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He was bored.
Gin was lying across his bed face down, so very close to losing it and screaming into the pillow he faceplanted into when he came in from school. He was so bored. Almost bored enough to consider touching his maths homework just to feel something. Anything.
It could have been in part due to the fact it was Halloween in a few days. Everyone was making plans; he knew one kid was having a party, and nearly every teenager he knew and the ones he didn't know were planning on going and getting trashed. He wasn't going to judge them for it, it had been a tough month with mock exams and general school shenanigans— and a kid got stabbed, that happened— but he didn't feel up to it. Gin never really did, considering how challenging interacting like a 'regular human being' was. It was a pain, and going to a place like that where people would just make fun of him wasn't worth it.
His phone buzzed from on the floor, and he rolled over in the direction— onto the floor. Who needed spatial awareness, anyway? He picked himself up and reached over to where it was charging. Wait, he didn't flick the switch on. As he saw the notification popup, Gin's phone gave one weak, resigned vibration as the screen went black in his hand and it shut down.
0%.
And that was a message from Naruhaya, as well. Fuck.
He crouched by the plugs and waited for it to turn back on. Patiently at first, but he felt like tearing his hair out the longer he did it. As soon as he could turn it on he did, waiting out the start-up process before opening his messages.
naruhaya: hey psst
naruhaya: lets go trick or treating >:)
gagamaru: it's the 27th today?
naruhaya: on halloween!!
naruhaya: i need company pspspspsps im looking after my kid siblings
naruhaya: can you come with me?
gagamaru: ok?
gagamaru: im not good with kids,,,
naruhaya: idc you said yes
naruhaya: you know where i live so meet there at 5
gagamaru: ok
Naruhaya didn't reply after that, so Gin let himself flop to the floor. This was exciting. He was looking forward to it.
Maybe no one could tell on his face, but he liked Naruhaya. A lot. Too many times Gin had been shouted at by his maths teacher for gazing across the class at him, where he was doodling or gazing out the window. He was so cute. It didn't help how cosy he was, laying himself across Gin's lap or reaching over his shoulders to steal some of his lunch. He was for once glad his emotions didn't show so easily.
Maybe it would be nice to have something come of this attraction. But Gin liked what they had going.
He let the thought escape, and did his best to ignore it.
Gin needed a costume.
-
Naruhaya was waiting for him at his house, his four younger siblings huddled around him. Gin couldn't really tell what they were meant to be: a purple cat, a girl in a blue dress, a white rabbit, and one in some weird blue costume. Naruhaya himself was wearing some weird hat and jacket, and when he saw Gin he lost it.
"A dinosaur costume?!"
He blinked as Naruhaya doubled over with laughter at his inflatable dinosaur costume, and his siblings looked over.
"That's so cool!" The kid with the rabbit ears jumped up, and stared in awe.
"Thanks… What are you?"
The boy puffed up his chest and grinned. "I'm the White Rabbit!" Gin looked towards Naruhaya for an explanation. Was it a character or something?
"We watched an English cartoon called Alice In Wonderland, and Ichigo had the idea of going as the characters!" The girl in the blue dress beams, and Gin blinks. He had no clue what that was, and Naruhaya seemed to get the drift. "Ichigo is Alice, Tsubasa is the Cheshire Cat, Ren is the Caterpillar, Kanon is the Queen of Hearts, and I'm the Mad Hatter!"
He did a little spin, and Gin hoped his face wasn't heating up. It was at this point their older sister stepped out, in a black and red dress that he could tell was hand-sewn but looked pretty nonetheless. "How do I look?"
"It's good. Did you make the costumes?" She grinned, and threw an arm around Naruhaya's shoulders.
"Yeah, it was a joint effort. Should we head off?"
-
They went as a group, and the Wonderland costumes were a hit. Gin was able to tag along pretty easily, and at the end of it they each had their own heaped bag of candy. The kids were pleased, and Ichigo was grinning, happy her idea had worked so well. Yuto─ the boy with the rabbit ears─ had taken a shine to Gin, which was nice, but he didn't get any time with Naruhaya to himself.
When they got back to their apartment, Kanon lead the kids inside first, and Gin half took off his dinosaur costume to tie it around his waist and deflated it. "So, did you have fun?"
"Yeah!" The kids chorused, and Gin felt a hand on his arm.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going back out with Gagamaru!" Naruhaya dragged him straight back out, despite the fact that they had only just reached his home. "Come on, let's go to the park!"
Gin barely could focus, being pulled along. He hoped Naruhaya wasn't talking.
They came to a small park, empty in the dusk. Gin followed to a swing set, and Naruhaya sat down. “Show me what you've got, then.” He just offered his bag, unable to do much else other than stare at Naruhaya's grin as he took it, and rifled through. He really had a winning smile. "Hey, you got skittles?"
"Did I?" Those were his favourite, but the bag was with Naruhaya now. Gin wouldn't mind though, if he smiled at him. Maybe he would feign annoyance, like he used to, but he just watched the boy tear open the bag.
He was picking out all the purple ones. That was weird, Naruhaya loved the strawberry flavours. Was this just to antagonise him? When he had a small handful, he ate them, and Gin sighed. Oh well, that was fine. There would be some left, surely, and─
Gin's first kiss tasted like artificial grapes, and he couldn't ask for anything else.