#pandywritings

Luke smiled at the florist as he picked up his order of flowers. No matter how many times he walked this path, he couldn’t crush down the feelings of excitement and euphoria that flooded through him. Walking down this street always floods him with memories, the good and the bad.

Across the street from the flower shop is an Ice Cream Parlor, the letters across the front are worn and unreadable. Luke smiled fondly as he remembers going there for their first date. Luke randomly asked Ryan out after class and he didn't make any plans because he was the bad kid, the one that is always getting in trouble. He thought that no one as perfect as Ryan would say yes. So, when he did, Luke took him to the only place he knew. They had ice cream on their noses and in their hair. They had to stay there the WHOLE night just to clean up their mess from the ice cream fight they had. He remembers his red face and wheezing sides. How perfect Ryan looked even with ice cream all over him. How when they walked out of the parlor, early in the morning, the owner smiled and asked that they come back to visit anytime.  

Right next to the Ice Cream Parlor is Antonio's. Ryan and he went there to get fitted for a wedding that they had to attend. He remembers Antonio fussing over him while Ryan was stuffing his face full of the sweets and pretzels that a worker had placed on the table. When Luke was done, Antonio swatted his hands and took away the food because 'he did not just do all that work only for the suit not to fit Luke.' Antonio then got after Ryan for eating too much.  

Luke smiled sadly as he passed Pepper's Pizza Place, waving at the people inside. He almost stopped breathing when he noticed the object in the back corner. A jukebox. Luke and Ryan got caught in a rainstorm walking back from the movies and Pepper's was the only place that was open. The couple that ran the Pizza Place let them stay there and even made them some free food. He remembers Ohm's eyes lighting up in excitement when he noticed a beaten down jukebox hidden away in the corner of the place. Ryan immediately went to go get cleaner and rags so that they could clean the dust off of it and use it. It took them a while to get it to work but once the jukebox started to let out 90's music, Ryan pulled Luke into a dance and they didn’t stop until the sun peeked its head out of the angry clouds the next morning.  

Luke's smile dropped off his face when he noticed that the empty parking lot next to the Parlor was still there, after all these years, it is still empty and still remains to be an eyesore and a painful memory for most.  

He remembers that night clearly. They were walking home from the park, where they had just witnessed a meteor shower and had a midnight picnic. They were in the empty parking lot when gunshots rang out across the night. Thinking fast, they ran to the nearest cover, a dumpster. Ryan hopped in first and then Luke. The huddled closer together when the gunshots got closer and closer. They were so close that they could hear the individual screams of pain that the gang members let out when they were shot. Ryan and Luke could even hear a few stray bullets ping off the dumpster and the wall behind it. He remembers kissing Ryan's forehead and whispering to him, "If we are going to die tonight, I just wanted to say that. I love you and I am so happy and blessed that you came into my life and changed me for the better. I love you so much." He remembers Ohm kissing him and whispering that he loves him too. After a while, the gunshots stopped and there was no sound but the thumping of their hearts and the ringing in their ears. Ryan was shaking and pressing his body as much as he could into Luke as if he could disappear any moment. He remembers that they waited with bated breath when the sirens started wailing and the gunshots ensued, more than before and with much more ferocity.  

Luke remembers shoving Ryan behind him when the dumpster lid opened up and a flashlight blinded them. It was the police and after a lot of questioning, let them go. They were escorted home and a car was placed across the street to watch the house. Luke and Ryan didn’t even think about sleeping that night, or for the next couple of nights. They stayed up, drank hot chocolate and played chubby bunny. They did anything that would or could get their minds off of what happened.  

Luke remembers all of these things and more as he walks through the park to his destination. He does this every month to make sure that Ohm gets flowers and that he knows how much Luke loves him. He ignored the people that were giving him sad stares, everyone knew what happened, everyone knew but didn’t say anything. Luke knew he arrived at his destination when he saw the yellow rose bushes and belladonna bushes surrounding the gate.  

After arriving at his destination, Luke smiled and sat down with the bouquet of flowers.  

"Hey Ry, I hope you're doing well. The florist gave me some different flowers this time, I don’t know what they mean but hopefully, you do. She said that you would know. Yellow tulips, Red Carnations, Marigolds and Pink Camellia Japon-something. I hope you like them." He set down the bouquet in an already waiting vase. I just came to tell you, Happy 5-year anniversary! I know you don’t like gifts but I brought something for you that I really hope you like." Luke choked back the tears that seemed to build up in his throat. He pulled a box from his pocket and opened it for Ohm to see. "I know that it's not anything fancy but I just wanted you to have something." Luke pulled out a thin silver chain that had a single ring on it. The ring had silver and gold band, encircling each other, with 2 stones settled together on top, a ruby and a diamond.

"I hope you like it Ohmie." Luke hung the chain off of the hand of the statue sitting before him. The statue was of an angel with its eyes closed, clutching a bandana to its chest, the other hand was outstretched towards Cartoonz as if trying to reach out to him.  

"WildCat! I got it fixed now. Do you want to take it for a test run?" Tyler's friend, Daithi yelled across the pier at the approaching individual. Ty set down the planks of wood he was carrying and looked at Nogla quizzically.

"Are you sure, it's fixed? The fisherman said it was bad. He should be back tomorrow. We should probably wait until he checks it over so that we can make sure that it looks good." Nogla pouted at WildCat.

"Are you questioning my work? I have been working on boats for 3 years now and not one! Not. One. Hasn't been fixed by me on the first try!" Daithi threw his tools in his belt and slung the toolbelt over his shoulder. "But, you can wait until the man comes to look it over, you prissy!"

