"Let's just hurry up and get rid of him before anyone else gets killed," Maggie stated coldly in response to my thanks as she dropped into the driver's side of her car and slammed the door shut.

I stood outside the apartment complex and watched until the woman's car was out of sight before I sighed. Devin placed a comforting hand on my shoulder that drew my attention. As I looked at him, he gave a smile. Before all the stuff with the ghosts and bringing Freddy back, I had felt that maybe I'd found a friend in Maggie. She was so kind and understanding and I wanted to meet up with her again. However, having her around now was just plain uncomfortable.

She hadn't pressed for any exact details on how or why I managed to let Freddy back into our world and I had guessed that was because she didn't see the point in it. Her last statement to me before she departed had proven that theory. Her only concern for the time being was getting rid of him and anything that wasn't necessary to that goal didn't warrant discussion. I exhaled again, more heavily this time and turned to go back inside the building.

My friend retrieved his hand and followed after me in silence. When we were finally back inside my apartment, he took a seat on the couch and waited patiently for me to sit as well, but when I took the chair where Maggie had been, he complained, "Why you gotta sit so far away? Come sit by me."

I slowly lifted my head and stared at his happy expression. My mind had been too focused on the whole Krueger issue to really think about it before, but it just caught up to the fact that Devin seemed to be flirting. Then again, maybe not. He had more or less said he hated the traditional expectations of men, who were typically meant to be somewhat stoic and definitely not too affectionate...at least not with each other. Everything he'd done that I'd taken as flirtatious was actually just things that two female friends would do with each other as purely platonic. So perhaps he was just being kind. He'd already said he didn't mean to come onto me or anything.

I rose and stepped over to the couch to sit with him, only to have him throw an arm around my shoulder and pull me so that I was leaned onto him, my head resting comfortably on his chest as he stroked the hair behind my ear. I didn't fight or question it, I simply closed my eyes and smiled. I kind of wished he was flirting with me. I had never been with a man yet my only real relationships with women had consisted of nothing except the endless cycle of getting high, coming down, searching for our next fix, and riding out the next high. Was that even a relationship or just mutual agony?

"So what do you think?" Devin's soft voice still sounded loudly in the quiet room.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"About Maggie's plan. Do you think it will work?" he clarified.

My lips fell straight as my thoughts returned to solemn matters. Maggie told us that Freddy usually worked within a group of friends, using the last survivor to jump into another group and then worked on killing them off. With that in mind, she set out to do some quick research in figuring out those who were close to the recent victims. The idea was that when I slept, I would bring Devin and Maggie in, jump to the dreams of the others to find Freddy, and when I did, use my powers to bring him back into my dream and keep him here there while my allies helped me pull him into the real world.

"It should...if I can actually get us into their dreams," I replied.

"I have faith in you," the man holding me said though when I bent my neck to gaze up at him, he wasn't smiling or even looking at me.

"Is something else on your mind?" I inquired.

"No," he looked down at me and smirked.

I could tell he was lying, but once more fearful of angering him, I didn't speak on it. Instead I just lay there, enjoying his company while I thought of something else to say, "It's past noon...did you want to go grab a bite to eat?"

He smirked again, "Are you asking me on a date?"

Even knowing it was a joke, I felt the urge to tell him in absolute sincerity, yes. I ended up deciding on an answer that could be taken either way so as to save face if he wasn't actually interested in me, "Only if you say yes."

His lips grew into a beam that stretched his entire face, "Then I guess you are."

My heart skipped a beat and I turned my face away so he couldn't see me blushing. I had never pictured myself as effeminate and had never been called it by anyone other than abusive adults when I was growing up, but in that moment, I definitely felt giddy like a school girl who had just been asked out by her crush. I lifted myself from Devin and stood, my motions slow to give me enough time to regain myself before looking at him again.

"Well, let's go then. Let me know what sounds good to you so I know where to drive," I said, making small steps toward the door, unsure of how to act if this was, in fact, a date.

Devin seemed to pick up on my ignorance easily because he smoothly removed himself from the couch, approached me, and slipped an arm around my waist, holding it loosely yet intimately. Like I said, he was a master extrovert...he definitely knew how to read and treat people. As strange as the idea of being in a gay relationship was to me, I wasn't embarrassed to walk through the halls and down to my car with him holding onto me like that. I don't know, maybe it was stupid, but I had begun craving his affection. Not in a sexual way either. It was just...nobody in my entire life had ever been so loving toward me...so genuinely warm.

I had thought Maggie was the first person to be truthful about caring for me, but recent events taught me otherwise. I'm sure she was a nice person and was being kind to me when I visited her that day. However, when she even just thought I may have fucked up and made a mistake, she completely turned. Devin, on the other hand, had not. He met me in a fucking psychiatric hospital and always gave me the benefit of the doubt. Even knowing I had intentionally brought a serial killer back from the dead, he hadn't judged me and furthermore had continued to support me...our relationship having never changed in the slightest.

