In honor of spooky season, here's a now 11 year old Steam Powered Giraffe video of their first time ever performing Ghost Grinder. It's from before Rabbit/Bunny came out as transgender, it's that old. But I love their stage presence during this song. They all seemed like they were having so much fun! (And, hot take, I think this is the best live version of Ghost Grinder.)
No clue if those requests are still open, but if so I wanna see your take on the Ghost Grinder. The headcanons I've gathered from others has gotten me interested in them despite having no in-universe lore
Despite being one of my favorite tunes from spg, I don't think much about them tbh
All of the spg heroes feel like just silly little guys that live wandering around somewhere in kazooland. Thinking about possible interactions between them is pretty fun tho, so maybe him and Delilah have some kind of frenemy stuff going on :]
Summary: A conversation overheard by Terzo results in a minor miscommunication between him and his assistant... And brings about a confession both needed to hear.
A/N: I WANTED TO WRITE THIS SO I INDULGED MYSELF TODAY I had a good time with it ;w; I love Ghost so much man. It’s just a very long fic about my first confession of love to Terzo okay.
----
Secondo’s office was a comforting place. The tall, intense walls lined with books and baubles so neatly organized in their spaces surrounded Kai with a sense of comfort. The plush carpet was always soft under their feet and the scent of the constant burning incense, held in an old chinese holder decorated in macabre designs, only served to comfort them even more. It was a stark contrast to the two whenever they were required to commune together as they currently were: The desk before them being neatly stacked with papers that organized themselves alphabetically and by month as they poured over each one with a type of exhausted desperation that only those managing an entire church budget could seem to handle.
“I think that’s the last of it,” Kai finally spoke after what felt like hours of terse silence between the two of them, “The budget reports are - at least - organized enough to keep better track of for the time being in the files.”
“Yes,” The second Emeritus’ brother’s voice was a dull and disheartening void of disbelief to the other’s words, “Until my foolish brother decides to give half of it up for some sort of grandiose soiree.”
“We’ll be ready if he does and I will kindly remind him about these painstaking hours.” Kai returned curtly as they dropped the final reports before them in their designated pile. A deep and long sigh reached their throat as they crackled their fingers carefully. The noise echoed eerily from against the walls of the space around them. Secondo’s eyes trailed on them for what felt like longer than necessary, but they made no comment on it as they stood.
Brushing the edge of their black dress uniform off, they made to gather the rest of the papers in the stack that belonged to them, their minds already working through the carefully planned filing system they would put through in Terzo’s own office. If left alone, the man would have no clue where to file his own pieces. The knowledge of the intense cabinet system was left to Kai and Kai alone. At the very least they had that as leverage should Terzo ever threaten them with a vacation away from him.
(Which he would never do. He more often than not insisted they went on vacations together).
“Brother,” Secondo’s voice was lilted as he held a hand upwards to stop the other’s movements, “A moment of your personal time, per favore.”
Kai’s fingers stopped gathering the papers before them as they looked upwards into the other’s face. Their mouth curved down into a frown of concern as they tilted their head. The air was suddenly cold on the back of their neck as they slowly released the papers from the full grasp, making sure to keep them in their organized positions to prevent any mix ups for the second time they were meaning to reach for them.
“Is there something I forgot, Excellency?”
Rather than reply right away, Secondo stood up from his seat. Though his outfit was a casual thing (as casual as he could be in a fine Italian branded 3 piece suit) the skull paint lacing his features was as sharp as ever. It showed off the glowering edges of his cheekbones and seemed to exemplify the overarching intimidation of him as a whole being. If Kai had not been staring at it endlessly for the past several months as they helped to arrange the church budget per his request, they might have been intimidated by such a righteous façade. Instead they met his rising façade by straightening their own back, moving upright as he rounded the table to approach them.
“I’ve found myself - hm how you say - interested in something. A proposition I feel may interest you as well.”
Kai shifted in their spot, tilting their head as they rested some of their weight on the desk at their side. The wood dug into their hip, but they made no sign of discomfort as their brow furrowed in confusion.
--
Neither saw nor heard the form of Terzo as he shifted through the halls, a skip in his step as he chased after where he knew his favorite assistant to be at. He couldn’t imagine how boring a meeting with his elder brother had trapped them in. Surely they were already longing to break free and return back to the arms of their beloved Papa!
At least he really hoped they did.
