Realistic or Modern DotC High

[McMajestic]

As Kilo started cleaning up after himself, Winnie shook her head slightly. "Kilo, you don't have to do all that," she said quickly. "I normally do the dishes anyways," she insisted, though he was already done and heading back to the table. She noticed something slight in his expression, though she had no idea what it was, and it made her think about what he had said. If she knew him better would she understand that slightly off look? She tried not to dwell on that question too much, and instead kept her foot hooked with his, tugging gently. Dalton finished his meal. "That was pretty good, kid. If you wanna come over and cook dinner again, I won't complain." He chuckled, patting Kilo's shoulder as he took his plate and set it in the sink. "Don't worry about cleaning up after us though. Winnie's right, she's got chores she has to do. A little discipline never hurt anyone." He shrugged and started to head out. "I'll be upstairs, but I could make random appearances at any time, so don't be idiots," he called over his shoulder, before pausing and turning towards Winnie. "Oh, Winnie, Bronze and I got in a pretty bad fight while you were at school. He left like always, and this is about the time that bastard drags himself back in. Just try and ignore him, Sweetie. I know it will be difficult but who knows how wasted he'll be." He walked over to Winnie, kissing her forehead and glancing up at Kilo. "I'm sure Kilo will keep your morale up." He ruffled his daughter's hair before heading off upstairs, and Winnie slowly finished off her food, looking towards Kilo, hoping Bronze wouldn't get home soon.

Sage shook his head at her apology. "You don't have to apologize, Korren. It's not your fault or anything, it's just a weird thing I gotta deal with it." He shrugged, hugging her close. He could tell this was awkward for her, but he didn't want her to be, so he tried to think of something that could veer the conversation into something better. "You're so beautiful though, anything you do would probably turn me on." Shit. That probably only made it worse. "I mean, you're really amazing and pretty and smart and... and did I say pretty? No, not pretty, gorgeous." It was obvious he was still a little drunk seeing as how he stumbled to compliment her. "And you're like Harvard smart. Look at you, my Harvard babe. You're going to be up North studying hard and I can come with you and we can live in a cute little apartment. Doesn't that sound nice, love?" he asked, his words slowing as he tried to string everything together into something coherent.

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo shrugged his shoulders, since it was too late to take back cleaning up after the mess that he had made. He looked up at Dalton when his shoulder was pat, smiling faintly. "It'd be my pleasure, sir." Because it really would. If it meant coming over to cook and take care of Winnie, it would be worth it. He nodded his head to what he said about discipline, though it was just something he usually did after he cooked and ate, he would always take care of himself by routine. By the mention of them being idiots, he chuckled slightly. Now that he was a little more self aware of the situation, and of Dalton's wishes, he would be more cautious. He paid attention to Winnie while she was being informed of her brother's state, cringing slightly. Just by one run-in by the guy the first time he came to this house, he disliked him. Sure, he may have been a good person deep down, but on the surface he was disrespectful and largely distant. He nodded to Dalton, lending a half-smile to confirm that he would do his best to keep her safe. When Dalton was gone, Kilo moved over to stand beside her. His hands were in his pockets again, while he slightly slouched, smiling down at her. "What'dya wanna do, doll?" While he spoke, he smoothed her hair down, being sure to avoid any tangles. "Talk the night away? Sure. Watch a movie? Play some games? Soar through the sky? Hell yea. We can do whatever's on your mind," He smiled, though put up his finger, shaking it at her to cancel out one thing. "Except get in more trouble, got enough of that in our lives." With a wink and a chuckle, he kissed her forehead, as if to reassure that things would be okay. The weekend would be a little rigid with separation, but he would do what he could to make things better for her.

Korren finished off a cookie, looking up at him while he talked. She loosely placed her arm around his waist, listening as he stumbled through his words. The first part of it made her only blush more, moving her head to be pressed against his chest as a sort of defense mechanism. In a way she was hiding her embarrassment. The rest of his attempts to compliment her were rather staggered, and it was clear as day that he was still drunk. She giggled a little when he stumbled over his words, which made it easier for her to look at him again. A rather shy smile appeared across her cheeks, smothered in blush at that point. "That sounds lovely." She chuckled slightly, liking the idea of her going to Harvard, and him coming with her to live together. The mention of Harvard made her remember something though; her Harvard pin. Did she ever give it back to him? Since he hadn't been wearing it, it was a possibility that she didn't. "Can you get something for me? It's on my desk, it's small and is to the right of my computer." What was on her desk was her Harvard pin, sitting right next to her small light gray laptop. In a small glass bowl on the left corner of the desk there were multiple randomized pins, all ranging from Harvard pins, to cute science and history designs, and there were a few hidden ones at the bottom. One contained the symbol of MCR, while others had P!ATD, Paramore, and (oddly enough)The 1975. These were her most prized ones, and generally kept them at the bottom so she could look at them in her own time. There were many other lesser known bands that she reveled, though that was a long list. Besides, there weren't many pins for the ones she had loved and yet were not as "mainstream" as the others.

 

[McMajestic]

"Well what if trouble's just what I want to get into?" she asked, pulling him into a deep kiss and wrapping her arms around his neck as she did so. She pulled away after a moment though, and got to her feet, looking towards the living room. "Let's go watch a movie," she decided, "But we don't have to actually watch it," she added with a giggle, taking her plate over to the sink for now before starting to drag Kilo off to the living room. She couldn't explain it but Kilo just made her feel good, and when he was around it was a lot easier to forget that she had ever run off, that she had ever cried in the first place. She honestly couldn't even remember what it was about, until she noticed Dalton walking up the stairs. Winnie sighed slightly. She wanted to be able to handle a relationship, to handle loving Kilo and Kilo loving her back. Hopefully, though, she could. And at least she had the rest of the day- or night, anyways, to get even closer to him. She knew Dalton would be going to sleep soon so she wouldn't have to worry about him popping down. "Maybe we could get to know each other a little better, and I can get to know that beautiful mind," she added, referencing what he had said earlier with a bright smile.

Sage nodded, slowly getting to his feet. He walked over to the desk, although instead of just grabbing the Harvard pin, he started looking through all of them. Sage started looking through them, a bit too drunk to ask if it was okay for him to do. "Whoa, Panic? I didn't know you had such good taste," he muttered jokingly, before dropping the pin back into the jar. He was looking for a specific one. What one was it? He looked around for a moment before noticing the Harvard pin. "Oh, I remember this." He grabbed the pin and walked back over to the bed, smiling brightly. "A pretty pin for a pretty girl." He sat on the bed, holding it out to her with a smile. Sage had remembered how the two of the them had passed him back and forth once already. It was a nice pin. "You should put it on. Brings out your smartness," he said, smiling like an idiot. The alcohol was starting to make him tired again, and some of his senses had become less involved.

