Chapter Text
A pair of young women were talking in the living room of a small two-bedroom house, both appearing to be in their late twenties. Their words were quite muffled to the little boys in the room above them, listening closely as they tried to figure out what was being said. These children wore costumes you'd usually see around Halloween, despite it being nowhere near October. One boy was dressed as a skeleton, the other dressed as a pumpkin-headed humanoid. These two kids go by Skid and Pump. Skid and Pump are a particularly spooky pair of best friends, and they are very well-known across the entire town. Everyone who lived in that little town knew their names and were familiar with their antics, coming to expect the unexpected when it came to the two. They didn’t usually try to listen in to conversations, but this was a special case. You see, the two adults in the room below them were their mothers, and they were discussing whether Pump could join Skid on his mini-vacation. Lila, Skid’s mom, had planned the mini-vacation over the past few weeks, wanting to have some quality mother-son bonding time in a special place she hadn’t visited in a very long time. When Skid had returned home from school, ready to start enjoying his spring break with his best buddy, Lila had informed him of the vacation. Skid asked if Pump could come along, and after a small disagreement, Lila gave in and decided to call Ji-Ji, Pump’s mother. That led to the current situation.
Skid and Pump pressed their ears to the floor of Pump’s bedroom, hoping to catch enough bits and pieces from the discussion below them to figure out what was going to happen. The two had little luck deciphering what was being said, however, as every word was heavily muffled by the thick, solid layer between the two rooms. Soon enough, the talking ceased, and the children were called downstairs. They carefully went down the stairs, nervously walking up to the two ladies. They stood next to each other, staring up at their mothers and waiting to be told what was decided. Ji-Ji looked at Lila, slight worry written in her expression. Lila nodded, and Ji-Ji looked back down to the children, taking a deep breath.
"...The two of us have talked a little, and we've made a decision…" Her eyes locked with her son's. "Pump?"
Pump’s gaze grew more nervous, the young boy wringing his hands together.
"...Do you want to go with Skid on his vacation?"
Pump nodded immediately, opening his mouth to reply.
"Of course I do! We do all of our spooky stuff together, we even go on adventures!" He stopped wringing his hands as he said this.
Ji-Ji looked a bit concerned at that last bit, but remained on topic. He did always return unharmed, after all.
"Are you absolutely sure?" she asked him.
Pump nodded in response, a determined expression written on his face. Skid seemed to become a bit less nervous, also gaining a determined look. Lila spoke to the boys, directing her words at both of them.
"Well then." She smirked. "It looks like we have no choice but to all go together. We start our trip tomorrow, so be sure to pack up! The four of us have a long trip ahead of us."
Skid and Pump stared at each other, their nervousness melting away into joy. They embraced each other, jumping up and down and chanting "Yes!" over and over again. That was, until Pump suddenly halted in his celebration. Skid looked at Pump, his smiling face changing to a confused expression as he stopped bouncing and cheering.
"Pump?" he asked. "What's wrong?"
Pump turned to Lila, seeming quite confused.
"Four? I thought it was just gonna be you, me, n' Skid!" he told her.
Lila chuckled softly. Ji-Ji smiled at the children, taking it upon herself to explain.
"Well…" she started. "I'm coming too. Lila's going to need some help taking care of the two of you! Besides, I'd be pretty lonely if I stayed here. I'd be all on my own without my sweet Pumpy to keep me company!"
"Moooooom!" Pump yelled, blushing slightly.
Skid tried to stifle his giggles, though he was failing miserably. Lila and Ji-Ji laughed, eyeing each other for a second as Pump gave in and broke down into laughter as well. Skid halted in his attempt to not be heard, laughing along with everyone else. Lila and Ji-Ji had become good friends over the years, brought together by their sons' own blossoming friendship. The fact that they were both single mothers only helped to bring them closer together, and they usually sent their sons to one another's house to stay for a few hours. It was only natural that Ji-Ji and Pump came along as well, they were practically part of the family!
Little did they know, this mini-vacation would be more eventful than they thought.
Much, much more eventful.