We're back with Seven Days of Halloween for the fifth year in a row! Last year we did all crossovers, this year we're doing fandoms that I hadn't written for before 2022. Also, coincidentally, all of the stories this year feature LGBTQ relationships, that was not on purpose lol.
Day 1 (Oct. 25th) - The Mitchells VS. The Machines
Day 2 (Oct. 26th) - Sonic
Day 3 (Oct. 27th) - Victorious
Day 4 (Oct. 28th) - Mythic Quest
Day 5 (Oct. 29th) - Zombies
Day 6 (Oct. 30th) - Our Flag Means Death
Day 7 (Oct. 31st) - Scooby-Doo
This is part of my modern theatre AU, along with "Not Much of A First Date," "Company Policy," and "Resignation Letter". I've been working on this story for months.
"Jim's never been trick-or-treating," Oluwande Boodhari announced one night in October when the theater troupe had gone out to Blackbeard's for drinks after a rehearsal.
"What?" Stede Bonnet eyed the bartender-turned-performer with a bit of surprise.
"Nuh-uh, I have so done tricker treater whatever. Why does it matter? I'm an adult." It would be an understatement to say that Jim Jimenez was defensive of their upbringing.
"It just feels like you missed out on a formative childhood experience," Oluwande said, attempting to sneak behind the bar and getting swatted by Jim.
"Again. I'm an adult! What happened in my childhood doesn't even matter. My nana was just very religious is all. She called Halloween satanic."
"And she was right," Frenchie jumped in, beginning to wipe down the bar, "Halloween is when the witches roam free and their cats eat your hearts and your livers."
"Mate, that's disgusting. I'm trying to have a drink," Oluwande complained.
"You're the one who brought up Halloween," Frenchie pointed out, holding his hands up in defense.
"Yeah, well, I didn't bring up Halloween to hear more of your batshit superstitions."
"They're real and they're gonna kill you," Frenchie warned.
"So why did you bring up Halloween?" Jim asked, once again blocking Oluwande from entering the bar area with a firm hand on his chest.
"I was thinking we could have a party since Jim hasn't done any fun Halloween stuff."
"That's cute," Lucius said quietly, and possibly sarcastically, glancing between Oluwande and the hand on Oluwande's chest. It was no secret that Lucius had developed a slight crush on Jim when Jim had kissed him for a performance, a crush that Lucius' boyfriend Pete didn't seem to mind but that Oluwande wasn't super fond of. The only one oblivious to said crush was Jim, who only had eyes for the person who wanted to throw a party for them, though those feelings were another thing they were oblivious to.
"I don't like parties," Jim said suddenly, pulling away and beginning to mix a drink for no one in particular.
"Aww, come on. This one will be fun, I promise," Oluwande said, before glancing at the troupe's manager.
"What do you say, Captain? Are you down to party?" It was a joking, affectionate title that the group had begun using for Stede after hearing Izzy, the bar owner's right-hand man, call Edward captain with complete seriousness. Izzy had practically thrown a hissy fit when he realized they were mocking him for it, but the title had stuck.
"I am always down to party," Stede said, "But I have a prior commitment. I'm taking Alma and Louis trick-or-treating. We're doing matching costumes." The way Stede beamed it was clear that it meant a lot to him that he got to be a part of his children's lives in this way.
"What's the big deal with trick-or-treating anyway?" Jim asked, passing Stede the fruity drink they'd just mixed.
"It's a lot of fun, you get to dress up in costumes," Stede began.
"We do that like every day in rehearsal."
"And then you go door to door and people give you candy," Stede finished.
"So I have to talk to strangers just to get candy? What if I don't like the candy they give me?"
"Then you trade with someone else."
"That's stupid. I'm an adult. I can buy my own candy."
"But then you miss out on the adventure! And the sense of community!"
"And the chance to find razor blades in your candy," Wee John said.
"Or get cursed by witches," Frenchie said. The two of them shared a knowing look.
"My nana was right," Jim decided.
"A small party, then? Just the troupe and anyone from the bar you want to invite?" Oluwande offered.
"You're not going to stop talking about this party until I agree to it, are you?"
"Probably not."
