[Scar/Dream] Heart Thief

26. A Sneaky Purchase

Scar was in a wonderful mood as he walked through the mall with Dream. He could see the joy on Dream's face as he bought those aquarium tickets for them and took him through the place, showing him different sea creatures and talking about them excitedly. There was a certain tone Dream had used at first, as though expecting to be told to be quiet at any moment, but when Scar had shared his own knowledge and encouraged Dream to talk more, Dream had quickly opened up to him. Scar didn't want Dream to ever feel like he had to keep his thoughts to himself. Scar loved hearing people gush about their interests.

Scar thought about that sweet moment they had in the underwater tunnel, when Dream had been looking at him like he wanted to kiss him, and Scar had waited for him to do it. But he had paused, looking away, and Scar knew he still wasn't ready for it. But he had a feeling it wouldn't be long until Dream went for it. Dream was already letting Scar kiss his face, which was plenty intimate as far as Scar was concerned. He just wished there was something he could do to make Dream more comfortable, but he knew it would likely just take time. As close to Dream as he was, he was aware it really hasn't been that long that they've known each other. So he wasn't going to rush anything. He would just let their relationship progress naturally.

They checked out a few different stores, but mostly Dream just seemed happy to walk around and look at things, holding Scar's hand the entire time, while he kept his new shark plushie under his other arm. Lunchbox was an adorable little creature and Scar was already thinking it would be cute to get a collar for her. Maybe they could find something like that at Build-A-Bear Workshop, though Scar would likely need to get a custom tag engraved.

As he was thinking it over, Dream suddenly tugged on his hand and nodded toward a clothing store. "I want to look for something."

"Okay," Scar said, following him over. Dream let go of his hand once they were in the store, going over toward a table stacked with folded clothes and looking through. Scar realized they were hoodies, and Dream picked up one that was vivid green and reminded him of the one Dream had been wearing when he got shot. The one Dream had said was a comfort to him, but was so bloody and ruined there was no reason to keep it, so he had thrown it out.

Dream unfolded the coat, holding it in front of himself as he checked the size, then he handed Lunchbox to Scar and began pulling the coat on.

"How's it feel?" Scar asked once Dream had it on. Dream put the hood up and considered, hugging himself, then reaching inside the coat to feel the material. After a few moments, he nodded and tugged the coat back up over his head.

"It's good. It's a little different from my old one, but it feels warmer. I think I want to get it." Dream looked at the price tag, making a face. "Why does everything cost so much?"

"That's really not that bad," Scar said, checking too, only for Dream to give him a look.

"Well yeah, wouldn't be for you. But do you know how many fast food cheeseburgers I could buy for this?"

"Ah, yeah," Scar chuckled. "But hey, a good hoodie like that is still a good investment. It'll last you."

"Yeah... And I do really want a new one. I just think the price is kinda high, but everything in here seems to cost this much, so..."

"Yeah, unfortunately that's just the price range for something like that," Scar said. "It's really not that bad, trust me. If we had gone into Aeropostale or something it'd be way worse."

Dream laughed. "True. Okay, yeah. I'll just get this one." He looked at a few other clothes as he walked up to the counter, but didn't get anything else, simply buying the hoodie. The cashier put it in a bag and handed it over, along with his change, and Dream carefully sorted the money before putting it back in his wallet. He took Lunchbox back and took Scar's hand once more as they left the shop.