Sorry for all the waiting, you guys.
Sweat beaded on Skull Boy's brow. The candlelight flickered across the pages of the books spread open around him. He couldn't remember ever being this tired.
Did his new body get tired more easily?
"Skull Boy?"
Ruby stepped quietly into Skull Boy's room. He didn't look up from the page he was poring over.
"Skull Boy, you've been up here all day. You should take a break."
"I need to fix this, Ruby."
Ruby sighed and sat down behind Skull Boy. Her hands brushed his shoulders, then massaged them gently.
"I asked Frank and Len. They said you're allowed to take a break."
"No, Ruby, I-"
Ruby stood up and put her hands on her hips.
"If you don't come with me, I'm going to go get Iris and she'll drag you out."
Skull Boy stared up at Ruby for a second, then sighed and got up.
"Fine. But just for a little while." He looked down at the dark skin on his hands, the skin he'd thought held so many secrets but really held none at all. "I just want everything to go back to normal."
Ruby smiled.
"Me, too." She ruffled his hair and added, "But you do look cute like this."
Then she dashed out of the room. As Skull Boy followed after her, he could have sworn her cheeks had glowed pink in the half-light of the sputtering candles.
Ruby paused on the manor's front steps to wait for Skull Boy. She fanned herself, ordered her traitorous cheeks to stop flushing. Why had she said that Skull Boy looked cute? (Even though it was so true.)
"Where are we going, Ruby?" Skull Boy asked as he pushed open the heavy front doors.
Ruby hooked her arm around Skull Boy's and pulled him along.
"It's a surprise~" she told him.
Skull Boy didn't answer, and Ruby could see his eyes fade, slipping back into his own thoughts. The weak light peeking through the clouds overhead lit up Skull Boy's face, and Ruby could see dark purple bags under his eyes.
"Len's better now, I think," Ruby ventured. "Frank, uh, talked to him. About stuff."
She couldn't bring herself to tell him exactly what Frank had said in the great hall the night before.
Skull Boy's shoulders slumped in relief.
"Good," he said.
Ruby smiled.
She met Skull Boy's eyes as he looked over at her.
"How about you?" he asked. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine!" Ruby said happily. "Really, not much changed for me."
She gave Skull Boy her most reassuring smile.
She didn't tell him that she'd stayed up all night wondering. Wondering, if she was human now, what had she been before?
The two continued to walk in silence, but it was a comfortable silence now. Ruby dared to slip her hand into Skull Boy's, and the warmth of his palm filled her whole body with a pleasant tingling.
They wandered far from the manor, past the garage and the graveyard and into Gloomsville.
Finally, the dark, wet sand of the Gloomsville beach came into view.
"We're here!" Ruby said, racing towards the surf and dragging Skull Boy along behind her.
She dove into the chilly water, fully clothed. The black waves crashed over her, plastering her hair to her face.
She laughed and smiled up at Skull Boy, who stood in the waves next to her. Water dripped down his nose. His smile was wide, dark lips and white teeth.
"Race you to the buoy!" Ruby shouted. She dove into the waves, Skull Boy splashing behind her.
She reached the buoy first and held onto it, shivering. Night had fallen during their walk and the silvery light of the moon was reflected in the black water. She watched Skull Boy cut through the smooth surface, turning up waves.
"You're so slow!" she shouted at him, laughing.
It hardly looked like he was moving at all. In fact…
"Skull Boy!"
Ruby dove back below the surface, heart racing. The water seemed so much colder. The waves seemed so much harsher, throwing her around. The salty water stung her eyes and threatened to fill up her mouth and lungs.
It took her seconds that felt like hours to reach Skull Boy, who was thrashing in the water, waves crashing over him and driving him under.
Ruby gulped down cold air. She tried to grab Skull Boy but he fought against her as he strained to keep himself above water. Behind the sound of her own heart pounding in her ears and the crash of the surf, Ruby could hear Skull Boy screaming. His eyes were red and wide.
"Calm down!" Ruby screamed. She wound her arms around his chest as tightly as she could. His elbow bashed into her face and pain blossomed in her nose. Red blood dripped into the water crashing around them.
Her hands threatened to let him go, but she held on tight.
"Let me go!" Skull Boy screeched, clawing at Ruby's arms and kicking at her below the surface. "Let go let go letgo!"
Ruby only tightened her grip.
"Shut up!" she shouted, and the salty water dripping down her face wasn't all from the ocean.
She kicked desperately, her head dipping underwater as she fought to drag Skull Boy to the shore.
"I'm drowning!" Skull Boy screeched, flailing in Ruby's grasp.
"You wouldn't be drowning if you calmed down!" Ruby shouted in reply. The sand was so far away.
Suddenly Skull Boy's hands were gripping the front of Ruby's shirt.
"I'm gonna die, Ruby," he hissed, and his voice was barely audible behind the crash of the waves.
"You're not going to die, Skull Boy," Ruby said. Her arms ached with the effort of holding onto him.
"I already have."
Suddenly, Ruby could feel sand beneath her feet. She hauled Skull Boy, who'd gone limp and shaky in her arms, onto the shore. She fell onto her back beside him, breathing heavily.
"Are… you okay?" she asked Skull Boy softly, looking over at him.
He was lying spread eagle, moonlight reflected in his glassy dark eyes. His wet clothes were plastered to his skin and his chest rose and fell as he gasped for air, coughing and shivering.
"I remember drowning," Skull Boy said, softly. "I died by drowning."
Skull Boy sat up, pulled his knees to his chest. Ruby carefully placed a hand on his shoulder, but he shrugged it away.
"Misery was right," he muttered into his knees. "Remembering death is scary as hell."