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Parties were not Hubert’s idea of a good time. However, he made an exception for the Halloween party that Yuri Leclerc was hosting at his house. Along with his three housemates, Yuri had been planning the party for weeks and invited a plethora of people that all went to their university. At first, Hubert had wanted to refuse the invitation since he loathed big groups. The thought of being crowded together in a tiny house with a bunch of drunk college students sounded like a recipe for a headache. Yet, his own friends bullied him into attending the party by claiming it was themed around his favorite holiday, so he might as well give it a try.
Thus, Hubert found himself enthusiastically dressing up on a Saturday evening. He had gone to multiple stores to find the best elements for his costume. Buying a pre-made costume was not good enough for the horror enthusiast, so he gathered all of his pieces at different Halloween stores, thrift shops, and craft stores. His idea was to dress as the phantom from Phantom of the Opera, and he felt rather proud of his execution once he had finished accumulating his wardrobe.
Slicking his hair back, Hubert checked over his reflection in his bathroom’s mirror. He traced over the buttons on his crimson waistcoat, being certain that each was in their proper place. His leather gloves fit snugly on his hands, tugging upon the sleeves of his black blazer and adjusting the white collar of his shirt. His trousers were the same shade of sleek black as his blazer, and he clasped a velvet cloak around his neck with a brooch. Lastly, he donned the white mask that covered half of his face and completed the costume.
Prepared for the party, he left his apartment and headed downtown towards Yuri’s house. He found a spot alongside the road to park his car, making sure to shove his phone and keys into his pockets. He was arriving a little late, but he had done so purposely. By arriving after most of the guests, he would hopefully slip into the party undetected and without grabbing any attention. Climbing up the steps to the porch, he gave a firm knock to the door and waited patiently.
“Welcome! Come on in—” The door swung open and Mercedes Martritz was standing behind it, dressed like a witch in a mauve gown and pointed hat on top of her head. “Oh, Hubert! I’m glad you could make it.”
“I had the evening off, so I decided to show up for a short while,” Hubert spoke plainly without much emotion behind his words. He was not close to Mercedes, but she was a kindhearted girl. When he had a writing class with her in his undergrad years, she had been pleasant enough company. “I do not intend to stay the entire night, but a short visit for an hour or so seemed feasible.”
“I am glad to see you drop by for a bit. It’s been a while since I got the chance to speak with you, but I’m happy you look well.” She replied, stepping aside so that he could enter the house.
“I guess you could say that I am well. Busy as ever, but who isn’t really?” He entered the house and glanced around the heavily decorated living room. “How about yourself?”
“I’m doing wonderfully. I appreciate you asking,” She smiled warmly up at him, but turned her head when she heard her name called in the distance. “Apologies, I need to get back to Annette and Ingrid. The three of us were in the middle of sharing scary stories.”
Hubert nodded and let her go without any more words. He stared across the room, admiring the time that went into decorating for the season. There were miniature pumpkin lights strung across the ceiling, and a few decals of fake bloody hands and bats were stuck to the walls. The lightbulbs of multiple lamps had been exchanged to festive colors of orange, purple, or red. There were also various pumpkins and jack o'lanterns on tables, along with little plastic figures of ghosts, monsters, and tombstones. In the background, Hubert could hear a playlist of classic Halloween music from movies or shows playing throughout the house.
Quietly walking through the room, he had to give credit to Yuri and his housemates for truly hitting the mark with their holiday décor. It seemed that most of the guests had already arrived by now and had separated into cliques at different stations of the house. He noticed a group of people gathered on couches and beanbags to watch a slasher flick that was playing on the TV. Linhardt was asleep on Caspar’s shoulder, and the two were dressed as a pair of mummies. Alongside them, Hapi was wearing a skeleton costume and scrolling on her phone with a bored expression. Beneath them, Leonie had taken off her pirate hat and was laying on a beanbag with a bowl of popcorn.
Across the room, he could see even more people standing and chatting with red solo cups or beers in their hand. Hilda and Marianne were both dressed as princesses, and chatting along with them was Claude in a dragon costume and Lorenz dressed as a knight. It was obvious that they had planned their outfits together. As Hubert tried to cross the room towards the hallway, he was stopped by a hand grabbing his shoulder.
“Hubie! You showed up! It’s about time.” Dorothea beamed at him, holding a cup full of spiked punch in her hand.