"Fine. A small party. And I reserve the right to leave early."
"Of course." Oluwande couldn't stop grinning.
Jim saw the bar's owner slink past.
"Ed, we're having a party on Halloween, do you want to come?"
"No, thank you, I have a prior commitment."
Ed glanced at Stede and Jim put the pieces together. They didn't want to expose their boss in front of everyone, so they waited until the end of their shift to confront him.
Ed was talking to Izzy about financials when Jim came into the office.
"I'm clocking out," Jim said.
"That's fine."
"Can I ask you something?" Jim asked, not leaving. Izzy was glowering at them.
"Oh, sure." Ed didn't seem to notice Izzy's annoyance.
"Are you trick-or-treating with Stede and his kids?"
"Who told you that?"
"No one. I saw how you looked at Stede when you said you had plans for Halloween. I know you guys think you're so subtle but we all have eyes."
Izzy looked like he had just been strangled.
"And yet you're blind to not one but two people who are attracted to you," Ed challenged, which certainly surprised Jim.
"Touché. It's none of my business what you and Stede do in your own time. But I hope you have a happy Halloween."
And with that, Jim suavely turned on a heel and walked out, only beginning to stress out about Ed's comment when they were well on their way home. How could they be so sharp and still not know that someone was attracted to them? No… Two someones. Two!
"Olu, can I ask you something?" Jim asked when they got back to the apartment they shared with Oluwande.
"Sure, but first, do you want to wear matching costumes with me?"
"Like Stede and his kids?" Jim asked with a laugh, feeling a bit more at ease now that they were in a more casual, comfortable setting.
"Well, not exactly like that." Oluwande seemed flustered now.
"Sure. What did you have in mind?" Jim plopped down next to their best friend and offered him a smile.
"How about Bert and Ernie?"
"From Sesame Street?"
"Yeah, why not?"
"Aren't they married now?" Jim asked.
"Mm. Yeah, I think so."
"Huh. So you want to dress up as Bert and Ernie with me?"
"Yes. Anyway, what was your question?"
"Actually," Jim said, putting a hand on Olu's chest and looking deeply into his eyes, "You might have just answered it."
Oluwande leaned in, inviting the next move, and soon the two of them weren't thinking about matching costumes at all.
After a few minutes of passion, Jim pulled away.
"Wait. Who else has a crush on me?"
"Lucius. I thought it was obvious."
"I bet you thought you were obvious and it still took me this long to kiss you," Jim pointed out before going back in for round two.
The next day at rehearsal, everyone noticed the shift in Jim's demeanor, but only Lucius correctly guessed the cause.
"Congratulations, Oluwande, Jim. I guess you two are going to wear some sickeningly sweet couples' costume?"
"What? No. We're dressing up as Bert and Ernie," Jim said.
Lucius burst out laughing but sobered up when Jim glowered at him.
"Nice, nice. Did you hear about Captain?"
"Yeah, he's going trick-or-treating with Ed," Jim said.
"What? Why didn't you tell me about that?" Olu asked.
"We were a little busy last night."
Lucius smirked a little before continuing on to his point.
"Izzy must be devastated."
"He looked pissed," Jim agreed.
"Fantastic. It's the perfect time to strike."
"What are you up to?" Jim asked, not feeling any kinship with their coworker but wary of Lucius' schemes.
"Pete, Roach, and I want to go as Ghostbusters. It was Pete's idea. Anyway, I'm going to ask Izzy to be our fourth."
"He's not going to go for it."
"We'll see."
"Don't get your hopes up."
"We'll see."
"This party is going to be great," Oluwande said, taking Jim's hand. Jim hesitated but did not pull away. This party was going to be great, Jim was just as sure of it.
Everyone was buzzing with excitement on Halloween, including the Captain.
"Hey, Stede, what are you and Ed dressing up as for Halloween?" Jim asked.
"Pirates," Stede said, before realizing that he'd admitted that Ed was a part of his family Halloween.
"Please don't tell anyone else," Stede said.
Jim scoffed, "Trust me, everybody already knows."
"I was hoping to wait until Ed and I were actually official for people to find out…"
"You're not official? Shit, you've been on more dates than Olu and I and we're official."
