Who: Sebastian and Hunter When: Thursday, October 12th, evening Where: Spooktacular Warnings: Dirty Thoughts! Status: Complete - Part 1
The nerves that had been simmering all day flared up in full force when Sebastian pulled up in front of Hunter’s house. It was official this time, even if he’d told his parents that he was going costume shopping with friends. Yes, technically they were just friends, but he hoped maybe they could be something more. Maybe. It was becoming more and more clear that he had no idea what he was doing, but this was definitely where he wanted to be, so it felt like a move in the right direction.
Putting the car in park, Sebastian took a deep breath, then climbed out of the car and headed to the door. If he was doing to do this, he was going to do this right. A real date wouldn’t just wait in the car, so he knocked on the door.
Hunter had come home directly from home and spent what little time he had going through his closet for something to wear. Something nice, but not that one, or that one, or that one... He felt impossible but it was normal to be this nervous before a date. It wasn't like he had dates all the time - or ever - so he could freak out all he wanted. Thankfully his dad was not home and Jen was otherwise occupied so nobody noticed how nervous he was even after he was finally ready, fixing his hair time and time again and checking himself in the mirror far too often.
A small part of him wanted to cancel and that kind of social anxiety was definitely new. Or just date related, but God was he nervous. When he heard the knock his heart skipped a beat and and he bounced on his heels while breathing out slowly then opened the door and smiled a little awkwardly at Sebastian who was actually there and hadn't stood him up. "Hi," he said and subtly looked Sebastian up and down, an army of butterflies roaring up in his stomach. "Do you wanna come in? Or should we just..."
That little once over did things to Sebastian he hadn’t ever encountered before. It made him wonder if he’d dressed appropriately, if he was too casual or not casual enough, his attempt to find something in the middle feeling absolutely impossible. He’d thought about leaving his letter jacket behind, knowing it made him stand out, but it always felt like a form of armor to him and leaving it made him feel more vulnerable than he could stand. “Hi,” he smiled back, and found himself doing the same, taking Hunter in with his eyes. “Um, I can come in if you want,” he said, looking beyond Hunter for a second, curious. “Or we can go and come back. Up to you?”
Hunter thought about it and shook his head. "Let's just go," he said because they had plans and he wasn't sure they'd get much done if they were alone in Hunter's living room. Or they'd get things done he wasn't quite ready for... Or more than ready for, God he didn't know. "Do you... wanna go somewhere after?" he asked a little nervously and maybe he should have waited but he kind of had to let Jen know in time whether he was going to have dinner with her or not. Still, he should have waited and the army of butterflies became almost a little unpleasant for a moment.
“Okay,” Sebastian said, not sure if he was relieved or disappointed. It was really hard to decide and he didn’t want to think too hard on it, especially now that the decision was made. They could always come back to Hunter’s house afterwards. It wasn’t like this was his one opportunity to come inside and he’d missed it. “I was thinking we might grab something to eat. Or pick something up. Or order a pizza.” It didn’t matter that he’d just had pizza a few days ago. Pizza was always an option. Sebastian smiled. “I really hadn’t planned that far, but I thought it’d be fun if you’re not sick of me by then.”
"I won't be sick of you," Hunter scoffed softly as he grabbed his jacket and keys. "My sister's home so, probably not smart to stay here." Not that Jen would tell anyone, Hunter sometimes wondered if she even had the kind of friends she shared secrets with. "But yeah we can decide what we wanna do later." He stepped outside and made sure the door was locked behind him then gave Sebastian a shy smile. "How have you been? I haven't really talked to you at school so..."
Sebastian wondered what that meant, if Hunter didn’t trust his sister, or if he assumed that Sebastian wouldn’t trust his sister. Truth be told, he didn’t know what to make of Jen, but he imagined that Hunter had shared with her what was going on, if they were close. Maybe he hadn’t. “I’ve been good,” he smiled, waiting till Hunter locked up the house before walking with him back towards the car. “I did end up telling Greg and I think it went really well. He was mostly hurt that I hadn’t told him. And annoyed that he hadn’t figured it out. It was like once he knew, he suddenly saw a sign on my forehead.”
"Sounds about right," Hunter said with a little laugh. He hadn't been sure what to make of Greg either but judging from that one reaction at the party he would have been surprised if he'd really been an ass about it. "You've been friends a really long time, I'd probably pout at you too for keeping it a secret." Even if he understood. "I told Mak," he admitted then a little sheepishly. "I hope you don't mind, she's my best friend and she won't tell anyone." He'd barely blurted it out when he realized he still didn't have a whole lot to tell Mak. They had kissed, kind of, and there was a date, sort of, but still... Hunter had no idea where this was going and he felt a little dumb for telling Sebastian he'd been talking about him.
“I think it’s gonna take a while to really sink in, but he was cool about it once he got done pouting,” Sebastian said, smiling over at Hunter. He wasn’t sure he’d have taken that step without a push from him and he wanted to thank him, but at the same time he didn’t want to make too big a deal of it. Except everything felt like a big deal. But there with him definitely felt like one. “If you trust her, it’s fine,” he said. “I told Greg, so it seems only fair. Just as long as she knows that I… I want to keep this just between us right now.” Whatever this was. It felt like the start of something, or he hoped it was. “Is that okay?”
"Oh yeah, I told her it was a secret and she was cool about it," Hunter promised and gave him a reassuring smile. "She would never out you, even if she like hated you, that stuff is just sacred, you know?" Mak wasn't like that, Hunter trusted her with his life. "And she likes you so definitely won't tell anyone." He got in the car when Sebastian did and tried to mentally tell his body to relax. It was weird to feel so bad and so good at the same time, like he was an ecstatic nervous wreck.
“I thought so, but at the same time I feel bad. Like, you’re out. She’s out. And I… I wish I could be there, but…” Sebastian wasn’t ready. He wanted to be, but it felt like there was a mountain standing in his way and it was going to take a long time to get over it. He sighed, started up the car, and gave Hunter a little smile. “It doesn’t seem fair to you.” That was probably what scared him the most, that he was starting something he might not be able to see through, no matter how much he wanted it. Or that it might hurt Hunter in the process. He wanted to be done with it all, to put himself out there and see what happened, but there was just so much at risk.
For some reason Sebastian's fretting made Hunter feel braver and maybe that was normal, like people took turns being strong or something. He gave Sebastian a little smile then looked around to make sure there weren't people around before leaning in and pressing a small chaste kiss on Sebastian's lips. "That's my decision to make," he said softly as he pulled back. "And I think it's fine." He and Mak didn't have anything to lose by coming out, their families were cool with it, Hunter hadn't ever worried about anything more than sulking about his sexuality and that had barely even happened. Sebastian would be out if he could, Hunter had no doubt about it.
If such little kisses were going to make him a ball of mush, Sebastian wasn’t sure how he was going to handle anything more substantial. It had a way of calming his nerves and making them flare up at the same time. Different nerves, he suspected. He smiled shyly at Hunter and bit his lip, then reached out to take his hand as they pulled away from his house. “Thanks,” he said softly. He hated asking him to do that for him, but he seriously appreciated that he’d do it. He gave Hunter’s hand a little squeeze. “So… any thoughts on what we’re looking for?”
"My only idea so far is something fun and not at all scary," Hunter said with a little grin. He'd told Sebastian as much before it was different when they were face to face. "The darkest I'll go is like... burglar or something." He did look cute with eyeliner but it wasn't like he ever had a reason to wear makeup and it wasn't really his thing. Halloween was the perfect excuse for that. "I think we'll just know when we see it, don't you think?" A costume store was bound to have more ideas than they did though they were also sure not to have all the cool things they could think of, sadly.
“Totally understand,” Sebastian said with a nod. He wasn’t the sort to go scary either, and that was without even knowing what Hunter was going through. “No burglars or ninjas,” he said with a little laugh. “We’ll find something. It’s kinda just fun to go through all the costumes. I just didn’t know if you’d come up with something specific.” Google had so many more ideas than a normal costume shop, but then this place looked pretty good for a pop-up shop. He was eager to see what all they carried. “Was Halloween big for you back in Portland?”