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo chuckled, though kissed her anyway. At that moment he had forgotten about the boundaries limited for them, though he remembered it over time. "Alright, sounds good." He shrugged, smiling widely all the while. "But I have to warn you, I get pretty invested if it's a good movie." His fingers brushed through his hair, pushing it back before it bounced to it's usual position, scraggly and unkempt. Before they headed off to the couch, he held her hand, blindly following her over. While she was facing towards the living room, He shamefully shot a quick glance over her bum. It was terrible to do, and he felt like a douchebag for doing such a thing. Kilo immediately focused on her face, lending a smile as they stepped towards the couch. To distract himself from her features he kept his eyes on her face, and whenever her hair moved away from or over her face. It made him smile like an idiot, and he had an idea. He squeezed her hand, stopping in his tracks before they could get to the living room. From there he proceeded to scoop her up in his arms, carrying her into the living room. All the while he chuckled, pretending at one point to almost drop her by suddenly shaking her, tightening his grip only for a moment. Before he placed her down on the couch, he kissed her forehead. "My mind doesn't amount to the beauty of yours." He set her down, leaning against the arm of the couch as he looked at her, waiting for any needs she may have had, whether it meant to grab something for her or get a snack. "Need anything, mi amor?"

Korren watched as he went to get the item, leaning up on her elbows to watch him. At first when he dug through the glass bowl of pins, she cringed. No one ever touched her precious pins, though she lossened up about it. Sage was always the exception, and besides he was drunk so he probably wasn't thinking properly anyways. She chuckled and blushed when he mentioned one of the band pins. Interest in music was never really something she had discussed, so she didn't really know what to say. She shrugged her shoulders, watching as he picked through them before finally grabbing the Harvard pin and brought it over to the bed. Korren grabbed the pin, though didn't put it on, for a few moments she fumbled with it in her hands, turning it with her fingers. She looked at the object, the shiny metal on the back of it and the colored symbol on the front. It was a nice pin, one that she had loved, but she wanted to give it to him. She smiled, chuckling lightly at the compliment. "Thanks, but," Korren looked up, sitting up the best she could to face him. She was kneeling on the bed, and surprisingly it didn't hurt as much as it use to. "I was thinking that you should have it." Carefully she pinned the object to Sage's shirt, making sure not to poke through and hurt him at all. When she was done, she looked at him, her smile never ceasing. She moved closer, wrapping her arms around his waist and pressed her head against his chest. "You deserve it, Greaser." There she stayed, not once wanting to move away. It was too comfortable to be against him, to feel the warmth of his skin and hear his melodic heart beating like a slow drum.

 

[McMajestic]

Winnie giggled as Kilo picked her up, happy to be in his arms. She rested her head against his chest, closing her eyes as she began to relax against him, although it didn't last very long before she let out a small scream as Kilo pretended to drop her, her arms hugging his neck tight as his grip tightened for a moment against her. She laughed despite the fact her heart was racing, and smacked his arm playfully, too breathless to snap at him for doing that. Although as he set her down she pouted, not wanting to leave his side. "I just need you," She said, taking his hand and pulling him down on the couch so she could cuddle up against his side. She grabbed the remote quickly, before handing it to Kilo and kissing his cheek. "You can pick the movie, doll, just no horror." Winnie had found out the first time she went to watch a horror movie when she was fifteen that she couldn't make it through one without having a panic attack. The blood and the jump scares were always too much for her to handle, and she'd managed to go without seeing one since then. Even action movies bothered her sometimes, but she figured she could get through it with Kilo at her side. He had this magical ability to make her feel good, more so than she had in years.

Sage looked down and watched as Korren pinned the Harvard pin to his shirt, looking down at it for a moment before back up at Korren, kissing the tip of her nose. "A greaser like me couldn't get into one of these fancy schools, though. This pin looks better on you." Still though, he didn't take it off, unable to deny the fact that it did feel good to have someone think he was worthy enough to even wear a pin from such a school. Of course, Korren had given it to him before, but somehow it just... meant more to him now than it had when she first gave it to him. "But thanks." He leaned forward and kissed her gently, smiling as he did so.

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo smiled at her, sitting down next to her when she tugged him down. He took the remote, looking at her with a smile. Her request was simple, though she was going to respect every bit of it, understanding as to why she wouldn't want to watch horror films. Since that genre was out of the picture, he decided to go for a fun movie, one they could laugh together with. With that in mind, he picked a light comedy movie, and set the controller down. He moved his arm around her and kisses her temple. Of course he would be invested in the plot, but not as much as he usually was. All he had in mind when picking the movie was wanting to see her smile, and hear that adorable laugh. He smiled at her, placing a few more pecks, from her temple and down to her cheek. Even though he needed to slow what they had together down, he just couldn't help it. He liked to kiss her, and it felt right to do so.

Korren smiled at him, giggling sheepishly when he kissed her nose, scrunching her face up. Every word she clung to, though didn't want to think like he did. If he ever wanted to he probably could of, and she would help him with funding no matter what. Her smile only grew when he finally thanked her. She closed her eyes, gently pressing in to the kiss. During the moment she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself as close as could be to him. Once she almost reached up to brush through his hair, but stopped herself. She kept herself in check, knowing it would only be pushed furthermore is she did anything more than a kiss. After a few moments she slowed to a halt, ending it the way it started. For the longest time she couldn't pull away, making herself do so. She looked into his eyes, into those deep brown eyes. A small idea went in her head, reminded of their first kiss. "I want to show you my favorite kind of kiss. Close your eyes." Korren moved in after a moment, fluttering her eye lashes against his as a butterfly kiss. Before she pulled away, she kissed his cheek, giggling to herself all the while. It felt like it was a small and stupid little thing, but it was because of the sweet little moment they were having. It was innocent and playful, holding nothing but love in the undertones of the little gesture.

 

[McMajestic]

Winnie watched as he picked a light hearted movie, and found herself smiling as it began to play. She was glad he had picked something fun- she definitely needed that. But then again Kilo always did what he could for Winnie when she was around. She almost voiced this, how amazing he was to her and how he deserved the best, but then he started trailing kisses from her temple to her cheek and she giggled, cuddling quite a bit closer to him and kissing his shoulder once before settling in against him. It was such a nice moment that she didn't want to open her mouth and ruin it, and so for the first fifteen minutes of the movie, she stayed silent, her laughter the only thing filling the room. But as those fifteen minutes wore thin, she wanted to hear his voice. "Kilo, tell me something about yourself- something nobody knows. Like nobody. Not even your mom." She looked up at him expectantly, wanting an answer. If they were going to be a successful couple it was important to know things about each other. Of course, Winnie expected the same question, and so she began to think of her answer as she waited on his reply, facing the movie but not really watching anymore.

Sage listened as Korren asked for him to close his eyes, patiently waiting, wondering what she was about to do. Then he felt it. That soft press of her eyelashes fluttering against his and his eyes stayed closed as he smiled, finding it absolutely adorable. After she kissed his cheek, he opened his eyes, one hand pressing against the Harvard pin while the other moved to rest against her waist. "You're so adorable, Korren. I don't know how you make me love you even more by the second but you do." He nuzzled his nose against hers, thinking of her parents- her stupid parents. He wanted to protect her from them, or at least protect them all from Bucky. "Do you think... maybe if I dressed a little nicer and talked a little nicer, maybe I could meet your parents?" he asked, a bit curious as to her answer. He was sure no matter how dumb they were, if she was with someone who made her happy they'd accept it. At least he hoped they would. Even as he asked, though, he couldn't help but remember that the last time he participated in a school fundraiser nobody from this neighborhood would even answer the door for the poor little street rat. Maybe nice clothes wouldn't make a difference. Maybe her parents would never like him. He sighed, hoping this conversation wouldn't completely ruin the mood.

