Fantasy You're a Monster, Why am I Not Afraid?

[JDizzle383]

Spoiler: Darien's character sheet

Name: Darien Crovants
Age: 16
Appearance:

Details: a species of what humans call monsters, he has magic at his disposal that allows him to appear human and hide his monster traits. He is fascinated with human culture, and will often sneak out during the nights to have the human day cycle with normal humans, taking pills to make him not seem drowsy.

Darien walked down the hall as normally as he could. Where were those pills? He had them in his jacket literally last class period! He could always buy more, but there was more than half a bottle of them, so what was he supposed to tell the pharmacist?

Add to that that his magic was almost out of energy, and those pills were the key to mana regenerating as well...

He didn't have much time left before his disguise wore off! Where were they??? He slammed open his locker(yes his, he had enrolled in human school and used magic to convince the adults he was an orphan with a part-time job to cover school costs) and searched frantically. Not there... not there? What was he gonna do? shutting it he was getting worried... at most he probably had five minutes before he couldn't keep the magic disguise up unless he took those Fatigue erasers!

Wait... who was that running towards hi-THE PILLS! How did SHE get them? did he know her? he seemed to remember her from classes this year, but as he didn't really have friends...

back to the reason he was allowing her to talk to him...

He NEEDED those pills and fast!

 

[liliwrites]

Spoiler: theta's cs ~

name: theta wren
age: 15
bio: theta has never really managed to fit in with the other kids at school. she's fascinated with
the darker things in life and loves staying up all night reading fantasy books as a way to escape her boring life
trying to live up to the high standards that her six older siblings have set.

​

After what felt like the longest 50 minutes of Theta's life the school bell finally rang and she eagerly threw all of her books and pens into her bag and scrambled out of the class with all the other kids. She made her way to her locker to dump everything out again and as she walked there her foot kicked a small white bottle which she recognised to be a bottle of pills. She picked up the bottle and examined it but she didn't recognise the name of the tablets. She did, however, recognise the name.

Darien Crovants.

She knew the boys name from one of her classes, she wasn't sure which, but she remembered his face from when the teacher called out their names at the start of class. She looked around her trying to peer through all the heads of the students crowding around their lockers but she couldn't find him anywhere. She quickly chucked all of her things in her own locker, grabbed a few other things, and began wandering around trying to locate the boy to return his medicine before their next class. Theta didn't really socialise with many people at school and liked to stay out the way, she had enough siblings to always have somebody to hang out with, but she was still a kind person and she wanted to do the right thing.

She finally noticed his head in the middle of the crowd and started jogging toward him shaking the bottle of the pills in the air to grab his attention.

"HEY!" she called out, not really caring about turning heads, she was a little strange like that, "I HAVE SOMETHING OF YOURS!!" she called out again shaking the bottle violently.

 

[JDizzle383]

Darien ran over and grabbed her arm mid-swing, forgetting his monstrous strength and pulling her hand down, snatching the pills, and opening the bottle in one swift motion. he swallowed two of them, and closed the bottle, right in front of her.

"Oh thank Noxia... uh I mean god?" he gulped as he slipped up with his speech in front of...

"I owe you my life. anything I can do, name it, and I will gladly accommodate you," he stated, completely serious.

The hall emptied out, most of the students going home. "Honestly, thank you... I could have been in a lot of trouble without these." he made a small bow in her direction.

 

[liliwrites]

Theta yelled out as she felt her arm being yanked out of the air and down to the boys mouth. She watched, bewildered, as the boy snapped up the pills in one go and stared back at her. He muttered something weird but she shrugged it off, too confused to question anything right now. She was quite rusty in the social interaction department and she wasn't sure whether this kind of manic pill-swallowing was a thing that kids did these days...?

"I owe you my life", the boy said, and for some reason Theta had a gut feeling that he really meant it, maybe he had epilepsy or something, "anything I can do, name it, and I will gladly accommodate you," he carried on almost like he was reading out a contract.

Theta shrugged it off. It was no big deal. She didn't really understand why the boy was making such a fuss out of the situation.

"I could have been in a lot of trouble without these."

"Oh, well I'm glad I got them to you!" Theta said with a smile. "Are you okay?" She asked with a little more concern in her voice.

 

[JDizzle383]

"Fine, now. I almost ran out of ener-nevermind! Now tell me anything, and I will do what I can." He said almost like he was some sort of genie.

Social skills were not really his forte either, and he really didn't know why he was trying to be so nice. All he knew is he had nearly blown his cover and she saved him.

