[Synopsis: The day before Halloween, Player tells Veteran about some of the traditions he and his family have, one of them being his mother's pumpkin soup...the idea of which Veteran takes a liking to. Fortunately, Player's mom says there'll be plenty to go around, and he can stop by after the pair finishes trick-or-treating. With all of these things in mind, nothing should be able to ruin this Halloween...right?]

[Location: The local neighborhood.]

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"Are you at least going to do something a bit more creative than just a banana peel on your head this year?" Player asked him as the two carved out their jack-o-lanterns.

"Oh, don't worry. I've got somethin' a little bit different in mind," Veteran assured him as he finished cutting out the shape in his hollowed-out pumpkin. "What do you think of this?"

He turned his finished creation around to show his best friend.

"Wow, um...I know it's a smaller pumpkin, but was the face supposed to be that tiny?"

"Um, yeah dude...I'm thinkin' about knocking the stem off the top and giving it a bowl cut wig."

Player burst into giggles.

"Okay, that sounds hilarious. You should absolutely do that."

"How's yours, man?"

"Uh, I sort of had an idea along the same lines as yours."

Player showed off his own results, and it got a chuckle out of Veteran as well. His pumpkin had a huge, derpy smile and comically large teeth cut into it, the skin on them removed so that the candle that was meant to go inside would make them more visible.

"...You know what I'm gonna do with it?"

"What're you gonna do?"

"I'm gonna ask my dad for some of the spare scrap metal he keeps in the garage, and I'm gonna use that to give it braces."

"What!?"

Both of them wheezed with laughter until their sides hurt.

"Ha ha...O-oh, hey, uh, did you happen to keep the seeds after you scooped your pumpkin out, like I asked?"

"Yeah, man...Ha...There in this plastic bag right here," Veteran nodded as he held up said bag, still getting the last of the laughs out of his system. "What did you say they were for again?"

"Oh, my mom uses them to garnish her pumpkin soup every Halloween."

"Huh? Pumpkin soup?" Veteran echoed, raising an eyebrow. "I've heard of pumpkin pie and pumpkin-spiced coffee and stuff like that, but not soup."

"Yeah, I know it's not exactly commonplace, but it's honestly pretty easy to make. And above all, the stuff's DELICIOUS."

"Oh really, huh?" the yellow crewmate nodded curiously. "What's in it besides pumpkin?"

"Lots of things. Onion, garlic, veggie broth, spices...She said she used to use heavy whipping cream, but when we found out I was lactose intolerant, she switched to using coconut milk. And MAN. It's even better with that than with the cream..."

"Wow...Is it really that good?"

"I look forward to it every year, Veteran...Man, my mouth's watering just thinking about it."

"Same here. And I haven't even tasted it."

"Is this about my special brew?"

Both of them jumped at the third voice, and they turned around to see Player's mother standing there wearing not just her sparkly witch hat, but also a scary grin on her face.

"Moooom..."

"Hee hee hee...What's the matter? Did I scare you two?"

She cackled, and Veteran snorted, trying not to laugh a bit himself at the antics.

"Ah...So, how did your jack-o-lanterns come out, you two?"

"Pretty good, if I do say so myself," the yellow crewmate nodded. "I'm gonna stick a wig on mine, and Player wants to give his braces with scrap metal from the garage."

"Oh ho, my goodness...!" she chortled. "Ah...Just make sure you ask your father first, Player."

"I will."

"So, Veteran. Jokes aside, I happened to hear your little conversation about my annual Halloween recipe; it puts a lot of the decorative pumpkins to good use."

"Yeah. Player said he really loves it."

"You know, if you have the time tomorrow night, I wouldn't mind if you stopped by once you two got done trick-or-treating; there's always plenty to go around, so if you wanted to have a bowl and try it for yourself, that'd be fine with me."

"Whoa, you serious!? That'd be awesome!"

"I figured you'd like that," the purple crewmate smiled.

"I'll just give my parents the heads up that I might get home a little late."

"Sounds good to me."

"Alright," Veteran nodded. "...Speaking of which, it's gettin' kinda late now. I better grab my stuff and start headin' home, Player; promised my parents I'd be back before seven."

"Yeah, I've gotta help Mom deck the place out a bit more myself. Later, Vet. Oh, and again, congrats on finally getting your license!"

"Thanks. See ya tomorrow, buddy!"

Veteran grabbed his carved pumpkin, stuck it in the back seat of the old sedan that his dad had lent to him and headed home...And when he brought up the plans at the dinner table, his parents gave him the thumbs up, so he went to bed that night as happy as a clam.

"Oh, yeah..." he said to himself as he relaxed under the covers. "Tomorrow's gonna be awesome..."

