No One's POV

Darryl: Is this Zak?

Zak :)- yeah. im guessing this is darryl lol

Darryl: Yep! :D I promised you that I would take you out for dinner and since school is now over for the day, may I take you out now?

Zak :)- that would be cool. im not rly doing anything rn

Darryl: Okay. Would you like me to pick you up or do you want to meet somewhere?

Zak :)- lets meet at the park a block away from the school. by that one starbucks. in 20 mins?

Darryl: Okay :) I'll see you there. Bye muffin!

Zak :)- cya darryl :p

———

Zak's leg bounces up and down as he rereads the conversation for the 5th time. Around 25 minutes have passed and he is waiting for Darryl at the park. The playground is empty and no one else is outside. Just Zak, who is sitting on a bench near the street.

Watching at the time ticks by, he debates whether or not if Darryl is trolling him or not. Maybe he shouldn't have agreed to this.

Sighing sadly, he begins to place his phone back into his pocket. Just as he is about to stand up, he hears someone calling his name.

"Zak!"

With open eyes, Zak turns his head to the side to see Darryl running down the sidewalk, heading towards the younger boy.

Zak smiles, feeling his heart pick back up as he now knows he's just a few minutes late. "Hey, Darryl." He calls out.

In another black hoodie and some black skinny jeans, Darryl slows his pace down and regains his breath. "S-Sorry for being late..." Darryl sighs and lifts himself back up, sending a smile towards Zak.

Zak giggles, "It's alright."

"So, where would you like to go?" Darryl asks, putting his hands into his pockets.

"How about the mall? It's not that far from here and we can just walk around there. I do want to get to know you more." Zak tilts his head, grinning back at Darryl who nods.

"Then, let's go." Darryl hums and the two begin to walk towards the mall.

——-

"So, you guys excited for the Winter Dance?" Vurb asks with a smirk.

The four are walking down the school hallway. Students are bustling with joy and sprinting out of the school to prepare for tomorrow night's dance.

"Oh hell yeah. You remember the plan, Darryl?" Zelk raises an eyebrow.

"He didn't say yes yet. I'm going to ask him later today." Darryl rolls his eyes in annoyance. The two wouldn't stop bugging him about making Zak go to the dance.

Zak made his way into Darryl's heart somehow. He knew he shouldn't have fallen for him, but he did. And he fell hard. He couldn't get his adorable giggles and small smiles out of his head.

"Well, better hurry soon." Vincent scoffs, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, yeah," Darryl mutters. He then feels his phone buzz in his pocket. He grabs his phone and notices Zak has texted him. A small smile appears on his face, not visible to the others.

Zak asked if Darryl wanted to hang out at the mall again today. They've been going there for the past few days. Darryl replies with an agreement and will see Zak there in a few minutes.

"I got to go. I'll text you guys later." Darryl says as he removes the smile off of his face and tucks his phone back into his pocket.

Zelk and Vurb look at one another. Vincent raises an eyebrow, "Are you going to meet him again?"

Turning his head, he shrugs, "I thought you guys wanted me to get close to him."

"Well, yeah, but you've been hanging out with him a lot. I mean, you are getting close close to him, right?" Zelk crosses his arms, tilting his head slightly.

Feeling his heart sting, he shakes his head furiously. "N-No. I'm not. I'm just doing what you dared me to do. Look, I have to go." And with that, Darryl turns away and quickly speed-walks through the school doors, disappearing from the three.

——

Entering the mall's doors, Darryl walks past different families and friends. There are also small groups of students that go to school with him.

He walks down the large hall, passing different small stores to go to the center of the mall. He spots a large opening and there, small tables are scattered around the area. Most of the tables are free and one table catches his eye.

Darryl smiles, stopping a few feet away and taking his phone out.

Zak doesn't notice the giggling creature behind him as he scrolls through his phone. He then gets a notification. Clicking on the message from Darryl, he spots he has sent him an image.

Darry <3: I see you... [image attached here]

Zak giggles and turns his head around. Darryl is smiling and their eyes catch. Zak gets up from his chair and begins to walk to him. The two meet, wrap one another in a small hug, then pulling away.

"So, have you thought about my request?" Darryl asks, raising an eyebrow.

Yesterday, he asked Zak to the dance. Zak told him he would think about it and give him an answer the next time they meet.

"I have, and I would love to go with you." Their smiles grow and Darryl pulls him back into a hug, over the moon from the response.

