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mybloodygrimsey · 4 months

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Slightly updated roleplay info

I'm looking for someone who can commit to long term rps and be somewhat consistent on replies. I'm also super descriptive/literate and get super into it if I'm in the mood. At some points I'll write 2 sentences then in another scene I'll be writing a whole essay. I'm seeking long-term writing partners to roleplay with on a personal discord server. I'm looking for someone who can get invested in writing and characters as much as I do. I <3 brainstorming, sending inside jokes and headcanoning! being in contact ooc is really fun for both parties.

important notice! I'm ftnb and I project on characters to cope. if that makes you uncomfortable, we don't fit. pretty much all the characters I listed have at least one trans person in the relationship. please ask about this in dms especially if you plan to do smut!

what I'm ok with:

mentions of past SA/trauma that could be important to the plot, internalized homophobia, struggling with dysphoria, 100% non sexual age regression, nsfw (depending on which couple)

what I look for:

slice of life, parenting, occasional smut scenes, fluff, angst with good endings, comfort, seahorse dad enjoyers

dni:

proshippers, alpha/beta/omega, anyone who uses yoai/yuri unironically, bigots, ddlg. keep in mind I will not hesitate to ghost you if you don't respect my boundaries.

ships I like:

bully/canis canem edit

derby/johnny

derby/bif

derby/bif/johnny love triangle

gary/petey

gord/jimmy

trent/kirby

tf2

sniper/medic

medic/heavy

transfem scout/miss pauling

doawk

rodrick/ben segal

AUS I like

western cowboys, parental, medival, merpeople, mythical creatures

(all I can currently think of rn)

feel free to dm me for my discord!

#roleplay #snipermedic #rodrick heffley #discord rp #literate rp #smut rp #bully #canis canem edit #heavymedic #derby x johnny #derby x bif

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writersmilex · 1 year

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Drama King

Sick | Derby Harrington X Fem | Reader

Summary: Bif calls you over to the Harrington House in a slight panic. Derby is sick and won't stop whining.

_____________________________________

It's Saturday, Even though the sun is shining through the thin peach-pink blinds of the room. (Y/n) is still asleep in her bed, sleeping in for today. And doing homework later. Her mobile phone is in charge at her bedside, the alarm clock is off. She doesn't have to do anything today, she already finished her homework last night. That's why she is sleeping in.

At least that was the initial plan for today...

