☹︎Blurt☺︎︎

“eren?”

when he turns, you snicker at the spots of flour on his face. one on his nose, and some on his cheek and chin. his pristine white teeth beaming as he sees his pretty girl, waving his wooden spoon at you.

~~~

It was a dark and windy night on October 31st. What a cliche. Y/N thought to herself as she walked down the winding road that led to her home. Taking a swig from the alcohol that was not so expertly covered by a brown paper bag, she slowly placed one foot in front of the other, balancing herself on the curb like she was being tested to see how drunk she was.

“I’m not that drunk.” She murmured to herself, as she, in her opinion, expertly balanced herself on the raised sidewalk. Y/N would just ignore how she slipped onto the street a second after. At least she had caught herself, before she plummeted onto the shining concrete. The streetlamps above illuminated the proof that it had rained recently, as it reflected golden light from the small pools of water that scattered the ground. She didn’t even have to look up to see the night sky since it reflected the world around her. That made her walk all the more easier, she could keep her sight trained on her feet without missing anything, all while keeping an upright position.

Okay, maybe she was drunker than she thought. The few drinks she had at Jean’s Halloween party had already caused warmth to flood her stomach. Giddiness had settled into her bones after the second homemade cocktail, so maybe she should have stopped there. And maybe it was overkill to buy a bottle of spirits at the gas station on the walk home from Jean’s. But Y/N had been in a good mood. She wanted to keep the fun going, even when everyone else was already passed out on the various surfaces of Jean’s home. Y/N wished she was one of those people, who can just pass out at someone else’s home and be comfortable as it was. But the desperate need to be in her own bed had overcome any other desire in that moment. And besides, she only lived five blocks away. She knew she could make that walk. She would just have to deal with Jean’s wrath later, when he inevitably wakes up to find that his friend had walked home in the dark all alone.

Though it’s not like Jean needed to worry, Y/N was already at the end of her street. She pulled out her phone, tapping the screen so that the soft blue light washed over her features. With one eye closed shut, in an effort to keep the numbers on her phone to stop dancing, she registered the time.

12:04

She had made it back home in less than half an hour. A new personal record, considering it was after one of the more rambunctious parties that her friends would often throw. Y/N smiled to herself as she reminisced on her friends' antics, unlocking her front door as she did.

Taking another sip from her bottle and wincing as it burned down her throat, she tossed her keys into the bowl by the door and moved down the hallway. Y/N kicked off her shoes, leaving them haphazardly in the middle of the floor, and then moved into the living room, where she promptly flopped onto the velvet couch. As she sat there her eyes wandered around her living space.

It might be strange for some, to see a girl in her early twenties living in a two story, suburban home on her own. But when your estranged grandmother passes away and mysteriously leaves you the house that she was subleasing to strangers, you take what you can get. Especially when that meant living somewhere for free.

Y/N wasn’t sure why her grandmother chose her to have the house. But she assumed it was because everyone else in the family hated the old woman. The girl only ever met her grandmother as a baby, so it was pretty tough to base judgements on a woman that you never even knew. She supposed that her grandmother must have understood that. So she gave her second home away to the only person in her family who didn’t have any specific hatred towards her.

So now, here Y/N sat, in a home that she had been living in for only four months. It wasn’t a bad home, everything was up to date and it rested in a fairly nice neighborhood. Though it was obviously decorated by an old person. Which made the home far more creepy than it needed to be. Not that Y/N minded; she actually kind of like the old victorian style that the house represented. It was her friends that always complained about the cold lasting chill that plagued their bodies the second they walked inside.

Y/N liked to think that this style suited her, though she kind of wished that she had the funds to at least update some of the furniture. She realized right then that she had the rest of her life to save up and do so, since this home was now hers.

Thud.

That is if she were welcome here. Y/N threw her head back with a soft groan when she heard the thump of an item falling down from the shelf that stood on the back wall of her living room. Again? She thought to herself, as she twisted herself in her seat. Though she didn’t know why she did. Y/N knew exactly what fell from the shelf, since it was the same item every time. A small wooden box that no matter how hard she tried, the girl could never open.

Y/N rolled her eyes as she pushed herself up from the couch. With each footstep towards the box, the wood beneath her feet creaked, the sound echoing into the night. Yet another detail about her house that her friends detested, and another that Y/N couldn’t care less about. She crouched down on her knees, picking up the box and examined the smooth mahogany that lay under her fingertips. Throughout the whole time she had been living in this house, her unlikely companion seemed to be enamored with this object. Sure, the ghost had flickered a few lights, and caused a few of the floorboards to creak as it wandered through the house, but this little box seemed to be what the enigma was interested in the most.

As she observed the box, the lights above her head flickered on and off. And though she usually didn’t engage with the ghost (mostly out of fear that it would possess her), the alcohol in her system had released all her inhibitions. Before she knew it, she had opened her mouth.

“I’m not scared of you, you know.” Y/N called out into the empty house. There was no response, of course, and she could’ve left it at that, but she was drunk, and she kind of wanted solid proof that the ghost was real. “You can stop messing with whatever this thing is, you have my attention.”

As she placed the small wooden box back on the shelf, she thought she might’ve heard a slight creak in one of the floorboards. But who’s to say that wasn’t the house shifting, it had been a very windy night. Y/N looked around the room, hoping that by some trick of the light she’d see a figure in the corner, or catch another item falling from the shelf. But alas, there was nothing, and she was alone.

Her gaze flitted over the furniture in the room, only stopping when her eyes landed on a rectangular box that sat forgotten on one of the side tables that stood against the wall. It was the Ouija board that her friend, Mikasa, had bought her as a joke after one of the many instances that alluded to the fact that this house might be haunted. Y/N had left the box unopened, obviously not wanting to mess with it. But now she was intrigued, and she wanted to know more.

A moment later, she had the board set up on the coffee table, the planchette sat idly in the center of the board. Y/N took a deep breath as she placed herself in front of it, sitting on her knees. She had considered lighting candles to set the mood, but then thought that it might be too dramatic for whatever it was. Besides, this might not even work.

Y/N shook her head, she had to get into the right mindset if she wanted to figure out the truth. It will work. It has to. She gently placed her fingertips on the planchette, giving herself a moment to take another deep breath before she spoke.

“Are there any spirits in this house?” She asked, cringing inwardly, she felt like she was in one of those cheesy ghost hunting shows where they freak out at the slightest sound. But she didn’t know what else to say. Might as well start with the basics.

When there was proven to be no answer from the ghost, she tried again.

“Are you good or evil?” Y/N questioned, though it might’ve been a dumb question. Was she expecting Casper the friendly ghost? Or perhaps the devil? If there was anyone else living in this house, it was probably some unfortunate soul who was doomed to wander the land of the living for all eternity. There was no good or evil, the ghost was just… there. Trying to get by. Or at least that's what it seemed like from the interactions the girl had with it. And, anyways, it seemed like the ghost was shy, or maybe not there at all, as she still garnered no response.

“This is stupid.” Y/N said to herself, shaking her head. She pushed the board away from her, and removed herself from the floor. Finding her spot on the couch, she closed her eyes to gage how she was feeling. Apparently, she hadn’t gotten drunk enough to have the spins, so that was good. In fact, she could feel the buzz of alcohol slip away, replacing itself with a slight headache. Great, she hadn’t even gone to bed yet and she was already plagued with a hangover. Y/N sat up straight, deciding that she would need water and some Advil if she wanted to get through this. But as she did, a slight chill ran over her form. Or maybe more than a chill as she practically shivered from the sudden drop of temperature. She sat still in her spot, wrapping her arms around herself to try and savor her body heat. Her eyes traveled along the walls of the room again, she had the unnerving suspicion that she wasn’t alone.

