A/N: Decided to bring a few people back from the dead on this one. How appropriate for Halloween, huh? I know it's a bit late, but I had trouble choosing the perfect costumes for all the characters. Athrun and Yzak in particular gave me headaches.
The group of teens giggled excitedly. It was the night of Halloween, and all had gathered in good spirits to attend the famous Halloween Gala. Faces prickling in the biting October wind, Kira, Athrun, Lacus, and Cagalli ascended the stairs of the gallant hotel where the party was being hosted, anxious to meet up with the others. The lively group of four had prepared ahead of time at the vast mansion of the Orb princess, and now all that was left was to meet the rest of their friends.
Kira glanced once more at Lacus, still not fully convinced that she was real and not merely a fantastic vision of beauty. She felt his admiring eyes upon her and turned to give him a bright smile, wisps of her melon-hued hair sweeping over her bare shoulder.
She was clad in a dress of a pure, stunning white, trimmed in golden lace that accentuated her curves. Layers of flounces rippled around her feet, and the silken material of a large white bow fell softly from her waist and trailed along behind her. A pair of wings floated serenely at her back, and if Kira hadn't known better, he would have sworn he'd seen her glowing with a godly light.
When she slipped on her way up the steps, Kira reached out an arm to steady her, planting a kiss on the back of her delicate gloved hand as he threw wide the door and stepped aside to let her pass.
She giggled. "Why, that's very kind of you," she said, lifting her skirts with her free hand and stepping carefully through the door. "I suppose it wouldn't be very dainty for a goddess to slip and fall."
Athrun ushered Kira through so that he might in turn take hold of the knob and keep the door open for Cagalli. To his surprise, however, when he looked back, she was already through the door. He shook his head hopelessly, following her inside and into the gilded foyer.
"So much for acting the perfect gentleman," he murmured, though not actually upset in the least.
"I can get the door myself," Cagalli informed him, "And besides, maybe if you didn't have that eye-patch on, you'd have seen me go in and you wouldn't have wasted your effort."
Athrun grinned. He didn't expect anything less from his best friend's sister. With a chuckle, he lifted the patch and glanced around, adjusting the red bandanna he had tied around his brow. The balloon sleeves of his pirate outfit fluttered as he shifted, and the decorative sword he wore at his waist clinked against the buckle of his belt.
"You do make quite the swashbuckler," Lacus announced, examining him. "Though I think that man may not think so," she frowned, nodding towards one of the suited men at the door. He was now making his way forward, his cool stare locked on the azure-eyed Coordinator.
"I'll have to ask you to leave the weapon with me," he ordered, holding a hand out to take his blade. "We can't allow the use of dangerous props in the ballroom."
Reluctantly, Athrun handed it over, unsheathing it with a flourish and planting the hilt in the stout guard's uplifted palm. As soon as he left, the boy tisked in annoyance.
"The sword was the best part."
Cagalli sniggered, the sound muffled behind her racing helmet. She put a hand to the bright orange plastic and flipped open the tinted visor, a teasing smirk on her face.
"I told you not to bring it," she retorted, tugging absently at the zipper to her bright uniform. "I look like a walking billboard," she observed, grimacing at the form-fitting outfit. "And I'm going to get hot." The costume was covered in advertisements from imagined sponsors, all the way down to the cuffs of the long sleeves.
"At least you only have to drive race cars," Kira insisted in good humor, "And not pilot Gundams."
"Anyway," Lacus cut in with excitement, "It's a good thing you didn't bring that bow after all, Kira. Shall we go find the others?"
Kira nodded his consent, also grateful that he had not brought along his bow and set of arrows. He had gone as Robin Hood, but the rest of his outfit was enough to give people the hint. He checked the feather in his hat to be sure it hadn't gone limp, tugging it farther down to give it a jaunty tilt. The wide belt he wore brought emphasis to his slim waistline, and the earthy greens and browns paid a compliment to his natural skin tone and dark eyes.
"The others said they'd be meeting us in the ballroom," Cagalli told them, taking off after the steady stream of costumed youngsters and tailing them into the aforementioned area.
