(Palette)

The soft knock on the door woke me and Ghost from our naps. He jumped, looking around in panic before calming down. I looked over at the door, seeing the outline of someone leaning into the window. He wore a dark hood that enlarged his silhouette. Raven.

I got up and opened the door widely, seeing a grouchy Raven and another skeleton, smiling softly as he looked around the entrance. He wore little red spectacles, along with a white coat over a black sweater.

"Raven, thank the stars," I sighed, leaning on the door, "Come inside."

Raven and the professor made their way inside. Ghost looked up at the new arrivals. He went stone still when he saw Raven. Raven smiled and waved, but Ghost began to shake. Raven looked at me, confused and suspicious.

"Palette, what's going on?" he asked coldly. Tone of voice: big mistake.

Ghost shrieked in panic and fell off the couch. Scrambling to his feet, he ran to the other side of the cabin and flattened against the wall, hyperventilating as he looked at Raven. Raven took a small step towards him with his hand outstretched and Ghost screamed, running into the bedroom and slamming the door.

Raven whipped towards me, closing the distance between us in a few steps, raising his fist to punch me. I held my hands up, "Wait! Let me explain!"

He grabbed the collar of my shirt, still holding his arm up, "Better spill quick or else you're gonna pay, Palette."

"Raven, that is enough!" the professor snapped. Raven's mouth twitched, jerking his head to the side. "What have I told you about losing your temper?"

Raven growled, rolling his neck, "'Tempers achieve nothing but arguments,'" he said robotically.

"Good. Now, put him down and let him explain," the professor said calmly. Raven growled again before letting go of me and backing away, popping his neck.

"Now, Mr. Palette-"

"Just Palette, please," I interrupted. The professor nodded slightly.

"Palette, you called us because you were concerned about something," he said calmly, "I assume the boy's reaction," he looked over at the bedroom door, "Has something to do with that concern."

"You'd be right," I said, "Something odd happened last night, during the storm. Me and Gothy-" Raven let out a low growl, "-were on a walk when the storm came on. We got separated in the short-cut crevasse after a tree got struck by lightning. I went to go get him on the other side because he's terrified senseless in storms and found him unconscious. Or rather, I found that kid unconscious."

"Wait, what?" Raven spoke up, "You mean that's not Goth?"

"Yes and no," I said, "he is Goth, but he's from another universe. It's like him and Gothy-" growl "-traded places or something."

"How did you know?" the professor asked.

"Besides stuff like his other reaction?" I asked, and the professor nodded, "Well, he's not, uh, well, um...he's not... pregnant."

"What?" the professor looked shocked. I rolled my eyes.

"Please, you know as well as I do that gender doesn't mean much with us," I told him. He nodded, placing a hand on his chin.

"How old is he? Your boyfriend, I mean," the professor asked.

"Is that really relevant right now?" Raven interjected. The professor held up a hand, still focused on me.

"He's seventeen, why?" I told him.

"Hmm...and you love him, yes?" the professor went on. I got to see Raven's indignation.

"Well, no shit Sherlock," I said, "Why else would he get pregnant?"

"Hmm..." the professor hummed. Raven got impatient.

"Look, you can do your investigating on my brother's insane relationship later. For now, can we get back to the point that he's in another UNIVERSE?!" Raven snapped. The professor gave him a look and he backed down but still glared.

"I need to talk to your friend in there," the professor nodded towards the bedroom, "Are you able to calm him down enough to speak to me?"

"Maybe. I can try," I shrugged. He nodded, and I went over to the bedroom door, opening it softly.

Glancing around, I didn't see Ghost. But I heard whimpering from the other side of the bed and walked over. I found him shaking, holding himself in a corner, staring at the door. I crouched down beside him and he looked at me.

"Is he gone?" he whispered shakily.

"Who?"

"R-Raven, is he gone?" Ghost repeated.

"No, he's out there," I said softly, sitting on my heels in front of him. He let out a shaky breath, holding himself closer, "Why are you afraid of him?"

