Archive of Our Own

Ghosts are real. They are around humans, but ghosts aren’t really fans of messing with the living world. 

They are focused on their own things, for example running away from the heavenly trail! Heavenly trail is a trail where they decide where you go after you die. 

It's the 10th year of Pangi’s death. He still was getting used to the dead world, but he was getting help from his friend - Lukey. That guy has been dead for almost a century. 

Lukey was helping Pangi adapt to the dead world and Pangi was helping Lukey adapt to the modern world. Everything was going perfectly. Well excluding a few times where they almost got caught by Death itself or angels or demons, but they got better with running. 

Together they had a little agency that was focused on helping ghosts to get to the afterlife. 

There were two types of ghosts who were on the earth. The ones who wanted to go through the trail, but were tied to earth, because of unfinished business and the ones who stayed on the earth, because they wanted to. For some reason Heaven and Hell were more focused on catching the ones who wanted to stay on earth rather than helping those who couldn’t leave it. 

In Pangi’s opinion it was dumb. If you want ghosts to go through the trail why won’t you help those who are stuck here? 

“Helping souls who are stuck is harder than going after ones that you can take the moment you see them” Lukey said. 

“That’s just stupid” Pangi responded. 

“Well I didn’t say it wasn’t. Also heaven sees that the souls who were stuck are now free. If someone does the job for you, why should you bother?” 

“We are doing the job for them. We’re making their job easier and they still want us to go through the trail. That doesn’t make sense” Pangi said. 

“Incorrect. They don’t want you to go through the trail. They want me, because I went through it” Lukey said. 

Lukey was once the prisoner of the null. Null is part of hell that… Lukey never told Pangi what happened in the null. 

Pangi didn’t know a lot about Lukey’s past. He knew that his friend was a scientist, something went wrong and he died and then he was in the null and then somehow escaped. Decades passed and he and Pangi met. 

Pangi doesn’t remember his death too well. Lukey says most ghosts don’t remember their deaths at all, but Pangi is pretty sure Lukey is lying to make him feel better. Pangi even as a human had a shitty memory. He remembers events that led to his death, but they are also a blur. 

Pangi was with some people (he is pretty sure they were his friends) near some kind of river then blur and Pangi was running. He didn’t remember why or where he was running. Another blur and he was in some forest and Lukey was sitting in front of him. They talked a little and Lukey helped Pangi accept the fact that he is dead now or was going to die soon. Pangi wasn’t sure of that part. Pangi decided that he wanted to stay on the earth. A few days later Pangi was said to be missing, then a week or two later they found his body in that forest. 

“Do you think about your parents sometimes?” Pangi asked. 

“They died when I was a kid” Lukey responded. 

“Oh… I am sorry to hear that” 

“So you were alone most of your life?” 

“I had a friend” 

“What happened to him?” 

“I don’t know. The last time I saw him was a week before I died… or maybe a day before…” Lukey was never sure about his past. From the few conversations they had it seemed like Lukey wasn’t aware of most of his life. As if his brain turned on for a brief moment once every six months and then turned off again. 

Pangi would probably just say that Lukey had a bad memory, but that motherfucker remembered every detail of his afterlife. So what caused Lukey to forget like 90% of his life? 

Pangi decided not to think about it too much. 

“What case do we have today?” He asked while entering the office. Lukey was sitting on his chair and reading something.

“A ghost of a man who died after an argument with his…” Lukey stopped for a moment. 

“What?” Pangi was pretty confused. Lukey never stopped while reading about the case they were supposed to take care of. 

“Is marriage between two men legal?” he asked. Right, he was born and raised at the beginning of the XX century. 

“Yes” Pangi responded quickly and he could swear that he saw a little spark in Lukey’s eyes. 

“Okay, coming back to the case. The man wants to see if his husband is alright, but he doesn’t remember where they lived” Lukey came back to reading. 

“Did the guy die a long time ago?” Pangi asked. 

“A month ago” Lukey responded. 

“Fresh situation” Pangi whispered. Losing a loved one is always hard. 

“So we need to find where the husband is and then we take our client there?” Pangi asked and Lukey nodded. 

Well it shouldn’t be too hard to do. They met with their client a few hours later. 

“So you don’t remember where the house was?” 

“No” 

“Mhm… But can you recall any details of the house? Or your neighbors’ houses?” 

“I am pretty sure we didn’t have neighbors… I think it was… a little house near the woods… I’m not sure… But… We didn’t live close to people. Every day I had to drive… 30 minutes? To the nearest train station and after that I was in the train for another… 2 hours? And then I was in the city… Wait, we did have neighbors… It was this young girl… No, no, no… It was a young man with his wife and two kids… No, they didn’t have kids…” Why was every ghost cursed with horrible memories? That poor guy seemed so… lost. He has to adapt to the situation all by himself. Pangi was lucky to have a friend who helped him with the whole ‘you’re dead’ thing. 

“How long were your shifts?” This time Lukey asked the question. 

“8 hours? Sometimes 10… or the other way round… No… it was 6 hours and occasionally 8? No… No… No… It… I don’t know…” Lukey nodded slowly. 

“Do you remember where you worked?” 

“A building near… near one flower shop not far away from the train station… No, it was a coffee shop… No, it was a flower shop…” the ghost said. He was more and more unsure with every word he spoke. 

This whole conversation was going nowhere. It’s hard to get any information from someone who has no idea what is going on. Pangi learnt it after he asked Lukey why he is always staring at poppies and the other ghost looked so confused, because he didn't realise he was doing it. 

“I think that’s all we need to know” Lukey said. The other ghost left them right after his friend said it. 

“Why does every ghost we deal with have memory problems?” Pangi asked. 

