Okay, so this is a song that happens later in the chapter. You can listen to it now, later, or never. Your choice. Hope you enjoy this chapter!

Warning: Mentions of past injuries and torture.

Deceit pov
I drifted out of the room, silently cursing myself for forgetting that humans ate. Looking around, I find the nearest place that serves food. I had to fly quite a ways until I found one. I looked at the strange green logo on the outside of the shop. It had a weird person with tails on it. I watched as someone familiar walked in. Wait... is that... man 1?

The man wore a black leather jacket, sunglasses, and some killer red pumps. He walked in like he owned the place and I immediately followed him. He greeted the people behind the counter by name, with a large smile.

"Hey Remy, the usual?" The person behind the counter asked.

"You know what I like babes," they rolled their eyes in response and ringed him up. The person had short hair that was... blue? It was blue and purple. How...? They wore a simple black outfit with a jacket around their shoulders and a green apron tied around their waist. They handed him the drink, "Thanks Talyn,"

"Yeah, yeah. My shift ends in a few minutes, I'll talk to you then, now get out of the way." He smirked at them as they rolled their eyes and went to serve the customer behind him.

Okay, maybe now's my chance! When they went to the back room, I rushed behind the counter and pulled out a bag. I am still invisible, but the bag isn't. I try to be as discreet as possible, yet still hurry. I grab muffins and croissants, filling the bag as much as possible. I then scan the room, making sure I haven't been caught yet. The store was now empty except for...my heart skipped a beat. The person called Remy was staring straight at me. His mouth was ajar and his glasses slid down his nose. Talyn had come out and was watching from beside him too. They also had a shocked expression on her face. Well crap. Now's a good time to make my escape.

I flew, bag in hand, to the door. Before I reached the it, I made a split decision just to spite the humans. What can I say? It's what I do best. I went up to Remy and he started freaking out when he saw the bag drifting towards him, but he couldn't move. I mean, his eyes showed panic, but his body didn't react to it. It's kinda hard to explain. I grabbed the drink out of his hand and bolted out the door.

I heard screaming behind me. I guess that snapped him out of it.

"WHAT IN THE NAME OF STARBIES?! GET BACK HERE!" Laughing, I flew the rest of the way Patton's house. He tried chasing me and got surprisingly far. Is it bad that him being able to run in those shoes scares me? He was close to catching me, but as he almost got the cup back, I flew straight up. He yelled curses at me as he watched me dash out of view. I haven't had this much fun in a while!

Once I returned to Patton's house, I saw him with his eyes closed and face tilted up. He was still sitting up on his bed, but he looked in pain as he muttered silently to himself. Patton was rocking side to side and looked very tired. He looked like he was about to cry, but couldn't. I quickly placed the bag and the drink in the room through the window and flew through the wall. He was still muttering and didn't appear to have noticed my arrival. What do I do?!

I flew up to him and almost grabbed his hand, then realized that it could cause more damage to them. His parents didn't hold back their rage as I watched him suffering in silence. He somehow managed to only let out whimpers through the whole process. I promise that I screamed bloody murder when being tortured, but he was treated like that and barely reacted! Sure, he flinched, but he bit his lip when he felt like screaming! He ended up only whimpering, then getting yelled at for doing that! By the end, his lip was bleeding and he was barely conscious. I never want to see him in that state again.

He let out a soft moan. His eyes scrunched shut as a tear slipped out. What do I do? What if...? Maybe... I mean, he's already heard me singing once. I quietly begin singing to him, this time it's a different song.

"A man came across this old tower one day,
Came straight from a book he once read.
He lifted his head up and saw this young lady,
And here's what the lady said.

"Moi je m'appelle mademoiselle Noir
Et comme vous pouvez le voir
Je ne souris, ni ris, ni vis
Et c'est tout ce qu'elle a dit"
(Translation comes later)

I had closed my eyes and melted into the tragedy I was telling. I didn't notice how Patton had stopped rocking and was now looking at me. I continued,

"The man was so scared, he could only run away,
He ran to the town and then said,
"I just saw a lady with the longest dark hair,
And I think she's the living dead!"

"The people, so scared, took their guns and their swords,
They ran to the tower and then,
They saw the pale lady and felt the great fear,
When they heard how she said it again!

"Moi je m'appelle mademoiselle Noir
Et comme vous pouvez le voir
Je ne souris, ni ris, ni vis
Et c'est tout ce qu'elle a dit"

"The people, they knew what this all was about,
She was clearly a demon from hell.
They decided to set her long hair on fire,
In the end it will burn her as well.

