Mallrats

A fluffy friendship ficlet

~*~*~*~

They were drawing stares, they knew that. It wasn't bad enough the three of them had white hair with various shades of blue thrown in, but the fact that one of them was six foot tall and another was a crossdresser wasn't helping at all.

Lane and Kai had taken to leaning against the near wall as Din dug through a sale rack. It was a women's clothing store, Din had more interest here. Lane would now and again spot a shirt he liked, but this wasn't his style. Kai seemed to come along only for the trip, he made his own clothes, and most of Lane's.

"You notice no one comes and asks us if we need help?" Din muttered, peering at the label of a shirt.

"You intimidate them," Lane giggled.

"Now how do I do that?" Din glanced over his shoulder.

"You're prettier," Lane and Kai both burst into fits of laughter.

"Oh heehee," Din scowled and went back to the shirt.

"Seriously though, you do look very nice today," Lane tried to stop giggling quite so loud, they didn't need that extra attention.

Din grunted something noncomittal. He'd dressed in his tight, white leather pants and a blue silk blouse beneath the matching white leather coat. He didn't need the coat of course, yes it was cool enough but he was an ice demon and cold never bothered him unless he was sick, so the coat was just for looks. His hair was up in a high, braided ponytail, and he was wearing very nicely done makeup.

Lane regarded him with almost nostalgia. "I dressed and acted like you when I first moved here from Koorime. All those restrictions placed on us, I went a little wild in getting away from that... but you aren't settling down like I have."

"Because this is me, I'm not the settling down type. I like dressing and acting like this. There's nothing wrong with it."

"Perhaps not now, in ths world... or at least this area. And still, Din, it's not considered normal by any means."

"Good, I don't want to be normal, leave normal to Kai."

Kai grinned and blushed a little.

"I'm worried about you Din, you should tone it down, maybe just a little."

"Why?" Din's near-white blue eyes flashed angrily at Lane, "Ashamed to be seen in public with me?"

Kai pushed himself away from the wall, going up behind Din and silently laying his head against the top of Din's, slightly to one side. Din tilted his head to glance in Kai's direction, his temper settling down. Kai stayed where he was as Din went back to browsing the rack.

There was a long silence, Lane gazing off at nothing in particular, chewing on his lip. He felt bad, Din had the right to act however he wanted, he had no right to scold him for that. He wasn't ashamed of him, he just didn't want to see Din ridiculed. However, Din seemed willing to risk that, so it wasn't his place to chastise him.

"How's your ningen language lessons coming?" Din was speaking softly to Kai.

"Slow... just not seem understand," Kai sighed, draping his arms loosely over Din's shoulders.

"It's complicated, but c'mon, you're the intelligent one."

"You are better at languages. The girls keep me busy also."

"How are they?" Din asked, pretending like he didn't care and was just making polite conversation.

"Much better now, growing. Sade is slow learn to crawl, San can walk well, is talking much, and better at ningen than me."

"She'll teach you then," Din almost smiled, eyeing the area for the dressing room, spying it and dragging Kai over.

Lane followed quietly, noticing the employees in the store still kept a fair distance even though they were supposed to watch the fitting rooms, he knew, he worked in a women's clothing store. Din kept the fitting room door open a little bit, Kai leaning there and giggling at him, reaching in and taking his coat.

"Wrong colour blue," Kai giggled.

"Thought so," Din stripped it off and handed it to Kai to put back.

"We should get out of here before someone calls security, and there's the whole rest of the mall still," Lane smiled softly.

"Couple more."

"He's a fast changer," Kai giggled, hanging the rejected shirts back up.

"Fast stripper you mean!"

Kai blushed and shook his head.

"Jewelry store, Din," Lane tried to appeal to him.

"Oooh jewelry store, silly me," Din slipped out of the fitting room with his shirt half on, fixing it perfectly back into place and checking himself in the mirror. He gathered the shirts from Kai and pranced up to the counter.

Lane smiled and hung back with Kai, watching Din and just waiting out of the way in case something went flying or security needed to rush in. They gave each other a pleased smile when Din joined them with his merchandise and without a scene, the three of them exiting the store as quickly as was discrete.

"So," Lane smiled, "going to change your name to Debra?"

"Silly no, Diana," Kai giggled.

"All right you two, quit," Din sideways glared at them between window-shopping as they walked. "I'm quite happy being a male, and you two know it. And why do we always talk about me?"

"Because you moved out, so we're left out of the gossip of your life. And we worry about you because you aren't around to keep tabs on."

"Don't need to keep tabs on me," Din muttered, pausing in front of another clothing store.

"Yes we do, you are ila whelnai," Kai sidled up beside him, trying to find what he was staring at.

"How are things with your..." Lane wasn't sure how to phrase it.

"My husband," Din answered immediately, "and things are wonderful."

"Does that make you the wife?" Lane giggled, leaning against the store window as the other two stared in.

"No, that makes me his husband," Din stuck out his tongue at Lane, directing Kai's line of sight by pointing, "That."

"Not your style," Kai tilted his head, strands of blue falling over his eyes, which he idly brushed away.

"Nah, his style, get him little something," Din smiled, eyes twinkling as he ducked into the store.

"Do we even bother going in?" Lane giggled.

