I GUESS IT'S JUST SOMETHING PEOPLE DO

===

After purchasing the Animals album, Angel and Erebus left the record store. Erebus was quick to notice the spring in Angel's step as she clutched the album to her chest, grinning from ear to ear. She had spoken to the cashier about the album (his name was David, and in Erebus's opinion, he was quite uninteresting), and learned that three of the five songs were over ten minutes long. Instead of this information bothering her, she grew even more excited, looking forward even more to listening to the album, and Erebus couldn't help but find her excitement quite cute to watch.

Angel brought Erebus to Crossrose Ice Cream and Soft Pretzel Shop, insisting that he try a chocolate milkshake at least once. Erebus agreed, and Angel paid for two milkshakes and a soft pretzel for them to share, before leading him off again to Crossrose Community Park.

This was something Erebus was more used to. The grass, the trees, the smell of dirt - it was all much more familiar to him than the rest of Crossrose. There were benches underneath the shade of trees, and a playground where children were frolicking, watched closely by parents. Angel led him over to a bench, setting Animals and her notebook down beside her as she sat down, motioning for him to sit beside her.

"This is the park where I found you, right?" Erebus asked as he moved over to the bench, watching Angel closely.

"Yep," she said, nodding as she took a sip of her milkshake. "I love this place. It's good for me to think here, and just watch people... I like meeting interesting people, sometimes." She briefly glanced down at the milkshake that Erebus was holding, looking back up expectantly. "Are you going to try it? It's so good - here..."

She reached over, pulling the lid off of Erebus's milkshake cup. "It's basically blended ice cream and milk, it's harmless."

Erebus huffed softly. "I don't know what ice cream is," he told her, taking a cautious sip from the cup.

"It's amazing, that's what it is," Angel chuckled. "We should get some proper ice cream one day, not milkshakes - what do you think?"

Lowering the cup, Erebus was pleasantly surprised by how it tasted, and this was apparent in his expression. "I like that," he murmured, staring down at the shake as if it had done him a highly beneficial favor. "I really like that."

Angel beamed at him. "Hell yeah," she said. "I thought you would. Maybe I'm prejudiced because I like milkshakes... I think you'll like the pretzel too. It's a bit salty, but I really like it."

She pulled the soft pretzel out of its bag and tore a piece off of it, taking a bite of it as she reached over to grab the notebook she had brought along with her. "I also brought this."

"That's the notebook you had when I found you, right?" Erebus asked.

Angel nodded. "In it, I kept every memory of my adventure with you in Minecraft," she explained to him. "I didn't want to forget any of it - well, most of it, at least. It was just a cool experience in general, and I was wondering if you wanted to read it, just to see things from my perspective, if- if you wanted." Shrugging slightly, she set the book in her lap. "It was just a suggestion, just for something to talk about."

Erebus glanced down at the notebook. "I'd love to read it," he told her. "I think it would be interesting."

"You would?" Angel grinned at him, handing him the notebook. "I mean, if you can even read it, my handwriting is pretty shit... I'm curious to see what your handwriting is like. Given your background, I feel like it would be super fancy."

Erebus chuckled a little. "It's legible," he told her, leaning back against the bench. "I can try to write something for you, so you can see." He paused briefly, looking up at her. "Wouldn't it be boring for you, watching me read?"

"Nope," Angel said, shaking her head. "I just sit here most days. This park has really nice scenery, and I can watch people play, or laugh at children as they fall off of the playground. Now that you're here, I can watch you too."

Erebus tilted his head. "You like watching me, don't you?"

A slightly strangled yelp escaped Angel as she quickly looked away. "For God's sake..." she muttered, flustered, though she couldn't help but admit that the teasing was worth it just to hear Erebus's excited giggle. "Just- Just start reading. I'm fine chilling here."

Still grinning smugly, Erebus turned back to the notebook, opening it to the first page. Angel couldn't help but notice him squint slightly to decipher her handwriting.