Until (Y/n)'s phone buzzed to life, waking her up. With a heavy arm, she reaches for the phone to pick it up, "Who in their right mind dares to call me at this unholy hour on this day..." (Y/n) answers groggily. Whoever was on the other end was caught surprised by the rather cryptic answer. "Uh, good morning (Y/n), It's Bif." The voice of Bif finally comes through. There was an inaudible noise in the background on his end. "Are you busy with anything, right now?" He asks all innocent sounding, causing (Y/n) to get irritated. "Well, I was trying to sleep in. What do you want?" She already knew that Bif wouldn't just call her for the fun of it. Either he or Derby wants something from her. "Err, so..." Bif stammers, trying to find the right words to explain the situation. The weird noise in be background now sounds like a scream, a distant muffled yell of Bif's name sound from another room. "Spit it out, Bif." (Y/n) grumbles and rolls onto her back, staring at the ceiling blankly. "Alright, alright. There is something wrong with Derby, you need to help me... Please?" At least he said please, not all Preppies know that word and the meaning of it. (Y/n) lets out a deep sigh, "Okay, fine. I'll be there soon." she doesn't wait for an answer from the other side and hangs up on the Prep.

~~~~

It took (Y/n) another 5 minutes to get out of bed, and then get dressed to meet the Preppies at the Harrington house. Yawning, (Y/n) runs a hand through her hair to smooth it out just before knocking on the doors of the house.

It was Tad that angered, he looks slightly panicked "Oh, (Y/n) thank goodness you're here." He huffs in relief, looking glad to see (Y/n) has shown up as Bif had told him. "What could possibly be wrong with Derby that you have to coax me out of bed for it?" (Y/n) asks with irritation, entering the house as Tad steps aside for her, closing the door behind her. "Oh, it's a drama (Y/n). Derby was complaining about a headache yesterday, but now he can't even get out of bed. Or at least doesn't want to get out." Tad explains in a hurry, seemingly nervous. (Y/n) thinks she already has an idea of what's going on. "So... Derby is sick?" (Y/n) concludes, and Tad's face lights up. "Yes, yes! But it sounded more like he is bloody dying!"

Bif enters the room and immediately makes his way over to (Y/n). "There you are!" He snatches (Y/n)'s arm and pulls her back up the stairs towards a room that she assumes is where Derby resides at the moment. Bif stop right before the door, "Derby keeps moaning about how bad he feels and he won't stop complaining about it. You need to help him." He holds (Y/n) by her arms, he probably doesn't know how to care for sick people, but that doesn't matter right now. "If I help, what's in it for me?" (Y/n) compromises a deal. Bif sighs long, disappointedly, "Fine, I'll treat you to dinner for a full week." He offers in defeat. (Y/n) smiles in triumph victory. "That's more like it." (Y/n) claps with glee, "Let me handle this." (Y/n) then knocks on the door twice, announcing her entry before entering the room entirely. The bedroom is just as luxurious as the rest of the house, with velvet curtains and large paintings, Fancy polished wooden furniture and a king-sized bed. Under the sheets in the middle of that bed was a shivering lump. "Derby? What's wrong with you?" (Y/n) approaches the bed and pokes the lump which she assumes is his shoulder. The lump lets out a tortured groan and then shifts, crawling up to the head-side of the bed. A tuft of messy blonde hair reveals itself from the covers, just before the rest of Derby's head. It's evident that he is indeed very sick. His face is red, his eyes are bloodshot and he looks like he is in pain. "Oh wow... You're really sick." That is all that (Y/n) can say upon seeing the poor Preppy. "I did not notice that..." Derby groans sarcastically in reply. Her comment irritated him it seems. (Y/n) turns around to the private bathroom to get some supplies to help him. A rag drenches in cold water and looks for Bif. (Who luckily is still outside the door on guard) And ask him for more supplies, then she returns to Derby. "Am I dying?" Derby asks once (Y/n) gingerly takes a seat on the side of the bed. She can't help but snort quietly. "Not if you let me help you," she states and gently runs the cold rag over his forehead to cool him down. It appears to work as his body relaxes slightly, and then he coughs, which sounds very painful. A knock at the door announces Bif, who returned with the supplies you asked him to fetch for you. Derby let out another pathetic whine as (Y/n) leaves to get the things Bif got for her. Thanking him in the process. "Can you sue a sickness?" Derby sniffs, and rubs his nose in the sheets and writhing in his bed. "If you do that, you'll make your family look bad." (Y/n) answers, knowing how to talk back to the rich boy to keep him from doing stupid things. Derby is actually alright if you know how to talk to him and his other rich friends. Derby grumbles and dives back under the blankets. "no, no. Come back here." (Y/n) pulls the sheets down to bring Derby back. "Noooo." He whines, his arm resting over his eyes dramatically. "Stop whining... or you'll never get better." (Y/n) argues back and arranges all the supplies to help the Preppy get better. (Y/n) picks up a small box with medicine and a glass of water for him to take the medicine with. "You have to take these." She announces and gestures to the two objects in her hands at Derby. Derby looks at the two items blankly, before turning his head away with a small childish "Hmph." (Y/n) lets out a sigh, she was afraid of this, "This is going to be tough..." She mumbles to herself. ~~~~ Derby is indeed the worst patient (Y/n) has ever had! And she thought her little brother was bad when he was sick. Derby is whinier than ever, he won't cooperate and he believes he is dying. (Y/n) doesn't believe that he is dying, that is just him overreacting. But his complaints about his pounding headaches do get her attention. "It's like someone punched me in the head repeatedly until I lost consciousness," Derby complains while rubbing his temples in a futile attempt to ease the pain. "Sorry to hear that, Derby. I can't give you any more painkillers right now." (Y/n) says with sincerity. He has already taken a lot of those at the moment. She reaches over and gingerly strokes his hair. The blonde locks have a really soft and smooth feel to it. Expensive conditioner for sure. The feel of (Y/n) hand smoothing out his hair causes the Preppy to stop moving. His hands landed back on the silk sheets. He doesn't tell her to stop, so she keeps going and rakes her fingers across his scalp and Derby feels a shiver going down his back. Derby then suddenly shifts, lifting himself up with just his arms and shuffles over to rest his head on (Y/n)'s lap, landing on her skirt with a huff. "Keep going..." He demands weakly while snatching one of her hands and planting it on top of his head. (Y/n) doesn't protest and does as he asks, resuming the massaging treatment to the rich boy's scalp. "Your hair feels like satin, Derby." (Y/n) comments as she toys with the blonde strands, his usual neat haircut now made wilde by her hands. "You can never go wrong with coconut oil." He replies lazily and closes his eyes to relax.

The feel of her fingers continues, slowly lulling him to sleep. ______________________________________ Derby seems like the whiny type when he is sick, so I took that assumption and ran with it. And here we are. Thanks for reading.❤️ - Smilex

#bully scholarship edition #bully x reader #derby harrington #derby harrington x reader #x reader #reader insert #sick fic #fluff #hurt/comfort #imagines

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derby-harrington · 10 months

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People who ship Derby are like:

“Derby x Bif” or “Derby x Johnny” but you’re forgetting the most important ship.

Derby x Money. Who needs a Man or Woman in your life when you have money? Just pay someone to be your bitch.

#messagebyderby

Sponsored by me

(This post should NOT be taken seriously)

#bully scholarship edition #derby harrington #bully canis canem edit #money #what is love #(/ref)#this is a joke #I don’t really care what you ship #the more you know #inspirational #inspiring #sponsored by Harrington #actuallyderbyharrington

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bidisaster-peanut-romano · 1 year

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Hi! What do you think about Bif/Derby?

why hello anon!! this is an easy question, of course i ship them!! i mean, has anyone not seen their chemistry??

what made you ship it?

you know, i actually don't know if there was something in particular?? a bit of that probably also came from the fandom and for my brother's great enthusiasm about these two, but i mean. there's something so sweet about that fraction of second, in the closing cutscene to preppies vandalized, when derby turns to bif and you can see his eyes... relaxing. almost like they shine again. even if one doesn't ship them, there's something that can't be ignored about them. (also dan canonically spreads rumors about the two of them. lmao)

2. what are your favorite things about the ship?

it's just. due to all of their circumstances, both of them can do nothing but perfection; derby due to being the leader and, well. a literal harrington. bif due to being derby's champion, the one with the duty to uphold the preps' honor against any foe who dares to challenge him. as if they have to put aside the fact that they're kids- they're human, after all. but with each other they are reminded of these, they can allow themselves to be vulnerable and fallible, because they will always have each other's back. also something about the way they both give this strenght to each other, they can cover all of each other's blind spots and take care of each other's wounds. because neither of them is really good at forgiving himself, but they sure as hell can accept forgiveness for each other. sob i'm emotional okay

3. is there an unpopular opinion you have on your ship?

let's dismantle this softie x meanie myth!! they are mean x meaner. also one reason why derby actually lets bif be this close is because, although he does respect him, he still doesn't let derby step all over him, doesn't lick his boots 24/7 like most of his other cliquemates do. derby is unhinged and not only will bif let him but he will eat popcorn as someone's life is ruined. also bif is the only one who actually dares to say no to derby. and he gets so mad it's almost soothing.

#*holds them gently* i just think they're neat #they're cool really. gotta love how they really see in each other this escape from a future they don't really want and this taste of youth #that they were barely allowed. sob sob sob #bully #bully scholarship edition #canis canem edit #derby harrington #bif taylor #preps #derbif #odyanswers #odyposts

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roxt4rrrrr · 8 months

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★—roleplay!

hiii people!! i hope my fellow bully fans are seeing this. im the biggest bully scholarship edition fan in actual history and i cant find people down to roleplay it, so here i am!! in this post i will cover—

my roleplay style

my roleplay rules

my ships

what im down for

my characters!

