Early chapter for you guys because I'm sick but nothing can hold me back

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"Would you like me to accompany me to a festival over at our neighbours' home? They are my friends and they are preparing a celebration."

Curious, Jongho looked up from the TV. Funnily enough, he liked watching cooking shows the most. Yeosang tried to get him into documentaries so he could witness the beauty of the world he wanted to destroy, also showed him footage from his home, but he understood baking shows without a language barrier. And he liked to demand Yeosang cooked all those fancy, gorgeous meals for him.

Yeosang always told him no. Even if he could, he refused to play the servant.

"Are you certain?" Jongho asked, shutting off the TV with the same smug expression as on day one of learning how to do it.

"You wanted to come along, right? They invited you." Yeosang was sitting in front of his laptop at the kitchen counter, working on his museum project. His glasses perched on his nose, miraculously not damaged since Anubis had arrived to mess with his things.

"What type of celebration is it? A ceremony of worship?" He was invested now, turning in his nest of blankets to listen to Yeosang. He wore Yeosang's fluffy jacket at home, freezing even with the heater and his blankets because Leiden was "a desert at night" to him. Since Yeosang couldn't deal with his heaters running on full power all day (both because of money and because he melted away otherwise), he handed Jongho his jacket instead. The jackal was pleased with that.

Yeosang looked up from his work to explain it to him. They had been sitting in silence for a while now and he could use a few stretches.

"Uhh, something like that. It's a ritual to honour our ancestors. In modern belief, the veils between worlds are thin that night, so creatures we want to ward off crawl through." Yeosang - as the history nerd he was - much preferred the proper reason to celebrate Halloween, or rather Samhain. He didn't like how modernity commercialised sacred rites, making everything so lighthearted and irrelevant until all meaning was lost. But he was alone with that. Wooyoung needed Halloween as it was to get drunk and dress up as a slutty nun.

Anubis, on the other hand, appreciated what he heard. He would be on Yeosang's side for the forgotten mystery of Halloween.

"That sounds dangerous. And very close to the truth," he commented, and Yeosang just loved the shudder that crawled down his spine. If anyone knew the dead and the veils between life and death, it was Anubis.

"It's barely like that for humans, though. They dress up in funny costumes and carve lanterns from pumpkins. We pretend to be ghosts blending among mortals. It's lighthearted, but there is music and food if you like that," Yeosang sighed, sorry to disappoint since there wouldn't be haunting chants between the hills.

Jongho pondered it, but he agreed.

"A celebration of the dead... I couldn't fit in better. Yes, I would like to come along."

"If it's too much for you, we can always go home," Yeosang assured him. He didn't know how Anubis would take to all that noise. The music he liked at home so far was usually quiet and peaceful, instrumental over raging pop and beats. He might not appreciate the drunk people bumbling about, but maybe it was like other human celebrations he had witnessed before.

Yeosang opened a new tab on his laptop.

"We dress up for this event, so I will order some costumes for us. Since you are here, I wanted to go as Thoth." Busy fingers typed what he was searching for. Thoth, the ibis-headed Egyptian god of the moon, writing and knowledge. The very same god Jongho believed Yeosang to be a messenger of when they first met. Perhaps he could build the mask from paper-mache?

The god on his couch lifted a brow.

"Thoth?"

"Why not? Do you not like him? I like Thoth and he never made any trouble, right? Figured Ra would be awkward after your recent jest."

"I wasn't joking..." Jongho muttered to himself, frowning again. When Yeosang just merrily continued scrolling, he sighed. "But Thoth also suits you. He is wise, and he is neutral before order and chaos. And he speaks of his scriptures as much as you do." Anubis rolled his eyes, clearly a bored youngster who had to listen to grandpa rant too often. Yeosang snickered to himself.

"So, Thoth it is. We can match, but you should go as someone who isn't Anubis, just to be safe. Wanna be a mummy?" Yeosang thought it was funny. Bring along a mummy after their mummy came to life. Jongho basically was that very same mummy; he only needed to dress up to make it look the part.

"To disguise my divine attractiveness? I should bless people with my appearance! So rarely, they get to witness a god." Back in bird mode, Jongho puffed himself up as if he wasn't just some guy unless he changed his shape. And while he could win them every costume competition, Yeosang was not risking his life for Jongho's divine satisfaction.

"Be a mummy. They love that stuff," he insisted as he threw a mummy costume into his cart along with the pharaoh outfit. He was already checking out while Jongho still tried to arrange with his pride.

"Truly?"

"Absolutely." Yeosang closed his laptop once the order was placed and got up to stretch and fetch himself some juice. He also poured some for Jongho. The god preferred wine, but Yeosang didn't want to buy it for him all the time, even when the god either had a divine toleration or never got drunk.

On the couch, Jongho nodded to himself as he made his peace. He accepted the glass of juice Yeosang handed him. The twinkle in his eyes seemed to be plotting how to make the party about himself already.

Good luck, competing against Wooyoung.

"Fine then. I will become a mummy. For once, I am the result of my work instead of the embalmer. How fascinating." He sipped his juice while Yeosang checked on his plants.

"It's in four nights," he informed and Jongho rubbed his hands, looking forward to his first proper outing.

