Name: revirescent.
Chapter: 3/?
Author’s Note: rest in fucking pieces it’s been over a month since i updated this
Geoff shows up half an hour later with a bag full of exorcism tools and a far-too-amused Jack Pattillo following behind him. He’s pissed, frown lining his features ever since he got off the phone with fucking Gavin, and his friend’s constant jokes have done nothing to help his mood. He almost regrets bringing him along, but he’s not in the mood to deal with Gavin on his own.
Name: revirescent.
Chapter: 2/?
Word Count: 1837
Author’s Note: i rewrote this chapter like 3 times im DONE i dont CARE anymore
AO3: here.
They spend the entire night playing video games, and Gavin learns quite a bit about Ray. When he was alive, he worked at a local GameStop and lived alone. He died at 25 and spent a considerable amount of his life perfecting video games -- it was by no means an exciting life, but Gavin finds himself hanging on the ghost’s every word as they chat, completely and utterly fascinated. There’s something intriguing in learning about the life of a dead man from the dead man himself. It’s odd, to listen to someone relay their life in such bored tones. Gavin doesn’t hear a hint of sadness the entire time.
Unfortunately, he doesn’t win a single game, so details of the other’s death are kept hidden from him. In a way, he’s glad; despite how much he wants to know, Ray is clearly uncomfortable with the subject, and the last thing the Brit wants to do is reopen old wounds. He decides to let Ray tell him in his own time. He also decides that he doesn’t mind Ray hanging around for the foreseeable future. A night spent chatting and playing video games is definitely a bonding experience in Gavin’s book, and despite the fact that Ray is half-transparent and literally dead, he reckons they’ll make good friends.
Eventually, Gavin falls asleep, curled up on the couch with the controller still held loosely in his hand. When he wakes up, the TV is off and Ray is nowhere to be seen. For a few moments he thinks the whole thing had been a ridiculously vivid dream, but before he can dwell on the matter further, Michael pads into the living room with a untamed hair and half lidded eyes. “The fuck? Gavin, did you fucking stay up all night?” His tone is laced with sleep and he doesn’t bother hiding the fact that he’s only just woken up despite the fact that it’s, what? 11? Gavin makes a mental note to check the time once he’s sorted through his thoughts.
“Uh, yeah. Got a bit carried away,” he mumbles in reply, slowly sitting up and stretching. His neck hurts. Sleeping on the couch is never comfortable. “Doesn’t matter, though, shop’s closed today.” Once he feels more away he stands up and moves towards the kitchen, suddenly realising how hungry he is. Michael follows, letting out a loud yawn.
“Yeah, thank Christ for that. That job is fucking boring.”
Gavin hums in response, and they fall silent as they work around each other to make breakfast. Gavin ends up with a bowl of cereal and Michael with toast, and once they’re both sat down and eating, the conversation continues.
“Where did Geoff say he was going, again?”
“He’s meeting Jack. They’ve got business to do, or somethin’.”
“What does Jack even do?”
Gavin shrugs, avoiding the answer with a spoonful of cheerios. Jack’s occupation is -- not entirely normal. He lives in a cottage in the woods and sells potions to the creatures who live there, according to Geoff. Gavin’s only ever visited the place once, but every time he thinks back on it he’s distinctly reminded of a disney movie. He’s fairly certain the guy’s a witch. Or some kind of fairy, though you wouldn’t be able to tell just by looking at him. He’s been friends with Geoff for a long time, though, so it’s not unusual for Geoff to close his shop in favour of helping the guy out.
“I dunno, never really bothered to ask him. What’re you doin’ today, then?”
“Well, I don’t plan on sitting around on my ass all fucking day. It’s my turn to get groceries, so I’ll do that, and then I’m gonna go hang out with Lindsay and Kerry,” Michael says, shrugging and finishing the last of his toast. “You can come join us if you want.”
“Nah, I’m gonna stay in. There’s this achievement I really wanna get.”
“Jesus, take a fuckin’ break, dude. You played all last night!”
