Chapter 10: The Outer Kingdom

I couldn't believe what Star had done for me, honestly. Sure, I forgave her, said my 'goodbye for now,' but I just couldn't believe it all happened – any of it. That Tom had even broken up with me in a tearstained endeavor to save what we never had, and that we recovered something we never gained, now standing before each-other in a situation that never should've begun nor ended.

But it happened anyway, and… it was really awkward, to say the least. Star's portal had dropped me off in the middle of the Blood Moon Manor's hallway. Well, one of them, anyway. As to which one and which floor I was on? I had no idea. And let me be the first to tell you: being lost in a four-story mansion in an entirely different plane of living is not a place you wanna be.

So there I was, just standing in this long hallway, stretched so far I couldn't see the other ends of it, practically frozen from how overwhelmed I was. I couldn't even begin to think where I would go, and since Tom was probably moving like I was, there'd hardly be any chance our paths would cross.

But god, where was I? When Tom had taken me to his parents' throne room, we'd moved so fast I couldn't tell where I was even then. And in any case, I didn't think that would help much, since all the hallways looked exactly the same; they're all one long stretch of red carpet with a few seats here and a few seats there, dressers with expensive stuff on it, all that jazz. I couldn't imagine living here my whole life; I'd probably always get just as lost as this.

And in the middle of my griping, a hand came over my mouth, effectively smothering my cry of surprise. "Hey, hey… Marco. Marco."

"Tom?" I asked in a muffled voice, looking down to indeed see a gray hand over my mouth.

"Hey, yeah; it's me." He released his hand from my mouth, moving it instead to wrap around my shoulder. "Hey, what's your opinion on… sneaking out?"

"Sneaking out?!" I cried. How ridiculous could he be?!

He smothered the last bit of my voice with his hand again. "Hey, hey… inside voice, please."

I pushed it off. "Sneaking out?!" I hissed, mindful of my voice. "You even told me that Brian legally has to be within a certain distance of you! Is this even allowed?!"

"No; but that's why it's called 'sneaking out' instead of 'asking permission and having your life coach third-wheel you.' Trust me, I've done this all the time, and never once have I been caught."

And just like that, my safety-kid brain was kicking into high gear. "Well, just because you haven't been caught yet doesn't mean it still can't happen! And what'll happen if you do get caught? Huh?"

He shrugged. "Psht, I don't know? Get in trouble, probably."

"And what'll happen if you get in trouble?! God! Tom… it'd be one thing if your situation wasn't as… as delicate as it already is. I'm just worried they're gonna lock you up again…"

Tom brushed a hand against my cheek. "Don't worry so much, Marco; all the servants are in on it."

I groaned. Still, despite his reassurances, I felt incredibly uneasy. "Why can't you just ask your mom and dad to go out?"

"Ah, well…" His ears drew back as he rubbed the back of his head. "Not after what happened tonight. Probably won't even let me near a door."

"Then why don't you just… lay low like they want?" I offered gingerly.

"Because everything they always do to me when it comes to this… anger is always so overbearing! Between all my princely duties and anger management, I hardly ever have time to just… lay low and chill; I don't ever have the time. So I have to make the time elsewhere. And plus," His arms wrapped fully around my arms – not crushing, but tight – his chin on my shoulder. "I made my whole mind up because I owed you dessert right? And I've only got tonight to do it; I don't have the slightest clue what I'd do if I couldn't make that up to you."

I hesitated. Despite everything, all my gears and windings were kicked up to the fullest, resisting every urge to do anything that involved a risk. And despite the fact that Star and I have always done risky things, since she'd inevitably drag me along, it wasn't pleasant. "Still…"

"What are you worried about?" I felt his smile brush his cheek against mine.

"Just –! I don't want you in trouble, okay? I really don't want you getting hurt, or-or in a fight with your mom and dad just because you wanted to get me some dessert."

"Well, no matter what, we'd have to sneak out anyway, in order for it to just be you and me. Y'know, instead of Brian being in the next booth over like he was at dinner." He grimaced; I honestly hadn't even noticed. "It's always gonna be invasive, unless we find a way to get out ourselves." He pulled away, his left hand brushing across my neckline, then down my arm to hold my opposite hand. "What do you say? Do you trust me?"

I looked up to him. "Of course I do."

