Chapter 19: Frightfully Fun

Summer passed by like a breeze, much to Alfred's dismay. But simply having the knowledge that he was now in his senior year of high school made up for it, if only slightly. Mrs. Rosales greeted them all happily when they returned to homeroom on the first day.

"This is it kids. Your very last year of high school has begun," she said as she clasped her hands together. "I'm going to miss you all when you graduate in June."

"We just started the first day of the year."

"Yes I know Arthur, but I'm still missing everybody already!"

Kiku wasn't sure how he felt about being a senior. Sure, he was that much closer to getting a career and living on his own, but that also meant he would potentially lose Alfred as a friend because of contrasting majors. He watched as Alfred chatted away with Francis about how excited he was for June of next year. The Japanese teen couldn't help but give a soft sigh.

College for us begins at the end of August of next year, so I have an entire year to figure out how to explain my feelings clearly to Alfred-san without ruining our friendship… That should be enough time…right? Yes, of course. I will think of something eventually…

"—and what about your summer, Kiku?"

"Huh?" He looked up from his desk at Mrs. Rosales. "Uhm…I'm sorry Rosales-sensei. What…was it you asked?"

"How was your summer?"

"It was…eventful. I spent most of it with Alfred-san and Matthew-san."

"So I've heard! You and Alfred are really close, huh?"

"Yup!" the blonde replied with a sunny smile. "Kiku's my best pal!"

"Y-Yes… I consider Alfred-san my closest friend as well…"

"Aww, now that's really cute! If I didn't know any better, I might've mistaken you two as a couple."

Kiku's face flushed while Alfred held his hands up in defense. "Woah, Mrs. Rosales, it's not like that, honest! I-I'm not—"

"I believe you." She gave a sweet smile. Kiku tried to hide his face in a textbook, while Alfred slumped in his seat, arms crossed and attempting to ignore the heat rising to his cheeks. Knowing peers in their class, such as Tino and Feliks, smiled at the pair who were sporting matching blushes.

"What about you Manuel? You've been quiet since you walked into the classroom." When she didn't get a response, she asked again. "Manuel? What did you do over your summer?"

"Huh?"

"Don't tell me you weren't paying attention either…"

"I'm…sorry, Mrs. Rosales. Uh…didn't do much. You know, just worked mostly…!"

"You didn't go to any summer parties? I hear Alfred and Matthew have their birthday party every 4th of July. I'm surprised none of your friends have spoken about it yet."

There was almost complete silence in the homeroom class. Manuel could feel all his friends' eyes on him. He didn't want to answer that question. Standing up, he walked toward the door. "Ah ha, I'm sorry. I have to…uhm…use the restroom…! My stomach's been bothering me ever since I left my house! Excuse me."

With a concerned look, Mrs. Rosales called after him, but he didn't come back. "Was it something I said?"

Most everyone in class knew what was bothering the Mexican boy, Alfred especially. "He didn't go to your party, Alfred? Did you not invite him?"

"Eh…n-no he went! It was…er…different than last year's. A lot…different…"

"Don't worry about Manuel, maestra." She turned to Antonio who spoke up. "Manny has a lot of things going on in his head right now. He just needs some time alone, that's all!" Though he said that, Antonio himself was mildly worried.

"Well…alright."

"And you? How was your summer?"

"Hmm? Oh! Well as you can see," she rubbed her dilated stomach. "I'm expecting my third child, ha ha! Although this happened before summer." She chuckled as the entire class congratulated her.

"Oh! Is it going to be a girl or a boy?" Mei asked excitedly.

"My husband and I want it to be a surprise, so we're waiting until the baby is born. But I'd be lying if I said I wasn't hoping for a girl! We have two sons already, so a girl would be nice."

After they chatted with Mrs. Rosales some more, she turned to the white board. "Okay class, let's get down to business before homeroom period is over. Now then…" She pushed the board that said 'Welcome back class!' to reveal the one underneath. A large timeline was drawn on it with important dates marked. "This is your senior year, so the first thing I'm going to emphasize is to have at least 4 colleges in mind that you wish to enter. We're going to get started on your paperwork early. And don't forget to apply for financial aid because universities these days cost an arm and a leg."

She made notes in the free spaces on the board. "Your senior year is very busy, and I'm hoping it's more fun than stressful for you all. Prom is in May and following that are your other senior activities, but I'll talk more about that in January, okay?" Picking up some flyers, she waddled slightly as she walked to the front of each row, counting the students and then handing the correct quantity to the first person. "One thing I will talk about however, is the senior play."

Smirking as some her students groaned, she continued. "Now now, you all saw last year's seniors in the auditorium, and now it's your turn. This is your community project."

"Can some of us be exempt from this activity and do something else?"

"No Arthur, you must all participate in some way, whether you help set the stage, direct, act, and so on and so forth. Every senior homeroom is doing their own play, so I want you all to start thinking of ideas so I can send them in to the theater department. If you even want to start writing scripts of your concepts, that's fine too."

Kiku wasn't enthusiastic about acting, but writing out a story idea and having it turned into a play piqued his interest. Hmm, I do have a few already in my head. Perhaps I should submit one… He raised his hand and asked, "Rosales-sensei, if we do submit one and it gets chosen, will our name be on it?"

