It had all the hallmarks of the end of the world, or the end of New York city, at least.
Egon stared in numb horror at the gargantuan demonic form that now towered over the group of Ghostbusters. It'd started as a cloud made up of the dispersed ghosts, courtesy of a rival company called Ghostsmashers.
But after being called in by Peck and told to pool their strength, even the combined efforts of the original busters plus the rival company formed by conman Ron Alexander hadn't been enough. The mass of formless ghosts had torn free from the traps, forming into a colossal demon like something from a storybook.
Now they all stood staring up at the thing that was hell-bent on destroying their world.
Then the air seemed to crackle and Egon felt a funny shiver run up his spine. He turned in time to see a six-foot and then some reaper figure hovering in the air above them.
"Mine..." it warbled, then it dove towards the massive demon, swinging the scythe to meets its claws as it swung at it. There was a colossal boom, the world seemed to stop then restart and-
-The thing was gone. Just GONE. A blink-and-you'll-miss-it moment, now the sky was clear again, the sunset fading by the minute.
Egon realised he was shaking, why? Something about that spirit resonated with him…
"What happened?" he croaked, taking staggering steps forward while the others stared silently at the clear skies above, they didn't even try to stop him. He'd made it several steps when a familiar voice met his ears.
"Well, I trapped death in a bag, you see. A wise doctor tried to tell me there would be consequences, and he was right..."
"Eugene?" Egon asked, spinning round and trying to locate the owner of that voice. He felt a hand tap his shoulder and spun round once more, his back to his friends, and face-to-face with Eugene's ghost…
"No, this can't be right." he said hoarsely. Eugene smiled wryly, tapping Egon on the nose.
"I figured you'd have one last "I told you so," left in you." he chuckled.
"I DID tell you so." Egon bleated, eyes wide behind his glasses.
"Atta boy, Eeg. Don't EVER change." Eugene smiled "hey, check this; it turns out death doesn't hold a grudge, that's why he's letting me say goodbye to you."
"Why does he have to take you? This wasn't your fault, that car-" Egon racked his brains for an answer, stricken with an irrational desire to stop his old friend from leaving for a second time. He'd only just found him again, after all these years of hoping for answers. The pavement beneath him began to blur and his head hurt-
"It has to take something, otherwise the equilibrium is gonna be more messed up than the field after a drunken football game." Eugene set a semi-transparent finger under Egon's chin, seeing the older man looking almost heartbroken. "Look at me, Eeg."
Egon reluctantly looked into his friend's eyes, hating to feel so useless at such a crucial moment.
"Can't it take something else?" he whispered emptily.
The others hung back, realising this was a painful meeting for Egon. This guy, whoever he happened to be, was clearly important to Spengler. Ray could tell from Egon's posture that he was barely keeping a lid on his emotions, something Egon usually did flawlessly.
As the moment stretched out between the two of them, a black fog swirled up from around the two to solidify behind Egon. Ray started forward, gripping his gun tightly-
"Wait!" Winston grabbed his elbow, watching the scene.
"Are you crazy?!" Ray stared at Zeddemore "do you see what that thing IS?"
"Yeah, a spirit of death. But I don't think it's here to harm Egon. Call it a hunch, but I feel we need to keep out of this." Winston seen Ray hesitate, then the younger Ghostbuster reluctantly switched the pack off. Winston was pretty on the ball with this stuff and he could see his point, even though he feared for Egon's safety.
Witnessing this bizarre conversation, Peter suddenly began lifting random bits of debris and peering under them with a determined expression. Winston waited approximately three seconds then asked what the heck he was doing? Peter blinked, dropped the piece of rebar and looked at Winston, his eyes wide in a mock-innocent look.
"I'm looking for your marbles, Z. Because going by that nonsense, you've lost them! Also, Ron's brain."
"Screw you, Venkman." Ron snarked and Peter just flipped him off.
While they bickered, Egon turned to face the shadowy reaper that had reformed behind him. His breath caught in his throat as he stared up at it. He was scared, yet fascinated, this thing was a facet of death itself. How many people could say they'd seen something like this up close?
"Can't you take something else? Energy is energy-" he began taking his pack off, but the thing shook it's head. Instead, it pointed towards Egon's right pocket. Egon blinked, stared at it for a few seconds, then delved into his uniform's pockets.
Nothing there.
He shook his head, confused, but the reaper continued to point as Egon tapped his fingers against his thighs, then he realised- his regular clothes! Whatever it sought, it was in his pants pocket.
He flung the proton pack aside, doing a frantic reverse of putting his gear on. This involved a lot of flapping of his arms so he didn't fall over...
"Well, can't say I expected him to do that. Which stage of grief is THAT supposed to be?" Ray asked of Peter, who merely shrugged.
"The 'Vodka does not belong in my breakfast cereal' phase, if I'm not mistaken." he said, snickering in amusement.
"I never have a video camera when I need one." Ron snarked, at which point Venkman flipped a rubber band at him, managing to hit him square on the forehead.
"Only WE get to tease the dork." He reprimanded his rival of sorts.
"OW! Venkman, you childish little mother-"
Venkman just laughed, dodging the man's furious punch. Ray turned to watch them run back and forth like a version of a cartoon sketch, involving two grown men acting like children.
Meanwhile, Egon had finally extricated himself from his uniform and thrown it aside. Underneath, he wore a loose-fitting shirt and neatly ironed slacks. He rummaged in the pocket the reaper had bene indicating and pulled out a Gris-Gris charm he'd been carrying around since New Orleans. He blinked vacantly at it, why was the reaper interested in this thing?