"I-I... I ha-haven't s-spoken to m-my brother in f-five years..." Ghost said shakily.

"Why not?"

Ghost shrunk into himself, unwilling to speak.

"Please, Ghost, I need to know," I told him softly.

He looked at me, mistrusting. Then he closed his eyes and took a deep breath. And another. And another.

"He hated Rurik," he began, "I had only been dating him for about five months when Raven snapped. He saw what Rurik would do to me, even if I tried to hide it. When I told him it wasn't Rurik's fault, he got angry with me. He said, 'No, it's not his fault. It's yours." He went on about me just wanting to be close to Rurik for his power. Even so long ago, Rurik was a pretty frightening figure in the street gang circle. Only a lieutenant at the time, he held a lot of power over me. I loved him, I couldn't deny it. So, I stayed with him."

He took a shaky breath, "Raven said that Rurik didn't love me back, even though I knew he did, in his own twisted way. When I kept dating him after our first argument, Raven went wild. Before he left home, we had one big fight. He called me a-a-a," Ghost swallowed, "A 'whore who only wants power' and said that I was nothing but a toy for Rurik to play with. Said that I only let Rurik have me because he was so strong."

"He threatened that if he ever saw me or Rurik again, he'd hurt me and-and-and," Ghost let out a little sob, "Kill Rurik. He screamed that he never wanted to speak to me again." Ghost lifted up his shirt to expose a long scar on several of his ribs, "he lashed out when I called him a liar and said that I loved Rurik. He called me a whore and slut again before leaving my life forever. I haven't spoken to him since. I've seen him a few times, but every time I found him I'd hide. I was very afraid that if he saw me, he'd come after me and hunt down Rurik. I-I-" Ghost let out another small sob, "I didn't want to lose Rurik..."

"Oh, I'm so sorry, Ghost," I said, then bit my tongue. Since when am I so sympathetic?

Ghost looked over at me, wiping some tears from his face with his sleeve. "You know, you might not believe but he can be a lot like you sometimes."

Huh? Ghost looked away, "He might be dangerous, sadistic, and cruel sometimes, but he has a soft side. I mean, it's buried deeper than the core of the earth but it's there. He just shows it in some strange ways..."

I clenched my fist, "Look, I know you have a bad rep with your brother, but the Raven outside would never hurt Goth like that. I mean, he hate's every single bone of my being but he loves Goth too much to let that get between them. If you could come outside and talk, maybe we could find a way to get my Gothy back... send you back to Rurik...if you want to, that is..."

Ghost nodded, relaxing a bit, "I do. I want to go back. As twisted and crazy as it is, I miss him. He was always protective of me, and I felt safe in his arms most of the time."

I stood up, offering my hand. Ghost took and I hauled him to his feet, leading him out the door. He stiffened when he saw Raven, but Raven was cautious and approached him with an open hand.

"I'm sorry for whatever I did to you, or what my other self, did to you," he said softly, "But here you're my brother, and I want to make sure you're safe and comfortable."

Ghost looked up at me and I nodded, and he looked back at Raven. He shrunk into me, staring at the proffered hand. Raven saw the fear in his eyes and dropped his hand, shoving it into his pocket roughly. I could tell it hurt him to see his brother so scared of him.

"Professor, Raven," Ghost shuddered against me, "This is Ghost, the Goth from another Universe."

"Nice to me you, young man," the professor said.

Raven rocked on his heels, looking uncomfortable, "Well, Ghost," Raven glanced at me, "Time to see what you know. Maybe then we can get you home. And get my brother back."

(Goth)

Returning to Rurik's dingy place, I entered the door angrily and growled to myself. A week. Seven whole damn days stuck in this place. The place where it was Kill or Be Killed. The place where people went mad, murdered, or died.

Seven whole days without anyone I knew. Or my dear Palette... I shuddered at a cool feeling on my neck, feeling arms wrap around me and pull me into a tight embrace.

