Summary: After seeing a kid wearing a familiar mask while handing out candy, Theo goes into a panic.
Warnings: PTSD, A little angst, Dread Doctors, Inconsistencies in the tense itās written in
Notes: Theo needs therapy. Also, sorry for posting late again.
Word Count: 595 (short fic, iām sorry)
FLUFFTOBER 2025 , MASTER POST , TEEN WOLF MASTERLIST
āāāāāāā
Your entire house had been decorated for Halloween, your family took the holiday very seriously. But your parents had gone to a Halloween work party which meant you would be staying home to hand out candy. You didnāt mind though, you simply invited your boyfriend over so the two of you could watch scary movies in the living room and answer the door for trick or treaters.
And of course, you two dressed up. You as Little Red Riding Hood and him as the Big Bad Wolf. It was too perfect of an idea to pass up. Not to mention the fact that the basket for your costume was the perfect place to hold all the candy you were handing out, allowing for you to dramatically reveal it to the childrenāgiving them a sweet, core Halloween memory.
Everything was going fine, every five to ten minutes you would get a knock at the door, Theo would pause the movie, and then you would answer the door together. You gave candy to princesses, superheroes, anime characters, and of course the classics like vampires, ghosts, witches, and zombies.
You opened the door, expecting to see another one of the classic costumes but you didn't. Thereās a little boy in a plague doctor mask and behind him stands his parents, both wearing similar masks and long coatsāthe father was carrying a cane.
āTrick or treat!ā the boy says cheerfully.
Smiling, you hold out the basket of candy for the kid to take from just as you had done many times before. Theo would normally come up behind you and growl, to try and scare the kids but this time he didnāt.
You didnāt pay much mind to this until the mother stepped forward, her voice slightly distorted from the mask, āIs your friend okay?ā
Furrowing your brows, you look over your shoulder at Theo who seems almost like a statue, completely frozen in place. You recognized the look in his eyes, it was the look he got when he got back from Hell and would have nightmares of his sister every night.
You turn back around quickly, grabbing an extra handful from your basket and tossing it into the kids bag, āYeah! Heās alright! Have a nice night!ā you shut the door right in the kids face. You would feel bad about it later.
āTheo,ā you say softly, setting the basket down and walking over to him, āwhatās wrong?ā
He blinks, his eyes all watery as he takes a deep breath, āNothing itās justā¦ā
āItās not nothing,ā you correct, reaching up to hold his face in your hands, you smile when he doesnāt flinch away, ātalk to me, pleaseā¦ā
āThe masks,ā he whispers, voice cracking.
You understood then, the Dread Doctors, they had tortured him for years.
āTheyāre not here anymore, Theo, they canāt hurt you now. I promise.ā
He lets out a shaky breath, āI know, I justā¦ā
āIām going to put a note on the candy basket, okay? Iām going to set it outside and when I come back in we can watch aā¦less scary movie. We can get out of our costumes too, alright? We can just put on our pajamas?ā
āI donāt wanna ruināā
āShut up,ā you cut him off, āyouāre not ruining anything, I promiseā¦ now, letās write a noteā¦ and then we can get changed, okay?ā
He nods, āOkay.ā
You smile, āIām here for you, you know that.ā
āI love you.ā
Grinning, you press a kiss to his cheek, āI love you too,ā and with that, you go to find the paper.
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