#twerklightprincess

Sighing, he covers his face with his hand and tries to calm down. It’s only for tonight, he reminds himself. Only because it’s Halloween, and Kiragi really wanted to go trick-or-treating; Takumi never enjoyed this trend very much himself (or rather, he kind of always hated the very idea of dressing up and risking being mocked by everyone), but it would have been cruel to say no to his son when nearly every mother in this town was planning to go with her kids tonight… And Kiragi doesn’t have a mother; his father is the only one he can count on. Besides, he’s only eight years old – that’s still way too young for him to go trick-or-treating alone and stay outside unsupervised after nightfall. So Takumi just can’t possibly let him down, not again. Not like he almost always does.

Still, he finds it difficult to muster the courage to go out tonight, especially when he has to be dressed… like this. Don’t get him wrong, it’s not the quality of the costume he’s criticizing; Oboro (Kiragi’s godmother and Takumi’s closest friend) is the most talented tailor Takumi knows, and she was so ecstatic about the entire project that she really outdid herself. No, the problem is the kind of costume that he’s supposed to be wearing the whole evening – a bear jumpsuit. So that he can be the “Big Bad Bear”, according to Kiragi, while the boy dresses up as the Big Bad Wolf; and no matter how many times Takumi tried to make him understand that there was no such thing as a Big Bad Bear, his son just wouldn’t listen.

So here he is, on Halloween night: standing like an idiot in front of the mirror, wearing his bear costume, with his hair tied in a low side ponytail that falls on his right shoulder and his cheeks bright red. Unable to move or even speak. Honestly, he wishes he could… disappear or something-

“Dad! Are you ready yet?!”

Kiragi’s impatient voice reaches his ears from the other side of the door and he feels his heart drop. He’s made his son wait long enough; good parents don’t normally do that. And although he knows he’s far from being a good father… He desperately, hopelessly wants to be one. So he refrains from biting his bottom lip, sighs one last time, and exits his room.

The moment he’s outside his house, Takumi feels a tiny, tiny bit better – if only because Kiragi’s hand is holding his tight (as if he just… understood), and Oboro’s work on the boy’s wolf costume is nothing short of outstanding. He looks adorable in this, with the little plastic claws at the fingers of his gloves and the ears that his godmother sewed on the head of the suit. Takumi can’t help but smile.

“Awoo!” Kiragi howls, his big grin showing his white teeth – although he’s missing a canine on the top. “I hope we get a lot of candy tonight, dad! Awoo!”

Wait – he’s being loud! The only way Takumi finds to hide his sudden embarrassment is to close his eyes.

“Yeah, yeah,” he mutters half-heartedly. “Please stop screaming, though.”

“But why? I’m a wolf, dad! Awoo!”

He doesn’t seem to understand that there’s only so much noise he can make until everyone in the street (and there probably are already quite a number of their neighbors here, going from door to door with black and orange, sweets-filled bags in their hands) turns around to stare at them in disapproval – which Takumi really doesn’t want to happen, so he groans and crosses his arms. That’s when Kiragi realizes he’s made his father upset and looks up at him.

“I’m sorry, dad… If it annoys you, I won’t do it again…”

The dejected look on his face makes Takumi’s stomach twist in guilt. He is… He is definitely ruining Halloween for his son, isn’t he? He sighs, defeated. As much as he would hate to be the center of attention, especially tonight, he can’t stand the idea that he might be getting in the way of Kiragi’s enjoying this night he has been looking forward to so eagerly.

“No, it’s alright… I’m the one who’s sorry,” he says, in the end, before forcing a smile upon his own lips. “Please, have fun, Kiragi.”

The boy’s eyes light up in an instant. “Really? I’m allowed?!”

“Yes. As long as you don’t disturb the neighbors.”

“Awooo!” he howls again in happiness – until he realizes he’s being too loud and flashes his father a guilty smile. “I mean,” he goes on, more quietly this time. “Thank you, dad, you’re the best.”

No, you are, Takumi wants to answer; but he doesn’t have time to, for Kiragi is quick to pull his hand and practically run to the street, his excitation barely contained. Still, before his son drags him to their next door neighbor’s house, Takumi manages to have a good look at their street. As he expected, some kids he knows – most of which are even friends with Kiragi – are already going from door to door, the older ones in small groups, the others with their mothers or grandparents… And every house has been carefully decorated with all sizes of smiling pumpkins with mouths full of sharp teeth, fake cobwebs, dim orange lights, and tombs in the front yard. For a second, Takumi cringes in embarrassment; he tried his best to carve some pumpkins with Kiragi, too, but their decorations definitely can’t compare… Ah, why does he always disappoint-

Wait.

Actually, there’s a house, a single house that hasn’t been decorated for Halloween.

“Dad! Get ready!”

Kiragi tugging at his hand forces him to focus on the task at hand again, and he doesn’t even have time to feel self-conscious before his son knocks at the door, which opens almost immediately.

“Trick or treat!” Kiragi exclaims, letting go of his father’s hand to show off his claws. “Or I’ll eat you! Awooo!”

