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musical-shit-show · 2 years

Text

Two Sides: Chapter 6

Previous Chapters: (1) (2) (3) (4) (5)

Characters: Musical!Beetlejuice, Female!OC, Lydia Deetz, Barbara Maitland, Adam Maitland

Warnings: anxiety, terrible attempts at flirting, panic attacks, cursing, mentions of death, a lot of bickering, and a little bit of angst if you squint

Word Count: 3,022

Author’s Note: Wow, I had a realization a few weeks ago that I never update this fic. Like ever. And that's a shame because I really liked writing it. AND I just saw Beetlejuice on Broadway this past weekend so I've been inspired to write more for these characters (to fill the void of post show depression of course). If there's been anyone reading this, I'm so sorry it took so long. I will get better at posting now, I promise. Writing brings me so much joy and I have to make time for it at least every other day, so if you've stuck around, thank you!! Please check out my Masterlist here and my About Me page. I also have a couple Prompt Lists if you want to request anythign specific in my Askbox. As always, I appreciate any comments or constructive criticism. Enjoy!

“So help me God if you force me to watch Poltergeist one more time, Beej, I think I’m gonna lose it.”

“Lyds, listen, it’s hysterical. How can you not love that movie?!”

“After watching it a hundred times with you, I’d say it’s pretty easy.”

Cassandra gingerly descended the staircase a little over an hour and a half after her encounter with Beetlejuice to hear bickering between Lydia and the demon, both of whom were sprawled out on the couch, arguing about which movie to select for the evening. Adam and Barbara were in the kitchen, preparing popcorn and a small assortment of candy for the living girls to munch on while the movie played.

“Do you think she’ll come down soon?” Adam mumbled worriedly, pinching a bag of popcorn open and dumping into a large serving bowl. Barbara nodded as she smiled knowingly. “Yes, we just have to give her time,” she cooed at her husband, “Her entire world turned upside down today.” Cassandra felt a pang in her chest at the kindness of the two. However, that warmth was overshadowed by the other specter in the room.

“Ugh, Lyds, come on!” the demon whined, nudging Lydia’s rib cage with his elbow, “you know it’s a classic.” The rasp of Beetlejuice’s voice made the hairs on the back of Cassandra’s neck stand on end, activating her ‘fight or flight’ response and making her stomach plummet. She knew she shouldn’t be nervous about being around him. He was friends with Lydia for a reason, even if that reason wasn’t immediately apparent since he seemed to be, well, a walking disaster. This was going to be tougher than she thought.

Beetlejuice’s ears perked up at the sound of approaching footsteps, but he immediately rolled his eyes when he saw Cassandra descending from the second floor, an uneasy look in her eye. Annoyance seethed through his undead body as he scanned her like a predator stalking its prey.

Seconds later, the rest of the inhabitants of the house noticed Cassandra’s presence as well, the tension growing in the room. Barbara glanced nervously at Adam. She decided that she would tell Lydia about Cassandra’s panic attack in private, seeing as there had been more than enough drama for one day and she didn’t want to embarrass Cassandra any further.

Lydia stared at her best friend with bated breath. Was this too much for her? Had she decided that the lawlessness of her childhood home wasn’t worth the headache any longer, and she would simply walk out, collect her things from their shared apartment, and never speak again?! Lydia’s imagination ran wild with heartbreaking scenarios while her roommate stood in front of the entire household.

Cassandra took a deep breath, attempting to steady herself. “Okay, no more surprises, yeah?” she asked jokingly to the room, cutting the tension like a hot knife through butter. Her voice was still noticeably shaky, “At this rate I don’t think my heart can take it.” Lydia grinned, and the Maitlands exchanged a knowing glance between them. Any friend of Lydia’s would have to be understanding of the unorthodox arrangement the house had settled into over the years, and they were glad that she had found someone that could easily roll with the punches, no matter how bizarre they might be.

Lydia sprang from the couch, disturbing Beetlejuice’s position in the process, in order to wrap her Cassandra in an enormous hug. The demon grumbled, not only because he now had to reposition himself on the couch so he could get comfortable again, but also because his dislike of his best friend’s roommate had permeated over the last couple of hours.

