thethespacecoyote:

i just wrote this real quickly but i liked the idea c:

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Nine o’clock at night on Halloween was about when Jack called it on leaving candy out for trick-o-treaters. Most kids would be back at home and maybe even in bed at this point, and all that remained usually were teenagers looking to raid any candy left at the bottom of the bowl and smash pumpkins if they didn’t find anything. Not that many nefarious younguns would get away with their mischief thanks to Jack’s high-tech security system.

Still, by the time it got properly late, Jack was ready to turn the lights off on the outside decorations and settle in with a pumpkin cider and his annual re-watch of The Shining. He’d been entertaining all the kids swarming to the doors of his huge, elaborately decorated home all evening, and as cute and easily excitable as they were, Jack was tired of getting up and answering every knock at his door and was looking forward to turning in for the evening.

He switched off the billowing, inflatable ghosts on his yard as well as the strands of orange and purple lights planted along the walkway and strung along the gutters, and had just opened the doors one final time to blow out his jack-o-lanterns when he saw someone strutting quickly up the walkway.

Jack raised his eyebrow, about to tell the stranger off when they stepped into the light emanating from his front door. A wide grin spread across his face as he recognized the boxy, metallic costume from earlier. More than recognized, considering this particular omega had drifted in and out of his thoughts for most of the evening.

“What? Cyrus ask you to shake me down for some more candy? Well, considering you two were the cutest pair of robots I ever saw, might as well give you seconds,” Jack chuckled, lifting the pumpkin-shaped bowl off the little table besides the door and giving it a little jiggle. His lighthearted tone didn’t seem to defuse Rhys’ angry pout, though, and the omega didn’t quite his stomping march until he nearly got right up in Jack’s face.

“What’s the meaning of this?” Rhys hissed as he angrily flapped a slim piece of paper against the alpha’s chest. Jack continued grinning blithely, holding up his hands against Rhys’ offensive.

“Whaaat, this?” He feigned ignorance even as the check he’d filled out only a couple hours ago waved under his nose. “Just…consider it an extra treat, pumpkin.”

“Snickers and lollipops are treats, Jack. This is…I don’t even know what this is!” Rhys hissed, the springy antennae on his head wobbling with an angry shake. “A bribe? A joke?”

“No no, Rhysie, though if I wanted to play a prank on you, guess Halloween would be a good night for it, huh?” Jack carefully placed his hand on Rhys’ wrist, trying to calm the pissy omega down. “Look, I knew you’d never accept something nice from me, so I slipped it in with the kiddo’s candy.”

Rhys puffed out his cheeks, anger reduced to a simmer as he settled back on his heels, no longer trying to intimate Jack as much as he had a few moments earlier. He looked down at the check, then back up at the alpha.

“This…this is too much. I can’t accept it. We might be neighbors but…I…we barely know each other!”

“Just take it as a bit of good Halloween luck, then. Stow it away for when the kid wants to go to college.” Jack lowered his hands to place them on his waist, amused smirk turning into a more affectionate smile. Rhys worried his lip but slowly folded the check back up and placed it into his pocket.

“Well…thank you. I guess.” Rhys shifted awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Just don’t go around thinking I owe you anything.”

“Of course not, sugar. I’m not that much of a dirtbag, no matter what you might’ve heard.”

Jack rifled around the candy bowl, grabbing a handful and pushing it towards Rhys.

“The kid will appreciate this lots more than college savings, though. Tell him I said hey and that his costume was the best one I saw tonight. ‘Kay?” Jack winked, pleased to see a little tinge of blush on the omega’s cheeks followed—finally—by a small smile.

“I will…he’ll be really happy about that. He hasn’t stopped talking about you since he got home…he…” Rhys looked away from Jack for a moment. “He wants you to be robots with us next year.”

“Oh?” Jack’s grin grew wider, already envisioning a robot costume that would knock everyone’s socks off. “Well, I’ve got three-hundred and sixty-five days to think about it.”

“Well, I…I’ll leave you to think about it, then…” Rhys stuttered, holding the handfuls of candy to his chest. He took a slow step away from Jack, working his lips together like he wanted to say something else, only to turn and shuffle back down the pathway until even his shiny metallic tights were out of sight.

Jack chuckled to himself, before hefting in the rest of his jack-o-lanterns and shutting off the porch-light, finally ready—for sure this time—to unwind on the couch with a beer, a movie, and the adorable omega haunting his thoughts even harder now.