Chapter Text
There weren’t any missions assigned to Blood today, which basically meant it was a day off for them. Typically, Gil would be resting in the bed of her room, reading some books, maybe even tinkering with her God Arc with Licca’s help. Today, however, was different.
“Gil! Do you wanna go out with us today?” Nana’s voice blared into Gil’s ears as she jolted from the verge of taking a nap on the sofa, her once hanging head now raised with her eyes blown unusually wide, before sighing once she realised it was just Nana. Nana giggled a little at the sight, before speaking once more. “Ciel said she wanted to go shopping for new clothes today. She thought it would be nice to invite you out too, so what do you think?”
For a moment, Gil wondered about it, what she should do. Should she really? Yeah, she said she wanted to buy a dress or a skirt or two, but she didn’t think she’d have an opportunity almost right after she came out. It was almost.. daunting, as much as she hated to say it. What if nothing fits her? What if she doesn’t like the way a dress could possibly look and fit onto her flat chest? What if her boxier figure doesn’t look flattering at all when she wears a dress? What if she looks wrong??
She was jolted—again—out of her thoughts by a small and careful, but strong hand being placed onto her shoulder. She looked to whoever it was coming from, and it was Livie. “Come on. I don’t really shop, I honestly just tag along for the sake of it, but it might be a good experience for you.” She jerked her head to the exit, “Ciel’s waiting for me and Nana out there. I’m sure she’d be happy to see you tagging along too.”
Tension left Gil’s shoulders, and she ultimately sighed with a nod. “..Right. I guess I’ll be coming.” She then stood up from the sofa, “Just give me a quick sec, I wanna change into something..”
———
Gil actually didn’t really change as she couldn’t find anything suitable for something like this, but she did tie her hair up into a messy ponytail, so there was that. She soon left the Den, and she was greeted by the sight of Livie, Nana and Ciel all waiting for her.
Ciel’s hair was braided neatly into two pieces of hair, with light cyan bows tying them together. She was wearing a pretty, short sleeved dress, the skirt reaching down to her knees and rather voluminous due to the petticoat she wore underneath. She looked really, really nice, she definitely rocked that dress, which made Gil feel an unprecedented sense of envy. At least Nana and Livie weren’t all glammed up, simply wearing their usual outfits, though Livie wasn’t wearing her usual red hood.
Ciel turned around and saw Gil, her eyes shining with what seemed to be wonder. “Oh, Gil, you actually accepted my invitation. I’m so glad to see you here.” She smiled, taking Gil’s hand into hers and squeezing lightly.
Gil glanced away, feeling a little embarrassed but ultimately enjoying the gesture. She tipped the brim of her cap down in an effort to hide her face, something she did when she felt like concealing herself from others. “Yeah, yeah.. it’s nothing, really. I just wanna tag along, I doubt I’d find anything that suits me though.”
Livie shook her head. “If you want anything, just tell Ciel, I’m sure she’ll get it.” She then looked forward, “Come on, let’s see what we can find.”
The Far East wasn’t really a remarkable place, which was understandable. There were a few shops and restaurants here and there though, and the owners of said places have known their craft for a long time, so even with the scarce resources available they’re able to make some lovely clothes and delicious meals. They weren’t here for food though, so they went straight to the clothing store district.
Ciel kept going through store after store, and she had handfuls of bags, from whichever stores she bought from, carrying them like they were nothing. She is a God Eater after all, she must’ve gotten used to both carrying a God Arc and heavy bags. Like Livie said, she didn’t buy anything, only following along to see what they were doing. Nana wasn’t really much of a shopper, but she did buy a cute pink cat hoodie. In reality, Ciel passed some of the shopping bags to Nana since she was much stronger.
While Gil was looking through some of the clothing racks, not looking for anything in particular, she picked out a dress. It was a structured, a-lined black maxi dress that would presumably fit snugly around her body, but she didn’t really know that, she’s literally new to this. For a moment, she contemplated simply putting it back on the rack. There was a chance that it’d look really unflattering on her. I mean, she doesn’t have any breasts, she’s flat, and her figure isn’t very hourglass either. What’s the point of trying it on if in her head, she doesn’t look good in it?
At one point, Gil was lost in her head, and at another point, she felt a hand gently holding her arm. It was Ciel, and she looked up at Gil with a smile. “I think it would look nice on you.” She pointed towards the dressing room around the corner of the store, “You should try it on. If you want, of course.”
Gil kept glancing back and forth towards the dress in her hands and the dressing room. For some reason, to her, this felt really daunting, even though she’s fought massive Aragami quadruple or more her size and come out on top, multiple times, far too many times to count. “I don’t know, Ciel, I..” Seeing Ciel looking at her so expectantly, and by extent Nana who was trying to discreetly listen to them, Gil sighed and relented. “Okay fine. I’ll go, I guess.”