I growled, trying to turn and face Rurik, "Stop that."

"Ah, so you have the same little ticks, too~" he cooed. He blew on my neck again and I shuddered, falling into him at the sensation.

"Why are you doing that?" I hissed at him as he grabbed me tighter.

"Because your magic was lighting this place like a beacon," he said simply, "and that anger, that emotion? You're nothing but a target in the eyes of those outside."

I grunted. He had a point. Places like this preyed on the weak and vulnerable. Emotion made monsters vulnerable. But I couldn't help it. My temper for one thing, and my mood swings for another.

I squeaked when he lifted me up and dropped me on the bed. He crawled on top of me, pinning my arms to the mattress. I growled at him, snarling. He smirked devilishly.

"I wonder what other little kinks you and Cupcake share, my little Peppermint~" he purred, leaning down to nuzzle my neck. I thrashed around, trying to throw him off by kicking him. He grunted, sitting up a bit.

"Now, now, Pepper," he said softly, "Don't fuss. It'll only be harder..."

I thrashed some more, managing to flip us off the bed. We rolled, but he ended up on top anyway, grinning at me as he forced my hands up.

"Get off me, jerk!" I snapped at him. He clicked his tongue, shaking his head.

"So disobedient, so naughty, so feisty," he smirked some more. He leaned in and kissed me roughly, moving to try and get me to kiss back. Instead, cold red chains wrapped around his chest and he broke away, surprised.

"I am not doing this with you," I growled, yanking him back. I got up and straddled him, leaning down on him and glowering down.

Instead of glaring or growling, he chuckled, "So naïve..."

I sat up a bit, confused by the sudden change. Then I felt his legs move up and hook under my arms, pulling me down to my back. I let out a grunt as my back and head hit the ground, disrupting my concentration.

"You assume you have a choice, Peppermint," he chuckled as my chains vanished. He sat up, still pinning me with his legs. My mind was fuzzy as his head hovered over me again. He kissed me, and in my haze, I kissed back at the familiar touch.

My mind cleared slowly though, and I realized it was not Palette on top of me. With anger at my own vulnerability, I summoned my scythe and touched it to his neck. He paused at the cold touch of metal.

"And you assume," I said softly, wrapping the chains around his chest again, "you have control." The chains pulled him off, the scythe staying next to his throat. I pulled him all the way to the wall, wrapping chains around his legs this time.

I sat where I was, glaring at him. He had a smug look on his face, sitting there at my mercy. I tried to be angry but it had suddenly become difficult. The smirk on his face, that challenging look in his eyes, asking me to go ahead and go through with the situation. The set of his shoulders, slightly forward, drawing me in. His relaxed nature under pressure.

It all reminded me of the boy I fell for.

The scythe vanished but I kept him chained, curling into myself and looking away, trying to push down the thoughts. They're not the same. They're not the same...

He chuckled softly but I refused to look at him. His laugh was even the same, enjoying my torture over him. I hugged myself tighter. Not the same...!

"Heh, heh, heh," Rurik chuckled softly, "my poor little Peppermint, stuck between what he knows and what he sees. That doesn't change what you want, Peppermint!"

"What I want is to go home," I muttered at him.

"Aww, cute," Rurik chimed, "you're so confused you can't even snap at me!"

"Shut up," I told him. He chuckled some more, and I heard the chains rattle as he shifted.

"I know you want something more, Pepper," he whispered, "Just admit it~"

This time, I did look at him. He was leaning forward, pulling on the chains slightly. Everything in his body language called me to come closer. Every part of my body wanted to be closer. I hugged myself tighter, refusing to give into him. His eyes sparkled in amusement at my motions and he chuckled again.

A small little twinge in my belly strengthened my resolve and I glared at him. Not. The. Same. He seemed to find even more amusement in my glare, grinning at me.

"You're trying so hard," he pouted mockingly at me before grinning again, "It would be so much easier for you to give in..."

