It was in a town quite far up New York, a good afternoons driving.
Peter and Ray hired a car for the job, so as to keep Ecto-1 close to its home base. Ray was a little concerned about the engine and had advised Winston and Egon how best to fix it before he left.
"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on it, Ray." Egon assured him for the third time as Ray fidgeted anxiously with the latch on the trunk of the car. Peter had gotten behind the wheel in anticipation of leaving, but on hearing Ray worrying again, he got out and marched up to his precocious doctor Stantz.
"Ray, get your rear in that car. Your precious baby will be just fine and we really need to leave, like now."
"I know, but..." Ray tailed off as Peter raised an eyebrow at him and felt himself flush. Peter had a way of looking at him that suggested he knew his dear Raymond was being a mother hen and was intent on stopping him.
And winning too.
Now he set his hands on Ray's shoulders, turned him around and firmly steered him towards the passenger side door. When Ray tried to twist round to impart one last piece of advice to the remaining two Ghostbusters, Peter decided it was time to take drastic measures. Out of sight of the others, he made use of the sneak attack known as "pinch your butt". Ray squeaked softly, face reddening and Peter used this advantage to sit Ray down in the passenger seat.
"See ya later, don't set anything on fire." He shut the passenger door, vaulted over the hood of the car and slid in behind the wheel in one fluid motion, giving Ray a cheeky wink.
"No promises I'm afraid, given the statistics of our work." Egon said dryly as the vehicle finally left.
"Stop fretting."
Ray jumped as Peter's voice broke into his musings. He flushed guiltily, casting a glance at Peter as he drove.
"It's up to just us to stop this thing, remember?" Peter took his eyes off the road long enough to give Ray a smile "you and me~"
He added a flirtatious wink, for he was looking forward to the trip for another reason. It meant he'd have Ray to himself that night. Exclusively his, to have and to ravish.
Peter loved those lazy afternoons and evenings where it was just them and they could make love atop the sheets of the spare bed with wild abandon. Where Peter could relish in the dulcet tones of his sweet Raymond as he took him, not needing to worry about the noise or disturbing the others.
But lately, they'd been so busy as a whole that the couple had had to reign in their wistful desires. A kiss sneaked in as they did the dishes or a swift embrace as Ray sat at his workbench were all they could get. They were often too tired to find time to be together, to the frustration of Peter's libido.
So when Egon had steered him aside, saying he needed him and Ray to go off on a separate case, Venkman was half convinced the guy was offering them a chance for a break. Not that Egon ever gave any hint of what he was feeling, the guy was the master of the poker face.
The call they were driving up to was from a man who owned one of the largest shopping malls in the town, the place was still fresh out of the oven, having only opened the previous week.
Ray was absorbed in the paperwork Egon had given him, murmurings to himself as he considered the possibilities.
"Maybe a full torso apparition? What do you think, Peter?"
"I'm thinking more along the lines of a full-on orgasmic- wait, are we talking about my plans for you tonight, or-?"
Ray facepalmed, yet his heart pounded hard and fast nonetheless. He fidgeted in his seat, eyes on his hands as they came to rest atop his lap. Peter shifted gears to drive with one hand, the other gently caressing Ray's thigh and hearing that beautiful hitch of breath in Ray's throat. Ray tried not to blush, but failed as the heat of Peter's palm seemed to pierce the layers he wore to reach his skin, making it tingle. He clasped Peter's warm hand in his for a moment as it hovered on his knee, before releasing it so Venkman could continue driving.
Ray bit his lip as they approached the other limits of the town. His stomach jumped in excitement for not just the discovery of this ghost, but of the night to come. He and Peter, just them and a fresh, neatly made bed...
"We're here cutie," Peter brushed his fingers over Ray's forehead, brushing his soft red hair aside in a sweetly innocent gesture.
"Ah, of course!" Ray's scientific side emerged and his eyes gleamed in a way Peter thought was pretty sexy. He watched as Ray gathered the papers that'd slid off his lap during the drive and scrambled with the door handle, stumbling out into the sunlight.
Peter shut off the car, stretching his back until it popped as he stepped out onto the pavement.
"Here." Peter blinked as Ray appeared by his side, his own proton pack already strapped to his back and was holding Peter's out toward him now. Peter gave him a quick quirk of a smile as he shrugged it on, before turning his attention to the building ahead.
The shoppers murmured and called out in curiosity as they seen the familiar uniforms moving through the crowds.
"They love us, Ray!" Peter grinned, waving to some kids as they walked by.
"That's nice Peter, but we need to find mr Auriga. He owns this place, his office has to be around here somewhere- whoa!"
Both Ray and his sentence came to an abrupt halt as a big beefy guy in a uniform stepped into his path. He glared down at Ray, mirrored glasses giving no emotion away. Ray gulped nervously, stepping back and bumping into Peter as he turned from waving to some more fans.
"Whoa now-" Peter steadied Ray with a hand to his shoulder, then he seen the suits "who called the goon platoon?"
"Mr Auriga wants to see you gentlemen, now." The first one said and the second just nodded mutely. Ray shared glances with Peter and followed after the two security guards.
Mr Auriga turned out to be a big heavyset gentleman with a thin moustache and thinning black hair.
"Ah, you must be the Ghostbusters, right?"
"Nah, we're the exterminators, someone saw a cockroach-" Peter cut off as Ray nudged him.
"Yes, we are." Ray stepped forward, smiling "I'm Doctor Ray Stantz and this is Doctor Peter Venkman."
"Pleasure to meet you both." Mr Auriga said humourlessly while glaring at Peter, who tried not to laugh.
"There has been the tortured crying of a woman filling this place at night and it's starting to affect business. Whoever this ghostly woman is, I want her gone!" he thumped a hand on the desk, making both men jump.
"Well, have you tried asking her?" Ray bleated, earning Auriga's glare "I-I'm not pulling your leg, sometimes spirits just want to pass on a message-"
"I don't have time to gallivant around chatting up spirits, that's YOUR job, that's why I'm hiring YOU. Deal with it by the end of tonight and I'll ensure you get a sizeable bonus, now get to it!"
"Ass." Peter remarked softly under his breath once they were alone in the hall outside reception. Straightening his collar, he took off at a loping stride, Ray alongside him.
"Well, he's an ass we have to work for, I'm afraid. C'mon, let's take a look around, he said it's coming from the basement. Maybe this'll be a quick in-and-out job-" Ray said, only to be cut off by a muffled snort.
"Can't believe that just came out of my mouth." Ray groaned, face palming.
"I thought it was cute." Peter said seductively as he leaned in towards Ray under the presence of pressing the elevator call button. Ray blushed, fiddling with the set of keys Auriga had given them, letting his gaze drift over the expensive looking paintings lining the walls as they waited.
-I wish I was as confident as Peter...- he mused, envying his devil-may-care attitude, his easy flirting.
The elevator finally arrrived and they stepped inside.
Selecting the basement, Peter glanced around, seen there was no camera in the lift and slid his hand down Ray's back, ending with giving Ray's bum a quick grope. This made Ray squeak in that adorable manner whilst rounding on Peter, his face flushed.
"What?" Peter said, grinning innocently as the elevator reached its destination and uttered a soft ringing noise. Ray sighed loudly then set off ahead of Peter as the doors opened, striding down a corridor lit by fluorescent lights that hung from the ceiling at regular intervals.
"Wow, cheerful ain't it?" Peter grumbled. "The bits the public never see."
Ray opened a door as Venkman complained, looking into what seemed to be a broom storage closet. He'd borrowed one of Egon's PKE meters, but the thing didn't react a smidge. He shook his head, shutting the door and carrying on. They went over every nook and cranny but nothing made the PKE meter even so much as twitch. Eventually, they settled in an employee break room to wait it out.
They remained there the whole evening, occasionally drifting into the mall above to grab some coffee before returning down below to wait.
As the time dragged on, Peter yawned.
"Ray, nothing's happening." he whined, putting his feet up on the break-room table "I'm bored."
Sitting atop the back of the couch, Ray opened his mouth to tell Peter to be professional when the pen he'd been twirling between his fingers fell out of his grasp now and landed on the floor behind the seat. He sighed, twisting and leaning over it to try grab the thing.
"What was that, Peter?' he asked absently, but Peter didn't answer.
"Peter?" The innocent Ray asked again, had he fallen asleep? Then he heard Peter shift, heard the ageing leather creak. So he was awake alright, but what-
His face turned red. Oh boy.
Peter was indeed shamelessly admiring Ray's rear end in that uniform, as he'd just concluded.
Ray noticed the continued silence and sighed. His face reddened even more as he fought to get his embarrassment under control. He let his body go limp, slumping over the couch, preparing to say yet another preposterous sentence.
"Peter, are you staring at my ass?"
"Indeed I am. It's a very nice ass, I'd vote for it." Peter said bluntly and Ray groaned, pulling himself back up, that traitorous pen in hand.
"Aw." Peter pouted as the distraction recovered it's wits and sat back down. Ray rolled his eyes and jabbed Peter's side with his pen.
"We're not here for you to ogle me, Peter." he said, blushing profusely. Peter responded by slipping an arm around Ray's waist.
"Why, theres no cameras in here?" he drawled, kissing the tip of Ray's nose. Ray went even redder, squeaking in frustration at Peter's singular determination to get some while on the job. Yet, he could feel his own body yearning to give in.
"Later..." he promised, earning a quick pat on the side as Peter relented and he dropped his guard, flopping back against the couch. That was when Peter moved too fast for Ray to stop him and before he knew what was going on, he was now sat on Peter's lap. He squawked indignantly, blushing even more.
"So adorkable." Peter teased. His grin set Ray's heart racing, and their lips were just about to touch, when-
A loud ghostly wail cut the air and they both yelped, Ray toppling off Peter's lap and landing on the floor while Peter went tense as a board.