“That’s because every ghost we deal with is a victim of some kind of accident. Something happened with their head before death so now in after life they struggle with remembering their past” Lukey responded. Pangi wanted to ask if something happened with Lukey’s head before he died since his partner doesn’t remember his life well, but he stopped himself. It’s not time for the questions about Lukey.

“So how are we going to find the guy’s husband?” Pangi asked. 

“He mentioned a flower shop near a train station and a coffee shop, but he wasn’t sure about the coffee shop. There were four flower shops near train stations in the whole city, but one got closed a few months ago and now it is a coffee shop” Lukey said and Pangi nodded.

“He was unsure about his work hours. He said three different versions of how much he worked, but only mentioned one version of how long it took him to get to his job. His working hours were often changing, but the time of getting to work was always the same. Then the neighbors thing, at first none, then a young lady, a young aged man and his wife with two kids, but he wasn’t sure about the kids. The neighbors were probably new. For some time the woman lived alone and after that her husband moved in and then they had two kids” He continued. 

His friend was smart which made sense. Lukey was a scientist while he was alive after all. He had to be smart. He would be a pretty shitty scientist otherwise. 

“We have to go to the train station near the ex flower shop and then we will be in the train for two hours and… we will have to figure out a way to the guy’s home” Lukey said. Pangi wanted to roll his eyes. It’s not like he has better things to do, it will just be really boring. 

The way back home will be fast at least. Ghosts have an ability to walk through mirrors from one place to another. It is extremely useful, but the downside of this ability is that you need to know exactly where you are going. They cannot just walk through the mirror and be in front of their client’s old house. They needed to know the address of the house. 

Lukey had a whole notebook related to just addresses. 

Just a few seconds later they were at the train station. 

“If I remember correctly there’s one train that goes through woods. I am not sure if it will be the woods we want to go to” Lukey said. 

“It will take us forever to finish the case…” Pangi whispered. 

“Don’t complain. You could've stayed home” Lukey responded. 

“And let you go alone? Are you sick? You might get hurt!” 

“I am a ghost, Pangi. I don’t think I can get hurt” 

“Lukey, you’re a hamster. If it wasn’t for the fact you are already dead you would die because of something stupid” Pangi said. 

“What the fuck?”  

“Wasn’t your death caused by an experiment which went wrong?” Pangi asked. 

“Yeah! But that has nothing to do with me! That shit would go wrong no matter who worked on it” Lukey responded. Pangi laughed, it’s so easy to get a reaction out of this guy. 

“I hate you” Lukey said and Pangi laughed again. 

Not too long after that the train arrived. For the next two hours they were standing there. One of the positives of being a ghost is that you don’t have to buy train tickets. You can just sit there and observe humans or talk with your ghost friend. 

“It’s interesting how the world has developed since I died” Lukey said suddenly. 

“I am pretty sure you saw some of the development yourself” Pangi responded. 

“Well yeah. I came back to earth in the 90s. Truly an interesting time” This made Pangi feel weird. He knew Lukey was on earth for a few years already when he died, but it never occurred to him that Lukey was completely alone for two decades. Having to adapt to a completely new world that is constantly changing by yourself. 

Pangi stared at Lukey for a long while. He looked so stupid and out of place. Lukey was wearing a literal suit. Okay not really, he was wearing a shirt and lab coat on it, but it still looked so fucking stupid. Also he was wearing leather gloves which didn’t make any sense, but okay. 

“What?” Lukey asked and it made Pangi come back to reality. 

“Sorry I was thinking” 

“Oh!” 

“Don’t you fucking dare” Pangi knew already what his friend was about to say. Lukey was like an open book sometimes.  

“Hey, that’s rude” Lukey smiled as he was saying it. 

“I know exactly what you wanted to say. I know you like no one else, Lukey” Pangi rolled his eyes. 

“I mean we spent the last decade together. It would be weird if you didn’t know me well” Lukey said. 

They stopped talking for some time, mainly because Lukey looked like he was about to punch someone. The dead scientist hated noise. Too loud. Too much. Too annoying. Pangi didn’t like it either, but it wasn’t as annoying for him as it was for Lukey. So he stayed silent. 

“Our station” Lukey said, relieved. Pangi expected them to now have at least two options of where they could go. Thankfully there was only one actual road next to the train station. 

“Isn’t it weird?” Pangi asked while they were walking.

“Depends on what you are asking about” Lukey responded. 

“It feels like we are given clear instructions where to go. Feels like a trap” Pangi didn't really understand where his own concern came from. Why would someone trap them? That doesn’t make sense. 

“What?” Lukey was as confused as Pangi was. 

“Nevermind. Ignore that” Pangi mumbled. He thought about his life for a moment. Was there ever a situation where he got trapped? He doesn’t think so. So where did the fear come from? 

They walked in silence for about an hour. There weren’t any new paths to the road. It was going straight and it didn't help Pangi with calming down. With every minute he grew more and more paranoid. 

Lukey did notice it. 

“Pangi, are you feeling alright?” he asked. Lukey was worried about his friend and it made Pangi feel better.

“Yeah… It’s just weird” Pangi responded. 

“For sure only that?” Pangi nodded. 

And they were walking in silence again, but this time Lukey was holding Pangi’s hand. The younger ghost wasn’t exactly sure when it happened, but he couldn't complain. It calmed him down. He felt like nothing bad could happen when Lukey was next to him. 

It took them about 4 hours to finally arrive at their client's old house. There were two houses. One bigger than the other. The bigger house had these weird star symbols on its walls and door. Weird stylistic choice, but who is Pangi to judge?

Lukey was writing the address down. 

“I think we’re done. We just need to get back to the office and meet with our client” he said. 