As they turned a corner, the hallway went dark, and eerie music took the place of idle chatter. Skeletons and flickering Jack-O-Lanterns filled them with a thrilling sense of foreboding as they made their way shakily to the dance floor. Kira started as the pink princess to his left gripped his hand tightly, and the young Freedom pilot could not help but feel as if he were in ecstasy.
Once they had passed the forbidding entrance, the hall opened up into a vast ballroom that exploded with colored lights and sound, while music drifted from high speakers on the walls.
"I think I can see Dearka," Athrun exclaimed, leading them toward the right-hand side of the dance floor and over to a table strewn with holiday treats of all shapes and sizes.
The tanned youth turned as they approached, grinning wide and sporting a pair of razor-sharp fangs. His hair was slicked back, and he ran a hand through it as he waited for them all to gather around.
"Welcome," he announced with a flourish as he took hold of his cape and bowed formally, "To the Halloween Gala." His dress shoes glinted in the flashing lights, and the suit he wore added to him an air of elegance special for the occasion. Even his wolfish grin looked attractive in the vampire costume.
"My," Lacus gushed, "You certainly do look the part."
"Halloween is my favorite holiday," he said simply, stepping aside with a whoosh of his cape and stretching out an arm to accommodate them. "Have some sweets," he said, and they made their way to the table with gusto.
"Where's Mir?" Kira asked between mouthfuls of candy corn.
"She's here," Dearka responded, a mischievous glint in his eye that told all.
"Huh," Cagalli grunted, "It figures. I bet you had her dress in something scandalous just so you could get a bit of eye candy."
His grin had grown even wider. "She chose the outfit herself," he protested. When Cagalli raised a questioning eyebrow, he went on. "She went as a cowgirl."
Kira could tell by the look on his face that she hadn't gone as just any cowgirl. He couldn't help but smile at the antics of the happy couple. He knew well that even Miriallia could be a tease at times.
"Nicol said he was coming as a clown," Athrun commented, scanning the crowd. "And Yzak wouldn't even tell me what he was going as."
Dearka snorted, and Athrun eyed him inquiringly. "He wouldn't tell anyone," the blonde stated, disgusted. "Not even me. We'll just have to wait to find out." Then he caught sight of Nicol and waved. "But look, Nicol's here now."
The jovial young boy returned the greeting, pointing animatedly to the table with the drinks at the opposite side of the dance floor. Dearka nodded to show he understood, trying not to laugh as the youth made his way to the table with difficulty, nearly tripping over his large yellow shoes. He had to duck his head to keep his orange wig from getting stuck in the streamers, and when he attempted to take a drink to ward off the heat that the heavy outfit caused, his red nose popped off and landed with a plunk in his glass. Dearka and the rest erupted into a fit of hysterics.
"That kid is too much," the blonde choked out through tears of mirth. "A clown. How appropriate. Though he could have brought a pie to peg someone with."
"I suppose that's what an idiot like you would do, isn't it?" a voice commented snidely from behind him. It was Yzak, arrived at last.
"Yzak," Dearka almost choked on his orange pumpkin cookie, and his eyes widened as he squinted at the other boy in the blinking lights. "Are you wearing eyeliner?"
The rest turned to examine him, and Yzak snarled. "That's right, Elsman, it's eyeliner." He glared at him, daring him to make something of the remark. "Don't think I'm one to half-ass my outfit. If I'm gonna dress up, I'm gonna make every detail count."
Though it was undoubtedly the silver-haired pilot of the Duel that stood before them, he was as extraordinarily dressed as could be. A spiked necklace gleamed perilously at them from around his neck, and with all his black clothing, he melted in and out of shadows as the lights swept over them. A fitted black T-shirt showed off the contours of his muscled stomach, and very tight leather pants, complete with studded belt, left no one guessing as to the attractiveness of his figure. His pants were so astonishing, in fact, that they drew a blush from both girls, who quickly looked away to keep from reacting.
"Never really thought of Yzak as the gothed-out bondage type, huh?" Miriallia had appeared and was leaning casually against the silver-haired Gundam pilot, admiring his outfit shamelessly.
