Learning To Swim

Chapter Nine: The Dessert

This chapter is a little shorter than normal, but I didn't want to add any more. It feels complete as is.

I'm as eager as you are to see what happens next. Here we go!

"Razzin-frazzin Wander, razzin-frazzin date."

Commander Peepers grumbled to himself irately as he typed, eye moving back and forth as he planned a future conquest on the nearby planet, Grata Veras.

He was having trouble focusing on his plans, his confrontation with Wander, if you could even call it that, not to mention the yelling he'd endured from his boss, still running through his mind in a constant film reel.

Peepers had not been happy when he left the interrogation room. It had taken all of his restraint, and the fact that Hater might have been about to electrocute him, to stop him from pressing his case further.

Okay, so Wander coercing Hater into this situation was a little far fetched. Much as he was loth to take anything the fuzzy mop said at face value, he was right that forcing Hater to do anything was nearly impossible. The skeleton needed to feel like he was in charge all the time, and when you pushed him, he'd just dig in his heels and get more and more obstinate until you gave up or poked him one time too many and ended up zapped to within an inch of your life.

However, manipulating Hater was another game entirely. Wander had shown himself perfectly capable in the past of distracting Hater, of pulling the overlord into his ridiculous games, luring him along until Hater was completely caught up in whatever preposterous antics the nomad wanted.

That was all par for the course, and Peepers saw no reason that this time was any different, aside from the…nature of Wander's distraction.

Unfortunately, as usual when Hater let his obsession with Wander run away with him, he was refusing to listen to Peepers; brushing off the watchdog's entirely valid points, and now even shouting at him for daring to interfere with what Peepers had realized, in slowly growing horror, was definitely a date.

The commander gave a full-body shudder, pausing in his typing and staring blindly at the diagrams on his screen.

Now he had another argument tomorrow with Hater to look forward to, but that wasn't even the biggest thing that was bothering him. What was bothering him the most, really eating him up inside, was the idea of Lord Hater, planetary conqueror and all-around evil-doer, 'hanging out' and doing who knew what else with that scruffy orange goody-two-shoes. By themselves. For hours.

Wander had all evening to continue whatever manipulations he'd been working all those times he'd been alone with Hater in the past couple of weeks, to continue feeding this new and somehow worse obsession Hater was developing. Peepers had not forgotten the look in Hater's eyes when he'd turned back to Wander right before Peepers had made himself scarce. Hater had looked nervous, but as though he was trying to hide it. He'd also looked excited. This mattered to Hater. Being with Wander mattered to him.

And here Peepers was, trying to make plans for galactic conquest while the most persistent, goodiest good guy of them all, the constant thorn in their side for the past two years, continued working whatever weird, hillbilly magic he possessed on the overlord.

And he couldn't interfere, not without invoking Hater's still-very-dangerous wrath.

Although, not interfering didn't mean he couldn't observe them, did it? Then, at least, he'd get a better idea of what he was up against, of what metaphorical weapons Wander had at his disposal. He would have to be very covert. Hater would be furious if he caught Peepers spying on him, especially right now, and normally the watchdog would never have done so, but these weren't exactly normal circumstances. Hater had actually said he didn't hate Wander anymore. He'd admitted to allowing the annoying vagabond to kiss him, and not even wanted to destroy the little creep for pulling a stunt like that. And now he'd actually planned a date for the two of them and spent all day roping the watchdogs into helping him prepare.

Clearly, Hater's judgement was being severely impaired by whatever Wander was doing to him.

It wasn't that far fetched, Peepers reflected glumly. Hater had always been desperate for romantic attention, usually from pretty girls rather than hairy annoying toothpicks, but still, it was certainly one of the overlord's weak points, something a cunning enemy could use to manipulate Hater. Peepers didn't like thinking of Wander as cunning, but even he could admit the furry headache was depressingly good at manipulating Hater. And even if Wander had been as sincere as he'd sounded when he said he wasn't trying to trick Hater into anything, well, that didn't really matter in the long run. The result would clearly be just as disastrous.

