"Boo!"

Lucy looked up from the pile of material she was fashioning into a Halloween costume, narrowing her eyes, she said flatly, "What?"

Happy stood wearing a white sheet, with jagged eyeholes and his paws in the air. Claws out in a threatening manner, he shouted, "Be scared Lushi!"

"Of you? Ha!" Lucy returned her attention to her needlework.

Happy stomped over to Natsu where he reclined on the couch, eating handfuls of popcorn. "Natsu! Lucy's being mean!"

"Hey, buddy, Lucy's too strong to spook so easy!"

"But I'm a scary cat!"

Lucy rolled her eyes. "Loke's got you beat. Natsu, the pumpkins aren't going to carve themselves." Lucy set down her costume and hurried over to Natsu, grabbing the last bit of popcorn before he could. She tossed it in her mouth and chewed with enjoyment. "You insisted on getting all these and they're so big - I want them out of my apartment and standing guard on the door."

"I was waiting for you to be free," whined Natsu, "you're so good at creative stuff." He pouted his best efforts at Lucy. "And maybe Cancer can help with the cutting."

"I knew it. Natsu, you're not weaseling out!" Lucy crossed her arms and let out an annoyed sigh. "I need you to carve the pumpkins now so I can get the candy ready."

Stomach rumbling loudly, Natsu smiled. "That's a lot of candy. Lemme help so I can eat some too! You'll get a stomach-ache if you don't share."

Happy thrust his ghost costume at Lucy. "Extra bleach, extra starch!"

"Excuse me?" Lucy rubbed her forehead - her headache was on the verge of becoming a migraine. Eyes flashing dangerously, Lucy pointed at Happy. "Do your own laundry." She looked at Natsu. "Get more candy and I'll share. And you, Happy. Get...out." Lucy held up her hand to forestall any whining. "Leave while the getting is good."

Happy let his eyes go big, shiny with crocodile tears. "But what about my laundry?"

Natsu snorted as Lucy took the white sheet and pitched it, smacking Happy in the face. He loud-whispered, "Buddy, Lisanna will do it for you."

"She at least loves me." Happy gave Lucy a glare, lifting his nose in the air.

"C'mon Happy, let's buy some candy!" Natsu jumped up and ran to the door. "Or else the kids get nothing when they say, 'trick-or-treat'!"

Carrying bags full of candy, Natsu and Happy took an alley short-cut on the way back to Lucy's apartment.

"N-n-natsu! We're lost!" Happy shivered as he whipped his head left and right - wisps of fog curled around his feet. "Since when was there a cemetery here?"

"Buddy, there aren't any cemeteries near Lucy's place! Don't ask me why, but I looked into it - and there aren't any."

The fog lifted and revealed tombstones, churned earth and corpses.

Agnes and Phyllis continued to decorate their front yard and laughed as the young man and his cat ran away screaming.

Natsu and Happy burst through Lucy's window and started to drag the couch to the window - with Lucy on it.

"What crazy spell are you two under?"

Natsu stumbled to Lucy and clapped trembling hands on her shoulders. "We found tombstones and dead bodies!"

Happy grunted as he tried to haul the couch by himself. "We gotta barricade so zombies don't get us!"

Lucy broke into hysterical laughter and shook her head. "Near the Blackberry short-cut?"

Snot ran from Happy's nose and Natsu didn't look so brave either; they nodded.

"You dorks, Agnes and Phyllis always decorate for Halloween."

"Oh." Happy and Natsu looked at each other. Embarrassed, they began to whistle and shove the couch back to its proper place.

"Humph." Lucy decided to ignore their foolishness. "Let's get to bagging the candy and then everybody carves the pumpkins."

Natsu upended the bags of candy onto the coffee table. "Yosh! Lookit our great loot!"

"Hot tamales? Spicy lollipops? Habanero jelly beans? Ghost pepper flavoured pop rocks?" As Lucy sorted through the candy, her voice got louder and louder, her face scrunching into a deadly frown.