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"Urrgh..."

Veteran expected to wake up full of energy from his excitement, but all he wanted to do was stay in bed.

"Man, what the heck...? I thought I'd be psyched that it's finally morning," he said to himself, noticing the itch in his throat that was making his voice sound a bit deeper and raspier than it normally did.

He sat up in bed, then immediately groaned and rested his head in his hands to stop the room from spinning. He was dizzy, he had a splitting headache, and the air felt freezing cold.

"Oh God...this doesn't feel good..." he mumbled, wondering why his usual morning stiffness and drowsiness had intensified so much...And then the potential answer dawned on him.

Oh, no... he said to himself. Don't tell me I'm...I-I can't be. Not now!

He got up out of bed, trying to make himself look and walk as normally as possible as he made his way to the guest bathroom, which was conveniently only two yards away from his room. He stepped inside, rummaged around the drawers for a minute or two, then finally found the thermometer he'd been looking for. He washed off the end(just in case,) then stuck it in his mouth and held it under his tongue, sitting down on the floor while he waited for it to beep...He hugged his knees up to him while he sat there, shivering slightly.

"Please, please tell me it's just chilly in here and that I just had a rough night..."

He almost dosed off there, but when he finally heard the thermometer beeping, he pried his eyes open and pulled the device out of his mouth to see what it said...The sight of the reading made him feel dizzy all over again.

"100.1...No, come on, I can't be sick now...!" he rasped, trying to hold back the cough burbling up in the back of his itchy throat. "They won't let me go! But...!"

Tears pricked in the corners of his eyes as he did his best not to panic. He couldn't stay home now.

...I won't, he decided, standing back up off the floor. Come on Veteran, man up. It's just a little bug. Cold? Grab a jacket. Tired? Sore throat? Drink some tea. Headache and fever? Take some ibuprofen. It's not even that high anyway, it could be worse...You can get through this, Veteran. Yeah...And you're gonna ENJOY today.

Determined to get through the day, he puffed up his chest, then headed out the door and went back to his room to grab his yellow hoodie, slipping it over his head...He was thankful that Halloween had fallen on a Sunday this year; riding out the morning and afternoon at home would be a lot easier than at school.

The smell of eggs and sausage wafted up from the kitchen downstairs, and he smiled; not even a fever could completely quench his appetite, especially for something hot.

When he got to the dining room, he saw his mother at the stove and his father at the table reading from the newspaper...His attention then drifted to the medicine cabinet.

I know I need to ask before I take anything from there, he said to himself. But if I do, then they'll start asking questions I'm not gonna wanna answer.

"Oh, Veteran! I was hoping you'd be down soon!" his mother chirped. "Happy Halloween~! Hee hee..."

"Heh...Thanks, Mom, you too," he greeted her quietly, making sure to keep his voice down to prevent it from sounding too wonky.

"You're up pretty late," his dad remarked. "Even for a weekend. You sleep through your alarm again?"

"Y-yeah...Sorry about that."

"Hm," he hummed in acknowledgement. "...What are going to be tonight again? I know you went out costume shopping a week ago, but I never really asked."

"Heh heh...Y'know those-*ahem*-bananas you see at the carnival that have the colorful hats?"

"The reggae bananas?"

"Yeah, those."

Veteran's dad chortled a bit, raising his eyebrows.

"That'll be a sight for sore eyes," he nodded, smirking a bit. "...At least it'll be more interesting than sticking just a peel on your head."

"Hey."

The older crewmate snickered a bit, and watched as his wife set their plates full of food on the table. She then sat down herself, and they all dug in...Veteran smiled as a rush of warmth ran up his spine when he bit into his first piece of sausage.

"Mmm...This is great. Thanks, Mom."

"Don't mention it, dear."

"Hm...Why are you wearin' a jacket now?" Veteran's father asked him. "Cold front doesn't come in until 4:00."

"Uh...cold front?"

"Yep. Saw it on the forecast last night. Temperatures will be dropping into the upper forties this evening. 41 for a low."

"...Oh."

Not good for my case, Veteran thought.

"Hey, good news is it'll be hard for anyone to get hot in their costumes while out there; those things can turn into darn ovens sometimes. 'Specially with the masks."

Veteran nodded in agreement...The good news was his banana costume was pretty thick, so it'd keep him pretty warm.

Until then, I'll just take it easy, he planned. Who knows? Maybe I'll be feeling better by then.

"Oh, honey, don't forget," his mother piped up. "Before you leave this evening, you have to finish raking up the leaves in the backyard, sweep the upstairs hallway and bathroom, vacuum your bedroom and take the recycling out. The recycling has to be done before 10:00, but you should have plenty of time to do everything else."