They just need to find a mirror and they will be back home. And where would a mirror be? Inside one of the houses. It’s not like humans can see ghosts and they can go through walls so that shouldn’t be a problem. 

Another interesting thing about ghosts - they don’t like going through walls. It’s a weird feeling. Okay not every ghost hates it. To be honest Pangi is probably the only one who hates it.

They quickly came back to their home. Well it wasn’t exactly a home, it was an old laboratory that someone abandoned a long time ago. Maybe laboratory isn’t a good word either. Their place had exactly four rooms. One room was a literal lab with potions and stuff like that. Another room was just a simple storage. An office (Pangi is pretty sure the room wasn’t always an office and Lukey turned it into one). The fourth room had only a bed in it. The room was small and it only had one bed, but honestly it didn't bother Pangi or Lukey. 

Ghosts don’t need to sleep. They still can do it, but they will function well without it. Pangi is the one who actually sleeps at night. Lukey in the ten years Pangi knows him maybe once. So the bed thing wasn’t a problem. 

Pangi could think more while he was sleeping.

Lukey could think more while he was awake. 

Pangi knew he probably won’t sleep tonight. That weird feeling he got while going to the house still hasn’t left him. Lukey will probably find him some job to do later. 

Their client was in their office pretty quickly. Pangi was supposed to go through the mirror with the client and Lukey, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

He just waited for Lukey to come back. Even when every part of his soul screamed at him to go there with Lukey, he just couldn’t do it. 

His friend came back after a few minutes and Pangi just hugged him. They never hugged. Lukey didn’t say anything, just held the other man. 

“There was something wrong with that place” Pangi whispered. 

“Hey, it’s okay. We don’t have to go back there ever again” Lukey reassured his friend. Pangi didn’t expect Lukey to care so much about such a stupid and small thing.

He expected Lukey to say that Pangi needs to stop whining or something like that.

They sat like that for a few more minutes. 

“If you tell someone about it I’m gonna kill you” Pangi said and Lukey just giggled. 

“Good luck with the killing part” Pangi just rolled his eyes. 

Around midnight a ghost walked into the office. It was a woman that probably died in the 50s. Blood stained her clothes which was weird. Pangi honestly didn’t understand what the fuck was with ghosts and clothes, because that shit didn’t make sense. Why do souls even have clothes? For the first two years after his death Pangi assumed you were wearing the clothes you died in, that was until Lukey took off his lab coat one night and changed it for a new one. So that was not the case. Then he realised that he had never seen a ghost’s clothes covered in blood or anything like that, but the ghosts often had visible death marks (death marks are the signs of what killed you. For example, a hole between your eyes if you got shot). He learnt maybe a year or so ago that you can cover the death marks with your clothing. Another thing that got Pangi confused, but he learnt not to care too much about the death world. Some things work just because and there’s no reason for you to question that. 

Well but that was a bit off topic.

The woman had blood stains on her clothes which Pangi thought was not possible. 

“My husband. Where’s that bastard? Where is he?” The woman mumbled. She repeated the questions again and again. Pangi was too shocked to react. He just stood there and observed the soul who was slowly driving into insanity. Lukey tried to calm her down, but that seemed to anger her even more. 

She took a knife out of the pocket of her clothes and dodged towards Lukey. Pangi reacted right away. He held the woman while she screamed and tried to get out of Pangi’s grip. 

It’s not like she could actually hurt Lukey, but Pangi won’t let her get near him. 

“All men are the same! You’re working with him! Bastards!” She screamed. Pangi felt bad for her. 

“Ma’am please stop screaming. We’re going to help you just calm down and put the knife away” Lukey said.

“I’ll put the knife down when the weird one stops holding me” Pangi did what the woman told him to. As promised she stopped holding the knife (which was now stuck in their floor. Great).

Pangi put his hand on Lukey’s shoulder ready to protect his friend if he has to. 

“So, what’s the problem?” Lukey asked. He was definitely too calm for someone who almost got attacked with a knife a minute ago. He probably knew that nothing bad would happen to him, but that doesn’t mean it’s normal! 

“My husband. I need to find him” the woman said. Once too calm considering the fact that she was screaming just a moment ago and attacking with a knife. 

“But why?” 

“He’s a cheater, he doomed our family. He deserves to die” she said, clearly pissed off. 

“I think we’ll be able to help with that. What’s his name?” 

“James Edward Smith” she responded. Great as if it wasn’t the most popular fucking last name and first name in the 50s. Well maybe the middle name will help a bit. 

Also it’s been decades… The guy is probably dead. A part of Pangi felt bad for the woman, the other part still was pissed at her for attacking Lukey. 

The soul left their office. 

“We can’t help her” Lukey whispered. 

“Why?” 

“Her soul is stuck on earth. She wants to kill her husband who is probably long dead” 

“Wouldn't the fact that he is dead let her soul free?” 

“No. What’s keeping her here is the desire to kill the man. She carries a knife around her and there’s blood staining her clothes. She wants the man to see what he caused the moment she kills him, but as I said the guy is probably dead” Lukey responded. 

“Also even if he was alive there’s no way we could find him” he added. 

“Maybe we should find out if he is even alive in the first place” Pangi mumbled. Lukey ignored that and took one of his notebooks out as a sign that Pangi should shut up. 

He just ignored the case and Pangi is supposed to do that too. 

They sat in silence for the next two hours. 

“What was the null like?” Pangi asked suddenly. Great question to ask after two hours of not talking! 

“Where does the question come from?” 

“I’m just curious. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to” The silence returned but only for a moment. 

“Cold” 

“Hm?” 

“The null was cold which is fucking weird considering the fact that null is part of the motherfucking hell” Lukey said. Why does this guy always sound so calm? 

