Chapter Text
The clock on Gourdy's nightstand glowed 5:47 AM, its numbers far too early for a child who normally slept for way more than 12 hours, well, of course, he liked skipping days so he could get his precious October earlier. October had arrived, finally, and with it came the one month when Gourdy could properly spend time with Soulvester again. He'd been counting the days, crossing them off a paper calendar that he, Bobette and Bassie were given. Every time October ended, he had to stay in a small, cold room, not his bedroom, but a different one he partially disliked, even like that, he did his absolute best to make it look good with the little amount of toys he was given from time to time; crayons, paper... scissors.
He sat cross-legged on his bed, he was shaking excited unable to contain his energy while staring at the clock, he'd been awake for hours, the anticipation buzzing through him. If he got bored, he would draw to kill time, but then his focus would switch to the clock again.
"Just six more hours...!" he whispered to himself, then immediately checked the time again.
...
The clock struck 12:00 PM. He jumped out of bed, his paws hitting the floor with a quick thump as he ran, he didn't slow down, almost hit himself against the wall too, he grabbed the handle and pulled the door open, the moment He stepped outside his door, he was met with... SO MUCH SCREAMING.
"HIII! GOURDY!! HE WOKE UP! H-HE WOKE UP GUUYS!"
"We've been waiting forever!"
"Look, look, Gourdy! I drew you and me!"
Gourdy got startled, of course, the kids, he managed a polite smile. He loved them, he felt connected to them, even if they were... humans, different, truly he did, but his mind was elsewhere, he couldn't avoid wishing it ended already. He had been mentally mapping the quickest route to Gardenview's central plaza.
He stopped to admire each drawing and listen to everyone, his smile beginning to feel a little forced.
...
"Gourdy, are you going work with Ribecca?"
"Gourdy, can you sign my shirt?"
"Will you be at the haunted house?"
"Do you think the haunted house is gonna have BIIIG BLOODS ON IT NOW?"
The questions made him dizzy. He felt a warmth spread across his cheeks, a very clear sign he was becoming overwhelmed. He subtly shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his eyes darting past the crowd, searching for... anything at that point, not even he knew. He spotted Arthur leaning against a shelf, along with some other Toons next to him, smiling directly at Gourdy. He smiled back, barely. Arthur gave a small, reassuring nod, as if to say, "Take your time."
"Alright, little kiddos, gather 'round! Time for our special meet and greet tour! We've got Eclipse and Ribecca oooooveeeer theeere!"
The children's attention immediately snapped to her.
"GOODBYEEE GOURDYY!"
That echoed in the now very quiet hallway as they followed the tour guide. He stood alone for a moment, the sudden silence almost as loud as the previous noise. It's fine, now it's time.
The walk to Gardenview's central plaza felt shorter than usual, he practically running with excitement, he looked around, his eyes searching for the one figure that would make his day better, and then he saw him. Soulvester stood near the bench, his posture straight as he observed the Halloween decorations. He looked magnificent, charming, as always, his armor gets cleaned every 1st of October, so it was really shiny. Gourdy broke into a faster run, he launched himself at Soulvester, wrapping his arms around the knight's legs in an impulsive and happy hug.
"Soulvyyyy! I waited all morning to see you!"
Soulvester stiffened for a fraction of a second, then he relaxed, placing a careful, gloved hand on Gourdy's head.
"Greetings, Gourdy. It is a pleasure to see you as well."
"I'm so glad I found you!!!"
He mumbled into the cool metal of Soulvester's greave, his voice muffled, he pulled back, looking up with wide, eager eyes.
"Aaah.. uhm! Why are you here alone? Don't you have lots of people to talk tooo...?"
"Truthfully, Gourdy, I find the central crowds... overwhelming. And the grand plaza is reserved for special events later this afternoon. The children are not permitted in this area just yet."
He gestured vaguely towards the more decorated sections of the park. Gourdy simply nodded, his earlier disappointment already forgotten. It made sense, of course. Soulvester was important, he needed his space.
"Okaaay..."
He said cheerfully, grabbing Soulvester's hand. "We can just walk around until it's time! Oh! OH! I wanna go to the bakery! Sprout probably did something cool! Or! OR THEN! UH!"
Gourdy, his paw still firmly clutching Soulvester's much larger hand, began to tug him forward, not even finishing his sentence. Soulvester chuckled, then followed at a slow pace.
After a few minutes of walking, he spotted his destination, a small, cozy bakery stall.
Gourdy released Soulvester's hand and dashed toward the bakery. He was halfway there when he realized Soulvester wasn't following, he turned, his small face falling into a pout. The knight stood exactly where he'd left him.
"Soulvester? Aren't you coming?" he called out, his voice tinged with hurt. Soulvester chuckled.
"My apologies, little one. I was just teasing."
He began to walk toward the bakery, his pace still easy and unhurried. Gourdy's pout vanished. He waited until Soulvester reached him, then he hugged him, he looked up at Soulvester with pleading eyes."Soulvester?" he began, his voice as pleading as his eyes. "Please... Piggyback..." Soulvester paused for a moment, as if considering the request, as if he didn't comply every time.
"Of course, my liege."
"Just Gourdy!"
He didn't respond back, he crouched down, lowering himself to one knee. Goirdy scrambled onto his back, his small legs dangling as he put his arms on Soulvester's head. The knight stood up smoothly, adjusting Gourdy's position with one arm as if he were no heavier than a feather.
"Steady now."
The bell above the bakery door chimed a high-pitched sound as Soulvester ducked to enter, Gourdy still comfortable on his back. The warm air and sweet scent of cinnamon and sugar got to them immediately, a big contrast to the cold air outside. Behind the counter was Cosmo, his hoodie dusted with flour as he looked up, he jumped as he got startled, then shyly waved when he recognized the pumpkin.
"Oh! Gourdy! Hi!"
He called out, his voice gaining volume and excitement. "Welcome! What can I get for you?"
Gourdy shifted, looking down at Cosmo. "Hello, Cosmoooo! Please just cookies! Right Souuuulvyyyy? You'll get me it riiight?"
Soulvester let out a soft, almost inaudible sigh from beneath his helmet, pure amusement. "Gourdy, you're the host, it's free." he said, his voice cold as always. Gourdy's eyes widened as he processed Soulvester's words, he scrambled to slide off Soulvester's back, landing with a soft thud on the bakery's wooden floor. He stood a little straighter, puffing out his chest.
"Oooooouh wait right!"
He remembered now, then out of nowhere, he took on an authoritative tone that was both adorable and well, not in character for him, or a seven year old. He turned to Cosmo, who was watching him with confusion
"In that case, I'll have one of each cookie, and a big bag of all the candy corn! And a lot of chocolate too!"
Cosmo blinked, eyes wide open, extremely confused by the sudden shift in Gourdy's way of speaking. He quickly recovered, his smile returning as he began to do what he had been requested to do.
"Gourdy!" Cosmo beamed, then pushed the bag across the counter.
"Thereee you go!"
Gourdy's face lit up. "Thank you, Cosmo!" he giggled, grabbing the bag with both hands. It was a bit heavy for him, but he managed to hold it steady with a determined little grunt. He balanced the heavy bag on his lap as he sat on a low wooden bench just outside the bakery. Soulvester stood beside him. Gourdy picked up a random sweet, out of the hundreds of candy corns, he managed to pull a cookie, he took a large, messy bite that left crumbs all over his chin. He hummed with delight, his eyes closed.
"This is the best cookie I ever had, Soulvy!" He mumbled through a full mouth. Soulvester remained still, but Gourdy thought he could almost feel the knight's amusement.
After finishing, he stood up, the bag almost as big as he was.
"Okay, I'm ready to go!" He yelled, Soulvester watched him struggle for a moment before trying to keep walking, "That is a substantial amount of candy, Gourdy."
Gourdy clutched the bag of candy corn to his back, he looked up at Soulvester with a stubborn expression.
"I can carry it, Soulvy! I'm a big boy now!" he insisted, his voice wobbling only slightly with the effort of holding the heavy bag. Soulvester studied him for a long moment, then gave a slow nod.
"As you wish..."
They walked for several minutes in comfortable silence, the sounds of the distant voices fading as they went into the Toon rooms, where Gourdy's original room is located. Gourdy's small shoulders hunched under the weight of the bag of candy corn. He was doing his best to be strong, but his little legs were beginning to tremble, he didn't last a minute more, his determination began to crumble, he whimpered and then stopped walking.
"Ooooh, Soulvy," he grumbled, pouting as he turned to face the knight. "It hurts... Please help me carry..." With wide, begging eyes, he extended the bag to Soulvester. The knight reached out with one hand and easily removed the bag from Gourdy's grasp without even lowering it down.
The loss of the heavy bag made Gourdy almost fall. He blinked, surprised by how light his arm felt now. He looked up at Soulvester, who held the large bag of candy corn as if it weighed nothing at all, a sheepish grin spread across Gourdy's face.
"Whoa, that's so cool!" he breathed, his earlier complaint forgotten. He fell into step beside the knight, no longer having to strain against the load.
They arrived at the door of Gourdy's room, an orange door with gold decorations on the edges.
"What is your plan for the rest of the day?" Soulvester asked, Gourdy fumbled with the doorknob, pushing the heavy door open with a shoulder. He turned, his face serious. "I'm gonna plan!" he announced proudly.
"I didn't do stuff last year... but this year I'll make a list and get a lot of candy by checking on every Toon's door! Yes! I'll be super organized!" He laughed, clearly very proud of his "maturity". Soulvester's helmet inclined in a slow, deliberate nod.
"A wise decision." he rumbled. "Yes, true." Soulvester reached out, his hand gently taking the bag from where it rested against his hip. He held it out to Gourdy. "Your candy, Gourdy"
Gourdy's eyes lit up, he eagerly took the bag, groaning about the weight again.
"Aaahah! Thanks, Soulvy! Bye! See you tomorrow!" He gave a small, awkward wave, then turned and disappeared into his room, the door clicking shut behind him.
Soulvester stood in front of the door for a long moment after it closed. He stared at the spot where Gourdy had been.