《Hired To Love》Halloween: Special Chapter
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This is just a cute little Halloween short because I had a dream that the characters dressed up as characters from Alice and Wonderland and I had to type it into existence. This chapter is not important to read at all. I'm not kidding. It's 5K words of word vomit just because I wanted to write one paragraph each of their costumes. Why am I like this?
And never before have I wanted to see these characters drawn into Alice in Wonderland inspired costumes before. Why didn't I dedicate any time to art when I was younger? Why can't I even draw stick figures? These things haunt me.......
Anyway, enjoy! And again. No plot. Just a cute filler. Just for Halloween!
The real chapter will be up by this weekend. It's been too long!!
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"I can't believe I'm doing this."
"You look cute!"
Bennett tugged at his bunny ears. "I don't like to be called cute. Isn't the main character of Alice in Wonderland the Mad Hatter?"
"No, Alice is. Mad Hatter is the second lead though."
"Then why am I a rabbit and not him?"
"Because I knew this costume would be way cuter on you," I said, reaching up and adjusting the headband on his head.
His outfit was simple, yet affective. The White Rabbit personified. He wore a red blazer, a ruffled white shirt, a tan cropped vest, and grey slacks. In addition to the white bunny ears on his head. I tried to get him to stick a white puff ball on his butt or the tail, but that was where he drew the line. Still, it looked good.
"I saw it on Pinterest and knew it was meant for you," I said, smoothing out his vest.
"What is Pinterest?"
I stared at him. What would it be like to be so oblivious to the world? I was surprised Bennett even knew who the Mad Hatter was. "Never mind. You look handsome. And we match. All the other couples will be jealous of us."
"They'd be jealous of us even if we weren't dressed in costumes. I haven't worn a costume in... ever."
"Not even as a kid?"
"Does my mother look like the type to let us go trick or treating?"
I frowned. "No. I guess not. That's lame."
Bennett shrugged. "I don't particularly care. I can go to the store and get candy myself. I don't need to get it from strangers."
"Yeah, but the point is— never mind. Henry will be here any second. You ready?"
He looked hesitant. "Are you sure we should let Henry drive? You do remember the last time he drank, don't you?"
"He decided to be the DD. If we need to we can call an Uber," I said, shrugging. "Where's Lee? Is he ready yet?"
"I'm ready!" the man in question called, popping into my kitchen with a huge grin on his face. "How do I look?"
Bennett's mouth fell open when his eyes landed on Lee and he immediately whipped his head back to me, eyes narrowed. "Did you know about this?"
I ignored him, staring at Lee. He was dressed as the Mad Hatter. He looked like a mix of the movie Mad Hatter and the Once Upon a Time Mad Hatter, but more... well. Sexy. He wore a dark maroon button up shirt with puffy sleeves, a brown leather vest over it, an even longer black dress coat over that, tight black leather pants, and boots that stopped right below his knees. Everything fit like he'd squeezed himself into it. To adorn everything, he wore a maroon scarf wrapped around this throat, and of course, a black top hat.
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He also had make up on and it looked incredibly attractive. His eyes were darkened by eyeshadow and eye liner, his lips just a perfect shade of deep red. It was crazy how attractive he made the Mad Hatter.
"She didn't," Lee answered, making me realize I was gaping and maybe even drooling a little. "I decided I wanted to match with you guys."
"You look... wow," I managed. Maybe I should have aimed sexy with Bennett instead of cute.
The corner of Lee's lips quirked up a little. "That was the reaction I was going for."
Bennett crossed his arms over his chest, but even if he tried to look angry, I couldn't take him seriously. Not with those bunny ears. They even drooped a little now. Biting my lip to keep from laughing, I handed him the giant pocket watch I'd made. "Here, Bennett. This will complete your costume."
"Lee, switch costumes with me," Bennett demanded.
Lee shook his head. "Uh-huh. I worked way too hard on my make-up. Why don't you want to be the White Rabbit? You look cute."
Bennett glared at him, making Lee raise an eyebrow.
Before a squabble could break out, I heard the front door open. Mentally rolling my eyes at the fact that everyone still deemed my house and open house, I called out to let Henry know we were in the kitchen. He appeared moments later, looking absolutely adorable dressed as a cat. More specifically, the Cheshire cat. He had a purple and pink striped shirt on, purple cat ears, whiskers drawn on his face, a black collar around his neck, and a pair of black skinny jeans on. As he walked I could see a purple and black tail swinging from his backside.
