Valencia Panache
#1
They were doing this! Jamaal had never been in a store so full of color in his life, and it had him just a bit purple-eyed to behold it all. Who knew men could wear more than a plain black tux?

"Dude," he said to both dudes after the shop dude left them to peruse the selections. "The price tags on these things are..."

A lot??
#2
It was, he had to admit, more fun to look at than a bunch of tuxedos. But it was more nervewracking. What if he accidentally picked something considered really tacky and he just didn't know? Showed up to the wedding and Asha's entire family came together to frown at him.

"Don't sweat it," he said. "Uh. Asha's family is covering it."

Was it weird to say that? He hoped it would make everyone involved feel better and not like they needed to consider Abraham's personal budget, which wasn't the best. He spoke quietly, nervous about being overheard, as if he was saying something scandalous.

"We gotta find two each. First can be any color you want. Second is matchy-matchy."
#3
The more he'd let himself be okay with all this, the more Wallace was genuinely okay with this. Truthfully, it was pretty neat! And he was learning things, too, on top of getting to hang with his guys and have a pretty good time.

It was weird, yes, and far outside the comfort zone he inhabited daily, but for a special occasion he could do this and enjoy it.

Wallace had told himself not to look at price because he'd be tempted to offer to help out if he did, he was sure, but... hey! That was good news. Parents were great. Wallace sort of tended to forget most of them even had parents. Adults + secretive lifestyle = kind of abandoning those sorts of normal things. Had he ever heard anything about Asha's family beyond her being adopted? He couldn't even recall.

These thoughts occupied him briefly as he stared at the walls, unsure of where to even... start. Color! What's your favorite color, Wallace! Actually, really, he wasn't sure he had a good answer for that in his own heart. He wasn't particular. "So green on the second day, right?" He was still wrapping his head around things. But he'd have this all figured out and feeling natural by February.
#4
Oh. Huh. That was an interesting... thing. He realized that parents covered these things, but he'd spent so long villainizing and then begrudgingly accepting the existence of this woman in his friend's life that the idea that she had generous parents kind of felt incongruent.

"Think so. What if I wore..." he pondered, then pointed to a sherwani wrapped in plastic. He thought the design was pretty cool..?
#5
Abraham nodded, Jamaal confirmed. Party the first day, classy the next. Though he understood there'd be parties both days.

And leave it to the youngest one to pull out something first. He leaned in to look closer, and whoaaaa.

Whoaaaaaa.

"That's sharp," he said. "Me and Wallace got a problem, and it's that you're gonna show us up."

Looked all... princely.
#6
Dude, for real. Jamaal had an eye for this while Wallace felt mostly just overwhelmed by choices. And maybe unknowingly feeling a bit like Abraham--just pretty sure he was going to get something wrong.

"Not a problem for me, I'd rather everyone look at this guy than me. I can be best man and Jamaal can be best dressed."
#7
Pfffft. Buncha babies.

"I mean, you shoulda thought of that before you got so tall?" he ribbed Wallace. "I'm gonna try it on."

He went to go find the, uh. Changing room.
#8
He laughed. Jamaal had a point. Sorry, Wallace, but you were a walking billboard for your own existence.

"Good luck," he said to the kid, then was left here with Wallace, pondering. Flipping through colors and patterns. It was cool not to have to wear something specific day one? Led to some... freedom. His work was a little aimless until a sudden pause, whipping out a specific plastic wrapped set.

"From me, to you," he said, holding it beside him and offering a Vanna White style sweep of his hand. Purple, Wallace! Like your eyes!
#9
Yeah, don't remind him about the tall thing. :(

Jamaal went off to be the most reasonable person here and get to the task. Wallace was left to feel vaguely overwhelmed and follow Abraham like he was a mother hen because that was a little easier than picking anything with confidence he didn't feel.

Which was giving Abraham all the power, which just put him in position for exactly this. He knew why this was the color without Abraham saying a goddamn thing!

What made it worse was he... didn't hate it.

