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Thunder growled in menace over the darkened streets, prompting a varied crowd of demons, superheroes, and fairytale princesses to look up anxiously. The night had been going well for Shiro, at least in terms of his haul, so he wasn’t as upset as he might have been at the threat of rain. Thanks to his and Matt’s dorm backing up against a wealthy neighborhood, they’d been some of the first ones to make the rounds and had gotten all the best candy.
That had lasted until Matt had somehow succeeded in making himself scarce. The streets around here were lit only intermittently by flickering streetlights decked out in fake spiderwebs and skeletons. It added to the spooky atmosphere but made visibility a slight problem.
Shiro reached up and flipped his eyepatch to the top of his head so he could see better. At least his pirate costume was easy to move in -– no more complicated than a white shirt, red sash, the eyepatch, and a stuffed parrot safety pinned to his shoulder. Not the most original, maybe, but it was simple and easily affordable by a college student whose sole motivation was to put himself in a sugar coma for the rest of the night.
Which made it all the more aggravating that Matt had disappeared, since Shiro was ready to head home now. He had been walking the twilit streets for a while, going against the flow in search of a crappy homemade ghost. Seriously, what was Matt thinking? If he went to the same houses again, someone was sure to recognize him. There weren’t many ghosts out on the streets tonight, and the few that were certainly weren’t wearing ill-fitting sheets that lacked proper eye holes.
Therefore it came as something of a relief and something of an annoyance when Shiro came around the corner of a house and saw a lost-looking sheeted figure standing by the porch. From the look of it, he’d had a good haul, his pillowcase sagging heavily, and it was time to go home.
“I’m beat,” Shiro said, coming close enough to tug on a cloth-covered shoulder. “Plus a storm’s coming.”
The ghost shrugged away from his hand and muttered something rebellious, but another clap of thunder muted his words. Shiro shifted his grip down to close around a wrist.
“C’mon.”
The ghost reached up with his free hand to pull at the sheet, trying in vain to align the holes so he could see out.
“I won’t lead you into traffic or anything. Let’s go.”
A squad of Avengers came around the corner, football players in logoed t-shirts and masks, and muscled their way past. Keeping a firm grip on the ghost’s wrist, Shiro made the most of his broad shoulders and pushed his way through the crowd.
Behind him, the ghost trailed like a lost comet. At some point he’d wriggled his wrist free of Shiro’s grasp and now they were holding hands with no sign of letting go even after the crowd had passed. It wasn’t like Matt to be this clingy but Shiro found that he didn’t really mind; at least this way it was easier to keep track of him.
Lightning arced overhead, throwing vivid shadows across the landscape just long enough to create spots in Shiro’s vision. Thunder followed, making people pause in the streets and glance upward before scurrying for cover.
Slowing down, the ghost tugged at his hand and said something, quiet enough to be drowned out by the ambience of late night college parties. Shiro frowned at the delay and pulled him along. No way he was going to let Matt talk him into something stupid at this hour. All he wanted was to get back to their dorm, safe and sound and dry.
They were just crossing the parking lot to the dorm when the skies opened. Sheets of rain fell, nearly blinding them, plastering Shiro’s dark bangs to his forehead. The ghost stumbled along and let Shiro guide him as his sheet became heavy and clung to his legs, making walking difficult.
Shivering from the sleety rain, they finally made it into the building. The ghost stayed close to Shiro, cold fingers almost frozen in his grasp, as they left a trail of puddles on the way down the hall.
It wasn’t until they were back in their shared bedroom, the door shut against the storm and Shiro grimacing as he peeled off his soaked sneakers and socks, that the ghost’s behavior struck him as a little off.
“Hey,” Shiro said, coming closer to where the ghost, shivering and dripping, had stopped just inside the door. “You maybe wanna get out of that sheet?”
The ghost pulled the cloth off over his head and dropped it in a wet, heavy heap on the floor. “I’m... sorry.” He ran a hand through damp black hair and looked ashamedly up through his bangs at Shiro. “I kept trying to tell you you’d got the wrong guy, but...”
The boy was wearing a thin t-shirt, testament to how warm the evening had started out, but it was now completely soaked and sticking to him, showing off his lean frame. Crossing his arms over his chest, he tried to disguise how much he was trembling.
“It’s my fault,” Shiro said. He took a step back and hoped it wasn’t obvious that he was staring. “I’m sorry. I was in such a hurry to get back. But I can offer you a shower and a change of clothes if you want?”
