A Book of FNF Oneshots

Darnell x Cassandra?? - The Encounter

A/N: This isn't a widely shipped couple, and I can get why some people are confused by it, but now that I think about it, Cassandra hasn't done anything to ruin Darnell's year of high school like she did Pico's. It's just a consideration; there are some ways it could work out. This is an Alternate Universe where the trio graduated from high school and go to the same college. Just like Boyfriend in the first chapter of this book, Darnell works on Saturdays and Sundays to pay his tuition.

Darnell entered the grocery store at 6:00 AM like he always did to start his shift. That morning was like every morning. At 7:00 AM customers arrived and Darnell would work at the cash register. He decided to take the night shift, too. He could use the extra money. During the day, he would check out items. During the evening, he would eat his lunch. His night shift begun at 10:00. Darnell had fallen asleep in his chair by 10:30. The store hadn't been getting much visitors by this time. Darnell was about to get up and ask the manager if he could leave until a girl walked into the store. He sat back down.

As he looked at the girl, he could have sworn he had seen her somewhere before. She had dark red hair, and was wearing dark clothing. The girl also had earplugs in, and must have been listening to music. The thing that Darnell recognized about her immediately was that distinctive hair style; the way she gelled it to make it resemble horns.

"Horn hair... Where have I seen-- Oh, my God." The sudden realization hit him as he remembered the girl he used to go to high school with that listened to rock music and always sat in the back of the classroom. "She was the same girl that..." Darnell thought to himself. He didn't even finish his sentence in his head as he thought of all the blood and violence that one year of school. She had never done anything to harm Darnell, in fact, she didn't even know him, but he remembered how much Pico hated her after he had to fight her. He and Nene didn't bring up Cassandra around Pico because of the memories it would bring back. And now, there she was, shopping at the grocery store Darnell worked at.

Darnell looked at the store cameras on the monitor. It looked like Cassandra was just buying milk and eggs like normal. Still unsure of what she was plotting, he decided to take a broom and go to the aisle Cassandra was in to see what she was up to himself. He pretended to be sweeping. Cassandra was looking at the price of a box of cereal, and put it back on the shelf.

"May I help you?" She asked. Darnell gulped. Since he was the only one in the aisle with Cassandra, he knew he was the only one she was talking to, even though her back was turned. She must have felt his eyes on her. She turned around to face him, looking at him expectantly for an answer. He opened his mouth, trying to find a valid reason a cashier would follow a complete stranger into an aisle, but couldn't find one.

"You got me." He said. "You're Cassandra, right?" He asked. Cassandra turned back around.

"That's correct." She said. "Are you one of his friends?" Cassandra asked. Darnell nodded. Cassandra went back to shopping, and bought her items. This left Darnell in a confused state when she left like normal. Darnell called Pico later that night, about to tell him who he saw. However, as soon as he picked up, Darnell decided he wouldn't tell him.

"What did you call me for?" Pico asked Darnell after a while of silence.

"Nothing, it was just a butt dial." Darnell said.

"If it was a butt dial, why didn't you hang up sooner--" Beep! Darnell hung up on Pico. He sat down and stared blankly at the TV show that was on, wondering what he would do if Cassandra came to the store again; what he would do if she decided to attack.

He decided not to take the night shift the next day, and left work early. Later that evening, he ordered himself a pizza, and when he went to pick it up, he saw Cassandra in the restaurant. They both stared at each other, wondering why it had been two days in a row they were at the same place. Darnell put his pizza box in his car, but waited for Cassandra as she followed him out into the parking lot.

"Are you tailing me?" She asked as she approached him.

"No. It was actually quite the coincidence I saw you here." Darnell replied. "I do want to know what you're plotting, though." He said. Cassandra gave him a puzzled expression. "I don't hurt women, so I didn't bring my lighter. I'm sure there's a non-violent way we can resolve this." He said. Cassandra folded her arms as she watched him go on. "If you're here to hurt Pico, however, I can't stay true to my word." Darnell threatened. Cassandra now understood why he was keeping an eye on her, even though it wasn't necessary.

"Yeah, I don't do that stuff anymore. You and your gang have nothing to worry about. Besides, trying to finish something I started in high school would be petty and childish." Cassandra said. Darnell was surprised at this mature version to her. "I'll see you around." She said.

"Uh, yeah." Darnell said.

The next day, Cassandra went to the store to buy a carton of milk. She left after she handed Darnell the money in cash, but he noticed there was a sticky note attached to it. The note said, "Let's forget what happened in high school. Call me?" It had Cassandra's phone number under the note. When Darnell got home, he didn't know if calling her would be the right thing to do.

"She seemed pretty chill... But Pico still--" Darnell began, but started reconsidering his choice. "Wait, since when did I let what Pico thinks affect my decisions?" He asked himself. Ready to do what he wanted for himself and not what he wanted for the group, Darnell called Cassandra. As the phone was ringing, Darnell gasped. "Wait, what did I just do?" He thought, but it was too late.

"Darren? You decided to call?" Cassandra asked.

"It's Darnell." He corrected.

"Oh." Cassandra said. "Anyway..." Cassandra started a long conversation with Darnell about high school. Since she was forbidden from hanging out with Alucard, Cyclops, and Hanzou, she needed one way to make a friend. Since her and Darnell never interacted, he never had a personal grudge against her. Cassandra opened up to Darnell about how she couldn't control her anger back then, and why she did what she did. The whole time Darnell and Cassandra became friends, Darnell never said anything to Pico and Nene about it. It wasn't like they would notice, anyway; Darnell was convinced that those two had a crush on each other. One day, while Pico and Nene went to the movies together, which was "Totally an outing between friends" in their words, Darnell decided to hang out with Cassandra.

Cassandra was almost silent the entire time they were hanging out, and Darnell suspected something.

"Is everything alright?" He asked her. Cassandra looked up from her ice cream cone.

"Yeah. Uh..." She looked down again. Darnell raised his eyebrow.

"I don't believe you." He said.

"There's something I have to ask you." Cassandra said.

"Yeah?" He replied.

"Willyougooutwithme?" She asked.

"Huh?" Darnell asked.

"Willyoubemyboyfriend?" She asked again.

"You're going to have to repeat that..." Darnell said.

"I LIKE YOU!" Cassandra exclaimed. She then went silent again, waiting for a response. Darnell stared at her, his cheeks a deep burgundy color.

"Let's give it a shot." He said. Cassandra hugged Darnell tightly. Through all the dark clothing, hair gel, and bad attitude, who knew all she needed was someone to care about her?