Lock drifted awake at 8:03 AM. In other words, way too early.
The events of yesterday came back to him and made him smile. At least he would be able to hang with Barrel today.
He rolled over...
...and came within inches of Barrel's face.
It took all of Lock's self control not to scream, and even so he let loose a few squeaks. Clapping a hand to his mouth, he reared back and smacked his head on the wall behind him. Gritting his teeth against the pain, he slipped back into bed and turned away from Barrel.
What is he doing in my bed? He doesn't have a reason...unless -!
Suddenly scared, Lock whipped around and lifted the covers, trembling.
Both he and Barrel still had their pants on. He sighed in relief.
Lock scanned Barrel's sleeping form. Unlike himself, who covered his lanky body with a red tee, a pair of jack-o-lantern patterned boxers, and two very tall black/red-striped stockings, Barrel was wearing long black pajama bottoms and...no shirt.
Despite blushing furiously, Lock found he couldn't look away. With each rise and fall of his chest, Barrel's muscles rippled hypnotically. Lock felt a sudden urge to touch his fingers to those rock-hard -
Dude! Stop it!
Lock whimpered, trying to fight the growing sensation of want.
Just one touch couldn't hurt.
He reached out and gingerly placed his hand on Barrel. He was warm against his cold fingertips, and felt like the very definition of strong.
Lock shivered with wicked delight as he sidled closer, against his better judgment. He brushed his legs against Barrel's, giggling.
The corpse-boy opened his eyes.
Lock, alarmed, immediately rolled over, trembling.
Barrel lifted his head, blinking blearily. "Lock?"
No answer.
A playful smile appeared on Barrel's face. "Lock."
"What?" Lock's shrill voice was muffled by the blankets he had pulled over his head.
"Were you cuddling me?"
"No!"
Barrel could practically HEAR Lock blushing like mad.
"You totally were." he chuckled as he silently wiggled closer.
"No, I wasn't!"
Barrel slipped his hands under the blanket slyly. "You were."
"For the last time, I...ohhhhhhhhh..."
A sexual moan slipped out of Lock's mouth as Barrel's deft fingers massaged his shoulders. He melted into his touch, drooling profusely.
Barrel's fingers began to drag themselves down Lock's body, examining it lustily by touch.
"Mmmm...stop it, Barrel..."
Barrel smiled naughtily as he slipped a hand into Lock's 'thigh-high'. He paused as he drew his fingers down his leg.
"Uh...do you shave your legs?"
"N-no!" Lock jumped back into defensive mode.
"You are SO girly!"
"Am not!"
"Are too!"
Lock sat up angrily. "Shut up!"
"Oh, for goodness' sake! I was only kidding!"
Lock turned to face the wall.
"I'm sick of you making fun of - mmm! Ohhhhhhhhh..."
Barrel massaged his friend's shoulders again, his powerful fingers relieving Lock's rage.
"Ohh...uhhh...hngh..."
Lock leaned against Barrel broad side, clearly begging for more. The candy-lover laughed and rested his chin on Lock's head.
"Silly Lock..."
~•=•~
After finally prying himself away from Lock, Barrel went back to his room to change. Lock grinned stupidly as he felt his shoulders.
Sex may be out of the question, but touching? Go right ahead, Barrel.
After he got dressed and brushed his teeth, Lock was greeted by a lovely sight in the kitchen - a bowl of cereal with a lollipop set on top. He sat and was cheery until he saw Barrel come and sit with the exact same breakfast, lollipop and all.
"And here I thought I was special."
"Yeah, special needs."
Lock swatted him.
An odd thought had entered his head and wasn't planning to leave until it got its way. He tapped his finger against the wooden table anxiously.
"Um, Barrel?"
"Mmm-hmm."
"Uh...I was wondering...would you...maybe...like to..."
Barrel frowned. "Today, if you don't mind."
"I...I...I want to go on a date with you!" Lock blurted out.
Those words hung in the air as Barrel raised an eyebrow.
"Really?"
Lock bit his lip. "Oh, forget it. It was a stupid idea."
"Well, I'd best put on some cologne."
Lock looked up in surprise. "Huh?"
Barrel punched him playfully. "Tee hee!"
As Barrel went to prep himself, Lock gazed after him longingly. All he could think was Nice ass.
~•=•~
Barrel carried a soft fragrance of Old Spice as they left, but not in a heavy, overdosed way.
"You smell...nice." Lock complimented him awkwardly.
"Thanks. Now, where to first?"
"The candy store?"
"Sure."
