes, too. It's so hard trying to find pastel goth attire here in Chattanooga. It's tiring trying to sift through the Hot Topic rejects." She'd need to get around to asking lessons from Zen, after this was over. And the idea of Artem just randomly lurking in the shadows was funny, but made a surprising amount of sense.
Yuka's smile widened as Amelia complimented them again. "Thank you! You're so sweet. Your grandma must have a great sense of fashion, you look gorgeous."
Amelia's energy was always welcome. She was fun, and Yuka always felt a certain pull towards people like her. They hung out in the same circles, with both of them being goths and all, but Yuka would have to make it a point to hang out with her more. Not like they would have much time since they were all graduating soon, which was a shame, but better late than never, right?
Yuka nodded enthusiastically at Amelia's suggestion. "I'd love to take a photo! I mean, we all went all out for these outfits, so might as well have something to remember it by." Maybe a photo would let this night live up to its promise, too.
She looked at Ty and Erika. "Wanna join us?"
She chuckled a bit at Ty's remark. While the idea of her parents giving them themed names as a joke was kind of amusing, Yuka was of the opinion that they just panicked. Instead of just getting Yuko, they got two more girls, so they just changed the vowels and thought that would be good enough. That was just her personal theory, anyways. Again, she would have to ask Mom about that.
And then Erika complimented them, but misgendered Zen at the same time. And it was a blink-and-you-miss-it sort of thing, she just sped right past it. Probably didn't even notice. Or maybe she did and tried to move past it without making a big deal. Which was fine sometimes, bringing attention to mistakes like that sometimes made it worse. And understandable. The first time Yuka had a friend who changed pronouns, it took her a few weeks to stop switching them by mistake. But either way, Zen noticed.
Hearing Zen speak low and quiet worried Yuka. It didn't happen often, but when it did happen, it meant something was very, very wrong. She put her hand on their shoulder again, and gave it another squeeze, while continuing to smile at the others. It was just an innocent mistake, no need to make a big deal.
But there was a need to acknowledge it.
"Yeah. They are just gifted when it comes to this stuff. I also don't know how they do it. And maybe I should get around to making my own clothes, too. It's so hard trying to find pastel goth attire here in Chattanooga. It's tiring trying to sift through the Hot Topic rejects." She'd need to get around to asking lessons from Zen, after this was over. And the idea of Artem just randomly lurking in the shadows was funny, but made a surprising amount of sense.
Yuka's smile widened as Amelia complimented them again. "Thank you! You're so sweet. Your grandma must have a great sense of fashion, you look gorgeous."
Amelia's energy was always welcome. She was fun, and Yuka always felt a certain pull towards people like her. They hung out in the same circles, with both of them being goths and all, but Yuka would have to make it a point to hang out with her more. Not like they would have much time since they were all graduating soon, which was a shame, but better late than never, right?
Yuka nodded enthusiastically at Amelia's suggestion. "I'd love to take a photo! I mean, we all went all out for these outfits, so might as well have something to remember it by." Maybe a photo would let this night live up to its promise, too.
She looked at Ty and Erika. "Wanna join us?"
Ow.
Ty winced slightly as Erika's nails dug into his palm. What the hell? He tried his best to pretend not to notice, but on sneaking a look at Erika he realized something was up. Something had perturbed her, and he knew she was doing her best to hide it. She clenched her jaw when she was trying to hold something back.
Well, fuck. Guess this is my show whether I like it or not.
Hot Topic rejects and pastel goths. There was clearly something in the water supply of George Hunter High's school district. Ty sometimes wondered if they'd intentionally sent all of the weird kids to this school just to prevent them from being mercilessly bullied at other schools.
Not likely. We still have a football team's worth of douchebags, and more.
Regardless, Ty had to admit that despite visually standing out from the crowd he was in, they were still his people. Weirdos and misfits, kids who hadn't figured themselves out yet or kids who thought they did and were trying too hard. It was never going to be easy for them, but they'd probably have a better time wherever they went than those who were dead set on conformity. People like Claude, Juliette, Kenzie, Jackson - they were about as comfortable in their own skin as they would be in a sleeping bag full of spiders.