It'd been given to him by a voodoo queen, a woman by the name of Marie LaVeau. On a private request, the Ghostbusters had journeyed to New Orleans to help put the vengeful spirit of her daughter to rest, before she tore the place apart.
As Egon had been about to leave the room, the older LaVeau had given him a powerful charm, a red velvet bag with a heart embroidered on it. Egon had asked what it was for and she'd said it was powerful magic, that he'd need it one day. There was more to life then merely breathing after all, there was LOVE too.
"You want this?" he asked now, holding up the charm.
"Yes." the spirit whispered, its voice making Egon's skin go cold and causing the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end.
"W-why?" he stammered and the spirit grinned, its mouth like a splash of white paint on its inky face.
"It holds power….power equal to what is mine by right. Surrender it to me and I will release your friend's soul. You shall have him back."
Egon faltered, knowing he should really ask for details, for an exact explanation- but dammit, he wanted to be the reckless, selfish one for a change!
The reaper grinned at Egon "Tick tock, human."
Egon made his mind up and tipped the charm into the reaper's waiting claw. It grinned, closing an inky fist around it.
"Then our deal is done." It whispered and brought its hands together. There was a blinding blast of light and Egon felt the pavement before he even seen it rushing towards him. Time caught up to itself and he groaned, picking himself up with a dazed sneeze.
"Eugene?" he panicked as his mind cleared, bumbling about franticly-
"Oww. Did I get drunk or did I get DRUNK?" Eugene asked as he sat up, rubbing his aching head. He seen Egon staring at him in shock and got to his feet. Looking down at himself he realised he was solid once again.
"How...Eeg?" he looked to his friend for answers.
Egon shrugged sheepishly, managing to blurt "I guess he was open to a trade?"
"I'm alive, properly this time! No death-in-a-bag dealie, just a proper second chance…."
Egon stood there, unsure what to say as Eugene stared at his hands like they were an undiscovered theorem.
"This is AWESOME! Eeg, you're a genius!"
Egon squeaked as Eugene charged over, the more powerfully-built athlete grabbing him around the middle in a bear hug and swinging him round in a display of celebration.
"Eugene-! I feel sick." Egon blurted.
"Oops." Eugene set him down and hesitantly let go, grabbing his friends shoulders when Egon looked about to fall over again.
"What just happened?" Ray came running over the others not far behind.
"I had something the reaper spirit was willing to take in exchange for releasing Eugene from his debt. That was all." Egon nudged his glasses up his nose as he regained some of his composure.
"You're talking to a tree there, Einstein." Ron snickered, seeing how out of it Spengler seemed.
Another rubber band clipped his ear and he spun round. Venkman raised an eyebrow, looking smug but also looking like he wanted to throw something far heavier next time. Ron grumbled, falling silent, he was already facing trouble from the Mayor, he didn't need an ass kicking to boot!
"Are these your friends, Eeg?' Eugene nudged Egon so the doctor was facing the rest of them and Egon nodded, introducing the rest of his Ghostbusting friends. When it came to Venkman, Eugene thought he recognised the name.
"Yeah, Egon and I have known each other since forever, this little brainiac built the ghost-catching gear after we all got expelled from the university."
"I have got to hear the full version of this." Eugene said, eyes wide.
"Be glad to," Ray chuckled, finding Egon's long-lost friend to be a likeable enough guy, who didn't seem phased by Egon's oddities.
"But first, who wants to go grab a beer before we're up to our nicely-toned asses in paperwork?" Peter asked, getting a few giggles from Ron's female staff and the ever childlike Raymond.
"Beer sounds like heaven, I haven't been drunk in twenty years! Boy, do I feel old." Eugene sighed good-naturedly, grinning at Egon.
"Great! Egon, put your clothes back on before you get arrested and let's go." Venkman smirked.
"I am wearing clothes, Peter." Egon scowled.
"Yeesss, but given the way you did that hilarious strip-tease thing, it feels weird. So cover up and let's gooo!"
Egon rolled his eyes, retrieving his uniform and wriggling back into it before catching up to the others. He finished buckling the proton pack to his back just as Eugene slowed his pace and dropped back to catch his eye and grin. He looked so happy, Egon couldn't help feel light-headed with relief that the deal had been possible.
"Thanks Eeg, I mean it. How did you know that it would listen?" he asked softly. Egon sighed and fell into deep thought, staring at the pavement again as he thought back to why he'd put his life on the line to speak with the reaper…
"I had to try. You said before, in our last confrontation, that you deserved a life. You were right, I couldn't let that thing erase you without at least trying. It was the least course of action I could take."
Eugene nodded, patting Egon's arm gently "well, I owe you big time, Eeg."
Egon glanced up from the pavement, gifting Eugene with a rarely-seen smile before becoming lost in thought again.
"I wonder why it wanted that charm, I still don't fully understand-"
He was cut off by Venkman suddenly spinning on his heel to face him, so he bumped nose-first into the man's shoulder.
"Beer through here, boys and girls!" Venkman gave an elaborate bow, then jabbed Egon's forehead "c'mon, mr serious, let's get hammered!"
Egon rolled his eyes, but followed dutifully after him.
He had a couple of drinks but didn't say much, just sat watching the others celebrate, even Ron's employees. The man himself had cleared off early, snarling that he'd make them all pay for this. When none of his former employees followed, he'd gotten even angrier and stomped off.
As the night wore on, Venkman thought he sensed someone watching him. When he glanced up for the 5th time, he seen a guy sat at the bar, just glancing away. He kept his face neutral, not reacting as he downed the rest of his drink. Probably just another fan, wouldn't be the first time he'd been stalked by one. Either that, or he was a creepy reporter from some bottom-grade magazine…
-I'm too drunk to care..- he decided, sniggering at his own wisdom.