Despite a part of him knowing he had been in the wrong, Beetlejuice was too stubborn and prideful to admit that he has gone too far with the girl. She had, after all, dealt with a lot of shocking information that day. The last thing she needed was to be made even more uncomfortable, and yet Beetlejuice egged her on regardless. Taking things too far was kinda his forte, and he typically had no problem doing so.

The demon’s hair drooped at the thought, turning a deep blue as the two girls giggled softly through their embrace. Cassandra pulled away, looking at Lydia intensely.

“But Lyds, no more secrets between us,” she held out her pinky, eyes narrowing, “agreed?” The raven-haired girl smirked, extending her pinky and gripping Cassandra’s tightly.

“Agreed,” she confirmed, “no more secrets. For real this time.” The two exhaled, feeling a certain weight lift off of their shoulders. With all of this behind them, Lydia felt as though she could finally relax and enjoy a weekend with the people she cared about.

A forced cough came from the couch. “Well, now that that’s settled,” Beetlejuice muttered dryly, his attention now back to the task at hand, his amber eyes glued to the television screen, “Is it gonna be Poltergeist, Exorcist, or Elm Street?” Lydia rolled her eyes slightly at the demon cutting in on a tender moment, but she knew that it was going to take some time for Beetlejuice to actually warm up to her roommate. Cassandra flushed, rubbing the back of her neck.

“Whichever one is the least scary,” she blurted. Beetlejuice’s eyes narrowed, his face twisting into a slight grimace, “Sorry, horror movies aren’t, uh…really my thing.”

“Perfect,” he replied sarcastically, feeling as though he was dying all over again. This was going to be a long weekend.

***

The room was pitch black, save for the faint flicker of the TV screen. Adam and Barbara were curled up on the floor, wrapped in a blanket as the movie played in front of them. Barbara absentmindedly worked on a new cross stitch while Adam drew circles on his wife’s back, a muscle memory that he enjoyed partaking in even though she was no longer warm under his touch.

Beetlejuice sat on one end of the couch, his arms crossed squarely over his chest in a stance of defiance. His hair now sported a faint red tinge, his anger simmering ever since the new breather had infiltrated on one of his and Lydia’s sacred movie nights. Lydia, on the other hand, was unbothered by her demon friend’s pouting. She sat cross-legged in the middle of the couch, separating Beetlejuice and Cassandra, who was clinging to the other side of the sofa, nails digging into the leather upholstery.

Despite being best friends with Lydia, she had a hard time embracing horror movies. Even the older ones still made her jump out of her skin, despite the cheesy dialogue and questionable special effects. She took a breath, attempting to find something within the film to poke fun at so she could stave off her anxiety.

“So, why is Freddy Krueger going after all these horny teens? Doesn’t he have better things to do in the afterlife?” Lydia responded to her friend’s question by lobbing a piece of popcorn at Cassandra’s face, smiling as the kernel stuck to her hair.

Beetlejuice stewed, feeling his chest grow tight with envy at the two girls bonding as if he wasn’t even there. Cassandra didn’t fool him though, especially when it came to how desperately she wanted to please Lydia. Despite her best efforts, he could smell the fear on this new breather.

“Sounds like a hell of a good time if ya ask me,” he huffed, his voice low and menacing, “Piss off the wrong undead guy and that’s what ya get.” The demon looked past Lydia to eye Cassandra, who glared at him in the dimly lit room. She would’ve almost felt threatened by that comment had he not flashed an eerily disarming smile at her. Cassandra’s eyes narrowed.

“Oh, yeah, violent murder. Sounds like a barrel of laughs,” she said under her breath, internally panicking as her words fell impulsively from her mouth, “You must be great at parties.” Beetlejuice’s amber eyes glowered dimly in response to her snarky comment, his annoyance growing as he calculated a comeback in his head.

“Sweetheart, I’m a blast at parties, and I’m even better at murder,” he hissed, leaning forward again to meet her gaze, a Cheshire-catlike smile stretching across his face, “If you don’t believe me, I’d be just thrilled to show ya.” Cassandra felt a pit forming in her stomach, his unearthly irises and wicked smirk striking fear into her more than any stupid horror movie ever could.

