Gior, the usually stoic bastard, looked wildly surprised when Lucius came back with Corbin trailing behind him. Lucius smirked at him, cocky and refusing to even privately acknowledge how little he himself had to do with convincing his friend. 

Bellamy hadn't even had to beg. One mere suggestion and Corbin's foot was out of the door. He was still mildly bitter about that.

Elena hopped up immediately at their arrival, beaming at them both. She bound over to pull Lucius into a quick hug. When she tried to do the same for Corbin, he ducked out of it, as politely as someone like him was inclined to be about it. 

Luckily, Elena didn't seem particularly hurt about it. She only nodded as if to herself and then said, "missed you, Cor. I feel like I haven't seen you in months. Mental health stuff?"

Corbin twitched at the question. A second later he seemed to shake it off.

"Are we heading out now?" he asked. Didn't even bother with the grace of trying to smoothly redirect the conversation. His head was ducked, and he wasn't making eye contact with any of them. "I can't be out all night. I've got a curfew."

"You could at least say 'hello', asshole," Gior said. "We've all been worried about you."

"For no good reason," Corbin bit out, testy. "I'm fine."

"I'm sure."

"Hey," Lucius interjected before they could truly begin to butt heads and sour the already questionable mood. Sometimes it was as if Corbin walked around with a rain cloud trailing him, spreading darkness and a thunderous kind of distant rage with every step. It wasn't his fault. Lucius knew that, but everyone else... "He's not lying. Bella's gonna kick my ass if he's not back by midnight, so..."

"I'll drive," Gior said, twirling his key ring around his finger. "Come on, then."

They all followed, Elena taking the front seat and Lucius piling into the back with Corbin. The second the car was started up and they were on the road, Corbin laid his head against the window and shut his eyes. Lucius didn't hear him exhale, but he could see it in the fall of his chest.

To have slept for days and still look so tired was a feat. Lucius chewed at his bottom lip and watched him for what might have been the entire drive. He wasn't sure— it was as if it'd all passed by in a flash.

Gior had brought them to a shop he himself was clearly familiar with. He immediately hugged the owner upon entry and started talking about something with the older woman Lucius couldn't quite hear. He looked around.

It was a strange shop. Certainly far from average, as far as clothing shops go. The walls were bright and the decor funky. Abstract paintings and pop art shared space on the walls with  asymmetrical mirrors and fun little signs with various slogans. Little discoballs hung from the ceilings and the music that was playing might have been better fitting in a club. 

Mannequins struck a myriad of poses all over with high drama silhouettes. His eyes caught on one in particular dressed in a rhinestone, short dress that stopped mid-thigh. Another with a metallic-looking corset, sinched tight enough to probably rearrange all of the organs on a real person. It was all eccentric. Exactly the kind of place he could see Gior frequenting if one glance at his average wardrobe had anything to say about it.

"So," Elena said, dragging the word out playfully. She nudged him with her elbow. "Drag?"

"What if I just chickened out?" Lucius asked with a little laugh, scratching the back of his neck. "Now that I'm here and everything?"

"No! You have to commit. I'll be so upset."

"I still don't understand why you can't just dress normal," Corbin muttered behind him. "This is kinda..."

He trailed off. Lucius waited patiently until he realized he didn't plan on finishing the statement. He looked at him sidelong. "Kinda what?"

Corbin shrugged. "Just wondering who exactly you're trying to attract doing this. Certainly not your average woman."

Lucius's face heated, not at the words themselves but at everything that had loudly gone unspoken. "It's just for fun! Maybe I'm not trying to attract anyone."

Corbin rolled his eyes, making a quiet sound in his throat. "Alright. Relax."

"Hey, Lucius," Gior said, coming back to his side. The shop owner followed behind him, smiling at the group of them with bedazzled teeth. Gior gestured to her. "This is Mama May. She prefers you just call her Mama."

