“Nyle, pease!” Leo squeaked in horror, dread hitting him hard as he got to his feet, taking the human’s hand. His attempt to express himself failed and he knew it would. Desperately grabbing onto the other, Leo awkwardly squirmed in discomfort.

“I’m sorry, I just... I’m sorry, I know I’m selfish,” he whispered, his incredibly tight grip loosening. “Please don’t leave, Nyle. I... understand that this is all stressful for you but you need to weigh the positives a-and negatives, right? The positives outweigh the negatives, don’t they? For example, you can go back to college if... if you wanted to....” he whispered, realizing that he wasn’t doing a very good job atxexpressing himself once again.
 
"...You're just selfish, Leo. I mean, you-- you want to fucking suck every piece of happiness out of me, don't you? I-I'm happy, it's...you should be happy for me. I never asked for any of this, let's remember that. I'd understand you being upset if I went behind your back and got another chance at life without telling you but I had no fucking idea about any of this shit and you know that but you're still angry at me-- Nah, I can't do this, this was a mistake. I can't fucking deal with this," he grunted as he pulled his hand away, though the fact he didn't storm out, but remained rooted to the spot, was a sign that ending things wasn't what he wanted; far from it.

"Tell me what you want, exactly. To visit you more? To call you? I was doing that - not consistently, but I was doing that, Leo. I-- you're not going to be happy until I give up and kill myself, huh? Go on, try and kill me, because I doubt you can. I don't think I can die without you, like, beheading me - but hey, go ahead. Your happiness is clearly your only priority, huh?"
 
“I would like some happiness, yes!” He replied, his hands nervously fiddling with one another. “I want you to be happy but I want to be happy, too. I... I want to see you and hear from you consistently, yeah? Is that so much to ask for you? Did I once say that I want to kill you right now? When have I ever said that? D-Don’t... put words in my mouth. You don’t visit me nor f-fucking text me for a week? Am I supposed to just sit back and be completely okay without hearing a word from you? Do you know h-how scared I was, Nyle? For all I know you could have... died, again, and I would never be able to see or hear from you again. I... I... “ he began, though it was clear that his energy was weakening.

“... Those ghost hunters are going to come back soon,” he murmured, Leo’s form fading a tad. “I need to go.”
 
"Then go, I... I'm done, Leo. I'm not wasting my time with you feeling bad about what happened to me because you don't like it, I... I don't need to do that," he replied sternly, hesitating just once more before finally making an exit from the house. In all honesty, he didn't feel that bad about how things had gone down. Sure, the manner of which it happened was regrettable, but it did feel like a weight had been lifted, so surely that was a good thing?
 
Moving to quickly follow Nyle out, he only froze once noticing the human couple staring at him. This only caused Leo to blush and quickly disappear despite his desperation to talk to Nyle more. His need to keep direct contact at a minimum between him and the human’s was more important than trying to desperately speak to Nyle and while he knew that could be used against him, he was done with putting up with it all.

Instead, he returned to the attic and eagerly pulled Bitters to his chest, instead moving to hold onto his cat rather than Oliver to avoid discomfort. Unlike Nyle, he didn’t feel ‘free’ or welghtless, he felt tired and depressed. If Leo was the same as he was more than half a decade ago, alive and human, he had no doubt that he would have killed himself over this. Fortunately - or perhaps unfortunately- he already did the job once and unlike Nyle, he knew he wouldn’t have the chance at a second time.
 
"You should have killed him. That's what I would have done if the person I loved the most in the world was threatening to leave and never come back. I'd have killed him and... he'd have time to get over it eventually, Leo. Now he's never going to come back," murmured Oliver as comfortingly as he could, appearing in front of the other with a frown. "...I'd do it if you felt guilty about it. You could even pretend you didn't have a clue; I don't mind being hated by him. I just-- I don't think he's going to come back after this, to be honest."
 
“Maybe that’s for the better,” he murmured, his face buried into the cat’s purring stomach with a sniffle. Reluctantly moving to take the other in, he frowned deeply. He didn’t want to talk and just wanted to sit and take everything in for a while. He knew he couldn’t deal with that, especially once hearing the couple go crazy of what they saw.

“It wasn’t like he was here much to begin with,” he murmured, his cheeks beetroot. “I don’t think he even loved me, h-he... only stuck around because he had to, huh? Am I selfish, Oliver? He’d just say I was if we killed him, he’d say I was selfish garbage.”
 