“I would have been upset if you hadn’t after reminding you all week.” Edelgard added, who was standing beside Dorothea. The two women were wearing matching costumes. She had worn a red cape to appear like red riding hood, while Dorothea had a pair of furry ears and gloves on her hands to be the so-called big, bad wolf from the classic fairy tale.
“Oh please, you would have had my head if I didn’t attend this party.” He rolled his eyes.
“Rightfully so,” Dorothea taunted him, letting his shoulder go and taking another swig from her cup. “You look nice, though. The costume is fitting for you.”
“Is that a compliment or not?” Hubert scoffed.
“For you? It would be.” Edelgard added, and the two women gave a little laugh.
Hubert shrugged and looked past them. He wanted to get to the kitchen to grab his own drink, plus he was still trying to scope out the entire party. He had yet to locate all of the guests. His wandering eyes were noticed by Dorothea, who quickly whispered into Edelgard’s ear before speaking up again.
“You should go grab a beer and check out the basement, Hubie.” She hummed, tapping the side of her plastic cup.
“Oh?”
“It’s a lot quieter down there.” Edelgard added, knowing it would attract his attention.
“Wonderful, the music and movie noise has been getting on my nerves,” Hubert groaned, eager to escape into a quiet space. “I’ll see you later then.”
“Don’t forget to text me back before Monday!” Dorothea exclaimed as Hubert walked past them towards the kitchen. He gave a quick thumbs-up motion before disappearing into the other room.
Entering the kitchen, Hubert saw a large spread of food and treats. Dressed in a pumpkin onesie, Lysithea was standing by a large candy bowl. There were various wrappers next to her on the table, and she was popping in another piece into her mouth. Across from her, Balthus was babbling about some personal story to Yuri, while also chewing on some candy. The host was dressed as a clown, and Balthus was practically shirtless in his ragged zombie clothes. His entrance into the room caught both of their attention, but Yuri only gave a friendly nod towards Hubert before continuing to listen to his roommate’s story.
Grabbing a beer from the fridge, Hubert used a bottle opener left on the counter and tossed the cap into the trash. He took a sip and found the taste to be acceptable; he was not a beer person, but it was drinkable. Approaching a bowl that was not being guarded by a feisty sugar-tooth girl, he took two pieces of candy for himself and left the room to head down to the basement below. The stairs creaked under his boots before he reached the bottom.
The basement was furnished and decorated well. Cobwebs with fuzzy, fake spiders covered the walls. The same pumpkin string lights were scattered about, and there were a couple tables set up for people to sit and relax around. There was an abandoned station for bobbing apples on one side, but it had already been well used. All of the apples were sitting in a bowl, and Raphael in his wet scarecrow costume was eating one of them while ghost Ignatz brought him a towel.
However, Hubert’s gaze was glued to the sight of one person within the room the instant his eyes landed upon him.
Ferdinand.
The redhead was dressed in a tight black bodysuit that tautly clung to his physique. The collar of the suit dipped into a deep V-neck that revealed Ferdinand’s plump pectorals. His cleavage was nearly busting out of the costume. His muscles were also highlighted in the spandex of his costume. It was well-known that Ferdinand took good care of his body. His constant visits to the gym were obvious with his broad shoulders and bulging thighs. The addition of a tail above his rear, hand-drawn whiskers, and a pair of cat ears on a headband were even more distracting.
How did this man have such courage to dress like that in public?
Ogling him across the room, Hubert tightened his grip on the bottle. He shakily brought it to his lips, taking another long sip to help quench his thirst. Yet, the lump in his throat did not seem to go away.
“Heyyyy! Hubert, my dude!” Sylvain’s loud voice called behind him before slipping his arm around his shoulders. “Glad to see you! I needed one more person for a game.”
“Ugh, do not include me Gautier.” Hubert’s eyebrows twitched, immediately pushing off Sylvain’s arm. He hated people who invaded his personal space.
“Aw, c’mon. Please?” He put his hands together, trying to beg him. The pose was fitting for the ironic priest outfit he was wearing.
While Sylvain was pestering Hubert, the commotion caught Ferdinand’s attention. He turned around and watched as they were arguing about a game. Yet, he barely could pay attention to the words either was saying. Ferdinand was instead speechless at the appearance of his grouchy friend. He knew that Hubert was a fan of Halloween, but he hadn’t expected him to go to such extremes for his costume. The sight of Hubert dressed as the phantom set his heart into a frantic frenzy. Childhood crushes from watching both the film and multiple adaptations of the musical were hitting Ferdinand like a pile of bricks.
