Belle's Beast | ?

When Phoenix came back to the room, he found a mess awaiting him; Arabella had emptied nearly the entire closet. There were clothes strewn around the room, outfits half put together and half forgotten.

Phoenix's eyes widened in surprise. Maybe springing the idea of dinner with his parents had been a bad idea after all; he wondered if she would have been so stressed had he given her a few days in advance. He walked further into the room to find Arabella sitting on the floor. She had a dress in each hand and another laying across her lap.

"What are you doing, my love?" Phoenix crossed the room, sitting with his legs crossed on the floor before he pulled Arabella to sit in his lap.

"This is your fault for telling me last minute!" she huffed. "I don't know what to wear."

"It doesn't matter what you wear, love." He chuckled, "You'll look beautiful no matter what."

"I've never done this before," she sighed.

Arabella was frightened. Not in the way that had her cowering away physically, but the kind that left her stomach in knots, her palms clammy. For the first time in a very long time she actually cared about her appearance. She wanted Phoenix's parents to like her.

"Arabella, you will be fine. I promise." Phoenix said as he picked her up and put her to sit on the bed. Then he began to pick the clothes and put them back in the closet. Arabella watched as he moved at an inhumane speed- finishing the job in less than three minutes. he then came back out with a vintage collar dress and pair of low black heels.

Arabella took the dress looking at Phoenix with relief, all she could think was how lucky she was to have him. He made her heart race and trip by doing the smallest things for her. Phoenix gestured towards the bathroom as if to say, 'go put it on'.

Arabella nodded and walked into the bathroom. Her eyes fell back to the dress, wondering if something so simple and elegant could ever look good on her.

The dress itself was simple. It was plain black with a white collar and capped sleeves. It fell three inches above her knees, flaring out at her waist. Arabella turned to look at the back of the dress in the mirror. It covered her entire back- something she was grateful for- with a small button at the top. The shoes were simple too, brogues with a low heel, she put them on paired with white frilly ankle socks. Her hair had been left down in their natural waves, the ends tickling just below her collar bones.

She never had to bother about what she wore before; she was lucky to just have decent clothes back then. The only way to acquire such things was to steal. Arabella assessed her outfit with a calculating gaze. If she was still on the streets, it would be impractical and would make her a target to any perverts walking about. But she wasn't on the streets anymore, she was with Phoenix, far away from the hell she had to survive.

Phoenix's eyes widened- almost comically so- when Arabella stepped into his view. All he could bring himself to think that he was so lucky to have her. She was beautiful inside and out. He had spent a lot of time watching her, and he could only thank the fates that they had led him to finding Arabella.

Phoenix himself had changed into a pair of black jeans, and a clean white button up. He rolled up the sleeve of his shirt to his elbows, his muscular forearms on display. Arabella bit her lip as she walked closer to him. His hands coasted down her arms raising goosebumps as his hands went. He took a step back, holding one of her hands as he guided her movements.

"Twirl for me my love." His voice was husky as she twirled under his arm. She stumbled a little due to her non- existent experience in wearing heels, even block ones. Phoenix caught her in his arms, she giggled in slight embarrassment. Phoenix smiled, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.