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“Just stay still, idiot,” Jaime said, “I’ve already got shaky hands, I don’t need you moving around as well.”
Tony rolled his eyes, but he stayed still as Jaime did the stitches on his face paint.
“You already look like a zombie, you didn’t even have to dress up,” Jaime giggled.
“Very funny,” Tony mumbled, his arms crossed as he stood still, and Jaime couldn't help giggling as he kept working on the stitches.
“Dude, embrace the zombie life. Zombies are cool; it's like a compliment,” He said, and now he was gripping Tony’s chin, pulling his face to the side to get the side of his neck.
Tony couldn’t help but let out a small giggle, batting his hand away, “Hey, that tickles!”
Jaime scoffed, “Don’t be a baby, it won’t look right unless you do your neck!”
“But… my neck is sensitive,” Tony said quietly, reddening a little under his face paint.
Jaime laughed, “Well, I’ll be gentle, okay? C’mon, beauty is pain.”
Tony rolled his eyes, presenting his neck to him again, “I don’t get why you’re going to so much effort, we’re literally just trick or treating.”
“Yeah, yeah, but you looked boring in that costume, which is unacceptable,” He joked, starting to paint his neck, and he couldn’t help giggling as he did so, watching the way he reddened and went still as he touched his neck.
Tony tried his best to stay still, but he was still squirming as Jaime gripped his face, keeping him still for him.
“Okay, all done… was that so hard?” Jaime said, smiling and admiring his work, “Now you really look like a zombie!”
“Yeah, great. Can I have my face back?” Tony said, shoving his hand away, and he went to look in the mirror, tilting his head as he observed his face.
“Damn… it does look pretty cool,” He said, letting out a small chuckle before looking back over at Jaime, to see him putting in his vampire teeth.
“Woah, great costume, count fagula,” Tony laughed, “I’m sure the little kiddies outside will be impressed.”
Jaime rolled his eyes, standing beside Tony in the mirror, “That was a good one, I’ll have to admit,” he said, “At least the kids will like mine more than yours,” he said, putting on his best scary vampire face.
“You’re such a loser,” Tony laughed, but Jaime was turning to him, grabbing his chin again and pulling him close.
“I want to suck your blood!” he said dramatically, tilting his face and dragging his fangs along his neck.
Tony couldn’t help but freeze up, the cold plastic on his neck making his skin tingle, and Jaime let out a laugh.
“Oh my god, are you really going to flinch from fake fangs?” he teased, keeping his hand on his chin as he smirked, “You’re way more sensitive than I thought, Tone.”
“Shut up,” Tony mumbled, and he could feel his heart fluttering, trying his best to push down the feeling, “I’m just stunned at how much of a loser you are.”
Jaime chuckled, raising an eyebrow, “Oh, really?” he said, not moving his hand as he stepped a little closer, “You’re not scared of a big, bad vampire?” He asked, his eyes boring into Tony’s, and he got embarrassed by how he had to look away from him.
“I’m scared of how seriously you’re taking halloween, actually,” Tony countered, but his hands were shaking a little, the contact lingering on his skin, heating him up.
“I wouldn’t wanna bite you anyway, your blood probably tastes like shit,” Jaime said smugly, and the fangs were making him talk weird.
“Oh, I’m wounded,” Tony laughed, “Just come on, let’s get this over with, alright?”
Jaime sighed and finally dropped his hand from Tony’s chin, “Alright, fine then…” he said.
Tony couldn’t help feeling almost disappointed by the lack of contact, and it surprised him, but he was quick to shake it off as they headed out of Tony’s room and to his sister’s door, gently knocking.
“Becca? You ready?” Tony said through the door.
“Almost, come in!” She replied, and they cracked the door to her putting on her witch hat.
“You look awesome, kiddo!” Jaime said, smiling as he took in her costume.
Rebecca giggled as she pulled on her cloak, checking her costume in the mirror.
“You really think so?” she asked happily, fixing her hat on her head, “You guys look cool.”
“Thanks,” Tony laughed, and Jaime butted in, smiling proudly.
“I did his makeup!” He said, “He would’ve been a total bore without it.”
Tony scoffed, but secretly he was grateful. He did look pretty cool.
His sister spun around to look at him, her eyes going wider when she saw his face.
“Whoa, you look so cool, Tony! Like a real zombie!” She gasped, grinning and stepping up to him.
“Yep, I’ve got my very own personal makeup artist right behind me,” Tony said with a chuckle, “You ready to go?”
“Yep! I just gotta get my bucket,” she said, grabbing it off of her bed, “Do you guys have one?”
