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Pete was not a person who liked to stay up late. He slept early and woke up early, the way he had when he was alive, because it was healthier. Not that it mattered as a ghost, but he still preferred it.
Tonight, though, he found himself awake long after the others had gone to bed.
He felt a little stupid. The thing with Carol and Jerry had happened days ago and the others had long since moved on. But here he was, so conflicted about it that he couldn't sleep.
In his defense, it was kind of hard to forget about finding out that his life was a lie. Or at least part of it was.
And, yeah, Pete had forgiven Carol. But forgiveness was one thing. Forgetting was another.
He turned back to the kitchen window, overlooking the old targets where he had almost died. He felt the same way he had that day, struggling to wrap his head around everything that happened.
"Pete?" he heard someone say behind him. "Why are you awake?"
Startled, Pete whipped around. Trevor was standing behind him, face shadowed in the darkness, looking concerned.
"I was just thinking," Pete said hastily. "What are you doing?"
Trevor cast a quick glance towards the counter and pasted on a smile. "Same."
Right. That wasn't suspicious at all. Not that Pete had the wherewithal to question him right now.
"So what are you thinking about?" Trevor asked.
Pete didn't want to tell him. But he met Trevor's curious gaze and considered, just for a moment, what it would feel like to talk to someone about this. Even if it was Trevor, who still didn't seem to know the first thing about relationships.
"Carol," he admitted. "And Jerry. God, I feel like such an idiot."
"Hey," Trevor said sharply. "You are not an idiot. They just suck, that's all. You didn't deserve that."
"Isn't it kind of stupid that I'm still thinking about it though?"
Trevor shrugged. "I mean, you just found out that your life was basically a lie. It takes some time to get over."
Pete sighed. He was tired of feeling like this, like he was still hung up on something that everyone but him had moved on from. Even though it was a reasonable reaction and Trevor was being oddly emotionally intelligent.
Maybe it showed on his face, because Trevor softened, reaching out to put a hand on Pete's shoulder. "Okay, man, you should go to bed. I've never seen you up this late before."
The full force of Pete's exhaustion slammed into him like a freight train in that second, rattling his bones. He hadn't slept well in a while, not since Carol had come to the mansion.
"I can't," he said quietly. "I'll just stay up thinking."
"Okay. Then sleep in my room tonight."
"What?"
"It's no big deal. I have a pretty big bed. I won't bother you."
That was very generous. Even though Pete, unlike the others, was aware that Trevor could be pretty thoughtful, this was beyond what he had ever seen.
As much as he thought he should argue, he couldn't bring himself to do it. So he let Trevor put a warm hand on his back and lead him up the stairs, down the hall to his room.
Without thinking or even asking about what side of the bed Trevor preferred, Pete lay down. He was too tired to think about being as polite as he usually liked to be.
Trevor climbed in beside him, brushing their shoulders together. The back of Pete's hand pressed up against Trevor's in spite of all the room in the bed. Pete didn't feel like moving.
"Thank you," he whispered into the dark. His eyelids were suddenly growing heavy.
"Anytime." Trevor shifted and clasped Pete's hand in his own.
Something warm bloomed through Pete's chest at the touch, but he stayed silent, not wanting to disturb the suddenly fragile moment. He would have thought about it a little more if he hadn't immediately fallen asleep, exhausted after the last few days.
The next morning, he woke up with his hand still held in Trevor's. His heart swooped as he glanced over at Trevor, features soft and peaceful as he slept, and he realized with a start that he was in trouble.