Tiny Raven

My days were a monotonous routine.

Wake up, go to work, come home, go to sleep.

Repeat.

But as the end of the month neared, my soul lightened. By the time I left my housekeeping job on the thirty-first I felt like I was walking on air.

Halloween revelers were already on the streets as I slid my phone into my pocket and began my walk home. It was still early, and most seemed to be meeting up to go elsewhere in the city.

I passed girls with animal ears and guys with fake blood. Nothing particularly complex or impressive. Most seemed to be broke college kids putting in minimal effort. Just enough that they’d get cheap drinks at the bars and clubs around town.

Not that I blamed them. I’d do the same, if Apollo ever held similar promotions.

I glared at the still out-of-order elevator and headed up the stairs, prioritizing my mental to-do list.

I didn’t need to worry about trick-or-treaters at my apartment. While there were a couple kids int eh building they usually went to the suburbs. They got a better candy haul there than in the city,

“Hey Sans, I’m home!” I called out as I kicked off my shoes and put my bag down. I connected my phone to the speaker in my kitchen, turning on my Halloween mix to get into a spooky mood.

My Halloween tradition was simple: Spend the night watching family-oriented “spooky” movies with Abby’s kids. We’d done it for years.

It was one of my absolute favorite traditions. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.

I hummed along to This Is Halloween as I pulled out the sofa bed and gathered all the blankets and pillows I owned.

“You’re home early,” Sans said behind me as I surveyed the couch, trying to visualize a fort.

“Need to get you a friggin’ bell,” I muttered without any heat. I’d mostly become accustomed tot he skeleton popping into existence whenever he wanted.

“I never work Halloween night,” I explained as I took down a photo to hang up a spare sheet. My goal was something like a tent, but it wasn’t working out quite as well as I had hoped. “It’s one of the few nights I make sure to take off every year. People get … weird on Halloween. Being out late is a bad idea.”

Fortunately my newest boss had easily granted the request.

It hadn’t hurt that I was willing to work Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. New Year’s Eve, too, if he needed me.

The sheet wouldn’t stay up, slipping off the hook whenever I put any tension on it. I growled at it in frustration, as though that would make it stay put.

The song switched to an electro-swing cover of Spooky Scary Skeletons, and I froze.

I didn’t know how monsters felt about Halloween.

More importantly, I didn’t know how Sans felt about Halloween.

Or how the very real skeleton felt about songs referencing his … species? Race? … as being “spooky scary.”

     Spooky scary skeletons

     Send shivers down your spine

I glanced at Sans, uncertain what to expect.

He was staring at the speaker with a blank, dark eyed stare. Completely unreadable.

I dropped the sheet and fumbled my phone out of my pocket, attempting to stop the music.

“By the way,” I said in a transparent attempt to distract the skeleton from the … offensive? … song. “I forgot to warn you. My niece – and maybe Jamie, but probably not – is gonna be spending the night.”

I finally paused the music, cutting off the song mid-verse. I looked at Sans with an apologetic frown, feeling guilty for springing this on him at the last minute. “I completely forgot about it. To talk to you about it, I mean. I didn’t think about it. This is just … what I do every year.”

Sans shrugged, turning back to my mostly-unassembled couch fort. “That’s what this is for?”

“Yeah,” I said with a nod as I turned back to the mess of blankets. “I never remember how to put together a good fort. It usually ends up more of a pillow nest than anything else.”

I picked up the sheet again, reaching to try hanging it again, when a knock sounded at the door.

I glanced at my phone, “That’s probably my sister.”

Sans had vanished again by the time I opened the door and was nearly bowled over by forty pounds of tiny human.

“TRICK OR TREAT AUNT T!”

I recovered my balance quickly, sweeping my niece into a spinning hug.

“Trick or treat?” I asked, my tone playful. Already I felt lighter than I had in weeks. “Hmm … I choose … TRICK! OMNOMNOMNOM!”

