hi

“I’m telling you Andrew, this place is fucking haunted.”

Andrew was trying to ignore Kevin, he really was, but it was the fourth time that week he had said it. Kevin wasn’t a ‘believe in the paranormal’ type person so Andrew was growing more and more inclined to believe him. Kevin ignored the fact that Andrew was ignoring him and continued. 

“This is, without a doubt, one hundred percent, not the goddamn protein shake that I made. I do not drink the chocolate, it tastes like strawberry and you know how I feel about strawberry-” And god, did Andrew know, Kevin hated nothing more in life than strawberry flavored anything. He was an absolute nuisance about it. He said it was the main reason he liked men: they didn’t smell like strawberries. Apparently women did. “-and there were seeds at the bottom of my goddamn blender.”

“Maybe you got a shit supply of powder.”

Kevin glared at him. “It is powder, Andrew, I would have noticed if there were tiny black devil seeds in it.”

Andrew snorted and grabbed the blender to wash it. Sure enough, there were strawberry seeds inside. Weird. 

“So you jump straight to…haunted?” Andrew wiggled his fingers at Kevin for dramatic effect. 

“Yes for that reason and others.”

Andrew nodded, remembering Kevin’s other ‘experiences’. “Ah yes, the writing on the mirror after you shower, the changing of songs on your Spotify when you’re working out in my living room, the way you always manage to lose the controller in a four second span of changing the channel. All these things say to me is that you are at my house way too goddamn much. Also, if you’re using the Vitamix then you clean the Vitamix.” Said Vitamix being one of the first reasons Kevin started visiting. 

Kevin started grumbling about Andrew having better water pressure and a better air conditioner despite them having the same water pressure and the same central air. Andrew, again, ignored him. Kevin got quiet for a moment and Andrew knew exactly where his thoughts were going. He had known Kevin long enough to foresee it.

“It’s nearly Halloween.”

Andrew hummed in response. “I’m aware.”

“Are you- are you…I mean, do you-”

“Spit it out, Day.”

“Whatareyougoingtodothisyear?” A jumble of words fell from Kevin’s mouth, the embodiment of anxiety when it cmae to breaching certain topics with Andrew. Despite their long and tumultuous friendship, there was one thing Kevin knew as a fact: Andrew Minyard loathed Halloween. He was the type of teenager to kick pumpkins that he saw on the sidewalk.

Andrew avoided stores the entire month of October (except he enjoyed the day after Halloween when all that candy went on sale). He skipped social media, work, all of it- he couldn’t be bothered. His reasoning was nonexistent, it was just a holiday that he despised. Kevin stopped asking why years ago.

Andrew shrugged one shoulder, closing himself off to any further comment on the discussion. “Get out of my apartment, I’m going to bed.”

Kevin squinted at Andrew. “It’s 11am.”

“And my sentence still rings true.” 

Kevin huffed, grabbed his smoothie, left the dirty dishes for Andrew, and retreated back to his own apartment. Andrew ignored the sink that was now half full because Kevin measured out all of his ingredients in individual ramekins that he bought for Andrew claiming they were for him despite Kevin being the only one to ever use them. 

He stared at the ceiling as he laid in his bed and let his mind wander about Kevin’s implications. The signs were there, though Kevin paid attention and Andrew ignored them, as was his dominant personality trait: avoidance. As his eyes started to close, however, he heard stomping above his head which was odd considering he lived on the top floor. His complex consisted of him, Kevin, and 25 other old people so the odds of one of them being on the roof was slim. Andrew went up there frequently to smoke and had not once seen another soul up there.

He closed his eyes again. More stomping. He decided that was as good a time as any for a smoke break and rolled off of his bed.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾

There was someone on the roof. Andrew could only see his back as he stood facing toward the city. Andrew felt like he was being pulled toward an edge that he didn’t go near due to his acrophobia. And yet…

“Are you going to kill yourself?”

The other man’s flinch was full body. He turned to peek over his shoulder and the color of his eyes almost shocked Andrew. Almost. 

“Me?”

Andrew squinted at him. He waved his hand around to indicate the lack of any other people on the rooftop. “Obviously.”

“You can - you’re-” 

“Can you at least do it elsewhere, you’re going to lower my property value.”

The redhead snorted. “You owe one of these shitholes?”

Andrew shook his head and tapped a cigarette out of his pack. “No. I do not own one of these shitholes. Do you own one of these shitholes?”

He rolled his eyes. “No.” He glanced at the cigarette hanging from Andrew’s mouth. “Can I have one?”