"What in blazes what THAT?" the dazed Stantz asked as his voice box unfroze and he scrambled to his feet.
"A real mood killer?" Peter sighed, getting up and looking around the room.
Ray grabbed the PKE meter and upon seeing the readings were off the chart, he raced out of the room with Peter hot on his heels, shrugging their proton packs on as they ran.
Up ahead, Ray seen the silhouette of a woman, she was looking around as if she'd lost something.
"Miss?" Ray asked. She seen him and screamed in heartbreaking fury, making Ray's head pound and he had to grab the wall to save from collapsing as his stomach heaved. Beside him, he heard Peter give a heavy retching sound...
"Please…..let us help!" he gasped.
"I want my bones! This accursed empire of glass and stone has them!" she wailed, then fled up the stairwell, heading for the shopping floor.
Her influence faded and the two ghostbusters crumpled to thier knees, leaning against one another for support. Ray wiped sweat from his eyes, drawing a shaky breath as he gripped Peter's elbow, helping him to his feet.
"Geez, bet she's a shoe-in at talent shows!" Peter groused, rubbing his forehead.
"We gotta find out why she's so mad." Ray looked at his watch, the shops stayed open late here, there would still be people up there!
He raced away, Peter right behind him.
"What was all that screaming about? What in the world did she mean?" Venkman asked as Ray hammered anxiously on the button for the elevator.
"I don't know.." Ray panted, blinking dizzily as he fully recovered his senses. He looked at his reflection in the brass doors of the elevator as they waited for it to arrive.
"-wait, that's it! She said 'this accursed empire', could that be the mall? To her it may seem like a kingdom. This place, I'm sure I seen a plaque about its history on our way in, we need to find it!"
Peter nodded, mouth dry as he gripped his proton gun tightly. The doors opened and they spilled out onto the shopping area where, sure enough, the ghost was rushing about, pulling her hair and wailing. Terrified customers dropped their bags and fled for cover, streaming around the two Ghostbusters like a river bends round an island.
Ray looked back towards the entrance, running full pelt towards it. Peter started to follow, then more screams met his ears...
"I'll stay and keep her occupied!" Peter called, spinning on his heel and facing the direction the ghost was in "I can't risk someone getting hurt!"
"Peter?"
"Just hurry back, Ray!" Peter grinned, before racing off. Ray watched him go, a smile at Peter's protective nature gracing his face for a second before it dissipated and he ran full pelt for the entrance.
He stowed his gun, eyes darting around the massive arched entrance. A flurry of leaflets and maps scrunched underfoot as he looked for the same gleam his eyes had been attracted to as they'd come in. He soon found the plaque he wanted, scrambling up onto the help desk to get a closer look at it.
He read it quickly, one line making his eyes widen. He flicked through the digital spirit guide he'd built, comparing its details to the plaque's.
"Of course, it makes sense now. The area has been renamed!" he whispered, then ran back towards where Peter was. Most of the civilians had cleared out in panic at news of the ghost. His bootsteps echoed eerily in the space as he ran fast as he could to where he'd left Venkman.
He rounded the corner and felt a stab of panic. The ghost had Peter cornered against a wall, creating a fierce wind that whipped at him, meaning he was trapped. Ray looked around him, what could he do?
The ghost had said the place had her bones, did that mean she was buried in the walls? It had to be an outside wall, the insides of this once massive house had been torn out, only the exterior left as a stylish affectation to a modern building.
The wall needed to be big enough to house a human body-
His eyes settled on the back wall. According to the plaque and the engraving of an old house on it, the section of wall near the back had once housed a chimney. What if she'd been buried in it and then the one who'd killed her had had it sealed up? She was so angry, chances were it'd been murder. Spirits born of violent ends were often filled with an untamed rage...
He looked over at Peter, who was finding it hard to breathe in the roaring wind and took aim at the wall in question, unleashing the full stream on the proton gun. The wall blasted open as he raked the high-energy beam up it. As the dust settled, he ran up close to it and felt the faintest breeze on his face. Checking the direction, he figured there had to be an opening somewhere, however narrow. He fired in short blasts, the dust making him cough and choke heavily.
He could feel the heat of the proton pack as he fire again and again. At last, as the beam faded, he seen a piece of pale white bone poking out.
With a gasp of relief, he began pulling the bricks out by hand, eventually freeing enough of them to make the body fall free. He caught it clumsily, seeing how fragile it was.
The ghost stopped abruptly, letting Venkman fall to the floor with a wheeze as the wind died down. Blinking through teary eyes, he seen a shape he recognised as Ray standing behind the ghost now, saying something.
As his senses came back to him, Peter seen Ray was coated in plaster dust and cradling a skeleton in his arms.
"This is you, isn't it?" Ray asked, sympathy in his eyes. The ghost came closer, looking down at the bones Ray had retrieved. As Ray watched with baited breath, she changed into a beautiful young woman, her twisted features reclaiming their lost youth.
"Yes it is, young sir." she whispered "I was killed by my own brother, he wanted the estate. I was disturbed when this castle become an empire of glass."
"Someone new bought the house," Ray explained, "made it into a place where lots of people can gather and buy things."
"Like a market?"
"Yeah, that's it!" Ray beamed "I'm so sorry they disturbed your rest, but I promise I'll have your bones buried, what's your name?"
"Christine," she whispered "Christine Waterman."
"I'll make sure your bones get some rest, ms Waterman." Ray said sadly. Peter got up and walked over, offering the ghost a smile. He tucked a hand into the crook of Ray's elbow, glad he was alright. The ghost seen the small gesture and a little smile tugged at her lips, eyes shimmering. Truly, these men were of a different breed, with hearts of gold.
"I'm sorry sir, I didn't intend to hurt you." she said.
"Ah, no worries doll." Peter smiled "we all get angry when we feel lost, we'll lay you to rest and you'll be OK."
"Thank you both.." she whispered, ghostly tears falling and then she vanished in a flare of light.
"Wow," Ray whispered " I don't believe it, she passed on! She must feel her bones are safe with us-"
"What in blazes did you DO?!"
Ray ended his sentence with a squeak of alarm and both men turned as they seen Auriga and his two security goons approached. Peter's hand slipped unseen from Ray's elbow and he squared his shoulders, prepared to defend his friends actions.
"I didn't pay you to destroy my work-!" Auriga stared in horror at the crevasses running up the back wall and the smoke drifting in the air. Peter growled softly, but was surprised when Ray's defiant side came out again and the red-head spoke up.
"No," Ray said, stepping forward and revealing what he carried in his arms "you paid us to stop the ghost and we DID. Her bones were buried within your walls, they were disturbed when you finished the renovations."
Auriga stared in shock at the skeleton Ray carried so gently. His eyes drifted to Ray's, seeing the decency and humane sympathy within them. This odd young man was treating this skeleton like it was one of his own family.
"She was the ghost?" he asked.
"Yeah, said her name was Waterman." Peter put in, coming to stand beside Ray once more, looking down at the skeleton. Scraps of dried sinew were all that held it together, but this fact didn't seem to bother Ray.
"Waterman, that was the name of the one who sold it, they never said anything about ghosts!" Auriga frowned, anger fizzling out to be replaced by confusion.
"Likely story is, they didn't know." Ray said "going by her speech pattern, it was a long time ago, likely an ancestor on her brother's side. Her ghost said he was responsible for her death, that he murdered her for the estate."
"Good heavens." Auriga's bluster had all gone out of him now, the evidence was right in front of him, a real skeleton. Ray's story made things even clearer. "what a tragic end."
"I promised she'd receive a burial." Ray said softly, yet his face was determined as he took another step towards Auriga. This triggered his guards to step forward protectively but Ray didn't spare them a second glance as he carried on speaking "so if you could direct me to the nearest funeral agency-"
"No need. I'll add it as part of your payment." Auriga said, thinking about how his own family had a history of feuds in its past and what a waste it was of a life. "I'll call someone right away."
He gestured the body guards to stand down, looking at Ray and Peter with curiosity.
"Why don't you come to my office, I'll have some coffee made."
Peter had to admit that sounded good and Ray agreed.
Auriga found a box Ray could lay the remains in, then stored them in his office safe. The two Ghostbusters, one coated in plaster dust, sat on the couch looking pretty beat as they gratefully clutched cups of coffee.
Ray sneezed again and Peter patted his shoulder.
By the time they left, it was almost midnight, so they travelled to the hotel Peter had booked over the phone. Thankfully it wasn't far, they were pretty wiped out.
"Where'd you guys come from, a building site?" the receptionist asked, looking at Ray as he and Peter approached the desk.
"In a manner of speaking. We got a room booked, name of dr Venkman." Peter said, smiling in that "get the key and stop staring" way of his. The receptionist rolled his eyes and disappeared into the back room.
Ray sighed heavily, slumping against Peter.
"Tired?" Peter chuckled, patting his shoulder and Ray nodded.
"I'm glad we found her bones, but she didn't half give us the run around, huh?" The redhead managed a faint smile despite the long evening.
"Indeed, Ray old buddy." Peter said drowsily, muffling a yawn with his hand.
Dimly, he heard the door open and shut behind them and a voice he dreaded and never expected to hear again broke the peaceful silence.
"Peter? Is that you, my boy?"
"Oh, please no. No, no, no..." Peter wailed softly and causing Ray to straighten up as he slowly turned round, his heart sinking. But there was no denying who it was.
"Dad..?" Peter asked, as if he'd somehow turn out to be wrong. Ray blinked at this bombshell, turning round to see the man for himself.
"Dr Venkman?" he asked, puzzled.
"Peter! Haha, great to see you!" Peter's dad laughed jovially as he strode up to his son and hugged him, not seeming to see or feel Peter going rigid as a board. He let him go and turned to the dusty fellow stood just behind his son.
"Now, who're you again, fella?"
