Chapter Text
“BOO!”
Jim spun around and came face to face—well, he had to look down, but still—face-to-face with a horrifying ghost. Jim grabbed his chest and let out a scream. “Oh no, a ghost! Ahhhhh!” Jim backed away and dropped to the ground. He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing.
Footsteps came closer. Little hands shook his shoulders. “Daddy don’t die. It’s just me.”
Jim cracked one eye open to find the ghost kneeling beside him. “Ethan? Ethan is that you?”
The ‘ghost’ nodded. Big blue eyes stared at him thru sloppily cut holes in a bedsheet. “It’s me, daddy. Don’t be scared. I not a real ghost."
Jim opened both eyes and smiled. He sat up and hugged his son. “I’m so glad it’s just you.”
They stood up and Jim really looked at the sheet. It was a mostly white sheet with cartoon rockets on it. It definitely wasn’t a sheet to cut.
“Buddy, did you…did you take the sheet off your bed?”
The boy, still in his ghost form, nodded. “Do you like it?” Ethan held his arms out at the sides and gave a spin. “I made it myself.”
Jim kept the smile on his face. “Indeed, you did. Its cute. But, um, let’s not take scissors to your bedding anymore.”
“Okay. I’m sorry.”
“Its okay.” Jim picked at the sheet. “We’ll need to put a new one on your bed tonight.”
“After trick-or-treating?”
“After trick-or-treating,” Jim agreed.
They heard the front door open. Ethan’s blue eyes widened.
“Go on," Jim chuckled. "Go scare him.”
Ethan turned and ran from the room. Jim nearly yelled for him to be careful but then he noticed his precious surprise child had also cut the ends, so they were at his ankles and not a tripping hazard.
My child, he internally sighed. Jim followed after him, wanting to see Spock’s reaction.
Spock turned from shutting the front door just as Ethan scurried up behind him.
“Boo!”
Spock stared down at their child. He didn’t blink. After a moment, his gaze lifted up and to Jim.
“Ahhh! Spock! A ghost!” Jim motioned for Spock to go with it.
Spock looked back down.
“Boo!” Ethan said again.
“Ah,” Spock said without any emotion. “You have startled me.”
Jim pinched the bridge of his nose and shook his head. Wow, Spock. Just wow.
Jim.
Spock. Be scared.
"I am scared," Spock repeated.
Ethan pulled off his sheet, revealing a disheveled head of black hair. “Sa-mekh, you’re not good at pretending.”
“Apparently not. You do make a cute ghost, though.”
“I know.” Ethan handed over the sheet. “Daddy died when I scared him.”
“I am sure he did.”
Jim walked closer and tapped his son on the shoulder. “Go get your real costume on. We’ll have pizza and then go trick-or-treating.”
“Okay.”
Ethan skipped off leaving his parents alone in the foyer. Jim went to Spock and wrapped his arms around his neck.
“Welcome home, dear.” Jim kissed him.
“This was brand new,” Spock said against Jim’s lips, holding up the sheet.
“I already talked to him about it.”
“It came from that expensive…”
“He’s four. And part mine.” Jim smiled. “You know he’s going to do some illogical stuff.”
Spock gave a small smile in return. “Indeed.”
Jim kissed him again then pulled back. “Alright, you are home now, time for your costume as well.”
Spock’s smile faded.
Bones almost wanted to yell at the door to make the incessant knocking stop but that would be mean. He was pretty sure he knew who it was. A big brat he loved dearly with his little one.
He opened the door and found a smiling Jim dressed as a Ted, a blank faced Vulcan dressed as Bill, and a little… “Is he dressed as a shrimp?”
“A totally adorable shrimp,” Jim said.
“Trick-or-treat!” Ethan held out his pumpkin bucket. “Candy please!”
“Of course.” Bones grabbed the bucket of candy on the table beside the door and dropped a large handful into the boy’s bucket.
Ethan looked down into his bucket then back up. “That’s it?”
“Ethan,” Spock spoke. He stepped forward and gently took Ethan by the shoulder. “What do you say?”
“Thank you, Uncle Bones!”
“You’re welcome.”
Ethan grabbed Spock’s hand. “Next house, Sa-mekh.” He pulled Spock along while Jim stayed back on Bones’ porch.
“A shrimp?” Bones questioned.
Jim shrugged. “I took him to the costume store. He wanted the shrimp costume. Out of the hundreds of options there were, he wanted that one and I wasn’t going to tell my baby boy no.”
“It’s just an odd thing to make a costume of.”
“It is. I’m glad he picked the shrimp though, because he was eyeing a sting-ray one that really made me think of a giant misshaped sperm.”
Bones snorted. “You’re kid.”
“Hey, he’s adorable.” Jim gave two thumbs up. “Totally adorable, man.”
“You realize those movies are hundreds of years old, right?”
“Party on, dude,” Jim told him. “I’ll see you for lunch tomorrow.”
Bones nodded and watched his best friend hurry on down the sidewalk after his family.
Spock undressed out of the costume Jim insisted he wear that night. He brought his hands up to his hair and smooth it out as Jim had messed it up to be shaggy-like. The things he did for his mate.
A sudden gust of cold air hit his back. Spock shivered and turned around. In the doorway of the room, Spock found white sheet with eye holes cut out.
“Hilarious, Jim. Now please cease destroying our bedding.” Spock turned back around and grabbed his sleeping robe and pulled it on.
“You talking to me?”
Spock looked to the side. Jim stood in the doorway to the bathroom with a toothbrush halfway to his mouth. Spock turned around to the bedroom door. It was open yet no one stood there anymore.
“Spock?”
Spock pointed at the space the ‘ghost’ had just been. “You were there.”
Brows furrowed together in confusion. “I was not.”
Spock blinked then shouted, “Ethan Sevel!”
“He’s asleep,” Jim fussed. “What’s going on?”
Spock walked quickly from the room and down the hall to their son’s room. He opened the door. The room was dark except for the nightlight of stars on the ceiling, giving a bit of light to the room. In the twin bed in the corner, Ethan laid sprawled on his bed sound asleep. Spock look around then shut the door.
He walked around the whole house searching yet couldn’t find anyone or anything. When he came back upstairs, Jim was in bed under the covers with a book.
“You okay?” Jim asked.
“Yes.”
“Something happen?”
Spock put the costume in the clothes hamper. He came to their bed and got in. “No. Just…checking on the house.”
Jim gave him a look then shrugged.
Spock laid down and stared up at the ceiling. Surely, he must’ve just imagined the ‘ghost’ figure.
Ethan woke in the middle of night needing to use the restroom. He turned on the hall light and went to the hall bathroom. After doing his business, he checked in on his parents thru their slightly ajar bedroom door. Both were asleep—his sa-mekh snoring as usual.
He turned from the door and paused. “Hello, Mr. Ghost.”
The figure in the white sheet hovered a few inches off the ground. He gave a little nod to the boy.
“I tried to make my own cool costume like yours, but daddy says I can’t cut the sheets anymore.”
The ghost gave another little nod.
“I gotta go back to bed now. Good night.” Ethan waved at it then walked forwards. He shivered as he went through the ghost then felt fine as soon as he was clear of the ghost and back to his bedroom door.
Maybe one day I’ll tell daddy and sa-mekh about Mr. Ghost, he thought as he climbed back into bed.
This is Ethan's costume. I saw it and just though, yes, Jim and Spock's son would indeed insist on this LOL