"Then c'mon, follow me." He gave my hand a squeeze.

"Ah… o-okay." I looked around for any of the people that were in on Tom's shenanigans. Or for those who weren't. I swallowed the lump of doubt in my throat. "How are we gonna get out of here?"

"Okay, so," He pulled me aside, to a darker part of the hallway. "I know this place like the back of my hand. There's a particular window on the second floor that's entirely in a blackout zone because the camera would've gotten caught up in the tree next to it anyway. So what we have to do is use that window and use that tree."

"And what about the first floor?" I found myself asking, having now been put in motion by Tom's helping me along through the hallways. "Is there a camera there?"

"Nope! It's the only way out of this house without tripping an alarm. And I've used this method like… a dozen other times, so you really don't have to worry." He shrugged, his tone smug.

But there was still – and perhaps would always be – something that irked me about taking this kind of a risk. Regardless, his words and his touches held a sort of comfort in each motion that… didn't necessarily make it feel alright, but… it made it feel a little better. "Okay… And then once we reach the garden?"

"We'll have to dodge through a few specific places around the castle's perimeter to dodge the cameras, then there's a really, really specific space where the two cameras just don't meet enough to see us – a blind spot – and I'll take it from there."

And then a thought occurred to me: "Why can't we just use your dimensional scissors?"

"Because that's no fun." Tom stated, like it was a simple thing.

"But it's not safe." I urged.

"But it's not fun." Tom whined. "And plus, there won't be time for us to just… talk, y'know? If we just teleport right there."

I grimaced. "Okay, fine." I conceded, "I guess it could be fun. If very dangerous, and probably a bad idea."

"Oh, Marco, lighten up." He wrapped an arm around me, helping me through the halls to this particular window that he'd mentioned previously. And he was right; flush against one of windows at the end of one of the second floor's hall was a mess of leaves and small branches, seeming that they would burst through. "This is it, here."

"I'm surprised though; why do they keep that tree around here if it looks like it'd crack through the window? Isn't that like a safety hazard? Not to mention the fact that… like… burglars could come in through there!"

"Well, no. No, that really wouldn't happen. That glass there is some of the most reinforced glass in the entirety of the Underworld. Basically, the only way you'd be able to get in is if the window was already opened; otherwise, you're out of luck; I don't even think a rocket launcher could bust up these babies."

I decided to trust in his words; considering they were a wealthy and powerful family, I doubted they would leave something like their windows so unguarded. But to not be able to contain their sixteen-year-old prince? Well, he's a teenager; it seemed pretty likely that he was perhaps the one thing they couldn't control around here.

Tom undid the latches to the window and pulled it open, the thick, bushy throng of leaves flinging themselves into the building. "Well, here it is: our escape route. Come on," Tom took hold of the branches and began to move the thicker brush out of the way, testing a foot out onto it to make sure it could safely support his weight. He then easily moved a good distance out onto it before he looked back to me. In turn, I was frozen in place, all the warning sirens in my head blaring that this was just not a good idea. "You okay, Marco?"

My face was red by then from having held my breath. "No," I exhaled. "No, I am very much not. I mean… I could fall, I could break my leg, I could die."

"How could you die from a height like this?"

"I could fall wrong and break my neck; look, I don't… This is all kinds of bad in my brain and I'm just – I'm scared, okay?" I squeaked out, bending down by the leaves that had escaped inside and tossing them out the remaining pockets of the window.

Tom returned close to the sill then. "Then here, take my hand, and I'll do a countdown and pick you up. Is that okay?"

I whimpered, Tom pushing the tree brush aside with one hand, his other held out for me. "O-Okay… but please tell me there's no more heights after this."

"There aren't." He reassured gently. I took his hand firmly with both of mine, and he held onto one. "You ready?" And with my nod, he counted down, "Three… two… one… And… step!" Tom pulled at my hand as I took a step forward – and, admittedly, I snapped my eyes shut until I felt his warm arms holding me protectively. "You okay? You nearly stumbled into me so hard we both fell."

"Oh, sorry." I murmured, finally opening my eyes to his red shirt, torn at each of its edges. God, he felt so warm – probably because of the fire he had inside of him, either figuratively or literally – and I found myself reveling in his touch more than I should have, but he didn't protest.