"But of course. All of your names will be on it."

"So, if the person who submits a script gets chosen, then…will they have to act in the play?"

"That depends. Like in movies, the directors are sometimes also the actors. But we'll talk more about that one the deadline gets closer. The play is to be performed at the beginning of May for our class, but because it has to be a considerable amount of time, we start preparing in November, so your scripts must be turned in on October 31st."

She clapped her hands together. "That reminds me, once again we're having our Halloween bash! If you wish to participate, like helping setting up the gym with decorations, don't forget to tell me. You have to decide by the end of September."

When she was about to pass out the class schedules, Manuel walked back into the room. "Oh, Manuel you missed all of my exciting announcements."

"Eh, I'm sorry."

"Don't be. I'm sure Antonio or your sisters can fill you in." She passed around the new class schedules to all of her students. "Oh, and just so none of you procrastinate, like I know most teenagers do, I went ahead and even made copies of my timeline so you don't miss anything!"

The bell rang, prompting the students to pick up their things and pour out of the classroom. "Have a good first day back! Don't forget to have your schedules signed or stamped so I know you actually went to all of them!"

Arthur sighed as he opened up his new locker combination, stuffing his things inside so he didn't have to carry so much during lunch.

"Hey Artie!" greeted Gilbert as he slapped him on the back.

"Will you please stop doing that?!"

"So I was wondering if you'd help me with something."

"What?"

"Well, you're good at English and stuff, yeah?"

"If you're going to make some kind of joke because I actually am—"

"No no, I want ya to help me with a script."

"Why?"

"'Cause like I said, you're good at writing."

"Gilbert—"

"Hey now before you say anything, I already read the rules and things, and it says that the scripts can be a collaborative effort." He slung an arm around his shoulders. "Let's make a script!"

"Aren't you going to write one with Francis and Antonio?"

"Nah, they're making a really mushy romance thing with Lovi, so I don't wanna be a part of it."

The Briton sighed. "Fine, fine. What did you have in mind?"

"Something badass, like a spy sorta thing with action and shit."

"You know, this sounds like something you'd want to talk with Alfred about."

"Nah, he's coming up with a superhero theme, like always. Gonna have aliens and dinosaurs in it or something."

"I wonder if he's aware that this school isn't a movie studio…"

"So? What do you say?"

"You don't want to ask your brother for help?"

"Eh, Feli wanted to do some kinda fairytale theme with him and some other people…"

"So essentially, you have no one."

"…well it sounds bad when you put it like that."

Massaging his temple, he said, "Alright, I'll help you with a script. But! As the rules say, this is a collaborative effort, so if I think something just doesn't flow well—"

"Yeah yeah, you can change it." Gilbert caught Kiku at his locker and said, "Hey Kiku!"

"Hello, Gilbert-san, Arthur-san."

"Wanna work on a script with Artie and me?"

"Uhm, no thank you."

"Aww, why not?"

"I…already have something in mind. It's something I hoped to submit by myself…"

"Hmm, really? Well, okay I guess. Can't wait to see it! Heh heh! But don't be bummed out if it doesn't get chosen! We're rivals from now until Halloween!"

"Yes… If that's what you think, Gilbert-san."

"Right! So Artie, we should start writing out the plot. I'm gonna be the main character."

"You, the main character?"

"Well yeah. I'm gonna be the lead actor! Liz is gonna be my lead actress."

Arthur scoffed. "Have you even asked her?"

"She'll agree. Eventually."

"Right."

Kiku swatted away the pseudo fog as he walked into the large store. Alfred insisted they go to the Halloween warehouse as soon as October rolled around.

"Uh, did I really have to come Al?" Matthew asked, walking behind him a little slowly.

"Well yeah. We're all gonna get some costumes so that way we can get the good ones and not the shitty leftovers. Kiku, what're you thinking about going as?"

"I don't believe I want to attend our school's Halloween event…"

"Aww but why not?! You hafta go!"

"There is nothing to do there except eat and dance."

"Wow, buddy, you've really never attended the past 3 Halloween festivals at school?"

"No."

"Dude, they're gonna have games and food and a few rides too, and a haunted house on the football field!"

"Is that…true? I mean, our school is rather large but to have so many things going on in one place—"

"Well it's also open to the surrounding community, so the streets bordering the campus are reserved too." He slung an arm around him. "C'mon Kiku, it'll be fun!"

"Mm…"

"Please, for me, your bestest buddy Alfred? It won't be as fun if you don't go…"

Kiku almost wanted to slap him for giving him the puppy-dog look again. When he realized Alfred refused to waver, he gave a heavy sigh, smiling at him. "Very well, I will go."

"Yay! Alrighty, let's get that costume!" He darted off to the first aisle of male costumes. Matthew chuckled, walking at a steady pace alongside Kiku.

"That look gets me too."

"What?"

"When Al gives you 'the look', you know, when he gazes at you like a puppy."

"O-Oh… Well, I will admit that it's…difficult to say no to him when he looks at me like that… It takes a lot of effort to resist Alfred-san when he makes that cute face… Not that I think he's cute or anything of the sort! I mean perhaps he may be attractive to s-some people but—"

His face flared up when the younger Jones twin laughed at him. He patted his head. "I understand Kiku." A lot more than you think, heh heh. I wonder how this'll play out? "Well, do you have an idea of what you want to dress up as?"

