Ichabod didn't often visit the beaurocracy, for he found it to be a highly unpleasant place. It was hot, confusing, and noisy, and it smelled of rot and paper pulp in a way that turned his stomach. But he had recently found himself there more and more frequently, for Cass. Not in the way of going there to pick Cass up for a date or a simple reprieve from work, but in the way of going to watch Cass work. Not in a perverse way, he told himself, and not for long. He'd aways make his presence known after a few long moments, always had a reason to be there, but there was something about watching the ghoul in their element that got to him in such a fascinating way. For example, here he was now, standing in the doorway of Cass's cramped office, watching the ghoul sift through a stack of forms. They'd rolled up the sleeves of their shirt and blazer, and Ichabod watched as the muscles in their forearm tensed as they scribbled something onto one of the forms. The first two buttons of their collar were undone, giving Ichabod the barest glimpse of the soft dip of their collarbone. Their brow was furrowed, whether in anger or concentration was impossible to tell, and a half-smoked cigarette dangled from their full lips, (now that Cass was of age to purchase their own smokes legally, Juno didn't make a fuss about them smoking in their office anymore) twitching as Cass muttered something to themselves. He couldn't see their legs behind the shoddy wood of their desk, but he knew how they were sitting. Whether in trousers or a skirt, Cass never sat with their legs crossed, their feet always a shoulder's width apart, firmly planted on the ground in that self assured way that made Ichabod desperate to crawl between them and offer Cass all the riches he owned, his servitude, his mouth. But to do that would be debaseful, to both Cass and himself, so he merely stood and did his best to pass those unfortunate thoughts from his head.
Cass spoke then, and he jumped. "Shit, Ichy, you scared the hell outta me. How long were you gonna stand there without talking?" Cass chuckled and smiled up at him, putting their cigarette out on the sheet-ghost shaped ashtray on their desk. Their smile fell. "Did we have a date? Fuck, I'm sorry Ichabod, I've been swamped, so if I forgot I-" Ichabod shook his head. "No, not at all. I just, well, I wanted to see you, that's all. I hope I'm not being a bother." Cass's gaze softened immediately. "Aw, you don't need to worry about bothering me, I love it when you drop by, you really class this joint up." Ichabod laughed, and rubbed the back of his neck with a bony hand. "Thanks." "Please, pull up a chair and stay awhile, I get out in a few so if you're free we could do something tonight?" Ichabod nodded, and found himself sitting at the opposite side of the desk as Cass worked away. They looked up. "Say, what were you doing staring all sheep-eyed at me, anyways? Y'know, the way you're doing now?" Ichabod sputtered and fidgeted, fumbling for words. "I- well, I wasn't- I mean, I- well, I just- I like watching you work, you're so...so in your element, so in control. You...you're just," he looked away, "very attractive when you're concentrating...and you're very handsome in your work clothes." Ichabod didn't look up. "I'm sorry, that was completely uncalled for on my part, so completely impolite and I-" He chanced a glance up at Cass to find them smiling, watched as their tongue slid across the top row of their teeth. He watched as Cass, with a slow satisfaction, relit their cigarette and leaned back in their chair, loosening their bolo tie. They took a long, slow drag of their cigarette and blew it out through the gap in their teeth. "You like watching me work, Ichy?" Ichabod opened his mouth then closed it again. "Aw c'mon loverboy, I ain't mad." Ichabod nodded helplessly, still staring "Yes...I do." Cass chuckled, put both arms behind their head. "Well, if you like watching me so much, how about you offer me a little support behind my des-" Cass's own laughter cut them off, completely breaking the new and very interesting train of thought that was now winding through Ichabod's skull. "Shit, Ichy, I'm sorry, I just had to spout off some macho bullshit like that. I don't wanna make you uncomfortable." What Ichabod said next stunned them however. "I would, if you'd let me." The cigarette dropped out of the ghosts mouth, landing on the papers and Cass fumbled, trying to keep ash and fire off the forms. When they looked up, Ichabod was covering his mouth, as though his own words had come as a surprise. "You didn't just say what I think you just said, did you?" Ichabod wilted. "Don't make me say it again." Cass laughed again, leaning over their desk, in their fuss over the papers, a third button had come undone, showing another two inches of milky skin. "Did the son of the pumpkin king just offer to play my secretary? Is that what happened just now?" Ichabod flushed, watching Cass through his fingers. "I- I didn't....I said it without thinking I...I'm terribly sorry, I'll go-" He felt Cass grab his arm. "You ain't going nowhere without me. I think we should get out of here and go back to my place." Ichabod blinked. "Uh. How about my place. Not that there's anything wrong with your apartment it's just your dad walked in last t-" "Your place then, let's go." Cass grabbed their bag and stood up, and Cass could see they were wearing a skirt, black and short and tight enough that a dress code wasn't unimaginable. "Wait, I was chauffeured here, I'll call for us to get picked up." Cass shook their head as they pulled on their overcoat and hat, the worn brown leather cap with a bill and plaque that said "GUIDE". "Nah, I got a better way for us to get there." "Is it quick, Cass?" Cass tossed him a look. "Damn, anxious, are we? And don't worry sugar, it's quick, we'll get there in under fifteen minutes, I guarantee it. Besides, this is payback for my new year's surprise, it's my turn to surprise you."
