Love And Other Myths [bxb]

Bothersome

Leo's patience was quickly thinning. The human had stomped into his room and demanded to stay. Only one good thing came from this.

The hoodie. Leo would rather die a second time than tell Devon that he liked it.

It was definitely. . . odd. Of course Leo had worn normal clothes as a ghost before but that was centuries ago.

The fabric was thick and soft, unlike what he wore now. It was a bright red, which he wasn't a fan of but it was clean.

Nothing is clean around there. It was new. Nothing around here is new. He thinks it's his new prized possession.

But other than that, the human was ruining everything. He had swept the floors and then wiped them with a harsh smelling liquid.

He cleaned the hornets nest in the corner of the room, dragged his mattress outside, and covered everything in that horrible smelly stuff.

He scraped the mold from the walls and door, put a new thing on his bed frame, and put out new candles.

The thing on the bed frame wasn't a mattress. It was plastic but a bit fuzzy at the top. It was the size of a mattress but Leo had watched it grow.

"What's this?" Leo asked as he picked up a little thing of white plastic that was on the floor.

"Thats a bug trap. Put it back it's not good to touch." Devon instructed and Leo dropped it. He kinda liked the bugs but not enough to do anything about it.

There was a cloth wrapped around the not mattress. Devon said they were modern sheets. He also laid a blanket down which Leo thought was stupid.

Leo doesn't exactly 'get cold', if anything, he makes everything else cold. But when he went to climb on the new 'mattress' Devon caught him by the back of his hoodie and pulled him back.

"I'm not letting you ruin all my hard work." He grumbled. He seemed to have less issues touching the ghost while he was wearing other clothes.

"It's my bed," Leo argued and crossed his arms over his chest.

You have to wash up and change now. I let you put it off for a few hours." Devon said sternly.

It was a fun experience for no one. Leo hated the harsh smelling liquid that Devon said was 'strong soap'.

Leo fought every step of the way, arguing over everything. But in the end Devon got his way.

His old clothes were removed, Devon threw them out, and he wore 'sweats' and a 't-shirt'. Leo thought the attire was disrespectful but he couldn't argue it was uncomfortable.

Leo didn't notice just how uncomfortable suspenders, a bow tie, dress shoes, a dress shirt, and dress pants could be until they were off for the first time in three hundred years.

But before the clothes, he was 'cleaned'. There were these wet cloth pieces he rubbed over his skin and he only scrubbed harder if he felt mud.

Leo thought it was a little crude to wash a naked person you are not properly married to, but Devon laughed and said he couldn't see Leo anyway.

"How do you feel?" Devon asked, leaning against the wall across from Leo who sat on the bed in his clean clothes and bed, wrapped in a thick 'comforter'.

"It's fine," Leo grumbled. Devon just smirked and pushed off the wall.

"You can say you like it. ya know."

"It's not bad, I guess." He knew Devon could barely hear his mumbles. Devon just laughed and went to touch Leos hair, probably to mess it up.

"Ew!" Devon yelled and stared at his hand in disgust.

"My hair isnt clean." Leo mentioned casually. He cut it once every three months with a rusty knife one of the other ghosts had stolen.

Leo regretted Devon finding out about the state of his hair.

Devon sat behind Leo and brushed out the webs, bugs, and whatever else was up there. Half way through Leo succumbed to the nice feeling of the brush.

He felt so pampered and taken care of, so comfortable. Is this how humans lived everyday? He even had a pair of fuzzy pink socks on.

Devon only laughed when he handed them over but leo didn't mind. What Leo did not like was when Devon said he can't leave the room in just socks.

He had to put on a pair of Devons 'sneakers' to leave. The shoes were far too big, but better than scuffed, falling apart, dress shoes.

When the pair left the room for the first time in hours, all the ghosts stared. Which is fair, Leo would have done the same.

Leo knew that Devon could tell they were there but he didn't seem bothered. He couldn't see their faces or hear their words.

It was a strongly upheld rule that you don't enter another ghost's room without permission. People have been banished before for that exact reason. So stealing wasn't a real worry.

Ghosts were not very social, like at all. But all the ghosts were talking, following the pair down the stairs.

"The others are staring." Leo said. It was a quiet sound for Devon but as clear as day to the other residents.

"How many ghosts live here?" He asked as he led the pair out of the front door.

"One hundred forty nine, including me." Leo told him. It was rare that permanent residents came or left.

"Wow," Devon commented and blew out a puff of air.

When they reached the car, Devon pulled out a jingly thing and the large metal machine blooped to life. He didn't get in like Leo had seen others do though.

He just opened a chest on the back and pulled out a white box.

"What's that?" Leo asked and pointed to it.

"Ok so. . . I got you a phone." Leo knew what a phone was, some of the younger ghosts had told him. But that box didn't match the description.

"No, it's not." Leo knew what a phone looked like. The ghosts who were only a hundred years old prided themselves on the advanced technology they had.

"It's a smartphone."

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Shout out to Krazidogs30 for being the first to comment on this story : D