“Boo.” A deep voice sounded out right beside her ear. The blood curdling scream that erupted from her lips was loud enough to wake up the whole neighborhood. She stood from her spot, and with her hand pressed against her chest in an effort to cease the incessant beating of her heart, she whipped around and her eyes landed on a man. A man, who was leaning over her couch, his eyes wide with shock from her reaction.

“What are you doing in my house?” She yelled, taking a couple steps back and making sure not to trip over her coffee table as she tried to create distance between her and this unknown stranger. No, not stranger, intruder. Y/N needed a weapon. Her eyes jumped towards the fireplace, and she made her way across the room to grab one of the pokers that was hanging on the wrought iron fireplace screen. She held it out in front of her so that he couldn’t get any closer without suffering at least a little damage.

“Wait… You can see me?” He asked, as he stood up straight, ignoring how she was frantically moving around the room to find a weapon. He started to step out from around the couch, Y/N raised the poker higher with defense.

“Of course, I can see you!” She spat, her eyes trained on him so she could predict his moves. And this gave her a chance to really see him. For someone that was trying to rob this place he was dressed fairly… casually. All he wore was a black Ramone’s tee and blue jeans, held up by a black leather belt. He didn’t even cover his face, which Y/N thought was a rookie mistake in crime 101. But then again, getting a closer look at it now, with a face like that who would ever want to cover it up? Her breath hitched in her throat as she realized how attractive he was. With his long brunette hair tied back into a half-up hairstyle, she got a good look at his face. His features were strong, and stoic as he looked at her with confusion. His piercing teal eyes caused her to shiver, and his pink lips were forming words that she was definitely not listening to due to the aforementioned realization of his good looks. She shook her head as she brought herself back to reality.

“—able to see me?” She only caught the last few words of his sentence, but from what she could gather he was still very confused on how she was able to see him. Y/N thought that this was a strange question to ask considering he was standing right there in her living room.

“I can see you because you’re in my house!” She retorted, gripping the poker tighter, “How did you get in here?”

“I’ve always been here.” He shrugged, taking a step closer to her. Y/N held the poker higher, threatening him with the fact that she wasn’t afraid to use violence. The man glanced down at her weapon, a slight smirk graced his handsome features, and soon deep laughter escaped his lips. Y/N tried to ignore how she kind of liked the sound.

“What’s so funny?” Y/N snapped, her eyebrows furrowing with confusion.

“That weapon of yours isn’t going to be very useful.” He told her, gesturing to the item in her hands.

“I beg to differ.” She retorted. But the man just scoffed, suddenly moving towards her. Y/N stood frozen in her spot as he advanced towards her. Watching in horror as she was afraid what might happen next, she braced herself to use her weapon against him. But then the strangest thing happened. Y/N was sure that he would stop right in front of her, wrench the weapon free from her hands and attack her. But he kept walking. He kept moving forward until the end of the poker was directly in his chest. Y/N would’ve screamed, if she had just witnessed a man murder himself with the weapon she was holding, but there wasn’t any blood. The sharp edge didn’t puncture any skin. It went straight through him. As if he were made of air.

“What the fuck?” Y/N whispered as her eyes trained on his chest (which was very muscular, but she shouldn’t be thinking about that at a time like this).

“Now are you getting it?” He asked, and Y/N raised her eyes to meet his. He was looking at her as if this was supposed to be simple. Like it was normal for items to just go through you like you were made of nothing.

“You’re… a ghost?” Y/N asked, feeling silly for even having to say it out loud. But there was no other explanation for how this was happening before her eyes.

“Right on the money.” He grinned, tapping his nose and pointing at her as if they were playing a game of charades.

“But… How is this possible? How can I see you?” Y/N questioned, dropping the weapon to her side. She saw how the ghost shivered as the poker ran through his body, indicating that he at least felt something from the thing that was previously sticking straight through his chest.

“That’s what I’ve been trying to ask you, if you had been listening.” He said, the tone in his voice was slightly annoyed.

“How am I supposed to know? I’ve never seen a ghost in my life.” Y/N retorted. The man nodded his head as he contemplated her words. His eyes searched the room until they landed on her set up on the coffee table.

“Maybe it has to do with the fact that you were trying to talk to me.” He said as he moved closer to the table, eyeing the Ouija board with suspicion. “You know, tonight was the first time you ever talked to me. I was beginning to think you hated me.”

He attempted to joke, but there was something in his sentence that caught her attention.

“Wait, you’re the ghost that’s been messing with my things?” Y/N accused. The ghost raised an eyebrow at her.

“I thought that was obvious, since you finally decided to talk to me after all these months of living together.”

“Living together? It’s not like we’re roommates, this is my house.” Y/N told him, to which he responded with more soft laughter.

“I’ve been living in this house since 2001, I’d argue that this is my house.” The man responded, “Or at least, I was renting it since 2001, but I guess that ended when I… You know.”

Y/N’s eyebrows knitted together as she did the math in her head. He was renting this house in 2001? That's around the time she was born. And he looked to be around her age. There was no way he could rent this place if he was a baby.

“Wait.. how old are you?” Y/N asked him.

“Twenty-one.” The ghost replied, “Though technically, I’m supposed to be forty. That’s the beauty of dying at a young age. Eternal youth.”

Y/N grew quiet at his words. Though he was obviously making light of his situation, Y/N couldn’t help but feel sad for him. He was so young. He had a whole life ahead of him and it was ripped away from him so easily. She herself, had only just turned twenty-two, she couldn’t even imagine how hard it is to lose your life so young.

“Don’t look at me like that, Y/N, I hate when people feel sorry for me.” He murmured, His shoulders were tense as he grew uncomfortable from the obvious sadness that was radiating from the girl.

“I’m sorry, it’s just— Wait, how do you know my name?” Y/N asked, forgetting that she was just pitying the man. Her eyes were narrowed with suspicion.

“When you live with someone for four months, you happen to learn their name.” He retorted.

“Well that’s unfair. I don’t know your name.” She replied.

“How was I supposed to tell you when you couldn’t even see or hear me until now?” The man argued, and Y/N shut her mouth at that. Fair point.

“You could tell me now.” She said softly. The ghost looked at her, with slight surprise in his irises. Maybe he was shocked that the girl wanted to know who he was.

“Eren.” He responded, with the same softness to his tone. He never thought that he would ever get the chance to introduce himself to anyone else ever again. The fact that Y/N stood in front of him now, staring at him with those alluring eyes, had him dumbfounded. It was all he’s ever wanted for the past four months of him getting to know her. The one resident in this house that he actually had an interest in, and she was the one to finally notice him. Eren couldn’t believe his luck.

Y/N cleared her throat, a bit unnerved that he was just staring at her while he went through his inner turmoil. This pulled him out of his thoughts, and he quickly turned away from her, wandering around the room.

“So… why do you think you can finally see me?” Eren questioned, as he moved around her furniture. Not that he needed to, he could walk right through it if he wanted. But it was the principle of the matter. And he didn’t want to be rude.

