"Come on, my little monkey, it's going to be fun."

"Fun?"

"Yeah, I'm sure you're going to have so much fun in there. Come on, before the line gets too long."

"But it looks scary…"

"Ha ha! But that's what's fun about it! Don't tell me you're a little scaredy-cat? Or better yet, scaredy-monkey?"

"N-no… I'm not."

"Then you'll be just fine. I'm sure we can go through this and have a lot of good laughs."


Saruhiko tried to shake the memories from his mind, wishing they could stay buried where he'd never have to think about them again.

Standing in line for a haunted house was starting to make the old memories crawl back. Something was trying to stir up in his mind, telling him to back out and leave. He wanted nothing more than to just go and get away from such a place, but he was here with Yata, and he wasn't about to leave him. He couldn't bring himself to, not when Yata had expressed his excitement to go to this place.

"Tch, how much longer do we have to wait?" he asked.

"I think there's just four more groups in front of us," Yata said as he leaned to the side, looking at the people standing in front of him.

"This better be worth it," he muttered.

He had never wanted to go to another haunted house in his life. If he could just avoid them, he felt it would be best, even if at this point he felt he wouldn't react. But Yata had pestered him and insisted that they go together for the 'Halloween spirit' as he had put it.

There was nothing Saruhiko could do at that point other than agree and unwillingly be dragged along. But at least Yata seemed to be in a good mood, and that made things a little better.

"Hey, we're here together, it'll be fun."

'...it's going to be fun.'

Saruhiko shuddered, hearing his father's voice echoing in his head.

"If you can call this fun."

They moved shortly after, having the next group go into the haunted house. Saruhiko started to mindlessly scroll through random news articles on his feed, trying to find a way to pass the time. Thankfully, Yata didn't try to pester him too much, letting him have his space until they were at the front of the line.

"Alright! You ready, Saru?" Yata excitedly exclaimed.

"Guess so…" Saruhiko shrugged.

After Yata told the attendees it was just the two of them, the doors were open and they were allowed to walk inside. As soon as they entered the poorly lit hallway, Saruhiko could already feel the chills rising up his spine. Apprehension took hold of him, and he found himself slowly gravitating closer to Yata.

The atmosphere was already uncomfortable, not only with the lighting, but also with sounds ranging from unsettling sounds, mixed in with screams and echoing voices from the ambience.

As soon as they entered the first open room, Saruhiko could already see an actor standing in the corner. He mentally prepared himself as they pushed themselves from the wall, running at the two of them screaming.

Yata jumped slightly, and gave a mixture of a laugh and a scream. "Oh that's a good one!"

Saruhiko chose not to say anything as they walked into the next hallway. It only got worse as now the dim lights were cast in a shade of eerie green, and flickering every few seconds. Saruhiko's heart rate was already starting to pick up pace, adding to the memories that still were taunting him.

'You're shaking my little monkey, don't tell me you're scared!'

'N-no. Not scared…'

'Well you look pretty pale to me. That last one made you scream like a girl! Ha ha! It was so funny!'

"I'm not scared…" Saruhiko muttered quietly to himself.

"Huh? You say something, Saru?" Yata asked, turning around slightly.

"No. Keep going. Let's just get through this."

Just before they exited the hallway, a small panel dropped open to their side, and a scare actor stuck their head out and let out a growl.

It did make Saruhiko flinch, and now he was starting to wish he had never come. His thoughts and feelings were swirling around him, making his mind clouded and muddled.

'Ha! This isn't scary at all, yet you're shaking. You really are a scaredy-monkey."

"I'm n-not… not a s-scaredy m-monkey.'

'Then stop screaming and crying like one, if you even can!'

All it took was one more scare actor to finally be the limit. As soon as he heard someone sneak up behind him and laugh, everything seemed to break, and Saruhiko could no longer focus on anything. All he knew was that he was breathing quickly and he was near the ground, everything else was washed away by the laughter. His father's laughter haunted him, and refused to leave.

'Ha ha ha look at you! You're so scared! It's not even that bad!'

