In which plans are discussed, things get a little NSFW-but then stop.
Written with fanfic-inator795
Things are BARELY NSFW near the end, but nothing serious. Don't worry about it
So, uh, do you want a new ring too then?"
"If you want to, I'd love that. And then we can keep our old rings, maybe as...heirlooms, or something?"
"Yeah, okay." He certainly didn't mind. "And, I'm sure a wedding won't be too hard to put together so, yeah, we could just, do it right now if that's what you want." After all, they managed to put one together in one night last time.
"...Why don't we give them a bit of warning and wait a few days this time?"
"...Alright." He supposed waiting a couple days wouldn't be too bad, though he sorta wanted to do it now. To be able to call her his wife again right now.
"Give the Watchdogs a bit of a break...hon."
He blinked. Hun? ...Actually, he sorta liked that. Hater smiled at her. "Okay."
"But...we could plan on a honeymoon too..."
"Honeymoon?" That's right. They didn't even have a first one! "Well, where would we go?"
"I dunno. Maybe someplace with spas and fruity drinks?"
"...That could work." He paused before giving her a look. "Fruity drinks?"
"You know, the ones with little umbrellas?" she blushed. "Kinda a weakness of mine."
"Huh. Never actually had one of those things before. Must be pretty good if you like them so much."
She laughed a bit. "I never seem to be able to drink them.."
"Why's that?"
"Dumb stuff. Bad luck, mostly."
"Oh. Well, you shouldn't have to worry about that." ...Hopefully. Hater tended to have bad luck as well.
"Maybe's it's the universe trying to sober me up?"
"Those drinks have alcohol in them?"
"Huh? Yeah. Really fruity alcoholic drinks."
"Oh..."
"Huh? What's up?"
"Oh, uh... It's nothing."
"Hater...this is your wife you're talking to!"
"...Well I..." He rubbed the back of his neck, looking away. "I've never actually, tried alcohol before."
"Hmm? Really?" She looked up at him.
"Yeah... I just, I don't know, guess I was unsure what it would do to my powers if I tried it. Plus I... heard that it can lead to some bad stuff so, yeah..."
"There's nothing wrong with that! I mostly just really cuddly and affectionate when I'm drunk."
"...That doesn't sound too bad," he said, smiling, "Hopefully that's how it affects me too." Though he heard that some people got really mad or just started crying or get depressed when they were intoxicated, and he definitely didn't want that.
"Yeah, but the morning after can be pretty awful if you're not careful."
"Yeah, you're supposed to get headaches and stuff if you drink too much, right?"
"Yeah, if you're not careful."
"Well then, guess I'll have to make sure not to drink too much."
"I'll look after you, don't worry."
He smiled, leaning towards her. "Thanks."
She leaned on him. "So...who's gonna have to tell Peepers about this?"
"Eh, I guess I'll do it. I just hope he doesn't complain about it forever."
"I can punch him if he does."
Hater chuckled. "Yeah, feel free to do that."
She sighed happily. "I just...I just feel so good now."
Hater nodded, wrapping an arm around her. "Same here. Just... So good."
"I also figured, maybe...we could..." she blushed brighter.
"..." His eyes widened, his face turning bright green, "I-I... Well, I guess that's what a h-honeymoon's for."
"It's not like I'm super experienced, b-but..."
"Uh, y-yeah, me neither... But, I mean, I w-wouldn't mind figuring it out with you."
"I, uh...I think I'd like that." she pulled him into a deeper kiss.
He was surprised for a moment before kissing her back, making it a bit more passionate than the last.
"Mmm~" she rubbed his cheeks, smiling.
His horns twitched. "Mmm~" He pulled her a bit closer.
"Have I ever told you...you're really handsome?"
The blush brightened. "Uh, n-no, but uh, thank you."
She ran a finger along his horn. "Really handsome..."
He shivered. "S-S-Sylvia..."
She deepened the kiss, pushing him down a bit.
He moaned, the back of his head buzzing with pleasure.
Sylvia leaned over top of him, only breaking for a moment to say. 'Who needs to wait for a honeymoon?"
His eyes were wide. "U-Uh... W-Well, shouldn't we at least move to my - er, o-our bedroom?"
"If you want. I'm fine whenever~"
"O-O-Okay." He gulped. "S-So, uh, do we just go and...?"
"Your choice, Hater." she sat up, still holding him. "Wherever you're more comfortable.
He nodded, his face burning now as he took her hand, leading her towards the bedroom.
Sylvia squeezed his hand. "You're okay with this, right?"
"...Y-Yeah, of course I am."
"I just want to make sure. If you ever want to stop, just tell me."
He nodded. "Got it..."
"Oh, uh...and do you mind sending Tim somewhere else?"
"Oh, y-yeah he can just go out into the hall. he'll be fine."
"Okay. Don't want to traumatize him or anything."
Hater chuckled. "Heh, yeah.
Once they got in his room, Sylvia started to slip off her dress. After putting Tim out, Hater started to take off his jacket and tie.
"So...any preferences on what to do?"
"...U-Uh..." Oh grop, he had no idea what he was doing!
"I mean, I figure you've had to see something, or fantasize something once or twice."
He glanced down at the floor, too embarrassed to look at her. "W-Well, I guess I have seen stuff in movies and, and stuff..." And there had been one or two dreams...
"Well...anything you've ever wanted to try?"
"Uh... I- GAH! I don't know! I mean... It, I can't just say it! Just, just stuff! So, we can just, do what you want and, a-and it'll be fine with me."
"Hater..." she pulled him close. "Whatever it is, you can tell me, okay?"
"..." His horns drooped. "Sorry for, for being so dumb and awkward about this..."
"There's nothing wrong with that! You're new, I'm pretty new too! Just...just tell me, so I can help you feel good!"
"...Well, uh... My, h-horns and, spine... T-Touching them would, be a good place to start... And, uh, my-..." he glanced down at himself, blushing deeper now.
"Not a problem." she smiled and unzipped his pants, pulling them down some.
He flinched only slightly, just out of surprise and reflex, but didn't tell her to stop or move away from her.
She put the slacks aside, pulling down his boxers next. "Tell me if you want me to stop."
He nodded. "I, I will." He was sorta curious as to what she would do next. "Um, w-wanna move over to the bed before we... start stuff?"
"It doesn't have to be on a bed if you don't want to~"
"..." He blinked. "But, where else would we do it?"
"Anywhere, if we wanted to. We could've done it on the deck, you know." she rubbed his inner thigh and rubbed his horn with her other hand.
His eyes widened, shivering slightly at her touching. "B-But, but what if someone walked in and saw us?! We aren't exactly alone here! It could've been Wander or, or Peepers or-"
"That's part of what makes it great," she leaned in. "The risk~"
"..." His horns sparked slightly, a deeper shiver going down his spine. "S-Sylvia...!"
She pressed her mouth on his, moving her hand to rub his back. He started to moan after a moment or two, instinctively moving his hands to her back.
Sylvia slinked out of her dress, getting closer to him. She pulled him closed, rubbing his spine.
"Ohhhh~" he moved closer to her, his touching becoming bolder. Slowly, he started to move his hand down.
Sylvia panted, moving her hand down his spine. "that's good~"
"Y-Yeah, rea-" He froze. He felt a hand run over an old cut in his spine, brushing near a scar. And just as he felt this, his gloved hand had moved onto a certain spot on his wife's back.
Sylvia froze as well. "'Y-you..."
"..." He slowly took his hand off her, his gaze moving to the floor.
A-Are you okay?"
"...I, I was so focused on... on this stuff, I... Heh, haven't thought about those scars in years... I, almost forgot..."
"I...I forgot about mine, too..."
"...I'm so sorry... You, you didn't deserve them..."
"You didn't either." she already knew where his were from, and hugged him close.
Careful not to touch them again, Hater returned the hug, holding her tightly.
"You're worth more than that..."
"...So are you..."
"...do you want to keep going?"
"I..." he sighed, his horns low. "I'm sorry... I just-... It's hard to forget about this stuff once I start remembering and... I, might not be able to make it good for you now..."
"It's okay." she gave him a soft kiss. "We can just wait for another time, okay?"
"...Okay." He didnt' exactly look happy, but he wasn't going to argue either.
Syl pulled his boxers back on. "C'mon, let's just cuddle."
He forced a small smile. "I can do that..."
"Hey." she kissed him again. "It's okay, you know? Nothing to be ashamed of, Hater."
"...Sorta feels like it..."
"Well it's not. We'll do this when you're ready, and not a moment sooner."
"...Okay." He hesitated for a moment before kissing her cheek. "I'll, try not to keep you waiting too long."
She hugged him close. "thanks, Hater."
"Yeah... Thank you too, Sylvia..."
Sylvia wrapped the blankets wround them. "I love you, Hater."
This time, he gave her a genuine smile. "Love you too, Sylvia."
She nuzzled him close and closed her eyes. "Goodnight...husband."
His smile got bigger. Husband... He was someone's husband. Someone WANTED him to be their husband. He snuggled closer to her. "Goodnight, wife."
She smiled, falling asleep.
Hater kissed her once more on the cheek before falling asleep as well.
Sylvia took a shower, cleaning her hands of the blood and cleaning off her makeup. She wouldn't need it until later.
As for Hater, since he had worn his form cloak, he had to find something else to wear. "Okay, I'm sure I have a second formal cloak in here," he said as he opened his closet. However, as he dug through all the items, that didn't seem to be the case. "Come on... A nice cloak, a bowtie, anything?!" Then, he found something. It almost went unnoticed at first but- "...Well, I guess it's better than nothing."
Sylvia dressed in a bathrobe and headed to the ship's kitchen, picking out the supplies she'd need. Since she needed to go through the food court to get to the kitchen, she was able to see a bit of Wander's work - though he still had a lot of work to do. "Hey Syl!" He greeted, "Hey, I forgot to ask, what are you makin' you and Hater for supper?"
"Uh...well, I'm thinking something simple. I'm a little out of practice of cooking things other than stews and chili.”
"Ooh, stew's always good! With some bread to go with it!"
"Yeah, but I want to make some other stuff too. Maybe some mashed potatoes, some other sides, some turkeys..."
Wander grinned. "I bet he'll like that! Need any help?"
"Nah. I kinda...want to make this myself."
"..." Wander nodded, understanding. "Got ya."
"Alright, off to cook!" she went off, ready to spend a few hours making what was essentially a two-person Thanksgiving dinner.
As she was cooking, Wander prepared the rest of the food court and tried to make everything perfect while Hater was taking a hot bath in his private bathroom - both to help get rid of the last bit of pain, and to settle his nerves. The feeling of something big happening was back... But what could it be?
After a long while the dishes were prepared, and set out in covered dishes on the table. Sylvia wiped her brow and headed to change into a different dress and do her makeup-and grab the ring.
"Okay..." Hater said as he put some clean bandages on his chest - didn't want to spark during their meal, after all - "I can do this... Just a date... A date that I want to be perfect..." He felt a tongue lick his cheek, and smiled a little. "Thanks Tim." Taking a deep breath, he started to get dressed.
She tucked away the ring again. "...you can do this, Syl..."
"Phew! Finished!" Already in his waiter outfit, Wander had just finished the finishing touch - a vase full of red and yellow roses. Giant red curtains surrounded the food court, making it look more like a fancy restaurant than something you'd see at a mall. Several tables simply had yellow table cloths, even if no one would be sitting at them, and the table in the center had a black table cloth on it, as well as the food, the flowers and candlelight. There were several other candles placed around the room as well. And finally, a golden, crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.
"Now, if this don't say romantic, I don't know what will!"
Sylvia came in, dressed in a dark blue dress. "Woah...wow, Wander!"
Wander smiled at her. "Do ya like it?"
"Yeah...you went kinda overboard, didn't you?"
He frowned. "Do you want me to take some of this stuff out?"
"No, I'm just...surprised. Where the heck did you get a chandelier?"
"Well, my hat does give you what you need. Guess it just thought we needed a little somethin' to make the night special!"
"Grod..." she laughed, blushing. "Well...I think I'm ready this time."
Wander smiled at her. "Great to hear, Sylvia." He gave her a hug.
She tapped the strap of her dress. "It's safe under here."
"Good. Wouldn't want ya to lose it."