Lucius held out his hand. "What's up, Mama? You look like a cool old lady."

He jerked as a sharp slap hit against his arm. Elena practically hissed at him. "That's rude."

"I don't mind, sweetheart," Mama May laughed. She shook the offered hand, and only then Lucius realized she was tattooed from wrist to shoulder. He might have whistled if he wasn't worried it might earn him another hit. "So I hear we're getting you all dolled up, eh?"

"Maybe not completely. Just clothes for now," he said. "Going to the Vice."

"I heard." She winked. "Let's have a look around."

Elena broke away from them almost immediately, entranced by every little thing her eyes landed on. Lucius let himself be led by Mama May and Gior, and Corbin followed close behind him. He was quiet and he hardly looked interested, but just his presence was nice.

"So are we going for hyper feminine or something more androgynous?" Mama May asked. She looked up at him thoughtfully. "You're a pretty boy. I assume you got that from your mother. You could go all the way if you wanted."

"Uh, wow," Lucius giggled stupidly. "Thank you. Yeah, I've heard I practically stole my mom's face. But I think um... all the way, yeah. Might as well."

"Do you want to be covered up or are you okay with showing some skin?"

"Corby," Lucius said, spinning around and forcing him to come to an abrupt halt to stop from crashing into him. "What are we thinking?"

"Really?" Corbin rolled his eyes. "I don't care."

"Pick something or I'll just go naked."

"That's your reputation on the line. How does that concern me?"

"Come on!" Lucius urged, making his eyes go wide and innocent. "You don't have to care. Just pick one— I can't make up my own mind."

"You're not going to a wedding," Corbin shrugged, looking away from him. He lowered his voice until it was barely above a whisper. "Show skin. You said you wanna go all out, didn't you?"

"Yeah," Lucius said, grinning with all of his teeth. "Yeah, I did. Show some skin, it is."

"Perfect," Mama May said. "Let's do it then."

They ended up with three options for the base dress, and Gior found a corset he insisted Lucius at least try even though he was dubious about it. One was short and a collage of every color of the rainbow with black animal print and ruffles at the top. Another was long but see through, a beautiful emerald color adorned with sheer crystals. The last was a gorgeous yellow; sleeveless, high neck, and long but with a high split, the hip area hollowed out and mostly bare. 

Mama May, having done her job, left them on their own.

Gior tied him into a corset— not too tight because Lucius wouldn't stop complaining— and then helped him into every single one of them. Elena was there, too, fussing and excited. It was frankly adorable how much input she had to give. As it stood, there was really only one person whose opinions really mattered to him, though.

Every time he finished getting into the dress, he walked out to show Corbin. He was seated on one of the benches a little ways outside of the changing room, looking vaguely distracted for all he wasn't really occupied with anything. 

Lucius showed him the first which he personally wasn't much of a fan of. It was a sexy dress for a lady, maybe, but it didn't sit right on his frame. The colors and patterns, too, weren't quite his style, but he could be convinced.

"Thoughts?" he asked, twirling in a circle.

"Tacky," Corbin said immediately, his nose scrunching. "Not your style."

"Hm. I agree."

Onto the next. He showed off the emerald dress, and when Corbin didn't immediately say anything he stepped closer, between the spread of his thighs, and grabbed for his hand.

"What are you doing?" Corbin hissed only to go silent when Lucius set his hand against his waist. He guided it that way, up and down. Lower, to his hips and then to the skirt of the dress.

"How does it feel?" Lucius asked.

"Scratchy," Corbin said. He rather suddenly snatched his hand back, leaning away from him even though he didn't have that much room to do so in the first place. "That's not itchy?"

"It is, a little. How does it look?"

"Maybe back up so I can actually see, dumbass."

Lucius did as asked with a laugh. He twirled slowly, feeling the way the skirt danced with the movement.

"It's alright," Corbin said. "Doesn't help I can see your boxers through that thing—"

"Obviously I wouldn't be wearing boxers when it all comes together! Use your imagination!"