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo smiled at her, watching her every now and then when she smiled and laughed. He kept his arm around her, slightly pulling her closer. It was nice, to be next to her and just rest with her. He watched the movie, chuckling every now and then, though couldn't help but watch Winnie all in the same. Her laughter filled the room with it's beautiful noise. In a way he was lost in the sound, unsure of what was really going on in the movie at that point. The only time he was truly snapped out of such a dreamlike state was when she spoke.

He turned to her, smiling gently all the while. "Well," Kilo began, unsure of something nobody had known about him. Everyone close to him knew something about him, varying in whether it was a deep dark secret or some everyday fact. "Only my mother knows of my name, you know. Sounds stupid, I know. Hiding such a dumb thing as a name from anyone who isn't blood relative." He shrugged his shoulders. "My name is not Kilo, though I'm sure that was obvious for a smart girl like you." As he spoke, he thumbed over his dog tags, running over the bumps in the metal that displayed his nickname the dates of when he started to change his life, and when he had fully changed, according to his dietary habits. It wasn't an every day thing for him to tell his name to anyone, so it took a while. In school he never allowed teachers to say his real name, since anyone who went to school from elementary to high school with him knew of the name, though most just called him the fat kid anyway. He cleared his throat and looked her in the eye, grabbing her hand to hold it. "My name is Tyler Andres Diaz, if you must know." Even though he sounded clear, it was difficult to say such a name. It sounded odd, like it wasn't ever truly his name in the first place, yet it was. He remembered when in earlier years, kids would call him Tyler Diabetes, and other cruel names to mock his physical state. "What about you, Winnie? Got a secret you'd like to share?" He smiled at her, brushing his hand over her upper arm to comfort her. "Don't have to be big, can be as small as can be." It was a reminder that she could say whatever she wanted. Secrets didn't always have to be some major scheme, as if you've been hiding it from the cops for years and years.

There were some things he was hiding from the cops, though only his friends needed to know that. There were times when he helped Lift get out of sticky situations, or even went so far as helping him rob an establishment. It was a wonder how that never got caught, but they were smart, and cops around here aren't as good as they think they are. Easily he's talked or acted his way out of situations, playing roles and lying to their faces to keep out of trouble. Of course though, any street rat would do the same to keep out of trouble, while still getting into trouble at the same time.

Korren blushed, giggling to herself at the little comment. She shrugged, brushing nose to nose with him. The next question he asked stunned her for a moment. Her expression changed to ponder what he had asked. Surely if he dressed nicer they would be fooled, but sadly she would not be able to introduce him as her lover, not at first. "Uhm," She spoke up, unsure truly as to how they would react for sure. "Maybe, I have no idea." As she spoke, she frowned, disliking the idea. "If you did introduce yourself, uhm.." Dread set in her eyes at what she was about to say as her voice lowered. "I can't tell them we're dating." Her eyes drifted down to the sheets. "They would never let you in the house. All they know is that Bucky is my boyfriend, and I can't convince them otherwise. They'll think I'm distancing myself." She closed her eyes, sighing. "I'm sorry." Korren placed her head on his chest, feeling horrible for even saying what she had said. Nothing but discontent for her parents and how gullible they were coursed through every vein in her body. They were far more naive than she ever could be. It was sad, but it was true. "I want to tell them the truth, but they never believe me." Her voice was broken and quiet, wanting to desperately deny this fact, though denial wouldn't make it less true.

 

[McMajestic]

Winnie felt a slight brush creep on her as he admitted that Kilo wasn't his real name, how he assumed she was smart enough to have figured that out. It sounded so natural that Winnie had never given it a second thought. She had assumed it was his real name, and certainly his dog tags said it as well. Up until this moment she had no reason to believe it was anything different, and it made her face darken with embarrassment the longer she thought about it. As he said his name though, she found herself smiling. "Tyler," she repeated quietly, squeezing his hand back. It must have been important to him, considering how closely he guarded that name, and how it seemed almost difficult for him to give it to her. "I like it. Tyler suits you." She kissed his cheek, smiling as she looked him over, thinking Tyler. This is what Tyler looks like. She knew then that she couldn't go back to calling him Kilo now. His real name just made so much more sense in her mind.

As he asked about her secrets, she closed her eyes to think for a moment before opening them and looking up at Kilo. "Last year, we lived in a nice suburb in New York. I woke up early to make Dalton breakfast on father's day and I turned away from the stove just for a minute to go to the bathroom. When I got back the entire kitchen was on fire. Half of our house burnt down. When Dalton asked me if I knew anything, I told him Bronze did it because he was too drunk to pay attention. Dalton believed that and kicked Bronze out until the house was fixed, which took three months. Still, nobody knows it was my fault." She took a breath, looking over the movie screen. "I still feel really bad about it. It was an honest accident. I had it on low heat and everything- I still have no idea how it started, but if Dalton ever found out it was me and I lied to him, well, I'd be the one living under a bridge." She shook her head and laid down, rested her head in Kilo's lap as she watched the movie. "I just didn't want to get yelled at," Winnie whispered, closing her eyes and picturing the horrible moment before opening them in hopes she could block out the image forever.

Sage took a long moment to process what Korren was saying. It bothered him to think that they couldn't tell her parents about their relationship. He'd never been so serious about someone before and so he wanted her mom and dad to be on board with it just as much as his parents were. It was unsettling though, to think they refused to believe their own daughter over some brat. "Alright," he finally said. He didn't want to tell her it was okay because it truly wasn't. It wasn't fair to either of them. "You don't have to be sorry, Korren, it's not your fault." That was better, that held more honesty than 'it's okay'. "Maybe don't introduce me as the boyfriend then, but give me a chance to earn their trust and maybe once they like me as your friend then they'll like me as your boyfriend and we can tell them. You can use the whole french tutor thing as a cover-up. I can buy nice cologne- the expensive shit- and maybe some polos and khakis. I clean up really nice, I promise. I just... I don't like the idea of them not liking me," he admitted. Sage was never one to care about what others thought, but at the end of the day some opinions did matter to him. His friends', his girlfriend's, and especially his girlfriend's parents'. If he didn't have them on his side, then he didn't see how this could work at all.

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo took notice to her reddened cheeks, wondering as to why her face was so lit up by the pigment. It was cute in a way, though something seemed to bother her, but he let it go for now. Intently he listened to her, hanging on to each and every word. For a moment he smiled, though it dropped when she seemed to power down from telling the story. Quickly he changed to a more serious demeanor, hanging on to every word. He ran his fingers through her hair, wanting to keep that kinetic comfort, to keep her happy. "Hey," He whispered, smiling down at her to be kind. "None of us want to be yelled at. I would have done the same, doll. It's in the past now." Kilo leaned down, placing a gentle kiss on her temple. For a moment he lingered there, smiling at her. "You know something no one knows?" He placed another kiss on her temple, whispering as if it were some deep dark secret. "You have stolen my heart, and I don't think I'm going to want it back anytime soon." Once that was said, he couldn't help but smile, leaning back against the cushions. There was a blanket laying across the couch cushions, by which he grabbed and settled it over Winnie.

