long time, no update! i don't really use this site anymore, and my recent works are over on ao3 under the same username. i wrote this fic for a friend on tumblr for a trick or treat ask game, and since it was tt-related, i'd upload it here! happy (late) halloween!

Revvng Up Fears

The world below the clouds had such fascinating holidays. While Thunder was familiar with Halloween, he and his brother had never properly celebrated with others. He was aware there was an aspect of gathering candy and playing tricks on those who refused. People dressed in costumes, emulating mystical creatures or people they saw on television. Thunder had gleaned that information from trips to the surface, catching glimpses of what struck him as entertaining. After all, they were always on the outside looking in, or causing trouble in their pursuit of amusement, blind to the fear they instilled in others.

But while going door-to-door for candy had been fun, where the green one had taken Thunder and Lightning left him more confused than intrigued.

The electronics store had been transformed, seemingly in a day. The dim lights inside gave way to strange, choppy architecture that Thunder could not fully perceive. Cutouts of goblins and foul monsters stood at the exterior. Dressed like witches, a group of masked women roamed up and down the line where patrons waited.

Accepting a ticket from a witch, Thunder questioned, "And they will not…hurt anyone?"

Beast Boy looked up at Thunder through the holes he had cut through a long, white sheet. "No, no! See, they're actors. It's all gonna be in good fun."

Lightning scoffed, crossing his arms. "Then, what is the point if we know they are pretenders?" he grumbled, only to break into a wide grin, towering over Beast Boy and flexing his fingers. "We should frighten them instead! Make them feel jovial terror!"

"Uh, 'cause it's their job to scare us, dude."

He deflated, his split-second humor gone. Thunder spared Lightning a mollifying grin. The "haunted house," as Beast Boy called it, was unfamiliar. Supposedly, they were going to be scared of their own accord by actors. The closer they came to the entrance, the more people he noticed visibly startled, and yet, they laughed. Whatever was beyond those doors must have been worth the experience.

When it was their turn, Lightning was still grumbling. They had placed their baskets of candy - their stash, said Beast Boy - and one of the witches gave them a grin. She whisked open the doors, snatching their tickets with nails far too long. It was a part of her costume, Thunder told himself, but the eerie grin she gave him indicated otherwise.

Inside, when the doors locked, the once familiar rows of videos and devices were gone. The dim lights swayed overhead. He heard Lightning murmur that he could have powered their charge. Thunder directed his gaze to the strange chains across the cramped aisles; they were walking into a maze, which squeezed them all into a single file line, with Thunder taking point.

Scarlet lights flashed, illuminating skeletons strewn on the fences. He heard Lightning squeak, and he chuckled behind his palm. Beast Boy scrambled onto Thunder's back like a chimp, surprising Thunder. Even with the ghostly fabric covering his body, Beast Boy still clutched the Thunder's helmet with a surprisingly steady grip.

Up ahead, as they traversed over yellow femurs, was a door. Thunder felt a hint of a smile on his face, his heart beginning to race. That had been a somewhat pleasant introduction, but he was ready for the real scares. Grabbing the doorknob, he took a breath and thrust it open.

Metal revved. It roared in his ears. A silver arc sliced above their heads. A man dressed in a cloak of darkness trembled as he raised a chainsaw. His mask was stretched in agony, with distorted pupils and a wagging tongue, and Thunder shrieked.

Beast Boy howled. The man slowly swung, missing the green one's head by a wide margin. The actor stepped to the side, and Thunder realized he was meant to run. He charged ahead, his footsteps pounding on a floor illuminated with green ooze.

But, he realized, only his footsteps echoed.

Thunder whipped his head over his shoulder. Beast Boy nearly flew off his back. He clutched his cheeks, dragging them down as he shouted, "Brother, no!"

Lightning's fists were wound through the poor man's smock. He heaved the actor in the air, and the chainsaw embedded into the ground, the blade breaking off. It was rubbery, Thunder noticed, with buttons along the handle for sound.

"How dare you?" Lightning barked, raising his palm, electricity crackling around it. "You tried to incapacitate my brother and the green one! I will-!"

Beast Boy lunged over Thunder's shoulder, his sheet flying off, lost in the darkness. "Lightning, stop! He's an actor! He wasn't going to do anything!"

"But I saw him-! Agh! What in the world?"

Thunder followed Lightning's glare and turned. An array of actors, each dressed like killers Thunder saw in the movies Beast Boy shared, rushed out from dark corridors. Following them were other patrons, their faces twisting in irritation. The lights flashed on, almost blinding Beast Boy, but Thunder saw through the brilliance and found Lightning in the center of their ire.

Thunder couldn't acknowledge the grimy decor, not when Lightning's face burned under their scrutiny.

"I…" Lightning gulped and lowered his voice. "I thought he was going to harm you."

"We need you to leave," a witch sternly remarked, and she guided them through the front.

All the while, Lightning was silent, his head bowed.

Their baskets returned, they stood on the corner of the street. Thunder rubbed his neck, his frustration a memory. Lightning looked away, his grip white-knuckled on his basket.

"I am sorry for ruining the experience," was all he said, tone tense.

"Brother-"

Beast Boy patted Lightning's arm. He wore a toothy grin, one he had given the brothers on the day they met. Lightning peered at him, his face somehow paler than the discarded sheet.

"Don't sweat it," Beast Boy insisted, hitching his thumb to the city. "We can go out and ring a few more doorbells before it gets any later. More candy is always good, right?"

"You are too kind. I still…"

"You were worried," Thunder interjected, his soft voice still like a rumble, "and you only sought to protect us from danger. It was noble, brother, not foolish."

"Maybe a little foolish," Beast Boy piped up, giggling when Lightning snarled at him, "but hey! Like I said, we can get more candy, see more costumes, and other fun stuff before we head back to the Tower for the party! What do you two say?"

Relief flickered on Lightning's face, brighter than the sparks he commanded. Any shame or embarrassment was gone, his natural color returning. He laughed aloud, his lower half transmuting in a bolt as he took flight, shouting that he was more than prepared.

And as Lightning took off, zipping up the street, Thunder sighed.

"You are kind, too, green one," he said before Beast Boy could run after him.

Beast Boy hesitated, as if stunned by Thunder's declaration. But the gleam in his eyes hadn't dwindled.

"Me? Just doing what I do, dude," he replied, and together, baskets in hand, they hurried after Lightning.