---

”... You can ask me just about anything as long as I can make you smile. As for dancing, I would love too.” Jareth smiled warmly at her response.

”Anything, ehh?” He probably should have only commented that in his head, but what the hell, right? She seemed just as into him as he was into her. “A duet sounds stellar! Let’s do it, hop right back on that stage after our dance and blow them all out of the water, Yeah?” He chuckled and his honey-colored eyes went thoughtful for a second. ”That’ll give us some time to think of a song, ‘cause I’ve honestly got no ideas right now.”

She had nestled her hand in the crook of his arm as they made their way back to the party. The thumping bass increased in volume as they approached. It seemed like there were no brave takers for karaoke for the moment, so the DJ switched back to the party mix, pumping Selena Gomez through the sound system.

Jar wasn’t super into the post-disney star craze, but this song was just as good as any. She was singing about downers and uppers and he wondered how much experience she really had with such things. His eyes settled down on the lovely girl on his arms and he wondered how much experience she might have with them. Maybe they could have some real fun together… maybe.

The two musicians might not be dancers by profession, but their rhythm was spot on, so it was easy enough to look like they knew exactly what they were doing on the dancefloor. It had been over half a year since he’d played through this human mating ritual, but it was apparently just like riding a bike. Hopefully they’d be riding more than bikes later, though.

High on the music and the alcohol buzz, Jareth spun Adelisa out to the beat and pulled her back in so that her back was pressed along the front of him. Her hair was brushing against the stubble of his cheek, intoxicating him further with its silky touch and coconut scent. Breathing her in and feeling the warmth of her body against his, he wanted nothing more than for her to turn her face enough that he could kiss her.

---

---

‘Christ, that's cold!’ Clover thought as she broke the surface, gasping in a breathless fit of laughter. Hunter came up for air only seconds later, sputtering up water between each low chuckle he exhaled. ”M’Sorry,” the ginger giggled as she reached up and swiped her thumb across the kiss mark that still adorned his cheek. “I probably should have warned you first. That wasn't very lady like of me,” she teased, her feet just barely able to touch the bottom of the pool.

"I... I never want this moment to end,” he began and Clover felt her breath hitch slightly. "I never want to leave this boat as long as you're on it. I never want to leave this pool as long as you're in it." Hunter continued. Her thumb ceased its sweeping motion and lingered over the stubble on his jaw as he took another breath and pressed on, "I know it's a bit weird and all just meeting. But... I never want to leave your side."

Clover was quiet for a moment, staring up into Hunter’s chestnut eyes as she tried to make sense of this man. What had happened to him that made him want to hold on to her so tightly? Her gaze followed a bead of water as it began to make its journey from his hairline down to pool into the well of his cupid’s bow. Nervous butterflies began to claw their way up Clover’s insides but she squashed them before they could overwhelm her and leaned up to let her tongue flit out to catch the little bit of moisture. Before either one of them could blink she retreated, but stayed close enough that she could feel his breath ghosting across her cheek. It smelled like apple juice.

“...you might not want to hang out with me much after you get to know me," she murmured, looking away from him. “I’m, erm, a little neurotic,” she admitted before she amended,”Well, maybe a lot neurotic. Sometimes I study for days on end. Seriously, I don't leave my apartment at all. It's not pretty,” she confessed as her fingertips began to trail up Hunter’s biceps. “...But I like you, Hunter. And there is no other place I’d rather be right now than with you.”

And Clover thought that maybe she meant that.

Things couldn't seem to go wrong, things were going perfectly for Hunter and Clover! They were both in the "Closed" pool enjoying the water, and the presence of each other. She mentioned about being Neurotic, Hunter just smiled at her. "I'm a recovering alcoholic who drives scrap metal on wheels. I think we're both good here." Her finger tips started to go across his arm. It felt weird at first, but from her he felt safer. "...But I like you, Hunter. And there is no other place I’d rather be right now than with you.”

Hunter froze at first. Not sure how to respond. He felt gleeful, he began to speak. "Clover, I..." But the words couldn't leave his mouth, they stayed back as memories began to flood back to him. "I..." His hands started to shake. He let go of Clover, the first person that made him feel safe, made him feel welcome in years, too scared to get close again. "I can't do this... I'm sorry..." He strolled his way out of the pool, trying to hold back his tears as he left.

