Template was a volunteer at the hospital in his town. He was usually helping with children, he would talk to them and play with them. They really liked him and was a favorite among them. The kids would get really sad when he had to leave for the day, but he would always promise to come back when he could.

He rarely does anything else since he works with children so well, but if they are short-staffed then they will let him do something simple.

"Template! Template!" Julie, a girl that's been there a while ran up to him. She had leukemia since an early age and has been in and out of the hospital for a few years. No matter how sick she was she always seemed to brighten a room.

She tugged at his jacket to get his attention. "Look! I drew you something!" She handed him a paper with a drawing of him and her both smiling and happy in an outside area.

"Awwww!" He felt his day be made with this seemingly small gesture. "Thank you! It looks so good!" He crouched down to her height and hugged her.

"I'm going to draw another one." She went over to the drawing table but got stopped by a doctor, telling her something Template couldn't hear from where he was. Julie looked sad but then took the doctor's hand and waved him goodbye.

Template smiled as he watched the other kids, occasionally one of them would get in trouble or something like that. But it was quiet today, and good like a normal day.

"Excuse me," He heard a voice behind him. He turned to see a skeleton with dull eyes and a paint streak on his face. "Do you know where the exit is?"

"Oh yeah! It's—wait...are you supposed to leave?"

"I'll go ask someone else." He started walking off.

"Ah, w-wait!" Template stood up and adjusted his glasses. "Why do you want to leave?"

"Because I was deemed a psychopath."

"Well...are you?" Template was keeping an eye on the kids still while he talked.

"I can't feel anything usually. My parents just said it was me being quiet when I was really little, but I killed a person. " That stopped something in Template's soul. "And then they dragged me here." He held up his wrist, a half of a handcuff was trapped on his wrist.

Template got scared. Not for himself, but the kids. This was indeed a person with a questionable mindset, but they killed a person. They shouldn't be near the children at all.

"M-Maybe we should go over here—"

"I won't kill a kid, I'm not that irrational." He said.

The skeleton walked over to a kid, Template's soul pounding at his rib cage. He crouched down to a kid's level of height and watched him draw.

"That's a good drawing." He complimented.

The boy looked up at him and smiled, "It's a pterodactyl!" The boy had a lisp, making his words seem slippery like soap.

"I can see that...is he...fighting a chicken nugget?" He asked.

The boy giggled, "No! That's a stegosaurus!" He said it between giggling. Template saw the dull eyes meet him, and this interaction gave him a little trust in this odd and emotionless skele. He got up and walked back to Template.

"So! What's your name?" Template asked, finally getting out the breath he was holding in.

"Pale."

"Cool, I'm Template!" He grinned. He was about to say more, but a doctor came and yanked him by the arm and scolded him immensely. He pulled Pale away as he waved the glitchy skeleton bye.

Template heard someone call him over, and looked around to see where it came from, his attention far away from the strange encounter.

The rain heavily soaked through Template's jacket. He let it dry on the coat rack Template was at home when he heard a knock on the door. When he opened it there was the skeleton he saw at the hospital, drenched with rain. He still had the hospital gown on, but it stuck to his ribs with water.

"W-Wha—"

"Sorry for this inconvenience, but can I stay here for a day?" Template was still confused and stammering, trying to find something to stay.

"Ok, um. Wait—how'd you find my apartment?"

"I followed you, but that is weird, right?"

"Yes. Very." Template found himself laughing at this. He noticed the skeleton shivering, "Oh! Hold on, I'll be riiight back!" He ran off and came back with a t-shirt and some pants. "You looked cold in those wet clothes."

Pale took the clothes and started undressing, "U-Um, you should probably change in the bathroom." Template stuttered and averted his eyes elsewhere in the room.

"Oh. Sorry."

"So tell me about yourself!" Template grinned, eager to know why he was here.

"What is there to know?" He asked like he wasn't an enigma to Template already.

Template, of course, asked away. "Well, for starters, why are you here?"

"I got out of the hospital, I overheard them saying they would take me to a 'different hospital'." Template could guess what he meant and nodded.

"Do you think you're insane?"