I think I can at least pretend to understand these people. There's some overlap.
As Yuka turned to the others, Ty turned towards Erika and gave her a peck on the cheek. Maybe it was uncomfortably cute and couple-y for the others, but he needed to remind her that she wasn't alone here. It didn't matter what was going on; probably just social anxiety, if anything. They could dissect it later, maybe find a way for whatever it was not to disturb her again.
---
Oh, right. You are here. I'm here. This is, in fact, actually happening.
Erika blinked and smiled at the feeling of the kiss on her cheek. She still wasn't quite used to the feeling, and it made her smile involuntarily. Or, perhaps she needed an excuse to smile. Zen hadn't noticed her slip-up, but Yuka had. Done exactly what Erika figured she'd do, exactly what all of these self-righteous folx do when this kind of thing comes up. The more she thought about it, the more the smile began to slide off her face.
No one's mistaking you for a boy and you can't blame them for seeing you as a girl. They don't use your special pronouns because people don't intuit neutral genders, you made this up, you're a living fucking mockery of everyone like-
She felt two short squeezes in her palm this time. Ty's words brought her back to reality.
"Absolutely! Erika put a lot of work into making me look this spiffy." He looked to her. "I do look spiffy, right? Ample levels of spiff?"
Of course he could tell. Now he was just doing his best to keep her spirits up. To make sure they had a good evening. A memory worth holding onto. That was who he was, or at least who he wanted to be for her.
Despite himself. Despite what I was.
She blinked a few times and looked to the group, then to Ty. "Like, I'd say handsome or well put together - but spiffy's a sure thing. I zoned out there, were we going to take a photo? I'm down to clown."
Erika ruminated on what might've occurred if he hadn't been here, and she'd still encountered Zen. No one would've pushed forward. She'd be stuck on a loop of anxiety and paranoia, feeling like every moment around these people reminded her of what she had to hide. They would all seem unfriendly, and her mind would concoct any reason or warped logic as to why they all hated her and everything she stood for.
"I mean, with the makeup, that much was obvious," Ty chuckled.
There was no time for that, now. Ty wasn't letting her. They had to take a picture, and Erika had to shuffle those thoughts into a dark corner of her mind. Zen didn't do anything wrong. They were just trying to figure themselves out. Maybe Erika could disagree on the principle and the words, but not here. There was no time or place to disagree with someone's identity, even if she couldn't help but see a pantomime of her own struggles. She didn't know Zen's, after all.
She didn't break the grip between their hands, but she relaxed it.
"So, where are we gonna do this? I dunno if the snack table is a great backdrop."
Gosh, it's almost like everything's fine. Fuck, it is. It's fine. We're good. We're at prom. It had to be at least a little traumatic.
Ty winced slightly as Erika's nails dug into his palm. What the hell? He tried his best to pretend not to notice, but on sneaking a look at Erika he realized something was up. Something had perturbed her, and he knew she was doing her best to hide it. She clenched her jaw when she was trying to hold something back.
Well, fuck. Guess this is my show whether I like it or not.
Hot Topic rejects and pastel goths. There was clearly something in the water supply of George Hunter High's school district. Ty sometimes wondered if they'd intentionally sent all of the weird kids to this school just to prevent them from being mercilessly bullied at other schools.
Not likely. We still have a football team's worth of douchebags, and more.
Regardless, Ty had to admit that despite visually standing out from the crowd he was in, they were still his people. Weirdos and misfits, kids who hadn't figured themselves out yet or kids who thought they did and were trying too hard. It was never going to be easy for them, but they'd probably have a better time wherever they went than those who were dead set on conformity. People like Claude, Juliette, Kenzie, Jackson - they were about as comfortable in their own skin as they would be in a sleeping bag full of spiders.
I think I can at least pretend to understand these people. There's some overlap.