I buried my face against the little girl’s stomach, playfully chomping at her and holding her tight.

“No! I’m not candy!” she squealed, squirming and wriggling in an attempt to get out of my arms. “Mama! Help!”

I glanced over at Abby, still in the doorway and watching us with a find smile.

“Help?” she asked, and I grinned widely when I saw the mischievous glint in her eyes. “I suppose I could.”

She took Chloe from my arms and held her gently before doing the exact same thing I had. The little girl erupted into screams and giggles again, gasping out a happy, “I’m not candy!”

I turned to Xander and James, talking in hushed stones in the doorway.

“Didn’t know you two were vampires. Since when do you need an invite to come in?” I asked.

James was first, arms wide in an offer of a hug. I accepted, returning the affection eagerly. Xander followed, holding a small pink backpack I assumed was for Chloe.

“Overnight bag?” I asked as I pulled away from James. Without waiting for an answer I motioned at the couch. “It can go over there.”

I held my hands behind my back to keep myself from ruffling my nephew’s carefully-styled hair. “You staying the night?”

“Nah,” James said, “Friend is having a party. Gonna crash there.”

“Sounds fun,” I said, before giving him a stern look. “Make good choices.”

“I already got that talk from mom and dad,” he said with a roll of his eyes.

“And now you’ve heard it from your aunt as well,” I chuckled as I gave him a quick squeeze. “You’ve got a lot of people who care about you.”

I turned back to my sister and niece, finally taking in their costumes.

“Pirates?” I asked, surprised. Last month Chloe had been super excited to tell me she was going to be a fairy princess.

“Preschool politics,” Abby explained with a sigh. “Another girl in Clo’s class claimed princess rights.”

“Cassie,” Chloe spat, voice as spiteful as a four year old cold be. “She said she was gonna be a princess and none of the other girls could. Miss Tiana said she couldn’t do that, but she said her mommy said she could. Everybody else agreed, so I had to, too.”

I nodded along, completely lost. I vaguely knew Miss Tiana was Chloe’s teacher, but I knew nothing about her classmates. I had no idea how this Cassie girl was able to control the entire preschool class.

“So you decided to be a pirate?” I asked my niece.

“I’m a fairy pirate queen!” Chloe pronounced in an excited shout as she turned around to show me her back.

Sure enough she was wearing sparkly red wings with her pirate getup.

My heart melted.

She was adorable.

“You’re a queen!” I cried out, covering my mouth in mock horror. “Forgive my insolence, your majesty, I had not realized!”

I bowed deeply toward her, and she burst into giggles again.

“We should get going,” Abby said with a glance at her watch. “Didn’t you have something you wanted to ask your aunt, Clo?”

At the reminder Chloe turned to me, her eyes widening and her lips pouting.

She was far too good at that face,

“Aunt T! Come trick or treat with us! Please, please, pleeeeeeeeease!”

Even with Abby’s earlier warning, I had assumed my niece only wanted me along as an afterthought. Touched, I knelt down next to her, looking her in the eye.

“I don’t have a costume,” I said, waving at my clothes. “I won’t match.”

“Momma brought you a costume!” Chloe said brightly.

I whipped my attention to my sister, who raised her hands.

“No pressure,” she said. “Chloe has been insisting you come with us. It was her idea to find you a costume.”

I blinked in surprise, shocked the little girl had considered I would want a costume if I was going out.

Of course, Abby might have mentioned something, to prod her daughter along. She had a hard time disappointing the little girl,.

Not that I blamed her. I would give Chloe on the silver platter if I could.

I glanced at the sad blanket fort with a frown.

“Well … ” I said as I turned back to Chloe. She was staring at me with wide, pleading eyes that made my heart ache.

That’s cheating.

“If I go with you, we won’t have a blanket fort,” I said carefully. “I won’t have time to set it up. If you really want me to come with you, I will. It’s up to you. Do I go trick or treating with you, or do we have a cuddle fort to sleep in?”

