Wear your costume

You made Colby a promise.

You are also… pretty sure that you kissed her last night. You drank a lot and it’s fuzzy, but you think that happened. You feel as though you need to patch things up with her, and you can start by not suddenly changing any more plans on her.

You place your bag on the bed and lift out your CCL T-shirt. It’s a babydoll cut crop top, one size too small. Everyone’s is a size too small. CCL is not subtle. The shirt says CCL with a caption underneath SLAYING IT FOR OVER 100 YEARS. The shirt has a bright, red blood spatter on it and the tip of the L on CCL is pointy like a kitchen knife.

It’s… not the most tasteful design.

You set the shirt aside and take off your towel, pulling on clean undies and bringing out the bag with your costume in it. You unsnap that and take a deep breath.

You wanted the black and red costume of the Ultimate Spider-Man, but the only decent one that you could get in your size is the classic red and blue. This costume is a step up from what you would buy for Halloween, although it’s not quite as hardcore as a true costume used for a movie shoot. It looks shockingly legit. You have already tried it on, but then you made the mistake of washing it. You can tell that it has shrunk.

You don the incredibly snug costume, which fit you like second skin even before it shrank. You put everything on except the mask and check yourself out in the mirror. The costume looks insanely cool, and it’s extremely flattering to your sporty body. Maybe too flattering, but as you twist and move around to check yourself from different angles, you notice a problem.

Panty lines. This was not a problem before you shrunk the damn thing. Now that you have seen it, you can’t unsee it. The costume itself is almost embarrassing; it’s almost like being naked. You can’t have these panty lines showing, and there’s only one way to get rid of them.

“Fuck,” you mutter, peeling off the legs and removing your panties. You’ve never worn a thong in your life; you don’t own one.

Yuki emerges from the bathroom as you’re bent over, shimmying the costume.

She immediately whistles. “Yeah, baby,” she catcalls as you tug the pants up over your rear end. “I never wanted to bend Spider-Man over with a strap-on before, but with an ass like that how can I not?” she says, walking over and getting ready to swing.

You spin away from her so she can’t smack your ass.

“You always go commando when you’re fighting crime?” she asks, starting to get dressed.

“So what if I do?”

“Kinky,” she says, pulling on her own CCL shirt with no bra. Pokey nipples for days. You hope CCL doesn’t get in trouble for this, but you have to admit that in that midriff-baring top and with those cutoff jean shorts, Yuki looks cute as hell.

You look down at your CCL shirt, then pick it up and pull it on over your costume. A little weird, but at least this way you aren’t disobeying Athena, exactly.

“That’s… special,” Yuki says, trying not to laugh.

“Whatever, you like it.” You put your mask in your con backpack, along with a couple of Shibari ropes. If the CCL booth is going to swing for the fences on tasteless T&A, you have an idea to use those.

You and Yuki head out. It’s still early, but the venue is still busy with everyone getting set up. Athena and Nancy already have the table up, along with the little white and red gazebo that stands over it.

“That,” Athena says at the sight of you, “is unexpected.”

“Don’t tell me you’re one of these DC Snyder people,” you tell her.

“I don’t know what that means, but you look very cute,” she says.

“Thanks.” You help them set out the merch: CCL T-shirts and Shibari photo books. It’s… a little odd, but the booth doesn’t actually look too bad. They have red and white streamers, the T-shirts look legit, everything is neat, and everyone looks great in their matching shirts. You honestly don’t know how interested people will be in your booth. Of course, the main attraction isn’t the shirts themselves or the photobooks: it’s the five-dollar photographs. Anyone can pay five bucks to pose with two CCL girls, which will be Nancy and Yuki, in front of a cardboard backdrop that shows CCL House looking spooky.

You… have a feeling that will be at least somewhat popular.

As you make sure the stacks of photo books are neat, you pause, seeing something that you did not expect. Athena lifts an armful of lightweight, plastic masks out of one of the plastic tubs that you brought your stuff in. The masks are styled after the peach emoji.

The killer who terrorized CCL on that fateful night wore one of these.

“We’re selling those too?” you ask, taken aback.

Athena gives you a look that tells you that she doesn’t like it much either.

“Afraid so,” she says.

Yikes. As though the rest of this wasn’t bad enough.

You shake your head. CCL has to do what it has to do to survive. Last night was a lot of fun. CCL is worth fighting for.

“I know a way to get more eyeballs,” you tell her.

“Yeah?” Athena asks excitedly. You show her the ropes and she laughs.

“No, seriously. I can do harnesses and stuff that leave the arms free. It’s just an accessory,” you explain.

“Why not? As long as the clothes stay on. Who wears it?”

You hadn’t thought that far ahead.

Nancy might be the best choice. She has the assets. Or you? The only thing more attention-grabbing than girl Spider-Man in a CCL shirt would be girl Spider-Man in a CCL shirt and Shibari.

Put the ropes on Nancy?

Or yourself?