Suede

Teddy had spent a lot of time in his own head. He learned early on that if you told everyone your master plan, if they didn't have the same drive or were jealous, they'd think he was bragging. Perhaps Max perceived excitement as bragging. Teddy had done his best to apologize to Max for making him feel as if he was forgotten, but Max wouldn't allow him to correct the behavior.

And really, Max was overreacting. Teddy had not forgotten him. He had finally gotten hired by an artist. He didn't have to pen song after song and beg Cake Records to buy it. Max knew that this was Teddy's dream. He helped Max open his music shop and helped him for free for a long time to support Max's goals, and the fact that he thought Teddy was trying to "upgrade" was frankly insulting. Max wouldn't accept his apology, dumped him on the spot and kicked him out. Max expressed his distaste for Teddy clearly in words that Teddy didn't want to ever hear from another person again.

He was focused on new things, mostly work. He and Alexia were making excellent headway on her new album. Jonas usually had packets of music on his desk at the end of the week. They'd even started recording some demos. When he wasn't working, he was trying new things. He'd actually been welcomed in by Alexia and while it wasn't always the easiest to live with roommates, the duo were doing their best to make it fun. They were both writers, both musicians, and while Alexia was a little less realistic at times, Teddy was learning when it was okay to indulge her.

So when she suggested shopping when he'd said maybe he should update his wardrobe before tour, he'd decided it would be safe to try out. He had invited his friend's crush, Birdie, to help keep them on the right track and Alexia had invited her sister, who'd in return suggested her husband, Chris.

Teddy couldn't help but giggle privately at the suggestion because Chris had hooked up with both his best friend and his ex-boyfriend. He didn't have any hard feelings, though, but admittedly, Teddy didn't know him the best. It wasn't like he'd avoided him or anything, they'd just never struck up a conversation. Jonas regularly spoke of positive interactions with his husband's ex, though, and if Jonas could handle it, Teddy could, too.

He felt a little silly stepping out of the dressing room in a golden suede suit, perhaps only a shade darker than the color of his own hair, but he knew Alexia would be  dressed similarly. These were costuming trips, she had insisted. He smiled at the his audience waiting for him. "What do you think?" he asked, turning in a small circle.

Alexia knew Teddy was going through a rough patch and she was there to help him the best she could. It was Alexia's idea for Teddy to move in with her. She made the excuse saying that Teddy needed someone to be around but in reality, they bother needed each other since Rowan was away touring. An empty home was a lonely one. Teddy and Alexia needed each other. If Alexia had an idea suddenly, Teddy was there to talk to and write stuff down as she excitedly paced back and forth across their living room.

Alexia was incredibly nervous to go on a shopping trip with Birdie tagging along. Birdie's style was the coolest style Alexia had ever seen and she felt a bit intimated with them coming. She made sure to dress her best without trying too hard. Her hair was styled a bit and she wore a bit of makeup. She stayed in the bathroom for a bit longer than necessary trying to get her hair the way she wanted it. She let out a sigh, French tucking her white t-shirt into her black skinny jeans. "I'm not trying too hard, right?" she asked Teddy after exiting the bathroom.

While out shopping, Alexia did most of the clothing choices. She wanted her and Teddy to match. She wanted there to be a theme for the tour and she was thinking golds, deep purples, and emerald. "You look so good!" she proclaimed cheerfully. She knew Teddy wasn't the most comfortable person and she knew that his confidence was shaking a bit since the breakup. "My turn," she announced, grabbing her outfit and going into an empty dressing room. She stepped out in a matching skirt and a white tank top. "We look so good!" She was so excited about this tour.

Chris absolutely adored married life and he also adored his newest sister. Sure, Chris had quite a few of them, but he treated Alexia no different. He liked to be supportive of her. When he got asked to go shopping for her tour, he was one hundred percent on board. He'd do whatever he could to support her new album.

He also liked to think he was somewhat fashion literate now. Kimi had taught him a thing or two and he'd listened and adjusted his wardrobe accordingly. The drummer used to wear whatever t-shirt companies wanted to send him free stuff, but now, he endorsed much different stuff. Calvin Klein is itchy. It's just for show, had been in every tabloid after he'd passed on the opportunity to work with them. He'd shrugged when Kimi asked. Armani and Ralph Lauren are way more comfortable.

He had thought Alexia looked so cute today with her hair styled slightly and her makeup done. He hadn't realized that Birdie would be joining them, but it was nice to finally get to know the stranger that had shadowed Jonas for months. He also didn't know Teddy too closely, just what Alexia had told him.

"You do look really good," Chris approved of the pair. "I think Teddy'd be too hot onstage in a full suit, though. What if he did some kind of muscle tank?"

Birdie wore what they were comfortable in and that had quite a bit of range to it. Sometimes they felt girly and would dress in skirts or dresses, sometimes they felt more masculine and wore suits and baggy jeans. Most of the time they just wore an old band tee and a pair of jeans. Today wasn't any different, cuffed jeans and a tank top completed their outfit for the day. They wore a dangling earring on their right ear and painted only their middle fingers black.

The young adult wasn't much into shopping but any time they could spend with Alexia they would. When they had started their internship at Cake Records they knew they were going to meet some of their favorite recording artists. What they hadn't expected was to befriend a couple of them, even being invited to outings. Birdie had fallen in love with Alexia's music before they had even met the woman but when they had met Birdie had also fallen in love with Alexia's process. Alexia was out there and scatterbrained and she was so real in Birdie's opinion. She truly poured herself into her work and it really showed. Never mind the crush that was slowly growing as the days went on. But Birdie wasn't in any position to tell the girl; there was no way. Alexia had made a name for herself and Birdie was, well Birdie was trying. Their personalities were drastically different; Alexia brought life to a room and Birdie just watched. Not that they minded being on the sidelines, you tended to pick up a lot of information just by keeping your mouth shut.

Birdie had been surprised when they had been asked to join the group shopping trip but accepted anyway. "Looks good," Birdie agreed, sipping on their iced coffee. They remembered Rowan telling people around the office, except Alexia, to make sure when getting coffee for or with Alexia to make sure there was no actual coffee in Alexia's drink. So Birdie had suggested a vanilla bean drink to Alexia when they had stopped for coffee before their trip. "A black muscle tank," Birdie agreed.

Teddy grinned at his roommate's matching ensemble when she emerged. "I like these colors," Teddy approved.

He also nodded at their friends' suggestions. Chris might have been onto something about stage heat. Teddy was honestly getting used to the idea of being on a stage at all, so if his suit was hot, he didn't know how he'd feel. Probably extra nervous and sweaty. "If I wear black, shouldn't Alexia too? Can we try it with the purple suit?" He thought about the time he'd asked his mother to dye his hair a plum color. He'd gladly do it again for his friend's tour.