Chloe bit her lip as she thought through the options. It was a big decision.

Abby waved at Xander, who pulled a plastic shopping bag from his laptop case. My costume, presumably.

“Trick or treat!” Chloe shouted after a moment of indecision. “Come trick or treat with us!”

“Alright,” I agreed with a nod.

Xander helped me to my feet and handed me the costume. I glanced inside the bag and felt a flood of relief. It would cover my arms and legs. I shot Abby a grateful smile as I looked back down to Chloe.

“I’ll go get dressed and let my friend know I’m leaving for a while. Then we can go, okay?”

She threw herself at me again with a scream of excitement.

I gave her a tight squeeze back.

“You’re coming with us?” James asked from the kitchen, where he’d been raiding my fridge.

“Of course,” I snorted. “I can’t say no to the pirate queen. Find anything good to eat?”

He had the decency to look slightly embarrassed.

I laughed and headed to my room to change.

“Give me ten and I’ll be ready to go.”

---

The costume was easy to put on, and it fit me surprisingly well. It was still an off-the-rack outfit, though, and the material was thin. I ended up putting on an undershirt so I wouldn’t freeze.

It only looked a little weird.

“Hey Sans, can I talk to you for a minute?” I asked after knocking on his door.

A brief pause and he opened the door, glancing down at my costume for half a second before meeting my eye.

“I’m going with Abby to trick or treat,” I said with an acknowledging wave at my costume. “Wanted to let you know and give you my cell in case you needed me.”

I held the device out to him but he didn’t take it, his eyelights darting toward the living room. I could hear Abby talking in hushed tones, probably reminding Chloe of the rules for the night.

“If you need me you can call or text Abby,” I said, pushing the phone toward him.

He shrugged, taking the phone from my hand and disappearing it into his hoodie pocket.

“I’ll be back in a couple hours,” I said. “Chloe is staying the night. We’ll be sleeping in the living room.”

I took a step back, intending to end the conversation there.

Sans stopped me.

“Can I use magic to … do somethin’?”

I blinked, trying to remember if I had ever said he couldn’t use magic. I thought I had been careful to not give him any commands.

Then I realized it was likely a “preset” command. One given to all monsters once they’d been collared.

Now that I thought about it, I vaguely remembered something like that coming up during the debates about Monster Rights.

Magic was disallowed unless specific permission was obtained.

The thought was heavy and sour at the back of my throat.

Everything I had read said magic was an important part of a monster’s identity. As unique and integral to their sense of self as style or fashion was to humans.

Forbidding it felt like forbidding … music. Art.

“Of course,” I said with a nod. “You know the rules: nothing permanent, nothing that causes damage.”

Sans rolled his eyelights at me, but his smile softened.

“Thanks.”

---

We went trick or treating in my mother’s neighborhood.

I knew Abby had chosen the particular suburb, at least partly, to rub her family in our mother’s face.

Mom had never accepted Chloe as her granddaughter. So whenever she had a chance Abby threw that in our mother’s face.

“Look at this adorable, perfect little girl you could have spoiled if you weren’t such a horrid bitch. But because you are a horrible human being, you only get to see her under my terms.”

It always worked.

I grinned as I walked Chloe up to the door, excited to see my mother’s face when she realized who was knocking.

Unfortunately, my mother didn’t answer her own door anymore.

Instead the rabbit woman was handing out candy this year.

With how quickly she opened the door, I suspected it was her only task for tonight,

“Trick or treat!” Chloe shouted in sing-song. She held out her treat bucket with a bright smile.

“Happy Halloween!” the rabbit woman said in response. Her voice was gentle and warm, but I could hear the sadness in it.

Sadness and exhaustion.

She knelt to let Chloe choose her own candy.

“Thank you!” Chloe said as she carefully chose one of the fun-sized candies (of course my mother would go cheap) and took a step back. She frowned, looking between the doorway, me, and the monstress.

“Umm,” she said, suddenly shy and uncertain, “This is my grammas house! Is she here? I wanna show her my costume!”

She said the last bit with a spin, the better to show how adorable she was.

The monster woman startled, looking down at Chloe before glancing at me. Recognition brightened her features as she remembered who I was.

She didn’t speak, which made me frown. Knowing my mother she likely wasn’t allowed to speak most of the time.

I glared into the dark house. If it was silence my mother wanted …

“You mind if I call for her?” I asked, signing as I spoke. The movements were awkward with the candy bucket on my arm, but I managed. “If you want to, you can use Hands. I understand it well enough.”

She looked at the bowl of candy in her hands before giving me an apologetic shrug. She stepped back, allowing me to cross the threshold of the house.

“Hey mom!” I shouted, cupping my hands around my mouth, “Your daughters are here to say Happy Halloween!”

I took a step back. Either she’d answer or not and I didn’t care much either way.

“Is everything okay?” Abby asked as she came up to the porch. “You’ve been up here a while.”

I nodded and knelt down next to Chloe.

“Clo wanted to see her grandma,” I explained. I wrapped my niece in a tight hug. “And I wanted to show off the cutest pirate queen in the whole wide world.”

Chloe giggled and Abby nodded. Something passed over her features as she looked at the monster woman, there and gone in an instant. She held her hand out to the woman.

“I don’t believe we’ve met. I’m Abby, her older daughter, although she probably doesn’t call me that.” She paused for a moment, and I could see her considering her next words. “Is my mother treating you alright?”

The woman looked between my sister’s hand and the candy bowl. I took the dish so she could take Abby’s hand.

Inside the house I heard someone shuffling around.

I guess my mother was going to acknowledge our existences tonight.

Wonderful.

The rabbit monster gave Abby a careful, curt nod in response before quickly pulling the candy bowl back. She looked behind her uneasily.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Abby said, her voice soft, “are you from Snowdin?”

The monstress jumped, head whipping around to meet Abby’s gaze. After a moment she nodded, blinking back tears that had suddenly appeared in her dark eyes.

Then my mother appeared, cutting off the nascent conversation.

I had to bite back my laughter at her appearance.

Over whatever nightwear she had on she was wearing a long flowing robe. Faux fur lined the edges.

She looked like the villain from a crime drama. The ‘grieving widow’ whose rich husband had suddenly died under ‘mysterious, tragic circumstances.’

She looked ridiculous.

“Theresa!” she gasped as she saw me. “What are you doing here?”

“What else?” I asked, voice flat. I lifted my treat bucket to her before motioning to Chloe and Abby beside me. “Trick or Treat.”

My mother spared Abby a single glance before giving her a dismissive “tsk.”

Then she saw Chloe,

“And what are you supposed to be,” she demanded.

She seemed unimpressed, possibly disgusted, by my niece’s costume. Which meant she was either blind or acting.

Although if I remembered my own childhood, my mother had never been a fan of “non-feminine” Halloween costumes on girls. I was some flavor of princess every year.

“I’m the fairy pirate queen,” Chloe announced, puffing out her chest. She wasn’t put off at all by my mother’s tone. “Momma and Aunt T and Daddy and Jamie are my pirate crew!

The line of my mother’s mouth flatted further at the mention of the rest of Abby’s family.

“I thought you might want to see your granddaughter in her Halloween costume,” Abby said, her voice holding a veiled threat.

Be nice.

“It’s a very nice costume,” my mother spat, words not matching her tone. “Although I suppose it would be, with a … parent like you.”

“Thank you,” Abby said, ignoring the insult. She glanced at her watch. “We need to keep going. It was … I hope you’re doing well, mother.”

She took Chloe’s hand, gently leading the little girl away from the porch and leaving me behind.

“Wait! I need a picture!” My mother called out, frantic, as she disappeared into her house.