Gavin shrugs again, avoiding Michael’s gaze by shoving another spoonful of cereal into his mouth. He’s glad his roommate isn’t going to be in - he needs to find Ray again. Then it’s probably a good idea to return Geoff’s Ouija board before he notices it’s missing.
Michael gets up and puts his plate in the sink before leaving, no doubt to shower and get dressed. Gavin finishes the rest of his breakfast in silence before deciding to wash the leftover dishes in the sink, allowing Michael enough to time to shower before he heads to the bathroom himself. It isn’t long before they’re both dressed and more awake. Gavin waits until Michael leaves before allowing himself to think about Ray.
He considers the possibility that he’d gone back to... wherever ghosts go when they aren’t haunting places, but he doubts that’s the case (and he’d feel pretty offended, if it were). Unfortunately, though, he has no idea where to begin looking for a ghost, so after a few moments of silence, he decides to just call out to him.
“Uh, Ray? You still here?”
“Yeah, where else would I be?”
He grins when he hears the ghost’s voice and spins around to face him. “I dunno, the afterlife? You are dead, after all.”
“Nah, I haven’t been to the afterlife yet. I think it’s got something to do with unfinished business, but the pearly gates of Heaven haven’t opened for me yet.”
“Maybe you’re meant to go to hell, then.”
“Yeah, maybe.” His tone lowers considerably and Gavin frowns, but before he can put any thought into it Ray changes the subject, tone immediately losing any trace of anything other than amusement.
“So was that your roommate?”
“Oh, yeah! Michael. He’s alright, but he’s got a short temper.” He doesn’t think bad of his roommate at all, really. He’s incredibly lucky to be able to live with his best friend, he thinks. “I reckon you’d get on with him, actually. He’s not exactly in on the whole supernatural scene, though, so he’d be a bit freaked out if he did meet you.”
“The supernatural scene? I don’t know what that means, Gavin.”
“Oh. Uh. It’s like... vampires and werewolves and ghosts and stuff like that. Most people don’t really know about it, ‘cause everyone thinks it’s not real.”
Ray look surprised, eyes widened in disbelief. “Dude, you mean all that stuff is actually real?”
“What? You’re a ghost! Did it not occur to you that any other mythical creature could be real, too?”
“Alright, now that you mention it, I probably should have come to that conclusion. But like you said, most people don’t know about it. When I was alive, I was most people.” He pauses for a moment before looking at Gavin with a sheepish grin. “I’m kind of interested, though. Tell me about it?”
Gavin’s eyes light up at the opportunity to talk about the supernatural, and he grins back, gesturing towards the couch. “Yeah, okay! Let me just get comfy,” he sits down and kicks his legs up onto the coffee table, and Ray does the same, though if Gavin looks closely he can see the small amount of space between his body and the couch, and wonders if Ray is just perpetually floating.
“The most important thing you need to know is that everything you’d consider supernatural or, like, mythical -- is all real. Mostly. Some creatures have gone extinct and some are super rare, but most of them are still around. The majority of them are pretty cool when it comes to living alongside humans, ‘cause they either stay out of sight or can’t be recognizes as a supernatural creature, but there are some that are a bit... well, violent.” He pauses for a moment, glancing at Ray to see if he’s still listening, and is delighted to find that he still looks interested, so he launches into a full explanation.
“So... there are some humans who take it upon themselves to keep the people who don’t know about this sort of thing safe. Some other creatures do it, too -- I know a werewolf who likes to help out, but it’s kinda rare. Mostly they just keep to themselves unless they feel threatened. But anyway, these guys who essentially hunt monsters, they get called vagabonds, and they go around dealing with the violent ones.”
“Dude, that’s pretty awesome! Are you like a vagabond?”
“Nah, I help out, but only ‘cause I work at Geoff’s shop. He basically sells a bunch of stuff like... ingredients for potions, things that ward off certain creatures, weapons, stuff like that. To normal people it just looks like an antique shop, though. That’s what Michael thinks it is, too.”
Before he can continue talking, his phone starts ringing, so he fishes it out from his pocket and answers without checking who’s calling. He pales immediately when he recognizes Geoff’s voice.
“Alright, asshole, where is it?”
