Set in AU where everyone is alive. Pre-established relationship
Chris consciously straightened up as she put on the final piece of her costume, a black eyepatch with gold straps that clip to her hair. A gold cross with a small red gem in the center adorned the middle of the eyepatch. Chris blinked rapidly, feeling a bit uncomfortable with how her left eye is now covered but was able to recover quickly. She gazed upon herself in the full body mirror with her good eye critically, making sure that her costume was all in the right places.
Her long hair was up in twin tails, held in place with a purple and black headband, with black ribbons at each end that tied her hair up. Another unusual difference was that her pale lavender hair was now turquoise, made possible by the temporary dye that Elfnein made. Chris scrunched up her nose cutely, feeling a bit weirded out at how well the dye worked and her hair looked so different from usual. Well, she supposed that was a good thing since she looked so much closer to the character she was aiming for.
A plain purple choker was wrapped delicately around her throat, matching with her hairband. She then looked critically at her black one-piece dress edged with white. It had puffy sleeves, and flared up as it reached her hands. It also hugged her large chest, showing just a hint of cleavage. The dress reached just past her knees, with a white fabric wrapped around her waist. On her feet were heeled black boots with yellow straps that reached below her knees. It was surprisingly comfortable, and Chris didn't regret the money she spent on the custom-made boots.
Chris very much looked like she just came right out of a goth lolita shop, but there were certain elements to her costume that made anyone looking at her think that she wasn't just into the fashion. A golden yellow leather gun holster surrounded her hips, giving some splash of color to her otherwise gothic black dress. An impressive replica of a silver revolver gun was resting in the holster, and unmistakable bronze bullet casing were placed on the rear leather strap on her waist.
"Well, I look pretty okay." Chris muttered to herself. Though really, she was quite pleased with how her costume was pretty damn accurate. This wasn't a cosplay though, she was just dressing up for the Halloween party later. Elfnein had cheerfully informed them that the theme of the party was 'Goth' and this was what Chris decided to go with. It had nothing to do with wanting to cosplay a character she liked. Nope. Certainly not.
Chris almost jumped two feet into the air when her phone rang. Grabbing it from her dresser, she checked the screen to see who was calling. Her heart jumped a little into her throat as it was Serena, and she answered rather breathlessly.
"Hello?"
"Hello, Chris? I'm here outside your door." Serena's cheerful yet serene voice informed her.
"Ah, right." Chris responded inarticulately. "Don't you have keys though?"
"I do, but I didn't want to barge in without informing you first." Serena replied. She had always been the most considerate out of their group of friends. Hibiki or Kanade would most likely just break the door down if given the opportunity. Chris heard the rattle of the keys and the door knob through the call.
"I'll just wait for you at the living room." Serena said brightly.
"Yeah, be out in a second." Chris nodded even though she knew Serena couldn't see her.
"I can't wait!" Serena exclaimed, sincere and sweet. With that, the call ended.
Chris felt butterflies now swarm her stomach, becoming very nervous about her appearance.
With one last lingering look at the mirror and making sure she had her wallet, phone and keys on her, she proceeded to the door to leave. She fumbled with the knob for a moment as her eye patch skewed up her depth perception. She huffed in annoyance before finally being able to leave her room. She then took a deep breath as she stood in the hallway. Serena was already waiting for her and she put on what she hoped was a nonchalant expression before striding into her living room.
"Hey." Chris greeted gruffly as she entered. Serena stood up to greet her, her patented smile on her face.
"Chris, you look amazing!" Serena enthused immediately, her expression openly admiring. Chris felt her face redden at the compliment, her arms crossing in embarrassment.
"Thanks." Chris mumbled in return, averting her eyes shyly. She peeked at what Serena herself was wearing before doing a double take.
"What is that..?" Chris couldn't help but ask, momentarily forgetting her embarrassment as she stared at the large silver scythe that Serena was holding. It was taller than even Serena's considerable height, with a thin handle that connected to a blade that was about half the size of a human. Its large blade resembled outstretched bat wings, one side much larger and curving into a wicked sharpness. It looked terrifyingly real and Chris felt momentarily alarmed.
"Oh this? It's my scythe of course! It certainly adds character to my costume." Serena answered, completely unbothered as she twirled the huge thing fearlessly. "And don't worry, it's not real. I made it from wood and foam." She added knowingly, looking amused at the look on Chris' face.
"I-I know that!" Chris huffed defensively. "It's just… I didn't expect you to twirl a scythe around. That's usually Kirika's thing." Indeed, she had a feeling this particular scythe was created with Kirika's help.
"It's the must have accessory for my Vampire Princess outfit." Serena explained, smiling widely and now Chris was able to notice the small yet sharp looking fangs that she was sporting. Chris then took the time to look at what Serena was actually wearing, having been distracted earlier by the huge scythe.