I snorted before turning to the rabbit woman with a smile. “Thank you. Happy Halloween.”

“Happy Halloween,” she responded with a genuine grin that allowed her buck teeth to peek into existence. She glanced behind her before setting down eh bowl of candy.

“Thank you.” she signed.

“Of course. You still have my number?”

She nodded as she picked the candy bowl back up.

“Good. Call if you need anything. Or text, if you can get access to a cellphone.”

I stepped off the porch to catch up with Abby and Xander, not sparing another glance at the house even as my mother screamed at us to come back.

It probably would have worked better if she used Abby’s name.

---

Chloe lasted a lot longer than I thought she would.

Somehow she had more stamina in her four year old body than the adults with her.

Except for me. I could have gone all night if the kid wanted to.

But I knew I was an outlier.

As it was, by the time Abby called it quits Chloe was spent. She was getting piggyback rides between houses.

I was pretty sure she nodded off during them.

Abby had let us go as long as she could, but she and Xander had plans. They needed to get me home so they could go enjoy their anniversary.

The ride from the suburbs to my apartment was quiet. Abby and Xander were talking softly to one another, too quiet to make out. James had put his earbuds in before he’d even got into the van, and was busy on his phone.

Chloe had passed out as soon as she was buckled into her booster seat.

After texting Sans to let him know we were on our way back I leaned against the window. I watched as the lawns and picket fences faded into the concrete, steel, and glass of the city.

It was the first time I let myself slow down and think in … weeks.

It was nice.

Xander parked in the yellow “no parking” zone in front of my building and Chloe blinked herself awake. I unbuckled and hopped out of the van, turning to meet Abby’s hug.

“Thank you for coming with us,” she whispered into my ear. “You didn’t have to.”

“I had fun,” I said as we parted. I was about to thank her for the costume when James punched my arm.

I yelped, more out of surprise than pain. I frowned at him as I punched where he’d hit.

It hadn’t been hard, there wasn’t even a mark, but it had come as a surprise.

“Sorry,” he said with an apologetic wince. “I didn’t mean to hit you that hard. Was just trying to get your attention.”

“Use your words,” I said with a laugh, too confused to be angry. “What do you need so badly you’d punch me?

“Sorry,” he repeated, turning red with embarrassment.

I sighed, and as I thought about it I realized it wasn’t too weird. Kid had earbuds in most of the time, and his friends probably did too. It’d be difficult to get their attention verbally.

A gentle pat or poke would have sufficed, but he was a teenage boy. Punches were more aggressive.

More “manly.”

I rolled my eyes and smiled at him, letting him know I wasn’t hurt or angry.

“Jamie,” I said as I put my hands on his shoulders. “You are an idiot and I love you. I hope you have fun at your party, If you need anything, give me a call. Doesn’t matter why or how late.”

He gave me a small nod, not quite meeting my eyes. “Yeah, yeah. If I need anything I’ll call.”

“Good,” I said. I took my hands off his shoulders and held out a fist.

He bumped it with his own as Chloe climbed out of the van to wrap her arms around his legs in a goodbye hug.

“You’re sure this is alright?” Abby asked me again.

I looked at her, confused by the concern.

“We do this every year, Abs,” I said, eyebrow raised. “It has always been great. I can handle the tiny terror for one night, and I’ll call if anything happens.”

I thought for a moment before adding, “If anything, this year is less of a problem. There’ll be another adult around to keep an eye on her.”

Not that Sans necessarily would, but it was an option.

I wondered if he even liked kids.

“Right,” Abyy said, her expression softening as I eased her worries. “We’ll be back to pick her up tomorrow. If we’re not, we’ll have James come get her. Four at the latest.”

“Sounds great,” I told her. It was tradition and I loved it. “I planned for this. My shift doesn’t start until five, and my commute’s only ten minutes. Even if you’re not back before I have to leave, Sans’ll be around.”