At Eren’s question, Y/N immediately thought of Beetlejuice, how Lydia Deetz says that live people ignore the strange and unusual. “I myself am strange and unusual.” She quoted to herself, in her mind. Though she never really considered herself strange or unusual. Y/N was just… normal. She was herself. There seemed to be no real explanation as to why she could see him.

“I’m not sure,” She told him, as she watched him observe the items on her shelf. He stopped in front of the mahogany box. “I think, maybe, it’s just pure luck.”

Eren turned to look at her, and she stilled under the bright teal of his gaze. Those eyes seemed to be very dangerous for her health.

“I was thinking the same thing.” He smiled at her. Y/N returned his smile and the two just stood there for a moment, looking at each other. At that moment, Y/N felt like she had known him this whole time. Well, maybe she did, since everything she’s been through in this house was directly caused by him. For some reason, it was a comfort to know that it was Eren messing with that box on the shelf.

“Why are you so interested in that box?” She asked, moving next to him, she shivered at his proximity. Though she wasn’t sure if it was because of his ghostly coldness or something else.

“It’s mine.” Eren told her as he moved to touch it, but his fingers sank right through the surface. “I left it here when I died. I’m thinking it has to do with my unfinished business.”

Y/N raised a brow at that, “You really think you’re here because of some unfinished business? I didn’t think that was real.”

“Hey, neither did I but I’m here aren’t I?” Eren chuckled, he moved to touch the box again and this time he didn’t sink through, from his touch, the box fell to the floor. Just like it always did.

“I don’t understand why it does that.” Eren said, looking down at the unassuming box that laid on the floor. Y/N bent over to pick it up. A small fit of jealousy flipped through his stomach as she so easily closed her fingers around the box. Though he ignored it. It wasn’t anyone’s fault that he wasn’t able to touch things as easily as her. “Most of the time, I go right through it. But then there are those moments where I go to touch it, and it actually does something.”

“Well it has to mean something, right?” Y/N told him, looking over at him. His stomach flipped when their gazes connected. “If you’re able to touch it, even if it’s just to knock it over, I think it actually does have to do with your unfinished business.”

“That makes sense.” Eren nodded, as he shifted his eyes back to the box in her hand. He wasn’t sure he could handle staring Y/N in her eyes any longer. Which was strange considering he was usually more confident when it came to girls. Figures that the first girl he meets where he actually feels something towards her is on a whole different plane of existence. Or maybe he just wasn’t used to being stared at. You know, because of the whole ‘dead’ thing. He liked that idea a little better. It was more fair to his heart.

“What’s in this box anyways?” Y/N then asked, distracting Eren from his thoughts, “I’ve tried opening it, like, a thousand times, but it won’t budge.”

“Maybe that’s because you shouldn’t be snooping in other people's stuff.” Eren joked, earning an eye roll from the girl. He grinned at her annoyance at him, knowing that it was all in good fun. And Eren realized how great it felt to be joking around with someone again. He genuinely missed this part of life.

“You’re one to talk.” She laughed, and she was about to elbow his side for being such a smart ass, but then stopped her movements when she remembered she would just go right through him. “Seriously though, what’s so special about this thing?”

“I don’t know.” Eren shrugged, “My dad gave it to me before he died. We didn’t really have… the best relationship. So, I guess I was just afraid to know what was in it.”

Y/N nodded, not letting herself ask the questions that were on the tip of her tongue. It wasn’t really her place to try and pry into his personal life. So instead she settled for an easier question, one that she knew he would be able to answer without any emotional turmoil.

“Do you know how to open it?” She asked. Eren nodded, lifting his hand to scoop his fingers into the top of his shirt, a second later he procured an old vintage looking key that was attached to his necklace. He held it out between them and Y/N moved her fingers to touch it, but of course, her hand just fell through into empty air.

“It’s not the real key, dummy.” He chuckled as he let the necklace fall back against his chest. “The real one’s attached to my decomposing corpse, six feet underground. And unless you want to be arrested for grave robbing, I suggest we leave it there.”

“What else can we do?” Y/N asked, ignoring the comment about his dead body that lay in a grave somewhere. She didn’t really want to think about that.

“There’s not really anything we can do.” Eren shrugged. Y/N watched as he moved away from her. How he wandered back out into the living room. Suddenly an overwhelming feeling of guilt washed over Y/N’s form. She wished there was a way for her to help him. It must be horrible, being trapped in this house. With no one to talk to and nothing to do. The gears in her head started turning as she thought of ways to help him. A moment later, a metaphorical light bulb went off above her head.

“Do you want me to break it open?” Y/N asked, gaining the attention of Eren. His eyes lit up with excitement.

“Y/N! You’re a genius.” He exclaimed, causing laughter to bubble out of her lips. Eren wanted to reach out and hug her, to spin her around to show her how grateful he was. But he couldn’t, so he settled for grinning at her.

“Okay! I think I have a hammer somewhere around here.” Y/N told him, as she moved out of the living room and into the kitchen. He quickly followed behind her.

The girl stopped in front of the kitchen sink, getting down on her knees so she could search through the contents that resided under her sink. Eren averted his gaze as she did, because she happened to be wearing a very revealing dress.

Earlier that evening, when Eren had seen what she was wearing before she went out for the night, he swore he felt his heart skip a beat. Which shouldn’t even be possible, considering his heart had fully stopped the moment he died. But it’s not like his body wouldn’t have a reaction to her. Especially since the dress hugged her curves in all the right ways. From the time that he had lived with her, it had never been a secret that the girl was attractive. When she showed up that very first day, suitcases in tow, Eren immediately knew that she would be trouble. The instant attraction he felt towards her was palpable.

One time, he even caught her leaving the bathroom with the tiniest towel he had ever seen wrapped around her form. It was an accident of course, because he tries to steer clear of her whenever she does anything remotely intimate. But the sight had caused an instant reaction. And it was nice to know that some… parts of him still worked the way they used to. He wasn’t quite sure how it worked, but he was thankful that the universe had thrown him a bone (no pun intended). Being able to relieve himself in that way again was the best thing to ever happen to him. That was until tonight, when her eyes had finally found him.

“Here it is!” Y/N said, taking Eren away from his perverted thoughts, which he thought was a good thing, since he couldn’t do much about his attraction to her anyways. The girl stood from the floor, a tool box held in her hands.

The two of them moved over to the counter, where she had left the small wooden box upon entering the kitchen. From the tool box, she retrieved a hammer and a screwdriver. Eren watched curiously, as she wedged the flat edge of the screw driver into the seam of the box. Her arm went up, as she prepared to hammer the screwdriver into the box in order to break it open. But just as she was about to swing, Eren stopped her.

“Stop.” He quickly blurted, he wasn’t exactly sure why he stopped her. But something in that moment told him he wasn’t quite ready for his time on this earth to end.

Y/N looked over at Eren, and saw what looked to be fear in his eyes. He wasn’t ready. And though she wanted to help him get this over with, it wasn’t her place to rush him. So she gently placed the hammer on the marble counter.

“Are you okay?” She asked, and Eren just looked at her, a bashful expression covering his features.

“Um, yeah.” Eren said, though she didn’t really believe him, “Is it alright if we wait on this? I think I need to prepare myself.”

Y/N smiled at him, her expression softening as he revealed his reasoning to him stopping her.

“That’s fine.” She told him, and Eren’s worries seemed to melt away at her comforting tone. “Is there anything you want to do, before you go?”

