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Chapter Text

Prom. In a school as completely dysfunctional as Paper School, Prom night could mean literally anything to anyone. To Edward and his fellow bullies, it was often a night where everyone would fall victims to their cruel pranks and tricks. Edward has been counting down the days since the beginning of the month...

Unfortunately, it seemed fate had different plans this year. As it turned out, Oliver, the eldest of the bullies (and the sole "student" that wasn't actually a student) was actually planning on unironically attending prom with the eldritch monstrosity that haunts this school and happens to be his girlfriend. Great. Well, at least Zip would still be around to- nevermind, scratch that, she's caught a pretty bad flu. She'd have to stay home for at least a week... And miss out on Prom night.

... So this is a solo mission for Edward. He has to ruin Prom for everyone else... By himself... And also likely avoid ruining it for Oliver and Alice, considering how dangerous Alice gets when she's mad. There was hurdles upon hurdles for Edward to go over... Maybe he could at least ask Oliver for advice... Yeah, Edward will go and do that.

Monday, May 12th, 11:00 AM

Lunchroom

Oliver lounged around the lunch table, going through posts on some social media app. Lunch was... Uneventful right now, and Oliver really itched to do something fun... Maybe he should give his princess a visit, or...

Oliver's thoughts are interrupted by the appearance of Edward, his lunch tray landing on the circular table with a clink. Oliver gave that shit-eating grin he always gave to everyone whenever they seemed troubled. "Something on your mind, squirt?" Oliver asked, genuinely curious despite his teasing tone.

"... Eh, kinda," Edward said, giving a shrug as though he wasn't understating it. "Prom's coming up soon and with you and Zip out of the picture, I'm not sure how to wreak havoc alone."

"Hmm..." Oliver rubbed the slight stubble on his chin, pretending to think. "... You plan on going to Prom alone, then?"

"... Yeah?"

Oliver snorted, giving Edward a light chuckle before speaking again. "Well, the first issue is that you're going to Prom alone. When they see you, who have wronged many a student before, without anybody to call a partner at fucking prom night, they're gonna eat you alive!"

Edward exhaled, before taking a drink of the chocolate milk from his tray. He hadn't thought about that... "... So you want me to just... Ask someone to prom?"

"Better that than going alone, hm?"

"... Guess so," Edward shrugged. "Who do I even bring, though? Zip is sick, and everyone else likely hates me."

"Ah, relax, Eddy." Oliver munched down on his sandwich, speaking while chewing like a heathen. "All you really gotta consider is how desperately they wanna experience prom and if they already got someone to go with..."

Oliver glanced around the lunch room, before spotting Lizzy and Petunia. "Take those two, for example." He discreetly pointed towards their direction, guiding Edward's gaze to the two popular girls. "They're likely going together, y'know. You can already cross them off the list, considering how close those two are and how they have to attend every fucking event."

"... Whaddya telling me this for, exactly?" Edward tilted his head, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm saying... Hold on..." Oliver paused to swallow his food, before continuing to speak. "As I was saying, you don't have to like who you're going with... And they don't have to like you either. They just have to be desperate enough for a date and willing to go with you.

"It's all about taking that initiative, Eddy. You gotta grab somebody by the reins and let them know you want them for prom. You've got charm, don't you?" Oliver leaned forward, his eyes meeting Edward's. "... Think of anyone desperate enough for a date to prom. Anyone at all."

Edward pauses, taking another sip of his chocolate milk. Realistically speaking, who could he score a prom night with? Who'd be desperate enough for a date? His first thoughts went to Riley... But then he saw the potholes and hurdles. Riley was obsessively into Oliver, and considering he was already going with Alice, Riley was likely just not going to attend at all, instead opting to wallow in her room or something... Whatever the case, Riley was out of the question.

His second guess was Ruby. She was a robot that wanted to learn human things, he was a decent mechanic and a... Moderately okay partner, they could probably score it out... But then he recalled her friend group. Sure, Riley was, once again, out of the picture, but she still had Skell as an option, alongside any other pals she hung out with, like Kevin or... Something. Either way, Edward was likely a last choice for Ruby, especially with his bullying history. She wasn't the ideal target for an invitation.

Edward needed someone desperate. Someone who needed anyone to come to prom with, even if it was him... Even if he was one of the relentless bullies.

... Abbie.

Abbie was a solid choice, Edward admits. Even as a prime target of the bully trio's antics, he had a bad habit of falling for anyone with a good-looking face. Edward liked to imagine he looked good, so he had that going for him... Another factor in his favor lied in the rest of his friend group. Lana and Bubble are... Probably not coming to prom. Lana wasn't exactly one for huge events like this and Bubble would probably be too anxious. There's also Engel and Claire, but they were definitely coming as a duo together, and that left Abbie alone, a lovesick, desperate thing that would want to experience the event that is prom night.

"... You think Abbie would be against going to Prom?" Edward asks. He could see Oliver's smile growing wider.

"Hmm... You've got a good shot with that idiot." Oliver snickered. "... Ain't you both dudes, though? Would you be fine with the attention that gives?"

"... W-We could be going as a platonic thing, like Lizzy and Petunia or whatever!"

"..."

"..."

"... Like Lizzy and Petunia?"

"... Okay, bad example... Like, uh... Kevin and Cubbie or something." Edward scoffed, taking yet another sip of his chocolate milk, before crushing the carton in his hand.

"... Well, better than your last example." Oliver chuckled, leaning back around the chair he sat on. "Well, homosexuality aside, you're onto something with that guy. I think he's your best bet to making yourself not seem like a loser at prom."

"... Yeah, yeah, thanks, jackass."

Oliver laughed a wheezy laugh. "You're welcome, Eddy. Lemme know if you need anything else."

Monday, May 12th, 6:30 AM

Earlier Today, at the House in the Forest

Aiden was out back of the house, chopping wood with her trusty axe. She had really good hearing, and she could hear her younger brother from inside the wooden house walk down the stairs. She was used to hearing it by now after a few years, after she took in Abbie when their father had disappeared. 

She decided to stop working for now, and go back inside to greet Abbie. When she came in through the backdoor, she spotted Abbie sitting at the kitchen table, eating a bowl of cereal. "Good morning," She spoke, monotonous as ever.

"... Morning..." Abbie replied weakly. He seemed... Nervous. Aiden caught onto it.

"Are you alright?"

"... Yeah."

Aiden squinted at Abbie. She knew him better than that.

"... Okay, kind of..." Abbie looked to the side as he took a bite of the cinnamon toast crunch. "I'm just... P-prom is coming up."

"Prom?"

"... Yeah, prom, it's... Coming in a week..."

Aiden paused, before sitting down on the chair next to Abbie's with a thump. Even when sitting, Aiden's height was oddly intimidating, even with her lack of malice in this moment. "Explain prom to me."

Abbie's cheeks flushed a light pink. "... W-Well, prom is an event at school that you go to with a partner, and... Uh... Dance..."

"... Hm." Aiden paused once again. Aiden never really was one for romance, but she knew Abbie was a bit of a lovesick teen. She recalled him talking about his friends a little longer than necessary and how comparatively happy he was when he waved at students who recognized him at that one parent-teacher conference she went to.

... So what should she say?

"... Do you plan to go?" Aiden already knew the answer, but it never hurts to ask.

"... Yeah..." Abbie seemed a bit flustered at his own answer.

"Who do you plan on going with?"

"... I don't know."

"... Any contenders?"

"... Well, either they're already taken or they're not going either way..."

"I see." Aiden reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a half-empty pack of cigarettes and a lighter. She lit one of them up and put one between her lips. "... Do you know anybody who'd be willing to go with you?"

"I-I can't just ask somebody to go to prom with me!"

"You can." Aiden looked directly at Abbie, leaning forward as she spoke more. "You want to go to this 'prom', yes?"

Abbie paused, his eyes widened marginally at the intimidating closeness. "... Y-Yes...?"

"And you want to bring someone to prom, yes?"

"... Yes."

"Then you need to be more confident." Aiden turned away for a moment to blow smoke, before turning to Abbie again. "Let your potential partner know exactly who you are. Let them see you for who you are."

"... And what if they don't like it...?"

"Then you find someone who does. You have friends who like you for who you are, what's stopping your potential partners from liking you?"

Abbie glanced to the side. "... A-Alright... I'll try to be confident."

"You will be confident. I know that." Aiden doesn't smile a lot, but Abbie felt as though she would've done so if she did. At least a small tug on the lips. "... Get ready for school. You leave in twenty minutes."

"Y-yes, Aiden!" Abbie hastened his cereal-eating process to the point where he almost choked.

Chapter Text

Monday, May 12th, 2:30 PM

School Hallway

Abbie stood next to his locker, packing things for his trip back home, to the house in the forest. Even with Aiden's words calling to him, he still wasn't sure how to approach anyone... Maybe tomorrow, he can-

"Hey, Aaaaaabbie!"

... Oh great, Abbie thinks to himself. Abbie turned around and found his fears to be true. Edward, one of his bullies, seems to have interest in messing with him once again. Edward walked to Abbie like he owned the damn place, giving him his most annoying 'dazzling' smile. "Leaving so soon?"

"... Go away..." Abbie did not want to deal with Edward's bullshit, but it seemed he had other plans.

"Aw, c'mon, appleseed, you don't want to hang with your good pal?"

"..."

"... Ah, you got me! 'Good pal' ain't exactly the right descriptor, eh?"

"... What do you want?"

"Well, Abbie..." Edward paused. He just realized what he's about to do. He's going to ask Abbie to prom... Even if he didn't mean it in a romantic sense, the idea peppered his face with blush. "... I've got a favor to ask of you."

"... What...?" Abbie closed his locker, before turning back at his tormentor.

