Danti One Shots

·Perfect Community·

This One Shot is inspired by one of my favorite book series by Lois Lowry. The first book is called the Giver, if you haven't read it, you should! It's a super good story! Happy New Year!

It was a perfect community. It was a perfect life. The Elders of the community made it so. But having perfect things come at a cost. The cost of not having an imagination, not being allowed to wonder, not able to choose your own spouse, nor your own job. Things were chosen for you, and that's what Anti hated most. Anti was far different from his fellow community members. They took their medication while Anti threw his in the trash. He hated the little blue pills that made them all so oblivious to what was truly going on around them. The pills stopped you from developing completely, and took away what made up you, your personality and emotions. Anti wasn't even his real name, his birth name was Anthony, but he hated that as well. So he changed it, but kept it to himself, just like so many other things. He had to shave often (for the pill also stopped you from going through puberty) so that his friends wouldn't catch on. He had to act as daft as the other members so that the Elders wouldn't find out that he threw his medication off to the side daily. But once he was back in his own dwelling, he went back to being himself. Anti would paint, he would sing, even tinker with things. Anti hid it all though... And he hated that most of all. Anti disliked the fact that he didn't take his meds sometimes though, because he had to suffer through so many feelings without being able to tell anyone else. Not even his best friend Damien... The man he had feelings for, and it sucked that Damein wouldn't, no, couldn't feel anything back. Besides, same-sex relationships were something that nobody had ever heard of, well maybe the Elders had because they themselves didn't take the little blue pill either. Anti went on living though, but he did wonder what it would be like outside of the community, how things would look, how much freedom he would have.

All of these thoughts and more ran through the mans mind as he dragged his paint brush across a canvas. Quiet music played in the background. Things were calm, just as he like it- knock knock! Anti dropped his brush and whipped his head around. Who could that be? Every one else he knew was still working. He quickly dragged the fake wall he had built across the floor to cover his work space, or a studio as he liked to call it. Anti quickly walked over to the front door and opened it to Damien's familiar face. Oh, that's right, it was Saturday. Barely anyone worked today, except for Manufacturer's and Nurses. Damien smiled. "Hello Anthony, thought I would stop by for a visit, if that's alright with you?" Anti just stood their for a moment, dazed by Damien's features before snapping out of his trance. "Uh, yeah, yeah, come on in!" He stepped aside to let Damien pass through the doorway. Anti closed the door behind himself. Damien held up a bag. "I brought over lunch, I though we could eat together..." He quietly stated. Anti grinned and politely took the back from Damien's hands. "That's an incredibly kind thought, I'll go prepare it for us!" The man skipped off to the kitchen and set out the contents from the bag onto the counter. Damien walked up beside Anti. "Could I help?" He gestured to the food. Anti nodded and they went to wash their hands. While they were though, Damien noticed something. "Anthony, what's on your hands?" Anti was puzzled for a moment but then saw that his fingers were coated in blue paint. He ignored the questions and quickly washed his hands, scrubbing them painfully. Damien turned off the water. "It's rude not to answer questions, you know that." Damien pouted. Anti put his hands on the edge of the sink and looked at his friend. "Okay... Promise you won't say anything if I show you?" Damien made a face. "Anthony, it's against the rules to hide things, if you're hiding something I have to tell the Elders-" Anti grabbed Damien's hands and he immediately stopped talking. Physical contact was also against the rules. "Please Damien, I'm asking you to keep this between us, you should feel lucky that we're close enough for me to tell you this." He explained. Damien thought for a moment before slowly nodding. Anti grinned and led Damien to his studio, hesitantly removing the fake wall. The older man gasped audibly. Rows and rows of paintings were hung on the wall. A table was stacked with books and the insides of electrical things. Damien moved towards it all with wide eyes. "I've never seen anything like this... Anthony, it's- it's... I can't explain what I feel right now." Anti moved beside Damien and sighed. "That's because the medication doesn't allow you to feel barely anything. I have a plan though. Don't take the pill tomorrow and come back here around the same time, can you do that for me?" Damien looked at Anti with shock. "Not take the pill? But that's insane! I've broke so many rules already-" Anti put his hands on Damien's shoulders. "Please, friend. It would mean everything to me if you do this. You won't regret it, I promise you." They stood there for a few minutes, which felt like an eternity. Anti's hands felt like they were burning as they made contact with his friend. Damien sighed and nodded slowly. "Alright, I will. But I won't do it again!" Anti internally scream with joy. "Thank you so much!" He almost shouted. Damien chuckled. "Okay okay, now how about lunch?"

