"Now arriving at Morrisville, will all passengers please ensure they take their luggage with-"
Ray Stantz groaned softly and slid down in his seat as Peter mimicked a train announcer's voice, why had he agreed to this?
"Ray, look!" Loud and seemingly unflappable, Peter had volunteered to come with Ray for the long weekend to his hometown. This was the second time Ray had been back since leaving, the previous excursion having been a somewhat distressing affair for Ray.
His efforts to clear out a hunted house had backfired and resulted in public humiliation so bad he'd hung up his proton pack and pretty much run out on his friends. It soon came to light that Ray's old "rival", Alan Favish, had used a book on black magic to turn the previously docile ghosts into raging spectres.
In the end, Ray and his friends had put the towns legendary Winged Puma monster to rest, and Ray had chosen to forgive the town for treating him so unfairly. When he'd left, Favish had been paying for repairs caused by his jealously-fuelled mess. Ray had also gotten a very adorable hug from Elaine Furman, his old crush.
Now the town council had invited him back again, this time to celebrate the anniversary of the towns founding. He'd been on the fence about attending, keeping the letter well hidden from his friends until Peter happened to look over his shoulder while he was re-reading it for the 16th time.
"You're gonna go, right?" he'd said cheerily, grabbing and waving the letter in the air. Ray had stretched up on his tiptoes and grabbed it back, face red as a tomato.
"I don't wanna, Peter.." he'd said weakly, but Peter had just rolled his eyes.
"C'mon Ray, you cant still be embarrassed over what happened last time? They said they were sorry, you're still their little Hometown Hero, or did you forget?"
"No." Ray fidgeted "something's just.."
He broke off with a heavy sigh "I suppose I should at least go so I can see my old school teachers and miss Furman. See hows she's doing with that house since you guys cleared the ghosts out of it."
"That's the spirit. Hey, why don't I come with you?" Peter grinned wickedly.
"Whyyy…?" Ray had asked, squinting as his friend, but Peter hadn't given a proper answer, leading Ray to believe he was probably avoiding another ex-girlfriend. Peter was a strange beast, a total flirt and a bit forward, it didn't take long before most fell under his sway. On the opposite hand, Ray seen himself as painfully shy sometimes, always babbling when he was nervous or letting his inner child out way too often.
So he'd agreed to Peter coming along for the trip, secretly relieved to have the company...
If Peter didn't cause him to explode from embarrassment first, that is.
"It's safe to say they still love ya, Ray!" Peter poked Rays side, making the man yelp and almost fly out of his seat. He leaned over Peters seat to peer out the car window and see what the brunette man was talking about. What he seen made him slam his head into the window with a groan.
A massive banner declaring the festival wasn't that bad, it was what was also on display right beneath it that made Ray panic. A second sign proudly declaring, if you could believe it, Ray thought, that it was the hometown of one of the "world-famous" Ghostbusters.
Peter bit back a muffled laugh as Ray flopped across the armrests, bumping his forehead against the window. He patted his back, trying to reassure him.
"C'mon Ray, it's not that bad."
"So much for incognito." Ray wailed, voice muffled by the glass.
"Well, I don't think face-planting the glass is helping, you'll get a headache." Peter hauled him up by his collar "let's go, hero!"
Ray made a faint whimpering sound and his face was still a slight shade of red when they exited the car. The red-haired man stuffed his hands into his pockets, pulling the collar of his jacket up as high as he could.
Both he and Peter had chosen to dress in civilian clothing for the trip up, although they'd brought their proton packs and uniforms in their suitcases.
Peter glanced back, seeing Ray looked genuinely worried, hunched up so far his short-cropped red hair brushed his shoulders. He turned back, ruffling said hair and making Ray look dolefully up at him.
"Hey, why the long face? It'll be OK!" he grinned cheerily "We don't have to hang around at the ceremony if you don't want to, we can just clear off and get a drink or something?"
"Y-yeah.." Ray said at last, sighing as he straightened his posture "lets get this over with."
That said, he took a deep breath and strode towards the path that led into town. It was pretty peaceful and deserted until they rounded a corner and came across the haunted house Ray had been talking about. It'd been spruced up considerably and best of all, it sported a SOLD sign outside.
"Well I'll be- she did it!" Ray said, a smile returning for the first time all day.
"Without the spooks, it's not a bad joint." Peter looked up at the mansion house, wishing he could afford such a location "bet it went for a fortune!"
"You're not wrong!" a cheery female voice broke in and both boys turned to see a woman with shoulder length brown hair run up.
"Elaine!" Ray chirped, darting forward for a hug. She laughed happily, hugging him tightly in return.
"It's so good to see you, Ray!"
"You too, Elaine! How's things?" Ray asked as she let him go.
"Oh, much improved since you and your friends got rid of the Puma!"
She tailed off as she seen Ray wince subtly "what's the matter?"
"He's a little fidgety about it, still guilts himself for what happened." Peter patted Ray's shoulder as he smiled at Elaine "heart of gold this fella, but with a guilt complex so big it has its own zip code!"
Ray went red, for Peter had once again hit the nail on the head. As annoyed as he briefly was at his friend, there was no denying the truth in his words. He sighed heavily, why had he agreed to this?
One reason he knew for certain was Elaine Furman, she'd been his childhood friend and had even flirted with him on occasion. Although he treasured her friendship, he'd come to realise it wasn't the same sort of connection the TV shows talked about. He loved her personality, her kindness, but that was it.
