This is a little personal, but I figured someone would relate to my indirect boo-boo-ing.
Stretch (Casper 1995) x college student! F! Reader (part 1???? I might make more later if this gets traction)
Trigger warnings: swearing, drinking, smoking
This truly wasnât where you expected your life to be right now. Youâre an older college student, easily out-aging your much younger peers by a good decade or soâŠit seemed like a good life choice at the time. And it still could be, despite your age. Youâd wanted so badly to study psychology, wanting to find a way out of your old corporate shell of a life, and youâd had the opportunity no one else could boastâyou were invited personally to study under the tutelage of the renowned Dr. Harvey in the state of Maine. It was across the country from your home and everything familiar, sure, but who could pass up the opportunity of a lifetime?
Certainly not you.
Even if it meant you would be living with a trio of ghosts who were, at first, total assholes to you. They were more like annoying brothers now, and youâd gotten more than used to them.
And as a bonus, youâd even begun to call one in particular, a friend.
But now you were beginning to rethink your brilliant, hope-fueled choices. Not because of your frankly bizarre roommates, butâŠeverything just seemed so unfamiliar now. You felt more out of touch than ever, even at this bum-ass sorority party youâd so graciously volunteered to host at Whipstaff. That recommendation was at the request of both Dr. Harvey, and of course your spiritual entourage.
You had the sneaking suspicion that your idiotic spiritual friends just wanted to terrify a bunch of silly college girls, and they actually didnât want to be at the party to have actual fun.
At the apex of the party, you see everyone being friendly with one another and having the time of their lives. Couples slow dancing, others simply just having good old fashioned drunken funâŠbut you werenât really feeling it. You missed home, and all your friends there. You never thought you could be in a room so full of life and people, and still be just so lonely. This is a wonderful, grand party, but youâre not really in the mood to do anything but stand on the balcony and smoke while you look down at the ocean.
And guess who the hell follows you outside?
âWhaddya doin out here, dressed like a queen for? You look too nice for dis crowd.â
Stretch. Obviously. The one out of your ghostly roommates that youâd started to refer to as a friend.
You were shocked heâd just show up out of nowhere in the middle of a party full of people, but at this point, youâd come to understand that he did this constantly anyway. Scaring you or at least catching you off guard was something he definitely took immense amusement from.
You flinched only slightly, thankfully keeping your cigarette in hand.
âWhat, no throwinâ a shoe at me dis time for scarinâ ya? Whatâs the matter with you?â
You didnât say anything at first, and to your surprise, he didnât keep yapping like usual.
No teasing, no annoying banter, nothing. It seemed like he was actually showing concern, real and genuine.
âNothing. Just notâŠmy scene, I guess.â You mumbled, staring down at the water far below the balcony. âNot really a party girl anymore, I outgrew all that a long time ago.â
The dark waves crashed against one another until they disappeared, the smell of saltwater rushing over you. Itâs peaceful out here, even with the raucous thump of the music from inside the manor.
âHmâŠI dunno. You sound ehâŠâ he sounded like he was up to something as you watched him circle around you, floating in your peripheral vision.
âGonna be honest here, sweetheart. Donât take it the wrong way, but you sound dead... ya look too sparkly to be sounding so down in the dumps.â
Admittedly, it got a little guilty chuckle out of you. Heâs trying really hard, for absolutely no reason whatsoever.
âQuit being corny.â You snorted, resting your elbows on the railing. âWhatâre you buttering me up for this time?â
He could tell something really WAS up with you, normally you threw every annoyance right back in his face with wit as quick as greased lightning. And he liked it that way. Itâs fun when you jab back!
Right now you werenât yourself, far from it.
As much as he didnât want to be, he was concerned for youâŠhe didnât quite like the way you were looking down at the water, so wistfully like that.
It was almost making him rememberâŠsomething. But whatever the memory couldâve been, it was gone faster than he could acknowledge it.
The most beautiful skinnie heâd ever seen in his life didnât need to look soâŠlost. It felt wrong.
â âEy. Look at me.â
You turned your forlorn gaze his way, and despite your sparkling makeup, the shine in your eyes wasnât there like normal.
âWhat? I see you every day, nothingâs different.â
âHa-ha. Funny. So are you gonna tell me whatâs on your mind or not?â He put his hands on his hips and kept staring at you, scowling. âMy timeâs real valuable these days.â
Ah, so he actually IS being genuine for once and not just being an assâŠjust using his normal facade as a front to actually be nice to you, hoping you wouldnât notice. Clever.
Were you really even ready to just open up on the spot? Probably not, and youâd more than likely get your words scrambled and look like a loser. Or even worse, a washed-up emo adult still stuck in the high school melodramatics.
You wished there was alcohol here at this party, but most of your fellow students werenât even of legal age yet. You were the one that stuck out like a sore thumb, considering you were a decade older than all of them.
âWell IâI guess.â You mumbled, taking another long drag of your cigarette to steady yourself.
He watched you suck the absolute life out of that cigarette youâd been nursing for a half hour, burning it up almost all the way to the filter in one go.
