MINTAKA Peeps The Horrors

Haunted houses were something that MINTAKA was always afraid of, but also so deathly curious to explore. He knew he’d likely get scared straight out of his fur, but he couldn’t satisfy the itch to try one at least once. So, in his journey to cross something off his bucket list, he decided he was going to finally try.

Not alone though, not in a million years. So, by his side were the chaotic Cosmic Brownie and Zukin. Probably the worst choice in Luminities to make to go in a haunted house with you. If anything, he was certain that Zukin would probably end up forming some sort of pact with the monsters inside the house and gang up on him. As for Cosmic Brownie… Who knows what’s going on inside his head? MINTAKA surely didn’t.

The three stood at the entrance to the haunted house and just… stayed there. Moments passing and nothing happening, just staying still. Cosmic’s face formed in a tight frown as he looked over to MINTAKA and Zukin, the latter being in his own little world, staring freakishly at something in the distance (He had tried to follow the Luminite’s gaze, only to find nothing at the other end). MINTAKA on the other hand, was shaking like a leaf, staring at the entrance like it was going to swallow him whole.

“Well!” Cosmic chirped, startling MINTAKA out of his stoop and somehow garnering the attention of the aloof Zukin as well, “Are we going in or what?”

Zukin gave a wide-eyed smile, “Last one in is a rotten egg!!” and just like that, he was gone through the door in a flash.

Cosmic yelped and went to follow, but skidded to a halt in front of the door, turning to wait for MINTAKA, who was still stuck in place. He simply stared back and finally took a deep breath, sulking toward the door. As he stopped beside Cosmic, he received a gentle slap to the back, “It’s okay MINT, I can be the rotten egg” he teased.

It garnered a chuckle from him, at least, as he begrudgingly entered. The haunted house was dark, and fog machines were pumping fake fog everywhere, making it difficult to see and difficult to breathe, or was that just the anxiety getting to him? Oh well, he was already in, there was no turning back now.

Both Cosmic and MINTAKA walked side by side through, there wasn’t much out of the ordinary so far, though MINT had a strange feeling that something was going to—

“BOO!!” A scream erupted from above both of them, sending the two Luminites straight to the floor as they tried to dodge out of the way. The two grabbed onto each other, a shaking mess. Cosmic was the first to try to look for the source of the sound while MINT was too buried in his fur to see anything. He met a pair of orange eyes and immediately scowled realizing who had given them the scare of a lifetime.

Zukin blinked sheepishly down at the both of them, hanging from part of the ceiling by his tail. “Oops…?” He chuckled, dropping down beside them, tilting his head at the mint bundle of fur that was still clinging to Cosmic, “MINTY!! It was just me? You okay?”

“Waaaaehheh…” Was all he could muster in response.

“Yikes,” Zukin winced, earning a smack on the head by Cosmic. “Sorry sorry! I won’t do it again…” He rubbed the back of his head before going to poke and prod at MINT, frowning when he just whined more, “I think we should get him out of here before we try again though… I don’t think he’s gonna stop shaking for weeks!”

“Agreed,” Cosmic muttered, not admitting he was relieved to not have to go through the rest of the haunted house, “Help me pick him up?”

“Mhm!” Zukin assisted Cosmic in hoisting MINT onto both of their backs and out of the haunted house. They took him all the way to the Cozy Cafe to get a nice warm cup of hot chocolate to relax. They ended up staying there for quite a while before the mint Luminite could finally relax and engage in the conversation.

After settling down, Cosmic and Zukin walked MINT home before departing to their own homes. Wishing him well, and Zukin telling him not to let the ghosts bite, as if that was supposed to comfort him.

And as he crashed into bed, there was only one thing on his mind.

Never again, MINT vowed.

At least never again with Zukin there…