FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Ghostly Surprise

"Let's go! All the pieces are in place, investigators. As you can see, we have four cameras installed, along with a few motion detectors, and I'll start the spirit box right away. Let's hope that a ghost is finally captured on camera!"

While checking all of his other cameras, Norman temporarily turns the close up camera off. Like usual, nothing out of the ordinary occurred. Just an old structure that hasn't seen anyone in years. His only company was made up of debris, dirt, and dust.

"Another night in a deserted building, just for others' entertainment. I never imagined I'd be in this situation. "

He never thought that would be how he would spend the majority of his time. It all started with him exploring old buildings and areas. He was always fascinated by those places and their histories. It all began with a simple idea of recording it and posting it online. It ended with no one showing any interest. Up until he got serious.

Ghost stories about abandoned places have exploded on the internet. People seem to like the idea of ghosts and demons and whatever else you can think of, especially if it can be recorded on camera. As a result, his channel was rebooted. Instead of just InvestiGator, it transformed into Paranormal InvestiGator. Given that he was an alligator, he thought the name was funny.

He obtained equipment, most of which appear to be a rip-off, especially for the price he paid for it. One resembled an old radio with a metal coat hanger on one end wrapped in aluminium foil after being bent into an unusual shape. But he didn't complain. His followers grew, his channel got bigger, and he could finally pursue his hobby without feeling guilty. He was not worried anymore about only wasting his time with it. Even if he had to fake some fear and ghost appearances here and there.

He set everything up, a couple of half-melted candles, some strange random markings on the ground that meant nothing, and his 'spirit box' in his hands. Once more, he began recording.

"Now that we're prepared, let's try to get some answers from the ghosts. This building was abandoned for an unknown reason many years ago. Everyone simply vanished without a trace, leaving all of their possessions behind."

He cleared his throat as he turned on the device, which produces only static noises. As per usual.

"Who's there? I'm not here to bother anyone. Only for answers and offering my assistance. If you can hear me, please give me a sign."

He waited and got nothing, as usual. He tried it again with a couple of different questions and got the same results. He paused the recording and leaned back on his arms; sitting on a hard concrete floor was not at all comfortable. His back and butt were starting to hurt.

"I wish I could just go to those places and talk about their history instead of making a show out of it. But whatever sells the best."

He stood up, shook his head, and extinguished the candles. He didn't want to put this place in any further danger. Houses and places like this were becoming increasingly scarce as every square mile had recently turned into profit.

"And I'm talking to myself again. I'm not sure if it would be better if I actually found ghosts or not."

He froze as he stretched his back and heard it crack loudly. That was the first time it sounded and felt that way.

"That sounded painful."

If his back experience hadn't made him freeze, the sound of a random voice most certainly would have. It took him a while to finally turn around. His mind went into overdrive. There it was, the thing he hadn't expected to see in any of his little shows. And it was nothing like he had expected. A floating pale person wearing what appears to be a nightgown, which is also slightly see-through, like the body itself. Everything was made of a pale, floating light. He looked like he was from one of those children's cartoons he used to watch as a kid. Not the real world.

"Are you okay? Did you pull something? You're still in the same position since you stretched."

He was clearly not making this up, or did he fall asleep and start dreaming? His eyes focused on the floating person. He wasn't sure if he should address him as a person or not. He had medium-length messy hair and resembled a calico cat. He couldn't tell what colour it was because he couldn't see any in the ghostly figure. He was definitely a man, as evidenced by the see-through nightgown, which does not in the least conceal that. Not to mention that he was clearly floating right in front of him.

"I... uhm... ok."

Norman couldn't think of anything to say or do right now. He never expected to see a ghost in the first place, let alone one like this. He watched as the ghost tilted his head to the side, his ears flopping down and giving off little flicks. He looked so real, wouldn't he float, be partially see-through, and made of glowing plasma.

"You look like you saw a ghost...."