As much as he hates it, Takumi feels his own cheeks heat up; he wasn’t ready! Thankfully, their neighbor is a nice, middle-aged woman who happens to love Halloween more than anything, and still celebrates it even now that her kids are all grown up; she’s donning a black and purple witch costume, for that matter, and she seems absolutely elated to see them both.

“Ho, what a terrifying Big Bad Wolf!” she says, clapping her hands in approval. “I’d better give you lots of treats!”

And that’s precisely what she does. Takumi almost manages to calm down, putting a hand on his son’s shoulder while the boy gets the candy he looks like he’s been waiting for all year long – until his neighbor suddenly glances at him and gives him a wide smile.

“Nice costumes, by the way,” she praises. “You two look adorable like this!”

Her words are honest, but they fluster Takumi all the same – he’s not… No, he can’t be… Well, her comment wasn’t mean, at least, but- Kiragi seems happy as they wave goodbye and slowly walk up to the next house; yet, he can’t help but hope this will be over soon. After all, he doesn’t know who they may encounter here, and who might therefore lay eyes on their costumes… And there’s someone he definitely, absolutely doesn’t want to be seen by.

The person who lives in the undecorated house. The one who happens to be their neighbor from right across the street. Leo is a good friend of Takumi’s, actually – a very good friend, even. As the only single men in the entire neighborhood, they were meant to bond a little; and the fact that they somehow enjoy the exact same things, and that they somehow understand each other perfectly, and that Kiragi somehow really likes Leo only allowed them to get closer. So close that Takumi knows Leo would mock him if he saw him in this god-awful, way too cute for a grown man bear jumpsuit, to say the truth – and it doesn’t even matter that he’s almost thirty now, he knows that he couldn’t stand embarrassing himself in front of his crush, too.

(He really didn’t get any more mature since he was a teenager, did he?)

Since he isn’t one for celebrating Halloween (or any holiday for that matter) and doesn’t have any kid to drag him into doing so, Leo isn’t outside tonight, thankfully. If Takumi is lucky, he’s even too engrossed in a book or something to bother looking at the street, perhaps – and he and Kiragi are currently going in the opposite direction of Leo’s house, so… Maybe he’s safe.

Still, he proceeds cautiously. He can’t avoid meeting a few other parents trick-or-treating with their children, but they all smile at him… sincerely; a girl he recognizes as one of Kiragi’s classmates, who lives a few streets away, even insists on hugging him since his costume apparently looks “so soft and fluffy”; and even when they knock at doors and he gives in to Kiragi’s pleas for him to adopt a scary posture, nobody- Nobody laughs at him. Nobody even makes a snide remark. Rather, everyone he meets praises him – for his costume, for Kiragi’s costume, or simply because he’s one of the few fathers out with his kid tonight…

He sighs and holds his son’s hand tighter for a second. It’s ridiculous – ridiculous that, at twenty-nine, he has to hold on his son’s hand of all people for courage. Yet, no matter how nice people are to him, no matter how many heartfelt compliments he receives, he just… can’t help the anxiety twisting his stomach, and creeping through his every vein.

What if one of them is lying? Actually, what if they are all lying? Perhaps they’re only being polite. Perhaps- No, it’s certain he does look stupid in this costume, and there will probably be one or two pictures of him on the internet tomorrow for everyone to laugh-

“Dad?”

Kiragi’s concerned voice startles him and he opens his eyes, which he hadn’t realized he had closed.

“Are you…” the boy speaks up again, very quietly, a worried look on his face. “Are you not having any fun?”

And Takumi’s heart sinks. Seriously, he’s used to feeling bad, but he doesn’t think he’s felt this guilty in years. He forces himself to breathe slowly and shakes his head.

“I… I’m sorry, Kiragi. I’m the worst father, aren’t I?”

Of course he is – he’s ruining Halloween for his own son. Kiragi suddenly tugs hard at his hand, though.

“No! Don’t say that!” he shouts, and now he almost seems… angry, as well as hurt. “I love you the way you are… I’m so sorry, dad. We can go home if you’d like.”

The idea of answering yes crosses his mind, but- Is he seriously letting his eight-year-old son comfort him? Worse, is he seriously making his eight-year-old son comfort him, instead of enjoy Halloween like every kid his age is supposed to? Ugh, sometimes, he really can’t stand himself. Trying to ignore the guilt, if only for a second, he clenches his teeth and gets on one knee. Then he places a hand on Kiragi’s shoulder and looks him in the eye, offering his son the most reassuring smile he can manage.

“No, Kiragi, it’s alright,” he promises softly. “I’m…” He wants to say he’s sorry, but that would probably make the boy pout in disapproval, so he remains silent. “I’ll do my best to try and enjoy Halloween as much as you are.”

Kiragi doesn’t look very convinced, so Takumi sighs and grips his shoulder a little tighter.

“Let’s see which one of us can have the most fun tonight?” he suggests with a smile, more confident this time. “And I’m not planning to let you win.”

That’s when Kiragi’s face lights up – he grins, and jumps in his father’s arms without a warning, so energetically that Takumi almost has trouble catching him.

“Okay, dad! I won’t let you win either!”