"Is it really that bad?" she asked, and something echoed in her mind - her own voice, asking that same question about herself, time and time again back when she was in Minecraft.

Was she really that bad?

"Yeah, it's bad," Erebus told her with a smirk. "But at least I can still read it. Mine might be bad too, in your eyes. You'll have to see it."

Angel shrugged. "We can be bad together, I suppose," she mumbled, before quickly correcting herself, trying to pull her mind from the plaguing thoughts of morality swarming her mind. "Our handwriting, I mean. I still think yours would be good, though... anything's better than mine."

"We'll just have to see," Erebus said, before looking back down at the book. As he began to read properly, Angel couldn't help but notice the way he began to focus, an almost intense expression crossing his face as his attention shifted completely to the notebook. Angel could truly tell that he was interested, and it made her happy to see that he was focusing on something that she had created.

Scanning her surroundings, she immersed herself in the sound of children laughing and playing nearby, and the rustling of leaves as wind passed through them. It was such a peaceful place for her to be in, where she can connect with the world around her, rather than sitting in her room, playing Minecraft and listening to music. All she could hope was that Brandon, Jake, and Chad wouldn't find her this time, though this wasn't something that worried her too much - Erebus's presence beside her made her feel safe.

She glanced down, unable to help but read along with him, despite knowing what was written in the notebook. Descriptions of the Source, of the red tint that the sun provided on the land; the vast sea of monsters that Erebus and Malacoda had led; Gameknight999 and his assortment of villagers that fought alongside him - bullet notes, paragraphs, and rough, very poor drawings filled the lined pages that Erebus scanned, keen eyes taking in every word.

Angel reached into the bag, ripping off another chunk of her pretzel to eat. As she chewed the small piece, she tore off another one, glancing up at Erebus and holding it up to him, to see if he wanted it. He didn't even hesitate - not taking his eyes off of the book, he leaned down, taking the bit of pretzel between his teeth and pulling it out of Angel's hand, earning a slightly startled noise from her as she jerked her hand back.

"Hm?" Erebus set his hand over his mouth as his focused expression broke, and he looked over at her. Angel looked away, starting to grow flustered once more.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "That was- That was just kind of unexpected."

It took a moment for Erebus to respond as he ate the pretzel. "Was I not supposed to do that?" he asked, slightly nervously. "I didn't want to let go of the book, and I didn't know I wasn't supposed to-"

"No, no, it's- it's fine," Angel said quickly. "I just... I don't know. It's fine, you didn't do anything wrong."

"Are you sure?" Erebus watched Angel closely, just wanting to make sure that he didn't do anything wrong. Angel nodded.

"You're alright," she told him. "Did you like it? The- The pretzel, I mean..."

"I did," Erebus said. "It was different, but I liked it. It's like bread, but... better, I suppose."

"Yeah, Crossrose Ice Cream and Soft Pretzel Shop is pretty great at making soft pretzels. I've been going there for a while." Angel glanced back down at the bag. "You want another piece?"

"Yes, please." Erebus nodded.

Angel reached down and tore off another piece of the pretzel, holding it up to Erebus. This time, their gaze met, and he hesitated, unsure of what to do. Angel felt her face start to heat up again. This wasn't like one of Erebus's teasing remarks, since she was able to recover from those fairly quickly. How it even came to this was beyond her.

"I guess it's just something people do... right?" Erebus asked. "You're just helping..."

"I suppose..." Angel mumbled, hoping that saying this would allow both herself and Erebus to believe it, despite both of them knowing subconsciously that this wasn't something that people normally did. Nevertheless, she raised her arm up, feeling Erebus's hot breath against her fingers as she placed the bit of pretzel in his mouth.

"Faggot."

Angel jolted, jerking her hand back and looking up, her heart sinking in her chest. The sneering face of Brandon met her gaze, accompanied by those of Jake and Chad.

