MOVED TO @VELVROSE.

indie . private . headcanon based . // notifs / follows from @daemuzi.

[pyrobeat]

                                      to me, nothing is more stunning 

                          than the luminous burning glow of a burning city. 

                                                               ©

[cybershad]

He is so underrated

[pikafaawork]

Some sketch of Darnell cuz he is pretty 💜

[marioyuri-moved-to-transkaito]

Gonna figure out how to draw them one day eventually

[pyrobeat]

@getblammed

[pyrobeat]

『 🔥   』 how long had it been since pico had been so cruelly torn away from his friends, his family, his life? he kept track of the weeks, months, years, hoping beyond hope that maybe, just maybe, pico had gotten away from the cruel hands of fate and was out there somewhere.. with no body, he had always clung to that hope even as more and more time passed. because, without it, what could he do? he had nearly broken apart beyond recovery at the funeral, seeing that memorial be set up for his closest friend.. because that's all he'd become, just a plaque, a tombstone, a memory. regret for not doing more, regret for not helping pico had festered and turned toxic .. something rotten was all that was left inside of darnell every time he thought about it -- self hatred and resentment towards himself were all that was left. 

『 🔥   』 darnell felt like that grip on picos wrist was the only thing keeping him from fading into the shadows, from going back to becoming that static memory again. it made. a deep anxiety settle in the pit of his stomach, an emptiness that wouldn't go away. darnell couldn't understand why pico had made this choice.. how he was here again after he had died a tragic death.. someone so young, someone so kind. his eyebrow furrowed as he gently sighed, his breathing shook a bit as how overwhelming all of this was for him to take in.. but he tried to steel himself.

『 🔥   』  "pico, PLEASE." pico tried to jerk his hand away, and darnell could only beg him to stay.. pico was stronger than he was, if it came down to a fight then pico would be able to beat him.. but he held on anyways, held on like his life depended on it. and when pico jerked away, darnell gently yanked him back towards him. "You can't just leave, I want to understand. I have to." his last words were icy and he steeled himself to them, he needed to know, nene needed to know.. if pico left like this, then what kind of closure would anyone get?

『 🔥   』 when pico revealed the gun, darnell knew he should have been afraid, should have backed down and accepted that pico wanted to leave. but, as the tears started to flow he couldn't do it, too overwhelmed by seeing his friend for the first time in years to let him go so soon. so, against his better judgement, he pulled pico closer, finally releasing his grip on his wrist.. but only to replace it with a tight embrace. only for a few seconds.. he just needed this for a few seconds. "im sorry, pico.. im.. so fuckin sorry life fucked us all up so bad."

[kiwidingles]

!!!

[pyrobeat]

『 🔥   』 had gotten to know boyfriend from pico, had thought the guy was pretty nice too.  there had been a time where he thought things might go well for all of them as a group, even if pico was distant and far away sometimes that was still his pico, still the guy that he had grown up with and cared for. he would’ve continued to care for him, just like nene would’ve, if it weren’t for pico’s sudden death .. leaving them alone forever. so many tears, so so many tears, crying over some empty coffin because they hadn’t even found pico’s damn body .. to think that someone had killed him and he didn’t even know where what was left of him was .. it had only made the tears sting as they fell. but .. the funeral had concluded, everyone went on with their lives, but darnell never felt like that day had ended. sure, he had move away, moved on with his life, gone to college to get his education .. but he was still in just as much pain as that day. and although he was not adorned in the mourning clothes he’d been in at the funeral .. the wounds were still there, never going to fully heal.

『 🔥   』 it wasn’t fair. it wasn’t fair. why did everyone around darnell have to die? everytime he thought that his life might be normal, something fucked up happened, and the cycle started again. he hadn’t been old enough to understand it when his sister died -- but now, now he felt all the hurt of losing someone twice over. why’d it have to be pico? why did pico have to go and get himself stuck in the obituary .. when they’d all had so much more of their lives to live? why? the world didn’t have to be such a cruel place, and yet it had taken yet another person from him .. left him feeling more empty and desolate than he had ever thought possible. 

『 🔥   』philidelphia never changed when he came back, there were the same people, same streets and shops he had memorized in every way shape and form .. he knew the town like the back of his hand .. but there was such a large piece of it missing, a piece of himself that had been eradicated the second pico had. he could walk around philidelphia as long as he wanted, and he always kept coming back for it, but the piece had been cast into the abyss, he’d never see it again .. at least, that’s what he thought. 

『 🔥   』 “ .. you’re shivering .. “ he trailed off, concerned for his wellbeing. his jacket was taken off the coat rack and haphazardly put around pico’s shoulders, the other hand kept its grip on him firm and desperate. he felt like the moment he let go, pico would leave again, that piece of him that he had tried for so long to find, it would be lost again .. and darnell would be left with only his regrets and sorrows. “ no .. you’re gonna stay right here. “ his voice was firm but just as pleading as pico’s was underneath that firmness. his eyes flicked away from pico’s own, dark brown hues digging into the floor as he tried to figure out what to say. so many thoughts were running through him right now -- he didn’t know which one to even voice. 

