Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

"Through dangers and hardships outnumbered, I have fought my way here, to the castle beyond the Goblin city. To take back the freedom which you have stolen from me, for my will is as strong as your and my kingdom great-" A roll of thunder prompted him to look up from the worn novel with furrowed brows. The air was charged with the impending storm and Leonardo huffed a sigh, closing the novel he was all too familiar with to check his wristwatch and bolted from the park bench with a shrill

"Shit!" as he sprinted towards home. It was already 7'o'clock and his parents had wanted him home at 6 so he could look after Michella, his younger sister, so they could take the night off. Leonardo was always a little irked by how fragile their parents seemed to believe Michella was, he didn't normally have weekend plans but date night always seemed to fall on days Leonardo liked to spend in the park with his camera and a good book, never on days when he was homebound with University projects and classwork. He loved his sister dearly, but honestly hated having to play caretaker when Michella was more than capable of getting around the home and fending for herself, she was 15 after all and had made many a comment about not needing to be looked after. Yet, here he was, racing home as it began to pour shoving his camera and novel under his sweatshirt to keep them dry. He barely made it up the walkway and over the accessibility ramp when the door opened with his mother in the doorway. She looked cross, expression a deep scowl

"Leonardo Watch, you're an hour late getting home!" she said, voice stern and slightly angry, he could see Michella just behind her looking apologetic as he stood on the porch soaked to the bone.

"I'm sorry! I lost track of time." He snapped in reply, shimmying past her to make it into the house and deposit his camera carefully, noting that it had gotten wet on way home.

"Perfect." He grunted noting his novel was also wet, though in slightly worse condition than the camera due to its age and how often Leonardo had read this particular one. Michella pushed her wheelchair over to the table, looking up

"I'll dry off your camera, you can go get changed." She offered, prompting his attention. He frowned slightly, feeling a pang of guilt at being so irritated with having to take care of her on date nights. It was no one's fault she couldn't walk, and he had no right to blame her deep down for his parents favoring her and her needs as she definitely needed the attention more, but it didn't do much to stop the feelings of irritation and slight jealousy. Michella who could do no wrong, but always had to have someone holding her hand; and Leonardo, who could do nothing right was always in the wrong with their parents.

"No thanks, I'll do it myself." He snapped as grabbed the camera from the table a little too forcefully and stormed off towards his room, his mother following after.

"Leonardo you do not talk to your sister that way! Get back here and apologize!" she demanded. Leonardo turned to meet her with a glare

"Why should I? I said I didn't want her help! You and dad are already running late, might as well just hurry it up before the rain gets any worse." He grumbled out, ignoring he protests when he dashed up the rest of the stairs and slammed the door to his room. He knew he was acting a little too childish for a 19-year-old to be acting but he was getting a little fed up with their behavior, acting like Michella was still too young to do anything for herself and consequently treating Leonardo like he wasn't being responsible enough though he felt that with everything going on he was going above what was expected of him. He could hear shuffling downstairs and the front door closing, Michella would most likely be in her room when he returned downstairs. It was a tempting thought to stay upstairs and just curl up in bed but if his parents were going out that meant they probably had assumed Leonardo would make it, or order out. He changed into another set of loose cargo pants and baggy t-shirt before skulking downstairs, camera in hand so he could dry it off properly and check for damage to the internal parts. Leonardo was surprised to find Michella still out and about, carefully pressing a cloth against his novel with care; he flushed, tempted to snatch it out of her hands when she noticed him hovering on the last step of the staircase.

"It's been so long since I've read this one, you used to read it to me…The Goblin King…" she murmured, smiling at him and showing him his book, slightly drier than before yet still intact. Leonardo sighed softly and approached her, taking the dampened book from her carefully

"I remember that you adored the Goblin King…it was always so funny to here you fawn over the illustrations of him in the book, you didn't even hope the princess would escape with her freedom…you just wanted the king to be happy, do you remember that?" she asked, looking up at him as he thumbed over the page she had been pressing. The paper was warped and felt ready to fall apart in his hands but the image on that page was definitely one of his favorites. The Goblin King, shrouded in shadows, lured the princess in with an illusion to keep her trapped in his kingdom of Goblins for he had fallen in love with her.

"I don't fawn over it anymore Michella, it's an old book, I liked it when I was younger. Now it's like a fond memory that I like to revisit." He murmured, taking the towel from her and drying off his camera carefully. Michella giggled playfully

"Yet, you take it with you to the park all the time, sometimes even when I tag along, you'll sit on that bench and read it start to finish. I'm surprised the bench doesn't have a butt-shaped impression of where you sit reading that book!" She teased playfully as Leonardo flushed and sent a fierce glare in her direction.

"It's a classic, it's short, and it has a nice story!" he grunted, opening up his camera to take a look inside, Michella hummed softly and moved closer to look at him properly.

"It might also be that Goblin King is your type." She snickered and Leonardo lurched up, face red and teeth bared

"MICHELLA!" he cried, jumping up from his spot to give chase as she wheeled herself to her room with a loud cackle. He made it there a few seconds too late, she was already positioning her chair next to her bed to hoist herself into it.

"A little early to be hopping into bed, I was going to order pizza…I don't feel like cooking." He said, moving to help her into bed, only to get his hand slapped away as she managed to get herself in and laid back against her pillows. She smiled

"That sounds good, I'm not laying down just yet, I was just getting to the safe zone." She teased, poking him on his noise before folding her hands in her lap and sighing heavily.

"When are you going to tell them, Leo?" she asked, looking at him with soft eyes and a caring expression that made his stomach twist when he thought of the feelings of irritation and jealousy directed at her. Guilt for feeling something so heinous towards someone who loved him unconditionally even if he was so cowardly he hadn't told his parents of his plans to move out soon, so cowardly he couldn't tell them the reason he wasn't bringing home girls it because he wasn't into girls. Michella's teasing was a little too accurate; flopping onto her bed, careful of where she was at and he looked at her with a soft smile.

"Maybe he is my type, but I gotta say, I don't think I would be his, Goblin Kings are into princesses and things like that…not nerdy guys who can't tell their parents they're gay." Leonardo snickered, poking her side playfully before settling his chin in his hand.

"…Sorry, for snapping at you…mom has just been riding my ass lately…and I'm doing my best with college and stuff…and you…" Leonardo mumbled softly, Michella's hand tangling in his hair with a hum of acknowledgement

"I get that. I wish they'd hear me out when it came to doing stuff on my own…I've been doing fine on my own…it's like they forget that I'm growing up…" Michella mumbled quietly, Leonardo nodded in solemn agreement.

"…what do you feel like eating on your pizza? Pepperoni, Hawaiian, maybe Supreme? No tomato or onion though." Leonardo listed off, Michella shrugged

"Anything is fine really…just get delivery?"

"That was the plan." He huffed rolling off her bed and heading towards the kitchen, noting his novel sitting on the table, he picked it up, passing by the bay doors that lead toward the backyard. He pulled the menu from the fridge and reached for his cellphone in his pocket, freehand thumbing over the novel gently. He looked at the cover briefly, a wave of familiar emotion washing through him, he set his phone to the side, flipping to the page of the Goblin King's image. The shadowy figure and the beautiful girl…

I wish…

Leonardo knew the words by heart, so familiar to him, the mistake of the princess wishing for a goblin king to take her away, accidentally trading her freedom to him. His proposals of false love…it was up to the reader to decide if the king truly loved the princess.

I wish…

The words were loaded on his tongue, his chest squeezed and he forced a smile, Leonardo liked to imagine the goblin king did love her. Admiring her from afar, her wish…the light in his dark world, his princess to be…

"God, I'd wish for a guy like that." He chuckled bitterly, feeling something prickle at the base of his neck, something strange. He closed the book quickly reaching for his phone to order when he tossed his head back with a sigh and braced himself against the counter.

"…I wish the Goblin King…would take me away…" Leonardo breathed, the prickling on his neck growing worse. He held his breath, half expecting something to happen, he was met with silence and the ticking of a cat clock on the wall, leering down at him.

"Right…Goblin Kings like pretty girls not nerdy guys with a thing for literature…" he breathed out shakily, the air felt electric almost when a deep voice cut in.

"I wouldn't say that, Leonardo."

He whirled around, eyes going wide at the bulk of the man before him, the bay doors are blown wide and the curtains of white creating an ethereal contrast to the man's black, pressed pants and shirt, and blood red vest.

"Ah…I-?" Leonardo began only for the man to approach

"You called me, didn't you? Your wish…" he spoke in a smooth tone, however; something was underlying his words, like the silkiness left over from a caramel candy.

"I-…I didn't expect an answer- Ah!?" Leonardo pressed against the counter as the man held Leonardo's chin in his fingers, tilting his face up to see him properly.

"I'm sure you can guess who I am, and why I am here…" he drawled, moving closer, bright, green eyes predatory.

"…Are you the Goblin King…I-!? I just gave my freedom to you…Didn't I?" he asked, voice wavering and his knees felt weak. He was freezing up, he could feel himself going rigid as the panic began to set in.

"You did. My Leonardo…" he breathed, leaning in close, breath ghosting over Leonardo's cheek.

"N-N-no! I'm not- I'm not anyone's thing! I didn't realize what I was saying, I didn't know you would come!" he protested, watching the King give him a gentle smile.

"But you wanted this, I wouldn't have answered had I not heard the truth in your words, Leonardo, I can take you from this, a gift, for my Leo." He offered, Leonardo pulled away with a grunt.

"I said I'm not yours!" he snapped, looking towards the hall, Michella's room at the end.

"Leo, please, you would not have spoken so truthfully if you didn't want this, I heard the cry deep in your soul, I can take you from this guilt-ridden life. From the controlling, demanding parents, the sickly sister you have to serve…the secrets you have to keep." The Gobin King's hand gripped his lower jaw and gently pulling him to look at him,

"My kingdom is ever accepting, I know you, and even if you think I don't, I know you. You have never been able to look at another like the way people wish of you…because none of them have been what you're looking for, my little Leo." He growled lowly into his ear, sending chills up his spine.

"I appreciate the gesture…but I don't want it! I don't want the gift, I'm happy. I didn't mean to do this, please understand." Leonardo managed, trying to keep his voice strong. The King pulled back with a feral noise,

"Don't defy me, Leonardo Watch. I offer you what you wished for, my gift to you." He spoke, anger permeating his voice.

"And I told you! I don't want it! You can't just have me, Ok? I said I didn't know what I was saying, it's not fair!" Leonardo protested angrily, only to be met with the Goblin King's hands scooping him up in a whirl of black and red and piercing gaze of green. Leonardo was deposited gently on his feet, facing an expansive labyrinth with a grand castle he could see in the distance beyond.

"This is my labyrinth, Leo. I will offer up your freedom, if you can make it to my castle at the very center of the maze then I will set you free. No strings attached if you fail…you must remain here…with me." He flung his arm outwards towards the labyrinth

"This is your last chance to accept what I offer, braving my labyrinth will not be an easy task. If I was a lesser man and did not feel concern for your wellbeing I would have challenged you to a game of Prosfair…but I do not wish you harm, my little Leo."

"Stop calling me that! Look, I am hardly dressed for a trek through some maze! And I refuse. I'm not staying here, I have to get back to Michella. I have to get back to my family, sure I get angry with them all the time but I'm not abandoning them to be some plaything." Leonardo spat, the King chuckled in amusement. Fixing him with a playful smirk

"You're worth so much more than a plaything to me, Leonardo…as for what I hesitate to call your attire, I have a smaller gift, your shoes and a jacket, to keep the chill-out." He waved his hand and presented Leonardo with a pair of sneakers and one of his hoodies, causing his skin to crawl at the thought of the Goblin King rooting around in his things.

"Thanks." He grunted, pulling on his hoodie and shoes before turning to the King.

"How long will you give me to solve it, Goblin King?" Leonardo asked with a glare, the King hummed in thought a moment before smirking.

"13 hours, long enough for you to truly attempt, and still give me a chance to win you…I will be awaiting you eagerly in my castle, my little Leo." He breathed into the shell of Leonardo's ear, he flushed a soft pink and whirled around to give him a piece of his mind only to be met with more sprawling landscape. A clock chimed somewhere and he looked at his watch, setting a timer for 13 hours and hurrying off towards the labyrinth.

