Casper's bed was soft and warm. Even after only arriving five minutes ago. She just had come back from basketball training. There would be a game in a few weeks. Ra and Harpy were out on a date so once again alone time, which was good. She needed that.

She flinched when he hopped onto the mattress. Their eyes met and she sat up. Casper leaned in to kiss her but noticed her backing off. „What's wrong?" he asked and turned fully to her. Mantha took his hand into both of her's as comfort. She sighed.

„They saw it." she muttered. „Tara said it looks disgusting." she added. Mantha wasn't big on crying in situations like this, she usually coped with anger but this time her eyes were teary.

Casper layed his free hand on Mantha's cheek. „Beb, you know that that's not true." he insisted. The zombie leaned into her boyfriends touch. „But everyone thinks my skin is disgusting and I think- I think they might be right." her voice was shaky. She closed her eyes and sighed.

The ghost narrowed his eyes. „Who is everyone? Tara? Who cares about what she says huh? I saw her throwing a ball, this girl shouldn't criticize anyone." he huffed gesturing with the hand that had previously layed in her cheek. Mantha laughed a little, you know this half crying half laughing. „It's completely irrelevant what people think of you. That's what you're always telling me." Casper reminded softly now. „I know." she muttered. „It's just harder to believe as I thought it'd be." She looked at her hands that still were holding Casper's.

A pair of blue eyes looked at her from bellow. He leaned his forehead against her's. It proved to be comforting, at least for him. It felt like doing a little bit. Mantha hadn't really looked him into the eyes for a long time. They weren't as tired as they used to be. They had their color again.

The silence was broken. „You don't think they're ugly right?" She asked. The ghost was ready to feel insulted but he answered calmly. „Why would you think that? You are the prettiest girl I know. Ten out of ten. And I could never find a part of you ugly. They're as beautiful as every other part of your body." Mantha didn't answer she just looked down on their hands.

The ghost moved her hair out of her face. „Listen you are allowed to have insecurities, everyone has something about their body that they don't like. Ra, Harpy, me heck I bet even Thatch has something that annoys him about his appearance. It's okay to not get rid of what you would call flaws, but they can't just take control over your life. It's important to come to terms with them. You're much more than your insecurities. Remember?" he wispered and layed his free hand onto her's.

Now she smiled again. It was a little one but it was definitely happier. The ghost grabbed her face and kissed her nose. She now had to laugh. Mantha pulled his hands down to her shoulders before giving him a short kiss on the lips. They smiled. „Thank you." The zombie seemed in a better mood now.

But he didn't expect to be pulled down on the bed. Now they layed next to each other. Mantha placed her upper boddy on his chest. „What did you do all day?" she muttered after a while. „My mom called." the ghost yawned.

„What did she say?" she asked

„I don't know. I ignored her." The ghost snickered.

„Oh and then I had to talk to the guy who fixed our bathtub. I hate talking to people." he sighed.

Now it was quiet again. „Have you ever been in the bathtub, since that day I mean?" she wispered. „No." the ghost muttered. „Are you scared to go in?" Casper legitimately didn't know. He looked at the sealing and thought for a second. „I never though about that." he noticed.

„Whe should try." Mantha suggested. The ghost only made a „hm" Sound before asking:

„Like right now?"

„Why not?"

Her boyfriend seemed nervous about it.

„Whe don't have to if you're not-"

„Let's do it."

She looked at him. „Really?" Mantha gasped a little bit too excited. From the first day when she started talking about boys with Millie she wanted to do the couple bathtub thing. They hadn't done it yet because, well neither suggested it. In their starting days that would have been too „lovey dovey" and „cliché" for both of them. Then the idea stepped into the back for a long time. And then the Casper problem had come up. But now there was actually time for that.

The water was warm. It had taken them, what felt like an eternity to find the correct temperature. Casper's four men house hold wasn't really equipped with any fancy bathing supplies but neither was hers so she let that pass. They just used what smelled the best, that one shampoo that Ra had forgotten mixed with some of Mantha's stuff she had over at their place.

