Taking The Plunge

Chapter Two: The Reception

Disclaimer: Still not mine, but is it too much to ask for a DVD release?

Here we are in chapter two!

Thank you so much to those who left comments and kudos on the first chapter. You really encouraged me when I was writing this chapter. Thank you also to everyone who read and enjoyed the story so far. I'll strive to keep updating frequently.

Wander and Hater are both confused, but probably not as much as Sylvia and Peepers will be.

See you at the bottom!

Wander sat quietly in his cell in the depths of the skull-ship. He was playing softly on his banjo; gentle notes that distracted his hands while his mind was working.

Commander Peepers had looked at a loss after Hater's sudden exit. He had given the rather unsure order or throw Wander into a cell for the time being, then gone running out after his boss. Wander for his part had gone along with it willingly enough. He should probably let the watchdog check on Hater for the moment. The skeletal overlord had looked like he could use some space. Wander was also feeling a little guilty for leaving while Sylvia was still asleep. He hadn't been planning to be gone this long and she was no doubt getting worried about him. He really should be heading back and letting her know he was alright, but he didn't feel ready to leave yet.

Sure, he could admit it; he got a little carried away.

It had started out as just a way to have some fun with his favorite villain.

When Hater had first grabbed him from his orble and thrown him against a pipe-covered wall in a back hallway of the skull-ship, Wander had been disoriented, confused and perhaps a little hurt. Ordinarily when Hater sighted him there was lots of yelling, zapping and chasing. The overlord would drop everything to try and catch the nomad. Wander was used to that kind of game. It was enjoyable and familiar. But Hater hadn't even bothered to rant at him. He barely spoke to him before charging up his lightning hands and Wander couldn't help it; he had to say something.

And perhaps he was channeling a little of that hurt. They had been together for so long, after all, and while Hater didn't usually enjoy their games the way Wander did, the skeleton had never made him feel like he didn't matter before. Wander had simply suggested that they make it more special for both of them and Hater had gone along with it, though not without a little posturing.

And yes, it had started as a 'thing.' Wander had been planning to escape eventually. That part was also expected. But they could both spend some time together and have some fun first just like always. That was all he was thinking.

And it had been fun to suggest different ways to make the day more special. And he hadn't exactly been lying. The fact that Hater went along with each of his suggestions, even while he complained, meant that the overlord had also been dissatisfied with ending things so quickly. That had helped Wander feel a little more validated with how he was feeling.

At first Hater was impatient, and Wander had to walk a bit of a tightrope of how to phrase his suggestions and objections so that he didn't push too hard. At this point Wander was fairly familiar with Hater's moods. He knew what to say and when to say it in order to keep things going smoothly. It came naturally to him after interacting with the overlord for so long. This time was a little different, of course, but it was fun and kind of exciting to be planning things with Hater for once instead of just around him.

And at some point, so seamlessly that Wander wasn't even sure when it began, Hater stopped being annoyed with the suggestions and began contributing his own ideas. He started enjoying the planning as well, and Wander was over the moon. They were finally having fun together, making invitations and sending them out, decorating the hall for the ceremony and picking out the largest cake Wander had ever seen. They were on the same wavelength for once, even grinning at each other and high-fiving while they planned, and it felt amazing. Hater wasn't annoyed with him any more. He stopped yelling and seemed genuinely excited by each of Wander's ideas. Wander was excited too. This was what he'd always wanted. Sure, he'd usually pictured them planning for something other than his untimely death, but that was beside the point.

Hater was having fun with him. He was even smiling. Wander didn't think he'd ever seen Hater this happy to be around him before.

Then the ceremony started, and it was perfect.

Everything was set up the way they'd planned. It was a shame they hadn't been able to invite Mr. Peepers. He would probably have been a lot of help with the planning, but Hater had been insistent that they keep the ceremony quiet and Wander had respected his decision. They'd done a pretty good job, the two of them, if Wander did say so himself. The hall looked beautiful, even more so because they'd decorated it together. It all made Wander feel pretty special if he was being honest.

The music started and Hater walked down the hall towards him.

