#thoughts I have behind a sewing machine for 8 hours

[3hobbitsinatrenchcoat]

Batman AU I'd like to see:

Harley Quinn having the Joker's baby (like in Injustice but this is NOT an Injustice AU) but for some reason her sister can't take her. So Harley is like "hmm who can I trust with my kid that I could see on a regular basis? OH I KNOW! My good friend Bruce Wayne from med school! He's got a thing for orphans and more money than God!"

Cue Harley, who does not know Bruce is the Bat, dropping off her kid with her good friend Brucie.

Cue Bruce, who DOES know who Harley is, being unable to turn away the literal blood descendent of the Joker because we'll... That's just a baby.

So now he routinely has a member of his rogues gallery over for visitation and then she starts bringing her new girlfriend with her and poor Bruce is just... He's in too deep.

The kid is cute though.

[ladykailitha]

In the Midnight Hour Part 11

And now we get to the healing and the ending. There are 13 parts in total. I am currently working on a Valentine’s day fic, but after that I fully plan to get back to the other two WIPs.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10  

*

Steve woke up first. He saw Dustin and Wayne looking down at him, relief flooding every inch of their bodies.

“Is everyone okay?” he rasped.

Wayne let out a watery chuckle. “Eddie’s still in surgery. They’re trying to save his fingers and vocal cords. The bite on his throat was the deepest and whatever it was that happened when you changed him back, caused a lot of damage. He has two gashes on his back from where the wings were and tips of his fingers were broken.”

Steve let out a distressed cry. “What if he can’t play guitar or sing ever again? It would kill him.”

Dustin and Wayne shared a glance. They both had similar thoughts.

“He’s alive,” Wayne assured him. “That’s the important part right now. Don’t worry about anything else.

Just then Eddie was wheeled back into the room. He was on his side and they could see the heavy bandages on his throat, back and fingers.

The surgeon came in behind the nurses wheeling Eddie in. As the nurses began to hook Eddie up to the machines, the doctor came up to Wayne.

“If you’d step with me out into the hallway,” the doctor began, “I’ll go over with you how the surgery went.”

Wayne looked at Steve and Dustin and shook his head. “They’re Eddie’s family, too. You can say whatever you want in front of them.”

The doctor eyed Steve skeptically. He could believe that Dustin could be a younger brother, but everyone knew who Steve Harrington was. Not because of his family, but by how much time he had spent in that hospital in the last three years.

The doctor met Wayne’s steely gaze head on, but folded first. It wasn’t any of his business if Wayne Munson declared him family.

“Right,” the doctor began. “The surgeries on his back and fingers went fine. The gashes were clean, as were the breaks on his fingers. He should get full range of motion back in his hands in no time at all.”

All three of them let out a sigh of relief.

“And his throat?” Steve asked timidly.

“That’s the hard part,” the doctor said. “We won’t know how successful we were until he wakes up. We did everything we could, the best that we could. All we can do now is wait.”

A nurse came up to him with a different file and the doctor traded Eddie’s file for the new one.

“And since you’re awake, now, Mr Harrington,” the doctor said coldly, “we should talk about your injuries.”

Steve winced. “What’s the prognosis, doc?”

“You are a modern miracle,” the doctor said flatly. “You should, for all intents and purposes, be dead.”

Wayne and Dustin looked over at Steve in shock.

“Let’s see,” the doctor said lifting up the first page and flipping through what looked to be several pages of x-rays and other medical jargon. “The gash on your chest and stomach is infected and we are currently pumping you with enough antibiotics to knock out a horse and yet...” He waved to Steve’s wakefulness.

Steve blushed.

“We reopened them and sewed them shut properly so that they will heal correctly,” the doctor continued, giving Steve the stink-eye. “You had a lot of minor abrasions that didn’t require stitches, but they have been cleaned, disinfected, and bandaged.”

“That’s good then,” Dustin said feeling relieved.

“Oh all that’s fine,” the doctor intoned. “It was the CT scan of his head, that really stumped every neurologist and neurosurgeon that looked at it. Son, are you aware how many concussions you’ve had?”

Steve looked up and began to count on his fingers when he started running out of fingers on the one hand the doctor stopped him, waving his hands dramatically.

“Enough!” the doctor cried. “One is too many, Mr Harrington! You have had more concussions than the average professional football player in ten years of playing, in the last four years.”

Steve dropped his head and hunched his shoulders. “I know.”

“You going to have to start seeing a neurologist and taking medications for your migraines and other head related issues. I’ve set up for hearing and eye tests in the next couple of days and then going forward you will have to take those tests every six months to make sure we catch any problems that may crop up due to the trauma.”

Steve nodded. Wayne took his hand and gave it a squeeze.

“We’ll get through this,” he murmured.

“Hell, yeah,” Dustin said.

“Just one more thing,” the doctor said. “You’re parents were notified as next of kin.”

Steve and Wayne shared a nervous glance.

“They could not be reached,” the doctor continued, “so I had an orderly try and run them down.”

Steve grimaced. “They hadn’t called in awhile,” he admitted shyly.

“He was able to track them to New York where they had been living for the last two years,” the doctor said.

Steve’s eyes went wide as he leaned forward. “Excuse me? Living?”

The doctor nodded. “Your journalist friend did some further research, and found that they had listed the house in Hawkins as their secondary home.”

Steve’s lip quivered and he bit it to fight back the tears. “Why? Why didn’t they say something?”

The doctor shook his head. “Your friend is looking into it, but there is some suggestion they have even signed the house you currently reside over to you a year ago.”

“What?!” Dustin screeched. “A year ago!”

Steve frowned. “I‒I vaguely remembering getting something in the mail after the mall burned down, but I was so out of it...”

“The people currently paying for your care have told me to inform you that they are taking care of everything and to just relax,” the doctor said, sound sympathetic for the first time. “Rest up, Mr Harrington. It looks as though you have a long road ahead of you.”

The doctor left leaving behind a stunned trio.

“I haven’t gotten anything from them in over a year,” Steve said, as he choked back a sob. “I was getting really worried when I couldn’t reach them. I thought something had happened to them. Maybe that would have been better than to be completely abandoned and discarded like an ill-fitting sweater.”

“We’ll get this sorted out,” Wayne said. “I’ll talk to Owens and find out what’s being done. And by the time you’re out of here, it’ll be all sorted.”

He stood up and gave Steve’s shoulder a squeeze. He walked over to Eddie’s bed side and knelt down so they were face to face. “Hey, sweetheart,” he whispered. “I don’t know if you can hear me right now, but I need to know how much I love you and that you have to wake up. Not for me, though I wouldn’t mind. Steve’s going to need you now more than ever.”

He smoothed Eddie hair and brushed it gently out of his face. He kissed Eddie’s forehead and stood back up.

“Dustin, let me know if anything changes with Eddie,” he said turning to the younger boy. “And Steve, make sure if you need anything you let someone know right away.”

Steve nodded. He looked down at his hands and sighed. “There is one thing, sir.”

Wayne smiled softly. “What’s that?”

“Can‒can the two beds be brought closer together?” he asked shyly.

“I can ask.”

Steve gulped. “Thanks.”

“Take care,” Wayne murmured.

*

The two beds were pushed closer together. Just far enough apart that a nurse could squeeze through to look at Eddie’s machines and make adjustments as needed.

On the third day, Eddie opened his eyes.

“Wayne...” he whisper shouted getting the man’s attention.

Wayne’s eyes snapped to Eddie’s now opened eyes. “Eddie!” He jumped up and tapped the nurse call button. “Hang on, son. I’ve got nurses on the way.”

Eddie nodded.

The nurses came pouring in and made adjustments, got Eddie some water, and lifted the bed to a more upright position. They made sure he was comfortable before they left him alone.

“What’s wrong with my voice?” Eddie asked.

Wayne smiled sadly. “We don’t know. The doctors did everything they could. You could get it back, but it will take time.”

Eddie’s hand went up to his throat. “And if I don’t get back?”

“Then we learn sign language,” Steve said. “And you’ll still be able to talk a mile a minute, if not faster, being able to use your hands.”

“But‒” Eddie whispered. D&D, his band. Sign language was great for every day, but what about the things he loved...

Steve reached out and grabbed his hand. “We’ll figure it out.”

Eddie looked into Steve’s eyes and found hope there. “Okay...”

“In the mean time,” Wayne said pulling out pad of paper and a pen. “Use this to keep you from hurting your throat further.”

Eddie nodded, taking them both in one hand so he wouldn’t have to let go of Steve’s hand.

“Maybe for D&D, if you end up not being able to speak,” Steve said with a grin, “I’ll be your interpreter. That will really freak out your club.”

Eddie let out a little wheeze and then in big bold letters wrote with the pen in his fist like a toddler, “DON’T MAKE ME LAUGH!!!!!!!”

The doctor chose that moment to come in. “Mr Munson, it’s good to see you awake.”

Eddie smiled and waved.

“I’m sure by now you have noticed your voice is rough at the moment,” the doctor continued.

Eddie rolled his eyes and wrote: “It’s not just rough, it’s fucking gone!”

The doctor frowned and got out a pen light to look at Eddie’s throat. “Everything seems fine. It’s most likely due to non-use. I will get a speech therapist in here by later today and see if we can get you back to your chatty self in no time at all.”

Steve was practically bouncing in his bed. “You see, Eddie? Everything’s going to be just fine!”

Eddie blushed.

Wayne stood up. “I’m going to go let everyone know you’re awake.”

Eddie waved and Steve smiled.

Eddie let his hair fall in front of his face and wrote: “You kissed me.”

Steve laughed. “I did tell you I wanted to weeks ago.”

Eddie shoved his hair into his mouth. “I felt your love for me down there.”

Steve’s smile turned fond. “Yeah. Did you know about your uncle’s powers?”

Eddie shook his head and wrote: “Not really. Suspected something might be up when he always seemed able to suss out my moods, but no.”

“The only ones that seemed to understand what he was, was El and Will,” Steve said. “The two munchkins you haven’t met yet.”

Eddie’s shoulders shook, indicating his silent laughter. “Just how many children do you have?”

“All total?” Steve asked with a grin. “Seven. Just don’t tell their parents.” He winked at Eddie.

Eddie turned the page, having already filled the first one. “Seven? How the hell did you get seven kids? Did you kidnap them?”

Steve laughed. “No. The original four were Lucas, Will, Mike, and Dustin. Then El got added. Then Max and Erica the following year.”

“That’s a lot,” Eddie wrote.

“I would do anything for them,” Steve said softly.

“How did you know to use Wayne’s powers to make Vecna vulnerable?” Eddie wrote after a moment or two.

Steve grinned. “It was something your uncle said actually.”

“What’s that?” Wayne asked from the doorway.

Eddie wrote: “Hey that’s what I was going to say write!”

Wayne chuckled and moved to sit back down in the chair he vacated.

“You said that if you didn’t have a tight grasp on your powers that you would probably floor Hawkins with your love for Eddie,” Steve explained.

“And if I could do that without control,” Wayne agreed, “imagine what I could do with it completely controlled. You did a good job, son.”

Steve blushed. “I had help. You, El, Hopper, Eddie...” He glanced over at the other boy and then ducked his head.

“Yes, but you were able to put all the pieces together and come up with a plan,” Wayne said.

“You make me sound like Capt. Hannibal from ‘A-Team’,” Steve said shyly.

Wayne laughed. “You would be a fan of that one.” He clapped Eddie’s shoulder gently. “Rest up, everyone wants to see you.”

Eddie nodded. He couldn’t believe Steve had actually done it. Killed Vecna, destroyed the Upside Down, and saved him. His own personal hero. And as he closed his eyes, he dreamed of a life he never thought he could ever have.

Part 12  Part 13

Tag List:  @swimmingbirdrunningrock @panicatthediaz @renaissan-vvitch@grtwdsmwhr  @chaoticlovingdreamer  @savory-babby @thequeenrainacorn @anzelsilver @estrellami-1 @steddieassheg0es @currently-steddiebrainrot @gregre369 @steddie-there @clumsywriter @babbler1202

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The Wedding Suit

Fandom: Glee

Pairings: Kurt Hummel/Sebastian Smythe

Rating: G

Word Count: 665

Summary: Kurt uses his mother’s old sewing machine to work on his suit for his wedding to Sebastian. Sebastian interrupts. Written for @kurtbastianarchive’s “The First Time” Anniversary Event 2022 prompt "Family".

___________________________________________

Kurt’s hands guide the deep blue fabric under the foot of the sewing machine with a practiced ease. He’s done this a million times, lost track of how many things he’s sewn with this machine years ago, the machine he learned with, the machine his mother used to teach him and then, after she’d passed, where he continued to learn on his own. She’d never let anyone else touch it, but Kurt was allowed. She wasn’t scared he’d break it; she knew that he knew its value, she knew he’d take care of it.

And he did. He has. All these years, he’s taken care of it, kept it running like it’s brand new and it’s never let him down.

Like her.

It’s like having a piece of her with him. Not that he needs that, necessarily, he knows she loved him more than words could express, he doesn’t need an object to remind him of that.

But, sometimes, it’s nice to have the reminder anyway.

Keep reading below the cut, on AO3, or on FFN

He still misses her. He’ll never stop missing her, and ironically it’s in the happiest moments that he misses her most.

Like now.

He wishes she could have met him; Sebastian. He thinks she’d have loved him. Not at first, maybe, because he is… well, Sebastian, even Kurt couldn’t stand him at first, but eventually she’d have grown to love him just as Kurt as. When he called to share their engagement, she would have been thrilled. She would have cried at the wedding, seeing him so happy with his husband, the love of his life.

He’ll never know for sure. He’ll never have that chance.

But she can be here this way, in the stitching of his wedding suit. He knows it’s an ambitious project, but he also knows he won’t find quite what he wants anyway, this will make it special, and this way she can be a part of it, too, even though she can’t be there.

He smiles to himself, just a little. She’d be so proud of him, where he is now, he knows that. Once upon a time he never thought he could get here, but here he is. He’s living in New York with his amazing fiancé, he graduated fashion school and is on his way to building a successful career in the industry, and most importantly… he’s happy. He knows that’s all she’s ever wanted for him.

He’s so in his own head, wrapped up in his thoughts and the task at hand that he almost doesn’t hear the door creak open.

Almost.

But he does, and the moment it happens his foot is off the peddle, he’s standing and spinning around, blocking the view of the table as he sees Sebastian standing in the doorway.

“I told you that you are not to come in here under any circumstances,” he snips, moving quickly toward the door and pushing Sebastian out, following behind and pulling it shut with what is probably more force than necessary.

“Relax babe, I didn’t see anything,” Sebastian says, backing up only as much as is absolutely necessary as he rests his hands on Kurt’s hips.

“That’s not the point,” Kurt shoots back. “What do you want?”

“I just thought maybe you could use a little break,” Sebastian muses, ducking his head down to give Kurt a quick kiss before pulling back to smile at him.

“I was a bit in the middle of something,” Kurt replies, some of the annoyance in his voice subsiding, though not entirely.

“You’ve been ‘a bit in the middle of something’ for the past, oh, about 8 hours,” Sebastian smirks a little. “I made supper. I figured you could use something to eat.”

Kurt blinks a little dumbly. “Oh. Has it been that long?”

“Yeah, babe. It’s been that long.”

Kurt smiles a little sheepishly. “I guess I lost track of time. Thanks.” “It’s what I’m here for,” Sebastian replies with a lopsided grin, and leans in for another soft kiss.

[juminsmysticmc]

Pregnancy Series - Part 3

Telling them 

Hey! So a lot of you have been waiting and I am honestly happy that you guys seem to like my pregnancy series! Please feel free to tell me your opinion with a comment or through a reblog ( I read every single # ) or just send me a message in my inbox! Hope you enjoy! 

Pregnancy Series: Part 1 // Part 2 

Jumin

You nervously rubbed your hands together as the weekend finally came.

Ever since Jumin married you, he decided to have his birthday parties only with you instead of throwing big parties with people he didn’t even like just because of his status.

But this time you prepared something special for him.

You decided to invite your father-in-law as well as the RFA, even Zen, at your place on the 4th of October to stay until Jumin’s birthday at midnight the 5th october.

For Zen, you even prepared your party room since your beloved cat wasn’t in every room of the big penthouse your husband owned.

And so you prepared everything without your husband’s knowing. To say it clearly, you made someone else prepare it because you were scared of hurting the baby, being overprotective since it took you so long to get pregnant.

Maybe you were too scared, but you knew that Jumin wouldn’t have wanted you to overwork yourself.

The room was decorated in gold and black colors and you also baked a big cake on your own, deciding to hide a long note into the cake, saying that you were pregnant. At the end of the note, a copy of your first picture of the baby was attached, showing Jumin that whatever was happening was real.

You knew that he would be more than happy to see this, to know about the baby you were carrying.

,,Finally ready,’’ you said and sighed, looking at your clock, knowing that at 8 PM everyone would come home to stay into the room before Jumin would come home with Jaehee from the office.

The first guest to arrive was your father in law. To your surprise, he didn’t take his girlfriend along, but since Jumin always had to prepare a second party for his status, your in-law promised you to bring her along the next day. Well, you knew that this wasn’t going to last for a long time, but to make the elder happy, you nodded and smiled, telling him that you were more than happy to be able to get to know her.

Lastly, Seven, Zen, and Yoosung arrived. Zen and Seven were arguing whether or not the red haired boy should kidnap his Elly.

,,I need to go home with you. You can’t take that fur ball with you!’’ he hissed.

You left the men alone for a second before you waited for the final guest - your husband, of course followed by Jaehee who just sent you a message about her arrival.

Jumin was puzzled at first when you invited Jaehee inside and led the way to another part of the penthouse, but since it was you who asked, it was okay, you were his wife after all.

The surprise party, however, made him emotional and you knew that Jumin was touched just by his mimicry and how he stood there, you knew your husband.

,,I have a present for you, but you will only be allowed to have it at midnight!’’ you teased him after he gave you a long, lovely kiss.

Staying awake almost four hours more was hard for you. Since you knew that you were pregnant, you were even sleepier, but for Jumin you could manage to stay awake. You had to.

,,IT’S MIDNIGHT! BRING THE CAKE!’’ Seven screamed in excitement, making you a bit nervous.

Yoosung carried the cake into the room after you kindly asked him to, as you all sang ,,Happy Birthday’’ to him.

,,Thank you, my love,’’ he whispered and kissed you again, ready to blow his candles.

,,Before you cut the cake, Jumin,’’ you said as he stood there with a knife already ,,here’s something you have to pull out. Read it out loud,’’ you said.

You pressed your lips together as you waited for him to pull out the long white note until finally the first words appeared. ,,I…..’’ he said, he smirked, thinking that the note was ,,I love you’’

,,A….M…..P...R...E...G…-’’ he looked at you in shock before he pulled the note even quicker out of the cake, seeing the last picture of an ultrasound.