"Okaayyy, I think Venkman's had enough." Winston rolled his eyes and Ray looked genuinely concerned at how plastered Peter was.
"We'd better get home before he starts dancing on the tables." Stantz giggled and Eugene had to laugh.
"At least he's not taking his clothes off." Winston remarked.
"Har har Winston, but Egon's already gotcha covered there! Or not….covered. At all, ha!" Venkman tried to jab Egon's shoulder, but missed and nearly toppled off the bar stool. Thankfully, Ray caught him and hauled him upright before he could give himself a concussion.
"Hehee." Peter leaned against Ray as he steered him towards the fresh air outside "hay Ray….ya fancy tacos? I wan' tacos..."
"Nooooo." Ray said firmly "You're already gonna have a headache, I don't think you want to be throwing up ALL morning too."
"Don't pamper him, Ray," Winston sighed "you know he always does this."
"Hey, it's just celebrating." Ray shrugged, glancing back at Winston.
"You're a soft touch Ray." Winston sighed, but he dismissed it anyway. Ray was just naturally kind-hearted, he would go to any and all lengths to give someone a hand, so he supposed he couldn't really fault the guy. But guys like Ray were easy targets for manipulative types…
Egon drove them back to the firehouse, dropping the former Ghost Smasher employees off at the train-station where they'd catch a ride home. He directed Eugene to the phone so he could call his father, suggesting Eugene stay with them tonight, for it was late and driving him home at this hour wasn't the best idea. Plus, he needed to run some tests to make sure he was alright, now he'd been reconstituted.
Eugene spoke with his father, telling him the whole story. He nearly cried in relief to be able to tell his father he was coming home, he'd all but given up hope. If it hadn't been for Egon-
Looking across the expansive entrance hall, he seen the tall, slim figure of his best friend stooped over a workbench as he fixed something on his proton pack.
He nodded as his father asked him a question, then called Egon over.
Egon blinked, looking puzzled as to why he was needed, but he came to stand beside the reception desk regardless as Eugene held out the phone to him.
"Dad wants to speak to you," he said, pressing the handset into Spengler's hand. Wondering what he should say, Egon put the receiver to his ear.
"Mr Visitor?" he asked.
"Egon, dear boy. I don't know how you did it, but you got my Eugene back. "
"It was.." Egon floundered for words, aware of how close Eugene was to him now "it was the least I could do."
"You're a good kid, Egon. Do me a favour and look after my boy, you're the only other link to his old life that he has, he could probably use your support."
Egon felt a funny pang in his chest and nodded, before clearing his throat and speaking "of course, I promise."
"Thanks kiddo, I'll see you when you bring that little troublemaker home. One last favour; tell him to stop making faces at the phone."
Egon blinked and his gaze snapped back to Eugene, who was indeed making goofy faces, like a teenager. Before he could stop himself, he uttered a micro-second long snort of laughter.
He thanked Eugene's father and set the phone down.
"Let me guess, he mentioned the faces?' Eugene grinned at Egon, who smiled faintly and nodded. Maybe it was the alcohol, but he felt oddly light-headed, like there were a million thoughts needing to get out of his head. He offered to show Eugene to the room he'd be sleeping in, after the man started yawning mid-question. Eugene sleepily said that'd be great…
"G'night!" Ray said cheerily, seeming fairly unaffected by the booze. He'd already dragged Peter upstairs to bed, knowing the psychologist would be feeling it in the morning…
Upstairs, Egon gave Eugene a brief tour of the place, before unlocking the door to his office and stepping inside. Most of one wall was floor-to-ceiling bookshelves, stuffed to overflowing with books and papers. A bed, neatly made and with more books stacked on it occupied one corner, with an equally cluttered desk opposite it.
Egon moved to the bed and began clearing out the books, apologising for the mess.
Eugene studied him as he worked, Egon almost hadn't changed an iota, save for the shift in hairstyle. The last time Eugene had seen him, he'd had it long and wavy around his shoulders. He could still remember his last glimpse of Spengler; neatly pressed shirt and trousers, a sweater tied around his slender shoulders and glasses perched on his nose, intelligent eyes seeing a different world almost…
Many of those same traits still echoed in Egon's body language now, the way his absent gaze moved from the books, to the desk, to the shelf, as he worked out where to put everything.
Eugene sat on the bed once it was vacated, looking around at the office.
"This all your private work?" he asked, giving a low whistle.
Egon nodded, "I keep some of my experiments here so Peter doesn't try to mess with them."
Eugene nodded, Venkman's reputation was shaping up to very bizarre. He was thinking of another question when he spotted something he recognised. "wait, is that our old yearbook?"
"Hm?" Egon blinked, turning his body to face where Eugene pointed. He took the book down, dusting the cover and feeling a funny ache in his chest as he crossed the floor to the bed, holding the book out to Eugene as he perched beside him on the edge of the bed. He sat ramrod straight, hands resting primly on his lap.
"You still remember back then?" He asked and Eugene nodded, flipping through the pages.
"Yep, it's almost like I was never gone. Heh, hey look, you were voted most likely to blow something up!"
Egon smiled a little at Eugene's enthusiasm, he was one of the few Egon could get along with, in regards to a boisterous personality. Besides Venkman and Stantz anyway. And the former could be a bit too much at times…
"If it is any consolation, I HAVE racked up a list of property damages that would embarrass a demolitions expert." he tried to sound flippant, but the attempt fell flat and he winced, he kept silent unless necessary for a reason.
He felt his heart stutter in something approaching relief when Eugene burst out laughing at this, asking if he could get a run down of the best ones sometime? Egon again showed a flicker of a smile and nodded silently.
