NOTHING TO LOSE • A Beetlejuice Fanfiction • ON HOLD • Previously Bug Beverage

2 • A Whole Breakfast

"So what's your name?"

You didn't mean for your tone to be as demanding as it was, but then again, it was basically yourself you were talking to.

The man shrugged. "I can't tell you."

You raised your brow at him.

"What do you mean you can't tell me?"

"I mean: I can't tell you my name."

"No shit, Sherlock" you huffed. "But you said you had a nickname. So tell me that."

A grin spread over his face and you concluded that yes, that was definetely a bugs leg between his teeth.

"BJ."

You snorted, now finally also cracking a smile. "Your nickname is orange juice?"

"B" the man repeated, furrowing his brows. "BJ. Like bee."

He imitated an insect flying around with his finger, accompanying it with a buzzing noise.

"Orange juice" you said, your smile growing wider. "That's amazing. If my nickname is 'Eggs on Toast' then we're almost a whole breakfast together!"

He rolled his eyes, but you could see a small smile on his face, which felt at least somewhat satisfying.

"So now you know mine" he concluded. "How about you show me yours?"

"What?"

"Nickname" he specified. "It's only fair."

"I told you! Eggs on toast!"

"You want me to call you Eggs on Toast?"

"Not really." You furrowed your brows together as if thinking. "It's kind of a mouth-full."

That was the first time you heard him laugh. It sounded genuine, which was kind of a surprise considering how predictable that joke had been.

But laughing had become rare in your life these days, so you'd take what you could get, responding with a smile yourself.

"Taz" you finally said.

"Taz?"

"Like Tasmanian Devil. You know, the one from Looney Tunes?"

"No." He grinned again, uncrossing his arms into a more relaxed stance. "There's not really cable TV in the Netherworld. But I know what a Tasmanian Devil is. Met one once. They're fun."

Now it was your turn to stare at him while your brain processed what he just said.

What the hell was a 'Netherworld'?
Why didn't it have cable?
How did an imagination meet anything?

You decided to save those questions for later.

"So Taz, huh?"

You nodded. "It's funny. In the show, the Tasmanian Devil character is always running around and can't sit still for a minute, and when I was younger, I was the same. So that's..."

You paused for a second, pressing your lips together. "Kind of ironic, really."