“Sure. My dorm’s all the way on the other side of campus.”
“Freshman?” That would make sense. Shiro would have noticed such a pretty face immediately if he’d ever shared a class with this boy.
“Yeah. My name’s Keith, by the way.” He held out a hand.
“Shiro. Nice to meet you.”
They shook hands and Keith glanced down selfconsciously at the puddle pooling at his feet. “I think I’m gonna take you up on that shower.” He sneezed, and Shiro was aware of just how chilled the rain was. His own clothes clung like an arctic embrace, and the boy was looking miserable.
“Good idea,” Shiro said. “I’ll have some clean clothes laid out when you’re done.”
-–
While Keith was showering, Shiro grabbed a towel and rubbed at his hair, drying it off as best he could. He changed into a clean shirt and sweatpants, and although he was still a bit cold, he wasn’t in any danger from pneumonia (he hoped). His own shower would have to wait until later.
Shiro’s cell rang and he picked it up, grumpily noting that it was from Matt.
“Got lost?”
“Got invited to a sleepover. Just wanted to let you know I won’t be back till morning.”
“Have fun.” Shiro snorted. “I’m making new friends too.”
“Good for you!” There were other voices in the background and Matt sounded distracted.
“Go have your fun. See you in class tomorrow.”
Shiro hung up just as Keith stepped out of the bathroom, dressed in a NASA shirt that was slipping off one shoulder, and a pair of sweats that was barely clinging to his hips and threatening to ride down at every step.
“Sorry about the clothes. I figured I’d lend you my stuff instead of digging through the dark recesses of my roommate’s closet.”
“Ah, it’s fine,” Keith said, sitting down crosslegged with his back against Matt’s bed. He looked much better now that he wasn’t shivering and color had returned to his cheeks. Glancing out at where rain was still pelting the window, he frowned. “Guess I’m not getting home any time soon.”
Shiro opened his mouth, about to apologize again for dragging Keith into this, but the younger boy smiled. “Can’t say I’m too upset about it though,” Keith commented. He nodded toward the candy-filled pillowcases dumped on the foot of Shiro’s bed. “Want to sort through and trade for the good stuff?”
“Depends on your definition of good,” Shiro said. He grabbed a large bowl and set it on the ground as he took a seat opposite from Keith. “Let’s see what we’ve got.”
Their combined hauls were predominantly chocolate. Keith immediately claimed any and all candy corn, and he sat there munching on that as Shiro organized the candy bars into categories based on his own personal opinions.
“There’s no way Snickers are better than Kit Kats,” Keith argued. He reached out and rearranged the messy piles.
“Says who?”
“I mean, peanuts and chocolate? That’s just gross.”
Shiro knocked his hand out of the way. “My dorm, my rules.”
With an exaggerated groan, Keith back off, sneaking a pack of cherry gumdrops. Shiro finally had the candy sorted out to his liking, and gestured to it like a king showing off his treasury. “Half is yours.”
“That’s awfully generous of you,” Keith replied around a mouthful. “I’m surprised you’re not charging me ten pieces just for use of your shower and clean clothes.”
“Just what kind of person do you think I am?”
Keith chuckled and started to reply, then paused and gave Shiro a calculating glance. “You’re a pirate,” he proclaimed at last. “You’re only after my booty.”
“No!” Shiro’s response was automatic. “No, I --” Then it registered on him that Keith was grinning, teeth candy-corn-orange, and a chuckle rumbled in Shiro’s throat. “That was terrible!”
“Arrr,” Keith replied, flinging a Milky Way at the other man’s face.
Shiro caught it effortlessly but set it aside instead of tearing into the wrapper. “So then if you’re a ghost, that means you’re boo-tiful.”
This time it was Keith’s turn to blush and stammer openmouthed. “Okay, enough,” he mumbled. “Go eat candy to stop that big mouth of yours.”
“A lollipop, maybe?” Shiro raised an eyebrow as Keith facepalmed.
“Why are you doing this to me?”
“Because you’re one of the nicest ghosts I’ve ever met. No, honestly -– I... kinda like you.”
Keith drew his knees up to his chin and wrapped his arms around himself. “What exactly am I to make of that? You thought I was your roommate up until twenty minutes ago.”
Sighing, Shiro gave a small shrug. “I’m not really sure myself. I mean, you’re welcome to leave whenever, I’m just thinking that I’d like to get to know you. It’s still raining and we’ve got plenty of candy in here; there are a bunch of monster movies on my computer if you’re into scary stuff.”