Terzo was no fool, of course, and he never missed the calmness that followed after Kai when they returned from their brother’s office. Nor did he miss the smile that seemed to grace their lip when Secondo discussed in hushed whispers to them about an important document that needed reviewing and organization. Kai insisted on a multitude of occasions that it was simply a habit of theirs to find pleasantness in organization. To manage and to be in control was something of a sin they carried with them in one way or another, and Terzo had tried to understand many times.
Yet that feeling of dread often filled his heart when Secondo’s eyes lingered too long on their form. Or when they seemed to laugh a little too much at something he whispered into their ear as they left their private meetings. It made his heart clench enough to convince himself a visit was necessary. Just to check in. Just to find something of an excuse that would make his best confidant come to his side once more.
A ghoul had asked him why he wanted them so often by him. Terzo had no answer.
He arrived at the slightly ajar door to his brother’s office and scoffed at the heady scent of incense flowing from it. Surely they both must be suffocating in such an intense scent. He poked his head around the door, intent on knocking as he did so, but his hand fell as he watched the elder Emeritus walk towards Kai. As Kai tilted their head curiously. As they answered a question Terzo hadn’t caught fully from his brother’s lips. He could see their gaze raised curiously as they leaned on the desk before them.
“What proposition would that be, Sir?”
Secondo’s hand rose forward and out, brushing his fingers over the top of Kai’s and resting it against their own flesh with a surprisingly tender embrace. Kai’s body stiffened in surprise and - try as they might- they could not hide their gaze as it widened in shock. Secondo was now...very close to them. Close enough that they could smell the faint cologne and whiskey that lingered across his form at any given moment, and they were not sure if the smell was comforting or dangerous. His height made it so they had to bend their neck upwards to watch him, gaze furrowed as he tilted his head at them in return.
“You work for my brother,” Secondo began evenly, “But he does not deserve you, you know. Your skills would be much better served in my company, caro. We do much together already and it would be… interesting to see if we could do more.”
Kai’s eyes widened in surprise, their jaw momentarily going slack as Secondo kept his hand evenly on their own, squeezing now with purpose as the proposition fell from between his lips:
“Leave my brother and be mine. It sounds reasonable, yes? I will value you far more than he could ever imagine.”
Terzo exhaled furiously through his nose, not caring if the sound was heard or not, and his fingers clenched against one another in frustration. Of course his brother would pull this shit. Of course he would ask to take away something as precious - as important - as Kai was to him. His brow furrowed as he tried to hold back the short wave of emotions that pressed into his stomach as a result of the proposition spread before him.
The worst part was - with their interactions - he saw no reason for Kai to say no.
Hell. They would not.
Turning his back to the door, he moved with a purpose through the hallowed halls of the church around him. His shoes made a clattering noise as they pushed him forward with unnecessary frustration. Fine, then. If they wanted to be with his brother he would let them.
... He would…. Let them, he supposed.
--
The room swam in the silence for what felt like hours. Kai’s breath caught in their throat as a sense of panic rose against their chest. The last thing they had expected from the older brother’s lips had been… something like that, certainly. Opening up their mouth, the dryness of their throat caught the edge of their breath and a dry cough of surprise made its way through their lips, their free hand raising to cover their mouth as they moved their other from under the other’s grip. Secondo allowed it, watching their face with patience of his own.
“I… Am flattered, Sir, I am.” They finally managed out with a flush of surprise to their cheeks, “But I simply could not accept. M-My assigned duty is to-”
“Duties can be moved around and reordered,” Secondo insisted with a menial shrug, “Someone would replace you at my brother’s side and it would be no trouble. You need not worry about something like duty in this respect, si?”
“No-!” Kai’s voice dared raise up in surprise for a moment, the sound shocking them both as they stared down one another. A frown momentarily placed itself on Secondo’s lips as he looked over Kai, who shrunk under the gaze. Never had they raised their voice at anyone, much less someone as high in ranking as a former Papa certainly. Even now he had power within the church. Even now he was not to be trifled with in those respects.
“No, your Excellency,” Kai breathed out with a more even tone this time, “It’s… It’s something else, you see. Terzo… needs me.”
“He can need another.”
“No he can’t,” Kai insisted, leaning forward with an ache in their eyes, “He needs me. I know him. I know how he works and I’m the best - the only - one who can do what I do for him and… and…”
Their voice broke softly as they looked away, a breath of emotions flooding their eyes as Kai took a step backwards from the other to compose themselves. Wiping away the tears that dared touch the edges of their vision, they could not get out the words of what they wanted to say. They could not manage the terrifying phrase that pressed to the edge of their lips as they tried to hold it back in their throat, lest something go wrong as they attempted it.