As if saying that triggered something, the ghost appeared to open his eyes in surprise and looked down at himself. He was perplexed at first, then seemed to recall something, only to be embarrassed, floating down to the ground and sitting with crossed legs, hiding anything he didn't want to show off so openly. Norman was certain he would notice a blush on his face if there was more than just plasma present.

Silence falls over both of them as they appear to be lost in their own thoughts, before Norman takes his camping chair and moves it closer to the ghost, sitting down. It was better than sitting on the ground for sure.

"My name is Norman. You kind of surprised me. I never thought I'd actually come across a ghost. And certainly not like this."

The calico cat looked up at him, seemingly thinking for a moment, as he clearly was in his own troubled thoughts. He had obviously only just realised his own predicament. He opened his mouth as if he finally wanted to say something, but paused for a second before continuing.

"I'm Oliver."

"Do you have any idea how you got here?"

Oliver appeared to be thinking deeply. He took a few moments to finally shake his head, indicating that it was a difficult task.

"I'm not sure. The last thing I remember was being with friends and then hearing a voice asking for a sign, and I showed up here."

The gator looked at the ghost who seemed clearly lost. It was odd how easy it was to talk to him. After the initial shock, Norman didn't have many problems with the situation. Maybe because he was so adorable. He wasn't even sure if adorable was the appropriate word right now.

"So you don't know how you got here, and based on your reaction, you just realised you're a ghost?"

The cat looked at the ground again, his ears flat down on his scalp, as he tried to paw it only to see his paw phase through it before letting out a soft nod.

As terrifying as the situation should have been for Norman, something else began to overvalue the fear. This felt like a mystery, one worth delving into. The part he liked best about exploring old places, but this time it was not a location he will try to figure out.

"Can you recall anything else from your last memory? Who your friends were, what you wanted to do, anything?"

Oliver tried to think more about his last memory. He seemed to remember something as shown on his face.

"It was the summer of 20XX, and we just wanted to mess around in the woods. But I can't remember their names or faces."

Norman raised an eyebrow at that. Oliver told him that he was still alive a year ago, despite the fact that this place had been abandoned for many years. These two pieces of information did not add up in any way. He, too, could not recall any recent news articles about this location. Then again he started to get more and more sloppy with his research, as his viewers seem to have less interest in the informative part of his videos.

"That was more recent than I thought. Can you recall anything else, such as your family name or your home address?"

He appeared to be ready to respond right away, but stopped as a frown formed on his face, before shaking his head once more.

"Nothing."

It was now Norman's turn to reflect. There was nothing big he could go on with. Unfortunately, there was no information that could help him solve this riddle. But the prospect of being able to do so, even with little to go on, excited him greatly. It was a mystery to be solved, and he was eager to do so.

"If you want, I can try and see if I can figure something out. I heard that ghosts can only move on if they leave all of their regrets behind, or something along those lines. What do you say?"

The gator had forgotten why he was here at this point. His brain was already working on ways to get more information for this riddle.

"You'd do that? You don't really know me."

Norman blinked a few times as he tried to answer that question.

"Well, you followed my voice here and you're clearly lost. Not to mention how thrilling it is to solve a case like this. That is something I don't believe anyone has ever had the opportunity to do. So it is a more selfish request than you think."

Silence descended on both of them once more, and no one said anything for a while before Oliver nodded once more.

"OK, I don't think I can do anything anyway. And, given that I have no idea how I got here in the first place, there isn't much I can do to get back where I came from. So I'll take your offer."

As Norman received the go-ahead, a big smile appeared on his lips. He could have jumped up in excitement, but he kept his cool. The gator couldn't help but feel giddy with excitement anyways.

"For a successful collaboration!"

Before he realised what he was doing, he held out his hand. He was about to move his hand back when he noticed the ghostly pale paw reaching out for his and attempting to grasp it. It phased right through easily. The sensation sent a shiver down his spine. Not in a bad way, as he expected. Oliver immediately moves his ghostly paw away. His ears laid down on his head again.

"I'm sorry."

Norman quickly shook his head.

"There's no reason to be sorry. I hold out my hand without thinking. And it wasn't all that bad, just a new sensation I couldn't put a finger on. So, if you remember anything, no matter how insignificant, please let me know. OK?"

Oliver nods in response, clearly relieved.

_____________________________________________________________

Last night was crazy. Certainly crazier than usual for Norman. He only focused on speaking with Oliver, a ghost that had responded to his call and had completely forgotten about any of his other equipment. All in all, it was insane. He never expected anything like this to happen to him.

He talked to the calico cat all night long, neglecting to get any sleep. He could tell how much harder Oliver was finding it to hang out once the sun rose. Instead, he gathered all of his belongings and bid farewell. Without any sleep, he hurried home and immediately began searching the internet for anything that might be of help. Obviously, it was not that simple.

Half his day had passed when he finally began to rest, laying down on his bed for a brief moment before falling asleep, completely unaware of what was going on around him. A deep sleep followed as the lack of sleep from the night before, combined with his excitement gradually calming down, was enough to catch up with him.

After that, a ghostly figure materialised in a matter of seconds. Oliver, still unsure of how things work as a ghost, was surprised to find himself in a new location. He looks around, floating through walls and doors. Until he finds the bedroom. His attention was drawn to the Alligator on the bed immediately. As strange as it may sound, seeing him lay there made him feel a warmth in his chest.

His eyes wandered down his body. Those glistering scales. Sparkling like gems in the light. Soft looking body, belly and all around. Big strong looking tail. He thought that Norman most certainly would have been his type, if the cat was still alive. At least, he had the impression that was the case. He moved in closer. He reached out slightly as he came to a halt. He couldn't possibly touch him anyway. He starts floating above the gator, simply looking at him. As odd as his situation was, he was strangely at peace right now.

_______________________________________________________________

After getting plenty of rest, Norman returned to his computer. He had a couple of ideas he wanted to look into online, hoping that at least one of them would give him an idea. As he reads through an old news article, a smile forms on his lips.

"Ha!! There we go. I knew there must be something."

"You found something?"

He jumped out of his chair when he unexpectedly heard that voice, his heart racing. He looks to the door of his room and notices the familiar ghostly figure of the calico cat floating there. On his lips was a smile.

"What are you doing here?"

"I'm not sure, but I didn't want to stay in that creepy place alone, and the next thing I knew, I was here. Sorry for scaring you."

Norman was about to say something. Ghosts can't possibly be afraid of ghosts. However, something else came to mind. He was clearly aware of his attire. Or, more accurately, a lack of it. Being naked at home wasn't usually an issue for him because he lived alone. Up until now. He looked around frantically before grabbing a pair of pants and putting them on.

"How long have you been here?"

"Hmm something around yesterday, you were asleep on your bed."

"And you didn't say anything earlier? Why?"

The Alligator blushed slightly at the thought of Oliver being around since yesterday and all the things he could have witnessed since then. He was only hoping that the ghost didn't see anything.

"It felt wrong to just show up. But hearing you so excited made me forget about that. So, did you find anything?"

Norman still needed a moment to gather himself. He not only found a ghost, but that ghost now followed him home. He'd read about this sort of thing and how dangerous it was, even though he'd never believed in anything like it before. He huffs as he sits back down in his chair pushing those thoughts aside and highlighting on the screen what he discovered.

"There's a small article about an accident in the old building. There isn't much else there, but now I know something happened there, so I can use that to find even more."

Oliver floated closer until his head was right above Norman's shoulder. He reads the small article, and as the gator said, it wasn't much. But it made the cat excited, and he instinctively wrapped his arms around Norman's neck.

"That's amazing!"

Both froze as something unexpected happened. Norman felt those arms around his neck, squeezing him gently. It wasn't a strange sensation anymore. Just two furry arms giving him a gentle squeeze. In return Oliver felt something at all. As natural as this feeling should have been, being a ghost this threw him for a loop, causing him to let go of the alligator and looking at his arms in surprise.

Both were just staring at each other in silence. It was clear that there is something going on that neither of them understands. Not that they had much understanding about the situation before that. Norman tried to figure out how to deal with this. He was sure googling, 'A ghost friend tried to hug me and it worked. What does that mean?' would not give him many results, besides obviously weird ones.

Instead, he reached out and tried touching the calico cat in return, only to feel his fingers connect with his cheeks. It wasn't cold or strange in any way. It felt like it would if Oliver was still alive, or so Norman imagined.

"How is.... This is getting weirder by the minute. But there's no way to find out more about it."

Oliver responded by placing his own paw on top of Norman while sensing the warmth of his own skin against his spectral body. It was a nice feeling, something he hadn't realised he was missing. But he quickly let go of his hand and floated backwards a little.

"Yeah. I don't remember much, but I'm sure ghosts aren't supposed to be able to interact with others like that."

The gator clearly was thinking for a moment as a frown appeared on his brow, which Oliver has seen a couple of times by now. In his opinion, it was cute. Norman's frown quickly vanished as he let out another huff through his nose. His usual sign that he will think later about it.

"There's no use overthinking it. That doesn't change the fact that I want to know what happened to you."

With that, the alligator returned to his computer, looking for additional helpful information. Oliver was not leaving his side at this point, watching him doing his work.

______________________________________________________

Weeks passed as Norman tried to make sense of everything. He wasn't prepared for how difficult it was. He could only take small steps forward that didn't help much. As frustrating as that could have been, the gator became even more determined to figure things out. Today was another long day of research, including an attempt to locate people in person. Complete exhaustion caused him to collapse into his bed as soon as he returned home.

Oliver was sitting on the couch, or floating on top of it; he wasn't sure which was the correct term. Aside from being alone at home when Norman went out for research, night time was the most boring time for him. As simple as it was to touch the gator, he was still phasing through everything else. Another major disappointment was the lack of need for sleep. Still, he had a good time with the gator. He didn't mind that the research took longer. It gave him the opportunity to spend more time with Norman. Every day brought them closer.

The only issue was at night. His only source of entertainment was television, more specifically Netflix. He didn't need to change anything because it kept going with new episodes, or switched to a new show on its own, when the previous one was finished. That way, he didn't have to worry about running out of things to watch. The only drawback was that if it decided to turn something on, he was completely uninterested in. Like right now. He sighed and began to float higher. At the very least, he knew how to control his movements by this point.

His mind began to wander, trying to come up with anything that could help against this boredom and his friend with his research. Given Norman's time investment in him, the calico cat was beginning to feel guilty. The gator, on the other hand, denied any sort of bother from him whenever he mentioned it.

His attention returned to the alligator, and his eyes shifted to the bedroom where he was sleeping. He slowly floats his way through the walls, ending right above Norman, watching him slumber on his bed. That happened more often than he wanted to admit. Something about him made Oliver want to spend time with the gator. His focus moved along his body once more, those scales looked so inviting, that soft belly, the thick thighs, those love handles, even the chest. All of it.

Without even noticing, he was floating closer to him, close enough to be able to reach out and touch him. Realising that it was not impossible anymore. He moved his arm slowly and placed his paws on that belly before gently rubbing it. It felt wonderful on his fingers. His focus was completely on his task until he heard a sound that sounded like a pleased hum coming deep from the gator's throat.

Oliver's ears twitch slightly as he continues to listen to that sound. It had a nice ring to it. His hand stopped moving as he listened, until the humming stopped. His eyes return to that belly, but this time they focus on something else. Even though he didn't have a heart, he could feel it beating faster. There was a visible bulge in his underwear.