"Hey guys," he greeted, his eyes trained on the floor, a faint blush on his cheeks.
"Oh my gosh! You look so cute, Henry!" I gasped.
"I knew that look would work for you," Lee greeted him, moving forward to pat him on his head. "Good kitty."
Henry batted his hand away, finally looking up. His mouth dropped.
"You like?" Lee asked, eyes flashing as he gave a sharp grin.
Henry turned to me, as if I was expected to answer for him. "I was speechless too," I told him, shaking my head.
"I feel underdressed," he mumbled, biting on his lip.
"No, you look great!" Lee assured him. "Sorry. I wanted to be dramatic this Halloween. I didn't mean to up show you all."
Bennett inspected Henry for a moment, picking up his tail. "Hmm. Maybe my costume is just fine after all."
Henry took his tail back from Bennett, turning to me. "You look really good as Alice," he said, giving me a once over. "You're very pretty."
"Thanks! The dress is a little short though," I responded, trying to tug the blue dress down a little. I'd opted for a simple Alice outfit. Blue dress, white lace smock, white stockings, and black Mary Janes with a little heel to them. "I'm glad for the tights. Hopefully the bars will be warm."
"It'll be crowded, you'll be fine," Lee promised me. "The alcohol will warm you up, too. We ready to go?"
"Sebastian is meeting us there, right?" I asked Bennett.
He nodded. "Yes. He couldn't get out early today. Is your brother coming as well?"
"I think so. He's at the hotel until eight, I think, so he'll meet us out. Ariana is at the bar already."
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"Shall we head out, then?" Lee asked.
I gave him a thumbs up. "Yep, let's go."
Henry stumbled as he turned to exit the kitchen, bumping into one of the chairs. I caught and steadied him, eyeing him carefully. "You didn't pre-game, did you?"
"You're the designated driver!" Bennett gasped.
Henry shook his head. "No. I took off my glasses so it wouldn't ruin the effect of my costume. My vision isn't really great though."
"And you plan to drive?" I asked.
"Oh, I'll wear my glasses when I drive, don't worry. I just don't want to wear them in the bar."
Lee threw an arm over Henry's shoulder. "What if you get lost because you can't see?"
"Someone will take him in. Nobody leaves stray cats alone," I said wickedly.
Henry's face went blood red. "Stop it!"
Laughing, I waved him forward. "Come on."
McKellan's was absolutely packed. As soon as you entered, a wall of moist warmth hit you. We had to squeeze ourselves through the crowd of costumed dancers to make it to the bar. I spotted Ariana almost immediately. She was dressed as a very creepy Raggedy Ann. Complete face of skull make up, a bloody, tattered dress and stockings, and red pigtails that were teased into a tangled mess. She was never one for cute or sexy Halloween costumes.
"Hey!" she said brightly, contrasting her costume.
Bennett jumped a little at my side. "Ariana?"
"Wow, you guys look awesome! I feel left out," she pouted, taking in all our costumes.
"You look great too," I told her. "Your make up looks awesome. You did that yourself?"
She shrugged. "It wasn't too hard."
"Well look who we have here!" a familiar voice boomed and we turned to see Wilson coming over to the section of the bar we were standing at. He was hilariously dressed up as a volley ball. "Long time, no see! I take it you two made up?" he asked, referring to Bennett and myself.
My cheeks burned and Bennett stared at him quizzically. "I wasn't aware you knew we were together."
"You came here black out drunk and she came to pick you up and you kept babbling about loving her. I got the hint. What a small world though, huh? Two of my regulars meeting outside the bar and falling in love. Warms the cockles of my heart."
Bennett paled a little. "I babbled about loving her?"
"Why do you look so shocked? Have you not told her that yet?" Wilson asked, eyes darting between us.
Bennett cleared his throat. "No, I have. It's just embarrassing."
"Embarrassing?" Lee repeated. "But you're dating."
"It still is," Bennett muttered.
Wilson chuckled and clapped his hands together. "Well, I'd love to chat, but as you can see we have our hands full tonight. What are you all drinking? I have some Halloween specials up there on the chalkboard."
The four of us turned our attention to the board above the bar, scanning the options. The Soul Taker, Red Death, The Dra-Kahlúa. Swamp Juice... They were all elaborately named.
"I'll have the seven sins," Lee said sultrily, leaning over the bar toward Wilson.
Wilson's jaw went slack for a moment and then he snapped himself out of it, nodding a bit too feverishly. "C-coming right up."
