#that’ll be my new sewing machine tag

[sassmill]

I have the power of god and autism on my side

[ahatintimepieces]

Fabric Hearts

Remember the first part of that build-a-bear au I wrote for @smieska-draws? It’s back! But now the au name makes sense! Imagine!

Luka, known as the Snatcher to most of the mall locals, runs the Kraft-a-Kid while his daughter, Hattie, runs around with her friends. There’s definitely nothing suspicious about Luka. The rumors that he snatches the souls of children and stuffs them into the dolls are completely unfounded. Probably. Most likely. Don’t worry about it, I’m sure it’s fine.

This is, of course, another au that Smieska and I both developed and like to swap ideas for SO send her your love and adulation because I couldn’t have written this without her ;o; <333 Here’s the link to the piece she did for first part if you haven’t seen it yet (which u should because it’s fabulous and incredible). Without further ado, here it is!

Words: 4,131

The door squeaked open as Luka recorded the number of tiny, elastic collars with bright bells in the back.

“Dimitri can’t make it today,” he warned without looking up from his clipboard. His golden gaze flickered up towards the boxes filled with cotton stuffing and he quickly counted them as footsteps approached. “If you get a sudden influx of customers, come grab me.”

“It’s me, Dad,” Hattie’s voice came from right beside him.

“Did I stutter?” He glanced down without missing a beat. She gave him a deadpan stare as he grinned. His sharp canines glinted in the unnaturally bright florescent lights. “Come on, kiddo. How about you help me with my business endeavors instead of frittering away your summer romping around the mall?”

She readjusted the brim of the top hat she made from her millinery lessons at the fabric store. Why his child fixated on hat-making out of everything she could have taken an interest in was beyond him but even he had to admit her royal purple top hat was well crafted.

“I’m going with Belle and the others to get lunch at the food court,” she said, ignoring his jesting. “Can I have money?”

“You know if you had a job you wouldn’t need to be asking me,” he lamented dramatically before wedging the clipboard between his arm and side. He reached for his wallet in the back pocket of his slacks.

“I’m not even twelve.” She blinked up at him with large blue eyes. “There are child labor laws.”

“Excellent.” He nodded, opening his wallet. “Don’t let anyone in the mall convince you otherwise. But,” he slipped out a bill and gave her a pointed look, “if you accept this, you have to do me a favor.”

“I already cleaned the bathrooms last weekend,” she whined.

His grin widened.

“Tough luck, kiddo.” He twisted the bill in the air, watching her nose scrunch as she seriously weighed her options. After a second of letting her think that she was going to have to do her least favorite chore, he extended the bill towards her. “Just bring me back a coffee and I’ll consider us even.”

Relief instantly flooded her features as she took the bill.

“I can do that! Your usual?” She headed towards the door.

“That’ll work,” he said, tucking away his wallet and grabbing the clipboard again.

“Thanks, Dad!” she chirped before moving to open the door.

Just as she reached for it, the door swung open, and she stumbled back. Luka immediately dropped the clipboard and slipped behind her with the speed of shadows dodging the light. She smacked into his legs, and he placed a steadying hand on her shoulder as Alex walked in with wide eyes.

“I’m so sorry, kid! I didn’t see you there.” Alex winced, looking from Hattie to Luka’s hard glare.

“I’m fine!” Hattie promised, giving a bright smile until she placed her hand over Luka’s fingers. She jolted and twisted around. “Dad, are you okay? You’re really warm.”

“It is hot in here.” Alex tugged at their collar, wincing.

“The thermostat dial was probably nudged,” Luka dismissed, pulling away and stooping to grab the clipboard. “I’ll take a look.”

“Should I get you water?” Hattie asked.

“I have water. Now go have fun.” He shooed her towards the door. “The sooner you leave the sooner you can run my errand.”

Hattie hesitated but when he returned to his task of recording inventory, he heard her retreating footsteps.

“Sorry,” Alex muttered as they crossed over to the table for the employees. They dropped their backpack before grabbing the light purple apron with their nametag.

“Let’s just be careful with how forcefully we open doors, hm? I don’t want to deal with any workplace liability cases. They’re a pain.” Luka shot the teen a toothy grin. Glancing back down to the clipboard, he added in a more monotone cadence, “Anyway, Dimitri can’t come today, so once Ember leaves, it’ll just be you and me for the rest of the day. If it gets too crowded on the floor and I’m not around, come find me.”

“Right.” They nodded firmly. While wiping back their bangs and smearing the beads of sweat on their brow, they hurried out. Once the door closed behind them and Luka was alone, he let out a sigh.

The flame that had flared when Hattie nearly got hit crackled noisily in his otherwise empty chest. Luka placed one of his pale hands over the flame and counted out the seconds between metered inhales and exhales. The snap and pop of embers faded and when he glanced towards the thermostat, the temperature in the room lowered back to a comfortable range.

Not that he was bothered by the heat, but he didn’t need his employees passing out.

Ember’s shift ended as he got to counting the unstuffed plush shells. As she hung her apron over the hook, she informed him that two separate groups had just entered the store. Luka nodded, finishing his current count before getting ready to help Alex on the floor.

He brushed back his long, spiky hair into a ponytail. Stray strands the color of soot fluttered against his cheek, and he tucked them behind his ear.

They reflected a warm violet when they caught the light.

With his hair as contained as he could manage, he grabbed his own amethyst apron with the Kraft-a-Kid’s signature logo; a stylized baby goat and parent goat waving a friendly greeting. After draping it over his black suit and making sure it didn’t displace his dark purple tie, he tied the apron with nimble fingers, clawed at the tips. He double-checked that the pocket had extra thread and a compact sewing kit before he clipped on his name tag and headed out into the workshop.

Alex snapped their head up from one of the stuffing stations, looking relieved when they spotted Luka rounding the counter. Alex returned their full attention to the small girl and her mother while Luka smiled at the two teens with a younger child hovering by the bins of unstuffed shells by the entrance.

While he didn’t know them personally, he recognized Brooke and her younger sister Hali, who worked (or in Hali’s case just hovered around in the back when not at daycare) at their uncle’s travel agency, and then Makoto, who worked at the jewelry store. Judging from their uniforms, the teens were probably using their breaks to accompany Hali. Since he often heard good things about their work ethic and Hali’s sweet nature from Mari, he assumed he had an easy session ahead. He waved them over.

Brooke and Makoto shared a nervous look while Hali bounded over with a bright smile.

“Why, hello there!” Luka pasted on his most vibrant customer service smile as he lowered onto the seat by the stuffing station. Cotton and soft fibers filled the glass tank decorated to look like hearty trees and branches climbed around the edges. The machine itself matched the lilac walls and brown and bronze gears that decorated them. The bins and shelves that held the merchandise throughout the store were all structured to look like spools of golden thread.

Holding an unstuffed goat with dark brown fuzz and silver horns, Hali shyly smiled up at Luka as Brooke and Makoto slowly joined.

“I see you’ve picked your new friend!” Luka held out his hands and Hali gingerly lowered the flat goat into his palms. “Before we bring them to life, how stuffed do you want them to be?”

“Um?” Hali tilted her head with a blank expression.

“Do you want them to be firm or squishy?” Luka clarified, fitting the goat around the nozzle and getting his foot ready over the pedal.

“Fiwm, pwease!” Hali declared in a cutesy voice.

“Excellent choice!” Luka set to work, pumping the pedal as he filled out the head of the goat plush. The machine roared to life, blowing air and fluff with the force of a vacuum. Though, his ears perked when he caught Brooke and Makoto in an intense discussion as they remained a couple steps back. What he couldn’t hear over the machine, he pieced together easily enough.

He knew the rumors and could guess what was on their mind when they mentioned the Snatcher and stolen souls.

Luka smirked as he pulled his foot from the pedal and the machine hushed.

“Now it’s time for my favorite part.” He beamed, pulling off the firmly stuffed goat and then reaching for a bucket full of small felt hearts. “The soul ceremony! Go ahead and pick the heart that most resonates with you.”

