*Insert Clever Title Here*

Toby was a medium. This meant he could see, touch, and communicate with ghosts. He’s had this ability since birth, and has always used the ability to care for and make friends with the “other worldly.”

Today, he was cautiously exploring an abandoned house, having felt a presence there.

Wandering around the old building, they finally discover the source.

a ghost, around the same age as Toby, was idling around the corner. He was wearing a collared white shirt, with a thick brown sweater overtop. He had dark curly hair and white eyes. He floated just off the ground, and his nose and cheeks appeared to be flushed a bright pink, as if he’d just been sneezing.

Sure enough, he suddenly curled into himself and sneezed wetly into his sweater sleeves,

“hh…hHtchEW!”

The ghost coughed weakly.

Toby’s eyes softened. He always had a soft spot for sick things, and this ghost clearly wasn’t feeling well. He decided to make his presence known to the other entity.

“Bless you” he called softly.

The ghost startled, letting out a squeak, and looking around wildly. Finally his eyes landed on Toby. He seemed scared and uncertain, and began to edge away.

“Hey, it’s alright, I won’t hurt you!” Toby reassured. “I’m a medium,I help ghosts.”

The ghost sniffled before slowly approaching Toby.

As he got closer, Toby realized he was shivering violently.

“Goodness, you look freezing.” He murmured.

He reached out to touch the ghost in a comforting manner, but frowned when his hand phased through his shoulder. He could still feel the energy of the ghost wrapped around his hand. It was cold and slightly wet, like sticking your hand into a cloud.

But that wasn’t what made him falter. No, usually, he could outright touch ghosts, as if they were physical people. It was a special ability he had that separated him from any other medium. The only time he couldn’t touch a ghost was if they were a very weak presence.

For them, he had to focus more.

“Sorry, dear.” he apologized softly, before pulling out his hand. He then properly focused his ability and placed his hand back on the ghost’s shoulder, squeezing it gently. The ghost leaned into the touch, quietly swallowing back a whine. it had been a very long time since he’d felt physical touch, and he eagerly accepted it.

“Do you speak?” Toby asked softly.

The ghost sniffled-a miserable, stuffed up sound-before nodding slowly.

Toby smiled when the ghost didn’t say anything, “Just shy then?”

The ghost ducked his head, embarrassed.

Toby took that as a yes, giggling. “Well, I’m Toby,” he introduced himself, “Do you have anything I can call you by?”

The ghost hesitated for a minute before replying.

“…Cooper.” His voice sounded raspy and terribly congested.

Toby felt a pang of sympathy. “Poor thing, you sound awful.”

“oh…yes I…you must…exc..excubse me..I…hh…have a…ah..hih..hh…hHTCHU!!” He sneezed, and quickly covered his face with his hands. “Snf…a cold.” he finished.

He talked very slowly Toby noticed, it must’ve hurt his throat to speak too quickly.

Toby watched as the ghost wiped off his hands, covered in a thin layer of ectoplasm, on his pants.

“Well, bless you. How long has it been going on for?”

The ghost snuffled thickly, “id’s…perpetual I’b afraid…I died with a cold s-so now I’m stuck w-with…wih…Hh..HtXCH! mng…with it…”

“Poor thing.” Toby reached out, intent on brushing the loose strands of hair out of Cooper’s face.

But once again, he wasn’t paying attention to focusing his ability, and his hand phased right through Cooper’s nose.

It felt different here than the rest of his body. heavy and more wet.

“Huh.” he wiggled his fingers experimentally.

Suddenly Cooper’s nose flushed a deeper red, and his breath hitched desperately “hHh…w-wait that…hh….oooh…that…t-ttickles….” he gasped.

Toby, realized with dismay that his fingers must be in Cooper’s general sinus area.

“Oh no, I’m sorry!” He quickly started to remove his fingers, but the sudden movement inside the ghost’s nose caused even more tickling, and Cooper fell into a sneezing fit.

“hhHETCHEW!! hh..heh..…HHTCHX!” He groaned, “h…oh dear…hhESHKg! EShEW! Eeh…EtchU! hheh….hhHeh…hEhTch’w!”

Finally, the sneezing stopped, and he sniffled, tickling his throat and causing him to cough.

Toby’s hand was now covered with a thick coat of dripping ectoplasm. He tried to wipe it off on his pants, though it seemed to great a bigger mess. He shrugged, deciding to worry about that later.

“Bless you.”

Cooper, however was mortified, “I’m- I’m so sorry I didn’t…oh my goodness… I didn’t mean to-“

“-Hey, hey! It’s okay!” Toby rushed to reassure him. “It was my fault anyway for sticking my hand in your face…I’m really sorry about that, are you alright?”