And then there was the last. Corbin wasn't sitting when he came out that time. He was leaned against the wall and his eyes shot to him like a dart when he emerged. For some reason, for the first time all night, Lucius actually felt a little embarrassed to be seen this way. Maybe it was the way they were more or less on equal levels now— the way he couldn't tower over Corbin with him standing as he was.

He paused where he stood, face burning, and Corbin pushed himself off of the wall and toward his direction. 

"Well?" he asked as Corbin circled around him.

"Yellow is always nice on you," Corbin said. "Suits your complexion."

"Oh," Lucius practically wheezed. His face burned hotter. "Any more thoughts to share?"

Corbin placed a hand on his chest, sliding it up to where it wrapped around his throat. "It's soft."

"Mhm."

"It fits you. Color and shape and all." He poked through the dress's cutout to touch his hip and it took everything in Lucius not to jump. If his undergarments were more appropriate for the outfit, the touch would've been against bare skin. It was a crazy thought. "A bit raunchy, though."

"That's the point."

"Is it? Thought you weren't trying to attract anyone." Before Lucius could get defensive again, he asked, "what exactly are you going to wear with this?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, if you're not wearing boxers, and I'm assuming you're not going commando, then..."

God, why was Corbin so suddenly obsessed with saying the quiet part out loud?

"You know what," Lucius said, accusatory. "You just want to hear me say it."

"The guy that can't even say the word 'panties' is gonna be wearing panties," Corbin mused. "You're an idiot."

"Fuck you," Lucius said, but he was laughing now. "So you like this one?"

"It's the best you're probably gonna be able to do," he shrugged. He was still staring. "You have stupidly long legs."

"No shit?"

"You're really gonna wear heels?"

"Duh."

"Can you even walk in heels?"

Huh. He hadn't really considered that.

"It can't be that hard," he said, unsure. "Right?"

Corbin shook his head. "You're fucking hopeless."

Dress picked out, the group of them shopped around for some accessories— bracelets, rings, and earrings, a thigh chain to make up for the fact that Gior was solidly against him wearing stockings with the dress, and a pair of platform heels with straps up to the ankle that matched the color of the dress so perfectly it had to be fate.

Elena and Gior helped him with the undergarments situation, Elena with the style and Gior with the utility. Corbin, for the first time that night, disappeared until they were finished. That wasn't surprising. What did manage to shock him was once he reappeared to pay the tab.

The total very easily hit the triple digits and then some. Lucius had started digging through his pockets for his wallet until Corbin threw a wad of cash on the counter, beating him to it.

Lucius settled a hand over the money before Mama May could take it, looking back at Corbin with wide eyes. "What are you doing?"

"Hey, no," Corbin said, narrowing his eyes at him. "Don't start this stupid shit. Just say thank you. It's not a big deal, so don't make it one."

It was true Corbin had more than enough money to throw around. It was also true that Corbin was strangely frugal about it. He didn't even tend to indulge on himself and now, after weeks of being in a temperamental funk, he was going to spend hundreds on Lucius? With zero prodding? Just because he wanted to?

"God, you're a dumbass," Corbin hissed and then turned on his heel for the door. "I'm waiting outside. Hurry up and pay."

"Aw," Elena cooed, watching him go. "He's so cute."

"He's something," Gior muttered. "That's for sure."

Lucius didn't have anything to say to either of those statements. As it stood, he was still dumbstruck. 

He paid. Followed his friends outside. The air had cooled some as the sun had begun to sink beneath the horizon. He hadn't realized they'd been shopping for so long.

Corbin was just around the corner, leaning against a wall again with his head tilted back and his eyes closed. As if he could sense his presence, his eyes shot open to lock with his own almost immediately. Lucius started to speak, but Corbin didn't give him the chance.

"Alright," he said, beelining in the direction of the car. "Let's go."