“If it’s just a heart, why is it called a soul ceremony?” Brooke asked, her voice quivering as she pressed closer to Makoto.

Hali, meanwhile, was completely enraptured with picking out the right fabric heart.

“Hearts, souls, same thing, really,” Luka soothed with a toothy grin, giving the teens a considering look.

Makoto’s gaze flickered down to his fangs. She lifted her chin, trying to project an air of confidence. But her furrowed brows wavered.

“Souws awe heawts?” Hali gasped, looking up with awe.

“Absolutely!” Luka kept his voice cheerful, gesturing to the bucket. “It’s what gives your new friend life! I imagine without one, they would feel pretty empty and hollow.” Keeping his chin tilted down, he lifted his eyes towards the teens and lowered his voice just a touch. “Wouldn’t you feel pretty soulless without a heart?”

The two stiffened.

“Pwobabwy!” Hali chirped, completely unaware of their increasing unease. She dug around the hearts and pursed her lips. “How do woo know which heawt is the best?”

“That’s up to you!” Luka bounced effortlessly back into an upbeat cadence. He pinched a heart with a checkerboard pattern in red and white. “The nice thing about these hearts is that they’re blank slates. They’ll be filled with whatever you put into them. But don’t put in too much!” he added with a chuckle. “Wouldn’t want your new friend to be more you than you!”

Brooke squeaked in fright and his grin stretched.

“I wiwl take this one, then!” Hali held up a solid red heart.

“Great! Hold on to it, now.” Luka placed the tub back down. “First, why don’t you rub the heart on your hair so your little buddy will always have soft fur!”

Hali beamed at that and rubbed the fabric heart on her hair. When she pulled it back down, some of the blond strands followed the heart while the strands too far away stuck up from the lingering static.

“Well done! Now, rub it against your funny bone so your friend has a sense of humor.” Luka tapped his elbow when Hali crinkled her nose for a moment. Her eyes lit up in understanding and once the heart was granted good humor, Luka added, “and why don’t you strike a superhero pose, so that your pal will hold courage.”

Hali giggled as she placed her hands on her hips and preened.

“Fantastic. Lastly, I want you to rub the heart between your palms!” Luka motioned for her to mimic him as he demonstrated. “Now, when it’s nice and warm, give it a clap to start its heartbeat!”

The clap resounded through the workshop and the teens jolted behind her.

“That should do it,” Luka praised, holding out his palm. Hali handed the heart over, and he slipped it into the goat, tucking it snuggly away in the cotton and fluff.

He then set to filling out the rest of the plush. Once it was stiff and sturdy, he handed it to her, asking if she was content with it. When he received an enthusiastic nod, he took it back and sealed the hole. He snipped the extra thread with the scissors in his apron and then passed the goat back to Hali.

“Here’s your new friend! Be sure to visit our shop in the back! We have plenty of accessories and outfits for the newest member of your family,” Luka recited the same sales pitch as always. “Once you’re ready, head over to an open kiosk so you can fill out the adoption papers. If you need any help, Alex or I will be overjoyed to assist.”

“Thank woo!” Hali hurried over to the accessories, hugging the goat to her chest.

Luka clasped his hands and turned to the teens. When his gaze flickered to the floppy hooded doll in Makoto’s arms, her embrace tightened.

“Ready?” He motioned for her to hand it over so that he could stuff it.

She looked to Brooke, who shrugged with uncertainty. Makoto stepped forward.  

Keeping his tone light, he went through the same script as always. He asked if she wanted the doll to be firm or squishy and, in an effort to loosen her up a bit, offered to add any fun sound boxes or scents to the plush. She remained on edge until he asked about the nametag on her uniform as the machine roared to life again. She explained how her boss liked to give everyone themed nicknames and she was saddled with “Makoneko.” When he asked if she appreciated the nickname, she pointedly rolled her eyes as he removed his foot from the machine pedal again. Her shoulders relaxed when he chuckled.

“Your turn to pick a heart,” Luka twittered in an overly cheerful voice as he held out the bucket.

“Do I have to do the ceremony?” Makoto hesitated, plucking the first heart she saw. Rather than scared, her bored expression mirrored that of many teens who wanted to skip the step.

Perfect.

“I wouldn’t recommend it.” He shrugged casually. “What is a heart without a heartbeat? A soul without a person behind the personality?”

“What?” She faltered, shoulders slowly stiffening again as Brooke’s eyes widened.

“I only mean it’ll be a sorry existence for this little friend.” Luka waved the stubby hands of the purple plush toy. “And you get out what you put in.” Her brows dipped in slight confusion, and he smirked. “You have to at least start its heartbeat. You don’t want to bring a ghost home, do you?”  

“Just do the ceremony!” Brooke hissed through clenched teeth.

“F-fine,” Makoto said, slowly lifting the heart to her long black locks. “So, hair for soft fur?”

“Does it look like this one has fur?” Luka gestured to the doll with the yellow spiral in its hood. He scoffed, turning up his nose. “Of course not! No. First, why don’t you rub the heart against your belly so that it’s full of laughter.”

“I thought that was the elbow.” Makoto crinkled her nose. Though she rubbed the heart against her stomach, eager to get it over with.

“There is a difference between telling good jokes and laughing at them, kiddo,” Luka offered with a smirk. “Now, how about you jump up and down a few times? I’m sure your friend would love to share some of your energy.”

“What does that mean?” She jolted.

“Just that exercise keeps the heart healthy,” Luka said placidly.

Her eyes narrowed but she eventually gave a sluggish skip.  

“Then, rub it against your ear, so it will always listen.” He smiled brightly, being sure to bare his teeth. Once she complied, he clasped his hands together. “I’m sure you know what to do now! Warm it between your palms and then clap to start the heartbeat!”

She let out the breath that she had been holding, relieved it was finally over. She gave a small clap before passing the heart back. He slipped it into the doll.

“Any names in mind for your friend?” Luka prompted as his foot tapped the pedal.

“I don’t know,” she mumbled curtly, purposefully trying to let the whirling air in the stuffing machine drown out her answer.

“How’s this feel?” he asked a few seconds later when the machine hushed again. He pulled the doll from the nozzle and passed it back to her.

“Good.” She returned it after assessing the squishiness.

“If you haven’t got any names, I always thought these particular dolls looked like minions,” he prattled, closing the seam. When she didn’t respond, he continued lightly, “so Minion might be a good name.” He glanced up to meet her gaze and lowered his tone. “You did make sure it’ll listen. It’ll be an obedient little kiddo.”

Her breath hitched.

“Obedient to who?” she challenged, maintaining a fragile glare.

“All done!” Luka snapped upright after snipping the excess thread, pretending he hadn’t heard her question. “Welcome your friend into the world!”

Makoto accepted the doll, her gaze flickering between it and Luka with uncertainty.

“Same as always,” he droned in his peppy, customer service voice. “Browse to your contentment. My daughter recommends the plush purple cherries. You want to keep your buddy happy and fed! Make sure to finalize the adoption and meet Alex or I by the counter.” He glanced over to find the other young girl with her mother already at the cash register. “Looks like it’ll be Alex!”

Makoto nodded numbly as Brooke stepped forward and looped her arm through hers, rescuing Makoto by tugging her away.

“One more thing,” Luka began, keeping his eyes on his clean-up routine. The teens’ footsteps paused as they hovered. Though his smile laced his voice, his enunciation was sharp. “I’m sure the Snatcher doesn’t have to tell you but be sure to treat your new friend as you would yourself. You put your soul into bringing them to life, after all.”

The teens gasped.

“Have a good day, kids.” Laughter laced his voice.

They rushed away as he chuckled.

While he finished cleaning up, Hattie returned with her friends. As soon as she spotted him behind the stuffing machine, she rushed across the tiles decorated to look vaguely like a forest path.

“Here’s your coffee,” she chirped, holding up the cup.

