Work Text:
Halloween had been all the boys could think about since the first change in weather indicating fall had come to pass. Judd and Owen had done their best to keep them occupied with other fall activities, but no amount of pumpkin patches or hayrides could dule the excitement of costumes and candy.
“Daddy?” TK asked. “Is Hall’ween yet?”
Owen ruffled his hair and shook his head. “Sorry, bubba. There’s still a couple of weeks to go.”
“You’s not ‘lowed to move Hall’ween jus’ a ‘cause you’s hate candy,” TK said suspiciously. “Was weeks to go yes’day too.”
Beside him, Judd snorted and Owen shot a glare at him before reaching down to pull TK up and onto his lap. THe four of them were on the back of a truck, going on a very slow nighttime hayride. Both of the boys had been thrilled about this event as it wasn’t often they got to do nighttime activities when small.
“I promise I’m not moving the holiday,” Owen said. “Good things just take longer to come.”
TK pouted and squirmed to get back down on the hay covered truck bed, taking his seat next to Carlos again. His best friend was happily playing with the hay, burying Judd’s feet in it, but with TK back, Carlos abandoned this and started to cover TK instead. Judd made a mental note to take the baby to the beach come summer.
“Mine ‘Los,” TK said. “Has you ‘cided you’s gonna wear mine daddy’s un’form for Hall’ween?”
“No,” Carlos said, furrowing his brow. “Why?”
“A ‘cause you’s gonna be fireman.”
“No not.”
“Yeah huh. A ‘cause you’s gonna be me ‘cept not fit in med clothes a so you’s fireman TK! An’ I p’lice off’cer ‘Los!”
“No, no,” Carlos said, shaking his head. “Punkin.”
“We gets punkins later. Now we’s talk ‘bout costumes!”
“Punkin tostume! I punkin How-een.”
TK squirmed away from Carlos this time, sitting up and brushing hay off his chest. His pout was back to its fullest form. He glowered at his friend and crossed his arms petulantly.
“No punkin! You’s fireman TK!”
Carlos’s bottom lip wobbled dangerously and he turned, shifting until he was close enough to bury his face in Judd’s thigh.
“TK,” Judd said, his voice sounding extra growly. “Carlos don’t have to be anything he don’t want to be.”
“’M gonna be him so’s he hasta be me! Tha’s on’y fair, Uncle Juddy!”
“You can still be officer Carlos for Halloween, but it’s not fair to make Carlos be something he don’t want to be.”
“Why he not wanna be me?” TK asked tearfully. “Don’t he love me?”
Owen braced himself as TK launched forward on his knees, scrambling to get back into his lap. He wrapped his arms tight around TK as the little boy started to cry into his neck. This was not the relaxing hayride that would lull the rambunctious little boys to sleep that the older men had been hoping for. The boys had still been balls of energy when they’d climbed up into the back of the truck and the hope was to calm the pair of them, but apparently they’d moved past that and were now overtired and weepy.
“I loves,” Carlos sobbed, now upset that TK thought he didn’t.
They were thankfully the only ones on the hayride, free from judgmental looks of other parents and caregivers, all of whom would claim their kids never cried.
“You’s not ‘ven wanna be TK!”
“I TK,” Carlos sniffled. He rubbed his snotty nose against Judd’s thing. “TK How-een.”
“No,” Judd said firmly. TK was often a brat, but he wasn’t going to let that dictate Carlos’s wants and needs. “You wanted to be a pumpkin. You were so excited.”
“TK sad,” Carlos said. He rested his cheek right where he’d wiped the majority of his snot. “I fix.”
“No sir.” Judd reached down and helped him up onto his lap, starting to rock him. “It is not your responsibility to fix this. This is not a situation where you are responsible for his feelings.”
“Uncle Juddy!” TK wailed. “Jus’ let mine ‘Los be me! He said!”
“Are you asking for a spanking? Because your tone sure sounds like it.”
“No!”
“You need to listen, Tyler Kennedy,” Owen said, holding him even tighter. “You are allowed to be disappointed, but did you even ask Carlos if he wanted to be you? Don’t you want him to be happy?”
“Maybe no ask,” TK sniffled.
“You have to ask before you decide things for others like this,” Owen said. “I want you to apologize to Judd and Carlos for whining and making Carlos cry and for being bossy. That’s not the kind of boy you want to be, right?”