"Are you kidding me?" Hunter chuckled. "Huge deal, we all loved it. Mom even decorated at home." If it wasn't for spooks and ghouls being real he'd still love it. Maybe he still did, he just didn't want any of the scary things so he wasn't very likely to actually go to a party that night. So why get costumes? Because he wanted to try on costumes with Sebastian McCarthy and have fun for one day, pretending things were normal and they could go out together on the year's spookiest of nights dressed in something silly. "It's not a big deal here?"
“Oh, it’s huge,” Sebastian grinned. “The town really likes to capitalize on the whole witch thing, so they go all out for tourists. We’ve always carved up pumpkins and put up decorations, and there’s usually parties. It wouldn’t at all surprise me if Jules has another, but it probably depends on her parents.” Halloween parties were more likely to get out of hand. People went a bit more wild in costumes than they did in Homecoming finery. “I used to think that Halloween was one of those holidays made for kids, because of all the candy, but that’s so not true.”
Hunter had a feeling he'd hate Halloween for the first time ever this year and it was depressing to think about. Still he smiled and shook his head. "No, Halloween is like crazy party time for everyone. Well, okay maybe not everyone. I'm pretty sure my dad doesn't love it because of his job, but everyone who doesn't have to clean up the mess." Maybe he could do Halloween stuff before dark this year, he couldn't imagine doing nothing.
“I’m sure your dad hates it,” Sebastian said with a little laugh. He imagined it was a nightmare for the police. Even if violent crime wasn’t up, mischief certainly was. “Hey, do you know the cops that just came out by any chance?” He wasn’t sure why Hunter would, except that his father probably worked with them. “Greg mentioned something about them. I just thought it was cool.” What was cool? That they were gay? And came out? As soon as he said it, he felt like an idiot and hoped they got to the shop soon so he could stop saying stupid things.
Hunter had no idea what he was talking about or what he meant for that matter. He almost asked 'out where' before it clicked what Sebastian meant by 'out' and his eyes went a little wider. "Wait, here? No? Who?" Of course his dad wouldn't rush home and tell him but Hunter still thought he could have mentioned it, ally-dad and all that. Seeing gay people in the community was great and it wasn't idiotic to think so so Sebastian's slight discomfort didn't really register with Hunter.
Hunter’s reaction made Sebastian feel a little less stupid, though he now wished he had more information. It was a small town and everyone seemed to know just about everyone else, but Sebastian’s interaction with law enforcement had been minimal. “Yeah, here, but I don’t know who exactly. Greg’s mom knows someone who works with ‘em.” It couldn’t have been that big a police force, could it? He wondered if Hunter could narrow it down. “Your dad probably knows for sure.”
"Oh my God," Hunter blurted out. "Cops, plural?" He needed to know but he honestly had no idea who to ask. His dad might tell him if he asked the right way but he probably thought it was none of Hunter's business. He tried to remember the names of all the deputies he had met, some retired by now but not all so he started counting up the names he did remember of which there weren't many. Not that there were many cops in Point Pleasant in the first place. Most of those guys were married too so that would kinda suck for their wives.
“Yes, plural,” Sebastian grinned, glad that Hunter found this just as interesting as he did. Because he didn’t know a lot of gay men, even on tv. And he didn’t know a gay cop, ever. Except for the guy on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. “Is it weird that I find that a little bit exciting, especially in Point Pleasant? I mean… I don’t wanna be a cop or anything, but…” He shrugged, not sure how to explain it. It made him feel like the world was more open minded than he’d thought it was.
"No!" Hunter said eagerly. "Not weird at all, I mean, oh my God. It's like groundbreaking. If they're really out we should totally try and get them to visit our club!" He hesitated and smiled faintly. "Not that you're in the club but you totally could be, it's for straight people too. A gay straight alliance, or more like... Gay, straight, bi, trans, whatever alliance." God it was getting hard to keep track but he no longer minded it much. "Okay, I hope it was Gaines or Solomon because they're not married," he speculated. "Unless it was the new girl? You didn't say if they were guys or not."