"... Well, uh... Y'know how prom is at the end of the week?"

"... Yeah?"

"Yeah, so like, normally I'd be in there with Oliver and Zip, y'know... But Oliver is actually going with his girl and Zip has the flu..."

"... What does that have to do with me?"

"Well, uh..." Edward gulped. This was... Awkward. "... If I, the guy who fucks with everyone, goes alone, everyone is gonna make fun of me for going alone before I can even cause chaos..."

"... What are you saying...?" Abbie raised an eyebrow, his initial dread replaced with cautious curiosity.

"... I'm saying I want you to go to prom with me."

"What."

A long pause occurs between the two. Abbie could not believe what he was hearing. Edward, his heartless bully... Was asking him to prom? It was too crazy to be true, and yet here he was, in front of him, talking about it...

"... Why?" Was all Abbie could muster.

"... Didn't I already tell you?" Edward crossed his arms, his face a brighter shade of pink after he ripped the bandaid off. "Oliver and Zip aren't coming with me."

"... W-Why should I come with you, then...?"

"... Uh..." Edward had to think quick. "... If you come with me to prom, I'll... Stop messing with you the rest of the school year..."

"..."

"... Okay, I'll stop messing with you and your dumb friend group, then!"

... Abbie could not believe he was considering this.

To be fair, the offer was appealing. Despite him being a bully, Abbie knew that Edward was often true to his word about this sort of thing. If he went, he and his friends would no longer be subjected to his bullying...

... And Abbie would be lying if Edward wasn't a bit handsome. Abbie never really had a specific type, but the way Edward carries himself and the way he dresses and talks was oddly attractive to him... If only he was less rude, he'd probably have been a real good partner for prom... And yet, the offer still stood, offering him a deal hard to ignore.

"... O-Okay, we can go to prom together..." Those words left Abbie's lips before he could regret it. The deal was sealed. They were going to prom together.

"... Cool." Edward stood awkwardly, glancing to the side as though he wasn't expecting that answer. "... D-Don't get any ideas, though! This is just so I'm not a laughingstock when I come in to prank people, aight?"

"... Right." Abbie couldn't help but feel a bit somber at that. "... I'll... Get going, then... See you Friday."

"... Yeah. See you then."

Edward watched Abbie sling his backpack over his shoulder, before walking away. Edward released a breath he didn't know he was holding, before shaking his head and moving towards his own locker.

As Edward was preparing to pack his things, he could feel someone staring daggers behind him.

"... Alright, what do you want, Featherboy?" Edward glared behind him, seeing Engel near his own locker glaring back.

"... You suck." Engel muttered, just quiet enough for anybody to miss if they weren't actively listening, an insult for Edward's ears only.

"Right back at you, dude." Edward scoffed, turning back to his own locker.

Edward had more than enough reason to believe Engel listened in on the two of them... To be fair, who wouldn't? He was quite commonly Abbie's tormentor, talking about taking him to fucking prom! Of course his friends will be skeptical.

Monday, May 12th, 8:30 PM

Edward's Bedroom

Fortnite wasn't exactly distracting enough, even with Zip playing with him online. If anything, his mood was causing him to lose quite a few matches with her.

"Hedgehog, you're selling," Zip said, her voice hoarse from illness as she watched Edward get sniped on her screen and get them both sent back to the lobby.

"Yeah, yeah, I know..." Edward rolled his eyes, though Zip couldn't possibly see due to their lack of face cams. She could most certainly hear his stress, however.

"... Damn, dude, is the game messing with your flow or something?"

"... No."

"Hah. Somebody woke up on the wrong side of bed, then?"

"... Nah, school stuff, mostly."

"School stuff?" Zip paused, her silence a seeming sign of thinking until Edward saw her Fortnite character emoting in the lobby. "You scared of goin' to prom all by yourself, big guy?"

"... You could say that." Edward readies himself for another match, before making his character emote with Zip's. "Did Oliver tell you 'bout what I did today?"

"About how you asked Abbie out on a date? Yeah."

"... Yeah."

"Happy pride, gay boy." Zip snickered on the mic. "... I'm joking, obviously. I love my dads. Be who you are."

"Yeah, yeah!" Edward couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. "... It's just.... It feels different, this time, what I'm doin' to him."

"I assume you ain't going cuz you're gay, huh?"

Edward paused, the statement offending him a little more than he thinks it should. "... Nah. Just cuz going alone with my reputation is a death wish."

"They'd crucify you, dude."

"Oh, certainly."

Soon enough, matchmaking has found the duo another lobby. Zip speaks up as they're brought back to the game. "Don't fuckin' peek next time I tell you there's a sniper."

"... Yeah, yeah..."

... They lost that match, too.

... Edward did suck, did he?

Chapter Text

Monday, May 12th, 3:20 PM

House in the Forest

Abbie's walk home was silent as usual. The battered dirt road dusted his black shoes as he made his trek back, the forest feeling as though it was staring back. It was a common thing for Abbie, to feel a bit freaked out whenever he took this road, but Aiden told him that nothing that lingers at day would hurt him. According to Aiden, if anything could hurt Abbie, they still wouldn't be inclined to.

Ding!

Abbie paused as he got a notification on his phone. He pulled it out, before he took a quick look at the top of the screen. "HE4RD YOU G0T A D4TE," the notification said.

Abbie blinked. This notification didn't include any visual notifier as to who sent it. After a second of thinking, Abbie's eyes widened a margin as he realized who it was from, before tossing his phone in panic. Indeed, from what seemed to be nowhere, Agetha simply appeared over where his phone was thrown midair. "Sup?"

"... W-What do you want this time...?" Abbie backed up slightly, his nerves on an edge.

"Ah, nothing much, hold on..." Agetha puffed up their cheeks, before they spat out Abbie's phone into their hand. "Didja not read the notification?"

"... Wh..." Abbie's cheeks flushed a bright crimson as he realized just what the notification was. "Did... Did you spy on me...!?"

"Ah, spy is a strong word... I'd personally use, uh..." Agetha snorted, a mischievous chuckle escaping their lips. "Ah, yeah, I was spying. You really chose a puppy-kicking bully over literally anyone else?"

"... Yeah..."

"Yeesh, aren't you desperate?"

"Yeah, yeah, I know... D-Did you come out of my phone just to mock me?"

"Ah, no... Well, yeah." Agetha snickered. "Honestly surprised you weren't the one to ask him, though. Still crazy how you just said yes, but y'know." Agatha shrugged, teleporting towards Abbie and wrapping an arm over his shoulder.

"Listen, bub, of all the folks at school you could have chosen, you chose your own tormentor?"

"... W-Well, he... Went to me, though..." Abbie attempted to pull away, but Agetha wanted their point across.

"... And what does that mean for you?"

"... What?"

"I mean, what reason do you think Edward chose you as his date?"

Abbie paused. "... He wanted to... Go to prom to... Bully other people."

"Yeesh!" Agetha rolled their eyes. "And not because he loves you?"

"..."

"Ah, you've got that look in your eyes that says you want me to be wrong."

Agetha releases his shoulder, but not before giving it a gentle pat. "If you wanna go for an asshole, go ahead. Don't come crying to me if he breaks your heart, though..."

"... Can you just leave me be?" Abbie glanced to the side. He didn't want to be in this conversation anymore.

"... Eh, sure. Tell Aiden I said hi for me! Smell you later!" Agetha tossed Abbie's phone back into his hands, before seemingly disappearing into a puff of glitchy smoke.

"... Bye." Abbie put his phone back into his pocket, before he continued his trek back home.

Abbie thought of Edward. He wasn't sure what to make of this situation, with him and Edward going to prom on Friday. He knew why Edward chose him. Abbie was a coward, a lovestruck fool that wanted nothing more than to experience prom... And Edward was confident. He carried himself with ease.

Abbie fell for the charm and now he's here... And the worst part is that he really did fall for it. Edward was someone he liked, somewhere deep down. Even after his bullying, after his torment, Abbie really did like Edward.

...

Abbie feels he needs to grow a spine.

Chapter Text

Tuesday, May 13th, 2:00 PM

Miss Circle's Classroom

Edward was chilling in his seat next to Oliver, quietly chatting as he had already finished the assignment for today. His last period was about to end pretty soon at this point. "So, you're wearing a legitimate suit to prom?" Edward asked, glancing at Oliver as he leaned back on his chair.

"Yup," Oliver replied simply. "Look, Eddy, if I'm not trying to make myself better than anyone else, then it's not me."

"... Eh, true. Your ego knows no bounds."

"My ego beats Kevin's ego."

"..."

"... Yeah," Oliver clears his throat awkwardly. "... Didja struggle with the assignment at all, kid?"

"Did the 3.9 gpa student struggle? Hell no." Edward gave a cocky grin as he put his hands behind his head.

"Attaboy."

"You two."

Oliver and Edward straightened up near instantly. Edward was a bit shaken, but Oliver moreso did it out of respect for his favorite teacher, Miss Circle. "Yes, Ma'am?"

"This is important information regarding upcoming events I'm giving out to the entire class. Please be quiet." Miss Circle squinted at the two, watching them give quick nods before she begins to speak again. "As you all know, Prom night is upcoming. I'm sure many of you are excited for it, yes?"

The classroom gave mixed reactions. Some showed their interest in coming, others... Not so much. "As expected, a bit polarizing. Well, anybody who does plan on going, listen up good!

"It's been brought to me and the other teachers' attention that there's a new rule set by the Principal, Miss Grace, regarding who can and cannot attend Prom." Miss Circle paused for dramatic effect. "... Anybody with a failing grade cannot attend."

... Oh. Not as bad as Edward thought it would be. Edward was a Grade-A student, which means he's unaffected. He's perfectly fine about this, just means there's not gonna be any idiots at prom, like Abbie or something.

