Chapter Text
The first thing he noticed was that he wasn't in his own room.
Peepers was no stranger to waking up outside his quarters. He had spent many a night on the Skullship nodding off after much time in the strategy room, trying to figure out their next move. But this- this was different. This time he was in a bed.
The soft rumble of someone snoring next to him made him glance over cautiously. Beside him was the large, skeletal figure of his superior.
He was in Lord Hater's bed.
The sheets were pulled back to expose Hater's bare torso. Peepers, apprehensive at first, watched the steady rise and fall of his ribcage. Just as he was calming down from the initial panic, the memory of what had transpired the night before hit him like a ton of bricks.
"Oh my grop." Peepers whispered quietly to himself, so as to not wake his bedmate. He had at first thought it was a dream. A beautiful dream. But no, Hater's sleeping body proved it to be all too real. Peepers became flustered yet again, his pupil contracting.
Did he dare look at the clock? His eye gradually made its way to the alarm. 5:00 A.M., it read. First shift on the ship was to start in an hour.
Peepers knew he had to make his way back to his own quarters soon. He couldn't possibly be caught like this! What would the crew think, their commander leaving their galactic overlord's chambers in the morning? He had better returned to his own room before the rumors (true though they might be) got out.
The commander deliberately eased his way out from under the covers. He shivered at the draft blowing over his naked body. "It's so much warmer in bed," he thought, but this was no time for morning snuggles. Was Hater even the kind for morning snuggles? Perhaps he had no memory of their encounter. He hadn't been acting himself the previous night. He was far more affectionate. Come to think of it, any sign of affection was out of character for Lord Hater.
Even worse, Commander Peepers mused, what if Lord Hater was regretful? Disgusted even? He gazed briefly at the snoring skeleton. What if he had stayed? Would he have to feel the wrath of his superior? He could only imagine how livid he'd be. What if he was so ashamed he never wanted to see him again? Peepers shuddered yet again, then sighed shakily. "Time to find some clothes."
He surveyed the floor, hoping to find his uniform among the signature clutter of Hater's room. "Clothes, clothes, clothes..." he muttered to himself, before noticing his outfit laying in a heap, next to Hater's discarded robe. He scooped up the black suit in his arms and held it against his closed eye, inhaling deeply. Even his uniform had Hater's scent. Peepers sighed again, knowing he'd have to wash it out later to avoid arousing the suspicions of the watchdogs.
Peepers rummaged through his bundle of clothes, making sure everything was accounted for, before pulling everything on. Undergarments, pants, shirt, boots, gloves, helmet. Everything taken care of.
He sat there for a while, mentally preparing himself for the most difficult journey of his life. He closed his eye and listened to Hater breathing. Oh, how he wished he could hear it every morning-
No. He couldn't think like that. He scolded himself briefly before stepping out the door, reluctantly ready to face the day.
It was time for the walk.
Though his steps were soft, his head was far from it. His mind replayed that night's events. How had this happened?
They had conquered several planets in the past week. Peepers had gone to Hater's room to congratulate him on his achievement. But Hater seemed off. He appeared to be... what did it look like? Was he nervous? Of course not, he was Lord Hater, number one superstar. An uncharacteristically small "Thanks" was his only response for a while.
They both stood there for a moment, before Peepers turned to leave. As he did, Hater shouted "Wait," stopping him in his tracks.
"Sir?" Peepers responded. "Is there something you need?" His boss seemed to be struggling with his words. He hadn't acted this way since his crush on Dominator. He blinked a couple times, memories of his jealousy returning to him.
"Well, you've been...you know, you've been pretty busy lately, what with helping me conquer those planets back there- thanks, by the way," he added hastily as an afterthought. "And I..." Hater trailed off. Peepers tried to give him a look of subtle encouragement, but he wasn't quite sure at the time it had worked.
"Iwannahangoutwithyouforawhileifthat'sokay." He practically spit the words out. Peepers could feel his heart beat faster. He would love nothing more than to spend time with his skeletal crush, but he had to make sure he didn't reveal anything or he may never get to hang out again.
He had picked up the pace to his room slightly, now taking measured strides, only stopping a few instances at a suspicious noise, before deciding it was his own footsteps echoing in the empty corridors of the ship.
The next events of the night had occurred so quickly that Peepers wasn't even sure it had happened at all at first. An awkward chat had warmed up. His small hand accidentally brushed up against Hater's large one, causing an unmistakable blush to appear on his lids. He couldn't quite recall what had happened next, but the next thing he knew, they were kissing. More and more kissing. It all seemed too good to be true. And then...
Peepers stopped abruptly. The soft echoes of his footfalls dissipated into nothingness. Then the noises started up again.
Someone else was there.
His eye darted around anxiously, before peering around a corner. Two watchdogs were coming his way. One had a large video camera, the other a microphone.
Great. Andy and his dumb show.
...Which was just making its way around the corner! Andy kept rambling on about whatever. Who cares?
"Andy!" Peepers shrieked. "I thought I told you not to do your stupid show while working!"
"With all due respect, Commander, I'm not working. My shift doesn't start until half an hour." Oh. Right. Quick, think!
"Another half an hour you could be preparing! I can't have you slacking off when we have our reputation to uphold!"
"Right, Sir." Crisis averted. "Could you please tell our loyal fans what you're doing up so early?" Oh grop.
"I'm-" He could feel himself start to break out in a nervous sweat. "I'm coming up with a strategy for our next planet! Now get to work!" He sprinted away, and he couldn't get away fast enough.
For now he was safe. What Hater said when he finally rolled out of bed would have to wait.