Cut You A Piece Of Me
Part 3, Spring
| Beetlejuice x GN!Reader
| 6k
| Rated: E. MINORS DNI
| Summary:
A college student finds a cheap room in an old house, and soon finds out why the rent is so low.
Part 1: Autumn, Part 2: Winter
The journey back home is long but fine. Itâs lonely in the car, even when you put the radio on to keep you company. You kinda wish he was there with you. Heâd keep you entertained even if you wanted to punch him.
Itâs gonna be a long holiday break.
Your family is happy to have you home and you get down to the celebrations and their feigned interest at what you do in university.Â
A couple of days go past. Your phone buzzes with a text. Itâs from Lydia.
Lydia ð·: wen u bak
You furrow your brow. Lydia doesnât usually use abbreviated text. Always full sentences. In fact, she calls you out for shortening words.
You: Beetlejuice?
Lydia: ð
You snort. Of course.
You: give Lydia back her phone. Iâm sure she wonât appreciate it being hijacked.
A pause. Then:
Lydia:ð
Lydia: ððð
ððŠ
Youâre not sure if thatâs a joke or a promise. Either way it elicits an eye roll.
You: You stop that.
The next text you get actually is from Lydia.
Lydia: Sorry. He took my phone and ran. Iâm trying to convince dad and Delia to get him his own one.
Youâre left on that, with a small smile lingering on your lips. A couple of days later you receive a text from an unknown number. Itâs a picture of Beetlejuice lying back on your bed at the Deetz house, a wild grin on his face showing off the fangs he hides so well. Thereâs just a kiss emoji.Â
You: you annoyed the Deetzs into getting you a cell then?
BJ: âbuliedâ s a strong word
A couple of seconds, then:
BJ: send nuds
You roll your eyes but decide to oblige him. The holiday spirit has gripped you and youâre feeling generous. You pull down your top and send him a snap of your chest. After a few minutes you get another message.Â
BJ: â€ïžððð©ð©ððŠðŠ
You let out a little giggle. Itâs sort of flattering if a bit coarse. Like every compliment he gives you really.Â
It goes on like that while youâre home. He sort of makes the holiday season bearable, actually. Your familyâs quiet disappointment in your choice of degree is softened by having him to message. Mostly what he texts is a string of emojis which you have to decipher like a dirty pictogram. But you find yourself smiling a lot. And part of you canât wait to get back to your home away from home.Â
Then again⊠was it really that any more? Or was it just home?
And the longer you stay away the more you sort of miss it.Â
The strange friends youâve made. The ghost couple in the attic. The goth child you seem to have somewhat had thrusted under your wing. The demon youâre sending semi-regular nudes to.Â
And the worst thing is you know youâre going to have to leave.Â
It sucks. But itâs true. Your tenancy is only going to last for another six months or so. And then youâre going to have to vacate.Â
You assume everybody there knows it. That you arenât a permanent feature. Youâll have to leave when the tenancy is done, when your degree is finished. But itâs not really a conversation you want to have. Much like all your important conversations youâre⊠ignoring it.Â
Trying to live in the now.Â
You go back home - real home - in mid January. Itâs been too long since youâve seen everyone. You arrive as quietly as your little car will allow. You gave Delia prior warning, of course, but you didnât let Lydia or Beej know you were getting home early. You think it will be nice to see their reactions.Â
After sneaking up the stairs you find them in Lydiaâs room. Sheâs sitting on her bed and Beetlejuice is on the floor with his arms propped up on her mattress. She has a look of concentration on her face and it takes a moment for you to realise sheâs doing his nails, painstakingly careful brushstrokes of black. You catch the tail end of the conversation.Â
â...going steady?â
Beetlejuice shrugs, messing up Lydiaâs paintwork and causing her to curse. He sticks his tongue out at her before sighing.Â
âI donât know. I mean, I hope so. Who would want to miss out on all this?â he tries to gesture to himself, then takes a moment to actually take a look at how heâs dressed. He seems to slump a little. âI guess quite a few people actually, huh?â
âJust take a bath and get a new suit. Theyâll appreciate if you make an effort.â
âBut⊠my aesthetic,â he whines.Â
âIs like you crawled out of a grave, yeah.â
âThank you! Iâve been cultivating the look for years. This doesnât come naturally.â
Lydia sits back and puts the cap on the little bottle. âBlow,â she instructs, gesturing to his nails. He does so but in between breaths admits:Â
âI dunno. I just miss âem.â
âOh sorry,â says Lydia, âis hanging out with your ex-wife not good enough for you anymore?â
âEx-wife?â you finally say. Their heads both snap around to face you.Â
âDoll!â Beetlejuice cries, his face lit up with the genuine kind of excitement you didnât often see. In a moment heâs on his feet and off towards you. You go in for a hug, him a kiss. You knock your heads together. Awkwardly you shuffle apart, an uncomfortable silence settling over Lydiaâs room.Â
âOh god,â Lydia says, âIâm leaving. Nice to have you back, though.â
