Chapter Text
Sportacus had been on the fence about the whole Halloween…thing. At first, it seemed that the holiday was simply an excuse to devour stomach-churning amounts of candy and other sugar-laden treats. While treating oneself now and then was perfectly fine, Sportacus simply bring himself to condone a holiday that encouraged nothing but unhealthy indulgence. At the same time, the kids had started looking forward to the day well over a month before its arrival, and the hero just couldn’t bring himself to take away the excited anticipation in their eyes whenever they spoke of their ‘tricks and treats.’
As the end of October drew closer, however, the man started to learn about the other aspects of the foreign holiday. While Ziggy and Stingy were still heavily focused on the amount of candy they would receive that night, the other children were eager to celebrate in other ways. Pixel would update them daily on the progress he was making in creating what he called the Ultimate Technological and Frighteningly Realistic Haunted House of Terror. Trixie was looking forward to horror movie marathons and playing pranks on everyone in town, which Sportacus was admittedly a little worried about given the girl’s already-established reputation for sometimes taking things a bit too far. Stephanie, though, was far more focused on finding just the right costume to wear for the special day.
“Everyone dresses up on Halloween!” the bubbly young lady had explained when Sportacus had asked her about it. “Halloween is the one night of the year where you can be someone completely different from who you are! It’s all about playing pretend and having fun with friends and being anything you can think of! It’s a lot of fun! I think I’m going to dress up as a mermaid this year.”
“Well, I’m going to be a dragon!” Trixie interjected the moment she realized her friends were having a conversation about their costumes.
“And I’m gonna be a werewolf! Or a cowboy,” Ziggy said as he furrowed his small brow in thought. “I dunno which yet.”
“My costume is going to be the best!” Stingy said proudly.
“What are you going to go as, Stingy?” Stephanie asked curiously.
The boy tugged at his yellow vest and refused to lift his eyes. “Well…I’m not exactly sure yet. But I know it’ll be the best one!” he added quickly.
“You should be a pirate, Stingy!” Ziggy happily supplied.
The older boy mulled over the thought. “That’s not a bad idea, actually. All that treasure…”
“Aw man, I forgot all about our costumes!” Pixel cried in a sudden panic. “I’ve been so busy with my Ultimate Technological and Frighteningly Realistic Haunted House of Terror that I totally forgot to come up with that I’m going to be!”
Sportacus rested a reassuring hand on the worried boy’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, Pixel. Halloween is still two weeks away. That’s plenty of time to come up with the perfect costume.”
Stephanie nodded in agreement.
“What are you gonna be, Sportacus?” Ziggy asked curiously.
The hero froze as five pairs of eyes stared at him in anticipation. He forced a smile and a hopefully carefree-looking shrug. He hadn’t planned on partaking in the sugary Halloween festivities with the kids, but…they all looked so eager for him to join them in their fun. Besides, Stephanie was right; it sounded fun to wear a costume and play your friends. He could enjoy that part of the night, at least.
“I don’t know yet,” he answered honestly. “I’ll come up with something. Like I said, Halloween is two weeks away yet. There’s still time to come up with a good costume!”
That had been two weeks ago.
It was the morning of Halloween, and Sportacus still didn’t have a costume. He had thought himself saved when learning that actual Halloween stores existed for this time of year but, now that he was standing in one, the hero realized that he was more lost than ever. Few options were left and the little shop looked nearly bare after a month of buildup. Most of the items that were left were clearly made for small children, though a few random items looks like things Sportacus might be able to utilize.
He sifted through the sparse racks while the employee at the register watched him with unabashed curiosity. The young woman looked Sportacus up and down with a puzzled expression on her face. He did his best to ignore her, but he had to admit that he did feel a bit exposed under her gaze. A health-conscious hero shopping in a store glorifying a holiday centered largely around candy and mischief probably was not the best image for Sportacus to share with the public. But the children were looking forward to trick-or-treating with him, and he couldn’t back out of his commitment now.
“Uh…need any help?” the employee asked as she walked out from behind the register to close the distance between them.
Sportacus suddenly felt very hot, like a spotlight had decided to shine right on him. No hiding now, it seemed.
“Just…trying to decide on a costume,” the man admitted sheepishly.
The young lady looked like she was trying to suppress a laugh. “Superhero not good enough?”
Sportacus stared at her, not understanding her question for a few good seconds. The correction that he wasn’t so much a superhero as a slightly-above-average hero stayed curled inside his throat. The poor worker shifted from one foot to the other awkwardly, clearly worried that she had stepped over some sort of line she hadn’t noticed. Sportacus’ eyes suddenly lit up with glee when the source of her discomfort finally registered for him. She didn’t realize he was a hero at all—she thought he was already wearing a costume!
While a small piece of him wanted to be offended by the mistake, the rest of Sportacus immediately realized that he didn’t have to worry about his reputation or preconceived notions on heroes at all. He could pretend to be any normal customer, just another citizen off the street trying to put together some last-minute preparations for the holiday. How…freeing it felt to have those worries lifted from his shoulders. Was this was Robbie always felt like when he wore his disguises?
“Oh…no, no,” Sportacus answered as last, his usual bright smile returning now that he knew he was free of his usual societal expectations. “I, uh, wore this last year. I was going to wear it again, but, um…I thought maybe I should try to wear something different instead.”
The store employee visibly relaxed. He was so good at lying that it borderline frightened him. She took a look at what was left on the surrounding racks and shelves, humming to herself as she thought.
“Do you have any ideas in mind?” she asked. “We don’t have too much left, but I’m sure we can throw something together for you.”
Sportacus gave an awkward shrug. “I wasn’t really sure, to be honest. I’m…not very creative, I’m afraid.”
At least that part of his story wasn’t a lie. Otherwise, Sportacus wouldn’t be here right now.
“Well, we’ve still got a couple of our staples left. What about a devil?”
Sportacus made a face. The very thought of it made him uncomfortable. The woman seemed to understand.
“How about a pirate? We still have a few hats, and I know there are a couple hooks still up by the register.”
Sportacus shook his head, recalling the ideas that the children had wanted to use for their own Halloween costumes. “One of my friends was thinking about being a pirate,” he explained. “I wouldn’t feel right doing the same thing.”
She nodded. “I get it, no worries.” She looked Sportacus up and down with a thoughtful look before continuing. “The hero look suits you, you know. May I ask why you want to ditch it?”
Sportacus tried not to smile too much. “I, um…well, I wear this…a lot,” he said carefully. “I thought that this time I should try something a little different. If I am to be honest, I think everyone expects me to show up tonight wearing something very similar to this no matter what I choose.”
It was disappointing, but true. A few days ago Ziggy had asked the hero if he planned on going trick-or-treating as a police officer or a fireman. Another authority figure whose job it was to help people. At the time, Sportacus had told the boy that he hadn’t decided yet, but that was only a half truth. The man had entertained the same ideas himself but…it just didn’t seem to fit Stephanie’s explanation of Halloween costumes and what should be expected of them. The one time of the year he could be someone complete different…
A smile pricked at his lips as he mulled over those words.
“I know that look,” the woman giggled before him. “That’s the look of inspiration, isn’t it?” she asked. “What are you thinking?”
Sportacus took a quick visual inventory of the props around him. He picked up a nearby package that contained what amounted to an oversized bandana. He grinned at the picture of the smiling model depicted on the cardboard label and pointed at the picture. “Do you have anything like this?” he asked hopefully.
She chuckled to see Sportacus’ enthusiasm. “I think we’ve got something pretty close. This way.”