Oliver had awoken by himself, and internally debated whether that was relieving or worrisome. He demanded the silence with a fierce hiss, "What are you planning now?"

Of course, it did not respond, so he had to pull himself from his comfortable bed to lumber into what he expected to be a cold hallway. He took a deep inhale, furrowing his eyebrows as an appetizing smell wafted in his face. He figured right away Allen had somehow made him breakfast for his first attempt of reconciliation, unless he forgot there was another hungry stomach other than his own under the bakery's roof. A generic course of action, but Oliver was curious, none the less.

Swallowing the pool in his mouth, Oliver rasped, "Allen?"

Something metal clattered on the kitchen tiles, prompting a slew of curses. Allen let out a loud groan, and the dropped object scratched the ground as a quick hand snatched it away. "Stay in there, Ollie!"

"What in the world are you up to now?"

"You'll see! It's a surprise!"

"A surprise!" Oliver echoed, unimpressed with how poorly the supposed surprise was covered from his senses. "You better not burn down my flat!"

"I'm not! Just stay away right now, okay?!"

Oliver glowered in the direction of his housemate's voice for a stiff breath before easing with a sigh, and treaded back into his bedroom. To pass the time, he fidgeted with the covers, and glared at Allen's pillow as it had done him wrong. He lost the staring contest when he snatched it into his arms, and fell onto the mattress with his face buried in the firm material.

"Such an idiot," he mumbled in pity. The cushion's lingering scent tempted him to drop his hostility and embrace the real thing. However, Oliver knew he was much more stubborn than that, and curiosity urged him to find out what distances Allen would go to reach forgiveness. He reasoned with himself that, "I cannot help being angry anyway. That is what he gets for being stupid."

"Babe?" Allen's voice came from the far end of the hall. "When you're done talkin' to your fairies, you can come out to the kitchen!"

Oliver fumbled with the pillow to tuck it beneath the bed sheet in case his partner walked in on him performing black-mailing material. "I-I was not-"

Allen called again, still in the hall. "Ollie, come on! You can't wait too long!"

"Oh, all right," the baker grumbled, and heaved off his bed to stamp down the hall. The delicious scent eased his angry steps into quiet patters by the time he entered the dining area. "Oh wow," slipped out, and he nonchalantly put his fingers over his mouth in a inquisitive gesture. His gaze drifted from the plethora of breakfast foods flooding the island counter to the more delectable sight (though he would not say that aloud during their strain) of Allen wearing an apron with enough frills and flowers to put a doll's dress to shame.

"Hey, baby," he dared to toss in a wink. "Like what you see?"

Oliver immediately turned to the nearest bowl of fruit, but his reddened cheeks betrayed his cold exterior by making the scarletberries appear dull. "Where in the world did you get that?"

"The apron? Haw, haw, Matt let me borrow it."

"Matt did?"

"Uh, yeah," Allen shook his hands excitedly. "So whadda y' think, hun?"

"It is a start."

He crept closer, still grinning like he won the lottery. "I guess it's a good thing I got other ideas!"

"That sounds like trouble," Oliver growled, and turned his head away when the other man leaned down to kiss him. However, Allen was not deterred, and opted for the flushed cheek exposed to him.

"Don't be so salty, babe."

Oliver set a palm against Allen's chest to push him away, and inwardly sighed at the lost of heat. "How did you make all of this anyway? I would not think living on the streets would allow opportunities for gourmet cooking."

Allen's eyes shifted around the kitchen as he backed away until he was against the counter. "Uh...years of watchin' people."

"Or rather a few moments to browse some old cookbooks of Anabella's?"

He promptly shoved the book that was resting on the counter to hide it behind his back. "What? Does that mean you ain't gon' eat it?"

"I did not say that." Oliver snatched an empty plate that was waiting for him, and began browsing the overwhelming stack of hotcakes. "I cannot let it go to waste, anyway."

"You can lay waste to my heart, but not food?" Allen clamped a hand over his chest. "That's ice cold!"

Oliver had to twist his expression to make it look like he ate a lemon to prevent giggling. "Be quiet, you dork."

"Yeah, love you, too."

~.~

~BOING~

~.~

While Allen was occupied with tackling the mess he made from breakfast, Oliver snuck down to the basement to meet up with Nikolai. The newest body was promising, but that was not why Luciano was bouncing on his toes. "Party time!"

Oliver said, "That is tomorrow."

"I know, but I'm getting excited now."

"I made cake," Lutz announced. "I just need to put icing on."

Kuro spoke up, "The balloons are waiting in my bedroom."

"What is this?" Nikolai called from the metal table. "A party? Am I invited?"

The trio turned to Oliver. He dropped his eyes to his intertwining fingers. "Are you going to bring party favors?"

