-

Diablo entered the room at blinding speed. No human eye would even perceive it. A quick flash, and he stood tall with a hand over his heart, completely ready to serve his lord and love. He shut his eyes then asked, "You summoned me, Sir Rimuru?"

The slime in human form looked up from the comically large pile of paperwork on his desk and replied, "Thanks for coming, Diablo. I need a favor."

"It is my honor to love and serve you, Great Rimuru. I'd gladly do anything you wish. I'd kill for you." Diablo declared. He visibly perked up before he asked, "Is there someone you want me to kill?"

"I didn't say anything like that!" Rimuru yelped. He shook his hands and head at the same time, making his long ponytail whip around with the motion. "I'm gonna need you to dial it back a bit!"

"As you wish, Wondrously Gelatinous One," Diablo replied with a nod.

Rimuru's brow furrowed. That was a new one. It was like the demon came up with some new and increasingly strange way to address him on the daily. He wasn't even in slime form at the moment so it didn't even make sense. Meh, whatever.

Diablo bowed once more and hummed, "My claws are yours to do with what you wish. To render any enemy useless. To flay those that would dare wrong you. Oh, I quiver with anticipation at the mere thought of being your bloodied blade. Use me how you see fit."

Suddenly a lot more stressed about the situation, Rimuru held up a hand to silence the demon. Diablo was way too intense about this and there was only one thing left for him to say. Rimuru shook his head then sighed, "Actually, forget it. I don't need that favor after all."

Letting him off the hook was definitely the best bet. Then he could get back to doing whatever it was that kept him busy when he didn't have a mission to complete. Wins all around, as far as Rimuru was concerned. ...Right? He made a choked sound when Diablo visibly drooped.

The demon looked like a poor wilted flower, forgotten by its neglectful owner. A starving cat, declawed and too pathetic to catch its own meal. A kicked puppy, who only ever wanted to please its cruel master. No matter how one looked at it, Rimuru was the horrible one in the situation and he was making his most loyal companion suffer for it. And He absolutely couldn't deal with any of that.

"I-it was nothing, really!" Rimuru cried in admittedly a little bit of a panic. "I was just going to ask you to gather me some samples of that rare plant which grows on the isolated mountain top to the north. You know, the one that's impossible to reach if you can't fly."

Diablo tilted his head and replied, "If it's my wings you desire, I will gladly tear them from my own back for you."

"No, nope! Don't do that!" Rimuru yelped. He slammed his hands on the desk and stood abruptly, as if that'd somehow emphasize his point. "I desire that you stay in one piece!" He paused to let that sink in. It was very important, after all.

Rimuru let out a soft sigh. He rubbed the back of his neck while he considered what to say next. Finally, he muttered, "Just... go there yourself and bring me back a basketful of samples. Simple."

"I'll see to it, my love." Diablo assured him.

Rimuru flinched. "Your what?"

"Lord." Diablo replied without missing a beat. He nodded once then added, "You will not be disappointed. Surely you'll be quivering with joy as well when I return."

"Right... Remember, no mutilation," Rimuru felt obligated to remind him, "self or otherwise."

Diablo grinned and bowed once again. Then he disappeared. Quick as he'd shown up, he was gone. Rimuru finally let out an exasperated sigh. Dealing with that guy was exhausting. But it wasn't all bad, he supposed.

He sat back in his chair and looked up at the ceiling. The demon was honest about his feelings to a fault. It made Rimuru uncomfortable at first but now that he was used to it, he actually kind of liked it. Rimuru leaned his left elbow on the table then rested his chin against his knuckles.

Maybe he should prepare a special treat for Diablo's return. What would make him happy? Literally anything because he was the easiest creature to please. Something as simple as telling him "good job" would have him on cloud nine for days.

-

"Rrrraaaaah!"

Rimuru yelped when he was suddenly hugged from behind, lifted off his feet, and spun around twice. The world went by far too fast for him to register what was happening at first. But the familiar, muscular arms around him were enough proof that he was in safe hands. Once he was set down again onto his own two feet he turned and looked up at his companion.