Damn.
It wouldâve been hot as hell if he hadnât known you were struggling with something right now.
You looked down at it, frowned as if disappointed, and flicked it over the balcony and into the dark, swirling ocean below.
âI justâŠnever thought that Iâd feel so fucking empty in a room full of people, you know? JustâI know how it sounds, okay? Just feels like I donât have anybody. Life back home wasnât stellar, but at least it wasâŠfamiliar.â You glanced at him for a moment, then turned your gaze away, back to the night sky. âHaving nobody and being stuck 1200 miles away from home is justâŠrough. Sorry, I know how absolutely fucking stupid this sounds.â
But he floated right back into your line of sight, his arms crossed as he listened to you intently, a nonexistent eyebrow raised.
He was about to say something along the lines of âwell what am I, chopped liver?â but decided against it and just kept listening.
Trying to understand.
He still didnât get the problems of the living, he didnât even remember his own at all, and didnât really bother to care that much.
You made him care, though.
âSounds like you need a drink.â
You were about to start crying like a moron, but the surprise of him saying that so seriously put negative emotions on pause.
âBoy, do I.â You laughed bitterly.
âNow that sounds more like you.â You half-expected him to call for Fatso and Stinkie, but he didnât this time. âMinus the enthusiasm.â
âTheyâre not coming?â You raised an eyebrow.
âNope. I make the rules âround here, so I say they sit this one out. Cmon.â
Then you realized you were wearing a stupid tiara, a metric fuckton of gold, and your fanciest black dress. Not to mention the 6 inch heels youâd no doubt bust your ass in if you got tanked, which, letâs face itâŠhappy hour with the trio always ended with you smashed out of your mind whether you liked it or not. You could only imagine how it would be with just ONE of them.
âUhâI donât know if I should go out likeâŠthis.â You motioned vaguely to your extravagantly-clad person, and he shrugged you off.
âEh. Give em somethinâ nice to look at, not like thereâs any other skinnie round here that looks like you do.â
He sounded so nonchalant, so smooth with his words, that it made your face stupidly hot all of a sudden.
It left you speechless.
It seems that like whenever youâre in a vulnerable state, he knows exactly how to be charming and suave in a way that actually makes you feel better. Heâs done it before, and it seems now that itâs becoming increasingly often.
âYou gonna take my hand or what?â You shook yourself out of your embarrassed state and took his outstretched hand. âWait, how are we gonnaââ
He was grinning at you as you rested your hand in his, leaving you zero time to process what was about to happen. Heâs good at that.
You didnât even get to finish your sentence before you were being surrounded with a dull tingling feeling, as if your entire body were on pins and needles, as you were lifted off the ground.
Oh god, off the ground. Off. The. Ground.
You scrambled upon realizing that you were being hoisted a hundred feet into the air, above the ocean, making the myriad of parked cars in front of the manor shrink pretty rapidly.
âJesus Christ. Oh my god. Weâre high. We are very fucking high.â You muttered, panicking and grabbing onto his arm with both hands, trying your best to keep your eyes screwed shut. Donât think about it, donât think about it.
âYeah, duh. How many timesâve we done this now, and youâre still scared?â
âStretch. I was never sober when we did this.â Your voice came out as a pathetic squeak, and he chuckled through his teeth. âOut of the three times, none of them involved me being coherent.â
âI know. You wonât be when we come back though. I always get you back home in one piece, donât I?â You hadnât moved just yet, and kept your eyes shut as you held on to his arm for dear life.
You mumbled something he couldnât quite hear. It was probably a yes, thatâs what he took it as.
âSee? Look, itâs not that bad once you get used to it. Hold on.â
Whatâs he doing? You refused to open your eyes to see it for fear of seeing the terrifying drop to the sharp rocks that broke the waves belowâŠbut you felt him moving around until there was a chilly semi-corporeal arm around your waist.
âOpen your eyes. Promise I wonât let go.â
You were very reluctant. ââŠyou PROMISE?â
âNot gonna drop ya.â
His level of patience was surprising tonight, normally heâd be fed up with anyone who didnât comply or respond in two secondsâŠbut here he is, being nice. Absurdly out of character, even.
ââŠokayâŠâ you whispered, feeling cold, salty air across your face, cautiously peeking one eye open.
The night sky shimmered with the city below, cars passing by with their headlights casting a glow across the road. You could see the lights of businesses and homes, the dim silhouettes of people walking on the sidewalk to enjoy the crisp Halloween night.
Despite your still-lingering fear, it wasâŠ
ââŠwow.â You let out the breath youâd been holding, realizing now once both eyes were open that heâd shifted you to be in front of him, almost as if this were a sort of midair slow dance.
âThis isâŠâ
âSure is somethinâ, isnât it? Dunno why Harvey stays in the house all the time these days.â You turned your head, expecting him to be looking out into the night, but he was staring at you instead.
And you caught him.
He blinked and dramatically pretended he wasnât just blatantly admiring you.
