After failing a major project due to your refusal to present in front of the class, you found yourself with no other choice but to beg your professor for extra credit. It took several days of staying late after class, pleading, and swallowing your pride before she finally relented with an exasperated sigh.

"Fine," she muttered, barely concealing her irritation. "If extra credit is what you want, sign your name on this list. I’ll let you know what I’ve assigned for you after class tomorrow." She slid a clipboard and pen across the desk, and you signed your name without hesitation, grateful for any chance to salvage your grade. As you turned to leave, you heard her mutter under her breath, “You boys are going to be the death of me someday.” You didn’t think much of it, too relieved at the prospect of making up for your mistake.

True to her word, the next day Mrs. Morgan called for you to stay after class. What you hadn’t expected was that someone else would be staying behind as well. Glancing to your right, you locked eyes with a tall guy sporting dark hair and an icy blue glare—Tobio Kageyama. You returned his glare in kind, ignoring the fact that your professor was leaning against her desk, observing the silent standoff. It was no secret that you and Kageyama didn’t get along. If he wanted to act like you’d wronged him on some deeply personal level, then fine by you.

"Boys, eyes on me—or you can kiss that extra credit goodbye," Professor Morgan’s sharp voice cut through the tension, snapping both of you out of your mutual staring contest. Reluctantly, you shifted your attention to her. "Good. Now, do either of you know what day it is tomorrow?"

Your confused silence was met with her rubbing her temples in frustration. "Halloween," she said with exaggerated patience. "That’s right." She moved to the back of her desk and, with a grunt, hoisted a large box onto it. Scrawled across the cardboard in thick black Sharpie were the words Halloween Decor. Surely, she couldn’t expect two guys who couldn’t even manage a class presentation to successfully decorate an entire classroom?

"You and Kageyama," she began, her tone firm, "I want this classroom to be absolutely spooky, ghoulish—just all sorts of scary—by the time I return from grading these papers." She hefted a thick stack of assignments to make her point, stuffing them into her bag before slinging it over her shoulder. "Got it? And if you do a good enough job, I’ll DoorDash you something to eat. Make me proud!" With that, she exited, leaving you and Kageyama alone in the suddenly daunting task of turning the classroom into a haunted haven.

Predictably, it was a disaster waiting to happen. The two of you approached the box in the middle of the room, keeping as much distance from each other as the space allowed, and began sorting through its contents. Skeletons, bats, fake blood—Mrs. Morgan had clearly thought of everything. To be fair, she seemed like the type of person who went overboard with every holiday, the kind whose Christmas lights probably kept the neighbors up at night.

For a few minutes, things went surprisingly smoothly. You and Kageyama each claimed a different side of the room, diligently hanging fake cobwebs in silence, save for the occasional judgmental glance at each other’s progress. But then you ran out of webs.

Returning to the box to grab more, you found Kageyama already rummaging through its contents. Your eyes landed on the last bundle of webs beneath a pile of fake spiders, and just as you reached for it, Kageyama’s hand shot out to grab it too. Your hands brushed against each other, and you both recoiled instantly.

"You dumbass! I was reaching for it first!" Kageyama barked, shoving you aside as he snatched the webs from under your nose.

Furious, you shoved him back. What started as a small scuffle quickly escalated into an all-out brawl, limbs flying as the two of you wrestled for control of the last spiderwebs. In the chaos, the box overturned, scattering decorations across the floor. Neither of you noticed the webs slowly tangling around your legs, binding tighter with every struggle.

“Would you just freaking let go already?” he growled, pushing you one last time. Unfortunately, that final shove sent you stumbling over a candle holder. You fell onto him, and together, you crashed to the floor with twin groans of pain.

Before he could shove you off, something snapped. Both of your eyes widened in alarm as the sticky cobwebs, now wrapped tightly around you both, yanked you up into the air. The next thing you knew, you were dangling upside down from the ceiling, suspended like two unfortunate flies caught in a web.

The more you wriggled to free yourself, the tighter the webs wound around you, leaving you nose to nose with Kageyama, your faces just inches apart. His cheeks flushed, though you couldn’t tell if it was from rage, embarrassment, or something else entirely. One thing you did notice, however, was the unmistakable pressure of something hard pressing against your thigh.

“Kageyama,” you seethed, struggling to keep your temper in check. “Quit moving! Your stupid keys are digging into me!”

“What keys?” he snapped, still trying to free himself. “They’re in my bag, you moron!”

The two of you froze, an awkward silence falling between you. You stared at each other, the realization slowly dawning. “Then what’s poking my thigh?”

Kageyama’s face turned scarlet, and he quickly averted his gaze. “Nothing! Just shut up and let me figure out how to get us down,” he muttered, clearly flustered.