“You sounded so scared,” he whispered, only pulling away to take in the bullet wounds. It only made him more upset, naturally, so he quickly wiped tears from his eyes. “You sounded so scared and I couldn’t do anything to help. Then your family called and just made me seem like some careless jerk because I couldn’t go to your funeral a-and... then they took everything. I kept calling your phone and... nothing happened and then they cut the power so I couldn’t call you anymore a-and... and I just thought I would never be able to see you or at least apologize,” he insisted, wiping the snot on the sweatshirt only for nothing to appear on it.

“I’m just glad you’re back,” he admitted quietly. “I just... I thought you would live a long life and do things I... couldn’t and now look? I’m just... I wish I could have helped,” he whispered, his eyes locked on the ground now.
 
"Well, I'm not gonna say it was fun 'cause it wasn't, but... look, there's a silver lining, right? I'm here now and we don't have to worry about anything. I just want to move on from it, Leo. We can order new stuff - Oliver has a ton of money, he said he'd share with us. And I could get an online job and... it'll be fine, you know? Sure, it's a little... upsetting that this happened, but we can pretend that everything's fine. I just can't head out, which I'm sure you'll love, hm?" He grinned, offering him a kiss, both to relax him and because, after months of worrying and separation, he deserved as much affection as he could get.

"...You know I can't leave here now, right? May said it's a one-time thing or something. So I'm just gonna third-wheel for centuries, that's super fun," grunted Oliver from the side, feigning annoyance. In reality, seeing the two together only made him grin - he had to comfort Nyle for months, so he was clearly relieved things had worked out for the both of them. "It's cool, May will visit, so that's fine-- and I can always just hang out with the cat while you two make out or screw or whatever--"

"You're actually a pig, you know that? Ignore him. I've had to deal with his shit for, like, four months, Leo. It's been hell," groaned Nyle as he moved to sit on the floor, observing the empty house. "...We'll make more memories, you know. This is... it's unfortunate, but... we'll get our lives back on track, dude. Nothing has to change that much. Oliver's here, May can visit - I still have the friends I always wanted, yeah? So it's... just like nothing's changed."
 
Despite his still emotional state, Leo took a slow seat besides the other. He wanted nothing more than to have a passionate and heated makeout but Oliver’s comment only caused his cheeks to grow beetroot in embarrassment. So, as a result, he preferred to simply grow quiet as he took Nyle’s hand in his, giving it a firm squeeze just to make sure everything was real.

“The worst part of this all is that there’s no reason for me to try and cook anymore,” he noted quietly. “I mean, it’s not like anything comes out of it anymore. Food tastes like... cardboard. Like, imagine a peanut butter and jelly sandwich tasting like cardboard but with, like... the same texture. Alcohol doesn’t work, either, so... centuries of being sober,” he reminded with a small smile, giving Nyle a small push to emphasize the joke.
 
"You should have seen him when he realised he couldn't taste beer. Almost threw a tantrum about it, tears in his eyes and everything," remarked Oliver from the side, busying himself by looking through May's folders. He had watched her throw herself into this research for months now, an while he wasn't going to say openly how proud he was of her (he didn't want to sound soppy about it), he was evidently emotional about the lengths she had gone to to make this work.

"...Nah, you can still cook, Leo. We have vivid imaginations, yeah? We can pretend," shrugged Nyle as he inched closer to his boyfriend, practically refusing to be away from his side. He still held him close against him, as if letting him go would cause them to be separated again. "And... And we'll get a TV and snuggle up and... do everything like we used to. This'll be fine! I don't... need to go out anyway, I never did. I only needed you and... one or two friends. I have that; we have that, so it's... it's all good!"
 
“You sure you won’t get annoyed with me? I mean... you’ll be spending a hot minute with me, after all,” he reminded, though wasn’t upset. For Leo, spending 24 hours with Nyle was ideal. That being said, he knew the feelings weren’t necessarily the same. Nyle was a social person, clearly... and that was the reason behind his death. Burying close to the other, Leo only peeked an eye over to May again.

“So... What exactly did you do for all that time?” He eventually asked, the questioned directed to both of them. “Probably got to know one another pretty well, right? Aha... probably only heightened your friendship, right? God, no offense but it must have been boring. It was super boring for me, after all.”
 
"I mean, it was kinda boring. May couldn't see or hear us, and we didn't wanna freak her out, but when she left for a month, we did normal stuff. Watched TV, played video games. It was fucking boring at times, but... yeah, it was alright."

"Apart from when he disappeared off to cry to himself. Dude, no point pretending, right? He used to say he had hayfever whenever he came back and his eyes were red, it was... kinda sad, really," shrugged the other as he eyed the couple, his smile widening at the sight. "It's not like we had a party together, Leo. He missed you, he was a mess most of the time. But it's cute you're back together, yeah? I don't have to deal with him bursting into tears every five minutes now."
 
