Dimitrios wanted to coo at how adorable his little vanilla baby was, as he clung to him like a child trying not to get lost. He knew that Remi must be used to crowds, as his main forms of transport were buses and trains. Hell, he’d even told Dimitrios that he punched an alpha on the train the day they first met. But it seemed that he brought out a needier side of the omega. The realization made Dimitrios a little giddy.
As they were walking, he felt a small tug of the hand on his shirt and glanced at Remi who had become distracted by something in one of the shops. Dimitrios followed his line of sight to a small store that seemed to sell makeup. He smirked and turned their steps toward the place, completely ignoring Remi’s apologies and exaltations that he didn’t need to go in there. Remi let out a little huff and Dimitrios glanced down to see him glaring at him with exasperation.
Remi felt bad enough already that Dimitrios was buying him things of his own volition, but now it felt like he was begging for him to spend money on him. He felt like he was just feeding off of Dimitrios, like some kind of parasite. Of course, Remi knew that their relationship was based around money–the fifteen thousand dollars in his account was a testament to the reasoning behind their arrangement. He stared up at Dimitrios who just gave him a look and a nod toward the merchandise that clearly said,‘Go on. I know you want to.’
Remi tamped down his first impulse, which was to try and convince Dimitrios to leave. He’d been losing that argument all day, and he knew that the alpha was as stubborn as a mule. He wouldn’t put it past Dimitrios to actually punish him for not letting himself be spoiled. Dimitrios was such an odd alpha, but that was what Remi liked about him. He was different than anyone he’d ever met.
Some people might look at their sexual encounters and think that Dimitrios was cruel or domineering. But what they did together was pleasurable for both of them. Afterward, when Dimitrios had bathed and dressed Remi, cared for him and made sure he was okay… that had been the very best part.
Remi sighed and gave Dimitrios a sarcastic salute, before grabbing a little basket and turning toward the shelves of makeup. Most of the makeup and skincare that Remi currently had was out of date and mostly empty. He’d been scraping the bottom of his concealer for weeks, and his moisturizer was on its last legs.
Remi tried to be quick, selecting a few necessities. He hesitated over a tube of clear mascara for a few moments, but as he glanced over his shoulder, he saw Dimitrios incline his head. Again, Remi could read his meaning without words.‘Get it, I saw you looking.’
Remi grabbed the mascara and a small eyeshadow pan with some pretty neutral colors, never having been one for colorful makeup. He was about to head to the register and paused as a display of lipsticks caught his eye… specifically a bright red one that looked just the right side of too bright. It was almost a velvety color, rich and vibrant. He reached forward and took one from the selection, bringing it up to eye level to inspect it. It was such a pretty shade… but was lipstick too much?
“It would be pretty on you.”
Dimitrios' voice spoke just next to his ear and Remi jumped. He hadn’t heard the alpha come up behind him, and as he was startled the tube fell from his hand and clattered to the floor. Remi quickly crouched and snatched it back up, turning around to look up at Dimitrios, the little tube held securely to his chest.
“You don’t think it’s… too much?”
Dimitrios raised an eyebrow at that, looking confused. He leaned to the side and read the tag.
“It’s sixteen dollars. I think I can afford it.” Dimitrios said with a chuckle.
“Not price, I mean the high heels, the lingerie, the lipstick… It’s not… too girly?”
“You’re not a girl, and as far as I know you don’t identify as one. So, if you wear high heels or lingerie or lipstick, it doesn’t matter. You’re still a boy, and a very sexy, smart, and talented one. I don’t see anything wrong with you liking to wear anything you want, whenever and wherever you want.”
It was like a dam somewhere deep inside Remi had been released, one that had stopped him from allowing himself to enjoy the things he liked that might be considered too feminine. It had always been a worry of his, that there was something wrong with him. Of course, he’d seen many other male omegas embrace their feminine side, and he had loved the way they looked. But it had always seemed like a pipe dream for him.
Suddenly, Remi was filled with an unfamiliar bravery.
Remi dropped the little tube into his handheld basket as joy raced through his veins. He was going to look so pretty for Dimitrios tonight. He smiled up at Dimitrios, and giggled a little when the alpha reached forward and grabbed a soft baby pink lipstick, a dark matte wine colored one and a clear gloss with flecks of glitter and dropped them into the basket as well. Dimitrios returned his smile and Remi felt a little thrill at the sign of support.
“Is that all you wanted?” Dimitrios asked, looking at the few things in his little basket.
Remi nodded. “I think so.”
“Okay, let’s check out then.”
Dimitrios tossed a few more items into the basket as they walked, ignoring Remi’s little protests. They checked out and left the crowded mall, adding their purchases into the jumble in the back of the SUV. Dimitrios and Remi sighed simultaneously as they rested back against their seats.
Shopping was exhausting. Plain and simple.
Chapter 14
Suits and Sex
Remiwasstarvingafterthe busy morning, and when Dimitrios asked what he wanted, Remi gave in and told him the truth. One of his vices and something he was ashamed of loving as a culinary student. Fast food. Dimitrios took him through the drive-thru of a little burger place, getting Remi a cheeseburger, fries and a strawberry milkshake that they ate in the car. The omega wiggled happily in his seat as he dipped his fries into his shake.
“Earlier, did you say we still have more places to go?” Remi asked, turning his head toward the alpha.
“Yes. I need to take you to get measured for a suit, and then I need to take you to get this activated.”
Dimitrios leaned over and opened the glovebox, pulling out a brand new cell phone box and handing it to Remi. The omega took it into his hands and studied it. It looked like a new model. Remi wasn’t the most tech savvy, but he knew enough to recognize cutting edge technology when he saw it.
“Before you protest or say I didn’t have to, I have to say that that phone is made by my company. I got it for free. I can’t have you walking around with an iPhone, much less one that’s five years out of date.” Dimitrios said quickly as Remi opened his mouth to do exactly that. The omega paused for a moment before answering.