And Hater looked so happy. The cloak they'd picked out sparkled in the spotlights, but not nearly as much as the overlord's smile. Wander felt his own smile widening in response. He felt warm all through to his guttyworks to know he was responsible for that smile.

Of course, the ceremony hadn't exactly gone off without a hitch. Mr. Peepers had come bursting in and he sure was upset. Maybe they should have invited him after all. Wander would have liked to come down off his rack to comfort the watchdog, but thought it best not to intrude. Mr. Peepers seemed like he just wanted to talk to Hater at the moment, and Wander couldn't blame him. It sounded like they had a lot to talk about. He waited patiently instead.

Looking back on it now, Wander supposed that would have been his time to escape, but at the moment the thought didn't even cross his mind. That would have been pretty rude of him after all the work they did preparing for the ceremony. He couldn't just leave before it was over. He knew it would be sure to hurt Hater's feelings and that was the last thing Wander ever wanted to do.

Hater turned from his confrontation with Peepers and Wander could see the skeleton had been rattled. He pushed the button to start the laser as he turned with only a brief "Wander, prepare to die," hardly a word really, and Wander's attention was drawn to the tip of the giant laser gun where a bright green light was starting to intensify.

And really, any other day he would be gone by now, or at least dodge out of the way while he thought up a distraction of some kind, but he found he didn't want to. Hater had put everything he was working on aside to plan this thing with Wander, and they had both been so happy. The nomad couldn't bear to leave him like this, so he didn't move. Instead, he caught Hater's eye and smiled at him.

Hater wasn't smiling any more, which Wander thought was a shame. He tried to put everything he was feeling into his own smile. He wanted Hater to know how much he appreciated this; how special it made him feel. He wished there was a way he could tell Hater how much his happiness meant to him. He hoped the smile would be enough.

Wander didn't think about anything else as the laser continued to charge. He focused his whole heart on the overlord who…well golly, he seemed to be a lot closer now, didn't he? Hater was running down the isle towards him at a break-neck pace, but it was hard for Wander to see his face any more because the green light was behind him now and it was so bright it was hurting his eyes.

Wander gasped at the impact as Hater crashed into him, knocking them both to the floor. The laser went off at the same moment and Wander found his eyes closing involuntarily as it passed right over them, hitting the wall with a muffled impact. He could feel the heat on his face and the light's after image lingered in his eyes when he opened them to look up at the skeletal overlord lying on top of him.

Hater had…saved him. Without any coercion, without any tricks or anything to gain.

Wander didn't spare a glance for the smoking crater he was sure was behind them. Hater's face was centimeters from his own and he didn't look too good. Wander could feel the skeleton shaking. He was breathing heavily after his run and his cheekbones were tinged a faint green as though they still reflected the light from the laser. His expression was hard to read, eyes staring and blank. When Hater didn't move, Wander started worrying that his friend had been hurt in the commotion. That laser had gotten awfully close to them. He rubbed gentle circles on Hater's shoulder, and tried to keep his voice calm as he asked after the skeleton's wellbeing, though he felt almost like shaking himself.

Hater still wasn't responding, and Wander thought about trying to wriggle out from under him so he could get a better look at the skeleton's back, but it was hard to move. It was nice to be so close to Hater without the other trying to kill him for once, even if he knew it wouldn't last. Still, he was getting pretty concerned. He could the voices of Commander Peepers and the other watchdogs, but Hater wasn't responding to them either. Wander was about to start wriggling when the overlord suddenly pulled his weight off of him. His breaths were rasping in and out of his trembling jaw bone and if anything they were faster than before. The green tint to his face had gotten stronger too. Wander started to rise, slipping quickly out of his restraints, but Hater was already gone, running from the room without a word.

"Hater," Wander whispered after him, but he knew he hadn't been heard.

Now, Wander let his head fall backward slightly until it bumped against the rough stone wall behind him. He was torn between several very different emotions.

Hater had saved him, had protected him from the laser. That undeniable fact made Wander's heart ache with happiness, and yet he couldn't help feeling like he'd messed everything up somehow. He supposed it was possible that Hater had finally started caring about Wander too. But if so, he hadn't taken it well. Maybe it would even have been better if he had escaped. Hater might even have been expecting it. He was certainly used to it.

