they are so cute <3333 yeah ignore me im just getting emotional abt this sweet fun date at the circus

The Family that Shouldn’t Be

Summary: With Muriel and Eustace dead, Courage finds himself all alone at the farmhouse. Fortunately or unfortunately for Courage, the villains he faced in the past begins to make themselves at home at the farmhouse, bringing with them much fun and mayhem the small pink dog can handle.

Rated T for just in case

Firstly, Happy Halloween! I hope all of you have a fun and safe Halloween.

Secondly, I would like to show my appreciation and gratitude to those who sent an ask. Thank you so much for them! They made my day reading all the nice things you've said. I honestly thought everyone would get tired of reading another fanfic with the same plot with Muriel and Eustace dying and the villains living with Courage as some of the other fanfics. Thank you all so much again. I will try to reply to your reviews as soon as I can.

Thirdly, I know I said I was going to switch between my two CtCD fanfics, but I really wanted to do a Halloween chapter for The Family that Shouldn't Be. Plus, Tales of Halloween inspired me with the living evil pumpkins attacking idea. I also wanted to have Muriel and Eustace be able to visit on Hallow's Eve when the veil is at its weakest, and the dead can visit the living for a certain amount of time. And sorry, still no Clutching Foot appearance. I'll make sure the Clutching Foot shows up in the next chapter.

I also apologize if some of it feels rushed. I did have a deadline for getting this chapter done in time for Halloween.

All Courage the Cowardly Dog character belongs to John Dilworth

The Halloween Where Pumpkins Attacked

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It was the day before Halloween and Courage, and the villains were on their way to pick up some items to celebrate it. Much to Courage, and to his surprise, Katz's dismay, Cajun wanted to hold a horror movie marathon. So, their first stop was at a blockbuster to rent movies. Courage still wondered how he and Katz got roped into picking out movies.

"All I'm saying is we should replace the tape player with a DVD player," Cajun said as they walked into the building.

"I think that is something we should agree on unanimously," Katz argued.

Though it was Autumn, the middle of Nowhere was still a hot desert, the heat had lessened slightly despite it, and the city was starting to feel the chill of winter coming. Courage looked up at Katz. The feline was wearing a grey sweater over a white dress shirt. The dog wasn't sure why he thought Katz looked suave wearing those clothes and wondered why his thoughts went to when the feline had dressed as a captain during that submarine scam of his and thought he looked. . .dashing. Courage shook his head to clear his thoughts.

Courage watched Katz pick a movie off the rack and study it.

"Uh, Katz? I can ask you a question?" Courage asked.

"You already have," Katz answered as he placed the movie back.

Courage gave the cat a disgruntled stare. "I wanted to ask you why you don't like horror movies."

"The horror movies these days are all the same. Drugs, sex, naked women, alcohol, and more blood a human body can't hold. I much prefer the old classic horror movies." Katz answered.

Cajun scoffed. "Those old black and white movies are sooooo boring."

"You do realize that without the classics, the horror genre wouldn't be the way they are today," Katz informed him.

"Yeah, 'cus someone thought they were boring and decided to improve them." Cajun conversed.

Since Courage didn't like horrifying movies, he left the villains in the horror section and was in the children section looking at the Halloween themed cartoons he could find. As he looked over one, he heard a commotion as the employee attempted to wrestle a movie out of Weremole's mouth while Katz holding onto Weremole demanded the feral animal to let go. Other than that little hitch and having to pay to replace the damaged tape, they each chose several movies they wanted to watch. They went to the store to pick up ingredients to cook with and drink.

Before going into the store, they had to remind Weremole repeatedly not to attack or eat anyone. The shopping was still tense for Courage as he kept a close eye on Weremole. Katz and Weremole stayed with the cart as the other three looked at the pumpkins sitting in the front of the produce section. Courage noted that each pumpkin looked perfect; not even one was misshapen or had a blemish on them. He grabbed a random pumpkin and spotted a sticker on it, stating the military produced the pumpkins. The few times Courage encountered the military didn't turn out well, so he had a foreboding feeling towards these pumpkins.

"Hey, pup!"

Courage looked over to see Cajun walking over to him with two pumpkins under each arm.

"Found a pumpkin yet?" he asked.

"Mm-hm." Courage answered.

"Let's put them in the cart, yeah?" Cajun said.

They, along with Le Quack, placed their pumpkins into the cart. Cajun went back and came back with two more pumpkins. Courage knew five of the pumpkins were for each of them, but Cajun wouldn't say why he got an extra pumpkin.

When they reached the baking aisle, Courage spotted Halloween themed cookie cutters. He set them in the cart and other items to make sugar cookies, and every time he did, he would glance up at Katz to see his reaction. The cat gave none. Once they paid their purchases, they loaded everything into the back of the truck, got into the cab, and drove home. Once at home, they set the pumpkins near the front door, placed the tapes next to the tv, and put their groceries away. Katz, Cajun, and Courage started working on the sweets they wanted to make for Halloween.

Courage was the last to finish as he wasn't making one cookie dough but four. Plain, black, orange, and green. Katz was still there, enjoying a cup of tea. He wrapped each dough and placed them in the refrigerator.

"Need help with the dishes?" Katz inquired.

Courage was surprised to hear Katz offer to help with the dishes, and he wasn't going to refuse. "Yes, thank you."

With Katz's help, they finished washing the dishes in record time. The rest of the day went by without a hitch, and Courage was quite relaxed as he went to sleep that night.

Courage woke early on Halloween day to get started on his cookies. He rolled out the chilled cookie dough out on the table and used the cookie cutters on each one. The pumpkin cutter in the orange dough. Bat and cat cutters in the black dough. The witch in the green dough. And the skull and ghost cutters in the plain dough. He wiped at his forehead and let out a breath once the cookies finished being baked and cooled. Next came the decorating as he set out the different colored icing on the table.

