Ghostly Presence|| Ghostface x Reader

The alarm you had set went off causing you to groan as you reached your arm over to shut it off. It was Friday and although you knew you would be spending the day after work watching movies with Jed you didn't want to get up. Part of you debated staying home but you let out a groan in frustration knowing that wouldn't have been a good idea. When you had finally gotten up you barely had enough time to brush your teeth and take a quick shower before getting dressed. After looking over yourself you noticed that there hadn't been any new marks which slightly surprised you especially with how hard Danny had gripped your throat last night. As you grabbed your bag filled with your notebooks, pencils, and some extra paperwork you had been bringing home to work on you headed out the door. When you had locked the doorknob and turned around you were a bit surprised to see Jed pulling up to your house and anxiety filled you. As you rushed to the car a million thoughts flooded your brain of why he was there and if something big had happened again. Though when you had walked up he got out his side and walked over to you before opening the passenger door.
     "Everything ok?" He asked and you looked at him confused.
     "Yeah, did something happen or?" You asked and he realized you were worried.
     "No, sorry. I didn't mean to worry you. I thought maybe it would be cute to give you a ride and make it easier since I'm coming over after," he said with a sheepish smile and you froze momentarily at his awkwardness. He had never really been this way and though it was out of his usual confident character it made you giggle. "I have a coffee for you in the car," he added and you smiled at him.
     "Well I can't really say no to that can I?" You joked and he chuckled in response before leaning in and giving you a quick kiss. It had become so normal lately and you loved every moment of it. Though, part of you wondered if it meant the two of you were dating. You had been seeing each other for a while now but nothing had been made official. As you continued to think you got into the car as Jed slowly closed the door behind you. You giggled again as he rushed back over to his side and gave you a sly smile as he started to drive.
     "How'd you sleep last night?" Jed asked and for a second your stomach dropped at the memory. He gave you a weird look after a few moments of silence and you shook your head before responding.
     "Oh, uh not that bad actually I kinda managed to knock out for once," you said feeling guilty. You weren't lying, after Danny had left you didn't have any energy left in you and you really did pass out quickly, though you felt horrible for leaving that part out.
     "Yeah? That's good. I worry about you," he added and you couldn't help but frown a bit. You knew he did. It made you happy he cared so much but you were just tired at having to hold it all in and not be able to tell him what was going on. At this point you worried more for him than yourself.
     "I know. I'll be fine though," you said giving him a weak smile but his slight frown made it obvious you knew he wasn't buying it. "On the bright side I think I'm gonna get some good sleep tonight," you said slyly and he laughed at that.
     "Yeah? Why's that?" He asked playing innocent.
     "Well... I was hoping you would stay over after the movie," you said nervously and he gave you another grin, "because you know. Scary movies and all," you added and he nodded.
     "Any reason is a good one to me," he said as you pulled up to the gazette.
     "If thats the case then I guess my answer is I just want you to stay," you replied honestly and he just gently grabbed your hand before letting it go and hoping out the car. He did his usual walk around the car and opened the door for you as you grabbed your bag and hopped out. You took a sip of your coffee as you walked up to the door and hoped it would help wake you up soon.
As you entered the gazette Jed headed off to his area quickly and you walked up to your desk looking at the stack of papers that were usually left for you in the mornings along with a few sticky notes of extra things you needed to do. You looked over all of it before deciding the order of importance and what needed to be done quickly. Reviewing, grocery store run, and organizing new office supplies. Sounds fun. You joked to yourself. You sat down and looked through the different things to get through before beginning your work. Time went by rather quickly as you kept yourself occupied. You would occasionally look up hoping to see Jed but he had left a while ago as he needed to do more field work. The company thrived off of the Ghostface murders and though part of it upset you, you couldn't blame them. Danny probably loved it. All this free publicity. It was probably why he never hurt Jed already or anyone else working here for that matter. The thought of Danny made you scoff as you continued to work and make small edits on different articles placed on your desk. Although you hadn't been an editor it seemed that Brad loved treating you as one. You would've enjoyed the work had his writing not been terribly boring but at least you could avoid most Ghostface articles. You helped occasionally look over them but Jed seemed to prefer to work alone on those. Plus, with the recent events you had just avoided it all together. Part of you hoped that maybe Danny would just get bored of you but for some odd reason the thought of that happening bothered you too. Maybe it was some weird way of trying to cope with it all. You weren't quite sure but it frustrated you.