For the first time, all members of the RFA saw Jumin Han cry real tears by the man they always called ,,cold hearted’’ as he hugged his wife and kissed her with a lot of love, thanking her over and over again.

,,This is the best present ever,’’ he hiccuped and kneeled down to kiss your flat belly.

Zen

,,You will surely be a good mother!’’ the chocolate lady praised you as she gave you the white chocolate with the baby sonogram of your baby.

You quickly went back in and prepared a few more things. The chocolate was ready, you thought you would now take a little package and put balloons around the chocolate so that it would float up as soon as Zen would open the box.

Since the chocolate was in a cute packaging too, you put a note on it saying to open it immediately to see the surprise.

You guessed that this would be the perfect Valentine’s Day gift.

Then you also decided to bake a few muffins, not just for Zen, but also because you wanted to slowly get used to the idea of baking cakes for your future child.

That evening, you tried your best to act normal because you were overloading with happiness and excitement.

The next day, you woke up pretty quickly. One of the reasons was because you had the urge to throw up and the other reason was because you wanted to drop the news as soon as possible.

,,Mc, did you get checked up? Like-’’

,,Hyun, it’s just a virus. That’s why I had to cancel our reservation at the hospital,’’ you groaned as you again had to empty your stomach.

,,Of course, baby,’’ he whispered, holding your hair as he kept rubbing your back.

At times like these, he wished you could be like him, healing and getting better quickly.

But he also knew that you were a strong woman and didn’t have any problems.

,,Okay, I’m better,’’ you gasped as you went to wash your mouth. The taste you had in your mouth wasn’t really yummy and so you brushed your teeth before you decided to give him his present.

,,Here, for you,’’ you whispered as you laid back in bed, feeling a bit lightheaded.

Zen’s eyes went soft as he saw the big box, placing it on the floor and sitting next to it to open the present.

Just like you wanted, the balloons flew up, pulling the chokolate up.

Zen quickly grabbed the present and read the note out loud.

,,I’m excited. I never thought that Valentine’s Day could become so special one day,’’ he laughed.

You slowly teared up as you thought about how much better and special this day would become.

Zen opened the chocolate and inspected the picture.

He stayed silent for a second before he looked up at you again.

,,Really?’’ he asked you, whispering as his tears found a way out.

,,Really, Hyun, really.’’

Yoosung

You hurried home after the appointment, thinking about the best way to tell your husband that you were pregnant.

After you decided to take a look at some Pinterest boards, you decided to sew a little baby out of his clothes.

You once saw it in a drama and it was, in your opinion, the cutest idea.

And so, you took an old shirt of his and went down to the city, buying some stuff to fill your baby.

It took you the whole day to sew that baby, to first cut the material, put it together in a little cute baby outfit, and patch it together.

You were really happy back then; your teacher taught you how to sew at the machine and your mother bought you one back then.

Right when Yoosung entered, you just finished the little baby.

You were proud of yourself and were more than happy that you could hide the present before he came home.

,,Hello, my wife,“ he smiled and kissed you, seeing that you were in a better mood than in the morning.

,,You haven't cooked yet? Wanna do it together?“ he asked you, seeing that nothing was prepared.

,,Oh, I need to be honest. I took a good rest today and I forgot that it was already so late,“ you lied.

,,It’s okay! I can also order some sushi or-”

,,No sushi!“ you called, looking away.

,,Can we eat pizza?“ you asked him, trying to hide the fact that you preferred to not eat raw fish.

And so you both did, although Yoosung was kind of puzzled when you didn’t take the wine you both usually drank while eating pizza.

The day went by and the next morning finally arrived. You were happy to wake up just in time to set the table, prepare the breakfast, and put his bag with the baby doll on his seat.

,,Happy eighth anniversary,“ he whispered and kissed you, hugging your body from behind, nuzzling his head in your neck.

,,Eight years already,“ you sighed happily and turned around, ready to give him a deep, lovely kiss on his lips.

Yoosung quickly sat down, giving you his hand over the table as he put some sugar in his coffee.

,,That’s for you,“ he told you, giving you an envelope.

You smiled.

,,The bag in front of you is from me for you,“ you told him, as if someone else could have made him a present.

The both of you decided to open your present at the same time.

And once again, you surprised each other.

,,You want to adopt a child?“ you asked him as he almost screamed ,,YOU’RE PREGNANT?“

You both laughed at the same time. Yoosung quickly got up from his chair, getting on his knees as he kissed your belly with tears in his eyes.

,,I knew it! No sushi, no wine! I knew it!“ he sobbed, stroking the place where his baby was supposed to be.

,,Such a little human being will grow up here. Can you believe it?“ Yoosung asked you.

You were also now sobbing, shaking his head as you stroked his fluffy hair ,,Finally, Yoosung, finally,“

Jaehee

Your girlfriend couldn’t wait to hug you, hold you in her arms and so, as soon as she caught a glimpse of you at the train station, she hugged you, sobbing into your shoulder.

It was cold outside and you luckily came back right in time before the holy days of Christmas.

Jaehee still hugged you when suddenly, something soft and cold touched your nose, making you look up into the sky.

,,The first snow,’’ you whispered, making Jaehee loosen up her hug and look up too.

She chuckled as she knew that you loved the snow.

A few seconds later, the both of you walked hand in hand towards your shop. Jaehee was happy as you seemed to be in a happy mood.

Your fingers felt hot as hers were entangled in yours, stroking the skin of your finger with her thumb.

,,Go and take a warm shower. I will make us some food,’’ she mumbled and quickly left you alone.

And so, while the warm water of your shower hit your body, warming you up and relaxing your muscles, you thought of a way to tell Jaehee that you two finally did it.

Suddenly, you got a very good idea. Lately, you were into sublime stitching and found it hard to find new things to stitch, but now that you had your first ultrasound, you finally had a new challenge to take!

You copied your first ultrasound and sent it to your favorite artist, who was more than happy to make your ultrasound into a pattern with ink.

Just like always, you ironed the picture with the hot iron on your fabric, but this time you didn’t buy the pattern and indeed used your own.

You smiled as you saw how good it worked out. You were really proud of yourself that the first step was already so well done! 

But you couldn’t keep going as Jaehee called you to open the shop with her.

And so the weeks went by. You luckily didn’t have any symptoms that could have ruined the surprise for Jaehee.

You wanted to give it to her as a Christmas present after all.

You kept stitching along the line, slowly and accurately so that everything would look nice and neat.

When you finally finished, you felt yourself becoming emotional. This was now real, this present and this baby was really happening to you and Jaehee, who waited for so long for this.

The last step was to wash the fabric so that the blue ink would disappear, making it look once again much more beautiful.

,,I can’t wait for Christmas,’’ you chuckled to yourself and put the present into a little box.

,,You really didn’t have to,’’ Jaehee whispered the morning of Christmas Eve.

The both of you sat on your couch in front of your Christmas tree.

It was warm and cozy in your living room as you both were wearing the same Christmas hoodies.

You excitedly looked over to Jaehee as she opened the box.

Her fingers followed every stitched line, her lips began to tremble and it seemed as if she couldn’t breathe calmly.

You were getting worried, but soon enough Jaehee looked at you.

,,Is that yours?’’ she asked her, her voice was cracking.

,,Yes. I didn’t have the flu or covid, I’m pregnant,’’ you laughed.

Jaehee hugged you, not too strong, stroking the back of your hair as she enjoyed the warmth of your body.

,,I don’t have such a great present,’’ she laughed and kissed your cheek.

Saeyoung

The birthday of the twins was slowly approaching. By now you were eight weeks pregnant.

You still had symptoms and felt sick. Sometimes you couldn’t even cook, making Saeyoung worry for you, but you knew that this was worth it.

You chuckled as you thought about your self made toy you prepared as a present for Saeyoung. It was a toy he had to play first before the news of your pregnancy would be announced.

It took you a while to construct everything.

It was a game where he had to put cards together. To put them together, he had to form different sentences in different languages.

Matching cards would give him a letter and afterwards those letters would give him the sentence ,,You will be soon a daddy!’’ but of course, he had to also form this sentence.

Since it was kind of difficult to perform this all in Hangul, you decided to make it an english game.

For Saeran, you prepared a little teddy bear which would say ,,Hello Uncle’’ but of course, he wasn’t allowed to open his present until Saeyoung played with his present.

The 11th of June quickly approached you guys as you woke up one morning. Luckily, you still didn’t feel sick.

You hugged Saeyoung as you woke him up with a sweet kiss ,,Good morning,’’ you whispered, making him groan, but not open his eyes.

,,Hello, how did you sleep?’’ you asked him when he turned his body to you and hugged you back.

,,Good, but being awake next to you is better,’’ he whimpered and almost fell asleep again.

,,Ya! Your birthday breakfast is waiting for you!’’ you hissed and laughed.

He immediately jumped up, yelling for his brother. ,,SAERAN, YOU ARE TURNING A YEAR OLDER!’’ he laughed, making you shake your head.

But you were happy that Saeyoung finally found his brother. You could just imagine how it must have been for him to miss his second half for all those years.

And even though Saeran didn’t admit it, he probably missed his brother too.

The three of you were sitting around the table as they ate their soup. It was a special soup for their birthday.

,,I will give you your birthday present later when the other’s are here too,’’ you told them both, making your husband especially sad. ,,You always want your present at midnight and now I have to wait?’’ he asked you, whining as you laughed at him.

,,It’s special, that’s why,’’ you told him, making him sulk.

,,My presents are always special,’’ he whined but didn’t say anything anymore as he enjoyed his food.

You were nervous as the RFA came one by one. By now, you guys were always together. You saw yourselves as a family.

,,Okay guys, because of you I couldn’t open my present!’’ he whined and finally unpacked the box. At first he looked a bit… puzzled, which made you chuckle.

You explained to him how to play and even persuaded him to play on his own.

,,Boring that everyone is watching me,’’ he mumbled as Saeran kept patting his present, you told him he wasn’t allowed to open it yet.

,,Is that german? ,,Wir müssen…’’ what?’’ he laughed.

But one by one he did it and finally had the single letters that would give the hidden message.

,,I am pregnant, I don’t even have to think about it, that’s the message, right?’’ he said and immediately looked up at you, already in tears.

By now, Saeran too, unpacked his bear and in a big family embrace, Saeyoung cried into your shoulder.

Saeran

After you were brought to the maternity ward and they did some more tests, it seemed that it was official that you were pregnant!

Saeran got up as soon as he saw you walking out of the big doors.

,,Is it something serious? It took you so long and no one wanted to say anything,’’ he whined and took your hand between his, massaging your palm as he slowly walked out with you.

,,I just had to wait a long time,’’ you lied and smiled at him, trying to convince him that you just had a mere virus.

And so the days passed again and you worked on a present for Saeran who was a soon to be father.

You put a lot of thought into it and decided that doing something handmade would be much better than just telling him.

That’s why you decided to give him something your baby would get - a handmade baby blanket with his favorite flower patched on it.

You put a lot of hard work into it, using the best material and the most beautiful colors.

And since the gender was still unknown, you decided to go for a light beige color with some red details.

In the end, the blanket looked just too cute and it hit you - you were pregnant.

The day was nothing special when you told Saeran that you would like to go and eat an ice cream with him, something he agreed to immediately.

He took a few hours free and hand in hand with you, he went to buy ice cream for the both of you, enjoying the sun on your skin and the nature around you.

,,What do you have in that bag?’’ he asked you after a while, still licking his ice cream as he pointed at the little bag in your hand.

,,Nothing,’’ you began, ,,just something little I want to give you,’’ you told him, making him excited to know what you would like to give him.

To prevent the blanket from getting dirty, you decided to wait until the both of you were finished with the ice cream, giving you the chance to talk to Saeran a bit more about his day and your day.

,,Okay, now I’m ready,’’ he nodded and looked at the bag. He couldn’t wait to see what you had prepared for him in there.

He opened the bag and pulled out the self made blanket, observing every little detail.

He tilted his head as he looked at the length of it.

,,It’s a bit too little for you, right?’’ you laughed, making him laugh too.

Suddenly, Saeran saw a little note in there.

,,It’s not for you, it’s for your baby, Dad. Congratulations…’’ he whispered and put the note back into the bag, looking at the tiny blanket again.

You knew that he was happy, but probably overwhelmed with this news and so you decided to wait a few moments.

But as soon as the news arrived in his head, Saeran couldn’t prevent himself from hugging and thanking you a thousand times.

,,You...you always make me so happy…!’’ he whined.

,,I will give my best to become a good father,’’ he said with a trembling voice.

,,I won’t become like my parents. I will be a good one and I will protect you and our unborn child,’’ he whispered, his hand on your belly by now.

,,I promise,’’ he nodded.

,,I trust you, Saeran.’’

Jihyun

As soon as Saeyoung heard those words, he began to tear up and hugged you, patting your back. He was just so happy for you and Jihyun as he knew that the both of you had a hard time lately.

,,Let’s get back and prepare something!’’ he said in his mischievous smile and helped you to get into the car.

Of course, to keep it fair, Saeyoung wasn’t allowed to tell anybody. Instead, the both of you planned on how to tell Jihyun who would soon come back home.

,,How about I make a computer print of your future family and he has to paint it in little colors? We will just make it with so many details that he won’t notice from the beginning that it’s a family picture of four!’’ Saeyoung chuckled. You loved the idea and were more than happy to go with it.

You and Saeyoung worked on the details while the rest of the RFA weren’t at your home as they too had their personal lives.

Saeyoung and Saeran, however, stayed with you partly because Saeyoung prepared the surprise with you, but also because they both were worried.

When you finally finished with the layout and Saeyoung helped you to print it out, you wouldn’t be able to tell that this was a picture of a family.

,,I wonder how he will react,’’ you laughed and thanked him for his hard work.

,,Those were the longest six weeks I’ve ever experienced,’’ you whimpered when Jihyun finally arrived at home, Lucy on your hand, also more than happy to see her father.

Hugging the both of you, he nodded in agreement.

,,I also missed the both of you,’’ he said honestly.

Quickly letting him step in, you took his stuff and helped him to unpack before you told him that dinner would be soon ready.

,,I have a little challenge for you,’’ you laughed as you went back to your room to take the picture you prepared for him.

,,Oh, I saw that on Instagram,’’ he nodded, as he remembered the logic of the painting.

,,Yes, but I did this myself,’’ you said proudly, handling it over to him.

He laughed happily ,,I’m excited to work on it, thank you!’’ he laughed.

,,Yes, but there’s a hidden message in it so you need to hurry with it!’’ you told him, not knowing that you encouraged him to work on it the whole night after you fell asleep that night.

In the morning, when you just opened your eyes and saw his black bags below his eyes, paint all over his hands, you knew that he overworked himself.

,,Will we be able to adopt a child?’’ he asked you, his voice was raspy as he asked you, tears in his eyes, excited to know the answer.

You slowly shook his head, making him wonder if his sleepy eyes made him see something he just wanted to see.

But you didn’t want to tease him anymore so you finally told him. ,,I’m pregnant, Jihyun. I wasn’t sick back then, I was just… pregnant! I was having symptomes. We will have a child together soon!’’ you told him, slowly getting up from the bed.

,,I’m so happy,’’ he sighed and kissed your belly.

,,I will never go away for such a long time, I swear,’’ he whispered and then, with his knees on the floor and head on your lap, slowly fell asleep….

Vanderwood

You observed Vanderwood, noticing that the mood was being off for a few days.

To be honest, it was happening ever since you told him that you wanted to stop trying to have children for the time being.

Your eyes followed Vanderwood as he walked out and took out a cigarette, sluggishly smoking and looking around.

You began to chew on your lips as you thought back, maybe beginning the topic with ,,Yo’’ wasn’t the best way to start.

But there was no way back now and it didn’t matter anymore since you finally got pregnant.

You hoped that a day later, Vanderwood’s birthday, this silence between the both of you would be over finally as you wanted to surprise him with a self made cake which said, ,,Hello Daddy!’’

Of course, you firmly told him to not look at it, something he would never do since he knew how much you liked to surprise him.

,,Vandy,’’ you called him softly.

,,Don’t call me like that,’’ he groaned, a bit annoyed as he closed the door.

,,Are you angry at me?’’ you asked him, scared for his answer.

Vanderwood turned his body to you.

He didn’t look happy and you just noticed.

,,I’m not angry, I’m just… I have the feeling that you don’t really care about having a family with me while I work my ass of and-’’

,,Woah, what gives you that idea?’’ you asked him, slowly getting off the couch and looking at him.

You didn’t want to fight with him, but his comment… hurt you deeply.

,,Last time, sorry, but you approached the topic totally wrong!’’ he hissed, on his way to the kitchen.

You followed him there. He was partly right, you thought.

,,But, I was just… I didn’t know how to tell you, but this doesn’t mean that I don’t care,’’ you told him, your trembling voice making him look back at you.

,,I know. It still hurts though,’’ he whispered and opened the fridge to take out a cold drink.

,,You know what,’’ you told him, holding onto the door of the fridge and pulling out the cake you made for him which was covered with something so that he couldn’t see what was written on it with the chocolate.

,,What-’’ before Vanderwood could even say anything, you showed him the cake you prepared for him with the note written on it that you were pregnant.

,,It’s true. I was mean and I should have approached you differently, but I was so down, I didn’t think I could get pregnant anytime soon and- just don’t say anymore that I don’t care,’’ you finished your sentence and looked up, your tears were rolling down your cheeks as you were unsure of what to do now.

But Vanderwood knew what he had to do and softly took you in his arms, laying you down in the other room and kissing your neck.

,,You destroyed my surprise,’’ he whispered, giving you a kiss again.

,,Sorry for being selfish. I was mean while you’ve been carrying my baby,’’ he honestly apologized, stroking your flat womb as you sobbed into his shoulder.  

Part 4.1 of my pregnancy series here 

MASTERLIST 1

MASTERLIST 2

MASTERLIST 3

🤰🏻ᴘʀᴇɢɴᴀɴᴄʏ sᴇʀɪᴇs🤰🏻Masterlist here

16.05.2021// 00:12 MEST

[pbandjesse]

Taking Sundays off was a great call. Because I don't think I would have survived working today. And I got so much accomplished!! Even though I was tired and stabbed myself in the hand with my craft tools twice and my eye is a little swollen. I was still so proud of myself for all the things I got done.

I slept really well. Deeply. I don't remember James leaving for work but I woke up and texted them good morning.

I kind of had a mini melt down when I first got up. The online dermatologist said my psoriasis was to bad to treat with topicals but it's so much better then it was so I was super upset and sent two messages. One when I was really upset and one 15 minutes later when I had calmed down a little more. And he said we can continue with the topicals but it would be time consuming. Which I already know. And it really is getting better. The spots on my legs and body just get dark red when I get hot and that makes me feel very ugly and diseased. But it's not all the time. Mostly I feel a lot more comfortable and that is good.

I got dressed and had a half plan of what I would do today. I wanted to fold and pack my clothes for camp that James had washed for me. I had not brought home the extra clothes because there was not space in the car on Friday with PJ being in there. But that is alright. I'll deal with that this week.