"Not in the faintest… I never gave much thought to celebrating Halloween."

"What about something from your culture? Manuel used to do that. What did he say it was called…? Oh, a calavera, I think?"

"…I don't know what that is."

"Uhm…if I remember, he said it means 'skull' in Spanish, so he'd paint his face like a skull but it was really colorful… Oh! I think it had something to do with the Mexican holiday that honors the dead…erm, Day of Dead, yeah. I don't know if he's going to do that this year though. He hasn't been himself after our party because of…him."

Kiku nearly flinched at hearing the venom in his tone. "Yes, I've noticed… Poor Manuel-san. It isn't the same if he isn't smiling all the time."

"Well hopefully Antonio can help. He hasn't left his side ever since this school year started."

Matthew led his friend to an aisle with costumes, but nothing caught Kiku's attention. He left the other alone for a while as he searched the aisles for something suitable. "Because of my slender build, nothing here will look right…" Out of curiosity he walked into the women's aisle. "And if I were female, nothing here would be suitable to me either… There is 'sexy' labeled on everything… Oh, but this cat one is cute… Perhaps I can make my own costume. Hmm, yes, I think I will."

Kiku ventured on to the props on the other end of the store. From scary medieval statues to dismembered plastic limbs, he tried to look for some sort of inspiration. The dead silence of the area helped him concentrate a bit. "I don't want to be something that everyone else is going to be. Vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies—urgh, I want it to look good." He stopped by a skull with glowing eyes that began to talk next to severed heads. "Hmm…"

"There you are Kiku!"

He shrieked when a hand was placed on his shoulder. Alfred retracted his arm. "I'm sorry! Didn't mean to scare you."

"Th-That's fine Alfred-san…" He held a hand to his heart. "Did you find a costume you liked?"

"Yup!" He presented the wrapped packaging to Kiku. Of course he'd pick this one. Why didn't I see this coming? "I see."

"What? You don't like it?"

"No, it's not that." He smiled. "You're just very predictable. Captain America, Alfred-san?" He shook his head, giving a chuckle and walking down the aisle to look at the rest of the props.

"Captain America is awesome, okay?! Everybody dresses as Batman or Superman. Besides, I look like Steve, dontcha think?"

"From the movie, yes."

"Exactly! So it's perfect!"

"If you ask me, this costume doesn't do you justice."

"What do you mean?"

"I've looked at all the costumes here and they aren't of a good quality."

"Well yeah, 'cause they're made en masse."

"Exactly. Therefore, may I make an offer?"

"Offer? Uh, sure! What is it?"

"I'll make you a Captain America costume, one that is sure to look much better, Alfred-san."

"Really Kiku? But that's gonna take a lot of work and I'd feel bad—"

"You have done so much for me this year. This is the least I can do for you, my best friend."

"Uhm…w-well, okay, thanks…! But are you sure—"

"Yes, do not worry Alfred-san. It won't be like the one in the movie of course, but it'll be a much better quality than this. Better to save our money on sewing supplies and fabric to make our costumes the best. If I'm going to this Halloween event with you, then I'm going to make sure our costumes are superb."

"Oh…well…geez, thanks! Heh heh, I'm excited now! Guess I'll put this back then." Kiku followed him to the aisle where he had selected his costume. "Hey, so those times when I saw you in your room making costumes…?"

"Ah, that is a little side job I do for people. I make cosplays for those who like frequenting conventions. As long as I have good reference pictures, I can probably make it."

"Woah."

"What?"

"Kiku, you keep straight A's even with a job, you draw awesome, you play a sport, you cook and do all this housework, you take awesome photos, you make costumes—you're like…like…like perfect, on top of being cute too!"

The Japanese teen felt himself heating up as he tucked a lock of hair behind his ear. "Uhm…"

"W-Well y'know…I mean…like…y'know…" He rubbed the back of his neck, cheeks rosy. "…uhm…yeah." Alfred chuckled nervously. "If…if y'know…I were a chick or…or you…you were one…uhm…o-or if I were…w-well if I were into guys…I'd totally…"

"…?" Kiku looked up at him, taking notice of the blonde's reddening face as he looked at the ground. He laughed nervously again as he removed his glasses, cleaning the lenses with the end of his shirt.

"M-Man that fog machine is really something huh? Glasses got all murky h-ha ha…" He felt his heart racing and his pores beginning to sweat. It's sorta hot in here…

"Alfred-san, uhm I think your glasses are clean now. You're being very vigorous with them…"

"O-Oh. Well wouldja lookit that! Guess they are!" He placed them back on his face. "S-So let's go find Matt, yeah?"

"Y-Yes, and then we can go to a fabric store."

"S-Sounds like a plan."

They walked to the front of the store, Matthew coming out from behind a corner of the aisle next to them. He smiled knowingly, shaking his head. "Oh brother."

Arthur gave a heavy sigh, slouching in his seat at the library computers. "Does Gilbert even know how to structure a bloody story? My God, I might just have to rewrite everything. This is going way too fast for proper development…"

Lovino approached the computer next to him. "Is this seat taken? No? Good." He nearly tossed his backpack on the floor, slumping in the seat next to Arthur.

