Boot tapping against the wood, you hope someone is on the other side.
"Ray, it's me, could you get the door?"
You stand in an awkward balancing act, hands full of groceries and a box of baked goods. Although it feels more like an awkward and impatient hover.
Ray finally appears from beyond the black door, cigarette between his lips as he runs a rag over his hands. He drops the rag as soon as he sees you.
"You should have told me to hurry up! What can I grab?"
You laugh, nudging the paper bag into his hand, hoping to stabilize it enough to distribute the multibag puzzle that you have in your arms.
"Can you grab the box first? And then I'll give you the bag."
It takes a minute, but eventually, each of you has a bag, while you keep a grip on the box.
"Thanks for your help, Ray."
Raymond Stantz chuckles fondly.
"I think we should be thanking you. You didn't have to do this."
"There's eggs in the bag, if you want to make breakfast?" You sit the last bag down, still holding onto the box, which Ray looks at knowingly.
You sigh, caught, before seeking out Egon Spengler.
Rhythmic taps break his concentration, but his eyes stay glued to the microscope and slime sample before him.
Egon Spengler knows it's you from your knock and from the soundless walk into the lab.
"What are you working on?"
"Ectoplasmic residue's effects on penicillin."
He finally moves away from the microscope, pausing at the sight of you, brown eyes suddenly bright.
Egon's freshly washed hands pick the small vanilla and chocolate pastry from the left corner of the box with a napkin, biting into it without a second's thought.
"The vanilla creme is a good touch."
You stare at him, setting the box on a seemingly clean and safe spot on the small table that sports one of Ray's empty mugs.
"Yeah? I'll run the canoli ones by you next time."
"I do like the hypotheses you bring me."
"I like bringing you hypotheses."
A slow upturn of his lips in typical Egon fashion precedes him pushing one of the lab chairs towards you.
"A hypotheses of my own."
Egon gloves up before adjusting the lighting of the microscope for you, the warmth of his arms ghosting around you before he steps back again.
The mold's color changes in infrequent patterns, ectoplasm drawing it in before separating. It does this over and over again, like a pair of magnets that can't figure out which one is north and which one is south.
An ungloved hand moves to hold the back of your chair, fingertips brushing against your back. The other gloved hand adjusts the other knob, lowering the height of the slide for another angle.
"That's different. Do you think it affects its ability to combat diseases? There's not really an ethical way to find out. Or a smart way. Probably is best to avoid ghost diseases."
"I'm not sure," he answers, voice low. "I'd like to study it more at different stages of spore development."
You pull back slowly, trying not to have a racing heart as Egon hovers extremely close.
"Try not to develop an Andromeda Strain, Dr. Spengler."
"That would require extraterrestrial residue," he answers, cheeky.
"Not at all, but if New York requires alien and ghost defense, I think I'll need another trip to the library. In addition, we would have to work on our diplomacy skills. Especially Venkman."
Egon straightens from his slightly bent position, his fingers leaving the back of the chair. The warmth they leave behind must be woven into the fabric of your sweater in the way that it lingers.
"Ray might be making breakfast. I can let you know if and when it's done." You stand from the rolling chair, watching Egon move the samples and test slides into their secured storage, the light flashing green as he shuts the drawer that houses the slide you both had been observing. He's gloved up again. Both hands.
Almost like he kept one ungloved on purpose.
"No need. I'll meet you there. Don't forget the-"
You grab the box, sending your favorite genius a smile.
And Venkman, in all his slime hating grumbling, should be very grateful that you did not melt into goo at the look Egon Spengler gave you in return.