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Jack had never really understood the appeal of the holiday Halloween, it had simply always been for kids. Cause kids liked dressing up, they liked candy, they liked knocking on strangers doors and screaming at them trick or treat as thought they earned any right to yell and demand chocolate from older and much more exhausted adults.
Adults at least in Jacks own opinion had much better things to do, like work, sleep, bills, and responsibilities. thankful in Jacks case, the emergency department didn't really care what the day of the year was.
Halloween had always just been another shift for him, it was also the same thing he had told you when you mentioned that there were plans for dressing up while you were on a shift.
"You're gonna dress up for work?" He asked over the top rim of his coffee cup. "Maybe." You said shrugging you shoulders, "Why?" He asked sharply. "Because it's halloween." He just gives you a look, "Halloween is for kids." He counters.
"You sound like an eighty year old."
"I've worked enough Halloween shifts to know better." You laugh kiss his cheek. "You're just a little jealous because you don't have a good costume."
"Sweetheart, I'm not wearing a costume." You smiled, and winked at the older man, "We will see." Jack had thought, honestly thought that had been the end of that.
It wasn't, not even remotely close to the end of it.
It was exactly eight thirty in the morning, on Halloween. When Jack walks in through the emergency ambulance doors. It takes him exactly two steps inside and towards the nurses station to be frozen in his spot.
There you are standing at the nurses station, charting on an ipad. Jack is stuck staring at you. You’re dress complexity in black, from head to toe. It’s not one of those typical costumes though, it’s just subtle enough.
You’re dress appropriately for the shift that is about to start, but there is absolutely no shaking that fact that you have decided to have fun with this Halloween. You wear a pair of black scrubs, with a long sleeve black shirt underneath it. Your normal non slip shoes are on your feet, the only thing that is different about you are the tiny delicate little black cats here that are on your head.
You had chosen today was the day to wear make up to work. Your normal eyeliner extended to be a bit more playful at the ends. You have have the faintest little whiskers along your cheeks. Even around your waist just hidden beneath your scrub top is a thin black tail that moves just ever so slightly whenever you shift.
It’s not a full costumes, but Jack did have to give it to you. It was subtle, and cute. Along with that it was extremely effective on the nearly fifty year old man, he had honestly forgot what the hell was he was doing.
You looked up from the ipad, and your face warmly broke out into a kind smile. “Morning.” Jack went to open his mouth, but nothing came out. Instead he looked like a fish out of water trying to gasp for air. “Jack?” You titled your hear, he blinked, “Morning.” He finally said his voice rough as he had been screaming for the past ten minutes.
You gave him a quick look over, “Everything okay?’ You asked genuinely, “Yup, all good over here.” Jacks eyes flickering over to your wars, then back towards your face. Against his best judgement he took the tiniest peek of the little tail behind you.
Then right back to your face as if he was afraid to get caught. Your smile only grew wider, and brighter. “Do you like my costume?” You asked, he cleared his throat trying to regain some sort of control over himself and the situation. “Yeah.”
Your brows furrowed together, “Just yeah?” You question the older man. ‘It’s…” He struggled, and you waited patiently. Jack rubbed at he back of his neck a nervous tick he had learned from his best friend. “It’s nice.” He finally mumbles. You raise a brow at him, “Nice?” You question, “Very nice.” He corrects you, he watches as your smile goes from innocent to mischievous, “Just nice?” You tease
Jack looked at you again, and that was honestly his mistake. “You are beautiful.” His words just slipped out of his mouth before he was able to stop them. You go quiet across the nurses station. It makes Jack realize that he just said something that he hadn’t meant to say and his ears go pink.
Jack ends up picking up a chart that is nearest to him, and going to pretend that he’s very interested in it. You smirk. “Thank you.” You whisper, “You’re welcome.” Jack whispers back to you. He doesn’t look up, he doesn’t have the strength to look at you right now. It makes you just lean in closer to his bubble.