"Yeah...thankfully the fight didn't mess it up at all."
"That's good. I know you wanted it to be perfect."
"I...y-yeah." she sat down. "Still kinda worried..."
"About what? I mean... After all you guys have been through, do you really think he'll say no?"
"...maybe? Getting married ended up hurting him so much last time..."
"But that's because you didn't want to be with him, not at first. Now ya do. The fact that you're the one proposing proves that."
"Still...I don't want to accidentally hurt him."
He took her hand and squeezed it. "You won't Syl. I know you won't. Not on accident, and certainly not on purpose."
"...okay. I'll try my best. I figure he'll be coming in soon, so you should head back, okay?"
He nodded. "Right." He gave her one last hug before leaving her alone, walking towards the front of the 'restaurant' so he could lead Hater in.
Sylvia sat down, taking a few more anxious breaths.
A few minutes passed before she heard two pairs of footsteps coming towards her. "Your lovely date, my lord~" Wander said in an exaggerated accent.
"Um, yeah, thanks." Hater dared himself to walk forward, wearing a black suit and tie with a red jacket. He always felt so self-conscious without a hood to hide under, but at the same time he wasn't going to turn back now because of it. No way.
Sylvia blinked a few times, just staring at him, not able to speak.
Hater held his breath. Did she not like it? Did he look bad? "Uh, h-hi."
"U-umm...hey." she blushed. "You look really good."
He relaxed a bit. "Ah, thanks. Oh! And, y-you look really good too!"
"Thanks. I didn't have a lot of extra dresses, t-though."
"Well, i-it still looks, really good on you. And-" He looked at the table, "Oh, wow the food looks really good too. You made all of this?"
"Yeah, I did. I was kinda on a roll, so.."
"Wow..." He smiled a little, "Guess you're a really good cook."
"I..I try." she looked down, smiling.
"Heh..." Feeling a gentle hand on his back, Hater was pushed forward slightly. "Oh, uh, I'll just, sit down now." He quickly did so, Wander smiling at the two of them.
"So...I portioned it out for each of us," she lifted up the covers, showing a delicious stew, turkey, gravy, sides of all sorts, and a small cake to the side.
"Thanks. So...wanna dig in?" she picked up her fork.
He nodded. "Definitely!" He nearly grabbed a piece of turkey with his hands before he stopped himself. Clearing his throat, he took his fork and knife and started to SLOWLY eat the food in front of him, still smiling nonetheless.
"You can relax a bit, you know..." she smiled at him, holding her cheek.
"Er, y-yeah I know. But, still," he smiled back at her, "Just, want it to be a good date."
"If it's with you, it's good."
"..." His smile warmed, and he continued eating, a lot more relaxed now but still not rude or too fast.
Sylvia ate as well, stealing glances at Hater and trying to find a good time to...well, she needed a right time.
Wander would check on them every once in a while, just to refill their drinks and make sure they didn't need anything, but otherwise the couple was left alone and able to enjoy their meal and their conversations (thankfully not one-sided) in peace.
"I...didn't know you owned a suit."
"Well, I didn't really know either. Usually I just wear a formal cloak but, since it was ruined I had to find something else." He looked down at himself. "Don't even remember where I got this thing..."
"It looks really nice on you, though."
He smiled a bit. "Thanks. ...Feels weird not having a hood on, though."
"It's a little surprising, but...looks a little cute."
"C-Cute?"
"Um...a l-little."
"U-Uh." His horns flattened, a light blush now on his cheeks. "Well, thanks I guess."
Y-yeah..." she rubbed the back of her neck. "So, after this...would you like to do anything else?"
"Well, um, I do but, I don't really have any ideas. Why? Is there something you wanna do?"
"...maybe the observation deck?"
"Oh! Yeah, sure!" Ever since the disc, he had found himself actually looking at stars instead of ignoring him. And with her by his side as he watched them, it certainly seemed enjoyable.
"Okay, so...want some cake?" she offered a slice.
He smiled, happily taking the slice.
Sylvia ate a slice too, humming a bit.
It didn't take long for them to finish up their dessert, sitting a bit while Wander took their dishes. "...So-" he offered a hand, "Uh, shall we?"
Sylvia took his hand. "Yeah, let's." Wander watched them leave, silently wishing his best friend the best of luck.
When they got to the deck, the stars were already out. Since they were in a darker part of space, even more could be seen.
"Whoa..."
"Yeah." she sat down. "Pretty beautiful, huh?"
"Yeah..." he sat down next to her, squeezing her hand.
Sylvia leaned on him. "...it's really great here."
"You mean, on my ship or, in this part of space?"
"Both. And you make it...a lot better."
"...I do?"
"Yeah." she pressed her snout on his cheek.
He blushed, but smiled warmly and nuzzled her.
She rubbed her shoulder, trying to work up the nerve.
Hater had turned back to the stars, so he didn't notice her nervousness.
"I, um...it's pretty amazing, isn’t it?"
"Yeah... Probably would've just ignored it though if it weren't for you so, thanks..." He squeezed her hand again.
"No, I mean...just...US, us in general."
"Oh! Uh, sorry. But, yeah, r-really amazing." He smiled at her.
"Just...it started so bad, but now we're like this."
"Yeah... It's almost unbelievable..."
"But...good. Really good."
"Yeah." He smiled. "I... I'm really glad this happened, e-even though the beginning wasn't so ideal..."
"Yeah, same here." Sylvia squeezed the ring. "Just...so glad."
"Yeah..." He gave a content sigh. For once, things just felt right. Nearly perfect.
"Just...sort of want this to last...forever."
"Yeah, same here," Hater nodded, looking back up at the stars, "Just... Keep hanging out with you and talking with you and, and going on dates and stuff forever... I'd like that a lot."
"...do you want to do that?"
He glanced over at her, still not quite getting what she was getting at. "Well, yeah. Of course I would. Just, be able to hang out with each other and be together and stuff. Why wouldn't I want that?"
"Hater..." she reached into the strap of her dress. "There's...something I want to ask you..."
His eyes widened slightly. Was she-? "...W-What...?"
Sylvia pulled out a silver and emerald ring from her dress-the emerald was from the planet they had reunited on, and had a lightning bolt carved on it. "Hater..."
He managed to hold back a gasp, his eyes watery and big now. He couldn't believe it. Was this really happening?
"I...when this all started, I was angry and hated you. But...when we spent more time together, I found myself more and more drawn to you, that we were more alike than I thought. And...and I've been thinking about it for a while, and I want to-to do this for real."
"You... Y-You really want to? You, want to be married to, to s-someone like me?"
She took his hands, squeezing them. "I wouldn't want to be with anyone else."
A couple tears fell as he stared at her. "S-Sylvia..."
"I...I love you Hater, I love you more than I ever thought possible. I forgave you for what happened a long time ago."
He managed to smile at her. "I, I l-love you too, Sylvia. I... I can't even imagine loving someone else. You're just... so great and, a-and amazing and... I love you."
"So...if you want to, would you like to try this all again?" she held out the ring.
He didn't even hesitate to take the ring. "More than anything."
Sylvia started to tear up herself, smiling wide. "...Thank you!" She hugged him close, pulling him in for a kiss.
He kissed her back, holding her close as a couple more tears slipped out. "No... Thank you."
"Nnn...I love you~" she slipped the ring onto his finger.
"Heh, I l-love you too." He kissed her again. "So much~"
She smiled, crying even more. "Oh my grod, I'm so happy! I was so scared to...to.."
"To, to ask me?"
"Yeah, especially after...that's why Awesome flipped out..."
"..." He frowned slightly. "Guess that sorta makes sense..."
"And I didn't want to hurt you..."
"...Why would you hurt me?"
"I hurt you before."
"...O-Only because of something stupid I did..."
"That I started."
"Because you had to."
"...but I still hurt you."
"...It's fine, really. I mean... So much has happened, so many great things and... and I love you more than ever before now so, maybe it needed to happen. So I could know you and not just Lin."
"..." she smiled at him. "Thank you so much, Hater."
He smiled back at her. "Like I said, I should be thanking you... Like, ever since that day on the emerald planet and, and the disc and everything I just... I wanted to be with you. I wanted to be your husband and love you and be with you forever. But, I just thought... After being forced to marry me, the idea of actually marrying me would be sorta... ruined for you." His smile returned. "But I, heh, I-I didn't think that you - heck, that anyone! - would actually... care this much." He looked at his ring, seeing it as the most precious thing he now owned, moreso than any planet. "Would actually want to propose to me..."
"...I didn't believe it either. But it's real, and I want to do it. I want to be with you, want to make you happy..."
He started to tear up again. "O-Okay... I, w-wanna be with you too and make you happy. That's what I want, more than anything."
"Then...why not do it right now? Why don't we just get...re-married I guess, and have fun and maybe one day we could have a family?"
He nodded. "I'd like that... I'd really like that."
It was a bit past midnight when Hater started to stir, groaning slightly. "Grop..." He was still a bit light headed, and his chest was still hurting pretty badly. He cringed as he reached up to touch it.
Sylvia snoozed, looking stressed and sad.
"A-Ah!" He winced putting his hand down. What had happened... Where- His eyes widened. "S-Sylvia!" He tried to sit up, crying out when he did.
She twitched. "nn...Hater?"
He relaxed a bit. "Sylvia..."
Sylvia slowly sat up. "You're...awake."
"...Y-Yeah... Grop..." He laid back down, touching his chest again.
"I'm sorry...I distracted you, and Awesome..."
"...H-Hey, it's fine... I'm the one who pushed the guy through the restaurant." His horns drooped. "Ruined our date... Just, when I saw him grab you and push you, I just- couldn't control myself. I... I couldn't let him hurt you again."
"It's okay." she nuzzled him. The inside pocked of her dress pressed against her, as if to remind her. But... "You're more important than a stupid date."
"Still... I was looking forward to it... I always do, being with you..." He moved his hand, trying to find hers. "I... Heh, guess I wanted to make sure I made up for our first dinner date... I know I always pay but, I was just... gonna try to make this one the best one yet..."
She took his hand. "You're more important than any of that, Hater...all I want is for you to be safe and happy."
"Mmm..." He smiled a little, closing his eyes. "Want that for... you too..."
"...thank you, Hater." Sylvia nuzzled him.
Hater nuzzled her, leaning against her now as he started to fall back asleep. "Sylvia..."
"...I love you, Hater..."
"...You do...?"
"...yeah. I do."
"..." She could feel a tear or two roll down his cheek and fall on her.
"...Hater?" she looked up at him.
"You... love me." Eyes still misty, the overlord gave a small yet very happy smile, "And... I love you..." Another tear fell. "You love me..." The last time he heard those words was from his sister when he finally saw her again nearly a decade after he left home. Needless to say, it wasn't something he heard often. So, to hear it from Sylvia... The skeleton was nearly overwhelmed with emotion that was so unfamiliar to him, yet he craved it so much - maybe even moreso than he thought.
She stared at him. "...I do. and you love me?" her smile widened.
He nodded. "Yeah... I love you, Sylvia..."
She gave him a kiss on the cheek. "...Thank you."
He closed his eyes again, leaning towards her. "Yeah... Thank you too..."
Sylvia smiled and felt much more relaxed, much happier. They hugged each other close, sleeping with their warmth.
It wasn't until a few hours later when someone woke them up. "Psst. Psssssssst!"
Sylvia blinked a bit. "...hmm?"
Just a few inches away from her face was a certain nomad staring back at her.
"GAH! Wander?" she gasped.
"Sylvia!" Wander whispered, trying not to wake the overlord, "Oh Syl I was so worried when you didn't come back to the campsite and so I went to the restaurant but the owner said that there had been a huge fight and that a couple people were hurt! So I found Hater's ship and I tried to find Mister Peepers so I could ask him if you and Hater were alright but then these guards captured me and even though they were willing to play a few rounds of go fish with me while we waited the refused to let me go until Mister Peepers saw me-" He took a deep breath "-And then he finally came down and we talked and I was able to convince him to let me see you and Hater!" He sighed, glad he had gotten all that out.
"...So, what happened?"
"...Awesome. Awesome happened."
"..." Wander frowned. "Oh no..."
"And Hater tried to protect me, and I tried to break up the fight, and...Awesome sneak-attacked him."