"I didn't say that! It's just that you haven't worked on this type of boat before! So yeah, I'm worried! I don't want to die!" Tyler stopped Daithi from walking away from him and tried his best explaining what he meant without getting too loud and attracting attention. Never works but he can sure try.

This time he gained the attention of the baker that just so happened to be walking past. His name is Ryan. But most people don't call him that. They don't even really talk to him. He is an orphan that nobody wanted. His best friend and the only one he ever really talks to is Brock or MamaBrock. After what his friend went through, Brock decided to take over the orphanage after the old bat that ran it before, died. He doesn't want anyone to go through the same pain Ryan did.

Most of the town doesn't even talk to Ryan and when they do, it's to order bread and sweets at his bakery. The Rabbit Hole. No one knows why he called it that, maybe if they asked he would have told them that it was because of his love of rabbits and the fairy tale Alice In Wonderland. When the townsfolk do talk about Ryan, they call him Ohmwrecker. They call him that because when he wandered into the town on a late, foggy night. It was the coldest day, no one could have survived without a fire by them. But he did. He walked right into the town, holding a small cloth that had the Omega symbol on it and a knife. He was confused and covered in, what later was assumed to be, animal blood. He was taken to the orphanage where the old bat sold him to the village baker. The baker wasn't a nice person. But when he learned that Ohm could bake, he became somewhat tolerable towards the boy. Ohm soon took over the business when the baker passed away from old age. Forcing the villagers to finally talk to him.

Ohm stopped walking and listened to the conversation. Tyler noticed Ohm looking at the incoming clouds and quietly whisper, "You probably shouldn't sail today. A big storm is coming in." Before he hurried away with a bag of flour on his shoulders. Tyler wanted to go after the man, but he knew not too. For if he did, he would be rejected by the town as well.

He turned back towards Nogla. "I will take it out today. If you’re sure that you fixed it, 100%."

Nogla looked at him and nodded his head. "I am absolutely sure I fixed it completely. Would I ever put you in danger?"

"Ok, you get the supplies and I'll get the boat ready for sailing." They went their separate ways. Nogla to collect food and plenty of water, while WildCat went and checked the boat out.

~~~*~~~

It is around midday when WildCat actually got out to sea. It took him a little bit to get the boat in the water and everything back where it was supposed to go. At first, everything seemed fine, and then a strong gust of wind came and pulled the boat out past the reef. Then, the mast ended up shifting to the left, which caused boards to be moved and the water sealant, that Nogla put on the underside of the boat, to thin and crack. With water seeping into the bottom and the howling winds not helping with the position of the mast and making the boat rock. Tyler would never say that he was afraid. He totally didn't panic when the water got past his ankles or when the bucket that he had flew out of hands because of the strong gusts of wind. Yep. Totally not afraid. He would never admit, to anyone or himself, but he was pretty sure that he let out an undignified squeak as wave after huge wave started to rock the boat even more until finally, it capsized.

Ohm, watching from a cove that was safe from the storm, sprang into action as soon as he saw the waves overtake the boat and the villager. Normally Ohm wouldn’t risk his fins over a drowning stranger, but he can’t help it. WildCat is a friend of Brock’s and Brock is his friend. Ohm’s powerful tail powered him through the storm with little trouble. How he wishes that the stupid idiot listened to him, or at least was able to tell from how the sky looked that there would be a storm today.

Ohm growled under his breath as he looked at the wreckage of the boat. That’s going to take days to clean up, maybe even weeks. Not to mention all the fish and sea creatures that are going to need medical attention because of this. Ohm reluctantly set WildCat down and swam away. He must get back to the village before anyone else notices that he was gone and blames the storm on him.

~~~*~~~

Tyler didn’t know how he was alive or where he was right now. As soon as he sat up, he started to violently cough the water from his lungs. He looked around and saw a forest and a tiny trail on one side and the ocean on the other.

“Good job, Nogla. ‘Would I ever put you in danger?’ You asshole. Last time I’m ever going to listen to you, you dumb fuck” Tyler slowly started to walk down the little trail through the forest. As he walked, he started to see things that he recognized, or so he hoped.

“No! I literally just saw you! How the fuck am I walking in circles? Does this forest even go in a circle? Or have an end!?” Tyler lost it when he turned the corner and saw that stupid chipmunk stuffing its cheeks full of seeds and nuts. So, he did what any well-mannered individual would do, he punched a tree, or tried to. “FUCK!!!” His scream rang out through the forest and seemed to bounce off the trees. Clutching his hand, Tyler leaned up against said tree and mentally cursed out anything and everything under the sun.

“Are you ok? I heard screaming and I came rushing ov- Oh goodness, look at your hand!”

Tyler stood straight up when a person came out of the undergrowth with a bag slung over their shoulders. It took him a moment to recognize that the person and face belonged to Ryan, the outcast and baker. It also took him another moment to register that his hand has significantly grown and changed colors.

“What are you doing out here?” Tyler didn’t mean for it to come out so defensively but with the way Ohm took a step back and lowered his head, it came out quite nasty. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean-.”

“No, it’s okay. I just came out here to gather some berries and other things for the bakery. I-I heard you yell and I came running over, I’m sorry.” Ohm shuffled his feet and looked anywhere but at Tyler.

Tyler sighed and clutched his hand, “No, I’m sorry for yelling at you. I shouldn’t have done that. The thing is, I’m a bit lost and I can’t find my way back into town. Uh, would you… would you mind helping me?”