One More Look at the Ghost [MorningStar!] [M]

[Rhindeer]

Oh, his face was so close--when had that happened?! Too close, and yet close enough now that she could see with uncomfortable, unfiltered clarity that he was very much lying when he claimed to be unattractive, even as a non-Thanati--and the thought sent a flush of shame rushing through her, making her chest squeeze. It was a forbidden thought--and she had no idea where on earth it had even come from as she stared up at him. It wasn't like she hadn't noticed before, but it had been in the way one noticed an attractive painting: objective without any real feeling attached to it.

Now her belly twisted with a different kind of anxiety. Oh Goddess forgive her.

Fang swallowed hard, shaking her head vigorously. At least he hadn't noticed her predicament. She squirmed a little beneath him, trying to reach down to adjust herself. "No, no! I'm fine, I'm--h-hey!"

Of course, that was when his eyes traveled downward and her breath hitched at the way he unabashedly stared. Without thinking, her hands shot up, burying themselves in his hair, and she tugged his head back up. "Eyes up!"

[MorningStar]

He couldn't discern any noticeable signs of injury on her, but her labored breathing suggested something was amiss—Ow! A sudden and unforgiving yank of his scalp snapped his attention back to her, their eyes locking.

Huh...

She appeared unusually flustered for some reason. Frantic eyes and a flushed complexion. It was just legs, he reasoned. Just... nice, impressive woman legs...

Oh great, now it was his turn to blush and become flustered. He began to apologize, still not budging from his newfound, seemingly permanent spot on top of her, when a sudden realization dawned in his eyes.

"Fang! I need to tell you something important!"

His voice, an uncommonly raised tone for him, carried urgency as he gently cradled her cheeks with delicate fingertips. Drawing closer, it seemed as if they were about to share the most intimate of moments.

"I know who the next spirit is."

[Rhindeer]

Was he blushing? Why was he blushing?! He wasn't the one with his sarong nearly pushed high enough to flash his undergarments! And then, with further horror, she realized she was still clinging to his hair and quickly released him, though she didn't know what to do with her hands after. They fluttered there in indecision before she grabbed his shoulders--as if she would be strong enough to shove him off. (Yeah, right!)

She was still trying to find her words when his expression changed. Tell her something??

Ahhhh!

Another time and she wouldn't have thought anything of it. But right then her panic only spiked higher and her pulse became a thundering warning. His sudden urgency, with his weight pinning her and his hands cupping her face to bring his lips close...? Oh no, oh no, oh no, was he--? He couldn't! He'd said so himself! It was too soon! They had only just met! She barely knew him at all! And yet here she was, tangled up with him, and as much as she wanted to push and wriggle free, all she could do was freeze. Her muscles locked into place and she stared stupidly up at him.

Nononono, wait, this wasn't how she wanted things to go! This was a serious misunderstanding!

I know who the next spirit is.

"HUH?" It came out less as a word and more as a rush of breath. Her hands trembled on his shoulders, eyes blinking rapidly up at him. "Wh...wha...? Spirit? What are...?" It took a moment for her foggy mind to clear. Spirit. Next spirit. Right. That was the important thing.

She swallowed audibly. Okay. Yes. This was a misunderstanding. Okay, Fang. Get it together. Just a mistake. An awkward one, but he was a kind of awkward guy, right? Not that she had room to talk there, but...

"Right. The next spirit. Yes. That's good. Yes, very good, that. U-um...maybe...maybe we can talk about that? Perhaps in a different position?" Hrk. Her face might as well have been made of flame. She twitched. "As in sitting, with you not on me?"

[MorningStar]

Oh.

Oh, right.

Of course.

"Yep," he said with a hint of embarrassment, placing his hands on either side of her to hoist himself up. "Sorry about that."

However, as Spike began to shift off of her, an unwitting tragedy unfolded. Unbeknownst to him, his belt buckle had somehow caught hold of Fang's sarong during the shuffle. As he lifted himself up, it became apparent that he unintentionally became the unwilling accomplice to a wardrobe malfunction, taking a bit of Fang's attire with him.