“Uh, where’s what, Geoff?” He shoots Ray a worried glance, who just shrugs in response, indicating that he doesn’t mind if Gavin has to take the call. Gavin really, really wishes he did mind. He knows exactly why Geoff’s calling.
“Don’t play dumb, Gavin, I need my Ouija board. And I know you took it, ‘cause you’ve got some weird fascination with it and there’s no other explanation.”
“I don’t have it! You probably just forgot where you----”
“Oh my God, I know you have it. I’m coming over to get it.”
“Oh, Geoff, don’t! I’ll just bring it to you! You don’t have to come over!”
The line goes silent for a few seconds before Geoff speaks up again, tone changing to something more serious. “Gavin, did you summon a ghost?”
“What? No, I didn’t!”
“Oh my God. You fucking summoned a ghost. Even after I warned you not to! Do you have any idea how dangerous it is to mess around with a Ouija board? And what if Michael had seen?”
“Geoff, really, it’s not as bad as it sounds.”
“Like hell it isn’t! I’m coming over, and I’m bringing Jack. Don’t do anything. I can’t believe I have to clean up your fuckin’ mess, Jesus Christ...”
The line goes dead, and Gavin stares at his phone in disbelief. Shit. The last thing this place needs is an exorcism. He really doesn’t want to get rid of Ray, but he doubts Geoff will be happy letting a ghost hang around. Shit.
“Earth to Gavin. Everything okay?”
“My boss is mad that I took his Ouija board, the one I used to summon you with.”
“Jesus, you stole that? How have you not been fired? Or is that why he called?”
“No, he just wants it back. He’s comin’ over to get it. He also caught on to the fact that I summoned you, so...”
“Yikes. Guess there’s no chance of us playing another round of Halo, then.”
Gavin pauses, before shrugging. “I reckon we’ve got time for one game before he turns up.”
Name: revirescent.
Chapter: 1/?
Word Count: 1445
Author’s Note: i figured since i talk about this trash au so much i should actually hurry up and post the first chapter la ugh s
AO3: here.
Gavin Free is summoning a ghost.
He's not doing it for any particular reason: there aren't any dead relatives he wants to contact, or anyone he wants to have haunted. He just wants to. There's also the fact that Geoff told him no, but hey, details aren't important. He's currently sat cross legged on his bedroom floor. The Ouija board he not-so-subtly swiped from under Geoff's desk laid out in front of him, box and warning label discarded and left unread. Honestly, he's always thought that every horror story to do with Ouija boards were a load of nonsense; they all seem a little too over the top to be believable, even in his line of work. Which is saying something, because his line of work is as over the top as it can get.
The supernatural has never been his dream job, but after he'd met Geoff one thing had led to another and he'd been wrapped up in all kinds of horror-movie-esque crap. As terrifying as it was he'd enjoyed himself and, well - here he is. Geoff had been kind enough to give him a job at his store for all things mysterious provided he didn't get too involved with what goes on. According to him, Gavin is ‘still an amateur’ and would end up 'getting himself killed' if he tried to go out into the field, so for the time being he's just the shopkeeper. It's a fun job, he'll admit, and he especially enjoys the secretive side to it. To regular people the shop's just a place to get random odds and ends, and there's something amusing about knowing what the place really sells when regular people do come in.
Geoff usually makes Michael handle those customers, though, because he's kept in the dark, too. That's another reason the Brit isn't allowed to mess with the Ouija board: Michael. They're roommates, and apparently if Gavin starts messing about with this kind of stuff in his own home, it'll 'blow my cover' and 'cause a fuck load of trouble I don't want to deal with.'
He rolls his eyes at Geoff's warnings, dragging his attention away from his thoughts and back to the matter at hand. Summoning a ghost. Gingerly, he places his fingers on the wooden planchette, wiggling it around for a few seconds before he eventually decides to speak, voice coming out in a soft whisper.
"Uh... is anyone listening?"
He does his best to stifle a squawk of surprise as a response is given: Yes.
"Oh! That's great! I mean, uh, hello. What's your name?"
R-A-Y.
