Ghost. {Sabo x Reader}

A New Plan.

I'll be riding shotgun, underneath the hot sun, feeling like a someone.

You frown to yourself as those song lyrics interrupt your deep slumber, your body aching as you roll onto your side and your eyes stinging in protest as you try to open them to check the time.

It's only now that you realize the song is still playing through the floorboards, it would seem there's a stir in the kitchen this morning. 

"11:30am...great." You lowly mumble under your breath, taking note of the messy sheets where Sabo laid with you last night, it would seem he has already awoken and busied himself. Though, that's no surprise, ghosts don't necessarily need to sleep - he just chooses to sometimes because it makes him feel closer to you. 

With a big stretch and several clicking bones, you decide it's probably time to get out of bed. 

Last night's antics have certainly left your body sore but your spirit is more lively than ever, shuffling out of the duvet, you slip into the first pair of leggings you see before selecting a comfortable jumper to wear for the day and making your way out of your room, down the stairs.

You can already assume your father is awake as you reach the bottom step since there's no mail on the ground by your front door, usually it's just advertisement leaflets that come through the letterbox every morning, it's become a daily route - your father will always find the pile of envelopes on the ground 'messy' and insist on picking them up and taking them to the kitchen for you. 

I love you, dad, but I can't wait for you to leave.

Following the music, you make your way into the kitchen where your father sits on one of the barstools, reading the newspaper whilst sipping his coffee. Little to the man's knowledge, Sabo is stood in front of him, cheerfully singing along to the music, only being temporarily silenced when he steals and eats a piece of your father's toast. 

"I didn't think you liked your music so loud in the mornings." You murmur as you pass the older male, only earning yourself a grumble in response as he drops the newspaper down to the counter, reaching for a slice of toast and immediately realizing half of his breakfast is missing. 

"What--?! These rodents you speak of are starting to annoy me, petal." He coldly growls, taking the final piece of bread and staring at it for a moment before placing it back down on the plate, seemingly uninterested in eating food that has been contaminated by 'rodents'. Of course, this gesture only has Sabo smiling brightly, the blonde waiting for your father to resume reading the newspaper and then taking the final slice for himself. 

Sabo...you're cute but seriously, let my father eat something!

"You need to fix your roof by the way." Your parent adds, his eyes never leaving the paragraph on the page as he speaks. "It was making all kinds of ruckus last night, probably because of the rain."

The roof...? Wait, did he hear Sabo and I?!

It would seem that your lover has the same thoughts as you, a shameless snort escaping him as he poorly attempts to hide his grin with his hand, his eyes giving you a feigned apologetic look. 

"O-Oh...?" You try to sound indifferent but if anything, you're just making yourself sound like the very definition of sheepish. Taking a seat beside your father, you focus your gaze on his dark slicked back hair, mainly so you won't have to look him in the eyes as you ask; "What kind of noise was it making?" 

Kill me. Kill me now.

"Hmph, lots of creaking, rocking and thudding. I'd wager it won't survive another storm." He calmly rumbles, his dark eyes flickering toward the radio as a loud song comes on next, the noise filling the room and causing his brows to knit together as he turns the page with his hook. "That stereo is annoying me too, I've turned the damn thing off three times already." 

"Uh--oh, really?"

"Mhm. I swear it's gotten louder over the past hour too."

Sabooooo, stop heckling hiiim!

"Right, I'll--uh...get somebody to fix it..." 

"[F/n], I must share my concerns with you." Closing the newspaper, your father glances down at you, a stare so cold that it chills your blood as you nervously nod your head, waiting for him to continue. Does he suspect that the house is haunted? "I worry that you've been scammed."

"Huh?!"

"You've got rats, the roof is in terrible condition, the radio keeps malfunctioning which is an indication of faulty wiring - this house was very expensive. I think considering all these flaws that you'll have to fix, you should've haggled the price down."

...Oh...

"Wow." Is all Sabo says, the blonde staring at Crocodile as if the man was a complete moron, though the boy is far too polite to outwardly say such a thing. Instead, he just chuckles, leaning back against the kitchen counter and shrugging his shoulders. "I mean...If you wanna try to get some compensation money, I'll be happy to mess with the real estate agents~!"

"No, I don't want you to do that." You murmur in response to Sabo without thinking, which causes your father's brow to raise and your heart to pound inside your chest, your cheeks burning as you realize your mistake. 

Shit--!

"I shouldn't have to do it, you're an adult now." Crocodile's voice as calm as always but his stare never easing for a second, you're sure lucky that looks can't kill but at least he doesn't seem to realize you weren't speaking to him but rather a ghost...a ghost that you had sex with last night...loud sex. Too loud. "You should have looked the house over on your first day here, estate agent in tow and tested everything, if something wasn't perfect then you haggle on the price. It's called using your wit, Petal."

Ugh, nevermind. This is worse than him thinking I have an imaginary boyfriend.

"Anyway, I have to head into town." Your father continues, swiftly rising to his feet while brushing the small bread crumbs off from his suit with his hand. "I need to get some more traps for this rat infestation, since you've clearly forgotten." 

I haven't been in town recently!

Of course, the exchange has Sabo snickering in the background as you force yourself to remain calm and polite, planting a light kiss against your father's cheek and wishing him luck as he leaves. 

The second you hear the front door open and close, your sights shift toward the cute blonde, the boy offering you an 'innocent' smile as he chimes "You look pretty in the mornings." 

Don't try to flatter me, you little shit.

"You need to stop messing with my father." Now that you've made that part clear, you can focus on a certain idea that came to you whilst you were sleeping. "I also think I've found a way of getting you to communicate with Ace." 

"Huh?" It would seem your first sentence went straight over the blonde's head but the part about Ace certainly didn't, the cutie staring at you eagerly with a faint smile on his lips. You can see a tint of apprehension in his eyes, he's excited but also seems nervous at the thought. "How?"

"We're going out."