He stood swiftly, his back to her as he recalled the moment in his dream, completely oblivious as to what may have just happened.

"Maya," he said, his words heavy with thought. "She came to me in my dreams. She said me next."

[Rhindeer]

Just when Fang began to breathe a sigh of relief as Spike lifted off of her, her world came crashing down all over again. There was a tug, a rush of air hitting her legs, and she shot her hands down to tug her sarong back into place--

Except her hands only found the bare skin of her thighs.

What. No!

She felt at herself frantically, the blood draining from her face, then propped up on her elbows to look, and yep, that sarong was gone. No, wait, not gone--oh.

Oh NO.

Spike was talking and saying things, probably very important things, but Fang only heard every other word as her entire focus was the colorful cloth peeking out from his front, and thank Inima his back was to her! Except he was also facing the bed, and he was between her and anything she could use to cover herself with, like the sheets on the bed or the spare clothes in her satchel. Biting back a squeak, she scrambled back against the wall and hugged her knees to her chest right as Spike was finishing up.

"Uh, h-hey Spike? Wait, don't look!" she yelped quickly, and all the blood came rushing back to her cheeks. "Just...don't turn around. Okay? Um. So, yeah, you uh...I believe you have something of mine?" She cringed as she said it, shoulders hunching up around her ears.

Oh Goddess, she knew it wasn't a big deal, really! It was nothing to get worked up over, it was just bodies being bodies! There was nothing shameful about it! But knowing was one thing, and feeling was another.

[MorningStar]

The path of his thoughts were abruptly halted by the sound of Fang's frantic plea. Slowly, he looked down and saw... Oh no.

Spike's eyes widened in horror as he noticed the vibrant fabric of Fang's attire wedged into his own belt buckle, the two seemingly entangled in a cosmic dance of misfortune. Panic surged through him like a lightning bolt.

Without a second thought, Spike frantically attempted to free the cloth, fearing that any sudden move might result in irreparable damage. He tugged, twisted, and pulled, all while imagining the worst-case scenario of tearing Fang's clothes.

In a burst of impulsive desperation, Spike made a split-second decision and decided to unbuckle his belt, thinking it was the quickest route to liberation. However, the universe had a different plan. As the belt snapped open, Spike's pants promptly surrendered to the forces of gravity, descending to gather around his ankles like a pair of fallen soldiers.

...And now his bare ass was visible for Fang, and the spirits (if they were even still there), to see.

[Rhindeer]

Bless him. To his credit, Spike didn't look. He understood the assignment and got to it quickly, wrestling with the fabric while Fang waited awkwardly, her chin resting on her knees. This was so dumb. How had that even happened?! And why was she so flustered?

It was taking him a while. It must have really gotten snagged, which was a shame, because she loved that sarong—

She heard the clicking of metal as he fumbled with something, and that was all the warning she got before his pants dropped—and she was staring at his white bottom.

A rather nice bottom, pale though it was.

Her eyes went saucer-wide, the heat spreading down her neck and to the tips of her ears, and she sucked in a breath and found she couldn't look away. How. What. WHAT. What was he DOING?!

"S-Spike!" she got out, voice a little strangled—but then, suddenly, it turned into a wheeze...

...of laughter.

Fang sank her face into her hands, suddenly seized with a fit of helpless giggling, and she just gave up. She was done. Inima take her, this was SO beyond ridiculous! She was being tested, she had to be, and she didn't know if she was failing or winning! Laughing uncontrollably, she felt herself go boneless as she folded forward onto her knees, clutching her stomach.

[MorningStar]

With his pants now embarrassingly pooled around his ankles, panic set in. Swiftly, before he could react or succumb to further embarrassment, he attempted to toss the caught cloth back to Fang. Instead of the expected reaction, her response caught him off guard—hysterical laughter echoed in the air.

Heat rushed to his face; was she laughing at him? Ignoring the awkward state of undress, he urgently turned around to face her, fully exposing himself in the process. Trying to get to the bottom of the situation, he blurted out, "What's the matter?" his tone a mix of confusion and urgency.

