Base? Destroyed. Clothes? Burnt. Time To Shop For Cool Outfits 'Til This Credit Card Declines

***Location**: Halcyon City, just outside Jeanie’s Fashion Emporium*

***Date**: April 11th, Thursday*

***Time**: 1400; 2pm*

“Oh my gosh.”

“It’s them?”

“Where’s Jack?!”

“And Lou-Ann?!”

‘Great,’ Angel thinks to himself as he makes his way down the street, fingers intertwined with Pulalu’s. Ever since that amateur reporter snapped a photo of the two at Palazzo del Gatto, they haven’t been able to really spend too much time in public together without someone recognizing them and bombarding them with questions, accusations, or just wanting a picture to tell their friends and co-workers.

Normally, Angel would give out a half-hearted answer or just amuse the masses for a bit, but since they were harassing not just him, but his boyfriend, Angel remained silent and stone-faced, continuing his walk.

“So. Meet more friends?” Pulalu asks, ignoring the people and looking towards Angel.

“Yeah,” Angel started, shoulders and jaw tensed into a vice, “Gwen wanted to do some shopping. Invited Jaime along for the ride.”

“Good. Good friends?”

Angel nodded as the store’s sign came into view. Andro Jean, the designing genius behind the Jeanie brand, was not known for subtlety. Then again, neither was their life partner, NONI, who designed the building and catalogues for Jeanie. They’ve been good acquaintances since Lou-Ann kicked off her career, but they tend to be very...eccentric, so to speak. But, Andro’s fashion sense caters to everyone, which made them the perfect person to go to for Gwen and Jaime’s new clothes. No one does it better than Jeanie.

Angel looked at his phone and motioned for Pulalu to wait outside with him for Gwen and Jaime to arrive. Pulalu leaned his back against the building wall while Angel rested into Pulalu’s embrace. The larger Transformed man rested his head on Angel’s as the couple talked to distract and listened to some of the recordings on Angel’s phone of his bandmates in practice.

Gwen had been (temporarily, she assured herself) staying with her cousin Rhiannon, since her room in the Big Team base was gone along with the rest of the base. This meant some awkwardness, especially in getting reacquainted with the luxuries of the aristocracy. The day before, she’d offhandedly mentioned that she would be meeting Angel to go shopping, Lukas--Rhiannon’s driver--had offered to drive her. Considering the alternatives were getting a Lyft (her personal funds were still low, as she refused money from Rhiannon even as she accepted other gifts) and flying in (and drawing a lot of attention from onlookers), she accepted the offer. She sent Jaime a message to ask them if they’d like to get picked up from the hotel.

Sitting in the back of a car for the express purpose of getting dropped off by the person driving felt strange to Gwen. She wasn’t sure why. Years ago, it was a common occurrence for her. Her father liked to drive, but didn’t always do so himself, and back in Avalon they always had someone drive their carriage. Gwen felt the urge to ask Lukas about his “Shady Rider” persona, but in the end she kept silent and just browsed memes on her phone, until they came into the street where Jaime’s hotel was. She sent a message to Jaime, *‘hey! We’re here’*.

As the classy black sedan pulled to a stop, Gwen threw open the door for Jaime and waited for them to get in.

Jaime yawns, and stretched. One of the nice things about being on your own means getting up at whatever time you want. In Jaime’s case, that means waking up at 6:00 AM, working out, showering, a mediocre hotel breakfast, and then headed back to bed for a nice nap. It was relaxing to not have to be training most of the day, or preparing for a mission, or whatever it is. It’s something that still brought them a small amount of joy.

As much as the Big Team Base didn’t feel like home yet, and as annoying it was to suddenly have about ten new housemates, Jaime missed the base. Their quiet dormitory room, with its stark white walls and actually comfortable bed. Friends were there. Or at least, what Jaime hopes were friends. Soon to be friends.

At the notification from Gwen’s text, they shot something back quickly. “*gimme five*” They were a little surprised that Gwen had asked them to come along. Sure, they’d been living at the base together, and sure Gwen had sort-of coordinated some missions with the whole Trevor fiasco, but, shopping?