Veteran tried his best to keep from grimacing.

Keep it cool, Veteran. You'll think of something...Just keep it cool.

"Sure thing, Mom."

"Thank you, sweetie. Now eat up; you don't want your food to get cold."

"Oh yeah, that's right."

He took another bite out of the hot sausage link on his plate, and again, he seemed to melt right into the taste and heat from it...If he was grateful for one thing, it was that his nose had decided to stay in good shape, so he could still smell and taste pretty well.

I'll get by...Recycling's easy, and once Dad's off to work and Mom heads outside to water the plants, I'll grab a dose of ibuprofen, and they won't have a clue. By the time it's kicked in, I should be able to take care of the other stuff okay...There aren't that many leaves left outside anyway; I should be good. And then I'll have the rest of the day to rest up before it's time to head out.

Satisfied with his plan, he kept eating. He managed to get the timing just right; when he was finally finished, it was time for his father to head out.

"Blast this crazy work schedule I have; it's a Sunday, for Christ's sake."

"I know, dear, but you'll at least be here by 5:15."

"Yeah...Granted I don't get stuck in traffic," he promised, sharing a quick kiss with his wife. "I'll see you two later. Have a good day."

"You too, dear~!"

With that he was gone...And by the time Veteran had gotten up and gone to the sink to wash his plate off, his mother was getting ready to go outside too.

"Veteran, I'm going to water the flowerbed; don't forget about the recycling."

"I'll get it as soon as I'm done here."

And with that, she was gone, too...And now was his chance.

Man...I feel kinda guilty about this. But if I'm gonna head out later, I haven't got much of a choice, he said to himself as he went into the medicine cabinet and poured four of the ibuprofen pills into his hand.

Two for now, and two for later, he nodded. ...Hmm...Maybe I should grab a fifth one, just in case.

He popped just one more into his hand, then stuffed all five of them into his pocket, closed the medicine cabinet then grabbed a bag of black tea from the cupboard next to it before sticking it in a mug and pouring hot water over it from the water cooler.

Okay... he said to himself, finally letting out a cough that'd been building up in his throat. Just let that steep for a few minutes, then take the medicine with it...Now to grab the recycling before I forget.

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About an hour after Veteran had taken his first dose of ibuprofen, he felt significantly  better; not quite a hundred percent, but he definitely felt less cold and his head didn't feel like it'd been split open with an axe anymore. He took that opportunity to get the floors swept and vacuumed before heading outside to take care of the last two piles of leaves...He was thankful that the rest of them had been taken care of the morning beforehand.

I just wish I didn't feel so worn out already...If there were any more than two piles left, I might've taken another half hour.

When he'd finally gotten all of the leaves into trash bags to be mulched later on, he put the rake and shovel back in the garage then headed back into the house and into his room, flopping down onto his bed and pulling his hood over his head. He checked the time on his phone, and was relieved to see that it wasn't even noon yet.

Still got over almost six hours till I head out, he thought, setting an alarm on his phone for 4:30. ...In the meantime, I'll just...take a nap...

Veteran settled down into the pillows on his bed, closed his eyes and curled up...But just when he was about to drift off, he heard a knock on his bedroom door.

"Veteran, are you in there?"

Ah, crap.

He sat up and tried to make himself look a bit more perky before answering.

"Uh, yeah Mom! Come on in!"

She opened the door and peeked her head inside.

"What'cha doin', hon'?"

"Oh, nothin' much...I got everything done outside and with the floors, so I figured I'd just sit down for a bit..."

"Well, I just wanted to tell you that I've got lunch here for you; I made us some sandwiches with that leftover crockpot chicken stew, so I think you'll like it!"

"Oh, really? Huh...Looks good."

She tilted her head to the side slightly as she handed him the plate.

"...Is everything alright, dear?"

"Yeah, everything's fine," he nodded, giving her a thumbs up before clearing his throat. "...Why do you ask?"

"I dunno...I guess I just thought you'd be a bit more energetic today; you're usually all over the place on Halloween!"

"Oh, heh heh...Eh, I dunno. Guess I just wanna save my energy for later," Veteran replied.

"Hm...Okay," she shrugged. "Make sure you have your costume ready by 5:15, though; I just wanted to get a few pictures before you left."

"Heh...Will do."

She left and closed the door, and he bit into his sandwich...Again, he was grateful that it was hot.

Okay fine, I'll eat first, he said to himself...His sandwich was gone in nearly record time, and he stuck the plate on his night stand, making a mental note to wash it later as he settled down into the pillows again...He was asleep within just a few minutes.

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...

