Back at the apartment, Joey leaned back in Red's desk chair, hat tipped over his face. On the other side of the room, the owner of the aforementioned chair was sprawled out on the couch, grumbling to herself.
"God, I haven't eaten that much in years," she groaned, staring up at the ceiling.
Hmph. "Me neither, kid, you don't gotta get so excited about it."
"You've been dead."
"If you want to get technical."
She rolled over, hair spilling over the couch. "I still can't believe they let us eat for free."
"It's called hospitality, you should try it sometime."
"You're not a guest," she shot back. "You've been living here for four years."
"I haven't been 'living' anywhere, sweetheart. Plus, I don't think the Huangs expected us to come back at all."
She sighed. "You can't really blame them for that, though. We were asking something pretty unconventional."
"Heh. That's us, alright. Unconventional."
With a grunt, Red stood up, flipping her hair back to the correct side of her head. "I'm going to go to bed. I got you some clothes to sleep in, by the way. It's on the second shelf in the closet."
"Uh huh." He pulled the brim of his hat a little lower as she left, letting the darkness settle in. And with it came silence. Sure, the walls were thin, and he could still hear the traffic outside, but compared to everything else in a while? It was the first moment of peace he'd had.
Peace was probably an exaggeration. No matter how silent everything was around him, his head wouldn't shut up. And it was nearly deafening.
She hadn't even hesitated. She hadn't had a clue what touching that frame would've even done, and just because it'd been shiny...
His heart had skipped a beat when he'd seen it. He didn't even really know how to describe it. Like a piece of mist, a shapeless piece of air. A spook. But he'd known it was her. And for those few terrible seconds, he had to face the reality that he had lost her all over again. Just like that. Disintegrated. Taken away.
He'd tried talking to her. Tried reaching out. Regretted leaving that bedroom at all. He'd still been in shock when she'd come back.
And then there was the matter of what had happened earlier. What the hell had he been thinking? He'd almost...
And yet his mind kept dragging him back to that moment. Her eyes shining in the darkness, hand on his tie, face only inches away. His heartbeat thudding in his ears, throat constricting as he looked at her.
He couldn't. He couldn't . But God, if he didn't want to. He could hear the sound of the shower running, water gurgling through old pipes. So, she hadn't gone to bed right away after all. At that thought, his hat slowly slipped off his face, falling to the carpet below. He didn't bother moving to pick it up.
And the dragon. He'd forced her to take care of that by herself. What if she hadn't been there when he'd gone back? It would've been his fault. Again.
He'd thought that being alive meant he could actually do something useful for once. Turns out it didn't make much of a difference. The most useful thing he'd done was something he thought he shouldn't be able to do anymore. That damn tie. Taunting him. Telling him that he shouldn't be alive. That his mere existence at this point in time was a mistake.
"Joey? Are you coming?"
He looked back to see her looking out from behind the bedroom door, hair wrapped in a towel. Hastily, he reached down, picking his hat up. "Yeah, I..."
"I don't want you out here all night."
He placed the hat on her desk, sighing. "It's what I always do."
" Living people need to sleep."
"Uh huh," he dismissed, reclining again.
"I'm not leaving until you come in."
"Gonna be a long night then, darling."
She was gobsmacked a moment, wiping the steam from her glasses. Eh. He figured she'd go back inside soon enough. But instead, she walked to the kitchen, filling a kettle with water. "Fine."
He raised an eyebrow and sat up in the chair, uncrossing his legs. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Making coffee," she stated plainly. "Do you want one?"
She wasn't even looking at him. This was a power play, wasn't it? Did she seriously think..?
He got up and walked over, grabbing the handle of the kettle. "Shouldn't you be sleeping?"
She put her hand over his, moving the kettle back over the heating element. "So should you. But, since you're not..." She gestured her head at it.
"Okay. I get it." He sighed, letting go.
With a smirk, she switched the stove off. "Come on, Joey. For real, this time."
Fine. He supposed she won this round. "Alright, alright. I'm coming."
And though he'd like to think that he would get the better of her next time, he had a feeling that would never be the case.
It didn't take him long to change into the clothes she'd gotten for him, getting into bed.
"Goodnight, Joey," she mumbled, rolling over away from him.
"Goodnight, Red."
It wasn't long before he could hear her snoring softly beside him, and he sunk his head further into the pillow, sighing. He didn't actually feel tired at all. Not after everything that had happened today. But before he could move to get up, he could feel Red snaking an arm around his waist in her sleep.
Well, then. He supposed staring at this ceiling wouldn't be too different from the one outside. Maybe he could even close his eyes for a bit.