     You didn't get your usual lunch with Jed as he had been quite busy so after snacking alone in the break room you decided to do your run to the grocery store. You wondered if Sara would be in today. You couldn't blame her if she wasn't. She was closer to Josh than you had been. They had been friends since high school and what happened at the party really affected her. Especially since she saw him. The idea of it made you shudder as you walked down the street heading to the store. You hadn't thought about it much but now it seemed to flood your brain. What did it look like? Apart from what Sara told you and what you saw on the scene with Jed you had avoided the news and didn't try to think of the details. You knew he had been gutted and the idea of it made your stomach tense into knots alone.
     The nausea only seemed to heighten as you heard the tiny bell go off at your entrance to the store. You looked around but didn't see Sara working at the cash register and figured maybe she was out. As you walked down the aisles grabbing the usual things the office needed you felt someone tap your shoulder causing you to jump slightly in fear.
"Oh sorry," Sara said as you turned to look at her. "Forget you're easily frightened," she joked as you gave her a weak smile.
"How have you been?" You asked as you hadn't talked to her much since the whole event. Just a few phone calls here and there checking up on each other. You felt bad for not doing more but you didn't want to get closer in case Danny had decided to extend his recent killing spree to people you were closer with.
     "Ive been alright. I mean. It's difficult but I've been trying to get through it. Are you gonna go to Josh's funeral?" She asked suddenly and you were a bit taken aback. You didn't know him very well but you had talked to him a few times. You just didn't expect to be invited at all.
     "Uh, when is it?" You replied giving Sara a curious look.
     "This upcoming Thursday," she said and you nodded. "I mean you don't have to. I get it," she said and you nodded again unsure of how to respond. "It just sucks. I-I didn't think I would even be going to his funeral like this. So soon," she said as tears welled up in her eyes and you immediately went in for a hug. She took it and sobbed there quietly as she held on to you. You hadn't really been in a situation like this before as you had always lacked friends and you weren't sure what to do. Part of you wanted to be there for her but you worried that maybe being around her would only bring her more harm.
     "It's gonna be ok," you said as you held her. She nodded as she tried to stop crying and simply sniffled. Eventually after a few minutes she pulled away and fixed her hair a bit.
     "I'm sorry-" she started to say but you interrupted her.
     "It's ok. I'm sorry about what happened. I'm sorry I left early," you said and she shook her head.
     "It's better that way. Who knows what would have happened if you stayed," she said and the thought made you shudder. She was right. Though Danny had visited you last night you were unsure of what his intentions were. Would he just kill you when he got tired of you? It was something that you had thought about quite a bit before but never really came to a conclusion. It made you feel sick. Your worry must've been obvious as she quickly brought you out of your thoughts.
     "Don't overthink it. You want me to ring you up?" She asked and you looked down at the items you had gotten making sure you had everything before looking back up at her and nodding.
       After she rung you up you gave your goodbyes before you headed back to the Gazette. Her words had entered your mind again and you gave a deep breath as you tried to calm yourself. When you had finally made it back to the Gazette you immediately went to the break room and put everything away before heading to your last task of the day which was organizing the new supplies the office had gotten in. It wasn't long before the time passed and you started packing up your things to go. As if on queue Jed walked in the front door with his hands full of notes he had probably taken throughout the day. He waved at you momentarily before stepping into Bob's office and you knew to wait. You leaned against your desk waiting until he eventually stepped back out and walked over to you.