"The ones the police do or DON'T know about?" he added with a straight face as he adjusted his glasses, prompting more amused laughter. He'd never made anybody laugh before, not like this. It was a nice change, he decided.
"How did you get into all this ghost stuff, if you don't mind me asking?" Eugene said after a moments silence. Egon blinked, snapping out of his daze and blinking innocently at his long-lost friend.
"The Ghostbusting? Well..."
He drummed his fingers on his thighs as he wondered where to start, then spoke softly as he stared at the yearbook cover. Eugene deserved the truth, so he started with the basic facts.
"It was after you vanished. I could not explain how you just disappeared, so I threw myself into researching a reason. It led me to study parapsychology, the science of ghosts, in the hope of tracking you down. But whilst I made significant advances in spectral research, eventually I was forced to admit defeat when most of my research led to naught and I got kicked out of the university. But the Gozer incident happened and I realised just how deep this whole thing went, so I re-opened my old studies to work on when I wasn't busting ghosts. I seen you at the crosswalk that first day and thought I had finally lost my mind. But the readings said you were real, so I went round to your house to see for myself."
"Where we bickered like a couple of kids." Eugene set a hand on Egon's shoulder, smiling wryly. Egon blinked at him, tired eyes framed by his spectacles.
"It was brash of me to just storm in, it just didn't make sense, given what I'd seen over the years." Egon sighed, tapping his fingers on his legs again, staring at the dirt from the fight and the frayed edge of his shirt sleeve, his gaze hopping from one minor detail to the next.
"I acted like a pretty big jerk too, I knew you had a point but I was just too bitter that you wanted to take away my second chance-"
"I'm sorry!" Egon winced as he got to his feet, busying himself with straightening his books and once again nudging his glasses back into place.
Eugene glanced around, spotted a screwdriver and scooped it up.
"C'mere. I can fix those for you." he said and Egon blinked, guilt warring with the millions of questions racing around his head as he stared blankly at Eugene.
"I'm not mad at you, Eeg. You were doing what was best, you already worked out what was wrong, I just didn't want to listen because I was scared. Everything had changed and I felt like I'd emerged in the wrong universe, where nothing I used to know remained. Then you blasted half the kitchen wall and set the curtains on fire, and I'd never been so happy to see a familiar face."
He reached up and easily snagged Egon's glasses in one smooth motion. He sat down on the bed again, carefully readjusting the glasses with the screwdriver. Egon blinked fuzzily, keeping an eye on the blur that was his felt oddly vulnerable when he couldn't see, the world lost its clarity and with it, his assurance…
"I knew you were right, but it took up until tonight before I realised just how selfish I was being, demanding to keep my life when thousands of others were in danger."
"It's not selfish to want to live, Eugene." Egon said, squinting in the light of the desk lamp.
"Well, thanks to you I got a legitimate second chance at it. Now, hold still..."
Egon fidgeted in place as his glasses were set on his face once more and the world came into focus. He felt the warmth of Eugenes hands as they brushed his face, the other man stepping back to check he'd fixed the glasses right.
"Better?" he asked Egon, who was staring glassily at him. He looked so unusually fragile in that moment. The whole event, the death spirit and the events preceding its invasion, it'd taken a lot out of Eeg.
Egon kicked himself mentally and nodded, stammering a thank you. What was WRONG with him?! He seen Eugene smile kindly now as he looked at him, and it only made him feel even more lost. He was just relieved his old friend was alive, glad they were talking again after their bitter argument last time...
"Egon, the night I disappeared, there was something I wanted to tell you."
Egon titled his head a fraction, brow furrowed and lips slightly parted. His hair had gotten mussed by the shenanigans of the bight, one stray curl brushing his cheek now, disturbed by the slight movement. Unable to help himself, Eugene moved to tuck it behind Egon's ear, the way the doctor himself had used to.
Egon's heart hammered anxiously at his chest as his mind flashed back, recalling the way Eugene had smiled at him as they'd left the crowds behind, strolled along by the new occult bookstore…
"Did you see the girl at the bar?" Eugene asked his friend as they walked. Egon, his arms wrapped around a massive textbook with well-thumbed pages, stared up at Eugene as the light reflected off his glasses, shielding the dark grey eyes behind them.
"Was I supposed to?" he asked, making Eugene chuckle.
"She barely took her eyes off you all night, if I didn't know better, I'd say she was hoping you'd go talk to her."
"About what? I don't even know her." Egon looked flustered, this line of questioning made no sense. "besides, I endured that noisy establishment because I promised YOU. A strangers constant staring bears no relevance, unless you think the police need be involved?" He stared ahead of them down the street, lit by pools of orange light. The night was quiet, all sound muted by their distance from the campus.
"No Eeg, no cops needed." Eugene chuckled, ruffling Egon's wavy dark hair. Spengler had classical good looks, a narrow body frame and angular features. He was by far, the most alluring thing in Eugene's mind. He felt his stomach cramp nervously, this whole night had been an attempt to pull himself together to finally tell Egon the truth…
Egon's stomach rumbled and he actually flushed slightly, looking embarrassed.
"Whoops, someone needs a late-night take out."
"That junk food is extremely unhealthy and wont do my insides any good." Egon said stoutly.
Eugene bit his lip, waited, then asked;
"Tacos or fried chicken?"
"….Chicken." Egon said at last, clutching onto his book as if afraid he'd loose grip on reality and come untethered without it. He cast a small, reserved smile at Eugene from behind the curtain of hair. Eugene chuckled, indicating the traffic lights ahead. They were just starting to turn green..
"Race ya!" he laughed, sprinting ahead. He heard Egon make an annoyed noise, but soon the tap of his loafers rang in time with Eugenes.