âBut this is your room,â you say, but she waves your complaint with a delicately-manicured hand - Beejâs work? - and walks off.Â
You and Beetlejuice are left alone.Â
âSo⊠you were married?â you ask, at length. He winces, scratching the back of his head.Â
âI donât wanna talk about it. It was a, uh, bad time in my life. Bad-der, I guess, hah.â
You narrow your eyes and he sighs.Â
âI really wanted to get to the real world, she was easily blackmail-able, weâre over it now.â
You nod. Okay. You donât really want to know any more.Â
âSo how was your time at home? Did you miss this face?â
With that he hops in the air and begins to float, making a slow orbit around you. You feel a smile tugging at your lips despite everything. Itâs so easy to fall back into your usual patter.Â
âIt was nice. But yeah. I did,â you say, and watch with a smug glee as you see him begin to colour pink. âHow was your Hannukah?â
He shrugs. âSame.âÂ
You stare at each other for a long moment, gaze holding fast as he continues his levitation. Then you speak at the same time:
âWell, Iâd better go unpackââ
âCan I be your boyfriend?â
You almost choke on your breath, wondering if this is a joke heâs playing. But his eyes are puppy-dog wide and sincere in a way youâre rarely used to.Â
âDo you want to be my boyfriend?â you ask, after considering it. After a moment, Beetlejuice nods. You see the telltale signs of pink taking root in his hair.Â
âDo you want me to want to be your boyfriend?â he counters.Â
You let yourself relax into a smile.Â
âYeah. Sure, okay. You can be my boyfriend.â
His face splits into a grin so wide you think he may split his cheeks, and he does a spin in the air culminating in a handstand in front of you.Â
âHell yeah, baby!â he shouts, righting himself when heâs finished with his celebration and pulling you into his arms. Itâs such an honest display of enthusiasm you canât help but let yourself laugh.Â
âHey, can I kiss you?â he asks, after a moment. Youâre so shocked heâs asked permission youâre struck silent, and instead of giving a verbal response you answer by pressing your lips to his.Â
You can feel he wants to stick his tongue immediately in your mouth, but youâre pleasantly surprised when he restrains himself. Instead he gives you a kiss which errs on the side of pleasant. He cups your face and you press your cheek into his palm affectionately.Â
âCome on,â you say, eventually, âletâs go unpack my stuff.â
When he thinks youâre out of earshot, you hear him mutter to himself.Â
âIâm gonna be such a good boyfriend.â
You smile.Â
*
And he actually⊠kind of is?
Not all the time, you mean - he is still Beetlejuice, after all -Â
âI hate spring. Everythingâs so alive.â A spider is crawling along the wall. He slaps his hand down on it with expert precision, inspects the carnage on his palm, then fucking eats it.Â
âOh my god,â you say, âI let you kiss me with that mouth.â
âYou sure do!â he beams -
But overall, itâs⊠nice.Â
The weather warms, and flowers begin to bloom in the garden, even though you can guess from Lydiaâs withering gazes she wishes they werenât. You study, come home, do your work, and then spend time with the family and your new - demon - boyfriend.Â
Beetlejuice is rather clingy, but with all things considered thatâs sort of to be expected. He complains constantly that he misses you when youâre gone, then whines how bored he was when you get back. But overall you can see how kind of⊠devoted he is to you.Â
Thereâs a thing about love languages. You can tell one of Beejâs is physical touch, considering the way heâs pretty much always draped over you.Â
And gifts. Apparently.Â
You look down at the row of dead bugs on your windowsill. Seems like theyâve been getting more and more frequent these past couple of weeks. Theyâre all quite pretty, iridescent beetles and beautiful butterflies. They are dead though.Â
âBeetlejuice?â
âThatâs my name, just say it two more times!â
He beams, just like he always does when you call him. Youâre getting used to him appearing out of thin air now. You don't jump like you used to.Â
âAre you putting these here?â You gesture to the row of tiny corpses.Â
He makes a noncommittal noise and scuffs his shoe on the ground. You furrow your brow.Â
âAre you mad at me?â
âWhat?! No!â he says, in obvious hurt. Suddenly, everything falls into place.Â
âAre these⊠presents, then?â
âI dunno. I guess,â replies. His cheeks donât go pink in embarrassment but his hair does. He disappears before you can ask anything else.Â
You look back over to them and smile.Â
You invest in some insect pinning equipment and put them up over the next couple of days.Â
A couple of days later when he sees what youâve done, he beams. Itâs a bit of a macabre decoration but, hey, it suits the two of you down to a tee.Â
*
âHey, is it your birthday soon?â
Your head snaps up from where youâre looking at your laptop. Beetlejuice lazily floats through the air on his back, kicking his legs as if heâs swimming.Â
âHow did you know that?â
âWent through your bag,â he replies with a shrug. You pinch the bridge of your nose in frustration.Â
âWhy, Beej?â
âI was looking for snacks.â
âWe live above a kitchen! Why donât you get snacks from there?â
âBecause they taste nicer when theyâre from your bag,â he says with a pout.
