Happy, um... December?
I meant to have this written and posted before Halloween, but certain life events including a broken computer and admitted laziness set me back some. Better late than never, I suppose! It's been nearly a year since I've written a plain, full-length fluff, so I figure I owe you guys this rather than waiting for next Halloween!
"Can you believe Halloween is in a week?" Zoey's voice asked through Mike's cell phone.
"I know! The summer went so fast!"
Mike laid on his bed, a wide grin on his face as he talked to Zoey. It had been a tradition for a couple of months now; at 3:30 on the dot, one of them would call the other so they could talk, with each of them taking that initiative an equal number of times. Sometimes they would just take a few minutes to make sure the other was doing okay, especially when Mike couldn't stick around due to drama club or doctors' appointments, but even those few minutes could brighten each others' day.
And other times, like this one, they could talk to each other forever, never running out of things to say.
"Do you have any plans?" Zoey asked. "Did you pick out a costume?"
"Probably gonna buy a bag of chocolate and find a monster movie marathon to eat it to," Mike said. "I'm not wearing a costume. I grew out of Halloween years ago."
"How do you grow out of Halloween?!" Zoey asked, stunned. "It's my favorite holiday!"
"Really?" Mike asked. "I thought you weren't into horror stuff."
"I'm not," she answered. "I don't like going to haunted houses or watching slashers or anything. But I love costumes! I just finished making mine today!"
"Where do you wear your costume?" Mike wasn't trying to judge her; he honestly wondered about that. "Do you still trick or treat?"
Zoey giggled in response. "No, I don't think I can get away with that anymore. But I still like sitting on the porch and handing out candy. We don't get a lot of kids around here, but they're so cute! Especially the ones that wear homemade costumes! I love seeing how creative kids can be. That should be encouraged, you know? I wanna encourage that."
Mike couldn't help but grin at his girlfriend's adorable enthusiasm. She currently worked as an elementary school tutor and wanted to teach on that level, and moments like this always reminded him of why a job with children was so well-suited for her.
"I bet you would have looked cute as a kid on Halloween," she continued. "What costumes did you wear when you were little?"
Mike bit his tongue, his happiness now deflated.
"I don't really know," he said, not entirely lying. "I don't remember much about being a little kid."
"Oh yeah, that makes sense because of the others... Mike, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have asked..."
"It's fine!" Mike said quickly. "You didn't know!" He strained for a memory so he could tell her something. "I might have gone trick or treating one or twice. I think I was an explorer once? I didn't get a lot of costumes. We didn't have a lot of money back then, and I wasn't that into the holiday anyway. It wasn't worth it."
"Mike, I'm so sorry..." she repeated. "But it's better now, right? Why don't you get a costume this year?"
"Halloween's almost here," he said. "Would I be able to find a costume this late?"
"Maybe not at a chain store, but there's this great indie place, Ben's Fabrics. I go there all the time for materials, and around Halloween, they sell pre-made costumes. They're a bit more expensive, but it's all great quality because it's aimed more at adults, not little kids who are going to destroy the costume after wearing it once. You could get a costume there and it'll last forever."
"I don't know if I wanna bother," Mike said. "It's not like I'm doing anything that night. I can't trick or treat, I don't like parties or haunted houses... I guess I could wear it to hand out candy, but I've done that before without a costume and no one's said anything."
"Hand out candy! That gives me an idea!" Zoey said. "Why don't you come out here for Halloween? You said you don't have plans, right?"
"I don't. Unless already buying a bag of chocolate bars and a bunch of cheap DVD's counts as a plan, but I think hanging out with my girlfriend sounds like way better," he said with laughter in his voice. "What do you do on Halloween, just hand candy out?"
"Yeah, that's all. When trick or treating is over, so's my holiday. I don't go out. I've been to a couple Halloween parties, but they weren't any fun, so I don't do that anymore."
"I think I can handle that. I don't enjoy giving out candy enough on my own, but with you it sounds like a lot of fun!" Mike went silent for a few moments as he considered something. "Hey, what was that you said earlier about a costume shop?"
"You don't have to," Zoey said. "It was just a suggestion. Don't buy a costume you don't want for my sake."
"But I want to. Wouldn't it be weird if you have your beautiful handmade costume and I'm just wearing a t-shirt? I don't think I have any Halloween clothes at all."