Eren wracked his mind as he tried to think of something. Though everything he wanted to do was impossible since he couldn’t touch anything. Eren supposed that there was only one thing he could do.

“Could we maybe just talk? It’s been awhile since I’ve had a conversation with anyone.” He offered, his tone was unsure, like maybe she wouldn’t want to talk to him. Y/N found that to be quite endearing as he tested the waters with her.

“I’d love to talk.” She grinned, and he couldn’t help but smile back.

The two of them talked for what seemed like hours, though it had only been forty-five minutes. Y/N had learned so much about him already, and everything she learned only made her want to know more. Eren was born in 1981. He had an older brother whose wife was pregnant with baby number two. He told her that he loved being an uncle. He told her about his favorite books and his favorite songs. And he told her that he didn’t really have an interesting life, but from the stories that he had she knew that he was lying. Eren was quite the adventurer. Even at his young age, Eren had already been all across the world. The minute he graduated high school he had traveled far and wide. In the short three years between graduation and the day he died, he had already been to fifteen different countries. Which was more than Y/N could say. The only reason he had to come back and live in the house that they were sitting in now, was because his father was forcing him to go to school, rather than waste his time doing nothing. Y/N wholeheartedly disagreed with Eren’s father, saying that gaining life experience and meeting new people all across the world was not a time waster. This made Eren like her even more than he already did. He couldn’t help but grin at her, his eyes shining, as she went off on her rant. Though she stopped very abruptly when she realized that he was staring.

“Why are you looking at me like that?” Y/N chuckled awkwardly, taking a sip from the water she had gotten herself before they sat down on the floor of the kitchen to talk (which they had to do once they realized he wasn’t able to sit on the stools that stood next to her counter).

“I’m not looking at you like anything.” Eren argued, his cheeks turning a slight shade of pink. Y/N quirked her head to the side as she observed him. Did he even have any blood in his system to make that happen? Though as she looked at his tinted features, she realized it was sort of a lame imitation of what actually happens to a human being when they blush. It had a gray tint to it.

“Sure you are,” Y/N responded, continuing the conversation before she got too distracted by the anatomy of a ghost. “You probably get off on watching me, creep.”

Eren knew she was just teasing him from the way she grinned at him and the joking tone in her voice. But she didn’t even realize the truth behind her words (even if they were harsher than he would have put it). How could he not like watching her? Okay, that definitely sounded creepy. But it wasn’t like he was watching Y/N while she was in the shower or getting changed. He just happened to catch her in her everyday life. And he also happened to like how she looked when she was reading a book, or making dinner, or even dancing to the loud music she blasted when she thought no one was watching. Every time he saw her in these moments, he so desperately wanted to join her.

In his head he had these fantasies. He thought about the ways she could talk for hours about her favorite books to him, how he could offer her his own insight and how her smile would grow when she realized she finally met someone who also appreciated the same type of literature she did. Or how he could help her in the kitchen as she made his favorite meal. He could reach the spices that were placed on the shelves that were too tall for her to reach. He could wrap his arms around her waist as she stood at the stove, trying not to burn whatever was in the pan. Or he could dance with her and take her in his arms and twirl her around until she was a mess of laughter.

He had found out about his very unrequited crush about a month into living with her. He thought the universe was cruel for placing him in this house with her, and she couldn’t even see him. She didn’t even know she was there. Until now.

“You probably get off knowing that you’re being watched,” Eren retorted, trying to get back to the conversation without feeling the sadness in his heart every time he realized he could never be with her. “If anybody’s a creep, it’s you.”

“I didn’t even know you were here until tonight!” She laughed incredulously, and Eren’s chest bloomed with warmth since he was finally the direct cause of her laughter.

“That’s a lie and you know it.” Eren said, “You had to know I was here or else you wouldn’t be moaning as loud as you do every night.”

Eren stilled as he realized what he had just said. Y/N’s jaw dropped, heat ran to her cheeks and she quickly covered her face so she wouldn’t have to deal with Eren’s burning stare.

“You watch me when I touch myself?” She accused through her fingers, and though she sounded angry, and she kind of was angry, but she couldn’t help the warmth that pooled into her panties at the thought. Meanwhile, Eren was scrambling as he got up on his knees.

“No! No, I don’t watch you when you…” Eren shook his head before he said the words, in fear for when he did, something else would show up to the party. “You just happen to be very vocal when you do. And the walls are pretty thin, I could practically hear your vibrator from the basement.”

“Oh my god!” Y/N shrieked at the mention of her sex toy, and Eren cursed at himself for not knowing when to shut his fat mouth. “This is so embarrassing.”

“Don’t be embarrassed,” Eren told her, and he really wished he could reach out and remove the hands from her face so she could see how serious he was. “It’s only natural, right? And besides, you didn’t know I was even here, you didn’t think anyone was listening.”

“But still, I probably made you so uncomfortable.” Y/N shuddered into her palms. And Eren’s heart melted at the thought that she was thinking about his comfort rather than her own.

“I wasn’t uncomfortable.” Eren shook his head, even though he knew she couldn’t see. Y/N peaked between her fingers, to see that the blush was now back over his cheeks.

“You weren’t?” She asked, finally brave enough to let her hands fall back into her lap.

“No, I actually thought that it was…” Eren stopped himself, finally knowing when to shut up. But Y/N was now curious to what he thought.

“You thought that it was what?” Y/N asked, peering up at him through her eyelashes. Eren swallowed hard.

“I thought that it was hot.” He chuckled, nervously, and Y/N felt like her whole entire body was on fire from the husky tone in his voice at the mention of his arousal towards her. The thought that he found her noises to be attractive had caused her stomach to flip. As they were talking, she thought that she was the only one who was attracted to him, seeing as he wasn’t alive. But now that he told her the truth about his reaction to her night time routine, she thought that maybe that’s not the case. Eren held her stare as she processed this in her mind. His eyes were drawn to her lips as she pulled her bottom one between her teeth. He held back a groan as her chest rose and fell with slow heavy breaths. Eren knew that she must be thinking something dangerous.

“And you never snuck in to watch?” Y/N suddenly asked him, which pulled his attention back up to her eyes. Pure curiosity was held within her irises.

“I wanted to give you your privacy.” He shrugged, “Besides, I’m not the creep that you make me out to be.”

Y/N chuckled at his words, though her heart was pounding. Partly because she had never met a man who was this considerate. If it were any other ghost that haunted this house, she was pretty sure she wouldn’t have the luxury of privacy like she had with Eren. Figures, the first decent guy she’s met was dead. It’s not like she even had a chance with the man. Especially since at the end of the night, she would help him pass to the other side. Though for some reason that little detail didn’t keep her from at least trying. That was the other reason why her heart was pounding in her chest and ringing in her ears.

“Do you want to watch?” Y/N heard herself say, and she couldn’t believe that she did. Never in her life had she been so bold, and she wanted to shrink away in embarrassment. But she didn’t. Y/N held onto Eren’s stare and noticed how his jaw went slack.

“Right now?” Eren stammered, and he could’ve lost his mind with the way Y/N slowly nodded at him. Was she really going to let him watch her touch herself? It was all he ever dreamed about from the first moment he heard her through the walls, and she was actually letting him into her private room to do so. She didn’t need to ask him twice before he was already standing. She laughed as he so eagerly stood up from his spot.

Eren held out his hand to help her up and when she reached to take it there was the cruel reminder that they could never touch as her fingers slipped right through him. The two of them ignored the melancholy feeling that took hold of the atmosphere, and Y/N stood on her own. Instead they focused on the matter at hand, as they moved upstairs where they both knew her bedroom was.

