A/N: Woo! I totally need to update Brother Complex! lD Welcome to the Halloween chapter! This will be fun. :3 Pairing fodder for multiple pairings coming up. (Please excuse any translation errors)

Long chapter is very fucking long


Chapter 8: Halloween Requiem

After school Alfred and Feliciano dragged Arthur with them to the local store. As expected, there was a multitude of pumpkins in supply for anyone who wanted to create lanterns. Comically Arthur recalled reading how in the old days it would be turnips made into lanterns and not pumpkins. How silly. Feliciano had bought three pumpkins with two being large and a single small one. Alfred and Arthur each bought large ones (Alfred chose the largest he could find) and Alfred helped Feliciano carry his produce to the Italian's shop.

It was the first time Arthur had ever been inside of the Vargas Café' and Restaurant and he wasn't surprised to see the open atmosphere. In the front of the building there was a sweets counter with coffee machines behind it. The pastries in the counter made Arthur jealous of their beauty, wishing that he could cook half as well as they were made. They were almost better than his cousin Francis's and that was saying something. The warm scent of baking garlic bread wafted through the air from down the hallway and upon peeking Arthur saw a complete Italian restaurant in the back. His mouth watered at the scents and his stomach growled slightly.

"This way!" Feliciano called and showed Arthur and Alfred past a few of the café's tables and up a set of stairs into the housing portion of the Vargas' household. Upstairs was open and nicely decorated like how downstairs was. Warm carpeted flooring of a tan colour with white and green walling with trimmings made the space refreshing. There wasn't much furniture but the pieces that were there were marvelous and large, blending with the décor of statues and paintings that littered the walls. Arthur stared at the pieces as the three entered the living room.

Alfred noticed Arthur's staring and nudged him a bit before whispering, "All of these were made by Feli and his family."

"What! Feliciano, these are originals?" Arthur gaped.

"Ve?" Feliciano put down his pumpkins onto the floor and grabbed what looked to be a painter's sheet to lie out onto the floor before he entered the kitchen, "Oh si, si, they are!" He poked his head around the corner to beam at Arthur, "My grandpa and I made most of them!"

Arthur did a double-take to peer closer and examine the paintings closely. He could spy the individual strokes with his sharp eyes and could be nothing but amazed. "They're gorgeous." He breathed, jealous of the creation. He could draw but nothing like this.

"Graci!" Feliciano chirped and disappeared again. Rustling ensued and the clanking of metal as well as the opening and closing of cupboards and drawers sounded. After a few more moments Feliciano exited the kitchen carrying various carving tools and a couple bowls. He placed it all down in the middle where all three participants could reach them before also sitting down. Arthur hesitated to grab a tool but as he saw Alfred help himself to the instruments so did he.

"So Feli, how are things going with Ludwig?" The American asked to start up a conversation so that the only sound in the room wasn't the sawing of the pumpkins.

"Wonderful!" Feliciano hummed cheerfully. "We will be celebrating six months soon!" Arthur watched the exchange silently, somewhat surprised. He'd known that Feliciano and Ludwig had been dating (according to rumours it had been coming a long time) but he had not realized that it had been for so long already.

"Man, you're so lucky to have someone!"

"But you have so many choices!" Feliciano countered. "Women and men both want to date you!"

"But I'm not interested in them!" Alfred bemoaned. "I mean, they're good-looking and nice and stuff but I don't feel any kind of connection enough to them to want to date."

"Ehh? What a waste!"

"Is everyone in this school gay in one way or another?" Arthur found himself blurting out. Feliciano and Alfred blinked at him before thinking about it.

"Hmmm…si!" Feliciano nodded.

"Well I wouldn't say that." Alfred disagreed. "I know plenty of straight people; it's just that a lot of the guys are more up to experimenting because of the gender ratio." Arthur found this logical enough. "Why? Do you have a problem with it?"

Arthur sensed an underlining feeling in Alfred's tone and purposely ignored it, knowing exactly what it was. It was a little obnoxious for his sexuality to be once again questioned in one day. "No, I don't."

"Oh, okay." Arthur went back to focusing on scraping out the entrails and seeds of his pumpkin. It was the most tedious part he found of the whole lantern-making process. After a beat Alfred obviously did not want the silence to come back and quickly broke it again, "So how come you're carving a pumpkin, Arthur?" Arthur raised an eyebrow at him. "'Cause you know, you don't look like the type to do something like this."

"Have you never heard the 'rules' of Halloween before?" Arthur asked as he looked back at his hollowed out pumpkin and contemplated what kind of face to put on it. "About why we say 'trick or treat' or why we wear costumes?" Feliciano and Alfred were paying close attention now and both shook their heads. Arthur clicked his tongue disapprovingly. Really now, did these muggles know nothing (God, he loved using that term)? "Well then, I wouldn't necessarily call them rules but they are guidelines. First and foremost one should always check their candy."

"Why?" Feliciano asked. "In case you're allergic?"

"Not quite. The 'trick' part of the saying 'trick or treat' did not necessarily mean that if you got a treat you weren't given a trick as well. IN the past people would put tricks in their candy. Not all of them were –so to say- 'healthy' tricks." He gave the two a meaningful look. "The reason we dress up as monsters is because Halloween is when the border between worlds is thinnest and monsters come through. We dress up to blend in with them."

"But there aren't monsters!" Alfred denied.

"Oh, there are. They just look normal because we're used to costumes." It wasn't completely true –at least not for people who had the Sight. Arthur could still distinctly remember passing out candy to monsters that appeared on his doorstep demanding some because he knew if he didn't give any he would be attacked. He could easily tell the difference between the costumes and real life. He had been lucky to always create a lantern.