"I don't think it'd be weird," Zoey said. "But if you want me to, I'll text you the address when we hang up. They're open every day in October, so you can go pretty much whenever you want. Only get something if you want to, okay?"
"I'll think about it. I didn't want a costume for no reason, but now it sounds like I have a reason. And it can't hurt to look, right?"
"That's true... hold on."
Mike heard a distant voice on Zoey's end of the line, as if she'd pulled the phone away from her ear.
"I need to go start dinner," she said after getting back on the phone. "I'll talk to you later!"
"Okay. I'm probably gonna go to that shop after I get something to eat myself. Enjoy your dinner! I love you!"
"Love you, too!"
Mike made a kissing noise into the phone, which Zoey giggled at before hanging up. He set his phone on his side table and laid back, trying to decide what he wanted to do.
There was no way Zoey understood the weight of asking Mike about what he did as a kid; why would she? It's not like he ever talked about having a life before the Skinners. The only reason Zoey even knew he was adopted was the fact that the difference in races between him and his parents made it obvious. He had no reason to mention that otherwise. As far as most people he knew were concerned, his life started at thirteen, when he first got here. "We didn't have money for costumes" wasn't a lie, at least. It was the most innocuous answer he could give, anyway.
Would he have enjoyed Halloween more if he had more positive experiences with it? It barely existed for him as a kid, and even as a teenager, most traditional activities associated with the holiday didn't appeal to him. He couldn't handle parties, and he had no interest in vandalizing houses. Hanging out with a friend and doing something low-key would have been nice, but even the distant friends he made before Total Drama usually had better plans than hanging out with the anxious kid who didn't want to leave the house on such a hectic night. But these plans with Zoey sounded calm enough for him to handle. All he had to do was sit outside with her while she gave candy out, and they could talk when there weren't any kids there. Whatever they did after that would probably be no different from his usual visits. The holiday was on a weekend that year, so there wouldn't be anything wrong with him spending the night with her.
Mike's phone beeped and vibrated as Zoey texted him the address of the shop.
The idea of wearing a costume did sound fun.
The only reason he hadn't worn a costume in so long was because it seemed pointless. Most years, he didn't even sit out to hand candy to the kids; he never decided whether he wanted to do that until the night of the holiday. But now he knew he'd definitely be interacting with the kids. How fun would it be to dress up and then play a character for them? Zoey wouldn't be so excited for this if they weren't the types of kids who would appreciate that, right?
Mike's mind made up, he grabbed his phone, wallet, and keys so he could drive to that shop immediately after eating.
The bell over the door rang as Mike opened the door of the shop and stepped inside. It wasn't a very big place; he could see the entire building from where he stood. But despite its size, whoever owned the store had put every square inch of it to use. Paper bats and spider webs made of thread lined every wall, and plastic skeletons and witches had been set out on the floor wherever they'd fit. Different islands had been set up for the purpose of displaying costumes. Each island was made of a circular step that contained a small scene with life-size characters and objects made of plastic or cardboard, and a rack for hanging costumes and accessories. Mike looked around at the islands and evaluated his options. A sparkling pink display with a cheap princess sculpture standing in front of a cardboard castle, designed to advertise dresses and tiaras... a scene decorated with large plush versions of wild animals, meant for showing off animal costumes... a large plastic ship loaded with treasure chests and barrels labeled "rum", made to display pirate costumes...
No other customers were in the store. Mike couldn't even find an employee. At least that meant he could look at anything he wanted without being in the way.
Mike approached an island where a plastic man in a futuristic suit aimed a foam dart gun at a cardboard alien. Space-themed costumes once filled these racks, but to Mike's disappointment, they'd been picked clean by now. All that remained were a handful of costumes of aliens and one labeled "Cosmic Princess", a princess costume with a star themed dress. Even if he was interested in any of these, nothing in his size was available anymore. Perhaps he shouldn't have been surprised; everyone else on the planet who had any intent of wearing a costume had bought theirs by now. Of course no one would be getting much stock in at this point.
"Can I help you?"
Mike jumped slightly as he turned toward the voice. An older man in an apron with the store's logo smiled at him. He stood shorter than Mike, and his hair had started the initial stages of balding.
"My name's Ben," he introduced himself. "Are you finding everything in my shop okay?"
