ᴘᴜʀɢᴀᴛᴏʀʏ || indefinite hiatus

* { ~ 03 ~ } *

   Anna tightened her grip on the steering wheel with a sigh of defeat when her gaze fell on the gas meter. They'd need to stop again soon to refuel. She hung her head.
  She still couldn't get it out of her head. The way Shinso had looked at her when she'd finally told him the truth. She'd hoped that he'd accept her, just as Denki had. But that hadn't been the case.
  It didn't matter if she'd tried her best to keep him safe. She'd taken every precaution to ensure she didn't accidentally infect him, and when push had come to shove, she'd ensured that he'd worn a condom.
  She still couldn't get the way he'd looked at her out of her head.
  He'd stared at her like his heart had shattered into a million pieces. When he'd pointed his shotgun in her face, the breath had been stolen from her lungs. He'd barely given her the chance to explain herself after that. Removing his medallion from around her neck had hurt far more than having the barrel of that gun pressed against her forehead.
  She hastily wiped her eyes when her vision blurred. A hand landed on her shoulder, and she turned to meet his gaze through the tears.
  "Pull over for a bit, babe," the ghost over her shoulder spoke softly, and she hung her head with a sigh.
  "We need to keep moving, love," she hoarsely replied, turning back to the road. "It'll be dark soon and I'd rather not linger for longer than necessary."
  "Anna," he said softly, squeezing her shoulder. "You need to take a break."
  "I'll rest when my limbs stop functioning, Denks," she muttered through gritted teeth. "I may be dead, but I'm not broken yet."
  A wince left his lips, and she stiffened when his forehead rested on the top of her head. "I know you wanna keep moving, Sunshine," he uttered quietly, squeezing her shoulders. "But whether your body is dead or not. You're still alive." He whispered. "You gotta take care of yourself."
  "Says the ghost," she grumbled under her breath. Anna straightened when the blond hovered over her, meeting her gaze from upside down while he crooked his head. "Denks," she murmured, fully intent on apologizing when his amber eyes flashed with concern.
  "Just because I'm a ghost doesn't mean I don't wanna take care of you, babe," he fondly replied, crooking his head. A giggle burst from her throat when his lips brushed against her forehead. "You need gas anyway." He added cheekily when he pulled back to offer her a wide grin.
  "I'm aware, love," she said fondly, gripping his shoulder to push him out of the way. "I can't see the road," she laughed and heard his soft breath of laughter that echoed around her.
  She was still attempting to grow accustomed to the fact that she could physically see and touch Denki's ghost. Whatever the hell had happened to her after she'd died had been strange. She hadn't turned like everyone else had once they'd been infected. She hadn't even realised she'd died until she'd seen the bite mark for herself.
  "I came back because I knew you needed me, Anna," he continued after a while, and she melted when his hand ruffled her hair. "I didn't have to come back."
  "What was it like?" She asked curiously, meeting his gaze in the rearview. His brows furrowed in confusion, and she couldn't help but giggle. "Heaven, I mean."
  "Dunno," he winced. "The gates never opened for me, so I have no idea," he murmured, and she slammed her foot on the brake. He flew right through her with the sudden jolt, flying through the windscreen onto the road with a yelp.
  "Denks!" She squeaked when the ghost stood in the middle of the road with wide eyes. "Are you alright?!"
  "I'm good," he promised. Kaminari met her gaze with a sheepish smile. "I always forget I can do that now," he mumbled awkwardly, gliding back into the RV from the front of the vehicle.
  "What do you mean the gates never opened for you?" She asked cautiously.
  He shifted his weight, collapsing in the passenger seat with a sigh. The blond pulled a hand through his hair. "I dunno," he murmured, hanging his head. "They just didn't. Then this loud ass voice told me I still had unfinished business to fix here on Earth before the gates would open for me. I just assumed the unfinished business was―"
  "Me," she said softly, catching his gaze. He bobbed his head with a sigh.
  "Yeah," the engineer muttered, averting his eyes after a moment. He reached to scratch at the nape of his neck. "I came back because I knew how much you and Tosh needed me." He met her gaze with a softened smile. "You guys didn't have to bury me, by the way."
  She shook her head. "Yes, we did," she said firmly. "You deserved a proper burial after everything we've been through. I... I couldn't just leave you like that, Denks."
  "I know," he murmured, pulling a hand through his hair. "It was kinda surreal, attending your own funeral." He hung his head with a sigh, refusing to meet her gaze, and his voice was barely above a whisper when he added, "I stayed in front of where you guys buried me for hours after you left. I stared at that handmade cross for days."
  "Denks," she uttered, shifting to kneel in front of him. "Why would you do that to yourself?"
  He met her gaze with a tearful smile. "Because I needed to see it for myself..." He whispered. "I needed to know it was real. No matter what I said to you guys in the days after I died, none of you ever heard me." He reached to gently run his fingers through the shortened strands of her hair. She melted into his touch with a soft breath of relief, allowing her eyes to close. "Until you decided to cut your hair."
  A gasp left her lips, meeting his gaze in disbelief. "You... You were truly there..."
  He bobbed his head with a fond smile. "Yeah, babe." He chuckled fondly, ruffling her hair. "I was there. You weren't seeing things. I tried to tell you that."
  "I... I thought your ghost was just something my mind—"
  "I know," he said softly. "A coping mechanism," he added knowingly. "Even if you thought I was nothing more than just a dream, I'm glad my voice reached you."
  "I only saw you through the mirror, Denks," she whispered, her eyes brimming with tears.
  "I know you did, and the truth is. I wasn't strong enough to show you myself like this yet," he sighed, dipping his fingers under her chin. "When Tosh told you to leave, it pissed me off. It pissed me off enough to be able to show you myself like this. When I died, I made Tosh promise me that he'd take care of you for me, and if he couldn't do that anymore then you bet that sexy little ass that I'd do it myself. Screw being a ghost. My girl needed me."
  Her gaze softened, surging forward to bury herself in his arms. He caught her with a breath of relief, pulling her close.
  "I gotcha, babe," he promised, burying his face into her shoulder. "And I'm not going anywhere."
  "You didn't have to come back, love," she sniffed, burying her face into his shoulder.
  "Yeah, I did," he sighed as he pulled her closer. "You needed me."
  She pulled back to meet his gaze from the embrace, and his gaze softened, cupping her cheek. Her breath hitched when he rested their foreheads together. "Denks," she said softly, and he shook his head.
  "I'm not going anywhere, babe," he whispered, pulling back to meet her gaze. "That's a promise."
  Her gaze softened with his words. She could see just how much he'd meant it. This was entirely new to her, given the ability to see and touch the ghosts of the undead. It was certainly something she'd need to grow accustomed to, but she didn't mind.
  It was nice, just the two of them.
  "Let's find a gas station, kay?" She bobbed her head and removed herself from his lap.