“I’m sorry you had to go through it” Pangi whispered. He honestly felt guilty for even asking that question. 

“It’s fine. Can’t do anything about this now” Lukey brushed the whole situation off. He acted as if he didn’t 70 years in fucking hell and it pissed Pangi off. 

What is wrong with this guy? 

“Yeah… What happened happened. We can’t change the past” Pangi said. 

“I’ve been saying that since the day we met. If you can’t change the past then why do you care so much about it? Just let go” 

“Don’t you think it’s important to remember who you were?” 

“I think it’s better to forget than to be tied to something because of memories” Pangi couldn’t disagree more. 

He wanted to remember who he was before he died and everyday it became a bigger blur. One day he’s gonna lose his past self, the one that lived once and it seems to only be a case for him. Yeah a lot of ghosts didn’t remember things from their past, but they still knew who they were. Pangi wasn’t sure who he was before dying, but some of his instincts still stayed and it scared him (which he won’t admit). 

“I think you're in the wrong” Pangi said. 

“I’m always right, Pangi” Lukey responded. 

“You’re wrong most of the time” 

“What the fuck?” Lukey asked and Pangi just started to laugh.

“Oh my god, you are so easy to ragebait” 

“What does it even mean?!” Lukey was confused and it just made Pangi laugh more. He looks so stupid when he’s confused. 

“I hate you so much” Lukey said. 

Well they might have had a serious conversation just a minute ago, but that doesn’t stop them from joking around. 

The night did help Pangi stop thinking about the houses from the case. Spending time with Lukey always relaxed him. They were very great friends and they needed each other. 

The night wasn’t as long as Pangi thought it would be. He talked with Lukey about some stupid stuff. 

And with the morning came the client. A teenager who died recently. 

“Why are you even here?” Lukey asked, annoyed after the teen said that they honestly don’t care about being dead.

“My mom always said that I will meet him after I die” What?

“Meet who?” Lukey was as confused as Pangi.

“God” the teenager responded. Pangi was even more confused. Why was the kid still on earth? 

Lukey started to grip on his pen more, almost breaking it. 

“I think you should leave” Pangi said in a cold tone. Maybe it wasn’t nice to be harsh towards a teenager that died not so long ago, but they stressed Lukey out. Something with them was wrong… Something with the way they said things…

The ghost left their office and as they were leaving Pangi noticed weird star symbols on their jacket. The same symbols (or at least very similar) to the ones that were on the house’s walls and door. 

And just now Pangi noticed that Lukey looked… scared. He’s hiding something. He’s definitely hiding something. 

“Lukey?” Pangi said softly. 

“Yes?” 

“Are you okay?” 

“Yes, why wouldn’t I be?” Lukey still had this terrified look in his eyes. So now he’s lying… Why can’t he be honest for once? 

“You seem a bit off” Pangi was worried. In the last 10 years that Pangi knew Lukey he had never seen him that way. It was weird. 

“I’m fine” Lukey tried to brush it off.  

Pangi looked at his friend once again. 

“You know you can tell me everything, right?” 

“I know, but I’m fine” Lukey smiled softly. Pangi wanted to pressure Lukey into telling the truth, but he couldn’t do it while the other man looked at him like that. Stupid Lukey and his stupid beautiful smile. 

“But you will tell me if something is wrong?” Pangi asked and Lukey made them hold hands again. 

“Yes. Stop worrying so much. I’m fine” Lukey said. Pangi didn’t want to believe him. Heck he knew Lukey was lying! But the way the other man looked at him made him drop the topic. Lukey will tell the truth when he’s ready. An important note is that Pangi is straight and his and Lukey’s relationship is platonic.

Another client entered the office. It was an old lady. They both recognized her right away. She was working in the old flower shop that now turned into a coffee shop. She died while they still sold flowers, it was her shop that her son inherited and then sold, because the business was collapsing. 

She doesn't know about it. 

“I want to make sure my flowers are still there, but I forgot the way” the woman said.

“That’s not a problem, we’ll help you find it” Lukey responded. 

They took a walk during which Pangi could swear that they were not going the right way. Lukey was never great with directions, but he can’t be this bad! Why didn’t they just go through the mirror? They knew which flower shop the woman owned. Why did Lukey take the case if he knew that the flower shop was no longer there? 

It just didn’t make sense! 

“Lukey, what the fuck are you doing?” Pangi whispered to his friend.

“Helping a ghost” Lukey whispered back. 

“We’re not going the right direction” 

“I know”

“What? What are you planning on doing?” 

“Nothing bad. Just trust me” Can he not be so cryptic for once? 

He always does or says something that just doesn’t make any sense and he expects Pangi to just “trust him”. Pangi trusts him every time. Why wouldn’t he? 

They arrived at the train station that has a flower shop near it. It’s on the other side of the city. Is he gonna lie to the lady? Seems like it. 

“Oh thank you, young man” the lady said. She was ready to go. 

Pangi took Lukey’s hand and ran towards a spot they could hide. Well can’t risk getting caught by the demons and angels. They would be forced to separate then. Pangi doesn’t want to leave Lukey. 

“Dude, I can run on my own” Lukey said and rolled his eyes. Pangi just laughed. 

“What is so funny?” Lukey asked. 

“You look so stupid when you roll your eyes” Pangi responded. 

“I hate you” Lukey said, but you could see the smile on his face. His stupid smile. 

They came back to their office. This time it was just a quick hop through a mirror.

Another client came to them. Pangi didn’t exactly listen to them, but it was something about a river and forest that was nearby the river. 

The ghost left after Lukey got all the information. 

“I don’t think you should go” Lukey stated. 