"I'm just browsing for a costume," Mike said. "I'll be fine."
"Is there anything particular you're looking for?" Ben asked. His voice was soft and gentle, and reminded Mike of a grandparent who always greeted you by making you some soup and asking you about your life. "We don't have much left this close to the holiday, but I can help you find something. What are you interested in?"
"I was thinking of a hero character," Mike said. "Maybe a knight or a superhero? I came over here to see if you had any space hero costumes." Mike waved his hand at the sculpture. "I would have liked something like that, but I don't see anything."
"Yes, we sold out of those a while ago," Ben said apologetically. "That's a very popular costume. But I'm sure we have something left! I can look around if you'd like."
"You don't have to-"
"It's a slow day," Ben said. "I insist, please let me help you."
"If you don't mind, then thank you!" Mike said, smiling at how friendly the owner here was. That must have been one of the reasons Zoey liked it here. Ben walked away, and Mike turned his attention to the princess costume. What would Zoey look like in something like this? He couldn't imagine her buying this costume outright; she was crafty and resourceful enough to make herself something twice as cute for half the price. But she could still make herself something like it. She could make a beautiful dress out of a shimmering material that shined like stars. Maybe she could also dye her hair to match the dress? Maybe even find a way to make her hair sparkle for the evening? She'd be the princess to his hero, the one who's there to tend to his wounds and thank him with a kiss after he defends her kingdom on the moon from alien invaders...
"I found something I think you'll like!"
Mike turned away from the costume to see that Ben had returned. "What is it? Whatever it is, I'll take it. I can't be choosy at this point."
Mike's eyes widened as his excitement turned to horror at the sight of what Ben had chosen. In one hand, he held a package labeled "explorer", with a photo on the front of a man dressed as closely to Indiana Jones as he could get without getting sued. And in Ben's other hand-
"I don't like hats," Mike said as he warily eyed the fedora, as if any moment it would fly out of Ben's hand and land on his head. "Is there anything else?"
"I'm afraid there's not much, no matter what size I look for," Ben said. "But I did manage to find these! Last in stock! I also have plenty of props that would match, like whips and torches. You could pick whatever you like!"
"I think I'd rather look for something else," Mike said as he stepped down from the space display. "Thanks so much for trying, though." Mike had to admit, it was nice meeting somebody who didn't know about his "quirk". For a while, all the media exposure made him feel as if everyone on Earth knew about the others, and they were all just waiting for them to embarrass themselves or him.
But this man didn't know. It made sense; he didn't seem like the type who watched reality shows.
He didn't know, and Mike wanted to keep it that way. He couldn't possibly wear that hat.
"I don't think you're going to find anything else..." Ben said.
"I don't like how I look in hats," Mike said. "It's okay, I'll find something in my size, even if it's not a hero." He started to head toward the animal display to see what they had, but Ben grabbed his shoulder.
"There's no need to worry. I'm sure you'd look great in a hat. You just need to flatten that hair a bit, that's all. Go on, at least try it on!"
"I don't think it's a good idea-" Mike said as Ben's hands approached his head with the fedora. As the fedora touched his scalp, he gasped, then blinked rapidly and shook his head.
Ben withdrew his hands and stepped back. "Are you all right...?"
"Bit disoriented, to tell ya the truth," said the Aussie accent that now came from Mike's mouth. "Always like that after wakin' up." Manitoba looked around the room, frowning in confusion. "Never seen this place before. Where are we?"
"It's... it's a fabric shop..." Ben stammered. "You walked in here, you were looking for a costume-"
"Crikey!" Manitoba interrupted Ben by exclaiming and running off, shoving past him as he went. "Look at this beauty! Where'd ya find one like this?"
"Hey! Please don't touch that!" Ben called after him as Manitoba stroked the large tiger prop that sat among the wildlife display. The prop looked realistic enough, fashioned out of a material that made it stiff instead of cuddly, but one could still reasonably assume that no one would mistake it for an actual animal.
Manitoba loved defying expectations that way.
"India? Siberia?" Manitoba asked. "She's a big one, wherever she came from! Must have been tough wranglin' her, especially at your age. I could have handled it, we got much tougher beasts back home in the outback, but when you haven't grown up around that kind of thing-"
"It's fake!" Ben said, his eyes wide with disbelief. "It's just stuffed!"