"There are nicer ways to get someone's attention, y'know," she snapped.

"Yeah, but you don't deserve them, Tranny McQueerface," Jake giggled. "Is this your boyfriend, Erebus?"

Erebus, unaware of what was happening, blinked in surprise. "Boyfriend?"

"Shut the fuck up, I told you he's not my boyfriend," Angel muttered. "I'll beat the shit out of you."

"Yeah, like we did to you yesterday?" Brandon stepped forward, placing a hand on his hip. Erebus stood up, easily towering over him.

"It was you that hurt her, wasn't it?" he snapped, a venomous growl in his voice that Angel hadn't heard from him since she was in Minecraft. It might just have been her imagination, but she swore she could have seen his eyes glow ever so slightly as he watched Brandon.

The burly form of Chad was there in front of him in an instant. "Sit," he ordered, placing a hand on Erebus's chest and forcing him back down onto the bench. Almost immediately, a different reaction overtook his expression, one that Angel had also seen from him in Minecraft - this time, it was the hint of fear that came whenever Malacoda would speak to him or give him an order he knew he couldn't refuse. She didn't blame Erebus in the slightest; Chad's voice was almost just as deep and booming as the King of the Nether's.

"You got yourself into an awful predicament, Erebus," Brandon said, his eyes alight with glee. "You should've thought twice before entangling yourself with a worthless tranny like Angel..."

"She didn't even live here!" Jake giggled. "Should've stayed in that junkyard of a city, with his criminal parents! I bet you didn't even know they went to jail!"

Erebus looked over at Angel. "What?"

"One more word, Jake, and I'll skin you," Angel muttered through gritted teeth. This couldn't be happening - she couldn't afford for Erebus to find out what had happened to her through these assholes of all people. She didn't move, however, not wanting the bullies to hurt her or Erebus. "That's none of your fucking business."

"Yeah, well, it's his business, isn't it?" Jake asked. "'Cause he's your fag boyfriend?"

"You're lucky that Angel lives here," Brandon said, folding his arms over his chest as he looked down at Erebus with scorn. "If I had it my way, I'd throw him in jail with his parents for being a queer tranny. No wonder they were locked up for creating an abomination like him."

"Yeah, and Angel'll go to a man's jail," Chad chimed in. "With the men, where she belongs." He guffawed. "You know what criminals do to inferior men in the slammer?"

Angel stared at Chad with disgust. "You should be locked up for even making that fucking comment," she snapped.

Brandon sneered. "We'll see you there," he muttered, leaning down. "You're a disgrace to society who should've died when you had the chance. Why don't you kill yourself now, so we don't have to look at your ugly fucking-"

The series of events that unfolded after Brandon's words were too quick for Angel to see, but all of a sudden, he was on the ground, both hands pressed over a rapidly bleeding nose. Erebus was on his feet with a fist drawn back, notebook knocked to the ground as he stood over Brandon, seething with unbridled hatred.

"Holy shit-!"

Stunned, Angel took a step back, her eyes just as wide as those of Jake and Chad.

"If you even think to speak to her like that again," Erebus snarled. "I will not hesitate to find you, and kill you."

It was a simple threat, yet his tone made it apparent that he meant every single word. Brandon struggled to his feet, lowering one of his hands as he backed up into Chad, blood staining the front of his face.

"You fucking freak..." His voice was wavering now as he moved back, glancing back at his stricken friends like they could do anything to defend him. "Let's just go."

Without another word, the trio simultaneously backed away, turning and dashing off across the park. Erebus lowered his hand, watching them leave intently to see where they went, in case they would try to return. Angel blinked as she tried to process what had just happened.

"Um... wow," she mumbled. "That was- That was certainly something..."

Looking down at her, Erebus's expression quickly softened, and he sat down beside her once more. "Are you okay?" he asked.

Angel nodded, watching him closely. "I'm fine," she said. "I just- that caught me off guard... not like it wasn't the right thing to do, Brandon deserved that..." She looked away, sighing softly as she tried not to think about what the bullies had said.

