Here's chapter two! I'm planning to get the third and final chapter out on Halloween itself for a nice little conclusion of the story and the month. Enjoy!

Chapter Two

Well, If M'Lady Is Doing It...

Three Days Earlier

"Pound it, kitty cat," Ladybug said absentmindedly as she checked the time on her yoyo. Cat Noir raised an eyebrow. He noticed that Ladybug seemed to be trying to get through fights faster than normal and griping about how Shadow Moth picked horrible times to akumatize people.

"M'lady, I know I shouldn't pry, but you've been really quick to get the fights over with. Something the matter?" he asked. Ladybug clicked her yoyo closed and shook her head. "No, not really. It's just that I'm working on something at home and I want to get back to it," she replied vaguely as she spun it up.

"Curiosity's got the cat now, Bugaboo," Cat Noir said. "What's this project?" Ladybug threw him an annoyed glance. "Cat, you remember the rules. We can't say anything that would jeopardize our secret identities."

"I know, I know. But since it's almost Halloween, I'm guessing it's a costume? Maybe for a party?" Cat Noir almost laughed when Ladybug accidentally hit herself in the head with her yoyo. "I guess I was right, then," he said, a smug smile on his face. Ladybug sighed. "Yes, kitty. You're right. You remember when Reflekdoll attacked?"

"Yeah, and you looked simply purr-fect in my suit, I might add," Cat Noir punned. Ladybug rolled her eyes, a small smile on her face. "I'm doing something like that, but inverting the colors. Just to see if the suit works in a different style, of course," she replied. "And I want to get home quick so I can make sure something bad didn't happen with the costume. Bug out!" With that, she swung over the rooftops and into the horizon.

Cat Noir stayed where he stood for a moment longer. Speaking of Halloween parties, the school's party is coming soon. I still don't have a good costume idea yet. But… maybe m'lady's got the right idea. Yeah, that's what I'll do! Making up his mind, Cat Noir vaulted over the rooftops to the mansion.

"And how, may I ask, are you going to get a color-swapped Mister Bug costume this late in the game?" Plagg asked. Adrien swiveled away from his computer. "Simple. I'm going to ask Father if he could get it done for me. If I'm lucky, he'll say yes and that's that," he replied. Plagg floated up to his face. "And if he doesn't?"

Adrien's face fell and he turned away from Plagg, going back to the computer and the design he was working on. "Maybe this'll convince him," he said, not answering Plagg's question. The cat kwami floated closer to the screen. It was Mister Bug's costume, all right, but the black and red parts were inverted: red spots on the mostly black body, with a few red parts here and there.

"That looks more like a boy version of Anti-Bug, in my opinion," Plagg said. Adrien shrugged. "What? Ladybug said she was inverting the colors. Doesn't that mean it would be mostly green with black parts?"

"Yeah, you're probably right. So, are we gonna print this thing?" Plagg asked. Adrien nodded, and a few keyboard strokes later, the design was on a crisp sheet of paper. Adrien picked it up, opened his jacket for Plagg to hide in, and made his way down to his father's office.

Gabriel was gazing at the portrait of Emilie forlornly when Adrien let himself into the office. "Father? I have something to ask you," he began. Gabriel didn't even turn around. "Hm? If it has to do with the Halloween celebration for the school, I already told Nathalie to clear your schedule so you could go."

"Well, it's related to that," Adrien said. "I need help with a costume, and I know how quickly your people can work. Maybe you could help me with that?" he asked. Gabriel huffed. "Adrien, the manufacturers are not going to be making any childish holiday costumes. We are behind schedule with the autumn line and there's simply not enough time. Besides, I thought you were going to wear your Cat Noir costume I made for Clara Nightingale's music video."

Adrien sighed, but steeled himself. Time for the ace. "I have a design you might want to look at. It isn't much, but it could be a concept…" he drew out the last word, unable to contain the smirk on his face.

The atmosphere in the room changed as Adrien could almost feel his father's interest. Gabriel turned, and Adrien could see the faintest flickers of a smile on his face. His gamble was right. Adrien had never shown much proficiency in designing, but he knew if he brought a design to his father, he could get anything out of it.

"Let's… have a look, then," Gabriel said. Adrien marched over to his father and handed him the paper. Gabriel's eyes widened just a little as they flickered up and down the page, drinking in the concept.

"This is… based on when the superheroes switched Miraculouses, correct?" he asked. Adrien nodded. "A friend of mine said something about going as a color-swapped superhero, and I thought that seemed like a fun idea. Do you like it?"

Gabriel said nothing as he took in the design. Then he put it down on his computer. "On second thought, perhaps we can get this done before your party. Of course, we're going to have to take measurements in case you've grown again, make sure every detail is perfect, get the colors exactly right…" Gabriel continued to ramble as Adrien silently cheered. He wondered if this was how Chloe felt whenever she got her father to do something for her.

"Adrien, give me an hour and we'll start work on this," Gabriel said suddenly. "Tell your bodyguard. We're making this costume right." Adrien smiled. "Thank you, Father!" he exclaimed, pulling Gabriel into a hug and nearly making him jump out of his skin. Then he made his way out of the office.

