Learning To Swim

Chapter Fifteen: The Title

Sorry for the kind of cliffhanger last chapter. Glad everyone liked Hater's slip at the end there! He may have admitted too much about his relationship to Emperor Awesome, Wander and himself. Let's see how he handles that.

Feel free to let me know how you're liking the chapter! I love feedback on my stories and its very motivating when I'm busy!

Enjoy!

"Boyfriend?"

Hater didn't look at Wander again, but he still heard the excited squeak in the nomad's voice, and knew what expression those big, shining eyes would be giving him right now.

"Boyfriend?!" Awesome looked across at Hater in confusion. "That loser?" He scoffed, straitening up a little now that Hater's menace had somewhat subsided. "Guess you're a lost cause after all, bro. Heard you were slipping, but this?" He snorted, looking down his nose in a way that included Hater and Wander. "This is just pathetic."

"Slipping? I'll show you who's slipping!" Hater's hands flared with green lightning once more. Awesome flinched briefly at the surge of electricity, but stood his ground this time.

"Well, you'd better do it soon, man. Lose many more planets and you might as well drop the 'lord' title and start wandering around the galaxy with that dork you're dating. You haven't been a real contender to conquer the galaxy in ages! Guess that's why you've gotten so soft lately. Honestly, I'd be doing you a favour if I destroyed the little freak right now. You'd probably thank me later." Awesome smirked, crossing his arms as though certain Hater would back down.

Hater, however, didn't even hear the last few words. Everything after the shark villain's 'offer' blurred into the background to make way for the pounding in his skull. He didn't see Awesome's confident smirk. All he could see was red.

"Ya didn't have ta zap him so hard, Hatey."

"Wrong! I totally did! He's just lucky he ran when he did. Otherwise, he would've been the one getting destroyed." Hater crossed his arms petulantly, sitting back a bit on the blanket Wander had laid out. He was still feeling angry, even though the source of his anger had made good his escape, pulling his singed body into the limo ship as fast as he could and lifting off while Hater fired bolt after bolt at the retreating vessel.

He glanced over again at Wander. The little nomad was in the process of unpacking his basket, laying out plates, napkins and food on the sky-blue blanket.

Wander gave a little hum, pulling his head out of the basket to smile at Hater. Hater looked away uncomfortably. He didn't want to ruin the picnic, especially after being so late and the whole mess with Awesome, but he couldn't stop the anger and especially anxiety still coiling through him. This wasn't how he'd wanted people to find out about him and Wander. He hadn't wanted them to find out at all for a good long while, at least until he'd had some time to figure it all out and get used to all the changes that had happened recently. Now, Awesome was bound to spread rumours about Hater dating his greatest enemy. Hater was going to have to deal with them on every planet he conquered before long. And every villain he ran into was going to have something to say, he was sure.

It was just a bit much on top of everything else, and just when he was starting to get back into conquering.

A furry hand on his arm broke him out of his sulk, and Hater looked up to meet Wander's eyes.

"You doin' okay, Hater?"

"Fine. Just peachy," Hater groused. He refused to look at Wander, instead choosing to glare at one of the trees around the edge of the clearing.

Wander nodded. Hater saw his hat bob out of the corner of his eye. The nomad leaned in a little closer, eyelashes fluttering as he batted them.

"This may not be exactly what ya wanna hear right now, but I think what you said was awful sweet."

Hater huffed out a frustrated breath. Still, he found himself glancing back at his…at Wander, remembering his blinding fury when Awesome had threatened the little alien.

"No, it wasn't!" he objected quickly. "It was…menacing, scary. Instilling terror in my enemies and all that. Bad guys don't do 'sweet.'" He knew he sounded ridiculous, but Awesome's words had cut deeper than he liked to admit.

"It sure was." Wander gave his arm a squeeze. "Doesn't mean it wasn't sweet as well."

Hater let out a sigh, flopping back onto the blanket so he was looking up at the sky. He probably wasn't going to win that particular argument. Distantly, he noticed Wander lie down as well, still close by his side, though not quite touching him, a splotch of orange at the edge of his vision.

The sun filtered down through the leaves, causing moving shadows with every breath of wind. The shadows flickered over Wander's fur and hat, bright against the blue blanket. It was enough of a distraction that the overlord felt his thoughts shifting off of his worries about Awesome and the potential damage to his future reputation, and back onto his former nemesis.

Why me? Hater found himself wondering.