"Elaine, honey?" a man's voice butted into Rays pondering and he blinked, looking up as another old face came up. It was a guy from Ray's old high-school class, he'd once been an egotistical sports player but from what Ray had learned after the Puma visit, the guy had mellowed out big-time.
"Hay, if it isn't Ray Stantz!" the guy grinned, clapping Ray on the shoulder and nearly making him topple over "long time no see, hero."
"Buck, h-hey." Ray forced a cheerful smile "it's good to see home again."
Buck didn't seem to see Ray's nervousness, merely grinning at the man before glancing at Venkman.
"Who's your friend?" he asked, thinking the other guy standing silently beside Ray looked familiar.
"Name's Peter Venkman, Ray and I work together."
"Ah, the Ghostbusters, of course. Thanks to you guys, we don't have to worry about the Puma any more!" he laughed happily, again missing the way Ray winced and made a faint squeaking noise.
Elaine noticed his discomfort though and reigned her boyfriend in by asking how the sale had gone?
"It's all signed, we can afford to buy our own house with the money from selling the old spook-house." Buck wrapped an arm around Elaine, smiling fondly at her. Ray was glad to see she was happy, even as he felt a small pang for how things had changed.
Elaine hugged Ray one more time, before she and Buck headed up to the house.
"Well, that was nice." Peter remarked as they carried on walking.
"Huh? O-oh, yes." Ray managed a flustered smile, but Peter thought he seen something hidden in it.
"You OK, buddy?" he asked, leaning closer to Ray and studying his expression intently as they walked.
"What? Oh sure, I'm fine!" Ray looked up, seen the level of scrutiny he was under and promptly blushed again. He wasn't that good at hiding things, especially not from the eagle-eyed wise-ass that was Peter Venkman. For all his surface laziness, the guy was disturbingly astute at times, to the point where Egon often pondered whether Peter was a genius or an idiot? Although that may have just been revenge for all the times Peter teased the genius doctor about his IQ.
"It's the girl isn't it? Don't worry, there's lots of fish in the sea-"
"Elaine? No no, it's not that. She's my friend, Peter and that's all. It's true I like her, but not like that, y'know?"
Peter raised an eyebrow, making Ray fidget and glance away again. Thus he missed the thoughtful look that crossed Peter's face as he straightened up and looked at the street ahead.
"Well, here we go." Ray took another deep breath, then strode towards the centre of town, clutching his suitcase in one sweaty hand. Peter strolled along behind, hands in his pockets, the image of effortless cool in comparison to Ray's somewhat forced cheer.
All it took was one person and soon Ray found himself swarmed by the townsfolk.
"Ray Stantz, well I'll be- it's been awhile, fella!"
"I seen the newspapers, good job on that case-"
"You staying for the whole festival?"
Ray did his best to answer their questions, occasionally stumbling as a flashbulb went off. Goodness, they were really paying him a lot of attention, weren't they?
Seeing him squirm, Peter strolled to catch up with Ray, greeting the townsfolk with a grin. Many recognised him from the pictures in the paper and were eager to fawn over the second ghostbuster. In his usual way, Peter absorbed all this and gave them the full force of his charms, making a few women in the crowd blush.
As the crowd finally dispersed to return to their preparations, a familiar voice that sent anxious tremors up Rays spine, now caught his ear.
"Stantz, you old rogue. Ever the perfect Prince Charming, aren't you?"
Ray turned slowly as his heart sank, seeing a familiar figure behind him. It was Favish, his rival of sorts. Throughout their school days he'd teased Ray mercilessly, saying Ray's daydreaming wouldn't serve him in the real world, that he should stop reading so many books on ghosts. But in a role reversal, Ray's ghost work had earned him a fair bit of fame and prestige, while Favish was stuck is the small town selling shoes. He'd rebuilt his business after the last year's incident, though it'd eaten into his profits for that year which hadn't pleased him any. He'd never admitted it, but he was wildly jealous of Ray, the guy was somehow able to endear people to him just by smiling. The other kids had always liked Ray, the teachers had fussed over the precocious young student, saying he was oh so clever, wasn't he?
"Alan..." Ray said, managing a smile despite his unease. They hadn't exactly parted on good terms last time. While not acting outwardly angry at him, Favish had been as standoffish as he could be without slapping Ray.
Seeing Ray's tension all over his face, Favish startled the Ghostbuster by laughing. "Don't look so worried, Ray! I know I made a mess of things, that's what happens when you let jealousy get control!"
Ray blinked, a little surprised. Definitely not how he'd expected this to go, to be perfectly honest.
"What's the point in being bitter," Favish carried on talking "I've been pushing my business to make it even better and now I have a second store about to open up a couple of towns over."
"That's great news, Alan!" Ray beamed kindly, he was genuinely pleased to see Favish was moving on. Favish grinned at him, a far nicer smile than Ray had ever seen from him.
"Well, it's thanks to you, Ray." he grinned, grabbing Ray's hand and giving it a firm shake.
"M-me?" Ray stammered, wide-eyed at how off-script this whole encounter was going. Part of his reluctance HAD been over having to meet Favish again, but now he felt a surge of relief that the guy seemed so much less angry.
"Yes, after you left I realised that being reckless was going to ruin not just my life, but a lot of other people's too. So I decided to have a fresh start. The towns' getting more traffic these days, we may even have a tourist industry if this keeps up! Haha!"