“Movies and a sleepover on the first date? Isn’t that kinda desperate?”
“It’s not every day that a cute boy shows up on my doorstep dressed in a sheet and little else. I can’t help it that I’m...um...”
“Interested?” Keith scooted closer on hands and knees. “Attracted? Because I think I might have something for dollar-store pirate costumes.”
Suddenly Shiro was very much aware that he was no longer the instigator of this situation. Keith’s lost expression and passivity had given the initial impression of naiveté, but it was becoming clear that he knew what he was doing. First, cheesy pickup lines that Shiro would never have dreamed of using. Then, Keith had kept goading him on, teasing him with the possibility of something, and now... Now the ex-ghost was six inches from Shiro’s face, an impish smile on his lips, his gaze warm and clear as he leaned closer.
“So, Captain, do you have room on your crew for one more?”
Shiro licked his lips. He couldn’t help the way he glanced down at Keith’s mouth, or the way his own mouth turned up in a grin. “I am in need of a first mate.”
Keith stared at him for a beat before he cracked completely. Throwing his head back in laughter, he all but collapsed into Shiro’s lap, arms shaking too hard to hold himself up. Shiro put an arm around Keith’s chest for support, but the touch quickly morphed into greedily pulling the smaller boy closer to him.
Keith ended up in Shiro’s lap, hands braced on his shoulders and surprised faces so close they were almost touching. Lowering his head, Keith leaned in until they bumped noses.
“Is this okay?”
Shiro nudged him back. “More than okay.”
Keith pressed even closer, one hand slipping up to cradle the back of Shiro’s head, as he touched their lips together. Shiro couldn’t help the way he was still half-smiling and he nibbled along Keith’s lower lip, tasting sugar and artificial cherry.
The smaller boy pressed into the kiss eagerly, chasing Shiro’s mouth when he tried to draw away.
“Don’t you think this is going a little fast?” Shiro managed to say at last. Keith’s mouth frowned where it was pressed against his cheek and he draw back far enough to make eye contact.
“No?” Keith tilted his head in confusion. “We both like each other, right? I’m not... Oh. I’m not suggesting anything more than what we’re doing now. I didn’t mean to lead you on, but I’m not interested in...” His nose wrinkled and his whole body got tense before he could finish the thought.
“No booty. Gotcha.” Shiro gave him a wink that had them both laughing again, and it felt good to have Keith’s body relax in his arms.
“And here my friends were warning me away from upperclassmen,” Keith mumbled. His breath was warm against Shiro’s collarbone.
“There’s no reason that pirates can’t be gentlemen too.” Shiro shifted so Keith’s weight was propped mainly on one shoulder, freeing his other arm to grab the laptop off of his bed. “Now, any preference of what to watch?”
“Wolfman is pretty good. The original, not the remakes.” Shifting around to see the screen better, Keith wrapped his arms around Shiro’s middle and rested his head on the bigger man’s shoulder. “I used to watch it every Halloween.”
“One wolfman, coming right up.” Shiro slung an arm around Keith’s back, as much for warmth as for friendly touch, and tapped on the keyboard.
They snuggled into each other as the storm continued outside and the room got darker and colder. Shiro dragged the blanket down off his bed and wrapped it around them. Keith yawned and lay down, head in Shiro’s lap, blinking tired eyes at the screen. By the time the movie was half over, both of them were asleep, side by side as monster music played quietly from the flickering black and white screen.
-–
In the morning, Shiro woke to the shrill buzzing of his alarm clock. It was disorienting to wake up on the floor, but he wasn’t sore thanks to a pillow wedged under his head and the blanket pulled up to his chin. He sat up in a bit of a panic, but there was no sign of Keith.
“Too good to be true,” Shiro muttered, leaving the warm cocoon of the blanket and forcing himself to his feet.
His laptop was closed on his desk, with a folded piece of paper propped up on top of it.
Had to get to class early and didn’t want to disturb you. Want to catch dinner? I’ll be in front of the library at 6.
P.S. Thanks for everything! You’re really cute when you’re asleep btw.
Shiro smiled to himself, good mood already returning. That lasted until he turned around and caught sight of the candy bowl from last night, from which significantly more than half was missing. Narrowing his eyes at it, he groaned. No way he was letting all that hard work vanish. Luckily he knew exactly where to be, and when, to get all the sweetness he needed.
And maybe a boyfriend to boot.