"This is Ray. You met last time, only he wasn't covered in plaster dust then." Peter said tersely.
"You battle a ghost at a build site?" Venkman senior looked Ray up and down with a raised eyebrow.
"Shopping mall, actually." Ray coughed "her bones were buried in the walls."
"Eugh, talk about gruesome!" Peter's dad shuddered.
"Anyway, nice to see you dad, we gotta go to bed." Peter said, spotting the receptionist returning with the keys "you shuffle on home, now-"
"Oh, Dr Venkman-"
Both Peter and his father said "yes?" in response to this and the confused receptionist did a double take at the paperwork.
"Wait, that's why I've been getting so confused!" He looked at the two sets of keys, then at Peter and his father "There are two dr Venkmans!"
"Yes, this smart alec Ghostbuster happens to be my son!" Venkman snr said with a laugh, while Peter clenched his fists and scowled at him.
"Is that our room key?" Ray asked the receptionist politely, so as to divert attention from Peter.
"Twin double room?
"That's right."
The receptionist nodded and held out the correct key. Ray quickly scooped it up, grabbed Peter's arm and towed him towards the stairs, calling back.
"It was nice seeing you again, Dr Venkman, have a good night now!"
Then they were gone.
"Ah, those boys." Venkman snr chuckled to the bewildered receptionist "always in such high spirits, get it? Haha!"
He took his own key, musing to himself that he should go see Peter. He'd spotted the room number as Ray had taken the key from the chap at the desk, maybe he could talk about a deal with them?
He stopped off at his room to tidy himself up before setting off to go see his son.
"I can't BELIEVE this!" Peter fumed, stalking back and forth. Ray sat on the bed and watched him, brow creased in a worried frown.
"I'm sure it'll be OK Peter, we're only here for another night, after this. We'll stay out of his way-"
"You don't get it Ray, he knows we're here and now he'll never leave us alone!" Peter looked so stressed out that Ray was getting seriously worried. He needed to calm Peter down.
He waited until Peter finally took a break from pacing, then got up and stood in front of him.
"It'll be OK." he said softly, taking Peter's hands in his and squeezing them gently.
"Ray.." Peter said softly, looking downcast as ever. Ray closed the distance between them and kissed Peter, the warmth of his lips going some way to relaxing the stressed Venkman.
Ray continued to kiss him, deepening it with every kiss until he felt Peter's arms wrap around his waist, holding him tightly.
"What do you say we go get a shower?" Ray whispered as they parted "I AM rather dusty."
"Sounds perfect..." Peter whispered, feeling his pulse race at the suggestion of tending to his precious Raymond...
Ray smiled as he read Peter's desire in his eyes and the way Peter licked his lips. There was a series of muted clicks as he unbuckled his belt, letting it flutter to the carpet. Stepping back, he now unzipped the jumpsuit slowly, letting it fall to the floor and stepping nimbly out it in such a fluid motion that Peter flushed just a little, unable to take his eyes off him.
Ray flashed Peter a very knowing smile then sauntered towards the bathroom, feeling the undergarments cling to his body after the exertion of the evening.
"Wow." Peter mouthed to himself, then darted after his seductive little Raymond.
The shower took a while, between thier passionate kisses and Peter "examining" Ray to make sure he wasn't hurt anywhere.
Ray continued to coax him out of his doldrums, pressing his body against Peter's as the hot water poured down. His fingers linked at the base of Venkman's spine, his lips snaring Peter's again and again. At last, Peter could wait no longer, the need was too great...
They barely made it to the first of the two beds before they were tangled in one another again and Peter felt his frustration fade as he looked down at his partner. They had the night to themselves and he aimed to thank his precious Ray for cheering him up…
Ray gasped in utter bliss as Peter began, an intense shiver running up his spine. The first time they'd done this, he'd been so self-conscious that Peter had gone all-out to ravish him head to toe and proving he really did love him the way he was.
They did their best to muffle their voices, but the odd moan of pleasure and cry of passion did escape. Peter kissed Ray as they finished, feeling the gorgeous red-head moaning urgently into the kiss, his arms wrapped tightly around Peter's shoulders.
"Mmhh….hahh...' Peter let Ray go, breathing heavily "You. Are. Wonderful."
Ray blushed, nuzzling his lover's nose "speak for yourself." he said in a sultry voice.
Peter kissed him again, leaving him even more breathless as he moved back and settled on the bed beside Ray. The exhausted Ray sat up, gently pinning Peter to the bed by his shoulders so he could kiss him.
"Feel better?" he asked. Peter looked up at him, loving the sight of Ray dishevelled and with a sheen of sweat dusting his skin. His soft, gentle eyes were full of satisfaction and those lips were curved into a sweet smile. Peter reached up, tracing the curve of Ray's jaw in a silent awe.
His fingers moved to a set of three jagged scars on Ray's left shoulder, recalling the cause behind it and the way they'd made love beside the containment unit after Peter had tried to blame himself for Ray's injury.
"Damn, Ray." Peter breathed, pulling him down for a kiss. Ray smiled, wrapping Peter in his arms and returning the affection with equal fervour. They got under the covers, sleeping in one another's embrace.
Peter sighed happily, the scent of Ray's skin making him feel happier then he ever dared hope. He had Ray, he had hope...
The next morning, they were just enjoying a very explorative kiss by the bathroom door when there came a knock. Ray squeaked and Peter ushered him into the bathroom, passing him his loosely folded clothes pile from last night as he headed to the door. He was dressed in his shirt and shorts and was just zipping his jumpsuit up as he opened the door.
"Ye- nope."
He seen it was his father and made to slam the door shut, but his dad put a hand out to stop it.
"Peter, just wanted to have a quick word with you boy." he grinned cheerfully, acting as carefree as he ever did. Peter's stomach churned, but he did his best to show no emotion as he reluctantly let his father in.
"OK, what do you want?" he said.
"Just wanted to know why you never let me in on your little secret." Venkman snr said, grinning ear to ear in anticipation.
"What're you talking about, dad?" Peter snapped. His dad slung an arm around his shoulder, leaning in close.
"You know, the little secret about you and your fella."
"What?!" Peter hissed, barely restraining his voice as a bolt of fear hit him. He didn't want to alert Ray, he'd try and stop Peter from knocking his dad out.
"You don't know what your talking about, you lunatic!" he snapped instead, shoving his father back towards the door. "You're leaving. NOW."
"Aww, don't I at least get to congratulate him? A Venkman's quite a catch you know-"
"Dad, stop making stuff up and leave!" Peter hissed again, his heart was about ready to snap apart at the seams, but his father just chuckled.
"You don't need to lie about it, my boy. I dropped by your room after you stormed off yesterday, I wanted to apologise. But it seems you were, uh, 'occupied' with that young man. "Raymond", isn't it? So that's his full name, good to know."
Peter slammed his hand into the door above his father's head wth an audible growl in his throat. Venkman snr blinked, a little worried now, Peter wasn't calming down, this wasn't what he'd anticipated at all. He'd thought that Peter would be pleased he was trying to support him! He tried a different tack:
"Do your other friends know? They must do, surely, I never thought to ask-"
"Dad, I swear I will find a way to legally change my name and erase myself from our family altogether if you so much as breathe one goddamn word about this. I don't care what you think and you don't care about me past making a fast buck. Now get OUT!"
In the bathroom Ray had been dressed, fully suited and booted, for a good couple of minutes now. He had his ear pressed to the door, stomach lurching as he heard Peter's dad come in. All was fairly silent at first, their voices inaudible through the wooden door, but then Peter's voice peaked, yelling at his father to leave.
Worried beyond what he could stand, he darted out of the safety of the bathroom, looking over at Peter.
"You OK, Peter?" he asked gently. He missed the way Venkman snr took in his ruffled hair and grinned in glee, but his son didn't.
Peter grabbed his dad's collar and turned him out the door.
"Leave. Me. ALONE." he hissed with such anger that his dad didn't have a smart alec reply ready. He drifted away from the door as Peter slammed it hard enough to make it rattle.
"Peter.." Ray said, shaking in concern. Peter hit the door with his hand, bruising his knuckles.
"I hate him." Peter said through clenched teeth, "that liar will ruin EVERYTHING!"
"Peter, please!" Ray cried, starting to feel scared. Peter was so angry, was he really going to sever all ties with his dad? "I-I'm sure we can talk to him-"
"No, it wont do any good." Peter shook his head, feeling close to breaking as Ray's warm body pressed against his. He slumped to the floor, feeling his heart break at the thought of the one amazing thing in his life being lost because of his con-artist father.
Ray sat next to him, stroking his back and murmuring soft assurances until Peter's breakdown slowed and his gut-wrenching cries trailed off. Seeing Peter's knuckles all bruised and red, he lifted the hand to his mouth and kissed the injury gently.
"This is why I can't have anything decent in my life, Ray." Venkman said dully, the affectionate gesture making his heart hurt a little less "because sooner or later, that man will ruin it. I'm sorry."
"It's not your fault, Peter." Ray said, but Peter didn't reply. Ray got him to his feet and over to the bed, sitting him down and picking up the phone. He ordered breakfast be brought to the room so Peter didn't have to leave but Venkman barely picked at his food. He'd retreated into himself and even Ray's efforts to kiss him senseless barely raised a smile.
"I'm sorry Ray, it's not you. I just need some time to think." Peter sighed and Ray stroked his face, kissing his cheek and nodding.
"I'll go pick up some snacks and stuff for later then and you stay here, handsome." he teased, finally getting a faint smile from Peter.
Ray kissed him once more before reluctantly leaving his precious Venkman alone.
Alone in the room, Peter sighed, feeling the gloom creeping back in with the absence of the beacon of hope Ray had become. Why did he have to be punished for his father's stupidity?
He thought of Ray, of the job he had. These were the things he loved. His fathers stupidity had put the latter in danger once before and now the former, the love of his life, was next.