Feliciano looked a bit shaken up. "A-are there any more?" Arthur didn't find the rules to be particularly scary but then again he had lived with them since he could comprehend what he had been told and what he saw.

"Hm yes, the lanterns. To answer your question Alfred I create lanterns for protection. Jack o' lanterns are to protect you from the monsters. However the lantern must be created by you and it must remain lit all night. It is useless if blown out before the end of the night and cannot be relit. Only one lantern per person as well."

"Gah! This is too scary!" Alfred shook his head quickly. "Just stop! Can we just make the lanterns already?" Arthur didn't object and they fell silent as they went back to carving. Somehow, though, Arthur had the distinct impression that both boys were being more serious about their carving now, even if Feliciano had teary eyes.


Arthur adjusted his cloak as he gazed at himself in his uncovered mirror. His heart thudded in his chest and his cheeks were pink. He wondered if the heater was on too high and frowned because he had even turned on the overhead fan in his room but his cheeks were still hot. Jeanne had her own opinion about what the reason could be but Arthur disregarded her. His costume wasn't very original considering his origin but he'd had a Sherlock Holmes costume for a number of years (he hadn't grown much in the past three years) and he'd never worn it to anything like a party before considering he often stayed home or went to his grandmother's or went out to be alone. It wasn't as if he was excited to be going to a Halloween party (for the first time ever), he was only going to occupy his time until around midnight so that he would go to join the other festivities of the night.

He walked over to his fan and turned it off before gazing out of the window. Night had fallen and already children were starting their rounds. Arthur tilted his head slightly to the side as he contemplated which costumes were real monsters and which were children. He couldn't tell from his view from the second floor and so grabbed his shoes before slipping them on and going downstairs. Allistier was watching some shitty children's cartoon about Halloween and looked to be displeased about it as he smoked a cigar. He had a large bowlful of sweets next to him so Arthur safely assumed that he would be handling the sweets. Usually it had always been Arthur who passed out candy when they had lived in the British Isles. The other siblings had always gone to parties or trick-or-treated and Arthur had been left home alone to pass out the sweets.

Allistier looked up at his entry and raised a large eyebrow. "Where're you going? To do your witchcraft shite?"

Arthur shook his head, scowling a little at him. "Not right now, no. It's not nearly midnight." He walked to the door and opened it before hesitating, "I'm going to a party." He quickly shut the door before he could hear Allistier's (no doubt snide) remark. On the porch Arthur scooped up his lantern and carried it within his arms as he exited the yard. Already he could see a few undead (Halloween costumes were starting to become more realistic but he saw a few actual rotting figures, disgustingly) limping their way up towards his porch. He stiffened slightly as a group of them stopped right next to him. He regarded them as their eyes dropped down to his lantern. Three of the people were in costumes; the other two, not so much. The three humans continued on up to the house while the leftover creatures stared at him. "I'm protected." He stated. Nonetheless he dug into a small bag he carried around his waist and pulled out two mini candy bars and handed one to each of the creatures. They formed some type of demented smiles and walked on to go up to Arthur's house. Arthur saw Allistier's lantern sitting next to the door. At least his brother would be protected for the night.

He made his way quickly into town where some type of Halloween parade was happening and dodged around them. He was disturbed by all of the people but his love for this holiday could not be ruined. When going through his rebellious phase he often loved to prank unsuspecting people. One night he had come dangerously close to dying but it had been worth it. Dying didn't scare him anyway. Hearing those boggarts scream at him and chase him had him laughing for days afterwards. He had been lucky to have spare candy on him and his lantern not far off. He had almost blown out the candle too. As he walked to the Vargas' household he made sure his lantern was protected until he had reached the doorway. Inside he could hear a different tempo of music blaring that was separate from the sound of the festivities in the streets. He knocked on the door but upon receiving no answer he timidly opened the door. The flare of multiple peoples' auras rushed over him, many of which he had recognized. His stones, hidden in a pocket within his cloak and well protected, absorbed the blow thankfully and Arthur placed his lantern safely onto the table next to some sweets that was right next to the door. It was doubtful that children would trick-or-treat at a store but he supposed it was just in case.

Inside of the store was dark but had blacklights and orange lights illuminating the house in a creepy way. He could see the clichéd wall decorations as well as spider webs hanging from the ceiling containing multiple large and fake spiders. Arthur spotted many of Feliciano's own handmade jack o' lanterns decorating the hallway as Arthur made his way towards the back where half the party was being held. He could tell the other half of the party was upstairs from the pounding of footsteps. The party-goers all seemed to consist mostly of the seniors in the school but he recognized a few of the juniors he had spotted around the school. In the back of the room he saw the elder Vargas brother Lovino arguing with the resident Spaniard (Arthur believed his name was Toni but he wasn't completely sure because it sounded like a nickname. Perhaps it was Anthony? Antonio?) and the Belgian girl was giggling next to them, listening to their conversation while Toni looked a bit exasperated. The backdoor to the building was opened and Arthur could see lights out there but decided later to explore it when he needed a break. He maneuvered around the dancing teenagers to the refreshments bar where he grabbed himself a sandwich. The room was stifling and his ears were already ringing a bit with the music. His nose caught the faint scent of cigarettes and maybe a blunt but he wasn't too sure with all of the moving bodies around him.

Already he couldn't stand being at the party. He hoped that upstairs would be better. Besides, he needed to give his regards to Feliciano for inviting him in the first place (although Arthur doubted that he would stay long at this rate). He began to clear his path towards the stairs when his arm was grabbed and he was yanked up and against Vash. He gasped in surprised and Vash looked startled as well. "Sorry." The Swish boy called above the music, looking a bit disgruntled. "I mistook you for someone else."

