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After the nightmare that had been a variety of weather and seasonal villains ruining the already chaotic weather in Gotham, autumn had finally taken hold. Leaves were changing, as they should have the month before, and a variety of autumn based activities had popped up. Even the villains had seemed to take a break, as pumpkin patches, autumn fairs, apple picking, apple cider tasting, and hay rides popped up all over the city and surrounding areas. The crisp air and gentle breeze, complete with the changing scenery, managed to transform Gotham from its usual dark, cryptid, chaotic haven into a picture postcard of all that autumn had to offer. The Wayne Family had set up trick or treating events for the children of Gotham, complete with designated guides to take the kids from house to house so the parents can rest, as well as a variety of parties for the more grown residents. There were parties for adults, teens, and even younger kids that did not care for trick or treating. These parties were to be managed by Wayne Enterprises Security and staff, all fully vetted so even the most skeptical Gothamite felt safe in these spaces. It was a Gotham tradition that all seemed to enjoy. The villains took a break, usually, for the holiday. Sometimes Calendar Man or Scarecrow would act up and unleash a scheme, but this year they decided to take a vacation and unleash their plans at a later date. After all, who would expect them to strike in November when the spooky season was over?
Meanwhile, in the wealthy outskirts of Gotham, a new kind of tradition was beginning to form. Bruce Wayne and Clark Kent were bustling around Wayne Manor, decorating it with bats and pumpkins galore. It had not been long since Bruce and Clark had officially started dating, and the kids and Clark’s cousin Kara had already started making bets on how long it would be before one or both finally proposed. Bruce and Clark had decided to dress up this year, as each other. Clark was dressed in a well tailored suit, black in colour with grey pinstripes, with a cream coloured turtleneck underneath. He still wore his glasses, in case company dropped by, but somehow the whole look said Bruce. Bruce had opted for some khaki trousers and a grey t-shirt layered underneath a cosy, cream coloured jumper that had pumpkins and bats stitched into it in a fun design. He managed to get ahold of glasses in the same style as Clark’s and had been practicing mimicking Clark’s walk and movements. The two had been imitating each other all morning, much to the kids' delight. As the morning wore on, everyone began to go their own ways. Kara and Alfred had left to escort Jon and Damian to the Kent Farm, where they would spend the holiday caring for the animals. Dick was with the Titans. Jason and Duke went to visit Babs and some of their friends. Steph had decided to spend the evening with her mom and some of her friends from school, opting to take a hay ride together through the old town section of Gotham to see the foliage change now that Autumn was in full swing. So that left Bruce, Clark, Tim, and Kon to spend the holiday together in Wayne Manor. Kon and Tim had been talking animatedly for awhile, while Clark and Bruce cleaned up the kitchen, when a shocked exclamation drew their attention.
“Really? You’ve never had a Halloween before?!” Tim exclaimed, shocked as Kon shook his head.
“Nope, never really had the chance. We were too busy last year with that one adventure, you remember? The villain with the ridiculous name sent us into an alternate dimension and we had to find our way back home?”
“Oh yeah… Well then! We have to do something this year! We’ll dress up, go trick or treating, have some fun, and then come back here for the movie marathon!”
As Tim excitedly started planning, finally showing more of his child-like side instead of the serious adult he’d often pretend to be, Bruce and Clark looked on with pride. Giving the boys the space they needed to plan, Clark and Bruce set about carving pumpkins together.
“Thank you for having us.” Clark said, as the pair scooped out the pumpkin guts before carving.
“Thanks for being here.” Bruce responded, lightly kissing Clark on the cheek, before returning to his attention to the pumpkin. That was one thing Clark wasn’t sure he would ever get used to. Sure, he and Bruce had worked together for years already, but there was a distinct difference between Bruce and Batman. Clark was so grateful he had been allowed to see Bruce, and who he really is, instead of only seeing the Brucie persona or his Batman side. Bruce was gentle, kind, loving, and, in Clark’s eyes, deserved all the love in the world.
Kon and Tim had been oddly silent, apparently intent on getting ready for the holiday, until the silence was shattered by shrieks of laughter several hours later. The duo raced down into the kitchen, dressed as each other. Unlike Bruce and Clark, Tim and Kon had opted to dress as each other’s superhero selves. Tim had found some spare spandex to sew into the proper design, while Kon had lent him the leather jacket and accessories. Tim had helped Kon into one of the old Robin Suits he had been trying to improve on, complete with dramatic cape and domino mask, and tailored the suit to fit Kon. The duo kept snickering as they grabbed the pumpkin shaped pails Bruce and Clark had set out for them.
“See you later, B! I’ve got to show Kon where all the best houses are. We are going to get sooooo much candy!”
“Bye boys, be good!” Bruce said, waving the carving knife in one hand as Clark waved happily next to him.
“Try not to stay out too late!” Clark called after them. “Remember, you’re not patrolling today! And we’ve got movies and snacks to enjoy later!”