this is also a request!! im BEGGING people to roleplay with me. if you're even slightly into bully please come rp with me.

•—roleplay style

semi-lit-novella

i typically take on any literacy. i can write a super long amount if i want, 2000-8000+ characters— but i also tend to just do any other literacy. no matter your literacy, I WILL RP WITH YOU. anything but asterisks and one liners will fly with me. i absolutely adore being super long and descriptive.

i would love to give you a writing ex– but i will not be able to find any. 😭 but you'll probably see them all over my page!!

•—roleplay rules

no one liners!!

try not to control my character!!

please make sure you develop plots with me and try to keep it going!

don't rush romance if it's not part of the plot pretty please haha

don't shove the attention of the plot solely on your character!!

try to understand if i take a long time to respond! i suffer from a lot of mental health issues so responding takes me a second.

^^ will not be a problem usually, i usually respond really fast LMFAO

TELL ME IF YOU'RE BORED OR UNINTERESTED!!

•—my ships

when it comes to bully, im SUPER open to ships. because i haven't indulged much into bully ships, im down for anything!! the only people i won't play for ships is gary, derby, ted, and just characters im in love with in general because im literally just like that LMFAOOO. but one of my fav ships is literally kirby and ted DONT JUDGE ME STOP ITS SO CUTE. I KNOW THAT SOUNDS WEIRD BUT I LOVE IT A LOT. i am down for anything with derby and gary bc i love those boys and whatevaaaa! but also im mostly just straight up down for whatever u want.

•—down for

okay im literally chill asf when it comes to stuff. im ok with nsfw as long as it's not the whole center of the rp, and anything else is usually comepletely fine. i mostly love romance, angst, and slice of life– but literally anything is fine. i LOVE LOVE LOVE double ups and oc x canon shiz, so if u wanna do that then im so down. play gary or derby for me and ill shriek in a good way. i die for those boys on moms.

•—my characters

OK SO. im very flexible with characters. generally ill literally play anyone. but below, ill list a couple of the characters that i usually main and play as to give you a bit more of an understanding!!

kirby olsen

jimmy hopkins

pete kowalski

johnny vincent

christy martin

mandy wiles

gord vendome

trent northwick

lola lambardi

bif taylor

ocs! (ask)

those are some of my personal favorites!!!

☆—summary

okay so!! in summary— PLEAASEEEE HMU! if u wanna roleplay. please don't be shy because i guarantee i am a very open person and i will literally give u my discord so fast. i also love to just talk and fuck around because it's really fun lmfao. im chill and this post is so much more serious than i actually am as a person.

#bully scholarship edition #bully #bully rockstar #bully game #bullworth academy #gary smith #jimmy hopkins #johnny vincent #derby harrington #roleplay #roleplay request #rp wanted #rp with me #rockstar #oc rp

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thoselethalarts · 10 months

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So like.... has anyone else given thought to a Bully x TWST crossover? Because I think about that like every day 😳👉👈

Idk I just had a dream where Sebek was sitting next to a toilet bowl like he'd just gotten a swirly a la Bully and I can only imagine doing so to him would cause lightning to erupt from every toilet like you'd just thrown a firecracker in there. No doubt 5 seconds before his ass causes a campus-wide blackout

I wanna see Vil and Rook having the same deeply homoerotic, boxing-fueled relationship for each other that Derby and Bif have for each other. Also because Vil shouting "YOU FILTHY DEMOCRAT" is an incredibly funny image to me LMAO

Also speaking of amazing visuals IMAGINE JACK WITH THOSE CREAMPUFF BANGS SLICKED BACK INTO A GREASER'S POMPADOUR?!? WITH THE LEATHER JACKET?! IT'S PERFECT

Grim is just Gary in this scenario. Just catboy Grim and at the end of the day you beat the absolute crap outta his cocky ass for making your life miserable lol

#twisted wonderland #twst #bully #bully cce #canis canem edit #crossover #soul speaks

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dovestulips · 2 months

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⚘ basic intro for now -

im "v", 20 and use he/him

planning to start writing fics as a way to cope? if theyre inaccurate sorry, ill probably project a bit, but i hope maybe they bring comfort to more than just me

i wont take requests, for the time being at least. all of my works will be fluff, hurt/comfort, or something along those lines.

i plan to write mostly for derbif (derby harrington x bif taylor), but also for other bully characters too.

thank you for reading ⚘

my ao3

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hankhill420 · 2 years

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here's part 2!

special thanks to everyone who is reading all of this!

so I cannot exactly pinpoint when their romantic relationship began, but I can only assume that Derby's attention to Pinky started waning because of it (either that or he just doesn't give a shit about her, both equally as likely.)

so around chapter 2. and lucky for him she breaks it off when he's literally THREE MINUTES LATE.

look at them,,,, sob

okay SO

in the mission, Preppies Vandalized, Jimmy approaches both Bif and Derby at the start. they're standing right next to eachother, sort of sharing prominence together. Bif seems to take on a role of equality with Derby when nobody else is around, suggesting that he feels comfortable being fully expressive in private but in certain situations he hands it over to Derby