     "Hey, sorry I've been busy all day its just since-" he started saying but cut himself off and you gave a small frown nodding.
     "It's ok. So, movie night it was?" You asked trying to lighten the mood and he smiled.
     "As you wish. Want me to take you out to dinner first or just pick up take out on the way home?" He asked as the two of you headed out of the building. He reached his hand down to hold yours as you walked to the car and a smile creeped up on your face.
     "Take out. We'll get through more movies that way," you replied and he chuckled.
     "Ah, planning on binge watching tonight huh?" Jed asked and you laughed.
     "We always do that," you replied. It was true but you had enjoyed it. Movies and writing were things the two of you shared a passion in. You would spend time going back and fourth showing each other works you cared about.
     "True," Jed said as you reached the car and he opened the door for you. "So our usual take out or?" He asked as you got in the car.
     "Yeah our usual," you replied. He gave you his usual handsome smile that made you feel giddy inside as cheesy as it was before he went over to his side and got in the car.
     Your fears from earlier subsided a bit as the two of you talked on your way to pick up the food. It always felt natural with him and despite your awkward conversational skills or rather lack thereof he didn't seem to mind. After picking up the take out he drove to your house and the two of you walked up to your front door. You unlocked the front door and he walked inside with the food and movies he had already picked prior.
"This one first?" You asked as you looked back at him. He nodded and you turned back around before putting the vhs in the vcr. You looked up at the tv as the tape started and headed back towards the couch taking a seat next to Jed as he handed you your food.
After you had finished eating and the movie was a little over halfway done you laid your head on Jed's lap while he made a comment about the movie that made you laugh. It wasn't until the movie was basically over that you started to think about last night again. As Jed's fingers ran through your hair you could feel your anxiety worsen again thinking about last night.
"You ok?" You heard his voice and it broke you from your thoughts.
"Yeah," you replied unconvincingly as you looked back up at him. He looked down at you with a frown on his face and you sighed before sitting up and looking at him. "Just scared is all," you said as you wiped your face with your hands.
"Maybe horror wasn't the choice for tonight?" He asked and you shook your head.
"It's fine," you replied but he didn't let up.
"Listen, I know that night must've been really difficult for you, but I don't think avoiding it is the best thing," he said and you nodded in agreement.
"I know its just. I don't know even where to begin. I'm sorry for being so closed off lately," you replied and he nodded before reaching out and touching your face gently. It reminded you vaguely of when Danny had his firm grip on your cheek the night prior but you quickly tried to avoid the memory.
"It's ok. I'm always gonna support you. If you want to talk about it I'm here, and if not- well I understand," he said and you nodded again as you felt some tears form in your eyes.
"I talked to Sara today," you said and he nodded as he listened. "She asked if I was gonna go to Josh's funeral," you said and he grimaced as if he knew your inner turmoil. "I asked when it was but I didn't give a response," you added.
"Why not?" He asked as he continued to caress your face.
"I- I just feel guilty. I didn't even know him well and I left early. Maybe if I hadn't then he would be alive," you said as you looked up at him and his brows furrowed.
"What makes you think that?" He asked and your stomach knotted thinking of what exactly to say.
"Well, I mean I told you I waved at him right? Well maybe he would've stayed distracted, or I could've hung out with Josh and he wouldn't have been alone," You said as more tears started to form and you couldn't help it as some slipped and ran down your cheeks.
"You couldn't have stopped that. Even if you did it might have been someone else," he said and you nodded and the thought reminded you of the other guy that had fallen victim to Danny.
"The other guy-" you started to say as your voice cracked a bit, "he talked to me too. He walked up to me when I was getting a drink and flirted with me a bit," you said and Jed simply nodded as you continued. "He asked if I wanted to go upstairs with him. To which I said no obviously. And he died too," you said as you cried a bit more.
"It's not your fault," Jed said and you shook your head.
"It feels like it," you responded, "I just worry he's gonna kill me," you added and Jed took a deep breath before holding your hands in his.
