The Haunted House

It was a beautiful autumn afternoon. The trees were fire kissed and rustling softly in the air. Leaves swam through the clear sea, sailing through the air and landing on the ground, waiting to be crunched by an eager person.

The air was crisp, kissing the cheeks of neighbors all around, sending gentle shivers down their spines. What a stunning afternoon it was.

Thomas and Janus jumped into their car, soon to be arriving at the only haunted house in town. Tis the season!

Thomas wore his black and white jacket, his favorite dotted shirt underneath. Hopping into the driver's seat, he adjusted the shirt and got comfortable. It was a long drive to the house, after all.

Janus dawned the same outfit he wore in Can Lying Be Good, as director Patton. He couldn't let such a statement go to waste. Little did the others know, it was his favorite fall outfit. Warm and soft, yet still tasteful and sassy. What more could the snake-side ask for?

The ride was filled with laughter and snarky remarks. Thomas had really opened up to Janus, finally starting to understand his importance and role as a side. Since then, he couldn't help but to admire him. He was so much more than he let on when they first met. A dork in snakes clothing, he supposed.

His quick-witted comebacks and playful teasing resonated with him, made him laugh, and love him even more with every word.

And Janus knew this. It was easy to tell, to him at least. Sometimes he'd only come back with a snark remark because he knew it'd make him smile. Thomas was a ray of sunshine, and the scaled-side wanted to bask in it forever. It warmed him, and filled him with delight, spilling over the brim like a cup too full...yet he couldn't help but to beg for more.

The autumn leaves painted a dazzling picture, sunshine yellow and crimson red blended so perfect, a painting too good to be real- yet it was right in front of their faces.

What better day to get their souls scared right out of them?

-

The pair finally arrived at their destination. Dusk was approaching, and Thomas started to feel reluctant about leaving so late. The dark setting would only add to the horrors the house would provide.

Janus grabbed Thomas's hand, gloves to match his attire, soft and tasteful. He held it gently, waiting for a response from Thomas.

Janus didn't want to admit it, but he was terrified. Being part snake, the vision in his left eye wasn't great. He couldn't tell the difference between a wall and a person standing still- which made him more vulnerable to jumpscares. The movement frightened him.

"You coming, Sanders?" He teased, letting the 's' trail a little longer than it should've.

He was thankful that only applied to his snake-eye, but the fear remained.

Thomas grabbed his hand back, looking over at the taunting side with a kind and ready smile.

Thomas let out a small giggle, bouncing forward and pulling Janus along behind him, "The better question is, are you?"

Janus hadn't realized he had frozen in his place, only noticing when Thomas pulled and he didn't move at first. Damnit Janus, get it together.

He caught up to Thomas, copying his pace and he stood by his side (haha). Their arms swung back and forth a bit as they entered the building.

It was quiet... too quiet.

They took a few more steps, looking around at the seemingly frozen environment. There were webs all over the wall, and (hopefully fake) blood dripping from the ceiling down the walls. The room was dark, with a singular small light, dangling and flickering on the ceiling, all the way down the hallway. There were objects in the room, lining the walls, though it was too dark to make out what they were.

Thomas was to his right, meaning part of his (good) vision was blocked. Everything was still...the perfect jumpscare. He couldn't see a thing.

He gripped Thomas's hand tighter, a gesture Thomas noticed. He held tighter as well, non-verbally assuring Janus it'd be alright.

The light stopped flickering. The room was still. The air was frozen. The pair's hearts were racing as they braced themselves. What was gonna happen??

Suddenly, out of nowhere, one of the displays lining the walls jumped up, screaming and jolting towards the pair- lights on it bursting alive.

Janus's self-preservation instincts kicked in, and he practically jumped onto Thomas. They both let out an ungodly scream, you'd think they were part of the act themselves.

Thomas, out of sudden shock, grabbed and tightly held onto Janus, who was clinging to his torso. The display turned off, and the pair were left with themselves.

Janus was attached to Thomas's side, being held up by Thomas's arms, wrapped tightly around him. It almost looked like a mother and her small child, the way Janus was on Thomas, and Thomas was holding Janus.

They both turned a bright red, reminiscent of the fall leaves outside. Whether they were dating or not...it was still a weird position to be caught in. The pair laughed to themselves, a pleasant mood lifter as they adjusted their clothes and continued forward.

-

The pair walked out the lightest shade of pale you'd ever see. Thomas looked as though he'd be sick, and Janus looked as though he'd faint. The snake-side had his arm over Thomas's shoulders, hunched over a bit, and catching his breath. Thomas mimicked this, his own arm laying across Janus's back and slightly leaning against him. If either gave out, the other would fall. His head gently rested on Janus's, and neither said a word.

It said in the advertisement it was scary...but they hadn't prepared for scary men with (real and fully functional) chainsaws chasing after them, out of nowhere jumpscares and killer clowns.

"...never again." Thomas sputtered. Never again would he put himself in that situation, and, honestly, that might have been Janus talking.

Janus lightly nodded in agreement. Never. Again.

-

They got into the car, shaken but definitely less pale. The pair sat for a moment, hand in hand, taking a second to recover.

Janus was just hoping Thomas couldn't hear his screaming over his own.

All in all, it was fun. Though terrifying and regrettable, it was comforting knowing they had each other's backs.

The trip was exhausting..but lord knows neither of them will sleep good tonight.