"I want to go Trick or Treating!" Karamatsu told Totty as the brothers were walking back home from daycare.

Jyushimatsu and Todomatsu had just come to pick up their second youngest brother, after everyone else, and this was the first thing he had to say. They must've had talk about Halloween in daycare. That's no good. Brainwashing little kids. Halloween isn't even a traditional Japanese celebration or holiday.

Totty sighed. It had been a nightmare to try and explain to the younger ones that they couldn't go last year. He didn't want to explain it all again this year. He felt like a Halloween monster himself, seeing the teary faces of his little brothers after he crushed their dreams by telling them that they couldn't go. They did get candy but there was clearly something missing.

"Haven't we talked about this?" Totty smiled his usual smile as he crouched to Karamatsu's eye level, "What have I told you about Trick or Treating? What did mom and dad say?"

Karamatsu's smile fell and turned into a pout, "That Osomatsu is too young to join and it would be unfair to go without him. We don't have the costumes either." He recited what the parents had told him last year.

"But it's been a year", Choromatsu butted in. His friends had been talking about costumes and candy all day during breaks. He felt bad for not having being able to join them.

"Yeah!" Karamatsu nodded, "He can come too!"

Totty sighed once again, looking at Jyushimatsu for support.

"Huh? Why not?" Jyushimatsu just tilted his head. He was walking hand in hand with Ichimatsu who was waving a cat toy around, hoping to attract strays with it. Too bad it didn't work like that. Ichimatsu really should've brought some treats with him.

"Jyushimatsu! Work with me here!" Totty huffed, "The boys don't even have costumes!"

"I made a costume!" Karamatsu cheered, waving his daycare bag around, "Can we go now? Please?"

Totty thanked Jyushimatsu for nothing as he tried his best not to scream. It would be so much work.

"Of course we can go! Let's just ask mom and dad first", Totty clapped his hands together, a strained smile on his face.

"Of course you can go", Matsuyo told Totty as the family ate dinner together.

"Really?! We can go?" Karamatsu's eyes were sparkling, "We ca go Trick or Treating this year?"

"I can't see why not. Osomatsu is old enough to join. Just take the stroller for him", Matsuzo shrugged, agreeing with his wife. Even if he would've thought otherwise, it was pointless to argue with the woman of the house. You just couldn't win.

"Mom, can you help me make a costume?" Ichimatsu pulled his mother's sleeve, whispering.

"Right, we need costumes for you", Matsuyo nodded, "I'll see what I can do."

"Yay!" the little brothers clapped their hands together. They would get candy and costumes this Halloween! Awesome!

"-then we sew this here", Matsuyo was sitting by the sewing machine with Ichimatsu, "And we have cat ears!"

Matsuyo put the finished product on top of Ichimatsu's head. They were a pair of black cat ears held in place with a silk bow. He also had a tail which was stuck to his clothes with a safety pin.

"We could draw you some whiskers too", Matsuyo smiled as she straightened out her son's clothes.

Seriously, why hadn't they done this before? All his boys dressed up in adorable costumes, having fun and a sugar rush at the same time. She could get used to this.

"No, no need. I like them like this", Ichimastsu mumbled as he hugged his mother as a thank you before sprinting out of the room to show his costume to everyone.

"Look, Jyushi! I'm a cat!" Ichimatsu collided with Jyushimatsu's legs as he rushed to the brothers' bedroom where the others were looking for something they could turn into costumes.

Jyushimatsu lifted Ichimatsu up. It looked like the opening scene from Disney's Lion King. Totty could swear he could almost hear a faint music in the background. The incoherent screaming followed with a sun raising from behind the horizon.

"Look at you! Totty, look!" Jyushi spun around to show his big brother the costume.

"Jyushimatsu, calm down", Totty huffed as he tried to choose between two onesies for Osomatsu to wear, "And that looks very good, Ichimatsu."

Karamatsu was running around the room on his hobby horse waving around a stick he had found just the other day from a park the brothers frequented. He had something that looked like a knight's helmet on his head. That must be the costume he made in daycare. It was made of foil and had a blue feather glued onto the top. His shoes were also decorated with foil and he had on a grey shirt and pants to act as the rest of the armor.

"Brother! Do I look awesome? Do I?" Karamatsu rode his white horse next to Ichimatsu, jumping up and down while waiting for an answer from his big brother.