"Are you looking for Lili?" Arthur guessed. Vash looked at him seriously and nodded but his cheeks appeared to be a little flushed. Arthur slyly assumed that it was the heat of the party. "I haven't seen her but I only just arrived. I was going upstairs-"

"I'll go with you." Vash interrupted in his commanding-officer tone and Arthur had no choice but to accept. Vash thankfully led the way through the crowd, cutting through them politely but stiffly. Arthur followed along behind taking in the scenery around him. Portions of his outfit were glowing under the ultraviolet lights. Through the crowd he spotted Lukas standing with a few of the other Scandinavian seniors and chatting. Lukas met his gaze and nodded once. Arthur nodded back. They would talk later. Vash and Arthur walked upstairs to where it was thankfully less crowded but now there were more people making out. Arthur made a disgusted face as the scene. Vash saw this and made a mad dash off to search for his adopted sister, no doubt worried. In the corner Arthur could see Vladimir and Elizaveta glaring at each other with Vladimir grinning sinisterly. Elizaveta didn't appreciate it and said something no doubt meant to be snide. Vladimir said something back with a mocking twist of his head and stopped the girl from saying something by kissing her on the lips teasingly. Elizaveta turned red and ran after him on a rampage as Vladimir effortlessly disappeared into the crowd. Arthur shook his head. Didn't Vladimir hate Elizaveta? The two of them acted like cats and dogs. Vladimir must've known how to push her buttons. Arthur supposed that cousins like Vladimir and Gilbert were inclined to mess with people.

The scent of alcohol reached Arthur's nose and he smirked. Of course nobody could get so many teenagers together that were legal in their own countries to drink and not have alcohol there. This party became all the better. Unfortunately Arthur knew that he needed to keep his head for later on. No need to become inebriated. He would be having wine later, after all. He took a seat down onto an open couch and watched the party people dancing and laughing. He heard a few screams from outside and allowed the joyful feeling of Halloween overcome him.

"You made it." A quiet voice said and Arthur jumped, his head turning quickly to where Matthew sat next to him. He hadn't realized that he was sitting next to anyone. The boy was dressed in what kind of looked to be some kind of gingerbread boy costume with overalls that were over a plaid shirt. In his lap was his stuffed polar bear that had a bonnet on its head. Matthew also wore an adorable cap. Arthur stared at him, having the overwhelming urge to hug the boy but resisted and looked away blushing a bit. Curse his love of cute things.

"Ah…yes, I came."

"Thank god." Matthew blew a loose strand of hair out of his face and smiled at Arthur as the English boy turned back to face him. "Alfred was planning on invading your house and moving the party there if you didn't."

Arthur sputtered. "You lie!"

"I'm not." Matthew laughed a laugh that sounded like a softer version of Alfred's.

"Allistier would've murdered the lot of you."

"That's what I said but Al never learns."

"Your brother is a fool."

"Tell me about it." Arthur liked talking with Matthew, he decided as the two continued to chat about meaningless things. Matthew didn't talk much but when he did he proved how much smarter he was (and in a normal tone of voice too!) than his twin. Still it seemed that Arthur could not find a single "normal" person in the entire school no matter how hard he looked. Even Matthew, with how kind he was, still carried around a stuffed animal despite being eighteen (or nearly so, Arthur wasn't sure what his actual age was).

"Speaking of your brother," Arthur asked after a good few minutes, "where is he? I'm surprised he hasn't harassed me yet."

Matthew relaxed against the couch and his eyes followed a rogue Gilbert carrying what looked to be a silly string can running away from something. He seemed seriously distressed. Matthew raised an eyebrow. "Probably downstairs. He was busy putting on his costume. The guy's insane dressing up how he did but then again the Finnish guy Tino and his friends dressed up all crazy too. And Ivan's dressed as the Queen of Hearts, hahaha!" Arthur choked on his sandwich having been trying to picture what Alfred had dressed up as before his mind switched to Ivan in a dress. Matthew patted his back and then pointed out into the crowd. "It's not as bad as you think." Arthur watched as Ivan –indeed dressed in a less-girlish outfit than Arthur had pictured- pounded through the crowd smiling angrily and covered in silly string and carrying a pipe (Arthur hoped that was fake) went after no doubt Gilbert.

"Gilbert is insane." Arthur stated as soon as he could breathe properly again.

"Yeah. I don't see why he insists on messing with Ivan. Him and Al…" Just then a familiar laughing voice appeared behind Arthur and slipped his head in between the two friends. A Dark Knight-dressed Alfred (it could only be Alfred) grinned at him.

"Artie, you made it! Dude, did you see Ivan? He looked SO mad! Hahaha, that's what he gets for calling me fat!"

"Did you do that to him?" Matthew asked.

"Yup! Then gave Gil the can." He winked at his brother.

Note to self: Alfred is more devious than his childish face lets on. Arthur thought and finished off his sandwich. "You're horrible." He said with a roll of his eyes.

"Whatever, man. Who are you, Sherlock? How cliché bro!" Alfred snatched Arthur's cap and placed it over his own helmet.

"Hey!" Arthur jumped for the cap but Alfred dodged backwards with a teasing grin. "And who are you, the Dark Idiot?" He called back.

"Harsh, man! I'm obviously Batman!" He turned and ran into the crowd.

"Alfred!" Arthur yelled after him and left Matthew alone as he dashed after him. He dodged around a couple (they looked to be Grandmother Lovino and A Little Red Riding Hood Belgian girl, whenever they came up there) who were making out and ducked under the pipe being pressed to Gilbert's throat as the Prussian boy yelled about how he hadn't been the one to spray Ivan and that he had been set up. A girl with a bow in her hair stood next to Gilbert pressing a knife to Gilbert's back. She seemed to have a matching costume to Ivan's. "Alfred!" Arthur called again as he spotted the cape of the American boy and grabbed it. Alfred was yanked to a halt and spun around to taunt Arthur with the cap.