âWhat? Whatcha lookinâ at me for? Said it yourself, you see me every dayânot every day you get to see all this.â
Throwing sass back at you, thatâs the ghost you knew.
Then it somewhat began to settle inâthis was your new familiar.
Someone youâd come to know, despite them not being exactly alive. It did count, as much as you thought it didnât before.
âFunny from the guy I just caught staring at me.â
âDonât rub it in, dollface. I could just let go and make you a ghost too.â Despite the snide tone, he was smiling. âItâd be real easy.â
At first, once youâd gotten used to the fact that ghosts were indeed real and haunting your place of living, youâd thought he was a smug asshole, and whatever name he decided to call you was irritating. He hardly ever called you by your actual name, and literally everything else in the book.
It used to really creep under your skin, especially considering he usually had an audience, hamming it up whenever anyone else was around. God forbid his brothers, which was almost always the case, and all three of them would be dog piling you with aggravating quips.
But nowâŠitâs different.
Heâs never been malicious to you, or actually tried to hurt you at all, now that you were thinking about it. The verbal jabs were just good fun, and actually got you giggling more than once.
First he just called you what you assumed were ghost slurs for the living: skinnie, bonebag, fleshie, skinbag, the list goes on. He and the others didnât take you seriously, and they made sure you knew it, too.
But now that you actually were putting thought to it, the names heâd called you had changed too, and so had the others, and youâd failed to notice until tonight. They were actually endearingâŠsweetheart was your favorite.
But would you tell him that? Hell no, heâd probably get a big head about it and wouldnât leave you aloneâŠso youâd just keep that to yourself.
And now there was a sneaking feeling that this wasnât just an attempt to get you to feel better so he could go back to being annoying, but it seemed to be a date.
By the time youâd gotten back to solid ground, he lingered for a moment with his arm around your waist before he let go. Thankfully, the streets had cleared mostly out since it was getting pretty late at this point. Probably around midnight, perhaps closer to half past eleven.
âCan IâŠask you something?â Before you became completely smashed out of your mind and unable to hold a conversation, you had to ask.
He raised an eyebrow, one hand on his hip.
âYeah?â
âDo you ever missâŠyou know, being alive?â
He seemed to think for a moment before he responded with a half-shrug.
Not at all what you were expecting. You were expecting a whole-hearted, melodramatic immediate pop-off of âhell no!â, but it didnât happen and left you confused.
âEh. Not really, no. Itâs too much fun like this, yknow?â He sounded lukewarm, as if he didnât really care, but that alone made you think otherwise.
Heâs changed a lot since you first met him.
âI get that.â You replied, ââŠIâm going to be honest, here. Iâve thought about notâŠbeing alive, more than once. Been like this for years, me being chronically miserable is nothing new, butâŠitâs likeâŠI just donât know how to feel anymore. Maybe Iâm losing my spark. Getting old while the world changes, and I donât want it to.â
That seemed to strike a chord with him for whatever reason, just like the way youâd been looking down at the ocean had before.
He couldnât think of why, but this kind of feeling, this conversation, seemed just so familiarâŠbut he couldnât place it.
âLook who youâre talkinâ to, doll.â He held his arms out and motioned to himself. âWorldâs gonna change, whether you like it or not, whether youâre alive or not. Just gottaâŠgo with it. Do whatever the hell you want, whenever you want, âcuz it doesnât really matter in the end, right?â
That wasâŠthe most profound thing youâd ever heard him say.
He mustâve noticed you frowning and changed his train of thought.
âWhat I mean isâŠyouâre young. Got your whole life ahead aâ you, donât mean itâs gonna be miserable the whole time.â
You tilted your head, brows furrowed as you listened to this shocking outpouring of wisdom coming from someone whoâd just cackled at you for tripping over the rug yesterday morning.
You went quiet, simply absorbing every word heâd said.
âIâŠâ how could you even respond? âI hopeâŠthat even after tonight, I still remember this. Never thought that Iâd be here, pouring my heart out to a ghost, and that ghost telling me that life gets better.â
âNever thought Iâd go out of my way to make a skinnie feel better, neither.â
A little rough around the edges, but it was still sweet nonetheless.
âThanksâŠfor this.â
Finally, thatâs what heâs been waiting for this whole entire timeâfor you to smile. Allâs right with the world again.
âYknow, we wanted to croak ya not too long ago. Youâre a gas, doll, youâve got spirit we ainât seen since before Harvey got old nâ grayâŠit was our plan back then. But nowââ he paused, crossing his arms. âCould never hurt ya. We couldnât do thatâŠâspecially after that one night.â
Whatâs he talking about? You blinked in bewilderment. âWhat night?â
âWhat, think we canât hear everything that goes on in those walls? Heard ya on the phone, talkinâ to your ma, every single word. At first we wanted to just end it then and there, but I kept on listening andâŠI didnât think itâd be right. I didnât even think tryna convince ya would be right either. You sounded like youâve got a lotta hurt in that fleshy lilâ heart aâ yours.â
He watched as your expression melted into not only realization, but what couldâve beenâŠrespect? Gratitude? Youâre a bit hard to read. âStretchââ
âItâs part aâ the reason I donât miss beinâ alive. That kinda hurt doesnât bother me no more, I canât even remember what it feels like, and canât say I wanna. But you shouldnât have to go through it, neither.â
Wow. Once again, for the second time tonight, you were left dumbstruck at the profound and frankly heartfelt words coming out of him. Who is this, and whatâs he done with the real Stretch? Whereâs the smug bastard who enjoyed pestering you day in and day out?
