*Lily's POV*

I laid there in my bed wondering what I could do. I couldn't sleep to be honest. I woke up at some point of the day and found myself unable to convince myself that I had the potential of sleeping in darkness once more.

I sighed and sat up. I knew the others would probably not be up for a while considering it was 4 in the morning...

I got up from the bed and changed into some day to day clothing before exiting the room.

The halls were darkened now because the presence of light wasn't there. But it was fine-I could see well enough in any other day to day situation in this darkness. It happened every so often I would be in a darker than normal place that my eyes needed to adjust quickly to defend myself. My body did well for itself in some ways...

I walked through the hall and down the stairs with ease, my way down now being lit up by the mild light of the outside world. The moon and stars held some job to this situation.

I finally got all the way down and looked around. 'Well...this would be a good time to try and get a feel of the place, huh?'

I walked around a bit getting to know locations like the kitchen and a couple of others room down there besides Mark's recording room. There was another place that was another office space sort of deal and then this room that had one couch and a bunch of computers set up on one side of the room with associating cameras. 'Geez, why so many computers? Must've been a hassle to put in...' I closed the door and continued to look around.

It was pretty average actually. Nothing really, I don't know, strange.

I bumped into the bookshelf, causing a book to fall. "Shit." I quickly picked it up and was about to place it back when I saw, right next to it, there was an out of place book. Mostly because there weren't any seen words where a summary would be and actually looked a little off in general.

I placed the book back and slowly pulled the other one, only to hear a small 'click' and then stepped back to see the bookcase turn sideways to a secret staircase.

I smirked to myself as I let myself in, picking up a conveniently lit candle.

As I walked down the stairs, I heard the bookcase closing but wasn't really bothered. If there was a way in then there was a way out likely.

I reached the bottom of the staircase to a dark room. I felt around for a light and found a switch. I flipped it on and the lights flickered on-along with a few other things.

All around me there was a variety of set ups that spurred to life. A gun range with moving mannequins and paper figures, a place where you could practice hand to hand combat, and a few other things too.

I whistled and walked around. "Wow...I never even thought to make a set up like this..."

"Well, we have to have somewhere to practice."

I turned on my heel and saw Wilford at the top of the stairs in-... "Um...Wilford? What are you...wearing?"

He raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

I held my head and sighed. "Why in the world are you wearing a 'Hello Kitty' nightgown?"

There before me stood a man, if you can even consider him to be one at this point, standing in a pair of pink pajama pants and a shirt that was covered in the 'Hello Kitty' trademark and the word 'Love' written across his chest.

He frowned slightly and looked down on it. "It's not bad, is it?"

Something like a laugh was trying to escape from my lips but I held it in. "For you? Maybe not at this point...but don't you have anything remotely manly?"

His eye twitched slightly and he looked away, holding himself. "Pink is a manly color."

"Says who? Some punk living under a pineapple under the sea?" I asked jokingly.

"No, he happens to be his neighbor."

I blinked, not expecting that answer. "Wait what?"

"You know, Patrick Star?" I blinked again. He groaned and waved it off. "Still! I refuse to think the color is anything but manly!"

I rolled my eyes. "Alright old man. Or would be more fitting to say young boy?" I laughed lightly to myself and I could feel his eyes stabbing daggers into my back.

He walked down the stairs. "Take that back," he growled sternly.

I blinked at this and turned around, raising an eyebrow. "What was that?"

He stepped closer, looking at the ground, his eyes darkened. "Take. That. Back."

I hadn't ever seen him like this. It intrigued me. I smirked and asked, "Or what~?"

His fists were clenched and he was shaking. "Take. It. Back. Now."

I tilted my head and approached him. 'Maybe if I can make him hate me then it'd be easier to leave....' I smiled and commented, "Or what, you'll hurt me? Stab me like an imbecile?" I saw his hand nearing his pocket where a small golden shaft stood out. "...Shoot me?"

He seemed on the verge of grabbing it...but then...he stopped. He took a deep breath in and then out, moving his hand away. He stopped shaking. He looked back up to me with his cheek still slightly red from what I could only assume to be anger. "...You..." He sighed and didn't complete the thought before muttering, "Let me...show you around..." He started walking and I followed lightly. I wonder why he didn't do it. He seemed pretty ready to do it too...

He showed me around the place, explaining that most of their hideouts usually had something similar. We knew Mark's place would be someplace we could stay at for a longer period of time so they had the place installed. But, unlike before, Mark was there with them since he would be the 'keeper of the house.' And so, he wanted to have a say.

"That explains the big space in the wall with a few wires sticking out..."

Wilford nodded. "He moved the TV upstairs some time ago for his livestreams but he at least got what he wanted." He shrugged. "This was when he was still invested in gaming."

"I think he's still invested in it Wilford," I commented, rolling my eyes.

He nodded. "Yeah...I mean, he's about to be 28 years old and he's still in it...Maybe he'll never grow out of it." He chuckled lightly before moving on.

"Aaaaand, my favorite, the shooting range!" He moved towards the wall near it and tapped at the wall, opening up a panel that was hiding two buttons. A red one and a yellow one.

He clicked on the red one and quite a few guns came out ranging from types.

I approached it lightly, gazing at all of the guns. "Glock 26, PT 111, a Walther CCP, a Ruger..."

He grinned at the sight. "Ah, yes. This was a fun little collection to pick out~" He bent down next to me. "I'm the one that gets all giddy about guns, you know."

"They are a great asset. They are so easy to use with that bit of spice that articulates a particular sound-"

"-when coming into contact with someone and they get the job done." I paused as we had both said the same thing. I mean, it was a simple thing to end off on really. What else could I have said?

I caught his eye on me and I had to ask, "What?"

He looked away, a smug look on him as he shrugged it off. "Oh, nothing. Nothing at all..."

I shook my head. 'Weirdo...' I eyed the Hudson and pulled it off, checking the ammunition. "Hmm..." I glanced back to the gun range. Then to him. "Wanna try that little challenge of yours again?"

He raised an eyebrow and smirked. "Lily, I really think you should reconsider. I mean, I beat you before didn't I?"

"That was rigged," I commented, blowing off the accusation. "Plus-" I shot and hit a moving mannequin right in the skull. "It was a tie. So you barely won." He rolled his eyes. "What's wrong? Someone getting cold feet?"

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head. "No. Just curious though-what is the wager this time around?"

I thought about it...I didn't really have that much to offer. "I don't know. I don't really have anything you'd be remotely interested in."

He paused and went into deep thought. Then, he snapped his fingers. "I got it. What if I win, I get to ask about your past?"

I flinched slightly at this-only slightly. I blinked. "Why do you want to know about it?"

He shrugged. "Anything I could know about you could be beneficial with joining the team. Get a better understanding of you."

I nodded hesitantly. "Uh huh...right...But! If I win, I get to..." I thought about it. "...Burn those horrid pajamas."

His shoulders dropped. "Why? What have they ever done to you???"

"Exist." I laughed lightly at his face and he groaned.

"Fine, fine. But I'm not gonna lose. And then, I'll get to divulge myself a bit in that brain of yours~"

"In your dreams!"

***************************************************************

*Wilford's POV*

Alright, I'm just gonna put it out there. She did upset me a little just now.

I mean, even Dark doesn't like pink or things relating to it but he doesn't comment about it!

I huffed silently to myself as I positioned in front of the window next to her. I pressed a button reading 'TRAINING MODE: DIFFICULT' and the mannequins and paper figures moved faster.

"Alright so here's the deal: the mannequins are civilians and the paper ones are your target. Each time you hit a mannequin you lose three points while each time you hit a target, your point ranges from 1-3. Got it?"

"Got it." She positioned herself and aimed.

I aimed right with her, raising up one of my newer toys. It was a silver magnum with quite the shine to it-mm! I loved it! Almost as much as I love pink!

"Hey princess, are we starting yet?" I heard her ask.

"I'll give to the count of-Wait, DID YOU JUST CALL ME PRINCESS?!"

She smirked. "Hey, you're the one that responded to it, not me."

I growled and counted us off. "3...2...1-" All hell broke loose as our bullets went flying with nearly lightning speed.

It brought me back to the last time that we did this, a little smile coming up on my features. The way we moved in practical sync was amazing. I may have never been the best at hand-to-hand combat but when it came to guns and me, I was unstoppable! No one, not even Google had ever been able to keep up with me!