These thoughts in mind, Peepers slowly turned back to his screen. First, he saved the plans he was currently working on, minimizing them to get them out of the way. Then, he began the process of accessing the security cameras. It would have been easier from the observation room, but staying in the war room gave Peepers at least some plausible deniability if Hater got suspicious and came looking for him. Then Peepers could just pretend to have been working on the conquest plans the whole time.

Like the spying, deceiving his boss wasn't something Peepers liked to do, but he felt that his options were severely limited in this case. Besides, it wasn't like he was betraying the overlord or doing anything wrong. Everything he was doing was for Hater's own good, even if he couldn't see it at the moment. If Hater was his normal self right now, he'd be horrified by the way he was acting.

Peepers could only hope the normal Hater was still reachable under whatever love-haze Wander had him in.

A few more keystrokes and he'd be in. Peepers wasn't sure where Hater had taken Wander, so he'd have to do some searching. At least this time they'd stayed on the ship and he wouldn't have to follow one of their worst enemies to some Grop forsaken fair looking for the two of them. Finding them this time was just a matter of patience, something Peepers excelled at. Soon he'd have a front row seat to whatever was happening.

"And then we'll see 'what's what,'" Peepers muttered darkly.

Wander was an obsession.

He always had been. Even during their very first encounter, he'd been impossible to ignore, impossible for Hater to dismiss. Hater wasn't sure what it was about the furry creature that pulled his attention to him like a Flangarian moon flyer, but he knew it hadn't gone away when his hatred for Wander had.

When he looked across at Wander, lying on the carpet in front of the fireplace, sock-clad feed crossed and eyes half lidded, giving him that look that was both relaxed and strangely intense, it was like nothing else mattered in the universe.

Slowly, he pulled himself closer until he was right next to the smaller alien. He was so close his robe was almost brushing Wander's fur. Wander remained still, only following Hater with his eyes.

Hater's mouth felt dry, his heartbeat picking up and a strange tingle traveling from the top of his skull all through the rest of his bones.

Gradually, he reached out one hand, hesitating for a moment before resting it on Wander's leg the way Wander had done to him earlier. Wander's smile widened slightly, but he still didn't move. Touching Wander like this still felt a little surreal to Hater, clashing with all the times before when he'd lashed out at the nomad in anger.

Now, he noticed things about the little alien when he touched him, and couldn't believe he'd never noticed them before. Wander was so much smaller than he. If he closed his hand, he could completely encircle Wander's thigh. Instead, he gently stroked down the leg, focusing on the way it felt to brush his gloved fingers through the short, orange fur. The fur on Wander's legs was shorter than on his torso, warm in the light of the fire, and Hater felt that stirring deep inside him again, as though his body was trying to tell him something.

Wander pushed himself into more of a sitting position, bringing his face closer to Hater's. He moved slowly too, deliberately, eyes going from Hater's hand to his face. His smile was contented, and somehow knowing, eyes shining with happiness and something else, something that seemed to pierce right through Hater to his core. Hater felt it in the depths of his ribcage, resonating through his stomach cavity and the joints of his knees.

It was a rather confident look on Wander's face, and Hater felt a sudden flash of annoyance, overriding his nerves.

Of course, Wander was happy, calm and completely unbothered by this situation. It didn't matter to him that they should be bitter enemies. He had always seen Hater as a friend, and had apparently wanted to date Hater for quite a while. The kissing probably came naturally to him. He wasn't having to struggle and wrestle with his emotions as he figured everything out. Once again, it felt like Wander had him at a disadvantage. He was just lying there contentedly, waiting to see what Hater would do.

Well, Hater wasn't going to stand for it. He was going to wipe that smug expression off the little pest's face.