Instead, he scooted us towards the trunk of the tall tree, smothered in soot, and whispered, "Hey Marco… I, uh… I have to close that window."

"Hm…?" My voice was almost dazed from having been caught up in his embrace.

Tom gave me a gentle shake, finally dislodging me from my trance. "I have to close the window, okay? So I'm gonna lower you down from the tree beforehand. Then we can snuggle and walk, okay?"

"Oh –! Sorry… You're just… really warm." I found myself blushing.

"No, it's alright, it's alright." Tom chuckled. "So I'm gonna hold you around your waist here, and then I'll try and gently lower you down. From there, I think you'll be low enough that you can just hop right down."

"I think I'll be alright. I'm a karate champ, so… I think I have the dexterity to make it down safely." I bent down to grab the tree branch firmly in my hands, then swung down, dangling just above the ground to safely jump down. Tom, by then – his neck craned in a very unnatural, almost owl-like way – twisted his head back around and closed the window. For my sake, I pretended that I didn't see it. I knew he was just doing it to keep watch over me, but that made it no less creepy.

He jumped down behind me thereafter, making me jump. "Oh! Sorry!" He put his arms gently around me. "Sorry I scared you."

"No, it's okay." I reassured, myself feeling very relaxed as he held me. "Where do we have to go next?"

Tom looked around, making sure nobody important was there to catch us red-handed. "Around here. Come on," He took my hand gently and had us maneuver around the windows, under the cameras. There was a certain feeling of dubiousness that I got from sneaking around like this, and it was different from when I'd sneak around with Star. Usually because when I snuck around with Star, it wasn't so much 'sneaking around' so much as it was 'blindly going into dangerous places without permission, full force, and with wild abandon.' But I didn't mind the way she was; I only wished she would slow down every now and then, for my blood pressure's sake.

He suddenly stopped between two windows, looking up and across to the cameras above. "Okay, here we are. Now, the directions I'm gonna give you are very specific, okay? You're gonna have to move in a straight line, starting here." He marked the area with his foot. "It's the only way to get in the blind spot of the cameras. Don't worry though; I'll go first and you can follow behind." So, while cautiously checking between the two cameras, Tom moved himself stiffly across the invisible line, holding his hand out for me. I followed along, taking his hand tightly and watching him very closely as to what he was doing. "You're doing great, Marco; we're almost there."

"Y'know, there's a very good possibility that your mom or dad could be walking by and see you in those windows…" I murmured.

"Yeah, that's a good possibility; it's never happened though." Tom smiled.

When we came to the edge of the gate, Tom released my hand and focused instead on the bars of it. The palms of his hands began to turn red, and he gripped them around the bars. Except they weren't really turning red, they were glowing from the heat he was generating on them. "Jesus…" I finally murmured, having finally pieced together that he was, indeed, superheating the bars enough to make them a malleable yellow. With a strain, he pulled them apart wide enough for a person to fit through.

"Here, Marco, come on. Be mindful of the heat, though; I don't want it to scorch you." He warned, trying to keep the bars as far in width as possible.

I came up to the still-yellow bars, marginally orange around the sides, with a thick gulp. I swathed my hoodie over my head, shoved my hands in my pockets so that, if anything did get burned, it was my jacket and not at all my skin. Thankfully, as I did pass through, I was small enough to move through the gate unscathed. Tom came through with no mind nor care for the heated bars as, I'd assume, heat was nothing to him. On the other side, he acknowledged me momentarily with his third eye and a fang-tipped smile, then strained once again to superheat and close the bars of the gate again.

He returned to my side with an arm to wrap around my shoulder. "And here we are: the inner realms of Blood Moon Kingdom." He began to walk us onto the dense, obsidian sidewalk, making note of the people who passed us by. "Anything you wanna comment on?"

Well, of course, there were many things; considering the close proximity we had to the castle, I could comment that we were in the estate area of the kingdom; there were high-rising penthouses, proud-looking houses, adorned with expensive decorations that accented their large yards. Men and women – and any other configuration of being that was outside the binary; I could never say that I was an expert outside humans, and even then, I didn't know much – of all different kinds of species walked around in cocktail dresses and dress clothes. I could've commented on that, too. I could've commented that everywhere I looked were expensive-looking, high-end restaurants and hotels, labeled with a definitive air of formality to them. A passing glance to the window of one of these restaurants had me noticing that there were two people enjoying a pizza and a few breadsticks together, and I could've commented that this pizza wasn't like the pizza we had up on Earth; considering the woman – or at least, the one in the pink dress and pearls – was made of slime, she shared her blue slime pizza with what appeared to be a charcoal pepperoni with her partner, a reddish fellow with two tentacles where each human arm would be.