“Hay fever? That is the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard,” Leo scolded with a snort as he took Nyle in, shaking his head for dramatic emphasis. “It’s... good to own up to your emotions, that’s what my therapist said at least. You could have admitted you missed me, it would have been an honor. And hey, at least you had some form of entertainment, right? Imagine being in an empty house for months,” he reminded, only pulling away to grab the spare blanket. He had managed to store some things away before the humans could get to him - mostly things for comfort, like blankets and a pillow along with the memorabilia of their relationship. He didn’t really have to get up but seeing Nyle only really triggered that need to act human again.

“So... when did you guys come through?” He asked curiously before wrapping him and Nyle up neatly. “I didn’t really, ah... come back until I was buried. I don’t mean to sound dark or whatever. It’s nice, being more knowledgeable on this sort of thing,” he subtly bragged, a small and subtly smug smile on his face.
 
"I came through before he did, he took his time." Oliver smiled as he folded his arms, his own smugness showing through. It had been completely out of his hands, but the fact he had come through a whole week before Nyle did was something he fully intended on boasting about for as long as he could.

"...I don't remember anything really. Just... waking up in the closet. I'll be honest, I... thought I was still alive for a good few hours," smiled Nyle awkwardly, scratching his palm - a habit he had when he was emotional and trying to hold himself together. "Until May got home and just... walked through me. That sort of told me I was dead and-- it wasn't a great time for me, Leo. Obviously. But hey, it makes me realise what you went through, and... I get it. I can actually understand it now, so..."
 
“I was just curious,” he whispered, taking Nyle’s hand in his with a small smile. “I mean, like... it’s just weird to not have anyone else to talk about before this point. Now I have two people who I can finally relate to. That’s... it’s exciting,” he insisted, seemingly oblivious to the idea of either of them being scared or confused. He had almost six years now of his ghostly state so the whole ‘scary’ factor died down years ago.

“Oh, I don’t have to pretend to be human anymore, do I?” He quickly asked, his smile only growing. “I can teach you all the cool things you can do now. You don’t need to even move to get things, you can control whatever you want - I haven’t tried possession yet, that sort of freaks me out.”
 
"I wanna know how to, like, phase through walls and all that shit, that'd be cool. At least properly. I get halfway through and then I freak out," grinned Oliver from the side, having taking to the whole idea of being a ghost surprisingly well. While Nyle had freaked out and mourned his own death almost every day -at least until recently-, Oliver had gotten over it within a week. He hadn't wanted to die, especially not in the manner he did, but he figured it was useless crying about it now.

"You know," he continued as he stretched his legs out. "You were a ghost when I first met 'ya, then? I never know. You were eating snacks and stuff-- god, and I came across as a dick back then, didn't I? Bullshitting the existence of ghosts and belittling May and-- this is kinda what I deserve, ain't it? Being stuck for eternity as the one thing I refused to believe in-- but hey, this'll be awesome. I'm all for learning all sorts of cool stuff, Leo. I'm down for that."

"...Where did they bury me? Philadelphia?" Nyle questioned after a few moments. He didn't want to ruin the excited mood brought on by his friend but he had no answers whatsoever about where he was actually buried, or how things had gone over the last few months. "I'm guessing they did, right? Next to my Mom or something. That's good. I just-- I can still follow what they're up to on social media, you know? It's not like I'll never see my sisters grow up, I can keep watch over them, I guess."
 
“Philadelphia, yeah,” Leo confirmed, his smile fading. “It was... awkward. I remember one of your sisters called me and asked if I could come and I had to say no, obviously. It.... just added another layer of guilt to it, you know? And if they didn’t hate me already, they definitely hate me after that. Refusing to go to my own boyfriend’s funeral? Who does that, you know?” He explained before looking away.

“They made me feel even worse and to be honest, I don’t think they really cared how upset I sounded. I was... genuinely disturbed and I couldn’t just be like, “oh hey, can’t come because I’m dead too”, you know? They’d have someone come anc exorcise the place,”
 
"...I guess they'd think it was a sick joke if I called them or... tried to Skype them, right? They'd probably have a heart attack, and if they've been through the stress of a funeral, I... I dunno, I can't put them through more stress by revealing I'm... kinda still around. Even if it'd help their relations with you, I can't put 'em through any more," he shrugged, forcing himself to grin again in an effort to move past the upsetting talk. He would inevitably get back onto it at some point, but he had literally eternity to discuss it; he didn't want to focus on it right now.

"We could ask May to buy us a TV for tonight, so we at least had something to watch," he recommended as he pressed closer beneath the blanket, smiling contently at how normal everything seemed. "I've fucking missed watching our shows, it's not the same without you. Can't make fun of those people on Nailed It! without you, it's not as funny laughing at them without you at my side, y'know?"
 
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“There’s no power yet, remember? There won’t be until May buys the house,” he reminded. “Trust me, if there had been power than I would at least been able to charge my phone and... I don’t know, do stuff. The only time there’s ever power is when there are house tours to try and save money and I’ve just been scaring them off this whole time,” he explained rather proudly.

“Nights are... really annoying. Just laying in the dark doing nothing? I mean, I usually do that to wallow but I don’t really need to do that now,” he explained, watching as Bitters moved to eagerly rub against Nyle. The cat wasn’t dumb, he knew the faces of those who took care of him after all and Nyle was someone he hadn’t seen in so long, it was no surprise he was eagerly rubbing up against him, chirping and meowing in excitement.
 