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Veteran blindly felt around for one of the spare blankets on his bed as he started to shiver again, his muscles aching slightly as he moved around in search of something to warm himself back up with.

When he sat up and opened his eyes, his headache from earlier came surging back, and he hissed and groaned.

God...What time is it...?

He checked his phone; 4:27, it said.

It's been what, over four hours since my first dose of medicine? he said to himself. Yeah, that's about right...I should probably take all three in one sitting to make 'em last.

He turned off the alarm that was set to go off in three minutes, forced himself out of bed and stood up...His legs wobbled a bit, and he got light headed from standing up too quickly, so he propped himself against his bedroom wall for a few seconds to regain his balance, then cleared his throat of mucus again before making his way to the door and heading up the hallway into the kitchen, aiming to make himself another cup of black tea...His mother was at the table prepping the candy bowls for the trick-or-treaters that would arrive that evening.

"Hi there, sleepyhead," she greeted him, the tiniest twinge of worry in her voice. "You doin' okay, hon'? You were down for a while."

"Huh? Oh yeah, of course, Mom! Never better! Power naps, y'know?"

"Your face looks a little red," she remarked.

"O-oh, does it?" he stammered. "Oh, that's...uh...That probably has something to do with the dream I had."

"What was it about?"

"Uh...well...Oh, ghee whiz, It was SUPER embarrassing. I, uh...I went to school in my PJs, and then when I walked into class, the minute everyone started laughing at me, i-including the teacher...my pajamas turned into pudding and it splattered all over the place as I ran out of the room! Crazy, huh?"

"Oh my goodness, that's awful...!" she giggled. "Hee hee...What kind of pudding was it, do you remember?"

"Um...I think it looked like banana pudding, but one of the other kids in the classroom said it was tapioca...I dunno, but it was too light to be chocolate."

"Leave it to you to have a dream like that. Let alone on Halloween, huh?"

"Heh...yeah..." he nodded, feeling the tickle in his throat return. "...I gotta go get a drink."

Veteran headed into the kitchen, grabbed another tea bag and ran hot water over it. He was glad that his voice was already deep and raspy; it concealed his hoarseness pretty well, so the odds of anyone suspecting were low...granted he could keep up the act.

While Veteran waited for the tea to steep, he pulled the hood of his jacket back over his head and beat his "arms" together...It seemed even colder than it had that morning.

"Yeah, maybe I should turn the heat on now," Veteran's mother nodded when she saw him in his hoodie, getting up and heading into the hall. "Temperature dropped pretty quickly, didn't it?"

"Heh heh...Sure did."

Oh yeah, that's right...Dad said something about a cold front hitting at four, he remembered, sticking his hands in his pockets. ...I hope my costume will be enough to keep me warm...considering...

By the time his tea was finally done, his mother had come back into the dining room to finish prepping the candy bowls...And the smell of the freshly brewed hot beverage hit her.

"Huh. I thought you only liked your tea iced, Veteran."

"Oh, um...Usually," he replied. "But since we got the cold weather here now, I figured I'd make myself somethin' hot. Besides, it'll wake me up a bit after that nap, y'know?"

He saw an incredulous glint in her eye as she looked at him.

"Hm...well...If you say so," she replied. "I guess I've just been a little worried about you today is all."

"Worried? About me? Psh. You don't need to get yourself all worked up over me, Mom. What are you so worried about?"

"I dunno...You just don't seem entirely yourself today," she replied. "...You're feeling okay, right dear?"

"I feel fine!" he fibbed, trying not to strain his voice. "Nothin' to worry about, okay? Besides, I did go to bed a little late last night, remember? I honestly figured I'd be a little more tired than usual."

"Hmm...Well, that's true," she nodded. "But if you feel tired later while your out, just take it easy, alright?"

"I can do that," he agreed.

"Your father will be home in about 45 minutes. Like I said earlier, I'm going to get some pictures, so make sure you're dressed up and ready for some photos by then."

"Will do...I'll go ahead and stick it on now, I guess. Just so I'm ready beforehand...You good with that?"

"Go right ahead."

"Cool, thanks."

He grabbed his tea and took it down the hall with him...making sure to pop in his second dose of ibuprofen once he'd rounded the corner so his mother wouldn't see.

"Ho-kay...Hopefully, that'll have kicked in by the time I have to leave," he whispered to himself as he opened up his closet and dragged a box out across the floor, struggling with it a lot more than he'd expected to for something made of stuffing a fabric. He peeled the tape off the flaps, lifted the contents up out of the box and slipped it on, then took a look at himself through his bedroom mirror.

"Perfect fit," he nodded, satisfied with his appearance. "Hot stuffy fabric, don't fail me now..." 