It was nice to be thought of, though. They’d had, while not the most extensive collection, quite an expensive one. They felt strangely lucky they had overpacked for Japan.

Jaime headed down to the elevator, grabbing an orange and a banana, and some of that fantastic watermelon water. The car was out front, sleek and expensive looking, one door thrown open, presumably in welcome. Alright then. They climbed into the car, and offered Gwen a piece of fruit.

“Thanks for the ride. Want something?“

“*Keine Danke*,” Lukas responded with a grumble from the driver’s seat.

Gwen smiled at Jaime’s offer. “Oh, thanks! I love citrus.”

She ate the piece while sending a message to Angel that they were on their way. She had her old, beaten-up looking beanie hat lying next to her, her large feline ears free. Gwen had preferred to keep them hidden in public, but with the dark-tinted windows of the back seats of the car, she could leave her hat off without drawing looks from people in other cars.

“Angel should be waiting for us at the store. I don’t know the place, so I guess it’s new. Well, if ‘new’ means ‘less than three years old’, hah,” she tried to brush off her discomfort with a laugh.

“Yeah, it’s pretty new. I’m not always on top of everything, but… they’ve got some good stuff. Stuff you’d probably like. Angel has pretty good taste.”

It’s still a bit weird to them, to like… be doing this. Going to the mall with some friends. How *normal teenager* of them. Even if this is something they wanted, it still doesn’t quite feel real.

They run their hands through their hair before taking a bite of the banana they still held.

Jaime looked down at their outfit, mustard yellow sweatpants and a black cropped sweatshirt. It exposed a good bit of their stomach. Usually they’d wear a bit more, but this was shopping and they wanted to be able to change more easily. It would be a good time to reinvent a bit of their style.

“What kind of stuff are you looking for? Some of the same or something new?”

“Both? Both,” Gwen responded. “Both is good. Truth is, though, I didn’t have much in the way of different outfits for the past few months. I’d like some stuff like my old clothes though. I used to have some very nice dresses, some lacy tops, a lot of nice jackets, stockings, and one time my father got me a kilt. I just… need more than three outfits, but I couldn’t afford that on the allowance I got from Cyclone.”

She shrugged. “It would’ve been easier if I could access dad’s money, but that requires lawyers, and it’s been a while since I dealt with legal matters.”

As they talked, the car pulled up in front of the store. Gwen smiled at Jaime, in a ‘*we’ll talk about this later*’ kind of way, and got out to greet Angel.

Angel was barely recognizable with the sizeable crowd forming around him, but his voice was unmistakable. Angel could be heard singing and strumming along to the guitar of a small child who had walked up and asked for a song moments before. Angel, unable to say no to a child, found himself playing along and granting the young girl’s wish. As he finished, he took a small bow as the crowd clapped and handed the guitar back to the young girl.

As Angel spotted Gwen and Jaime from the crowd, he smiled and dragged a large leopard transformed with him as he approached.

“There you guys are,” he sighed out, shifting his weight to the right, “was worried I’d have to shop alone for a while there. Find the place ok?”

“I can spot you,” Jaime says, gently, before Gwen turned away from them completely. “Definitely not a problem here.”

It was nice, for a moment, to hear Angel singing, however brief it was. And downright adorable, too. There’s something about cute kids, and Jaime isn’t really sure what it was. They weren’t one to particularly interact with them, they just thought they were rather cute.

Once, a long, long time ago, they had younger siblings. But that was then. This is now. And, anyway, their siblings would be too young to remember them.

“Hey, I’m Jaime,” they said, waving a bit awkwardly. They’d never been formally introduced, even though Jaime had seen Angel around the base a bit. Or, really, heard him. They mostly kept to themselves, until they had to meet a teammate for a mission, or if someone was particularly friendly.

Or dropped by, like Lavender did.

“Yeah, we found it alright.” They clap their hands together. Maybe, they could find something to wear that was a little more appropriate for heroing. “Ready to go?”

“Right! Sorry,” Gwen clapped her hands together after Jaime had introduced themself to Angel.