Of course, I could've commented on these things, but instead, I just acknowledged, just absorbed the high-life of the wealthy upper-class.

But there was one thing that was an exclusive sort of oddity between Blood Moon and Earth, "Well, yeah. I have one thing: why… why is it always perpetually dark in here? There's no sun or anything, either."

"Oh, that?" Tom returned with a cheeky smile, brimming with the excitement of lending his hand in his kingdom's history. "Well, it's because the entirety of Blood Moon is inside a cave! We settled here long ago, whereas the kingdoms like White Moon settled by the sea, and Full Moon settled in the mountaintops. We're big trade ports, each of us; Blood Moon is best for its exports in obsidian, and obsidian's like the precious metals you have up on Earth. New Moon's gotten the better of all of us, though; at least, I think so. They're entirely generated by geothermal energy."

I smiled, not only fascinated by Tom's world surrounding him, but the happiness it brought him to gush out his vast knowledge of his surroundings. "Why's that?"

"Because they're up on a volcano. I think it's one of the coolest things. You'd think that White Moon being by a sea of flowing lava would be able to harvest it more, but I guess not, considering they're next to it, and not under it."

"So this really is just one big cave… That's why it's… Wow…" I marveled, speechless. I drank in the sights and sounds; behind us, I realized then that it was the castle itself that gave its kingdom such a bright light, and on the high-rising walls of the kingdom, there were several watchtowers holding large beacons of fire, allowing light over the mid- to outer-regions of the kingdom.

Tom squeezed my hand in his, a certain happiness overflowing him that made him perpetually smile; initially, I'd thought that it was because he had the chance to explain his vast historic knowledge of his kingdoms. I was wrong; albeit, he did seem to enjoy talking history, he just seemed overall happy to just be out of that castle, his adrenaline washing out through his tapping feet and bouncing movements. And, of course, that pointy smile of his. "Mm-hm. That's exactly right; anything else you wanna ask about?"

Now, I had another comment to make note of. "Aren't you worried people are gonna see you?" I asked.

"No, not really; the Prince Tom they know of is always dressed in either royal garb or suits. The only people out there that know about the real me are my exes and my friends, and even then I don't really get to be myself around them. Those kinds of people… they always hold the whole 'prince' aspect at the back of their head, and although they try to put that aside, I always do kinda see that affecting the way they talk to me or address me. The real me is this here," He addressed his torn-up red shirt with the scratchy pentagram, his brown pants with their similarly-torn edges, his yellow boots, spiked belt, cuffs on his wrists. "This doesn't really scream 'prince' to you, does it?"

"Definitely not."

"So there you go. It helps me blend in a little better. Although, I have to admit, the tattoos around my eyes are more difficult to hide away. But usually when I come out in the nighttime, it's harder for people to notice."

"Wait… why are your eyes an issue?"

"It's a royal thing. Every crowned heir or heiress has to get them; so, if I ever had any siblings, they wouldn't have gotten those tattoos, but since I'm next in line for the throne, I get them. Like Amelia – the host we had – she didn't have them. It's a pretty indicative thing. It's probably also why the host had recognized me so fast, if he didn't already know how I looked." He shrugged. "But even if people do see me and recognize me as royalty, it's not like they go ahead and rat me out for it. They'll ask, sure, but nobody's ever dragged me back home."

I grimaced, the idea worrying me. Now, of course, had Tom been relatively unnoticeable, I would have been more at ease, but the fact that the heir to the Blood Moon throne is seen doing reckless actions like sneaking out, not only did it put his safety at risk, but also his family's reputation. "Aren't you… worried how this is gonna affect your mom and dad?"

"What, people asking?"

"Yeah… like, how are they gonna react knowing the royal prince is sneaking out for some night life?"