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"...Wow. I knew you were gonna look ridiculous, but this just takes the cake."

Veteran's dad stared at him in an amused fashion as his mother snapped a few good photos of him just outside their front door.

"Yeah Dad, that's kind of the point," he remarked.

"When do you suppose Player's gonna get here?" his mother asked, putting her camera down for a moment.

"Oh, he should be here any minute now. He's probably already left his house."

"Hey, speak of the devil and he'll come!"

Veteran turned around to see the familiar red bean appear from behind the fence and through their front gate, sporting an equally familiar set of devil horns...and a suit?

"Wow. Uh...Perfect timing. And context...for that expression," Veteran mused. "But what's with the office attire?"

"Well the devil likes to make deals and contracts and stuff like that, right?"

"Oh," Veteran's father replied. "My bad, I thought you were s'posed to be Jeffery Bezos for a minute there..."

"Uh...that context works too, I guess!" Player agreed. "Well either way, I'm ready whenever you are, Vet."

"Hang on boys! Let me get a picture of you two together really quick! Smile~!"

Player posed beside his best friend and grinned as his mother snapped her last couple of photos.

"Ohh, you two look so great! Alright then, I won't keep you for any longer; have a fun time out there, you two!"

"We will, thanks!" Player called out as the two of them headed out the front gate and made their way down the side walk...There were already a few other people out on the streets in costume, which Player was glad to see.

"This year's gonna be good...If we hit up Country Club Road early we'll be able to get the full-size bars!"

"Oh, really...?" Veteran asked him. "That's a little far, though...You think we can make it?"

"The pickings are still fresh and the evening's still young. I say we've got a chance if we make it there fast!"

"Can we stop in some places on our way there, though!?" Veteran hollered out as he began to fall behind.

"Oh sure thing. Especially as we get closer."

"Ho-kay, good. Because...uh...Y'know how it gets in this suit. Hot...and hard to run."

"Yeah, well mine's the same. Good thing it's cold out here!"

"Heh...yeah..."

Veteran was at least grateful that the medicine he took was starting to kick in; he figured that by the time they'd gotten a lot of their trick-or-treating in he'd be so caught up in it that he wouldn't even notice his fatigue. But it hadn't quite kicked in all the way yet, so he thought it best to not rush his system.

Hey...I can still taste the candy, so the sugar rush might help, too!

Aside from the glowing Halloween decorations adorning each house, the route they traveled was fairly dark; a blanket of grey clouds had come in alongside the cold front, and they blocked out the sun quite efficiently. They stopped at perhaps four houses on their way to the upper class neighborhood, gathering their first pickings for the night...Nothing too fancy; a few fun-size chocolates and a couple boxes of Dots. But it was enough to conjure an appetite from the yellow bean, so he dug right into his first treats as they approached Country Club Road.

"Dude, you're digging into your stuff already?" Player asked him.

"What'd you expect? That I was gonna resist the temptation all the way back home?"

"Well...no, I guess not," he figured. "...What time is it?"

"It's, uh..." Veteran hummed while pulling his phone out of the rather conveniently-placed pocket the banana suit had on its left side. "Goin' on six o'clock."

"Okay, we're making good time on foot. Here's the sign, we made it! Let's..."

He trailed off.

"Uh-oh."

"What? What's the matter?" Veteran asked him.

"It...looks like we weren't the only ones who decided to get here early."

Player was right. Country Club Road was PACKED. They could already count at least a dozen groups of people wandering the streets!

"Oh no, dude...Do you think we're too late?"

"I guess there's only one way to find out..."

They paraded into the neighborhood, determined to get their hands on some well-deserved candy; maybe even a SODA if they were lucky enough! They'd come this far to get here on foot, so they'd be darned if they weren't going to come out of there with the loot they came for.

The first house they approached was one of decent size; it had a nice white picket fence and sliding doors, and...Player swore he heard a duck quacking somewhere in the back as he and Veteran approached the door.

"This place looks promising," he remarked as he rang the doorbell. "Not sure why, but it does."

"I'll be there in just a sec!" a voice came from the inside...An oddly familiar voice.

"...Hey wait a minute," Veteran realized. "Didn't that sound kinda like-?"

The door opened...And there stood a face they both recognized.

"Oh, wow! Player and Veteran! What a nice surprise!"

"BDay?" the red bean addressed. "You live here?"

"Sure do! Isn't this a nice neighborhood?" he remarked. "A little on the pricy side, but we both contribute to it. And it'll be even easier for us once we decide to tie the knot! Which..."

He leaned closer to them, whispering.

"...I actually plan on doing soon. Lips sealed, okay fellas?"

"Sure thing, man," Player nodded.