Ray nodded in agreement, it would be nice to see the little town flourish more, he had to admit. Favish released his hand and stepped back with a grin, saying he had to get back to work, but hopefully he'd see Ray later?
Then he was gone.
"What a crock-" Peter began, but Ray cut him off, gentle natured as ever.
"I should give him a chance Peter, after all, being negative won't exactly reinforce this change of heart."
"You're too nice, Ray." Peter ran a hand through his hair with a sigh, "a little bit oblivious too."
"Oblivious to what?" Ray cocked his head to one side, reminding Peter of a perplexed puppy.
In fitting with that theme, Peter patted him on the head, chuckling and saying it was nothing. Ray really could be adorkably clueless at times, it was one of his best traits.
Ray was a little puzzled, but decided it was just Peter being Peter and let it go.
But he was at least feeling a little better about the visit by the time they reached their hotel room. As Favish had said, there was quite a bit of traffic coming into the town, so the most they'd been able to get was a room with two double beds in it. Peter took a flying leap onto his, cackling in glee as the bouncy mattress bounced him into the air. Every time he bounced up, he tried striking a silly pose, which made Ray bust into fits of giggles.
"Aaand my work here is done." Peter flopped back onto the bed with a grin directed at Ray.
"What work, Peter?" Ray asked, the laughter slowing a little as he took a breath.
"Made you laugh, you're off the hook for whatever you're blaming yourself for." Peter said almost smugly as he stretched out across the bed, reminding Ray of a cat basking in a sun beam.
-Thanks, Peter.- Ray thought as he unpacked his suitcase, grateful for Venkman's brand of goofy humour.
Reluctantly, Ray put on his uniform for the festival, since his status as a Ghostbuster seemed to be what people loved about him now. Peter followed suit, assuring Ray it'd be fine.
"And of course, where would our hometown be on the map, without a very special resident!" The mayor announced, and Ray, who'd been daydreaming through most of the ceremony, jolted back to awareness now.
-Pease don't say it.- he groaned, even as he knew it was inevitable.
"Morrisville's own humble hero, Raymond Stantz! Come on up here, Ray my boy!"
A very flushed Ray groaned and forced a smile as he made his way through the clamouring crowds toward the stage, casting a lone glance back at his companion for the trip. Peter edged as close to the stage as he could, although this was slowed a little by Ray's apparent fan-club, who clustered by the stage as Ray stepped onto it.
"Mr Mayor." Ray smiled guiltily as he seen how happy the old man was "you really didn't have to-"
"Nonsense, Raymond!" the mayor slung an arm around Ray's shoulder, turning him to face the crowd. "You went from a quiet little student to a national hero! Thanks to you and your friends, we don't have to fear the Puma any longer!"
More cheering and Peter suddenly seen eyes on himself too and grinned jovially.
"Not bad for a bookworm, eh Ray?" A voice called from the crowd and Ray flushed as more cheering broke out. Peter glanced around, seeing the owner of the comment was Rays supposed "rival".
"Why's he so chummy?" Peter grumbled, eyes narrowing slightly. As if detecting Peter's suspicion, Favish caught Venkman's eye and grinned innocently. Peter forced a smile in return, maybe he was just being a little too cynical? Wouldn't be the first time. But even so, something about this guy just bothered him was all, call it intuition.
The Mayor at last released Ray, who made a short but sweet speech to the townsfolk, who cheered his kind words and clapped him on the back as he hopped down from the stage to find Peter.
"Can we go find somewhere quiet?" Ray wheezed softly "my head feels about to explode!"
"Sure, looks like the ceremony is over now anyway." Peter said just as the mayor said the same thing and let the crowds loose. Casting a glance about, Peter spotted a confection stand and towed Ray over to it.
A good dose of candy later and some colour had returned to Ray's cheeks, he seemed much more bright eyed. To cheer him up further, Peter told some infamously dirty jokes, making Ray laugh until his sides ached. Townsfolk passing by the picnic table cast amused glances at the Ghostbusters, seeing Ray's friend making him laugh so uproariously.
"Peter Venkman, comedian extraordinaire!" the taller Ghostbuster boasted, bowing a little too enthusiastically and lightly hitting his forehead off the table they were sat at. "Ow!"
"Peter! Are you alright?" Ray's fingers brushed Peter's forehead as he sat back up, checking for a bruise. Peter offered a slightly sheepish grin in reassurance, seeing Ray's wide-eyed look of concern.
"I'm fine Ray, nothing's damaged."
Ray looked immensely glad to hear this and suggested they have a look at the stalls?
"Lead the way, oh Hero." Peter said grandly, earning a glower from Ray that made him giggle shamelessly.
It made Ray feel better to see how the tourists seemed to like his little hometown. Hopefully the money this rise in traffic brought in could help fund a program to rebuild some of the older houses. He and Peter had a go at a sharpshooting stall, both being pretty dab hands with a gun after so long using the proton packs.
A group of kids came racing up to the Ghostbusting duo as they left the stall, asking to see the proton pack. So Ray and Peter sat at a bench and carefully explained the magic of the portable nuclear accelerators. Peter told some stories of silly busts and the odd goof-up and this amused the young kids no end.
Peter seen an attractive young lady walk by carrying a signpost describing another section of the festival he wanted to investigate and suggested it to his friend, but Ray shook his head and said he'd stay here awhile.