"Fuck you," said lowly because they were in public and a nice establishment. "That's actually kind of cool." >:[
#10
Meanwhile, Jamaal was hanging out in the fitting room. And like. Getting it on wasn't too hard. Except the pants. Surprise, the pants had a drawstring? And he wasn't used to that. Silk pants didn't stretch, huh. But he managed it, he thought.

Carry on :3
#11
Yeah, Wallace. It was a joke, but it was also a look. He thrust it toward the taller cat, groomzilla. (His jaguar blast in accordingly, all stupid animal noise.)

"Yeah. I feel like everything here is made to make you look like royalty," he said, as if any of their trio was anything approaching royal. Having handed off the purple to Wallace whether the guy wanted it or not, he rifled through a few, pulled out one he didn't intend to wear but had to comment on.

"Look, I can be a military general." That's what he decided it looked like. In a good way. "Why am I not wearing this all the time?"
#12
Wallace took it, begrudgingly wanting it, privately worried that nothing here would fit him very well because... that was how his life went...

But they'd figure that out. Surely he wasn't the only tall fool to have ever wandered in here.

Eying the one Abraham had found, though, he grinned. "You'd do it but then you'd have to deal with everyone respecting you based on appearance, and we can't have that."
#13
Buttoning himself up, he found the fabric to be like. Nice. Nice, okay? Brocade had a build to it.

Jamaal poked his head out, a little shy.

"Y'all choose anything yet?" he called. Assumed they'd like, hear him.
#14
Wasn't that the truth, Wallace. He laughed, put it back just in time to hear Jamaal.

"Wallace has!" he said. Then looked to his tall friend and jerked a thumb toward a dressing room. "Go try it on. I'll find something."

Or so he hoped.

If everyone split off, he would find... something that unexpectedly called to him after a little more browsing, then run off to try it on secretly. >:[
#15
Wallace was feeling self conscious in a way that was natural. It would be unnatural to go into this sort of situation and throw anything and everything on and strike a pose and demand to be admired. Normal, sane people got bashful, at least.

Jamaal was sane. As he approached with his own prize in hand he spied the young man doing a peek.

"You good?" If he was good he'd... go do the thing they were doing. Dress up but for grown ups.
#16
Wow no one wanted to look, huh? Fine >:'[

"Yeah, I think," he nodded, then watched Wallace head off. Well. He felt pretty comfortable in this, though the tailor approached and asked if he was ready. Jamaal nodded. Might as well commit to this? Or. Was it too much?

Nah. Stop second guessing. Everyone liked it. He did snap a picture, to send to Ash later.

But anyway, he'd be standing on a small stool, getting his measurements and adjustments pinned whenever one of them popped back out.
#17
He'd missed Jamaal poking his head out entirely until he was sneaking off to his own dressing room. Didn't realize the kid was looking to start showing off when he passed by, though it made Abraham all secretive about his choice, okay.

It took him a bit to change into it, and with every passing second, there was greater doubt. The look was kind of like. A different him! A previous him! One he thought Asha might like. But it also looked just like a hotel curtain.

But he'd come as far as putting it on, finding it a little too long, a little too loose. Sleeves not quite right.

Stepping out in his Choice Look, he approached Jamaal with some reluctance. Except.

"Look at you!" he cheered, feeling unexpectedly very...

Feelings! About seeing Jamaal dressed up like that.
#18
They were all rustling around, doing their best. If they were ladies maybe they would have been in the dressing rooms with each other, helping tug things into place or whatever. But they weren't. So Wallace got to feel awkward all on his own. The top actually fit pretty well. The sleeves hit about right, which was a relief, though it was clearly intended for someone... a little heavier. This was fixable.

And the color was nice. He wouldn't tell Abraham this but it was hard to deny he didn't look bad at all in purple.

The pants though. It was as he'd feared. They weren't atrocious, but they were a little... floody. High on the ankle. His legs looked ready for a prance down the beach.