“What? Why?” Pangi asked, very confused. And then he remembered.

“Lukey I can handle seeing the place where I died” Pangi said. 

“I just… Pangi, I don't want you to be there” 

“But why? It doesn’t make any sense! Yes, I died nearby, but why can’t I go?” 

“Begin near a place where you died is often too much for a soul to handle” Lukey said and placed his hand on Pangi's shoulder. 

“I’m just worried” he added. 

“I’ll be fine” Pangi responded. 

“Okay, but the moment you feel like it’s too much for you, we’re back at the office” Lukey said. 

“Okay” Pangi responded. It won’t be too much for him to handle. Why would it be? It’s just a place. 

They went through the mirror. It’s surprising how many broken pieces of mirrors are just lying around the world. Since ghosts don’t have a physical body they can go through every tiny piece of mirror. The big ones are just more comfortable to go through. 

Pangi was doing alright. No weird paranoia or anything like that. Well they weren’t in the forest yet. They were just entering the place. 

“What are we supposed to do here?” Pangi asked. 

“Our client lost something near the river while they were at the camp here. They tried to find it while they were alive, but never did. It’s been a few weeks since they lost it’” Lukey responded. 

“So they didn't die here?” Pangi asked. He himself didn’t know why he was interested in that part. 

“No, which you would know if you listened to what they were saying” Lukey giggled. 

“Shut up” Pangi rolled his eyes, but also smiled. He can’t be mad at Lukey and it’s just playful teasing. No harm in that. 

The feeling Pangi got yesterday came back and it grew stronger with every step. Pangi won’t give Lukey the satisfaction of saying ‘I’ve told you so’ so he hid that he was feeling horribly. He’s a ghost, he shouldn’t be able to feel anything in the first place! 

He just held Lukey’s hand hoping the feeling would disappear soon. It didn’t. 

Lukey stopped walking while they were near a mirror. Once again there are definitely too many mirrors in random places.

“We’re going back to the office” Lukey said. 

“I’m fine” 

“I know when you’re lying” Lukey pushed Pangi to the mirror and now they’re back home. 

“I was doing fine!” Pangi screamed, pretty angry at Lukey. 

“No, you fucking weren’t” Lukey said in this calm and cold tone Pangi hated so much. 

They looked at each other for a few seconds. It wasn’t their first argument. Pangi understood why Lukey was acting like that, but it was more of an ego thing. 

“Stop acting like you know more about me than I know about myself” Lukey looked at Pangi for another few seconds. 

“I’m gonna finish the case alone” Lukey said and went through the mirror. 

Pangi didn’t go after him. He honestly was mad. Mad at what? Lukey didn’t do anything bad. He was just worried. So what was Pangi mad about? 

He just stayed in the office waiting for Lukey to come back and then they would talk and Pangi would say sorry and it would hurt his ego and Lukey was worth it in Pangi’s opinion. 

He was pretty bored. 

Pangi just started to walk around their home and clean it a bit. There wasn’t anything to clean here really. The bed was made, there was barely any dust. He sat in the office for a little bit. Oh, right! The knife was still stuck to the floor. 

He took it out and placed it on the desk. Pangi looked at the handle of it. It was made of wood and it had those weird star symbols carved in it. 

Why are those symbols everywhere now? 

Maybe they were always everywhere, but Pangi never noticed them. It would make sense. He noticed them for the first time on the walls and doors of the house and he was incredibly paranoid then. After that he noticed them in everything. In conclusion the symbols probably were everywhere, but Pangi failed to notice them.

He heard a knock on the door. If it was a ghost it would go through walls so it’s a human and the only human that knows about this place is Aimsey. 

Aimsey is a friend of Pangi whom he met a few years ago. Funny thing? Lukey doesn't know about Aimsey and Aimsey doesn’t know about Lukey. It’s not like he is purposely hiding their existence from one another. He just forgot to tell Aimsey that he is working with someone else and then he forgot to tell Lukey that he met a human that can see and speak to ghosts. To be fair he didn’t really have a chance to say it. Well that's not important.

He opened the door for Aimsey. They looked so stressed.

“Pangi! How many humans know about this place?” They asked. There was this weird panic in their eyes. 

“Only you… Are you okay Aimsey?” He asked. His friend closed the door behind them. 

“Can I stay here for a little?” Aimsey asked. It’s not his house… Well it is, but he has a roommate. Annoying, stupid roommate that he wouldn't trade for anyone else. 

“Yes” Pangi responded. Lukey will surely understand… 

He stood with Aimsey in the office and as he was talking to them his ghost friend came back. 

“Pangi, I’m done with the case- Can I help you with something?” Lukey said. A lot of explaining is about to happen. Aimsey looked confused. 

They both turned to Pangi. 

“Lukey… hey… what are you doing here?” Pangi said. What the fuck is that suppose to mean mister? 

“I… it’s my house. Is it one of your… how do you call it? ‘Ragebait’ things?” Lukey responded. 

“Pangi, can you explain what’s going on?” Aimsey said. They were also confused which you know - fair! 

“Okay, Aimsey, this is Lukey, my roommate. He’s a ghost that found me after I died and helps me adapt to the death world” Pangi said. Lukey looked offended at the term ‘roommate’. He knows Pangi for 10 years and his role is reduced to just ‘roommate' ; they will definitely have a talk about it later. 

“Lukey, this is Aimsey. They're human, but they can see ghosts for some reason. I met them shortly after they gained that ability and we’ve been friends since. They’ll stay here for a bit” Pangi said. Lukey looked pissed off and honestly he had every right to be pissed off. 

“Okay. I’m going on a walk” Lukey said harshly and left the room. 

Aimsey looked at the place where Lukey stood a minute before.

