"We probably should have done the makeup first," Juliet said thoughtfully and Elena made an obnoxious sound of disagreement. "Just so... You know. Less chance of getting powder on the dress and everything."

"Hell no," she said. "He would've fucked it up by now. Give him another thirty minutes and he definitely will."

"Hey," Lucius said, giving her the finger, "fuck you."

"I wanted to see it all together before we did makeup," Gior said. "To help decide on the look. Also there's still the wig."

"Wig?" Juliet asked, wide eyed. He'd almost forgotten about that, too.

"Yup," Elena grinned. "I found just the perfect thing, too."

It was platinum, so bright it could almost just be considered white, and long enough to reach his lower back. It was a wavy, thick thing, too. Soft but still kind of itchy. Nothing Lucius was used to.

"Where'd you even get this?" he asked. He'd certainly never seen Elena wear it.

"Borrowed it," she said, which almost certainly meant she’d stolen it. "Been saving it for a special occassion. Be grateful."

"It's nice," Lucius said, gawking at himself in the mirror. That was an understatement, but he couldn't think of a better descriptor. He didn't know what he'd been expecting, but it wasn't this. What had started as a bit of a joke was coming together better than he could have imagined in his dreams. "Thank you. Really. All of you guys."

"Hush," Elena said. She was using a blow dryer to set the lace, warm against his forehead. "I'm doing this for me. Tilt your head back."

Juliet handled the makeup, though Gior seemed quietly disappointed that he wouldn't have the chance. The foundation felt lighter than Lucius was expecting— something like a creamy lotion, maybe. Juliet followed a myriad of steps to get his base just right, and Lucius watched in fascination. Then came the fun part. A gold shimmer smoky eye, simple winged eyeliner, a little blush and a shiny highlight along his cheekbone. She went for a muted, natural shade for his lips, deciding to let his eyes be the striking eye-catcher of the look. 

She tried to put lashes on, too, but Lucius argued against it. Instead, they settled with a thick mascara.

By the time they were done with everything, accessories and all, Lucius was positively starstuck with his own appearance. The girls were fussy, too, all giggles and smiles and doting touches. Gior observed from a distance, looking upon him with pride. Lucius himself was practically glued to the mirror, wondering how he could look so insanely different and also just like himself at the same time. That was, until Gior kicked him out of the bathroom so he could get ready, himself.

The girls disappeared to their own room and Ian returned shortly after. He got one look at Lucius and whistled.

"Goddamn," he said. "Good shit. Kinda slutty, though."

Lucius rolled his eyes but laughed all the same. "It's not that bad. Don't be a dick."

"I'm not!" he claimed, holding his hands up in surrender. "You look good. I'm actually kinda shocked, no offense."

"None taken. I'm shocked, too."

"Did Corbin really pay for all this?"

Lucius shouldn't have been shocked they'd mentioned it to him. Knowing Elena, it'd probably been her. Gior didn't tend to linger on this kind of thing.

"Yeah," Lucius confirmed with a nod. "It was random, too. Still don't know why he did it."

"He should've," Ian said. "I'm jealous. Million dollar family, by the way, and they wouldn't lend me a few dollars."

"That's how they got that million," Lucius grinned, the corners of his eyes wrinkling. "Cheap motherfuckers."

The front door pushed open and both of them turned to look. Corbin slipped in and Lucius's jaw dropped.

"Cheap?" he asked, incredulous. He was dressed in all black. High-waisted, loose-fitting dress pants, an open blazer with satin lapels, and a sheer, black mesh shirt that Lucius could see all of his chest through. He'd somehow forgotten Corbin had gotten his nipples pierced, but there it was. Metal fully on display.

Lucius felt his mouth watering. He swallowed. The look was a seemless blend of the formal tailoring he'd grown to expect from his family, and fun, modern party wear. He looked so good. Good was an understatement. 

He looked like someone Lucius might kill to have. What he'd do to tug that silver around his neck and pull him down against him.

"Wow," Ian said, nodding his approval. "You look great. It wasn't me that said it by the way. That was all Lucius."

"Yeah, alright," Corbin hummed. He was staring at Lucius, gaze heavy enough to sink under. "Well? You aren't gonna show yourself off to me?"

Lucius gaped at the words. A second later, he stood and tried not to be self conscious as Corbin approached.

Just like in the store, Corbin circled around him. He ran a finger through his hair, set a hand against his back and curled it around his waist. Held him at the hips and played with the straps there. Lucius, growing more and more keyed up, let him. 

"Gior is a miracle worker," he muttered. He stepped away, and Lucius felt as if he could breathe again. "You look... I don't know how he pulled this off."