Rosa awoke to a terrible sound. Her first thought was that it was a jackhammer and that the construction across the street must've started up again. But it sounded closer. Like it was coming from...
She put on her glasses, stumbling into the living room. Joey was hunched over at the dining table with a... was that a sewing machine? She didn't own a sewing machine.
"Where did you get that?"
"Nishanti," he said, not looking up from whatever he was working on. "You know, talking to your neighbors isn't really that hard."
She leaned against the doorframe, sighing. "That was four years ago."
"And yet you still don't know who lives in the apartment two doors down."
"I've been busy." Even though she was consciously aware he'd been a tailor once, she never really expected to see him actually tailoring anything. And yet his hands were going through the motions with ease, like the last time he'd done it wasn't over eighty years ago.
Seeming satisfied with the modifications, he stood up, trying the shirt on. "So, how do I look?"
"Like you're wearing a shirt." She did have to admit it fit significantly better now. Not that she'd bother giving him the satisfaction.
"Come on, I'm a professional." He grinned at her. "Gotta dress like one, too."
"A professional mooch, maybe."
Her words didn't deter him. If anything, he was just smiling wider now. "Have we got another lead yet?"
"No, I can't say I've found the time since you just woke me up ."
"And good morning to you too, darling."
"Ugh." Ignoring him, she walked to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. The person that awaited her in the mirror was a mess. Of course she was. She put a cup under the faucet, switching it on. Next lead. Was there even a way to get another lead? Turning the faucet off, she dipped her toothbrush in the now filled cup before applying toothpaste.
The only thing she knew how to do was help ghosts, she mused as she brushed her teeth. She hardly knew a thing about fighting living people, let alone fighting someone who'd been dead multitudes longer than she'd been alive. A lot longer than Joey had been around, too.
Hang on. She spat into the sink, running the faucet again. Maybe she didn't have to? She'd spoken to Madeline before, and she'd seemed... sane. Mostly, at least. Okay, Madeline did shoot Joey. But he had the tendency of running his mouth more than he should, anyway. Rosa just couldn't reason with herself that anyone was beyond saving. That there wasn't anyone who didn't deserve a chance. Even someone who'd done what Madeline had.
Or what Joey claimed she'd done.
'Do you trust me?'
He'd asked her that, back at the hospital. And after everything they'd been through together, the answer should be yes. Shouldn't it?
Sure, she reasoned. It wasn't like she didn't believe anything he'd said. Just... maybe there was a better way to solve this. There had to be. As she splashed water on her face, her phone went off, and she picked it off the counter, curious.
A new email. Unknown sender. She sighed, moving her finger to delete it. It was probably more 'Tomo' spam. But as she did, her eyes caught the content of the message.
Ms. Blackwell,
I'm afraid I cannot disclose my identity at this current moment, but I have information that may interest someone of your ability. Things are not quite as they may seem. I request that you arrive at the Eternox nightclub at 8 tonight. There is much to discuss.
Regards,
A friend
Huh. This could be the lead they needed after all. She got dressed hastily, walking back out to the living room. At that same moment, Joey was walking in through the front door, looking slightly annoyed.
"That neighbor of yours just invited us to dinner."
" Ours ," Rosa corrected.
"Yeah, yeah. Just tell her we can't make it."
"And why would I do that?"
"You want to hear that old broad babble all night?"
"Joey. Be nice."
"What? She can't hear me."
Rosa sighed. "You know that if we turn her down now, she's just going to keep asking. Plus, it's rude to flake on her."
"Uh huh."
She glanced down at her phone briefly. Depending on the time of dinner, Joey might end up getting his way regardless. "Did Nishanti tell you when she wanted to meet?"
"Don't tell me you actually want to go through with this."
"Joey."
"Fine, fine. She wanted to meet at that Italian place down the street at six." He stopped, raising an eyebrow. "Why do you care so much about the time, anyway? You got somewhere else to be?"
"Maybe I just want to be punctual, for once."
But she'd piqued his interest regardless. "Come on, Red. Spill."
"Not until you promise me you'll behave. I don't want you embarrassing me in front of Nishanti."
He chuckled at the notion. "Sorry to break it to you, doll, but you don't need me for that. Need I remind you what happened at the Park Gallery?"
No. He didn't. But he also seemed to have forgotten who held the cards at the moment. "Well, I guess you don't need to know."
He blinked, jaw going slack. "Hey, now. Quit futzing around."
She shot him a pointed look, and his face fell.
"...Really?"
" Joey ."
He sighed, shoulders slumping. "Okay. I'll behave . Jesus, Red. I bet that dog next door gets treated better than I do."
"You want to go and ask him?"