"Come and get it, man!" He laughed and waved it in front of his face. Arthur lunged for it repeatedly but each time Alfred yanked it out of his reach. Arthur hated this type of game but for some reason he found it to not be as bad as before. He could tell Alfred was only playing with him and it kept him from becoming too upset. He jumped again and missed but stumbled on Alfred's cape and ended up slamming into Alfred's hard chest plate. Alfred grabbed them before they could tumble backwards into the wall and steadied them, the two of them panting. Arthur's eyes widened at Alfred's arms wrapped around him and shivered at the sensation of the boy's aura wrapping so thickly around him. His heart thudded rapidly in his chest as his body absorbed the feeling and his eyes dilated. His head swam, not expecting such an "attack" all of a sudden. "Whoa, that was close." Alfred's voice sounded faint and Arthur's mind barely registered that the boy was glancing behind them at the wall. "That would've caused damage."

Arthur shoved away from Alfred and shook his head to clear it before he snatched his hat back, firmly placing it on his head and refusing to believe that his flushed cheeks came from being so close to Alfred. "Th-That's your fault for messing with you, git!" He cried. Alfred only laughed.

"It's okay! No harm done- oh." The smile dropped a bit and Arthur frowned.

"What?"

"Um…Sorry, man." His head nodded to Arthur's pants and Arthur frowned more as he looked at himself. To his horror a long tear extended up the front of his pants, exposing quite a bit of his leg and a part of his underwear. Arthur screeched, horrified and more worried about the scars on his leg being exposed more than the pants itself and covered himself.

"You bastard! You tore my costume!"

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to! Shit…" Alfred looked around and took off his cape for a moment and handed it to him. "Here, hang onto this for a second. I brought a spare costume that I think might fit you. I'll be right back." Before Arthur could object, Alfred dashed off through the crowd.

"Argh! Bastard!" Arthur huffed under his breath and wrapped the cape around his waist like a skirt before plopping down on the ground next to the wall. He glared at the opposite side of the room and saw it clearing out a bit as people went downstairs (he heard some type of cheering and wondered if something was going on down there).

"Arthur?" Arthur looked up and saw Feliciano leaning over him dressed in what appeared to be a slave outfit. Arthur couldn't help but feel embarrassed for the boy. "Are you alright?" Beside him stood Ludwig dressed up in a Roman soldier outfit that suited him far too well. On the other side of the couple was Kiku dressed in some type of fox demon outfit (Arthur recognized it from one of the books he read in the club room).

"Yes, I'm fine. Bloody Alfred ripped my costume, is all."

"Oh no!"

Ludwig sighed. "I'm not surprised with the spikes on his outfit."

"Do you have anything to change into?" Kiku asked, worried.

"Yeah, my grandpa has plenty of extra costumes like mine!" Feliciano offered cheerfully.

"N-No, that's fine. I'd rather not. Alfred says he has a spare he's going to lend me…" Arthur told them. "What's going on downstairs?"

"I believe that Rome-san has started dancing…" Kiku murmured

"Grandpa's so good at dancing!" Feliciano smiled.

"Oh. Oh yes, thank you for inviting me." Arthur told his host.

"Oh but it was Alfred!"

"Still."

"It is no problem!" Feliciano grabbed Ludwig's hand. "Ludwig, weren't we going to find your brother?"

"Right." Ludwig nodded, frowning. "I need to talk with him about his pranking…" Arthur had the feeling that Ludwig was the more responsible one of the two brothers. Feliciano waved as the couple walked off to find the Prussian boy (and perhaps save him from death). Kiku lingered with Arthur for a few minutes.

"How are you enjoying the party?" He asked.

"It's fine." Arthur looked away from him and crossed his arms. Kiku took a seat next to him, maneuvering his tail so as to not sit on it.

"Until Alfred ripped your outfit?"

"Yes. I'd really love a drink."

Kiku chuckled a bit. "Of alcohol?"

"Of course. But I'll control myself for now."

"Hey!" Alfred appeared again, panting a bit and carrying a bag. "Here you go! I found it! Someone had moved it away from my jack o' lantern!" He held the bag out and Arthur stood to take it, holding the cape around his lower half protectively. "Oh hey Kiku!"

"Hello, Alfred. Have you seen Gilbert?" Kiku asked.

"Yeah, he's dancing downstairs with the Indian boy. The dance was real cool until Ludwig showed up and freaking did a kickass wrestling move on him and dragged him away!" Arthur stared, shocked. Kiku quickly got up murmuring curses.

"I'd better go check on them." He said, worried and nodded to the two before hurrying off to go downstairs. Alfred turned back to Arthur.

"I'll show you to the bathroom. After you get changed we're going to play a game with everyone, okay? There are less people now since some of the kids are going off to the party outside." He grabbed Arthur's wrist gently and led him through the thinning crowd.

"Why? It's still so early."

"Huh? Oh man, it's already almost ten bro." Arthur was startled. It had already been two hours since he had arrived? How long had he been talking to Matthew? How long had he chased Alfred? Bloody hell, he didn't realize that having so much fun could literally pass the time like that. They arrived at the bathroom and Arthur entered it before closing the door and locking it. He took his chance to use the restroom before he began to change. Upon seeing what he was dressed as he turned bright red and slammed the door open, pulling the cape around his bare legs.

"There's no way in hell I'm wearing this!" He screamed at Alfred. Alfred grinned at him, looking him up and down.

"But it suits you so well! You're my sidekick!"

"Why the devil am I classic Robin when you're the bloody Dark Knight?!"