Korren looked up at him, nodding to what he had to say, to all except him changing. Surely it would have been more convincing, yes, but she didn't want him to change just for her. "No, it's okay. You don't have to change, I don't want you to think you have to." She gave a half smile, trying to lighten the mood. "I can still tutor you for you. They can't argue if I have to tutor you." A small wink was given, as if it were an attempt to be sly. It was a good plan, and besides she really could tutor him whenever she needed to and be undetected right under their noses. Sage wouldn't have to change the way he was, though he would have to be careful about showing affection towards her. "Just.. if they are making you feel uncomfortable, let me know." It irked her to say this, but it was needed. Her parents tended to be rather snobbish and judgemental, and above all naive. "I just don't want them to change you just because you aren't like them." She grabbed his hand, looking down at their hands locked together. Her nimble fingers tapped near the top of his knuckles, locking together in a way. It scared her to think he would change just to gain their approval, when in reality their approval was difficult to gain and keep. Anyone who knew this knew they would have to lie to them, to trick them into thinking one thing when it's actually another. This was what Bucky did, but he did it for all the wrong reasons.

 

[McMajestic]

As Kilo reassured Winnie, she nodded once and continued to watch the movie as it played, although almost immediately turned slightly to look up at Kilo as he mentioned his dark secret nobody knew. She listened intently as he spoke, thinking it would be something serious, but as he said she had stolen his heart she couldn't help but smile, and no matter how hard she tried, she just couldn't stop. Kilo just had an effect on her like no other ever could. "I love you, Ty Bear," she said quietly, giggling as she moved her hand up to rest on his cheek. After he put the blanket over her, she leaned up and kissed him sweetly, before resting back down against his lap, her fingers brushing over his dog tags. She glanced up to Kilo, before resting one against her palm and examining a date on it. "Tyler, what are these?" she asked, genuinely curious. "I know they're important, but why?" She finally let go, looking back at him, wondering if he would mind her calling him by his actual name since nobody else did, but in the same token she couldn't call him Kilo. It didn't feel right to ignore his first name entirely.

Sage chuckled as she winked, soaking in everything she was saying before coming back with something of his own. "I know you don't want me to change for people but I'm not. I'm just going to look a little nicer, is all. It won't change who I am by any means, and I always cut the profanity out when I'm around adults anyways. It won't be much different than how I act around my own parents. Korren, you have to understand though, I need them to like me." He took a short breath, feeling like he needed to explain. "I know I seem like I don't have any type of values or standards but I do, and I honestly care so much that I'm welcomed into your life not only by you but by the people who are supposed to know what's best for you. Granted, they don't seem to know what's best, but I just want the chance to be accepted, and I want the chance to tell them how much I love you and how I would do anything for you. And even if I did change a little, it'd be for the better. I'm not exactly the best catch right now," he added, laughing lightly to add some humor into what he was saying.

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo smiled at her, held captive by her kiss. He placed his hand over her cheek, brushing his thumb over the cheekbone as a sort of comfort. Just like her, he couldn't stop smiling, and loved to see the same from her. The nickname she gave to him was interesting, though he didn't mind it. After all, she could call him the meanest thing in the world and jt would be adorable in his eyes. "And I love you, Winnie the Pooh." It rhymed, causing him to chuckle. What she was doing, he didn't mind. She wasn't going to harm his precious tags, so there was no need to be upset over her touching them, especially with curiosity. The question she asked was filled with curiosity, genuinely wanting to know about the story behind them. His expression softened, and he looked at her with a smile. He didn't like to be called by his first name, but Winnie was the exception. She made the name sound so normal, so important, and yet it was special all rolled into one. "When I was in elementary school, I was pretty fat for a kid. Weird, I know, but hear me out..." He continued to tell his story, tell of how he's hated himself for so long because of people hating him for his weight, and him hating it as well. The dates on the dog tag was the day he was pushed to make a change by his best friends. The ending date signified when he was finally at a good state of mind, content with what he did to get to where he was now. His voice was rather humbled and mellow through it, but raised to a soft and caring nature when he mentioned making that switch in his life. The movie was practically drowned out by his story, since they weren't watching it much anyway. At one point he mentioned how he got his nickname, and how he uses the insult as a way to stand up against the bullying and ridicule that he suffered through. No longer could bullies call him Kilo if he proudly wore the name. "...and now, I wear these to remind myself the shit life's thrown at me, to keep myself in check." He softly smiled at her by the end of the story. It meant so much to him, to let her know of struggles he's been through in life. Of course, nothing was as bad as she had gone through, but he decided against bringing it up. He didn't want to hurt her now, ever since he had gotten her to smile and laugh. A reminder of her own past was the last thing she needed.

Korren nodded, listening to each word. It wasn't promising that he could possibly change, since she loved him as he was, but if he wanted to change there was nothing she could do to stop him. "Okay." She smiled at him, nodding again in understanding. The one thing she was worried about was him spending money just to impress her parents, which had a 50/50 chance of working in the first place. How much would he spend just to please them? She tried to brush the thought away, burying her head into his shoulder. In a way this was so he wouldn't see her worry, though she did need the comfort.

After a moment there was a door downstairs that opened, with her parents quietly chatting. She froze, her face during sheet white. What if they went to her room? They were traveling up the stairs, with each foot step sounding heavier than usual. Her heart was pounding as she looked at Sage, staying deathly silent. If they were quiet then her parents wouldn't bother them. Soon she could hear her parents traveling in the direction of her room, and she panicked. The door handle was slowly turning. "Honey, don't bother her. She's sleeping." Her mother called out in a quiet voice. The handle stopped turning, and latched back to its regular position. "Alright, but we have to check on her in the morning, dear." Her father spoke in almost a whisper before slowly walking to his room, each foot step echoing in Korren's ears. When she heard the two foot steps walk away and a door open and shut, she let out a breath that she was holding that whole time. It was too close of a call that time, and who knew what could happen in the morning.

 

[McMajestic]

Winnie listened to Kilo talk, feeling a drop of guilt in her own mind. She always so self-oriented, and tended to let her emotions throw her into the center of attention, but Kilo, Kilo had been just a child when society had cast him aside. It was disgusting to think about people being so cruel to someone- especially from such a young age. Winnie thought about her own predicament, being left passed out wherever she was. She looked back up at the tags, before sitting up slowly in his lap, dragging the blanket around her shoulders before wrapping her arms around his neck, forgetting about the movie entirely. "Just so you know, I don't love you because you look hot, I love you for what's on the inside, and I think those douchebags were just jealous. You had real friends, you know? How many people get to say that?" She looked down at the tags, brushing over them once more. "But I am really proud of you, for turning it into a positive incentive rather than just succumbing to bad feelings. Most people don't have that kind of will power." Winnie kissed his lips gently, before smiling at him. "Maybe I should get a dog tag, put today's date on it. The day I finally found someone that I have to be good enough for. My reason to be better." She looked back up at him with a grin, glad to have this moment with the person she loved.