"But the lady was no demon, she was a lonely soul,
Just like in that book they once read.
Still waiting for her prince while her hair was on fire,
The one last time she said;"

My voice caught as I felt a tear slip down my cheek. Looking up, I saw Patton's eyes on me. His eyes had tears welling up in them. His face held a question. Taking a deep breath, I opened my mouth to sing the last verse.

"Moi je m'appelle mademoiselle Noir
Et comme vous pouvez le voir
Je ne souris, ni ris, ni vis
Et c'est tout ce qu'elle a dit"

The silence was heavy after I finished. Biting my lip, I averted my eyes from Patton's pain filled gaze. I spotted the food from where I placed it, and quickly grabbed it and handed it to him. I had turned around when I heard an barely audible whisper from behind me.

"What did she say?" His voice was full of pain. I shouldn't have sung that song. It was too emotional. Why couldn't I have realized that before this?

"Are you sure you want to know?" I didn't turn around, but I saw him give a small nod from the corner of my eye. I sighed.

"Me? My name is Miss Black
And as you can see
I don't smile, laugh, or live"

I paused and turned to look at Patton, tears were streaming down his face. I finished the final line.

"And that is all she said"

I quickly turned the attention back on him,"Are you okay? You were rocking and muttering things when I got back." His face flushed and he bit his lip.

"You saw that?" I nodded slightly. What did he think the singing was for? I don't like singing in front of people. "I'm alright." My eye twitched. That was a lie. Don't ask me how it works, I think it has something to do with being part snake who symbolizes lying, but I can't be certain. It's not like I studied this before I died or even after. Why would I? I just wanted to rot alone.

He must have seen me twitch because he let out a sigh and ducked his head. Quack. Wait, where did that come from?

"Well... I guess that's not completely honest. My head hurts and I need water. But I can't move to get it and I can't use my hands to eat and... and... I'm just useless." He turned his eyes to the ground. "I don't know how I'm going to cook dinner tonight, but if I don't, I'll get punished even worse. I can't do anything right." He put his head down on his knees.

"I..." I took a hesitant step forward. Do I really want to do this? "I am willing to help you, if you wish." He looked at me, confusion filling his gaze. "Just allow me to..." I took a deep breath. I have only done this once before, and I'm not sure if I'm capable of doing it for long. Clenching my eyes shut, I heard Patton gasp as I felt my form shift.

Opening my eyes, I held up my now tan, freckle covered hands. I was still wearing my normal clothes, but they have grown with me. If you ask why I don't do this more often to make myself taller or to make myself more attractive, I don't do it because it's really draining and no one is going to see me anyway. And I can't make myself look like how I was before I was part snake and had all these scars, only other people and I like how I look so I prefer to be me.

I swiftly switched back so I didn't drain myself, then picked up the water bottle that rested in the corner of the room. "Now, I believe you said you needed water?"

His face flushed as he nodded. He attempted to grab the water bottle, but only ended up crying out in pain from his hands. I quickly unscrew the bottle cap and held it out for him. If he can't use his hands, then I will be his hands. He flashed me a grateful look before draining the bottle. "Thank you." His eyes flashed toward the bag of food. I took a croissant and held it up for him. He looked guilty. "A-are you sure you're alright with this?"

I gave him a look that said 'seriously'. "No. I am not alright with this. That is why I'm holding it up to your mouth, helping you eat. Because I absolutely love doing things that I don't want to do." He snickered at the sarcasm in my voice. Yep. He's adorable. He took a bite of the pastry and I watched as his face lit up. He quickly finished it and I grabbed a chocolate muffin out of the bag.

After a few bites, he started up a conversation again. "Why are you helping me?" I paused for a second, thinking about my answer. What do I say? Ah, yes. Because I have claimed you as mine, I will protect you with all of my afterlife and make sure to spoil you because you are too good for this world.

"Because you have been put through so much and are the most deserving person I know. You are a literal angel and have been treated like trash your entire life. I am helping you know you are worth it and that you deserve happiness. You have also been the nicest person to me since... since Elizabeth. I am here to make sure you are not put through any form of harm. I just need to figure out how. I'll go to school for you tomorrow, you need your rest. I'll fly back for lunch to help you eat, but your parents won't let you miss a day and you can't use your hands. I'll take care of you from now on, okay?" His eyes welled up with tears again.

