Baby Halloween (Sub Special Commission #3)

I wrote a series of these commissions for free, on stream, to celebrate hitting 100 subscribers. Enjoy!

Ben knocked on the bathroom door. “Hey, Riley? Are you almost done in there?”

Riley didn’t respond for a moment. When they did, they sounded upset. “No. I look stupid.”

“I’m sure you don’t.” Ben paused, then looked down at his own costume and added, “I’m dressed as zombie Elvis. You definitely don’t look more stupid than me.”

“This is stupid,” Riley insisted. “This was a stupid idea, and I shouldn’t have done it.”

Ben sighed, quietly. He’d hoped his partner would be able to have fun with the costumes, but if their anxiety was spiking, they might need a little more encouragement. “That’s not true. I’m gonna come in there, okay?”

“... fine.”

Opening the door, Ben stepped into the bathroom, looking Riley up and down.

They wore a onesie, bright purple, with ‘Daddy’s little monster’ emblazoned on the front. Around the crotch, a ridiculously thick diaper was bulging, making it totally apparent what they were wearing - Ben knew it was four ABUs of ascending sizes, layered for maximum costume effectiveness, but most people would just think ‘big diaper’ when they saw it.

Hanging from a ribbon, a purple pacifier was dangling, a bonnet was on their head, and they were holding Mr. Teddysworth, a stuffed panda bear that Riley had owned for as long as Ben knew them.

“Riley…” Ben started to say.

“I know. It’s awful,” Riley grumbled.

“You look adorable!” Ben picked up Riley by the waist, spinning them around in the air. “This was the best costume idea ever.”

A smile flashed on Riley’s face as Ben set them down, but they crossed their arms over their chest and buried the expression quickly. “Everyone’s going to laugh at me.”

“No, they won’t. It’s a great costume.”

“They’ll know,” Riley protested.

Ben shook his head. “It’s halloween, pumpkin. Nobody will think anything of it.”

“And what if they do? What if they figure out that… y’know.”

Taking Riley’s hands in his own, Ben looked them in the eye. “They won’t, but even if they do, it doesn’t matter. I love you, and you’re the cutest little baby anyone in the world has ever seen. That’s all that matters, okay?”

“Okay,” Riley said, but they didn’t seem to believe it.

“I’m going to go get my keys,” Ben said. “Meet me downstairs and we’ll head to the party?”

Riley nodded, and Ben kissed them on the forehead gently before turning to get ready to leave.

He should have known that Riley wouldn’t go through with it. When his partner came down the stairs a minute later, they were wearing a sheet that covered them head to toe, save for eye holes and arm holes.

Ben pursed his lips, but didn’t say anything. “Is that what you’re going with?”

“I… have the other costume on underneath it,” Riley conceded. “If I change my mind I can take it off.”

They both knew that Riley wouldn’t change their mind, but if they’d gone this far, there was no point arguing.

Taking Riley’s hand, they walked to the car together, Ben hopping in the drivers seat. He brought up GPS, saw it would take twenty minutes to get to the party, and started driving.

Halfway to the party, Riley said, “I’m sorry.”

“Why?” Ben asked, glancing at them before looking back at the road.

“I know you put a lot of work into that costume,” Riley mumbled. “I just… I should have said something sooner. I knew I’d chicken out and wouldn’t want to wear it, I could have saved you the trouble.”

Ben put a hand on Riley’s knee, shaking his head. “I don’t care about that. I just want you to have a nice time tonight. If that means you’re a ghost from ‘Peanuts’, that’s what I want.” Smiling, he added, “Besides, I’m sure we’ll find some use for those baby clothes later, even if nobody but me ever sees them.”

A couple seconds went by, and Riley said, “What if I want to bail early?”

“Then we bail early. The party might be a snooze fest, anyways. I’m not here for the party, I’m here for you.”

Riley took Ben’s hand, squeezed it once, then slipped the sheet off over their head. Their baby costume was still on, and still as adorable as ever. “Okay. I love you, daddy.”

“I love you too, baby. Happy halloween.”