I gave him a sympathetic look. Apparently, no one was immune to Lee's deadly charm tonight. It didn't help Lee was really getting into whatever character he'd decided to be. It was certainly saner than the actual Mad Hatter.
"I'll have the Pina Ghoulada," I said, trying to keep a straight face. "These names are great, by the way."
Wilson perked up at my compliment. "Thank you! They taste just as great, too."
"I'll get the, uh, Lobotoimzer," Bennett decided, his face just as unsure as his words. "It's whiskey, right?"
"Sure is. And for you, Mr. Cat-Whom-I-Don't-Know?"
Henry hesitated. "I'm the DD."
"We'll be here for a bit. One drink will be fine," I told him. "And if you decide you want to drink more we'll just get a cab. Wilson doesn't mind if you leave your car in the parking lot. The Monster Mash looks good—"
"He'll take the Black Cat," Lee cut in. "Fitting, isn't it?"
Henry smiled a little and I laughed. "I guess so."
"Fun fact that we need to get Henley to do tonight," Ariana said, leaning toward us so she could be heard clearer. "She knows every single move to the Thriller. They're bound to play it. One Halloween she spent at least six hours learning it at my parent's house."
I held up my hands. "Uh-huh, no way. I'm not dancing."
"You really learned the whole thing?" Henry asked.
"Yes, I did, but I doubt I remember it. The only way I'd even attempt it is if I was really drunk."
The subtle smirk on Lee's face should have been a warning enough.
By the time Sebastian and my brother arrived, I was well on my way to being completely smashed. Not quite there, but definitely buzzing. And with the way Lee kept buying me drinks, it wasn't bound to take long. Not for Henry, either. So much for being the DD. It felt like Lee had some kind of ultimate goal to get us drunk.
Bennett just allowed it to happen. He sipped on his whiskey, watching as his brother basically forced Henry and I to take these horribly disgusting shots called Specimen Cups. Specimen was a great word to describe it. It was definitely something for scientific study. Like if it was actually FDA approved or not.
"Having a good time?" was the first thing Sebastian said to me as he strolled up to the bar, baring a realistic pair of vampire fangs.
"What gave it away?"
"Your cheeks are very flushed. Yet something is just absolutely alluring about it." He showed off his fangs, wagging his eyebrows.
I patted my cheeks, wondering if it'd do anything to make the red go away. "Ha-ha. What made you go with a vampire?"
He shrugged, his dark cape fluttering a little. "I always felt a connection to vampires. Perhaps I was one in my past life."
"Very Victorian," Bennett commented, appraising Sebastian's outfit.
Unsurprisingly, he was very handsome dressed as a vampire. Funny how handsome people looked gorgeous in anything they wore. The three-tier ruffled Victorian shirt under his cape would have seemed ridiculous on anyone other than him.
I reached out a hand, feeling his chest. The material was silky under my touch. It was even satin. What in the world? How did he mange to pull it off so well? Especially with such tight pants?
Sebastian stared down at me. "Er..."
"Henley, stop feeling up Sebastian."
I pulled my hand back at the sound of Bennett's voice. "Sorry. It looked nice. The shirt. Not your chest."
Sebastian's eyes crinkled. "Thank you. Your costumes came out great, by the way. I should have dressed as The Queen of Hearts."
"Nah, I like the vampire," Ariana chimed in, peeking around Lee so she could be seen.
Sebastian raked his eyes over her body. "Clever," he said, smiling. "Raggedy Ariana?"
She beamed. "You're the first one to pick that up!"
"Very spooky."
"That's what I aim for. What do you want to drink? I'll buy you something."
"I'll just have what you're having. Is everyone here now?"
"I think we're just waiting on Brandon," Ariana told him, flagging Wilson down. "Can I get another Vampire's Kiss?"
I grinned. "Heh."
She turned to me. "Hmm?"
I shrugged. "Nothing... nothing at all. Oh. Brandon! Over here!" Noticing my brother pressing himself through the crowd, I waved wildly, gaining his attention.
"Sorry I'm so late," he apologized, narrowly avoiding a witch as she stumbled past him with drinks in hand. "Had trouble putting my fangs in... oh."
Sebastian and Brandon stared at each other. I glanced between the two of them, cocking my head to the side. Brandon put his hands on his hips, causing his cape to ripple outward. Sebastian raised his chin up a fraction of an inch, baring the tips of his fangs.
"Victorian?" Brandon questioned.
"Gothic?" Sebastian returned. "That's so Dark Shadows."
