Worth it

Halloween

Halloween had always been Lars and Ronaldo's favorite holiday growing up, especially since it was a holiday that they could spend together, and not worry about fancy dinners, relatives coming over, or traveling out of town to visit family. They were allowed to celebrate it in a way they loved; getting to dress as scary as they wanted, and getting rewarded for it with candy.

Their first couple Halloweens together were a bit hard to remember, since they had been so small, as far back as preschool. Looking at pictures, they would see themselves in costumes their parents had picked out for them; Ronaldo being a pumpkin, and Lars a ghost, hiding shyly under his white sheet. They weren't spooky or scary in the least, but they certainly did look cute.

It was during those first few early years that they wouldn't exactly understand the reason they were getting led by their parents down their neighborhood streets at night, but certainly were happy to be together, and getting to pick out candy from so many houses. And since they were so small, and tended to tire out quicker than older kids, they didn't really get much candy.

It was when they were about six or seven that Halloween became an important holiday for them, a challenge for them to become the champion trick or treaters of all Beach City, and get enough candy to last for a lifetime, or three months, at the rate they scarfed it all down. They'd beg their parents to let them visit more houses than the years before, and effectively fill their sacks to the brim.

At age nine, they formulated a very well polished system for future trick or treating, mapping out all of the city, finding out which houses were the ones to visit first, the ones to skip, and the ones to be especially nice to if they offered more than one or two pieces of candy.

Age ten, they decided to add the factor of having creative costumes that went beyond the norm of ghosts or pumpkins or vampires. Ronaldo dressed as a mad scientist, and borrowed a metal cart from his dad's restaurant for Lars, his monster, to lie down on, and covered him with a sheet. When they arrived at houses, Lars would scare them by suddenly sitting up and revealing his terrifying monster makeup.

Sadly it really didn't do that much in getting them extra candy, most houses still enforcing the rule of everyone getting the same share of candy, and they were a little disappointed it didn't do much to help them.

Age eleven, they weren't speaking to each other. Ronaldo went trick or treating alone, and got lost, having to call his father from a house that was still awake at eleven PM, and Lars went to a party he was invited to, and fell into the apple bobbing tank, getting soaked and winding up with a cold.

After that, neither of them saw much enjoyment in Halloween as they did before. It just wasn't that fun anymore without a friend.

Age eighteen, they were getting their friendship on track again, and both had seemed to decide they were too old to trick or treat, deciding they could just watch bloody slasher flicks with Sadie and eat candy until they vomited. That was until Lars witnessed Steven working with his friend Connie and Ronaldo's little brother on a map of the city, and felt a rush of nostalgia, and a twinge of jealously when Steven had mentioned new houses offering good selections of candy.

Ronaldo would feel the same that Halloween evening as he rested his aching stomach from too much candy, only to see his brother returning with an impressive selection of candy that rivaled what he collected when he was young.

When both teenagers eyed full sized Kit-Kats and Kinder bars, candies they considered cream of the crop, they both silently agreed that the next year they would have to silently slip into whatever trick or treating group those kids had formed, and take advantage of it.

Age 19, posing as Steven's older brother, Lars managed to get himself at least half a bucket of candy with Ronaldo, who was trailing behind Peedee like an excitable duckling, ready to score big on the candy haul. They didn't end up getting as much as they did when they were kids, but they both agreed it was pretty fun, and both decided to let the next generation take their place as the trick or treating champions of Beach City.

For the next handful of years, they did a variation of activities on Halloween, be it movie nights, attending parties with a decent amount of candy and seasonal treats, a pumpkin chucking contest, or even making a haunted house out of the lighthouse to make some cash. That last one, when they were 24, ended up being a regret, especially with how Lars, the lead 'monster' of the house, ended up getting attacked more than a few times from spooked visitors, and when their supply of fake blood leaked, making a mess everywhere. Whatever cash they made didn't seem worth getting punched in the face or getting taunted.

Age 25 had been the year they decided to forgo any parties or celebrations, and spend a quiet night together, dinner and a scary movie, and then some. It was fine, since later that night, following a question, an answer, and some deep thought, they agreed that the next year was going to be exceptionally special.

That next shared October 31st, they held onto each other's hand as they filled out the papers given to them, and exchanged vows, deciding they wanted to spend the rest of their Halloweens, and the remaining days of the year, together.

As they walked out of city hall, not having let go of the other's hand, Lars had asked Ronaldo if this was their best Halloween yet.

Ronaldo agreed only on the condition that once they got home, they could get themselves sick on candy, and make that their official no-guest wedding reception.