Sage smiled, glad to get Korren's approval on this. He needed her support just as much as he needed her parents to support them. Although as the footsteps got closer he found himself frozen in place. Sage had gone so far as to quite literally hold his breath as the door handle moved. He was already thinking of escape plans and strategies to jump out the window the quickest when Korren's mother waved off the idea and her father said something about checking in the morning. Sage waited until he heard the door open and close before he finally decided to let out the breath he'd been holding in. "Holy shit, Korren, we are the baddest rebels ever," he said, obviously joking as he smiled and kissed her with a bit more force than even he had expected, before pulling back and snickering. "My heart left the building for a second. I thought I was dead. I actually thought your dad was going to come in and snap my neck." He laughed a bit louder, before quickly quieting down so as not to get caught, though he was feeling a bit giddy by the near-death experience.

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo smiled at her, his expression softened by her words. At this point in his life he was content with his body, and content with himself, though never truly loved who he was. He placed his hands on her sides, looking her in the eye as she spoke. At the mention of him truly having good friends, he smiled. Of course that was true, though all credit for him even trying to better himself was to his friends, and especially to Sage and Winsley. Without them, he would have still been a hefty fellow. He didn't voice this though, and instead smiled, kissing her back softly as her lips met with his. Kilo placed one hand cupping under her chin, while the other rested on her side. "I'm honored, and I will gladly help you every step of the way, doll." He leaned foreward, gently kissing her. All he should have done was a simple kiss, and no more. It was difficult to pull away, though. Everything was right, and yet he promised her that he would slow down, even if it may have only been a promise depending on him. He finally pulled away, though rested his forehead against hers. "Why don't we get you a tag tomorrow? We can get one for today's date, and the second one you gotta earn." Kilo winked, wanting to keep a light mood despite the partially serious topic. She was not okay and definitely needed help, though that did not mean she was not normal. The tags were to represent milestones in the right direction, and so they would take their tiny steps or giant leaps into such direction, no matter the cost.

Korren looked at Sage with her colorless face. Her heart was beating a mile a minute, as she could momentarily barely form a single word. She smiled when he spoke, trying to normalize what just happened. It was no surprise to recieve a kiss, though more force was pushed into it out of spite. This caused her anxiety to bubble, though she tried to push it down. There was no need to be anxious, and yet there she was, unable to handle the slightest of actions. He pulled back, and she took in as much air as she could in to her lungs, though still smiled at him. A tired look was set in her eyes, exhausted from the close call. Sage's laughter made her feel better, causing her to smile a little more brightly. "My dad couldn't hurt a fly. He's all talk, but he doesn't fight well. He's a business man." Korren explained, chuckling a little. It was true. If he set his mind to landing a punch, it would be quite average. The man truly did know how to punch, but that was all he knew. Other than that, he would easily get into shouting matches if he needed to, but other than that he was built for cubicles and phone calls.

 

[McMajestic]

Winnie smiled and nodded at the idea of having dog tags to mark her progress. It was cute and it would help connect her with Kilo in a way, because they would both have these reminders of dark times in their lives, and the moment they both decided to let the light in. He had managed to do his all on his own but Winnie wasn't strong enough to do that, and truly she never would be. "I like the dog tags," she said gently, right before he kissed her. It went on for much longer than she expected, though of course she never complained. What was there to complain about? This felt good. This felt right. This was the best feeling she had had in years and she never wanted to lose it, yet all too soon he pulled away. "Alright, tomorrow. It's a date." She winked at me before her smile faltered and she rested her head on his chest. "But, you should know another secret." She curled up against him in his lap, feeling safe where she was. "My therapist back in New York told me my panic attacks are chronic, which basically means I'm never going to get better- not completely. And I'm sure I'll be able to work on it and control it to an extent so they don't happen so often but I don't think I'll ever get this tag." She pointed towards the second one that marked his completion. "Because I'll never stop having them completely." She rested her ear against his heart, listening to the steady beat of it. "But you know, you keep me calm, you keep me sane. So as long as you're around I'll be okay." She closed her eyes, relaxing against him, starting to feel that day's events in their entire exhausting state. Winnie yawned, cuddling closer to Kilo, feeling herself beginning to drift off. "Tyler Diaz," she whispered. "My superman." She smiled to herself at the idea of it before finally falling to sleep.

Sage hadn't even noticed Korren's anxiety over the situation, and instead matched her smile with one of his own, glad he could make her laugh a bit. As she began to explain her father, Sage nodded once. It occurred to him then that he probably didn't know as much about Korren as he should have, though he didn't know how to ask for her life story and so he simply decided to save it for another time and place. For now he would hold her. "I'll make sure I'm gone in the morning, but really I'll be in the neighborhood. You just text me when you're on your way out of the house and walk you down the block and have Kilo pick us up, does that sound okay, love? I just really wanna be next to you tonight. I'm not going to get you in trouble, I swear," he added hoping she would allow him to stay. He assumed she would, but the fact that her parents were so close might make her decide against it. He only hoped she wouldn't. He liked sleeping with her in his arms.

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo smiled, chuckling at her cute little wink. He listened to her explanation, not really wanting it to be true. She would get better, and no chronic condition would be able to hold her back for life. "Well, you can get them when you have reached a peaceful state of mind." He spoke before she drifted off, calling him by name and saying he was her Superman. This made him smile. While he watched her sleep, he himself began to drift off. It had been too long since he had slept, so it was hard to get up, and especially leave her side, even when he knew he had to. Just to make it comfortable, he laid down and pressed himself into the couch so she could have room to lay down. One arm went underneath his head, while the other wrapped around Winnie's waist. Before he realized it, he had fallen asleep with her in his arms. Unconsciously he tangled his legs together with hers, staying pressed together as they slept there on the couch. It probably wasn't a good idea to stay, but he didn't have control over whether to stay awake or not at that point. He had peaceful dreams, though most he could not remember, leaving a blank black slate in his mind.

Korren smiled at him. Although she hated the idea of him having to leave, she knew he had to. But not for now. For now, they could sleep and dream of a better tomorrow. "Okay. We can ride in my car though, I don't really drive often, but it would be fun to drive for once." She faintly smiled. A yawn broke her expression for a moment, with her covering her mouth through the yawn. "I wish you could just stay here forever." She spoke in a tired voice, curling up to him all the while. It was nice to be against him, to share body heat and hear each other's heart beats. Before she drifted off, she leaned up and pressed her lips against his. If only she could stay awake, to just stay like this forever and never leave. She started to try and deepen the kiss, with beginnings of tilting her head. Her hand moved up to rest over his cheek. Slowly she began to drift, the kiss weakening as exhaustion took over. When she drifted, she slowly pulled away, resting her head against the pillow while they were nose to nose. In her dreams she imagined it all continuing, though eventually she would have to wake up and realize she had fallen asleep.

 

[McMajestic]

Dalton had come down stairs the next morning to see Kilo and Winnie sleeping together on the couch. It unsettled him quite a bit, to know they were so used to each other's company already. He didn't want Winnie to get hurt but he just couldn't figure out a scenario where problems didn't arise. For a moment he paused, looking into the living room, trying to decide whether or not to snap at Kilo for spending the night. Finally, he let it go, though he'd have to keep talking to Winnie about her attachment, keep coaching her on how important being independent was. Because if she wasn't then one day Kilo would leave her and she would shatter, just like Dalton had so long ago, and he wouldn't wish that kind of pain on his worse enemy. For now though, he let them be and instead headed out the door. He had an early appointment this morning, and it was important that he got there on time.

