Chapter Text
Jenny and Mandy hate it when their boys are fighting. It doesn’t happen often, because they’re, like, the bestest friends ever, but when it does it’s awful and brutal and it messes up the energy in the attic for days after it’s all over.
“It’s, like uber depressing in here right now.” Mandy sighs, floating just over Ransom’s bunk. “Do you think they’re gonna make up soon?”
“It seemed kinda huge.” Jenny puts in from over by the desk. “So, I dunno-- maybe this is, like, it.”
“It can’t be!” Mandy wails, causing the gear that’s stacking in the corner to rattle. “Holster just, like confessed, Jen; they’ve gotta fall in love, right?”
“Yeah, I know.” Jenny huffs, but she’s not convinced. The argument Ransom and Holster had had sounded so final; she and Mandy had spent the whole week following the two of them around the Haus, fretting.
Mandy looks like she’s about to say something else, but, she closes her mouth instead and perks up like she’s heard something.
“---ster, just slow down, man, we gotta talk.” It’s Ransom, and he sounds distressed. The door bursts open and Holster enters first, hands covering his ears and Ransom on his tail with an expression to match his tone.
“We don’t.” Holster says quickly. “Today’s been super shitty already, and we don’t, really, it’s--”
“You said I could get back to you.” Ransom says, taking a step forward, which Holster counters with a step back.
“I--” Holster starts to say something, but he seems to catch the pleading look in Ransom’s eye, so he drops his hands and sighs instead. “You’re right, I did.”
“Thank you.” Ransom slumps, relieved, and Jenny flails a little.
“Ohmigod it’s happening!” she squeals. Mandy matches her pitch and zooms down to watch from the desk. Ransom probably hears them, but he’s still doing that thing where he pretends they don’t exist, so he ignores it and plows through.
“Holster-- Holtzy. Adam.” Ransom begins and Holster looks like he’s about to die and become another Haus ghost himself. “You’re my best friend, you’ve always been my best friend, and I do love you.”
“Oh god.” Holster groans, putting his head in his hands. “Justin, bro, please, if you’re gonna break up with me--”
“Let me fucking finish.” Ransom says. He sounds exasperated and desperate; Holster shuts up immediately, and nods.
“I do love you.” Ransom goes on, voice quiet again, and gentle. “And, I know it’s as friends, but I want… I want it to be, like, as boyfriends, too.”
Holster looks like he’s about to faint now, and Mandy and Jenny are going nuts.
“He said it! He said it!” Mandy’s doing flips midair, and Jenny’s crying a little.
“This is the best day of my afterlife.” she sniffs. Justin twitches a little, but still doesn’t acknowledge them.
“I… I don’t know how good I’m gonna be at it.” he says. “The only person I’ve ever really dated seriously has been March, and I probably wasn’t the best with her, but I always wanna be the best for you. You deserve it, and--” His voice breaks on the last word and he has to take a deep breath before he continues. “I… you’re it for me, Holtz. There’s never gonna be anyone else I love as much as I love you, or that gets me like you do, and you’re the one person I’m sure I want with me for the rest of my life.”
“Bro.” Holster chokes out. He’s crying, almost sobbing, and it takes him a few tries and strangled noises before he can get any words out. “Yes, Rans, yes. You’re it for me too, man, you’ve always been--” He’s crying too hard to get the words out now. Ransom steps forward and wordlessly pulls him into his arms, because they’re both crying, and neither of them needs to hear the rest of that sentence to know what he meant.
“Kiss! Kiss him!” Mandy’s yelling like they’re a couple in a movie, and Jenny’s crying too much to try and stop her. Ransom’s arms wrap tighter around Holster’s waist, so they know he hears them.
“Can I?” he asks, and Mandy screams “YES!” Holster picks his head up, and sniffles.
“Can you, what?” he asks. Ransom looks embarrassed.
“Can I kiss you?” he blurts, and Holster’s face lights up so brightly, it’s almost like he hadn’t been crying at all
“Hells yes.” he croons. Justin smiles too, and it’s impossible to tell which of them goes for it first, but neither Mandy nor Jenny care.
“True love is so beautiful.” Jenny sighs, wiping her eyes. “It’s like the Princess Bride.”
“We’re gonna have to find a new place to hang at night.” Mandy points out, smirking.
“Damn right you are.” Ransom mumbles as he and Holster pull back.
“Dude, what’re you talking about?” he asks. Ransom just shakes his head.
“Nothing.” he mumbles, and kisses him again.
The attic feels like a forest after a thunderstorm for days, sparking electric, and all four of it’s residents, dead and alive, can’t stop smiling.