"Yes, go right ahead Vargas…" He stared at the disgruntled Italian. "I really don't want to ask, but might as well take a break from this disaster of a script. Why do you look pissed, Lovino?"

"Nothing."

"Alright then—"

"It's fucking Antonio."

"Having boyfriend troubles? Ah."

"So you know how every Halloween there's a costume contest for single and group costumes? Well we were gonna do a group one."

"Of what?"

"Little Red Riding Hood. See, Sanne was gonna be Red, Antonio the woodsman, I was gonna be the granny—shut up Arthur—and it was gonna be awesome, but then he insisted we also have a wolf because otherwise it wouldn't work, which is stupid because we don't need all the characters. So then Sanne asked her big brother to be the wolf but he and Antonio hate each other so now he doesn't wanna do the group thing but we already have our costumes done and the festival is this Friday! And now Antonio decided he wants to be a pirate with that fucking French bastard so they're entering the contest as a pair and Sanne's brother has now made plans to go with his friends at their college thing and—ugh!"

"I see."

"Why did he change at the last minute?! Stupid Feli always gets somewhere in the top 3 for the costume contests and I gotta beat him!"

"Just get another wolf."

"And where the fuck am I supposed to find somebody to be a wolf with Sanne and me?"

"How should I know? Don't ask me as I have already decided on my costume."

"You know Sherlock Holmes gets old after a few years, right Arthur?"

"W-Well it's my costume and I can dress as Holmes as much as I please!"

Lovino huffed and crossed his arms, staring at the black computer screen. His fingers tapped rhythmically on his arm until a light bulb went off. "Oh, I think I know who I can ask. Hopefully he doesn't get upset."

"Glad you resolved your own problem." He went back to his script.

"So watcha working on?"

"Gilbert's writing. There are so many errors and he's so stubborn about his ideas that I'm pretty sure this script won't get very far."

"Why didn't you just write your own script?"

"I wanted to, but he absolutely insisted I write one with him. I thought it'd be less work but turns out it's more considering I'm doing everything at this point. I'm tempted to just submit my own script and put both our names on it because it isn't getting anywhere." He gave a heavy sigh. "What about you?"

"Eh, I didn't have any good ideas, but Antonio and Francis wanted to write some romantic shit so I decided to just join in. This project is stupid."

"Yes but if we don't do it, we don't graduate."

"Hmph. So, what's with you and Francis?"

"What?"

"You two are bothering me."

"How on earth are we bothering you?"

"You guys stopped talking completely and it feels unnatural."

"If that sexual felon chooses not to speak with me, then I'm not going to speak with him either."

"Geez, you guys act like a couple who're going through a rough patch, even when you're not together."

"We aren't a couple! Don't insinuate things like that!"

"I'm just telling you like it is." He rested the side of his head in his hand. "But you know, ever since you two stopped talking, that bastard hasn't made moves on anybody. Well, 'least not perverted ones. What'd you do to him?"

"Nothing, and if I did, then better for everyone that he stops with that behavior!"

"Not that I want him to continue making lewd comments at people and crap, trust me I'm glad that's over, but…like I said, something feels unnatural."

"What could possibly be unnatural about it?"

"Oh, yeah, now I know. You guys are always arguing about dumb shit, like every morning on the bus and even after school. Kinda miss it."

"I sure don't."

"You sure? 'Cause ever since he stopped talking to you, you blow up at people who aren't Francis. He was like…your punching bag or something, and now the rest of us gotta take it instead. It's bothering Antonio most of all, y'know being his close friend and everything."

"I'm sure you can console your boyfriend plenty when you're alone."

"What're you trying to say?! You think all we do is fuck don't you?!" The increased volume in his voice caused curious stares to be thrown his way from other students. Lovino blushed, clearing his throat, trying to his face behind a text book. "I'll have you know asshole," he began again in a hushed tone. "that what he and I do in our free time doesn't always involve…getting intimate when nobody's home, alright?!"

"So it's still a frequent occurrence."

"Will you just shut the fuck up?!"

"Gladly. Your reddening face is all I need to know."

Lovino growled, grabbing his things and standing up. "It's a bad idea to talk to somebody like you on my off days."

"Somebody like me?"

"Yeah, like what Kiku called you once. What was that term…? Oh, I think it was tsun-something…tsundere, yeah, there we go. People like you are hard to deal with."

"I'm hard to deal with? I think you better ask that lover of yours how he handles you so well, both in and out of the bedroom."

"See?! You're even picking up the way Francis would normally talk about these things!"

"I am not!"

"You miss him, just admit it."

"Good day, Lovino."

Rolling his eyes, he walked away grumbling. Arthur seethed with anger, and a bit of embarrassment. "I don't miss him… I absolutely do not miss him…" He tapped his fingers on the desk. "…I could…take Lovino's suggestion and be something else this year though…" Glancing at the Halloween decorations at the center display of the library, Arthur raised an eyebrow at the skull that caught his attention. "Hmm…"

"Aww yeah, this year's turnout is awesome!" Alfred said as he walked through the back gate to the school. "It's even decorated nicer!" He stood proudly in his Captain America costume, saluting people as he walked by. "And my costume is totally badass. Kiku, you're amazing."