"Oh my goodness... I am so happy right now." Darryl is the first to pull away, leaving his hands on Zak's waist. "Wanna go clothe shopping for tomorrow?"

Zak nods, "Yes! I'll pay thought."

"Oh, that's what you think muffintop. Now, c'mon, I want us to look amazing!" Darryl moves his hands off and slips their hands together. The two scurry down, hand-in-hand, to the nearest clothing shop.

They enter a simple shop where there is a large variety of teenage clothing for prom and school dances. The store isn't empty, making a few people walking around.

"What would you like to wear?" Zak asks Darryl, who slips his hand away. The two move around to look at suits.

"I'm not sure. Maybe just a regular suit." Darryl looks at the different colored suits on the walls and clothing hangers. "What about you?"

"I-I'm not sure... I've never been to a dance before." Zak shrugs lightly. His eyes travel through different categories.

Darryl hums. He stops looking for himself and begins to look for Zak. "Let's see here..." He mumbles. He takes one quick look at his friend before skimming through the store.

Zak follows behind, watching as Darryl is working hard on choosing what they should wear.

Darryl's eyes stop on different dresses and his mind begins to remember what Zelk and his friends had planned. He frowns slightly, not sure whether or not he should go with it.

"How do you feel about dresses?" Darryl asks Zak, clearing his throat.

Zak raises an eyebrow, looking at what Darryl was seeing. "I'm not sure. I've never worn a dress before..."

"Want to try one on?" Darryl asks, making his way to the light-blue dresses. There is one that catches his eye. A nice light-blue dress. It's simple and nothing too fancy. It has spaghetti straps and the collar doesn't dip that much. It can hug someone's waist perfectly and it doesn't seem to pass someone's knees too much. "I think this one would look perfect on you."

Zak watches as Darryl carefully grabs the dress and shows it to him. Zak reaches out and holds onto the silk. The fabric is nice and smooth. "Well, it doesn't hurt to try something new," Zak mutters.

And with that, the two make their way to the back of the small store. They reach the fitting rooms and Zak grabs the dress and enters a stall. Darryl waits a few feet away from the stay, patient, and calm as he wonders how Zak would look.

His fingers tap on his arms nervously and the door in front of him clicks open. Darryl's head perks up and once the door swings open and Zak steps out, his jaws drop.

Standing in front of him, Zak has the dress hugging his body perfectly. The dress passes his knees just a smudge and the ribbon around the waist is tied up neatly. He looks like a living princess in Darryl's eyes.

"I-" Darryl is out of breath, "Wow..."

Zak's eyes widen and his cheeks flush as he nervously scratches the back of his neck. "Is it that bad?"

Quickly shaking his head, Darryl steps up. "What!? No! You look amazing! I have no idea what to say. Just, you look beautiful..."

"Really?" Zak whispers in awe, his heart fluttering. Darryl nods. "I think I found my outfit."

————

Time ticks and the moon is over their shoulders. Zak holds his hand around Darryl's shoulder as the music from the school gym fills up the atmosphere.

Darryl stands with a black suit with a white shirt underneath. His tie is a matching light-blue with Zak's dress and as well with a matching blue flower in his shirt pocket. His sleeves are cuffed and tucked neatly.

Zak stands next to him with the same light-blue dress they both fell in love with. He as well as a simple black sweater on his shoulders just in case and he has light-blue vans to match his outfit. Their hair is combed up neatly and lips covered with chapstick so they don't get chapped.

"You ready?" Darryl asks, turning his head to meet eyes with Zak.

"Born ready." Zak smiles, sending Darryl a gentle squeeze on the arm as the two walk up to the gym's open doors.

A table is set up from, balloons behind them as someone sits with a small box. As Darryl shows their tickets, the one at the table looks at the two with disgust, which Zak catches and his body shivers slightly with fear.

Darryl doesn't catch this. Instead, he thanks the person and the two walk inside.

The gym is dark and the building is filled with students jumping up and down to the music. Lights of different colors shine up above to light up the dance floor. Near the sides, tables are set up for snacks and beverages. Up at the front, the DJ booth is set up for music.

Zak's eyes widen in awe as he feels all his horrible thoughts wash away. This is more then he could have ever dreamed of.

"So, you ready to dance?" Darryl yells, trying to speak over the loud music.

"Yes!" Zak jumps slightly and the two run to the dance floor.

———

While the two dance, time goes by and suddenly Darryl feels a tap on his shoulder. He stops dancing with Zak and he turns to see Vurb. His eyes widen and everything positive he was feeling, disappears.

