Lukas shifts uncomfortably in his seat, like I just suggested we rob a bank.
“Unfortunately, yes. I’d prefer to just buy everything online, but I need the basics now. So I suppose I’ll have to suck it up and shop in person.” The way he says it, you’d think he was being dragged to a dungeon to face torture, not a department store to buy a few pairs of socks. I shoot him a sideways glance, unable to hold back a smirk.
“You sound so thrilled.” I grin.
“I don’t particularly enjoy shopping.” He mutters, his tone short.
“Why am I not surprised?” I tease.
“It’s not a painful dental procedure, you know. Some people, myself included, actually enjoy buying new clothes.” I point out. Lukas grunts in response, clearly unconvinced, but I’m already feeling better about my decision to miss work. Shopping might not be his idea of fun, but I love it. Sure, I’ve never actually shopped for a guy before, but there’s a first time for everything. Plus, the thought of dragging Lukas around a mall, him grumbling under his breath while I try to convince him to wear something other than black and grey… Well it’s almost enough to make this worth it.
“Alrighty, shopping trip it is.” I announce cheerfully. Lukas looks at me warily, clearly picking up on my sudden enthusiasm.
“You look far too happy about this.” He sounds a little afraid.
“Oh, come on.” I say with an innocent shrug.
“You need clothes, and I happen to have excellent taste. You should appreciate my expert guidance.” He gives me a dubious look.
“I’m telling you right now, I’m not wearing anything pink.” he says flatly.
“Sure you aren’t. Let’s get going.” I say mildly as I pull out of the parking lot. From the back seat, Roxy lets out a happy bark, and I decide that, for once, I might actually enjoy his company. Lukas may hate the idea of shopping, but watching him suffer through it might even make all of this trouble worth it.
I’m humming happily as I drive us to the shops, the prospect of shopping is doing wonders for my mood. Lukas, on the other hand, sighs like he’s being dragged to his doom. Despite his exaggerated suffering, I catch the faintest hint of a smile on his lips.
“You know, it’s really nice of you to stay and help me out with my family stuff.” He sounds sincere. I snort softly.
“I think you’ve thanked me enough already. Besides, let’s get one thing straight, I’m not doing this for your family. Except maybe the kids. And I feel like I should make it very clear, just so there’s no confusion. I’m not your accomplice. If your family is really doing something messed up, I’m not about to help you cover it up or anything.” I kind of feel like a jerk saying it, but it’s good to be clear about these things. Lukas looks at me with a calm, understanding expression as I continue.
“I’m here because I don’t want anyone to end up dead. But I believe that if someone is doing the wrong thing, they should have to face the consequences.” I say firmly. Lukas nods, his posture relaxing slightly.
“I understand that. I promise I have no intention of asking you to do anything like that. Right now, I just want to get more information about what’s going on, to make sure that if anyone is going to get in trouble… It’s the right people.” He pauses, running a hand through his hair as he organizes his thoughts.
“My family is involved somehow, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’re the ones at fault. They could have been dragged into this, just like I was. Or even like you.” He says optimistically. I’m really glad that he isn’t touching me and can’t read my mind right now because I just can’t agree. Being ‘dragged into it’ feels like an awfully convenient excuse for a group of people who, as far as I can tell, had no problem breaking Lukas’s ribs. I glance sideways at him out of the corner of my eye while driving, there’s still a deep purple bruise on his cheek and the way he winces whenever the car hits a bump is a constant reminder of the broken rib he’s trying to hide under that calm exterior. I sigh.
“Look, I’ll admit your family might have been misled. Maybe they’re desperate, or maybe they made a bad deal they didn’t fully understand. I can believe all that. But good people don’t hurt their own family like this.” I say gently. It probably isn’t my place to say this, but it doesn’t seem like Lukas has people lining up to help him out and I don’t see the point in hiding my opinion from a guy who reads minds. Lukas’s expression tightens for a second before he relaxes it and nods again.
“You’re right. They’re… Not perfect. But they’re still my family…And if there’s a way to fix this without putting anyone else in danger I have to try.” He says quietly. Yep, and that is why I’ve let myself get dragged into helping him out. He is clearly in over his head but he’s just trying to do the right thing. He could go on a trip for a while and avoid his family until whatever is happening plays itself out. But here he is trying to help people who as far as I can tell, treat him terribly.
“Well I guess we can just take it one step at a time. Aaaand step one is getting you some clothes. Bonus points if you get something with even a HINT of colour.” I tease, trying to lighten the mood a little. This conversation is far too serious to be having with someone I only met like two days ago. Lukas smiles a little, but the tension in his shoulders doesn’t fully ease. It’s clear that he is still upset, but for now, I’m more than happy to let the conversation drop. There’s only so much seriousness I can handle before I need to go look at a nice pair of shoes and I hit that limit about twenty minutes ago.
I thought shopping with Lukas might be fun, but it turns out it’s like pulling teeth. The moment we walk into the store, he zeroes in on the most boring racks of clothing. Charcoal, grey, and black as far as the eye can see. He picks out a few shirts, pants, and even a couple of suit jackets, all as colorless as possible. The worst part? These clothes aren’t even for work!
“Seriously?” I groan, watching him add yet another grey item to his basket.
“Come on, just pick out one colour. One. It could even be navy. That barely even counts as wearing a colour.” I complain. Lukas shrugs, unbothered.
“Colors are distracting. Then I’d have to try and match them, and that’s just too much work. I focus on fabric, what feels nice is far more important.” He says firmly.
“Colors can feel nice too.” I argue, trailing after him as he inspects yet another plain button up shirt. Lukas turns to me and abruptly holds out the sleeve of his jacket.
“Feel this.” He insists.
“What?” I ask, raising an eyebrow.
“Feel the sleeve. Go on, tell me it’s not the nicest fabric you’ve ever touched. It took me forever to find suit jackets like this.” I reluctantly reach out and run my fingers over the fabric. Okay, I have to admit, it is soft. Probably softer than anything I own. I bet it’s more expensive too.
“Boyfriend material, right?” Lukas comments, completely deadpan. I have to fight the urge to laugh. Instead, I roll my eyes.
“You mean expensive and hard to maintain?” I sass. Lukas smirks.
“Damn, who hurt you?” He jokes, his tone playful. I open my mouth to respond, but before I can figure out what to say, someone brushes past Lukas, and he jolts slightly.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, frowning.
“Oh, nothing.” Lukas replies, though his tone suggests otherwise.
“I just got a flash of his thoughts. They weren’t particularly friendly. It’s fine. This is why I don’t like shopping in person. In busy places, people tend to bump into me, and it can be… Frustrating. Or overwhelming. Not everyone’s mind is a fun place to be.” I blink, startled by his admission. It’s easy to forget sometimes that Lukas’s ability isn’t just something he gets to turn on and off, he can’t ignore it like I do my magic. It’s a constant, unavoidable presence in his life. I’ve always thought mind reading would be a cool specialty to have, but hearing everyone’s thoughts all the time? That sounds exhausting.
“Huh.” I say, trying to wrap my head around it.
“I guess I never thought about that. It must be a lot to deal with.” Lukas shrugs again. No wonder he likes to keep to himself. I glance around the store, suddenly more aware of the crowd. I didn’t notice before, but I’ve probably had a few people bump into me already. I can definitely understand why Lukas avoids places like this.
“Well.” I say after a moment, hoping to lighten the mood,
“I suppose you can just stick to online shopping. Although you wouldn’t have me here trying to drag you over to the colourful side.” I comment.
“You’re right, I wouldn’t.” He answers. I can’t decide if he thinks it’s a good thing or not.