“Maybe I should leave? I don’t wanna cause problems between you two” they said. 

“No! You don’t cause problems. He’s just not in the best mood today” Pangi responded. 

Lukey came back again after some time. Aimsey went to get some sleep so they weren’t in the room. 

Pangi and Lukey sat in silence. Pangi still felt that weird feeling he got from when he was in the forest. He just sat on the couch hoping it would go away soon. He also still had to talk with Lukey. 

“Lukey” Pangi said. 

“Hm?”

“I’m sorry. You were right I couldn’t handle begin in that place” 

“Who would have guessed?" Lukey rolled his eyes.

“Okay, I will listen to you from now on” Pangi responded. 

“You never listen to me and you won’t start to do it now” Lukey said, but it was clear that he said it as a joke. 

“Oh you know me so well” Pangi giggled. 

“I know. Crazy considering the fact I am just your roommate” 

“Dude, are you bitter about it?” 

“No, I just think it’s weird that you introduced them as your friend, but I was introduced as your roommate even though I have known you for a decade now” Lukey said and wrote something in one of his notebooks.

“Are you jealous?” Pangi asked and smiled. 

“No, why would I be?” Lukey responded. Pangi placed a hand on Lukey's shoulder.

“I don’t know” 

“Better question: do you want me to be jealous?” Lukey asked and they both laughed. 

“I didn’t finish the case. I couldn’t find the thing” Lukey said. 

“Are you going there tomarrow?” Pangi asked. He didn’t even realise when it became night. 

“Yes, can you work on other cases while I am gone?” Lukey responded. 

“Of course. Don’t get in trouble" 

“You too”

Pangi just now realised that the weird feeling he got in the woods was no longer there. 

The morning came and Lukey left. Pangi was sitting alone in the office until Aimsey woke up. 

“Good morning, how was your sleep?” Pangi asked.

“Horrible. I heard you and your boyfriend flirting all night” they said and Pangi froze. What? He wasn’t dating Lukey! 

“He’s not my boyfriend. I’m straight and Lukey is too” Pangi responded. 

“Have you seen how he looks at you?” Aimsey laughed. 

“He looks at me like he looks at every other ghost and human” if Pangi wasn’t dead he would probably blush right now. 

“He’s literally in love with you” they stated. 

“He’s not” Pangi rolled his eyes. 

But the conversation with Aimee made him think a little. Think about every moment he could remember from the past 10 years. Every conversation he had with Lukey. Every time they held hands ‘just because’. 

Holy fuck they acted like a couple. 

Pangi is straight, but if he thinks about it… Lukey sure as heck isn’t.

Lukey came back a few hours later. 

“Finished the case. Were there any clients while I was gone?” He asked. 

“No” Pangi responded. Or maybe there were. He wasn’t really paying attention to the world today. 

“Lukey, I have a question for you” Aimsey said. 

“Hm? How can I help?” Lukey responded. 

“So I’m trying to figure out how I can see ghosts. I asked Pangi before, but he wasn’t much help” they said. 

“When humans have a near death experience there’s a chance that they can see the dead world afterwards. It’s a small chance, but I guess you got lucky” Lukey said and they talked about something. 

Pangi didn’t really focus on the conversation that they were having. He focused on the way Lukey looks at Aimsey. It was different from the way Lukey looked at him. It was very different. 

Aimsey was right. Lukey is in love with him. 

Fuck. 

“Pangi” Lukey said and Pangi came to reality. 

“Hm?” 

“Your ass was not listening” Lukey rolled his eyes. 

“I zoned out. Sorry” Pangi mumbled. 

“It wasn’t anything important” Aimsey said. 

A ghost came to the office. Aimsey stood up from the chair and Pangi went to stand next to Lukey. His hand on Lukey’s shoulder. 

He doesn’t know why he is always doing that. It just feels right. It feels as if Pangi was meant to be by Lukey's side. 

Yeah Lukey might be in love with him, but that won’t change their relationship. Also if Pangi suddenly changed his behavior after Aimsey appeared that would suggest some things. Things that would make Lukey sad. Pangi hates when Lukey is sad. 

A young man who died around the same time as Pangi. 

“I don’t think there is anything that makes me tied to the earth, but I can’t go. I have no reason to stay here, but I can’t leave” he said. 

“I don’t think we can help. I’m sorry” Lukey responded. Pangi gripped his hand on Lukey's shoulder. Something was telling him the conversation might take a wrong turn soon.

“Aren’t you supposed to help everyone?” The ghost asked. He became more angry. 

“We can’t help you” Pangi said harshly. The ghost left. Just now Pangi noticed the jacket the ghost was wearing. Same weird star symbols, but they were on the arms. 

Aimsey also noticed them and they looked… Scared? Okay what the fuck is wrong with those star symbols? 

Aimsey is hiding from something and they’re scared of those symbols. Lukey sometimes seems to care about them. What the fuck? 

Some time passed and another client showed up. They took the case this time. It wasn’t really hard to do. They just need to check something in the library. 

Pangi and Lukey left office (Aimsey stayed). They’re alone again. They decided to take a walk. They could just use the mirror, but for some reason they both didn’t want to do it. So they took a walk. It would be a great time to talk. Pangi hates communicating with Lukey. It’s hard. He has to do it though. 

“Lukey, how did you find my ghost?” Pangi asked. He himself didn’t really know why he asked that question. 

“A few moments before you die, you can see ghosts. I was just working on a case in the forest and then found you almost dead and you could see. You asked if I can stay with you until you die” Lukey responded. 

“You stayed?” Pangi was a bit confused. Lukey risked getting back into hell for a stranger who asked him if he could stay with him. What an idiot.