Andrew raised an eyebrow at him. “Really?”

“Nah,” He turned back toward the skyline. “I don’t smoke.”

Andrew lit his cigarette and stayed far away from the edge of the building though he couldn’t stray his eyes from the redhead teetering dangerously close to the edge. It was only another few minutes before Andrew said something about it.

“Can you maybe get the fuck away from there?”

He turned again, his eyes somehow bluer than the first time. “From the ledge?” He laugh, slow and soft. “Why? Nothing can hurt me, 6A.”

Andrew stared at him for a moment, realizing the nickname was his apartment number. He realized he has seen that red hair before hanging around his floor. “Asphalt hurts. Looks like it hurt you already.” Andrew tapped his cheek.

Ginger snorted. “Nah, that was a cigarette lighter. Asphalt burns are on my ass though..” 

Andrew scoffed and blew smoke toward him, the curls of off-white disappearing with the wind. “Who did you let get that close to your face with a cigarette lighter?” 

“I didn’t let her do shit,” His response was sharp. “Why?” But not as sharp as the grin he showed Andrew. “Does it make me ugly or something?”

“Nah.” Andrew shrugged. “I’d still blow you.”

His face changed instantly though Andrew didn’t know the other man well enough to know whether it was surprise or disgust. His face was so goddamn pretty that Andrew hoped it was the former. He blinked in surprise. He hadn’t thought of someone in that way since…well, a decade. The softness was gone after a short moment, however, and he cooled his expression.

“Oh.”

Andrew let out a soft huff of air and dropped his cigarette butt to the ground to stomp it out. He turned on his heel and went back to his apartment, sure that the pretty ginger haired boy on the roof was not going to cause a crime scene on the sidewalk in front of his apartment building.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾

Kevin was talking to the older woman that lived across the hall from Andrew in what Andrew called one of her weekly therapy sessions. She wasn’t a therapist, not anymore anyway, but she brought out a side of Andrew that nobody else had before and she knew far too much about him. They had hot chocolate sessions once every other week that could go hours and hours. 

Kevin liked to overshare which was how he and the woman, Bee, had initially met. Kevin was blabbing, which Andrew would typically ignore, but Bee mentioned something that he found interesting. 

“Oh, yes, I agree. There’s certainly something going on in this building. I thought it was just my memory as I was getting older-”

“What’s going on? Is everything okay?” Andrew interrupted, a frown pulling at the edge of his mouth. 

She waved his anxiety down. “Everything is fine, Andrew, I was telling Kevin here about the randomly appearing money.”

“The…” Andrew paused and glanced at Kevin who was paying far too much attention to Bee’s story. “Randomly appearing…money.”

Bee nodded. “Couch cushions, empty grocery bags under my sink, stuffed in hot chocolate boxes- money!”

“Money?” Was Andrew’s dry and confused reply.

“Money,  always a 50 dollar bill, never more, never less.” Bee explained.

Kevin was frowning but Andrew was…perplexed. If it was a ghost, it was a nice ghost? But bothered Kevin? He supposed it was still a nice ghost in that regard because Kevin was annoying and his presence wasn’t always wanted-

“Why do I get disgusting smoothies and you get money?”

Bee and Andrew both laughed at his expense, though Andrew’s amusement was internal. Bee patted him on the shoulder reassuringly and Kevin smiled, despite it all.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾

“Andrew, have you seen my shoes?” Came Kevin’s greeting from Andrew’s front door.

Andrew stifled a sigh from where he sat in the middle of his couch, halfway through a pint of chocolate ice cream. He pointed upward and Kevin groaned. Andrew continued staring at his nearly empty ice cream container and he frowned at it. He didn’t recall eating that much. Kevin was yapping again so Andrew looked up with a glare.

“Would you shut the fuck up?”

Kevin ignored him. He was getting far too good at that. “Do you know how I know this was a ghost?” Kevin didn’t wait for an answer that wasn’t coming. “You are 5 foot nothing. There’s no plausible way that you would be able to reach this.”

“I have a step stool.” Andrew admitted, if only to prove Kevin wrong.

“You do not.”

Andrew jerked his thumb toward the kitchen. “Between the fridge and the wall.” Kevin checked and sure enough, he had a stepstool. Kevin glared at it as if chucking it out of the window would make his beliefs any less accurate. 

Andrew rolled his eyes. Now his ice cream was gone. Maybe there was a ghost. 

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾

Andrew saw him again, hanging outside of Bee’s unit. He had originally thought he lived there until he discovered it was in fact Bee that lived there. Bee didn’t seem to pay any mind to him. He even brought him up to Kevin but Kevin claimed to have not seen him before, though he barely saw Andrew most days due to his lack of peripheral vision.

