Part 2 of the Halloween special, aka Demon AU for Carter and Gray!
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2|| Halloween
"I look stupid."
I stare at my reflection, my face burning as I take in all the little details. Gray wasn't completely kidding about the vampire thing, because that's exactly what he chose for our costumes tonight.
I stand in front of the mirror, frowning, the makeup he did for me making me look even more tired than usual. My outfit looks expensive, that much is sure, but I don't think I pull it off. I'm used to baggy hoodies and long sleeves, not extravagant Victorian wear.
He even styled my hair - it's bouncier and more stylish compared to my usual wild curls. With some of it tucked behind my ears and hair-sprayed there, you can even see the lavish cross earring dangling from one of my ears.
"Also, don't vampires hiss at crosses or something?"
Gray comes up behind me and places his hands on my arms as a comforting gesture, but with how anxious I am then I can't help but stiffen up immediately. He lets go, instead taking my hand and lifting it up to kiss the top of it like the cheesy idiot he is.
"Carter, you look amazing. I'm sure no one will be able to look away from you."
I sigh.
"You always say stuff like that, it doesn't make it true though."
He shakes his head, the many chains from his ears slightly swaying with the gesture. He's dressed as a vampire as well, although much more dashing and absolutely pulling off those snug leather pants. "It's because I mean it that I say it. I wouldn't lie to you - I love this look, and definitely wouldn't mind sucking more than your blood tonight—"
"Gray—" I gasp, letting out a laugh as my face warms from his suggestion.
"I'm just saying. Who could blame me, I mean look at you—" He squeezes my hand and moves his face to my neck, placing a gentle kiss there and making me shiver. "You're gorgeous."
He whispers the last part so close to my ear, filling my belly with something that rarely appears even now. I expose more of my neck, allowing him to continue making a pathway of light kisses until he's slightly nibbling on my jaw. I let out a soft sigh, loving the feel of his lips on my skin.
It's so much different from how it used to be.
"Maybe we shouldn't go to the party..." Gray whispers, smirking, and I hum, a small smile reaching my lips.
"I'd usually agree since you look like that, but who knows what Rosie would do if we cancelled last second... again."
"If she saw you, I think she'd understand." He says, his sharp grey eyes boring into mine from our reflection in the mirror. He's still holding onto my hand, the other one of his reaching up and lightly placing itself on my hip. A resting place instead of a way to restrict me, a hold so gentle that I could push him away if I really wanted to.
He's always been considerate like that.
I laugh and shake my head. "Or she'd get upset she didn't get to see our costumes in person and burst into our room unannounced."
Gray grimaces, remembering the last time it happened. "That was unfortunate. We had a long night and could barely stay awake while she yelled at us - which of course only made her more upset—"
I nod. "Not that I can blame her, we skipped out on her birthday."
He sighs and looks upward at the ceiling. "She's had thousands, I didn't think it mattered if we missed one! And you just looked so incredible—"
I roll my eyes, smiling as I shove him lightly. He chuckles.
"Alright, stop with the cheesy compliments - we should get going before I lose to my anxiety."
Gray sighs, nodding before placing another kiss to my head, breathing in a bit to get my "scent".
"If we must."
————
The party's much bigger than I anticipated, but I don't know why I'm surprised. Rosie's parties are always huge, and I'm pretty sure she invites almost every demon alive.
I'm still eyeing the giant jack-o-lanterns at the entrance when I hear, "You made it!" as someone hugs me from behind.
At first I tense up, not having had time to process the voice and who it belongs to, but as I turn and look at the woman holding me, I instantly recognize her face and relax, letting out a breath of relief.
"Oh— Rosie," I breathe out, "I, uh, yeah... we're here." I chuckle awkwardly, trying to play off the bit of fear I had for a second there.
I may be better, but a lot of things take more time.
Rosie seems to have picked up on my uneasiness and immediately lets go, a guilty expression on her face. "Shoot, I'm sorry— I did it without thinking. I just got so excited seeing you two here—"
I shake my head and shoot her a smile, letting her know I understand. "It's okay, it's good to see you too."
Rosie grins back, a bright and relieved thing. Gray clears his throat and squeezes my hand, the one he hasn't let go of since getting out of the car. It warms my heart to think about, since I know it's for my own comfort - this way, I'm always aware that he's with me.
I'm not alone. I'm safe.
I squeeze his hand back and smile up at him. His eyebrow is raised as he smirks at his sister.
"Sorry to break up your touching moment, but are you hitting on my fiancé?" He asks, and Rosie's grin sharpens into something mischievous.
"Hm, and if I was? He does look pretty good tonight—"
Gray tuts.
"Rude. We show up and you're already trying to steal him away. Guess we should go—"
He makes a movement like he's about to turn, and Rosie slaps his shoulder while laughing.