"It was n-nothing."

"No it's definitely something! You even tailored Matt's costume!"

"I-It would have felt weird if I made one just for you…"

Matthew chuckled. "Well thanks Kiku. It's comfortable now." Although I know the real reason is that it would've been suspicious if you only made Al's. He slung his plastic axe over his shoulder.

"A lumberjack isn't really a scary costume."

"Captain America isn't either you know…"

"No, but it's badass." Alfred stroked his chin. "We should've been Thing 1 and Thing 2. Then we could've entered the group costume contest."

"People already mistake me for you in our normal clothes, especially when they're angry at something you did. I don't want them to have an even bigger reason for it…"

"So you gonna go look for Feli, Kiku?"

"Well I thought we all agreed to enter the haunted house together?"

"Oh! Yeah! That's right!"

The trio walked through the labyrinth of booths and festive visitors to the football field where an impossibly large haunted house was stationed.

"…this is…incredible." Kiku glanced up at the second story. "How did they make this?"

Matthew laughed. "When our school got a bigger budget, they decided to try something different the past three years. There's this company that delivers temporary haunted houses. It takes about two weeks to set it up though."

"But how did they even get it here?"

"It's on wheels when it isn't stationary, eh, well most of it anyway. Kinda hard to explain!"

"Well then I shall just enjoy it for today, and figure out the technicalities later." Kiku watched as Alfred ran to Feliciano who was already waiting in the line with most of their friends.

"Uwah Alfred! You look really cool!" the peppy Italian chirped.

"Thanks! You look pretty good yourself! More cute than scary though."

"Well I don't wanna be scary! Besides, we're gonna enter the costume contest! Right Kiku?!"

"Yes."

"You look soooo cute! Your costume is really nice!"

Feliciano decided that he was going to enter in the school's costume contest once again. He had won third place his freshman year, second place in sophomore year, and first place in junior year. Now his senior year, he didn't really mind if he lost, but he wasn't going to spend his last year not trying. So with much begging and a little even blackmailing, he convinced Ludwig, Elizaveta, Roderich, and even Kiku to enter the group costume contest in a Wizard of Oz theme.

"All of your costumes are finely made as well."

"Yeah! I wanted to be Dorothy but Liz said she'd fit it better…"

"Of course I do. And you make a cute lion anyway Feli!"

"I do, don't I? Hee hee! Ludwig is a good Tin Man! It took forever to get that face paint on."

"This costume isn't exactly easy to move in… It's not a good idea to go into this haunted house which requires running."

"Aww…but you're big and scary anyway so the ghouls might run away from you instead! Roderich doesn't look much different in his wizard costume… You just look fancy…"

"You didn't expect me to actually wear a wizard hat, did you?"

"Well…" He pouted when the Austrian sighed, and then turned to Kiku. "But Kiku! You're the cutest, and it's not fair!"

"I just wanted to look like an authentic scarecrow so I watched the movie the week before I started making this costume…"

Alfred smiled as Kiku conversed with Feliciano. Emily had a hard time letting them go because she wouldn't stop taking pictures of him. She cooed over how adorable he was as a scarecrow, and was a little sad she'd be passing out candy without her three darlings to entertain the kids.

"Feli! Your costumes are really good!" Antonio and Francis approached them. They were both wearing elaborate pirate captain outfits that attracted a considerable amount of attention from their female peers.

"Wah, thanks Antonio! You and Francis look really cool too!"

"But of course ~!" The Frenchman adjusted his hat. "We spent all our leisure time making them as realistic as possible. Maman helped me with mine for more technical details."

"Same here. Mamá wanted to make sure we won the contest!"

"Dontcha think that shirt is open just a little too much, bastard?"

The Spaniard turned around to find Lovino and Sanne walking up to them.

"Lovi! You went with the costume after all?"

"Of course. I wasn't gonna let down Sanne unlike some asshole I know."

"I'm sorry…" he apologized to the Belgian girl. "But…"

"No, it's okay Antonio. I understand!"

"You look muy bella in your red cloak!"

"Thank you!"

"Heh heh, and of course Lovi looks cute as always!"

"I wanted to bring a plastic rifle with me so people know I ain't somebody you can fuck around with but mamma thought that would ruin the costume…" He walked up to his younger brother, pointing a finger. "I refuse to be beaten again this year, Feli!"

"L-Lovi why do you always get like this every Halloween…? You're not possessed are you?"

"You're a fucking idiot, little brother."

Francis crossed his arms. "Not to discourage you or the lovely Sanne, but Feli has a much larger group, and Antonio and I have magnificent costumes."

"Yeah? You haven't seen our wolf yet. I just wish he'd get here already!"

The line started to grow longer for the haunted house, and Alfred could hear visitors screaming inside. Kiku noticed his slight tremble. "We don't have to go in if you don't want, Alfred-san."

"I'm not scared!"

"I didn't say you were."

"L-Look we're almost at the front and we've waited here for a while so no backing out! Heroes don't back out, especially not Captain America!"