Pale shrugged, "I can't tell myself. But lacking emotion is also lacking empathy. I can't feel anything for anyone. Feels like I'm missing out sometimes." His blank stare at the floor got cut off by a knock at the door.

Template rushed over to see a man at the door, a grey coat speckled with water droplets, but he held a navy blue umbrella.

"Hello, can I help you?"

The man cleared his throat, "Yes. We have a missing person from the hospital you volunteer at. We saw on security cameras you talking with the person," The man handed him a picture of the Pale, Template felt himself shiver from something other than the cold. "Do you know anything about this man?"

Template wasn't good at thinking of something off the top of his head, "I...remember him saying he wanted to leave but he got dragged away by a doctor. I haven't seen him at all after that though." He thought he blew his cover and Pale's cover, but the man just nodded.

"Sorry to disturb you this late at night, just this is a dangerous person. They are mentally ill, and have committed a crime."

"H-He told me." Template said, that made the man look at him. Should I have said that? Template thought as he felt his face flush. He wasn't usually shy but this felt like an interrogation.

"Well," The man took something out of the pocket in his coat. A card with police info on it. "If you have any information at all don't hesitate to call."

"T-Thank you," Template took the card, "Goodbye." He said, but the man was already walking away like he had many more important things to do than common chitchat.

Template closed and locked the door, "Is he gone?" He looked over to see Pale nowhere.

"Yeah."

Pale jumped up from behind to the sofa. "Why'd you not turn me in? You would get in trouble too if you hid me."

Template sighed, "Oh, the things I do for people." Pale smiled at him and Template seemed confused.

"It seems better if I show some type of emotion. People think my blank stare is strange."

"It's not, I stare into space sometimes when I crochet." He motioned with his hands the motions of knitting, "The hand motions come with ease once you do stuff a lot." Template gasped, "I know! We can try and see if stuff can make you feel happy!" He grinned at the fabulous idea.

"You would do that?"

"Of course!"

"You only just met me—"

"Oh, stop complaining, it'll be fun!"

"Ok."

The next day, Template took him to a skating rink. Pale didn't know how to skate but Template did and thought it was amazing how Pale didn't.

"Template! I don't think this is working!" Pale said focused on steadying himself on the ice. Template skated around to him, grabbing onto his arm to help.

"Well, we haven't been here for too long! You just have to get the hang of it!" His hands dropped down to Pale's hands, they were firmly grasping his. "C'mon, you got this! At this time there's no one else here so don't be embarrassed or anything!"

Pale looked down at his feet, "I-um—" He felt shakey but Template kept him upright, cheering him on. It surprised Pale how quick he was to help him. Everyone just thought that isolation and pills could help but to Pale, this was the first time someone actually talked to him openly before. Maybe someone who cared?

"Hey! You're getting it! And faster than me when I was a kid!" Template chuckled.

"I am?" Pale looked down at his feet and almost immediately started messing up. "Um...—!" Pale let out a yelp as he slipped. Template tried to catch him, but he fell too. "Oh, I'm sorry." He apologized.

Template erupted with laughter, "Maybe next time I shouldn't tell you when you're skating, you get too confident!"

"Is that bad?"

"Nah!" Template grinned, pulling him up from the ice. "I kinda like it!"

"You...like me?"

Template immediately blushed, "I-I mean, as a friend! As a friend!" He hid his face in his navy blue scarf.

"Huh...a friend." He seemed mystified by the word. Unspoken and unfamiliar. He looked at Template with something curious in his eyes. It made him smile, and this time, it wasn't intentional. He didn't have to think as he felt the feeling flicker in his chest. Flicker and die out.

"Do you...want to try some more?" Template smiled softly at him, still slightly shy. He didn't know that Pale wasn't pretending his emotion at that time. That time felt different to him. It actually felt like something. He seemed to forget what Template said. "Skating, I mean." Pale nodded and got up.

"Sure."

The day went by so fast, and Template thought he failed to get Pale to show any emotion. They were both at Template's home now. Template was researching Pale's condition while Pale looked around, "You knit?" He asked pulling up an unfinished scarf from a bin.

"I told you, it's crochet." Template corrected him. "I could make you something if you want."

"No it's fine."

"I have to go to sleep soon. So I'll see you in the morning?" Template asked. Pale nodded and sat on the couch.