"You OK, Ray?" Peter asked, hands on his hips as he studied his friend, who fidgeted in his seat.
"I'm fine Peter, I just want to relax, I didn't expect THIS much attention again. I mean I knew there'd be some, but this is a little-"
"Overload?" Peter suggested and Ray nodded.
"You go ahead Peter, there's a lot of stuff to do around here, I'll meet up with you later."
"Ok buddy, don't let them wear you down, ok?" Peter grinned, winking subtly and making Ray chuckle
"Sure thing." Ray said as Peter melted into the crowd, his outgoing voice audible even after he'd long vanished into the crush of people.
Ray sat there awhile, barely aware of time passing, just watching the festival unfold around him, listening to the music with his hands folded over the proton pack on his lap.
"I still find it hard to believe you helped make that thing- what did you call it, a nuclear whatsit?"
Ray looked up as he seen Alan standing in front of him now, glancing interestedly at the proton pack.
"Alan-" Ray cleared his throat "Yes, it's a portable nuclear accelerator. Technically unlicensed to begin with, but the mayor of New York has long quit asking and I think he's just happy to look the other way if we keep the ghouls out of his office!"
"Thats politicians for ya!" Favish shrugged, making a gesture to ask if he could join Ray, who nodded amicably.
"Where's your friend?"
"Oh, Peter? He went to explore the town, I don't think he got a proper feel for it last time." Ray smiled faintly "what with the Puma and all."
"Too true, that thing was large as life and twice as ugly!" Favish shuddered "surprised you boys don't have nightmares looking at that stuff day in day out."
"Oh, we've gotten used to it. Mostly the focus is on stopping the spirits, we don't have time to be fully scared of them. Not all the time anyway, although there were some, like the Boogeyman, that really freaked us out on sight."
Seeing Ray looking a little withdrawn, his former Rival shifted to sit a little closer "you looked a bit flustered on stage, hope my grandstanding didn't make it worse!'
Ray flushed and bit his lip, that HAD been pretty awkward. He closed his eyes, uttering a small sigh before speaking.
"It's fine, I'm just not that into the spotlight. Unlike Peter, I'm not that smooth a talker."
"Yes, he does have a mouth on him, doesn't he?" Favish mused, raising an eyebrow and snorting.
"Peter's a good guy," Ray defended in earnest as he opened his eyes "just very outgoing."
"You always did see the best in people, didn't you Ray?" Favish chuckled, clapping a hand on Ray's shoulder and getting a faint smile from him.
"I think it's important to, otherwise we'd just be bitter-"
Ray realised that might have sounded a little preachy and clammed up, turning beet red and mentally face-palming. Favish raised an eyebrow when he seen Ray blush furiously, but didn't say anything for a moment.
"It's true though," he mused with a reluctant shrug "it tires you out, being angry or jealous. That's why I decided to stop."
Ray smiled then, his trademark warm grin. A bird flew close by, skimming past their heads and he realised it'd gotten a little dark. Just how much time had passed?
Favish asked if Ray fancied going to the bar for a drink, just for old times?
"Sure." Ray looked around for Peter as they got up from the bench, which subtly annoyed Favish.
-Why does Ray need that boisterous loudmouth along for the ride, anyway?- He'd picked up that Peter was protective of Ray, but then he'd gotten that impression from all of Ray's little Ghostbuster buddies, even the near-unemotional blonde one with the glasses.
Finally Ray ceased his search, figured he'd meet Peter at the hotel later and followed Favish away from the crowds, listening to him talking about his new shop. By the sounds of it, he was working pretty hard after what'd happened with the Winged Puma, actually smiling when Ray mentioned so.
They reached the bar, which was already getting busy. More cheers met Ray ears when he entered and he went pink, it seemed to be a busy day for it.
He and Favish sat at the bar and the shoe-shop owner ordered the first round.
Their talk wandered all over, from shoes to ghosts to old rivalries from their school days. Ray giggled as he recalled his concerted efforts to escape sports lessons.
"I never was one for exercise," he polished off his third beer, setting the glass down with a light thump "hadda go on a diet at one point. But, chasing ghosts is good exercise, ya know?"
"Well, it seems to have helped you." Favish stated, looking at Ray in a way that, maybe it was just the booze, but it made Ray blush for a different reason.
"I've fallen off buildings, rolled down a cliff and gotten stuck up trees to name a few. This job can be a bit….owch." Ray shrugged, brushing his hair out of his eyes with a boyish grin.
"I've gotten sidetracked on so many diets- I mean, Peter's always joking about my habit of eating too much-"
"Hmph, some friend." Favish rolled his eyes. Ray blinked, brought up short by this interruption.
"I mean, look at it this way, what kind of friend teases you about your weight?"
"Well," Ray hiccuped, frowned, then said "you used to. You said I was only in shape if round was a shape-"
"Yes, I was a moron in my school years. All mouth and no brains behind it!" Favish laughed "like I said earlier, that doesn't apply to you now. I do apologise for those years, they were not my crowning achievement."
"Ah, it doesn't matter." Ray smiled, too kind to really hold a grudge "it was kinda true, after all- Peter nicknames me the human furnace for somehow metabolising that much dessert, but he's just -"
"That friend of yours seems to take your for granted an awful lot, he's a bit of a show off. I know you see the best in everybody Ray, but really..."
Ray blinked, his alcohol-muddled brain was getting confused. Peter wasn't mean spirited, he would tease all the guys. He was one of the few to really annoy Egon for instance.