So I packed my clothes and had some cereal. I played Stardew for a bit but I'm at a place again where there is so much to do that I feel overwhelmed. So I am trying to focus but also my in game girlfriend and my character are engaged now and it's a whole thing. But I played for an hour before I decided to change the plans for the day.

Instead of doing my art stuff first, I decided to do my errands. I got myself ready to go out and headed to joann's for yarn.

It was a nice drive with good music. And when I got to joann's a nice worker lady helped me find the yarn I needed because they were moving everything and it was a little confusing. I got a little overwhelmed with fabrics so I did not buy the fleece for the fruit and veggie project for the museum but I'll get to that. Just not right now.

I left there after getting to use two coupons and went to lunch. I had five guys and enjoyed it very much. And then off to the grocery store to get cat food. I tried to buy batteries but I couldn't figure out what one I needed, laughed with the lady behind me in line, and gave up. Just the cat food and then over to the thrift store.

I looked at dresses to find jumpsuits but no luck. I got tank dress I'm excited about and a white eyelet Tshirt dress, but the big find was my new bear foot rest!!! I have been trying to find one only eBay and stuff for literally years. They are always so expensive. And this was only $8 after the coupon I had. I must have looked funny the way I grabbed it off the shelf I was so excited.

I also found one of those old exercise machines that vibrates you and I was very close to buying it but I did not. Only regret it a little.

I went home after that. I was feeling good. And when I got home, while I struggled to get everything inside, I made it upstairs without breaking anything.

I tried on the dresses and started figuring out how to catch up on my knitting. I think I may have missed a day or added a day. I am very much not sure. But I will do better keeping track this week. Actually write it down and not just have James sort of do it. That got to confusing.

But I got all of last month done and took my picture of the month. And then I was tired and went and laid down.

I watched tiktoks for a while. Thought about sleep but did not actually fall asleep. James would come home soon and they were very very sweaty when they did.

They would join me in the ac. Before going to finish editing their podcast. I came and sat with them in their room and played Stardew for a little longer. And then James made us dinner.

I had to sew all of the ears for my bears. James flipped them all inside out for me and then I did all the sewing and I'm so glad I do it this way now rather then trying to make tiny ears separately and place them. This is such a better way of doing it. And after that was done I put on all the eyes and noses. Where I stabbed myself in the hand with the newly sharpened tool. Cool cool cool. Ugh.

I made some Thai tea to bring with me to camp and James made me angel food cake because they love me. And I felt happy and good.

Eventually I would go and take a bath. And now we are in bed. I am very tired. And tomorrow I must wake up early to go to camp! I hope it's a really good week. I am really looking forward to it. I hope you all have a great night. And a beautiful day. Sleep well everyone.

[headcans-oneshots-and-stuff]

Batboys x Cosplayer!reader (preference)

Requested by the great @middevil465​: Batboys dating a cosplayer,but downside is that they have to put up with their sewing at 2am

Dick: 

Okay so this boy will be your biggest fanboy

ESPECIALLY if you cosplay him as Nightwing

(Not to be kinky on main, but depending on how..uhm... showing... the costume is he might get a bit frisky if ya know what I mean)

He wants to help as much as possible

You have to finish sewing that cape, but your wig isn’t styled yet? Don’t worry, Dick has enough expirence from his long hair phase to take care of that for you!

You want to cosplay a certain hero (or villain), but can’t fid that specific item that would make the cosplay perfect (maybe a weapon, a mask, etc.)? Dick might or might not steal borrow said item from the original hero for you (of course he gives it back after you had a photoshoot or something similar and he always feels a bit bad for the hero (not for the villains tho))

Now to the “downsides”

Dick, unlike some of his siblings, actually rather enjoys sleep

“I need my beauty sleep, all this perfection doesn’t come from nothing”

And he is honestly torn

He loves and supports you so so so much and he understands that you can be your most productive around the nighttimes, but he just came back from like two to three hours of patrol after a whole day of working at the police station and he honestly just want to sleeeeeeeeeeeep

So he finds a comprimise and fucking sound isolates the room your sewing in

It’s a win-win if we think about it and you probably would go as far as to just completely take over the room to make it your own little cosplay studio 

Everyone sleeps is happy 

Jason:

Jason is a whole ass hurricane 

Don’t misunderstand me, he loves your hobby and he thinks it’s cool, but how excited he is depends on who exactly you cosplay

Him? Amazing, showstopping, great, breathtaking, nothing more amazing ever happened in this triste gray world before that

Robin (also slightly depending on which incarnation)? Cute, want to cuddle, 9/10 would do again

Batman? “That looks nice babe, you can take it off now” (Please don’t wear a more feminine toned (or just in general reaveling if you’re not female) batman cosplay. Jason is not ready for that amount of daddy issues) 

Someone like Harley, Ivy, Selina? Hell, even penguine or Riddler? He digs it for some reason and he might even show the respective rouge a picture of the cosplay (if he knows that it’s not possible to identify you).

They all love it, possible have a little fanclub

You cosplay as any other hero? Depending on how much of a little fangirl Jason is he will be really exsited and happy with you

Now, if you, for some unknown reason like losing your brain, because quite honestly that’s what it would take for me, decide to cosplay the Joker...

Welp, you’re single now... Sorry not sorry, but Jason is not okay with that

But that’s just a real extreme so let’s get away from that again, shall we?

Jason is used to being kept awake at night, be it from his thoughts or his nightmares (Housten, we’re sinking to deep)

So when he comes home from patrol around 2/3 a.m. and finds you sitting in the living room or the bedroom on your sewing machine (a gift from Bruce so state of the art technology and relativly silent, BUT NOT SILENT ENOUGH) 

He just sighs

He might just sit down beside you and watch or chat a bit or, if he feels a bit more touchy, stand beside you and braide your hair 

When you’re finished he’ll pick you up and cuddle with you in bed, trapping you effectivly for the next 8 to 10 hours

Tim: 

Did someone say couple cosplay? Because Yes. Yes you do

It isn’t that Tim ever really thought of doing cosplay or plans to use his rare free time to do it, but as soon as seing you cosplay literally anyone, he’s sold

He is a gigantic fanboy, has you cosplaying him (not Red Robin, just Tim) as his lock screen and you cosplaying Red Robin as his home screen

He’s not sure what it is, but one day he’s just sitting at his computer doing Wayne Inc. stuff when you send him a picture of you cosplaying someone and just has a metaphorical lightbulb over his head

He sneakily finds out who you will cosplay next and luckily for him it’s Zelda 

He puts everything in order and the day you want to test the cosplay out, see if everything goes together and you can pull it off, a wild Link appears

He did one hell of a job for his first cosplay (he might have had Wayne Inc. designers for the upcoming clothing line do it, but who cares amiright?) 

After that it’s kind of a tradition that once in a while the two of you pull off a couple cosplay and it’s the cutest thing ever

The highlight was when you cosplayed Batman and Catwoman on a (private) halloween party, just with the catch that you had it gender bend so Catman and Batwoman (not the Batwoman-Batwoman, but y’know what I mean), not breaking the character to the amusement of everyone present (excpet maybe Bruce who acts annoyed, but kinda thinks it’s funny)

So now to the nights

contrary to popular belief I do think Tim sleeps more than an hour or two at times

Maybe not in a healthy rythm or with any logic behind it, but he does 

Mostly

Just not nights for the most part, it’s mostly in the afternoon after a few hours at Wayne Inc, or the homeoffice or college (depending on which Tim!state we’re thinking off) and before Patrol

so when he comes home to find you sewing he’s actually rather happy

He won’t let you go to bed after you’re finished until you’re really tired or if you have something important the next day

You will watch a movie or do something stupid or even go out and see what Gotham city can give you around 3 a.m. (of course with a hidden weapon on tim’s part and him not letting you out of sight) 

Those nights are his favorite

Damian: 

Damian, like so many things, doesn’t quite understand

What’s the appeal of dressing yourself like someone you’re not?

Why do you wear fake hair?

He also doesn’t seem to see any connection between him dressing up every DAMN NIGHT 

It’s two completely different situations for him

It’s not like he does anything against that hobby of yours, but at least at the beginning he just keeps out of it 

That most likely will change if you ever decide to cosplay him (as Robin) 

If he comes to visit you after school at your place and he walks into your room (given your parents opened the front door for you) seeing you in a surprisingly good replica of his costume?

Bby boy is sold

The better the replica looks the quicker he is to fuzz over it

After that he kinda sees the point behind it (or not, but he supports it now and wants you to have even better, more detailed, costumes)

He’ll get you so much stuff

You want to cosplay someone, but the only wig you have that fits is a bit too long?

Well hillerihoo, you got a new one that fits perfectly and is almost life-like now

Don’t ever mention that you don’t feel comfortable with him spending so much money for you, because he won’t stop

He’ll find his ways to spoil you, believe me

quick interruption before we go to the night part:

If you’re Damian’s GF, you’re most likely bound to be good friends with Jon

So it’s only a question of time until he asks you to cosplay him

If you do he’ll be excited like a puppy you just gave a treat while Damian will pout

A lot

And I mean A LOT

You’ll either have to suffer through a few days of pouty Damian or you make an even better Cosplay of him (as Robin) or Batman (both works for him since he sees himself as the future Batman already)

That’ll make him happy again

Now to the night-part

Okay so let’s assume we’re talking about Teen!Damian (obviously also Teen!reader!!!) 

You two won’t be living together so that won’t be a problem and since you’re living with y’alls parents and I will assume they won’t be happy about you sewing at 2 a.m.

Also, Damian will offer to have people make the costumes for you, but he will let that go if you tell him that making the costumes is a big part about all that, the part that makes it so amazing

IF we’re talking about grown up!Damian and Reader and the two of you live together, it’ll be a lot similair to Dick (in as he get’s you your own little cosplay studio) so that he won’t be kept awake by it

but somedays he’s more like Jason and will stay up with you and to keep you company during these creative sessions

[aalissy]

Take a Break

Marinette definitelyyyy needs a break this season. Seriously, let the poor girl be happy haha. Anywho, I hope you guys like this chapter! Sooo much Marichat fluff <3

AO3

A knock sounded above Marinette’s trapdoor. Her eyes, however, remained trained on the skirt she was currently sewing. She had passed out earlier this morning after an akuma attack left her exhausted and she needed to finish this before Hawkmoth decided to send out another one. Her tongue stuck out in concentration as another, louder, knock came from above.

“It’s open,” Marinette shouted, still keeping her focus on the task at hand. 

She dimly registered Chat Noir’s face poking down into her room. He watched her work curiously for a moment before jumping down onto her bed. Marinette’s eyes were so intently fixed on the skirt that she didn’t realize he had moved to stand behind her until he murmured, “What are you working on, purrincess?”

She jumped, almost pricking her finger on the machine. Wincing at the pain that would have caused, Marinette whirled around to narrow her eyes at the superhero. Jumping out of her chair, she poked his chest harshly. With narrowed eyes, she scolded him, “You almost made me mess up my design!”

“I’m sorry,” Chat blinked at her in shock, holding his hands up in surrender. “I thought you heard me come down.”

She sunk back into her chair, pinching the bridge of her nose. With a deep breath and then an inaudible sigh, Marinette murmured, “No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have shouted at you like that. I’ve just been really exhausted lately. It’s made me quite jumpy recently.”

“I can see that,” he said softly, patting her shoulder gently. “Marinette, when was the last time you slept?”

“Earlier today.” She looked up at him with a weak smile.

Chat scoffed, shaking his head before he caressed her cheek. She leaned her head into his hand as he spoke, “I meant actually slept. As in the full 8 hours.”

Marinette snorted, blinking her eyes back open as she raised an eyebrow at him. “The last time I got 8 hours of sleep was probably last year.” 

It was probably before she got Tikki, actually. Before she was swamped with duties as both Ladybug and Marinette. Their talk of sleep made her eyes droop heavily and she yawned loudly. 

Chat frowned, crossing his arms across his chest. “Well, as Paris’ resident superhero, I’m forcing you to get 8 hours tonight.”

“Sorry, kitty,” she shook her head and then gestured to the skirt she was working on. “I need to finish this so I’m definitely not going to sleep early tonight.”

“Nope,” he spoke simply, popping the p as he picked her up from the chair. Marinette squeaked, her arms slack as she hadn’t expected him to grab her. Chat plopped her onto the chaise before he placed a light blanket on top of her. “You’re taking a break, purrincess. I’m making sure of that.”

Scoffing even as a wave of tiredness hit her, she attempted to stand up. “You can’t just make me go to bed, Chaton. I’m not even sleepy.”

Betraying her words, however, Marinette yawned loudly again. Her cheeks turned a faint shade of pink as he smirked at her rather smugly. Chat chuckled before his eyebrow rose. “Are you pawsitive you’re not tired?”

“Shut up,” she muttered. “That didn’t mean anything.”

“Just sleep, Marinette.” His voice softened again as he gave her a gentle look, his green eyes sparkling in her bedroom light. “I purromise that the skirt will still be here in the morning.”

Pouting, she glared down at the blanket on her. “Yeah, but Paris might not be!”

“What do you mean?” Chat tilted his head as he looked over at her with curiosity.

Marinette’s eyes widened as she realized what she just said. Slapping a palm to her forehead mentally, she laughed anxiously. Her gaze darted around the room as she said, “I-I just mean because of all the akuma attacks. D-doesn’t it worry you at all?”

“Not at all,” he shook his head as a faraway look settled in his eyes. “I trust Ladybug.”

Her heart fluttered lightly in her chest as her lips parted in shock. How did he have so much faith in her? Especially considering how often she screwed up. Opening her mouth to speak, Chat cut her off by poking her shoulder lightly. “And you should too. We’ll always be here to protect you... and Paris, of course!”

Laughing loudly, she gave him an adoring look. Marinette then reached out, patting his hand as she murmured, “Ladybug is really lucky to have you as a partner, you know. I hope you know that.”

Chat turned suspiciously pink, rubbing the back of his neck as a goofy smile spread across his lips. “Y-you think?” In the next second, though, he snapped out of it with a shake of his head. “No! You’re just trying to distract me! You’re meant to be sleeping!”

Biting her lip to hide her grin, she then rolled her eyes. “You still want me to go to sleep?”

“Mhm,” he nodded his head. “It’s impurrtant for your mental health.”

Groaning at the pun, Marinette flopped down onto the chaise. Unable to keep her eyes open any longer, they slowly fluttered closed. Maybe Chat was right... maybe she could take another small nap. She’d just wake up after he left and then finish the skirt. With her plan clear in her mind, she snuggled under the blankets with a quiet sigh. “Can you stay, kitty? Just for a little while.”

“Of course, purrincess. Whatever you need.” Chat’s hand reached under the blanket, grabbing hers as he squeezed it lightly.

With a happy hum, Marinette squeezed back. Feeling content and secure for the first time in a while, she mumbled, “Just wake me up if there’s an akuma attack, okay?”

“Fur sure, Marinette. Fur sure.”

Chat’s voice was the last thing that she heard before she drifted off into a peaceful slumber. When she awoke again later the next morning, she realized it was the best sleep she had gotten in ages. Feeling well-rested, Marinette slid into her desk chair to finish working on the skirt. Just as she turned the machine on, though, her eyes were drawn to a slip of paper on the desk next to her.

Hopefurlly you got a good sleep. Don’t furget how purrfect those eight hours can truly be!

Your kitty 

Biting her lip to contain a smile as she read the note, she carefully placed it into a desk drawer. He really was the sweetest. Deciding to thank Chat with a plateful of macarons and croissants the next time she saw him, Marinette resumed working on the skirt.

[gothic-safari-clown]

The Mind’s Power Over the Body

Part 20: Home

Story summary: They only ever had each other. It had been that way since high school, ever since Elianna transferred to dreary Arlen and took Jonathan under her wing. They go separate ways for college, and when they're reunited at Arkham Asylum professionally, Elianna comes to find that they've both changed during their time separated. Can she look past the promise of danger and stay by Jonathan's side as they slide further and further into the darkness while she grapples to come to terms with the truth about herself? Can she accept what needs to be done in order to hold onto the only person who holds any meaning in her life? This is a very self-indulgent AU that draws from several different canons of the DCU and ignoring others, starting in the Batman Begins Nolanverse. This will follow the plot of the movie, although the timeline has been very slightly tweaked.

Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 / Part 4 / Part 5 / Part 6 / Part 7 / Part 8 / Part 9 / Part 10 / Part 11 / Part 12 / Part 13 / Part 14 / Part 15 / Part 16 / Part 17 / Part 18 / Part 19

Word count: 1827

El heard the front door unlock from the kitchen, and happily oblivious to the precarious status of her wellbeing, she waited quietly for Jonathan to come in and greet her. She had to make sure that the water didn't boil over anyway.

She only got an inkling that something might be wrong when the door slammed shut, and Jonathan rushed into view, looking slightly disheveled. He hadn't even put down his briefcase at the door.

Before she could inquire as to what was wrong, the briefcase was carelessly tossed onto the dining table, and Jonathan had locked her in a tight embrace, pressing a firm kiss into her hair.

"Woah, hi," she squeaked, hugging him back. "What happened? Is everything okay?" She felt the deep sigh as his body relaxed, and he stepped away again, smoothing down his tie as he regained his composure. Registering a few seconds later that she had asked a question, he nodded and raked his fingers through his hair to push it off of his forehead.

"Yeah, yeah, everything is fine." His heart was only just slowing to a regular rate.

She's safe.

Yeah, I told you. I can't believe how whipped you are, Jonny.

"Why didn't you answer your phone? I've been calling you for hours."

"Oh, I forgot to plug it in last night, so it died at work." She replied casually, still entirely unaware of the panic she had caused. "I had to go grocery shopping before I came home, and it's been charging in the bedroom since I got back; I must not have heard it." She turned back to the stove to give the boiling pasta a quick stir and check on the sauce on the other burner. "Are you sure everything is alright?"

Jonathan moved to stand against the counter next to her, needing to be near her still. "I had to see Falcone today."

"Oh? How was that?"

"Not good. He tried to threaten me into letting him into the operation, and when that didn't work, he...talked about you. I thought maybe he had already given orders, and I had to oversee the shipment as soon as possible to get it finished in time."

"Ah," El frowned, suddenly understanding the trouble. "So when I didn't answer the phone..." Jonathan nodded. Pasta still undercooked, El replaced the pot lid before turning back to the man next to her. "Well, I'm sorry for making you worry, love, but I'm okay." She smiled and stretched up on her toes to kiss his cheek. "Besides, nobody is taking me away from you without a fight. Speaking of which," she plucked a stray burlap thread off of his shoulder, "what happened here?"

Jonathan kicked himself mentally. How had his run-in with the Batman already slipped his mind?

"Scarecrow and I have had an eventful day." He said, suddenly exhausted, pinching the bridge of his nose under his glasses.

