#❅ [FACE] SKELLINGTON // the PUMPKIN KING with a SKELETON GRIN.
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Pumpkin' to Talk About
Soonyoung x reader
summary: “I thought Cinderella was supposed to come in a pumpkin carriage, not come with a pumpkin for a head.”
genre: fluff, pinch of angst, fantasy au/magic uni au
warnings: swearing, food mentions, lmk if i missed any
wc: 3.1k
a/n: happy halloween :)
In Soonyoung’s defense, he was left unsupervised for far too long. Carving pumpkins was never meant to be a solitary activity, especially not for him. He’s always needed someone to make sure appendages remain attached to his body and the removal of pumpkin seeds doesn’t turn into a crime scene of goopy guts. In all honesty, it could be way worse.
“Oh. My. God.” Chan’s words are followed by a crash, whatever he was holding scattering onto the floor. At least it doesn’t sound like anything broke.
“What the hell, Chan! That was—” Seungkwan stops mid sentence as well, his footsteps stopping in the entryway. “Oh, Soonyoung, what did you do?”
“Are you okay?” Chan asks.
Soonyoung nods—correction, he tries to nod, but his skin thickens and becomes harder halfway up his neck, turning into a stiff rind that doesn’t budge. He runs his hand over it again, smooth with gentle bumps, curving wider than his natural head. He can just barely reach the top, which curves into a little concave, centering around a little, thick stem.
“It’s not that bad!” Soonyoung says. His voice comes out all muffled.
“You have a pumpkin for a head,” Seungkwan says flatly.
“Is that what it is?” Soonyoung says. “I can’t actually see myself. Or anything.”
“Did Soonyoung just say he went blind again—Holy shit!” Seokmin apparently finally walks in. He walks closer until Soonyoung can hear his breathing. Has he always been able to hear that? Did he get enhanced hearing with the pumpkin head?
“Woah,” Seokmin says, way too close to his face. Seokmin pats his pumpkin cheek, but with a head both bigger and heavier than normal, it sends Soonyoung teetering to the side. Seokmin grabs him by the shoulders, straightening him. “Sorry.”
“How did you do this?” Seungkwan asks, finally overcoming his initial shock.
“It was a simple spell,” Soonyoung says. “At least it was supposed to be. A shortcut to carving faces into pumpkins, Joshua said it was easy, I don’t know what went wrong!”
“You tried a spell from Joshua,” Seungkwan says. Soonyoung doesn't need sight to see him shaking his head, frowning at Soonyoung for yet another idiotic escapade. “Everyone knows he spends so much time on his hair that it fucks up the energetic balance of his spells.”
“It’s true,” Chan says. “Remember the time Jun tried to use his spell for cleaning? I don’t think his eyebrows ever recovered.”
“Dude, you’re gonna have a pumpkin head forever,” Seokmin says.
“No!” Soonyoung cries. “It’ll be fine! It’s reversible!”
“I know you slept through most of Fundamentals, but even you know that not all spells are reversible,” Seungkwan says.
“But Joshua said—”
“And don’t trust anything Joshua tells you.” Seungkwan sighs.
Soonyoung refuses to believe he’s stuck like that. “It turned out okay for that Jack guy.”
“Who?”
“You know, Jack, from that Halloween movie, with a pumpkin for a head.” Soonyoung turns his head as best he can, trying to determine if his hearing has left him too.
“Do you mean Jack Skellington?” Seokmin finally asks. “From the Nightmare Before Christmas?”
“Yeah, that guy!”
“Soonyoung, he was a skeleton,” Seokmin says.
“I thought he had a pumpkin head first.”
“He was the pumpkin king,” Chan offers.
“With a pumpkin head?” Soonyoung asks.
“Have you seen the movie?” Seokmin asks.
“Well no,” Soonyoung admits.
“We’re getting off track,” Seungkwan says. “Though that’s a crime and we will be watching it. As soon as we get your head back.”
“So you do think I can get my head back!” Soonyoung would grin if the skin of his face wasn’t so stiff.
“We’ll figure it out,” Seungkwan says. Something scrapes against the floor, and Soonyoung hears Seungkwan flop into a chair. Seokmin throws his arms around Soonyoung’s shoulders.
“So what would happen if we poked your eyeholes?” Chan asks.
“I have eyeholes?”
“Yeah, you’ve got the whole jack-o-lantern thing going on,” Chan says. “No light though… What do you think would happen if we opened you up like a real pumpkin? Do you think you’ve got brains up in there or pumpkin goop?”
“Let’s not find out,” Soonyoung says quickly. He lets Seokmin guide him to the couch, sitting and resting his heavy head against the wall.
“What are you going to do about YN?” Seokmin asks.
Soonyoung has become familiar with having a blank slate in his head. More often than not, it feels like one thought at a time rattles around until it makes its way into a bad joke or a stunt with varying degrees of success. He’s even used to having a blank slate when it comes to you, the source of his pounding heart and favorite smiles. It’s no surprise he can’t think of an answer to Seokmin’s question. He can’t even fathom the question itself, the words twisting themselves in his head until he’s convinced he has pumpkin soup for brains.
“YN could probably fix it,” Seungkwan says. Of course you could. You’re you, the single most advanced magician the world has seen since… ever. You’re the smartest, most talented person he knows, if there’s anyone that could fix him with a snap, it would be you.
“Of course, that means admitting to YN that you did this to yourself,” Chan says. “Is that proper first date etiquette?”
“It’s not a date,” Soonyoung says with a groan.
“Right,” Seungkwan says. “You just want it to be one.”
“Are you sure it isn’t a date?” Seokmin asks. “It’s a dance that you agreed to attend together.”
“It’s not a date!” Soonyoung says. “Though, yes, I wish it was one.”
“I don’t get why you won’t just ask them out,” Chan says. “Do you really think you’d get rejected? They agreed to go to the dance with you.”
“We agreed to meet at the dance and hang out,” Soonyoung says. “I’m not even picking them up.”
“At least you have someone you’re going with,” Seokmin grumbles. “I’m stuck being a part of the three musketeers again.”
“There were four of them,” Seungkwan says, “and speak for yourself.”
“Since when do you have a date?” Soonyoung asks.
“This morning,” Seungkwan says smugly. “And don’t even think about begging for details, you won’t get any.”
“I guess it’s just the two of us,” Chan says.
“You are not my date,” Seokmin says. “I’d rather third wheel with Soonyoung and YN.”
“I’m going to have to see YN like this,” Soonyoung says. He slides farther down the couch, pumpkin head pointed toward the sky. “I can’t even see.”
“You’re lucky it’s a masquerade ball,” Seungkwan says. “What would you do if it was suit and tie?”
Soonyoung groans. “I was going to wear the velvet suit.”
“So wear it,” Seokmin says.
“It’s leopard print,” Soonyoung says, “I had a matching mask and everything.”
“Right, maybe just the suit you wore to Jeonghan’s wedding,” Seokmin says.
“How do you own multiple suits?” Chan asks.
“He got this one specially for the ball,” Seungkwan says. “Worked double shifts at the café to afford it, all so he can look nice for his not-date with YN.”
“It’s going to be fine,” Seokmin says, patting Soonyoung on the shoulder.
Soonyoung groans and wishes he could stare at the ceiling. Instead all he sees is a black expanse, an emptiness like nothing he’s ever seen. What if this really is forever? He pictures your face, image popping into his mind in an instant, the lines of your face, the way the corners of your eyes curl up when you smile—how he wishes he could see you smile again.
.
.
Soonyoung reaches out, letting Seungkwan pull him out of the car. Seungkwan throws an arm over his shoulder, Seokmin appearing at his other side to do the same, each of his friends doing their best to keep him on his feet as they cross the parking lot. A car door slams shut and they freeze, dragging Soonyoung to a stop.
“Wow, you guys weren’t joking, huh,” Vernon says.
“I told you,” Seungkwan says. “Pumpkin head.”
“What do you think is up there?”
“His brain, I hope,” Chan says.
“I think it’s hollow and filled with the stringy bits like a real pumpkin,” Seokmin says. “Seungkwan won’t let me crack it open to find out.”
“Absolutely not,” Seungkwan says. “Though you’re probably right.”
Vernon hums. “Pumpkin, spice and everything nice.”
“Isn’t the saying ‘sugar and spice?’” Soonyoung asks.
There’s a beat of silence before Seungkwan says, “He just shrugged.”
“Right, you can’t see anything,” Vernon says. “Is it reversible?”
“It’s a Joshua spell,” Seungkwan says.
“Yeesh,” Vernon says. “I’ve seen Jun’s eyebrows.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence,” Soonyoung says. “Can we please get this night over with?” The guys laugh but start walking again.
“Don’t let it get you too down,” Chan says. “You still have a hot date!”
“Not a date!” Soonyoung says. “How many times do I have to tell you guys?”
“A date?” Vernon asks.
“He asked YN to accompany him tonight,” Chan explains, “which apparently isn’t a date.”
“Right,” Vernon says. “Wait, the YN?”
“Is there any other?”
“You’ve got big dreams, dude,” Vernon says.
“Stairs,” Seungkwan warns. They pause, letting Soonyoung lift his foot up a little too much higher than it needs to be, arms around his shoulders keeping him from toppling over when the step is lower than he expects. They move at a snail’s pace up the stairs.
“I can’t believe the Academy sprung for an actually decent venue,” Chan says. His voice comes from the other side of Seokmin.
“Probably means they skimped out on something else,” Seungkwan says.
“It better not be the food,” Seokmin says. “I’m hungry.”
Soonyoung’s stomach flips though he can’t tell if it’s because he’s hungry too or because they’ve reached the top of a smooth staircase. He nearly slips on the waxed stone beneath his feet.
“Ready?” Seungkwan asks.
Soonyoung sighs. “Let’s do this.”
The boys drop their arms, though Seokmin stays true to his word, pressing his shoulder against Soonyoung. Seungkwan squeezes his arm one final time then vanishes, ignoring Chan’s taunt about his alleged date. Vernon makes a beeline for the buffet table, shoving some poor freshmen out of his way according to Seokmin.
Allegedly, the masquerade ball is being held in the oldest building in the city, a church designed in the 1300s and built without a single spell. There’s some irony about hosting the Academy of Magic’s annual graduation ball here, with each perfectly imperfect stone a testament to a world without magic. All Soonyoung knows is that the music echoes and the air isn’t stuffy, despite the throng of bodies Seokmin describes.
“Do you see YN anywhere?” He asks softly.
“It’s a masquerade ball,” Seokmin says. “I don’t see anyone.”
“They’re wearing green,” Soonyoung says. Stupid pumpkin head. He could find you in a heartbeat, mask or not—though evidently not blind.
He takes another step but instead of flat stone his shoes press down on bumpy leather.
“Ow!” Someone says.
“Sorry!” Soonyoung says.
“Give him a break, Jihoon, he can’t see anything,” Seokmin says.
“Soonyoung?” Jihoon asks. “I thought Cinderella was supposed to come in a pumpkin carriage, not come with a pumpkin for a head.”
“Very funny,” Soonyoung says. “Have you seen YN?”
“You really are shooting for the fairy tale, aren’t you?” Jihoon says. “You’re not Cinderella though. Maybe Rapunzel. Did she have a Prince Charming? YN is definitely a Prince Charming.”
“Have you seen them or not?”
“Nope,” Jihoon says. “They might be by the buffet, though not for long. The food sucks.”
Seokmin groans. “I knew it.”
Jihoon must walk away, because he doesn’t say anything. He’s right—Soonyoung’s a fool for dreaming about anything with you. You’re not just Prince Charming, you’re the whole royal court. Are you even looking for him? He doesn’t blame you for not being able to find him. He’d told you his mask would be a surprise, back when he was dressed in a tailor-cut suit and could see himself in the mirror to make sure he looks good. The jacket on his shoulders now hangs a size too large, hardly the dashing image he dreamed of. Jihoon was right the first time, he’s Cinderella and the clock struck midnight early.
“You said YN’s in green, right?” Seokmin asks, almost whispering in Soonyoung’s ear.
“Yeah.” He pauses. “Wait, do you see them?”
“That’s not much of a mask, Seokmin.” Your voice comes from in front of him. “You too, Chan, it’s disappointing. Get on Soonyoung’s level.”
Seokmin snorts. “Hi YN.”
“Hi Soonyoung,” you say, ignoring Seokmin. “You weren’t joking about having a killer mask.” You actually sound impressed. He takes that as a good sign.
“Thanks,” he says. “You, uh… I was looking for you.”
“Me too,” you say. You must have stepped closer, soft voice echoing in his ears.
“It looks so real,” you say. “It must be so hard to see.”
“You have no idea,” Seokmin mutters. Soonyoung elbows him.
Your hand falls onto his elbow, sliding down to lace your fingers with his and Soonyoung forgets he has a pumpkin for a head, forgets he’s wearing a suit that doesn’t fit, he forgets how much of an idiot he is, hell, he forgets his own name.
“So, what do I have to do to get my date alone?” You ask.
“Date?” Soonyoung chokes. He feels Seokmin leave his side, Chan’s yelp of protest nearly a mile away from him.
“We’re at a dance together,” you say. “Is that not a date?” Your fingers loosen, slipping away from him. He squeezes out of instinct, keeping your hand in his.
“I didn’t think of it as one,” he says. “But it can be. If you want.” He tries to run his hand through his hair but smacks his pumpkin face instead. “This isn’t how I wanted any of this to go,” he mutters.
“Look, if you don’t want it to be a date, it’s fine,” you say, forcing him to let go of your hand. “It doesn’t have to mean anything, I just—”
“YN, I want to go on a date with you,” Soonyoung says. “I want—I want to date you, to call you mine. I want you to call me yours. I like you, so much, and I know you hear that all the time, so that’s why I didn’t think this was a date. I thought…”
“What?” You ask. “That I go to the biggest event of the year with just anyone? Soonyoung, of course I like you.”
“But I’m a C-tier magician on my best day,” he blurts out.
“So what?” You ask. Your hands find his again. You stand so close he can feel the warmth radiating from you. Maybe it’s his imagination or maybe the pumpkin head really did give him super hearing because he swears he can hear your heart pounding.
“I like you, Soonyoung,” you say. “And you like me, too.”
No matter how hard he tries to smile, his face doesn’t move. “This still doesn’t count as a first date, though.”
“Why not?”
“It’s got to be a proper date,” he says. “Dinner and a walk in a park, you know.”
“I didn’t take you for a traditionalist,” you say.
“I’m not,” Soonyoung says. He just can’t tell you he refuses to have his first date with you like this, blind and unable to even smile back at you.
“Is a dance too much like a date?” You ask. “Could you stand it anyways?”
Soonyoung freezes. “I can’t dance.”
“See, now I know for a fact you’re lying,” you say. “Are you forgetting that we’ve had three of these balls? I’ve quite literally seen you do the splits.”
“You remember that?” Soonyoung’s heart feels like it’s pumping glitter through his veins.
“Soonyoung.” The smile has vanished from your voice. You squeeze his hands. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” Soonyoung says, “except this isn’t a mask or a helmet, this is kind of my head.”
“The pumpkin?”
“Joshua spell,” he says. “I was trying to carve pumpkins for our front porch.”
“Soonyoung,” you say, patting his cheek. He can feel it, your fingers against the rough skin, though it’s like he’s wearing two hundred masks.
“I can’t see anything,” he admits, “And my head is so heavy I can’t walk without falling over, let alone dance.”
“Well, it’s Joshua, so it could just wear off,” you say. “Maybe there’s a Cinderella caveat and it’ll reset at midnight.”
“God, I hope so.” He sighs.
“Hm, you don’t need God, just me.” You tug him slowly out of the room, chilly night air telling him that you’ve brought him outside. You lead him to the steps, sitting him down and standing between his legs, placing your hands on either side of his face.
“Don’t move,” you whisper. You smell like cinnamon and something else, something sweet. “This might pinch.”
He curls the hem of his suit jacket in his fingers, squeezing as tight as he can but keeping his head still. You won’t hurt him. He’s heard horror stories of exploding heads from spells meant to pop zits. But you’re the best magician, maybe in the world. If he can trust anyone, it’s you.
Pressure builds up in his ears, like he’s on a plane going up far too fast, and then it pops and he blinks and Soonyoung can see again. His eyes take a moment to adjust, blurry vision clearing to see you standing over him, hands hovering over the sides of his face.
You glow—not just because you’re positively the prettiest person he’s ever seen in his life, but literally. A golden halo hovering above your head lights up your face, even prettier than he remembered, cheeks dusted with glitter. Mask nowhere to be seen, he can see the individual sparkles, count the eyelashes that flutter a breath away from his.
“Hi,” he breathes.
“Hey you,” you say. “You’re back.” You rest your hands on his shoulders.
“You look amazing,” he says.
You grin. “And you look like you.”
He tilts his head. “You didn’t like the pumpkin?”
You lean closer, pressing the ghost of a kiss on his lips. “I like a face I can kiss much better.”
You stand up as if nothing happened, laughing at the astonishment on his face. He snaps his jaw shut.
“You call that a kiss?”
You shrug. “Take me on a date and find out.”
Soonyoung jumps to his feet, following you as you walk back inside. You slow down until he catches up, holding out your hand for him to hold. It fits better than he ever thought it would.
“You still want to dance?” He asks.
You grin, spinning to face him. “It’s a slow dance.”
“I don’t mind.” He tugs you closer, raising your intertwined hands while placing his free hand on your waist. Yours falls on his shoulder. It hardly qualifies as dancing, swaying back and forth more than anything else. He’s never been happier on the dance floor.
“This so counts as our first date.”
#🌟 stars galaxy#caratlibrary#seventeen x reader#svt reader#seventeen fanfic#seventeen fanfiction#seventeen fluff#kwon soonyoung#hoshi#svt hoshi#soonyoung x reader#hoshi x reader#hoshi fluff#soonyoung fluff#soonyoung#svt x reader
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14 for Jack Skellington! :3c
14. Falling asleep together
To say that Jack’s bones ached was an understatement. They practically creaked with each step. The preparations for this year’s Halloween were especially grueling, each plan becoming more extensive by the day. He lumbered up the steep steps, eye sockets struggling to stay open. The skeleton finally made it up to the door, entering his home.
He was greeted by a ghost dog excitedly licking his face. Jack tiredly chuckled, giving the polter-pup a good ear scratch. “Hello Zero.” He barked happily, causing him to give Jack more kisses. “He’s been waiting for you so patiently.” The Pumpkin King brought his attention to a woman, leaning against the kitchen door frame. Jack grinned widely, patting Zero once more before approaching her. “I’m sorry to keep the both of you waiting.” He wrapped his lanky arms around his wife, placing a gentle kiss on her forehead.
“It’s ok babe. No need to worry.” Alicen gave him a peck on the cheek. The skeleton let out a worn sigh, the weariness of the day hitting him at full force. The woman cocked her head in concern. Before Alicen could question him, Jack lifted his gaze to the stairs. “Are the children awake?”
“No. They went to bed two hours ago.”
He sadly huffed. “I wanted to know how Dirge’s presentation went. He was so excited about it…” She gave him a sympathetic smile, lovingly squeezing his arms. “It’s ok Jack. He’ll tell you all about it tomorrow. He knows how busy this time of year is for you.” He only nodded; face still crestfallen. Alicen’s heart went out to the skeleton. She would be lying if she said it didn’t bother her that he was gone practically most of the day and night. But she knew that was the price to pay when you’re married to the Pumpkin King. The woman took his cheeks in her hands. “C’mon. Let’s get you to bed. You look like you have one foot in the grave.” Jack chuckled softly. “I’m a little more than one foot in, darling.”
Shortly after, the two were in their bed, nestled against each other. Alicen was reading her Bible while petting a now sleeping Zero. Jack was silently watching her from the corner of his eye socket. Just simply staring at his beloved helped to calm his racking nerves and ragged bones. He rested his skull on top of hers, snaking his boney fingers between hers. Alicen grinned, closing her book. “So, what did the Mayor think of this time?” Only silence answered her.
“…Jack?”
Still no answer. She worriedly looked toward her husband to find out that Jack was sound asleep. She sighed in relief. Alicen carefully laid him down, covering him with the blanket. She then kissed Jack’s nose. “Good night, Jack. I love you,” she whispered lovingly. The woman snuggled close to him, resting her head and hand on his rib cage. She too, soon fell to slumber.
#I'M SORRY THIS TOOK FOREVER TO WRITE!#ask the love nest#selfship ask game#selfship#selfinsert x canon#selfinsert#the nightmare before christmas#tnbc#tnbc jack skellington#jack skellintong#jackcen#skeleton#skeleton x human#skeleton husband#monster#monster x human#monster husband#my writing#ask
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World of Dreams
Summary: Jack and Sally's first time in Dream Town together. And the first of many.
Ship: Jack/Sally Skellington
WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS TO THE SEQUEL NOVEL, Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, WRITTEN BY SHEA ERNSHAW. If you haven't read the book yet or want to avoid spoilers, please do not read the fic!!
This fic is considered to be part of an AU and not compliant to my other TNBC works. Please keep that in mind while reading! Thank you!
--
The Hinterlands forest is an eerie place, when one is in Halloween Town. It begins with tall, impeding trees - branches following the wind to form unsettling faces and figures. These are tricks to the unknowing eye, but the lands do it intentionally. To make one feel truly alone while wandering, susceptible to scares the creatures can impose on them. Nature purposefully winds down the longer you go, to make victims feel like the world around them is physically spinning .
It is a natural delusion - a safety measure set it in place, to drive humans to madness before they���d stumble upon the town.
Jack Skellington walked down the dirt path with ease, his arm interlocked with a shorter figure beside him. Sally admired the bats scurrying around in the dark sky - listening to the distant howls and screaming from Halloween Town, which was left far behind them. In her other hand remained a wicker basket, filled with Halloween-like goodies and presents. To present to her family in Dream Town, as a formality for their first proper visit.
The ragdoll bowed her head at the thought. Family . The concept was hard to grasp - having a father and mother of her own, who looked and acted just like her. Ragdolls of her own kind…in a town only several minutes away. She belonged in Halloween Town - with Jack and Zero, and the rest of her people…but it gave her a sense of belonging elsewhere . One that made her giddy, fingertips buzzing as she held onto her skeleton tighter.
He noticed her grip, the usual smile etched onto his skull. “-Nervous?”
“...A little.” She confessed. He brought his hand down to interlock his fingers with hers, giving an assuring squeeze of the palm. She reciprocated the gesture. “-I know I met them already, and I’ve seen the town before, but…it’s our first dinner with my parents. How can I not be?”
“The way I think of it, it’ll be the first of many.” He noticed the look on her face and added: “-I’m positive it will go well.”
They approached the set of holiday trees. While they normally glistened in the pumpkin sun, each of the seven doors had a slight glow to them in the moonlight. To symbolize their presence in the magical forest, so any wandering soul can find their way back home. The two walked past them, deeper, into the part of the Hinterlands where light did not quite reach – and found the once-hidden, abandoned crescent moon door. This one had a slight bioluminescence to it, after finally being uncovered from the thickets of thorns that once blocked the doorway.
The King of Halloween stepped forward and opened it. He was greeted with scents of lavender and chamomile. The gust embraced his figure and brought a strange calmness - the numbness one feels in their limbs right before they fall asleep. He shook out of his dozing to step back and bow politely, motioning in its direction with a bony wrist. He winked at her.
“After you, my Queen.”
Sally Skellington grinned as she took his hand. They were soon falling, almost flying, into the gentleness of the cloud-like transportation.
—---
It was the skeleton’s first time in Dream Town, so he was understandably curious with everything he saw. His sockets observed their surroundings intently, looking at peaceful streams of colored water in nearby creeks. He listened to the sounds of crickets and other sleep-inducing noises around them. They soon approached the lavender crops. The large wall still circled the town, but residents were free to come through as they pleased now.
They could hear the distant hooting of an owl. Sally urged him to come along. They walked through the fields, exchanged brief greetings with the farmers they encountered, before officially entering the town. Jack was once again gawking at everything they passed - from the clay-like cottages, to the various pillows, blankets, and mattresses scattered around the floors and benches…to the people wearing nightgowns and pajamas. He was absorbed in it all. He eavesdropped on some nearby conversations and couldn’t help noticing the rhyming and strange riddles in which they spoke.
“This is all so fascinating,” He said under his breath. There was an excited gleam in her husband’s eyes. “To think this is where you’ve come from…I’ve wanted nothing more than to see this.”
Her phantom heart skipped a beat. What affected her the most was…how badly he wanted this. Visiting this place together was the first thing on his mind. To know where she was from, to properly see and experience Dream Town for himself – so he could learn everything he could about her. She’d never known anyone more caring than him. It made butterflies emerge in her stomach. She leaned up to kiss the underside of his jaw. He smiled at her in return, eyes half-lidded.
“Sally!”
They were interrupted by a couple of voices. They found two ragdolls practically skipping over - their faces brightened with stitched smiles. Greta embraced her daughter tightly with no hesitation, and Albert the same. She returned their hugs. There was a sense of belonging from this sign of affection - to feel the same seams on their fingers and cheeks…a familiarity she’d grown to miss, no matter how short it was…
They pulled away and looked at Jack, who offered his hand in return. Albert shook it respectfully, looking just as delighted with his presence. Greta was too preoccupied with the Pumpkin Queen’s stitches, making a fuss of her yarn hair. Sally giggled at this small display, knowing for the first time what it was like to be primped. It was nothing like when the Vampire Prince and Helgamine embellished her.
“The Pumpkin King! It’s a pleasure to see you again. Please, accept my apologies. Time has been of the essence…” Albert bowed his head slightly. The other man grinned in return.
“No trouble at all! Thank you for inviting me. This is a great honor!”
“--And a shared one, at that.” Greta butted in. She looked downwards and pointed to the basket held in Sally’s hand. “What is that you’re carrying, dear?”
“Oh!” She had forgotten all about it. She wasted no time offering it to them. “Goodies from Halloween Town. I brought some of my remedies and apothecaries. There are also fine cobwebs, moss scrubs, and chocolate-covered beetles you can sample.”
They looked surprised as they took the basket, lifting it with uncertainty. They eyed their gifts for a moment, indifferent, until the smiles returned to their lips. Greta grabbed one of the aforementioned treats and tilted her head. The beetle squirmed in her grasp and she involuntarily yelped. It flew from her hand and was promptly caught by Sally’s.
“That one was still alive !” She hollered. Her daughter smiled and took a bite, not minding the kicking legs. She soon ‘ mmm’ d at the flavor.
“These ones are the best..! The most exquisite beetles are the ones that squirm down your throat.” She turned to the skeleton and beamed. “Although Jack’s favorite are blood-covered scorpions.”
“-We can bring some of those next time, if you’d like.” He offered.
Her parents stared at them for a long time, bewildered. They coughed politely and led them further into town. The sky was at a beautiful twilight above them, as it always was. Stars were beginning to gleam in the distance, though the time was still not quite night. The moon remained full and colored a brilliant white, contrasted to the yellow crescent in Halloween Town right now. The Pumpkin King scratched his skull as he gazed at their horizon.
“Our chefs are still preparing dinner, so there’s enough time for a tour, if you’d like.” Greta moved her attention to Sally. “We only briefly showed you what we have here. We were a little… rushed at the time. There’s so much more we can tell you.”
She nodded. “Lead the way, please.”