sometimes he will make his clever little quips but it's more in support of Derby, trying to back him up almost

now watch as Bif starts to stand BEHIND him. Derby is doing all the talking, and Bif is just standing there, making little sarcastic quips every now and then, but he's letting Derby take the spotlight, the prominence, all of that

also his arms go behind his back. he prob only does that when he's not sure if Derbys gonna get him to kick ass but shit, he's sure as hell prepared

Derbys taking the reigns, and Bif is totally fine with that. obviously it could be read in multiple different ways, but it's the way I see it.

one quote I noticed when derby was walking away, another one of his little sarcastic quips,

"Come on Bif, let's leave this "King of the School" to his pathetic little fantasies."

"You are an idiot Hopkins."

And his arms start to unfold as he walks away! what I've also noticed is that he's a bit tense in these situations. I don't really know how to unpack it but there's just something pointing that Rockstar did this to show he's uncomfortable around Jimmy or somethin after he was publicly beaten. who knows

also they have a wholesome relationship it's canon Rockstar told me /j

#bully canis canem edit #bully cce #canis canem edit #bully #bully scholarship edition #derby harrington #derby bully #derby x bif #bif x derby #bifby #derbif #these bitches gay... good for them... good for them...#bif taylor

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felworthless · 3 years

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Derby went to watch Bif box “The way you anticipated his punch! BRILLIANT!!”

#bully cce #bully canis canem edit #derby harrington #bif taylor #preppies #left hand man #derby x bif

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natsu12291 · 3 years

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derby: put me down..

bif: nope ÙwÚ

#bully #bully scholarship edition #canis canem edit #bullyfanart #bully se #bully cce #derby harrington #bif taylor #derby x bif

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iivyhearts · 2 years

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the preps as "i want a baby" memes bc im obsessed w the preps atm 😩

(i'll probably do this for the other cliques too im thinking the greasers should be a funny one)

✥﹤┈┈┈┈┈┈┈┈﹥✥

derby

bif

chad

parker

gord

pinky

bryce

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evildoe-r · 4 years

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sunstroke (bif x derby)

word count: 3,434

rating: T

main characters: bif taylor, derby harrington

spoilers for video game: yes (Dishonorable Fight and Complete Mayhem)

...now he had thrust his apology back into his hands. Bif was one of the few he could not freely take sincerity from, that was his own mistake, and one he just made deliberately. Presently, he felt sickening remorse pooling inside of him, steadily drowning him.

warning; very long post

It was a year nearing its lively prime stretching across dusty, strange Bullworth. The evening crept and called the fading light that spread its warm hue across the rooftops and glistened on uncertain waters. Bif made his way through the subdued small town, to return to his dorm at the Academy after he and his friends spent the day at the gym having sparring matches, choosing to spend the penultimate day of school there instead of waste it at Miss Peters’ traditionally mind numbing school play that took place at the end of each academic year. They’d all had a much better time in their gym - all of them except for the absent Derby, who he rarely saw anymore, even around the Harrington House. Derby, who once would let him walk alongside him as his right hand man. He couldn’t tell if he was avoiding him or it was simply coincidence - a coincidence that occurred directly after he had lost a boxing match to none other than new kid Jimmy Hopkins, and disgraced the Preps’ standing within the school hierarchy.

He hated losing, but he hated the confusion that had followed even more, the vague insights and cues into Derby's fluctuating relationship with him on the rare occasion he did see him around. It was stupid to dwell on this, he knew it. But no matter how much he pushed aside the thought that Derby somehow hated him, it would creep up on him in the school hallways, in the classes he hadn't ditched, before he slept, always circling back to him.

He had lingered around in the gym longer than the others. Somehow, even after the usual high he got from defeating an opponent in a sparring match, today his movements as he showered and dressed back into his uniform had been slow and his thoughts were cloudy. On the morning after tomorrow's summer day of suspended classes, they would all return home, far away from Bullworth Academy.

Although the day had been hot, the evening lent a cool breeze which had given him some relief. Even after a cold shower, Bif felt too warm. His hair was still damp and he slicked a hand through it as he walked along the path looking out onto the sea. He could sense the day's sickening heat slowly retreating, which he was grateful for. He would have welcomed the warmth any other time, but all week his head swam with thoughts that made him almost weary. As he made his way toward the bridge, a pack of Greasers raced past him on their bikes, turning toward New Coventry and paying him no mind. Looking straight ahead, he narrowed his eyes against the waning sunlight. He heard their voices before he spotted them. It was Justin and Chad several feet in front of him, their backs turned to him, speaking excitedly and louder than usual. Bif almost halted in his path as he suddenly recognised that unbearably familiar voice mingling with theirs.