Gil shut herself into the dressing room, locking the door behind her. She hung the dress on one of the few hooks on the wall, before slowly undressing. She didn’t dare to look down at her body, nor in the mirror in fear of feeling bad about it, so she tossed her initial clothes aside, alongside her cap, and quickly slid the dress on.
Due to the way it was structured, it.. actually didn’t fit weirdly onto her flat chest. The dress hugged at her hips and waist, and the neckline wasn’t accentuating her bust, so she looked.. good in her eyes, what a surprise. The skirt also hugged at her legs, which actually made it somewhat hard to stretch and move her legs to make wide strides, let alone dash around, so she definitely couldn’t wear this to the battlefield. Why would she, since this is her first dress, and likely one of the only dresses that looked good on her? She’s gonna keep it safe.
With the slightest flush on her cheeks, Gil opened the door to the dressing room, expecting only Ciel to be waiting for her, only to be greeted by all three ladies. At first, she felt a little nervous and embarrassed being seen by all of them, but the way Ciel’s eyes widened in surprise, the way Nana’s eyes shone with glee, and the way Livie nodded quietly in approval, she felt.. fine, actually. She ran her hands down her waist, to her hips. “Uhh.. how do I look? This is the most fitted thing I’ve ever worn..”
“Amazing!” Nana nearly shouted, and she had to be stopped by both Livie and Ciel so she wouldn’t pounce onto Gil and possibly ruin the dress. A really bright grin was plastered onto her face, she genuinely looked so goddamn gleeful to see her like this, and that made Gil’s lips quirk up a little in a smile.
“No complaints here,” Livie spoke simply, but she did seem to enjoy the look Gil had going on. She wasn’t one for expressing herself much after all, so this approval kind of felt like a lot.
Ciel stepped forward, neatly brushing out any creases on the dress, before placing her hands on Gil’s arms. “You look great. Look at you, you look the best you’ve ever been, and I’m being honest,” she complimented, a happy smile crossing her lips. “I made the right call inviting you out. Oh, and the dress is on me.”
Gil only nodded along. She felt like she couldn’t say a word, even though she actually felt really happy and almost giddy. It felt like her mouth was sewn shut, unable to express how happy she felt in that moment, and the only thing she could manage was the faintest smile and a nod in response. She stepped away from Ciel and went back inside the dressing room.
It felt a little weird to leave that moment of joy behind, to take the dress off and put her earlier clothes back on. She knew that she’s gonna wear the skirt again eventually, maybe tonight even, but will she ever feel that same joy again every time she puts it on? Probably.. maybe. She should get a skirt soon too.
After a short while, Gil left the dressing room with her initial outfit back on, and handed the dress over to Ciel for her to pay. It felt a little bad to have her pay even though she offered to do so, as they all were paid the same, but if Ciel wanted it then so be it. She took off her cap and looked at Ciel with the faintest blush of both slight embarrassment and gratitude. “Uh.. thanks. For everything.”
Once Ciel was done paying, she handed the shopping bag over to Gil. She shook her head, “It’s nothing. I’m simply doing the bare minimum; making you feel good about yourself.” She then looked over to the others waiting outside the store for them, waiting to go back to the Den for the day, and she smiled once more. “Now, let’s go back. This was truly a worthwhile trip, wasn’t it, Gil?”
“..It really was.”
———
..For some reason, out of all the guys who could’ve been the first to see Gil in a dress, it was Haru. Them drinking in the middle of the night was a regular occurrence by now. Tonight, Gil was wearing the dress she bought earlier. For no particular reason really, she just wanted to wear it. She had already taken a few shots of whiskey, but she couldn’t help but notice Haru staring at her, almost glancing at her up and down. Irritated, she slammed her glass down and glared at him, pointing an accusatory finger towards him. “The hell are you ogling at? You’re not drunk—you barely took any shots.”
For a brief moment, Haru didn’t respond. He was resting his cheek in the palm of his hand, his elbow on the table, and he stared for a couple more seconds which made Gil about to lose her shit, until he snorted. “You look pretty hot in a dress,” he spoke matter of factly, a smirk crossing his lips. He leaned forward, extending his index finger and placing it under her chin, making her look directly into his eyes. “You know.. I’ve always been seeking out beautiful women.. and men too I guess. Mostly women. But looking at you,” Haru leaned forward once more, getting up close and personal with Gil, “I can’t believe I’ve never sought you out. You’re like a hidden gem, under all that rubble and toughness lied a true beauty—“
Gil roughly punched Haru in the gut, sending him flying just like before. A vein popped out of her forehead, genuine anger in her face, “My God, shut the fuck up! I’m still stronger than you, you know!”
Why did Haru have to be the first..