âHang on,â you say, swivelling round in your chair to face him, âdo you even need to eat? Arenât you dead?â
âNo, I donât need to.â
âBut you do eat? You ate that whole pizza yesterday. Rolled it up and shoved the whole thing down your throat like a snake.â
âHa! Yeah I did do that. Man, that was funny.â He waves his hand, as if getting rid of the conversation from the air. âAnyway. Stop deflecting. What do you want for your birthday?â
You open your mouth to say, ânothing!â, but he beats you there with a: âAnd donât go pulling that âI donât want anythingâ crap. I know itâs a lie, you know itâs a lie, and lying doesnât suit you, dollface.â
With a sigh you reach out to take his hand. Even such a simple gesture gets the pink going in his hair.
âWhatever you get for me Iâll like, Beej.â
He grins so wide his face nearly splits in half.
*
When you wake up on the morning of your birthday, heâs hovering a foot over you. You scream in surprise and lash out - earning him a slap to the side of the face.
âHa, nice,â he says, rubbing the cheek where your hand just landed. You roll your eyes at him but manage a smile anyway.
âMorning, Beej.â
âHappy birthday, doll.â
He reaches down to kiss you, but you hear Lydiaâs voice interrupt the moment.
âBeetlejuice, itâs their birthday. You could have let them sleep in.â
âNo,â he states, sitting down and shifting over on your bed so Lydia can join. The Maitlands are behind her too, and theyâve managed to materialise party hats from somewhere.
âHappy birthday! Sorry we couldnât get you anything, being that weâre, you know, dead,â Barbara says. âBut weâve decided you can have anything of ours you want from the attic!â
âExcept the kombucha,â warns Adam, âthe kombucha is not good.â
âThank you, guys,â you say with a laugh.
âThis is from me,â says Lydia, shoving a present into your hands. You can see sheâs blushing, shy. You tear open the newspaper wrapping and look at the present sheâs given you.
Itâs a collage. Of photos sheâs taken. Thereâs one of you and her grinning into the camera, a rare selfie - a picture from the Halloween party all that time ago, you in the attic with two floating orbs you can tell, as much as they show up on camera, are Barbara and Adam.
And in the middle is a photo of you and Beetlejuice.
Youâre both high in the air, his arms encircling you and carrying you bridal-style. Even though the picture is angled upwards you can still see the look of gentle, sincere adoration on his face.
You remember that day. When Lydia asked you to model for her. The first day you trusted him.
âOh, Lyds,â you whisper, and pull her into a hug.Â
âItâs nothing,â she mutters. She only has a moment to return your embrace before you feel Beetlejuice press something against you.
âOkay, enough breather bonding time, my turn!â
You carefully take the offered present and stare at it. Itâs not big. Maybe ring box sized. You narrow your eyes.
âCan I open this if thereâs a minor present?â Itâs not beyond him to gift you a cock ring. Youâre not even sure if youâd mind it.
âWhat! Yes, what do you take me for? Some kind of demon pervert?â A millisecond of a pause. âDonât answer that.â
With a shrug, you slide a finger under the wrapping paper and open it up.
It is a jewellery box.Â
And inside is a necklace. A small silver âBâ on a fine, discreet chain. Itâs surprisingly tasteful - and restrained - for a present from him.Â
âOh, Beej. I love it,â you say, honestly. You look over to him to see heâs started to undo his tie, unbutton his collar.Â
âAnd see? We match!â
You think maybe heâll show you a matching necklace, maybe your own initial hanging from it.Â
What you donât expect is to see your name TATTOOED across his chest.Â
You manage to strangle back a gently horrified âBeetlejuice what the FUCK,â and instead force a smile.Â
Well. Actually. This is pretty on brand for a display of affection from him.Â
âThatâs not how you spell their name,â Lydia pipes up. Beetlejuice frowns and tries to look down.