...

... Shit.

Abbie was an idiot. Quite notoriously so. It was the whole reason the bullies targeted him a lot in the first place (alongside how meek he was). Normally, he'd find it funny how Abbie was suddenly blocked from experiencing prom... But that also means Edward would have to go completely alone!

"Of course," Miss Circle continued after an even longer pause. "If you fear your grade is... Sub-par, and you would like to attend prom, the upcoming test tomorrow on Wednesday will be your chance to turn things around and get you on track to attending. Even if you're not going, I expect you to do your best on it tomorrow."

The bell rings. Miss Circle pauses, trying to catch anyone attempting to leave before her word. When no one does so, she speaks one final time with a mild twinge of disappointment. "Class Dismissed. Have a good day."

... Okay, a test is tomorrow. Abbie may be an idiot, but he's not outright brainless. Edward hoped that this upcoming test could actually do something to turn his most certain F into a D.

"... Yeesh," Oliver spoke up, following Edward out of the door. "Seems your friend is gonna need some help."

"Yeah..." Edward groans. "... Gonna have to help him with it during lunch or something..."

"Dude, during lunch? When Abbie has his friends who hate your guts?"

"... Mmh."

"... You're gonna hate me for suggesting this, Eddy, but..." Oliver teasingly paused, a rather mischievous grin appearing on his face as he leaned towards Edward.

"... Oh God, what are you going to suggest?" Edward never liked that face.

"... You should invite him to your house to study."

"... They should put you in a guillotine."

"I'm sorry, Eddy! Unfortunately, though, it seems your only bet on getting Abbie to Prom is to bless him with your astounding intellect!"

"Why would I even invite Abbie to my house, let alone even consider it?"

"Cuz he's your date for prom, isn't he?"

Edward mentally winced. To hear Abbie described as his date was like nails on a chalkboard, but that was really what it was, was it? A date to prom, with Abraham "Abbie" Appletree himself. Edward couldn't help but grimace. "He is..."

"... Yep." Oliver crossed his arms. "Look, it'll only get as weird as you make it. Just don't make it a big deal and you'll be good, got it?"

"... Yeah. Don't make it weird. Got it."

Tuesday, May 13th, 2:30 PM

School Hallway

Abbie was packing his things to go home, as he always did. He thought about the last time he was here, when Edward came up to ask him to prom... Well, with his bad grades, there was no way Abbie could possibly get the chance...

"Hey, dummy!" Edward's voice rang in Abbie's ears, catching him off-guard. Still better than when he gets right in his face, but he wasn't sure what Edward wanted, either way.

"... What do you want this time?" Abbie spoke quietly, getting Deja Vu from the situation.

"What're your grades at?"

"... Not good..."

"I expected as much..." Edward moved closer, his hands moving to his pockets awkwardly as he leaned on a nearby locker. "Listen, dude, I really need you to be at prom, and your own dumbass is getting in the way."

"I know, I know!" Abbie raised his voice slightly, before catching himself and lowering his volume. "... You don't have to be mean about it, though..."

"So, here's the deal. You're studying with me. At my house. Capiche?"

"... At your house?"

"Yeah? What, you want us to study in the fuckin' park or something?"

"N-No, it's just... I didn't think you'd want me at your house at all..."

"Okay, look, it's just to make sure you don't fuck up the test and ruin my chances of screwing everyone over at prom."

"... Right."

"..."

"... Uh..." Abbie blinked at the silence, earning an annoyed huff from Edward.

"... Are you slow? Pack your shit already and let's get moving." Edward squints as he straightens up off the locker.

"... I should make a call first."

"Ah, makes sense. Calling your parents or something?"

"My parents are dead."

Edward sucked in through his teeth. "... Guardian, then?"

"... My older sister..." Abbie closed his locker and sling his backpack over his shoulder, letting Edward lead him out of the school. "She was the one who took me in."

"Mmh. Now that I think about it, where do you even live? I don't recall seeing you much outside of school unless it's, like, the grocery store."

"... Oh, I live out in the forest near the-"

"I call bullshit."

"What?"

"No way in hell you live in ol' Missing Poster Haven out there. Otherwise, you'd have more spine on you."

"I-I do, though! I could walk you over there if you'd like!"

Edward scoffed, a small smirk entering his face. "I don't feel like getting shanked by a serial killer, thank you very much."

"Alright..." Abbie huffed, crossing his arms.

... After a short moment of walking (and a phone call between Aiden and Abbie), they finally reach Edward's house.

Oddly enough, Edward himself felt imposed by the building. It wasn't because of the contents or the structure, no... It was who was coming in there with him. He felt oddly vulnerable, letting his primary bully victim enter his damn house...

... Fuck it, Edward thinks to himself. He moves up to the front door, before opening it and moving to the side.

"Ladies first."

Chapter Text

Tuesday, May 13th, 3:00

Edward's House

Edward's house was quite nice... Not upper-class nice, but it was clear his family lived very comfortably. Abbie glanced towards Edward, noticing him messaging someone on his phone.

"Who're you texting?" Abbie asked.

"My mom. Gotta let her know someone's over." Edward sent a message, before pocketing his phone. "Follow me, to my room."

Abbie follows his bully up a staircase and to a door in the side of a hallway. Abbie was a bit surprised to see how lavish Edward's bedroom looked. He had a nice bed, a nice TV, a nice computer, and even a newgen console.

"... Wow, your room is... Nice." Abbie glanced around, taking in the more decorative aspects of the room. Posters riddled the walls and a single trophy sits on the surface that holds his TV, which he had earned from one of the school's science-based events.

"Thanks." Edward placed his backpack on the bed, unzipping it and pulling out his books. "Aight, what subjects of yours need to get out of the failing zone?"

"... Math." Abbie shuffled awkwardly. Math was never his strong suit.

"Alright, shouldn't be too hard to get you going. Science requires you to know a lot of math, y'know."

"... Y-yeah."

"Yeah."

Edward sat down on his bed, getting a hold of his math book before signaling Abbie to sit next to him. "You got some spare paper?"

"Mhm." Abbie sat down next to Edward, pulling out his own math book and a few pieces of lined paper.

Soon enough, they began studying together. Honestly, Abbie wasn't as hopeless as Edward thought. He managed to grasp concepts when they actually manage to worm into his brain. He was about a third of the way done with his test notes already. They decide to take a small break for a bit, so that they (... well, Abbie...) don't get overwhelmed too quickly.

Abbie was staring at the posters in the room as Edward scrolled through his phone. The silence was a bit of a killer, though, so Edward decides to speak up. "... I gotta ask, Abbie. When you said you lived in the forest, I've been wondering what it's like in there."

Edward took note of the pause that came after the question. Abbie spoke up shortly afterwards.

"... Nothing too crazy. So long as you stay on a path and don't stay outside at night, you'll be alright..."

"Mmh. Should you get home before it's too dark, then?"

"Most likely, yeah..." Of course, Abbie shouldn't get into the specifics of why anyone coming to the forest should avoid being outside at night... So he changes the subject.

"... Should we get back to studying, then?"

"Yeah, probably."

They continued their work on the test notes with... minimal difficulty. Unfortunately, with Abbie's less than stellar math grade, he was bound to get stuck on at least one of the questions.

"... Mmh..." Abbie grimaced at the problem, his hand reaching up to scratch at his scalp. "... I still don't get this one."

"C'mon, dude." Edward glanced at the paper, a small sigh leaving his lips. "... Whatever, lemme see it."

Edward moved himself on the bed, sitting next to Abbie to get a better look at his problem. Abbie flinched when he had suddenly found himself shoulder to shoulder with him. He became hyperaware of how close Edward was to him, of how Edward leaned on him slightly as he investigated the problem, and Abbie couldn't help but blush.

"... This is the problem, right?" Edward's voice was right next to his ear. He pointed towards the problem in question, a rather complicated math equation where Abbie had to solve for x.

"... Y-yeah." Abbie nodded a bit hesitantly.

"Alright, look, it might look confusing at first, but you'll get that ball rolling when you figure out how these types of problems work." Edward wraps an arm around Abbie's shoulder as he pointed out his explanation. Abbie's eyes immediately dart to the hand on his shoulder, the one that only pulled him closer to Edward. "Obviously, to start, you gotta combine the like numbers. If it doesn't have an x and it's on the same side, put it together."

"... Right." Abbie's face felt hot like a kettle. "... A-And what about the numbers with the x at the end?"

"You take one of them and put them on the other side. If it's positive, you subtract. If it's negative, you add."

"... I see..."

"And then you do the same with the numbers without variables, but it has to be the side with the x number."

"... Like this?" Abbie separated the known numbers from the x numbers.

"Exactly like that." Edward chuckled. "Took you this long to figure that out?"

"I-I'm still learning...!"

"Ah, I'm teasing! Anyways, now that those numbers are separated, you got a divide the known number by the variable number. After that, you'll find that x equals...?"

"... Six."

"Attaboy." Edward patted Abbie on the shoulder. "You're not nearly as stupid as I thought."

"... I guess not." Abbie gave a rueful chuckle.

The both of them sat in silence for a moment. Oddly comfortable silence at that. After a moment, Edward realizes how close he was to Abbie, with his damn arm wrapped around him, and he lightly shoves Abbie away. "Alright, a bit close for comfort! We're almost done anyways, so lock in."

"Oof!" Abbie stumbled back a bit. He sits back up, fixing his hair with his hands as he spoke. "R-right, right..."

With that hurdle out of the way, the two of them finally finish up their notes... Sure, it took a couple hours, but they did it. Edward checks his watch. 5:07, it reads... Damn, they've really have been working together for two hours. Edward feels a little embarrassed that he felt so comfortable being in the same room as him (let alone his room in his house) for two hours.