At their fourth meeting, Andrew was starting to notice odd things about the ginger who lived somewhere in his building. He didn’t blink. Andrew thought he was crazy at first but the next time they were on the roof together, not conversing at all, Andrew studied him. He didn’t blink. Ever. Andrew had an eidetic memory, not quite photographic, but enough to be able to notice that that red-haired boy never blinked. He was far too jittery for Andrew to notice if he was even breathing or not but Adnrew assumed since he was alive, he would have to be breathing. Then again, the fact that it was reminiscent of Bella Swan in that one scene in that one movie that Andrew had not seen four times, was suspicious.

“Staring.” Andrew commented, not admitting that he was doing the same.

“Takes a starer to know a starer.” 

“Did that sound good in your head?” Andrew questioned, stubbing out his cigarette.

“It did. Did it sound good coming out of my mouth?” Ginger asked with a snarky grin.

“It did.” Andrew responded without missing a beat. “What’s your name?”

“Neil.”

“Aren’t you going to ask mine?”

Neil shook his head, turning back to stare at the skyline. “I’d rather you tell it to me freely.” 

That shocked Andrew. Andrew didn’t get shocked. “It’s Andrew.”

Neil side-eyed him. “That wasn’t me asking.”

“Maybe not, but it was me telling.”

Neil let out a sigh breath and nodded slowly. “Cool.”

Andrew glared at him for a moment then left the roof. 

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾

“How are you settling in?”

“I’ve been here for 9 months, Nicky.” Andrew responded dryly.

“Still!” Nicky insisted on the other end of the phone. “Have you met anybody who catches your eye?”

Andrew knew what Nicky was really asking and rolled his eyes. The fact that Neil came to his mind immediately pissed him off but he found his mind wandering regardless. He rubbed his eyes roughly and realized Nicky was answer whatever question he just asked. 

“I don’t think so, why do you ask?”

“What?”

“I said, ‘why do you ask?’” Andrew repeated.

“Why do I ask what?”

“Nicky, for fucks sake.”

“Oh,” Nicky paused. “You were serious. You asked if I knew a blue eye red haired demon that seemed to live in your building. And I said I don’t. Why do you ask?” Then Nicky also caught up to the conversation and realized what he had asked Andrew to get that response. “Wait! Is that who you have a crush o-”

Andrew ended the call.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾

Neil was on the roof again that evening. He gave Andrew a small smile as he approached, something he had been doing. 

“What unit do you live in?”

Neil blinked at him. “9F.”

“There’s a 9? And an F?”

“Yup.”

Andrew wasn’t sure that was true but he refrained from pushing it. “Have any interest in a movie marathon?”

“A movie marathon.”

“Horror movies.”

“A horror movie marathon.” 

“If you just repeat everything I say, I’m going to rescind the invite.” Andrew stated, staring at Neil.

“Now?” Andrew nodded. Neil gazed out at the skyline for another moment before looking back at him. “Okay.” 

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾

They’re 3 movies in when Andrew realizes Neil isn’t breathing. There’s no way. He seemed to have relaxed during the movie and forgot to be pretending to be human. He doesn’t blink. He doesn’t breathe. He also hasn’t touched the popcorn or used the bathroom once. A zombie? No, he hadn’t made a move for Andrew’s brains. Vampire? Nope, he had seen him in the sun several times. Werewolf was possible, there wasn’t a full moon that week but Neil was pretty short for a werewolf. Plus, a red haired werewolf? Unlikely. 

“Staring.” 

Andrew blinked at him. “What?”

Neil side-eyed him. “You’re staring at me. Why?”

Andrew turned to the TV and popped a kernel of popcorn into his mouth. “I’m watching this movie.”

“Name it.” Neil deadpanned.

Andrew chewed thoughtfully. He had no fucking clue what they were watching it was…Night of the Living Something or The Hunted Something or Something- “Fuck off.” Neil snorted, turning his attention back to the movie. Andrew push the popcorn toward him, experimentally.

“Allergic.”

Andrew was staring at him again. “To what? Corn?”

“Butter.”

“There’s no butter on it.” Andrew stated, pushing the bowl closer.

“Salt.” Neil said instead.

“You’re allergic to salt.” Andrew deadpanned.

“Yup.”

“You could just say no.”

Neil turned to look at him as if the notion was out of this world. “Oh. Well then, no.”

