Inside a dimly lit room, a young man's fingers raced across a keyboard, his eyes glued to the screen before a plethora of curses streamed from his mouth.
"Argh, dammit! Make it shorter, you piece of shit! No one's gonna believe I'm this smart… No, no, no. Still too complicated, you retarded bastard. Cut the fancy words. Can't have that."
He paused, glancing at the monitor. "Ten more minutes," he whispered, tension curling through him. At this rate, he'd never finish, and the fallout would be catastrophic.
"Nah… I can't risk it." Max's hands hovered over the keys, exhaling sharply. "Time to deploy the final skill."
Decision made, a prompt blinked on his screen. Five minutes, that's how much time he had but that would be enough, he had gone through worse.
"Reword the project as if I'm a five-year-old dumbass."
Pressing enter, a smile cracked his lips as he watched the process unfold again. He could never get tired of watching it.
And two minutes later, rows of text lay displayed before him. It was done. His school project was fucking done.
"Bet you didn't think your summer project would be done in ten minutes, huh?" Max snickered, picturing the bastard professor's shocked face.
Still, all was not done. Copying all the data, he logged into his school website before submitting his project.
"And voila," Max snickered, leaning on his old chair as he watched the project go through.
"Finally, midnight," he sighed, watching the file submit. It was a close call, but the thrill of it always sent a rush of exhilaration coursing through him.
It was like one of those battle-maniac anime protagonists he worshiped, always thriving in chaos. Only instead of swords and fists, Max fought deadlines, sending critical projects into the void, always by midnight.
Maybe they had something in common. Or maybe he was just lazy. Same difference.
"Now… where was I? Argh, yes… gooning time." His lips curled in a creepy grin. Being twenty-one, average-looking, with dreams shaped by manhwas and novels, romance hadn't exactly come knocking. But that could change.
"Yes, yes," he mumbled under his breath, a figure coming to mind, Natalie. "I'll definitely ask her out tomorrow." His thoughts drifted. "That silky raven hair, the almond eyes... and the boobs. Ooh, don't get me started about the ass." He trailed off, completely off guard. Still, out of instinctive awareness, or muscle memory, his hand was already reaching out to his... study materials.
Magazines and all. Before he summed up the courage to ask Natalie out, this would have to do.
Grrrrgh. Grrrrgh. Yanked out of his thoughts, his rumbling stomach stopped his hand before he smacked the back of his head.
"A midnight snack." He had barely eaten anything apart from what the school cafeteria gave out for free. But that was on him. He knew better, staying up late was no good for his stomach, nor for his pockets, for that matter.
But who was to blame? He scanned his room again, only adding to his plight. A chair, a bed, and a makeshift table.
The best he could currently do. Deprived of his parents at a young age, he had learned to fight back when the world fucked with him. A cruel world he had come to know. But good thing his family had left him some savings. Coupled with his side jobs, he was able to make it this far.
A ravenous bastard who was always short of food. But he would be damned if he played the victim. If anything, he sought to turn everything into a benefit.
"Guess it's time to guilt-trip that poor bastard again, huh?" Slipping into his coat, he walked out of his room.
Bathing in the ethereal glow of moonlight, Max hummed as he made his way to the student canteen. Then his target caught his eyes, and with it, a toothy smile came to his lips.
Quickening his steps, he walked all the way before arriving at the figure. "I'm back, Uncle Mutt..."
His words had barely left his lips before the figure snapped back to face him and jumped in fright.
"Dammit, you little brat! How many times must I tell you not to sneak up on me like the little creep you are?!"
Sporting short dark hair with pale black eyes, Mutt glared at him. "And didn't I tell you not to come back here? I'm not your uncle, and all you bring me is losses!"
"I see..." Max sighed in mock fright before rubbing his stomach and turning away. "Should be about now," he murmured, taking his third step.
"Argh, wait, you little brat. I have some left over food left. Here, come and have some."
Turning back, a grin stretched across his lips before he unceremoniously tapped the man's shoulder. "Hahahaha! Thank you, Uncle Mutt," he voiced shamelessly, pulling a bowl out of his coat, eliciting a few lip twitches from Uncle Mutt.
Works every goddamn time! Max snickered, scooping bowls of food before giving Uncle Mutt a hearty slap on the shoulder as he turned back.
"See you tomorrow, Uncle Mutt!" he yelled, already walking briskly back to his room. *Would be a shame to let the food get cold now after going through all this trouble.*
"Argh, don't come again, you brat! You're bad for business!"