As Yuka turned to the others, Ty turned towards Erika and gave her a peck on the cheek. Maybe it was uncomfortably cute and couple-y for the others, but he needed to remind her that she wasn't alone here. It didn't matter what was going on; probably just social anxiety, if anything. They could dissect it later, maybe find a way for whatever it was not to disturb her again.
---
Oh, right. You are here. I'm here. This is, in fact, actually happening.
Erika blinked and smiled at the feeling of the kiss on her cheek. She still wasn't quite used to the feeling, and it made her smile involuntarily. Or, perhaps she needed an excuse to smile. Zen hadn't noticed her slip-up, but Yuka had. Done exactly what Erika figured she'd do, exactly what all of these self-righteous folx do when this kind of thing comes up. The more she thought about it, the more the smile began to slide off her face.
No one's mistaking you for a boy and you can't blame them for seeing you as a girl. They don't use your special pronouns because people don't intuit neutral genders, you made this up, you're a living fucking mockery of everyone like-
She felt two short squeezes in her palm this time. Ty's words brought her back to reality.
"Absolutely! Erika put a lot of work into making me look this spiffy." He looked to her. "I do look spiffy, right? Ample levels of spiff?"
Of course he could tell. Now he was just doing his best to keep her spirits up. To make sure they had a good evening. A memory worth holding onto. That was who he was, or at least who he wanted to be for her.
Despite himself. Despite what I was.
She blinked a few times and looked to the group, then to Ty. "Like, I'd say handsome or well put together - but spiffy's a sure thing. I zoned out there, were we going to take a photo? I'm down to clown."
Erika ruminated on what might've occurred if he hadn't been here, and she'd still encountered Zen. No one would've pushed forward. She'd be stuck on a loop of anxiety and paranoia, feeling like every moment around these people reminded her of what she had to hide. They would all seem unfriendly, and her mind would concoct any reason or warped logic as to why they all hated her and everything she stood for.
"I mean, with the makeup, that much was obvious," Ty chuckled.
There was no time for that, now. Ty wasn't letting her. They had to take a picture, and Erika had to shuffle those thoughts into a dark corner of her mind. Zen didn't do anything wrong. They were just trying to figure themselves out. Maybe Erika could disagree on the principle and the words, but not here. There was no time or place to disagree with someone's identity, even if she couldn't help but see a pantomime of her own struggles. She didn't know Zen's, after all.
She didn't break the grip between their hands, but she relaxed it.
"So, where are we gonna do this? I dunno if the snack table is a great backdrop."
Gosh, it's almost like everything's fine. Fuck, it is. It's fine. We're good. We're at prom. It had to be at least a little traumatic.
Amelia was suddenly confused. Now Zen seemed sad, and she didn’t understand why. Just before they seemed excited and happy, but now it was the opposite. Had she missed something? She was always bad at reading a room, but she felt like she had been paying lots of attention, so she couldn't understand it. Either way, she was happy that Zen agreed to the photo, but they seemed to hesitate and look to the others for agreement. Yuka seemed to continue to be bright and normal tho, so maybe Amelia was just wrong in her thought that Zen was upset. It just made her head hurt to think about it. Yuka complimented her Grandma’s sense of fashion and she blushed and smiled happily. Her grandma was always the best at picking clothes, and it was nice to hear someone else think so too.
“Yeah, she always says she has an eye for finding something fun in a bucket of boring.” She giggled a bit at remembering her Grandma’s words.
Yuka also agreed to the photo idea, and asked Ty and Erika if they wanted to join them. Amelia looked at the duo with bright pleading eyes as she held up her phone in earnest. Erika seemed to hesitate, which made Amelia a bit sad. She really looked beautiful, and Amelia wanted to be able to look at a photo and remember it anytime she wanted. But if she didn’t want a photo Amelia would understand, even if she was going to be a bit sad herself. Luckily, Ty spoke up and agreed to the idea, saying he looked spiffy, which Amelia enthusiastically nodded in agreement to. It seemed to reinvigorate Erika, and she too agreed to the picture.