“You still sure that halloween is just for kids, Jackie?” You tease him, jack sighs heavily out of his nose and finally looks back up at you. “Don’t start with me this morning.” You giggle, he turns to walk away towards some other place then where he is right now, but unfortunately for him you turn and follow behind him.
Unlike Jack you actually have patients to attend to. “Where are you going?” He asks over his shoulder, “To trauma two.” You says with raised brows, “Where my patient is currently.” Jack stops, and swallows around nothing. “Right, sorry.” He mutters.
You stare at him, and he stares back at you. You smile after a few seconds pass. “You are distracted.” You say calmly. “I am not.” He says with his head held high trying to avoid your eye contact. "You absolutely are." You says with a grin, “For your information, I’m working.” You hum, and narrow your eyes at Jack. "You just forgot I was your resident for a second, didn’t you?"
Jack sighs in defeat, and points towards the trauma bay. “Go see your patients.” You nod, “Of course, doctor.” You say saluting him before walking away in the direction of the room. Jack watches as you walk away.
Trinity passes by Jack, and catches him openly staring at you, “Real smooth, Dr. Abbot.” He groans and glares at Trinity over his shoulder. “Keep walking, Santos.”
It’s nearly nine in the morning by the time Jack had been caught staring at your three separate time. By ten in the morning he’s stared another three times at you. By eleven, you’ve just stopped counting.
The first time had been during rounds, there you were presenting a patient to your attending, Dr. Abbot when his eyes started to drift towards you, and your ears. He wasn’t even paying attention to the words, or the patient in front of you anymore.
It was just for a blink of a second, and of course you take notice to it. “For right now their pain is being controlled with…” Your words aren’t hitting his ears, and you see something different in Jack face, so you stop. Jack blinks at you shaking himself out of his thoughts.
“What?” He asks confused as to why you had stopped your presentation of the current case. “You aren’t even listening to me.” You huff, “I am listening to you.” You shake your head at him, “No… you were staring, at my ears.” You point out obviously.
Trinity looks between the two, smirking at the obvious way that her attending is loosing himself in you. Jack clears his throat, “I was.” He says clearly, you wait and stare at him. He once again sighs in defeat. “They… the ears are a bit distracting.” He mutters quietly, Trinity from somewhere near the two of you snorts and tries to cover it up with a cough.
“Something funny, Dr. Santos.” He says rather harshly. “Nope.” She shakes her head, and turns. “Good.” He rolls his eyes, and when he turns back around you’re smiling at him. “Am I allowed to finish my presentation?” You tease.
“Please.” Jack begs, you continue on, and to Jack benefit he really does try to focus, but every single time he has to look at you he catches the glimpse of the cat ears. Pink on the inside, and that solid black on the outside. Such a contrast to the ER with all the bright lights, and dull colors. Every time you catch him, and your smiles only grows bigger.
The second time it happens you are sitting at the nurses station. The computer screen on a chart your fingers clicking away on the keys. Jack comes over to ask for another review for another on of your patients results.
He leans down on the counter close to you. “What have you got for me?” You turn the computer screen towards him, “Their labs are back.” You says before continuing, “Looks like their hemoglobin is going stable, lactates are down, and…” Jacks looks at your screen, then at your face where the whiskers are still on your face even after nearly four hours on the job. Finally they land on the ears again.
You take a long pause, “Jack?” you whisper. He hums, not staring at anything other then the ears atop your head. “You’re doing the thing again.” You say plainly. “What am I doing now?” He asks with pinched brows.
“Staring.” He shakes his head, “No I’m reading the chart.” You clear your throat, “Then the chart is down here.” You say point at the bright computer screen. His eyes are so obviously not looking at the chart, Jack is just straight staring at the ears.
He looks back down at you, “I like them.” He admits, you blink because you weren’t sure he was gonna say any of that in the ER’s nurses station. “Really?” He gives a short nod, “Why?” Your eyes narrowing. He just shrugs.
“I think that suit you.” He murmurs, your smile goes soft around the edges, “That’s oddly sweet.” Jack rolls his eyes, “Don’t go tellin’ anyone.” He mumbles. “Oh no, of course not. Your secret is safe with me.” You wink at him.
