Swallow Your Affection

Abnormal Breakfast

Ever since Ghostbur tagged along for your village visit, he's been hanging around the cabin.

You don't see him the entire day, but in the five days that passed, you've seen him every single day.

Sometimes in the morning, sometimes briefly before night, and sometimes afternoon, but you've been catching him at all hours, and everytime you see him he's asking what next he can help with.

Prep this food? Of course.

Haul this wood? Sure.

Making dinner? I'm good at that.

You're going to bed? No problem, I'll keep the monsters away.

It's sweet, and you like the company. You especially like that he seems to like your company, always happy to tell you things and hear things in return.

Tommy's been briefly phasing in and out of the rooms, coming up to haul apples and steak back down to his lair.

He snarks at you when he does, and you snark back, but he doesn't stick around for company.

Today Phil was actually taking a moment to sort what all things he had gathered, hanging outside and carefully sifting through logs and concrete.

It was way too chilly and busy for you to be watching him.

Right now you've just started ingredient prep on dinner- pulling out the knives and the vegetables and laying them out on the crafting table.

Ghostbur was off near the fire, adding a few fresh logs in.

It was already natural for you to say the first thing that came to your head.

"You know- I'd like to get some sweet berries-" you chime, pulling out an arm full of potatoes and dropping them on the furnace that you commandeered as counter space.

One of them rolls off and you scoff at the inconvenience.

"Yeah?" Ghostbur hums, "Why sweet berries?"

"Well obviously I wanna make some sweet berry jam." You reply, reaching down and picking the potatoe up.

Maybe you weren't the best cook, but jam was something you could do. Back when you used to live alone you only really ate bread and drank nice hot drinks. Jam went well with bread.

You were a different person back then.

You were too busy ruminating in the past to do much else.

But now, staring down at the vegetables you were chopping, you feel you can take a deep breath.... and actually enjoy it. No looming weight.

"Mmmm- jjammm-" the ghost hums, shaking his head vigorously in a nod, "Sounds sugary- I can go find some if you'd like?"

You glance at the spirit. He was crouched by the fire still, hand holding a poker as he jabbed at the logs.

"Naww- you've been a good assistant, I'll find them when I get to it, don't need you going out of your way anymore then you have." You smile at him, squinting when he grinned at you and continued poking at the fire.

"Haha! But your fun to do things for." Ghostbur whines.

"Bro- Bur, I can't be that fun to do things for."

He mumbles something to himself and pokes the fire again.

"What was that?" You squint at him, "I couldn't hear you, speak up-"

"What? Nothing-" he smiles his naive happy smile, "I wasn't speaking."

A creaking noise stops all conversation.