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"The heck are you supposed to be, dude?" A boisterous laugh approached Kazuichi, as Nekomaru got closer and closer. Covered in even more hair than usual and tattered clothes it was easy to gather that he was a werewolf.
"What! I'm Frankenstein isn't it obvious!" Kazuichi gestured to himself, green-grey painted skin and all. "I even glued these bolts to my neck!"
"You mean special effects glue right...?" Chiaki lifted the head that had been buried in her portable system, her ears picking up on the alarming end of the conversation.
"Special... Effects?" Kazuichi asked slowly. Both Chiaki and Nekomaru sighed, the former turning back to her game as she sulked away back into the thick of the party. The bright green hat of her Link costume bouncing with every step.
"Can you seriously not tell what I am? I was hoping to look cool in front of everyone, and Miss Sonia." He tried to appraise his costume again in the dark purple light, wondering where he'd gone wrong. Maybe it was that he'd just used whatever oil-stained clothes he had laying around.
"Err-, Well... Frankenstein! Sure, dude!" Nekomaru said kindly.
"Actually, I believe technically Kazuichi is Frankenstein's monster." How many people were going to catch him in the doorframe just to make him look like more of an idiot? Couldn't he at least get to the snacks first? Peko and Fuyuhiko exited from the kitchen; a quieter zone of the party to hide in, seasoned introverts knew. Clearly, Shorty didn't want to come or refused to admit as much and was throwing a tantrum. Probably about the unraveling bandages of his mummy costume.
"If you're here to impress Sonia, good luck. She and Gundam went all out on the fake blood for their matching vampire costumes." Fuyuhiko shrugged Peko's hand off him as she attempted to adjust the fake weathered costume. She was just dressed as a cat.
"Matching costumes? Aww, man ." There went his shot at using the holiday to impress her.
Of course, the party had been all her idea in the first place. The school, deciding that Sonia shouldn't be without what she was used to, suited her with an appropriate host family. Some rich politician, who looked good letting a princess kick it when she wasn't on campus. One of his daughters went to Hope's Peak with his other two in the reserve. And still, they had money to spare.
Fair to say, the place and the party was lush. All up to a princess's standard. If that standard was gaudy orange plastic pumpkins everywhere, which it seemed to be. He could hear her laugh over the party in the other room, where a heavy fog was spilling out of a machine. Part of him didn't want to face it, seeing her that happy.
"Punch bowl is thataway." Fuyuhiko hiked his thumb over his shoulder and skulked away, funnily in the direction of the heat of the party. It was obvious how bad he wanted to hang out and laugh. Kazuichi was actually dampening that vibe. He needed to learn to live a little. Punch would help.
~
Even the punch bowl was frothing with smoke, and he assumed dry ice was the culprit. He helped himself to a ladle full of stark black liquid and frowned. Should he be concerned about drinking this? Just as he put it to his lips, a voice over his shoulder made him jump.
"Careful, Sonia showed everyone how strong drinks are supposed to be at your average Novoselic gathering." Biting back on the cold smoke, he coughed, already having breathed in fumes that reminded him of rubbing alcohol. Mahiru eyed him, her face a mixture between concern and disdain. Every emotion directed at him (or any guy) was laced with disdain. Even when she seemed happy. There was a camera around her neck, but nothing that stuck out as a costume. She was just in normal jeans and a festive orange top that made her freckles stand out more than usual against her hair.
"Uh, what are you supposed to be?" Maybe he was missing something.
"Photographer, duh. What's the point in getting all dressed up? I'm behind the camera all night anyway." Classic Mahiru, brushing herself and inclusion off with the same excuse. She didn't want to grab anyone's attention beyond saying 'cheese' .
"That's not fair, everyone else dressed up, even that brute baby gangster. You're gonna let him and all the guys out do you?" He asked, seriously losing a little respect. Maybe missing her wearing a cute outfit too.
"H-hey! Cut me some slack, I'm not really... Good at that stuff. Jeez." Mahiru seemed embarrassed to admit incapability but knew her creative talent stopped at photography.
Steeling his nerves in this battle, Kazuichi bravely took a swig of the black punch. The gritty texture of charcoal powder lingered on his tongue. Aside from that, it was like drinking apple-scented perfume. There was obviously an addition of apple juice, but it did nothing to save the furniture stripping concoction.
"I bet Miss Sonia would have something you could make up into a costume, we just gotta..." His pink eyes scanned the room, trying to pick out the princess between the flash of a strobe light. He couldn't make out an individual conversation over The Monster Mash playing on an apparent loop, but he heard that gleeful laugh again tugging his heartstrings.
His eyes settled on Sonia with plastic teeth, playfully gnawing on a clearly embarrassed Tanaka's neck. The makeshift dance floor glowed with lights like a real thing, illuminating the group of swaying bodies losing partners in the ocean of each other.