He reached the road first and behind him, he heard Egon cry out sharply in warning-
"Eugene.." Egon said huskily, unsure what the secret was, but all too aware of how the world tipped on a knife edge, above a yawning abyss years deep...
What stuck in his mind was the way Eugene had ruffled his hair, how brightly he'd beamed when Egon managed a stilted, awkward smile…
They were only inches apart now and Egon suddenly noticed how GOOD Eugene smelled, how comfortable he felt standing this close. Proximity and contact had never given him reason to falter before, he usually dismissed them like an irritating insect. So why did he freeze now, his composure starting to crack-
"I-I need to fetch some clothes, you can't sleep in those ones. I shall be back in a minute." he blurted, curving his body in an effort to shield himself, arms wrapping around his middle.
He both heard and felt Eugene's disappointment in his faint "Oh, sure." as Egon ducked his head and slipped towards the door.
Egon darted away down the hall, head a mess and silently scolding himself for being stupid. He was just letting his shock and confusion after the days battle, mess with his head. Eugene was his friend, he didn't want to drive him away. He'd been all too aware of how Eugene's "real" friends had viewed him.
"That dork, Spengler."
"The ice prince. Heard the dude's frigid…"
"The guy's a weirdo, Eugene, why do you hang around with him? I don't think he even knows what fun is!"
But despite their differences in subject matter, Egon had found Eugene pleasant to talk to, ever since that first meeting. He was smarter then his other friends on the team, able to read the scribblings in Egon's notebook and work out the formula. When Egon had expressed his surprise, Eugene had said it was a bit of a fluke, he wasn't THAT great at maths. Egon, a confirmed polymath as the whole school knew, offered to teach him.
When Eugene, after a gruelling session in which he'd goofed up repeatedly on the equations, asked why Egon persisted on helping him, Egon had looked at him and stated;
"Because you're smarter then you give yourself credit. Also, I enjoy having someone to converse with."
"You cant be that desperate, a guy like you must have other brainy friends."
"I don't socialise." Egon said stiffly "other people find me bothersome."
Eugene had looked completely baffled, asking him why? Egon hadn't reacted at all, hadn't gotten upset or flustered, merely stated the truth once more;
"Because I'm a genius. I point out fallacies people work hard to hide, I don't drink myself into a stupor and play 'beer pong'. I simply prefer my books, that is all. There's no point in having a conversation when the other party neither understands, nor cares."
"I'm a champion at beer pong." Eugene chuckled "the golden rule is; 'It's not a good night unless someone wakes up with a traffic cone."
"How does a piece of road maintenance equipment set the bar for such entertainment?" Egon had looked so adorably confused that Eugene had grinned, deciding he definitely liked this odd fellow.
"Tell you what;" he said, leaning forward on his elbows "I'll show you how to deal with other people and help you find your own idea of fun, if you can continue trying to persuade my jock brain to do math."
Egon had regarded him with genuine surprise, but something in his distant expression had shifted just a little and he'd nodded silently.
Eugene had grinned, quoting an old movie and saying "this could be the start of a beautiful friendship."
That was the first time Egon had ever smiled at him.
Egon shook his head. Was he letting the years of loss get to him? Because he blamed himself, deep down?
After the loss of his only friend, he'd spent days poring over the facts, wondering if his presence in Eugene's life had been to blame? Why else would a popular guy have gone to the least rowdy bar on the campus when he could've gone to the big clubs?
He'd spent so long thinking that he'd never see Eugene again, turning the world away and focusing solely on his studies, that he'd forgotten what companionship WAS until a goofy, talkative guy named Raymond Stantz had come bounding up to him, eyes bright and a grin on his face, asking if he was THE Egon, the genius maths guy? He needed tutoring….
After that, Egon had met Ray's other friend, Peter Venkman. The guy was a loudmouth, obnoxious and cheeky, but something in his mannerisms made Egon think of Eugene, so he'd allowed these two to become something approximating friends.
When his failed conversations with the women that had waltzed up to him at University and flirted with him had always resulted in him saying something to upset them, he'd come to the conclusion he was either aromantic, or simply asexual. He clearly had no inclination to date, for leisure or science. The tests he ran confirmed something else, however, something far more...sensational.
Alone in his room while the others around him went out partying, he'd studied textbooks on how the human body handled such arousal and had realised yet another problem. His IQ wasn't the only thing that registered off the charts; certain other stimulate did too…
At that point in his life, he'd simply shut that part of his mind down, discarding it like trash. Or so he'd assumed.
"Eeg? You OK?" Eugene asked, sounding genuinely concerned when his friend returned. Egon nodded, any traces of insecurity gone now, he was back to his impeccable self. He gave Eugene the clothes, apologising for keeping him up with his ramblings.
"I'm afraid my brain is a little disjointed after contact with that spectre. I need to study the readouts I gained, I shall leave you to sleep."
"If you're sure, Eeg." Eugene managed to sound upbeat, even as he watched Egon shut himself off, just as he had when Eugene had first met him.
-Eeg, why do you do this to yourself? You don't blame yourself for my disappearance, do you?-
"What happened that night-" he began, but Egon just shook his head sharply.
"There is no need to discuss it, you should get some sleep. Recent events have been hard on you and further discussion will only heighten stress levels."
"You always did know this stuff, Eeg." Eugene said softly, managing a weak smile.
Egon clutched his sides tightly, feeling his ribs constricting under the pressure. He turned and strode towards the door, but then he hesitated as he stood on the threshold.
"I'm happy you're back," he said softly "I'm sorry if I caused any annoyance, I will see you at breakfast."
