Candy, Pumpkins, and Costumes
A/N: This little one-shot (ish) is more or less, inspired by lunarwhy who wanted a Halloween chapter. Metal, Steel, and Magic isn't synced up with real life holidays, so I decided to use all my excess plot for an alternate Halloween chapter. It's short, it's drabble-y, but hopefully also enjoyable.
Hope you like it and that it gets you in the Halloween mood!
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Sam jumped when they apparated into his living room, visibly annoyed when Hermione laughed at his reaction.
"Couldn't you use the door!?" He exclaimed as he removed the hand from where it had spread across his chest in alarm.
"I asked you to think of your home and you seemed to remember this room in particular." Hermione explained. "If you wanted me to use the front door you should have thought of a location outside of your house." She reprimanded. Sam frowned.
"How was I supposed to know the rules of magical travel?" He complained and Hermione flashed him a mischievous smile.
"You weren't—I thought this would be funnier." Hermione admitted. Beside her Bucky was snickering into his hand and Steve had a small smile of amusement.
"Sorry about the entrance, Sam." Steve said embarrassedly as he stepped forward to shake his friend's hand before pulling him into a one-armed hug.
"I'll forgive you this time, I suppose, but I'm still expecting a summer vacation in Miami." Sam bartered as Hermione stepped up to embrace him heartedly. For all that she teased him; he was becoming a very good friend. She released him and Bucky stepped forward to offer him a handshake too. They shook awkwardly—Bucky still apparently unsure of how he felt towards the former soldier.
"So what's today's plan?" Hermione asked excitedly. Sam invited them into the kitchen.
"You guys were a lot earlier than expected. It's not even close to dusk." Sam commented. Hermione knew it was early—still considered morning, even—but she wanted to make the most of the day. "Where are your costumes?" Sam asked as he glanced them over. Hermione shook her bag.
"They're inside of this!" She answered cheerfully. Sam paused to eye her bag.
"…that's a small bag." Sam identified. Steve laughed at the understatement.
"That's what I said—but you know magic." Steve commented and Hermione demonstrated by opening the bag and sticking her entire arm up to her shoulder inside. She was being showy when she knew she could just accio the items but Sam's jaw dropped in shock and she felt pleasantly rewarded.
"Tell me you aren't pulling out a rabbit." Sam pleaded and Hermione laughed. She felt the edges of the package and pulled until it left her bag.
"Just some candy—nothing alive." Hermione commented as she passed the package to Bucky.
"Okay, that's seriously convenient." Sam determined appreciatively. Her arm disappeared down the bag again to her shoulder.
"What are these things?" Bucky asked as he held the container.
"Chocolate frogs." Hermione said as she pulled out another bag. "These are Bernie Bott's every flavored beans." Hermione passed the bag to Steve who inspected the different colors. Her arm disappeared again. "These are my favorite—sugar quills." Hermione passed the candy to Sam. "We obviously can't pass this candy out, but I thought you might enjoy some magical delights!"
Bucky opened the chocolate frog container and it leapt out of the package, hopping as if it was a real frog. Bucky's arm quickly snatched it out of the air.
"Are these alive?!" Bucky asked with a degree of alarm as the chocolate struggled in his hand. Hermione winced.
"You said nothing alive!" Sam added as he tossed his candy to Steve in a panic. Steve caught the bag awkwardly.
"They do seem that way, but they're hollow on the inside; they only act like frogs because magic." Hermione said. The frog stilled and Bucky took a tentative bite with a wince. His face morphed to delight.
"It's not bad once it's…dormant." Bucky determined. Steve looked unsure at the assessment and Sam's eye twitched in disgust. Bucky pulled out a card. "It came with a baseball card?"
"It's a famous witch or wizard." Hermione said as she picked at the card. "Oh! Merlin—he's pretty common."
"Merlin was real?" Sam exclaimed and Hermione nodded. Sam stood gaping and Bucky snickered at his expression.
"Maybe I'll stick to the jelly beans." Steve suggested as he opened the case.
"Oh—they're wretched things! Be careful!" Hermione warned as Steve picked up a single bean. He eyed it warily and Sam took another step back in caution.
"Is it dangerous?" Steve asked concerned.
"No. They just really mean the 'every-flavor' bit. I don't like to eat them because there are far more terrible-flavored candies than I'd be willing to risk. I think the worst flavor was when my friend tasted 'defeat'! Dreadful business, all that." Hermione said as she waved a hand at the candy in distaste.
"What about the sugar quills?" Sam asked as he glanced at the candy.
"Those just look and seem like feather quills. No motion or terrible tastes!" Hermione answered. "Hence, the reason they are my favorite."
Sam nodded before looking at the bowl of the candy he intended to pass out.