He swallowed hard and moved his hand down. He had only one thought in his mind. He wishes he could get rid of that pesky piece of fabric. He was able to grab the waistband of it with his ghostly fingers, making him nearly gasp in surprise. Biting his lip, he slowly pulls it down all the way and off his legs, revealing the gator in all his glory. And what an image of beauty it was in the cat's eyes.

He raised his head to look at Norman's face, searching for any sign of change. He appeared to be still fast asleep. He was a heavy sleeper, Oliver discovered after spending the last few weeks with him. His gaze falls back down. It was the first time the calico saw what he had been keeping hidden there all this time. It was thick and had an average length, it was just right for the gator. At least in Oliver's opinion.

The cat's paw slowly moves to it, wrapping his finger around that thick shaft, getting another soft hum from the alligator as an answer. It was incredibly warm and hard. It felt wonderful in his paw. He was running his fingers up and down that member, exploring every inch of it. Playing with the tip and glands. It wasn't long before Norman was humming nonstop, making Oliver's ears twitch with delight.

The more he ran his paw along that hot rod, the more that hum turned into moans. He could feel the warm pre coating his entire shaft in no time. The calico cat needs to stop, he knew what he was doing was wrong. Yet he was unable to. The more it throbbed, the more it leaked pre, the more he wanted to get to the end of it. Every stroke, squeeze, and rub along those glands made that cock stiffer. Until he heard a grunt and an even louder moan. Oliver feels the cock swell up before it finally shoots his hot seed into the air. It was so strong and so much cum. The sight enthralled the cat. It was over far too quickly.

He let go of that cock, looking at the mess he'd made. He could feel himself breathing faster because the gator's belly looked so damn sexy covered in his own cum. He leaned down and tried to give the belly a lick, but there was nothing he tasted or collected, only feeling the smooth scales of the belly, phasing through the thick lines of semen on top of it. He wanted it so badly. His eyes went up to Norman's face, realising he was still asleep. Such a deep sleeper.

Oliver was unsatisfied as he looked down, seeing that cock still throbbing and hard. It appears that the alligator was not either. The calico cat goes down, thinking what to do next, trying to figure out a nice way, as his eyes get caught on something else. It was at the base of that thick, strong-looking tail. So pure, so innocent. His paw reaches out again, his fingers gently running along that tender muscle. In response, it trembled. He felt his heart racing. He knew he should stop, but his desire was too strong.

Floating in place again, he examined it closely, adoring the look and how it felt on his finger. He leaned in and gave it a lick without thinking twice, seeing fireworks explode in front of his eyes. As he began licking and kissing that tender muscle, there was no thought or regret in his mind. He was playing with it, using his tongue, and even sucking on its edge. Under his work, he could feel it relax more and more. His ears flicked once more as he heard Norman moaning again. Looking up and seeing that amazing cock still rock hard and throbbing, even leaking for the second time.

He's only getting more eager. Until it finally happened. His tongue slipped in, causing both himself and Norman to gasp in unison. He began eating him out, pushing his tongue deeper in, making sure to explore every spot he could reach with his tongue before letting go. There it was, glistering, gaping, winking at him. His thumbs were on each side, easily pulling it apart. He was breathing heavily, his own cock was hard, and it felt like it was leaking, even if it didn't make sense. He got into position, and as his tip touched that muscle, he was about to moan out loudly, but he stopped himself by covering his mouth with his paw. His eyes darted to Norman's face, seeing he was clearly still sleeping, his muzzle wide open and his thick tongue rolled out to the side. He needed to stop.

Instead, he pushed forward, feeling his tip being accepted by that amazing muscle, slipping in with a soft pop. Another moan he needed to cover up, but not from the gator, who gave a soft sound of approval.

Slowly, he pushed in more and more, his pale cock disappearing in this incredible tight warmth, until it vanished completely. Not for long as he immediately pulled out and pushed back in. Establishing a quick rhythm. His hands moved to the alligator's sides, holding those love handles as he lost himself completely in the pleasure. He's relieved that his hips don't make any noise slapping against Norman's with each hard thrust. Norman was getting close, and he could hear the moans and gasps coming from him.