Happy shivered dramatically. "Oh-oh Natsu - Lucy's some kind of candy snob monster!"

"Tell me you got at least some normal candy, Natsu." Lucy took a deep breath and let it out slowly, glaring at Happy who wisely stayed silent. "I can't hand out treats that could hurt little kids!"

"I know that!" Natsu grinned. "This is candy for me!"

Rubbing her forehead, Lucy tried to explain her disappointment. "Natsu, I sent you out to replace the candy I knew you'd eat as we made treat bags." To herself, Lucy muttered, "If only I had a crystal ball, I would've seen this coming…"

"All this is so I don't eat the other candy."

"Oh." Lucy slumped. "Sorry, Natsu."

"What about me?" Happy jumped around and clapped his paws. "I'll forgive you once you wash my costume! Don't forget the extra starch!"

"What?!"

"Buddy, I can hear Charle calling you."

"I gotta go!" Happy flew out the window.

"I'm sorry -"

"Don't worry about it. I'm always eating your food, so I understand." Natsu pointed to the sacks of candy that Happy had brought. "Those are regular Halloween candies."

"Ugh! I've acted like a real witch." Lucy wrung her hands. "How can I make it up to you?"

Natsu winked. "I have an idea."

Omake

Lucy shyly asked, "Um, what did you have in mind?" as she twirled her hair around her finger. "Whatever you want - name it."

"Can you call Virgo right now then?"

Lucy's growing smile died. "Sure. Do you need her to dig something up?"

"What?" Natsu lifted the costume Lucy had spent so many long hours lovingly crafting. He held it in front of his body like he was modeling. "I'd look great in this or a guy's version."

"Oh!" Lucy brightened and clapped her hands. "You want Virgo to make you a set of spirit clothes!"

"Yeah, but not just yet." Natsu carefully set down Lucy's Halloween outfit and turned to face his best friend. "I want a special Halloween treat - no trick."

"Candy? Fire chicken? A nap in my bed?" Lucy couldn't stop the bitter tone in her voice. "You want Cancer to carve all the pumpkins?"

"Nope." Natsu hugged Lucy and whispered into her ear, "I want to have whatever you want me to have - it's up to you."

"Me?" Lucy shivered. "I d-don't know what you're talking about."

Natsu squeezed Lucy again before letting go, sitting on the couch and patting the spot beside him. "It would be easier to show you than explain, but you need to sit and relax. I'm not gonna bite you."

Lucy blushed and did as bid - Natsu's grin was making her stomach do flips. She turned to face him, hands firmly on her knees. "Okay, what're you talking about?"

"The whole point is I'm not good with words," said Natsu, "not as good as you are, but there is one thing I understand. How you make me feel." Natsu paused and set his hands overtop Lucy's. "Happy, excited and confused at times, but always better when we're together." Heat surged under Natsu's skin; his nerves steadied and he forced his flames back into slumber.

"I like being with you too." Lucy licked suddenly dry lips. Her breath caught in her throat as she tracked Natsu's eyes focusing on her mouth. "A lot." Admitting how much she cared was scary but exhilarating. And watching Natsu lean closer was speeding the flips in her stomach.

His eyes flicked from her lips to her eyes. Natsu inched towards Lucy. "I don't know how to say what I want all pretty, so I'm gonna muddle and make mistakes, but I want you to know I'm trying my best."

"You always do, Natsu." Lucy angled her head and let herself lean towards Natsu. "You don't need to change who you are or what you're like for me. So go ahead and show me what you meant."

"You sure?"

"Yeah." Lucy read hesitation in Natsu's eyes - a hesitation that cleared into determination.

Natsu kissed Lucy, a slow and careful brush of lips on lips. He pulled back the slightest amount and said, "Lucy, I really -"

Lucy surged into the gap and kissed Natsu, pouring all the passion she felt into the kiss. "Natsu, I really -"

"Want to kiss more?"

Lucy blushed and nodded, her hands caressing his chest. "Hells yeah."