“We should have gotten you a roommate years ago,” Xander chuckled. I hadn’t noticed him get out of the van.

He walked by me to pick Chloe up and paste a big kiss on each of her cheeks.

“Goodnight princess! Have fun with Aunt T, and don’t be too much trouble.”

“G’night daddy!” She shouted, directly in his ear. “Bye momma!”

Xander glanced at me as he put her down, expression guilty.

Chloe had her second wind, which meant I was in for a long night.

Before I could say anything else she grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the apartment building.

I half-turned back to wave to my sister.

“Bye Abby!” I called out with a chuckle. “Bye Xander! Have fun on your date!

---

I had expected to find the living room more-or-less how I had left it: Disorganized, with blankets and pillows everywhere.

So when I walked into my apartment and found a proper pillow fort, I was more than a little surprised.

Sans had … made a blanket fort for me.

Sans had made a blanket fort for me … and he was the fucking king of sleep overs.

It was awesome.

He’d built a support structure out of what looked like gigantic, almost cartoon-like, femurs. They pulsed with an inner light, and radiated with violet completely different from their white core. Glow-in-the-dark fluorescence, dim next to the fairy lights that he’d wrapped around them.

(Did I have fairy lights in the apartment before? Maybe I had them in the outside storage … )

That must have been why he had requested to use magic. He wanted to make this.

I looked down at my niece. Her eyes were wide, sparkling in the fairy light. She was dumbstruck.

I couldn’t blame her. I was, too.

I reached out to touch one of the support beam bones curious what it would feel like.

“I wouldn’t touch it,” Sans warned from behind me. I spun to find him in the kitchen, watching as we gaped at his handiwork. “There’s a reason I put ’em up away from the couch.”

Chloe made a sound somewhere between a squeal and a shriek as she threw herself at the skeleton.

He stumbled, nearly falling down as she wrapped her arms around his waist.

“Did-you-do-this?” she asked, speaking so quickly her words blurred together. Sans wobbled, struggling to keep his balance and looking distinctly uncomfortable with his predicament. “It’s-so-cool-and-so-pretty-and-I’ve-never-seen-anything-like-it!”

She took a deep breath and spun to look at the blanket fort again.

“Not even Robin has such cool forts! And they have the best forts! This is even better! I didn’t know there was a better!” she jumped up and down, arms waving in excitement, “Thank you! Thank you thank you thank you!”

She spun back to look at him, her eager excitement fading to confusion.

“Who are you? Are you and Aunt T dating? Momma says that Aunt T – “

“Clo,” I said, cutting the little girl off. I tried to ignore how I’d enjoyed Sans’ being flustered by my nieces love. I would have gladly let her keep going, but she brought me into it.

I didn’t want to know what my sister said about my (lack of a) love life. Or my social life in general.

“You know the rules,” I said with a sigh. “What are you supposed to do before you touch someone?”

Chloe’s face fell, and she took a step away from Sans.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she looked at the floor, wringing her hands together. “I’m sorry for hugging you without asking first.”

As soon as the words were out of her mouth she was looking up at him, stars in her eyes. Guilt replaced with wonder.

“It’s just so cool! I got super excited! You made such an awesome fort! And I didn’t think to ask you because it’s so cool and I just – “

She struggled, unable to find the words to convey her emotions, letting out an over-stimulated shriek instead.

Sans let out a soft laugh.

“S’okay kiddo,” he said, smiling down at her. “Thanks.”

“Chloe, go get into your jammies,” I ordered gently, smiling at my niece. I leaned into the fort to grab her backpack. “I’ll mark us some popcorn, and we can go through your treats.”

“Kay!” she said, all smiles and sunshine.

She took her backpack and hugged it close to her chest before turning back to Sans with her brightest smile.

“Thank you, mister skeleton!”

Before either of us could react she was down the hall, slamming the bathroom door shut.

I snorted, smiling after her.

Then I turned to Sans with a frown.