"Come on feet!" he huffed, nearly tripping over himself as he approached the outer walls of the massive structure. He could hear whistling, distantly but still, he couldn't see a door anywhere if he was being honest with himself. A bit odd given he was supposed to try and solve it.

"Did he rig it to have no doors or what!? Seriously, how do I get in to try and solve it!" he growled, following the source of the whistling now, as looking for a door was beginning to feel slightly fruitless as the walls seemed to extend for miles. He could attempt to climb it but he was willing to bet he'd fall and hurt himself trying to do that, he hadn't climbed a tree since he was 7 and nearly cracked his head open, he doubted he could climb a wall as steep as the ones surrounding the maze. He turned and was greeted with a lovely pool, adorned with ornaments and statues glittering with dancing lights. The whistling had paused and Leonardo locked eyes with a rather tall man taking a piss into the pool.

Leonardo blinked, immediately looking anywhere but the man, unabashedly relieving himself into the pool and seemingly unbothered by Leonardo stumbling upon him.

"You lost there, shrimp?" the man asked, tone condescending, prompting a snarky retort.

"Not exactly! I need to find a way in and I wasn't exactly going to ask for directions while you're pissing into the water supply!" Leonardo snapped, the man scoffed and zipped up his pants and wiped his hands on his white pants, getting a repulsed shiver out of Leonardo.

"Ah this is the pixies water, not my problem if they die off, little bitches bite." The man snorted before sizing Leonardo up.

"My name's Zapp, and you look like you're not from around here…what do you need to get into the labyrinth for anyway? Klaus' is gonna pissed if he finds trespassers in his labyrinth, which I guess means I can take you in, been a while since I yanked his chain. Though I'm not sure you're worth the trouble or time."

"Who is Klaus?" Leonardo asked, brow furrowing, Zapp seemed baffled by this question,

"Uh, the King, duh!" he flicked Leonardo's forehead and began to walk towards a segment of wall overgrown with vegetation.

"The Goblin King's name is Klaus?" he asked, following after,

"The one and only." Zapp replied, tone slightly disinterested with the topic of choice. Leonardo hummed thoughtfully, observing Zapp mess with a patch of wall covered in vines before turning to Leonardo

"So I'm gonna need something in return for helping your ass out, things don't come cheap y'know and if I'm getting you in, I risk my own skin. Though I do get an added benefit of hearing Klaus bitch about trespassers."

"I'm supposed to try and solve the Labyrinth. It's to get my freedom back." Leonardo snapped, a little irritated with the taller man. Leonardo didn't have anything on him, his phone he'd left back on the counter and all he really had was crummy digital watch he'd bought in hopes of being on time to things and right now he needed it to keep track of how much time he had left. Zapp blinked and leaned forward

"Really, the King wants a little shrimp like you…?"

"…to solve his Labyrinth…yeah." Leonardo grunted gesturing to the door that had begun to reveal itself, the vines pulling back to show ornate designs and aged wood.

"Look all I've got is this watch, I can't really pay you in anything right now, but when I get home I guess I could pay you in something then?" he offered, pulling on the doors, they didn't budge even an inch.

"Damn, weak and shrimpy, his taste in people is not what I expected." Zapp sighed, yanking the doors open and holding one for Leonardo to enter. He made a scoffing noise and frowned at Zapp

"You're being awfully rude for someone who was just demanding payment from me for showing me to the entrance. You're not even doing much." Leonardo grumbled, Zapp, looking down the long passageway of the maze with an odd gleam in his eyes.

"They say when you reach the center of the Labyrinth, you can never leave, that there is no exit, only the Goblin King." Zapp said quietly, Leonardo leaning closer.

"Who says that?" he asked, only for Zapp to shove him inside

"Don't know, don't care! Have fun shorty!" he sneered, slamming the door behind him, Leonardo whirled around, tongue loaded with a slew of obscenities. They came out in a muffled squeal finished off with a grunted,

"Like Hell he's getting paid now." He gritted out before checking his watch, he'd wasted nearly half an hour messing with Zapp and looking for the entrance and now it was looking like Leonardo was going to have to hurry it up, the straightaway looked to be several miles long. He wasn't even athletic, to begin with so he'd guess he'd have to stop for breathers, he was partly wishing he'd taken his Phys. Ed classes more seriously but no; he had to be more into art and literature.

Leonardo had taken to a light jog, slightly faster than a walking pace and was trying to keep his breathing steady and even, though it wasn't doing him a lick of good as he was already starting to pant and wheeze. He was hoping to make it farther than he did when he stopped to take a breath but looking behind him it looked as if he hadn't gone anywhere at all.

"What!?" he squawked, flopping against the wall with a loud groan, feeling something squirm underneath him he leapt backwards with a squeal.

"Hey there, got anything to eat on you?" Leonardo focused and looked down to see a small mushroom-like creature, panhandling.

"Wow, what a greeting, you're panhandling." He grunted, resting on his haunches to properly see the small mushroom man.

"If you'd like to call it that fine, but it looks like you could use a break. Come inside, I can make you some tea." The small creature offered, making Leonardo smile fondly.

"No thanks, I'm actually looking to make it to the Goblin King's castle, can't afford to take too many breaks, Mr.…?"

"Nej is fine, are you certain? A nice snack or a soothing drink could help keep your spirits up." He offered once more, only for Leonardo to politely refuse with a grin.

"Well, I guess I can give you some aid, there is a proper entrance to the labyrinth just behind you, I guess you could say I help people like you find ways in if they're having trouble." Nej explained, gesturing behind Leonardo who turned with a frown.

"That's a wall, Nej." He gruffed, turning his attention back to the mushroom man who turned a faint pink with what Leonardo presumed was a glare.

"You've got the perspective all wrong! Just, walk into it!" Nej grunted making a shooing motion at him; he stood with a sigh and held out his hands when he turned to feel the wall and disprove the mushroom man's notions. The wall he sought never came through, as he walked right through into another passage, looking back with a wide smile

"Holy crap Nej! Thank you!" he cheered, hurrying in one direction only for Nej to shriek and call him back.

"Don't go that way! Never go that way!" Nej flailed from his little spot on the wall, Leonardo nodded and headed the opposite direction unaware that Nej had just accidentally set him in the wrong direction, however, Nej was only trying to be kind and spare Leonardo the trouble of dealing with the Goblin King. Leonardo followed the passage to a small area with several passages and walkways branching off in multiple directions, he huffed in mild irritation, cursing the Goblin King's name as he tried to think of a way to keep track of where he has been, with so many passageways if he ended being led astray he wanted a way to know. He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and was rewarded with a tube of chapstick.

"…It's not exactly brightly colored but…it'll at least be better than nothing." He mumbled to himself, marking the tile he was currently standing on with an 'x' for his starting point before choosing to go down the passage closet to his right, marking the tile just inside the passage with an arrow marking the direction. He followed the path down and around, setting a brisk pace as it opened up into a nearly identical area with several paths branching off in different directions. Leonardo hummed and made a mark, going into the path directly across from him and following it around, ending up in another identical area. His brow furrowed in thought and he looked for the tile he'd marked previously in the last area, a sinking feeling in his stomach. He felt it was too much of a coincidence that these areas were way too similar, even down to minute details.

"What the hell!?" Upon lifting the tile he was greeted to a little white monkey, holding onto the tile with all its might, the previous waxy mark he had made with his chapstick tube was right there on the underside.

"You've been changing my marks!?" Leonardo demanded reaching for the creature who ducked down into the hole beneath the tile with a loud squeak.

"How is that fair! Why were you doing that I've been going in circles!" he cried after it into the hole, hearing a few scattered chirps and rustling from within, with a loud huff he dropped the tile back into place followed by a groan of frustration.

"I've been wandering around the same several passageways because of some monkey!" Leonardo lamented capping the chapstick and tossing it to the side, assured it was thoroughly ruined from being used to mark the ground. A few chirps caught his attention and he glared downward, the monkey had appeared his chapstick tube in tow looking apologetic as it offered it to him.

"Are you serious? I don't want that back! I marked the ground with it, and then you changed them! I could have wasted a lot of time because of you!" he snapped, causing the small creature to flinch and reoffer the tube to him. Leonardo sighed heavily and crouched down, holding out his hand where the tube was gently placed into it before the monkey charged up his arm to perch on his shoulder and hug his cheek.

"Hey! No, I don't want a ride along! You were tricking me remember!" he flailed trying to get the monkey off before a voice caught his attention.

"He was just doing what he was told you know."

Leonardo lifted his eyes and felt his stomach twist, everything had changed, the passageways had converged into one, a dead end behind him and two doors in front him, both guarded. Before him was one girl and one boy, the girl was dressed in white with bright, green eyes and long blonde hair while the boy was dressed in black cold, blue eyes and choppy short blonde hair.

"Uhhhhah!? The maze can change! How on Earth is that fair!? I thought the monkey cheating was annoying but this is awful! Your King is a cheat!" Leonardo hissed, both guards shared a look before snickering lightly.

"I wouldn't be so bold as to agree with you on that." Said the boy, looking to Leonardo with a smirk

"Her name is White." The boy spoke after a pause,

"His name is Black." The girl seemed to finish for him,

"And one of our doors is the right one." The finished in unison, gesturing to the doors behind them. Leonardo blinked

"Come again…?"

"One of us is always telling the truth, and one of us is always lying." White said with a smile.

"The one that is always telling the truth is the one with the right door, it will take you where you need to go, the other could lead to certain death!" Black declared, leaning against his door and fixing Leonardo with a strange look.

"Oh God, it's a riddle…" he groaned shoulders slumping; the monkey must have shared his sentiments as it made a huffing whine and flopped onto its butt where he was perched upon Leonardo's shoulder.

"I hate these stupid things…So, which one is the right door?" he grunted, both Black and White gave him an irritated glare before White cleared her throat

"You're only allowed to ask one of us." She stated with the same smile as before.

"Then that means right off the bat you're telling the truth, right? There's no way you can lie about instructions?" Leonardo questioned

"That's not really asking about the door, try and ask and we'll get started." Black reprimanded with a snort. Leonardo glared at him

"Ok, Black, if I asked White would this door lead to where I need to go would she be telling the truth?" he asked, Black took a moment to think and nodded

"Yes."

"Then this door leads to certain death and the other leads to where I need to go." Leonardo grinned rolling on the balls of his feet. Black frowned

"But she could be telling the truth."

"But then you wouldn't be. If you say the answer is yes, then the real answer is no." Leonardo smirked, looking at White.

"I could be telling the truth." Black mused, catching Leonardo's attention

"But then she wouldn't be and the answer would still be no." He huffed, stepping towards White's door. The two guards shared a look of confusion before White opened her door, revealing a normal passageway. Leonardo cheered inwardly as he stepped forward

"Thank you very much!" he exclaimed stepping inside only for the floor to drop from under him and send him plummeting downward.

"SHIT." He shrieked as he felt things begin to grab him on his fall, slowing the descent and letting his eyes adjust to the dimly lit hole that was lined with dozens and dozens of earthen, leathery hands.

"Ohh my God." He whimpered looking up to see how far he had fallen, the hands above him had formed faces and were looking at him expectantly, the little monkey had scrambled inside his t-shirt to hide and had left Leonardo in the company of the hands. He swallowed thickly and squirmed, making a small noise of discomfort

"Ok. Some of you are touching a little more below the belt than I approve of." He murmured, trying to squirm his legs.

"I'd quit squirming if I were you unless you want us to drop you?" one of the hand faces asked, forming angry eyes with their thumbs

"NO!" Leonardo blurted, body going rigid.

"That's more like it, see we're helping hands! We only want to help." Another face explained with a cheery tone. Leonardo blinked

"Uh…ok?"

"Which way?"

"Pardon?" he asked.

"Which way? Up or Down?" the hands asked, Leonardo, frowned and looked below him, unable to see the bottom, though since he was already heading that way…

"I guess…since I'm already going that way…down?"

"He said Down!" the hands declared, suddenly dropping his weight to the next set unceremoniously with a mixture of laughs.

