The day had been going great, an errand across town, hanging out with a great friend, interrupted by a jerk who wouldn't go away. "Hey, pretty boy! You look a purse short of being late for a date! I got one here, maybe it's yours, and how about some lipstick too? Yours looks like it's getting dry!" The voice called out, laughing and whooping. Misha ignored him and kept walking, not wanting to entertain a jerk like that with acknowledgement. He was a former classmate, very former, him getting sent to a continuation school for his poor academic performance. The only reason he ever came around was because he'd have a lot of like-minded cronies that barely slid by the school system.

Parties, belligerence, and plenty of bruises inflicted on anyone he decided to use as a punching bag or rumor target. "Hey! You think you're winning out by ignoring me?! I'm all over this town! Think anyone will want to be caught with your prissy behind?!" He yelled back, voice booming as he started moving in Misha's heading. Misha had the misfortune of being a target on both his tactics. He'd been swirly'd several times during lunch, and a nasty lie being spread that Misha performed lewd acts with teachers to get his good grades. And people who didn't want trouble or liked the popular kids he ran with accepted it as truth. But through that hard time was Taylor, Misha's best friend, close like a brother.

They were separated by a few weeks, attending the middle school and becoming friends during a field trip. Taylor always looked out for friends, but he had more acquaintances than friends, usually only with a handful of close confidants, but all very dear. Misha was quickening his pace, hoping the jerk would leave him alone, or hoping someone on the sidewalk would jump in to tell him off. Misha knew that saying anything might just initiate something worse, but he had to get away, maybe he'd run into Taylor, being a moderately sized town of maybe two-thousand inhabitants tops. His chances were slim of finding his friend however, and if people weren't being as neighborly as they should be then he'd just have to hope he'd walk away with a few bruises.

Feeling a rough tugging on his arm Misha was pulled back and fell onto his back, being towered over by his assailant. "Shoulda taken a beating earlier, now you can cry your makeup off before I'm bored or my knuckles hurt." He said, pulling Misha up by his shirt, wheeling back suddenly from an impact he hadn't expected. There was a great confusion, but it looked like Misha was safe for now, but now his savior could be in trouble, Misha frightened and unsure he could even do anything but get hurt as well. But it looks like his hero was doing a good job, kicking the bully in the groin and delivering an elbow into his head. Misha couldn't believe it even if he wasn't so shaken with fear.

"Don't you dare hurt my friends! You don't belong in this town!" Taylor shouted at the bully, who remained lying on the ground but defiantly looking up at the pup. Taylor helped Misha up while keeping his eyes on the jerk, knowing that a coward would seize any opportunity to retaliate. He expectedly picked himself up and scoffed. "You got lucky, pretty boy. And you, ohohoh, another pretty boy. You aren't gonna be so pretty next time! You'll see! I'm not done with you runts! Now you can kiss or whatever, I'm out!" He said, jogging, shouting back as he retreated. Taylor held onto Misha, unsure of what could've happened next, shaking along with his friend. "Jeez! T-that was c-crazy!" Taylor said, voice shaking, just as frightened as Misha was.

"Thank you thank you thank you!" Misha said, exhaling and taking deep breaths to steady himself. Taylor patted his shoulder and walked along with him. They chatted quietly, quickly working back into joyous laughter. "You're not just a great friend, T, you're pretty crazy too!" Misha said, punching Taylor's arm in a playful manner. They walked down to Misha's destination, the town's unofficial geek hangout. "I know you're not big on the whole dice rolling and character sheet thing, but c'mon, you just won that encounter! It'll make a great story to tell!" Misha said, tugging Taylor's sleeve. Taylor obliged with a tilting of his head and a shrug. "So, how much XP for that, what was it called, random encounter?"

This YCH piece was done by: https://www.furaffinity.net/user/yokochif/

Taylor and Misha are Mine