Athrun could no longer control himself, and he burst into a fit of uncontrollable snickers.
"Find something amusing, Zala?" his rival demanded, taking a menacing step forward in his thickly treaded black boots.
"I'm…I'm sorry, Yzak," he managed between bouts of laughter, "But you look hysterical."
"Watch it there, pirate," Miriallia warned, feigning an insulted glare. "I'm the one that dressed him." She silently congratulated herself as Dearka's jaw dropped.
"You did that to him?" His head went back and forth, his gaze shifting from Mir to Yzak and back again.
This time Miriallia giggled. "Yep."
Yzak stepped away from her, blinking his heavily made-up eyes and running a hand through his silken hair. "I let her do it without telling you," he informed Dearka, a hint of a smirk evident on his pale features. "And by the way, your cape is coming undone."
At a complete loss for words, the blonde jumped at the observation, immediately reaching up to tighten the clasp at his throat. The others dropped their gazes as the silver-haired youth put his hands on his hips.
"I'm going to get some punch," he announced as he spun on his heel and set off. "Yamato, you look ridiculous," he added over his shoulder as he strode off, unaware of just how strange he himself looked.
Miriallia followed him, tilting her cowgirl hat as she took her leave. She had tied up her plaid blouse into a knot at her stomach, and a fringed pair of mighty short denim shorts flattered her long legs. She set off after her project in a hurry, turquoise studded cowgirl boots clicking against the hardwood flooring.
"I can't let my handiwork go unsupervised," she joked, tailing him across the floor.
Kira glanced up through his bangs at the feathered hat that was now drooping over his eyes. With a sigh, he decided he must look at least a bit odd. He shuffled his feet in agitation before sweeping it from his head and stuffing it into his pocket.
Lacus let out a tinkling laugh. "Really now, it didn't look all that bad."
Dearka smirked as he caught the flush rise to Kira's face. "Well now, isn't that cute. I'll be over by the punch bowl if you have the sudden need for me to bite you." He bared his fangs for emphasis. On his way across the dance floor, he caught sight of Nicol, surrounded by a bunch of eager women.
"Can you do balloon animals?" one of them asked with a childish grin.
The poor boy looked agitated. "Well, er, no. Actually, I can't do anything of the sort. It's just the costume, you see…"
The girl's face fell, and she pouted, the kitty ears atop her head seeming to droop with disappointment. "If you can't play the part," she scolded with a hiss, "Then you shouldn't dress it!" she whirled around and flounced off, the other girls at her heels.
Dearka tried to hold back another snigger, making his way over to the unfortunate boy and clapping him heartily on the back. "Trouble with the women?" he teased, thoroughly amused.
"I wasn't aware that I need acting lessons to attend a Halloween party," the boy responded in irritation.
The blonde shook his head, grinning to show his gleaming fangs. Then he caught sight of Athrun, who had begun dancing in center stage with Cagalli. The blonde princess had shed her helmet and Athrun had abandoned his eye-patch; it didn't look as if they'd be halting their activity any time soon. He noticed, with a tiny smile despite himself, however, that they still appeared tentative. While the others were dancing close and wild, the two new lovers looked as if they believed they'd melt if they got too close to each other.
"Zala," he hailed over the noise, "You're doing it all wrong!" Athrun turned his head. "Like this," Dearka instructed, sweeping Miriallia into a sudden dip as she walked innocently past. He held her around the waist, the other hand loosely grasping her free one. "Hey there," he said seductively, as she threw an arm around his neck to support herself. Then he pulled her up slightly, bringing his lips to meet the soft flesh above her collarbone. He moved to her neck, where he again parted his lips and teased her gently, whispering afterward into her ear, "Let me take your blood with a vampire's kiss, my lady."
Mir was breathless. Her cowgirl hat had drifted askew, and her face was flushed when he pulled her back into a standing position. Athrun shook his head at the other boy's antics, turning back to Cagalli with a bit of a grin.
"Try that with me, Romeo," the blonde girl warned, "And you and that pirate get-up of yours will be on the floor."