They both looked at the sealing, music was slightly playing in the back. „That's fucking boring." Mantha sighed. „I imagined it to be more... fun." she sulked. „It's a bath what did you expect?" the ghost asked grinning. „I don't know, Ra and Harpy made a big deal about it. »So romantic you should try it if that's not to hardcore for you«" she mocked the mummy's voice. Her boyfriend laughed. „These two just define romance and intimacy very differently." he argued. „Guess you're right, we're still cooler than them." she insisted. „Of course we are." Casper agreed.

Mantha leaned further back against his chest so she could look at Casper. She laughed. „What?" he asked. „That's a weird angle." The zombie snickered. „Okay name one person who looks good from that perspective, I'll wait." „Professor Burns." Mantha answered drily. „Okay you got me. I can't argue with that. But how do you know that?" he asked. „You see that whole basketball thing isn't really the truth-" she she couldn't finish her sentence. The ghost was both laughing and whining. „That's an interesting taste you have there." he coughed.

„My taste in men is immaculate, don't mock that." she huffed jokingly. „Yeah a cultist, me and your science teacher. You know among these three the only one who's cool enough to be your boyfriend is Professor Burns of course." he explained. „Right? You must be jealous." Mantha teased. „So much." he sighed over dramatically.

The zombie grinned before kissing his cheek. She then sat back up to tie her hair up, they had proven to be pretty annoying. Now her shoulders were free, showing rotten spots Mantha was so insecure about.

Everyone in her family had these. Most of them were easy to hide, well except for Papa Chwe who had lost a whole part of his flesh around the jaw area. Usually Zombies get, as soon as they arrived in the underworld, a vaccine against the rotting process. But the borders tend to be chaotic and the Chwe's were forgotten for the first few days.

Mantha had them on her shoulders, on her chest and between her thighs. They didn't hurt but they're more sensitive, obviously, the skin had partly peeled off on these spots. Not many people knew about them or had seen them. Mantha had tactics to hide them without seeming insecure about them. But Casper knew how much she was.

The zombie flinched when she felt his arms wrapping around her waist. „I love you." he muttered into her shoulder. Mantha blushed. He said that a lot but this time it wasn't jokingly or a passing by comment, not that there's something wrong with that, but this time it was so focused. The only thing he said and his tone could be describe as insistent. He wanted to make sure that she knew he meant it. Of course she knew that but it was still so nice to be reminded once in a while. „I love you too." she answered.

An hour later Mantha slipped into one of Casper's Swaters. Then she followed him downstairs. „What are you hungry for? We have-" He was interrupted by the Ouija Board, the traditional way for ghosts to communicate. His mom. „Is someone here?" she huffed. One, two, three times. Then she cursed and it got quiet again.

„What do you think she wants?" Mantha asked. „I don't know, I don't care." Casper and his mom had a rocky past, like in the past, past, when they both were alive. These two didn't get along very well. Kibosh was insisting on them building a healthy relationship. „Do you miss them sometimes, your parents I mean?" she muttered sitting down on the Counter. „I miss the positive memories I used to have about them." he admitted while playing who the wooden cutting board. None of the things he knew about his parents personalities had been true. And now the adults around him trew him into this new situation with all these struggles he didn't know about.

She used her leg to push Casper right in front of her. „You know, I don't think they'll try for much longer. Even Kibosh will realize that you're not interested." He smiled. „Ach, I'll see those meetings as funny memories and as negative examples when I'll ever be a parent." Mantha smiled. He sure had come far. Another quick kiss before they finally decided on pizza.

It slowly turned dark as they finished their food. At the time they finished cleaning the dishes the ghostly trio came back from work. „We left you pizza." Casper said on their way back into his room.

Mantha crashed on the bed. The day had been long but at least it ended in a nice way. She rolled to the side so her boyfriend could join. Casper was warm and his room way cozy. She got one last kiss on the cheek before she fell asleep.