Eugene sighed as he sat on the bed, after Egon left. He'd come so close to admitting it.
-I LIKE you, Egon Spengler..-
By this time, Ray and Winston were getting into their own beds in the communal sleeping area. Peter was fast asleep, snoring to boot.
"Where's Egon got to?" Winston asked "even HE'S got to be tired. He isn't STILL catching up with his friend, is he? It's 2 am!"
Ray opened his mouth to give his best guess when Peter snickered and rolled over in his sleep, making a noise like "mhhrr.." and Stantz had to clap a hand over his mouth to refrain from laughing out loud.
"Seriously, does he process innuendoes in his sleep?" Winston shook his head in disbelief while Ray chuckled softly behind his hand.
"Egon's probably working, he must have data out the wazoo to process and you know what he's like." Ray said at last, as he burrowed under the covers and yawned softly. Winston grunted by way of an answer and they were soon asleep.
But Egon never returned to bed that night, choosing to seclude himself in the lab where his projects awaited, various bits of machinery and theories covering the whiteboard and tables.
Sure enough, Peter woke up with a headache of epicly bad levels. He whimpered in pain when Winston opened the blinds and let the acidic sunshine pour in.
"Winston, you %$!" Peter ended his sentence with a snarl of pain.
"That's what you get for being a total lush, Pete." Winston snickered, at which point Peter gave him some choice obscenities and he was finally, mercifully, left alone. He pulled the covers over his head and groaned, why wouldn't that woodpecker with the pneumatic drill go sod off?!
"Hay, guess what?" Winston announced as he walked into the kitchen, seeing Eugene and Ray already there "Venkman's hungover. I told him so!"
"Oh." Ray said, wincing. He had a minor headache himself, but he was otherwise fine "he DOES get carried away, doesn't he?"
"Yes, which is why you should just leave him to suffer, Ray." Winston said, purposefully blocking the drawer where they kept the painkillers "he's like a teenager, he won't learn if you keep helping him."
Ray rolled his eyes, polished off his bacon sandwich a minute later and mumbled something about being sorry for wanting to help. He hopped down from his chair, snagging a slice of toast to go and mumbling about a shower as he strolled out.
"Worries a lot, does he?" Eugene asked, curious at how opposite Ray and this Venkman guy seemed, yet they'd clearly been friends for years.
"Yeah," Winston chuckled ruefully, shaking his head "Ray's a great guy, who wont hesitate to give ya a hand, but sometimes that generosity comes back to bite him."
They heard footsteps upstairs and the sound of the water running. Winston relaxed, it seemed like Ray had actually listened for once.
If only he knew.
Upstairs, Ray turned the shower on then snuck down to his own office, retrieving a packet of painkillers and a bottle of water from the fridge where he usually kept cold samples, although for now it was empty and disinfected. Made for a great place to keep sandwiches!
He crept quickly back to the bedroom area, slipping the tablets and bottle under the huddle of covers that was Venkman. A muffled grunt, loosely sounding like a thank you, met his ears and he smiled before sneaking quickly back to his shower.
-Smooth.- he grinned to himself as he ducked under the spray of water, knowing Winston would just chide him for it if he found out, but he didn't care.
Eugene wondered where Egon was and was about to ask Winston when the man wandered in yawning softly. He apparently hadn't changed his clothes, just slung a lab coat over them. There were bags under his eyes and he seemed zoned out.
"Eeg?" Eugene stood in front of him and waved a hand in his face. Egon yelped and back-peddled rapidly, nearly falling over onto his rear, had Eugene not grabbed his hand. He felt his heart tense as he let his friend steady him, before freeing his hand with his usual awkward finesse.
"Sorry," he said "my mind was elsewhere."
"Were you up all night, again?" Winston shook his head "you gotta sleep sometime, my man, it's not healthy."
"I told you, it's a polyphasic sleep schedule. I get what I need, it just means I don't waste time lying in bed for hours on end."
"Lying in bed is NOT a waste of time." A tired voice broke in and Venkman, looking wiped out, flopped into a chair and slumped across the table.
"Winston, coffee?" he whined, earning a snort of amusement from the former marine.
"Get it yourself lazyass." He said and Peter sighed heavily, making an annoyed noise just as Ray walked back in, fully dressed in his uniform.
"Hey Peter." he said chirpily and Venkman groaned in response.
"Headache?" Ray asked.
"Mmmh."
"Try drinking water instead of coffee, it'll get it out of your system faster."
"Bleh." Peter replied, to which Ray just chuckled and headed downstairs.
Egon rolled his eyes, apparently unmoved by Venkman's whining. Eugene watched them, drawn in by the way they got along, despite their mismatched personalities. He felt kind of envious, but also relieved that Eeg had made new friends after he had disappeared.
"Did you sleep well?" Egon asked, to change the subject. Eugene stared blankly at the doctor before him, finally nodding.
"Yup, slept like a log." he smiled and thought he seen Egon's facade soften just a little.
Then a loud clanging rang out, making Venkman call someone, somewhere, a very unsavoury term and suggesting an activity they could do with a broom handle. Eugene snorted with laughter, watching as the others scrambled about, pulling on their uniforms and racing downstairs. Venkman seen Eugene eyeing the fireman's pole and raised an eyebrow as if to say "go ahead, you know you're gonna."
"Whee!"
Egon looked over his shoulder as Eugene evidently found the fireman's pole.
"This things great!" the athlete grinned at Egon, who blinked, feeling the rare urge to laugh.
"Huh, reminds me of you Ray." Peter mused, as he strolled up to the car. Ray grinned happily, he could still recall that first day that he'd set eyes on the firehouse they now called a second home.
