Dan Howell is invisible. That's all he knows how to be. Terrified of standing out, he is happy going unnoticed by his peers, finding company in only the old rock and roll songs on his iPod. But Dan's life is turned upside-down when a boy in his drama class takes him under his wing, introducing him to a world of excitement he never could have imagined. Through the good and the bad, Dan's new life thrills him and leaves him wondering ...what does it mean to truly be alive? pairs: Phan and KickTheStickz tw: language, sexual content, abuse, depression, death, suicide, medication, drugs, parents, alcohol ENTIRELY WRITTEN FROM DAN'S POV Note: This fic features no main character death, only mentions of death.

What if you could hear them? The thoughts they deigned not reasonable enough to say out loud, the things not suitable for even a giggly teenage gossip conversation. Would it be a blessing or a curse? Troye, the unlucky teenager bestowed with this 'gift', thinks of it as a curse, with good reason. Do you know how hard it is to keep a relationship with someone when you know exactly what they think of you? Impossible. It's impossible. Or at least that's what Troye thinks, considering he's given up on even trying to make it work. He's different, people shun different. People hate different. And it's better to go under the radar, to be nothing, than to be hated. Right? Tyler, on the other hand, has taken a different approach to a similar problem. No, he can't 'read minds', but he does have a part of himself he doesn't want a soul to know about. He's quarterback, every girl's dream guy, an academic mastermind, and he's also gay. He's seen how different kids get treated, hell, he's been the one to treat them that way before. Why on Earth would he ever wish that on himself? No, it's easier to hide, to be someone you're not, than to be hated. Right?