“Any plans for the rest of the day?” he asked, pushing to his feet and picking stray fluff from his apron. Once he was as clean as he was going to get, he accepted the drink. He held it towards his lips, pausing to quirk a brow at young Muriel and Timmy as they passed the stuffing machines to check out all the colorful outfits. Belle, meanwhile, joined Hattie with her azure bow bouncing in her dark coils.

“We’re going to head to the bookstore.” Hattie shrugged. “Tim’s friend is hosting a card game tournament.”

“Remember to be back by six,” he instructed. “Don’t go snacking after four or you’ll spoil your dinner.”

“I know, Dad,” she huffed dramatically.

“Also, Mom says hi, Mr. Kingsley,” Belle pipped in.

“Tell Mari I return the sentiment. Now get your friends to stop loitering.” He turned back towards Hattie and rose his voice so Timmy and Mu could hear. “They scare away customers.”

“Says the Snatcher,” Timmy whispered to Mu.

Luka covered his smirk with the coffee cup. His gaze shifted over Hattie and Belle and he watched as Makoto and Brooke fled the store at a brisk pace. Hali struggled to keep up, but she managed to meet his eyes and offered a cheerful wave.

“Fine,” Hattie sighed. “Come on, guys!”

“I need to stop by Mom’s before we head to the bookstore,” Belle mentioned as she and Hattie turned to leave. “I left my cards with my backpack.”

As the girls left, Luka turned to head back towards the counter, taking a sip of his coffee. He immediately winced.

“Ugh, tepid,” he grumbled as Timmy and Mu ran past, hurrying out to follow Hattie and Belle.

After making sure the kids all had their backs turned and Alex was busy with something on the counter, Luka summoned a gentle ember to his hand. While the flame harmlessly licked the cup, the coffee warmed inside until steam wafted from the hole in the lid. He took a tentative sip and swallowed the scalding liquid.

The flames in his chest crackled and popped, and the knots in his shoulders eased.

He snuffed out the ember in his hand as he lowered the cup. Mist trailed from the lid as the coffee maintained its heat.

“I think you scarred those two for life,” Alex muttered as Luka returned to the counter.

“Which two?” he asked, mind still on Hattie and her friends.

“Brooke and Makoto.” Alex glanced up, shaking their head with a scolding expression.

“I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary,” Luka said calmly. He leaned against the counter, sipping his coffee during his momentary break. “If those hooligans are letting their imaginations run wild, it’s not on my conscience.”

“Uh-huh.” Alex gave him an unimpressed look. “Also, I think we’re running low on the beach ball accessories.”

“I noticed,” Luka muttered, swirling his cup pensively. “Those aren’t particularly popular, and we are getting near the end of the season…”

While they discussed whether they needed to send out an order or if they would make it until the fall selection came out, Hattie rolled on the balls of her feet as she, Timmy, and Mu waited for Belle to return from her mom’s flower shop just across from Kraft-a-Kid. Hattie idly watched all the mallgoers, thoughts blank, but Timmy and Mu had their eyes locked on Kraft-a-Kid, thoughts whirling noisier than the stuffing machines.

“Okay, I’m ready!” Belle announced as she bounced out with her deck of cards.

“Hattie.” Timmy whirled around. “Your dad’s magic!”

“Timmy, he doesn’t steal souls, we’ve been over this,” Hattie whined, crossing her arms.

“If he doesn’t steal souls, then what’s with his coffee?” Mu snapped, nodding her head towards the display window where Luka could be seen leaning against the counter inside the workshop.

Hattie squinted, trying to figure out what was out of place with the steaming coffee cup. After a moment, she turned to Belle, who shrugged.

“It’s hot!” Mu gestured wildly, causing her blond mustache to bob with her movement. “Look at that steam!”

Hattie blinked in disbelief.

“Yeah,” Belle supplied dryly. “Because Hattie ordered it hot.”

“But he said it was tepid!” Timmy argued. “We heard him!”

“He probably thinks it is,” Hattie said, knitting her brows together. “He likes his coffee hot enough to burn his tastebuds.”

“You aren’t getting it!” Mu huffed. “It wasn’t steaming when he said it was cold!”

“Okay, but even if he somehow heated it up, that didn’t have anything to do with stealing souls,” Belle appeased.

“That’s what we mean!” Timmy urged. “If he can use one type of magic, he can use others!”

“I regret the day I told you about those rumors,” Hattie grumbled.

It didn’t matter as much when strangers said it, but instead of laughing with Hattie when she told them that people thought her dad was some kind of heartless, soul-snatching monster, Mu and Timmy had latched onto the conspiracy and ever since refused to let go. She couldn’t talk about new product plushies or designs around them anymore because they would just start a debate about which shell would best hold the souls of children.

“Look can we just get going?” She started walking in the direction of the bookstore and Belle matched her pace. Mu hurried to catch up as Timmy trailed behind, keeping a watchful eye on Kraft-a-Kid.

“Are you sure you haven’t seen anything weird?” Mu insisted. “Heard any screams of children he caught? Seen any dolls move in the corner of your eye?”

“You know he laughs like a cartoon villain?” Timmy added.

“The store is literally called Kraft-a-Kid!” Mu continued. “Open your eyes, Hattie!”

“Kid is just another word for baby goat!” Belle argued. “It’s cute!”

“We aren’t talking about this anymore!” Hattie snapped, tugging down on the brim of her hat. She turned away from them and focused on Belle. “So, what deck are you using? The one with fairy types? Or your cat themed one?”

“Both!” She grinned mischievously as she happily helped to redirect the conversation. “I combined them because I wanted to use all my favorites. How about you?”

“Going with the forest deck.” Hattie glanced up, where her deck was safely tucked away in the hidden compartment she stitched into the top hat.

Timmy and Mu huffed, letting their argument go as they pipped in with talking about their own decks. But it was only a matter of time before they started back on their theories about her dad’s supposed magic. Trying not to deflate too much, she kept her eyes forward. She swallowed her frustration and focused on the upcoming tournament.

Besides, even if her dad did have magic and only used it for heating up coffee, it hardly seemed something a heartless monster would do.

Right?

[thewritewolf]

Adrien AUG-Reste Day 12: Tattoo

Adrien hangs out with The Boys.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

@adrienaugust

Enjoy!

Read on Ao3

There wasn’t a lot of time left. They promised that they’d wait for him, but that was half an hour ago. Adrien knew that they wanted to start walking through the fair as soon as possible, and he also knew that it wasn’t that uncommon for him to have to bail on them at the last minute. They had every right in the world to expect this to be just another one of those times.

But it wasn’t. Sure, his father had tried to make it one of those times, but Adrien was sick of it. Just for today, Adrien was going to do what he wanted to do.

His mood lifted when he saw the four of them standing around on the bridge. Ivan and Nathaniel were looking over Nathaniel’s sketchbook, and Nino was listening to his music with his earphones around his neck. Only Kim seemed the least bit upset, but that was probably more because Kim didn’t like to be still for very long no matter what he was doing. It looked like not everybody could make it, which brought a small frown to his face.

“Hey, guys,” Adrien said, out of breath.

“Sup, dude! What took so long? You almost look like you had to run all the way here!” Nino chuckled, but stopped when Adrien shot him a nervous smile. “No way, dude! Did you seriously sneak out?”

“Well, I wasn’t about to miss a day with you guys, right? I’m tired of letting my father make last minute changes to my schedule.”

“Nice, dude,” Nino replied as he held up his fist. Adrien bumped it gratefully. “Sticking it to the old man is always something I can approve of.”

While Adrien snickered, Ivan chimed in. “Well, it’s great that you could show. Been a while since we’ve all gotten to hang out.” He waved them on as he started to trudge through the crowd. “Now come on, I heard there’s a Zombie Skull Crushers merch tent set up.”

As they followed in Ivan’s wake, Adrien noticed that Nathaniel seemed to be watching him carefully. “Something the matter, Nath?”

“So, uh, your dad has been pretty rough on you lately?”

Adrien blinked at the question before letting his shoulders sag. “Yeah, he’s kinda controlling most of the time, but he’s been especially tough these last couple months. I love him and all but… it’s really frustrating.”