It took them no time at all to make it to her room. They now stood, facing each other in front of her bed, and with the way Y/N was looking at him, Eren so desperately wanted to reach out and kiss her. To touch her and make her feel good. She deserved to feel good. If only he was given the chance to do so.

But for now, she was letting him in on her most intimate practice. And that was more than he could ever wish for. He watched with bated breath as she slowly removed the straps of her dress from her shoulders. Y/N was obviously teasing him with how painstakingly slow she took to take off her dress. Her hands wandered over her body, smoothing the fabric down against her skin and Eren wondered if she wished they were his hands instead.

He held back a groan when she finally let the silk fabric slip down from her chest, revealing her breasts to him. The image he had in his mind of her naked body paled in comparison to what was in front of him now. Her nipples were already stiff with arousal and his hands were itching to touch them, but he kept them by his sides. As the dress slipped further down her body and revealed more of her soft skin, he could feel how his cock stirred to life and strained against his zipper.

Soon enough, she stood there in front of him clad only in her red panties. She let his eyes wander her whole entire figure, and with just his stare her body felt like it was on fire. She could only imagine what it would be like if he could use his hands. She glanced down at his hands and saw how they were clutched with restraint, the veins protruding through his tan skin. He was holding himself back. Y/N wished she could tell him that he didn’t need to. That he had free reign of her body. But she knew it was no use. Since he would never be able to touch her.

The girl ignored the sad thought and moved onto the bed, she stayed on her hands and knees as she reached into her nightstand to grab her vibrator. Y/N made sure to arch her back, giving Eren a wonderful display of her pussy peeking through her thighs. This time, Eren didn’t hold back the groan that left his lips at the sight of how wet she was. The red fabric of her panties was darkened with her slick and, if it were even possible, he was even harder than he was before.

When she turned around to face him the eruption of butterflies were hard to ignore as she watched him drink in the sight of her on her bed. His irises were darkened with lust and need and she was pretty certain the same look was reflected in her own eyes. The two of them looked at one another as the silence of the night caressed their skin. But after a moment, Y/N finally laid herself on her back, desperate to get started as her clit ached for friction. Y/N rubbed her thighs together as she laid there and Eren watched as she squirmed. He wanted to grab the supple flesh of her thighs and spread herself open for him. He wanted to see everything that he thought he could only see in his metaphorical dreams (since he didn’t need to sleep). But eventually, his torture was ceased as her thighs fell open against the plush surface of her mattress.

Y/N’s hands wandered over her figure once more. Though this time her fingers stopped as she started to pinch at her nipples. She imagined that her fingers were Eren’s instead, or that he was using his teeth to play with the sensitive buds. A soft moan escaped her lips as she did and Eren was sent directly to heaven. Metaphorically, of course, since it seemed like he wasn’t able to get to any other type of paradise. Not that he needed it at that moment. This was the only place he wanted to be right now. Heaven be damned.

Eventually, Y/N’s hands moved from her chest and trailed lightly down her stomach. She traced soft circles against her skin, causing goosebumps to rise against the surface. Though she was pretty sure those goosebumps were there because Eren was watching her. The hungry look in her eyes made her impatient and finally, she let her fingers trace over her clothed center. She shivered as her thumb brushed up against her clit. Another moan filtered out from her lips, but this time it caused Eren’s blood pressure to spike. Because this time, her moans sounded out the syllables of his name. Y/N was calling out to him, she was thinking of him as she did this. It proved to him that she wanted it to be him that was touching her rather than her own hand.

All too suddenly, Y/N hooked her fingers into her panties. Catching Eren, who was still reeling from his name leaving her perfect lips, off guard as she quickly discarded her undergarments. In all of her glory, Eren finally saw how aroused she really was. Her legs were spread wide revealing the way her pussy was glistening against the golden light of her lamp.

“Fuck, baby, you’re so wet.” He murmured, causing the girl to moan at the nickname he suddenly gave her, especially since it sounded so desirable coming from his lips. Y/N rolled her hips against the air, wishing that he was on top of her instead of at the edge of her bed. So in an effort to relieve her desire for him, she guided her fingertips down to her entrance, gathering the wetness that gathered there and bringing it back up to her aching clit, where she rubbed soft circles.

Eren swallowed hard as he watched Y/N touch herself. Her head was thrown back with pleasure as she paid special attention to her clit. Her breathing became shallow as the tension slowly started to build deep inside of her core. She wanted more. No, she was desperate for more, so her hand searched aimlessly through the covers on her bed, until her fingers closed around the cold plastic of her vibrator.

Eren licked his lips in anticipation. He knew what this small toy could make her sound like. And now he was finally able to see how it did. The amount of times he would sit in the basement of this house, desperately trying not to touch himself as her sultry moans filtered through the pipes, was too many to count. There were a few times where as soon as she finished, his hand would immediately wrap around his shaft as her noises were still burned in his mind. He was desperate to touch himself now, but he refused to do so in fear of making Y/N uncomfortable.

Meanwhile, unaware of Eren's desperation, Y/N finally pressed the button to make the electronic device stir to life. But before she made any moves to bring herself to the brink of pleasure, she made sure to look Eren in his eyes. She had found that she had quite liked having him here. Having his eyes on her had seemed to increase her sexual gratification by tenfolds. Her eyes wandered down his body, his chest was heaving up and down with deep breaths, his hands were still clutched to his sides, and she was sort of surprised that he looked so desperate for her. She never knew that a man could get so excited just by seeing her get herself off. But what surprised her the most, was the tent that formed in his jeans.

“You’re hard?” She breathed, turning off her vibrator and propping herself up on her forearms so she could get a better look.

“Y-yeah, I’m sorry, I didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable.” Eren told her. Though, she didn’t look uncomfortable. He felt like his whole body was on vibrate as he registered the mesmerized look that crossed the girl's features.

“I’m not uncomfortable, I just… Didn’t know that ghosts could be turned on. Do you even have any blood to make that work?” Y/N asked, bringing up the question that was on her mind earlier. Eren looked down at his burning erection, not really knowing the answer, just grateful that he had working parts.

“I have found that humans have learned next to nothing about what happens in the afterlife.” Eren said, honestly. And Y/N nodded in understanding, as this was a supernatural phenomenon that neither one of them could probably fully comprehend. Even so, she thought that they should use that to their advantage, if this would be their one and only night together.

“If you wanted to— Um,— handle that while you watch, it’s okay with me.” She said, her voice small with her apparent shyness. Eren’s eyes widened after hearing what she had to say. He couldn’t believe that any of this was really happening. He must have been a saint in his past life. You know, before this one that ended so soon.

“Are you sure?” Eren questioned, and all the girl had to do was nod before he was already tugging his shirt over his head. A small whimper escaped Y/N’s lips as she finally caught sight of Eren’s naked chest. The world must have been a cold and dark place if they allowed this specimen to leave our graces so soon. His whole torso was unexpectedly well defined as one would usually expect the undead to be ghastly. But Eren was anything but that. She was sort of mad at herself for allowing him to get undressed, now that she knew staring at him was the worst torture since she wouldn’t be able to touch him. Even so she was happy to have the chance to know that this man existed and held her breath as his fingers clumsily fumbled with the belt of his jeans.