“Not wanna be mean boy,” TK mumbled. He slid into the open space between Judd and Owen and wrapped his arms around both Carlos and Judd. “Sorry ‘mine Los and mine uncle Juddy.”
“Thank you for saying that, TK. I accept your apology.”
“Mine ‘Los, I sorry, ‘kay?” TK said urgently, reaching out to pat Carlos’s arm gently when the boy didn’t say anything. “You’s be punkin. Is ‘kay.”
Carlos peeked out at TK, but stayed tucked into Judd’s side. If the man let him, he’d fall asleep before the truck stopped.
“I gib,” Carlos said. “TK no boss ‘Los.”
“That’s right,” Judd said. “TK’s not the boss of you.”
“I like bein’ boss,” TK pouted and leaned against Owen, rubbing his eyes. “Like daddy.”
“There’s a difference between being the boss and being bossy,” Owen said.
Owen gently started to rub TK’s stomach, hoping to get him closer to sleep before they reached the parking lot. They were getting closer to it and by the time they were there, Owen wanted to avoid anymore tantrums.
Come Halloween, TK had changed his costume half a dozen times. He decided against going as Officer Reyes when he was (immediately, rightfully) shut down about carrying a real firearm, loaded or not. From there, he’d been a pumpkin vine until he realized he’d just look like a long green vegetable, a scarecrow until he realized it wouldn’t look right without the itchy hey coming out of his clothes, Marshall from Paw Patrol, a vampire, a ghost, and finally a mouse. Owen wasn’t sure whether he should thank Tommy for reintroducing the story to his son or strangle her. The last four days had been spent with TK naming things and Owen having to come up with what would be wanted after the item was given to someone. He was really hoping for a new fixation come November, even if he did look adorable in his little mouse onesie with a long pink tail and Dumbo-like ears.
“Daddy? If you’s give a TK candy what gonna ‘appen?”
“If I give a TK a candy? Well then he’s going to want more candy, of course.”
TK giggled and clapped his hands as he nodded vigorously. “An’ then what?”
“If he gets more candy, then he’s going to want to brush his teeth!”
“No, daddy!” TK said, hoping like a bunny around Owen. “TK’s not want that!”
“Well, what do you think TK would want after more candy then, smarty pants?”
TK wrapped his arms around Owen, plonking his head on his shoulder before gleefully shouting at top volume, “More candy!”
“And daddy’s going to want hearing aids,” Owen mumbled, rubbing his offended left ear.
“We’s go tricker treat now?” TK asked. He pulled his thumb from his mouth only so he could tug on Owen’s arms with both hands.
“Trick or Treating starts when it’s dark outside. Many hours after your nap.”
“No nap! Too ‘cited!”
“Oh yes you will nap. Little boys who don’t take a nap will be too tired for trick or treating and candy.”
TK’s eyes widened comically and he dropped Owen’s arm, sprinting from the room. Owen chuckled and followed a little more reasonably paced behind him to the nursery. It was going to be a long day.
Carlos woke up from his nap groggily, having gotten the kind of good sleep that left him wondering what day it was. He pulled his knuckle out of his mouth and rubbed his fist in his eyes, blinking around the dark room. The door was closed, but Carlos saw the ever-present baby monitor and knew Judd would come for him soon. There was no need to scream, not that he would, but it was nice to know Judd was always watching over him. He sat up, letting the blanket fall to the side and he babbled to his stuffed animals while he played with the soft toy that Judd had hooked up to the crib bars for him. He stopped playing as the door was pushed open.
“T’ick t’eat!” Carlos squealed, beaming and bouncing on his bottom as he reached for Judd with both hands.
Judd smiled and pulled down the crib bars, making a slight sound as Carlos launched into him. He’d had a fantastic nap, sleeping for close to two hours and, ordinarily, Judd wouldn’t have let him sleep for so long, but given that evening’s activities it was best to let him sleep while he could. Later, he’d be fueled by too much sugar and excitement to go down quickly or easily.
“Let’s get you all cleaned up,” Judd said.
Carlos laid down on the changing mat obediently, suckling his knuckle as Judd wiped him clean. Sometimes, he still got embarrassed about this, a hang up from his life pre-Judd, but Judd never said anything disparaging about the task.