Anti was under the covers in his bed and replayed his moments with Damien from earlier in the day. He truly couldn't believe it. He couldn't believe that Damien had agreed to not take the medication. Finally he could share how he felt with another person.

Just as they had agreed, Damien showed up at Anti's dwelling around the same time he had the previous day. Damien looked restless, his hair wasn't combed back but rather pointing up in random directions. Anti ushered his friend inside. The older man paced across the floor. "I suppose you have questions?" Anti asked. Damien nodded quickly and took Anti's hand in his, leading them both to the couch to sit down. "I've been having the strangest morning. It's like my feelings have grown... Stronger and more prominent. Anthony... Why didn't you tell me about your secret earlier? I see why you don't take the pill." Anti smiled gently and Damien's heart skipped as he got a new feeling. He wanted to see his friends smile more often, he realized. "Could you not call me Anthony anymore? I... I really don't like it." Damien nodded with understanding. "Then what would you like me to call you?"

"Anti."

"Could I choose a different name too, then?

"Yeah, but you would have to keep it between just us."

"Right, of course." Damien thought for a moment before answering.

"How about... Dark."

Anti's smile grew a tad more. "I like that, Dark."

Dark continued to not take the pill and followed Anti's advice on how to hide it. They visited each other any time that they could. Anti taught Dark how to deal with his new found emotions and thoughts. They even called each other late at night, another rule that they broke together. Dark, in fact, got a thrill from breaking the rules. It made him feel... More free, is how he would describe it. Dark had also noticed another feeling that he kept away from Anti. A certain longing for his friend. To be closer to him. Hold him. Protect him. A word he could use for this feeling would be love. But the word love was not well known, it was almost wiped out of history. The Elders claimed that love meant nothing, but Dark disagreed. He believed that love meant everything. The man sat in bed for a while. He rehearsed the lines in his head. The words that he would confront Anti with. Dark did his daily ruitine ams noticed the smallest hint of facial hair along his jaw. He reached for the makeshift razor Anti had made for him, but stopped. He felt rebellious today, more than usual. So he ignored the scruff and continued on with his morning routine. Dark hopped on his bike and peddled to Anti's dwelling, or home. Home was another outdated word. He found the word 'home' a much warmer word than 'dwelling'. He reached Anti's home and knocked on the door. His heart skipped once again when he saw his friends face. The smile he loved to see. Anti let Dark in and they went to his studio to talk. "Hey Anti, can I ask you something?" His friend nodded. "Sure, ask away." The older man found it suddenly difficult to speak. "Hav-have you ever loved- or felt love some someone else... But not of the opposite gender?" Anti's face heated up. He gulped and moved a painting from his easel to hang on the wall. "Well, yes... I have actually, and I still do." Dark felt his heat speed up at his friends words. "Who is it? The person you feel for?" He questioned. Anti stopped in his tracks and looked at Dark. His eyes gentle. "He's a close friend of mine." Anti whispered. Dark stepped closer to the other male. "Does his name happen to start with 'D'?"

Anti nodded.

"Is he standing with you right now?"

Anti looked down and nodded.

Dark stepped even closer and asked quietly. "Is he me?"

Anti sniffed and nodded once again, not daring to look at his friend.

Dark was close enough now that he could cup Anti's jaw. He lifted his chin and looked him in the eyes. "Do you remember when you told me what a kiss was?" All Anti felt like he could do now was nod. "Would you want to see what it's like?" Anti just closed his eyes. Dark leaned in and carefully placed his lips over Anti's. The other man was tense but pressed his lips against Dark's too. He gripped at Dark's arms, as he held him tight. Dark kissed Anti harder with a completely new feeling. Anti was soon pressed up against the wall. The two men's bodies were flushed up against each other. Anti ran his hands along Dark's jaw, loving the feeling of the scruff he didn't bother to shave. They pulled away from the kiss, panting heavily. "Run away with me." Anti managed to say between breaths. Dark rubbed soothing circles on Anti's back. "I will. But where to?" Anti shrugged and looked into Dark's eyes with care. "Anywhere away from where we are now."