He gave a small gasp. "Is Hater gonna be alright?"
"Yeah, he didn't lose much blood. He's just...tired and worn out.
"Well, at least he isn't hurt too badly... Um, did you ever get the chance to ask him to-"
"SHH!" she shook her head. "...I was going to, but...I can't now. He got hurt so bad because of me..."
"But Syl! That wasn't your fault! It was just an accident!"
"I know, but...it still happened. I'm too dangerous for him. I...I went Timebomb on Awesome." she looked at the dried blood on her knuckles.
Wander's eyes widened. "Sylvia... H-How did you stop yourself?" She didn't kill Awesome... Did she?
"Hater. He...he stayed conscious long enough to stop me."
"...Well, there ya go. He ain't afraid of ya and, and he can stop you before you go too far."
"...I still feel like...like it's not right for me to do that."
"Syl... You guys love each other, don't ya?"
"...yes, we do."
"Then you guys should be with each other. For better or worse. Cause, well, that's what love is. You accept each other's more... negative qualities, because you care about them and want to be with them. You guys love each other, and the only way you're gonna hurt each other is by separating."
"...You're right, but...I can't do it right now. He's recovering, and..."
Wander sighed. "...Maybe it wouldn't help him recover faster but, it would certainly make him smile."
"...maybe."
"No offense but, I don't think there's a 'maybe' about it, Syl."
"...I'm scared, Wander. I'm so scared..."
He placed his hand on hers. "Of what?"
"Of...of screwing all this up!"
"But... Syl, I don't understand!"
"Of course you don't! I hurt him so much before, and now we're okay, and...and what if I just end up screwing up?"
"..." He squeezed her hand. "You won't. I know you won't."
"..." she sighed.
"..." Wander opened his mouth to say more, but stopped when he noticed Hater start to move, moaning slightly.
"Hater?" Sylvia whipped around, keeping an eye on him.
"Mm... Sylvia?" He started to open his eyes.
"Are you feeling alright? Is your chest still hurting?"
"A little... But at least I'm not feeling dizzy anymore..." He then noticed who was sitting next to her. "What's he doing here?"
"Wander was worried about us..."
"Oh..."
"It's okay." she cupped Hater's face. "It's all gonna be okay."
He smiled a little. "I know..." He placed his hand over hers.
Sylvia smiled, her heart aching. She wanted to tell Hater so badly, but...she just couldn't.
"...Hey, Sylvia?"
"...yeah?"
"...Last night. You, said you loved me, right? That wasn't just a dream?"
"No, it wasn't a dream." she smiled softly."
He smiled back at her, his body relaxing. "Good... I'm glad..."
"I'm so glad you're okay, Hater..."
"Same here... Glad Awesome didn't hurt you..."
"..." she nuzzled him.
Hater nuzzled her back. "So, uh... Well, I mean, I'm already sorta feeling better so, maybe tonight we could, try to have a make up date?"
"Yeah, that'd be nice." she nodded. Maybe I won't look like a mess then."
"You look fine to me," he told her, a bit more awake now and still smiling, "You always do."
"Sappy..." Sylvia sighed, her eyes gentle.
"Heh, yeah..."
"Stupid sappy boyfriend..." she nuzzled him
"Heyyy," he pouted a bit, "Come on, i'm not that sappy. And I'm not stupid."
"It's not meant seriously. I'm just playing.."
"Oh. Sorry."
"You know I don't really think you're dumb."
"...Yeah, I know," he said, smiling a bit, "Though if you did I guess it wouldn't be surprising."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Well, I have done some pretty dumb stuff before..." Though, while he still conquered planets and considered himself evil, he hadn't made as many of these mistakes now that they were dating.
"Yeah, well...you learned from it, and that's what makes you great."
He smiled. Hearing her call him great was better than just hearing it from himself or his soldiers.
She pet his face. "So...PROBABLY not ever allowed at that restaurant again."
He chuckled. "Yeah... Again, sorry about that."
"Not your fault...well, pushing Awesome through the wall was, but you were just trying to protect me."
"Yeah but, still... I guess I could've just thrown him out or, or I don't know, just did something else to protect you and not ruin our date."
"Don't blame yourself. He's just a huge gropface."
"Hmph, yeah, a huge annoying and obnoxious gropface."
"And...and creepy."
Hater scowled. "Yeah... But at least he won't mess with you anymore."
"Mess with us..."
"...Right."
"...I...I kinda provoked him."
"You didn't do anything. He's just a jerk, just like we said."
"Well, he got me talking about some stuff that made him angry..."
"...Like what?"
"Some things I wanted to do..."
He looked at her curiously. What could she want to do that would make Awesome so angry?
"I...I'll explain later."
"..." He frowned at that, obviously wanting to know now.
"At our date, okay?"
"...Okay." He didn't want to wait that long, but he would. "...Where are we gonna have it anyway since we can't go back to the restaurant?"
"Weeeeeell~" Wander grinned, "I'm sure I could decorate the food court a little and make it just as good as a fancy restaurant! There'll be flowers and candles and background music - and I'll even be your waiter again!"
"Wander...you don't need to do that if you don't want."
"Well why wouldn't I want to?" Besides, he didn't want to miss Hater's reaction.
Sylvia luaghed. "Okay, okay...yeah, you can do it. Are you okay with that, Hater?
"Yeah, I guess," he replied smirking a bit. After all, they didn't really have much of a choice, but at least they would still be eating somewhere nice.
"Okay Wander, you can do that. And that means Awesome won't be anywhere near us this time."
"Yeah, and you get to eat yummy food court food!"
"Or...or maybe I could cook us a main dish?"
Hater sat up a bit at that. He still had yet to try her cooking, and he was certainly curious. "But, wait, that means you'd have to pretty much work on your date - or rather, to have something for your date." That didn't sound right to him.
"Well...it's a treat. For both of us." she smiled."
"...Well, alright." Hater smiled back at her, "As long as you don't mind doing it."
"Of course I don't! ...is tonight okay for it?"
"Yeah! Like I said, I'm feeling better already, and I want to make up for this date as soon as possible."
"Well...in a bit, I’ll make some stuff and have it ready, and then I'll change into a different dress and makeup and stuff, alright?"
"Okay." He glanced down at his torn cloak. "Um, I'll just, go ahead and change too."
"You need my help with that? You're still recovering."
He blushed slightly. "N-No, I've got it. I mean, I probably won't even need help anyway but, if I do I'll just make Peepers help. Besides, you're already cooking and stuff."
"Just let me know if you need any help, alright?"
"Alright," he nodded. Sitting himself up again, he winced slightly, but most of the pain had passed.
"I'll go shower and then start cooking.”
He nodded, smiling now and glad that they would still get their date. "Okay."
"And I'LL go start decorating!" Wander added, leaping off the bed, "Gotta make sure I set the mood just right! Don't worry, it'll be perfect!" With that, he ran out of the room.
Sylvia bent down and kissed Hater's cheek before leaving. "Hmm." Smiling and touching his cheek, Hater got out of bed and slowly walked towards his room.
Sylvia took a shower, cleaning her hands of the blood and cleaning off her makeup. She wouldn't need it until later.
In which a time-skip occurs and a do-over is attempted. Also shark man.
Written with fanfic-inator795
Sylvia looked at the dress she was wearing. "You sure this is good enough?"
"Of course!" Wander grinned, "You look amazing!"
"And my mane? Is this right? And my makeup?"
Wander nodded. "Don't worry, you look perfect!"
She tucked the emerald ring she had made into her dress. "And the ring is alright, too? Not too much?"
"He'll love it, Sylvia," Wander insisted, "I just know he will! ...And, he's gonna be real happy after all this. I certainly don't doubt that."
"I...I-if you're sure." Sylvia's stomach was twisting with nervousness. She'd been debating doing this for a few weeks, but it took a peptalk from Wander to kick her into gear. All she could think about was being with Hater, making him happy for real.
"Heh..." Wander gave her a soft smile, "I just hope I actually get to see the wedding this time."
"Don't worry. If he gets whiny I'll kick his butt." she chuckled. "But I'm pretty sure he's only gonna want to see me like this for now."
"Right. I'll leave you two alone for now." He gave her a big hug. "Good luck, not that you really need it." After seeing the two of them spend time together so much, he knew that this was true love.
"Hey, it's never a sure thing, bud." she returned his hug, smiling.
"Well, this feels like it is." Giving her one last smile, he headed back to their campsite, leaving her alone in front of the restaurant where she and Hater agreed to meet.
She took more deep breaths, wringing her hands. "Grod...Feels like I'm burning up."
And Hater didn't exactly feel any calmer. Now, they had gone on dates before, and he usually got a little nervous, so it was normal. But tonight... There was almost like a pit in his gut. It just felt like something was going to happen tonight. Something big, and he wasn't sure if it was going to be good or bad.
Sylvia leaned against the wall, sighing. "Not gonna chicken out this time...Not gonna."
"It'll be fine... Right?" Hater told himself, adjusting his tie, "I mean, it's not like she's going to break up with me or anything like that, right?" He paused. "...Oh grop please don't let that be it." He heard Tim hiss. "Okay okay, maybe I'm just worrying over nothing. But still..."
"What if he doesn't want to? What if I just scared him, or freak him out?"
"Excuse me, ma'am?"
"...huh?" she blinked, looking over.
A waiter was sticking his head out the door of the restaurant, looking at her. "I'm sorry but, you've been standing out here for a while. If you're waiting for someone I can lead them to your table."
"O-Oh, okay. Sorry. I have a reservation and all, I just wanted to make sure he got here."
"Ah, don't worry. We'll make sure he'll find you," the waiter told her with a friendly smile.
"Thanks..." she sighed. "Please, lead the way."
"Of course." He actually led her to a very nice table in the center of the restaurant, complete with candles and complimentary bread. "Will you need anything right now, ma'am? A drink, perhaps?"
Sylvia wasn't expecting such a nice table, but she decided it was a pleasant surprise. "Oh, just some water will be fine!"
The waiter gave a nod, and left to go get her some.
"You can do this, Syl..." she munched on a slice of bread.
"Can do what?" a familiar voice asked.
She froze. "...please don't be him."
"Heh, don't worry babe~" Awesome sat down with next to her, grinning, "I'm just the guy you were hoping to see~"
"No. No you're really not." she scooted away. "You're not my date, so leave. Or go find another table."
"I was already at a table, but then I saw a bodacious babe walk in and sit down, and I just had to say hello." He leaned closer to her.
"No." she shoved him away, forcefully this time. "Not today, just...not today."
"Oh? And why's that? You got a date with Bonehead or somethin'?" He chuckled. Yeah right. She probably dumped that loser ages ago, if she was smart.
"Yeah, actually."
"Wait, what?! I was just joking! Seriously?!"
"Yes, seriously. And he should be here soon, so If you would leave..."
Awesome scowled. "I don't get it. Why would want to date him when you can date this-" He took a moment to flex his muscles
"Because he's not awful and creepy and a huge jerk who doesn't respect my wishes?"
"But he's also a dork and a lonely loser who forced you to marry him. Did you forget about that little detail?"
"...He didn't think he was forcing me. And...he's more than made up for it by now."
"Tc'ch." The shark-man just rolled his eyes. "Whatever."
"Yeah, so you can go now. It's an important night, so..."
"Oh? And what makes it so important?" he asked, leaning on the table and making himself comfortable.
"Not your business. It's private."
Awesome just smirked. "Come on, you can tell me."
"No, because you're just going to mock me."
"Oh come on, it's not like you're gonna..." He stared at her. "Oh my grod... Are you seriously proposing to him?!"
Sylvia looked away, holding her shoulder.
"...Okay, clearly you're not thinking straight, B," he told her, "I mean, who would want to marry Hater?!"
"I would." she looked back with a steely glare.
"...Well that's pretty stupid of you," he replied, glaring back at her.
"Says you. Now would you just leave?"
"Why should I?" So Hater could get a hot girlfriend? No way. Obviously she just needed some convincing. If anything he was doing her a favor, and stopping her from making a horrible mistake.
"Because I want you to go!"
"Newsflash B: I'm an emperor of awesomeness. I do what I want."
"Which is apparently not respecting people's wishes."
