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Grinning wildly, Leopold stopped the pyrotechnics and replaced the fallen posters with giant photographs of windswept beaches—with the big waves actually moving because he could do that and it was pretty darn cool.

He took Crispin’s hand and led him to the couch, where they both sat down.

A little gingerly on Crispin’s part, so Leopold rolled his eyes and turned the fabric into a modern, stain-free navy polyester.

As Leopold settled in, he noticed that the gray cloud in the corner had expanded.

It wasn’t threatening. In fact, it looked soft and comfy, like a giant wad of cotton, and he imagined wrapping himself inside it for a long, cozy nap.

Later. For now, he was focused on Crispin, who still seemed a little jumpy.

“Are you hungry? I can find us something to eat, I bet. There’s this Swedish pizza I really like.

Well, I dunno if it’s really Swedish, but that’s what they call it.

It has bananas and chicken and curry and jalapenos, and it’s amazing.

We could have one of those. Or not—we can have whatever you really like.

What’s your favorite food?” It occurred to him how little he truly knew about his new friend.

“I’m partial to a fresh-baked loaf of bread and some zoucberries, when they’re in season.” Although Crispin answered the question, he did so a little absently, as if his mind were on something else.

“Sure. We can do that. Maybe if I go poking around in the cupboards….”

Leopold started to get up, but Crispin pulled him down. “In a little while, perhaps. We have important matters to discuss.”

“Like… kissing?” Leopold asked hopefully.

That was pretty important. “I can tone down the fireworks if you want. Or you can pick the colors. We can pick them together! That would be fun.” It was sort of like a date activity.

Ooh, a date. Maybe he should switch to better mood lighting in this place and add some music.

What was good making-out music? He hadn’t really done much dating, per se, and was somewhat at a loss.

Although he hadn’t yet thought of a song, one started up, which surprised him until Crispin pulled Thea from his pocket. “Oh, you’re here too.” Crispin had perked up a bit.

“Wait, I know that song.” Leopold flipped through the dusty playlist in his brain. It was from an old 80s movie about… pilots. “ Danger Zone !” he announced triumphantly. “Thea, that’s not really mood music.”

She turned up the volume until Crispin gave her a little pat. “Yes. I understand. Thank you.” Once she was quiet again, he tucked her away before turning to Leopold. “We need to talk , Leo. And not about kissing.”

That was disappointing, but Leopold figured conversation would be nice too.

“Sure. We could… ooh! We could share what shapes we see in the gray cloud. That’s kind of romantic, right?

” And he pointed at the cloud, which had grown bigger still and sort of resembled a rabbit in a tutu if he tilted his head just right.

Except one ear was off. Maybe he should get up and adjust it.

Crispin held him in place, face grave. “I’m afraid I may have left a mess in… other worlds.”

It was hard to concentrate, but Leopold tried because Crispin clearly felt deeply about this.

“Yeah, maybe. But no biggie. We’re here, and nothing is going to eat us or try to kill us.

We’re safe.” He looked around at the state of his room and knew it was probably nothing like what Crispin was used to.

“I can change up the place. Just tell me what you want it to look like. Hell, we can rotate through different themes whenever you want. It’ll be great. We’ll be home.”

His voice broke on that last word, which surprised him. He’d never realized it before, but he’d spent his entire life feeling weird and out of place, and now he didn’t. This room was him, and if he could share it with someone who cared about him, that would be perfect. More than he’d dreamed of.

Crispin took Leopold’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “You’re being very thoughtful. But I can’t stay here.”

“Why not? Is it me? I can change. I’ll be whatever you?—”

“It’s not you.” Another squeeze. “And to be frank, you’re changing already. Did you know that your hairstyle and clothing have been shifting since we arrived? And so has the color of your eyes. They’re gray now.”

Leopold put his free fingers against his own eyelid as if he could somehow sense the color beneath. “I…. No.” His heartbeat increased and he felt a little dizzy.

“You’ve spent your entire life among humans, thinking you were one of them, and you became very human yourself. But here I think… I think you’re going to lose that. I think you’re already starting to.”

Leopold tried to wrap his mind around that. “To become just… Chaos?”

Crispin gestured toward the gray cloud, which had crept closer and now…

now looked an awful lot like a person, although the features were indistinct.

It was holding one arm in Leopold’s direction, and a part of him really, really wanted to go over and let the cloud embrace him. But Crispin was still holding his hand.

He gripped it tightly, as though it were one of those lifelines on that TV quiz show, except wasn’t that a telephone call and not really a line at all?

“It’s not just Chaos,” Crispin said sadly. “Chaos is an incredibly powerful force. And Leo, if you feel that Chaos is your true nature, the you that you want to be, then I can’t tell you not to. Everyone should be their true self.”

Leopold swallowed. “Okay?”

“But I can’t stay here with you. It would destroy me—it’s not my true self. I’ve always been more inclined toward Order. And back home, oh, there’s Minkis who will miss me, and I’d miss him. And there’s the damage I’ve caused. I need to try to fix it.”

“Damage?”

“I opened your Door again. We slipped in, but I don’t know what may have slipped out.

Into my mother’s court. And there’s the fact that OotL wanted you collected to begin with, which generally means they have need of you somehow, or will eventually, and I haven’t brought you in.

So there’s going to be an issue to deal with there, as well. ”

Leopold firmed his jaw. “It doesn’t have to be your issue. You didn’t cause it. And as for your mother’s court?—”

“I know. She tried to kill you, and my brother, well, we know about him. But they’re still my family.” Crispin looked as if he might cry.

Leopold took a few deep breaths and tried to weigh his options.

On the one hand, there was that tempting gray cloud reaching for him. He could be happy here, he thought. Powerful. No longer the screwup who got fired from every job, evicted from every cruddy apartment, rejected by every friend and lover.

But on the other, there was Crispin. Who was the best friend he’d ever had and could, Leopold hoped, be even more.

He could keep Crispin here! That would solve everything.

Sure, Crispy would complain at first, but he’d come around eventually.

Leopold would make sure to cater to his every whim, to treat him like the prince he was, to make him fall so deliriously in love that he’d forget the rest of the worlds and he would?—

He would be a prisoner, and Leopold would be his keeper.

The thought horrified Leopold so much that he shuddered and almost vomited.

Shaking and unsure of whether this was the right thing to do and whether he wanted to do it, Leopold stood and urged Crispin to his feet.

“Let’s see if we can fix the mess together,” Leopold said.

Crispin’s expression transformed again, first into surprise and then pure joy. “Together? Are… are you sure?”

“Let’s go, Crispy.”

Leopold kissed him again, but just a peck on the lips this time because they had shit to do.