"Oh, silly me. I almost forgot!" the blue crewmate realized, reaching into a bowl he had positioned inside his front door and pulled out two bags for them to take.

"Ooooh, wow...Birthday cake jellybeans?" Veteran marveled, looking over the package. "That's somethin' you don't see everyday."

"Consider it a gift from the Congregation of the Blue Balloon. Ha!" he replied, plonking the balloon atop his head with his thumb and forefinger.

"Psh, yeah. Whatever that is..."

"Oh, speaking of which, I've got a meeting with them tonight. Rose is gonna take over for me from here on out, so I'll see you guys when next we play a game together! Have a fun night, fellas!"

"You too, BDay!" Player bid him as the blue figure shut the door.

"Wow...Okay, that's a great first stop here," Veteran agreed. "Come on, let's go hit up the next place!"

"Let's prioritize the ones with the really big fancy decorations, too! They're the ones with the REALLY good stuff!"

"Right behind ya!"

Veteran grinned as he followed Player over to the next house. He was actually feeling pretty great by that point, but he wasn't sure if it was from the excitement or the candy he'd already scrounged on.

Either way, I just hope it lasts the four hours it's supposed to...

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...

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Their concerns about Country Club Road came only about halfway into fruition; during the first half hour they got some good stuff; three full-size chocolate bars, a pair of giant peanut butter cups and even a can of Don Dew! They were immensely pleased...until they started to receive some more typical things instead, alongside apologies from the homeowners that all of their bigger choices had already been plundered. Nonetheless, it was better than nothing, and they were both glad that the pickings hadn't run completely dry.

Still, after four instances of this, they decided to leave and hit up another street...They scrounged a good THREE neighborhoods while they went, and their baskets were close to spilling over by the time it was fully dark, the moonlight casting an eerie glow over the town. The breeze had also picked up by then, sending swirls of dead leaves off the ground and into the air, whistling ominously through the streets.

"Ooooh, this is spooky!" Player grinned. "We don't really have room for any more candy, so why don't we just take out time going back and enjoy the atmosphere?"

"Yeah man, that sounds..."

He staggered.

"...Good..."

"Whoa, did you trip over a pothole or something? I, uh...didn't think to bring our flashlights, since most of the houses are lit up."

"Uh, y-yeah, just tripped over like a rock or something. D-don't worry..."

Veteran trailed off a bit. He knew that the medication he took would be wearing off soon, but he hadn't expected it to be so abrupt. He went from feeling 90% to 20%  in just three seconds, and it sent his head into a spin.

Oh, God...oh jeez, don't hurl...!

He looked at the street sign as they turned the corner out of their last stop...This was Puffball Lane; Player's home was nearly half a mile away at this point, and he wasn't sure whether or not he would be able to make the full trip back in one sitting.

Come on...You can do this... he told himself once again. Once you get there, you can sit down for as long as you want...Just stay strong!

He put all of his attention and energy into walking. He didn't want to speak, or even open his mouth due to his cough surging back; the last thing he wanted was to let himself do that in front of Player.

...Or ON him, he realized. ...Shoot, I hope I didn't give him whatever I have.

He hadn't really thought of that aspect; he was too concerned over himself, and how he felt, and whether or not he would even be able to do this at all. God, why was he so selfish? Why couldn't he have done the smart thing and just stayed home? What if he ended up getting all of the people he met at the DOOR ill!?

"Man, my legs are tired after all that," Player remarked. "Mind if I sit down on the curb for a minute?"

Veteran nodded, plopping himself down on the edge of the sidewalk next to him. Player sighed contently.

"Man...This was a really great night, wasn't it?" he said to him...Veteran cleared his throat as casually as he could without making himself sound congested, but it only helped about half as much as he'd have liked.

"...Yep," he uttered.

"Wasn't that funny, the guy who said he worked in a warehouse and that I reminded him of his boss?"

"Yeah...that was pretty good."

"What's up with you, Vet? You usually have a lot more to say after we do this."

"Eh...Guess I'm just...having trouble finding the words for how great it was."

"Did you eat another box of Hot Tamales or something? You sound hoarse."

"Uh...yeah. I did," he fibbed. "...Whoopsie."

"I don't even know what the appeal over spicy candy is all about," Player wondered as he stood up. "It's for treating yourself, not torture...But then again, I guess that makes it a good Halloween candy, right?"

"It'd go...kinda well with your costume," Veteran realized, forgetting his lack of a good voice at the moment.

"Huh. You're kinda right I guess...I probably WOULD give something like that to someone in exchange for their soul just to make them miserable, heh heh...Welp, shall we go?"

"Oh. Yeah, sure..."