"Y-Yeah. I like the horse", Ichimatsu mumbled. He thought that the costume was weird but didn't say it aloud. He really thought that the horse was good. It was the best part.

Their mother had made that from an old sock that had sadly lost its partner during laundry. An old broom stick was also used as well as some old yarn and buttons they had had lying around. Karamatsu had picked those out himself. And in half an hour, a horse was ready. Their mother really could do anything.

"Do you want to ride him? His name is Don Quixote and he's really gentle", Karamatsu explained as he leaned closer to Ichimatsu, who in turn backed away.

The parents and older brothers had no idea where Karamatsu had heard that name and frankly they didn't want to know. He didn't even know how to pronounce it correctly.

"No", rejection.

That didn't get Karamatsu down. He simply shrugged and told Ichimatsu that he could try it out later if he felt like it. And then he was off again.

"Jyushi, a red panda or a teddy? Which one?" Totty asked Jyushimatsu as he sat down to hold Osomatsu, who was trying to crab Ichimatsu's tail and put it into his mouth.

"What?" Jyushimatsu asked. He hadn't been paying attention. He had been watching Choromatsu put his costume together.

Choromatsu wanted to be a scientist. He got his best dress shirt on as well as his best pants. He had had to promise their mother not to get any dirt onto them or he'd be banned from Trick or Treating for the rest of his life. He also had a white dress shirt from his father to work as his doctor's jacket. He had a toy stethoscope around his neck and a bunch of pencils in his breast pocket. Just like a real doctor.

"Which onesie do you think Osomatsu should wear?" Totty repeated the question, "The teddy or the red panda one?"

"He really likes both", Jyushimatsu nodded. A tough decision, "How about you let him decide?"

"Alright", Totty agreed as he presented Osomatsu with the two onesies, "Okay little man, which one?"

Osomatsu picked the red panda one. He really liked it and wore it out often. The color appealed to him.

Alright, he'd be a red panda for his first Halloween. Maybe he could be a bear next year then.

Totty would need to check if his phone had space for more pictures. He was going to take a ton.

Totty and Jyushimatsu focused on their little brothers' costumes and so didn't have time for themselves. They'd wear something simple and let the little ones steal the whole show.

Totty had the apron he wore in the café he worked. He would also carry a menu. Maybe it could work as a small advertisement as well. His boss would be happy.

Jyushimatsu already had his costume on. He had worn in all day actually. He would be dressed as a baseball player. Dirt on his clothes and all.

"Have a nice night boys!" Matsuyo told the boys as she handed them buckets to collect their candy in. She had run to buy pumpkin-shaped ones for the special day. Anything for her boys. They had asked so nicely, too.

"Don't eat any candy tonight or you won't be able to sleep!" Matsuzo tried to remind them, "You can eat them tomorrow. Not tonight."

"We'll try and prevent it", Totty reassured the parents fearing for a major sugar rush and a sleepless night as a result.

"Yeah!" Jyushimatsu agreed.

"Good, now go or the candy will be all gone!" Matsuyo smiled as she waved them to go already, "Come home before midnight though. The little ones need their sleep."

"You can time us if you want", Totty laughed as he took Osomatsu's bucket out of his mouth where the baby was trying to fit it with little success.

"Don't tell her that or she will", Matsuzo whispered, "She'll judge you by your amount of candy divided by the time you were out. Or something like that."

Totty only nodded, waving to the parents, "We'll be back! Call me if you need anything."

"Should we pick our first house?" Totty suggested when they had finally made it to the most lucrative area for Trick and Treaters. It was the most densely populated area of the town. If they'd have luck somewhere, it was here.

"Let's go to that one!" Karamatsu pointed to the house closest to them.

There were absolutely no decorations out and the house was dark too. Both Totty and Jyushimatsu had a bad feeling about it but couldn't say no. That would be their first house. The two big brothers had their fingers crossed.

Karamatsu rang this bell. He had promised to Choromatsu and Ichimatsu that they could ring the next two.

There was no answer.

"Try ring it again. Maybe they just didn't hear you", Totty smiled as he encouraged his baby brother to try again. He didn't want their first house to be a downer.

Karamatsu did as told but after five minutes of multiple rings and waiting there was still no answer.