Matthew glanced around while his twin and Kiku chatted, but his heart stopped when he saw Katyusha walking towards him in the loveliest gown he ever did see. She spotted him and trotted over to where he was standing, his face gradually turning pink.

"K-K-Katyusha! H-Hello."

"Hello Matthew! I'm sorry but…I lost Ivan and Natalia!"

"What are they wearing?"

"Well, Ivan is dressed like a bear, and Natalia sort of looks like a ghost… We don't have matching costumes, but I wanted to…to attempt to enter the single contest this year, so I decided to look like some sort of frost queen. Uhm, yes something along those lines! How does it look…? You're always honest with me."

"B-Bea…well your costume is really nice and…white! It sure stands out. You look…really pretty in it, Katyusha."

Her cheeks turned rosy. "Th-Thank you Matthew!" She smiled sweetly at him. He could've sworn his heart skipped a few beats. "I hope you don't think this is a bother but…well, can I stay with you for a while, until I find my brother and sister?"

"O-Of course! I was gonna enter the haunted house right now but if you don't want to—"

"No, I do! I don't mind!"

Both of them caught somebody running past them to where Lovino and Sanne were standing. Panting as he put his hands on his knees, he collected himself and said, "I'm here, I'm here!"

"Manny! Took you long enough!"

"Hey you wanted this costume to look good so I made sure of it! I think I might have to redo my face though…"

"You shouldn't have ran!"

"How else was I supposed to get here when you wouldn't stop texting me?!"

"Well, your costume still looks fine anyway. We're gonna win for sure!"

"I dunno. Feli's group looks pretty good."

"Thank you Manny! You make a cute wolf!"

"I'm not supposed to be cute!"

Lovino rubbed his eyes, giving a heavy sigh. "Okay, well if we can at least get third place, it wouldn't have been a total loss!"

"This is your wolf?" Antonio asked. He smiled. "Manny you did a good job with your costume!"

"It was last minute but thankfully I had planned to be a werewolf this year anyway." He crossed his arms. "…aren't there rules or something of how much skin a person can show, 'cause this isn't a swimming competition. Your shirt doesn't need to expose your entire torso."

"I'm not that exposed! And it's part of my costume!"

"You're gonna give girls a heart attack. Sanne and Liz won't stop staring." The two girls quickly turned away, giggling.

"Well you will too with how cute you look!"

"Holy shit I'm not supposed to be cute! Look! Fangs! See I have fangs and I tried to make my hair look like a wolf's mane! I needed a lot of reference pictures!"

"But what's wrong with being cute? I really like your costume! Ha ha, I think you did a good job with it!" He tapped his painted nose, Manuel slapping his hand away.

"Don't do that." He hoped the face paint hid the reddish color on his cheeks.

"The ears and tail are a nice touch too."

He grumbled something in Spanish under his breath, Antonio chuckling as he patted his head. "But if I were the judge of the contest, I'd give you a place in the top 3 rankings!"

"…is it really that good?"

"¡Si! I can tell you put a lot of thought into it!"

"I didn't wanna disappoint Sanne or tu novio."

"Well they'd be crazy to be disappointed." He smiled at him, getting a somewhat sheepish smile in return.

"Yeah, it's pretty good Manny," Lovino said, feeling a little uncomfortable with how his boyfriend was complimenting the other. "C'mon, we're almost next. Once we get this haunted house over with, we can go and submit our entries for the contest."

The line finally got to their large group, but they had to go in smaller numbers so as not to overwhelm the hallways. Matthew went with Katyusha, while Alfred partnered up with Kiku.

"Alfred-san."

"Y-Yeah?"

"Though my hand isn't made out of straw like an actual scarecrow, you're going to turn my bones into just that with how tightly you're grasping it…"

"S-Sorry… Eh, oh!" He walked in front of Kiku. "It's not hero-like for a civilian to walk in front of me in such a dangerous place like this, especially one made out of straw!"

He turned white like a sheet when he saw a cloaked figure walking towards them down the hall.

"D-Don't worry Kiku!" He barricaded him with his large stature, holding the trademark shield in front of them. "I'll protect you!" He felt smaller hands tugging vigorously at the fabric of his sleeve. "What?"

All he needed was for Kiku to point up. Alfred did a double-take as the cloaked figure in the distance was gone, and when he turned around, it was standing right behind them, glowing red eyes leering into their very souls.

"…"

"Alfred-s-s-s…"

"RUN, KIKU, RUUUUUN!" He grabbed his hand and dragged him down the hallway, even passing other patrons through the various twists and turns that he eventually gave up and just carried Kiku in his arms, running, running, running like hell to find the exit. Every ghoul only made him run faster, Kiku half afraid and half embarrassed at the whole thing.

He bolted out of the exit with his scarecrow friend nearly plastered to his chest.

"Alfred-san!" Kiku said as he wouldn't stop running, passing some of his friends, Matthew trying to chase after them.

"Nononononononononononoooooooo!"

"Get a hold of yourself! You've ran all the way to the neighborhood street!"

"Wh-What?"

He saw children going from door to door, asking for candy. He looked behind him and saw the school a few yards away. "Oh… Uh…" He set him down. "S-Sorry…"

"It's…fine…"

"Ah h-ha ha but we made it out alive! See? I protected you, just like I said I would!"