Andrew took the bowl back.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾

Andrew’s suspicions only heightened after that as Neil became more and more comfortable in his presence. He was walking into the building one evening when he spotted Neil on the roof. Andrew gave him a two-fingered salute in greeting and Neil grinned sharply at him. Andrew stepped into the foyer and pressed the button on the elevator.

The elevator opened and Neil was standing there.

Andrew stayed still for a moment but eventually stepped into the elevator. They didn’t speak as the elevator climbed floors, Andrew watched the numbers change. When they arrived at his floor, he turned to Neil and invited him over. Neil accepted, as he had been lately.

“You’re not human, are you?”

Neil stopped in his tracks from where he was headed to sit on Andrew’s couch and turned toward him. “What?”

“What are you?”

Neil laughed, his eyes shifting. He tried to play it off but he was clearly looking for an exit. Andrew would let him run, if he needed to, but Neil stayed put, his body relaxing.

“I’m-” Neil hesitated, looking around once more. He sighed. “I’m a ghost.”

“I fucking knew it.”

Neil blinked at him. “What?” Neil stared at Andrew as he listed off all of the reasons why he didn’t believe that Neil was human. “Oh. Shit you noticed all that?”

“Yes.” Andrew responded simply through narrowed eyes. “But you can sit on my couch? How can you do that?”

Neil shrugged. “I can manifest some semblance of what I guess could be called powers the closer we get to Halloween, otherwise I usually just sit on the roof.”

“What the fuck.”

“Yeah, it’s weird, but ever since you moved in here, on Halloween I’m able to be human. Well, I guess not human per se, but…my skin is warm.” Neil commented as he studied his own scarred fingers.

“What happens if you touch me right now?” Andrew couldn’t help but ask.

“Are you asking me to?” A nod. Neil blinked at him, slowly, watching him. Andrew’s eyes were brighter than usual, maybe with excitement. “Um. Okay. It’s gonna be weird though.” Neil stepped in front of Andrew and Andrew felt absolutely no presence from him. 

Neil held out a hand for Andrew to take, letting him initiate the contact (or lack thereof). Andrew reached his own hand out and placed in on top of Neil’s. He could feel….something. There was definitely something there.

Neil’s eyes widened. “What is that?”

“You tell me, Casper.” Andrew muttered back. He raised his hand slightly but he only felt a coldness as his hand passed through Neil’s.

Neil brought his hand back to his face and stared at it, rubbing his fingers together. “Weird.”

Andrew rolled his eyes. “Why do you start manifesting some semblance of powers near Halloween?”

Neil stared at him. “Because…it’s… Halloween… Is that really surprising?”

“Halloween fucking sucks.”

“Wrong opinion but okay. I draw energy from full moons as well, that’s when you usually see me. Or when I usually see you.” Neil said, his tone lowering a bit.

Andrew raised an eyebrow at him. “How many times have you seen me?”

Neil stared at the ceiling. “A few.”

“Liar.”

“A lot.”

“Exactly.”

“27 times. I’ve seen you 27 times.” Neil said with a huff. 

“That’s pretty stalker-like to know that.” Andrew points out, satire lacing his tone, but he changes the subject swiftly. “How’d you die?”

The look that passed through Neil’s face was only there for a second. Any other person wouldn’t have noticed it, but Andrew did. Neil turns to the side but Andrew waits patiently. It was a silent four minutes before Neil spoke.

“My dad caught up to me.” Andrew hums in response, knowing all too well the trauma of an abusive family. Neil continues. “He was the Butcher.” Andrew eyed him for a moment before the name registered, dumped somewhere in the back of his memories. 

“Shit.”

“Yeah. Do I have to-”

Andrew scoffs at the implication. “You don’t have to do anything, Neil. You didn’t have to even tell me-” 

“I know, I know,” Neil cuts Andrew off with a stern expression. “I know I didn’t have to. I wanted to. End of story.”

“End of story.” Andrew murmurs.

☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ☾

The next time they see each other, after Neil needing a trauma dumping related break from Andrew, is on Halloween. The clock strikes midnight and Halloween has begun. Neil knocks on Andrew door (pounds on his door because Andrew is asleep because again, midnight).

Andrew yanks the door open with a disgruntled, “What the fuck,” and Neil is to gleefully cheerful at Andrew’s bedhead to pay attention to his nasty mood. He pushes past Andrew and into his living room. 

“Happy Halloween, fucker!” Neil is dressed up, like an idiot but still dressed up, as who Andrew assumes is supposed to be Ron Weasley. Either that or Ed Sheeran, Andrew truly isn’t sure. 

