Work Text:
Skulduggery followed Ghastly into his office, his friend stepping to the side and allowing him to pass before closing the door quietly shut behind them. Hands in pockets, the skeleton cocked his head curiously as Ghastly made for the desk and sat behind it, robes bunching awkwardly beneath his thighs and provoking a grunt of irritation.
“What is it you wanted to see me about, Elder Bespoke?” Skulduggery questioned, a mocking lilt to his voice.
“Don't you start.” He warned, but a smile tugged at his lips and the skin around his eyes crinkled with amusement. “I've had enough of that from Ravel all day. Elder Bespoke this, Elder Bespoke that. “Oh, Elder Bespoke, could you perhaps pass me the biscuits?” “Fine day today, wouldn't you agree, Elder Bespoke?” “Does my butt look big in these robes, Elder Bespoke?”” Ghastly shook his head. “Honestly. I don't know why I put up with you.”
“Because we're just that adorable.” Skulduggery stated, and Ghastly's smile widened.
“But yes, anyway. What I wanted to see you about.” He dropped the smile, stared intently at Skulduggery for several seconds and then cracked up, a wide grin decorating his scarred face. “God, I can't even take this seriously.”
“Well.” Skulduggery drew up a chair of his own, seated himself and crossed his arms. “At least tell me what it's about.”
After a few moments Ghastly managed to compose himself. “I received an accusation from someone, officially to myself as an Elder, so unfortunately I couldn't ignore it no matter how ridiculous.”
“The star of that accusation would be yours truly, I presume?” Skulduggery stated more than asked, reclining lazily. “And now you're obligated to follow through by having a conversation with me to clear things up. Protocol and all that.”
The Elder waved a casual hand, smiling. “You've got it.”
“And the accusation?”
“I may as well just come out with it, because it isn't going to sound any less ridiculous the longer I leave it.” Ghastly arched an eyebrow. “Someone claims that you are Lord Vile.”
Skulduggery made a noise to suggest that he was frowning.
“I know, I know.” Ghastly laughed. “You may not be a popular man amongst the masses, but the stories these people come up with seriously need a little more imagination, especially if they hope to ever actually land you into trouble.” His good humour faded somewhat as he sighed. “Sorry to waste your time like this, Skulduggery, but you understand.”
“Of course.”
“So.” Ghastly clapped his hands together once. “I just need you to confirm that you are not, in fact, Lord Vile, and we can both get back to more important matters. For example, salvaging some biscuits before Ravel can eat them all.”
Skulduggery was silent for a moment, but after a while looked up at his friend. “Just curious; who exactly made this accusation?”
“I'm not supposed to tell you, Skulduggery. You know that.”
When the skeleton tilted his head a fraction it must have been body language for a pointed look that Ghastly understood, because he shrugged and caved. “Rapture, would you believe.” He raised both eyebrows as he fidgeted with some papers on his desk. “I thought she'd at least be able to come up with something better than Lord Vile of all things.” The fidgeting stopped and he gave Skulduggery a pointed look of his own. “And it makes me wonder what, exactly, you did to piss her off that badly.”
“Rapture and I aren't exactly on amicable terms most of the time and you know that.” The detective let his hands fall into his lap. “You also know that she doesn't really need a reason to mess with me. She gets off on it.”
“I know.” Ghastly frowned. “She just seemed pretty adamant about the whole thing.”
“Alright, so we had a small-...ah...disagreement.”
“And what does that mean?” The tailor folded his arms across his wide chest, looking at Skulduggery expectantly.
“I may have tried to shoot her.”
“Seriously-”
“I also may have succeeded.”
“Skulduggery.”
“What?” He shrugged lightly. “It was just a loving bullet in the shoulder amongst friends.”
“I think I'm starting to understand why she may have been a little bit annoyed.”
“Just a little bit?”
“Well alright, a lot.” Getting up from his chair, Ghastly walked around the desk and perched himself on a corner so that he was almost directly opposite Skulduggery. “In fact, she made it a point to mention how, during the war, you were nowhere to be seen all the while Lord Vile was wreaking havoc.”
“And what did you say to that?” Skulduggery wondered aloud.
“I told her it was absolute nonsense, of course. I mean, how can you be Lord Vile, right?” Ghastly chuckled. “Rapture is seriously losing her touch. She used to have quite the silver tongue.”
“You said it.” Skulduggery agreed, but there was an undertone to his voice that Ghastly picked up on.
“Still waiting on you, by the way.” He prompted, and the skeleton tilted his head.
“For what?”
“Confirmation.” Ghastly said slowly. “That you aren't Lord Vile.”
“Oh, right. Yes.” Skulduggery hesitated. It was barely a second but still, he hesitated. “I officially declare that I am not Lord Vile. For a start, do you honestly believe I'd be caught dead wearing armour like that? No taste whatsoever.”
Ghastly snorted, but a slight frown had creased his brow. Eventually it cleared and he nodded. “Okay, that'll do it. We can both move on with our lives.” He stood up straight as Skulduggery himself stood, and gave the skeleton detective a friendly pat on the shoulder. “And perhaps you can go and apologize for shooting a certain someone. Again.”
“I'll be sure to not do that.” Skulduggery stated casually, nodding as he turned and made for the door. Before he could walk through it, however, fingers on the handle, Ghastly called out;
“You hesitated.”
He stopped, fingers loosening as he turned back to look. “Sorry?”
“You hesitated. And you didn't seem very surprised or angry at the accusation.”
Skulduggery closed the door slowly before turning around on the spot, hand coming to rest at his side. “What are you implying, Ghastly?”
“Nothing. I-...I don't know.”
“Well clearly there's something on your mind.”
Ghastly shook his head. “Rapture was very thorough in her argument. She gave me evidence that may not have been solid, but it was enough to be-...worrying.”
“So you think I'm Lord Vile.” Skulduggery said quietly.
“What? No. God no.” Ghastly ran a hand over his head and smiled weakly. “Just ignore me. I'm over-tired and over-worked. It's been a long day.”
“Can I leave without ridiculous accusations flying my way this time?” He demanded.
“Yes, but-” The Elder stopped mid-sentence and frowned. “You seem extremely defensive all of a sudden, Skulduggery.” His frown deepened and he walked over to his friend, stared right into those hollow eye sockets. “Just-...just tell me that you aren't Lord Vile.”
“I thought I already did.”
“So you should have no problem saying it again.” Ghastly stated.
“I can't believe you would even think that.”
“Tell me, then. Say it to my face, as my best friend.”
“Why should I have to-”
“Oh, god.” Ghastly stooped a little as he backed up and leaned against the desk once again. “That's three times, Skulduggery.” He whispered. “Three times I've asked you, but you can't say it to my face, can you?”
Skulduggery didn't object, he didn't agree. He simply remained silent.
“And now you've gone quiet.” The concern on Ghastly's face steadily increased with each passing second as he studied the skeleton. “That doesn't exactly inspire confidence, you know.” Still, silence. “Say something, for god's sake!”
“What to you want me to say?” Skulduggery asked quietly.
“What do you think? Tell me that you aren't Lord Vile.” Ghastly clutched at his forehead with one hand, looking somewhat desperate now. “Please.” He muttered. “It can't be you. It can't be.”
“I-” Skulduggery drooped his head, staring at the floor. “I can't.” He looked up. “This is a conversation I never wanted to have, Ghastly. I'm sorry.”
“Well too bad, we're having it!” He pushed off from the desk and started pacing. “So Rapture was telling the truth? About your absence during the war?” More silence on Skulduggery's part, but Ghastly barely paid it any mind he was so busy pacing. “When you went missing and Vile showed up, all of us thought he had somehow found a way to kill you. And when you returned, we were all just so glad you were alright, we-...we-...”
“The thought never crossed your mind?” Skulduggery muttered.
