"When are you going to visit me?"

Undertaker finally paid more attention to what Goldust was saying to him over the phone than on the tone of his voice.

They had finally started talking on the phone again, which, for Undertaker, was a huge relief, because it made it a little easier for him to carry on a conversation, even though he had admit that last time they saw each other in person, a few days prior, he did feel more at ease to speak. Maybe because he was in an angry mindset, which he was more used to, or because he was at his parlor and felt at ease.

"… Visit you?" He asked, not sure what Goldust meant.

"Well, I paid a visit to your little shop. I thought you could return the favor and come visit my humble abode." Goldust said, as he filed his nails. "And next week would be the best time for that, since we all be on the sunny state of California."

"I am… not sure." Undertaker didn't want to make a promise he wasn't sure he could keep. It wasn't like him to do something like that.

"I don't want to pressure you into doing anything you don't want to, I hope you know that." Goldust would love to have Undertaker over, but he wasn't going to put their progress at risk again.

"I am aware." Undertaker was slowly realizing that most things Goldust did and said had no real deliberation behind them. It was more like he did things without really thinking them through, and without thinking of the consequences. Almost like he never had to deal with the fallout that came from his actions.

"The offer still stands though. I just think we should meet there so we don't have the stress of your mentor popping up and killing the mood." Goldust still couldn't believe Bearer was making a big deal out of them meeting up. Undertaker was a full-grown man. He could make his own decisions if he wanted to. "Ah, I have to go now. Marlena is ready for our dinner. I'll talk to you later." He said with a smile, hanging up the phone.

The next week rolled in, and by Saturday, Goldust realized Undertaker wasn't going to come over to his fine penthouse in the heart of Hollywood. The deadman didn't mention anything about that the entire week, so he assumed the subject was dropped entirely. It was a bit disheartening he had to admit, as he was looking forward to spending some time truly alone with Undertaker. But maybe it was too soon for that type of stuff to happen. He could only assume Undertaker wasn't the type of guy who was invited to people's homes very often, so taking that step was too much.

Then, his phone rang, and much to his surprise Undertaker was on the other side. Goldust had called him earlier that day. It was unusual for them to speak twice the same day.

Undertaker sounded a little jittery and nervous, his voice a little quiet, almost as if he didn't want any words to come out of his mouth. For a moment, Goldust thought something bad was going on, but then his worries quickly dissolved when he realized just what the other was trying to say, or rather, ask. He wanted to know his address, said he wanted to visit, putting great emphasis on 'maybe'.

Goldust happily gave him the full address, hoping Undertaker would go through with it.

He just didn't expect the deadman to do so just an hour or so later.

When he heard the phone again, it was the doorkeeper telling him someone was there to see him. And for a moment, Goldust heart began to race. Not because Undertaker was just downstairs, but because he wasn't even remotely ready to have a guest over. Didn't Undertaker understand anything about etiquette? You can't just show up at someone's house unannounced like that.

But Goldust couldn't just tell Undertaker to come back some other time. After all, who knew when he would have the chance to have the deadman over again? He told the doorkeeper to tell Undertaker he could come up, and as soon as he hung up he started scrambling around the apartment trying to figure out the best way to look "presentable" in the small window of time he had. Luckily, the apartment itself wasn't looking too bad as he barely did anything there, save for watching the TV while munching on some leftovers from the day before.

He had absolutely no time to put any make up on – save for a dash of black lipstick – but was able to slip into some better clothes and don his wig in record time. So many years working on the movie industry taught him a thing or two when it came to switching looks rather quickly.

Goldust was just about done giving his wig a last brush when he heard knocking on the front door. He walked to it in quick steps, slightly nervous, but also excited. Never in a million years he imagined he could get this far with the deadman.

He opened the door and offered Undertaker a wide, warm smile.

"I didn't expect you to come around so soon." Goldust said, watching the other man fumble with his fingers a bit.

Undertaker hesitated saying anything for a moment or two. To be perfectly honest he had no idea why he decided to go there, but apparently at some point during his motorcycle ride that sounded like an excellent course of action. Now that he was there, he wasn't so sure about it.

"I… decided to do it on a whim." Which wasn't like him at all. He was a lot more calculated than that.

"Well, don't just stand there at the door, come in, will you?" Goldust moved from the door to give the other room to enter.