He pointed this out to Favish, who scrunched his nose.
"Egon? Remind me, which one was he?"
"Tall, blonde hair, talks like a total genius?" Ray reminded him.
"Ah right, yes, I remember him now. Very serious chap, if I recall."
"Yeah, Egon's a brainiac, but not too enthusiastic about social stuff."
Ray looked down at the bar top, doodling a pattern with one finger "sometimes, I feel like the odd one out. Im not as serious as Egon, I cant be totally laid back like Peter and Winston's got the whole easy going thing down to a T."
"You're just a genuinely decent guy, don't beat yourself up." Favish motioned the bartender for another round and set a hand on Ray's arm. Ray sniffled, blinking up at him and it surprised Favish to see the poor man looked on the verge of tears. Perhaps he was a little too drunk?
"I wanna be as amazing as they are..." Ray hiccuped.
"Don't beat yourself up, Ray," he said silkily, moving his left hand to rest on Ray's wrist, just brushing over his hand. The right settled on Ray's back, pressing against his uniform "you need them to-"
"Ray!"
Favish cursed and moved his hand away as a familiar voice met his ears. Turning on his stool, he came face to face with Peter Venkman.
"Oh, Peter isn't it? Care to join us for a drink?"
"I don't think so, I can't help notice Ray's looking more than halfway to tipsy. I'd better get him back to the hotel before he does something to himself that he'll regret in the morning. Such as have another drink." Peter nimbly moved the new glass of drink away from Ray, who blinked sleepily and made a noise that could've been an objection.
"Maybe the only thing he'll regret is letting himself be bossed around by YOU." Favish kept his voice low, smirking as Peter flushed angrily and took a step closer.
"What did you just say?" Venkman set his hands on his hips, scowling darkly.
"Just that you're a little overbearing. He's free to have a drink with an old friend isn't he, or are you hell-bent on keeping him to yourself?"
"Wow, you're childish" Peter sniped "it's called giving a damn, you may want to try it sometime?"
"Oh I already have. I'm concerned Ray is overdue telling you and the rest to back off."
"Do you listen to yourself talk, or is it hard to hear when your head's shoved that far up your ass-"
"Peter!" Ray yelped in distress as the men argued. He swung on his stool and tried to grab Peter's sleeve but lost his balance and would've brained himself on the floor, if Peter hadn't moved quickly to catch him.
"Ok, you're plenty drunk enough, Ray." Peter said worriedly as Ray clung to his sleeve and hiccuped dizzily. Peter helped him to his feet, giving Ray enough time to thank Favish in his usual generous way, then he steered the tipsy Ghostbuster out into the cool evening air.
He draped Ray's arm over his shoulders, helping the slightly drunk red-head stagger along. It was rare that Ray got drunk, but Peter knew how badly it could end if he had consumed much more. As it was, Ray looked flushed and oddly upset.
"Whats got into you Ray, you're not normally prone to drinking. Or letting people hit on you like that...you feelin' OK?" Peter asked. Ray gave him a look that would've been funny, had things not been so serious. It was a look of total confusion in its most innocent way.
"Wha...what do you mean? Nobody was...hitting on me.." he faltered as it occurred to him now, out in the fresh air, that there may be a nugget of truth to Peter's words.
"You get what I mean, don't you?" Peter said quietly, seeing Ray turn red and look at the floor "he was practically pawing at you Ray. I cant say I seen that coming, but the guy's clearly got over his grudge against you and started on something else."
Ray dipped his head so his fringe hid his eyes, feeling a surge of post-alchohol-euphoria embarrassment flood his veins. He felt Peter's hand, currently supporting his midsection, pat his side gently.
"It's OK, bud" Peter assured him "we've all done weird stuff whilst drunk. When you're sober, I'll tell you some of my best college moments."
"Like the one where you flew your underwear from the flagpole-"
"-while still wearing them? Heck yes!" Peter laughed, hearing Ray giggle tipsily alongside him.
"Wish I could've seen that." Ray sighed, clinging to his friend so he didn't fall over, the street seemed awfully close now.
"If I can work out how to distract security, the mayor's office is next!" Peter snorted, making Ray laugh again.
"Seriously though," Peter said a moment later as they approached the hotel "you need to be careful. Take better care of yourself for starters. That guy-"
"Why are you so concerned?" Ray said suddenly "and care-? do you think I'm stupid? Just a big, dumb, pudgy idiot you need to babysit?"
"What? Who called you pudgy?" of all the things Peter's brain settled on, it was that for some reason. Ray stumbled free abruptly, shivering as the chill breeze crept into every gap in his uniform.
"You're always poking fun at me every time I try to go on a diet, Peter, you-" He felt a sense of shame as he heard his voice wobble, but he was too drunk to stop himself "you keep moving those figures of the Walt Fleishman characters-"
"OK, slow down. That wasn't me."
"Really? Then why were YOU the one who came back with them?"
"Because I caught Slimer staging little battles with them after watching the history chows. I knew they were valuable to you, so I bribed him with food and stole them back before he returned."
Ray sniffled, that did make sense. He'd been cross at Peter, but work had gotten so busy after that, that he hadn't thought it worth arguing with his friend.
"And I'm not teasing you about the diet thing- at least, I don't mean to be cruel. You want the truth? I don't think you need to diet anymore. I don't know what that guy was telling you, but you're not pudgy. You're...just you." Peter said with an honest shrug.
