Learning To Swim

Chapter Ten: The End Of The Night

I'm so glad everyone enjoyed the last chapter! We will be finishing up the date this chapter, and then there will be some more plot developments. Hope you like them!

Hater and Wander have a little more time together before Sylvia gets too impatient.

See you at the bottom!

"Want one?"

Hater looked down at the little furball sitting in his lap. Wander was still snuggled into him, head and hat tucked under his chin and knees pulled up. He'd managed to reach over to the coffee table and snagged the plate of desserts, which he was now wiggling invitingly under Hater's nose.

Hater reached down, taking a chocolate and pretending to examine it, though his focus was still on Wander. The nomad's smile had widened when Hater took the sweet. He gave a happy squeak and his sock-clad toes wiggled in delight. Hater rolled his eyes, biting into the chocolate. He smiled as the flavour hit him. He'd have to get Peepers to tell him which planet these came from so he could conquer it. He definitely wanted to have these again.

Wander was still smiling up at him as he munched a chocolate of his own, somehow looking even happier when he saw Hater's smile. He seemed content to sit silently for once, aside from some occasional happy wriggling.

It was cozy sitting together in front of the fire. Wander was warm and soft pressed against him, and somehow familiar. It seemed like he'd always been around, hugging Hater and smiling at him, even though Hater had only recently stopped trying to blast him when he did. It was almost like they'd been dating for a while instead of Hater having to make the difficult discission earlier this very evening. Sitting here was nice, and he could feel his turbulent emotions calming, but Hater still found himself distracted, almost guilty, as though there was something else he should be doing. It was as if he was doing something he shouldn't be, something bizarre and forbidden, something undeniably wrong. He supposed he was, in a way.

It was still so strange looking down at Wander, happy and peaceful next to him and not hating the sight. Wander sitting in his lap this way, smiling at him, even spending time with him; all that would have driven him absolutely insane a few weeks ago.

Just the thought that Wander was happy and free somewhere had kept him awake many nights, tossing and turning, worrying about the little freak showing up to foil an invasion or sneaking onto his ship to play him a song or start some ridiculous game. As for when Wander actually did show up, well, needless to say relaxing in front of a fire wasn't usually the result.

It was still so odd to look at the little nomad and not feel that burning hatred, the desire to hurt that used to be almost overwhelming.

And now that he no longer had those feelings, he couldn't stop the sense that something was missing, that something was wrong. If hating Wander had been the integral part of him that it had seemed, then did losing the feeling change who he was? Had he, Lord Hater, Number One Superstar, actually let Wander change him?

No.

Hater shook the thought away, though not without some difficulty. He was the biggest, baddest conqueror this galaxy had ever seen. Just because he changed his mind every once in a while, it didn't mean he had changed. He was still going to conquer the galaxy, put the other villains in their place and subjugate millions under his iron-fisted rule. Nothing had really changed. He'd just realized Wander wasn't as annoying as he used to think. And that the little weirdo was a pretty good kisser from what Hater could tell. That was didn't make him any less of a villain just because he and Wander were…dating now.

Hater's thoughts ground to a halt for a moment as he processed that. They were dating, actually dating. For once in his life, he was on a date with someone, and it was going well, despite all the awkwardness and his own conflicted feelings.

And even though he felt awkward and strange sometimes, there was a pleasant lack of pressure from Wander, simply because Hater knew him so well. Nothing he did was going to put Wander off or chase him away; flarp, he hadn't been able to chase Wander away when he was trying to. No matter what he did, Wander would still want to be around him. Wander knew who he was, and he wasn't going to judge Hater, despise him or fear him because of any of it.

The thought used to be infuriating, but now it was surprisingly comforting.

Wander shifted slightly, peering up at Hater again, then out across the room.

"That fire could use a li'l more fuel," he observed.

Hater followed his gaze, realizing the fire had died back until it was practically coals, glowing deep orange in the black marble fireplace.

Wander shifted again, hopping to his feet and moving lightly to the fireplace. Hater watched silently as he arranged logs and coaxed the fire large again.

He found himself, as so often had happened before, fascinated with the little nomad, though without that intense loathing that used to consume him. It was strange. Hater had always been focused on Wander, and yet there were so many things about him he was only noticing now. He'd always been much more intent on catching him and throwing him in his dungeons, and he felt like he'd never really looked at him.