âWhâwhereâs all this coming from?â You shifted on your feet, and he offered his elbow for you to take, a gentlemanly gesture you hadnât yet seen.
âCanât a guy get sappy every once in a while?â
You had the distinct feeling that this wouldnât happen when everyone else was around, but that was fine with you. âIs that a crime?â
As long as these moments didnât end, you were more than happy with that.
You looped your arm in his, walking along the inside edge of the sidewalk towards the usual bar that everyone in Whipstaff tended to raid at least once a week.
The staff had become accustomed to it and had learned that the bar would get absolutely leveled if they put up any sort of fight.
âIâm not saying that you canât, I justâŠIâm saying I like this side of you, thatâs all. And Iâm grateful for it.â You were well aware that they wanted to kill you early on, they werenât exactly the quietest bunch, and their voices tended to carry and echoed off the walls. And back then, you wouldâve done absolutely nothing to stop them. It mightâve even been an act of mercy.
You heard almost every word with their version of whispering, which usually was anything but that.
Harvey had told you theyâd probably want to make it clear that they wanted you to join them, anyway, so it didnât come as a shock.
âOh yeah?â That distinct northern accent was really starting to make you feel all melty and warm inside. And you had no clue why, it justâŠdid. âAm I startinâ to charm ya or something?â
âMaybe so. If you keep being nice to me.â
Ah, now you could see that youâre inflating his ego, based on the way heâs smiling as he floated next to you with his head back, looking more than a little dramatic with that spindly neck of his. He was starting to look like heâd just won the lottery and was going to spend the rest of eternity bragging loudly about it.
A bottle of Jose Cuervo and several fireball shots later, he watched you turn into a living puddle, facedown on the bar. Goddamn, you really knew how to sink em, didnât you?
Itâs probably about time he gets you back in the bed, before you could cause trouble with the law or hurt yourself.
Youâd be feeling this tomorrow, but maybe⊠he could make it better somehow.
â âEy. Cmon sweetheart, we gotta go.â He jostled your shoulder, causing you to sit up and look at him through bleary, squinted eyes. âCanât even stand up, can ya?â
He watched you get to your feet, then almost topple over like a fawn just learning to walkâŠthose heels werenât doing you any favors.
âGuess datâs a no.â He caught you before you could fall.
You mumbled something, but it was so slurred and quiet he couldnât understand what it was, but it was probably just drunken mumbo-jumbo.
He couldnât exactly float you the same way as he did when heâd brought you here, considering you couldnât stay on your feet, so carrying you it is.
He scooped you up, adjusting you in his arms and you justâŠmelted. Could be the fact that you were absolutely smashed, butâcould also be something else.
Maybe.
You were probably the hardest fleshie to read heâd ever seen, and frankly, thatâs part of the reason he kept on trying to figure you out.
Your face, unless you were smiling, always read âyou donât have the right to talk to me, fuck off.â
Youâre the furthest thing from boring.
âHang on tight.â
Didnât even know why he said that, probably just habit.
However, as the two of you left the bar and floated off into the night sky, heading for the manor, you seemed to turn even more to jelly in his arms.
â âS cold.â He actually understood that, even though it was quiet.
âAlmost there, doll.â
When he felt you shift, burying your face in the curve of his mostly tangible neck and wrapping your arms around his shouldersâŠif he had a heart, itâd be beating a million miles a minute. Remember, just the alcohol, thatâs it.
Donât think too hard about it.
âSure do like makinâ things complicated, donâtcha?â
âMmmyup.â
Heâs starting to see why Casper had it so bad for Harveyâs kid. Great.
He still didnât get how you could just be so comfortable, so fast, and so trusting of an actual ghost whoâd told you to your face that heâd planned on killing you a while back. It wasnât entirely you just being drunk, he was smart enough to know that.
He carried you up the stairs, causing the remaining gathering of sorority girls to scream and scatter in all directions. Good riddance.
Seemed like you were on the verge of being out cold, even better.
âHere, kid. That rack youâre sleepinâ on sucks, take dis one for tonight.â
He couldâve just dropped you and youâd be none the wiser, but he put you down carefully instead on his bed. He might regret it in the morning, but if it made you feel better, it was worth it.
You were always nice, even when he was being a jackass to you and you were tossing it right back at him. His turn now. He had to, considering how close heâd gotten to you tonight. How youâd opened up to him like youâd known him your entire lifeâŠhe didnât get it, but it worked out in his favor. And yours, since it seemed to make you feel better.
âGettinâ soft? Sweet on the lilâ lady?â Here come his brothers.