They started off again...Veteran tried harder than he ever had to keep his eyes open, his gait even, his vision clear...but he saw it beginning to blur around the corners as they approached the final block.

You can do this...you can do this...why is everything so cold...?

He beat his hands together again, doing his best to just keep walking and not stop. He could feel his senses beginning to dull, the blurry spots in his peripheral vision now growing dark.

He was freezing from the inside out. His costume no longer helped...He felt so hollow inside. So empty. But he couldn't stop walking. he had to keep going...!

"Um, Veteran? My house is right here, where are you going?"

"Huh...?"

He'd passed Player's house...Player's house! Their destination! He made it!

"Oh...hah...G-good..."

He turned back, swaying with every other step he took as he approached Player and turned onto the sidewalk leading up to his front porch...His sudden uneasiness was now more than apparent to the red bean.

"Uh...Veteran? You okay, man?"

"I...I just need to sit down when we get inside-"

He stumbled forward and tripped over the first porch step, careening head first into the corner of the top step and sending the contents of his basket all over the stairs...Had part of his costume not absorbed the blow, he would have received a pretty painful dent in his forehead.

But the jostle alone was enough to make his head feel like it was about to explode all over again, and the world around him faded into darkness.

"Veteran!"

The red crewmate tried to wake him up, but to no avail. He just lay there, his eyes tightly shut and his cheeks burning red.

Curious, Player rested his hand against his friend's forehead, and cringed at just how hot it felt to the touch.

"Oh, jeez, that's bad..."

"Everything okay out here?"

Player's mother opened the door to see what'd made that banging noise, and gasped when she saw Veteran lying on the front porch.

"What happened!?"

"He's sick, Mom. He just collapsed here, and now he won't answer me...We need to get him in the house."

"Oh, dear me..."

The two of them hoisted Veteran off the ground and brought him into the house, sitting him down on the couch...Player's father was monitoring the stovetop, and he saw what was happening in the living room from the kitchen.

"What's going on in there, gang?"

"Veteran collapsed. He's burning up."

"Oh. Uh...that doesn't sound good. You need any help in there?"

"No hun', just keep an eye on the stove, we've got this," his wife told him. "...Okay, Player, you go get a damp washcloth while I get this costume off of him. I'll call his parents after that."

"Got it."

Player ran to the bathroom to fetch the cloth while his mother undid the velcro on the back of the suit and pulled it off from the front, placing it down on the floor beside the sofa...Veteran groaned slightly and leaned back into the couch, only partially conscious.

"You poor thing..." she sighed as she fluffed up one of the throw pillows and put his head down on it. "How long were you out like this?"

"I got the washcloth, Mom."

Player came back with the damp cloth and gave it to his mother, who folded it up and draped it over his forehead. Veteran hissed at how cold it felt, and shivered as he curled up into himself.

"Tell me if he wakes up all the way. I'm going to call his mother."

She left the two of them there and went into the kitchen to contact Veteran's mother...Player sat down on the couch next to where his best friend's head was lying.

"Mrph..."

He became more alert when he heard Veteran shift and make a noise, and he looked down at him as he slowly pried his eyes back open.

"...Player? Ugh...where...what happened...?"

"You collapsed on the porch. Mom and I brought you inside and fixed you up a bit."

"Oh...Sorry 'bout that. Guess I got a little dizzy..."

He tried to sit up and prove that he was just fine, but Player held him down.

"I don't think you should be getting up right now, Veteran. You seem pretty sick."

"What...? N-no, I'm fine-!"

The coughing fit he'd been suppressing since they left finally let itself free, proving that no, Veteran was not fine.

"Urgh...Spicy candy, a-am I right dude?"

"I'm not so sure I buy that anymore...Speaking of which, I should probably go gather up the stuff you dropped outside too before some other group of trick-or-treaters decided to help themselves."

"I...dropped it all?"

"Don't worry, the stuff's packaged. I'm sure it's fine...I'll be right back. If Mom asks where I went just tell her!"

He hurried outside to gather Veteran's dropped helpings...Just as he ran out the front door, Player's mother re-entered the room.

"Oh, thank goodness. You're awake," she realized. "Where'd Player go?"

"Uh...outside...to pick up the stuff I dropped before it gets...y'know...stolen."

"Oh. Yes, I see," she realized. "Well, I just spoke to your mother. She said that if you're this bad, you'd probably get carsick on the way home and she doesn't want you to get any worse. She'll come to pick you up at some point tomorrow morning."

"S-so, am I...staying here?"

"For tonight, yes," the purple crewmate confirmed. "...She mentioned to me that she suspected something was wrong ever since this afternoon, though. I imagine you might get a stern talking-to when you go back there tomorrow."

