Alya, Nino, and Marinette sat cross legged, in their pajamas, in Nino's tiny apartment kitchen. There was barely enough room for them all to sit comfortably because there was something extra tonight. Newspapers littered the middle of the floor. There were a couple bowls set up and four large pumpkins.

"Who's carving that one?" Marinette asked pointed at the large pumpkin off to the side.

"Nino invited someone out," Alya shrugged.

"He's running late," Nino sighed, "I think we should go ahead and start without him."

Marinette took it upon herself to cut the tops off of both pumpkins to give the late guy a chance to catch up.

Alya lifted the top off of her pumpkin and chuckled, "Ye-e-e-e-s! This is awesome!"

"I can't believe you two have never carved a pumpkin before," Nino sighed.

"Hey," Alya shot him her most menacing glare, "Not all of us have a best friend inundated with the ways of the Americans."

"He was only there for two months! Geez!"

"Yet, it was during October and he came back with the love of Halloween and a giant feast at the end of November for some odd reason."

"Yeah, yeah," Nino waved his hand as if swatting a fly, "I knew you would like it, though."

Marinette frowned. It didn't look fun like it was that fun. It looked sticky and messy and she wasn't sure she wanted to have any part in it. Instead, she sat back while she watched Alya stick her hand into her pumpkin pulling out a handful of guts and seeds.

"Gross," Marinette groaned as she watched Alya sling it into a bowl with a splat.

"LOVE IT!" Alya sang as she grinned mischievously at Nino, "Nino!?"

"Huh?"

Just as he lifted his eyes to her she slung a string of pumpkin entrails his direction. It landed across his glasses and down his cheek. "Alya!" he exclaimed as he peeled the string off of his face, "You're going to pay for that."

"Oooh, I'm so scared," she grinned as she pulled another handful of seeds out.

Just then, there was a scuffling behind Marinette. The door to Nino's apartment was being pushed open. In popped a cheery face.

"Sorry I'm late!"

Marinette glanced up into the vibrant olivine green eyes of one Adrien Agreste. His hair was tussled in a windblown heap which gave Marinette pause. He reminded her of someone. He glanced down and their eyes met. At about the same time, he pushed the door a hair more and Marinette toppled over with a gasp.

"Oh, shit, sorry, Marinette," he hopped in and gathered her up off of the floor, "I didn't mean to knock you over."

She just nodded numbly. Words were failing her and breathing was a chore. It was ridiculous. He'd been gone for months. It was totally and utterly ridiculous! She swore to herself she'd put this nonsense behind her. Oh, but his strong arms holding her in a warm embrace sent shivers through her. She was hopeless.

Adrien stood up once he'd righted Marinette. He took off his coat and set his overnight bag on the little table next to the door. His attire already consisted of a pair of knee length athletic shorts and a tight fitting t-shirt; his pajamas.

"Which one is mine?" he asked pointing between the two pumpkins on the floor that appeared to be untouched.

"That one," Nino pointed and continued digging into his own. He had pulled out the big guns and was now scraping with a metal spoon.

Adrien sat down and removed a bracelet from around his wrist. Marinette's heart sped up and she blushed when she saw it was the one she'd given him years before. He still wore it?

He lifted the top off and grinned, "Who do I have to thank for tapping the gourd?"

Alya and Nino both pointed towards Marinette.

"You're great, Marinette," he grinned. He was about to plunge his hand into his pumpkin when he paused and turned to her with a frown, "Aren't you going to carve a pumpkin?"

She shrugged and shook her head, "I don't think so. It looks pretty gross."

"Oh, come on, you have to."

Across the room Nino flung a handful of muck at Alya. It landed on her neck and slid down with a wet sploosh on the floor.

"NINO!" she growled.

"I told you that you'd be be sorry," he grinned.

Adrien stuck his tongue in his cheek to stifle his giggle. He looked over to Marinette, who had yet to touch her pumpkin, and a horribly terrific idea came to him. He plunged his hand into the pumpkin, getting extra goopy in the process, and turned to Marinette. "Hey, Marinette."

She turned to him with a "Huh?" as he ran his thumb down her cheek and captured her chin with his fingers. He didn't say anything, didn't even try to justify his actions or anything, but wore a shit eating grin to let her know how unapologetic he really was.

"You—you—you—okay, Agreste, you asked for it." Marinette took a deep breath and blew her bangs out of her face. Then she removed the top off of her pumpkin and glared over at him.

"Uh, dude, you probably shouldn't have done that," Nino mumbled across the way.

Alya chuckled, "Yeah. You don't want to challenge Marinette to anything…ever. She'll win."

"We'll see," he watched with a bit of manic panic behind his eyes; they were twinkling and he wore an impish grin.