â âEy! Whatâd ya put her in here for? Ainât that a littleââ Stinkie started, but Fatso cut him off.
âNah, I think itâs great. Look at her, lookinâ all fancy for this partyânice dreams for me tonight, huh?â Fatso guffawed, floating around your sleeping form.
âBuzz off. Let âer sleep, been a rough night.â Stretch floated down, taking off those ridiculously expensive shoes youâd been wearing and dropping them to the floor. Now to start working on the ten million pounds of sparkly rings and bracelets you were wearing.
You really did just go all out, but for just a random crowd of college skinnies? It didnât make too much sense, but heâd never complain about that.
âWhatdja do to her? Sheâs off her rocker, man!â He gave your sleeping form an experimental poke in the ribs, giggling when you didnât respond. âHa! Out cold!â
âI didnât do nothinâ! Just let âer loose for a little while, nothinâ wrong with that! She just had one aâ them fleshie breakdowns during the party.â He waved off his brothers, trying to figure out how to remove the fancy crown thing in your hair. How do girls wear this shit?
âYouâre sweet on her, donât blame ya. Just look at her, she looks like a fancy magazine model.â Fatso chuckled, a resounding belly laugh. â âSides that, sheâs a real angel ainât she?â
âAlright, alright.â Stretch waved off his brothers once again.
You could still vaguely hear them having a boorishly loud conversation around you, but couldnât quite place what they were saying. But someone was taking off your shoes and the uhâŠthe thing you wore on your headâŠwhatever it was.
âAinâtcha gonna put her in somethinââŠI dunno, thatâs notâthat?â Stinkie floated for the door, shooting his older brother a look and motioning to the dress you were wearing. âLooks awful expensive to sleep in, just sayinâ.â
âCâmon boys, we ainât animals! Iâll catch up in a second, just go on without me.â
No way was he gonna do that, hell no! Not unless you were conscious and aware and could ask for it. Ainât no way.
Heâs a guy, but heâs got morals!
He was the last to leave, even after the others had vanished into the wallâŠjust one more minute wouldnât hurt.
Okay, just a double check to make sure all your shitâs still in one pieceâweird hair crown thing, on the nightstand. Jewelry on the table. Shoes on the floor by the bed. You IN said bed.
Seems alright. Waitâ
Youâre shivering, ah shitâŠhe always forgets fleshies get cold real quick when heâs around.
He tossed the somewhat dusty blankets back and draped them over your curled up form, making sure your shoulders were covered. Itâs not like he ever used them, anyway. Didnât need em.
â âNight, toots. Sleep it off.â He didnât even know why he was bothering to say that, since you were as out as you could possibly beâŠbut it felt right to say it.
The next morning, the assault of the brutal morning sun on your eyelids jerked you out of a not so pleasant alcohol coma, and you snarled, trying to jerk the blankets over your face to block it out.
WaitâŠblankets? Youâre in bed? ButâŠthe party, the balconyâŠ
Trying to clear your swimming head, you sat up and looked around, trying to gather your thoughts.
This isnât your room.
Far from it.
How the fuck did you get here? And what room did you end up in?
Then it hit you, seeing two of the annoying trioâs beds next to you and across from you, which led you to turn around and see none other than âSTRETCHâ carved into the cobweb-covered headboard.
Oh Jesus. Literally how? A ghostly one night stand was highly unlikely, considering you remembered bits and pieces from the night beforeâŠalthough they were fuzzy and hard to focus on.
Your headâs pounding, thumping right behind your eyes and forehead.
It seemed you were still in your dress from the night before, but no shoes or tiara. No jewelry, either.
Upon more squinty-eyed gazing around the room, you saw your tiara neatly on the nightstand next to you, along with your jewelry, and your shoes at the foot of the bed.
You definitely couldnât be this attentive and neat when you were so drunk you couldnât even stand upâŠdid he do this?
Another realization hit you at the same time. Heâd been the absolute nicest to you last night, more than heâd ever been before, and had even taken you away from the thing that was making you miserableâŠthen brought you back home safe.
Whereâd he go?
Where is anybody?
The manor seemed silent, except for the birds tweeting outside the window.
You reluctantly got up, changing into comfortable clothes, took out your now dry contacts, brushed your hair and put on your glasses so you werenât blindâŠand ventured downstairs.
Thereâs some kind of minor ruckus going on in the kitchen, and the sound made you groan with the pounding in your head.
Ugh, mother of all hangovers. Lovely.
The foyerâs still a mess from the party, streamers and discarded solo cups and decorations everywhere, party equipment still strewn around the roomâŠyouâd help try and get things in order when you could see straight.
Whoâs making all that racket this early?
You pushed the door open with your foot, shambling into the kitchen like a post-alcoholic zombie and trying to shield your eyes from the intrusive sun coming through the countless windows and skylights.
As your sensitivity to the light faded, you saw that no one was here.
What the�
Youâd JUST heard a racket in here a minute ago.
Dishes clanging, someone grumbling to themselves, something sizzling on the stovetopâŠthe usual waking-up sounds of the morning.
