"Okay, my army of terrorific creatures-"
"And Sophie!"
"-And Sophie, all in line! It's time for the last revision of the costumes!"
Obediently, the kids loitering around the living room stood and ran over to form an tidy line in front of Jack, side to side with each other.
"Pipa, ruffle your hair a bit, witches are supposed to look crazy; Jaime, last time I checked werewolves had two ears, straighten that thing up; Cupcake, the cloak's neck is supposed to be straight; Morti, one of the bandages is getting undone; Claude, Caleb, don't slouch, robots are made of metal, not rubber, and Sophie..." He stared at the giggling girl at the end of the line, her fairy costume dusting glitter everywhere over the carpet. He grinned and crouched to pat her uneven hair. "...Perfect"
"Can we go out noooow? It's almost night and the good candy is always gone first!" Jamie wailed, his pumpkin shaped basket dangling from the fur-covered glove of his suit.
"Hey, kiddo, the deal was Bunny takes you out on Easter, I do on Halloween, let me have my fun now that I'm too old to be given candy" Jack flailed his arms around for emphasis, his black and white stripped suit making him look that much taller and thiner, the bat-shaped bowtie bouncing slightly around his neck, and his wide smile even wider with the effect of the white and black facepaint around his mouth and eyes. "But yes, I think we're good. Everybody got their bags?"
The kids cheered and raised the baskets, bags and even a pillow case in their hands, rushing towards the door when Jack nodded and marched towards it. The streets were already getting crowded with kids running around, little witches and vampires dashing towards every single house in sight, nervous parents or bored big brothers chasing after them to ensure nothing happened to them. Jack let the kids choose where to go, following dutifully behind them, swaying a couple of times to scare some kids running past him, roaring and raising his arms threateningly. The kids would scream or yelp, then laugh and continue their race for candy.
Halloween was so much fun! So many kids laughing everywhere. Jack was sure this was his favorite holiday of the year after April's fool and Christmas. Easter had a special place somewhere as well, but that damn egg-obsessed aussie took all the fun out of it, stealing the children for himself. Something hard and small hit him in the chest, his hands maneuvering to catch the lollypop Jaime had just thrown at him. He hurried to catch up with them, their bags already a big deal filled with chocolate and candy, some of them already eating some as they went ringing bells.
They visited every house in the neighbourhood, Jack making sure they where well in sight before leading them to other streets in the residential area, the place completely closed to avoid cars passing by and accidentally running over someone. The houses over here had really good decorations, carved pumpkins and scarecrows littered around the front yards, candles lightening up the dark night and giving the illusion of something flickering in the shadows. It was exhilarating and Jack had to fight the impulse to squeal like a kid and run around the place.
Sophie, who was hopping around with her hand firmly held in Jamie's, tugged on her brother's arm and pointed at a big house semi-hidden by the shadows at the end of a cul-de-sac. It didn't seem to be that much impressive from affar, but up close it was really awesome. The lack of light gave an impressive realism to the masterly carved creatures littering the exterior, small wooden rats with grey ruffled fur and piercing yellow eyes baring their sharp teeth at them, black crows peeking at them from the branches, pumpkins with really terrifying smiles illuminated with candles on the inside looking at them from the bushes, spider webs over every single place they could be hanging from, and the cherry on top of the cake was a huge metal dragon painted an ink black, illuminated by the multitude of candles resting on the windows, its yellowish-green eyes staring straight at whoever dared walk up the path, wings stretched menaciningly over their heads, mouth open wide and actually looking as if fire where to come out.
"Wow..."Jack found himself at a loss of words, eyes trying and failing to catch everything at the same time. "Really wish I had a camera right now"
"C'mon, if the decor is so awesome the candy must be amazing!" Jamie pulled Sophie along carefully, the group following behind him, glancing around the place and trying to ignore the way the creatures eyes followed them everywhere.
Jack reached the door the moment Jamie rang the doorbell, not two seconds passing before the door was suddenly opened, a loud roar startling them all, including Jack, and a face peeped behind the megaphone the noise had come from, a wide smile over the boy's face.
He should've been around Jack's age, different tonalities of paint covering his skin and separated by surprisingly realist stitching over his face, neck, arms and whatever piece of skin was showing under the rag-made costume. The stitches parting from his mouth made his smile seem endless, not unlike how Jack's own looked with the skelleton makeup.
