| Running Out Of Time | 172732014

Haunted House Escapades | Trick or Treat feat. Minoru Mineta

The spooky season has come out to play, now with the city decorating itself with pumpkins and candles, creepy crawlies and ghouls. An invite from Idaten's principal mechanic caught many off-guard, but ever since the reunion night, they had been fervent to make connections, and in turn, create all the support items required by all who were close to Iida.

Still, free invitations to the first fully-functional and interactive haunted house was something nobody could ignore, at least for most. But it came with one condition.

All that had received an invitation, must dress for the occasion.

----

Ah, Halloween. The best season to be amongst the people in costume without anyone batting an eye. All it took was a few... accessories. After a bit of "borrowing" across the city, you found the pieces you needed to dress up, well, just two that were perfect for the job - a fox mask complete with ears, and an attachable tail. Walking out in public was a piece of cake, being greeted by Halloween-goers who revelled in the festivities, and a few poor souls that you could pickpocket for your amusement or need.

A stroll through the streets turned your curious eye towards Fukuoka, where a very familiar head of hair crossed your line of sight entering into a building. You learnt that it was an amusement park built indoors, entering to follow the man towards a large attraction, lit up from the inside out, covered in fog and mist, and built with moving parts, all different kinds. It intrigued you furthermore when Sero met up with his gaggle of friends, all dressed up for the season, about to embark on their adventure into said attraction.

Hiding away through the crowd, you immediately shot a ball of light towards one of many open windows of the mechanised haunted manor, jumping into the large foyer and perching yourself amongst the number of statues that decorated the ceiling. It was nothing different from sneaking into a bank or a museum, but with the doors opening from the front of the lobby, you spotted Sero enter along with a short man dressed comically in a cloak. It was no surprise who that was, having the pleasure of meeting him once before.

"Honestly, what are you supposed to be?" asked Mineta, eyeing Sero's slightly plain-looking outfit. "Kirishima's partner did it better than you."

"You're one to talk," he rebutted, eyeing the short cape and the fangs that protruded out from Mineta's mouth.

"Chicks dig vampires."

"Yeah, well, you look more like a bat."

You tried your very best to hold in your laughter, chuckling deeply in your lungs before you breathed to relax once more. You eyed Sero's costume, finding that you couldn't agree more with Mineta on his observation, however, you noticed a few accessories that stood out, most notably the toy crossbow that hung from Sero's back. In the back of your mind, you wondered what he could be dressed as, scrounging through any recollection on horror-related creatures and characters. A hunter perhaps? He didn't wear long coats or wore any large-brimmed hats, but he looked very woodsman-like. It was enjoyable to stare at.

"Say, did you see the look of them outside?" asked Mineta, catching your ear. "Maybe a bit rough around the edges, but if Iida isn't tapping that, I might have a chance."

"Really man? That's all you're thinking about?" asked Sero with a sigh, making his way towards three doors to choose from.

You shook your head disappointingly, not surprised to hear the short man speak about prospective partners, if not hookups given your experience with him at that reunion. But you couldn't fault him. He did have good taste, and Sero had explained briefly during your impromptu Christmas visit that he wasn't all that bad.

"That corset on them was just divine," cooed Mineta, his face pulling ever so lewdly at the thought.

On second thought...

"Good luck with that," ended Sero, entering one of the doors with Mineta in tow.

You smirked before shooting yourself in a beam of light through the crack of the door before it slammed shut behind the men, engulfing the hall with a flash before you shot into the dark ahead. You couldn't help but smile at the sound of a squeak from Mineta, sliding across the floor before meeting with the skull of a decomposing skeleton by the wall, its eye peering back at you with its naked stare.

"Huh," you uttered, admiring the attention to detail. Whoever made this attraction was an artist, you thought, eying the shadows of both men down the hall with an idea you couldn't pass up. With a multitude of light that sparked from your palms, you sent them out with a gentle flick of your wrist, their bright flickers decorating the hallway before they disappeared into the dark.

"Ah, what are those?" pointed out Mineta, the fear prickling up at the back of his spine.

"Eh, just some lights," nonchalantly replied Sero. "Come on dude, it's the oldest trick in the book." His eye turned back into the dark hallway, decrepit and covered in dust and cobwebs, until one ball of light languidly floated towards him, drunkenly wobbling in the air. He stared at it curious before it immediately shot away into the dark above, soon followed by a clang and a smash of items falling from the sky.

Mainly next to Mineta.

Mineta screamed with every item that dropped near him, from plastic vases, broken wooden goods, and the occasional skull, until suddenly, something large fell atop his head, its arms draped across his shoulders and its head leaning by his side. He turned to stare into the naked eye of a skeleton still with flesh attached to its bones and matted hair that draped across its face. He cried and screamed while he ran in circles, the skeleton still attached to his shoulders until it finally fell from them, falling in a heap onto the floorboards.

Sero couldn't help but watch the spectacle with an outrageous laugh, bowling over with his arms and hands against his chest. The sight almost made him die of laughter.

"Is my pain that much entertainment for you?" cried Mineta, curled in a ball on the floor away from the rotten skeleton that laid by the wall.

"Oh... yes," replied Sero with a grin.

A flash of light caught his eye before something light floated before him. A card, the stock very familiar to his eye. While Mineta still laid on the floor, Sero grabbed the card, turning to spot your familiar handwriting.

Trick or Treat, Bucky. Let me entertain you.

He sighed exasperatedly, knowing that you were somehow involved, seeing how much bolder you've become in making yourself a part of his waking life. But this was going to be an unforgettable experience.

And he loved you for it.