"More like saving you from marrying a loser!"
"You have no idea what he's actually like! I've spent a lot of time with him the last few months, and I want to be happy with him!"
"But, I bet you could be even happier with me."
"No, I wouldn't. All the times I've spent with you have been awful and painful!"
"Only because you were in my way. But-" He scooted over to her, touching her arm. "If you give me a chance, I can show you my nice side - and the perks of being with me~"
Sylvia slapped his arm away. "NO! I don't want anything to do with you!"
Awesome blinked in surprise, then scowled. "Okay, look B-!"
"HEY!" Everyone turned to the front of the restaurant, and saw a very angry skeleton with a frightened waiter behind him.
"Hater!” Sylvia smiled at the sight of him, and stood up to go to his side.
But Awesome grabbed her arm and yanked her back down before she could.
Hater growled, his hands glowing. "Leave her ALONE!"
"GAH!" Sylvia pulled away from him. "What are you doing?"
"Like I said, you'd be better off with me," Awesome told her, getting out his trident.
"NO I WON'T!" she elbowed him in the stomach
Awesome didn't let it bother him, and gave her a push. And that did it. Letting out a battle cry, Hater rushed forward and grabbed Awesome, pushing them both through the wall and outside the restaurant. Sylvia stared at the fight before sprinting after them.
Multiple punches were thrown right away. Neither one of them was holding back. Awesome let out a scream whenever Hater's sparks managed to touch him, but he quickly retaliated with his trident, managing to scratch and crack his bones a little. But injuries were ultimately ignored. Neither one was going to back down.
"That's ENOUGH!" Sylvia shouted. "You've already destroyed the restaurant, you don't need to do anymore!"
"Stay out of this, B!"
"Her name is SYLVIA!" They continued to fight, their attacks getting more and more ferocious.
"STOP IT!" She pulled Hater back. "Look, let's just get out of here, we can eat somewhere else!"
"But-! But he's just going to keep bothering you! And I'm not gonna let him get away with hurting you any-!" While Hater was distracted, Awesome threw his trident straight at him, the points going right through his chest. He cried out.
Sylvia gasped, catching him. "Oh no, oh no oh no oh no, Hater!"
Hater's eyes were clenched shut, his face pained as he kept crying out and sparks running up and down the metal weapon.
"Hmph, well, this fight's pretty much finished," Awesome smirked, "I started this whole thing cause I didn't want him to get you, but now I guess I'm gonna get his empire out of the deal too."
"Y-You...You..." her eyes went red, her body tensed, her mane flared. "YOUUU!" she jumped at Awesome, fully feral.
Awesome's eyes widened. "Wh-" He didn't even get to finish before she tackled him to the ground.
Sylvia punched him with her full amount of strength, her tail now sharp enough to draw blood as well.
Awesome was nearly knocked out with one punch, his cheek bloodied and a few of his teeth knocked out.
Her mouth foamed, and she kept punching. "RAHHHHHHHHHH!"
The shark couldn't even say anything to calm her down, he just kept feeling her punches until he passed out.
But even so, she didn't stop. She COULDN'T stop, since her body was no longer listening to her mind (which, despite what he'd done, didn't want to kill him.) He wouldn't last much longer at the strength she was using, his face already bloodied and bruised. But before she could do too much damage, and hand was placed on her shoulder.
She snarled, whipping her head around to look at the hand's owner, panting and stressed herself. The person didn't even flinch. He just kept his hand on her, trying to stay awake. "Sylvia..." He knew she didn't like to kill, so even if he thought Awesome deserved to die, she wouldn't want that.
"..." her panting slowed, her expression now desperate and sad.
"I-It's okay... You can stop now..." After how hard he was beaten, Hater knew even Awesome wouldn't be dumb enough to mess with her again.
"...h-hater...." tears filled her eyes.
"It's okay..." His chest sparked. When he noticed what she was doing, he pulled the trident out and went over to her. Only now he had an open wound, and it was draining his energy fast. Not to mention it still hurt a lot. It took everything he had not to cry out every time he sparked. No, he needed to comfort her. Taking her hand, he squeezed it the best he could.
"T-this is...a-all my fault...I'm so sorry..."
"N-No it's not... Awesome's fault..."
Sylvia felt so tired and weary, but she got to her feet and picked him up. "...l-let's get you to the hospital..."
"B-But... What... about our..." his eyes fluttered shut as he mumbled, still thinking about their date despite all that had happened.
"I want you to be alive..."
"Syl..." His body got heavier as he slipped into unconsciousness.
"Please...please Hater, I need you to be alive." tears filled her eyes. "I love you..."
He shivered, leaning against her and trying to absorb her warmth, sparking her slightly because of his wound. Sylvia carried him to his ship. "Please, please be alive..."
"What... What in the nine galaxies happened?!" Peepers could only stare at the not one - but THREE large holes in his lord's chest when Sylvia carried him inside.
"Awesome. Awesome attacked us..."
"..." Peepers narrowed his eye. "We'll have to get him back for this later... Right now we need to bandage his wounds so he doesnt' lose any more electricity."
"I...I don't think we'll need to worry about Awesome for a long while...please, just help him."
"Of course I will... Come on." He led her down to the med bay where the Watchdogs quickly went to work.
She covered her face, sobbing. "I'm s-so sorry..."
"..." Peepers glanced over at her while the doctors continued to work, "I thought you said it was Awesome that attacked him. What do you have to be sorry for?"
"H-he attacked Hater because I w-was...I was dating him and I..."
"And he was jealous?"
"Yeah...I t-tried to stop the fight and he stabbed Hater through the chest, and then...then it's a blur..."
"..." The commander looked at her fists. "Unless that's your blood, I'd say you took care of him."
"I...I can't remember, but that...happens."
"It, happens? Is this a normal thing for you?"
"Not NORMAL, but it happens when I get so mad or competitive I can't control myself..."
"Huh... Other than the not-remembering part, it sounds useful if it does a lot of damage."
"That and the no control...and the almost killing people."
"..." Of course being evil, Peepers didn't exactly mind that last bit, but he decided not to say so since it looked like the doctors were finishing up. "So?"
"He'll be fine," one of them said while the others cleaned up, "We'll connect him to a battery, but it's really more 'just in case'. He didn't lose a ton of electricity, it was just the pain that overwhelmed him. After all, the spears went through his chest and back, just barely missing his spine."
"Oh thank grod...Will he be awake soon?"
"Yes, though it won't be for a while. Because he didn't lose a lot, he won't be out for days, but the painkillers will knock him out for a few hours at least."
"...can I sit by his bed?"
The doctor looked to Peepers, since he was technically in charge while their lord was out of commission. "..." He sighed. "I suppose so."
Sylvia hugged him. "THANK YOU!"
"AH! HEY!" Peepers' pupil shrunk, clearly freaked out by this as he tried to get out of her grip (and failed). The doctors and nurses couldn't help but chuckle a little.
"Sorry, sorry..." she let him go and went off to wait by Hater's bed.
Grumbling something under his breath, Peepers and the rest of the Watchdogs left the room, leaving the couple alone. Hater didn't stir, but at least he was resting somewhat peacefully and no longer shivering.
Sylvia took his hand, leaning on him. "I'm so sorry, Hater..."
Hater still didn't move or wake up, but his body did take a deep breath, relaxed just by her touch.
Sylvia leaned her head on Hater, running her thumb along his gloves. "Grod..." His hand twitched slightly, but he still remained asleep. Another jolt of electricity from the battery went into his horns, keeping his body warm and stable. The fatigue from her berserking was getting to Sylvia, and her eyes closed. "...love you..." she mumbled, before falling asleep.
Thousands of miles away, Hater wasstaring at his phone. He had just received confirmation that the package had been delivered, which was a relief. But now he just had a whole new set of problems. Did she like it? Was she weirded out by it? Had he just made her more confused? What if she didn't like the music, or didn't like the scarf? What if the postman had given the package to some other Zbornak named Sylvia who was traveling with a star nomad by orbubble? ...Okay maybe that one was a bit far-fetched but IT COULD STILL HAPPEN!
The skeleton sighed, staring at his phone. He could text her but... "But that could just make things worse!" he shouted, resisting the urge to throw his phone.
Sylvia would've texted him herself, but she didn't actually know his number. He had hers, but she didn't have his.
"Come on... Just, just say Hi or - no, wait, she's probably asleep. But, what if she's not? ...She may still get annoyed, but-" He gave a frustrated groan. "Why are these things so hard?!"
Sylvia dozed softly, hand on her ring and her scarf.
"...I'll just text her in the morning," Hater said finally, putting his phone on the small table next to his bed. He heard a small "Hmph" from Tim. "I totally will! Just you wait!" The spider-beast just gave a small growl before laying back down. He loved his master but sometimes even he could be annoying.
"hnn...." she twitched a bit in her sleep, blushing. "...Hater~"
Wander stirred a bit. "Hater's here...? Oh, he can join the parade too... Look out for the cheese floats..."
"...sing it again, Hater~ pleaaase~?" she blushed a bit. The Hater in her dream was glad to do so, strumming his guitar and repeating the first song...
...Coincidentally, Hater's dream was pretty similar. Sylvia was listening to him play, wearing the blue dress along with the scarf, but no wig. She didn't need it anymore. Smiling softly, Hater played and singed for her while she sat close to him. He could feel her warmth.
In her own dream, she scooted closer, waiting for the guitar break before taking his cheeks in her hands and stroking them.
"Mmm..." Hater smiled in his sleep, his cheeks warming slightly. In his dream, he set his guitar down so he could hold her hand. She leaned in, not kissing, but nuzzling him. Hater nuzzled her back, squeezing her hand.
"...your voice is so nice, Hater~" she smiled.
"Mm... I'm glad I get to play for you..." He smiled back at her.
"I'm glad you get to sing for me~" she leaned close, her lips achingly close to his.
"Sylvia..." Not even feeling nervous, he leaned towards her, shutting his eyes.
"Hater..." she whispered, both in her dream and out of it...but as she as their lips met, she woke up, panting and face red.
Hater's eyes shot open as well. Sitting up he glanced around his room. No signs of Sylvia. "...Of course it was all a dream." Face green as he remembered it, he laid back down, bringing his blanket over his head.
Sylvia put a hand to her forehead. "...what was that about?"
"Hm?" Wander started to stir again, "Huh...?"
"Ah, s-sorry buddy! Just...weird dream."
"Oh... Good weird or bad weird?"
I...I'm not sure."
"Oh... Well, do ya wanna talk about it?"
"NO!!" She looked frantic. Wander flinched, looking a bit concerned now. "Uh...s-sorry, it's just...embarrassing."
"Oh... Well then, sorry for askin'."
"U-uh, no it's okay...Let's just go back to sleep."
"Okay..." He snuggled up against her, closing his eyes.
Sylvia drifted back to sleep, still thinking on her dreams.
Hater slept restlessly the rest of the night, both because of his dream and because he was still deciding whether or not to text Sylvia. "She gave me her number... But, I don't want to annoy her..."
In the morning Sylvia woke up, face still bright red. She went to splash her face with some cold water so she could relax a bit.
"Okay... Just, just one text? Just..." He sighed. "Grop."
Completely fed up now, Tim leapt up and shot a string of sticky webbing at the phone, pulling it away from Hater. "HEY! Bad Captain Tim! Give that back!" Ignoring him, Tim ran off with the phone, pressing the 'call' button as he did so.
Her saddle started to vibrate. "Huh?" she put down the towel and picked up her phone. "Hello?"
"RAAAAAH!" "TIM! GIVE THAT BACK!"
"...Captain Tim?" she blinked.
The spider-beast something that almost sounded like a bark before growling happily. "Tim! Come on!" There was another growl, and then Hater's voice was heard clearly. "Gah, there's drool all over it now! Geez Tim, what is with you this morning?"
"Hater? Why did Captain Tim call me?"
There was a moment of silence. "Sylvia? Uh, well, he grabbed my phone and, and I think he must've pressed a button and called you on accident." Or maybe on purpose, given how the spider was grinning.
"Oh, well...uh...I guess at least I know your number now?"
"Oh, heh, yeah. Guess so."
"Yeah. I, uh...I got your package, and I...well, thanks. I liked it a lot."