"I always thought I was impressive for having full sized candy bars…" Sam said as he trailed off. Steve had taken a bite of an off white jelly bean before his face had scrunched up in disgust.
"What flavor?" Hermione asked with a laugh. Steve's face pinched harder.
"It's eggshell…" Steve determined and Bucky burst into laughter.
"I'm sure you're already used to that flavor!" Bucky wheezed through his chuckles as Steve lowered the bag of beans onto a table and pushed them slowly out of his sight.
"What candy do you have, Sam?" Hermione asked although she had already begun digging through the bowl. "Oh! These are cute! They're shaped like bones!" Hermione opened the candy and arranged them into her own little skeleton. Sam looked at her in surprise.
"Haven't you seen any of this before?" Sam asked.
"I've never had much muggle candy, to be honest." Hermione said as she plopped a femur into her mouth. She dug through more of the candy as Bucky and Steve joined her.
"You've never trick-or-treated?" Sam asked again. "Doesn't the UK celebrate Halloween?" Hermione looked up from her bowl of coveted candy.
"I could hardly ever trick or treat when my parents are true Britons and choose to celebrate Bon Fire day instead." Hermione answered.
"Bon Fire day?" Steve asked in confusion. Hermione nodded with a smile.
"You know, 'Remember, Remember the Fifth of November?" Hermione led. Steve and Bucky looked at her blankly.
"As in V for Vendetta?" Sam recalled and Hermione scoffed.
"Guy Fawkes day." Hermione clarified. "He failed in assassinating the Protestant king to replace him with a Catholic?" Hermione extrapolated. Sam adopted the blank look of the other two and Hermione sighed. "We have fireworks and bon fires and my family celebrated that instead of Halloween."
"Ohhhhh." Sam, Bucky, and Steve said collectively as Hermione rolled her eyes.
"But you're a witch! Shouldn't Halloween be a national holiday or something?" Sam questioned. Hermione laughed.
"Well I didn't exactly know I was a witch when I was younger." Hermione reminisced. "Once I went to Hogwarts, we did celebrate the holiday but really it was an awful holiday because something always seemed to happen."
"Like what, exactly?" Sam asked. Bucky and Steve had turned to listen eagerly and Hermione blushed from the attention.
"Well the first year there was a troll…" Hermione mumbled. "…and the basilisk the year after…and then Sirius tried to break in and we still thought he was a murder…then the goblet of fire…" Hermione peeked up at them and winced at their expressions. Sam seemed curious but Bucky and Steve seemed to be irritated with the dangerous situations she had just insinuated. She continued hastily. "Anyway, we learned it was the day that Harry's parents died and he became famous, so it's not exactly our friend group's favorite holiday." Hermione clarified.
"I'm not even sure where to begin asking the questions I don't even know to ask." Sam mentioned and Hermione gave a nervous chuckle.
"That makes two of us." Bucky continued darkly.
"Well, if it makes you feel better, it was declared a holiday in Wizarding Britain and the Minister of Magic at the time literally said—and I quote—'I assert our inalienable right to party'." Bucky and Steve shared twin faces of disbelief.
"Sounds like something Stark would say." Sam commented lightly. Steve nodded in agreement.
"Don't ever tell him this story—I'm sure he'd coin the phrase." Steve warned.
"So how else did you celebrate Halloween?" Sam asked.
"Pretty much just that—make everlasting friendships and avoiding dying." Hermione summed. "Oh! But we did have the biggest pumpkins you could ever have seen and we ate all the candy we could handle!" Hermione remembered fondly.
"Which brings us back to you not knowing any of this candy." Sam said as he picked up a chocolate bar. "These two were frozen, so I'll give them a pass, but you've disappointed me." Sam said as he gestured at Bucky and Steve with the chocolate bar.
"Sam!" Steve reprimanded. Sam shrugged.
"Sam, my parents were hardly inclined to contribute to the growing epidemic of cavities. As dentists, I'm sure they most likely would have passed out floss and tooth brushes or something." Hermione said under her breath. Sam let out an appalled gasp.
"Your parents were those people?!" Sam accused.
"They were not those people—because we didn't pass out candy anyway!" Hermione defended. Sam shook his head in disgust.
"Shame on you!" Sam reprimanded. "No candy and no magic; I thought witches were supposed to…" Sam trailed off. Hermione raised her eyebrows expectantly. "…do stuff for Halloween." Sam finished lamely. "Don't eat all the candy!" Sam reprimanded as he spotted Bucky casually eating the goodies. Sam grabbed the bowl away from Bucky. Bucky frowned as he grabbed a chocolate bar and munched on it petulantly.
"Don't eat too much candy, Bucky." Hermione cautioned with a laugh. Steve was dragging a hand down his face in exasperation. Hermione turned back to Sam. "I do 'witchy' things every day Sam—I don't need a special day to do magic."