“Pfft, no, we’re too old to get candy,” Tony said, and Jaime practically gasped.
“What are you saying?!” he asked incredulously, “We have to get candy!”
“Yeah, but we’re adults,” Tony laughed, “No one’s giving us candy.”
“Are you kidding? My neighborhood’s full of old people! They give out like, full-sized bars! If you’re dressed up, you get candy, and that’s that,” Jaime insisted, and Becca was nodding her head.
“Yeah, come on, please?” she asked, pouting at her brother, “I don’t wanna be the only one!
Tony rolled his eyes, but he let out a soft sigh of acceptance, “Fine, alright,” he relented, and a mischievous smile spread across Jaime’s face.
“I knew I could count on you, Tony,” Jaime teased, slinging an arm around his shoulders and ruffling his hair a little.
Tony let out a noise of protest, shoving his arm off of him, “Oh, cut it out!” he grumbled, but he was blushing, trying to fix his mussed up hair.
“Let’s get going, then,” he muttered, and they headed downstairs. They grabbed spare halloween buckets, ones with pumpkin faces, and headed out the door, keeping Becca in front of them as they walked.
The air was chilly, biting their faces with red as the leaves crunched under their feet. The sky was melting into a dim blue, the streetlights slotting them over with yellow as they passed them.
As they walked, Tony couldn’t help but shiver, the flimsy polystyrene of his cheap costume doing nothing to keep him warm.
“God, it’s cold…” he said, and Jaime scoffed beside him, holding his vampire cape closed around him.
“It’s not that bad,” he said with a small smirk, “Just a little fall chill.”
“Yeah, well you have a jacket,” Tony complained, and he was starting to shiver.
Jaime watched him shake, frowning slightly, “Oh, you’re such a baby,” he said, but it lacked his usual bite, and he slung an arm around him, letting him into his cape. “There, better?” he asked, smiling gently down at him.
Tony felt himself lean into him, pulling his cape further around him and sinking into the warmth.
“Yeah,” he said quietly, and he could practically feel Jaime grinning beside him, “Just a bit.”
“See, I always know how to fix things,” Jaime chuckled, pulling him a little closer, and Tony wrapped an arm around his waist, keeping them flush together.
“Yeah, yeah, you’re an expert,” Tony mumbled quietly, but he was starting to relax as they walked.
“These leaves are so pretty…” Jaime pondered, “I love fall..” and he was looking around, his eyes sparkling as he admired the trees.
Tony smiled at how genuinely happy he seemed, following his gaze and taking in the colourful leaves and the cool breeze blowing them around. “Yeah, I guess it can be pretty cool,” he said, and Becca was skipping in front of them, her bucket clutched in her hands.
“I like the colors!” she chirped, grinning.
Jaime grinned right back, “Hell yeah!” he said enthusiastically, “C’mon, first house,” he said, and they were quickly turning into someone’s garden.
They were always strategic, making sure to loot out the big, rich houses with lots of decorations, and there were spooky inflatables and cobwebs and signs all over the grass.
They watched as Rebecca ran up the door, ringing the doorbell while they trailed behind, still linked together.
“She’s ready for the free candy,” Tony chuckled.
“Uh, so am I!” Jaime said, and soon they were up at the door, hearing footsteps before the door was being pulled open.
“Trick or treat!” they said, a symphony of voices, and suddenly Tony was aware they were still glued together, and he quickly made space between them, averting his eyes embarrassedly.
Jaime’s face faltered slightly, feeling the loss of his warmth, but he kept a smile plastered on as the person at the door looked them over excitedly.
“Look at you! Fantastic costumes,” she said, and she reached into the big bowl in her hands, giving each of them a hand full of candy in their buckets, Becca excitedly thanking her.
“Happy halloween!” the lady said, and the other three said it back before they were waving and heading down the street.
Soon, they were visiting more houses, and they had gathered quite a lot of candy in their bucket as they walked, Tony and Jaime still keeping a little distance between them.
Tony couldn’t help feeling a little guilty as they walked, noticing the way Jaime’s usual cheerful note was lacking, and he hated himself for the way it sent a pang through his chest.
They went up to the next house, and they repeated their line, and of course, Becca was in the middle, bouncing up to the door and greeting the person who answered.
“Look how much you’ve gotten!” they were saying to her, and she excitedly took her handful and thanked them as she backed away from the door.
“Have a good night,” Jaime said, and Tony mumbled the same thing, their feet shuffling against the sidewalk as they walked.
Jaime had one hand still on his bucket of candy, and the other was shoved into his pocket, looking a little sullen, and it made Tony’s stomach churn.
