It was sort of hard to believe that not only did Hater stop minding whenever they ran into their galaxy’s infamous wandering duo, but he was actually looking forward to their next visit. It was almost as hard to believe as the fact that he ended up becoming the Galaxy’s hero and savior rather than its dictator. Life was weird in that sense... Weird but, not necessarily bad.

Still, some things never changed.

“Heya Hatey! How ya doin’, buddy?!” Wander asked as he gave a nearly bone-crushing hug, “Last I heard you guys were goin’ east! I’m sure you’re makin’ all kinds of new friends and fans, aren’t ya? Ooooh you’ve got tell me all about it!”

“Well I would if you let me get a word in edge-wise!” Hater retorted, rolling his eyes. Still, he didn’t try to throw the nomad off him, or even threaten to zap him. That was certainly progress, both Wander and Sylvia thought, even if there were still plenty of grumbles and yelling from the skeletal lord.

“Oh, of course! Where are my manners?” Quickly, Wander let go and sat down cross-legged, like a child waiting to hear to hear a story. “Alright Hater, the floor is yours, buddy! So tell me all about what you guys have been up to!”

“Fine, fine,” Hater sighed, sitting down as well while Sylvia and Peepers took their respective places next to them, “Just don’t interrupt me every five seconds, got it?!” Wander nodded, and mimed zipping his lips shut.

It actually wasn’t that bad of a conversation. After Hater recounted all of their recent successes - from assisting some of their already owned planets with rebuilding efforts to boost morale, to signing treaties with new planets to induct them into the Hater Empire (which, after Hater’s win against Dominator, most planets were more than happy to sign).

Once he was finished, it was once again Wander’s turn, and he eagerly talked about each and every one of his and Sylvia’s adventures since the last time all four of them ran into each other. From wandering around new planets, to babysitting Drakor and Demurra’s kids, to one of their biggest discoveries ever!

“Wait so, you two just found an old pirate ship floating in the middle of nowhere?” Peepers asked, “And no one was on it?”

“Nope!” Wander answered simply, “Not a soul. Completely abandoned. Though, it must’ve been abandoned pretty recently, since it was still in good shape. It just needed a bit of a spit shine and some love, is all.”

“But isn’t that still weird?” Hater questioned, furrowing his boney brow, “Just finding a ship in the middle of nowhere with no one on it, but it’s not, like, totally destroyed or anything?”

Sylvia shrugged. “Hey, you know what they say, don’t look a gift hufflerumples in the trunks. And trust us, we went above and beyond to make sure no one was missing it.” She gave her best friend a side glance, but Wander just smiled. “But, no one claimed it, so it’s ours now. It’ll be a sort of nice change from orbubbles, at least.”

Hater nodded. “I gues... But I bet my ship could still be yours in a race. And probably has cooler stuff too!”

“I dunno about the last point but, I’m pretty sure ours could outrun your bonehead ship if it had to,” Sylvia smirked, “Heck, I can outrun it, or do you need me to remind you of all the times I did outrun it?”

“Oh shut up,” Hater scowled. But Sylvia just chuckled, still smiling. And, despite himself, Hater smiled just a little as well (though he made sure to hide it). 

But, as pleasant and not filled with threats and laser and/or lightning blasts as their visit was, it did eventually have to end. Peepers explained that he had some extra paperwork to go through regarding their newest planet, and Wander added that he promised a few of the Watchdogs that he’d visit with them for a bit too (much to the commander’s annoyance). 

And so, there were only two left.

“...So, I guess things have been going pretty smoothly for you, huh?” Sylvia said after a moment, scooting over and closing the distance between the two of them.

“Yep,” Hater nodded, “I haven’t accidentally destroyed or offended anyone at least so, that’s something.” He had also gotten better at staying focused, keeping end goals in mind instead of simply doing what he felt was right in the moment. Though, there were still moments when he’d get distracted or frustrated, or even lose his temper and start throwing out insults. But he didn’t share that part. 

There really wasn’t a point in it, after all. Just like Wander always seemed to, he was sure Sylvia already knew these things even if he didn’t tell her. She knew what it was like to try being a good guy after years of being bad...

Sylvia gave him a softer smile, using her tail to pat him on the back. “I’m glad things are working out a little better for you now... After all the work that you’ve put into it, you deserve a little return.”

Hater’s own smile grew as he glanced away, giving a small chuckle. “Heh, yeah. I, I guess so...”

A comfortable silence fell between the two. There was a cool breeze, and the sun was starting to set. It was a familiar sight... Though, as he sat there and thought, Hater could remember a time when they were together where the moon was over the horizon instead of a sun. They were together, they had been close, there had been a ki-

Quickly, Hater forced himself as deep into his hood as he could, hoping that the bright green blush on his face would go away soon.

“...Hey, Hater?” he heard Sylvia say.

Taking a deep breath, Hater turned back to her. “Y-Yeah?”

“A week or so ago, Wander and I found this flyer advertising a sort of celebration party that’s happening soon for the whole ‘our galaxy hasn’t been permanently destroyed’ thing. It’s going to be near the center of the Galaxy, and it looks like it’ll be pretty fun. Food, rides, music. And, I know you still aren’t really a people person but, you wanna come with us?”

“R-Really?” Hater asked, his eyes widening. Was he blushing again? He didn’t know. “Uh, yeah! Yeah, sure! I mean, I wouldn’t mind going. Doesn’t seem like it’ll be too annoying at least so, yeah, I’ll go.”

“Great,” Sylvia nodded, her smile growing a bit. If this were a year or so ago, Wander would’ve been doing the inviting in the hopes to get Hater to loosen up and have some fun, and maybe even make a new friend in return. But of course, Hater would have most likely completely rejected the offer, or come to the party just to take it over, or something petty like that.