The phone rang and Peter picked it up without thinking "yeah?"
"Hey, son."
Peter froze, how could he have been so dumb? His grip tightened around the plastic of the handset, blood rushing loudly in his ears.
"You there? Hay, just give me a minute, there's a reporter downstairs-"
"Dad, you-" Peter called him something he'd never have thought of "-thats it, I'm DONE. As far as you're concerned, you don't HAVE a son."
He slammed the phone down, ignoring the faint squawking sounds as his father tried to explain it wasn't like THAT. His own breathing sounded raspy and loud in the quiet room, his head spinning.
Suddenly feeling like his fury couldn't be contained, Peter got up off the bed and stormed out of the hotel room. He raced through the halls, escaping out a back exit whereupon he set off running, not paying any attention to where he went.
If he had, he would've seen Ray out of the corner of his eye, carrying a bag of groceries into the hotel.
Ray hummed softly as he unlocked the room door and edged in.
"Peter!" he said with a smile "I got you some of that cake you like- hm?"
Peering round the bag, he seen Peter was gone. Flashbacks to the kidnap incident made him shiver, but he pushed it aside. He'd probably just gone out for a walk. But wouldn't he have left a note?
Ray set the bag down, seeing now that the phone had been slammed so hard into the cradle that it'd cracked slightly. Something had called Peter and that something, or someone, had made him very mad.
Only one person came to mind that'd cause that. Ray spun on his heel, charging back out the door, running down a flight of stairs to the next floor and stopping outside a certain room. When the receptionist had been sorting the keys last night, Ray had caught sight of the room number for Peter's father and now he hammered on the door, anger and worry battling for control.
"Yeah yeah, I'm coming, who is it-" Venkman snr pulled the door open with a sigh but halted when he seen a flushed and angry Ray stood there. Without waiting for an invitation, Ray stormed in, shoving the door shut with one kick of his boot.
"R-raymond, isn't it?" Venkman snr stammered and he backed up even more as Ray whirled on him.
"It's just Ray to you, sir and we need to talk."
"What do you mean?"
"Where is Peter?"
"I don't know!" Venkman snr shook his head.
"I know you called him," Ray said icily "and now he's run off. He's been miserable all morning and I know how self-destructive Peter can get when he's hurt. I'm guessing whatever you said this morning AND on the phone while I was out hurt him BAD. Now tell me!"
"A-alright, I called him! There was a reporter downstairs-"
Ray slammed a hand down on the table, making the glass of gin rattle and fall over, the liquid pooling on the table, dripping over the edges and onto the carpet.
"You were going to ship your own son to the press? Because of who he dates? What kind of a parent are you?!" Ray fumed. He felt his head pound as he stood there, heart in his throat, how could anyone do this to their own son?
Venkman sir shook hishead, hands raised in surrender.
"Let me finish sonny, that's not it! The reporter wanted to talk to one of you two about the ghost girl from last night! Apparently she's from a prominent family way back when and the guy wanted to do a history piece. He knew there was a Venkman in this hotel, in fact he thought I was Peter when I bumped into him at breakfast. So, I said I'd try asking Peter, that way he wouldn't go looking for your room number."
"How much was he paying you?" Ray demanded coldly, not buying his story one bit. His deduction was correct as the older Venkman grinned sheepishly and made a small gesture.
"Just a small fee, for helping him find you guys. I figured I'd be able to talk Peter into coming downstairs to talk with him. It wasn't about the two of you-"
"-Which brings me to the other matter." Ray said sternly, before he could tell any more lies "I'm only going to ask one thing: which do you value more, your bank account or your only son? Because if you say the first, I will happily help Peter distance himself from you. All of us will and you don't wanna mess with the Ghostbusters, whether you're living or dead!"
Peters' father studied the way Ray talked, heard the defiance and care in his voice. He obviously cared about Peter, as his worry was written all over his softer features.
He finally gave a heavy sigh and sat down on his bed. He'd always known his mistakes would bite him in the ass, but he hadn't expected such a bite to be from his sons lover!
"I know I was a bad father, I barely paid the poor kid any attention. He was so smart, y'know, but he hid that side of himself and preferred to play the goof. Picked fights, got sent to juvie. He refused to join in on any of my uh 'work', as it were. Smart kid."
"Of course he's smart, he's a psychologist. He can talk anyone into or out of anything. If we ever need someone to talk down the mayor or the press, it's Peter. But he's more than that, when he wants to be, he's the most loyal friend you could want."
"Is that why you two got close, fella?" Venkman snr asked, seeing something in Ray's eyes "he help you in some way?"
"Yeah, he did. Stopped me getting into a potentially abusive relationship a few months ago." Ray flashed back to the Favish incident, a shiver running up his back even this far on.
"I see." Venkman senior seen the shiver and realised this seemingly gentle-mannered man had a past of his own. Like Peter, he'd had some rough times.
"Well, I'm sure glad my son's found a decent gentleman after all this time. He was always hitting on the ladies in the TV reports, yet he never seems to go steady with 'em. Yet he smiled when he was around you boys..." Venkman snr said at last.
"He does like women, he doesn't care about gender." Ray said shortly.
"Ah yes, I know the term you mean. Bi- isn't it?"
Ray nodded.
"Yeah, I read a book or two once I started seeing the pattern via his TV appearances. For awhile I thought he had the hots for the guy with the glasses?"
"Egon? No, they tend to argue more then get along, Peter winds him up something chronic." Ray smiled faintly, thinking about his life with his friends. Then he shook his head, rounding on Peter's father once more;
"This doesn't change anything. You know how your son feels about your conning people, don't you remember the ghost repellers incident?"
The Ghostbusters had had to search the new jersey parallelogram for him, barely escaping in a speedboat. The phenomena had collapsed after all the chaos, much to Egon's disappointment.
"The sad part is, Mr Venkman, he'd be happy to help you set up a legitimate business plan, anything to stop having to look over his shoulder for the shadow of your collective pasts chasing after him. When we find him, I'm sitting the both of you down and putting an end to this!"
Venkman snr nodded, actually a little scared of this man. Ray seemed on first glance to be a loveable, mild-mannered gentleman that wouldn't hurt a fly, but this was the real Ray. A passionate and caring young man who valued Peter beyond anyone else.
"Right NOW," Ray said, grabbing Venkman snr by the wrist "WE are going to look for Peter!"
"M-me? He's not gonna wanna see me-"
"He will when I explain you're going to apologise!" Ray ranted and the snr Venkman nodded again. He owed poor Peter a lifetime of sorries and missed encouragement, and now it looked like he finally had to face the music, alongside Peter's new squeeze, it seemed!
Ray dragged him out to the car park, stopping only to grab his proton pack from his room. He grabbed Peter's too as an afterthought, since he'd fled without it.
"You gonna need that kit, sonny?" Venkman snr asked.
"You never know, Dr Venkman snr." Ray said as he tossed the heavy packs in the back.
"Ah, just call me Paul, it's easier then being so damn formal. Besides, my son is the only real doctor in this family."
"Now.." Ray said as they peeled out of the parking lot "Where would Peter be likely to go?"
"Well, when he was a kid, he'd usually flee to a friends house if they were still in the area, that is."
"That doesn't help unfortunately, this is an unknown state. There must be something from his childhood, some habit?"
They fell silent as Ray drove aimlessly, both wracking their brains to try locate Peter. A drop of rain splashed onto the windshield of the car and Ray looked nervously up at the sky.
"Whoa, that looks nasty." he whistled, seeing thick grey clouds rolling in "I didn't even think about the weather turning like this! We have to find him, double time!"
"Y'know, I read in a guidebook that this place is famous for its weird weather, storm chasers are nuts for it!"
Ray pondered it, could it be the work of spirits?
He was jolted out of his musing when Paul grabbed his sleeve.
"I think I have an idea where ta find my boy!" he blurted and Ray pulled over into a side street, gaze fixed on the other man as he babbled.
"There was a sign back there, announcing the demolition of an old fairground and that the land would be up for sale soon. Peter used to love fairgrounds when he was a kid, what if he snuck in there?"
"It'd be empty, he could vent all he wanted- it's worth a shot!" Ray said, revving the engine again and taking off in the direction Paul indicated. Paul clung to the armrests as Ray drove, had this fella learned to drive from watching the police do high speed chases?!
The weather only got worse as they carried on and soon Ray was driving at a crawl, squinting through the windshield.
They got there eventually, the headlights highlighting a chainlink fence easily ten feet high that snaked around the boundary of the park.
"How'd he get over that?" Paul blanched.
"Peter's pretty flexible." Ray remarked as he opened the car door, then realsied the double meaning behind his words.
"I'll trust your judgement on that, sonny." Peter's dad snickered and Ray gave him a fierce glare, even as he felt himself blush from embarrassment.
"I blame Peter for that." he grumbled as he grabbed his proton pack and told Paul to bring the other one.
"That boy always did have a smart mouth." Paul shrugged, wincing as the rain soaked him in seconds "shame I don't have any of my old ponchos."
Ray gave him such a look then, that he figured he'd better just shut up.
Ray looked at the fence as Paul grumbled about the weather, then started walking backward.
"Sonny, what're you- whoa!" Paul began, but cut off as Ray suddenly took off, running forward and jumping as high as he could, grabbing onto the fence. Even with a proton pack weighing him down, he scrambled over the fence with an ease that his more softer physique hid.
Ray hauled himself over the top of the fence and dropped down, motioning Paul to follow him. It took significantly longer, but finally the two of them were on the other side of the fence.
"Say, why couldn't we just blast the door lock with that gun of yours?" Paul Venkman asked as they ran through the abandoned park, peering into every dimly lit corner.
"Because," Ray said "I don't want to cause criminal damage unless it's in the process of catching a spook. THAT, we can claim off the insurance, but deliberately- not so easy."