"Your taxidermist did a great job stuffing her," Manitoba continued on. "She looks great. How much you want for her? I'd love to ship her back home with the rest of my collection."
"She's not for sale," Ben said. "A loyal customer of mine helped me sew her. I don't think Zoey would like it if I sold her hard work."
"Zoey?" Manitoba asked. He looked over at the piece of paper taped to the pole in the center of the display.
Assistance with props for this display provided by Zoey Roth!
"Red hair? Pigtails? Smiles a whole lot?" Manitoba asked.
"Well... yes," Ben answered after freezing for a moment. "You know her?"
"I know the guy who's dating her," Manitoba said. "Lucky guy, ain't he? She's as much of a beauty as this tiger here. In a different way, of course. I don't think Zoey'd be much use on a hunting trip or anything. She's too soft for my tastes. But it wouldn't be a hardship to get a few kisses from a cutie like that, am I right?"
Ben had no response to this discussion about the attractiveness of a customer young enough to be his granddaughter.
"Ah, but she's loyal to Mike. Good on her. He deserves someone like her. I couldn't do that to either of 'em, cute as she is."
"That's... noble of you," Ben said, at a loss as to what else to say.
"Now, back to the tiger," Manitoba said. "I want to buy this, and I won't take no for an answer! I know Zoey, so I bet she wouldn't mind." He stood at the tiger's side and wrapped his arms around its torso. "Just name your price!"
"Wait! Stop!" Ben called as Manitoba tugged at the tiger in an attempt to lift it, despite the glue holding its paws to the floor.
"Whoo, she's heavier than she looks!" Manitoba said. "But it's okay, I got her! I'll get her all packed up to go, just tell me how much to pay and we'll work somethin' out!"
"No! You're going to-"
A tearing sound echoed through the shop as Manitoba tore the tiger's front legs off of its paws. He held the tiger upright, its head facing the ceiling, while its paws remained glued to the floor.
"We can fix that," Manitoba said, unfazed. "We'll stitch her up, good as new. Just let me dislodge the other end first-"
"Stop!" Ben had finally reached the end of his patience. "That's enough! You're ruining my hard work!" He stomped up to Manitoba and swiped the hat off of his head.
Mike gasped, then looked around, as confused as Manitoba had been earlier.
"...why am I holding a tiger?"
"Get out of my shop!"
Mike made eye contact with a very angry shopkeeper. Everything about Ben's earlier "kindly grandfather" demeanor had melted away, leaving Mike face to face with his angered glare and his fists shaking at his sides as one of them gripped and wrinkled the hat.
"Did I do this?!" Mike cried out. He let go of the tiger and jumped back, bumping into the pole behind him as the tiger fell forward at an angle that caused it to miss its own paws. "I'm so sorry! How can I make it up to you? I'll pay for it, I promise-"
"Get out!" Ben repeated. "Get out, and don't come back!"
"Y-yes sir! I'm so sorry!" Mike yelped as he sprinted for the door. No excuse he could have possibly come up with would have been of any use, so he didn't even try.
Looked like he wouldn't have a costume this year after all.
Mike parked his car in front of Zoey's house, and swallowed the lump in his throat at the sight of her costume. She sat on her porch, wearing a dress with puffy sleeves and an equally puffy skirt that went down to just above her ankles. The torso of the dress was colored a bright red, while the sleeves and skirt were a bright pink. She also wore a pair of flat, red shoes with straps that wrapped around her ankles and stretched up past where the skirt covered. A crown of white flowers sat upon her head, and her hair was tied back into a single ponytail with pink ribbons that had flowers identical to the crown's attached to them.
"Zoey!" he called as he stepped out of his car.
"Mike!" she called back as she ran off the porch, holding her skirt with both her hands so she wouldn't trip. She pulled Mike into a tight hug when she reached him, a hug which he happily returned.
"You look great!" he said as he hugged her. "The flowers are really cute."
Zoey pulled back from the hug and looked Mike up and down while he grinned sheepishly. He wore the same jeans, sneakers, and blue t-shirt he'd wear on any other day. The only things that set his attire apart from a normal day was a cheap black vest and a large plastic water gun.
"I'm a space hero," he mumbled, still with that sheepish grin.
"Did the costume shop not have anything?" Zoey asked. "I'm sorry it didn't work out..."