"I'm sorry," he started as tears spilt down his face, "I don't usually cry like this. I don't know what's going on with me. I'm just... I'm so grateful for you. Thank you. Thank you so much." I wiped away his tears and gently kissed him on the forehead. I felt his face heat up as I chuckled.

I grabbed Remy's drink and took a sip. It was definitely worth it. I know you may be thinking; 'but you're a ghost! You can't eat food, you're dead!' I am? I haven't noticed. And yes. I can eat food. I don't need to because, as you might have guessed, I am dead! Wow! Shocker! I know, I know, it's hard to believe. I didn't know I was a ghost, but apparently I'm dead! Wow! Crazy right? I can still drink and eat things. I don't want to go into detail okay? I don't do it often because it makes me sick if I do too much, but a drink or a frosty is fine if I don't eat much for the rest of the week. It's hard digesting solid or liquid foods when you yourself aren't solid or liquid. Now I'm done explaining stupid crap that I don't even understand. Get out of my head. No. WHO THE HECK?! STOP IT!! Haha, no. I hate you. You know what? I don't care anymore. Do whatever.

When Patton finished the food, I took the bag and put it in his room garbage, along with the now empty cup. I don't know what was in it, but it was good. "Umm," Patton started, grabbing my attention. "Where did you get the food?" Crap. What do I tell him? Ah, I went to that Starbucks you passed out at and um... borrowed it. I don't think they'll want it back now though.

"I have my ways." He looked sceptical.

"Uh-huh" I rolled my eyes.

"It doesn't matter, you needed it more than that cafe." Patton gasped.

"Wait, did you steal it?" Crap.

"No. I borrowed it with the intent to keep. Totally different."

"Deceit!" He looked at me with a disapproving father face.

I rolled my eyes. "I am not going to regret taking care of you." He opened his mouth to argue when someone knocked on the door harshly.

"Get up you worthless mistake! It's 4 o'clock! Dinner better be ready by 7! We're having a work friend over, so don't mess it up! You won't be joining us!" One of the demons yelled through the door, then turned on their heels and walked away to whatever they were doing before. Well that was creative. They keep saying the same thing over and over, which I guess has an effect on people, but come on. I have probably heard them say worthless and mistake at least 30 times since I came here. No wonder he believes them. It's all he's ever been told.

Before I could share compassion, he quickly but in, "I better get to it." He tried to rise to his feet.

"No," I started while pushing him back down, "I will be cooking. You will be resting." I felt my form shift again as I took on his appearance.

"Do you know the first thing about cooking?"

"No, I just volunteered because I want to poison your parents and their dinner guest." He glared at me. "I'm kidding!.... Baby steps" I mumbled that last part.

"No! No baby steps! I don't want to be stuck with an evil snek boi." I love this human even more now. I put a completely serious expression on my... his? Face.

"You're not stuck with an evil snek boi." I smirked at him and scrunched my... his? Gosh this is confusing, face. "You're just stuck with a snek boi." He chuckled and rolled his eyes as I walked out of the room. I hope his parents won't be suspicious of Patton walking and using his hands.

Once I get there, I quickly familiarize myself with my surroundings and get to work. I remember my father teaching me that it was improper for a man to cook, yet Elizabeth still taught me when I expressed fascination with the skill. I decided to make my family's favorite, though these monsters don't deserve it. I just... I don't want to be the cause of Patton getting punished. I just wish I could spit. That would be so much fun.

After preparing the pork chops and preheating the oven, I placed them in with a twenty minute timer, finished the mashed potatoes and gravy, and started the dessert portion of this meal. I'm making creme brulee. It seems difficult, and sure I haven't made it in like, two hundred years, but I made it so often when alive. It can't be that hard to relearn. I still have the recipe memorized after all.

...

For all of you who think I failed, you're wrong! I just... needed to grab the fire extinguisher once... or twice. Thankfully, the demons didn't come in at all. I quickly finished up dinner and dessert, plated it, then set the table with everything in place. You know, little spoon, big spoon, wine glass, water glass, etc. Now they have no reason to punish Patton. There were three table settings. One for each of the demons, and one for their guest.

The door opened and I turned myself invisible. The monsters walked in with someone new, they looked important with their fancy tux and bow tie. Patton's parents were also dressed up for the occasion. They looked shocked at the dinner arrangement, but quickly hid it behind wide smiles as they turned to face their guest.