Derby.

He forced himself to continue walking as normal. Lighthearted laughter erupted from them before he heard Derby’s courteous parting dismissal as the other two departed towards the direction of the Academy.

Shit.

Derby was left there, standing uphill in front of the setting sun like a great shadow. He watched Bif carefully, and now, Bif had no choice but to meet him and his gaze, always razor sharp.

Derby was the first to speak.

“Bif.”

“Hey,” Bif tried.

As he approached Derby, he couldn’t help but notice how he observed him, studied him so closely. Bif knew that Derby had seen him before he realised he was there, just as he saw everything. You didn’t just escape Derby’s notice.

“Thought you’d be back at the House by now,” Derby said.

“Well, yeah, I just got held up,” Bif replied, making an attempt for his voice to remain neutral. But he was scared, excited, anxious. He hadn't realised how much he had anticipated this, whether it was to confront him or to reconcile with him. He only wanted for things to return to what was supposed to be normal.

But now, Derby’s voice was calm, slightly softer than usual. It eased him a little. Maybe he didn't hate him after all.

Derby watched his taller friend’s nervous hand run through his hair. The reddish brown strands were the color of fire in the last reach of the small town sunlight.

“What’s the matter?” he asked. Bif’s green eyes widened a little in surprise at the question.

“Uh, It’s nothing, Derby,” he finally said.

"You seem a bit on edge," Derby observed.

"Oh, boxing and all that. Parker gave me a hard time. But I won anyway, you know."

Derby offered an acknowledging nod before changing the subject. “Well, I don’t plan on going back to the school grounds for another while.” He gazed out towards the sea, and then turned expectantly onto Bif, awaiting a response.

"I guess I didn't either," his friend admitted. “I’ve had enough of that place right now.”

“Walk with me, then?” Derby straightened the clean white collar of his shirt.

“Sure.”

It was quiet. The evening had completely settled upon the town, the sky a gradient of bright pink and a moody blue. Familiar lighthouse beams shone against the darkening horizon. The sound of the sea relaxed him, always inviting him to reminisce about his hazy days as a very young child, on holidays with his family to otherworldly time zones, where he would run on mystical white beaches while his father’s voice commanded him to behave, and so he did. But now, the sky was a soft bluish purple, and the quiet beach was dark and lulling and his friend was right beside him.

As they walked in silence together, Derby watched Bif, noting his furrowed brow, his mind seemingly unsettled. “Shall we walk down the pier?” he suggested, making his way down the wooden surface perpendicular to their path. Bif was at his elbow and slowly followed him down, his familiar movements sure and steady as his body, yet his face was always an open book. As the sun’s last rays leapt above the buildings, Derby knew he must be anticipating something, but he did not speak.

III

Derby began to hum a slow, sonorous tune that he could not recognise. This was almost like old times. Derby by his side as they walked through Old Bullworth Vale, then down to the beach, spending the early summer days during free periods there, as he convinced Derby to go diving into the cool waters with him and swim to the lighthouses and back.

They were alone here, besides a weary eyed middle aged man who could have been thirty five or fifty, in a slightly tatty grey suit who was leaning casually against the ledge looking down into the dark waters below them.

“Man, don’t do it!” Derby called with a grin. The stranger turned to them, and spat, before turning and walking away as he lit a cigarette.

“I’ve seen that guy before,” Bif insisted. “Comes around here a lot, tries to go where it's quiet."

“Then it’s his unlucky day,” Derby smiled, as they watched the man depart. Despite himself, Bif laughed with him, his previous anxieties lapsing.

“Hey, can you believe Miss Peters had that dumb school play even with everything that happened?” Bif had suddenly felt lighter, and was in the mood for banter.

“Everyone made quite the mess of the school, that’s true,” Derby agreed, “But the auditorium seemed virtually untouched. I didn’t even see any renovations taking place there. I guess nobody bothered with it.

“You know, when father heard what happened he wasn't happy at all. He searched for a prestigious school worthy enough for his investment and then all hell breaks loose." He shook his head in disapproval.

“He’s considering transferring me somewhere else for my last academic year,” Derby confided.

“Yeah?” Bif was oddly disheartened. “I thought your dad was busy with y'know, stuff.” Derby would occasionally mention his dad and how his business was fairing, but truthfully, Bif never had the patience nor the interest to hear it all out.

“He is. He really doesn’t have time for all this,” he agreed. "But my God, what a state the school was in afterwards..."

“Yeah, the place really turned into a total dumpster fire after Hopkins beat your-”

A look of irritation flickered over Derby’s face and Bif stopped short. “Uh, yeah, you know,” he said awkwardly, feigning an itch on his neck. He tried to think of something witty, but his head felt confused and muddled again. With nothing more to say, their conversation dissolved into silence, and they watched the waves in the distance for a while. The islands ahead were sharp shadows, only their dark outlines visible in the late evening light.

It was certainly like old times, he thought. Nonetheless, something felt misplaced, wrong, and he was unable to focus.