"Then I'll just do it my way," he answered roguishly, leaning in and catching her lips in a light, tempting lock, pulling away with a sneaky expression as her eyes flew wide open in shock.
"Athrun!" she admonished for lack of a better response, her face reddening severely.
"Yes?" He blinked innocently at her, which caused her face to darken until it was nearly scarlet with embarrassment. Then he laughed. "Forgive me, Princess, but I just can't help myself."
"Just keep dancing," she ordered, but he could tell she was pleased even as she steered him forcefully across the dance floor.
She had to halt without warning as they narrowly avoided a collision with a twirling Lacus and Kira. The pop singer's white gown billowed out in a wispy, dreamlike manner, and Kira blushed furiously when she laid her head down on his shoulder. Athrun threw him a thumbs up while Cagalli yelled at her brother to watch where he was going.
Meanwhile, Yzak was pouring himself a second glass of punch when he felt a tap on his shoulder. He spun around, preparing a sarcastic remark for what he expected to be Miriallia, only to widen his icy blue eyes in shock when he found himself staring at a very scantily-clad French maid. The first thing to catch his eye was the pair of fishnets, and next the lacey band around the girl's upper thigh. His gaze traveled over a layer of frilled lace skirts and a low neckline, finally resting on her face.
The redhead leaned over him, placing one hand lightly on his shoulder and batting her eyelashes in a suggestive way that Yzak supposed was meant to be enthralling.
He narrowed his eyes. "Take your hands off me," he commented dryly.
"Oh, feisty, aren't we?" she tried to look offended, but the attempt failed. It was then that Yzak recalled where he had seen her before. A name came to him, vaguely at first, but then he grasped it: Allster. Flay Allster.
"What do you want with me?" he spat, sliding out from under her arms and getting back to his task of observing the party from the sidelines.
"I wanted to know if you'd seen a boy named Kira." She wiggled a feather duster at him, as if the prop would aid in getting him to speak to her.
"Haven't heard of him," he responded sharply, careful not to look directly at the silhouette of the dancing Freedom pilot as he spun around the ballroom floor happily with Lacus. He had no idea why she wanted to seek him out, but he had no intention of spoiling his fun, even if Kira was the one who had given him his scar. His contempt for the persistent girl before him was currently more powerful.
"Well then," she breathed into his ear, pressing herself against him, "I don't suppose you want to dance with me instead?"
He extracted himself violently from her grip, gritting his teeth in a hostile sneer. "No, I don't. If you'll notice, that's why I'm not on the dance floor."
Her eyes flashed in anger, and she turned away in a huff, storming off without a word. The silver-haired youth heard a mocking laugh behind him, and he whirled.
"Not very social tonight, are you?" It was Dearka.
Yzak scowled. "I hate parties. You know that."
"I thought maybe Halloween could remedy that affliction." The confident pilot of the Buster poured himself a glass of punch, sipping it and then narrowing his eyes at the fruity liquid. "It looks like somebody spiked it," he observed.
"You're kidding," Yzak grumbled, eyeing his empty cup with suspicion before tossing it carelessly aside. "That was my third glass, at least."
"Really now?" Dearka answered, throwing an arm about his friend's shoulder and whispering into his ear, "Careful not to make a fool of yourself, Joule. You have no idea what might happen now."
"Gee," the other Coordinator shot sarcastically, "It's not like Elsman wants to see me make a fool of myself or anything."
"That's the spirit," Dearka slapped him on the back and took off, pretending not to hear the aggravated curse that was directed at him as he retreated.
He met Miriallia on the dance floor, where he immediately turned on his vampiric charm and swept her into a graceful waltz.
"I didn't know you could dance so well," she commented, keeping time with him as they spun around the room.
"I learned from a count in Transylvania," he joked, pecking her lightly on the cheek. The gesture brought thoughts of his previous seductive advances back to the front of her mind, and she began to turn pink. He caught her flustered look as she attempted to turn her face away, drawing her in close and murmuring into her ear.
"Ah, the lovely lady blushes," he teased, his voice low and husky.