They did not have to, though. Secondo’s eyes lit up with a familiar recognition within moments of their voice cracking under the strain of his proposal. It made sense after that.
“Ah, I see,” He mused quietly, “You love him.”
The phrase sent fire to Kai’s face. They looked up with a red blush that matched the strands of their hair. Their lips parted to defend themselves, to counteract the absurdity of the statement with one of their own, but… Nothing came forward from them. Nothing to deter the thought or push the other away from the idea itself. No… In reality, they really couldn’t.
It was the truth.
“... Yes,” They finally whispered out, eyes switching to the floor as they tried not to cry in front of one of the heads of the church, “Please don’t make me leave him.”
When Secondo reached outwards to touch them again, it was to give them an assuring (f not awkward) pat on their shoulder. Kai startled at the touch and looked up, surprised at the way the elder took the refusal. He was not smiling, but he did not look angry either. A mere gaze of understanding was swept across his facial features as he nodded to Kai. Kai’s shoulders relaxed under his touch. They breathed out a breath they were not aware that they were holding.
“It was bold of me to express such a thing,” Secondo spoke, the closest thing he might get to an apology, “Go to your Papa then, caro. And… if you ask me… I would say explaining those feelings to him may end better than you might think.”
Kai laughed weakly through the breath they exhaled, reaching down to shakily gather their papers from where they had been left, not forgotten by their ever detailed eyes. They tried to ignore the intensity with which their fingers were shaking, barely able to grab the papers without trembling and dislodging one in their grip. It made them curse despite themselves. The frustration of their own emotions were obvious in their voice as they finally pulled the papers close to their chest and gave one last look at the man before them, inhaling sharply as they did so.
“Th-Thank you for going over them with me, Sir.” They managed out in a shaking tone, waving in the wind of their own emotions.
“Si, si,” Secondo waved a hand outwards in a dismissive motion, “Go off now.”
They let one more thank-you slide from their mouth before scurrying out of the office, Secondo’s eyes following them the entirety of the way out.
“Oi. They have something bad for him.”
--
Kai rushed down the halls of the church with a speed they did not know that they had in their legs, as shaking and unstable as they might be. Each movement felt like they were a newborn fawn, striding and tripping over themselves as they tried their best to push forward into the halls around them. The stained glass was a blur against their vision as their narrowed watch focused only on the road before them. Of the direction before them and just who it would bring them to see. A smile parted on their nerve-wracked lips despite the situation, the knowledge that they were still with Terzo… That they were still HIS assistant blossomed with pride in their heart.
Pride and something more.
All of those feelings, of course, came to a stop when they pushed open the door to the Papa’s quarters and saw just what was going on.
Ghouls scrambled swiftly around the room, picking up bits of items that they were surely aware belonged to them. Each bauble of theirs was wrapped neatly in bubble wrap and folded into a suitcase, surrounded by their own casual and formal clothing as it was loaded into the sleek cases and bound with thin metal clasps against the edge. None of the helpers acknowledged their presence as they continued on in their work. Scurrying to and fro, Kai could only watch with a sense of abject anxiety as their items were stolen from the places they had always been. The places Terzo allowed them to keep things since - well - since they had been busy helping him.
All the while Terzo himself sat at the desk in his room, a rare sight considering he only really used it to sit on and embellish his words, his gaze hot over some of the papers Kai had laid out in the hopes that he would overview them and sign then. They hadn’t actually expected him to do such a thing, especially not when so many workers were busy packing their own stuff away.
“Papa,” Kai managed out as they hurried over to the desk, placing their own papers on its edge and leaning forward with wide eyes, “What is the meaning of all of-”
Terzo held his hand out, stopping their words mid sentence as he frowned. Kai tensed, the look on Terzo’s face unfamiliar territory as they tried to gouge the reasoning behind such a sour look. They didn’t have the chance to fully take it in, though, not as he finally began speaking. The long silence was only one sharp pain compared to his words.
“Do not worry,” He huffed with a dry tone to his voice, “I overheard your… conversation with my brother. How you say… You’ll be out of here - ah - lickety split. To move wherever it is he wants you.”
Kai paled at the thought of him overhearing. Just how much had he actually heard? How long had he hung around for? Was this… because he heard that they loved him and did not want them around him anymore? Were they being kicked out because they were being rejected? Terror rose in thier heart as they realized the full situation before them. Kai was speechless for a long time, unable to fully part their lips to make words come from them. In the meantime, Terzo stood to move away.
