Hi guys! It's been a while because I've had problems with internet. I really hope you love this chapter because I really do!

Thank you to PLAINAWESOME, Liliana Dragonshard, Twiphase, lala32903, SepticEye, 1098 (Guest), and jokers girl (Guest) for reviewing last chapter!

The Strangest Ghoul Chapter Six

No One's P.o.V.

Creeper woke up slowly. If he was in immediate danger he could snap awake in a moment, but otherwise it was more productive to slowly regain consciousness. He remembered the events prior to his accidental nap as sensations filtered in.

First was the feeling of warmth. He could place that. The cave troll had been holding him when he accidentally fell asleep (and wasn't he kicking himself for that). Next was the sharp ache in his right wing. That he couldn't quite remember, but he'd flailed a lot so it was possible that was behind it.

Once he had taken in all the physical sensations he could Creeper slowly cracked open his eyes. The light was average but he was in a shadow. Looking around as far as he could see the Ghoul realized he was on the cave troll's shoulder tucked in close to his neck.

He moved his wings first, making sure to stretch his right wing thoroughly. The pain didn't bother him but it could hinder him if he needed to fly suddenly. He flinched when one accidentally hit the cave troll on the head, but then remembered what his spines had done. If the cave troll wasn't bothered by that then Creeper doubted a small nudge would offend him. He did feel bad about that though.

"Hmm?" Kord was brought out his concentration on the Mechas by a small tap on his helmet. He looked around in confusion but the shuffling on his shoulder reminded him of the Ghoul sleeping there. "Hey Creeper, you awake little guy?" Kord put down one of his tools and held a hand up.

Creeper tilted his head when the cave troll obviously wanted him to climb onto his hand. There wasn't really any reason not to.

Kord smiled when the Ghoul did an awkward hop-flutter onto his palm and he pulled the little guy down so he could see him. It seemed he had trouble moving around on the ground with how big his wings were.

"Hey, you alright bud?" Kord scratched under his chin and Creeper chirred deeply in appreciation before jerking in surprise. "You were pretty freaked out before. I hope you got some sleep at least." Kord smiled as he kept petting him and Creeper eventually untensed and leaned into the touch.

Creeper was surprised that letting another creature touch him could feel so nice. He hadn't even realized he liked it until the instinct took over his throat. There was no harm in it, as far as he could see, and despite his confusion of the emotion he was feeling he allowed the Ghoul to continue a deep rumbling hum sound.

Kord blinked. That sounded suspiciously like purring to him, but he wasn't about to say anything.

At least Creeper was feeling better and the Ghoul was showing trust in him!

Kord had noticed his slugs were avoiding Creeper the past week (and the Ghoul simply didn't bother attempting any form of interaction with them) but he didn't pay it much mind. It was painfully obvious even before that the Shane gang's slugs were not going to like having Creeper around.

But Burpy apparently didn't seem to be following that idea.

"Hello!" Burpy hopped up by Kord's worktable. Creeper was sitting on Kord's shoulder as usual, a place the Ghoul didn't ever seem likely to leave. He only ever left when Kord went in the bathroom or went to sleep. In both cases Burpy was almost certain the Ghoul was brooding in the ceiling supports again.

Honestly 'brooding' was the only way to describe anything the Ghoul did. He didn't show a lick of any other emotion than dark looks and narrowed eyes. Only Kord could seem to draw anything else out of him and Burpy was considerably worried when Creeper looked confused every time Kord showered (constant) affection over him.

"…" Creeper blinked at him and his wings tightened up on his back. Not expecting the silence, Burpy scratched the back of his head with an awkward chirp.

"Er, I didn't really try talking to you before now because you… seemed like you needed the space. Especially with the uh… nightmare? Kord's other slugs saw that, and really that's the only thing I could think of it being." Burpy was happy that he was on the table because Creeper's spines bristled dangerously and his wings spread out as if to intimidate… no.

Burpy quickly shook that thought from his head and looked at the Ghoul more carefully. Antennae were a slug's way of expressing emotion, spines and wings were likely the same with Ghouls. Or at least Burpy hoped.

The bristling spines could mean a lot of things. Burpy wasn't even going to get into the long list of things they might be showing. But Creeper's wings weren't spreading out, they were curling around him. 'Is he… embarrassed?' Burpy thought in surprise. Of course! That must be what the spines were showing too.

Creeper must be embarrassed about having a nightmare – if that was what it really was. Burpy wasn't going to straight up assume anything just yet.

"Er, it's alright." Burpy shrugged, winging it and just hoping Creeper was aware that he got the body language message. "His other slugs were actually pretty surprised to see you act like that. I'd say it's a win. They aren't really happy to accept you but at least they're thinking along the lines of you being more than you seem."

Creeper knew what the Infernus was talking about. The Infernus knew very much about him. Not anywhere near the truth, but still more than anyone else did. The Infernus knew he hadn't been doing anything of his will. The Infernus knew that Creeper had the mind of a slug. And the Infernus very likely knew that Creeper had been the focus of… unpleasant things beyond being forced to fight.

Creeper didn't care about the slugs, but the Infernus seemed to be implying that Creeper should be getting in their favor. Creeper… wasn't sure how to respond to that concept. Was it a cleverly hidden order to make nice with the slugs? Creeper hadn't ever taken orders from a slug before. He wasn't sure if he was supposed to.

The Ghoul instinct firmly vetoed that option with a snarl in the back of his head. Creeper ignored him and shoved him back when it tried to push for control to make in a vocal snarl. Creeper was not offending this Infernus.

He decided to go with a… safe comment, though he didn't exactly want to speak.

"…his… other slugs?" Just like before, Creeper's voice was rough and the unsteady slug language was very close to being unrecognizable by the growl in his voice. He didn't seem to be upset or violent, so Burpy decided that the growl was a natural thing for Ghouls. Huh. Creeper had a 'Ghoul' accent.

Burpy tilted his head at the strangely quiet question. "Uh… yeah? He's your slinger isn't he? Plus you don't exactly act like a Ghoul."

The Ghoul instinct was strangely very agitated by that comment. Creeper closed his eyes and battled him mentally for a few seconds before managing to respond. "I am a Ghoul." He glared at the Infernus. "I am no slug. I can never be." There was no mistaking the anguished tone in his dull voice.

Burpy frowned. "No… you are whatever and whoever you choose." Creeper's antennae twitched oddly and Burpy found himself at the center of a very intimidating but confused glare.

Creeper's spines flattened abruptly and his wings followed suit. The Infernus slug was suddenly struck by the thought that Creeper was absolutely lost. The poor Ghoul just looked so confused at the notion he was his own being. It hurt to watch him stumble around, unsure of what to do or how to really function.

It also made Burpy extremely angry at Blakk for whatever he'd done to this creature.

"It's okay to be confused," Burpy finally added on. "Nobody is really ever sure of themselves. Everyone's a little confused. Some are just a little more than others." Burpy offered him a small hopeful smile. "Just… try to be yourself, okay? Try to be who you're supposed to be. I know that's probably hard, but I'll be here to talk if you ever want to."

Creeper didn't smile back, but he blinked slowly and his wings raised themselves off Kord's shoulder and to an actually relaxed place on his back. Heh, maybe Burpy was getting the hang of Ghoul body language!

Kord tinkered on obliviously.

While the rest of the Shane gang had followed the slugs' example and mostly ignored Creeper, Eli was still very curious about him. He was a Ghoul and yet they'd ALL seen Kord petting him and baby-talking him. Even slugs tended to react negatively to baby talk, much less a Ghoul, so Eli figured Kord must definitely be onto something.

"Be careful Eli, his spines bristle when he feels in danger." Kord warned as he held Creeper out towards the forcefully calm Shane.

"Why do I get the feeling I don't want to know how you know that?" Eli joked as Creeper eyed both the human and the cave troll, the latter with a slight hint of betrayal. What exactly was going on here?!

"Probably because you don't." Kord grinned sheepishly back, knowing everyone had noticed the bandages on his hands. He'd blamed in on his tools at the time. "Let's just say I found out he panics when he's in small places the hard way."

"Ouch," Eli said before paying more attention to the slightly bigger than average Ghoul. "Hey there, I'm Eli." He smiled softly as Creeper tensed up. Burpy had quickly hopped up on his slinger's shoulder when he cottoned onto what was happening and the Infernus gave Creeper a reproving look.

"Eli is one of the best and nicest slingers you'll ever meet, ALL slugs like him! He's definitely not going to hurt you. He just wants to get to know you like Kord has been."

Creeper eyed the approaching hand warily but seeing as this was the 'Alpha' of the group… the Ghoul instinct was actually caught between biting at the fingers and cringing away from them.

"Easy there little bud, Eli's just curious." Kord said soothingly as Eli cautiously held his hand flat.

Creeper's wings went from flat in caution and fear to rigid in a heartbeat. Burpy frowned as Creeper shuffle-flapped over to Eli's hand. What was that? Creeper didn't trust Eli at all and Burpy more than knew that Creeper didn't just let untrusted creatures touch him, much less handle him.

Was it what Kord had said? Watching as Eli and Kord traded their own worried looks, Creeper practically vibrating in sheer nerves and tension, Burpy saw them come to the same conclusion.

Eli didn't move his hand away from Kord's. "You know you don't have to, Creeper, if you don't want me holding you that's okay." He tried.

Creeper very very clearly looked up at Kord for verification.

Kord couldn't help a sigh. "You don't have to do anything you don't want, little buddy, and Eli's definitely not gonna want to make you uncomfortable." The Ghoul even looked at Burpy in confusion, as if to make sure he was hearing the right words. Burpy nodded at him with a bright smile.

Eli was slightly disappointed when Creeper quickly flapped-hopped back to Kord's hand, but the Ghoul seemed nervous but relatively okay with him petting the backs of his wings instead.

Creeper wasn't exactly sure why so many creatures seemed determined to touch him but he could at least admit he liked having his wings pet. Again he allowed the instinct to hum in pleasure.

Eli, unlike Kord, had no reservations about finding that funny. "Is he purring?"

"He's humming," Kord defended for the sake of his Ghoul's pride when his antennae flattened and his spines bristled. "And just be happy he's even letting you hear it." He was also close to having his bandages sliced off by unknowing Ghoul spines but he wasn't about to say so.

Eli wisely stifled his snicker. Burpy didn't really care and let loose a few, ignoring the glare sent at him that had no real weight behind it.

Creeper's learning to make his own decisions instead of taking orders~

I feel like a cruel excuse for a human being every time I write all Creeper's introspection and issues and all that stuff. ;w; He so saaaad.

Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry for taking so long to get it here!