I walked with Suki down the streets as she remained silent, walking normally now compared to what happened last night.
“Which hat store are we going to?” she asked me then.
“Well, my Angel,” I said then, smirking, “I assumed you enjoy wearing hair pieces. You have that ribbon in your ponytail right now, and you also enjoy it when I put that bow clip in your hair. The one with the banana pendants?”
“You’re rambling,” she stated, “get to your point.”
“I’m explaining,” I corrected, smirking, “and my point is, I think you will adore some hats. I think you’ll look dashing in them.”
“Hats?” she echoed.
“Top hats,” I listed, “steam punk hats. I could go on.”
“Okay… so are we going to a costume shop?” she asked me.
“Indeed,” I responded, “and it’s on the right.”
She just nodded, gazing back forward.
But—suddenly—she just gasped, and I watched her trip over something before catching herself.
I nearly moved to catch her before she stood back up. “Are you alright?”
She just nodded, something dark etched in her expression. “Yeah… just a pothole.”
I watched her then, and she took one step forward…
She just cried out, and her knees buckled.
I caught her then, holding onto her. “Are you alright? What happened?”
She winced and caught her breath, gazing down. “I think… that pothole… I think I hurt my ankle.”
I gazed down at it then, lips parting when I helped her sit down onto the sidewalk. “Let me see,” I urged.
She breathed slowly when I lightly caught her shoe and untied the laces, pulling it off seconds later.
She whimpered, but I just pulled off her sock and gazed down at the injury.
“Oh,” I said then, brows drawing together, “you hurt it, indeed.”
The skin around her ankle was swollen and started to turn purple, and I just gazed up at her. “No wonder you can’t walk on it.”
She seemed genuinely embarrassed as she looked to the sidewalk under her.
“Now, now,” I said then, tipping her chin up so she faced me, “don’t look so defeated.”
“But we were going to go hat shopping,” she said quietly.
“Who said we weren’t?” I said then, smiling as she gazed up at me curiously.
I just pulled her sock and shoe back on, tying her laces seconds later.
I then caught under her armpits and lifted her, making her gasp when I held her by under her bottom.
Until I carried her like a toddler.
“Your hand is on my ass,” she said then.
“It’s an accident,” I responded to her, starting to carry her down the streets.
She watched me for a moment. “It’s still on my ass.”
I smiled slyly. “It’s still an accident.”
She just rolled her eyes and gazed to where we were going, clearly not going to fight me like her previous self would.
Almost ten minutes later, we entered the costume shop.
I carried her in, standing at the doorway.
She pointed forward. “There. I want to look there.”
I just smiled and walked over to the steampunk section, and she just looked around before she pointed again. “I like that one.”
I stepped over to it, holding her with one arm before I picked up the hat.
It was a brown-ish black hat with make-shift goggles attached to them. “You like this one?”
She nodded, once.
I just smiled and set it on her head, and she blinked.
“What isle next, my adventurer?” I joked then.
She didn’t look pleased, but she just pointed to the isle on my right. “That one.”
I walked with her over to that area and smiled when I found costumes with the Victorian era here.
“I like that one,” she pointed, “with the black flower.”
I stepped over there then, gazing down at the hat before picking it up.
It was a black top hat with a ribbon surrounding it, and there was a small black flower attached to the side.
I set that one on her head also, draping it over the steampunk one.
She just looked around before pointing to another hat in the isle. “I like that one, too.”
I picked up a pink hat with roses attached to the side, and I smiled down at her when I set that one on top of the top hat.
She gazed up at me then. “I’m done now.”
“Really?” I said then, smirking. “You only got three.”
“Three is enough,” she responded, “I still have my lovely ribbon and its companion, banana bow.”
I chuckled. “Alright, if that’s what you want.”
I carried her over to the cash resister, and the cashier gazed up at us, blinking when she saw me carrying an adult woman like a child.
I just set the hats on the counter, adjusting my grip on Suki as she kept one arm wrapped around my neck for stabilization. “Good evening to you, madam. How is your day?”
“Hello,” she said then, looking down at her register to avoid eye contact, “would you like some bags?”
My lashes lowered when I read her thoughts:
Crazies. They’re all over the place.
“No, I’m sure my lady can wear the hats on her head,” I said then.
Suki just gazed down at me. “Excuse me.”
I gave her an amused look.
“Oh…” the cashier said as I pushed my card in the reader, “is she your boss or something?”
Why is he carrying his boss like a two-year-old? I heard her think.
I just smiled, lashes lowering as my eyes glowed a slight red. “I don’t appreciate you staring at my Angel like that.”
She gasped then, face paling when she saw my eyes change color. “How do you do that?”
“You ask too many questions,” I responded, smile widening. “I would be careful with that trait. It can get you killed.”
Her breaths strained.
I set the hats on Suki’s head and closed my eyes kindly. “Have a lovely day.”
I then walked out of the shop, carrying Suki still as we made our way down the street.
“Your hand is still on my ass,” she said to me.
“It’s still an accident.”
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