『 🔥   』 “ ... i was going to philly this week .. was goin’ to .. visit, i guess. “ with that, a lot started pouring out of him, he felt like he had to say it, because if pico could just up and vanish again at any moment, the second he let go, he wanted him to know these things. so that maybe, just maybe, he might stay for a little longer. “ i’ve kept going there .. kept going every year .. but things aren’t the same. they haven’t been since .. “ he trailed off, looking pico in the face again, he couldn’t stop looking at him, the longer their eyes were locked, the more he wanted to keep looking, to keep being this close to someone he thought he’d lost for so long. 

『 🔥   』 “ i just .. don’t .. i don’t understand. “ he sounded frustrated, upset, relieved, so many emotions were pressed into his voice that they were fighting for the space. his brown eyes glistened with tears that began to well up despite the anger that threatened to bubble over. what was he even mad at .. himself? pico? the world? god? he didn’t know. but .. all he could do was .. laugh after a moment, pained and strained laughter forced itself out of him, sounding gravelly and forced. “ why’d you have to get that stupid merc job, pico .. ? why’d you have to leave us .. ? “ 

[pyrobeat]

『 🔥   』 “ ayyy, whassup lil man, ‘s been way too long. “ boyfriend was immediately brought in for a hug by darnell as he spoke. he was fully aware boyfriend might have thought their friendship ended the second his relationship with pico had, so darnell made sure the bright smile on his face made it all but clear that this wasn’t the case. “ how ya been doin’? i haven’t seen you around here in ages! “ he hadn’t been here in ages either, but he didn’t really mention that. 

『 🔥   』 hands tucked into his pockets after he pulled back, still smiling at the other as he thought back .. thought back to a better time. there were moments where he felt like boyfriend and pico really would’ve ended up together together with how happy they were when he saw them .. but he guessed some things just -- didn’t work out. not that it mattered, he was happy to see boyfriend even with all that in mind. “ you gotta tell me everything, i’m only in town for a few days but, maybe we could all hang out, you, me, ‘n nene i mean! “ 

                                       @beep-bo-bop  !! //  starter  call.

[pyrobeat]

『 🔥  』 “ maybe. “ he hums, amused by the idea. in reality, he had just come up with the idea as a fun way to be able to pass the time with him -- that, and get pico to stop being so huffy about being caught in a vulnerable spot. half of him was considering putting on those sappy christmas movies that aired every day since the first of july just to see pico groan and complain about how stupid they were as he tried to get the remote back. but -- he wanted them to have a good time tonight, thus he flicked through the channels until he finally settled on a comedy movie that was actually funny. none of that stupid shit that people market as funny, but is actually just annoying people. “ alrighty then, don’t complain about what i pick, or else i’m goin’ to bed early. “ he joked, in reality he’d be fine changing it to something pico actually liked if he didn’t prefer this. 

『 🔥  』he softly bapped pico’s hand with his own once he had picked it, signalling for him to remove his hand now before he leaned forward so he take his dinner from where he’d set it down on the table minutes prior. he dug around in the bag until he found what he was looking for. “ shit, almost forgot, here. “ he leaned back and set a wrapped up burger onto pico’s lap, having his own in one hand, and the fries they’d split in the other. 

[pyrobeat]

okay, darnell’s finally got his bio up!! 

[pyrobeat]

this is such important information idk how i didn't share it before but: darnell is absolutely gay, that's all

[pyrobeat]

『 🔥   』  darnell was .. pretty well off, knew there was no denying that. with supportive parents prepping him for a solid education, straight a’s all across the board, if it weren’t for the whole pyromania thing, he probably would’ve been the ideal philly kid! hoping to get outta state eventually to go make it big somewhere like new york .. at least that’s what he told his parents -- in reality, he felt like he’d always stay here, always stay so he could keep an eye on pico and nene. because, without them, what was the point? stuff wasn’t fun without those two rascals. 

『 🔥   』 which is why, when pico up and left one day for his mercenary job, darnell felt kinda hurt. not that he didn’t get it, godspeed to a guy goin’ out there to live his dream, but never seeing pico again? that was just too much, man! it kind of sucked .. especially since darnell didn’t know how to find him .. it just meant he had to go back to his usual life, maybe actually pursue that big leagues scholarship, after all, he and nene weren’t as close without pico -- he was the glue that held it all together. tough times .. he hated coming to terms with how maybe, some friendships just don’t last. at least, he hoped that pico was having fun shooting people in the face, that seemed like something he’d enjoy. 

『 🔥   』 but .. he hadn’t expected anything bad to happen to pico. why would anything bad happen to someone who was as apparently immune to anything as pico was? to find out that he’d died from his parents like it was just casual morning news was enough for darnell to .. fall apart for a few months.  he still remembered the service he’d insisted to hold, how he’d cried for what felt like years, didn’t want to let go and couldn’t let go of someone he was so close to. he’d left not too long after that, abandoning philadelphia and everyone in it, only coming back on the anniversary week of pico’s death to mourn the loss, to reminisce on the better parts of life. it was coming up again ... another flight booked to philidelphia, another session of cramming on his work so he could have a few days free for his tradition, the same old stuff. 