Ray blinked, trying to stop the childish tears from falling, but the booze rendered self-control a little unfit for duty and he seen his vision blur as he blinked them away. He stared at the blurry pavement under his feet, hearing crickets chirping in the bushes lining the parking lot.
-Ah, geez...- Peter sighed softly –I hate seein' him like this. He's the nicest guy in the world- -
"Why do you care if Favish was..." Ray trailed off, blushing awkwardly. Peter stepped over and began steering Ray towards the door of their ground-floor hotel room.
"Because you deserve better, Ray. That's all there is to it. Maybe he's right and I AM too protective, but I could see that slimy grin on his face as he started making a move on you. He doesn't care about YOU, he just wants in your pants to prove he won!"
Ray blinked, processing this as Peter opened the door and steered him through. He stood there blankly, mind awhirl. Peter cared that much?
Peter stopped mid-way towards the bathroom, turning back to see Ray still standing in the entranceway, with the door hanging open behind him. He walked over with a soft sigh, leaning past Ray to push it shut. This put them very close together and Ray's soft red hair brushed his nose. The tipsy Ghostbuster tilted his head up to look at Peter.
"You're going to catch cold." Peter said quietly but Ray continued to look at him, the look in those innocent eyes almost unbearable. Peter winced, turning his head away.
"Why-" Ray figured he was past the point of total embarrassment and something about the way Peter had said he deserved better was gnawing away at him. "why do you care, really?"
"You're my friend Ray, why wouldn't I care-"
"Enough to screen who flirts with me?" Ray blurted, making Peter wince again. How could Ray be so perceptive whilst being that tipsy?
"Peter-!" Ray's voice rose as he was met with stony silence.
"Damnit, Ray." Peter sighed heavily, so much behind those two words it set Ray's heart pounding.
Deciding he'd already been rumbled and not wanting to hurt Ray any further by hiding from him, Peter did the last thing Ray ever expected. One hand still braced on the door, he hooked the other arm around Ray's waist and leaned into him.
Ray thought he was going to explode when his best friend friend suddenly pulled him close and kissed him. He felt a surge of electricity that near took his breath away as he gripped Peter's shirt tightly, feeling he'd fall over if he didn't. His head felt clearer then he thought possible, the shock clearing away the cobwebs.
When Peter kissed him a second time, Ray uttered an urgent moan and pressed against the warmth of his friend. The solid wood of the hotel room door pressed into his back as the kisses continued.
At last, Peter let him go, but made no move to put any space between them.
"Been waiting to do that." Peter admitted with a sultry grin. Ray blushed profusely, one hand moving to his lips, which tingled from the startling kisses. His chest rose and fell rapidly, heart hammering from the excitement.
"P-peter." he stammered, feeling his face grow hot.
"Never told you this about me, did I?" Peter smiled ruefully "I'm bisexual, I like both, simple as that. You know me as a womanizer, I'm completely shameless and I'll flirt with every girl around in front of you guys. But what you don't see is the flirting with the GUYS. Remember that time in the bowling alley? That guy I saved gave me his number while you guys were dealing with the police. We went on a date, well, we hung around and got hot and heavy at his apartment anyway. But that was it, we kind of drifted apart and I never heard from him again."
"I-I never realised." Ray stammered "Peter, I.."
"Don't sweat it, it's not as if I said anything, so how were you supposed to know? I am a MASTER at hiding what I don't want others to see."
"Unlike me," Ray said, feeling awkward at how much he kept hidden. But Peter just smiled again, sending a nice shiver up Ray's back.
"I seen how you always responded to the ladies that flirted with you, but there was something adorably innocent about it. You were always so honest and you never flirted back."
Ray buried his head on Peter's shoulder with a squeak of embarrassment "I see them as friends, t-that's all."
"Hey," Peter said sternly, making Ray lift his head and meet his eyes once more "you don't need to get embarrassed. Need I remind you of the fact that I just kissed you?"
Seeing Ray flush and smile, Peter grinned.
"Maybe I should do it again?" he purred, pulling Ray close and claiming his lips. Ray made the cutest little sound, something between a gasp and an urgent moan that sent a delicious jolt up his spine and meant Peter couldn't stop at just the one kiss. He snared Ray in his embrace, running his tongue along his friend's lips and wanting more of him, he tasted so sweet and warm...
Ray felt his knees go weak and tightly gripped Peter's shoulders as he parted his lips and let Peter kiss him, shyly pressing back in return as his nerves calmed down a little.
Seeing how flushed and light-headed Ray looked when he let him go, Peter reluctantly decided to cease kissing him for now. He guided Ray to his bed, sitting him down and urging him to get some sleep.
But when he moved to go to his own bed, Ray grabbed his sleeve. Peter halted, looking back at him. Ray was looking so heart-wrenchingly hopeful, face flushed and eyes bright.
"I'm not sure I can sleep." Ray said, even as he yawned lightly. Peter chuckled, sitting down beside him and pulling Ray into his arms, nuzzling playfully at his hair. The way Ray pressed into his hold, good grief it was tantalising, but the adorkable Ghostbuster was a little too tipsy and Peter didn't want to rush him.
"You're a crap liar, Raymond." he teased, using his full name and Ray squeaked again, laughing softly as Peter's breath tickled the back of his neck.