Hearing their replies, Clark nodded satisfied and returned to his carving. He and Bruce had been working on several pumpkins to add to the front porch and now had several fun designs: Clark had made a traditional Jack-o-lantern face, one with the famous “S” he wore so proudly on his chest as Superman, one with the Bat worn by Batman, and one of a silhouette of two men kissing; Bruce had made one of the Grey Ghost, one of a spooky looking house, one of a cauldron of bats in flight, and one of Bag End. With their pumpkins complete, the set them out on the porch as they chatted about anything that came to mind.
Meanwhile, out and about in the city proper, Tim was guiding Kon around pointing out the houses that gave the best candy.
“Mr Jenkins will give out full sized candy bars and, if you are really lucky, he’ll just give you the whole bowl! If he ordered too much candy this year, we could have the best stash in the city! Then there’s Mrs Clarkson, over on the corner there, who gives out full handfuls of candy instead of making you pick one. They’re all smaller sized candies, but you end up with a ton!”
Kon watched Tim fondly as he spoke, and made a mental note to always go trick or treating with Tim.
“Now,” Tim said. “Trick or Treating is serious business. If they refuse to give us a treat, we’re obliged to trick! So far I haven’t had to, but it doesn’t hurt to have a plan in place, just in case!”
And so, Tim and Kon started planning possible tricks as they waited for the street lights to turn on, signaling the beginning of the trick or treating.
Fortunately, the night went off without a hitch, and neither Tim nor Kon had needed to unleash their planned tricks. Sure, it would’ve been fun, but having the treats was definitely way more fun. The duo had managed to gather so much candy their buckets were practically overflowing! It was a good thing Tim had experience with this and insisted they get the giant pumpkin buckets. Kon had been worried at first, thinking they would be left with mostly empty buckets, but now he was glad he had trusted Tim. As the lights on the houses began to turn off, signaling the end of the trick or treating, Tim and Kon walked up to the front door of Wayne Manor and rang the bell.
“You rang?” Bruce said, perfectly mimicking Lurch from the old Addams Family tv show.
“Trick or Treat!” Tim and Kon called out in unison.
Bruce nodded his head towards the depths of the house. “We’ve got caramel popcorn and apple cider ready and waiting in the media room. And Clark is baking cookies.”
“Yes!!!” The boys called out, delighted, as they raced past Bruce and into the house.
The scent of sugar cookies permeated the manor. Clark had been baking for the bulk of the time Tim and Kon had been trick or treating. As a result, he had many batches of cookies ready for the four of them to enjoy. He had sugar cookies in the shape of pumpkins and bats, chocolate chip cookies in the shape of skulls, and even some cinnamon sugar cookies in the shape of various heroes’ symbols. It might be a bit too much for the four of them to finish, but Clark took after his mother in this way, always cooking and baking up enough to feed an army no matter how many people were actually gathered together.
Once inside the media room, Kon looked over the movies that had been laid out. There were the 90s Addams Family movies, as well as the series from the 60s, Shaun of the Dead, Hocus Pocus, Corpse Bride, Nightmare Before Christmas, and the live action Casper the Friendly Ghost from the 90s. Kon realised they were all campy or fun movies, with not a single horror title in sight.
“What? No scary movies? I thought Halloween was all about scares!” Kon said, taking off the gloves of his costume.
“Our lives are scary enough, we really don’t need more scares.” Tim said, grabbing a cookie from the tray on the small table. “Besides, when you’ve got hyper trained heroes all in one place, a sudden scare, even if it’s supposed to be harmless fun, is a good way to get very injured.” Clark nodded, eyes staring off into the distance as he remembered the time he had wanted to surprise Bruce with a sudden hug, not realising Bruce had been working with a green kryptonite dagger in preparation for Zod or one of his minions returning, and had suffered the consequences of Bruce’s reactionary reflex. Kon shrugged, nodding in understanding, before following Tim over to the small loveseat near the window. Bruce and Clark took their places on the larger sofa in the centre of the room.
“Everyone ready?” Bruce asked. When everyone had nodded or muttered their assent, and Bruce had made sure everyone had some cider and something to snack on, he pressed play on the remote and settled in to watch the first movie. By mutual agreement, they began with the Addams Family movies. Everyone snapped along with the theme, and it was great fun. As time went on, and the stack of movies and shows diminished, Bruce found himself finally at peace. This was how Halloween should be. No genuine scares, no villains trying to take over the world or cause damage, no threats to his kids’ lives. Just peace, laughs, and the warmth of this man he loved beside him.
When the boys finally fell asleep during the last 40 minutes of Casper, heads together, hands clutched lightly, as they sat with criss crossed legs and arms entwined on the small loveseat, Bruce leaned his head against Clark’s shoulder and sighed contentedly. Clark rubbed the back of Bruce’s hand with his thumb and hummed softly.
“Happy Halloween, Darling.” He whispered, turning to place a soft kiss on Bruce’s head.
“Happy Halloween, Dearest.” Bruce replied softly, settling into place after turning to gently kiss Clark’s cheek, as the movie continued to play in the background.