He couldn’t recall the last time he saw Hubert with his hair combed back, and the white mask that covered half of his face was alluringly enigmatic. The cloak that hung from his shoulders added an extra element of intrigue, and his waistcoat was cinched devilishly around his thin waist. But the best part had to be the gloves upon his hands. He was certain that they were real leather, but he wanted badly for Hubert to caress his skin in order to feel it for himself. Such thoughts sent chills down his spine.
Biting down on his lip, he excused himself from a conversation to interrupt Sylvain and Hubert.
“Pardon my interruption,” He said as he stepped in front of the two men. “If it isn’t too much trouble, I uhh, I’d really like it if you joined the game. We were going to play spin the bottle…”
The second that Ferdinand got closer, Hubert felt his brain begin to fuzz over. He knew that he should refuse the offer; he had no interest in such party games. Yet, the pleading look in Ferdinand’s eyes was incredibly persuasive.
“O-Oh, I guess I have a few minutes to spare.” Hubert muttered.
“Really?!” Ferdinand beamed, his eyes lighting up like the sun. It was nearly blinding.
“Alright! Let’s get moving then. The others are already seated.” Sylvain grabbed both of their arms, dragging them along towards a table where three others were already sitting.
An empty beer bottle was in the middle of the table. On the left side sat Dimitri in a lion onesie costume that was quite hilarious on a man so physically intimidating. Sylvain took the chair that was between him and Dedue, who was dressed in a vampire costume including a high-collared cape and fangs temporarily stuck to his teeth. He did not seem amused to be sitting here, but he kept his complaints to himself. However, Bernadetta was muttering under her breath and looking terrified. Hubert decided to sit beside her, and Ferdinand sat on his other side.
“Are you doing alright, Bernadetta?” Hubert asked, glancing over at her nervously adjusting the cowgirl hat on her head.
“O-Oh! I am quite fine! Heh, B-Bernie wants to try, erm, new things!” She explained to him, offering an anxious smile in his direction.
“Is that true? You do not have to feel obligated to play.” He said, keeping his voice down so Sylvain wouldn’t hear him.
“Positive! Bernie asked if she c-could join. I-I want to have fun with others tonight, too.”
Hubert nodded, not wanting to doubt her words. As long as she wasn’t being guilted into playing along, then it was fine. He knew she was rather anxious, so he didn’t want anyone taking advantage of her kindness.
He turned his attention to Ferdinand on his other side, and he felt his pulse speed up at the proximity. He was far too close to him now. Their legs were brushing together under the table, and he felt his hands growing sweaty beneath his gloves. His own nerves were starting to swallow him up ruthlessly. Part of him wanted to compliment his costume, but he feared his words would come out incorrectly or sound like gibberish.
“I’ll start us off,” Sylvain announced, reaching forward to grab the bottle. “The rules are simple. Whomever the bottle points to after you spin, you have to kiss them.”
Everyone nodded in agreement, except for Hubert. He was still lost in his own inner turmoil. His mind was reeling at the sight of Ferdinand in his peripherals. Crowding around the round table, there was little room for modesty. Hence, his eyes kept lowering to stare at Ferdinand’s skimpy costume. He especially was drawn to his chest where he could see his bosom practically on full display. If the neckline on the suit was any lower, he swore he would have been seeing the redhead’s nipples out in the open. The thought made his entire face burn up, and he coughed into his hand while trying to cool off the burning heat upon his skin.
It felt wrong to look at Ferdinand in such a predatory manner. He felt weird for letting his mind sink to the gutters, but his own body was betraying him. He mentally cursed his horny hormones for making him feel so indecent.
Meanwhile, the bottle spun around the table numerous times before coming to a slow stop. The tip was pointing towards Dimitri when it finally landed. Sylvain grinned and wiggled his brows at his childhood friend, who merely chuckled and leaned forward. The two gently brushed their lips together for only a couple seconds before pulling apart. It was nothing serious, but Dimitri still had a faint pink glow upon his face as he slid his chair a little closer to the table.
“Alright, we will just go around the table. Bernie, you are next.” Sylvain handed her the bottle, and she took it with her slightly trembling hand.
“O-Okay, here it goes!” She tried to psyche herself up before spinning the bottle across the table. Her heart was thumping against her chest as she waited for it to eventually slow down. The bottle continued to go around until it landed slightly past Dedue, but was majorly pointed in his direction.
“Ah, Bernadetta. Are you okay with this?” Dedue spoke gently, reaching over the table and dwindling the space between the two of them.