"Was that the wrong way!?" he cried as they jostled him downward at an alarming pace, the bottom was fast approaching though it just seemed to be an empty darkness, he felt his stomach lurk as the last of the hands held him briefly before he was falling freely into the blackness below. He landed on his butt with a soft 'umph.' And grumbled angrily a he looked up to see the light disappear, the tunnel of hands closing off.

"Creeps…" he grunted into the blackness, feeling the monkey squirm to freedom from the confines of his shirt with a huff, he could barely make out his hands in front of his face and his stomach was rolling from nerves. Who was to say what was in the darkness? He thought to call out but the fear in his gut of what could lay in the dark kept his voice barely a whisper. He partly hoped the Goblin King didn't put anything in the maze that could kill him, especially if he claimed to want him.

He curled up, careful of the monkey in his lap, trying to keep his trembling to a minimum and build the courage to begin crawling. He tentatively pressed a hand to the floor and found it to be rocky, yet moist. He shivered and moved onto his knees, steeling himself for the feeling again when there was a loud flick of a flint hitting metal and his eyes blinked wide at the room was filled with the soft glow of a lighter.

"Shit, shrimpy really messed up this one." Zapp grunted with a wry smirk.

"Zapp!? What- Ah, What are you doing here?" Leonardo asked, making his way onto his feet; Zapp shrugged with a scoff.

"Kinda felt bad just kicking you into the labyrinth, thought I'd come looking for you to help you out. Then I heard some crybaby getting molested by the tunnel of handjobs and thought I'd pop in to see the poor sucker. Guess it didn't connect that the only person it could be was you, shrimp." Zapp snickered, gesturing for Leonardo to follow.

"Gee, thanks." He grunted, stumbling over a rock. Zapp glared

"You want out of this hole or not? I know a ton of backdoors all over this place but if you'd rather I step out and leave you to it…?" Zapp trailed off, prompting Leonardo to amend his words frantically

"No! I really would like to leave, please? I don't like the dark…" he murmured. Zapp sneered

"Man you're such a baby, lucky I came along when I did, if I hadn't you'd be here a long while, probably until time ran out and then your rescuer would have been the Goblin King, ooh." Zapp teased, knocking on a segment of the wall. It slid open and revealed a well light corridor decorated with faces carved out of stone.

"Man you are going to owe me big time, look at me, helping your ass out, more than once I'd like to add." Zapp preened, allowing Leonardo into the corridor before stepping out himself and letting the wall close behind them.

"This place is full of holes and junk like that, pits that supposedly lead nowhere; but, seeing as I am the expert on navigating this place, I will happily lead you back to the entrance where no doubt the King waiting for his…whatever you are?" Zapp smirked and turned to Leonardo only to be met with a smack to the face.

"Like Hell I'm going to be someone's thing! I'm not giving him, you say you know this labyrinth pretty good then take me to the Goblin King's castle!" he demanded, placing both his hands on his hips in a commanding fashion. Zapp gawked before growling loudly in frustration

"Listen here, you little runt! No way am I risking my butt for you without payment up front, right here, right now! So if you want me to go leading you around this place, I expect something really good." He snorted, reminding Leonardo of a rather ugly piglike creature.

"I told you I don't have anything on me! I have the clothes on my back and shitty tube of chapstick!" Leonardo hissed, Zapp sneered and blinked in confusion when the monkey appeared on Leonardo's shoulder looking rather pissed.

"…how the hell did you befriend a mach mon-" Zapp didn't finish his thought as in the blink of an eye the monkey was clinging to his face and biting his nose.

"HOLY- CALL HIM OFF!" Zapp shrieked backing into the wall, Leonardo cried out and moved to pull the monkey off when of the face opened its eyes and looked at him

"Could you tell him to keep it down?"

"THESE THINGS CAN TALK!?" Leonardo screeched, backing away quickly while Zapp continued to struggle with the monkey.

"Turn back while you can." One chanted ominously now that they had Leonardo's attention,

"JESUS!" Leonardo squawked, flailing away from the face he'd bumped into only to be pegged with the small monkey and land on his back.

"You're little rat monster is an ass! Holy shit he has a bite to him!" Zapp shouted holding his nose and grunting in pain. The monkey glared at him and Zapp cried out

"NO! No! Fine, I'll help! Just keep that little monster away from me!" he snapped. Leonardo blinked, the previous panic forgotten when he looked at the creature who gave him a thumbs up.

"Wow…gotta go fast, huh?" he snickered only for the creature to look confused by this statement.

"Oh, right, never mind I'm just going to call you Sonic…" Leonardo huffed and stood up glaring at the rock faces.

"These things are so freaky! They talk and everything!"

"How rude!" one barked angrily, causing him to jump closer to Zapp with a quiet 'eep'.

"Ignore them! Geez, come on and follow me. I'll get you to that castle if it kills me, and with how things are going it probably will!" Zapp snapped, looking down at Leonardo with a stern glare.

"Oh come on! I haven't gotten to say my line in forever!" one of the faces protested as they walked past.

"Not my problem!" Zapp called, weaving them through the tunnels of faces. Leonardo felt bad from some of the one's Zapp cut off, calling them false alarms.

"They're all over, normally only get all huff and puff when you start going the right way. See?" he gestured to a large opening that lead into another tunnel

"We follow this all the way to underneath the castle, no sweat." Zapp sniffed triumphantly, stepping into the tunnel and colliding with a massive body.

"Well, this is truly a sight to behold, the troublemaker and pain in my backside for an innumerable amount of years, helping someone else out of the kindness of his heart?"

Leonardo froze, looking up into the eyes of the Goblin King, Klaus.

"Whaat!? I am shocked you would accuse me of something like that, pfft. I was not helping this little shrimp out of the goodness of my heart. In fact, I was leading him back to the beginning, like Hell I'm going to waste my time and skin getting him to your castle." Zapp scoffed.

"What!?" Leonardo demanded, shoving Zapp angrily, Sonic glaring at him from his shoulder perch. Zapp rolled his eyes and shoved Leonardo back onto his butt

"You do that a lot…" Zapp muttered, dodging a swing from the Goblin King's fist and backing off quickly. Leonardo was scooped up and set back on his feet, Klaus brushing him off before fixing him with an oddly proud smirk.

"How are you liking my labyrinth, Leo?" he asked, hand cupping Leonardo's cheek gently. It made his skin crawl and prickle into goosebumps all over, it felt electric and warm.

"I'm thinking it's a piece of cake…" Leonardo managed, behind him Zapp made an inhuman noise

"Are you stupid!?" he demanded, tone a little grating on Leonardo's ears.

"Quiet Zapp! Don't forget this is my kingdom, I can have you banished to the worst part of it if I so wished, tell me, how well would you fair in being a listless bachelor if you smelled of festering rubbish?" Klaus barked, making Leonardo flinch. The Goblin King seemed troubled by the gesture, confusing Leonardo greatly when his touch continued to be soothing, though Leonardo could see a dangerous glint in his eyes that made him feel like breaking into a sprint. Klaus hummed thoughtfully and took Leonardo's thin wrist into his hands, examining the watch with interest. He tapped the device and nearly 3 hours bleed off his timer in a flash, Klaus looked up with a smugness that spoke for itself.

"That's not fair!?" Leonardo snapped angrily only for Klaus' smirk to broaden and a deep chuckle to resonate in his chest before he sighed and fixed Leonardo with an expression he could only call fondness.

"You say it's a piece of cake? Then how about we add a little danger to our game?" Klaus offered, stepping away to reveal a massive machine, covered in rotating, rather sharp looking blades. Leonardo could feel his stomach drop at the sight and the urge to run returned full force.

"THE CLEANERS!? Are you trying to kill him!?" Zapp demanded grabbing Leonardo's arm and yanking him in the opposite direction.

"You better keep up or I am so leaving you here!" Zapp snarled setting a hard to keep pace that caused Leonardo's shoes to scoff and skid along the ground as Zapp sprinted down the corridor, screeching curses and profanities at the cleaner machine chasing after them, the whirl of blades growing louder as it gained on them

"I swear to god if I die because of you!" Zapp swore, skidding to a halt at a locked gate held together with only a few chains, though once Leonardo was thrown into it he could feel it was rather solid. Zapp was looking around frantically,

"There is a backdoor around here!" he snapped throwing his shoulder into a wall, it gave a little and Leonardo began to throw his weight into it as well. The screeching sound was piercing his eardrums and making his heart beat frantically. The wall began to buckle and Zapp rammed into it one last time where it collapsed and dropped away into a room that the two tumbled into rather unceremoniously. Leonardo gasped and rolled onto his back, chest pounding while the rest of him felt like he was on fire.

"Oh my God…" he wheezed, hearing the sound of the metal contraction break through the gates with ease and continue onward.

"Threatening me with the Bog of Stench, the Cleaners; Who the Hell are you!? You've really gotten his attention and I am not sure if I am on board with helping you any farther!" Zapp cried, pulling himself up to gesture at their situation. Leonardo glared and rolled onto his knees, Sonic came out of hiding in Leonardo's shirt to fix Zapp with a similar glare.

"You weren't even helping me to begin with! You were taking me back to the beginning!" Leonardo shouted, Sonic growling on his shoulder. Zapp held up his hands in defence and flailed

"Wait, wait, wait! Let me explain! That was a lie also! No way in Hell would I admit to helping you out! That a one-way ticket to smelling like a rotting carcass for the rest of my life and quite frankly I am a hit with the ladies back home! That would really mess with my reputation!" he exclaimed, only adding fuel to the fire of Leonardo's flickering temper.

"YOU'RE MORE CONCERNED ABOUT A REPUTATION THAN SOMEONE'S WELL BEING!?" Leonardo bellowed, having half a mind to just leave the man here and let Sonic do as he wished with him.

"Well…yeah? I mean, it's the bog of stench, it doesn't ever wash off you know." Zapped huffed, a little too laid back about the stunt he'd just pulled for Leonardo's liking.

"Unbelievable!" Leonardo snapped, making his way over to a ladder that seemed to lead somewhere, and in that moment anywhere was better than being around Zapp.

"Oh, didn't even see that, I thought we were going to have to head back the way we-"

"What's this 'we' crap?" Leonardo grunted, looking back at Zapp with a rather frightening gaze for such a small man to make.

"What, you don't want my help anymore?" Zapp snickered before following after

"If I am being honest, no." Leonardo replied, his previous irritation was starting to dull, leaving him feeling exhausted. With 3 hours shaved off his time, however, he couldn't just sit to take a break, he had to keep moving unless he wanted to become someone's property and that was not an idea he would allow.

"Really now? I guess my job is done then." Zapp continued to tease, making a show of leaving once they were out of the tunnel system. Leonardo didn't call after him or even begin to follow, instead, he continued towards the castle, ignoring the noise of surprise Zapp made.

"You're really pissed off about this!? Come on, I told you I was lying to try and save our butts if you hadn't been so snarky and said the Labyrinth was a piece of cake you wouldn't be looking at 6 hours left to solve it. So it's kind of your fault their buckaroo." Zapp protested, pulling out his lighter. Leonardo turned to face him, watching Zapp reach into an inner pocket of his jacket for something; Leonardo snatched the lighter from his hand and stormed off hearing the man protest behind him.

"Hello there!" a voice came, catching Leonardo's attention, he held fast to the lighter when Zapp lurched for it and approached the man sitting along one of the fountains decorating this open space of the labyrinth.

"My name's Steven, and for a small contribution I can give aid or advice." He explained, shaking a little box in his hands with a slot just big enough for the lighter to undoubtedly fit. Leonardo felt a mean streak pass through him and tossed the lighter inside without second thought

"What the hell! That was mine!" Zapp bellowed, reaching for the box only for Steven to press a boot to his face and kick him backwards.

"Why thank you, young man, now, let's see. I know you're trying to get to the Goblin King's castle and while I do understand your haste I will advise you not rush things. Klaus is a fair man." Steven explained only for Leonardo to scoff

"He took 3 hours from me! I don't find that very fair." Steven hummed in thought and smirked

"You don't realize how close you are to beating this thing do you, you've done surprisingly well, and faced a few terrors, haven't you?" he asked, shaking his contribution box as if to taught Zapp still trying to grasp it.

