It was almost time for the town's annual Halloween fest. It was a party of sorts thrown in the community rec center the night before Halloween. The town had started the tradition after one particularly nasty Mischief Night, and it worked pretty well to deter any shenanigans. Nearly every person in town, young and old, attended the fest in full costume, played games, and got free candy.

Emil and Matthew went together every year, and this year they had planned to dress up as Vikings together. However, now that Emil's ghostly boyfriend would probably be there, too, Matthew wasn't so sure. It hadn't escaped Emil's attention that his best friend was nervous in his new house that was currently being haunted by said boyfriend. He understood, of course, how creepy it would be to know there was a ghost hanging around and not be able to see him. Emil had told Matthew years ago that he could see and talk to ghosts, but the other boy hadn't really believed him until Lukas showed up, so he just wasn't used to the fact that ghosts were real yet.

"Please, Mattie, we always go together," Emil protested at lunch. "We've got our costumes and everything."

"But if you're going with Mathias and Lukas, won't it be weird for me to tag along?"

"No, Mathias has to work at the dunk tank for a while, and it'll look like I'm all alone if I just go with Lukas. Please, I'll make sure Lukas doesn't poke you or anything."

"Well, alright, but you have to promise he won't touch me."

This was also understandable, because ghosts felt cold and clammy, and no normal person wanted to be touched by one. Or to make out with one. Woops. Although Matthew had been more surprised by the fact that Emil was dating both Mathias and Lukas than by the fact that he had made out with his spectral roommate, so he couldn't really talk about being normal. So they decided to meet at the rec center at 6, which was when Mathias would start his dunk tank shift.

Lukas was practically bouncing around the room as Emil got ready. "I didn't know you could even get this excited," he commented as the ghost dug through his closet.

"This is my time of year. Isn't Halloween when ghosts are supposed to walk down the street with you breathers?"

"'Breathers?'"

"Plus we'll get to see Mathias get dunked into cold water."

"Ah, so that's it. You know, you're kind of a sadistic boyfriend."

"Just be glad I don't want to see you sopping wet. Actually…"

"Not going to happen. What the heck are you looking for?"

"A costume. I was thinking the classic white-sheet ghost look."

"Ghosts aren't supposed to wear costumes."

"Oh, come on, can't you just taste the irony? It's delicious."

"You're so weird. Hold on, stop throwing my shoes around, I'll go look for a sheet."

He found some white fabric and a pair of scissors in his mom's craft supplies and left them with Lukas while he went to the bathroom to change into his costume. It was a little annoying that he couldn't undress in his own room, but that's what he got for sharing a room with an asshole ghost. But after living in this house for a couple of months, they had gotten most of the boundaries worked out.

When he returned to his room, Lukas had cut two eye-holes in the sheet and had it thrown over his head.

"You cut it too short," said the younger. "I can see the bottoms of your feet."

"I know, that's the point."

"And the eye-holes are too big. You realize that no one else will be able to see you under the sheet, right?"

"Yeah, that's the point."

The younger thought about it for a second. Everyone but he and Mathias would see an empty, floating sheet, but only if they paid close enough attention. "That's…a great idea, actually."

"Of course, it is."

Mathias picked them up at 5:30, raising an eyebrow at Lukas's costume.

"Don't give me that look," said the ghost. "You're not even wearing a costume. No, wait," he said, assessing the other boy's tank top and shorts. "I get it, you're going as a douchebag, right?"

"No, this is how I always dress," Mathias said, looking down at his clothes. "Hey, wait. Okay, get out, I'm not giving you a ride."

"Don't start this, guys," Emil complained. "Can we just agree that both of your costumes suck?" Sometimes he didn't understand how Mathias and Lukas could date when they could barely get along. Well, they certainly had chemistry.

They found Matthew standing outside the rec center, so Mathias said goodbye and ran off to start his shift. Poor Matthew was staring wide-eyed at the floating sheet next to Emil. "Is this…?" he said quietly.

"Yeah, that's Lukas," Emil said, rolling his eyes. The sheet raised a little as Lukas waved at the boy, revealing more of his feet. Or, to Matthew, more of what wasn't there.

"Um, nice costume, Lukas," he said.

