August 29 - The First Trick or Treat (BtVS/HP)
Title: The First Trick or Treat
Author: GlitterAngelEm
Fandoms: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harry Potter
Characters: Hank Summers, Joyce Summers, Buffy Summers, Harry Potter, Dudley Dursley
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,612
Author's Notes: Part of the Dudley and Harry Summers 'Verse.
The apartment was oddly quiet when Hank walked in, his shoes not making a sound on the carpeted floor. He toed them off slowly, wincing at the pain radiating from his lower back. Work had been unusually busy, and that combined with the preparations he was making for his upcoming job interview, meant he was hunching over a desk far more than he was used.
His back made it loud and clear what it felt about the extra hours.
Still, he made sure to school his feature before he went looking for his wife and children, knowing it was a big night for them. After all, it was their first Halloween together and Hank was determined to make it a good one.
A slight murmur from the boys’ bedroom had him moving in that direction, not even pausing for a moment to change. Joyce had been hard at work getting everything together for costumes, which was easier said than done on their current budget. Still, he had faith in his wife. She really was quite talented with her art, and while sewing had never been her strong point, he knew whatever she did would turn out amazing.
“Just a little bit longer, Dudders,” he heard Joyce say as he rounded the bend in the hallway and peeked into the room. Joyce sat in one of the small chairs designed for a toddler, bringing her down to the level to easily paint on Dudley’s face. A quick glance at the fascinated Buffy and Harry showed they already had their turns and Hank truly was blown away by his wife’s skill. He stayed quiet, though, as she finished drawing the last few scales on Dudley’s face.
As she lowered the brush, he exclaimed, “I thought I had some little boys and a girl here! Where’d these wild animals come from!”
At his voice, Buffy swiveled her head, a bright smile on her face as she made a beeline for her daddy. Reaching her arms forward, she said in her little chatter, “Dadadada ubub!”
Hardly able to resist the little girl, Hank pulled her up and swung her around, causing her to break into peals of laughter. He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him, never able to keep from laughing when any of the kids laughed. Bringing her in for a small hug, he kissed her gently on the top of the head, making sure not to smear any of the makeup Joyce had painted on.
As he put her down, Dudley and Harry both came trotting over, Dudley with a loud “Me up!” to which he happily obliged, lifting the boy and swinging him as he did Buffy, kissing him gently on the top of the head. Harry looked shyly up at him and didn’t say a word, merely holding up his arms as Dudley was put down. Giving the boy a wide grin, Hank echoed his movements with Harry, giving the little boy the same treatment as the others. Joyce looked on with a fond smile of her own, enjoying these happy moments.
“Are all these wild animals ready to go trick or treating?” Hank exclaimed as he put Harry down and clapped, to which all three children grinned back and clapped with him. Of course, none of them really understood what trick or treating actually entailed, but whenever Hank and Joyce were excited, the children followed suit. Well, most of the time.
Glancing over at his wife, he easily side-stepped the excited children and reached over to give her a small peck on the lips. “They look amazing. How long did the costumes take?”
“Oh, not too long,” Joyce responded, downplaying her efforts. She looked over all three and couldn’t help but give a small smile. “Really, Dudley’s dragon costume took the longest, since he needed both the plates on the tail and the wings. Harry’s and Buffy’s were easier, since dogs and cats don’t have anything that difficult.”
“Though,” she added, her brow furrowing as she frowned slightly, “Harry keeps calling his outfit ‘Pafoo’, and I just can’t figure out what he’s talking about. Maybe he had a dog?”
Wanting to banish that thought from his mind - knowing it would just remind him of the premature death of both of his cousins - he forced a smile on his face as he said, “Regardless, they all look fantastic. The face paint really was a brilliant touch.”
“I hope they don’t rub it off before we even get out there,” she said.
“It’ll be fine,” Hank responded, reassuring her. “Give me a few to change? Can’t take them out trick or treating in a suit.”
Giving him a quick kiss, she fake shoved him and gave his butt a little swat. “Go. I’ll watch the hellions. Who’s ready to go trick or treating!”
Allowing the children to jump around Joyce as she pantomimed excitement for the activity, Hank took a quick leave to change into more suitable clothes for the event. Sure, they were only going to be trick or treating around their apartment building, but it was the point of the matter. He needed to wear the right outfit for such things. It only made sense.
*****
It was one thing to talk about taking three toddlers trick or treating.
It was another to do so.
Hank and Joyce found themselves at the brink of exhaustion as they both sat down onto the couch, their bodies automatically slouching down, Hank letting his head flop back against the back of the couch, Joyce laying her head on her husband’s shoulder. It was a familiar position for them, one they had grown accustomed ever since the two boys had entered their lives.
The camera he had carried all evening was lightly placed on the side table next to them, and Hank let himself relax with his wife as he listened to the excited chatter from the children in the kitchen. Word of their possible move had spread like wildfire through their apartment complex, and the children had found themselves not only receiving little bits of candy and chocolates from their trick or treating, but little toys and gifts as well. Needless to say, they were ecstatic by this twist of fate and had wanted to play with every single toy and eat every single bit of candy when they got home.