—Being their lawyer must be a tough gig..— Paul mused, then pushed that thought aside and focused on his son instead.
"Peter!" he yelled as loud as he could "Where are ya, boy?"
"PETER!" Ray cried, his voice almost lost in the howl of the wind "you here?"
They carried on this way for an unmeasurable amount of time, shouting themselves hoarse.
They were on the verge of giving up, when Ray thought he heard a faint scream and he ran off towards it, squinting through the pelting rain. He skidded round a corner, almost slipping in the mud, had Paul not grabbed his arm and halted his momentum when he did.
Up ahead was a decrepit old pier, although it still looked in better condition then most of the rides they'd passed in their search. But none of that mattered, for they'd found Peter.
The howling wasn't just from the wind, it was coming from a very angry wraith that was holding Peter up off the ground.
"Peter!" Ray cried, making both the ghost and its captive look over at him. Behind Ray, Paul dropped the second proton pack, racing after Ray as his heart felt ready to stop in his chest. That thing was trying to kill Peter!
"Ray, run!" Peter gasped around the clawed hand holding him up by his collar.
"Another of your kind, hm?" The wraith looked down at the second Ghostbuster "what excellent timing. I'll snap this ones neck and then I'll torture you! "
Ray gritted his teeth and pressed the startup button on his pack. Hearing the hum, the wraith shook its head, turning so the soaked and bedraggled Peter was held in front of it like a shield "drop it NOW, or I'll really make him suffer!"
Ray hesitated, but when the thing tightened its grip on Peter's neck, Ray shut the switch off with shaking hands.
"You can't imagine my delight when I sensed this one wandering around my prison, such delicious anger, such recklessness. I lured him here pretending to be a lost soul he could save….what a fool! Now you've come for him, you can perish together! I'll take the whole town to task for locking me up in here!"
"The hell you will!" Ray spat, fists clenching as he tried to desperately think of a plan, anything!
"You put my boy down right this instant!" Paul stepped up beside Ray, giving the thing the finger.
"Dad?!" Peter coughed, even as he began to feel light headed. Why was his father here?!
"You heard me you piece of ghost trash. Why don't you put him down and pick on someone your own age!" Paul Venkman sneered. "You're a coward you are, I can see right through you!"
As he talked, Ray crept closer to Peter, hoping if he could just get in position-
"Very well, I shall erase your entire family off the face of the earth!" the thing laughed at these taunts. Ray was all set to fire, but the ghosts eyes suddenly darted to him and with a movement of its wrist, it threw Venkman over the end of the pier.
"NO!" Ray cried, his throat raw from the force of the shout. He took off without thinking, unstrapping his proton pack and letting it clatter to the wooden boards. There was an old life-ring at the piers end, it looked a little moth-eaten but the rope was still attached. Ray grabbed it, vaulting the railings and diving off.
The cold water hit like a ton of bricks and he gasped, water flooding his lungs. Only the life ring kept him afloat and he blinked seawater from his eyes, looking desperately for Peter. But there was no sign of him on the waves so he took a deep breath, diving under the water and looking around in the gloom-
Something bumped his side and he almost had a heart attack, before seeing a flash of pale skin. Peter!
He grabbed hold of him and kicked up towards the surface. He'd later wonder how he managed it, for he wasn't a great swimmer, in fact he barely even knew how. He was just going on instinct and a desperate wish to rescue Peter. He got the life ring around his unconscious friend, wrapping the rope around his arm and trying to tow them closer to the legs of the pier.
He'd just got himself and Peter safely onto the worn rocks below the front struts when he seen a bolt of proton energy light up the sky and heard a howl of rage.
"Paul!" he gasped. He looked at his belt, was there anything- there!
He had a renewed prototype of a ghost bomb, similar to the one they'd used to blow closed the doorway to the boogeyman's realm. Egon had designed and Ray had built it. He'd designed it to withstand being slimed, which meant it was sealed well enough to withstand water too. Peter shivered and uttered a faint moan as Ray stood up.
Taking a deep breath, Ray began climbing the wooden strut, keeping his eyes on the top. His lungs burned and he could barely see straight amidst the storm but he kept going, one hand over the other. He reached the place where the boardwalk jutted just a few inches out over his head and pulled the grenade from his belt. He pressed in the switch, lobbing it as the light from Paul's latest attempt with the proton pack sizzled in the rain.
"RUN!" he screamed in the lull of thunderbolts.
Up top, the wraith turned, seeing something bounce onto the warped boards. It zoomed over, about to grab and toss it back overboard, but Peter's dad wasn't having it. He'd started running soon as he'd seen what was undeniably a grenade bounce to the floor, but on seeing the thing reaching to pick it up, he spun on his heel and fired again, clipping its head. It roared and automatically turned its attention to this threat instead. Paul grinned as he seen the grenade blink faster and faster-
He took off running, hoping this would work-
BOOM.
A blast of protonic light swelled out from the device, searing through the ghost like fire through tissue paper. It screamed and thrashed, howling its fury into the storm.
Ray had tried to get out of the way of the blast, but the edge of it still clipped him, knocking him off with the force of a punch to the gut.
He heard the ghost's screams, seen it growing smaller as he fell. He twisted in mid-tumble, unclipping and throwing the trap. It flew up, looping around the railing then coming to a stop. Ray held onto the release button, pressing it down with all the strength his numb fingers had.
The cable jerked to a halt, swinging him back and forth like a pendulum. Ray bit back a scream of pain as his right ankle slammed into the strut hard enough to jar his whole body. But he dimly heard the trap snap shut, then he couldn't hear the wraith any more.
"Ray!" Paul ditched the proton pack and ran over to the railing "Peter?!"
A glance down showed his son was safely out of the water, but Ray was hanging precariously from the chord of the trap.
"Get Peter!" Ray hollered, pointing to the place where the life ring was bolted to the railings. Peter's dad nodded, slowly hauling his unconscious son up to the boardwalk. He set him down, checked he was still breathing then ran to where the ghost trap still hung from the worn iron railings.
Finally, the second soaked-through Ghostbuster was out of harms way. But no sooner had Ray gotten back on solid ground, then he was scrambling over to kneel next to Peter.
"C'mon, wake up!" he pleaded, checking his pulse, worried it'd slowed. So he did the only thing he could think of, CPR. He could barely see straight from a mix of rain and his own frantic tears-
-Peter coughed, body spasming suddenly as he coughed up water, curling instinctively onto his side. He coughed and wheezed, shuddering from the cold that seemed to make up 90% of his bones. Opening his eyes, he seen a hand braced beside his head, wearing a waterlogged beige uniform...slowly, he raised his eyes, the familiar face of his beloved Raymond swimming into view.
"Ray…?" he coughed "What're you doing here?"
"Proving beyond a doubt you're worth saving." Ray said, tears of relief welling up, only to be washed away by the rain.
"You were supposed to run, you big goof." Peter said weakly, yet feeling grateful beyond words for Ray's presence.
"Nope." Ray grinned. Peter seized him by his collar and kissed him, the sensation bringing some feeling back to their numb lips.
Paul slumped back against an old lamppost as he seen his son start breathing properly and when he opened his eyes again just a few seconds later, it was in time to see Peter kiss Ray on the lips. It was a sweet scene, seeing how this young fella had done everything he could to save Peter.
"I'm so glad we found you." Ray said shakily as he helped Peter sit up.
"We?" Peter rubbed the back of his head "who's we-?" He glanced aside as he seen signs of movement and startled Ray by pushing to his feet so fast it knocked the red-head onto his rear.
"Oof!" Ray squeaked, shaking his head. What was wrong? "Peter?"
"Why is HE here?!" Peter snapped, his old anger resurfacing. He turned and started to stalk away on legs that felt like rubber "I said I was done and I meant it, c'mon Ray!"
Ray got to his feet, running after Peter. But once he grabbed hold of the back of Peters jumpsuit, he dug his heels in and brought them both to a halt.
"Ray? What're y-you doing?" now the shock was wearing off, Peter was starting to feel the cold. Ray shifted his weight, his ankle really hurt and he dimly recalled twisting it or something.
"P-please Peter," he said softly "I brought him so he c-could tell the t-truth."
"He's right, son." Paul could see Peter was still angry, despite being cold and in shock. "Ray here came to find me, he put two and two together and worked out that you'd bolted. He damn near knocked the door down to tear me a new one and he was right to, I know I've been the worst father, you've been left to yourself for so long..."
Peter hesitated, he'd never heard his dad sound do remorseful.
"I didn't think I ever had a chance at showing I care about you, kiddo. You'd never believe me, so I just figured if I could find a way to work with you, that'd be somethin'. Thats the story behind the ghost repellers..."
Ray sneezed, still holding tightly to Peter, afraid he might run..
"You want to know why I was here? The guy who runs the mall, the same one you boys were hired by, he's an old school friend. I called him up to ask for a job, a proper job. I have an interview tomorrow. I set off early to go see the place, but I got delayed and by the time I arrived here, you'd just gotten into the hotel."
"Y-you're serious?" Peter said. His father rummaged in his pocket and pulled out a letter, showing the schedule for the interview. Peter stared at it, seeing the rain soaking the paper, but it WAS real. He looked up at his father, seeing he looked genuine. But part of him still refused to get his hopes up and he turned away, shutting his eyes.
"I know it's not enough, but if it'll help, I'll tell Auriga to give you a call with a progress report. If I screw up, you can cut all ties. Just give me one more chance, Peter. I know you don't believe it after the way I raised you, but I do love you. Nothing makes me happier than to see you doing so well, working as a Ghostbuster. You've become the businessman your father never could be, crawled up from the bottom where I left us to grow into a hero."
Peter stared ahead, unsure what to believe. He believed that Ray had tried to drill some sense into his father, Ray was sweet like that, willing to do anything. He could feel Ray's hand resting on his back, imagined he could feel the pulse connecting them.
