Treasure in a person, there's a price on their heart.

Bad.... help me.

A/N

A warning, there will be semi-graphic depiction of puking and coughing up blood. Be warned, I will put a warning in front of it.

When the two woke up the cycle of the week started again. Skeppy was hidden as Bad went to get the food from Margret. Then they ate, Skeppy giving up half of his food since it was a pain to eat. Then they would read and eat again at the end of the day. And what Bad thought was going to be two days turned into a week.

A week of spending every hour of the day together. Then every hour of the night as Skeppy cuddled up to Bad as to not have any nightmares. Bad still didn't know why Skeppy did it, because Skeppy really couldn't tell him. Still, Bad was benefiting from it too, sleeping the best that he's ever had. Skeppy had already gone through multiple chapters in the book.

It made sense that he would progress faster the more he read, since he didn't have to learn a whole new set of words each page, just the ones that he hadn't learned. Yet Bad was still amazed by the way that Skeppy learned. Skeppy had to memorize the way that each word looked. Every single one.

He wondered why he wasn't just taught the sounds of them, but shrugged it off since it might be harder to sound out a word if you can't hear yourself. Bad also wondered if Skeppy could hear himself in his thoughts, that would be cool. What would Skeppy sound like? Bad couldn't imagine a voice in particular, or even if his voice would be deep or high.

Bad sighed at the thought of possibly never being able to hear his voice, but it was fine. He got out of that train of thought and now thought about how long it's been that the two have been cooped up there. They really needed to take a shower.

"Come on Skeppy. We have to go take a shower." Skeppy's eyes flashed open as he heard those words.

"No Skeppy, we aren't taking a shower together. We're doing it separately." Skeppy huffed out in relief.

"Wha- you really thought that I was telling you to take a shower with me?" Skeppy nodded.

"Skeppy! Why would you think that?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"Ugh, okay Skeppy. Come on, let's go." Bad opened the door carefully and looked outside to make sure that Margret wasn't still out there. The chores should have been done by now since the sun was setting. When he saw nothing, he stepped out of the barn.

He ushered Skeppy over and hid him from anywhere Margret would possibly be able to see him. They turned the corner of the barn and then again to the bathhouse that Bad had. It wasn't big or anything, but it gave him privacy.

"Okay Skeppy, go in. I'll turn the water on and it should start filling up a tub, knock twice when it's done. There's shampoo and a cup in there to wash your hair off. I'll go in after you. And when I do, you head back into the barn."

Skeppy nodded and walked to the bath house door. He looked back again to check if he could. Bad waved him inside and he finally closed the door. Bad sighed as he went to turn the water on, thankful that it was nice enough outside to not affect the temperature too much. No one wants a cold shower, but he bet Skeppy didn't want to be burning alive either.

Bad sat outside and waited for the signal to turn the water off. He thought he heard it and went to turn it off. Just as his hand touched the handle, he heard someone clearing their throat behind him. He turned off the water and turned around.

"What're ye doin' out the barn?" Margret asked.

"Oh just taking a bath since it's been a week since I've took one." Bad replied.

"An ye didn't ask fer permission first?" Margret said.

"No, I'm sorry ma'am. I just thought-"