"...Ray. Okay. I'm Gavin."
The planchette begins to move once again, and his brow furrows as he attempts to decipher the message letter by letter.
W-H-A-T-A-R-E-Y-O-U-W-E-A-R-I-N-G.
He frowns, opening and closing his mouth a few times as he attempts to process the message. For a brief moment, he wonders if he's translated wrong and considers asking the spirit to repeat itself, but he pushes the thought out of his mind when someone else’s laughter fills the room. It isn't sinister or creepy - it's a genuine laugh that he hears, and for a second he thinks that Michael's woken up. But it doesn't sound like Michael. It's the kind of disembodied voice type laughter that usually indicates the presence of a malevolent spirit. Except this particular spirit doesn't sound at all malevolent and well, Gavin isn't sure how to respond.
He opens his mouth to say something. But whatever word he attempts to speak is immediately replaced by a loud squeak as he catches sight of an actual, physical ghost hovering above him and he scrambles to the other side of the room, leaving the Ouija board untouched. The ghost is grinning, doubled over laughing at his own joke. It takes Gavin a few moments to notice this, but once he does he can't help but relax and let out a soft chuckle of his own. The laugh is infectious, to say the least, and after the initial shock of seeing a ghost has died down, he has to admit that it had been a pretty funny joke. And besides, ghosts are hardly that scary. He’s met worse.
"Bloody hell, you scared the shit out of me," he says, eyes alight with amusement.
The ghost - Ray - looks down at him, grinning. "Sorry, dude. It was too funny to resist. You should've see the look on your face!"
"Your flirting is terrible."
"Yeah, no wonder. I died a virgin. But you can't blame a ghost for trying, right?"
"I try to stay away from dating anything that's dead or not human, anyway."
"Alright, well, no need to be racist about it." Ray laughs again and moves closer to Gavin, becoming more focused as he does so. If it weren't for the blue-ish tinge surrounding him and the fact that he's a little bit transparent, he could easily be mistaken for a live person. The purple hoodie and Pierce The Veil shirt detract from any ghostliness, anyway. Gavin had been expecting some old guy from the eighteenth century, but he's not gonna complain. A ghost with a sense of humour is far better than a ghost with some creepy prophecy or whatever.
There's a beat of silence before Gavin speaks up again, deciding to voice his opinion. "Y'know, I expected something way creepier."
"Well, excuse me if I'm not living up to your expectations. It's not like I have any experience with this kind of thing, I've only been dead a year."
"I've only been living here for a year." His brow knits together for a moment, before he lets out a loud gasp of realisation. "Oh my god! No wonder we got this place so cheap! They didn't bloody tell us that someone died here."
"Yeah, and they didn't even bother moving the body. I'm still under the floorboards. Talk about lazy."
He isn't even attempting to stay quiet anymore, letting out a loud squeak as Ray relays the information. "What do you mean, they didn't move the body? That's -- holy shit! I can't believe--!" He's interrupted by loud banging coming from a few rooms away, accompanied by a loud yell of "GAVIN, SHUT THE FUCK UP."
Ray's laughing again, and the Brit shoots him a cold glare, which only makes him laugh harder. "Hey, it's not my fault your boyfriend's such a light sleeper. Look, if it makes you feel any better, they did move my body. I did die in this room though. Oooh, spooky."
"He isn't my boyfriend, he's my roommate. And no, that didn't make me feel any better, but you get points for trying." He stands up, running a hand through his hair as he does so. He debates saying goodbye to Ray and sending him back to... wherever it is he came from, but decides against it. He can't help but be slightly curious about the ghost's untimely demise, as morbid as that sounds. It's not everyday you get to ask the previous tenant of your house how they died. Actually asking the question poses a bit of a problem, though. If there's any kind of etiquette about it, Gavin doesn't know it.
Apparently Ray knows what he's thinking, however, and his smile drops, expression changing to something more serious. "No way, dude. If you wanna know how I died, you've gotta, like, buy me dinner first. My lips are gonna remain tightly sealed no matter what."
"Aw, what? Please? I kind of have a right to know, seein’ as I bloody sleep in this room."
