off limits ✧ zb1 applyfic

✧ one hundred and ten

Haewon's not-so-secret party had not made only her happy. Indeed, a party was an opportunity to dress up, and neither Vicky nor Ricky could resist a bit of a fashion show. As soon as they'd received their invitations, the two had come up with the same idea at the same time: they needed to shop for their outfits. Yes, Vicky's closet was full of expensive dresses that she'd worn about once each, but none of them seemed... Right. None of them were specifically perfect for Haewon's party. Or maybe she just liked shopping a little too much.

Either way, this was how she and Ricky found themselves in their fifth clothing store of the day, browsing through the aisles arm in arm. So far, they'd only been commenting on every piece that caught their eye, as if they were judges in a fashion competition. That was amusing enough, but Vicky had not yet found the right outfit.

"It's been a while since the last party we went to," she murmured dreamily, reminiscing about their first meeting. If she'd known she would meet her prince charming then, she would have opted for a more impressive dress. "I need to find a cute new dress for this one!"

Ricky chuckled, looking at her with a raised brow. "Uh huh. Don't you have enough dresses as it is?"

Touché. Ricky had not even stepped foot in Vicky's room, yet he already knew how much of a spoiled girl she was. She hadn’t had many occasions to show off her more formal clothing, but it was obvious a girl like her couldn’t content herself with one or two dresses. Hopefully, the opportunities would come. Could someone get married already?

As Ricky parsed through a row of jackets, an amused smile on his face, Vicky tugged on his arm. "I could say the same to you, you know? I mean, how many jackets do you have? I've seen you wear one that looks just like this."

"Alright, yeah, you got me," he admitted, letting go of the glittery black jacket he indeed already owned. "I guess we're both fashionistas."

"That's a nice way to say shopping addicts!"

He laughed, and the sound was so light and melodic that Vicky wished she was ten times funnier than she was, if it meant she could hear it more often. Lost in her almost reverent observation of his dainty side profile, she did not notice him pursing his lips in thought, a hand rubbing at his chin.

"Let's split up," he blurted out, and the words made Vicky jump. "Let's each find an outfit, try it on, and give each other a runway show. See who's got the best taste."

Vicky sighed in relief, a hand on her heart. "Okay, yeah. But I'll definitely win!"

He rolled his eyes, to which she stuck out her tongue, and it quickly dawned on them just how childish they were, despite being in a high-end clothing store. A little embarrassed, they parted ways, each running to different parts of the store, on the hunt for the perfect item.

As she looked through dozens of dresses, Vicky quickly realized that her motivation wasn’t so much to win this little contest. Instead, she couldn’t help but imagine herself standing next to Ricky — she needed to look worthy of him. No matter how he dressed, he looked like a majestic prince, so she needed to match that. This was her only motivation in her search for the perfect dress. That, and her weakness for adorable princess dresses.

Just when she was nearly ready to give up, Vicky's eyes landed on a flash of blush pink tucked between a sea of black. She reached for the hanger, and gasped when the dress revealed itself to her. It was covered in delicate lace patterns, cinched at the waist, yet flowy at the skirt. The straps, too, were sewn with lace, and tied into delicate bows at the shoulders — it looked like a doll's dress. And the pink was perfect: soft enough not to seem out of place, yet rich enough to give a mature air she was not used to.