It was one of those rare occasions where Steve was sure nobody would believe the truth. Gates to others dimensions opening up? Sure. Pet monsters? That's a given. But Pumpkin hunting with Eddie Munson? No one would believe it.
Yet there Steve was, cursing his boyfriend as he ruined a pair of perfectly good shoes, wading about in the mud to find the perfect one.
Eddie had bypassed several that Steve thought were fine, waving away his protests with a simple, "It's gotta be just right."
After what felt like a lifetime and a mud bath later, they finally stopped. Eddie pointed victoriously at a pair of pumpkins in front of him, their stems entwined. "These. But be careful, gotta keep them together."
"Eddie-"
"Trust me."
Steve sighed, mollified when Eddie kissed him. After a lot of hard work, they got them in the back of the van, stems intact. Eddie drove carefully for once, and back at the trailer, they started the process all over again, getting the damn things inside.
Ready for a long, hot shower, Steve was a little disappointed when Eddie sat down at the table with a carving knife and got to work. "Can't it wait?"
"Halloween's tomorrow," Eddie reminded him, tongue poking out in concentration.
If the sight weren't so adorable, Steve would be annoyed. As it was, it was a cute sight, so Steve sighed and kissed Eddie's forehead before showering alone. It took a long time to get all the dirt and sweat out of his hair, and by the time Steve had finished, it was dark outside.
The main room of the trailer was glowing ethereally when he left the bedroom, and he followed the light source to find it coming from the pumpkins. Eddie had transformed them in the last hour into a thing of beauty. Steve finally understood why he had been so insistent about the entwined ones.
Eddie had carved symbols into them, a baseball bat for one and a shield on the other, and both spiked with what he knew were supposed to be nails. To the outside world, they would look like decorations, but to Steve, he knew it ran so much deeper. Their weapons, their defenses. Their lights were still burning strong even though the fight was done.
"How does it look?" Eddie asked anxiously from the sink where he was cleaning up, elbow-deep in soapy water.
Steve could only shake his head and wrap his arms around Eddie, kissing behind his ear. He got the message, though, huffing a soft laugh. When Steve could speak again, all he could say was, "Perfect."
"Not too much?"
"No. You should put them on the porch so everyone can see."
Steve helped him take the pumpkins outside, no longer annoyed by the arduous task. Seeing them in the dark made it so much brighter and meaningful, and holding Eddie's hand in the middle of the trailer park, Steve felt at peace.