When I put my hand on the door of my car, he reached out and opened it for me, making sure I got in before walking around to the passenger side and loading in himself. Once inside, he had told me that a burger with fries felt like it would hit the spot nicely, so I had then made our way to the Outback Steakhouse. I guess I could have just gone to McDonald's or any one of the many, cheaper places that served burgers, but I couldn't justify being an adult and taking someone on a first date like that unless there was no way to afford anything else. And thankfully, my last paycheck had deposited at midnight so I had enough.

"Oh wow, I haven't been to one of these in years," he said as we pulled into the restaurant parking lot.

"Is it bad? Should we go somewhere else?" my words were rushed and my demeanor fell.

"No, not at all," Devin laughed, "I love this place."

Attitude positive again, I hopped out of the vehicle and we made our way inside. We ended up having to wait for about half an hour to be seated since we had come in during the lunch rush without a reservation. I honestly didn't mind though. I just liked the company and the distraction from taking down the dream demon. I noticed at one point, a little girl staring at Devin who simply smiled and said hello before putting his gaze elsewhere. She couldn't have been more than five or six and eventually her mother reprimanded her for being rude, the woman's sight catching momentarily on the same thing that her daughter had been fascinated with...the gashes on Devin's face that had been haphazardly sewn shut.

It took me a minute to realize that was what was going on and the man instantly had my concern again. It sent me to wondering if he was bothered at all about how the cuts would leave huge scars and probably attract a lot more negative attention. I felt like it wasn't a worry to him yet at the same time, I had come to know it wasn't always easy to gauge what did and did not frustrate him. Those thoughts were soon interrupted when we were shown to a booth. We both ended up ordering cheese burgers with steak fries and a coke.

The conversation, as usual, was largely carried by Devin, though I did manage to speak a lot more than during our previous meals together...albeit a lot of what I said turned into nervous rambling upon remembering that I was not only on a romantic encounter, but one with somebody, a man, who made inspired feelings like I had never had before. It was like the two of us had known each other for so long even though we just met. His very presence was soothing and he seemed to understand me on a level I didn't know was possible.

When the meal was over, my stomach actually fell and my mind began searching for ways to extend our little date. I did need to get some food for the house to make it until my next pay, but my thoughts kept returning to spoiling Devin with the rest of the money I did have. He needed clothes, for one. I also didn't like the idea of him having to sleep on the couch all the time so I felt the need to invest in a mattress or a futon.

"Hey Mark?" Devin's voice broke me from contemplation just as we approached my car again.

I looked up to see his vision resting on something on the other side of me so I followed his gaze to the empty lot next to the restaurant. Standing there was Emma and the rest of her gothic ghost posse. Now what? I glanced over to my partner and shrugged, pushing my door closed again before stepping away from the vehicle and walking toward the teens. I soon felt Devin skip up to my side to accompany me.

"What do you want?" I demanded of the group the moment we were close enough for them to hear.

"Any luck with Freddy?" the girl placed hands on her hips confidently, but her eyes told a different story.

"Actually, yeah," I rose an eyebrow, "What's it to you?"

Emma glanced over to Devin and then back to me, "Look, Mark, I'm sorry for going off on you like that. You're right...this is my fault."

Although my stance softened slightly, it didn't show in my voice, "It's fine... Is that all you wanted?"

The girl blinked, lips parting for a second and then shutting back as if she decided not to speak a certain thought. Damian crept his way closer to us at her side, staring at my date who kept the ghost's glare without falter. Todd and Chris had made themselves comfortable lounging on the mound of dirt on site, playful grins on their faces.

"We haven't made any progress," Emma finally admitted.

"And now you want Mark's help?" Devin scoffed, "You got a lot of nerve."

I cut my eyes to the man defending me. I probably should have told him not to worry about it, but he was spot on. It was quite the audacious move to ask for assistance after how they'd treated me. What, did she think apologizing would get me on her side again? I pursed my lips. Honestly if it hadn't been for Devin, I likely would have just accepted the apology and fallen back in line with the ghosts.

"Hey, I made a mistake and am trying to fix it, just like you!" the girl growled and pointed at me.

"You're only here because you need Mark, not because you're actually sorry!" Devin spat back, getting in Emma's face only to have Damian step forward to cut between them.

"You need to back off, pal," the trench coat-clad boy warned as the baseball bat appeared in his hand.

I suddenly thought I heard whispering behind us so I twisted to see that there were indeed a handful of people back at the restaurant huddling around each other and talking, their eyes on us... I wasn't sure if they actually saw the ghosts or just the two of us. I knew it was possible that Devin only saw them by proxy. So it could looked like either the two of us were fighting or we'd lost our damn minds and were yelling at air.

"Come on, let's go," I whispered to Devin, shooting a criticizing look at Emma as I spun around and started walking off. The man with me lingered a moment longer, then made a few paces backward before finally turning and walking alongside me.