"Taking my kids on outings hardly counts as dates."
"I'm no expert, but I bet it counted to him."
Stede blushed and smiled to himself before sobering up.
"When you said everyone knows, did you mean Izzy?"
"Oh yeah. He was so mad, I doubt he's even going to come to the Halloween party."
But, against all odds, Israel Hands was there, dressed as a Ghostbuster. Lucius looked incredibly smug.
"Are you sure about this?" Jim asked, sticking pretty close to Oluwande.
"It's okay to be nervous."
"What? Why would I be nervous? It's just a party. It's just stupid Halloween."
"Well, it's the first event we've attended together as partners. To be honest, I'm nervous too."
That was enough to make Jim brave. They grabbed Oluwande's hand and pulled him into the venue.
"Don't be nervous, we're together in this."
Oluwande smiled and any lingering nerves melted away. "Yep. We're together."
And so, together, they headed into the party.
"You guys look adorable," Lucius said, though Jim wasn't sure if he was being sarcastic or not.
"Uh, thank you. I can't believe you got Izzy to dress up," Oluwande said.
"I played on his insecurities. I told him that he didn't want to be sad and alone on Halloween and that if Ed was going to have fun tonight without him he might as well have fun without Ed."
"And that worked? How?" Jim was skeptical.
"I intimidate him."
"Again, how?"
"He's very repressed and I am not," Lucius explained.
"Oh yeah, that makes sense."
"I'm gonna see if he'll dance with me," Lucius said with a grin.
"Don't push your luck. I'm pretty sure Izzy has killed a man before."
"I'm not scared of him," Lucius said.
Pete, who had previously been standing quietly and enjoying his boyfriend's enthusiasm, spoke up now, "I won't let him start any fights he can't finish."
"Good. 'Cause we're certainly not bailing you out- hey! Wee John, what're you doing behind the bar? That's for employees only!"
Frenchie popped up next to him.
"He's with me, Jim, chill."
"He shouldn't be back there," Jim said, arms crossed.
"It's Halloween, it's fine. Izzy doesn't care."
"Whatever. Just don't do anything that Ed wouldn't approve of."
"I doubt Ed is worried about the bar tonight," Frenchie said with a smirk.
Jim gestured in between Frenchie and Wee John.
"What are you guys supposed to be, anyway?"
"I'm Inigo Montoya and he's Fezzik," Frenchie said.
"What? Who?"
"From The Princess Bride?"
"I don't watch princess movies."
"It is not a princess movie," Frenchie said, before turning to Oluwande, "Your partner hasn't seen The Princess Bride?"
"Well, before tonight they hadn't celebrated Halloween either. We have a lot to catch up on."
Jim grabbed a fistful of Oluwande's striped shirt, "Hey, don't talk about me like I'm not here."
"Sorry, Jim." Oluwande offered them a sheepish smile.
"Kiss," Lucius said quietly in the background.
Jim let go of Oluwande's shirt and stalked off, heading outside to smoke.
Oluwande gave them a minute before following them out.
"You okay?"
"That's why I don't do parties. Because then people make fun of me for all the other stuff I don't do and then I either have to leave or fight someone."
"Thank you for not fighting someone," Oluwande said.
"The night's not over yet."
"They weren't making fun of you, by the way."
"Yeah, they were."
"No, they weren't. Those are our friends, Jim. They care about you like I care about you. We don't want to make fun of you for things you haven't experienced yet, we just want to experience those things with you."
"Really?"
"Yeah. We don't have to go back to the party if you don't want to, but everyone in there wants you there."
"Except Izzy."
"Except Izzy. Hey, I bet you five dollars that Lucius can get him to dance."
"No way."
"Then you have nothing to lose."
"Okay, I'll take your bet."
"Ready to go back in?"
"Yep."
"Together," Oluwande reminded, offering Jim his hand. Jim hesitated before taking it, heading back inside.
A few neighborhoods away, Stede had just gotten up the courage to take Ed's hand, as they also celebrated Halloween together. It was a happy Halloween for everyone involved. Except for Izzy.
I don't hate Izzy Hand I promise I just think it's funnier when he's miserable.
