Halloween
Douglas had his arms, up to his elbows, inside the huge pumpkin he and Martin had bought at the market that afternoon.
He wasn't very big on Halloween. Martin, that is. With all the competition that was always going on at his parents' house, it was difficult to enjoy the way everyone seemed to appreciate his brother's carvings more than anyone else's. Later, when he was living on his own, and most of his friends were celebrating Halloween with their families, he didn't really felt much like celebrating it anymore.
This year, though, it was differnet. Douglas had asked him why he despised Halloween so much and, unable not to tell him - how could he even deny anything from Douglas, anyway - Martin had spilled the beans. It was all that took to have Douglas promising him that, from this year forward, Halloween would be very different. Douglas was right, as usual. So far, Martin was having the best day he could imagine. Because of Douglas, of course. Always because of Douglas.
Obviously, it was hard for Martin to focus on his own carving - crooked and not at all decent, not like the one Douglas was working on - when Douglas, furrowed brow, his face focused on what he was doing, looked simply... delicious.
Martin smiled, and Douglas caught his eye.
"What are you smiling about?" he asked.
Martin smiled more broadly. Then, blushing - why was he always blushing around Douglas? - he added, "You look quite... charming, doing that."
Douglas caught his mood quickly. He stopped what he was doing - it was almost finished, anyway - washed his hands and approached Martin, grinning like a content cat.
"Are you on for a break?" he asked.
Martin smiled back, the same expression Douglas was wearing on his face.
"Yeah. Definitely."
They finished their carving much later. They opened their door everytime kids came trick or treating and they sipped tea by the fireplace, happy to be in each others company. Later on, when they went to bed and Douglas was already sleeping by his side, Martin understood that indeed, Halloween would have a very different meaning from then on.