âWhat?â
âI said thatâs not how you spell their name. Itâs like this,â Lydia scribbles your name down on a piece of discarded paper and shows it to him. Beetlejuice shrugs.
âEh, whatever. Itâs the thought that counts, right?â
âYeah, Beej,â you say, genuinely, âit is.â
*
It ends up being a really nice birthday. You donât do much, with it not really being a milestone, but you hang out with your friends and enjoy each otherâs company.Â
If you had known a year ago that your friend group of this strange group - well, you probably wouldnât have changed a thing.Â
You go to bed in the small hours nearly asleep on your feet. Beetlejuice floats behind you like a horny balloon animal.Â
âYou want some birthday sugar?â he asks, eyeing you as you strip to get into your pyjamas.Â
âCome and cuddle me first,â you say with a sleepy yawn, clambering under the covers and holding out your arms. Beetlejuice seems a bit taken aback by the request but is obedient, trying to hide the pink in his roots as he snuggles down next to you.Â
He smells of grave dirt only vaguely now. You canât believe youâre getting used to it. But he lacks much body temperature, being dead and all, so heâs the perfect bedfellow for a warmer spring night. After a moment he turns to press his face into your neck, not to be overly amorous, but merely to be closer to you.Â
âCan I tell you something?â he asks. His voice is small. Heâs going to say something sincere. You wonder if he gets the courage by not looking at you when he says it.Â
âAnything, Beej.â
âIâm really glad you rented this room.â
Your hand finds itself in his hair, petting gently. He drops a kiss on your shoulder.Â
âI am too, bug.â
âBabes?â
âYeah?â
âThereâs something else you need to know.â
âShoot.â
This time he does look you in the eye.Â
âSo long as I have a face, you will always have a place to sit.â
You snort, loud and ugly, and Beetlejuice gets the same smile on his face he always does when he can make you laugh.Â
With a burst of renewed energy you push him over and pin him on his back.Â
âCan I put that to the test?â
You donât need to ask twice.Â
*
Spring gets warmer, you wear less clothes - which Beeltejuice loves - and Lydia gets sadder.
Lydia always has an air of the morose around her, but it becomes more palpable the further into spring you get. One day you decide to talk to her about it. You come into her room with a pair of sodas - youâve been friends with her for long enough to know what her favourite is - a pack of donuts, and open ears.
âHey. Wanna hang?â
She looks up from her book - Frankenstein, youâre not surprised to see - and shuffles over on her bed. You plop down heavily and open the food, listening out to make sure Beetlejuice doesnât hear the sound of the packet opening and come running like a pet cat.
He doesnât, and youâre safe.
âDonât you have coursework to be doing?â Lydia asks as she fishes a donut out with her forefinger and thumb, nibbling at the edge carefully. She doesnât ask it unkindly, but maybe a little teasingly, because she knows the answer is yes.
âDonât you have homework to be doing?â
She shrugs, beaten, and shoves the donut into her mouth. You relax in companionable silence for a moment before you breach the subject.
âYouâve seemed sad recently. Well. Sadder. Everything okay?â
Lydia sighs. Dusts off some crumbs from her quilt.Â
âItâs the anniversary of my momâs death next week.â
Ah.
âOh, honey. Iâm so sorry.â
She shrugs.
âItâs fine. Iâm⊠better about it. I think weâll be taking a trip to New York to visit her grave.â
âDo you want to talk about her?â
Lydia seems unsure.
âIs that okay?â
âOf course.â
And so, perhaps the most animated youâve ever seen her, she does.Â
*
You offer to come with her next week, if she wants some company thatâs neither her father nor Delia, but it seems Charles has other ideas.
âWe were hoping you could house-sit,â he says the next morning. âWe trust you and we need someone to keep our⊠other house guests in line.â
You feel a thrum in the air that means you know Beetlejuice is listening in to this conversation, and likes what heâs hearing. Also you understand this is a reasonably big ask and want to be a good lodger.
âOf course, Charles. Iâd be happy to.â
You pretend you donât hear the whispered boo-yah from another plane.
The next week goes by quickly, but Beetlejuice feels more than ever like heâs so wound up heâs about to snap. Constantly pawing at your body, being touchy-feely. You indulge him when you feel like it, but know if you give an inch heâll take a mile - and youâll never get out of bed again unless you set some boundaries.
On the day the Deetzes leave, you give Lydia a firm hug which she returns.
