~Once Upon a Skephalo~

~Chapter 13~

*Origanlly supposed to be Chapter 14, but the number's not important, right? ;)

---

Skeppy stared up at Bad, lost for words. He didn't know what to do or what to say, and the only thing he could think about was-

"You look so good in a suit," Skeppy blurted. His face heated up as he realized he had said that out loud. "I mean, uh-... It suits you, get it?" He laughed nervously.

Bad looked confused for a moment, but then he smiled, chuckling a little bit. "That's a good pun."

The dancers around them came to a slow and then stopped as the music ended. Bad turned to look at the lady standing next to them.

"Sorry I didn't get to dance with you more," he said to her.

Skeppy stared for a moment and realized, she was Bad's dance partner. Skeppy had interrupted their dance, and he was still standing there stupidly in Bad's arms. What if he had just ruined Bad's date?!

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Skeppy hastily pulled away from Bad, his face red from embarrassment. "I didn't mean to interrupt!"

"No, no, it's okay," Bad said quickly, smiling at him. "The dance was almost over, anyways." Then he held his hand out to Skeppy. "In fact, would you dance with me next, when the music starts again?"

Skeppy was certain his face couldn't get any more red. "Sure... I- I would love to," he answered, accepting Bad's hand with a smile. Bad looked over towards the south-eastern part of the square, and Skeppy followed his gaze to watch as the musicians prepared for the next dance.

"It should start soon," Bad said. "Let's just wait here until they begin, and while we wait, we can talk a little bit."

"Okay," Skeppy was happy to agree with whatever Bad said; he was happy just to be spending time with him. He looked down at their entwined hands and blushed, but didn't pull away. "I heard this whole party is being held for you."

"Oh. Yeah, it is..." Bad sighed, and Skeppy looked up, worried that he had said something wrong. The brunet had a sad expression on his face, and his hand slipped out of Skeppy's as he reached over to fiddle with his sleeves. He shook his head a bit, and then smiled at Skeppy. "I hope you've been having a fun night. Do you plan on staying long?"

"No, unfortunately. I have to leave at midnight," Skeppy answered.

"Well, let's enjoy ourselves until then," Bad said. "You know, you remind me a lot of someone I know... You sound just like him. We haven't met before, have we?"

"Um..." Skeppy debated whether he should tell Bad who he was or not. He would have to eventually, but for now, he was enjoying the chance to get to know Bad without revealing his identity. He glanced at the clock over Bad's shoulder. He still had a while until midnight; he didn't see why he couldn't have some fun. "No, I don't think we have. My name's Zak, and you're Bad, if I'm remembering correctly."

Bad nodded. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Zak."

"The pleasure's all mine." Skeppy smiled brightly.

The music began to start up again, and they got ready to dance, clasping  hands once more.

"I'll lead," Bad offered, placing a hand at Skeppy's waist.

Skeppy tried to hold back his blush as he rested his hand on Bad's shoulder. He couldn't stop thinking about how close they were, and the warmth of Bad's hand in his caused butterflies to flutter in his stomach. This was far better than the hugs they had shared back at the mansion, especially now that Skeppy could appreciate the softness of Bad's touch.