Jack clasped his hands together, exhilarated to begin the tour. The Governors went into insightful detail about things this time around. The two were brought into their research facility, where they got a closer look at the sleepwalking subjects and listened to their studies, advancements, and theories placed in the field. They also got an inside-look into the dream sand factory, getting to see the process in action - blending stardust, moonbeams, and pinches of yawns into their batches. They refrained from showing them the yawning trees, for their safety.
Sally had her eyes attentively on her husband the entire time, wanting to see his reaction to all of this. He looked completely mesmerized, absorbed in everything they told him and even asking about things he didn’t know. He was informed of their language and attempted to speak in rhymes and riddles for himself. He was better at it than she ever would be. They collectively agreed to simply use their ‘ flat language ’ from thereon, which was a relief, since she would’ve surely gotten a headache trying to understand them.
The tall skeleton halted in his tracks when they approached a large structure - titled ‘ Lullaby Library ’. He was excited as they stood there, listening to her parent’s stories of its construction, book selections, and transportation to the human world. He jumped in elation when they were led inside, and wasted no time drinking up the sight of bookshelves, dozing visitors, and candles that lit the dark interior. The dim lighting in here didn’t bother him one bit. He went around taking note of everything they had. Greta couldn’t help noticing his enthusiasm.
“A bookworm?” She asked politely. He didn’t hear her - far too busy reading the titles on lucid dreaming. Sally turned and smiled.
“Oh, yes, Jack is obsessed with reading. He has the biggest library in all of Halloween town, right in the Skellington Manor. He and I read together all the time.”
Her eyes lit up at this information, watching the thin figure fingering through the pages of literature. She laid a hand on her shoulder. “He’s going to love it here.”
Sally knew that already. The moment she first stepped in the Lullaby Library, she instantly thought of Jack, thinking how much he would love it. The comfortably dark atmosphere and endless amounts of books would keep him at bay for a century. She desired for him to kiss her in a place like this - in the dark corners of a library, unseen in the solitude of knowledge. A purple blush grew on her cheeks at this thought. She returned to his side, snapping the skeleton out of his frenzied interest when she brought her hand into his.
“Do you want to see the door?” She offered. “It’s on the top floor.”
He nodded and returned the book to its place, happily following Albert and Greta up the winding staircase. They found the aforementioned entrance - its wood having a familiar burn like a candle’s flame once encased it. There was a small glow beyond its frame, golden in color. He marveled at this sight while Sally gazed at it almost nostalgically. Just past this door is a different world entirely, much like their Holiday trees in the Hinterlands.
“From Dream Town, you can enter a human library in any location you want,” Albert began confidently. “All you have to do is think of where you’d like to be, and that’s where you’ll go.”
“It was how I got into the human world when I was here,” Sally explained as she played with her hair. Her eyes came to the other ragdolls. “I’m glad you didn’t destroy it.”
“As are we.”
“Halloween Town leads to the catacombs in human cemeteries,” Jack muttered, bringing a hand to feel its surface. “Our world is associated with death. It’s how we get newly-deceased residents into town.”
Albert stepped forward. “Ours reside in libraries because we are a world of imagination - dreams and fantasies, which are found in books and stories. Tales are sometimes read to ease children to sleep. It’s only natural we’re linked this way.”
Sally blinked thoughtfully at what she just learned. Before more could be exchanged, a small child came running up the steps. Sally recognized the little boy who showed her around Dream Town when she was first here and helped her out of that locked room. He addressed Albert and Greta with a polite nod.
"Governors, Edwin said the chefs are nearly done. The food is almost ready.'
"Perfect. Thank you," Greta dismissed him. She turned to Jack and Sally. "We'll start heading to the house and then we can have a nice supper."
They turned on their heels and led them back downstairs. Jack's posture slumped as he reluctantly followed after, clearly disappointed their time here was so brief. He wouldn't mind being here for years - eternity , even. His wife noticed this and squeezed his arm assuringly. He perked up as she leaned over to whisper:
"Don't worry. We'll be back ."
—----
The Governors' house didn't have the same gothic architecture of the Skellington Manor, but it was still impressive. Edwin excelled in its upkeep, ensuring there was no speck of dust on any portrait frames or cobwebs collecting in the corners of rooms. The butler welcomed them kindly as they entered, allowing their new guests to admire the interior. There was music playing in the background, a gentle melody that could lull any listener to sleep. Jack and Sally remained awake as they followed them down the halls, basking in her childhood home.
The royal couple expected to be led straight to the dining table, but were instead brought to the living room. There was an antique camera situated in the middle of the floor, pointed at a wall with a painted foreground, reminiscent of a cloudy sky with soft blues, whites, and purples. Vases of lilacs sat around the area. A couple of chairs with soft, pillow-like cushions waited with them.
Confusion marked their faces. Sally went to ask what this was until Greta placed her small hands on her own. She looked at the smaller ragdoll endearingly.
"We're sorry for not asking you this sooner, but we haven't had a picture of you since you were a child." The breath hitched in her throat. Tears threatened to come to her eyes. "We simply want a new memory of you - to see how much you've grown."
"A family portrait." Albert added with an uncertain smile.
She found no harm in the idea and tipped her head. The two ragdolls beamed and ushered her over right away. Edwin came into the room with confident strides, preparing the camera while the family got ready. Sally and Greta sat in the provided chairs while Albert stood behind them both, a hand on each of their shoulders. When they were completely situated, their eyes immediately darted to Jack Skellington, who had gotten comfortable in the doorway watching them.
He perked up seeing everyone’s attention on him. The situation dawned on the skeleton and he offered a polite smile. “I, um, don’t want to intrude-”
Greta motioned him over with her finger. He refused to budge. “-Really, I understand if-”
“-You’re family now, son.” Albert stated matter-of-factly, briskly walking over and pushing the tall man forward. “As far as we’re concerned, you belong here. We wouldn't have it any other way.”
Sally grinned as her husband joined them from behind, resting his hand on her unoccupied shoulder. He looked uncertain and bent down to stay in-frame. Albert smirked as he patted him on the back. Greta shot an appreciative look his way. The Pumpkin King finally released the breath he’d been holding. He felt welcomed. Embraced , even. He’d never felt an experience like this - to be involved in a family that wasn’t his own. He remained in solitude for many years, but now he had Sally …and the Governors in Dream Town.
It was a delightful thought to him.
—---
The picture came out wonderfully. Jack and Sally received their own copy and held onto it dearly. She had a great spot in mind for it back in the Skellington Manor.
The four adults were in a good mood as they finally moved into the dining room, where a table was already set and made presentable. Jack held the chair out for Sally and assisted her into it, before setting himself down in his. They admired vases of flowers and the light-purple tablecloth. Every seat in this world was unimaginably comfortable - cushions the softest they have ever felt, backings feeling like mattresses. They were practically invitations to fall asleep in. Halloween Town would dread them in a terrible way.
Sally watched Edwin pour from a container into their cups. She blinked as she looked at her tea, sniffing it curiously. “-What flavor is this?”
“They’re herbal teas,” Greta answered. “They’re flavored like a honey-sweet chamomile.”
Without missing a beat, she and Jack took hefty gulps. They agreed on the taste right away. Sally was nearly addicted to the sensation, drinking it all right away and having to refill only minutes in. The butler returned with a small bowl of toasted almonds and set it between them. He was thanked and returned promptly to the kitchen. Jack grabbed a few and popped them into his mouth. Sally held one between her fingers thoughtfully.
“What is it like to eat here? What do our kind even eat ..?”
“Dream Town prefers foods that help sleep quality and even induction. It’s said that almonds help boost this.” Albert informed as he took some for himself. “It’s a fascinating thing to study, really - what foods and drinks help you sleep better. Our diet practically exists around it.”
Her ruby lips parted as she absorbed this information. Greta leaned forward politely. “What is food like in your world?”
“We have a wide variety, but rot and mold are quite popular. Since we have so many creatures, there are a lot of accommodations - while garlic is loved by many, the vampires are highly allergic, for one. We all have a soft spot for blood and insects, though.” Jack explained, in-between his munching.
The shorter figure nodded along to his words. “Eyeballs, rat’s tails, pumpkins, and worms are also beloved. A common decadence we share with other worlds is our love for chocolate and candy.”
Again, Greta and Albert looked completely baffled. It was becoming painfully obvious that their worlds were different. Although their daughter ended up in a rather strange place in their eyes, they still loved and cared for her all the same. Perhaps, if she enjoyed these things….then they could, too. The way she talked about Halloween Town and their habits sounded pleasant, like she was proud . Of the place she’s come from and the people she reigned over. They wouldn’t have it any other way.
They forced their postures upright and smiled respectfully. Albert cleared his throat. “As… different as that all is, I think it’s something we could try someday.”
Her eyes lit up at his words. “You think so?”
“Why not? I’ve eaten worse things.” He laughed. Greta batted at his elbow and he hushed down. “We’ll plan a trip to Halloween Town soon. We would love to see it, Sally.”
The Pumpkin Queen fluttered her eyelashes, overwhelmed with what she was hearing. “That…means a lot to me. Thank you.”
They went to speak, but were interrupted by the head chef and Edwin proudly striding into the dining room. They presented plates of cooked turkey, white rice, and vegetables before them. They four wasted no time digging in. Jack and Sally found the flavors pleasant - albeit a little mild compared to Halloween Town’s cuisine - but still good, nonetheless.
They exchanged conversation through their dinner. Albert happened to mention he invented daydreaming, which inspired an insightful discussion between him and Jack Skellington about nightmares and insomnia. They went on and on about the scientific aspects and their purpose between sleeping and scaring. Meanwhile, Greta and Sally talked a little more on the side, about how she’d been adjusting as the Pumpkin Queen and what everyday life was like in her town.
Dessert was eventually served, which were plates of cookies and cups of warm milk. Jack couldn’t help mentioning this was Santa Claus’ favorite food. That happened to bring up the infamous ‘Christmas’ incident…a long and enlightening tale, looked back on both fondly and worriedly. They laughed and chatted the night away, until their minds felt fuzzy and they were ready to return home.
—---
By the time Jack and Sally were back in the Skellington Manor, they barely managed to change into their nightwear before passing out on their bed. That night was particularly peaceful. They’d never slept so soundly before. And they had Dream Town to thank for it.
#the nightmare before christmas#nightmare before christmas#sally skellington#jack skellington#jack and sally#jack x sally#shea ernshaw#long live the pumpkin queen#long live the pumpkin queen spoilers#tnbc#disney#tim burton#henry selick#spoilers#dream town#albert#greta#pumpkin queen spoilers
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Hidden
Hidden deep within the forests that border Halloween Town rests a grove of lofty trees with wide trunks inset with painted doors—or that’s the way Jack Skellington tells it as they sit around a bonfire during a festival in the town square, when some peppermint candy plucked from the bag Roxas passed around has him feeling unusually nostalgic.
“I am telling you,” Jack Skellington says, pointing from Axel to Roxas to Xion, “because you all have keys—not that these doors have locks, mind you, which is curious—but, perhaps… Perhaps, you are who the doors are meant for.”
“Then again,” Jack cautions with a waggle of one long, bony finger, “when I went through, I’m told I caused quite a bit of trouble.”
“Jack,” Sally sings from across the square, where she’s helping one of her skeleton children feed breadcrumbs to the rats gathered in the shade of the fountain, “you’re not talking about all those doors again, are you?”
“Yes, pumpkin!” he calls with the air of someone who has just said ‘no.’
“Jack…” she groans.
“And do you regret it?” Axel asks.
Jack smiles a self-indulgent, massive toothy grin. “Oh no, no, no, no, no.”
* *
It’s a long walk, and only Zero knows the way. The path meanders and curves and they aren’t entirely unconvinced the ghost dog isn’t merely retracing Jack’s own pacing steps, alone in the woods with his thoughts.
They circle the grove and examine the doors, more numerous than Jack had let on, all uniquely shaped and seeming freshly painted. Axel seems to recognize a few from his childhood.
One has the shape of a heart with white fringe, and they debate whether they ought to check this first as there is most likely to be Heartless wreaking havoc on the other side. They briefly consider splitting up. In the end, in true Organization fashion, they decide they will do reconnaissance on one world a day, and opt to begin with the one the Pumpkin King has told them so much about.
Christmas Land delights and bewitches the young keyblade wielders immediately with its glittering expanses of snow and quaint cozy buildings. It’s as strange to leave the shadows and candlelight of Halloween Town for the rainbow ribbons of Christmas lights as it is to see each other’s normal faces again after so long—the deathly pallor in their cheeks replaced with a lively rosy flush from the chill. Axel pinches one of Roxas’ like he isn’t sure it’s real. Xion is the first to throw a snowball, an impish smile lighting her face.
There are gingerbread cookies to be tasted, carols twist with snowflakes on the breeze. They stroll the path through town together, arm in arm, cooing over it all, so bright and whimsical, so otherworldly after the frights and beasts they left behind.
The door did not have a lock. Upon their return to Halloween Town through a jack-o-lantern shaped door bumped into when their sled soars too deeply into a crop of pine trees, they unanimously decide it should not have one. Troublesome or not, creatures of the dark deserve the chance to stumble upon hidden light.
#kingdom hearts#axel#xion#roxas#tnbc#jack skellington#chilltobember#week 7: hidden#christmas#halloween#my writing
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Harry Hook x Skellington!Reader - Boys and girls of every age
@sweetweasleygirl
Idea for a very special Harry x reader Halloween oneshot : Reader is daughter of Jack Skellington and Sally(from a Nightmare Before Christmas), and she and Harry are datng since a month. Reader is a Halloween freaking lover and this year, she decided to show Harry what is Halloween holiday. In the end of the oneshot ,Harry became the biggest Halloween holiday fanboy ever, and he decided he and reader needs to wear couple costumes every year XD
WOULDN’T YOU LIKE TO SEE SOMETHING STRANGE?
Halloween, your favorite night of the year, the night where you could scare to your heart's delight and eat all the candy you earned.
It would also be the first Halloween you would spend with your boyfriend, harry hook.
And boy were you excited! You would show him EVERYTHING, from the pumpkins to the candy. From the trick or treating to the haunted mazes, from the ghouls under the bed to the shadow on the moon.
Everything.
Including your Halloween family. You see, harry thought you were simply someone who loved spooky and scary stuff, who loved to dress up in skeleton style clothes, and loved to scare others.
Yeah…
You kinda nervous as well, you see, you had a human appearance just like everyone else, except…every Halloween, from sundown to sunrise, you would take on your father's appearance.
Oh, you were the daughter of Jack Skellington.
Yeah…that was something interesting about you huh? Harry doesn’t know, and you-yes you the daughter of the king of scares-was scared of how he would react to your Halloween form.
A skeleton, thin and gangly, that struck horror into those who saw you.
And you were terrified that harry would fear you and leave.
Sighing, you glanced at the clock, squeaking as it read 5:00 pm, “shit!” you yelped, standing from your vanity and shoving on your jacket, pulling up the hood and grabbing your bag full of planes.
Plans for if harry decided to stay by your side tonight, plans for scares for the people of Auradon.
“bye daddy!” you yelled as you passed your tall and thin father, he laughed waving you goodbye
“see you tomorrow my little nightmare, have fun!”
“I will!”
You sat on the stair rails, sliding down and almost bumping into your mother. “oh, heading out now sweetie?”
“yeah! I said I would meet harry at 5!”
“Okay, love you, stay safe~! Say hi to harry for me!”
“yep!”
You bolted out of the house, rushing past the werewolf, the sea monster, the witches, lock shock and barrel, the musicians, and the mayor
“Hi mayor bye mayor!”
“hello (y/n)! have you got the plans for tonight's hallow-wait where are you going!? (y/n)?!”
You ran out of Halloween town, reaching the forest and quickly opening the pumpkin door, closing your eyes, imagining the Auradon forest opening, and stepping through.
A feeling of falling and you opened your eyes, stepping onto the leaf-covered ground, closing the door behind you and running forward, leaves crushing below you.
“(y/n)!” you grinned, skidding to a stop and beaming at the handsome bot before you.
“Harry!” you laughed, running and leaping into his arms, harry spinning you around before putting your down. “you came!”
“of course I did” harry hummed, nuzzling into your hair “why wouldn’t I take the chance the be with yeh?”
You snorted, pulling back, glancing at the sun, it was just starting to set, you had maybe 10 minutes before you turned.
You had to tell him...
…
But he was so warm! Fun fact, you hated the cold, you loved fall and winter, but you HATED the cold.
So harry had become your personal heater.
“because I keep doing this” you tightened your grip on him, burning your self into his chest and digging your head under his chin.
“oof, well” harry laughed, rubbing your back “I don’t mind love”
You held onto him for a good minute, before Harry spoke up again.
“so what are we doing tonight? Yeh said you had something teh show me?”
You let out a shaky breath, pulling back and glancing at the sun.
It was setting.
You had only two minutes.
“Okay, so remember when you said you wanted to meet my parents?”
Harry nodded, raising his brow “aye?”
“we-well, I needed to show you something else before that, and please please-“ the sun was setting “please don’t leave me”
“(y/n)?” harry furrowed his brows, reaching out to you, you backed away, noticing the shadows, reaching towards you. “what's wrong why are you-“
“Please don’t be sacred” you pleaded, closing your eyes, letting the shadows consume you as the sun set.
You heard harry step back, gasping as your hand's skin shadowed away and bones took its place.
Darkness bleeds away as you looked up, harry staring shocked and jumped slightly as he saw your face.
“yeh-whoa” harry breathed, but he…didnt seems to be scared? “that-is-so fucking cool!” harry beamed, walking up to you and brushing his fingers over your cheekbones.
“How did yeh do that?!”
You breathed a sigh of relief, letting him play with your fingers. “my dad, is the pumpkin king, Jack Skellington, every Halloween as the sun sets I take this form”
“that’s cool” harry giggled, biting his lip as he continued to play with your hands “you said you were gonna introduce me to them?”
You nodded “yes, but first!” you stepped back, swinging your bag off your shoulder and walking over to a flat stump, taking out your blueprints “let's do some work!”
Harry tilted his head as he read the writings and glanced over the drawing the doodles.
“wow? All yer ideas?” Harry asked, sitting down on the ground next to you. You nodded, leaning on his shoulder and pointing to a particular plan.
“yep! Dad assigned me Auradon this year, and I was wondering if you wanted to help!? This one's for Mal and her friends” harry grinned like a bobcat, reading the one you were pointing at particularly.
“I love it, im in”
---
COME WITH US AND YOU WILL SEE
Harry cackled as you high fived the headless horseman “thanks dude, have a good night!” the horse nickered, letting you pat his neck as the horseman nodded, turning his horse and trotting away.
“oh, my god lass! That was amazing!? What else is there?!”
You cackled, brining out your bullet journal, brushing your finger down the list.
“up next is dizzy, Celia, the smee twins, and Harriet hook, your sister, they are trick or treating right now, ready to scare my pirate~”
Harry grinned, tossing his arm around your boney shoulder.
“aye, my Halloween queen! let's go scare the shit out of my sister!”
=
THIS OUR TOWN OF HALLOWEEN
Fog, circles around Harriet and the younger vks, skipper and sterling, clinging to her jacket, shaking as they kept hearing footsteps echo around them.
Dizzy and Celia, clung to each other yelping as a figure appeared in the fog. “h-Harriet?! What is tha-HAAAAAAH!”
You jumped from the mist, a red iris gleaming as you cracked open your mouth, leaning over the screaming girls, Harriet squealing and leaping back, falling as the twins made her topple over.
“RAHHHHH”
Harry cackled as you stood still, the two young girls crying, Harriet shaking, and the twins whimpering.
He sighed, stepping from the shadows.
“Alright, that’s enough, yeh are all fine, its just (y/n)”
The twins bolted up, running into his arms and sobbing into his jacket, Harry frowned, kneeling down and hugging the boys close.
“Hey hey, it's okay, nothings hurting you, it was just (y/n), she was just scaring you”
“holy shit that’s (y/n)?!” Harriet blanched, staring shocked at the snickering skeleton. (y/n) waved and nodded
“yeah, sorry bout that, part of my job”
Celia released dizzy, starting to grin as she walked up to you, “wow, that’s cool, how’d you do that?” you made a happy noise, letting Celia touch your face.
“just something I can do each halloween~”
“cool~!”
Harriet sighed “alright, come on, pixie said you guys had to be back no later than 10:30, let's go” Celia frowned but obeyed, waving you goodbye.
“that was amazing love, what's next” harry was giddy, shaking with excitement, he never thought Halloween would be this fun.
You hummed, taking the plans out once more and glancing at them before you chuckled darkly.
“James Hook”
=
THIS IS HALLOWEEN
Harry watched as his father screamed in fear as dark shadows circled around him, the ticking of multiple clocks surrounded him.
“tick-tock james~” harry shivered, your voice was dripping with sadistic glee “the fear you’ve put on one, ten folded before you~”
James collapsed to the floor, covering his ears and screaming into the dark.
You materialized out of the shadows, your pale white skull stark against the dark. James' eyes widened, and he scrambled away.
“gri-grim reaper! Stay away!”
Smoke gathered around his father and girlfriend, chocking his father.
“goodnight James”
=
THIS IS HALLOWEEN
As always Halloween had to end, so you decided to call it a night and bring harry with you back home.
Harry sighed, yawning slightly as you led him through the woods, hands clasped tightly.
“where are we going, lass?”
“to meet my parents, and my home”
Harry raised his brow as you arrived to a circle of trees, watching as you walked up to the pumpkin door and open it, gesturing for him to step inside, your empty skull sockets staring oddly warmly at him.
“Welcome to Halloween town harry”
Harry stepped threw, feeling a shiver down his spine as a path appeared to lead to a town.
Seeing a scarecrow with a pumpkin on it, fallen leaves whirling with the wind, Harry looked behind him, noticing you stepping up behind him, grabbing onto his hand, your face still the skull.
Boys and girls of every age
Wouldn't you like to see something strange?
Ghosts whispered around him, shadows on tombs, fear creeping up on his spine as he took in the world around him.
Come with us and you will see
This, our town of Halloween
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Pumpkins scream in the dead of night
Harry jumped as the pumpkins were impaled, dropping from seemingly nowhere. You giggled, gripping your free hand onto his arm, anchoring him.
This is Halloween, everybody make a scene
Trick or treat till the neighbors gonna die of fright
It's our town, everybody scream
In this town of Halloween
I am the one hiding under your bed
Teeth ground sharp and eyes glowing red
Harry stepped behind you, holding your shoulders tightly as you lead him through town
I am the one hiding under your stairs
Fingers like snakes and spiders in my hair
Harry sidestepped a snake, squeaking slightly as gleaming eyes looked at him from the dark shadows.
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
In this town, we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
Harry eyed the four vampires wearily, his grip on your shoulders tightening.
He jumped at a sudden loud voice.
In this town, don't we love it now?
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise
'Round that corner, man hiding in the trash can
Something's waiting now to pounce, and how you'll
Scream!
Harry yelped, causing you to turn around and wrap your arms around him, pulling him away from the werewolf and sewer slime monster
This is Halloween
Red 'n' black, and slimy green
Aren't you scared?
Well, that's just fine
Say it once, say it twice
Take a chance and roll the dice
Ride with the moon in the dead of night
The two witches barreled over harry, one trying to grab his coat lapel before you smacked her, glaring as they cackled away.
Everybody scream, everybody scream
In our town of Halloween!
Harry paled as the clown circled around the corner, ripping off its face
I am the clown with the tear-away face
Here in a flash and gone without a trace
I am the "who" when you call, "Who's there?"
A shadow ripped by harry, making him jump and turn, to see no one there, you sighed, the townspeople were just having a blast scaring Harry, weren’t they?
I am the wind blowing through your hair
Harry shivered as his hat was tossed from his head, scrambling to pick it up before you grabbed it and put it back on him before grabbing his hand and leading him toward the town center
I am the shadow on the moon at night
Filling your dreams to the brim with fright
Harry eyed the moon wearily, recognizing the shadow that danced on it for a second
“was that Oogie?”
You turned surprised “you know who that is?”
“aye, he was on the isle?”
“oh”
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
Halloween! Halloween!
Tender lumplings everywhere
Life's no fun without a good scare
Harry jumped as two corpses appeared behind him, pushing you and harry forward to the foundation.
Harry gripped your hand tightly, stepping closer to you.
That's our job, but we're not mean
In our town of Halloween
In this town!
Don't we love it now?
Everybody's waiting for the next surprise
Harry blinked as a huge man with an axe buried in the back of his head brought in the scarecrow from earlier was brought in on the back of a wooden horse. You grinned, bringing harry forward, you couldn’t wait for your dad to meet him.
Skeleton Jack might catch you in the back
And scream like a banshee
Make you jump out of your skin
This is Halloween, everybody scream
Won't ya please make way for a very special guy
Your mom stepped out from the shadows, glancing at you and harry, gasping happily as you nodded at her when she pointed at harry and mouthed ‘harry?’
Our man Jack is King of the Pumpkin patch
Everyone hail to the Pumpkin King, now!
Harry gasped as the scarecrow came to life and grabbed a torch, lighting itself on fire and dancing on the horse.
“lass are yeh seeing this?” you giggled at his awed but fearful tone, the one everyone made when around your dad.
This is Halloween, this is Halloween
Halloween! Halloween! Halloween! Halloween!
Harry leaned forward to the fountain as your father leaped into it, his mouth slightly open in curiosity
Corpse kid and mummy kid leaned over the water, singing lightly
In this town, we call home
Everyone hail to the pumpkin song
You cackled as your father emerged from the water gloriously, hands crossed against his chest, gazing at the sky
La la la la la la la la la la (Halloween! Halloween!)
La la la la la la la la la la (Halloween! Halloween!)
You blew a wolf whistle, harry turning and seeing your dark cold brushed cheeks and bright (e/c) eyes once more. “lass yer back?” you giggled and nodded
“Halloween ended! So yep!”
Harry tossed his arm over your shoulder as the town clapped and cheered, another Halloween over and done!
Your father caught your eye and smiled as you pointed to harry, nodding.
“everyone! I would like to make an announcement!”
The town settled, you gripping Harry's hand and bringing him forward
“as you all know, my daughter was assigned to scare the united states of auradon tonight, and one important detail was, her boyfriend is a resident there! So may I please welcome and introduce?”
You grinned, leading harry front and center, your father towering over the two of you
“Harry!”
“Harry!” your father echoed, placing a boney but gentle hand on yours and Harry's shoulder. Harry looked up at him, oddly not feeling afraid but safe, knowing that the “king of Halloween” had welcomed him so easily.
“oh (y/n)! you’ve got your self a pretty one there!”
Harry twisted back around seeing one of the witches grinning devilishly at him, harry swallowed harshly, stepping slightly behind you.
“he looks delicious (y/n)!”
“so yummy! Can we have a piece!?”
Your smile dropped, glaring at the witches
“haha! He looks like he could drop any second!” the Harlequin Demon cackled
The melting man reached out to harry before your mother stepped in and slapped the hand away
“how dare you? (y/n) brought him here to meet you all, and you all act like this? You should be ashamed of yourselves, go!”
The residents huffed, turning and retreating to their homes for a night's rest.
You breathed a sigh of relief, falling back into harry as he also relaxed.
“Thanks mama” you hummed, smiling as she brushed a strand of your (h/c) hair away from your face.
“no problem my little fright, they don’t have any sense of personal space.”
“well” your father boomed, leaning down to your hights and smiling “I think its time we properly introduced ourselves, im jack Skellington, (y/n)s father” harry shook the bone mans hands, smiling slightly
“nice teh meet cha jack”
Your mother jumped to hug harry, which he winced at but accepted “and im sally, (y/n)s mom! I've heard all about you! Thank you for making my daughter so happy!”
