16, day of the dead

"Following annual tradition, at midnight the remembrance procession will head to the Nevermore Cemetery and pay our respects to all those who have gone before us." Principal Dort's voice carried across the courtyard as Ari and Gia slipped into the back of the crowd. "Don't worry. There won't be a complete downer, because there will also be food trucks after!"

The student body erupted in cheers.

Gia clapped along, her grin wide, practically bouncing in place. Ari just folded her arms, arching a brow as she watched her best friend cheer louder than anyone else.

When Gia finally caught her staring, she raised a brow. "What? I love food."

Ari broke into a grin despite herself. "You'd cheer at a funeral if someone promised churros afterward."

"Exactly," Gia said proudly, flipping her hair. "If I'm going to mourn the dead, I should at least get a taco out of it."

Ari shook her head, laughing softly. "I can't believe I completely forgot today was Día de los Muertos."

Gia's smile softened. "I didn't. My mom always made it a big deal back home. Altars, flowers, pan de muerto..." She shrugged, her voice dipping quieter. "It feels... different here, though. Less like family, more like a school field trip."

Ari's grin faltered, her eyes drifting to the flickering candles already being set up by the teachers. "Yeah," she murmured. "It's supposed to be about remembering the people who mattered most." Her throat tightened a little. "But what if some of them never really acted like family in the first place?"

Gia's expression shifted, still soft, but sharper with knowing. She bumped Ari's shoulder lightly. "Then you remember the people who did matter. The ones who showed up. Like... found-family kind of stuff."

Ari looked at her, a small, genuine smile tugging at her lips. "...Like you?"

Gia smirked. "Obviously me. Who else keeps you alive, laughing, and dressed half-decent?"

Ari snorted, rolling her eyes. "Oh my god, you're impossible."

"Impossible but right." Gia winked. Then, with a mischievous grin, she added, "Now come on, if there's a food truck with elotes, I'm cutting in line. Day of the Dead or not, I'm not missing out."

Someone cleared their throat behind them.

They both turned.

Liam stood there, hands shoved into his pockets, his usual smirk nowhere in sight. He looked... awkward. Almost like he wasn't sure if he should even be standing with them.

"Hey," Ari said carefully, her smile gentling.

"Hey," Liam echoed, his eyes flicking from her to Gia before settling back on Ari. "Mind if I... join you guys?"

Gia's brow lifted, but before Ari could answer, she looped her arm through his and tugged him closer. "Of course you can, vampire boy. You're family too, whether you like it or not."

Liam's lips quirked at that. just a small smile, but it was there. "Thanks... I guess."

For a few moments, none of them spoke. Then Ari glanced at Liam from the corner of her eye. "You know, I was actually looking for you the night all this happened."

Liam blinked, guilt flashing across his face. "You were?"

"Yeah," she said softly, adjusting the candle she'd just been handed. "To apologize. I didn't want us to fight. And then everything went... well, Hyde-monster-crazy."

He looked down at the ground, his jaw tightening. "You shouldn't have come after me. You could've—" He stopped himself, shaking his head. "Never mind."

Gia sighed dramatically, slipping between them and linking her other arm through Ari's. "Oh my god, you two. Day of the Dead isn't for sulking. It's for remembering the people who matter. And newsflash, you both matter to each other, even if you're too stubborn to admit it."

Liam and Ari both gave her the same look, somewhere between annoyance and affection.

"Fine," Ari muttered, though a tiny smile tugged at her lips.

"Fine," Liam echoed, his voice lower but warmer.

Gia smirked, satisfied. "Aww, I missed you two so much! I finally have my trio back." She hugged them.

Ari laughed, hugging Gia back tightly. "I missed you too, silly. And I missed this chaos," she said, glancing at Liam with a playful smirk.

Liam rolled his eyes but couldn't hide the small grin tugging at his lips. "Yeah, yeah... chaos is back in session," he muttered, looping an arm around Ari's shoulder.

Gia bounced a little on her heels, clearly thrilled to see them all together. "Finally! No more sulking, no more brooding. Just us, like we're supposed to be."

Ari leaned into Liam slightly, letting him know she appreciated him being here. "It feels... right," she whispered.

Liam's jaw softened as he looked down at her. "Yeah... it does."

Gia clapped her hands, breaking the tender moment. "Enough with the cute, you two. Let's go make some memories and eat our weight in tacos at those food trucks. The dead can wait for a bit."

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A/N

Guys

No pugclair here

I wanted to write all that capturing Tyler thing in ep 5 (which is only ep I have finished yet bc I write while watching) but I am too lazy

Also wanted Pugsley and Ari to look for slurp together but I guess that ain't happening because this girl right here is so lazy