During the moments where he wasn't worried about Leo (though those moments were admittedly brief), Nyle had been genuinely concerned about Bitters and whether the cat would remember him properly, if he ever got back to the house. If he did remember him, Nyle still worried that Bitters would shun him once sensing the difference in him. It made the cat's reaction all the more relieving for Nyle, eagerly encouraging the cat onto his lap to shower with affection.

"God, I've missed this. I like Luna, but... cats are more my thing," he grinned as he tore his attention from the cat, smiling back over at his boyfriend. "We'll be alright without power for a while, we have lots to do, Leo. Our relationship can survive without some TV, yeah?"
 
“Right,” he nodded in confirmation, watching with a soft blush as Bitters eagerly hopped on the ghost’s lap, falling asleep almost immediately at the familiarity as the cat happily purred. The sight was adorable, so much so that he sniffled.

“It’s a big hypothetically but if May were to live here, Luna and Bitters got on surprisingly well after a few hours. They were both sleeping on my lap, it was really cute. May’s friend didn’t pick her up for another day so I got to snuggle up to both of them for a good time,” he admitted proudly as he rubbed the black cat’s ear affectionately. “Big hypothetical.”
 
"What do you mean? May's buying this place?" Oliver questioned, having zoned out of most of the comments regarding May until now, his brow arched in confusion. "I mean, I get why she doesn't want to stay at the apartment, lot of bad memories there and stuff, but... god, she's moving in here? Don't get me wrong, I love her and I want to be where she is, but-- this is your home and I don't want her and me to, like, intrude. I'm sort of stuck here now, obviously, but I ain't gonna be hanging around like a third-wheel. I'll totally stay out of the way when you two wanna get frisky. I just don't know how May will fit in - she can't disappear off like I can."

"...Is she actually going to buy it?" Nyle continued, glancing at the sleeping girl. "...It's nice that she's going to, right? I'd rather her buy it than some family, it'd be a nightmare."
 
"Well, we tossed the idea around," he explained, startled by Oliver's sudden comment. "She said she has a good amount of money so she was going to buy it for us. I mean, she'll be surprised to see you here so I don't know what the plan will be then. I mean, the house has three bedrooms. I'm just saying, the walls aren't paper-thin. The whole place is either hardwood, hence the whole 'cabin' thing," he explained with a frown.

"She doesn't have to live here, it's only a suggestion. As I said, she doesn't know you're here yet. She might still live where she does now but I think it would be a good idea if she was here instead. We'd keep from bothering you two if you wanted to 'get frisky'," he reminded, wiggling his brows for emphasis.
 
"I dunno, it's just... I don't want to intrude," he repeated awkwardly, turning his head to stare over at a fly buzzing about the room, just to give himself something to divert his attention to. He didn't mind the idea of May purchasing the house, because he knew the reasons behind it and he knew it came from a good place, but he didn't want to intrude on Leo's home any more than he already was.

"...It's a good idea, so... look, if you don't mind, then sure, I'm all for it. I love her, it'd be neat to live with her again like there's nothing wrong. I just... feel bad," he admitted with a shrug, grinning to try and cover up his brief moment of weakness. "Nah, it's cool. You'll have to deal with me for the rest of eternity anyway, there's no getting away from that."
 
"Please don't be uncomfortable, Oliver. This whole situation is... weird, sure, but just imagine us as roommates! You wouldn't stop loving your girlfriend if you were living with roommates? I mean, that's pretty much what we are now anyway. It's just... a little bit more confusing and longer lasting," he tried to offer with his own smile before deciding to get up. He was becoming impatient and, while he wasn't going to hurt the other, he carefully nudged May.

"Hey," he whispered. "I have good news and bad news, May. Which would you like to hear first?" He asked, moving to cover her eyes. "Well, both could be good news depending on how you look at it. I think its good news," he babbled on quietly before shooting nervous glances to the other spirits.
 
It took May a little while to become aware of what the other was saying, though when she did, her smile widening in realisation that something had worked. If it hadn't, Leo wouldn't sound so chirpy, nor would he be talking about good news. That smile did flatten once she was allowed to see Oliver, staring at him for a long few, silent seconds. She was happy to see him, ecstatic even, but this wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to stay at the apartment where her boyfriend was, while Leo and Nyle had their home back, together again with only Bitters for company.

"What the fuck have you done, Oliver? You must have heard me ask Nyle to... to get in the... what the fuck were you thinking?! That you'd pop along f-for the ride?!"

"...He's my best mate, I didn't want to be stuck without him. That'd suck. I mean-- god, why can't I get a greeting like Leo gave Nyle? Like, they kissed and cuddled; your greeting is you yelling at me like I'm a piece of shit? I-- It's not a problem, May. Leo said he's fine with me being here, so... quit stressing out?"

"You're fine with it?" May grimaced, turning her attention to the ghost. "...I'm not, this isn't what I wanted for you, Leo. I didn't want... us intruding on your life too much, this.. I didn't want this."