Out of all the villains in the galaxy, why was he the one Wander had focused on? He knew that wasn't completely fair. As evidenced by the confrontation he'd just had with Awesome, Wander's talent for bothering villains was by no means confined to the Lord Hater Empire alone. Wander would help anyone he came across, and seemed to end up in the cross hairs of quite a few galactic conquerors. Still, he didn't think he was wrong for feeling like the nomad was just as focused on him as he was on Wander. Half the times he'd captured the pest had been because Wander had snuck onto his ship to start a stupid game or play him a song or something ridiculous like that. Wander had always sought him out in the vast galaxy. Hater shot another glance at the little alien, lying contentedly beside him on the blanket, hands resting on his thin stomach.

Wander had confessed his feelings the last time they were together. It had seemed like he'd liked Hater for quite a while, but had assumed Hater didn't like him back. How long had he felt that way? Since that time they were stranded in his prison dimension? Since his birthday? Since they'd first met? And again, why? That was a question that seemed to have been in Hater's head since he'd met the little nuisance, and it had only gotten more baffling when he learned the full extent of the nomad's feelings.

Why did Wander like him?

Hater bit his lower jaw, fingers tapping on the ground contemplatively. It was a question he was burning to know the answer to, but one he felt like he couldn't just ask. It would be like admitting he couldn't think of any reasons why Wander should like him, and that was just stupid. He was The Greatest, awesome and villainous, with a rocking bod and a sweet band that played on every planet he controlled. He was confident and powerful and had minions running every which way to carry out his orders and groveling before him. What wasn't there to like?

And yet, the question was still there, because Hater was pretty sure none of those things were the reason why Wander liked him.

Instead of asking, Hater shifted slightly on the blanket, resting his head on his arms to make himself a little more comfortable. He looked up again, away from the still confusing and sometimes frustrating little alien.

He felt himself almost unwillingly relaxing as he stared up through the leaves at the slices of warm blue sky. It was certainly a beautiful day. Small, puffy white clouds dotted the sky, almost looking like bits of wool that had gotten caught in the tree branches. The warm wind whispered through the clearing, just enough to keep the air cool despite the heat from the fat, yellow sun.

The clearing Wander had chosen had been beautiful too, though now one side of it looked rather the worse for wear as a result of Awesome's ship crashing down. A swath of the flowers that dotted the clearing had been flattened and torn, and the trees on that side were missing quite a few limbs.

Hater's anger seemed to have largely seeped out of him now, making room for the whispers of that creeping guilt he'd felt before. It would have been nice to be able to blame someone for the disaster of this morning; Awesome for trying to manipulate him and threatening Wander, or Wander for being the whole reason this mess had happened in the first place. If Wander hadn't invited him on this picnic today, and then sat out in the open playing his banjo while he waited for Hater, everything would have been fine. Unfortunately, he couldn't manage to convince himself of that fact. Hater knew most of the blame for this particular problem stopped at his door. If he hadn't been out partying with the shark man, or had left at a reasonable time in the morning, none of this would have happened.

Their relationship would still be secret, and Wander wouldn't have been in danger.

He shook his head, trying to dislodge the guilty feelings.

Hater's eyes slid down again, running over the little nomad.

Wander was quiet, and, like before, seemed content just to lie here beside him on the blanket as long as Hater wanted. His eyes were closed above a relaxed smile, and the gentle breeze ruffled his fur. He didn't seem to resent Hater for hanging out with Awesome when they were supposed to be having their picnic, for keeping him waiting for several hours, or for grumbling now that they were finally alone.

Somehow, that didn't make Hater feel better.

"Sooooo," he started hesitantly, trying to sound casual and not like he'd totally ruined the beginning of the date, all while watching Wander warily. "You said you packed some lunch for us."

Wander's smile widened immediately.

"I did!" He bounced up, Hater pushing himself into a sitting position to continue watching him, and bent over his basket once again. "What d'ya fancy, Hatey? I've got potato salad, chocolate chip cookies, fresh squeezed juice an' sandwiches, o'course! "He gave a little giggle.

"Um, maybe the juice first." The area where Hater's stomach should be still felt slightly tight and he wasn't sure he was up to eating anything yet. Wander nodded, pouring some of the yellow, blorp berry juice from a clear bottle into two plastic cups, handing one to the overlord and taking a sip himself.

Hater took the opportunity to eye the other things Wander had taken out of the couldn't see too many details, as most of them had been wrapped in checked cloths of different colours and he couldn't help being curious.

He took a slow sip from his glass, savouring the sweet tang of the liquid. It settled in his stomach easily enough, and he took larger gulp. He was already feeling a little better. Wander plopped down again on the blanket beside him with a happy squeak, but didn't immediately move close or try to snuggle his arm, settling his hands in his lap as well. Hater was reminded of their night at the fair, when Wander had seemed to be trying so hard to give him space, not as though he were frightened after the overlord had snarled at him, but rather as if he was trying not to frighten Hater.

That thought rankled Hater a little, the idea that Wander was being considerate of his feelings or trying to hold back and go at Hater's pace. He didn't want Wander tiptoeing around him like he was a frightened animal. He should be charging ahead. Hater didn't want to be the one who was hesitant or nervous of the relationship, even if he had sometimes felt like things were moving too fast for him, and even if he still wasn't comfortable with other people finding out about it all.

Besides, not that he was about to admit it to Wander or anything, but feeling the warmth and softness when the nomad cuddled close beside him was…nice. He didn't miss the closeness, of course, but he was used to the nomad being in his space, hugging him and batting his eyelashes and getting too close to his face to whisper to him. It just felt kind of weird when Wander held himself back, that was all.

Hater shifted a little, uncertainly. He was still bothered by everything that had happened with Awesome, as well as everything that would probably happen in the days ahead, but he also didn't want to sit here and mope all day, especially as he was starting to get pretty hungry.

And he didn't want to waste the time he had with Wander. Peepers had planned a pretty full week for them, and he knew the little vagabond was always traveling to different planets to help all of the weird creatures he came across. This might be the only time Hater got to spend with him in a while.

He didn't want to spend it being annoyed.

Reaching across the blanket impulsively, he grabbed one of the cloth-wrapped packages, and unwrapped it to find the container of cookies Wander had mentioned. The nomad was watching him closely, and now his smile widened, though he also looked a little nervous, much as he had a week or so ago when Hater had been trying the breakfast he'd made. He seemed to hold his breath as Hater selected a cookie, examined it for probably longer than was strictly necessary, then took a small bite.

It was so good.

Wander hadn't mentioned that the cookies had been freshly baked as well, although Hater probably should have assumed they had been. The cookie was soft and crumbly and the chocolate was somehow still warm, melting the second it hit the skeleton's tongue. It wasn't too sweet, and there was a richness to the flavour he hadn't been expecting.

His eyes had closed involuntarily in bliss, and Hater forced them open to find Wander's intense gaze still focused on him. He was staring at Hater, eyes wide, biting his lip in anticipation.

"Ooooo, d'ya like them, Hater? Do ya? S'my special recipe!"

Unlike that breakfast on the skull-ship, Hater had no real need to pretend he didn't like the cookies, they were dating now after all, but he still found himself hesitant to express just how amazing they were, especially with the intensity of Wander's gaze pinning him in place. He shoved the rest of the cookie into his mouth to give him a moment to think, and totally not because he really wanted another bite.

"They're…pretty good," he finally settled on, eyeing the rest of the container with barely concealed hunger.

Wander clutched the fur of his chest in rapture, and Hater had an idea he hadn't been as subtle as he'd wanted to be. Either that or it was that mind reading thing Wander seemed to do around him.

"Ya really like 'em? Fer real?"

"I said 'yes'!" Hater rolled his eyes, taking another cookie and leaning back slightly on the blanket, supporting himself on one hand.

Wander took a cookie for himself, moving slightly closer so Hater could feel his fur brushing against his robe.

While Hater inhaled several more cookies, Wander nibbled, smiling up at the overlord. The smile made Hater feel slightly nervous, and he kept looking away at the trees or flowers before his gaze would trail back to the nomad. Wander seemed to gradually be getting closer every time Hater glanced at him, and by the time he had finished his fourth cookie, he found that the little furball had somehow worked his way into his lap again. He wasn't sure how that had happened, and it made him nervous again all of a sudden when he noticed it, but it wasn't an entirely unwelcome discovery. In fact, it was kind of nice to have Wander close again, even if it did make his mind flash briefly back to that moment in the smooching room, and the gentle, feathery kisses Wander had planted along his jaw and neck.

Hater cleared his throat, glancing off at some indescribable point in the distance as he tried to will the memory out of his skull.

Desperately searching for something to distract from those thoughts, Hater hit on an idea and hastened to put it into action.

"So…" he started, then froze at the way his voice squeaked. He tried again. "So, what have you been up to lately?"