Wander was humming a little tune to himself as he built up the fire, swaying his hips slightly as though half dancing. He looked carefree and happy, just as he always firelight glowed in his fur and, like earlier when he was reclining in front of the fire, Hater felt strangely attracted to the way his limbs moved.

When Wander turned from the newly crackling fire, Hater looked away, not wanting to be caught staring. He stuffed another chocolate in his mouth and pretended to be examining the darkened room. Wander walked back over to him, stopping on the way to refill both of their glasses from the bottle on the coffee table, taking a drink and setting his glass on the polished surface.

Hater was feeling a little calmer now, more in control of himself and the situation in general, and maybe a little more daring, and he felt like he'd had enough of just sitting here, cozy or not. Maybe it was time to make a move of some kind. He was pretty sure Wander wouldn't mind, and the little hippy had said they could do anything he wanted.

It was a lot of pressure that Wander seemed to be leaving everything up to him, but it was also kind of nice that the nomad was willing to follow his lead instead of dragging him along as he often did.

Wander stopped beside him, holding out the skeleton's glass in one hand and Hater felt his smirk growing again. He took the glass with his left hand, seizing Wander's wrist with his right and giving it a sudden yank, tugging the nomad back into his lap.

Wander gave a squeak of surprise, landing on Hater in a sprawl.

Hater grinned down at the nomad in triumph. One thing he'd realized already about his new found 'feelings' was that he liked when he was able to surprise Wander, when the little nomad was thrown off kilter. He liked the astonishment in Wander's face and the sudden shyness.

He took a swig from his glass, setting it on the floor beside him to get it out of the way.

Wander was usually so sure of himself, so relaxed and comfortable around him, which often made Hater feel vaguely like he was losing some contest. Wander's confidence; the way he'd lean close to Hater and flutter his eyelashes, his wiggling eyebrows and those knowing smiles that slipped over his face; all of that made Hater feel uncomfortable, even while it did strangely pleasant things to his insides. But when he was able to do something that Wander hadn't been expecting, surprise the nomad and take control of the situation, it gave him a delicious feeling of power, watching Wander adjust to his actions to keep up with him. It stoked the fire inside him in much the same way Wander had built up the one in the fireplace.

Wander seemed to be recovering, eyes huge and sparkly as he looked up at Hater. He let out a breathy little chuckle, pushing his hat out of his eyes.

"Did ya miss me, Hater?" He asked coyly.

"Of course not!" Hater pulled back slightly, releasing Wander's wrist and crossing his arms. "You didn't even go anywhere!" He felt a little annoyed that Wander had turned his action into a stupid joke. It put him off and made him feel uncomfortable again.

Wander giggled once more. He seemed perfectly relaxed now, lying across Hater's lap with his head on one knee, hat drooping forward.

The scowl that had started forming on Hater's face vanished at the sight, as he was once again captivated by the way the firelight flickered over the nomad's fur and sparkled in his eyes, the way he was lying with all his gangly limbs spread out and that dorky little grin. His frustration faded and he felt his bones heat up under his cloak, electricity sparking through him. He was overwhelmed suddenly by the want to kiss Wander again, but wasn't sure how to get started now that they'd stopped, and after Wander had laughed at his attempt to take charge. Wander's grin certainly wasn't making it any easier.

Wander was having far too much fun.

It almost seemed like a dream; sitting here with Hater in front of the fire, laughing and eating dessert together. And Hater was even having fun! Despite the blustering and the nervousness that seemed to overwhelm his buddy every now and then, Wander could tell the overlord was enjoying their time together. He almost felt giddy; seeing Hater's happiness, and getting to be the reason for it made his own joy increase exponentially. He'd wanted this for so long.

Wander was glad he hadn't messed anything up earlier, and glad he'd decided to follow Hater's lead tonight. His friend was definitely still uncomfortable, although sometimes he wasn't sure what was causing it. It seemed to come in waves. Hater would be having fun and relaxing with him, and then he would stiffen and pull away. It was like he would suddenly remember how things used to be between them.

Wander didn't mind. He knew Hater was still getting used to everything. Wander had always thought of them as friends, but getting along with him was still something new and possibly scary for the overlord. He didn't mind taking it slow, and cuddling together in front of the fire was just as nice as the other things they'd been probably wasn't used to being so close to someone for so long, especially Wander, although Hater also seemed to be the one initiating the closeness most of the time, which gave Wander an extra little happy thrill.

He smiled up at Hater from his place in the skeleton's lap. His buddy seemed a little nervous again now, after his confidence a few moments ago. Wander tried to soften his smile, to be encouraging. The skeleton was watching him intently, eyes glowing more brightly than the fire, and cheekbones tinged slightly green. After a moment, Hater reached down hesitantly towards him. His hand hovered over Wander for a moment, as though he was unsure what to do with it. Wander solved the problem, taking the larger hand in both of his and settling it on the fur of his chest, on top of his stroked the gloved hand, playing with the long fingers a little, smiling at Hater in what he hoped was a reassuring way.

Wander watched Hater visibly swallow and felt his heart ache a little, partly from sympathy and partly from knew this would be hard for his buddy. Even though he seemed to want the closeness so much, it was clearly still a little overwhelming.

Maybe it would be alright if he made the first move this time, though he'd have to be careful. He didn't want to push Hater, or move too fast for him. He didn't want Hater to go along with something he wasn't comfortable with just because he was afraid of not being suave enough.

Slowly, he sat up, leaning towards Hater and shifting so he was kneeling on one bony leg to give him a little more height. He moved slowly in case Hater wanted him to stop, but instead, Hater just continued watching him, eyes focused on his face, burning with an intensity that made Wander feel a little nervous himself.

They were face to face now, and Wander smiled, still trying to reassure his buddy. He leaned forward, gently touching his lips to the cool bone of Hater's mouth before pulling back somewhat, giving the skeleton another small smile.

Hater had started slightly at the kiss, and Wander paused. He gave the bony hand he was holding a squeeze.

"How're ya doin', buddy?" He asked.

"Fine." Hater's voice was quieter than Wander was used to. It sounded slightly breathless, and Wander could feel himself moving with Hater's ribcage as the skeleton breathed deeply.

"That's good." Wander kept his voice quiet as well. "Do ya want me ta stop?"

"No." Hater still sounded hesitant, but he gave Wander's hand a squeeze of his own. Then he scowled, as though just realizing how unsure he'd sounded. "I said I was fine!" His voice was slightly sharper now, and Wander chuckled softly.

"Okey-doke!" He said.

He leaned in again, still keeping his movements slow. He wanted Hater to be able to stop him if he wanted to. He was trying to be aware of Hater's movements, in case the skeleton seemed uncomfortable again. This time, he went a little lower, pressing his lips gently to the side of Hater's jawbone, then again, closer to where it joined his skull. He kept the kisses light, a soft, feathery peck, then another and another. He heard an intake of breath, and glanced up to see Hater's eyes flicker open. His smile widened.

When Hater didn't seem bothered, didn't pull back or shove him away, he moved closer still, pressing his chest to Hater's ribcage. He let go of Hater's hand, reaching up and stroking his friend's cheekbone as he'd done before, then moving his hand to the top of Hater's skull, sliding along the smooth bone, gently pushing back the red hood and following it with his hand, stroking down the back of the skull all the way to where it joined the bony neck.

He nudged his head under Hater's chin, pressing small kisses down his neck vertebrae. Hater seemed to shiver as he did so and Wander smiled against his neck. He felt Hater's right hand at the back of his own head, the fingers threading through his fur and shivered himself at the sensation. He felt his leg twitch briefly as the fingers grazed his spine. The hand went higher, knocking his hat off as it stroked through the fur of his bangs. Like him, Hater was moving slowly, taking his time as his fingers carded through Wander's fur.

The gentleness was surprising, and Wander felt an unexpected wetness pricking at his eyes again, a swelling of emotion deep in his chest. He blinked rapidly to keep the tears back so he didn't bother Hater or worry him again.

He hadn't known how much he wanted to touch Hater this way, how much he'd wanted Hater to touch him. He'd tried not to think of his buddy this way, to see him as a friend and not to wish for anything else. He still wasn't really used to the idea that Hater felt the same way about him.

Moving back up slightly, he kissed Hater on the mouth once again, lingering longer this time, sliding one hand around to the back of his friend's neck. Hater's mouth moved against his, a little more firmly this time. His mouth opened and Wander felt Hater's tongue touch his. Hater was breathing heavily again, and Wander curved his tongue along the skeleton's, savouring that electrical tingle. Hater's hand was on the back of his head now, holding him firmly as they pushed into each other.

They broke apart and Wander sat back slightly, moving his hands to rest on Hater's ribcage. He could just feel the beat of Hater's heart through the bones, soothing and regular, but perhaps beating a little faster than normal. He knew his own heart had sped up to match.

"I missed you," he said, voice almost a whisper. "Felt like a while since we saw each other." He saw the confusion in those glowing green eyes before they cleared, Hater connecting the words back to his comment after he'd pulled Wander into his lap.

The skeleton let out a huff, hand sliding down to rest at the small of Wander's back.

"Of course you missed me." Hater's voice was annoyed but the emotion was mild, and he seemed fairly relaxed. "You're you," he finished, and Wander couldn't help his grin widening.

"I sure am," he agreed. "An' wouldya look at that Hater, you're you too!"

Hater huffed again.

"Yeah, yeah. Lord Hater, Greatest in the Galaxy…"

"Number One Superstar!" Wander finished for him. He couldn't help the enthusiasm in his voice. He snuggled closer again, feeling the shape of Hater's ribs beneath his robe, wrapping his arms around the curve of the skeleton's chest. He had that giddy, floating feeling again.

"…Yeah." Hater's voice was quiet. Wander looked up to find his buddy looking away, eyes tracing the flames in the fireplace. He sounded lost, almost sad, and concern flickered through Wander again. He considered for a moment, then moved back again, settling into the space between Hater's crossed legs and catching his eye.

"Seems like ya had a pretty successful week," he observed.

Hater shrugged, glancing at Wander and then away.

"I guess," he muttered grudgingly.

Wander bit his lip, peering at his friend coaxingly.

"Ya beat yer high score and did some conquerin'."

"Yeah."

"An' ya planned this whole date jus' fer us."

Now Hater looked at him. He almost looked like he wanted to deny that, but merely narrowed his eyes, impatience creeping over his face.

"Yeah, so?"

"Soooo…" Wander leant in close again, left hand moving so he could poke Hater's chest with one finger. "Why don't you tell me a li'l more about all that?" He wiggled the finger along one rib.

Hater looked surprised for a moment, then his shoulders straitened, a small smirk forming on his face.

"Maybe I will."

Wander made himself comfortable again in the skeleton's lap, wriggling happily. It had really seemed like Hater could use a confidence boost, and one thing he knew his buddy couldn't get enough of was talking about himself.

And Wander would always be happy to listen.

The morning after the date, Hater woke refreshed.

It had been quite a night.

Wander had listened contentedly as he talked about what he'd been doing over the proceeding week. He'd talked about conquering Hortel VII, and the weird, squat, cactus-like inhabitants who bizarrely lived on a world that was constantly flooded. He'd been a little worried that the little hippy would get upset at hearing about the attack, but he should have known better. Wander had just smiled along.

Then he'd told Wander about the new video game he'd beaten and the high-score he'd exceeded on one of his other ones, and he bragged about all the other generally awesome things he'd been up to. Wander listened happily and seemed genuinely interested.

He may have embellished some details here and there, just to guarantee he was giving off the right impression, but if Wander had noticed, he hadn't said anything. The nomad had just smiled up at him, warm and comfortable in his lap, and only sometimes annoying, throwing in appreciative comments and noises now and then as Hater talked.

At first, it had been a little awkward. Hater liked to talk about himself. It reassured him of his own impressive awesomeness, and it wasn't like he hadn't boasted about himself to Wander before, but this this time it was more with the aim to impress, rather than intimidate and it had taken him a few minutes to find his groove. Then there was the added distraction of Wander being so close. Every time he moved or shifted even slightly, Hater was aware of it, reminded once again of who his companion was, though not in an unpleasant way.

He wasn't sure how long he talked for but finally, after he'd finished going over a few of his favourite fighting moves, Wander had said he needed to get going soon. Apparently, Sylvia had threatened to come find them and bust down the door if Wander stayed too late. Hater had looked at the clock, surprised to find that it was almost one in the morning. The time seemed to have gone by far too quickly. Now they'd reached the end of the date, he rather wished he'd done a little more smooching and a little less talking, but he had had a lot of fun.

Wander had leaned in for one last kiss and Hater had been surprised all over again at the sudden emptiness he felt when the nomad stood moved away afterward.

He'd walked him to the ship's mouth, where Sylvia had been waiting impatiently, and resisted the urge to wave back at Wander as the two nomads made their orble and headed off into the blackness.

Then Hater had suddenly realized how tired he was, and headed back to his room through strangely empty corridors. He'd gone to sleep with Wander's last words to him spiraling through his tired mind.

"I had a real lovely time with you, Hater. I'll be seein' ya soon!"

He must have slept well, because he barely even grumbled when his alarm went off.