"I'll tell you what, why don't you go change out of your work clothes while this is finishing up, and you can tell me about it while we eat." He nodded but hesitated to walk away, which made her chuckle. "Nothing is going to happen to me if you leave the room for a few minutes. Go on." She pushed on his arm gently, which finally coaxed his weight off the counter.

He was still hesitant to leave the room, but he knew that she was right and obeyed, ignoring Scarecrow's continued snickering. He redressed as quickly as he could, hell-bent on returning to the kitchen fast. Of course, she was still there at the stove when he came back, switching off the burner.

Unfamiliar with normal relationships, Jonathan didn't fully understand his impulses, but he was so exhausted from the events of the day that he didn't have the energy to fight them. Before El could pick up the pot to drain the water from the pasta, he locked his arms around her from behind and dropped his forehead to rest on her shoulder.

"Jonathan..." her voice was laced with soft concern, and she raised her hand to rest on the back of his head. "You were really worried about me, weren't you, love?" Her tone was actually serious now, upset that Jonathan was upset. He didn't answer, just staying where he was. "I'll leave my ringer on from now on; I remember what this feels like." He nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "Come on, sweet, let me finish this up, and we can go sit on the couch while we eat. Up, come on," she coaxed gently, and Jonathan finally straightened up, allowing El to drain the pasta and serve them each a plate.

"So you and Scarecrow had an eventful day," she recalled as they settled onto the couch. "Tell me about that."

Dinner was soon forgotten as Jonathan began to recount their run-in with Batman.

"You set him on fire?" She asked incredulously. When Jonathan looked at her, he expected to see shock, maybe horror, but no. What he saw instead was a genuine, thrilled amusement that he had tried to burn a man alive. "That's hilarious. You set Batman on fire."

See, she thinks I'm funny.

"Scarecrow thinks so too."

"Mm, that's probably a bad sign for me," she said casually, returning her attention to her food. It seemed she had finally given up on feigning morality. Took her long enough.

"Yeah, probably, but you've made it this far." She hummed in response.

"So," she started slowly, wanting to address the initial problem, "Falcone?" Jonathan frowned, disliking the reminder that he now had something that could be leveraged over him. Not that he would give it up for the world, but if people were going to use Elianna to threaten him, then something would have to be done about that. Perhaps Falcone could serve as a warning.

Then again, maybe that had been the wrong decision. The old man's sudden mental break could draw suspicion. While it was true that they had been dumping the toxin into the water mains for weeks, the job would be cleaner if they didn't draw too much attention to themselves. And in one moment of anger and weakness, Jonathan had thrown away that advantage.

"I may have overreacted to that. We'll have to be careful about the project until it's ready to go. It should only be another few days."

"Overreacted?" El asked quizzically. "What did you do, gas him?" She was answered with silence and knew that she had guessed correctly.

She was sure that she was supposed to be upset, maybe a little annoyed with him for endangering such a delicate operation, but she couldn't help but feel a little flattered instead. He had done all of that for her?

Done eating, she placed her empty bowl on the coffee table and scooted closer. "He must have said something pretty bad about me to set you off like that." Jonathan's brow furrowed, remembering what Falcone had implied.

"It was...gross." For lack of a better word. He looked at her to find her smiling at him. "And no, I'm not going to tell you, so don't ask."

"I wasn't going to. I just think it's sweet that you did that for me," she said matter-of-,factly and kissed Jonathan's cheek. "Mostly, I'm just curious, would that have been your normal reaction, or was that just because the nature of our relationship changed?" She grinned as he blushed lightly.

"Probably the second one." He closed his eyes in embarrassment and pinched the bridge of his nose again. "Either way, it was an overreaction. It's going to draw attention."

"Oh, who cares. There are only a few days left. Hey, that reminds me, I wanted to make a mask."

"We can just get you one from a hardware store; that should be easy-"

"No, I mean like," she sighed as she gathered her thoughts. "Like, you and Scarecrow have yours, and it's like a character almost. When people see it, they'll know who it is. It's your brand. I want something like that."

It was a fair point, Jonathan decided. And why shouldn't she get to have one like that? "Alright, what are you thinking?"

"Why, thank you for asking, love." She sat up straight as she began to present her idea. "When I was thinking about it, I asked myself, 'what are the most memorable silhouettes of all time?' There are so many to choose-"

"El, please, I've had such a long day." Jonathan almost felt bad interrupting. He knew how much she loved doing dramatic speeches, but he wasn't sure he had the patience for it this time.

"Alright, love, sorry." She raised his hand to her lips and kissed his knuckles. "Anyway, I was thinking something like a plague doctor. I feel like it would match the scarecrow in energy; it's sort of mysterious and technically meant for good, but it's become a sort of a classic horror icon." Jonathan nodded, agreeing with her line of thinking.

"Yeah. It might be a little tricky to pull off in such a short amount of time, but I think that's a good idea." Her face lit up. "We'll need a gas mask to rig into it, a pattern, and a stiff enough material to keep the shape."

"No problem. You know me, I started making my own Halloween costumes at like, ten, I can take care of it. In fact, I kinda already got all of the materials." Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "I made a pit stop between work and the grocery store. I just need a sewing machine. I was going to ask Harley if-"

"No need, I have one." They sat in silence for a moment.

"What?"

"I mean, Scarecrow does. He insisted on making the mask himself. Apparently, I was making it too neat, so he commandeered it."

"Wow, that actually makes a lot of sense," El nodded. "I don't know where I thought the mask came from, but yeah, that sounds right."

"Why don't I go get it out of storage so you can start?" El nodded excitedly, and in just a few short minutes, they had her set up at the kitchen table to get to work. Jonathan's night quickly went from a prolonged panic attack to something warm and comforting. Watching El work and helping her take measurements, and teasing her theatrics slowly helped him feel normal.

Seeing her power ahead with her ideas and devotion to their future life, unimpeded by the threat against her, brought a sense of security in a way that he had never quite felt before. While she worked, he came up with and solidified a plan to provide them with protection for the next few days at least, but it would have to wait for tomorrow. In the meantime, he contented himself with wiling away the time in the kitchen with his paramour, letting the rest of the world fall away.

[mistydacat]

Marichat May Day 5 || Dare

Marinette sat at her sewing machine, working on her latest design for Kitty Section. Cat Noir was next to her, leaning into her side and purring. Every once in a while, she'd reach over and scratch behind his ear.

"Can you take a break now?" Cat Noir whined.

"In a minute, I'm almost done." She responded.

"You said that half an hour ago!" He complained. "I'm bored!"

"Alright, alright." Marinette sighed, setting her sewing aside. "Do you have any activities in mind?"

Cat Noir thought for a moment. "Um... How about truth or dare?" He suggested.

"That sounds good. But... we can't force each other to do anything the other doesn't want, alright?"

"But that takes away all the fun of truth or dare!" He protested.

"Please?"

"Alright." He huffed. "But you can't say no to everything."

"Deal." She responded.

"Alright, let's sit here." He gestured towards the ground. They sat across from each other, legs crossed.

"Do you want to start?" Asked Marinette.

"Sure, truth or dare?"

"Dare."

Cat Noir took a second to think over ideas for a dare. "I dare you too... go outside and very loudly confess your undying love for unicorns."

"Excuse me?" That wasn't what she was expecting him to do, though she was glad for it.

"You heard me." He teased.

"Okay, okay. Come with me." She led him to her balcony.

"Ready?" She asked him.

"Of course! Though I wish I brought a camera..."

"Cat!"

"I was just kidding!"

Marinette took a deep breath. "Okay, here I go." She raised her voice. "I LOVE UNICORNS SO MUCH! THEY'RE JUST SO CUTE AND FLUFFY AND MAGICAL. THEY ARE THE BEST ANIMAL EVER."

Marinette continued yelling for a few more minutes, until an angry neighbour stuck his head out of the window and yelled at her to shut up. Cat Noir was practically crying with laughter.

They went back inside, Marinette absolutely mortified.

"I hate you!" She yelled at him, though there really wasn't much meaning behind her words, and both of them knew it.

"My turn!" Her mood took a 180-degree turn. Marinette tapped a finger on her chin, pretending to be rooted in thought. Her eyes glinted with mischief.

"Why do I feel like I won't like this?" Cat Noir asked nervously.

"Oh, it's not that you won't like it. Now, dare or dare?" She asked.

"Hey! You can't do that!"

"Dare or dare?"

"Ugh, fine. Dare." Grumbled Cat Noir.

"I dare you to act like a real cat for the next ten minutes. You can't talk either, only meow and other cat noises." She smirked.

"What!? That's not nice!" Argued Cat, casting a pleading look at Marinette.

"That's what you get for embarrassing me!" Marinette took out her phone, setting a timer for ten minutes.

"Your dare starts in five... four... three... two... one... Now!" She pressed the button and put her phone aside.

Cat Noir blinked at her, looking like he wanted to say something, but staying true to the dare, he kept his mouth shut. He changed his sitting position so that it was more cat-like, and turned his head to Marinette, eying her and tilting his head to the side.

He was definitely gonna take advantage of this opportunity.

"You're scarily good at this." She told him, but he pretended not to understand her. Instead, he placed one gloved hand on hers, meeting her eyes. He was trying to tell her something, but she couldn't understand it.

"What do you want, Kitty?" She asked. He let out a soft purr at the sound of his nickname, earning a giggle from Marinette. Still trying to get his message across, Cat Noir nudged Marinette's hand with his head, then looked up at her. Marinette was still a little confused, so he bowed his head down, his ears twitched.

"Oh! You want me to pet you?" She asked. Her voice was a little patronizing, as though she was talking to a child, but he assumed it was because he was supposed to be a cat.

Cat Noir would've nodded if cats knew what nodding was. So, alternatively, he meowed. He'd never meowed before, and both Marinette and Cat Noir were shocked at how real it sounded.

"I'll take that as a yes." She laughed. "C'mere." Marinette opened her arms out in a welcoming embrace. Instead of hugging her like a human would do, Cat Noir rested his head on her lap, curling the rest of his body into a ball.

"Oh, aren't you just the sweetest little kitten in the world?" Cooed Marinette, stroking his hair with on hand resting on his side.

Okay, she was having way too much fun with this.

Cat Noir mewling in response, the room filling with the sound of his purrs as Marinette got to a spot right behind his right ear. She knew that drove him crazy. He seemed to relax more into her lap, the role of a cat coming more naturally now.

"Such a good little kitten." Marinette continued. Cat Noir really wished he was a real cat right then so he could sit with Marinette like this every day and have her coo at him and tell him what a good little kitten he was.

"Oh, mon petit chaton," Marinette whispered fondly. She cupped his face with one hand and caressed it, lift his head up towards her with her thumb. Her other hand remained in his hair, gently running her fingers through it. Marinette knew it was odd for her to be treating Cat Noir like this, but she wouldn't be doing this if she hadn't known how much he loved it.

Cat Noir stared into her eyes, waiting for her to continue. Yes, I'm your little kitten. I'm listening.

"You're just so adorable as a cat. I can't handle this." She removed her hands from his hair and face, causing Cat Noir to whimper at the loss of contact. Marinette placed her hands under his armpits, hauling him up. Surprisingly, he was quite light.

Cat Noir looked into her eyes, confused at what she was doing. Then, Marinette leaned in, bringing her lips to Car Noir's forehead and placing a soft kiss there. How was he supposed to react to this!?

He mewled at her in protest when she pulled away, about to set him back.

"Oh, you silly, greedy Kitty." She teased, though she complied with his demands.

Marinette made sure Cat Noir was in a comfortable sitting-up position on her lap before leaning in and peppering him with kisses. On his nose, cheeks, forehead, cat ears, jaw. Everywhere that wasn't his lips.

All Cat Noir could do was purr to signify his enjoyment, and try to make sense of what was happening.

Marinette Dupain-Cheng was kissing him.

This had to be part of their little cat-game, right? There's no way she would be doing this under normal circumstances, right?

Right?

His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of an alarm ringing. Marinette let go of him, much to his disappointment, and turned off the alarm.

"The ten minutes are over, Kitty."

Cat Noir crawled off of her lap, trying to hide his pout.

"Your turn." Marinette reminded him.

"Truth or dare?" He asked.

"Dare."

"I demand more cuddles." He declared dramatically. "That's your dare, I want cuddles."

"You're really gonna waste your dare on that?"

"I hardly see this as a waste. Now give me my cuddles."

Marinette opened her arms out, inviting him, for a second time, to lay in her lap.

"You're more of a cat than you think." She taunted, wrapping her arms around him as he lay on her.

Cat Noir ignored her comment, choosing instead to say: "I'm sleepy."

"Then sleep."

"But if I do that, the game will end." He whined.

"We can play at another time." She suggested.

"Pinky promise?" He asked, sticking his pinky out.

"Pinky promise." She agreed, wrapping her finger around his.

"Okay, then." He gave in, too tired to argue.

Sleepy Cat Noir was very much like a little kid.

"Can you wake me up if I sleep for too long?" Asked Cat Noir, his voice was getting quieter, and his words sounded more slurred as he got closer to falling asleep.

"Of course. Just rest. Okay, Kitten?" Marinette scratched behind his ear.

"Mhm." He responded, then mumbled something about his fondness of the nickname "kitten," but it was pretty much incoherent as he drifted off to sleep.

"You definitely like him." Whispered Tikki, flying to Marinette from where she had been perched in a ceiling support.

"How much of that did you see?" Asked Marinette, her face turning a bright red.

"All of it. You two would make a great couple, you know!"

"Tikki!"

Cat Noir shifted from his position on Marinette's lap, and Tikki quickly darted into Marinette's drawer, afraid he would wake up and see her.

He didn't, though, and remained sound asleep. Marinette fought hard to keep herself awake but ended up falling asleep as well.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

A little more than an hour later, Cat Nor woke up, tangled in Marinette's arms. He carefully got up, as to not wake her, and carried her to bed, tucking her in and placing a goodnight's kiss on her forehead.

Before leaving, he took a pen and paper and left her a note.

Best truth or dare game of my life.

Hope you had sweet dreams

♥️

Ton Petit Chaton

Tikki, who had seen everything, would never let Marinette live this down.

It would be a good story to tell the kids, anyway.

⊱ ────── {.⋅ ✯ ⋅.} ────── ⊰

Parts: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 / 9 / 10

[jaceyneedsabetterusername]

Playing With Fire ~ Part 1

Pairing: Michael Gray x Pregnant!Reader

Warnings: Smut 

Author’s Note: This is the first time in a long time I’ve written so please give me feedback so I know how to improve! Hope you enjoy! Also, this is a LONG ASS chapter (like 8 pages). Sorry about that. 

_____________________________________________________

Michael leaned against the brick wall of some miscellaneous Birmingham building, blowing an impressive puff of smoke from his cigarette, as he watched you as you walked back to your mother’s shop with arms full of bolts of various fabrics. He watched that sweet smile that you sent the poor homeless man that sat on the sidewalk and the way that you bent down to help the young child that lost his ball as it rolled towards you, tossing it back to him despite the obvious load in your arms. 

He was absolutely smitten by that sweet smile. He also knew not to cross it though, having seen the wrath you inflicted on some teenage boy who thought he could pin you against the wall and try to kiss you without your permission. Michael couldn’t blame the poor bloke. You were absolutely beautiful and given the chance, he would have taken the opportunity too (consensually, of course). 

You were oblivious to this affections. Sure, you knew of Michael Gray and the rest of the Shelbys (they were a hard lot to not know in Birmingham considering they ran the dang city) and had numerous interactions with them all on several occasions but you stuck to your family’s business most of the time, honestly not finding the time to go out often, and therefore didn’t run into Michael much unless he was coming in to get something hemmed or to pick something up for Polly. 

On this particular day, you did happen to notice Michael standing across the street, puffing at his cigarette. Blinder business, you assumed. There was always some sort of Blinder business. 

Arms full, you leaned back into the door, struggling to push it open with your back. The little bell above chimed and your mom’s attention snapped up, expecting to see a customer, but instead saw you struggling. She rushed up from the sewing machine to help you, grabbing half of the bolts from your arms and setting them on the dark wooden table. “Thank you! There’s no way we would have been able to finish Arthur’s suit without these.” 

Your mom grabbed the dark grey fabric that she needed to make his vest from, rolling it across the table and using the measuring tape that hung around her neck to help draw a pattern on it. “Did you need any help on it or should I start on another order?” You asked, walking across the room and behind the counter to where the list of orders were kept. 

“Actually,” Your mom started, “None of the orders need to be ready for at least a week. I was thinking maybe you’d want to go out with a friend tonight.” She looked at you with a smile, knowing that this wasn’t a very frequent opportunity. 

You looked at her strangely, “No it’s okay. I can just start an order tonight so you won’t be stressing yourself out last minute as always. Mrs. Monaghue’s dress shouldn’t take longer than a day!” Your mother was always working. You could never bring yourself to leave your mom with all that work. That’s all she ever did was work and with your father working in the factory, you were the only one to help. 

“Sweetie, it hurts me to see how much of your youth you’ve already given away to helping me in this old shop here. I can’t remember the last time I saw you have fun with people your own age. You can afford to go out for one night.” She insisted, a sweet caring smile on her face. 

You knew she was right but you were still hesitant, “I don’t even know where to go or who I’d go with.” You explained, picking up an order sheet and walking over to grab the fabric, considering the matter settled that you wouldn’t go if you didn’t really have a plan for a fun night. 

Your mom could see what you were doing and followed, hot on your heels, ripping the paper from your hands and pinning it to the desk with a smack of her hand on top of it, “I’m glad you mentioned that because I hear that Louisa - remember your best friend from back in primary school that moved? - I hear she’s back in town visiting her aunt. Her aunt told me she doesn’t get out much back home so we arranged for you to have a little night on the town together tonight.” 

“You already arranged it?!” You exclaimed, wondering when on earth this took place considering you were with your mom all the time. A smugly proud smile swept across her face and you couldn’t help but roll your eyes, “You are ridiculous sometimes.” You teased with a laugh. 

Later that night, you found yourself walking alone down the dark streets of the city. Louisa was definitely a different girl than you knew back all those years ago but that didn’t come as much of a surprise to you. You were much different than you were when you were ten too. You just wouldn’t have abandoned your only friend in the city to go off with some snobby rich boy for the night. 

“You alright there?” A vaguely familiar voice stole your attention from your thoughts and you looked up. Michael stepped out of the shadowed stoop of a loud building and out onto the sidewalk. 

“Oh yeah, I’m fine. Thank you.” You sent him a polite smile. 

His gaze lingered for a moment, “Y/N, right? Your mom’s the seamstress?” He asked. 

You were shocked that he remembered. You definitely remembered him. I mean, how could you not? He was ridiculously handsome and ran with the Shelbys, not a duo of characteristics that were easy to forget. You nodded, “Mr. Shelby, right?” 