"You did?" He gave a small sigh of relief, turning away from the phone so she couldn't hear it. "Well, good. I'm glad."
"Yeah, I'm glad you liked my DVD. Even if it was super dorky..."
"Not really. I mean, it was pretty neat seeing all that stuff. Didn't even know half of those things existed. And uh, like I said I, liked hearing you talk and tell stories and stuff..."
She blushed slightly. "I, uh...t-thanks. Can't wait to try out that game when I'm on a coaster or passenger ship, too.
Hater smiled a bit. "Heh, yeah, thought you might like it. And, uh..."
"Hmm? What is it?"
"I uh... Um, i-in case you ever wanted to play the console version again, maybe - er, o-only if you want to, of course! - you could, come onto the ship for a couple hours and we could, play a few rounds?"
"I...I think I'd like that, Hater." she smiled.
"R-Really? Well, okay." He smiled too. "Then we can just, meet up sometime and play."
"Sounds good to me, yeah. You want to talk about anything else?"
"Uh-" He thought back to his dream, and blushed. "N-Not reallly. But, do you wanna talk about anything?"
"U-um..." she blushed as well. "N-no, I'm good!"
"Well, okay. So, uh, bye?"
"Yeah, see ya...and take care of yourself."
"Yeah, you too... Bye." With that, he hung up his cell phone, and sighed. "...Guess I should thank you for that." "Raaaah!" "Fine, I'll go get you a treat." Grinning, he leapt onto Hater's shoulder, licking and biting his face and making the overlord giggle.
Sylvia entered Hater into her (very sparse) contacts list and stowed away her phone. She heated up a leftover slice of pizza to eat and got ready for the day.
Also, song suggestion for this part- Singing in my Sleep by Semisonic
Hater had just made itback to the ship. Of course Peepers started asking about the weapon and about the plushie, but one glare managed to shut him up for the moment. Once he got to his room, Tim immediately looked up, smiling once he saw the toy.
"No Tim, this isn't a chew toy." The spider-beast pouted. "Don't worry, I'll get you a new toy later, until then you can just play with Peepers." Tim grinned at that. Chuckling, Hater then looked back down at the toy - specifically at the backpack on it. Curious, he opened it. Inside was a disk and a slip of paper with a number on it.
"..." He looked at the disk. Even more curious now, he put it in his DVD player
The screen was dark for a moment, before the camera was lifted up to Sylvia's face. "Oh, it's working!"
"Sylvia?" What was this?
"Okay!" Her voice was soft, like she didn't want to wake someone up. "So, it's the middle of the night, and we're here on this ice planet. It's cold as GROP, but look!" she pointed the camera up, showing a beautiful starscape with an aurora. "You said you didn't know anything about the stars, so...I figure I would teach you, maybe?"
"..." His eyes softened, feeling a bit of warmth in his chest. She had been thinking about him during her travels, and was making the effort to do things for him out of her own free will? He scooted closer to the screen. The stars were sorta pretty, especially with all those colors surrounding them.
Sylvia started to point constellations out, naming them and telling a few stories about their origins. "...that's about all I know. Never was much of an expert, but..."
Hater listened to every word, wishing it could've gone on for longer but at the same time, he was thankful for the disc even existing.
After a bit, the video faded out...but faded into a new video, of what looked like a crater. "So, this place is some sorta geyser? Doesn't look like much to me, but-" the ground started to shudder, before the water burst up, swirling around in different shapes and colors. "Whoah..."
"Whoa..." He paused Wait. She did this for more than one planet? Smiling a bit and glad that the video wasn't over, he continued watching.
The video kept going, showing different sights on different planets, sometimes with Syl in the frame and talking. Finally, it was fading into the last scene. Even if he had been watching for hours, he was still disappointed when he figured out that this was the last bit. He knew he missed her, but he hadn't realized he missed her this much.
Sylvia was in the camera, looking sheepish. "So...yeah. Sorry for giving you such a big disk and all, but...you said you didn't really know much about the planets you see, and I thought maybe you could...see, and learn about it. I dunno if this is gonna ever get to you, but...yeah. I put my phone number in there, so if you ever want to talk or vent...just let me know, okay? Sorry for being weird and-and yeah. Later, Hater." the disk ended.
"...Later." He squeezed his plushie, tempted to play the disk again. But he was hungry, and he knew he couldn't hide in there forever. So, putting both the toy, the phone number and the disk in a safe place, he left, thoughts of the zbornak still on his mind. And this time, he was happy to have them.
Sylvia could only wonder and hope he wasn't weirded out by the video. She'd only wanted to take a video of the stars, but she just kept collecting and making new videos.
"...Whatcha thinkin' about Syl?" Wander asked, glancing down at her. He was already laying on her back, getting ready to fall asleep.
"...huh? Oh, just...just something. It's not important."
"You sure you don't wanna talk about it?"
"Nah, don't worry. It's not big."
"Well, alright." He snuggled back into his hat. "Goodnight, Syl."
"Goodnight Wander." she closed her eyes, still feeling the wriggling anxiety in her stomach.
A few days passed, and things seemed to be going normally. They traveled around, met a few people, and even managed to put together enough money to stay at an inexpensive yet very comfy motel. After splitting a pizza, the two were getting settled for the evening when someone knocked at the door.
"Huh?" Wander said, looking away from the old 80s sitcom playing on the tv, "Wonder who that could be?"
"Hmm?" she stood up. "Don't worry, I'll get it." she went to the door, unlocking and opening it.
An octopus-looking mailman stood at their door. "Excuse me, Ma'am but, are you Sylvia the Zbornak?"
"Huh? Oh...yeah, that's me." she nodded. "What's up?"
"I have a package for you." He got out a plain, red cardboard box. "The person who sent it said that you don't have a home address, but they did say that you would be traveling by orbubble and, with a goody two shoes, hat-wearing, hairy spoon?"
"That's me!" Wander called from the bed.
"...Right. So, when one of the mailmen here spotted you two coming in, we were alerted right away. So, here's your package, Ma'am."
"Oh..well, thank you." she nodded. "Do I need to give you a tip, or..." she dug into her saddle.
"Oh no, it's fine." He tipped his hat. "Enjoy your evening!" With that, the octopus left.
"So, what's in the box, Syl?" Wander asked, staring at it.
She closed the door and locked it. "I dunno, let's see." she placed it on the table and opened the box.
Inside were just a few small things. One was a pink scarf with red tassles, very soft and obviously high quality. Another was cd - no title, and in a blank case. The third item was a handheld version of one of the fighters Hater and Sylvia had found, fairly new and very fun. And finally, there was something sealed in an envelope.
"...huh." she blinked, picking up the envelope and opening it.
Inside was a fairly long letter:
"Hey Sylvia. So, yeah, I just thought I'd get you something too since the dvd you gave me was really nice. I liked watching it and, I guess the things on it was pretty neat, and I liked hearing your stories and stuff. And I liked the plushie too, but you probably already knew that. So, yeah, I got you some things that I hope you like. You were cold on that one planet so, I figured you might like a scarf. The guy selling it said that it's really supposed to help keep you warm. And then the game I thought you might like playing again, and then the cd is just some songs I thought you might like listening too, and a few of them I... sorta wrote myself. But, yeah if you don't like any of it you can just throw it away. But still... Hope you like it, and I hope you're still enjoying yourself. - Hater"
As she read it, her lips trembled. She smiled, folding it up and putting it away. "...do we have a CD player?"
"Hold on a sec!" Wander reached into his hat and pulled out a cd player as well as a pair of headphones. "Here ya go!"
"...thanks. You don’t mind me just listening for a while, do you?"
Wander smiled at her softly. "Not at all." Grabbing the remote, he turned the tv down a little so she could hear it clearly.
Sylvia put on the headphones and put in the CD, laying back. She wrapped the scarf around her neck. "Thanks a lot, Wander."
"No problem, friend." With that, Wander turned back to the tv, and Sylvia pressed play. The cd was all rock songs - of course - but they weren't the overlord's usual brand of heavy metal. Rather, they had a bit of energy, but also passion, and very enjoyable to listen to. It wasn't until towards the end of the cd did she hear Hater's voice singing one of the songs. It wasn't a total love song but... it was obvious by the lyrics and the way he was singing, he cared about her, and he was grateful to have met her, even after things had turned out like they did.
Sylvia covered her mouth, tearing up some. Her heartbeat rose and she started blushing.
There were a couple more songs from the overlord before the cd ended.
She blushed even more, before putting the player and CD in her saddle. "...I'll save that for later."
Wander was laying down, half asleep but waking up a bit when she spoke. "Hm, Sylvia?"
"Ah-i-it's nothing! Just go back to sleep, okay?"
"Oh, okay..." He yawned a bit, "Did ya like your presents...?"
She held the scarf close. "...I did, yeah."
Wander gave her a warm smile. "Good... And I'm sure he liked the gifts you gave him too."
"Yeah, yeah..." she chuckled, closing her eyes. "You wanna come up on the bed?"
"..." He quickly got up and went over to her bed, smiling. "Thanks Syl."
She hugged him, closing her eyes and falling into a much more relaxed sleep.
In which things get awkward. Also there's a shark man
Written with fanfic-inator795
Months passed, and there was still no sign of Wander or Sylvia. Maybe because Peepers made sure not to let Hater see them, just because he knew the skeleton would get distracted - plus he didn't want any of his plans being foiled. So, Peepers made sure they kept their distance from the two wanderers.
And this seemed to work somewhat. Hater was still able to be his threatening self when he needed to be, and they had conquered a few more planets. Though afterwards, when the rest of the ship was dead silent and Hater was all alone, he couldn't help but think back to a few months ago. He was continuing his life and still heading towards his goal, but he didn't exactly consider himself 'fine'.
Sylvia and Wander were back to their normal adventuring selves, helping others and meeting new people. But at the same time, whenever they were going from place to place, Sylvia kept glancing over her shoulder, as if she was looking for something-even if she didn't know what. She had started to wear her ring on a short chain around her neck, only on downtime, but still. Every once in a while she would look at it and sigh, but she still wasn't entirely sure why.
Eventually though - call it fate, maybe - the two ended up meeting again. It was on a bright green planet, home to a very powerful weapon. Of course, this brought not one, but two conquerors to it. "That weapon is mine, fishface!" "HA! Dream on, bro!"
Coincidentally, it was also home to the Emerald lakes not too far from the temple where the weapon was housed - clear pools of water filled with emeralds and surrounded by beautiful waterfalls. "Isn't it amazing, Sylvia?" Wander asked as they landed.
"Oh man, yeah. It's really gorgeous here..." she breathed, eyes sparkling. “Look at all those gems!"
"I know!" As soon as the bubble popped, he rushed over to the water to get a closer look. "Ooh! I can see some fish in here too! Hello!"
"Don't scare them off!" Sylvia looked down at the glimmering green fish. "Wow...never thought I'd see something like this."
"Yeah, me neither..." Suddenly, the ground shook, making the water ripple and the fish swim away.
Sylvia perked up at the feeling. "...sounds like fighting."
"Huh. Maybe there's some folks here that need help settlin' a disagreement."
"Maybe, or maybe it's something else..." she got up and sprinted off. "Stay behind me, buddy!"
"Right!" He ran after her, making sure to keep out of her way.
Sylvia sped up, heading for the source. "What now?"
"RAH!" Hater moved his fist, causing his newly repaired robot to throw a fist. Unfortunately, Awesome's robot caught it, and threw a punch of his own. "Ha! Told ya you couldn't beat my robo-bro!" "SHUT UP!" Hater quickly threw another punch, growling when Awesome blocked it.
"...you've got to be kidding." Normally she'd be angry, but now... her hand mover to the ring around her neck. "I...do I speak up?"
"...Well, we gotta stop them before someone gets hurt," Wander said after a moment. "But, if ya want, I can talk to 'em."
"I, uh...I'll stay back and watch your back, okay?"
Wander gave her a smile, nodding. "Works for me." With that, he walked forward. "Hey guys!"
The robots stopped. "Aw great, him again." Awesome scowled. "What do you want, furball?" Normally Hater would be asking that as well, but once he noticed Wander, all he could focus on was the Zbornak behind him.
Sylvia noticed him looking, and looked away nervously, still running a thumb over the ring on the chain.
