Scare
It was that time of year again.
The neighbourhood was decorated in spooky designs. Pumpkins were out on the porches of houses. The witches, skeletons and zombies came out.
Halloween was definitely in San Fransokyo.
Not that Tadashi hated Halloween, though ever since Ami officially moved back to San Fransokyo, he remembered her love of anything horror and spooky. When they were in elementary school, she played tricks and pranks, especially on Halloween. It was one of her pranks years ago that made them became friends in the first place. Even though he and Ami were in college, her practical joker self was still there.
What would Ami's prank be this year?
As far as he knew, he wasn't safe.
He slowly opened the fridge door. Nothing unusual there. Nothing unhealthily green or oozing. He closed the fridge.
First household thing he saw this Halloween, and so far, nothing came out and attacked him. He looked through the cupboards. Everything seemed the same. Tea leave tin, sugar, soy sauce and everything else was organized.
He breathed. So far so good. Maybe this would be a normal Halloween this year…
He opened another cupboard. His screamed echoed throughout the house. Pots, pans and metal basins rained down upon him. A part of his head throbbed in pain as he heard the clang of metal on the floor.
Laughter echoed throughout the kitchen. Turning, he learned it was Ami. Aunt Cass must have let her in.
"Are you alright…?" the smile was still on her face.
"A little bruised, but I'm okay…" Tadashi rubbed his forehead.
Ami reached down to help pick up the kitchenware. "You seem a bit… skittish today. Is it because of Halloween?"
He looked to the side.
Admitting it out loud was harder than he expected. "Yeah. I was… afraid that you were gonna set up something, and I didn't wanna be scared."
"I didn't plan anything this year."
He looked at Ami. The skin of their hands met. She smiled. His insides trembled and warmed.
"I know how you get when I try to get you to watch something scary with me, and it's fine," Ami began. "You don't… have to bend over for me every time. If you don't like the way things are, tell me. If you want to complain about something, say it."
"If you're scared, if you're afraid, tell me." She gently squeezed his hands. "I'll be right here."
As he closed his eyes, he could feel her arms around him. It wasn't just Halloween that scared him. He was scared all the time. Nobody else could see that, but Ami did.
And he loved her for it, every time.
"So, any big plans for tonight?" Ami went over to the closet. "Cass really out did herself in the cafe…"
As she opened the door, a deformed scarecrow face in a tattered black robe leapt out and growled. Their lungs screamed as they held on to each other for dear life. As the scarecrow laughed, the familiar giggles belonged to no other than Hiro.
Baymax came down, wearing a witch hat. "The plan did work out successfully, though I see Tadashi and Ami's adrenaline levels spiked when Hiro- growled."
Ami looked at Tadashi. "I had nothing to do with this… I swear."
Story prerequisites: The Painter