SoâŠ
You looked around, saw a huge pot of coffee and a plate of breakfast just for you sitting on the warmer.
Through the silence, you leaped out of your skin when Casper appeared through the wall with a sunny smile and wave.
âGâmorning, (y/n)! Got breakfast ready for ya!â
Holy shit, too early for all that.
ââŠmorning, CasperâŠâ you mumbled, rubbing your eye under your glasses. âThanks for breakfast, you didnât have toâŠâ
You said it even though he made breakfast every single morning without fail.
He looked confused for a moment, then shook it off. âOh! I didnât do all this, I just cooked. Uncle Stretch made the coffee a little bit ago,said it was for youâum, but he kinda said not to tell you it was him. So I guess I kinda messed up on that part. Oops.â
Your brain might be a little slow, butâŠdid he just say that Stretch made that coffee for you? Youâd never seen him so much as even go near the kitchen unless it was to either bother you, or make a mess.
âWaitâŠâ you put up your hands as he pulled out a chair for you. âYouâre sayingâŠhe made that forâŠme?â
âMm-hmm. He kicked me out of the kitchen while he did it, though.â
âWhere is he? Whereâs everyone else?â You sat down, nodding in thanks. Heâs such a good boy, probably the best.
âTheyâre all sleeping. Dr. Harvey went out to the grocery store, I think, he said he needed to go get stuff to clean the house after the party.â He replied, setting your plate in front of you and pouring you some coffee. âThey said youâd be hungover and to make sure you ate something. I dunno what hungover means, but it doesnât sound very good.â
Wow, that wasâŠextremely thoughtful.
âItâsâŠreally not. Youâll never have to go through it, thank the lord for that.â Oh my god, this coffee is divine. Thereâs even sugar already in it, just like how you usually made itâheâd actually paid attention to stuff like that?
âThank you, Casper. Youâre very sweet.â As you smiled at the young ghost boy, he seemed to blush and sheepishly turn away from you, back to the dirty dishes he seemed to have been working on before.
âItâs no problem.â
You stole a glance at the clock, expecting the time to be somewhere around 8am, too hellishly early to be awakeâŠand yet, it was 1 in the afternoon. Yikes.
But at least you could enjoy the quiet peace of the manor during this time of day, even the soft clinking of Casper doing dishes across the room.
It was nice when the manor was completely still and peaceful.
âEVERYBODY OUTTA THE KITCHEN. SCRAM.â A booming echo with a sharp northern accent pierced through the kitchen ceiling, rattling the china in the cabinets, making you jump and nearly drop the mug in your hands.
Holy fuck, itâs way too soon for all that. Youâd been awake for less than half an hourâŠnot enough conscious time to deal with shenanigans of this caliber. And volume.
âGeez, okay, okay.â Casper muttered. â âM going.â
You groaned harshly and stood up, but the voice stopped you again.
Youâd know that voice anywhere, even with alcohol still fogging your brain.
âNot you.â
You dropped back to your seat, watching Casper scurry away and vanish with a little puff of white vapor into the nearest wall.
Ah, itâs your date from last night.
Obviously.
Finally, he made his appearance, floating down from the ceiling like a see-through balloon. A very skinny see-through balloon.
âRise nâ shine, dollface. Howâs the hangover?â He grinned at you, but it wasnât the usual smug I-told-you-so grin he usually wore. It was a little softer around the edges this time.
âI feel like shit.â You muttered, rubbing your temples. âUgh.â
âYou donât look it, though.â
Your eyes shot up and met his, surprised at that. Well, no oneâs around, it kind of made sense. Whatâs he up to, flirting with you so casually like that?
Heâs trying to make you feel better, thatâs what it is. It was a slow realization, indeed, but an inevitable one.
âWhaaaaaat? Gettinâ all shy on me now?â
âNoâŠâ you mumbled, trying to hide your face in your hands. Even though the answer was yes, you were. With your hungover state, you were completely powerless to resist any charm he was going to try and lay on you, seriously or not.
âSeriously, though, how ya feelinâ?â Heâd circled around the table and had floated to sit down next to you, leaning on his elbows. âQuite da party last night.â
You peeked at him from around your hands. ââŠIâmâŠa lot better, actually. Hungover as hell, but I feel better.â
âThatâs good, you ainât no fun when youâre all sad. Frowninâ donât suit ya the same way a smile does. Cuz when youâre all down in the dumps, I canât do disââ
Whatâs heâ
Before your swimming, foggy, slow brain could react, heâd plucked your glasses off your face and was now wearing them.
âYoink!â
One spirited, decidedly annoying cackle later, here come the other two of the ghostly peanut gallery, floating through the walls, also cackling like theyâd heard the funniest joke ever.
Lovely.
âAw, come onâŠitâs too early for thatâŠâ you grumbled, rubbing your eyes. âAt least let me drink my coffee first, guys.â
âGot a lilâ somethinâ on your face, prom queen.â Fatso chuckled, floating over next to you and swiping a frigid, semi-tangible finger across your nose.
