*Laurance's PoV*

I've noticed that Aaron and Aphmau have been over a lot lately. Zane and Garroth seem to have this sad feeling about them when ever they're here when it's just them. Whenever they see them at a party or a gathering, they're perfectly fine. There's something I'm missing here, isn't there?

Right now, I'm sitting upside down on the couch watching TV and Garroth is upstairs with, you guessed it, Aaron and Aphmau. Zane is sitting next to me, but upright. He seems quite anxious about something. He keeps looking up the stairs, as though he's expecting something to happen. I grab the remote off the couch next to me and mute the TV before swinging my legs around so I sit normally on the couch. I turn to the one-eyed emo.

"What are you so worried about, Zane?" I ask him.

"Huh? What?" he says quickly, obviously surprised by my sudden question.

"You've been anxious ever since Aph and Aaron came over. What's on your mind, one-eye?"

"I well, uh..." Zane trails off, his eye flickering from my eyes to the stairs then to the floor. He opens his mouth to explain but then we hear a thud from upstairs. His eyes widen as he gets up and bolts up the stairs. I follow after him, running but not as fast.

I run up to Garroth's room to find him sprawled on the floor with Aphmau and Zane hunched over him. Aaron is pacing on the other end of the room.

"Garroth I am so SO sorry!" he says, seemingly frustrated with himself, "I really thought that would work that time!"

"Ugh!" Garroth groans, seemingly in pain as he gets up slowly, "I-it's fine Aaron. It's not your fault."

"But it's not yours either," Aphmau says supportively.

"What exactly is going on here?" I say, interrupting them. Aaron stops pacing and widens his eyes. We make eye contact and my eyes widen as well. I feel the stares of the other three concentrated on us. They seem to be expecting something to happen.

My gaze has flickered from his eyes to the wolf-like ears with red tips that sit on top of his head. I stare at them, trying to determine if they are real or not. They twitch slightly. Yep. Real. Definitely real. Then I remember something I read online. His he a... no those don't exist. They're just a myth... right?

"You're a..." I start slowly, "A werewolf?"

"Y-y-yes?" Aaron stutters, clearly nervous.

"You're not a... you know... are you?"

"No!" Aph screams suddenly. Everyone in the room turns to look at her. "No. He's not. I would know if he was." She finishes coolly. I breath a sigh of relief. The tension slowly leaves the room.

I turn to Garroth, who is still on the floor, just kneeling now. I walk over and kneel next to him. Aph walks over to a troubled Aaron.

"You okay Garroth?" I ask him.

"Y-yeah," he stutters, going slightly pink, probably from embarrassment.

I smile, blushing a bit. Why does his stutter have to be so adorable? I know it's stupid, but I may, sorta, kinda have a small crush on Garroth.

Really? Only a small crush?

Okay, okay! A big crush!

Not that he'd ever return those feelings. No, he's always been straight. I've probably always been gay. I remember when we moved into the first street across from Aph and her friends I remember pretending to have a crush on her so I'd get out of having to tell my friends that I was gay. I have absolutely no idea how anyone would react to that. I notice tears in the corners of Garroth's eyes. Zane must have noticed them too because, before I can react, he pulls hi older brother into a hug. I put my hand on Garroth's shoulder comfortingly.

He smiles sadly. Oh, my Irene. His smile. Even when he's sad I just... ugh! Why does my best friend and now crush have to be so cute?

Aaron is ranting to himself, his head in his hands. Aph is comforting him, kissing him lightly. It takes a while before he sighs and says something.

"Alright," he says while sighing, "Garroth. You want me to try again?"

*Garroth's PoV*

"Garroth. You want me to try again?" Aaron asks me. I shake my head timidly while I get up off the floor. Aaron still has his ears and tail out, considering Laurance already saw them, it would be pointless for him to hide them. Thank Irene his eyes weren't active! And thank Irene Aph and I were able to hide our ears and tails before he turned to us. I just hope he never read any of the articles.

"No Aaron," I state softly, responding to his question, "If you're having trouble with it, it's okay if you can't manage to do it. Overworking yourself like this will only result in someone getting hurt. And I don't want anything to accidentally happen."

"But, I..." Aaron trails off, knowing what I was hinting at. He sighs as Aph puts her arm around him, her ring catching the light. "So, you're sure you're okay with this? Are you sure you're alright with staying this way?"

"Yes. I'm sure. I'm still the same person, right? It hasn't changed who I am."

He looks down at the floor.

"Hey. It wasn't your fault I'm like this. I'm just stubborn. And stupid."