“Not that I’m ungrateful,” I said as I waved at the palatial blanket fort. “But if I shouldn’t touch these, is Chloe gonna be safe around them?”

Sans nodded. “She’ll be fine. Kids don’t have enough bad karma to get hurt … “

I glanced at the bones again, uneasy.

“I don’t actually know if they’ll … work outside of an encounter,” Sans added after a minute.

“And now I’m more confused,” I admitted as I walked by him to get a bag of microwave popcorn from the pantry. “You’re saying Chloe won’t get hurt because she doesn’t have … bad karma?”

Sans nodded and I turned away from him to set the microwave.

“But I might get hurt because I do have bad karma.”

“More or less,” he said with a shrug. “Figured it was less likely you’d run into them than the kid. Any of my other constructs’d hurt both of you.”

I hadn’t really thought Sans would hurt a child. He hadn’t been an ideal housemate, or even a good houseguest, but he wasn’t malicious.

“Why,” I asked. “Why go through the trouble at all?”

“Wanted to,” he said as he pushed himself away from the counter, shoving his hands into his hoodie pockets. “She seems like a good kid. Figured she deserved a pillow fort.”

“Well, you just volunteered yourself for pillow fort duty in the future,” I said with a snort. “This setup is really cool. I’m gonna need to get a picture of it for Abby.”

I opened the microwave as the popping slowed down.

I bounced the bag to coat the popcorn with the “real butter flavoring.” I was pretty sure the flavoring was not, in fact, “real butter.

But it was delicious, so I didn’t really care.

“You really made her night, thank you.”

I turned as I tore the bag open, holding it away from myself so I wouldn’t get a face full of steam.

Sans was already gone.

I shrugged, dumping the popcorn into a large bowl. I’d make sure to thank him again in the morning.

For now I had an adorable fairy pirate to take care of.

---

It took Chloe the entire run of Corpse Bride to sort out her bucket of candy. She struggled to put any in the “save” pile, putting most of her haul in an “eat immediately” mountain.

As I worked on getting the next movie to play she opened her first treat. I was glad I had chosen a bunch of films in advance.

“Up next: Casper! Then you gotta go brush your teeth,” I told her as I started the film.

Chloe nodded, and I was pretty sure we both knew she wasn’t going to brush her teeth tonight.

Abby probably knew, too.

But I had to at least pretend to be a responsible adult.

As the opening scene played I got up to rinse out the popcorn bowl. Chloe climbed further into the pillow fort, going all the way to the back. She sat cross-legged, candy bucket between her thighs, watching the movie as she ate a Rice Krispie Treat.

When I climbed in next to her she snuggled close to my side, moving the candy bucket between us.

“You can have one,” she whispered, like we were in a movie theater. “If you want.”

“That’s very generous of you, my queen,” I whispered back. “Thank you!”

I dug through the options before finding a fun-size packet of m&m’s. I opened it with a grin, taking out a single candy.

I popped the candy into my mouth and held the rest of the envelope out to Chloe, who looked at me, confused.

“You said I could eat one,” I said pointing to my mouth, “So I ate one.”

She frowned at me for a moment before she caught on to the joke. She pushed my hand back toward me, giggling. “It’s for you! You can have as much as you want!”

“As much as I want?” I repeated, looking at the bucket with an impish grin. “I’ll take you up on that!”

I lifted the bucket up to my face, loudly saying “OMNOMNOM” and play fighting Chloe as she giggled and tried to pull it back.

“Aunt T! No! Not all of it!” she squealed.

Pounding from my ceiling reminded me of the time. I winced and hushed my niece, handing her the bucket.

“Sorry Mr. Nguyen,” I whispered toward the ceiling as we both fought off the giggles. “My niece is just too adorable.”

I gently tickled Chloe’s sides, making her giggle softly. She cuddled into my side and we fell into silence as we watched the movie and ate candy together.

I felt … calm. Happy.

It was perfect.

---