Takumi’s heart is so quick to warm up, as he hugs his son, that he almost forgets about the costume he’s wearing and the shame he’s feeling – and when they finally let go Halloween already seems so, so much more enjoyable.

And it proves to be quite enjoyable, in the end.

The evening goes by way more smoothly than Takumi feared it would. He and Kiragi pay a visit to almost every house in the neighborhood, and every time they’re welcomed with a smile and much more candy than Kiragi will be able to eat in a year; people they pass by on the street not only refrain from mocking him, but profusely compliment their costumes too; and just like that, Takumi finds out that he’s having fun. There’s nothing he enjoys more than spending time with his only son, after all – and Kiragi’s laugh is contagious.

The boy is still too young to stay up all night, though, so once he hears a bell ring eight times in the distance, Takumi decides that they’ve celebrated enough Halloween for this year. A disappointed look crosses Kiragi’s face, but a yawn instantly replaces it, and that’s all it takes for the kid to admit that he is, indeed, tired; thus, they agree on returning home.

“By the way, dad,” Kiragi speaks up, gently rubbing his eyes, once they’re about three houses away from their own. “We didn’t get to see Leo at all tonight…”

Takumi freezes. Well, yeah, they didn’t see him – and that’s for the better. Seriously, he’s getting embarrassed just trying to imagine how it would have embarrassed him to appear in this costume in front of the man he’s been attracted to for more than a year; he looks so uncool in this that he- Suddenly, he registers that Kiragi is pulling at his hand… and trying to drag him in the direction of Leo’s house.

“Kiragi!” he calls his son’s name in a flustered voice. “Where are you going?!”

“To knock at Leo’s!”

“Wait!” There is no way they are doing that. “He hasn’t decorated his house, that means he doesn’t want to be disturbed!”

“But don’t you want to see him?”

Takumi closes his eyes. He wants to say no, but… the word just won’t come out of his mouth – touché. He’d love to see Leo; not in this costume, but… It is true that Kiragi’s idea isn’t that bad. Perhaps they could go home and get changed, then pay Leo a short visit, just to see how he’s doing, or… maybe he could tuck Kiragi in bed, then cross the street and offer his neighbor to spend what remains of the evening together, recommending each other good books or just enjoying each other’s company- He doesn’t have time to realize what’s happening, nor even what he’s thinking about, before he suddenly hears a tiny bell ring; and it’s only when his eyes open wide to meet Kiragi’s guilty, yet proud gaze that he understands his son just rang Leo’s doorbell.

And when the door opens, way too soon for his liking, he doesn’t think he even remembers how to breathe. His eyes dart to the ground, as if the fact he isn’t looking at his neighbor could prevent said neighbor from looking at him – so he doesn’t see Leo’s eyes widening, obviously, and going from him to Kiragi to him again… But he does hear Kiragi when the boy speaks.

“Trick or treat, Leo!”

Leo takes a second to answer.

“I’m sorry, Kiragi, but I-” he starts, but stumbles over his words. He probably wasn’t expecting them to show up. “I haven’t bought any candy.”

“Then that means you’re getting a trick!” the boy instantly exclaims, a large grin plastered on his face. Takumi raises his head in a panic, because no, this can’t happen, what will Leo think of him if Kiragi annoys him – but he’s not quick enough. “And the trick is that you have to take some of our candy!”

Takumi and Leo both stand frozen for a second, until Takumi finally finds the courage to look up at his neighbor, despite the fact that he can feel himself blushing in embarrassment. He expects to find him angry, or at least annoyed, but it’s surprise that dominates his handsome features when their gazes meet – until he lets his thin lips curve into a soft, slight smile.

“Alright,” he finally says, taking a step back to clear the entryway. “Come in.”

Kiragi seems ecstatic but says nothing as he rushes inside Leo’s house; Takumi lingers in front of Leo for a moment longer.

“Leo, I…” he begins, embarrassed, and very well aware of the warmth of his cheeks.

He can’t find a satisfying end to his sentence, though – he should apologize for Kiragi’s behavior, perhaps, or ask Leo how he’s doing, at least, but… his mind is blank. He’s too focused on the fear of Leo finding him ridiculous to think of anything else, so he says nothing. Thankfully, his neighbor doesn’t make any snide comment, like he usually would have done, and his smile is neither mocking nor judgmental.

“You sure are lucky to have such a nice son,” he says, out of the blue, with some sort of tenderness in his voice.

“Uh… yeah. I know.”

Okay, that probably was the most useless answer he could have thought of. Still, before he’s had time to cringe at his own social inability, Leo has taken another step back and is giving him a questioning glance. Takumi gets the message, thankfully, and quickly gets inside the house. Then Leo closes the heavy door and it’s warm and Takumi finally feels relief filling his chest. This could have gone much worse than it did, and now, he definitely looks forward to spending the rest of the evening in Leo’s comfortable living room, sharing treats in front of a movie with his son and the man he likes-

Actually, he’s so relieved that he misses the sly smile Leo’s lips suddenly curve into.

“By the way,” his neighbor’s voice startles him, “I’m not fond of Halloween, but I have to admit you and Kiragi look adorable in these matching costumes.”