"I would say thank you, but you can't hear me anyway."

"He says thanks."

They walked around the rec center, mostly ignoring the ghost, since they couldn't really talk to him anyway. They saw Matthew's brother, Alfred, and a bunch of his friends and walked around with them for a while before they ran into Emil's mom working at the bean-bag toss.

"Hi, Emil! Hi, Mattie!" she said, waving happily. "Oh, who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is…Niklas," Emil said quickly. "He's in, um, pre-calc with me."

"It's nice to meet you, Niklas." Lukas raised a sheet-covered hand in response. "Looks like you waited until the last minute to decide on a costume," laughed Emil's mom, to which the ghost just shrugged.

"Hello, Mrs. Steilsson," Lukas said drily. "You should probably know that I'm haunting your house and hanging around your son's room. Also we're dating. Nice to meet you."

"Um, he's kind of shy," Emil whispered to his mom, who hadn't heard a word the ghost said.

"Oh, that's alright! Do you boys want to play bean toss?"

Matthew and Emil did and won a lot of candy, but Lukas abstained.

They made their way to the dunk tank, where they found Mathias completely dry.

"Yep, no one has been able to dunk me yet," he told them, winking.

"You have it rigged, don't you?" Lukas said, but the other boy ignored him. "Emil, I'll be right back."

"Where are you going?" Emil asked as the sheet-covered ghost walked away.

"Where is he going?" Matthew asked his friend.

"No idea."

They got in line and watched as everyone else threw the ball at the target and missed. Only one person hit it, but it didn't hit hard enough to send Mathias into the cold water below him. When it was time for the person in front of Emil to go, Lukas returned without the sheet. He walked right up to the dunk tank and smiled at Mathias, who was doing his best to ignore his dead boyfriend. The person in front of Emil hit the target, but it once again wasn't hard enough to dunk Mathias. He, however, looked increasingly nervous as Lukas continued to smile at him and Emil stepped up to try.

The boy did his best throw, but it just barely hit the target. However, Lukas reached out and punched the target hard, and Mathias finally fell into the cold water.

"Woah," Matthew said, "I'm not sure how you did that." The other boy turned around and winked at his friend, laughing. Lukas walked away again, laughing as well, and came back with the sheet back over his head.

"I guess that means my shift is over," Mathias said, exiting the tank. "Oh look, a floating towel just for me!" He threw his arms around Lukas, rubbing his wet hair against the sheet.

"Quit it, idiot, you're ruining my costume," Lukas protested, trying to pull away without losing the sheet. He suddenly froze, going deadly silent.

"What's up?" Emil asked, stepping towards him and Mathias.

"Isn't that…?" Mathias began, looking across the rec center. Emil followed his line of sight and found a freakishly tall man with a stern expression at the duck pond game.

"Oh," Emil said, feeling a little like someone had punched him. He could only imagine how Lukas must be feeling.

"What's going on?" Matthew asked him quietly.

"Someone Lukas knew is here," Emil whispered to him.

"Oh, you know what? I think I'm gonna go find Alfred again," his friend said quickly, stepping backwards. "I'll see you guys later, okay?"

"Sorry, Mattie," said the other boy quietly, but he shook his head.

"Don't worry about it, we'll go trick-or-treating together tomorrow."

He walked away just as Berwald turned and saw them, recognition flashing across his face. Emil raised his hand in a weak wave, and he did the same. A smaller man next to Berwald turned and looked at them then gave the taller man a curious look.

"I, um, think they're coming over here," Emil said. "We could probably make a break for it."

"No, it's…it's fine," Lukas said quietly.

"Hey, Emil," Berwald said gruffly when he had made his way over to them.

"Hey, Berwald," Emil responded uncomfortably. "Um, thanks for the CD. You were right, it is damn good music."

"Mh."

"Thanks," Lukas said blandly, and the two men looked at the sheet.

"Oh, um, this is my friend Niklas," Emil said quickly. "And this is Mathias. He's not in costume, because he just got out of the dunk tank."

"'m Berwald."

"Um, nice to meetcha," Mathias said.

"I'm Tino," said the smaller man with a smile. "You're the one who moved into the Thomassens' old house, right?"