“Can we talk about it, Derby?” He was venturing blind into a conflict, he could feel it, but he had to try. “I don’t think I gotta explain what I mean.” He braced himself for surprise or even offense from his friend, but his face remained impassive.

“I’m actually not sure what you mean.”

It was Bif’s turn to look annoyed. Reigning in his sudden anger, he found himself raising his voice more than intended. “You ignored me for ages, and now you’re acting as if everything’s normal.”

Derby’s neutrality stubbornly asserted itself as he spoke. “There is nothing out of the ordinary here, Bif.”

“Were you mad after I lost to Jimmy?” Bif demanded.

“We have nothing to talk about regarding this matter, I mean it.”

“But you were avoiding me! You avoided me for weeks, Derby!” he said desperately.

“I don’t want to discuss this now-”

“Well I do!”

“Of course I was angry, Bif,” came the reply, and his mask of nonchalance had disappeared.

“I don’t need to explain why, you know that quite well. Can we drop it now?” the corners of his mouth quivered slightly and his voice rose and fell a little as if he couldn’t decide whether to be angry or not.

Bif gave an exasperated sigh as he dragged his hands down his face. Didn’t he realise the guilt he felt after he lost? He disgraced himself, and worse, Derby Harrington. He was one of his closest friends, yet he was unreachable all the same. You lost to him too, Derby, don't you remember?!

Derby glared at him, jaw clenched. Those sharp eyes, and now he’s finally cutting. “You want me to say I lost too, is that it, Bif?”

There it is, and just how had he figured? It seemed like he could always see what was swimming past the surface, and sometimes, with Derby, he didn’t know himself. Always so precise, never anything less. He spoke of loss, and now he'd taken every word from him.

Derby recalled that day at the gym too well. Bif lying there, barely conscious, as Hopkins taunted them. It was undeniably embarrassing, and Bif would never know the sensation of anger and betrayal that had struck him afterwards. Not just Bif, but his supposed friends too, humiliated by an apparent nobody, suddenly crowned King. Bif seemed taken aback by his question, and he was unsure if he meant it rhetorically or not. He decided to allow him to feel shaken a moment, before he carried on. He needed to make him understand.

“Have you ever thought about how the situation affected me, Bif? Just once?”

Bif was angry, that much was too obvious, but his poise was diminished, almost giving way. He was more than angry, he was upset.

“That’s all I’ve been thinking about since that day, Derby,” he said, quietly this time. Suddenly, he turned away. Derby could hear the waves again for a brief moment, slow and rhythmic, distinctly timed. Bif seemed to focus on an object in the distance before he exhaled loudly and whirled to face Derby again.

"Why does any of this matter anyway? It was just a stupid boxing match!"

"You think this is about boxing? Oh, you're so naive, Bif. " Derby was indignant.

"Then what is it about?" Bif pressed him. “You just love patronizing me, I know you do.”

“Patronizing? Did you just learn that word from English class yesterday?”

"Seriously? Whatever, you're too important to tell me anyways. Keep it to yourself, I don’t care."

He had avoided Bif in his shame, he knew that much. He would not ask questions about his whereabouts to other Preps, but he had picked up on his altered emotional state whenever he saw him, which he would insist to himself was a lesson of sorts, a justified consequence of his own failure. His friends had left him disgusted then, most of all Bif, who seemed to guard his champion title so fiercely beforehand. Bif, who he slowly and so carefully placed his shaky trust into.

“So you’re not even gotta admit you pretended I didn’t exist, right?” Bif looked like he found it impossible to stay still. His fists were clenched, and he seemed almost breathless.

“I would never admit something that wasn’t true.” But it is true, he knows.

“Fuck you, Derby.”

Derby almost flinched. His friend’s venom had left him witless, and he wanted to reply with equal scorn, but the rebuttal would not come.

“And guess what, maybe I didn’t wanna see your face either, Derby.”

“Good. I was getting pretty sick of you, you know.”

He rued his words as soon as they left him, and he averted his gaze. Bif was hurt by this, he knew, and this time, there was no reply, no hostility. A bitter quiet fell on them.

“I didn’t mean that truly, Bif. You know that.”

I’m sorry.

“Yeah.”

"Look, I'm sorry."

Bif voiced his apology like a tired surrender. Derby had never seen him like this. Not even on that day at the gym. There was a terrible vulnerability about the person who stood in front of him.

"Don't say sorry to me, Bif."

"I just felt like I owed you-"

"Don’t." he told him. “Don’t apologise.”

“Then what the hell, Derby?” His annoyance was tinged with relief, appearing somewhat yielding, which Derby was grateful for, as an unexpected tiredness grabbed him. For once, he felt out of control of the unraveling before him. He was being hurled off the tracks and he was finding it hard to steer them both into his direction. He had wanted to see Bif today, take in the reassuring presence he gave him, which became so familiar to him over these past few years. They’d argued, and now he had thrust his apology back into his hands. Bif was one of the few he could not freely take sincerity from, that was his own mistake, and one he just made deliberately. Presently, he felt sickening remorse pooling inside of him, steadily drowning him.

He'd fought with Derby before, but it was usually over something stupid.

