Originally published on my ao3 account
The captain sat looking at the wall seemingly deep in thought. Allison looked into his room the rest of the ghosts behind her and pursued her lips, "what's wrong with him," she whispered to the ghosts, "think its death day," robin mumbled a response a knowing 'ah' in agreement from the other ghosts, "oh...well what do you normally do," she asked them, "well we just usually leave him too it, he'll be ok by tomorrow," pat tells her, "what so he could be like having a mental breakdown the entire day and you just leave him too it," allison questions, "hey this isn't on us, he never let's us help," julian argues with her, "just make sure hes ok," she tells the others, before giving the captain one last look and turning away.
Later that morning, the sun was still warming up and a light yellow tint filled the captains room, he was still in the same sort of position with a pained expression on his face. Pat walked in at sat next to the captain, he only sort of acknowledged pat. "You know cap, on my death day," pat started this half caught the captain's attention, "I get by with a little help from my friends," pat told him, the beatles reference making pat smile. Captain didnt understand the reference, pat knew this, "eh- Beatles, it's a band- what I was trying to say is, you know your not alone right," pat smiled placing a hand on the captain's shoulder to which he tensed up. The captain sighed quietly, "what do you want Patrick, I dont need your help," he spat barely any hatred round it, he just sounded numb. Pat sadly smiled, patted the captains shoulder then get up and left him alone.
"He wouldn't listen," pat told the other, "probably because you quoted the beatles at him," julian laughed, "hows do you quote a beetles?" Mary ask the others looking slightly confused with the others, "well-" pat started, "hey, captain sad, we help," robin told them changing the subject back to the issue at hand, "yes robin, right, uh- kitty how about you go and talk to him," pat suggested smiling at kitty, she giggled in reply, "of course! I do love our conversation," she smiled wildly and skipped off to the captains room.
"Hello cap, you've been sat still an awfully long time, robin said you were sad, I do hate it when my friends are sad, whenever my sister was sad we used to play hide and seek, I would hide and she would try to find me, I am the best ever, ever at the game so I would always win," she paused smiling childlike at the captain, "oooo, would you like to play hide and seek with me captain," she gasped bouncing down next to the captain, "no, katherine, why dont you go play with mary," he replied to her and she frowned, "oh I would but mary is very good but not as good as me, I'm the best, she can find me, no one else can find me and I do hate seeking a lot i love hiding," she giggled, the captain hummed a response, "oh captain please come out, we will listen to you story's, even if they are very boring, ooo you could watch the program with the big carriages that fire things, that will make you happy," she suggested best will at heart, "they're called tanks and I'm not sad," he snapped at kitty. "Oh," kitty said before awkwardly sitting there for a few moments then leaving.
As the afternoon turned to evening the ghosts tried to think of more ways to help out the captain, some where more helpful then others, "Hes just being grumpy he always is, leave him too it, if he needs us he'll ask," thomas told the other, "Thomas, you are no help what's so ever," fanny snapped, "not like you're helping either," he snapped back, "ladys, ladys, calm down," humphrys piped up from the floor the others seeing to have forgot his head was there, "have you simply tired to ask how he is," he told them and the muttered between themselves, "well- I mean no, not exactly but it was heavily implied," pat told him, picking his head up, "there you go then, go ask him," he told the others. "Ok, I go," robin told them, "you follow," the rest nodded, trusting Robin's instincts.
Robin came into the captains room and sat next to him, "others bad at this, I here forever so i can help, I know your death day today, so your sad, how are you," he asked. The captain turned to robin his eyes almost glacy but rapidly blinked any risk of tears away, "nothing robin, everythings quite alright," he mumbled, "no," robin replied the captain looked confused, and robbing sort of tackled him so they lay down, u know what I mean. "Robin?!" The captain looked confused and slightly flustered, "shhh, we sleep now, come in now," robin told him then called to the others who then came in. "Oooo, it's a sleepover," kitty happily clapped and jumped on the captains bed curling up on top of them both but then rolled to the other side of robin. So they lay Robin, the captain being pulled by robin on top of him and captain trying to push away then kitty laying her head on robins shoulder. "Kitty no, this is not a sleepover, get off," captain barley fought to make them go away almost, a l m o s t, relaxing into them. Pat and mary with humphrys head being carried joined then next. Pat passed humphrys head to mary then curled up behind the captain throwing an arm round his middle and resting his head against the captain shoulders or back, he couldn't tell. Mary cradled humphrys head like he was a baby then lay next to kitty, kitty frantically waving at her and smiling a lot. Thomas grumbled being dramatic as usual before pat turned and grabbed his arm and pulled him down, "hey," he grumbled laying next to pat but a gap between them. He pushed himself up to sit against the headboard and folded his hands with a hmph. Julian shrugged his shoulders and joined them. Fanny stood there for a moment then respectably half sat half lay at the end of the bed. "Sleep," robin told them, "no, we're not doing this, this is my room," the captain mumbled, "shh, I'm alseep," pat told him, "Patrick you are not alseep, tell them," he gumbled more. He continued to mumbled about how this wasnt 'proper' and his back was going to hurt in the morning but after a while and many hushed from the other he gave him and slowly drifted off.
It was only then he realised how deprived from touch he was. His role in the military taking up his time, he didnt have time for a relationship there was a war on. Or maybe he was just too scared, he would never of consider ever being with a woman so he decided to be alone then happy. All of this didnt matter now because he was surrounded by people who he was stuck with for the rest of eternity. He soon enough drifted off.
As morning dawned the captains room was filled with the soft sounds of sleep and quiet snores from a peaceful room. The moved round a bit in their sleep. The captain still in the middle laying facing Robin's back. Kitty and Mary had somehow swapped places and mary and robin were now curled into each other whilst kitty's and humphrys head rested against each other. Pat was basically full of spooning the captain but the height difference made it difficult but his face was pressed against captain back and his secured round captains middle. Thomas had fallen asleep in a position that will not be good for his back in the morning but lay across Pat's back and shoulders and his head on one of the captains shoulder. Julian was lay on the other pillow his head resting against the bottom of Thomas's back his head dangerously close to the poets ass. Fanny was almost in the exact same position just more curled up. The morning drew one and they carried on undisturbed.
Alison was confused almost scared when she woke up and it was quiet. She looked out her window and saw no captain to time his run. Walking through the house it was pure silence all the room where empty. She checks all the ghosts respective rooms and last she peered into the captains room, "aw, that's precious," she smiled at the 9 ghosts all curled up with each other all around the captain. He thought about waking them so they could get into a more comfortable position but decided against it. She closed the door on her way out and relaxed in the rare peace of button house.