[Rhindeer]

The sarong landed on her head as she sat curled up in laughter, obscuring her view and making her laugh even harder because this was so beyond ridiculous, but only for a moment. Heaving for air, she pulled the sarong off her face as Spike asked what was wrong—and found herself face to face with more of him than she could have ever anticipated.

Fang had met Spike not even 24 hours ago, and yet she knew more about him now than she did some of her closest friend: his full backstory and now...his anatomy.

Fang's laughter cut off with a choked sound as his everything was suddenly just there, more detailed than anything in the anatomy texts she had read, and after a moment of wide-eyed horror, she buried her face back in the sarong and prayed the ground would eat her.

"SPIKE!" she yelped, unable to articulate anything more than that as her mind shut down. She waved one hand blindly at him, urgently motioning him to turn. "Your—your—your PANTS!"

[MorningStar]

...Pants?

As Fang's words resonated in the air, Spike instinctively took control of his breathing. However, the realization struck him like a sudden jolt, and he frantically glanced downward, only to find himself fully exposed in all of his pale glory. His eyes shot back up to Fang, a mixture of embarrassment and urgency evident in his expression.

A quick sequence of glances followed—down, up, down again—as he swiftly set to work collecting his scattered pants. With hurried motions, he slid back into them, a determined effort to cover himself up and salvage the situation. Tightening his belt extra snug, Spike restored a sense of modesty, though the remnants of embarrassment lingered in the air.

As if to do damage control, he pointed at her with his finger as his face felt like fire. "Like I said," he said with an apologetic look in his eyes, "it's too soon for this."

Well, that was the wrong thing to say.

[Rhindeer]

Fang heard a lot of rustling that must be his clothing, followed by a metallic clicking that she assumed was his belt. Still she kept her face covered just in case, because at the rate they were going he'd somehow be magically fully nude the next time she looked!

It was only when all the rustling stopped and he spoke that Fang snapped a look up at him—and yes, blessedly, he was clothed.

"W-what?!" she blurted when, once again, he said that infamous line. "Too soon for—?!"

Well. They had both somehow lost their lower garments in under 24 hours while sharing a room and she'd been pinned beneath him for a little extra kick. Wait. Oh dear. Did he think...did he think she'd crept up on him in his sleep because she was coming onto him?

Horror spread across her face, the fire still in full bloom. "What do you mean by this?" she blurted, her voice a little high with panic. She threw her sarong over her legs, suddenly very aware she was still mostly undressed. 

[MorningStar]

Spike's gaze lingered on Fang's legs and figure, momentarily captivated. "Too soon for..." His words trailed off as she covered herself up, and the weight of reality began to pull him back down.

"Nothing," he quickly added, though his expression betrayed his thoughts. "It's still late; you should get some more sleep. I'll keep watch."

He blinked, a realization dawning, and mentally chided himself. "For spirits and intruders," he added, perhaps a bit too belatedly.

[Rhindeer]

A mistake. A misunderstanding. That's all this had to be. Still Fang was all too aware of how he'd stared—and how she was just as guilty.

Spike offered her a way out of the discussion, though, seemingly eager to drop it, and Fang latched onto that escape. Hands fumbling, she quickly tied her sarong back around her waist and tugged it down into place, but it would still be a while before her face cooled.

Maybe something just got lost in translation. Maybe by "too soon for this" he meant "too early for this." As in too early in the day for these sorts of shenanigans. Yes, that must be it! Day hadn't even broken yet and this morning was a disaster.

"Right, yes! Good idea, keeping watch! For the spirits," she agreed, sucking in a deep breath and willing her heart rate to normalize. Rising to her feet, she slunk awkwardly to the bed, climbed in, and buried herself in the blankets up to her nose. And yet as she laid there, staring up at the ceiling...goddess, she couldn't help it. It was still bothering her!

"Um, so, Spike...?" she started, still not looking at him. "Just so you know, speaking of spirits and all...I wasn't trying to be creepy or anything. When I woke you, I mean." Her voice was mumbled as she pulled the covers up to just below her eyes. "I saw Lawrence watching you."

[MorningStar]

"I think I'd prefer it if you watched me," he muttered inaudibly, his words accompanied by a heavy sigh.