There was a silent from undertaker as he entered, eyes quickly scanning the entire place. Goldust's place was… kind of how he imagined it would be, really, with furniture and décor everywhere, ornate wallpaper on some of the walls, vibrant colors on the others, everything looking very expensive and also very gaudy. Not that it made him feel any more comfortable, as he never found himself in a place quite like that.

"What you think of the place? I was sure to decorate it just the right way to reflect my uniqueness." Goldust stated proudly as he closed the door. If there was something he loved, that something was his home.

"… Indeed it is very… unique." Undertaker wasn't sure if that was the word he would use to describe the place, but thought it would not be polite to just say what came to his mind. He nervously scratched his forearm as he looked around some more. "I am… not sure why you wanted me to come over."

"Just wanted to spend some time with you, that's all. Ah, please, give me your hat and your coat so I can hang them." Goldust said, putting out his arms. He could not believe the other was all dressed up like that, with how hot it was outside. He most definitely didn't perceive weather like most people.

Undertaker took off his hat and coat, handing them to Goldust who put them away on a nearby coat hanger. He knew Goldust was just being polite, but now he just felt even more uncomfortable, standing there without his hat to cover up his eyes and without the sense of protection he got from his long coat.

"Now, let me show you around." Goldust said, clearly eager to introduce every corner of his home to Undertaker.

He showed every room with much enthusiasm, describing where he got certain items that lined the many shelves there, talking about carpets and paintings and other things Undertaker knew little to nothing about, but he listened to everything Goldust was saying very closely. He just sounded so utterly passionate about it Undertaker didn't have the heart to say that all that information was going to be lost on him.

Neither of them was keeping track of the time, but when they finally stopped walking around the apartment and stood next to a wide window on the living room, Goldust looked through it and looked quite surprised.

"Gosh, the sun is going down already? It looks like the time went flying by…" He sighed. "Please, take a seat on the couch, I'll go get something for us to drink, yes?"

Goldust walked out of the room, into the kitchen, and Undertaker sat down awkwardly on the couch that was right in front of the window. Didn't take long for the other to be back with a bottle of wine and two glasses. He set those down on the small coffee table in front of the couch before disappearing from Undertaker's sight again. Then, Undertaker could hear music. It was some soft, instrumental tune that was far less extravagant than what he expected from Goldust.

"There, this is much better." Goldust finally came back, sitting on the other end of the couch, much to Undertaker's surprise.

Judging by the way Goldust behaved, Undertaker was more than prepared to having him sit uncomfortably close to him, but he did the complete opposite. Needless to say, that came out of left field, and Undertaker was a little surprised and not sure how to deal with it. Should he be grateful and relieved that Goldust wasn't trying to throw himself at him? Or should he be worried by that change of behaviour?

He watched as Goldust opened the bottle of wine and filled their glasses, all of that without saying a word. After talking so much, Undertaker thought he was strangely quiet. And it was stranger when he remained like that for a good while, apparently busy watching the sunset go by through the window. Undertaker decided to do the same.

After a while, he shifted on his seat a little. Now that they were sitting there in silence he finally realized nothing about the entire situation was exactly comfortable for him. He was way out of his comfort zone, and yet there he was. Sitting up all stiff on the couch, gaze focused on the large, panoramic window in front of him, the room painted in shades of orange and purple as the sun set ever so slowly. The music from before was still going, but he barely paid any attention to it.

And for whatever reason, Goldust's silence was driving him crazy. What was he thinking? What was h planning on doing? Was Goldust expecting him to start some manner of conversation? It was a little frustrating. He hated being left guessing. He much preferred when things were more black and white. Although, expecting black and white from an individual like Goldust was pointless. He should've known that by now.

As his thoughts continued to drown the music filling the room, his eyes kept their focus on the window. The colors in the sky outside were quite a sight, and he felt himself slowly lean back on the couch. He was still tense, but allowed himself to relax just enough so he wouldn't strain his back even more. One could only stay stiff for so long before getting a backache.

"It's a truly marvelous view, isn't it?"

Undertaker blinked a few times, as if snapping out of a deep, long trance, then just nodded at those words, and not only for the sake of agreeing with them. It was indeed beautiful.

Goldust leaned forward, getting his glass of wine from the small table in front of the couch, then leaned back again, looking at the window through the glass.

