Dan was gray. Everything he touched directly turned gray. He sucked the color out of everything. He was a mess-up, a screw-up... a color-stealer. He wished he had been born with white or black, so he could be slightly less weird, but no. He wasn't. He wore fingerless clothes and tried to avoid touching anything besides his own belongings.

Phil was blue. He was bright and shiny while being calm and collected. Blue's were respected. He was popular and kind, smart and attractive. The opposite of Dan. Phil embraced his color, and didn't mind if he touched something and transformed it blue. The school loved it, taking pride in the bright blue marks.

You see, Dan loved Phil. Dan loved his bright blue eyes and black hair, his pale skin. It worked perfectly with him. It made him stunning and so many positive things at once. But Dan wasn't allowed to love Phil.

And Phil wasn't allowed to love Dan. But that's not quite how life works out is it? No, it's not. But here's a tale, of two lovers, Dan and Phil, in a color-changing world, who beat the odds, and let their love thrive.

"Hi, Dan!" Phil said, cheerfully, as Dan walked in his room with a bag for sleeping over.

"Hi..." Dan said, much more unenthusiastically.

"What's wrong?"

"I'm a c-color-stealer, Phil! With a st-studder! You're a color-changer! I-I'm a mess-up, a-a mistake, I s-shouldn't be alive, let al-alone with you!"

"Dan, come here." Phil wrapped Dan in a hug, which at first Dan refused to accept in fear of turning Phil's clothes gray. Phil's fingers casted blue along his shirt until the whole thing was covered in blue. Phil's shirt was now gray, but he didn't mind. He loved gray. It was beautiful.

"Dan?" He said, rubbing circles in Dan's shoulders.

"Yes?"

"Can I take you outside?"

"It's like o-one am."

"That's the point!" Phil laughed, taking Dan's hand and leading him outside, only making a few things blue. Dan glanced around the house quickly, seeing colors of green, Phil's brother, yellow, Phil's mother, and orange, Phil's father. Dan was soon enough, outside, and Phil lead him about 40 feet from the house, on to a clear hill with a view of the gray moon.

"Look in the heavens, Dan."

"Yeah, it's th-the m-moon."

"Look! It's gray, like you!"

"So?"

"The moon is admired by many! Lots of people love the moon, and they don't care what color it is."

"The m-moon's meant to b-be there, it can't ch-change the color of a-anything."

"So, what, bear? You're meant to be here. You're as great and beautiful as the moon. You are wonderful, and majestic, regardless of color. Besides, I love the color gray and I don't care what the others think! We don't need them!"

"T-Thanks." Dan was about to cry, he never felt so wanted in his life before. Phil gently put his hand under Dan's chin, cupping his jaw and bringing it upward.

"Ashes, steel, silver, metal, paint, puddy, rocks, cloudy skies, fog, cats! Those are all gray and wonderful!" Phil said, smiling, with locked eye contact in Dan's eyes the entire time.

"You are gray and I love you."

Phil moved forward and kissed Dan's lips for the first time. There's a rumor, when you meet your soulmate you feel each other's emotions? Well, Dan and Phil's emotions matched fully, bliss with electricity, happiness and wonder, acceptance and love all at once. Just with one kiss.

"Dan, my bear, my gray. I love you."

"P-Phil, my l-lion, my blue, I love y-you."

I don't even know what these are anymore but really hope you liked it! -Waterthorn