"Yep, that's me." Emil looked between the two. "So are you two—?"

"Friends," Berwald said quickly.

"Ah. So what are you doing here?"

"Berwald's parents are working at the fishing game," Tino explained, "so we came to visit. We don't have anything like this in my town, so this is really fun!"

Maybe if they hadn't been so caught up with Lukas's ex-(sort of?) boyfriend, they would have seen the kids running toward them. They ran right through their little group, making them all take a step back. But one of the kids tripped, and what should he grab onto but Lukas's sheet? He went down, and so did the sheet.

Time stopped for a few seconds. Emil looked at Lukas first, then the kid who was staring at thin air, then at Berwald, who had grabbed onto Tino's arm.

"Ah, um, wow, Emil, your magic tricks are getting really good!" Mathias said loudly, laughing nervously. "Are you okay, little buddy?" He helped the kid to his feet, and the child just brushed him off and ran away.

"Lu…kas?" Berwald said quietly.

Emil and Mathias looked between the other three in shock. The five of them stood there in silence for several awful moments.

"Um!" Tino said finally. "I think we should go, um, somewhere else and talk."

"That's probably a good idea," Mathias agreed. "There's a park across the street from here that should be empty right now."

He ducked behind the dunk tank and grabbed his car keys and a towel. Then the five of them walked out of the rec center together. They did find the park to be deserted, so they sat in a circle in the grass. Neither Tino nor Berwald found it strange that Emil and Mathias were leaving a spot open for the ghost.

"So, you two can see ghosts, too," Tino said.

"Yeah…" Emil said slowly.

"You two can, too?" Mathias asked.

"Yeah, everyone in my family is a medium."

"You can see me, Berwald?" Lukas asked very quietly. The man nodded silently, his eyes never leaving the ghost.

"Berwald and I met about three years ago when he came to ask about seeing ghosts. He didn't have a lot of ability as a medium then, so he couldn't see them clearly, which was pretty scary for him! Oh, sorry, I probably shouldn't have said that. Anyway, I've been helping him train, so he can see and even hear ghosts now!" Tino took a deep breath and fell silent.

"Wait, so you're like, a professional spirit medium?" Mathias asked.

"Yep! Well, I'm trained to be one, but I don't work as one. I'm actually studying to be an interior designer, which I know is pretty different from ghosts, but—"

"Tino," Berwald mumbled.

"Oh, sorry, I'm rambling again, aren't I?"

"I think we need to address the elephant in the room," Emil said. "Or rather, the ghost."

"Tino said you're probably a ghost," Berwald said. "I didn't wanna believe him."

"You saw me once," Lukas responded. "Or, at least, you almost did."

"Wait, how would you know that he became a ghost?" Mathias asked Tino.

"Oh, don't you know? Everyone who kills themselves cannot rest in peace."

"I wish I had known that beforehand," Lukas said bitterly.

"Is that the only thing that would have stopped you?" Berwald asked, standing up suddenly. Everyone else stood up and watched as he paced back and forth. "Not that full-ride scholarship you got? Not the fact that we were almost done with high school? Not even me?" His voice broke, and he stopped pacing. "I had no idea that you were considering…And I've spent the last five years wondering what I could have done to stop you."

"I, um…" Lukas bit his lip and looked down, crossing his arms. "Sorry about that."

Berwald punched him in the face, sending the ghost down onto his back. Lukas sat up, holding his nose. "That's better," he said. "Guilt doesn't suit you, Berwald."

The man frowned at him then suddenly began laughing. "You're an ass, Lukas Thomassen," he said, holding out a hand to him. Lukas took it, starting to pull himself up, but Berwald quickly dropped his hand, and he went crashing back to the ground. "Sorry, forgot…You're not warm anymore."

"Nope, I'm cold as the grave."

Berwald chuckled, trying once again to help the ghost to his feet. "I see your sense of humor isn't dead. You haven't changed a bit, actually."

"Yes, I've been told that I'm still hot." Lukas nudged Emil, making him blush furiously.

"I didn't say that!" he protested angrily.

"I believe your exact words were that you were 'sharing a room with a hot ghost.'"

"So is that why you were asking about him when we met?" Berwald asked, his intense gaze suddenly turned on Emil.

