A DECAYING AMBIENCE OF UNNERVING VIRIDESCENCE AND ILLUMINATION FROM THE PALE MOONLIGHT DRIPPING through the crumbling hickory wood seemed to spark an amber fire in the golden rings that circled phil's multifaceted, glowing irises as a grin peaked at his jutted lips. "you don't realize what you're doing," he smirked, leaning against a broken doorframe as he crossed his defined arms.

"i get whatever i want, i just have to pay the price. that's how this shit works, right?" dan's mellifluous voice quivered as he spoke; a gloss of fear trickling over his bronzed irises as he felt his cheeks fade to a blush from both the icy wind and the way the older boy's hooded eyes raked down his body.

phil quirked an eyebrow, his tongue skimming over his bruised bottom lip as he contemplated what to do with the disaster of a boy in front of him. "and what is it that you want?" he spoke, stepping further into the pockets of pallid moonlight, giving dan a better glimpse of him.

scarlet-blending-to-violet hickeys and the navy inklings of tattoos adorned the snowy skin that peeked out from behind his ebony hoodie. his knuckles were painted by rhapsodic brushstrokes with every shade from a palette of ultraviolence and dan made out a carving of scar tissue in a ghostlike translucence right under his sculpturesque jaw. he smelled like roses and whiskey; like cigarettes after sex and ebony tattoo ink.

the thick scent of mildew and rain that dan hadn't noticed was falling until now drifted into his nostrils as he released a breath he didn't realize he had been holding. he didn't know if it was the vodka still stirring in his stomach or the sleep deprivation that plagued his vacant mind with a sickening haze, but his chapped lips parted: "i.. i want someone dead."

as soon as the tainted words slipped from his nicotine-laced tongue, he had almost expected phil to laugh at him, then probably slit his throat. but the older boy only narrowed his eyes in closely, flexing his long fingers around his defined arms as he stared intently.

"you want someone dead," the raven-haired boy repeated, his tapered eyebrow raising as his eyes scanned the boy in front of him. "why?"

dan swallowed the hesitation that burned in the crevices of his strained throat, "it doesn't matter. what matters is what i'm willing to do for it. what do you want?"

it was then that phil laughed at him, the crimson veins that painted the vexing imagery of sleep deprivation in his irises gleaming in the pallid iridescence of the moon. "i've got some ideas," a smirk peaked at his lilac-tinged lips as he shot the boy a crooked grin. the stardust freckles that peppered the sepia-haired boy's cheekbones illuminated in a passionfruit blush, the brunette nervously scratching at his velvet fingertips.

his eyes hesitantly flickered upwards to meet the taller boy's when he suddenly felt his spine collapse into the creaking wall, phil having lunged and pinned the boy with his sculpturesque arm held a few inches to the side of the boy's head; feeling the heated, whiskey-tainted ghost of phil's breath brush against his skin.

"who is it you want dead?" he spoke in a gravelly whisper, his oceanic voice echoing in dan's hollow bones as he felt himself melt as far as he could into the shadows of the hickory wall.

"his name's carter. carter andrews," dan replied quietly, his eyes widening as phil's fingertips raised to brush the sweat-laced skin under his nose, the boy's fingers trailing away with metallic crimson trickling off of them. the brunette sniffed, inhaling the familiar taste of blood on his tongue as he felt it drip past his bruised lips.

dan told himself it was only the vodka stirring in his vacant stomach or the tremulous fingernails and hollow undereyes of sleep deprivation that caused him to visibly quiver at the taller boy's skin brushing his, not at all having to do with the hot as fuck way the boy's tongue had skimmed over his split bottom lip after touching the brunette or the way his defined arm was still pinning his wiry silhouette.

nothing to do with it all.

phil flicked the blood off his stained fingers as he stepped away from the brunette with a shrug. "alright. but with those twink arms and pretty ass, i don't know what you have to offer me that i can't get for free at some shitty club," he spoke with a suggestive mock that dan didn't know how to interpret. "you don't know anything about me," he scoffed, folding his thin arms as phil mockery of him seemed to ignite further.

"i know you're a drunk rich kid who probably has daddy issues."

dan huffed, his heartbeat quickening as he narrowed his eyes on the smirking tattooed boy. "not even close."

"oh, so you wouldn't like calling me daddy?"

dan's glassy irises went wide as he sunk his teeth begrudgingly into his cheek, the raven-haired boy's shadowed eyes glinting in satisfaction. "there are other names for you that come to mind first," the brunette hissed, vexation stirring in his hollow stomach every time the taller boy grinned.

"oh, i've got some names for you too, pretty boy. now do we have a deal or not?"

dan's steaming black coffee irises flickered between the boy's wiry bones that defined his bruised knuckles and his murderously glinting gaze, taking the significantly larger hand into his as he shook it.

"deal. where do we start?"

the thick taste of rum and leather whipped in the bitter wind that scraped away at the brunette's red-rimmed irises and lilac-twisting-to-passion fruit-tinged fingertips, goosebumps crawling like decaying, viridescent ivy around his pale skin as phil's laugh echoed in the whispers floating in dan's ears.

"first, i'm gonna teach you how to play dirty."

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this chapter was really shitty whoops sorry.

it hella motivates me when you guys comment/vote so do that if you want !!

-thanks, ashton