“You okay?” he asked his friend quietly, and Jaime nodded, shaking off this growing sense of rejection.
Jaime felt so stupid, it was literally just them huddling for warmth, but he wished Tony didn’t feel so embarrassed about being seen beside him like that. He wished he wanted to stick to him like glue, that he craved his warmth.
“Yeah, of course,” he said, and he smiled, but Tony could see through it like glass.
When Becca started to skip to the next house, he stopped, and he gently took hold of Jaime’s arm to stop him.
“Hey, you’re really quiet… are you sure you’re alright?” he asked worriedly, hoping he was doing the right thing.
Jaime stopped, turning to look at him, and he almost wanted to pull his arm from his grip as he gave him a half-hearted smile. He felt so hurt and it confused him so much. Why did it matter so much?
“I’m fine, honestly. You don’t have to worry about me,” he said reassuringly, trying as hard as he could to sound convincing.
“No, something’s wrong,” Tony insisted, “What is it? Talk to me…” and he was locking eyes with him, the concern clear in them.
Jaime felt the lump growing in his throat as he looked at his friend, seeing all the concern and worry, and he hated the way Tony knew him so well.
“There’s nothing wrong, I promise. Just leave it alone,” he said, though it was an obvious lie.
“No, please,” Tony said, and he was grabbing Jaime by the arms, holding him firmly, “You can talk to me. Did something happen?” and Tony knew something did, that his rejection must’ve hurt him, he just couldn’t wrap his head around why Jaime was so upset about it.
Jaime was trying desperately to keep his mask of apathy going, but he could feel himself crumbling as Tony stood there, looking at him with those big, brown eyes, pleading with him.
“It’s not a big deal, Tony… it… it’s nothing,” he said, but he could feel himself breaking as he spoke.
“It doesn’t matter, you can tell me,” he said, and he gave him this small reassuring smile, “I just… I care about you.”
Jaime couldn’t help the way his heart ached with the way Tony smiled at him, just that sentence alone making his heart skip a beat, and it was making his internal conflict grow, slowly piecing together what he was feeling for his friend.
“You wanna know what’s wrong?” he asked, his voice quiet, trying not to let the lump in his throat come through, “The fact you’re so embarrassed to be seen with me… to be seen close to me…” and he couldn’t hide the pain in his voice, it sounding pathetic to even his own ears.
“I’m trying so stupidly hard to make myself believe you don’t think of me as a loser… to think maybe you don’t hate the idea of hanging out with me… being close to me… but you make it so hard…” he blurted, and he could feel himself growing emotional. This all sounded so insane, but he couldn’t just blurt out the truth, not like that.
Tony lay silent for a minute, stunned, and it was hard to hear how the pain he was feeling was caused by him. It hurt like hell to think Jaime thought he hated him.
“Jaime, no… don’t think like that,” he said, and he reached out, placing a hand on his shoulder, trying his best to soothe him, “I… I do like being close to you…” but he was looking away, “I just don’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, you know?“
Jaime was about to reply, but the words died when he felt Tony’s hand rubbing gently over his shoulder. He had to close his eyes, take a minute to compose himself.
“What… what do you mean the wrong idea..?” he asked, trying desperately to keep a straight face, but this growing sense of hope and the way his heart was pounding was making it nearly impossible.
“I mean… us clinging to each other like that.. people might think we’re.. dating or something,” Tony said, the idea alone making his cheeks burn.
Jaime felt his heart stop with Tony’s words, a whole different type of hope rushing through him this time, and he could hardly breathe.
“And… is that such a bad thing..?” he mumbled, trying to keep his voice under control though he wanted desperately to be hopeful here, “It being mistaken as us… being together?”
There was a brief pause, Tony looking away to hide his flush, “I mean… it’s a little embarrassing…” Tony mumbled, and Jaime felt a burst of disappointment run through him, but before he could respond, Tony was speaking again.
“But… it wouldn’t be… so bad…” he said quietly, and he’d definitely gone completely red now.
“You’re serious?” Jaime said, and he sounded a little breathless. Tony’s hand was squeezing onto his shoulder, trying to keep himself under control, but it was making it so much harder for Jaime to do the same.
Tony managed to nod, swallowing hard as his breathing grew a little more unsteady. God, he was so nervous right now, butterflies swirling in his stomach like crazy as Jaime stared at him.
“Yeah… I am…” he said quietly, his voice nearly getting caught in his throat at how hard his heart was pounding.
Jaime went to reply, but Becca was running back to them, making them part and create some distance as they tried to compose themselves. Becca was looking between them as she approached, frowning a bit.
