Post #2816353 in HELLS HALF ACRE, a roleplay on RPG

Maddie was in the bathroom. He could hear her hummin’, it was some song she’d tried to teach him before but he never could remember the name. Her soft voice was off pitch and high, sweet in that way only a kid could muster. It made his heart hurt listening to her, his mind immediately conjuring all that soft baby gurglin’ that had melted him when he’d lived with her. But here she was now, ten feet away usin’ the bathroom with the door locked while he fixed himself up a drink. Having another human in his trailer always felt weird, like he was navigating around a barricade to his usual life. He acknowledges guests with an abrupt awkwardness that make them stand clear, sit in the dining room booth, and leave him to his business. Maddie, Ev, and Beau were probably the only three that made themselves at home in his tiny trailer- hell, he’d made Maddie her own little room for when she visited, though most times she ended up sleepin’ with him.

Somehow he’d won out with Lucy this year and convinced her he was pulled together enough to handle Halloween. He had a feelin’ she wanted to night off from mom duty, but either way that simple ”sure, Bash” when he’d asked had made his heart go as fast as any beat down with the Lobos. Him and Maddie got along, she knew he was the awkward, unsure parent and got the fact that he was a part-timer enough to be soft with him. Thing was, Halloween was one of those rituals he didn’t think he ever got right as a kid. Firecrackers and car alarms and break ins weren’t part of the hallmark movie life he thought Maddie deserved, so he’d enlisted Ev’s help for the night.

Maddie sprung out, her chipmunk voice immediately calling out for him even though the bathroom was only a few feet away, “DAAAD! Listen. I know you don’t gotta costume but maybe we can have Miss Evvy just give you some whiskers or somethin’?”.

“Maybe Miss Evvy can make me somethin’ a little cooler than a cat costume, I think she’s got a bit more talent than that”, He nodded to her glass of orange juice he’d poured as she jumped into the booth across from him, grinning like a little monkey. Of course he hadn’t thought of his own costume, too set on making sure Maddies specific instructions had been relaid to Ev to worry about himself. Was that a thing parents did, dress up with their kid? He figured he just had to follow along for the night and make sure she didn’t get taken or eat all her candy at once.

“Yeah, she can do anything but you gotta agree to wear it” Maddie was sitting up on her heels now at the table, her little knobby knees poking over the edge as she leaned forward and gestured at him with the orange juice, “You gotta have fun Dad, that’s what it's all about. Mom said no moping”

Bash forced down that twinge of anger that surfaced at the comment, knowing full well that Lucy’d had a talk with Maddie about ‘who your father is’ before she came over for the weekend. Kids were parrots, mimicking their parents back to each other till they figured out their own thoughts. Maddie didn’t think her dad moped, Lucy did. To Maddie he was still the cool dad with a motorbike, fun friends, and access to horses whenever she wanted to ride.

“No moping, promise. I'm excited to wear whatever crazy thing you guys come up with” Maddie beamed back at him and giggled wildly, her little brain probably coming up with the craziest concocted costumes she could convince her accomplice to create for her.

Ever didn’t bother to knock, her presence filling the trailer the instant she entered. The only thing bigger than her bag was her hair, piled atop her head and pinned with glittering clips. Her face lit up as Maddie saw her, running over to hug Ever’s leg excitedly.

“Well hey there little lady,” Ever smoothed a hand over Maddie’s hair as she spoke, hauling her bag over her shoulder onto the table. She looked over at Bash, giving him a nod of acknowledgement and a knowing wink. A glint of amusement flashed in her eyes, it was rare to catch Bash in such a state. Few knew how to recognize it, even when he was unraveling he could maintain enough composure to the untrained eye. She could sense by the clench of his jaw, the slant of his shoulders - he was in full dad panic.

“Can I see? Can I see it?” Maddie asked, leaping to see what was in the bag.

“Can you see it?! I’ll do you one better, you can wear it!” Ever reached into a bag, pulling out the costume and holding it out for Maddie.

“Wonder Woman!” She squealed with excitement. Ever, Beau, and Bash had taken her to see it in the theaters when it first came out. She and Maddie had gushed about it for hours later, Maddie running around pretending she was Wonder Woman. “I’ve got some other accessories and props I had my boys on my production team make for me, but first go put this on so I can make sure it fits right before we go out.”

Maddie nodded, her face all of a sudden serious with determination. She took the costume, running off into her room to try it on. Ever watched her disappear behind the door, pausing for a moment to soak in the delight of the moment. Maddie had that effect on her. Made the idea of settling down not so scary, maybe even tempting. She pivoted to face Bash, raising her eyebrows.

“She seems super excited,” Ever said, careful not to sound too reassuring - didn’t want him to know his panic was so obvious. She began unpacking the bag's contents, accessories for Maddie’s costume. “You should take her over on Jackson street, I just walked over by there and the people there went all out.”

“Excited is an understatement” Bash stood and walked over to his kitchen bar, instantly making Ev a drink even though she hadn’t asked. His was still half full, his jitters making the alcohol seem like some sort of poison, “You know I had to dress up for this? I thought Halloween was about the kids getting candy and showing off their costume. I’ve never heard of parents doing it too” Bash kept his voice to a low whisper, aware of the paper thin walls and Maddie rustling into her costume a few away. He squeezed a lime into the drink roughly and turned around to Everleigh, casting the drink across to her without hesitation, “I need you to magic some costume on my face so she thinks I'm into it too. She suggested a cat, I thought maybe you could do something better than that”

Ever took the drink, her lips pulled into a wicked grin. “Oh honey...did you think she didn’t already know what your costume was? That kid must be one hell of an actor.”

She took a deep drink, turning around to delve into her bag fishing out a mask. The pointed ears and shape was apparent, “Batman - got the whole works. You know….if you want it.”

Bash’s stare slanted down to the mask, then back up at her, “Guessin’ you made the whole thing and not just the mask” He reached forward and grabbed at it without waiting for an answer, “My kid get you into a costume too? Let me guess, she also got her uncle in on this as Robin”

“Ha!” Ever emphasized her laughter with disbelief, handing Bash over the bag that was filled with the remainder of the costume to change into. “I would love to see the day someone manages to get that mangy mutt in a costume.”

“But, don’t worry, I brought my costume along too.” She added with a wink, finishing her drink and going to pour another.

_______________________________

Maddie skipped right ahead of them in her full cape, whip, and golden cuffs ensemble, her hair pushed back by the golden tiara so her tight curls bounced as she led the way. She was informing them about the kid in her class that lived on this street- every street in town she seemed to know exactly what kid lived where. Most of Bash’s face was obscured in hardened plastic, his eyes darkened by black eye shadow so that his face was morphed into a sculpted black scowl. The cowl headdress rested on his shoulder above a floor length black cape, locking his neck into position so it required the full movement of his chest to turn his head. Which was fine, really, because that meant he could just focus on Maddie and not the costume Ev somehow thought worked for a 5pm candy crawl.

It was black and leathery, skin tight in a way that smoothed everything but also hid nothing. Maddie had screamed and giggled something about Catwoman, but all that was catlike about this costume was the leather pointed cat mask. Bash had taken one look at her when she’d come out of the bathroom, coughed, and ushered them out the door.

Ever had forced them to take a couple of pictures before they left, scrolling through them as they followed behind the miniature Wonder Woman. She had already sent them to Beau along with a grinning imp emoji, all too aware of what she was doing. Beau had refused to ever dress up with her, what better way to get her way than to trick his brother into doing a couples costume with her. Genius really, the one person that Beau wouldn't immediately curb stomp.

“What do you think, I like this one the best.” Ever said, stepping in closer to show Bash the picture. She could feel his hand briefly brush across her hip and immediately recoil, Ever smirking with self-satisfaction.

Bash tilted his mask downward as both a courtesy glance and a nod, pretty sure that he didn’t want to see a photo of Ev’s body curled up next to him like it was now. He was also pretty sure she was doing it on purpose, her casual flirtiness enough a part of their relationship by now that he usually paid it no mind. But she also wasn’t usually standing next to him with half her breasts spilling out of a half zipped bodysuit.

Ever’s phone pinged with a reply almost instantly, Beau’s name flashing across the screen with a series of emojis after,

‘LOL that a joke???’

Ever laughed to herself, covering her expression to hide her devious delight. She went to slide her phone into her pocket, remembering she didn’t have any - instead sliding it into the fabric that stretched taut across her chest.

“Do you have Maddie the whole weekend then?” Ever asked, the two of them waiting at the curb and giving a little wave as Maddie ran up to the door with some of the kids who were working the same route as them.

“Yeah” Bash nodded, facing the house Maddie was gathered at, “Lucy’s on some trip I think, it was easy to convince her. I think the costume probably won half the argument though, thanks for that '' He glanced down at her stiffly and flashed a smile under the mask.

“Please - she’s a literal doll. I will make her a costume any day of the year, just because.” She waved off his thanks, never one to take genuine compliments easily. “Besides, no way I’m missing out on being able to boss you around with a whip.”

“Dad, Evvy - look!” Maddie interrupted- Bash sent a silent thanks to his kid for her good timing, “They had FULL size candy bars! I got a whole snickers!”

“Oo, is that for me?” Ever asked, holding out her hand expectantly.

Maddie wrinkled her nose, reading Ever’s expression before cackling with delight. “No! You gotta earn it!”

Bash laughed as Maddie shoved the candy in her bag and scrambled off to the next house ahead of them, keeping his eyes on her and definitely not on the whip hanging from Ev’s side

It was that evening time when the golden light was slipping through the shedding trees, casting elongated shadows across the cracked pavement and giving everything that warm, orange hue. Maddie was down another house before they made it to the next one, the small group of kids she’d joined with somehow instantly her pack. Bash watched her go but didn’t try hard to keep up, knowing she knew this street just as well as the next. It was that early hour of Halloween where the kids were young enough that the screaming and laughing was pure bliss and the clear joy of the evening seeping into him. He didn’t get a lot of normal like this, most of his time with his kid taken in stolen car rides or trips to ice cream. Lucy was warming to him lately- he was pretty sure she was dating someone new, so that probably helped. It meant his mind was wrapped in moments like this, Maddie laughing, golden shadows, and Ev somehow enjoying herself at his side- and not whatever shit Beau was getting the Lobos into.

The unmistakable coughing of an engine and grind of brakes behind him broke that peace, forcing his face into the same scowl as his mask. “Course he’s here” He grumbled under his breath as a door slammed and a man let out a low whistle.

“Aw, Evvy, daaaamn look at you” Beau cackled when Bash turned around, the younger brother almost doubling over at the somehow perfect rendition of the moody anti-hero.

Everleigh looked over to Bash with a sympathetic expression. Beau was at all times hard to be around - but he was about to be insufferable. She walked towards Beau, a smile splitting across her face in an attempt to disarm him. Her arm reached out to wrap around him, gently guiding him upright to interrupt his cackles.

“Hey baby, I didn’t realize you’d be coming out. I would’ve made you a Robin costume.” She teased, kissing his cheek affectionately.

Beau twisted his arm around her, his immediate inclination to tug her tightly against him at war with his awareness of the very family friendly setting they were in. And the ominous form of his brother, who had not moved from his absurdly Batman-like pose on the sidewalk.

“You just want me in skin tight spandex and underwear too. You know he’s got zero idea who Batman is outside the Dark Knight right?” He slid his hand a little low, stopping right above the smooth leather covering her ass.

Bash coughed, stiffly turned over to see Maddie finishing up with her current house, then turned back around, “Thought you said you were workin’ tonight”

Beau grinned at his brother as he released Ev, his touch lingering a little over her hip, “Workin’ now, thought I’d stop by on my way to Knox. If I’d known Evvy was gonna dress you up like a superhero family I might’a decided to come”

Ever pouted, grabbing a hold of his chin to turn his face towards hers. “I asked you to dress up with me, you told me over your dead body.”

“Oh” He raised a brow and glanced directly downwards, “You should’a asked me while you were wearing this”

“Hmm, well then I guess you learned your lesson.” She said, all too smug as she reached up to kiss him.

“Tio, Tio!” Maddie squealed, running full sprint across multiple lawns back towards the three of them wrapping her arms as best she could around both Beau and Ever. She jumped back after a moment, running a circle around them high from the sugar. “Look, Tio! I’m Wonder Woman!”

Beau released Ever and spun around to grab Maddie in one massive swoop, swinging her up as she screamed, “You're the only kid in town that gets a professional costume made and a whole team of superheroes escorting you around, you know that?” Maddie wound her arms around his neck in a tight, instant hug before kicking herself loose.

“I got three full sized snickers on only this street! Guys come on we have to go before they run out!” She instantly ran off, forgetting the adults in favor of the distant crowd of kids she’d been with.

“Remember that leash I bought you Bash?” Beau asked as she ran through several yards, his eyes instantly drifting back to Evvy’s costume now that the sugar-high chaos was gone.

Bash snorted and turned back around, “Think what Luc would do if she caught me leashin’ her kid. I'm catching' up with her”

“I’m right behind you,” Ever assured, waiting until Bash was out of earshot to look back at Beau with the look you give a puppy who had misbehaved.“Why can’t you be nice? You know how much this means to him.”

“You're dressed up like Batman and Catwoman” Beau replied as his hand twitched back towards her waist, “Why can’t you be nice?”

Ever feigned surprise, careful not to oversell. “Is that what this is about?! Baby, it was Maddie’s idea. She saw a picture when we were looking up family costumes. I don’t want her to miss out on these kinds of memories just because her parents aren’t together. It doesn’t mean anything but that.”

“Besides,” She added in a whisper. “You know at the end of the night you’ll be the one who will really get to enjoy this costume.”

He pulled her in and grinned into her hair, sliding two hands around her waist as he stepped them back against his car. Beau had a strong mind to open the door behind her and drive off, but he also knew she was right. For all Bash’s stubborn seriousness, the man turned into molten putty when Maddie was around. He’d probably have to come scrape his brother off the sidewalk if Ev didn’t stick with them.

“Alright, I’ll share” Beau leaned in for a slow kiss, “Promise you’ll bring the whip with you later”

“Mhmm, promise..” She mumbled against his lips, his hand on her ass to pull her closer.

“I’ll text you when I’m done,” Ever assured him, gripping at the fabric across his chest. “I’m going to post the picture on my socials later - be nice.”

“I’m nice, I’m nice” His words dripped with sarcasm but he’d keep his word. Maddie was a little monster but he loved the kid and wanted his brother to have every moment he could with her. Ev smiled at him, that slow one that made him want to tug her back against him, but instead he just slapped her ass and threw a wave to the distant smudge of black that was his brother before leaving just as abruptly as he came.

Ever watched as he drove off, waving in the rearview window with a look of triumph. Suddenly aware of a hot stare on her, her posture shifted. She had seen the dark curls from down the block, the oil stained shirt - now facing her with a cigarette between his lips and a look in his eye she was all too familiar with.

“Enjoying the show?” She asked, raising her arms to behold the scene that had just unfolded in front of him. Gemini was hardly a stranger to the games she played with Beau, they’d played each other’s pawns on more than one occasion. She walked towards him with a sultry feline grace, running the length of the whip through her fingers until the distance between them was enough to make him shift. Tilting her head to the side, malice and desire twisting her lips upward. “Don’t worry, I’ll get out of here before your little girlfriend shows up.”

“I’ve got a date to get to after all,” Ever plucked the lit cigarette from his lips, her gaze lingering on his mouth and making sure to give her the best angle on her ass as she walked away. She managed to catch up with Bash within a couple of houses, Bash not-so-obviously hanging back to make it easier. She couldn’t wipe her smirk expression from her face, too satisfied with herself. Beau and Ever wouldn’t be Beau and Ever without their mind games. A part of her wished she felt guilty for putting Bash in between them, though he was in enough denial about his attraction to her it made it easier to cope.

“Did I miss anything?” She asked once she reached him, putting out her cigarette glancing around trying to find Maddie in the mob of children that ran door to door.

“Twix, I think” He answered, letting her fall in step next to him as they all moved onto the next house.

Ever laughed softly, catching sight of Maddie. She had made friends with the other kids instantly, they were already swapping candies between houses. Ever nudged Bash’s side gently, pointing over to Maddie then looking back at him. “She’s having so much fun. I think you fucking nailed Halloween, Papi.”

Bash smiled slowly, a small little pang slipping through his chest at the image in front of him. Ever was right, Maddie was all louds expressive movements and cheeky grins, perfectly content with her candy haul and night. He felt sated, more proud of this small victory then any of the runs with the Lobos. He’d done a fucking good job.

Snippet #2816353

located in Edenholle, Arizona, a part of HELLS HALF ACRE, one of the many universes on RPG.

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