A/N: Just a little idea that I have been tossing through my head that I started in the summer. Also, I decided to change up my style a little bit with this fic. I decided to try and write in the second person, because I felt it fit well enough in this story. As I have planned it, this story should be around 6 chapters long and will (hopefully) be updated at a reasonable rate; I already have a few chapters done, so hopefully there isn't too long of a wait.
Summary: Human!AU. After a terrible accident, Matthew Williams is killed and his soul cannot help but remain in the real world. He soon meets another ghost who can relate, and just maybe, he can learn that he is not actually forgotten by society, and with a little help his soul may be able to rest in peace after all.
Disclaimer: The only thing that I own is the plot.
One Moment
The room was quiet. Almost an eerie silence, all that could be heard is the clanging of cutlery against the plates of the two occupants. Whether they were stunned into this silence, had nothing to say, or felt that they didn't need to say anything, well, you could not tell.
You doubt that if you were there in a physical form that it would change things. They seemed to be perfectly fine without you, even if Alfred isn't being his normally loud self, and even if Arthur isn't arguing with Alfred about everything. Were they possibly just tired? He knows that they're human and have other sides, but at the same time it seemed strange. Maybe they were simply concentrated on their food more than the events of the previous day and their loss—if they even acknowledged it as such.
They seemed to ignore you before anyway, so what difference does it make now? Yes, you were quiet and kept to yourself, but that isn't very well an excuse to simply forget about him. Doesn't this just make their job easier? Now, you can watch as they seem more relaxed and will probably laugh at how much of a burden you were.
The two continue their bout of silence, that is, until Alfred slams his hands down on the table, making Arthur jump and look at him in bewilderment. If you look closely enough into his eyes, you can tell that he is trying not to cry.
You cannot bear to watch, because you know that it is a false sense of emotion, because he knows that you're watching. He wants to try playing the "hero" as he always calls himself. He wants to make Arthur believe his act, and by looking at the elders face, you can tell that it's working.
"No…" You whisper quietly, but of course they cannot hear you. How do you expect them to hear a specter, Matthew?
"Why…?" Is all that Alfred could say, and you think for a moment that maybe he does remember you, but you secretly know that it isn't true. He must be referring to the bandages wrapped around Arthur's head, and must be asking why his brother had to suffer while he got off easy. Shouldn't Matthew take all the pain instead, as Alfred got out with a couple of scrapes and bruises? You clench your fists, but find that you cannot feel the pain of your nails digging into your palm, and you're reminded of your disembodied state.
Arthur doesn't respond to the question, for he must not have an answer for whatever the question may be. He gets up from his chair, and you watch him walk slowly towards his bedroom. Alfred sits at the table a while longer with his head in his hands, and you think that you can see a small amount of water pooling on the table. Alfred must feel bad for what happened to Arthur, and must blame himself since technically he was distracting the driver. You decide that you don't need to watch this, since it isn't your problem any longer.
You go outside—conveniently floating outside the walls of your (former) high rise apartment. You watch the people walking outside, and you also notice the other specters wandering around. You wonder, if you can you communicate with them, or if they could communicate with you? Would they know how you feel? Are they remembered by their loved ones?
You go down into the streets, and watch everything pass by—it is serene, you think. You continue down the street, observing the bodies and spirits that pass you by. They all ignore you, and you still feel alone. Their heads hang low, and you can hear the distinct whispers but cannot distinguish between living or dead. Not even ghosts acknowledge your presence, although to be fair, they aren't acknowledging anything for that matter.
Regardless, you still feel inadequate and wonder what will happen next. Fate must be kind to you, though, when you notice someone is walking beside you at the same pace. You blink a few times, because they seem to be talking to you.
"Hey! Are you listening to me? I'm talking to you, asshole!" The other specter shouts. You stop and turn to him with wide eyes, and are genuinely confused towards the very… vulgar sounding ghost.
"Don't look at me like that! I asked you why you were walking at a snail's pace! You obviously aren't as awesome as me…" The ghost kept rambling on, and you take this opportunity to examine the other's attire. He is dressed similar to you, while you're wearing your favorite red and white hoodie, he has a simple red zip up sweater. You also notice that he is wearing jeans, but he does not have glasses or anything. When your eyes trail up to his face, you jump a bit at his deep red eyes and unusually white hair.
"Can you quit staring at me like that? I know I'm pretty damn sexy and all, but there's no need to look at every detail." You're shocked to hear his bluntness towards you, and you open your mouth to speak but he beats you to it. "You don't have to agree with me, I already know that it's true."