He'd be out in a minute here.
#19
He was only a little bit startled by Abraham's return, and mostly it was in looking back at him and seeing the... COLOR! That he'd chosen??

"Yo waaaaat?? Look at you!" he looked so. PINK! But for some reason it kinda worked??? "Dude, how you pull that off?"

Wallace wasn't out yet, but... hopefully soon??
#20
He felt a half second of fear as Jamaal's expression came together. Because surprise could come before delight, or before horror. Or like. He could look delighted but it was because it was funny how bad it was!

It wasn't that Wallace was unstylish. (Hmmmm.) It was more that Jamaal was young and someone both Abraham and Wallace would agree to be the coolest one of the group. So his opinion was the one with the most power but also highest fear factor.

After that second, though, it was all grins. Sheepish, and he ran a hand through his hair.

"Just naturally very fashionable?" he said, voice high but pleasant surprised himself as he turned modelingly in place.
#21
Wallace could hear too well to not hear Jamaal. This hurried him up a bit to get out there, to see for himself before Abraham found a reason to go slink away and not show him. :(

So he went slinking out, trying to be inconspicuous but failing as he often did. He was a tall man in a very handsome purple coat thing. And a lot of visible, dark-haired ankle. Don't look at him, look at, "Abraham, damn." No seriously, Jamaal was right, how did that even work? It was the hair. The distinguished grey hair and the skin tone.

"Why were we ever considering tuxes?"
#22
"Yeah ya are," he agreed, and that was about when Wallace appeared. Wallace in royal purple was a total LOOK.

Jamaal gave a whistle of approval, agreeing with that comment.

"I dunno, but I dig this. Way more comfy."
#23
They were a very stylish trio. Abraham felt an unexpected giddiness, bright and boyish.

"Me too," he said of comfort. "Too bad Wallace is gonna break the bank with ankle fabric."

Abraham kicked out one foot of his own, as if his pants weren't slightly too long. Don't worry about it.

"I'm afraid the girls are going to get mad we outdressed them," he said. Then felt kind of fond about that too? The girls?! What the hell, Abraham.
#24
He'd just take Abraham's excess fabric. It would be fine.

But yeah, definitely... getting these adjusted. Whoops. He tried to look like it didn't bother him.

"They can get mad. I'm not afraid of them."

He beamed over at Jamaal, though. "You look dark and mysterious in the best way." Wasn't afraid to compliment, maybe the giddiness was infectious all around.
#25
Jamaal snorted into a laugh at that. The ankle thing. And also the girls.

It reminded him to ask a question, actually, but Wallace caught him with a sort of compliment that tickled him.

"It's 'cuz I'm black, right?" he asked, held it for just enough of a second before anyone could say something, and then laughed again, smoothly moving it along. "Naw I'm kidding. I think we all look way too good for this wedding. But like — obviously, yours is the bride —" to Abraham, then looked to Tiger Man, "Your girlfriend dressing up like this too? Or like. Is she gonna wear whatever she wants?"
#26
Wallace was definitely afraid of girls. Abraham was certain on this. He huffed to Jamaal's first joke, and then-

OOooooooOoooOOoOooooooOOOOOH.

WaLLaCe's GiRLfRIenD. Abraham waited for a denial, eyebrows raised in suspense. Suspended!
#27
Abraham and his eyebrows would not need to be suspended for long.

"Whoa, hey, no girlfriend," was the immediate and very uhm... insistent rejection of the world. Absolutely not, no sir, he wasn't going to let himself fall into that trap even if he was more inclined to be nice to Jamaal and his assumptions than he would have been to Abraham on the same matter. "But if you're asking about Kara," dude, if you know who the kid is talking about... "I don't even know if she's coming?"

She knew Asha, but did that make for an invite? No clue. They literally had not talked about it even once.
#28
Oh, Wallace.

"Oh, okay, Kara's her name," he nodded slowly. Looked to Abraham. "Can you believe this guy didn't even invite his girlfriend Kara to the wedding?"
#29
Bullying: engaged. Abraham scrunched his face, big exaggerated wince.