"..." Hater's horns drooped.
"Now, those are some neat lookin' robots but, I'm sure we can all talk this out without fighting!" Wander told them, feeling confident.
"Uh...y-yeah, what he said." She nodded and looked up. "This place is peaceful, you shouldn't be messing it up like this!"
"Hey B, we don't care about the planet," Awesome told her, "We care about the weapon on it, and there's no way I'm gonna let him have it!"
"My name's Sylvia..." she grumbled. "Can't you just take this fight somewhere else and have the winner come back?"
"And what would be the point of wasting time and energy doing that?" Speaking of wasting time - he went back to looking at Hater's robot, and punched it. The skeleton had been so focused on Sylvia that he hadn't noticed the attack. "AH!" His robot fell to the ground. "No no no! Come on! Get up!"
"Woah! Sylvia sprinted forward, almost instinctually, and started hefting up Hater's robot up. "Grod...get...up!"
Both Hater and Awesome blinked in surprise. "Hey! What are you doin', B?! Stay out of this fight!"
"No! I...I don't feel like just standing by and letting you do whatever you want!"
"Fine, but why are you helping him?!"
"...I hate you?"
"And what, you don't hate him anymore? Tc'ch, that's a bit of a shocker."
"It's complicated, but you're WAY worse!"
Awesome scowled. "Fine, you wanna fight me? Bring it on, Babe?" He made his robot step forward.
Hater's eyes widened. "Hey! Leave her alone!"
"Aw, flarp it all!" she put down Hater's robot and stepped up to fight Awesome herself.
Hater looked at her for a moment. Was she crazy?! How did she expect to fight a giant robot?!
Awesome threw his fist down towards Sylvia, causing his robot to do the same.
Sylvia jumped back, avoiding the brunt of the impact, then rushed forward and managed to get onto the arm, climbing up it.
"Huh?!" Awesome used his other hand to try and grab her.
She held tight, doing her best to avoid his grabbing. "Ghh!"
"Grr!" He kept trying, and just when he nearly grabbed her- *ZAP!* "Ah!"
"I told you to leave her alone, Awesome!" Hater shouted, glaring at the shark man.
"So what, you two are friends now or somethin'? Hmph, I would have thought you'd have higher standards, B!"
"I told you-" she clambered up to the cockpit and aimed a punch at his snout. "IT'S COMPLICATED!"
"AH!" Awesome rubbed his snout and growled at her. Letting go of the controls, he got prepared to fight her himself.
Sylvia pulled apart the cockpit of the robot. She then aimed more punches at him.
But Awesome gave plenty in return, actually being a pretty decent fighter and even dodging a few attacks himself. "Hmph, is that all you got, B?"
"Her name is Sylvia!" Hater shouted before Sylvia could. He had got out of his cockpit and was now running to help.
Sylvia paused, stunned at his shout. "H-Huh?" her ring hung between her and Awesome on a chain.
Awesome spotted the ring, blinking. Holding her in place by grabbing her shoulder, he used his other hand to examine the ring. "...Uhh, is this what I think it is cause, last I heard you were single."
"Gh!" Her eyes widened. "Wait, it's , uh-!"
Hater froze. The ring. Awesome glanced between the two of them, and then smirked. "Oh, no way. Did you guys seriously-?" He started to laugh.
"I-I...it's not...it's c-complicated-"
"It's none of your business, Awesome!" Hater shouted at him, trying to control his emotions.
"Tc'ch, I don't see what's so complicated about it, babe. Bonehead probably forced you to marry him, right? Then you escaped and he's still heartbroken over it." He looked at the two of them. "Well, am I right?"
"It...it wasn't quite like that..." her eyes were wide.
"Then what did happen? You guys fall in love? Cause I find that really hard to believe."
Awesome smirked at him. "What? I'm just sayin', Hatey."
"Wait, I didn't...I don't know-"
"Don't know what to say? It's cool, I pretty much figured it out already."
"I SAID SHUT UP!" Hater yelled, his hands glowing now. Awesome let go of the ring and Sylvia, shoving her aside. And seeing that pushed Hater over the edge. Letting out a battle cry, he charged.
"AAH!" Sylvia had to cling to the outer shell of the robot when she was pushed.
Quickly, Hater leapt up and threw a lightning bolt at Awesome. The emperor quickly dodged it though. "That the best you got, Hatey?"
"Hardly!" He threw multiple bolts, trying desperately to destroy him.
She had to climb her way down. "I never said...I didn't...or if I did..."
Hater didn't hear her, he was just concentrating on the fight. Of course, when Awesome started using the robot again once Sylvia was off, the skeleton was at a disadvantage. Getting hit with a couple punches, he quickly put up a forcefield.
"Just give it up, bro! You can't beat me! And I doubt you're gonna impress your 'wife' either."
"SHUT UP!" Sylvia dug her hands into the metal of the robot's leg, and tore it away to reveal the cables and mechanics inside, She grabbed the main cable and pulled as hard as she could, breaking it.
The entire robot sparked and started to smoke. Awesome was shocked for a moment, and then completely furious. "What did you do?! Do you know how many credits this thing costs?!"
"ENOUGH FOR YOU TO SHOVE YOUR STUPID, FAT SNOUT IN IT AND SUCK IT!" she shouted.
Hater smirked at that while Awesome just growled. "Okay, you are SO going to get it!" Leaping out of his now-broken robot, Awesome got out his trident.
That made Hater scowl. "Oh no you don't!" he threw another lightning bolt.
Sylvia got into a fighting stance, ready to take him on.
"Hmph, why don't you just sit this one out, B? Let your so-called husband fight alone. After all, this is his fight - but I guess the only way he could win it is if someone helped."
Sylvia didn't even respond, running forward with a haymaker, slamming into him.
"Oof!" He swung a punch back at her, just before Hater punched him. Growling, he swung his weapon at both of them.
Sylvia was grazed by the points of the trident, small lines of blood trailing from the cuts. Sylvia launched another punch at him, snarling almost ferally.
Hater could barely focus on her, but if he had been watching he definitely would've been impressed. But all he wanted to do now was shut that stupid shark up! So, he focused just on him, and even landed a few electrical punches. But Awesome was quick, giving him a headbutt, and even stabbing him through the ribcage with his trident. Of course he had no skin or muscles to pierce, but sharp points still hit his bones, causing a few scars and cracks. "AHH!!"
Sylvia became more alert to his pain, and she tackled Awesome to the ground. "Step OFF!"
Awesome grunted, and then growled as he gripped her shoulders, rolling over and pinning her down. "Tc'ch, as if you could make me."
Hater's eyes widened, and as soon as he saw this he ignored all the pain. Awesome was going down, no matter what! "RAAAH!" Running forward, he tackled Awesome, getting him off Sylvia.
Sylvia flinched defensively, seeing Hater tackle him. "...need any help?"
"I've got this," Hater growled, letting his hands glow and shoot electricity into Awesome's body. He cried out and winced, but didn't surrender. Since his arms were pinned down, he gave the skeleton a hard kick, making him let go. An elbow to the face pushed him off.
"Oh yeah, you tooootally got this, bro," he said sarcastically before punching Hater again.
Sylvia shoved Awesome away, standing in front of Hater. Her chest heaved, more blood trickling down from her wounds.
"S-Sylvia..."
"What, you want some more, B? Why are you defending him anyway? You're not even wearing the ring he gave you on your hand!"
"D-doesn't mean...it's not important...I just don't like wearing rings." she panted. "hurts my fingers."
"Oh yeah, sure, I buy that." Hater's horns drooped again, but he wasn't going to quit, and tried to get up to keep fighting.
"Grod, do you see how much I punch? It'd get warped and I'd have bloody knuckles in one fight!" she aimed a kick for his gut.
He quickly dodged it and grabbed her reins, pulling her close. "Hmph, too bad you weren't already hitched - though I'm sure it would be easy to change that. Not like you two are really married anyway."
Hater growled, and tried to run towards him but stopped before he could, wincing in pain. The cracks under his cloak sparked a bit.
"Ghh! she tried to pull away. "E-even so, I've got no interest in you!"
"You sure about that, babe?" Awesome grinned, "I can be pretty persuasive~"
"What the flarp does that mean?" Sylvia pulled on his hands, trying to get him to let go.
"It means, that I've got a lot more charm than that bonehead," he told her, keeping a tight grip on her, "And people usually fall for me sooner or later."
"Let go of me, you creep!" she stamped down, getting at his boots.
"Hey!" He shoved her to the ground. "You're lucky you didn't scratch them!"
"Get OFF! Get off of me! I'm not interested in you and I never will be!"
"Look, just-!" A lightning bolt whizzed by his head. Looking up, he could see Hater standing once more, panting and angry. "Hmph, you just don't learn, do ya Hatey?" Letting go of Sylvia, he rushed over to Hater, and the two began to fight again. Unfortunately, Hater's injuries made him slow, and gave Awesome the upper hand.
Sylvia struggled to her feet, taking the time he was distracted to kick him in the ankles, and then punch him in the back of the head.
"Ah! Grrr!" He turned around and shoved her again. "What about the phrase 'one on one fight' do you not understand?!"
"What about 'I hate your flarping guts’ do YOU not understand!"
"Ugh, you know what? This isn't even worth it!" Shoving Hater to the ground for one last attack, Awesome started to walk away. "I'm out of here."
Sylvia stumbled to Hater's side. "...you okay?"
"I, I'm f-fine," he mumbled.
Awesome glanced back at them, rolling his eyes. "Don't think she actually likes you, Hatey. It's called pity, which I'm sure you're already used to."
"SHUT THE FLARP UP YOU STUPID FISHSTICK!" Sylvia snarled, actually pulling Hater close. "THIS HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH YOU!"
Hater's eyes widened slightly when she pulled him closer.
"Whatever, B! And hey, even though you annoyed me today, feel free to call me once you've come to your senses." He smirked. "After all, I'm not a lonely loser that needs to force someone into marrying me. They already like me."
"..." Hater's horns drooped once more as he clenched his fists, his hood covering his eyes.
"Just go away! " she shuddered. "You've already hurt me once, I don't need that again!"
The shark man just shrugged, finally leaving them alone. Frowning, Wander rushed over to them, looking at the two of them as he took his hat off, pulling out a first aid kit.
"...sorry...I made all that worse..."
"..." Hater said nothing, Awesome's words still echoing in his head. Lonely loser... Like she could ever like you... Just forced her into marrying you...
"...you shouldn't listen to him, y'know. He's a manipulator, he like to hurt people..."
"Yeah Hater," Wander nodded, "Don't listen to anything Awesome says, cause it isn't true." Still, Hater didn't reply, though he did try to pull away from Sylvia.
Sylvia let him go. "Um...i-if you want to ring back I'll give it..."
"No..." he mumbled, walking away from her. He didn't even care about the weapon anymore, "It's yours anyway, not mine. ...But you can get rid of it if you don't want it."
"No, I...wait!" she struggled to get to her feet and run to his side. "There was something I wanted to-"
He stopped, though he didn't look at her. "...W-What is it?"
"Um..." Sylvia faltered, before reaching into her saddle. She pulled out a wrapped package and handed it to him. "I...I wanted to apologize for all the trouble I caused before, even if only a bit. And...I guess to thank you for helping me, now."
Hater's eyes widened slightly at the package. He hadn't been expecting that. "You..." He slowly took the gift. "What did you get me?"
"Well...open it and see?"
"..." Looking down at the package, he paused for a moment before tearing off the wrapping paper. Inside was a soft blue plush toy, similar to the one he had won on their date. It also had a little backpack, too.
"I...I guess it's kinda childish, but you seemed to like the other one, so..."
He turned the toy over, looking at it. It was sorta cute, and it was almost the same shade of blue as her. He gave it a small squeeze. "...Thanks."
"Um...you're welcome. And I was also gonna say that...I didn't want to throw the ring out."
"...Y-You didn't?"
"No. It..." she put her hand over the ring. "...it makes me feel safe."
He looked at her for a moment. "I, didn't think it would mean that much to you." It made her feel safe? It didn't make her angry or just remind her of how he forced her to marry him and stay on his ship?
"...I didn't think it would either. But...but it does."
