Genre: slight angst/hurt, fantasy; ghost!lay- myth au
Description: Few things in life were fair, and in the afterlife? Nothing was fair.
You dropped the last of the boxes onto the pile in your bedroom and crossed to the bed, collapsing onto the mattress. Moving everything had taken you from early morning to late evening, the sun having set long ago and the moon now high in the sky. Your friends had come by earlier, their boyfriends in tow, to help with the process but hadn’t been able to stay for long. Thus, most of the moving had been done by yourself. You debated on cooking for a few minutes, ultimately deciding against it and grabbing your phone to order take-out from a restaurant close by. At your current energy level you’d be lucky to even have the strength to get to the front door.
You remained on the bed, after your order had been placed, hoping to not have to move again until your food arrived. A faint knock and the telltale creak of a door being opened dashed that thought and you sat up quickly, wondering what the source of the noise was. You lingered a moment before getting up to investigate, hoping the noise was from the neighboring apartment.
“Hello?” A voice called, as you rounded the corner and spotted the man standing in your doorway. “I’m sorry, the door was open. I just wanted to make sure everything was okay.”
You eyed the dark haired man in your doorway with some suspicion, nearly positive your door had been shut. Then again, the last person through it had been one of your friends and they had made a comment about the door possibly not shutting properly…
“The door never has shut quite right.”
“Ah, the doors in the building don’t always shut correctly. Something about the heat in the summer. I think it warps the doors to a degree. I live across the hall and have the same problem occasionally. It’s manageable, you just have to make sure to give it an extra push when you’re shutting it from the inside.” He amended quickly, watching as you processed the information.
“Ah, thanks for the advice. I take it you’ve lived here for a while?”
“Only for few years. I take it you’re new here?”
“I just moved in today.” You replied, gesturing to the boxes piled around your living room. “I can’t believe I was lucky enough to find such a spacious apartment, honestly. It’ll look much better once all my boxes are out of the way, of course.”
“Don’t worry,” He offered a gentle smile. “I understand completely. Moving is rather exhausting. If you end up needing any help with anything- moving furniture, getting appliances set up and the like- I’m more than happy to help.”
“That’s very kind of you. Thank you…?” You trailed off realizing you didn’t know his name.
“Oh!” A look of embarrassed shock crossed his face as he reached the same conclusion. “I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yixing, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”
You smiled, finding his reaction rather cute and introduced yourself in return. “Do you think I could take you up on your offer later this week? I want to move that piano. It’s beautiful and if it works I’d like to put it to use, but I’d rather have it near the windows.”
“Of course. I’m not home often during the day, but if you leave a note on my door I’ll help as soon as I get home.”
A buzzing sound from your intercom cut your talk short and you scrambled to answer it. “Just a moment!” You let off the button and turned to Yixing. “I ordered take-out. Moving chased away any urge to cook. If you’d like to stay I’m sure I could scrounge up some plates and silverware from one of the boxes?”
“Thank you, but I’ll have to pass on this one. I already ate. Besides, I was just headed out to run a few errands. Though I appreciate the offer, all the same. Perhaps another time?”
“Of course.” You smiled, marveling at the good luck of having such a kind neighbor just across the hall. “I’ll let you know when I need help moving that. Thanks again for the help and advice.”
He merely waved in response and bade you goodnight before wandering down the hall and down the stairs. You buzzed the delivery person in just as Yixing left and they arrived moments later. You thanked them for your order and paid, wishing them a goodnight before starting to shut your door. A hurried ‘wait!’ stopped you and you froze, brow furrowed as you stared quizzically at the delivery person.
“I think you dropped this.” They handed you a bracelet, remarking that it had been on the floor just outside your door.
“Oh no, this isn’t mine. It must belong to my neighbor, you probably passed him on the stairs.”
They shook their head. “I didn’t pass anyone on the stairs or on my way in. Maybe they took another exit. Regardless, you should probably hold onto it for now. Have a goodnight!”
You wished them the same and shut the door, carrying your food to the kitchen counter with the bracelet in hand. You’d have to give it to your neighbor if you saw them tomorrow. It was strange, you suddenly couldn’t recall his name or what he looked like. The entire time between when you called in your order and when it arrived, a haze. You thought on it for a moment, sure you were merely tired from such a busy day. Food and rest would clear your mind come morning.
You ate standing in your kitchen and changed into your pajamas in the bathroom before remerging and climbing into bed. You fell asleep as soon as your head hit the pillow, completely unaware of the other presence in your apartment and the faint piano music drifting through the air.
As Yixing played, he felt nothing but sorrow. It was a shame you wouldn’t remember ever having met him come morning.
Then again, the rules that came with being a ghost were never fair.