Pale couldn't sleep as much as he really wanted to. He felt the same feeling come back to him. But this time he didn't like it, it was so...

Was worrying the right word?

He shifted around to look at the window. Pressing his palms into the cushions he sighed and got up, finally having enough. He looked at the door over the couch. He contemplated knocking, but eventually got up, pulling himself and the blanket with him. He quietly knocked a pattern and waited.

Template appeared at the door. "Hmm? Yeah?" He asked groggily.

"Can you knock me out?" Pale asked.

"Wh—?" That question seemed to wake Template up. "Why?"

"I can't sleep."

"Oh, well, I'm not gonna throw a punch at you so you can sleep." Pale mumbled something, that Template didn't quite catch. Pale saw the confused look on his face and spoke again.

"Can I stay with you?" Pale asked.

Template blushed and then quickly shook his head of the thoughts. "I-I mean," He ducked his head to hide the blush on his face. "I don't see why not, I guess." Pale and Template walked in and Template climbed into bed, expecting Pale to do the same. Pale laid on the floor and stared at the ceiling, "Well, you're not sleeping on the floor."

"Oh. Sorry."

Template didn't wake up before Pale did, but Pale seemed to have slept the rest of the night. He noticed that his arms were around something and something was around him. He looked down to see Template snoring into his shirt. "Oh." He also had his hands wrapped around Template. He didn't want to wake Template so he waited, for now just closing his eyes and enjoying the warmth from the other.

That same feeling came back, but this time it lingered.

He felt Template stir. He looked so different without his glasses. "Hey," Template looked up at Pale in surprise. "Did you sleep fine?" He asked. Template seemed to go bright yellow. "Are...you okay?" Pale asked.

"Am...um..." Was all Template could get out.

"I like this," Pale said, his eyes meeting Template's, "I like this warmth." He nuzzled his face into Template's shoulder. Template felt his face so hot, like he was facing a fire and he was too close.

But then again...he liked this too. He liked being here with Pale. He pressed his face back into Pale's chest and mumbled, "I don't have anything to do on Sundays anyway." He couldn't hear Pale's soul beating in his ribcage for some reason.

"Template?"

"Yeah?"

"You're gay, aren't you?"

Template was taken aback by that, pushing away slight from Pale's hold. "Why do you want to know?" Pale saw the blush spread on his face and looked at him.

"Just asking. Besides you just seem like you like guys. I look at pattens of people when I meet them." He said the last part hesitantly. "I hope that doesn't come off as stalkerish." Template shook his head.

Template shifted slightly, "Yeah, I like girls and guys." He mumbled. "I'm bi," He said it so quiet Pale barely heard him.

"So, is this...uncomfortable for you?" Pale asked. Template shook his head again into Pale's chest, resting back into him. "What is it like?—being in love?"

Template thought for a second, turning his head so that Pale could hear him, "Well, you feel..." He tried to think of the right words to describe it. "Just—with that person, you just want to protect them, and love them, and just be with them for the rest of your life. You feel safe, and you can talk to them. And you want to be with them."

"Hmm," Pale took this into thought.

"I-I'm not the best person to ask," Template quickly added, "I've never had a significant other, but I've had plenty of crushes. I've had the same feeling of your soul just wanting to fly away lots of times. I've never had those feelings reciprocated back to me though." He seemed to be lost into the thoughts of past rejections.

"Hm," Pale's hand came up to Template's chin, holding his face towards him.

"Pale?" Template felt something creep around his ribcage, "What are you doing?"

"Could I...kiss you?" Pale asked.

With that Template pushed him away, "No, no I can't." He broke free of his arms and sat up, his feet dangling off the bed.

"I'm sorry Template. I don't—"

"It's fine. It's...fine, just please, don't do that again." Template felt the flicker in him burn out. "I just can't."

"Alright, sorry." He felt the weight lift from the bed and the door open. When he looked back around, he was alone.

And the flicker was gone along with him.

The rest of the day was an awkward quiet. Pale didn't say anything to Template because he saw in his face that he was avoiding him. He didn't want to upset him farther. This was even harder for him because he didn't feel. He couldn't emphasize with him. He wanted to tell him he was sorry, but it would never sound sincere.