"I wasn't calling that reporter to blab about- ya know, you fellas. I figured it out some time ago, just haven't seen you since I did. You couldn't pick a nicer fella than this one. The reporter wanted to ask about that broad you boys pried outta the wall, he was some historical buff, so he said."
Peter sighed.
"Please….Peter?" Ray asked and Peter sighed.
"Ray, do you believe him?"
Ray looked from Peter to Paul Venkman. He seen how defeated and finally grounded the older Venkman seemed.
"I do, Peter." he said softly "I know we cant always be sure of what the future holds, but we gotta try. Family is, it's a big part of us. Give him one more chance.."
"If I mess it up, I won't blame you for cutting contact." Paul Venkman sat down on the waterlogged bench with a heavy sigh "I just hope its not too late. Ray here was right, blood's worth more than money. Shoulda been from the start.."
He paused, hearing Peter snicker. Then it sunk in, so to speak.
"I just sat in icy water, didn't I?"
Even Ray cracked a smile.
"Fine, dad." Peter sighed "but I'm serious- you pull one more scheme, I'm gone."
"I understand, son. It ain't gonna be easy, but an old dog can learn new tricks."
"L-let's go..." Ray coughed, making Peter turn to face him. He took in how shaken Ray looked and set off at once.
Paul Venkman ran behind them, somehow carrying the proton packs and trap. They ended up lasering the gates open in the end, all three of the too cold to climb it again.
Just as they stepped out, Ray limping pretty badly by now, the blinding lights of police cars flooded their vision. They shielded their eyes as the lights died down and the door to the first cruiser opened.
"What's going on- hay, aren't you the Ghostbusters?" the officer cut off mid-question with another.
"Y-yes, I'm Ray Stantz." Ray limped forward. "We got a call saying there was an out of control wraith loose in the park. We just barely took care of it!"
He held up the trap for emphasis, the light on it blinking steadily. The officer's eyes widened, he'd seen these fellas enough times on the TV to know Ray was telling the truth. Then he seen how Ray was refusing to put any weight on his ankle.
"Sir, what happened? Are you hurt?"
"I-i think I just sprained it." Ray said, but his efforts to take a step forward sent such pain through him that he collapsed to the ground. Peter ran to his side, helping him sit.
"This is cruiser 304, send an ambulance to the old theme park, we've got three very soaked individuals, one with a suspected broken bone."
He grabbed some blankets from the squad car and wrapped them around the two, Paul insisted he was fine, he'd gotten off easy!
"Ah-!" Ray flinched as he sat in the back of the ambulance, being poked and prodded by the paramedic.
"I hate to tell you, sir, but you've broken your ankle. You'll need to come to the hospital to get it set."
"O-oh dear..." Ray sneezed. Peter was coughing and shivering too, the cold had gotten to him fast.
As they arrived at the hospital, Peter asked his dad to call the Ghostbusters and tell Egon and co what'd happened.
"EGON!" Janine hollared, bringing the bespectacled scientist scurrying up from the basement.
"What is it Janine?" he asked, blinking as she held the phone out to him.
"Phone call for you."
"Oh, thank you. Hello, this is Egon?"
"Oh, thank goodness. This is Peter's father-"
"Dr. Venkman?" Egon asked "Where's Peter, why are YOU calling me?"
"There's been an incident, those two boys got hurt busting a ghost, real nasty piece of work it was!"
"What? Right…." Egon noted down the basics, promised they'd be there asap, and set the phone down.
"What happened?" Janine asked, grabbing Egon's hand before he ran off.
"It's Ray and Peter, they're in hospital after a bust went awry! Ray's broken his ankle and Peter's got mild hypothermia..."
"Oh dear, those poor boys." Janine clucked sympathetically "give them my best, wont you?"
"Of course." Egon paused to plant a kiss on her forehead before darting away and Janine chuckled, he was so sweet sometimes.
When Winston heard about it, he grabbed his coat and ran for Ecto-1 with Egon in tow. They drove as fast as they could, hoping the duo hadn't gotten too badly hurt.
Ray waved enthusiastically to them from his bed when Egon and Winston walked in.
"Hay Ray," Winston looked at the cast around Ray's ankle "you've certainly been in the wars, haven't you?"
"It was a wraith!" Ray said brightly, pointing at the trap on his locker. Egon took it and clipped it to his belt, he'd bring it back with him and dispose of it.
"Where's Peter?" Egon asked now.
Ray pointed out the door they'd come in, to another across the hall.
"He's there, but he's talking with his dad at the moment. I think things may finally be improving..."
"That's good to hear." Egon sat down next to the bed, Winston pulling up an extra chair beside him.
"So how'd it all go down?" he asked, and Ray grinned, telling them the whole story.
"Yikes, off a pier?!" Winston paled "you're either crazy or fearless Ray, or maybe both!"
"You don't know how to swim," Egon looked alarmed "how did you manage to pull you both to safety?"
"I think it was just instinct," Ray flushed "I couldn't let him die, you guys. Peter's dad managed to distract the ghost long enough for me to set off the grenade."
"Great work, Ray. We're glad you both made it." Egon smiled "Slimer and Janine send their regards, I believe Slimer's exact message was 'thbbbt'. Unsure of the significance."
Ray giggled at the sight of the stoic Egon blowing a raspberry. Good old Slimer!
At that moment, Paul Venkman exited his son's room. On seeing the door to Rays room open and two familiar faces visiting, he stuck his head in.
"Hey, boys!" he grinned.
"Paul!" Ray beamed "How did the interview go?"
"I nailed it, I start on monday!"
"That's excellent, I bet Peter's pleased." Ray clapped his hands and smiled.
Paul Venkman nodded "heh, yeah. First time I did something that didn't upset the boy. Makes a change!"
"Whats this job?" Egon asked, Paul grinned at him and Winston now.
"You're looking at the PR marketing rep for the Auriga mall. I get the chance to put my charms to good use for once."
"Heyy, nice one!" Winston nodded "you'll be a natural."
"Heh, thanks son."
"Winston is right, you have a natural talent for being talkative, just like Peter." Egon chuckled. "Peter's gotten us out of many a tight spot with that silver tongue of his."
This phrase brought back a memory to Ray of something else Peter did with his tongue. He bit his lip, forcing himself not to blush, but the downside was he ended up looking like he badly needed to laugh.
"What's the matter with him?" Paul asked, seeing Ray looking fit to bust. Ray uttered a loud snort, burst out laughing gleefully and couldn't stop for a good minute.
"Okayy...somebody's high on the painkillers. Ray's gone bye-bye." Winston rolled his eyes.
"S-sorry Winston..." Ray wiped his eyes "just feeling a little funny is all."
"Oh I'm sure my son can kiss it better once he's let loose from bed." Paul rolled his eyes, causing Winston and Egon to double-take at him and set Ray chuckling again.
"Yeah, long story." Paul Venkman winked at Ray as he left "One I wont be telling anybody, I promised!"
Then he was gone.
"Wow, this must've bene one heck of a weekend!" Winston said, while Egon tried to puzzle out how all this had happened. Figuring he'd give Spengler's brain a rest, Ray began telling them…
As soon as Ray could get out of bed and into a wheelchair, he scuttled across the hall to Peter's room.
"Hay, you." Peter smiled at him from his bed. He was hooked up to a warm intravenous drip and wrapped in thermal blankets. Luckily he hadn't been kept cold for long. On getting into the ambulance, the medics had taken one look at their soaked clothing and unceremoniously told both men to get out of those clothes, providing hospital shirts and trousers to replace them. They'd then been wrapped in blankets and given carefully warmed tea to aid the slow recovery of their regular body temperature. The uniforms and any attached equipment had been put in storage until the two were well enough.
"We were lucky.." Ray said softly, "we didn't get too sick."
"Yeah, I know. If those cops hadn't shown up, we probably would've been worse off. The doc said hypothermia can get REAL nasty."
"Yeah," Ray said with a smile "Your dad popped in, told us the good news."
Peter smiled "I gotta admit, I'm pretty impressed. Here's hoping he can stick with it."
Ray scooted as close as he could, grasping Peter's hand gently. Peter smiled, tired eyes taking in his cute little lover.
"My Raymond." he said softly, making Ray blush as he squeezed his hand.
Ray felt his heart speed up, the warmth of Peter's skin a relief as he reflected on how cold the mans body had been when Ray had pulled him out of the water.
"You saved me, Ray." Peter said gently, drawing Ray's attention back to him. Peter's serious expression made Ray pause as he opened his mouth to modestly deny the praise.
"I don't just mean from the wraith, Raymond. I was at my worst when I fled the hotel, I'd given up and thought that running away would forever be my only option. But you made my father see what he'd ignored for years and what I'd given up trying to achieve."
"I just wanted you- us, to be happy." Ray blushed, staring at his hands as he picked at the cast on his ankle. Peters hand lifted his chin, making the red-head sit up properly.
"You better believe that cute rear of yours, I am!" Peter grinned, making Ray blush as he made a crude but affectionate mime with his hands. Ray burst out laughing, resting his head on the side of the bed as he giggled helplessly.
"OH dear, I may have overdone it." Peter rubbed his chin, eyebrows raising as Ray's laughter continued.
"Can ya breathe down there?" He asked at last, ruffling Ray's hair. Ray sat back at last, wiping his eyes and grinning at Peter. The sight of his happy smile made Peter's heart ache in the best way.
Ray was just trying to figure a way to get out of the wheelchair so that he could kiss Peter, when the door opened and they both glanced at the door.
"Oh, there you are, mister Stantz." The doctor checked his clipboard "I apologise for interrupting your conversation, but I need to run more x-rays on your ankle."
"Of course." Ray said, wincing as he awkwardly manoeuvred the wheelchair to follow the doctor.