“um” Harry mumbled, glancing at you from beneath his eyelashes, blushing slightly “yer welcome”
“now!” your mother released harry, clapping her hands together, “(y/n) has told me what you can and cannot eat, so I prepared, and had (y/n) grab things from your world, to eat dinner here! And don’t worry (y/n), there is nothing that will make him lose his appetite.”
You groaned, smiling “thanks mom”
Harry nodded “I could eat”
“Perfect!”
=
PUMPKINS SCREAM IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT
Harry yawned as you walked through the dorms, the sun rising through the windows, luckily tomorrow was a day off for the students.
“that was amazing lass, we have to do that again next year, and oh! What about matching costumes!!?”
you grinned, so happy that harry now shared your love for Halloween.
You couldn’t wait to show him your plans for next year
After all, it was only 364 days till next halloween~
--the end--
#descendants#Descendents#disney descendants#harry hook#harry hook descendants#harry hook x reader#harry hook imagine#nightmare before christmas#Halloween
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It's almost Halloween!!!! I've had this picture in mind the entire month but I only just now got it done rip. At any rate it's here now at least!
I figured Mac and Jack, especially Jack "Halloween is my favorite holiday" Dalton, would get super into family Halloween costumes once Brady came into the picture, and this first year is no exception. Brady had been obsessed with the Nightmare Before Christmas for a long time even before October, so it was an obvious choice for Mac to suggest Jack, Sally and Zero as costumes for the three. And I think they really work it well! They definitely get a lot of compliments on their costumes from the families around the neighborhood. (And don't worry, there's still a haunted house at the now Macgyver-Dalton residence! Bozer, Riley, Sam and Desi are running it while the guys are trick or treating.) All in all they have a very successful Halloween!
And now, a small peak into Halloween with the Macgyver-Dalton's!
📎🖇️📎🖇️📎🖇️📎🖇️📎🖇️📎🖇️📎🖇️📎🖇️📎
"Alright buddy, just a couple more touches of black and you'll be good to go, so hold still ok?"
Brady nodded minutely as his Uncle Bozer lifted the brush from his skin, then obediently held still. Riley chuckled from where she was hanging up a few more decorative cobwebs in the hall.
"Ya know, I didn't think I'd see the day when a Macgyver actually held still for someone, let alone a small one" she commented as she finished, turning around. "I'm pretty sure you're a blonde genius whisperer Boze."
Boze grinned as he put the makeup away, finished with the 6 year old's face paint. "What can I say, I've had years of practice."
"Hey now!" Called a voice from the hall. "We can hold still if we need to.... We just don't like to."
Brady whipped his head around with a brilliant smile. "Daddy! Uncle Bozer finished my makeup, doesn't it look great?!"
The older Macgyver smiled at his son, the painted-on stitches only widening his smile. "It does! Bozer did a great job, just like always." The man in question preened a bit at that comment.
Brady scrambled from his seat, running over to his father. "You look great too Daddy! You look just like Miss Sally!"
Mac laughed. "Well thank you, we did our best. Your Zero costume is pretty good too ya know." The child giggled at his father's praise. Just then a booming laugh came from the direction of the bedroom.
"BEHOLD! THE PUMPKIN KING HAS ARRIVED!!! HALLOWEEN MAY NOW COMMENCE!!!!!" A man in a pinstriped suit, face painted like a skeleton, emerged from the doorway with a twisted snarl on his face. He looked every bit a menacing skeleton king, ready to scare children and adults alike.
Brady giggled and sprinted over to his other father. "Papa you're so silly!" He called as he reached the man's feet. Jack mocked a look of outrage even as he picked up his young son.
"Silly?! I'm Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King! Pumpkin Kings are NOT silly! They're terrifying, striking fear into the hearts of children everywhere!" He punctuated the final statement with a playful jab at Brady's stomach, which only made the child laugh harder.
Mac joined his kid in laughter as he approached the two. "Not if youre the one playing them, Jack, sorry to disappoint you." He put an arm around the other man's waist and snuggled into his side, putting the other hand on Brady's knee. "That's ok, I like my Jack's a bit on the silly side."
Jack looked at him with a sappy smile. "Well. Maybe it's not so bad then." He leaned over and placed a quick kiss on his husband's smiling lips, much to Brady's ire.
"Aunt Riley save me! Daddy and Papa are being sappy again!!" Riley cackled at that comment.
Mac grinned wickedly. "Oh ARE we? I guess we'll just have to stop that and instead become.... tICKLE MONSTERS!!!" And the two men descended on the squealing child in their arms while the other members of their little found family laughed in the background.
#macgyver#macdalton#inktober#cbs#macgyver cbs#halloween#myart#myposts#au: canon + brady#au: canonverse#oc: brayden macgyver#angus macgyver#jack dalton#myfics#long post#drabbles
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The Halloween Hero Chapter 4 The King & Magic
Skeleton King has big dad energies and the four monsters find out how much of a sun Izuku is. Jack is going to fight anyone who tries to shoot down this boy’s dream.
Tags:
Warnings: Izuku having some big worries, Jack being a dad tm
Word Count: 1,035
Once Izuku’s brain restarted, he flung the bed sheets over his head to hide himself from the tall man? Skeleton? Undead monster in the room. He felt like crying, oh wait, he already was. Why was there a skeleton here?
“Oh dear, deary it’s okay.” The elderly female rubbed Izuku’s head. “That’s Jack – the Pumpkin King we were just telling you about.”
The rubs were grounding Izuku from his fear enough to come out from under the covers. The skeleton – Jack – had a kind smile despite having no lips. And while his eye sockets had no – well – eyes, kindness was shining within them in a way that Izuku didn’t know how. Taking another look at Jack made Izuku realize that Jack was kind and trustable.
“Sorry.”
“Don’t worry my boy! It is my specialty to scare. As long as you don’t feel like your life is in danger, there is nothing to be sorry about!” Jack’s smile turned into a grin – not a scary grin like Kacchan’s – but a prideful grin. Jack gave Izuku a rough part bow before introducing himself; “I am Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King.”
“I’m Izuku Midoriya. Nice to meet you Skellington – san.”
“Just Jack, my boy. Only Dr. Finkelstein and his wife here go by their last names.” Jack stated while motioning to Sally’s father and the elderly female. Oh! She must be Sally’s step mother – not her aunt! Izuku nodded with a smile. They were like westerns – makes sense as their holiday was major in the western side of the world!
“Okay. Call me Izuku then!”
“Very well Izuku! Now, how are you feeling?”
“Um … okay? Like I have over slept? My body feels like it is a little stiff.”
“Not surprising! You’ve been asleep for three days!” Dr. Finkelstein stated.
“What! Does my mom know where I am?!”
“Oh yes. We couldn’t give her information but we did send a basic letter telling her that you were safe and recovering.” Sally answered while cradling her head in her really tiny hands. At least they told her something. He wouldn’t want her to worry too much about him.
“Although, there is more to tell you and her. By all accounts, you should be dead.” Dr. Finkelstein stated before being smacked over the head by his wife.
“You don’t just tell him something like that out of nowhere! I am sorry Izuku but if it wasn’t for Halloween Town’s magic and Demon’s own demonic energy, you would be dead.” Mrs. Finkelstein reprimanded her husband and told the five year old.
“Wha – h – how?”
“Best to think of magic as an energy. Some people are born with the ability to use it and sometimes some people are given the ability to use it. You are a rare case of two different energies working together to bring you from the brink of death.” Jack thoughtfully explained as he tapped a bony finger on his chin. Dr. Finkelstein continued from where the Pumpkin King ended,
“Of course, it won’t have worked if you hadn’t been fighting to live yourself. See when Halloween Magic comes in contact with a recently dead body whose soul wishes to live again - it will bring the person back as the most appropriate undead creature.”
“But I’m not dead or undead.”
“Right – if you were, we would be having a very different conversation.” Mrs. Finkelstein commented with a wise nod, her husband continued on.
“The only reason that didn’t happen was because of Demon’s own energies.”
“Poor dear was so saddened when we thought you had died.”
“Wouldn’t leave your side for hours, that girl. Demonic energies have a range of powers so long as the user has control over it. Demon simply didn’t want your life to be ended so soon.”
“Wait does that mean I’m a demon now?!” The adults gave various laughs before Sally sat next to Izuku.
“No, you are still 100 % human. You will have somewhat enhanced senses and healing, but, that shouldn’t be too noticeable.” Izuku relaxed at Sally’s words. Still human, just some slightly inhuman bonuses. Not too bad, right?
“You could pass off your Halloween Magic as a quirk.” Jack stated with a wave of the hand, “It depends on the person but Halloween Magic takes different forms per resident.”
“So I can use the magic. I wonder how and what could the – ” Izuku started his muttering which none of the adults could understand. Mrs. Finkelstein was heavily reminded of her husband’s own incoherent muttering. Sally could only think of Jack when planning for Halloween. Izuku didn’t register the four’s expressions as he looked up every now and then. Slowly, Izuku’s form began to blur and change into a familiar looking creature. Once the blur was gone Izuku looked like a skeleton like Jack (in fact – he looks like a mini Jack).
“I’m a skeleton now!”
“Your Halloween Magic must let you change into whatever creature the residents of Halloween Town!” Dr. Finkelstein exclaimed as Izuku slowly shifted into a ragdoll like Sally. The boy returned back to his human form with a large grin over his face.
“I can become a hero with this!”
The four adults had a collected thought about the literal ray of sunshine sitting in front of them.
“Yes you can my boy! And all of Halloween Town will help you! The first hero of Halloween Town!” Jack picked the boy up and held him up high. Izuku’s eyes widen as tears of happiness started spilling out. Izuku bawled his eyes out with a shinnying smile. It was blinding.
“Before we help Izuku with his dreams, we need to get him home. We don’t want to keep him and his mother from each other.” Sally declared while patting the green haired boy.
“But don’t think you aren’t welcomed here as well. Halloween Town will be a home away from home.” Jack’s grin was infectious as he used a bony finger to boop Izuku’s button nose. Izuku giggle as tears began to dry.
“Little One?” A new female voice spoke as the strangest creature pawed its way in. With one look at Izuku, the creature’s one human eye widen with joy, “Little One!”
#My writing#BNHA#my hero academia#boko no hero academia#nightmare before christmas#dr. finkelstein#oc#mrs. finkelstien#sally#jack skellington#izuku#baby shines brightly
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— ✧ Introducing AUGUST SKELLINGTON the THIRTY YEAR year old descendant of JACK AND SALLY. HE has TWO SIBLINGS. HE is a TAILOR AT FOR ANY HOLIDAY. HE is known to be CHARMING AND THOUGHTFUL and SCATTERBRAINED AND RESTLESS. In another universe they’d be known as CHARLIE COX.
a boyish grin rests on his face, bright, and beautiful. that grin can hold the world. hands covered in scars, rough, but they beckon, open and out stretched. he carries with him the sense dreams, his bones are filled with flowers, draped against his bones. his skin is covered in thread, all the colors lingering remains of creation. he is a mystery, everybody’s words carved into his body, into the contour of the lines. he no longer is a man but a creature created by those he creates for.
A number. A day. A month.
Meet August.
Son of Jack and Sally
Is all smiles and charm
August is the oldest of the three and is fiercly protective of his siblings. He may be all smiles and charm but harm any part of them and he will show you what fear is.
His father being the Pumpkin King and all meant that Halloween was a big deal, Halloween in their house was all year long.
But Christmas...Christmas was a strange fascination and August loves both holidays and generally will start celebrating beginning in September.
He takes after his parents in different ways, but his mother taught him how to sew.
He is extremely talented and his designs are intricate and unique. Which is why he opened up a tailoring shop. He creates bespoke pieces for any and all occasions.
His Halloween request are filled within the first two weeks after Halloween.
The only way he survives is my making lists. Situations he can sort out with some thought but my goodness does his brain is moving at a million miles an hour he has to write lists and notes.
He’s not sure if he ever wants to take over the title of Pumpkin King. His shop is kind of everything to him at the moment.
August loves his human body. It tells as story, the lines around his eyes, the scruffy beard and wavy locks, the scars from needles and burns from hot glue, the scrapes on his knees, the physique. His most distinguishing feature though. His smile. Bright and unapologetic, welcoming and sweet. His smile makes those around him feel at ease.
Is little bit like both his parents, he’s a skeleton in Halloweentown, but he’s not as lanky as Jack, a little shorter.
August is a little like Tristan from Stardust. A kind, sweet soul, might be not be the smartest voice in the room but he is the most genuine. The little things are so important and he’s the first to remind people that the grandiose is rare but the success in what makes them happy is more important.
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Along Came a Spider
KH OC Week Day 2: Halloween Town Coda
@khoc-week
“Wow, this place is…” the violinist paused as he took in the blackened scenery that surrounded him. “Dark,” he finally let out as his eyes gazed at the ebony, brick walls and the numerous jack-o-lantern lamps that lined the stone path before him. As Coda lifted an arm to scratch his head, he couldn’t help but notice that the sweater he had been wearing was replaced with a suit of the darkest shade of midnight blue. Long, vertical, plum stripes ran down his sleeves and lead to a webbed cuff. Ah, so this is one of those worlds, he realized before taking out a small mirror that he kept in his violin case. In addition to the new clothes, four smaller eyes had been dotted beneath his own eyes, and two fangs were at the corners of his mouth. A chill ran down his spine as he examined his new, haunting appearance.
“Welp, better start looking,” he said to himself as he tucked the mirror away. He had already gone through so many worlds and Harmonia and his dad were nowhere to be found. As Coda walked down the path, he realized he might not spot them right away if the world called for a change in appearance. Thoughts raced in his head as he tried to think of what they might look like and whether they would keep some of their physical features. Remembering that Harmonia would have her flute, he relaxed a little bit.
At the end of the path, there was a large gate that lead into a plaza. Coda stood before the gate and watched as it retracted upwards, giving an ominous creak as it did. His dark blue eyes were immediately drawn to the bubbling, green fountain in the center of the area. A statue of a long, dragon-like creature hunched over the pool and seemed to have the same substance pouring from out of its mouth.
Walking up to the fountain, Coda murmured to himself, “That’s a weird way to color water.” His hand rested on the rim of the well as he bent down to get a closer look at it. The water had an odd beauty to it as it seemed to glow against the dark bricks that held it.
“Weird indeed, but you would say it’s spooky enough?” a voice came from behind, and bony fingers fell upon the boy’s shoulder.
“AH!” Coda jumped back in shock, and as he turned, he lost his balance and began to fall backwards.
“Oh, careful now.” The same skeletal hand grabbed his sleeve, preventing him from falling into the fountain. “We don’t want any accidents before Halloween now, do we?” Coda let out a few shaky breaths as he let his eyes wander up to the face of his savior. A skull with hallow eyes and wide grin stared back at him. The skeleton pulled him forward so that he wasn’t at risk of falling into the water.
“Th-thank you, um...” the violinist began to say as he watched the man straighten up to his full height. The stranger towered over Coda, and the boy though to himself, So this is what it’s like to feel short.
“Apologies. I am the Pumpkin King, Jack Skellington!” he exclaimed, throwing his slender arms into the air. “But you may just call me Jack. And what’s your name?”
“Oh, I’m Coda,” he answered, putting his hand out (though his arm hardly stretched half way to meet Jack’s).
Taking Coda’s hand in his own, Jack spoke, “A harrowing pleasure to meet you, but now I must ask about your opinion of our fountain here. See, the people of Halloween Town have had this fountain for a few centuries now, and I must know whether or not it still lives up to the people’s, and my own, expectations of scary...” Coda listened as Jack rambled on about some ideas he had to make the well even spookier than it already was. Movement behind the Pumpkin King caught the sixteen-year-old’s eye. Tuning out what the skeleton was saying, Coda focused on the ghost-like figure that floated about the square.
“Um, sorry, but is that one of the residents here?” Coda asked, pointing to the figure. Jack turned to see what he was talking about.
“I’m afraid not,” he answered. “That’s one of the monsters that have been popping up recently. I’ve been trying to come up with a gimmick so that they can be a part of this year’s Halloween.” Jack motioned for Coda to follow him. As they drew closer, Coda could make out a familiar emblem on the specter’s chest.
Quickly, he summoned his violin from it’s case and warned Jack, “Watch out! That thing’s a Heartless.”
“A Heartless?” Jack murmured before clapping his hands together. “What a truly bone-chilling name!” he exclaimed in excitement. Coda stared up at Jack in confusion. The skeleton didn’t seem to understand the kind of threat that was right before them.
“Jack, uh, these guys are kinda dangerous,” he continued to warn Jack, but he didn’t seem to be listening. Jack appeared to be deep in thought and was mumbling quietly to himself. Coda glanced back and forth as he contemplated on whether he should strike this Heartless down or not. On one hand, Jack was kinda putting the people here in danger by keeping the Heartless around, but he also seemed enthralled by the thought of using them for Halloween.
Deciding that it was probably best to get rid of the Heartless, Coda brought up his violin and bow and began to play the song for a fire blast. An orange flame started to materialize in front of him.
“Ah, you’re a musician!” Jack pointed out. “That gives me an idea. Coda, could you help me round up some of these Heartless so that I can get them to dance with me? You could also play a song for them to dance to,” he offered the boy.
“You’re gonna make the Heartless dance?” Coda questioned him, putting his violin down.
“Yes-- once I take this one to Dr. Finkelstein, he can study it so we can find out how to control them,” the skeleton further explained. Coda thought for a moment. If Jack was successful, then this world wouldn’t be endangered by the Heartless and Coda could resume his search for his family. His eyes widened as he realized he had forgotten about looking for them when he stepped into the town square.
“Okay, I’ll help you,” he answered. “But I can’t stay to record a song, so I’ll help you capture this one,” he explained.
Jack laced his bony fingers in excitement. “Thank you, thank you, Coda. Now how do you suppose we get this one back to the lab?” Tapping echoed as his finger rhythmically rapped against his skull. Coda noticed that the Heartless had not tried attacking them yet. He looked over and saw the yellow light shining from the eye that was still in its socket. Putting his violin away, he walked forward and tried sticking his hand in the light.
Immediately, the Heartless swiped its elongated claws at him. A yelp escaped Coda’s lips as he jumped back to avoid the attack. The Heartless was facing him now, bathing him in the yellow light that emitted from its eye.
“That’s it, Coda!” Jack applauded as the violinist ran from the pursuing Heartless. “We’ll lead it to the Doctor’s lab using its light.”
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Morbid Fantasy
Being a strange child by nature, one would consider Blair to fit in amongst the townsfolk of Halloween Town. They seemed to like the same things as she did, what with all the black and organge, the spiders and organs that were frequent on a simple walk down the street. The dead and dying plants would be considered beautiful, dreadful, a fitting addition to a picture.
Everyone seemed to be morbidly disfigured, or at least terrifying in looks. Small, beast eyes and scraggly hair was popular on the witches, with the vampires having pale and shallow skin, hiding in their inky capes.
Most would assume that she’d feel right at home. After all, she was a skeleton, a terrifying monster that could adjust how she looked and how others saw her. She could easily change her form so that she was no longer Blair Skellington, but instead she could become a clown, a dancer, even her grandmother.
However... she felt out of place. A puzzle piece to a different puzzle that was taken from its original place and shoved into another, which was an ill fit.
Everyone noticed when she began to walk down the street that day. Her clothes were vastly different to that of the dark, muted colors. Instead, a soft pink made her presence well known.
The monsters around her moved out of her way, conversations falling into hushed tones. She knew very well what they were talking about - 17 years of the same topic, and one tends to know when they’re being spoken about.
“ -heard her father is from that blasted Valentines Town, or whatchamacallit. Sure, he may seem odd over there, but at least he stayed over there-!” A brazen witch whispered it loud enough for Blair to hear.
The skeletons hands clenched on the bag she carried, feeling the leather twist, feeling it begin to tear a bit. They had the audacity to talk about her father as if he was the freak, the monster that roamed the halls.
She missed him terribly. The last time she was able to see him, she’d been 16, and he’d made the journey to see her on her birthday, bringing her plenty of gifts and hammering into her head that he did love her, he just couldn’t be there in Halloweentown.
She understood. She was there when an Incident happened, and her grandfather was forced to tell Dad to leave, at least for a bit. For his safety.
Her footsteps became rushed as her face started to burn. She really shouldn’t think of such things when she was on an important mission.
Grandmother had requested that she take the materials and blueprints to Grandpa, who was currently in a meeting with the Mayor. Blair had lept at the chance of escaping the sad, silent tomb that has become her room.
It wasn’t long before she burst into the room, her black hair flowing with the wind as she slowed to a stop near her grandpa.
As expected, the Mayor was in a panic, examining their blueprints and lists of what they had for the upcoming Halloween.
“We’re still 200 pumpkins short of our goal, our illusion castings are still only at 50% efficiency, and we can’t even grab the correct colored decorations!” The Mayor wailed, throwing up some very familiar pink and red streamers.
Blair’s skull turned a soft pink, feeling embarrassment creep up on her. “Those are mine, Mayor. I’m sorry for the confusion, but I broght you the right ones!”
She held up the black and orange streamers, gently setting them on the desk in front of her. Whilst the Mayor looked like he would rather not touch it (considering he himself turned pink after touching Blair’s cup), while Jack smiled down at her from his seat.
“Thank you, Blair. Anything else I should need or want?” His smile was calm, relaxing.
Already, Blair felt her worried and grievances wash away, feeling free to bring a chair close to her. She dug out a small pan of cookies, which she herself had baked.
“Grandma suggested I bake you cookies, since you might be here for a while...” she snuck a sly glance at the Mayor, who was now pouring over the new blueprints.
“That sounds like a mighty fine idea!” Jack stood. “I suggest we take a cookie break, which should last as long as there are still cookies!”
The Mayor seemed downtrodden immedietly, “But what about-“
“They can wait,” Jack leaned toward the Mayor, allowing them to see eye-to-socket. “We really should take a break. A couple of hours won’t be too long.”
The Mayor seemed like he wanted to object again, but the look he was receiving let him know that that kind of objection would not be taken kindly. He huffed, gathering his things into a suitcase and moving his way out of the meeting room.
Blair set up two goblets and the plate of cookies in silence, missing the angry look from the Mayor and the worried look from Jack.
“How is your day, my little bat?” He sat down, snatching a cookie from its plate.
“It was uneventful. I went and talked with Mom today,” here Blair shrugged off her jacket, resting it on the corner of the chair. “Grandma kicked me out of the house, essentially.”
“She tends to do that when you’ve been hiding in your room for the past few days.” Jack’s mouth curved into a grin, which Blair matched.
“I wasn’t hiding in my room! I was simply lying on my bed with my thoughts. A truly terrifying feat, mind you.” She took a sip from her goblet, gently setting it back down.
“Uh-huh, is that so?” The Pumpkin King seemed to be challenging his grandchild, watching her tense a bit as she took another cookie.
“I’m fine and dandy, but I don’t think the same can be said for you-!” She proded his shoulder with her finger, gently shoving it back a centimeter.
“I’m tired because I’ve been working,” he leaned back. “Now your excuse is-?”
She stood up straight, crumbs falling off the front of her shirt. “I was reading, which I can’t seem to do in public.”
“Well, why not?” The old skeleton tilted his head, watching her cautiously. He didn’t want her to snap shut.
“Because it’s romance. Something that apparently only our family can tolerate. I like reading about how the hero falls in love. I’m sick and tired of being forced to read horror stories by the others.” Blair folded her arms, unfolding them soon after to snatc another cookie and much on it angerly.
“That does seem to be a problem. Should I bring it up?” Jacks voice was calm, easily soothing her.
“No... I don’t want the others to think I’m telling on them.”
“Well, then, is there anything else I can do for you before I finish this cookie?” Jack carefully stood, brushing Blair’s jacket free of crumbs and helping her put it on.
“Do.. do you think I can go see Dad, this time? If I have to go alone, I will, but...”
Jack could see the sadness in Blair’s sockets. She missed her dad, quite a bit, but he was too far away to simply go for a stroll to see him. Visits from either were difficult, rare, and precious.
“Maybe. I could even send your Mother with you, so you won’t be alone. I don’t think it’s fair to exclude your father from another birthday party. He was so heartbroken in his letters.”
This made Blair giggle as she buttoned up her coat, warmth covering her immedietly. “I still feel bad.”
“So do I. Now run along, I’ll need to talk to a lot of monsters in order to set this up, okay?” jack stood to his full height, putting his hands on his hips.
“Yes, Grandpa!” Blair bounced on the balls of her heels, ready to rush out and dance.
There was a possibility!
“Alright, Alright,” he picked her up, hugging her tight and spinning her once before setting her down and watching her bolt outside, her cheery demeanor returning to her.
“Good grief, she reminds me of her mother.” He mumbled, turning back to call the Mayor back, along with a few other monsters.
@theskellingtons
@darkmatternova
(It’s 2 am pls forgive the fact that it’s all over the place)
#my fanfic#no editing i die like this#blair#angst#wtf happend to Roman?#hearts were everywhere#maybe ill write it when its not 2 am#the fantasy she lives in is the fact that her parents might get back together in one place#roman and skelly still love each other#jack skellington
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Jack Skellington In The Macy’s Parade
Jack laughs as he looks himself in the mirror. He grabs his red Santa’s hat and places it on his skull head smiling wide. He fixed his bat black bowtie and blush off his pinstripe suit. He laughs before he walks out of his room with his companion ghost dog following close behind.
The tall skeleton walks down the twisty stairs before meeting up with his rag doll wife, Sally. She had her normal mix color pattern dress on. Her long red hair is nice and raggy but glorious as she always is. She looks at her husband with worry seeing that old grin on his face.
“Jack, what are you up to?”
Jack turns to face his wife placing his bony hand on his wife’s shoulder and replies, “well I was thinking of visiting Sandy Claws in that Macy’s Parade!”
“Macy’s Parade?”
Jack looks at his confuse wife knowing she has no idea what the Macy Parade is or about, “well my dear it’s a Thanksgiving Parade that the humans in New York City have every Thanksgiving day I was just thinking perhaps I would go and pay a little visit to Sandy as well all the humans there.”
Sally was still uncertain about this idea, “I don’t know…”
Jack sighs seeing how worry she looks, “don’t worry my dear I won’t cause any trouble there or take anybody’s holiday I learn that valuable lesson a long time ago.”
Sally looks up at her husband and sighs, “alright but do be careful, Jack.”
Jack smiles saying, “that’s the spirit and don’t worry I’ll have Zero to be my side.”
Zero barks as his little pumpkin nose is a glowing.
“Take care, Jack.”
Jack nods as he took off with Zero flying close behind.
Jack uses his green slimy soul rubber as he hits the ground to make a portal to New York City. Jack old Pumpkin grin grew wide as he and Zero went into the portal and both were quickly into New York. They didn’t need to go too far because the parade had just begun. Jack knew that Santa was always the last one to finish off the Thanksgiving Parade.
Jack can hear the crowds cheering and clapping their hands as the bands and or singers gets done with their song and music. Zero kept close to his skeleton master since there was numerous of crowds around and easily can get lost in the crowd.
“This is it, Zero,” said Jack looking for someplace to watch from, “the day I finally make my appearance to everyone. I’ll give them a really great show for everyone to be scared of!”
Zero just barks while his nose is still a glowing.
Jack looks up at the big turkey stature and smiles as he climbs himself on top of the turkey and looks below to see he has a really great view from above.