"I don't… really think they judge me that badly, Marco; they're usually only worried about my anger, not me having fun. I'd think that's, like, a more viable and acceptable action to them. But I know what you mean… Either way, I don't let it get to me much. I haven't gotten in trouble, nobody's ratted me out, so no harm, no foul, right?"

"I…" I hesitated. "No…? There is a potential harm in all of this stuff, Tom! I'm… just worried, okay?"

"I understand. But I still just wanna take you out for dessert, that's all. Okay?" He asked in a gentle tone.

I heaved a sigh. "Okay…"

As we continued to move, the obsidian streets began to be replaced with cobblestones; we'd arrived into what Tom told me was the middle-class districts with the triangular buildings and small shops. It reminded me a little of France in that way. It had actually taken us quite the while to get there, seeing as how Tom's coach was obviously faster than our feet. We'd passed the time by talking about trees, I think is how it started, when I'd asked how trees grew around here. "Well, just because we're in Hell doesn't mean that there isn't fertile soil. Caves are actually a great way to incubate plants since they have all the good stuff here; we have the soil and the soot and the fire." He'd told me. I had to assume that the heat of the fire is what substituted the light of the sun, but even that didn't sit right with me. Seeing as how people ate rocks and slime around here, I guess I had to just let that sleeping dog lie.

I felt a lot more comfortable once we'd moved into the middle-class streets. The simpler buildings, and the little shops in joint brick buildings with the steel seats outside and the umbrellas gave the ice cream shops, the pizza parlors, eateries a very homey feeling to them. It felt much more comfortable than the uptight feeling of the upper-class district. "Oh… this is much better." I sighed in a breath of relief. "Everything looks so… cute."

"And you wanna know the best part?"

"What?"

"There's some great places around here that actually serve Earth food. Like how you have specialty restaurants up on Earth that have like Italian-specific food. Some places here specialize in food from all over the different dimensions. I know a few Earth ones myself." He grinned.

"Really?"

"Yeah! Now, it might not be as authentic as your Earth food, but… heck, it won't kill you, right?"

And, I could live with that. "What kind of places are they?"

"I know for sure there's an ice cream place. I also think there's a bakery, but I'm not too sure if they do dessert foods."

"I think I'll go for the ice cream." I smiled. I definitely could've gone for mint chocolate chip then.

"Well that shop, I can tell you, is that little one right out there." He pointed over to one of those joint brick buildings with the steel chairs out in front. And as we entered, there was a young man behind the counter. His eyes were a very bright blue, his hair a pale blond, looking no older than sixteen. He reminded me a little of Star. "How's it going, Reveille?

"Tom, nice to see you again." He spoke in a small voice, but it was no less happy. "You brought a friend?"

"A date. An Earthling date, so I figured this place was best for his tastes."

"Well, we're the best Hell has to offer for Earth dairy treats." He smiled.

"Oh, intro. Reveille, this is Marco. I already told you he's from Earth. Marco, this is Reveille, one of my classmates, and he's actually from Mewni."

"Mewni?" I finally chirped. "Then why'd you move down here specializing in Earth dessert?"

"Well," He shrugged, his voice seeming nervous, though really, I suppose it was because it was just so small. "My mom figured it'd be best to bring a cold treat down to a hot place like this. And she always liked Earth ice cream, ever since we got lost there on our way back from an excursion. So she moved us down here. I don't mind it much. I like ice cream, too. So, what'll it be today?"

"I definitely want mint chocolate chip." I piped up.

"And I really wanted to try that cake batter one right there." Tom pointed through the clear plastic screen to the ice cream tub labeled just so.

"Yeah, that'd be it. I'll go whip it up right for you." Reveille went to this screen and gave us each a double-scoop cone, and Tom quickly paid the bill.

"Thanks again, man." Tom thanked him, giving him a small tip. "You wanna eat it here?"

I mulled it around for just a moment, then shook my head. "No," I decided. "We already have a lot of ground to cover to get back to your castle; we'll have plenty of time to eat it then."

"Alright," He waved to Reveille. "See you Monday, Rev."

"You too,"

After we exited, I noticed the fires that lit around the castle were beginning to be dimmed by servants, causing a nominal amount of darkness to come over the land. The outer-kingdom beacons, too, were being snuffed down to a low kindle. The now-tamed fires gave the streets around us a much more night-like feeling, albeit the daytime didn't necessarily feel like daytime at all. As the fires began to go down, I also noticed certain people immediately taking note and beginning to move back to their homes. Those who were younger went back to their parents, parted from their friends, the word 'curfew' on their lips.