"It's time." Vurb mouthes. Then he disappears back into the crowd.

Darryl stares off and his mind races. He turns back to see Zak jumping up and down, his hands thrown up in the air as he dances like there's no tomorrow.

"I'm so sorry, my muffin," Darryl whispers to himself, which no one can hear from the loud music.

He sighs, clearing his throat and putting a small, fake smile on his face. He reaches up and places a hand on Zak's shoulder, which allows the smaller one to stop dancing and look up at him. "I'm going to get some drinks. I'll be back."

Zak smiles and nods, "Alright."

Darryl's eyes soften and he hesitates to let go. The blinding colored lights hover over Darryl for a split second and then vanishes. The warmth on Zak's shoulder disappears and he has a weird feeling in his gut. He brushes it off and continues to sway to the music.

He doesn't hear the footsteps and the two students walking up to him through the crowd.

He feels an uncomfortable presence behind him and stopping all his movements, he swiftly turns around and spots Vurb and Vincent in front of him.

His heart suddenly quickens its pace and his eyes widen as he takes a small step back. "P-Please don't hurt me..." His voice quivers and he raises an arm up to defend himself.

(i just realized they r at a party and it should be impossible for them to communicate but oh well)

"We aren't here to hurt you." Vurb sighs and frowns.

Zak doesn't move.

"We are here to apologize," Vincent adds.

Zak's eyes slowly widen and he looks around to see if Darryl is back. He doesn't know what to say.

"We know you hate us. You have every right to be." Vurb says. The students around them don't pay attention to the conversation.

Zak's heart stops and his arm lowers down slightly. He hesitates to look up.

"We are super fucking sorry for hurting you. We know we shouldn't have. We want to make it up to you." Vincent places his hands together and sighs softly.

Vurb nods, backing Vincent up.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" Zak asks, sucking in a deep breath. His arms are back to his sides as he raises an eyebrow.

Vincent and Vurb look at one another. "We have something for you. To apologize for everything we have done." Vincent says.

"Will you please follow us?" Vurb asks.

Zak looks between the two. Everyone deserves a second chance, right? They both look serious and they are Darryl's friends. If Darryl could change, they can too.

Zak nods slowly, seeing Vincent sigh in relief. The two motion Zak away from the crowd and towards the front of the stage. They walk up the small flight of stairs and make their way up in front of the DJ booth. Zak's hands nervously connect with one another and he taps his fingers nervously.

"We want to give you something," Vincent says. He goes around the DJ booth, where the DJ walks away. "Stay there."

Darryl looks up at the stage, biting his thumb as he stares at Zak's nervous figure. Vincent is walking away from the front, Vurb telling Zak to stay in his place while they come back.

Chucking his cup in the garbage, Darryl starts to sprint around the beverages and towards the front of the stage.

Zak suddenly hears the music die down, causing the students dancing to slowly stop and look up in confusion. Suddenly, whispers and laughter can be heard as eyes are glued onto Zak.

"Uh..." Zak looks around and he sees phones being pulled out. "Vincent, Vurb?" He tries to call the two.

Darryl climbs up the stairs and he scurries onto the stage.

Zak's ears perk up and he hears the footsteps. He turns his head and his eyes widen once he spots Darryl running up to him.

"Now!" Is yelled from behind the stage and a large buzzing sound is heard.

"Zak, move!" Darryl shouts, reaching his hands forward.

Before Zak could process anything, he's pushed away. His body stumbles as he falls and slides away from the center. He stops and his dress falls back down to cover himself. He looks up and a huge splat can be heard.

Large erupts of laughter can be heard and his eyes widen in shock as he looks up to see Darryl, who is now standing where Zak once stood, covered in paint of the rainbow from top to bottom. His hair is ruined, the suit is stained, and shows don't even show black anymore.

"Wait..." Zak puts two and two together and he gasps.

Darryl feels tears swelling up, and not from the shame of students laughing at him, from the shame of bringing Zak here in the first place.

"Zak..." Darryl whispers, slowly turning his paint-covered face to see Zak getting up from the floor and staring at him with the stinging look of sadness and betrayal.

Shaking his head, Zak lets out a few tears to fall down his cheeks. "I knew it..." Zak's voice quivers as he takes one final look at Darryl and runs off the stage.

"Wait, Zak! Please!"

The gym doors swing shut, echoing through the building to mix with the string of laughter targeting the older boy.

"I'm so sorry..."

WC: 2740
———-
debating whether or not to keep the ending like this or make a p3 hmmmmmmmmmm