Giving a small sigh, Kiku replied, "Yes, you did. Thank you Alfred-san. Is this where I say, 'my hero' or something along those lines?"

He scratched his cheek. "Well…y-you don't have to, but if you want…you can… I don't mind."

"You are a very good hero, Alfred-san. Uhm…and I mean that in the literal sense…"

"Huh?"

"Well…I know that, you think heroes are like the ones found in comic books but…there are everyday heroes as well, like firefighters, policeman, doctors…and…a-and you as well. I consider you my hero for everything that you and your family have done for me… For being such a good person… So…so…! To me, you really are a hero, whether you wear a costume or not, Alfred-san!"

The American caught his breath for a moment, his face hot and red underneath his mask. He removed it, wiping his brow of sweat, fiddling with it in his hands. "Kiku I…I don't know…what to say I mean…damn. Th-Thanks. I'm glad I could actually be somebody's hero! That makes me really, really happy!"

Kiku could never get over how handsome Alfred was. With his glasses he was adorable, but those rare moments when he wore his contact lenses, well, he took his breath away every instance. He admired so many things about his tall blonde friend, and when he smiled at Kiku, it made his heart flutter with joy and pride, joy because of how good Alfred was to him, and pride because he was lucky to have let such a person into his life, and into his heart.

"I'm…I'm really happy too that, well that you're happy! It brings a smile to my face when you're happy."

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Alfred screamed and smacked whoever was behind him with the back of his hand. He turned around and saw that he had hit Arthur in the face.

"You idiot!"

"Well don't scare me like that Artie! It was a reflex!"

"My nose is all bloody now!"

"Not my fault!"

"It's going to stain my costume!"

"Oh, you're another gaudy pirate like Toni and Francis?"

"I refused to be shown up by those two morons on Halloween."

Panicking a little, Kiku fussed over his English friend. "Arthur-san, we really must get you to a restroom!"

"Kiku it's really—"

"No! Just look up at the sky and I will lead you to the nearest one."

"Well if you're being so insistent about it…"

Alfred watched as the two began to walk back to the campus, Arthur no doubt complaining about how much of an imbecile the American was, but he was glad that there wasn't any awkward tension after the unfortunate subconscious confession over the summer.

Putting his mask back on, the spandex-clad hero followed behind them, trying to sort out his thoughts. He watched as Kiku tended to Arthur's bleeding nose, Alfred drowning out all noise as he smiled at his small friend, rose-colored cheeks everlasting.

Things hardly worked out in Lovino's favor. His costume got ruined by a careless passerby who accidentally dropped food on it. He was so frustrated he cursed him out in Italian, Sanne apologizing for his behavior.

"Lovi it's not that bad…"

"Yeah it is! Now we can't compete because the costumes have to look nice and I've let you down and Manny too! You both worked hard on them!" He tossed his granny cap on the ground. "And now Feli is gonna win again even though…!"

"Lovi please don't cry!"

"I ain't c-cryin'…!" he blubbered. "I'm just…! …so fuckin' frustrated!"

"It's alright! Really!" She picked up his cap, dusting it off. "It's just a silly contest! People will forget about it in a week or two, okay?" She put it back on his head, wiping his tears away with a finger. "To be honest, I didn't really care about winning. I was just happy I could dress up with you! Halloween is a lot more fun if you dress up with friends, right?"

"…guess so."

"The fact that I was the first person you asked to be a part of your group, well it made me giddy! I was really excited! So don't feel bad, okay Lovi? You tried your best, and that's what matters!"

"…thanks… I'm sorry about back there, y'know with my angry shouting…"

"It's okay. Why don't we just enjoy ourselves? They have games here we can play, or are you hungry?"

"I kinda like to eat when I'm upset."

"Then let's get some food. I'm sure that'll cheer you right up!"

Lovino smiled at her. "Yeah, okay. Uh, hey, where'd Manny go?"

"I'm not sure… He got angry when you started shouting at that guy. I think he left. He probably figured the same thing as you, that we wouldn't be able to enter the contest."

It was true. Manuel was frustrated with the way things went. He had stressed himself out trying to make his costume likeable, only to have the objective stripped away from him. But, tonight was supposed to be fun, and he wasn't going to let this incident or anything else bring him down.

At least, that's what he thought until he saw Alfred approaching him.

"Uh…h-hey…!"

He walked away from him.

"Manny c'mon! I really need to talk with you!" He ran in front him, blocking his path. "Please…?"

The other refused to look at him.

"…I know it's…difficult now…because…of what happened…but…"

"…not here."

"What?"

"Alfred I don't wanna talk about this right now."

"Well…then, when can you talk about it?"

"…I don't know. I can't even…look at your face sometimes."

"But you don't have to, at least not tonight. I'm wearing a mask, see?"

"I'm sorry. Just…give me more time, ¿porfavor?"

He sighed, shoulders slouching. "…okay."

"…your costume's pretty good."

"Thanks. Kiku made it. Yours is pretty cool too…"

He only gave a slight nod before walking away, leaving Alfred to stare at his back with a downcast expression.

"You really should try, you know."

"Antonio don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Creep out of shadowy places!"

"Ah ha, I'm sorry, didn't mean to scare you!"