Jack reaches across you and taps the chart on the screen. “Now how about you tell me why your patient is in need of another round of troponin.” You smile sweetly. “That I can answer, because you taught me so very well.” Jack smiles, “That’s better.”
Rolling your eyes at the attending might have gotten you a talking to if it weren’t that Jack liked being in your company so much, “And you like being complimented too.” You sassily shrug your shoulders. “Fuckin’ apparently.” He says under his breath.
You laugh, and Jack smiles again. Of course the moment is ruined when someone behind you starts to talk. “Am I interrupting something here?” Dana asks, and Jack just lets out a low sigh. “We are discussing patient care.” She nods her heading in an all to knowing kind of way. That just rubs Jack the wrong way.
“Of course you were.” You hid your smile behind your hand, and Jack shakes his head in more defeat. “Everyone in this department is so annoying.” He huffs, “Happy halloween, Dr. Abbot.” Dana says sly as she walks back over to her station.
It was near lunch time when the it seemed that the hospital had started to fully embrace the cold arms of the halloween spirit. Someone had found the tiny plastic pumpkins in storage and put them all around the nurses station. Someone else had taped ‘horribly’ cut paper bats to the walls coming into and out of the triage and ER.
Someone else had also created a candy bowl that was started to get devoured into next to the coffee machine. It then dawned on Jack that nearly every single person in the ER had some what of a costume on.
Jack was keeping strong, insisting that he was not, and wouldn’t dare participate, then you caught Jack eating one of the little chocolate bars from the candy bowl. Wrapper still in hands, getting literally caught with his hand in the candy bowl.
You stared at him from across the break room, and he stared back. “What?” He asked his voice going higher in octave. You didn’t speak at first instead opting to point at the candy bowl, “You specifically said that halloween was for kids.” You repeated his words to him, “It’s just chocolate.” He mumbled shoving another little bar into his mouth.
“No you’re in here celebrating.” Jack shakes his head, “I’m hungry.” He says coldly, you smile, “Sure you are, Jackie.” The nickname has Jacks cheeks growing a little pinkish. Jack crumples up the wrappers that are on the counter and toss them into the trash bin. Almost automatically his eyes start to drift up towards your car ears again.
You raise your brows but not in surprise. “You really like these ears, don’t you?” You tease the older man, Jack just sighs. “I don’t know why.” He mumbles returning to the counter. “You have been staring all morning long at them.” He nods, “Yeah I know.” The admission half surprises you and half doesn’t.
Jack leans into the counter hard. “I guess I’ve just never seen you dressed up like this before.” he says quietly as if someone else is about to break into the break room. “Do you hate it?” You ask, his face changes immediately. “No.” He says rather quickly, he says it so quickly that your smile is back on your face. “No?” You tease him, “No.” Jack looks at you.
“I like it.” He whispers, "How much do like it?” Your question makes the older man hestiate. “A lot.” He finally says after looking at them for a long moment. You feel your heart flutter in your chest as his admission, and you reach up to touch one of the ears. “They are cute.” You mumbles, your own cheeks growing hot.
“They are a distraction.” Jack mumbles, you blink at Jack. “What?” Not understanding, Jack realizes that he’s said these words out loud and mumbles a very clear “Nothing” into the break room. You laugh, “Jack!” You tease just his name.
“Don’t.”
“Do you think I’m distracting?” You tease further, there’s a moment, a pause that takes over the room. “Yes.” He says with much hesitation this time. Your smile goes soft, and you whisper a small “Good.” Into the space.
Jack smiles too, “You most definitely planned this didn’t you.” Your shrug your shoulders. “Maybe” You drawl, “Just to mess with me?” He asks, “Maybe…” you drawl again with your shoulders up by your ears. He shakes his head but not in disappointment, “You are so much trouble.” He teases, “But you love me.” you say and it makes Jacks expression go soft, “Yeah, I do love you.”