Eugene watched them go, only then noticing a red-haired woman sat at the desk.
"You must be Janine!" he said brightly, holding out a hand as he strolled over "Ray mentioned you. I'm Eugene, Eugene Visitor, old school buddy of Eeg's."
Janine eyed him up, so this was the guy Egon had been talking about when shed dropped into his lab, before the others were awake.
-Eeg? How cute, he nicknamed him! I wonder…— she suppressed her overactive imagination, but there was just something about this guy...
"Nice ta meet ya," she drawled "welcome to the madhouse."
"Eh, I survived college, how bad can it be?" Eugene joked, making her smile wryly.
Eugene was back in Egon's office when he heard the Ghostbusters' return. He stared at the yearbook awhile longer, before deciding he needed to come clean with Egon. He'd called his father, who had been delighted to hear he was doing alright and said he looked forward to hearing the whole story that night.
At least this way, if he botched things with Egon, he wouldn't be hanging around his best friends workplace and making things even more awkward.
He walked down the hall, finding the lab he recalled from the previous night's tour. Sure enough, Egon was right back at work. Eugene felt a surge of mild shame as he caught himself admiring the way that uniform creased and clung to Egon's body. He had to sort this out, being reunited with his friend was only making the feelings stronger…
"Eeg?" he asked at last and Egon blinked, looking at him over his shoulder.
"Eugene," he managed a faint smile "is everything alright?"
"Well, yes and no." Eugene came to stand beside him, studying Egon's tired expression.
"What's the matter? Do you feel unwell? I should run a scan-" Egon picked up his PKE meter and was about to flip it on when Eugene's hand closed over his, and he heard the breath catch in his throat as everything he'd fought to suppress tore its claws into his defences.
"I'm not sick, Eeg. But I owe you an explanation for last night-"
"It's nothing to worry about. My assumptions become illogical when dealing with high-level entities. Returning like that was a shock-"
"Eeg, come on. You know what I'm talking about, the night I disappeared I was trying to-"
"You were trying to cheer ME up and because of me, you missed most of your life!" Egon said sharply, pulling away from Eugene and putting the PKE meter down with a faint clatter. For a moment he felt his composure bend under the childish desire to shout and cry as if it'd make it all go away. He straightened his uniform, concentrating on imaginary creases even as he tried to stumble away.
"What happened wasn't YOUR fault, Eeg!" Eugene blocked his escape, grasping his friends shoulders. Egon looked up at him, the stress visible in his eyes and the set of his mouth. Eugene couldn't refrain from brushing the tips of his fingers against Egon's cheek, seeing the doctor tense as a faint flush of colour appeared in his cheeks.
"It wasn't some pity act, I know I made a deal that day in the library, but it wasn't just the math help that I enjoyed. Most of my other friends were obsessed with surface appearances, most of them acted dumb as rocks. But you? You were smart, you gave me the opportunity to actually use my brain. I honestly thought it'd atrophy, before I ran into you. Sure, I was majoring in sports, dad didn't think I quite had the skills to make it as a scientist, so I settled on my other strength, kicking a ball about."
"You weren't bothered by me?" Egon asked. He didn't understand, he'd always assumed Eugene had merely been honouring his end of the deal, but he'd hung out with Egon even AFTER passing his math exam..
"Nope." Eugeen grinned faintly.
"But I chanced to overhear your other companions debating what reason you could have for a "cold, unemotional weirdo.' You did yourself no favours with the rest of the student body-"
"To heck with them! That night we went to the bar, I was willing to risk a lot more-"
"For what? And why?" Egon was in over his head now and he knew it. Years of work to corral his sentimental side was cracking at the edges.
"For YOU." Eugene sighed, letting his hands fall back to his side as he pretended to be reading Egon's lates theory on the whiteboard "I know you seen me hanging about with those cheerleaders, but it was never anything serious."
Egon's eyes widened a fraction and he felt his face reddening as he stared at the back of Eugene's head. His hair had a soft curl to it, long enough to brush his shoulders and Egon was struck by the strangest urge to run his hands through it. Feeling his hands twitch at his sides, he clamped them tighter to his body and cleared his throat, asking "you prefer-?"
"Other guys, yeah. This is where you can freak out and run if you want; I just wanted to finally tell you what I was thinking about at the bar. I was gonna tell you I had a crush on you, even if you hated me afterwards." Eugene turned to face Egon now, shrugging sheepishly.
Egon didn't know what to say, did this mean he hadn't been misreading the signals from last night? Had his own responses been….acceptable, then?
"Why me?" he asked at last, staring blankly and suddenly incapable of his usual repartee.
"Because you were so straight-forward. You never hid behind a front like every other friend I had, even if it was mildly insulting, you were honest with me. Not gonna lie Eeg, you did wind me up once or twice, but it was so refreshing compared to those loud, brainless goons I shared a field with that I started to like hanging out with you more and more. I admired that you were so sure of everything, I was still trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life after college, but you had it all planned out."
'Not really." Egon uttered a dry laugh "I went from physics to parapsychology, then ended up hunting ghosts. None of my plans involved that."
-None of my plans involved assuming my best friend was hitting on me after I helped him get his life back, either. Et tu, universe?—
"I need a bigger chart." he groaned, bracing his forehead with the heel of his palm.
Eugene smiled, tentatively approaching Egon again and resting a hand on his arm. Egon didn't back away, he seemed lost in thought.
"I'm gonna go for broke here, Eeg. Can I kiss you?"
Egon felt his slowly recovering composure drop to minus levels as he moved his hand away from his face. He didn't know what to do, save think that the idea was not unwelcome, per se.