The burr in his voice was so familiar, so comforting...NO! I found myself crawling towards him, the amusement in his eyes changing to triumph and desire.

I stopped just before I reached him and sat on my knees, my hands subtly crossed over my belly as I stared at him. He grinned at me, looking up as he continued to lean forward.

"That's right, my sweet," he whispered, "Come to me~"

I leaned down over him, looking into his sparkling eyes. There was a small gap between us now, I could feel his warm breath on my face. I raised my hand...

And slapped him hard enough for his head to jerk a foot to the side.

(Palette)

The professor asked both my side and Ghost's side to the story. Hearing Ghost tell what happened sparked a little panic in my soul. He was vague about why he was on the hill and what he was doing, but seeing his broken leg along with his absolute terror at disobeying an order from his Rurik, made it clear that nothing he'd been doing had been good.

After our stories were out, the professor paced the room. Ghost stayed huddled on the corner of the couch, watching Raven warily. Raven stared at the floor, bouncing his knee. I felt bad about Ghost's reaction but understood why Raven might terrify him. If the Raven I know has a short temper, then his counterpart most definitely would be an angry, vengeful person.

I watched the professor pace, a little ticked at his lack of a response. After ten minutes of pacing, I stood up, feeling like snapping.

"Are you going to tell us what this all means or not?" I asked roughly, surprising the professor. He looked at me, wide-eyed. Then he let out a little chuckle.

"I'd forgotten how temperamental residents of The Felle are," he said, "I am sorry for keeping you in the dark, though. When I get lost in thought, I tend to shut out the world."

"Well, care to share those thoughts, professor?" Raven asked, his voice colder than normal. Ghost shivered a bit.

"Well, I'm afraid that part of this is my fault," at his easy tone Raven and my heads' snapped up.

"What?" I growled. Raven stood, glowering at the professor.

"Before you go ballistic on me, let me explain," the professor said calmly. It pissed me off.

"Better hurry," Raven growled, "I might have a handle on my actions, professor, but he," he nodded at me, "doesn't know you like I do."

The professor nodded, "I understand, Raven. Now, what I mean by this being partly my fault is that I believe the malfunctioning of one of my machines may have caused a temporary rift between universes."

Raven and I just stared at him, mildly dumbstruck.

"The storm last night overpowered one of my machine's antennas, causing a temporary surge in the region. My antenna is just beyond this cabin, in the woods, presumably close to your 'short-cut', Palette."

"How would one malfunction create a rift between worlds?" Ghost piped up, and we turned to him.

"Wait, you understand him?" I asked. Ghost shrugged.

"Sort of," he replied. He turned back to the professor, "Well?"

"I believe that someone in your universe has a similar machine setup," the professor continued, "During the storms in both our worlds, there was an identical surge in both setups. Your unfortunate placement combined with the surge caused you and your other self, the Goth of our world, to switch places."

"So you're saying there were simultaneous malfunctions over two inter-dimensional portal machines that created the rift that sent me here?" Ghost asked, and the professor nodded. Me and Raven shared a look before I asked what was on both our minds.

"What are you talking about?"

Ghost looked at me, a soft smile on his face, "Two inter-dimensional portals went haywire at the same time. One half sent your Goth to my world, the other sent me here."

"Is that what you two were saying?" Raven asked, and the professor nodded, "Then why did you have to make it so complicated?"

"It really wasn't," Ghost said.

"Either way, now what do we do?" Raven asked.

"Well, it will take some time to fix my machine," the professor rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "I'll need to check it and see what parts I'll need. A few of them are custom, which would take longer..."

"How long will it take, dammit?!" I lashed out angrily, still pissed at his calm. "I don't have all day!"

"It should take a week at most, young man," the professor said, still in his annoying calm.

"Then why are you still standing here?" I growled him, "If you know what you're doing then get on with it! The longer we wait the longer Goth is stuck in a hellhole!"

"Let's go, professor," Raven interjected, walking up to him.