"Please just name it, and it will be done!" he didn't move, almost like he couldn't until she answered his strange offer.

 

[liliwrites]

The boy carried on pressing Theta to name a wish. She felt a little bit uncomfortable at the fact that somebody was actually offering to do something for her. People usually didn't even approach her. She dressed quite... out there... usually wearing dark colours and styles of clothing totally opposite from all the pink frilly stuff her classmates wore. She was usually clutching an unusual novel for a girl her age, gripped tightly under her arm at all times, and people acted like there was an invisible force-field around her pushing them away.

"Uhhh... It's really okay. I don't have anything that I need anybody to do for me anyways. I have plenty of siblings to boss around," she said with a small giggle, "it's fine! Let's just be friends," she suggested, which was super out of character but it just felt so right to say. Maybe she secretly did long for a friend to have aside from her family.

 

[JDizzle383]

Darien froze up... friends? A human friend? Did he... could he have that?

Regardless, it was HER request, so he nodded. "s-sure... s-s-see you tomorrow?" he had a half-smile on his face as he grabbed her hand and shook it, this time making sure to hide his heightened strength. turning to go, he looked back at her, "You... didn't read the bottle did you?"

He seemed worried. after all, the pills were fatigue erasers, something humans couldn't make. What if she found out?

Leaving, he went to a back ally away from the school and vanished, not aware if she had followed him or if he was alone.

As he opened the door in his realm, he saw his mother waiting, "Where were you? we came to your room and you were gone! Please don't tell me you went to the human realm again! it's dangerous! Haven't you heard of what happened to your uncle?"

"Uncle was a fool. He didn't hide or use a mirage. Besides, uncle didn't have any friends." Darien said without thinking.

"SAY WHAT?"

Ooops.
——————

That night he locked his door. His mother knew he was visiting, but he had a promise to keep. He said he'd see her again, so he would.

"I may lie, but I never go back on my word," he muttered as he appeared...

Right under Theta's bed. forgetting he wasn't in his disguise he slinked out from under it and was met with her face looking at him... wait...

"What's wrong, friend?" he asked.

He completely forgot his scales were in full view.

 

[liliwrites]

The boy looked started at Theta's request to be friends. She was pretty startled at her own offer too so she got it. She tried to keep a reassuring smile on her face as the boy stuttered out his words.

"S-s-sure.. s-s-see you tomorrow," he said. Wow.. weird... I've never had anybody say that to me before. I've never had anybody to come to school for. This is crazy! She thought to herself. "Yeah, see you tomorrow!" she agreed, quite happy with herself that she managed to befriend somebody so easily.

"Nah, don't worry, I didn't want to pry!" she said, even though she did try to sneak a little look when she first saw the bottle but she didn't understand any of the big words and gave up pretty much straight away once she saw a name she recognised.

She waved her friend goodbye and texted her sister, Eta, to meet her at the front gates of the school so they could go home together.

---

Theta woke up with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She kinda felt like she was being watched - but in a different way from when her siblings drew on her face and she woke up to them taking pictures of her as blackmail - and she didn't like the feeling one bit. She slowly sat up in her bed and looked around. Her room was empty and looked normal. She relaxed a little bit but she still felt a sense of unease. Something wasn't right.

She didn't know what prompted her to do so but she peered over the edge of her bed to see what was underneath and she almost jumped out of her skin. In front of her was a creature - she wasn't really sure how to describe it - that looked kinda scary, covered in scales and all, but also kind of cute curled up under her bed looking up at her with big innocent eyes.

"What's wrong, friend?" the creature spoke.

Theta recognised Darien's voice straight away - how could she forget her one and only friends voice? But how could that be? How could this creature... be Darien? She was ever so confused but also very intrigued. As scary and shocking as it was Theta had always dreamed of having some kind of supernatural experience and she wasn't planning on running for the hills any time soon.

"I-I..." she stuttered out, struggling for words, "I'm confused," was all she managed to whisper.

 

[JDizzle383]

"Confused? Don't you rec...og...nize-OH SHIT!" he activated his magic disguise, but he looked about ready to panic.

"Mom was right! what if I get vivisected? what if someone else saw?" he was very obviously worried.

"Please please PLEASE don't tell anyone!" He got on his knees and begged. He only had one friend here and he already screwed up. "I can't be put in a lab! you wouldn't sell me out, right... Right???"

Yep, he was definitely worried.

