#and this dude just smirks at me and fake tips a fedora like

[alaskan-wallflower]

no way some old man fedora tipped me i’m so done 💀💀

[pitifulmagicalocs]

Scene: Halloween Flashback

Canon Year: 2006

Characters: Zoey Huber (POV), Kyle Hausman, Zac Salgado, Mick Salgado, Crystal Angioli, Spencer Green, Nathan Blanchard, Janet Hausman-Scott.

Words: 2965

Commentary: I don’t love this one. I need to work on the child versions of these characters more. But it’s cute and I still want to share it.

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Zoey scooted closer into the circle, shifting uncomfortably. Her belts dug into her waist and her wig was hot and scratching at her scalp, but she couldn’t take either off. They were vital pieces of her costume. At least she got to click her beaded necklace against her teeth as she sat and listened to her friends babble on about the events of the evening.

“How do you think Lori’s family got their pumpkins to look like that?” Zac, clearly not in the same mindset as Zoey, had long-since set aside his Spiderman mask, and was shaking his fingers through his sweaty, flattened curls, to try to fluff them up again.

“Glow-in-the-dark paint.” Kyle took his old-timey fedora off of his head and spun it on his finger as he sat cross-legged at the edge of the circle.

“That’s a thing?”

“That is a thing. You can buy it at party stores.”

“Huh.”

Crystal turned her body towards Spencer.

“Hey, Spence? Do they have Halloween in Jamaica?”

Spencer shook his head, his helmet sliding down over his eyes.

“Not like here. Not really.” He pushed the helmet back up his forehead with a sigh.

The group gave subtle nods of interest, and then fell quiet for a while.

“So—“ Mick spoke up. “What are we gonna do on this spooky evening, under the light of the full-moon?”

“The moon is a waxing gibbous tonight,” said Crystal.

“Shut up.”

Zoey snorted, then broke into a giggle, until Crystal squinted over at her, and she forced herself silent.

“Alright, guys!” Kyle’s Mom called from the top of the stairs before sound of her clacking heels on the creaking stairs thumped above their heads.

Moments later, Ms. Hausman appeared around the corner. In her hands, a bowl big enough to need both of her arms around it to keep it steady.  

“I sorted the candy for you guys. Here you are.”

She crouched down at the edge of the circle, sliding the bowl to the center of it.

“It’s all safe. Now, Kyle, don’t overeat and make yourself sick again, okay?”

“Oh man!” Mick boomed. “I forgot about last year! Remember when he horked all over the bathroom at Crystal’s house? That was awesome!”

The group broke out in a chorus of “Oh yeah!” and raucous laughter. Even Kyle, who was clearly trying to sulk, had a flicker of a smirk on his cheek as he watched his friends lose it.

Janet rolled her eyes with a warm smile on her otherwise tired face. She reached over and gently smoothed her son’s hair beneath her fingers, then her eyes trailed over to Mick.

“Mikail, honey? I’m so sorry, but—what in the world are you?”

Mick looked down at himself. His ‘costume’ consisted of a mutilated raccoon costume with the tail chopped in half, fake blood drenching the fur and a dark tire-mark painted across his chest.

“I’m uhh—half Chilean and half Tunisian.”

Janet closed her eyes and blew a laugh out her nose. A much smaller reaction than Zac, who doubled over, squawking out a laugh of his own.

“No, sweetie, your costume!” Janet said with great patience.

“I know, I know,” Mick laughed. “I’m roadkill!”

Janet’s eyes popped open, and then she slapped a hand over her mouth.

“Oh my god.” Her voice came out muffled by her palm.

“He’s a very special little boy, Mom,” Kyle said, making Janet laugh out loud.

“Okay, okay, okay,” Janet sighed, tearing a bit at the corner of her eyes. “You guys have fun. I’m going to just be upstairs.”

“Wait, Mom!” Kyle reached out, pulling the bowl of candy towards himself. “—You didn’t take the Raisinets. Take them.”

“No, that’s okay, hon. You have them.”

“But they’re your favorite.”

“It’s okay.”

Kyle shook his head, picking a handful of yellow packages out of the bowl and jumping up, forcing them into his mother’s hands.

“You always eat them! You love them!”

Janet laughed, rolling her eyes and opening her hands for Kyle to fill them with candy.

“Sweet little angel,” she said softly, leaning in and pressing a kiss to Kyle’s forehead, leaving behind an oily, red stain.

“Oh shoot, your costume.”

Kyle went cross-eyed, trying to look at his own forehead, then he shrugged.

“I’m Frank Sinatra. I think it works.”

Janet grinned, smoothing her hand over Kyle’s hair one more time before nodding to the group, and turning to leave.

“I’ll be right up here if you need me.”

“Okay, Ms. Hausman!” the kids called.

“Thanks, Ms. Hausman!” Zoey added on.

Kyle returned to the circle, and dropped down, raking his fingers across his bangs and messing his hair back up again, trying to undo the damage his mother had done to his bed head.

They all stayed quiet until they heard Janet’s footsteps trail off, and a door click shut. Then, immediately, Mick threw himself against Kyle’s side.

“Oh, my sweet little angel! Thank you for this gross candy that nobody wants! Muah! Muah!” Mick leaned in close, making a kissy face that Kyle strained to escape from.

“Dude, fuck off!” he laughed, shoving Mick back with a small burst of red magic. “I like Raisinets!”

“Yeah, me too.” Spencer nodded.

“I’ll eat anything,” Nathan added on.

“You have no idea how gay you guys are.” Mick climbed off Kyle and straightened himself up, folding his legs up under himself and picking a strand of magic off of his fur, flicking it into the air and letting is disintegrate.  “Especially you, Kyle.”

Kyle’s eyes flew open. “You were just trying to kiss me!”

“Yeah, but I’ve never eaten a raisin on purpose, so.”

“That—“ Kyle froze. “—Whatever, dude.”

“I’m not gay!” Spencer huffed. “I love ladies. Ladies love me!”

“Raisins!” Mick raised his voice to a squeak, and once again—Zac burst into laughter.

“Okay.” Nathan slapped his hands together, silencing them. “Candy time!”

He dumped over the bowl, and they all set to sorting out candies, flicking each-other’s favorites at them. Mick frequently tossed mint-flavored things into Zoey’s lap, winking at her when she went to thank him.

“Hey, Hausman,” Nathan spoke up. “I’ll pay you to puke again.”

“I can’t vomit on command, Nate.” Kyle rolled his eyes, dropping a handful of candy into his upturned hat on the floor. “You’re the one in the witch costume. You do it.”

Nathan grinned widely.

“Okay!” he said, pulling a white box from out his pocket. Everyone collectively groaned. He had pulled this stunt ten times already that night.

He tilted the box, which read ‘Candy Rot!’ in big, black letters, into his mouth. Then he leaned forward and snarled, letting the inky, gel-like candy seep between his teeth.

“Rrrrah!” he roared, the fake rot dribbling down his chin.

“Watch the carpet, dude!” Kyle hissed, and Nathan quickly swiped at his chin with his sleeve.

“You’re a shitty witch, Nate,” Mick said. “—You smell too gross.”

Nathan fake laughed, and then he jolted forwards, spitting the candy out and all over the front of Mick’s costume.

“Dude! Ew!” Mick shrilled, pulling at the neckline of the costume and twisting his head down to try to see the spot.

“Why are you a witch every year, Nathan?” Crystal asked. “—It’s kinda insensitive.”

“Disgusting!” Mick whined, jumping up and rushing to the desk in the far corner of the room, snatching up a Kleenex box and immediately getting to work, wiping an ugly combination of fake rot and fake blood off onto the tissues.

“A lot of people dress as witches, Crystal,” Zac answered when nobody else did.

“Just saying. It’s like dressing up as a cancer patient.”

“Cancer patients that kill!” Nathan wailed dramatically, lunging at Spencer, who grabbed his foam sword and whacked him on the top of the head with it.

“No!” he barked, and then they both burst into laughter.

“Maybe that’ll be my costume next year!” Nathan suddenly gasped. “—Cancer witch!”

“That’s unrealistic,” Kyle said, shaking his head. “Rot kills cancer cells. They both can’t survive in the same body. They’re actually trying to find a way to use that to cure it.”

Nathan got quiet for a second, then he lunged at Kyle in the same way, snarling and squealing, doing his best ‘witch’ impression. Zoey backed up out-of-the-way and snickered as Kyle went down with a loud ‘thud’.

“Ah! Fuck off!” Kyle laughed, squirming underneath Nathan, who grabbed at the corners of his jacket and shook him violently.

“Zombie!” he called to Crystal. “Help me! Know-it-all brains taste better!”

Crystal rolled her eyes, and then laughed. “Okay, okay!”

She lifted her arms and groaned, dragging her knees across the carpet and then collapsing on top of the two boys.

“Braaaaains! Nerd braiiiins!”

Zoey threw back her head and cackled. Spencer shifted in closer and stared for a moment, before poking at the pile of friends with the tip of his sword.

“I’m helping!” he announced, making Zoey laugh even harder, enough to make her ribcage ache.

Zac jumped up. “Look out, citizen! I’ll help, too!”

“I’m not a citizen! I’m a knight!” Spencer argued.

“Look out! Sir. Citizen! I’ll help, too!” Zac threw himself into the pile, and a couple of voices groaned out in response.

“I can’t feel my fucking legs, assholes!” Kyle choked out.

“I ate them!” Crystal said.

“Oh. That’s okay, then.”

Zoey fell over onto her side, her eyes burning along with her lungs as she squealed out in a giggle-fit. She kicked at the floor and threw her hands over her eyes. Not looking up until she felt a hand tapping on her shoulder. She uncovered her face and blinked her teary eyes up at the ceiling.

“W-What?”

Mick stood over her, a finger pressed to his lips. His other hand, he held out to her. She gripped it tightly and he pulled her back up into a seated position. Then, he dropped down next to her side and leaned in close, whispering a bit too loudly into her ear.

“Grab some candy and run!”

“What?” Zoey gasped. But Mick just winked, and then he dove onto the floor, scooping up armfuls of candy and dropping them into the bowl before leaping to his feet, bowl-in-hand, and charging for the stairs. Zoey blinked in confusion for a moment, then shrugged and grabbed a couple more handfuls of candy off the floor.

She stood up, still a little light-headed from the laughing fit, and she leapt over the pile of kids on the floor, rushing to Mick’s side.

Mick balanced the bowl between his arm and his hip and he reached up, grabbing the dangling string attached to lightbulb overhead and flickering it on and off a few times.

“Later, later, raisin eaters!” he hollered.

The group broke apart, Kyle still laying on the floor, gasping for air. The others stared in surprise up at the ceiling, then over to Mick and Zoey, and then to the near candy-less spot on the carpet.

“Oh hell no!” Crystal shouted.

“Go, go! Get them!” Nathan jumped up.

“Come on, Kyle!” Spencer grabbed Kyle’s arms and yanked him up off of the floor.

“Go, go, go!” Mick blurted out, gripping the bowl in both hands and tearing up the stairs. Zoey squealed in delight and took off after him, careful not to fall and whack her face off of the steps.

They broke out into the upstairs kitchen. Kyle’s mom, who sat, straight-spined, on a stool at the kitchen-counter, an unkempt pile of papers littered before her, darted her eyes up at them.

“What—?” she started.

“Hide us!” Mick whispered.

Janet squinted, then flinched as the sound of thundering footsteps started up the stairs. She slowly smirked, and then pointed down beneath the counter. Mick snickered, and he hurried around, Zoey at his back. They both dropped down behind the counter and hid there, next to Janet’s stool. Zoey wrapped her arm around her mouth to keep herself quiet.

Moments later, the others loudly tore into the kitchen, their feet shaking the floor beneath Zoey’s knees.

“Mom! Where’d they go?” Kyle asked.

“They took the candy!” Zac added, sounding a bit winded.

“Well they didn’t go upstairs,” Janet spoke slowly. “That’s for sure. Hmm.”

Mick pressed his back against the side of the counter, squinting his eyes shut and clearly trying so hard to keep from laughing out. Zoey buried her face in the inside of her elbow, trying so hard to do the same. At the same time, constantly re-adjusting her fingers to keep the candies from falling out of her grasp and onto the floor.

There was a long moment of silence, save for a bit of shuffling, and then the sound of multiple pairs of feet rushing out of the kitchen. Shortly afterwards, they could hear the group starting up the stairs, all jeering and calling out Mick and Zoey’s names.

“You are so awesome, Janet!” Mick whispered, dropping a couple candy-bars on her lap.

“Thank you. I try,” she answered, taking the candy and noisily unwrapping it above the counter. “You know, I heard you call my son gay.”

Mick’s jaw dropped open, and Zoey snorted, dropping her arm.

“You’re not just awesome, though,” Mick patted Janet’s knee. “You’re also just—such a beautiful woman. You know, if I weren’t ten years old—“

“You are so your father’s son, Mikail.”