"But we still need to discuss-"

"You can talk about it later," Raven glanced at me, "But the longer you stand here the less safe you're going to be."

"But-"

"Trust me, his fits are worse than mine," Raven said lowly. The professor looked at me, slightly surprised. He opened his mouth to say something but closed it. Then he turned around, throwing one more comment over his shoulder as he left, "I'll keep in touch, Palette. I'll let you know when the machine is ready."

Then the two were gone. I saw Ghost relax fully when Raven left and decided to give him some space before talking to him.

My thoughts wandered as I started to make some food. My lash out made me realize something: if we were going to bring Goth home, then we were sending Ghost straight back into his hell. I began to wonder if I could bring myself to do that to him, then shook my head violently. When did I get so soft? I asked myself, I never had these doubts before.

I almost dropped the plate in my hands when I realized why I'd become so soft. When I first tried out dating Goth, I tried to keep my emotions in check. Sure, I let passion rule our relationship but I still kept an eye on my heart not to let too much go. I kept a shield inside to keep myself strong and protect Goth from some of my coarser feelings.

That shield broke when Goth jumped. Seeing the pain in his eyes when he told me goodbye shattered the shield and almost broke my soul. Knowing that part of that pain had originally been my fault...

I jumped when a hand gripped my shoulder gently and whipped around to see Ghost standing there. He looked at me with concern.

"Are you alright, Palette?" he asked me.

"Uh, yeah, why?" I asked him, a bit dazed from my coursing thoughts.

"Because you broke the plate in your hands," he said, pointing down. I looked down. He was right, the plate had snapped into a few pieces from the pressure of my hands. A few pieces had fallen and shattered on the floor, leaving me holding two rough half-moon shaped pieces with a large gap between them.

"Huh," was all I managed. I set the pieces in my hand on the counter and bent to pick the rest up. Ghost kneeled down beside me.

He grabbed my wrist and I looked up at him, "I'll do it. Go sit down."

"It's fine," I tried to pull out of his grip but he only tightened it.

"Please, let me. You're stressed out and need to rest. You haven't rested since I've gotten here," Ghost said, "It pains me to see you so frustrated, Palette."

I tried to pull out but he tugged me forward, "Go sit down Palette."

I sighed and stood up. He let go of my wrist as soon as I was on my feet. His eyes never left me until I sat on the couch. Soon I heard the gentle clinking of the broken plate as he cleaned it up, then the shuffling sounds as he finished making food. Before I could stop myself, my body relaxed into the bed, craving proper sleep. I fought to stay awake, but my vision grew blurry. I saw Ghost approach me from the side. He smiled softly as he tossed a blanket over me.

"Sleep, Palette," he whispered softly, "Dream of Goth and sleep..."

With the familiar hum of his gentle whisper, my body gave in to sleep.

(Goth)

Panting slightly from adrenaline, my first thought after slapping Rurik was what the hell did I just do?! My mind raced, I hurt him! Oh no, why did I lose my temper like that? My hands stretched out a bit to check if he was okay, as he leaned away in shock from my outburst. But he chuckled darkly and I snapped my hand back, watching him as he turned back to me. A dark smile stretched his face as he looked at me, his eyes shining with triumph as his tongue slid across his teeth near the slap mark.

"Normally," he said, his voice a little husky, "Cupcake would be punished for such insolence..." he licked his teeth greedily, "But you...Your actions only make me want you even more..."

My two sides battled as I resisted the urge to slap him again. He looked like Palette, he was Palette...but he was being such a snarky asshole I could feel the temper from my father's side acting up.

I settled on glaring at him, crossing my arms and sitting back to keep from touching him again. I sat there with my arms and legs crossed as I glared at his stupid face. His triumphant, handsome, stupid face.

He chuckled some more, leaning back from straining on the chains to stare at me. I looked away from the obvious want in his eyes because it drew me closer. We sat in silence for a while as he stared me down, me avoiding his gaze as much as possible. Finally, I stood and walked over to the bed, crashing down onto it fully clothed and curling up with my back to him.

