Panic Panic Panic (Dani)

[Deleted]

Phoenix didn't usually go to the art supply closet for any reason - he had some of his own cheap pens and pencils that he used in his crummy old sketchbook, which was good enough for him. He had never been a great artist with any sort of ambition, it was just something he used to do while he was hallucinating. The images of what he saw while he was high were always rough and messy, but well... That's how they looked to Phoenix anyway.

Now that he was slowly weaning himself off of the dust thanks to Oriel (and it really wasn't giving him the hallucinations he wanted anyway), and since Junpei had bought him a nice, brand-new sketchbook the other day, he wanted to see if he could find some better medium to use to actually attempt to create something worth keeping. And so he was making his way nervously to the art closet, feeling very exposed and self-conscious without Oriel by his side. He avoided as many crowds as he could, and managed to get to his destination without too much of a hassle.

It was with a relieved breath he pulled open the door to the closet and shut it quickly behind him, closing out the outside world and all its anxiety-causing issues. He was unaware that there was already someone inside, and would be in for a shock of a surprise when he realized there was.

[Danielle Cooper]

Thirty-seven minutes. Thirty-seven long, boring minutes she had been stuck in this stupid closet, and Dani was starting to get restless. She paced around the small walk in closet once more, wishing there was a way out. Unfortunately, because it was a closet, there weren’t any electrical outlets for her to travel through. There was, however, a light bulb socket from the ceiling, but the last time she tried traveling through one, she had broken just over a dozen lights throughout the school, managed to scratch herself up pretty well, and ended up in the boys locker room by accident. Needless to say, she wasn’t prepared to do that again, so she had no option available except to wait.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, she sat herself down on an upside-down bucket, propping her head up with a hand. “I at least wish I had my DS, or at least my phone…” she mumbled to herself as she glanced desperately around the room once more. Oh! Maybe she could make a sign and slip it under the door! This was an arts and crafts closet, after all. There were tons of materials to make a sign with.

Dani grabbed an orange piece of construction paper and a fat, blue marker. That should draw somebody’s attention! Just as she started to write a large, bold “H”, her prayers were answered and the door opened. Her eyes lit up excitedly, “ Don’t—“ but before she could let even another word out, the door shut quickly, this time trapping another victim inside, “close…that…”

[Deleted]

Don't-

Phoenix leapt visibly at the sound of a voice, jolting around to find the source of it. He squinted into the dim light of the room, catching sight of its speaker - a smallish, cute girl that he vaguely recognized. He shied away from her at first, eyes wide and wary, until he realized she had finished what she had been saying.

"Wh... Why?" he asked nervously, going to try the knob. For a moment he didn't understand as the handle didn't budge, but then realization dawned on him and his features grew even more anxious. "It's stuck!?" he exclaimed mournfully, tugging uselessly at it with his thin, weak arms before huffing out a breath and backing away. "No..." he whined. He'd told Oriel he would only be down here for a few minutes. He hoped the boy would realize something had happened and would come look for him...

Remembering he had company, Phoenix slowly turned towards the other occupant, his stance slouched and uncertain, not knowing what to expect. "H... How long have you been in here?" he asked, warily fumbling around until he found a solid surface to sit his skinny butt on. She really was cute, he realized - but even as he thought this, he discovered that he had no interest in trying to bed her. Either he was just that whipped, or Oriel had... Turned him completely gay? His shoulders slumped forward in what might even be considered a sort of submissive pose, having grown used to being such with his lover.

[Danielle Cooper]

Dani couldn’t help but to smile as the boy snapped around, it was a pretty adorable reaction after all. “Yeah…” She watched as the boy struggled with the door, realizing that he was somewhat familiar looking, but she couldn’t place where she’d seen him before. As he turned around to face her again, she tried to give him her most comforting smile; he seemed pretty nervous.

“Oh, I’ve been here…” Dani lifted her hand, taking a look at her small wristwatch, “…forty-three minutes.” She confirmed with a nod. Unfortunately, she didn’t have plans to hang out with anyone that day because she was working on a school project, so nobody had a reason to look for her. For all they knew, she was hiding in the library, as she normally did.

Trying to calm him down slightly, Danielle extended a hand to the poor boy. “I’m Dani, by the way.” She also realized that he was pretty cute, but more in a puppy type way. Dani had to resist the urge to pat his head, and she giggled to herself at the thought. “Do you have a phone on you to call someone?” She tried to offer, unsure if he just hadn’t thought of it while in what seemed to be a panic mode.