“Angel, Jaime, Jaime, Angel, Gwen, and…” she gestured at Pulalu, “Pulalu, I presume? It’s nice to meet you. Anyway, yeah, if y’all are ready here we can be off? Unless you wanted me to join in for impromptu public band practice, Ange.”

Angel rolled his eyes and chuckled as he grabbed his partner’s hand.

“Nah. Just had to please the masses and whatnot,” he continued as he started to lead the group through the revolving doors, “Also, Jeanie and their partner are here, so don’t be surprised when-”

Angel is suddenly cut off as a blur of color and patterns sweep him away, leaving a confused looking Pulalu staring in disbelief.

“Oh, if it isn’t one of my best friends! The esteemed Angel Martinez-Niccals! OHOHOHO~”

Angel is seen not far from the group being coddled and otherwise smothered by two people in the most lavish clothing one could imagine. As well as a small monkey sitting atop his head. Bright colors, patterns mixed all over, and, not to mention, expertly crafted. One wears a pantsuit with a giant “AJ” emblazoned on it, while the other wears the biggest and puffiest dress with the letters “NONI” embroidered in stones across the chest.

“Hi Andro, hi NONI,” responds Angel, dazed and showing a slight hint of fear, “I see y’all even brought lil Cap into the warehouse today.”

“BOUTIQUE, Angel,” speaks the person with “AJ” on their blazer, “you know better than anyone that my dear NONI and I have reinvented this drab old warehouse into the boutique it was meant to be!”

Jaime is curious about the store, and didn’t know that Angel was quite such close friends with the designers themselves. While their personal style didn’t match Jaime’s own, you had to respect their vision and flamboyancy. And, they just made good clothes. They’re definitely interested in seeing just what a boutique it was, considering the size of a warehouse.

They wave, a bit shy, to introduce themselves. “Uh, I’m Jaime. Nice to meet you.”

Gwen, not entirely sure what to do, sticks up one hand and lifts the edge of her jacket as she does something akin to a curtsey. “Ay, ‘sup? That’s not it. I’m Gwen, it’s a pleasure. Angel’s told us a lot about you.”

“Oh, positively DELIGHTED, *mes chères*!” Andro Jean responds, clapping their hands together. “Such polite and cute friends you have, Angel. I could just squish this one’s cheeks like a nonna would!” They make a pinching motion at Jaime. “But I wouldn’t be the very professional person I am if I acted like my nonna, now would I? Let’s not dawdle, time is money and money is fashion!”

Andro slips their arm through Angel’s and gestures at the boutique’s entrance as NONI precedes them, holding open the door for the others.

“Always the energetic ball of Glamazonia, aren’t you, Andro.”

Angel smiles as he gestures for his friends to follow. Pulalu watches on as he follows, making sure that no harm comes to Angel with this new and strange person.

“Why, of course,” exclaims Andro, pulling Angel closer as the lights in the boutique blind him, “what kind of Glamazon would I be if I didn’t give it my all? OhOHOHOHO~”

Angel cringes a bit at the laugh, but plays along and continues to joke with Andro as NONI quietly walks alongside them. Pulalu, on the other hand, stayed back a fair enough distance and watched with questioning eyes, his tail stiffening slightly.

Jaime wasn’t exactly sure what they were expecting, as they follow a little dutifully after Pulalu. Somehow, it wasn’t this.

The boutique stretched out nearly as far as the eye could see. Realistically, they knew it was a warehouse, with walls, but it didn’t feel that way. Huge mirrors wrapped around large columns, which were placed along at regular intervals, dividing the boutique into sections.

Each section seemed to have its own unique style, like a miniature themed boutique inside the huge warehouse.

It was, frankly, overwhelming. And glorious. And magical. It seemed to fit Andro perfectly, vibrant and ostentatious and effortlessly fashionable.

Angel was right, there was going to be a little bit of everything.

“Quite the unique style this place has got,” Gwen remarked upon entry, looking at the boutiques-inside-boutique arrangement and the giant columns and mirrors. “Well, I’m ready for our whirlwind fashion adventure, Mx. Jean.”