"Well… Actually I wasn't going to... Never mind…" You mutter quietly, but inside you're laughing at his boastfulness. Oh, he reminds you so much of Alfred. Your internal laughter dies down and your face turns grim, you wished that you could stop thinking about your family.
"Something wrong?" The albino man asks, seemingly concerned for someone who he only just met.
"No, I'm fine…"
"Well that's good!" His grin returned. "So, how long have you been dead for?"
Being slightly appalled by the upfront question, you're silent for a while before responding, "Only a few hours…"
"Whoa! So you're new to this? No wonder you seem so depressed! What happened to you?" His voice is very loud, and you notice that he isn't afraid to get into your space. He slings and arm around your shoulder while laughing, like an old friend would do after a night of drinking. You look around in shock, seeing none of the other specters even raising their heads in acknowledgement to the loud albino, and you wonder for a moment if you would want to express your thoughts to this complete and total stranger, but figure that it is worth a shot since he actually seems to be interested in what you have to say.
"It was in a car accident… My brother Arthur was driving, but Alfred distracted him and…" You try to continue explaining things, but you feel that there is no need. The rest seems fairly self explanatory to you, and he should understand.
"Sounds rough. Did your brothers die, too?" He asks rather nonchalantly, as if dying is the most natural occurrence—even though technically it is. Even so, you are able to response smoothly.
"No, they're both alive and well. Arthur hit his head pretty hard, but he's fine otherwise…"
"You got the raw end of the deal, huh?"
"Ye-Yeah…" You look down at the ground, examining the cement that seems to have turned a darker shade of grey, but then you look up and notice the rain.
The man noticed your surprise at the rain, and chuckled to himself. "Takes some getting used to, I know." This startles you, not because you can't feel the rain, but because this man seems to have been dead for a long while. You wonder how long it will take for your soul to pass on—if it ever will. You open your mouth to say something, but quickly shut it in quiet understanding.
"Yeah, I know what you're thinking. I must have been dead for a long time blah blah blah. Well, let me tell you, it's only been six months," he says this as if it is nothing, but to you it seems like an eternity to be drifting in spirit alone. You panic, hoping that it doesn't take you that long. Suddenly, however, you realize that the wait could be longer. Some of the drifting spirits seem rather sullen and, well, dead... like they've been there for a lot longer than this man. It also occurs to you that you don't know the man's name, but—
"Anyway, you're still here for a reason. You want to inflict a curse on the world or something?" He joked, and you shake your head.
"No… I don't know why I'm still here." Internally, you blame Alfred. It sounds selfish, you know this, but you cannot help but be in envy of your twin. He gets all the attention, and it was his fault in the first place, and—
"Hey, you're spacing out again. You're not being a dumbass and blaming your brother, are you?" He laughs again, but you only frown, and his laughter fades. "Seriously? Don't be stupid. That must be why you're here…"
"Shut up!" You exclaim loudly, making the other man jump, however, the other looming spirits do not stir. You expect him to get angry, because he seems like someone who you would not want to tell off. Instead, he surprises you with another grin.
"I'm right, I know. You cannot hide your secrets from me!" You try to be angry, but you feel that you cannot. He is right, and you know it. Instead, you chose to change the subject.
"Why are you still here, then?" You ask bitterly, and he does not answer. The grin that was there a mere few seconds ago is wiped away, and replaced instead with pursed lips. He stares off ahead, definitely in thought, but soon the corner of his mouth turns up and answers.
"I honestly don't know. Maybe God is just trying to exact his revenge for all those times that I swore in church!" He chuckles, but you burst out into laughter at this, and you don't even know why.
Suddenly, he stops walking. You think that maybe your laughter has angered him, but instead, he looks at you carefully, and you see those red eyes calculating what he wants to say next.
"Listen, kid. I like you, and you're going to meet me tomorrow at the park over there." He points to the right, and you are surprised that the two of you had gone to the other end of the city. "And you have to be there by noon tomorrow. Got it?"
All you can do is nod your head at the frankness, and he adds, "Don't you dare be late." He turns around sharply, and starts to saunter off before you can say anything. Suddenly, you remember what you were meaning to ask earlier.
"Hey!" You call to him, and he turns around and looks at you curiously. "What is your name?"
Your question seems to catch him off guard, for he looks surprised for a moment, but then he smirks. "You can call me Gilbert Beilschmidt, the one and only!" At this point, you seem to be almost not phased by his narcissism.
"I'm Matthew Williams," you pause, "bye Gilbert, and Thank you!" He waves you off, and continues walking in the other direction. You turn around and head back as well, and you can't help but smile at the thought that, as cheesy as it sounds, you have a new friend.
A/N: Thoughts? Please let me know!