"Because my outfit has to be more awesome, duh!" Arthur resisted the urge (barely) to choke the boy. He was worried about how exposed his legs were but when he glanced down he saw that a majority of his scars were covered by the tights. The tights were a bit longer than the underwear that Robin wore, luckily. He sighed in relief. "Don't worry." Alfred smiled kindly at him. "I made sure to get tights for you that would cover any of your scars since I know you're sensitive to them." Arthur's heart thudded in his chest. Alfred had paid attention to him that much? Was he that aware of Arthur?

"O-Oh…Thank you." He whispered but Alfred didn't seem to hear him as the Dark Knight took back his cape and put it back on before turning around. Suddenly Arthur realized something. "Wait a tic- DID YOU PLAN FOR THIS TO HAPPEN—"

"Let's go gather everyone for the game!" Alfred interrupted and grabbed Arthur's hand cheerfully and dragged the boy off to find people.


Within ten minutes a group of the left over teenagers was gathered in a circle. Arthur sat (unfortunately still clad in the Robin outfit) next to the Dark Knight Alfred, Kiku (who was now mysteriously dressed in a slave outfit with a chain around his neck like Feliciano), Ivan (cleaned of the string), Gilbert (also in a slave outfit and looking a little beaten up), Ludwig, Feliciano, Lovino, Elizaveta, Roderich, Antonio (Arthur found out the Spaniard's name really was Antonio) dressed as the hunter from Little Red Riding Hood, the girl who had been with Ivan threatening Gilbert earlier, Vladimir (dressed comically like a vampire), Lukas, a boy Arthur recognized to be Mathias, Lili, Vash, and Matthew. Alfred grinned at them, a foreboding feeling going through the cheery group.

"Alright guys! We're all high schoolers here and you know what I've never played since we got to this school? 'Cake or Pie'!" He chirped.

"I'm out." Matthew stood. Lukas shook his head and Gilbert burst into laughter. Arthur looked around in bewilderment.

"Hey hey hey, wait! You can't!" Alfred cried and grabbed his brother's arm, yanking him back down. "You agreed to play party games with me!"

"I didn't think you'd suggest such a stupid game."

"It's not stupid!"

"What is this game?" Roderich asked looking a bit reluctant to hear the answer. Next to him Elizaveta was smiling a bit devilishly.

"I agree we should play it!"

"How many people don't know what it is?" Alfred called. More than half of the group raised their hands. "Okay, basically it's like Truth or Dare only it's all truth." He placed an empty wine bottle in the middle of the group. "Cake is innocent truth and pie is naughty truths. The person who gets the bottle landed on them must say cake or pie."

"That sounds boring, yes?" Ivan said. The girl next to him nodded, looking angry at everyone in the group and gripping Ivan's arm. Arthur wondered if that was Ivan's girlfriend or something.

Alfred grinned at him coldly. "Is that because you don't have experience with sex, Commie?"

Ivan chuckled and gazed coldly back at Alfred. "Haha, this is funny coming from the virgin American, comrade."

"I'm not a virgin!"

"I already know that." Ivan's eyes twinkled deviously and Alfred's eyes widened and he cursed, his face a little pink from beneath the mask. Arthur looked at them in shock. Were Elizaveta and Gilbert not the only ones with a rough ex-relationship?

"Aw, Al you ruined one of your answers!" Mathias called and tossed the crust of a sandwich at Alfred's face, booing him.

"Oh shut the fuck up, Mathias." Alfred grumbled. "Control your boyfriend, Lukas." Arthur was discovering all kinds of things tonight, it seemed.

"Look, we're not playing this." Vash stated. "I don't really want to hear any more of the shit I already hear at school."

"Vash, is everything alright?" Elizaveta asked, appearing worried and leaning around Ludwig to look. Vash only stood up.

"I'm going to get a drink." Lili fidgeted with her fingers.

"What crawled up his ass and died?" Lovino demanded.

"Ah, you did not see the fight outside?" Antonio asked, looking surprised. "Lili had her first kiss taken away by a drunk-"

"Y-You do not need to say her name!" Lili squeaked, blushing.

"Whoa, you swing that way Lili?" Alfred cried, surprised.

"I-I don't….there's someone I like but she just…" She trailed off.

"Leave her alone already, Alfred." Elizaveta interrupted. "Vash doesn't want to play Cake or Pie so let's choose something else."

"How about 'Seven Minutes in Heaven'?" Vladimir suggested casually. "Everyone knows that game."

"Oh yeah! I'm in for that!" Gilbert called and gave Vladimir a high-five.

"This is so childish." Roderich muttered.

"I agree!" Ivan's girlfriend called.

"Hey, you may get to kiss Ivan." Alfred winked. Ivan paled and the girl cheered up a bit.

"Then I will play."

"Alfred," Vladimir leaned around Arthur to whisper into the boy's ear, "is it really smart? That is his sister, after all."

"She is?" Arthur gasped.

Vladimir nodded. "Natalia is Ivan's younger sister. She has a complex for him. She wants to marry him." Arthur suddenly had a reason to pity the Russian boy.

"Don't worry about it." Alfred blew off Vladimir's worrying. Vladimir shrugged and sat back in place. "Then we all agree on that game?" A few of the players looked to be against it but didn't speak up. "Sweet! Alright, anybody who only hugs or only kisses on the cheek has to change into one of the slave outfits!"

Vash came back then and sat down appearing to have calmed down a bit and carrying a beer. "What did I miss?"

"We're playing Seven Minutes in Heaven." Lovino informed him, looking pissed. "I better not get any fucking guys or I'll shoot someone!" He hefted up a (hopefully fake but realistic) gun, glaring. It looked somewhat comical considering he was in a moo-moo but he still looked like he was part of the mafia. Vash groaned.