"Hey, Miss Sonia!" Kazuichi shouted with his hand cupped around his mouth. Mahiru hissed in embarrassment as the eyes attracted their way.
"What are you doing?" she asked. Sonia not revealing any displeasure with Kazuichi vying for her attention, as usual, patted Gundam's cheek before wading her way over.
"What seems to be the issue?" she asked, her face wearing the resolve of a princess on a mission. Perfect.
"Mahiru's not wearing a costume! She didn't have one last minute, do you think there's anything you could put her in?" he asked. Sonia's eyes lit up like diamonds awash with excitement.
"You mean like, a girl's makeover! Just like in the movies!" Her voice was climbing several octaves but he just kept smiling.
"Exactly! We can't leave her out, right Zoomy?"
"Don't call me that," she sighed. "I didn't come in costume because I didn't want to, if we leave I might miss a good photo op."
Committing what could only be seen as an egregious sin, Kazuichi reached out to take the camera from her hands.
"I know I'm not as good as you, but I can point and click at anything super important," he promised with a hand over his heart. The lines on the redhead's face deepened but she couldn't resist Sonia's tugging any longer and caved. Kazuichi watched them the whole way, heading up the stairs, and anyone with a working brain would assume he was staring at Sonia. But when he lifted the camera to capture the scene of fading bodies, the princess was already out of frame.
~
"Hey, smile you guys!" Kazhuichi laughed, pointing Mahiru's camera over to where Mikan was in the middle of the dancefloor, in a far too revealing nurse costume that he had a feeling someone had coerced her into. That wasn't even clever, it was just her talent. Under the influence of alcohol, she giggled warmly though. A couple of bodies tumbled forward to be included in the picture, Chiaki's hand draping over Mikan's shoulder and Hajime almost unable to stand straight sliding around her waist. Nagito was the only one who looked in his right mind, crouched low at the front with an awkward smile. With a press of the shutter and a bright flash, the fleeting moment was captured as they all resumed their drunken, mindless chatter. Chiaki's face looking sleepy but soothing Mikan with assurances of how much she loved her. For once, Mikan hadn't even fished for the attention.
"Mikan, you look... Uh, cold . Here." Kazuichi shrugged off the jacket he was still wearing to pass it over to the jelly-limbed girl, who was nearing rolling around on the floor levels of intoxicated. Chiaki, getting the memo, helped him get at least one of her arms through the jacket before Kazuichi was jolted away.
"Ibuki has arrived, now the party can get started!" That explained the dry music selection up to that point. Their resident vibe creator hadn't landed on the scene. Kazuichi turned to see which door she'd kicked in through when his jaw dropped.
"What are you wearing!?" He demanded, pointing an accusing finger.
"Wearing? This is Ibuki's costume! Did that scientist guy forget your brain frankenteen?" She knocked on his head, laughing gleefully at the empty sound.
"You're dressed like me! That's my jumpsuit!" Ibuki had rolled the legs and sleeves several times, but the neon green was unmistakable.
"Why be something scary for Halloween, when you can be a sad, sad reminder?" she asked.
"Hey, what the heck is that supposed to mean!?” It sounded insulting. But Ibuki just dissolved away into the party, her shrill laugh fading away.
"Pasta, look! I'm you!" she shouted into the Ultimate Imposter's face. Pasta being a Nick-Name-Turned-Sorta-Name for their friend. If they were in disguise it was only appropriate to address them as so, but sometimes they were just themselves.
"What are you talking about!? You're wearing my clothes!" he shouted over the punchbowl and heads of the crowd.
"You don't get it, bolts for brains?" A snide voice had come up at his side, lifting the ladle of the punch bowl. Kazuichi glared at Hiyoko's insult, but she was already wearing a harsher look.
"I get it! But why did she have to be me ?" he whined, knowing it wouldn't garner any sympathy from his current (or any) audience.
"You should be flattered. She looks better than you in those ratty clothes." Hiyoko's costume was entirely bright red, with devil horns sitting just on top of her pigtails. Like it was supposed to be tongue in cheek or something.
"She's brave for putting them on at all! Why complain about someone stomaching your dirty clothes for a night." That did seem like a bigger loss for Ibuki than him, now that he thought of it. But Ibuki could reach the same levels of washed-out hair dye, week-old product, unbathed crust that he could. So seemingly the fact didn't weigh on her mind at all. Hiyoko, satisfied with her roasting of the mechanic, skipped away with her refilled drink.
"So help me if she rips my jumpsuit..." he grumbled, deciding to leave Hiyoko and the punch behind. His hand lifted to pour out the entire remaining contents of his cup back into the punch bowl. Only one sip, but it wasn't for him.
"That's gross. You shouldn't pour something you took a drink out of back in the punch bowl," a voice lectured from above him. If he didn't know better, he'd think Hiyoko had returned to degrade him. But no, the voice was smoother and, despite the content, less irritating.