With his tongue tucked between his teeth, Courage started working on drawing faces on each cookie. A lot of the faces were crooked, and as long they tasted good, he didn't mind that they weren't perfect. The dog smiled at the cookies, ready to be eaten during their movie marathon. He turned around and stopped. Katz leaned against the refrigerator watching him.

"Uh, why are you just standing there?" Courage inquired.

"You were so fixated on your decorating I didn't want to disturb you," Katz answered as he walked over to the dog.

Katz leaned over to inspect the cookies. "There isn't any vinegar in these, is there?"

Courage had to fight not to roll his eyes. "Muriel was the one that put vinegar in everything. These are plain sugar cookies." Courage answered.

Courage watched Katz plucked a pumpkin cookie from the plate, took a bite, and chew. The cat stopped eating and eyed the cookie.

"What's in this?" he asked after he swallowed.

Oh, right.

"I added some allspice to make the pumpkin cookies taste like a pumpkin." Courage explained.

"Interesting," Katz said. He finished the cookie and said, "You better not enter them into the Nowhere Sweet Stuff contest next year."

Courage blinked his eyes at Katz. His tone didn't sound at all threatening or menacing. It seemed more like he was being playful, maybe even . . .teasing? No. That can't be right. Courage shook his head; he was sure he imagined it. The kitchen door swung open, and a being with a carved pumpkin for a head burst into the room.

"Roar!"

"Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!" Courage screamed. He leaped up and clung to the side of Katz's face shaking and stammering.

Katz wasn't affected by the scare. If anything, he was annoyed. Cajun reached up and pulled the pumpkin off his head. Courage had been focusing on the frightening pumpkin head; he didn't realize it was Cajun.

"Hahaha! Sorry, pup. I came to tell ya both that we're just waitin' on ya both to carve the pumpkins out on the front porch, and I couldn't resist tryin' to scare ya." Cajun apologized.

Katz spoke not a word as he calmly and gently grasped Courage with a paw and pulled him off. The cat plant the dog in one of the chairs walked over to Cajun, grabbed the pumpkin out the fox's paws, and slammed it down on his head. Cajun yelped as the pumpkin smashed into pieces.

Appeased, Katz turned to Courage and said, "Let's put your cookies on the dining table with the other sweets, so they don't get in the way of cooking later."

"What about the dishes?" Courage asked.

"We'll have the fox do them for scaring you," Katz told the dog.

Courage agreed with Katz and with the plate in paws and thanking the feline for opening the kitchen door for him, placed the plate on the dining table. Katz headed for the front of the house, and Courage followed him. Le Quack sat on the front porch covered with newspaper and Weremole sniffed at the seeds and pumpkin guts.

Cajun walked out while rubbing at his head. "Pick your pumpkin. I brought plenty of knives for each of us."

Each one started on their pumpkin, except for Weremole, who just stared at his.

"Here, let me help." Courage offered.

The dog cut open the top and scooped out all the seeds and insides for Weremole. When Courage finished, Weremole continued staring at the pumpkin then took a bite out of it. Courage grimace as the feral mole spat the shell and flesh out.

"Well, that's one way to carve a pumpkin," Cajun commented

Courage looked closely and saw the fox was right. Weremole had managed to gouge out two eyes, a nose, and a mouth out of the pumpkin. The dog went to work on his pumpkin when he heard Le Quack chuckle, followed by a small explosion.

"Watch it!" Katz hissed as he brushed off bits of the pumpkin off his arm.

"It is nice, no?" Le Quack asked, showing off his pumpkin, which had smoke swirling out the face the duck somehow was able to blow out without destroying the pumpkin itself. Courage was impressed.

Courage went back to his pumpkin and looked up only when Cajun declared his jack-o-lantern done. He had given it evil eyes and a wicked jagged smile. Courage thought it was good and noticed that Katz didn't touch his pumpkin.

"You're not going to carve your pumpkin?" Courage asked the cat.

"I do not find it fun," Katz answered.

"You don't like Halloween, huh?" Courage said.

"I enjoyed it when I was a kitten — dressing up as something else to scheme people for candy. But as I grew older, it lost its magic. It became tedious." Katz explained.

Le Quack chuckled. "I used to con other children out of their bags of candy."

That was terrible!

"I enjoyed the parties! The food and activities." Cajun inputted.

Weremole never celebrated the holiday, so he didn't have much to say.

"What about you, pup?" Cajun asked.

"We never really celebrated it. Muriel would make something special on this day, but I never went trick-or-treating. Unless you count going into stores that gave out candy for free." Courage answered.

"Well, what about with your parents?" Cajun questioned.

Courage's ears drooped, and he looked dejected. "If they had, I don't remember. The earliest memory I can remember was of my parents when I lost them to a crazy veterinarian. He launched them into space on a rocket while I was a pup. He wanted to breed dogs in outer space, which I still don't know why. I don't know if they're still alive or not to this day." He explained.

Courage didn't know why he decided to confine with the villains a bit of his past. He supposed it was because he saw them as a family and was becoming more relaxed around them. He noticed how quiet it was and looked up to see the villains staring intently at him.

"Oh, pup!" Cajun exclaimed, rushing over to Courage and pulling him into a bone-crushing hug, squeezing an "Urk!" out of the dog.

Weremole and Le Quack gave their condolences to the dog as well, and Katz stayed where he was. Cajun put Courage back down, and the dog was able to finish carving his jack-o-lantern. Crescent shaped eyes, a round nose, and a happy mouth.

"How cute," Cajun commented. "What about you, pussy cat?"