The magic words spoken, Andro and NONI quickly went to work, measuring the group and taking note of the fashion they wish to gain, For Angel and Pulalu, the pair go in and out of the changing rooms, their outfits ranging from casual to professional. However, their clothes always complimented one another, in both style and color. Suits, hoodies, costumes, you name it, they wore it. And each and every item found its way into Angel’s cart, but not before he assured the others that they can get anything, and everything, they wanted.

Gwen went through a load of options in different styles. Not only did she want more of the clothes in her current one outfit--only one of two left after the base had burnt down the week before--but she acquired some dresses too. Floral pastel yellows and pinks, stylish black-and-whites, and a formal, uniform-like dress that made her look like an Avalonian bride ready for battle. And suits! Black with dashes of bright fiery orange and hot pink, nicely fitting jackets for formal occasions, but also leather and denim. Stockings under short skirts and long jackets. Formal shoes, Allstars and sneakers. She got leather gloves to go with her leather jacket, and cloth ones for warmth. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, Gwen got some hats that were large enough to cover her cat-like ears, including a black French beret that fit nicely with her jacket-and-skirt looks.

Well, if anything and everything was on the menu… Jaime definitely could use some new digs. They loaded up on interesting, boxy tshirts, oversized hoodies, and long cardigans. A handful of crop tops and leggings completed most of their closet. But what they really needed was a costume. Something that made them feel like a hero. Or at least more like one. This kind of work tended to get pretty messy.

They glanced around, looking for the perfect thing.

And then, of course, there it was. A long, dark jacket with a thick hood. There were enough pockets and belts and things. It was stylish and made them feel dangerous, but in a good way. If you can be dangerous in a good way. It was also easy enough to put on. Yes. that could work nicely.

“Jeanie? Do you think you could customize this a bit for me? I just want it to have a bit more flex. And also be stain resistant. Just in case”

Just for fun, though, they carefully snuck up behind Gwen, before tapping her on the shoulder.

“What do you think?”

Gwen was just trying on a bomber jacket and some tan skinny pants with some good, big pockets, admiring herself in the mirror. She looked down and adjusted the outfit when she felt the tap on her shoulder. Not expecting it--having seen nothing in the mirror just before--she jumped a little and whirled around, one arm flailing out. In the last second, she stopped, inches from Jaime’s face. “Holy SHIT Jaime,” she let out. “Okay, ya got me good, but please reconsider startling people with super strength.”

She took a step back from her teammate and looked them up and down. “Yeah, looks pretty fitting for you! A bit *Kingdom Hearts* for my tastes, but I think it suits you.” She smiles and gives Jaime a thumbs up.

Angel walked out of the dressing room with his arm coiled around Pulalu’s rolling his eyes at Gwen and Jaime. The couple walked out in fine tailored suits, covered in stones, feathers, and an array of colors that screamed regal and flamboyant. The pair complimented one another well, with Angel’s being the loudest and Pulalu’s a touch more subdued to match his more stoic nature.

“You two are having fun, aren’t you,” commented Angel, leaning against his partner, “Good. Just make sure that for custom looks you go straight to Andro and remind them I’m paying. You both look good. I’m glad we can at least do something normal for a change.” Angel smiled before looking himself in the mirror, letting out a whistle to himself. “I am going to own that carpet premiere.”

Pulalu came behind Angel and wrapped his arms around his waist, kissing his cheek as his tail swished side to side. “Very handsome. Should bring friends.”

“I would, but unfortunately I only get a plus one. And no way am I trading you for someone else.”

Jaime smiled, one hand out & prepared to catch Gwen’s arm. “Well. I like to think that I can handle myself. It’s never a good thing to sneak up on an unknown enemy”

They smiled and gave a bit of a twirl to show off to Angel and Pulalu. “Somehow, I don’t think this is the most normal thing we could be doing. But I love it, and I sure as hell am not shopping at the mall again if I can help it....”

They shuddered, remembering their previous two trips to the mall. Neither ended well at all.

“After today, I won’t need to shop for a while,” Gwen nodded at Jaime, “though I wouldn’t mind more like this, it’s probably unnecessary, and I don’t want to be greedy. You can always shop online too, though. There’s this website that delivers within a day and you can just get them to pick up any clothes you wish to return within a few days, and pay after for only the clothes you keep. I would’ve done that if I’d had the money for it.”

