Ghostie Bois Inc

Chapter Five: Coming Up The Path

"You're a what?" Tommy instantly sprang up, much like an excited child. 

   The man, Dream, chuckled at his excitement and nodded. "You heard me," he said as he leveled out the mound of salt in his bag. "A ghost hunter. Well, paranormal investigator is really what it is, but I'm all for the capture as well, need-be," he explained. 

   "Is that an actual profession?" Tubbo asked, thinking about it. It sounded really cool, though slightly fictitious. 

   Tubbo spluttered like a stalled car engine. "Real or not, that is poggers!" He declared. He felt much better since the morning, no longer jittery and worried about supposed haunted blades. 

   "Sometimes you can get paid," Dream explained, dusting off his hoodie. "Though not often, so you've really got to love the stuff to do it. Lucky for me though, I do."

   Tommy practically jumped on the guy with questions. "How do you even know ghosts exist? Have you ever seen one? What color are they--or are they all like the color of however violently they died?" He spun around and looked at his friend. "Tubbo--what color is violence?" 

   "Orange," Tubbo answered immediately. 

   Dream watched the two of them and resisted the urge to laugh at their antics. "Um...alright then. Well, it's early--have you boys eaten? I don't mind answering questions over food if you guys are comfortable with that," He said. 

   Tommy exchanged a brief look with Tubbo. They'd originally planned on going to get food anyway, and besides...either of them would be lying if they said that they weren't at least a little interested. "Alright," Said Tubbo as he squinted away from the sun. "Food sounds nice, thank you." 

   Dream nodded, and tied up his bag of ghost salt. "We'll pay," Tubbo blurted. "Y'know, since Tommy ran into you and all."

   Tommy nudged him slightly. "Oi, oi. That wasn't really me, I just wanted to win," He said as a defense. Tubbo gave him a confused look and the two began to jokingly go back and forth. As they made their way over the diner, they and laughed over the issue, nudging one another back and forth every few sentences.

   Dream smiled slightly watching the two. In some small way, they sort of reminded him of himself, and an old friend of his. 

   He really missed his friend. 

   "So you're telling me, that ghosts make fun of your laugh?" Tommy asked Dream, sitting beside Tubbo in a booth at their favorite oddly-designed diner. The blond across from them gave a playful sigh and shrugged.  

   "Yeah, they call me 'Tea Kettle'," He said, and skewered one of his French fries with a toothpick. The diner wasn't so busy, a very low hum of chatter giving the whole area a relaxed feel. Fundy had come by to be their server earlier, having a suspiciously brief exchange with Dream before taking off all together. Tommy would be lying if he said he wasn't interested.

   "Are you a tea kettle?" Tubbo asked, looking straight at him. "I mean--if the dead are going that route, there's gotta be something, right?" He asked. 

   Dream opened his mouth to answer, but was cut off unexpectedly. "He wheezes like a kettle that's currently dying in a melting pot," Fundy answered from behind them, startling the group slightly and setting down Tubbo's soda next to his plate. "Pretty sure his lungs are collapsed." 

   Dream got over his initial reaction and gave a nervous, non-wheezing laugh. "Well, that's one way to put it," He said, and pressed his lips together in a smile. "Though I think I remember that you used to call it--"