"... Mmh. My mom's gonna be home soon." Edward stood off of his bed, stretching his limbs. "Hope you like my mom's cooking, cuz no guest of hers ever leaves around this time without dinner."

As if on cue, the two of them hear the front door open, and a feminine voice call out to Edward. "Edward, I'm home!"

"C'mon, dude." Edward pulled Abbie out of his bed and towards the door. "My mom is gonna love your stupid ass."

... Abbie did have a sort of charm to him, Edward supposed.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, May 14th, 2:00 PM

Miss Circle's Classroom

Abbie was... Nervous. very nervous.

With tests, especially in math, Abbie wasn't very good. They're overwhelming, long, and combined with Abbie's lack of smarts, they usually ended with failures. If he was lucky, he'd get a C at most... Abbie tried to soothe his nerves as he sat down on his desk.

As the usual with tests, Miss Circle walks around the class to hand everyone their worksheets. She slows down when passing Abbie's desk in particular, giving him a rather disappointed glare, before passing him his own test.

Abbie sighed, glancing down on his sheet, front down on the desk. They weren't allowed to write on it quite yet until they were given the go ahead by the teacher herself... So Abbie took the moment to steady himself.

Edward had taught him a lot yesterday. He had to remember what he learned to pass this test and experience prom.

"... Everyone who is planning to go to prom, raise your hand." Miss Circle spoke. She counted the hands that were raised, including Abbie's. "... I hope for you people in particular to try your very best. You have no excuse to slack off.

"Of course, I expect those who aren't going to do their best either way. After all, I'd be very disappointed if anyone failed."

Abbie winced a bit. His teacher never failed to make him nervous... But Abbie had to focus. He can't fail after all the time he studied.

"..." Miss Circle glanced around the room. "... Flip your papers. Begin now."

Abbie flipped his test and he started his test. The test that will decide his fate.

Wednesday, May 4th, 2:40

Miss Circle's Classroom

"Class!" Miss Circle spoke up, catching some people off guard. "If you still have your sheets, turn them in now. I don't care if you're not finished."

Abbie hesitantly stood up and walked toward's Miss Circle's desk, placing his sheet on the ever-increasing pile of completed tests.

And then he sat back at his seat, twiddling his fingers nervously as his teacher grades all their work. Soon enough, Miss Circle was now standing and handing out the graded works to the students. Some seemed relieved, some excited, and the unfortunate few let out small, rueful sighs.

Miss Circle came up to Abbie's desk, holding his paper just a little far from reach as she pauses a bit longer at his desk. "Mr. Appletree..." She began, her voice low. "I must say... I'm a bit disappointed.

Abbie's heart sank. Did he... Did he fail the test? After all the hard work he did studying with Edward? Some of the other students glanced towards Abbie, a mixture of grimaces, glares, and a particularly snarky grin from a certain "student"...

"... After all, Abbie..." Miss Circle paused again, as if trying to stall out the dramatic reveal. "You could have gotten higher..." Miss Circle placed down Abbie's sheet, revealing...

Abbie's test, graded as a "B+".

Abbie blinked in surprise, before Miss Circle gave a cheeky grin. "I can't say I'm not impressed with your improvement, however. I expect to see this more often from you, Abbie."

Most people didn't really care that much, a few giving a light hum of interest before going back to their own thing. The same can't be said for Abbie's friends, however, who smiled from their own seats at Abbie's above average grade.

... But Abbie had a rather stupid grin on his face as well. It was rare for him to get a grade this high in math. He most certainly wasn't missing prom now.

Oliver scoffed in his own seat, before giving Edward a knowing glance. "I take it you took my advice, kid?"

"Go to hell." Was all Edward retorted with.

"Heh. You've gone a bit soft, haven't you?"

"Boys."

Oliver paused as he heard Miss Circle's voice, before clearing his throat. "Hello, Miss."

"... I hate to bear this news to you, Edward, but I'm afraid your test results are comparatively... Subpar..." Miss Circle placed Edward's sheet down, before moving off... What on earth was Miss Circle talking about? Edward took a gander at his test results.

C-. A fucking C-.

"... What." Edward paused as he glanced at his sheet. 

"Oh, shit..." Oliver's smile faltered a bit, before it returned with his usual attitude. "Yeesh, a bit of an off-day for you, huh?"

"... Yeah."

"..." Oliver paused. "Something happened last night, Eddy."

"..."

"I hit a bullseye, did I?" Oliver chuckled, leaning closer towards Edward with that shit-eating grin. "... Mind telling me what happened last night?"

"..."

Tuesday, May 13th, 11:00 PM

Edward's House

Edward couldn't stop thinking about Abbie.

Ever since he had left, he was stuck on his mind like glue. The way Abbie was moved through some of the easier problems was a pleasant surprise, and the ones he didn't get through relatively quickly gave him an opportunity to show off his intellectual prowess. He liked that a lot.

... And Abbie trusted him with it. He trusted Edward to help him get through those problems. Abbie put his trust in him, his damn bully... And let's not forget how close Edward got to Abbie in that one problem. Seriously, did he seriously wrap his fucking arm around Abbie!? Might as well just have a glowing neon sign that says "hey, I'm really into this guy romantically!".

...

Shit. He was into him, was he?

Abbie opened himself up for Edward to see, and he liked it. The way he stumbled around the school like a nervous puppy, the way he muttered over his words when Edward cornered him in the hallways, the way the smell of pine leaves and apples always seemed to linger around him...

He fell for a fucking dude. Edward had always been a bit adamant about how he wasn't into boys like that, and now that dumbass lodged a wrench into that whole idea. He never liked having to question himself. He was always so assertive of how he is, and now that he's fallen for that dumb kid, he's been questioning himself ever since.

... Edward needed some melatonin.

Edward went downstairs and towards the bathroom to get to the medicine cabinet. He took one of the melatonin gummies and popped it into his mouth. He always liked how they tasted, honestly. Edward knew he'd probably have to re-brush his teeth...

...

... Eh, he was hungry anyways. Might as well get a small nighttime snack before he does that. He slinks into the kitchen, thinking of something light and quick to snack on as he investigated the stock. His eyes land on the fruit bowl on the counter, with an assortment of choices. Something from there will do.

His eyes land on a shiny red apple. It was one of those honeycrisp apples. He nabbed the round apple in his hand, inspecting it quickly. It was light on his hand, and the red skin of the apple shone slightly in the moonlight that came in from the window. This will do nicely.

Biting into the fruit, Edward took note of how sweet it was. Honestly, he never considered apples being so good on their own. He often had them with peanut butter or chocolate or stuff like that, but never the real deal... Honestly, he'd argue this tasted better, with nothing overwhelming the ordinary, sweet taste of the apple...

... Ah, of all the things to pick, he picked the one thing in his kitchen associated with Abbie. Terrible decision, considering the thought of him was keeping him up, but it was too late now.

He already bit the apple.

Chapter Text

Wednesday, May 14th, 3:00 PM

Hallway

Abbie was at his locker, still experiencing the high from his notably higher grade. Turning his head, he saw Engel moving towards him, equally happy for his success.

"Hey, Abbie, you did wonderful!" Engel called out, patting him on the back.

"T-Thank you, Engel..." Abbie spoke softly, before speaking up. "... Might I ask where everyone else is...?"

"Hm?" Engel paused, before realizing he was talking about the girls of their friend group. "... Oh! Yeah, they were planning on having a sort of girls night out."

"... Makes sense."

"Anyways, how'd you do it?"

"Huh?"

"How'd you get your grade up so well?"

"Well, I..." Abbie paused. He studied with Edward, his bully. If there's one thing Engel doesn't like, it's the bullies... Sure, his vendetta mostly lies with Oliver, the biggest pain in the ass of the three, but Edward was still associated with them. "... I studied."

"... That took you a while." Engel spoke, his tone questioning but not outright rude. "... Did something else happen?"

"... Uhm..."

"... You studied with Edward, didn't you?"

Abbie went wide-eyed. "... W-What gave it away?"

"I overheard you and Edward's conversation the day he asked you to go to prom with him." Engel glanced to the side, at nothing in particular. "I just put two and two together."

"... Y-You aren't mad at me, are you...?"

"Oh, no, I'm not mad at you, Abbie! I'm mad at Edward."

"... Mmh."

"Look, excuse me if I'm a little pushy about this, but I really don't trust this guy to be your prom date. He outright told you to your face that he was only bringing you along to not get bullied himself when he goes alone."

"... Y-Yeah, but..."

Engel knew Abbie really wanted to experience prom, but he most certainly would rather he not go at all than go with someone that doesn't even love him like that. "... Listen, Abbie, let me ask you this. Why do you wanna go to prom?"

"... I... Wanted to experience it myself."

"What about it do you want to experience?"

"I-I wanted to... Dance with someone and... Just... Be with them and... All that or something, I don't know..."

"And is Edward gonna do all that with you?"

Abbie blinked. "..."

Engel let out a small sigh. "Look, Abbie, if you want to go with Edward to prom, I can't exactly stop you... But as your friend, I'm saying I'd rather you skip out this prom and wait next year for someone who actually likes you back than going with Edward of all people for your first experience with prom."

"... I see." Abbie glanced at the floor. Engel was right. Edward only wanted Abbie around because he wanted to wreak havoc in prom... And Abbie was directly told this by Edward himself! And he was still gonna go!

... Abbie breathed in, puffing out his chest lightly. "... I'm gonna call it off."

"You are?" Engel asked.

"... Y-Yeah... I'd... Rather be with someone who actually likes me than... All that..."

"That's good, Abbie. Go tell that jerk what for."

"O-Okay, I'm not gonna be a a jerk about it, he still helped me get a B on my test..."