âIâm on the end of the phone if you need me, okay?â you tell her, and feel her nod against your shoulder. From the kitchen you watch your host family load their luggage, then themselves, into their car -
â then a pair of arms wraps around you and hoists you onto the kitchen counter.
âWaah-!â
Beetlejuice steps between your legs, grabbing your ankles so he can wrench you forward flush against him. He buries his face between your shoulder and your neck and takes in a deep, deep breath of your scent.
âFinally, we have this place to ourselves,â he mutters, and you can hear the grin on his face even if you canât see it. âWhere are we starting? Here? Sofa? Hey, we can even go into the laundry room if you wanna sit on the dryer while it vibrates, if that will get you off.â
You suppress a snort of laughter and gently press your hands to his chest, pushing him off of you.
âBeetlejuice, firstly, weâre not going to have sex while I can still see their car in the driveway -â
With a gesture, all the blinds on the kitchen windows shut, cutting off daylight and prying eyes at once.
âBetter?â
â- and secondly, Iâm not fucking all over their house because that would be rude.â
Beetlejuice makes a whiny noise of complaint in the back of his throat. You cup his cheeks in your hand, forcing him to look in your eyes.
âBut, that being said. Why donât you take a shower and meet me upstairs?â
Your voice is low, sultry, and full of promise for the rest of the day. His eyes go wide. Youâve never seen him run before, let alone for a wash, but thereâs pretty much a Beetlejuice-shaped empty space where he rockets off to the bathroom.
When youâre happy you can hear the faucet being turned on, you begin the walk up to your room.
You strip once you cross the threshold, discarding your clothes in a line over to the bed. Dropping to your knees you pull out one of the suitcases you packed when you came back from your break over the holidays.
With a grin, you take out your strap and harness, and begin to get ready.
After what is probably too short a time in the shower than Beetlejuice actually needs, you hear the water stop and the door open. Your boyfriend stalks into your room looking surprisingly⊠clean. Sure, thereâs still moss on him, and thereâs some crust that simply won't come off, but he looks far closer to alive than dead now.
And when he takes in the sight of you lying on the bed, fake cock bobbing between your legs, he throws his head up and mutters something that you think might be a âthank you, godâ.
âYou kept this well hidden, huh?â he asks, stalking over to the bed, clambering up towards you. When he reaches out to touch you surprise him - grabbing him by the wrist and flipping him onto his back, straddling him before he can regain his wits. His pupils immediately blow wide, his hair streaking quickly from a playful green to shocking pink.
âYou think you can be good for me, Beej?â
He tries to look cocky but itâs rather ruined by the way heâs trying to grind his half-hard dick up into you. You give him a gentle slap on the hip to get him to behave.
âIâm never good, doll.â
âAwh, well. Iâm sure we can fix that.â
You drop your head down to press a kiss to his clavicle. He sucks in a breath he doesnât need from the intimate feeling of it, keeping it locked in his lungs as you make your way down his body. A tongue over a nipple. A nip to his wonderful stomach. Running your bared teeth over the meat of his thigh.Â
âBabe, donât make me wa-â he begins to object, but is stopped when you reach up to stuff your fingers in his mouth. His sentence is cut off with a moan as he begins to suck them. His tongue is pointed and long. Far longer than a humanâs tongue would be and with far more potential, too. As you caress his body but ignore his cock you look up, watching the way he wraps it round your digits and out to taste the sweat on your palm.
âI think you can be very good, actually.â
You press a single kiss to his shaft before you sit back up, reaching over to your side table to get out the (recently) well-used bottle of lube.Â
Beetlejuice groans in annoyance when you extract your fingers from his mouth, but watches curiously as you pour a generous portion of it into your hand.
âKnees open for me, honey.â
Beetlejuice does as heâs bid, for once without arguing, watching you like a hawk as you press two fingers to the rim of his hole.Â
âFu-uu-uck,â he groans as you push inside him, all the way down to your final knuckle. He takes you like a champion. You crook your fingers upwards to press into the sweet spot you know is there and he throws his head back with a choked moan.
âBabesâŠâ
âHmm?â
You pump your fingers in and out, adding a third, holding his desperate gaze. You like him like this. Putty in your hand, lost for words because of the pleasure you have him strung out on.
âY-yâknow, demon bodies are built different to breathers. You donât need to prep me.â
You hum as you consider this.
âMaybe I just wanted to feel you, Beej.â
He lets out another moan, this one a lot more wanton than before. He struggles for words.
âDoes it feel good, honey?â
âY-yeah.â
âThen donât think. Just enjoy it.â
Beetlejuice collapses back from where heâs been holding himself up on his forearms, reaching back and holding onto your bed pillows for dear life.
