Jack groaned in frustration, staring at the masses of pink and red surrounding him. He was seriously regretting letting Simon take him shopping.
"Jack!" Simon shouted, "What about this one?"
It was a giant heart-shaped box. On the label, it claimed to be filled with 'Ten Sexy Outfits to Make Your Man Swoon."
Jack's face lit up as bright a red as the box, "No."
"But…"
"No," Jack cut him off before he could start whining.
Simon sighed dramatically, "It was just a joke. Damn."
Jack ran a hand through his hair, "I know, and I'm kind of sorry. But this is the first present I'm going to give him, and as cheesy as it sounds, I want it to be really special."
Simon did a pirouette and skipped to catch up with Jack, "Yeah, I know what you mean. I gave roger a Christmas present, but it was just some candy canes. I want this one to mean something."
Jack half-smiled at the smaller boy, "It's hard to take you seriously when you're being so flamboyant."
"So you would rather I hulk around instead of showing off my amazing ballet skills?"
"Amazing? Doing one spinny-thing is not amazing," Jack teased, knowing he would rise to the bait.
Simon glared at him, one hand on his hip. "First of all, it is a pirouette not a spinny-thing. Second of all, fuetes are a very hard thing to do. Third of all, I am amazing and you know it."
Jack bent over and said, "Prove it, Shorty."
Simon's face flushed with anger and he took off his shoes and socks. In the next moment, he was leaping and twirling around the store aisle, looking as if he could bend gravity to his will. After about five, minutes, he had drawn quite a crowed. They clapped and whistled as Simon took a bow, his face flushed, his chest heaving.
Once they all left, Jack said, "That deserves a slow clap."
"I know I'm amazing," Simon twirled and bowed again.
Jack felt butterflies creeping back into his stomach, "You are amazing, but we're back to where we started. Neither of us has any presents and we're still in the cheesy-ass Valentine's section of Wal-Mart."
Simon sighed, "I know. I guess we'll just have to be creative."
Creative. He could do that. An idea seized him, "Simon!" he almost shouted.
"Huh?" Simon set down a giant box of chocolates.
"I'm going to need a suit, a car, a phone, and lots of flowers."
"Yes sir!" Simon saluted, grabbed his hand, and dragged him to the floral section.
An hour later, they walked out, Simon laden with craft supplies, Jack gently cradling a dozen daisies, roses, and forget-me-nots surrounding a dark red tie.
Simon took out the keys to his car, and they both piled in. Jack put the most puppy-dog look on his face that he could, and said, "Simon? Can I borrow your car tomorrow?"
Simon froze, keys in the ignition. "Why," he said, "would I ever let you take my beautiful, wonderful baby I got for my sixteenth birthday?"
"Because you are a wonderful person who knows that I desperately need a car for this to work," Jack pleaded, resisting the urge to bat his eyelashes.
Simon sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "You will have her home by 11. If there are any scratches, dents, or stains on her, I will not let you drive her ever again. No sexual activity will take place in the back seat. And to repay me, you can fill up the gas tank."
Jack grinned, "Thank you so much! You are my absolute best friend ever!"
"I know," Simon turned the keys in the ignition and pulled out of the parking lot, "So where are we going now?"
"Where might I acquire a three-piece suit?"
Simon pulled into a parking lot in front of a squat brick building labeled 'Mr. Penguin's Suit Rental."
"Perfect."
The inside of the building was musty, with dust bunnies peeking out from the corners. With some trepidation, Jack walked to the counter, where a tall, blonde man stood in front of a mirror, trying to slick back his hair. Seeing them in the mirror, he turned around suddenly, smoothing his white shirt and impeccable black pants.
"Hello," he greeted them warmly, extending a hand, "My name is Harry. Feel free to look around, take things back for fittings, and when you're done, I'll ring it all up for you!"
"Thank you," Jack smiled vaguely, immediately gravitating toward a white suit jacket and a red waistcoat. Simon helped him pick them out in his size.
"I hope you're going to wear this with something that's not a ratty t-shirt and jeans," Simon teased, looking at him in the mirror.
"Hey! I happen to like this shirt!" Jack complained, taking off the jacket.
Simon smiled, "I know, I'm just saying, haven't you had that since like, the seventh grade?"
Jack looked around shiftily, "Maybe… but that's not the point. Could you hand me that hanger?"
Simon grabbed the hanger from inside the dressing room, and gave it to Jack, standing far closer to him than was strictly necessary.
"Thanks," Jack hung up the jacket, and unbuttoned the three buttons on the waistcoat. Ralph would be so excited. He couldn't wait until he showed up.
"Jack?" Simon said softly.
"Hmm?" Jack looked up to see Simon standing almost uncomfortably close to him.
"You know, I still like you," Simon whispered, standing up on his tiptoes, his eyes fluttering closed, his lips making a beeline for Jack's.
Jack stood, frozen, before snapping out of it and turning his face, causing Simon's lips to land on his cheek.
"I'm sorry, I have to go," Jack quickly made his way to where Harry was filing his nails.
"Did you have fun with your boyfriend back there?" Harry said, smiling knowingly.
Jack ignored him and set the jacket and waistcoat on the counter, "I'd like to rent these for three days."
Harry's eyes widened but he didn't ask anymore questions as he put the clothes into a garment bag and took Jack's money.
He walked out the door, not even stopping when Simon called, "Hey! I'm sorry! Don't you want a ride?"
Author's Note: Hello again! I needed a new conflict, and so I decided on this! Valentine's Day! Cheating! What on Earth is Jack planning to do for Ralph? All will be revealed in the eighth chapter! (except not really. They still need to go to Solo and Ensemble. I know! Remember the original plotline? I completely forgot about it...)
Because I want to feel fancy, I believe I will dedicate this story to my fangirl, Sabrina! Love you girly!
It's kind of weird, because my boyfriend's name is Jack, so whenever I write this, it gets a bit uncomfortable... But fear not! I will continue writing about these band geeks until the end of the plotline! Or maybe even after that! I haven't decided!
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