He reaches for your hand on the counter, and his thumbs brushes at the tops of your knuckles, skin impossibly soft for the amount of hand sanitizers that you guys use. Or maybe that just his best friend. For a few seconds, the hospital around you disappears, the break room fades into the background.
Someone is standing at the break room door, clearing their throat. When you both look up it’s Dana again. “Sorry didn’t mean to interrupt you two again.” She says with an amused look on her face. Once again Jack sighs in defeat, of being caught. “Go away, Dana!” He mumbles, she laughs and walks out of the break room.
“Happy halloween, Jack!” She shouts as the door slowly shuts on itself. Jack can’t help but rolls his eyes, and you can’t help but keep smiling.
By the mid afternoon time its getting busier in the ER. The kind of bust that nobody really has the time or the need to be worrying about. The only thing that is the most important is the seeing the next patient.
You’ve got a flow going by noon, moving from room to room, Jack bouncing between traumas like it’s second nature to him, and you presenting cases to him. Jack like a good attending questioning your plans, and you defending your patient care.
Jack is one to give you the occasional little nod, that you know means ‘you did a good job’ without the words ever being spoken in the ER halls. Jack was teaching you, and you were learning from him in perfect harmony.
Somewhere in all the chaos, halloween had been forgotten becoming just a day instead of all about the costumes, and candy. Except for poor unfortunate Jack he stilled noticed your ears, and tail. Every single time you were around him, or he caught a glimpse of your far off in another room.
You were walking into the supply closer, grabbing something that was running low in one of the room, when you walked in and found that Jack was already there. Like he had been waiting for you. He took a look up, “Hey.” He muttered, “Hey.” You parroted back. You shut the door behind you, and Jacks eyes were already on your pink and black ears.
You laughed when you turned around and noticed that man wasn’t really focused on your just your ears. “Seriously, again?” You teased, he smiled warmly, “It can’t be helped.” You walked closer into the supply closet. “Do you wanna touch ‘em?” You asked, getting really close to Jack.
Jacks brows nearly went up into his hairline. As if you had just asked the man to touch you in a more not safe for work kinda way. “Your ears?” He asked dumbly, “Yes, Jackie. My ears.” He swallowed around nothing, “No cause you’ll make fun of me.” He mumbled, “Probably.” You shrugged, and of course the man folded immediately. His sighed, and lifted one of his hands.
The tips of his fingers just barely brushing agasint the black cat ears. You watched Jacks expressions carefully, he smiled, “They’re so soft.” He commented, and you laughed unable to hold it back.
“Jack.” You said his name softly, “What?” He asked with wide eyes, “Um… you are kinda just petting my costume right now.” Jacks sighed again, but not in defeat this time. Instead he sighed with a deep rooted longing, “I know.” You giggled as he continued to pet the ears on top of your head. “You’ve seriously lost it.” “Maybe.” He mumbled not caring to stop touching you… or the ears.
Jack was careful in his touch of the ears, as he adjusted them back to their original spot. “There.” He whispered in the small space of the supply closet. You smiled sweetly at the older man. Whispering back your own, “Thank you.” Jacks hand fell down, and lingered at your cheek.
His thumb brushing gently agasint your cheek were you had drawn on the little whiskers. “This is also cute.” He said quietly. “So what, you just like everything.” You teased him, “No, love I just like you.” Your heart felt warm in your chest, and you leaned into his hand softly. Enjoying the little time of peace you were getting in the packed ER.
“You know that’s a pretty good answer.” You mumbled, your eyes never leaving his. Jack smiled his crows feet making him even more handsome to you. Of course the moment cold only last so long, when the overhead intercom came ringing through the entire ER. He sighed this time in defeat.
“Hmm, saved by the hospital it seems.” Jack mumbled, and you giggled. He gave your cheek a quick light tap and squeezed past you as he left you standing alone in the supply closet. Having completely forgotten what you had walked in there for.
By the time the shift was done, and you had done hand overs with night shift. You and Jack were utterly exhausted. You were sitting at the computer once again, finishing up one last chart when Jack magically appeared at your side. “Done?” He asked, “Almost, Jackie.” You replied not bothering to look up at him, as your continued to type away on the keyboard.