"Who said you had to kill him? I could, I... I mean, the guy's my best friend, but I'd do it if I had to. He upset me too, Leo. Hes my best friend and he completely forgot I existed, I... you at least had a text now and then. I've had nothing from him, so... so no, I wouldn't feel that bad about killing him if I had to," he shrugged, sinking to the floor with a faint smile. "I mean, it's not gonna happen, but still, if the opportunity came, I'd do it."
 
“It can be just you and me now, right?” He whispered after a pause all the while lovingly rubbing the black cat’s stomach to earn more of the affectionately soft purrs. If there was one thing that cheered him up in the last six years it would always be Bitters over anyone else. The cat helped so much, in fact, that he was able to sit up a bit now that he had calmed down just a bit. His true upset wouldn’t make its appearance until much later as was often the case. Wiping his face, he frowned when said cat hopped off to Oliver’s side, resting on his lap.

“We should request a television so we don’t have to crowd around the laptop anymore,” he suggested, desperatecto try and forget Nyle - especially when he was growing agitated by the couple, especially when they knocked on the attic door curiously. He wanted nothing to do with the couple at the moment, especially since he saw them as a nuisance.
 
Tina hadn't caught everything that had been said, not when standing in the kitchen, but she had heard enough to know that a break-up might have just occurred and, if that was the case, Leo was going to be upset. It wasn't her place to check on him, she knew that. Their meetings had only occurred via the spirit box, outside one or two occasions when she was attacked when first arriving at the home. Every incident she had had with Leo often ended badly, whether it be some physical attack or her belongings flung across the room, as was the case with the spirit box. She persisted to try and speak to him for her occupation, but in this case, she entered the attic without anything on her.

She wanted to make her job work and she wanted to be a success, but she wasn't going to exploit Leo's heartbreak. Morally, it wouldn't sit well with her.

"...I know you're here, Leo, and... and I know I... have no right to be here, I... baked some cookies, they're downstairs. They've got nuts in them so there's plenty of texture, if you'd like to try them, feel free. I just-- I'm sorry. Bruce and I both are, we won't bother you for a while. We'll give you space; we both agreed that you might like that."
 
He had been keeping his composure pretty well for the moments leading up to that, but to hear Tina had made him cookies had only made him grow emotional once again, this time unable to stop as his cheeks were stained with tears and the soft sobs could be heard as he pressed a pillow to his face, desperate to keep the crying quiet. He didn't like to expose himself to the couple both from a mix of wanting to stay off of the camera and his general shyness. He didn't disappear, though did hide his face with the pillow as he cried into it. His only response was a small nod, sniffling.

"... thank you," he eventually said through the pillow, though made no effort to grab them. He wanted to be able to get them on his own term and he certainly didn't want to expose himself anymore to Tina than he already was. He wanted to be left alone, perhaps with Oliver just sitting beside him and giving him company, and while he didn't appreciate Tina making her appearance he did appreciate her attempts.
 
"...Right, yes, of course. Y'all enjoy the cookies, alright? I... can always bake more if you really enjoy them," she nodded, awkwardly glancing between the two spirits. It was the first time she had really communicated with them without sensing a great deal of anger, and while she wanted to capitalise on that, perhaps spend some time getting to know them and explaining more about herself, she also wasn't an idiot. She didn't want to annoy them when she had made this breakthrough, so she silently smiled and made her leave.

"That was nice, huh? I mean... these are pretty good. I bet they taste great," grinned Oliver as he bit into the cookie, at least appreciating the effort that had gone into making them textured. "...God, please don't cry, Leo. I, uh... I'll text Nyle, yeah? I'm sure he'll calm down and pop over tomorrow."
 
"N-No, I don't want to see him and he probably doesn't want to see me," he replied quietly once his tears had at least softened. Reaching for the cookie, he nibbled on it carefully. "It's... over, I'm certain of it. You heard what he said, I'm selfish. Who would want to be with someone as selfish as me? I just... h-he meant a lot to me, you know? He was... wasn't very open to listening to me a-and you know I'm not good a-at explaining things a-and... ugh..." he began, though stopped to instead take another bite of cookie.

"Do what you want to do, Oliver. I don't think he'll come back here," he murmured, his eyes avoiding the others. "You can try, I won't stop you. I just... wish I could have explained myself better."
 