The two headed down to Behemoth's. Before they entered the shop, Barrel copped a feel on Lock's rear.
"Hey!"
"Ah, hello, Barrel. Lock. Feel free to look around."
Barrel gave Lock five dollars. "Go get yourself something nice."
Lock grinned and went to the jawbreakers. Barrel spied the candy lingerie again and snatched one up fast.
"Could you box this?" he asked, glancing over to see if Lock was looking.
Behemoth examined the candy panties. "Finally found someone?"
"It's the early days yet, but I'm hopeful."
Behemoth chuckled. "Be sure to tell me if you get lucky tonight."
"I will. Coming, Lock?"
Lock, who was sucking loudly on a jawbreaker, nodded happily.
As the two left, Barrel pulled out the box and handed it to Lock.
"Got you something."
"Oh! That's so sweet..."
He opened it and frowned. "You've got to be kidding."
Barrel burst aloud laughing as Lock facepalmed.
"You are ridiculous."
"Put it on!"
Lock put it on his head, which only proceeded to make Barrel laugh harder.
"Oh, God, I can't breathe."
"Good. Now eat it before I do."
Barrel pulled it off of Lock's head and nibbled the corner.
"You're so cute, Barrel." Lock giggled girlishly.
"So are you." Barrel kissed Lock's cheek.
~•=•~
For the rest of the day, Lock and Barrel went sightseeing, ate food and egged the Mayor's house. As they ran from him, they found themselves in an alley where Lock had spray-painted a pair of boobs on the wall last Halloween.
"I guess that isn't an accurate representation of what you like anymore, is it?"
"No, but I can fix that."
Lock grabbed a spray can that was lying about and sprayed a single line from in between the circles upwards. Barrel burst out laughing.
The two went on until they spotted the night club.
"Can we stop in? Please?" Lock begged, sounding like a kid pestering his mother for a toy.
"Alright."
The two entered.
Inside, the place was hopping. Every teen in Halloween Town was there, from the Vampire Bro.s' kids to the Mayor's daughter. Lock's face split into a smile.
"C'mon, man! Let's get jiggy!"
Barrel stood there, feeling out of place.
"What 's wrong?"
"I can't dance. I have no left feet."
"Oh, Barrel! Half the people in here can't dance! Just move around a little!"
The DJ started playing 'Where Them Girls At' as Lock nudged Barrel. "C'mon!"
Barrel first started by moving his hips to the beat and everything fell into place after that.
"Yeah! That's it!"
Barrel grinned and started really getting into it. It was undeniably fun.
As the song ended, Lock slapped Barrel high-five. "Sweet, man!"
The DJ looked up. "Alright, now it's time for a special dance for all the couples! So guys, grab your girls and get on the floor!"
Barrel sighed and got off the floor. Lock followed as 'Halo' started up.
"You don't wanna dance?"
"No."
"Why?"
"We'd stick out."
"Oh."
A pause.
"Um, are you sure?"
"Sure what?"
"That you don't wanna dance."
"Why? Do you want to?"
"I just - oh!"
Barrel had put a hand on Lock's hip and was the raising the other invitingly. Lock hesitated, then placed a hand on Barrel's shoulder.
The two began to waltz.
Twice Lock trod on Barrel's foot, but they never deterred from the dance until the end of the song. Lock stared into Barrel's deep green eyes as a feeling inside of him grew to intensity. The two hugged and the words slipped out of his mouth. Due to the noise, Barrel only caught part of what he said.
"...love..."
Two spots of color rose up on Barrel's cheeks. He took a sharp breath and gripped Lock tighter.
~•=•~
The two left and went to the fountain. Lock was gazing off into the distance when, suddenly, he wobbled. His eyes became clouded by pink and dizziness exploded over his brain.
"Ugh!"
"Lock! What's wrong?"
Lock groaned as the splitting spontaneous headache subsided.
"Lock? Are you okay?"
Lock turned to Barrel. "Yeah, I'm f-"
He stopped short.
When he looked at Barrel, he didn't feel...anything. All the love was gone. Instead it was replaced with thoughts of Shock - how would she react if she found out?
"...Lock?"
Lock leaned against the fountain. "Uh, listen Barrel. I need to talk to you."
"About what?"
"About...everything."
"...what do you mean?"
"I don't know...how we can keep doing this."
All of Barrel's happiness vanished like mist under a hot sun. "W-what?"
"Shock is coming back tomorrow and I...I think the arrow stopped working anyway."
Lock looked up and started. Pure agony was the only way to describe Barrel's expression.