"You just gonna leave me here, sweetness?" he called.

"I'm not sure if I want you free roaming while I sleep," I called back, not looking at him.

"If you let me go, I promise not to use any of your sweet spots against you while you sleep," he bargained.

Keeping the silence for a while, I huffed. The clang of the chains sounded once as they vanished, leaving a threatening echo in the room. I heard Rurik grunt as he stood, then the thud of his heavy boots as he approached the bed. I turned to glare at him.

"Don't touch me," I snarled, and he grinned.

"I won't, promise," he said as he crawled onto the bed. He crawled over me, laying down on the other side of the bed. Before he settled down, he unbuttoned his shirt and tossed it away, kicking off his boots in the process. I flipped over to turn my back to him again and to hide my blush. Palette had been fit, but Rurik had the fitness of a fighter. Even though we were skeletons, his chest was more pronounced and his pants were tighter fitting at his waist. His body aura was fitter, in a sense.

He settled into the bed, moving a lot before sighing in content. I gripped the sheets in my fists: being this close to him made me nervous and... excited, a bit.

Not the same, I thought forcefully.

My hand hugged my belly as my other hand gripped the sheets. I brought my knees up to my chest protectively, curling into the fetal position to keep my baby safe from Rurik. In this tight position, I relaxed a little, falling into a light sleep.

----

I woke up a few hours later with a wide yawn. My eyes blinked open, and I settled into the comfortable bed some more, relaxed. Then I felt something on my belly and looked down. Rurik's hands were wrapped around my middle, holding my belly tightly. Next, I noticed gentle breathing on my shoulders, and as soon as I became aware of him Rurik nuzzled into my neck. His leg was curled over my mine, pulling my lower body closer to him. Then I looked over to see I was further from the edge than I had been when I fell asleep.

My soul raced at him holding me so closely and tightly. Though from fear or excitement, it was hard to tell. Rurik groaned gently, nuzzling my neck some more and pulling me closer to his body. He's just as possessive as Palette, I thought mildly. His hands gripped tighter over my belly and I had the sudden panicked thought, does he know about it?! My breathing hitched at the feel of his possessive grip on me and he noticed. He woke up with a loud yawn, stretching his back without letting go of me.

"Rurik..." I said softly. Does he even know it's me?

"What is it, Peppermint?" he mumbled softly.

That answers that, "Why are you spooning with me?" I asked him, a little steel in my voice.

"Hmm?" he asked, shifting. His head came up to rest in the crook of my neck, looking into my face with a little sleepy smirk.

"Why are you spooning with me when I specifically asked you not to touch me?" I repeated with a small growl.

"Oh, this," he looked down at the position we were in before grinning down at me, "You snuggled into me, muttering tiredly. I tried to lay my hand on you but you pulled it down here," he curled his fist in a little grip, smirking, "So I wrapped my arms around you and you got quiet."

"Well, can you let go of me now?" I asked him, glaring at his smirk.

He nuzzled into my neck, "But you're so comfy, my sweet~" he murmured into my neck.

I shifted out from under his face, trying to pry his hands off, "Get off me, Rurik. Before I make you."

He groaned, "You're no fun, Peppermint, love," he let go of me and I scrambled off the bed. Turning around, I blushed slightly at seeing him half-dressed. I'd forgotten, I thought as I turned back away.

Hugging myself, I felt the stiffness of dried blood and groaned internally. I started taking off my cloak, checking the sleeves and body of my shirt to make sure it had no blood. It did. With a swift pat down of my pants, bending over to reach the bottom, I found it too had blood. I groaned aloud this time, holding my cloak in one hand and my head in the other.

"Something wrong, sweetness?" Rurik asked sleekly. I flashed a glare at him, blushing again at seeing him sit back casually, exposing his ribs.

"My clothes. They're covered in blood," I said tightly.