The cat's muzzle opens as his tongue rolls out, letting go of his own orgasm, not stopping to thrust into the gator. He wasn't sure if he was filling him with anything, but it sure felt like it. Thrust after thrust he came more and more until he finally stopped, looking down and seeing Norman joined him at some point, making an even bigger mess on his own belly.

He slowly slips out, out of breath, staring at what he did. Before he could feel any guild, his gaze was drawn back to that cock. It was still hard. There was no way he could come twice and still be ready for more. But he didn't question it as he latched on it with his mouth, suckling, bobbing his head, getting the loudest moan out of the gator yet. His head moved faster and faster. As the desire grew within him, he realised that this is not enough and that he required something more. Allowing the member to pop free, looking at it glistering in pre and cum, completely covered by it.

He got into position without thinking twice, as he felt the tip tickling his own hole, which he desperately needed. Pushing himself down, he gasped; he hadn't prepared himself, but it appeared that it wasn't necessary, as his own ghostly pucker opened up right away. Within moments, he was sitting on Norman's lap, feeling that thick shaft throbbing inside him. Leaning forward, both hands on that amazingly soft belly, he began to move his hips up and down, faster and faster. It felt amazing.

Oliver was losing himself in that pleasure again, feeling it build up as he looked up to see the gator's face again. He froze this time as he was greeted by two eyes staring back at him. Panik grew in his chest.

"Norman, I'm sorry I didn't..." He stopped as he saw those hands lifting up, waiting for some kind of impact he closed his eyes, but instead he'd felt them on his own sides. His own love handles being groped and played with. His eyes reopened, looking at the gator. His face was not enraged as he had feared.

"God, you are sexy~"

Hearing that, a shiver ran up and down his ghostly spine, feeling those strong hands pulling him up and down, making him moan out loudly. There was no need to hold back anymore. Strong thrusts were soon added, causing him to moan even more, his toes curling and spreading from pleasure. He could feel his orgasm building up fast again.

"I can't hold back ... long..."

Oliver looked into Norman's eyes after those words, he could see how much trouble he had not cumming right there.

"Fill me~"

The gator looked back into the calico's eyes as he dropped him on his hips with a strong thrust. He grunted and moaned, letting go of his orgasm as well as the calico's hips. They instead grabbed the side of his head, pulling him down and binding him in a deep kiss.

Oliver could feel the hot seed filling him up. Even if it just phased through and got added to the rest of the mess, Norman did tonight. He moaned as he felt his own orgasm hit him hard, his legs shivering and twitching, unsure if anything was coming out. It didn't matter because he was enjoying the deep passionate kiss he shared with the alligator. It was all over far too soon, but they were both breathing heavily as they lay snuggled together in their own afterglows.

Once they regained some of their strength, they fell silent. Oliver was the first to speak up again.

"I'm sorry."

"You don't need to be. Best dream I ever had, even better when it continued after waking up."

He holds him close, tiredness catching up with him again; it's been a couple exhausting days.

"You don't mind if I hold you while I go back to sleep?"

Oliver shook his head and snuggled in closer, his head under Norman's chin, gently nuzzling him.

It didn't take long for him to fall asleep again, and to Oliver's surprise, he followed suit, sleeping for the first time since becoming a ghost.

____________________________________________________________

The sound of a keyboard gradually woke Oliver up, causing him to stretch himself out in bed and realising he was alone. Norman sat at his PC, naked this time, when his eyes slowly opened. He had a soft smile on his face, as if he was pleased about something.

That was the moment it dawned on the calico cat that he had actually fallen asleep the night before, followed by his face heating up as he remembered what he had done before that. A little guild mixed in with the pleasant memory of pleasure. He yawned and laid down on his side, not wanting to get up.