His pulse kicked up a notch when Peter shifted how they were sitting so they were lying down, with Ray cosied up to his chest. The warmth and security soon lulled Ray to sleep, he had drunk quite a bit of beer after all, it always made him drowsy…
Peter yawned sleepily, staring up at the hotel light as Ray slept. Talk about an odd day. He hadn't expected to be revealing his biggest secret to Ray, let alone kissing the sweet-natured man, but temptation had gotten the better of him. Ray was the sweetest guy around, always so willing to offer his help to everyone he met, that seeing him upset and being hit on by that creep Favish had been more than Peter could stand. He hadn't been kidding, he really did believe that Ray deserved better. He hadn't thought it could be him, but despite being a little drunk, Ray had somehow seen right through him, asking why he cared?
Seeing Ray close to tears because he genuinely didn't know what to do….it'd hit him at his core. That was when he realised he was doomed, that he was willing to risk friendship for more.
But the universe had apparently decided to cut him a break and Ray had responded to his kiss, quite adorably in fact.
Eventually he dozed off, the rhythm of Ray's breathing lulling him to sleep.
Ray woke first the next morning. He felt a warmth close by and opened his eyes, wondering who-?
He felt his memory come flooding back. He'd gotten moderately hammered and his old rival had been trying to charm him into bed, hadn't the? Ray felt a nervous cramp start in his stomach and bit his lip, closing his eyes until it faded. What had happened next?
Ah yes, Peter had swooped in and rescued him from Favish's lecherous advances. He'd then told Ray he was worried because he cared and they'd wound up kissing.
Ray felt his face heat up, scrunching his eyes closed. Oh goodness, they'd really made out, and he had definitely liked it. But had HE hit on Peter in his drunken state? What if-
"You're making the cutest goddamn face right now." Peter's voice burst into Ray's panic and the red-head yelped, sitting bolt upright on the bed. He buried his head on his knees, clenching fistfuls of his uniform in sweaty hands as he wrapped his arms around himself.
"Peter, I'm so sorry! If I did anything bad, I didn't mean to."
"Ray.?" Peter cocked his head to the side, studying how tense Ray was. He needed to make him laugh, either that or startle him with seduction. He got up off the bed, a plan forming in his mind. He walked to the kettle, flicking it on and listening to it hum a moment before moving to stand at the foot of the bed. Ray still wasn't uncurling from his hunched state, although from what Peter could see of his friend's face, he was red as a tomato and getting steadily redder.
Ray didn't dare move since Peter got up from the bed, he was hard at work convincing himself if he just stayed like this, maybe the world wouldn't explode?
"RAY. Look at me." Peter's voice was so stern that Ray found himself unable to refuse and he took a deep breath, steeling himself for a telling off.
Soon as he uncurled and stretched his legs out, Peter pounced. He pinned Ray lightly to the bed, their faces inches apart as he tangled his fingers in Ray's and pinned his hands either side of his head.
"Peter?!" Ray blushed anew, searching his friend's expression for any sign that this was a joke.
"I again remind you of a very vital fact, Raymond," Peter scolded "I. Kissed. YOU. And I will happily keep on doing it until you can barely feel your face, especially if you keep punishing yourself like this. Understand?"
Ray nodded, wide eyed. So it hadn't been a dream.
"You were a little tipsy so I didn't want to push you." Peter teased, close enough now that they were almost kissing.
"I'm sorry if I-mmhh..." Ray's apology trailed off into a delightful little moan as Peter kissed him hotly.
"You got a little drunk, no need to worry. It was that ass-brain Favish's fault. I know I was out of line by butting in on you like that," Peter grumped "but he was all over you and the way he was looking at you like you were just a conquest, I couldn't let him do that to you."
Ray flushed, feeling his heart ache pleasantly at Peter's defence of him.
"I was pretty hammered," he murmured, making Peter look at him again "i think, the way he was talking, he probably would've succeeded if you hadn't stepped in."
"What did he say to you, Ray?" Peter asked, sitting back on his heels and helping Ray to a sitting position.
Ray plucked at a loose thread on his uniform, embarrassment surging through him. "He tried to convince me that you- w-well, not just you-"
"But mostly me." Peter interpreted, causing Ray to go red and duck his head again.
"Yes. He said you took me for granted, that you didn't care if you were poking fun at my diet."
"As I said yesterday, I like you the way you are, you silly man." Peter snorted, making Ray smile very faintly. "and it's possible I have taken you for granted, you're always so dependable, Ray. It's one of the best parts of you."
Ray lifted his head, feeling a little better.
"There's that smile." Peter teased, brushing a hand over Ray's cheek before giving in and kissing him again.
Ray smiled as they parted, then looked at the both of them. "I think we may need a change of clothing."
"Yeah, kinda cant keep wearing these, eh? Tell you what, I'll go grab the spares from the car, you go get a shower."
Ray nodded shyly, then as Peter strode across to the door, he recalled something else and felt his heart sink.
"Peter, did I uh..?" he trailed off, too embarrassed to finish.
Peter paused with his hand on the door handle, looking over his shoulder "Try to seduce me into bed? Mm-hm, you certainly did and it was a very cute effort Ray, but you could barely stay awake."
Ray groaned and face-palmed, "I- then you wanted-?"
"Duh, Ray. But no worries, that's what the rest of the weekend is for." Peter winked saucily at his friend before striding smoothly out. As the door clicked shut, Ray turned the colour of a beet and flopped back onto the bed with a rather aroused groan.
