The suits Lore procured me have become useful far earlier than expected.

A day after we made our plans to visit the bar, I stand in front of the full-length mirror in my bathroom staring at a reflection that I refuse to accept as mine. Even during large scale events, such as the naming of a new champion, members of the church do not wear suits. We have matching robes to dictate our titles and placement among the church. I've always felt at home in them. When I saw another wearing those robes, I saw them as a friend or a part of the family.

I don't know who this is staring back at me. I don't know what I'm meant to feel. How can an item as simple as a suit seemingly strip away my entire being? I want to tear it away, to dive back into the robes I've become accustomed to. The comfortable and flowing nature of the garments that hugged me like a blanket. Suits are neither of those things. It feels too tight. I keep tugging at the collar and...

Why is my butt so prominent?! What is the purpose of this?!

I feel the urge to tug my jacket down to cover my backside, but it's too short to do so. Sexual hot spot or not, this is too much for me. If Lore honestly believes I am going to wear this, he has another thing coming!

Storming out of my room, I head down the hall towards Lore's room. However, I'm stopped when Darika and Isabella skid to a halt, both exiting Darika's room with a few pieces of garment in their grasps. They see me, stare wide-eyed, go slack jawed, then I ask, "Is... do I look that bad?"

Isabella shakes her head so rapidly I fear it may pop off. She pushes herself over to me. Her gentle hand takes hold of my sleeve, her lips pushing back into a smile like she has been presented a gift. Darika, on the other hand, grows eerily vile looking, like a witch on the verge of cursing me. Her voice is hissed like an angry snake, "You look fantastic."

I stare incredulously at her while grunting when Isabella rolls around me to tug at the back of my jacket and even my pant leg.

"Why are you saying that like it's a bad thing?" I ask.

"Because it makes her mad that you look that good," Isabella says, giggling. She moves in front of me and gives two thumbs up. "You clean up nice, Seren."

"Thanks, although I'm sure you could have made a much better suit," I tell her, smiling when she laughs and shyly waves my compliment off.

I wish I felt like what she said was true. I don't feel right in this.

Continuing to grumble, Darika and Isabella head to the chairlift. I hear it kick on followed by Darika's continued rumbles that I rather not imagine what they are.

Sighing, I continue my journey to Lore's bedroom, he claimed earlier that he'd be getting changed as well. I pound so rapidly on his door it's a miracle the door doesn't explode off its hinges.

"Enter," he calls from within, which I should have questioned because Lore is always up to something and I know better. I'm too flustered about my suit and what the girls said to think of the consequences, which is why I'm now standing in the center of Lore's room staring slack jawed at his half tightened corset.

Why in the Holy Mothers name is he wearing a fucking corset? Who let him own one?!

"Excellent timing, Seren. Help me with this," he says, facing his back completely to me. He should have punched me, it would have been a kinder way to force the air to leave my lungs.

Lore pulls up his hair, knocking the tail over his shoulder to reveal the last few rungs of his corset at the top that need tightening or, uh, rather, it'd be better if he wasn't wearing it at all. Not in that sense! Just, as in, uh... as in he doesn't need to wear something so... form fitting. He already has a great figu--I'm digging myself into a bigger hole. A crater, in fact.

"I'll go fetch a maid," I say with every intention to escape prior to committing a heinous act, although, arguably, heresy is already happening. My mouth is too dry, my heart rate too fast, and thoughts taking a turn for the worst. The gutter would be an improvement, in fact.

"Don't be so troublesome. You're perfectly capable. Come over here," he insists while glancing over his shoulder at me. That doesn't help. It doesn't help at all because he has to notice how tense I am or the stupid expression I'm definitely wearing. Actually, he has to hear how violently my heart's beating against my ribcage.

"I... have no idea how to..." I gesture at the cursed corset that really does accentuate his wide shoulders and slim waist. Not that he needs them to be accentuated, but he's a problematic fool like that. He has to make everything more complicated than they should be.

"Are you really going to make me stand like this any longer?" Lore huffs. He flicks his fingers in a come hither manner that, for some reason, I listen to. Probably because my brain resembles a bowl of applesauce.

"Just follow the pattern," he instructs.

Swallowing the very large lump in my throat, I approach Lore to get this over with. My hands shake grasping the strings to loop in a crisscross pattern up the last remnants of his back. Strands of his long hair brush against my hands and nose from the natural movement of his breath. He smells like apples again, faintly sweet. The way he holds his hair shows off his far too tempting neck. One step forward and my lips would--

"Gah!" Lore grunts when I swiftly tighten the last bit and practically throw myself across the room. Pouting, he looks at me to say, "Couldn't you have been more gentle? It's rude to get rough without asking your partner first."

"Pa-partner?!" I repeat, not liking the way it makes him leer.

"Stop making everything weird and uncomfortable," I grumble, wishing to run to the nearest sink to scrub my hands clean like I think they've somehow been tainted. In reality, it'd be better to scrub my mind considering what it was about to imagine.

Chuckling, Lore stands sideways towards the mirror to admire his figure. The one he really shouldn't have because it's dangerous for everyone. He brushes his hair back again, which he needs to stop doing because it looks really good when he does it and I hate to admit that.

"Well done," he says while adjusting his vest slightly. He grabs the matching jacket that fits him as perfectly as everything else. It should be illegal for him to get anything tailored so precisely. I don't know where to look because everywhere is a potential hazard.

"Now the question is; do I wear my hair up or down?" Lore asks while proceeding to hold his hair up then let it fall down his back. "Thoughts?"

Groaning, I throw my hands up and ask without thinking, "Does that matter? You look fantastic either way!"

Lore smirks. I freeze.

"I meant, you... those who are attracted to, um, someone like you would find you attractive... either way," I sputter in a poor attempt to spare myself.

"Of course," Lore purrs.

Why would he purr?! Who the fuck purrs?!

In my moment of panic, Lore approaches. My limbs refuse to listen, choosing to turn to stone when Lore runs his hand down the front of my jacket. The air vacates my lungs a second time today when he next adjusts the collar of my shirt, which probably actually needed it since I had been toying with it earlier. I feel the faint touch of his fingers against my neck that shivers from the pathetically minor attention.

"You don't look so bad yourself, according to those who may find you relatively attractive," he says far too proudly, then taps my nose like a misbehaving puppy. "Come along, my love, we can bask in our undying affection after we get our work done."

"Undying... you..." I'd rather not speak after the previous screw up so I choose to pretend I'm strangling Lore behind his back.

He pivots on his heel to catch me doing so, narrowing his eyes into a glare that makes me believe he's legitimately upset, but then he opens his mouth to sing, "As future reference, I'm not into choking, but bondage isn't entirely off the table."

"What did I say about taking your jokes too far?!" I bellow.

"Don't you think pretending to cause me harm is worse than a few flirtatious remarks?" Lore asks innocently, but we both know he's not. Waving his hand dismissively, he chuckles and walks out the door. "Let it slide this time. I promise to be on my best behavior for the rest of the evening, my sweet Seren."

"I highly doubt that," I hiss under my breath while rubbing my temple in hopes that it'll somehow make the images in my mind disappear.

- - ┈┈∘┈˃̶༒˂̶┈∘┈┈ - -

Hmm, Seren feels very out of place in a suit, but let's admit it, he probably looks absolutely stunning in one. Hehehe, Lore is having way too much fun. Will Seren be able to continue resisting Lore's many flirtations? Is Lore interested in Seren or just messing with him? Will these two be able to get the job done or will it all go up in flames? In case you're curious what Lore's vest corset looks like, I left an external link.