I quickly flew back into the kitchen and grabbed the extra plate setting I had made, except this one was a paper plate with normal silverware and a glass of water. I made myself solid so I could hold it as I flew. I was still invisible as I floated to Patton's room. I quickly grew another arm to open the door. Yes, I can do that. Don't question it. Every ghost has a specific ability for them, mine just so happens to be growing extra arms. Everything else all other ghosts have... I think... What do I know?

Patton was humming the melody of Mademoiselle Noir under his breath, his eyes closed as he replayed the song over and over inside his head. I quietly shut the door before making my way over to the bed. I nudged him with my foot, causing him to flinch.

"Sorry! I kinda... well... I didn't think it'd be you. It felt more like a dream." He laughed awkwardly. I nodded as he noticed the food. His eyes widened. He looked down at his hands in disdain, as if angry at them for not being able to work. I rolled my eyes at him.

"Open up." I scooped a forkful of potatoes and lifted it up. He looked at me guiltily.

"You don't have to-"

"If I wasn't going to, I wouldn't be offering. Now open your dang mouth." He silently complied as I force fed him his dinner. His face took a red-ish tint to it, though I couldn't understand why. I had dropped my facade when I walked into the room so I am officially the cursed short person I have always been. All 4.27 feet. Yeah, yeah, I'm short. Let's move on please.

After he finished the pork chop, he started up conversation again. "I've been thinking about this when you were gone and I'm just wondering... um..." He looked hesitant. As if what he was going to say would make me mad. Seriously? I stared at him, eyebrows raised. "Why did you choose the song you did? And uh... What's it about?" I paused. Shoot. I knew I shouldn't have sung that stupid song to him. I placed the fork down and let out a sigh.

"Mademoiselle Noir is one of the songs my older sister sang to me. It was one of the only songs I sang when alone all those years in my house. It also is a haunted tragedy and matches my esthetic well. Anyway, it popped into my mind for some reason." He nodded. I lifted up his glass so he could have a sip of water. He drank thirstily, then returned to the question at hand.

"But... and you don't have to answer this of course, but what's it about?" I bit my lip and avoided eye contact.

"It's..." I paused for a second, thinking about how I'm going to answer this question. "It depends on the person listening. Elizabeth sang it to me as a warning. One night after singing it to me, I asked her what it meant. She told me, 'People in this world fear things that are different. It is easier to claim that girl as a monster because she speaks a different language, than to help her. They burned her because then they didn't have to think more than they had to. They felt no guilt burning an innocent soul because burning her made their lives easier.'" I paused again and took a shaky breath. "There are people in this world who will burn you for being different. For not being what they want or for doing things they don't understand. It's a warning. A warning to all those people who don't understand. It warns them to not judge someone just because you don't understand them or you don't exactly see eye to eye. Or else you may regret it for the rest of your life.

"The story has an ending, though it isn't the happiest of them. The man realized his mistake after it was too late and her hair was on fire. He told the villagers and they blamed him for her death, ignoring that they had anything to do with it. It's easier to blame someone else after all. They threw him in jail and he had to forever live with the regret of his mistake. Because he jumped to conclusions. We both relate to this song as well." Patton tilted his head, a silent motion to continue. "For example, you have a smile on at all times. You never let anyone see there is something wrong. This causes no one to act upon it, which is just as bad as them burning you, if not worse." He was looking at the ground, tears in his eyes. He didn't deny a word I said.

"And... for me. I am a monster. A ghost. Most people immediately jump to the conclusion that I am awful and want to hurt them because I can. So they hurt me first. They make me out to be an item. Not a being with feelings, only a creature of hate." I glared at the floor, directing my anger at no one in particular.

"I will never do that to you." I looked up to find Patton looking at me with such care, I swear I was going to explode right there. I took a deep breath to calm the rising color that threatened to come to my cheeks. Nope! Not today! "You are not a monster and you never have been. I don't know how anyone could ever call you such things. You are amazing and so understanding."

I reached out to him and gripped him in a tight hug. "Thank you, Patton." I whispered into his ear. He nuzzled his head in the crook of my neck and I felt color rise to my cheeks that I couldn't suppress.

...

"Hey Pat?" I whispered after a bit.

"Hmm?" His head rested on mine as I sat beside him, my head on his shoulder. Sure I was flying a bit with some pillows under me to get this high. Mind your own freaking business.