"Guess they're not home", Jyushimatsu hummed, "Let's try another house. Maybe that one across the street. It has some nice decorations going on."

Karamatsu was near tears as he was led away from the porch of the house by the hand.

"W-What if no one answers their door? Are our costumes that bad?" Karamatsu sniffed, squeezing Totty's hand.

"Of course they will! I bet they'd love to see your costumes! They're just that awesome!" Jyushimatsu and Totty both reassured him.

"Come on, you try this one", Jyushimatsu nudged Choromatsu to lead the group to the next house.

The decorations on this yard were super. There was everything from lights and spider webs to even a couple of bigger props.

Ichimatsu was glued to Jyushimatsu's leg all the way to the door. He didn't like the decorations at all, only the black cat one sitting on the porch step. Other than that, they were just too scary.

The door opened before Choromatsu could knock and a middle-aged woman came out with a huge bowl full of candy.

"Hello boys! Happy Halloween!" she laughed as she watched Totty's face. He had visibly flinched as she had suddenly slammed the door open. She hadn't thought that her witch costume was that good.

"Hello!" Karamatsu bowed politely, "You look awesome!"

"Why thank you my little knight!" she smiled as he crouched to take a good look of the boys' costumes, "And what might a royal knight like you want?"

"Candy!" Karamatsu demanded.

Totty glared him, trying to scold his little brother. He was being a bit too straightforward.

"Candy! Oh my! Well then it's a good thing that I have a bowl full of that stuff!" the lady laughed petting Karamatsu and Choromatsu's head.

"Sorry about that", Totty whispered, "The first house we went to didn't even open the door. They were a little depressed about it."

"It's alright", she reassured Totty, "No harm done!"

"Sorry about you decoration too", Jyushimatsu added.

"What about them?"

"Well", Jyushimatsu mumbled as he pointed her to the other one of the big props. It was a skeleton designed to jump up and spook anyone who walked past it. Its skull was literally bashed in. With a baseball bat.

"What happened here", the lady laughed. She wasn't mad at all. The skeleton looked even better this way, she though.

"Let me guess", Totty signed, "It spooked you two?"

Jyushimatsu and Ichimatsu only nodded.

"Then I'm happy!" the lady clapped her hands together in glee, "It did its job."

"But it's destroyed now", Ichimatsu mumbled from where he was hiding behind Jyushimatsu's legs. He didn't want to be punished. The skeleton had attacked them first.

"I'll just add some fake blood or something! I like the way Mr. Bones looks now", the lady simply told them, "Now, how about we get you boys some of that candy you wanted?"

"Yes!" Karamatsu brought his 'sword' up and waved it around, "Candy!"

The brothers all got big chocolate bars and a handful of other candy. It was the best catch there was. Bet the other kids hadn't gotten as much from two or three houses combined.

"Look, Totty! I got a toy spider!" Choromatsu showed Totty the small plastic toy.

Totty almost jumped. He hated spiders. Fake or not.

"Put it away", he told Choromatsu who did as told.

"Choromatsu! Are you Trick or Treating too?" a kid suddenly ran to the brothers, waving a bucket of candy around. He had a vampire costume on topped with plastic teeth in his mouth.

Choromatsu light up. It was one of his friends from his class.

"Yes! Look how much we got already!" Choromatsu showed the boy his catch of the night so far.

"So cool! Hey, wanna trade or something?"

"Sure!"

"I wanna trade too!" Karamatsu cried as he circled the two boys.

Two or three other kids joined the brothers' group.

They were either from Choromatsu's class or Karamatsu's daycare. And one of them happened to be Nyaa-chan, Choromatsu's long-time crush, dressed in an adorable cat costume. To put it simply, Choromatsu was blushing and fidgeting the whole time trying his best to impress her. He ended up looking like the biggest loser though.

They all ended up Trick or Treating together and got a lot more candy. It was hard to stop the little ones from eating all of it but Totty, Jyushimatsu and the kids' guardians managed.

"Thank you for letting us join you guys", one of the adults told Totty as the group was disbanding to get back home and get the little ones to bed. Some of the little ones were already yawning and swaying on their feet, despite arguing that they could go on just fine.

"It's nothing", Totty smiled, carrying Osomatsu, who was asleep, "The kids had so much fun together like this."