When he revealed his underwear she was surprised to find him wearing black briefs, as that seemed unexpectedly modern for someone who grew up in the 80’s. But she didn’t really know much about men’s underwear trends throughout the decades, and soon enough the thought didn’t even matter. Eren had hooked his fingers around the elastic waistband of his briefs and his hard erection finally felt the relief of the cool air around them. His hard-on brushed lightly against his lower abdomen as it was freed from its confines and Y/N couldn’t hold back the moan that left her lips at the sight.

“God, you’re huge.” Y/N whimpered, feeling more of herself drip down between her thighs. Eren grinned at her words, he knew that he was particularly well-endowed from previous encounters when he was alive, but nothing excited him more than the explicit knowledge that Y/N liked how he looked. His hand wrapped around his shaft as he stroked himself a few times, the relief washing over him like a dam breaking. He raised an eyebrow when he realized that Y/N had ceased all her movements as she was hypnotized by the movement of his hand.

“Don’t let me distract you.” He breathed, as he continued stroking himself. He tried to keep his movements slow, not wanting to have this end before anything really started.

“That’s easy for you to say.” Y/N laughed, breathlessly as she let herself fall against her back once more, trying to bring her soul back to her body after the shock she just received from seeing him in all his naked glory. Not that she would say that part out loud. As it seemed to be a bit offensive due to his situation. Deep laughter rumbled out of Eren’s chest as he looked at the breathless girl in front of him.

“You must really like the sight of me touching myself.” He said, his tone deep with want. He registered how as he spoke, she arched her back against the surface of the mattress. Another soft whimper protruded from between her lips. Note to self, she likes dirty talk.

“You wish that I could do more, don’t you?” He asked, holding back on using any harsher language as he tested the waters. He wanted to make sure that she was as fully into this as he was. Y/N lifted her head, finding that she had lost the use of her vocal chords and nodded at his words. Her vibrator lay forgotten somewhere between the sheets and somehow her fingers had found her small sensitive bud as he continued talking.

“I need you to use your words, sweetheart, what would you want me to do to you?” He asked, as his hand started moving faster against himself, as if it had a mind of its own.

“I would want you inside of me.” She told him truthfully, and as she did, she dipped one of her own fingers inside of herself, which turned out to be very easy as she was pretty sure this was the wettest she had ever been in her life.

“Yeah?” He asked, his tone teasing as his mouth lifted in a half smile, “You want my cock deep inside of you?”

Y/N was practically shaking as his mouth formed over these dirty words. Her hand started moving faster but her small finger wasn’t enough, it would never be enough if she knew that Eren was standing right in front of her, holding something in his hand that could give her so much more.

Eren took a step closer, as their hands started to move in sync. If he moved his hand at the right time, he could easily pretend. Pretend that it was her that was wrapped around his shaft rather than the cold touch of his own hand. His knees brushed against the edge of the bed as he was filled with so much desire for Y/N, who lay only a couple inches away from him.

“If only I could fuck you the way you want me to.” He murmured as his eyes were glued to Y/N’s figure. His head was spinning at the sight of her sweat gleaming across her soft skin as her movements became faster. Eren didn’t even register how he propped his knee up on the bed, which shouldn’t have even been possible. But he didn’t notice, all he cared about was making her feel good, even if it was just with the words that left his lips.

“I would make you feel so good,” He told her, and a sense of pride filled his chest as he watched a slow smile spread across her features. “Could you imagine how good it would feel? If I could take my cock and use it on that pretty pussy of yours?”

“Oh, god.” Was all that left her lips, she didn’t think she could come up with a coherent sentence as he brought her closer to the edge with only the use of his words. And it seemed that Eren lost the use of his own tongue as he watched her. She looked so beautiful in this moment, her skin was glowing and her perfect features were twisted with pleasure. Eren had never been so desperate to touch someone as he was now. His want for her— no, his need for her was burning deep in his core, it was so hot that he swore he could have caught fire.

The hand that wasn’t preoccupied with relieving his own tension, was itching to touch her. So he humored himself. He allowed his hand to inch towards her, as if the end of its journey wouldn’t end in disappointment and instead end with the instant gratification of her skin under his touch. His hand was hovering over her thigh that was propped up as Y/N lost herself in euphoria. She didn’t register how the air grew colder as he brought himself closer to her. Eren bit his lip as he finally brought his hand down on her leg. He could imagine how great it would feel if he was able to touch her, if only he didn’t fall right throu—

“You’re touching me.”

“W-what?” He breathed, blinking as he tried to understand what was happening.

“Your hand, it’s on my leg.” Y/N whispered. The moment she had felt his cold fingertips on her leg she had ceased all movements, his icy touch shocked her to her core. Eren seemed to be distracted by his own thoughts before she brought light to the situation.

Eren’s eyes landed on the hand that he placed on her thigh. And sure enough, instead of falling through her body like he expected, his hand was solid against her skin. A breathless gasp left Eren’s lips as he smoothed his hand over her leg. His eyebrows furrowed as he finally realized he was able to touch her like he always wanted.

“How is this possible?” He whispered, as he brought his other hand to the opposite leg. Eren firmly spread his hands down the length of her thighs until they ended at her hips. His eyes snapped up to the girl, whose look of shock probably reflected his own. Y/N shook her head, since she definitely didn’t know the answer to how this was happening. But as their eyes connected, they realized that no words needed to be said. And no more time needed to be wasted. In an instant, the two crashed into each other with burning need. Eren’s hands had found her face, gently caressing her jawline as his lips slotted against hers. He drank in the sweet moans that escaped her lips and into his own like it was the only sustenance he needed. Which technically was the truth, since he had no need to eat, drink or sleep. All he needed was her.

Y/N wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself flush against his chest. Her nipples perked up against his chest and she wasn’t sure if it was because of her arousal or the fact that he was extremely cold to the touch. But it didn’t even matter to her, all she cared about was having more of him. The moment she met him she knew that she wanted him, she just didn’t know how desperate she was until now.

Eren’s hands moved from her face and down to her waist, his grip was tight on her hips as he brought their most intimate parts closer. His erection was pressed hard into her inner thigh and she whimpered into his mouth as his length brushed over her clit. That small hint of pleasure had caused the girl to take initiative, and she guided Eren to flip their bodies so that his back rested against her headboard.

Y/N took this moment to admire the man in front of her. His head was tilted back as his chest heaved up and down, already breathless from their brief kiss. His hair was disheveled as more of his brown locks of hair escaped his bun to frame his face. The teal of his eyes burned into her own irises and she shivered from the lust that resided in his. But her attention was soon brought down to his cock, and with how turned on he was, she was sure that it had to be painful.

“Condom.” She murmured, moving towards her nightstand to grap one of the tiny pieces of foil. But before she could Eren had grabbed her wrist.

“I don’t think we need one of those.” He told her, trying not to get too excited that his hand was closed around her wrist. He didn’t think he would ever get over the euphoria of being able to touch her.

“Why?” She asked, her own horniness causing her brain to work at a slower pace.

“I’m dead, sweetheart.” He chuckled, moving his hand so that he could brush his knuckles against her cheekbone.

“Oh right.” She giggled bashfully, crawling back towards him so she could place herself on his lap. She shivered as his erection poked her lower stomach. She bit her lip as she gently wrapped her hand around his cock. Eren’s hands found her waist once more and his grip was so tight that she was sure there would be bruises in the morning.

“God, it’s been so long since anyone touched me like this.” He moaned, dropping his head in the crook of her neck. He relished in her touch around his shaft and he had to hold back an embarrassing whimper that caused his whole body to shake.