At least Wander's talking would hopefully keep his mind occupied. Besides, he was maybe kind of curious what the nomad had been doing over the past few days.

"And then Sylvia an' me were talkin', and we thought it'd be fun ta visit the zitranian nebula. The views there'r jes' beautiful, but we didn't reckon on the annual meteor shower, and that did a number on our orbles, I c'n tell you."

Hater looked down at the little alien, though all he could really see at the moment was the top of Wander's hat. He used to be annoyed at Wander's happy chatter, even once he'd started warming up to the fuzzy mop, but it didn't seem bothersome at the moment, and instead it was almost soothing, sufficiently distracting from the uncomfortable places his mind had been going and even, possibly, a little interesting.

It actually made sense when he thought about it. Wander spent all of his time traveling and visiting different planets, many of which Hater had never even heard of, and getting thrown into adventures and deadly peril on most of them, from what it sounded like. It stood to reason he'd end up with some pretty good stories, although Hater still wasn't used to the lackadaisical way he told them.

"So, what happened then?" He found himself asking.

Wander tilted his head back to smile up at him.

"Well, we were in the middle of the shower, an ended up hidin' out on a random asteroid we happened across. We only had one more drop of orble juice, an' no idea if we could get more on the planet, or even get to the planet the way things were goin'.

"An' then wouldn't ya know it, this ship was passin' by, kinda driftin', and it didn't look like anyone was stearin' it. Plus, it had this great big tear in the side. So, we headed on in ta see if anyone needed help. It was empty as it turned out, not like that time with Captain Tim, but there was this ol' dusty map in this hidden chest we found, an' Sylvia thought it might lead us somewhere interestin', so we…"

"Wait, hold on!" Hater interjected, grabbing Wander by the shoulder and spinning him around to face him. "What do you mean, 'that time with Captain Tim'?"

Wander blinked up at him, tilting his head slightly as though confused. Then his face cleared.

"Sorry, Hater!" He offered apologetically. "Forgot we never really told ya 'bout that. That was a whole other story." He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, apparently oblivious to Hater's sudden impatience. "Let's see. We were headin' through tha magna quadrant, when we came across this huge space hulk…"

Wide eyed, Hater listened as Wander spun his story. Normally, he would have been interrupting, desperate as he was to get the answer to his question, but he found himself stunned into silence. Never in a million years would he have guessed at this story. He'd never even thought to wonder where Captain Tim had come from before he showed up on the skull-ship that day. If the thought had crossed his mind before, he'd just assumed the monstrosity had climbed on board his ship in search of food or something.

But the idea that not only had Wander found his beloved pet on the gutted wreck that the arachnomorph himself was pretty obviously responsible for destroying, named him and somehow survived a whole day with him, but had also brought the little monster to the skull-ship specifically because he thought Hater would want him, well, it was quite a story.

Not that Hater doubted the tale's knew Wander wouldn't lie, and his actions when he'd encountered the monstrosity had Wander written all over them. In fact, as he listened, Hater had a few moments of commiseration with Captain Tim, who had obviously been trying so hard to devour the nomad and failed over and over again. That sounded kind of familiar when he thought about it.

Wander, at any rate, certainly didn't seem to see the encounter that way. In fact, as he told of feeding and playing with the arachnomorph his eyes got noticeably bigger and wetter, and he had to pause occasionally to sniffle and dab at his face with a handkerchief he took from his hat.

Finally, he finished the story, offering Hater a somewhat watery smile.

"I'm jes' happy he found a lovin' home with you, Hater," he concluded with a final sniff. "I love that little guy, but both of you're better off. I've seen how much ya love each other." He paused, smiling more cheerfully. "'Sides, this way I get ta see him whenever I come ta visit!"

"I…guess." Hater wasn't sure how he felt about this whole thing. It would have been much harder to accept a few weeks ago. Back then, the idea that Wander had been the one to give him his beloved pet would have enraged him, just as everything about the orange pest had enraged him. Now, he still felt a little strange about it.

Captain Tim had been exactly what Hater needed. He'd been menacing, scary and vicious, but he'd been cuddly and cute too. He'd been something Hater could be affectionate with and care about without being seen as a sissy for doing it. And Hater did really care about his pet. He couldn't even imagine the skull-ship without the little monstrosity stalking through the hallways and playfully terrorizing the crew. And Tim was always there for Hater when he needed him, when he'd had a bad day, when he was angry or frustrated. Tim would be there at the end of the day to give him love bites and wrestle with him before snuggling up beside him at night.

How had Wander known?

And, almost more importantly, how did Hater feel about all of this now he finally knew the story? He didn't feel angry or betrayed the way he was pretty sure he would have while he still hated the nomad. Instead, he felt…strangely positive. There was a warm feeling inside him when he thought about what Wander had done. He didn't know how to describe it. He just knew he was glad it had happened, glad that Wander had done what he had.

"Hey Hater~!"

Startled out of his confusion, Hater felt movement and looked down to find that Wander had wriggled most of the way out of his lap and was now lying with just his head pillowed on Hater's legs, looking up at him. He'd opened the package of sandwiches and was holding one up to Hater, wiggling it invitingly.

"You wanna sandwich?"

"Um, what's on it?" Hater's mouth felt suddenly dry and his heart gave a jump in his ribcage, though it had nothing to do with the food.

"It's your favourite," Wander coaxed. "Bacon, lettuce an' tomato with some spicy mustard, unless you'd like ta have…"

"Mustard's fine," Hater said quickly, before Wander could offer him mayo. He snatched the sandwich, lifting one slice of bread to peer at the innards and confirm what the nomad had said. He took a large bite, trying not to think about Wander lying with his head in his lap, looking up at him with his eyes half lidded. It made Hater feel weak all over suddenly, and he tried to focus on the crunch of the bacon as he chewed, and the spicy tang of the mustard.

Of course, the little furball knew his favourite sandwich as well by this point. Hater should really stop being surprised. He took another bite, calming slightly as Wander's intense gaze veered off of him. The nomad unwrapped another sandwich, sitting up slightly as he bit into it. It was much easier for Hater to focus now that Wander was sitting next to him again rather than on him.

He glanced at the other alien's sandwich. He was pretty sure Wander didn't eat meat, though he wasn't sure when he'd figured that out. Maybe he just assumed the little hippy wouldn't want to.

"What are you eating?" he asked.

Wander spread out his legs on the blanket, wiggling his feet.

"Avocado, some caramelized onions, cucumber an' lettuce," he said happily. "An' just a li'l mustard." He took another bite, then placed the sandwich carefully on the blanket beside him, looking up at Hater again, big eyes gooey with affection. Hater found himself freezing again, sandwich halfway to his mouth. Wander's eyes seemed to demand all of his attention.

The nomad inched himself slightly closer, one furry hand reaching out to stroke Hater's leg. He seemed to sober slightly, though he was still smiling softly.

"Thanks, Hater," he said sincerely.

"For what?" Hater didn't think he'd done anything today Wander should be thanking him for. Kind of the opposite if he admitted it to himself.

"Fer comin' out an' meetin' me today. Fer being with me, and lettin' me be with you. Fer all a' this."

"I – oh," Hater managed. He felt like his ribcage was being squeezed, though the feeling was oddly pleasant. It was getting hard to think again, and Wander's face seemed to be getting closer. It took Hater a moment to realize what was happening, and he had just managed to process the fact that Wander was leaning in for a kiss when the nomad's lips touched his mouth.

They were just as warm and soft as he remembered, and he felt himself involuntarily leaning in, pushing back against Wander's mouth. His free hand went automatically to rest on the thin, orange shoulder, brushing through the fur before cupping the back of his head.

For the moment, all his anxieties seemed to fall away, and it didn't matter what Awesome was going to do or all the problems Hater would have to deal with because of it. All that mattered was being here, and all that mattered was Wander.

And though he might not have been ready to say it out loud, or fully admit to it in front of others, he knew what he'd said was true. And for now, all he wanted was to stay here and spend time with Wander.

His boyfriend.

Hope you liked it!

Our boys needed a break after the emotional moments last chapter, so they got to enjoy their picnic for a while. Not that Hater was completely free of emotional moments this chapter or anything.

I hope you liked the picnic! I tend to assume Hater likes mustard more, mostly due to the big pot of it he keeps in his fridge (in The Breakfast).

That warm, mystery feeling Hater had was gratitude. He was grateful for Wander bringing Captain Tim into his life, though he wasn't sure what the feeling was. I thought he might be a little unfamiliar with that feeling lol.

We will have to deal with the aftermath of Hater calling Wander his boyfriend in the next couple of chapters, and it will involve another episode rewrite. There are two more episodes I want to do my own versions of before we reach The Battle Royal, so we probably have a few chapters still to go.

See you all soon!