"Still, I feel like you should be brewing love potions or…casting spells…or helping good children before the clock strikes midnight or something." Sam pouted. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Love potions are a terrible business and highly illegal, Sam. I cast spells every day. And I'm not a fairy god-mother; I'm not turning pumpkins into carriages or mice into horses for good girls to go to the ball." Hermione said with a laugh. "In any case, you offered to show me an American Halloween and I'm still waiting." Hermione taunted. Sam nodded.
"You're right. You need context to understand how wrong you are." Sam agreed he waved them to follow. "You need to start with the outside. It'll be scarier once the lights are out, but you can at least get a look—the entire street is pretty serious about it." Sam said as he opened the front door. They followed outside and Hermione looked around in shock. The entire street was completely decorated in Halloween paraphernalia. One house had a zombie theme, surrounded by caution signs. Another house seemed to be a meat house theme. The house next to Sam's had an oversized creepy doll theme.
"Sam…this is so detailed." Steve said as he wandered around the front yard decorations in a medieval theme.
"Not bad at all." Bucky agreed. "Is this a guillotine?" Bucky asked. The device was apparently motion activated because it dropped down swiftly when Bucky entered the range.
"This was done without magic? It's so impressive!" Hermione said as she spotted the mechanical dragon on top of Sam's porch roof. She jumped in alarm when Sam slapped his forehead.
"You should have helped with the decorations! I would definitely have won the neighborhood contest." Sam lamented. He had procured a remote and pressed a button causing the dragon to roar. Hermione laughed in surprise.
"Come now, Sam; using me would have been cheating." Hermione reprimanded with a fond smile. She glanced over to where Steve and Bucky were inspecting a fake corpse with convincing globs of flesh and chunks of blood dripping from his face. "This street could be an entire haunted house!" Hermione exclaimed. Sam snapped his fingers.
"You're right! You should've started your Halloween experience with a haunted house!" Sam declared.
"Absolutely not!" Hermione shook her head emphatically.
"We could've taken all the Avengers." Sam said energetically. Steve and Bucky wandered back over to the two.
"You wanted to take two super soldiers and a former wizarding war fighter to a place where the primary goal is to spook you?" Hermione asked doubtfully.
"Valid point" Sam conceded. "…but I wonder what Thor would have done…"
"I imagine property damage…a lot of property damage." Steve estimated with a quirked smile.
"From what I hear of the guy, you'd probably be lucky if he only did property damage." Bucky added with a knowing smirk. Sam and Steve shared a look.
"Probably a good thing we didn't do a haunted house." Steve determined. Sam nodded in agreement and Hermione laughed.
"Remember the haunted house we took those girls to?" Bucky asked. Hermione regarded his mischievous smile; he always wore it whenever he teased Steve. Steve apparently knew what was coming because he flushed as he seemed to recall the memory.
"Yeah, yeah." Steve said as he nudged Bucky in the shoulder warningly.
"What happened? Was Cap scared?" Sam asked with a disbelieving smile. Steve's blush deepened and Bucky outright laughed.
"No! One of the girls got groped by a monster so Stevie over here—"Bucky wrapped an arm around Steve's shoulders and gripped him good-naturedly,"—clocks it in the face." Steve shrugged off Bucky's arm as he gave a meek complaint.
"Buckyyyy." Steve whined softly in a pout Hermione found adorable. Bucky continued heedless of Steve's embarrassment.
"So anyway, it turns out the monster was inanimate and Steve was fighting a scare crow." Bucky smirked. "And the scare crow fell over and knocked Steve down." Bucky finished and Steve's shoulder slumped comically.
"Cap…you lost to a scare crow?" Sam looked like his dreams were being shattered and Hermione stifled her laughter ineffectually.
"It was before the serum!" Steve complained, face still blazing spectacularly. Bucky was laughing outright and Sam seemed to be contemplating his friend with new eyes. Steve's face looked dejected, however, so Hermione grasped his hand lightly, thumb caressing his knuckles.
"I'm sure you could take on the king of scare crows now." Hermione smiled confidently. Bucky and Sam chuckled beside her as Steve huffed.
"Yeah—I heard he even knocked out Hitler over 200 times!" Bucky added and Sam began to guffaw next to him. Steve moved towards Bucky and gripped him in a headlock.
"I bet I could knock you out!" Steve said as he grappled his best friend.
"I'd like to see you try." Bucky challenged with a smirk as he reversed the hold. Soon they were rolling on the ground and Hermione laughed as Sam frantically shepherded them away from his decorations.
