A strangled noise escaped Haru’s throat as he was hauled out of his and Touya’s room, but Ichiha paid it no heed.

“Come on, you can’t go on a date looking like that!”

“There’s nothing wrong with my clothes,” Haru complained. He wanted to go back to the sketch he had started earlier this morning. “I don’t have any money anyway.”

Their lives after escaping school had been a struggle, both mentally, physically and economically, but they were finally doing a little better. That didn’t mean they had a lot of it to spare on things that weren’t food and board, however.

“It’s not like we’re gonna buy Visvim.” Ichiha might not be as toned as Touya, but compared to Haru he was leagues ahead, making his kidnapping mission an easy task.

Touya did his best to hold in his laughter as he watched Ichiha drag Haru to the front door of the tiny apartment, Ichiha calling out to him that he was taking Haru shopping.

“Have fun!”

When the door closed, a loud snort finally escaped him.

About half an hour later Haru found himself in a thrift store he hadn’t caught the name of, Ichiha flipping through the clothes. “I know you’ve got some decent jeans, but do you even own a shirt that doesn’t have paint on it?” he asked, taking a shirt off the rack.

“My work shirt.” Until he could sustain himself as an artist, he’d gotten a job at an art supplies shop where he took full advantage of the staff discount.

“Yeah, that’s way too boring,” Ichiha hummed, holding the shirt out in front of Haru’s chest to see if the colour suited him. He seemed to think it was good enough to at least have him try on, and shoved it into Haru’s arms.

Why did Touya had to befriend Ichiha? Spending time with him always made him use so much of his social battery (he was already fully aware that they had started to secretly date recently, but he didn’t really care to dig into it).

His eyes roamed the store as he attempted to tune Ichiha out, until they caught on something hanging up on the opposite wall. When he didn’t react to the attempt at handing him another shirt, Ichiha followed his line of sight.

He grinned.

“I’m sure Neri’ll think you look cute in a dress too.”

“That’s not why I’m-” Haru scowled at him before cutting himself off, turning his eyes back to the gown on the wall.

“It looks like Ophelia’s.”

“Ophelia? Like in Hamlet?”

Haru nodded. “It looks like the one in the painting by Sir John Everett Millais.” It made him feel uncomfortable, so he quickly averted his eyes.

Clearly noticing, Ichiha shifted gears. “Hey, they’ve got some art stuff in here, wanna check it out before I shove you into the fitting room?”

Haru tried not to let the relief show on his face.

Finally forced into a fitting room, Haru stared at the clothes he’d been handed. He pulled the curtain to the side again, the glare sent Ichiha’s way deadly.

“Why is there a dress in here?”

“Because Neri’ll think you look cute in it, obviously. You don’t have to try it on, but I think it’ll suit you.”

Haru held in his grimace until he had pulled the curtain on himself again.

He hung the dress on a hook, ignoring it entirely.

The shirts looked okay. He quite liked the green button-up he’d tried on first. The fabric was smooth and didn’t feel suffocatingly tight, even though it was a lot less baggy than his usual shirts.

He turned to the only item he hadn’t tried on yet.

It was a cream-coloured dress, fairly simple in design. The bottom of the skirt and sleeves were decorated with simple lace trim, and there were small folds at the chest. Were they still called pleats if they weren’t in a skirt?

He held it in front of himself.

Was Ichiha playing a prank on him? He’d thought he was trying to get along since he wanted Haru on his good side, as someone Touya cared for.

So maybe not?

With a sigh, he pulled the dress over his head and looked at himself in the mirror.

It was a strange image. He’d never once imagined himself in a dress. He… didn’t hate it.

It didn’t fit that tightly, it even felt a bit loose. The cotton felt nice against his skin. He’d worn a yukata before, but this dress only reached just above his knees, so it felt a lot more exposed.

It kind of looked like a nightgown, but with a bit more of a defined waist.

 

He heard Ichiha from the other side of the curtain. “Hey, you dressed?”

Staring at his reflection, he answered. “No.”

Maybe he had been right about the dress, but there was no reason for him to know that.

He pulled it off again, putting his own shirt back on. He looked at the clothes hanging on the hooks, before grabbing everything, pulling the curtain to the side.

Ichiha pushed himself off the wall he’d been leaning against. “Found anything to your liking, sir?” His imitation of a store clerk was spot on, making Haru crack the tiniest of smiles.

Ichiha still caught it. “Oh? What’s that?”

Haru made a face, but it didn’t do a thing to wipe it off his face. Really, it was such a stupid thing to smile about.

“Nothing. Are we done here now?”

“Only if you found something.”

Rolling his eyes, he motioned to the shirt on top of the pile in his arms. “I did.”

“Cool. I’ll put the rest back while you pay. There’s a bit of a line.”

Haru threw a glance at the register. Yeah, that line might take a while.

After he’d paid, he noticed Ichiha still wasn’t back yet. He looked around, taking a few steps away from the register. Finally, he spotted Ichiha, also in line.

He came over, noticing the clothes in Ichiha’s hands. “So we’re not saving any time anyway,” he jabbed, making Ichiha scratch the back of his neck.

“Oops.”

He didn’t look particularly regretful, however.

“You can wait outside if you want?”

Haru sighed. “Fine.”

Haru stepped back into his room after his shower, getting ready to go on his date with Neri. Though they were just going to the park to draw and have a tiny picnic, he had looked forward to it. He loved drawing with Neri leaning against his side, doodling in a sketchpad she’d gotten so she too could take part in his hobby alongside him.

He smiled at the thought of it when he caught sight of a paper bag on top of his bed. A very familiar paper bag.

Eyes narrowing in suspicion, he pulled out what was inside.

It was the dress.

He turned his head to stare at the closed door. He could hear Touya, Riku and Ichiha in the kitchen.

Putting the dress back in the bag, he hid it in the back of one of the drawers in the small dresser that held his and Touya’s clothes. The bottom two were his, so there was no reason for Touya to look in there.

He thought back to Ichiha’s words of Haru wearing a dress for Neri.

That was definitely not going to happen anytime soon.

But maybe at some point, he’d put it back on again.

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