I smiled, pleased that he remembered. This would make my not-so-subtle flirting less likely to fluster him. Not that I minded seeing him flustered, since he was sickeningly cute.
"Nothing like a little method acting, hmm? Now, as dashing as your current outfit is, let's shop around."
Miguel looked down at his clothes. "Yeah, aPokémonshirt and old pair of jeans are super dashing."
The name rang a bell. "Is that what that little yellow rodent creature is? I remember when it was everywhere and prudes thought it was the devil's work.”
Miguel laughed. "I remember that too! That was crazy. They're just cute harmless monsters."
I leaned down to examine the creature on Miguel's shirt—or at least, that's what it looked like I was doing. In reality I just wanted an excuse to get closer to him, to secretly inhale a deep drag of his scent.
Fuck, he smelled amazing. If only it was socially acceptable for me to claim him right here on the shopping mall floor. Since humans don’t like seeing that, I behaved myself.
"Harmless monsters," I murmured, echoing his words. I looked at the yellow mouse-thing on his shirt. "Indeed. Not a demonic entity at all, is it?"
"If it is a demon, it's a pretty cute one.”
"So demons are all right in your book as long as they're cute?"
"Sure. Why not?"
I tucked that statement away for later. I'd have to come out to him as a demon eventually so it was nice to hear that from him, even if he was mostly joking.
"Man, where do I even start here?" Miguel mused out loud in front of the store directory. "I've never been to any of these fancy clothes places..."
I skimmed the list, recognizing most of them. "Don't worry. We'll take on this challenge together. After all, what are boyfriends for?"
Miguel nodded. "R-right.Boyfriends."
"This one is closest. Let's see," I suggested.
Waddling beside me like an awkward duckling, Miguel followed me to the store. Men's suits were displayed in the window. As we entered the store, one of the employees greeted us. Miguel glanced around uncomfortably. This was clearly out of his comfort zone.
"Everything okay?" I asked.
"Yeah. This place isn't my usual fare," he said with a slight laugh. "I don't even know where to start."
"Look around and pick something you like."
"I'll try..." Miguel wandered up to a classic-looking black suit and tilted his head. "How about this? This is okay for a wedding, right?"
"Absolutely. Go try it on."
"Er, am I allowed?"
"No, you have to buy it without knowing the fit," I teased. "There's a changing room over there."
He frowned, examining the suit and then his own belly. "Will it even fit me?"
I had enough experience with suits that I already knew it would. The suit was loose enough to fit his chubby tummy and look flattering.
"It will," I said. "And if not, we'll simply try another."
Miguel smiled shyly. "Okay. I'll try it."
As we approached the change room, the employee from before—a fit, muscled man without a scrap of extra fat on him—slipped into view and shot Miguel a patronizing look that immediately made me want to claw his eyes out.
"Hello, sir. Just letting you know that we haveplussizes in the back, so please don't be afraid to request one," he said in a smarmy tone.