Peter bid him goodbye, sighing softly as he was left alone again. He'd so been hoping for a kiss…
A few more days of brief moments together, during which they couldn't do much more than talk, then the duo were finally released. Both Ray and Peter had been fortunate in that the side-effects of the dunk in the cold water hadn't had time to affect them seriously. Peter was left with a bit of a mild cough, but otherwise fine. Ray's ankle would take time to heal, but he was fairly healthy otherwise. The doctors recommended both gentlemen to take some time before returning to work.
The others dropped by in Ecto-1 to collect them, an act that caused a stir, as the children's ward looked out into the parking lot. Seeing the kids pressing their faces to the windows to get a look, the quartet waved up at them. Ray seen one little boy in crutches much like his own and spared a moment to give him a buoyant smile. The kid beamed, feeling a little less alone as one of the Ghostbusters shared the same trouble.
Ray settled into the plush softness of the seats as they drove back. On his lap was a set of crutches, which he wasn't too great with, but the firehouse wasn't set up for a wheelchair.
Getting out of the car, he nearly fell on his face, had Egon not grabbed his arm and steadied him.
"Take it slow." was his recommendation and Ray duly nodded. Taking a deep breath, he stumbled onwards. Focusing intently on setting one crutch in front of the other. As he stumbled in the door, Slimer rushed him in a relieved hug. Ray wobbled, falling back to be braced by Peter's arms, his back pressing against Venkman's chest.
"Oopsie.." Slimer burbled, seeing the cast.
"It's alright, Slimer." Rays aid, seeing the ghost looking bummed out "Just gotta go easy on the hugs for a while, okay?"
"You OK Ray?" Peter asked, but because his chin was resting on the curve of Rays shoulder, the sensation made Ray squirm and start laughing. This made Rays balance veer off again and Peter had to quickly wrap his arms around Ray's middle to save him from falling over.
"He still on the meds?" Egon mused, watching this surprisingly intimate interaction.
"Naw," Janine rolled her eyes good naturedly "just ticklish. Like this!"
She snuck behind Egon and ran a perfectly manicured nail up his back. A shiver raced up the doctors back and he yelped, tensing up a moment.
"See?" Janine stood next to him and slipped a subtle wink when Winston was busy rolling his eyes at the romantic shenanigans going on around him. Egon felt his face flush, but got himself under control by the time Ray was standing on his crutches again, although Peter remained nearby just in case.
"I'm starving!" Ray declared, setting his sights on the stairs, then he paused "Uhhh...you fellas go up ahead, it's gonna take a minute to get used to these things."
They all did as the flustered Ray asked, well, most of them did. Peter stopped midway up, snapping his fingers and turning back to Ray.
"Hay, I completely forgot, we gotta sign that cast! It's tradition, right?"
Ray, feeling panic at his restricted mobility starting to claw as his muscles ached. He was only at the first landing and already his arms hurt, but he was pulled away from the edge of panic by Peter's question.
"Thats right.." he chuckled, "it'd brighten it up!"
Peter grinned, leaning back against the railings as Ray reached the point where he stood on the steps, the grin on his face suggesting all manner of lewd ideas.
"Not THAT." Ray said sternly, making Peter put a hand on his chest, batting his eyelashes innocently at Ray.
"Me, rude? Why, I'd be insulted- but I'm not fooling anyone!" he winked at Ray, bounding ahead the last few steps before Ray could scold him. Ray shook his head, feeling a little better and this was enough to get him the rest of the way up the stairs.
Winston watched this with curiosity, noting the easygoing way Peter found an excuse to hover nearby on the stairs, yet not directly make Ray feel imposed.
Ray sat himself on the couch at Egon's suggestion, sighing sadly.
"Are you in pain?" Egon asked as he handed Ray a mug of coffee.
"No, Egon, I'm fine." Ray said, watching the ripples in the cup as he held it.
"That doesn't seem to have any evidence to back it up, rather, I postulate my theory is correct. That being that something is bothering you." Egon watched him, a mild frown on his face.
"I just hate the idea of sitting on my rear-end for weeks while this heals!" Ray glowered at the cast "I cant stand the idea of being useless."
"You're not useless, Ray." Winston joined Egon on the couch beside their friend. Peter perched on the arm of the couch, looking worriedly at Ray.
"Winston is correct, you'll be able to access the lab. It just so happens that I have some upgrade plans for the car, it'd be appreciated if you could go over them, Ray, as you know the vehicle best." Egon stated, making Ray's eyes brighten a little. He doted on Ecto-1 like it was his baby, so Egon's proposal was just the ticket.
"See?" Peter patted Ray's back gently "you'll be busy with that, then soon you'll be back to busting ghosts and kicking ass!"
Slimer came over with a pen, gesturing to Ray's cast and babbling hopefully. Ray nodded, feeling better now he was back home and surrounded by his friends.
Once Slimer was done, he tossed the pen to Peter, who refrained from anything crude and just wrote a cheeky joke he knew would get a giggle. Egon, Winston and Janine followed suit, each doing their own little section with something they thought the cast's wearer would smile at.
"Thanks guys." Ray beamed at his far more colourful cast (there was even a bit of ectoplasmic slime in the shape of a handprint, thanks to Slimer.).
The rest of that evening he was resting against Peter's side as they watched a movie, occasionally fidgeting as his legs and back cramped.
"Ray, whatta you trying to do exactly? Aside from climb all over Peter?" Winston asked, shaking his head at the way Ray was squirming.
"For the record, I'm totally not objecting." Peter somehow said with a straight face, making Ray turn red as he finally settled himself so his back was propped up against Peter's shoulder.
"Sorry," he said, blushing even more at his awkwardness "I didn't realise how cumbersome this thing could be!"
He glowered at his cast as he did, sighing crossly.
"Ah, don't worry." Peter shrugged "you'll get used to it, then by the time you do, it'll be time to remove it!"
"That is an accurate timescale for a cast." Egon mused "I broke my arm when I was younger and I couldn't stand the cast, just about drove my mother crazy. That was when I tried to do some experiments to ease my boredom, but wound up setting fire to the garage instead."
"Seriously?" Ray looked across at Egon "what did your parents say?"
"They went nuclear." Egon sighed "I was grounded for months!"
"Hee hee, Egon's a closet arsonist!" Peter teased.
"It was ONE time!" Egon said with a huff, hearing Janine chuckle beside him.
Towards the end of the movie, Peter felt the need to stretch and arced his back, arms stretched above his head. The motion disturbed Ray, who was still leaning against him and the startled red-head yelped as he fell backwards and as a result landed across Peter's lap.
"Oh, hey!" Peter looked down at him, arms still in the air "forgot you were leanin' on me, sorry."
Ray went red, this was a rather intimate position to land in. "M-mind helping me up?" He coughed.
Peter chuckled, helping Ray sit up back up again.
To their credit, the others didn't poke fun, just shared "aint that sweet" grins, particularly Winston and Janine. Slimer clapped his hands, making cooing noises. Peter blew a raspberry at him, with a smug expression that made Ray chuckle. He admired Peter's fearlessness, the guy didn't seem to give a damn.
Secretly though, Peter felt his heart thud rapidly whenever he was able to share these little moments with Ray. He didn't want to annoy the other two with the displays of affection, but Ray was impossible to leave completely alone, so he toned his attentions down as far as he could bear.
He helped Ray get up the winding stairs to the bedroom, watching as Ray set the crutches by the side of his bed with a sigh. Poor Ray, he didn't much like being so confined, not a fella like him that had so much energy.
The next morning, Peter stirred before the others and glanced across at Ray. The other man was sat on the edge of his bed, staring glumly at the crutches. Peter got up and crept over, sitting next to Ray atop the bed.
"Hay Peter." Ray sighed, chin resting on his hands. Peter slipped an arm around his middle, kissing him on the forehead softly.
"Whats wrong, champ?" he asked softly.
"I just feel restless." Ray said with a huff "I wanna move around, but my leg..."
"I know, it sucks." Peter tilted the mopey Ghostbusters chin up so he could plant a kiss on his lips, murmuring "it'll be over before you know it. Hey, why don't I carry you down to breakfast?"
"Pe-mmhh..." Ray was silenced by another kiss as Peter silently scooped him up and carried him downstairs to the kitchen, where he sat him down in a chair, then offered to make breakfast.
The fire alarm was what woke Egon and Winston up, sending them careening down the stairs to see-
Peter looking a bit sheepish, holding a smoking saucepan at arms length while Ray fidgeted in his seat, looking around for some way to shut off the alarm. Egon walked over and opened the window, eventually silencing the shrill bleeping.
"What were you trying to do, exactly?" he questioned Peter, who scratched his cheek and coughed.
"Breakfast?" he said innocently. Egon rolled his eyes and took over, with Winston's help. Peter sat next to Ray and they shared a small smile. So much for a special breakfast!
"I think I'll leave the pancakes to you in future." Peter chuckled to Ray as Egon set the plates down before them.
"I can teach you, it's not that tricky." Ray said with a smile, which made Peter feel a bit better after the mishap. Ray tucked into the food with gusto, his appetite was back to its usual self, to everyone's relief. Peter was the same, scarfing his food and grinning at Egon, applauding the food.
"Cooking is just a matter of using the correct formula." Egon said primly, making Peter roll his eyes. But Egon's face held the trace of a smile, the obvious giveaway Peter's teasing hadn't bothered the physicist.
As the others got up to answer the bell, Ray tried tried to stand, only to realise he didn't have his crutches.
"Ah..." he sighed, making Egon pause to glance at him.
"Something wrong Ray?" he asked, puzzled.
"I uh….left my crutches upstairs." Ray said, grinning guiltily.
"Then how did you get down the stairs?" Egon was genuinely puzzled, wouldn't that stress his injuries?
There was the sound of Winston and Peter face-palming, and the sight of Ray going red and squeaking. Egon shrugged and jogged upstairs to get them anyway.