"Heh. The mutt would freak. The last time he saw me, I was dead." He walked up to her, cocking his head. "So, what's this meeting of yours?"
She smiled at him, wondering if he'd implode if she dragged it out any longer. But she wouldn't do that to him. "I've got a lead."
His expression shifted immediately, eyes lighting up. "Why didn't you say something sooner?" Before she could respond, he'd already slipped his coat on. "Come on, let's get going."
"Not so fast," she said, plucking the hat off his head. "I received an email from someone who claims they have information for us. They want us to meet them tonight."
"So you're saying we can't do anything yet." Joey deflated as quickly as he'd perked up. "What the hell are we supposed to do all day, then?"
"I don't know," she said. "I haven't had this much free time in ages. Maybe a movie?"
"When's the last time you did that?" he asked, voice suddenly softening. She wasn't exactly sure why.
"A long, long time, Joey."
He was silent for a moment, taking his hat back from her. "Say, Red. I've got a bit of an idea."
"What is it?"
He stuck the hat back on his head, flashing her a smile. "Just follow me."
A short while later, she found herself on a park bench in Washington Square, nursing a drink she'd picked up from the closest coffee shop.
"Joey, we live a block from this park. And it's cold outside."
"What, you can't appreciate a nice day outdoors?"
"It's not a nice day out." She took a sip of her coffee, letting the warmth run through her. "Also, I didn't really think you were the kind of person to like sitting still."
He shrugged, leaning back. "It's different. You're here."
"I'm always here."
"Sure you are."
She frowned. "What's that's supposed to mean?"
"Nothing, darling. Just nothing." But his gaze had gone distant regardless. "Do you still remember when we met?"
"Of course I do," she said. "It isn't exactly easy to forget something like that."
"Heh," he chuckled humorlessly.
Right, okay. Just keep being cryptic. It wasn't like it was getting on her nerves at all. She took a larger gulp of her coffee this time.
"You know, I don't know if you recall, but I was there that day before you could see me."
"I think you mentioned it once. Something along the lines of 'I've been watching you all day', which, for the record, is a really creepy thing to say to someone when you meet them."
He was laughing again, this time with a little more authenticity. "It's not like you could've gotten rid of me."
"I could've ignored you."
"Are you sure about that?" She felt his breath hit her as a lock of hair fell into her face.
"Hey!" She shoved him, pouting. "I thought you said you weren't going to do that anymore."
A cheeky grin spread across his face. "That was before I could do this." Before she could react, a handful of snow was tossed into her face, obscuring her vision.
"Joey!"
By the time she wiped the snow off her glasses, he was standing, walking backward away from the bench. "Come on, Red. When's the last time you and I did anything fun?"
Seriously? For someone that old... She finished her coffee, throwing it in the garbage before leaning down, mittens scooping at the snow.
But he had a point.
She popped up, throwing the snowball she'd just made at him. But he'd seen it coming, calmly stepping to the side as the snowball flew past him.
"Sorry, darling, but you're going to have to do better than that."
Oh, it was on . She took off after him, but he was somehow faster, darting around the park until she couldn't see him anymore. Damn it. He hadn't even had legs the last eighty years, how was he faster than her? She bent down, hastily forming another snowball. Maybe she could just get him when he popped out.
And yet she could feel another clump hit her in the back.
"Come on. All that walking you do has gotta be for something."
She spun around, ready to throw, but he was already dashing away. Ugh. She hated running. And yet she ran after him anyway, if only to wipe that smug grin off his face.
But she hadn't gone very far when her foot hit an icy patch, sliding out beneath her. She was going to-
Oomph. She'd landed flat on her back, staring up at the sky. God, she was way too old for this. She could probably still stand up, right? Nothing was broken. At least, she hoped so.
"Sheesh, Red, be more careful," Joey huffed, running up to her. "You're going to hurt yourself like that."
"Thanks. I realized." She chucked the snowball at him as a last-ditch attempt, the crude creation breaking into pieces on his shoulder. With that, he flopped down as well, lying beside her.
"Well, it looks like you got me."
"Right. Because that makes me feel better."
He chuckled. "I didn't think you'd fall like that. It's like that time you..." He trailed off, frowning.
"Time I what?"
"Ah, forget it."
Hm. She didn't remember doing anything like this. But he'd experienced things she hadn't. And she would be lying if she said she wasn't curious. "Try me."
He turned his head to look at her. "You really want to know?"
"Yes."
"Alright," he started. "Let me tell you about the time we snuck into the secret office of a flesh-peddler."
A/N: Well, no fun facts this time. But this chapter is basically just fluff, anyway/obligatory homage to the dumpster scene, which I love.