Wander sighed. He'd wanted to make Hater happy. Hater had been happy, but all of that was gone now. The skeleton had looked sick and desperate when he'd run out of the room. Perhaps Wander should have run after him, but he couldn't help but feel that Hater needed a little time to calm down. Still…

"I should prob'ly go check on him."

Slipping his banjo back into his hat, Wander hopped to his feet and headed to the front of the cell. He looked carefully at the bars until he spotted the tiny arrow scrawled on one. Good; this was one of the easy ones. All of the cells had escape routs by this point, but some of them required a little more brawn to accomplish, and he wasn't sure he would be able to manage those ones without Sylvia. Wander slowly twisted the bar until it came loose in his hands, slipped through the new gap and replaced the bar carefully. He didn't want Mr. Peepers to be upset over the damage to the cell, or to make Sylvia have to loosen another bar next time.

At the thought of his best friend, Wander's lips twitched as that guilty feeling rose again.

"Sorry Syl," he whispered quietly as he headed out the door. "I'll see you soon. I promise."

Right after he made sure Hater was okay.

Hater was not okay.

He was in his room, huddled into a cocoon of blankets on his bed. Peepers had been outside his room for the last twenty minutes, pleading for Hater to let him in, to talk to him, but Hater hadn't answered and the last few minutes of silence from the other side of the door seemed to indicate that his third in command had finally given up and left him alone for the time being.

That was good. Hater didn't want to talk to anyone right now. He wished he could silence his own thoughts as well, but they carried on tormenting him as he lay miserably in the middle of his bed.

What had he done?

That was one question that kept repeating inside his head, and the answer to that question was never too far behind.

He'd saved Wander; that's what he'd done. He'd saved him. In front of his commander and his entire army no less.

The same annoying, fuzzy weirdo he'd been trying to torture and destroy since their first encounter back on Binglebopolopolis, and the same one he'd been sure he was fine with destroying right up until he pushed that button.

Why had he done it?

That one was a little harder to answer. Hater kept picturing the scene in his mind, much as he tried to stop thinking about it. He kept seeing the Disaster Blaster charging up, its light overwhelming all colour in the hall. And he kept seeing Wander's face, and that final smile he'd given him. That smile felt like it was burned into his eye sockets. It was very different from the usual smiles he received from the wanderer. It made his heart race inside his ribs to think about it and his cheekbones felt hot as if he had a fever. He buried his face further under his covers, wishing Captain Tim was in here with him, but the monstrosity must be out somewhere stalking around the skull-ship or mauling a few unsuspecting watchdogs.

The worst part was that no matter how many times Hater played the scene in his head, he couldn't imagine it changing. Over and over again he watched it happen. Wander didn't escape and Hater…didn't let him die.

The overlord groaned into his pillow. He just wanted to stay in his bed forever and pretend this whole day had never happened if only his mind would cooperate.

Hater's spiraling reverie was interrupted by a hesitant knock on the door. He craned his skull out of the blankets just enough to yell at the offending entranceway.

"Flab drassit Peepers, leave me alone!"

There was silence for a moment, and Hater slumped back into his blankets, all ready to go back to moping. He perked up again almost immediately at the sound of the door opening slowly, then the sound of soft footsteps on his carpet.

"Sorry buddy, s'this a bad time?"

That wasn't Peepers.

Thanks for reading!

We got to hear what Wander was thinking through this whole event, and a little of Hater's aftermath. Sorry Sylvia and Peepers couldn't make it into this chapter. Wander's scene ended up being longer than I expected. He had a few things to think through. We will see them next chapter. Sylvia is fine, though she will probably be a little (justifiably) upset with Wander when she finds out what happened. Peepers is feeling betrayed and probably really confused at this point.

Feel free to leave me comments if you like. I dearly love reading them!

I am working on the next chapters for this story, "Traveling Companions" and "Shades Of Self." We will see which one I finish first.

See you next time!