But no. Hater was no longer an enemy, the idea of him coming to a happy-go-lucky party no longer seemed like the worst idea ever to him, and Sylvia... Well, there were certainly worst people she could be inviting. “Heh... Glad to hear it, Bonehead.”

“Er, y-yeah...” Hater swallowed. She was smiling at him. She liked him... Rather, she liked him now. They understood each other, they were close. Really close... Close enough to... to... 

He closed his eyes. He only had to move forward just a little before he felt his lips touch hers. And as soon as they connected, time froze.

...And then he felt a fist collide with his jaw, sending him backwards.

“WHAT THE FLARP ARE YOU DOING?!” Sylvia shouted.

Hater blinked, to stunned to even think about his now-sore face. “I-I-!”

“What is wrong with you?!” the Zbornak continued, now on her feet, “You don’t just kiss someone like that! All we were doing was talking! You don’t- We’re not even-! Ugh!” Still furious, she began to stomp away. “Guess I should’ve expected something like this,” she mumbled. 

“W-Wait!” Hater shouted, trying to stand up, “Wait, no-!”

“Hmph!” Sylvia didn’t even bother to turn around. Even if he was a ‘hero’ now, deep down he was still the same old Lord Ha-

“I’M SORRY!”

...She froze.

“I’m sorry!” Hater repeated, clenching his fists, “I, I know I shouldn’t have just kissed you like that but, but you were smiling at me! You were smiling and you like me and we were close and I was thinking about our last date-!”

“That wasn’t a real date,” Sylvia mumbled, still not looking at him, “I was ‘Linguini Von Breadstick’ then, remember?”

“...R-Right. Right.” He felt his horns fold down in disappointment, but he ignored them for now. “And, and even if it had been real, it was still wrong for me to just kiss you like that when I know you don’t-” He could feel himself blush again, “d-don’t like-me like-me like that. So... Yeah. I’m sorry.”

Sylvia didn’t say anything, and neither did Hater, figuring that he’d said enough. So he waited, and waited. But the silence kept going... His horns even lower now, he started to walk away-

“Do you like me?”

“Huh?!” Hater looked up. Sylvia had turned around, but she had a neutral face. (Better than glaring at him, at least.)

“I just want to know... Do you like me? Or, like-me like-me, I guess?”

“I...” The skeletal lord looked away again, giving a small sigh. “I dunno... I guess I just... just really want to like-like somebody,” he admitted, “I don’t know who, I just know that I want... that. But... But I know that I do like you. You’re, you know, smart. When it comes to all this going from bad to good stuff... And you’re tough and, and pretty cool and... and sort of pretty.” It was sort of hard to tell since she hardly wore dresses or jewelry (or any clothes, for that matter).

But when she smiled, or when she stood triumphantly after winning a fight, or had her mane in the wind... he could definitely see a bit of beauty there.

“...But?” Sylvia questioned, raising an eyebrow.

“But, I... I guess I’m still figuring things out. But I do like you! And I hope you still like me... Cause, I may want to find someone to like-like but...” He gave a sort of shy smile, “I guess having friends aren’t too bad either.”

“...” Sylvia sighed, a ghost of a smile on her face. She walked over to him, and gave him a hard punch in the shoulder, making him yelp. “That was still a stupid and gross thing for you to do.”

“Yeah I know,” Hater nodded, rubbing his shoulder, “And I’m sor-”

“I know. And, I forgive you,” Sylvia told him, finally letting her smile show, “Just, be sure to ask people before you kiss them. That or maybe start slow just to see if they’re on the same mindset as you. Take their hand or wrap an arm around them or something, and if they squeeze back or move closer, you know they don’t mind the idea. If they pull away, then you know they just want to be friends.”

“Wait, that’s a thing?” Hater asked, a bit surprised. That certainly how things were done in the ron-coms (that he definitely didn’t watch, shut up). 

“Yep,” Sylvia nodded, “And it’s a good thing to always keep in mind. Even people who may like-you like-you still have boundaries and their own limits and pacing.”

“Right, right... Thanks.”

“No problem, bonehead. And by the way... thanks for apologizing.” There really was no doubt about it now... He was getting better, and he had sure as flarp come a long way from being her pushy, rude and oblivious ‘date’ on La’Mouria. 

Sylvia then looked to the Skullship, giving a small hum. “I guess we should get back there. Make sure Wander isn’t annoying your little eyesore too much. Besides, I should tell him the good news.”

“Wait, you mean i’m still- er, y-yeah. Yeah, let’s head back.”

So, that’s what they did. Walking side by side, their pace slow. And as they traveled, Hater started to bite his lip slightly, his hand flexing a bit as a certain question weighed on his mind. In the end, his curiosity won out. “Hey, Sylvia?”

“...Yeah?” she asked, glancing over at him, her feet stopping.

“Would you... C-Could we hold hands? Just, I-I just sorta want to see what it feels like,” Hater tried to explain, unable to look her in the eyes, And, and people who only like each other can still hold hands, right? That’s not weird! But, but if you don’t want to, that’s fine! I just-“

His words died in his throat as soon as he felt her hand grab his, their fingers intertwining. Surprisingly, her three fingers still found a way to fit within his five. Even though his glove, he could feel the small callouses on her palms from years of fighting and dealing with rocks and dirt. But her hand was still sort of soft. Warm, secure... nice. 

Hater looked back at her, barely acknowledging his blushing now. But Sylvia just gave him a small smile before gently pulling him forward. Hater smiled back, and the two continued to the ship. And despite everything that had just happened, there was only one thing on the skeletal overlord’s mind:

He would definitely have to ask her to hold hands with him again.