"I thought about what you said... with pronouns and I um... I think I'd prefer to be called they/them instead of he/him." I felt him freeze and felt fear race through me. Did I make the wrong choice?! Will he hate me now?! I messed up! He turned to me with the biggest smile on his face. Okay... I'm confused. What?

"Ohmygoshimsogladyoutrustmeenoughtotellmethankyousomuchfortellingmethatsoundslikeawonderfulidea!!!" Okay, I honestly have no idea what he said, but he's smiling so I think it's a good thing. He took a deep breath to calm his thoughts before saying, "But really, that means a lot to me that you trusted me enough to tell me. Thank you." I felt my heart swell up with.... You thought I was going to say love didn't you? Well it didn't! Get that image out of your heads now! It filled up with... um... respect. Yeah. That totally works here. Respect. Not mushy stupid feelings. R. E. S. P. E. C. T.

"Thank you for being so supportive of me Patton." He beamed at me.

"Of course Deceit-"

"Janus" he blinked back in surprise.

"Um... what?" Dang it, too late to back down now.

"My name is Janus. It uh... it doesn't seem right that you don't know my name after so much we've been through." His eyebrows drew together. It's too late to take it back, dang it! I have always been made fun of for my name, why did I think he would be any better? I kept my face straight (as if) as I waited for his response.

"Janus" he said softly. I prepared myself for the torment. A smile grew on his freckled face, "I love it!" Wait what? He... doesn't think it's stupid? Wait, what did I expect? He's Patton, of course he doesn't think it's stupid. He's my amazing little fluff ball who is too good for this awful world.

When he finished the creme brulee, I gently snuck the plate into the kitchen and washed them so the demons wouldn't be able to tell that Patton ate.

I drifted through the ceiling back into Patton's room to see him crying. Wow umm... mood swings? I flew over to him. Why are you crying? Stop it. Stop crying. I don't like it. Stop. Shoot shoot shoot, what do I do? Do I ask him about it? Hug him? Chocolate? Smother him in blankets? What is the appropriate response?!

I froze when I heard Patton growl something under his breath to himself. "Come on, pull it together. Stop being so weak. They'll be back any minute, come on! They trusted me enough to tell me their name, why do I have to be so weak? Janus doesn't want to rely on someone as pathetic as you are acting. Stop it. Stop being so useless." Oh, no you don't! You are my human, and no one, not even you, are allowed to think that about you because you are mine. I mean... screw it, I'm not even going to try to cover that. Believe what you want.

I chuckled, causing him to jump and look up at me as I slowly became visible. "You, my dear friend, are ridiculous. For one, if there was anyone weak in this room, it would be me. You call yourself useless, and yet, you do so much for the residents of this house. And pathetic? Please." I sat down next to him as he stared at the floor. I gently grabbed his chin and made him look into my eyes. "Patton, before I died, I begged for death. I was done. I wanted it to be over. I was put through both mental and physical torment. See my scars?" I traced over my face where the pink line was. He nodded, guilt rising on his features. "That is what the monster did. You, my dear amazing Patton, have gone through a thousand times worse than I have! If you go through all that and are still fighting to live, tell me. What part of that is pathetic? I gave up. You are a warrior." I tugged at my glove. Should I? No. I can't. Not yet.

"You're not pathetic! You went through so much!" Patton defended. Fair point. If anyone was pathetic, it was Patton's parents. They took all their anger out on a child, which is the most pathetic thing I have ever seen. I'm not sure if Patton would take it too kindly if I said that though so....

"Patton, I haven't gone through half as much as you have. If you are pathetic, I am nothing." I let him think about that as I drifted over to the lights. Flicking them off, I gently helped Patton lay down with his hands how they were. I began humming Mademoiselle Noir softly to him. Right before he fell asleep, I whispered to him. "From what I know about you, you seem like an incredibly kind person, which isn't something you see often. So no matter what, don't let that light go out. You're funny, nice, and very aware for a teenager. You're one of a kind, and what you are going through through isn't fair. You aren't some machine to make someone feel better, that's not your job. Make sure to love and care about yourself, because deaf people will never listen, but mute people will never speak about it." I pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Bonne nuit, mon petit guerrier."

4999 Words umm... I guess we're keeping the long chapters going. 😅
The next chapter is shorter, don't worry. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I love you all and I am so grateful for all the support you give! I didn't expect so many people to like it! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! Hope you all have an amazing day!

💖 Maybay4