"I didn't have a chance to look around," Mike said. "The owner offered to help me out, but he brought me an explorer costume. I don't blame him! It's not like he knew. But he made me try the hat on, and..."
"Oh," Zoey said as realization hit. "Oh. Is that what Ben was talking about when he said someone tried to buy the tiger?"
"Is that what Manitoba was doing?" Mike asked. "He put the hat on, then I woke up with a ripped tiger plush in my arms."
"Apparently Manitoba thought it was a taxidermy display," Zoey said.
"How could anyone have mistaken that for a real tiger?!"
"Manitoba did." Zoey sighed heavily. "And after all the work I put into that..."
"You made that?!" Mike said. "Zoey, I'm sorry! Man, it's not even like I can buy you a new one... how can I make up for this?"
"You don't need to do anything," Zoey said as she headed toward the porch. "It wasn't your fault. Just tell Manitoba to apologize next time he sees me."
"I don't think he knows what that word means," Mike said with a laugh as he followed her. "Still, I'll try my best to convince him. So, what's your costume?" He settled himself into one of the two plastic chairs on the porch, while Zoey took the other. Between the chairs sat a waist-high table with a bowl of miniature chocolate bars on it.
"I didn't have anything specific in mind. I wanted to sew a dress based on a Disney princess, but there wasn't a specific princess I had in mind. Maybe I'm a forest princess?"
"I was thinking of an island princess," Mike said. "Flower crowns usually make me think of that."
"Okay, I'm from a forest on an island, then!"
The pair laughed together for a moment, then Mike looked around to see if anyone was approaching. "So, what do we do? Have any kids come yet?"
"Not yet, but they should soon. Kids come up, and you coo over their costumes and give them candy. You've got to act really enthusiastic. I know you can do it!"
"I think I see someone!" Mike said as he pointed across the street. A preteen girl in a cowgirl costume and a young boy dressed as a horse came walking by, and once they were in front of Zoey's house, they waved and ran across the street.
"May! Keith!" Zoey called after them. "Happy Halloween!"
"Happy Halloween!" May responded.
"Where are your parents?" Zoey asked.
"They're letting me take Keith on my own this year, as long as we don't go too far from home." May said. She then held out her bag. "Trick or treat!" As Zoey dropped a handful of candy into May's bag, May looked over at Keith. Keith had stopped in front of Mike, and was staring at him with wide eyes.
"You're really tall," Keith said.
Mike grinned awkwardly and scratched the back of his own neck. "Why, thank you, Swifthoof."
Keith gasped. "You know who I am?!"
"Yeah, you're Diamond Jane's loyal steed!" Mike said, looking at May and smiling as he spoke.
"Usually only other kids recognize our costumes!" May said, smiling back. "Do you have a little sister?"
"No, but I watch the show myself sometimes."
"Cool! Did you see last night's episode? I think they're gonna fight for the third artifact next week!"
"I haven't gotten around to it yet! Don't tell me what happens!"
"What show is your costume from?" Keith asked.
"I'm not from a show. Actually..." Mike made an exaggerated point of looking left and right, then leaned in close to the kids and whispered. "I'm really a space hero."
"Really?!"
"I am! I'm on Earth on vacation, but tomorrow I'm going to go back to my base so I can get back to fighting aliens. But you can't tell anyone!" Mike said with a wink.
Zoey giggled. "So, what does that make me? I guess I'm the princess you have to save!"
"No... if anything, you save me," Mike said. "You always help me out by giving me support before I go to fight, and you're always there to tend to my wounds with your magic... I wouldn't be able to survive my fights without the support of the princess I met on that island planet..."
"Miiike..." Zoey said as she blushed and looked away in embarrassment, although she still smiled.
"Who is he?" May asked. "I've never seen him around here before."
"I'm sorry! I should have introduced you!" Zoey said. "Mike, this is May and Keith, two kids I tutor sometimes. Kids, this is Mike. I met him while I was on Total Drama."
"Oh! You've talked about him before! He's your boyfriend, isn't he?" May said.
"Yeah, that's me," Mike said.
"I wish we were allowed to watch you, Zoey! But our parents wouldn't let us."
"I think your parents made the right choice," Mike said. "Hey, Keith, you never got your candy. What should you say?"
"Trick or treat!" he said as he held out his bag.
