Work Text:
Being dead feels quite strange.
The eerie silence made it feel like he was in the void for days—minutes, maybe even just a couple hours. It didn't matter to Jef anyways, he couldn't help but stare at the stab wound in his chest, it ached and it was the only thing he allowed to feel. It was the worst feeling he has ever felt he thinks.
It would be the only thing he could feel ever again considering he was dead; the realization made him want to cry if he was able, he's never wanted to cry as much as he wanted to now.
A vibrant yellow tinted glow appeared, a few feet from him, it was clearly waiting for him. Jef closed his eyes attempting to stop the burn he should feel, doing it felt like he just did it out of instinct. Nothing would happen if he kept his eyes open, his eyes wouldn't water, wouldn't burn if he keep them open longer than he usually could when alive.
Maybe this is a good thing, a second chance? That was impossible though, it made no sense as well. Why would he get a second chance? Out of all people, why him? The overthinking made him feel guilty, he should just take it and stop complaining
And he did.
It wasn't a second chance at life, but it was something at least. He supposed he shouldn't have brought his nonexistent hope up too much.
Jef appeared in a seemingly cozy home—well, it would be cozy if it weren't for the aura that surrounded it. So much anger, yet calmness. It was weird.
Someone lived here, it looked as if it was a recent move in though. Boxes laid around in rooms, clearly untouched with a 'do not touch or the cat gets it' note on it. What a rude threat. He was not looking forward to meeting this person that was for sure.
"Oh no—Nightmare no! He said not to touch that one!"
Jef turned to the voice, a soft worried tone from someone in the other room. Nightmare was an odd name but he shouldn't judge, it was quite rude. He unintentionally leaned near the wall about to listen in but apparently ghosts don't have a body! His head nearly slipped through the wall before he whipped his head back in an instant, eyes wide forgetting the whole thing about him being dead.
He shook it off, sticking his finger into the thin wall slightly. It was cold and airy, he had been extremely cold already but this felt different, he could tell he was in the wall.
"It's okay! It's okay—uhm just help me make sure it looks the same, i just wanted to see if, um yeah just—just pick up that come on."
The probability of them stealing was reaching high, he didn't think there was any way he would be able to help though. Maybe scaring them, that usually works in horror movies with ghosts right? Push over something or make it seem like the owner was home, that would surely work.
Slowly he phased through the wall, the furthest one from the wall the people were at currently. There was shuffling and worried mumbling. Why were they this scared? Were they new to robbing? He's never robbed a person but he was sure you had to be at least a little confident or you'd most likely mess up horribly.
They were messing up horribly.
Jef couldn't help but watch the two struggling boys in awe. This was really sad, he felt pity for the possible thiefs. Well, now that he thought about it did they know the owner? One of them mentioned that they didn't want them to touch specifically that box, the black bandana one said it.
The masked one had accidentally tripped over a box earlier and knocked items that sat still in the box his back hit over. He truly couldn't tell if they didn't notice or if they were so anxious about this that they ignored everything in their peripheral vision.
The clock ticking made him want to punch it, clocks always got on his nerves. It was obvious it caused more distress on the boys as well, they constantly glanced up at it before pointing it out and freaking out even more. He wanted to comfort them and ask why they were freaking out so horribly but he didn't think that would be such a good idea.
The door closed and someones voiced ranged through the hallway and into the room making everyone stop what they were doing. "Oh boys, i'm home!" The tone made Jef slightly uneasy, the sarcasm was clear and it made the atmosphere much more tense.
'Nightmare' laughed, the laughter lacked humor and more, fear? Was the guy really that bad? "Y-yeah haha um-" he nudged the boy with a bandana, "you go, he's your dad." He whispered and ushered the black haired boy out of the room.
The door shut and there was a greeting heard as the footsteps got quieter along with his voice. Nightmare sighed in relief before actually cleaning up the mess, much more calmly.
So, maybe they weren't thief's.
When Jef finally got a glance at the man himself, he was honestly very surprised. The wings behind his back were admirable, they looked like angel wings. Bright but still easy on the eye, not like it mattered. His void for eyes creeped him out when he first looked but it was interesting none the less.
It was the nighttime and Jef decided to peak through some rooms in pure curiosity. He entered the master bedroom and looked around, spotting a lump in the bed covered by a thin black blanket. How was he able to stand the cold so well?