“Frustrating enough for mister goody two shoes himself to break out of his prison house,” Kim interjected with a grin. “How’d you even pull that off, anyway? Your room isn’t exactly close to the ground.”

“I’ve got plenty of experience rock climbing, and slipping out the window isn’t that hard in comparison.” Granted, most of his climbing experience these days was done in the heat of battle or in chasing Ladybug during patrol, but the indoor rock wall was a good excuse.

Nino threw an arm around Adrien, pride in his voice, “My bro is a dude of many talents. And weird habits. You’ve heard of laughing in the face of danger? Well, Adrien showers in the face of danger.” He grinned. “He’s just badass like that.”

Everyone laughed while Adrien just groaned. “That was one time, dude! It’s not like- I don’t jump in the shower every time I hear there is an akuma attack!”

“Well, maybe you do.” Kim tapped at his chin. “Come to think of it, I’ve never seen you during an akuma attack…”

“So, Nath, why were you asking about my dad?” Adrien was quick to change the subject, much to Nathaniel’s surprise.

“Oh! Um, I was just thinking that if this is the start of a teenage rebellion thing, we could go all the way with that.”

Adrien tilted his head at him. “And that means…?”

“I know someone who is running a temporary tattoo booth at the fair. We could get you something that’ll last a few days.”

“I don’t know…”

“Dude!” Nino’s hand was on his shoulder. “We could get matching tats! It’d be great!” His grin proved infectious and soon Adrien was getting excited too. “What are you thinking? Something badass, right?”

With his modeling career, he’d never even considered tattoos. So he asked himself what would be the one thing he’d want inked onto his skin forever (ignoring the fact that this was temporary)?

“Ladybug!”

The other chuckled while Nino rolled his eyes at him. “Okay, dude, fine. But I’m not letting you get her face on you. That’d be weird unless you two were dating.” He smirked and nudged Adrien’s shoulder. “You’re not holding anything back from me, right?”

“Nino, would I ever keep a secret like that from you?” Adrien lied through his teeth. He might not be dating Ladybug, but he’d definitely kept certain bigger things a secret from him.

“Nah, prolly not.”

“Well, you can’t do her face, but what about an actual ladybug?” Nathaniel pulled out his sketchbook. “You could do that and have some text that says ‘pound it’ underneath.” He began drawing furiously.

Nino’s eyes lit up. “And if we have it on our wrists, then it would be double cool!” He gently punched Nathaniel’s shoulder. “Nice thinking, dude.”

They made a couple stops before the tattoo booth. Ivan got a new Zombie Skull Crushers t-shirt and a few pins. Kim snagged a pair of running shoes. Adrien got a gift for Nathaniel.

“You didn’t have to do that, you know.” Nathaniel mumbled, clutching his new set of markers as they headed towards their final stop.

“And you didn’t have to draw up tattoos for me and Nino.” Adrien smiled. “It was the least I could do!”

Nathaniel didn’t have a chance to respond as Nino snagged Adrien’s arm and dragged him up to the front with him. “Let’s get this rebellion started, bro!”

------------------

Marinette was sitting in her room, working at her sewing machine when her phone went off. She recognized the chime as the noise her instagram notifications made and reached for her phone. The only tag she was following was Adrien’s, so her expectations were already high as she checked what he’d been posting about now. Since Alya had mentioned that the boys were going out today, she expected one of two things - either he was at home lamenting that he couldn’t go, or he was out and happy with his friends.

Desperately hoping it was the latter, she opened the picture.

It was Adrien and Nino standing side by side smiling mischievously. They were holding their hands up near their heads with their wrists facing the camera, which was zoomed close to them. Her heart leapt to her throat when she saw that while Nino had a lime green cat’s paw on his wrist, Adrien had a ladybug tattooed in the same spot. Under both their tattoos, they had a text scroll that read ‘Pound it’.

Falling onto her chaise, she held the phone close to her chest and squealed as she rolled back and forth. It was a beautiful day and Adrien was wearing a tribute to her alter ego on his skin.

Does it get any better than that?

[lumiolivier]

Chapter Twenty-Five:  Hello Kitty

Word Count: 6139

Chapter No. 25/?

Notes:  This chapter gets a little (and I do mean, a little) on the racy side.  That’s all I’m going to say.  Nothing too graphic.  But for those of you familiar with Mystic Messenger, it feels like a very Jumin Han thing to do.  Also, something I’d do...:3

Chapter Twenty-Four:  Journals from Central

I really wish the diner on the outskirts of Lenexa wasn’t horrifying.  That way, I could still avoid the café like the plague.  Unfortunately, here we are.  I looked in the window and made sure King Douchebag himself wasn’t in there.  Lucky for me, the café was emptier than last year’s bird nest.  I was a bit grumbly and I could use the caffeine boost that the Red Bull had failed to deliver me, so I made my first steps into the café as a civilian and waited for my boyfriend behind the counter to acknowledge me.

 I was so proud of him, making use of the downtime.  Julian was cleaning out one of the espresso machines while I stood there waiting patiently. I trained him well.  Although, everything seemed to be the same.  Even when I’m not here, this place is always in a rut.  But a small part of me kind of missed it here.  Sure, Griffin was an insufferable asshole, but I liked the people that came in here.  It sucked not seeing some of them anymore.

 Alright.  This was getting ridiculous.  Something tells me Julian wasn’t paying attention to the door and was off in his own little world right now.  I understood, though.  I’d daydream cleaning the espresso machines, too.  However, I had a fic to work on and I didn’t have all day to twiddle my thumbs in here.

 “Notice me, senpai…” I whispered.

 “Oh, senpai has noticed already, baby,” I could hear a smile on his face.  Julian came back to the counter, “What are you doing in here?  I thought this place was dead to you.”

 “It is,” I confirmed, “But there’s this really cute guy that works here.  I can’t seem to quit him.”

 “It’s me, isn’t it?”

 “Who else would it be?” I rolled my eyes.

 “You ok?” Julian glanced me over, “You don’t look so good.”

 “I’m fine,” I brushed him off, “I thought about what you said this morning.”

 “The parallel fic?” he figured.

 “Yeah,” I nodded, “I finished the Mustang chapter and I did the Hawkeye chapter.”

 “That’s my girl!” he praised, “How’d they turn out?”

 “The Mustang chapter was easier to write,” I sighed out, “The Hawkeye chapter made me need to take a walk or I’d start crying.”

 “Shit…” Julian understood, “That bad?”

 “It’s a heavy chapter,” I warned him, “Are you sure you need it in your life that bad?”

 “Positive,” he swore, “I have thick skin.  I can handle it.”

 “Are you sure?” I winced, “Because the Hawkeye chapter takes place right after Hughes’ funeral.”

 “Mimi!” Julian whined, “Why’d you have to go and do that?  It’s like when I read the L reader fic all over again!”

 “You actually read through it?” I cocked my head.

 “Yeah!” he squeaked, “And it crushed me!  When you went out with Veronica and I was sitting in the diner, my waitress asked me if I was ok and if I needed a hug.  I wasn’t and I did!  But I didn’t tell her that.”

 “I’m sorry, baby,” I bit my lip, “I don’t mean to rip your heart out.  It just happens.”

 “Mimi?” Kyle chirped from the back, “There you are!”

 “Hi, Kyle,” I greeted him.

 “Where have you been?” he drawled while Julian made my green tea for me, “I missed you!  The other day, I thought I was actually on time.”

 “I quit,” I told him, “Haven’t worked here since Tuesday.”

 “I thought today was Tuesday…” Yep.  Nothing’s changed.

 “No,” I corrected, “You’re off a couple days, Kyle.  Today’s Thursday.”

 “Damn,” Kyle sighed, heading back into the kitchen, “But it’s good to have you back!”

 “I’m not coming back,” I shot him down, “Only for tea and maybe a turnover.”

 “Here,” Julian gave me a green tea and a cherry turnover, “Don’t worry about it.”

 “Thank you,” I awed, “I need to get back to work.”

