Flash Fic Friday

**Challenge director  took it easy on me this week, with just Halloween, a princess, and a niece.  This one is especially for him.  And hey…Happy Halloween!  Have fun and be safe!**

 

“Uncle Scott!  Where are my wings?”

Scott pinched the bridge of his nose and refrained from sighing out loud.  Looking after his niece while his sister recovered from surgery wasn’t that big of a deal.  Sadie was a precocious, and sometimes petulant, seven year old, but she was a sweetheart.  Scott and Sadie got on like a house on fire, and normally, Scott would be having a great time.  But Maya just had to go and have back surgery this week of all weeks.  Scott shook his head, and took a deep breath.

“I don’t know, Sadie bug.  Where did you leave them?” he called back.

“I had them when we visited Mommy earlier,” she said, her voice coming closer.  Maya had come through surgery just fine the day before, and she’d been up to visitors today.  Scott had kept Sadie out of school so that they could visit.  And since it was Halloween, Scott had acquiesced when Sadie insisted on wearing her costume to the hospital.  Scott didn’t understand the appeal of the holiday, and he certainly didn’t get dressing up.  But for Sadie, he would pretend to enjoy it.

A moment later, she came into view.  Her dress was pink and shimmery, and she was wearing a fake gold tiara on her head.  She even had her wand in her hand.  Her big brown eyes were shiny and wet.  “How can I be a fairy princess if I don’t have wings?!”

Sensing a tantrum coming on, Scott dropped to his knees.  “Did you check your room?”

Sadie’s glare turned a little mutinous.  “I didn’t have them…” She trailed off, her eyes going wide and her mouth forming an O.  She spun on her heel and raced to her bedroom, her Mary Jane’s clacking on the hardwood floor.

Scott remained kneeling, and wasn’t the least bit surprised when, a moment later, Sadie shouted out.  “Got ‘em!”

She raced back into the kitchen, and Scott helped her into her wings.  It took a surprising amount of adjusting to get the purple and pink shimmery wings to a place where they didn’t smack into the back of her curly brown head.  Finally, she was all set.  With a triumphant grin, she grabbed her bucket that was shaped like a pumpkin.

“Let’s go!”

Scott gave a cheer filled with fake enthusiasm and followed his niece out of the house.  He hadn’t been trick or treating since he himself had been a teenager.  He could only hope that Sadie would tire of it after a few blocks, and he could carry her home and put her to bed.  And then maybe steal a few pieces of the choicest candy himself.

Sadie, of course, had other ideas.

An hour later, they were still walking the neighborhood.  Sadie preened every time an adult told her just how beautiful a fairy princess she made.  Her bucket was nearly full.  And Scott was tired.  He vowed to himself that they would finish up this block and then he was taking her home, no matter how hard she protested.

As Sadie approached a small yellow house with festive cobwebs adorning the porch, Scott stopped at the bottom of the steps, but in clear view of the door.  Sadie rang the bell, and pasted on a huge, slightly maniacal grin.  A moment later, the door swung open and Scott’s breath caught.

The man was about his age, fit and toned, and he was wearing a bright grin and a long sleeved yellowish shirt with some sort of gold symbol over his left breast.  His dark hair was cut short and a little spiky.  He was one of the best looking men that Scott had seen in a long time.  But his beautiful grin was huge as he shouted out, “Happy Halloween!”

Sadie gasped, her eyes going wide.  “Mr. Wright?!  What are you doing here?”

“Hello Sadie the fairy princess!  Don’t you look lovely?  I’m here because this is my house,” the man said with a gentle smile.  “We missed you at school today.  I hope your Mommy is feeling better.”

Sadie nodded fast, but then whipped around to face Scott, nearly clobbering Mr. Wright with one of her wings.  “Uncle Scott!  This is my teacher, Mr. Wright!  This is his house!”

Scott chuckled at her over the top enthusiasm, and climbed the porch steps.  He held out his hand when he got closer.  “Scott Winchell.  It’s nice to finally meet you.  Sadie talks about you all the time.”

“John,” he offered his name as he shook Scott’s hand and blushed prettily.  “So you’re the famous Uncle Scott.”

Scott chuckled.  “It seems so.”  He cocked his head to the side, then grinned.  “For some reason, I pictured you blond.”

John laughed.  “Weirdly, I get that a lot.”

“Uncle Scott,” Sadie said urgently, tugging on his pants leg to get his attention.  Her stage whisper was loud as she said, “Mr. Wright thinks it’s okay for boys to kiss boys too.”

“Too?” John queried with a quirk of his eyebrow.

Scott just nodded, and made a deliberate show of letting his gaze travel the length of John’s body.  The man blushed harder, shifted his stance, and then cleared his throat.  Scott’s grin, he was sure, was just a little bit wicked.  Their gazes locked, and there was no mistaking the interest in the other man’s eyes.

There was a screech and a squeal, followed by the sound of running feet.  The noises of the children out on the street broke the spell they’d been under.  Scott mentally chastised himself for eye-fucking his niece’s teacher.

John cleared his throat again.  “So…you’ll be bringing Sadie to school on Monday?”

Scott knew he didn’t misinterpret the suggestive tone in the teacher’s voice.  His grin grew.  “Definitely.”

John dropped some candy into Sadie’s bucket, and Scott didn’t even have to remind her to say thank you.  Transaction complete, she turned and headed off the porch.  Scott was quick to follow, but he couldn’t resist looking over his shoulder one more time.  John still stood at the door, and Scott could tell that the man had been staring at his ass.  Scott grinned even harder.

Maybe Halloween wasn’t so bad after all.