It's the Great Pumpkin, Ben Rhodes [Ben, Mia]

[Clement Evans]

With Mia hurt, Clement had been ready to call off their trick or treating altogether, but Mia had insisted. But with a wheelchair borrowed from the infirmary and Clement willing to push, the night was to go on as scheduled. A little slower, but that was fine. Mia wasn't getting any candy anyway, so Clement could just run up the walkways from the sidewalk and do his thing and wheel her to the next house. The exercise kept him warm, too, and that was a plus.

Earlier that afternoon after school had let out she'd helped him put streaks of temporary blue dye in his hair. He was pleased with it. On a kid who could still be mistaken for an eleven-year-old it didn't look emo or goth or punk, just different (or like someone who'd had some sort of painting accident), but he still liked the effect. It was sort of kpop-ish. His hair had grown out enough that the long streaked bangs hung below the brim of his red striped fish hat (bought on the same trip that had netted him the hair dye), and to complete the outfit Clement had tied his blue bath towel around his neck. With the markers Mia had given him that summer, he'd drawn a red likeness of his hat on a piece of paper, cut it out, and pinned it to his shirt. If anyone asked (and jeez, so many people did), he was Fish Dude.

They'd started pretty early, around seven, and had been out for awhile, enjoying doing something different and getting out of the school. Other groups of kids roamed around the houses of Pilot Ridge, some with parents, some just with other friends. The night looked kind of pretty with all the front door lights shining and the jack-o-lanterns flickering yellow-orange glows.

Clement's pillowcase was already more than half full of candy. He was a little worried about the seams busting, but it was holding out. For reasons he didn't understand, a small, skinny, frowning boy in an obvious DIY costume who gave his 'trick or treat' in a thoughtful and rather serious tone was very amusing, and more than one house (...most of them, in fact) had tossed more than one little candy bar or sucker into his bag (especially after being told rather gruffly that he was Fish Dude). It was odd, not that Clement was going to question it.

While he knew most of the teachers at Hammel lived in town (and had taken candy from a few), he hadn't thought much about the other local he'd met that summer. So when the door was opened, the usual 'trick or treat' was replaced by a surprised look and an equally surprised, "Ben!"

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Halloween was finally here and the whole day had been filled with stocking and re-stocking the candy bin, greeting the trick or treaters in his elaborate Captain Hook costume and binging on candy himself. It was a good day and he had Cobalt to spend it with too.

He had seen so many costumes but had lost count how many ghosts, Marvel heroes and witches he had seen but all of them were given so many candies their mothers would probably have a hard time separating them from it.

One particular trick or treater, he hadn't expected though. And that was Clement, the boy he met at the carnival. Ever since they met, Ben had quietly asked Andrew to check up on the boy, sending food to his dorm every now and then just to make sure the tiny boy ate. He definitely needed to grow a little bit.

Ben was glad he made that decision though. Andrew says the food doesn't go to waste so...

The boy's exclamation was met with a surprised grin. "Hi! Wh...what are you supposed to be?" He asked in amusement.

[Clement Evans]

It was a little hard to recognize him with the wig and the mustache, but Clement remembered the big smile and height, and when the man spoke it confirmed. Clement didn't know what Ben was dressed as specifically, just as a pirate (as evidenced by the hook hand - had that been absent he wouldn't have had a clue as to what the getup signified), and bemused eyes took in the long curly hair. He wondered if it itched.

Aaaand there was the question again. Squinting up at Ben, Clement's expression would've been more at home on someone considering deep moral problems than on a trick or treater.

"I'm Fish Dude," he said, and since turnabout was fair play, "Are you... someone?"

And no, he had no idea it was Ben who was leaving the boxes of food, just that the dorm fridge seemed to be possessed.

[Benjamin Rhodes]

Ben stared at Clement as he answered before biting his lip to stop himself from laughing. He knew it was bad, laughing at a child for his or her choices but Clement was just ridiculously adorable. "Yup...that's a fish alright." The child psychologist managed to squeak.

He grabbed the candy bucket with his tightly screwed hook and held it out to Clement. "I'm Captain Hook! Peter Pan's mortal enemy and eater of the Lost Boys." Ben answered with a laugh as he twirled his handlebar moustache.