“I’ll think about it,” Sebastian said with a little smile. Because even if straight guys could go, he was pretty sure that everyone would figure it out if he went. And it would be wrong to lie to the people in the club, wouldn’t it? “If they visit, I’m totally there,” he added as he pulled into the Spooktacular parking lot. “For some reason I think it’s guys, but I’m not sure where I’m getting that from. Greg didn’t specify. Now I want to text him and have him get the deets.” Which he could totally do without making his mom suspicious. Sebastian suspected she was willing to spill even more if she had someone willing to listen.
"I'm gonna have to ask my dad," Hunter groaned, because again, he needed to know. "He'll probably tell me not to gossip about people or something but I have to know, you know?" He glanced out at the store and a little storm of butterflies started up in his gut again. "We all need rolemodels and whatever... You ready?" He smiled at Sebastian, though it wasn't like they were going to be doing anything he really needed to be ready for so it felt kind of stupid to ask.
“He probably knows. He’s gotta know. If Greg’s mom knows, I mean,” Sebastian pointed out. “If you find out, fill me in.” Because he didn’t care if it was gossip. It wasn’t like they were talking bad about them, right? They were excited for them! Turning the car off, he glanced up at the store and gave Hunter a little smile. “Yeah,” he said, biting his lip. “Are you?” Was it weird that this felt like a big step? Would everything feel like this? He had the feeling he was thinking too much. “Come on. I need to find you something amazing,” he grinned, and opened his door to lead the way.
"Me?" Hunter laughed but the way Sebastian said it made it sound really special and he liked that though he didn't really know if he meant it like that. They just wanted to find cool costumes but... Sebastian wanted to find something amazing and he wanted to find it for Hunter. He was probably reading way too much into it, but it made him feel giddy and excited. "We need to find you something cool too," he reminded him as he got out of the car, waiting until Sebastian had locked it and walked around and God, that put him so close again, Hunter just wanted to lean up and kiss him.
Sebastian grinned a little and gave Hunter a wink, feeling that flash of a flirt he’d always been able to put on with the girls. It was different when it was real, when he meant it, and it felt like so much more of a gamble. He was sure he looked like an idiot. He found himself disappointed that he couldn’t take Hunter’s hand, and wondered how he was ever going to manage this if he was struggling on the first date. Then he thought of his parents and tried to harden his resolve. He opened the door for Hunter, then followed him inside.
The shop was incredible, better than any of the others that had come into town over Halloween in the past. Sebastian had a moment where he stood there in awe, his eyes taking it all in. Every square inch of the place seemed to be covered in everything from horror movie masks to full character costumes, the queen of hearts to Jason to the big bad wolf. There were wigs and stockings and body paint and glitter and Sebastian wondered why they couldn’t celebrate Halloween more often. “Damn,” he said softly, then grinned, giving Hunter’s sleeve a little tug. “Come on. Let’s start over here.”
Hunter stared wide-eyed as well. He'd been to plenty of Halloween stores before but never one that looked expensive. Some of the costumes looked like they belonged in the theater, there was nothing cheap, plastic or tacky in there and it all felt a little too fantastic. No doubt expensive too but he'd worry about that later. It wasn't like he was absolutely set on buying a costume, they were there to have fun. After telling the person working that they needed no help and just wanted to browse, he followed Sebastian to the corner with a rack of some high quality full-body costumes. "I just want to try everything on," he laughed. "This is crazy."
“God, yes,” Sebastian laughed, pulling out a Renaissance style costume just to look at it. The detail was spectacular. “This is way more than I was expecting. Like, I thought it’d be the kind that come in those plastic bags? With the masks with the elastic?” He thought Hunter would know what he was talking about. He pulled out another costume, this one for Hunter to see. “Like, you could totally be Captain America. All we’d need to find is a shield.” And he was sure they’d have one somewhere.
Hunter laughed again, touching the costume with reverence. "This looks like it came off set," he said quietly. "Like the only reason I know it didn't? Is because it looks like it could fit me and I would never fit into Captain America's outfits." That guy was tall and stacked. "Jesus," he breathed then. "I never wanted to be a girl, but if I was I'd super die over those dresses." He had spotted some of the female costumes hanging near by and they made him wish Jen would let him dress her up like that.
“You so could,” Sebastian said without really thinking it through. Hunter was hot. Chris Evans was hot. Hunter could totally fit into his costumes. Height didn’t even occur to him. His attention turned to the girl’s costumes and he found himself nodding. “I’ve always been a little jealous of the girls at Halloween. They have so many more options. But this is insane. Like…” He didn’t know how to explain it. He had no desire to crossdress, but some of the costumes they had were spectacular. “If you had to choose one, what would you choose?” he asked with a grin.
"I don't know," Hunter and pulled out a pirate costume that also looked like it came off a movie set. It was gorgeous and so detailed with all the little embroidery and metal buttons. "Normally the guy section sucks so you just take whatever sucks the least or make your own but this place is crazy." He held the costume up to Sebastian and grinned. "We should definitely try some on, if we can do that." He looked around for the staff again but there really was no rush. "What about you? You got anything special in mind?"
Sebastian’s eyes were drawn to the pirate costume, something far nicer than anything Captain Jack would ever wear. When Hunter held it up, he ran his fingers over the material, something that definitely felt like it could be real, rather than a costume. “No,” he said, shaking his head. “Just something fun. Maybe a little bit daring.” He’d always felt like he could get away with more on Halloween. “I’d try this on. Definitely.” Because, unlike the pirate costume he’d discussed with Greg, this one did not have tights. It was way better.
"Do it," Hunter said, a challenge in his tone because this was another thing he absolutely needed, to see Sebastian in this outfit. He felt a little like a crazed fan trying to keep it together next to their favorite pop star but his composure was a little better than he felt like it was. "A pirate is pretty daring, you know." He'd try on Captain America's costume, just for laughs. In times like these it'd be nice to feel like a superhero.
“Okay,” Sebastian said slowly, eyes narrowing, a smile tugging at his lips. He had a hard time saying no to Hunter to begin with, but the hint of a challenge made it near impossible. “If I do, what’ll you try on?” he asked, moving closer to Hunter and giving his shirt tail a little tug. He wasn’t doing this by himself. No way. “Anything call out to you?” he asked, eyes roaming the store for something that was just right. “What about that?” he said, giving a little nod towards another costume. “Or the Cap costume?”
"I like Cap," Hunter murmured with a grin before glancing over and going a little wide eyed again. "Oh my god that looks like Nightcrawler," he murmured and pulled on the costume. "Okay I wouldn't eat for a like a week before I wore that but fuck that's cool." It was worth starving for, he thought, but he wasn't so sure he wanted to wear something that tight around town.
Sebastian snorted and shook his head. “Totally not necessary,” he said softly. He understood why Hunter might be worried-- the costume looked skin tight-- but he really had no reason to be worried from what Sebastian could see. “Nightcrawler or Cap. Your pick,” he grinned. “You’d be hot in both.”
"Cap," Hunter decided, his insides fluttering when Sebastian said he'd be hot. "You first," he then decided because if he went near those changing rooms with Sebastian he'd just end up kissing him in there forever and it'd be super obvious. Or maybe not, it was what he wanted to do, but would he? God, he was really feeling like the virgin he was and it was something he avoided thinking about.
“Okay,” Sebastian said, picking the costume off the rack. It even had the weight of a real pirate’s costume, not that flimsy material that the cheaper costumes were made of. He didn’t want to look at the price, not right now, since the point was to have fun, but he knew it had to be ridiculous. “Give me just a second,” he said, smiling at Hunter before ducking into the dressing room. Getting out of his own clothes was easy enough, but into the costume, well… he quickly realized just how many buttons were on it. It wasn’t the kind of thing anyone was going to take off him quickly. Which was a weird thought. No one else had ever undressed him. When he realized where his brain was going with that, he took a deep breath, then looked at himself in the mirror. Not bad, he thought, then pulled the curtain back before stepping back out for Hunter to see. “So… how do I look?”
It took a while and Hunter was looking around again by the time Sebastian finally finished. He turned around when Sebastian spoke to him again and there were no words to express how seeing him in that costume made him feel. "Wow," he said slowly. "Okay if you don't buy this I need a picture of it at least, yeah? I'll send it to you, it looks amazing!" He was already digging around for his phone because no way was he letting Sebastian say no to a photo-op.
Sebastian hadn’t been entirely sure he could pull it off, but Hunter’s reaction had him sold. If Hunter thought he looked that good, it was totally worth getting, even if he didn’t know exactly what his Halloween plans were. “Thanks,” he grinned, giving the cuff of the jacket a little tug. “I think I’ll get it then. So long as you promise to be with me when I wear it.” There. Maybe not he had plans. Hopefully. Leaving that open made him a little sick, but he hoped for the best.
Hunter laughed again though it was a little pained. "I don't know," he said tentatively since he really didn't want to say 'no' to Sebastian but at the same time... Halloween. This week had been pretty calm though, like the hex bag was really working so... Maybe. Unless Sebastian wanted to come hang out at the house in costume, but Hunter doubted it. "We'll see," he said and it was more of a promise than he was really ready to make even if he knew Sebastian just had to ask one more time and he'd absolutely give in. Was this how girls always got their way with guys? Look cute, ask pretty, be hot as fuck? Probably. It made sense now.
Sebastian’s smile faded a little and he nodded, suddenly feeling awkward. “Oh… okay,” he said, biting hard into his bottom lip. “Let me just change back real quick.” He darted back into the dressing room and closed his eyes, taking a slow breath. Okay, so maybe not. Maybe this was a really horrible idea. Maybe he was reading too much into everything. He changed quickly, then hung the costume back up on the hanger, admiring it for a moment before stepping back out. “Your turn,” he said, trying to whip up the enthusiasm he’d had before, even though he felt a little like a deflating balloon. What had he been thinking?
Hunter almost stopped him and then he stood around awkwardly while he waited for Sebastian to come back out. He'd noticed the change in mood and he felt a bit like an asshole though he thought Sebastian would understand why he was hesitant to go anywhere on the night of the dead. When he came back out, obviously trying to set the mood right again, Hunter felt like he had to say something but he had to be careful not to say too much or the staff might overhear him. The last thing he needed was rumors that he was a psychopath. "The uhm bag seems to be working," he said softly. "So I might go with you." He felt stupidly apologetic about it. "But if I don't then you can totally come hang out at my place where the party is not." He rolled his eyes a little at that because why would Sebastian want to hang somewhere where there was no party and no booze.
There was a moment there where Sebastian didn’t get it, but then he’d spent his whole life being aware of things that go bump in the night, yet it had never stopped him from celebrating Halloween. He’d forgotten that that wasn’t the case for Hunter, that he had a real life haunting going on, and that Halloween was probably the last holiday he wanted to deal with. “I’m sorry,” he said softly. “I didn’t even think about that. I just… thought it’d be fun. But I’d totally hang out with you if you’re not up for it.” That was really what he’d been aiming for anyways. It might even be better. At Hunter’s house, he didn’t have to worry about who might see them together. He licked his lips, giving Hunter a little smile. “We could watch Hocus Pocus and carve pumpkins.”
"Really?" Hunter said skeptically but he was still smiling because that kind of sounded awesome. If he didn't want to go to a party. His mind went to a similar place as Sebastian's did, that it could be more fun because getting drunk at a Halloween party where you were supposed to be able to let loose and have fun then having to treat Sebastian like they were just acquaintances would suck.
“Really,” Sebastian said, warming up to the idea. He had years of Halloweens to party. Staying in for one wouldn’t kill him, and he had the feeling he’d have a great time with Hunter. Giving a quick look around the shop, he stepped closer, his fingers reaching out for Hunter’s. “I just want to do something with you. I’m pretty sure it’s on a Tuesday anyways.” Not a party night, not usually. There would be parties the Saturday before, which maybe wouldn’t be quite as creepy, since they weren’t actually on Halloween. “Whatever you wanna do,” he offered.