“Daddy?” Carlos asked as the fresh diaper was taped up. “Tostume?”
“Yes, munchkin, you can wear your costume now.”
Carlos clapped in delight, sitting up as Judd went to the closet to grab it from where eit hung. It wasn’t a complicated costume, just a long sleeved orange shirt with matching joggers to keep him warm and the puffy, round pumpkin costume he’d wear over his torso, snapping at the crotch that had a smiling Jack O Lantern face. Judd’s favorite piece of the costume, however, was his little orange hat with a green stalk poking straight out the middle.
“You are too damn adorable,” Judd chuckled. “Can we take a picture for mama?”
Carlos screwed up his face him a big ham smile, his eyes squinting shut his mouth was so wide. “Eese! Eeese mama! T’ick t’eat!”
Judd snapped the photo quickly before turning to a video to fully capture what was happening. Grace had been disappointed to realize that she was going to miss his first Halloween. By the time she got home from work, Carlos would hopefully be tucked into bed already.
“Daddy, t’ick t’eat? Tostume!”
“Sorry, munchkin. It’s not time for trick or treating yet. First, you’re going to play, then we’ll eat dinner, and then once TK comes over we can go trick or treating.”
“Tricker treat!” TK shouted, thrusting his plastic pumpkin at Judd.
“A rat!” Judd said, dropping a singular pack of gummy bears into TK’s bucket.
“Not rat! ‘M a mouse, uncle Juddy!”
Carlos came over, interrupting before Judd could respond. He held out his bucket, jealous that his daddy had given TK candy but not him.
“T’ick t’eat!”
Judd smiled and dropped a chocolate bar into his bucket. “How’s your day been, Owen?”
“Loud,” Owen said. “And filled with several reads of you know what.”
Neither of the kids were paying attention to them anymore, but Owen wasn’t going to risk invoking the power of If You Give a Mouse a Cookie just then.
“We’ve been practicing for tonight all day,” Judd said, sounding as fond as Owen did exasperated.
Owen smiled and clapped him on the back, not needing to say anything
After a quick potty break and change, it was time to get going. Both men ended up taking easily over a hundred photos of the boys in their costumes and the patience of the littles was running thin, especially as other Little’s and kids filtered out onto the sidewalk and started ringing doorbells.
“Remember to hold hands,” Judd said. “And TK, help Carlos if there are stairs.”
TK sighed and stomped his foot. “I knows howta takes care of mine ‘Los.”
“I know you do little man, but I’m still going to remind you. And don’t run off. Stay where we can see you. No going more than one house in front of us, got it?”
TK rolled his eyes while Carlos nodded seriously and then, just like that, they were off, Carlos’s light-up tennis shoes flashing as they went.
Despite having practiced all day (and for weeks leading up to now), when the first door opened, Carlos’s mouth ran dry and he was unable to get any words out. He just tentatively held out his bucket and let TK shout. As they turned to leave, he only just remembered to bring his hand up to his chin, tapping his fingers to it before bringing it down to sign thank you before following TK to the next house. Grace had taught him a few signs early into his stay with them and had been having a hard time saying anything and it still came in handy.
Over the next several houses, Carlos tentatively worked up his courage to whisper his little ‘t’ick t’eat’ and ‘t’ank ‘ou’ while TK scream shouted to his right. At the next house, Carlos faltered, looking up at the slightly spookier decorations. Judd and Owen had both seen scarier houses, but for a little guy like Carlos, the excessive cobwebs and skeleton’s was enough to freak him out.
“C’mon ‘Los,” TK said, tugging his hand.
“No, no,” Carlos said, dropping TK’s hand and turned, reaching his arm out to Judd. “Daddy!”
“What’s the matter munchkin?” Judd asked, coming over and picking him up.
“Scare,” Carlos mumbled into his ear. “No go.”
“TK, why don’t you go do this one by yourself,” Judd said. “This house is a little too scary for Carlos.”
TK looked back at the house and tentatively reached up for Owen’s hand. He really wanted to get more candy and to not seem like he was afraid, but the house was a little scary. Just a little bit though.
“Daddy come too?” TK asked him.
“Absolutely,” Owen said, squeezing his hand reassuringly.