A single tear slid down his cheek and he wiped it away, disgusted at himself for showing such weakness.
"You...you monster! You were only doing that because of the arrow? You don't care about me at all?"
Lock could feel his heart breaking under Barrel's harsh yet true words.
The corpse-boy nailed him in the face, knocking him back. The taste of blood exploded in his mouth.
"W-well, you know what? Go back to Shock! I don't care! I HATE YOU!"
Barrel spun around on his heels and ran off, his sobs ringing in the night.
~•=•~
When Barrel finally stopped running, he was rather far from the fountain. All his pain came gushing out full force.
Oh, God. He doesn't love me anymore. I thought I finally -
Unable to continue, Barrel collapsed onto a bench, pulled himself into a ball and started to cry.
Truth be told, he was still in love with Lock. Truly, deeply, madly. And this was the most crushing thing that ever happened to him.
His heart was broken and couldn't be fixed.
"...Barrel? Is that you?"
He looked up, face dripping.
It was Sally and Jack, out for a nightly stroll.
"Are you alright?" Sally asked, sounding genuinely concerned.
Barrel wiped his face on the back of his hand and shook his head. Sally hesitated.
"Jack, you go on. I'll meet with you later."
Jack shrugged and went on.
Sally sat next to Barrel. "What's wrong?"
"Lock doesn't -" Barrel cut off his strangled voice, cleared his throat and tried again. "Lock doesn't like me anymore."
The way he picked his words made it sound innocent enough.
Sally: "Oh, is that right?"
Barrel nodded, "He only thinks about Shock."
"I see."
She thought for a moment, "Well, if you want my opinion, I think you should talk to him. Tell him what you feel and maybe you'll convince him."
"...but what if he doesn't listen?"
"You'll never know unless you try."
Sally got up and patted Barrel. "Go on, then."
After she left, Barrel stared at the pavement for a bit before getting up and slowly walking back to the fountain. All the while, he kept rehearsing what he would say.
When he got back to the fountain, he was greeted with an unpleasant sight. Lock was sitting on the edge of the fountain, head in his hands. Biting his lip, Barrel quietly went up to him.
"...Lock?"
The devil-boy looked up, eyes wide. Barrel almost lost it at the sight if his face.
Lock's face was slick with tears and blood. Barrel's punch had been so forceful that his nose and the corner of his mouth were still bleeding heavily.
"Uh...I need to say something to you."
Barrel drew in a deep breath and began.
"I can understand if you want to stay with Shock. And I don't mind. But I really hope that...I can still be your friend. I...I'm sorry for saying what I did and for punching you."
Lock stared at him for a moment. Barrel could have sworn he saw a pink sparkle in his eye.
Upon gazing into Barrel's eyes, Lock felt his heart twist itself into a knot. All the feelings he had ever felt for Barrel over the past few days resurfaced, stronger than ever.
He flung himself, sobbing, into Barrel's arms. The candy-lover almost fell over, considering how much taller Lock was than him.
"I DON'T CARE ABOUT SHOCK ANYMORE! I DON'T CARE ABOUT ANYONE! I JUST CARE ABOUT YOU! I WANT YOU! I NEED YOU!"
Lock buried his face in Barrel's shirt, crying as if his heart was breaking (which, judging by what he was screaming, probably was). He lifted his tearstained face, smeared with blood, and looked into Barrel's eyes.
"I love you."he whispered.
Barrel stared at him, shocked by all the raw emotion tumbling out of Lock. He took a sharp breath as Lock clung to him.
"Say it again." Barrel's mouth moved of his own accord.
"...I love you."
"Say it again."
"I love you."
"Say it again."
"I love you! I love you, I love you, I love you!"
Barrel grinned despite the tears running down his face. He wiped Lock's face free of its fluids.
"I love you, too."
And they kissed.
At first it was a normal kiss.
Then the tongues got involved, gently touching each other.
Then Barrel began to grope at Lock, playfully rubbing his back.
As it were, Barrel had taken so long to walk back to the fountain that Sally and Jack had finished their stroll. They were planning to cut back to Skellington Manor through the path by the fountain.
Sally stepped into the light of a streetlamp and gasped in surprise.
"Oh! Oh..."
Jack stared. "What on..."
Sally smiled sheepishly. "I guess my advice worked better than I ever thought it would."
Jack shook his head. "Great Pumpkin..."
The two took a different route back, as to not bother the two boys.
Finally, Lock and Barrel pulled away from each other, staring deep into the other's eyes. Then they both said in sync with each other;
"I love you."