What Hunter wanted to do was kiss him right there and then but Sebastian was in the closet and they were in public and that totally sucked. "Okay," he said warmly and if he could kiss him with his lips he could do his best to do it with his eyes, right? "I'm gonna try this on," he murmured before it got awkward, or maybe it already was, he'd been feeling about ten different things in a tornado of feelings since Sebastian showed up so it was hard to keep track.
Sebastian felt himself swaying towards Hunter and seriously considered following him into the changing room. With the look Hunter had given him, he was pretty sure he’d be fine with that. The only problem was that Sebastian wasn’t sure they’d be coming out any time soon if he followed him in. It made his chest feel fluttery and his knees weak and he nodded dumbly in response. “Okay,” he eventually said, giving Hunter a smile. He could wait there. That was what he should totally do.
The costume wasn't quite as intensely complicated as the pirate costume had been for Sebastian but it was certainly worth the hefty price it was going for. Hunter dared to peek and yeah, there was no way he was buying it but that didn't mean he couldn't try it on and get a cool picture before he put it back where it belonged. It did look cool on him and it was a perfect fit. Hunter thought it might have been better if it didn't fit at all because now he wanted it even more. He did some mental gymnastics in his head to justify spending that kind of money on a costume and figuring out how he'd even afford it but then pushed those thoughts away for now. Maybe he could ask them to hold it for him until he could get it out of his mind. He stepped out of the dressing room and grinned when he found Sebastian still there. "I can do this all day," he said though he couldn't stop grinning long enough for it to sound serious.
Sebastian waited patiently, trying not to let his mind run away with itself in the meantime. He didn’t need Hunter to come out only to find him as a pile of mush. Happy mush, but mush. He looked up from his phone when Hunter stepped out and immediately grinned. “Damnnn,” he said, his fingers itching to reach out and touch. He held up his phone, ready to snap a picture. “Can you give me a salute?” Even if he didn’t, this was definitely something he needed to keep.
Hunter wasn't going to let him down so he saluted him and kept the pose until Sebastian lowered his phone again. This time he managed a decent Cap expression. Luckily Captain America wasn't all that serious all the time, especially when saluting. "You wanna try something else on?" Hunter asked and God was he in love with this costume, especially with Sebastian's reaction to it. He should definitely buy it and wear it just for him sometime he thought and felt himself blush faintly.
What Sebastian really wanted to do was push Hunter up against the wall and kiss him stupid. And maybe figure out how to get him out of that costume. Yeah, he definitely needed to focus on something else. He looked around quickly, eyes landing on a Zoolander costume. “Yeah,” he smiled. “Mostly just cause. We can’t just try one and go can we?” Especially when there were so many to choose from. He felt like they should make the best of the opportunity while they had it, even if he was pretty sure he’d already found the costume he wanted.
Hunter snickered at his choice and he absolutely agreed. They'd come there to try on costumes and spend time together. "Better get Cap back on the shelf," he said and turned to go back to the dressing room. It felt a little sad to take off the costume, he looked amazing in it, way better than he looked in his normal clothes. It wasn't often he could say that about a costume but these were high quality.
They tried on a few costumes after that. Some of them were easier than others and even without trying on everything Hunter did try on a few hats for laughs. He was decidedly not a hat person, that much was clear to him, though he thought Sebastian pulled off that look with some of them. They'd been there a while and Hunter was getting hungry. He darted out to see how long the place was open and noticed the other sign he'd completely missed when they first came in. Walking back inside he gave Sebastian a look that said something was up. "Are you buying anything?" he asked, eyes a little wide. Buy one, get another at half price? It was hard to resist a bargain, especially on something he really wanted.
Sebastian disagreed, Hunter could definitely wear hats, but he was starting to think Hunter could wear just about anything and he’d like it, so maybe he wasn’t the best to ask. He’d started scanning the wall for props, trying to decide if he wanted a fake sword or not, when Hunter wandered off for a second. When he returned, Sebastian gave him a sheepish little smile. “I was thinking I’d get the pirate costume, just in case. I can always use it another time if we stay in.” He was sure he could always come back as it got closer to Halloween, but then the costume might be gone and… and he really didn’t want to risk it. It was pricey, yes, but this was so much more fun to splurge on than hex bags.