Luckily, cooler heads had prevailed - also known as Hank and Joyce - and each had been allowed to choose one toy and one candy for the evening.
“That was fun,” Hank said, cuddling up against his wife. “And their costumes lasted the whole evening.”
“Luck,” she muttered into his chest, stubborning refusing to move from her position against him. “Pure luck.”
He chuckled, enjoying his wife’s body pressed against his own. It was rare for them to be able to have any time by themselves, and after such a fantastic evening, his body was beginning to react to her nearness. His hand started sliding down her shoulder, towards her chest, when she suddenly jerked away, frowning.
“What are the kids up to?” she asked, oblivious to her husband’s desire. A flicker of annoyance ran through him before he too, listened for the children.
The kitchen was suspiciously quiet.
Without uttering a word to each other, both Joyce and Hank stood up, tiptoeing quietly in the direction of the kitchen. This level of quietness with the children was never a good sign. Glancing to each other as they neared the doorway, Hank nodded towards his wife and she walked in first, hands automatically going to her hips. Hank followed, eyes widening in surprise as he saw all three of the children turn to stare up at them, hands reaching into each of their Halloween bags.
“We put these away?” Hank said, a question in his voice. His voice seemed to break the spell, and three little faces were looking at him up, utter innocence in their eyes. All three, he noticed, continued reaching into their bags. Joyce was equally as perplexed, unable to respond to his question as she tried to puzzle out how they had managed to get the bags, all of which had been placed on top of the refrigerator. She had watched her husband put them there, watched as the children pouted and fake cried at the bags being put away.
“Alright, give them to me,” Joyce said firmly, reaching to pick up each of the bags, ignoring the whines from the children. “Daddy’s going to take all of you to bed while I put these away for tomorrow.”
Thus ensued meltdowns from all three children, with Dudley and Buffy competing with each other over who could be louder with their fake tears. The tears were in vain, however, as both Joyce and Hank refused to back down and soon all three were being herded to bed. Still, the kids getting to the bags bothered Hank. Even as he helped Joyce tuck the children in, kissing them goodnight, and reading a book to Dudley and Harry, he puzzled over how they possibly could have gotten the bags. Sure, all three of them had been climbing like crazy the last month or so, but he knew the bags were completely inaccessible to toddlers.
He slept badly that evening. There was no way for the kids to get the bags, he knew that for a fact. Yet, somehow, they had. Suspicions he didn’t even know he had started to grow in his brain, suspicions he did not yet know how to put into words. Something was different about the little boys, and Hank would find out what.
He just didn’t realize it yet.
Author: GlitterAngelEm
Fandoms: Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Harry Potter
Characters: Hank Summers, Joyce Summers, Buffy Summers, Harry Potter, Dudley Dursley
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,612
Author's Notes: Part of the Dudley and Harry Summers 'Verse.
The apartment was oddly quiet when Hank walked in, his shoes not making a sound on the carpeted floor. He toed them off slowly, wincing at the pain radiating from his lower back. Work had been unusually busy, and that combined with the preparations he was making for his upcoming job interview, meant he was hunching over a desk far more than he was used.
His back made it loud and clear what it felt about the extra hours.
Still, he made sure to school his feature before he went looking for his wife and children, knowing it was a big night for them. After all, it was their first Halloween together and Hank was determined to make it a good one.
A slight murmur from the boys’ bedroom had him moving in that direction, not even pausing for a moment to change. Joyce had been hard at work getting everything together for costumes, which was easier said than done on their current budget. Still, he had faith in his wife. She really was quite talented with her art, and while sewing had never been her strong point, he knew whatever she did would turn out amazing.
“Just a little bit longer, Dudders,” he heard Joyce say as he rounded the bend in the hallway and peeked into the room. Joyce sat in one of the small chairs designed for a toddler, bringing her down to the level to easily paint on Dudley’s face. A quick glance at the fascinated Buffy and Harry showed they already had their turns and Hank truly was blown away by his wife’s skill. He stayed quiet, though, as she finished drawing the last few scales on Dudley’s face.
As she lowered the brush, he exclaimed, “I thought I had some little boys and a girl here! Where’d these wild animals come from!”
At his voice, Buffy swiveled her head, a bright smile on her face as she made a beeline for her daddy. Reaching her arms forward, she said in her little chatter, “Dadadada ubub!”
Hardly able to resist the little girl, Hank pulled her up and swung her around, causing her to break into peals of laughter. He couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped him, never able to keep from laughing when any of the kids laughed. Bringing her in for a small hug, he kissed her gently on the top of the head, making sure not to smear any of the makeup Joyce had painted on.
As he put her down, Dudley and Harry both came trotting over, Dudley with a loud “Me up!” to which he happily obliged, lifting the boy and swinging him as he did Buffy, kissing him gently on the top of the head. Harry looked shyly up at him and didn’t say a word, merely holding up his arms as Dudley was put down. Giving the boy a wide grin, Hank echoed his movements with Harry, giving the little boy the same treatment as the others. Joyce looked on with a fond smile of her own, enjoying these happy moments.