Marinette then plunged her hand into the pumpkin, grabbed the largest handful of guts she could, and pounced on him. She tackled him to the ground, took the handful of guts, and ran her fingers through his wind blown locks. What she hadn't anticipated, however, was him anticipating her attack.

Adrien, also with a handful of pumpkin, managed to drop it down the back of her shirt and pressed his hands down it to squish it as thoroughly as possible.

Panting from exertion, Adrien and Marinette just looked at each other and busted up laughing. Marinette's was a more hysterical laughter and Adrien's a full belly laugh that shook her entirely where she was perched on top of him.

"Got you," she smirked.

"No, I beg to differ, I believe I got you," he grinned as he gave her a squeeze.

Marinette flushed and nodded, "I stand corrected."

She started to pull away and he held her closer to him, "Hey now. I haven't gotten a proper hug. I'm going to claim it now. You're already here."

Alya cackled from across the room. "When did your flirting get so blatantly obvious," she snorted.

Adrien leveled her with a glare, "Hey, now, I'm trying to get her to warm up to me here."

"You're not going to get her to talk to you by holding her hostage," Nino smirked.

Marinette was about to combust by this point. Did they not realize she was here and in the same room? What did they mean he wouldn't get her to talk to him?

Oh.

OH!

Okay, now she got it. Adrien wanted her to talk to him. What was that all about?

She dropped her head to his collarbone and allowed herself a deep breath of his sweet, minty scent. There was just a hint of the scent of vanilla pipe tobacco which made her weak in the knees. He'd gone home before coming over then. Mr. Agreste occasionally smoked a pipe.

"Mmmm," she hummed in spite of herself, "You smell nice."

His arms came to wrap more firmly around her as he hummed, "You feel nice." Then he whispered in her ear, "and you need a shower."

"Adrien Agreste!" she pulled back to look at his face and burst out laughing, "You need one far worse than I do. I can just change my shirt. You have pumpkin muck all over your hair."

They sat up and parted. He ran his fingers through his hair and grinned, "I don't know. I think this could act as a substitute styling gel if I ever got in a bind." He swirled his hair up into a curl, flashed a toothy smile, and waggled his eyebrows, "How do I look?"

"Ridiculous!" Alya exclaimed and chucked a handful of pumpkin seeds at his chest.

He grinned and dug into his pumpkin, "It's on, Cesaire!"

The four young adults launched into a giggling, pumpkin gut throwing fight. In the end there were no losers, but no winners, either. They'd all had a hell of a fun time, but afterwards found themselves covered in orange muck that was quickly drying.

"Ewww!" Nino groaned as he removed his now smeared glasses off of his face, "Dibs on the shower."

"Me, next!" Alya called.

"Then me!" Adrien and Marinette exclaimed simultaneously. They looked at each other and blushed.

Adrien grinned deviously, "Fight me."

"Been there, done that, no one won," she smirked.

"Then I accept your defeat," he bowed his head graciously.

"Dream on, dream boat, I'm not forfeiting anything. I've been here longer. That ought to account for something."

"Yeah, well this is my best bud's apartment," he smirked.

"Then let's ask Nino," she grinned, "Seeing as he would never want to disappoint his best girl's gal…"

Adrien's jaw dropped, "Low blow, Dupain-Cheng!"

Alya crowed, "And yet effective!"

Nino gulped, "Hey, now, no. I'm not doing this. I'm not deciding between either of you. I guess, uh, I'll forfeit my position…"

"Me, too," Alya agreed. There was a mischievous twinkle in her boyfriend's eyes. She loved it when he got like this. She wasn't quite sure where he was going with it, but of one thing she was certain, Nino hated picking anything. He was indecisive almost to a fault; when it came to playing favorites, especially. He'd make them pay for it.

"Whoever gets there first—"

He hadn't even gotten the rest of it out before Adrien and Marinette were clamoring over each other in a mad dash to the bathroom; Marinette grabbing Adrien's sleeve as he swiped his feet out ahead of her. They stumbled like roped cattle all the way down the hallway to the bathroom. Adrenaline pumped through Marinette's competitive veins like it belonged there.

Adrien, with forethought, stripped out of his shirt on the way. Marinette, not to be outdone, did the same. Alya and Nino came chasing after them to find stripped articles of clothing in their wake; a couple shirts, a sock here, a sock there, a pair of shorts.

"Uh, maybe that wasn't such a good idea," Nino started to say, but Alya shut him up.

She held her hand over his mouth, "It was a great idea."

They approached the bathroom, where a struggle was still ensuing, and pushed the door open to find Adrien standing in the shower, triumphant, wearing just his boxer briefs. Marinette, standing in just her underwear, with an equally triumphant smirk, turned on the water.

EEEEP!