Carlos and Judd watched as the Strand’s headed up the porch and Carlos rested his head on Judd’s shoulder, bringing his knuckle back to his mouth. They were almost done with one side of the street and then when they finished the other half, Judd and Owen had decided they’d be done. No sense in going to multiple neighborhoods.
TK reached out and knocked on the door, feeling braver with his daddy next to him, but a little nervous as to what was going to open the door. When it was just a middle-aged woman about his mommy’s age looking completely normal, TK relaxed.
“Tricker treat!” He said happily, holding out his bucket.
“Well aren’t you cute,” she said. “A little mouse!”
“Uh-huh! F’om the book!” TK said, smiling as she dropped a KitKat into his pumpkin.
“I thought that was it! Happy Halloween sweetie.”
“’T’anks! Happy Hall’ween, ‘cept can I’s have ‘nother candy?” TK swayed a little and pointed over at Carlos. “Tha’s mine ‘Los an’ he scareded jus’ little bit a ‘cause of the dec’rations but I’s not wan’ him miss candy.”
The woman cooed and handed him a second KitKat, which he took happily and gave her a second of thanks before running off to Carlos, holding onto his tail so he didn’t trip over it.
“’Los! Lookit! I’s got you candy,” TK said, showing him the candy bar before dropping it in his pumpkin bucket.
“T’ank ‘ou,” Carlos said, smiling at his friend.
The four of them skipped the following house that had no lights on and not even a bowl on the porch, forging on to the other side of the street a few minutes later. Carlos had stayed back for the rest of the half of the block, still recovering from the scary decorations of the one house, and after each one, TK came back with an extra candy piece for Carlos, dropping them dutifully into his bucket. But finally Carlos squirmed out of Judd’s arms and took TK’s hand again and followed him up the porch of a decorated home.
“Tricker treat!” TK said loudly when an older man than his daddy opened the door with a giant bowl of candy.
“Well, a mouse and a pumpkin!” The man said. “What great costumes. Here you go, kiddo.”
He dropped a Necco wafers into TK’s pumpkin and then turned to Carlos. The little boy blinked up at him, holding his pumpkin out nervously.
“Now, you have to say trick or treat to get candy,” The man said. “Those are the rules.”
Carlos frowned and fidgeted nervously, his hand getting sweaty in TK’s.
“Mine ‘Los jus’ a baby,” TK said. “He shy.”
“Well, you can’t get candy if you don’t say it.”
His pumpkin was filled with all kinds of candy he’d gotten without saying it and Carlos panicked, unsure if he was even going to be allowed to have any of it when he hadn’t said trick or treat. He shifted, starting to turn to look for his daddy, but TK gripped his hand tighter.
“No, no,” TK said, shaking his head. “Tha’s not right. Mine ‘Los not talk lots. Still get candy.”
“Nope,” the man said, pulling the bowl back. “You can only have candy if you say trick or treat, kiddo.”
Carlos’s face scrunched up. He wanted his daddy! He didn’t like this house! Beside him, TK dropped his hand and stepped forward, kicking the man hard in the shins. Behind him, he could hear a sudden flurry of commotion and knew his daddy was coming. TK’s daddy too.
“You’s mean!” TK said angrily. “An’ you’s not ‘ven have good candy!”
“Tyler Kennedy,” Owen said. “What do you think you’re doing?”
“Daddy, he mean!” TK said, stomping his foot as he was turned to look at his dad. “He not gonna give mine ‘Los no candy!”
“What?” Judd asked, picking up his now crying kid. “Why wouldn’t you give my kid candy?”
“I was going to!” The older man said, now seeming to clock how big Judd was especially.
“Nuh-uh,” TK said haughtily. “He say no candy ‘less mine ‘Los say tricker treat but ‘mine ‘Los shy! He not ‘ways say tricker treat but he say t’ank you! Jus’ a baby!”
“You should be ashamed of yourself,” Owen said harshly. “Picking on a baby?”
“I just wanted him to know the rules of Halloween.”
“Littles dress up and get candy. Not everyone talks,” Judd growled. He gently patted at Carlos’s bottom, trying to soothe him.
Owen took TK’s hand, trying to lead him away but TK tugged out of it, reaching in his pumpkin bucket and grabbed the Necco wafers. He lobbed them hard at the man who had no time to react and while two of them went sideways, hit him square in the nose.
“TK,” Owen sighed. “We don’t throw things at people. Or kick.”