"You look like you came straight out of some bodice ripper. That's quite a frilly shirt."
"He's wearing Louis Vuitton!" Bennett interjected indignantly, as if he was personally insulted by my brother's response.
"You're literally wearing rabbit ears, Playboy," Brandon said, flattening his lips. "I suppose vampires are unoriginal. There were bound to be others dressed up as one as well."
Ariana slid off the barstool, offering it to Brandon. "Everyone has their own take on their costumes, so I'd say everything is original. Vampires are always trendy, too."
Recovering quickly, Brandon winked at her. "Thanks for the vote of confidence, Raggedy Ariana."
"Ooh, you got it too!"
Wilson snapped his fingers, attempting to get Sebastian's attention. "Here's your drink."
Sebastian reached for it blindly, never taking his eyes off of Brandon and Ariana. I watched as he missed three times in a row before Wilson decided to set it down on the counter instead, raising an eyebrow before walking away.
I subtly reached for the drink and Henry witnessed it, batting my hand away.
"Henley, here," Lee said from beside me, handing me two shot glasses. "Don't ask what it is. Just drink it. This one first and then the chaser."
"That's suspicious," I replied, taking them anyway.
Bennett's eyes followed the shot glass as I brought it to my lips. "What ulterior motives do you have with my girlfriend, Lee?"
"Nothing, why?"
"Why do you keep buying her drinks? Isn't Brandon supposed to be your drinking buddy? Like the old times?"
"I think he's a little preoccupied tonight. And I don't see you buying her any drinks."
"Because you're doing it!"
Knowing whatever Lee had given me this time couldn't be good, I threw the first one back with my eyes shut. It burned, but it didn't taste too awful. Just straight up whisky. So I quickly took the chaser. The moment the taste hit my tongue, I gagged, my eyes nearly bulging out of their sockets— it was pickle juice. "What the hell?" I gasped, my face contorting in ways that would impress the casting director of The Exorcist.
Henry paused with his glass at his lips, bringing it away slowly. Apparently my reaction hadn't made him so keen on trying it.
"Pickle shot," Lee said by way of explanation. "Drink up, Henry."
Henry jolted, wide eyes turning toward Lee. "O-oh no, I'm actually okay. I'm uh, allergic to pickles."
Lee smirked. "Nice try, Henry. You're only allergic to bees and peaches. Drink up."
"Uh, well..."
"Or would you rather me give it to you mouth to mouth?"
Bennett spluttered on his drink, wet drops of who-knows-what landing on my forearm. "Lee!"
Lee snickered as Henry downed his shot, barely grimacing as he swallowed the pickle juice.
"That's sexual harassment, Lee," Bennett admonished, not missing the way Henry covered his face with his hands. "You can't—"
"Aw, you jealous Ben? Want a kiss?"
Bennett pressed his lips into a firm line. "You're drunk, aren't you?"
"Yup," Lee answered, throwing an arm around mine and Henry's shoulders. "And I'm taking my cat and my Alice with me."
"Your Alice?"
"Wanna dance, Henley?"
"Sure," I said, sliding off my stool.
Bennett reached out and grabbed my arm. "Wait, Henley. You don't know what you're getting into. I should've known Lee was up to something."
"I'm not up to anything," Lee said innocently, interlacing his fingers behind his back.
"Don't do it," Bennett warned me.
"Why? What's wrong?"
"It's dangerous," Bennett pressed. "Lee he... he doesn't know how to dance."
Lee gasped. "Hey! I do so."
"I don't know how to either, so it works out," I said, shrugging.
"Come one. Everything has been so tense lately. Let's release some of that pressure, huh? Let's dance," Lee urged, taking my hand with one of his, and Henry's with the other.
Brandon eyed us as we moved toward the dance floor, opting to tag along, a drink in hand. "You're dancing, Lee?"
"I am indeed."
"Henley, you're going to dance too?"
"Sure. Why not?"
Brandon grinned a little. "Oh, nothing."
"What? You think I can't dance?" I asked.
"Mmm, it's not that—"
"You better focus on yourself. Ariana is so into Sebastian," I told him, placing my hands on my hips. "You're going to lose out."
Brandon's mouth fell open. "What?"
"Yep. Look she's buying him another drink right now!"
"No, damn it— I'll buy it for him!" Brandon yelled, shoving his way back over to the bar again. "And I'll have what he's having except twice as strong!"
Lee burst out laughing. "Is there a love triangle?"
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