Spirit-Sensitive | BxB

6: calm

After the meeting in Andrew's apartment, Michael felt like he was beginning to understand things a bit better. The energy in the building felt less unstable. Even Lily seemed more and more coherent. Andrew's drawing, it seemed, had helped her a lot. She'd looked quite touched when Michael gave it to her.

At the same time, Andrew's attachment to Michael grew more serious. Michael didn't mind spending time with him, as he did enjoy his company, but it worried him. Spirits who didn't like to be alone sometimes became troublesome. It often meant that they were afraid of something, or running away from something. And Michael still didn't know what that something was.

Michael happened to be thinking all of this over as he slowly made his way to his apartment. His arms were loaded with boxes and folders, so full that he was forced to travel at a snail's pace and had his keyring gripped in between his teeth. He was at the door, trying to get the keys into his hand somehow, when he heard the footsteps running after him down the hallway.

"Hey, let me help you with that!"

Andrew. Of course. Michael looked around to make sure that no one else was nearby. Any normal person, if he were to let Andrew carry something, would just see a box floating in the air, and he didn't want to scare anyone. But the hallway was empty, and so he relented.

"Thank you," he said as he let Andrew take several of the objects from him. He unlocked the door and allowed them both inside.

Andrew didn't cross the threshold right away. Michael would have been surprised if he had. Michael's apartment had an array of spiritual magnifiers and artifacts and charms and plenty of sage, so it was probably a place that felt strange to a ghost. Andrew stood still for a moment, squinting at something that even Michael couldn't see, and then shook his head and let himself in.

"You can set everything down on the kitchen table. I don't need to get to it right away," Michael said as he did just that with his stack. Andrew obeyed him.

"What's all this for, anyway? I never see you carrying this much stuff!"

Michael didn't comment on the implication in that sentence that Andrew did, in fact, watch him from time to time.

"Oh, it's nothing, really— one of the other writers quit on us all of a sudden, and he had several projects in progress. My boss told me to take all of his notes and things."

"Wh— You mean you have to finish all of it for him?!"

"It's not like I have to get it all done by tomorrow. My boss simply doesn't want the work to go to waste."

Michael really didn't think it was that big of a deal. He enjoyed writing, and there wasn't much pressure. He was just recycling the bits and pieces of what Jenkins had left them. But, then, his family had always criticized him for working too hard, so it was very possible that his gauge of these things was off. After a minute of thinking on it, Andrew laughed shyly.

"I-I guess I can't lecture you for working too much... I mean, all I ever do is paint. And bug you, I guess."

"No one's bugging me. I already told you that you were welcome to visit my apartment, didn't I?"

"...Yeah, you did." Andrew did his best to recover from embarrassment and wandered around as Michael slightly organized the files. He stopped near the shelf full of spiritual mementos. Michael had an idea of what he was staring at. "...Isn't that...?"

Michael looked up. Andrew was pointing at the series of three drawings that had been hung in a single customized frame above the shelf. Michael shrugged.

"Well, don't sound so uncertain, Andy. Or do you not recognize your own work?" he asked teasingly.

"That— That's not what I meant! Y-You didn't have to go and get them framed!"