"Not the pumpkins! Not the pumpkins!" Sam cried as he plucked the gourd off the ground. Hermione took a moment to enjoy the boys wrestling—two strong men, flexing and play-fighting in the fall air. The moment of admiration took too long as the over-grown super soldiers rolled over and crushed Sam's other pumpkins with loud pops. They froze at the sound and looked up. Sam looked crestfallen and Hermione covered her face to hide her mirth.
"My pumpkins." Sam said as he looked grimly at the spilled pumpkin guts. Immediately Steve jumped up to apologize profusely. Bucky stood up slowly and frowned at the mess that covered them.
"Sorry, Sam." Bucky added looking equally abashed. Hermione felt one giggle escape her before another before she was wheezing for air between laughs. She wiped tears from her eyes when they looked over to her.
"Come inside, boys. Your fairy god-witch is here." Hermione said with a snort. Sam moved to place the pumpkin back down. "Bring the pumpkin, if you'd please." Hermione said as she stepped inside. The boys trailed after her and she immediately scourgified their clothing. "This is how we get uninvited to people's homes, boys; we break their things." Hermione said with a half-smile to belie her mood. The boys shuffled their feet awkwardly before apologizing again.
"Sorry, Sam." They echoed in unison. Children. Hermione identified. They were children. She turned to Sam.
"Please place the pumpkin on the table, Sam." Hermione ordered and Sam did as instructed. "Bibbidi-bobbidi-boo!" Hermione said with a half-smile as the pumpkin multiplied. Sam gave a relaxed smile.
"It's a Halloween miracle." Sam said and Hermione rolled her eyes. "Now you can help me carve these ones and we'll be good to go! Another Halloween tradition!" Sam reached into a drawer and pulled out his carving equipment. He tossed it to Bucky and Steve before grabbing a pen to mark out his own design. He passed one to Hermione but she waved him off with her wand.
"Don't worry—I've got this." Hermione said as she began utilizing a spell to carve. Sam, Steve, and Bucky were still working on their design when Hermione turned her pumpkin around with a flourish. "Ta-da!" She exclaimed. Sam's face became stern.
"That's cheating! And that's the wrong spirit—you have to do it by hand!" Sam argued and Hermione snickered.
"Let's see yours then." Hermione taunted as she admired her magically made Hogwarts castle. It was far better than anything she would have done by hand. Sam turned his pumpkin towards the group and Hermione blinked in surprise.
"Is that…" Hermione began before Bucky interrupted.
"Is that a dinosaur?" Bucky asked with a raised eyebrow. It was apparently not a dinosaur because Sam ruffled at the guess.
"It's a falcon!" Sam defended. Bucky and Hermione shared a chuckle.
"That's a terrible looking falcon." Bucky identified and Sam huffed.
"Alright! Let's see yours!" Sam demanded and Bucky turned around his pumpkin. He had tastefully made a Captain America shield. "It's an easier design." Sam muttered under his breath. Hermione turned to Steve who displayed his traditional looking jack o 'lantern.
"That's…classic." Hermione said finally. Steve rubbed the back of his neck.
"I didn't realize we could make anything." Steve admitted. Bucky clapped him on the shoulder.
"Don't worry, Steve—It's still better than Sam's shark." Bucky declared. Hermione and Steve tilted their heads to the side.
"I think I can see the shark…" Steve began.
"It's a falcon! FALCON!" Sam grumbled. "You know what? Everyone out of my house! You can't appreciate proper pumpkin art." Sam exclaimed as he shooed them away.
"Aww, Sam! We're joking!" Steve said as he raised his hands in a conciliatory gesture.
"I wasn't." Bucky said under his breath causing Hermione to giggle again. Sam bristled.
"Come on Sam! Let's place the pumpkins so you can continue your Halloween education." Hermione offered as she picked up her pumpkin. She began leading the way to the front door. She looked over her shoulder as Sam and Bucky stared at each other with narrowed eyes. "Boys!" Hermione barked smiling in satisfaction as they sharpened at her tone. "The pumpkins." Hermione reiterated before Bucky grabbed his pumpkin to follow her. Steve shrugged his shoulders as he exchanged looks with Hermione before following Bucky at the door.
"It's a falcon, Hermione." Sam repeated and Hermione nodded placating.
"It's a lovely falcon, Sam." Hermione agreed.
"Damn straight." Sam muttered before going outside to place the pumpkins. Hermione assembled them over the guts of their destroyed brethren. They retreated back inside.
"What's next!" Hermione asked excitedly as she sat on Sam's couch.
"Now we begin your movie education of Halloween." Sam said as he took the single lazy boy chair. Steve and Bucky sat on either side of her and she realized that the smaller couch made them crowd her space pleasantly.
"We're starting with a classic—'It'." Sam said.
"I hattttteeeee horror movies!" Hermione lamented as the film began. As the suspense grew, she took to turning her face into Steve's side, hiding her eyes with her hands.