"Morning."

"Good morning Oliver." A small pause appeared in Norman's sentence, before he continued. "I think I solved it."

Those were probably the only words that would have jolted Oliver awake and out of bed.

"You solved it?"

Oliver was floating behind Norman, head above his shoulder, as he usually does. He tried to figure out what he was seeing.

"Yeah, I got an idea last night and woke up from it, after our pleasant exercise in the middle of it."

Oliver stayed silent, feeling embarrassment creeping up from his chest to his face.

"I thought, what if I have one of the points in the equation wrong? A lot of the things didn't make sense. Time window, lack of news and so much more. Not to mention that you are anything but what I imagined to be a ghost."

He slowly pointed to a line of text, drawing the cat's attention to it as he began reading it aloud.

"Yesterday on June 6th an accident occurred in the old abandoned building inside the wellspring woods. A group of students were fooling around, when one of them thought a little scare would be funny. To the misfortune of Oliver Brine, he lost his footing and fell down the stairs. He has been in a coma since, doctors are not sure when he will wake up again."

Norman smiled as Oliver finished reading it aloud. He clicked on the name, and a picture of Oliver appeared, clearly showing how he looked alive. Same messy hairstyle, dark brown hair, and his fur in the typical white, orange and black calico colours. It was definitely him.

"I checked in the hospital, Oliver Brine is still a patient there. So that means."

"I'm not dead."

"Yes, that was my mistake. I assumed you were a ghost, and died a year ago. But you are experiencing a soul out of body situation instead."

"I'm not dead..."

"Yeah like I said. I checked and we can visit your body today if you..."

"I'm not d......."

Norman looked over his shoulder at Oliver, seeing his blank stare as his ghostly body slowly vanished. A knot formed inside his chest as he tried to reach out to him, but he was too late. Oliver, the ghostly apparition, was no longer there.

"Oliver?" He looked around, trying to see if he only moved away. "Oliver?!" He didn't like that feeling in his chest, as it grew stronger. "Oli?"

______________________________________________________________

"It has been a week since you disappeared."

Norman was sitting on a chair next to a hospital bed. Only the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor and the constant sound of droplets from the iv bag could be heard in the background.

He had his gaze fixed on the calico cat he had been with for so many weeks, despite not knowing him at all. He did some additional research after resolving that mystery. Getting to know him better. But the feeling was hollow as he looked at his friend on the bed.

It was certainly an odd sensation. He appeared frail and much thinner than in his 'ghost' form. Nobody has paid him a visit in a long time. The nurse who guided him here was delighted that he had some visitors again.

"I went back to the abandoned building to see if you ended up there again instead. But you didn't show up."

He'd been coming here every day since he found out, sitting by Oliver's side, waiting for him to wake up. Every day that passed felt more and more hopeless. They hadn't known each other for long. But not having him around created a void he was unaware of until this calico cat filled it up in their time together.

"I don't even know what I'm doing here. Who knows if you remember anything that happened between us. For all I know you think I'm a total stranger."

That was the most terrifying thought for him. His hand on the bed, close enough to reach out to the cat's paw. A bit too scared to go for the last couple inches.

"And now I'm sitting here talking to myself again. I really need to work on that."

He rubs the back of his hand over his face, preventing himself from crying. As he feels a soft grasp over his other hand laying on the bed, he looks right into Oliver's face, seeing his gorgeous blue eyes for the first time looking back at him.

A raspy voice tried its hardest to speak. "But I like that about you."

A smile appeared on the gator's face, not able to hold back tears anymore.

---

Thank you for taking the time to read my new story. This one came dangerously close to missing the deadline. But I haven't broken my weekly streak yet. I actually liked how this one turned out. Writing it caused me a few more issues, mostly because of the oppressive heat.

I hope you enjoyed this short story, and as always, any comments or constructive criticism are greatly appreciated; see you all next Sunday.