"I-I barely took a sip! It's like 80 proof!" Surely any germs on the tip of his lips would have shriveled up and died. "Figured it's rude to waste it."
Mahiru was coming from above his head on the stairs and he only saw her peeking over the banister for a second. But she rounded the corner to come down the landing by him and the sparkle of a dress came into view.
She looked like a princess.
No, she was a princess, almost certainly with the tiara on her head and the big sparkly dress. It made sense that was what Sonia would have on hand and a fun costume for the usually practically dressed photographer. It wasn't just fun.
"Whoa! You look-, Wow!" He didn't really know what to say, as she wobbled awkwardly on the last few steps in the shoes Sonia had put her in. The blonde walked out from behind the redhead, unnoticed until that moment.
"Mahiru did not seem to prefer the reject pile of costumes Gundam and I left."
"I don't want to wear that much leather, Sonia."
"Yes, as you said. So, this was all I had that felt suitable." Sonia gestured to the sparkly ballgown. "I only feel sorry that it's something so plain!"
She's gotta be kidding... Kazuichi and Mahiru seemed to lock eyes with the shared thought.
"Are you sure it's okay for me to wear this tiara, I mean this is a princess’s-,"
"A princess wears a tiara whenever she feels like it! It's not the crown jewels by any means. Please wear it!" Sonia seemed to be begging her not to take it off with hands clasped in prayer.
"Okay, okay... Jeez."
Satisfied, the hostess was able to return to the party, checking on Ibuki who'd begun tuning up on stage. The music had shifted drastically, to her usual tastes featuring men screaming from their gut over heavy drums. That was scary though.
"Mahiru, you could totally be like a real princess!" Kazuichi was finally able to get back to the topic at hand without Sonia's commentary, and it was a freeing feeling to be relieved the blonde had left them alone.
"Shut up, I'm not-, Tch. Can I have my camera back?" She was blushing and clearly uncomfortable without the device safe in her hands. It really was like a crutch, something she would hide behind. He could understand that feeling which was why he passed it over without question.
The redhead immediately looked through the lens, as if to check if he messed anything up or started tinkering with it while she was gone. Kazuichi just watched her side profile as the moving lights cast shadows across her pale skin. Her camera went from pointed up at the ceiling, back down to focus the scope on Kazuichi. She looked out from the viewfinder, wearing half a frown.
"Well, just give a smile would you?" Mahiru didn't usually like photographing the boys alone for no reason. He plastered a sharp-toothed smile on his face, abandoning the empty red solo cup for a thumbs up.
"Cheeeeeese!" The party lighting around them was a trick to work with, but no problem for someone as talented as Mahiru. Her flash illuminated the angles of his face, and when she studied the photo on her small screen she blushed, embarrassed to find the first beautiful photo of a boy she'd ever taken.
"Is it good?" Kazuichi asked, trying to peer over to see the photo on the screen.
"Y-you need to shave." She could see a clear definition of stubble in the photo, which made her jut out the camera for him to take a step back and see.
"Hey! You made me look pretty cool." He seemed happy with the photo, ignoring her comment on his appearance. His fingers did nervously trail up to scratch his chin, assessing the length for a second as he passed the camera back.
"Oh-ho, looks like Frankenstein has set sights on his bride!" A piercing accent invaded his ears, causing his arm to lash out from his body involuntarily.
"Beat it, twerp!" he told Teruteru, shoving him in the opposite direction of an already recoiling Mahiru. There was only a small yelp of protest as he rebuffed the rejection, returning to the dance floor as a new song started.
"Ignore him, he's an idiot." Kazuichi scratched his face nervously, hoping no one could notice a blush under his grey-green face paint.
"I know that you don't have to tell me ," she huffed, crossing her arms to look away. It was true that Mahiru knew better than anyone what guys were total idiots. But at that moment, Kazuichi was working his way up to least dumb idiot.
"Okay! Ibuki needs to take a break and find some drinks." You just started playing... Kazuichi thought, looking up to the stage. He hoped she wouldn't stain his clothes with charcoal powder on top of all the grease.
"Why is Ibuki wearing your jumpsuit?" Mahiru asked slowly.
"Let's play this song next! A slow number, for the spooky lovers out there." Ibuki pushed a button on the stereo, flipping back to prerecorded music. Thankfully, instead of a slowed version of more Monster Mash, they were listening to I Put a Spell on You.
"It's a long story," he sighed. "Do you wanna go dance?" Kazuichi didn't think he could slow dance close like the other couples had broken immediately into. The skirt of Mahiru's dress was too wide. But she still accepted his offer, letting him take her hand so she wouldn't fall on her way to the dance floor.
Neither of them made fun of the other for looking tense and awkward as they tried to sway with the music. They weren't professional dancers. Instead, the mismatched monster and princess both leaned in doubled over in their laughter as the party lights blinded them.