"Like, Liet, we totally can't put this off anymore. Cuz right now, I feel like that annoying housewife from all the horror movies that, like, makes some drama about murderers and ghosts and
stuff, and keeps on telling her husband, and her husband is all like "oh, honey, it's fine" and the wife keeps on making scenes and everyone thinks she's insane, but she's totally right.
Except for I'm more hot. And less annoying. Anyway, you would so be the husband, Liet. One day, I'm gonna be flouncing around the house in, like, my nighty or something in the middle of
the afternoon and you're gonna be at work, and the ghost is going to, like, sneak up behind me and shove me down the stairs, and I'd be so surprised that I couldn't even kick its ass. And
that would suck, for both of us. Especially you, though, cuz I'd be dead and all that jazz, so, like, I totally wouldn't even notice, but you'd be all sad and shit." Feliks stared expectantly at
Toris, eyebrows raised and eyes clearly reading "like, don't you feel guilty now, Liet?" while loudly chewing his bright pink bubblegum. Honestly, Toris didn't feel all that guilty, and didn't
think that there was a ghost, but he supposed that Feliks would feel better if they got help, and that was enough for him. He sighed.
"Fine. Let's go." Feliks' face lit up.
"OMG, thank you so much, Liet! You're totally so much better than those stupid movie husbands. Ok, so Lizzy told me all about these, like, secret agent criminals or something, I don't really
know, and they're supposed to be able to do anything, right? So here's their address…" Toris zoned out as Feliks continued his monologue. He didn't feel like telling Feliks that they weren't
married, or that a nickname based on his country of origin was illogical. Instead he took the address and hoped that these people would fix their "ghost" problem, or at least make Feliks
stop worrying.
The car journey took about fifteen minutes, filled with Feliks chattering excitedly as he always did when he was really happy about something. Toris didn't really have the heart to be
impatient, but he really hoped that these "specialists" wouldn't be too expensive, or be some kind of really dangerous criminals or something. Elizabeta didn't give Feliks many details, as
she didn't know too much about the team herself – only that they'd helped some relatives of hers with a… rather secretive problem. He seemed to be the only one worried though, judging
by the way Feliks' mood had changed. For at least a month he'd been jumpy and testy, constantly asking Toris to get help about the ghost, but as soon as Toris agreed, Feliks behaved as
if their problems were over. That alone was reason enough for Toris to be knocking on a discreetly placed solid steel door in a sketchy back alley at the current moment, even though every
alarm in his brain rang at top volume. After he'd knocked a few times and waited with no response, he started thinking about how to convince Feliks to go home, but the door suddenly
flew open to reveal a bright, blonde haired, blue eyed man who seemed to positively radiate energy.
"Sorry! I was in the back. Please, come in! Make yourself at home." The man held the door open as Toris and Feliks stepped inside. The front room was dark, with no windows and only a
few, dim lights. A circle of fluffy maroon chairs and couches sat in the middle of the room, surrounding a mahogany table on a rug. Apart from these pieces, though, the room seemed
devoid of furniture, and there was only one door in the back of the room that seemed to lead to the rest of the office. As soon as he spotted the seats, Feliks immediately flung himself into
one, and Toris sighed and sat into an adjoining couch. The man who greeted them smiled and sat on an overstuffed armchair across from the couple.
"I'm sorry, I didn't introduce myself properly. I'm Alfred Jones." He smiled sunnily, holding out his hand. Toris smiled hesitantly in return, taking his hand and shaking it.
"Toris Lorinaitis." Alfred's smile seemed only to grow, and he looked expectantly at Feliks, who'd grown fidgety and hid behind Toris. Toris sighed and resisted the urge to rub his eyes.
"…and this is my friend, Feliks Lukasiewicz." Feliks gave an awkward wave and continued to hide his face, but Alfred seemed unfazed.
"So, what could I help you with?"
"Well, Feliks could explain it better…" Toris prompted, looking over at Feliks. No dice. "We seem to be having some… problems, with a… well, with a ghost." It felt ridiculous to say it out
loud, and Toris momentarily cursed Feliks' fear of strangers. Surprisingly, Alfred only looked thoughtful.
"What makes you think that?" He asked.
"Well, I mean, it mostly happens when I'm at work, but, uh, Feliks has seen it, mostly, you know, things moving around by themselves, strange noises, mysterious accidents – nothing
serious, of course, though – just things falling, and, uh, a few minor malfunctions in our appliances and things…and anyway, we got kind of worried, and heard from a friend that you could
help." Toris tried his best not to exaggerate, but Alfred was frowning.
"Hmm. That sounds pretty serious. You never know when little accidents can become fata-well, more serious. Would you mind if my team came and investigated your house?" Toris gaped.
