The four of them were sitting around the desk eating pizza. Erin leaned over Holtzmann to grab the penultimate slice, Holtzmann was quick to follow beating Patty and Abby too it. She was tutted at but she didn't care as she sunk her teeth into the lukewarm cheese. After Holtz had finished her crust the gang cleared up the pizza boxes. It was getting late, Patty was the first to announce that she was about to head home. Abby quickly followed with the same notion. As they retrieved their things they heard lightning overhead. Erin groaned and pushed herself up against the window. It had gotten extremely dark and rain was bouncing off the pavement outside HQ. The street had turned otherwise quiet, everyone had ran to take shelter.
"I don't think anyone is going home tonight" Abby said locking up the main door.
"Sleepover it is then" said Patty clapping her hands together. This wasn't a new experience for the Ghostbusters, they often found themselves working late and just deciding to stay over. However they had never all stayed over all at once. Most of the time it was just Holtzmann who stayed over, and when she did, she just slept at her desk. Erin had never stayed over, Patty only had once. Abby sometimes stayed just to check that Holtz wouldn't blow the place up. They had mattresses stashed in one of the cupboards and blankets in the other. Holtzmann opened the mattress cupboard and tried to manoeuvre them out. The weight of one sent her toppling backwards. She fell and lay with a mattress successfully pinning her to the floor. Patty laughed.
"You okay baby girl?" Holtzmann replied with a few grunts. Patty squatted down and flipped the mattress over, Holtz scrambled out from beneath and lay beside it catching her breath.
"So you can fight ghosts, but mattresses are just a little too much?" Abby joked. Holtz got to her feet and opted to fetch the blankets whilst Abby and Patty got out the mattresses. Soon the four of them were sitting down on their beds, a bowl of popcorn was placed in the middle.
"I haven't had a sleepover in ages!" Patty said, grabbing a handful of popcorn. Erin bit her lip, Patty looked at her and took her hand.
"No its okay, I did have them but it was before...well before I was Ghost Girl" Holtzmann got up off her bed and jumped over to Erin`s. She put her head in Erin`s lap and sighed.
"If it makes you feel any better I never had one" Erin laughed and wrapped Holtzmann up in a big hug.
"We have a sleepover virgin then!" announced Abby. Holtzmann took out her phone and googled "what to do at a sleepover". Abby snatched the phone off her.
"Don't do that, you will only end up with clichés" Holtzmann wriggled an eyebrow and leaned against Abby.
"You know like pillow fights, or braiding each other's hair" Abby rattled off the events, trying to mask it was something she very well used to do herself.
"Giving each other makeovers, painting each other`s nails, truth or dare" Erin cut in.
"Yeah baby you don't need that" Patty offered, she seemed more occupied with the popcorn.
"I want the cliché experience if you don't mind!" Holtz stood up and grabbed her pillow. She hit Patty, successfully knocking the popcorn out of her hand. Patty wiped the crumbs from her mouth and stood up. She unhooked her earrings, handed them to Erin and grabbed her own pillow. She swung it back and proceeded to hit Holtz to the floor. Erin and Abby were quick to join in.
As the night crept in the activities became less physical. The four of them were now lying on their beds listening to the rain that still fell strong. Erin was sporting eight braids in her hair- she looked slightly like an octopus. Patty's face was covered in lipstick- ironically none of it fell on her lips. Abby's nails were neon shades, some of the polish grazed the edges of her skin. Holtz sported all three.
"So Patty truth or dare?" Abby asked.
"Dare all the way!"
"Okay, I dare yooooou toooo, oh I have a good one!" Abby announced.
"I dare you to shut your eyes and identify one us by the smell of our feet alone" Patty rolled around laughing before closing her eyes. Her eyes creased at the edges as she tried to fight back the laughing, especially as Erin commented on the grossness of the dare. In silence Abby whipped off Holtz`s socks and pushed them under Patty`s nose. Patty took in a deep breath and coughed.
"Holtzy for real" she spluttered. She opened her eyes and fell about laughing again. Holtzmann was known for her tendency to skip showering, it wasn't that she was unhygienic. It was simply that her brain buzzed with physics over a desire to shower. Every so often Abby would lean in and whisper to her that a bath was waiting for her. As Holtzmann was putting her socks back in Abby asked Erin the question. Patty cut in mentioning she needn't have asked, Erin would never go for a dare. Erin sucked in a breath and opted for dare anyway- she stuck out her tongue at Patty.
"Okay so Erin, I dare you too...um...kiss Holtzmann" Abby bit her lip and giggled.
"Why am I at the foot of all these dares?" Holtzmann fake complained. She grinned at Erin and puckered up. Erin crawled over to Holtz`s mattress and planted a kiss firm on her lips. Holtzmann wrapped her arms around Erin`s waist and pulled her in for a proper kiss. Erin pushed her off and went back to her own mattress. Her cheeks were burning. Holtz raised two fingers to the side of her head and saluted.
Holtzmann turned to Abby to answer the question herself.
"Truth" she said boldly, she had to be the odd one out.
"What happened to your dad?" Holtzmann`s lips parted, she was silent.