“Of course not! You're my best friend.” Ghastly stopped pacing and once again stood before the detective, both hands coming up to clamp down firmly on his bony shoulders. And with a serious expression, the hint of moisture in his eyes, he asked in hushed tones; “Are you Lord Vile?”
Barely a heartbeat passed before Skulduggery answered. There was no use in trying to hide it now.
“Yes.”
The sob that escaped Ghastly was mixed with a somewhat hysterical laugh. “All this time-” His grip tightened on Skulduggery's shoulders. “I trusted you. I trusted you more than anyone and you-” He couldn't continue. With a disbelieving shake of the head the Elder released his grip and made to turn away, and then his fist was flying through the air, straight into Skulduggery's jaw.
He staggered back and collided with a nearby wall but made no move to retaliate, even as Ghastly came storming over with the intention to strike him again. One large fist gripped at his collar, bunching the material as the other flew into his jaw again and again. The fifth punch was so hard it knocked his jaw straight from his skull, sending it skidding across the floor. Ghastly released him and he fell to his knees, still making no move to even defend himself. He retrieved the lower half of his skull mutely and fixed it back in place with a little yelp, but otherwise remained silent.
Fists clenched tightly at his sides as he looked down at him, the tailor swallowed hard. “Aren't you going to say anything?” He grated out. “All the terrible things Lord Vile did, Skulduggery. The people he killed, our comrades, our friends – my own mother.” The tears started to fall more freely. “And all the while it was you.”
“I know, Ghastly. I know, and I'm so sorry.” Skulduggery muttered.
“You think that makes it alright?!” He demanded.
“No, of course no-”
“My mother, Skulduggery!” Ghastly cut across. “How could you look me in the face every day, laugh and joke and act like everything was perfectly normal for all this time, knowing that you murdered her in cold blood? How could you lie to me like that?!” He dropped to his own knees, defeated, slowly shaking his head from side to side. “You're the one person I thought I could always trust. Even if there was no-one else left, I knew I could always count on you.”
Again Skulduggery had gone quiet, his skeletal frame statue still.
“Just-...” Looking over at him through the tears, an expression of complete and utter betrayal written all across his face, Ghastly sobbed again. “Just tell me why.”
“No excuse I can possibly give will make you feel any better.” Skulduggery told him flatly. “It won't change the fact that I am Lord Vile. It won't reverse the things I've done.”
“How can you sound so cold about it all?” The disbelief returned to Ghastly's face. “Don't you even care?”
“Of course I care.”
“So tell me why!”
Skulduggery looked up at him, that expressionless skull for the first time truly unsettling to Ghastly since his miraculous return from the dead. “I don't even know any more.” He admitted after a few drawn out moments. “I don't know how, or why. All I know is that I've been paying for it, trying to make up for it ever since. But despite everything I do, nothing will make it alright.” When Ghastly was silent, he continued; “At this point it doesn't even matter what you do or say to me. Nothing can possibly make me suffer any more than I already am. It's my punishment. It's what I deserve.”
Again, silence, this time lasting for a good five minutes as Ghastly stared intently at the leg of his desk, trying to make sense of it all. Eventually he stood, slowly, stiffly. “Does anyone else know?” He asked blankly. “And don't lie to me, Skulduggery. No more lies.”
“Rapture.”
“Anyone else?”
Skulduggery hesitated but managed to compose himself quickly. “Gordon. And more recently, Valkyrie.”
“I see.” Ghastly muttered, and then headed for the door.
“Ghastly-”
“I'm not going to tell anyone, so you don't have to worry about your secret getting out.” The Elder stopped in his tracks. “But you can, however, consider this friendship over.”
Skulduggery watched him leave from the floor of the office and continued to stare at the closed door for some time after. Eventually he looked away, instead peering down at his open jacket and the gun handle that peeked out. Rapture may not have been responsible for Lord Vile, but she was certainly responsible for this rather unpleasant encounter, for the end of a long and valued friendship. Getting to his feet he checked for bullets in the chamber of his gun and, once he was satisfied, exited the room with the intention of putting every single one to use.
It was the only way he knew how to deal with a problem, after all.