The way that Y/N had him moaning underneath her and the desperation in his voice had filled her with so much desire that she couldn’t last another second without feeling him inside of her. She propped herself up on her knees, positioning the head of his cock right at her entrance. Eren groaned as he could already feel her wetness drip down on him. But before anything happened, he lifted his head from her shoulder and with a strong hand on the back of her head he brought her lips to his in one more fervid kiss.

As they lost themselves in one another, Y/N finally sank down onto his shaft. Swallowing each other's gasps as his cock slowly moved deep inside of her. With his hands on her waist, he guided her until he was fully bottomed out. Y/N had to keep from squirming just from how nice it felt to have him all the way inside of her.

Just for a moment, the two of them stayed silent. The only noise in the room was their deep breathing as Y/N adjusted to his size.

“Are you ready to move, baby?” Eren eventually asked, and the girl nodded but she made no moves to start.

“Y-yeah, just give me a second.” She breathed, her voice was shaking as she clutched onto Eren’s shoulders. Eren chuckled softly as he watched the girl take a couple of deep breaths. He brought his mouth closer to her neck, leaving soft open-mouthed kisses against her burning skin. The contrast of her heat against his cold had his head reeling. He lost control as he littered her body with kisses, until his lips found themselves around the sensitive bud of her nipple. The second he came in contact with her breast he could feel her clench around him. Another deep laugh escaped him.

“Oh, you like that, don’t you?” Eren observed, eliciting an embarrassed whimper from the girl. But she nodded her head so that he would continue his skillful touch. He grazed his teeth over her nipple, while his hand moved up to play with the other. Electricity shot out from his touch and seared deep into her skin, and soon enough the pleasure he brought her had caused movement to spark. Her hips rolled deep against him and simultaneous moans filtered into the air.

Soon enough, Eren was guiding her against his cock, the sounds of their skin slapping against one another took hold of the room. Curses filtered out of Eren’s mouth as he relished in the greatest pleasure he had ever known. Which was immediately doubled as he took in the sight of Y/N on top of him. The fact that it was her to finally give him what he had been missing for the past twenty years blew his mind. This was all that he could ever hope for. No, it was better than what he hoped for. It was real, and she could see him and she wanted him the exact same way that he had wanted her from the moment he saw her.

Eren was suddenly lost in his lust as he held Y/N in place. His hips thrusted hard against her and from his movements the girl was now screaming on top of him. Y/N wondered what this might have looked like from an outside perspective. If someone were to walk in would they just see a girl losing her mind to an unknown invisible entity? But she didn’t even care that they were two different types of beings. All she cared about was Eren and this private moment between them. She wanted him to feel good, and she already knew how good he could make her feel. This intimate experience was for the two of them to find pleasure with one another.

Y/N felt as Eren’s movements became erratic. His dick twitched inside of her, causing the girl to clench around him one more time.

“Fuck, you’re so tight.” He told her as he pounded into her, “I don’t think I’m going to last much longer.”

“Cum for me.” Was all she said in return and Eren’s grip tightened around her waist at her command. His hand left one of her sides so that he could rub gentle circles around her clit. He would be damned if he finished before she could find her own orgasm. The shock of his cold touch against her sensitive bud had caused a sharp gasp to leave Y/N’s form. And though she was far more confident just a moment earlier when she told him to release himself inside of her, she suddenly grew shy and hid her face in the crook of his neck.

But then she realized that this might be the only time they’d be able to indulge in one another. So she pulled away from Eren’s neck so that she could crash her lips onto his in one last searing kiss. This small intimate action had brought the both of them to their orgasms. Eren groaned into her mouth as he felt himself shoot his cum deep inside of her and Y/N’s legs began to shake as waves of pleasure took over her form.

As the two of them came down from their high, Y/N slumped against Eren’s body and his strong arms instinctively circled around her waist.

“That was…” Eren breathed, not able to finish his sentence as there was not a word in the English dictionary that could describe how incredible it was.

“Fucking amazing.” Y/N finished, and Eren laughed as she found the words that were lost on his tongue. Eren could feel the girl grin against his chest and perfect contentment had settled into his heart. He traced lazy patterns across the small of her back.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am that you were the first person to see me.” Eren whispered into the crown of her head.

“Mm, is that only because I let you watch me masturbate?” Y/N giggled, and Eren rolled his eyes as he shifted their bodies so that they were laying down on her bed. Y/N turned so that their chests were pressed together and so she could see the happy grin that spread across Eren’s features.

“No, not only that.” He smiled, pulling more laughter from the girl. “It’s just… I think you’re the best person I’ve ever known.”

“Wow, that’s an overstatement.” Y/N grinned, “You barely know anything about me.”

“I know more than you think.” He told her, and then heat rushed to his cheeks as he realized what he just said. “Okay, that sounded fucking creepy, but you know what I mean.”

Eren expected her to laugh at him. Or to call him a freak and kick him out of her bed. But the reaction that he got from her was one that he didn’t expect.

“I think I do know what you mean.” Y/N whispered into his skin, “I know that I didn’t really know it was you that was haunting me the while I was living here, but I feel like I’ve known you this whole time.”

Eren’s heart pounded in his chest at her confession, and he didn’t know how to respond except for leaving a gentle kiss against the crown of her head. Silence fell over the two of them once more as their bodies tangled together in the sheets. Eren was happy as he held her close, running his hand over her hair and leaving soft kisses on her cheeks as she slowly fell asleep.

Since he was dead, and didn’t need to sleep he held her throughout the night, wondering what she could be dreaming about and hoping that she was dreaming of him. And as he stayed with her through the night, the worst thing had happened. With her in his arms, Eren realized that he was ready to go.

The whole time he was dead, he always thought that he wanted to pass on and go into the light, or whatever cheesy crap indicated the entrance to eternal paradise. But there was always something keeping him here. He realized now it was his own apprehension. He was scared to move on into the unknown. But with the help of the beautiful girl that laid sleeping on his chest, he remembered who he was. He wasn’t afraid of anything. So it was only right that he moved on to the next part of his afterlife.

When Y/N stirred awake a few hours later to the sound of chirping birds and Eren’s cold body against her own, she looked up at the man and the smile on his face told her what he was thinking. Her features softened into a sad smile and she didn’t need to say anything but nod her head in understanding before the two of them got dressed and walked hand in hand downstairs.

Y/N grabbed the box from the kitchen counter, and turned towards Eren who was looking at the item with fierce determination. She held out the box in his hands, and when he went to touch the small item he didn’t sink through. He grabbed it as if it were nothing and he could almost laugh at how easy it was. Eren realized right then how he was able to touch the box and how he was able to touch Y/N the night before. He can only touch something when he was absolutely sure of what he wanted. Last night, he wanted Y/N with every fibre of his being, he wanted all of her and nothing less. And now, with the box in his hand, he realized he was ready to move on. Eren wanted to move on.

Unfortunately for Eren, he was still unable to touch the hammer and the screwdriver, so he had Y/N crack it open and this time he didn’t stop her. When the box burst open, a bunch of small papers burst out across the counter. Y/N held one up to see what was on it, and it turned out to be a letter from Eren’s father. All of these were letters that his dad had written but apparently never had the guts to send.