 “Me, too,” he did a quick glance around the café, sneaking a kiss from behind the counter, “I’ll see you when I get home.”

 “Sure will,” I assured, grabbing my bag and my cup, “I love you.”

 “I love you, too, Lieutenant.”

 And I went on my merry little way with my heart all full.  It felt so weird being on the other side of that.  Like tying someone’s tie for them.  I started walking around the park to clear my head.  Why not?  It’s the quickest and best way of straightening things out upstairs.  I could shit on Lenexa all I wanted to.  It did have its redeeming qualities. Especially this park.

 The city board was hard at work lighting this place up for Halloween.  The Mystic Forest was cool as hell.  The whole place looked dark and ominous and scary.  But in a fucked up twisted sense, it was so beautiful.  It’s how I pictured a rave in the woods outside of Phantomhive Manor to look if the young lord was into that sort of thing.

 As beautiful as it may be, it wasn’t much to look at during the day.  I started heading back toward Julian’s and got to work on the Free! fic. Which was just me staring at a blank computer screen for half an hour.  I had nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  Haru wants to do a body swap with the mermaid, so he can have fins for legs.  I got that.  But how were they going to do it?  Rin was way too protective of her.  Maybe I should scrap it.  With the trouble it’s giving me, I was highly tempted.

 Maybe it’s just one of those projects that go in the ‘not today’ file.  I didn’t want to fully scrap it.  I loved the adorable concept!  And I wanted to get Rin’s sister involved and her telling him not to be creepy and her freaking out because…well…there is a mermaid in his bathtub. And maybe some of the other swim club members.  Even though the internet tries to get me to ship Haru and Makoto, I couldn’t.  Don’t get me wrong.  Makoto’s a cutie and I could just eat him up.  But Rin and Haru?  They’re too much of OTP material.  They’re rivals.  They make each other better swimmers.  They’re the cutest thing and I wanted them to be together forever.

 All of a sudden, I had a lightbulb moment.  Just because I was having a little case of writer’s block didn’t mean I had to give up a creative outlet altogether.  Julian still had some boxes packed.  Maybe I could be the sweet girlfriend I am and finish for him.  He was nice enough to let me crash here last night while I was in the state I was in yesterday.  It was the least I could do.  I wasn’t going through his stuff.  I’m unpacking.  There’s a difference.  And now, I’m starting to sound like Veronica.

 Granted, I had no clue where he wanted anything, but if he didn’t like where I put it, he can change it himself.  For whatever reason, I started in the basement.  I’ve never been down here.  God only knows what happened in his basement.  This could’ve been a sex torture dungeon and I��d be none the wiser. Julian didn’t strike me as the type to be into that sort of thing.  His kink threshold was probably cosplaying.  Aside from that, he’s probably not into pain or anything like that.

 I turned the light on and started down the stairs.  Sweet mother of God…I wasn’t expecting this down here.  Not quite a sex torture dungeon, but just as much of a turn on. Julian’s basement looked like a fully functioning workshop.  And it was all ridiculously organized.  His workspace put mine to shame.  Then again, I was restricted to making all of mine in my bedroom.  I’ve been wondering where he did all his work.  So many works in progress…I guess he really was getting a jump on con season.  This was chill inducing!

 Julian had so much down here.  All of the armor was metal instead of Worbla and probably fully functional.  All the leather was so well worn and aged.  By the looks of it, some of these were still drying.  I wanted to cry.  This was like looking into the Grand Canyon or over Niagara Falls.  And I wanted to live here.  Julian’s basement looked like my wet dream

 I’d be lying if I said this didn’t inspire me a little.  The bolts and bolts of fabric so meticulously organized made me want to play. Unfortunately, Julian’s sewing machine was occupied by some bright red silk that I wanted to wrap myself in.  I had visions of it hanging over Noiz after a night with Koujaku.  He really was working on a new one, wasn’t he?  I’m sure he knew what he was doing, but God, I hope he’s careful with this silk. I saw the price tag on one of his bolts. Silk didn’t come cheap.

 I could finish it while he’s gone…but then he can’t say he did it.  And robbing him of that would be a dick move.  I didn’t know how he was going to do this.  All I knew was how much I couldn’t wait to be the one to put Koujaku’s tattoos on his body.  I could not wait.  All those big, beautiful blossoms on his nicely defined back…I’m already swooning.

 I wasn’t going to screw with anything down here.  Julian had a system and I’m sure he’d bitch at me.  And I’m not his maid.  He can clean down here himself.  Wait a second…What did you just say in your internal monologue, Mimi?  That I’m not Julian’s maid.  I am feeling rather inspired, but I doubt Julian had a maid costume somewhere around here.  I might as well get a little practice if he and I are moving to southern California after local con season.

 I went back home for a minute and dug through the cosplay side.  I needed a black uniform dress, a little white apron, some fishnets, and my knee high black boots.  Did I want to go black?  Black is the tradition, but I had a light purple uniform dress, too.  I’d be adorable.  And with the purple dress, I’d have to have some sort of pastel hair, too. And my cat ears, too!  How could I be a neko maid without the neko part?

 Gloves…Did I want gloves? I kind of wanted gloves, but they’d get in the way.  I had two hours before Julian came home and I wanted to do something nice for him. Hey!  My light pink wig had pigtails to go with it!  Pigtails, cat ears, and a light purple French maid uniform. Tail, too?  Should I do a tail?  No.  The ears are enough.

 I threw everything in a bag and went back to Julian’s.  Time to have a borderline magical girl transformation.  Only instead of becoming a badass with superpowers that’ll save the world one day and be late to class the next, I’ll just be an adorable cat maid. Because why not?  After everything Julian’s done for me, it’s the least I can do. It’s too bad I don’t have a cosplay for one of Lucy Heartfilia’s celestial spirits.  I’d make a killer Virgo.  

 Alright, Mimi.  Let’s do this.  I dropped my pink dress around my ankles and did a corset first.  I’ve been eating my feelings lately.  The corset was necessary.  Besides, it made my dress fit a little better.  When I pulled the laces on my corset, I tried not moaning, having my Black Butler flashbacks to the infamous corset scene. Julian’s neighbors didn’t need to think I’m weird.  There’s a good chance I knew his neighbors anyway.

 Regardless, I finished getting dressed and forgot how much of a pain in the ass my fishnets were. Or my boots!  I mean, I did wear these Sunday for Misa, but still!  That didn’t make them any less difficult to contend with!  The things I did for you, Julian.  I cosplay my least favorite character I have a cosplay for.  I become a neko maid for your amusement, even though you don’t know about it yet.  The things we do for love, I guess.

 Now that I was completely dressed, I needed to get everything from the neck up cute, too.  I hadn’t put makeup on in a few days.  My skin won’t know how to act.  Watch.  I’ll end up all broke out because of this.  I shouldn’t.  This was the same stuff I used every other day.  Just because it hasn’t seen my skin in a while doesn’t mean it’s going to act up. I can only hope.  

 I could tell I was out of practice with putting fake lashes on.  That’s for sure.  I could put them on other people, but I had a hard time putting them on myself.  I drew a thickening black line on the top of my eyelid to cover the black band on my lashes, winging it out just enough to make me look like a cat, and took my white pencil, tracing the inner corners of my eyes.

 I debated for a moment or two on what lip color to use.  I was torn. A part of me wanted to go with a purple to match my dress, but I could’ve gone with a soft pink to go with my hair.  That would match my natural lip tone a little more.  Or I could’ve done neither and went with a super dark purple.  I’m a bit hesitant about using dark lip colors.  I had mixed emotions about it on other people, let alone me.  Nate and I hadn’t experimented with that yet.  Soft pink.  I’ll do a soft pink.  But a matte soft pink.  I ran the brush over my lips and looked myself over one last time.

 I looked like the most precious, pastel neko maid I’ve ever seen in my life.  Something about the way I looked screamed a need for glitter.  I brought a white, glittery, tulle skirt with me for such an occasion.  I shimmied it up my legs, puffing out the bottom of my dress a little, and did a spin in front of the mirror.  Mother of God, I’m adorable!  Kawaii! I didn’t need any more glitter. The rest came from the sparkle in my eyes.  I couldn’t get over myself!  I needed pictures.  Just a couple.