You continue your work languidly, in no great hurry to have this over. You enjoy Beetlejuice being reduced to a quivering mess around your fingers. Bring him down a peg or two - hah!, so to speak. You watch the way his cock hardens and bounces against his stomach, leaving smears of precome against the hair leading down to his groin. If you were feeling kind you might take it in your hand, give it a couple of pumps.
However, youâre feeling more like gently torturing him.
Eventually you extract your hand. You add some extra lube to the strap and wipe whatâs left off your slippery fingers and onto his chest. His fingers grip the pillows so hard you can hear the sound of fabric tearing.
âReady?â
âFuck. Shit. Yeah. Just, fuck, give me anything, babe. Iâm dying here.â
You resist the urge to ask, âbut arenât you already dead?â and instead line up the head of your dick with his entrance. You push in reasonably slow, giving him time to adjust, but quickly find yourself bottoming out.
Opened up on you, Beetlejuice thrashes and turns.
âHoly crap, move,â he chokes.
âMagic word?â
âCome on, babes -â
You sigh dramatically and begin to pull out.Â
âOkay, fine! Please! Fucking, fuck me, please!â
With a vulpine grin, you do.
Your hips move hard and fast against his own, spearing him over and over again with your strap. Each push grinds down into your clit as it hits his prostate, pleasuring you both. But you have a job to focus on. And thatâs to reduce him to a blubbering mess.
So far it seems like youâre succeeding.
âFuck, yes, ah-!â Beetlejuice covers his face with his hands as he loses himself in the pleasure of being fucked, but you donât let him stay like that - instead you link your fingers through his own and hold them down into your ruined pillows, pinning him and making sure you can see his face.
The sounds your dick makes are obscene, the intimate slide of wet flesh, but itâs all worth it when Beetlejuice hauls his legs up to wrap them around your waist. You feel him cross his ankles to lock himself in place underneath you.Â
âYou want to come, huh, Beej?â
He nods, desperate.
âGonna need to hear you say it out loud, sugar.â
âYes!â
âThen come.â
And he does, with a roar that makes you glad you waited until the Deetzes were gone in order to whip this out. He shoots hot spurts all over his stomach, nearly crying with the effort of his release.
âYou okay, Beej?â
âFucking peachy,â he pants, grinning dirtily. You laugh, untangling one of your hands so you can affectionately brush the hair away thatâs stuck to his forehead.
âWeird that you only had, what, two suitcases? And that was one of the things you chose to pack.â
âAre you complaining?â
Beetlejuice catches your wrist in his hand and presses a kiss to it.
âNah, never.â
Then he flips you on your back to return the favour.
*
The Deetz family return after a few days to a perfectly in-tact house. You managed to keep most of your and Beetlejuiceâs escapades confined to your bedroom, but when he slipped his hand down your underwear when you were in the middle of washing up⊠well, you werenât going to turn him away, were you?
You just had to make sure the Maitlands werenât permanently scarred by anything you got up to.
Things settle back into normality, and as April turns to May, you get ready for the end of your uni semester.
Itâs a hot afternoon. Youâre making sure to keep hydrated as you tap away on your laptop. Beetlejuice isnât explicitly saying âpay attention to meâ, but he might as well be when he comes floating into your room, settling on your bed and staring intently at you. Music plays gently from your speakers, a gentle background noise as you make some edits to your university work.Â
Heâs quiet for about .5 seconds.Â
âOh shit, is this Rumours by Fleetwood Mac?â
You nod, tapping your foot to the beat.Â
âOnly one of the -â
âBest albums ever written!â you both conclude. You grin at him, pleased to share this opinion.Â
âMan, Stevie Nicks is crazy. Lights up the room down in the Netherworld.â
âWait, Stevie Nicks isnât dead, is she?â
âI never said she was dead,â Beetlejuice says, puzzled. You decide to let that topic lie, actually.Â
âWhat are you doing?â
âPicking out some photos for our photography show next week. They hire out a little gallery in town to showcase everyoneâs work, I want to make sure I pick the best stuff I have.â
âOh.â A beat. âCan I come?â
You look up at Beetlejuice from over your laptop screen. Heâs playing with an errant thread off your quilt, pretending not to care about your answer, but failing spectacularly.
âYou want to, bug?â
ââCourse I do. Seeing your work in a gallery is like, professional shit. I wanna be there.â
You smile softly at him, feeling a rush of affection spread across your chest.
âSure you can, Beej.â
âWhat, really?â he perks up.