With one motion, Hater suddenly flung himself forward until he was looming over Wander, gloved hands digging into the thick carpet, one arm on either side of the nomad, trapping him between Hater's body and the floor. They were nose to nose now, and Hater noticed Wander's surprise at this move with satisfaction. He smirked down at Wander with some smugness of his own, though he still felt slightly jittery. That would show the little hippy.

Not giving Wander a chance to adjust, he bent down, closing the gap and kissing him on the lips once again, just briefly, before pulling back, grinning in triumph down at the little nomad.

"Anything I want, right?" he sneered.

"That's right." Wander didn't look surprised anymore. His voice was slightly breathless, thick with that unknown emotion that pulled at Hater's insides. "Lookin' like you've got somethin' in mind, huh Hater?"

Hater almost shivered at his tone. He felt slightly more in control now, a little more powerful with Wander's small body underneath him, the deep red of the carpet framing his face in the flickering light. His every sensation felt magnified; the warmth of the fire behind him, the deep red of the carpet, the excited glow in Wander's eyes and the way he bit his lip slightly as he peered up at Hater. It all seemed to stand out in sharp relief in his mind.

His power flowed through his bones, sizzling from his fingers all the way down to his toes. He could feel it lighting up his skull.

Wander's hands came up then, knotting themselves in Hater's robe. His grin widened as he pulled himself closer. Hater could feel Wander's smile against his mouth when they kissed and he pressed close, pushing against the nomad, nudging Wander down again until his back was flat to the carpet. This kiss was longer than the last one. Wander's mouth was eager against his and it fuelled that fire at Hater's core, warmer than the one in the fireplace.

He was getting used to the taste of Wander's mouth, the sweet scent of his fur and the warmth and softness of his lips, finding himself craving the sensations and wanting more.

Hater shifted his weight on the floor slightly so he could move his hands, one arm encircling Wander, fingers winding their way through the fur of his back, tracing the small bumps of his spine. He felt Wander gasp against his mouth as he did so and desire rushed suddenly through him at the sound. Then he felt Wander's tongue touch his. A furry hand brushed against the back of his skull causing a spark of electricity to go shooting down him all the way to his tailbone.

He pulled away again, even though he didn't want to, ribcage shuddering as he breathed deeply. He could feel Wander's own small ribs rising and falling through the hand on his back, but all he could see was the sparkling of Wander's eyes as the nomad gazed up at him. There was desire in that look, but even stronger was the affection that he saw so frequently when Wander looked at him. It caught him off guard somehow and he found himself frozen, not understanding the sudden tightness in his ribs.

That was the same look Wander had given him many times before, every time they'd run afoul of each other in the vast reaches of the galaxy, although admittedly it was stronger this time. It used to fill Hater with rage. How dared Wander to look at him with affection, how dared he care about Hater and want to be around him when all Hater wanted to was to destroy him. It was a look that told Hater Wander was glad to see him, that he wanted to here, that he liked Hater and enjoyed his company.

Now, Hater found it hard to meet that look.

Why did Wander care about him so much anyway? How could he look at Hater like that, like Hater was the most important being in the universe? He wasn't wrong; Hater should be important, was important, and yet it still seemed strange that Wander saw him that way.

"Hater?" Wander still sounded a little out of breath. Concern was creeping into his voice, eyebrows creasing in worry. "You feelin' okay, buddy? You wanna stop?" He started to pull away slightly and Hater's hand tightened around him.

"No!" Hater said hastily, then stopped. He felt strange, almost guilty, though he couldn't imagine why. "No," he said again, more softly. "I don't want to stop, I just…" He trailed off, pulling away himself now and sitting back up. He still didn't want to let go, so Wander sat up with him. That fire inside him was still burning, but he suddenly felt that he needed a moment to think. "Can't we just…sit and watch the stupid fire for a bit?" he managed after a moment.

A small smile formed on Wander's face.

"Anythin' ya wanna do, Hater," he said again.