"Oops, think I overdid it" The boy laughed, putting the megaphone and recorder away, a big bowl of candy appearing from behind the door as he did so. "Guess I have to make it up to you guys, huh?"
He emptied a good deal of the bowl in each of the bags, big bars of chocolate and enveloped caramell apples falling before the kids amazed eyes, the satisfying noise of plastic against plastic followed by cheerful thanks and 'that dragon is amazing!' and the kids where off again. The smile in the teen's face softened and he breathed out a laugh, failing to notice the abscense of someone from the group.
"Hey guys, stay around here a moment, okay?!" Jack shouted after them, receiving a thumbs up from the kids as they went asking around the houses in the cul-de-sac. Jack grinned and turned to the teen still standing at the door. "Hey, nice costume"
The brunet blinked and put the empty bowl away, standing a bit closer to the door. "Thanks, took a while to get together"
"Seems so, I almost asked if you had an accident and got all stitched up or something" Jack raked his eyes over the loose rag clothes, stopping at the hem of the pants, eyes wide at the sight of an obviously fake leg in place of the left one. "Umm...I think I spoke too much, sorry"
The stitched boy chuckled, waving at him dismisively. "This? It's old story, if only it adds to the illusion, don't you think?" He stretched his arms to the side, giving Jack a full view of the costume, tailored perfectly and still managing to look as if it had been taken straight out of a tomb.
"Yeah, it certainly does" He felt a wave of relief wash over him at that, resting his back on the fence next to the wall ond crossing his arms over his chest. "Did you make all this decorations?" He sweept a hand over the place, a crow facing his way with his beak open as if about to gurgle.
He nodded, imitating Jack and leaning against the door frame, hands behind his back. "Yeah, the small ones are old, but the dragon I've been working on since May. I always wondered why no one dresses up as one in Halloween"
"Maybe they're too awesome to be scary?" Jack smiled at the way the boy nodded and laughed, his bright green eyes watching over the kids sitting in the sidewalk, taking a break and eating some of their loot. "I'm Jack"
"Skellington?" The brunet asked playfully, nodding towards the costume the albino was wearing. Jack looked down, as if he'd forgotten about it, then smiled up at him sheepishly. "I'm just kidding, nice coincidence though. Hamish" He offered his hand to him, which Jack shook, the stitches there feeling as real as if they'd been actually punctured through skin.
"Sooo, if I'm Jack, does it make you my Sally?"
Hamish broke into laughter, the sound reverberating through the silent street and startling the few real birds resting in the trees. "Oh man, I was wondering when you'd ask that" He wiped a small tear away before it ran down his makeup. "Well, it IS inspired in Sally, I won't lie, I liked the challenge, and hey, the movie's a classic, can't have Halloween without them, right?"
Jack nodded, fingering the pointy ends of his bat-bowtie. "Man, it's already a miracle someone else over thirteen is still dressing up, and then I come up to all this" He made a general gesture all over the brunet.
"You just gestured to all of me" Hamish replied, an amused smile stretching along the stitches.
"Yup, that I di-OH SHIT!" Jack was interrupted by something fast and light jumping over his shoulder, the sleek black cat perched on top of him staring straight into his blue eyes with its own the same color of the metal dragon's. Jack stood still, the animal terrifying him for some reason with its penetrating gaze. The cat then jumped from his shoulder, trotting towards Hamish and walking between his legs, rubbing his head against his skin and purring loudly, turning to get inside the house after looking back at Jack and hissing at him, showing off his sharp fangs as he did.
"Toothlss, be nice!" Hamish shouted after the cat had lost himself into the hallway. "Sorry, he doesn't like strangers that much"
"Don't...don't worry" Jack held his chest firmly, his heart beating a bit faster from the surprise attack. "You should've put him with the other animals, would be a good way to scare people"
The brunet laughed and scratched his head. "Yeah, actually the dragon is inspired in him. That tells a lot, huh?"
Jack managed to regulate his breathing enough to let out a laugh, straightening up and keeping silent for a second, looking a bit indecise about something, his feet shuffling around. "Hey, I was wondering if I could-"
"Jack, c'mon! We still have to finish the rest of the street!" Jamie called over to him, shaking his noticeably emptier basket around, Sophie jumping in her place clutched to his fake tail, the other kids equally tingly by the sudden sugar rush.
