Big Book Of Parvill One Shots

Touch (S)

TW: Modern With Magic!AU

Parvis idly rolled over in the air and looked down at the silent figure of Strife below him, poring over a stack of paper. Strife would never see him. Ghosts weren't seen. But he liked to pretend the blond businessman was his friend.

Strife turned over a page, and something snapped inside Parvis. He started to sob. "You know what, Strife? I don't even know why I'm here. You'll never talk to me. You'll never know I'm here. I don't even like you!"

Strife didn't respond.

Then Parvis started to wail in earnest, reaching out to touch something, anything. Sitting half-inside the desk, his hand went right through everything- Will, the floor, the piles of paper...

Strife didn't react.

Finally, Parvis tired himself out. His sobs faded to long rattling breaths and he held the only thing he could- hugging his knees to his chest, burying his face in them, and rocking back and forth on the office floor. "I wish you could see me, Strife. I wish you knew I was here."

Hours later, Strife paused in his work and rubbed his eyes.

"Hey, Strifey. You should get some sleep." Parvis floatedback up to his place near the ceiling.

Strife lay his head down on the desk, causing an avalanche of paper. "Someday I'll win. Someday..." he muttered sleepily.

"It never works, you know," said Parvis.

Strife jerked his head up. "Who said that!?"

Parvis fell silent and listened for whatever Strife had just heard. This late, surely nobody would be left in the office.

"Maybe I'm going crazy," said Strife. "Maybe I should get some sleep."

"Yes, you should." Parvis looked down to see Strife's shocked face turned up towards him. "That's odd, Strifey. How can you be looking at me if you can't see me?"

"B...but I can see you!"

"No, you can't. You must really need to rest, because it's impossible that you're seeing me."

"Hallucinations don't normally say you're crazy..."

"Look, Strifey, I don't know how you're doing this but you can't see or hear me."

"Yes, I can! You're floating above my desk! I can see you opening your mouth to talk!"

"You can't be seeing me. I'm kidding myself. I can say anything and you won't hear." Parvis thought for a moment. "Strife, you're hot and you don't realize how everyone looks at you."

Strife blushed, his face lighting up green. "What do you mean-"

"Okay forget I said that. Maybe you can hear me."

"I certainly can."

"Interesting." Parvis didn't quite believe it. "I guess I have to watch what I say now." He rolled over in the air, overcome with giddy laughter.

"Right..." said Strife. "Er... who are you?"

Parvis sank to the floor and bowed with a flourish. "My name is Alex Parvis. Guitarist, DOTA player, and resident of Solution Towers."

"All right, Parvis. How are you floating? And I can see through you."

"Ah, yes. I'm also a ghost."

"So you're... dead?"

"Yes."

"Wow... that's... uhhh... I should probably introduce myself. I'm-"

"I know who you are, Strifey. William Strife, founder and CEO of Strife Solutions. Lumin. Educated at the same university as the greats, Sips Underscore and Xephos."