"My dad is more important than your dad!" He'd jokingly taunted one night in a slightly drunken daze, and Bif, also in a liquor induced stupor had gotten angrier than he'd wanted to be.

Derby had turned away from him and Bif said nothing for some time. It was a similar feeling to the tiresome end of a gruelling fistfight, but he was unsure whether he had won or lost this time. Bif felt lighter now, but consequently emptier too.

"Bif," Derby began slowly, "I did wrong you. It was a mistake on my part."

His admission was unexpected, for sure, and he found himself stricken. He would have felt less surprised if Derby had suddenly burst into awful, messy tears.

"God, Derby, you weird me out. I’ve known you for years, but you still confuse me."

He felt uneasy now, and he wished this would end. Derby turned, and Bif expected another disagreement to ensue, but there was none.

"Look, It's fine, Derby. I mean, I guess it’s not fine, but we don't have to bring it up anymore." I'm exhausted. "Let's just forget this, for now."

Derby looked tired too, for once.

“Okay, Bif.”

He's as shaken as I am, he realised.

“Let’s start to head back. It’s late. If you have any more gripes about me, you can tell me directly on the way.”

At least he could retain his sense of humor.

But it really was late, Bif realised. The stars were coming out, and the town’s usual toll had trailed off into silence, save for the occasional car rumbling through the street. They made their way wordlessly across the pier, turning toward the Academy. He almost hated Derby that night, yet he still he wanted him by his side, and despite his fatigue, he wouldn’t have minded staying there a while longer with him.

There was a peaceful air following them as they traveled to the place they’d had to call home for the school year. A yellow crescent moon was suspended in the cloudless dark sky. The night was warm, and still young. They would arrive well before midnight anyways, and when they reached the Academy, they knew it was past curfew, but Derby had made sure early on in the year that they would go unnoticed by the displeased prefects who wandered the school grounds with torches at night, looking for troublemakers. After all, they loved money, same as everyone else. And besides, it seemed pointless to enforce a curfew on the second last day of school. When they entered the house, the lights were dimmed and it was mostly quiet, except for the muffled sound of footsteps on one of the top floors. They started to make their way upstairs and through a carpeted hallway decorated with paintings and houseplants. Bif stopped suddenly.

“Wait, Derby, are you really leaving Bullworth?”

He eyed Bif for a moment before answering. “I certainly hope not. How am I going to find so many lackeys who are willing to fight for me in a new school in so little time?” he said, looking at Bif, a laugh breaking out of his neutral expression, and Bif let out a chortle.

“Man, hadn’t thought of that,”

They stood there in the faint lamplight, so mellow it made him slightly dizzy.

“I gotta go to bed, have an important day of doing nothing tomorrow,” Bif said. As Derby laughed, he looked younger, and for a brief second he was the person who would sneak out of dinner parties with him as a lark and explore the old, stately home they’d both been confined in for the evening, finding dubious locked doors and dusty basements.

“Alright, I’ll see you tomorrow then, Bif,” he said, laying a hand on his arm, suddenly pausing. He could feel his warmth through his cotton shirt. He realised how much he had sweated that evening in the summer heat, but either Derby didn’t care or didn’t pay any attention. A sensation in his chest exulted, unsettled him. There was the flicker of longing he’d experienced through the years, now plain and clear as day, and not so uncertain as it used to be. Derby seemed to linger there for a second, lifting his ambiguous gaze to his own eyes, keeping it there, making him restless, but in that moment, Derby began to back off into his room. And when he tore his hand away, Bif almost objected, calling his name and telling him to wait. Derby just stood there in anticipation, and when Bif asked if he was okay, he replied in that affected tone that Bif had always hated, asking why he shouldn’t be. Bif just shrugged his shoulders, and Derby then hastily bid him goodbye, retreating into his room. The door clicked shut, leaving him there.

When he finally went to bed, his frustration had begun to stir among his fatigue and he wondered if he was wrong to think he might fall asleep that night. At one point, the heat in his room was stifling, and he leapt up from his bed and threw open the windows. When he was finally able to close his eyes, he thought of Derby, the sea and its lighthouses, his wanting and his hurt, and the mess he’d thrown himself into. One more day and they’d be apart, and now he wished that he’d caught Derby’s arm before he’d made himself scarce that night.

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Notes

Hey, If you read the full thing, I greatly appreciate it! This was quite difficult to write at times because the characters of Bif and Derby were not given so much nuance in the game itself, so it was quite challenging to write a story that delves into their psyche and way of thinking. I wrote this with the intention of exploring their individual characters and feelings toward each other a bit further, especially after the events of the Dishonorable Fight and Complete Mayhem missions. The interactions and the implications of their relationship dynamic are quite interesting to me. Please feel free to tell me what you thought, and once again, thank you for reading!

-A