Winnie woke up slowly. She was a deep sleeper and so noises and people were all but nonexistent when she was sleeping. She tended to get up at a reasonable time though, and this morning was no different as she wiggled around to face Kilo and kissed him gently, figuring that would be a nice wake up call. "Ty, we gotta get ready for school," she whispered, feeling a bit giddy to be in his arms. She wanted every morning to be like this.

As Korren kissed him, Sage couldn't deny his own desire to deepen the kiss, yet he could feel Korren beginning to lose focus, and soon she was asleep and so he decided to follow suit, drifting off with her in his arms to protect her from everything bad.

The next morning, he woke up just as early as always, right before the sun came up, and he carefully untangled himself from Korren, kissing her temple once before heading towards her window. There was no way he was going to risk the front door- not with both parents home. So he pulled it open, and looked around. It wasn't a far jump and there were plenty of bushes to cushion his fall, and aside from that the stone the house was made up of was rather rough, almost like rock climbing but with more narrow footholds. It made it easy for him to haphazardly climb and slide down the side of the house, before landing in the bushes with ease. He wished he could have stayed with Korren but the last thing he wanted to do was be exiled before he even had a chance. So he headed towards the front of the house, and sat on the curb just a short block away, waiting for Korren. He didn't have any clothes to change into at the moment, but he was sure they could stop by his house for a bit, say hi to Rose, and make a game plan for the day. He wasn't going to allow Korren back into that school, or back home for that matter. She needed a break- she needed real, genuine fun with no worries, and he was determined to give that to her.

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo slowly woke after he felt her kiss. Out of habit he groaned, stretching out on the couch with his arms above his head. He opened his eyes, seeing this beautiful girl in front of him, and smiled. "Alright, alright." Instead of getting up immediately, he looked at her, helpless to smile. It was a wonder as to why he couldn't stay by her side every morning, though that probably would have been a bit much. He sat up, stretching and popping his back one last time, before letting out a sigh. Truly he hated mornings, and held a grudge to the harsh sting of daylight and constantly chirping birds. This morning though, he cherished it with Winnie by his side. He brushed a hand over her arm, smiling down at her as he sat there. "Go get ready, doll. Gotta visit home so I don't smell like shit anymore." Kilo chuckled to himself, leaning down to kiss her cheek. In turn to her getting ready, he decided to make breakfast for the two of them, not really sure of whether Dalton was home or not. Surely he would have wanted something to eat if he was. He went to the kitchen, quickly cooking up a few omelets. Two for him and her, and a couple more to be saved for later. Once he was done he put the dishes and ingredients away, leaving a plate with an omelet out for her, and fresh coffee. The coffee maker was a little tricky, though he figured out how to use it. Not much had to be done with such a fancy thing. He placed down a coffee mug full of rich coffee next to the plate so she could be greeted with an energizing breakfast. At that point he had already eaten his, and was taking large sips of coffee. It was good, the expensive kind. The kind you didn't get at a local grocery store, while at home he had to purchase knock off coffee, which he had grown accustom to the taste, but it still was nothing like what he was experiencing.

Once they ate breakfast and left the house, they headed over to an older looking home, one with weeds and bones crawling up the house, while occasional shingles on the roof looked loose or too old to even be there. A dog barked in his chain fenced backyard, a german shepherd to be precise. Her name was Chica, and loved people that were near and dear to the Diaz family, though always tended to viciously bark at strangers. Kilo rushed in the house, cleaned up, changed his clothes, and kissed his mother's cheek before heading back out. The worst part of the day was school, but he had to protect Winnie and please his mother. They drove up to the school, ready to go through hell before they could finally be free of the school atmosphere.

Korren slowly woke up, having an empty bed again. She almost panicked, though remembered what he had said. There was a breeze in her room, and she looked to see her window open. It made her smile and chuckle, to think that he took the window. At the same time it also worried her. Did he break anything on his way down? Was he okay? Hopefully he was. She got up, going through her full morning routine. Once she was done she texted him. I'm heading out in a minute. See you soon Sent. Before she could really go out, she headed downstairs to see her parents, which were making breakfast and drinking wine. "Hello, darling. How are you?" Her father spoke up in between eating his food, eyeing her with a smile. Korren smiled at both of her parents, grabbing an apple. "I'm good, well rested." She took a bite from the apple, tucking her phone away in her jeans. "Did you have any thoughts? Did you talk to Bucky?" What he meant was suicidal thoughts, ones that would be devastating. She paused, frowning a little. "No, dad. I don't have those thoughts anymore, and I went to bed after I went upstairs." There was a short pause, and she looked at the time, thinking of school time. Of course she wasn't going to go, but she needed a reason to leave. "I'm going to be late. I love you both." She kissed both of their cheeks, carrying her book bag out with her to her car. That day she put on a little makeup, just to liven herself up and slightly cover the bruise on her neck, though was very subtle. She was wearing a red flowing skirt and white blouse, as well as a harvard pin. As for her shoes she had on red flats, just to seem flattering and professional. Her blouse was long sleeved, so it definitely covered her bruises. Finally she exited through the front door with keys in hand, putting her bag in the trunk before hopping into the front seat. She drove off, taking it slow through the neighborhood and down the block, stopping when she saw Sage on the sidewalk. Korren rolled down the window, smiling at him. "Good morning, greaser. You need a ride?" She winked playfully, trying to make a joke and keep a lightened mood. After all, they were going to spend the day together, and she wanted to enjoy it as much as she could.

 

[McMajestic]

Winnie had begun to examine the house they pulled up to, smiling softly when she saw the german shepherd. As she waited on Kilo, she couldn't help but wonder what the inside looked like. The outside looked old and worn down, tired almost, but that didn't mean anything. The inside could be a paradise for all she knew. She'd have to ask Kilo to invite her over soon. But for now she'd let it go. They had a school day to get through still, after all.

When Winnie had to part ways with Kilo, she had given him a quick kiss, something Chloe had noticed as she walked up to Winnie to talk to her, though she didn't say anything about it. The two girls walked off chatting animatedly, and Winnie found herself feeling quite at home with her new friends and boyfriend, even if she had been cautioned of the popular kids. Chloe was a good friend. Even if Bucky was lying, she couldn't hold it against Chloe.

As third period rolled around and Winnie sat next to Bucky in her video game design class, they had gotten into a conversation about the party tonight. "You're still coming, right?" he asked, his hand resting on her knee. Winnie was a bit uncomfortable with his obvious advances on her but he didn't know she was dating Kilo yet, and just as she opened her mouth to tell him, she paused. She wasn't ashamed of Kilo, of course not, but if he didn't like Bucky, then how could Bucky like him? And so she decided to leave that detail out, and instead go straight to his question. "I can't. I'm grounded," she tried to make herself sound more upset about it than she really was. "Oh, break a few rules, Sweetheart. Let's have some fun." Now his arm had moved around her shoulders, and she bit her lip, shaking her head. "Sorry, Bucky, but I can't do that. My dad's a lawyer. His punishments are cruel and unusual." She laughed lightly, leaning forward so Bucky's arm would be forced to move off her. Bucky frowned slightly, but then smiled. "Alright, doll," Winnie flinched. The way he emphasized that word so much made her think he already knew, and he had something in store for her she wasn't aware of.