"Alright then let's do this!" Alfred called and grabbed the bottle to spin it. Arthur's heart rate suddenly picked up considering he'd never played such a game before. Hell, he'd never even kissed anyone. Tonight, if the bottle landed on him, would be his first kiss. He hoped it was with someone tolerable. Luckily the bottle didn't land on him and instead spun to a stop in front of Natalia. Ivan's pupils shrunk, widening. "Oh, well. Let's go then!" Alfred stood.

"No, I refuse." The girl looked away.

"Oh come on, Natalia! I won't do anything bad, I swear. It's part of the game!" He turned to Mathias. "You got a timer right?" The Danish boy grinned and pulled out his phone.

"Seven minutes on the clock!"

"I do not want to go with anybody but big brother!" Natalia stubbornly refused.

"She does not need to go." Ivan agreed, his eyes narrowing at Alfred.

"It's part of the game!" Alfred sing-songed. "Come on." He grabbed her hand and smiled at her that same smile that made Arthur's heart jump earlier. He frowned as his heart gave a painful thud and wondered if he ate something bad. Natalia gave Alfred a dirty look but stood and followed the American into the closet. Gilbert got up and closed the door.

"So what should we do in the mean time?" Feliciano asked and glanced nervously at Ivan, who was emitting a dark aura. Nobody answered the Italian and the next few minutes were spent in an awkward silence. Finally Mathias ran over to join Gilbert, pressing his ear to the door. Gilbert covered his mouth to smother a laugh and Mathias grinned, liking whatever he was hearing.

A few more minutes later Mathias called time and the door unlocked to allow the couple out. Natalia was a little pink. "I'm sorry, big brother. I will not be wearing that embarrassing outfit." She said as she sat down shyly next to him. Ivan sucked in an angry breath as Alfred smirked and sat back down, his mask now off and sitting next to him. Natalia reached to spin the bottle but Ivan grabbed it and pointed it toward himself.

"Oh it appears I am next, yes?" He stood quickly and grabbed his sister to bring her into the closet, slamming the door. Arthur couldn't believe what he just saw.

"Holy shit, does Ivan actually like his sister?" Antonio asked, leaning into the circle so as to lower his voice.

Ludwig shook his head. "No, he constantly runs from her."

"Nah, he doesn't like her in that way." Alfred laughed a bit.

"Did you actually kiss her, bro?" Matthew asked.

Alfred nodded. "She's cute, what can I say?"

"How did you convince her?" Elizaveta asked. "She always seemed cold to me."

"She's not cold; she's just shy!" Alfred denied. "She's actually really nice when not around Ivan. And I told her that if we kissed, I could guarantee her a kiss from her brother."

"Well flip me over and fuck me sideways, you actually did it." Gilbert said as he plopped down behind Alfred. "I could hear them kissing."

"I know that asshole way too well." He shrugged. "I know how to push his buttons."

"You two will kill each other one day." Vladimir stated, looking a little bored.

"Eh, I doubt it." Mathias called time and the siblings came out of the closet with Ivan looking a little more pleased but still angry at Alfred. The two sat down and Ivan spun and landed on Elizaveta. The girl looked unhappy but followed the Russian into the closet. Ivan came out alone when time was called and a minute later Elizaveta followed now dressed in a slave outfit.

Gilbert burst into laughter. "Hahaha, you wimped out!"

"Shut up!" Elizaveta yelled at him and spun the bottle angrily only for it to point to the object of her teasing. "Szar." She cursed in her native language, causing Gilbert to laugh more and jump up.

"Alright, let's do this shit!" He ran into the closet and the girl followed him soon after closing the door.

"You're such an asshole!" Elizaveta called and Gilbert cried out in pain.

"What the hell is your problem, woman? You're always so violent!"

"You keep laughing at me! I'm going to rip your dick off!"

"Hey watch where you put your hands!"

"I can't see anything!" There was a loud thump a crash.

"Watch it, woman!"

"Hey!" Mathias hit the door loudly. "You're supposed to be making out, not fighting!" They didn't seem to hear him though as they reverted to their native languages and yelled at each other.

"Bloody hell." Arthur mumbled under his breath.

Antonio looked at Roderich. "Are you okay with this?"

Roderich sipped something from the cup he had next to him. "I'm not happy but it's not like I wasn't expecting this." He stated regally. Ludwig glanced at him from the corner of his eye, looking a bit exasperated.

"Hey they got quiet." Mathias whispered and everyone quieted down. No more arguing was heard and when Mathias's alarm went off he knocked on the door. "Time's up, guys." Neither of the students exited, though. Mathias glanced at the group in confusion. Ludwig got up.

"Bruder, time is up." He grabbed the doorknob and found it unlocked. He opened the door and inside they found Gilbert and Elizaveta pressed heatedly against each other and their mouths completely occupied. One of Gilbert's hands slid up Elizaveta's leg and underneath the slave one-piece to expose the side of her panties a bit. Arthur blushed.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Alfred cried and Elizaveta shoved Gilbert off roughly, causing the Prussian to fall to the floor. Arthur saw Matthew stand quickly and rush out of the room. Elizaveta was bright red and panting. "Guys, making out's fine but no freaking sex!"

"We weren't-" The Hungarian girl's eyes jumped to her boyfriend. "Roderich-" Roderich held up a hand to cut her off, looking upset.

"Don't explain. Let us just continue the game." The girl lowered her head in shame and sat back down next to him as Gilbert picked himself up from the floor. Mathias slapped him on the back with a grin. Gilbert grinned once and then looked around.

"Hey, where's Mattie?" Alfred looked around as well surprised.

"Matt?"