"Yeah, that's right," Mike said as he dropped candy in Keith's bag.
"Thank you!" both kids said. Zoey waved goodbye to them, and they both disappeared into the sunset to continue their trick or treating.
"You were so good with them!" Zoey said happily. "I didn't know you were so good with kids!"
"I didn't, either," Mike said. "I'm not usually around them. It helped that I watch a kids' show, I guess."
"They really seemed to like you. I bet you'd make a good dad."
"Me? Really?" Mike said. "I don't know, maybe... I do know you'd make a great mother." Mike realized what he'd said the instant it left his mouth. "Not that I'm saying we should- I mean- we're still young- and you don't have to- I mean-" Mike quickly turned away from Zoey, his face growing hot.
"No, I... I know what you meant."
Mike wasn't looking at her face, but the hesitation in her voice made him wonder if she was thinking the same thing he was.
A family...
She'd have to stay for a very long time before they could even think of going that far.
He couldn't count on that.
But maybe...
He'd take this one day at a time.
"Thanks, Zoey! Happy Halloween!"
"You too, Sara!"
A little girl with rainbow streaks in her hair, a shimmering blue dress on her body, and knee-high black boots on her feet smiled wide at Zoey before running back to her mother on the sidewalk, the last handful of Zoey's candy now in her trick-or-treat bag. Mike smiled and waved as she left, then turned to Zoey.
"Okay, I give up. I don't think I've ever seen whatever show that costume was from."
Zoey giggled for the millionth time that night; not that Mike would ever complain about her enthusiasm. "Oh, it wasn't from a TV show. That's the outfit Marissa Handel wears in the video for 'Out Of It'."
"Who?"
"She's from the band Street Cats. When I'm tutoring, if the kids finish their work and still have time before their parents come, I'll put some music on for them, and Sara decided she really liked my Street Cats album. Guess she's really into them if she's dressing up like one of the members! I love getting kids into indie rock."
"You'll have to show me that CD sometime," Mike said.
"I thought you weren't really into indie."
Mike shrugged. "I'm not really into any music, especially as much as you are, but I don't hate indie stuff. And I do like knowing what you've been into recently. So will you show me?"
"Sure! It's too late right now; it's an album that needs to be played loud. But tomorrow, I'll put it on for us."
"Great!" Mike said. "You know, it's really cute how you can get the kids into things like that."
"Really?" Zoey asked, blushing slightly.
"Yeah! They really seem to like you. Every single kid who showed up tonight treated you like a big sister, asking about your music, about Total Drama, about me... you really relate to them. I think it's great." Mike paused, then decided on another thing worth mentioning. "I'm surprised they all knew about me despite not watching the show, though. Do you talk about me that much?"
"I'm not constantly telling little kids about my love life!" Zoey said in defense. "That'd be unprofessional! But... well, a lot of them asked. Most of them aren't allowed to watch Total Drama, but they hear enough about it to know how many relationships were formed thanks to it. They'd been asking if I was going to meet someone special even before I left. So when I came back and they kept asking about it... I never mentioned your DID, I just told them about how sweet and funny you are... oh, maybe I did talk too much! I'm sorry! It's just, they wanted to know, and talking about you made me happy, and..."
"I never thought you were doing something wrong!" Mike said. "My worry wasn't about you... I'm just not used to people actually caring about who I am. It's been months since Total Drama and I'm still not used to it. Knowing they asked about me before, having them ask about me tonight... it's weird."
"Of course you're worth caring about! You're an interesting person, and you've made so many people happy... me, our other friends, your fans... and the kids too, you know. You were good at relating to them yourself," Zoey said. "I don't think I've ever met a teenage guy who knew so much about cartoons and video games. In a good way, I mean!" Zoey quickly assured him. "The kids do like me, but I don't always recognize what they're into. You did, and you sounded honestly interested in it, not like you were just talking about it because you thought they wanted to hear it. So you're pretty great at this, too."
"Well, thanks," Mike said as he looked away and nervously tugged at the hair that hit his neck.
"They also seemed to really like those stories you kept telling about you being a space warrior."
"I just said whatever came to mind," Mike said. "And they seemed to like it, so I kept going. Guess my costume worked out after all."
"You're great at relating to kids. Like I said, you'd make a great dad."