"I wont let that happen, ok?" He said and you shook your head again as more tears streamed down your face.
"W-what if he doesn't hurt me, but he hurts you?" You asked and he seemed taken aback by the response.
"I don't think that'll happen. I've been writing about this guy for months and he hasn't done anything," he responded and though it calmed you a bit you still worried.
"W-well what if he does it because of me? Like he's trying to kill everyone I know," you said and Jed shook his head.
"I know you're worried but I promise you everything will be ok," he said, "the other guys were probably just a coincidence," he added and you broke out into sobs. Part of you felt embarrassed crying in front of him like this but he simply pulled you in for a hug.
"I- I don't know what I would do if he hurt you Jed," you cried into his chest and his grip tightened.
"I know you're scared but I mean it. It's going to be ok," he said and you continued to cry. It lasted that way for a while. You thought maybe he would've been bothered but instead he rubbed your back as you cried until eventually you didn't have any tears left. After a moment or so you pulled back and wiped your face with your hands trying to get away any tears left.
"Sorry I've just been so worried," you said trying to calm yourself.
"I understand. I can't imagine what it must be like, but I'm glad you let it out. It's important not to keep things bottled up," he said as he rubbed his thumb on your cheek. You nodded before giving a small laugh.
"Probably didn't look cute while I was crying," you joked trying to lighten the mood.
"You always look cute, but I don't like seeing you sad," he said and you rolled your eyes a bit.
"You're too nice," you laughed and he chuckled.
"Would you rather I be mean?" He asked and you shook your head 'no' causing him to chuckle again. He made a small face as if contemplating something before he spoke again, "Can I ask you something?" He asked and you nodded. "You're- rather anxious even before all of this. When I first met you I could tell," he asked and you nodded. "When did it start?" He asked and you took a deep breathe before laughing a bit.
"When didn't it? I don't know really. Ive just always been this way," you responded before thinking a bit more. "I've never had per say the best home life and well hearing your parents argue every day isn't necessarily healthy growing up. I was really isolated and well it made it hard to know how to socialize which lead to more isolation and it became a fire that kind of fueled itself," you said as he nodded.
"What makes you enjoy horror so much then?" He asked and you laughed again.
"Honestly, I'm not sure. I guess I just found it interesting and it became my escapism. Can't be scared of the bad guy if you like watching him," you replied and he smiled. "In all honesty I think its very obvious I still get scared of it, but its fun. It's a fear you can get relief from, because it's fake," you said before remembering about Danny and sighing. "Until it becomes real," you added and he chuckled a bit. You looked at him a bit confused.
"You've been through a lot, right?" He asked and you shrugged.
"I guess. I mean I try not to think about it," you replied and he continued.
"Well, you moved here. You got a job for something that you care about. You managed to gain a few friends and well you sure as hell charmed me," he said and you smiled a bit before he continued, "what I'm trying to say is. I know things can be frightening, but you're doing just fine. You don't need to be scared of everything. You're tougher than you think," he said and for a moment you paused. You reflected on his words and nodded.
"Thank you Jed. I don't think anyone's actually ever cared like you," you said and he smiled before leaning in and giving you a kiss on your forehead.
"I told you I always will. So, now you wanna watch the next movie or do you need more of a pep talk?" He asked and you slapped his arm playfully.
"Next one lets go!" You cheered playfully and he laughed.
You had felt more relieved after your little talk and for once you thought maybe he was right. Avoiding things wouldn't have helped. It was then you knew you had to find him. You wanted to stop Danny. You were tired of hiding and fearing him. You were brought out of your thoughts as Jed spoke up.
"Wanna go to the beach tomorrow?" He asked and you looked up at him surprised, "it's only about an hour drive out," he said and you furrowed your brows.
"Jed, its like gonna be way too cold," you responded and he chuckled.
"We can just walk along it- romantically," he joked and you laughed.
"Actually, sounds fun," you responded and he smiled.