Veldora had a gigantic, cheesy grin upon his face. The sparkles around him were practically visible with how excited he was. A telltale sign that something silly was going on.

"Kyahahaha!" The dragon laughed in that signature way of his. He continued to smile from ear to ear and yelled, "Were you surprised! I was trying out a new super stealthy technique I learned from the sacred texts!"

"Yeah, it was really unexpected," Rimuru replied. He'd been really distracted by a conversation in his own head with Raphael in the moment but that was a detail the dragon didn't need to know. Rimuru couldn't help but smile back when the blond beamed at him in such a ridiculous way.

The proud stance and way the dragon practically had smoke coming out of his nostrils was far too silly. He looked like he was just brimming with energy and might take off running at any moment. Whenever Veldora acted this way he reminded Rimuru of a huge cat with the zoomies. Damn if that wasn't the cutest thing he'd ever seen.

"Ok! One more time! Close your eyes this time!" Veldora exclaimed.

Rimuru held back a chuckle and did as he was instructed. This goofball dragon really had no idea just how ineffective his new technique was. Rimuru heard him approach from behind once again. Then he moved to the left, no, he changed his mind and headed to the right. Somehow he swore each step he took was louder than the last.

Veldora seemed unable to make up his mind and eventually just went for an approach from directly in front. It was all Rimuru could do not to laugh on the spot even before he was hugged and lifted off his feet once more. Strong arms wrapped around him and squeezed. He certainly didn't dislike that in the slightest.

"Not bad, huh?" Veldora chuckled right next to his ear.

"You've still got some practicing to do," Rimuru huffed softly. He did his best to hide the amusement in his voice when he asked, "Are you sure this whole thing wasn't an excuse for you to hug me a bunch of times?"

"Can't it be both?" Veldora asked right back.

Rimuru smiled to himself and returned the embrace. Someone that wore their emotions on their sleeve the way Veldora did was so precious in his eyes. It made Rimuru want to protect this being he knew was fully capable of self defense.

If Veldora woke up one morning and decided he was bored and wanted to burn entire cities to the ground, he could. The dragon had the potential to devastate the entire world in unfathomable ways. Yet here he was, being the goofy guy who was exceedingly bad at stealth practice.

-

"Still no signal," Atsushi sighed. He paced back and forth holding his phone as high as he could. Nothing. Without any power to charge it, he decided to shut it off for now.

Atsushi's gaze shifted to the window which was blanketed in white. He was just thinking out loud when he said, "The storm must be just as bad if not worse everywhere else."

In other words, they couldn't get out and nobody else could get in. This certainly wasn't a promising start to their mission. Speaking of, his companion seemed even quieter than usual, which was a near impossibility.

Atsushi turned back towards the other man and blinked. Even with every blanket they'd found in this cabin wrapped around his shoulders, he seemed like he was shivering as he sat there on the couch.

"You look cold," Atsushi said loud enough for the other man to hear. He was met with a cough then a deadpan stare.

"A normal person would be, weretiger." Akutagawa grumbled. He sunk into the blankets so only his eyes were still visible. The rest of his words were muffled when he said, "You're the outlier here."

Atsushi wasn't completely sold on that. Though he supposed it was understandable. He turned and looked back to the raging storm outside. He supposed he could transform his arms and legs then run into town to check on things there.

But what would happen if they were powerless as well? It'd be a wasted trip and he'd have left his partner alone for no reason. Not to mention the sun was already starting to set, which meant the temperature would soon begin to drop even more. He was all right with that but as for his companion, well... he just wasn't suited for it.

He glanced back at Akutagawa. Surely, the guy would tell him to leave so he could have some peace if he even brought it up. But that didn't sit right with Atsushi. Like it or not, they were in this together. That meant he couldn't just let the guy turn into a human popsicle.

So it seemed like it was time to think outside the box. Atsushi plopped down onto the couch and let out a sigh. Ok. Here it goes. He reached over and wrapped an arm around the bundled up man.

"Just what do you think you're doing!" Akutagawa hissed.