"Yeah, sure, I'll be back. Thanks, Uncle Mutt!" Max yelled out, a goofy smile stretching across his lips.
He walked, hearing nothing but muttered curses. Soft-hearted old man. Family in all but blood. They had a mutual unspoken respect and affection in their own chaotic way.
Coming to a stop at the sidewalk, waiting for the greenlight, he began reminiscing about the past, when life was easy, when his parents were there...
"Wait... Ugh, is that Natalie?" Pulled from his thoughts, his eyes darted to a figure far in front of him.
Sporting unnaturally smooth black hair and a pair of mesmerizing almond eyes, he spotted her.
What the fuck was she doing here? Should he approach now and confess his feelings? Nah, it was too early. His eyes were drawn to the grey tracksuit she wore, clinging to her figure like a second skin.
Perfectly highlighting all of her curves. It was as if all of his desires had been lumped into her.
And as always, instead of approaching, he began to daydream of her. Painting fantasies. Their first kiss, their...
*Hooooonk!* "A truck?" Max whispered, barely registering the events taking place. A truck was approaching, but Natalie… she was wearing ear pods? Couldn't she feel the fucking blinding lights flare at her, he cursed.
Now, Max was a lot of things, but a hero was none of them. Still, due to some stupid thought he was unable to shake off, he rushed forward like a dithering idiot. What better way of making an entrance than saving a beauty in distress? It would surely make an awesome impression where he could kick it off.
By the time the last of the thought flashed in his mind, he was next to Natalie. He could see the surprise on her face before it shifted to full-blown panic.
"Great!" Max muttered, the weight of his decision pressing on him. Rushing to the beauty was the easy part. Now what? The truck was moments from impact.
Sheer instinct demanded he fuck off and jump away, but… he was so close he could see Natalie was frozen. Fear had overwhelmed her. Leaving her at this point would be condemning her to death. Extra points, he muttered stupidly, the more afraid she was, the more gratitude she would express to him.
His thoughts synced. His hand shot forward, pushing her out of harm's way and sprawling onto the tarmac.
A few grazes, but better than death, he guessed. Speaking of death, just as he was about to jump forward, he looked at the truck, the road, and everything.
He wasn't a genius, but he knew the time wasn't enough. Still, that didn't stop him from trying.
Boooooom! The inevitable happened, as his body was sent flying into the air. For the briefest moment, his miserable life flashed in front of him:
His parents' death, his Isolation afterward then the Pain. His ridiculous, wasted hours… every humiliating, lonely moment. And then, a tidal wave of agony crashed over him.
He wanted to scream… but he couldn't. His lungs… literally everything was bleeding. "Ooh, fucking hell, am I going to die?" Saving a beauty was great, but if it meant his death, the price was absolutely not worth it.
"Omg!!! Max, is that you… you saved me." Natalie rushed to his sprawled body, tears flowing from her face.
And yet, despite all the pain coursing through him, the words flared into him like lightning, a stupid thought creeping in. Maybe his death was worth it. Since he was dying, there was no better time. Sputtering blood, he spit out a mouthful before a whisper escaped his lips.
Unable to hear him, she leaned in, still yelling to the people who had begun gathering. "Call an ambulance! Someone, please call an ambulance!"
Then, crying softly, she leaned onto him, granting him full view of her massive cleavage, on his deathbed.
He was still enchanted by her beauty, which further fueled his efforts as he leaned onto her.
Swallowing another mouthful of blood, he finally voiced the dreaded words: "I love you… Natalie."
"What?" Her face went blank as she processed the words, her eyes set on the figure whose life was ebbing away with every passing second.
"Argh, dammit, say you love me back!" Max cursed. He wasn't about to be left hanging in death.
Only what she said next was probably worse than being hit by the truck. "I have a boyfriend, I don't think I love you."
A moment of silence passed, then another, as Max's eyes stared at Natalie's. What the fuck was that? No, this wasn't part of the plot. Who says that to a person who traded their life for them? And most importantly, why had she replied instantly as if the sheer thought had never crossed her mind? And fucking the bluntness…
I knew it," he cursed as the edges of the world began to darken. Uncle Mutt's cries reached him faintly, as he pleaded desperately for him to stay awake.
But all that echoed in his fading mind was one terrifying thought: I should have just stayed at home and gooned.
Then eternal darkness filled his vision.