#applesdrowned

❝ Maybe we can stab ourselves to death and go as the people who died in this house. We might even win best costume. ❞ Violet plopped her hat atop her head and started for the front door, not about to let a second of Halloween pass her by, not before they were forced to return tomorrow. ❝ Whatever we decide to do, let's just do it already. ❞ He was the only person she even wanted to spend this day with, not giving anyone else, not even her parents, a second thought. She silently wondered if some of the other spirits stayed back, thankful for a little bit more silence in the house when some of the others dispersed for the day.

"oh no." she shakes her head, trying to remain polite. "i'm sorry, but we don't really celebrate halloween. we've had some pretty bad experiences on halloween, so we tend to not put up decorations and avoid it as much as we're able to."

michael was excited when he got off work, unable to stop smiling from ear to ear. scarlett was gone for the weekend, which meant that he and chad would be allowed some serious alone time for once. as much as he loved his daughter, there were times that he wished she was around just a little less. he and chad were long overdue for a serious romantic weekend, so he'd been looking forward to this weekend for the last two weeks. the fact that chad had promised a surprise only made the waiting that much worse.

he practically burst through the door, absently tossing his keys into the bowl by the door. "chad? baby? where -" his gaze finally settled on his boyfriend and his brain made an error sound before momentarily crashing. he stood there, eyes slowly drinking in the sight before him, mouth slightly agape. it takes him a minute to be able to even remember to breathe, let alone speak. "i...i....you....ch-chad...ooof."

the weather outside was absolutely dreadful. lightening cracked, thunder rolled, the rain beat on the roof. without any live inhabitants, the infamous murder house felt a bit dreadful and drab with the smell of rain permeating its halls. it was the kind of weather that some people may call depressing, but it only made michael feel content. especially since he was with his favorite person in the house: chad.

the two of them were hiding up in the attic, listening to the rain and just talking. well, chad was talking and michael was attentively listening. he found that he couldn't tear his gaze away from the other man, a soft smile on his face as he watched every little expression that danced across chad's features. michael admired how his dark eyes lit up whenever he talked about something he was passionate about, the way that one lock of hair fell across his forehead in such a way that michael always had to resist the urge to gently push it back in its place, how soft his voice naturally was. there was a warmth deep in his chest that was there every second that he spent with chad. it was a feeling that he hadn't experienced in a very, very long time.

michael wasn't sure if chad felt the same way but he also knew that even if chad did, the other man wasn't going to make the first move. hell, it'd taken him years to even say anything to michael. it'd probably kill michael all over again if chad actually made the first move, unprompted.

before michael fully realized that he'd made up his mind, he was moving. his hands were suddenly on chad's shoulders and he was pushing him back against the wall. "hey, chad," his voice was lower than normal, a seductive purr as he stared up at him. "i hope you don't mind, but i've been thinking of doing this for a while."

Violet had grown used to the boredom that accompanied the afterlife, day after day spent laying on her bed, listening to her selection of bands on the half-broken stereo that sat on her dresser. Today her music of choice was The Smiths, Morrissey’s depressing ass lyrics perfectly capturing her mood for this eternal purgatory.

Thud. Crash.

Immediately, Violet sat up, wondering what the hell had just fallen or broken down the hall. Lifting herself off of the bed, the teen went to investigate, finding herself hovering in the doorway of the nursery that Chad occupied most of the day.

“Hey.”

Her voice wasn’t unfriendly, not wanting to start an argument with the guy who had proven just as temperamental as her. There was a slight edge to her voice, annoyance at being interrupted from her afternoon of doing Not Much.

“What the hell are you doing in here?”

Being  back  at  the  old  house,  finally  packing  up  what  was  left  in  the  basement  and  attic  was  almost  bittersweet.  He  almost  missed  this  place.  The  apartment  was  a  lot  less  private,  screaming  children  could  always  be  heard  in  the  hallways  and  the  neighbors  upstairs  apparently  wear  nothing  but  wooden  clogs.  But  the  house  held  a  lot  of  rotten  memories  for  them  both,  and  Tate  knew  it  was  best  for  them  to  leave  it  all  behind  -  But  were  the  floorboards  always  so  creaky?

The  teen  stepped  as  gently  as  he  could  through  the  broad  expanse  of  the  mansions  hallways,  until  he  peaked  into  the  kitchen  where  Chad  was  with  limited  vision;  Stupid  mask.  He  tugged  at  the  rubber  beneath  his  nose  to  try  and  make  the  eyeholes  fit  a  little  better  before  slowly,  oh  so  quietly,  creeping  up  behind  his  dad.  He  crouched  on  the  opposite  side  of  the  kitchen  island,  listening  to  Chad  rifle  through  some  papers.  Probably  legal  crap.  Tate  had  to  tuck  his  lips  back  between  his  teeth  to  keep  from  laughing  as  he  waited  for  the  opportunity  to  strike.