Bonded

Chapter Twelve

(Return to Dianas pov)

What was I supposed to say to that? I'd had my doubts about this, and I know he'd had his, but was this supposed to help my emotional turmoil? "Seth-"

"Diana, we at least have to try to break this bond. If we can't... then at least now you know I won't be suffering or anything. That makes it okay if we can't, right?" He wouldn't even meet my eyes. He must have been embarrassed; maybe he thought I would see him differently now that he'd confessed how he really felt. I didn't, really. He was still Seth, the kid who'd died at twelve and traveled all over trying to find a place to stay, who'd watched violence happen when he couldn't escape, who had only cared for me and been there for me ever since we met, and before that. It didn't matter how we met, he was still my best friend.

So what if he wants to stay with me? Christy and I are all he has left. "Right. Whether it works or not, nothing bad can happen."

When he finally looked up at me, I let him see all of my understanding thoughts, all of the things I couldn't put into words because words couldn't explain them. When it all clicked, I swear I saw his eyes sparkle again. He flashed that stupid grin that only boys could pull off. "Don't jinx it."

"Oooookay... Now that I know your guys' story, I can go to bed. To be honest, I am EXHAUSTED. 8 hours of fake working really takes it out of yah, you know?" She shut the lights off and waved at us, heading to a door that must've led to her bedroom. When she opened it I saw ton of posters- Death Note, Kill la Kill, Bleach, Noragami and Naruto. "Dang Seth, I didn't know your sister likes anime."

"She has weirder obsessions, well, had. I wonder...You should give her a strawberry some day. She'll thank you like you're freaking Santa Claus or something, if she's still the same as when I left." He looked around for a second, his gaze landing on a pair of headphones. "I'm gonna stay in my physical form for now since there aren't any parents or little twerp brothers to worry about. God I can finally let my freak flag fly without judgement!" I laughed a bit, but it faded away as I thought of something.

"You... You do seem more solid than the last time you took this form."

"You mean when you barfed me into your toilet?"

"Haha, very funny ghost boy. But... yeah. Is that what you meant when you said you've been feeling more human?"

"Yeah, and my thoughts are different too." He plugged the headphones into my iPod and chose a song, dancing around the room with his eyes closed. "Like- I don't know exactly. When I see somebody sad, I want to know why and how I could help. When I see people eating, I actually want to remember what food tastes like. I want to get up and do something with my life- heh, well you know. Afterlife. It's weird but comforting at the same time. Before I met you I felt empty, I felt like I was fading away... wait..." He frowned and changed the song, gave me a half smile when he noticed I was watching. "I'm not a fan of Lady Gaga, Twenty One Pilots is better. Anyways, I guess that's what I meant when I said I don't want to leave you. When I can feel your emotions- Diana, they're really strong, when I can feel them; I don't feel like a ghost anymore, I feel complete."

"It must seem really selfish of me," he continued, "...like I'm using you."

"No. I get it. You do not want to feel empty. It's in our nature; we want to feel, we want to know things. I don't want you to leave either, I want you to be happy. You're really my only friend." I paused, looking down at my socks. "I've never been this close to someone. I just don't want you to HAVE to stay by my side. I want you to be able to choose where you want to go, when you want to leave. You should have freedom."

"Mhm." After that simple answer, he changed the subject. "You should probably get to bed, Diana. It's pretty late."

I just went with it, glad to move away from the heavy topic. "Aren't you- oh, right. You don't sleep much." I held out my fist and he fist bumped it as he passed by, still dancing. I faintly heard 'Shake it off' playing now and I smiled. "Goodnight Seth."