The surgeon reached inside the body's open cavity, and pulled out something that dripped dark red on the table. "Party favors!"

Everyone let out disgusted groans. Kuro clamped a hand over his mouth and hurried out of the basement while Lutz was left to sputter, "What the fuck?!" Luciano looked like he was about to scream or cry, or both.

"See you three tomorrow," Oliver declared, his back to the operator. "I am going upstairs now."

"S-si," Luciano was guided to the tunnel by his housemate. "Good idea."

"Aw," Nikolai was heard saying, "What about the party talk?"

When Allen was occupied with tackling the mess he made on himself from breakfast, Oliver unwillingly met up with the spooky Nikolai to pick up the cooler full of supposed 'party favors.' The harvester asked, "Am I really not allowed at your party?"

Oliver glanced in his direction from the stairs, only to look away as if the sight was fatal to experience. "I-it is not much of a party, but rather than an informal meeting. It is supposed to be small..."

Nikolai shook his head, and turned back to clean his tools from their gore. "Do not make excuses. If you do not want me to come, then tell me." Then muttering, "It will be more than what other people would do."

"Do you not realize how frightened you make other people? That could be a good factor for their actions toward you."

"But it is fun!"

"That is why nobody wants to invite you to their parties."

"Harsh!" Nikolai scathed. "Just like those little candies that are very sour at first, but sweet when you bite into them, but the opposite."

"Err...okay?"

"Oh! That gives me an idea!"

"Are you going to scare people?"

"That was not my idea. I will not, at least, not on purpose."

Oliver nudged the cooler from the concrete floor, and grunted from its weight. "If you will behave yourself, then you can come, I suppose. Make sure you dress in anything but what you are currently wearing."

Nikolai gasped. "Really? Yay!" His cheeks were puffed in a broad smile from Oliver's news, but soon deflated from his eyebrows mashing together when the baker gripped the cooler for a not-so quick escape. "Why you not smile?"

"Pardon?"

"You smile and laugh all the time, but not now! It kind of creeps me out."

Oliver exclaimed in disbelief, "It creeps you out?!"

"Yes! It must be bad to creep out the creeper! You have beans to spill!"

"Must I?!"

"Yes!" Nikolai repeated. "You tell me secret, and nobody else knows."

Oliver lowered the cooler to the concrete floor again. "I never said it was a secret."

"Then why are you so stubborn to not tell me?"

"Because I do not have to!"

"Not even if I said please?"

Oliver clenched and unclenched his jaw to level his tone. "It is not something you would be interested in listening to."

"Please?"

"My partner and I had a disagreement."

"Oh!" The operator acted as if the sun shined on all his confusion. Perhaps some internal star did, indeed. "That upset you! It must have been a bad fight, then!"

"No, it is still going on. He was being an idiot, and is trying to make it up to me."

"Then why are you sad? That is a good thing!"

"He might do it again!"

"Ah, you found yourself a stupid one," Nikolai ticked his tongue with a sigh. "What a shame. Those are so easily handled, but what could I do to help? No one likes to find out."

"You do not need to concern yourself in my arguments."

"It affects all of us, actually. If you are not yourself, then those bad feelings will spread. It will be very unpleasant to be around, so you let me help you, yes?"

Oliver did not want to find out if he had a choice in the matter or not. "What would you do?"

Nikolai, despite his goggles and face mask, never looked more happier. "I have learned that fear is one of the best forces of motivation. It is basic and common, but for good reasons. It can lead to better things, like the black-mailing, and manipulation."

"Okay," Oliver watched the scalpel the other man was wielding wave back and forth with his motions. "How am I going to safely instill fear into Allen to prevent him from running off to do something thoughtless again?"

"I do not need to know specifics," Nikolai said, even though Oliver spared a lot. "We can use what we have here to teach him a thing or two. What is he afraid of? It has to be something that causes a good reaction."

"Without marring him, preferably." Oliver kept glaring at the tool the surgeon was scrubbing until he slipped it into his squared bag. "I would assume he is afraid of losing his brother, but..."

"Too big! I thought you want to be safe! Something we can work with here between the two of us."

"Oh, well, that is easy. I mention ghosts once, and he looks like he is about to vomit."

"Ghosts!" Nikolai clapped in delight. "That is a very fun one! Do the ghosts play along with other ghoulish beings, like dead bodies?"

"I cannot say for sure..."

"He might not even know what he fears. Good. I have a solid idea now, Oliver, but I need you to be able to keep what they call a poker face through the plan."

Oliver finally grinned, but he felt it was more of a sinister intent than a happy one. "I am listening..."

