𝐒𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐋𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓 ↬ 𝘹𝘪𝘢𝘰.

𝙨𝙞𝙭𝙩𝙚𝙚𝙣.

↬ 𝒻𝑜𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝑜𝒸𝒸𝒶𝓈𝒾𝑜𝓃 ↫

"Kit, please just bear with me! It's almost over!" You groaned as the cat splashed water into your face, causing you to flinch.

You were in the middle of giving him a bath, which he clearly despised, but it was necessary. Since 4NEMO was working with their producers in the studio and you weren't needed, you had free time to complete various tasks that piled up over your days of procrastination. For example, cleaning your apartment, which proved to be more taxing than you initially thought.

There were a plethora of claw marks now covering your arms from Kit's attempts at escape, but he was still trapped in your hands as you gently spread the soap over his body. While committing to this action, though, your mind was elsewhere.

What am I supposed to wear?

The thought of meeting Xiao's father had been clinging to the forefront of your mind relentlessly, and a gaping hole was beginning to hollow out your chest because of the anxiety. "Meeting the parents" was supposed to wait until you were already dating! And yes, you did want to confess soon, but you hadn't figured out how yet!

Kit suddenly raked his nails against the back of your hand and you hissed, "Ow!"

Finally deciding he was clean enough, you swaddled him in a towel and he calmed, resting in your arms with a pleased expression. You were almost tempted to let him sit there, bundled up like a baby, but you still needed to dry him off. 

As you held him tightly with one hand, using the other to hold the blow-dryer, you pictured what outfit you might've wanted to wear for meeting Xiao's father, but there was nothing appropriate in your closet. Xiao had stressed that it would be important to dress properly, and everything you owned was either too casual, or too professional; no in-between.

So, you opted to take a stroll through the city and see what you could find.

>─────☾⛧☽─────<

The streets were lively, with people skipping down the sidewalks and eating at outdoor restaurant tables. You did occasionally enjoy taking a casual trip through the city, but with your schedule being so filled recently, you rarely had the time. It was nice to have some alone time again.

"Hm..." You hummed, eyes searching through each window display until a certain dress caught your eye, convincing you to take a peek inside the shop.

The bell dinged as the door drifted open, allowing you access to the inside, and the noise captured the attention of the worker at the counter. His eyes flicked up to you and you offered him a small, friendly wave as you approached. You rested your hands on the edge of the counter, tapping your fingers on it as you glanced over to the window display.

"Um, hi," you spoke awkwardly. "I was wondering where I can find the (favorite color) dress from the window?"

He scanned your figure, slightly leaning over the counter so he could see down to your feet, and nodded. The light blue color of his bangs dangled in front of his eyes, framing his face handsomely.

"Give me a moment," he said, his voice smooth and sure.

He retreated inside the employee-exclusive room behind the counter and you stood, shifting uncomfortably as you glanced around the shop. It was rather empty, but the feel was cozy; cute knickknacks were scattered around, some hanging from the ceiling while others resided on otherwise pointless shelves. It reminded you of an old woman's home, filled with various objects of the past.

"Here you are," he returned with a rectangular box, placing it on the counter and pointing to a door near the back of the store. "There are the dressing rooms."

He didn't even ask for my size—

"This should fit you," he stated. "Go ahead."

You gave him a questioning look, but he only nodded toward the changing room, so you took that to mean you weren't receiving an explanation. Still confused, you made your way to the dressing rooms and stationed yourself in one of the stalls, carefully opening the box on the stool you were provided.

It was a loose-fitting garment of your preferred color, with intricate designs and details weaving along the edges. You held it up in front of your form and looked in the large mirror, subconsciously smiling at the patterns. It was casual, yet nice enough to look like you did put effort into your appearance.

Slipping your own clothes off, you slid the dress over your head and put your arms through the respective openings, allowing the cloth to sway below your knees. You realized you were also provided a sash, so you looped it around your waist and turned to look in the mirror, immediately grinning at the sight of yourself. You felt silly for imagining the occasion to be an insanely formal event or gala, but it was important to you, and you knew it would be very important to Xiao as well.

I want Xiao to see me like this.

A giggle escaped your mouth and you twirled, watching as the dress billowed out around you. You hadn't ever felt so perfectly content in your own skin before, and though you never expected to have a moment like this, you wouldn't oppose it. You felt perfect, like you were actually worthy of holding Xiao the way you wanted to, and this boost in confidence was exactly what you were looking for.

After this ethereal moment, you took a deep breath and returned the dress to its packaging; you had no idea how much this would cost, but you were determined to keep it. You changed into your original outfit and practically danced to the front counter, where the worker now wore reading glasses as his eyes crossed over the words of a large book.

Hearing your footsteps, he looked up to see you directly in front of him with a giant smile, card already in hand. A hint of amusement flickered in his eyes and a soft smile tugged at his lips while he swiped the card. He was mildly surprised your excitement didn't diminish when seeing the price, but it made him all the more happy.

This was what he sewed the dresses for, after all.

Your chipper expression brightened even further as you put your card away, grabbing the box and holding it tightly in your arms. Your eyes trailed to the nametag of the man in front of you and you raised your brows.

"Thank you, Mr. Kamisato!" You chirped, waving farewell as you exited the store. This time, he sighed and reciprocated it with a smile.