“There now when Sandy Claws comes I’ll just use my soul rubber and fly myself down! That will certainly be the scare that nobody even he will forget!”
Zero smiles as he did a high air somersault before joining his master and watch the parade go by.
They could see more floats go by, lots of balloons of different characters go by, and more bands of different states go by making Christmas Music to which Jack kinda hymn to the tune. Jack sat down seeing that the parade was going to last quite a while. He waited as more floats and balloons, and bands go by even singers were singing their songs mostly Christmas songs.
Jack looks at Zero asking, “how long is this parade going to be?”
Zero kinda shrugs a little as his glowing nose began to die down.
Jack placed his long bony legs out as he sat enjoying the parade though he was kinda bored because he wanted to do his scaring soon.
After at least almost two in a half hours Zero narrow his hollow sockets to see that Santa was on his way to the boardwalk. Zero barked to get his master’s attention.
Jack looks up at Zero and asks, “what is it, boy?”
He looks to where Zero is looking at and sure enough Santa was on his way to the center of the Macy’s Parade. Jack grin grew wide as he stands back up on the Turkey’s head and began to swing his soul rubber around.
“Here we go, Zero! This is it! The day I’ll make my appearance!”
Zero noses grew wider as he waits for his master to make the move.
Jack watched as Santa had slowly come in with his very own float of eight reindeers and the houses to look almost like Christmas Town. Once the float where Santa, Mr. Clause, and all the elves and humans stopped and began to celebrate Santa’s arrival. Jack use his soul rubber and stick it on the other side of the building.
Jack leaps off from the turkey’s head and soon flew down to where Santa was with Zero flying down close behind.
Humans from the crowd scream as Jack made his perfect landing down on the float on top of the fake reindeers. Jack laughs as he stood up to face Santa.
“Hello, Mr. Sandy Claws! It is I Jack Skellington the King of the Pumpkin Patch!”
Santa shakes his head while chuckling, “well this is indeed quite the surprise, Jack. I did not expect you to be here this year for the Macy’s Parade.”
Jack nods, “of course we leaders must make our grand entrance.”
Santa laughs, “oh Jack, you are indeed quite surprising. Now tell me why did you come for?”
Jack sighs, “well it’s just you always come here every year to impress the humans in New York City and me… I only do the scaring for humans. Which you know I love the most about my holiday but… I feel the humans are forgetting about me. They had forgotten about their true leader of Halloween.”
Zero starts to whine seeing his master’s sad face.
Santa smiles as he helps Jack get off the reindeers and onto his well-made sleigh, “now Jack, do you truly believe humans had forgotten about you?”
Jack nods, “that is how I truly feel, Sandy.”
Santa nods as he turns to the people of New York, “did all of you forgotten about Jack Skellington the leader of Halloween?!”
Some weren’t too sure to how to answer while others just shrug but however one pacific teenage boy wearing a black shirt with Jack’s skull head on it and blue pants his black hair is long to his shoulder yells out.
“I never did! I love you Jack Skellington! I worship you! I adore you! You're the coolest!”
Soon some other people began to speak up saying how they love Jack Skellington. Soon everyone in the crowd began to yell out Jack’s name.
“JACK SKELLINGTON, JACK SKELLINGTON!”
Jack’s eyes sockets widened wide as his grin grew much wider, a twinkle in his eyes sockets seeing all his adoring fans screaming out to him. He looks at Santa and sighs.
“Thank you for showing me that these humans have not forgotten about me that they still remember me.”
Zero barks as few humans girls came up and began to pet the little ghost dog.
“Look how cute he is!”
“I love you, Zero!”
“Aw… Jack is so lucky to have such a cutie doggie like you!”
Zero loved the attention that these girls were giving him.
Jack gave out a loud screech making everyone shiver in fear. Jack reposition himself putting his left long bony leg on top of the sleigh and his bony arm on that same leg as he grins of the old Pumpkin grin that Santa knows too well of.
“Happy Thanksgiving Everyone and a Happy Halloween!”
Everyone cheer as they raise their voices out louder calling out to the Pumpkin King’s name.
Jack looks down to all his adoring fans knowing that he had indeed come to the right time and knew that he is not forgotten at all.
The End.
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Our Nightmare (Chapter 21)
Summary: Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like living with The Pumpkin King.
A sequel to Two Dearest Friends, where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as they start to spend their deaths together.
Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel
–
Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, go here.
--
The Mayor of Halloween Town grins as he swipes his hand across a page, effectively signing the last document for that afternoon. He sorts the paper into its rightful place with a satisfied hum. He moves to address the next stack of paperwork, preparing to organize them. As he grabs one, a tall man enters the room and catches his attention. He looks down from his desk to find Jack Skellington ducking through the doorway, helping someone else through. He tilts his conical head at the sight of Sally Finklestein. He helps himself down to address them both.
He tips his hat politely. “Jack, you weren’t supposed to come in until later this afternoon. Is everything alright?”
“Perfectly terrible, Mayor!” The skeleton replies. “In fact, we’re here to ask you to call for a town meeting?”
“A meeting? May I ask what it’s for?”
“We have some big news to share with everyone.” He squeezes the ragdoll’s hand. “It’s important they make it, if they can.”
“..Big news? I haven’t heard anything like * this * in a long time!” He scrambles to grab his megaphone and collects his hearse keys. “--Expect everyone here in an hour! You can count on me!”
He rushes out of the room with excited steps. As soon as they’re alone, the Pumpkin King turns to his fiancée. She’s looking at the floor and fidgeting with her seams. He grabs her hands and brings her attention to his face. He pulls on the loose threads and fastens them while she’s not looking, offering a confident smile on his lips.
“It’s happening! Aren’t you excited?”
“I am.” She can’t help matching his keenness. It’s always contagious. “I’ve been preparing all morning. I’m ready for any questions, if they have them.”
“-That’s what I want to hear!” He winks proudly, moving to set the podium. “If you need to step out, I don’t mind. Just let me know…we’ll need a signal, won’t we? Wink at me two times if you’re getting-”
“I don’t think that’s necessary.” She giggles. “If I’m going to be the Pumpkin Queen, then I need to get used to Town Meetings, right?”
“..Exactly right.”
He sets down a piece of paper with a prepared speech and some notes on it - in case Sally gets off-track. He’s already memorized it this morning. But he has a feeling they won’t need it - as this is something one speaks of from the heart( or lack thereof). Sally sits down in a chair as he prepares everything, waiting until they start. The longer time drags on, they can hear voices - sounds of claws scraping against the floorboards and footsteps frantically finding seats. In about an hour, it’s crowded behind the curtain. The Mayor finally steps in with a proud look plastered on his light face. He wipes some sweat off from his forehead.
“Everyone's here! There’s a full house there! I’ll be handling the spotlight like always, if that’s alright with you?”
“Perfect.” Jack situates himself at the coffin podium before looking at Sally. “-Are you ready?”
She takes a deep breath.
—-
Monsters are piled onto the Town Hall’s benches, shoved against one another in close proximity. This may be the fullest the place has ever been - Witches hovering on broomsticks from above, while little creatures and children sit on the floor in front of the stage. The Hanging tree and his Hanging Men are in the back like they usually are. The Halloween Town Band is pressed against the wall - along with Jack’s numerous friends scattered through the seats. They’re murmuring amongst themselves and squirming in impatience, perking up once the curtains are drawn. The Pumpkin King is finally revealed to their eager eyes.
They’re curious to see Sally Finklestein sitting in a chair beside him. She keeps her hands clasped politely in her lap, trying to avoid their stares. The room darkens as a spotlight becomes the only source of light. It’s guided to Jack Skellington’s thin figure by the Mayor’s careful hands, finally tearing the citizens’ gazes away from the lone ragdoll.
She sighs in relief.
“Horrible afternoon, everybody! Thank you all for coming. There’s something important we want to tell you all!”
“Is it about Halloween?” A voice asks from the crowd. “There’s only 10 days left!”
“10 days! 10 days!”
Excited cheers sound from around the room. Grotesque monsters pump their hands and claws in the air, howling and screaming in anticipation. Jack holds his arms out to calm them down, ensuring it’s quiet before he continues on:
“-Right you are! But there’s no need to worry. Everything is going smoothly for the celebrations this year. We’ve called this meeting for something else… ”
The eyes in the room become inquisitive. He lets the silence drag on to emphasize the importance of the news, his grin growing wider the longer it carries on. Eventually, he moves a hand to gesture to Sally, where the spotlight follows and focuses on her. She tries to shield her eyes from the bright light.
“Sally and I are engaged..!” He finishes.
Series of shocked gasps come from around the room. He turns his skull to see their reactions. Many eyes widen as jaws simultaneously fall agape. The citizens’ attention comes to the woman, who uncertainly stands from her seat. There’s no sound beyond frantic whispering. She takes this opportunity to reach the podium, where Jack Skellington politely moves out of the way. She taps her fingers a few times before working up the courage to speak:
“Um…hello.” She leans forward, waving weakly. “As you heard, Jack and I are engaged now, so…that means I’ll be taking the title of Pumpkin Queen…I-I’m ready for your questions, if you have any?”
She feels like she’s doing terribly. She frowns at her fiancé. He gives her an encouraging thumbs-up. She turns back to the crowd, who look to be thinking to themselves. Children twiddle their thumbs as monsters murmur to each other, none brave enough to speak up just yet. After a minute of waiting, she grows uncertain and glances at the paper below her. The room is no longer silent, but it’s full of hushed whispers and people muttering to themselves. She isn’t sure if this is any better. So…she starts speaking:
“I know it may be…strange …to see someone like me as your ruler. I don't know everything there is, but…I’m prepared to learn. I want to take care of all of you, as you have welcomed me so kindly. I’ll be someone you can depend on - to believe in what’s right. I may not be the scariest like Jack, but I’ll bring everything I can to our Holiday. To make each one more horrible than the last.”
Her small speech earns admiring smiles. The room erupts into applause. She perks up at this response. Now creatures aren’t afraid to start asking questions - the small children upfront raise their little hands. Their fingers wiggle desperately as her eyes crawl over to them. She’s more than happy to call on a few.
“Will you be a nice leader?” The Mummy Boy asks. She nods her head.
“Yes, I will try to be.”
Ethan raises his hand. “Will you make sure we get lots of candy?”
“Of course.”
Adults start to raise their hands. Her attention moves to them, nodding in the direction of a ghoul sitting up front. He stands and tips his hat politely, fidgeting with his thin fingers as he uncertainly peers at Sally.
“How do you plan on ruling the town? And what will you contribute to Halloween?”
She thinks hard on her answer. “-I want to be orderly. I know how hectic things get every October, so I’d like to keep us all in one piece. Myself included!” She laughs at her own joke, earning chuckles from the audience. “As for Halloween, I’ll continue with my services as the town’s seamstress. I don’t plan on changing my job.”
The monsters look impressed with her answer. She responds to a few more inquiries from the crowd, until no more hands are raised. Everyone is satisfied. She brushes her hair back as the skeleton takes his place, patting Sally on the back. He whispers a compliment into her ear before turning to address his citizens.
“Thank you all for your support. I’m happy to know you’re as satisfied with this decision as I am.” He grins.
The Undersea Gal calls from her seat. “When’s the wedding!?”
He answers with ease. “-We’ll send out the invitations when we can, but we’d like to get through this Halloween first ! I’ll be teaching Sally about our Town and holiday in the meantime.”
They agree with this decision, promising they’ll be patient. Jack and Sally are sent a multitude of congratulations and horrible wishes their way, which they take with gratitude. Everyone is eventually dismissed. People gossip with each other on their way out. This time, the Witches and other women don’t pass Sally irritated looks as they leave - instead, they give ones of respect. The feeling is mutual this time around, as she smiles right back at them.
The Halloween Town Band come to personally congratulate them, teasing the Pumpkin King on ‘what took so long’. They're happy for them and say they look forward to their wedding. The Hanging Tree expresses similar feelings when he speaks with Sally. Once their friends leave, the two are finally alone. He comes to the shorter figure and wraps his arms around her frame, digging his skull into her hair.
“You did wonderfully.” He tells her, moving back to brush the yarn from her eyes. “You’re going to take good care of them. I know you’ll be a great leader.”
She buries her face into his suit. “Thank you.”
—---
Sally observes the last-minute preparations for Halloween. The Town Hall is busy at this time. Jack and the Mayor work in every spare minute they have, to double-check everything on their lists and ensure all is ready. She offers help when she can, and is happy to organize and read things for them. Her fiancé tries not to overwork her right away and hands small things for her to check, which she is happy to do.
When Halloween comes, she assists the Mayor with organizing everyone to their places. She directs them on where to go while he reads their names off the papers. This process goes by quicker than it used to. He expresses his thanks for her help, and they get an early start on the celebrations. She joins in with the dancing and singing in the Town Square, surprised to finally understand the lyrics to their song. After a few years of listening to it…she knows what to say with them!
“Say it once, say it twice! Take a chance and roll the dice!” She sings. The Witches cackle overhead as they continue the song, flying on their broomsticks towards the moon in the night sky:
“-Ride with the moon in the dead of night!”
Jack Skellington joins the celebrations, by Sally’s side. They dance, sing, and laugh together - the creatures around them cheer. Spirits are incredibly high by the time the song is finished. They’re left jumping in excitement, waiting for the Mayor to hand out the awards and trophies. They sit together on the hearse as they wait. She rests on her scarecrow’s side. This time, there are no women reaching and screaming for him - he’s rightfully given his space with the love of his death. People look at them admiringly.
He holds her hand tightly, enjoying this new sense of freedom he’s never felt before.
—--
Their trip to the human world is taken early, meaning they have more time than usual to spend there. Jack’s elated to bring Sally with him again. Knowing how things went last time…he wishes for everything to go right. So he watches himself carefully that entire night, ensuring he’s not overdoing anything. He’s relieved to see her excited while he scares, asking him to do tricks and wanting to see what he can do. They go around scaring humans until they’re well into the night. They only have an hour before they have to return to Halloween Town.
Jack Skellington has an idea.
“Sally? Do you remember how I told you that you have scaring potential you don’t know about yet?”
She blinks. This was so long ago, but she remembers it as bright as day. “-I do. Why?”
“I think I’ve figured it out!” He grabs her arm and looks at the stitches with an interesting expression. “We can dismember your limbs!” At her confused look, he elaborates. “-Losing your arm doesn’t mean much to you, but if the same thing happened to *humans*, it’s quite deadly. They might faint on the spot!”
“So…it’ll scare them?” She asks with a growing smile.
She remembers when he first took her on a tour of Halloween Town. He got excited when she lost her arm in front of him. It was the first time she’d ever seen the childish excitement in his eye sockets - the same one he has right now. It brings butterflies to her stomach, in hopes that she can impress him and scare others like he believes she can do. He perks up, trailing his thumb over her thread.
“Exactly! I have the perfect plan…if you’re interested to try it?”
She grins.
. . .
Jack’s idea is genius. She never would’ve thought of something like this herself.
She’s sitting innocently on a pumpkin in a grass field, tending to her stitches and humming a song under her breath. She’s undoing them to loosen the threads as much as she can, so they will fall off easily once the time comes. She makes it look like she’s tending to them and trying to sew herself. She knits her eyebrows together as she pretends to struggle with one stubborn knot in particular, earning some concerned looks from some nearby humans.
One of them is a young girl, dressed as a bumblebee. Sally notices the stitching patterns on the costume, giving the impression it's homemade. Another is a boy her age dressed as a ghost with a sheet over his figure, while they’re joined by a smaller child wearing a cowboy outfit. They approach the ragdoll and she quickly averts her gaze, focusing on her arm and tugging at the long thread.
“Do you need any help?” The girl offers. She looks up, acting like she hasn’t seen them prior to this moment.
“Oh! It’s fine, I’m just trying to sew my arm back on. See?”
She presents her sewing needle to them. They look at it with curious eyes. The boy in the ghost sheet tilts his head quizzically when she brings it closer to her arm. It’s inches away from making contact. The skepticism is apparent in his voice.
“What is this? Some kind of gimmick? Lady, we don’t have any cash-”
Without warning, she punctures her skin deeply with the needle. This earns startled gasps and screams from the humans. She feels no pain, but pretends to wince - hand shaking as she tries to pull the needle out, failing in her attempts. The kids step back as the bumblebee girl narrows her eyes. She moves forward and rests a hand on her hip, laughing as she points at Sally.
“Ha! Nice trick, but we know that’s fake! If it was a REAL needle, then-”
She finally manages to pull it out, and the thread in her arm coincidentally falls with it. Her arm completely detaches from its socket and lands on the grass below them. She acts surprised while the children shriek at the sight. There’s no further word as they run off crying, refusing to look back. The ragdoll sits there in bewilderment as she watches them go.
Jack Skellington surfaces from nearby shadows, laughing at the sight. He picks up her arm and goes through the trouble of stitching it back on. She’s still staring at the spot the humans once were in. Once she comes to terms with the situation, her eyes grow big as an excited grin spreads on her lips. She turns to her Pumpkin King.
“Jack! Did you see that?” She asks giddily. “I scared them!”
“-That you did!” He helps her to her feet. “They didn’t see it coming!"
“That was amazing! It was so…fun! I-I feel excited, I-” She struggles to find the right words. “Is this what it’s like? To…to scare people?”
“Quite an experience, isn’t it?”
“My first scare!” She boasts proudly, twirling on her heels. She stumbles for a moment and he catches her upon instinct. She grabs his hands. “I want to do it again!”
He chuckles. “See? You’re plenty scary.”
She insists on doing it again, so he makes another plan. Like last time, he has her lure in the humans - making them curious as she stitches herself. Her appearance is enough to beckon them forward to get a better look. They’re fascinated with her doll-like features, at how real her stitches appear and the textured yarn hair sitting on her head. By the looks on their faces, they’re doubtful she’s even *real*. He takes their temptations to advantage - jumping out and screaming when they get too close. They run away, howling and scrambling to get away.
He and Sally laugh when they’re gone. She clings onto his figure as she wipes the tears from her eye, having a blast so far. She moves to press an intimate kiss on his lips. He’s taken by surprise but returns the affection - holding his ragdoll close in his lap.
She’s breathless when she pulls away. “Thank you. For showing me what it’s like to scare and…helping me.” She looks away, her skin now a light purple. “I never thought I could do this.”
“The Doctor may have built you for other things, but you have so many strengths, Sally.” He tightens his grip around her. “You’re talented. I’d like to scare with you every Halloween.”
“This is the most fun I’ve had in my whole life. I don’t think I want it to ever end.”
They look up to gaze at the night sky above them. They calm down from their exhilaration to enjoy the scenery - listening to the sounds of owls hooting and children running in the distance. The stars twinkle beautifully as they observe them. The screams and scares are a delightful noise. Sally nestles into his embrace as they sit there. He moves his hand gently across her face, melting at the way she leans into his touch.
He sighs. “I don’t want it to, either.”
—---
When November comes, Sally wants to be prepared. There’s a lot ahead of her, so she takes this opportunity to properly work out a schedule. On the weekdays, she plans to be in her seamstress shop offering her duties to the town. On the weekends, she joins Jack and the Mayor in the Town hall to assist them and learn how to properly manage Halloween. She becomes busy from this routine.
“The first couple of months are the busiest,” Jack informs, stapling papers and handing them to her. She puts them where she’s told. “We have to start over with the planning, so we get the important things out of the way first.”
“-You mean everything?” She sweats. He laughs and pats her head, bringing a wonderful feeling into her stomach.
“It feels like it, but don’t fret! Things will mellow out over time…with your help, we’ll get through this quicker! That means more time to spend together. You want that, don’t you?”
She can’t argue.
They spend the next few months tending to the town. She joins Jack as they listen to the citizen’s scare ideas and rate their demonstrations, where they show the officials what they can do. Then she goes around Halloween Town collecting the extra materials from Halloween night, to return to their inventory. Other activities include helping monsters collect any bats and snakes that may have escaped, as well as jotting down any changes to the Halloween song.
. . .
It’s January when they finally have enough free time to end their days early. Sally & Jack retreat to the Skellington Manor to cool off from the day’s events. They find this the best opportunity to start planning their wedding - something they’ve both grown excited for, after being occupied with everything else. Jack is happy to start this process and spends a considerable amount of time talking about it with his fiancée.
“I think we should hire the Band for music,” Sally suggests. “They’ve been such good friends to us, and they’re very talented! I think they’ll do a wonderful job.”
“No question about it.” He writes this down. “And who were we thinking of inviting?”
“We’ll invite our friends, and my…family…” She feels strange describing the Doctor, Jewel, and Igor this way. It’s pleasant. “Anyone can come, really.”
“I think we’re better off inviting everybody to your coronation, with a little less people for our wedding.” He chuckles. “So it’s not terribly overcrowded. I know it can be overwhelming for you.”
She relaxes in her seat. “That’s a good idea.”
“-And what about your dress, dear? I have to prepare a suit as well…these things can be costly..”
She perks up with this subject. “I can make those! I’d love to sew my own dress. I can even make you a suit if you’d like!”
“Wonderful! That saves us on the cost.” He scribbles this down. Ideas begin to fill her mind on the details of their clothes. She wiggles around in her seat excitedly. “And what theme do we-"
*EEK!*
The couple is interrupted by the loud shrieking of the doorbell. Sally jumps in her seat while the skeleton drops his pencil with a sigh. He dismisses himself politely, moving to answer the front door.
The Mayor of Halloween Town waits on the doorstep impatiently, shifting his feet as he stands there. He notices Jack’s tall frame and jumps at how quickly he is answered. They’ve already finished their business for the day - what more does he need? The Pumpkin King tilts his skull at the sight - his arms aren’t filled with papers, nor is he holding his usual megaphone…it looks like he came here in a rush. He rests a hand on the door frame as he looks at his friend curiously.
“Mayor, what a surprise to see you here! Is there something you need?”
“Jaaackk….” He looks around, leaning forward as he wrings his hands together. “They’re in the Town Hall..!”
“..Who?”
“B-Boogie’s Boys!” He exclaims. "They came in demanding to speak with you! When I told them you left, they got upset and told me to come and get you! I don’t know what to do, I tried not to get you involved-”
“-The trick-or-treaters?” He stands up straight, looking in the direction of the Town Hall. “What on Halloween’s name would they want?”
“I don’t know! But, please, get to them as soon as you can! They’re always up to trouble. I have to get back before they get into anything!”
He doesn’t wait for a response before rushing down the steps. He bumps into innocent citizens in his way and mumbles apologies as he runs back to the Town Hall. His behavior makes Jack Skellington puzzled. He closes the door to grab a few things before he heads out. Sally notices him putting on his jacket and rushes over before he can leave.
“Where are you going? Who was it?”
“The Mayor. Apparently those three pranksters are at the Town Hall. They want to speak to me.” He huffs, buttoning his suit. “Can’t imagine what for, but I don’t think it’ll be good.”
She thinks for a moment. “Can I come with you?” He looks at her curiously. “It’s been so long since I've seen them. And I…want to know how they’re doing. Without Boogie around.”
“But why? They kidnapped you.” His ribs ache when her eyes droop sadly. “I don’t think what they did should be forgotten.”
“I know. But…we haven’t seen them around for awhile. They wouldn't have been causing trouble if we didn’t hear about it.” He hums indifferently. “I don’t want to give them the benefit of the doubt again. They lied to me. But…I-I just want to know .”
He looks at her for a long time, her eyes continuing to plead with his sockets. He eventually caves in with a frustrated noise. “-Fine. But if they lay a hand on you, I’m NOT going to let it slide.”
She presses a kiss on his cheek. “I know. Thank you.”
He exhales through his nose, taking her hand and clutching it close to his chest. He opens the door and patiently helps her down the steps. They make their way to the Town Hall, only to hear terrified whimpers. They follow the noise behind the closed curtains and notice three small children throwing rocks at a shaking figure sitting at his tall desk. The Mayor notices them coming in and weakly points in their direction.
“There! See? He’s here now! Leave me alone!”
Lock, Shock, and Barrel whip around. They find their King standing across from them, looking angry as he shoves his hands on his hips. Sally joins his side, sharing a similar expression when she crosses her arms. They drop the small rocks in their hands and approach the two, hiding their hands behind their backs. They bat their eyes in an innocent manner.
“Jaaaack!” Shock greets. “It’s great to see you!”
“How’s the family?” Lock teases.
“You’re looking thin!” Barrel adds.
“What are you three up to?” He asks, getting straight to the point. “And why are you terrorizing my coworker?”
“We were just passing the time ‘til you got here!” The small devil defends. The Mayor fumes in the background. “We thought you’d never show up!”
“--Answer his question.” Sally cuts in sternly.
“We wanted to say we’re sorry. We didn’t get a chance to tell you!” Shock drops her mask, and her cohorts do the same. “We know how busy you’ve been…”
“Sorry for what? Threatening, beating, and kidnapping Sally, then trying to feed her to your boss? It’ll take more than that for me to believe you.”
Barrel steps forward. “We know it was bad, but we were only following orders! The boss would’ve been mad if we didn’t get her!”
“-And we didn’t want to make Oogie angry…” Lock adds with a frown.
Jack Skellington looks at them with unimpressed eye sockets. The Mayor takes this opportunity to slip out of the room when they’re not looking. Sally’s harsh gaze falls when she looks at their faces. She’s never seen them this genuinely upset before. The frowns they wear look real…she doesn’t believe they’re faking it. The skeleton remains apprehensive as he stands up straight, tapping the side of his arm impatiently. They haven’t gotten through to him.
“We also wanted to…thank you, I guess.” Lock mutters under his breath. He perks up.
“Did I hear that right?” The devil rolls his eyes. He isn’t going to repeat himself. Jack quirks an eye socket. “-What for?”
“-For getting rid of Oogie!” Shock interrupts impatiently. She kicks some dirt with her boot.
He grows quiet at their confession. He’s a little confused why they’d thank him for killing their boss - an arguable ‘father figure’. But he wasn’t ever a good one, if he were to guess from their reactions. He expected the trio to resent him after what he did. It wasn’t his intention to kill him that night. Rage had blinded him, and he acted without thought. But knowing they want to thank him…makes him believe he did the right thing.
“...So we wanted to make it up to you. To show we’re sorry.” Barrel brings up.
“Yeah. We heard you two were getting married or something. So we can help with that, if you want.” Lock spits out.
Sally butts in with wide eyes. “Do you really mean that?”
“You can give us another chance.” Shock clenches her gloved fists. “We want to prove it! So you better give us something to do!”
Jack crosses his arms. “You three are going to cause trouble and I know it. There hasn’t been a single Town event where you didn’t prank someone or pulled a stunt. There’s a reason you’re banned from them. I will not have that at my wedding.”
“Aw, c’mon!” “Pleaaaase?” “We’ll prove it to you!”
Sally's in full agreement until she notices the looks on their faces. The way they’re on their knees, begging…like they truly care about this. The look in their eyes seems genuine and…different. They don’t hold the usual mischief like she’s seen before. She decides to test their words and firmly moves forward, stopping when she’s in front of the children. She leans down to get a better eye-level with them, making sure she has their attention with this next question:
“Are you three *really* happy now that Boogie's gone? You’re not lying about this?”
They nod their heads. Almost too quickly for her liking. “Of course!” “Yeah!” “Honest!”
She still feels a little unconvinced. “Really? You don’t feel any other way about this..?”
She keeps eye contact with them, never breaking their stare. Shock is the one to cave in, looking at the floor and shrugging. “I mean, we’re disappointed and all, but we’ll get over it. We’ve been trying to!”