âWell, Iâd want my boyfriend to be there, right?â
Thereâs no hiding the pink that streaks his hair.
âBut you have to promise to behave. No funny business.â
âBabe. As I live and breathe, Iâd never get into any funny business.â
âYou neither live nor breathe.â
âHaha, yeah.â
*
You know nobody can see Beetlejuice hovering along beside you, holding your hand and being dragged around the gallery space as he hovers in the air. But itâs still nice. To be in a public setting with your boyfriend, wandering around like the two of you are on a normal date. Youâre wearing a black pair of trousers and blazer, the little âBâ necklace hanging between your collarbones.Â
It feels nice. It feels normal.
âWhat the fuck is that meant to be?â Beetlejuice asks, squinting at one of the prints from your classmate. You hide a laugh under your hand.
âI think itâs a sewer pipe.â
âOh. Right. Yeah that tracks,â he says, wrinkling his nose at the rest of the display. You swallow a guffaw with a mouthful of wine and lead him over to your space.
âAnd this is my stuff.â
You stop in front of a small, muted selection of your photographs. Theyâre all in black and white, your preferred medium - and most of them are from the Deetz house. Angles of the building itself. Dead wildlife you found in the grass. Decaying flowers.
One of them is of you.
You donât love self portraits, but youâve been learning to get more confident with your appearance. The photo is a close up of your face. Youâre looking down, face gently melancholy, hair falling into your eyes.
Beetlejuice stares at it.
âWow. You look⊠wow,â is all he can say.Â
âHa. Thanks, I guess.â
âI mean it. You really have an eye for this stuff,â he says. It feels weird, hearing a sincere compliment leave his mouth, but you can feel yourself begin to get a little bit flustered because of it.Â
âYeah?â
âYeah. I mean, you should make a living doing this.â
Youâre so genuinely flattered you canât come up with a teasing response.
âThank you, Beej.â
He scratches the back of his head, awkward at the rawness of the moment. Then he spies the spread thatâs been put out for visitors to the gallery.
âOh hell yeah, Iâm gonna go and fucking destroy those crudites.â
Beetlejuice presses a kiss to your cheek before descending upon the buffet like a man possessed.
Next to you, a man in a black polo neck is surveying your work. He gives an appraising nod.
âYouâre the photographer, I take it?â
âI am, sir.â
He nods again.
âVery interesting work. You have an intimate understanding of the relationship between life and death.â
Youâre glad Beetlejuice is out of earshot. You can just imagine him chiming in, hell yeah they do!
âThank you.â
The man passes a business card from his pocket. Your eyes go wide when you see the name printed on it.
Oh god. Itâs him. From that magazineâŠ?!
âIâm here as a favour from your professor. Weâre old friends, and I come to these shows to seek out new talent. Usually I come up empty. But you,â he turns to look at you for the first time, tearing his eyes away from your photos, âyou have something. How would you like to come and work for me?â
Your mouth is hanging open. You close it with a pop.
âFor you? From here?â
That would be⊠well, perfect. Youâve been looking at apartments around here for when your degree is over and lease is up at the Deetz household. You could be near Beetlejuice and Lydia and do something you love. This dream job would be the icing on the cake.
âWhat? Oh, Christ, of course not. This is rural Connecticut. Nothing happens here. No. Youâd need to move to Los Angeles, of course.â
Your heart plummets in your chest.
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2022 in review
from ficwip!
Whatâs something new that you tried in a fic this year? How did it turn out? Would you do it again?
i wrote my first crossover fic! they're not usually my thing so it seemed kinda wild to do but i was really surprised how naturally the characters worked together. plus i was really happy to see a few other people excited about it ð
Whatâs something you learned about yourself as a writer?
i learned a lot about myself and my identity through writing characters i love! especially exploring relationship anarchy and other non-traditional relationships, it gave me the language to describe how i feel about my friends and people who are important to me overall ð
also that i'm way more likely to get a fic done if i can crank out a draft/outline in one sitting ðð
What piece of media inspired you the most?
nu: carnival! iâm thriving with relationship anarchy being built into the canon ð©ð
What fandom(s) did you write for this year?
sk8, nu:c, and one deltarune fic! also posted some one piece but it was stuff i wrote the previous year
What ship(s) captured your heart?
the sk8 cast polycule, primarily four wheels (adam/langa/reki/tadashi), kept me Running for a good chunk of the year. i love all the different dynamics and history between the characters and it's really fun to explore how they can work in all different ways.
also some combinations of quincy/kuya/blade of nu: carnival, there's a lot of fun (potential) history going on there and i have Many more ideas i'd like to execute in 2023
Did you write for a new fandom or ship this year?
nu: carnival yes! and that one deltarune fic fjdksf
What fic meant the most to you to write?