"Hermione, the graphics are pretty tame compared to modern horrors." Sam commented—amused no doubt—at her expense.
"Well I don't watch those either." Hermione complained. She shivered as the stupid clown reappeared. "Horror movies and haunted houses are the same! I can't spell my way out of it!" Hermione lowered into her seat again only to jump a few scenes later. She grabbed Bucky's hand and used it to cover her eyes, still pressing herself into Steve's side. Tugging on Bucky's hand had also pulled him closer and she pulled her knees up to her chest to form a barrier. Steve and Bucky were chuckling beside her but she was grateful that they had at least moved closer. "How are you not frightened?" Hermione moaned in disgruntlement.
"Clowns aren't scary. Clowns are fun! I loved them at the circus." Steve mentioned brightly. Hermione peeked through Bucky's fingers to glance at Sam. He seemed equally horrified at Steve's tolerance to clowns.
"It's true." Bucky added. "Steve always requested to see the clowns at the circus."
"You obviously missed the evil clown decade." Sam determined. Steve and Bucky scoffed.
"It's true!" Hermione agreed. "Serial killers and horror films and haunted houses all employ the fear of clowns."
"Well. The pointy teeth are unsettling, but overall he doesn't seem so bad." Steve reasoned. Hermione shook her head, still clutching Bucky's hand against her eyes as she leaned further into Steve.
"You are broken." Hermione determined. She was suffering from the horror film, but if she covered her eyes and focused on Bucky and Steve's warmth against her sides, she could pretend like the music wasn't as chilling as she suspected it was. By the end of the movie, Hermione had nearly disappeared into the couch with Steve and Bucky blocking her from sight.
"You didn't even watch the movie properly." Sam accused.
"No more horror!" Hermione demanded a Sam began looking for the next film. "Aren't there any fun, happy films about Halloween?" Sam narrowed his eyes at her.
"I'm never going to find anyone to appreciate horror films with me." Sam groused before sighing. "Fine. We'll watch 'Nightmare before Christmas'."
Hermione began to ease out of her hiding place behind Bucky and Steve. She had grabbed one of each of their hands in the last movie and she kept the claimed hands in her lap despite the benign film.
"Is this Christmas or Halloween?" Steve asked as he tiled his head. Hermione was inclined to agree with his confusion.
"Both! Either? I don't know—I always watch this before Halloween." Sam shrugged. Bucky's face turned mischievous.
"Oh? You always watch this before Halloween?" Bucky baited. Sam turned his head to avoid catching Bucky's eyes.
"It's a classic." Sam defended.
"Why do they look so weird?" Steve asked perturbed. "The way they move is creepy." Sam gave Steve a look.
"A murdering clown is A-OK but stop motion animation spooks you?" Sam asked.
"I second Sam." Hermione added. If anything, the movie had extremely catchy songs.
"I've see stop motion before…" Steve said. "But these things just look creepy—even Santa Claus."
"I agree with Steve." Bucky quipped as the two men out of history narrowed their eyes at the TV.
"You all suck—just so we're clear." Sam deadpanned as the two super soldiers continued to lodge minor complaints throughout the film. "The next one will be live action, okay?" True to his word, Sam followed up the movie with a Disney movie Hermione had never seen.
"'Halloweentown'?" Hermione asked as the film began.
"You should relate—it's about magic." Sam mentioned and relate Hermione did. She felt three pairs of eyes glance at her every time the characters did anything remotely magical and she was embarrassed that the stereotypes of the film were largely accurate—or at least plausible.
"Yes, it does seem like the grandmother has charmed her bag to be as depthless as mine." Hermione responded to one comment.
"Yes, there are hidden magical towns, but no we aren't limited with when we can cross over nor do we take a bus." Hermione tweaked her mouth to the side as she answered another question. "Well, technically we have the Knight's Bus…but that's driven by a wizard and his shrunken head." Hermione clarified exasperated. Acknowledging the shrunken head had been a mistake as Sam proceeded to question every single creature of myth and legend.
"So most legends are based in magical fact? What about werewolves?" Sam asked.
"It's a manageable disease, with proper potions, and the individuals can be really lovely actually; in fact, despite previous opinions, they are really just regular muggles and wizards that suffer once a month from an affliction." Hermione recited a common speaking point she had practiced.
"Okay, what about goblins?" Sam continued.
"Goblins are the primary source for all wizarding banking." Hermione admitted. Sam looked surprised. Sam began to ask rapid-fire questions to which Hermione rapidly responded back.
"Ghouls?"
"Not as bad as legends; they can have their uses."
"Ghosts?"
"Very present in Wizarding society. Each of our houses at my boarding school had a ghost and my History of Magic teacher was one as well."
