This chapter was meant to celebrate pride month, but it took a while to get done XD so…(and I had dabbles that were supposed to take place before it X3)

Casper laid next to Thatch in the grass. They were headed back to the school after a date, but they found a clearing and the ghost wanted to stop and watch the evening clouds for a bit. The sky was cloudy and grey, the colors of the sunset hidden. There was a nice soothing breeze.

"Hey Thatch," the ghost asked quietly.

"Yeah?"

"What was your first kiss?" Casper smiled sweetly, looking over at the other.

Thatch was slightly taken aback, not expecting the question. He thought about it for a moment.

"Oh, uh, well, it was at vampire summer camp." He replied simply.

"Vampire summer camp?"

"Yeah, back when I was 14. Or was I 13? No, I was 14. It was the summer break AFTER Alder and Dash stoned everyone." Thatch clarified, thinking as he responded.

Casper laughed. He found it rather funny to hear that event spoken so casually.

"It's a camp for kid vampires to get a better hang of their powers." The vampire explained further.

"Ah."

Thatch coughed awkwardly.

"It may or may not have also been the summer I figured out I was bi." He muttered.

Thatch assumed he was straight. Of course he did. He was 14, and his dad was a stern man with very clear unspoken expectations. And Thatch just didn't think much about it, surly he'd just kind of know otherwise, right? He did find boys his age cute, he knew that. He just never connected point A and point B. Somehow he didn't think that finding boys cute also meant he wasn't straight. It wasn't that he was pretending he was straight; he just truly didn't connect those two things.

(Looking back on this, he had no idea how his brain had worked like that.)

And furthermore, he liked girls, so he just kind of didn't think about it.

Until vampire camp.

Vampire camp was what it sounded like, a camp for vampires. It was so they could train and learn their developing powers, from both councilors and other campers. It of course took place in the summer. On the first day Thatch made a friend. While the campers were putting away their bags, some kid stole the camp flag from the pole and replaced it with a jock strap. The grey vampire bumped into the culprit as he was hiding the flag. This kid was Rocky. He was a thin skinny kid with his curly ginger hair pinned up in a Mohawk. He had bright green eyes and was covered in freckles. Thatch immediately liked him for the prank alone.

Rocky became his main friend at camp, they were an evil duo. They pulled pranks together, and usually got punished together as a result. The summer was an absolute blast. And as the summer went on, Thatch developed a bit of a crush on the ginger haired boy. He didn't really realize it though until one day during a bonfire. The grey vampire a joke and Rocky looked over at him and laughed. And all the sudden Thatch had a flutter in his stomach and the urge to kiss him.

The sudden realization that he wasn't straight hit him like a freight train.

He proceeded to spend the next 3 days blushing and freaking out. But by the 4th day, he had completely calmed down. Because he remembered he was Thatch Macabre damn it, and he refused to care.

Back when he was 11, his father made a comment about how tattoos were dumb, after Thatch had stated how he wanted one when he grew up. And because Thatch was pure spite given form, he vowed to himself he'd do whatever the heck he wanted. He intended to uphold that vow. If he was bi, he was bi. He could like guys all he wanted!

He just couldn't date them…

Of course, he was also 14 and thought about dating in more of a full blown relationship kind of way, rather than flings. A year later he realized he could date boys all he wanted, as long as he didn't fall in love with any of them of course…

Love was dangerous for a vampire…

"You didn't realize that liking boys meant that you, well, liked boys?" Casper giggled.

"Shut up, I was small and dumb." Thatch chuckled.

"Well at least you're no longer small."

The vampire laughed.

The ghost sighed in defeat.

"You're jokes are rubbing off on me, that's a problem." He stated, pretending to not be amused.

"So, what was your first kiss?" Thatch raised a brow.

Casper smirked in a smug but sweet kind of way.

"Oh, you know, the usual. In a cave, which a vampire boy I know. No one special." He explained casually, blushing as he smiled.

"O-oh…" The vampire sat up. "Wait, that means you were-"

"Yeah."

"Well…I feel honored." Thatch chuckled awkwardly.

The ghost rolled his eyes.

There was a pause.

"You ok?" Casper asked, sitting up.

"Yeah, just thinking…" the vampire responded quietly, shrugging.

Admittedly, being Casper's first official romance was a bit intimidating. People usually aren't with their first boyfriend/Girlfriend. For very long… Thatch had this sudden terror deep inside him that Casper would break up with him in the near future. Or a worse thought, that he was somehow preventing the ghost from emotionally growing in some capacity.

He quickly shook off that feeling. There was no point in worrying about it. He wasn't one to stress, and he didn't intent to start.

"I hope I haven't been too fast for you." He chuckled awkwardly, somewhat guiltily.

"No, no. You've been fine!" Casper quickly reassured him "Wonderful in fact." He smiled, hooking his arm under Thatch's and snuggling up to him.

"I did have some other kisses before you…but, they were on the cheek, or interrupted. and the kiss Kat gave me was a quick pity kiss, so I'm not counting it." The ghost explained. "But uh, the other statement still very much stands…" he smiled sheepishly, blushing.

The vampire smirked.

Casper groaned in annoyance.

"You're such a- I don't even know anymore, but you're a something." He pushed the other away playfully.

"I'm allowed to find it funny." Thatch chuckled. "So, what about you. Any coming out stories?" he asked, raising a brow.

"Well, not really, I've just always kind of known and accepted it I guess? In fairy tales, I always liked the idea of being the handsome prince who saves a princess, but I also liked the idea of being saved by a handsome prince. And I just never thought to be ashamed of it I guess? Despite all media I knew being about straight people, I never thought of it as the standard, I don't know why. Maybe it's because my father never tried to correct me when I'd play pretend, or play with my toys. Maybe he just thought It was because I was little and I'd grow out of it, or maybe he never noticed." Casper explained.

"And my uncles, maybe they didn't notice, I never really said anything to indicate it. But you'd think they'd suspect I was not straight with how I am. I like certain kinds of skirts and dresses, I love stuffed animals, I love cute things," he continued, pointing as his head. "my hair." He chuckled. "Not that you can't be straight and still like those things, but my uncles are from an Italian mobster family, so you'd think they'd have at least seen the signs and been suspicious."

"Your uncles were mobsters?" the vampire raised a brow.

"Yeah, but that's not important."

It felt a little important, but Thatch decided he'd ask again later.

"But no, I've never really had to question myself. I've just always been fruity I guess." Casper smiled with a shrug.

The vampire burst out in a laugh.

After a moment, he looked up at the sky, holding out his hand to feel a rain drop.

"Huh, looks like it's gonna rain. Let's go." He stated.

"Let's not."

"Huh, you wanna sit in the rain?"

"Yeah. Kissing in the rain sounds fun." The ghost remarked casually, a mischievous glint in his eyes.

Thatch made a surprised wheeze, like he had just been punched in the stomach. He stared at the ghost for a moment, mouth a gap as he looked at the smug expression on his boyfriends face.

He then quickly shook off the surprise and smirked.

"Come here, fruit loop~" He grinned as he pushed the other to the ground.