'B-but… It's l-loud… they're a-all screaming a-at us…"

'If you think that's bad, don't let them take you away! I'm sure if you stay too long in one spot, they'll come for you."

'N-no!'

'Then you better get moving, you little scaredy monkey.'

But Saruhiko couldn't bring himself to move. He was completely frozen in place, just like he had been years ago.

He really was a coward.

A true scaredy monkey.


When Yata heard Saruhiko let out a yell, he turned around, expecting to see his friend jump out from the scare, but instead he found him huddling to the ground. It was hard to tell in the dark lighting of the hallway, but Saruhiko was clearly shaking, having his hands over his head, digging into his hair.

"Saru?" Yata asked.

He waited for an answer, but got nothing. Quickly, he looked up at the actor who was also staring, but before he could ask anything, the actor turned and ran out a backstage door.

Without knowing what the actor ran off for, Yata came closer to Saruhiko, kneeling down next to him to try and see his face.

"Hey, Saru? You doing okay?"

There was still no response, he only remained where he was huddled.

Suddenly, the haunted house lights and sounds turned off and the stage lights turned on instead. An announcement played over speakers, telling guests and actors to remain where they were until further notice.

A woman soon came through one of the cast doors wearing a jacket that had STAFF on the left chest. Yata assumed she was probably some supervisor or some high rank like that.

She looked at Yata before trying to slowly approach Saruhiko.

"Sir?" she asked gently.

Saruhiko continued to curl up upon himself, giving no answer to her.

"We can escort you out now, it's okay," she said as she slowly reached towards Saruhiko. "We just need you to-"

"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he hissed, loudly. His entire body jerked away, with one hand coming up to nearly smack hers away. Aside from the heavy breathing, the more Yata looked, it even looked like he was sweating.

"Saru, hey calm down, man," Yata said as he tried to approach him.

It was really starting to scare him now, never having seen Saruhiko looking and sounding so distraught. It wasn't like him at all. Even if he wasn't a fan of others touching him, he had never yelled like that in the past.

"Saru?" Yata asked cautiously.

He was surprised when he was able to let his hand rest on Saruhiko's shoulder.

Slowly, Saruhiko lifted his head, coming to look at Yata. His eyes were close to the edge of tears. Eyes full of fear for reasons Yata couldn't figure it out.

"Come on, let's get you two out of here," the supervisor said. "Can you get him to follow me?"

Yata nodded. "Yeah, you hear that Saru? We'll get you out of here. That sound okay?

Saruhiko was still breathing slightly faster than normal. His face was even paler than normal too. But he was at least looking at Yata, keeping eye contact.

Yata reached out his hand. "Take my hand?"

Shakily, Saruhiko reached his hand out. When his trembling hand was held by Yata, he helped him to his feet. He held onto Saruhiko tightly as the supervisor led them out the door. They then headed down a hallway through some backstage area, with occasional staff looking their way.

Saruhiko ducked his head, averting his eyes from everyone and everything but the floor. Even when they finally made it back outside, Yata could see Saruhiko still looking down at the ground, and still trembling.

People were staring at them from the waiting line, no doubt wondering what had happened. But they kept walking towards the exit of the attraction, not stopping once to dawdle.

"Saru?" Yata asked, watching his friend try to curl up upon himself, trying to make himself look smaller.

Quickly, Saruhiko yanked his hand away, wrapping it around his chest.

It still felt wrong to Yata that Saruhiko was acting this way. He wanted to do something to help, but he had no idea even how to handle it.

"I'm sorry that your evening didn't go as planned," the supervisor said once they were at the exit. "If you want, I can refund your admission."

Yata shook his head. "No, it's okay. I think we just, um, need some space? I'll make sure he'll be okay."

The supervisor nodded after that, walking away to leave the boys alone. Immediately, Yata pulled out his phone and hit the contact for his mother. He kept his eyes on Saruhiko the entire time, who only stood there, arms wrapped around himself and staring off at the ground.

"Misaki?" his mother asked when she picked up. "Everything alright? Are you still waiting in line?"