“What’s wrong? Are you two fighting?” she asked, and both of them quickly looked at her, shaking their heads.
“No, no we were just talking,” Tony said, “Time to go back now, it’s getting late,” he added, and he tried his hardest to sound authoritative.
Becca pouted, looking at her candy bucket that was just over half full, “But I didn’t get all the houses yet,” she complained.
“It’s getting late, and you’ve got plenty,” Tony said firmly, taking her free hand and urging her to start walking. He needed Jaime alone, needed them to talk about this, and it was the only thing on his mind.
And walking beside him, exchanging small glances as this tension hung over them, was slowly killing him.
They finally got back to house, and they urged Becca in the door, Tony’s palms beginning to sweat as he got closer to having Jaime alone.
“Can I hang out with you guys?” Becca asked, her brows knitted as she saw them going to retreat into Tony’s room.
They stopped in their tracks, and Tony almost groaned. He was so close to being alone with Jaime now, and all he wanted to do was talk. It was like a physical ache.
“Not now, there’s something we have to talk about…” he said, his voice strained, and Jaime nodded, trying to hide how eager he was for this conversation.
“Yeah, just eat your candy,” Jaime smiled, and Becca didn’t protest as they were already making their way into Tony’s room, quickly closing the door behind them.
The silence was so loud as they looked at each other, waiting for the other to speak.
Finally, Tony broke through the quiet, and he fidgeted in place awkwardly, mindlessly fiddling with his torn-up sleeves.
“So… we should talk,” he stated the obvious, and he wanted to slam his head into the wall out of embarrassment.
Jaime couldn’t help the small laugh he let out, and Tony was grateful for it breaking some of the tension.
“Yeah, I guess we should,” he said, and he hated the fact the awkwardness was still evident in the room.
Tony’s cheeks heated up a little, and he cleared his throat, trying to find a starting point.
“I’m sorry for upsetting you… for not wanting to be seen clinging to you like that,” he started, and he could feel Jaime’s eyes on him, making him more nervous, “But I meant what i said.”
“About… it not being so bad?” Jaime asked, and Tony was turning redder by the second, and it was starting to be noticeable under his face paint, but he managed a small nod.
“Yeah… exactly,” he said, and a hint of a smile touched his lips, “I… I wouldn’t hate us being mistaken as being together…”
There was a moment of silence, just Jaime looking at Tony with wide eyes, and he could hardly believe this was real.
“You have no idea how good that sounds right now,” he said, and Tony’s stomach flipped with the way his voice had become so soft, almost disbelieving.
Tony chuckled nervously, looking down in an attempt to hide his still-red face. He was so embarrassed all of a sudden, it was hard not to be with the way Jaime was smiling at him.
“You really mean that?” he asked gently, and Jaime was nodding, moving closer.
“Yeah… for a long time now, actually, I’ve… thought about it,” he said quietly, getting braver as he approached, their bodies close together, their warmth starting to mingle.
Tony almost had to hold his breath with Jaime so close, wondering just how long he’d been feeling this way, thinking about them together.
“How long?” he asked, and his voice was a bit shaky.
“I don’t know,” Jaime said, “For… almost as long as I’ve known you?” and he was looking into Tony’s eyes, feeling so vulnerable as he laid out his secrets for him.
“Really?” Tony blurted, and it was suddenly hard to think with the way Jaime was looking at him.
“I… I had no idea you felt that way,” he said, letting the words sink in. He was practically surrounded by Jaime’s warmth, wanting to drown in it, and it was making him dizzy.
Jaime chuckled a little, shaking his head, “God, you’re clueless,” he teased gently, and a surge of sudden confidence rushed through him as he leaned in even closer, his eyes flickering to Tony’s lips because they just looked so soft.
“You really don’t know how to pick up on flirting, you know that?“ he added, and Tony was thinking back to those little interactions that gave him butterflies, thinking he was just making it up the whole time. But he wasn’t.
Tony’s head was spinning as he tried to wrap his head around it all. But then he was looking at his lips, and he couldn’t deny how badly he wanted to feel them against his.
“I guess I am kind of clueless,” he said, and the words came out more in a sigh.
Jaime let out a snort, “Understatement of the century,” he teased, and he was watching the way Tony’s eyes kept darting to his lips, and he was taking that as invitation enough. He wanted to just swoop in, take him into his arms and kiss him until he was breathless. But he was still scared, still apprehensive, and he knew they could never take it back.
But the anticipation of the whole thing was making the air thick, and Tony’s heart was hammering, and he couldn’t think of anything but how close they were.
“You gonna make me come to you?” he mumbled teasingly, and he could see the moment it clicked for Jaime, watching the way he was licking his lips.