“He was scary,” Barrel mutters. Lock nods in agreement.
“He hit us a lot. If he didn’t do that, then he threatened us. We didn't like it, but we couldn’t say anything…but now that he’s gone, it doesn’t happen anymore.”
Pity hits her hard. Her phantom heart grows cold hearing this. She wants to embrace them. But she remembers what happened. She can’t forgive them right away. They’ll have to prove that they’re really sorry for what they’ve done. Boogie may have been the manipulator behind it all - but they need to rebuild their reputation in town. They’re guilty of their own wrongdoings. And she…wants to give them that chance, as stupid as it may seem.
“Alright. You three can help, if you promise you’re serious about this.”
They look happy with her approval, smiles lighting up their faces. “We are!”
Jack groans as Sally returns to his side. He doesn’t argue - he’ll respect her decision. She *is* the one they wronged to begin with, and needs approval from. He’ll have to go along with this - but he’ll make sure things still go as planned. So that these three won’t get in the way of anything. The last thing he wants is trouble on the most anticipated day of his death.
“Can I be the ring bearer!?” Barrel asks, jumping up-and-down. Jack is quick to shoot down this idea.
“No. Zero has that job. You can be…an usher.”
“An usher?” He tilts his head.
“You lead people to their seats and help them leave when the time is right,” Sally explains, remembering what she’s learned about weddings. Barrel looks indifferent with this idea, but agrees anyway.
“What about me?” Lock asks impatiently. The skeleton thinks about it.
“...You’ll be a page.” He grins. “You open doors for people, fetch them what they want, and run any errands we may need on the big day.”
“Aw, what!? You’re making me an ERRAND BOY!?”
“If you want to make it up to us, then that’s what you’ll be.” He continues with a challenging smirk. “-Unless you change your mind..?”
He opens his mouth to object. Shock smacks him upside the head with her hat. He goes to punch her until he notices the looks on Jack and Sally’s faces. He lowers his fist and pouts, turning away from everyone. He mutters a ‘fine, whatever’ under his breath, earning proud looks from the skeleton and ragdoll. They move their attention to the witch, who bashfully looks away under their stares. They think for a moment.
An idea pops up in Sally’s head. “Shock, would you like to be a flower girl?”
“Flower girl?” She scrunches up her nose. “That sounds dumb!”
“It’s not! It’s wonderful, really. You get to toss petals from wilted flowers down the aisle. I know a lot of little girls who would love to do it…! What do you say?”
She glances at Lock and Barrel, who giggle and tease her in return. It sounds so…girly! But they didn’t get ideal positions, either. Hers sounds a lot more important than their jobs. For this reason, she smirks in triumph and agrees - making Sally delighted as she stands back. The three children put their masks back on and say goodbye to them, running out of the room and inevitably encountering the Mayor again. He hollers at the sight of them - but they pay him no mind for once, leaving the Town Hall without a further exchange.
Jack and Sally share an uneasy glance.
“Do you think we can trust them..?” She asks quietly. She feels guilty for accepting their help without consulting him first. He shrugs in return.
“They won’t be handling anything valuable, so it should be fine.” His expression changes as he rests a hand against her cheek. “-You didn’t have to do that, you know. You’re not obligated to give everyone second chances if they’ve wronged you.”
Her eyes lower. “If I’m going to be the Pumpkin Queen, then I want a fresh start. I don’t want to be a cruel leader…I’d rather believe in the good of everybody.”
He rests his forehead against hers and intertwines their fingers together, sighing as he closes his eyes. ‘She’s too good for this world,’ he thinks.
#the nightmare before christmas#nightmare before christmas#jack skellington#jack x sally#jack and sally#oogie boogie#lock shock and barrel#tnbc#tim burton#disney#fanfiction#fanfic#our nightmare#the mayor of halloween town
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Our Nightmare (Chapter 22) ENDING
Summary: Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like living with The Pumpkin King.
A sequel to Two Dearest Friends, where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as they start to spend their deaths together.
Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel
–
Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, go here.
--
Sally's wedding dress is based on one of my favorite pieces on deviantART,
Jack's suit is the Dancing Jack outfit from Oogie's revenge - which you can see here.
--
The large bell housed prominently over the Town Hall rings loudly across Halloween Town. The deafening, flat notes are heard from miles away. Its noise is recognized as an announcement to something urgent . In this case, a wedding – but not any ordinary ceremony. Rather, a royal one, as the Pumpkin King is now integrating himself with a woman, who, after the matrimony, can call herself the new Pumpkin Queen.
It’s been ages since a royal wedding has been recorded in the town’s history. It explains the urgency of the citizens, who are desperate to participate in this rare occurrence. A good portion of the town attends, having a connection to either their king and his fiancée. They receive a generous RSVP line, filling the town square with seats and tables to accommodate the large crowd that will be attending.
As the center of Halloween Town begins to crowd with the attendees, the husband-and-wife-to-be slips out from the commotion unnoticed. It’s a graceful feat thanks to the skeleton’s gift of creeping. They are now strolling through the Outskirts, hand happily in one another’s. Human ceremonies take superstitions seriously, but Halloween Town adores bad luck. Jack and Sally are striving to get the worst possible, to ensure things roll smoothly.
“It’s beautiful outside,” The ragdoll comments, holding the ends of her dress to walk on the stone path. He follows her gaze and notices the storm clouds hanging overhead, threatening to unleash rain any second now. He’s felt the static on his spine all day. Nothing can make him more content than the ideal weather.
“It truly is,” He agrees.
“I’m glad we didn’t cancel the ceremony. I love the rain.”
He holds his palm out and waits to feel the drip of the raindrops coming down. “It should only be a light shower, thankfully..!”
An excited look grows on her face. She notices the distance they’ve made from the town and her smile slightly falters. She wants to remain like this for hours - alone with him, enjoying the peaceful sights before something so… nerve-wracking .
She’s prepared for this day for a long time, planning everything with her fiancé and practicing how the ceremony will go. She’s read a lot about what to expect from weddings. Although she’s book-ready, she doesn’t anticipate feeling such a strong swelling in her leaves. It’s an overwhelming but delightful feeling - being with Jack makes the nervousness temporarily go away. But they’ll have to face the attention sooner or later.
“We can start heading back, now.”
He agrees. He swerves them into the opposite direction in a movement so smooth that has her giggling. They slip in the same way they snuck out. They part from each other to start welcoming the guests and directing them as needed, exchanging delighted grins every time the other passes their vision.
——————————
An hour or so passes while everyone settles themselves at the tables, with the help of Lock and Barrel. The Halloween Town band plays music and sings songs to keep everyone patient while they sip their drinks and watch children run around playing. They’re eager to witness the marriage between their King and the future-Queen already. The Mayor frequently reminds them that they need to be patient. They’re setting up small canopies around, in hopes of keeping everyone dry in case the rain decides to fall earlier than expected.
It isn’t long before the Mayor urges everyone to their seats, claiming things will begin. Everyone quickly comes to the chairs and snatch as many spots close to the front as possible. It isn’t long before the rows are filled. The King is friends with practically everybody and the ragdoll shares acquaintances, so there’s no need for any parties on either side. They sit wherever they please. The ghosts and winged creatures hover in the back while everyone faces the direction of the altar intently.
The Mayor is respectively chosen as the marriage officiant and minister, and is more than happy to fulfill the roles. Jack’s best man is no other than his old friend, Doctor Finklestein, who plans to walk Sally down the aisle. The only ones standing there are him, the Mayor, and Zero. The dog poses as a ring bearer and is patiently holding the rings for them on a small, white pillow. His spiral tail wags in anticipation as he looks at his master.
Everyone’s attention is on their King. Unlike his usual black-and-white pinstriped suit and bat bow tie, Jack is wearing a white suit. It’s similar to his normal attire, except this one consists purely of whites and grays and has a toned-down version of his bat for a bow tie, as well as shirt cuffs at the ends of his sleeves. He sports a white top hat to finish the outfit, which hangs lazily on the side of his skull. He keeps nudging at it trying to keep it in place, but the thing insists on being crooked. Sally spent careful time making this ensemble for him - so he’s doing his best to keep it tidy.
“Nervous?” The Mayor whispers, leaning over the podium and grinning. He’s getting a kick out of seeing him like this.
“As I’ll ever be.” Comes the rushed reply. “I’m not sweating too much, am I?”
“Jack, you can’t sweat.”
“Right, right…”
At that moment, music fills the Town square. The skeleton stiffens as everyone perks their heads up. They turn and find Sally standing at the end of the carpet, with her bouquet in her hands and veil carefully placed over her stitched face. Beside her is Dr. Finklestein, who clutches at her other hand and resists the tempting urge to scratch at his brain. He’s changed from his usual lab coat and is now wearing a white suit, much less elegant than Jack’s. Judging by his loosened posture and unfixed glasses, the skeleton can tell that he’s affected by holding his daughter’s hand at her wedding. He sniffles subtly as he wipes a tear from under his dark lenses, moving the two of them forward slowly.
Even though Jack has seen Sally in her wedding dress before, he still feels the breath leave his throat as he ravishes the sight of her. Her dress is entirely made by hand, starting from the ends to the top. The pieces are made and put together by her, including different pieces of rags with various patterns. They are combined to create a large and beautiful dress. A wilted flower is placed just behind her ear, complimenting her black eyes. A green ribbon wraps around her thin waist, consisting of dead flowers. Behind her is a long train that matches the transparency of her veil. It’s nearly reminiscent of the patchwork dress he first met her in.
Shock emerges from behind and steps forward. She scatters the dead petals across the aisle, messily but still getting the job done, nonetheless.. Sally follows slowly, as the Doctor is careful not to get his wheelchair caught in anything. Behind them are Lock and Barrel, who serve as the pages and lift the train carefully. They take this job with consideration and make sure it never touches the ground, even if that means they trip on one another (and have to refrain from punching each other in the middle of attention).
As soon as they’re at the altar, the Doctor removes himself and goes to his place beside Zero while the trick-or-treaters take a seat in their reserved chairs. Everyone quiets down as the lovers hold each other’s hands. Jack carefully removes Sally’s veil and notices the beautiful paleness of her face. They gaze into each other’s eyes and smile, the endearing looks never fading while the Mayor speaks. He begins the long speech about marriage and unity. No one’s really paying attention - instead, infatuated with the couple before them.
In the middle of the Mayor’s validation, a roar of thunder is heard overhead. Raindrops begin to pour from the sky. Thankfully, everyone seated is under the protection of the canopy. However, the Mayor realizes far too late that he’s in the open. As the raindrops fall, they drench his papers. He struggles to dry them while Jack and Sally continue to stare at each other, blissfully unaware of the water falling on them. An umbrella is summoned from the skeleton’s sleeve, which he politely holds over Sally with his other hand.
“Oh, what’s the use !” The Mayor throws his hands in the air. “These papers are ruined!”
“Start with the vows!” Someone impatiently yells from the back. There is a loud murmur of agreement from the crowd.
“Alright, alright ! Jack, do you take Sally to be your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, and in sickness and in health, for the rest of eternity?”
“I do.” He states firmly.
“And Sally, do you take Jack to be your lawfully wedded husband?”
“I do.”
They take the rings from Zero, who is all too happy to deliver it to them. They slip it on each other’s fingers and hold their hands once more. Everyone around them shifts in their seats anxiously, the tension building up to witness their King and Queen’s first official kiss as a wedded couple.
“I’m sure we’re all waiting for it, so I’ll just say it!” The Mayor chuckles with a wide grin. “You may now kiss the bride!”
Everyone leans forward in anticipation as the skeleton lowers the umbrella, takes Sally by the waist, and kisses her passionately on the lips. She closes her eyes and wraps her arms around his neck - similarly to when they first kissed on the Spiral Hill. The audience erupts into applause and cheers, some even leaping out of their seats. Lock, Shock, and Barrel pretend to shove their fingers down their throats, but are ignored as the couple turns to the crowd.
“Everyone!” The sound of Jack’s voice quiets everyone down. “May I introduce you to…your new Pumpkin Queen!”
He steps to the side to bow theatrically and extends his hand in front of Sally. They erupt into cheers once more. The ragdoll blushes shyly as she takes his hand again. He stands up straight to lay a kiss on its surface, lowering his eye sockets as he brushes her cheek with his knuckles. She leans into his touch and unconsciously lifts her leg. Jack turns back to the crowd and rushes down the altar, being mindful of his wife while he does so.
“Let’s celebrate!” He calls.
Everyone follows after and cackles. They don’t mind the rain, as ones in suits and dresses dance and jump in the puddles. They join Jack and Sally inside the Town Hall, where the once-large auditorium is now redecorated into a ballroom. The tall wedding cake, filled with layers of Halloween Town goodness and a pumpkin cake topper, is sitting at the center. Surrounding it are tables for the guests, as well as the large, empty space for dancing.
The room is packed by the time everyone arrives.
————————
The celebrations go swimmingly. The first thing monsters and creatures do is dance - filling the floor with couples and ghouls partying their souls out. The music is played once more by the Halloween Town Band, who perform a few jazz songs before settling on slower music. The groom and the bride are in the center before Jewel receives the next dance with the Pumpkin King. As she and Jack perform a waltz, Sally joins Dr. Finklestein at the table he is seated at. As much as she would like to dance with her father, he isn’t willing to go through the trouble with his wheelchair. Accompanied with her frail stitches, it’s bound for some embarrassing trip-ups that they both want to avoid on her wedding day.
She clasps her hands in her lap as she watches him sip his wine. A few minutes pass as they listen to the music and watch the guests dance on the floor. He suddenly sets down the glass and rubs the side of his head. He coughs into his arm awkwardly as he momentarily avoids eye contact with her.
“Well, my dear, you’re going to be the Pumpkin Queen now…”
She looks at him inquisitively. His words sound uneasy. She’s rarely heard this tone from him, beyond the times Jack threatened him for her well-being. But that’s all in the past, now. They’ve mended their relationship since then. She nods encouragingly for him to continue. And he does, with a reluctant breath:
“You are now my Queen. Which means I will have to abide by your every demand. You know it isn’t like me to disobey royalty. And now…well, you can do anything . If you hold any reservations about how I treated you, then-”
“Doctor…” She interrupts, holding her breath. She goes to say something, but when she catches sight of his face, the words fail to leave her lips.
The tears are gently flowing from underneath his glasses. A few drops have escaped his vision during the ceremony, but now he’s succumbed to the cries. She instinctively reaches for her father. He does the same, and before they know it, they’re holding onto each other and shedding tears together quietly. This earns some sentimental looks from those nearby, including Jewel peeking over Jack Skellington’s shoulder from afar.
“Don’t look now, but they’re having a moment.” She mutters.
He gives her an odd look and she simply points her finger in their direction. When he follows her gaze, he finds his wife clinging onto her father, both swept up in emotion that they forget they’re in the middle of a wedding. He can’t help but smile, continuing to waltz his mother-in-law across the dance floor without a word.
——————-
After letting them have their scene, Jack and Jewel eventually interrupt them. The Doctor and Sally are reluctant to let go, but eventually do, giving each other a last embrace before they separate. They seem happier now, assuming they got whatever they needed off their chests. He isn’t sure what made them so emotional, but it doesn’t matter. Jack leads his wife to their table and waits to cut the cake. Sally isn’t too keen with handling such a sharp knife, what with the threads in her way, so she lets him take the honors to cut the slices. Everyone watches hungrily as they lick their lips. Particularly, the young trio that crowds the table.
“When do we get our piece?” “-Yeah! You’re been serving everyone BUT us!” “What flavor is it?”
Jack rolls his eye sockets before serving the three their own plates. They haven’t caused a ruckus and did what they were told so far - so he figures they’re due for a reward. They take their dessert and run off, to one of the tables out of his sight. After all the slices are served, the couple receive their share and retreat to their seats. Everyone begins eating their food, most of them noisily, as the skeleton and ragdoll pick at theirs. While the crowd is dining, the Mayor stands in his chair and clinks his glass with his spoon. This earns the attention of everyone in the room, glancing up from their servings.
“I believe it’s time to make a toast!” He announces happily, holding his drink high in the air. “To our Pumpkin King and his new Queen - may your eternity be terrible and dreadful!”
Everyone exclaims in agreement, taking a hefty gulp from their glasses. They resume their treats with more chatter this time around. During this time, James, John and Jimmy make their way over to the King and Queen’s table, offering their best wishes and congratulations. Nothing is out of the ordinary until Jack Skellington feels someone slap his back harshly. He notices James reaching for his hand in order to shake it respectfully. He’s happy to offer it to him.
He suddenly gets pulled forward, so his voice stays between them. “You better keep Dolly happy, bone Daddy. If not , you’ll be hearin’ from us.”
“Heh!” Jack begins to laugh, believing it’s a good-natured joke from his friends, but grits his teeth when he feels his palm almost get snapped into two. “ Oh… ”
A few others decide to make speeches, which they happily listen to - until they find nearly the whole town wanting to say something, and the Mayor finally puts a stop to it. They’re touched by the words of their citizens, with how welcoming they are of Sally as their new Queen and his wife. The children have all sorts of questions for her. She spends a solid few minutes answering them while Jack listens in the background, pretending to focus on his cake.
“Do you think you'll ever have kids?” The Mummy Boy asks, picking at his bandages. “We’ll have more friends to play with if you do.”
Sally blushes, peeking at her husband for a only slight second before turning back. She neglects to see the look of interest on his face. He listens carefully as she replies, a contemplative look on his face as he rubs the side of his skull in thought.
“Maybe someday.”
——————–
“Jack, how long is eternity?”
“It’s forever, darling. There is no end.”
“I see…”
“Are you happy with that? That we’re going to be together, now and forever ?”
They’re seated on a bench outside the Town Hall, the moonlight seeping through the windows and boards of the roof over their heads. It’s still raining outside, the sounds of the drops and occasional rounds of thunder interrupting them every now and again. The wedding has been going on for several hours now. There are still a considerable amount of guests inside. It takes a lot of skill to sneak out here without anyone seeing. And here they are now - situated on a bench, holding hands, and talking quietly. Unbeknownst to anyone, it’s always been their favorite thing to do.
“Of course I am.” Sally rests her head on him and closes her eyes. “There’s no one else I’d want to be with.”
“I feel the same way.”
Jack kisses the top of her head and rests his skull there, the two of them sitting and quietly listening to their breaths. They can’t think of anything more peaceful. Eventually, it’s him who breaks the silence. He can’t seem to keep his thoughts to himself today. He wants to express how happy and grateful he is - to be married to the love of his death, now.
“To think it’s been a century since the town’s had a Queen…I think there are many here who have never had one.”
She bites her lip, gently tugging at her seams. He motions her hand away and grips it, giving her an encouraging look. She looks at the floor. “-You really think I’ll make a good Pumpkin Queen?”
She can’t seem to ever stop asking this question. He smiles softly. “Of course. Without any doubt.” He brushes his fingertips through her hair, tangling his fingers within the red yarn. Then he adds, “Everyone loves you; you’re a wonderful role model.”
“Role model? Me ?” She turns red. “No, I…I’m not exactly-”
“You were locked up for a good portion of your life, remember? But did that stop you from coming to see me?” He smiles when she shakes her head ‘no’ . “-There you go. You wanted something, so you worked to get to it. That’s inspirational. I don’t know how anyone CAN’T look up to you!”
She nestles in his arms. He holds her closely, wishing to ease her concerns.
“Don’t be stressed, Sally. It’s my job to be as frightening as I can be. And take care of other things, too.” He tilts his skull and brushes his hand along her cheek. “You can do anything you want to do. I’ll support you no matter what, and I know they will, too.”
She stares into his eye sockets for a long time, a smile stretched on her face. He notices the tears starting to stream from her eyes and moves forward to gently wipe them. She sniffles and lays her head on his shoulder, embracing him as close as she can . He wraps his arms around her tightly in response, closing his eye sockets and indulging himself in her warm touch.
“This is the happiest day of my life.” She admits, choking up. “I’m married to you. Do you know how long I’ve dreamed of this? The moment you set me free from that Tower, I wanted this so badly. To be yours and you to be mine… ”
“I wanted this, too. I proposed to you, after all.” He rubs her back soothingly with a lighthearted laugh. “It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.” He admits.
She removes herself to gaze into his eye sockets again, this time with tears spilling out from her eyes. Before he can tend to them, she presses her lips on his, pulling him into a heartfelt kiss. He returns the affection, naturally. It lasts a minute or two, but they remain outside for the rest of the ceremony, gazing at the stars every time a clear spot appears in the stormy night sky.
—-----
Her coronation is just as nerve-wracking and difficult to get through, but it means so much to her and Jack all the same. The town attends much like last time, excited to see their new ruler be rightfully crowned. And Sally does a wonderful job through it all - ignoring her shaking limbs at times and anxious habit of picking at her seams.
It was a thorough process, teaching her how to rule Halloween as well as the town. She was often overwhelmed by it all, but comforted by her husband every time she felt stressed. It’s apparent that he’d be by her side through it all, to share the workload like a true King and Queen do. Over time, she embraces her responsibilities - happy to share it all with the man she loves.
The skeleton feels a warmth spread in his bones when he places the crown on her head. A movement done so slowly - so intensely, staring into her eyes as she blinks at him…it looks beautiful on her. Like it was always meant to be there. No head can fit it as right as hers does. She stands slowly and he takes her into his arms, holding her tightly and listening to the applause and cheering from their people all around them. He relishes her touch, and by then, everything feels exactly as how it’s meant to be.
His Pumpkin Queen.
THE END
#the nightmare before christmas#nightmare before christmas#jack skellington#sally skellington#jack and sally#jack x sally#fanfiction#fanfic#our nightmare#tnbc#tim burton#henry selick#the mayor of halloween town#lock shock and barrel#halloween town band
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Our Nightmare (Chapter 13)
Summary: Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like living with The Pumpkin King.
A sequel to Two Dearest Friends, where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as they start to spend their deaths together.
Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel
–
Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, go here.
–
It is early in the morning when the crowing of a skeletal rooster makes it into Jack’s bedroom. The Pumpkin King throws his pillow over his skull in an attempt to deafen the noise. A few seconds pass before a bright light begins to seep into the room, as the pumpkin sun rises slowly in the sky outside. The skeleton groans when it hits his eye sockets. He mentally swears at himself for forgetting to close the curtains last night, and aggravatingly turns on his other side to avoid the window. His eyes snap open when he finds a face only a few inches away from his own.
Sally…
His frame freezes at the sight, finding himself in some sort of trance. His gaze is locked on her closed eyes, her slightly parted lips, and her breathing figure moving and falling by the second. It doesn’t take long before a smile grows on his stitched lips. He remembers all about last night. His proposal to move his girlfriend into his room...rightfully sharing a bed together as soon as they could. He remembers sleeping so peacefully throughout the night. He carefully brings a hand forward and moves the fallen strands of hair from her face. This notion catches her attention and her eyes slowly flutter open.
“Good morning, my dear.” He greets softly, cradling her face in one of his large hands. She looks surprised before relaxing her shoulders.
“Good morning…”
The air around them is entirely peaceful. She recalls feeling like this on her first morning in the Skellington Manor. Except now she has the pleasure of waking up right next to her skeleton man. He leans towards her and leaves a kiss on her lips, brushing her hair to the side before sitting up in bed. She follows his movements and lets out a small yawn. He notices this and tilts his skull.
"You can sleep in if you'd like."
She shakes her head. She already feels well-rested. "No, it's alright."
She leaves a kiss on his cheek before they hear something stirring in the room. Zero shakes his head from his doggy bed before peering around the bedroom. He levitates from the surface and meets with the eyes of his master and Sally. The ghost dog joins them and nuzzles both of their sides excitedly.
Jack chuckles as he pats his small head. "Good morning to you, Zero!"
Some more movement comes from the floor before a small, black figure jumps onto the edge of the bed. Ophelia tiredly blinks her yellow eyes at the figures, running along the blankets to meet with her owner. Sally coos when the feline jumps into her lap and nestles into her arm. What a wonderful way to start the morning!
"Good morning, Ophelia.."
The Pumpkin King takes this time to leave the bed and approach the windows, fully moving the curtains so the sun completely envelops the room. He moves to his dresser and searches around in his drawers for his clothes. The other figures watch him intently from the bed. Sally rubs her eyes as she adjusts to the light in the room.
"Did you sleep well, dearest?" The skeleton asks, pulling her from her thoughts.
She nods. "Just terrible!"
"I'm glad to hear it. I wanted our first night together to be perfectly unpleasant!"
He moves behind the screen to start dressing himself. He hears his beloved leave the bed after a few minutes and passes right through the door. The pitter-patters of her cat follow behind, and he can hear Zero's tag chiming down the stairs. It's only when he's fully dressed when the familiar sound of sizzling comes from the kitchen. She must be making breakfast already!
He grins to himself, elated with everything so far. This was the right decision to make after all this time. He'll have to spend the rest of the morning moving her things from her room and properly making his space into theirs . He’s already cleared plenty of time in his schedule to do it. He's more than excited by the time he rushes down the stairs to meet with Sally, kissing her neck once or twice while she stands over the stove cooking the food.
The sound of her giggles brings a new delight to his bones.
. . .
The nights go on, as do the mornings. They've moved past what happened on Halloween night. In fact, the subject never comes up again as the two get more comfortable. Jack's favorite part, albeit self-indulgent, are the mornings he spends waking up next to her . He finds he rises even earlier than usual just to watch her form next to his - sleeping so peacefully, auburn hair messily strewn over her face and the pillows, looking like the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen in his death. He listens to her small breaths in this time until she eventually wakes, and then he greets her with a kiss.
As the weeks pass, the skeleton and ragdoll start noticing each other's habits. While she sleeps, he finds she makes the tiniest of snores on some nights, almost virtually unnoticeable if it hadn't been for his keen sense of hearing. She will, in return, find the King overworking himself most nights, cooping himself up in his study while he reads or experiments. She has to drag him to bed every time this happens, sweetly reminding him to get his rest and that it's time to go to bed together.
He never resists. He feels like he's in some sort of Heaven as his angel leads him temptingly to their bedroom with a tight pull on his wrist. He sighs in bliss every time it happens. Things truly couldn't be better.
----
It is a quiet afternoon when Sally Finklestein sweeps around the entrance of her sewing shop. It is the usual time she takes a break and temporarily closes her business until she returns. She normally spends this time either in the plaza or the Town Hall, where she meets with Jack during his own lunch break. The two usually eat together and catch up at this time, before having to return to their responsibilities for the rest of the day.
She plans to meet with him and talk over a modest meal she packed for both of them this morning. She returns her broom inside and locks the front door of the shop with a hum. She eagerly turns on her heel and is about to begin her way until she is interrupted by the sound of laughter. It isn't a normal, childish one - rather, a collection of shrieks that sound from across the street. It is accompanied by the sound of running feet. She assumes it's from the Town children playing together as they usually do around this time, and continues on her way like normal.
The laughter continues until she stumbles upon the source of the noise. The sight makes her stop completely in her tracks. It is coming from three children she's never seen in Town before...she marvels at their bright clothing. They look exactly like the trick-or-treaters she’s seen in the human world - dressed in costume from head-to-toe. There is one young girl and two little boys - the girl is dressed as a purple witch, with a tall hat, stringy black hair, and a long green mask. One of the boys seems to be a skeleton, who has stubby green hair, a round face, and only three pointy fingers and toes on his hands and feet. He wears a circular mask sporting a wide, toothy grin. The last boy looks to be a devil, with his hair gelled upwards to represent small horns, and a long red mask situated over his tall face, as a pointy tail flickers from his pants.
