What's Not to Love - a Beetlelands Soulmate AU

Betelgeuse's Jealousy?

Betelgeuse summoned and opened the Handbook for the Recently Deceased, flipping to the section on soul marks and looking through it quickly before turning to one of the sections near the end of the Handbook. He didn't want the Maitlands to spend a majority of their time with the Deetzes. Despite that being far more likely. And still, Betelgeuse knew he wanted to do something about it. But what.

Maybe get the Maitlands to start spending more time with him, he had to guess.

With that in mind, he left the Handbook open and in the middle of the floor of the attic and teleported downstairs. He stayed hidden, looking out into the kitchen area and finding the Maitlands and the Deetzes still conversing and laughing amongst themselves. It almost made him feel... upset. Wanting more attention from the Maitlands.

As he moved further out into the kitchen, his hair flashed a fiery red. And he grew more upset the more he watched the Maitlands and the Deetzes. And Adam and Barbara'd both certainly noticed, the two ghosts stopping their conversation with the Deetzes and turning to look in his direction. Equally as worried.

"Betelgeuse?" Barbara asked. "I don't understand. Is something wrong?"

"Yes! There's something wrong!" the demon growled out dangerously. "You guys, ghosts, are spending time with living people!"

"Why wouldn't we?" Barbara asked, sounding confused. She shared a look with Adam before refocusing her attention towards Betelgeuse.

"Because you... obviously care about them more than you care about me. You're just.. just like my ma."

"No. Because they're nice. And we would like to get to know them better," Adam pointed out, sounding confused. He shared a look with Barbara, then both of the ghosts turned back to Betelgeuse - who was even more upset than he previously had been. "We can spend time with you later. We'll make it up to you, we promise."

"Betelgeuse, if you just listen to us... listen to reason, then everything will be better. Then everything will be fine. You don't need to get all angry... all jealous about this. We'll sort things out."

"Jealous?!" Betelgeuse growled out. "I'm not jealous."

Adam folded his arms. "Sorry, Bud. But you are. And you being all jealous isn't going to solve anything. So either you listen to us, or we forget about you."

But Betelgeuse didn't seem to be listening. As the demon's hair flashed a darker, angrier shade of red, Adam and Barbara looked worriedly at one another then back over towards Betelgeuse. The demon looked unlike himself, much more demonic. And angrier. And it scared not only the Maitlands, but the Deetzes as well. The living were huddled together over in a corner, panicked looks on each of their faces.

"Go! Now, guys! We'll handle this!" Barbara shouted.

Adam and Barbara looked away from Betelgeuse and towards the Deetzes to remind them to get upstairs. But that only made the situation worse. Betelgeuse grew angrier than he had been, his demonic side making itself more apparent. His teeth were fanged, and he spoke in a darker version of his usual gravelly voice,

"I'll show you what happens when I'm left alone!"

Barbara stepped a little ways forwards, despite Adam telling her to stay back and next to him in case Betelgeuse calmed down, and touched a hand against Betelgeuse's chest. But that seemed to do nothing to calm the demon down or make things better. Betelgeuse growled as his hair darkened even more, swatting both fiercely and harshly at Barbara and causing her to crash into a wall. Well, it was halfway through a wall.

Adam rushed over towards and helped Barbara up, the latter of the ghosts hiding behind her husband as they turned to face Betelgeuse again. If it was a fight the demon wanted, then it was a fight he was going to get. Then they had to calm the demon down and reason with him, let him know they'd spend some time with him and some time with the Deetzes. But with the demon's current state, that would be impossible. And they knew they needed to be gentle when it came to fighting.

It was the only way they could come through to the demon. If it was easy, that was.

Barbara moved out from behind her husband, standing her ground as her attention focused on Betelgeuse. Adam grew confused, but knew what his wife was doing. And he, too, stood his ground as his attention focused on Betelgeuse. Their eyes narrowed and their fists were clenched and glowing. Ready for anything.

"Betelgeuse!" Barbara said, her voice low and stern. "If you want a fight, come and get us!"