She grimaces. “It feels so weird to say that, still. To come from a noble family and have rich cousins and friends, and to then be without means yourself is… it doesn’t feel great. To have to choose between living off a Team allowance or mooching off others… it doesn’t feel great.”

She stands still in front of the mirror, looking conflicted, ears down. She exchanges the bomber jacket for a bright yellow one and magicks up a fake smile at her mirror image. Both. Both were good. Then she thought about her last few words. Both. Both weren’t great.

“At least…” Gwen pondered out loud, “We’re graduating highschool soon. First in our family… yaaayyy.” Jazz hands at her mirror image. “Then it’s time to figure out how to do something you can get paid for. You don’t get paid for hero work. Not unless you’re a fire fighter or a nurse. I guess I could be one of those things…” She was talking to herself moreso than to anyone around her.

Angel looks at Pulalu and adjusts his suit here and there, flattening out a wrinkle, fixing a button, simple things. He continued examining his lover as he responded, never looking away. “You get used to it,” he says as he gives a peck on Pulalu’s snout, “sometimes we gotta do what we have to in order to, I don’t know, live? You learn pretty fast that sometimes swallowing that pride is better than feeling guilty your whole life over something isn’t always controlled.”

Angel looks himself in the mirror and begins adjusting his own suit, but still spoke as clearly as he was before. “And sure you don’t get paid for hero work, unless you go with the League full time, but why anyone would I don’t know why. But, the band is slowly picking up traction if you really wanna go serious.” He shot himself a wink in the mirror and turned to face his two friends, “And, if not, we can always find you a job in something else. At least until you can go back to Avalon. You have friends, Gwen. This goes for you too, new kid.”

With his hands behind his back, he lifted his chin up to the air like Hex has done many times to him before when a lecture was coming along. Not that he was going to lecture them, but sometimes a professional and friendly tone is required when the “youths” needed some guidance. Even if he was barely to turn 19 this June.

“The Team is a family. Family wants to help one another. Whether you take that help or not is entirely your choice. But, it’s important to note that you should never be afraid to ask for help or even accept it if someone offers it. I’ve said this before, and I’ll say it again. I’m always willing to be there for my family.”

As he finished and mentally fist pumped himself, Pulalu came up behind holding a pitbull wearing sunglasses and a bright smile in his hands.

“I don’t think it’s mooching if you’ve got generous friends that offer,” Jaime says “but yeah, the League being the only viable option if you don’t want a real job, or aren’t rich? I don’t know, it doesn’t feel great.”

They shuddered a bit, thinking about it. And it’s something they didn’t give much thought to before. The one thing about not going to school is that they wouldn’t get a diploma. That didn’t feel like such an issue before, but now?

Maybe they should start looking into college classes or something. But what would they even study?

“But Angel is right. The team is family. A big, weird, loud, family.”

Gwen manages a sad, but appreciative smile. “Family huh.” She turns to Angel with teary eyes. “That’s the first time I’ve heard you refer to me as family.”

She looks down at her feet for a moment and rubs at her eyes. She walks over to Angel and embraces him, wrapping him in a tight hug. “Thank you, Angel Martinez-Niccals. You’re a good man.”

Taken aback, Angel hesitates before hugging Gwen back, smiling and letting out a content sigh. “Glad you feel that way. You’re all my family now. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do to make sure all of you were safe and happy. I got the money for it, don’t I?” he says, chuckling a bit to himself.

He motions for Pulalu and Jaime to join in the hug, which Pulalu does without question. Angel looks over at Jaime and smiles. “C’mon,” he says, “don’t think you aren’t family either. We’re getting emotional in this emporium today.”

Jaime gives them both a smile and joins in with the hug. It was good to have people that cared about them, even though they were still new. It was good to let themselves open up. Maybe they didn’t quite feel like they deserved to be family, yet, but they’d work so that they were.

The camera pans out from our team of huggable heroes as a soft, sappy tune plays.

“Y’all cheesy,” Gwen remarks with a laugh and sniffle.

Cut to black.