Chapter 2: Costumes
Adrien's POV
"Dude, I can't believe you're actually wearing that out tonight."
"Nino, this is the epitome of cool! This is the best Halloween costume ever to exist." Adrien struck one of his many model poses, proudly showing off his Ladybug onsie. It was a simple red bodysuit covered in black polka dots. The cuffs around the wrists and the ankles were black, along with the hood. Adrien usually only wore the onsie lounging in the comfort of his room; seeing Marinette's cat beanie inspired him to wear it out as his Halloween costume. At least his costume made sense.
"What are you even supposed to be, Nino?" The boy grinned.
"I'm Breakdancing Bubbler, yo!" Nino's costume consisted of a backwards-red hat, a bright red vest, and a neon blue/ yellow splatter paint muscle shirt. A mask of blue and black face paint covered everything above his nose. "Alya and I decided to kind of match this year. Ever since we became, ya know… akumatized… we've seen different kinds of fan art about us. The "breakdancing aspired by the akumas" was her favorite, so that's what we're going with." Adrien looked sideways at his friend.
"Alya's idea?"
"Oh yeah, totally."
It wasn't long before the boys reached the Dupain-Cheng bakery. Even though Halloween was not that big of a deal in France, there were some families, like the Dupain-Chengs, that went all out for it. The entire front of the store was decked out for the holiday. Candy-corn colored lights traced the edges of the front door and the main display windows. Fake hay bales were piled on either side of the door, adorned with homemade jack-o-lanterns. Upon Adrien's closer inspection, one of the pumpkins seemed to have been carved with extreme care. Ladybug and Chat Noir stared back at him, almost life-like. Everything in the design was immaculate, the detail perfect- down to the bell on Chat Noir's neck. Adrien had a sneaking suspicion that it had been made by Marinette. He could feel a heat rising in his cheeks… and it wasn't from the flames. The door suddenly swung open, surprising Nino and Adrien. Neither of them could do anything but stare at the visions before them.
Alya's hair flowed past her shoulders, the orange ombre appearing more vibrant than normal. Gone were her glasses, replaced by smudged black paint across her eyes. Large gold hoops adorned her ears. A loose black tank top with the Lady Wi-Fi signal hung on Alya's hour-glass figure. A purple camisole could be seen peeking through the sides of the low-cut top.
Marinette styled her hair in her trademark ponytails; bright green ribbon replaced the usual red. Upon her head, she wore the cat ear beanie she had recently finished. Marinette tugged on the sleeve of the oversized black sweatshirt she wore, a neon green tutu poking out from underneath the hem. Sheer black tights covered her legs, dotted with opaque black polka dots. A black choker tied with a golden bell completed her ensemble.
Both boys found it hard to breathe until Alya broke the spell. "Great costumes, guys! Didn't I tell you you'd look great babe?" Nino moved to wrap an arm around her waist.
"Not as great as you, Al." Alya patted his cheek, careful not to muss up his makeup. She turned her attention to Marinette.
"Marinette?"
Marinette's POV
Marinette didn't register Alya's voice. Adrien was wearing a Ladybug onsie. She expected to see people dressed as her alter ego tonight, she just imagined it would be little girls. Not her 15-year-old crush.
"Marinette!" Marinette jolted out of her trance as Alya lightly shook her shoulder. "We're ready to go trick or treating. You coming or not?" Marinette nodded.
Most of their classmates would not be out on the streets trick or treating that evening, claiming that they were too old for the American holiday. The group of friends had found out that Adrien had never been trick or treating, usually shut in at costume parties held by his father's company. Immediately, they cleared their schedules and declared that the four of them would venture out to obtain as much candy as they could that night.
Nino and Alya naturally took the lead, holding hands as they walked. Adrien fell into step alongside Marinette, a slight blush still tinting both of their cheeks.
"You look really great tonight, Marinette." Her head snapped up, eyes widening.
"R-really?" She tugged on her sleeve again, trying to cover her hands.
"Really! On the way here, I saw a lot of Chat Noir costumes. A few were spot on, but most of them were just gaudy and over the top. Yours is simple. It catches all the right elements. You've got a good eye."
Marinette's face continued to redden as she grinned slyly. "What makes you think I chose Chat Noir and not a simple cat?" Her smile continued to grow as Adrien turned as red as his suit, stuttering an apology about assuming. A giggle finally escaped her lips. "I'm just kidding, Adrien. I did choose to be Chat tonight. And you're Ladybug, am I right?"
The boy quickly glanced down at the onsie, grinning to himself. "Looks like my costume's even more simple than yours." Marinette's heart began to dance a jig as Adrien hooked his arm through hers. "If we're dressed as Paris's famed hero team, we better stick together tonight."
On the outside, Marinette laughed with Adrien. On the inside, she was happily melting into a puddle of goo. Best Halloween EVER!
Aww! What a great Halloween! What could possibly go wrong? 0_0