Kai shook his head, leaning against the glass as well, "Will only make him stay in longer."

"Good point," Lane surveyed the meager crowd of people walking up and down the mall's walk past them.

Some people stared openly as they approached, others gave odd glances now and again, others only looked once and then found something extremely interesting to suddenly look at. Lane had gotten used to it, he worked in a mall and got strange looks from customers all day, even when he dressed nicely and kept his hair back. Kai was a little more sensitive, within a few moments he was scuffing his foot on the tiled floor and watching that motion intently.

Lane knew it was just the white hair, or at least mostly the white hair. His blue streaks were light enough that a glance didn't really note them, so it was just an odd colour to be found on a young looking male of the human race. That and humans were, generally, close-minded creatures who feared what they didn't understand or what they didn't think was "normal".

Kai's deep blue streaks and tall, lanky build drew more attention, but none so much as Din. Neither of them were ashamed to be out with him, even when he was as outlandishly dressed as he was today, they just worried about him. He was their little brother, they'd taken him in as a battered and abused child and essentially, they were the only family he had to look after him. And they took their job seriously.

"Ta-da!" Din displayed his "find".

Lane smiled, "Very nice, sure he'll appeciate it."

"Well... he's not much into clothes, but now and again I can get him to dress up really nice," Din veritably beamed.

Lane shook his head, amazed something like that could do so much for Din's mood. Perhaps this marriage really was a good thing.

"You know, since I've moved out, I don't get much of the gossip of the two of you. Laney, how are things with the vampire?" Din queried as they continued along again.

"They're fine. I don't see him as often as I'd like, but that's all right. Soren loves him dearly, but he's come to accept that daddy isn't around all the time and settled down about that. What about you, Din, no thoughts of children?"

"I have no magic spells from vampiric lovers or blessings from gods to give me children," Din skipped down a short stairway and across the next landing, turning and winking up at his companions.

"So you've thought about it?" Kai blinked, pausing halfway down.

Din shrugged, "Time or two, not really seriously. I mean, c'mon, I'm a guy and he's a guy and we're happy together and why go outta our way to have a kid?"

"So you're over your phobia?" Lane smiled, tugging Kai out of his shock and down the rest of the stairs.

Din shrugged again, "Kinda, I'm more relaxed, now and then it'll get to me, but since the wedding I've been much more... calm about it. Mebbe I finally left that ghost behind, I dunno."

"You were fine with the twins when they were born," Kai smiled.

"Eh, yeah, they're red-heads," Din might have been blushing, but you really couldn't tell with the make-up.

"Red hair fetish," Lane hissed and giggled, taking his wrist and dragging him into the jewelry store.

"It's not a fetish, it's a preference," Din excused, stopping just barely inside the door, already captivated by something. He shifted a little bit to let Kai into the store, but wasn't moving further.

"It's a fetish, you get off on the colour red, be it hair or blushing."

"Nah, not get off... only with both," Din snickered, glancing to make sure Kai was really blushing.

"Haven't you bought enough jewelry, Din?" Lane giggled, idly browsing around.

"Still upset about the rings?"

"Not upset, it was a sweet gesture. I still wish you would have let me pay for them instead of selling your birthday set we got you, but they were yours to sell I suppose, and you really wanted to marry him."

"He's worth that and tons more... yeah I loved that set, but I remember the sentiment from you and Kai."

"Should... buy you something, replace it," Kai glanced around the store, thinking.

"We'll find him something," Lane grinned.

"When are you two getting married, didn't Sirrus ask you like ages ago Kai?"

Kai blushed, "Yes, he asked, just... not sure... I mean I don't... you were really bold to get the priestess to marry you, doubt she would do it again."

"Oh but you're the favored shey of the Lady Jun, certainly she'd put in word for you," Din plucked up a few things and found the nearest mirror.

Kai shrugged, "Perhaps... but I'm content for now."

"You're content all the time," Din smirked.

Lane snagged something and skipped over to the register.

"Not buying much today, huh Kai?" Din tilted his head at the larger Koorime. Of course Kai wasn't buying much, he never did, he was happy with what he had, and only came along for the company. "Hmm... I'll cut myself back a bit," Din put half the things back and chased after Lane.

Kai glanced at the girl who'd been staring at him, putting his head down and waiting for his friends. They were quick enough about it, without a scene, much to his relief. He followed Lane and Din obediently back out into the mall, walking behind and to the right of Lane like he still did out of habit. He'd even tried to break himself out of that without success. Din it seemed was much better about shaking off their lifetime of training.

"Where to next?" Lane settled the little jewelry bag inside another.

"The... next place... with a sale sign," Kai giggled, nudging Din.

Din grinned, "Hey, nothing wrong with liking a good bargain, save some money."

"Since you no longer earn any money," Lane jabbed him in the ribs.

"I know you shipped me and Kai here to support you and your baby, but now you two are fine, right?"

"Yes, we're fine, we shift off kids, Kai went back to the daycare, I'm back at the store, we're fine."

"Just worry about you," Kai smiled and wrapped his arm around Din.

Din shrugged off the touch, "Dun worry about me, I'm fine... oh look a sale!" the evasive little Koorime snagged Lane and Kai's wrists and drug them off. Lane and Kai just went along with him, letting the topic alone like they so often did.