Chapter Text
BRANZY CRAFT YOU ASSHOLE!!!!!!!!!!
it wasn’t an unusual saying to echo down the halls, and not an unusual person to be screaming it. It wasn’t a particularly unusual day at all really.
“If you don’t wanna get pranked stop running like a well oiled watch!” Branzy called behind him sprinting down the halls. He was several hallways in front of his pursuers, but not for long!
Well, he would be in front of Chief for a good long while, but the same cannot be said about Rek rap.
You would think his best friends of eleven years would be used to his antics by now.
You would also think Branzy would know by now there isn’t a universe where he outruns Rek. You would be correct in that second assumption. However Branzy wasn’t trying to out run him, he was trying to out speed him. Which are two different things.
Speed could be improved by engineering. Aka; the humble wheel.
“You can’t out run me Branzy!” Rek yelled rounding the bend.
Now nothing in engineering can work first try, it’s practically a law of physics. Luckily, Branzy has been testing his shoes for a month. Still not enough time but whatever.
Branzy slammed the side of is shoe against the wall, and… the skates actually popped out!
Branzy only had a 64% success rate with the shoes so that was actually pretty good! The other shoe didn’t cooperate as nicely, but still worked on the third try!
“OH COME ON WHAT IS THAT????” Rek yelled as Branzy started gaining distance.
“ENGINEERING!” Branzy replied. Believe it or not he was actually good at skating. He lived to close for his parents to bother with the buss, but to far to walk every day. In Branzy’s opinion, and he didn’t trust bike locks. You could just stuff skates in your locker.
So that was Branzy’s main way of transportation since middle school. As the schools were next to each other, and if you do anything for five years you get good at it.
“I’m still going to get you!” Rek called as Branzy rounded another corner.
“Yeah but you’re going to be to tired to deal with me by then!” Branzy knew even on skates Rek was faster. He was the fastest runner on the school’s track team, and in the school in general, and practiced religiously.
Rek lived a whopping ten miles away from the school and he would run there every morning. He had a freaking five minute mile run.
Branzy’s only advantage here is that Rek wouldn’t want to be caught running in the halls. He was already on two strikes and if he got a third he’d get a detention.
Branzy on the other hand, had detention already scheduled in his calendar for the rest of the year.
He always got detention. It was to the point teachers would ignore him braking school rules because there wasn’t anything they could do about it.
The districts policy was unless someone got injured the biggest penalty possible was detention, and no one got hurt in Branzy's pranks or was collateral of his inventions.
Except of course Branzy himself, but that didn’t count. Also Branzy almost always got hurt from his own stupidity, not his intelligence.
For example, turning to look at Rek when turning a corner, and not noticing the next corner was to close the round at the speed he was going.
Whoops.
Branzy noticed around three seconds to late, as usual.
Welp that’s going to hurt, luckily Branzy had time to protect his head.
Branzy sped towards the wall excepting his fate listening to Rek yell that he was about to hit the wall, he knows.
When something unusual happens.
Someone catches him.
Or well, grabs him by the wrists before he can hit the wall. Still significantly preferable because said person allow Branzy to spin and slow down for a few seconds.
“Oh gosh thanks dude!” Branzy says as his arms are released, and he comes to a stop.
“BRANZY WHAT WERE YOU THINKING????” Rek’s voice comes through and Branzy remembers, he is in fact still getting chased by his friend.
“I’m going to freaking tackle you-“
“What’s going on here, Rek why are you wet?” The voice of the guy who saved him asked. Branzy looks up and…
Oh god.
It’s freaking Clownpierce. Scariest guy in school.
First name: pierce, nickname earned through terror: Clown.
And Rek’s track teammate.
“What happened was, my stupid friend decided to dump a bucket of water on my head. Now let me at him!!!” Rek lunged for Branzy.
Clown stoped him.
“Wait… did you fall for the oldest prank in the book???” Clown laughed.
“The ol’ bucket over the door trick!” Branzy snickered. If he was going down he was at least going to embarrass Rek.
Rek lunged at him again, Clown blocked again.
“Oh hell nah man, if you fell for that it’s on you!” Clown laughed again.
Branzy laughed like crazy. He had an Ally!
Rek stared up at Clown with rage.
Up at Clown…
Huh.
Branzy was used to looking up to see everyone, life was tuff as a 5’8” male. But Rek was 6 foot on the dot, so he usually didn’t have that problem.
Clown was a giant. 6’3” at least.
Branzy had never seen Clown up close before, only at Rek’s track meets from a distance.
