What do you do when you're given a second chance at life? *** Age 15: Oliver Sallow is shipped to the tiny town of Blissby to live with a new foster family. Finn O'Connell is captain of the football team. Neither of them knows much about the other except for one thing: they have absolutely nothing in common. Age 17: Oliver finds Finn having a panic attack in the library bathroom. They still have nothing in common. They fall in love all the same. Age 18: Oliver breaks up with Finn. Age 18.5: Oliver dies in a motorcycle accident. Six minutes and twenty-four seconds later, he wakes up again to be offered a deal: he will get to spend another twelve months as a guardian angel, neither fully dead nor completely alive. The catch: the person he is assigned to help is none other than Finn O'Connell. Age 19: Two boys, fourteen months of history, and a promise: this time, there can be no falling back in love. (Cover art by @slimmwrites)

A few months ago, I bought a mug with gold gilt. On sale. Not a gift either nor because of an occasion to remember by it. Just plain, pretty mug for 15PLN. I drank my coffee from it since. I spat loose tea leaves into it. It never felt particularly significant. An ordinary object. Only when I lost it, I realised its true value. I sat comfortably at my desk one evening. Looking at my phone, I reached to take my song-text notebook. Trivial situation. My clumsy fingers were unable to avoid the mug. They allowed it to topple over, to slip from the desktop. Even though I did not see the split-second occurrence, I felt the pressure of unease. My head painted the trajectory of the fall on its own, the shattering, spillage. The loss. For a millisecond I still had hope, that I would be able to catch the mug, that I would be able to avoid what was about to happen. But I knew I was headed for failure. I don't have any superpowers. I only scalded my fingers. I looked at the mug's new shape for a long while, at the shattered pieces. At the spilling liquid. Our adventure came to an end. Irrevocably. I won't be drinking coffee from it anymore, nor spit tea leaves into it. Well. I shouldn't be sad, it was just a regular mug, just like thousands of others. I grew to like it, it kept me company throughout hundreds of warm drinks. I lost it. I hate this feeling the most. In the moment when I am losing something, I stop in my tracks, I hold my breath. It is always a very intense moment. A short one, but one that gives me the tight unpleasant feeling in my stomach. The feeling of loss is always accompanied by hope. Silly and naïve. Making me believe so strongly, that I can make it. That I will still be able to catch the mug mid-flight. When the feeling is entering the body, crawling into me I realise, how important it was to me. Whether it's Nivan or a stupid mug with gold gilt.

Cole's life has never been his. For as long as he could remember, his one job in life was to play the role of a copycat. He's had to pretend to be his older brother as soon as his parents realized the two looked very alike to one another despite not being twins. His birth wasn't planned nor wanted so what better way to make use of an unwanted child than to constantly put their life in danger? He swears his parents had the most fucked up logic he's ever heard of but this is his life and it'd continue to be that way until the day one of his brother's assassins finally succeeded in killing him. Well, that's what he thought until he was kidnapped by the Azure Dragon's group and encountered their boss, Eros. Not caring much about who he was, Cole punched him. Yup, he punched one of the largest mafia groups in the U.S.' boss right in the face. But who knew that one punch would, instead of ending his life, change it? --------------- "I have to pee" I said monotonously to the guard in front of me. I could immediately tell he thought that I was hoping to be led to a bathroom so I can find an escape, but I didn't need a bathroom. The bucket would do just fine. And as expected, that's what was given to me. I had relieved myself a few times in the dingy little thing unfortunately but, rather that than piss myself. "You go in there" he said and I looked down at my tied legs. "How am I supposed to pee with my legs tied?" I said and he looked at me confused. "My dick is small" I said holding up my pinky for emphasis and the guy gave me a disgusted look. "Make it quick" he said gruffly after untying my legs and helped me stand up. "Can you turn around?" I asked as I saw the man was just standing there. "No" he said. Whatever, his nose not mine. [Completed. 125k words]