Lock raked a hand through his messy red hair and moaned. Thanks to Barrel's terrible cooking skills, he had spent the entire night in the bathroom. Around six AM, he had collapsed into bed, thoroughly exhausted. It was now nine.
Why'd Shock have to leave for the beach for a week and not take him? Now he was stuck listening to Barrel play video games while eating his disgusting candy stir-fries instead of swimming and showing off his rippling muscles. Ugh.
He got up and went to the bathroom, splashing cold water on his hot face. The whole room still reeked. Ignoring it, Lock turned to the mirror.
He had grown since he was eight. His red hair was longer but still held its characteristic horn style. A red goatee now sat upon his chin.
Barrel wobbled in. "Hey you."
"Hey, yourself, you horrible chef, you." Lock growled at him.
Barrel was undaunted. "Some people don't have any love for candy."
He had grown as well. His chubbiness had melted into a muscular build, and his hair was now paler and wilder. He was undeniably handsome, and yet he still had no girlfriend. Lock painfully reminded him of this everyday by gloating over Shock like some lovesick creep.
However, now she was gone, so he couldn't flirt with anyone nor annoy the corpse-boy.
Barrel forced his way to the sink and started brushing his teeth. Huffing loudly, Lock went to get dressed. He got dressed and made himself a sandwich before Barrel could get any ideas.
~•=•~
"I'm bored."
Lock kicked a pebble across the grass. "I'm bored."
Barrel looked up from his candy sorting. "Yes, I heard you. What do you want me to do about it?"
"Entertain me. Let's play a game."
Barrel frowned. "Since when do you play games? You 'grew out of them', remember?"
"Well, I'm desperate."
"How about hide-n-seek?"
"Too boring."
"Monopoly?"
"Too long."
"Cards."
"Too dumb."
"Oh, come on! Make up your mind!"
"Fine, fine! How about tag?"
Barrel paused, and then punched Lock's shoulder. "You're it!"
Before Lock could react, he sped off towards the woods.
"Goddammit, Barrel! I'll get you for this!"
And he ran after him.
~•=•~
Barrel huffed and puffed until he could run no more. Panting, he glanced about.
"...I guess I lost him."
Suddenly, Lock barreled into him (pun intended) and knocked him to the ground.
"Aha! You're it!"
"You TWERP! Get offa me!"
Lock pushed himself up and grinned. Barrel rubbed his sore jaw and grumbled something that sounded like 'little bitch'.
"What?"
"Nothing."
Upon looking around, the two realized that they were unusually deep in the woods. The trees were thickly clustered together and a thick leafy canopy filtered the sun faintly.
"I guess we went farther than usual."
"Hey, Barrel! Check this out!"
The corpse-kid tiptoed to him and peered over Lock's shoulder.
It was the door to the outside world from Halloween Town. The jack-o-lantern grinned at them.
"And?"
"Why don't we go in? See what's up in the other holiday worlds."
Barrel folded his arms. "No."
"C'mon!"
"No!"
Lock grinned. "You're just a chicken!"
Something about that rubbed Barrel the wrong way. "Am not!"
"Are too!"
"I'm twice the man you are!"
"Prove it."
"Fine. But just one world."
Lock chuckled and scrambled through the pumpkin-shaped hole.
~•=•~
Lock peered at the various doors as Barrel tapped his foot.
"Well, genius?"
"Let me think about it."
"Well, hurry it up or I'll choose for you."
Lock frowned and pointed finally at a heart-shaped door.
"C'mon, in here."
He wrenched open the door and stepped in. Barrel grudgingly followed.
Suddenly, light shimmered on the duo. A strange array of pinks and reds shone from the rooftops of a village below.
"Whoa...check it! So cool!"
Barrel made a face. "More like so girly."
"Aw, stop being a dick! Let's go look!"
He grabbed his companion by the hand and dragged him down the slope of the hill.
When they reached the gates of the town, Barrel looked up at the pink iron letters on top.
"...'Valentine-Ville'. Hmm..."
The two slipped through the rose-ridden archway and stepped into the tiny town.
Flowers were growing everywhere. People will pulling at each others' sleeves, dishing out heart-shaped cookies and...
...kissing.
Lock stared in awe. "Wicked."
"What are those little monsters?" Barrel asked, pointing at a naked, winged child fluttering around his head. It giggled as more flew closer.
"They've got arrows." he commented nervously, inching away from them.
"Oh, grow up." Lock shook his head and rubbed his forehead.
DOINK.
Suddenly, a sharp pinpoint of pain spontaneously erupted on his rear. Startled, he gasped. Sparks of hot fiery light danced behind his lids as his vision was clouded by pink.
"Ngah! What the hell?"
Desperate to rid himself of this awkward pain, he reached behind himself and felt his fingers latch onto a rod of sorts. Lock gritted his teeth and yanked it out with a slight whine.
When the pink faded and the uncomfortable sensation subsided, he opened his eyes and gazed at the object in his hands.
It was an arrow, about the size of a ruler, with a shiny gold base and a pink, heart-shaped head and tail. There was minuscule matte-black writing on it as well, which Lock had to squint to read.
Cupid's Arrow
The person shot with this
arrow will be blinded with
love for the first person
they lay eyes on.
One use, full power.
Lasts for 72 hours.
Lock blinked. What on... 'blinded with love'? 'Three days'? What did that mean?
"Barrel, what does...whoa..."
He felt a jolt in his stomach.
Barrel's pale skin was glowing under the sun. The wind ruffled his green hair as he turned his perfect face to Lock. His eyes positively shone as a faint smile momentarily played on his lips.
"Yeah, Lock?"
Lock froze in place. A buzzing sensation was spreading from his chest all over his body. His mind was going into overdrive with all the adrenaline spawning out of nowhere in his dead body.
"I...I..."
If his heart could still beat, it would have been racing. This was like the feeling he got around Shock, but to the tenth power. His face was surely as red as his tail.
"...what? "
Lock rushed back to Earth. Dazed, he looked to the arrow in his hand...
...only to find it was gone. Only a few grains of gold dust remained.
"For Halloween's sake, WHAT?"
"Wha...oh, nothing."
The heck is happening to me? Lock thought, fidgeting.
Oblivious to his companion's sudden twitching, Barrel rolled his eyes. "We should get going. I'm craving lunch."
"Y-yeah, sure."
Lock fell into step beside the corpse-boy, and it took all his self control not to stare at him.
...blinded with
love for the first person
they lay eyes on.
Those words sent shivers down Lock's spine.
Lasts for 72 hours.
Three days. He could suppress whatever feeling this was for that long. By then, Shock would be home and everything would be normal.
His foot hit a rock and he fell.
"Gah! Lock!"
Barrel's hand rushed out and grabbed Lock's, stopping him just before he collided with the ground.
Oh my God. He's touching me.
The sensation grew inside of him as Barrel pulled him up.
"You really should watch where you're going, man."
"..."
To Lock, there was no sweeter music than Barrel's deep, beautiful voice. It was like an angel speaking.
Ahh! Stop it! Pull it together, Lock! You like boobs!
But he couldn't shove it down. The feeling was growing and threatening to spill out of his every pore. A sudden thought haunted his mind.
Am I in love...
...with Barrel?