"Oh shut up, you know Carter wouldn't leave you in a million years."
I blush as Gray chuckles. "Well I sure hope not, that's kind of the plan."
He gazes down at me affectionately, and I fight the urge to roll my eyes. "Are there any drinks or snacks? We haven't eaten anything since breakfast because there's supposed to be food here."
Rosie's eyes widen like she'd momentarily forgotten about the party she's supposed to be hosting. "Oh, right! You guys go on then, there's a lot of stuff to see! We also have a haunted house in the back, it's small but should be fun for you guys. There's not much that demons haven't seen before, but it's fun for the younger ones who haven't been stationed in Hell yet. You should take Carter."
She says the last part to Gray, giving him a wink, and he hums.
"Hm, we'll see. He's not really into horror themes or cramped dark spaces."
Rosie shrugs and turns to me. "Well, whatever you're comfortable with. Just make sure to have fun!"
She pats my shoulder and gives me a warm smile before saying she has to go greet other guests and that she'll see us later. We nod and watch her disappear back into the crowd of demons before I sigh and glance up at Gray.
"I'm sorry, I'm making you miss out on something that could've been fun to do together just because of my dumb fears..."
Gray looks surprised. "You mean the haunted house? Don't worry about that, I really don't care. Half of the things in those are emulating actual places in Hell. I've seen enough blood and torture in real life, I don't need more— you're practically saving me from having to watch cheap imitations of rough situations."
I gulp, always shocked to hear the kind of things Gray's experienced in his long life despite having seen some of it myself.
I squeeze the tatted hand that's wrapped around mine, smiling gratefully up at him. "Then let's just go have some fancy sweets and drinks. Maybe some candy, if there is any."
Gray grins. "Oh you know there is."
————
After a couple hours of wandering around and admiring the many decorations - not to mention the constant stopping due to the many demons attempting small-talk with my fiancé - and the consumption of too many treats, we finally run into Mrs. Kane.
"Carter, honey! I'm so glad to see you two," she beams, embracing me in one of the warmest and most comfortable hugs I've ever had in my life. They somehow always make me feel like I want to take a nap. "I don't know where Rosie ran off to, have you seen her tonight?"
We both nod, Gray returning his mother's hug with a powerful embrace of his own. She laughs and pats his back, the look of a proud mom evident on her facial features.
"It's good to see you, Mom." He says, his eyes soft as he peers down at the shorter woman. "Have you had a good Halloween so far?"
Her grin grows with the question. "Of course! Parties are always my thing, and it's great to see all the women my age again. I also got to embarrass your sister by telling a boy she was eyeballing all about her as a young demon—"
Gray barks out a laugh, nodding approval at his mother's antics. I feel instant sympathy for her daughter, but also can't help the small smile that reaches my lips as I imagine it.
The three of us continue discussing topics and poking fun at each other until we hear an announcement over the noise of the crowd. I crane my neck to try to find a source, and am shocked to see a stage set up where there wasn't one about an hour before.
Demons can really do anything.
"The costume contest starts in five minutes! Come closer and admire the handiwork of these fine demons!"
I shoot a curious glance to Gray, who in turn lifts his eyebrows in surprised amusement.
"Well, this has to be interesting."
We both tell Mrs. Kane our plans to go check it out, and she waves us goodbye as we turn and walk towards the stage.
As we get there, the show begins almost immediately.
"First," starts the announcer, a man with all white eyes and long black hair, "We have the stunning Ari."
A man, or demon I suppose, arrives onstage with smoke trailing in from both sides. Lights shine on his magnificent costume, a stylish piece that must've cost hundreds of dollars.
"The Dragon!"
The man's tail swishes out, and he hisses at the crowd with sharp claws as giant wings fan out.
"A lot of demons find it stupid to participate in things like this," Gray whispers down to me, a sparkle in his eyes. "But I think it's pretty cool."
I nod in agreement, in awe at the amazing sight before us.
Demons seem to be great at everything.
We continue watching, blown away by every model and costume that comes onstage. It's unbelievable what some of them come up with, and there's no doubt that the richest human alive would kill to see something like this.
I'm pretty sad when it's over.
"And that's the last of our contestants for tonight! We'll sum up the judges' votes and announce the winners!"
An excitement builds in my stomach, an anticipation I hadn't felt in awhile making me almost hold my breath as I wait.
"Who do you think will win?" Gray asks me, and I have to blink up at him and remind myself what his question was.
"Oh, uh—" I stutter, thinking. "Maybe the dragon? They were the first ones on, and had the biggest costume."
Gray hums, nodding thoughtfully. "You could be right, but the gorgon was pretty impressive too. Those snakes were real, after all."
I shrug, smiling excitedly as I wonder who will win first place.
