Lander - Before vs. After

Halloween Special

Requested by SimplySketches

"Luke!" A young voice shouted. The brunette turned around just in time to see Bethany run up to him and wrap her arms around his legs.

He gave a warm laugh. "Hey, Bethy. How are you doing?"

"Awesome!" She chirped. "Hannah and I are going as an angel and devil for Halloween! I'm the devil!"

"I can see that. Little devil," Luke responded, borrowing Sean's nickname for her. He ruffled her hair, making her giggle. "Zander, do you know what you're going as this year?"

With Halloween being a little over a week away, everyone was talking about who/what they were dressing up as, planning Halloween parties, and arranging plans for trick-or-treating.

His purple-haired friend shrugged, briefly looking up from the book he was reading. "I'm still not sure. What about you?"

"Actually, I don't know either," Luke laughed sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I haven't really been thinking about it too much."

There was a short silence, which was broken by Bethany excitedly suggesting, "You should be a puppy, Luke! Ooh, or a peanut! Like your hair!"

At the obsidian-eyed girl's last suggestion, his eyes lit up. "Oh, I know! Zander, what if we dress up as peanut butter and jelly? We could have matching costumes, like Bethany and Hannah or Hailey and Jake." (Side note: I feel like Jake and Hailey would go as a famous celebrity couple.)

Zander seemed sort of surprised, but interested. "Huh. Yeah, I like that idea." At her brother's words, Bethany beamed.

"You guys are getting couple costumes!"

Before:

Luke could feel himself start to blush instantaneously. Zander had red cheeks, too.

"Bethany!" He scolded. "It's not like that! You know Luke and I aren't a couple." The drummer could've sworn he heard a note of dejection in his best friend's voice in his last sentence, but he brushed it off. It's probably just wishful thinking, he thought.

"Yeah," he forced himself to say. "You know we're just friends, Beth."

Bethany looked from one boy to the other, narrowing her eyes as if she was sizing them up. "Okay then," she finally said, bouncing off towards the hallway.

Awkward silence ensued after she left. Neither boy knew what to say or do next. The tension in the air was so thick you could cut it with a knife.

Then Zander cleared his throat and asked, "So, do you want to do the PB&J idea, or...?"

"Oh, yeah, I'm fine with doing it. As long as you're okay with it?"

"Yeah, it's fine. Meet at my house at six?"

Luke winced. "Can we make it six thirty? My mom wants me to have time to eat dinner before I go."

Zander nodded, a small smile on his face. "Of course." It's a date, he added mentally.

Luke grinned. "Alright, I have to go home now. Bye, jelly."

The pianist blushed. "Ok. Bye, peanut butter."

In the room next to them, Hailey gave her half-sister a high five. "Great job, Beth. Remind me to take photos."

After:

Zander's pale cheeks coloured a bit. Luke smirked.

"And what does that say about you and Hannah, huh?" He teased. Bethany's eyes widened as her face slowly turned pink.

"Shut up," she retorted, crossing her arms and glaring at him. He just laughed in response.

"I'm just teasing. It'll be great to have matching costumes. I haven't had anyone to do it with."

"Excuse me! Do all those years of friendship mean nothing to you?" Zander demanded, raising an eyebrow.

"Of course not! I meant I've never had a partner to do it with before. I think it'll be fun," Luke said with a grin.

"It better be, peanut butter," the lavender-eyed boy teased.

"I'll make sure it is, grape jelly," Luke responded. Bethany giggled again at the boys' antics.

"Anyway, I should probably get home now," the brunette said.

"Hold on a second." Zander walked over to his boyfriend and placed a small peck on his cheek. "Okay, now you can go."

Luke grinned, walking out the door. "Love you, bye!"

"Bye! Love you too!" Zander called.

Bethany smirked at her half-brother. "How does it feel to be his special grape jelly?"

Zander narrowed his eyes. "How does it feel to be Hannah's little devil?" He shot back.

Her cheeks turned red. "Ugh! Stop ittt!" She whined, running into the hallway.

The grape boy shook his head with a small smile. And I always thought Halloween wasn't romantic.

A/N: Happy Halloween, everyone! What are your costumes?