âHowâd ya like sleepinâ in our bachelor pad last night, eh?â The youngest brother chimed in, hitting you right in the face with pungeant, hideous breath.
Regardless of the stench, your face got hot with embarrassment and you ducked your head back into your coffee mug to try and hide it. âUhâŠâ
âGonna make it a habit?â
You nearly dropped the cup, clearing your throat. You need a cigarette for all this, a-fucking-sap.
âN-no! Iâm notâŠâ
All three of them were gathered around you like a little gang of ghostly, cackling hyenas, elbowing one another with praise for their own quips.
âAw, why not? No sleepovers for us, are we not good enough for ya?â Stretch adjusted your glasses on his nose, clearly mocking you as he wiggled his eyebrows, but it was in a good-natured way, it seemed.
âThatâs not what Iââ you started, but the others were quicker.
âOh, we know. Donât we, fellas?â Fatso elbowed Stinkie and chuckled again, wiggling eyebrows at you.
Oh, great. Thatâs what this is turning into, of courseâŠtheyâre a bunch of dudes after all.
âSee kid, weâre a package deal. You want one, you get all of us, right? Itâs only fair.â
âYeeeeah, sharing is carinâ, right boys?â
âWoah, woah, hold it. No fair. Iâm hungover, had no caffeine or cigarette, and I just woke up. Can I please haveâŠjust five minutes to get my shit together first?â You rubbed your temples, head still pounding, âI also canât see.â
âAw, guess we donât get that, do we?â Another cackle, and Stretch was right in your face.
None of them understood personal space, at all. And theyâre impossibly good at getting you flustered. Especially your date from the night before.
âHere.â He brushed some hair off your forehead with chilly fingers and placed your glasses carefully back on your face.
He was close enough that you could see the pale pink-lavender of his eyes.
âI guess we can be nice today, right boys?â
It almost sounded like a demand, more than him asking, but it was almost too subtle for you to notice.
They did, though.
âMeh. I guess.â Stinkie rolled his eyes. âBooooooring.â
âNow, gimme a sec, will ya? Gotta settle some business with the lady.â Stretch shooed them off, to your surprise.
âOooooh, some business huh?â Fatso wiggled his eyebrows and chuckled, causing the younger brother to cackle.
âStretch and (y/n), sittinâ in a tree, k-I-s-s-I-n-g!â Both of them were singing and laughing, until they got elbows to the nose.
âMove it, will ya!â
Eventually after a raucous bout of teasing, they vanished, leaving the two of you alone in the now slightly messier kitchen. They seemed to generate mess wherever they went.
You eyed him as he returned to semi-sitting next to you, wearing a decidedly smug smile, knowing heâd won without contest.
âWell. Just wanted to ask if ya maybe wanted to go out on da town tonight, still seems like you could use a little more, ehâŠwhatcha call it, up-nâ-at em.â He said, a little more quiet than he had been just seconds ago. âI think you need another dose.â
You smiled sheepishly, knowing this is his way of asking you out on a date, it had to be. No way around that. He just didnât want to ask with everyone else around to give him shit for liking you more than he probably should.
âAs long as thereâs no drinking for at least 24 hours, I would love that.â You replied, sipping on the now lukewarm coffee.
âYknowâŠâ he sounded as though he were about to offer you a deal. Maybe it was just his tone. He shifted to sit on the table, rattling the cups and candleholder centerpiece. â âS much as we give you shit all da time, I guess⊠I really did change my mind a while back, like I told ya. I wanna get to know you, anâ I swear Iâm not foolinâ.â
You raised an eyebrow, admittedly surprised by the words.
âHope ya believe what I said, or least remember it, from last night.. I meant what I said.â
You didnât think he was the kind of person to be so direct about something like this, andâŠheâs asking you out.
You assumed heâd set up some kind of elaborate stunt to get your attention, or badger you until you said yes.
But with the way he talked to you last night, it really does seem like heâs changed. Heâs not exaggerating.
âWell, well, is this you asking me on a date?â You grinned, trying to muster the available brain cells you had left to toss it right back at him.
It worked, since he started stammering a little.
âUhâ! YâŠyeeeeeah, I guess it is, ainât it? Depends on whether you say yes or not.â
âWhy on earth would I ever say no?â You leaned in on your elbows, just a little closer, and he seemed to be trying very hard not to appear flustered.
But you could see it anyway.
âLook, allâs Iâm sayinâ is that just you nâ me hit the town, eh? I donât think weâve ever been out sober.â Heâs somewhat backpedaling, and youâre just sitting there watching with a knowing smirk on your face.
Heâs definitely going to brag his ass off to the others that you said yes, and heâs not going to be able to shut up about it.
âAnd make sure you get all dolled up. Got places to be.â
You raised an eyebrow at him.
Yknow what?â
Heâd been floating behind you, admiring the vision of your shadowy silhouette leaning against the rail, your delicate features only visible by the light of your cigarette.
This would be a sight heâd have to remember forever.
Out of any living thing he couldâve fallen for, heâs glad it was you. Youâre a real knockout.
Make all the other skinbags look like chumps.