Gray pauses as he watches me, and I turn to look up at him in question. "What?"
He opens his mouth, then closes it. His mouth quirks upwards. "Well, I was thinking... what if we participate someday?"
My eyes widen at the thought, and I gape at my fiancé. "Excuse me?"
"I mean, you're always stunning, and you just seem to enjoy it so much—"
"But it's for demons," I interject, butterflies fluttering in my stomach.
He nods. "Which you will be pretty soon."
I look down, eyeing my shoes as I bite my lip nervously. "Yes, but... I'm not half as talented as these people..."
Gray places a hand on my hip, bringing me close to him. "Not true. Your art is incredible! You could always design a costume and I'll help make it a reality."
I suck in a breath, my mind racing at the possibilities. "I don't know, I'm probably not creative enough to design something that cool—"
"Carter," Gray interjects, bringing a hand up to turn my face to his gently. I gaze into his eyes, seeing earnest conviction in them. "You are one of the most creative and intelligent beings I have ever known. Whatever you make will be amazing, and if not then we just won't do it. But I believe in you."
My heart pounds in my chest, and suddenly all I can think about is wanting to kiss him.
"Um—"
"Alright folks!" The announcer shouts into his mic, redirecting our attention back to the stage. "The judges have decided! First place goes to..." He drags it out for dramatic effect.
"The Dragon!"
Everyone cheers as the person who used to be in the dragon costume comes back up onstage, wearing part of their previous ensemble but more casual and styled in a way so they can actually walk around.
"Thank you so much!" The demon cries, taking the trophy and beaming at the crowd.
"Alright, now— Second place goes to..." The announcer says again as the dragon steps off to the side. "The Hydra!"
And so on it went, announcing awards and different categories like groups or poses. It was magnificent to watch, and most results were pretty satisfactory.
Maybe someday I'll give it a try.
The show soon ends, and a little flicker of happiness and inspiration is burning inside me.
————
The party continues, but I start to feel pretty overwhelmed and run down after being around so many people for so long. Demons may be able to party all night, but definitely not a depressed and introverted 21-year-old human.
Gray seems to sense my growing weariness, and offers for us to go home. He says he's also ready to leave since we've seen pretty much everything and eaten most of what they had to offer (all of which were amazing, as expected). We have to see Rosie before leaving though.
We finally find her chatting to a small embarrassed boy, who seems to be very much like... well, like me.
"Carter, Gray! Are you heading out for the night?" She asks as we approach her, and both the stranger and I eye each other curiously.
He seems to notice the similarities as well.
We both have different faces, that's for sure, but he has the same long brown curly hair and big brown eyes. He's not tan like I am, but still has the sad and tired look of someone who's seen or dealt with too much in their life.
It's almost like looking in a mirror.
"Oh! You noticed Milo— Milo, this is Carter, Carter, this is Milo! I just met him a few hours ago and thought he reminded me of you actually."
Milo and I nod to each other in acknowledgement, having recognized the similarities. I see Rosie's hand on the boy's shoulder, and his stiffness to her touch.
How unfortunate.
"Rosie, stop tormenting the poor boy and get your hand off of him." Gray huffs, apparently noticing the same thing I did.
She opens her mouth in surprise, immediately taking her hand away and smiling at Milo sheepishly. "Oh, sorry! I'm just an affectionate person." She apologizes, and Milo nods in understanding, a visible relief at having her hand removed from his person.
"He doesn't talk much—" she explains to us, and I almost want to roll my eyes.
From the way he eyes her, it's clear he finds her attractive—
Or, at the very least, a little interesting. He was probably trying to figure out why she's talking to him.
"Anyways," Gray says, "We should go, Carter's tired and it'll be nice to take off these costumes." He laughs, Rosie nodding in agreement.
"Alright then, sorry for keeping you guys! Just make sure to stay in contact! No disappearing okay? And, Carter—" she says, turning to me, her eyes softening, "Thank you for coming tonight. I know parties and crowds aren't really your thing, but it's always great to see you."
I return her smile with one of my own, small and warm with affection. "Anytime, Rosie. Thanks for the invite."
I give her a quick hug, surprising her, but she happily accepts it with a bright smile. We finish our goodbyes, and finally leave for the night.
For the first time in many years, I actually had a Happy Halloween.
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Hi guys!!
This was a pretty fun extra to write, I hope you all enjoyed it 🥺❤️ Let me know what you think!
Also, I was thinking of writing something kinda NSFW-ish for after the party? It'd be set around after midnight, when Halloween's over and they're just getting back from the dinner they decided to grab after the party. Gray may want to, um.. help with the removal of Carter's costume—
But, idk, would anyone be interested in that??
Anyways, Happy Halloween! Hope your day is going well ❤️❤️❤️