Ghostbusters In Love

9. I Know You Are But What Am I?

Author's Note:
This is a 13 chapter novella fic, best started at the beginning. Rated Mature for adult themes, horror, sex, smoking, etc.

*And finally we're back where we started. Just after the events of the Ghostbusters 1984 movie, back, at the Ghostbusters' firehouse, which has been damaged by the containment unit release but is still habitable for the purposes of this fic.*

They come home to a note from Janine that says she's unplugged the phone line and gone home to sleep for two days and if they ever, ever do anything like that again they have to give her a double raise because her heart can not take it. Seriously, she almost quit 15 times tonight. And she loves them and is so glad they're safe.

Unloading the remains of their equipment, Winston and Ray share a punchy late night laugh.

"Okay, Ray, next time somebody asks you if you're a god?" Winston asks.

"Say, yes," Ray laughs at himself, loopy to be home.

"Now that was some weird shit," Winston says.

"Sure was," Ray agrees.

"What a rush!" Winston laughs with relief, "We made it."

"We made it," Ray agrees.

Ray and Winston briefly hug and go back to work. Winston swings the heavy batteries up into place on their charging rack. Ray coils some cables. Normally, they might share a beer while unloading but not tonight. They're buzzed from the miracles they've witnessed.

"Was it just me, or was Gozer kinda-?" Ray grins.

"Sexy as hell?" Winston finishes.

"Yeah," they say together and laugh.

"I'll take inventory of this in the morning, man. The police confiscated a bunch of our gear," Winston looks it all over and decides he's too tired to count.

Egon comes back from upstairs with some lab supplies and he won't let Winston throw his uniform in the laundry shoot until he's taken samples of every crusty substance splattered on him and gotten a blood draw and cheek swab, too. Then Winston goes to shower.

After submitting to Egon's swabs and scrapes, Ray peels off his sticky, filthy jumpsuit, lights a cigarette and begins wiping down the Ecto 1's be-marshmallowed seats and steering wheel. He wears a once white undershirt that is now gray and some blue striped boxers. Egon is not too tired to notice this state of undress.

Winston comes back down from his shower, dressed in his civvies, and announces he's heading to Tiyah's apartment to sleep. She'd been worried sick about him and was desperately relieved when she saw him, singed and sticky but safe on the news. He was going to go home to a hero's welcome and he can't wait to hold her tight and let her make a fuss over him.

Egon is holding still for Ray who is running a PKE over him, then writing down some readings in a spiral notebook. Egon still wears his filthy jumpsuit and is swabbing himself with q-tips. Petri dishes abound.

"Give it up for the night, guys, will ya?" Winston says. "Science can wait til you've had a shower and some sleep."

Ray's exhaustion stands no chance against the thrill of scientific discovery. Ray has found a second wind, and wants to do some lab work to settle his nerves. He joyfully disagrees with Winston, "On the contrary, my friend. This is an invaluable data collection window. It's absolutely crucial to collect multiple samples before a 12 hour window has elapsed."

"No he's right, Raymond," Egon waves the PKE meter away. Looks down at Ray, unblinking and direct. "Let's shower and go to bed."

There's something about that wording (it's the "let's) that makes Ray swoon a little.

"Well. Goodnight, Ray." Winston chuckles again because what a fucking night this has been. Are these two finally going to get in bed together? He hopes so. He gives them a push, "Hey, Egon?"

"Yes," the taller of the two parapsycologists says, not taking his dark brown eyes off Ray's green and brown ones.

"Don't be afraid to cross the streams," Winston drops a wink.

Egon grins. Ray blushes.

Then Winston leaves Ray and Egon alone in the big, empty firehouse, locking up behind him and whistling all the way to Tiyah's.

It's quiet. Not even the ghosts are rattling the containment unit in the basement anymore, as they've all been released by that jerk Peck from the EPA. It is just Ray and Egon now.

Egon says, "Winston's innuendo was not lost on me. He's daring me to make a move on you, Dr. Stanz."

"Gosh," says Ray because he is 100% pure sweetie pie, and then, to Egon's surprise he holds his gaze and says, "Dr. Spengler, you just saved the world. You can do anything you want."

"Anything I want?" Egon feels a rush of blood, "What I want is you, Ray. To take a shower. With you."

"You do?" Ray asks, flushing more if that's possible, "I mean, yes."

"And then I want to go to sleep. With you. Does that sound good?"

"Yes."

"For about 20 hours."

"Oh, Yes," Ray is most definitely swooning now as he's never swooned before.

"Then I want to wake up. With you. Ray, I want to be with you."

"Please," Ray says, stepping forward and gripping Egon's forearms just below the elbows. Egon steps forward too, closing the space between them.

Now they finally get to kiss and it is better than any kiss either Ray or Egon has ever kissed before. Ray raises his hands up to Egon's biceps, then up to Egon's shoulders, and then squeezes the sore muscles there that just carried 40 pounds of proton pack up 22 flights of stairs. Egon moans. Ray wraps his arms around Egon's neck, presses his chest and tummy against Egon's torso. Their breath is coming faster. The chemical reaction is undeniable.

Ray steps back until he bumps into the slate topped lab table, pulling Egon with him. He sits down on the edge, opens his legs, and Egon steps between them. Ray slips his tongue into Egon's mouth and Egon's tongue slides back in answer and no one thinks it feels like a squirmy wormy thing to do. It feels like a marvelous idea. Genius, really. Can't remember why they haven't tried it before.

Egon's dexterous hands have landed lovingly on Ray's hips. Egon wants to nibble the tender softness there, has dreamed of stroking Ray's delicious curves. He pulls up the undershirt so he can get his hands on Ray's fuzzy, warm belly, on the concave small of his back. He squeezes his best friend into the tightest hug. The feel of Ray's mouth, the weight of him leaning into Egon, it would be sensory heaven if it weren't for all the marshmallow.

Ray has never enjoyed kissing before this moment. It's always felt wet and breathy and embarrassing. He's also never been kissed by anyone taller than him before. He loves the sensation of this large and deeply present man leaning down onto him. If only there was someplace to put his hands that wasn't coated in ectoplasm, soot, and marshmallow. He tugs on Egon's jumpsuit zipper and pulls away from the kiss enough to say, "Sticky."

"I want to kiss you all over Raymond, can I?" Egon says, capturing Ray's mouth again as he tries to nod, pressing against Ray's hips with his. Getting him even marshmallowier. "We'll have to get you all scrubbed off first."

"Shower now," is all Ray can say in response.