In contrast to Chris' predominantly black clothes, Serena was wearing a lot of white. She had on a white, one piece dress that reached to the floor. Its sleeves were short, only covering her shoulders. A red ribbon was tied right below her bosom, and another larger ribbon was tied at the back of her waist. A choker decorated with white pearls was wrapped around her neck. She also had a white headband with pearls here and there. A ruffled wrist cuff in the same material as her dress with a thin red ribbon criss crossing it adorned her left wrist. Lastly, Serena wore red contact lenses, and her hair was dyed a darker brown than usual. Like Chris, she wore something along the gothic lolita style.
"The goth loli dress I can understand, but what's with the vampire thing?" Chris asked, raising a curious eyebrow..
"It is halloween, and vampires are also popular with gothic fiction, aren't they?" Serena answered, playfully twirling around to show off her dress. "But really, it's also just fun to be able to cosplay. Right, Ms. Virus exterminator?" Her tone turned teasing, and Chris turned faintly red and she muttered under her breath about all-knowing girlfriends.
"Hrmph." Chris could only scowl. Though she wouldn't say it outloud, Serena looked really pretty in her dress. She looked different than usual because of the contact lens and the dyed hair but Serena's beauty still shone through. Chris couldn't help but stare longer than she usually would.
"Do you like it?" Serena then asked, amusement and fondness dancing in her now red eyes. Chris snapped out of her reverie at the question, her uncovered eye widening in surprise.
"I… Well…" Chris stumbled on her words, trying to recover her composure at that sudden line of questioning.
"I could see that you do." Serena giggled softly, already very well versed with Chris' expressions. She briefly patted Chris on the head, and Chris found herself melting under the familiar touch before her embarrassment caught up with her and she half-heartedly stepped back.
"W-whatever." Chris huffed, looking miffed but couldn't really deny it. "Let's get moving then." She practically stomped towards the door, her cheeks and ears burning.
"You are so cute." Serena giggled lightly, fondness and sincerity clear in her voice.
"S-Shut up." Chris mumbled without any bite, turning back to look at Serena. She then offered her hand with an obvious 'Are you coming or not?' expression.
Serena just smiled radiantly at her, displaying her small yet sharp looking fangs. She looked so genuinely happy as she took Chris' hand, the familiar warmth spreading from where their hands were touching. It made Chris smile a little as well as they made their way out of the apartment.
They were headed out to a nearby Halloween event, separate from the planned Halloween party with SONG. The others had insisted on attending the event first, and to have some fun all together. There were apparently lots of food stalls, games and even a haunted house at the event.
Chris felt a little conscious while they walked, wary of people's stares. Her other hand fiddled with her holstered replica gun in a decidedly nervous gesture. Not like she can fire it, but it served as something to do when the alternative was probably ruining her dress with her nervous fiddling. Serena seemed to notice her nervousness and she began to lightly stroke the back of Chris' hand with her thumb. The touch was soothing and pleasant, and it got Chris to relax a little, all without a word passing between them.
Surprisingly, no one else was there yet at their meeting place at the entrance of the event. Chris reluctantly let Serena's hand go as they checked their phones. Kirika and Shirabe had already sent texts that they'll be late, so did Hibiki and Miku. Meanwhile, Kanade had replied with a single line; 'Busy 3' and left it at that. Chris rolled her eyes at the vague yet dripping-with-meaning reply. Tsubasa and Maria didn't send any messages, and she had no doubt that they were the reason for Kanade being 'busy'.
"So, what now?" Chris asked, trying to look bored as she curiously looked around the scary decorations and the costumed people milling about.
"Hmm, why don't we go through the haunted house first?" Serena hummed, eyes practically sparkled with mischievous intent. Chris, however, was oblivious. She was more concerned with the suggestion, her body tensing in surprise.
"The… Haunted house?" Chris repeated, swallowing nervously. Despite her usually tough air, Chris always felt… apprehensive… When it came to ghosts and other scary things. Kanade would probably bluntly tell her she was a scaredy-cat instead of just being apprehensive. Luckily, she wasn't here right now and she was wrong, damn it!
"Please, Chris? I always wanted to go to one with you." Serena pleaded, turning on the full force of her puppy dog eyes on her. Despite all her intention to refuse, she couldn't bring herself to say 'no' when Serena had the perfect look of a kicked puppy. Chris tried to refuse, really she did. However, Serena was just too powerful and irresistible. Chris let out a soft tsk sound of annoyance and defeat.
"...Fine." Chris grumbled out instead. She was then instantly rewarded with a kiss on the cheek and Serena's radiant smile. Chris almost sputtered in shock, unused to the more blatant displays of affection in public. "J-just for a little while! Since we'll be bored just standing here anyway!" She exclaimed, her contrary nature coming up as a way to hide her obvious embarrassment. She felt like steam was about to come out of her ears!