"W-wha? I mean, no, of course not, but… but you think this is a serious threat?" Alfred stared at him with honest blue eyes.
"Of course. Don't you?" Toris felt Feliks punch him triumphantly. He chose to ignore it.
"Well – yes, yes, of course. Um, feel free to come anytime, Feliks and I are usually home."
"All right! Hang on, I'll see when we can come." Toris expected him to go into the back room to look at a schedule or something, but instead he tossed back his head and yelled "ARTHUR!"
A moment passed, and then an irritated looking blonde man poked his head out of the door in the back.
"What?" He snapped, and Toris couldn't really blame him. He then saw that Alfred was smiling dazzlingly at him.
"We have clients, Arthur. Clients. And I need to know when we can go investigate their house." "Arthur" rolled his eyes.
"I'm not your bloody secretary…" he mumbled, but he went back nonetheless. A moment later he returned, coming over to speak to Toris and Feliks directly.
"I'm sorry for getting off on the wrong foot, there." He glowered at Alfred, who simply smiled sheepishly. "I'm Arthur Kirkland. Anyhow, it seems we'll be able to come see you in two days'
time. Will that be all right?" Toris nodded, and Arthur smiled kindly at them. "Rest assured, our team is the best at resolving these kinds of issues. Don't worry about a thing." Even though
he probably shouldn't have, Toris felt strangely reassured, and he knew that Feliks did too, as he was slowly extracting himself from Toris's shoulder. Alfred spoke again.
"Hey, I'll call the rest of the team. You know, so you can recognize them and stuff."
"That's really not…" Toris started, but Alfred didn't seem to notice.
"YAO! IVAN! FRANCIS!" Toris's mouth remained open, an unspoken protest dying on his tongue. Soon enough, three men filed in, the first of whom was a short Asian man with long black
hair, followed by a slightly taller, handsome blonde man, and the last of whom was an unusually tall, platinum blonde wall of a man who was wearing a strange, childish smile. Toris and
Feliks gulped a bit at the last one.
"These are Wang Yao, Francis Bonnefoy, and Ivan Braginski." explained Alfred.
"Hello, aru. You are the clients that Alfred was screaming about? We will be glad to help you." said Yao with a friendly smile, ignoring Alfred's slight glare at his unflattering portrayal.
Francis nodded.
"There will be no need for fear. We are professionals." Francis' smile was friendly, but… more suave and seductive, and he was eyeing them both in a way that Toris didn't really like.
The last man, Ivan smiled very broadly. "It is very nice to meet you and your pretty wife! Don't worry, da? We will solve your problem!" He actually giggled then, and while Toris was rather
creeped out, Feliks leapt up in protest.
"Like, who are you calling Liet's wife?" The man, Ivan, just looked confused.
"I-I am sorry! I d-didn't mean to offend you! I didn't know you weren't married!" The man's demeanor had changed instantly, from rather creepy to cripplingly shy. He was even hiding the
lower half of his face in his scarf.
"W-well, that's not, uh, not the issue… I'm a boy." Feliks seemed visibly shaken by the sudden change of mood, too.
"O-oh, I – you just look very nice in your skirt, da? A-and, I thought only girls wore skirts…" Ivan seemed very embarrassed now, and didn't seem to want to speak to Feliks anymore. Feliks
looked a bit guilty, as both he and Toris knew that mistaking his gender wasn't exactly a difficult mistake to make.
"Well, uh, like, thanks anyway…?" Feliks seemed unsure. An awkward silence ensued. Alfred glanced between the three men for a moment before he jumped heartily to his feet, if only to
relieve the tension.
"So, if that's all, we'll be happy to come! As we said, don't worry too much about the ghost, it'll be gone in no time, alright?" Toris nodded, smiling politely, and even Feliks nodded too.
"If you'll excuse us, we'll see you in a few days." Toris shook the team member's hands again, and he and Feliks turned to go.
"Bye now! Oh, and make sure not to talk about any of this in your house, ok?" Alfred called over, and the pair responded in kind before stepping out into the street. The sun was painfully
bright, and they paused a moment on the doorstep to let their eyes adjust.
"That was one of the strangest things I've ever done…" Toris said faintly.
"Like totally. That was epically weird. But, like, I guess I kinda do feel a little better…" Toris silently agreed. Perhaps this team wouldn't be the most orthodox method of solving their
problem… but, he supposed that with problems like theirs, there were no orthodox methods.
(A/N: Hello readers! This will be my first story, so thanks for coming along! I didn't get much time, so that's why this opening chapter is so short. If anyone has some constructive criticism, please tell me. Also, would anyone be interested in becoming a beta? Thanks! :D)