 I’m not exactly the master of mirror pictures and personally, I thought they were dumb, but I managed to get some of me not holding my phone.  It’s not like I had someone else here to take them, though. I’m sure once Julian comes home, he’d be more than happy to do some shots for me.  He had a spot in the basement for it.  I threw my wig on, clipped in my pigtails, and waited for him to come home to his newfound stray kitty.

 As soon as I saw his headlights come up the driveway, I sat on his kitchen counter, dangling my feet over the edge.  I knew he was about to shit a brick over me.  How could he not?  Hang on…I heard two car doors shut.  Why did I hear two car doors shut?  Julian went to work.  Julian comes home.  Why the fuck did I hear two car doors?  Maybe I’m overreacting.  Wouldn’t be the first time.  Maybe he’s getting something out of the back seat.  Everything was fine.  I sprinted into the bedroom and noticed a text from Julian.

 Hey, baby.  Paul’s coming home with me.  We’re talking Team Mustang shoot.

 Shit!  Not overreacting!  Paul?  Why did it have to be Paul?  It could’ve been worse.  At least it’s someone relatively in the community.  Besides, I could actually have a professional doing my shots now. I thought about having Paul doing them earlier today.  If I had his number, I would’ve called him.  Blessing in disguise, I guess.  I jumped back up on the kitchen counter and waited for them to come in.

 “Mimi!” Julian yelled from the door, “I’m home!  Tell me you didn’t trash the place.”

 “Welcome home, Master,” I put on a little smirk.

 “Oh, hello,” his face lit up.  Got him, “Paul, cover your eyes.”

 “Why?” Paul walked in, getting an eyeful of me, “Oh, that’s why.  Hot damn!”

 “Have I mentioned today how much I love you?” Julian picked me up off the counter, holding me in his arms.

 “I think so,” I nuzzled my face in his neck.

 “Why don’t you make me a drink?” he requested, “And while you’re at it, make one for you, too.”

 “My pleasure, Master,” I kissed his cheek.

 “That’s my good, little kitty,” Julian smiled, petting my head, “Dammit, Paul!  I said look away!”

 “I can’t help myself,” he continued to look me up and down, “You’re cute, Mimi.”

 “Thank you!” I chirped, “I wanted to be cute for when my master came home!”

 “Keep talking like that,” Julian grabbed me around my waist, “And you and I are going to have some problems.”

 “What’s wrong, Master?” I put on the sparkly eyes, “Did I do something you didn’t want me to?”

 “Oh, no, no, no, neko-chan,” he put his hand to my cheek, “You did something very right.  That’s the problem.”

 “I don’t understand…” I spoke softly.

 Julian pulled me against his chest a little more aggressively than usual.  Looks like I might have flipped a switch in him.  He whispered in my ear, sending chills down my spine, “I’m doing everything in my power to not take you into my bedroom right now.  If it were just you and me home, I wouldn’t be holding back.  Unfortunately, we have company.  Why else would I be wanting a drink?”

 “Jack and Coke?” I assumed.

 “That’s right.”

 I hopped down from the counter and reached into the liquor cabinet.  It’s not my fault that I’m small.  That’s just bad genetics.  Why did Julian have to have such high cabinets?  Even though my boots gave me an extra couple inches, I’d still have to get a chair.  I managed to get the bottle of Jack Daniels down from the shelf and threw some ice in a glass, “Paul?  While I’m pouring?”

 “Can’t,” he shot me down, “I have to drive back tonight and I’m sure I can’t crash here with you like that.”

 “What do you mean?” Like I didn’t know.

 “I’m assuming you and Julian are going to want some private time,” Paul figured, giving Julian an overexaggerated wink.

 “I have to go home tonight, too,” I broke the news, “I’m sure my parents want me back.”

 “Does that mean we don’t get to cuddle tonight?” Julian pouted.

 “I’m sorry, Master,” I sat in his lap, giving him his drink.

 “That’s alright, baby,” he went back to petting me, “There’s always tomorrow.  Besides, you’ll be back at the ass crack of dawn, right?”

 “If you want me to be,” I promised, “I’d be more than happy to.”

 “That’s my girl,” Julian kissed my forehead, “I have a proposition for you.”

 “What?” Paul wondered.

 “Not you,” he clarified, poking my nose, “For you.”

 “Oh?” I laid my head on Julian’s thigh, “And what does my master have for me?”

 “Would you ever want to be featured on my site solo?” he offered.

 “Solo?” I thought it over, “I don’t know…”

 “They obviously love you, Mimi,” he pointed out, “We can always do a test shot.”

 “Of what?”

 “Well,” Julian smirked a bit, “You do look awfully adorable in my lap right now.”

 “You can say whatever you want about me,” I allowed, “It’s not you I’m worried about.  It’s the trolls on the internet.”

 “Paul,” he ignored my remark, “This is about to sound really stupid, but do you have one of your cameras with you?”

 “I don’t,” Paul cringed, “I know.  I feel naked. But all my cameras are at home, dude. You don’t have one?”

 “Yeah,” Julian groaned, “But I don’t really like using it.  It’s kind of a piece of shit now.”

 “What kind of camera?” Paul asked.

 “Digital?”

 “No shit, Sherlock,” Paul rolled his eyes, “What brand?”

 “It’s a Nikon, I think,” Julian slipped his finger under my wig cap and pulled on my real hair, scratching my head.  As weird as it’s going to sound, I could get used to this.  Being his neko-chan.  He really was treating me like his pet.  And in a twisted way, I was loving it.

 “And you dare call it a piece of shit?” Paul scolded, “How dare you, sir?”

 “It’s in the office,” he directed him, “I think it’s in the desk drawer.”

 “Got it!” Paul jumped up from the couch and I buried my face in Julian’s belly.

 “You know, Mimi,” Julian looked down at me, “I wasn’t expecting to find you like this when I came home.  I thought you were working on fic all day.”

 “I did for the most part,” I admitted, “Then writer’s block happened and I took a walk around town. I thought I’d come back here and finish unpacking, but…”

 “But what?” he sounded nervous, “What did you do?”

“I went into the basement,” I told, “I saw the inner sanctum.”

 “You saw the workshop,” he chuckled to himself, “What’d you think of my setup?”

 “I have the biggest nerdy lady boner,” I blushed, “Your setup is incredible.  Much better than what I got.”

 “I’m sure if you had your own house,” Julian promised, “You’d have a much better setup than mine.”

 “I’d have it all like a murphy bed,” I explained, “Everything would fold into the walls, so when people came over, they wouldn’t think I’m that weird otaku girl that spends her day reading manga and watching anime nonstop and has no job or social life.”

 “No, you wouldn’t,” he stopped me, “Your figurines would be on the fireplace.  Your guest bedroom would be a cosplay closet.  You’d have your wall scrolls in the living room. Don’t give me that.”

 “Depends on where I’m living, I guess,” I let out a heavy, depressed sigh, “I don’t know, Julian.”

 “Excuse me?” he chided lightly, “What happened to calling me Master, my sweet, little kitty.”

 “Forgive me,” I gave him what he wanted.  A smile back on my face.

 “Found it!” Paul came back into the living room with Julian’s camera in is hand, “Mimi?  You ready?”

 “Can I, Master?” I asked for permission.

 “Of course, you can,” Julian kissed my cheek, “In fact, I have an idea for one.”

 “Oh?” I wondered, “What is it?”

 “It’d involve me putting on a three-piece suit, though,” he cringed, “Gross.  I got into cosplay to keep myself out of shit like that.  And it’d only be for background purposes. I’d have Paul do it, but the rest of it I’d rather be doing myself.”

 “Would it be Master coming home from work?” I assumed, “Running his Fortune 500 empire?”

 “Someone catches on quick,” Julian praised, “I’d say she’s earned a treat.”

 “Is it yarn?” I beamed, “I really hope it’s yarn!”