"Do you want to come with me?" Template asked. Pale looked up surprised, "To the post office, I need to drop off something." He held up two letters.

"Okay." Was Pale's response. Pale and Template stepped out and Template locked the door. The apartment complex was very dim. They stepped into the elevator in silence.

"You walk so fast," Template grumbled, trying to match Pale's pace.

"Sorry." Pale said. He glanced at Template and watch his face. He looked annoyed, or rather, he looked just deep in thought. "It's getting dark," Pale said looking up at the sky, dim dots starting to appear.

"Mmhm," Was Template's answer. They turned a corner. A neon sign flickering in the background, "Do you think—" Pale heard Template scream and looked over at him, he felt something hit him in the stomach and he fell to the ground.

"Give me your money." The man holding Template growled at Pale, "Now!" He bellowed.

"I don't have any," He said. "Let him go."

"Oh, do ya now?" He pulled the safety off and held a gun against Template's head, "What about now?" Template was shaking and crying and pleading him to stop.

"Let. Go. Of him." Pale took a step forward, the man pointed the gun at him.

"Don't take steps towards me, boy. I'll let him go, just give me your valuables." He smirked, thinking he won. Pale took in a breath.

He lunged towards the man with quick speed and the gun flew out of his hand and fired. Template yelps and they all duck. Pale punches the guy in the face and he stumbles backwards. The man sees the gun and grabbing it, he points it at Template who was running.

Pale heard the loud bang ring in his ears, the man ran.

"He's gone. We're fine Temp—" He looked at the other skeleton and saw him curled into a ball on the ground. He was holding his side, "Template?" Pale rushed over, "What's wrong?" Template couldn't make sentences, he rolled over and showed Pale the bullet wound to his ribs. Pale's eyes widened, he pulled Template's hand into his and pressed them down on the wound. "Keep pressure, I'm picking you up." He warned Template.

Template hissed as Pale did so, keeping his hand on the wound. "P-Pale..."

"Where's the hospital?"

"W-What?"

"Where's the hospital?" Pale said louder this time.

"Pale, you're going to get caught if you—"

"I don't care. You're hurt. You need medical attention. Now, where is the hospital?" He ran down the streets in a hurry. No one was out at this time.

Template tried to make sense of where they were but everything felt hazy. "It's left of here." Template mumbled. Pale quickened his pace but went slower when Template was whimpering.

"Sorry." He said.

"Stop apologizing." Template said back.

"No, I really am. For everything. And even if it can't feel sincere, I just—" He paused, "I just needed to try to at least apologize."

"You can't help it. Stop apologizing." Pale thought he messed up, that it didn't seem—"I forgive you." He looked down at Template. His eyes were closed but he was smiling.

"Wait, no. Template, don't close your eyes." Something inside him grew, "Template!" He ran faster. He saw the hospital, "Please stay Template," He tan through the parking lot and through the automatic doors on the hospital. He ran up to the man at the front desk.

"Please help him," Pale said with urgency in his voice. It was new to him, shocking. He watched as the man called someone down from the phone.

He felt scared.

Pale waited for hours until a nurse came back, "Is he alright?" He asked. The nurse nodded, "Can I see him?" The nurse nodded again and Pale rushed into the room. He saw Template in the hospital bed, an IV taped to his arm. "Template."

Template looked at him and smiled, his eyes weren't as cheery and bright but at least they were open. "Hey," Pale took a stool from the table across from him and sat near Template, he didn't have his glasses on, "Thanks."

"You look so different without glasses," Pale said.

Template snorted, "That's the first thing you say?" He laughed. "Yeah, you are blurry as heck!" Pale smiled and Template noticed, "You...smiled."

"Did I?" Pale asked.

"Yeah!" He pulled Pale into a hug, "Oh, this is so great! And it only took a bullet!" He joked.

"A-And, I felt something when we were going to the hospital. I felt...fear, I think." Template looked at Pale with curiosity, "You were in my arms and you were dying. And I couldn't do anything but run." Pale looked up at Template, "And I was scared that I would never feel the flicker in me again."

"Flicker?"