I'd made it through a few licks of my ice cream before I knitted my eyebrows at the strange actions. It was almost automatic, the way these younger people were moving back to their residencies. "Tom," I tugged on the edge of his shirt sleeve.

His third eye addressed me as his other two eyes attempted to keep track of a dribbling drop of ice cream rolling down his lip. "Hm?"

"Why's everyone leaving…?"

"Leaving?" Tom's expression changed then; his three eyes snapped up to the watchtowers surrounding him, small and cautious, his jaw tightened and pronounced. "They're dimming the lights…"

I studied his expression with a note of trepidation. "Is… that a bad thing?"

"Yeah, it is. Well – not in itself; see, the dimming of the lights signifies a sense of nighttime around here, so the kids are going home to make curfew."

"Curfew?" I asked tentatively.

"Every kid under the age of eighteen has a kingdom-wide curfew."

"Wow." I murmured. "Your mom's that super-cautious of you that he'd put a curfew for every kid?" Was Tom really that scared to get in trouble? Before, he wrote it off like it was this little thing.

"Well, no… It wasn't for me, and it wasn't because of my mom. See, in Blood Moon, some scary shit's been happening." He took my hand tightly and began to move at a faster pace than before.

I felt a lump form in my throat, but decided to ask anyway. "Scary stuff…?"

"Yeah. Um… recently, some kids have gone missing around here."

The lump dropped hard down into my stomach, taking all the wind I had in my lungs with me. "Missing…?" We were still so far from the castle.

"Kidnapped, they think. There's been this interdimensional group of traffickers, known only by the moniker 'The Marauders.' It's apparently one of the biggest ones in the multiverse, spanning clients that reach the ends of the galaxy, victims that… come from all over. And considering the low crime rate in Blood Moon, my dad could conclude the only ones capable of taking so many kids while not being found… is them. So he imposed the curfew to try and keep the kids safe." I didn't quite know what to say, only able to make faint noises that died in my throat, hoarse and wheezy. "Hey, look Marco, it'll be okay; we just need to make it back to the castle and we'll be okay."

"But…" I started, unable to finish. Tom continued to move quickly through the district, blurry buildings moving past us. I wasn't aware of how fast we were moving, or even where we were going; I could only focus on these 'Marauders.' If they were, indeed, a real and interdimensional band of traffickers, could it mean they were present on Earth? I found myself desperately trying to cling to a different set of thoughts, something I could open my throat to. "I really don't wanna spill my ice cream." I found myself murmuring.

"You won't spill your ice cream, Marco; we're almost there." Tom reassured, pointing my attention to the gates now growing before us. He finally settled down, and the air rushed back to my face and lungs; I wasn't sure how fast we were moving while we were moving, but I quickly realized that we'd been moving quickly. I could just barely feel the whiplash missing me. And no, surprisingly, my ice cream didn't whip back to reality and fall down onto the ground. It just… slid a little. I took a lick of it with Tom at the edge of the gate. We couldn't move through till we finished them up, and Tom, of course, finished first. He ate through his hurriedly and licked up his fingers before the saliva superheated and evaporated as his hands, once again, began glowing a thick red. I took a munch of the cone-and-cream mixture as I moved through the yellow-hot bars that he pried open. I asked him if he enjoyed his ice cream, and he told me he did. I wondered if he really did or not.

Tom didn't really care much for the cameras anymore, not that it mattered. I munched down the last of my cone, and only after the loud crunching swallowed down my throat was I able to hear the thick tapping of a shoe.

Brian stood before the castle door, arms crossed, and with a look of disappointment. Not anger or frustration or resentment. Just disappointment. "Tom," He started in a serious tone.

Tom's eyes widened, his ears drawing back. "Oh… hey, Brian…" He sincerely looked upset. I guess this was the first time he was ever caught. "I… I don't even know what to say; you caught me in the act."

"It's not even that I'm worried about, Tom! I'm not worried about you becoming a menace on the streets; I'm worried about menaces harming you on the streets. You or Marco! I immediately checked your room when the lights dimmed, and you weren't there; you could've –"

"Gone missing, I know." Tom responded in a defeated voice. "I'm sorry, Brian." He apologized sincerely.

