Halloween Nostalgia
Written by: SadieAnnabethMellark ( porkcutletbowltrash)
Summary: "I'm gonna have enough until Christmas, Papa." He said as he held up the sack full of candy that he was holding in his arms as Toshiya carried him in his arms.
Toshiya chuckled as he looked at his son, "Well, if you space it out then you might have some until New Years."
Toshiya and Yuuri go trick-or-treating together.
o.O.o
"Are you sure you don't want to go, Mari?" Mari Katsuki stood by the door dressed in a pair of pajama pants and a worn and faded t-shirt. Her hair was hung up in a bun atop her head and she was watching her parents and younger brother as they prepared to leave the inn for a bit to take Yuuri trick or treating. Her mother was perched down in front of Yuuri, straightening the flaps of his jacket and perching the baseball cap on his head.
"Please Mari? It'll be fun…" This year, her brother had decided to dress up as his current favorite cartoon character, Ash Ketchum, from Pokémon. He was smiling shyly up at her, his black tuffs of hair sticking out at odd angles under the baseball cap.
She gave a soft sigh, "I'm too old for trick-or-treating. Trick-or-treating is for babies."
Yuuri blushed and looked down slightly, "Oh…"
"Who said you were too old for trick-or-treating?" This came from her father who came wandering in from the other room, a jacket slung over his shoulders and a gentle concerned smile on his lips. He put his hand on her head and looked down on her, "You're never too old to have fun on Halloween with your family, you know."
Mari huffed and looked away from her father's eyes, "Papa, I'm eleven."
"I'm aware of that." He chuckled
"Trick or treating is for those who don't have two numbers in their age."
"You went last year."
"That's only because I had a costume and Mama wasn't feeling well." She mumbled.
Mari heard her father sigh to himself as he patted her head a few times, "Alright. If you really don't want to go, it's your loss. But help your Mama around the inn, alright?"
"Alright…"
"I wish you'd come, Mari…" Yuuri said softly as he came to hug her around the waist, his brown eyes looking up at her longingly.
Mari grumbled to herself, "I'm not going Otouto…"
o.O.o
Katsuki Toshiya watched from the gate as he watched his son bounce softly towards the door, looking back every so often for reassurance that everything was alright. Out of love, he tried to get his son to try going up to a door by himself, wanting him to learn to be comfortable if his father wasn't right by his side. They'd stop at one of the old folks of the area, one of his Father's friends widow, knowing that he could trust her to be Yuuri's try at trick or treating on his own since Mari wasn't there to go up with him. His son had seemed to be social anxious from the time he could possibly even be social; always being nervous and shy around others, not that Toshiya minded. He loved his son very much, his precious little boy who was gentle and sweet, who was incredibly shy, but was also very passionate even at the young age of four. Yuuri was all soft edges and adorable blushes, from his personality to the way he spoke to the baby fat still clung to his little body. Had it already been four (almost five, he reminded himself) since he and Hiroko had brought home the quiet sleepy baby who's brown eyes could make anyone wrap themselves around his tiny finger?
He watched as Yuuri stood on the porch and looked back at him for encouragement to knock on the door. He smiled at the boy and gave a small wave to the little boy, watching him turn around and knock softly on the door.
Time had flown fast.
He couldn't help but think of Mari. His sweet little girl who was hard headed and tough. She knew what she wanted and by god she was going to make it happen, whether it was "acceptable" or not. Mari wasn't really sentimental, preferring to be blunt and honest with others than to dwell on the past (most of the time anyway). She was already eleven. When did that happen? It felt like just yesterday she was following him around the onsen, helping him with the laundry and looking at him as if he had hung the moon. But now…she'd decided she was too old to go trick-or-treating, something that they had always done since she was born.
He knew it wasn't personal, he really did know that, but he couldn't help but feel a little disheartened. He remembered what he was like back then when he was her age. His parents became less fun to be around with the older he got; they no longer were the first choice in the area of company. As soon as he had been too old to have those possible experiences, it was too late. He'd grown up and time flew by even quicker.
Yuuri was blushing as the old women who answered the door cooed over him, pinching his cheek softly as she tossed a few pieces of candy in his pillowcase. This had happened at least once every Halloween since Mari was born; the older ladies in the area had found both of his children remarkably adorable, unable to control themselves as they gazed upon the children. It comes from Hiroko, he always told himself every time it happened, They look a lot like her – incredibly beautiful.
When Yuuri was finally done being cooed over, he came skipping back down the pavement to meet his Papa.
"See? Was that scary?" Toshiya asked as he knelt down to meet his son's eyes.
Yuuri was flushed from his ears to his neck, "N-no, but could you maybe come with me next time?"
"Of course." He placed a gentle kiss on his son's forehead and stood back up, reaching for Yuuri's hand, "We still have houses to get through before the end of the night."
Yuuri took his hand and smiled up at his father, "Thank you, Papa."
They walked down to the next house, their shoes munching along as they hiked through the fallen fall leaves. Yuuri's small hand was warm in his own and the slower speed at which they walked made Toshiya remember the days when Mari was Yuuri's age. However, the thoughts had made him realize how cold and rather empty his other hand was.
"What's wrong Papa?" He turned to look down at his little boy who was looking up at him with big worried brown eyes.
He gave him a smile squeezed his hand softly in reassurance, "Hmm? Nothing, my little Yuuri-chan. Ready to go up to another door?" Toshiya was hoping that this would distract his ever-observant son, which it thankfully did.
Yuuri smiled and nodded, "Come with me this time though?"
"Of course. I promised I would, didn't I?" Hand in hand they continued up and through the gate to the next house where a few children were already standing on the porch dressed in costumes, pillowcases in hand. As the two stood at the bottom of the steps, the door opened to young woman holding a bowl of brightly colored candy. She was dressed in a long velvet dress that had long flowing sleeves; her hair was twirled up in a beautiful updo, a flower crown perched atop it.