Mir sucked in a breath, her grip on his shoulder tightening involuntarily. "Keep tempting me like that," she scolded, though it sounded more like a confession of her consent, "And I don't know how much longer I can be content with just dancing with you."
He grinned like a child who'd just gotten away with double helpings of dessert. His attention was jerked away from his own thoughts rapidly, however, when the cowgirl in his arms gasped and pointed across the room in horror.
"What is he doing?" she almost shrieked. "That idiot!"
Dearka knew who she meant before he had even turned around. He had already noted the looks on the rest of his friend's faces. Cagalli, who had put her racing helmet back on, had flipped open the visor to get a better view, and Athrun stood at her side, half-way collapsed in another fit of hysteria. Kira had fallen over onto the floor next to him, laughing almost as hard as his azure-eyed friend, while Lacus failed in an attempt to haul him to his feet. Nicol's mouth dropped, and his nose fell off, but he didn't seem to notice it amidst the chaos. And finally Dearka spotted what it was they were all reacting to.
Yzak was making his way casually over to them, sporting a multitude of lipstick marks in varying colors all over his face. The horde of women that had been plaguing Nicol not so long ago now clung to him unrelentingly.
Miriallia peered at him between her hands, which she had thrown over her face in disgust. "What did he do? The make-up job I did has completely smudged!"
Surprisingly, no one else seemed to find Yzak anywhere near as amusing as his own group of friends did. Dearka's face twitched as he valiantly approached the delirious boy and attempted not to break down into a loud guffaw.
"Who do we have here, Yzak?" the blonde asked him, the picture of innocence.
Yzak threw his arms haphazardly around the first two girls closest to him, a cat and a fuzzy bunny rabbit. "This is Rubella, and this is Tiffany," he announced clearly, his voice not the least bit slurred despite his obvious drunkenness. His cheeks were red, and he swayed a bit on his feet, though it could have been due to the clump of females suctioning themselves to him like there was no tomorrow.
Dearka was careful to keep his face straight. "See, I told you you'd loosen up eventually." When Yzak nodded in distant agreement, Dearka had to bite his lip to control himself. "Why don't you take those girls out onto the dance floor?" he suggested impishly.
"Good idea, Elsman," the silver-haired youth nodded, tromping off in his boots and tight leather pants. "I don't know why I don't listen to you more often."
At this last statement, Athrun exploded into more laughter, knowing full well that the bad-tempered Coordinator would never take Dearka's word for anything while sober. Cagalli finally managed to catch her breath, and Miriallia was now watching Yzak on the dance floor with an amused expression. Kira couldn't help but wonder what sort of mood the blue-eyed boy would be in the next day when he realized what he'd done.
"Oh my," Lacus exclaimed, averting her gaze as the dancing on the floor got slightly more graphic. "We mustn't let him carry on like that."
Dearka sighed in disappointment, but after a bit longer he reluctantly succeeded in dragging his friend from the dance floor and back to the rest of them. "I think it's time we called it a night," he said, while Yzak protested.
"I'm tired," Cagalli yawned, resting her head on Athrun's shoulder. Lacus and Kira nodded their agreement, as did Nicol, and Dearka looked to Mir, who signaled her consent as well.
"It sure was fun, though," Miriallia declared as the weary group headed back out into the chilly Halloween night.
The moon shone majestically over their heads, and Dearka grinned, his fangs glistening in a small smile. "We'll do it again next year."
A/N: Bwahaha. That ended up longer than I thought. I had to throw in the cliché spiking of the punch, and I apologize. I did, however, resist the urge to have Yzak and Dearka both drunk and making out, because I figured that for once I ought to prove that I can write a nice, normal story. At least I had some fun at Yzak's expense.
To be truthful, this didn't turn out at all how I wanted it. This was the first holiday-specific fic I've tried to write, and it didn't come out funny like I wanted, either. I don't do funny that well. Geez, and all that trouble thinking of perfect costumes for them all. And for some reason I ended up making Dearka and Mir the focus of this piece, and Dearka the star of Halloween night. I guess I just saw him as the perfect subject. He makes a good vampire though, doncha think?
Give me some feedback on this one, guys. I think I need it.