"...Huh." There was a bit of a smile on his lips, just for a moment.
"So I...also, thanks, for-for helping me today. Sorry I made a mess of things..." she looked down at the three long scratches on her chest.
"Well... You were just trying to help. Um, do you-" He then remembered that Wander was right beside her with a first aid kit. She didn't need to come onto his ship to be patched up. "Nevermind."
"It's okay...thank you." she smiled, hugging her shoulders. "It's n-nice to see you again, Hater."
He blushed slightly. "Y-Yeah, nice to see you too." Seeing it out of the corner of his eye, he tried to ignore Wander smiling at them.
"You...you looked pretty cool fighting him off, actually."
"I did?" That was definitely surprising, considering half the time he was defending himself (or at least trying to)
"Yeah. You kept getting up, and...you saved me."
His blush deepened a bit. "Y-Yeah well, I didn't want him to hurt you. ...But, in the end I was pretty much losing, and you're the one who kept coming to help, which is what got him to leave so... You sorta saved yourself."
"...Heh, I guess so." she smiled wider. "I don't usually think of it like that."
"Well, you should," he told her, smiling a bit back at her.
"...there's some really gorgeous pools a little ways from here. You-you want to go look at them?"
"I-..." The plan was to get the weapon and head back to the ship but... "Yeah, okay."
Sylvia's smile went even wider. "Well...come on! We can patch up when we're there!" She gestured the way she came.
The smile was fully on Hater's face now. Making sure he didn't drop his plushie, he followed her - with Wander behind them, holding back an excited squee. Now that he saw them together and knowing that they liked being with each other, he definitely thought they looked like a cute couple!
Sylvia lead him back to the emerald pools. "So, you see those gemstones at the bottom? They're kinda the same color as your powers and your eyes!"
He crouched down to get a better look at them, wincing slightly at the small amount of sparks that came from it. "Whoa, I didn't even know these were here!" And Hater had to admit, they looked pretty cool.
Sylvia took the kit from Wander. "Uh...you want me to hel patch you up some?"
"Uh, s-shouldn't you do yourself first? I mean, you might start bleeding or something, so..."
"My species heals fast," she rubbed the back of her neck. "Plus you're sparking and all..."
He instinctively tried to hide his midsection with his arms. "Uh, well, it's not that bad! It'll be fine, I've had worse."
"I don't doubt that, but...it's kinda worrying. Please?"
"...Fine." His blush deepened, and he quickly looked at Wander. "But you have to turn away!"
"Sure thing, Hater!" Wander nodded, quickly turning around and facing away from the couple, "Just tell me when you're done!"
Staring at him for a moment longer just to make sure he wasn't going to peak, Hater took a deep breath and lifted up his robe, just enough for Sylvia to see his ribcage.
Sylvia leaned over and started to patch up his cracked wounds. "Tell me if anything hurts, okay?"
"I will," he lied. He could handle a little pain, so he wasn't planning on speaking up. Still, he couldn't help but wince a little as she touched him.
"Just...just stay still, okay?" she glanced up at him, her eyes soft. She didn't really mind seeing his bare chest, since she'd seen it at least twice before. This was her first time touching it, though.
"I-I will," he nodded, trying to stay as still as possible. It just felt so strange though, feeling someone's hands inside his body. Strange, but not necessarily bad.
She ran her hands along the ribs, only to check for smaller cracks (totally, ONLY for that.) she patched up whatever she could.
He shivered slightly, his face pretty much totally green now. "Y-You almost done?"
"Yeah, I think so." she nodded, poking her snout in to look around. "Looks like it."
He gave a small squeak. "O-Okay! Um." He gently pulled her out of him and dropped his cloak over his ribs, trying to calm himself down.
"Oh, sorry!" she blushed, looking away. "I'm really sorry!"
"I-I-It's fine!" he said, face still bright green, "Uh, w-why don't you, patch yourself up now?"
"You sure you don't want to? To be...fair, I guess?"
"Uh..." If he did it then, he would pretty much be touching her chest. And, even if she didn't exactly have breasts... "N-No, that's fine. I, don't really know how to deal with flesh wounds anyway. Wouldn't want to mess anything up."
"Um...o-okay." she rubbed her shoulder and took out some bandages to wrap herself with.
Wait, was she disappointed? 'Shoot,' Hater thought to himself, his horns drooping slightly.
"-o-oh, did I say something?" she glanced up at him worriedly.
"Huh? Oh, no, it's just - heh, dumb horns." He forced them to perk back up a bit.
"..." she looked away, wrapping her wounds. "S-so...how've things been with you?"
"Oh, uh, pretty much the same. Conquered a few planets... That's pretty much it. Uh, you?"
"Traveled some, met new people, helped them...that sort of thing." she dipped her feet in the pool, looking away from him.
"Oh. Well, that's good. Glad you've been enjoying yourself." He hugged his toy, glancing away from her.
"...Sooo, am I allowed to turn around now?"
"Um...yeah, Wander!" she called. "Actually..." she leaned in and whispered in his ear. "There's something in the backpack, so you should look at it later, okay?"
"Huh?" He looked down at the toy, tempted to open the little backpack on it now. But, if he had to wait, then he supposed he would just open it later. "Okay."
"Um...preferably when Peepers isn't around." she shifted closer to him.
"..." Okay, NOW he was curious. He made a mental note to go to his room as soon as he got onto the ship - not that he hadn't already been planning on doing that.
"...just...it's nothing BAD, just...personal."
"Ah, okay." He hugged the toy closer to him as Wander sat beside them, not wanting the little nomad to somehow ruin it.
"By the way...you look really good. Like...you've been working out or something." As soon as she said it, her face went red, and she covered it. That just sounded dumb!
"Uh, w-well, not more than usual." The green returned. Grop, why was he so awkward?
"Maybe it's just the way your robe is fitted?"
"I, I guess. And uh, you look good, too, as well!" He mentally slapped himself. Idiot!
"T-thanks. I'm kinda roughed up now, but it's nice of you to say that."
"Y-Yeah, sure." He glanced away again, afraid to say anything more and make himself sound even more stupid.
"So...where were your soldiers? and Awesome's soldiers too?"
"Well, I guess we decided that armies weren't necessary. I was planning on using the robot to smash through the temple and destroy any obstacles or booby traps - and none of my soldiers could've done that. Guess Awesome thought the same." He watched Wander wave at a fish, thankful that he wasn't really paying attention to their conversation.
"Oh...guess that makes sense." she kicked the water a bit. "Guess I'm glad I didn't have to deal with his creepy hand guys grabbing me again."
He straightened up a bit at that. "They've grabbed you before?"
"Caught me, locked me up in cages, forced me to dress up in frilly bikinis and have Awesome put his paws on me..."
"..." Hater clenched his fists tightly, releasing a few sparks. "And, when was this?"
"Couple times, over the last few years..."
Hater growled. How dare he! "That jerk... He didn't hurt you, did he? Cause if he did I swear to grop-"
Sylvia sighed. "...He's already done worse. Remember when I told you about old boyfriends of mine?"
"...Yeah?"
"He was the first one. Probably the worst..."
"...Did, did he ever...?" He couldn't even say it. Wander glanced up, looking concerned at them both.
"...a bit.."
"..." He stood up and started walking away from the lake, furious. "Oh, he is SO dead!"
"Hater, that was years ago. I was like sixteen...he doesn't even remember..."
"That doesn't make it right!" he shouted as he continued to walk away, "He's not going to get away with hurting you!"
"Hater-" she got up and ran to his side, grabbing his shoulder. "Stop. You're still hurt and tired..."
"I don't care! I won't-! I can't just-! Sylvia I'm your husband and I'm not just going to let him-!" He stopped. That was the first time in what felt like forever he thought of himself as that. "..."
"...you...you're my-"
"I'm sorry," he said quickly before he started walking again.
"Hater!" she shouted reaching after him.
He stopped, but he didn't look at her.
"I'm sorry, I'm just...confused, okay? I don't hate you, I just...I don't know what to think anymore!"
"..." He squeezed his plushie. "Sorry..." He probably wasn't helping her become less confused by saying stuff like that.
"But I...I don't hate you, okay? I don't, and I don't pity you either. Okay?"
"...Okay."
"So...I'm not gonna tell you what to do, but just...just take care of yourself, okay?"
"...I will. And, you do the same." And he promised himself that no matter how hurt he was or how dangerous it was, if Awesome captured her again, he wasn't holding back.
"So...see you later, huh?"
"Yeah, see you..." He started to walk again.
Sylvia drooped, turning back to sit with Wander. "bye Hater..."
Wander frowned, patting her shoulder as Hater continued to leave, glancing back at them for a moment.
"Grod, why can't I just...make up my mind?"
"Stuff like this takes time, Syl," Wander told her, "And, you wouldn't want to rush it in the first place, since it's so important to both you and Hater."
"I-I guess...but did I go too far with getting in the way of his fight?"
"Nah. In fact, it looked like you were helpin' him, Syl."
"Well yeah, but...not everyone wants to be helped, Wander." The Star Nomad looked confused. Who wouldn't want to be helped? "Some people...some people just want to do things on their own, and you can't really change that."
"Oh..."
She stared at the pool for a moment...before diving in and heading towards the bottom.
"Syl!" He crouched down, watching her swim. She dove to the bottom of the pool, grabbed something, and swam back up. "Did you see somethin' down there?" Wander asked her once she broke through the surface.
"I just wanted to grab one of these." she opened her hand to reveal one of the most vivd emeralds.
"Ooooh, pretty!" His eyes were wide now, practically sparkling as he looked at the gem, "Guess you really like 'em, huh?"
"Um..." she looked at the color once again before storing it in her saddle. "Sort of."
Sylvia slowly blinked awake. Why did her eyes feel dry? And...and what was so warm-she looked up and saw Hater holding on to her. '...oh, that's right.'
The skeleton was still asleep, though it didn't exactly look like a peaceful sleep. Even with his eyes closed and his body still, he looked troubled. Hurt. Yet he still held onto her, closely but not tightly. Sylvia could feel the hurt in her heart as well. She slowly shifted her arms so she wouldn't wake him, and took his face into her hands, pulling him close enough so she could rest her head on his.
"Mm..." He stirred a little, but didn't wake up. When he felt her, his horns flattened a bit. Her touch always relaxed him, made him feel sort of safe and loved. ...But at the moment, that seemed like his biggest problem. Even so, he refused to pull away from her. He'd never, not until he had to.
"I'm so sorry, Hater..." she gently kissed his forehead. "I wish I could just...take all this back so you wouldn't be so hurt..." His eyelids fluttered a bit at the kiss, but he forced them to stay closed. Just a bit longer... She sighed, and closed her eyes again. "so sorry..."
Eventually, Hater knew he couldn't stay in bed forever, so he started to open his eyes. Seeing her so close, he couldn't help but stare. Memories of their first morning together as a married couple flooded his mind. 'That almost seems like a lifetime ago...' he thought to himself.
Sylvia was still dozing, her hands still on his face. "...sorry..."
"...It's fine..."
She jerked awake at the voice. "H-Huh?"
"Oh, sorry. Thought you were already awake." His voice was quiet. Definitely a contrast from his usual volume level.
"I...talk in my sleep sometimes.." she blushed a little. "Um...you didn't seem like you were sleeping well.."
"..." He glanced away for a moment. "I, slept fine."
"Hater..." she squeezed her eyes shut.
"..." He searched for her hand, squeezing it once he found it.
"I'm so sorry, about everything. Tis just...spiraled out of control..."
"You... You don't need to apologize. I mean... I'm the one who forced you to get married and, and stuff..."
"Yeah, but...I feel like I could've done better. Could've let you down easy...something!"
"Yeah well... It's fine. Really." He'd get over it, or at least force himself to.
"No, it's not...." she rested her face against his chest.
He felt a bit of heat rise up - just as he always did whenever she got really close - but ignored it for now. Having nothing else to say, he just squeezed her hand again.
"...I know where Wander is. I've been...calling him every once in a while. Just to talk."
"...Guess I know why he tried to stop our wedding now."
"Yeah. He was the waiter and the barker and he was up there on the hill, too."
"He was? Huh..." He really needed to get better at recognizing disguises.
"...yeah. I'm so tired of lying..."