『 🔥   』 a knock at the door? who the hell could be here this late? darnell, setting aside his work in progress on a speech he was putting together to try and join the school’s committee, he pushed himself to his feet and went to answer it. he had a few hours before going to bed -- so hey, why not answer the door and have some fun? had a buck knife stashed in his pocket anyways, if someone wanted to tussle, they’d get a tussle. wait, is that -- 

『 🔥   』 “ pico? “ darnell looked at him in silence for what felt like eons, almost looking through him as he took him in. the last time he had seen him had felt like eons ago, distant and far away when he’d tried catching up on things with him. and then, just like that, they were distant .. then pico was gone. but now here he was, standing outside of his door, god knows how far away. one hand reaches out silently, reluctantly, before placing it against his shoulder, feeling that, yeah, he’s really there. “ i .... you should probably come inside. it’s fucking cold out. “ he grabs onto pico’s arm with an iron grip, pulling him inside before the door shuts behind him. they .. have a lot to talk about. 

                                        @funkin-merc !!  //  starter  call. 

[pyrobeat]

SHIT, HERE'S AN ACTUAL STARTER CALL, I NEVER POSTED ONE LMAO

[pyrobeat]

quick thing about darnell: since he loves fire so much of course, he has a bunch of fire scars on his body in various places. the most notable ones are a huge patch on his arm, and on his back from the time he almost died ( nudges at his interactive ) in a burning plane, and he has a lot of smaller scars from messing with lighters and matches and the likes. he doesn't hide them, in fact he's totally proud of them, and will talk about how he got them all for a hot minute ( much to pico's distress, i'm sure )

[pyrobeat]

『 🔥  』 “ you got caught bein’ soft, now ya can’t accept defeat .. i see how it is! “ darnell allowed pico to push him away, knowing fully well the other would want him to come back for another kiss in the next few minutes anyways, he didn’t worry about it too much. he brought a hand up to unzip his jacket, shrugging it off as he chuckled a little bit, still surprised he’d even found pico in this situation to begin with. darnell was definitely more of a sap between the two of them, but hey, he wasn’t complaining about pico being sweet -- he thought it was really cute, even if he was gonna tease him to death for him. 

『 🔥  』pico’s roll of his eyes got darnell to laugh again, it was obvious he found this whole thing to be really funny, and he took the chance to softly bump pico with his elbow. “ lighten up babe, ‘m just messin’ with you. “ he knew fully well pico hated being messed with, but he’d always get over it for him, and that’s why darnell kept it up. 

『 🔥  』darnell kept one hand wrapped around pico, the other snagged up the remote from where it’d been haphazardly set aside by pico in his panic once darnell had come home. “ y’wanna watch a movie or somethin’? i’m not lettin’ you go ‘til you say yes, just so ya know. “ pico was definitely going to be the little spoon tonight, was just a matter or when darnell decided to start cuddling him. 

[pyrobeat]

『 🔥  』 a soft amused chuckle left darnell before he just laughed, watching as pico was overcome by his flustered panic. “ geez man chill out -- i don’t even care. “ he moved to close the door behind him with his foot, before walking over to join pico by the couch. he set down the bag containing their dinner on the living room’s table, before sitting down next to him. 

『 🔥  』 “ in fact, i think it’s super fuckin cute. “ one arm wraps around pico and brings him over so darnell can give him an overdramatic kiss to show his approval. after that, he leaned against him, resting against his shoulder for a few moments. “ didn’t know you missed me that much, you want me to start leavin’ my jacket here for you or somethin, sappy- mc-sap-sap?? “ he shorted, laughing at his own joke. 

『 🔥  』it was funny, the more he looked back on things, the less he could’ve imagined pico doing something like this. pico was the type who’d get embarrassed if darnell did as much as kissed the back of his hand. this was him, and he liked it! how exciting -- reminded him of the first time he set a building ablaze, it made him excited! “ really though, ‘s sweet, you should do it more often, y’look cute. “ 

[pyrobeat]

『 🔥  』 “ ay, pico, i’m back, brought dinner - “ darnell didn’t really mind pico being shorter than him -- in fact, he found it to be pretty damn cute. just meant he could noogie him to kingdom come and pico couldn’t do anything to stop him -- and that was a great way to live as far as he was concerned. now that they were borderline living together it meant that darnell could take advantage of that -- had planned to by going full big spoon once he was back and they’d both had dinner. but, he’d ended up being given a surprise when he was home, thoughts quickly steered away from the initial plans he’d made. 

『 🔥  』  “ ... “ a long beat of silence. “ is that my shirt? “ a bemused smile spread across the pyromaniac’s face as he asked the question, clearly finding it to be funny. pico was usually wayyy to in his own closed off element to be caught dead doing something that sappy. but here he was, chilling on the couch in his shirt, completely caught off guard by darnell coming home.