“Y-Yeah. Just umm, close y-your eyes, please!” She requested, and he happily shut them to make her more comfortable.
Sucking in a deep breath. Bernadetta leaned in closer until finally turning her head to the side and pressing a kiss to Dedue’s cheek. She left a slight smudge of lip gloss before pulling back, nearly falling over in her chair. Her breathing grew ragged, and Hubert grabbed the back of her chair to make sure it didn’t tip over.
“I guess that counts,” Sylvain commented, giving a shrug as he watched Bernadetta catch her breath and Dedue hiding a shy smile. “Hubert, it’s your turn.”
“Uhh…”
Although Hubert heard his words, he did not necessarily process them. He felt his entire stomach begin to churn with discomfort at the thought of taking his turn. His hand mindlessly took the bottle when it was handed to him, but he made no motion to spin it for himself. He was frozen in place while his mind began to unravel like a thread.
What was he even doing here in the first place? He had no interest in pointless affection with strangers. Granted, he knew everyone at this party, but he didn’t know them well enough to smack lips together. While he understood that some people enjoyed such casualness, he was not one of them. In fact, he rarely felt the desire for any physical attention. Except for one single person. There was one man that he did wonder what it would be like to hold onto or to taste his lips. He trusted him, and his feelings had grown stupendously over their years of bickering and friendship.
“Hubert…?” Ferdinand’s voice called him back to the present and out of his spiraling thoughts.
“I-I need to excuse myself to the restroom—” Hubert announced, standing up abruptly from his chair and quickly walking back upstairs to one of the open bathrooms.
The entire group just blinked and stared speechless as the phantom scurried away. They shared a few glances at one another before quietly agreeing to wait a few minutes for his return. Dedue and Bernadetta began to share a quiet conversion, while Sylvain and Dimitri were scrolling on their phones.
After five minutes had passed, no one really said anything. They figured it was normal enough.
Yet, when ten minutes had gone by without Hubert’s return, the group grew a little antsy.
“Maybe I should go and check on him,” Ferdinand said, standing up from the table. “You guys play without us. Sorry about this.”
Apologizing on behalf of both of them, Ferdinand went back upstairs and began to search for Hubert. He knocked on the bathroom on the first floor, but it was occupied by someone else. So, he climbed up to the second floor and gently knocked on the door to the other bathroom.
“I’ll be out in a minute.” Hubert’s voice called out, even though it was a lie.
“Hey, it’s Ferdinand. Could I maybe come in there? You’ve been gone for over ten minutes…”
Sitting on top of the closed toilet, Hubert felt himself tense up. He was hunched over it, trying to block out the rest of the party. He had chosen the farthest bathroom in hopes of hiding out for the rest of the night before shamefully leaving, but it seemed his plan was already ruined. Ferdinand had found him acting like an idiot. He probably thought he was weird for overreacting to a simple game of spin the bottle. Frowning, his stomach started to tie itself in knots again. Out of everyone at this party, Ferdinand was the last person he wanted to see him like this.
“...Just go back to the others. Forget about me. I’m fine.” He sighed, staring at the tiled floor beneath his shoes.
“Hubert, there’s something bothering you. Please, can you just let me talk for five minutes?”
There was silence before the doorknob twisted and the door creaked open a tiny crack.
“...Five minutes.” He repeated, allowing Ferdinand to enter before locking the door behind him.
Sitting back down, Ferdinand sat on the edge of the bathtub across from Hubert. He was not sure where to go from here. Getting Hubert to talk about his feelings was worse than pulling teeth. There were only a handful of times he could recall when the broody gentleman opened up to him. The majority of those times he had been either drunk or highly vulnerable from an emotional event. Yet, Ferdinand knew he couldn’t let Hubert mope in a bathroom for the entire evening.
“What’s on your mind? Something is bothering you.” Ferdinand crossed his legs, staring directly at Hubert. He wished he could see more of his face to tell what he was feeling, but his mask was covering his expressions.
“It’s nothing serious. I simply didn’t want to play along with Sylvain’s stupid game.” He muttered.
“Yes, but it’s more than that. You would have just told Sylvain to shut up or screw off if that was the only reason you were up here. I know you.”
“I... guess. I didn’t want to make a scene. That’s all.”
“Hubert, you suddenly bolted from the table. You definitely made a scene, and continued to do so by hiding away. Be honest with me.” Ferdinand huffed with slight annoyance.
“It’s complicated,” He mumbled, turning his head to the side. “It’s really not worth your time. Go back downstairs. Enjoy the party.”
