But then, from the opposite side of the herd, something else appeared—something dark and ghostly. It looked like a Dementor from the Harry Potter series, but someone bellowed, “Lich.” And this time Erin stomped her foot hard enough to grab Bruce’s attention.
“And now you bring its friends!” she screamed.
She was really pissed off, and Bruce couldn’t blame her. Everything they’d done had made things worse. He looked around in panic, hoping to find some help. There were people far more experienced here than he was. Surely they knew what to do.
They did. They squared off with the kangaroos and the lich. They protected themselves and each other. But while they kept everyone alive, they did nothing to stop the demon-turned-swamp-megalith that was going to swallow them whole.
Then Laddin grabbed Bruce’s hand and whipped him around so that they could face each other.
“Happy thoughts!” Laddin screamed. He jerked Bruce close enough so that he didn’t have to bellow. “I love you.”
Right. Happy thoughts. But a few choruses of the Barney theme song weren’t going to save them. The demon was too big, and its friends were going to kill them all long before they figured out how to shrink it.
“Don’t think!” Laddin ordered. Then he pressed his mouth hard to Bruce’s. The kiss was rushed, and they clanged teeth. Before Bruce could adjust, Laddin pulled back. “Feel. Just feel!”
What he felt was crap-his-pants terror, but he didn’t have any better ideas. “Er, yeah. I, uh, I love you too.”
Laddin rolled his eyes, and Bruce couldn’t really blame him. Talk about lame. Mouthing the words wasn’t going to do it. He had to really put his thought, his power—
“You have tofeel it!” Laddin said.
Right. He had to put his feelings into it. But he was feeling afraid! He was feeling like the world was ending and it was all his fault.
Laddin lifted their joined hands. “Light me up!”
Light him? Oh, right. Laddin was his light bulb. All he needed to do was push power into the guy’s hands and Laddin would do the rest. Bruce exhaled in relief and pushed as much energy as he could through their matched palms.
He felt the flow of energy, he felt his shoulders relax, and he knew that he hadn’t fucked up entirely, because Laddin would be able to fix things. Except it didn’t work. He saw Laddin close his eyes. He watched as the guy inhaled, as if drawing in everything good about the world, and then exhaled a simple phrase.
“It’s okay. Everything’s okay.”
Bruce felt the power of it. He felt his lips curve into a smile, but all around him the noise continued. The demon hissed, the people on the kangaroos whooped as they hopped around, destroying everything in their path, and someone screamed, “Disintegrate!” at the lich.
“Don’t think about it,” Laddin said, and Bruce didn’t have to say a word. They both knew it was impossible tonotthink of what was going on around them.
So Laddin pressed his forehead to Bruce’s. They were eye to eye, nose to nose, and when he spoke, the words felt like they were for Bruce alone. The nightmare to their right or the disasters going on all around them, melted into the background.
“I love you,” Laddin said.
Bruce grimaced and tried to pull away. “That’s not going to work. We need to sing something. ‘Happy Birthday’ or ‘Good Vibrations.’” They were the only two songs he could think of right then.
“It’s not working because you don’t believe it,” Laddin said. “Why don’t you think I love you?”
Bruce took a moment to focus. Was Laddin really trying to have a serious conversation while evil kangaroos were dashing around? Apparently he was, because his expression was fierce and he wasn’t letting Bruce look away.
“Because you’re just saying that. It’s not real.”
Laddin glared at him. Then he abruptly flattened his hand on Bruce’s chest. “Feel this, you idiot. Itisreal!”
Now that sounded like true emotion. Irritation and annoyance. Bruce heard it but then felt something else—a current of power feeding back to him through Laddin’s palm. What energy he fed Laddin was coming back to him even stronger.
“I love you,” Laddin said, conviction in his voice.
“Right,” Bruce echoed. “You love me. And I love you.” He threw that last part in, hoping it would do what was needed. But all he had to do was listen to know that the demon wasn’t any smaller or quieter.
“You don’t believe me,” Laddin said, frustration clear in his tone. “Why can’t you feel it?”
He did feel it—warmth, power, and affection. “We have to try something else.”