"I specifically wanted to live here because of this view. I spent so many evenings here, just letting time waste away..." Goldust trailed off, taking a small sip of wine. Usually, he preferred to do that alone. Sit there and watch the sun lazily go down, head almost empty as he drank through a bottle of wine.

But he had no objections about having Undertaker there with him, even if he was just sitting there in total silence. Knowing the deadman was making him company… It was thrilling, and it gave him this weird feeling at the bottom of his stomach, which was similar to the feeling he got every time he prepared for a new and exciting role.

He threw his head back, then moved it to the side just enough so he could look Undertaker, swishing the wine that was inside his glass before taking a quick sip from it. What an amazingly fascinating person Undertaker was. In all his years dealing with all types of different people in the movie industry, no one could even begin to compare to that man sitting on the other end of his couch. No one was that unique or shrouded in mystery.

And he wanted to know more about Undertaker so badly. And that was why he had put all the playing and mindless flirting he always did with others to the side and began thinking before acting – or as much as his impulsive nature allowed him to. This was a lot more serious than just messing with someone in the ring. His interest was very real and genuine.

"You haven't touched your wine." Goldust commented, shifting his gaze back to the window.

Undertaker's lips parted briefly, as he considered replying. He still couldn't understand why Goldust bothered giving him food and drink when he didn't even need those. He stopped midway though, lips closing again. He leaned forward, a gloved hand grabbing the glass in a less than graceful action. He placed it under his nose, sniffing it briefly. It had a strong, fruity smell, but it wasn't like he could detect much more than that.

There was a shrug and Undertaker literally downed the entire glass in one long gulp, firmly putting the glass down on the table again.

"How elegant." Goldust's voice was full of amusement, his smile widening. It was kind of amazing to see someone down a glass of wine like that. Specially one as expensive as the one they were having.

All Goldust got in response was a grunt, as Undertaker leaned back on the couch, this time slightly less tense than before. All in all, that visit could be going a lot worse.

Goldust took another sip from his glass before putting it down on the table again. "It's a pity you always get quiet like that. I sure like to hear your deep, gravelly voice."

Undertaker shuffled his feet on the carpeted floor, arms crossing in front of his body as he tensed up again. Every time Goldust said anything akin to a compliment to him, he felt weird. He wasn't even sure if it was a good or bad kind of weird at that point.

"You sure don't like it when I say even the slightest good thing about you, hm?" Goldust focused his gaze solely on Undertaker, forgetting about the view and the sunset entirely. "It's very hard for me to stop myself though. It's just how I am, you know?" He looked down to the floor for a moment, than back up at the other man. "Always found it a lot easier to simply make my opinions clear. Besides, I hate having dead air between me and someone else. It's just so dreadful and sad." There was a pause, than Goldust let out a laugh, throwing his head back. "Oh dear... It seems I just figured why you love being quiet like that."

There was a brief scoff from Undertaker as he once looked at Goldust from the corner of his eyes. Why was it so hard to simply look straight at him? In an impulsive action, he uncrossed his arms, leaning forward again to grab the bottle of wine sitting on the table and poured some more into his glass. He set the bottle down with a loud thud and grabbed the almost full glass in a rush to drink it all up in one go again. It was just when he was done drinking he realized that would help him none. It wasn't like alcohol had any effect on him anymore, so expecting some help from it was futile.

"Are you alright?" Goldust asked, not really sure what that was all about, but he sounded a little more than worried at Undertaker's sudden action.

"... No." Undertaker muttered, putting the glass down and placing his elbows on his knees, resting his forehead on his hand, fingers buried on his hair.

"You knowyou are free to leave, right? You won't be hurting my feelings if you do." Not that Goldust expected Undertaker to stay for the sake of his feelings. After all, the deadman didn't really strike him as the type who cared much about the emotional state of others.

Undertaker made a small, strangled noise, still staring down at his own feet. What did he think he was going to accomplish going there anyway? It was still hard to understand what was going on inside his head, but somehow he thought that going to Goldust's place was going to work out just fine. He should have just stayed put back in his funeral parlor, among the caskets and flowers. Stayed in his comfort zone.

He suddenly felt something on his shoulder that abruptly pulled him out of his thoughts and he stiffened up, moving away from it. His head snapped to the side and his line of sight fell straight into Goldust's eyes, and he just stood still, his own eyes wide. When did the other get so close to him?