Erika said the snack table might not be the best place to do it though, and Amelia nodded in agreement. She looked around in deep thought for a moment. Where to go… where to go… Aha! She spotted not too far from them a nice open patch of wall that had decent enough lighting that a picture should come out reasonably well. She pointed over to the area.
“How about over there?”
“Yeah, she always says she has an eye for finding something fun in a bucket of boring.” She giggled a bit at remembering her Grandma’s words.
Yuka also agreed to the photo idea, and asked Ty and Erika if they wanted to join them. Amelia looked at the duo with bright pleading eyes as she held up her phone in earnest. Erika seemed to hesitate, which made Amelia a bit sad. She really looked beautiful, and Amelia wanted to be able to look at a photo and remember it anytime she wanted. But if she didn’t want a photo Amelia would understand, even if she was going to be a bit sad herself. Luckily, Ty spoke up and agreed to the idea, saying he looked spiffy, which Amelia enthusiastically nodded in agreement to. It seemed to reinvigorate Erika, and she too agreed to the picture.
Erika said the snack table might not be the best place to do it though, and Amelia nodded in agreement. She looked around in deep thought for a moment. Where to go… where to go… Aha! She spotted not too far from them a nice open patch of wall that had decent enough lighting that a picture should come out reasonably well. She pointed over to the area.
“How about over there?”
Yuka was good.
That was probably a silly thing to like specifically Point Out because duh of course she was good, why would Zen go to prom with someone who wasn't good, but she was particularly good in this moment in time and in moments in time like this one. Because she could say things that had to be said even when Zen themself couldn't say them, because Zen was afraid to say a lot of things a lot of the time. Because you never knew when you'd say a thing and someone would get upset and that might be a friend you'd never get back and it never ever felt worth it to test those limits even when it really was for a good reason. They'd made mistakes before. They'd said silly things that came to their head and people hadn't forgiven them. And that was many years ago but thinking that those people somewhere might still hate them made them feel sick.
But Yuka was strong and brave and good and wasn't afraid of those things, so she corrected Erika for them without making a big deal about it, and also said nice things, which she did a lot, because she was nice, duh. Her hand on their shoulder was warm. They wormed their own hand up to their shoulder to take Yuka's and pull it back down, intertwining their fingers. It felt nice.
The way the smile disappeared from Erika's face was less nice. Zen watched her, wary, noticing what none of the others seemed to. Something was wrong? Something they didn't think they had any place in helping, though. Which was a bad feeling. They liked to help.
But they were supposed to take a picture now, and that was something fun maybe, and everyone seemed to agree on it, so that was what they were doing! Everyone looked so nice. They didn't take pictures of all of their outfits even though they worked hard on them because they didn't always remember and sometimes they had pieces that would fall apart or outfits that they never wore again and didn't have any proof of and that kinda bummed them out. So it was nice that this one night at least wouldn't ever disappear.
There'd be a thousand pictures from a thousand different angles of a thousand different people. No one would ever forget any of it. Zen hoped no one was having too bad of a time. It would be too sad to have so many pictures of an event that made someone upset.
They were kind of upset, they guessed, but they still wanted pictures, and also they were silly for still being upset. Everything was fine now, basically. Right?
"Over there looks great!" They let a little of their previous energy creep back into their voice. It'd be nice if they could get the rest of it back. It had gone away so quickly.
They felt like they were supposed to say more than that, but nothing else was coming.
That was probably a silly thing to like specifically Point Out because duh of course she was good, why would Zen go to prom with someone who wasn't good, but she was particularly good in this moment in time and in moments in time like this one. Because she could say things that had to be said even when Zen themself couldn't say them, because Zen was afraid to say a lot of things a lot of the time. Because you never knew when you'd say a thing and someone would get upset and that might be a friend you'd never get back and it never ever felt worth it to test those limits even when it really was for a good reason. They'd made mistakes before. They'd said silly things that came to their head and people hadn't forgiven them. And that was many years ago but thinking that those people somewhere might still hate them made them feel sick.