“Beetlejuice!” Lydia scolded, the use of his true name making the specter wince in pain, “Stop being an ass and watch the movie.” Beetlejuice’s smile dropped, his gaze not wavering from Cassandra’s terrified hazel eyes. After a few tense seconds, he finally slouched back into the sofa, his eyes now glued to the film still playing on the screen. Cassandra did the same, screwing her face into a defiant frown as her she attempted to focus on the film. Her anger and fear soon consumed her, and she found the picture becoming blurrier as her eyes unfocused and her mind drifted into hatred for the demon.

The rest of the group sat in silence for the duration of the movie, not wanting another spat to break out as the two seethed on their respective ends of the sofa. As the credits rolled, Adam flicked on the lights, taking off his glasses and rubbing his eyes wearily. Though ghosts didn’t typically sleep, he and Barbara still got tired from time to time. Lydia rolled her shoulders and stood up, stretching her arms to the ceiling after sitting in the same position for such a long duration. Cassandra glanced over at Beetlejuice, still a little nervous to look squarely in his direction.

His hair was again a mixture of fiery red and somber blue, swirling as he furrowed his brow. After staring blankly at the floor for a moment or two, his eye caught Lydia’s, who was heading upstairs to bed. Her eyes narrowed, and he shot her an irritated look, raising an eyebrow. She groaned, dreading what was coming next. Without warning, Beetlejuice snapped his fingers and with a *pop* his form has disappeared from the couch, leaving Cassandra alone and utterly confused, a state she had grown accustomed to over the course of the day.

Adam and Barbara exchanged knowing, weary looks. “Don’t worry, hun,” Barbara mustered, detecting Cassandra’s worry, “It’s their, um, little secret language. Whenever one of them really needs to talk to the other, they give this…look.”

“Wow,” Cassandra scoffed, finally rising from the couch, setting an empty popcorn bowl onto the counter, “I just didn’t think they were that in synch.” She instinctively scratched at her nailbeds, a habit she had picked up in high school to cope with her anxiety. After the last few hours, the skin around her fingernails had become red and irritated from all of the ‘coping’ she had been doing.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” Adam piped in, doing his best to quell her nervousness, “Beetlejuice is probably just blowing off some steam. Better he does it in front of Lydia than the rest of us.” Cassandra nodded absentmindedly, making her way towards the steps. The two ghosts smiled at her again and disappeared to the attic, leaving her to venture upstairs alone.

She passed Lydia’s room on her way down the hall, hearing a muffled, albeit disgruntled voice. It was clearly Beetlejuice’s rough drawl, and Cassandra crept up to the closed door, silently craning her body closer to pick up on the conversation more clearly. “I don’t know what you want me to do, Lyds,” he scoffed, “I tried being friends with her, but she wasn’t having any of it!” Cassandra felt her stomach drop. They were obviously talking about her.

“I wouldn’t call hitting on my roommate two seconds into meeting her constitutes as ‘trying to be friends’, Beej,” Lydia fired back, her voice coming clearly through the door now that Cassandra was practically pressed against it. There was a pause, and clearly Beetlejuice had been caught off guard. “Yeah, Barbara told me she and Adam walked in on Cass having an anxiety attack after I leave you alone with her for two minutes. That’s gotta be some kind of record for you, huh?”

Lydia’s words stung the demon, but he tried to tamper his anger as best as he could, his hair growing redder by the second. Cassandra smiled on the other side of the door, feeling glad that Lydia was at least attempting to stand up for her, “It’s not my fault she can’t take a joke!” he shot back, his tone defensive as he rambled, “Seriously, Lyds, I can’t fucking stand this breather. She’s boring and doesn’t laugh at any of my jokes and is a huge know-it-all...are you sure you don’t want me to get rid of her for ya…?”

Cassandra felt her breath hitch in the back of her throat, feeling tears well up behind her eyes. She contemplated running back to her room and crying silently at the demon’s harsh words, but before she knew it, her impulsive side took control. She gripped Lydia’s doorknob and swung it open, startling her roommate and her ghastly companion. “Cassie, I—” Lydia started, feeling her face grow red with anger and embarrassment. She would murder Beetlejuice if he weren’t already dead.