Eyebrows twitching, Ferdinand stood up and walked over to Hubert. He loomed over him, grabbing him by his face and pulling his mask off. He gazed deeply into his frightened green eyes, trying to find his true feelings beneath his jaded exterior. His hand sat gently on his pale cheek, which quickly flooded with a warm blush beneath his fingertips.
“I want to spend time with you, Hubert. That’s why I asked you to join the game in the first place,” He let out a deep breath and continued. “I was overjoyed to see you here. Dressed up and looking so... handsome.”
“Huh?!” Hubert gasped at his choice of words.
“I-I mean, look at you, tonight. Your hair, the outfit, the gloves…” Ferdinand gushed, feeling his own body heat begin to rise. “I was so desperate to talk to you that I dragged you into the game, despite knowing it’s not your thing. I’m sorry about that.”
Blinking a few times, Hubert was struggling to understand what was currently happening.
Did Ferdinand just compliment him?
Had he called him handsome?
His brain felt like it was malfunctioning, but he tried to keep it running long enough to communicate. He couldn’t let the conversation end there.
“No, you do not have to apologize for anything. I agreed on my own free will. It’s true I wasn’t really interested in the game, but... when I learned that you would be playing, I couldn’t say no.” Hubert couldn’t believe how close Ferdinand was right now. His hand felt so warm on his cheek, and he could easily stare at the freckles beneath the black whiskers drawn on his face.
“Why couldn’t you say no?” Ferdinand pried, wanting more information.
“...I wanted the chance to kiss you. If I could land on you, then w-we would be able to...uh...” His words get caught in his throat, feeling utterly ashamed of himself.
“Shh, it’s alright,” Ferdinand whispered, tilting his head up and bumping their foreheads together. “If you wanted to kiss me, all you had to do was ask.”
Closing his eyes, Ferdinand eliminated all space between them. He pushed their lips together, allowing their mouths to meet for a tender kiss. His entire body began to thrum with a pleasant shock as their lips moved together. There was nothing particularly special about the kiss. In fact, it was rather chaste and plain. Yet, it was the person he was sharing it with that made the kiss spark like fireworks.
Taking a sharp breath, Hubert reached a hand forward and held onto Ferdinand’s cheek. He caressed his face, much to the other’s delight. A soft mewl left his pink lips as the leather was smooth and cool against his flushed skin. It was better than he imagined, especially when a second hand began to twist into the back of his head and play with his hair. Being embraced by such an aloof, fetching man was a dream come true.
Perhaps making out in the middle of a bathroom wasn’t the most romantic, but it did not slow the two men down. Hubert pulled Ferdinand into his lap, being mindful to not smash the tail he was wearing. After sucking in a few more gulps of air, he chased after more of Ferdinand’s kisses. He didn’t want to get ahead of himself, but he did lightly drag his tongue across his bottom lip and nibble upon it between his teeth to tease him further. The way Ferdinand shook in his arms was telling that he was highly affected by his actions.
Parting his lips, Ferdinand eagerly accepted his tongue into his mouth. He moaned at the sensation of Hubert swiping it against his own tongue and over his teeth. Being swallowed up in his kiss, Ferdinand was more than willing to be whisked away for the rest of the evening. Hubert could carry him off with a quick swoosh of his cape, and he wouldn’t even be frightened. The thought of being kidnapped by his very own phantom was stirring plenty of fantasies.
Unfortunately, his lungs required air and there was a heavy knock upon the door.
“Occupied.” Hubert answered in a raspy tone, pulling back and glaring at the door. He knew the person couldn’t see his irritated expression, but they would be able to hear the anger in his voice.
“G-Goddess, I did not know… y-you could kiss like that…” Ferdinand breathed heavily, leaning forward to press his face into the crook of Hubert’s neck.
“There’s plenty you do not know about me, Ferdinand.” He chuckled, feeling the clouds over his head from before vanish. As always, Ferdinand had brought out the sun with his personal radiance.
“Well, would you be interested in showing me more?” He giggled flirtatiously, slipping his arms around Hubert’s neck. “I’m very intrigued.”
“Hmm, perhaps. Should we move somewhere else?”
“No,” Ferdinand shook his head, toying with the ends of Hubert’s black hair. “I like having privacy.”
Although Hubert wanted to argue that they should find somewhere nicer than a bathroom, his words were lost when he was pulled into another kiss. His mind went blank, and he followed his inner desires. Ferdinand was his captive for the evening, and he happily devoted himself to keeping him distracted with his lips until the party was over.