"Well, I suppose that's the best thing Edward has ever done for us..."

... After Abbie had packed his things, he was off to home. Words from his sister began to ring out in his mind, about how Abbie should be more confident with himself. Abbie breathed in the fresh forest air as he entered the threshold of the forest path.

... Tomorrow, he'll call it off.

Tomorrow, he'll reject Edward.

Chapter Text

May 15th, Thursday, 10:50

Hallway

Edward rubbed his tired eyes a bit. This is the second day in a row he ended up staying up thinking about him, and he's been hoping his grades don't tank too much. He was out in the hallway, on his way to the lunch room. He could really use a bite to eat now.

"... Edward."

Edward turned his head to see Abbie walking with him. He had a look in his eyes he couldn't decipher. It seemed he was going to join him on his trip to lunch.

"Hey." Edward said, trying to act casual. "... Did you need something?"

"...Uh, yeah..." Abbie breathed in, as though he was preparing for something. Abbie thought back to what his older sister said. About how he needed to show more confidence.  "... I... I don't want to go to prom with you."

"... What?"

"... I don't want to go to prom with you anymore."

Edward stopped walking. Abbie paused shortly after, standing a bit in front of him. Was... Was Abbie serious? After all Edward did to make sure he could go, he's giving up on him now? "... You're kidding."

"... I-I'm not, Edward." Abbie fully turned back to Edward. "I... I want my first experience with prom to be with someone who actually wants to be there with me... N-Not someone who only wants me to be there to save their hide..."

"..." Edward glanced to the side, his hands crossed defensively. The worst part was that he understood Abbie's reasoning. To Abbie, Edward was just his bully trying to find an excuse to go to prom.

But there's a reason he's stayed up thinking about him... Well, there's a reason now. Now when Abbie finally decided to grow a spine. Edward would've probably been proud if not for how much it aches his heart to hear Abbie say those things to him.

"... Okay. Fucking whatever." That was all Edward could really say. All he could say to save his face. His ego. Because if he even tried to keep Abbie around, tried to beg for him to stay or some shit like that in the school hallways, then he wouldn't be Edward anymore. He would be some desperate loser in his skin and clothes.

"... I'm... I'm sorry, Edward." Abbie spoke softly.

"... Just go, dude."

Abbie hesitated, as though he wanted to say something else, before he turned around and walked off, likely to eat lunch with his own friends and talk about what had happened here.

...

... Fuck, was Edward about to cry?

No, fuck that. Edward breathed in hard. Damn everyone if he was about to lose it in the school hallway, right where everyone can see him. He's just got to man up right here.

...

Okay, maybe he can man up in the lunch room, preferably on a seat next to Oliver.

May 15th, Thursday, 11:10

Lunchroom

Oliver leaned back on his seat, glancing at the students residing on the other tables. Edward was taking his sweet time getting here, Oliver thought to himself.

... Oh, finally. Edward was coming up with his usual tray.

"Hey, Eddy," Oliver began. "You're here a bit later than usual. What's up?"

"... Abbie isn't going to prom anymore." Edward placed his tray down a bit rougher than usual, before resting his head on his palms.

"Ah, shit... Well, at the very least it's not that big of a deal. Got plenty of fish to bait to going with you, even with the low time frame at this point..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Oliver blinked. "Oh, shit, you actually fell for the dude? Didn't think you studying with him would make you catch the love bug like that..."

"I know, it's stupid." Edward snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose as his cheeks flushed pink. "Not like it fucking matters at this point..."

"... Hm." Oliver paused, thinking for a moment. He knew Abbie like the palm of his hand... Well, mostly. He knew Abbie was a bit of a pushover, so him outright rejecting Edward was a bit unexpected. He likely got a push from someone else to do it... Someone like Engel. Makes sense, considering he's basically the big brother of their friend group and he has a strong dislike of the bullies...

... Shit, they must have known Edward was going to prom with Abbie, then. If Oliver wants to help Edward out, he'd have to find a way to help him get Abbie's trust and a bit beyond to make his friend group unsuspicious.

Because at this point, it's not about Edward pranking the hell out of prom attendees anymore, it's about Edward. Oliver's mind goes to Abbie's lovesick traits. Abbie always was a bit of a sap when it came to love, finding anyone with a nice face or a kind heart pretty. Abbie did find Edward handsome, but clearly it wasn't enough. Edward has to make his intention clear. He has to not just tell, but show Abbie that he wants to go with him.

"... Eddy," Oliver spoke, his voice lowering an octave. "Listen, kid. You wanna go with Abbie, right?"

"... Yeah?" Edward squinted at Oliver. "... What do you have to say?"

"I'm saying that you need to show him you wanna go, and not just for pranking..."

"... Wait, you..."

"Yeah, dude, if that wuss is what makes you happy, then I don't give a shit. What I do give a shit about is you having that shit-eating grin on you again."

"Well fuck, okay... What could you possibly have that would help me?"

"... Dude," Oliver scoffed, leaning back with his hands behind his head. "I've literally got a girlfriend. I've got experience in romantic shit."

"Oh, right." Edward cleared his throat. "... Well, Alice and Abbie are... Definitely not the same person."

"... True, true... But Abbie shouldn't be too difficult to rizz up for you, should it?"

"Please don't call it rizz ever again."

"Noted." Oliver snickered. "... Trust me, though, you just need to show him you actually do wanna go dance with him or some shit."

"... It's just, how do I show him?" Edward took a big swig of the chocolate milk carton that was part of his lunch. "It's not like I can just go up to him and be like 'yeah, I actually wanna go with you'!"

"That's telling."

"I know!"

"That's exactly what I'm saying. You need to show it. People love gifts, right?"

"... Mmh."

"Look, when in doubt, flowers do the trick pretty well. Abbie is a pretty sappy kid, so he'll probably enjoy those."

"... Just flowers?"

"Well, pick some symbolically appropriate flowers, of course! Don't give him any yellow carnations or anything like that."

"... Flowers have symbolism?"

"Of course they do, dork!" Oliver leaned forward on the lunch table, looking at Edward more clearly. "Why do you think roses are so popular as a choice for flowers?"

"... Well..." Edward put his carton down. "... I guess so. What flowers should I give him, then?"

"... Daffodils might be real nice..."

"What do those represent?"

"New beginnings and shit. Y'know, perfect for the 'I changed' type of stuff, probably."

"Probably?"

"Well, I've never given out daffodils personally... That being said, if you get a bouquet of daffodils and some good ol' red roses, you might get somewhere nice."

"... Do they have to be red specifically?"

"Unless you want them representing stuff other than true love, then yes."

"... Isn't 'true love' a bit intense for this early?"

"Mmh, true... Maybe pink roses for admiration, then?"

"... That sounds better... So, uh... Daffodils and pink roses?"

"Yup."

"... Uh, could you... Come with me after school to help me prepare?"

"I don't see why not..." Oliver leaned back once again. "... But you gotta deliver that bouquet yourself, kid."

"Alright, thank you," Edward spoke, a small smile entering his face. "... You're really helping me get with Abbie of all people?"

"Whatever floats your boat, kid." Oliver chuckled. "After school, we can go get those flowers... Just try not to mope too much before then."

"Got it."

Chapter Text

Thursday, May 15th, 4:00 PM

Town

Edward held the floral bouquet in his hands. It smelled nice.

"Alright, Eddy," Oliver spoke up. "Now that we got that out of the way, now comes the part where you deliver it to him."

"... Right." Edward felt a bit nervous. "... Well, wish me luck."

"Yep."

"..."

"..."

"... It just occured to me I don't exactly know where Abbie lives."

"Just occured to me too."

"... I mean, he lives in the forest?"

"Fuck everything if you're going to the forest blind. We need directions."

"... True."

Oliver sighed, his eyes wandering the street. He was a quick thinker. Maybe he could possibly get some clues if he looked around... Or, better yet, a direct source.

After all, his eyes spotted Lana across the road, holding onto a mint ice cream cone. "... You think she would know, Eddy?" Oliver asks.

"... Only one way to find out."

Edward puts his bouquet behind his back as he and Oliver move towards the puppeteer, as she's sometimes called. It seems Lana herself noticed them appearing, her smile faltering slightly as the two of them come directly towards her.

"... Heyyyy..." Edward said, awkwardly smiling. "... How are you...?"

"Whaddya want?" Lana's voice is as raspy as ever. She placed a sock-clad hand on her hip and raises an eyebrow suspiciously.

"... So, uh..."

Oliver pipes in before Edward could fully finish. "Edward is trying to get with Abbie and he needs to deliver a bouquet to his house."

"... Uh-huh." Lana squinted. "... The same Edward that directly told him he needed Abbie just to bully people easier?"

"Yup."

"I'm not nearly as stupid as you think I am, Oliver!"

"Mmh." Oliver's grin didn't quite falter yet. "Eddy, maybe you oughta tell her."

Edward blinked. "... I was just trying to."

"Yeah, now I'm gonna let you finish." Oliver snickered as he backed up for Edward to speak. Edward held the bouquet to his side now, though still keeping caution not to drop it.

"... Uh..." Edward thought about what to say. "... I wanted to deliver this to Abbie and I would... Appreciate it if you told me where I could drop it off."

God, Edward has never felt this awkward before. Lana was staring at him, her eyes boring into his very soul. Her words would decide whether he could deliver these flowers or not.

"..." Edward breathed in a bit, trying to calm his nerves. "I've... I've gotten to know him better since the start of the week, and I feel like I want to... Actually go with him. Like, legitimately try and have a chance with him..."

"..."

"... To, uh, go to prom."

"... Well, Abbie is going with us to the park..."

"Oh."

"And I don't think he needs to see you right now!"