“If I didn't stay I wouldn’t be here with you now” Lukey smiled. That stupid smile. 

“You’re stupid” Pangi said. 

“Dude” Lukey said and laughed. Fuck Aimsey was right. 

“Lukey, never risk getting caught by an angel or demon because of me” Pangi said. 

“Would you risk getting caught for me?” Lukey asked. 

They weren’t walking anymore. Just standing still and looking at each other. 

“It’s different” Pangi responded. 

“How is that different?”

“Because I don’t know where I would go. You would be forced back into the null” Pangi said. Lukey smiled again. 

“I think you’re worth the risk” 

“You look so fucking stupid saying that” Pangi laughed and they came back to walking. 

As they were walking Pangi noticed the star symbols on one of the buildings. 

“Do you know what’s going on with those weird starts?” Pangi asked. 

“Yeah, it’s a cult symbol” Lukey said and he said it so casually! What the fuck?

“What” 

“A cult symbol. The cult was formed in the 20s” Lukey said. Pangi noticed that Lukey was getting uncomfortable. 

It’s not like he wanted to assume things about his friend, but a thought was going through his head. He should ask Lukey about his past. Lukey doesn’t like talking about it, but it’s not like Pangi ever made an effort to discover more. Some questions that gave him little to no information. He needs to actually fucking ask and not give up the moment Lukey doesn’t respond or gives him a short answer. He just needs the right moment. 

Unfortunately now is the right moment. What is Pangi even supposed to ask his friend? 

“Were you a member of the cult?” Pangi asked. Why the fuck did he ask that? 

“Why is that important?” Lukey responded. 

“So yes?” Lukey was silent for a moment. 

“Why do you care about the past so much?” Lukey said. 

“Because your past is what made you and I care about you” They were silent again. They still walked towards the library. 

“I wasn’t” Lukey said suddenly. 

“Hm?”

“I wasn’t part of the cult. I was too focused on my research to care about god. The cult formed in the town I lived in and… cults don’t like science let me tell you that. So in the span of two years I was hated by everyone… most of the people in the town. I pissed one of the leaders and I was cursed. I died during my research and after death I was automatically in the null. No heavenly trails or any of that bullshit. Just me in complete darkness and something that seemed like a test tube for the next 70 years” Lukey finished his rant while they arrived at the library. 

“I’m sorry to hear that” Pangi said. 

“It’s in the past. Doesn’t matter anymore” Lukey responded. 

“As our client said he was a librarian. There was one book that he lost during his last shift before death. He needs to know if the book was found” Lukey changed topics. 

“The fact that there's two of us for this task makes no sense” Pangi said. 

Sometimes the cases were hard and needed both of them. A while ago they had run around the whole city to catch one ghost. Most of the time the task didn’t need two ghosts. Lukey could do it all by himself. Yet he still brings Pangi with him everywhere. 

He is so in love with him. How could Pangi not see it earlier? It’s so obvious. 

He just started to get to know the guy’s trauma and now he had to remind himself that the guy is absolutely in love with him. 

Is Lukey even aware of his own feelings? Lukey never seems to know anything about emotions. To be fair he was a ghost for 100 years and a human for only 20. Emotions are very human. 

Another thing Pangi will probably never understand is how ghosts can feel. Nothing in the dead world made sense. He accepted it already. 

He should also accept the fact that his partner will drag him everywhere (excluding the damn forest he died in). 

“I found it” Lukey said. 

“Already?” Pangi responded. 

“Yes, you were just standing there for the last 5 minutes” 

They came back to the office. This time they used a mirror. 

Pangi couldn’t focus on anything for the next few days. He was still processing the whole “Lukey loves him” thing. Lukey became more distant. 

It really took only one conversation. 

It was evening. Lukey was working on a case. He’s been working alone more. 

So Pangi was sitting with Aimsey in the office. 

“What are you hiding from?” He asked. 

“You know the weird star cult?” Aimsey said and Pangi nodded. 

“They don’t really like me so I’m hiding” Aimsey responded. 

“Are there a lot of them?” Pangi asked. 

“They pretty much control the whole city. Don’t worry a friend of mine will get me out of here soon” they said. 

“So you’re leaving?” Pangi was a little hurt. Aimsey was a friend of his. He needed them now, but they wouldn't be safe if they stayed in the city. He will have to face his problems and talk to Lukey. 

“Hey, you’re just a mirror away” Aimsey smiled. 

“I need to know your address to go to you…” Pangi whispered. 

“We will meet again. I promise” 

“Thank you… When are you leaving?” 

“Tomorrow” 

“Oh…” There was this silence between them. Pangi hated silence. There always was a little bit of noise. Lukey flipping pages in his notebook or writing something, animals outside, people talking. Now every sound disappeared. Heck it felt like Aimsey wasn’t even breathing because Pangi couldn't hear that! 

“Pangi” Aimsey said. 

“Hm?” 

“Promise you will talk everything out with Lukey?” 

“Promise” Pangi responded. Aimsey felt guilty for Pangi and Lukey growing apart, but it wasn’t their fault.  

“I think you should rest” Pangi said. As much as he hated being alone, he didn’t want to talk to anyone at the moment. 

Aimsey nodded and left the office. 

Pangi just sat there. He’s fine with Aimsey leaving as long as they’re safe. What he’s not fine with is talking to Lukey. 

He made a promise though. 

Lukey didn’t come back home for another hour. He didn't look at Pangi, just came back to his notes. 

Pangi hated the situation he was in right now. Stuck in a room with Lukey in complete silence. 

Fuck his stupid after life. 

“Are you okay?” Lukey asked. 

“Huh?” 

“I asked if you’re okay” 

“I’m fine” Pangi responded. 

“For sure?” 