"Best pirate Neverland has ever seen."

[Clement Evans]

Had Ben laughed, he would not have been the first. Or the twelfth. Or the twenty-fifth. Clement didn't know what about 'Fish Dude' was so hilarious, but he was used to the reaction by now. His poor eyesight kept him from seeing the details of Ben's face, but he had suspicions.

Clement didn't know who Peter Pan was, but the name sounded familiar. One could not spend as many years as he had in the elementary school system (and only a stone's throw from Disneyland) and be completely ignorant of all of the trappings of a middle class childhood... though Clement came very close.

"You dressed as a guy who eats kids to give candy to them?" Well, that was a depth Clement hadn't expected. The held out candy reminded him why he was there, and he sighed. "I guess I should do this right. Trick or-"

Holy shit, candy breath. Clement squinted up at Ben. "How much chocolate have you had?"

[Benjamin Rhodes]

“Arr matey. Actually no, that wasn’t what Hook used to say. But! The logic is that when I give the candy to the kids, they will go down sweet. Because of all the candy I’ve given them. Aren’t I the brightest?” Ben chuckled, the holiday just bringing a whole lot of his child-like enthusiasm out.

When Clement moved closer to get the candy, Ben’s eyes widened at his question. “A couple,” he lied before narrowing his eyes down suspiciously at the young meta. “Is that your ability? Candy detecting? How cool is that?” Ben enthused, grinning as he practically emptied the bucket of candy into what seemed to be a pillowcase.

“Oh wait…do you have a preference?”

[Clement Evans]

"You're something," Clement agreed.

One eyebrow went up. Uh huh. Clement was around kids who ate nothing but Snickers for lunch. Ben was practically perfumed in candy bar. Had he not been trying to watch his mouth with all the kids out (having gotten more than a few stink eyes from parents already), he would've said his meta power didn't have anything to do with detecting but that his regular old shit detector was working just fine and going off like a siren. Clement figured you'd have to be high on something to dress the way Ben was.

And then the guy pretty much upended his container into Clement's treat bag.

"...Kinda late for that," he snorted. "Doesn't matter."

He wasn't going to be eating it anyway. Looking at the various candies, he could see a theme. "This stuff your favorite?"

[Benjamin Rhodes]

"Yes I am." Ben grinned something big, proud of getting that reaction from the young boy.

Chuckling at Clement's response, Ben nodded. "Yeah, too late."

Tilting his head a little to the side at Clement's question, Ben nodded slowly. "Maybe. I'm not biased. Candy is candy and I love em all." He answered. "But I do love those." Peering into Clement's pillowcase, Ben grinned and nodded. "Candy is love, what can I say."

[Clement Evans]

Yeah, his pillowcase was never going to be the same. And it was going to smell like chocolate for a month. Maybe he could switch it out with Jesse's. Clement had been planning on giving his haul to the older boy, but... this was sort of ridiculous. There had to be at least three gallons of candy in his bag.

Clement knew he was in a rather extreme minority as someone who didn't care for sweets to the point he never took dessert in the cafeteria, didn't drink soda, and gave any candy he came across away. Ben seemed to be his complete opposite. Well, there was an idea.

An eyebrow rose at the whole 'candy is love' thing, amused. "Yyyyyyeah. Uh. Thanks."

~

The pair finished their trick or treating an hour or so later, by which time they were two of the only kids still out. Clement had to ask for a garbage bag ten houses after Ben's for the sheer amount of candy he had. If he didn't transfer some of it, his pillowcase would bust. Mia quite willingly held the overflow bundled in the white trash bag on her lap, and she was also willing to go back to the tall pirate's house when Clement explained what he wanted to do. Transferring the candies Ben said he liked into the plastic bag, he dumped in more till the bag and his pillowcase each held roughly half of his considerable haul. Mia waited for him down the street, and Clement took the trash bag full of candy and placed on Ben's front stoop, rolling the sides of the bag down so the contents would be seen immediately (and not mistaken for a trick). Biting his bottom lip, he gave the door three good kicks and skedaddled. Clement could run very fast when he wanted, and he was back at Mia's side less than a minute later.

"Let's go back," he said, and began to wheel her up the hill to Hammel.