"I'm warming you up." Atsushi replied without missing a beat.

"I'm fine." Akutagawa tried to pull away. Though his voice was raspy from coughing and he seemed physically weaker than usual.

"You're a human ice cube." Atsushi kept his grip firm.

"...Rashomon."

A thin bit of the other man's dark ability slipped from underneath the blankets and aimed directly at his own neck. He coughed twice.

"What are you doing?" Atsushi asked.

"I'd rather die than be subjected to this." Akutagawa replied matter-of-factly.

"Don't you think you're being a little dramatic?" Atsushi asked. When he was met with nothing but that familiar, unwavering glare, Atsushi finally released him. The ability retreated right afterwards and he went right back to shivering where he sat.

This was crazy. Atsushi couldn't just wait until the guy passed out to try and help him but, man, he was just so stubborn! Well, he supposed he was out of options at this point. Time for something extreme.

Atsushi stood, cracked his neck side to side, then threaded his fingers together and stretched his arms out far above his own head. He could practically feel the piercing gaze upon him. Good, he had the guy's attention. He stopped, looked Akutagawa in the eye, and said, "You owe me a nice dinner after this."

"After what exac-" Akutagawa stopped mid-sentence as the other man transformed into a tiger. Not partially as he tended to do, no, but a full on huge white cat. The tiger stretched out its front paws and spread its toes, leaning back on its haunches and showing its razor sharp claws. When it was done it turned towards the couch.

He blinked at the creature. It had a ferocity in its eyes that was all too telling about the power it possessed. They were cold, calculating, and completely lacked a sense of familiarity. There was no doubt about it, this was not Atsushi. It was his beast set free to do what it wanted.

That being said, Akutagawa felt no ill intent from the creature. It was not a threat to him right now. He was silent as he watched the creature approach the couch and sniff him. What did it want? Clearly not a fight. He didn't have anything else to give.

To say he was surprised when the tiger jumped onto the couch and laid across his legs would've been the understatement of the year. He attempted to wriggle free. No use. He could use his ability but that'd likely piss it off and then they'd end up destroying the only shelter they had from the storm if they fought.

Maybe reasoning could work. "Hey, beast. Move over."

It ignored him completely. Ok, maybe he could use Rashomon to gently nudge it a bit. The second he attempted to summon his ability the white tiger whipped its head in his direction and roared angrily. This time its eyes were aggressive. It was prepared to attack the second it felt provoked. Akutagawa stiffened. That was a clear no.

Seconds turned into minutes. His legs were going numb. He was going to die here. How pathetic. No! He wouldn't give Atsushi the satisfaction of killing him this way. Akutagawa gritted his teeth and grumbled, "Fine, I won't go anywhere. Give me my legs back."

The overgrown fuzzball rolled over just enough for him to pull his limbs free. As soon as he was clear, it rolled back into that space. On its back, with its paws in the air, the large beast seemed so carefree it was a little silly.

[modern au, established relationship]

-

Xeno followed the smell of coffee into the kitchen. He glanced at the blond seated at the table and said, "Good morning, Stan. Already mid-breakfast, I see."

"Mornin'," Stanley replied. He held a cigarette just short of reaching his lips while he looked over the other man. After a moment to process what he saw he asked, "Is that my shirt?"

Xeno looked down at himself. The shirt in question was clearly too big for him. It was so long that it made it look like he was walking around naked from the waist down- which he wasn't. Because that'd just be silly.

Speaking of silly... the text on his chest that read "suns out guns out" surely took that prize. It was actually ridiculous. Why anyone would ever make a shirt such as this, never mind buy or wear it was beyond him. Yet there he stood, sporting it as if he was on the way to the gun range himself.

"Indeed it is." Xeno finally replied. He looked up and his eyes met the ones trained on him. There was just a little more spite to his tone than he intended when he added, "Someone who will remain nameless got lipstick all over the collar of mine so I had no choice but to borrow this for a while."

Silence followed his words. Xeno noticed this and waved a dismissive hand in the blond's direction as he muttered, "I'll return it once I wash it, don't worry."