Cooper sniffled, “N-no it’s okay, I think it helped a bit actually…I’ve never been able to clear my nose to that extent.” He rubbed his nose with his sleeve, sniffling again.

Toby frowned, noticing that Cooper hadn’t used a single tissue since he got there. “How come you haven’t been using tissues?” He asked.

Cooper suddenly stopped and looked at the ground. this seemed to be a sore spot for him. “I can’t….I can’t touch objects…at all.” he admitted softly.

“Because you’re a weaker apparition right?” Poor thing.

Cooper nodded, looking a bit dejected.

Toby thought for a minute “I think I know how to help!”

Cooper perked up, “you do? How?”

The medium nodded. “I’ll show you! I think I have some right here….” He muttered the last part more to himself.

Cooper watched him with intent curiosity as he rummaged through his bag.

“Ah, here we go!” Toby said triumphantly. In his hands he had a package of tissues and a strange bottle of….something.

Cooper wasn’t really sure what it was.

Toby wasted no time in explaining however, and shook the bottle excitedly, “This is a very special potion I’ve made myself,” he explained.

He unscrewed the cap and poured some into his hands. It was thick, kind of like shampoo.

“I’m working on a name for it, but it’s purpose is to help ghosts come into contact with the physical world if they can’t already. I came up with the idea when I met an apparition that kept falling through the floor, poor guy.”

Cooper suddenly seemed nervous, “wait….you…potion? I thought you were a medium?”

“Yes I am a medium ,but I’m also a witch.” Toby informed. He smiled reassuringly when he saw Cooper’s expression.

“Don’t worry, I’m not as harmful as I may sound. All I know how to do is help ghosts and make potions, I’m not exactly all powerful.”

Cooper seemed to relax. “So…?” He eyed the substance in Toby’s hands.

Toby gently grabbed the ghost’s arm and began applying the potion along his arm.

Cooper shivered involuntarily. It felt strange.

Toby slowly began to rub the potion along his neck, and then around to his other arm in slow smooth strokes.

Cooper bit back a rather embarrassing noise. It felt good, he’d never had this much physical contact before, and certainly not like this.

Toby noticed how Cooper seemed to stiffen and relax, and how his cheeks were flushed, not from sneezing but from…something else. He didn’t comment on it, but he did go even slower, smoother. A little bit firmer.

Cooper tried not to squirm, and ‘subtly’ crossed his legs, hoping Toby wouldn’t notice.

He noticed alright, and bit back a mischievous grin. He resisted the urge to tease the ghost even farther, and chided himself internally.

‘Shame on you Toby, for even indulging in the fantasy.’

Finally, he was finished.

Cooper hid his disappointment when Toby took his hands away.

“That should do it, I only need to apply it to the arms for it to work.” Toby announced. He suddenly got a playful gleam in his eye. “Unless you want me to keep going…?”

Cooper stiffened. Had he really been that obvious? His face flushed in embarrassment. He turned to face Toby, in an attempt to say something, but his mouth just open and shut.

Toby snorted, giggling. “Sorry, I don’t mean to tease you. You’re not the first touch starved ghost I’ve encountered though, so don’t worry. I don’t mind.”

Cooper nodded slowly, though his cheeks were still flushed. After a beat of silence, he spoke. “Erm… would you….ah…like me to…show you around?” He offered tentatively.

Toby’s eyes lit up. He loved it when ghosts showed him their resting places, they always knew so much about it, and the history always fascinated him. “Oh, would you?”

Cooper grinned shyly. He started to move down the hall way, gesturing for Toby to follow.

Toby didn’t need to be told twice

They spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the old place. Though he talked slowly, Cooper answered any questions Toby had (which was a lot) with delight. In turn, Toby would describe in great detail the modern world and current events. There were several times when Cooper would interrupt with a sneezing or coughing fit.Toby was quick to dismiss any apologies and supply him with more tissues. So the day went on, exploring, talking, flirting.

Neither Cooper or Toby could recall the last time either of them had had so much fun. But eventually, the sun began to set, casting the house in a warm golden glow.

“O-oh…it’s getting rather late…you um…you should get going…” Cooper said. He couldn’t hide the disappointment in his face this time. He didn’t want Toby to leave, it had been so long since he’d had company.

Toby didn’t exactly want to leave his new friend either. “Well, you’re right, it is late.”

Toby paused, watching as Cooper stared at the ground.

Suddenly Toby’s face widened with a grin, “Too late for me to walk home all by myself, that is. Why don’t I stay the night?”

Cooper gasped, suddenly delighted. “Really?”

Toby smiled and took Cooper’s hand.

“C’mon, you got anything I can sleep on?”

Nose poke version because I can’t resist squishing that thang