"You. Can. Go." Goldust paused between every word, a serious expression upon his face and his hand still hovering next to Undertaker's shoulder. As much as he enjoyed pushing people's limits and invading their personal space, Undert was a lot more nervous than usual. He supposed the deadman would be a little jittery like always, but whatever was going on went far beyond that.

Undertaker remained still, and for whatever reason could not stop staring into Goldust's eyes.

When he realized he wasn't going to get any response, Goldust shook his head, lips curving into a very slight smile as his fingertips softly touched the side of Undertaker's face. He expected the other to flinch or move away from it, but that didn't happen.

"This is the first time you looked into my eyes ever since you came through the front door." Goldust's hand dropped to Undertaker's shoulder again, then ran down his arm, and finally reached his hand, his own resting on top of it. "I know you'll hate what I'm going to say but you look gorgeous under the sunset's lights." He used his free hand to brush some strands of hair away from Undertaker's face, placing them behind his ear. Yes, he knew that sounded awfully corny, but he was just being sincere.

There was a short pause, and then Undertaker released a long huff of air he didn't even realize he was holding back in the first place. His free hand raised for a second, then dropped down to his lap again. He felt fingers intertwining with the ones on his other hand, and finally his gaze dropped down.

It was a lot less nerve wrecking to be looking at something else besides Goldust's large, inquiring eyes. Not that the sight of having his fingers interlaced with someone else's was something common, but it was far better.

He honestly wanted to say something, because he had been far quieter than usual ever since he got there, but what was he supposed to say anyway? It wasn't like he knew how to make small talk, or properly reply to whatever Goldust said to him without pathetically stumbling around his own thoughts and getting words stuck on his throat. And in turn those things made him feel stupid, causing him to grow even quieter in a weird type of never ending circle.

Instead of trying to speak up, he just curled his fingers so he could grip Goldust's hand a little.

"I want to touch your hand. Can I take off your glove?" Goldust asked, his voice soft.

"Y-Yes…" Undertaker muttered, still looking down at their hands. He watched as Goldust removed his own glove before taking his off.

And then warm fingers curled around his hand and he swallowed dryly. He honestly could not recall the last time someone touched him, save for matches. But that was… so different. It was light and warm.

"Oh dear… your hands are freezing! Is… is your entire body like that?" Goldust said, eyes a little wide in clear surprise. Well, he probably should have expected that, with Undertaker being "dead", but it was still a bit of a shock.

"It is…" Undertaker suddenly grew very worried about Goldust's opinion on that, and he didn't even know why.

"That's… so strange…" Goldust took off his other glove and grabbed Undertaker's hand on both of his, rubbing his palms against his fingers. "And you never get warm?"

"Sometimes… Sometimes I do." Undertaker replied. Even though heat never originated from within his body, lately he had been feeling his face quite warm whenever Goldust got too close to him, which was happening at that very moment.

"Heh… that explains why you are always covered up even when it's hot outside." Being that cold, Goldust figured it didn't matter what he wore, he never felt just how warm it really was.

"Your hands are very warm." Undertaker said and immediately cursed at himself mentally. Good grief, why did he even say that? That sounded absolutely dumb. Although, he was instantly relieved when Goldust chuckled.

"Thank you, I try." Goldust pulled Undertaker's hand closer to his face before placing light kisses on the knuckles and leaving behind small spots of black lipstick. It was a little strange kissing something so cold.

Undertaker was pretty sure that, if he had a beating heart, said heart would have stopped as soon as Goldust placed the first kiss on his hand. He watched everything with eyes wide, his whole body shuddering ever so slightly. What should he do? Should he say something? A part of him felt like pulling his hand away but he was so paralyzed he couldn't do anything besides watch.

He was glad he didn't flinch like some scared animal though, because after a couple seconds he seemed to relax a bit, the initial panic slowly wearing off. That… wasn't bad at all. In fact, Undertaker found out he rather liked it. Being treated in such a delicate way was something he was not used to, but didn't mean he couldn't appreciate it. It was a much welcome change of pace.

Goldust looked up at Undertaker's face again, smiling at him. "Your cheeks again…" He said, and watched as Undertaker immediately looked away. He was just so strangely adorable when he was like that, when he didn't have a cold, distant aura around him. Watching him get nervous and shy made him look a lot more human, and in a way, it was a bit of a relief for Goldust, and gave him something to look forward to. It meant there was something inside Undertaker that was still able to feel. Still able to reciprocate affection.