"Keep it. Wear it every day for the rest of your life." Stanley said abruptly.

"That's highly impractical," Xeno snorted. Not to mention a crime against fashion.

One could practically hear the smile upon Stanley's face when he purred, "But it looks so good on you. Like you were born to wear it."

Xeno didn't bother dignifying that with a response. It was clear the guy was just trying to get a rise out of him. Well, he wouldn't bite. At least not before he had some food in his belly.

He wandered by the table, over to the cabinets, and glanced at the pair of matching mugs on the counter. The coffee pot was still brewing, bubbling to itself without a care in the world. It seemed to be almost finished. Good.

Xeno turned his attention to grabbing a bowl and some cereal. Then he finally headed over to the fridge. He could feel the pair of eyes that never left his back. Though threatening to burn a hole right through him, they weren't his concern at the moment.

"You have no idea what you do to me," Stanley sighed dreamily.

"I know I'll scold you for not having milk in the fridge," Xeno tsked. He turned around and frowned at the blond. "It's a basic staple in every household. How am I supposed to have breakfast now?"

Stanley tapped his cigarette above the ashtray in front of himself to remove excess ash. A little smirk spread across his face and he winked then said, "I'll give you all the milk you wa-"

"Stanley." Xeno cut him off. "I'm going to give you the chance to rethink that before you even finish saying it."

"You're no fun, Doc," Stanley replied with a little grin. His gaze never left the other man as he took another drag off his cigarette.

There was an air of haughtiness about Xeno when he replied, "I seem to recall you telling me the exact opposite last night."

"My, my. Aren't you cheeky this morning?" Stanley chuckled.

He stubbed out the cigarette and set the butt in the ashtray. Then he leaned both elbows on the table and threaded his fingers together. Stanley rested his chin on them before he added, "It's kind of turning me on."

"I'd be hard-pressed to find something that didn't turn you on, Stan," Xeno snorted and rolled his eyes.

Stanley was given a golden opportunity, so he took it. He batted his eyes and replied, "You'd be what? Sounds painfully sexy."

"It's too early for this," Xeno sighed.

-

"This can't be right. Someone made a mistake." Kyoya said as he stared at the single bed in the hotel room in disbelief. No, because he'd been specific that there needed to be three, even if they were small. Kyoya glanced at his companions, both were expressionless.

This single bed in the middle of the room that was sat across from a small-ish television wouldn't fit all three of them... would it? It'd certainly be a tight squeeze. Kyoya quickly shoved the thought from his mind. He shook his head then hurried over to the phone on the nightstand as he exclaimed, "I'll call the front desk and sort it out!"

After a brief conversation with the lovely lady at the reception desk, he hung up and shook his head. Ok. Time to tell the others. He turned towards Naito and Masumi then explained, "It turns out we can't get another room because the place is completely booked for the rest of the weekend."

Neither of his classmates responded. Fair enough. Someone messed up the reservation and no one was happy about it. He'd known these two long enough to read the silence in the room by now. Maybe he could find a way to smooth things over. Kyoya looked back at the bed then rubbed the back of his neck and muttered, "It's not so bad though... I guess? At least it's pretty big."

"Just because you confessed out of the blue doesn't mean I suddenly want to sleep with you," Masumi replied, blunt as ever. His unsettling expression remained the same as it always was.

"I didn't!" Kyoya yelped. His whole face felt like it was aflame. He shook his hands wildly as if they'd emphasize his point when he exclaimed, "I just said that I really love when the three of us are teamed up! Because working with you two is my favorite!"

"Stop embarrassing yourself already," Masumi said with that permanent smirk of his never leaving his face.

"You're s coldhearted, Massu!" Kyoya shrieked.

"Better it's with you two than any of our other classmates," Naito said mostly to himself.

"Wha-!? Danocchi?" Kyoya turned towards him totally slack-jawed. What'd he just say? He'd misheard the guy, right?

There was a brief moment of silence before Masumi turned towards the taller man and replied, "It sounds like you consider us your friends, mister loner."