Cassandra tried to speak as hot, resentful tears pooled in her eyes. Beetlejuice could just stand and watch, completely caught off guard by the sudden and overdramatic turn of events.

“You,” Cassandra spat, directing her steady gaze at the ghoul, “Have no right to talk about me like that. All day I have been harassed and belittled by you, and joke or not, if you ever try that shit again with me, I’ll hit you so hard you might just feel it.” Beetlejuice’s eyebrows shot up, and the corner of his mouth twitched upwards slightly.

Though he thought she was completely insane for trying to go toe-to-toe with a literal demon, he almost admired her feisty little outburst. Maybe she wasn’t as dull as he first thought. Still, he felt a pit forming in his stomach; guilt, by all accounts, was a sensation rarely felt by the deceased, especially ones as powerful and mischievous as Beetlejuice.

“As fun as that sounds, toots, don’t get your panties in a twist,” he croaked, straightening his tie, “I don’t really wanna kill ya…unless that’s something you’d happen to be into?” Lydia punched the demon’s arm hard, and he winced despite barely feeling a tickle. All those years of abuse from Juno still plagued his muscle memory. Cassandra scoffed.

“Unbelievable,” she replied with disdain, folding her arms across her chest, “Just…unbelievable.” She turned on her heel, slamming the door behind her. The force rattled Lydia’s room, and Beetlejuice let out a small laugh.

“See what I mean?” he jeered, looking at the still rattling door, “Absolutely no sense of humor in that one, that’s for sure.” He turned to Lydia, but she was staring him down, a look of sheer fury in her dark eyes.

“Why do you have to antagonize every new person that walks through the door?!” Lydia questioned, her voice strained, “I care about Cass, she’s my best friend, and you couldn’t leave her alone for more than a few hours.” Beetlejuice could feel the roots of his usually vibrant hair turning a deep and somber purple, a clear sign that his conscience knew he had fucked up royally.

Lydia pinched the bridge of her nose, as if she were dealing with an unruly child. “Just—look, Cass is clearly very sensitive right now, given the day that she’s had,” the human girl tried explaining as delicately as possible, “Just please, for my sake, go easy on her until we leave?” Beetlejuice scrunched his face in annoyance, not wanting to give in. However, he gave a quick nod to his best friend, and his eyes softened slightly.

“Now get outta my room, weirdo,” she added, her tone more playful. She hated yelling at Beetlejuice, despite having to partake in that particular activity pretty frequently. The demon rolled his eyes and snapped his fingers, disappearing in an instant. He appeared outside of Cassandra’s room, and raised an eyebrow at the soft music that emanated from underneath the door.

His acute sense of ghostly hearing didn’t detect any soft crying or muffled sobs. ‘Maybe she finally decided to get her shit together,’ Beetlejuice thought. For a second, he contemplated spying on her again; his previous attempt had proven successful, though it stung to know that this new girl had conjured feelings of such contempt for him so quickly.

Beetlejuice could hear her humming softly, a practice Cassandra had picked up to calm herself after a stressful situation. She even began to sing a little, the lyrics floating quietly out of her mouth pleasantly, soothing Beetlejuice’s mood. He was always drawn to music, and his undead body mimicked the feeling of butterflies in his stomach.

On the other side of the door, Cassandra was humming some indistinct pop song that had lulled her off to sleep on the trip up to Lydia’s house. It was unfathomable to think that less than 24 hours before, her life had been had completely normal. While she wanted to embrace this new reality she had stumbled her way into, it was almost impossible when she had a demon who was seemingly trying to make her hate him with a burning passion.

Beetlejuice had pressed himself up to her door, still listening intently before he realized the position he was in; floating inches above the creaky wood flooring, his undead heart fluttering like a Girl Scout with arrythmia. ‘What the hell is wrong with me?’ he thought, wiping the smile from his face and replacing it with a scowl, ‘She could sing like Celine Dion and it wouldn’t change the fact that she’s a little goody-two shoes.’

And with that, Beetlejuice disappeared from the hallway with another faint *pop*, leaving Cassandra with some true peace and quiet for the first time all day.

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