“I does if thems bein’ mean to mine ‘Los,” TK said solemnly. “A ‘sides, thems yucky candy. He doubly ‘shamed, right daddy?”
“Yeah, he should be ashamed of himself, but you also shouldn’t kick. When he was being mean, you could have turned around and called for me or uncle Juddy to come deal with it.”
“Uh-huh, but you’s not gonna kick him an’ he needed it,” TK said.
Owen sighed and continued to try to reason with his boy while Judd gently paced up and down the sidewalk, alternating between rubbing Carlos’s back and patting his bottom reassuringly.
“It’s okay,” Judd murmured softly. “You’re okay. He was just a mean old man. You’re good boy.”
“Tandy?” Carlos whimpered. “No say t’ick t’eat. I sorry.”
“Oh munchkin,” Judd said. “He was all wrong. You don’t have to say it. Just dressing up and going to the door was enough. You are a good boy and do trick or treating right. He is doing it wrong.”
Carlos sniffled and rubbed at his eyes, looking down at his little pumpkin bucket half filled with candy. He and TK had talked about how they were going to get their buckets filled all the way up before they got home, but Carlos wasn’t so sure he wanted to trick or treat anymore because what if someone else wouldn’t give him candy.
“Baby,” Judd said, seemingly reading his thoughts. “No one else is going to be mean to you. We can go home if you really want to, but if you keep trick or treating, I promise you no one else is going to give you trouble.”
Carlos looked over at TK who was talking quietly with Owen and playing with the tail on his costume. If he stopped trick or treating, that meant that TK would have to as well and he didn’t want to ruin TK’s night even if he didn’t want to go to anymore houses.
“Daddy hold?” Carlos asked.
“I can carry you to the door,” Judd said.
His plan lasted all of four houses before Carlos squirmed down from Judd because he wasn’t moving fast enough. He reattached himself to TK, running up the last few houses with him and giggling, though he didn’t say anything to anyone giving him candy. Judd was right in that no one else bothered him about it.
Judd and Owen also noticed that the house with the mean old man had gone dark and they were glad for it – he didn’t need to be hassling any other shy little ones.
When they got back to the house, Carlos and TK immediately sat on the living room floor and dumped out their pumpkins. Carlos was in heaven, sorting all his candy into little piles, each type getting their own. TK, on the other hand sorted his candy into just two piles: yummy and yucky. From there, the two of them traded, Carlos ending up with more chocolate, TK with more gummy, and Judd and Owen with a small portion each that they said was the parent tax.
Carlos had chocolate covering his hands and smeared over his mouth and TK’s lips were turning blue from the ring pop he’d stuck in his mouth like a pacifier, but both boys were quiet and near asleep next to each other on the floor. Honestly, Judd and Owen had thought that the night would go differently – more tears and tantrums over bedtime than out collecting the candy, but it had been the opposite. Once home, both boys were happily trading and eating their candy, TK opening wrappers for Carlos when he couldn’t, and they’d fallen asleep curled in one another, still in their costumes, though Carlos had lost his hat.
“Will he be big tomorrow?” Judd asked, nodding at TK.
Owen knelt down, gently pulling the ring pop from his son’s mouth and replacing it with a pacifier. “Maybe. It’s hard to tell around the holidays.”
Judd nodded and leaned down, picking up Carlos who stirred ever so slightly, then promptly let out a snore. He chucked and pressed a kiss to his head.
“Cap, don’t worry ‘bout those wrappers. I got them. Just worry about getting TK home.”
Owen nodded and picked up TK, shushing him gently when his eyes fluttered.
“Ni-night mine ‘Los,” TK mumbled, reaching blindly out for him.
Judd came closer, putting his snoring baby up next to TK, cooing as TK leaned over, pressing a sleepy kiss to his cheek before closing his eyes again.
“And here I thought we’d have to tie them to their beds to get them to sleep,” Owen joked.
Judd laughed and said, “Maybe we should let them eat candy more often.”
Owen joined his laughter, both men chuckling for a solid minute before sobering up and shaking their heads. The thought of frequently over-sugared little TK and Carlos was honestly the most frightening thing. Without the excitement and exhaustion of the holiday, they’d only end up with foot stomps, red eyes, and lots of shrieking. Candy was best kept to moderation – whether the boys would agree or not was another story entirely.