"Yeah, he does that," he added simply, as if it were just one of those things. Seating himself, knees slightly propped near his chest, his back leaning on the edge of the bed and facing away from Fang, he continued, "Maybe it was because of our connection. I don't know. Have you come across any spirits like him before?"

[Rhindeer]

Okay, now this? This Fang could do. As the conversation edged back over into safe, familiar territory, Fang perked up a little and rolled onto her side, propping up on an elbow.

Spirits were her expertise. She could do spirits. It was people, the social dance, that were perplexing and a little scary, like everyone else was reading from a script that she had never received a copy of.

"Oh, no, I've honestly never met a spirit quite like him," she admitted, expression thoughtful. "He's a little more...hmm...how do I put this. I've encountered a lot of angry spirits, but he seems more...spiteful about it."

She shook her head, fingers tapping her cheek. She sounded calmer now, the topic giving her mind something familiar to latch onto. "There's a lot I still don't know and still haven't encountered. That demon posing as Oliver for example—that was new, too. It makes sense, though. Lawrence isn't Thanati and neither was Oliver. Cultural differences are bound to manifest in death just as they do in life. Oh!"

Peering down at him, a thought striking her, she said, "What were you trying to tell me earlier? About the next spirit? I'm afraid I was a little..." She cleared her throat. "...distracted."

[MorningStar]

Spike didn't fully grasp Fang's last remark, but the context grounded him, prompting memories of the woman from his dream. Leaning on the bed's edge, still with his back turned, he uttered, "Me next. That's what she said."

With a gentle exhale, he glanced back, his face now less flushed like a tomato, meeting her eyes. "Her name was Maya. I think... she might want your help next."

[Rhindeer]

"Then we help Maya next," Fang said, covering her mouth as a yawn crept up on her. "That's good. She wants it, so she'll be an easy one. That'll be nice after Oliver, I must admit."

Another yawn, and she let herself flop back down onto the pillow. "Tell me more in the morning, and don't let me sleep too long past sunup," she said as she rolled onto her back, throwing an arm across her eyes.

[MorningStar]

"Sweet dreams, Fang."

As Fang slipped back into slumber, Spike maintained his position, positioned towards the door as if serving as her guardian from the outside. Restless spirits lingered, casting watchful glances from behind, yet Lawrence's absence was palpable. Respecting her need for additional rest, he allowed her a more extended sleep than requested.

Upon leaving, a tavern worker approached Fang, speaking in their native tongue, "Heard quite a commotion last night. You two love birds have a good time? We charge for stains."

Spike, unaware of their conversation, peeked over at his companion. "Coffee first? We can go to the cafe."

[Rhindeer]

"What? Stains?" Fang repeated, brow furrowed in sleepy confusion. She had slept longer than she'd planned, but even the extra sleep wouldn't save her; she was just never quite herself until she'd had her morning tea. She rubbed her left temple. "We didn't spill anything or—" 

Oh. The woman's meaning clicked a second later as she connected it to the weird comment about love birds and having a good time. She stiffened, her face heating, and waved her hands emphatically.

"No, no, we're not—! We're not together like that or anything, we're just—!"

The worker cut her off with a scoff, eyebrow arched as she looked pointedly at Fang's sword—the item that marked her as Temple caste. It was that simple look that made her wilt, her face burning hotter with shame. "You don't have to justify yourself to me. You serve a higher power, do you not? You answer to them." And then she held out her hand. "Pay."

Ouch. Fang winced, her belly twisting with a spike of anxiety and guilt, and she quickly dug into her coin purse and paid, just to escape the situation. Head down, she scurried away to join Spike while the woman shook her head, mumbling something under her breath.

She couldn't get out of that building fast enough. 

"Tea," she said quietly as they walked, her own pace brisk as she lead the way, not looking at him.

[MorningStar]

With tea for Fang, coffee for Spike, and the next spirit awaiting, his lengthy strides nearly kept pace with Fang, who hurried down the road faster than usual as they made their way to the cafe.

Matching her speed and raising a brow, he inquired, "Didn't you settle the bill last night?"