THE CROSSOVER FIC, exploring that sweet religious trauma is so cathartic
What fic made you feel the happiest to work on?
i feel fine, i havenât been feelin it much lately but writing paramedic quincy is a treat and iâm hoping i can get back into it soon ð
What fic was the most satisfying to finish writing?
two old friends and an e-droid bc i speedran that shit for eliseâs birthday
What fic was the most difficult to write? Did you finish it?
maybe also the previous answer but ALSO the crossover fic that no i have not finished
also some zine/bang fics that i was just NOT FEELING and iâm excited to do much less of those next year fjdskfjd
What fic was the easiest to write?
probably i feel fine until just this next chapter where i got STUCK
What were you go-to writing songs?
i like video game soundtracks, usually lo fi mixes of like animal crossing, the sims, or a hat in time
What were your go-to writing snacks?
i donât usually eat while i write but i love tea
What was the hardest fic to title?
probably any fic thatâs not titled with song lyrics and honestly some of them that are song lyrics bc they were a last resort
Share your favorite opening line
The tension in Sia la luce could be cut with a knife.
Or rather, a dagger, in the case of Kaoruâs stare across the table.Â
--donât mind the third wheel (technically wrote this in late 2021 but shhhh)
Share your favorite ending line
It wasnât the same, but Quincy was happy.
--close enough to forever
Share your favorite piece of dialogue
âWell, simply put, my dove, heâs worried about you.â Adam took a sip from his own glass, and if he didnât care for the taste of his drink, it didnât show. âHe wanted to make sure weâre not doing anything⊠unsavory.â He wiggled his eyebrows, to which Kaoru rolled his eyes.
âBut we are,â Langa replied, deadpan. âWe have sex all the time.â
Adam snickered. Kaoru put his head in his hands.
âYes, dear, Iâm sure he knows that,â Adam said. Then, he mumbled into his glass, âCertainly now, if not previously.â
--donât mind the third wheel
Share an excerpt from your favorite scene
a lot to pick from but hereâs another bit i liked
âIt doesnât matter what your relationship with Tadashi is like, compared to others,â Ainosuke said. âI feel⊠different sorts of feelings about all three of you. We share different things with each other. But I think⊠by association, weâre all important to each other. While we have our individual relationships, we also work as a unit. Right?â
Reki hadnât thought about it that way⊠but it made perfect sense. All four of them met up plenty, whether for their regular check-ins or just a nice dinner. He liked his moments alone with Langa, and with Ainosuke, but he liked seeing everyone together just as much.
âTadashi likes you,â Ainosuke continued. âHe may not always show it, but heâs fond of you. He likes spending time with you. He gets plenty of alone time with me alreadyâ and if he needs more, he knows he can talk to me about it.â He gave Reki another kiss, this one on the nose. âYouâre not intruding. I promise.â
--pillow talk
Whatâs something that surprised you while you were working on a fic? Did it change the story?
i donât have specific examples but certain characters (particularly ainosuke) love taking the wheel and changing the entire course of the fic so thatâs always an adventure
What did you use to write? (programs, paper & pen, etc.)
just google docs! sometimes also a word counter app on my phone if iâm writing quick drabbles
If you had to choose one, what was THE most satisfying writing moment of your year?
not necessarily Just writing but fandom rhythm vol 1 going live
for writing specifically, hmmmaybe posting not quite anointed and having other people care about it
Did you do anything special to celebrate finishing a fic?
not in particular, my fics tend to be on the shorter side so iâm just like ð woo time to post
How did you recharge between fics?
actually been reading a lot more in these past few months, particularly outside the fandoms i write for which has been LOVELY
If this were an awards show, who would you thank?
writer friends! @dykecassidy who i love talking fic with regardless of our fandoms, @hyuge â& @theinsanefox i got to know this year and have been lovely beta readers & general support buddies, and of course @waaaluigiboardâ who constantly puts up with my yelling ð†also @ficwipâ and all the regulars there!
Whatâs something you want to write in 2023?
i think iâd like to finish my big four wheels fic! itâs a silly one based on a cheesy romcom and i have it all outlined iâm just. always tired and swamped with events and deadlines. but iâm hoping to sign up for less and focus more on my own stuff, less on current trends or w/e and just write things i want to write at my own pace.
itâd also be fun to write for a new fandom! i got really into deltarune, supernatural, and fnaf this year and itâd be fun to explore those more in fic âš
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