'Boo'ing my way into your heart

‘Boo’ing my way into your heart

It all started with that stupid call.

Haru didn’t understand how neither why someone who was almost drawing himself in energetics and surviving of frozen food and instant noodles could jump that fast from the sofa as soon as he hung up the call, but Juno did it. Suddenly all their little apartment was clean and there was actual food heating in their oven before the human headed to the shower, leaving Haru in utter confusion.

(Wow, he didn’t even remember their rug was blue).

Completely confused with what was that call about, Haru headed to the bathroom, where the blondie was applying body wash when the other knocked on the glass wall, startling him.

“Oh, you scared me” Juno said, clutching his chest before laughing it off and continued to apply the product.

Sorry.

“Kristian called me, he’s coming for dinner” the smaller said, rinsing his body as Haru snorted with the word ‘dinner’, knowing it has been a while since they had a proper one “We’re having a date, Haru”.

If he were alive, Haru would have choked with his own saliva.

You see, Haru was there before Juno came. He was a ghost, a young boy dead at the flowery age of 21, at that same apartment. The place was listed at a cheap price after the incident, but as expected no one showed interest in a property where someone had died for a long time.

Until Juno.

The law student was looking for a place to live while he was concluding his studies at the capital city, being naive and not superstitious enough to care about the story of the apartment when the realtor told him about it. The seller didn’t warn then that the property came with a ghost as a bonus, though.

Needless to say that their first impression of each other wasn’t the best either. Haru had been by himself for long enough to not want a big change like that all of sudden and he definitely didn’t want to share the apartment with someone else, the loneliest he was, especially with some human guy who could very well try and find a way to expel him from that place or worse, from this dimension. So he made a final decision as soon as the stranger stepped foot in the apartment.

He tried to scare him away.

He didn’t expect that Juno would be so stubborn, though. Haru tried everything, from breaking the mirror till the classical jumpscare, but nothing seemed to work on the small boy with a feisty persona. That didn’t mean Juno wasn’t also bubbling up with anger from the unknown spirit of his residence trying to fuck him up in every way he could.

“Okay, I’ve had enough!” he exclaimed one day, when Haru had the guts to even pull his (at the time) black hair, startling the ghost itself “Look, I don’t know what you are or what you have against me but you have to stop! I’m not moving because of some stupid ghost or whatever the fuck you are just because you’re fucking annoyed I’m here. So deal with me or leave at once before I find a way to exorcise you!”.

Again, if Haru were alive he would have lost his breath. He never expected that the new resident would react this way. Actually he was completely out of words, not knowing how to react, but at that moment he could only think of one thing. So he floated up to the mirror blurred by the steam of the shower and wrote:

I can’t leave here.

Juno read it with wide eyes, not knowing if he was more surprised with the new piece of information about the creature living under the same roof as him or that said creature actually answered him.

“What do you mean? You can’t get out of here?” he asked, more to himself than to the ghost itself. Then the sudden realization struck him “This apartment… a boy died here, right? His name was…”

Haruno Willow.

The name was written in the mirror right where the other sentence was wiped away.

“Then… you’re Haruno? What happened? Why can’t you just leave to ghost heaven or something?”.

I don’t know, he wrote.

Juno sighed.

“Well, guess this change things. Look, I know you’re probably used to being here all by yourself, but I really need this place. Can’t we just try to get along and live peacefully?” he said, waiting for an answer. When none came, he asked again “Is that a yes..?”.

Haru considered the options, the human had made clear he wouldn’t go away anytime soon. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to have some company for once. And he had to admit that the new resident was actually a pretty funny guy. He gave in.

Yes.

Juno’s smile at this was brighter than any star outside.

“I’m Juno”, he said.

The shower was turned off while Haru was lost in thoughts and soon the human was rummaging through his room with only a towel wrapped around himself looking for some clothes. He opted to a black button up and black pants, blow drying his hair quickly before they heard the doorbell.

“Look, this is important to me. I actually like Kristian so could you keep it down?” the blondie asked with pleading eyes, waiting for an answer that never came before he headed to the door with a sigh to let his colleague in.

The fact is that Haru just couldn’t understand. I mean, Juno had him, they’d always got each other, so why did he wanted to add a new factor in this equation now and shake their perfect balance?

“Hey, you’re looking good” a strange voice sounded, probably the visitor’s. The ghost peeked at the front door, feeling a small pang where his heart used to be as he saw the two of them hugging warmly “I brought some wine, hope it’s your taste” the taller one said, giving Juno a bag with the bottle inside.

“Please make yourself at home, I’ll take a look at our dinner” Juno said, disappearing in the kitchen while the stranger beelined for the sofa, haru watching his every move.

The ghost had to admit that the guy was actually handsome, probably taller than what he was in life and with a perfect smile. He was also very talkative and funny, seeing how Juno could easily fall into any topic of conversation with him and how he would crack a laugh constantly. But that just pissed him off more.

He didn’t know what that feeling was, he never felt like this before, even when he was alive. He just couldn’t tear his eyes off the couple, eating and talking so animatedly while he was completely forgotten at the side. Of course Kristian couldn’t see him and Juno just couldn’t start talking to the air out of nowhere without looking crazy, but he couldn’t help the feeling of abandonment taking over him.

He sulked through the entire dinner, trying to focus on other things so his nonexistent heart wouldn’t ache so much, but nothing seemed to work. He wanted to make a scene, turn over one of the glasses or suddenly turning on the tv, just to make himself known, but he wasn’t that big of an asshole and Juno had gently asked him to keep it down, so he had to contain himself.

It wasn’t that hard at first, they were just talking and telling stories from the university they both went to. But as soon as they finished the bottle of wine, things started to get a little… spicier. Kristian was speaking really close to Juno at this point, a hand behind the smaller while the other rested between them. Haru couldn’t hear what they were saying anymore and that pissed him off, especially when Juno let out a low laugh and looked up at the senior, expectantly. He was about to get closer when he saw it, their lips locking and Kristian’s free hand creeping up Juno’s thighs.

Haru was fuming, he wasn’t caring anymore that Juno asked him to be quiet, Juno wasn’t even remembering about his presence at this point. He didn’t know what that burning feeling in his chest was but he knew he was going to explode if he didn’t do something right that moment.

The lights flickered.

The couple parted lips and looked up, confusion written on their faces.

“Must be something with the building’s energy, happens every time” Juno lied, laughing it off awkwardly before looking around as if he could spot Haru with his bare eyes “Where were we?”.

They leaned on again, ready to go back to the kiss, before the pile of books on the shelf flew across the living room, ending up close to their feet.

“What was that?” the taller one asked, clearly scared this time, looking everywhere searching for the source of it.

“Nothing!” Juno exclaimed nervously, putting his hands on Kristian shoulders and guiding him back to the sofa “Must have been the wind, it’s getting pretty chill, right?” he said, trying to calm the other down before muttering a Cut it off! to Haru when the other human wasn’t looking.

No.

The tv flicked on and Kristian jumped in his seat this time. Juno sighed.

“Okay, something is definitely wrong here. Juno, is this some kind of joke? I swear, this isn’t funny” he asked sweating, looking around searching for any cameras.

“I swear I’m not trying to pull a prank on you, Kris!” the smaller claimed, pulling his hair in distress as the older started making his way to the entrance.

“Then what the fuck is this?” Kristian shouted, already irritated. Juno went up to him.

“Look, I know it’s hard to believe, but…” he gulped down, already knowing he wouldn’t believe him “There’s a ghost living in this apartment” he said, waiting for the other’s response who came as quickly as a gunshot.

“Yeah, sure” Kristian shrugged “Cut the lies off, Juno, just tell me the truth” he demanded.

“I’m telling the truth” Juno said in a small voice, embarrassed.

It was time for the grand finale, Haru smiled.

“There’s a ghost living in your apartment?” Kristian repeated, unamused “And I’m supposed to believe… you...” his voice faded out.

Kristian’s face was as white as a paper sheet, eyes locked somewhere behind Juno, trembling. The smaller one turned around, looking for whatever made his date froze in fear and couldn’t believe what he saw.

His favorite bed sheet floating around near the sofa.

Boo.

He was so going to kill Haru again.

“I can’t believe you did that!” the human exclaimed, putting the books Haru scattered around the floor back in the shelf after his date ran away, leaving him alone with the ghost and a promise of never coming back again.

Great, he was probably going to tell the entire university now that Juno was a crazy shit that lived with a spirit.

“What the fuck is your problem, Haru? I clearly asked you to play it cool tonight and you do this?!” he shouted, still in disbelief as he ran his hands again and again through his hair in clearly annoyance.

I did play it very coolly, in my opinion. Haru smirked to himself.

“And all of that for what? To have some fun? To spoil my date? What were you even expecting with it?” he continued rambling, pissed off and confused with the ghost’s antics. Until a sudden realization hit him “Wait, were you jealous?”.

Haru froze in his place, the laugh at the back of his throat for remembering the visitor stumbling on his own feet as he ran through the door dying as quickly as it came. The pang on his nonexistent heart was there again but he would have stomped his foot on the ground like a child if he could.

He wasn’t jealous, he couldn’t be.

“You are” a smile cracked his way into Juno’s lips for Haru for the first time that night “Oh my gosh, I can’t believe it. You really are jealous.”

Haru cheeks felt somewhat warm and he was pouting. Who Juno thinks he is to accuse the ghost of being jealous? What would he even be jealous about anyway? Of some stupid human making Juno laugh like crazy as if he didn’t laugh with the smallest things? Of someone else making he look like a fairy while smiling wildly? Of a, okay, maybe handsome guy being able to touch Juno and worshipping him the way Haru could never?

He wasn’t jealous, of course he wasn’t.

He knocked softly on the balcony door, just to show him his indignation.

“Cut off the act, Nono, you can’t hide from me” the human said, a smile playing on his lips the way Haru liked it “Just for you to know, you can’t scare my dates away forever, you big baby” Juno declared, crossing his arms in triumph before heading to the bedroom to change to his pajamas.

Well, he called him Nono, so he couldn't be that mad. Haru smiled at the thought. He still refused to accept that he was jealous, but the fact that Juno wasn't actually pissed off by him gave him some hope.

Can't scare his dates forever? That's what they would see.

Game on.