Hunter ran back to his room, falling once or twice from being soaked still. He climbed onto the coach and put his face his pillow. "Stupid! Fucking stupid!" He was sobbing at this point. He was scared of losing people to the point where he was almost as scared to meet new people. He went to bed, trying to hide his emotions from the world, hoping to never have to have to do anything like that again.

---

"Clover, I...I...I can't do this... I'm sorry..."

And just like that he let her go, pulling himself out of the pool with ease and strolling out of the pool center without so much as a glance over his shoulder. “Oh...alright,” Clover murmured, even though she was fairly certain he couldn’t hear her anymore. ’Did I come on too strong?’ the ginger fretted, dunking her head under the water so that it’s cool temperature would distract her from the feeling of rejection that was building in her chest. She had sort of thought there was a connection between them, but Hunter’s abrupt departure left a bad taste in her mouth and a cloying sense of dread that loomed over her for some reason.

She stayed submerged until she could no longer hold her breath and then broke the water’s surface with an exasperated gasp. “...this cruise is cursed…,” the lithe woman sighed, letting herself fall back until she was floating and staring up at the star studded sky. “...Lila’s gonna be pissed that I failed my homework assignment.” she said with a tiny half smile, the thought of her best friend’s frustrated scolding lifting her spirits for just a moment. The thought of the bombshell also caused Clover to suddenly recall something Hunter had said earlier in the evening.









“Oh sweet Lucifer burning in hell!” Clover exclaimed once she realized the truly heinous act of treason she had almost committed against one of her best friends, floundering and taking on water at an alarming rate. She choked and spat up the liquid gracelessly, bolting out of the pool as if Lila’s disapproving bambi eyes might see her and instantly know that the ginger had been flirting with the man who had run her over with a goddamn car!!

Clover went to collect her stuff, hands shaking as she pulled her dress back on over her soaking underwear. She dropped her keycard three different times before eventually getting a good grip on it and vaulting over the still locked fence so she could make her way back to the cabin. When she finally made it back she fumbled around long enough for a group of girls to walk by her, one of them even having the audacity to giggle at the freckled woman's drowned rat appearance.

“I will murder you, little girl,” Clover hissed, all anger and vitriol, and the gaggle of girls wasted no time getting as far away from the angry redhead as possible. By the time she got the door unlocked and was tucked away safely inside the pale woman had finally figured out why this whole day was going to shit.

It was because she hadn’t read those goddamned chapters like she was supposed too.

She started to walk down the hall only to pause briefly at the sound of velvety moans and the squeaking of bed springs. “At least someone is having a good time on this god forsaken rust bucket,” Clover grumbled as she made her way into the bathroom to wash the chlorine out of her hair.

Hunter woke up falling on the floor in the living space from the couch. He would like to imagine he fell off in his sleep and woke up when he hit the floor, but it was not exactly like this. Wake up, back sore, sit up, trip on floor, hit face on floor. "I... love mornings." He raised his face off the floor and looked at his watch.



"Morning... awesome." He spoke in a dead tone as he stood himself up. He made it to the kitchen by the time he remembered what he had done the night before. It took all he had not to break down in tears. He made a selfish choice, too scared to lose something amazing. So he ended it before it could become something. Though, it was already too late for that. "Juice... I need juice." He opened the fridge for some apple juice, he needed to quit drinking no matter how much emotional stress he was in. He wasn't going to lose it again

Though after what seemed like hours of searching he couldn't seem to find any. What he did find was two cans of beer sitting in the fridge. But he wasn't that man anymore, so he went to close the fridge. But he stopped. He couldn't do it. Before closing it he reached in and grabbed one of the cans pulling his hand out as his other hand slammed it. Almost as if that hand was trying to stop the other.

He held the can and opened it, but he just continued to hold it, his hand shaking as he held it. "GOD DAMMIT!" He screamed as he threw the can at the glass door to the deck, the window cracking as the can about exploded. He stood, shocked at what he had done. He didn't enjoy lashing out, though it seemed the more he tried to quite the more things got worse his anger got. He was convinced that the more he drank the more angry he got. What if he was just an angry person.

He sat on the kitchen floor, his back against the fridge trying to get an idea of what was really going on. "What if I succeeded... more or less... what if I am in a coma or something... what if I am dead and I am just in Hell. Hell seems a lot like life... Which I guess makes sense..." He kept rambling on as he tried to sort out his thoughts. Many of which would not make sense to him if he was looking at it form an outside perspective.