“Close. I’m Michael Gray but might as well be a Shelby.” He laughed a little and you couldn’t help the smile that cracked on your face. “So what’s a beautiful woman like yourself doing out here at this hour?” 

Your eyes rolled just thinking back to Louisa leaving you, “Just making my way back home for the night.” The prospect of sitting alone drinking in a bar just didn’t sound all that appealing to you, so after you found yourself flying solo, you quickly decided to call it a night. 

Michael checked his pocket watch, “Already? You look like you got all dolled up for a night out.” He observed. You suddenly felt self conscious, not used to having your hair done nicely or the red lipstick that graced your lips or the nicer-than-usual dress that replaced your typical skirt. Michael noticed all of these things about you and more but thought they only enhanced the beauty that was there anyways. 

“Yeah…” You trailed off, “My friend was swept away by Prince Good-For-A-Night.” You joked, eyes going to the wet ground before finding his again. 

He stepped down from the small step and extended his arm to you, “Well, lucky for you, you’ve found yourself Prince Charming. I mean, if you feel like waiting a little longer to rush home. Let me buy you a drink so hopefully your night wasn’t complete rubbish.” 

Prince Charming indeed, you thought. 

Eyeing him up and down, you nodded, “Alright Michael. I suppose I’ll let you buy me a drink.” 

You found yourself walking into the bar arm-in-arm with Michael. This was the first time you were in the Garrison. Drinking had never really been your thing so you’d never had any business there but you could definitely go a drink or two. It was a night to let go after all, right? 

Once seated, Michael just wordlessly flashed two fingers to the bartender who quickly returned with two glasses of what you soon discovered was whiskey. “You come here often?” You asked, already knowing the answer if the bartender knew his order. 

“Tommy Shelby runs the place. You could say we’re here frequently. You?” He sipped his drink, and you found yourself watching the way his lips curved around the glass, mesmerized by his features. 

“Can’t say that I do. I’m usually too busy working.” You answered, taking a drink of whiskey and trying to pretend the fire in your throat didn’t burn as much as it did. 

He gestured with the glass in his hand, “What’s with that? I always see you at that shop of yours but never out and around town unless it’s on some errand.” 

You cocked an eyebrow, “Have you been watching me Mr. Gray?” You questioned. Your tone wasn’t accusatory though, more curious. What on Earth was there to be interested in? 

“Not necessarily watching you but it’s hard to miss such a beautiful lady in this town.” Of course he’s been watching you. He wasn’t stalking you by any means but when he saw you he found it impossible to move his gaze. And then you smiled. An adorable blushed smile spread on your face. 

Were your cheeks red? They definitely felt hot. Gosh, could he see it? Is this what positive attention from a boy felt like? You could definitely get used to it. “I could say the same thing about you.” You replied. 

Michael was surprised at your flirty comment and chuckled, “Ah, so I’m a beautiful lady?” 

You couldn’t help but laugh, “The most beautiful one I’ve ever seen.” 

Michael couldn’t describe what he felt with you. You were so kind and innocent but witty and flirtatious. You were such an enigma that had him sucked in. Before he could stop himself, he had to ask, “Do you maybe want to go for a walk?” 

To be honest, you weren’t sure when you found yourself inside the Shelby’s betting shop and even less sure when or how you found yourself pressed up against the wall with Michael’s lips crashing into yours. His hands were all over you, one on your cheek and the other on your waist, pulling your body closer to him. 

His lips were surprisingly soft against yours and he tasted like whiskey. The alcohol may not have affected you much but you were definitely drunk off of his kiss. Michael’s hands slowly trailed down lower, gripping you by the thighs and lifting you up, never breaking the kiss. He carried you over to a desk and set you down on it, leaning forward over you until you were lying down, pulling his body close to yours. 

You were grateful nobody else was in the building. This was definitely out of character for you and despite the fact that you weren’t necessarily close to the Shelbys, you didn’t want people seeing this side of you. This wild, hormonal, dirty side. You barely let yourself see it. 

“Michael…” You breathed out as his lips made a hot trail down your neck, sucking dark marks here and there until he found that spot that made your toes curl. Mouth occupied with your neck, his hands began roaming down to your breasts, lightly raking over them with his fingertips over the fabric of your dress. The teasing was driving you insane but before long he was massaging them. You were in absolute heaven. 

Michael’s mouth returned to yours in a passionate, fiery kiss that had you lost. His arms slipped behind your back as he smoothly lifted your body to sit up, legs dangling over the edge of the desk with him standing between your knees. 

You were shaken from your daze though when you felt his fingers begin to unzip the back of your dress, “Wait!” You exclaimed, hand shooting out to his chest, ready to push him away but not doing it for some reason.

He stopped right away, “What’s wrong? Are you alright?” His blue eyes searched your face for any signs of distress. 

“Yeah… everything’s fine. It’s just that… I’ve never, you know,” You raised your eyebrows in inference, “before.” You couldn’t bring yourself to match his gaze and you were grateful that it was somewhat dark, hoping that it cast a shadow over your burning face. 

“Really?” He asked. He didn’t sound judgemental. He was genuinely dumbfounded that a woman like you could never have been with a man. 

You finally found the courage to look back at him, even if just for a second, “I know, I know. It sounds pathetic. I ju-” 

“It’s not pathetic at all.” He assured you, placing a gentle hand on your cheek, “We don’t have to do anything that you don’t want to do.” 

His voice was so sincere and you felt like he genuinely cared. Was this really how you wanted to lose it though? On a desk in a dark old betting shop run by gangsters to a man that you only really knew in passing? As much as your logic told you that maybe this wasn’t how it should be, your heart screamed that it was. Michael was here in front of you, a beautiful specimen of a man who had never been anything but kind to you in any interaction you’d had since he’d moved to Birmingham, and nothing but concern for your wellbeing and comfort shone in his eyes. Yeah, you were sure. 

You nodded in assurance that this was what you wanted, reaching up to kiss him again before you could change your mind but Michael pulled away, forehead resting on yours, “I need you to say it, darling. Say that you want this.” 

“I want this, Michael.” You whispered, becoming desperate for his touch. His lips returned to yours, much softer and romantic than it was before. 

Slowly, his lips made their way down your neck, focusing on the places he’d learned you’d loved the most. He kissed up towards your ear before whispering, “If you want to stop at any time, just say so.” 

“Okay.” You breathed, finding his tenderness almost sexy. There was nothing more sexual and comforting than knowing that you were safe with somebody. 

Michael’s fingers resumed their previous quest of unzipping your dress, the fabric slowly loosening around your frame and beginning to hang off your shoulders. His hands slid up your back, gently brushing the material from your body and it pooled on the floor. You stood before him in nothing but your underwear and bra and felt extremely self-conscious being the only undressed one. 

You reached out for him, sliding his coat off his shoulders and he threw his cap off to the side as well. You tugged on his vest and looked up at him shyly, “C-could you maybe take these off?” 

Michael could tell how nervous you were and was more than happy to do whatever made you feel more comfortable, especially if it meant taking clothes off.

Soon, his vest, shirt, and suspenders were on the floor and his smooth chest was pressed against your breasts as you kissed. One of his hands snaked up your torso from your hip, finding a home on your breast, kneading them through your bra. You moaned against his lips, feeling an unfamiliar throbbing between your legs. 

“Can I take this off?” He asked, large hands running over your breasts through your bra. Without actually responding, you reached back, untying it yourself and discarding the supportive material. Before he could see anything, you quickly wrapped your arms around your breasts, shielding yourself from his view. He leaned in close, closing the gap between you and gently grabbing your wrists, pulling your arms down. “You’re absolutely beautiful.” You blushed, “And absolutely fucking adorable.” 

His hands gently massaged your breasts, the roughness of skin rubbing against your soft tissue in all the right ways. Your hands tangled in his sandy locks, pulling his mouth closer to yours, as if it were possible. 

Your hips shifted forward on the table into his clothed crotch and he groaned at the contact. “Oh darling…” His voice was hoarse. His fingers tugged lightly at your underwear, “Mind if we lose these?” 

Your heart nearly stopped. This was what you wanted but the prospect of standing completely naked in front of somebody was terrifying to you. It was one of the ultimate trusts to you and you just hoped you were trusting the right person. Carefully, you lifted your hips off the table as he drew the thin fabric down your legs, discarding it on the floor. 

Michael could sense how tense you were and he couldn’t deny that your innocence was alluring. He wanted to teach you so many things about yourself and the pleasure that you were capable of feeling and showing him, but the latter could wait. Tonight was about you. 

He used his knee to spread your legs wider, a hand going to rub between your folds. You gasped at the new sensation and gripped his shoulders tightly when his fingers found your clit, “Oh my God, Michael.” You breathed, your voice almost disappearing. 

“That feel good, darling?” He asked, nipping at your neck as you fell apart in his hands. Shocks of pleasure vibrated through you as he quickened his pace. He replaced his fingers with his thumb and brought his middle finger to your entrance, “You ever done this before?” He asked, still rubbing your clit. You shook your head nervously, reveling in the feeling of his thumb still. “Don’t worry,” he whispered, “We’ll go slow.” 

Little by little, his finger entered you. It was definitely a new sensation that wasn’t exactly the most comfortable but the waves of pleasure you were experiencing helped distract you. His lips found yours again, trying to bring your attention away from the stretch as he slowly added a second finger. You winced, definitely feeling the stretch much more. “It’s okay. It’ll feel better.” He cooed. 

Once he was able to get both fingers in, he began thrusting gently. He curled his fingers upwards and hit a spot that made you jump, extreme pleasure coursing through you. Michael laughed a little at your reaction and continued to give that spot attention, “You like that?” He asked with a cocky smirk. 

“Please Michael…” You trailed off, lost in the pleasure that was building inside you. 

“Please what?” He questioned, loving the knowledge that he was making you fall apart for the first time. He couldn’t wait to see what you looked like when you finally came, images of your contorted face just making the bulge in his trousers harder. 

The tension in your stomach was too much, “I think I’m gonna- I’m gonna-” 

“Cum for me.” He demanded, mouth hot against you ear, as your body began to shake and quiver around him. Your walls clenched around his fingers and he almost came right then and there from just imagining what that would feel like around his cock. 

You were seeing stars and your entire body felt like it was pins and needles. Michael’s fingers worked you through your orgasm, slowing down when he felt you coming down from your high. “Holy shit.” You breathed out, almost a whimper. 

Michael removed his fingers from you and began to undo his pants, his erection springing free. Your eyes widened at his length and you wondered how he was supposed to fit considering you could barely fit two of his fingers. 

He could sense your hesitation, “We don’t have to keep going if you don’t want to.” He assured, voice sincere. 

You shook your head, “No, I want this. I’m just nervous I s’pose.” His hand stroked up and down his length and you looked at it, unsure of what exactly you were supposed to do. Michael couldn’t help but chuckle a little at your face. 

“Just lay back, I’ll do the rest. Let me know if you want to stop.” He explained, leaning you back on the table. His hands came under your hips, slowly pulling your bum to the edge and bringing your ankles to rest on his shoulders. He lined up with your entrance and leaned in to kiss you as he began to press into you, inch by inch, pulling out and thrusting back in, allowing you to adjust. 

It hurt. You weren’t going to lie. It stretched and it burned and you couldn’t help the whimper of pain that fell from your lips. Michael brought a hand to your cheek, stroking it gently, “I’m sorry, baby. It’ll feel better soon. You’re doing so well.” 

Finally, he filled you completely and it was the most interesting feeling being filled like that. It wasn’t comfortable but it felt right, like you were supposed to be full like this. “You can move.” You told him cautiously once you felt relatively adjusted to him. 

He moved his hips slowly at first, pulling almost all the way out before going all the way back in. Slowly, the pain began to disapate. 

“God, Y/N, you’re so fucking tight.” It took everything in Michael’s power not to take you hard and fast. The way your walls squeezed around his cock was unbearable and he had a hard time concentrating. 

“Can you go faster?” You asked, finally beginning to feel pleasure. Gosh, he was hoping you’d say that. Michael began to pick up his pace, going faster but not completely drilling into you. 

When you opened your eyes, you looked up and saw Michael’s eyes closed, eyebrows furrowed in concentration. His right hand left your thigh and pulled your leg down to rest on his hip, your other still propped up on his shoulder. In this new position, he hit a spot deep inside you and make your walls clench and you moan out. 

“God, baby, do that again.” He begged, hitting that spot over and over. Your walls tightened around him uncontrollably as he aimed that particular area that drove you wild. 

Soon, that familiar coil began to tighten in your lower stomach and you knew you were close. Michael could sense how close you were from the way you writhed beneath him, “Hang on, darling. I’m almost there with you.” 

He thrust faster and you found it increasingly difficult to stave off your orgasm. Learning that he’d liked it, you began clenching around him on purpose. His hands gripped your thighs tightly, sure to leave bruises, “Fuck!” He reached down, fingers furiously rubbing your clit. 

“Oh my gosh. I can’t wait anymore, Michael!” You whined, biting into your hand to try and stay quiet. He reached down and moved your hand, pinning it to the bed. 

“I wanna hear you, love. Go ahead. Cum.” You lost all control at his words, eyes screwing shut as your mouth fell open in a silent scream. Pleasure completely overtook your body as you squeezed around Michael, triggering his own release. He slowed, milking both of your orgasms completely. 

When he finally stopped, he stayed in you, both of you panting loudly. He looked down at you and thought you were absolutely gorgeous with your hair a mess and your skin covered with a sheen of sweat. Your beautiful E/C eyes were large and lust blown and your breasts rose up and down with your slowing breasts. And then when he finally pulled out of you, he watched the remains of his release drip down your smooth thighs. He’d never seen something more erotic in his life. 

“Are you alright?” He asked gently, hands running comfortingly along your thighs. 

You laughed, “You could say that.” You sat up and pulled him in for one last kiss, “Thank you.” 

Michael looked at you strangely, “Did you just thank me for fucking you?” He asked with a snort.

You shrugged, suddenly feeling dumb for saying it, “Well, yes. But I mean, thank you for being so nice about it all.” 

Gosh, how could a person possibly be so adorable. Here you were, completely fucked out, his cum dripping from your body, and you were sitting there in front of him, blushing and thanking him for being nice. 

He couldn’t help the smile as he shook his head and leaned in for a soft, gentle kiss. Your eyes fluttered closed as he pulled you to him once more. “Well thank you too. You were quite nice as well.” He teased. 

You reached behind you, finding his hat and smacking him playfully on the chest with it. 

“What time are supposed to be home?” He asked, hands still running up and down your arms. 

“Eleven.” You answered. Michael glanced up at the clock on the wall, seeing it was 10:45. 

“We should probably be gettin’ you home soon then. You can’t go gettin’ in trouble if we’re gonna see each other again.” He reached down and handed you your bra. 

Your eyebrows raised, “We’re meeting again?” You asked, slightly worried that he meant you would become a booty call.

He smiled, dressing himself and passing you your clothes along the way, “I figure I should take you out on a proper date. Say Tuesday?” 

You bit your lip, looking at him skeptically, “I guess we’ll see about that.” You teased, buttoning the finishing buttons on your dress. 

“I’ll be there at eight.” He said, finishing the matter. 

[redeyedryu]

Rant and rambles incoming about the bull crap going on at work because this is eating me up.

So I wound up calling in sick to work for Tuesday and my boss told me to maybe just take the week off, as “your head’s not here.” And honestly... no, it’s not. I spent the entirety of Monday livid as all hell because the flight chief (or our squadron commander, I’m not sure whose idea it was exactly) decided to ask the facility managers 1) who owns a sewing machine and 2) who knows how to sew. My boss responded that we have two and that she knows how to sew.

When I get in in the morning, she poses the question to us about if we know how to sew, or are willing to learn. I know a little but said I would not be willing to learn if it was for the flight chief. My co-worker refused and said she would only do it under duress.

A little back story on what’s been going on and why I am (and my co-workers are) so upset:

I work at an Arts and Crafts store on an American military base. We’re considered non-essential and if you look at the base’s page on facility closures, ours is listed as closed with “minimal manning” and curb-side pick up options available (please tell me what is considered “minimal manning” when all of us are still reporting to work).  

The week of March 16th we were told we were going to be shut down for at least 2 weeks starting on that Thursday, the 19th, until further notice and people that can work from home are encouraged to do so. Great, the base and leadership are taking this seriously, I had thought. It’s worth noting that all of my coworkers are in the high risk group.

However. Come Monday, the 23rd, I get a call from my boss that we’re to come back in. The flight chief wants us to clean and reorganize the facility (something that had been discussed prior to everything going down, that involved closing the facility but hey, we’re closed now, so why not use this opportunity to do so?). Yeah, okay, that’s fine. I’m not happy but whatever. So we all go in and we’re working and it’s not easy stuff--I’m moving cabinets and shelving units, doing the majority of the heavy lifting because I’m pretty much the only one able to do so. It’s tiring work and I’m dead sore by Wednesday morning but it’s fine, nothing I’m not used to. What throws a wrench into this is that the flight chief suddenly comes up with this thought Oh, why don’t you guys put together crafting kits to give away to families? He wants them to last for about an hour each day and to cover two weeks. He wants 50 by Friday (and we were told this on... Tuesday or Wednesday. Not a lot of time to prepare). Alright, cool. We can do that... So we go through our crafts and come up with this stuff and start putting packets together. But guess what? He comes back with, can you make an additional 50? And then another 50? and another 50? That was 4 sets of 50 (but wound up being 48 each), and he even tried to get us to do an additional 50 on top of that but my boss had to tell him we don’t have anything to put more together because they all had to be the SAME. So it boiled down to a total of 384 bags we put together.

And all throughout this week he and the marketing manager kept coming to the facility and “checking in”. They try to talk to us, all while ignoring the whole keeping your distance from people, while we’re in the middle of tasks and trying to get all this shit done when it’s pretty much just two people (our engraver was stuck at her laser making one craft and my boss would have to deal with them). We’d have some volunteers come over but they’d only be around for a couple hours, if they even showed up, and they weren’t very inclined to listen to direction from anyone other than my boss.

I’m not one to sit around and chit chat, especially not when I have work to do. So I would greet them and then leave. Same with my other coworkers. But the flight chief? Guess what. :) After one visit, he texted my boss telling her to call him from her office, where he then proceeded to say my coworkers and I have horrible customer service and that he was embarrassed by how he and the marketing manager were treated: that we ignored them and kept running away and that we need to be showing only the highest level of service to everyone. He then proceeded to tell her that she needs to give us all customer service training. You know, because we’re so fucking terrible. I’m sorry? You are over here working us to the bone and piling more and more stuff on us and you expect us to have the time and energy to expend on idle chatter? Especially considering the state of affairs in the world? No.

Never mind the fact that they wound up roping our crafting kit thing into a marketing event without telling us about it at all. We had to find out by reading the e-mail that was sent out to everyone. And oh, the flight chief and the marketing director had agreed with my boss not to do reservations for these kits but guess what? In the e-mail it said to call and reserve yours. That wound up tying my boss on the line for at least a solid hour and a half. And the trouble with reservations is that people will inevitably reserve something and not show up. Which is exactly what happened. 