“Your notes are getting good.” He commented, and you couldn’t help but look up at him. “That’s some high praise, from a guy who still write down all his notes.” You teased, “I’m being serious here.” You giggled, and looked back down at your screen. “I know.”
You types a few more notes in the chart before signing out of the computer, and standing up. Jack waited patiently beside you. Jack walked with you to grab your bag from your locker, and as you you two both walked towards the exit, Jacks gaze once again fell to the top of your head.
“You still got the ears.”
“Oh, Jackie. You thought I was gonna take them off.” You teased him with a wink. “I hoped you wouldn’t.” You grin, and Jack once again found himself shaking his head at you. “Come on.” He said, “Where?” You asked with pinched brows.
“There’s a pumpkins patch not to far from here.” You stared at the older man, “Are you the man who spent all day long telling me that halloween was just for children, and now you want to go a pumpkin patch? What have you done with my Jackie?” You ask, Jack shoved his hands into his jacket pockets, the air a little cooler then it had been when he walked in this morning.
“I never made any comments about pumpkins, or patches filled with pumpkins.” You scoffed, “No but you sure as hell implied it.” Jack rolled his eyes, “Well… maybe I’ve had a change of heart.” You stepped closer, “And why might that be?”
Jack looked at you, up and down. His expression warm and soft. “Because you make it seem like it can be fun.” He told you honestly. You smiled, as Jack reached up to ever so gently adjust one of the cats ears. “Plus it helps that I really like seeing you so happy.”
“God, you’re so sweet. When you wanna be.”
“Don’t go tellin’ anyone.” He mumbled, “Yeah, yeah I know. Secrets safe with me, Jackie.”
He offers you his hand, warm and large and you take it because well you love Jack. As you walk towards the parking lot, with your little cat tail swinging in the air behind you. You take noticed to Jack watching it.
Once again catching the man staring at you. “Again!?” he smiles this time, “Again.” He echos, you’re unable to control your laughter. “You’ve never gonna let this go, are you?” He shakes his head, and gives your smaller hand a good proper squeeze. “I’ve spent all day thinking, and then trying to not get distracted by you.”
“And?” You asked with brows raised, “And I was, definitely distracted by you.” You smile, “Good, cause that was the plan.” Jack laughs quietly. “I’m thinkin’ that I might owe this halloween a big ole fat apology.”
“Why is that, sir?” Jack sighs, “Because I was wrong.” You wrapped your arm around his that is holding your hand. Leaning into his warmth. “So, halloween is not just for kids?” You asked, Jack looks down at you, “Nope.”
He gives your hand another squeeze, “It’s also apparently for adults who have to watch their girlfriend dress up in this most adorably cute cat costume and practically forget how to speak.” You can’t help but burst into laughter, at the thought that you had made him speechless.
“So the cat really did catch your tongue.” That makes Jack laugh, and then the both of you are laughing. “You’re never living that moment down.” “I know.” “All you said was ‘nice’ to me when you walked in.” “It was all I could think of.” You somehow laughed even harder.
Jack adored that sound, the way it made your eyes crinkle around the corners, how the little cat ears were now sitting a bit crooked on your head, but most of all he loved how well your hand fit in his.
He figured that maybe halloween wasn’t so bad after all, and it defiantly wasn’t bad if you came along with it every year. You stopped walking, and Jack looked at you. “What’s wrong?” He ask, “Nothing.” You mumbled, as you reached up and straighten his jacket collar. He smiled down at you. “Come on, cat.”
You gasped placing a hand over your heart. “Did you just call me cat?” He shrugged, “Maybe.” “Well aren’t you getting braver by the minute.” you teased him. Jack chuckled, and then leaned down placing a kiss to your temple. “Happy halloween, love.” You smiled up at him, “Happy halloween, Jack.”
As the two of you continued your way down to the pumpkin patch, Jack leading you with confidence, he made the chose that maybe he could make an exception for halloween. That it could stick around.
After all he was pretty sure he had another eight long lives to be distracted by you.