"It's like a warm feeling in my chest. And it's always around you in some moments. When we were skating you made me feel the flicker."

"Flicker?" Template asked again in awe.

Suddenly, the door swung open. The man that was at his door the day before locked eyes with Pale. Pale stood up as two police officers behind him hold his wrists behind his back.

"You are under arrest," He said. "You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say will be used against you in a court of law."

"W-Wait! What'd he do?" Template asked.

"He killed a man, and someone said he shot you too."

"I didn't! I admitted to killing the man, but I would never hurt Temp—"

"He didn't! A man was asking for money, if anything Pale saved me."

The man looked between them. "We will see in court." He walked away with Pale, Pale looked over his shoulder to look at Template one last time before they both went out of view for each other.

Two months go by fast. Template was released from the hospital, while Pale went to a mental hospital. He was able to go to the mental facility and not go to jail for life when Template was called in as a witness. That seemed to save him a little.

He would call Template every other day, or at least when he could. They talked for hours. Pale started taking a medication that helped him gain a little bit of emotion. The pills wear off quick, but they gave him the want and need to smile and cry and cringe. He was going to be released if he shown big improvements. If Template had time, he could go down to Pale, but it was four hours to get there and another four to come back. He could barely visit, but when he did it was definitely different.

"Hey," Template smiles at Pale and to his surprise—he smiles back. They were in the middle of the visitation room where other people were visiting their loved ones.

"Hi," Pale looked shy for some reason. Wanting to take another step to close the three-foot gap between them but he was too timid. Template took those steps and pulled Pale into a hug.

"I missed you," Template whispered. Pale pulled him closer into him.

"Missed you more," Template laughed when Pale said that, "Is it weird seeing me with a little emotion?"

"A little. But," He booped the other on the nose, "I could get used to it." Pale blushes an orange color. They sit down at a table, "So, how've you been? You haven't called in a week."

"You got worried?" Pale said with a lopsided smile.

"You get worried more than me," Template retaliated. "You hate it when I don't call."

"Template?"

"Hm?"

"I might have not been completely honest with you about some things..." Template looked at him worried as he continued. "These pills that give me emotion make me discover things I didn't know about me." He paused, the most emotion he showed was now blushing tremendously. "Remember when I told you about the flicker?"

Template looked down at his feet, "Mmhm." He was fidgeting slightly.

"I was wondering..." He held in a breath. "Nevermind—it's nothing." He looked sad for just a second and then Template grabbed his shirt sleeve,

"Wait a minute," Pale looked away shyly, "C'mon, tell me. Please."

"Okay, so um," He sighed, "So that flicker, I asked a staff member on what that was. I explained to them that every time I'm around you or talk to you I feel something. A-And I wanted tell you what it is but it would make me nervous for some reason. And I get  sad when I don't talk to you—but that's strange...oh god why am I still talking." He didn't look at Template's face the whole time. "A-Anyways, I talked with that person. And they—they said I might be in love?"

"Wh—"

"So, maybe, I think, I might just be catching feelings for you?" Pale looked at Template's face. "I know you don't like me in that way, so it fi—" Template pulled his sleeve towards him and Pale was pulled forward. The feeling came back to him when he was so close, "Template?"

"I know what you're feeling, I feel it too." He pressed his lips(?) into Pale's. Pale didn't know how to kiss anybody, so he followed Template's lead.

When Template moves away Pale's dull peach colored pinpricks were stars, "O-Oh," Was all he could breath out. "I like that—can I do it again?" He smiled as he planted a kiss on the corner of Template's mouth. Pale could feel the smile form on his face as Template guided his face to kiss him again. It was longer that the last ones, Pale could feel something rise in his chest again. The flicker.

He let his hands guide themselves to the other's waist. Slow and steady. In a rhythm like Template's soul, that he swore Pale could hear beating in his ribcage. "I like that. I like that a lot." He mumbled stars in his eye sockets. Template laughed. "I wanna keep doing it." He nuzzled Template's cheek and down his neck.

"Pale! That tickles!" Template exclaimed, laughing a little.

"Good," Pale stayed there they were both hugging each other close. "I think it's fair to say I love you?"

"Yeah," Template smiled, "I think I'm catching feelings too.