Katz ignored the fox and walked into the house.

"That's rude." huffed Cajun.

Courage thought Cajun was right, but he also knew Katz being a cat can be aloof. Le Quack and Weremole went off to do their own thing, leaving Cajun and Courage alone. Cajun not wanting to let the pumpkin go to waste, carved up Katz's pumpkin.

"Do you think Katz would look this if he were a lot less serious?" Cajun asked as he showed the dog the pumpkin.

Cajun carved a smiling cat face into the last pumpkin. Cat ears were even cut into the orange gourd. Courage then helped carry the knives into the kitchen when he and Cajun cleaned up the mess on the front porch.

"Don't worry about washin' 'em pup. I got it." Cajun informed Courage.

"Are you sure?" Courage asked.

"Yup. Plus, I owe washin' yer dishes for scarin' ya." Cajun told him.

Courage thanked Cajun and not knowing what else to do until everyone was ready to watch the movies, the dog went up to the attic. He stopped in the doorway when he caught sight of Katz sitting at the computer. Courage carefully strolled over to the feline. "Katz?" he called softly.

Katz looked up at Courage as the dog got closer, then he did something that Courage didn't expect. Katz pulled the dog into a hug. Courage was utterly speechless, and unlike Cajun's bone-crushing embrace, Katz's hug was gentler. He wished he understood what the cat was thinking. He also wanted Katz to show him more of this side of him. Katz released his hold and stared intently at Courage.

The only thing Courage could think of saying was, "Thank you, Katz."

Katz nodded and asked, "When will the movie marathon start?"

"After breakfast or lunch? Cajun didn't specify." Courage answered.

Katz let out a sigh. "Let us go and ask the fox."

Both made the trek down to the main floor, and as soon they walked into the dining room, they heard noises in the kitchen. Feeling terror welling up in him, Courage hung back behind Katz as he pushed the kitchen door open. Looking from behind Katz's legs, the dog watched as Cajun hand both paws clamped around a pumpkin on his head as he stumbled about the kitchen.

Katz had a cross look on his face, and as he placed his paws on his hips he said, "It wasn't funny the first time you did that, what makes you think it would be funny the second time?"

"I'm not doing it this time! The thing just came in and chomped down on my head!" was Cajun's garbled answer as he tried to pull the pumpkin off his head and walked into the kitchen table.

Letting out a loud gasp of alarm, ran over to Cajun, grabbed hold of the pumpkin, he pulled Cajun down to the floor with him and tugged as hard as he could on the pumpkin.

"Easy! Easy!" yelped Cajun.

With a mighty tug, Courage removed the pumpkin off the fox's head. Cajun fell on his back, and Courage stumbled backward before catching his balance. The pumpkin wiggled in Courage's arms then it turned to face the dog. Courage's eyes widen in horror as the jack-o-lantern opened its mouth wide, snarled at him, and reached out to him with vines.

"Aaaaaaaah!" Courage screamed, eyes popping out. Red paws took the pumpkin from Courage's hands, and Katz threw the pumpkin away. The dog winced when he heard glass shattering.

"I think our pumpkins are alive and hungry," Cajun groaned, rubbing his head.

After catching a breather, Courage asked, "Where are Le Quack and Weremole?"

Right on cue, Le Quack waddled into the kitchen, his mallet on his shoulder with pieces of pumpkin pulp dripping off it. Cajun stifled a snort as they could see Le Quack's backside was missing his tail feathers.

"I am, how do you say, not amused." Le Quack said with a vexed look on his face.

"What happened to you?" Cajun asked, still trying not to laugh.

"The pumpkin snuck up and tried to eat me. It took my feathers as I tried to get it off." Le Quack answered, looking directly at Cajun and held his mallet menacingly. Cajun got the hint.

A pumpkin came bouncing in, stopped in front of the group, and began shaking to and fro. Courage shook and bit at his claws as the three villains watched ready to attack if the pumpkin went for any of them. What they didn't expect was for it to explode into pieces with Weremole bursting out with a vicious snarl.

"It's like something out of an alien movie!" Cajun screamed as he threw himself onto Katz.

Katz glared at the fox and tried to shove him off. "It's only Weremole," he stated as said feral mole shook his body to get pumpkin out his fur.

"How is that's not worst?!" Cajun challenged.

While the villains were busy talking, the jack-o-lantern thrown out the window met up with one of the other jack-o-lanterns, and together they gathered seeds from the trashcan and planted the seeds nearby. The jack-o-lantern Courage made walked over on vine feet with the watering can and poured it on the packed ground. Vines and pumpkins grew out of the field rapidly, and the jack-o-lanterns started making slices into several of the pumpkins.

"What about the other pumpkins?" Le Quack inquired.

"One's out there," Cajun said, jabbing his thumb in the direction Katz threw it. "And the last two should be out in the front."

Pumpkins began climbing in through the open window and broke down the door. Courage and the villains screamed at the sight. They made a run for it. Or at least Courage, after picking up the four villains, made a run for it through the rooms downstairs and seeing more jack-o-lanterns coming into the living room, ran up the stairs to the attic. After slamming the door shut with a foot, Courage dropped the villains and took a breather.

"Ah. . ."

Courage looked up to see the villains staring at the cat pumpkin Cajun made. It stared back with its smiling face, and Courage relaxed, thinking it was harmless. Then its face morphed into a snarling face and clamped down onto Katz's leg. Katz's fur puffed up and started kicking at the thing.

"Someone get this blasted thing off my leg!" he growled.

Katz should've been careful with what he asked for. Le Quack brought his mallet down on the pumpkin, destroying it. Luckily Katz was quick enough to avoid having his foot injured.

"What now?" Cajun asked.