 “I’m sorry to disappoint you,” he ran his fingers down my spine, “It’s not yarn.”

 “Aww…” I pouted.  All of a sudden, my phone started going off, completely breaking me out of the sweet, innocent character, “Oh, goddammit! Who the fuck is calling me?  I’m fucking busy!”

 “Hang on,” Julian laughed his ass off for a minute, tossing me my phone, “It’s your mom.”

 “Oh,” I slid my finger across my phone screen, “Hi, Mom.  What’s up?”

 “I thought you said you were coming straight home after work,” Mom whined, “Where are you?”

 “I’m in Kansas City with Veronica,” I lied, “She needed some last-minute things for her homecoming outfit.”

 “Ok,” she chirped, doing a complete one-eighty, “When will you be home?”

 “I don’t know,” I looked at the clock.  Six-thirty, “Nine?”

 “It’ll take you that long?” I loved my mother.  I really did. But she knew how to drone on when we’re on the phone, “Don’t you have anything she can borrow?”

 “Probably not,” I cut her off, “I’ll be home in a few hours.”

 “Fine,” she let me go, “See you soon, honey!  I love you!”

 “Love you, too,” I hung up and threw my phone on the table, getting back into character, “Now, where were we, Master?”

 “I’m going to go get changed,” Julian got up, “Then we can do this shoot.  That way, I’m still on my site and you’re not alone.”

 “Ok!” I smiled, “I love it! You’re so smart, Master.”

 “I try,” he disappeared into his bedroom, “Paul, I swear to God, if you touch her, I’m going to start severing fingers.”

 “He would, too,” I confirmed, “The katanas aren’t for show.  They’re real.  They’re sharp.  They’ll kill a man.”

 “I wasn’t going to!” Paul defended, “I know to keep my hands to myself!”

 “Not helping your cause!” Julian yelled.

 “Not that kind of keeping my hands to myself!”

 “Don’t worry about it, Paul,” I settled him, “I’m sure he knows better, too.  Besides, if you try anything, neko-chan has claws, too.”

 “Julian!” Paul called out.

 “Yes, dear?” Julian answered.

 “Marry her!” he demanded, “Hold onto this girl!”

 “I’m pretty sure we’ve had this conversation,” Julian came out in full Sebastian.  How appropriate given Sebastian has a cat problem.  The demon may loathe dogs more than anything, but cats?  Cats are the very image of perfection, “I plan on holding onto this girl for a while. Marriage isn’t exactly in the cards for either one of us right now, but I’ll keep her.”

 “Who else would do adorable cosplays with you?” I teased.

 “Kitty’s got a mouth on her,” Julian pulled me into his lap, “Maybe we’ll have to do something about that.”

 “I thought you liked my mouth, Master,” I kept my sharp tongue up.

 “This could turn into some not safe for work real quick, Mimi,” he pulled on the bottom of the tulle, “Would Master have to get his kitty a shock collar?  Or perhaps he’d rather go over my knee instead?

 “No, Master,” I dropped my gaze, “I’ll be your good, little kitty.  I promise.”

 “Good girl,” he praised, “I do owe you a reward, don’t I?”

 “Yes, Master!” I perked back up, “What is it?”

 “Here,” Julian undid his blue silk tie and dangled it over my face, “it may not be yarn, but it’s the next best thing.  And Paul, if you’re not getting any of this, I’m kicking the shit out of you personally.”

 “I am,” he assured, snapping away while I absentmindedly swatted at Julian’s tie.  Being a cat for a while wasn’t half bad.  I was cuddled, petted, loved.  I always thought the whole neko fetish was creepy and almost in the realm of bestiality.  Technically, I was a humanized cat, so I guess that takes care of the bestiality loophole.

 Julian and Paul had me all over the house.  Scratching at the curtains.  Playing in the empty boxes Julian had from moving.  Sitting on the counter.  Serving drinks.  Just some standard neko poses.  But my favorite?  That came at the end of the shoot.  I was already tuckered out, so I laid my head back in Julian’s lap, ready to fall asleep. All while he kept petting me and holding me, making sure I felt loved.  But what else was new?  That’s just the way we were.  

 “Mimi?” he nudged me, “Are you really sleeping on me, baby?”

 “I’m tired,” I let out a big yawn and Paul caught it on camera, “Leave me alone.”

 “Ok,” he sat me up, “Tell you what.  I’m sure you don’t want to go stumbling into your house and have your parents see you like this.  Go get changed and I’ll take you home.”

 “Ok,” I sighed out, ready to fall asleep right then and there with my head on his chest.  Wishing I could, “But I thought we were talking shop for Sunday.”

 “Don’t worry about it,” Julian helped me onto my feet, “Some other time.  In all honesty, our talking shop is Paul and me playing Final Fantasy.”

 “Fine,” I let it go, “You two can be nerds.  Think about me while you’re storming the castle and I’m tucked in bed.”

 “It’d be my pleasure,” he grinned, “Hurry up.  We want to get started.”

 “Ok,” I went into Julian’s room and put my regular clothes on again, putting the neko maid away for the day.  Then, a sudden realization hit me, “Julian?”

 “Yeah, baby?’

 “You can’t take me back,” I remembered, “Mom thinks I’m with Veronica.”

 “Why did you tell her you were with Veronica?” he wondered.

 “Who’s Veronica?” Paul asked.

 “My best friend,” I explained, wiping my makeup off in the bathroom, “Remember?  Not telling anyone until May?  If I spend all my time with you, she’ll know something’s up.”

 “I feel like your mistress,” Julian joked.

 “You’re not my mistress,” I giggled, “You’re my boyfriend.  My main.  No mistress.”

 “Does this mean I can’t tuck you in?” he pouted.

 “I’m sorry,” I stood on my toes, stealing a kiss, “I’ll be over tomorrow morning.  Promise.”

 “Good,” Julian held me tight against his chest, “I’ll miss you.”

 “I’ll miss you, too,” I assured, “But I’ll have Sebastian to keep me warm.”

 “And I’ll have Miku,” he gave me one last kiss, “I love you.”

 “I love you, too,” I curled into him.

 “And I’d love to get around to some Final Fantasy tonight,” Paul sped things along.

 “See you in the morning,” Julian grabbed the door for me.

 Just like that, I left his house and headed home.  I didn’t want to go.  I wanted to pass out on Julian’s couch while he and Paul played Final Fantasy four million and twelve.  But alas, I walked into my house, fully prepared to go upstairs and clock out.  However, I knew better.  There was no way in hell that was happening.

 “Mimi!” Mom squeezed me tight as soon as I walked in the door.

 “Hi, Mom,” I winced, “Ow…”

 “Sorry,” she let me go, “I got a little excited.  We haven’t seen you in days!”

 “I’m not the one that took the random trip to St. Louis,” I grumbled to myself.

 “It had been a while since we went to the boats,” Mom defended, “We thought, why not?  It gave you the house to yourself, didn’t it?”

 “That it did,” I bit the inside of my cheek, trying to hold back a smile.  Binge watching Dramatical Murder with Julian all weekend? Yeah.  I’m not complaining.

 “So,” Mom joined Dad on the couch, “You know what we did.  What did you do?”

 “The usual?” Dad assumed, “Boys?  Parties? Alcohol?”

 “No,” I thought carefully about how to word this where I’m not technically lying, but avoiding certain truths to keep their blood pressure down, “I worked Saturday, hung out in Kansas City on Sunday, had to take care of Veronica on Monday, and Tuesday, I worked. Nothing too exciting.”

 “What brought you to Kansas City then?” Mom asked, “Why couldn’t you have gotten whatever Veronica needed on Sunday?”

 “I wasn’t with Veronica then,” I cleared up, “I was hanging out with Julian.”

 “What’s going on with you two?” Dad jumped down my throat, “It’s like you’re constantly up his ass or he’s up yours.”

 “There’s nothing going on,” I rolled my eyes, “And we’re not always around each other.  I was just with Veronica.”

 “But where were you last night?” Mom pointed out.