"He ran off after the door was opened." Arthur informed them and pointed towards the stairs. Gilbert developed a distressed look.

"I'll go find him!" He called and hurried off. Nobody spoke, an awkward atmosphere around them.

"Um…So who wants to go for him?" Antonio asked.

"I will." Lukas spoke up, bored.

"You'd better land on me!" Mathias called and quickly got into position in the circle.

"Shut up." The Norwegian spun the bottle. Arthur glanced over towards the stairs hoping that Matthew was alright when he heard Alfred next to him suck in a sharp breath. He turned back to see where the bottle had landed and saw the nose of the bottle pointed directly at him. He looked up sharply at Lukas who met his eyes with a raised eyebrow and stood. A challenge, Arthur recognized. But he was nervous. His first kiss would be with Lukas? What kind of god chose this? True that he and Lukas were of the same element and had the Sight but that did not mean he liked him in such a way. But such were the rules of the game and so he joined Lukas in the closet as the Norwegian's boyfriend groaned outside of the door.

Inside of the closet was pitch black but after a moment a flashlight came on and Lukas's face was illuminated. Arthur's heart was racing. "S-so…"

"If you don't want to kiss you can wear the slave outfit, Robin." Lukas told him. Arthur's face turned a darker shade of red, recalling the ridiculous outfit he had already grown used to wearing. He really didn't want to have to wear the slave outfit. "I'd rather not wear that outfit, though."

"Do you have a problem with kissing me?" Arthur asked him, wondering if another relationship will end up ruined.

"No."

"Okay then." Arthur stepped forward and met Lukas as the boy wrapped his arms around Arthur's waist. They were about the same height as each other so Arthur wasn't sure who should lead the kiss. He wasn't about to give control to the Scandinavian boy though and closed his eyes to meet Lukas's offered ones. A small shock emitted between their lips that had Arthur gasp, sensing Lukas's energy seeping around him as his own aura flared a little to match his. The scent of wintergreen filled the room as their lips moved against each other's slowly –Arthur because of inexperience and Lukas because he didn't want anything passionate. Arthur's arms wrapped around Lukas's neck and pulled him a bit closer, exploring and testing. Hell, if this was his first kiss then he was going to make the most of it. Lukas seemed to understand his want unconsciously and forced apart their lips to effortlessly dominate the English boy's mouth.

A pounding on the door made Arthur jump and pull apart from Lukas. "Your time's up!" Mathias called loudly. Lukas and Arthur released each other and Arthur licked his lips as the door was opened and a peeved Mathias looked between them. A decent distance was between them as they both exited. "Aren't you going to change?"

"No." Lukas stated. "We kissed." He then took his seat. Arthur awkwardly sat down at the gaping Alfred and spun the bottle.

Vladimir leaned into his ear. "That wasn't seven minutes, by the way."

Arthur landed on Roderich but neither could bring themselves to kiss each other so they both changed in the dark and sat down in the slave outfits. Alfred laughed and tugged on Arthur's collar and Arthur swatted at him. Roderich landed on Antonio but seeing as Antonio didn't change at all and Elizaveta was fangirling, Arthur assumed the two kissed. Antonio then landed on Lovino and had to drag the raging boy into the closet. The two were caught kissing with fervor but when caught, Lovino punched Antonio. Next in were the Vargas twins together but Lovino exited dressed differently. Arthur grew bored quickly as the bottle didn't land on him again. Nothing very exciting happened until Lili and Vash went in together and exited with red faces. Neither was wearing new costumes. Elizaveta squealed in excitement. Ivan and Alfred also had to go in together but for the sake of not destroying the Vargas closet the game ended. It was just in time too as it was nearing midnight and the Magick Club needed to leave.

"Thanks for everything!" Feliciano called as the teens began to leave.

"Thank you for inviting us!" They chorused and began walking in their separate directions. The parade had died down and only a few stragglers were left to fall asleep drunk on the streets, go home with their fucks for the night, or just walk home. Arthur grabbed his jack o' lantern quickly as he spotted a "human" with real blood around their mouth.

"I will meet you." Arthur told Lukas and Vladimir. "I need to grab my supplies."

"Us too." Vladimir grinned. "We have about forty-five minutes so let's hurry!" Arthur nodded to them and the two walked off. Arthur turned to leave when his chain was grabbed.

"Guh!" He gasped and turned to see Alfred grinning at him. "Alfred, bloody hell, don't do that!"

"Sorry, but I wanted to get your attention. Can we walk together?" In his arms he carried what Arthur recognized to be Alfred's failed jack o' lantern still lit.

"Why?" Arthur demanded. "I have places to go and your house isn't near mine."

"Please?" Alfred asked again, looking nervous. He looked around them fearfully and bit back a shriek as a ghost passed in between them. Arthur's eyes widened.

"Alfred…can you see them?"

Alfred's head snapped to him. "Y-You can see them too? It's always during Halloween!"

Arthur stared at him. How was this possible? Alfred didn't have the Sight (he didn't even believe in the monsters!) yet here he could see the creatures prowling the night. "What about every other night?"

"It's only during Halloween!"

"Ridiculous." He muttered. "Alright fine, I'll walk you home."

Alfred breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "Thanks." Arthur shook his head and began to walk with Alfred towards the school dorms. "I would've walked with Matt but I haven't seen him since he ran off." Arthur hoped that he was alright.

"Your lantern will protect you." Arthur assured him gently. "That's what it's there for."

"It doesn't matter! GAH! LOOK AT THAT ONE!" He yelled as he saw the dripping flesh of some undead creature. Arthur grabbed Alfred's chin and forced him to look at him.

"Don't do that. You don't want to attract their attention. You'll offend them."