"Trolls?"
"Ugh." Hermione scrunched her nose up in distaste. "Smelly." She summed.
"Giants?"
"Also real—I even knew one. He was the half-brother of my professor."
"Dragons?"
Hermione made a face again. "Very, very real and very, very dangerous." Sam looked more excited with each question.
"Zombies?"
"…kind of real…" Hermione said as she shuddered at the thought of Inferius.
"Leprec—"
"SAM!" Hermione finally interrupted. "Just assume that everything you thought wasn't a thing…is a thing." Hermione suggested sternly causing Sam's excitement to fade as he pouted.
"What if I want to find their pot of gold?" Bucky asked with a smirk. Hermione made a face at him.
"Leprechaun gold disappears after a few hours so it would hardly be useful." Hermione said as she upturned her head. The credits rolled and Hermione stood, eager to wash her hands from the pizza they had eaten. She noticed Sam as he stood up to stretch.
"Alright, team." Sam said as he began regaining his enthusiasm. "The sun will be setting soon so we will need to get into costume." Sam directed Hermione and the boys to different rooms to change and Hermione doled out the costumes for the night. Hermione was quick to change and she wandered back outside but paused when she heard Bucky and Sam speaking.
"I gotta ask, man. Why are you always bustin' Cap's chops?" Sam asked. Hermione heard Bucky sigh from around the corner.
"Somebody has to." Bucky answered. Sam must have attempted a response that Bucky quelled. "No—think about it. The Steve I knew was sickly and considered a blight on society. Nobody pushed him to do anything because they were scared that he might die—or worse—they didn't care about him either way. I pushed him because he could take it and I'm pushing him now because he still can take it." Bucky answered.
"That's deep." Sam admitted, sounding surprised.
"Got to keep him humble somehow." Bucky grumbled out but Hermione could tell by the sound of his voice that he was pleasantly embarrassed. Hermione retreated back into the hallway to find Steve. She knocked on a door.
"Come in." She heard Steve say. Hermione pushed the door open and smothered her giggle; Steve was dressed as Lady Liberty and was struggling to arrange his toga.
"Would you like help?" Hermione asked. Steve looked up in surprise and blushed when Steve blatantly checked her out. "Steve?" She asked again as she tried to ignore her skipping heartbeats. Steve coughed, eyes jumping to meet hers.
"Yes, please." Steve confirmed. Hermione walked over and began adjusting the fabric. "You know," Steve began. "Back in my day, most of the witches I saw were warty." Steve commented idly. Hermione scoffed as she contemplated using a sticking charm on the fabric.
"What about witches nowadays?" Hermione asked as she looked up expectantly. She was surprised when Steve grazed the bottoms of her jaw to pull her head forward.
"Modern witches seem a heck of a lot prettier." Steve said with a smile. Hermione could feel her blood pulsing through her veins and she swallowed with great difficulty. Suddenly, she pulled out her wand and Steve took a step back. Hermione placed a sticking charm so the fabric would lay just so.
"Given that most muggles can't recognize a witch, I'm pretty sure you've passed plenty of pretty witches in your day." Hermione said as she adjusted Steve's crown. She retreated back outside to the kitchen where she left her pointed witch's hat. Sam and Bucky were no longer in as deep conversation or if they had, they stopped when Hermione entered the room. Sam spotted Hermione's costume and began laughing but Hermione ignored that in favor of observing Bucky. Where Steve's look had sent Hermione's heart aflutter, Bucky's heated look set her insides on fire. She felt the heat rising in her blood and attempted to starve it but scowling at Sam.
"Yes, Sam?" Hermione said as she crossed her arms. Sam was still laughing.
"You're supposed to dress up as something you aren't." Sam chastised. Hermione frowned.
"This isn't really a witch's outfit." Hermione defended. She had dressed up as a stereotypical muggle witch.
"Even the hat?" Sam asked. Hermione pouted but refused to acknowledge that the hat was something that had always been in witch fashion. She was saved from responding when Steve entered the room and Sam began laughing again.
"Lady Liberty?" Bucky noticed with a smirk. Steve huffed.
"I didn't have time to get a costume so Nat insisted I use this." Steve explained. He turned to look at Sam and Bucky. "Meanwhile, when did you take my Captain America uniform?!" Steve exclaimed as he glanced over Bucky. Bucky blushed. He had acquired Steve's repaired old uniform and was wearing it, cowl resting in his hands.
"It was lying around the house." Bucky mumbled with a set jaw. Steve huffed out a laugh before narrowing his eyes at Sam.
"Sam, I don't know if I should feel betrayed or what…" Steve commented with a smile. Sam had gotten a replica Iron Man Suit, the head resting on the counter. Sam shrugged.
