Author's Note: A repost of the 2015 Halloween ficlet to rebrand it as part of an official series. This is third in the series after Once Upon A Hallows Eve and Halloween Time.
The Legend of Halloween
Let's do it! Let's go on a vacation, just the two of us.
~Korra, The Legend of Korra
"I really don't know about this, Rach," Quinn says, eyeing her reflection critically. It's become something of a yearly tradition by now, except this year they aren't having this conversation at Quinn's apartment in New Haven but in the apartment that they've been sharing in Manhattan for the last five months.
Quinn had graduated from Yale in May, and Rachel had been right there to cheer her on as she'd collected her diploma—and then she'd been right there to help pack up all of Quinn's belongings and move her as quickly as possible into the apartment that she'd found for them in Yorkville. The loft in Brooklyn had been left to the newly married Kurt and Blaine, while Santana and Brittany had taken up residence in a tiny apartment in the East Village where they practically live on top of one another—an arrangement that neither one of them seem to mind while they're still in the honeymoon stage.
Rachel just opened a new, original musical to rave reviews last month—it's technically her third show, but she doesn't always acknowledge her short-lived run as Fanny Brice due the unfortunate memories associated with her Broadway debut. She hadn't been eligible for a Tony for her last role—stepping into a twelve month run as the iconic Christine Daaé in the old, Broadway warhorse, Phantom of the Opera—but Quinn just knows that Rachel will be going home with the award next June. She's simply brilliant as Esther in Hadassah.
Meanwhile, Quinn has merely transferred from the hallowed hallways of one Ivy League college to another. She'd changed her major to English at the start of her second year at Yale, and she's been accepted to the Columbia School of Law. She'd actually been accepted at Yale too, but neither she nor Rachel had been eager to spend another four years commuting between cities, no matter how easy the distance. So here she is—in New York, with her girlfriend of three plus years, on Halloween, getting ready for a costume party being hosted by one of Rachel's costars because their show happens to be dark tonight.
The planned festivities aren't exactly on par with the elaborate co-op parties at Yale, but that hasn't stopped Rachel from insisting that they once again don matching costumes intended to transform them into characters right out of some internet fandom's character-shipping dreams. At least Quinn had actually watched (and enjoyed) this particular show. But—
"I don't think this is exactly kosher."
"Quinn, honey, you do know that you're not really using that word in its most correct context, don't you?" Rachel questions teasingly, stepping up behind her as she blindly tightens the high ponytail at the back of her head. "And honestly, as a gentile, you should probably try to avoid using it anyway."
Quinn raises an eyebrow. "You're kind of making my point for me. We're not exactly the right ethnicities to pull off these costumes." She tugs listlessly at the hem of her black and red jacket, silently deciding that—worries over appropriateness aside—it's so much better than last year's explosion of pink.
"Under normal circumstances, I would probably agree with you, but while the Avatar universe is undeniably based on Eastern cultures, the actual nations presented are wholly imaginary, implicitly diverse, and…well, Quinn, it's animation," Rachel points out needlessly, tracing her fingers over the embroidered gear covering Quinn's shoulder as she studies their reflections in the mirror.
Quinn can't deny that Rachel looks amazing as always. Her baggy, dark blue pants are tucked into brown Ugg boots, and the formfitting, high-collared, light blue, sleeveless shirt is incredibly flattering. A faux fur lined, brown overskirt is tied around her trim waist, her forearms are wrapped in dark half-sleeves, and her right biceps is surrounded by a thick band of colorful blue and white triangles. To complete the look, she's even wearing blue contact lenses—Quinn hasn't yet decided if she likes those.
"And it's Halloween," Rachel reminds her with a grin. "We're paying tribute to two iconic female characters. It's not really that different than what we did last year. I'm hardly a vampire queen, and you're certainly not made of bubblegum. Though you are incredibly sweet," she adds huskily, brushing back a strand of Quinn's newly black (at least for tonight) hair before leaning up to nip at that spot just beneath her left ear that never fails to make her moan—it's a low rumble in the back of her throat that she tries valiantly to suppress.
"And incredibly sexy as a brunette," Rachel whispers appreciatively.
Quinn's eyelashes flutter in pleasure before she forces her gaze back to the image of them in the full length mirror. They do look fantastic together. Rachel has got the Avatar Korra look down to perfection—well, pre-season four, at any rate. And while Quinn is fully aware that she isn't the best candidate to make a convincing Asami Sato, she'd instantly fallen in love with the character when Rachel had forced her to sit down and watch the show, insisting that it wasn't just for kids.
With all the shit that poor Asami had been forced to deal with—finding out her father was a prejudiced bastard, having him turn on her because she was a disappointment to him, being left for another woman (twice), falling for that other woman, losing everything, winning the heart of that woman in the end—Quinn isn't at all surprised that she'd ended up identifying with her so strongly. So when Rachel had first suggested these costumes for Halloween, Quinn had immediately agreed—until she'd actually put the outfit on and started overthinking everything. But Rachel is right. It's Halloween, and the fun of the holiday is in becoming someone else for a night.
Quinn thinks that she looks pretty good this year in her red, pocketed flight pants and boots. All she's missing are the long gloves that are sitting on the corner of their mattress. Hell, put a wrench in her hand and she'd almost feel like she could build a skiff out of all the junk in the dumpster behind the building to get them across town without needing a taxi. She can't actually do that—she can't even fix the loose cabinet door in the kitchen—but she can pretend.
Turning, Quinn rakes her eyes over Rachel, allowing an appreciative smile to curve her lips. "You're pretty sexy yourself," she compliments, reaching out to gently tug one of the two side ponytails framing Rachel's gorgeous face. "I'm loving the hair."
Rachel laughs, eyes twinkling through her contacts. "Thanks." She takes a step closer, sliding her palms up over Quinn's tailored jacket until they're loosely curled around the back of her neck. "You're looking snazzy as always," she flirts back, tilting her head up to softly brush her lips over Quinn's mouth.
Quinn slips her arms around Rachel's waist, dipping her hands to rest over a very nice ass as she deepens the kiss. Maybe Korra and Asami had never gotten to actually do this on screen, but Quinn figures that she and Rachel can more than manage to fill in the blanks of what happened after that last fade to black. They always do have so much fun with their costumes, especially after the party is over.
Pulling back from the kiss, Quinn grins down at her girlfriend. "At least you finally picked a couple that actually ended up together," she quips.
Rachel's expression instantly transforms into an adorable pout. "I'm still bitter about Swan Queen," she grumbles.
Quinn chuckles, hugging Rachel closer. "Well, at least our version of them had a happy ending."
"Several of them, if I recall," Rachel reminds her wickedly. "But as long as we get our happy ending, I can't really complain."
"No. No endings," Quinn protests with a firm shake of her head. "I'd rather we have a very happy middle."
"We're doing a pretty good a job of it so far," Rachel decides, leaning in to steal another kiss.
Smiling against those tempting lips, Quinn lightly smacks her girlfriend's butt. "Come on," she urges, extricating herself from Rachel's embrace. "We should probably get going if we don't want to be late. It's not like you can airbend us across town to avoid the traffic."
Rachel huffs, planting her hands on her hips dramatically. "I so could. I'm the Avatar. Deal with it."
Quinn rolls her eyes and refrains from making a comment about Rachel and hot air that might land her in the proverbial doghouse. "Just don't light anything on fire tonight in the name of your performance."
Rachel drops one hand to her side, striking a sexier version of her pose. "The only thing I plan to light on fire is you…later," she promises with a sensual purr.
"We'll see," Quinn counters, arching an eyebrow before she lifts a hand to her hair and artfully flips it over her shoulder.
Both of Rachel's eyebrows inch up over widening eyes. "You've been practicing that, haven't you?"
Quinn grins wolfishly. "You're not the only one who can commit to a role." Just because she'd decided to change her major doesn't mean she isn't a very talented actress herself. Hell, all of high school had been one fabulous performance. Quinn saunters over to the bed that they share with an exaggerated sway in her hips before she makes a show of bending over to pick up her gloves. Turning back around, she pulls them on one at a time, still smirking at a slightly flustered Rachel. Once her outfit is complete, she holds out a pleather-covered hand to her girlfriend. "Care to walk off into the sunset with me?"
A besotted smile dances over Rachel's lips. "Sounds perfect," she murmurs, reaching out to take Quinn's hand.
Twining their fingers together, Quinn decides that perfect is exactly the right way to describe the life that they're building together—no matter who Rachel decides to dress them up as on Halloween.