[Deleted]

The girl smiled at him. Well, that was a little comforting. She really did seem harmless, he thought, though Phoenix was still so shy and nervous around people by himself now that he didn't rely on his hallucinations to keep his mind off his anxiety, he was still uncertain about what to think. And so he offered a tiny, weak one in response, his gaze pointed towards the ground as he shuffled his foot awkwardly. Locked in a closet... With a stranger... He desperately hoped Oriel would find them soon.

His eyes widened again as she mentioned how long she'd been in there, and he shifted down further on his rump, holding back a whimper at the thought of being stuck for so long. "I'm sorry..." he mumbled, fidgeting with his hands. "I shouldn't've closed the door so fast..." Phen had just been eager to get away from everyone, but now he was stuck.

She offered a hand then, and Phoenix stared at it in confusion for a moment before he realized he was supposed to shake it. He lifted a slightly trembling hand and gripped it weakly in hers, finally managing to meet her eyes. "Ph... Phoenix," he replied softly, letting himself relax just a bit. He even smiled a little at her giggle, even if he didn't know what it was for. "Uh... Dammit, no, I left it in my room," he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I told Oriel - my, uh, my..." Shit, he still didn't know how to label his lover in front of other people. "Um, I told him I'd only be here for a minute, so I'm hopin' he'll come an' look." If not, he wasn't sure what they could do other than be stuck here... Alone... Together... For who knew how long?

[Danielle Cooper]

As the boy gave her weak smile, Dani had the urge to just hug the poor thing. He was just so darn cute! It wasn’t hard to tell that he was nervous, so Dani made a mental note to not to scare him. After all, Dani knew well that sometimes she could come off a little strong, and she was pretty sure the boy would actually run away if he wasn’t stuck in a closet at the time.

Dani raised her eyebrows, unsure as to why he was sorry. She studied him as he gave his explanation and let out a little giggle. “Oh, that’s really quite okay!” Dani chirped, “You didn’t know it was locked.”

“Phoenix? That’s a really cool name!” Dani’s smile grew, “That’s okay, I forgot mine, too. At least you have someone who might come looking for you, though. We could be out of here in no time.” She gently shook his hand, afraid that if she did her normal, firmer handshake, that she would break the poor boy’s hand. Handshaking really was a thing of the past, wasn’t it? It wasn’t the first time Dani had gotten a strange look when sticking out her hand for a good old fashion handshake. Today, everyone had to do weird moves and snaps and complicated stuff. That was just too much for Dani, except the silly handshakes she occasionally did with the twins—

The twins.

Dani quickly shot from her bucket-seat and started pounding on the door. “Skye!! Forrest!!” She yelled, “If you don’t open this door right now, I swear to Odin that I will post that video on YouTube! And you know exactly which one I’m talking about!” She had almost forgotten that she wasn’t alone in the closet, and that she told herself not to scare Phoenix. Oops.

She turned to Phoenix, and gave a nervous smile. “Uh, sorry. I just, uh, realized… yeah.”

[Deleted]

If Phoenix had known what Dani was thinking, he would have... Well, he wasn't sure what he would do, either bluster and say he wasn't nervous (even though he obviously was) or get even more quiet and reserved. It had been a while since he had actually had an extended conversation with a girl - it was strange, but not entirely unpleasant. Not since Dani seemed to actually be quite nice.

He shrugged uncomfortably as she told him it was alright he had close the door. "I'm still sorry," he mumbled, though Phen's lips were tilted up a bit now. He glanced up again, shyly. "Thanks, though. I'm glad you're not angry." It could be a lot, lot worse.

Phen had begun to shift himself to face Dani as they continued speaking, and so she would probably see the flush on his cheeks as she commented on his name. "Thanks," he murmured again. "I go by Phen a lot, though. I don't really care either way." He had been both teased and complimented about his name before, so he was always a little wary about people's reactions. "Yeah, he should probably come pretty soon," he added, a hopeful gleam in his eye; his back straightened noticeably about the mention of his lover. "Probably get after me for bein' for for so long," he chuckled, rubbing the back of his head.

There was a pausse with the handshake before Dani suddenly yelled out some random nature-y words, and Phoenix jolted back, half-slipping off of the box he was sitting on. His eyes were wide as she continued her little tirade until she seemed to remember he was there, and he slowly eased back up into his sitting position, realization dawning on him. "You don't think those little jerks did this, do you?" he grumbled, remembering the name of those annoying pranking twins. "Ugh... They... Floured me and Oriel once..." Phen fell into a little mumbling before he shook his head and looked up again. "Very funny, locking people into a closet," he grumbled. "Very creative."