Jack sighed and ran a hand through his hair, resting a hand on his hip, a dejected look on his face. "Well, guess I should go, shouldn't keep them up too late and all"
Hamish nodded and smiled back at him, slightly bashful as well. "Oh, wait, here" He reached behind the door and his hand reappeared holding a chocolate and sprinkle covered apple. "The plastic didn't last for every one, so I had this around just in case, take it"
"...Oh, thank you" He reached for the stick, painted hands slightly brushing. "Well, see you around, I guess" He smiled at him a last time and waved goodbye while running to reach the kids.
Hamish stood at the door a bit longer, watching the other teen leave towards the main street. "...See you" He whispered to the empty space, sighing and turning to get into the house and refill the bowl, when the sound of something scrapping against the concrete of the walkway made him turn around again.
Toothless was batting his paw at something dropped on the floor, his tail swaing in concentration. Hiccup crouched down and picked the object up in one hand and the cat in the other, letting him drop over his shoulders. It was a cellphone, nothing too fancy, a nice light blue color with a snowflake-shaped keyring. He was pretty sure it wasn't there last time he opened the door.
Turning the screen on, he told himself it was for the greater good as he began fiddling throught the contacts, looking for the typical 'me' number that everyone had to not forget it, and then shuffled through the photo folder. He chuckled and got inside, closing the door behind him.
Jack walked around the streets they've walked through last night, pace slow and eyes trained on every inch of ground. Trust him to lose his phone in the one and only night where everyone was out in the streets. He would be lucky to find the keyring alone.
Walking around the corner, a lump of black breaking the shine of the sunrays over grass caught his attention, a grin overtaking his face upon recognizing the metalic reptile still proudly claiming the place. He walked over there, thinking to use the lost phone as excuse to call to the door and see if the guy from yesterday opened today as well.
He shuffled a bit in front of the door, clearing his throat and knocking instead of ringing.
A few seconds passed and he was about to turn and leave when the door opened and a short teen smiled up at him. He was definitely different without the costume. Being as pale and skinny as Jack was, the Jack Skellington costume didn't modify his appearance that much, but without the paint, Hamish's face was a nice matte tone, every inch of skin covered in freckles and a small, almost invisible scar running over the right side of his chin.
"That was faster than I thought" He laughed and stepped outside, the difference of height from the step of the house to actual ground revealing his even shorter stature. "Hi Jack"
"Hey Sally" He chuckled at the frown he received in response, Hamish round nose scrunching up childishly. "Oh! You were talking about me, right. Hey 'Mish"
The brunet (it was more of red under the light, actually, huh, interesting, more like Sally then) scoffed at him. "So, did you want something?" The small grin on his lips twitched a bit, trying to stay small.
Jack changed his weight from one leg to the other. "Well, actually, I just so happened to have lost something last night and said 'hey, let's see if the damn cat swallowed it, might as well have just done that, damn dragon-cat-thing'" He leaned against the fence, just like the night before. "And just my luck that you opened, man, it's destiny, I can feel it...In my bones"
Hamish chuckled, reaching for something in his pocket and throwing the small apparate back to Jack. "There you go, seems like it fell from your pocket when Toothless jumped on you" He turned his head back into the house at the sound of someone talking aloud. "Sorry, gotta help my dad make lunch, I already scurried away too long" He then jumped up the step and grabbed the handle, half-closing the door before stopping. "See you later, Jack" He then winked and closed the door completely, leaving a dumbfounded and rather flushed Jack standing in front of the door.
Jack released a breath and spun around, stopping to admire the decorations on clear light now. "Man, wish my phone had a camera, stupid relique" He pulled said relique out, checking for any dents or damages it could have suffered on the fall, stopping his walk when the light of a received message flashed on the screen. Opening the inbox, he read the message while standing at the entrance of the cul-de-sac.
'Take better care of your things, you idiot. I won't be keeping your stuff for you every time you come over to my house, you hear me?'
-Hiccup
Jack blinked, following his instincts and searching through the contacts, reaching the 'H' where a new name and number blinked under a photo he'd definitely not taken of a freckled redhead with a cat peering over his shoulder, with the same nickname from the message.
He resisted the urge to pump a fist in the air, instead storing his phone away in his pocket and walking down the street, humming the melody of the song that seemed to fit the moment best, the sticky tune of the skelleton and the doll under the moonlight.