Mall Hell
DISCLAIMER: Square owns these guys. I've been meaning to write this forever, agh.
(she smiles like the knife – like cleopatra, joan of arc, or aphrodite)
He ought to invest some time in figuring out how to disappear on the spot.
The problem is that being tall and red-haired, he has very little chance of sneaking away, even in the crowds that are absolutely packing the wide walkway. And every time he starts thinking he'll risk it—
"Hey, what do you think about this one?"
—Aura shows up at the door to the Victoria's Secret outlet he's trying not to die of shame in front of, holding up another white and lacy scrap of lingerie.
"Like I keep saying, that's not something you should be asking a guy!"
She waves her free hand at him and tilts up her chin so as to better look down her nose at him. "Come on, it's not like you have no opinion at all, I know you better than that. And why don't you actually just walk in? Sales ladies don't bite and neither do bras."
"Yeah, but I've got my dignity."
"And no idea what you're getting your kid brother for White Day. News flash, dumbass, there's plenty of white stuff past these doors."
He closes his eyes and buries his face in his eyes, trying to banish the mental image of Kumo trussed up in white lace. "Don't lump me in with you—I have yet to reach that exact level of depravity."
"Don't say that when you were just picturing it." He can tell by her tone of voice that she's leering at him. He doesn't look—that would only betray the flush of his face. "Honestly, people appreciate it more when you're honest about what you want, and what you think of other people. Giving lingerie as a gift doesn't just say 'I'm a giant pervert', it tells the person you're giving it to that you think they're sexy and you're not ashamed to admit it." A pause. "You are past being ashamed to admit it, right?"
"Your head's screwed on wrong or something." He uncovers his face and glares off over the heads of the crowd.
"Heh."
When he glances over to her suspiciously, she is grinning complacently.
"You're making a stupid face again." Her grin grows, and she lowers her eyelids insolently. "My day's complete."
"You—"
"If you want to act like a grade-schooler, then stay here. No skin off my ass. Anyhow, if you won't give me your opinion, I'll just go back over everything one more time, as regardless of your sense of propriety, I'll be giving some sexy underwear to a woman who'll happily wear it for me."
"…Didn't need that mental image."
"And now you're making an even cuter face. I wonder if you ever make faces this cute in other compromising situations? It'd be a shame if Kumo never got to make you look like this."
"Shut. Up."
She snickers and flounces and turns on her heel. "You really should come in already. People are gonna start giving you weird looks."
He curses and wonders again if it'd be worth making a break for it—he's had about as much of her bullying as he can take for any one day.
…And she's planted pictures in his head that he's going to need some cold water to purge.
