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Ivan groaned rolling over in his blanket cocoon. 2:04AM the clock across the room read. The banging around in the kitchen was getting louder. No doubt his cat was trying to get into the fridge again. She sure loved to get in there and steal whatever leftovers were stashed. He nestled into the warm blanket again. He had put some tape on the door to hold it shut so that damn fluff ball couldn’t get in.
Only when the crash of glass shattering on the linoleum echoed in his apartment he flung the blanket off. He sat himself up, his bare feet hitting the cold carpet. His calloused hands rubbed his eyes, still adjusting to see. Why did I get such an ill mannered cat? He thought walking to his bedroom door, grabbing a squirt bottle of water off of his nightstand. Usually that bottle would be used to water the small houseplants throughout his room, but on the nights his cat had decided to be unusually unruly it was used on her as a threat.
There was another crash. This time it was metal on the counter. What the hell is she doing? His feet shuffled quietly on the carpet. The cold was biting his skin. Surprisingly for growing up in the land of winter he only felt negative effects from winter. He turned the corner from the hall into the kitchen. Seeing the light of his fridge open and reflecting into the living area. Only when he looked over did he see his cat. No where near the fridge, yet there was still a strange amount of banging going on.
He followed his cat’s gaze to the open fridge. Only was there a slightly blue misty figure standing in front of it. No, the figure wasn’t misty. Transparent, with very a very frilly blouse looking shirt on. The figure was hunched over rummaging the bottom shelf of the fridge, generally where Ivan kept the vegetables. Ivan looked at the counter, seeing some of the tupperware full of leftovers scattered everywhere. Broken glass was swept into a tiny pile on the floor, no doubt from when he heard the crashing.
Ivan cleared his throat. Thoroughly unimpressed with whatever was happening in his kitchen. The apparition jumped slightly, dropping a head of cabbage, it rolling to the floor. It turned, Ivan got a full view of his face. Small square glasses sat atop his nose, an absurd gravity defying clump of hair sticking up from his forehead. His arms filled with a few of the quick snacks Ivan had picked up for the days he was rushing to get to work and needed a quick fix. He hated those foods but they helped him get by so he doesn’t mind.
“Can you please tell me why you’re destroying my kitchen at 2 in the fucking morning?” Ivan grumbled glaring at the figure, which was seemingly glowing now that his eyes had finally woke up.
A small echo-y eep came out of the fridge raider. “I was just so fascinated when I saw the cat trying to get in the fridge, I opened it and saw all these neat things, we never had these back in the village, this is like so interesting! Its been like 200 years and I can’t believe I have never seen these!” He exclaims, speaking quickly, and holding up a pan of pastries that were left in the fridge to cool. His voice had a slight alien-like echo to it. “And like, the cat, hes so cute you know that right and like,
“I knocked over the glass cup that was over there when I threw some vegetable at it, I don’t know what vegetable it was, but it sure made the glass fly and shatter, I tried cleaning it up but, well I don’t know where you keep the broom closet so I just kicked it into a pile. Oh and that bowl of soup I found, it looks super good? It looks like something I used to eat before we migrated but once we moved all the food went to shit.” He rambled.
Ivan glared, too tired, and too annoyed for this shit. “Would you shut up for a minute?” He snapped and glared. “I have work in a few hours and I could be getting some much needed sleep but apparently not.”
“Oh did I introduce myself? Papa always scolded me for not doing that when I meet someone. He would complain that it’s not polite, be more like me. But my brother was more like him anyways. Oh! My names Alfred by the way.” He rambled again. “And what’s your name big guy?” He asked setting the stuff he had been holding on the counter.
“My name does not matter. Please clean up the mess you made.” Ivan groaned. Still standing where the hallway and kitchen meet.
“Aww but I wanna know!”
“No.”
“Please?” He batted his eyes stepping closer to Ivan.
“No. Only if you clean this mess. I am beyond tired and I do not want to clean a mess that neither I or my cat made.” Ivan responded. “I will tell you my name if you clean that up.”
“Fine.” Alfred pouted walking to the mess of food he made.
“And don’t worry about the glass, I will get it before I leave for work. I don’t feel like de-spidering the broom. I had left it outside” Ivan walked to the couch, wrapping himself in the blanket he had draped over the back. He closed his eyes, trying to pay no mind to the stranger- no strange being in his kitchen.
“Alrighty! All done.” Alfred boasted, his echoey voice beaming. “Aww why did you cover up?”
“Because it is winter and I get cold.” Ivan responded. Not opening his eyes. “And what about you? Why do you look transparent and sound like you’ve been trapped in a computer cave.”