"Um, yes," he said uncomfortably. "Sorry, I shouldn't have done that."

"You're still haunting your old house?" Tino asked Lukas.

"Eh, if you could call it that. It's not like I make the floor shake or the walls bleed."

"And you're okay with that, Mathias?"

"Huh? Um, yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"Oh, I thought that you and Emil were, um, dating."

"We are," Emil said. "But Lukas and I—" He stopped, suddenly realizing how awkward it would be to talk about his relationship with Lukas in front of his old boyfriend, especially since they hadn't ever officially broken up. Or did dying count as an official breakup?

"We're dating, too," Lukas finished for him, putting a cold arm around his shoulder. "Oh, Berwald, I need to tell you that I think we should see other people."

"Right," Berwald said, smiling slightly. "You're a little young for me, anyway."

Lukas pulled away from Emil to give the tall man a hug. Berwald wrapped his arms around the ghost, flinching slightly. "Feels weird," he mumbled.

"Well, I haven't showered in, like, five years. I'm covered in dirt." Berwald chuckled again, holding him close.

"Why did you do it, Lukas?"

"I'll tell you some other time, Berwald." Lukas took a slow breath. "I wish I hadn't, but…" He pulled away from the man and wrapped his arms around Emil and Mathias. "Because I did, I got to meet these two cuties."

"You think I'm cute?" Mathias asked happily.

"Don't push it."

"I'm happy for you, Lukas," Berwald said.

"I hope you're happy for yourself, too," Lukas said, putting his hands on his hips.

"Yeah, I am."

"Good. So, nuclear engineering, huh?"

"Better than quantum physics."

"Oh?"

"'Least I can get a job with a B.A."

"I don't need a job."

"Touché."

"Why don't we go back to the Halloween fest?" Mathias suggested.

"Nah," Lukas said, "it's probably dead in there now."

They all laughed, walking back to the rec center. It was almost empty, so they walked to their cars. Before parting, they exchanged numbers, and Lukas whispered something in Berwald's ear which made him blush. "What did you say to him?" Emil asked when they were in Mathias's car.

"I told him to get on that Tino guy before he gets away," he replied, smirking.

"Are you doing okay? After all of that, I mean."

"Yeah, but my nose is a little sore."

"I'm serious, Lukas."

"I am, too. I didn't know he could throw a punch like that."

"You're being pretty evasive."

"Well, I am a ghost."

"Okay, fine." Emil huffed, crossing his arms. Lukas draped himself over the back of the seat, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.

"You're so cute when you're annoyed," he said, poking the boy in the cheek.

"I thought you said I look cuter when I smile."

"You do. You almost gave me a heart-attack when I first met you."

"Lukas," Mathias chided gently. "Are you really alright?"

"No," he sighed. "Well, I'm only slightly not alright, which means I'm mostly alright."

Mathias pulled the car over into the next parking lot and killed the engine.

"What are you doing?" Lukas asked.

"How many times do I have to tell you?" Mathias said, unbuckling his seatbelt and climbing into the backseat. "No sad boyfriends on my watch." He grabbed the ghost and started tickling him.

"Stop that," Lukas demanded, trying to wriggle free. "I'm dead, I'm not ticklish."

"Somehow I don't believe that. Emil, are you just going to sit up there, or are you going to get back here and join in?"

Emil scrambled over the console, accidentally landing on Lukas's lap. But this just held the ghost in place during their assault, and he finally let out a series of quiet giggles. The sound rang happily through the car, making the other two smile brightly. They let up on their attack, leaning in to place kisses all over his face.

"How not alright are you now?" Emil asked.

"Barely even noticeable."

"Good," Mathias said, nuzzling against Lukas's neck.

"Let's go, you sappy idiots," he said, smiling. "It's probably past your bedtimes."

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," Emil declared.

"Well, you'd better start sleeping with one eye open," Lukas warned. "Revenge may come at any moment."

AN: I changed this story to "Incomplete," but I'm still not sure if I have any more plot in mind. I will probably continue to update, just because I like this AU a lot :) Also my friend has been drawing some fanart for me and posting it on her Tumblr, ask-tonga. You should go check it out! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed!