Happy Halloween for those who celebrate~

***

His eyes shot open, a soft gasp escaping his mouth as he slowly came back to himself and took in his surroundings; everything was where it should be, right down to the pale blue walls that surrounded him... but there was a nagging feeling in the back of his mind that he was forgetting something... something important. Wracking his brain, he glanced at the clock and ran through a mental checklist: he took a shower this morning, he folded and put away his clothes, he wouldn't need to wash dishes tonight, and he had been relaxing on his bed with a book while waiting for-

"Goswin, your friends are here!" a familiar voice called out from downstairs.

"Kaaay!" Goswin yelled back to his mom, slinging his socked feet over the edge of the bed and crossing the room to his desk chair where he had set out his clothing for the evening. Last year, he would have been putting on a Halloween costume, but he and his friends had decided to see a movie this year instead of running around trick-or-treating like all the other little kids; they could easily get some candy at the theater itself without having to worry about the errant pennies, pencils, and toothbrushes in their pillowcases from health-minded adults.

Slipping a gray hooded jacket on over his long-sleeve shirt, wrapping his red scarf around his neck, and dropping the hood back down over the tails, he migrated over to the dresser. Grabbing the bottle of medicated eye drops waiting for him, he carefully placed two drops in his right eye so it wouldn't get tired during the movie and pocketed the bottle. Blinking rapidly into the mirror, a fair-skinned teenager with silver-blue eyes stared back at him as he balled up the hem of his sleeve to wipe away the residual liquid. Running his fingers unsuccessfully through his tangled platinum blonde hair, he felt around for his comb in an attempt to tame the bedhead he had gained from his impromptu nap.

"Goswin? Are you coming?"

"Yeah, just a second!" He called back, tossing the comb onto the dresser and slipping on his sneakers before heading out the door. 

Rounding the banister and descending the stairs, his three friends were waiting in the foyer at the bottom. Remus was the first to spot him; his dark brown eyes were barely visible under his black hood when he looked up from his phone and snorted, "Heh, ya look like you're ready to go skiing; why so many layers?"

"Oh stop it; you know movie theaters are kept like iceboxes and Goswin's sensitive to the cold," Eugene elbowed him, gesturing at his clothing, "Besides, you're not much better with your hoodie."

"But I don't have a stylish scarf," Remus pointed out, laughing at the dirty look he was given in return, "Uh oh, did I trigger 'mom mode' again?" Eugene grumbled, but knew it was pointless to argue; it was already well-established that their friend liked to tease him for his attentive nature and status as the group's mom-friend. The running joke was further solidified by how similar he and Goswin were in appearance; only his deep blue eyes, rounded glasses, and three-inch height advantage really set him apart.

Pablo interjected with his usual positivity, "Well I think you look really cool with your scarf like that; it looks like a superhero's cape or something!"

Goswin's face lit up as his friend began doing action poses, their sandy blonde hair bouncing jovially with every swift movement as the other two laughed; all four of them had known each other since elementary school, but Pablo always managed to hold a special place in his heart. He knew most people would think it was weird for a guy to like another guy, but Remus had already come out of the closet and no one in the group was bothered by the news, so maybe...

He felt a nudge in his side, looking over to see Remus waggling their eyebrows suggestively while grinning at him, "You're looking a bit flushed there; something ya wanna tell us?"

"Wait, do you feel sick?" Pablo halted mid-pose, a concerned frown forming as he moved closer, "If you're not feeling up to going out, we can just hang out here instead."

"N-no no, I'm fine," Goswin raised his hands in a placating gesture, "It's just a bit warm in here with all the layers I'm wearing; I'll be alright once we get outside."

His crush perked up, pulling him into a hug, "That's a relief; make sure to let me know if you do start feeling bad."

Grasping at their arm to steady himself, Goswin squeaked out, "S-sure."

Remus grinned at the scene he had created, though his humor was short-lived as Eugene cuffed him across the back of his head and hissed, "Would you quit goofing off?!"

Rubbing the back on his head, Remus whined, "Aww c'mon Gene-"

"Don't c'mon Gene me," Eugene shot back, crossing his arms, "you always do this and it never leads anywhere good."

"Huh, you're right," Remus muttered, crossing his arms in contemplation.

Eugene ogled at them, "Wait, did you-"

"I'll need to try some new techniques, then," Remus grinned mischievously.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, hiking his glasses up slightly, Eugene let out a long-suffering groan, "God, give me patience... let's just leave already; while we're fooling around here, all the good seats are probably being taken at the theater. At this rate, it'll be too crowded for us to get seats next to each other."

"Alright, alright, let's get going," Remus chuckled, heading for the door. Once they were out on the sidewalk, Remus wrapped an arm around his spectacled companion, "But ya can't fool me; ya just don't want to be alone during the scary parts."

"... You're delusional," Eugene shot back defensively, inadvertently lending credence to the accusation.

Giving their shoulder a squeeze, Remus purred in their ear, "Aww, don't worry, I'll make sure to hold ya close whenever the monsters show up."

While Eugene sputtered in his friend's hold, Pablo, who had been quietly watching the banter, interrupted, "Wait, you guys were serious about seeing a horror movie when you got the tickets?"

Remus retracted his arm from Eugene's shoulder, casually shifting into walking backward down the sidewalk as he shrugged, "Yeah?" As the word left his lips, his expression changed, "oh sh-" A look from his friends corrected him, "Shoot, I forgot ya hate that stuff. It's Halloween and all; it made sense at the time and ya didn't show much reaction when I mentioned it."

"I thought you were joking... it's hard to tell whether you're serious or not sometimes...," Pablo croaked, visibly paling as his pace slowed, "... It's not that zombie one, is it?"

"It didn't look too bad from the trailer, and a bunch of reviews said there were comedy elements as well," Eugene attempted to soothe their friend. It didn't seem to have any effect as the furrow in Pablo's brow deepened. Placing a hand on their shoulder, he instead suggested, "We can always trade in our tickets for something else."

Pablo bit his lip in response; he was clearly struggling on whether he wanted to take up the offer or simply go with the flow to make his friends happy.

Seeing the archway entrance to the plaza where the theater was located coming into view, Goswin quietly agreed, "We really don't have to watch a horror movie if you're not comfortable; tonight's supposed to be fun for everyone." Truth be told, zombie movies were his least favorite genre of horror, though he really couldn't say why; it wouldn't be any skin off of his nose to miss this one movie's Halloween premiere if his crush really didn't want to see it.

"Thanks... but I think I'll be okay," Pablo decided, taking Goswin's hand and giving it a firm squeeze, "As long as we're all together, I'll be able to handle it."

"Yeah, together... sounds good...," Goswin trailed off as a sense of deja vu hit him, bringing back his earlier confusion. Why did this conversation sound so familiar...?

"Goswin?"

"Ya good?"

Remus and Eugene were standing in the archway staring back at him in askance; they seemed so foreign for some reason, as if they should look completely different from how they normally do... but that was ridiculous; this was how they had always been since they were kids. Still, why did-

"Goswin?" Pablo entered his field of vision as a gentle hand brushed his bangs aside and fingertips cool to the touch pressed against his forehead. Pursing their lips in thought, his companion murmured, "Well, you don't feel warm, but you look pale... are you sure you're okay?"

Goswin stepped back, feeling his face heat up against his will as he replied, "Y-yeah... I guess I was lost in thought; I feel like I forgot something and I was trying to remember what it was."

Accepting the explanation, Pablo threw out a helpful suggestion, "Do you have your wallet?"

"What about your keys and phone?" Eugene added in an attempt to jog Goswin's memory, "did you bring extra cash just in case?" He didn't think it was a possession so much as a memory, but he checked his pockets just to be sure; as he suspected, everything was in its proper place.

"Oh well, I guess it's a mystery for future us to solve," Remus chuckled, crossing through the archway and calling back, "Ya coming?"

"Ah, don't just go off by yourself!" Eugene yelled, chasing after their hooded companion.

"Come on," Pablo grasped Goswin's hand once more, pulling him toward the intricate metal architecture; anticipation crawled up his spine as they neared the entrance and he was sure something would happen once they crossed the threshold... but the moment came and went with no notable change. An air of calm settled in his chest with each step they took, making him feel a little silly that he really expected something to happen.

Spotting their friends waiting for them at the theater entrance, the pair sped up to join them. This was fine; as long as he had his friends, as long as he had Pablo, everything else would work itself out in the end.

***

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