The three are currently standing in front of other children, except these are ones Sally recognizes from Town. There is the mummy boy - a child wrapped entirely in paper whom she knows loves to help the Mayor with his duties, a small winged demon with large black wings, and the corpse couple’s kid, Ethan. There is a look of terror on their faces as the trick-or-treaters stand before them, attempting to hide their bags behind their small figures. She notices they’re filled with many colorful wrappers, which she assumes must be candy.
The small witch steps forward, batting her broom on the ground in warning. “Give it to us! We know you’re hiding it!”
Ethan narrows his stitched eyes. He is among the few residents that happen to be blind. “Who says we have to give it to you!? Aren’t you supposed to EARN your own candy?”
“Push off!” The devil warns as he steps forward. “You owe us for helping you last Halloween! Give us the candy!”
“HELP? You got all of us in trouble for that trick you played last year!” The mummy boy joins in. “We don’t want anything to do with you bullies!”
“ ‘Bullies..’ ?” The skeleton kid snickers from behind.
The trick-or-treaters exchange a glance. Despite their masks concealing most of their faces, it is clear that there is mischief in their gaze. The other children loudly gulp and begin to back away as the taller figures step forward threateningly. It is at this point Sally realizes something is about to go badly. The three suddenly take the masks off of their faces, revealing almost identical expressions underneath.
“It seems like we have to remind you of who we exactly are ..!” The girl giggles menacingly.
The other figures nod in agreement before joining her side. This is when they completely advance on the Halloween Town children, cornering them until they have no more space to go. Then they arrange themselves in a line, with the devil coming first while the witch and skeleton follow from behind. They momentarily hold the masks over their faces before dramatically lowering them.
“Lock!” “Shock!” “Barrel!”
The last member licks the lollipop in his hand greedily, eying the bags they are currently concealing from them. He nudges his fellow trick-or-treaters. “Say, I think I know where they’re keeping their candy..!”
“Oh? Where is it, Barrel?” Shock plays along.
“Hey! I think I see them, too!” Lock comes forward and points a finger behind them, making the small kids quiver in fear. “You’re hiding it behind your backs! That’s the oldest trick in the book! Our book!”
“P...please…” The demon’s red eyes start to moisten with tears. “This is all we have..! Our parents would get mad if-”
“ Psh ! This is why we don’t have any parents! We work for the boogeyman, and he doesn’t have any of those lame rules..!” She snorts at them. Barrel nods in agreement.
“We take our job in pride...and the boss wants us to get him some extra candy! Which means you will have to give it to us. Don’t make us ask twice.”
Ethan sobs as they attempt to grab the bags from their hands. “ Stop !”
“Or what ?” Lock pushes him. His large figure falls onto the floor harshly. “Are you gonna tattle on us?”
The other two cohorts shake their heads in disappointment. “You’d be really stupid to try that.”
Before they attempt to push them down any further, a feminine yell interrupts them. The kids jump in alarm as a tall woman approaches them with a displeased look on her face.
“You stop picking on those kids right now !”
Lock, Shock, and Barrel freeze in their spots. The bags fall from their small hands as they turn around and find Sally Finklestein standing a few feet away from them. She has her hands clenched to her sides and her eyes firmly narrowed - completely upset at the scene she has just witnessed. In this silence, the mummy boy helps Ethan back to his feet and the hastily three collect their candy. Before the trick-or-treaters can do anything, they suddenly flee on the spot, running as far and quickly as they can. Shock lets out a frustrated groan at the sight before turning sharply to the older woman, pointing an accusing finger in her direction.
“Hey! What’s your problem, lady!?”
“Why are you treating those kids like that?” Sally implores with a frown. “You can’t bully them out of their candy! That is just...despicable!”
The three look at each other before bursting into a fit of laughter. ‘Despicable ..?’ They guffaw right there on the floor, slamming their hands on their stomach amusingly. The ragdoll watches them with a confused look. Then she gets upset and steps even closer, wanting these mischievous children to understand how unacceptable their actions are. She points in the direction the others left in.
“I want you to go to them and apologize, right now!”
“Who do you think you are? Our mom?” The devil inquires sarcastically.
Shock laughs right with him while Barrel tilts his head at her tall figure. He suddenly tugs on his cohort’s sleeve and leans forward to whisper something. The surprised look on Lock’s face stops their laughter and he whispers another thing to Shock. The smile leaves her lips as she takes a small step forward.
“Wait..” She looks her up-and-down. “Do we know you ?”
“ Know me..?” Sally repeats quietly. She thinks if she has ever seen these kids before in her life. Then something starts to click...a past memory she has pushed aside for a long time. It is the same ordeal Jack apologized for when they first properly talked together - how she got kidnapped by that wretched Bug King, years ago...it is almost terrifying to remember.
She was newly-created at the time, by the hands of the town’s mad scientist, Dr. Finklestein. She was only alive for a few days before Halloween Town was completely overrun by horrible bugs. She got separated from her creator at the time, and was suddenly stuffed into a bag by the hands of three small children. She remembered the way they giggled when they stuffed her in the bathtub, speaking to her as if she were Jack Skellington. Her heart sinks remembering how she didn’t even know him, at the time. And the way she reacted when she first saw the Boogeyman...the sheer terror displayed on her face when he insisted on keeping her captive...
“That’s it!” Barrel exclaims. “She’s the one we kidnapped for Oogie! Susan!”
“Not ‘Susan’, you idiot!” Lock smacks him upside the head. “It was….erm...uh….”
“ Sally !” Shock slaps her forehead in realization. The other’s eyes widen before they look back at her, then make small ‘ah’ sounds. They look at each other again before laughing once more, slapping their knees this time. The ragdoll is even more insulted this time, but it is nothing compared to how she feels with their next words:
“Oh, man! Didn’t Jack have to come and save you? How helpless are you? And you think you can boss us around!?” The witch giggles. “I think the Doctor forgot to give you a brain!”
“Hey, what’s that over there?” Barrel abruptly points in a direction.
The others follow his finger and notice a newly-constructed building in this part of Halloween Town. They read the sign plastered outside proudly - “ Sally’s Sewing Shop ”. The pristine paint, the intact windows and doors...it certainly catches their attention. Both Lock and Shock stroke their chins the longer they look at it. Plenty of ideas stir in their mind, wondering just how they can vandalize it and make their work look proud. Sally frowns as she notices the expression on their faces. Panic settles in her leaves. She doesn’t feel right about any part of this situation at all.
“No!” She exclaims firmly. “Whatever you’re thinking of...don’t do it!”
“Is that YOUR sewing shop?” Shock teases. “I don’t remember THAT being there before..”
“How’d you get it?” Lock asks curiously. At her silence, he gives a knowing look at the other two. “Guys, don’t you remember those rumors in Town? That Jack got a girlfriend ?”
“Ew!” Barrel and Shock stick out their tongues in disgust. Then they realize his words and grin devilishly. “I mean, yes... we do !”
“I bet he got you that shop! And I bet how upset he’d be if something happened to it...because some doll wasn’t watching her mouth around Boogie’s Boys!”
Something snaps in her at those words. She doesn’t appreciate how cocky they sound, nor the coy smile that boy has when he says them. She steps forward and clenches her fists tightly. So tight she can feel the seams begin to weaken….her eyes widen as she comes even closer and the three take a step back. They notice her stiff posture and the smile is promptly wiped off their faces. In a dark tone, Sally Finklestein warns them:
“You will NOT be going anywhere NEAR my shop! And if you do, Jack will bring the WORST punishment on you three that you have ever SEEN! Do I make myself clear!?”
They don’t appreciate being talked to like this. But they think twice of it, and decide it’s not worth the trouble right now. They * can * get in serious hot water with Jack whenever he is angry - they’ve learned that lesson plenty in the past. And knowing this is his girlfriend...that would make things worse! They decide to drop it for now, only out of caution, and exchange a defeated nod with each other. They stick their tongues out at her before scurrying off in a random direction, glancing back only once to snicker wickedly. She is left standing there, fuming, as their small figures disappear through a gate. She releases her fists and lets out a sigh, worryingly glancing back at her shop and feeling the anxiety start to raise in her leaves.
‘I should talk with Jack…’
----
Sally is disappointed to learn that the skeleton has to cancel their arrangement that afternoon, as the Mayor is overworking him especially on this day. She shares some understanding, knowing he took the day off with her not too long ago just to spend some time together...he asks her if there’s anything urgent she needs to tell him - and she decides to bite her tongue, for now. She can spill everything about it to him tonight, when they can relax together after dinner, and all of his work is off his shoulders…
Finding she has a free afternoon, she decides to visit the Witches in their shop. They told her she is free to come by anytime, and that they’re interested in getting to know her. This certainly holds true, as the women inform her it’s their own lunch break, and insist on bringing her to a small arrangement with the other women in town. They demand on doing it to make up for the cruelty they all showed her in the past. She’s almost nervous accepting such an invitation, but agrees to it in the end. She would like to make new friends, after all…!
Sally Finklestein is led to a small table in the Residential part of town, shaded by an umbrella, where the Undersea Gal and Corpse Mom are currently sitting at, sipping small cups of tea and eating at plates with sandwiches on them. She is surprised at how welcome she is received, as there is no trouble making room for her the moment they spot her. She brings her own lunch to the table, a small bowl of worm and pea soup, before comfortably sitting beside the witches.
“Sally! We’ve been wanting to see you for some time now.” The Corpse Mom adjusts her glasses with a smile. “We just want to know all about what you’re up to..!”
“Your shop must be getting so many customers. I would visit you myself, if I had any need for clothes.” The fish butts in. “What I’ve heard from everyone else is terrible!”
“Oh, please..” She bats her eyes at their words. “It’s really nothing special. I am busy with all the clothes I’m making, but it’s only to help everyone in town.”
“You won that award on Halloween..! I would say it was rightfully deserved!” Helgamine exclaims, almost too passionately. It’s clear she’s making an effort, at least.
“You made my little boy some new clothes. He goes through them quicker than the vampires getting out of the sun.” The large woman sets down her sandwich. “We are all incredibly thankful for what you do.”
Her ruby lips curve into a smile. This is going all so well..! The five of them start having an incredibly deep conversation, speaking about how things are going in town. She appreciates getting to hear from some of the residents she doesn’t know. They don’t seem all that upset with her presence and even ask plenty of questions to her. She grows more comfortable the longer they speak, and a full hour passes before their lunches are finished, and they are now drinking through their cups and enjoying the afternoon.
“You are such a delight, Sally.” The Undersea Gal compliments her. “We should get together more often..!”
The witches bow their heads and look another way at this suggestion. They agree regardless, and the creation appreciates this gesture. Before further words can be exchanged, the loud sound of a door slamming shut interrupts them. The women snap their heads in the direction, to find an angry shopkeeper disposing of unwanted customers. Sally isn’t surprised when it’s the same trick-or-treaters from before.
Lock, Shock, and Barrel rub their backs in pain as they remove themselves from the floor. They throw their hands angrily up in the air. “Hey! How could you treat your own customers like this? We’re just kids!”
“Yeah - rotten little brats, is what you three are!” He rebuts angrily, returning to his shop. “Come back when you know how to follow the rules!”
The figures flinch as the door slams shut again, even louder this time. The three exchange angry frowns before nodding and reaching into their bag, surfacing rolls of toilet paper and straws. It’s clear to any outsider what is going to happen - they’re going to play a classic ‘trick’ on the unfortunate owner. Sally frowns as she witnesses this, and begins to stand in her chair to stop them. The other women notice and push her back down in her seat, giving her a firm shake of the heads.
“You don’t want to do that, dear.” The mother warns her. “Those three are more than you can handle.”
“I scared them off from my shop earlier.” She crosses her arms angrily. “They threatened to vandalize it, and I made it very clear Jack would punish them for it if they did.”
“You must’ve gotten lucky.” The Undersea Gal rolls her eyes. “They’ll never leave anyone alone before getting either candy, or playing a trick. They’re the worst trick-or-treaters in town, and I don’t mean that as a compliment..!”
The witches stand from their chair, shaking their heads and letting out disappointed ‘tsks’ . “Children..! They just never learn, do they, sister?” Zeldaborne asks. Helgamine agrees as the two leave the table.
Sally and the others watch curiously as they confront the kids. They were in the middle of throwing the paper all over the building and preparing some spit wads. They notice their visitors and resort to name-calling and screams, before the two women flick their wrists and begin to chant a spell. Without any warning, a purple glow is cast on the trick-or-treaters, freezing them mid-air and forcing them to drop everything in their hands. They struggle in their grip and yell harshly at them. Helgamine grins in satisfaction.
“Now, are you three going to scram before we have to turn you into toads again?” She asks. “And this time, we’ll make it last for more than 3 days!”
“No! Don’t do that to us!” Barrel struggles to move his arms. “Not again !”
“Then promise you’ll leave and quit bugging everyone! We don’t want you here, and we don’t know how many times we have to say it..!”
“Not until you learn how to behave!” Zeldaborne adds before turning to one of them. “And Shock, you know how disappointed we are in you..! You could be learning how to be a proper witch instead of all this nonsense!”
The little girl laughs bravely. “From who? You hags? I would never want to!”
They move their fingers and the glow grows only stronger. The kids groan as the grip is tightened. It doesn’t take long before they begin to plead. “Please, stop! We’ll go!” “Yeah! Far away!” “-Back to our treehouse!”
“Good. Off you go, then.”
They release the spell, and the three land on the ground harshly again. They throw sour looks in their direction before grabbing their stuff and running off. It’s clear they’re more afraid this time, as they don’t even bother looking back. The witches clean their hands off before returning to the other women at the table, sitting back down casually and acting as if nothing had happened at all. Sally is in awe at what happened, and smiles in delight at them.
“That really works..?”
“Oh, yes. We’ve had to throw so many spells on them just to stop their shenanigans.” Helgamine huffs. “It’s expensive to keep doing it, and it seems like every week we have to..! I wish they would stay in that treehouse of theirs.”
“Who exactly are they..?” She inquires. “They kidnapped me once, to give to their ‘boss’ . That was when that Bug King took over the town.”
“Right. That debacle.” The Undersea Gal frowns at the memory. “They are trick-or-treaters, obviously, but they’re more of miscreants. Always causing trouble and bringing bad things with them..! None of us want them here.”
“That’s right! They do all of these awful, nasty things for that terrible Oogie Boogie...they are never good news. Don’t believe them if they promise anything to you.” The Corpse Mom shivers in her seat. “They’ll just wreck your stuff and bully your boys just to get free candy!”
“We believe in the name of trick-or-treating, we truly do! But they take their ‘tricks’ to such levels…” Zeldaborne clenches her hands. “No matter how much candy you give them, they’ll keep coming back and demanding more each time!”
The Undersea Gal comes forward and lays a scaly hand on her shoulder. “Don’t ever let them into your shop, Sally, or even around it for Halloween’s sake! They will only cause trouble for you. Believe me. It’s happened to all of us.”
She frowns at all this information. She can believe it. Those words they said to her earlier...none of it was good news. “How come such children behave this way? How could they work for someone so awful? And what you said, Zeldaborne...that girl doesn’t even want to become a witch like you two. How could that be?”
“ -That Oogie Boogie !” They all exclaim, angrily, in unison. She looks around the table in confusion.
“He makes those little ones work for him, and it is just so cruel.” Corpse Mom frowns. “He constantly feeds them candy and junk food all day, and lets them do whatever they want! He’s the reason why they cause so much mischief.”
“They live in a treehouse in the Hinterlands forest. Far from town, but not far enough , in my opinion!” Zeldaborne waves her fist in the air angrily. The other creatures sigh and nod in agreement.
“Oogie Boogie is terrible news. You don’t want to meet him, which is why you should avoid those trick-or-treaters at all costs. It’s best you don’t catch their attention, otherwise the Boogeyman will know about you , too.” Helgamine warns Sally darkly.
She wishes to ask them more about this subject, but the ladies insist on changing topics - to something more... cheerful . She slumps in her seat as they begin to talk about business in town. She joins in the conversation when necessary, but her mind feels... troubled , and overwhelmed with all this information. She can’t get the image of those children out of her mind, and finds that somehow, somewhere , deep down...she feels a little sad for them.
----
The rest of the day is spent cautiously in her shop. She finds herself hanging around near her front door more often, constantly peering around the streets in search of those miscreants again. She’s relieved to find no sight of them, and is quick to close her sewing shop once the time comes. She makes sure she locks the door and closes the curtains before leaving for the Skellington Manor. Ophelia blinks worriedly at her owner from the basket held in the crook of her arm. The ragdoll seems so tense, that even an animal like her can sense it..!
She makes her way through the doors and relaxes once she’s inside. She lets Ophelia onto the floor and discards her wicker basket on the table. The cat happily meets with the ghostly dog and the two retreat to the other end of the room. She watches them run off before suddenly being met with two long arms wrapping around her figure. She smiles as she feels Jack Skellington hugging her, digging his skull into her shoulder. His pumpkin cologne eases her instantly.
“Welcome home, Sal..!” He greets her proudly in her ear. She hugs him back tightly.
“Glad to be home, Jack…”
He withdraws after a moment, allowing her to get comfortable. It is still a little early before dinner has to be made, so the skeleton joins her side and rests on the cushions of the couch. The animals are playing on the carpet in front of them, giving quite an amusing sight to the Manor’s residents. He chuckles when Ophelia manages to paw at Zero’s pumpkin nose, which lights up in alarm at the contact. Sally catches this scene and giggles as well.
“Aren’t they adorable together?”
“They certainly are.” He agrees with a knowing tone. Zero catches their words and quietly growls, only to be cut off when the black cat paws at him again.
“He won’t admit it, but I know Zero’s gotten very fond of her.” The tall man informs his girlfriend. “He enjoys the company so much, he waits right by the door for you to return from your shop with Ophelia!”
“Does he, now?” The ragdoll teases and the dog turns away. “I’m so glad he loves the new addition to our little family..!”
The apparition decides he’s had enough of their teasing and flies entirely into another room. The cat is confused at this gesture and runs straight after him. The two figures laugh from the couch as they watch them disappear through a doorway. They’re left alone now, and the silence starts to linger. She goes to cuddle with Jack and sighs in relief once she’s in his grip. She still has to tell him about her day...but she’d rather do that after they’ve eaten….
“Would you like me to cook dinner tonight?” She offers. He thinks about the idea, stroking his finger along hers.
“Why don’t we make something together ..? We’ve haven’t done that yet..!”
“Cooking together?” She blinks in interest. “I’ve never done such a thing...sharing the kitchen was never an option because, well, the Doctor had trouble with cooking!”
“Not a problem for me.” He picks her up in one smooth movement from the couch. She lets out a surprised noise before hugging his frame tightly. “Why, we should get started right now..!”
He moves his skull down to brush his nasal bone against her nose. She enjoys the touch while he brings them into the kitchen within only a few steps. He lets her down and starts searching through a cookbook. She joins his side and, after a few minutes, the two agree on a special meal to make together. It’s a new experience entirely to be cooking by the Pumpkin King - she’s always thought sharing a kitchen would feel cramped and bothersome, but it is entirely the opposite! Rarely would they bump elbows or get in the other’s way; it is delightful to help pour the ingredients in bowls and have him reach anything she can’t.
They spend a wonderful time cooking a casserole together, and by the time it’s finished, they’re both eager to try it. They waste no time helping themselves to their servings, sitting in the dining room to share this meal they made together. She feels almost excited as she squirms in her seat, eagerly stabbing her fork through the food and bringing it to her lips, savoring the taste…It doesn’t take very long until she comes to a judgement.
“It’s...delicious!” She exclaims. He takes his own bite and soon agrees.
“Absolutely wonderful! See? We make such good things together..! Remember the Halloween costumes?”
“That we do...it was delightful, Jack. I hope we do this again.”
“Then we will.” He replies smoothly before taking another bite.
She relaxes completely in her seat as they resume their meal, finishing it shortly with its tempting flavors. They return to the living room to cuddle once more, allowing their supper to be digested. The pets have long moved on in the house, but they don’t mind being alone at that moment. He especially misses her contact after not making it to their lunch together that day...he feels guilty having to be away, and frowns as he combs his hand through her yarn hair. He’s obligated to ask.
“How did your day go, my love? It didn’t trouble you that I couldn’t make it to our arrangement, did it? The soup you made was very good...”
“Oh, it was fine. I know you have plenty of work with the Mayor.” She nestles his side sweetly. “I went into town and had lunch with the Witches and a few other women from town.”
“Did that go well?”
“Yes. They’ve been wanting to make it up to me for what they said in the past. And we had a lovely time together. We talked so much about my shop and what’s been going on in the town…except, well…”
He notices her hesitation and leans forward. “Except…?” He inquires, crooking an eye socket.
“I had an unexpected encounter today, with...well, some children.” She awkwardly begins explaining. “I met the trick-or-treaters today. I found them picking on the Corpse Kid, the Mummy boy, and the winged demon...I just had to put a stop to it, so I interrupted them. It didn’t go quite as I planned…”
“You met with Lock, Shock, and Barrel?” The skeleton asks in surprise. She waits before nodding. “Did they give you any trouble?”
“Well, yes * and * no. They noticed my shop and threatened to do something to it, before I told them you would punish them if they did. And then they ran off. But when I had lunch with those ladies, we noticed them picking on some of the shopkeepers in town. The Witches stepped in and put an end to it, but-”
“-They’re a lot of trouble, Sally.” He interrupts her, waving a skeletal finger. “You need to be wary of them.”
“That’s exactly what they said.” She sighs. “But, Jack, who exactly are they? They told me they were miscreants and trick-or-treaters, but that’s all I really know…”
He hums before removing his arms and sitting upright. She can tell this is a serious subject and allows him to collect his thoughts. After a moment, he replies, “-They’re Halloween Town’s finest trick-or-treaters. And by that, really, they’re just good at what they do. Which is to get candy and pull tricks. But they cause much more trouble than they’re worth, and often try to give me and the Mayor a hard time…”
She leans forward and listens intently, wanting to know more about these children. “Where did they come from? I heard they don’t have any parents.”
“No. They don’t.” He frowns. “They came into town a long time ago, recently deceased at the time, I believe...they caused a lot of trouble back then, not particularly interested in meeting us, but demanding candy from everyone and pulling lots of pranks and tricks on them. It was overwhelming for me and the Mayor, and we tried our best to put a stop to it but...we weren’t very successful, you see…”
She blinks at his story.
“We were desperate and out of options trying to get these kids to behave. I could only scare them so much to put them in line. Not to mention, we had Halloween to worry about, and couldn't babysit them all the time. We eventually brought them to someone whom we thought could correct their behavior...but it hasn’t worked since.”
“Did you bring them to the boogeyman?”
He flinches at the word and visibly tenses. She is about to ask why until he grits his teeth and continues. “-- Yes . We brought them to Oogie Boogie thinking he could correct their behavior...but he took advantage of it instead, and made them his henchmen. They carry all his wrongdoings now since he can’t leave his casino.”
“And why can’t he?”
“I banished him. The same day he kidnapped you, and I met you for the first time.” He finds it within himself to smile softly, reaching for her hand and holding it firmly. “He had to be punished for what he did with the town, and trying to overthrow me. It’s the only way he can get what he wants - by making those children do all his dirty work for him.”
“Don’t you feel bad for them..? That they are under his control, and they had so much potential to be innocent little children…”
“It’s a difficult situation.” He sighs exasperatedly. “I’ve given them plenty of opportunities to better themselves and get * away * from Oogie Boogie, but they never seem to want to do it. They insist on telling him everything and involving him in everything I’ve asked them to do. He inevitably has some influence on them, one way or another.”
He notices her picking her seams nervously(a habit he might scold her for, it worries him immensely that she'll pull herself apart), and brings her gaze back to his. He tells her firmly. “Sally, everything those witches and women told you is true. They are trouble and do not come with good intentions. Please, avoid them all you can, and let me know immediately if they start bothering you and your shop.”
“I will. I don’t trust them.” She replies firmly, then softens her gaze. “But I still feel so bad for those children…”
“As do I. But, please, it is not your situation to fix. Don’t worry about them. Eventually, I’m sure they’ll overgrow everything and want to move on ....” He begins to mutter with his sentence, and snaps himself out of it. “Just don’t talk to them or let them inside your shop. Understand?”
She nods again. He drops the subject from there and announces that it’s time to get ready for bed. She obliges and follows him into their room together, changing into their pajamas for the night and freshening up before heading into bed. They sleep together closely, with Jack holding her unusually tight, more so than normal. The entire evening, she thinks of those children and the boogeyman…and her first encounter with all of them….
#The Nightmare Before Christmas#Nightmare Before Christmas#Jack Skellington#Jack and Sally#Jack X Sally#Lock Shock and Barrel#Oogie Boogie#TNBC#Tim Burton#Disney#Our Nightmare#fanfiction#long post#long
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Our Nightmare (Chapter 16)
Summary: Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like living with The Pumpkin King.
A sequel to Two Dearest Friends, where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as they start to spend their deaths together.
Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel
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Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, go here.
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Sally Finklestein trudges on for what feels like hours. The way from the Hinterlands forest back to Halloween Town is much longer than she anticipates. Her legs grow exhausted by the minute. She neglects to notice the fallen tree branch in her way and is sent tumbling to the ground when her feet make contact with it. Her arm detaches upon impact, scattering loose leaves on the fresh dirt. The wind picks them up and carries them off. Sally grabs her arm in a panic and covers the opening with her other hand, noticing how many she’s lost.
She reaches for her thread and needle, but finds her pocket empty and no sewing needle behind her ear. Then she remembers she gave them to Oogie Boogie after losing their betting game. She gasps at this realization: she's truly vulnerable out here .
“Oh, no..!” She exclaims to herself. “This is bad…I have to get home!”
Grasping onto her appendage tightly, she picks up her pace and continues on the path. It takes several minutes before she sees the image of Halloween Town. She sighs in relief and practically runs to it - only to find herself tripping and stumbling on the way. Then she slows her pace in caution of losing anymore limbs. By the time she reaches the front gate, she’s so fatigued that she can only end up mumbling to the gatekeeper. The crow looks at her oddly and raises the gate for her. She thanks him with a nod of her head.
He notices the gaping hole in her arm as she passes by. “Are you okay, miss..?”
She waves him off and continues on her way. She’ll apologize for her curt behavior later - the sky is getting dark, and all she wants to do is to return to the Skellington Manor. Her sanctuary . Far from Oogie Boogie and those naughty children…Where the love of her death and their pets reside, undoubtedly waiting for her return…she feels guilty for keeping them waiting. For where she has gone today. She should’ve never left Halloween Town to begin with.
‘Maybe I can sneak inside,’ She thinks as she approaches the manor. ‘Just so I can sew my arm back on without anyone noticing…’
She tiptoes up the steps and opens the door as quietly as she can. She makes little noise closing it and wastes no time rushing inside, past the den and up the staircase. She tries to do this in a speedy manner despite struggling the entire way. Her body feels numb by the time she makes it to their bedroom. She starts searching through various drawers for a sewing needle and thread. She mutters under her breath before finding the desired items, and grins in satisfaction.
“Sally..?”
She turns around and finds Jack Skellington’s concerned face in the doorway. He is currently eying the area where her arm should be, before his gaze comes to what she’s holding in her hand. It isn’t a shocking sight to find his beloved without an arm at times, but it still brings alarm to the skeleton every time something like this happens. He steps further into the room and notes how empty it looks in the opening. Like she’s lost a terrible amount of leaves…the concern grows in his bones as he looks to her for an explanation.
She feels a little flustered to be caught in a situation like this. She smiles at him nervously. “I tripped..?”
“Why didn’t you take care of it earlier?” He lifts her dress’ sleeve to further observe the hole. “You’ve lost a lot of-”
“--Leaves. I know.” She cuts him off. She sets her arm down and attempts to thread the needle with one hand. He notices her difficulty and offers to do it for her. She gives him the items with a small ‘thank you’ .
“I just didn’t have the needle and thread on me, at the time…” She confesses. He looks at her doubtfully as he goes to sew her arm back on - sparing her the demanding effort of doing it one-handed. She’s grateful for this, but doesn’t have the opportunity to express it before he questions her.
“But you always have them on you. I mean, you should. What if something like this happens? If you were to fall apart, trip somewhere and lose more than this…”
He begins to mutter as he finishes the job, his voice growing worried at the possibilities he’s put into his mind. He has to calm himself down. Sally waits until he’s no longer tense before she speaks again, resting a hand on his shoulder.
“I used them in my sewing shop today and forgot they were there, that's all. I tripped on my way back.” She grits her teeth lying like this. She doesn’t feel comfortable doing it anymore. “I’ll make sure I always have them on me, from now on.”
He sighs before removing her hand and bringing it to his lips, to leave a tender kiss on her stitched knuckles. Her heart flutters at this gesture. He slowly brings it down and holds it in both of his large hands. He can feel how lighter her right arm is now - no doubt causing an imbalance to her body. They’ll have to visit the Doctor and collect more leaves when they can.
“I’ll believe you.” He tells her. “But, please, be careful.”
He leads them out of the bedroom and down the stairs, holding onto her tightly the entire time. She appreciates the extra support - drained from all the running and fretting she’s done today. She can use some relaxation. She makes this obvious when he politely sets her down on the couch. She moans in relief when the weight is taken off her feet. He looks at her in surprise and she quickly changes topics.
“Can you kindle a fire, Jack..? It’s cold tonight.”
He obliges to her demand and starts a fire in the hearth. While he’s busy, his ghostly dog and her black cat come running in from the other room. Ophelia mewls delightfully at the sight of Sally. She jumps into her lap without hesitation while Zero flies forward to lick the side of her face. They both have clearly been worrying about her. She gently hugs Zero before petting her cat, assuring the both of them that she is alright. The Pumpkin King stands to his full height once the logs catch fire. He turns to enter the kitchen right away.
“I’ll heat some leftovers for us tonight, and make some warm tea.” His voice informs her from the other room. She perks up and smiles.
“That sounds just fine.”
Ophelia jumps off to join Zero by the fire while they wait. It takes awhile until he returns to the room with trays of food and cups in his hands. He sets them down and hands Sally her tea first. She enjoys the way the liquid warms her stomach. She can’t deny she was freezing, after being outside for so long, enduring that harsh wind…and the chill she’s felt on her spine ever since her unfortunate encounter with the boogeyman…her gut sinks as she recalls everything that’s happened, and promptly places her tea down. She starts eating to try and clear her thoughts.
“How was your day today..?” She asks quietly. She hopes hearing about it will empty her mind. He pauses at her question.
His time that day had been spent finalizing his concept for Sally’s engagement ring. He remembers struggling trying to pick just one design out of the several he’d come up with. But he’s happy with his decision, and went to start on it right away. Sure, he’s a little behind on his paperwork now, but…it is ever so worth it, in his eyes. It is coming out beautifully. The only part he’s uncertain about is her ring size, which he will have to obtain discreetly…but other than that, his day went particularly well.
“Oh, you know. Just the usual planning in the town hall.” He replies casually.
She dips her head as she finishes her food. Nowhere near the intricate explanation like she’d been hoping to hear from him…he usually goes into such light about the Halloween planning and anything unexpected that ever happens…her mind is still unfortunately swarmed with the events from today. Her chewing slows and she drinks more tea to stop her chest from growing cold. There’s one question that hasn’t been able to leave her mind, no matter how much she pushes it aside.
She decides to appease her curiosity. Swallowing harshly, she soon asks him, “Jack..? What do you know about Oogie Boogie?”
His reaction is similar to the last time she mentioned him. The moment the name slips off her tongue, he visibly tenses and stiffens his jaw. He sets down the food in his hand as well as his cup, and grips his knees tightly. He avoids giving an answer right away. “-Why do you ask..?”
His hesitation confirms her suspicions. She thinks of any possible way to answer him without revealing what happened today - but she falls short on thinking of any excuses. It already hurt her to lie to him once, and it just doesn’t feel right to continue doing so. He might think she’s stupid for believing those children, and going to their treehouse so willy-nilly…but it’s brought a heavy weight onto her shoulders. And she desperately wants it to go away. Before she can come to terms with herself, the tears begin to fall from her eyes and she gravely looks at the floor.
“Something happened today.” She says in a small voice.
Her boyfriend notices the moistness leaving her eyes and relaxes his frame right away. He comes forward to hold her tightly, bringing her face to rest in the crook of his neck. She presses her entire weight on him as she closes her eyes and begins to cry. To finally let out her concealed emotions from what happened - to express how frightened she was, feeling used and violated by a scary man…and not the delightful ‘scary’ like Jack was, but from someone more…threatening .
“I did something really stupid.” She spits out regretfully. “I should’ve listened to you. I shouldn’t have ever given them the benefit of the doubt..”
“..What happened, exactly?” He asks. He feels unpleasant hearing her talk this way.
“They tricked me. I let Lock, Shock, and Barrel bring me to their treehouse...and I got trapped in Oogie Boogie’s casino.” He tightens his grip around her figure. “He offered me a betting game to leave, so we played, and…I-I lost. He let me go, anyway…but he…he….”
Her words drift off as she looks away. She feels anxious telling the rest of the story - afraid of what he would think of her, agreeing to do what she did. If he’d be disgusted. Hurt . Or even betrayed. She only did it for her freedom. She doesn’t know what to expect; she can’t imagine what it will be like to keep something like this to herself. To know she was touched in a way that made her feel like she was nothing more than a doll…
Jack pulls away to look at her face, combing the strands of her yarn hair behind her ears. Her eyes are red and her cheeks puffy. She’s refusing to look at him. The stitched lines on the ends of her mouth are quivering as she reaches for his arms. Her figure starts to tremble - and an unusual coldness overcomes him. It occurs to him what could have possibly happened in his absence.
“ What did he do to you? ” He asks coldly. She finally looks at him and whimpers, wiping her tears away with a free hand.
“He wanted to feel my leg and my foot…he-he even tickled me…I didn’t like the way he touched me…he said he wanted to feel a woman’s touch. And he kept saying such things ..! How I haven’t aged a bit, and-and how he liked how I had a mouth on me…he was stroking my face when-”
“That BASTARD..!” The skeleton yells, a small flame escaping his mouth. Sally jumps in surprise at his outburst. She grabs him by the shoulders and sets him back down beside her. She clings onto him and sobs some more, wishing to release everything in this moment.
“Pl-please don’t be mad..! I only did it because he wasn’t going to let me go. It was my only-”
He stops her words by holding her very tightly. The closest embrace they’ve ever had so far. She closes her eyes and shakes within his grasp - calming the longer he holds her, and warms her skin. He says nothing in these few minutes, letting the sound of the fire crackling soothe them instead. Zero and Ophelia watch them with worried expressions from the floor. They decide to keep their distance after seeing their master’s reaction. They express their sympathy with their eyes. He eventually withdraws and continues to hold her sides firmly.
“Sally..” He begins. “Do you know what could have happened? What could he have done to you?”
“-I know and I’m sorry!” She exclaims regretfully. “All I wanted was to see how those children lived, so I could help them..! It was wrong to believe them. They trapped me down there. I should have just listened to you and the witches-”
“- Shh, sh . Don’t blame yourself for anything…those three are cunning. You’re not the first they’ve tricked, nor will you be the last.” He sighs as he rocks them both. She snivels into his suit. “Anyone else could’ve done what you did. You’re not stupid. You’re just kind, that's what you are.”
“And it nearly got me….killed, or… or …” She mutters with a soft cry. He kisses her forehead and brushes her hair back again.
“What matters is you’re safe now. We’re fortunate he decided to let you go. I don’t know how I could’ve found you otherwise - I would’ve had no idea where you were…”
“I’m s-”
“ Shh .”
This time, they exchange no words as he moves her gently. They do this for several minutes until he feels her relax in his arms. She closes her eyes and steadies her breathing, enjoying this peaceful moment. She’d been so scared of him being outraged for what she did. But he isn’t. If anything, he seems upset with Oogie Boogie instead…she holds her breath as she thinks of what to say. She still hasn’t received any answers to her question - and she feels comfortable enough to pry again.
“He told me to ask you about him. That you two have a past I should know about…” She mutters. He doesn’t respond right away. He becomes strained again, so she rubs his back. “-Is that true?”
“I…” He breathes on her hair. “I was a different person back then, Sally. Not one I’m necessarily proud of…”
“Is that why you haven’t told me?” He nods weakly. “It won’t matter to me. What matters is who you are now …the man of my screams. The one who took me out of that tower.” His grip strengthens again. “I love you, and I…I want to know about your past, if you’re willing to tell me.”
He clutches her hands before letting go of them. He looks into the fire for a bit, thinking of where to begin. He hasn’t ever had to tell anyone about this before. She waits patiently in this time - curious as to what happened between him and Oogie Boogie, and what he must’ve been like back then…He finally takes a deep breath and relaxes, beginning to spill his story:
“Oogie and I were once friends a long time ago. I was young and reckless - and he, the same. I had just gotten my crown and began my reputation as the master of fright. I was willing to do anything… try anything. I wanted to be the most feared being alive - or, rather, dead. And Oogie…he liked doing things differently. We both had a passion for scaring people. So that’s what we did.”
She scoots closer as she becomes invested in this story. He struggles to speak for a moment and she places her hand on his knee encouragingly. He smiles softly before continuing, more confidently this time:
“Back then, every Halloween was to the human world. And, Oogie and I - we had a scare streak that lasted for years..! I was in tough competition. The boogeyman didn’t get his title for nothing , mind you. But it was all in good spirit. We kept trying new things, new methods to scare humans with. Some were his ideas, others were mine. We often bonded on this sort of thing - learning what humans feared, and how to use that to our advantage. We were close doing what we did together.”
He rubs his jaw in thought, his look turning troubled.
“But over time, I noticed something different about Boogie. He was spending a lot of time with the humans - even after Halloween, he would leave town to visit their world. I was bothered by this, since such a thing was forbidden, and asked him why. He told me it was to visit their dreams and study them - and I believed him. It was his job to do that, after all. But he came back with these strange desires, new ideas of his I hadn’t heard of….”
“What were they?” She asks curiously. He clicks his tongue.
“He was having all sorts of suggestions that didn’t involve scaring them…though he’d convince me otherwise.” Jack murmured. “He wanted to use torture devices. To gamble with them. Play games. He said it was using the fear of threatening their lives - and I…believed it, so I tried it with him. I’m ashamed to say we had fun when we started…humans were terrified when their lives were on the line, and we both enjoyed the terror. But something happened one night that changed everything between us.”
He pauses. She holds her breath.
“-A human had died.” He confesses solemnly. “We placed a bet with one that lost the game. Oogie was using one of his torture machines, and…the man was clearly in pain ..! We’d never gone so far as to physically hurt them. Just intimidate them..! It was Boogie’s intention all along; he told me he was testing a new theory of his. So he killed him. And that…was ‘true fear’, he told me…To take their life.”
He looks away, clearly ashamed of his words.
“If I’d have known he was going to kill that man, I would’ve stopped him. I wouldn’t have helped him to begin with. I was so furious that I didn’t talk to him for days…he was confused as to why. I had to tell him I didn’t believe in killing anyone. I’ve frightened some into an early grave, yes , but…never intentionally would I physically torture or mutilate them like he did! It was unnecessary, and…and it was sickening! We never saw eye-to-eye on this thing, so we didn’t reconcile after that.
Over the next few years, Oogie became an entirely different person. I knew he was doing these things - taking these innocent humans and gambling on their lives…some he took just to have his ‘fun’ with…and it all disgusted me. I tried to put a stop to it, but he always found a way to sneak into the human world and claim his victims. Every Halloween, he became ruthless. It was no longer a friendly competition - he was challenging me with every opportunity he had. And eventually, he got jealous of my crown.”
“Your crown..?” She asks. He nods in confirmation.
“Boogie challenged my throne, claiming that the way I scared others wasn’t ‘effective’ . That being nice was my flaw as a King. And Oogie wanted my place. So he could turn Halloween Town into the casino he wanted…it was the toughest scaring competition I’d ever been in. But I won. After that, I had just about enough and never spoke to him again. Then he tried to overthrow me with his ‘Bug Day’ nonsense, and - well, you were there for that…”
Sally is quiet as she takes in this new information. It makes her tremble remembering how close she had been to this man, who committed such terrible actions. She feels no sympathy for him whatsoever. And Jack…she’s sad hearing that their friendship fell apart, and he was tricked into such an awful thing…she hugs his side without a word, and he places his hand over hers. He sounds regretful with his next words.
“Believe me, I’m not proud of what I’d done back then. I helped him do most of these things, and…some of that blood was on my own hands, that night. I’ve never forgiven myself for it. I should’ve banished him a long time ago. I always regret that I didn’t. There would’ve been less victims, if I had acted in time...”
“It happened so long ago, and you know better, now. You wouldn’t let such a thing happen.” She assures him confidently. “I think you’re a great ruler, Jack. You look out for your people. You make sure they’re not mean, just doing their job…imagine how many people would have been taken if Oogie was in your place.”
He sucks at his teeth. “Exactly what I fear, sometimes…that he’s going to try and revolt again…I think you now understand why you should stay away from him..? And come and tell me if Lock, Shock, and Barrel try anything with you again?”
“Absolutely.” She agrees without hesitation. “I’m sorry. You had a right to worry. I didn’t know he could be so bad.”
They rest comfortably by the roaring fire, watching the flames dance to pass the time. Both Zero and Ophelia are asleep, enjoying the warmth and cuddling next to each other. Even Sally feels her eyes drooping the longer they remain there, the exhaustion finally catching up with her. It’s been an unimaginably long day, and now that she’s safely protected in Jack’s arms again…she wants to rest. To know she’s with a man who is so much better than the creature she encountered earlier. She nestles his side and hums in delight.
“Thank you, by the way.” He tells her quietly. She rests her head on his shoulder. “No one’s asked me about my past like this. They’ve never wanted to really know…and I…I’m glad you still trust me, after hearing it..”
“I was a different person, too.” She mumbles. “Before you, I was never confident or really happy…I was willing to be a housewife and nothing more…but now I matter to the town, and I have a place here. And I know you’re nothing like what you used to be, either.”
He smiles and leans over to kiss her on the cheek. She returns it on his stitched lips, holding his skull close as they lock lips. They eventually pull away. She rubs the side of his cheek with her thumb.
“You should forgive yourself.” She tells him sternly. “What happened wasn’t your fault…you didn’t know. You couldn’t have. He tricked you, like those trick-or-treaters did with me. And like you told me - you shouldn’t blame yourself for being kind.”
He sighs as he runs his hand through her hair. “You’re too good for me, Sally, you know that..?”
She says nothing and presses herself against him, preparing to rest her eyes. He senses her drowsiness and picks her up from the couch, carrying her over to the stairs. The animals finally stir from their sleep and groggily follow after, yawning as they climb into their bed. Jack gently sets Sally in the blankets and smiles as he observes her. She’s passed out already. She looks so content, finally peaceful after what happened to her…
A familiar fire burns in his throat. He clenches his fists to channel his anger. It doesn’t matter what Oogie did with her - he held her captive once, and had the audacity to touch her again. There is no doubt in his mind that he ordered Lock, Shock, and Barrel to trick her. He is always the mastermind behind their plans. And this time, he won’t be forgiven. He’ll make sure of it.
“I’ll kill him if he touches you again. I swear by it.” He mutters under his breath, cupping his beloved’s face in his hand. He leans forward and kisses her once more. “Sleep well, my dear.”
She snores lightly.
“Jewel! We have someone at the door!”
The tall woman looks up in surprise as the doorbell rings loudly above them. She drops what she’s doing to rush over and pull the handle. She’s delighted to find two familiar faces on the other side. One belongs to the Pumpkin King, and the other to Dr. Finklestein’s daughter, Sally. She lets them in right away, leading the two to their usual sitting room as she closes the door behind them.
“Welcome! What a horrible time to visit..!”
The ragdoll is more comfortable speaking to her this time. Their conversations over the phone have helped immensely. She approaches her politely. “We’re here to see the Doctor about something. It’s not really that important, so if he’s-”
“-Doctor!” Jewel exclaims into the other room. “Jack and Sally have come to see you! Are you busy, dear?”
Some bizarre noises come from the currently-ajar laboratory door. No doubt he’s experimenting right now. He sounds out-of-breath as he replies. “I’m afraid so..! Why don’t you take care of it for me? Practice your science?”
“How awful!” She claps her hands together and turns back to Sally. “What is it you need help with? I will try to be of assistance.”
The ragdoll glances with uncertainty towards Jack, who smiles back encouragingly. She’s never had anyone else do this sort of thing before. Only the Doctor has ever worked on her, besides Igor’s occasional help. She undoes the thread on her arm and shows her the somewhat-empty opening.
“Well…I recently lost some leaves in my arm. I just need some replacement ones.”
“A change of leaves - simple.” She comments confidently. She begins motioning her into another room and waves to the skeleton as they leave. “Wait right there, Mr. Skellington..! She’ll be back in a moment.”
The tall skeleton stays in his place as he watches them go. He’s confident Jewel will do the job just fine, compared to his girlfriend’s hesitancy. Once he’s alone, he sits down in one of the chairs. He passes the time by looking around and patiently tapping his digits together. He ends up waiting longer than he expects. Finding he has nothing else to do, he reaches into his pocket and unfolds a piece of paper. He finds the final sketch of the engagement ring on it - marveling at the design as he sometimes does in his free time. He has the unfinished project waiting back in the Skellington Manor - hidden exclusively in a drawer that Sally can’t find.
He is so captivated by the drawing that he doesn’t see the two figures emerging from the laboratory. Dr Finklestein notices his regal company and sends his assistant into the kitchen, asking him to make some refreshments. Once they’re alone, he moves his wheelchair forward until he’s close enough to get a glance at what the Pumpkin King is holding. He decides not to be nosy and greets him instead.
“Jack, my boy..! Terrible to see you today!”
He startles the King right out of his seat. He folds the paper again in a rush and slips it back into his pocket, smiling sheepishly at his old friend. “-Ah! Hello there, Doctor! I didn’t see you there…”
“It was not my intention to surprise you.” He laughs and rests his hands in his lap. “What is it you’ve come here for today?”
“Sally is getting some of her leaves replaced. She, erm …lost quite a few the other day.” His eyelids lower as he recalls the previous night. He decides to change subjects. “You’re having Jewel practice science now..?”
“She has half of my knowledge on the subject..! I want her to put it to good use. She’s been quite the help lately. We’ve gotten a lot done this time.” He realizes his words and quickly adds, “-You’re still free to come around and help anytime you’d like! I know we don’t experiment anymore like we used to.”
He recalls the last time they worked together on something, and remembers the unpleasant result that came…not from their work, but from their rather troubled relationship at the time…he shrugs this thought off and grins right back at him. He can tell the Doctor is a much happier man now - he’s never seen him so inspired before. It reminds him of himself with the Halloween plans, after Sally came into his death.
“It’s quite alright. I’ve been busy with the planning, anyway.” He decides to pry. “I assume things are going well for you two?”
“Positively perfect ! I finally have the wife I’ve always envisioned having.” He answers with pride. “I’m no longer the lonely, old man I used to be. Every day is worth waking up to, now.”
He understands what he means. It’s been the greatest experience to wake up next to the love of his death ever since they started sleeping together. Finklestein’s words suddenly remind him of something and an idea crosses Jack’s skull. He reaches in his pocket and surfaces the paper again, slowly unfolding it with a smile. He ensures no one else is in the room as he does this, wanting to keep this an utmost secret. He presents the paper to him proudly.
“Would you mind helping me with something, Doctor..?
He looks at him curiously as he takes it in his small hands and observes it. His jaw drops open at the detailed drawing he sees. He’s always secretly admired the King’s artistic talent - this being a perfect example as to why . The design that looks back at him is of a gorgeous engagement ring, modeled after his initial jack-o-lantern idea, except now it is complimented with red gems and the vines stretch to the shoulders just before the shank. It is a beautiful piece of art, to say at the least. He can only imagine what something like this would look like in-person.
“...Is this what I think it is?” He asks quietly.
“Indeed it is. I just need to know Sally’s ring size; I have a feeling you might know this information..?”
He glances at him knowingly. “You guessed right. I have a few replacements in a box somewhere we can check.”
“I can only do that if I ask one thing.” He takes another look around the room to ensure they are alone. He sits himself back in the chair to look him properly in the eye. “Doctor, will you give me your blessing to marry your daughter?”
He pauses, registering this question. Then a smile spreads on his face. “Of course, my boy. You’re the only one I trust to take care of her. I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
He returns the smile, overcome with a feeling of emotion. It means a lot to him to have the blessing of Finklestein - a long-time friend of his whom he’s come to regard as his own father figure. And if things go as well as he’s hoping…then a true one, at that. A wave of relief washes over him as he takes the paper and puts it away. He’s glad to get this part done, and finally receive the last piece of information he needs to make the ring.
“I assume you’re planning on keeping this a surprise..?” He is met with a nod. “I’ll have Igor retrieve the measurements for you. And I won’t say a word about this. Not even to my Jewel.”
With that, he calls for his hunchbacked assistant, who scampers into the room and traditionally bows to the Pumpkin King. The Doctor whispers something to him and the shorter man agrees eagerly, disappearing out of the room and rushing up the ramps. It is then Jewel and Sally finally return. The ragdoll has an easy time walking as she approaches Jack. Nothing looks different about her - but he can tell she's more balanced on her feet this time. Finklestein turns away to address his wife.
“I’m assuming it all went well..?”
“Of course, sweetie. I checked the rest of Sally’s leaves and replaced the ones that needed it. A lot of her thread was loose, too, but I fastened them. You should be good for a long time now, hun..!”
“Thank you, again.” She moves to hug her mother figure. “You’re going to make a wonderful scientist.”
“I appreciate that.” She pats her head as the woman lets go and turns to the skeleton. “I hope we didn’t take too long..?”
“--Just the right amount of time.” He replies with a chuckle.
Igor rushes into the room and passes a piece of paper to the Doctor. He doesn't even look at it. Instead, he wastes no time handing this to Jack, who takes it and easily pockets it. Sally watches this movement with confusion and opens her mouth to ask. He brings her to the door before she can. Then she forgets this matter completely as she gives her father a parting hug. The Doctor holds onto her while Jack exchanges a polite handshake with Jewel in the background. The moment they withdraw, he gives his daughter and soon-to-be son-in-law a proud look.
“Good luck, you two.”
#the nightmare before christmas#nightmare before christmas#oogie boogie#jack skellington#sally finklestein#jack x sally#jack and sally#fanfic#fanfiction#tim burton#disney#tnbc#our nightmare#long post#long#dr finklestein#lock shock and barrel
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Our Nightmare (Chapter 12)
Summary: Sally moves in with the man of her screams. But there is still so much she has to learn of Halloween Town, and what it’s like living with The Pumpkin King.
A sequel to Two Dearest Friends, where the Christmas incident never happens. But there are still many ends that haven’t been met, and much for these two dreamers to learn as they start to spend their deaths together.
Pairings: Jack Skellington/Sally, Dr Finklestein/Jewel
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Note: This is a SEQUEL to my other story, TWO DEAREST FRIENDS. To read the original story, go here.
–
“Sally?”
The name slips off his tongue as desperation lingers in his tone. His fiery pupils frantically search his proximity for the blue ragdoll, only to find no sight of her. This is when he drops his focus on scaring entirely. The flames and straw on his body vanish within thin air as he returns to his skeletal form. He rushes to the path where he last saw her, turning his skull quickly to search the area in despair. He’s using all of his senses at this point - intently listening for any sign of her.
He is interrupted by the sudden sound of a whimper. Almost as if someone is crying. Cautiously, he approaches the direction it came from all while concealing himself from nearby humans. This is when he finds a figure hunched behind a tree, cradling themselves in a fetal position while hiding their face. It doesn’t take him long to recognize this as his dearest friend, from her auburn hair to her blue, stitched skin. She doesn’t notice him when he finds her. The stitched smile on his lips falls as she continues to cry.
“...Sally?”
She makes a startled noise and jumps from her position. He pauses for a second, thinking she is relieved to find him - but that’s far from it! At the sight of the skeleton, she starts scooting away from him on the grass. This gesture pains him more than anything else. He takes a step closer, only to find her getting further. He eventually stops attempting to advance and places a worrying hand on his hip, leaning down to meet at her eye level. His face is sympathetic.
“What happened!? Are you alright? I thought I heard you scream, and I-”
“P-Pl-ease take me ba-ack….”
Her voice cracks as the sobs leave her mouth. This is when he feels an unbearable cold sensation in his ribs. It almost pains him as he slowly stands up and offers her his hand. She is hesitant to take it, and only does so to help her to her feet. She withdrawals her hand right away and Jack suddenly feels like his phantom heart is split into two. He says nothing as he starts leading them to the graveyard they came from - worryingly eying his dearest friend as he does so. He wishes he knew what to say at this moment.
“I…” He opens his mouth to say something but falls short. She doesn’t seem to be listening as it is, rubbing her arms constantly, looking everywhere else but him.
It isn’t long before they return to the Mayor’s currently unattended hearse. The ragdoll turns to him and mutters out her next words. “I-I think I need some time alone....”
He doesn’t want to leave her, but it doesn’t look like he has much of a choice. “....If you say so…”
She turns sharply towards the hearse and lets herself into the passenger seat, concealing her face after rolling the window up. Jack watches her speechlessly, slowly coming to the door to press his skull against it and listen. He can hear the same small cries from before. He feels his bones throb in pain the longer it ensues. He thinks of opening it up and inviting himself in - wishing to speak with her, asking what is wrong…but he doesn’t want to invade her privacy, as much as it hurts him otherwise. He sighs in reluctance before removing himself from the door.
He places a stressful hand on his head, beginning to pace in the graveyard. ‘She can’t take long…..I hope she doesn’t...I need to find out what’s going on…’
“Hey, Jack! How’s the scarin’ going?”
The Pumpkin King freezes into place after hearing a voice. He turns on his heel and finds other monsters approaching him with grins and howls. This is when he does something he’s become rather talented at - he puts up his usual front; the same one he used before, during stressful times like these.
“Just horrible, my fine gentleman!” He replies through a forced smile. “You should have seen how many humans I've frightened tonight..! How is it going for you all?”
“We’re having so much fun! Everyone’s on edge. It’s awful!” The Wolfman replies eagerly, smelling the fresh dirt in the air.
“Say, wasn’t Sally with you?” A ghoul inquires as he steps forward, looking around for the ragdoll. “Did she go somewhere?”
“Ah, yes -- she’s in the hearse, you see. She got tired from all the walking, so we headed in early. She needs to tighten her stitches, and all that.” He lies.
“Oh. Well, I hope she had a terrible time!” Harlequin comments. “Everyone always has a blast when they get to see the Pumpkin King scare!”
His lips twitch at that statement, realizing it was the opposite for her. They excuse themselves and leave the graveyard, disappearing back on the streets for another round of terror. The skeleton drops his act once they’re out of sight and bites his lip. His mind starts to fill with overwhelming thoughts - ones that bring anxiety to his bones, and an even worse feeling in his spine…he continues pacing in circles around the graves, much too disheartened at that moment.
He thinks about their evening. He’s noticed the look on her face every now and then - one of uncertainty and even anxiety after scaring his victims. He feels terrible for not recognizing the look then. He should have known something was amiss when she seemed hesitant watching him scare. Could she have been... petrified ? From only watching him perform? He may have gotten carried away during his fun - wanting to show her his full potential; what he truly can do, as the ‘ Master of Fright ’.
Now….he regrets ever doing it.
This is the first time Jack Skellington has ever felt indifferent after terrifying humans on Halloween. He usually feels spirited and alive, in a sense - wishing to sing and dance the rest of the night away, to celebrate a successful night with his fellow monsters and creatures. He has never known a feeling of regret when it comes to what he does so well. And such a thing only occurred because he scared the woman closest to him - someone he wants to keep protected, and far from harm’s way.
Is she afraid of him?
His gaze comes back to the hearse, whose walls she is hiding in at that moment. Away from him . His skeletal hands come and rest on his chest, shutting his eye sockets tightly as he slumps against a grave. He wants to return to Halloween Town. To retreat to the Skellington Manor, where he can properly speak with Sally and comfort her. To apologize for his actions and show her that he isn’t a threat. How could he ever be, to the woman he’s fallen in love with..?
He must have been sitting there for hours until he notices his residents arriving back. He puts on previous demeanor again to converse with them - leaving the impression that nothing is wrong. It feels unpleasant having to do this. It takes up so much of his energy, pretending to be happy around others...he isn’t proud to be doing this again. The skeleton sighs in relief when the Mayor finally makes his appearance, smiling proudly at the crowd before him.
“Terrible night, folks! Are we all ready to head back, now?”
He’s met with pleased nods and cheers. This is when he assembles everyone back in the hearse, guiding them inside while the Pumpkin King uncertainly approaches the passenger door. He taps on the window and patiently waits until it’s rolled down. Sally peers outside at him - wincing at his image, which emotionally takes another chunk out of his phantom heart.
“We’re going to return, now.” He whispers to her. “I hope we can talk once we’re back?”
Her eyes look away from him and to the floor.
They’re interrupted when the Mayor comes in from his side, grinning at the two and starting the vehicle back up. The tall man removes himself and hangs tightly onto its side, a frown settling on his skull. He keeps his head away from the others during their ride back, wishing not to be met with any smiles at that moment. He feels like a heavy burden is back on his shoulders, and he can’t shrug it off no matter how hard he tries…
-----
“Wheeee!” “What an AWFUL Halloween!” “How fun…!” “Can’t wait to do this again, Jack!”
The creatures hop off of the car and scurry away to their homes and streets, waving to the politician and skeleton as they go. The Mayor looks proud as he holds onto the side of his hat. The skeleton is wearing a forced smile on his face as he bids farewell, clutching his other hand tightly behind his frame. His friend assumes nothing is amiss when he turns to him and grins. He comes to open the door for Sally and assists her out.
Jack quickly arrives and offers her his arm. She takes it to help her down, but he notices her eyes are still elsewhere. He can feel her shaking when her body weight shifts onto him - her lip wobbling the longer they share contact. He excuses them from the Mayor, wishing him pleasant nightmares, before retreating to the Skellington Manor for the night. The moment they’re through the doors, he lets out an exhausted sigh.
He takes off his coat and hangs it on the rack. He turns around expectantly to find his ragdoll by his side - but he doesn’t get that sight. Instead, he finds her picking up Ophelia from her bed and retreating to her room. He becomes flustered as he attempts to chase after her, and catches her only a second before she’s about to close the door to her room. He stops her by holding it with his hand. She appears shocked at this gesture.
“Sally, please talk to me….it’s tearing me apart not to hear from you…”
She squeezes her eyes and the tears suddenly begin falling again. He goes to let himself in - wanting to open the door and sit on her bed, holding her tightly in his arms. But she fights back. This gesture surprises him so much that he lets go, and she takes this opportunity to close it. His jaw drops open as he stands there. He wastes no time trying for the doorknob again. It adds to his unfortunate luck that night that finds it locked. He knocks on the door a few times and places his hand on it firmly. He feels anguished and desperate as he attempts to get in, not wanting to be separated from her again. Not in any circumstance.
“My dearest, please ...I did not mean to…” He mutters into the wood, shutting his own sockets and feeling a stinging sensation in them. “You know I would never scare you…”
He hears her weeping from the other end of the door. Her voice weakly calls from the other side. “I’m sorry, Jack…go-good ni-night...”
He struggles with the doorknob another time until he hears her whimper again. Trying to impose himself like this must be scaring her even worse…! He unwillingly tears himself away from the door and retreats to his den, where he sits on the cushions in a troubled manner. He hides his face in his hands until he starts to feel a slight moistness. When he pulls back, he finds a few tears of his have fallen onto his fingers.
He wipes them away, shaking his skull in disbelief several times. He can’t believe it. He shouldn’t be crying...he hasn’t cried in years ! Not after he met Sally. He’s had no reason to be upset….not until now. He made a mistake without even realizing it, and now he’s paying the price.
He slumps back onto the couch and stares blankly at the unused hearth. His gaze comes to the walls - where he notices the photographs and pictures he has hanging in their frames. This is when a painful memory strikes him. That old photograph Sally once found….when she implored him about his scarecrow form - asking what it was, and wishing to know what it looked like….how he assured her then, that he would not impose any harm or fear to her. How he must have fallen back on his word since ….
He clenches his fists in his lap. He’s always been weary of this part of him...the true demon inside of himself - one granted with the ability of fire and true nightmares...he almost becomes a different person entirely on these nights, when he lets free the monster he turns into. In the past, he’s lost control and shook humans to their core - showing no mercy or hesitation in his screams. It thrives on the experience, the gratification of their fears….but even it couldn’t stop him from hearing Sally’s scream. He didn’t notice how far he went with his actions until they were looking right back at him in the face.
Would he have gone too far..?
He holds his skull in his hands again. No . He wouldn’t have scared Sally. He wouldn’t have laid a finger on her in any way but care….but then he remembers the look on her face. The scared part of her eyes when she looked at his pumpkin in its sockets. She’s always been afraid of it, hasn’t she? He unleashed its power right in front of her - he couldn’t blame her, running away like that...
“I shouldn’t have let it slip,” He mutters to himself. “I shouldn’t have used it at all… ”
There are many other ways he can scare. Just his skeletal being is terrifying enough to scare humans all night…! He got too cocky, too eager to impress….he swears at himself many times in his head, disbelieving how careless he’s been, and how he will make this up to her once she’s willing to see him again…
He thinks of the pain; the numbness in his bones and the tears that have fallen...he can’t imagine hurting her. He’d use every ounce of his willpower from stopping such a thing from happening. Her safety is his priority, first and foremost. He has to show her properly...to become the protective man he’s shown for years now. He’ll have to do that whenever she decides to open up…
He glances at the closed door in the hallway and sighs. He stands and drags himself up the stairs to his bedroom, where he meets with the sleeping form of Zero. He doesn’t address the dog as he prepares for the night. He’s sure he won’t even get a moment’s worth of sleep, and will instead lay there for hours, worrying about the woman of his death…
----
“JACK! What do you mean you’re not coming in? Today is the MOST important day of the year, besides * the * day!”
“I’m aware, Mayor...I need to take a personal day. Just this once, this year. I promise you.”
“But...BUT! How are we going to keep up, if you’re GONE? I’d have to spend my whole day covering your work, and-”
“-And I’m asking that as a favor, from my friend. I assure you, just this one time…”
“... Hurm… ”
The other voice sounds hesitant before the line is abruptly dropped. The skeleton winces as he pulls down the receiver and returns it to its proper place. His attention is on the floor, staring at the socks on his feet in silence. He has to take a personal day today. He can’t just leave Sally here by herself, in her catatonic state...it would hurt him even worse to hear she’s suffered without him here - or properly comfort her once the time is right. And he is willing to wait for that as long as it takes.
He glances at the door and finds it still closed from that night. He comes to it quietly and carefully tilts his skull on the surface. The room sounds completely silent. He fidgets with his shirt’s collar as he goes to the den once more, fetching a cup of his morning tea and sitting in his usual chair by the window. He glances outside and watches the skeletal birds go by, and his citizens walking through the plaza below. He feels peculiar not being out there by this time of day, but he pushes that concern aside as he firmly sits his pelvis down. He must wait for Sally. As long as it will take…!
Zero hovers down the stairs and gives his master a greeting with the wag of his tail. He retreats to the rug in the room and circles on it, shoving his head in his sheet. The dog eventually falls asleep shortly afterwards. Jack watches him do this curiously. As if on cue, his eyelids start to feel heavy. He shakes his skull in an attempt to keep himself awake. He got little sleep last night, what with all the fretting he’d done for hours. And waiting like this makes him feel rather…. fatigued…
His figure loosens in the chair as he slumps back, resting his skull on its soft cushion. His eyes eventually close and his head hangs to the side. He enjoys the peaceful silence of the Manor, instead of the bustling noises of the town hall. Everything will be alright….he was sure of it…
. . .
. . .
. . .
“Jack..?”
“Huh!”
The King jolts himself awake when a voice startles him from his sleep. He’s surprised to see the figure of Sally standing before him, uncertainly eying his figure. He sits straight up in his seat and goes to stand - but she motions him back down with a hand on his shoulder. He slowly returns to his prior position and looks at her in concern. Zero floats in the air beside her head, weakly nuzzling the side of his muzzle on her shoulder. She smiles at the creature and lightly kisses his head - a fortunate sign to him, as well.
“Sally..?” He mumbles as he wipes his socket. “You’re awake…and here…”
“Yes. I have a lot to apologize to you for…”
She stands there with little emotion, before completely scrunching up her face. Without warning, she reaches for him and leaps into his lap - holding him close and dangling her legs over the armrest. He doesn’t pause for a moment as he holds her by the waist and shoulders, to let her nestle her face into the crook of his neck. This moment is quiet, aside from the sounds of her soft cries. He pats her back repeatedly and brushes the strands of her yarn hair from her face.
He sighs in relief. “You have no idea how good it feels to hold you again.”
Her eyes shift downwards. “I missed you…I really wanted to be around you last night, but I-I just couldn’t…”
“Were you scared?” He asks quietly. It’s the most apparent question he wants out of the way. There is a pause before she nods slightly.
“I was.” She confesses in a whisper. “Seeing you frighten all of those people...it was exciting at first, but...I’ve just had this terrible feeling in my stomach that entire night. Like I was getting an image of something unpleasant happening. I think it had something to do with that scarecrow.”
“....”
“I used to read Finklestein’s books about premonitions. I never had one so strongly until that night. Just knowing what it can do...I felt scared. I shouldn’t have been, but-”
“I told you I become a different person when I use it.” He interrupts in defeat. “You said you possibly couldn’t be afraid…”
“Jack, do you think something... bad would have happened..?”
He falls silent at this question. After a few minutes, he hangs his skull low and averts his gaze. “I...didn’t realize it at first. Or at all, really. But I was starting to get in my own world - I didn’t realize how much I’d been scaring, or how intense it became. I used that scarecrow without thinking twice about it, and - I was very close to harming that man…”
“Would you have lost yourself?”
“I may just have, if you hadn’t stopped me in time.” He holds her tighter. Closer . “Thank you, Sally. I….I wouldn’t have hurt you. I’m sure of it.”
“I saw you pounce on him. There was a different look about you that... frightened me. It wasn’t the same way you scared those others. I didn’t recognize you. So, I screamed and I ran, because that’s what I felt was safest to do…”
Hearing this crushes him to his core. He’s holding onto her so tightly he can feel the pressure he’s applying on her seams. He loosens his grip to run a hand through her hair. This is when he begins to rock them both. Not only to calm her down, but himself as well…
“Sally, I am incredibly sorry you had to see me like that. I would never mean to do that. Sometimes I can’t control what I’m doing when I’m like that, and….it was rather irresponsible of me to put you in that position...”
She inhales his scent and relaxes her frame. How badly she missed this last night...she’d have asked for his company if she just felt safe in time. It was distressing to lock herself in that room, away from her love as she listened to him pound on that door...she cried in her hands for a long time. For separating herself from him like this...she didn’t want to do it at all ..! But hearing how close he was to losing his composure, maybe it was for the best that she acted in time…Not that he would ever hurt her….she refused to believe it…
“At least I got to see the master of fright in action,” She comments, more to herself. “I wanted to watch you, Jack. Despite knowing what could’ve happened.”
“That was a poor example. I should have never acted that way. Our rules -- we can’t hurt anyone, we’re not mean. And yet…”
“There’s no need to fret.” She holds his skull in her hands, looking at him in the sockets. “We’re both safe. You didn’t harm that man. And I feel more comfortable right now…”
He sighs once more, his breath warming her scalp. “Oh, Sally...I will never frighten you again. I won’t use that scarecrow for the rest of my death..! I swear by it!”
She remains quiet, resting her head on his shoulder with her eyes closed. He takes this time to rub her arms and brush his fingertips over her face. Her breathing starts to slow after awhile and she slumps in his grip. He rests her properly in his lap and wraps his arms around her waist, leaning back in the chair to get comfortable. She must have not gotten much sleep either - as she’d fallen to fatigue quite easily.
Jack relaxes as he rests with his love back in his arms again. He feels rather tired, too.
----
The barks of Zero and mews of Ophelia wake the Skellington Manor residents from their slumber. The pets are playfully chasing each other around, wishing to obtain the ball of yarn they’re fighting over. Sally rubs her eyes as she removes herself from Jack’s lap. He stands to crack his back as well as the rest of his bones. The animals move their struggle into the other room while the ragdoll and skeleton head to the kitchen. They’re both parched and hungry after these events and decide to settle in for some brunch together, while it is still somewhat early in the day.
Jack prepares their food and sits at the table, relaxing when he feels her small hand on his own. They eat their portion of eggs and drink from their glasses in comfortable silence. There’s plenty still on their minds, but they’re not fretting over it anymore. He’d rather move on from the unfortunate night and work on making things better.
Something comes to his mind. He stands from his seat and pushes it in, giving her a grin. “There is still something we’ve neglected to do…!”
“Oh?” She asks.
“We need to find a proper spot for your trophy, my dear..!”
With the same childish excitement, he rushes out of the room to grab her award from the safe spot he’s been keeping it in. He brushes off the slight dust collected on its rim before presenting it to Sally, who takes it uncertainly from his hands. Truth be told, where to put her trophy was the last thing on her mind lately….
“Where do you think it should go?” She asks him. He looks puzzled at this suggestion and tilts his head.
“That would depend where you want it…!”
“Hmm.”
She stares at her reflection in the cup and smiles when she reads her name on the placard. She still feels proud of an achievement like this. Just knowing it was from her friends and customers in town gave her butterflies in her stomach. She takes this moment to think before it dawns on her.
“It belongs where I earned it.” She tells him. “I’ll present it somewhere in my sewing shop..where everyone can see it.”
“Splendid idea! Let me grab my suit before we head out…”
He dismisses himself from the room to get properly dressed. She holds her trophy proudly in her hands as she waits for him by the door. She would think holding this from such a terrifying night would give her unsettling memories...but it doesn’t. She feels proud and almost happy, remembering why she earned it. And she’s sure everyone else will, too, seeing their gift to her presented right in her sewing shop…
----
Jack Skellington has a lot on his mind.
Spending an entire day away from Halloween Planning would usually give him the liberty to work on his projects or read some books on his shelves...but instead, he spends his time with her . He assists Sally to her sewing shop and helps her pick a place to present her trophy. Then he spends his time looking at her creations and listening to her future plans and projects, all while supporting her and offering his assistance. She even takes her responsible duties as his tailor and finally fixes the ends of his pants - previously torn by the times he’s had to catch her from that window…
When all is said and done, they retreat back to the Skellington Manor, where they spend even more time together. Sally insists on looking through their library and helping him organize a bit - picking out books she’d like to read and swapping for the ones she’d already finished. Then she helps him clean up his study, which takes a substantial amount of time in the afternoon. This part is demanding for the two of them, and by the time they’re done, they’re exhausted right as dusk is about to fall on them.
During the day, he can’t help but dwell over the other night. How she must have felt with what he put her through - and what’s come from that situation. Had he lost even an ounce of her trust after what he did..? She appears calm and comfortable in his presence again, but he still doubts himself. He wants to prove he can obtain her feelings in a more proper way - to make up for his irresponsibly putting her in potential danger. Someplace he can assure she’s safe, and the two of them can work on trusting each other…
...
…
After dinner, he thinks he knows the answer.
It’s one that makes his mind go jumbled and gives his body the jitters. It isn’t a new thought that’s never come across to him; he’s mused about it before, but repeatedly denied such action considering his gentlemanly side. But now he wants nothing more than getting closer to Sally. And doing this will most certainly do that, in a way that puts him in a position of closeness and trust. And that’s what he wants to share with her, after scaring her so far away from him.
She lounges in their den to let their supper digest. He opens a window to let in the cool, nightly air before joining her side. Zero and Ophelia observe the outside with curious eyes, resting on the window sill together. Jack presses his arm on the back of the couch as Sally closes in the space, resting her head on his chest and listening to the crickets and bats from outside. It’s a peaceful night compared to yesterday’s.
He waits several moments before mentioning anything. He takes this time wondering how exactly to bring this up. Slowly but confidently, he calls for her name. “Sal…?”
“Yes, Jack?”
“I haven’t been the best with your trust lately, considering what I’ve done.” He sighs sadly. “I want to make it up to you in any possible way I can.”
“Oh, but we’ve spent all day together..! You didn’t even work a minute today. Your attention is all I could ask for…”
“Yes, but...I’ve been thinking about it for an awfully long time, and - do you know the reason I gave you your own room?”
“So I could have my own space to work on the things I want.” She repeats sweetly. He nods along to her words.
“Exactly. But now you’ve got your own sewing shop in town...all of your dresses are there, your machines - of course there’s a couple here for you to work on, but now you’ve got all that empty space in your closet…”
She lifts her head to listen to him intently. She never thought twice about the space now - she just assumed she’ll use it for future things. Regardless - she’s curious on where this is going.
“Since there’s no need for such a big space anymore...why don’t you…” His words grow quiet. He grows frustrated at his own fumbling and has to force it out. “...Why don’t you share one with me?”
Her silence throws him back. He grows anxious with the look on her face. “..Share a room with you?” She repeats.
“Not just the room...it would mean the bed, too.” He tugs at his collar, finding himself hot. “I have such a big mattress I sleep on every night. There would be plenty of room for you.” She looks surprised at this suggestion. He elaborates. “--I think it’s a great opportunity to get your trust again. I can be there for you every night, and we can share the space together…”
“...But you would see me in my pajamas?” She blushes. He finds her coquetry adorable.
“I think that’s something we can get past together. You’ll see me in my own. That could even be tonight..! .”
She’s growing as red as a cherry at the suggestion of sleeping with Jack...seeing him in such clothes no one else does, reserved only in the hours of the night...the idea is appealing to her. She can’t deny how lonely it feels some nights. Even though Ophelia recently joins her slumber, she’s always felt like she’s been missing something…or some one . She is enamored by the idea of waking up next to Jack, sharing their ‘ good mornings ’ and even ending the day together. It sounds romantic the more she thinks about it.
‘This is the next step for couples, isn’t it?’ She blushes deeper at the thought.
“Y-Yes, Jack...we can do that…even tonight ?”
“I don’t see why not. There isn’t much to move from your room...we don’t even have to do that right now! We can worry about all that tomorrow, and sleep together now...”
Even he is growing timid with his words, struggling to get them out. It’s always a difficult feat, being a gentleman and wanting such... amorous things. He will still be chivalrous, of course - she can still have the privacy of changing on her own and dressing herself...but he wants to share closeness with her longer - throughout the entire night, in the arms of one other as they fall asleep…the thought makes him giddy, and treasure her presence even more.
“Okay, Jack...I trust you...I know this is good for us.” She tells him shyly. He leans in and leaves a kiss on her forehead, sending delightful tingles on her skin.
“-If you aren’t ready, Sally, just let me know...but I think, after all this time apart--”
“Of course I’m ready. I-I know about couples sleeping together...” She pokes her fingers together nervously. “I’ve always wanted to-to do that, with you...”
His eyes widen in delight. “Have you, now?”
She appears flustered and he chuckles, kissing her again before getting up and discarding their cups. She begins to panic wondering what it will be like to share a bed with Jack, and how his pajamas will look…and if hers will even compare…! Will she look ridiculous? Unattractive ? Sometimes her hair becomes a mess during the night, and she wakes up rather sluggish...that won’t deter him from his feelings for her, right?
She shakes her head realizing she’s overthinking it and takes a breath to calm herself down. He returns to the room after a minute, sitting next to her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders. She notices he brought a book with him, clenched tightly in his other hand. She reads the title and notices it’s a romance. She hums in curiosity, her previous thoughts forgotten from this distraction.
“Why don’t we read a story together..?” He suggests, opening to the starting page with his free hand. She sits up from her seat in delight - enjoying this suggestion spectacularly.
The man of her screams reads this story to her, about a young woman facing her fears and running away with a man she loves. His voice reads the text so soothingly, showing great emphasis and drama when needed. She melts at the sound the entire time, closing her eyes and picturing the story in her mind. She can’t ask for anything better but to be read to by her skeleton man, relaxing against his frame as the story goes on…
----
“Take your time; I’ll be in the room whenever you’re ready!”
His long hand cradles the side of her face as he leans in and leaves a kiss on her soft lips. She closes her eyes tightly and frowns when he pulls away. He gives her one last encouraging grin before disappearing into the room - closing the door slowly after him. She looks at the pajamas in her hands and chews on her lip. Now is the time. It’s finally happening…all she has to do is put on her clothes, and then follow him into the room…where she will be sleeping with him…
She feels herself shaking. She tries to stop herself. What does she have to be nervous about? He’s doing this to make it up to her - to make sure she feels safe and protected around him. She knows she will be; every time she’s in his embrace, she feels like she’s in a better world. He will always keep her close and loved - and she believes it. It’s not even the memory of the scarecrow that bothers her, but rather, the expectations she’s set in her mind....
Will she take up too much space? Wake too early? Or too late? She’ll have to try not to sleep with too many blankets. She doesn’t want to hog anything..! This is his space he's inviting her into, after all…! It sends her mind into a frenzy as she shuffles her feet, begrudgingly heading to the bathroom and dressing herself in there. She gets this done in a hurry, taking off her dress and easily slipping into her clothes.
She observes herself in the mirror above the sink. She’s moved on from the patchwork dress she used to wear in Finklestein’s Tower - wearing her new creations and dresses instead. But this is the only outfit that reminds her of it. It’s her old nightclothes she used to wear in that tower, sewn from the most comfortable scraps she could find. The different color of browns and beige look almost off-putting on her colorful figure. She starts to play with her hair nervously, not particularly impressed by the image reflecting back to her.
‘...I hope he doesn’t think less of me’.
----
The tall figure uncomfortably shuffles himself in the bed, eyes locked on the currently closed door. He doesn't want to miss Sally's appearance, whenever she decides to come in. He's more than patient waiting for her, understanding this is a drastic change from their usual routine, and that both of them will have to adjust to it. Even he feels somewhat nervous as he sits there, unsure of what to expect, finally sleeping with a woman by his side. The thought alone makes his shirt feel tight.
He's in his own pajamas, a light beige button-up with long sleeves, and equally long pants. He normally wears a night cap to bed, but decides against it for this night in particular. He drums his phalanges on his knee as he tries to pass the time with his thoughts. He glances over and notices his dog fast asleep in his small bed, with Ophelia close by his side. They look comfortable and unbothered together, after such short time of knowing each other.
'If the two of them can do it, then surely, Sally and I can, too...'
He's interrupted by the sound of the doorknob twisting. He sits up attentively as the sight of his beloved slowly comes into view. She modestly steps into the room and closes it behind her, moving her hair behind her shoulders. He's almost awestruck at the sight. To see her in such clothing, her eyes blinking temptingly at his own. She clasps her hands together before shyly advancing forward. This is when he realizes his mouth is agape.
He shuts it and smiles apologetically. "My dear...you look lovely..."
She turns her head to the side, flushed at his words. "You think so..?"
"Absolutely! Why, I - I have never seen you like this...it is..." He struggles to think of a word. "It feels like a privilege..!"
Her eyes travel down to his own body and she hides her smile with her hand. She notices the empty spot on the mattress and assumes that's where she's wanted. She slowly makes her way around the bed and into the covers, all while avoiding Jack's face. When she's properly inside, there's only a few inches between her and the skeleton. This causes her phantom heart to thud rapidly, and a whole bunch of other thoughts come flooding into her mind.
"We'll start moving your things in here tomorrow. I'll clear some space in the morning," He continues casually.
She nods along with him - unsure of what to say or do. She's never shared a bed with anybody, nor does she know what's supposed to happen after this. Whatever it is, it makes her feel small and rather hot, bunching her legs together and watching him out of the corner of her eye. He leans forward to leave a kiss on her cheek, which calms her slightly.
"Are you comfortable?" He asks. She nods right away.
"Yes..! Your mattress is so soft, and the pillow is too. This blanket is warm and comfortable..."
"I'm glad you like it." He sounds relieved. "You can have as much space as you'd like...I don't take much room, as you can tell..."
She feels embarrassed for forgetting about his thin stature. So there is no way she can possibly hog the bed...That makes her feel better, at least. She tucks her hair out of the way as she looks around his bedroom. She notices how dark it is, only illuminated by a set of candles on his nightstand and moonlight from the only open window in the room. She can make out the silhouettes of a few dressers and closets, but nothing else at that moment.
"...Sorry if I seem... shy ." She finally confesses, tugging at her fingers. "I just feel a little insecure about my clothes..."
"If you feel that way, why haven't you made yourself some new ones?" He questions curiously. She looks down at her chest and sighs.
"I didn't think I would be sleeping with you...or anyone at all. I've been wearing these ever since I've been created. I never thought anyone would see me in them. But now that you have - I feel embarrassed..."
"-No reason to be, my love." He takes her hand and kisses it tenderly. "It doesn't matter what you wear - you're always going to be gorgeous in my eyes. Or lack thereof." He chuckles at that last sentence, and she smiles. "--Why, you look beautiful even wearing this..!"
She feels better and relaxes her posture. He motions for her to get comfortable and she does so, laying on her side of the bed and pulling the blanket over her figure. She watches as he blows out the candles, effectively darkening the room beyond the small portion of light coming from the window. He shuffles on the bed - finding the most comfortable position. She feels almost intimidated to move around, but she does so slightly, facing his direction.
It isn't long before she feels his arms come around her figure, holding her close to himself. She finds herself facing his chest and relaxes at the contact. It feels almost natural...being this close to him. It's the most relaxed she's ever felt. Sally eventually closes her eyes and steadies her breathing - falling fast asleep in the contact of her lover. Jack finds himself easily succumbing to his slumber as well - relishing this closeness with her, wanting to keep her safe.
#long post#long#the nightmare before christmas#jack and sally#jack x sally#fanfiction#our nightmare#tnbc#nightmare before christmas#tim burton#fanfic
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