The tension felt like lightning, like a physical presence in the air, and Jaime was moving faster than Tony could process, and suddenly his hands were around his waist, pulling him flush against himself.
Tony’s breath caught in his throat as he finally processed the way they were pressed up against each other, and he barely had time to let out a shaky exhale before Jaime’s lips were on his.
Tony’s mind went into free fall, his body suddenly so aware of everything around him, but most of all, Jaime’s lips. They were so much softer than he’d thought they’d be, and they were moving so perfectly against his.
His body instinctively moved against his, making him aware of just how close they were, their chests pressed up together.
Jaime wanted to move fast, take what he wanted, but he needed Tony to know how much he liked him, just how much care he had for him locked up in his body, and he became aware of how much these stupid fake fangs were getting in the way as they poked at Tony’s lips.
They pulled back, both laughing gently.
“Sorry..” Jaime said, quickly taking them out, and it was then he realised how Tony’s face-paint was smudged against his face, creating a halo around his lips that mapped out where they kissed.
“Your face…” he said gently, unable to stop grinning.
Tony couldn’t help the shy smile that spread over his face as Jaime looked at him, especially with the way his lips were still tingling from the kiss.
“Uh… is it bad?” he asked, and he was trying and failing to wipe the black paint from his lips with his sleeve, just smearing it more, making Jaime laugh even harder.
“Hey, it’s okay,” he said, “We can fix it after…” and he was gently taking Tony’s cheek in his hand, rubbing his thumb over it softly as to not smudge it anymore.
“After what?” Tony asked, his eyes big and sparkly as he melted into the touch.
“After this..” he said, and he was leaning in again, pressing their lips together again.
Tony thought the first kiss was a shock to system, but this one floored him on a whole other level, and his brain was turning into fuzz as he melted into him. He was wrapping his hands around him, and he was just as soft and warm as he always was.
The kiss was much more intense this time, just pouring all of their pent-up emotions into it, and Tony wasn’t holding back any longer, his hands wrapping up in Jaime’s hair to tug gently. It made a spark of heat fly through Jaime’s stomach, and he had to pull back, breathing deeply.
“Jesus, you’re so good at that,” he said, and he couldn’t stop just grinning, blushing, scanning over his face, “I wouldn’t mind doing that all the time.”
Tony’s brain was still fuzzy, and he had to lean against the dresser to keep himself upright, trying to even out his breathing.
“Y-Yeah?” he stuttered, his face suddenly getting hot. He felt weirdly vulnerable under his gaze, like he was laid completely bare.
“Yeah,” Jaime said with a small laugh, “Your face is a mess.”
Tony tried to wipe it off again, but it was just making it worse again, and Jaime took his hand down, wrapping their fingers together instead.
“It’s cute, don’t worry,” he said, squeezing his hand gently.
“Yeah, I’m sure I look great,” he mumbled sarcastically, trying in vain to hide his nervous excitement as he looked down at their entwined hands, his stomach flipping.
“I don’t want this to end,” Jaime said gently, and his hand on his back was moving up and down gently, just enjoying the feeling of him.
“Maybe we don’t have to..” Tony said, “Maybe we could… just…” he trailed off, not wanting to be the one to say it.
Jaime’s hand stuttered on his back as his heart skipped a beat, making him want to just throw himself at him and hold him.
“Just what?” he asked quietly, and he was looking into his eyes again, the butterflies kicking in.
“Just… be with each other,” Tony said, and he couldn’t meet his eyes for the life of him.
“Like… boyfriends?” Jaime asked, almost holding his breath as he said it.
“Like boyfriends,” Tony confirmed, and the word made him feel like he was floating.
Jaime just moved in, taking him into his arms and resting his head against his shoulder, rocking him gently, “Yes… yes, a hundred times yes…” he said excitedly, and he was nuzzling his nose against Tony’s shoulder.
“So, I’m yours?” Tony asked incredulously, and he was fighting the urge to grin like an idiot. The whole thing just felt so right, the reality that they were boyfriends now all hitting him at once.
“Yes, idiot. You’re mine,” Jaime said, and he was pulling back to look at him.
“Maybe you should stay over tonight,” Tony mumbled.
“Oh, you couldn’t kick me out if you tried,” Jaime giggled, a promise in his eyes of everything they would do together, “Just… just kiss me.”
Tony’s heart was just racing now, and he wrapped his arms around his neck.
“Don’t have to tell me twice,” he smiled, and suddenly his lips were on his again.
It was slow, gentle, everything they could’ve asked for.
And so much sweeter knowing they belonged to each other now.