âHm?â You hummed, turning over your shoulder and regarding him with a pleasantly relaxed smile playing at the corners of your mouth.
âDat bed still smells like you.â That wasnât exactly the way he wanted the words to come out, but close enough. âLike that fancy perfume you wear all the time.â
Your pleasantly relaxed smile quickly tensed into an embarrassed one as you dodged his eyes, shyly tucking a lock of hair behind your ear with a nervous chuckle. âOhâŠsorryâŠâ
ââŠdidnât say I didnât like it, did I?â Once again, you were making yourself an open book, free for the reading, as he watched you. Whatever kind of game heâs trying to put out there, you were eating it right up.
The once impossible to read skinnie, now actually letting him smooth-talk you.
Hook, line, sinker.
But thereâs something there, something beneath the surface that seems to be holding you back from being completely honest. He just couldnât tell what it was from here.
Heâs gotta know.
âWhatâs the matter, toots? Somethinâ wrong?â
You seemed to shake yourself out of the subtly disguised uncertainty and smiled, your cheeks rosy.
âWhânothing! JustâŠâ he kept watching you, and thatâs what made you crack.
You sighed in defeat. ââŠIâŠâ whatever it was, you were choking on it.
âWhat is it? You can tell me, Yknow that.â His tone was quiet, encouraging, urging you to explain and doing his best not to be too pushy.
He barely remembered how all this shit works, anyway. âPromise I wonât be an ass.â
ââŠhow do weâŠmake this work? Iâm notâŠa ghost.â The word at the end sounded just so goddamn SAD. âIs this even allowed? Am I even allowed to feel like this? What do we do? IâŠâ you trailed off again, crossing your arms and seeming to bury yourself in whatever you were thinking.
Now that really made it hurt.
He floated closer, hovering next to you and leaning his elbows on the railing, trying to get a better view of you.
ââŠâEy.â
You turned to him, your sparkling eyes catching the light of the moon with the motion. You werenât just alive, you were full of life. Whatever the hell that meant, he didnât knowâit just sounded like it fit, and thatâs good enough.
Heâs not gonna think too hard about it.
He brushed your hair off your shoulders and out of your face, no longer caring that this was the most obvious display that he was into you more than he should be.
âI dunno how it works, neither. Hell, I donât even remember what beinâ alive feels like, itâs been so long. I, uhâŠâ he paused.
Whatever he was going to say, he wanted it to sound as heartfelt as possible.
âIâm clueless, too. Never thought Iâd be feelinâ all warm nâ fuzzy for a fleshie, never planned on it âcuz I didnât care. I didnât want to, neither...didnât know I even could. Guess what Iâm sayinâ isâŠI wanna make it work. Whatever itâs gotta take, Iâll do it. If that means being alive all over again, Iâll do dat too. Youâre special, yknow? Youâre one of a kind.â
You looked at him with an expression heâd never seen before, not on you.
There were tears pooling around the corners of your eyes, catching in your lashes like morning dewdrops, and yet you didnât look sad. You lookedâŠsomehow both conflicted, and in awe.
âWhâŠwhy the tears, sweetheart?â
You seemed to realize you were getting emotional, and as a knee-jerk reaction, you quickly snatched the tears away with a quick swipe of the back of your hand. Miraculously, it didnât smear your makeup.
âIâŠI donât know. I justâŠâ you were struggling with whatever you were going to say. ââŠno oneâs ever said anything like that to me.â
âWell maybe you ainât hanginâ around the right people.â Now heâs starting to sound like Harvey, great. âI mean what I said. Hope you know dat.â
Finally, a smile graced your face, and you nodded slightly. âI do.â
Before he could even think of something to say, youâd taken a half-step closer, your blazing warm hands on his face, nose to nose with him.
Now itâs his turn to be flustered.
âHey, whaddya doinâââ he couldnât even finish his sentence before your lips were on his.
Holy shit.
All your warmth, your very life, washed over him unlike anything heâd ever experienced before, causing some long-forgotten memories to flicker in and out of conscious thought.
But they were gone, before he could even try to grasp at them.
But it didnât matter now.
Nothing mattered right now except you, and the way you were making him feel.
It was like a bomb just went off, right in his face. But not the kind that would actually hurt.
Heâs no good with fancy words.
And when you pulled away, peeking at him shyly from under your lashes, it really had him spinningâstruck stupid.
âUmâŠâ
âForgot what THAT felt like.â It was the only thing he could think of to say. âWow. I, uhâŠâ
Both of you were reeling, now.
âSorry, I justââ you started apologizing, another instant reaction, scrambling to try and avoid any potential awkwardness, but he was much faster.
âNo, donât apologize for somethinâ that knocked the wind outta me. Maybe if I keep beinâ nice, could I get ya to do that again?â
Despite your embarrassment, you smiled at him, your hands returning to his absolutely frigid face.
âMaybe.â You were just so close, he could feel the warmth radiating off of you in soft waves, and if he drowned in them, heâd be happy.
âDunno what youâre doinâ to me, kid. Donât got a damned clue.â