"A-alright." he said, wincing at the stutter in his voice. Gentle fingers titled his chin up, they were so close Egon could barely concentrate. He closed his eyes, wondering if he was losing his mind-
Eugenes lips were warm and soft. He tasted faintly of coffee and sugar, a mix of sharp and sweet that made Egon feel a little light-headed. Eugene's hand brushed his side now as they kissed, resting atop his uniform-
Egon felt like that time he'd tested electric shocks on himself, only this felt more…sensual.
The word was like a firework going off in his head and he panicked, feeling a nudge of regret as he broke the kiss. That other problem he'd discovered in college reared up in the forefront of his mind and he told himself to calm down- Eugene couldn't know-!
"Eeg?" Eugene looked into Egon's eyes, seeing a maelstrom of emotions fighting it out behind their cool grey gaze. Egon swallowed nervously, fluttering his hands at his side again.
"Eugene, you...you should find someone else. My evidence has pointed to my ability to concede to emotional vulnerabilities being non-existent." somehow he kept his voice from cracking as he stepped back, telling himself this was the truth. Eugene was a good guy, he needed to find someone who was like him, someone outgoing and sociable.
"Egon." Eugene said firmly "just listen-"
"I'm sorry. If you want to go home, just speak to Ray, he should have Ecto-1 fixed by this evening."
Eugene felt his heart sink as he seen Egon close off again. He knew Egon struggled with connecting to other people, he'd always been in his own world. But Eugene was sure he'd started to coax him out of it that night at the bar…
"Okay Eeg, I'll leave you to your work. I'm sorry I freaked you out, I just wanted to come clean after all this time. I realise I should've told you before, but I was too busy being mad at you that day." that said, he stuffed his hand sin his pockets and walked out of the lab.
Left behind, Egon didn't move for several minutes, guilt warring with the sensations that brief kiss had stirred up.
Egon kept to himself the rest of that day and Eugene wound up helping Ray fix the car, known as Ecto-1 according to the enthusiastic doctor. He himself was pretty good with motors and the like, he'd fixed his dad's car all the time, back in college.
Peter wandered past them at one point, dressed in casual clothes, a fancy jacket and saying something about going drinking.
Ray noticed that Eugene seemed oddly quiet on the drive back to his fathers place. He chanced asking if everything was OK?
"Yeah, it's fine. Just feels weird, having my life back and seeing Egon again. In some ways he hasn't changed a bit."
"I'm sorry he spent most of his time shut up in his office," Ray added as they bumped along a more rural road "he gets caught up in his research and often forgets the world exists. Peter tried setting him up on blind dates but he didn't get on with the idea."
"I see." Eugene said absently "he does seem very self-sufficient."
"Yeah, but I wonder sometimes if he isn't a little bit lonely? Even geniuses must want a break from thinking, right?" Ray smiled and Eugene nodded. He thought about asking this amicable Ghostbuster about Egon, but decided against it. Egon had seemed uncomfortable enough after that kiss...
Ray decided to stop by his old bookshop after dropping Egon's friend home, he wanted to grab a few things and it was on his way. He parked a few blocks away, ran to the shop, crammed what he needed into a satchel and locked up behind him. He hummed softly as he jogged down the pavement, not wanting to keep Ecto-1 away from HQ for long, just in case.
He stopped abruptly as he fancied he heard a voice he recognised, carried by the wind and drizzling rain. He glanced around, thinking he had to have been mistaken and was all set to move on when he caught a flash of material he recognised.
It was Peter. He was standing in the shadows of a club entrance and at first Ray thought he was alone, but then a figure melted out fo the shadows, stepping close to venkman and taking a swig from his drink. He then pressed Venkman back against the low-lit brick wall and kissed him!
Ray couldn't move, he just...stood there.
-Venkman. Guy. Kissing? Peter. Guys?- his short circuiting mind could only dredge up a few words, stuck on repeat. He didn't know why HE was blushing now- well, not that he was admitting to himself anyway.
The stranger had ceased kissing Venkman for now, but going by Peter's sultry smile and the way his eyes were half-closed in pleasure, he clearly enjoyed it. As Ray watched, the stranger traced Peter's lower lip with his thumb, before kissing him again, even deeper then before. When he let Venkman go, he spoke softly to him but Ray had learnt to read lips.
"Are you sure I can't tempt you with another round, doctor?"
Somehow Ray didn't think he meant round of BEER.
Peter shook his head saying he couldn't…
Ray realised he should probably move and finally felt the surprise wear off enough that he could step forward. But just as he took that first step, Venkman caught the flicker of movement and glanced over languidly. He froze as their eyes locked across the drizzly, chilly night.
Ray seen a flash of something like anger or disdain flash over Peter's face and he straightened up, murmuring something to the man he'd been kissing- taking his eyes off Ray for the moment...
Ray took off running then, finding Ecto-1 and driving blindly home. He scuttled down to his own office, trying so very hard not to panic. Peter was gonna be PISSED, he didn't like anyone getting involved in his personal life. The knowledge he had now sent Ray into a silent shock, even though he knew Peter was a total and shameless flirt. But he'd always flirted with the ladies, at least as far as any of them knew. When had he started looking to other guys for company?
No matter what Ray thought, he knew Peter was going to come looking for him. He'd seen the look on Venkman's face, that cold fury that was usually reserved for the most annoying spirits or Walter Peck.
Deep down, Ray knew fear wasn't the only feeling that he wrestled with, but he was too stunned to give it any further thought. He was in enough trouble as it was…
He barely slept that night, lying awake and feeling his stomach lurch every time he tried to imagine how a talk with Peter would go. Would Venkman believe that Ray would never expose something so close to him?
He didn't hear Peter come back, eventually falling into a deeper sleep…