off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ thirty three

Taerae had an essay to finish. In fact, it was due in a week, and he was not nearly done with it. He'd locked himself in his room, put on some classical music, and was determined to finish it in one sitting, so he would be free from his academic prison.

That was until he received a call from Audrey.

See, Taerae had one weakness. Well, maybe two, if you were to count his aversion to academic work of all sorts. But Audrey was the bigger one, especially as she'd sounded so cheerful, telling him she'd finished the outfit for her assignement and she wanted to show it to him. Naturally, he'd dropped everything he was doing, and went straight to her house. As he waited in front of her door, he cursed himself, knowing his future self would have to deal with doubled stress and anguish finishing this essay. Maybe he should have told her he couldn't come right now. After all, she could wait.

But as she opened the door, a large, unusual smile on her face, those thoughts evaporated into thin air. She looked so happy. No, he really couldn't have missed this.

"Come, come," she said, an excited lilt to her voice, as she grabbed his arm and pulled him inside.

Taerae did not even have the time to greet her, she was already dragging him up the stairs. Everytime he saw her, he was able to discover a new facet of her. This was the first time he saw her so happy she could hardly contain it. Oh, she'd come so far from the cold beauty he'd pegged her as the very first time they'd met. She was... Vibrant. Passionate. As colorful as her fashion. Such an uplifting, yet demure presence in a sea of nothing. In short, she was really, extremely, undeniably, super cute.

As they stepped into her room again, Taerae spotted the sewing mannequin bust, covered by a large white sheet. So, this was where the finished outfit was hiding. To be frank, he felt a little nervous about seeing it, though he had no reason to. After all, it was her assignment. Whatever the outcome, it wouldn't have any impact on him. But he'd been here with her, from the very beginning, and he wondered if it would live up to his expectations, as low as they were. He especially wondered if his meager contribution hadn't ruined the whole thing.

How ironic, that he was worrying for someone else's assignment, when his own was waiting half finished at home.

"Ah, I'm stressed out," Audrey admitted, her hands on her cheeks. "I really hope you'll like it."

"I'm sure it's great."

Her eyes narrowed into crescents, as she walked to the mannequin bust. "Only one way to find out."

With a swift gesture, she lifted the sheet off the bust and threw it to the side, revealing the outfit.

The pièce de résistance were muted brown overalls, with a baggy fit to the legs and made of a thick, heavy linen fabric. Acting as a belt, a white fisherman's rope was messily tied around its waist. Under them, a cream colored t-shirt, with a high neckline and a simple, golden necklace resting over it. To finish it off, there was a deep brown kimono-style jacket on top, splattered with warm oranges and fruity patterns to seamlessly bring summer and autumn together. A cream beanie was also laying on top of the bust, and as Taerae looked down, he noticed a pair of sneakers with orange accents, and a large camel bag sitting on the floor.

"I really wanted to try making overalls," Audrey explained, her hands clasped together. "It's quite rare to see men wear them in day-to-day, but they have this very laidback feel about them that I really like." She exhaled sharply, her eyes nervously seeking his. "So... What do you think?"

Taerae blinked, peeling his eyes from the outfit to look at her. "Wow. It's really good. I didn't expect overalls, but you're right, they really elevate the outfit in a way regular pants wouldn't have... I like the colors too, neutral enough to wear anywhere, but with a few vivid accents to make it interesting. That jacket is stunning," he mused, letting his eyes wander back to the outfit. He never would have been able to put such a great look together.