I Won't Let You Wilt

I almost threw it all away

He looked at the price tag on the jacket and almost screamed.

Keep yourself calm, Sunny...

Remember, you've worked hard at your job for the past couple of months. You deserve a treat.

"Ha, maybe I should try to look wealthier," Sunny said, smiling back.

"Want to buy it?" Basil asked.

Before confirming his answer, Sunny inspected himself again in the mirror, doing a variety of poses to check his image from every angle.

It was surprising what having spare income could do to someone's fashion mindset. Spare income and a boyfriend he wanted to look beautiful for, to be exact.

He discovered that the jacket complemented his fluffy hair, courtesy of his boyfriend's amazing haircutting skills. Together they created a look that was elegant and androgynous. Not entirely androgynous—he was still recognizably male—but he could almost consider himself cute, a term that up until now he'd reserved usage only for Basil.

"I'll buy it," Sunny concluded, pleased with his new image.

Basil's smile was a sunshine that could make a whole meadow of flowers bloom.

"You look so cute in it!" Basil said.

"Well, you picked it for me and your tastes are the cutest," Sunny replied with a smile.

Hearing those words, Basil reached for a hug and Sunny reciprocated, adding a quick kiss on the lips.

They were in public, but Sunny didn't mind; he had some clear words for anyone who complained, as well as potentially a fist.

"How about I pick something for you?" Sunny asked.

"Sure, I'd love to try out something you choose!"

With the purchase of that jacket, Sunny had emptied his wallet. It was a worthy sacrifice for the purpose of beautiful fashion.

They went shopping through a bunch more stores in the mall in search of a new attire for Basil.

Being Christmas season, the crowds got thick enough that they had to squeeze through bodies in order to get into some of the shops. Sunny did not enjoy pushing against a river of people, and he made a mental note that if they went Christmas shopping in the future, they'd best do it a couple of weeks before December.

After spending a couple of hours browsing through those shops, Sunny still couldn't find something for Basil.

Maybe it was because Basil was already perfect as he is; Sunny couldn't honestly find any way to improve Basil at all.

Maybe, instead of upgrading his attire, I should look for something more functional.

They were, after all, shopping for clothes to spend the winter with and both of them could use another scarf or a new pair of gloves. Sunny had come woefully unequipped for winter, since all he had packed with him when he moved in with Basil were his summer clothes.

Over the past autumn months, Basil had lent him some of his own clothes to wear. November—and that flu he'd come down with—convinced him that he needed a new heavy jacket.

No matter how much Basil had pleaded, Sunny would not allow himself to wear Basil's only winter jacket in the middle of December and leave Basil to freeze outdoors.

"Hey, check this out," Sunny said, picking up a pair of fluffy earmuffs that he thought would look cute on Basil.

Basil took a liking to them as soon as he put them on. "They're so comfy!"