Mick grinned proudly, his cheeks dimpling. Then, he caught Zoey’s eye, and mouthed out ‘Oh my god!’

“We’re in s-so much trouble!” Zoey whispered.

Mick slowly nodded, a wild look in his eye. As if he’d just robbed a bank, and not a candy-stash.

The thudding sound of feet on stairs returned, and not long after, the group was in the kitchen again, murmuring and shuffling.

“They weren’t up there!” Spencer announced.

“Yeah, what gives?” Crystal added.

“I said they weren’t upstairs,” Janet said. “—You kids chose not to listen to me.”

“Yeah,” Kyle said. “—But you said it in a way that—“

Everything fell quiet, and Zoey put her face into her arm again, biting hard on her bottom lip and watching Mick, who shrunk in on himself with wide-eyes and a nervous smile.

“Hang on.” Kyle’s voice lowered. “—I didn’t give you chocolate bars.”

“Hm. No. I guess you didn’t.”

“Oh my god,” they heard Nathan whisper, then saw Kyle’s legs move around the counter.

“Mom, I—“Kyle stopped to drop down and peer under the counter. His eyes fell on them instantly, and his face dropped into a frown.

“Hey, buddy! It’s my good buddy!” Mick cheered with a quavering voice.

“Hi, K-Kyle. What’s up?” Zoey held out her hand. “—Want a Tootsie-Pop?”

Kyle scoffed, and shook his head. In a quick motion, he lunged forward and grabbed hold of Mick by the ankle.

“Wee!” Mick cheered as Kyle dragged him out from under the counter by the leg, still balancing the candy bowl on his stomach. Zoey saw Crystal’s arms come down and snatch the bowl up.

“Yeah, why don’t you take that for me? Thanks.” Mick’s head turned left and right, probably taking in all the others who stood over him. Zoey did her best to fight back laughter. Simply because she couldn’t tell if anyone was actually, genuinely angry with them.

“Zoey, you’re safe, because you’re new,” Kyle pointed to Zoey, reassuring her with a quick smile before turning his attention back to Mick.

“You’re dead.”

“Yeah! I’m roadkill! That’s the point.”

“Nah, we’re gonna kill you,” Nathan said, nudging Mick’s side with his foot.

“You can’t kill me, fools!” Mick threw his arms up, kicking his legs free from Kyle’s grasp. “I will only steal again!”

“Let’s put him in the couch cushions again; sit on him for a while.” Crystal suggested, and the others gave various sounds of approval.

“That sounds awful, let’s do it!” Mick agreed.

Kyle licked his lip, and then jumped to his feet, grabbing Mick’s leg and dragging him again. This time, out of Zoey’s sight.

“Bye, Zoey!” Mick called as he disappeared around the corner.

“Bye, Mick!”

“Don’t drag him down the stairs, guys! You know better!” Janet called after them.

“We’re not, Mom.”

Then came a few more shuffling, thumping noises, followed by a loud “Ow!” from Mick. But seeing as Janet stayed in her place, it couldn’t have been serious. After a while, the kitchen became quiet again, the only sound being the ticking of the clock on the wall, Janet’s pen scratching at papers, and the distant sound of struggling from the basement.

“Are they going to—to sit on him?” Zoey asked, still crouching under the counter.  

“They’re going to put him under the couch cushions and sit on him, yes.”

“Weird. My new friends are really weird.”

“They’re sweet kids.” Janet tapped her heel on the floor, making Zoey jump. “—They’re good to my boy.”

“Kyle’s one of my favorites.”

“Thanks,” Janet chuckled. “I worked hard on him.”

Zoey giggled softly, slipping out from under the counter and straightening herself out, fixing her skirts and itching at her wig. Janet quickly flipped the papers over, ink-down, and she turned in her seat, smiling warmly over at Zoey.

“Why don’t you go sit on your friend with everyone else, Zoey?”

“In a minute,” she answered before lifting her foot and digging a finger down beneath the tongue of her sneaker, fishing out a couple crinkling packages.

“Do you like M&Ms?”

Janet gawked at the candy in Zoey’s hand for a moment, and then she threw her head back and laughed, her blue eyes squinting to slits. Zoey hopped up and down on her heels, giggling excitedly.

“Absolutely,” Janet finally answered, shaking her head, still beaming.