"Of course he does, don't be ridiculous, Massu!" Kyoya interjected. They'd been friends since they day they met!

"Shut up." Masumi grunted.

"Arguing is peak inefficacy." Naito said to no one in particular. He made no effort to respond to that accusation, nor did he seem interested in continuing the conversation.

"Huh?" Kyoya and Masumi both looked towards him to find he'd already gotten under the covers.

"So fast!" Kyoya yelped. Though he had the right idea since they had to get up early in the morning and continue traveling for their current mission.

"Remember to keep your hands to yourself, pervert," Masumi said as he headed to the opposite side of the bed.

"Did you seriously just call me that... and I didn't confess." Kyoya sighed. He shook his head then pouted at the pair on either end of the bed with their backs to one another. Fully clothed and everything, neither looked comfortable in the slightest.

Guess that space in the middle was meant for him then. Not awkward in the slightest. Kyoya did his best to crawl into bed without disturbing the others. He managed well enough then laid on his back and stared up at the ceiling. Was he really supposed to get sleep like this? It felt impossible.

Still, he had no choice. He shut his eyes and did his best to forget all about the previous few minutes or the fact that he could literally feel the body heat of his best friends.

***

Kyoya awoke to the sounds of singing birds outside the window. That was nice. Sweet, he'd made it through the night. Victory! He went to stretch but realized his arms were trapped. Huh? He turned his head to the left and found himself nose to nose with Naito. He managed to bite back his surprised yelp and not wake the guy.

Danocchi...??

What was happening? Why was Naito clinging to him like an overgrown koala? He turned and looked to his right to find Masumi doing the exact same thing on the other side. Now he really felt like he needed to scream. Just who was the pervert here! Where was his hand reaching for!

Kyoya laid as still as could possibly be. He needed to figure out how to get out of this situation in the least chaotic way possible. If he just yelled and woke them both up somehow he felt like he'd be blamed for their current predicament when it was clearly not his fault. What should he do?

He turned towards Naito once again and blinked. Kyoya realized that he couldn't remember ever being this close to him before. He was really attractive up close. Like really attractive. It made Kyoya's chest feel a bit weird.

He turned and looked over at Masumi as well. Oh, come on. This guy shouldn't be good looking as well! Not with a foul mouth like he had, that just wasn't fair! Kyoya pouted. It was undeniable that both guys were stupid hot and that just made his whole face start to burn. Great. Now what?

Naito made a soft sound and started to move, a sign that he was waking up. Kyoya squeezed his eyes shut. This wasn't his fault a all. Blame the singular bed. He was still asleep, thus innocent!

He held his breath when Naito lifted his head and took a moment to assess the current situation. Surely he'd simply get up then Kyoya could follow suit when that side of the bed was freed. Any second now.

How he managed to suppress the surprised yelp that tried to escape him when Naito simply laid back down and tightened his grip on him instead, he had no idea. This was madness.

☘︎

-

Black Clover

Zora x Finral

Magna x Luck

Buddy Daddies

Kazuki & Rei & Miri

Bungo Stray Dogs

Gogol x Sigma

Ranpo x Poe

Atsushi x Akutagawa

Tanizaki x Tachihara

Chuya & Lovecraft

Chainsaw Man

Aki x Angel

Aki & Denji & Power

Dr. Stone

Hyoga x Yo

Tsukasa x Ryusui

Xeno x Stan

Fate Grand Order

Merlin x Romani

Charlemagne x Moriarty (Ruler)

Iskandar x Waver

Given

Akihiko x Haruki

Shizusumi x Hiiragi

Great Pretender

Laurent x Makoto

Hirano and Kagiura

Hirano x Kagiura

Mashle

Rayne x Max

Lance x Dot

Sk8 the Infinity

Kojiro x Kaoru

That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime

Veldora x Rimuru

Diablo x Rimuru

Tougen Anki

Jin x Shiki

Mudano x Masumi x Kyoya

Trigun Stampede

Wolfwood x Vash

Wuthering Waves

Brant x Rover

Jiyan x Mortefi x Xiangli Yao

Yu Yu Hakusho

-

It sure was odd to receive an unsigned request for a private meeting in the middle of the night, but Ryusui was nothing if not the most curious man alive. Far too intrigued by what it meant, there was no way he wouldn't show up. He wandered to the designated spot and looked around. Now who was this secret caller of his...? Ah!

"Tsukasa! What a surprise!" Ryusui exclaimed. He scurried over to the other man and leaned into his personal space. "Did you leave me that cryptic note?"

"I did." Tsukasa replied.

Ryusui snapped his fingers and laughed, "How unexpected! You always keep me guessing! That's one of the hundreds of things I like most about you!" His grin stretched from ear to ear. "So what's up?"

Tsukasa looked off to the side and didn't say a word. He seemed like he just didn't know how to get the words out. Not something Ryusui could relate to. He'd talk about anything. Everything. If it crossed his mind there was an extremely high chance it slipped past his lips.

But he understood that others needed time to gather thoughts. As he waited he took the chance to check out their surroundings. They were very close to the shore. He could hear the ocean, smell the salty air. The nearly full moon above was reflected on the water's surface so beautifully, it was breathtaking. To put it bluntly, the atmosphere was crazy romantic.

"I don't know how to say this..." Tsukasa finally mumbled. He continued to avoid looking at the other man.

"Oh my god. Are you dying?" Ryusui gasped.

Tsukasa looked back at him and his brow furrowed. "What? No."

"Am I dying?" Ryusui yelped.

"Why would that be your next question?" Tsukasa asked flatly.

Ryusui slapped both hands on his own cheeks and shook his head as he cried, "This can't be! I've got far too much to do! Way too much of the world to see! Who will take care of my beloved Perseus? I have to make preparations and write a will! What about the pet I considered adopting? I can't orphan my future child!"

The blond continued to spiral with the most out of pocket responses, completely lost to whatever was going on in his own head. Far too familiar with how this could get out of hand fast, Tsukasa grabbed his shoulders firmly. He quickly bent down and pressed his lips against Ryusui's. That got the blond to finally stop talking for a second.

When he pulled back, Tsukasa muttered, "Relax."

Ryusui's whole face was burning. Wait, what? Did the guy just-! The rest of his thoughts shattered like glass. Now all he could focus on was the dark-haired man.

He'd been chasing Tsukasa for so long now that it just felt like their thing. Like it wasn't meant to come to fruition. A game that only one of them had ever taken even remotely seriously. At least that'd been the impression he'd gotten. He blinked, too stunned to react.

He looked up at Tsukasa to see the most incredible sight. The toughest guy around by a long shot was standing in front of him and blushing. It was so cute! Ryusui could hardly stand it. Somehow the sight knocked his words free.

"You just kissed me!" Ryusui shrieked.

"I'm aware." Tsukasa mumbled.

After a brief pause, Ryusui turned and shouted, "I have to go wake everyone up and tell them right now!"

Tsukasa caught his wrist and said, "No, no. Don't do that."

"But-!" Ryusui whipped his head around to face him again. If he didn't tell someone right now he might die. It could happen. He simply couldn't risk it. Another human had to know of this development beforehand.

Tsukasa's hand slid down from the blond's wrist to hold his hand properly. His gaze was on the ground and his voice was soft when he hummed, "Just stay with me for the rest of the night."

"Wow, that's forward." Ryusui's eyes widened. He burst into a fit of laughter then wiped the corners of his eyes and chirped, "You know just what to say to make a guy blush!"

Confused, Tsukasa tilted his head and blinked at him. When the implication of his own words finally hit him he could only grunt and look away.

So cute! Seriously, what was his problem! Ryusui wanted to kiss him forever and ever! He wanted to squeeze the life out of him like the biggest, bestest teddy ever!

Instead of that, however, he settled for threading their fingers together and squeezing the warm hand in his. After another moment he snickered, "I will tell everyone I see about this first thing in the morning."

"That doesn't surprise me," Tsukasa replied. His relief was nearly palpable. He smiled at the blond and tucked a strand of hair behind his ear for him.

-

"I can't believe you agreed to do this..." Dot muttered mostly to himself as he stepped deeper into the abandoned house. The floorboards creaked eerily beneath his feet and it smelled stale.

"You agreed first." Lance grunted.

Dot spun around, momentarily blinding his companion with the flashlight he held, and shouted, "You didn't have to come with me, stupid!"

The defiant look upon the blue-haired, pretty boy's face might've been kind of cute if he wasn't so unnaturally pale. Lance's fear of ghosts was in high-gear right now even though he'd gotten better about it. It used to be that he couldn't even step foot into an old place like this. Now he was here but practically shaking where he stood.

Minimal improvement at best, though Dot was the one suffering for it. The place where Lance was clinging to his arm hurt like hell. And yet he couldn't bring himself to scold the guy or shove him off. Not when he looked so damn pathetic. It was a rare sight and Dot was admittedly kind of into it.

But he supposed that was to be expected since he was kind of into everything about Lance. Hence the fact that they were dating now. However, that was neither here nor there. The two of them had a Test of Courage to deal with. They just had to find the stupid token hidden in one of these dusty ass rooms then they could go back and gloat.

A strange sound nearby made them both jump. Lance took an unsteady step closer to him. He was full on hugging his arm like a koala now. Damn if that wasn't cute as hell. He really couldn't stand the guy. Being all perfect even in a situation like this should've been illegal.

"What was that?" Lance asked.

"Nothing. The wind. Come on." Dot assured him. He carried on, surely brave enough for the both of them.

"I don't feel very good," Lance muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, well, suck it up." Dot grunted. He looked used the flashlight to look into a room they were walking past as he added, "Two sets of eyes lookin' for this thing is better than one. Sooner we find it the sooner we can leave."

Lance grabbed his hand and squeezed. Dot threaded their fingers together before he continued down the hallway. Lance's hand was clammy and unpleasant. But that didn't take away from the fact that his hand fit so perfectly in Dot's. It might've been embarrassing if he wasn't so focused on the task at hand. He'd probably freak out a about it little later.

Dot stopped at the next room and shined the light inside. Slowly, across the floor. Nothing. Up a little bit to a dusty bookshelf and over again.

"What's that! Spider!" Lance yelped. He bumped into Dot so suddenly that the flashlight slipped out of his hand and went flying into the room.

Suddenly Dot was pressed against the doorframe and so confused. Why the heck was this guy putting what felt like his whole weight on him all of a sudden?

"Oy, back off!" Dot yelled. No response. "Are you ignoring me!"

The flashlight rolled to a stop and shined upon the two of them. It was then that he realized Lance's lack of response meant something else entirely. Dot glanced at him over his shoulder to find him out cold. Great.

He had to twist a bit unnaturally to unpin himself without causing the other boy to crash to the floor in the process. Though it'd serve him right. Once Dot had Lance seated, he walked into the room to pick up the flashlight and shined it in the same spot as earlier on the bookshelf.

"Really?" Dot sighed. He reached out and grabbed the rubber spider then shook his head. Of course that'd be the token because why not? He glanced back at his pathetic excuse for a boyfriend. Lance would never live this down, he'd see to it.

Dot stuffed the spider into his pocket then put the flashlight between his teeth facing forward so it'd still light the way. After that, he bent down to scoop up Lance. Dot tossed him over his shoulder like the useless sack of potatoes he was and finally made his way out of the creaky old house.

Once outside, Dot found a nice patch of grass beneath an old tree. He dropped Lance none-too-gently, then sat down as well. After a few moments to catch his breath he frowned and glanced at the other boy.

Dot pulled the rubber spider out of his pocket and squeezed it. The legs jiggled as if in protest. Something so stupid caused him so much annoyance. He rolled his eyes then pulled Lance closer so that his head was in his lap.

He pet the other boy's hair and sighed to himself. Dot sat there in silence while he studied Lance's stupid, too-perfect face. It was so freaking annoying. His brow furrowed then muttered, "You may be an idiot, but you're my idiot."