Whatever. He let out a small, breathy laugh, clearly much more relaxed than he had been earlier. "So, uh... Come here often?" he asked awkwardly.

[Danielle Cooper]

Dani laughed lightly as Phoenix spoke of the twins. It didn’t surprise her in the least that they would flour the poor boy. “They’re pretty innocent though,” Dani said, making her way back over to her bucket-chair. “I’ve locked them in rooms before, too.” It was a bit of a game for the three of them to do these sorts of things to each other. Yeah, Dani might be stuck there now, but once she got out, she’d be able to easily laugh it off. Plus! Now she met a new friend.

At least Phoenix was starting to open up, or at least a little. He looked like he didn’t want to run away, or at least he didn’t look desperate to run away. Dani smiled as he mentioned Oriel again. Phoenix clearly seemed to care about this guy, and Dani certainly thought that it was cute.

“Oh, yes!” Dani grinned at his question, leaning in a bit for an added effect, “I actually lived in a closet for several years.” Danielle, of course, was referring to old saying about 'coming out of the closet'. She just couldn't let that joke slide. She gave a wink to Phoenix, patting his head. She wasn’t exactly sure why she did, but it just felt like the right thing to do. He was so cute, after all.

[Deleted]

"Innocent, sure," Phen grumbled lightly. In all truth, they had been quite accepting of the he and Oriel in the club, they were just... Too energetic for Pheonix's taste. People like them tired him out and made him want to hide in his room for a while. Preferably in bed, curled up with Oriel. He rose his brows and let out a small, breathy laugh as she admitted to doing the same to them. "I'd... Like t'see that," he snickered quietly. How funny would it be to see those annoying little twerps get the tables turned?

He was sure Oriel would enjoy it too. Or, even, taking part in some pranking itself. Hell, Phen might like that too, if he didn't have to plan it. He wasn't too confident in his pranking skills, he was sure he'd probably just end up embarrassing himself.

Phoenix hadn't expected that reply, and he blinked slowly, not getting the exclamation at first before his eyes widened and he let out an 'oh!' "I was sort of dragged out of it myself," he told her with a small, excited gleam to have met someone that shared his sexuality. "Well... I mean, I used to still like girls too. But lately, I dunno..." He shrugged, a flush coming over his cheeks. Why was he saying this stuff to a near-stranger? "My boyfriend is more than enough." The term finally slipped out, and his flush deepened, especially when Dani reached out and patted his head. Rather than shying away, though, he tilted his head into the gesture, closing his eyes and letting out a happy giggle. "You're really nice," he murmured, as though it wasn't that often he found nice people. He just needed to get out more.

[Deleted]

Too long.

Phoenix had been gone too long!

Granted it had only been about 10 minutes, but Oriel was 1. impatient and 2. unreasonable. Combine that with paranoia, and you get a very grumpy and irritated floofy-headed boy stomping through the main school building towards the art department, where his lost bird had said he was going and had yet to return from.

He swung open the door to the Art Studio and looked around the classroom. It was empty. He wasn't here. Maybe they'd just missed each other? Phoenix could already be on his way back to the room.

Oriel was just about to leave and go racing when he thought he heard voices coming from….the wall? No…from the closet.

Curiously, he stalked towards the closet door and pressed his ear up against it. Voices….one was definitely Phen's. The other….some woman!

He didn't even comprehend what they were saying or the fact that Phoenix had just called Oriel his "boyfriend", or if he did, he was too in his head to care. Oriel swung the door open and glared fiercely at the scene inside, where Phoenix was obviously enjoying a very nice head rub…from someone who was not Oriel.

He stared at them, not saying a word.

[Danielle Cooper]

Oh, how Phoenix was just the cutest thing ever. She was glad to see that he was becoming more comfortable around her, even though they had just met. Dani’s eyes lit up as Phoenix mentioned that Oriel was his boyfriend. She could just imagine Phen and this boy, whoever he was, snuggling and being all cute-like. Okay, she was getting ahead of herself, already shipping a stranger she just met with his boyfriend that she hadn’t even met.

Until that moment the door opened. Dani looked up to see a rather intimidating looking figure giving her an even more intimidating look. She froze in her spot, almost like a deer in headlights, giving the boy a confused look, before finally realizing how strange that must have looked. The two of them just sitting in a closet, with Dani’s hand on Phen’s head.