Brian sighed, his voice ever gentle. "Look, I won't tell your parents, but please, until we find The Marauders and have them securely captured, I don't want your safety compromised. I don't want you to get hurt – or worse.

Tom's ears drew back further still. I squeezed his hand gently for reassurance. "I… I'm sorry, Brian."

"I accept your apology, Tom; and might I say, I'm proud that you manifested this negative situation into a reflective one."

"You're welcome." He gave a sly grin. "But you'd better believe that once that whole Marauder situation is handled, I'm gone."

Brian nodded, unfazed by his comment. "And also, I found your ankle bracelet. How did you get it off?"

"It wasn't hard." He said it like it was a simple thing.

"I see. Well, your mom and dad never liked you wearing it anyway, so maybe we can take it off for the while; at least, while The Marauders will deter you from sneaking around."

"Sneaking out, Brian." Tom corrected quickly, a cheeky smile on his face. His level of comfort around Brian was obvious, and honestly, I was glad there was actually someone that he could just act naturally around. "I have no qualms sneaking around the house."

"I see, I see. Well, try not to scare anyone, alright? Now Marco,"

I quickly looked up to him. "Yes?"

"We prepared a room for you, so I'll be glad to bring you to it; the servants already put your stuff in there."

I nodded. "Thank you." And as we swung around a few corners to get there, I thanked him again.

"No problem." Brian smiled, then exited, leaving Tom and I alone again.

Tom had a light blush of embarrassment over his cheeks, his ears still back slightly. "Well… heh… Did you have fun?"

I smiled and nodded, sitting down on the side of the bed. "Yeah, I had fun."

"I'm glad. And… I'm sorry it was filled with all of these stupid ups and downs, y'know? I didn't intend it."

"Well, I didn't mind it." And that was the truth.

"I just hope next time that it'll… relax a little, y'know? We can just talk about stupid things before it… it gets all mushy." He scratched the back of his head. Then he hesitated. "Oh, and the little… the… the… yeah. That. You know what I'm talking about."

I knit my eyebrows. "The sneaking out?"

"No, not that. The… incident with the…" He grimaced, his flush deepening. "The 'leaving you' thing. I'm so sorry about that; I was… I was so dumb."

I mimicked his grimace. "Well, yeah. You were; I'll admit that. But Star was, too, and it's over now."

"Yeah… Hey, can we just… pretend that never happened?"

I nodded. "Ab-so-lutely." Because, honestly, there would be nothing I would've rather done than just forget that little… blip in the system. The little folly, the big mistake.

"So… what're your thoughts?" He brought his hands together, the thumbs of which twiddled around each-other; his position was rather nervous and withdrawn then. "Would you… wanna do this again?"

"Well…" How could I put it? "No, not this. This was… fast… and weird. And, although it was really lovely, it was… too much too quickly, y'know? But us… I'd be more than happy to do us again. In a quieter setting. In a slower setting."

He gave a wistful smile. "You don't understand how completely I agree with that. And it had nothing to do with us, right?"

"No, not at all."

"It was… circumstance, really. That we brought up your… proclaimed 'loser' status and my dead mom. We never intended it to open up like a can of worms. And then with Star…"

I put a hand on his arm before his brow furrowed too deep. "It's been… a mess, Tom, but I liked it. And I'd love to tour around the kingdom with you tomorrow. But for right now, I have to shower, okay? And then I think I'll go to sleep. Do you guys use water?"

"Yeah, we do, actually. We use it to drink with, too. But as for like, restaurants, they usually don't serve it."

I decided not to question why. This place was already weird as it was. "Okay. Well… Goodnight, Tom."

Tom gave a gentle smile, then leaned in and kissed my mole. You would think I would've anticipated it by now, but I didn't; it still brought a cherry blush across my nose and cheeks. "Night, Marco."

I smiled as he closed the door slowly, to catch an inch of me until he couldn't anymore, smiled still more as he left. Today was only five hours long. Five hours of Hell, and still there was more to do tomorrow. But now, I was finally alone without the prospect of tears, without sadness. Just… a soft smile, and stinky clothes. I threw them off quickly, lay there on the cold bed with my hot skin flush against it.

I undid my binder next.