Noah and Micah spent the day decorating the apartment. Noah wasn’t sure if there were any children in the neighborhood, but he bought trick?or?treat candy anyway — just in case.

  It turned out to be Micah’s first-time tasting candy. By the time they were almost ready to dress, Micah had finished one of the three medium?sized bags.

  Noah scolded him, but his tone was more amused than angry.

  The party was at nine, which meant three more hours to kill. Since Micah seemed restless, Noah decided to make him wear his costume — clothes humans thought werewolves wore. Micah wasn’t fond of it, but he beamed when Noah complimented him.

  His hazel?tipped ears and tail suited the look perfectly, making him appear more handsome than cute. Noah handed him fake werewolf teeth, but Micah shook his head and flashed his own. Noah noticed two teeth sharper than the rest.

  “What did you…?” Noah asked, startled.

  Micah scratched the back of his head sheepishly. “Well… one feature I forgot to tell you is that two of our teeth are sharper than usual. But we can turn them normal.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

  “I thought you might be scared… or worried. Or you might leave me behind. I couldn’t bear that.”

  Noah stared at him for a moment, then laughed. “You think I’d be scared of your teeth? Have I ever told you you’re more handsome than scary?”

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  Micah’s cheeks flushed. “You think I’m handsome…?”

  “I?I mean… you’re not scary and… y?you… you are… handsome…” Noah stammered, looking anywhere but Micah’s face, which was also red.

  Silence stretched between them, tense and awkward.

  Micah’s tail wrapped unconsciously around Noah’s waist, making him flush brighter. Micah tilted Noah’s chin upward. “C?can I?”

  Noah froze. Is he going to kiss me? I should say no. I should! So why am I leaning closer?

  Their lips were inches apart when the doorbell rang. Noah jerked back instinctively.

  “Umm… I should get that.” He scurried to the door, where a group of children no older than ten stood.

  “Trick or treat!”

  Still dazed, Noah blinked before realizing. “Oh. Hi. Sorry, I’ll get the candy.” He shuffled, grabbed the bowl, and dropped handfuls into their buckets.

  “Thank you!” the kids cheered, running off.

  Micah joined him, and Noah handed over candy duty. Sure enough, there were plenty of neighborhood kids, and Micah gave out generous amounts with a smile.

  Noah laughed to himself and slipped away to shower. But as the hot water ran over him, a thought slipped in unbidden: What if he was here with me? What if the doorbell hadn’t rung? What would his lips feel like… His cheeks burned, and he quickly finished, dressing in his vampire costume. It was tight, short, and made him self?conscious. He combed his hair, applied makeup, and stepped out.

  Micah was still at the door, surprisingly good at his job. Noah watched secretly as a young girl tripped, scraping her knee. Micah crouched beside her, cracking jokes until she giggled. Then he let her touch his ears, claiming they were fake just to comfort her.

  Noah’s heart melted at the sight. Micah looked so fatherly, so gentle.

  When Micah turned back, his eyes landed on Noah. His breath caught, and he bit his bottom lip. Noah’s self?consciousness spiked.

  “Umm… do I look okay?” Noah asked.

  “Y?yeah… you look beautiful.”

  Noah flushed. “I’m not beautiful,” he muttered, trying to sound annoyed but failing.

  Micah grinned. “So… should we go now?”

  “Yeah. Let’s go.”