"You give the guy a plus one and he doesn't invite his own girlfriend," he said. Sucked in a breath through his teeth. "Guess he doesn't want a girlfriend much longer."

They all still needed to find a second sherwani, but, you know. This was absolutely priority.
#30
He hated them both.

"He doesn't have a girlfriend to begin with!" was the protest, falling straight into the trap that Abraham had so much experience in setting.

But, unwelcome, he was wondering what Kara would think if she heard any of this. He'd have to leave the state, probably.

"You two can tease but I'm not inviting my friend to a wedding." They both knew what that looked like because they were saying it. >:(
#31
It was so easy to bully him, but especially with Abraham. He beamed as Wallace got all consternated, and then it devolved into laughter, before he shook it off.

"Man why not? People invite their friends to weddings all the time. Ash and I weren't figured out yet when I invited her."

Were they really figured out yet? Unclear. Jamaal realized that they'd never exactly discussed it, but it was a done deal in his head.
#32
It was all fun and games and bullying Wallace until Jamaal settled into "Ash and I" and Abraham had to remind himself that the only way Jamaal would ever learn that this was a mistake was to make a fox. And.

Just don't think about how that had gone for you, Abraham.

He slithered toward the rest of the sherwani options, still dressed up himself, and decided to let Jamaal lead this round of bullying.
#33
There was nothing here to figure out, Jamaal! Don't you get as-bad-but-somehow-worse-than-Abraham. Jamaal had this horrible trait of not being the sort of person you could be mean to. It was very difficult to tell him to fuck off!

"The only person I'd invite to this wedding is already going, so there."

He was very much trying to put this to bed. He was flustered enough that he didn't really realize that Abraham had given up the tag teaming.
#34
"Who??" he asked. Was it Abraham? That was pretty sad, Wallace.
#35
Alright, Abraham. Time to save your buddy.

"There's not gonna be a wedding if we don't all get a second suit. Er- not suit."

He waved a hand. Had to go find himself some green.

"Wallace, you get your ankles fixed next."
#36
Wallace knew when he was being rescued. He took it, with a stupid answer in mind if Jamaal pursued it. They all knew the real answer, don't make him be pathetic and predictable out loud.

"Yeah, let me get these covered so we don't shame the family." It was pretty easy to decide that this was the option he was going with, too. Wallace imagined other people might have said 'yes this is good' and then also gone and found other options to debate around. But that was not him. He imagined it was not any of them. Very happy with his violet situation and also very happy to not sink more time into a decision already well enough made.

Demand himself some fresh ankle modesty and then he could find himself something jungle-themed. (Okay, not jungle but that's what the idea of green put into his mind.)
#37
Alright alright alright. He stepped down once he was done and let Wallace go next, heading back into the fitting room to carefully remove his chosen clothing. Got back into his regular wear, and thennnn he supposed it was time to find something that wasn't green.

Took a bit, but eventually, he found his next choice.

Then he kinda lingered, not ready to try it yet, mostly wanting to see what Abraham and Wallace were up to.
#38
Wallace went to get his ankles fixed. Abraham loitered at the racks with Jamaal, though...

This was a lot more stressful. Because this was the big day look. What if Asha didn't like what he picked? Or like. He made a faux pas he didn't know about? He could embarrass her elsewhere in the process, but in the actual moment?

Jamaal was picking good blue, at least.

"You're good at this," he said, deliberately avoiding making his own choices. "Picking two of these is a lot of work."

It wasn't. He was just scared. :(
#39
"Oh- I dunno. I never really get to go shopping like this. Like. Men's shopping is normally just kind of get in and get out, yeah?"

Little bit of dialogue brought to you by the fact that Wallace was probably busy right now.
#40
Wallace was busy right now. He could kind of hear his pals talking while he stood there and got a few measurements done, passing comments to the guy doing them, getting reassured that he could take it off and put it aside and they'd get it sorted out as soon as they had everything they needed.