...And to see this lady in particular even pose as a possible threat...oooo, that was something to revel about surely!

I saw her scowl as she hit a mannequin and I laughed. "Gonna have to do better than that to keep up with me!" I called. Then as I shot, I heard my bullet make contact with a mannequin.

She laughed back. "Or just hope you make your own casualties!" I growled and we continued this series back and forth, throwing baffling comments at one another to try and throw the other off.

But throughout it...I was smiling. Not only was I interacting with something I loved but also I was doing it with someone that I loved. Or have at least convinced myself of.

The countdown timer was going down and things were beginning to heat up as we changed out clips at almost the exact moment. It was only a matter of time before the fate of my pajamas and her past would be exposed. For better or for worse.

The clock read '5...4...3...2...1-' In a second, the mannequins and sheets of paper disappeared before any of us could get a last shot.

"I'll ra-rally up the points," Google's voice rang throughout the area.

Lily freaked and started pointing her gun around, trying to find the source of the voice. "Where the hell-"

"Whoa whoa there, it's just automated. He installed this so he put his voice associating with it!" I told her, trying to calm her down.

She squinted at me skeptically before lowering her gun. "Why in the hell would he do that?"

I shrugged. "Because he thought it was logical? I can't always read minds my dear."

She looked like she wanted to comment on something but didn't and instead looked to the scoreboard. Her eyes widened at the results. "No. Not again!"

I raised an eyebrow at this and looked over-I blinked. "A tie?!"

The score read out a grand total 1,285 out of a possibility of 1,500 for both Player 1 and Player 2.

I felt myself begin to smirk as I looked over to her. She was shaking her head, clearly baffled. "Th-That has to be wrong! There's no way-"

"Are you so sure about that?" I asked quietly, tilting my head.

She looked to me, confusion drawing on her features. "I am sure, technology isn't always accurate-"

"Why is it so bad to have a tie with me?" I asked, approaching her.

She backed away and coughed subtly. "Well, er..." She looked around as if looking for an answer of some sort.

I don't know what drew me to do this but eventually I had her backed up against a wall. I placed a hand on either side of her as she shrunk beneath me. Very unlike her at all but... "Is it because...you're afraid that you and I are actually...equals?" I asked lowly.

She flinched and shook her head, laughing nervously. "Wh-What are you talking about? Us? Equals? That's-That's-"

"Insane? Crazy? Preposterous?" I cupped her face gently and stared into those brown eyes of hers. "Let me tell you something..." I came closer to her. "Sometimes...the strange is real...and sometimes...you just have to-"

"The sc-score isn't wrong."

I immediately backed off from her and fell back, getting out of whatever trance I was in. I looked up to see that Google was standing near the stairs, unfazed. "Google???" I asked.

He waved slightly with a bored expression and looked over to Lily. "The sy-system has been perfected o-over a period of time and I can tell you that it is 99.99% acc-ccurate."

Lily blinked and shook out of whatever daze she was in and nodded. "I-I see..." She didn't dare look at me and shrugged away any other emotion dawning her face. "Well...since it's a tie...I think that means we both lost..." She raised a hand before I could say anything. "So...I feel that if we both want to gain something that we wanted at the beginning...It should be fair. So here's what we can do: We can either do none of the things planned OR...I burn part of your pajamas and you gain one bit of my past."

Google blinked and looked over to me with a raised eyebrow. "Burn your pajamas? You were really going to let her do that?"

I nodded.

"But, you love those pajamas more than anything, you even-"

I dashed at him and clasped a hand over his mouth. "Y-Yeah, I know. She doesn't need to know that though!" I whispered to him.

Google rolled his eyes and pushed my hand aside. "Anyway, I just wanted to inform you two that we're having a meeting at breakfast with Anti. Seems like something came up." He nodded and left.

Silence was held between Lily and I for god knows how long. I didn't even want to face her after that stunt I just pulled. What is wrong with me? I probably just ruined any chance of ever being- "Well?"

I looked up to her, confused. "Well what?"

She sighed and shook her head. "What's your choice weirdo? Do I burn a piece of your clothing or do we go our separate ways?"

"...."