Outside the door, Peter barely waited until he was three feet away from the door before a big grin made its way onto his face.
Ray eventually got off the bed and staggered into the shower, throwing his clothes over the back of a chair. He'd finished washing and dressing in civilian clothes by the time Peter came back and to his surprise, Peter had picked up breakfast.
While Ray started on the food, Peter took a shower, humming to himself as he washed. He had to admit he was feeling pretty good, this weekend was shaping up nicely!
When he exited, dressed in a clean uniform and with his hair freshly dried, Ray had finished his food and changed into the spare uniform.
"We can drop them off at a dry-cleaner's before we head to the festival. Isn't there a parade today?" Peter asked as he shoved a croissant whole into his mouth. This made his cheeks puff out like a hamster, which Ray thought was kind of cute, not that he had the guts to say it.
"Yeah and there's no need for me to stand on any part of it, the floats are all about the town's history."
"That's OK then, we can just relax. No pressure, huh?" Peter said languidly as he finished the pastry and Ray smiled, butterflies still flocking in his stomach.
"Yeah.." he said at last.
He didn't realise it as they walked down the street, but he was grinning widely. A giggly sort of grin that all but erased the shadows of the night before.
-So. Damn. Adorkable..- Peter chuckled to himself as Ray strode ahead, a definite spring to his step. If he was suffering any sort of hangover, he wasn't showing it.
When they stood at the intersection, (or what passed for one anyway), Peter twitched his hand so the back of his fingers brushed Ray's hand. To his credit, the other Ghostbuster managed to refrain from blushing, instead shooting Peter a small smile in the seconds before the lights changed and they began to walk.
Despite his outward happiness, Ray found himself on the lookout for Favish. What should he do? Part of him was confused by the fact Favish had, by all accounts, been angling to get him into bed. Contrasting his conniving methods with Peter's direct but gentle method, it was safe to say Ray knew who he felt safe around.
-I didn't think Alan went THAT way. Then again, I've been denying the fact I clearly DO. I knew it for so long, but I just tried to hide it.- Ray glanced at Peter, who was entertaining the crowds surrounding them with a tale about one of their many spook captures.
-Peter, he seen right through me...- he smiled to himself, rejoining the conversation as Venkman turned to ask him about the spook in question.
Ray was happy to see the parades, explaining the various floats to Peter, who nodded sagely and made as many ludicrous quips as he could. When Ray pulled an adorable pouty face as a result of Peter's teasing, he was rewarded with Peter biting his lip and trying so hard to not laugh Ray just couldn't stay mad. He laughed before he could stop himself, and Peter cracked up soon after. The two of them giggled like loons, not sure why it was so funny, there was just something fun about being this at ease.
"My sides.." Ray wiped at his eyes.
"I hear ya, hoo boy." Peter snickered, shaking his head and returning his attention to the float "pretty quirky home you got here, Ray."
"Yeah, you're right." Ray smiled "hey, what about yours?"
"What about mine?" Peter blinked, surprised Ray wanted to know "Not much to tell, I grew up in a pretty rowdy neighbourhood. My dad was a con man and my mother….well, she was lovely."
Ray looked up at Peter as his sentence finish with a sigh, seeing his friend looking melancholy.
"Gee, Peter. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories." he said softly, feeling bad for being so nosy. Peter's hand ruffled his hair and Ray looked up at him.
"No worries," Peter said, expression cheerful once more "don't look so down!"
With the parades over with, the two escaped into the crowd once more. Spying a cart selling crepes, Ray eagerly bought them some. He loved these things, a fact that was made pretty obvious by the big smile on his face as he and Peter strolled along.
"Hey, shall we go check out the festival games again? Yesterday was fun, showing off a bit.." Peter winked and nudged Ray's side. Ray nodded eagerly, motioning Peter to follow him down a back alley that served as a shortcut.
"I used to cut through here all the time back when I was in school. It cut a few minutes off my walk home, helped me outsmart the kids bullying me..." Ray laughed as he admitted it.
Just before they reached the sunshine flooding the exit to the alley, Peter noticed Ray had a smudge of cream on his cheek from the crepe. He pointed this out to the man, who tried to swipe at it, but somehow missed. Peter chuckled, pressed Ray gently against the cool brick wall and lapped the cream up with his tongue. This made Ray blush and Peter felt it'd be an insult to the cute but dorky Ghostbuster not to sneak a quick kiss.
Ray looked up at him, a smile on his lips as Peter let him go. The distant sounds of traffic and cheering reached them in the solitude of the alley, but for now it was just them.
"Did you get it?" he teased.
"I think so, but maybe I'd best be sure." Venkman said with a knowing grin. His heart pounded when Ray grabbed his collar and pulled them closer together for a very deep kiss. Ray was so cute when he was this eager. A very graphic idea involving his best friend here and the hotel bed flashed through Peter's mind and he felt himself blush.
-Reign it in, doofus.- he scolded himself, he'd always had an overactive imagination after all…
"You're all red," Ray tilted his head to one side, a curious look in his eyes "something on your mind?"
"Ohh, you don't wanna know-!" Peter began, then cut off as Ray pulled him in for another smooch.
"Okaayyy...maybe you do." Peter wheezed once Stantz had let him go. This prompted a grin from Ray, then they reluctantly parted and continued on their way.
Neither of the young lovers noticed the extra shadow in the alley, didn't feel its baleful gaze on them as they ducked out into the sunshine.