Work Text:
Halloween wasn't a holiday he celebrated often, he used to in the past but over the past few years he hasn't participated in it as much as he wanted to.
Lin Ling has known full well what the holiday entailed. Dressing up in costumes whether scary or cute, simple or detailed, there was trick or treating and pulling harmless or meaningless pranks.
It was a day meant for fun laughter and contiguous and shared joy. It was a day where you spent it with your loved ones.
This was Lin Ling's first time he was doing that before he hadn't always been warned with countless and endless work, he never once had the time to go out and enjoy the festivities. He didn't partake in anything that the day seemed to offer. So he really wasn't surprised at his creation but he still couldn't hold in the grimace on his face as he stared down at it.
I'm definitely not good at this.
The lines of the mouth were jagged and pieces were hanging on by a mere peace of the orange flesh. All in all it was a disaster. Just like the whole counter, pumpkins seeds and chunks of orange flesh were thrown about on the counter.
He was sure that if it wasn't for the clear plastic keeping the counter clean from the mess, that Nice would be glaring holes at the counter, not that he wasn't doing it earlier but the fire behind her eyes was lessened.
Lin Ling looks away from his pumpkin to where Nice was positioned against the countertop completely focused on his own carving. It looked just like the typical pumpkin that was in movies as well as the city. Clean and precise cuts. Crescent eyes smiling back at him seemingly mocking and the smile only made him feel more dejected.
"That's it." He announced as he put down his tool. "I give up. My pumpkin sucks."
"It's not bad."
Lin Ling turned around to look at Moon, her hair pinned into a ponytail, he gloved hands digging out the guts of her second pumpkin. He looks at her first one, it's a cat sitting on a moon, perfect, adorable, absolutely better than his. "Sure." He said sarcastically. " It's absolutely amazing. So much better than yours and Nice's"
Moon looked at him. " It could use a little help..."
"I need a whole new pumpkin at this point. I can't believe you're on your second one already."
"I did this a lot when I was younger. I could help you if you want."
Lin Ling nodded. "Please. You would be a life saver."
She took a step forward— and paused in her tracks as Nice whipped towards them, hovering. Nice was flushed behind his chest, the warmth spreading into his chest and feigning off the cold.
"I'll help you Lin Ling."
"Nice!" Moon yelled. "Damnit you—"
The man blinked at her. " I'm done with my pumpkin, you are not. I'll help him and I'll be more perfect than yours.”
Moon's gaze snapped to him, questioning. Lin Ling was fully aware that she would disagree with Nice if he just said the word. He didn't though and just smiled at her. "It's fine you can finish yours up. Beside I'm curious to see how he plans on surpassing yours.
Lin Ling chuckled a bit at the affronted squawk.
"I'll can make one much better than her."
Lin Ling turned around, looked nice in the eyes and raised his eyebrow. "We'll see." Then he pushed nice away from him and towards the disastrous pumpkin.
A few minutes later after much back and forth about how to fix the pumpkin so it would look cute and not at all like the mangled mess that it was before they finally came up with a solution.
The smile was wider, the teeth that used to be there now cut out. The bottom was cut, the perfect size of Lin Ling's head. "It's..."
"Amazing?" Nice spoke.
"It's a pumpkin helmet. A carved pumpkin that's supposed to go on my head. It's kind of weird but in a cute way."
"Try it on."
Lin Ling picked it up, felt the weight of it in his hands and promptly put it on his head. It was snug and smelled strongly of pumpkin once he put it on.
Nice gazed at him through the cut out crescent eyes, a small content smile on his face. Heat flooded his chest. This was it. What Lin Ling had been missing whenever he had shut himself in his apartment and dedicatedly focused on his project.
Sweet company, playful banter thrown around. A warmth in his chest as he bathed in the presence of those closest to him.