“Oh.. Well I kinda died like 250 years ago and I kinda sorta found my way here. Not sure how I just kinda decided to pop into a random spot and it was your kitchen- Oh by the way didyouknowyourelikesuperhot? I remember how I died. My family was burned alive, aside from my little brother who was taken by my uncle before it happened. Whole witch trials and what I think you guys now a days call homophobia. I don’t remember all of it but I remember it was entertaining. I didn’t think I’d come back as a ghost though.”
“So you’re a ghost. Huh. So how old were you when you died?” Ivan opened his eyes only to be face to face with the ghost. “I swear I must be sleep deprived.”
“I think I was like, 19 or so?” Alfred scanned Ivan's now looking at him face. “Wait, man, can I kiss you? You’re like a super hunk and my dad always banned me from trying to get with any of the village men saying You’ll be burnt at the stake which was true but they burned me cause I had two dads. I’m surprised they lasted so long.”
“You have one of the loudest mouths I’ve heard.” Ivan groaned. Leaning his head back on the couch.
“Can.. Can I?” Alfred’s gaze wandered around Ivan's blanket covered figure, he leaned closer.
Ivan cracked an eye open. “Burn me at the stake?” He chuckled. He did not appreciate this at all.
“I.. No? I wanted to kiss you.”
“You’re a ghost. You’ll just go straight through me.”
“No, I don’t think so?” Alfred sighed. This was not going to work.
Ivan lifted an arm, intending it to go straight through Alfred when he swung it. That was the exact opposite of what happened.
“Ow! What was that for?!” Alfred yelped.
“I don’t know I thought that ghosts weren’t suppose to have mass! My hand should have gone through you!” Ivan had sat up looking at the ghost that was now rubbing his head on the floor. “That's just.. What the hell.”
Alfred readjusted his glasses as he sat back up. They were eye to eye. “Please?”
Ivan rolled his eyes. “Just once. Then you will leave yes?” His eyes focused on Alfreds once blue figure. More color had presented itself, along with his transparency becoming fully opaque.
Alfred leaned forward. His hair now golden with a slight blue radiant to it, seemed to shine in the light he was giving off. He nodded, the stray cowlick bouncing. Ivan leaned forward as well, closing his eyes, and connecting their lips. Alfred shuddered in excitement. If his ghost power was flight he would have been flying around the room like a balloon with its air being let out.
“You are cold as hell.” Ivan whispered as he pulled away. “So now you leave, yes?”
“Can.. Can I have one more?” Alfred pleaded, puppy eyes, and even a slight pout.
Ivan grabbed Alfred and pulled him into his lap sideways. If I’m high I may as well do this. It’d be a nice little joke to tell my colleagues. He reconnected their lips again, this time with more force. When they pulled back away Ivan’s lips tingled a bit.
“Since, ya know, you can touch me, can… Can you cuddle me?” Alfred watched as Ivan gave an owlish look. “I mean, you know, its been several decades, hell even centuries since I last gotten a hug from my family… That might be a weird thing to ask, I’ll go--”
Alfred was cut off by warm arms wrapping around him. Huh. He didn’t think he had the ability to feel temperature anymore.
“I wish to go back to sleep. Please be quiet.” Ivan's arms tightened around him and they started moving.
They lied down, Ivan spooning Alfred who was laying on his back, blinking owlishly on the ceiling. “Thank you.” Alfred relaxed into the embrace, feeling Ivan’s breathing settle and eventually even out, a soft purr like snore coming from him. This is nice Alfred thought right as he drifted off, but not before he turned so he was facing Ivan, his arms snaked between them.
Ivan woke to the very real, very warm body in his arms. He blinked, the sunlight blinding him for a moment but that was nothing compared to what he saw next.
Alfred, laying in his arms, breathing softly. His youth showed as he was like this. Ivan felt contented looking at him as he slept, that was until he remembered who Alfred was.
Ivan sat up slowly, detangling himself from Alfred’s arms. A ghost. Alfred was a ghost. A cold ghost at that. Now he’s? A human? A warm ghost? Ivan pinched himself proving that yes, this was not a dream. When he finally detangled himself Alfreds nose twitched, his eyes cracking slightly.
“What—whats going on?” He asked, voice still hazy with sleep. His body no longer a bluish hue but fully-- human. He was human.
“Alfred, look at you.” Alfred gave him a puzzled look. “You’re human again.”
“What?!” Alfred sat up, the fuzzy blanket he had stolen from Ivan in his sleep falling to the floor. Alfred looked at his own hand, smacking the back of the couch a few times for good measure. “No way...”
Tears started to stream down Alfreds cheeks. “I never thought this could happen, how-how did this happen?” His face became more distressed as he spoke.
Ivan closed his arms around him once again and Alfred relaxed into the warmth, burying his face in Ivan's shoulder. “I do not know, but little one, you can stay with me til we figure this out.” He pulled back ducking his head to meet Alfreds now puffy eyes. “Alright?”
Alfred nodded and hugged Ivan again.