~.~

~BOING!~

~.~

During his organ run, Nikolai would work on their joined prank. After some moments of collaboration and settling some minor disagreements, Oliver left the basement in a much brighter mood. Breezing out of the bakery and buzzing with excitement, he almost dropped the cooler over the sidewalk when he struggled to open the trunk of his car. He thought of what would have happened if the cooler did tumble to the concrete, popping open for the guts to spill onto the street, and wound up chuckling lowly to himself.

His fit snapped to a gasp of realization. "Oh, drat, my keys."

"Babe?" Allen called from the steps, "Hey, babe!"

"I am leaving now!" Oliver shouted back once he obtained his car/bakery keys.

"Wait, what?!" His housemate stormed down the stairs, confused, and only wearing a towel around himself. "Wha'd'you mean you're leavin'?!"

Oliver skittered to a stop in the middle of the front room. "I am running errands. Where did you think I was going?"

"Oh," Allen propped himself on the foyer doorway, and his frightened expression fell into an easy grin. "You gon' be long, babe?"

Hopefully not too long, but he would not dare hint at the upcoming surprise! "Why, so you can misbehave?"

Allen whistled, and pushed from the doorframe. "Woo, that's mean!"

"If you were not such an idiot, I would not have to be," Oliver insisted. He stepped back as the other approached him, and tossed a shocked glance to the glass lining the front wall. "Hello! There are giant windows behind me! Why would you come downstairs when you are so indecent?!"

"If I got dressed, I would have missed you!" Allen suddenly sprung forward, and threw his arms around Oliver. "I'd think you take the chance to get away from me!"

"As if!" The baker scoffed, shoving against the still damp chest in a feeble attempt to flee his heated embrace. "I am not leaving my shop behind, if that is what you are implying! I said quit it!" He snapped, and tried wiggling away from the relentless kisses splattered all over his face, anywhere they could reach against his struggles.

"You quit it," the other man muttered, trailing down a freckled cheek to his lips, but Oliver turned his head in the opposite direction.

"I am still mad at you!" He spat, and ducked his head from the seemingly unending assault. Whenever he pushed Allen, he was squeezed even more, and the more he was squeezed, the angrier he became. "What do you not understand?! Bad boys do not get kisses!"

"You can give me one, an' still be mad at me!"

Allen started making annoying smooching noises with puckered lips, and Oliver groaned in feint disgust. "What did I just say?! Let me go! I have errands to do! You are only making things worse for you!"

"One kiss, come on, baby."

Oliver clasped a hand over his partner's mouth. "No." Whatever Allen was trying to say was muffled, so he licked the baker's palm. "Go ahead," he baited, "Now I am definitely not kissing you."

Allen craned his head away so he could sputter against the fingers digging into his cheek. "Oh, so you were gon' do it?!"

"I did not say that!"

"Do I got to beg?"

"Please don't."

"Then gimmie a little somethin'!"

Oliver sighed heavily, as if defeated. "Only if you get pants on."

"Right! So come here!"

"After you get something on!"

"Nuh-uh! You gon' run out while I'm upstairs!"

Drat, Allen may have more brains than Oliver thought. "Fine," he spat from the cramps running up his wrist from the strain it took to deter his partner's stubbornness. "You will have to catch me first!"

"But I already-"

From the other side of the counter, Oliver breathlessly laughed from his successful teleportation without a chalk drawing. Sure, it momentarily winded him, but by the time Allen managed to turn around, and realize he was no longer in his arms, the baker pushed from the wall and fled into the kitchen.

"How the fuck did you do that?!" Angry bare feet stamped on the tiled floors. "That ain't fair! You can't use voodoo magic!"

Already at the corner of the alley behind the bakery, Oliver faced the other man that just stumbled from the back door. "Well, I told you that you cannot kiss me, and look how that turned out." Not allowing any time for Allen to catch up, he spun on his heel, and shot to the sidewalk. With a giddy squeal, he ripped open his car door, dove over the seat, and slammed it shut. Just as his partner slammed into the window, he pushed down the old locking mechanism, laughing in delight how the other angrily tugged on the handle. Not only that was proving hilarious, the pedestrians' reactions to his near nudity (yet again) made it even better.

"Come on!" Allen groaned from the other side of the glass. He even tried the rear doors, but they were almost always locked. At his failure, he threw his hands over his eyes, and a loud snarl of irritation ripped from his throat.

Oliver stuck his tongue out at him before properly situating himself in the driver's seat. "Get some pants on in the meantime, dear!"

Allen performed a crude gesture as the engine started, and the baker slapped his hand to his chest, as if offended. However, he only laughed again as his housemate stormed back into the building. "Stupid idiot," Oliver said fondly. "You think that is something? Wait until I return home!"