A/N: There are literally 5 minutes left of Halloween where I am, but you can blame msdoomandgloom and her amazing art for this one. Check her out on tumblr or IG to see the superb Halloween drawing she did of Richonne in costume.
BTW, This is a one shot for the Law and Order version on Grimes 2.0.
Happy Halloween!
No one could have anticipated the reaction to Rick's Halloween costume.
The man himself certainly hadn't given it much thought. She'd reminded him morning of Halloween that Judith's school expected them in costume tonight for their holiday event, and that yes, he would need to participate.
"What are you going as?" he'd asked her as he shoved his feet into his work boots near the front door.
"A cat," she informed him. It was a somewhat petty move on her part, after Rick had put a hard veto on the idea of adopting a feline as a family pet. By the tiny but distinct smirk on his face, her husband did not miss her meaning. Still, he only shrugged, pulling on his gun belt before kissing her on the cheek.
"Guess I'll be some kind of animal then too," he said simply. With a shouted goodbye, he was out the door, off to save the world one arrest at time.
Michonne headed into the office, working her way through one caseload at a time until she'd nearly forgotten the holiday. It wasn't until she was home, zipping her black dress up and straightening her ears that she thought to ask her husband what he had managed to scrounge up.
"The store had slim pickings," he informed her in a tone that suggested he could scarcely care less. "But I found something."
He held it up for her inspection. Michonne guffawed immediately.
"Carl is going to kill you," she said between snickers, reaching for her mask.
Carl didn't kill his father, but the blood left his face completely when his parents came down the stairs.
"Dad…" he groaned immediately, smashing his palm over his eyes. "Are you kidding me?"
Dre, still a preteen and marginally kinder, tried a different route. "Are you a…. teddy bear, dad?"
Michonne watched in amusement as Rick scoffed. "I ain't a toy bear," he assured both of their sons, catching Judith in his arms as she went into delighted squeals at the sight of him.
"You look soft like a teddy bear, daddy!" she shouted, overjoyed. Immediately, she hugged him, pausing only to bat at Michonne's ears. "You look pretty mommy."
"Mom looks good," Carl agreed. He turned his disbelieving blue gaze back to his father. "Dad's dressed like a damn stuffed animal."
"Language," Rick corrected. "And I told you, I ain't a teddy bear." With great panache, he zipped down the front of his brown bear suit, revealing a plain white t-shirt. In his distinct bold, no-nonsense handwriting, in bright red ink, Rick had scrawled the words "Papa Bear".
This addition did nothing to gain his sons' confidence, though Michonne's stomach hurt from laughing by the time they piled into the car.
He looked cute, she decided, despite the absurdity of it. Only her man had the confidence to wear a cheap brown bear onesie, complete with a hood and ears pulled up. His beard was on full display. He'd started growing it the moment he'd made detective. Michonne had no complaints. She liked the contrast of his silver facial hair with his short cropped brown curls. The distinction was even clearer now, the beard bright against the faux bear fur.
She clearly wasn't the only one who noticed it's appeal.
Rick drew the eyes of no less than a dozen mother's on their way to the auditorium. Carl kept his head low beneath his old sheriff's hat, Dre walked a few steps in front of them, flexing in his Black Panther suit, while his baby sister, a miniature Shuri, tailed after them. Still, it was Rick who was drawing all the attention. Michonne mentioned it to them as they took their seats.
"Now you know how I feel," he told her good-naturedly. "Half the dads and some of the moms here can't stop looking at you." He shot her an appreciative look. Her cardigan, added for modesty's sake, could only conceal so much from her husband's knowing eyes.
"If I showed up in pajamas, I doubt they'd stare," Michonne teased. "Half the moms in here would jump you if they got half the chance."
"No clothing on earth can hide that ass of yours," he whispered this directly in her ear. Cozily, he tossed a heavy, furry arm over her shoulder. "Besides, let 'em look. It doesn't matter."
Michonne laughed, kissing him on the cheek for good measure before the lights dimmed. "My thoughts exactly," she assured him.
Two hours, three pillowcases of candy, two sugar highs, and one sugar crash later found the Grimes' family returning home. Carl retreated up the stairs, eager to speak with his girlfriend via phone before heading to bed. Andre went to sleep immediately (or at least went to his room. More than likely, he was two comic books away from any actual rest) and Judith had long since passed out in her father's arms.
Rick took their daughter to their room. Michonne seized the opportunity, hurrying to their bedroom. She shed the cardigan, let her locs down, and straightened her ears before draping herself artfully across the center of their king bed. The black dress clung in places she wouldn't have dared shown off at their children's school. This was for Rick's eyes only. He shut the bedroom door snugly behind him as he entered, spotting her immediately.
"See something you like, papa bear?" she asked her husband when he joined her, his pupils dilating at once.
"Damn baby," the words left him on something like a growl. The sound alone gave her the most delightful chills.
She crooked a finger at him, feeling powerful. "Come here then," she all but purred.
In two steps, he was on her, pulling her into his arms. Strong hands traced the contours of her costume. "You gonna leave the mask on?" he asked her, his teeth teasing at her skin.
"Whatever you want," she breathed, pressing herself into his grasp.
"Good," he murmured his approval, voice low and clipped. Without preamble, he slid his palms beneath her skirt.
"Are you going to wear your costume?" she half-teased, trying to regain some semblance of control.
He rolled his hips forward, pressing the heat of him directly into her. Michonne swallowed a moan.
"I think you're going to want me to take it off," he rolled his hips again, a devilish smirk lighting up his face as she parted her legs for him, tossing her head back shamelessly. "But don't worry, baby. I'm still your papa bear."
Michonne giggled, though her laughter did not last long. Rick covered her mouth in a sinfully deep kiss, his tongue thrusting forward as he hiked the skirt of her dress up. He disengaged for a moment, pushing the costume down and off his shoulders before shoving it off completely. The t-shirt followed a moment later, tossed away by Michonne's eager hands.
By dawn, Michonne's costume was in absolute shambles, an unrecognizable scrap of ebon fabric and crumpled ears. Her mask had disappeared (she'd find it a week later wedged between the night stand and her heels beneath the bed), and it was sure to be an incredibly sleep-deprived workday.
Michonne could not have anticipated her reaction to her husband's costume, true. Though, as he collapsed beside her, sweaty, disheveled, and finally satiated, she felt herself already looking forward to what he managed to cook up for their next Halloween.