Sage chuckled as Korren rolled up, and got to his feet. He headed over to passenger side since he didn't mind Korren driving at all, and hopped in. "Alright Cherry Pop, we got a lot of ground to cover. I'm thinking we start with ice cream for breakfast." He slid his hand into hers, squeezing gently. "But first let's go to my place. I gotta get cleaned up and you could hang out with Rose while I do my thing." He leaned back comfortably in his seat, not bothering with a seatbelt. It may have seen dangerous but Sage was never much for putting one on in the first place- unless he was drag racing, but since his Mustang had exploded there was no chance of that. The thought of his car made him frown slightly. He still hadn't told his parents it blew up and he didn't want to. If he did then they'd want to get him something new but it wouldn't be a muscle car, which was what he wanted. He tried to remind himself to start saving up so that maybe he could buy a new one someday but for now he was stuck carpooling, which he supposed he didn't mind all that much.

When they got to Sage's house he was quick to clean up, not wanting to spend too much time there, though he was going through the motions so fast he almost walked out the door without Korren, but quickly caught himself. He said hi and bye to Rose and quickly made sure she had taken her medicine before heading out so Korren and him could on their wild date together.

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo went off to class after a genuine kiss, and headed off to go to his rather boring classes, zoning through the day. He did have one class with her, which was math. That class he enjoyed, though not because of the subject. The rest of his day was filled with boredom and flirtation from other girls. Every time he would just brush them off, ignoring them completely. When lunch came around he found Winnie and ended up hanging out with her. As for fourth block, there was an emergency with Winsley. He was skipping class class to avoid long boring lectures, and found Winsley out in the hallway. She had been brawling it out with another kid, biting, punching, and hitting them with cheap shots to get her point across. The kid had intentionally touched her hair, and in fact laughed about it in her face. Those who knew Winsley knew that she hated her hair to be touched by anyone that wasn't her friends. He had to pry her off of the kid, pulling her away to go to the nearest gas station. From there he purchased cigars for her so she could calm down, rather than find that poor kid again and finish what she had started. Since it was Kilo who bought the cigars, she had no problem with smoking one for the day, though rationed them. That month she was desperately trying not to get high, though a cigar or two wouldn't hurt for that day. Kilo joined her in smoking at the gas station, though returned to school by the end of the school day to meet up with Winnie by her classroom. Before he left the gas station he had gotten mints so he wouldn't smell completely of smoke, though the scent lingered faintly on his clothing. Winsley went to meet up with Patch, and they both walked down to the bowling alley after school for various reasons and troubles.

Kilo stood outside of her classroom, slackly keeping his bag over his shoulder, which barely had anything in it. He was on his phone, deciding to send a message to Sage. Hey. You cool with going to the gym soon? Don't have to be today. We gotta talk, man. He hesitated, unsure of whether or not he really should send it. Truly he felt bad, not at all for dating Winnie, but for slightly ditching his friends. Clearly things were broken between him, Patch, and Sage. Whenever they were in the hallways, she didn't even look at him. She was always known to hold grudges, so this would have to be cleared up. Whether it would have to be a shouting match or slamming doors, he didn't care. It was painful to see Patch so beaten up over what she feared to be abandonment, when that really wasn't the case. He sent the message, and decided to send a few more to other friends. First, Lift. Hey, man. Any liftin' lately? Better answer, we can't bail you out if you get caught, dumb piece of shit. Kilo chuckled. Lift would know that it was a joke. Next up, Rose. Hola Rosa. How is our lovely queen doing today? Winnie was next, and certainly the most important. The door to the class was closed, so she needed to know he was there. Hey babe, I'm outside the class. Ready to get you a fancy new tag, mi amor? And last but certainly not least, Patch. He sighed, but needed to talk to her when he could. We have to talk soon. You can't keep staying mad at me, Patch. I may seem like a dickweed in your mind right now but you gotta understand what's going on. Can't run off of one side of the story, you know. I'm not leaving you guys for just any girl, and you know damn well I wouldn't lie to you. This was the most forward thing he could possibly say, but it needed to be said. There was no way to get through to her other than blunt speech. She didn't answer back right away, but he knew that she saw it. Surely she would come through to him, but she would have to decide to do it on her own.

Korren smiled at him, squeezing his hand back. "Alright, let's go." She moved her hand back to the wheel, starting the car to go off to Sage's house. All the while she played some music from a cd that she purchased, tapping her fingers on the wheel every now and then. When they reached his house, she walked inside and sat in the living room. She had light conversation with Rose, talking about her morning as common small talk. When Sage had almost rushed out the door without her, she smiled at Rose and gave her a quick hug before following him out of the home, quickly waving to Rose in a friendly manner. She was a very nice girl, and Korren was glad to have been able to approach her for once. It didn't cross her mind how quickly he had gotten ready, or the fact that he was in such a rush to leave his house. In her mind he was just excited for the date, so she went along with it. She started the car, heading off to their first destination. Granted, she wasn't a crazy driver like the rest, but she did drive at least five mph over the speed limit, though this practice was common for drivers on the road.

 

[McMajestic]

Winnie checked her phone just as the bell rang, and smiled brightly as she saw Kilo's text though she didn't bother to respond. If he was just outside then of course there was no reason for her to text back when she could instead greet him with her voice. Winnie moved to rush out of the classroom before the doorway flooded, bolting out and noticing Kilo almost instantly. She smiled, walking up to him and pushing herself up on the tips of her toes to kiss him quickly. "Dalton's not home so you can't go inside, but it doesn't mean we can't have some fun in your car," she joked, taking his hand in hers to pull him along with suddenly Chloe called to her. Winnie paused, turning around just in time for Chloe to scurry up to her. "Hey Winnie, I heard you couldn't come to the party tonight." Winnie nodded once. "Yeah, I'm grounded up through the weekend." She let go of Kilo's hand and stepped towards Chloe so she would be able to hear her alright through the crowding hallways. "Well, could I stop by tonight anyways? I've been kind of procrastinating with this fashion design project and I still need some color theory in my life." Winnie hesitated, thinking for a moment. She was in that class too although she wasn't required to the project since she hadn't been in school more than three days. She wondered if Dalton would allow it. "Yeah, sure. It's for school so I'm sure Dalton wouldn't mind." Chloe grinned brightly. "Thanks, Winnie! I'll be over around seven." She smirked slightly, more towards Kilo, before walking off, and Winnie smiled, turning back to grab Kilo's hand again so he could take her home.

Sage bought the two of them ice cream and was in the middle of enjoying his own when his phone dinged. He looked down at the text and saw it was from Kilo, frowning slightly. They hadn't ended their last conversation on the best of terms. As he opened the text, though, it seemed Kilo was willing to work things out. Sage took it with a grain of salt, though, knowing Kilo wanted to find some middle ground and the reality of it was Sage wasn't looking for compromise, he was just looking to get rid of the people who were toxic- and Winnie was definitely toxic.

He glanced up at Korren as he thought about how to respond, before finally looking back down at his phone. Maybe tomorrow if you're not too busy with your new slut. Sage typed the message out and sent it without thinking. He knew it was cruel to be so blunt and angry towards Kilo, but he couldn't help it. Out of every girl in the world he picked one that was drowning in the inner circles of popularity by day one of her arrival. Something was up with that, something was up with Winnie, and he didn't want Kilo getting hurt. Maybe if he continued to openly hate Winnie, Kilo would decide that he just couldn't mix her with the group and leave her. It made sense- of course, there was always the alternative that Kilo left them, but Sage doubted that would happen.