So that was a week from hell. But I was off the following week, Monday-Wednesday, as I had requested time off months prior. I was sent home on Thursday, into Friday, due to not feeling well, so I didn’t work that week. That brings us back to Monday. 

Turns out whoever decided that we will be making masks for the Wing. My boss put one together following the CDC’s guidelines, which the flight chief wound up taking (and giving away). Upon the return of the flight chief and the marketing manager about an hour later, they start discussing it and asked how many could be made in an hour. Going by my boss’s speed, she said probably 6, maybe 8 in an hour. So of course they latched on to the 8 (the flight chief tried to push for 10 in an hour). The flight chief stepped aside at some point to talk to the commander and she said she wanted the masks made with pleats, “so there were more layers to catch stuff.” Except... those pleats are meant for the mask to expand for coverage, not to “catch stuff”. Whatever. Americans don’t really understand the whole face mask thing.

So they start spit-balling numbers and asking about production of a pleated version versus a non-pleated version and somehow 100 masks turns into 1,000 in 10 days and from the way they were talking it sounded as if they were assuming all of us would be sewing these masks at a rate of 8 per hour... on top of them wanting us to make an additional 4 weeks of crafting kits and still cleaning/reorganizing the facility.

So. Cue me having a mental break because first of all, we shouldn’t even be reporting to work. Only mission essential/critical people are supposed to be working; we aren’t either category. We were called back after being told we’d be off, only for us to be tossed into a hellish workload that just seems to be ever increasing and I just cannot get behind this. And sewing masks? Putting together kits and uploading the tutorials for them? That can easily be done from home. But from the way they were talking on Monday it seems as if the flight chief and the marketing manager (I don’t know why she’s always there, I really don’t) do not support the idea of working from home.

I came to the realization Monday night that all these ailments I’ve been dealing with lately are physical manifestations of stress and I just can’t handle the situation at work. When my boss texted me about staying home this week, I asked if they’d be alright at work and she replied with “who knows” and on the one hand great, I’m not dealing with the stress at work but on the other, I’m leaving my coworkers to pickup my slack, thus making me feel like shit regardless. But I honestly... I can’t handle this situation; it doesn’t seem right and it feels like leadership doesn’t care about the well-being of us “little people”. Sure they come over and tout praises and flowery words but do any of them offer to help with all the hard work? Of course not. But “We’re all tired,” they had said.

Spare me.

So. Yeah. That’s where I’m at and I’m honestly... not sure what to do. My sister’s been giving me advice and telling me to seek guidance from HR but... no one else seems to want to speak out for fear of retaliation. And I just. I can’t keep doing this.

[thenovelartist]

Falling for the Dork, set 3

<<Previous set  Next set>>

8.      A Favor Only You Can Do

When Marinette called and asked him for a favor, the only correct answer was yes. He didn’t even know what he was doing other than going over to Marinette’s house, but that didn’t matter because she was his best friend and if she needed something, he’d happily assist.

“Honey, I’m home!” he called out teasingly as he headed up to her room.

When he caught sight of her, she was beet red and her smile was forced. “Uhh… welcome home?”

Her forced smile was much more of a cringe now. Adrien felt like that was his fault because all Marinette seemed to do lately was blush in front of him. If he knew how to approach the subject of what was happening to his best friend, he would. However, he had enough social skills to know that asking a woman why she blushed all the time was not the way to handle anything.

So, he ignored it and did his best to try to make her relaxed around him by being the biggest dork possible. “You called; I came. What do you need help with?”

Marinette gave him a half smile. “Well… do you know that design competition I entered?”

“Yeah.”

“Well…” She tapped the tips of her index fingers together, unable to look him in the eye. “Turns out… you can either send pictures of your clothes on the mannequin… or with a model. But models are highly encouraged.”

Adrien nodded. “And…”

Her blue eyes looked up at him through her long lashes. “Would you be my model?”

Instantly, his mind went blank. She wanted him to be her model? Like, try to look like one of those ridiculous pretty-but-self-centered jerks his father hired for the sole purpose of looking beautiful? “Uh…” Adrien paused, his mind working.

“It’s okay if you don’t!” Marinette quickly said. “I don’t want to pressure you or anything.”

“You think I’m good enough to?”

Marinette’s jaw proceeded to drop to the floor. “Y…you’re kidding me, right?”

Adrien shook his head. He knew he was somewhat good looking, but model-worthy? If he was worthy enough, his father would have definitely asked him to model for the company by now.

“If I didn’t think you were good enough, I wouldn’t have asked you.”

His heart skipped at that. “Really?”

She blushed. “Yeah.”

Absently, Adrien rubbed the back of his neck. When she put it that way, there was absolutely no way he could turn her down. “Okay. What do you need me to do?”

A few minutes later, Adrien was changing into the ensemble that Marinette had put together for him. When he glanced at himself in her bathroom mirror, he had to admit he looked good. Marinette was a fantastic designer and no one could say otherwise.

He stepped out of the bathroom and back to her room. He gave her a spin for approval. “Well?”

She looked intently at him, fingers tapping her lips in thought. No longer was she blushy; she was in full designer mode. “Come here.”

He did as directed, only to become vaguely uncomfortable under her scrutinizing gaze. She reached for his glasses, carefully taking them off his face and sparking a fire in his cheeks. She then ran her fingers through his hair, and he felt his face positively flame. Not so much because of the action itself.

More because he didn’t want her to stop.

Even though his vision was blurry and his heart was pounding, he could imagine in perfect clarity the proud smile Marinette was giving him. “Yes, you’ll do purr-fectly.”

His heart skipped an odd beat. As it always did on the rare occasion she broke out the puns.

What was going on with him today? Why couldn’t he just pull himself together?

“Now,” she directed, pulling him out of his thoughts. “Stand still and let me tailor all the outfits I have to fit you perfectly. Then, it should be all ready in a couple days for you to come over again and let me take pictures.”

Five days later, after a busy Saturday of him helping her take his own pictures, Adrien finally got to see all the photos she took. It was kinda hard to miss when they decorated the entire wall above her desk.

He denied that he felt a pang of loss when Marinette took all them down the next week for some reason. However, he learned on accident that she kept a few pinned on the corkboard next to her bed and the rest hidden safely under her mattress. That little fact was enough to satisfy the oddly angry beast that had been so unsettled inside him.

  9.      Birthday Gifts

Adrien had been preparing for this for months. It was Marinette’s birthday this week, meaning the class was thinking up presents. The girls talked about girly things or sewing notions or whatnot. But Adrien had a plan. A plan that he’d been hatching for months and was preparing to execute.

On his way to the fabric store, Nino had shot him a text begging for help on what to get Marinette. Adrien smirked.

I have an idea. Adrien texted. I’ll pick them up for you and then you can take the credit.

I can get them. Nino texted back. What is it?

Needles for her sewing machine. Her last one is dull. I’m heading to a fabric store now. Want me to pick up the ones she needs?

There was a long pause. How do you know this? Sewing needles go dull?

Adrien smirked. Yes they do depending on the fabric and how much you use the needle. Marinette has been complaining about fabric getting sucked into her machine and she’s done everything else to fix it meaning the needle is dull. And if she had more, she would have replaced it and wouldn’t be complaining.

Dude. Nino texted back. How do you know this?

Adrien chuckled. I KNOW things ;)

Freaky. I’ll meet you there so I can at least put effort into getting them.

K. Then I’ll help you find the ones specifically for her machine.

There’s different kinds?

Adrien just laughed. Oh, Nino had no idea.

He sent off an answer of yes there are a lot of different kinds. Just meet me here and I’ll help you.

After telling Nino exactly which store he was heading into, Nino sent him back a text with a thumbs up emoji and a be there asap. But watching little bro now. Waiting for mom to come back.

That’s fine, Adrien texted back after stepping foot in the store and suddenly feeling overwhelmed, which was a rare thing for him. I’ll be here a while.

It was Adrien’s first time in a fabric store, meaning he really had no clue what he was doing or where anything was. However, he had a list of fabrics and yardages that Marinette estimated she would need for each design she constantly talked about. It had been risky sneaking look-sees in her sketchbook to get them without her being the wiser.

This trip would not go to waste.

A solid two hours later scouring the store and comparing fabric, he finally had collected the bolts he needed. Meaning now he had to take a number and wait in line to get said fabric cut.

And from the looks of it, he was going to be here another two hours.

“Dude,” Nino called, tapping Adrien’s shoulder. “Sorry. Mom had me watching my little bro so I had to wait for her to get back.”

“No prob,” Adrien dismissed with a wave. “Took me that long just to find everything and now I have a line to wait for to get the lengths cut.”

“What number are you?”

“Fifty-nine.”

Nino frowned. “Twenty-some people ahead of you?”

“Yup. And don’t look suspicious as you take a look at that group of quilters over there.”

“How do you know they’re quilters?”

“I just do.”

Nino was subtle, pretending he was glancing past the five gray-haired ladies chatting in a circle, each of their carts filled to the brim with fabric bolts.

“Ouch, dude,” Nino whispered, turning back to Adrien.

“Yup. Let’s go shop for needles. And then you’re staying with me until I can get this cut, ‘cause it’s gonna be a while.”

“You saved my butt with this. I owe you at least that much.”

…

Marinette was very thankful to Nino about the sewing needles. “I don’t know who told you, but you are a lifesaver and I love you.”

“You’re welcome,” Nino said, beaming in pride.

When Marinette wasn’t looking, Nino nodded at Adrien in a way that said thanks, bro.

Adrien shot back a wink.

“Last one,” Alya said, shoving the gift box into Marinette’s lap. “And it’s huge.”

“You didn’t go overboard, did you, Adrien?” she asked with a smile, though Adrien could see the seriousness behind it.

“No,” he dismissed. In truth, it was likely she would see his actions as ‘going overboard’, but she was his first real friend and his ultimate best friend, so he really didn’t see an issue going what she would consider ‘overboard’ if he didn’t consider it overboard.

She undid the bow on top of the box, unwrapping the thick ribbon so she could open the box.

Her face lit up immediately at the cut of ladybug print fabric that lay on top. She pulled it out and began inspecting it. “You remembered?” she squealed excitedly.

Adrien nodded. “Of course. You love that design.”

“You’re amazing!”

“Marinette,” Alya broke in. “Looks like there’s more.”

Marinette seemed shocked by that statement, but dove back in, her smile slowly fading with each cut she pulled out. “You went overboard!” she cried once all five swaths of fabric were on out of the box.

“No,” he said. “That’s only enough to make the ladybug sundress, the blouse, the skirt—”

“Adrien,” she interrupted. “No. You didn’t need—”

“I don’t care,” Adrien said, talking over her again. “I wanted to get that for you—”

“But Adrien—”

“No! Just take it.”

“It’s too much.”

“Well, I can’t take it back.”

Marinette glowered at him.

Adrien grinned. “You’re my best friend,” he said. “Let me get this for you.”

After a short stare-off, Marinette looked back at the pile of fabric. And sighed. She stood, walked over to Adrien, and wrapped her arms around his torso. “Thank you,” she said.

His heart skipped a beat, and Adrien happily wrapped his arms around her, squeezing her against him. “You’re welcome, Marinette. Happy Birthday.”

  10.      Puns

It was the first day out of school for summer vacation, and Marinette spent the day at Adrien’s house because playing video games was a lot more fun on his huge screen.

Eventually, Marinette pulled out the snacks that she’d brought to munch on, which allowed her the time to finally ask the question she had had on her mind a while. “Is that a new cat pun shirt?”

Adrien looked down at the blue shirt with three cartoon cats piled on top of on another with the caption ‘purramid’. “No. I’ve had this one a while.”

“I’ve never seen it.”

“You haven’t seen half my collection, probably.”

Marinette quirked a brow. “Really?” she asked dubiously. “Because I think I’ve seen enough that you could probably go a solid month wearing cat pun tees and not wear the same one twice.”

Adrien smirked. “You doubt the extensiveness of my carefully procured cat pun t-shirt collection?”

“I’m going to regret this.”

“Come on.”

Adrien took her hand in his, and Marinette felt a blush rise to her cheeks at the contact. Something in the back of her mind was screaming He’s holding my hand! He likes me! while the more rational part of her mind reminded her Keep it together, loon. He’s just leading you to his closet.

A closet that was twice the size of her and her parents closet combined.

“Here we go,” Adrien said, pointing to a line of tee shirts. “For your purr-rusal.” He shot her a wink, and she rolled her eyes even though her heart was going wild.

Within two minutes, she learned that Adrien had been right: his collection was extensive. More extensive than she realized. There were the ones she’d seen such as ‘you’ve cat to be kitten me right meow’ or cats in boxes with ‘I fits, I sits’ or cats with sunglasses that said ‘Cattitude’.

And then there were the ones she hadn’t seen before.

“Really?” She pulled out one that said ‘Catffee’ with a bunch of coffee drinks labeled thigs like ‘Catpurrchino’ and ‘Ameowicano’ and ‘Meowca’ on the front. “Really?” Marinette repeated, turning the shirt toward him.

Adrien’s grin widened in pride.

She rolled her eyes and kept looking. There was a cat in a castle with a crown on its head with the caption ‘Chateau’. There was a cat playing with a music note titled ‘Quatre.’

“Get it?” Adrien cried in excitement when she showed that one to him. “It’s a music pun and a cat pun!”

“Where’s the cat pun?”

“In English, they say ‘cat’.”

Marinette’s expression fell.

“It’s funny.”

“No, it’s not.” She put the shirt back and kept looking.

And then there was one that caught her eye that she had to stare at for a good while.

“Are. You. Serious?”

Adrien looked at the shirt and immediately broke out into a wild grin. “Oh yeah! This one’s new. I haven’t had a chance to wear it yet. What do you think?!”

Marinette stared at the shirt, one that had nine cats, each dressed up as characters Marinette didn’t recognize, but she recognized some of the labels. ‘Dragonpaw Z’ and ‘Sailor Mewn’ and ‘Mewrito’ and ‘Fur Mewtal Alcatmist’. “You got a shirt. With cat renditions. Of your favorite animes?”

“Yes!” Adrien practically squealed. “Isn’t it fantastic?”

Marinette stared at the shirt, then back up at him. His glasses were slightly crooked, his cheeks were pink with excitement, and his smile was completely and one hundred percent giddy. He looked like a five-year-old boy instead of a young man of sixteen.

And she was in love with him.

Marinette sighed, a smile breaking across her face. “It’s very you,” she admitted.

“I know! It might just become my favorite shirt ever.”

As he babbled on, Marinette couldn’t help but watch his excited expressions. Her mind tried to capture his joy and tuck it into her memories under ‘things that warm her heart’. Yes, he was such a dork, but honestly, she wouldn’t have him any other way.

[momtemplative]

MASKED.

1.

In a house with two young kids, our quickest sanity-stabilizer in this COVID era was to head outside and go for a walk, or a bike ride, or to roller skate. We’d pay close attention to the proximity of passers-by, but typically the grassy fields by the bike paths were an open canvas for the kids to blow off some steam. And we’d all return home a bit winded and slightly more stable. 

Then, a little more than two weeks ago, a strong recommendation came from Governor Polis for everyone to wear masks in public. But what, pray-tell, was “public” referring to? 

Here’s what the CDC endorsed: wearing cloth face coverings in public settings where other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain (e.g., grocery stores and pharmacies) especially in areas of significant community-based transmission.

So that’s what we assumed Polis recommended as well. That night we even had a happy hour gathering with our neighbors, all at least 6-feet-away, but without masks. We didn’t feel like we were being sneaky or non-compliant, we were simply following the guidelines as we understood them. 

But then we started seeing people in their yards wearing masks, and on walks wearing masks— in addition to 6-feet! There was an eerie infiltration of mask-wearers, and, with that, the non-verbal communication of an abrupt change of protocol. Our sacred, oft-traveled, 1,000-step bike path that loops around the block started to feel unfamiliar, as if it were a movie set peppered with strangers, wearing homemade cloth curtains over their cheeks. 

We quickly felt like a minority out there with our bare faces.

2.

An afternoon walk was once a favorite time of day—quarantine or not. Quickly though, in light of the current mask situation, and before I began to wear one, my brain started to get stuck in a grinding pattern of managing everyone else’s whereabouts in accordance with my own. I noticed that I was judging those who were masked, at least in part because I was sure they were judging me. 

Their judgment and my judgment felt cut from the same cloth: judgement as a way of controlling the uncontrollable. There is so much confusion about protocols. So much fear of the radio broadcast of white noise and speculation that is to be our future. All these feelings get lumped together into just trying to do it right. I returned from one particular walk stiff as a board and deeply grumpy.

“Jesse,” I said, “I’m not going on a walk again without a mask.”

3.

I opted out of any domestic sewing of masks at first, and started with my old-lady cardigan tied around my face like a waist. I then upgraded to a bedazzled bandana that I bought to fill Opal’s Easter basket last year. I love the happy fabric, but it wouldn’t stay up over my nose for anything beyond the liquor drive-through (my singular biweekly errand). Store-bought masks are not an option. They’ve been back-ordered for weeks and if the stock is replenished, it needs to be saved for the blessed healthcare workers.

By the next weekend, Jesse and Opal wore masks that they made from a YouTube video, using mustard-yellow t-shirts and rubber bands, while on a bike ride. That ride turned out to be very brief because, according to Opal, it was so hard to breathe. 

4.

The solidarity and confidence that come from wearing a mask are helpful and significant, sure. But the act of wearing a mask changes the experience entirely. 

On a purely physical level, it muddles your peripheral vision, steams up your glasses, makes it hot and very hard to breathe. 

On a social-emotional level, the masks create a real separation between people. It feels similar to being at a costume party—even if the invite list includes most of your friends, everyone is suddenly anonymous. 

I walked behind two people (in masks) and a dog from a block away that I thought were my beloved next door neighbors. I even hollered at them. (They didn't hear me.) Then I got closer and realized it was a different dog and very much not my neighbors. It’s all very disorienting.  

5.

One week in, and Opal has taken Polis’s suggestion as gospel. Of course, I don’t blame her. Sometimes when we are out and about, so is the rest of the neighborhood. During those times, the mask feels safe and dare-I-say comforting. (Like we are good, complaint citizens. Go us.) But other times, there is nobody outside. I tell Opal, “Sweetie, we can keep our masks around our chins until we see someone (dozens of feet away!) and then put up our masks.” 

Opal’s reply: NOT A CHANCE.

I try to imagine what it would be like to experience all this at age ten. What other such details has her system become accustomed to over the last month? Zoom call playdates, online school, little sister around all-the-effing-time. Maybe some feelings come out sideways? Maybe everything seems overwhelming and busy even though very little is happening?