"No, but something happened. I think Saru… he, uh, kind of started freaking out when we got in there."

"Freaking out? Is he okay?"

"I, uh, I don't know. He's not talking, and still looks shaken up."

"Don't let him out of your sight. I'll be there as soon as possible," his mother instructed.

"But mom, what-"

The call ended before Yata could even ask anything more. He sighed and shoved the phone back into his pockets before facing Saruhiko. He watched for a moment, seeing his friend looking so distraught, completely unlike himself.

"Yo, Saru? You still with me? You okay?"

Saruhiko closed his eyes and lowered his head further.

"Come on, man! Can't you answer me? You're really making me worried!"

Saruhiko exhaled deeply, shaking his head.

Yata gritted his teeth. He was frustrated that he couldn't get any answer out of him, but it also made him even more concerned. He hadn't expected Saruhiko to be so scared of a haunted house. He always had seemed so causal and uncaring towards a lot, so Yata had figured it wouldn't be a problem. But then there was the way that Saruhiko huddled to the ground, trying to make himself look so small.

'What the hell happened to him in there? Was… he really that scared? Why didn't he say anything?' Yata thought.

Before long Yata saw his mother coming, with his siblings right behind her. Without a word, she came up to Saruhiko, standing in front of him for a moment before she carefully reached her hands out towards him.

"Saruhiko?" she asked softly. "Is it okay if I hold you? I'm here to help you."

Saruhiko's shoulders tensed, rising slightly, but they fell a moment later. Saruhiko nodded, but didn't make any effort to look up. Yata's mother pulled him into an embrace and started rubbing his back, moving her hands in a circular motion.

Yata watched as his mother told Saruhiko to take in some deep breaths. She wanted him to start breathing in slowly and she would begin to count for him. When she reached a certain number, she told him to exhale and she'd continue counting again.

What his mother was doing was all very familiar to Yata, having had her do similar things for him when he was younger. With the memories fresh in his mind, it finally let him put the pieces together. Now, he could finally see the bigger picture, and come to a better understanding.

'So he had a panic attack… Shit, I had no idea he'd have something like that.'

When his mother finished counting, she slowly let go of Saruhiko. "Now you listen here, Saruhiko. You are not weak for feeling like this. Don't even try to let yourself believe that."

Saruhiko hummed softly.

"You don't have to be ashamed of something like this. Trust me, you aren't weak at all for it. Now! We all are going to go back to my house, and we will get you something nice to drink. Maybe some nice hot tea. How does that sound?"

Saruhiko shrugged. "I guess…"

"Then let's go."

"But mom!" Yata said, butting in. "I thought you were taking Minoru and Megumi to the pumpkin patch."

His mother shook his head. "This is more important. Besides, we can always come back another day. It isn't like the pumpkin patch is going anywhere. Now come on, let's all head back to the car."

Yata watched his mother take his siblings by the hand, starting to walk forward. He then turned his attention to Saruhiko, watching him to see if his expression would change at all. Right now, he seemed to look indifferent as he usually did, aside from the slightly distant look in his eyes.

"You ready to go?" Yata asked, offering his hand.

Saruhiko glanced at his hand and then sighed. "Fine…"

Much to Yata's surprise, Saruhiko actually grabbed hold of it. He was no longer shaking or trembling, but his grip wasn't particularly tight. Yata made sure he was at least holding on tight enough as they walked towards the parking lot, towards the car.


By the time they got back to the house, Yata's mother sent Minoru and Megumi off to their rooms for the time being. She told Yata and Saruhiko to sit down on the couch and wait for her to return with drinks, and Yata tried to make the best of the moment, but Saruhiko wasn't saying anything. It was starting to drive him crazy at this point, but to be fair, he had no idea what to say back. All he could do was sit there and mull over the thoughts of everything that had transpired.

"I… uh, so Saru… are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," Saruhiko muttered.

Even if he tried to sound uninterested and passive, his tone was still weaker than normal. That was all Yata needed to know that he still had to worry. Until Saruhiko was back to his old self, Yata wouldn't stop being concerned, even if Saruhiko told him to cut it out.