It was so incredibly lame to ask your date - on your first date - to lend you money and Hunter almost didn't, but Sebastian was going to buy something and there was an offer on. He just wished it was 'buy one get one free' as that would have made it way easier. "They've got a 'buy one, get the other half price' offer so if we split the cost it'd be like twenty-five percent off." He wondered if Sebastian was rich enough that he never nitpicked about sales and if Hunter was making an ass of himself. It could be so hard to navigate social stuff when it wasn't with his best friends.
“Yeah?” Sebastian asked, brightening. That was even better. He earned an allowance, but it wasn’t infinite, and he couldn’t really mow the lawn extra times for extra cash. His parents might even give him money for the costume afterwards. His mother never had an issue paying for him to be social, something he knew might stop if he came out. But right now what she didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her. “Awesome,” he smiled. “Want me to pick up yours and you can just pay me back?” He knew this was a date, but that just made sense. Both of them got to pay less for their costumes, so it seemed like a win-win.
Hunter smiled a little sheepishly. He hadn't even had to ask and Sebastian was offering and it made him feel dumb and happy and like he really needed to watch his step not to come off as some twink gold digger. "I can't pay you back yet," he said and bit his lip. "But I could soon. Like maybe not until November but I'd definitely pay you back." If not, then oh well, he didn't exactly need a costume but it had felt so good and it looked so good and most of all, Sebastian had looked so good looking at him wearing it. It was stupid and frivolous but he wanted it.
“Don’t worry about it,” Sebastian said, a blush flaring up at how quickly he dismissed the need for Hunter to pay him back. He’d find a way to refill his wallet. He just… wanted him to be happy. And he definitely wanted to see Hunter in that costume again. “I mean, it’s okay, if you can’t, I…” The blush was getting worse, he could feel it. “Let’s get ‘em and go find dinner,” he said with a little laugh. “Maybe pick something up? Or… What do you wanna do?”
"I will pay you back," Hunter said firmly but he was still smiling from sheer happiness and it showed. "But yeah uhm, we could go somewhere? Like, park somewhere cool or... We could go to my place, but my sister's home so I don't know we'll have much privacy." Why would they need privacy, god the thought made him blush faintly and he was ever so happy it didn't show as much on him as it did on Sebastian.
Sebastian nodded, but he wasn’t worried about it. He was far more focused on the fact that Hunter just suggested they go park. The ‘somewhere cool’ part didn’t even phase him. Just the idea of being somewhere with Hunter, anywhere, with privacy made him ridiculously nervous, and excited, and maybe a little bit scared. Or a lot. At least Hunter knew he had zero experience in anything other than kissing. “Yeah, we can do that,” he said almost breathlessly, his own blush far more intense than Hunter’s. “Um… Let’s pick up burgers, if that sounds good?” In the meantime, he could think of a good place to park.
"Sounds good," Hunter replied and he almost suggested they just go to Moxie's and eat there but then they'd be at risk of outing Sebastian and he couldn't have that. It made him wish Sebastian was a really good witch who could conjure an illusion of a group of people so it looked like they were hanging out with a bunch of buddies and not just the two of them. He could picture it, but it would probably not make any sense as they couldn't exactly order for a group and... It didn't have to make sense because it wasn't ever happening.
“Come on,” Sebastian said, his fingers brushing Hunter’s and giving them a little squeeze before he nodded towards the front register. “Let’s get our costumes and go.” Because otherwise they were going to stand there and gaze into each other’s eyes like idiots, all the while trying to decide when to make a move next. At least this would get them food. Sebastian was glad to have some money left over after paying for the costumes, really not wanting to find that he couldn’t afford dinner, but it turned out not to be a problem. A couple burgers, fries, and chocolate shakes for the both of them and he was driving out towards the beach, thinking that had to be better than the fallow.