In the olden days, before COVID, any sort of outdoor trek was soul-nourishing for all of us. It ticks a lot of boxes: sunshine, fresh air, exercise for me and the dog and the kids, a brain reset. Now, masked, such an activity is beyond taxing. Ruth has no desire to keep her mask on and she’s a runner. We can bribe her with a lollipop to stay in the stroller, but the girth of the BOB, along with the leashed (80-pound) dog requires skill and intentional footing on an average day. Trying to juggle it all through a face-drape is the emotional equivalent of walking through tar. A guaranteed headache.

Returning to our backyard, with its creaky swingset and patchwork yard, and removing our masks (along with the associated invisible constraints) is beyond restorative.

“That’s the best part about a mask,” Opal said. “Taking it off and having the air taste so fresh and cold again.”

6.

On Sunday morning—a few days ago and two solid weeks into the mask-in-public rules of conduct—the kids were scattered on the floor watching Frozen while I folded laundry and Jesse tinkered away at the sewing machine. Project: to sew face-masks that fit each of us properly. It was a lovely scene of the times. I would imagine Norman Rockwell painting such an episode if he were alive during COVID. A family of four (plus cat, plus dog) in their natural weekend habitat. Slow to dress, sipping juice or coffee, and, sewing face masks.

“Ruth,” Jesse said, “Come on over here and try this on to see if it fits.” Ruth scurried over to him to try on her mask like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Later that day, I walked our dog wearing the mask Jesse so lovingly crafted for me (after three fittings). It was exquisite, hands-free, spacious around the mouth. He even used the sweetest yellow-petal, summer dress fabric. When I returned, I kissed him straight through the mask.

7.

In spite of a good fit, it still takes exponentially more effort to greet someone while masked—you have to yell or over-gesture to compensate for the fact that both of your faces are completely erased. Because we wear ours primarily outside, most people are in sunglasses with their masks. But if not, they are far enough away where eye-reading is not an option. It’s all a straight-up guessing game.

More often than not, for the sake of simplicity, it’s just me and the dog these days. Typically, I have my dog’s leash in my left hand, and a steamy bag of his shit in my right that gets carried for countless unpleasant blocks. This is due to the lack of public trash facilities on the neighborhood routes I find are easier to navigate within the guidelines of 6-feet-between. Bike paths are pretty tight if there isn’t open space to veer off on either side. And now I’ve got my mask on, and fogged-up sunglasses. The uniform is similar to that of someone on Halloween in a last-minute ghost-sheet costume, with just the eyes cut out, cobbling along with both hands full. This is not a “path is the journey” sort of moment. I’m lucky if I can twitch out a head-nod or an elbow-wave to a passer-by.

It feels important to counteract the separation that has become synonymous with health and life. But I’d be lying if I said I was able to muster a greeting every time.

8.

In our culture, masks (when not worn in a medical setting) often represent sinister actions—bandits or bank robbers or the KKK who want to hide defining features.

For many Asian countries, mask-wearing was a cultural norm even before the coronavirus outbreak. In East Asia, many people are used to wearing masks when they are sick or when it's hayfever season, because it's considered impolite to sneeze or cough in public.

The 2003 Sars virus outbreak, which affected several countries in the region, also drove home the importance of wearing masks, particularly in Hong Kong, where many died as a result of the virus. Says the BBC news: “One key difference between these societies and Western ones, is that they have experienced a contagion before—and the memories are still fresh and painful.”

I recently read a story about two black men who were wearing masks at Walmart—fully in compliance and trying to keep themselves safe—when they were accosted by police. It hit me like a whip how individualized each of us are experiencing this pandemic. I skoff at my mask because it’s a pain-in-the-ass. But I’ll never be faced with also having to weigh the risks of racial profiling.

Delving further, I read that to-mask-or-not-to-mask has become a way to take a political stance. Trump supporters carrying “My body, My choice” signs, with an illustration of a crossed-out mask—this is a common image to see in the media right now.

The Washington Post said: “Even as governors, mayors and the federal government urge or require Americans to wear masks in stores, transit systems and other public spaces to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, the nation is divided about whether to comply. And it is divided in painfully familiar ways — by politics and by attitudes about government power and individual choice.”

So, clearly, it is about so much more than just a mask.  

9.  

This just in. 

In a press conference that took place a few days ago, April 20th, Governor Jared Polis and state epidemiologist Dr. Rachel Herlihy outlined how life may change in Colorado as soon as next week, when “shelter-in-place” shifts to “safer-at-home.” They are essentially the same, just with a select few businesses opening with strict distancing rules and incremental shifts toward less physical distancing over all. Polis mentions nothing different about mask-wearing. Meaning, still wear them in public, especially if you can’t get 6-feet-between, especially if you’ve been exposed or have symptoms.

I noticed an immediate difference on my walk following his announcement. There was a family of four playing frisbee in an open space without masks! My initial feeling was wait, WTF? (And yes, I realize we are living in a strange state of affairs for my initial reaction to a beautiful family frolicking in a field to be contempt.) There was a man throwing a ball for his dog in a park that still had many visible CLOSED signs—also NO MASK. (Again, WTF??) I then gave a wide, grassy birth to a group of mask-free bike riders. 

I notice my mask feels more like a burden on my face without the unifying solidarity of everyone doing it. We all seem to be getting different memos.

There’s a huge relief that people are back to having faces, to be sure. I miss people. I love faces. But I have to admit that in spite of my hemming and hawing, I’d gotten used to feeling protected. It’s impossible to make sense of any of it. Even little Ruth came in yesterday and gave a tiny cough. “I’m sick,” she said, “Since I didn’t wear a mask today.” 

Circling back to the facts, the only thing worth grasping at right now, I am challenged to find any bit of news to suggest that our household need to be wearing masks while out on walks—under any level of regulation thus far. Neither Jesse nor myself are working outside of the house. We don’t visit with friends or family. (Big sigh.* We miss everyone terribly.) The odds of us being silent carriers are beyond slim. We are not immuno-compromised. So wearing masks these last few weeks—while still on socially distanced walks—could probably be categorized as an act of cultural alignment, an act of doing everything we can for the cause. 

As of right now, this moment, I do not see our mask-wearing as being impactful to our macro OR micro community. So, for the sake of preserving the sanity of our tiny culture for the long haul, I vote that we wear our beautifully-Jesse-crafted masks on our chins, like flattened feathers at the ready. 

“As it (the “safer-at-home” regulations) rolls off April 27, we need to figure out how to run the marathon now that we’ve run the sprint,” Governor Polis said in his most recent press conference. “I hate to break it to you, but the easy part was the sprint.”

[thewritewolf]

Rekindle Chapter 1: No Powers

Hello! In this story that I’ll be telling over the next month, Adrien and Marinette haven’t seen each other since graduation, which was several years ago. One chance meeting during an akuma battle has Adrien thinking about his old friend, but after everything that’s happened, he’s sure that she doesn’t want to see Adrien Agreste anytime soon... Chat Noir, however...

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30  31

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

Ducking an errant beam, Adrien swung his baton into Mega Drain. Behind him, he heard it hit a car, killing the engine inside. “You feline up for a fight, metal head?”

The name was fitting since today’s akuma looked like a poorly put together metal robot slightly bigger than Adrien was, moving on treads. With how slowly it moved and how short its arms were, Adrien was feeling confident even though Ladybug hadn’t arrived yet. And why shouldn’t he? Nearly a decade of being Chat Noir had honed his reflexes and combat power to a fine point.

“CHAT NOIR WILL SUBMIT HIS MIRACULOUS TO MEGA DRAIN.”

Adrien winced at the volume. His enhanced senses could be both a blessing and a curse sometimes. “Tell you what.” He paused for dramatic effect. “No.”

That didn’t seem to be the right choice since Mega Drain began rapid firing beams at him. So far, he’d only seen it hit electronics, but every time they’d immediately shut down. That alone was enough reason for him to avoid getting hit, even if he wasn’t sure that he would actually be affected by the beams. If nothing else, Mega Drain seemed to think something would happen.

It wasn’t actually that hard to avoid the rays, but it stopped him from getting close to the akuma. Ah well. At least that means he’d get to see Ladybug, itself an increasingly rare event. He suspected that she was going to university, but who knows? He was just glad she hadn’t left Paris and given her miraculous to someone else. Despite all the rejections, he couldn’t bring himself to stop loving her.

A flash of black hair caught his attention. A sly greeting died on his lips when he realized it wasn’t Ladybug he’d seen but someone he hadn’t laid on eyes on in a couple years - Marinette Dupain-Cheng. His elation at seeing a childhood friend was matched only by the pang of sorrow he felt at what had happened the last time they’d seen each other. They tried to keep in touch, but after their talk on graduation day, life had gotten in the way of their friendship. It really was a shame. He missed having her in his life.

He ducked under another beam, but his wandering mind had made him less aware of his surroundings. The beam reflected off a metallic object and right back at him. He felt his strength leave his muscles and his limbs become more sluggish. Just as his senses deadened, he realized what had happened - the power his miraculous granted him had been drained- Oh. OH. That’s why he called himself Mega Drain.

Feeling almost as upset with himself taking that long to realize the meaning of his name as he was mad at getting hit, he ducked into an alleyway. All he had to do was shake off the akuma and he could - theoretically - detransform and recharge. He was thankful that Plagg was able to hold on and keep the Chat Noir suit on. Recharging was easy, but losing his secret identity would be irrecoverable.

His plan to escape wasn’t going well. Mega Drain was right behind him and the alley reached a dead end. Drawing his baton, he turned to face the akuma, locking his eyes on the single red lensed camera on the akuma’s face.

“YOUR MIRACULOUS IS MINE.” The akuma charged up his beam and Adrien tensed, ready to jump out of the way. He may not have superhuman reflexes, but he still had his training. He just had to wait for…

...A trash can to be shoved roughly onto its head from behind, apparently. Blinking in surprise, he looked past the flailing akuma to see Marinette motioning at him wildly. He took the opportunity for what it was and rushed over to her side, only for her to grab his arm and start running. They’d gotten a fair distance away before they heard a metallic roar. Marinette quickly unlocked the door to an office building and locked the door behind them.

Hands on her knees, she took a few deep breaths. “That… was a close one.”

“I’ll say.” Adrien took his tail in one hand and began idly twirling it. “What were you doing out during an akuma attack? You don’t strike me as the reporter type.”

She stood up straight, her breathing now under control. Adrien let himself be impressed - blindsiding akumas and making mad dashes through the streets can be exhausting. She’d kept herself in shape over the years. Crossing her arms, she glared up at him, “You’re welcome, you ungrateful cat.”

That got a laugh out of him. He didn’t remember her being so spunky, but then again, he knows why she was never herself around him, doesn’t he? “Sorry, sorry.” Bowing deeply, one arm held out, he added, “My deepest gratitude. Saving the feline in distress was very noble of you.” She snorted and rolled her eyes, but he pressed on. “And while I do very much appreciate what you’ve done so far, I have one more favor to ask.”

That got her curiosity. “And what’s that?”

“Go away.” He grinned at her shocked expression. His voice softened a little as he added, “Find somewhere safe to hide. I need to recharge and I can’t have you peeking at my secret identity. Besides, I’d feel better knowing such a kind civilian were out of harm’s way.”

She nodded and pointed behind him. “There are bathrooms over there that lock from the inside. I’m going to uh, sneak out the back way.” She started jogging away, and yelled back at him over her shoulder, “Good luck!”

He watched her go until she darted down a hallway. He knew there were more pressing things to be thinking about, but he felt a pang of remorse. Maybe if their last meeting hadn’t gone the way it did, they’d have worked harder to keep in touch. A warning beep sounded from his miraculous, shaking him out of his thoughts. No use dwelling on what might have been. He ran towards the bathrooms Marinette had pointed out, eager to recharge and get back in the fight.

-------------------------------

Adrien landed in his room with the sun setting behind him. It was a smaller space than his childhood home, but he had to make some concessions if he wanted to be living on his own. Father wouldn’t rent or let him rent his own mansion and Adrien wouldn’t want to even if he did. He’d had more than enough of large, empty spaces for one lifetime already. At least now the empty spaces were smaller.

“Claws in.”

Plagg emerged from the ring and crash landed on top of his private refrigerator. “Geez, kid. You’re overworking me here! And could you at least tryto not eyeball every pretty civilian you come across? Unless this is some weird way of moving on from Ladybug.”

Adrien pinched the bridge of his nose will Plagg opened up his fridge. “First off, I don’t oogle random people. That was Marinette. You know? We went to school together.”

“Yeah, yeah, I remember Pigtails alright. Even if the name doesn't match anymore. Real awkward parting words at your graduation.”

His heart was heavy for a moment as he remembered her confession… and how he had to gently reject her. It was the last time they’d seen each other face to face, and he hated the hurt he’d seen in her eyes. But what else could he do? Which brought him to...

“Second - you know I can’t just move on from Ladybug. I’ve tried, you know it as well as I do, but…”

“Blah blah heart blah blah the pain of unrequited love. Yeah, you’ve mentioned it a few hundred times before.” He shoved a wedge of cheese in his mouth and talked around it. “At least you have something in common with Pigtails.”

“I guess we do,” Adrien replied in a sad whisper.

While they were never the closest of friends, Adrien keenly felt Marinette’s absence in his life. The energy she always had, the confidence she had not only in herself, but in everyone around her. Just being near her was usually enough to get people motivated - something she often took advantage of as class president. The certainty she had in what she wanted to be was something he could really use some of right now. He felt like his life was in a holding pattern, just working for his father while being groomed to take up the management portion of the Agreste business.

But what could he do? While they made a slight effort to keep in touch, he had no idea how she would react to seeing him again, face to face. Has she moved on from him? Did she come to resent him? Who knows? Somehow he doubted that she’d appreciate him showing up on her doorstep.

While watching Plagg do his absolute best to scarf down an entire wheel of camembert, a smile dawned on his face. While Adrien might not be met eagerly, who wouldn’t love a visit from the local superhero?

“Finish up quick, Plagg. We’re going out tonight.”

While his kwami complained, Adrien pulled up the discord channel the four of them had made to keep in touch. Wading through the conversations - mainly between Alya and Marinette - he eventually found what he was looking for: An address.

-----------------------------------

Half an hour later, Adrien landed on a balcony that he hoped was Marinette’s. He’d made a detour to buy some sweets to bring over. After all, it was rude to show up unannounced and empty handed.

The lights were on. He breathed a sigh of relief - that was a good sign. It had become painfully obvious to him that he didn’t know much about how her life was going now when he didn’t even know where she was working, let alone her hours. He peeked into the window to check if she was actually home.

The room seemed to be some combination of a work space and living room. There was a TV turned down as it played some show that she only glanced at occasionally. A familiar, old chaise, a couch and a couple armchairs, but there was also mannequins, reams of fabrics, and a table littered with pins, sketchbooks, and a sewing machine. Working at the sewing machine was Marinette herself, only occasionally glancing up at the TV from a jacket she was working on.

Satisfied that she was at least present, he tapped at the glass. Softly at first, but becoming more insistent when it became clear that she was too focused on her work to hear him. Even then it took her a few moments to realize just where the tapping was coming from. It was all worth it though when he saw how her eyes went wide at seeing him at the window. He grinned as she rushed over to the window.

“What are you doing here?! Do you realize how late it is?” She hissed at him. His smile faltered. This wasn’t the reaction he had been expecting.

“Well, I was in a rush earlier, so I couldn’t thank you properly for your help today.” Seeing her dubious expression, he pulled out the big guns and moved his basket of snacks in front of him. “I brought chocolate croissants?”

She glanced between the basket and him, torn. Just before she was about to speak, her stomach growled. Blushing, she opened the window wide and said, “Quick, get in before I change my mind.”

Adrien didn’t need to be told twice. Slipping inside, he took another look at the room around him, now using all his senses. It was messy, with several projects in various levels of completion scattered around the room. There were a few pictures on the walls, mostly of her and Alya, plus a few older ones from lycee and one from graduation. But nothing recent. His heightened smell backed him up - the only scent he could pick up was Marinette’s. Did she not get visitors?

“Sorry I haven’t cleaned up recently. I wasn’t expecting guests.” She rubbed one arm, embarrassed at the state of her apartment.

His cheeks heated up. It hadn’t been his intention to show up just to gawk at her living space. “No, no! Its fine.”

A few more moments of awkward silence passed. Why did he think this was a good idea again?

“Uh, Chat?”

“Yes?” He replied quickly, eager for any conversation starter.

“The basket…?”

“Oh! Sorry, here you go.” The goodies changed hands and Marinette took a look at them, inhaling the scent of the baked goods with a blissful smile. While she was busy, he pressed on. “So… anyway. I wanted to say I really appreciated the help. It was very brave of you to get involved like that. That could very well have been the end of me as Chat Noir.”

She smirked as she looked back up at him. “Yeah, then Paris would have to get a new Chat Noir and a new Ladybug and it would just be a mess. I figured I might as well save us the trouble.”

“Well, a new Chat Noir definitely, but why would we need a new Ladybug? I’m sure she would have been fine handling Mega Drain on her own.” Which was true. A lot of the time he felt like he was more a bodyguard for Ladybug, or sometimes emotional support.

“Do you really think Ladybug would want to go on without you?” She raised an eyebrow and smiled at him, a smile that quickly vanished when he said:

“Yes, no question. It might be rough for her at first, but there’s no doubt in my mind she’d be able to move on.” He shrugged. “And who knows? Maybe the next one would be better at this than I am.”

She stared at him, shaking her head. “But they wouldn’t be you.”

Laughing, he replied, “Yeah, that’s the point.”

Silence stretched between them again as Adrien stared at nothing in particular and Marinette fidgeted with the basket in her hands. Just as he was about to say his goodbyes, she spoke up.

“You know, you really shouldn’t have gotten this many. I don’t think I should eat them all on my own.”

“Oh?” That sounded like an invitation, but he didn’t want to make assumptions.

“Do you want to stick around? I could put a new movie on. It always helps me be productive.”

It was at this point that Adrien realized he hadn’t actually known what to expect when he came over here. But right now, spending time with a friend sounded much better than sitting at home alone.

“Sure, I think I can do that. So long as you don’t mind me commenting during the movie.”

Shaking her head with a smile, she said, “I should’ve guessed the famous Chat Noir is a movie talker.”

-----------------

One movie had turned into two, then three. Granted, they weren’t particularly long movies, but it was well past midnight by the time Adrien began making his way for his window escape. Despite how tired he felt, even now he was leaving reluctantly. He’d had a great time laughing and eating and talking, and he from how often he’d coaxed laughter out of Marinette, he thought she was enjoying herself too.

It made leaving feel bittersweet. A taste of the friendship he’d never gotten to have. And now he had to go back into his strict, regimented life as if he hadn’t just had the most fun in ages.

“Hey, Chat?”

“Yes, purrincess?” He grinned at her eye roll. The nickname had stuck while they were watching the Princess Bride, much to her feigned displeasure.

“I was just going to say… tonight was nice. If you wanted to come over more often, I’d appreciate the company.”

“You sure I wasn’t too distracting?”