Hater settled himself, crossing his legs on the carpet. He reached over to the coffee table for his glass, taking a long gulp, eyes tracing the flames in the fireplace so he didn't have to look at Wander. He was trying to pretend he hadn't totally flarped that up. He was supposed to be smooth, confident, debonaire. He was supposed to be romantic, to be sweeping Wander off his feet. He'd been enjoying the kissing. He hadn't wanted to stop. He wasn't even sure why he'd pulled away.

Wander was watching him. Hater met his gaze and realized suddenly he still had one arm wrapped around the nomad. He hadn't wanted to let him go. He was about to pull away, not wanting to be weird, but then suddenly Wander was easing himself closer. He met Hater's eyes as he did so, giving him a chance to object, but Hater didn't move. Before he realized what was happening, Wander had settled himself into his bony lap. He tilted back his head to smile up at Hater as he snuggled up against him, cheek resting on the skeleton's ribcage.

Hater looked away again, back at the fire. Something felt swollen where his throat should be, and his eyes prickled unexpectedly. He couldn't explain it. It was like he'd been empty all his life only to suddenly feel full. He blinked his eyes to keep the tears from forming and tried to keep his breathing steady. Wander was quiet in his lap and Hater hoped the little alien hadn't caught on to his feelings this time.

So there they sat, watching the flames lick slowly at the blackening wood and surprisingly, it was just as nice as the kissing had been.

"Almost there."

Peepers entered another command on the keyboard. He'd finally pinpointed where his boss had taken the furry pain. The skull-ship was large, and cycling through hundreds of rooms again was not appealing. Then Peepers had had the idea to do a heat scan. Hater had a very unique heat signature, so that had made it much easier to narrow their location down. Peepers wasn't sure what room they were in, which was strange when many of his jobs as commander forced him to be very familiar with the insides of the ship. He aught to know all of the rooms, but he couldn't even recall assigning patrols or cleaning crews to this particular one. Still, he'd found them, and now he just needed to access the security cameras for that room.

"What are you doing?"

Peepers jumped, the familiar voice making him spin around angrily. Being fully focused and intent on his task, he'd almost forgotten the hideous alien was even on the ship. Sylvia smirked as he turned, leaning against the wall, head craned forward slightly as though she had been trying to look over his shoulder.

"Nothing your puny mind could comprehend, I'm sure, zbornak," he snapped.

"Wow, must have interrupted something," Sylvia observed, with far less offence to the insult than Peepers would have liked. "I didn't mean to touch any nerves. In that case, I won't tell you what I think is puny in here," she continued. Peepers bristled at that, but let it go for the moment.

"What are you doing here anyway?" he demanded. He didn't particularly want to start a fight right now. He'd hate for the war room to get destroyed. He had far too much crucial information stored in here. Besides, he had more important things to deal with right now than needling the violent alien. Lord Hater had been alone with the furry freak for far too long already. "I thought you were going to 'hang out' in the food court. Didn't you promise not to bother us tonight?"

"I promised not to bother Wander and Hater. You're still fair game as far as I'm concerned, though we both know I wouldn't be keeping to that promise if there was even a hint Wander was in danger. So, what are you doing in here anyway, Peeps? Thought you'd be off licking your wounds after old bonehead blew his top."

Fury simmered through Peepers like a soup coming to a boil. It was bad enough he'd gotten yelled at by his boss for doing something that was basically his job a few weeks ago. It was much worse that an infuriating enemy like Sylvia had been there to witness his humiliation.

"It's none of your business," he ground out. "I'm still the commander of the Lord Hater empire, and as such am far too busy to take a night off, regardless of anything else that may be going on currently. Now, are you going to leave, or am I going to have to call in the troops to capture you? It certainly wouldn't bother me if you had to wait in the dungeons until Lord Hater gets sick of your little friend and we throw you both out."

