Smoking Love (Mikoto Suoh x Reader)

Chapter Six: Friend

    'Click, clock, click, clock,' went the sound of your heels on the hard concrete of the sidewalk. Anna held your hand in hers as you both walked to the dress shop together. Her dress had a long rip in it, so you offered to take her there, knowing none of the guys would want to (or would admit to wanting to). Besides, it gave the chance to spend some one on one time with the girl and you'd get to take her out to buy a new bathing suit for next summer.

    No one else came along with you, though several insisted. They thought two ladies taking a stroll by themselves through Shizume City was a bad idea, but you told them the shop would only take under ten minutes to get to and you could handle yourselves well enough, even if you weren't the strongest members. They just got protective of you two; you understood.

    You felt a gentle tug on your arm, snapping you out of your headspace.

    "We're here, Y/N." Anna glanced up at you, eyes meeting briefly before you smiled down at her, pushing open the revolving door to the shop.

    The place was absolute dress heaven, having dresses ranging from frilly summer to satin empire. You caught sight of the small lolita ones, guiding Anna to them. You let her search through them while you went up to the counter where several of the shopkeepers gathered around. You snickered a little to yourself as you went up to them, thinking about Mikoto or any other fellow Clansmen coming in here to buy Anna something. They'd suck it up for her, but you knew they'd get embarrassed or flustered at least a little, even Mr. Tough-Guy-King himself.

    "Hello," you addressed one of the ladies, "could I have a repair done on a small lolita dress? None of my family is talented in sewing or mending and I have plenty of money to pay."

    A middle-aged woman beamed at you, "Yes, we sure can. Do you have the dress with you?"

    You returned the smile, pointing over to Anna, "It's on my sister. I came here to buy a new dress for her, too."

    She gave you a confused look, "Then why is she wearing it?"

    "It's torn in the bottom layers and it's her favorite dress, so she won't take it off, heh." You shot her a guilty simper this time.

    Her expression changed to one of understanding, "Ahh, I see. Once she has the new dress, you'll give the old one to me so I can fix it. We can do that."

    After you paid for the service, thanking the dressmaker, you found Anna staring at a red lolita with a black shawl, very similar the one she wore now, just reversed in colors.

    "It would look beautiful on you, Anna."

    "You think so?" she asked, tone emotionless, yet you still sensed the hope behind the question.

    "I know so." You took her hand again, giving her a reassuring squeeze before guiding her to the dressing room to change, new dress in hand.

    Anna let the sides of her mouth curl upwards a tiny fraction then went to go put it on. You paid for the dress beforehand at the register so you could leave whenever she got done putting it on. After which you sat down on a chair next to the dressing room to wait for her. You pulled out the new book you'd checked out a week ago to read for a few minutes during your wait.

    You never did get a chance to read, though, for the second you opened it to the first page, a harsh whisper behind you caught your attention.

    "Are you crazy, Sawa? You can't wear a dress like that!"

    You took a discreet glance over your shoulder to see the speaker, catching sight of two women and a man who appeared the same age as you, sifting through some of the more expensive dresses. You made brief eye contact with the girl holding up a bright yellow sundress, making your head turn back to its original place in a hurry.