"Perhaps he felt it necessary to give himself a fair fighting chance." Steven continued, causing a flush of anger in Leonardo

"I think you mean cheat." He stated, crossing his arms and cocking his head to the side.

"Now, about that aid? Or advice, how do I get to the Goblin King's castle?"

"Just go the way you were going." Steven replied without a moment's thought.

"Uhh, I was kind of hoping for instructions there, Steven." Leonardo blinked, only for Steven to shrug

"Well I answered the question, didn't I?"

"Yeah, but the advice you gave sucked, I would like something a little more in-depth." Leonardo cried exasperatedly

"Well for another contribution I'd gladly answer the question again." He said shaking his little box with a grin. Leonardo glared in confusion before looking to Sonic, asking him silently if he would miraculously have another to contribute before Leonardo had a thought.

"No matter what I ask I'm just going to get the same vague answer, aren't I?" he asked; Steven shrugged and once more shook his box

"Make a contribution and you'll find out." He said, slamming his foot into Zapp's face as he tried to attack from below and snag the box. Leonardo huffed and turned on his heel and continued towards the castle, a little pleased that it didn't seem Zapp would be getting his lighter back soon, but frustrated with the lack of advice he'd actually been given for the lighter. It didn't look cheap, that had been assured, it actually might have been silver plated now that Leonardo thought about it. If it was just a cheap lighter Zapp probably could have picked up in a drug stor- Do Goblin domains have drug stores? Leonardo's train of thought derailed with the thought about the lighter. It had looked like one he would find in his world, so far he had only seen primitive torched providing light in darker areas and then Zapp's ornate lighter.

"You little shit that was my lighter!" Zapp snarled, catching up with him rather quickly.

"How am I going to light my cigars now you little shrimp!?" Zapp demanded angrily, grabbing the back of Leonardo's hoodie and shaking him violently.

"Not- My- Pro- Blem-!" Leonardo cried as Zapp continued to shake him and curse him for his actions. Steven wasn't about to part with the precious lighter and Zapp wasn't sure where he would be able to find another one of that calibre, though Leonardo could really care less about the lighter and was more pressed by the timer ticking down to the hour when he would lose his freedom if he couldn't make it to Klaus' throne room and declare his victory. Zapp finally let him go with an irritated grumble, wary of Sonic who had jumped onto a wall edge to avoid being shaken but was now fixating Zapp with a rather hateful glare that spoke volumes of the threat crossing through Sonic's mind. Leonardo found is cute, given how small, yet protective the creature was of him even after Leonardo had gotten angry with it.

"Stupid freaky monkey." Zapp huffed, looking to the side avoiding the combination of Leonardo's and Sonic's glare when a loud shriek that didn't belong to either of them caught their attention rather quickly. Zapp took off in the direction of the cry, Leonardo close behind as Sonic jumped on his shoulder they followed the source of the cries until the came into an odd intersection that branched off in multiple directions. A woman was bound by her hands and feet and dangling from a spire and being toted around by a mass of goblins. They prodded at her with what looked like ugly mutations of Sonic with massive jaws lined with teeth

"Unhand me!" she snarled, snapping her own set of dull canines at the creatures ad struggled against her bonds. She looked to be a wild woman, with a rage in her eyes that Leonardo couldn't properly describe when he made eye contact with her for a brief moment. Leonardo rushed forward, shoving one of the goblins wielding the spear-creature things, reaching for the bonds around her wrists only for another group of goblins to tackle him to the ground. Zapp stepped in finally, after several long, painstaking moments off squirming and fighting them from dragging him off. In a blur of black and white, Leonardo was free from their grasps, cradled in the arms of the wild woman glaring up at Zapp with profound disgust.

"Were you just going to let them carry him off?" she growled before looking to him with a smile

"Thank you for the valiant attempt, I would say I could have gotten myself out of this one but they snuck up on me while I was resting…" she huffed, setting Leonardo down and standing upright; her hair seemed to bristle for a moment and dodged another attack from a rather brave goblin and snapped the staff supporting the creature in half with one flurry of her hand.

"Do not touch me, again." She growled lowly, the goblin making a small squeaking noise before scurrying off, a few others trailing behind him.

"…So you some tribal girl or what? The fancy getup tells me, yes but I have never seen you lurking around this shithole before." He sneered, earning a quick pop to the side of his head.

"I'm a werewolf. We don't exactly like being noticed, especially having free reign of the Labyrinth the way we do…sadly I let my guard down and ended up in this situation…now I already dislike you…as for you; however, I'm not sure yet." She hummed thoughtfully, looking at Leonardo carefully and sizing him up.

"I'd like us to be considered friends? I mean if that's alright with you miss…?" he offered politely, she returned the gesture with a pat and a warm smile

"Chain, you may call me Chain. I am one of the few allowed to wander the labyrinth who aren't goblins mind you, I've seen jackass over their a few times pissing his Highness off…and you, I've only seen this one time. What brings you into the Labyrinth…?" she made a gesture, prompting him for his name and he flushed.

"Ah well, my name is Leonardo and I am trying to solve the labyrinth to gain my freedom back…" he murmured awkwardly, Chain's eyes widened a fraction before she shook her head in disbelief

"Klaus has taken interest in you!?" she cried, Zapp, joining in

"I know right!? He's such a little shrimp and Klaus took the Cleaners to us! Because he got all sassy with him!" Zapp protested throwing his hands in Leonardo's direction. He tried not to feel irritated at the comment but he was not enthused with their blatant shock that the King of Goblins had taken interest in him, however twisted that interest was, Leonardo was still feeling the blow to his ego by the two's shock and dismay. Though it was more about his stature and gangly limbs, they weren't even concerned that their King had taken interest in another man…it was slightly flooring to think no one would bat an eye at two men attracted to one another.

"Has Klaus never shown interest in…uh, guys before?" Leonardo ventured carefully, interrupting the two debating what exactly what it was about Leonardo that had Klaus so interested in him.

"…His Highness has never shown interest in anyone before, actually." Chain commented, tilting her head up in thought, Leonardo frowned slightly and sighed.

"Chain can I ask you, do you know how to get to the castle?" he asked beginning to head in the direction of the castle, she paused and nodded excitedly.

"I do actually, I can give some help but I will have my limits…I do wish to remain loyal to our king…unlike someone." She grunted, glaring at Zapp before grabbing Leonardo's arm and pulling him along in another direction.

"I can take you as far as his courtyard." She explained, hurrying them both off, Sonic chirping happily as they left Zapp behind in their rush. He could hear Leonardo's cries of delight echoing through the corridors of the Labyrinth when he was pulled back with a sharp jerk on his shoulder. Zapp turned slowly and was met with the blazing, green eyes of the Goblin King, face set in a deep scowl.

"I must admit Zapp your willingness to help Leonardo is giving off the impression you would like to see him beat me, to see him victorious. I am surprised." Klaus grumbled lowly with a rough grunt. Zapp felt his blood run cold at the fury in the King's eyes, the rage burning underneath the cold demeanor he normally exuded when Zapp had encountered him numerous times before.

"Your m-majesty!?" Zapp cried, only for the hand on his shoulder to shove him back onto the ground with a low rumble in his chest.

"It seems idle threats just won't do this time Zapp, I'm feeling beyond angry with you, if you had just taken him back to the beginning I wouldn't be scrambling to try and stay ahead of him!" Klaus snapped, his voice a loud snarl that cause Zapp to startle.

"I'm all for games Zapp, but I don't want to lose this one. Do you understand me?" Klaus growled softly, Zapp nodded slowly in response and Klaus sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"One more chance to make things right Zapp, I want you to give him this." Klaus instructed, producing a peach and offering it to him with a wry grin. Zapp studied the fruit warily, it looked like a normal peach, the soft orange tone the darkened into a deep red along one of the peaks of the fruit; a perfectly normal looking peach.

"…if I gave it to him, what would it do?" Zapp ventured, reaching for the fruit with a slight waver; Klaus chuckled and smirked at him fondly

"See now, you are concerned for Leonardo's well-being, it's not just my suffering you would wish. You want Leonardo to succeed…you've befriended him. I must say I am rather pleased with this development, maybe you'll mellow out? As to answer your question, this peach is a present, I don't want to hurt him. So just give it to him, please?" Klaus' tone of voice was gently and almost sultry but it made a chill run down Zapp's spine when he looked into the Goblin King's eyes.

"And if I refuse to give it to him?" Zapp questioned, pulling his hand back and scrambling to put himself standing upright, trying to garner some control of the situation. Sadly, Klaus towered over him standing just as much as when he had been crouching, the fruit still in his hand, though Zapp could detect a bit more anger and command in his voice.

"If you refuse I will be hard-pressed to make things more difficult for all of you, Leonardo will not be spared the punishment either. I can simply just snap my fingers and have all of you sent to the bog of stench and we've already covered that you don't want to go there, correct?" Klaus growled placing the peach into Zapp's hands and squeezing a little too firmly with a wicked smile.

"Now then…" Klaus trailed off taking a step back and fixing Zapp with a more collected look,

"I must confess I've been feeling a little jealous of this presumed closeness you've developed with Leonardo…If he ever so much as touches you…I think I'll make you a prince…" Klaus grunted. Zapp blinked in clear confusion

"Huh!?"

"Prince of the land of stench, of course!" Klaus explained with a deep-chested chuckle before Zapp could finally hear them, the cries of Leonardo and Chain.

Chapter Text

"Shit." Zapp cursed, pocketing the peach and rushing off in the direction of their cries, while he had been having his chat with the Goblin King; Leonardo and Chain had run into some rather temper mental doors that Chain had sorted out rather quickly when one wouldn't stop complaining about the knocker in its mouth. Upon opening they found that it didn't really lead to the path, though Chain had sworn up and down it would but was quickly reminded the Labyrinth had a tendency to change, especially if they were on the right path.

"It's how Klaus keeps people on their toes I guess." Chain huffed taking a few steps inside, Leonardo close behind when the door slammed shut and both were ushered forward by some rather lively creatures Leonardo had trouble keeping up with as they moved.

"What the-!?" He began only for one to silence him and flailed his arms around like some weird puppet, it wasn't until that creature's head fell off that he started to feel a little more terrified than he'd like to admit. Chain wasn't having much luck either, each time she tried to land a hit or a flash of her fangs the creature's limb would detach or it would flop boneless-ly out of the way. He could see the frustration growing in her eyes and the creatures pulling and pushing her around weren't helping. If anything he didn't want to stick around much longer, especially when she was beginning to look close to feral, oddly enough it reminded him of Klaus though the expression didn't immediately form a knot in his stomach when he looked at Chain.

Leonardo registered briefly the creatures were singing some strange chant, he almost felt they were performing some ritual which he felt neither him nor Chain wanted to be a part of; Sonic had disappeared the moment the creatures began to hassle them as if he had seen this coming and Leonardo couldn't find it in himself to be mad. If he were small enough, he was certain he would have made a break for it. Leonardo was dropped to the side, only for another to fixate on his legs when a loud shout caught their attention, the whole group looked in the direction of the sound and were greeted to the sight of Zapp sprinting in their direction with a determined look. In this moment Leonardo actually found himself thanking the man, though he would never express it out loud unless he wanted to boost Zapp's already seemingly massive ego.

Surprisingly, or not surprisingly, the creatures were not deterred by the angered man when he approached, they, however, did begin to flee when he actually landed a hit on one and knocking the head away a few meters. The rest seemed to take the hint as Zapp turned to give them a rather smug expression but it came off as more murderous and scheming than smug; they scattered faster than Leonardo thought possible for creatures that kind of lacked normal skeletons, granted they were most likely mythical and a product of this realm; but boneless, red-furred, imp-like creatures were sure to haunt Leonardo's dreams in the coming weeks. Zapp chuckled triumphantly and turned to the two still dusting themselves off and regaining a sense of order after the rather chaotic rhythm of the creatures.

"Came to the rescue just in time didn't I?" Zapp snickered, Leonardo flashed him a lopsided grin.

"A lot sooner would have been better, they were treating us like puppets and singing…It was weird."

"After all that you've seen in this God-forsaken place you think that's the weirdest shit you'll see?" Zapp chided, gesturing them over to a ladder that scaled one of the Labyrinth's taller walls. Sonic was waiting at the top, waving down at them with a chirp.