The man had wavy black hair with the tips dip dyed red in a half up half down style. He had blue eyes so dark they almost looked black and… that was about all Branzy could see from his face. He was wearing a killer clown half mask so you couldn’t see the rest of his face.
Clown and Rek were still arguing when Chief finally showed up, huffing and puffing hard.
“Dude that was like- not even one length of the pacer test.” Rek said after Chief showed up.
“Yeah but on the pacer test I’m not trying to keep up with YOU!” Chief wheezed.
“Horrible decision really.” Branzy replied.
“You literally just tried to outrun me.” Rek stated.
“I tried to out speed you! There is a difference.” Branzy proclaimed.
“Yeah it’s called wheels.” Clown snickered at Rek. “Also you should really take him to the nurse.”
Rek looked over at Chief, who was still wheezing.
“Yeah, come on Chief.” Rek said leading him down the hallway.
“I’m coming to!” Branzy called.
“Not until you put those away! You will run into a different wall.” Rek replied.
“Easy!” Branzy stamped his foot.
Nothing.
He tried again.
Nothing.
Sigh. “Nothing ever works first try.” Branzy mumbles sitting down on the floor to figure out why his skates weren’t converting.
“Do those… turn into shoes?” Clown asked fascinated.
“Yup! Well in theory. I’m having some bumps… how does that even get jammed?”
“Wait… did you make those?”
“Yup! Started working on them last month for my robotics club.”
“Dude that his so cool.”
“We have spots open if you’re interested.”
“Oh… no. I am not an engineering guy. But watching people make stuff is fascinating.” Clown chuckled.
Branzy laughed along with him. Yeah engineering wasn’t for everyone. Lots of math.
“You’re on the track team right?” Branzy asked
“Yup! Rek said that was Chef so… you must be Branzy right?” Clown replied holding his hand out for Branzy to shake.
“The one and only!” Branzy shook Clown’s hand.
“Rek talks about you a lot.”
“All good things I hope.” Branzy started hitting his shoe on the ground. If you can’t figure out what’s wrong… hit it and hope it fixes itself.
“Lots of pranks so… yeah!”
Branzy chuckled and looked back up at the man. Everyone at school, especially Rek, had said the guy was tarrying. I mean, he could definitely be classified as emo but scary? Maybe people just weren’t used to being towered over.
“Ah ha!” Branzy declared, his shoes finally cooperating.
Branzy stood back up and heard Clown laughing.
“What?”
“I didn’t realize how short you were!”
“I’m not short you’re just tall.” Branzy huffed.
“I suppose I am… but wow. I wasn’t expecting the skates to add like four inches!
“They only add two when I’m wearing my shoes.”
“How many do the shoes add?”
“Also two…”
Clown continued laughing. When he was Branzy noticed something.
“Are you wearing makeup?” Branzy asked spotting some blue eyeshadow on Clown’s face.
“Yeah, have a problem with it?”
“No, but why? When you have the mask?”
“Because I like feeling pretty!”
Branzy shrugged. Fair enough. Clown seemed a little surprised with Branzy's answer.
“Well anyway I gotta get going to robotics club.”
“Can a walk with you?”
“Sure!” Branzy liked having someone to talk with, and he hadn’t scared off clown with his rambling yet.
“Do you play any sports?” Clown asked.
“Nope. Unless you count running from Rek after I prank him.”
“Honestly- considering how fast the guy is.”
“You’re on the track team. Shouldn’t you be able to keep up with him?”
“Eh, I’m probably the least serious member on the team. I’m mainly doing it for a sports scholarship.”
“Ah I feel that. Don’t get me wrong I love engineering, but if it wasn’t for college I would be working on completing different projects. The stuff that impresses them is so weird.”
“It’s mainly very few colleges have scholarships for my preferred sport, and the ones that do a comically fancy.
“What’s your preferred sport?”
“Hmmmm not telling you.”
“What? Why?”
“Because it’s funny if you don’t know.”
“Huh???” Branzy spun on his heal to look at the man. “You realize I can just ask Rek right?”
“Nah. He’s scared of me. He won’t tell.”
“Why is he scared of you? Why is fucking everyone scared of you? You seem pretty chill.”
“Because of my preferred sport.” Branzy could practically hear the smirk behind Clowns mask.
Branzy glared up at him.
“BRANZY YOUR STUPID PRANK ROBOT IS OUTOF CONTROL!!!!!” Cubes voice echoed down the hall.
“Welp that’s my cue! Gotta go!”