Word count - 2762
Julian skulked around the house, half looking for other people and half wanting to be alone. He wasn't sure what he was feeling anymore, and wondered if he'd been like this all his life. Had he changed? Was this something that was even possible to change or had he just been too stupid to notice until now? Did it even matter? Would Captain hate him if he found out? Probably, he thought.
He found himself walking out of the house and into the garden, and he was greeted with half of the other ghosts talking over each other. He considered going back inside since no one had really noticed him, but decided against it. He sat on one of the benches which no one else was sitting on and tried to pay attention to what everyone was talking about. They didn't seem to be fighting, just talking over each other, held in multiple conversations.
Kitty was telling Mary about about her favourite pet from when she was little, Thomas was droning on about one of his poems with Fanny as his victim, and Captain was describing one of the projects he'd taken on during the war. He didn't really notice Pat since he wasn't talking to anyone.
Subconsciously, he started watching the Captain. He wasn't really listening to what he was saying; he heard the words but didn't put them all together. Instead, he just looked. He took in the exact expressions he made as he talked, he looked at how his mouth moved and the occasional motions he made with his hands. How he fiddled a bit with the stick he held protectively in his hands and how passionately he talked about the subject.
Julian wondered how he'd never seen Captain in this way ever before. He wondered how he'd ever looked passed him without a second thought.
***
Pat was still curious about Julian. There seemed to be more and more evidence that he liked Captain piling up, and although he was fairly sure, he couldn't quite believe it. He was also a bit worried. Julian had completely disappeared in the morning, and he'd looked quite worried and confused for a day or two now. Pat wanted desperately to help. But how?
He glanced up at the MP to see him pretty much staring at the Captain. He was now even more sure of his theory. Was that what was bothering Julian? He thought for a second, and realised that the solution to helping him might be much simpler than he'd originally thought. He stood up and went over to the politician.
"Just come inside for a sec." He said, before disappearing through the wall. Julian furrowed his eyebrows but followed him obediently.
"Why?" He asked, once they were inside. Pat glanced around and then faced Julian.
"Look, I know something has been troubling you for the last couple of days." He started, and watched as a look of worry suddenly spread across his face. "And I am fairly certain I know what it is." Pat continued cautiously.
"You do?" Julian asked, a lot more panicked than Pat had expected he would be. "Really? What is it then?" He asked, testing if Pat actually did know.
"That you like-" Pat started quietly, only to be cut off by Julian dragging him into a room a bit more hidden away than in the middle of a hall where anyone might come along and hear and shushing him.
"Shhh." He practically screamed. "Look, don't tell anyone, I'll do anything. I'll stop being annoying, and I'll stop starting fights with Thomas and Robin and I'll won't get in your way ever again and I'll-" Julian said, his words tumbling out of him, desperately begging Pat not to say anything. It threw the Scout leader off guard a bit.
"Woah, calm down there, I won't tell anyone if you don't want me to, I only wanted to say that it's completely okay if you aren't straight, and no one here minds." Pat reassured. Julian looked at him.
YOU ARE READING
BBC Ghosts - Captain's History
Fanfiction"I'm sure it was a dignified death." Julian said, hoping that it was a nice thing to say. After all, Captain had been in a war and would probably value an honourable death. "No," the Captain disagreed, shaking his head, "it was not. It was a shamefu...
