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Fear grasped at Mika's pounding heart like tendrils wrapping around an unsuspecting victim. The night consumed his vision, allowing him to only see pitch darkness. His trembling hand glided across the cold wall as he ever so slowly moved forward.
Step by step.
Inch by inch.
Eventually, he felt a shift in the air. He was no longer in the stuffy hallway but was somewhere more open - his kitchen. That was the only place the long hallway could lead to from his tiny bedroom.
Having a small apartment was a blessing but it was also a curse. Noises were easily carried through the thin walls. That was why he was up in the first place, having heard strange banging from his kitchen. In the night, his only hallway stretched until forever, leaving him vulnerable.
When Mika entered the kitchen his hands searched for the lights. Eventually he found the switch which felt stark cold against his rough fingertips.
He held a breath in.
He turned the lights on.
The kitchen was illuminated and to Mika's horror, he realised that the banging he was hearing from his bedroom had not been a nightly-hallucination. The three cabinets in his kitchen were open, alongside with the oven. Even the fridge was open, as though as someone had been search for something.
In the middle of the room stood a translucent figure. The skin was pale with a bluish tint, as light passed through. The dark red and black garbs, which looked like they were of an antique doll’s, stood in contrast against how glowingly pale the rest of the figure looked.
Mika's eyes warily trailed over the figure's face. Harsh purple eyes bore into Mika's own. There was a sneer on the figure's face causing his heart to skip a beat.
The figure suddenly spoke, bringing a hand up to motion at Mika.
"Kagehira, you promised me you would buy me a croissant. Why can’t I find my croissant?"
It was a terrifying situation to be in; accidentally angering the ghost haunting your little cosy apartment.
"Oshi-san, the bakery was closed today."
However, at the same time, Mika knew the ghost would never hurt him. How did he know? Well, what sort of sneering ghost was dangerous when their face turned into a cute pout?
"Non! I don’t believe that! Kagehira, you promised me."
Not only that, but Mika had been peacefully co-living with Shu, the ghost, for half a year now. The apartment had belonged to Shu before his death and after his death, the apartment had been sold to Mika for suspiciously-cheap price. Shu appeared in front of him a week after he had moved in and Mika had be terrified. By that point, he had already grown accustomed to the strange noises Mika heard every night, unaware that it had been a ghost all this time.
Luckily it hadn't taken them long before they started to get along well with each other and thus Mika continued to live there peacefully, ignoring the ghostly noises every time he went to sleep.
Unlike all the ghosts stories he had heard, Shu didn’t want to harm Mika. All he wanted was to be provided with croissants on a frequent basis.
It was definitely weird that a ghost demanded to be fed with croissants but as Mika got to know more about Shu, he learnt about how much these pastries meant for him. According to Shu, they were one of the few foods they could never tire out of when they were human. Even in death, he craved for the sweet pastry.
That was one of the few things Shu missed from his life. The delicious French pastries, which were actually Austrian but Shu refused to believe that due to his obsession with French culture. Alongside croissants, they also missed their antique doll collection, which had been thrown out by the seller, and Shu also missed being able to see and create art.
Mika wasn’t sure why, whether it was pity or whether it was because he understood what it meant to lose something, but he had generously started Shu's doll collection again in his room. Although they weren't the original dolls he owned, Shu was quite happy with the collection and often brightened up whenever he saw the dolls.
Mika coincidentally also happened to be a fashion design student so Shu could allow his talents in art to shine through by berating Mika's works and critiquing them. Due to this, Mika learnt a lot from him and thus started called him "Oshi-san".
All in all, Shu was definitely a strange ghost. A strange ghost that Mika liked. Perhaps sometimes they were a little stern and critical, but Mika could tell that inside of them, Shu had a soft heart. A dead heart, but a heart nonetheless.
After six months of knowing each other, they had gotten very close. So close that, despite being a ghost, Mika often felt blood rush to his cheeks whenever he caught sight of the ghostly beauty.
And back to the present, whilst Shu making noises was not new, him banging and opening the cabinets, oven and fridge were definitely new. It was why Mika had been so afraid earlier. Unable to see in the darkness, he had thought someone had broken in.
Instead he Mika awkwardly smiled at the sight of Shu. Softly gulping he admired the adorable pout adorning the ghost’s face.
"I’m sorry Oshi-san, but they were already closed by the time I got there!”
"Hmph! Why were you so late to the bakery?! Did you forget I have needs to be met?"
"Don’t be angry Oshi-san. I will buy ya’ extra croissants tomorrow! Please Oshi-san!!" Mika begged, approaching the ghostly figure slowly.
"Extra?…To make up for today?" Shu scoffed, glaring slightly as Mika shuffled closer. At his glare, Mika nervously chuckled and stopped walking. Then, he nodded which caused Shu’s pink eyebrows to furrow in thought. They let out a hum in agreement.
"Will you buy them on time?”
"I will try!”
"If you are late, you will have to bake them for me. If not, I will haunt you forever."
Mika went silent. Perhaps anyone else would have felt shivers crawl down their spine at the idea of a ghost haunting them forever but Mika…Mika liked that idea. It was then when Shu realised their mistake, as the living human in front of them blushed heavily in delight; his cheeks tinted pink, his mismatching eyes open with desire.
"Ngah Oshi-san that’s a tantalisin' offer!! Havin' Oshi-san haunt me forever sounds like a dream come true!"
This was one of the few times where Mika got to see a blush rise up Shu's face. How a ghost could blush despite not having any blood or organs in them, Mika didn’t know. However, one thing he knew was that Shu's face looked pretty when it went pink. There was this sudden insatiable desire in Mika to grasp at his Oshi-san and make him blush even more.
Before he could lose control and act on it, Shu luckily spoke out in embarrassment.
"Non! Why would you want a ghost to haunt you?! Do not be a freak Kagehira.” He let out a sigh, chilling the room slightly before calming down themselves down, “Tomorrow, bring me the croissants."
Mika chuckled and nodded, amused by how easily his Oshi-san could change his mood. Either way, whether he was stern or flustered, Shu still looked beautiful in Mika’s eyes.
"Okay Oshi-san, anythin' ya say! I’m goin' to bed now, goodnight!"
"Goodnight, rest well."
"Oh before I do, Oshi-san please close the cabinets and the oven. And the fridge. I don’t even know why ya opened them fer, but I hope the fridge didn’t get damaged from how long it’s been open!"
"I was searching for the croissants as I had believed that you hid them from me."
"Nah I didn't hide them for you. So please close everything? Especially the fridge? And be quiet. I wanna go sleep in peace."
"I promise I will close everything and I will be silent. Go sleep Kagehira."
Mika nodded and left the kitchen through the now-smaller looking hallway. As soon as he arrived at his room, the lights in the kitchen went out. Mika slowly walked to his messy bed and plopped on it. The mattress under him felt like heaven.
Sleep guided him into dreamland almost instantly. However, in the brief seconds where he was still awake but simply had his eyes closed, Mika felt a pair of cold light lips against his forehead.
Mika was not the only one madly-in-love and they both knew it.