Alfred whimpered. "Sorry." Arthur patted his cheek and released him. Neither of them spoke any more or looked at the creatures around them pretending that they couldn't see them. Alfred kept flinching closer and closer to Arthur until Arthur sighed and took his hand. He was reminded of his younger brother Peter and how the boy had been terrified when he could see the monsters as well. He gripped Alfred's hand comfortingly. Alfred looked at him, for once not looking scared since they came outside.

Upon arriving at the dorms entrance, Arthur released Alfred's hand. "There. Not so bad, huh?"

"No…Thanks, Artie." Alfred smiled nervously at him. Arthur would've smiled when suddenly his lips were captured by a pair of bigger ones. He gasped but Alfred was away before he could say anything, making a mad dash for the door to the dorms. "For the comfort!" Alfred called as an explanation. "Night!" Arthur refused to acknowledge the blush on his face.


Arthur arrived late in the forest and changed his outfit so that he was skyclad and carrying his supplies as he entered the area. There was already a campfire going with an alter set up somewhat nearby it. Neither thing were close to the herb garden or any of the trees so that a fire would not occur. Lukas and Vladimir stood nearby in skyclad as well flushed and embarrassed. The altar already had the food and pictures and items on it needed for the ritual. Arthur moved to set up the candles before he motioned for the other two to take their positions just outside the circle of candles.

"Hey…" Vladimir spoke up, "is being skyclad necessary? This is embarrassing…"

"It's not necessary. It is optional. I told you that." Arthur stated, completely at ease. The candles were lit and already he could feel the magickal aura of the elements whispering and waiting to be invited to join in with the ritual. The elements were his old friends and the earth felt good on his toes. "You can still change. I choose to be skyclad during such rituals because it is how I was taught and what I am most comfortable with. My grandmother taught me this way."

"Whoa, your grandmother taught you this?" Arthur flushed.

"She only instructed me but never showed me!"

"Oh, okay."

"Anyway, if you want to change then do it fast. You need to enter the circle completely relaxed and happy and you can't have any negative feelings."

"Nobody will show up, right?"

"I don't believe anyone will find us." Arthur assured him.

"I'm fine." Lukas spoke up. He appeared to already be adjusting. Arthur looked to Vladimir who sighed slowly.

"Okay. I'll be fine."

"Alright. Usually it is the eldest who does the chant when a High Priest or Priestess is not present but because neither of you two have done this before, I will lead." Arthur's hips began to sway slightly and he closed his eyes, his head tilting back. He listened to the music of the trees as the wind blew through them and allowed his body to turn. The crackle of the fire added the drums needed and the chirping of birds were his flutes. He began to hum in the Celtic language he had learned, unable to help as his feelings of ease expressed himself. His feet began to move as his eyes opened to half mast and he danced around the outside of the circle.

"What are you doing?" Lukas asked. Arthur's trance was not broken.

"Dancing allows one's magick to build up. Excitement, expression, joy; all of these are good. You may dance if you wish. Close your eyes and let nature be your music. Call the world around you. Ground yourself. Center yourself." He whispered and spun. This time it was Vladimir who picked up first and began to move as well. Their feet thumped together in rhythm with each other and within a few moments Lukas joined in. Arthur began to sing out loud before he called upon the elements to join them and chanted.

When ready Arthur's body slowed a stop and soon so did Lukas's and Vladimir's. Arthur could tell both were completely relaxed. The three pulled out their athames and entered the circle before closing their doors and sat down at the altar with the food on it (Arthur had not prepared any). The atmosphere within the circle was warm but not hot. The scent of autumn produce and pies were emitting in the air, filling Arthur's lungs. Arthur chanted again, asking the gods to join them in their meal before serving the group their food.

"…My grandmother," he started, "was the only one who taught me of this way of life. She taught me to be connected with the earth and sky."

"It sounds as if you care a lot about her." Vladimir nodded.

"Is this her?" Vladimir motioned towards a picture of an elderly woman sitting on the altar. Arthur felt her presence within the circle within them and for the first time in the presence of anybody else he smiled.

"Yes, that is her. She died because of me."

"Why's that?" Arthur didn't respond and shook his head.

"We are here to honour the spirits, not sadden us with their deaths." The other two nodded in agreement. The three spent their time leisurely chatting about those that had passed that were dear to them. Arthur had plenty of people he wished to talk about but chose not to for the sake of his own good mood. The area he was in was comfortable and he did not need to draw upon negative entities with his bad emotions. This was a sacred place and he chose to keep it that way.

With the food finished a plate set aside as an offering Arthur took up the wine bottle and filled his chalice with it. He tipped the chalice back and drank the contents before sighing and feeling the buzz of the alcohol. He refilled it for Lukas who drank it before also filling it for Vladimir. With the last of the wine Arthur left the chalice next to the offered food and stood as Vladimir chanted to the spirits, thanking them. When all was finished, they closed the circle and began to pack up. Arthur stood with his friends and they gazed at each other. He felt that the three of them were much closer now after sharing this ritual. There was a brotherhood between them. He was sure that he could trust them. Maybe one day he could tell them the truth behind his horrible life. But that was for another day.

Arthur bowed to them. "Blessed be." He murmured and grabbed his supplies. He left his chalice and the food for overnight and would come back for it on November second.

"Blessed be." The other two murmured back and they left in good company.


A/N: Holy shit, finally done. I beat the 9000 word mark, fuck. But here we go. OTL And here I told myself I wouldn't do USUK in this chapter but yet here I did. I'm such a bad girl.

Can we just make a check list of all the pairings I just hinted at in here?

Btw: Free cookies to those who guess which movie I took the "rules" from

For the love of god, Review. XDD Don't you think this puppy deserves a bone after I wrote all of this?