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo watched as she came out, hold on to her hand when she came out of the class. They kissed, and he smiled, quickly following after her. She stopped though, and he turned to see Chloe. Instead of saying anything, he glared at Chloe when Winnie wasn't looking, wanting her to leave his girl alone. He couldn't control who she talked to, but he would have to explain some day what Chloe did to his friends, and how badly she screwed them all over. Chloe wasn't a good person, and everyone in the group knew this. Before Chloe had walked off, he sent her a harsh glare, before switching back to soften up for Winnie. He smiled, though the look in his eyes was purely lit with a fire, which would take a bit to die out. Nothing angered him more than that one girl that hurt all of his friends, yet he couldn't blame Winnie for not knowing about the stupid crap Chloe had done to them. He walked off with her by his side, gently squeezing her hand as they walked through the hallway. When they reached the car, he opened the passenger door for Winnie, then climbed into the drivers side. A buzz could be heard from his phone. He smiled at Winnie, though silently checked the message. It made his brow contort, frustrated by what Sage had said. He sighed, though put his phone down without answering and half smiled. "It's nothing, don't worry." Kilo started up the car, ready to take her to the army surplus store, where they sold dog tags and imprinted special lettering on them. It was quite cheap to get it done there, plus they used an older machine to imprint letters into it.

Korren took her ice cream, taking her time to finish it while Sage looked at his phone. She looked over when he frowned, curious as to what exactly was going on, though didn't asked right away. When he glanced up at her, she half smiled, though continued on eating her ice cream. There was a pit in her stomach, a feeling that something just was not quite right. "Is everything okay?" She asked quietly, carefully grabbing his hand. There was that look in her eye, one that held concern in the most loving way imaginable. Things were not okay obviously, but she at least wanted to know what was going on.

 

[McMajestic]

Winnie sat in the passenger seat, feeling content as Kilo drove. She dug through her backpack for a minute, before pulling out her sketchbook. "I was thinking about my dog tag and I was wondering if it has to be plain silver, you know? I was supposed to be working on this painting in art today but instead I was just sketching different designs and patterns for my dog tag." She flipped open her sketch book, which was filled with video game notes, different clothing designs, and multiple random sketches. Of course some of these are dumb, like zebra print." She shuddered just at the idea. "But I drew it anyways just to see. I think I still want it to be relatively simple, but I wanted a black border and a lighter color than silver. Not exactly white though, somewhere in between. I think it'd be cool if after each stepping stone the dog tag border got a little more interesting. I just know I'm going to need more than two so I thought it'd be fun to design new borders for each one," she explained.

Sage just looked up at Korren for a moment as she asked if everything was okay, trying and failing to smile. "I don't like Winnie." It was that simple, and also that complicated. "I don't think she's good for Kilo. He didn't even go to the gym yesterday and that's his daily routine. I'm just worried that she's going to work some sort of magic on him and then hurt him just like his last girlfriend did and I can't let him go through that. I know I'm being a dick about it but I just hate her and who knows, I might not even have a reason to, but I can't stop hating her. Just looking at her and her stupid fucking admiration for Kilo makes me mad because you know Chloe? She used to look at me like that and then she went and fucked Bucky and then that look changed, and I don't really care because I never loved Chloe but I did like her and I can tell with Winnie she's just another Chloe. She'll be nice until something better comes along. That's how this world works rights? That's how people like her work."

 

[FlameintheRoses]

Kilo listened to her design ideas, smiling all the while. Part of him was faking the expression, though he didn't feel as though it would be okay for him to express this. It interested him how deeply she thought about the dog tags. It made him happy, to think she was so deeply interested in getting such a simple item. "Well, whatever design you chose, I'm all for it." He smiled at her, though it faltered at the thought of what Sage had said. It irked him that his best friend had thought Winnie to be nothing more than a no good slut. She wasn't though, was she? No. It couldn't be true. When they arrived at the surplus store, he put the car in park. He leaned over, pecking a kiss on her cheek. It didn't feel like enough, though that was all he did for that moment. He tried to get his mind off of it for now, hoping that he could deal with the predicament later. "Let's go get you that tag." Kilo cooed, kissing her cheek once more.

Korren looked at him with a questioning expression, not truly understanding as to what was wrong until he outright said it. She listened, though didn't quite agree with how he felt towards her. Surely she must have been a different girl with different morals? Who could possibly compare to Chloe? Hopefully no one in the world. She remembered that day that Bucky cheated on her, and he didn't try to hide it either. Not even when she came into the room did they even stop their affair.

When he was done speaking she stayed silent, taking a breath to speak, though she closed her mouth. Anything she said was far too insignificant, and probably too obvious. Another thing she articulate was a little less obvious, and more of a question. "Maybe she's different. I don't think anyone could be like Chloe. Why not give her a chance?" Her cheeks went red, feeling as though she were in the wrong immediately after she had spoken. Maybe was a terrible word, only fit for uncertainty and nothing more. She kept eating her ice cream, shrinking back into her usual shy self. "You don't have to, but I thought maybe she isn't so bad..." Her words trailed off, from quiet spoken to almost whispered, mumbled even. In a way she was reverting to her nervous awkward habits, avoiding eye contact and overall having a demeanor that resembled a frightened fawn. The memory of Bucky and Chloe didn't help the situation either, though he probably didn't know about it. Of course he didnt. She never told him what happened, only that it happened.

 

[McMajestic]

Winnie smiled as he kissed her cheek once, then again after he mentioned going in. Winnie could feel a sort of atmosphere in the car though, a sort of craving she couldn't quite place but still knew all too well. She crawled over the console and kissed him deeply for a moment, smiling brightly. "I'm glad we get to share this dog tag thing with each other. It's nice. It makes me feel connected to you in the best way," she told him, before finally moving out of the car and looking at the army surplus store with excitement in her eyes. She started to head inside even though she didn't know where to go or what to do, and the moment she stepped in she felt a bit intimidated. A lot of the people in her looked tough, like if she said the wrong thing she could make them angry enough to hurt her, and so she leaned back against Kilo and looked down as she always did when she felt she was the inferior one in the room. Winnie wasn't a big fan of public places anyways, and this one only furthered her disdain.

Sage listened as Korren spoke, his frustration softening as he noticed the way she shrunk back as she tried to offer her own advice on the situation. "Hey love, don't get all shy on me," he said gently, taking her hand in his own. "I love you and your opinions and advice are so important to me. I really do value what you have to say about Winnie and the whole situation." He brushed his thumb over her knuckles and smiled. "I'll give her a chance, okay? I just... I'm very worried for Kilo. I set him up with this girl a while back and he fell in love and she broke his heart and I think I just feel guilty, you know? That was my fault. And allowing him to fall back into another girl who could just do the same things, it scares me for him." He let out a sigh, trying to think. "A chance, a very small chance though, and if I still end up not liking her that doesn't mean you have to obviously. I won't mind if you're her friend or anything so long as she doesn't screw you over." He shrugged once, hoping Korren would come back to him and stop shrinking away.