 

[liliwrites]

Theta quickly realised that Darien himself wasn't even aware of his own appearance. They both seemed to be in a permanent state of shock around each other. She flinched as he swore - she wasn't allowed to do that in the house - and began worrying about whether anybody was eavesdropping and whether they would catch a boy in her room. Even though he looked a little funky he was still a boy. And he was in her room... Shit, shit, shit, she thought to herself.

She watched in horror as Darien began to beg her on his knees, looking very out of place sprawled out on the little fluffy pink rug in the middle of her room, and waved her arms around madly trying to silence him - he was surely going to get the attention of one of her siblings and they'd soon come running in to investigate the commotion like the nosy animals they were!

"I'm not going to sell you out!" she hissed, "but you've got to be quiet! I have six siblings. Six!! Do you know how much trouble I'm gonna be in if anybody finds out that you're in my room?!"

 

[JDizzle383]

Darien finally realized she had said, SIX different people could find him. in a panic, he snapped his fingers and teleported outside, forgetting that he was doing magic right in front of her.

She would find him absent from the first period. and the second... and third.

At lunch, however, he walked up to her table and sat down with his school lunch. The people staring as he walked over to the "weird kid's table" was not lost on him.

"Hi..." he smiled awkwardly as he sat down and pulled his sandwich to his mouth, taking a bite.

The mean children around them were starting to whisper amongst themselves, but he didn't pay attention, choosing to focus on her instead.

 

[liliwrites]

Theta blinked and Darien was gone. Not exactly what she meant but she couldn't really complain as she was safe. For now. She really hoped nobody heard anything or she would be in a lot of trouble. Luckily, nobody mentioned anything at breakfast or on the way to school. Throughout the whole day she couldn't stop herself from thinking about Darien. What Who was he? How did he disappear like that? Why did he have scales?! She had so many questions and she happily let her mind wander and roam through all of the fantastical stories she had read before but none of them provided an explanation for the random appearance of a teenage dragon/lizard/fish boy in the human world. She was stumped.

She started worrying a little by the time it came to lunch - she hadn't seen Darien all day and worried she scared him off this morning - but her fears were soon relived as she noticed him walking into the cafeteria. A weight lifted off her shoulders as he sat down in front of her. He looked completely normal now back to his 'human' self but Theta could still picture every single detail of his bizarre appearance this morning. Questions flooded her mind all over again but she used every single ounce of willpower to not burst out with a thousand questions.

"Hi," she smiled back, clearly very eager to talk to the boy again, "what happened this morning? Where did you go? I have so many questions," she couldn't help herself but say.

She too noticed the kids around them start whispering and blushed while awkwardly playing with her food. She could see her older sisters at a table on the other side of the cafeteria throwing questioning looks at her and she knew that this evening would be filled with them teasing her about her new friend but she didn't really care. She was way too invested right now.

 

[JDizzle383]

"School Therapist," Darien answered evenly. He wasn't lying. He had to say a lot of things that were half-truths to the therapist and use some magic to actually get straight answers from her, but he finally came to the conclusion that as long as she said nothing, he had nothing to fear.

As he sat there eating, He saw some people come up to them. He had no way of knowing they were Theta's siblings.

"Can I help you?" he asked, thinking they were going to say something rude or mean like bullies.

Theta would feel an invisible tail slink around one of her ankles as he applied a small bit of magic to make sure she wouldn't have to worry about a bruise if these five kids were going to punch her.

 

[liliwrites]

"Oh right, but I meant more like... you just disappeared.. how-"

Theta's questions were cut off when her stupid siblings decided it would be better to confront her there and then. She slid down the bench in embarrassment and tried to hide herself but it was way too late. Her nosy sisters were already standing above them with wild looks in their eyes.

She felt something grab her leg under the table and nearly let out a scream but the fact that her sisters were standing right there shut her up. She didn't want to draw any more attention to herself right now and from the look in Darien's eyes she could tell that he had something to do with it.

"Erm... these are my older sisters, you know how I said I have a lot of siblings? Well..." she waved her hand motioning to the crowd of older girls standing around them like they were watching animals in a zoo, "what do you want?!" she snapped at them.

"We were just wondering who your new friend is," the eldest of the group, second eldest in all, Beta teased her, "you never told us that you had a boyfriend!"

Theta turned bright red and screwed her eyes shut. "He's not my boyfriend!" she snapped back at her sister. "I'm soooo sorry," she said turning to Darien with an apologetic look, "this is soooo embarassing."

 

[JDizzle383]

"Boyfriend? I mean I AM a boy... what, did you think I was a girl or something?" Darien looked at her questioningly.

