Disclaimer: I don't own Beetlejuice the cartoon or the movie.
…
Lydia maneuvered the scissors gently and slowly along the line she drew on the magenta paper. This card was going to be different from the rest since it was for a very dear & special person. It was for a friend; a best friend. She smiled at the carefully traced lines, surely he wouldn't notice the perfect asymmetrical sides, smirking she gave a small snort. He really didn't pay attention to that kind of stuff anyway. Lydia could just hear his reaction.
"Details… ya know I hate 'em!"
Shaking her head, Lydia began to hum the Day-O song under her breath, not paying attention to the swirling fog forming in the mirror behind her. Focusing back on her project Lydia turned the paper in her petite hands. The long scissors were a little old fashioned but they were the sharpest in the house; plus they had a delightful gothic feel. It only made sense to use them; they were originally his. Smiling, she opened the handles ready to turn the paper at the center fold of the heart.
"BABES!"
Startled, Lydia accidentally closed her hand, the scissors followed suit, and the paper-heart evenly cut in two.
"Hey! How ya doin'?" Beetlejuice gave his best friend a frightfully large grin from inside the mirror. His eyes were closed and when he opened them –instead of finding a smiling greeting– his friend had her back turned to him from across the room. She was shaking, he hoped, in laughter.
"Could be... better, BJ." Picking up the half of heart that fell to the ground she substituted sticking her tongue out at it instead of at him.
"Huh?"
Still not facing him she replied. "You scared me and I accidentally ruined my Valentine's Day card." She held up the magenta paper for him to see over her tense shoulder. Lydia reasoned with herself: she wouldn't be mad at him for this. It was an accident, but that didn't mean she wasn't disappointed. She'd spent a lot of time getting the perfect color paper, folded the seam just right, made it able to close perfectly so it looked just like the half of heart in her hand...
Lydia sighed.
"Piff, Valentine's Day." Beetle's face scrunched up in disgust and his lower lip was sucked up under his green rotten teeth. Eyes closed, he then opened his mouth to let his green striped tongue roll out. "YUCK! Worst "holiday" EVER!"
Lydia turned around to face him. She put her hands on her hips as he began to dry heave. Once again shaking her head, this time at his actions, she walked up to her mirror. "Yeah, sure Beej." She rolled her eyes to the ceiling. "Then I guess you don't want the Valentine's Day present I got you?"
Beetlejuice's face perked up at this. 'Present!' He thought. His eyes opened as his tongue rolled out of his mouth, draping itself down over his chin. Excitement coursed through his body at the thought of being given something, and not only was it for free, but it was from Lydia.
His head started spinning of its own provocation. "WhaaAhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"
Lydia put a hand to her mouth to control her giggles. She watched as his hands stopped his spinning cranium (bemused that for a second his eyes kept spinning in their sockets) and slammed both his palms and forehead to the barrier that separated him from the Realworld.
"What is it, Babes?" His tongue panted out, fogging the other side of the mirror. "Come on, come on, come on, TELL MEEEE!"
"Hahahahahahahaha…" Lydia couldn't help but laugh at his antics. "Why don't I just show you? Beetlejuice, Beetlejuice, BEETLEJUICE!"
Effortlessly he twisted out of the mirror, striking a pose he hovering over her vanity's chair, arms and legs stretched out and one foot still inside the portal. He gave her another one of his gruesome smiles, which he was sure she thought to be charming, and puffed out his chest in grandeur. "In the rotting flesh, Babes!" The pun triggered his magic and he slowly decayed into a puddle on the floor leaving only his face to stare up at his friend.
Lydia was now doubled over laughing. As she slowly straitened her position as his magic reversed and he was back in his original form. Leaning forward he "laid" on the air. Hovering on his belly, his feet bent back, and placed his chin on his palms as he watched Lydia fan her flushed face. "You're such a ham, Beej…" He turned into a giant ham at her pun, but this time, quickly turned back.
"Yeah, I know, Babes…" He smiled devilishly at her. "Soooooooo… What dit ja git me?"
Lydia had to roll her eyes. "Well, besides going to the V-Day Carnival with you…" She paused and quickly ran to the desk on the other side of her room. Shuffling around, Lydia opened the lower left drawer and pulled out a box. The box itself was eight by six inches and 3 inches deep. It had two different wrappings, the bottom was green with purple hearts and the top was white with red skulls, and it was topped off with a large black bow. "…TA-DA!" She held it up for him to see.
Beetlejuice swung from his laying position to a standing one. Hovering an inch above her rug the ghost looked questioningly at the obviously painstakingly wrapped package. This wasn't just some thrown together gift. This was an importantly wrapped gift, like something she'd do for his Deathday or their anniversary. "Wow Lyds. Nice wrap job!"
At this his clothes turned into baggy jeans and t-shirt with a picture of a ghetto beetle, a ball cap with the bill turned to the back appeared on his head (it read Sexy Juice in bejeweled letters), along with a large fake-diamond studded dollar symbol on a big golden chain around his neck. Overall he looked like some dead 90's rapper. Frustrated he looked down at himself as Lydia once again broke into a fit of laughter.
"I said WRAP not RAP!" Listening to his command his body quickly changed itself back. To release some stress Beetlejuice blew a raspberry at himself.
"Wow, BJ… *snort* or should I call you B & J!" She laughed at him once more. "But seriously, ha-ha, thank you."
Beetle blushed as she once again held the present up to him. Her eyes were closed in mirth and a thought suddenly struck him that he didn't have anything for her! He didn't usually take part in a holiday that disgusted to a point beyond physical illness. Sure, he'd spent Valentine's with Lydia for the past seven years but it had never been anything to take seriously. After all, Lydia knew of his dislike for the "L" word. She knew he couldn't choke down sappy stuff like romantic movies, flowers, and overly sweet chocolates. He liked bitter dark chocolate, horror and comedy movies, and scarring the pants off lovey-dovey couples! And he would never, never, never say the "L" word to ANYONE in any romantic way!
Beetlejuice's eyes landed back on the box in his best friends hands. "Uh… Hey, um… Gee, Lyds…" She looked up at him. He gulped, hunched his shoulders and bowed his head to look at her feet. In a whisper he said: "I kinda, um, didn't get you anythin'." His face flushed. It wasn't often he got embarrassed but when he did it seemed to always happen around Lydia. That was both a blessing and a curse in itself. Lydia, thankfully, didn't notice and just perked up. She closed her eyes and gave him a big bright white smile.
His heart pumped a beat in his chest.
"Oh, that's ok, Beej! It's not like I don't know you can't stand Valentine's Day, I just wanted to do something special this year… y-you know, because everyone thinks that after you turn eighteen it's not "normal" to be handing out V-Day cards anymore…" Lydia was rambling and she knew it. "Its just my last Valentine's Day before the gloom & doom of adulthood... I-I know you don't like all that kiddy, mushy, heh, "love" stuff…"
Goodness, she just couldn't shut up! Lydia blushed; her mouth ignored her thoughts of protest. So instead of clapping her hands over her traitorous mouth (not that she could since she still held his present) she shut her eyes tighter and hoped for a good outcome. "B-Besides… I, uh, I know y-you show your l-love for m-me by being there when I n-need you! He-he-ha-haa!" At this admission both turned a bright cherry red. Beetle's heart seemed to pound in his chest and sweat began to form on his brow. Why did she always make him feel like he was suddenly alive again?
Feeling a little hot around the collar, then pulling on said collar only to have real steam puff out from his shirt, all Beetlejuice could think about was how a girl ten times his junior made him feel like a teenager. All hormones, sweaty palms, and …naughty ideas. "Y-Y-Yeah… right. *gulp* Whatever ya s-say, Babes." He rolled his eyes to the ceiling trying to avoid looking directly at her.
Clearing her throat she tried a third time. "An-Anyway, HERE!" This time she shoved the present into his upper chest, practically right under his hooked nose.
Holding the present he lowered it to his stomach. Beetle gripped the bow and pulled on the ribbon, it unfolded, and the black silk drifted to the floor. Slowly, he lifted the lid. Beetlejuice's mouth salivated, eyes growing large, and drool visibly leaked down his jaw.
"There you're favorite! Dark chocolate dipped dung beetles, still alive, with used coffee grounds & dirt topping." Pride seeped into her voice and she felt confidence swell in her chest."I d-dipped them myself." When he didn't respond to her she opened her eyes to look at his boots, her one foot toeing the purple and cream rug. Her confidence was slipping…
"Lydia."
Her head shot up to look directly at him. Beetlejuice never used her full name outside of a dangerous or stressful situation. Lydia's eyes widened as he quietly put the lid back on the box of dung beetles that were held in place with pins, and turned to set the box down on her vanity. She watched as he straightened his back, turned, and walked towards her in a determined step. Confused and frightened (in a good way), she watched his jaundice yellow-green eyes burn into her own. She was almost relieved when he closed his. A feeling that'd made itself known for a few years now began to seep into the lower part of her stomach. The room felt hot all of a sudden and Lydia wished her breath wouldn't come and go in tiny short gasps.
"B-Beej?" She didn't dare say his full name... only too glad she could say anything at all.
Standing there in front of her, his head bowed once again, he blushed as a specific thought wiggled its way into his conscious. He had pictured it so clearly, and he'd almost acted on it. He was going to stroll over to her and show her just how much he liked her gift. Then she looked at him.
This stopped him dead in his tracks. Fear… he'd scared her. So he'd backed off and only entertained the thought in his mind. "Thanks, Babes." His eyes cracked open to give her a soft look and a goofy grin. It was enough to break the silence and the tension that had suddenly developed.
"No problem, BJ." Lydia let out a sigh, which turned into a few giggles, which then turned into a full blown laughing fit. She probably did this to ease the tension that had formed in-between her shoulder blades. Then she hugged him, just to show he hadn't really scared her, and inhaled the very unique scent that was her best friend.
Meanwhile, Beetlejuice was having an inner battle with himself and having Lydia cling to him didn't help. Slowly his hands went to wrap around her right as his thoughts cut into him. 'She's growin' up…' Shocking himself with the revelation, he watched as Lydia's eyes leveled with his mouth. She was short compared to his six foot tall standards, but still a lot BIGGER than she'd been as a pre-teen. His hands twitched to run through the black-silk hair that had grown down the girl's back. How he wanted to stroke the silky lengths. 'Not just brush it like I used to do.' He thought. Beetle's eyes looked down at Lydia's upturned face; her eyes were closed as she gently held onto him. All he could think about was kissing her pretty little black & pink lips.
'One… one kiss wouldn't hurt - just a kiss, soft, simple, just one little peck…' Beetle's expression hardened. 'But it might change our friendship; it's not worth it.' His eyes looked to her lashes, willing her eyes to open. 'Ah… but it's Lydia, surely she could understand, take it as a joke or something! I wish, I want…'
Beetle's hands gently grabbed Lydia's upper arms and pulled her away from his torso. He avoided her surprised expression by looking at the carnival poster lying on her desk. "I can't." He said it so softly, so quietly she didn't hear him and dropped his hands to his sides. He cleared his throat and spoke flatly. "Valentines is for saps, Lyds, it just isn't my style." He rolled his eyes around the room trying to look anywhere but her. "Gotta say, Babes, your present is…" He forced a smile, looked at her, and let his head pop off and began to float in-between their bodies. "…a head of mine."
Lydia wasn't amused. In fact she looked downright insulted by his pun. Her eyes narrowed at him and Beetlejuice soon found himself struggling to put his head back on. After all it was never a good idea to lose your head in a situation like this.
"Not funny, B."
'Oh no… she's using single letter nicknames!' He thought. 'I'm in trouble.'
"Valentine's Day is IMPORTANT. It shows the people you LOVE that you CARE!" Her glare cut into him. "Even YOU could appreciate the holiday in SOME way?"
It was a challenge. He didn't back down from a challenge, in fact, it only made his proverbial hackles go up. Feigning interest in the subject he began studying his nails as if bored. He made sure not to make eye contact, however, because that would surely debunk his bluff. "Piff… right Babes. I don't "L" word nothin', not even myself." He looked at Lydia via the mirror, but he couldn't see her face, just her shaking body. "If ya ask me it's a 'stupid "holiday"."
"Please– you think you're such a tough guy!" She pointed at him "I KNOW you love SOMETHING…" 'I know you love me…?' Lydia thought to herself.
At this he did look up at her. Her eyes were shut tight again and her face was red from yelling. She looked… hurt. A small pang of guilt swelled up in him only to be choked down by his pride. His face flushed in anger. Didn't she get it, he didn't love ANYTHING! Like him his emotions were DEAD! Sure they surfaced every once in a while, more often now that he'd been hanging out with a breather, but that didn't mean squat!
"NO, LY-DI-A! I'M A DEAD GUY! There's a difference, I don't have "feelin's" and stuff like that! I don't care about stuff like that! An even if I wanted to – I STILL WOULDN'T LOVE ANYTHIN'!"
His face had transformed into some form of monster, but it wasn't the frightening face that had scared Lydia. It was the admission and the truth in his eyes that had Lydia frozen to the floor, tears spilling out her dark brown eyes, and clutching her heart as if it had broken. When she spoke it was just above a whisper and in such a jerky, hiccupped filled sentence that it literally drained all the color from Beetlejuice's already pale light-purple face.
"Wh-What… abo-*hick*-out me?"
It was like getting hit by a train, a ton of bricks, and three elephants all at once. His stomach collapsed in on itself, his knees went weak as he began to shake, and his heart literally jumped into his throat. He tried to talk, but his heart wasn't supposed to be beating, let alone doing so in his throat. Beetlejuice put his hands up in front of himself; partly to calm Lydia and partly to protect himself should she decide to get violent.
"Wa-Wait, L-Lydia! Lydia! I di-didn't mean it! LYDI-…"
"BEETLEJUICEBEETLEJUICEBETTLEJUICE!"
She'd said it so fast that even with his juice he couldn't have finished his apology let alone have enough time to stop her from sending him back to the Neitherworld. With a clear image of her red, tear streaked face etched into his mind, Beetlejuice found himself once again in the cool afternoon air of the one place he really didn't want to be. He looked at his surroundings and found he was standing on a table in some sickening romantic café. He stood on what appeared to be the young couple's dinner. Still slightly angry he juiced up a horrifying face and scared the two ghouls so bad they ran away in opposite directions still clutching their chairs. Unfortunately, it did nothing to improve his mood, but it did grab attention.
"Stupid." He smacked his face. "Stupid." He smacked his face again. "Stupid." He smacked his face a third time and left his hand there.
"Actually, the name's Cupid. With a C, I might add."