"If it helps, I thought you explained yourself pretty well. I'd have told him that but it seemed like a... private conversation, y'know? I thought you were fine, don't beat yourself up about it. Nyle has his reasons for being mad, you have your reasons for defending your opinion. I dunno. I... I don't thin he's going to dump you, he loves you, right? He could travel the world and he's choosing to live next door, that's gotta mean something," the other ghost offered as he absently stroked Bitters. The advantage of being dead was that the usual allergies he had regarding animals no longer applied, and he was gladly taking full advantage of that by smoothing and playing with Bitters at any chance he got.

"Hey, you always have me, I ain't going anywhere. I like it here, in this place. Wouldn't wanna be anywhere else. We could ask that couple to let us watch TV, that'd make things easier for us. We can do that tonight, take your mind off Nyle a bit."
 
"You heard him say that he was going to go back to college, didn't you?" He countered as he watched the two, the sight at least giving him a small smile. "He doesn't want to be near me anymore. I-I understand why he likes being alive again but... but he's just blatantly ignored me. His excuse for being busy is fucking stupid and he definitely isn't not getting my texts, he's just... ignoring me. Plus the fact that he's doing that all the while being able to stroll out of this house whistling, getting a tan and all that garbage. It's... insensitive," he grumbled.

"... what if you leave, too? What if you suddenly get taken away and I'll be alone again. I don't want that, Oliver. You're my best friend and y-you've done so much for me, I don't know what I would do if I had you taken away, too. I want to know how the hell that even happened."
 
"Hey, that's silly. I'm not going anywhere. I... we shouldn't think about Nyle if it's going to upset you. I'm sure he'll realise that his relationship with you means more than anything else, and if he doesn't, he's an idiot and you can do better, so... let's just not mention it until we realise what his decision is," he decided as he awkwardly turned his attention to Bitters. He wasn't fond of giving advice on relationships, always thinking he'd give the wrong sort of advice and get blamed for it. it was even more awkward for him when the relationship was between his two best friends, and he really didn't want to choose a side.

"We could ask Tina to make us some more of these, they're great. I mean, I don't want to strike up a friendship with her, but still... if she's baking cookies, I'm sure we could ask for a few-- it's the least we deserve after she took over your house."
 
"Hm... maybe we should at least talk to her a little? This was... really unnecessary of her," he noted, his guilt now shifting toward Tina as he took another bite. "We should at least answer their questions, right? We don't need to be seen but... but I don't think they know you exist yet, Oliver. They know who I am but you're a mystery to them. Maybe they'll let up on bothering you if you admit who you are?" He suggested weakly.

"... or we don't have to do that, it's just a suggestion," he added in a whisper before laying back, exhaling deeply. "I'm sorry that I put you through so much mess, I... I promise I don't mean to be such a nuisance."
 
"I have nothing to say to them though; I doubt they're interested in me. You lived here, I'm sure they just want to hear from you, Leo. I'm just some guy," he mumbled back in response, growing quiet at the suggestion. His anger towards the couple still remained, but it was much less fierce after Tina's moment of goodwill. He appreciated the effort, but not enough to suddenly sit down with them and answer any of their questions.

"I don't want people turning up at the house because of them, Leo. Don't let them get evidence that you're here, they'll send it out into the world and then we'll have people turning up here to try and catch sight of us. It's best not to engage with them if they're filming us."
 
“You’re right,” he replied quietly, horror crossing his face at the idea of more people coming to his house. Grabbing another cookie, he turned to look out the window of the attic with pursed lips, watching the rain instead of speaking.

“I wish I could just buy the house from them, then we could live in peace. If... I were to hypothetically stay with Nyle, I would want him to be able to come over and not immediately be bombarded by humans. I’ve got money I can make, after all.”
 
"I don't think they're leaving unless they find another place full of ghosts. I mean, they're ghost hunters yeah? I imagine they'd want to find a place full of tragedy and murder and everything that'll excite audiences. Not to say we aren't exciting but we're not cooperative enough. I'm sure if another place pops up that's got some tragic history of murder and suicide, then sure, they'll be off like a rocket." Oliver grinned, reaching for the laptop to scour a few social media sites. He had a fake account, of course, just to be able to make comments on posts and engage with people but it always saddened him whenever he saw his friends out in the world without him. He wasn't yearning for it like Nyle, and he could easily be just as happy in the house with Leo, but he wouldn't deny the twinges of sadness that occurred whenever he saw posts on Instagram of them all.

"...Hey, don't worry about it. They won't be here forever. You can buy this place when they leave; we can get Nyle to buy it. I'm pretty certain he's not gonna go anywhere. He likes it here; he's best friends with that Gigi woman. He won't be leaving, Leo."