"You're not stupid, Garroth," Laurance says. I must have given him a weird look because he then goes on to explain himself. "You are amazing. You're smart, and funny, and one of the best friends I've ever had. No. Correction. The best friend I've ever had. Remember that."

"U-uh," I stutter, feeling heat rise to my cheeks, "T-thanks, L-Laurance."

Dammit! Why'd I have to stutter? It's terrible that I can't tell him I'm a werewolf without exposing Aaron. It's even worse I've never told anyone my sexuality. And it's certainly not helping that I have a crush on my BEST FREAKING FRIEND!!! I hear Aph giggle and immediately blush more.

"Aph, not this again," Zane says annoyed.

"Not what again?" Laurance and I ask in unison.

"Well, see," my baby brother starts, "Aphmau has this little obsession over shi—"

"ZANE!!!" Aphmau interrupts him, suddenly becoming Satan himself. Or, herself. I don't even know anymore. To be honest. I'm really happy she did that. I think I already know what he was going to say...

"Well," Aaron says, breaking the silence, "Aph, we'd better get going. We don't wanna overstay our welcome."

"Okay," the raven-haired girl chirps, "Hehehehe! I'm gonna tell this to Kawaii~Chan."

"Oh no," Zane mumbles into his mask.

"Well, you're always welcome here guys," Laurance says as we walk out of my room and down the stairs.

"Thanks," Aph says kindly smiling at the three of us before heading out the door with her fiancé. Zane closes the door after her before giving me a sympathetic look.

"So, it didn't work?" he questions. I shake my head in response. "I see."

"I'm sorry but what didn't work?" Laurance interrupts.

"O-oh, uh..." I say trying to think of an excuse, but Zane cuts me off.

"What's it to you?" he says aggressively.

"Uh, hello? Garroth is my friend! Can you not see that with that one eye of yours?"

"Grr! Whatever! Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going up to my room! Good day!"

And with that, my baby brother storms upstairs. We hear stomping through the ceiling then a door slamming. We both flinch. Laurance turns to me.

"What was all that about?" he asks me inquisitively. I just shake my head, smiling. The pain from Aaron trying to transform me back into a human has subsided now, so, I'm perfectly fine now.

"I don't know, Laurance," I say while laughing quietly. "I don't even know any more."

Just then, Laurance's phone dinged. He walked over to the counter and picked it up. He scanned the screen before pressing his thumb against the home screen button and opening the phone. He scans the screen more before his face lights up.

"What is it?" I ask out of curiosity.

"It's my twin sister," he replies, "She said she's free to come over this weekend!"

"Okay. One; I didn't know you had a twin. Two; you invited her over?"

"Maybe?"

I roll my eyes at his cuteness. I sit don on the couch, un-muting the TV. I think Laurance might have muted it when they came up. Laurance sits next to me and watches the show with me. Every now and then I'd glance over at him, blushing slightly, then turn back to the TV. I have no idea how long I've liked him for, but I know I like him. Maybe his twin can do something for me? No, I don't think so. I just need to get it off my chest somehow...

A few people come to mind as to who I could tell. Kim, Kawaii~Chan, Aphmau, Dante, Laurance's twin. But I think Kawaii~Chan would explode of fangirlism as I know she ships us. Dante would most likely tell him. I don't even know his twin sister. Kim... I don't know... maybe. I honestly don't know how she feels about gay people. It's not a common conversation starter. And Aph... I know she's supportive. She'd probably fangirl like hell, but after she got over it, she'd probably be really understanding. So, Kim, or Aphmau... or both.

It should be easy to tell the girls, they are always so understanding, of almost everything. But how do I tell him?

*Laurance's PoV*

Feeling the warmth of the boy next to me is comforting. I just focus on the TV, drowning in my thoughts. Grr. I need to get this off my chest somehow. I could tell Lauren, but, knowing her, she'd laugh at me for having a petty crush on a boy, let alone one I've known since elementary school. She'd come around though... I'd hope. I've almost told her via text message a couple times, but I think this sort of thing is best said in person.

Dante or Travis might be good to tell. Wait... no. Maybe not Travis. He'd just joke around with it, while I've seen Dante be serious before. I wonder if I could tell him... While it may be easy to tell someone else, it will be super hard to tell Garroth. How do I tell him?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 

Hi guys! So, that was the first chapter of my first fanfiction! Woah that was a mouthful. I know the prologue was technically the first, but who's counting eh?

Yeah, I don't really have much to say at the moment... so I'm out!

Bye Crystalites!