A/N- Yay, finally a longer one~! ^^ (Although it's still not really that long... :P) Thanks to everyone that's reading/ following this, as well as thanks in advance for reviews *Nudge, nudge*
4. Haunted (Romantica)
"Oi, Misaki, do you want to go in the haunted house?" Usami asked, grabbing his younger lover's arm and pulling him in the direction of said haunted house without waiting for an answer. There was a roving carnival in town, and while it was in the area, and Usami had insisted that they go see it as 'research' for one of the books he was writing. He had refused to tell Misaki whether it was a normal novel or a BL one, although Misaki could reasonably assume it was BL.
Misaki personally hated haunted houses. He saw absolutely no reason why you would pay to go to an amusement park or somewhere fun, only to voluntarily be completely and utterly terrified. It just made no sense. His idea of a fun time at the local carnival would be to get food, wander around, and maybe ride a few of the more low-thrill rides, like the ferris wheel. Usami, however, was of the complete opposite opinion- he believed that getting scared shitless (particularly on roller coasters) was one of the best possible ways of spending a leisure day.
Before he knew it, Misaki was standing in line for the walk-through haunted house, and starting to get the creeps even from the very obviously fake bat skeletons and cobwebs hanging from the front of the pop-up tent that the event was being held in. The background music, as well, helped to create a mood resembling that of a creepy old shack, regardless of the fact that the fun was shining brightly down, and the laughter and chatter around them were still quite loud.
Much too fast for his liking, Misaki and Usami wound their way through the line in front of the haunted house, and were being ushered inside buy a rather grumpy, overweight man wearing a Frankenstein suit.
All at once, the light from outside was gone as the door was closed behind them. There were a few dim lights illuminating scenes along the walls, and Misaki almost heaved a sigh of relief- this wasn't so bad, it was just a haunted house, it wasn't like anything could actually hurt him or anything, right?
Misaki repeated this to himself over and over, trying to make himself believe it even as his heart rate was accelerating rapidly. Without thinking about it, Misaki reached over and grasped one of Usami's hands with his own much smaller one. Fluorescent tape marked that they were supposed to turn a corner, and as the next room cam into view, Misaki's already uneven breath caught in his throat.
It was a slaughterhouse, with actors in costume chopping up dummies or playing in the piles of gore that littered the floor. Usami eyes it passively, but Misaki felt like he was on the verge of throwing up when he saw the large display towards the end of the room. A man wearing a blood-smeared apron labelled, "Barry the Butcher" was making sausages on a real stove, and the smell of the cooking meat combined with the gruesome sight before him was nearly enough to push him over the edge.
He moved even closer to Usami, pressed against his side and still grasping his hand so tightly that he was probably cutting off the circulation to the other man's fingers. Usami looked down, noticing the younger man's evident discomfort, and wriggled his hand out of Misaki's grip to wrap it protectively around his shoulders. Although he would never say it aloud, Misaki appreciated the gesture and leaned slightly into his touch.
The next room was more eerie than gory, with paintings covering nearly every inch of the walls and ceiling- and whether it was paranoia or the way they were drawn, the eyes of every single painting seemed to follow them as they walked through the room. Misaki felt a shiver go down his spine, and somehow managed to press himself even further into Usami's side, now practically hiding behind him.
The next few rooms and hallways gradually got scarier and scarier, to the point that Misaki was shaking and his vision was blurring from held-back tears. He did not like haunted houses, and absently told himself that he was going to kill Usami once they got out of there.
Finally, they made their way into the last room. It was a graveyard, with fog machines and sound effects and costumed actors wandering throughout, sobbing in sadness. It wouldn't have been all that bad, had an actor not decided to sneak up behind Misaki and grab him, resulting in him screaming at the top of his lungs and practically throwing himself into Usami's arms, adrenaline coursing through him.
Usami didn't particularly mind this- after a moment, though, he pulled Misaki just far enough away from him that he could capture the brunette's lips with his own. The younger man's eyes shot open, and he squirmed to get out of the silver-haired man's grip, embarrassed that a couple of the graveyard actors were looking their way uncomfortably.
"G-get off, idiot..." he mumbled, finally pulling himself all the way out of Usami's grip and making the way to the exit, clearly not scared in the slightest in the aftermath of being kissed. When the two finally made their way through the exit, a few seconds later, it was as though none of it had ever happened. Well... There was residual fear struck across Misaki's face, but that was to be expected after having been forced to go through a haunted house.
He really, really hated haunted houses.