"I think the better question to ask is where did those pumpkins came from," Katz said as he examined his leg.

Courage piped up. "There was a sticker on the pumpkins that said the military grew them."

"Figures." Katz sighed.

"What now?" Cajun asked.

They heard shrieking coming from outside. Looking out the window, Courage and the villains watched as the pumpkins began feasting on each other. To their horror, each time a pumpkin grew more prominent each time it ate one. When they finished, all was left were ten pumpkins left, all of them in different sizes, but one noticeably larger. They watched as the pumpkins got together to form a body almost as big as the house.

"Oh, great. Now we must deal with a giant evil pumpkin version of a snowman," muttered Cajun.

Courage pulled a polaroid camera out from a pocket and snapped a quick picture. Once the photo developed, he scanned it and got on the computer. He ignored the others gathering around him to watch as he attached the photo to an email he was preparing to send to the military.

"You're bringing the army here?!" Le Quack screamed.

"I didn't know what else to do." defend Courage.

Katz pinched the bridge of his nose. "What we need to do is think of a way to defeat that thing before it kills us or before the military shows up."

Weremole snarled at them.

"Weremole is correct. The pumpkin I smashed is not doing much." Le Quack stated.

"So, all we have to do is smash that thing to kill it," Cajun concluded.

"It'll take more than us hitting it with weapons to destroy it," Katz stated.

Courage thought on it and said, "We could destroy it if we had explosives. . ."

One by one, heads turned to look at Le Quack. The duck looked at each individual and said, "I may have a case. . . or two. . . or five of TNT and a couple of barrels of explosives in the barn."

"What are they doing in the barn?" Cajun asked.

"The cat did not want me storing them in the basement like I wanted to." Le Quack explained.

"Really?" Cajun asked, turning his attention to Katz.

"Forgive me for not wanting cases of volatile explosives going off and destroying the farmhouse and possibly us with it just by being tapped or jostled." Katz huffed.

"Well, thank you for thinking about our well-being, but it's not gonna help us with our situation now, is it?" Cajun said.

The house shook and looking out the window; Courage saw the pumpkin creature searching for them.

"Guys!" he called out to get the other's attention. "I'll distract the thing, and you go get the TNT and set it somewhere so we can destroy it."

"Why does it have to be us?" Cajun asked out of curiosity.

"Because I've been running around all my life, making me quick enough to outrun it, and you're villains and know how to blow things up?" Courage answered.

"He has a point." Le Quack stated.

"We'll have to lure it away from the house. At the very least, from the windmill, since I'm sure none of us want those vandals to show up again." Katz proposed.

The window smashed open as vines wiggled their way into the room. They all screamed, and out the door, they went.

Courage bolted ahead of the villains down both flights of stairs and out the back door. He stopped as the pumpkin creature still felt its way around the room, and the dog called out, "Hey!"

The pumpkin looked down at the dog and screamed at him. Courage screamed back and took off. He felt the ground shook with every step the creature took after him. Courage took the thing out in the desert and realized that in his haste, he forgot to ask how he would know where the villains were going to set up their trap. As the two ran around the vast stretch of desert, Courage was starting to get winded as the sun pounded mercilessly down on him.

The dog was starting to slow, and he wished he had a dirt bike. He felt the creature take a swipe at him, and with a startled cry, Courage pumped his legs harder. Up ahead, he saw TNT and other explosive barrels piled into a giant mound, and he was heading right towards it. How was he going to escape the creature before running headlong into it? Turning away would only bring the beast with him. Courage's brain worked hard on what to do when the ground under him crumbled, and he fell into a hole.

"Oof!" Courage cried out as he landed on his rump. He realized he wasn't alone as Weremole was in the hole with him. The ground shook as the pumpkin creature ran past, and then it shook more violently as a loud explosion rend the air.

When it was all quiet, Courage and Weremole climbed out of the hole to see how it went with the pumpkin creature. They saw a giant smoking crater with large pieces of the pumpkins splattered every and other pieces raining down.

"Maybe we overdid it with the explosives." Cajun mused.

"Better with the overkill than under kill, no?" Le Quack asked.

They heard sirens and turning towards the source saw vehicles approaching. The cars stopped nearby, and Courage recognized the General as he stepped out.

"I say, we heard the explosion and came this way. Are you the ones that sent that email about the pumpkins?" the General inquired. Courage nodded. "Where is the pumpkin creature?"

Courage, worried about the villains, but more importantly, Le Quack, turned back to look at them and saw that Weremole wasn't in sight, and Cajun and Le Quack were wearing fake mustaches and Katz rubbed at his temple.

"Take a look around," Cajun said, indicating the destroyed mess around them.

"Right." the General glanced at the soldier standing next to him who nodded, turned towards the other soldiers standing nearby, and made a hand gesture. The soldiers pulled out shovels and began shoveling up the mess.

"I do apologize for any grievance you all experienced, gentlemen." the General apologized. "We were trying out a new way of growing pumpkins; we didn't expect something like this to happen."

"Shocking," Katz muttered under his breath.

"Well, we'll take care of things here, you civilians can be on your way." the General informed them.

"What about the other pumpkins bought?" Courage asked.

"We'll look into it and pull the pumpkins out the stores."

Dismissed, Courage and the others headed back home. Seeing the mess, the pumpkins made, they all worked together to clean it all up, getting rid of the smashed pumpkins they managed to take out.

"This house is going to reek of pumpkins for days," Cajun commented.

Cajun and Katz boarded up the broken windows as Courage swept up the broken glass. It was late in the day when they were finished cleaning their house and were able to eat anything. Fortunately, there were leftovers from the previous night they were able to eat.

"And you said we would never eat the leftovers." Cajun boasted to Katz.

The cat tsked in response.