"Dude. Come on."
An awkward silence falls over them for a few minutes, before Gavin clears his throat. "You wanna maybe play some video games or something? It's pretty much a well known fact that ghosts can control electronics, so..."
Ray's face lights up at the suggestion and he immediately heads towards the door. "Dude, I'm a video game master. I'll tell you what, every time you beat me at Call of Duty I'll give you a hint about my death."
Anyone else would be worried about facing someone with that amount of confidence, but Gavin just grins in return. They both retreat downstairs and settle onto the couch, Gavin switching on the console before doing so. The situation is... surreal, to say the least, but the past few months have been pretty slow. He’s barely had the chance to do anything on the supernatural side of things - Geoff’s customers are becoming sparser every day. At least Ray can provide some entertainment, if only for a while. He has a feeling they’re going to get on well, which is odd, considering the circumstances.
FIRST, NEXT, THE END, BEFORE THE BEGINNING. (I got really excited at the mention of your Ghost Ray thing.)
SCREAMS ABOUT MY GHOST RAY AU FOREVER TBH
FIRST — the first two sentences of my current project
Gavin Free is summoning a ghost. He’s not doing it for any particular reason: there aren’t any dead relatives he wants to contact, or anyone he wants to have haunted.
NEXT — the next line. meaning i will finish the sentence I’m on and write a new one, which you’ll get.
Gavin wanders into the room a few seconds later with a bowl of popcorn, and immediately freezes when he sees Geoff.
THE END — i’ll make up an ending, or post the ending if i’ve written it
okay i haven’t thought this far ahead and i’m not gonna write anything BUT i know it does end with beatiful ot3 happiness :^)
BEFORE THE BEGINNING — three sentences (or more) about something that happened before the plot of my current project
Geoff takes a step back to admire his handiwork, a lopsided grin finding it’s way onto his lips as he does so. He has to admit, he’s done a good job - the store will certainly look better once there’s actual merchandise, but the paint and general tidying up relays a lovely type of charm. He likes it.
“I have to admit, I never thought I’d see the day Geoff Ramsey retired.” Jack appears beside him, and Geoff clicks his tongue.
“Not retiring, just changing fields.”
“Shut up, you’re doing this because you’re too fucking lazy to do any physical activity.” He’s laughing, eyes twinkling with amusement. Geoff frowns at that.
“Whatever, dude. Go back to your fucking enchanted forest.”
“What? I’m not leaving, you promised we’d play Halo.”
“Ugh, fine, but I’m not gonna let you suck my dick or anything. I know that’s what you’re trying to do.”
“In your dreams, asshole.”
“And they’re such nice dreams,” Geoff replies wistfully, before leading the way inside.
Yep. He covers up his murder with the meme idea because he hates talking about it. He gets angry and upset thinking about it - especially since the person likely got away. Then one day he finds that person and he almost goes vengeful on them.
VENGEFUL SPIRIT RAY. he gets so angry and so not himself and terrifying and nobody has any idea what to do because he's usually so CHILL oh my god and he won't listen to anyone while he's in presence of the person who killed him. gavin has to drive away until ray's forced to transport too him
I wish death by meme was a thing that could have happened. Erm… Maybe a hit and run. Or he was killed by a mugger. Something you can get a little angst from.
"ray, how did you die?" "i meme'd too hard, man. i meme'd too hard."
i definitely want something angsty. honestly any murder would be good enough for angst, but i feel like it should've happened in or near their house, and that's why he showed up -- he died there. and unfinished business! he needs that, too. but i imagine after befriending michael and gavin he wouldn't really wanna move on.
Perfect. Oh god can you imagine if Ray goes with Gavin when he goes out because it’s better for him to stay near the person he’s connected to. Like along the way, lights are flickering and electronics are breaking, and Gavs like god damn it Ray.
what if when gavin get's too far away he sort of fades and starts flickering until it gets to the point where he just disappears and reappears right near gavin. imagine how awkward that could be. he's making out with someone and all of a sudden ray appears out of nowhere and he SCREAMS and the person's just????