"Well now I know where he went, isn't this technically cheating? Climbing the wall?" Leonardo asked, allowing Chain to go first and sending Zapp a fierce glare when he tried to peek up Chain's clothing.

"Unless you want to backtrack, no. This weird forest area is a dead end, once we get to the top of that wall it should be a straight shot, you might beat this thing with time to spare." Zapp cheered, though his face seemed a little guarded.

"Ah…I guess…Thank you then, for sticking to this." Leonardo beamed and climbed the ladder, refusing to look down unless he wanted to feel his stomach drop as he scrambled upwards. He made it to the top with Zapp following after a few moments later, Leonardo could see the castle in great detail, and they were practically a few yards from it now! He felt a bubble of excitement and whirled around to face Zapp with a wide grin

"This is amazing! You weren't kidding!" Leonardo cried, wrapping Zapp up in an impromptu hug;

"Hey wait- Don't touch me-!" Zapp shouted as the floor dropped out from beneath their feet and Leonardo was reminded of how shitty this Labyrinth could be. They tumbled down a slide, Chain sending sparks along the stone as she used her claws to try and grip the slimy, stone surface. A stench began to fill the air as the plummeted downward, wishing he could plug his nostrils as they fell he could see an opening fast approaching, and it opened out onto what looked like a toxic waste dump he cared not to visit. Chain was scrambling now, trying to find purchase and slow their descent to prevent them from belly flopping into that mess. There was a loud chipping noise and they came to a rather sudden stop, Chain holding them to the exit, Leonardo exhaled loudly, regretting the action as he could taste the smell on his tongue. He looked to Chain, who looked rather mortified as she surveyed the surroundings,

"There is a small patch of solid ground just below us if we're careful we won't hit bog water." She explained tersely, turning a smoldering glare to Zapp who looked terrified, clinging to one of her legs keep them from falling out of the opening,

"You're tall enough, just let go of me! Drop down so you can catch Leonardo." She ordered, shaking her leg and allowing Leonardo to cling to her waist while she shook Zapp vigorously from her leg. Leonardo and Sonic were next, Zapp catching them and setting them to the side, preparing to catch Chain only for her to land foot first to his face and slam him into the ground with a loud thud.

"There a reason why we're in the bog of stench when we were so close to the castle, Zapp?" she asked in a light gruff, stepping off him to stretch and look around for any sign of an escape from the bog. Leonardo was just trying to keep his stomach from rolling, the smell reminded him of his freshman roommate who would leave food in strange places to rot, upon being found the smell that would permeate the room was God awful. Leonardo remembered seeking refuge with other friends until it dissipated, this, however, was not dissipating. There was no breeze, only stagnant, pungent air to be breathed and haphazardly smelt along with it.

"Why are you acting like it's my fault huh!? Apparently, there was a trap door there, this place does change around you know! Like the Goblin King is going to let that little shrimp finish with extra time!"

"You were the one who said it was a possibility to begin with!" Chain snapped. Leonardo sighed and buried his nose in his shirt where Sonic had taken refuge and began to explore, careful not to touch the bog water or the shoreline, he could see a bridge in the distance and assumed that would be the only safe way to cross. He turned and called back, garnering their attention and interrupting their argument long enough to get them to follow him to the bridge.

"…It looks sturdy enough…" Leonardo murmured, taking a step forward when another creature leapt out from the shadows. He was blue and fish-like, standing tall and proud before them before he held up his hands in a cautionary gesture.

"I actually wouldn't attempt it. I can't tell you the last time someone actually used this bridge but I doubt it's in good condition." He explained, Leonardo blinking slowly at him.

"Do you…do you just wait here to tell people that?" he asked, the creature when to answer when Zapp cut in.

"Bullshit! No way would the only way out of here be built so poorly it wouldn't hold up to a measly 3 people walking across. One of them is all skinny and wimpy while we're at it so it's more like 2 and a half." Zapp snorted, the creature's antenna twitched in irritation before glaring at Zapp.

"I am warning you this bridge isn't safe to cross."

"I bet Klaus put you here to get in our way." Zapp scoffed and brushed past him, taking a few steps onto the bridge and looking back with a smug grin. There was a shuddering crack and the bridge began to collapse, Zapp scrambled the other side in a frenzy, just barely making it before the last few cobblestones hit the water's surface. Leonardo let a heavy sigh pass through him and looked to the Fishman.

"Thanks for the warning Mr…?"

"Zed. Call me Zed, your friend just cost me my job you know."

"Guarding a bridge is your job…" Leonardo murmured while Chain's cursing shouts directed at Zap filled the air, his rebuttals soon followed but much like Leonardo, Zed seemed to join him in his bliss to tune them out and look for a solution. Leonardo was still racing against a clock and he hesitated to look at his watch to see how much he had left.

"Well it was a living you know, and now I don't even have that…those I guess now I don't have to tolerate the smell…" Zed grumbled, looked at the two bickering at the edge of the recently collapsed bridge.

"…want to come with us?" Leonardo asked, prompting Zed's attention; the Fishman blinked and nodded slowly

"Ok…Ok! Sure, I don't see why not. Where exactly are you headed?"

"Oh, well…" Leonardo ruffled his hair nervously before looking up,

"The Goblin King's castle." He forced a smile and Zed stiffened for a moment and fixed Leonardo with what he assumed was a serious glare.

"I see. Is there a particular reason?" Zed asked as the bickering quieted down, Leonardo could see Chain looking over the wreckage of the bridge and the other side as well.

"Well…I accidentally gave up my freedom…I only have a few hours left to solve the maze and keep it." Leonardo explained and Zed made a sharp nod before gesturing Leonardo to follow.

"We can get across, it will involve jumping however and I can only carry one person at a time." Zed explained, Chain turned and scoffed

"I know I can make this jump myself too, I can get Leonardo across with no issue myself, you worry about you." Chain grunted, scooping Leonardo into her arms and leaping across the smelling river and landing on the other side gracefully. She set him down and turned back to glare at Zapp who was laying on the ground, exhausted and snivelling at his near plunge into the bog. Zed hopped across a moment later, landing gracefully with barely a sound to indicate his presence.

"Thank you, Chain." Leonardo murmured and she nodded in acknowledgement,

"What are friends for?" she asked with a soft smile, Leonardo flushed lightly and grinned excitedly

"Friends, huh?" he questioned teasingly only for her to reply with a playful shove and turn to Zed and Zapp with a stern expression that gave off authority.

"We better get moving, otherwise Leonardo here will be hanging around a lot more than he'd like." She called, getting Zed and Zapp's attention. They continued onward, following an over grown path as the smell began to fade, Leonardo could feel the buddings of hunger forming in his gut and frowned when it quietly grumbled. Sonic heard it first, looking at Leonardo's stomach before looking to his face with a bit of concern.

"I'm fine Sonic." He assured, continuing to follow after his growing group of companions who were chatting with one another about the changes they were noticing in the labyrinth and in the Goblin King himself.

"Klaus to the cleaners to this kid, I shit you not I have never seen them in person but shrimpy over there kinda insulted his pride I think, he called it easy!" Zapp lamented, bringing a chuckle from Chain and a breathy snort from Zed. Leonardo smiled softly and patted Sonic on the head affectionately when his stomach growled again, louder this time, thoroughly catching the attention of his companions. They had come to the start of the Labyrinth again, leaving the heavily wooded swamp area and seeing the walls beginning again gave Leonardo a fresh wave of excitement that he could actually win. Zapp looked at him closely and he faltered under the gaze

"Uhh, what? Sorry, my stomach growled." Leonardo huffed, Zapp sauntered forward hesitating briefly, a pregnant pause forming between them.

"…Zapp?" Chain prompted before he grunted and slapped a rather ripe looking peach into Leonardo's hand and stepping back

"There." He huffed, becoming a little closed off, or at least seemingly closed off compared his normal demeanor. Leonardo scoffed

"What you're going to get all embarrassed about giving me a snack? That's a little weird." Leonardo teased before looking down at the fruit curiously and holding it up to his mouth. He paused to smell it and it had a faint aroma of being a little too sweet, maybe a little overripe? Chain's frown deepened slightly

"Zapp where did you get that?" she asked, looking at him carefully; Zed stepped forward

"Leonardo I don't think that's-" Zed began and Leonardo bit into the peach and swallowed.

"…safe to eat." Zed finished with a frown, Leonardo blinked and looked up. It tasted strange, a little sweet…and then an aftertaste he couldn't pinpoint.

"I think it was a little overripe…maybe?" Leonardo mumbled and Zapp stepped back

"Shit!" he grunted and Leonardo felt himself falling, his mind going a little fuzzy, and his stomach rolled. Everything went black, and it was hard to tell exactly where he was, it was as if he was blurred himself, his being not entirely present until his feet touched the ground; however it was not the Labyrinth. Leonardo's mind briefly registered how familiar the scene before him felt but it quickly faded as he took in the ballroom sprawling around him filled with elegantly dressed people hiding their faces behind ornate masks.

Leonardo stepped forward, hesitating as he took in his surroundings properly. He could hear a soft waltz playing as the crowd began to sway with the music, they would glance in his direction, waving at him to join in even though he was without a dancing partner, he felt a brief sense of inadequacy, reaching up to feel the baggy hoodie that hid his lanky form only to discover that he himself looked rather eloquent and refined. It was like something out of a costume closet, a perfectly tailored suit and overcoat that had a rich, deep color that looked like a midnight's sky; just a hint of blue when the lights danced over it as he stepped into the dance floor. Weaving in and out of dancing couples, Leonardo was greeted with smiles and polite introductions, he felt strangely content.

Even though they were complete strangers to him, they were welcoming and warm, accepting. He stopped when the music quieted and the crowd looked up, slowing there dancing to a halt and there was a quiet hum of murmurs. A man stood atop a grand staircase, pressed white suit accenting the rich crimson hair and the gleam of green eyes peeking from behind his glasses. Leonardo felt the part of him still trying to register what was going on that would cause warning bells to ring when he looked to the man atop the staircase, he was familiar in a bad way. Though Leonardo couldn't pinpoint why…

The man approached, gaze locking onto Leonardo and he flashed him a rather warm smile that put Leonardo in a daze, this extremely handsome man was flirting with him. The warning bells became an afterthought when he was looking up at him, towering over him, commanding the air like a king. Leonardo flushed and felt the need to bow, only for his wrist to be caught by the man; the air became warm and sultry as a kiss was pressed to his knuckles, the underbite grazing Leonardo's knuckles gently. He felt his insides liquefy as a massive hand captured his hips, pulling him close, the other hand releasing his as it wrapped around and pressed along his shoulders, pulling them both into the motion of the dance as the music returned.

Leonardo felt a lurch of anxiety as he looked around, slightly frantic at the people around them, there were no sneers or looks of disgust thrown his way for wanting to dance with another man, this man, this king that had chosen him for a dance, gave off an aura of acceptance and trust. Leonardo grinned fully, allowing himself to be pulled around, he didn't know how to dance really and stepped on the king's toes, scoffing the pristine shoes, but it only earned a chuckle from the king. Leonardo pressed closer, drinking in the affections, the gentle pressure holding him and the warmth that the room was exuding. He wanted this so much…acceptance from them, from…? Who was it he wanted acceptance from? He faltered in step, pulling from the gentle embrace as his insides began to solidify and the warmth faded at a quickening speed.

He was pulled back in, this time the king clung to him like a child refused to let go of a parent,

"I beg you, stay a while longer." The words were a rough whisper in his ear that sent a shiver down his spine and the fuzziness began to ebb at his mind again, his hands ran up the sides of his king, firmly seating themselves on the king's broad back. Leonardo felt the ghost of hot breath over his lips and he leaned in, the shadows obscuring his sight as he felt a gentle press of another's lips on his and the briefest hint of the fang nipping at his skin. It felt…hungry, a burning igniting in his belly that demanded something beyond a chaste kiss of affection, he pushed, whatever concern had been tearing at the edges of his conscious was erased as Leonardo demanded more, standing on tiptoes practically to find purchase of his king, to express his desire.