But Yuka was strong and brave and good and wasn't afraid of those things, so she corrected Erika for them without making a big deal about it, and also said nice things, which she did a lot, because she was nice, duh. Her hand on their shoulder was warm. They wormed their own hand up to their shoulder to take Yuka's and pull it back down, intertwining their fingers. It felt nice.
The way the smile disappeared from Erika's face was less nice. Zen watched her, wary, noticing what none of the others seemed to. Something was wrong? Something they didn't think they had any place in helping, though. Which was a bad feeling. They liked to help.
But they were supposed to take a picture now, and that was something fun maybe, and everyone seemed to agree on it, so that was what they were doing! Everyone looked so nice. They didn't take pictures of all of their outfits even though they worked hard on them because they didn't always remember and sometimes they had pieces that would fall apart or outfits that they never wore again and didn't have any proof of and that kinda bummed them out. So it was nice that this one night at least wouldn't ever disappear.
There'd be a thousand pictures from a thousand different angles of a thousand different people. No one would ever forget any of it. Zen hoped no one was having too bad of a time. It would be too sad to have so many pictures of an event that made someone upset.
They were kind of upset, they guessed, but they still wanted pictures, and also they were silly for still being upset. Everything was fine now, basically. Right?
"Over there looks great!" They let a little of their previous energy creep back into their voice. It'd be nice if they could get the rest of it back. It had gone away so quickly.
They felt like they were supposed to say more than that, but nothing else was coming.
"Well, Fenris, the King of Gossip. We meet again."
Zen's hand felt nice. Yuka liked the feeling of their fingers intertwining with hers. Yet there was a sort of danger to it. Or maybe danger wasn't quite the right word. But, there was a sense of comfort, security in their grip mixed with the sense of looking for security. As if Yuka's hand had become Zen's stressball. She squeezed their hand back. Another sign of reassurance, 'I'm right here' said via touch.
Amelia said something about her grandma in the meantime. How she could find something fun in a bucket of boring. Maybe Yuka and Zen could find something fun in this bucket of tension. Yuka couldn't quite tell what was going on in Erika's mind, what exactly was behind her smile fading, but she could tell that it was affecting Zen somehow. Little things like that always did affect them like that. Yuka considered Erika's demeanor might have to do with the pronouns, but she would be jumping to conclusions if she took that as the reason. Erika was progressive, as far as Yuka could tell. Erika's problems were her own problems, and for Yuka to worry about that was to make a mountain out of a molehill.
What Yuka did know was that after this picture, she needed to get Zen out of here and back on the dance floor. Maybe that would bring their spirits up a little, help the night live up to its slogan.
The rest of the group decided on where to take their photo, and Zen replied. Hearing their voice perk up a little lifted Yuka's own spirits up. It wasn't enough for her liking, but it was a start. This night would go fine, Yuka thought and hoped. It had just begun, after all.
She looked to the others, smile on her face. "I'm fine with it, too! Let's go, then?"
Amelia said something about her grandma in the meantime. How she could find something fun in a bucket of boring. Maybe Yuka and Zen could find something fun in this bucket of tension. Yuka couldn't quite tell what was going on in Erika's mind, what exactly was behind her smile fading, but she could tell that it was affecting Zen somehow. Little things like that always did affect them like that. Yuka considered Erika's demeanor might have to do with the pronouns, but she would be jumping to conclusions if she took that as the reason. Erika was progressive, as far as Yuka could tell. Erika's problems were her own problems, and for Yuka to worry about that was to make a mountain out of a molehill.
What Yuka did know was that after this picture, she needed to get Zen out of here and back on the dance floor. Maybe that would bring their spirits up a little, help the night live up to its slogan.
The rest of the group decided on where to take their photo, and Zen replied. Hearing their voice perk up a little lifted Yuka's own spirits up. It wasn't enough for her liking, but it was a start. This night would go fine, Yuka thought and hoped. It had just begun, after all.
She looked to the others, smile on her face. "I'm fine with it, too! Let's go, then?"