The Ghost Flower

Prologue

(Quick A/N: This is after the events of A Friendship Carol and The Heart and The Club on Quotev.com. If you have not read those stories yet, I suggest you do so)

-Cagney's P.O.V-

Ten years. It's been ten years since the casino incident. Specter and I are still reminded of the event, mainly because we fell for each other in the end. Eight of Hearts, Ten of Clubs, together forever. We first met each other during the Heroic Era, when the two cups collected our souls. I remember everything about our first meeting: the hill that leads to the train station, the crowd of skeletons and spirits, the whistle of the train as it approached, Specter hanging onto one of the train cars with one hand, the energetic and soothing call of "All aboard" from the friendly assistant.

It was the eyes that hooked me that day. Those big, yellow eyes. They shimmered brighter than that swordfish-nose sky witch who's obsessed with the stars. He had this mysterious yet fascinating glow that would lightly illuminate the train cars. He would punch tickets, help the dead with their bags, make sure all the passengers are on, et cetera et cetera. He would occasionally fly into the train carts with his eyes following behind from the caboose, which later he told me was his room. Meeting him that day brought up something I haven't felt in a while: joy.

After the Heroic Era, everyone who was in debt was freed from the Devil. That day hosts a very special festival in honor of the cup brothers, Cuphead and Mugman. The festival is annual and would start right before sunset. I wasn't a happy camper at first since one, I had to recover from damage and two, I was the angsty introvert in society. I wouldn't accept any form of help whether I needed it or not. I was a complete jerk to everyone. Well, I had a few exceptions, but that's not the point.

A year after the Heroic Era's end, I started to get these weird...dreams, if you can even call them that. Past, Present, and Future. I was reminded of when I was a little boy back in school when I would hang out with my friends and such. I was warned of a killing spree that could've happened. I saw what life would be like afterward. I was horrified, so shocked that I was forced to change myself entirely.

I woke up after one final dream, and there they all were, staring at me. I remember my boss, Rumor, saying something about getting me help. I guess that's what she meant. I was able to repair my friendship with swordfish-nose again, but I've never stopped with the nicknames. I can't and will never help myself. I managed to see Specter in the crowd, someone I actually wanted to see. Repairing my social connection with him was like stopping the world from exploding.

Ever since the dreams, I constantly started seeing these weirdly shaped clouds in the sky. One of them was a flower, the other was a ghost, and the third one was a mix between the two. Hilda said that those clouds represented the future. I didn't believe her at first, but I started believing when I worked at the casino later on. Those exact clouds would follow me everywhere I went. It creeped me out, but it was the truth.

Now, to what happened during that little time period Specter and I worked at the casino. I was annoyed by him, I put a curse on the both of us, we pranked the town, we couldn't get help, we went to the casino, got jobs there, and what exactly happened is in another story. Like I said before, those clouds would follow me around everywhere. Well, the clouds were what made me give in and start to express my feelings towards Specter. Turns out he felt the same. I was so relieved. I didn't care whether or not the clouds were telling the truth. All I cared about was that Specter was going to be there for me, no matter what.

Like I said before, it's been ten years. Ten years since the curse. Ten years since the prank. Ten years since we've worked in the casino. Ten years since I've expressed more than pride, uncertainty, and anger. Ten years since I freaked out. Ten years since the Devil has bothered us. However, we see it like it was just yesterday. I tell myself that it's over, that I can live in peace with the one I love. But ten years after the casino event, of course something would pop up.