“Yes, why are you even asking?” 

“You have that sad look on your face” and how the fuck does he know that?! He hasn't looked at Pangi once since came back!  

“Yeah.. It’s just…”

“Just what?” 

“Aimsey is leaving tomorrow. I get why, but they’re my friend and I’ll miss them” 

“I’m sorry to hear that, but if you need anything I’ll be there for you” Lukey said and finally looked up from his notes. 

“Thanks, Lukey. You’re a great friend” Pangi responded. There was silence between them again. Stupid silence. 

“Lukey, do you miss anyone?” Pangi asked.

“Not really. I didn’t know my parents well enough to miss them now. Also you’re probably the only friend I ever had” 

“You told me about one guy who was your friend while alive” 

“I… I don’t remember him well… I think his name was Newt… I am not sure. I remember a few moments we shared with each other, but it’s a big blur that I cannot make a lot of. I don’t think I can miss someone who I don’t remember” Lukey responded. 

Pangi sometimes has to remind himself that Lukey spent more years in the null that he spent in the human world. 

“That’s fair… I missed my family for the first few years as a ghost. I don’t… I forgot who they are” Pangi mumbled. 

“You want to remember?” Lukey asked. 

“Yes” 

“Some elements come back to you. Maybe you will remember your family one day” Lukey smiled weakly. 

They are letting themselves get too vulnerable and Pangi hates it. He hates being vulnerable. 

They came back to sitting in silence for the rest of the night. 

Aimsey left the next day. Lukey and Pangi started to slowly come back to their old routine. They were working on cases together again. 

Pangi lied on the floor of the lab room one night and then he remembered. Remembered how he died. 

He was out with a few of his friends and there was someone and they got attacked and he got stabbed. He died because of blood loss. 

He felt like crying. He still was very confused. He had more questions than answers and it pissed him off. 

Lukey entered the lab room and lied next to Pangi. 

“I remember how I died…” he mumbled. 

“Want to talk about it?” Lukey asked.

“Lukey, I am even more confused than I was before and I don’t think I will ever be able to get answers to my questions” Pangi replied. Lukey looked at him for a moment, but he didn’t say anything. 

“Have you ever experienced that? Having so many questions and no answers?” Pangi asked. 

“I was a scientist. I spend all my life having questions but no answers. Then I died and…” he stopped himself for a moment. 

“Have I ever told you why I always wear gloves?” Lukey asked.

“No” Pangi answered and Lukey took off his gloves. That revealed scars on Lukey’s hands that formed the cult star symbol. 

“The cult leader made them while he placed that curse on me” Lukey explained. Pangi couldn’t help but kiss the ugly scars. 

“What was that for?” Lukey laughed. That soft beautiful laughter. Wait what? 

“Shut up” Pangi rolled his eyes. 

“Dude, if you wanted a kiss you could've just asked” Lukey smiled. Oh. 

“Idiot” 

“You are the one that just kissed my scars” 

“Can we move on?” Pangi asked, embarrassed and Lukey laughed again. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. 

“Counting my story. I died… actually before I died that motherfucker put a curse on me. I never knew why. Then the part where I die, I’m in the null, in something that reminds me of a test tube. I am there for the next 70 years. Then one day one of these… weirdos come and tell me that my soul is free to go from the null. I am back on earth. I didn’t know why the fuck they let me go or where I was” Lukey said. 

“Did you ever learn why they let you go?” Pangi asked. 

“Something with Newt… the guy I told you about… He made some deal with demons that ruled the null. I feel bad for not remembering him” Lukey’s smile was gone, but his eyes were still locked on Pangi. The other ghost finally looked at his friend.

And in this exact moment while Lukey was finally opening up, while they were lying on a probably dirty floor of a laboratory that was abandoned decades ago Pangi realised he was in love with Lukey. Right at this moment it just clicked. 

Fuck his stupid after life. And why does he still have feelings as a ghost?! 

“Now we need to go back to work” Lukey said and stood up. 

“Right” Pangi followed his friend. 

For another few weeks nothing special happened. They were helping ghosts and running away from heaven. 

The cases weren’t anything special. Most of them were looking for things or helping find a way somewhere. 

So now the only real problem was the fact that Pangi was so incredibly in love with his friend. It’s not like Lukey didn’t like him back - he actually did like him back - it’s the fact that Lukey… he’s just Lukey! 

They came back from a case. While the case wasn’t anything special they had a close call with heaven’s. To be more specific Pangi had one. 

Lukey hugged Pangi.

“Pangi I’m glad you’re safe but don’t you ever ever ever put me through that again” he said and Pangi just smiled. 

“Can’t promise anything” Pangi said

“You know I hate promises” Lukey responded. They looked into each other's eyes and Pangi started to laugh. 

“What?” Lukey asked, confused. 

“Nothing, you just look stupid” Pangi responded. 

“Excuse me?” Lukey said and rolled his eyes. 

Pangi looked at his friend softly and a small thought went through his mind. Now or never. 

He leaned in and kissed Lukey. 

The other ghost didn’t do anything, just stood there completely shocked, but it didn’t take long for him to start giving back the kiss. 

When it finally ended Lukey asked:

“What was that for?” He was smiling like an idiot and god Pangi does love that stupid smile. 

“For begin a great friend” 

“Pangi I don’t think friends kiss each other” Lukey giggled and Pangi looked at him for a moment. 

“Maybe you’re right” 

“I’m always right, Pangi” 

Another long moment of just staring at each other. 

“Lukey, I think I love you” Pangi said and Lukey laughed again. 

“I don't think that's how you confess your feelings” 

“Oh shut up” Pangi rolled his eyes. 

“I love you too” Lukey said and they kissed once more.