"Wonderfully clueless, isn't he?" Peter wiped his eyes, giggling merrily.
"Just a tad." Winston admitted "for a genius, he's very innocent."
Egon ignored his snickering coworkers as he handed Ray his crutches. Ray thanked him, getting unsteadily to his feet and waving to the others as they left. Then he hobbled along to his office, where Egon had said he'd left the plans.
The days passed, with Ray spending most of his time on the same floor as his ffice, hobbling awkwardly here and there to check Ecto-1 or eat dinner on the couch. Peter and the others all aided him when possible, not taking Ray's apologies for a refusal.
"Sorry." Ray sighed for the 15th time, this time to Egon as the blonde helped him reach the top floor, Ray's arm looped over his shoulders.
"You do not need to constantly apologise, Ray." Egon said calmly as he guided Ray over to his bed and sat him down, standing back up once he was sure Ray was safely settled.
"I know, but-"
"The is no requirement for these "Butts" you mention so frequently." Egon said sternly.
"I heard the word butt, what'd I miss?" Peter out of nowhere poked his head up from the lower rungs of the stairs. Egon sighed, turning to glower at him.
"Nothing intellectual, I can assure you." he sighed, while Ray chuckled. Peter winked at his partner, before disappearing back downstairs. His footsteps could be heard tapping across the floorboards, then there was the sound of him vaulting the couch in typical fashion.
"Wait," Egon scratched his head "did he seriously come all that way just to investigate my usage of a word referencing the human rear end?"
"Yup." Ray said, muffling his laughter with one hand.
Egon shrugged and shook his head, but the obvious smile on Ray's face said it all. Those two were content together.
"It's fascinating," Egon mused as he studied Ray "you two seem to have a low percentage of embarrassment about displays of affection. It's admirable."
Ray regarded the stern doctor, seeing a trace of wistfulness in Egon's carefully constructed facade. He was thinking about Janine, Ray knew it.
"Peters the fearless one," he blushed "he instigates it, I always freeze up and worry im bothering the rest of you."
"As if it might be mistaken for being boastful.." Egon added, making Ray nod. The two shared looks, smiling faintly at how they were both the more introverted side of their respective relationships.
"I guess we'll just have to learn by example." Ray theorised, smiling warmly "If Peter's got no qualms about getting comfortable, maybe I shouldn't be so tense."
-Perhaps that is the answer?- Egon mused. Janine more often than not hugged HIM to begin with and he was still a little slow to respond. He just wasn't used to displaying such affection.
"Not as easy as it seems, huh?" Ray confided, making Egon nod. But they both felt a little better after getting that off their chest.
Winston and Peter came upstairs shortly after, Peter pausing to smile at Ray before making his way to his own bed. He missed the feel of Ray's body next to his, wished he could sleep in the same bed as his lover.
Across the room, Ray wanted the same, the absence of Peter's body on his was like a physical ache.
Winston noticed the glances between them as he got into bed, seen Peter sigh softly before throwing the covers over his head.
The next day he pulled Egon aside and said the two of them would be taking a trip out to the parts store that afternoon, work pending.
"What for?" Egon asked "I don't need anything."
"No, but they do-" Winston poked the doctor's cheek so his gaze settled on the way Peter and Ray were sitting together at the kitchen table. They were speaking softly, sitting as close as they could, taking every moment they could spare. In another subtle gesture, Peter's thumb was tracing back and forth across Ray's wrist.
"Ah." Egon said simply.
"Good, you're on the right track, my man." Winston said quietly "We'll need to distract Janine too, even Slimer."
"Why Slimer? Oh, right, of course. It isn't going to enhance any romantic intentions if Slimer intrudes." Egon put it together faster than Wisnton usually seen from him. The guy was still too logical to assume any innuendos in that sentence, but it was progress.
"It should be safe enough, Ray won't be straining his ankle if he and Peter spend some time alone." Egon added, nodding as he felt he understood the idea. Winston bit his lip and tried SO hard not to laugh, just about succeeding. Egon heard him, however and gave him a funny look.
"Why do you keep doing that around me?" he asked, feeling himself flush unexpectedly. What was he missing?
"I'll explain later." Winston patted Egon on the back as he walked over to the table to join the others.
Janine copped on right away and told Egon she'd like to join them on their shopping. Egon looked puzzled, but the idea of having Janine with them did make him smile, so it was a plan.
As they left, Janine put a "gone to lunch" sign on the door and had already set the answering machine.
Ray was in his office when Peter emerged from the shower, neatly dressed in jeans and a sleeveless shirt. He looked around, calling for the others. No answer, just a note stuck to the phone with a time scribbled on it.
He heard Ray's voice from his office, asking was everything alright? Peter drifted in, setting down atop the desk facing his precious Ghostbuster.
Ray let his eyes slide over Peter's well-toned shoulders, along the curve of his collarbone-
"Like what you see?" Peter seen him staring and teasingly leaned in close to Ray, brushing his fingers up the man's thigh.
Ray felt his face flush hotly, but there was no denying it.
"You know I do," he said softly, going even redder. Geez, he had to have sounded awkward. How did Peter flirt so effortlessly?
But Peter looked pleased at the compliment, kissing Ray deeply as reward.
"Never change, Ray," he said softly "I love the way you're so adorable."
He felt Ray's hands tangle in his hair as they kissed, heard him sigh longingly. So he picked him up out of the chair, balancing Ray against his chest as he set off for the bedroom.
"P-peter?" Ray stammered, hands linked at Venkman's neck "what about Egon and the others?"
"All gone, I think they went for a little trip, to give us a bit of space. Why else would even Spud be absent from the premises?"
Ray felt his pulse race at the meaning of the gesture. He HAD missed Peter so very much.
Peter lay Ray down atop the red-head's bed, kissing him several times as he ran his hands over Ray's chest and sides. At last, he moved onto unbuttoning Ray's shirt, kissing the spot over his heart, relishing in the scent of his skin as he began undressing him.
He took a moment to prop pillows under Ray's cast, so their lovemaking wouldn't put strain on his body and soon the cast was the only thing his precious Raymond wore.
Peter took a moment to sit back and admire the man beneath him and Ray blushed at the way Peter regarded him, as if he was the only thing in the world that mattered.
"I waited way too long to say this." Peter kissed Ray, nipped at his neck and whispered three sweet words in his ear. The same words Ray had uttered that day they'd made love by the containment unit.
Ray wrapped his arms around Peter's shoulders, feeling happier then he had in some time. Peter took his sweet time, finding the places on Ray's body that made the Ghostbuster squirm in pleasure atop the formerly pristine sheets.
By the time the main act began, Ray was in a state of blissful pleasure, body tingling from head to toe. Peter's kisses sent lightning bolts up his spine and he uttered a soft gasp as Peter released him so he could begin.
"I don't know if I ever made it clear enough;" Peter whispered as he nuzzled Ray's nose "but what you did for me at the pier, saving my life and persuading me to give my father a chance? I promise someday I'll find a way to repay your generosity, my sweet Raymond. For now, let me give you everything I have…."
Knowing they were alone meant they didn't have to hold back, their gasps and cries of passion filling the bedroom. When they'd first slept together, Peter had told Ray to hold onto him if he felt like he was being swept away. Ray clung tightly to Peter's body now, its warmth like a life raft. All the days apart in the hospital and at the firehouse made this uninterrupted time together all the more vital.
He felt lightheaded for several seconds after the finale, burying his face in Peter's sweat-dampened hair, the soft strands tickling his face.
"Oh, how I missed you." Peter whispered in his ear, making Ray smile and nibble languidly on Peter's earlobe.
"Me too." he said huskily, making Peter grin in that shag-happy way of his.
They eventually parted, with Peter carrying Ray to the bathroom. He supported the other Ghostbuster as they showered, making sure the cast didn't get wet (his excuse anyway.)
Once they were dressed they settled on the couch together, feeling content and happy.
For just a couple of hours, the world had belonged to them alone, they'd found time to reconnect after the trauma of the wraith at the pier. Looking at his sweet Raymond as he chuckled at the TV show in progress, Peter felt for certain that he deserved the affections of this gentle natured man.
He surprised Ray by blocking his view of the TV and kissing him. Ray smiled, kissing him back and the TV was quickly forgotten as they indulged some very passionate kissing, determined to make the most of their time before their friends returned and life carried on as normal.
"Home at last." Egon said briskly as Ecto-1 pulled into the parking bay. He sprung out of the car, holding a box of parts in his arms. Despite his insistence that he didn't need new parts, the shop had gotten a restock just that morning so Janine and Winston ended up having to pry him away in the end. As Egon had been packing the last bag at the till, his friends waiting by the door, the cashier had leaned in confidentially.
"Your girl there's a charmer. You're lucky doc."
Egon had blinked, before a soft smile graced his features and he nodded.
"Indeed I am, she's very special." He'd said decisively, before bidding the man farewell and heading to his friend and...well, were they technically boyfriend and girlfriend?
This question had slipped his mind as Janine tucked her arm through his, the light shining off her hair as the trio headed for the car.
Now, he glanced back as he ascended the stairs, seeing her smile at him. Behind her, Winston raised his eyebrows in "you got this." sort of way, which made Egon feel a little braver. Thus, he waited for Janine to catch up and they walked side by side up the rest of the way.
"Petey! Ray!" Slimer shot by all of them, zooming over to where Ray and Peter were cosied up on the couch. Both men yelped, startled by the green ghosts enthusiasm.
"Miss us?" Winston joked as he walked past them into the kitchen.
Peter grinned by way of response, and Janine could see the happiness radiating from Venkman. His body language was so different to his usual aloofness, somehow Ray had gotten through to him in a way nobody else could. Judging by the way Ray looked at Peter, he'd seen the same thing. Their eyes met and she flashed Ray a smile.