He got up, throwing his pajamas on the floor and getting his usual shower, patting Captain Tim as he went by, then pausing to pry his pet off of his finger.

He felt good. Despite everything; all the weirdness and the confusion and the potential problems that might be looming on the horizon, he'd had his first completely successful date. He was pretty sure he'd managed to impress Wander, if not quite knock him off his feet, and he'd had fun last night. Once again, he'd actually had fun with Wander. It was still strange to think about, but he thought he might be getting used to it a little.

Sure, Wander was still a little annoying, especially when he did weird things that Hater didn't expect or when he laughed at the wrong times, but despite that, Hater had still enjoyed spending time with him. And kissing him. He felt a warm glow at the memories and didn't even bother to shake it away.

And maybe he would have liked to do a little more smooching. He felt like every time things had started getting interesting, something had happened to stop them, whether it was Wander being weird, or his own uncomfortable feelings getting in the way. He frowned. Next time, he wasn't going to let anything get in the way; not the nomad's weirdness, not his own insecurities that he totally didn't have, and not Peepers and his stupid kidnapping plots.

Stepping out of the shower, he pulled his clothes on absentmindedly, thinking about his third in command.

Peepers had been absent when Wander and Sylvia had left, and Hater figured he'd been sulking somewhere, going over paperwork or some other nerd thing he did when he was alone.

Hater could understand that this whole thing had been weird for Peepers. Flarp, it was still kind of weird for him. Capturing Wander used to just be part of their normal, daily routine. Breakfast, plan a planet takeover, chase Wander and try to destroy him. It had happened a million times. But now Hater didn't want to do that anymore, and Peepers was just going to have to learn how to deal. Peepers clearly thought this was some kind of trick from Wander to try to turn him into a 'good guy.' Hater could privately admit to having those kinds of suspicions about the nomad in the past, but he knew this wasn't a trick, even if he wasn't quite sure how he knew.

Wander liked him. Wander wanted to be with him and wanted him to be happy.

Hater strode down the hallways towards his private dining room.

He knew Wander wasn't trying to trick him; it wasn't part of some plan or a stupid game, and Peepers would hopefully figure that out sooner or later. Until then, he would just have to accept Hater's decision. He didn't get to dictate who Hater wanted to destroy, whether it was a good guy or not. Hater was still in command, and if he said Wander wasn't his enemy, that was that.

Hater pushed open the door to the dining room, seating himself in his usual chair. The table hadn't been set yet, and there was no smell of food cooking from the direction of the kitchen. The overlord sat for a few minutes, tapping his fingers impatiently on the tabletop as he waited for his commander. Nothing.

Peepers had better not be sleeping in this morning. Even if he was upset about Hater's yelling from the night before and the whole Wander situation, that was no excuse for lazing around and letting his boss go hungry.

Hater stood abruptly, heading for the watchdog's room, his usual foul mood in the morning creeping back over him. If Peepers wasn't up yet, he was about to be.

Hater slammed the door open, storming inside without a pause.

"Peepers!" he yelled. "I'm hungry!"

Silence.

Hater paused, looking around the room. Instead of Peepers tumbling out of bed at his yell, saluting and apologizing for his tardiness, he was confronted with an empty bed, neatly made. The only thing on it was a red envelope.

Hater looked around the empty room once more.

"Peepers?" No answer. A pause then, more quietly, "C-Peeps?" Nothing.

Finally, the overlord looked down again at the red envelope in the middle of the bed. It was addressed to him in Peepers' neat printing. Hater slit it open with one claw, pulling out the paper inside and unfolding it. He read silently for a minute, eyes getting wider as he felt his heart jump unpleasantly in his chest cavity.

The letter fell from his loosening grip, and then Hater was running out the door, arms flailing as he yelled for his commander, although he no longer really expected a response. The letter lay open on the bedspread.

Dear Lord Hater

I regret to inform you that I am hereby resigning from my position as Commander of the Lord Hater Empire, effective immediately. I wish you continued success in all your endeavors. Your code to the command console is h8t'sgreat and the keys to the shuttle are on the shelf in the garage.

Sincerely,

Peepers

Thanks for reading!

We've started our next episode rewrite. This is my version of "The Axe." I decided to have Peepers quit rather than getting fired because I felt like I wanted him to take a little agency in this situation, and I wanted to have him have to figure out whether he wants to come back. We will see what happens with that next chapter.

As always, please let me know what you think. Your feedback is very encouraging.

We will see what story makes me update it next.

See you soon!