Edward grimaced, but he wasn't deterred yet. Even if Abbie was going to be busy with his friends, he wanted this bouquet delivered to him... It didn't matter if he was the one who gave it to him, so long as Abbie knows Edward delivered it.

"... Could you give it to him, then?"

"No."

"... Well, could you-"

"Goodness, you really wanna bring this to Abbie, don't you?"

"... Yeah."

Lana paused, before she began to eat her ice cream... Really fast. When she finished her cone, she brought her sock puppets up, their googly eyes shaking slightly at the sudden movement. There were a total of six eyes on Edward now, two of them squinting and four of them plastic. Edward felt like he was being judged at an altar or something like that.

After a moment, Lana sighed. "Alright, fine, I'll give you the deets... But two things first!"

"... I'm listening." Edward was happy to hear that, but he decided to save his happiness for when he actually gets all the info he needs.

"First things first, Oliver has got to go!"

"Aight." Oliver stretches his arms a bit. "Reasonable enough. I was gonna go when he delivered it anyways."

"... See you around, Oliver." Edward waved.

"See ya, freaks." And with that, he walked off.

Lana made sure he fully left her vision, before she brought her attention back to Edward. "Second off! If I find out you've been mean to Abbie in any way, I'll make sure you regret every second of the mean stuff you've done!"

"Right, right!"

"... Right?"

"... Yeah, right. No mean stuff towards Abbie, got it."

"... Okay, now I'll tell you..." Lana leans in towards Edward. "The forest, right?"

"... That much I knew." Edward leans back a bit, slightly intimidated despite himself.

"Oh, you know about how he lives in the forest already?"

"He mentioned it to me during our study night."

"Well! Alright, you just have to go straight down the road! There's no turns or anything, just the one, straight road... It'll be the first wooden house you see!"

"Just go until I see a wooden house, got it..."

"Yup!"

"... Thanks, Lana. I owe you one."

"Oh, one more thing!" Lana spoke up. "Abbie's sister is often out hunting.

"... Hunting?" Edward felt... Oddly uneasy at that statement.

"Yeah! If you don't get any answer at the door or something, just leave the bouquet and a note by the door or... Something like that."

"... Yeah, noted."

"Heh. Noted... Like... The note..."

"... Okay, enough of that, I've gotta get this delivered before it gets too dark."

"Alright, don't get lost in there!"

Edward moved towards the edge of the town, where the road to the forest was. It was still bright out, so he just had to come in and come out. Abbie's house was straight down the road...

... What exactly did Lana mean when she said Abbie's sister went out hunting, though? With all the rumors Edward hears about the place, the forest seems like the last place anyone would want to hunt in... Let alone live in, now that Edward thought about it.

...

Screw it. Edward needed to do this. He's gone too far to doubt himself now. With a steadying breath, Edward stepped onto the road, and entered the forest.

Thursday, May 15th, 5:00 PM

Forest

The forest was quiet. Greenery surrounded Edward on his flanks, with only the dirt road in front and behind him. To be honest, this forest gave him the creeps. It constantly felt like he was being watched by something he couldn't see himself.

Edward steadied himself again. He wasn't usually this nervous, but something was keeping him on edge. Does Abbie seriously live in this damn place? Edward decided to hurry his walking a pace or so.

Eventually, Edward sees the house in question. It was a nice, decently-sized wooden house. A bit rustic, but it certainly had some charm to it. Edward steps onto the porch, bouquet in hand, before he knocked on the door. He could hear some heavy footsteps before the door opened.

...

... Edward had to crane his head up to see the face of the homeowner. She was very tall, maybe even as tall as Miss Circle, and she wore some nice winter clothes, including a rather fluffy ushanka. Edward willed himself not to chicken out right there and spoke. "... Hello, does Abbie live here?" He sounded a lot meeker than he usually does.

Edward was a bit thankful to see the strike of familiarity on the tall woman's otherwise expressionless face. Abnormal height be damned, this must be Abbie's sister. "Yes," she said simply. She had a rather thick Russian accent, Edward noted. "... He's not here right now."

"I see..." Edward cleared his throat, before extending the bouquet. "... This is for him. Could you let him know it was from me?"

"Not without a name."

"... My name is Edward."

Abbie's sister simply nodded, before taking the bouquet with her calloused hands. "... You interest me slightly."

"... Uh." Edward cleared his throat. "... How so?"

"A bouquet of roses for Abbie. You must be his prom date."

"... Hopefully."

The tall woman let out a small hum, before she placed the bouquet to a small table in their living room. "I suggest you don't enter the forest again without taking precautions."

"Excuse me?" Edward suddenly felt on high alert.

"... They say bad things happen here." The tall woman reaches into a compartment Edward couldn't quite see from the doorway, before she comes back with a nazar charm. "Take this for the trip back. It keeps away misfortune."

She knelt down to hand Edward the nazar charm, placing it on his hands. Edward pockets it, before glancing up at the tall woman. "... You have a nice day."

"Get home safe." Abbie's sister stood up to her full, intimidating height once again, before closing the door.

... Edward decided to get home quickly.

At the very least, the charm in his pocket made him feel less nervous, though it didn't quite help the thoughts of how Abbie would react to the flowers from him... God, he just hope Abbie would reconsider everything.

But that's for tomorrow to decide.

Chapter Text

Thursday, May 15th, 7:00 PM

Forest

Abbie felt a bit better after hanging out with his friends at the park. Not the best, sure, but... Better. They were good company, after all.

The forest always kept him fairly calm. He knew the average person would rather avoid taking any path involving the forest, but living here had made him of all people less susceptible to the more nerve-wracking aspects of the walk.

... Someone was definitely watching him, though. Likely the usual suspect.

"... What do you want this time, Agetha...?" Abbie called out softly. Lo and behold, Agetha pops into view, hanging upside-down from a low branch of a tree.

"Oh, nothin' much, Abbie." Agetha snickered at Abbie's grimace. "... I just wanna ask about your prom date... The bully, right?"

"... Yeah, uh... That's... Not happening anymore."

"Is that so?"

"Y-Yeah, I... Told him I wasn't gonna go with him..."

"Interesting... And yet a few hours ago, I saw a long-haired boy walking this exact path to your house holding a bouquet of all things!"

"... What?" Abbie blinked. "... D-Did he have the horns and the tail and..."

"And the goggles, yup." Agetha floated off the branch, floating towards Abbie. "He was nervous as a dog in a thunderstorm, too!"

"... H-Holding a bouquet...!?"

"Packed with roses and... I think daffodils, too..."

"... And he... Went all the way into the forest to deliver it to my house!?"

"... Yeah. He did. You got a lot of questions, dontcha?"

Oh God damn it, Abbie thought to himself. Edward went into the forest he described as being Missing Poser Haven just to deliver him flowers!? With how Agetha described his trip, he was definitely not excited about being in the forest, either... And yet, he still went, all to deliver Abbie flowers.

... Abbie didn't know what to think. Did Edward genuinely mean what he was doing, or was it just one last desperate attempt of getting him involved?

"... Uh." Abbie cleared his throat. "... I'll... Get going home, then."

"... Aw, I expected a more fun reaction..." Agetha shrugged. "... Well, Toodles! Oh, and say 'hi' to Aiden for me!"

And just as suddenly as they appeared, Agetha was nowhere to be seen. Abbie let out a sigh and continued on the road home, his mind running laps.

... did Edward like him? Did Edward suddenly catch feelings for the poor sap? Part of him wanted to believe it, but Edward was still someone he knew as a bully... And a bully associated with Oliver, nonetheless.  He couldn't exactly wrap his head around why Edward would fall for him of all people.

... Maybe he needed some rest.

Soon enough, Abbie reached his house and entered through the front door. His eyes immediately landed on the bouquet that lied on the coffee table. "... I'm home!" Abbie called out, in case Aiden was here.

He doesn't hear a response back and assumes Aiden is out running errands. He places his backpack onto the hanger and moves to pick up the bouquet. He glances at the pink roses and the daffodils, the very flowers Agetha stated that Edward had held in his very hands to deliver to him. They were all wrapped nicely in white, floral paper.

Abbie didn't necessarily understand the symbolism of flowers, but he took note of how specific the flower choices are. He might have to do some research on those a bit later. Either way, it seemed thought out at the very least, not nearly as little as Abbie had expected. How... Considerate? Edward, of all people, being considerate? It almost made Abbie laugh...

... And yet...

... He really wanted these flowers delivered. He walked the forest path despite everything just to deliver these flowers to him, after all. Edward wasn't the kind of person who'd go through such trouble if he didn't think it was necessary.

... Edward fell for him.

It was a little embarrassing for Abbie. Edward fell for him of all people? The very person he bullied all the time? The person leagues below him? Really?

God, the world felt so upside down right now... But Abbie felt... Weirder. Was he relieved? Was he shocked? Was he excited? Was he scared?

... Warm.

Abbie decides he feels... Warm. His cheeks felt a bit hot at the revelation that Edward might genuinely be crushing for him. Abbie placed a hand on his cheek, the cold from his hand clashing with the heat of his blood rushing to his face. He couldn't help but look at the flowers for a bit longer. They were pretty flowers.

...

Chapter Text

Friday, May 16th, 6:00 PM

Edward's House

... Edward was a bit tense.

He wasn't sure if Abbie would come to prom or not tonight. They didn't exactly have each other's contacts, after all, so checking on the phone and just asking him wasn't an option.

He knew the risks when he brought those flowers to Abbie's doorstep. The risk of Abbie not accepting him. The risk of coming alone to prom and embarrassing himself... But Edward wasn't a damn pussy, was he? He's just gotta man up and get out there.

"... Ma!" Edward called out.