"We should have play dates or something", another one agreed, "We could go to a park or something."

"That would really help", Totty agreed, "One of us could watch after them while the rest actually got something done."

"I know. When was the last time I actually managed to do something on my free time?"

"Never", Totty agreed. Not that he had anything to do. He just loved to play with his little brothers and spoil them. Especially Osomatsu, who had been extra good today. Totty had gotten a ton of cute pictures taken.

"Well, let's exchange our numbers so that we can plan this out."

Totty nodded and the three adults exchanged numbers, promising to text each other later for details about their upcoming outing.

"Alright, we'll see you later then", Totty bowed as the brothers left to return home. It was getting close to midnight.

"Bye bye!" Karamatsu waved from where he was sitting on Jyushimatsu's shoulders. His horse had gotten an upgrade.

"Bye Choromatsu! See you tomorrow in school!" Nyaa-chan waved.

Choromatsu almost passed out right there. Nyaa-chan talked to him. Totty had to walk him by the hand all the way back home or he would've gotten lost in his pink-colored daze.

"Welcome back, boys!" Matsuyo greeted the boys as they opened the door, "Did you have fun?"

"Mmm´", Karamatsu yawned, nodding his head slowly.

It was way past the younger boys' bedtime and it showed. Ichimatsu was a dead man walking. He would've fallen down right there in the hallway if Jyushimatsu wasn't holding his hand. Karamatsu and Choromatsu were both yawning every second minute and Osomatsu had been asleep for good three hours already.

"You didn't eat any of the candy you got yet?" Matsuzo asked. There was a candy fee in this house. Ten percent of the catch to the parents. They helped with the costumes after all. It was only fair.

"No", Choromatsu mumbled as he took off his doctor's coat and shoes.

"They may have eaten one or two", Totty added, "Just to get them into the mood for Trick or Treating."

"If there's no huge sugar rush, then it's okay", Matsuyo smiled, "Do you want anything to eat before bed or are you diving right in?"

"The second option looks to fit", Jyushimatsu laughed as he pulled Ichimatsu up from the floor. He'd sleep in his own bed tonight. Not the cold floor. They didn't want him getting sick.

Matsuyo agreed with a small laugh, helping the big brothers carry the younger ones upstairs.

"Can you get them dressed and washed by yourselves or should I help you?" she asked as they were in the brothers' bedroom.

"No, just go to sleep", Totty told her, "We'll manage. It's not like it's the first time we're doing it."

"Alright", Matsuyo did as told and left her boys alone.

Easier said than done. Dressing up and washing four half asleep little brothers, that is.

Osomatsu was easy, since he was in such deep sleep already that even an elephant marching in the room couldn't have made him stir. He was more like a ragdoll than an actual person. The onesie was also something the baby could sleep in, so they only had to wash the teeth and change the diaper for him.

Choromatsu did what he could by himself. He only had to be covered with a blanket when he shut down completely before doing that. He even washed his teeth by himself, although half of the stuff ended on his pajamas. Those would need to be washed tomorrow.

Ichimatsu was probably the most difficult case. He was whiny and just wanted to go to sleep as he was, not wash or change clothes. Jyushimatsu dealt with him with his everlasting patience for his little brother's mood swings.

Karamatsu wanted to do everything by himself but ended up putting the pants on the wrong way and buttoning the pajamas up all wrong as well. Totty fixed them for his teary-eyes brother who was telling him he was a big boy and could do it himself already. Totty then continued to help Karamatsu wash his teeth before putting him to bed next to Ichimatsu, who was already sleeping.

"We made it", Totty cheered as he watched all the four sleeping peacefully in their own spots.

"Yeah", Jyushimatsu agreed with a yawn.

"We better get ready to bed too, or we will be the ones who end up on the floor", Totty laughed as he watched his little brother nod off while standing up.

"Did you know that horses can sleep standing up?" Jyushimatsu mumbled, eyes half open.

"What are you talking about, go to bed already", Totty huffed as he covered Jyushimatsu, who had managed to crawl to his part of the mattress, with a blanket.

"It's work day tomorrow", Jyushimatsu mumbled before drifting off.

"Don't remind me", Totty sighed, reminded to set an alarm.

"Good night", he whispered as he shut the light and crawled under the blankets himself.

"Hmm", Jyushimatsu mumbled something under his snoring.