It was definitely a little scary exciting. He didn't need to be bonded to Abraham to know that feeling was kind of a theme here.

In a bit he'd join them in the quest for seconds.
#41
Yeah. Yeah. Yep. That. Yeah.

Abraham had, actually, cared a lot about his clothing once. But the jaguar had slowly pulled away that part of his brain, leaving it threadbare, looking like the carpet of a too-used cat tower. He didn't often shift without stripping down first these days, but it was already a habit and an interest lost.

"Yeah," he said dumbly. And was realizing he didn't like any of the cream and rED RED RED DREW STOP WRITING GOLD I SWEAR TO GOD PLEASE JUST USE THE RIGHT WORDS ONE TIME IN ONE POST FUUUUUUUUUCK options. It was a good color combination. He just... didn't like any. Or they were good and he just wasn't- cut out for them? Or?

He wished he could just ask Asha for help with this, because she'd know what she wanted him to look like. And he didn't know. And.

"I guess... this one?" he said, pulling out an option and very luckily not making eye contact with the price tag. "I don't know if I'm supposed to have a..."

Whatever the fabric thing was? He pointed at the loose bit in the plastic. Or it looked loose. Maybe it was attached?!
#42
"DUUUUDE," Jamaal grooned in approval. That's a word. "That looks incrEDIBLE."
#43
Wallace wandered over, half-eying for anything green for himself, just in time to catch the tail end of this.

"Princely," was his remark, again happy to let the younger, hipper person be the hype man.
#44
Pfft. Immediate positive feedback. Abraham had half a suspicion that he could have held up anything and received approval, but he decided not to follow that thought too far. Jamaal was a kid who told it like it was. Wallace could have easily kept quiet.

Just. Whatever, Abraham. There was literally no asking Asha here, so he had to trust the boys.

"I'll trust the two positive reviews," he said. Felt like his hair wouldn't work with it? That was probably dumb. "Now nobody outclass me."
#45
"Deal," he grinned, and then moved on ahead to try his last one out while they got themselves handled. There would be looking for what Wallace would be wearing for the ceremony, and then after the last measurements were taken and the time estimate was given, it seemed like they were all set.

Later, at their required GIANT FEAST of Waffle Palace after, Jamaal waited until Abraham had excused himself to the bathroom to level with Wallace.

"I was thinking we could close the shop and have a bachelor party thing there. Assuming you guys didn't wanna do like. The Hangover."
#46
It had turned out to be a pretty good day, really. Wallace had ended up feeling like he'd enjoyed it, and here with the idea of breakfast food to keep the mood going, this was a subject more easily wiggled into.

Jamaal was the best, though. Not only on board, but proactive. Wallace wasn't like that, but he liked people who were.

"Don't want the Hangover," he confirmed without hesitation. "That's a great idea, though." He had just been thinking to do it at the house, but... it wasn't very special when Abraham had lived there for so long?! And the shop was basically their clubhouse. Their shared space. To reinvent it for a night would be pretty cool. "Think we do it surprise style?" Wasn't sure, which is why he asked the cool person of the party.
#47
"Yeah! We'll wait till he leaves or whatever and then give it an hour and say we have... some kinda emergency. But like a low key one, right? There's a mouse wrecking the plants or something and we need help catching it."

Imaginative, Jamaal!
#48
It was unexpected but it made him laugh because of it. "I'm instantly in love with it, we have to." It might not be the flustering horror of strippers or eating suggestive oysters or... whatever other horrible things people did, but it was a means of tripping their guy up and getting him back to liking them with... food and stuff, probably.

"But if we do surprise we have to let Asha know so she doesn't expect him to be hanging out with her instead."
#49
A slight roll of his eyes. Surely it was nothing that big a deal if he was late, but okay.

"You can handle that. When do we wanna do it?"
#50
He would handle that, because he didn't want to make problems for Abraham in the spirit of celebration. :(

"Maybe early January? After holiday stuff but not too close to the big... date." Was it really that close? That seemed impossible. But here they were, planning in earnest.
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