Halloween Event!

[loadsavepoint.livejournal.com]

Trick or Treat

It's that time again - time to gorge yourself full of sweets and candies. Of course, that means you have to trick or treat for it. It doesn't matter if you meant to trick or treat, because for some reason, you're doing it anyway. Actually, you've already knocked on the neighbor's door, and suddenly blurted out, "Trick or treat!" Whether you meant to or not.

And suddenly, you're in costume. Huh. You don't remember picking that to wear... Oh, and just in time for the person to answer the door and give you candy.

So have at it, trick or treaters! Or candy-givers alike.

Comments

[juneslater.livejournal.com]

[By the time Nanako asks about her father's face, the redness has died down enough to where he can wave it off.]

Just a little warm in this costume, that's all.

[Why, that's almost as smooth as Adachi's lies.]

[nowheresman.livejournal.com]

[Almost, but not quite. The master can tell - Adachi glances at Dojima curiously for a second, but seemingly lets him off the hook when Nanako pulls at his sleeve.

"Show me too, Adachi-san!"

And in typical Adachi fashion, he never turns down an opportunity to brag. With a bit of swagger, Adachi nods obligingly, ushering the three of them inside.]

You bet I will, Nanako-chan! We can count to see who has more!

[Really? Competing with a kid? Adachi discreetly hooks his fingers around Dojima's ring and middle finger as he steps forward, pulling the man along as he had been the entire day (the entire last couple of years, even). As Nanako bounds back inside ahead of them, though, he stops on the doorstep, straightening and glancing back.]

What did the kid say?

[Almost defensively, for Dojima's sake:]

He wasn't making fun of your getup, was he?

[juneslater.livejournal.com]

[After an excited moment with Adachi and Nanako, awed by their buckets (no, really - how they manage to get that much candy is beyond him), he follows along, joking about how Nanako better beat him. He slows as he feels fingers wrap around his, looking down at Adachi. (He does look a beat younger with those glasses and that uniform.)]

What if he was?

[It'd certainly give Dojima a good excuse not to tell him the real issue.]

[nowheresman.livejournal.com]

[Perhaps it's the uniform, but it's a pretty funny image when Adachi pounds the flat of one fist into his other palm.]

I'll show 'im who's bo-

[A beat.]

...He wasn't making fun of mine, was he? That brat! It wasn't even my idea! It's not like I had a choice, you know!

[Always gotta be about you, Adachi.]

[juneslater.livejournal.com]

[That image certainly strikes Dojima as humorous, because he covers his mouth to keep from laughing again.]

Neither of those things.

[Dojima pushes him along into the house, where Nanako is already at the table, dumping her candy out to look at all her goodies. "Let's compare, Adachi-san! We can trade too!" Dojima smiles at her spirit, sitting at one part of the table, when something occurs to him: why was Souji in his room, anyway?

Well, the answer to that soon arrives when Souji steps out of his own room, dressed in costume to go hang out with his friends. He's donning a gray button-up (sleeves rolled to the elbows), a red tie, black slacks, and he's holding a coffee mug in one hand. He even asks, "What do you think?"]

[nowheresman.livejournal.com]

[It's pretty obvious what Adachi thinks - upon seeing Souji, Adachi begins something that might have been a sputter...but screw that - he just starts laughing.]

Oh, man, kid, you-

[Adachi reaches out, poking Souji between the brow until the boy frowns and his eyebrow dips.]

All right. Now you're good.

[juneslater.livejournal.com]

[Even Nanako giggles. "You look just like dad!"

Dojima, on the other hand... Well, he's always been of good humor when it came to his nephew. He stands and gives Souji a hearty pat on the shoulder.]

Hey, that ain't half bad, kid. Nice look for you.

[Souji's in-character expression slips for a moment as he smiles, grabbing Dojima's jacket off the back of a chair and slinging it over his shoulder. Now, it's perfect. (He'd get a cigarette to hang from his lips, but Dojima wouldn't like that, he's sure.)]

[nowheresman.livejournal.com]

[Bidding his farewells, Souji gives Nanako a pat on the head on his way out, closing the door softly behind him - another uncharacteristic thing, in terms of being 'in-character.' By the time Dojima turns back around, Adachi has already worked his bad influence, and he and Nanako are sorting their candies by type into neat little stacks, a lollipop sticking out of the corner of each of their mouths. In a comical way, it almost looks like a spoof of a mob scene - splitting up the cash after a done deal. At the end, Adachi leans back into his chair, sighing in defeat.]

Aww, jeez. Nanako-chan beat me by at least twenty kit-kat bars, no fair! It's just 'cause she's cute - bet people were sneaking in extras on the side.

[With a hmph, he drops his chin onto his palm, frowning until Nanako pats him lightly on the back. "It's okay," she reassures. "I think Adachi-san is cute too."]

[juneslater.livejournal.com]

Good job, Nanako.

[Sheesh, today is just full of funny things for Dojima. Shady candy deals, pouting almost-thirty-year-olds - he's definitely amused that Nanako would think Adachi is cute. Maybe just because it's a day for tricks, he sits back down beside her, and agrees outright.]

Yeah, I think so too, Nanako.

[nowheresman.livejournal.com]

I don't need your consolation!

[He huffs, waving a hand as if to disperse the words, but there is definitely a pinkish tint to his face. Gosh, having to accept pity from an elementary schooler was just so embarrassing, that's all. Couldn't be anything more than that. Seeming to clue in on the joke, Nanako smiles, giggling behind a hand, and passing both her father and Adachi a few kit-kat bars of their own.

"There," she says, decisively. "Now we're all even."

Adachi stares down at the little orange plastic-wrapped candy and slowly lets a smile overtake that frown. Nanako really was a good girl - perhaps she alone could have thrown a bitter, jaded man's idea of an unfair world upside down. He pulls his chair closer to father and daughter, unwrapping one of his kit-kats and holding it up solemnly.]

Nanako-chan's too young to drink, so we gotta toast to these. On the count of three, we each break 'em and gobble it down. Halloween tradition.

[juneslater.livejournal.com]

[Nanako laughs, apparently liking this new tradition. She opens a kit-kat with some trouble, holding up the chocolate bar. Dojima realizes in the back of his mind that this is almost like that time he decided that him, Souji, and Nanako were all family - creating a new tradition out of nowhere, even if it didn't quite make sense. He holds up his candy, and once Adachi counts up to three, they all hit their bars together (rather noiselessly), snap them in half and start eating them.

Despite an hour's worth of a Galaxy Trek uniform being forced upon him and being embarrassed by his nephew (it was worth it), this Halloween wasn't bad at all. Dojima mentally reminds himself to get kit-kats for next Halloween.]