It surprised him to find the man built like a mountain, towering over him, dwarfing him in size, to be hesitant. Though when Leonardo pushed again, opening his mouth slightly and biting at the powerful being's lips before him, was he rewarded with some more passionate and beyond the chastity he wanted to be rid of. A rush of heat ran through him, feeling bolder, powerful knowing he'd gotten the mountain king to submit to his wishes and give him what he craved. There was a stilling silence surrounding them and he broke off with a loud gasp, regaining his breath a fire burned inside him, he could see the same fire reflected in the eyes of his mountain king and his nerves were alight with adrenaline, mind in a stupor. He leaned forward to start again, intent on lasting longer this time when he noticed the sheer emptiness of the room, the crowds of eyes were gone, they were alone and his stomach lurched. The hands holding him became too warm, the body of the man too close. He wasn't supposed to be here, something was amiss and the doubts that had been trying to warm their way inside tumbled in.

He was trying to get home, he wanted acceptance, yes; but this place was not home. This man was not home…

"Leonardo…please, don't do this." His chest squeezed at the tone the stranger used, even in all its familiarity the room was colder now, frigid. He shoved himself free and backpedalled, stumbling over himself to look at the man, trying to swallow back his concerns at the man's hurt in his expression. Leonardo pressed his back to a mirror, looking away, steeling his resolve to not return to him, though the feeling lingered in his gut and the feel of the fang kissing his cheeks were a phantom touch. He turned to face the mirror fully and could see himself, the lanky university student, covered in common baggy clothes…hiding away from the truth of who he was. He drew back his hand, balling it into a fist and the man lurched forward,

"Don't!"

The mirror shattered and Leonardo was falling again, away of himself, mind reeling as he gasped and squirmed as control returned to his limbs, he flailed out smacking Zapp's cheek rather forcefully and scrambled to his knees.

"Leonardo! Oh, thank heaven! You were out for so long, we thought you were dead…" Chain breathed, shoulders relaxing in her relief. Zed nodded quickly

"We were afraid to move you, you were dead to the world practically." He explained. Sonic jumped up, crying happily as he hugged Leonardo's neck, then the air turned deadly as they all turned to Zapp nursing his cheek.

"Why the hell would you feed him a peach from the Goblin King!?" Chain shrieked, pouncing on him and shaking him violently, bashing his head against the ground. Leonardo sighed and pulled himself to his feet and looked to his watch, feeling a heavy thump make its home inside him.

"How long was I out…?" he asked quietly, Zed frowned and looked away

"Almost an hour…it could've been more." He answered honestly as Leonardo stared down his watch, he had less than 3 hours to solve the last portion of this labyrinth, and he didn't know how much was of it to begin with.

"We really need to get moving…" he mumbled, feeling a cry build up in his chest though he fought his back and hurried into the next corridor, Zed following after and Chain finally releasing Zapp. To his surprise, they had entered a rather large spiral, encircling the castle, and beyond that, he could see the taller walls supporting the gates to the castle if they ran they could make it there in no time. He began to job, finding a strange lingering adrenaline coursing through him, a hot shame prickled at his neck of the memory of the dream he'd experienced. The all too realness of it, he still found a ghost of the kiss on his lips, and an odd taste on his tongue that reminded him of warm cider on brisk, autumn nights. He picked up his pace, ignoring the burning in his lungs and the shame that tinged his ears pink, he just wanted to go home and be himself again, to be with Michella and forget this awful place. Though how much of himself could he really be if his parents and those around him didn't truly know him.

He shook his head and kept up his pace, assuming that the footsteps behind him were his traveling companions when there was a loud shout and Zapp dashed past him and skidded to a halt holding up his hands.

"Are you insane!? Do you want to die!?" Zapp demanded only for Chain to smack him out of the way, using her momentum to throw him onto the ground, Leonardo paused with a curt nod

"I guess! I don't have a lot of options right now, I need to get into that castle!"

Zapp grunted and pulled himself up, Chain at the ready to pound him again,

"Look! I know I messed up giving you the peach! But you can't go kicking in the castle gates. The whole thing is guarded and not to mention K.K." there was a collective groan and Chain pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I completely forgot about her…" Chain muttered, Zed looked rather dejected himself, crossing his arms and sighing heavily.

"Who is K.K.?" Leonardo asked, feeling his stomach sink,

"The head of the Royal guard, Klaus' best knight…she's the only one that can get those little monsters in line besides Klaus…getting through her, and the gates, is going to be such a chore now if not impossible." Chain grumbled. Leonardo felt his resolve waver as he turned to look at the castle gates, he was so close for this to stand in their way…

"Which is why we're going to be a distraction for shorty here, if we keep K.K busy enough she won't notice him making it to the castle itself if we do it right." Zapp explained, pulling himself up and looking at the group with disinterest. Leonardo nodded slowly

"Ok…what do we do?"

"First she has to see you with us so she knows to try and keep up busy, in that moment will ditch you in Goblin-town and you make your way to the castle while she thinks we still have you. We make a show of hiding you in something and then moving that something. You're not actually in it." Zapp schemed, gesturing to follow him; they hurried after him, listening to him explain the plan. Leonardo went over it a few time and sighed as they approached the gates, he could see goblins up top beginning to scurry and sound the alarm, and a thin woman appeared, glaring down at them with one eye. She wore a similar color to the vest he had seen Klaus in, though it was more of a coat and some rather revealing choices in garments underneath.

"Ahhh, Zed, I wasn't expecting to see you with this little ragtag team, what happened to the bridge I tasked you with guarding?" she asked, cocking her head to the side, revealing an eyepatch that covered a majority of her right side of her face.

"Well…it broke." Zed replied, shuffling anxiously, before he and Zapp leapt at the gate and kicked it open in a rather flashy manner and Chain ushered Leonardo inside, looking for something to stash him in. Sonic chirped and pointed to a barrel nearby only for K.K to drop down, sword at the ready, Leonardo almost felt more terrified of her than he had been of the cleaners themselves. She exuded an aura that reminded him wholly of Klaus' though it felt more dangerous, like a blade with a honed edge ready to gut him, he half felt she would.

"Leave the boy in my care, I will let you leave here alive if you entrust him to me."

"How is that fair, Klaus using his guard dogs to keep us out?" Zapp sneered, getting a reaction out of K.K. that made her look ferocious, killer look in her eyes.

"You better learn to watch your tongue, Zapp. One of these days I might finally get the nerve to cut it out!" She snapped dashing forward, Chain yanked Leonardo aside and Zed stepped forward

"Get Leonardo as close as you can!" he ordered and Chain nodded quickly before scooping Leonardo up and dashing off towards the castle, gleaming white and golden in the fading light of this realm. K.K. let out a bark of a laugh and Leonardo glanced back to see Zapp and Zed charge at her only for her to dodge and cause them to stumble over each other, the scuffle faded from sight as Chain turned a sharp corner and gasped, a mod of goblins were crowded in the rather narrow streets of the town, Chain cursed under her breath and turned again only to be met with a rather large goblin that towered over her.

"How many of this things are there!?" She snarled jumping up onto one of the roofs and skidding as she dislodged a few shingles, Leonardo was jostled and clung to her with a short cry.

"Sorry, but this is the option we have right now!" Chain called, hurrying up the roof and onto the next one, careful of the decrepit shingles. Leonardo shifted and clung to her back as she supported him and dashed across rooftops, avoiding rocks and spears that were clumsily thrown in their direction as Chain carried him roof from roof, getting closer and closer to the castle.

"Almost there Leonardo! We might make it with time to spa-" she began only to be cut off when K.K's foot collided into her head and sent them both crashing into one of the goblin houses, Leonardo dropping to the ground and feeling the air burst out of his lungs. He gasped loudly and writhed as he felt a sharp pain in his back; K.K was there in the next moment, clearly worried.

"Oh no! Did you land on something? Shoot, honey, sit up let me look." She cooed, startling him.

"Wh- what?" he wheezed as she began to lift him up and look at his back,

"I have a few children of my own, I wasn't expecting you to let go or hit the ground so hard. Forgive me." She explained running her fingers down his spine, Leonardo frowned and looked at her confused by her actions.

"You- you kicked Chain in the face…" he breathed and K.K. nodded

"Sorry, but I have too, I am his knight…now you seem ok…forgive me once more." She murmured before yanking him up and holding him to her as Chain pulled herself out of the wreckage of the house. Goblins began to encircle them and K.K. yanked him backwards, keeping him in place as Chain lurched for him.

"Chain stop it! There is only a little time left just let it go!" K.K demanded only for her to snarl back and bare her teeth.

"Leonardo just wants to go home! Let him go! He's not Klaus' to keep!" she snapped, gasping as several goblins began to hold her down and she snarled again; Leonardo struggled against her grip and Sonic popped out from his pocket and leaped at K.K.'s face, she scoffed and swatted the monkey to the side; Leonardo ripped himself free from her slackened grasp and hurried over to Sonic and grabbed him. K.K. gave chase only for a loud shout to catch their attention and they looked up to see Zed and Zapp leaping down at them, wild grins on their faces as the landed perfectly between Leonardo and K.K..

"You two!? I thought I taught you a lesson…" she growled lowly, Leonardo felt a warmth ignite in his chest as he watched them protect him;

"Obviously, we didn't learn…" Zapp growled lowly, glaring at K.K. stance a little more defensive than before. Chain bit one of the goblins hands and wormed her way free,

"Leonardo run!" she shouted and he scrambled to his feet and took off in the direction of the castle, Sonic still cradled in his hands

"You ok!?" he asked as he neared the castle, Sonic nodded and made a small chirping noise before Leonardo made it to the door and put Sonic on his shoulder. He reached for the door only for it to open on its own and an older man with bandages covering most of his face smiled at him warmly.

"Ahh, Mr. Leonardo, I have been expecting you. Klaus, however, was hoping you wouldn't make it…there is one last part you must brave if you want your freedom back…do you understand?" he explained, leading Leonardo into the castle.

"He has hidden his throne room away, another labyrinth I will say…but that is all I will give you Mr. Leonardo. He is hoping you will run out of time…he thinks very highly of you. I don't think you would disappoint him if you fail…" he explained

"I don't plan to fail…Mr.?" Leonardo began, he smiled

"Gilbert." He answered before leading him to a rather ornate door and opened it for him, revealing a corridor leading into an expansive room lined with staircases going multiple directions, some of them even upside down. Leonardo took a step toward the corridor and Gilbert stopped him,

"I am afraid your animal companion will have to stay out here…should you return home he cannot follow you." Gilbert explained gently, taking Sonic from his shoulder and giving him a sympathetic smile. Leonardo nodded and smiled at Sonic and waved to him

"Thanks for sticking by me...and sorry for yelling at you. I'm going to miss you…and everyone else…Zapp too. Could you, tell them that for me?" he asked and Sonic sniffled and made a chirping cry and nodded vigorously, fat little tears forming in the corner of his eyes as Leonardo began to head down the corridor, picking up his pace as he glanced down at his watch. He had 7 minutes, 7 minutes to find Klaus. He was getting tired of all these changes, a little fed up with rules that kept changing, but found that he didn't really feel angry at Klaus, not at all. If anything, he felt confused on why he had to go through all of this, why would the Goblin King go through all this trouble? Leonardo looked up and locked eyes with Klaus, standing on one of the staircases above him, he looked…proud? If that was the right emotion he was reading.

"I see you've made it this far…I can't say I am pleased but know that I impressed." Klaus spoke, voice soft and inviting yet still commanding, Leonardo gave him a lopsided smile and hurried up one of the staircases, heading in Klaus' direction, only to end up on the opposite side of the room, Klaus farther from him than before. Leonardo tsked and turned, running back down the stairs and deciding to try one of the staircases farther from Klaus, stumbling on the last step and falling to his knees. He pulled himself up quickly and continued towards Klaus, the staircase had put him closer to Klaus, leaning back into his throne now, watching Leonardo with interest.

He took another staircase to his left and climbed it, coming out on an entirely different platform, he could feel the panic set in as the minutes ticked down, frustration was beginning to build as he looked for another staircase that would bring him closer. He let out a soft growl and ran forward, there didn't seem to be another set of stairs, and this platform seemed to go on forever, he stumbled and caught himself looking around again, not daring to look at his watch.