"It's a popular costume." Sam commented. "Seemed like a fun choice." Hermione rolled her eyes at Sam but laughed none-the-less. Sam phone alarm went off and Sam glanced at it. "Fifteen minutes until show time. The sun is setting—are you sure you don't want to go through the maze out front before we start passing out candy?" Sam asked. Hermione favored him with a saccharine smile.
"I'll go in there as long as you have no problem watching your hard work go up into literal flames." Hermione raised an eyebrow and tapped her wand in her hand. She regarded Sam coolly as he visibly swallowed.
"You know, maybe another time." Sam said as he backed away slowly. Hermione smirked as they finished setting up for trick-or-treaters. True to Sam's word, the first ones trickled in 15 minutes later. Hermione thought it was exciting to see all the costumes and children. They were spooked from the front yard but seemed to all be in good moods when they rang the doorbells. Hermione laughed when Hermione noticed another trend; they all wanted a picture with "Captain America" and "Iron Man." The first request had shocked Bucky but Hermione had convinced him that the child would be heart-broken not to get a hug and a picture with the two Avenger Idols. Sam, on the other hand, had no trouble posing for the children.
Whether Sam always got so many children asking for candy every Halloween or the news of the realistic Captain America and less realistic Iron Man had circulated around, Hermione found they were constantly passing out candy, taking pictures, and offering hugs.
"Since nobody likes clowns in this decade, maybe we should send these two out to birthday parties and make some money." Steve joked as Hermione took another cell phone picture with the child's camera.
"Sounds good." Hermione determined. "We'll start a 'Hero Party' business and I'll split the profits 50-50." Hermione joked.
A few hours later, the night had become darker and the trick-or-treaters became stranglers until finally Sam turned off the front porch light and they all flopped onto the couch with a relieved sigh.
"Well?" Sam inquired. Hermione looked at him tiredly.
"Halloween is exhausting." Hermione determined.
"But…" Sam led. Hermione gave a half-smile.
"But it is admittedly fun." Hermione revealed. Sam gave her a confident smile back.
"We'll make a proper Halloween celebrator out of you yet." Sam promised before retreating to his room to remove his intricate suit. Hermione walked to the kitchen to look at their leftover candy.
"Any chocolate left?" Bucky said as he came up behind her. He rested his chin on her shoulder with an intimacy that shot heat into her belly.
"N-no. Chocolates all gone." Hermione said as she glanced around. She stepped out of Bucky's proximity to find her bag. She accio'd a chocolate frog and tossed it to him.
"I'm not a fan of the movement." Bucky commented.
"Seconded." Steve said as he grabbed a sweet candy from the muggle treats pile. Despite Bucky's dislike of the frog, he apparently still wanted the chocolate as he opened the package and caught the frog before it could get too far.
"There's another card in here." Bucky said between bites. He regarded the card. "Wait a second—this is you!" Bucky said in surprise and Hermione blinked.
"Well…that's an embarrassing coincidence." Hermione said with a shrug. Steve ripped the card from Bucky's hand.
"Hermione Jean Granger was notable for her role alongside Harry Potter in the downfall of Lord Voldemort." Steve read the card aloud. Hermione blushed as the two turned to regard her. Bucky sighed.
"Your world, despite everything you saw and show us, seems so unreal." Bucky realized. Hermione shrugged.
"It was all fantasy and fiction for me until it wasn't." Hermione explained.
"It's easy to forget how much you've gone through when you carry yourself so well." Steve commented with furrowed brow. Hermione shrugged again.
"It's the same for you two." Hermione identified. Bucky and Steve shared a look.
"So, your previous Halloweens in the UK were awful, how does an American Halloween compare?" Bucky asked as he changed subjects. Hermione smiled brightly.
"So far, I can honestly saw that this Halloween has been better than any other Halloween I've had." Hermione admitted truthfully. Steve and Bucky shared a look again and Hermione was surprised to find them wearing identical mischievous looks that left her wary.
"You know, all night you've been passing out candy for trick or treaters, but you actually haven't participated yourself." Steve said pointedly.
"I'm pretty sure you can't have an American Halloween without trick or treating yourself." Bucky determined. Hermione looked between the two warily.
"It's late! What do you want me to do wake up the neighbors?" Hermione asked as she glanced at the clock. It would be highly inappropriate to ask for candy at the hour.
"No." Steve said. "Just trick or treat here." He suggested. Hermione looked at him blankly.
"Fine." Hermione said with a sigh. She turned to head towards the front door when Bucky stepped in her way. She looked up in surprise.
"No, you can just do it inside." Bucky said. Hermione glanced up at him confused.
"How?" Hermione asked with exasperation at their game.
"Close your eyes and say trick or treat." Bucky ordered. Hermione rolled her eyes as Steve picked up some candy and passed it to Bucky.