"Alright boys, time for a surprise. Instead of tea, I've made you both some hot chocolate," Yata's mother said, coming over to the couch to place the cups on the coffee table.

"Thanks mom, it already smells great," Yata replied with a smile.

She nodded. "Please enjoy it, the both of you. And Saruhiko… are you feeling better? You know that you can tell me if you aren't."

"It's… I'm okay," he answered.

There was a hum before she breathed in and stepped away from the table. "Then I'll let you two talk. I'll go check in on the young ones, and make sure they are getting ready for bed."

As soon as they were left alone, Yata couldn't hold himself back any longer. He launched at Saruhiko, grabbing onto him and hugging him tightly.

"I'm sorry!" he shouted, trying his hardest to not let his emotions get the best of him. "I'm so sorry I didn't do anything to help! I should have been more helpful!"

Saruhiko let out a long sigh. "You don't need to be sorry, Misaki."

It did give Yata some reassurance that Saruhiko was saying his actual name. Even if it was the name that drove him crazy, he would take it over nothing.

"No I need to be! You were upset and I didn't do anything! I was just scared…"

"You did help… you got me out of there, and called your mother."

Yata sighed, nodding his head, brushing it slightly against Saruhiko's chest. "Yeah… guess you have a point there."

He sat back up rubbing his hands over his face, hoping he didn't have any tears trying to escape. "Well, I'm just glad you're okay now."

Saruhiko clicked his tongue. "Tch. Just know we're never doing that again."

"Right! No more haunted house stuff! Totally get it now and I won't ask you. I promise!"

"Good."

"But, uh, can I ask something?" Yata asked carefully.

He wanted to know why Saruhiko had been so scared from it. He had his guesses, but if Saruhiko could actually tell him, he would know how to try and handle the situation from then on.

Saruhiko rolled his eyes. "What is it, Misaki?"

"Why did it make you… you know… freak out? Was it just too intense or the theme? Or…"

Saruhiko turned away from Yata, slumped further against the couch. "None of your business."

"Yes it is!" Yata persisted. "You're my friend, and I want to help! So you gotta let me know what's wrong!"

"And if I don't want to tell you?"

"Then… then I guess I can't really force you," Yata said, feeling a little defeated.

He sighed, sitting back against the couch, trying not to let that disappointment settle. Whatever it was that had bothered his friend, it would still worry him, having never learned the cause. But even if he didn't know, he wouldn't give up on trying to make sure Saruhiko would never panic like that again.

All he could do was be the best friend that he could, even if it meant putting up with more of Saruhiko's stubbornness. Yata would do it. He would always do it for him.

"My father…"

Yata raised an eyebrow, not having expected Saruhiko to say anything else. "Huh? Your father?"

"He forced me to go, ever since I was three… until I was ten. Always laughed when I was scared…" Saruhiko admitted.

Yata scooted closer, reaching around him for another hug. This time, he could feel the slightest trembles from Saruhiko's arms. It made Yata's emotions stir, now realizing the truth. Everything that was hurting Saruhiko was always due to that man. Even when he was long dead, the trauma still persisted, never letting Saruhiko have peace.

"Well, screw him!" Yata huffed. "He really sucked, and if he were still alive I'd punch him in the face for you."

"Tch, he'd probably just laugh in your face."

"Then I'd just punch him again! I don't care what he'd say or do, but he deserved being beaten up."

Saruhiko hummed softly, adjusted himself so his chin was resting on top of Yata's head. "Thanks," he whispered softly.

"Yeah, no problem."

They sat in silence after that, letting the atmosphere finally relax and calm down around them. Saruhiko was no longer feeling cold or trembling. Instead Yata could hear his heartbeat, slowing down to a much more normal pace.

He liked this though, having a calming moment of peace between them. He closed his eyes and savored the moment, knowing it wouldn't last forever.


A few moments later Yata's mother stepped into the room, and quickly the two boys pulled apart from one another. Saruhiko hadn't realized how long they must have been holding onto one another, but it was already far longer than he usually allowed for touch.