Eren was able to touch the letters on his own, so she took a step back and watched as he read each one. She didn’t ask what was written in these letters, but she knew it must’ve meant something to Eren as his shoulders started to shake from the tears that were streaming down his face. Y/N’s heart squeezed in her chest as she placed a comforting hand on Eren’s shoulder. He didn’t look up at her, or say anything, all he did was cover her hand with his own, holding onto her tightly as he finished the last of his father’s words.

When he did, he turned to face Y/N, bringing her into his arms as he hugged her for the last time. They stayed like that for a few minutes, Eren holding her tight against his chest, as Y/N’s own tears started to prick at the corner of her eyes. She forced herself to keep them in when Eren pulled away to look at her face. A melancholy smile danced across his features as he cupped Y/N’s face in his large hands.

“I’m going to miss you, you know.” Eren whispered the very first words of the morning, which immediately caused Y/N to burst into tears. Eren laughed softly as he wiped them away with the pad of his thumb. “Hey, don’t cry, I’m the one who's dead.”

“It isn’t fair.” Y/N whispered, her eyes shining as she looked up at him, “I just found you and now you have to leave. How am I supposed to go on without you?”

Sadness wrapped around Eren’s heart at her words, but he couldn’t let her think this way. He set aside his own hurt to focus directly on her. He leaned forward so that his forehead was resting on hers.

“Just because it’s the end of my life, doesn’t mean it’s the end of yours.” He told her, rubbing the soft skin of her cheek with his thumb. “I need you to keep on living. Even if it hurts.”

Y/N wanted to argue, she wanted to tell him to stay. She didn’t know what she would do if the emptiness of this house finally reached her. It would be a cold and dark place without Eren around flicking the lights on and off and pushing that stupid box off the shelf. But Y/N knew that she couldn’t be selfish. So she nodded and took Eren’s words to heart.

At her acceptance to his words, Eren bent his head lower so that he could capture her lips with his own one last time before he left. Y/N sighed as she sank into him, though she was afraid that his lips were the eternal cure for all her heartache and this would be the last time she would ever be able to have it. As he continued to kiss her so tenderly, she was grateful she at least had this one chance to be with him. So she relished in their last kiss. And when they pulled apart she knew that she was ready to watch him go. Even if it hurts.

As Eren stepped away from her he gave her one last shining grin. Though that wasn’t the only thing that was burning bright in the small kitchen where they stood.

“Those motherfuckers.” Eren laughed as he looked over Y/N’s shoulder at something she couldn’t see.

“What is it?” She asked, turning to look, though she was only greeted with the sight of her fridge and cabinets.

“They went with the cliche.” Eren told her, as his eyes trained ahead.

“Giant bright light?” Y/N chuckled, imagining the warmth that must be spreading through Eren as he was one step closer to his eternal paradise.

“That’s the one.” He grinned, and then his eyes rested on her once more. The sad smile on his face almost kept him from moving forward. But she placed a small hand on his jawline and stood on her toes to place a small kiss at the corner of his mouth.

“I’ll miss you too.” Y/N smiled, finally responding to what he said earlier. Eren laughed and grabbed her hand, squeezing tightly before he took a step towards the light. Y/N took a small step back, letting his fingers slip out of her own and watched as he went on. But before he was fully gone, he turned around one last time.

“It’s not too late, you still have time to tell me not to go into the light.” Eren joked, looking back at her.

“No, it’s okay, you’re ready.” She told him, shaking her head with slight laughter. “Don’t worry about me. I’ll keep on living.”

“Even if it hurts?” Eren questioned.

“Even if it hurts.” She repeated. With a smile, Eren nodded one last time before finally stepping into the light. And for the first time since she moved in, Y/N was all alone.

~

Knock, knock, knock.

What the fuck? Y/N thought to herself as hopped around her room, tugging on her shoe so that it was finally on her foot. Who the hell was knocking on her door? She had told her friends that she would meet them at the movies and that there was no need to come pick her up. Y/N grumbled some unnecessary curses as she moved out of her room and down the stairs so she could see who was bothering her right before she had to leave.

As she moved into the hallway, her attention landed on a small object that sat on one of the tables that lined the narrow room. It was Eren’s box.

It’s not like it was unknown to her that it was there, since she fixed it up and placed it there herself. But everytime she passed the small item she couldn’t help but reminisce about the ghost that had changed her life so drastically in just one night. It had only been a few months, but the memory of him would be burned into her skin for as long she could remember.

Y/N touched her fingertips to the wooden box for just a moment, which was a habit that she picked up everytime she left the house. Hoping that Eren was somewhere out there watching over her. And with a small smile on her face, knowing that he probably was, she was ready to meet whoever was standing at her door.

“I told you guys that you didn’t have to pick me—” She started as she wrenched open the door, expecting to see one of her friends who most likely went against her wishes, but instead when she caught sight of who was standing at her door her words immediately were lost on her tongue. The man in front of her, lifted his head to speak as well, but his teal eyes shined with slight recognition the moment he took in her features. Y/N could’ve dropped to her knees at the spitting image of Eren standing on her doorstep.

“Eren?” She whispered, opening the door wider. The man in front of her tilted his head to the side, indicating that Y/N must’ve had the wrong person. Embarrassment flooded her system, and she was about to apologize when he spoke.

“How do you know my name?” He asked, and Y/N didn’t have an explanation that didn’t sound completely psychotic. So she settled for a little white lie.

“You look like someone who used to live in this building.” She explained, hoping that he couldn’t tell that she knew him personally. The new Eren nodded in understanding.

“That would be my uncle. He used to live here.” He told her, and now it was Y/N’s turn to nod. So this was the nephew that Eren was so excited to be an uncle for. She didn’t even realize that he was born right around the same time she was. “He died the year I was born so I was named after him.”

Y/N tried to hide the grin that spread over her features at that piece of information. Eren would’ve been so happy to know that his brother named his kid after him.

The two strangers stood looking at each other, smiles gracing their faces though neither of them were really sure why. And it took a moment for them both to realize the real reason they were staring at each other.

“So, um, can I help you with anything?” Y/N asked, shaking her head to rid the giddiness that unexpectedly took over her form.

“Oh! Right.” Eren chuckled awkwardly, stuffing his hand in his pocket to take out a small item. Y/N’s lips parted with realization as she recognized the key in his hand.

“My dad gave this to me a while ago. He said it was my uncle’s and that their father gave it to him.” Eren explained as they both looked at the key in his hand, “ I wasn’t going to do anything with it but then I got curious and I suddenly had the urge to see it through.”

“What made you want to solve the mystery?” Y/N asked, curious to what urged him to find himself on her doorstep.

“I don’t know.” Eren shrugged, looking at her, Y/N shivered the same way she did all those days ago. “ I just felt like I had to find out what this key was for. I had this weird feeling the morning after—”

“—Halloween.” Y/N finished for him. And Eren looked at her slightly taken aback, but his features held a look of wonder. He was probably wondering how she knew the exact day this weird feeling came over him. But of course she knew. It was the same day she had to say goodbye to Eren.

“Yeah, exactly.” He breathed. And he took a moment to take in the girl that currently lived in this house. For some reason she seemed strangely familiar. As if he had met her before.

“I’m sorry, but I feel like I know you.” Eren laughed, shaking his head as if it didn’t seem real. “Is that weird?”

“It’s not weird at all.” Y/N grinned, and Eren just smiled back at her. At that moment, the two of them were drawn to one another as if some unknown force was pushing them together. And Y/N realized that maybe it was okay to keep on living.

~~~