"Go ahead." Steve authorized. Hermione let out an exaggerated sigh.
"This is ridiculous, you know." Hermione informed them.
"Can't have a proper Halloween without trick or treating." Bucky said with the same mischievous smile she recognized on the Weasley twins. She huffed.
"Fine." Hermione said curtly. She closed her eyes. "Trick or treat." Hermione said sarcastically. She waited a second for some command to open her eyes but they flew up in surprised when she felt lips pressed against her own. Steve, she identified, was kissing her and she allowed her eyes to close as she kissed him back fully. His mouth opened hers and she tasted the sweetness of the candy he had been eating. She realized, embarrassingly enough, that she had moaned. Her heart was beginning to race, her veins thrumming with something, as she was kissed soundly in a way that she had only dreamed. That Steve was exceeding her dreams of his kiss was definitely a treat, indeed. Steve began to pull away as Hermione felt someone stand flush behind her.
"Trick or treat, little witch." Bucky's rich, throaty voice called before his lips descended to hers. Hermione shifted in his hold so she could face him, responding just an enthusiastically as the heat continued to pool in her body. She felt a thrill when she managed to illicit his groan. He pulled away slowly as he lowered Hermione back to the ground from where she had clambered up for better access.
"I can't tell if that was a trick or if it was a treat." Hermione said as she regarded the two with half-lidded eyes.
"Depends on how much you liked it." Bucky retorted. Hermione could still feel the desire coursing through her veins.
"Oh…I liked it very much…" Hermione admitted, both so hungry and sated that she did not feel the least bit embarrassed.
"Then consider it a treat for all of us." Steve said. His eyes were predatory in a way Hermione was keen to investigate when a sound pierced the thickening air. The trio collectively sighed as the phone went off. When they could hear Sam wandering back over, they separated from each other slightly. Steve answered his phone reluctantly.
"Stark." Steve said with a trace amount of bitterness.
"Cap! Happy Halloween. You know JARVIS told me the most interesting thing. He said Captain American and Iron Man were trending in a suburban neighborhood." Starks voiced carried throughout the room as Sam, Hermione, and Bucky awkwardly eavesdropped on the speakerphone call. "You know you're supposed to dress up as something you aren't right?" Tony continued. "Pretty, pretty please tell me you were Iron man!" He begged. Steve sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Actually, Sam was Iron Man and Bucky was Captain America. I was," Steve paused hesitantly, "Lady Liberty." Steve shot Hermione, Sam, and Bucky a look when they snickered.
"Cap, are you on speakerphone?" Tony asked appalled.
"Yes, Tony. I have Sam and Bucky here." Steve said as he purposefully omitted Hermione.
"Wilson, you do realize that I would've let you use one of my other suits if you had asked?" Tony said. "Just for Halloween of course and no joy rides, of course." Tony qualified. Sam's mouth dropped in shock.
"Aw, man!" Sam deflated as in disappointment.
"There's always next year, Sam." Hermione reassured him with a smile. He looked at her in surprise.
"Oh? You like American Halloween?" Sam said with an arrogant smile. Hermione rolled her eyes before glancing at Bucky and Steve shyly.
"I think American Halloween is definitely my favorite." Hermione admitted with a warm smile.
"Cap? Cap? Is that Penny? Put her on the phone! Wait! Where are you! I want to meet her!" Tony's voice rang out through the room and Steve looked at Hermione with a grimace.
"Not today, Tony. Have a good Halloween." Steve said as he hung up on Tony's protests. He turned off the phone immediately after.
"You know he's probably on his way right now." Sam commented.
"You're right. We better get out of here before he shows up." Steve said with a sigh he glanced at Hermione who summoned their things quickly and placed them into their bag. "Sorry we couldn't stay until midnight, Sam." Steve apologized. "But thanks for having us." Hermione and Bucky echoed Steve's thanks as they bade Sam farewell.
"There are still a ton of horror movies and Halloween classics you could watch before midnight hits." Sam suggested. Hermione smirked at Sam as she grabbed Steve and Bucky's hands.
"I'm sure we can think of a way to stay up." Hermione said with a smirk. She laughed at Sam's confused face before disappearing with a turn into the privacy of her home. She was determined that it was about time she started some new, pleasant American Halloween traditions…starting with two super soldier boys.
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A/N: Fun, light-hearted, and a quick write. I won't say that anything that occurred in this chapter won't happen in Metal, Steel, and Magic, but I'm pretty sure any similarities will be minimal. Still, I hope you enjoyed it! If you haven't begun reading MSM and want some more fluff—that's the place to go. Feel free to review and comment or potentially suggest your own little drabble.
Thanks for reading and enjoy your Halloween ;D