Mike continued looking away from Zoey as his face grew hot. There was that suggestion again...
Not that he'd complain, but still...
"So, what now?" Mike asked in order to get off that subject. "I brought some monster movies. Maybe we could watch those."
"I don't like scary movies, Mike, you know that," Zoey said.
"Oh, they're not scary," Mike assured her. "They try to be, but they're really low-budget. I'll turn them off if you get scared, but I promise, you'll be too busy laughing at the obvious puppet strings and jump cuts to be scared."
"All right, but promise me something." Zoey got out of her chair and stood in front of Mike.
"What is it?" Mike asked.
"If I do get scared..." She leaned forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and pressed her forehead against his, a large smile on her face. "Could I cling to you?"
Mike grinned back. "You can do that even if you're not scared."
"Good!" Zoey pulled back to allow Mike to get up.
"Just let me get my bag out of the car. I brought some candy for us to eat, too! I've never watched movies with someone besides my parents before, so this is gonna be fun!"
Mike did enjoy handing out candy with Zoey, but he couldn't say he wasn't looking forward to this portion of the night the whole time.
"Did the director just throw the skeleton at her?!"
"If someone threw a Halloween decoration at me when I wasn't expecting it, I'd probably freak out, too!"
Zoey and Mike had changed out of their costumes and into their pajamas immediately after they finished handing out the candy, and ever since then, they'd been sitting on Zoey's couch and watching the DVD's that Mike brought. Two piles of movies sat on the table, one for the ones they'd watched already and ones they hadn't, along with empty bags and wrappers from the snacks Mike brought. For hours, they'd been whispering and quietly laughing, hoping not too wake Zoey's parents with their fun.
"It just ends there?!" Zoey asked. "She falls off the cliff, and that's it?!"
"I think the director ran out of money," Mike said.
"I don't think they had money to begin with. Maybe the batteries in the camcorder died."
Mike laughed as he stood up. "Should I put in the next one?"
"Definitely!" Zoey said. "These are hilarious!"
Mike grabbed the cases for the current movie and the next one, then approached the DVD player to swap the discs. As he crossed the room, his body made a quick shudder, but he didn't allow that to slow him down.
"Mike? Are you all right?" Zoey asked.
"I'm fine," Mike responded. "Just felt a draft. It's cold tonight, isn't it?"
"Yeah..." Zoey said. "Hey, I'll be right down, okay? Put the movie in, I'll be back by the time the ads are over."
"Okay," Mike said. He heard the floor creak underneath her footsteps and get more distant as he set up the DVD player for their next movie, unsure of where she was going. He then grabbed another chocolate bar from the last remaining bag of candy and settled on the couch to enjoy his treat and wait for Zoey.
In the middle of an advertisement for a low-budget movie about sharks that Mike promised himself to pick up for the sake of the awful-looking special effects, Zoey re-entered the room with a huge blanket, colored in swirls of red and pink.
"I've been working on this for over a year, and I got it done around the same time that I finished my costume," Zoey explained. "I haven't used it yet. Wanna see how warm it is?"
"Sure! Bring it over!" Mike said. Zoey settled back in her spot on the couch, then spread the blanket out over both of their laps.
"This is really soft," Mike said as he pulled his side of the blanket up to cover his shoulders. "You did a great job."
"Thank you!" Zoey said. "Is it warm enough?"
"Well..." Mike started.
"I'm sorry! I shouldn't have gotten this one when I didn't know if it was warm yet! I'll go get a store-bought one!"
"No, it's not that!" Mike said. "It's just, well... remember how I promised you could cling to me whenever you wanted?"
Zoey smiled as she realized where this was going. "Yes, I do."
"I think I'd be warmer if you did that."
"I bet we'd both be." Zoey slid over to Mike, wrapped her arms around his arm, and rested her head on his shoulder. With a moment of hesitation, Mike withdrew his arm from her grasp, wrapped it around her body, and pulled her closer.
"Is this too much?" he asked.
"Hm..." Zoey took a moment to think, before wrapping her own arms around Mike's waist and squeezing him back. "No. No, it's not. You were right, this is warmer..."
Mike leaned his head against hers and smiled.
Even as the movie started and reduced the pair to shaking and giggling, they never once let go of each other until it was over.
Mike could have happily spent every Halloween like this for the rest of his life.