It was as he was walking that they sprung into action.
“Papa what are you saying!?”
“Do not think I’m an idiot!” He hissed with a near dangerous tone of his voice, “I see how he looked at you. I see how he touches you! If you are so dedicated to him, meeting every day and night, you might as well make it official. There is no reason for worry, caro, I promise, you will have everything organized with no huff and-”
“I don’t WANT to go with your brother!”
The admittance paused Terzo in his words, his tongue stumbling on his teeth as he turned to blink owlishly at his assistant. Kai’s face was bright red as they heaved their breath, the shout they had dared offer in the frontman’s direction was surprisingly loud for one who never raised their voice too much. Sure, it inclined with their special interests or built up power when they were excited, but this? It was a bellow out of their mouth. A dangerous yell that broke whatever frustrated facade Terzo dared carry around them.
“You… do not?”
“No!” Kai exhaled as they rubbed their temples for a moment, grounding themselves as they gestured forward, “No I… Whatever you saw… whatever your brother did to me… I refused it, Papa. I refused all of him because I wanted to stay here! I wanted to stay and be with YOU.”
“Me….” He trailed off, the word foreign on his tongue, “Why? When you enjoy his company so much.”
Kai felt frustration bubble up in their heart as they dragged a hand through their short cropping of hair and exhaled without thinking about it:
“Because I lo….” The stopped, the word faltering over their mouth, but the hopeful look on Terzo’s face showed that he had heard the start of their admittance. The warmth of their embarrassment flooded their tongue like a bitter medicine as they tried to hide their gaze by shifting it away to the floor. There was another long pause before they dared continue on, accepting the words that they had longed to say as they finally fell from their lips.
“It’s because…I love you.”
The silence was deafening now. The endless quiet between the both of them was suddenly and unbearable weight that pressed down into Kai’s shoulders as it hovered. It was a monster whose teeth was sinking into the back of their spine, making the bones ache with impatience and terror. All they could do was wait now. Wait to hear what Terzo had to say during the confession. To hear what they either did or did not want to hear leave his lips. The entirety of the thing was an anxiety inducing nightmare that sent goosebumps up Kai’s spine as their legs trembled beneath them out of pure adrenaline.
Terzo’s face morphed into a smile, soft and concerned, and Kai felt their tension melt away with a relieved sigh.
“Oh caro,” Terzo sighed as he approached them, “Why did you not tell me this thing before!”
It was all the warning they got before they were swept up in a pair of arms, twirled above the ground in a way that made them squeal in surprise. Once they were set back down, a single gloved hand reached out to take their chin between thumb and forefinger, dragging them up to stare into the mismatched eyes of the other. Terzo’s gaze glittered with amusement as he let his thumb rub across the bottom of their lip. His hold on their body was soft as he continued to stare down at them, as though they held all the secrets of the church itself. As though they were something he could breathe life into.
“Do you mean that? You love me… You mean it, yes?”
“I…” Kai swallowed and gave a shy smile back, “I do. I always did…”
The ghouls around them had stopped moving now, the change in situation so sudden that they were not aware of just what they were supposed to be doing now. Some set the items they were gathering back down and others simply stood with the items still in hand, their tails twitching as they watched the couple before them. Kai - suddenly aware of all of their stares - flushed in surprise, but had no chance to complain before those fingers holding their face brought themselves forward.
Soft, painted lips fell upon Kai’s own. The taste of champagne and setting spray overwhelming their mouth as Terzo kissed them. The shock of his sudden presence, of his brash audacity, overwhelmed them for only the briefest of moments before they melted into the kiss, limbs turning into jelly as they wrapped their arms around Terzo’s neck and pulled him closer, deepening the kiss longer as they shared it together.
By now the ghouls had slowly begun to unpack the things they had put away, unwrapping knick knacks and rearranging clothes carefully around the two as they read the room.
When they did pull away, Kai could taste the remnants of face paint on their lips, and they could not help but smile brightly at the sight of the man before them, grip tightening on his suit as he beamed down at them.
“I guess that is making it official then, hm?”
“Pft, making what official?”
“That you are mine.”
The honest words brought a blush to their face, but it was a pleasant feeling in the pit of their stomach that brought them to nod and laugh. Pressing their nose into his neck, they sighed deeply as they continued to hold him - and was held in return. Their confirming whisper sent stars in the back of Terzo’s vision as he memorized the breaths that were written along his neck:
