Marked

Chapter 15

Skeppy POV

The two spent a few more hours there together before a light drizzle of rain began to pour from the clouds that had settled overhead. They got up and quickly closed the car doors, leaving them in the dark with only the light sound of the rain pattering on the roof to break the silence.

Skeppy leaned back against the seat as he looked at the small glowing clock on Bad's radio.

3:17 AM

It hadn't felt like that long, but they had laid there for many hours, just talking and watching the stars. They were both tired and the sound of the rain made Skeppy's eyelids heavy. Bad started the car and drove back towards Skeppy's house. During the time it took to drive through the town, Skeppy had fallen asleep in the passenger seat. The rhythmic sound of the windshield wipers and the raindrops were enough to put anyone to sleep, especially since it was so late.

BadBoyHalo POV

Bad pulled into Skeppy's driveway and shut off the car. He felt tired enough to fall asleep right there, but knew it wasn't a good idea. "Skeppy?" He said quietly, but when he looked over, he saw that Skeppy was asleep.

Bad let out a sigh. He didn't want to wake Skeppy because he looked so peaceful sleeping there, so he quietly got out of the car. He shut the door quietly behind him and opened the passenger door. Bad carefully picked Skeppy up and carried him to the front door, careful not to get his cast wet.

It was surprising that the movement didn't wake Skeppy, but Bad was glad it didn't. He got to Skeppy's bedroom and laid him down on the left side of the bed. He tucked Skeppy in and crawled into bed beside him. Bad reflected on what had happened that night. He had many questions about everything, but he felt like he didn't need to voice them.

Does this mean we're in a relationship now? He wondered. Bad wasn't sure about how relationships worked. He had never gotten into one like this. Something moved in the corner of Bad's eye. He wasn't sure what he saw, but when his eyes focussed on the wall of the room, he thought he saw Skeppy standing there.

Skeppy still laid in bed beside him, but the Skeppy standing against the wall smiled and waved at him before fading back into the shadow on the wall. I really am tired. Bad blinked a few times before closing his eyes and snuggling further into the blanket. Not long after, Bad fell into a peaceful sleep.

Skeppy POV

Skeppy couldn't hear the rain as loud anymore, allowing him to drift into a deeper sleep. He opened his eyes and found himself by the beach still. This time, he didn't have his cast, which allowed him to move freely.

He was sitting on the hood of Bad's car, watching the sunset. Skeppy grabbed Bad's hand and ran down to the beach. They both sprinted toward the water, racing to see who got there first. Skeppy let go of Bad's hand and splashed down into the sea, beating Bad by a split second. They laughed as they splashed each other.

Skeppy had always imagined spending time at the beach with Bad, splashing in the water and swimming in the waves. He smiled so wide, his cheeks started to hurt, but he couldn't help it. By the time the sun had set fully, Skeppy and Bad were sitting on the sand, wrapped in towels. They stayed there on the beach for a while, talking and laughing at dumb jokes.

A surge of happiness flowed through Skeppy. He was doing exactly what he wanted to be doing. For months he had imagined a nice summer day with Bad, ending in a warm, breezy night, and finally, it had become a reality. Skeppy leaned over and rested his head on Bad's shoulder. He looked down at his wrists. Both of them were perfectly blank, untouched by the poison of the ink.

The moonlight surrounded them, seeming to light only the space surrounding them, almost like a halo. Skeppy felt happy, but he also felt like something was missing. This wasn't reality, this was his dream. Everything would be perfect in a dream. Skeppy frowned a little at that thought. "What's wrong?" Bad asked him.

His thoughts confused him even more. If he was in a lucid dream, then he could do whatever he wanted, but what would happen if he told Bad that it was all just a dream? Does he already know? What if I mess this up by telling him? He decided not to say anything, just in case it might mess with his dream world.

"Nothing," Skeppy said, the smile returning to his face.

Bad smiled back, letting any of Skeppy's worries fade. Skeppy no longer felt concerned that he wasn't actually on the beach with Bad. As the thought evaporated from his mind, so did the clarity of the dream. He felt himself losing control over his actions.

Instead of the one starring in his dream, he felt as if he were only a bystander, watching it play out from afar. The dream Skeppy and Bad continued talking. Due to his loss of control, Skeppy felt bored. He longed to regain the ability to do anything, but no matter what he tried, it just wouldn't return.

"You seem disappointed," a voice said to him.

Skeppy looked over, not surprised to see Angel. "Maybe a little..."

"Did you not enjoy that?"

Skeppy thought about it. "I definitely enjoyed it! I loved that..."

"Well, soon enough, nothing will stop you from living that dream," Angel said. "Well, almost nothing." It was as if he didn't mean to say that out loud.

"What do you mean: 'almost nothing?'"

"I've said too much..." Angel seemed flustered.

"Please! Just tell me!" Skeppy begged him.

"How's this, I put you back in control of the dream, and you pretend you never heard me?" Angel seemed anxious to get away.

Skeppy felt that even if he got put back into the dream, it wouldn't feel the same. "No."

"No?"

"No. Tell me why you said 'almost nothing.'" Skeppy needed to know.

Angel tapped his fingers together, clearly anxious about what he said. "I can't say, Skeppy. There will come a day soon enough that I'll explain."

"Why not today?"

"I don't want to ruin all of this for you, just when you're finally getting what you want."

Skeppy felt disappointed at his answer, but he knew Angel was just looking out for him. "Just make it morning, then." Skeppy told him.

Angel quickly nodded and snapped his fingers. The world around Skeppy faded, leaving just pools of color, which quickly turned to gray before fading fully. Skeppy blinked once and found himself back in his room. "I'm sorry," Angel said quietly, before snapping his fingers one more time.

Skeppy tried as hard as he could to hold onto the dream, but it slipped his mind. He tried, but it was gone. A vague memory of the beach was all that was left. And when Skeppy looked back up, Angel was gone, not that he could remember why he was here in the first place.

Word Count: 1192 Words

Author's note:

Well that chapter was... interesting? I hope you are all enjoying the story so far! Hold up! 5k reads??? Y'all are insane! Thank you :D And I was number one in #Skephalo for a day? Omg, thank you!!! Right, well, another thing, Skeppy and Bad are finally gonna meet up! Yay :D Well, I hate to leave you on a cliffhanger, but I promise we'll get to some answers soon enough :) Have a great day! :D

Total Word Count: 1273 Words