Work Text:
Mark didn't particularly love looking in the mirror. All he could notice was the glaringly obvious bandages, and the scales seeping out from under them, never fully covered. But now it was necessary, as he fumbled with the buttons on his freshly ironed shirt before tucking it into his pants. He felt very out of place in such nice clothes, it had been ages since he last wore a suit, and he didn't really want to think about that time right now.
As he threaded his belt through the loops, he couldn't help but think this whole thing was a bad idea. Tide had been forced to attend some fancy party, and he had requested Mark accompany him. It took a lot of convincing, and bribes, but he gave in. It definitely wasn't that sad face Tide gave him that made him say yes, and it for sure wasn't the idea of being around Tide for however long the party lasted. Nope, not at all.
Speak of the devil, he heard a rapid knocking on the door of the room he was getting dressed in. He turned from the mirror, letting the tie he was struggling with fall loose around his neck. He waited a few seconds to make sure Tide wasn't just going to barge in before he turned back to the mirror. When the knocking continued, he sighed and faced the door again.
"What is it?"
"Mark, we're going to be late, the hell is taking you so long?" Tide’s voice rang from the opposite side of the door.
"Calm down drama queen, it doesn't start for another half hour."
"Yea, and it takes 20 minutes to get there," He heard Tide’s annoyed sigh from the other side of the door. "I’m coming in there if you don't come out in 10 seconds."
"What if I don't have pants on?"
"You do."
"How do you know that?"
"Mark, if it took 30 minutes for you to put pants on, I'm leaving without you and never speaking to you again."
"Alright, alright! I have pants on, you can come in," he heard an exasperated chuckle from the other side of the door as it opened, revealing the space where Tide stood in his outfit.
Mark felt his breath leave him, frozen on the spot. Tide was wearing a black dress shirt and cream colored slacks, navy blue shoes and a vest of the same color to match. The vest featured silver embroidery trailing down each side, swirling patterns raised in contrast against the dark fabric. A matching silver tie rested perfectly against his chest, the bottom half of it tucked into the vest. His hair was pulled back into a full bun with two loose locs in the front, one on each side of his face. It was such a small change from his usual half up/half down style, but it made him look like a different person. In his arms he held a jacket he hadn't yet put on. From the way it folded in Tide’s hands, Mark couldn't quite tell what kind of jacket it was, but the light, cream color of it matched his slacks almost perfectly. He looked stunning, to say the least, and it rendered Mark completely speechless. A few moments of silence passed before Tide’s voice shattered it. He cleared his throat,
"So? How do I look?" He asked, turning left and then right to show off every angle. Mark coughed, air reentering his lungs.
"Great. You uh, you look great." He mumbled, avoiding eye contact. He cleared his throat, busying himself with struggling against his tie once again. He didn't want to see Tide’s reaction, whatever it was. An awkward silence rested between them until Tide spoke again.
"Do you need help?" Tide asked, setting his coat down on a chair and walking over to Mark. Mark began to object, but quickly gave in when he realized how god awful his tie looked. Tide gently took the tie from Mark's hands, trying to detangle the mess of a knot Mark had attempted with an amused look on his face. "God, have you never tied a tie before?" He joked. Silence. Mark cleared his throat again, and a surprised laugh came from Tide's mouth. "Really? Never?" He asked, grinning.
"What? It's not like I'm the type of guy to wear suits all the time, so sue me!" He responded, masking his embarrassment with an annoyed tone.
"No, no it's okay!" Tide said between laughs. "I’ll do it for you. Here," As he spoke, he removed the now untangled tie from around Mark's neck. Mark instinctively watched Tide’s movements, the way he turned the tie in the correct direction before looking back at him.
"Look up, I can't tie it with your face in the way." Tide instructs, smoothing out the fabric of Mark's shirt. Mark complies, and he feels the tie being wrapped around his neck, crossed and looped in ways he couldn't dream to understand. Tide’s hands were incredibly quick, and before he knew it the knot was pressed securely against his neck. Tide folded Mark's collar down, smoothing it out and making sure it was even all around. Shivers ran down his spine every time Tide accidentally brushed the skin on his neck instead of the shirt collar. The feeling of hands against his collar was all too familiar to him, and his chest aches at the memories.
He pretends not to notice when Tide’s hands linger on his collar just a little too long. Or maybe he isn't pretending, and he's just convinced himself it wasn't real. Either way, he ignores the flutter in his stomach, and the pounding in his chest, and the warmth rising from his neck to his face. He wasn't blushing, it was just the warmth of the suit jacket. Yea, just the jacket.
Tide steps away, admiring his work. He gestures towards the mirror for Mark to look as well. Mark turns around, and sees himself in a full suit for the first time in ages. He’s not sure if he likes the look, or the feeling he gets from it, but he can't back out of it now. He really looks at what he's wearing now, dark brown slacks with a dark green dress shirt and a gold tie. His jacket and shoes aren't anything special either, both brown in color with no accents to accompany them. His hair is simply tied up in a ponytail, showing off the shaved sides of his hair that have grown to be about an inch in length. He makes a mental note to shave them down later. His outfit’s not extravagant, or particularly beautiful like Tide's outfit, but it fits him, and makes him look nice.
He buttons one of the buttons on his jacket, just enough that it closes in the middle. He runs his hands up and down the fabric of it, feeling the texture. It's slightly fuzzy, he realizes. Not quite like velvet, but close. He lets his hands drop to his sides before he turns to Tide, who has already put on his own jacket.
He couldn't explain why, but Mark felt a rush of adrenaline through his veins. Maybe it was the sight of Tide in that perfectly beautiful suit, or maybe it was the feeling of looking nice. Whatever it was, a childish giddiness rose within his chest that he couldn't stomp back down. For once, he allowed that feeling to stay, letting his heart pound fast and his breath move faster. He had a big, stupid smile plastered on his face that he couldn't shake. For once, he didn't mind.
Tide held his hand out to Mark, his body halfway turned towards the door.
“Shall we?” He asks, an excited grin on his face. Mark grabs his hand, lacing their fingers together and stepping forward so they’re side by side. He takes one final glance back at the mirror before playfully shoving Tide towards the door.
“Yea, you fuckin dork.”