"So how did the contest go?"

"It hasn't started yet. In a few minutes I think they'll make an announcement."

"I am trying…"

"Huh?"

"…it's just difficult getting that bastard's face out of my head. And when I look at Alfred or Matthew…like I can't even call them by their nicknames anymore, the ones I always used to refer to them by…because then…I just see him."

"Oh Manny…"

"I am trying, honest. Therapy's kinda helping… I won't feel completely better until I know for sure that piece of shit is behind bars and dies." He looked up at Antonio. "And y'know, you've kinda been really attentive of me ever since the party so…uh, gracias. I really appreciate it."

"I just want you to get better, is all. I worry a lot about you."

"Well I'm fine."

"Manuel."

"…or I will be…soon. I think."

"And I'll help you however I can, okay?"

"You've already helped a lot. And I'm not saying that so you can leave me alone. You have a boyfriend to think about and this summer you haven't really spent a lot of time with him."

"But I always spend a lot of time with Lovi. It's not fair to you, is it?"

"…I don't blame you for what happened. Not anymore, anyway. And I'm sorry. I shouldn't have. It wasn't your fault. It wasn't anybody's, except that pervert's… So you don't have to keep spending so much time with me—"

"I like spending time with you though. I really missed it."

"Yeah, I did too…"

"Besides, Lovi understands, and well…if he doesn't, I'll have to have a talk with him. I love you both, you know that right?"

"Yeah… Guess I love…y'know the thing you said…yeah me too…"

Antonio chuckled. "Que lindo eres." He heard the announcement for the costume contest. "Well I gotta go. Wish me luck!" He kissed the top of his head, Manuel's eyes widening at the gesture.

"Wh-What the fuck was that for?!"

"It's called a good luck kiss!"

"That's a thing you do with Lovino for crying out loud!"

"But he's not here. And if I had asked for one, you wouldn't have given it to me."

"Of course not! That's…just plain weird!"

He only laughed, waving at him as he hurried to the stage in the distance. Manuel crossed his arms, a bit peeved. "That guy really is an idiot…" Groaning, he covered his face, skin growing hot beneath his hand. "I still win first place for being the biggest one in the universe… I really do wish he'd just leave me alone and maybe even ignore me. I don't want problems with Lovino because of all this attention, especially now that…I think…I think that I'm…"

His stomach growled. "Urgh, yeah, I'm hungry."

The results of the contest were to be expected. Feliciano's group won first place, followed by Antonio and Francis, and then Tino and his group who dressed up like possessed toys. Katyusha won the single contest first place. She just looked so radiant! Arthur managed second place with his haunted pirate costume. And after much convincing, Alfred entered as well, winning third place. He saluted the crowd, a big smile on his face.

They got home just in time to help Emily with the remaining trick o' treaters who came to their door. The little kids really liked Alfred who took it upon himself to role-play for them. Kiku thought it was amusing that he was enjoying himself so much.

"Tired Kiku?" Emily asked as she locked the front door.

"Yes, but in a good way. I had a lot of fun at the festival. I also handed in my script to Rosales-sensei. She was dressed as a kangaroo."

"How cute!"

"Yes. I think I'm going to turn in early though." He looked to the couch where both the twins were already knocked out.

"Aww, well okay sweetie. Good night! Don't forget to take off your facepaint!"

"I won't. Good night, Jones-san."

Removing everything was a hassle, but it was worth participating with all his friends. Kiku had hoped that the script he sent in to Mrs. Rosales would at least be taken into consideration with the theater department. Underneath the Cherry Blossoms is what he had titled his script. It was a periodical tale of romance in a fictional kingdom, between a young common handyman and the fair princess of the crown. To him it sounded cliché, but he hoped that the department head would like it.

He also hoped that none of his friends would catch on that the protagonist was heavily based—if not completely—on a certain blonde American.

A/N: If you think drawing is easy, I challenge you to take an art class in college. You will be crying mid semester if you go into it with that attitude, I can guarantee you. And if you really want to land yourself into an early grave, take more than one. So yeah, what I mean to say is, because my major is animation, it's difficult for me to find time to write anything because of all the work, but thankfully I managed to get this chapter done on time! Tried to juggle character spotlights again, but I don't know if it flowed well, so please do tell me what you think. I couldn't resist giving our lovable blonde oaf a Captain America costume ha ha.

For those of you who contacted me about doujins, I'm sorry for the delay in responses. I'll get back to you, don't you fret!

The school play event will get its own chapter I'm thinking, as it's actually a scrapped idea I had for an Ameripan story. So basically Kiku wrote a fanfic about his favorite otp, him and Alfred, heh heh!

Now I'm going to eat something and watch a Halloween movie that won't traumatize me for life. (I'm a chicken—my biggest fear is ghosts.) I wish I had The Nightmare Before Christmas but I lost it... I'm sad. Hmm, guess I'll choose between Corpse Bride or Frankenweenie instead! If you have either Pokemon X or Y, later tonight I'm going to do the Halloween Wonder Trade Challenge. So if you get a Pumpkaboo, Noibat, Litwick, or any other spooktastically cute Pokemon from somebody named Tori, yeah that's probably me ha ha! Have a Happy Halloween ~ ! ;D