“Are you kidding? I made more progress on my pieces today than I have in the last two days combined. Something about an empty space drains motivation, you know?”

Smiling back at her, he replied, “Yeah, I think I get what you mean. I’ll come visit again soon. I promise… purrincess.”

He leaped out of the window and made his way home, smiling all the while.

[aurora-daily]

AURORA’s Q&A during Spotify Listening Party

Q: Hello Aurora. Is „In Bottles“ related to „In Boxes“ because in „In Bottles“ you are singing underneath her bed and when she is lying in bed maybe she is laying on her spine. Is that the story behind that phrase ? ❤ You are the Best and i Love you ❤

A: they are both about the same lady... that is really well spotted. It has a really strange meaning to it. she wants to be close to people in a very strange way... !

Q: Aurora what is your favourite song on the album?

A: it changes from day to day.. right now its Soulless Creatures. because of its meaning.

Q: Where do you record the álbum?

A: i did it in bergen last november with Magnus <3

Q: Can we expect Step 3, or it's the end of "A Different Kind" era?

A: this is definitely not the last step... but i cannot tell you yet when it will be released.. !

Q: when is the time of day/night you write music the most?

A: i definitely have the most ideas at night, or when im about to fall asleep, sometimes it can keep me awake for hours later than i should stay awake.. but its worth it.

Q: Will you travel to Vietnam???

A: YES

Q: Are you singing in Frozen 2?

A: i might be heard in the wind…

Q: your birth name represents just your music, the universe, peace ... have you thought how would you call yourself artistically if you had another birth name? Which one identifies you?

A: ive always felt that my name fits me so well, and i remember when i learnt what it meant when i was young that i took it like a little mission in life. to create a little light in the world, in one way we all should

Q: Aurora, I meet you the last month and I gave you a skirt, I just wanna say sorry cause it was too big, And I send you a message in your private (sorry)Facebook horse account, I need and advice

A: i love it!! im going to make it a bit smaller, haha !thank you so much!

Q: Do you make your own clothes?

A: yes i make them with my sister Viktoria who knows how to sew!!! i like to know where the clothes comes from, and with her i know the source of the clothes, which feels very good! i like to wear whatever feels good, so its good to have someone who can turn my dreams into real clothes!

Q: Tell us about your language in ADKOH single... what does it mean?

A: its my own language, and one day i will tell you. its based around its core which is human emotions. i want to make it easier for us to discuss our emotions with the world!

Q: Thank you for supporting us - LGBT. I must admit that it is very useful in Poland. We fight a homophobic government and you give us power

A: that moves my heart so much to hear. im sending you so much love. and that is just the beauty of love - it is so much bigger than us. anyone who dares raise a fist against it will always loose the fight. love will win <3 always.

Q: I have found that this album is best fully realized while being outside. I've been running and interpreptly dancing around my neighborhood everyday and it's transportive

A: i love this so much `3

Q: What was your favourite song to produce?📝🤔

A: i loved producing Soulless Creatures and Appletree. ADKOH was also a journey of its own kind. very lovey. Ive used samples from my life, and mixed them with the beauty of electronic music. A bit of both worlds, living in harmony.

Q: How long did it take to right this album? Where did you write?

A: ITs taken me two years to work on all the songs from both Step I and II. and producing Step II took a whole month, with no sleep and long days me and Magnus Skylstad made the whole thing with some help from a norwegian artist called Askjell (on Daydreamer and ADKOH) we cried so much. and laughed. so many emotions. very very beautiful.

Q: Why is 8 your favourite number?

A: i cannot really explain it. i just feel its right. i have a very strange relationship with numbers, i need them to be right. and 8 and 11 have always made me feel so good. their both the same when upside down and mirrored which i love. very reliable.

Q: Can we expect some songs in Norwegian?

A: yes...!

Q: We know in AMDGMAAF you had a sample of you hugging a tree, have you sampled anything unusual/interesting and put it in this album?👀

A: ive sampled all kinds of stuff, my breath, rain, steps, books, washing machines, crushing things, animals, chewing... etc. its so fun. i love working that way. On soulless creatures i have the sound of me tapping my own chest to my heart. <3

Q: "fear not, fear not when you go" that part gets me every time (and i have listened to this song like 100 times)

A: <3 <3 <3 !!!

Q: how do you keep up with all the questions? hahah

A: i dont!! hahaha

Q: do you write lyrics for other artists?

A: yes sometimes i do!!

Q: The symbols in adkoh are a new language right? But are they letters, more like a code, or it's literally a new language where symbols can be a entire word?

A: their all a part of my own language, one day i will show you all of it.

Q: I think your albums are literature, it is really interesting how there is a connection between all of them. From awakening to mothership, is there any plans of releasing a book some day?

A: i will x !!

Q: are there any more music videos coming?

A: Y to the E to the S

Q: I know some people in Tromso but theyre a bit strange. Is everyone from Tromso strange?

A: yes.

Q: Everyone is talking so quickly, I guess I'll shout into the void :p If you get a chance to read this Aurora, I know that you know how many lives you've touched so I'm not special for saying that you as a person, as well as your music, have saved my life. You're so good at making us all feel like your best friends, but I know what it's like to not be a very social person and it's scary. You're so brave and wonderfully peculiar in your heart. please stay true to yourself.

A: thank you so so much for these beautiful words x i promise i will. forever and ever.

Q: the choir goes SO GOOD with in bottles YOUR MIND

A: !!!!!!!!!

Q: Your numbers are 8 & 11? Very cute, in spirit these are good numbers, one means positivity and the other is financial abundance

A: i dont believe any human being could know the true spiritual meaning of them, they belong with the gods, or the trees. everything that we dont know x

Q: .I want to know about that percussion sound that's in a different kind of human...it sounds so different but really "authentic", I know that sounds weird

A: i am really into strange percussion. and im a percussionist myself so i tend to focus a lot on the rhythms. i had the beat for this song in my mind days before even writing it. and i wanted it to sound like something that doesnt exist from before. like ship. the mothership.

Q: What's your patronus?

A: a big wolf. <3

Q: I feel like an ant!

A: me too.

Q: Which song are you most excited to play live that you haven’t already?💃🏼🎶

A: appletree and daydreamer. so full of energy.

Q: Hei Aurora ^_^ En hilsen fra *nesten* nabokommunen din, Kvam! Jeg så deg for første gang på Bygdalarm i 2016. Jeg lytter til musikken din hver dag, den åpner dører, gir meg friske pust. Jeg ville egentlig bare si at jeg er så stolt over deg, selv om jeg aldri ordentlig har "møtt" og snakket med deg. Jeg føler du lager sanger som representerer en helt spesiell del av det å være menneske. Å ha et åpent sinn, se ting som andre ikke ser. Vokste selv opp midt i en skog, tekstene går rett til hjertet!

A: tusen tusen takk. dette var helt nydelig.

Q: Where did you get the inspiration to make "Apple Tree", not only the lyrics, but the sound of it since it's different from anything you've ever made.

A: i dont really like to put any walls around myself, so that day i felt like i wanted to do whatever made me feel nice. and i felt very playful! i have always liked to make different kind of music, like The seed and animal, it happened quiet and under the water etc. its nice to try lots of different expressions. thats what its all about.

Q: I just want to thank you. I've recently been diagnosed with ME, also known as chronic fatuige syndrome. Your songs fill me with strength and energy when I listen to them<3

A: that is so good to hear. I am so sorry youve gotten this extra thing to deal with in your life. im sending you lots of strength. and love.

Q: Do you believe in aliens? I do!!

A: of course!!!!

Q: Have you ever listened to a Black Metal band?

A: yes i love it so much. i love Gojira, Mastodon, Tool, System of A down and Perfect circle too. very nice.

Q: what do you think is the most important message behind your album? <3

A: I think all of them are. The fight for love, the fight for nature. the whole thing about our consuming, and the way we dont appreciate what we have. about having respect for eachother and mother earth. its about so many things that i care about. maybe the environmental focus is one of the most important message right now, and that we all can save the world together. In appletree its all about that. We. can. save. the. world.

Q: Is your language an alien language and are you actually an alien?

A: i am an alien yes, but i belong here on earth too. my language is al alien language that i have made x

Q: Just want to let you know that your music is well-loved in Asia even many of us don't speak English,your music is no boundaries,can we except your Asia tour soon ?

A: my dream is to go to asia. so yes. YES

Q: i don’t use spotify and i couldn’t get this stream to work so i deadass created an account and bought premium for this smh i love u aurorie

A: Oh My GOD!! really!_! that is amazing. thank you for doing all that to be here with us !

Q: Mothership is so important and special to me because last year my best friend committed suicide and it makes me feel like she's gone to a safer place ✨🌿💗

A: i am so sorry to hear. The Mothership will take those people, who felt like the world was a too dark place to be. Its a horrible thing when people think that is the only way out. Sending love to you and the family who lost a loved one. She is in a safe place now.

Q: Have you ever attended piano lessons, can you read notes, or rather you are self-taught

A: i dont know anything about music theory, im self taught!

Q: Aurora, I'm a painter. And I can not get my paintbrushes and paint something without listening to their songs. You inspire me a lot. That's the reason I can do everything I do. Thank you for that.

A: aaaaahhhhh. thank you so much for letting me inspire you. thank you. keep painting!

Q: aurora do you sometimes feel like talking to trees and plants? cause i do sometimes and they are beautiful creatures! they have a very caring and loving energy!!

A: i do too!!!

HEllo hELlo you lovely people. I am really trying my best to answer all of you. but its as difficult as building a castle of melted chocolate. Soon the chat will close, but before i go. i want to say thank you to all of you. you are such great people, and i am so happy to share this album with you. thank you for diving into it <3

thank you all for coming!!! will stay for 11 minutes more until the chat closes!!! JUST HAD TO SAY THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUU

Q: What is the emotionally hardest song for you to sing from your new album?

A: i think Dance on the moon. x

Q: I seen in a fanwiki page that you like minecraft, DO YOU PLAY MINECRAFT???

A: i love it so much. i always play on creative mode though!!

Q: Do you intend to write a book someday? We would love to read it!🥚

A: i will, and i think its so nice that you are all interested in me doing so!

Q: The beat from apple tree has any inspiration from olodum ? (A Brazilian type of beat )

A: YES! and hip hop too. i felt it deserved a very alive and bad-*** groove.

Q: Have you dealt with anxiety and/or depression?

A: Yes i have. its a long time ago since i was depressed, its so strange how ******************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************!!

Q: Are there any songs that almost didn’t make it to the album?👀🎶

A: actually daydreamer and dance on the moon just barely made it!!!

Q: what helped you get through the lows of your life?

A: making music. and giving myself time to heal. ive never felt guilty for being a bit out of ... tune with myself. being an emotional human being is hard, but at least you can always make yourself feel better by finding an outlet. or talking. or crying. just let yourself feel, dont escape from it. then suddently youll feel better one day.

Q: AURORA THE FATE OF THIS WORLD DEPENDS ON YOUR ANSWER TO THIS QUESTION!!!!!!! what is your favourite primate? is it the humble chimpanzee which would align with my favourite? or perhaps the solid orangutang. i am curious to see

A: haha this is so funny. i love the orangutang.

Q: You’ve talked sometimes about there are some things on the industry and big companies that you don’t like. How do you deal with it? How is your relationship with big production companies?

A: just remember to always follow my instinct. <3

and thank you for all the birthday wishes!!!!

Q: AURORA'S FANS ARE THE SWEETEST!! I LOVE YALL AND AURORA SO MUCH!! YOU MAKE THIS PLACE SUCH A SAFE PLACE TO SHARE, AND TO THE FANS TRYING TO PUT DANCE ON MOON ON NASA'S PLAYLIST, YALL ARE THE B ES T!!!!!!

A: I KNOW!!

Q: Aurora, Is Star wars still on you phone ring?

A: hahah yes!!

Q: Do you read the messages we write on instagram

A: yes <3

Q: Aurora your a inspiration and a safe place for a lot of LGBT+ that listen to your song, especially me, thanks for all the love you spread across the world

A: thank you so much! <3 sending you love. love love love love love

[credits for this recap!]

[similianonyme]

KH3 Sora’s jacket construction process

Hi everyone! This is Tory, the most talkative one behind Simili Anonyme! Yeah, I know, we’ve both been preeeetty quiet lately. What can I say, we are busy people. Anyway, I made this thread on Twitter (@floracoquelicot) and I thought it could be cool to share this here as well since Tumblr makes it easier to find old posts, and this might be helpful!

So Salt (ShioOuji) and I did and art trade lately, which led me to the making of Sora’s jacket. I will detail the process as much as I can right here. Feel free to DM me if you need any other information :D

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Teaser :

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Costume : Sora (Kingdom Hearts III)

Time elapsed : ~65 hours (spread on 8 days)

Yelling and saying I will give up : none this time (yay!)

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Step 1 : Gathering your references.

So you wanna cosplay Sora, right? Good! What you first need to do is getting to know the clothes you’re willing to make. I’m going to focus on the jacket here, and trust me, depending on which reference you’re using, it’s going to look different.

On the first picture, the jacket looks like it’s mostly made of leather/pleather. On the second one, it looks a lot more this the usual mysterious Nomura Fabric that I feel looks like a lot like neoprene. You can see two flaps with plaid fabric, going around the zipper ; this means they are sewn behind the zipper. The jacket is lines with black fabric, it has some pretty big pockets and golden buttons. Only one zipper, of a very respectable size, which is almost surprising, and the sleeves are bicolor. I must say, knowing Nomura’s love for ridiculous outfits, this one looks pretty normal.

The reference I used the most, though, is one from @art-antonioalvz giving a whole look at the jacket (as well as the trousers for y’all artists) https://art-antonioalvz.tumblr.com/post/159503686722/i-made-a-cosplay-reference-guide-for-soras-kh3 (even though I am crediting and linking it, if you feel like that’s just reposting feel free to message me and I’ll remove the pic, it just felt clearer for the explanations!)

This picture is incredibly helpful mostly because you get to see the sides, which is not something you’ll easily find in your reference pictures quest.

Got all your references ready? Let’s move onto stage 2!

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Step 2 : chosing your fabrics

I have worked with 9 different fabrics for this jacket. Here is how I broke down the jacket:

Main shape (black)

Pocket (grey)

Pocket bias tape (white)

Horizontal band (white)

Horizontal band -  Vertical band - Sleeves band (red)

Middle of sleeves (grey)

Plaid fabric (Black & Red)

Bias tape (grey)

Lining (black)

Picking the right shade might sometimes be a bit tricky, so make sure to get samples to compare them, as they might look different from what you see on screen!

Just look at all these shades and swatches!

Now, about the fabrics I used: the idea behind this jacket was that it wasn’t made to be a costume, but something to be worn IRL. So instead of trying to be completely accurate with my fabrics, I picked something more casual, comfy, warm, that would feel great to wear. And who doesn’t love a good jersey? (I sure do). Jersey is stretchy, thick, and not too hard to use. Make sure you own some Stretch needles for your sewing machine though!

The red, black and sleeve grey fabrics are jersey fabric. I did not keep track of where I bought them, but they are pretty thick with a fluffy, plushy side on the wrong side. My white bias tape is some leftover stretch bias tape I bought at my local fabric store. The white fabric I used for the bottom line is a very thick neoprene fabric. The pocket fabric is some dark grey neoprene. The lining is a thin black cotton, really soft on the skin. The plaid fabric is something I designed using Spoonflower. You can get it here(click!) if you’d like. Add 6 buttons of your liking (I used bronze snaps, will explain later why), a silver/grey/black zipper, and you’re good to go!

Okay, so now we’ve know what we want and we know what we’ll be using to make it. What are we missing now?

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Step 3 : The pattern

There are different ways to use a pattern for a costume.

You might never use patterns. If you are really comfortable with draping and are used to understand and draw shapes just by looking at them, this step might be useless for you and you can jump to step 4.

You can make patterns based on clothes you own. Turn the outfit inside out and draw the shape of each piece on paper, following the seams. Don’t forget about the seam allowance! You will need to cut bigger pieces to sew along the lines.

You can use pre-made patterns. That’s the option I chose. I’m really bad with sleeves and not really used to hoods, so I decided to buy a pattern made for this costume.

Here’s the one I got.

This pattern was made by Anh Cosplay, and you can buy it here(clic). It includes a PDF for the jacket and the trousers in different sizes, explanations on how to sew them, costs $9 and is super helpful. Anh also sells many other pattern on her shop so make sure to have a look!

And now we’re good to go!

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Step 4 : Making the costume.

Okay, now everyone works differently. I will explain how I worked, but by no means this is the best or the only way.

The first thing I did was, using the pattern, making the lining. Some people like to make mockups first with a cheaper fabric to make sure the size is right. That’s somehow what I did with my lining - I had a lot of that cotton and I could redo things if I didn’t like them.

I cut the pieces, pinned them, tried it on, stitched them together with some lose stitches, tried it on again, readjusted a few things until I was satisfied, and then sewed them together. And tried it on. Never enough checking that everything’s fine!

Alright! Now that we have our jacket lining done, it is time to work on the outside. The process is the exact same, and I would suggest following the pattern instruction if you bought it.

As I said, trying things on will help make decisions. What you can see here was my first try for the plaid, which I didn’t like very much. I also felt like the flaps from Anh’s pattern were too big and didn’t fit the proportions I wanted to achieve. This is why I resulted to design my own fabric, using Spoonflower.

Designing isn’t always right from the first time, and it actually took me a few tries to get what I wanted ;)

As I mentioned before, this one is made for casual wear. Which means I wanted it as convenient as possible. There are many options for the buttons (that, while not being oversized, are still kind of big), but I went for snaps for a practical reason : that way, you can fold the flaps inside the jacket and can zip the jacket aaaall the way up!

When the flaps are inside the jacket, you can zip it up. Convenient when you’re cold!

Make sure to sew the pockets and the buttons-snaps-whatever before adding the lining! Same thing if you want to add inner pockets or anything you’d like ; once the lining and the outside are sewn together, there is no going back. (I mean, there is, but it’s a hassle)

The flaps are sandwiched between the zipper and the lining. From the picture above, you have your layers like this : Red-Zipper-Flaps-Lining.

I handsewed a few pieces :

Stitching the top (white) of the pockets to the black fabric, and the bottom red line to the lining.

Sora has some decorative horizontal stitching on some pieces (the white one and the red ones) but I didn’t trust myself to get lines straight enough to look good, so I didn’t do them.

And voilà!

We have a lovely jacket, a bit heavy (it is just under 900g) but oh so comfy. I cannot wait so send it out to the Saltdom where I know it will be loved and well taken care of <3

I hope this was at least a bit interesting! My DMs are always open if needed. Now it is time for me to fall back into Oblivion! (which is apparently where I live, housemates are a bit weird but they’re okay)

(and if you ever wanna see more cosplays by me, you can find me on Facebook as Tory Cosplay(click!) :DDD )