Yep. he was completely socially awkward.

 

[liliwrites]

"Yeah... but they're trying to say that we're in love," she explained rolling her eyes at her older sisters, "please, please leave us alone, you can ask me all the questions you want at home but just let us eat our lunch in peace, let me have a friend for once," she begged them.

This was super, mega, extremely embarrassing. Lots of the kids in the cafeteria were staring now and they'd even stopped whispering because they were concentrating on the action so much. She hated being the youngest child at times like this.

 

[JDizzle383]

Darien coughed a bit as he realized he had not known yet another custom in the human world. So these sisters of hers thought he was her mate?

His entire face was a deep crimson, though he was happy she called him her friend. It made him feel warm. And that was odd considering he was cold-blooded.

"So these are your kin?" he asked her like he had no idea he hadn't said 'siblings'.

The six girls staring at him were frankly starting to bother him. Normally, he'd just leave in situations like this, but he had a friend now, and he felt an odd sensation... a need to assert himself as worthy for some reason?

He put a nervous smile on and spoke to them, "Uhhh, Hi? My name is Darien. might I have the pleasure of knowing all of yours?"

 

[liliwrites]

Watching Darien cough and grow red out of embarrassment made Theta feel a little bit more relaxed - It was good to know she wasn't the only one that thought the idea was crazy! They were only sophomores and besides the idea to have a boyfriend had never even crossed Theta's mind before. What did she need a boyfriend for? She already had an unlimited source of fictional boys and men in her head that she could fantasise about all day.

Theta frowned a little when Darien used the word 'kin' - was this kid alright? He was so old-fashioned!

Aaaaand then he introduced himself to his sisters and asked for their names which normally would be cute but Theta groaned as she knew what was coming next. Like a group of dogs performing a synchronised dance, her sisters lined up in age order and began saying their names.

Alpha, the eldest child and the only single, 18, Beta and Gamma, twins, 17, Delta and Zeta, actually triplets (their triplet being a boy named Epsilon), 16, and Eta, Theta's twin, 15. The Wren family was big and complicated. Most of the children were identical and it was a little bit of a freak show/circus situation every time they all went out in public together. Being in one high-school together was just... weird. Having such similar names didn't make it any easier either but their parents, both mathematicians, thought it was cool.

 

[JDizzle383]

"So... would it be fair to assume one of your parents is fond of Greece?" Darien smiled naively, "They are wonderful names. I hope we can get along! After all, the family of my friend would make all of you people I will have to interact with, no?"

He certainly had an odd way of speaking...

The sisters would notice one of the jocks walk up, "Yo, Dare! you didn't give me my money this morning!" the obvious bully shouted. Darien smiled, "Did you check your pockets?" he asked.

"You callin' me a liar?" the jock shouted.

Darien simply shook his head and 'pretended' to remember something, "Oh that's right! my bad Oliver. I seem to have left it in MY pocket. here you go."

And he pulled out a 20 dollar bill from his pocket, which had been created with magic on the spot. When the bully took it and left, what's worse, Darien had no idea that was even a bully... he just assumed it was an athlete who was down on his luck.

 

[liliwrites]

"They're not fond of Greece... they're just a little tapped," Alpha laughed and one of her sisters elbowed her in the ribs to shut her up.

Theta rolled her eyes and groaned at them slumping down in her seat even further. This is definitely not how she wanted her first interrogation conversation with Darien to go. And to top it all off, Oliver, one of the schools bullies, began making his way over to their table too, attracted by all the commotion. He went right up to Darien and demanded his money there and then in front of all of her sisters. She watched as Alpha pulled her sleeves up, about to teach the squirt a lesson, but she didn't manage to get that far as Darien simply whipped out a note out of his pocket and passed it over with no complaints.

"What?! What are you doing, kid? Don't let that bully take your money!" Alpha raised her voice in shock but Oliver was already gone.

"What did you do that for?" Theta hissed at him, "and where did you even get 20 bucks from? Our parents only give us like 5 max a day. No wonder he's taking it from you!"

 

[JDizzle383]

"Oh, he's no bully. Bullies are much more violent." Darien said.

Just what kind of person did he even mean by that???

When asked where he got 20 bucks from, he simply produced a hundred and handed it to Theta. "Let's just say it's not an issue for me."

He didn't want to say 'magic' right in front of her sisters, so he opted to simply prove a point, but maybe he overdid it because that was a real hundred-dollar bill in her hands.