"Please…" he begged quietly, continuing to run towards Klaus, glaring up at him

"Come on!" he shouted, throwing his hands outward in a frustrated gesture.

"I have tried! I have come this far and you kept changing things on me! Everything was so strange and frustrating at times! Please! Cut me some slack…" Leonardo begged and Klaus stood slowly with a heavy sigh.

"I have been generous I thought to you…" he trailed off, approaching Leonardo and dropping down to the platform Leonardo was occupying. Leonardo gasped, looking up at him again with wide eyes before his temper flared

"Generous!?" he snapped, taking a step forward; Klaus stepped back much to Leonardo's surprise as if the small man before him was frightening.

"How have you been generous!? Explain to me how changing everything I do to solve this maze is generous!?" he demanded; Klaus frowned and looked to the side.

"I have manipulated time for you, I have reordered the world…you said my labyrinth was a piece of cake so I made it more challenging for you. I have been nothing but kind to you…accommodated you. I gave you a gift that you seemed to rather enjoy." Klaus growled with a sneer, glaring down at Leonardo, the Klaus Leonardo had met at the start of this journey had returned.

"You're being quite selfish Leonardo…" he continued voice rough and husky, leaning down to look at him properly. Leonardo's breath hitched and he looked to the side

"I'm…not being selfish. I just-" Leonardo hesitated and Klaus' expression softened and he took Leonardo's hands in his own and sighed.

"I know you want to go home…" he trailed off and pressed his forehead to Leonardo's, causing him to jump slightly and look at him with wide eyes.

"…but I have waited for you for a long time, my Leo. My little treasure…love me, please." Klaus murmured softly, the timer on Leonardo's watch beeped, signaling the end of his efforts to gain his freedom back. His chest squeezed and he felt his stomach twist, he supposed he had failed then. His breath stilled and he felt a sob building in the back of this throat, Klaus watched him and pulled him close

"My little Leo…you know the words. You know them by heart, say them to me." Klaus whispered, pulling back completely and smiling down at him. He could something akin to hurt in his eyes again and again Leonardo gasped softly, holding back a cry and nodding slowly.

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry…I just can't stay here! I have a family back home…I need to see my sister again…maybe if things were different…and if I wasn't such a coward…I could tell them…" he sobbed quietly. Klaus tsked and crossed his arms

"I don't think anything you have done here is that of a coward…you know the lines. You've braved my Labyrinth…and no coward would have done that. You challenged me, frustrated me, and made me crave something I have long been without. Please…Leonardo. End this. Do not prolong this insufferable moment much longer or my generosity may run dry. I may keep you after all…" He murmured sadly, stepping away and turning his back to him. Leonardo gritted his teeth and clutched his chest, sucking in a shaky breath before fixing Klaus with a stern expression.

"Through dangers and hardships outnumbered, I have fought my way here, to the castle beyond the Goblin city." Leonardo began, Klaus didn't turn to face him, he folded his hands behind himself, the picture of stubbornness and an unyielding pride. Leonardo felt like he had cotton in his mouth, part of him willed himself to stay, to curl up in the larger man's embrace and let go. The other parts cried out for home, for his sister, and even his parents.

"To take back the freedom which you have stolen from me, for my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom great…" he trailed off, fighting back another set of tears. Klaus turned now, to look at him with wide eyes at the unshed tears in Leonardo's eyes before he settled into something warmer, kinder. Leonardo needed one last encouragement, an instruction to continue and do what he needed.

"Please, go on…" Klaus breathed and Leonardo nodded, flashing him a wide, genuine grin though it did little to quell his tears and the odd feeling of regret that weighed on his chest.

"You have no power over me!" he cried and his head began to pound and there was a vague sound that reminded him of the time he dropped one of his mother's wine glasses. The sound had been so clear-cut and piercing, he doubted he'd ever forget how it'd sound even though at the time he had only been a young child. His mind felt fuzzy and the prickling static feeling of his limbs falling asleep permeated his thoughts, he vaguely heard someone calling his name and groaned.

"…Klaus…?" he asked softly, opening his eyes and gasped when Michella pulled him into her arms

"Leo, oh my god…oh god. You weren't waking up! You weren't answering my calls and when I got here….you wouldn't wake up! I was so scared…I thought you were-…I thought you were gone." she cried, combing his hair gently.

"How long was I out…?" he murmured softly,

"I don't know, maybe an hour? I'm not sure…I would've called mom and dad but I fell out of my chair trying to get to you…" she cried, pulling him closer. Leonardo blinked slowly and pulled himself up to pull her into a proper hug, frowning as he looked at the bay doors that were billowing in the wind. He didn't remember opening them, or even passing out…he wondered for a brief moment if his mind had cooked up all of it up as he held Michella, rocking her carefully as she cried into his shoulder. He felt a wave guilt at bringing her to tears because of him, he hugged her tighter and hummed softly.

"Tomorrow…I want to tell mom and dad about…me." He pulled back to look at her with a soft smile, she stared back wide-eyed glistening with tears.

"What…what brought this on?" she asked with a frown, Leonardo chuckled softly and pressed his forehead against hers

"I had a really weird dream, and I guess I'm supposed to feel braver because of it?" he questioned tilting his head up in thought. Michella blinked and smiled

"Ok…together…we can tell them together!" she exclaimed happily. Leonardo nodded in agreement and stood, offering to help her. Michella accepted, letting him help her back into her chair which she had tipped over in her haste to get to him. Leonardo helped her get situated again and pulled back with a sigh

"Still up for pizza? You can pick whatever you want, ok? Since I kind of upset you…" Leonardo offered and she smiled

"Ok, Hawaiian then…but you can your side without pineapple." She teased and there evening went on, they ate pizza and watched television until Leonardo could see Michella nodding off. He took her to her room and helped her get ready for bed, tucking her in for good measure and sitting on her bed while she looked at him sleepily; she held her hand out and he took it, holding it tight.

"…I was scared…that you wouldn't wake up." She murmured softly, squeezing his hand tighter that she had previously.

"Hey…I'm not going anywhere…I promise, even if mom and dad throw me out…I'll still see you." He said, comforting as best as he knew how. He didn't know what else to say to her if their parents did decide they didn't want a son like him, but he wasn't about to back out now, he wanted to be honest.

"Michella…no matter what happens tomorrow, I'll still be your big brother…" Leonardo murmured, fixing her with a loving smile; she grinned and nodded sleepily.

"I know that silly, nothing you say or do could change that." She mumbled softly as she drifted off, Leonardo smiling fondly and heading up to be himself before his parents came home. Surprisingly he slept rather well, a dreamless sleep that actually made him feel more rested than he had in months. Though building up the courage to go downstairs for breakfast and face them was harder than he thought it would be, this wasn't the labyrinth from his dreams, he wasn't facing off against the Goblin King, he wanted to be honest.

Michella was already at the table and fully dressed, the storm from last night had bled into the morning, scattering rains were dusting the county, the tv droned on in the background, relaying the weather for the rest of the weekend. Leonardo pushed at his food, appetite dying off the moment he made eye contact with his father that morning, lazily reading over a magazine and slipping spoonfuls of oatmeal into his mouth. Leonardo looked down to his own oatmeal, stirring it again knowing full well it had gone cold ages ago. Michella watched from her place at the end of the table, hands wringing her skirt anxiously, their mother took notice and paused in her morning routine, pausing the putting up of her hair and looking between the two.

"Is there something going on?" she asked, tone a little irritated, Leonardo could already see a slightly wary gaze this way as if she were expecting the issue to come from him, and it would.

"I have been trying to think of a way to tell you this…" Leonardo began, standing up suddenly, trying to make himself feel taller as he anchored his hands to the counter and squeezed. He prayed the anxious pit in his stomach would quell long enough for him to get the words out, Michella was watching as her teeth worried her lip. It smelled faintly of freshly fallen rain and soggy oats when the words finally did come out, a great relief washing over him.

"I'm not attracted to girls…I'm gay." He declared gently, a nervous smile spreading across his face, he could see the relief wash through Michella as well, both looking at their parents expectantly. His mother looked aghast, eyes wide and mouth ajar as she looked at him like he had sprouted a second head; his father looked closed off and confused, maybe even irritated. Leonardo began to backpedal, trying to think of something that would pacify them when Hell broke loose,

"Can you not for one minute be a normal son for us?" his mother snapped, her hands slamming onto the counter and her shoulders going tense. Leonardo blinked in surprise

"…Normal? Mom, I'm still the same person I was 5 seconds ago! I just told you I don't like girls-" Leonardo continued only for her to cut him off.

"Can you give no consideration for me and your father? Your sister is paralyzed, she can barely do things on her own, we're under enough pressure as it is and you decide to drop this on us? Can you not stop drawing attention to yourself for just a few minutes?" she demanded harshly, his father giving no aid for him. Michella grunted, grabbing their attention

"I am 16! I can do things on my own mother! Leonardo has nothing to do with the pressure you think you feel! I'm not helpless! How is Leo being gay putting pressure on you in any way!?" she shouted, hot, bitter tears forming in her eyes.

"Stay out of this Michella!" their father barked, causing Leonardo to jump where he stood and feel his insides beginning to twist painfully.

"…you can't just do things the way they should be can you?" their mother asked as she flopped into a chair and Leonardo gritted his teeth and his temper flared dangerously.

"How does me being gay have any relevance to what goes on in this house!? I am no different than I was before! I'm still me! I'm Leonardo Watch, your son! I look after Michella, I go to school, I tried to be into girls, I really, really tried." He snapped angrily, throwing his hands out wide and gesturing to himself.

"I couldn't connect! I'm sorry that some part of me is broken and that I can't find a girl like you want me too! I don't even understand why me being gay is an issue, you've never shown distaste for homosexuality before, Hell, dad your best friend growing up was gay! You told us all about them and now that I'm coming out there's an issue!?" he demanded stunning the room into a thick silence. Leonardo exhaled heavily and pulled back, letting the anger bleed out and settle into bitter rejection. Michella moved to comfort him and he backed away, fat, heavy tears began to collect and pool at his eyes and a choked sob racked through him. He bolted from the room, making a mad dash out of the house and into the rain, intent on going somewhere, anywhere really, to just assess his situation and calm down.

He ended up on the park bench he frequented, soaked through to the bone looking like a drowned rat, but he couldn't bring himself to budge and go home just yet. The rain was soothing, or at least the sound of it was, the feeling of it as it chilled rapidly against him was the unpleasant part. He didn't know any apartments nearby that were affordable on his wages, he would have to pick extra hours or a new job entirely if his parents kicked him out. If they did it today he would have to hold up in a hotel for a few days…he sighed, the numbness that had set into his core left his body feeling heavy and dead, even with the chill he wasn't shivering. He closed his eyes tightly, wishing he could take back everything, he should have just kept his mouth shut and went on with his life, honesty had gotten him punished. He leaned forward and placed his face into his hands, hiding away a few stray tears that mixed with the rain as it steadily beat against his back.

There was a long pause, the rain stopped its assault on him though he could hear it drumming around him, and he looked up, startled when he was met with the sight of a massive man towering over him. The man's umbrella providing shelter for the both of them, he looked concerned as he stared at Leonardo, green eyes shining in ambient lighting from their surroundings.

"Are you quite alright?" he asked, tone soothing and gentle as he leaned closer and Leonardo felt his stomach lurch as the face of Klaus came into view. He stared, the man shifting under his gaze as the rain continued to beat down on the umbrella keeping one dry while the other began to feel tremors shake him gently.

"…Ah, yes. I'm ok." Leonardo managed, the man glared sceptically as Leonardo continued to stare. This man was Klaus to a T, right down the underbite fangs poking out from his bottom jaw and the crimson hair that made him look slightly beastly. Leonardo found himself in disbelief that this man was real, his hands came up and cupped the man's face, feeling the sideburns before pulling back with a yelp

"Shit! You're really here!?" Leonardo squeaked, the man blinked and stood erect, glaring down at Leonardo who looked him over. The white button up and heavy, grey jacket looked wonderful on his frame, this Klaus seemed to be a jeans kind of man as the dark jeans he wore complimented the ensemble.