Jef stared at him for a while before realizing how creepy he was being. Guess that's what being a ghost did to you. Now that he thought about it he felt like a cat or dog and how they would usually just wake up just to watch you sleep.
The blanket rose slightly before dropping and repeating, it was calming to watch really. He kicked his foot around in boredom, the silence was way to loud for his liking. He stepped closed to the sleeping body and poked the head already knowing what would happen, but it was a bit more than what he expected.
He was in the void again but before he could freak out he was suddenly in a field. The grass reaching his knees, it was clearly uncared for and the cool breeze hit him, pushing the grass up against his legs tickling it.
That was weird, that shouldn't be something he should be able to feel. He looked around before stopping someone. They looked as shocked as he did though, they just stared at each other. An uncomfortable silence filling the air.
The other hummed before changing his face completely, the confused face turning into a more calmer one. But he still had a look of confusion, understandable.
"Huh, you seem..familiar, the names Goodboyhalo, don't wear it out."
It became a cycle, he didn't exactly mind it though. 'Goodboyhalo' would wake up, Jef would hide until he left to do whatever he did during the day, he would have breakdowns and wait until the nighttime when Good came back exhausted, he would sleep and dream. Jef would appear and they would talk, Good always forgot who he was but at the same time remembered small things that he told him.
One day though, he started not liking the cycle.
He could only handle it for so long, he wanted something, anything to change.
"What the FUCK." Good's attempt at a punch failed and went right through Jef's head who just moved it slightly away. It was unintentional and most likely out of instinct, in all fairness he had just shouted hello after appearing through the ceiling upside down.
"Ah, right sorry" Jef turned right side up, extending his hand out before pulling it back realizing there was no point. "My name is Jef, this is like the hundredth time i tell you but, yeah, hi!"
Good stared at him for far too long, Jef laughed nervously, raising his feet up a bit.
"What? Are you a phantom hybrid? Get out of my house."
Ouch. That was fast, as fair as it was—if he was a phantom hybrid, going outside while the sun was out would burn him wouldn't it? "Uhm no i don't believe so, i'm very uh—well dead. I don't think i can just leave either." Jef began to mumble, maybe he shouldn't have done this, yeah this was a bad idea.
"Well yeah now that i think about it, it's fairly obvious you're dead." He gestured to his sweater and Jef looked down seeing the forever aching wound that showed how he died. He grimaced at the sight and looked away nodding, he crossed his arms covering it but the blood covering all over the shirt was still there.
"Yeah, people don't die pretty."
Days passed and Good still seemed on edge about the whole ghost invading his home thing. Jef had stopped joining his dreams and just sat in silence waiting for him to eventually wake up. Some days he woke up earlier, but it was best to not bother him those times, it was best not to bother him at all really. Doing that though would kill him again. Boredom seemed like a worse way to go than a stab to the chest.
Now that he thought about it while he sat alone in the dark with the pain in his chest being the only thing he could focus on, maybe that was wrong.
"Can—can i ask you something, Goodboyhalo?"
Jef sat beside the fireplace, barely inches away from the cackling fire. He couldn't feel it but maybe if he wished hard enough he'd get an ounce of warmth for once. The older nods so slightly it was near imperceptible, Jef wouldn't have been able to catch it if it weren't for the fact that he was watching him so intently.
"Er, would it be alright if i wondered what you did while you're not here?"
Good stops looking outside the window, the ice growing slowly on it making it hard to see. He turns to look at Jef for a moment, the palm of his hand still holding his chin up. He seemed tired, Jef didn't get why he was staying up this late.
"And what are you going to do with this knowledge, hm?"
He teases watching Jef try to make up an acceptable answer in amusement. It appears he gives up when he shrugs and his eyes dip and lower to stare at the floor beneath him. "I don't know." He mutters and goes silent. Good smiles and turns his head to the window again, sighing.
"I do a lot of things. You have to be specific, I usually help in a thing called 'Manhunts' that someone I know started."
Jef glances back up at Good now intrigued and it doesn't take a genius to know so Good continued.
"Me and—at the moment three—other people have to hunt down a certain someone before he can kill the Ender dragon. We do it for clout i suppose, he cheats but whatever the fans still enjoy."
They dived into a conversation, Jef would ask more and Good would answer with as much information as he wished to give, obviously throwing in some of his opinions on it as well. It was one of the nicest conversations they've had and you know what.
He was fine with that.