Yata's mother only smiled at them as she approached. "Alright, I got the other two to bed, but while I want you two to get in your pajamas as well, you can stay up. I'll get some supplies out so you can make cookies. And maybe after that you can watch a not scary movie together. How's that sound?"

"But I didn't bring any pajamas," Saruhiko stated.

"I know, but Misaki probably has some oversized sleep shirts and shorts you can borrow," she replied.

"But I'm not… I didn't intent to-"

Yata's mother shook her head. "No, I'm not having you go home after tonight. You're staying here."

Saruhiko tried to protest again, but Yata's mother cut him off again. "No, I insist that you stay. I won't have it any other way, okay?"

"No point in trying to argue with her," Yata chuckled. "When my mom settles on something, you can't change her mind."

Saruhiko sighed, closing his eyes and leaning back on the couch. If he was at a standstill against Yata's mother, then it was probably best to just resign and let her have her way.

It wouldn't be all bad at least, he'd still be around Yata. He wouldn't deny having more of that, even if he would never say it aloud.

And if he was perfectly honest with himself, he really didn't want to go home and be all alone. The intrusive thoughts would only consume him, trying to pull him down and bury him. He really didn't want to deal with that again, not for any time soon.

Soon, he was given clothing by Yata and the two were in pajamas and in the kitchen trying to figure out how to bake cookies. Well, Yata was trying. Saruhiko mainly watched, snickering whenever Yata nearly fumbled with things like the butter or the eggs.

When the cookies were finished, they went back to their couch and Yata pulled out a few movie choices. None of them really interested Saruhiko too much, but he decided to pick one that was a fantasy adventure.

As the movie began and the two sat on the couch, Saruhiko found himself moving closer to Yata. He couldn't explain it, but he felt like he wanted, no he needed, to be closer.

There was still an inkling of unsettling feelings in his mind. His father's laugh still echoed faintly. When he closed his eyes, lights flashed in his memories and the imagery of the haunted house rushed back in full force.

His fingers started feeling cold, coming close to trembling again. Not wanting to let it spread throughout his entire body, he willed himself to move his hand over to Yata's hand, gently forcing it underneath. Yata was so much warmer, and it helped him feel calmer and safer.

"Huh, Saru?" Yata asked. "Everything good?"

"I think… just a little… I don't know."

Yata's warm hand closed around his. "You don't need to say. I'll make sure to help this time."

Unfortunately, his emotions didn't decide to calm down, instead only bubbling up higher. Finally, everything he had been holding back since earlier in the evening was wanting to make itself known.

"Can I…" he started to ask, feeling his words clump up in his throat.

Yata seemed to understand, even without Saruhiko needing to clarify. "Yeah, whatever you need. I said I'd help this time."

Letting go of some of his buried emotions, he latched himself onto Yata. Between Yata's warmth and the soft blankets that were wrapped around both of them, he started to feel calmer. His thoughts winded down, and he finally felt at ease again.

His mind started to drift, becoming foggy and heavier. He closed his eyes, finding himself drifting off.


Both boys had fallen asleep on the couch after some time, but Yata found himself startled awake when he felt Saruhiko moving and shifting against him. He cracked an eye open to see Saruhiko's brows furrowed with a stressful look spread across every inch of his face.

Yata opened his mouth, almost ready to say something to try and wake him, but instead he decided to try something else. Saruhiko had seemed to calm down before when they had hugged, so Yata moved in to try that once more, not knowing if it would really work or not since Saruhiko was still asleep.

Thankfully, after a few seconds of having Saruhiko wrapped up in his arms, he actually managed to stop thrashing in his sleep. His face was calm and relaxed once and he continued sleeping without even waking up.

Feeling content that he actually helped, Yata could fall back asleep without having to worry. He stayed where he was though, with Saruhiko comfortably in his arms. He liked being close to him, never having realized before just how nice it felt. He drifted back off with those thoughts lingering in his mind and a smile fixed on his face.