They ate the leftovers while Weremole went hunting for rabbits and soon after went to watch their movies. Everyone settled into their spots except Le Quack took the rocking chair, and Courage sat with Katz in the armchair. Courage was speechless as to why Katz allowed him to sit with him but didn't much time to ponder more on it as Cajun put the first movie on. Most of the films had Courage covering his eyes or covering his ears. It was the tense music that did it, and every time he did, Katz would scratch him behind an ear.

Movie after movie and snack after snack made the rest of the go by, most of the popcorn and candy ended up on the floor by Cajun cheering whenever the villain caught their prey or by Courage when he jumped from a jump scare. They had all fallen asleep before the last film ended. Cajun was sprawled out on the floor, sleeping with his mouth wide open, Weremole slept on his side, snoring loudly, Le Quack had his beak tucked under a wing, and Courage lay asleep on Katz's lap.

Not even one was aware of the ghostly visitors they had.

"Is that a lovely sight?" Muriel asked with a smile on her face.

"Who cares about that, Muriel! I want the stupid cat and stupid dog out of my chair!" Eustace snapped and reached out for Katz. His hands passed through Katz, and each time the cat's brows would crease, and his tail would twitch in agitation.

"Oh, Eustace." Muriel scowled with her hands on her hips. "You're dead. You don't need your chair anymore."

Eustace grumbled as he worked harder to get the cat out of his chair. Muriel smiled again at Courage, but it was a sad smile. "Oh, Courage. I worried about what would happen to you the day Eustace and I would pass. I'm sorry we left you alone suddenly, but I'm so happy to see you have new friends now."

Muriel had been appalled when she discovered four of the six villains Eustace called upon to kill Courage was living with him. She was going to find a way to kick them out of the house. Still, Muriel became at ease after seeing the house intact, save for the windows boarded up. Looking closely at Courage, she saw there were no injuries the dog was well-fed and not only cared for but relaxed around them to sleep without worrying about any of them attacking him. And she could see he was content the way Courage snuggled in the cat's lap and the paw resting on the dog's back was relaxed and not holding down or the like.

Muriel pet Courage's head and continued. "Remember that I'll always love you, my Courage." she placed a kiss on his forehead.

Courage stirred from his sleep. "Muriel?" he whispered.

He glanced around the room, sure that he didn't imagine it as the grandfather clock near the stairs announced it was midnight. He felt Katz's fingers ran through his fur.

"Were you dreaming?" Katz asked.

Courage supposed he was and nodded.

"I don't know about you, but I rather not sleep here and wake up with stiff joints," Katz told him.

Courage agreed and the two as quietly as can be headed up to their room.

Across the Stars - Ch.4

Fweehhh, next chapters will be much more interesting in my opinion :’D Fortune Cookie Leo™ is my favorite thing ever, protect dah bab~ First Chapter --> HERE Previous Chapter --> HERE Next Chapter --> HERE