"Why don't you change into something of Cupcake's?" Rurik said, standing up. He walked over to a small chest and pulled out some nearly identical clothes to what I already wore, except they seemed a bit more worn. He tossed them to me and I caught them, looking around for a place to change. The little space had no other rooms that I could see.

"Where do I change?" I asked him. He smirked, pulling out another one of his own shirts. He began changing right in front of me, his back to me as he threw on the shirt loosely and began to unbuckle his pants.

"Right here is good," he said as he pulled out his belt. I blushed madly and turned away when his pants came down.

"D-do you have a-a bathroom or s-something?" I said, cursing my stutter as I hid my blush in my scarf. He glanced back at me, a brow bone raised as he grinned.

"Shy, are we, my sweet?" he asked. He turned around, pulling his belt back on as he did. His shirt still hung open as he buckled and I hoped my blush didn't show through my scarf.

He grinned a bit more as I looked away from him. "It's over there, behind that door," he nodded to a corner of the room, "it's small but it's private."

"Thank you," I muttered, going over to the corner and seeing the worn-out door in the worn-out wall. I entered and checked for a lock. Finding none, I shoved the wastebasket against the door and changed quickly, not wanting Rurik to see the glow of my baby-belly or my blush. Putting on the shirt, I found it shorter than my own and hoped that nothing would pull it up. It barely hid my belly glow as it was. The pants were a bit tighter on me, and I had a feeling that Rurik chose these pants on purpose. Either for me today or Cupcake when they got them, just so he had an excuse to look at either of our rears. It made me roll my eyes as I threw on the spare cloak. Wrapping my scarf around my neck, I left the simple little bathroom to find that Rurik still had his shirt undone. He was tying his boots up, leaning down while sitting on the bed. He looked up when I left the bathroom, then went back to tying his boots.

"Do you have any other shoes than those?" he asked. For once, his voice didn't have a taunt or a flirt in it.

I looked down at my black sneakers. "No, not with me. These are what I had when I came here," I said, "Why?"

"They're too noisy," he said simply, finishing with tying his boots and looking up, "If you're going to stay here you need to be more like Cupcake, as much as you might hate it. And my sweet Cupcake was also my little wraith. He snuck around while I handled the dirty work."

"Well, what do you suggest?" I said. He looked mildly surprised at my lack of questions or reactions to what he implied.

"Borrow Cupcake's spare boots," he nodded to a pair of soft-looking, black leather boots, "They'll keep you walking quietly while we work."

"Alright," I said without argument. I walked over to the boots, sat on the floor, and started untying my sneakers.

"You're seriously not going to argue?" Rurik asked. He sounded almost disappointed. I shrugged.

"Why should I?" my sneakers slipped off and I grabbed the boots, "If I'm gonna maintain continuity, I need to do almost whatever you tell me. Especially outside. So, if you have a job while I'm here, I'm gonna listen to you." I finished putting on the boots and stood up. I looked up to see him standing right in front of me, his height forcing me to look up.

He grinned, grabbing my hands in his own. "It took much longer for Cupcake to be so willing," he said. He kissed my hands and dropped them, making me glare at him.

"I'll do whatever I need to in order to return safely back to Palette," I told him sharply.

He simply stared down at me as I glared at him. His eyes sparkled slightly at the sight of me, and I found myself staring into his eyes rather than glaring at him. He placed his hand on my chin as I looked up at him but I barely noticed, too lost in his eyes to care.

He gave me a swift, soft kiss before pulling away and turning around. I stood there for a moment, feeling a small tingling of where his mouth had been, before shaking my head violently and glaring at his back. He had begun to finally button up his shirt, and I watched him, still glaring.

I crossed my arms and huffed, "Thought I told you not to touch me," I growled at him.

He didn't even glance back, "And I told you I wouldn't do anything while you were sleeping." He looked back, a smirk tugging at his mouth, "You're not sleeping now, are you?"

I just let loose an animal growl that made him chuckle.

"Oh, this week is going to be so much fun," he chuckled.