"Yes, dear?" Edward's mom called back. She was free today, so she'd be able to help with setting him up for prom.

"... Uh, could you help me prepare for prom later today?" Edward couldn't help but feel a little embarrassed at the question he asked.

"Oh, right! I recall you mentioning something about prom before... Yeah, I can help!"

With the help of his dear mother, Edward had his hair brushed, his clothes set, and... Well, he was ready for prom. It seemed his late father also left a cheap but nice suit behind from his teenage years, now serving as his clothes for prom. The black clothes were a bit tight, but they looked nice, and Edward thought he looked nice, too.

"Well, look at that handsome young man!" Edward's mom spoke as Edward glanced at the mirror and adjusted his tie. "I'm sure the girl you're coming with is gonna be a very lucky lady!"

"... Uh." ... Edward didn't say anything about who he was going with. And he's been entirely adamant that he was straight for a while. "... A-Actually, uh..."

"... Oh, are they not a girl?"

"... No."

"Well, I'm sure they're a very lucky uh... Partner!... That's the gender neutral term, right?"

... Huh. His mom was chill with that. Edward supposed he had nothing to worry about. "... Uh, boy. I'm... Going with a boy." hopefully.

"Ah, then they're a very lucky boy!"

"... Thanks, ma." Edward had a small smile on his face.

"Not a problem!" Edward's mom smiled back, giving her son a small pat on the head. "... Now, don't do anything I would do... And especially not anything I wouldn't do."

"... So I can't do anything?"

"Ah, my little smartass back at it again!" Edward's mom gave him a playful noogie, before fixing his hair again with the brush. "Alright, Edward, you have a wonderful night!"

"I will, ma!"

And soon enough, Edward began to move. He grabbed his stuff, straightened out his clothes, and walked out the front door. He took in the crisp afternoon sky, looking at the orange hue of the sunset.

... Edward breathed in. When he arrives, he'll have to hope for the best. If Abbie doesn't appear... Well, he's not sure what to do, but he always finds a way back up. He's Edward, after all.

Friday, May 16th, 6:00 PM

House in the Forest

Abbie was... very nervous. He bathed at least three times today and brushed his teeth extra hard to try and make them squeaky clean. Aiden noticed his rather hurried state and commented on it.

"... You're hoping to impress him?" It was a simple comment, but somehow it made Abbie's cheeks flush with embarrassment.

"... I-I'm trying not to look bad..." Abbie admitted. "I just... I don't want to mess anything up..."

Abbie suddenly yelped as Agetha came in, phasing through the mirror and right in Abbie's face. "Wow, you're paranoid!"

"D-Don't scare me like that!" Abbie clutched his chest, recovering from the scare and giving Agetha something to chuckle about. Aiden didn't seem too happy to see Agetha, but she said nothing.

"... Oof, and you expect to come to prom wearing your usual outfit?"

"... I-I mean, we have... other clothes..."

"And by other clothes you mean coats and whatever other winter clothes Aiden wears."

"..."

"Ah, I'm just teasing you! I've got something for the occasion?"

"What-"

Agetha opened a pop-up on the mirror, showing what at first appeared to be a picture of a nice outfit before they pulled it right out and brought it to the real world. "I've got this on my closet you can use. Not like I'll be using it anytime soon."

Abbie caught the clothes when Agetha tossed them to him. The outfit consisted of a black vest, a white undershirt, and some suit pants. He entered the bathroom to put these new clothes on, and came back wearing the fit.

... Admittedly, when Abbie put it on, he felt much nicer looking than before. He let out a soft hum as he posed lightly in front of the mirror (after Agetha floated aside).

"It seems you've done something good for once." Aiden said, glancing towards Agetha with her signature hard-to-read expression. "I would have expected worse."

"Ah, c'mon, it's a special occasion, isn't it? Oh, if only Nameless could see how dapper you look, Abbie... Ooh, wait, one more thing!"

Agetha took a red flower from completely nowhere (If Abbie had to guess, they coded one into existence) and placed it on Abbie's hair. "... Just some extra finishing touches!"

"It looks nice." Aiden nodded slightly.

"I..." Abbie looked at himself in the mirror. He felt... Really nice. He looked quite nice indeed. He adjusted the neck of the vest he wore and sighed. "... Should I put makeup on?"

"Ah, you look fine without makeup!" Agetha waved their hand. "Just go before it starts, kid!"

"You won't be back by nighttime." Aiden stated simply, a slight frown entering her face. "Agetha, could you make sure he can come back safely?"

"... I mean, I could get him teleported right at your doorstep when necessary."

"That works." Aiden glanced back at Abbie.

"Abraham."

Aiden suddenly knelt down to Abbie's height, holding his shoulder. "... You'll do just fine, okay?"

"... O-Okay." Abbie nodded. He always felt a little intimidated whenever someone uses his real name, but it had a much different energy whenever Aiden said it.

"... You have fun." Aiden patted his shoulder, before standing to her full height again. "And text Agetha when you're about to come back."

"Of course, of course..."

Abbie waved his goodbyes to Aiden and Agetha, before walking out the door and waking the path to town.

Abbie was nervous still, but he wasn't going to back down. After all, he wanted to be more confident... And he's confident he'll do just fine in there...

... Even if the idea of going to prom with Edward made him blush a little.

Chapter Text

Friday, May 16th, 7:00 PM

School Gymnasium

Abbie was a bit overstimulated by the noise. It seemed quite a few people had arrived and paired together. Abbie assumed that not a lot of budget was put into this event, considering the school's history of cutting corners and the props solely consisting of tables and balloons. At the very least, they also added a few colored lights for the occasion.

Abbie glanced around the gymnasium prom floor and he could make out a few faces. Engel and Claire were standing together, chatting and smiling at each other. He could also see his other classmates paired together, though he wasn't necessarily as interested in their ordeals.

Right now, Abbie was trying to spot Edward somewhere here. He had a fairly distinct look, so he shouldn't be hard to find...

... So where was he?

Abbie couldn't quite find Edward in the crowd, his eyes darting around as he searched to no avail. Surely, he didn't skip out, did he? No, it wouldn't make sense for him to go to the forest all alone to deliver flowers just for Edward to leave him hanging here... It's not like he can contact Edward, either, since they lack each other's contacts...

...

Abbie sees Oliver standing in the corner with his girlfriend, and he considers asking them what might have happened to Edward. Dear god, was he genuinely gonna ask Oliver of all people?

Of course, what other option did he have? Oliver was his best bet here. He'll have to walk up and strike the question. Abbie took a deep, steadying breath, before walking towards Oliver with the kind of confidence he didn't have.

It seemed Oliver spotted him walking towards him, his eyebrow raised in intrigue. Alice was leaning on his shoulder, glaring daggers at Abbie and making him gulp as he began to speak. "... Uh, hi..."

"Wazzup, twerp?" Oliver said, his hand resting on Alice's shoulder a bit possessively. "Can't you see I'm on a lovely night with my girl here?"

"... Uh... W-Well, I'm looking for Edward..."

"Mmh?"

"... He, uh-"

"Ohh, right! Yeah, Eddy should be here, actually. He's been hyping it up for a lil while."

"... Could you call him?"

"Ah, whatever, sure."

Oliver turned to Alice to tell her to give him a moment, before he pulled out his phone and began a call. The phone rang a few times, before it picked up.

"... Hello?" Edward's voice hits Oliver's ears.

"Hey, where are you? I don't see you hanging around in here."

"Waiting for Abbie, dude."

"... That so?"

"Yeah, I'm waiting outside for him."

"Outside?" Oliver held back a snicker at the revelation. Edward was waiting outside for Abbie, completely unaware that he was already here before him.

"Uh, yeah. I'm waiting for him to come by." Edward's voice was tinted with confusion. Oliver thinks it's pretty funny.

"Can I pass the phone to someone?"

"..."

"..."

"Abbie is in there, isn't he?"

"Yup. He came to me asking where his dashing prince charming was!"

"Fucking hell... I'm coming in."

"Alrighty, see you soon, Eddy."

Oliver hung up the phone, the glanced back at Abbie. "He's coming to hang with you, twerp." Oliver pockets his phone once more. "... Gotta say, you were awfully less skittish than usual."

"I-Is that so-"

Abbie flinched at the stomp Oliver did right next to Abbie's foot, barely missing from hitting his toes. "... Heh, still got it. I take it you got his flowers?"

"... Yeah. You knew?

"Yep. You're a bit too much of a goody-two shoes for this anyways, but if you hurt Eddy in any way, I'm feeding you to Alice."

Abbie glanced at Alice, who decided it was a good time to bear her teeth in a sharp smile. "N-Noted."

"Good, cuz as of right now, you're my brother-in-law-but-not-really-cuz-we-aren't-related-by-blood-or-anything-like-that."

"... Sounds... Complicated."

"Eh, not really." Oliver chuckled. "... Hey, Abbie, look behind you."

Abbie looked behind him and saw Edward scooting across a few couples to move up to him... Honestly, Edward looked nice in a proper suit.

Edward could say the same thing. Abbie's vest felt nice on the eyes despite his meek, disheveled nature. They took a moment to just... Look at each other.

"... Hi." Abbie was the first to break the ice. "... I like your tie..."

"... You suck at compliments." Edward faked a cocky grin, trying to seem less awkward than he actually was.

"Y-You do better, then!"

"You have, uh... You have a nice taste in clothing."

"..."

"... Okay, I guess that was just a more general variation of what you said. You win."

"... So, uh..." Abbie paused, considering what to say. "... Do you... Actually like me?"

Edward glanced at Abbie, his eyes softening a bit as they took in the sight of him. "... Yeah. I guess I do."

"Go fuckin' dance with him or whatever, dude," Oliver piped in, watching as the lovebirds move off after his call-out. "... Ah, those little freaks."