Andrew turns slowly, very slowly, to scowl at Neil. Then he blinks. Blinks again. Blinks one more time. “Come here.”

Neil steps toward Andrew, their shoes inches from touching at the tip. “Yes, Andrew?”

“Happy Halloween.” Andrew murmurs as he hold a hand out in invitation. Neil takes it. He…takes it. “Holy shit.”

Neil shrugs as Andrew’s fingers glide over his hand. “It happens once every other month. I guess I’ve just never had someone to show it off to. Cool, huh?”

Andrew immediately withdraws his hand to flick Neil in the forehead. In his warm forehead. Neil winces and rubs the reddening spot where a lightning symbol is drawn which only confuses Andrew further.

“Ow, you fucker! What was that for?”

“Holy shit.” Andrew repeats. “You’re real.”

“I am today.” Neil murmurs, eyeing Andrew. “Stop making it weird.”

“I’m not making it weird.”

“You are.”

“I’m not.”

“You a- dude. Fuck off. Wanna watch a movie?” Neil suggests, already on his way to Andrew’s couch.

“Fine. Asshole.” Andrew relents easily and falls onto the couch next to Neil, knowing full well he will be fast asleep in 30 minutes or less. "Also... are you supposed to be Ron Weasley?"

Neil huffs and crosses his arms. "I'm Harry Potter."

"You're really not." Andrew points out. "That is specifically Ron's wand, complete with the tape after it was broken by the Whomping Willow."

"What the fuck is a Whomping Willow?" Neil mutters, still in denial that he has all the pieces of a Ron Weasley costume. "This is Harry Potter, isn't it?" He scowls as he lifts the fringe on his forehead to show the scar that appears to have been drawn with eyeliner. 

"Are you asking me or telling me?" Andrew asks. Neil hesitates and Andrew has his answer. "You haven't even read Harry Potter, have you?"

"I thought it was a movie." Neil says, scratching his false scar. One would think that someone with so many actual scars would draw a fake one better.

"You haven't even watched it?!"

Neil points at his face. "Ghost, remember? I don't really have a choice of what I consume."

Andrew makes a face. "Wait, how old are you?" Before Neil can answer, to his increasing dismay, there’s another knock on his door. “Kill me now.”

“I can, ya know. I have hands now.” Neil says as he stands to, for whatever reason, answer Andrew’s door. “Kevin is here.”

Kevin stares down at the pint sized redhead answering Andrew’s door. “Who in the fuck.”

Neil walks away, leaving the door open, and plops down next to Andrew who does not look up at him as he introduces Neil the Friendly Ghost. 

Kevin narrows his eyes for a moment but enters Andrew apartment anyway. “Whatever. Are you going to Nicky’s party tonight?”

“No.” Neil answers. 

Kevin gapes at him. “I was not talking to you.”

“Weird.” Neil responds as he flips through the selection of horror movies. “Could’ve sworn you were.”

“Why would I be talking to you?” Kevin asks as he settles onto the couch, much to Andrew’s dismay.

“That’s kind of rude. You come into Andrew’s house as a guest and you don’t address his other guest? I guess i assumed you were a better person than that.” Neil clicks on something that he knows Kevin has been scared of before (due to his previous ghost-like snooping).

“For the love of God, change this. Now.” Kevin says, pressing himself back into the cushions as Andrew snorts from his burrito corner.

“I shall absolutely not do that, but I will take your suggestion into consideration for future impromptu movie nights at Andrew’s apartment.” Neil responds, kicking his feet onto Andrew’s coffee table. He is immediately jabbed in the thigh for it and he lowers them and chuckles at a quiet ‘holy shit’ he hears from Andrew.

“I don’t think I like you.” Kevin states, reaching for the remote.

Neil moves it out of his way. “I don’t think I like you either, You know what’s better than you? Strawberries. God, I love strawberries. Andrew, do you have any strawberries?”

Kevin turns to him slowly. “Andrew, who in the fuck is the abomination sitting on my spot on the couch?” 

“Don’t talk about yourself like that, Kevin.” Neil says as he tosses a kernel of popcorn into his mouth. “I love popcorn so much.”

Andrew side eyes him. “You can eat?”

“Yes, Andrew, I can eat.” Neil responds as he takes another mouthful.

“Why wouldn’t he be able to eat? Is he a ghost or something?” Kevin asks with an eyeroll.

Neil and Andrew share a long look that Kevin either does not see or completely ignores (it’s the latter). The movie was scary, Kevin screamed four times, Andrew fell asleep, and Neil enjoyed three entire bowls of popcorn.