"Pass. I've had enough exercise today already." Sylvia still sounded casual, and that bothered Peepers. It was hard to be an impressive villain when your enemies refused to be intimidated by your threats. The zbornak took a couple of steps forward, and Peepers raised an arm to try to cover the screen.

"…Are those security cameras?" She shot a look at Peepers that was much less relaxed than her previous attitude. "You'd better not be doing what I think you're doing."

"What do you think I'm doing?" Peepers snapped. Maybe he should have tried one of the excuses he'd gotten ready for Hater, but he was officially out of patience.

"I think you're doing something pretty stupid after that mess you caused earlier," Sylvia retorted. "And if you're planning to do some spying on the two of them, you can forget it."

"I'd like to see you stop me!" Peepers retorted, completely forgetting how much he didn't want a fight amongst the information that had taken him countless hours to collect. "That ginger weirdo has gotten his way for far too long, and I intend to see what he's up to."

"Oh no you don't." Sylvia's tail swept past him, slamming down on the instrument panel and turning off the screen, as well as probably denting the casing. Peepers tried not to flinch and failed. "Look Peepers," the zbornak continued after a moment. "I'm not exactly thrilled about this whole situation either, but I trust Wander, and that means I have to trust that he can handle himself, and Hater, for a few hours. Maybe you should give that boss of yours the same courtesy."

"What a load of Shincheckian slime mold." Peepers crossed his arms, narrowing his eye in an attempt to communicate a fraction of the disdain he was feeling. "You're just saying that because you already know what you buddy is up to."

"I have a pretty good idea." Sylvia shot a glance at the now darkened monitor, and Peepers thought she gave a brief shudder of her own before she focused her gaze on him again. "And did it ever occur to you in the big brain of yours that if you actually do succeed in spying on the two of them you might not like what you see?"

Peepers started to answer, and then stopped. For the first time he thought about what Hater and Wander might be up to all by themselves in a hidden room on the skull-ship, especially with what Hater had admitted to him had already happened. His eyelid paled and he started involuntarily.

Sylvia must have seen his realization because she gave a snort.

"That's what I thought. I'm going back to the food court for another drink. You can tag along if you want. You look like you could use one too. I'm sure Wander and Hater will be fine on their own for one evening. At least the ship will probably stay intact. That should make you happy."

To his own surprise, Peepers found himself considering the offer for a fraction of a second.

"No, you go ahead," he said glumly, feeling his shoulders slump. I've got some things to think about."

"Yeah, I bet. Don't blow a blood vessel." Sylvia was gone.

Peepers stared blankly at the empty doorway for a few minutes. Slowly, he began to gather up any loose papers on the war room's floor, tidying them away before exiting and locking the room securely. He walked mechanically through the winding corridors until he reached his own little room where he lay back on his bed, not even bothering to take off his boots and helmet.

Maybe it was good the zbornak had interrupted him before he made an even bigger fool of himself, or saw something that would give him nightmares. This whole day had been one awful discovery after another and Peepers was exhausted. He didn't know what to do. He felt like he'd been fighting this as hard as he could and getting nowhere. Maybe it was time to rethink his approach, to really analyze his own actions and figure out a different strategy.

He still couldn't really make sense of the events that had unfolded over the last few weeks, and he had a feeling that making sense of them wouldn't make him feel any better. It wasn't that late, only about ten o'clock ship standard time, but maybe he should go to sleep. Things might be clearer in the morning.

Still, he didn't make a move to get up and get changed or to turn out his lights. He just lay on his bed while his tired brain turned his thoughts over and over in his head.

Maybe things would be clearer tomorrow, but Commander Peepers wouldn't bet on it.

Thanks for reading!

Things got a bit steamy this chapter. Hope I'm not moving too fast.

We will probably have one more chapter of the date, and then we might be running into some more episode rewrites. We have some important events coming up soon that will certainly impact our gang.

Let me know how you liked the chapter if you feel like it. Feedback makes me happy.

See you soon!