"... Off all people, why does he go for Abbie?" Alice asked, her tone softer and quieter under the overwhelming prom atmosphere.

"... Eh, I dunno. Not for us to know, anyways."

"Hm?"

"I mean, if he goes for Abbie, who gives a shit?"

"I suppose so... It's just, it's quite an unusual sight."

"Let's not act like we're not unusual, princess." Oliver snickered, and was glad to see the quip made Alice smile a little bit. "Honestly, the same could have been said about us back then, couldn't it? I say if he loves Abbie, let him love."

"... I'm sure it can still be said about us," Alice quipped back, looking more directly at Oliver. "... You are right, though. Are you still gonna torment him, even if Edward is his date?

"Oh, certainly. I might have to tone it down a lil, but I'm still the top bully in this school."

"Top bully in a highschool at 20 years old."

"Ah, shuddup!" Oliver and Alice snickered at each other's banter. They were back to focusing on each other now, no longer commenting on Abbie and Edward's prom date.

"You almost tripped me," Edward commented.

"S-sorry..." Abbie was constantly looking at his stumbling feet as they danced. It seemed both of them had two left feet, constantly stumbling on each other as they attempted to dance. Honestly, Edward found it a bit funny.

"So do we just do this for a couple of minutes?" Edward asked. "Feels kinda boring just doing the same movement for several minutes."

"W-well, I'm sure there's more to it..." Abbie responded, glancing to the side in mild embarrassment.

"Do you know what that more is?"

"... No..."

Edward shrugged. He decided that they'll just keep trying to do this. Soon enough, their rather rocky dancing started to involve a little less tripping. It seems they finally got a rhythm going. He had his hands in Abbie's, noting how cold they were.

To their credit, they're doing pretty alright for people who've never really danced with someone before. Doesn't mean it was the best, though. Abbie almost stumbled again, but he gently chuckled in response to his little mistake. Edward found it cuter than he'd like to admit.

Claire and Engel were pausing their dancing to get a hold of some of the drinks. The punch was pretty nice. "... Oh, shit," Claire said quite suddenly, her voice twinged with mild surprise. "Look who Abbie is with..."

Engel's eyes darted towards where Claire was pointing, and they widened a margin when they took notice of Edward right there with Abbie, seemingly paired together. "... What the..." Engel leaned forward a bit, trying to get a closer look at the situation. They seemed to be having fun, but God knows what Edward's motives were.

Engel was going to come up to them, but Claire stopped him. "Hold on, let's just... See what happens. Maybe they're actually..."

"... Alright." Engel decided to back off. The two of them watched as the two boys continued to dance together, hand in hand. Abbie seemed to be happy, at the very least. "Do you think he would've done something by now?"

"I... Maybe? I mean, if Edward was here to cause trouble, I feel like he'd have caused it by now."

"Mmh. I wouldn't want to cause anything by jumping into their business, but at the same time, this is Abbie with one of the bullies. I know they were particularly into messing with him in the past..."

"Yeah..."

They both paused. Engel spoke up again. "... I might just... Ask how they're doing."

"That seems reasonable enough." Claire shrugged, following Engel to Abbie and Edward's position.

Edward was the first to notice them coming, and he suddenly felt nervous. Last time he checked, Abbie's friends weren't exactly fond of Edward, and what they knew was that Edward only wanted to bully people at prom. Abbie also took notice, and he seemed equally surprised. "... I-I'll go talk to them," Abbie whispered, letting go of Edward for a moment.

"... Hi, Abbie." Engel shot an accusatory glare towards Edward's direction. "How are you two doing?"

"... Good. I'm... Good."

"If you don't mind me asking, is Edward with you?"

It just occured to Abbie what he was doing. He had told Engel that he would reject Edward just a few days ago, and yet now he had just been dancing with him at prom. Abbie's gaze fell, a guilty look on his face. Engel must be hurt. "... Yeah... I-I'm sorry...

"... You're alright," Engel reassures Abbie, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Look, you've never really been one to lie. Did you just forget?"

"Yeah, I... Should have told you..."

Edward felt like he needed to say something. With a steadying breath, Edward walked forward. "Hi, Engel... How have you been, buddy?" Holy fuck, Edward was so awkward right now. Buddy? Seriously!?

Engel shot another glare at him. "... Peachy." His tone didn't quite imply he was, indeed, peachy. His arms were now crossed and his brows were furrowed as he put his attention towards Edward. At the very least, he wasn't completely miffed.

"... Alright, can I say something?"

"Go right ahead."

Edward sighed, trying to find his words. His eyes darted to Abbie, then back at Engel. This was gonna be difficult to put out in the open, in front of someone who earnestly dislikes him.

"... At the start of the week, I was trying to do... Exactly what you think I'm trying to do."

"Bully people at prom?"

"Yeah, that. That's why I tried getting with Abbie in the first place, y'know. Oliver and Zip weren't options, so I opted for someone who would be willing to go with me, and Abbie was, well, someone who was willing to go with me.

"... When Abbie's grades were put into the mix, with his grade risking the entire original plan, I had to step in to help him study. We came over to my house to study and all, y'know, and he... Well, he put his trust into me to help him pass. We kinda joked around and talked a bit, too, but most of all he trusted me."

Edward's cheeks flushed a bit as he recalled details of their study night. He remembered wrapping his arm around Abbie as they tackled that one problem on their study guide. "I can't say that sort of trust is something I experience very often. I've never really had much friends outside of Oliver and Zip, and seeing that sort of trust coming from Abbie of all people just... Did something to me."

"..."

"... Uh, yeah. That's... Pretty much it."

Engel and Claire looked at each other for a second, seeming to communicate silently amongst each other, before Claire looks back at Edward. "You've gone soft, didn't you?"

"... Okay, I wouldn't go that far..."

Claire snickered as Engel crossed his arms, fixing him with a slightly less distainful expression. "Well, I can't say I like you any better, but if you're being honest about this, then I don't see a reason to be worried."

Edward felt complete relief. "... Thank you."

Engel nodded. "That being said, if you're lying about any of that, expect me to beat your ass later."

"Yeah, that'd be understandable." This was the second time one of Abbie's friends threatened him with violence if he was bad to Abbie. He makes a mental note to himself not to prove them right.

"... Wanna get drinks with us real quick?"

"... Eh, fuck it, sure. What do you think, Abbie?"

Edward looked back to see Abbie's face a bit red like his own. "... T-That'd be nice..."

Abbie extended his hand a bit, glancing to the side. Edward took a moment, but he got the memo. He took Abbie's hand in his own.

The punch kind of sucked. Makes sense, considering the way this school skimps out on everything it possibly can. Thankfully, it tasted only mid, and not outright terrible.

"Damn, these drinks are not it." Edward stated. "... Wanna get back to dancing?"

"... I... Sure..." Abbie straightened himself up, trying to be more confident in himself. "... I'd like to dance with you."

"Cool. Come on, let's get back out there."

Abbie and Edward move back out onto the dance floor, their hands on each others' once again. The music wasn't very intrusive, and the warm-colored light hit their faces at just the right angles. 

To Edward, Abbie looked... Cute. From the way he smiled at him in a way he never could have imagined he ever would, all the way down to the way he accessorized himself (especially with that flower on his hair). Edward found himself slowly leaning forward, attempting to fill in the space between their faces.

"E-Edward!" Abbie's raised tone cleared the fog in Edward's mind. Abbie seemed beet-red at what almost happened, and gave a lopsided smile that was both nervous and a little excited. "A-A bit early for us to be kissing, isn't it...?"

"... Ah, shoot, you're right." Edward glanced to the side in embarrassment. He really was just about to kiss Abbie right on the lips, despite them only really being a thing just now. Besides, Edward isn't sure the faculty would appreciate people kissing like that on school property. "I'm sorry, I'm not usually like this..."

"... W-well, I don't think either of us were ever really like this..."

"Yeah..." Edward paused, a light blush hitting his face. "... Is a hug still available on the menu?"

"... I like hugs."

... Oof! Abbie had surprisingly strong hugs. Edward supposed he wasn't lying about liking hugs, if his poor ribs had anything to say about that. He can't say he disliked it, though. The hug was... Warm. Warm in a way that Edward feels comfortable with. Soon enough, the hug was no more, and Edward took a deep breath of air for his crushed chest.

"... Didn't think you were that strong, twerp." Was all Edward could feel like saying without embarrassing himself further.

"... Yeah." Abbie had a weird confidence boost from that. "... Yeah! I am strong!"

"Okay, don't get too carried away there, Appletree." Edward gave Abbie a light chuckle and a pat on the shoulder. "... So, uh, how's prom going for you?"

"... Honestly, I-I think I hyped this up a bit too much."

"Yeah. This place is kind of lame. Also, with Alice involved, I feel like they're just gonna make her and Oliver the prom queen and king just so she doesn't cause a rampage."

"... Yeah..."

"... Wanna get some actually decent food at McDonalds or something?"

"... Hell yeah."

They left the school behind, taking in the crisp, fresh air. "Ahh, finally," Edward joked. "Doesn't smell like sweaty, hormonal teenagers anymore."

"Edward, we're also sweaty, hormonal teenagers." Abbie called out. Edward jokingly hushed him, before he continued.

"So, let me guess, a small fry?"

"... Medium fries... And some chicken nuggets."

"Not even a burger?"

"I'm... Actually, sure, I'd also like a burger."

They continued their light conversation as they walked, passing through the various small buildings and further from the school, the glow of the afternoon sunset warming their vision. They never really would have considered each other friends, let alone... Whatever they were now... Maybe it's best if they kept terminology out of it for now. It's the least of their worries.

After all, Edward bit the apple, and there was no turning back.