Random Barnaby Oneshots (A Wattpad Fanfiction)

Sick!Barnaby and Reader

Decapitation warning. Reader discretion is advised.

You are neighbors with the ghost owl Barnaby. He is an affable neighbor and very well mannered, even if he did try to invite you to his parties. You heard through the grapevine that he would try to kill anyone who accepts an invite, so you decline by using every single excuse you can think of.

But he has been very quiet lately, and by that, he hasn't invited you to any parties. So you investigate.

The first thing you notice is that the door opened slowly. Usually, the door swings open quickly. So you enter. You hear a coughing hoot upstairs. So you sneak upstairs to find that the bedroom at the end of the hall was open. So you enter.

The first thing you notice is that your ghostly neighbor was not wearing his usual pink waistcoat and bowtie. He was wearing a blue nightgown instead. His usually bright orange eyes were dulled and his black feathers were ruffled. He coughed again, the sound causing you to shudder. "Good afternoon, Barnaby." You say, trying to sound like a concerned friend and not a terrified mortal.

"Oh! I *sniffle* wasn't expecting visitors. No *cough* parties happening until I get better." The owl replied. He really didn't sound good. Plus, he had bags under his eyes.

"I don't think ghosts can get sick, Barnaby." You teased, hoping it was enough to get Barnaby's mood up. He smiled at you through his tired facade.

"I didn't think it was possible either!" Barnaby replied, his tongue flopping out. "I think Emma poisoned me as revenge."

"Who?"

"Some rude thing that claims to be human. Give me a few days and I'll be on my feet." Barnaby was making no sense to you. Anyone who heard about Barnaby knows that he has been dead for over one hundred years.

"What did she do!?"

"Dear, I don't know!" Barnaby sounded a little worse.

"I'm going to put the kettle on." You firmly told the ghost owl. Then you jog to his kitchen. It was gigantic (well, Barnaby's always going to tower over you. So naturally everything is going to be large). So you check for tea. Thankfully he had some lemon tea. So you brew a cup and head upstairs.

The sight that awaited you almost startled you. Barnaby was holding his head in his talon. You nearly dropped the cup out of shock. His head wasn't attached to his neck, which was alarming. But you saw a turquoise fleck in another talon. "Barnaby!" You cry out.

Barnaby turned his head towards you, spinning it on his talon before throwing his head onto his neck. "I wasn't expecting tea, but thank you!" Barnaby replied, and he sounded a lot better to you. He sounded like himself again.

"I... What was that!?" You exclaimed, trembling.

"What? The blue thing I pulled out of my neck?" He asked innocently, his head now properly attached. He stretched his neck to give better eye contact. "Turned out, Emma tried to shove arsenic in my mouth while I was asleep. That explained why I felt kind of sick, even though I'm dead."

"Uhh, actually, nevermind." You stammer, scared. His talon could easily decapitate me! You thought. Aloud, you say, "I need to leave. I have homework to do."

Barnaby was about to invite you but you already left. You double check to make sure the kitchen is clean, and you sigh in relief because you remember that you tidied up afterwards. "Thank you for tidying my kitchen." Barnaby's voice whispered.

"You're welcome. Pardon me." You say, politely sidestepping the ghost owl. His orange eyes were glowing almost insanely, and you took that as a warning.

"Are you coming to the party next weekend?" Barnaby asked, sticking a tongue out.

"I hate being the killjoy but I can't. Dutch would get mad if I don't show up." You replied, running out of the mansion as fast as possible. You knew that you were lying to the ghost owl. You think back to when you met Barnaby, and you smiled at the thought. You realized something cute about Barnaby: he never swore or spoke ill about anyone. Even though he wants me dead so that he can party with me and get to know me, he doesn't mean any harm and he is so well mannered.