At least once a month, Vee and April had agreed to have a good brunch together, always going to the same small café, taking their time to speak and take things slow. It was a good way to wind up and get away from reality, making point on different parts of their lives. ''Sooooo, you've been spending a lot of time at the lair.'' Vee kept her eyes on April as she kept drinking her coffee, knowing what was coming. ''What's your thoughts on the boys?'' asked the brunette with a smirk. ''Damn, why does this feels like some highschool gossip,'' lightly laughed Vee. ''Oh come on,'' teased the reporter. ''I just want to know what's your view of them. All I've got are Vern and Casey's opinions, which mostly consists of 'I dunnos'.'' The artist sighed, mindlessly tossing a strawberry around with a fork on her plate, thinking. ''Well, I dunno! Leo is hard to understand in my opinion. Some days he's smiling and others he looks stern, but overall he seems nice. Mikey is a real sweetheart and he always brings a smile on my face. … Raph is scary and impressive as shit but he seems to have a good heart...'' Her thoughts trailed off, trying to find the right words for Donatello. ''Donnie is … man, he's just like me. I like spending time with him and it's so easy to talk to him. It's hard to describe.'' ''Do you see yourself in a relationship with him?'' Vee almost spat her drink at that new question. She frowned as April was amused, clearly enjoying the artist's reaction. ''Why would you ask that?'' finally asked Vee. ''Well, you two spend a lot of time together, I don't see why not.'' ''He's a mutant, April,'' hushed Vee through gritted teeth. ''So?'' They stared eachothers, April unphazed and Vee at loss. ''… Hey, yeah, of course, I'll just get to my parents one day and be like: 'Mom, dad, here's a tall turtle dude I'm dating. He's a ninja and he kicks butt. New York is full of surprises, heh?' '' April was already laughing, but Vee tried to keep her cool. ''I appreciate the thought,'' she continued. ''But I don't see how this could work. … At least, not now. He probably doesn't even feel the same.'' ''Are you kidding me?'' added April with a smile. ''You should see the way he looks at you. … Vee, for the years I've known him, there's definitely something going on.'' ''I prefer not to get high hopes about this. … I'll let time take its course and see where it leads. … I don't see why everybody's getting excited over this, damn.'' '''Cause you'd both obviously be the most perfect nerdy couple, duh,'' joked April. ''Oh shut up,'' snickered Vee, slightly blushing. She couldn't deny all what the reporter was saying, but the overall thought somehow felt foreign to her. He was so different, mostly physically, and she couldn't help thinking how that made things most interesting. Maybe she did start developping feelings for him over the last few months, but she always thought of it as a crush and nothing more. Could things be taken a step further? Maybe. But the situation was far more delicate than if it was about a human man... She prefered to keep the thought at bay for now, preferring to focus on the friendship she had with him so far. *** Halloween. Gosh, Vee had lost the count of chocolates she had already eaten. She looked at herself in the mirror, checking out her ninja costume. She could only see her glasses, eyes and her hands from the pitch black outfit, two fake katanas resting on her back. ''They're gonna laugh at me,'' she commented, hearing April approach. The reporter was wearing a witch costume, her hat comically too big. ''Nonsense! I'm sure they'll find it charming.'' ''Do you think I'd be able to sneak up on them?'' challenged Vee. The brunette showed a grin, obviously amused. ''Dude, if you're able to scare at least one of them, next brunch is on me.'' ''Deal!'' They heard a knock on the entry door, April answering to no one else than Casey, her boyfriend. The cop was wearing his infamous hockey mask, preferring to dress up as Jason from ''Friday the 13th''. How original. When he spotted Vee in her costume, he couldn't help his laughter, which was amplified when he learned about the plan. They soon made their way through the sewers, Vee starting to retreat when they got near, hiding in the shadows. She had no clue as to if she would succeed, knowing she was nothing compared to actual trained ninjas, but the thrill was amusing enough. She had a glimpse of April and Casey getting in, greeted by the turtles. The reporter simply stated that Vee would be late, having some last minute work to do. The artist couldn't help her smirk, continuing her path, squeezing around pipes and corners. She stumbled around the kitchen area, freezing when she crossed eyes with master Splinter who was making himself a cup of tea. She pleaded him to stay silent, bringing a finger to her hidden lips, the rat simply agreeing with a nod and a smile (and a part of him was also curious as to how things would unfold). She moved to some higher ground, on top of a large pipe that provided enough darkness. The timing had to be right and the brothers near enough for her to jump in and give them a good scare. Master Splinter had probably guess her plan, soon asking for his sons to come to him. Vee was feeling an adrenaline rush, all too excited for this ridiculous prank. She noticed April and Casey following, although keeping some distance, their eyes trying to find a clue as to where the other woman could be. Then it was time, the turtles so near. She jumped, falling straight before Leonardo, the leader letting out a yelp as he involuntarily threw a punch towards her, Splinter suddenly stepping in and stopping the fist. Everybody was suddenly silent, Vee's eyes big from surprise, but she suddenly started to laugh, joined by April and Casey. ''Oh my fucking god, I can't believe that worked!'' she said, soon snorting loudly. The turtles were confused, Leo mostly on edge, and then they realized who the ninja was, Vee pulling on the piece covering her mouth, revealing her entire face. ''Maybe one day I can become a ninja,'' she joked, her smile wide. ''What the hell, Vee!'' spat out Leo. ''For a second I thought you were an intruder.'' ''Yo chill bro,'' started Mikey, amused. ''It's Halloween time! You gotta admit that she got us good!'' The leader showed a sour face, soon conceeding. ''… Well, she has some talent, I have to admit.'' Vee took a victorious pose, next pointing to April. ''Next brunch is on you, I won the bet!'' *** ''A ninja, really?'' chuckled Donnie, standing with Vee in the kitchen, both preparing snacks for the horror movie marathon that was organized. ''And why not? At least I put the effort of getting a costume. You have nothing,'' replied Vee, her hand doing a karate motion, jokingly slapping the turtle's arm. ''Hum, I'm obviously dressed as a giant mutant turtle, that costume took time to assemble. Have some respect.'' Both laughed, Vee slapping him again. At some point she was starting to get hot, her costume covering her whole. She removed the hood on her head, her hair now flowing around, free. She did not notice the turtle who was now watching her as she expertedly whipped out a hair tie from around her wrist, rapidly bringing up her long hair into a messy bun. She finally looked up to Donnie, frowning in amusement as he seemed speechless. ''What? Has Donnie.exe stopped working? Is there a reboot button somewhere?'' He let out a snort, instantly blushing as he turned back to his occupation. ''I- I think you have nice hair,'' he mumbled. Vee sighed, grabbing two large bowls of popcorn. ''Heh, maybe, but they're a pain to care for and they heat up my head most of the time. I wish I was bald.'' ''Oh please don't say that,'' he commented, his arms full of candy bags and chips. ''We can trade,'' she added, her eyebrows doing an up and down motion. ''If it means I can look epic for once in my life, hell yeah!'' ''OI! We're hungry over here!'' called out Raph's voice. That was their cue, promptly moving towards the living room area, smiles never leaving their faces. Everbody was seated around the television, Donatello mentally cursing his brothers as he spotted how the couch was obviously left empty at some part for him and Vee to sit on. She didn't seem to mind though, her smile never fading, eyes glued on the screen, awaiting for the next scare in whichever movie they were watching. At some point she would just fall back, leaning against Donnie, quietly laughing and discussing with him about how some of the characters' decisions were absolutely pointless or stupid. But then she got scared, her body slightly jumping, but her hand involuntarily slapping against the mutant's leg, grasping near his knee. The clapping sound mixed with Donnie's yelp scared the others, Vee promptly removing her hand, apologizing profusely, hiding her blushing face into her hands as the group was laughing. She felt her body tilt, an arm around her shoulders as she was now closer to the tall turtle who was still chuckling at her reaction. A part of her felt ashamed but it was soon replaced by a warm feeling, her new proximity with the mutant somehow confirming her hypothesis. There was definitely something going on... *** (Vee): Do you think I should apologize to Leo for Halloween? I didn't want to scare him to the point of almost hitting me! (Donnie): If you want, but it's not necessary. People react differently to fear. (Vee): I guess so... I just don't want to get on his bad side, you know. (Donnie): Ah! The day that'll happen, you'll know it. Although I wouldn't let that happen... (Donnie): He may look severe, but that's only because he wants to be a good leader. … He respects you, I can assure you. Vee sighed, setting her phone down, her traits forming a frown. It has already been two days since that Halloween party down at the lair and she still couldn't help thinking about her prank. Yeah, it had been funny and all, but she couldn't erase Leo's expression from her thoughts. Maybe she was overthinking, like always, and she knew she had to act before it would get worse... Jumping out of bed, she got dressed in no time, promptly leaving the apartment. Walking down the sewers almost seemed normal these days, the odors hardly a hassle anymore. She had a firm step, never deciding to back, not even when she finally got to the lair, spotting the blue masked turtle seated in the middle of the common room, on that platform circled with candles and drapes. He was clearly meditating,  Vee then not wasting any more seconds as she stepped up, sat down and copied his position, not even showing an ounce of discomfort. Even with her eyes closed she could feel the turtle's eyes on her, but he resigned himself to say anything, simply sighing and getting back to his previous state. Strangely enough, he didn't feel like her presence was invasive. On the contrary, there was this strange feeling of calmness and warmth emanating from her, the experience somehow new to him. He was used to feeling nothing when meditating, the cold air around cleaning his mind … but now he felt comfortable. They stayed like this for almost half an hour, Leo finally moving, his voice soft and calm when he told Vee to stay where she was, returning some moment later with two tea cups. He handed one to the woman, his eyes always on her as she took a good sip, her overall state relaxed and at ease. ''… Do you meditate often?'' he dared to ask. ''Yes,'' replied Vee with a soft smile. ''Most of the time I do it alone.'' ''You have a nice energy,'' added Leo. ''I'm used to doing it alone too, but this time it was a nice, unexpected change.'' The human put her cup down, her green eyes now fixed in his blue ones. ''Yeah, sorry for just barging in … but I first came here because I wanted to apologize for scaring you on Halloween.'' Leo started to laugh, surprising Vee. ''I should be the one apologizing!'' he started. ''I almost hit you. It's a chance my father has some good reflexes or else you would unfortunately be showing a black eye.'' ''I guess so,'' said the woman with a smirk. ''The thing is, I acted without thinking and without knowing how any of you guys would react, and that was an error.'' The turtle lift his hand as a stopping motion. ''What happened in the past, stays in the past. Let this be a lesson for both of us. … Beside, I have to say that you had some impressive stealth skills.'' Vee shrugged with a grin: ''Heh, wearing all black helped!'' It was surprisingly easy to talk to Leo this time, meditation probably being a calm factor for him. Sitting down with him and sipping tea didn't feel awkward, a feelign of peace mostly floating around the two of them, having finally found a common ground. ''… Donnie told us about your anxiety,'' began the turtle after he finished his cup, his tone still calm. Vee sighed, unsure of how to reply to this. ''Now, I don't want you to be mad at him for telling,'' he continued. ''I wanted you to know that if you need it, you can come find me for meditation.'' That offer surprised the woman, her eyes suddenly back on Leo. ''Like I said, you have a nice energy, Vee. You need to focus on it and bring it out. … I know things can be overwhelming at times. You simply need to reach out and ground yourself to something good. I know Donnie wants to be there for you, and I'm not against it, but it's also important for you to focus on your own strenghts and get yourself out of harm's reach when no one is around.'' ''I understand, and I appreciate your concern,'' started Vee. ''I'm not someone who's usually reaching out to people for comfort, my battles being personal most of the time... But I guess I shouldn't be slapping away a helping hand when it's offered.'' ''The journey of a thousand miles begins with one step,'' commented Leo, hands placed before him, his stature wise, as if reciting a mantra. Vee couldn't hide her snort, smiling widely: ''Oh dear, you really sounded like a fortune cookie there!''

             Most of you must have heard the movie Love, Simon, have probably watched it already or even read the book Simon vs. the Homo sapiens Agenda from which it was adapted. Perhaps, both of which have touched and moved you in certain ways you have never expected. Regardless of your sexual orientation, it is quite impossible not to be captured and inspired by the beauty of its storyline.

             I watched the movie sometime three weeks ago and became an avid fan afterwards. I then decided to read the book from which it was adapted. Again, I fell in love with its amazing characters. There were certain changes on the movie plot (most were highly reasonable and tolerable), but both revolved on Simon, a closeted gay, and his struggles of ‘coming out’.

             In a world where people would judge you from every fibre of your being, Simon’s story is a remarkable gift of an art. There was a part in the story where Simon thought Blue, his anonymous chat mate, was Cal Price, assuming he would be white. He then realized that being white should not be the default; any more than straight should be the default. He thought that there shouldn’t even be a default. We are all equal, regardless of our race, skin colour, or even sexual orientation. It is sickening that we, humans, are accustomed on discriminating others based on the very traits that actually define us as human beings.

             If anything, Simon’s story wanted to deliver us one important message­— equality for all. Each of us deserves a great love story after all. <3

               P.S. I feel like I ought to share some of my favourite highlights both from the book Simon vs. the Homo sapiens Agenda and its movie adaptation, Love, Simon. (Beware of spoilers! If you have neither read nor watched the book or the movie, read at your own risk).

 1.       Simon and Blue’s email conversations- Simon and Blue’s email conversations in the movie were quite subtle compared to the book (which is one of the minor differences between the two). In the movie, the conversations were more on exchange of their daily lives. In the book, however, their exchange of emails would never fail to amuse and fascinate you. And way more flirtatious, if I must add. Who would have thought Oreos or Reese could segue a sex invite. LOL

 Blue: “Are you doing anything interesting this weekend? We’re supposed to have suck nice weather. Excuse me, dick nice weather.”

…..

Blue: “Reese’s are better than sex? Admittedly, I wouldn’t know, but I have to hope you’re wrong about that one. Maybe you should stop having heterosexual sex, Jacques. I’m just saying.”

Simon: “I have to admit that I don’t TECHNICALLY know whether Reese’s are better than sex… And I’m guessing they’re better than hetero sex… Non-hetero sex, though? I imagine it may be a little better than Reese’s. Is it weird that I can’t talk about this without blushing?”

…..

Blue: “I have to admit I like to imagine you as a kid fantasizing about junk food. I also like to imagine you now fantasizing about sex. I can’t believe I just wrote that. I can’t believe I’m hitting send.

…..

 Seriously, some of their emails were hilarious. Don’t get me wrong though. What I liked the most in their conversations was the sincerity of their feelings, the way they shared and opened their selves to each other. The way they contemplated how it felt to be in their shoes— the feeling of being locked into their selves, how hard it was for them to do certain things but had to hold their selves back, the feeling of being afraid that people might reject them­— this, to some people, is true. Imagine how hard it is for someone, who has to live and act in a way the society wants him to be, simply because of being afraid of rejection. Imagine the struggle of being not true to yourself, the pressure of hiding your true self to the disapproving eyes of the society, as if you were a flower forced to not bloom simply because your unlikely colours are different to the default.

 2.       Simon and Cal ship- The anonymity of Blue undeniably gave the story spice and twist it deserved. It made the readers and viewers all hooked up, thinking who exactly Blue would be. I don’t know if I’m the only one (I hope not), who saw and felt the chemistry between Simon and Cal (not because white is the default, by all means). There were parts in the story that made me hope Cal to be Blue. Simon had thought him to be Blue, so I guess it was not very surprising if the audience somehow hoped Cal to be Blue too.

 Cal: “What’s up, Simon?”

Simon: “Oh well. Nothing. Hey, are we supposed to be doing anything right now?” And as soon as I ask it, I start blushing, because the way I phrased it totally makes is sound like I’m propositioning him. [Hey Cal. Are we supposed to be making out right now? Are we supposed to be having mind-blowing sex in the dressing room right now?]

…..

 “Perfect happiness is: gripping the bottom of a rolling chair with both hands, while Cal Price pushes me down the hall in a full-on run. We race against two of the sophomore girls from the ensemble. Cal is a kind of a slow-moving person, so they totally dominate, but I don’t even care. His hands grip my shoulders, and we’re both laughing, and the rows of lockers are a toothpaste-blue blur. I let down my legs, and we skid to a stop. And I guess I have to get up. I raise my hand to give Cal a high five, but instead, he threads his fingers through mine for just a second. Then he looks down and smiles, and his eyes are hidden by the bangs. We untangle our hands, and my heart is thudding. I have to look away from him.

…..

 Now tell me you did not feel the chemistry there.

 3.       The Halloween Party- This part is just so uplifting. Simon isn’t the party-type kind of a person, and seeing him step out of his comfort zone is just wonderful. I would have preferred him to see in a dementor costume though just like in the book instead of his John Lennon costume in the movie.

 4.       Simon’s Coming Out- In the movie, there were scenes that really touched and moved me after Simon came out as gay. First was his conversation with his mother. The scene showed how great a mother’s love to her child could be, no matter the odds. Simon was lucky too, that he had a family who accepted him even if he was gay. Every Simon out there just needs a mother like Emily.

 Emily: “Being gay is your thing. There are parts of it you have to go through alone. I hate that. As soon as you came out, you said, “Mom, I’m still me.” I need you to hear this: You are still you, Simon. You are still the same son who I love to tease and who your father depends on for just about everything. And you’re the same brother who always compliments his sister on her food, even when it sucks. You get to exhale now, Simon. You get to be more than you have been… in a very long time. You deserve everything you want.”

…..

 The second one was Simon’s lengthy post on Tumblr, when he confirmed that he was indeed gay. It’s just so brave of him. He became the voice of the many who share the same struggle. He was an inspiration, an eye-opener even.

Simon: “…For a long time, I was killing myself to hide that fact. I had all these reasons, it was unfair that only gay people had to come out, I was sick of change, but the truth is, I was just scared. First, I thought it was just a gay thing but then I realized that no matter what, announcing who you are to the world is pretty terrifying cause what if the world doesn’t like you. So, I did whatever I could to keep my secret… I am done being scared. I’m done living in a world where I don’t get to be who I am. I deserve a great love story…”

……

 5.       The Ferris-wheel Ride- The scene on the movie where Simon rode the Ferris-wheel and waited for Blue, was perhaps the favourite of most of you. It evoked several emotions and touched our hearts achingly. There was this bittersweet feeling. There was fear that Blue might not come at all. There was also pain for Simon; each hour and minute that passed as he waited for Blue was just unbearable. There was redemption too for Martin. I hated him as much as Simon did, but for some reason, it disappeared the moment he had given Simon one last ticket for that final ride. And of course, happiness, joy, and fulfilment when Blue finally came and shared that last epic Ferris-wheel ride with Simon. It was just romantic and surreal. The movie had different ending compared to the book, but it was an ending that surely touched the viewers’ hearts.

 6.       The ‘Catching-up on Homework’ Ending- Compared to the movie, the book ended differently. Simon’s family went for dinner after watching a talent show. Simon’s elder sister, Alice (who was not shown in the movie), had notified him beforehand, telling him he was supposed to say no and need to catch up on homework so he could have about two hours at home unsupervised. And so Simon and Bram went to the former’s house and kind of made out. It was not as moving as the movie’s ending but beautiful still.

  Sooooo, if you still haven’t watched or read either Love, Simon or Simon vs. the Homo sapiens Agenda, I strongly suggest that you do! And I hope it move and touch you the way it did to me (well, I’m sure it will struck you just on the right spot).