-

On the day of the Halloween party, Jongho was antsy with excitement. He hopped around in his distressed white costume, using Yeosang's herbs to imitate the scent of the bodies he embalmed in his other life. Yeosang was no makeup artist, but he had darkened the shadows around Jongho's eyes, making him look haunting and pale. In the oddest way, he was the most handsome mummy.

Yeosang donned his pharaoh outfit, complete with an ankh necklace and golden wristbands and white cloth to drape as he pleased. He had made the Thoth mask himself, complete with a long beak and blue feathers attached to the blue paper. It sat on top of his head, beak dipping over his face. Jongho had snickered at him and said he looked nothing like the actual Thoth, but Yeosang was happy enough.

They were ready for the party. Wooyoung already handed Shelldon to Yeosang in the corridor to make sure the turtle wouldn't get harmed between the party guests. While Yeosang got ready, Jongho stared at Shelldon, munching away on his vegetables.

Before they left Yeosang's home with their complimentary basket of sweets for the party, Yeosang held Jongho back for a few words of advice.

"Remember, don't shift forms around other people, even if you are somehow tempted to. None of the costumes are real. Everyone is human."

Yeosang had showed him some pictures, so Jongho would know what to expect and not startle at the sight of some realistic zombie and get his claws out. Still, Yeosang was nervous about whether he would behave.

"I shall do my best," Jongho promised. Yeosang could just hope his senses could tell what was real and what wasn't. But in his perception, a whole different deal of monsters actually existed.

They made their way over to Wooyoung's, where the music already greeted them through the closed door. Yeosang rang the bell as a formality, and they didn't have to wait long until the nearest party guest - a ladybug - opened it for them. As they made their way inside, the music choice of spooky horror movie soundtracks greeted them. Yunho and Wooyoung decorated their home with spiderwebs and bats around the ceilings and walls and the furniture was covered by white sheets in ghostly shapes. Their kitchen was cleared of all chemical experiments as they offered their cookies, brain ice cream, gummy eye balls and drinks labelled as potions.

Many guests were already there since Yeosang didn't want to be too early. The flat was full but not overcrowded as Wooyoung's closest 30 friends mingled about. Some came as fairies, other were demons, and some were movie characters.

Wooyoung spotted them and beelined over with a big grin on his red-painted lips. He went with a witch for this year and fake bones jingled at his belt. Jongho stared at him, confused about his appearance, when Yeosang and Wooyoung carefully hugged and complimented each other's outfits. Yeosang beamed back at Wooyoung.

"Here we are! As for ceremonial introductions, Wooyoung, in these rags is Jongho, my friend from Egypt who is staying with me right now. He still doesn't speak anything but his language, but he is down for a good time."

Wooyoung held out his hand and Jongho shook it as seen on TV.

"Nice outfit," Wooyoung beamed as he beckoned down on Jongho and nodded. The god looked pleased.

Yeosang switched languages.

"You remember Wooyoung, my best friend? His tall boyfriend over there is called Yunho. If you ever need anything, call for them. And be nice, yes?"

With a nod, Jongho addressed Wooyoung.

"Greetings, friends of my revered host. Did you ever notice anything off about him?" He asked and Wooyoung helplessly looked at Yeosang.

"He says hi and asks what's for dinner," Yeosang translated with a perfect smile. Immediately, Wooyoung took their candy basket to usher them to the buffet. Yunho was there, dressed as Slender Man and chatting with a Japanese Oni. Yeosang waved at him while Wooyoung pointed out all the food that had Jongho looking mighty repelled. He only accepted the cookies he already knew.

Yeosang was about to explain everything to him and make sure he could eat enough when the Oni turned at their voices.

It took them a moment to recognise each other, but then Yeosang lit up.

"Officer Song!" He cheered, and the Oni smiled back, just as surprised to see him.

"Mingi is just fine. You're friends with Wooyoung?"

"Who isn't friends with Wooyoung?"

They had to agree on that as Mingi curiously studied Jongho and his struggle with the food. His brows tugged together under his face paint.

"Oh, he's-"

"He's with me, yes. Not to worry, he became a good friend. We could figure things out in his language," Yeosang assured him before Mingi had to go into work mode.

Relieved, Mingi offered him one of the drinks. Dragon's Blood. Sure, why not?

"Glad to hear you could work it out. No one else could have communicated with him. He still seems lost, but better than last time I saw him."

"Despite becoming undead," Yeosang hummed into his glass and Mingi smiled at the lame joke.

Yeosang turned to Yunho and the sock covering his face.

"How did you know Mingi?" He asked and Yunho snuck a cookie under his mask.

"A police officer helped us that one time when someone broke into Wooyoung's dorm, remember? That was Mingi. They hung out a few times since them." He shrugged since that was always how people knew Wooyoung. One meeting was enough, and they somehow became close friends.

Sometimes Yeosang was jealous of that ability. At the same time, he cherished his introvert life.

"Speaking of, is Seonghwa here already?" Yeosang tip-toed to peer around and Jongho looked up by his side when he heard the name.

Yunho jabbed a thumb over his shoulder.

"Back there playing a game with Wooyoung. He asked whether you would come."

Yeosang flushed under his mask, unable to contain the giddy leap of his heart. When he subtly stepped out of their circle, the white sock gave him a knowing grin.

"I'll have an eye on Jongho," Yunho promised and Yeosang thanked him before he snuck off to find his pretty Seonghwa and see what he had dressed up as.