"..." He gave a small sigh. "But you don't have to anymore..."
"...you know I'm not angry at you for any of this, right? I get why it happened."
He blinked at that. "You aren't?"
"No. I was...upset before, and scared, and sad, but...you're sad, and scared, and upset, too..."
"...Doesn't exactly make it right." He still forced her into marrying him. How could she not hate him?
"Well...I'm getting the feeling you didn't know much better..."
"But, I knew exactly what I was doing. I was marrying a girl I liked and that made me happy." And he had assumed the same, but it looked like he assumed wrong.
"...I'm sorry I couldn't really be that girl..."
"..." As far as he was concerned, she still was Lin, at least in a way. They both liked video games and the same kinds of food. They both looked pretty in dark blue dresses. They both made him feel happy. The only difference was that now he called her by a different name. And this Sylvia was much different that the Sylvia he thought either hated him or loved making fun of him and always thwarted his plans.
"I didn't...I was scared, when I married you. I was scared that someone was going to use me and hurt me again. But you...didn't. It just seems like you want somebody to be with."
"...Of course I did. If I didn't want someone to rule by my side and, and be with me than I wouldn't have gone out on that date in the first place."
"Yeah, well...I know how that feels I've always wanted someone to..to care about me, like that. To have a family again."
"...I never really had a family in the first place." He glanced away from her. "All I had was my sister, and... after I ran away from home I figured she would be fine. Her mom liked her and my dad didn't care about her, so she wouldn't be hurt by him. She was strong, she could move on. ...She didn't need me. So... I didn't really want a family. I just wanted... someone who liked me." He winced at how little kid-ish that sounded before remembering he had said something like that to her before - during their first date.
"I mean... I want someone who likes me for me, and isn't trying to get anything out of it. Someone that makes me happy, and someone who I can make happy, just by hanging out with them. ...To almost everyone else I've either been a bother or someone to be feared. I've never really felt wanted. ...So, yeah, that's what I really wanted. Someone who I could trust, and someone who cared... Who liked me..."
"W-well...I don't know if I like you like that, but I think I do...like you, at least."
"..." Well, considering that he assumed she completely hated him, at least just 'liking him' was something.
"After getting to know you better, you're...you're not as bad a guy as I thought."
"...Well, thanks I guess."
"I'm sorry, again..."
"It's fine... So, guess you'll want to leave right away. Meet up with Wander and stuff..."
"...you want me to stay a bit longer?"
"...No. You don't have to."
"But would you like it if I did?"
"..." Of course he would. But at the same time, his guilt would probably keep him from enjoying himself. The sooner he forgot about all of this and let her go, the better, right? "No."
She looked a little disappointed. "...okay. I'll go, then."
"Okay..." Slowly, he removed his arms from her.
Sylvia sat up, rubbing her eyes. "So...how are you gonna explain this to Peepers? He knew it was me, too..."
"He did?!" He couldn't help but feel annoyed with himself. Seriously, did EVERYBODY but him recognize her? "...I'll think of something. Don't worry about it."
"...okay. Just...just lead the way..."
"But, don't you have to pack your stuff?"
"...all I have is the dresses. And...the wig, I guess."
"Oh... Guess you don't really need them then, since you don't wear dresses usually." He got out of bed, taking a moment to smooth out his nightgown and get his shoes on. "Alright, I'll take you to where the mini ships are then. They're pretty easy to fly."
"I...I'd still like to keep them, though. And I'd think you'd want me to take away the robe and night gown too"
"...Oh. Well then, go ahead and grab them. There should be a box or something in there to help you carry them."
She grabbed a stray plastic bag and packed away the clothing and the wig. "I can fly your mini ships, actually."
"I figured you could. Like I said, they're easy to fly."
"Well..go ahead, I guess." she nodded, not meeting his eyes.
"Right." He didn't try to look at her either. He just started walking out the door and into the hall. Waking up when he passed him, Tim gave a curious growl.
"...bye, Tim..." she murmured, giving him a light pat.
"Grrr..." He laid back down, not thinking too much of it and assuming that they would be back soon.
The two got to the hangar bay. "I'll...I'll call Wander when I'm on my way out.."
"Okay..." He walked her over to one of the mini ships. "...Well, here we are."
"...yeah." she nodded. "Here we are."
"..." His head was low, his hood covering his eyes. "I..." He closed his mouth, then opened it again, trying to get the words out. "I - ...Just-... Goodbye."
Sylvia shook, looking down. "Yeah...g-goodbye..." on impulse, she stepped forward, giving him a small kiss on the cheek, then turned away and quickly left in the ship.
"..." Unable to move or say anything, he just stood there and watched her go, not wanting to look away until she was too far to see.
Sylvia wiped her eyes as she flew off, going as fast as she could. She headed towards the planet she knew Wander was on.
Sighing, Hater started heading back to his room. It was only when he got there did he realize: She didn't return her wedding ring. "..." That, along with her words from earlier, gave him just a bit of hope - though it didn't stay for long. "She probably just forgot," he mumbled to himself, laying back on his bed and ignoring Captain Tim's confused noises, "Like she'd want to stay married to me..."
Sylvia stared at the ring on her finger. She stopped, slipped it off her finger, and tucked it into her gown. "...for safety."
Thankfully, the planet Wander was on wasn't too far away - just an hour or so at the ship's top speed - and he spotted her as soon as she got close, smiling and waving at her. "Hey! Syyyyyl!"
"...hey Wander." she waved, slowly.
"...Sylvia?" He titled his head. "Everything okay?"
"...he let me go."
"...Well, isn't that a good thing?"
"I...I don't know..."
"..." Frowning, Wander walked over to her and gave her a hug, figuring that she needed one.
Sylvia hugged him back, her eyes brimming with tears. "I'm so confused..."
He gently rubbed her back. "Well, you'll figure it out eventually. I know you will, Syl."
"B-but...I'm glad to be back with you..."
The nomad smiled at that. "I am too, Sylvia. Talkin' on the phone is nice, but it's not much compared to actually being with you."
"Yeah, I...yeah." she smiled slightly.
"..." He hugged her for a bit longer before letting her go. "So, what do you want to do now?"
"I dunno. I'm...kinda hungry, I guess. I skipped breakfast."
"Well alright, let's get ya some breakfast then. I can get the ol' waffle iron out of my hat and cook you up a whole plate of them."
"...thanks, bud." she smiled a bit wider.
"No problem, Sylvia!" Giving her a smile in return, he took off his hat and took out the waffle iron and a container of batter, quickly getting to work. Sylvia sat down, watching him. She couldn't understand why she felt so torn. Of course she was happy to just be back with him, but something about it just felt...bittersweet.
And Hater wasn't feeling any better. "I just don't understand it, Sir! You know she's just going to go back to stopping our plans now!"
"I know."
"THEN WHY DID YOU LET HER GO?!"
"You wouldn't understand."
Peepers narrowed his eye. "Yeah, I guess I wouldn't." He sighed. At least they had conquered a few planets before she left. A bit of success after a ton of failure was at least something. Remembering that his boss was still upset, he half-heartedly added, "Look, Sir, I'm sure you'll find someone else! I mean, you're the Greatest in the Galaxy! Handsome, powerful - and the more you're out there, the more you'll be noticed. So, just keep conquering and keep your head up, and I'm sure you'll have plenty of women wanting to date you!" Hater said nothing, and Peepers just sighed again before leaving.
Sylvia pulled out the ring, looking at it. "...Wander, what do you think about all this?"
"Well, what do you mean, Syl? Are you askin' how I feel about Hater forcin' you to marry him, or letting you go, or-?"
"All of that, I guess. It's just...confusing. I mean, he was a jerk on the date, but after we were married..."
"He was a lot nicer to ya. Well, I can sorta understand why. You guys were married no, so he probably felt like he didnt' need to put on a show or do or say anything special to get ya to like him, because when you guys got hitched, he assumed you already liked him enough."
"Well, I guess...but he honestly didn't seem to realize that he forced me into it either."
"He didn't?"
"No. He seemed really hurt and upset at himself when he realized it."
"Huh... Well, I always sorta knew he was a good guy deep down, and didn't mean to be evil or bad - at least when it came to some things."
"Yeah...I guess so..." she sighed.
Wander frowned, looking concerned for his friend. "...Did you two talk about anything before you left?"
"I guess we talked about our feelings? I kept apologizing over and over because it looked like he was ready to cry...and I told him I really meant it when I hugged him and stuff."
Wander's frown deepened. Poor Hater. "Well... at least you told him that, and I know you weren't lyin'."
"Yeah, but did he know that?"
"...I'm sure he did."
"He didn't seem like it..." she rubbed her eyes. "And he was hurting bad..."
"Aww..." He moved over to her again, giving her another hug.
"I screwed up...I screwed up real bad..."
"But not on purpose."
"But I still did it...."
"...Well, maybe you can think of a way to try to make it up to him next time we run into each other."
"...I hope so..." she sighed.
Giving her one last hug, Wander let her go to take the waffles out of the iron, just before they started to burn. Plating it and drenching it with syrup, he handed her the plate. Sylvia took the plate and started to eat. She realized she'd never cooked something for Hater like she'd promised. "..." she sniffed.
Wander looked up at her, frowning. He wished he could help make everything right and make both her and Hater happy. After all, this all had been his fault in the first place.
She rubbed her eyes. "Sorry, sorry..."
"Hey, it's fine. I know you're feelin' a bit emotional right now."
"...I gave him a kiss before I left..."
..I bet that meant a lot to him."
"But what if it just made him feel even worse?"
"Huh? What do you mean?"
"What if he just wants to forget me, and that made it even harder to do?"
"Well, I think he'd want to move on, but he certainly wouldn't want to forget ya. That would mean forgetting all the good times between you two."
"We played video games and watched a lot of movies..."
"I bet that was fun."
"...yeah. Yeah it was." She smiled a bit.
Wander smiled a little too. "And you guys probably had some good conversations."
"I learned a lot about him, yeah."
"Like what?"
"Like...he has a sister. Um...stepsister, actually. And he never knew his mom.”
"Oh no... I can't imagine not knowing my mama."
"Yeah...apparently his stepmom was a real piece of work, too."
"How so?"
“She was just really cruel and neglectful. I THINK she killed his father too, although that's not really a bad thing from what I've heard about his father."
Wander's face became more concerned. "So... His dad was sorta... sorta like yours, then?"
"...yup. I mentioned that to him."
"You did?" For the longest time, Wander was the only one who knew about Fontaine and the cruel things he'd done to Sylvia, so it was a bit surprising that she'd share it with Hater. ...Though, if they had something like that in common, maybe it wasn't surprising.
"Yeah. I thought it might help him feel better, that I knew how he felt."
"I bet he did. When it comes to things like that, people like to know that they aren't alone."
"...but he's alone now. I left him alone..."
"...He's not alone. He's got Mister Peepers and Captain Tim."
"Yeah, but...that's not what he wants in life."
"Then, what does he want?"
"He wants someone to comfort him, someone to...like him."
"...You mean like, 'like him like him'?"
"Yeah, like 'like him' like him."
"Oh... And, I guess he means the romantic type of love, not platonic."
"Maybe he'd like a really close platonic, too."
Wander smiled a bit. "Yeah, maybe... Maybe we can give him that."
"..Yeah, maybe we can."
The nomad was certainly willing to try, especially if it made Hater happy.
"I just...I need to get my mind off of this for a while." she stowed the ring away. "So...what now?"
"Hmm... Well, we could do a bit of traveling. Maybe find a festival or a landmark or somethin' to go to?"
"...I'd like that. You got my saddle and reins?"
"Of course." He pulled them out of his hat. "I wasn't gonna throw 'em away. Never even thought about it."
"Thanks bud." she hugged him. "Didn't want to lose my wallet, either."
"No problem, Syl," he smiled, hugging her back, "Now come on, you can pick wherever you want to go. Your choice."
"I'm kinda rusty on all this. gimme a minute to change." She didn't mind changing in front of Wander, considering they were best friends and all, so it only took her a minute before she was in her adventuring clothes and had her other things stowed away. "Okay, ready to go!"
The nomad grinned. After quickly putting away everything, he hopped on her back. "And so am I!"
"Alright, time to head on, wherever the wind takes us!"