"TRICK-OR-TREAT!" The children on the steps cried as the young woman studied their costumes with interest.
"Konbanwa1! Well, don't you all look adorable…" she told them and started sliding candy into the pillowcases, "Are you all having fun?"
"Yes!" they all said in unison before sending a quick "Arigato" over their shoulders and dashing off to the next house.
"Happy Halloween!" she called after before looking over at the father and son at the bottom of the stairs, "Hi. Would you like some candy?"
Toshiya looked down at his son and nodded for him to go ahead up the steps. Yuuri nodded softly and smiled at the lady shyly, "Trick-or-treat."
She smiled at him, "Here you go." She plonked a few pieces of candy into the open pillowcase that Yuuri held open, "I love your costume by the way. You make a few cute Ash."
Yuuri blushed and gave her a soft smile, "Arigato. You look very pretty too."
She smiled and gave a soft giggle as she knelt down, her ornate dress flowing around her, and put a hand on top of his head, "Have a Happy Halloween, Ash."
"You too. Arigatōgozaimashita2." Yuuri bowed to her softly before walking back down the steps to his father who was smiling at him.
"Arigatōgozaimashita. Happīharou~in3." Toshiya told the woman, nodding his head in a bow to her. She bowed back and gave a short wave before retreating back inside her home.
Yuuri reached for his father's hand and Toshiya happily took it, "Was it easier that time?"
"I guess so, Papa." Yuuri said as he looked up at his father, "She liked my costume."
"Well, you do make a rather cute Ash."
Yuuri gave a soft chuckle, "That's what she told me too."
o.O.o
The father and son had visited many more houses within the hour and Toshiya had finally decided that it was time to return to the onsen when Yuuri began to shiver in the chilly night air. They had already collected Yuuri's weight in candy (it seemed that every house that they went too, Yuuri had somehow managed to charm the homeowners) and he seemed rather excited about the haul this year.
"I'm gonna have enough until Christmas, Papa." He said as he held up the sack full of candy that he was holding in his arms as Toshiya carried him in his arms.
Toshiya chuckled as he looked at his son, "Well if you space it out then you might have some until New Years."
"I guess." Yuuri agreed before melancholy slipped into his voice, "I wish Mari had come with us."
Toshiya gave a soft sad sigh and hugged his son closer, "Me too, Yuuri-chan. Me too."
"Why didn't she want to come? Is trick-or-treating really for babies?"
Yuuri's eyes seemed to be wider as he asked his father, his brown eyes pulling at Toshiya's heartstrings. He always had a hard time telling those eyes "no" or lying to them, so he didn't, "No. It's not for babies, Yuuri. Everyone can go trick-or-treating. Even Mama and I could go trick-or-treating if we wanted too."
"Then why don't you and Mama and Mari go?"
"Well, your Mama and I have had so much fun trick-or-treating that we wanted to make sure you and Mari had fun doing it. We wanted you to be able to get all the candy that you wanted." Toshiya told him as he kept walking up the path to the onsen, "As for Mari, well…she thinks she's too old for it."
"But, I thought you said everyone could go trick or treating, Papa."
"They can."
"Then why won't Mari come anymore?" Yuuri asked looking at him with a mix of concern and confusion.
"Well, that is even a mystery to me Yuuri-chan." Toshiya finally said as brought a finger up to boop his son's nose gently to make him smile, "I think someone lied to her and told her that trick-or-treating was only for younger kids."
Yuuri looked at him thoughtfully for a moment before giving him a small smile, "That's silly Papa."
"I know."
"Does Mari know that?"
"I don't think so."
"That's sad," The edge of Yuuri's smile fidgeted slightly into a frown for a second, before it returned to the wide smile he was supporting beforehand, "Do you think she'll come with us next year, Papa?"
"I hope so. Maybe Mama will even be able to come with us next time too."
"That would be so much fun! But who would run the onsen?"
Toshiya chuckled and brushed a few stray hairs from his son's face, "You don't need to worry about that, Musuko4."
o.O.o
It wasn't much longer until they reached Yu-topia, the small onsen that had been passed down from Toshiya's father, that they had called home.
"You know Papa," Yuuri said from where he was snuggled into his father's arms, "Even though Mari and Mama didn't come, I'm so happy that you came with me."
"Really? I was just as good at taking you out for Halloween as Mari or Mama?"
Yuuri looked at him confused for a minute before he hugged his father tightly around the neck, "Of course Papa! Why wouldn't you be?"
Toshiya smiled softly and rubbed his hand up and down his son's back, "I was just wondering is all." He figured it was best to just let Yuuri down easily than tell him that he was joking and make the child more upset.
"You're one of the best Papa," Yuuri told him as he pulled away to look at his father.
Toshiya felt his own blush rise to his cheeks, "Really?"
"Really! I love you, Papa." Yuuri hugged him tightly once more.
"I love you too."
A/N:( So, I like this fic so much better for Day 1. I thought about scrapping The House on the Hill because I hated it so much, but I figured that 5k+ words (even if they were garbage) was worth posting after all the blood, sweat and tears as I wrote it. What did you all think? I love Baby!Yuuri so much, personally. Yuuri seems to charm everyone on the ice in canon and I feel like he was probably the most adorable kid…like ever. He would also be fawned over by everyone because he was just that adorable. And he never knew how adorable he was, which made him even cuter. Anyways, I'm so excited to be posting for YOIHalloweenWeek and I'll be posting all the week (at least most of the week) Halloween fics, so be prepared. I hope you all have an awesome day, Lovelies! – Sam)