Veteran hummed and nodded lightly...Honestly, he deserved that much; his mother probably would've been scared to death if she'd witnessed his fall with her own eyes.

"...Th-thank you."

"You're welcome, dear...Are you feeling any better now that you're lying down?"

"A tiny bit..."

He coughed a bit more, cringing at the sensation of mucus clogging up the back of his throat.

"How about I go get you something for that sore throat?"

He nodded again.

"Y-yes please...Thank you...again..."

"Okay Vet, looks like all your stuff's still good," Player announced as he came back inside with his companion's basket. "Oh, hey Mom. Sorry I disappeared for a minute, I just didn't want anything to happen to the candy he dropped outside."

"That's fine, Player. Glad to see he's conscious again, at least," she told him. "Veteran, do you feel well enough to eat something soft?"

"M-hm..."

"Alright. I'll be back in a jiff!" she smiled, leaving the two friends behind as she went to the kitchen.

"...At least I did it," Veteran acknowledged. "I didn't miss out on everything I was lookin' forward to this year."

"Yeah, but...Did you actually enjoy it?" Player asked him.

"Well, yeah...for the most part, at least. The medicine I took lasted until we were about to head home, actually. And we got a crapload o' candy, so that's gonna be an extra plus...when I'm up to gorging myself with it. Heh heh...ugh..."

"Hm...well...Okay. But do me a favor and don't overdo things like that again. You scared me back there."

"...Sorry, Player."

"Good..."

"Heh...Hey, at least we got a sleepover out of it."

Player snorted and raised an eyebrow.

"You like to look on the brighter side of things, don't you?"

"Well, duh. That's the best side of things, isn't it?" he remarked...And then his visor suddenly popped wide open.

"Oh hey, I almost forgot! With all this excitement, I never asked about-!"

"Oh, Veteran~!" Player's mother called out. "I just so happened to remember our little conversation from yesterday, so I'm happy to let you know this is ready. Hope it helps you feel better."

She came into the living room carrying two bowls in her hands, steam wafting up from each one and a spoon stuck in them. A smile formed on Player's face as she handed it to him, and the red crewmate took a long, savory whiff of the pumpkin soup she'd finished making.

"Wow...Did you use extra spices this year?"

"I put in some extra thyme and just a touch of ground cloves."

"It smells GREAT, Mom. I bet it'll taste even better."

"Oh, i-is that it?"

Veteran sat up on the couch, keeping the blanket draped over his knees.

"Wow...It DOES smell awesome."

"Here you go, Veteran," Player's mother smiled, carefully transferring the bowl from her hands to his. "Be careful not to burn yourself though; it's hot."

"Gotcha...Man. Don't tell my mom I said this, but even though she's a great cook, you put up some stiff competition."

The purple crewmate chuckled at the compliment, then went to join her husband in the dining room.

"Why thank you. Just give me a holler if you need anything," she told him. "Oh, and Player. You can spend some extra time with Veteran, but make sure you go to bed at a reasonable hour; you still have school in the morning."

"Don't worry Mom, I will."

She left, and Veteran brought the spoon up to his mouth, blew on the soup a bit and then gave it a try...It had a smooth, creamy texture, and the spices and herbs gave it a very rich, complex taste. It sent a warm rush up his spine when he swallowed it, and it coated and soothed his sore throat.

"Mmmmmm...This is incredible."

"What'd I tell you? It's great, isn't it?"

"Tell your Mom I said thanks so much for this..."

"I'll do that for ya," Player nodded, taking a bit from his bowl next and taking in how good it tasted. "...Hey. You wanna know what she makes after Thanksgiving?"

"What?"

"Turkey stew with stuffing dumplings, green beans and French onions."

"Aw, man, you're KILLIN' me...!"

____________________________________________________________

"But Ginger! You just posted a super long story last night! How did you get ANOTHER one out so fast!?"

Well truth be told, this one was actually sitting in my drafts 3/4 of the way finished for the past...two years. 🙃

The year I started working on it, I prioritized The Great Werewolf Mystery quintilogy over it thinking I'd have both done by Halloween...I was wrong. And then I did the same with my LAST Halloween fic, y'know the one where Player dressed up as Waldo and his friends couldn't find him in a crowd, realizing that I didn't have the time to finish this due to being busy with my freaking Chica cosplay last year. XD

I'm glad I finally got it out this year, though! It's been waiting for its time to shine, so I cleaned it up a bit and really got down to business! Good timing too; I think I start work tomorrow.(i'm nervous as hell...)

Hopefully I'll finish this set of five before Halloween, though! After all, you likely know as well as I do what's set to release the day after tomorrow...🍄