“Are all these wild animals ready to go trick or treating?” Hank exclaimed as he put Harry down and clapped, to which all three children grinned back and clapped with him. Of course, none of them really understood what trick or treating actually entailed, but whenever Hank and Joyce were excited, the children followed suit. Well, most of the time.
Glancing over at his wife, he easily side-stepped the excited children and reached over to give her a small peck on the lips. “They look amazing. How long did the costumes take?”
“Oh, not too long,” Joyce responded, downplaying her efforts. She looked over all three and couldn’t help but give a small smile. “Really, Dudley’s dragon costume took the longest, since he needed both the plates on the tail and the wings. Harry’s and Buffy’s were easier, since dogs and cats don’t have anything that difficult.”
“Though,” she added, her brow furrowing as she frowned slightly, “Harry keeps calling his outfit ‘Pafoo’, and I just can’t figure out what he’s talking about. Maybe he had a dog?”
Wanting to banish that thought from his mind - knowing it would just remind him of the premature death of both of his cousins - he forced a smile on his face as he said, “Regardless, they all look fantastic. The face paint really was a brilliant touch.”
“I hope they don’t rub it off before we even get out there,” she said.
“It’ll be fine,” Hank responded, reassuring her. “Give me a few to change? Can’t take them out trick or treating in a suit.”
Giving him a quick kiss, she fake shoved him and gave his butt a little swat. “Go. I’ll watch the hellions. Who’s ready to go trick or treating!”
Allowing the children to jump around Joyce as she pantomimed excitement for the activity, Hank took a quick leave to change into more suitable clothes for the event. Sure, they were only going to be trick or treating around their apartment building, but it was the point of the matter. He needed to wear the right outfit for such things. It only made sense.
*****
It was one thing to talk about taking three toddlers trick or treating.
It was another to do so.
Hank and Joyce found themselves at the brink of exhaustion as they both sat down onto the couch, their bodies automatically slouching down, Hank letting his head flop back against the back of the couch, Joyce laying her head on her husband’s shoulder. It was a familiar position for them, one they had grown accustomed ever since the two boys had entered their lives.
The camera he had carried all evening was lightly placed on the side table next to them, and Hank let himself relax with his wife as he listened to the excited chatter from the children in the kitchen. Word of their possible move had spread like wildfire through their apartment complex, and the children had found themselves not only receiving little bits of candy and chocolates from their trick or treating, but little toys and gifts as well. Needless to say, they were ecstatic by this twist of fate and had wanted to play with every single toy and eat every single bit of candy when they got home.
Luckily, cooler heads had prevailed - also known as Hank and Joyce - and each had been allowed to choose one toy and one candy for the evening.
“That was fun,” Hank said, cuddling up against his wife. “And their costumes lasted the whole evening.”
“Luck,” she muttered into his chest, stubborning refusing to move from her position against him. “Pure luck.”
He chuckled, enjoying his wife’s body pressed against his own. It was rare for them to be able to have any time by themselves, and after such a fantastic evening, his body was beginning to react to her nearness. His hand started sliding down her shoulder, towards her chest, when she suddenly jerked away, frowning.
“What are the kids up to?” she asked, oblivious to her husband’s desire. A flicker of annoyance ran through him before he too, listened for the children.
The kitchen was suspiciously quiet.
Without uttering a word to each other, both Joyce and Hank stood up, tiptoeing quietly in the direction of the kitchen. This level of quietness with the children was never a good sign. Glancing to each other as they neared the doorway, Hank nodded towards his wife and she walked in first, hands automatically going to her hips. Hank followed, eyes widening in surprise as he saw all three of the children turn to stare up at them, hands reaching into each of their Halloween bags.
“We put these away?” Hank said, a question in his voice. His voice seemed to break the spell, and three little faces were looking at him up, utter innocence in their eyes. All three, he noticed, continued reaching into their bags. Joyce was equally as perplexed, unable to respond to his question as she tried to puzzle out how they had managed to get the bags, all of which had been placed on top of the refrigerator. She had watched her husband put them there, watched as the children pouted and fake cried at the bags being put away.
“Alright, give them to me,” Joyce said firmly, reaching to pick up each of the bags, ignoring the whines from the children. “Daddy’s going to take all of you to bed while I put these away for tomorrow.”
Thus ensued meltdowns from all three children, with Dudley and Buffy competing with each other over who could be louder with their fake tears. The tears were in vain, however, as both Joyce and Hank refused to back down and soon all three were being herded to bed. Still, the kids getting to the bags bothered Hank. Even as he helped Joyce tuck the children in, kissing them goodnight, and reading a book to Dudley and Harry, he puzzled over how they possibly could have gotten the bags. Sure, all three of them had been climbing like crazy the last month or so, but he knew the bags were completely inaccessible to toddlers.
He slept badly that evening. There was no way for the kids to get the bags, he knew that for a fact. Yet, somehow, they had. Suspicions he didn’t even know he had started to grow in his brain, suspicions he did not yet know how to put into words. Something was different about the little boys, and Hank would find out what.
He just didn’t realize it yet.