"Yes. I am, as well as I am concerned about your wellbeing and health. This is no weather to be sitting on a park bench and letting yourself get drenched." He huffed, Leonardo flushed and shrugged a bit, looking to the pavement.

"Sorry…I just came here to think is all." He explained only for the man to grunt

"And get yourself sick? Are you trying to catch your death?" he continued, removing his jacket and wrapping Leonardo in it. He blinked, going wide eyed and slack-jawed as he looked at the man who ushered him off the bench, a protective arm around his shoulders as the larger one led the way.

"Where is home for you?" he asked, looking down at Leonardo.

"Look, the offer is nice but we just met, I can get myself home Mr…?" he began, the man in question hummed and kept walking, arm going tighter around him.

"Klaus Von Reinhertz. Klaus is fine." He stated. Leonardo went dead on his feet, brain-frying in a split second, Klaus noticed and braced him

"See! You're already suffering from your ill choices, I've never met another man who would willingly put himself out in weather like this unprepared."

"Have we met before?" Leonardo blurted, Klaus paused and looked at him with scrutinizing gaze.

"…yes. We're in the same Lit class. I sit a few rows behind you. Leonardo, yes?" Klaus gruffed, Leonardo nodded slowly,

"Right…right, course it would be somewhere normal." Leonardo mumbled. Klaus seemed to catch it over the roar of the rain and glared

"Where else would we have met?" he prompted, Leonardo looking up with a tense, thin line as he pressed his lips together

"Well…I met you in a dream. A really weird one based off one of the books I read as a kid…" Leonardo explained, Klaus seemed to go red in the face a little bit before glaring.

"You're probably coming down with something. Come on, where is home for you?" he asked again, Leonardo felt another wave of rejection pass through him, this Klaus didn't seem too terribly fond of him. Of course, his brain would be the one to see a person out of the corner of his eye and turn them into the object of desire and power in his head. Someone from his literature class…so Klaus attended Libra University, hard to believe Leonardo didn't know him better with how massive his size was.

"I can't go home right now." Leonardo said with a shrug, another wave of tears was coming and he did his best to keep his voice even. Klaus looked a little angry now, leading him to the entrance of the park and roughly pulling Leonardo closer. Klaus was warm pressed up against his back, his jacket was wool and thick, dwarfing his small frame. He could smell the larger man's cologne or scent, it was earthen and smelled faintly of cloves.

"Why can't you go home?" Klaus asked, fishing for a cellphone in his pants pocket.

"Came out of the closet and parents didn't take it well." Leonardo quipped, effectively cutting off the subject from being inquired about farther. Klaus stiffened briefly before cancelling whatever number he had begun to dial, the sound of rain drowned out everything else, the thrumming in Leonardo's head and the sound of cars passing by. Leonardo was lead to a small coffee shop on the corner, only a few paces from the park. Klaus brings him tea and lets him burrow into the larger man's jacket as the chill finally settles into his bones and he's shaking violently. The larger man is quiet, painfully so, Leonardo wishes he would talk, to hear that voice again, deep and smooth.

"Leonardo. Do you have anywhere else to stay for the time being?" Klaus asked finally, cutting the silence that had grown between them, Leonardo looked up from his tea and shook his head.

"No. Course I don't know if I'm being kicked out just yet…" Leonardo mused, looking at him with a wry smile that was met with a grimace that made his stomach drop.

"Leonardo I am being serious here…please." Klaus pleaded softly, Leonardo glared

"Not that I don't appreciate this but it's not really your concern." He grunted softly, squeezing the paper cup containing his drink. Klaus' expression fell a moment before firming into a stern look of anger

"It is my concern. I am your fellow classmate and if you were to fall ill or get hurt because I did nothing to help you I would feel responsible." Klaus explained. Leonardo hummed softly

"So it's a guilty conscience you don't want…" he trailed off only for Klaus' knee to bump the table as the man scooted forward, a fire in his eyes and made Leonardo's stomach roll with butterflies.

"It's not that at all! There's more to it than just my conscience Leonardo." He protested, Leonardo smirked dryly and fiddled with his cup.

"I'm sure there is." He grunted, Klaus slammed a large hand on to the table, startling Leonardo and the other patrons in the shop.

"I don't want to see something bad happen to you! I don't want you- I just…" Klaus seemed to grow frustrated and ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it and he looked at Leonardo again adjusting his glasses.

"I've noticed you in the park for a while now…you're always reading on the same park bench and I always have half a mind to sit next to you…and try to start a conversation. I'm 28 years old, this is my second time coming to University and yet I still can't put myself out there when it comes to trying to start something…" he grumbled, taking a sip from his own tea. Leonardo blinked slowly, mouth forming a perfect 'o'.

"You've…you're interested…in someone like me?" Leonardo pointed to himself and Klaus flushed, cheeks definitely going red.

"Well…yes. I didn't really notice you until you argued with the professor about an assignment, a brave feat given the Hell she puts us through…and after that, it's been difficult to try and approach you. You're very closed off and very quick to leave the classroom…but…then I saw you liked to come to the park that I frequent when not swamped with work or classes..." Klaus hummed, Leonardo grinning shyly.

"That sounds a little like stalking but you don't seem to be the type to make it creepy…jeez. I feel bad now, I've probably seen you all over and I haven't really given it much thought…" Leonardo hummed, looking to the side and frowning. Klaus made a noise and held up his hands in a placating manner,

"Forgive me, I didn't mean to sound rude or upset by my words. I was merely assuring you that…I am interested in you. I just was unsure of what to say to make you believe me. We just met after all…" he trailed off, looking to his tea and fidgeting. It didn't suit a man his size to look unsure of himself, he had a face for confidence and an air of regality, it didn't suit him to look like Leonardo.

"No, no! It's ok…I'm just…I didn't expect someone like you to take interest in me…in the way I'm thinking? I mean, we're on the same page right? You are interested in the way that means like-like, right?" Leonardo asked cheeks tinged pink as he sipped his tea. It tasted sweet and went down smooth, Klaus flushed and looked at Leonardo, giving a curt nod.

"Yeah…I meant it in that way."

"Man this is too weird! I had a dream about you last night, I thought you were a figment of my imagination but….you're actually real…" he trailed off and smiled at Klaus who returned it.

"I agree with you there, it is a little odd but, I can't say I'm not curious as to who I was to you…you mentioned a childhood story. What was it?" Klaus asked, one of his hands resting on the table, it could engulf the small paper cup and crush it if he wasn't careful, and instead, it rested comfortably on the table. Leonardo leaned forward, one of his own hands snaking out from under the warm jacket and snagging Klaus' pinky with his. He looked up tentatively, ensuring it was ok; Klaus gave him a gentle smile and squeezed his hand gently before sliding his pinky free and taking Leonardo's hand in his own. It captured the whole of his hand, the wide palm holding Leonardo's palm and parts of his fingers.

"Well, it was the Labyrinth, a book I read a lot a child... It's been a constant in my life and you were the Goblin King, and I was the princess." Leonardo grinned sheepishly and Klaus coughed into a chuckle and beamed.

"I'm honored…I think?" he teased, squeezing his hand again and Leonardo felt his chest tighten briefly as his breathing quickened.

"You don't think it's that weird? I mean…you kind of kidnap me…" Leonardo snickered and Klaus chuckled mirthfully and sighed, body going lax before his expression fell.

"I haven't really read it so I wouldn't know, Do you have a place to stay, Leonardo?" he asked softly, his tea was empty as well as Leonardo's; he doubted he could stay away any longer either before Michella got worried.

"I think I will try to go home…" Leonardo offered and Klaus nodded

"It doesn't hurt to try and go home, I know when I first told my family…they were concerned and I gave them some time to process. They were disappointed at first but over time they came to understand."

"…told your family that, you're gay?" Leonardo asked cocking his head. Klaus snickered through his nose and pulled back with gasp

"Yes Leonardo, I would say that would be what I told them as I am interested in you, a man." Klaus chuckled deeply, causing Leonardo to pout in embarrassment.

"…Thank you." Leonardo blurted, after a moment of silence that formed once Klaus had settled down. He blinked and smiled again

"Your welcome, Leo." He cooed, Leonardo frowned, sitting up to pull his hand from Klaus' gently, a knot of anxiety forming in his stomach.

"I'm sorry, I overstepped my bounds didn't I?" Klaus mumbled, Leonardo hesitated and shook his head.

"No, you didn't. I just wasn't expecting you to jump to a nickname so quickly is all…typically I reserve that right for loved ones and people I like…so, I think it's ok if you use it." He offered softly, Klaus nodded and took Leonardo's hand into his, brushing kiss to his knuckles. His fangs brushed skin gently, goosebumps broke out all over Leonardo and he flushed a bright crimson that could rival Klaus' hair.

"I'm glad to be one of those people." Klaus murmured, pulling himself up and fishing his cellphone out of his pocket

"Let me call Gilbert, he can give us a lift to your place." Klaus explained, only for Leonardo to chuckle and look up at Klaus with a smirk.

"My dreams must have some sort of future vision, I met Gilbert last night too." Leonardo mused as Klaus lead him outside to stand under the awning of the shop. Leonardo hummed quietly, brain pondering who else he could have possibly seen or heard that ended up in his dreams, though he knew for a fact had he never had the dream he wouldn't have known about Gilbert. Klaus shrugged

"Perhaps just the one…after all, this is the farthest I've gotten into a conversation with you that wasn't a curt 'hello'." Klaus noted gently. Leonardo leaned into him and smiled a bit

"So. Should we call this a first date, as impromptu as it was?" Leonardo asked carefully.

"If you want to Leo, it is ultimately up to you though I spent most of it irritated at you for putting your health at risk." Klaus gruffed, giving Leonardo a side glanced glare. Leonardo shrunk under the gaze, feeling a little guilty now for his behavior, he moved away from Klaus a bit and the man pulled him back

"I'm not angry anymore, Leo. Forgive me." He stated softly. Leonardo nodded and hummed,

"I have. Trust me, I don't think I could hold a grudge against you, I was acting a little childish wasn't I?" he mumbled

"Childish for sitting out in the rain, but not for being yourself. You were honest with your family, I know that took a lot of courage to admit because I was just as scared when I told mine."

"You were scared?" Leonardo gasped, blinking in surprise.

"I was. I held my parents in high respect and I was terrified they would be disgusted by me, hate me for being different. They still loved me when I came out, it took time to get used to my choices, and sometimes they still say comments that are hurtful but they quickly apologize. They are trying, I hope yours do too." Klaus explained with a smile. Leonardo flushed and nodded

"It's funny, that you liked me all along. Considering I imagined you as a Goblin King…and even then you liked me. Michella was right, I have a type." He giggled and sighed softly. The thrum of rain had died down, and the sun was starting to peek from behind the clouds.

"A type?" Klaus questioned, cocking his head to the side, Leonardo snickered teasingly and poked at his side

"Yeah, for big Goblin Kings who turn out to be total softies." Leonardo giggled and Klaus huffed in a playful manner

"I at least make up one of those requirements." Klaus hummed with a smirk, causing Leonardo's giggle to fade as he looked at him nervously. Klaus blinked in confusion before rolling his eyes

"It's obviously the softie one Leonardo…I don't think I'm royal enough to be anyone's King…" he mused, Leonardo shrugged and settled against Klaus again.

"You could be, you never know, obviously I saw something in you that I deemed royal enough." He stated, bringing a faint blush to Klaus' cheeks with a warm smile.

"Perhaps, but I'm perfectly happy to just be someone important to you, Leo." He explained in a tone much to understanding and loving for only having just met him like he knew him better than Leonardo knew himself. Leonardo looked up to meet his eyes and saw a familiar gleam in them, one that read a passage of a story he knew word for word, not because it was it was easy to remember but because it was etched into his soul. It made Leonardo's heart jump in his chest and breathing quicken the longer he looked into Klaus' eyes.

"Oh…" he breathed softly as Klaus gave him a genuine smile, one of warmth and adoration Leonardo didn't think possible to be given to him.

"I think…I'd l-like that too, Klaus." He managed after a beat of silence, earning a breathy laugh from the larger man.

"Oh my little Leo, you always were my most important person."