One Last Halloween With You
Summary: Skully J Graves commemorates time with you, desiring to spend time with you once more before he loses it all.
Genderneutral, no use of Y/N, can be seen as romantic or platonic, slightly bittersweet, spoilers for the nightmare before christmas event, 1200+ word.
The lanterns swayed gently in the wind, their candlelight washing the cobblestone streets in shades of gold and orange. The autumn wind carried the faint scent of smoke and caramel sweeping through, sweeping through the busy streets of Uzumimura (1) and beside you, Skully J Graves. His hands were behind his back, the faint glow of the lanterns tracing the edges of his sharp smile. He looked like he’d stepped straight out of an old memory, yet somehow unbearably distant.
You slowed your pace to match his, watching the way the festival lights reflected in his eyes. “You always know the best places to go,” you said.
He smiled faintly. “I grew up here after all.”
There was a strange softness in his voice, the kind that made you wonder just how many Halloween’s he’d seen pass through this little town. The crowd ahead was lively. Children chasing each other in costumes, merchants calling out over the chatter, and paperbats swaying from their strings above the rooftops.
Skully moved through it all with confidence, slipping between conversations and laughter like he belonged to every story being told that night. People greeted him with fond smiles and easy words. Returning every greeting with a wave, but each time he turned away, there was a brief flicker of stillness in his expression.
He stopped beneath one of the trees, the crimson leaves drifting down like sparks around him. For a moment, neither of you said anything. The quiet felt heavy, not uncomfortable in particular but rather- full of things unsaid.
Skully tilted his head back, staring up through the branches of the silver moon caught between them.
“You know,” he began softly, his voice nearly lost to the rustling leaves, “I’ve always loved Halloween. The scares, the tricks but..” He paused, his grind faltered. “... this year felt a lot more special.”
You turned toward him, searching his face. “Really? How?”
You felt like you already knew the answer but you wanted to hear from him.
He chuckled, but there wasn’t much joy in it. “Because I know it’s the last one- I mean, the last Halloween I’ll spend with you.”
Your breath was caught. The words felt like the chill of autumn itself, beautiful, but fleeting. Before you could say anything, the wind stirred again, and with it came the faint sound of busy laughter fading down the street, the festival beginning to thin, the night growing heavier. Skully’s eyes lingered on the flickering lanterns.
“Guess it’s almost time,” he murmured.
You took a step closer, “Time for what?”
His grin returned, but it trembled. “For my story to end, where yours keeps on going.”
Before you could respond, the air shimmered. Slowly unraveling color and sound. The streets of Uzumimura began to blur, lanterns stretching into ribbons of light, laughter dissolving into a hollow echo. You reached out instinctively, but your hand passed through the cool night air.
“Thank you,” he said. “For giving me one more Halloween worth remembering.”
When you open your eyes, you appear in Foothill Town. A faint smell of burnt pumpkin candle wax lingered in the air, though no one could remember why.
Sebek blinked, looking around with mild confusion. “This is… Foothill Town?”
Jamil folded his arms, brows furrowed. “We were here for the used book market, weren’t we?”
Azul nodded slowly, “Yes, but… it feels like something else happened”
Jade’s usual calm expression flickered with uncertainty. “I remember laughter. Lanterns. Perhaps? But it’s vague- Like a dream.”
You hesitated, searching your own mind. “I felt like I did something- something important. But… I can’t remember what.”
The group exchanged uncertain glances, but the fog in your memories refused to clear. The fragments of warmth, of light, of a voice are all gone before you could grasp them.
“Well,” Leona sighed, straightening his collar, “Whatever it was, it’s over now. We should return to the campus.”
Everyone agreed. And so, together, you made your way back to Night Raven College, the sound of your footsteps echoing faintly against the stone path. When you reach the gate, you happen to cross with headmaster Crowley. His usual flair is on full display.
“Welcome back my dear students!” Crowley announced cheerfully, balancing something large and wrapped in cloth under his arm. “Why, all of you traveling together, how touching! Is it a miracle? I hope you guys enjoyed yourself well!”
The group groaned in unison. But your attention was caught on what he was carrying. “Headmaster,” you asked, “what’s that?”
He beamed. “Ah! I found this while cleaning out one of the storage rooms. A very old portrait- quite the rare treasure!”
He pulled away the cloth, revealing a canvas dulled with age. The paint was cracked, but the figure it depicted remained clear: a white-haired boy wearing some glasses and a grin that seemed alive.
“This,” Crowley declared proudly, “is Skully J Graves! A graduate of Night Raven College from several centuries ago! It’s said he was the one who transformed Halloween from a small town into a celebration known across Twisted Wonderland!”
He smiled, brushing the dust from the frame. “Some even call him the King of Halloween.
The others leaned in curiously, murmuring among themselves.
Something inside you twisted painfully. You didn’t even recognize the man. Not his name, not his face, but your heart gave a small inexplicable ache. You didn’t know why your eyes burned or why your throat felt tight.
You stared longer than the others.
His grin looked… kind. Familiar, somehow- but every time you tried to remember why, the thought slipped away like mist.
Grim tugged at your sleeve. “You okay? You look weird.”
You blinked and forced a small smile. “Yeah. Just- tired.”
You turn to leave, and the group follows, the sound of their voices fading down the corridor. Behind you, the portrait remained; a boy with pale hair and eyes full of mischief, captured forever in stillness. The sunlight fell across his face, soft and fleeting. And though you would never remember him, a tear slipped down your cheek without you knowing why.
Later that night, as you lay in bed staring at the ceiling, that hollow ache in your chest lingered like a name you’d once whispered in another life. When you finally sleep, the wind carries the faintest echo of laughter. It was soft and distant, but it brushed against your dreams like a memory trying to reach you.
Skully sat perched on a tree branch beneath a sky of drifting leaves, watching the world below. The laughter, the lanterns, and the students who had long forgotten his name. It was the same Halloween he once knew, only brighter, louder, alive without him.
“They’ve forgotten,” he said, his voice barely more than a breath. Then, softer, a faint smile surviving his lips, “... But they still miss me.”
The wind caught his words and carried them into the night. Silence followed. Gentle, endless. Only the faint scent of caramel and smoke lingered, clinging to the autumn hair like a memory that refused to die.
(1): Uzumimura is considered his home town I think? At least on the Twisted Wonderland Wiki / JP version it says. However it can also be considered Halloween Town I think. I’m not sure lol.
I kinda rushed it in the midst of it, trying to get this out on the day of Halloween stressed me out badly. As of right now, I am sick so I really had to push myself to do this. Currently this is the longest fanfic I ever did so I changed it into smaller text (I also like the presentation of it so I might keep it like this for future fanfiction.
The only inaccuracy is how the world fades instead of you hopping inside the tomb like the original but I think I did well enough with merging the new Skully card with the Nightmare Before Christmas event story. The last one is Malleus, after that, then this little Halloween October series will come to a close. anyways as you can tell im really really tired sorry for the imrpoper typing.
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