"So you like it?"

Corbin smirked and then laughed a bit. Quiet and more air than sound. "What does it matter what I think? You hanging on my approval?"

"You look good," Lucius said, refusing to be shy about it. "Very sexy."

"I know," Corbin said, but his lips curved further.

"Oh my god," Ian said and both of them turned to look at him. Lucius, shamefully, had almost forgotten he was there. Ian was giving them both a weird look. "You two are something else, I swear. I've never seen anything like this. You make me feel like I need a lobotomy."

"What?" Lucius asked at the same time Corbin said, "you do."

Ian gave Corbin a dirty look. "Screw you, too. Can you guys fuck off for a bit? I need to get ready, too, and since Gior is apparantly gonna hog the bathroom—"

"I'll be out in ten minutes!" Gior called out, muffled behind the closed door.

Ian shrugged, directing his thumb toward the door. "Out, lovebirds."

Lucius listened and Corbin followed behind him, observing the way he walked.

"Not bad," he said in the hallway. He backed a few paces away from him and then curled a beckoning finger. "Walk to me."

Lucius raised an eyebrow even as his face warmed. "What am I? Your dog?"

"My Lucy," Corbin said, amused. "Just for the night."

It was as if he was trying to embarrass him. Lucius wished he had the nerve to tell him he didn't have to try that hard. Not now. He'd never felt so incredibly out of his element around Corbin before. Usually, he was the one teasing Corbin. Trying to draw him out of his self-imposed cage.

Lucius walked over. It wasn't as if he was wearing regular heels. The bottoms of the platforms had thicker soles toward the front which meant his feet weren't so harshly angled. The heels themselves weren't too high, either, so stability wasn't incredibly difficult to find.

It felt a little weird, sure, but nothing he couldn't manage. Gior had made sure of that.

"Thought I'd have to hold onto you the whole time," Corbin mused. He held him by the wrist as soon as he was close enough, brushed the palms of their hands together briefly, and then pulled away entirely. "You're not a complete mess for once. Congrats."

"Asshole," Lucius laughed. "Don't think you can bully me just because I look like this. I could still kick your ass."

Corbin shoved him. It was a relatively light touch, but Lucius still would've landed flat on his ass if Corbin didn't catch him, steadying him with a hand on his lower back. To someone passing by, it might even look as if Corbin was dipping him. As if they'd been dancing in the hotel hallway. 

Lucius clutched back at Corbin, hard enough it had to ache but Corbin didn't complain. He helped him back upright, cocking an eyebrow.

"You couldn't kick my ass on your best day, Lucy."

"That almost sounds like a challenge."

"Take me up on it."

Lucius's lips quirked. Corbin smirked back.

"I will."

All of them were dressed up and ready to go an hour later. Gior didn't do anything dramatic like Lucius had been expecting, but he assumed that had a lot to do with the fact that his attention had been half divided on him. He still looked good as always, dressed in a semi-transparent shirt patterned in bold roses in red and gold against black mesh with form-fitting pants.

Juliet was wearing a simple but flattering blue dress with a deep v-neckline that stopped halfway down her thighs. Unlike himself, her legs were covered in sheer tights. She'd foregone heels and chosen high wedges. Ian went simple, too. A button up and dress pants— nothing to gawk at. Neither of them liked to be the center of attention.

Elena was the exact opposite. She'd gone for bold and bright— the kind of thing that forced you to notice her. She was like walking fire, the cut and colors of the dress beautifully favoring the bright red of her dyed hair. It had a low-cut corset bodice, highlighting her curves, and a floor-length skirt amd trim meant to mimic rising flames and embers. Smoky black toward the top, it melted into fiery red, orange, and yellows toward the base in a cascading ombre.

It looked expensive. Stupidly so. 

"Holy fuck," Lucius said, gawking. Unabashedly enamored. Elena smirked and spun for him. He'd never seen a dress look so alive. "Why are you wearing this to the club?"

"It was sitting in my closet," Elena shrugged. "I don't know. Just in case I die in a week, I guess."

"You shouldn't say things like that," Juliet murmured, trying to clasp a necklace around Elena's neck for all she wouldn't stop moving. "Words have power."

"Who wins, Julie?" Elena asked. "You're the judge, remember?"

Juliet shook her head, smiling. "I can't choose, really. You both look amazing."

"Fuck, I'll choose," Lucius said. "You've got me beat and it's not even close. Can I take a picture?"

"Go ahead," Elena cackled. "It'll last longer."

They all ended up having a brief photoshoot, capturing the memory and freezing it in time, before they all gathered into Gior's car and set out for the club.