Serena just continued on smiling, locking arms with Chris to guide her towards the haunted house. Chris was already regretting her decisions in life as they joined the unmercifully short line. She wanted some time to brace herself as she looked up at the looming structure with more than apprehension. Unfortunately for her, the usher already gestured for them to go in. Chris involuntarily gripped Serena's arm tighter as they entered and found themselves in a shadowy hallway. It was almost eerily silent, the noise from outside being cut off as the door shut behind them. Chris felt extremely tense, forcing herself to walk in pace with Serena.
Chris then heard the sound of chains, and she quickly closed her eye. Then, there were more sounds, unearthly moaning and muffled sounds of what seemed to be curses. A brief peek let her see a flash of red and a hideous, disfigured face. She resisted the urge to scream, instead closing her eye again firmly and clinging to Serena's arm like her life depended on it. It also didn't help that Serena was to completely silent, Chris only knowing she was there because of how close they were.
Chris kept her eye firmly shut as they continued. She didn't really care that she was stumbling along while she clung to Serena. She was just that scared. Even though she didn't see anything, she couldn't shut down her hearing and the smallest sound made her jump, especially when she heard a ghastly wail somewhere nearby. It took all her self-control not to scream while her nails dug painfully on Serena's arm. She felt Serena flinch a little, and she felt a little bad, but this was Serena's fault though!
Chris was then bewildered when they completely stopped minutes later. Chris thought they were done, so she cautiously opened an eye. They were now in a dark room of some kind. She could just barely make out a large bed in the middle. Chris swallowed nervously,feeling even more afraid of this seemingly empty room. There was just more eerie silence for a moment before blinding lights began turning on and off rapidly, leaving her disconcerted.
Chris then noticed a movement from the bed, and she realized in horror that there was someone there. It was a woman in white, her long hair unkempt and shielding her face. She jerked unnaturally as she moved, almost in time with the blinking lights. The woman then began to crawl towards them with those same unnatural movements and Chris this time, was unable to stop a high pitched scream from leaving her lips. Feeling utterly terrified, her fight and flight response triggered. Without even thinking, she unholstered her replica gun and threw it at the advancing woman.
"Chris, no!" Serena immediately gasped, but it was too late. Chris always did have pretty good aim, and the gun hit the woman right at the face. She let out a cry of pain, and stopped advancing immediately.
Chris then realized what she'd done when lights flooded through the room and a worried staff member rushed inside. Serena also rushed to the woman's aid and Chris followed after a beat, spilling out apologies. They tended to the woman, making sure she was taken care of before they were sheepishly brought to the manager. He had been angered that one of his employees got hurt. Thankfully though, it wasn't anything too serious, just that the woman now had a large bruise on her forehead.
The manager had scolded them launching an angry tirade, especially with how he thought the gun had been real and the scythe Serena was carrying didn't help either. The authorities were almost called on them before Serena was able to calm the manager down to explain and prove that the 'weapons' they carried were not real. Both of them had apologized over and over, and were finally let go with a stern warning.
"Ugh, what a way to start the night." Chris groaned, trudging out of the small office, finally leaving the still fuming manager inside. She was both embarrassed and ashamed of how she had acted earlier.
"Well, at least it was fun at the start." Serena commented, her serene smile still in place despite the ordeal they went through. She didn't seem at all perturbed, and unlike the scary manager, Serena didn't scold her. She just patiently helped Chris sort it out. If Chris had been alone, she would've probably made the problem worse by losing her temper. Serena had miraculously managed to calm down both Chris and the manager, and they got off relatively scott-free.
"You were really cute when you kept on clinging to me." Serena giggled instead.
"Don't remind me." Chris sulked, crossing her arms. It felt like her cheeks were permanently red now. "You brought me to the haunted house just so that I would cling to you." She gave Serena an accusatory stare.
Serena's smile was both impish and innocent. It was all the answer that Chris needed. Chris was about to launch into a tirade when Serena quickly leaned down to give Chris a quick peck on the lips.
"W-wha..." Chris sputtered, her face overheating and she found that she wasn't as irritated as she should be. Serena looked completely unapologetic as she smiled. Chris really couldn't win against her at all.
"Let's just go, everyone's waiting for us." Chris sighed instead and pulled Serena back towards the entrance.
Congratulations to those who are able to recognize who Chris and Serena are cosplaying as haha.
But if you don't know, Chris is cosplaying Lucia Nahashi from Venus Versus Virus (who happens to be voiced by Chris' VA Ayahi Takagaki), while Serena is dressed as Yuki Cross/Kuran from Vampire Knight (who is voiced by Serena's VA Yui Horie). If anyone is interested, I can link to them the reference pics I used in particular.
This fic was written in participation to the /r/ Symphogear channel's writing prompts challenge, with the prompt of Someone getting reprimanded for something they did or didn't do and the characters being Goth.