"You have nice hands, you know?" Goldust brushed his thumbs over the knots of Undertaker's fingers. There were a few scars here and there, which Goldust assumed were due to Undertaker's job of hammering on nails and sewing pieces of wood all day long, but those certainly didn't bother him.

"… I… thank you." Undertaker didn't know what he should say in return. What he did know was that Goldust's hands were very soft, and were very nice to touch, so he wasn't looking forward to them letting his hand go anytime soon. He didn't comment on the softness of Goldust's hands though. It was embarrassing enough when he said they were warm.

In an almost thoughtless motion, Undertaker grabbed Goldust's hands in his and placed a rushed kiss on the back of one of them, not sure if that's what Goldust was expecting or not.

Goldust blinked slowly, and then chuckled.

"You are so cute." He commented, and watched Undertaker let out a huff.

"Don't… I am not…" Undertaker stumbled around with his words, the grip he had on Goldust's hand tightening.

"Do you want to keep watching the sunset with me?" Goldust asked, suddenly switching up the topic of the conversation on purpose. He didn't want Undertaker to swing back into the uncomfortable headspace he was in before.

"… Yes." Undertaker muttered, hesitating for a moment before continuing, but actually mustering the courage to keep talking. "Can… can you keep holding my hand?"

"Of course." Goldust wasn't even thinking about letting Undertaker's hand go, but was elated to hear the other wanted him to keep doing it.

Goldust leaned back on the couch, keeping his fingers interlaced with Undertaker's, and went back to looking out the window. Meanwhile, Undertaker did his best to keep himself relaxed, trying not to hold Goldust's hand too strongly.

There was silence again, save for the music still echoing through the room, and Undertaker slowly but surely felt somewhat comfortable. Maybe… maybe he could get used to something like that. Be close to someone like that. It wasn't as bad as he figured it would be. Sure he tensed up when Goldust rested his head on his shoulder, but not as much as he expected he would.

The sunset went by slowly, and at some point the music stopped, but Goldust made no mention of getting up and putting more to play. He was enjoying where he was far too much to let it go even for a moment. And, after a while, he even dozed off.

When it was finally dark outside and the moon was high up in the sky, Undertaker shifted around a little, which got Goldust to wake up.

"Goodness, is it nighttime already?" He said, using his free hand to rub one of his eyes as he looked at Undertaker. "How much time passed?"

"I… do not know." Undertaker wasn't exactly keeping track. "But I… I think I must go."

"Go? But it's dark outside. It might be dangerous for you to go out on your own." Goldust said, before realizing who he was talking to about the dark being dangerous. Needless to say, he felt really stupid. Couldn't he find a better excuse to hold Undertaker there?

"I am capable of taking care of myself." Undertaker said. It wasn't like he wanted to go though. It was more like he needed to.

"I know, I know." Goldust said, letting go of Undertaker's hand. "Will you… will you come visit some other time?"

"Yes… I would like to." Undertaker almost said he would love to, but figured that was a way too strong word for him to use.

Goldust beamed. It was nice to know that Undertaker enjoyed his stay enough to consider coming over a second time. "Well, you can come around anytime then. The door is always open for you."

"Appreciated." Undertaker put his glove on again before getting up, being quickly followed by Goldust.

They walked up to the coat hanger, and Goldust helped Undertaker slip back into his coat before handing him over his hat.

"Thank you for inviting me." Undertaker said, hiding his eyes under the brim of his hat, which didn't last long because soon Goldust's warm hand was on his face, guiding him to look at his face.

"You don't need to thank me for anything." Goldust said with a playful look on his face. "It was my pleasure." His tone shifted from soft to teasing on that last bit, and he watched in amusement as Undertaker got nervous, but in the way he was used to see it happen.

"Y-Yeah… I will be going now…" Undertaker quickly moved to the door and opened it, leaving the apartment to take the elevator.

Goldust watched him through the open door, and saw it when he darted a glance over his shoulder as he entered the elevator. He waved Undertaker good bye and saw the deadman do the same in a quick, almost rushed motion, before the doors of the elevator closed.

With a light chuckle, Goldust locked the front door and leaned against it, sighing softly, looking forward to their next meeting. But, if he wanted that to happen more frequently, there was one thing he needed to do, and he couldn't keep postponing it.