Oh, right. Dani had yet to move her hand away from patting Phoenix. His hair was just so soft, and he just had the most adorable reaction! She snapped out of her thoughts and retracted her hand, placing it on her lap. “You must be Oriel.” She said with a slightly-awkward grin.

[Deleted]

Ahh, if only Dani knew how cute Phoenix and Oriel could be... And how naughty as well. Well, Phen supposed, if Oriel came to find him, she would get to experience their relationship firsthand. Then she could really determine what she thought of their relationship.

Actually, speaking of that boy...

Phen jumped again as the door opened, squinting up to see... YES! "I knew you'd come!" he exclaimed in a squeak, leaping up as Dani removed her hand from his head, blissfully ignorant, for the moment, of Oriel's glare. He immediately glomped himself against his lover, nuzzling his face into his chest as though they hadn't seen each other in days. "I would've been back a few minutes ago, but someone - the twins, Dani thinks - locked the door from the inside an' we couldn't get out." He looked up sorrowfully. "We coulda been stuck in here for hours." Dani had been stuck long enough as it was.

He beamed back at his new friend. "I told you he'd come!" he exclaimed again, as though he hadn't made it clear enough. "Oh, um, Oriel, this is, uh, this is Dani," he added, suddenly aware that Oriel might still be glaring because of the fact he had just been getting head pets from someone he didn't know. Phen blushed again, pulling back a bit to try to gauge what Oriel was thinking. "She's been in here a lot longer than I have."

[Deleted]

Oriel just continued to stare as the girl retracted her hand and as Phoenix hopped up and clamped himself around Oriel. The boy was scowling, even as he removed his arm from the door-frame and curled it around his Phoenix as if to say "MINE!".

"The twins, huh?" Forrest and Skye? That wouldn't surprise him, the little trolls they were. Oriel was going to have to throw them in the pond again for this…in the dead of winter of course. That'll teach 'em.

But yes, he was still glaring, even as he pulled in Phoenix's head to plant a kiss on top of it. So her name was Dani? At least he didn't have to make one up for her now.

"Well, Ms. California," he started, his glare turning into a icy smile, "Thank you very much for keeping my Phoenix company. I hope you have a nice day." He pulled back away from the door, turning away while practically hoisting Phoenix along with him, and kept on walking, completely intending to let the door close behind him.

If Dani managed to make it there in time, great. If not, oh well.

[Danielle Cooper]

Dani’s almost forgot about the death stare she was receiving as Phen jumped up and hugged the boy. Instead of seeing Oriel as any form of a threat, she just thought it was very cute the way he possessively put his arm around Phen and kissed his head. She almost squeaked from the cuteness overload. Although Oriel seemed to think she was some sort of threat or whatever, Dani was a little confused about why, before she realized that he didn’t know that she thought that boys were icky.

Before she could try to explain, Oriel made fun of her name, gave a sarcastic sounding comment, and started to close the door as he tugged Phoenix off. “Oi!” Dani pushed herself off the bucket as quickly as possibly to try to reach the door in time, but slammed into it just as it clicked. “Aww man…” She grumbled, rubbing her nose where it hit the door. “It was nice to meet you too…” Dani let out softly, yet in a bit more sincere tone than the boy had done.

This just wasn’t her day.

[Deleted]

Phoenix just nodded his head, unable to suppress a giggle as Oriel pulled him in and held him possessively. "We're gonna have t'get back at them," he said, speaking to both of them. Between the three of them, they could take on a couple annoying gestalts, right?

He didn't understand what Oriel was doing until he was finished speaking and began to leave the room, letting the door start to shut with Dani still inside! "Hey, Oriel!" he protested, though he had a hard time struggling his frail, thin figure as Oriel practically dragged him away. Phen hoped to see Dani dart out of the room in time before the door shut, but when the latch clicked and she hadn't reached it, he stopped, gaping.

"She was nice!" he exclaimed, turning and giving Oriel a pout. "That was mean. You probably just ruined a potential friendship!" And goodness knew he had few of those. Phoenix began struggling with renewed vigor, tugging his arms from Oriel's grip and stumbling backwards, then whirling around and darting back to the art closet.

He struggled to tug the heavy door open again, and gave Dani an apologetic smile when he caught sight of her again. "Sorry!" he told her in a hushed whisper. "He's... Well..." Dani could form her own opinions. Phen held the door open long enough for her to come out before shuffling back over to Oriel, head already lowered submissively as he expected the boy's retort. Still, you couldn't just leave people locked in closets!