"I'm not getting in there." The elevator Cass was standing in front of was a rickety concoction of iron and steel, the door being nothing but an ornate metal grate that folded aside. "It's dangerous." Cass rolled their eyes. "Ichy if it's so dangerous, why would Juno let me use it every day? Only a limited number of folks down here get the privilege of using this little beauty. It'll take you anywhere you wanna go in all the realms of the dead. Hell, it'll even take you topside." "Really?" Cass nodded as they unlocked the door, pushing it to the side as it squeaked an groaned. "But for now, we just need it to take us to your quaint little hometown." They bent down to inspect the button panel in the cramped corridor, definitely more than was necessary as Ichabod felt them brush up against him and he cleared his throat. Cass stood, turned around, and walked backwards into the elevator, hat tilted and hand outstretched. "Going down, sir?" Ichabod rolled his eyes. "My, poppet, you are a character." Cass grinned up at him through the brim of their hat. "For the next twelve minutes or so, I'll be your elevator man. Now, may I please escort you, sir?" Ichabod relented. "Very polite of you."
"Why can't I see any of the other floors?" "Because we're not traveling through the building, Ichy, we're traveling through the nether itself. The void. The great beyond. Which I suppose just sort of...takes the form of an elevator shaft. Fuck if I know how it works." "So nobody can see us?" Cass blinked at him. "Why was that your first question, Ichy? Where's your mind at?" "I was only asking in case of emergencies." Cass twined their arms around his bony shoulders. "It's got an emergency button like any other, I've had to use to only once but I was back on track in no time, so don't sweat it, babe."
Ichabod kissed them, just a touch too long to be considered a peck, and Cass smiled "So you weren't thinking of anything other than our safety when you were asking who could see us, huh?" If there'd been any sort of color to ichabod, it'd have gone to his cheeks. He scoffed, "No, I wasn't. I just, well, I just wanted to kiss you, that's all." "Aw, Ichy, what did I do right to have a guy like you wanting to kiss me?" "Any fellow worth his salt would want to, you're exciting and fascinating and sublime and-" "Ichy." He looked up, and watched Cass swallow hard, misty-eyed. "Oh, I didn't mean to-" "You didn't do a damn thing wrong, I wanted to ask you to kiss me again."
This time, it wasn't so chaste. Cass laughed against his mouth as they bumped against one of the walls, and Ichabod's hands found their way to their waist, pulling them closer. The light in the elevator was pale and sickly and dim, and the sound of groaning metal and the hum-buzz of flourescents was all Ichabod could hear above his own useless breath but he couldn't care. Cass giggled as they broke apart, leaning their forheads together. "Do you remember the first time you got the balls to kiss me?" Ichabod's hands toyed with the lapels of their jacket. "If I remember correctly, you were the one who initiated it, at the party Shock threw for you after you concluded your first case, right? My, hard to believe that was more than a year ago." "Yeah, and Lock and Barrel shoved you into the closet with me during seven minutes in heaven to try to get you to fess up about your crush on me, and you freaked the hell out. It was kinda cute, I won't lie." Ichabod rolled his eyes emptily. "You're cute." "Nah, pretty sure you're-" "Cass, will you please let me do the sweet-talking for once?" A bony hand tilted their chin up. "Perhaps you're right, cute doesn't even come close to describing what you are. Ethereal, or maybe luminescent, now those are at least somewhat closer." Cass allowed themselves to melt into his arms as Ichabod continued on. "Scintillating, maybe, or divine. Voluptuous, definitely. And that's not even mentioning your wit, or humor or capabilities!" Ichabod pressed a kiss to their hand, then to their neck, turning Cass's laughter into a sigh. "I am completely and totally enamored with you, Cass, and I'm proud to say it." Cass hummed, carding a hand through Ichabod's hair. "Love you too, handsome. Lord help me, I'll never be able to talk as pretty as you can but I hope you know, Ichy, I'm trying to tell you how much you mean to me, more often." Ichabod kissed them, slow and gentle as the iron grate opened to the gate just outside town. "I know, poppet. Now, shall we?" Cass gladly took his hand as they stepped into the pale sunlight.