When Gabriel was alone, Nooroo and Duusu popped their heads out of their hiding places. "Oh, it was so kind of you to do that for your son!" Duusu trilled. Nooroo was slightly more cautious. "Yes… almost too kind." Gabriel threw a look at the butterfly kwami. "Adrien showed a new side of him," Gabriel replied. "In design… and preferences." He showed Nooroo the paper. "This looks exactly like how I would imagine an akumatized Ladybug. Or /Mister Bug. This may lead to something new… But enough of thinking like that. We have work to do."

"That was exhausting to watch! How are you still so bright eyed?" Plagg asked. Adrien shrugged. He'd been measured thoroughly - for the fiftieth time that month, it seemed - to get the exact dimensions so his suit would fit him like a glove. And despite the rigorous and often quite tiring exercise, Adrien never felt more alive.

"Because, Plagg, this time Father is doing something I want for a change," Adrien replied as he laid on his bed. "Usually I have to put up with his demands, but now, I can actually get something for it!"

Plagg raised an eyebrow. "Okay, Adrien. But here's the big question. You got this costume idea from Ladybug, so how are you going to hide your identity from Ladybug if and when you two inevitably meet up? There's no magic glamour protecting your identity anymore! What'll you say if she spots you?"

Adrien sat silent for a moment as he thought of an answer. "Simple. I don't let her spot me. And besides, like you said, people are blind and there's a magic glamour when I transform. When I go to the party, people won't be able to see the Mister Bug for the… Inverted Bug? I guess. I've gotta think of a name for that. They won't put two and two together, I mean."

"When I said people are blind, I was mostly talking about you, but okay," Plagg muttered under his breath. "Whatever makes your cat happy. Speaking of which, I want some cheese." Adrien laughed. "You know where it is, Plagg. Just don't go on another cheese binge, please. I don't want to deal with any more Camembert smell." Again, Plagg snarked under his breath, "Just wait 'til you see Sugarcube binge."

Three days later, the day of the party. Adrien was practicing his piano when the sound of knocking came from his door. A moment later, Gabriel and the Gorilla came in, the Gorilla holding a covered coat hanger. Adrien could barely contain his glee. Gabriel gestured, and the Gorilla unzipped the front of the cover. Adrien caught his breath.

The costume looked better than he had even imagined. Adrien came closer and ran his hand along the front of the suit. The chest portion and shoulders even had a similar kind of armor plating that he had as Mister Bug. His father had even gotten the little hexagon pattern that the suit seemed to be made of.

"Go on, try it on," Gabriel said proudly. Adrien nodded vigorously, took the costume, and went to the bathroom to change.

Five minutes later, Adrien - now in the costume - stood in front of his father. It felt perfect, almost exactly like it felt when he wore the real thing. The switch between the black and red looked even better than it had in the paper design, like obsidian inset with rubies. Gabriel mimicked Adrien's smile. "And there's a little more where that came from."

The Gorilla produced a wig, properly accurate to how Adrien tousled his hair when he transformed. Then he handed Adrien a clip-on version of the ladybug earrings, the colors switched the same way as the rest of the suit. Finally, the Gorilla handed him the yoyo.

"Thank you, Father!" Adrien said happily, grabbing Gabriel in a hug. Gabriel smiled softly as he returned the gesture. "Of course, a lot of hard work was put into this, so I don't want any smears of snacks on the suit. Understood?"

Adrien nodded. He was too happy to care. "I'll be extra careful. I promise." Gabriel nodded. "Good. Now, I believe your party is in a few hours." A small smile cracked though before Gabriel left the room. "Have a good time, son." The Gorilla followed Gabriel out of the room, leaving Adrien alone. Plagg floated out of a hiding place.

"Wow. Never thought I'd see your father give you this kind of present," Plagg commented. Adrien smiled. "Maybe he's starting to warm up again. Either way, Plagg, this party is going to be awesome! And if I happen to run into Ladybug while we're out, I'm just gonna have to hope she likes it."

Plagg felt the material with his paws. "I will admit, this is extraordinary craftsmanship, especially with the kind of deadline your father would've imposed. Even if you don't run into Ladybug, everyone's gonna be saying how cool your costume is."

Adrien smiled. "You're right, Plagg. And I think…" he felt around the costume and eventually found a pocket on the right side. "There's a perfect spot for you to hide in." Plagg scoffed. "You think I want to go to the party? They probably won't even have cheese! Candy is Tikki's thing, not mine!"

"You ready, Plagg?" Adrien said just before the Gorilla came into his room. Plagg sighed. "They'd better have that cheese-shaped candy you promised." With that, he floated into Adrien's pocket as Adrien made his way out of his room and out of the house with the Gorilla to the car.

Aww, Gabriel has emotions! Aww, Adrien and Plagg being buddies! Ah man, the story's two-thirds of the way done! Oh, well. As always, questions, comments, thoughts, feelings, tell me whatcha think, and as always, stay safe, healthy, and don't forget your Halloween safety rules!