"I should have done that earlier," Erebus muttered. "I just froze, and I don't understand why... I suppose that command just reminded me of something Malacoda would say. It's pathetic, when I put it that way, but-"

"I don't think it is," Angel reassured him. "The man scared you, of course you'd freeze up. I do the same thing, sometimes, when stuff reminds me of- of whatever from my past..." She sighed quietly, looking away. "'Cause I know you're curious, yes, my parents are in jail. I don't wanna talk about why right now, but is there anything else you want to know?"

Erebus remained quiet for a moment, lost in thought. Even after all of that, she still found it in her heart to reassure him that his involuntary reactions were okay. He didn't understand why she was being kind to him, but he didn't express this aloud.

"Why were they calling you 'tranny'?" he asked instead.

Angel chuckled softly, looking back up at him. "It's a slur," she explained. "'Tranny' is a pretty foul name for someone who identifies differently from the body they were born in, like me. The real term for someone like that is transgender, or just trans for short."

Erebus nodded in understanding. "I'm sorry that they called you that," he told her genuinely.

"I appreciate that." Shuffling slightly closer to him, Angel smiled. "Only really shit people use slurs like that. Faggot is another one, targeted at gay people, mostly men. Honestly, that one's twice as bad, since it discounts my gender identity and implies that we're... y'know. Dating, or whatever."

She shrugged, unable to help but blush again as she watched him.

"Have they hurt you like this often?" Erebus reached over, brushing his slim fingers against Angel's arm, his touch comfortingly gentle against the various marks and scars there. "You said you got into a few fights in this world. Was it mostly with them?"

Angel nodded. "Them, bullies back in the city... myself, sometimes."

She hadn't meant to say it - no, a part of her did, the part of her that wanted to spill every detail of her life to Erebus, knowing that he would be the only one to fully understand. It was the same part of her that looked into his eyes and saw him, not a monster, not the King he had forced himself to be, but Erebus, a human, her friend. Her tone had been offhanded, like her subconscious was hoping that this would help Erebus see what she had said as not a big deal.

This didn't work. His hand jolted back from her arm, leaving it ever so slightly colder than when he had been touching her, and his eyes widened in surprise. "What do you mean?" he asked, though it was clear that he knew full well what she meant.

Angel sighed, looking away. "I didn't want to lie," she mumbled. "I didn't even mean to say it... Please put your hand back, I don't want this to be a big deal."

Erebus didn't hesitate to do what she wanted, hoping that this would help to make her feel better. He blamed himself for her reaction to his own, but as Angel reached up and took his hand in her own, he realized that he was the only one that did.

"Shit happened about a year ago," Angel said quietly. "In 2012. I can't say what right now, but... nothing distracted me from the pain of it all, and at the time, it only made sense to fight it with more pain. I'm clean, though, I've been clean for..." She frowned to herself as she tried to remember. "A month? Maybe? That sucks, I had a longer streak of being clean before I did it a month ago, and I only really did it because-"

There was a pause. Angel shook her head. "We don't need to get into that right now," she mumbled. "Maybe I'll talk about it later, but this park isn't the place to do it."

"I understand," Erebus told her, his voice soft. His thumb brushed over the back of Angel's hand. "I'm honored that you trust me enough to tell me that."

"I knew you wouldn't judge," Angel said. "I didn't even really mean to say it, but at least now you know. Do with this information what you will, I suppose..."

Her gaze drifted down to their intertwined hands. It was remarkable to her, how a simple little touch like this could make her whole body feel so warm, so comfortable.

"Did you miss this?" Erebus asked her, crimson eyes watching her keenly for her reaction, praying that what they saw would be what he felt - that he had missed this warmth more than just about anything else in Minecraft.

Angel nodded, smiling fondly up at him. "I'm really happy that you're alive, Erebus."