 “Julian’s,” I knew what she was trying to get at, “Where I slept on his couch because we’re friends. Not together.  We’re not going to be together.  We were working on a script for a children’s play one of his friends is doing.”

 “That’s so sweet,” she awed, “What’s it called?”

 “Currently untitled,” I thought on my feet, “But we’ve been working hard on it.”

 “What’s it about?” Dad wondered.  Weird. He’s never taken an interest in my writing.

 “It’s about a little boy learning magic,” I felt a warmth in my heart, “And how his teacher is a jerk, but his teacher’s daughter is his best friend.  It’s a very heartwarming story.”

 “Let us know when it’s done,” Mom insisted, “I’m sure that’d be adorable to see.”

 “Sure,” I nodded, “If it’s alright with you, I’m going to bed.  I’m really tired.”

 “Long day at the café?” Dad asked.

 “Yeah,” I cringed internally, “It’s been a long day and Veronica can be really exhausting when she’s indecisive. Good night.”

 “Night, sweetie.”

 I ran upstairs to my bedroom and shut my door.  Shit.  This had become more elaborate than I anticipated. Now, my parents want to see the fake children’s play that Julian and I are writing together.  All I did was describe early Royai!  My love life was none of their business.  I didn’t have to share anything with anyone.  Everything was fine.  Just need to keep the bases covered.

 “Hey,” Julian chimed on the other end of the phone, “Miss me already?  Need me to play Peter Gabriel at your window?”

 “No,” I shook my head at him, “We might be in a bit of a quandary.”

 “What kind of a quandary?” the game music stopped, “Is everything ok?”

 “Hi, Mimi!” Paul chirped in the background.

 “What’s up?” Julian ignored him.

 “In order to get my mom off my back about staying with you,” I confessed, peeling my dress off, “I told her we were working on a project together.  Right now, she and my dad were grilling me about said project.  If she asks you, it’s a children’s play that one of your friends in Kansas City is doing and they asked us to do the script.”

 “Ok,” he rolled with it, “I’m failing to see where we’re in the proverbial pickle here, Mimi.  They know you’re with me.  They know you’re doing a thing.  They know you’ll be in Kansas City a lot.  What’s the problem?”

 “They want to see it,” I worried, “How do you figure we get out of that one, Mr. Answer for Everything?”

 “That is a quandary,” Julian agreed, “We’ll find some little kids.  Paul, you have pull at the theatre in Kansas City, don’t you?”

 “Yes, I do,” Paul confirmed.

 “Awesome,” I let out a sweet sigh of relief.

 “What’s it about?” Julian asked.

 “What I wrote this morning,” I filled him in, “The story of fetal Royai.”

 “Aww…” he drawled, “Seeing that play out with little kids sounds adorable!  But so we don’t have to go through the hassle of putting it on, we could say it got dropped.”

 “I love you, Julian,” I threw myself on my bed, “You’re a godsend some days.”

 “I’m a godsend every day,” he corrected me, “Now, go to sleep, Mimi.  Don’t make me come over there.”

 “You’d be way too willing for me to make you,” I teased.

 “Very true,” he gave it to me, “I love you.”

 “I love you, too,” I curled into Sebastian.

 “See you in the morning.”

 Click.

 I emptied out my bag and put my neko maid back on the hanger.  With a quick spray of Febreze, I hung it back in my closet with everyone else. I didn’t wear it very long, so I didn’t expect it to be too terribly bad.  Not enough to warrant washing it.  Still, not a bad practice to get into.  However, I did have something in my bag I didn’t want to spray.  Because it still felt comforting and smelled like man. In the bottom of my bag was a crumpled up gray t-shirt that I drowned in.  I knew I’d sleep like shit since I’m out of whiskey and I’m sleeping alone, but this would make it a little easier.

 I might not have Julian, but I had the next best thing.  I just hope he doesn’t get pissed at me for stealing his t-shirt.  Doubtful.  I’m sure he’d let me have it and anything I needed to help me sleep that wasn’t booze.  This way, I’d wake up well-rested.  Regardless, I’d still want to go back to sleep as soon as I hit his bed again.  Only eight hours away.  That was all I had to wait.

 Until then, I buried my face in my Sebastian pillow.  He brought me back to Julian.  Thank you, Sebastian.  Maybe you’re not quite a demon, but an angel in disguise.  Kind of like Julian.  Even though the Black Butler angels are dicks.  However, you brought me back to my beloved.  My real beloved.  I hoped to God that Miles won’t be back in town for the weekend.  Not that it’d matter.  I’m going to be in Kansas City with awesome nerds like me.  Not like I needed Miles anymore anyway.

[askornaut]

Let’s draw Lots- 5s!

tagged by @emygrl99​

Five things you’ll find in my bag:

Lipstick! usually at least two.

Pen/s. Usually in fun colors! 

papers- old pay stubs, my index card with friends’ addresses on it, receipts, etc.

My wallet! 

My house key! I havent needed it in years but i still keep it with me!

Five things you’ll find in my bedroom:

lots of lamps. I have Danger Lamp aka Bugle Lamp, my UV lamp to help me fight seasonal depression, my built-in desk lamp, and my star projector!

listen im not saying im a slob who cant commit to anything but you will definitely find a small foldaway table in the middle of my room covered in old sewing projects that i abandoned. 

speaking of which, my sewing machine! I love my Husqy! She’s twenty years old and is a little cranky but still does all the work, just me like me! (give a take a few years for each of us..)

My toolkit! A DIY enthusiast turn home improvement amatuer can’t get away without one!

my bottles! I have a corkwood bottle from Iberia (spain or portugal, im not sure which.), an Arabic coke bottle, my vintage Coke bottle that broke and I worked to repair, and a glass soda bottle from Mexico! 

five things I’ve always wanted to do in life:

travel the world!! 

listen ive always waffled on my life goals and that aint gonna change ever but i do know ive always loved helping people and ive always wanted to do something in STEM in terms of a career so rn my dual goals are run a foster home and be an aerospace engineer

fix things. help people. improve lives, make people happy. any way i can.

*dudebro-esque chanting* ROAD!!! TRIP!!! rOAD!!!! TRIP!!! ROAD!!!! TRIP!!!!!

im sorry im so indecisive ive done my best but that is??? literally everything that ive wanted to do my entire life and technically speaking two things that I haven’t??? im sorry i mean i learned a language everything im doing now is just extra credit and i havent always wanted to go to college and everything else pretty much??? covers it??? ive done my best and will continue to do so but it isnt much 

five things that make me happy:

making someone else smile!!! that is The Best(tm) 

Wizard of Oz stuff! It makes me feel like maybe I will belong somewhere someday. 

My friends!!! Nothing can make me grin more than just a few minutes spent chatting with any one of them! 

The pursuit of knowledge! I’m really at my best in an academic environment, namely if it’s free of NCLB and everything that public school is. So, basically what little taste of college/homeschool I’ve had.

SINGING! even on days when i truly hate everything, i’ll still sing just to keep a little joy in my heart. 

Five things I’m currently into:

Drag. I’ve watched what feels like every SFW drag-related video on YT at least a thousand times and I’ll still watch them more. 

Voltron is nice, but i have trouble watching because of the darker tones in the themes. It can overwhelm me if I’m not careful. S2 is looking brighter and easier to consume, though! 

I’m always a s*** for the Wizard Of Oz!!

art..? can i say that??? i havent sculpted or painted in over a month, can i still say that???

aromatherapy!!! I have two candles rn, though normally I have at least 3, plus a tart warmer, plus some lotions! (im not super into skincare though, so i dont use the lotions as often.) 

Five things on my to-do list: 

Clean my room

Clean the kitchen

get my borderline hoarding family (myself included) to get rid of things we dont need. We practically have enough excess furniture to furnish a small apartment. Sparsely and with three desks, but still. hell, we even have a spare mattress/boxspring/bedframe! WHY??? ARE WE KEEPING THESE???

get a job. I desperately need income, but i also need to clean, and that takes forever, and....

get my driver’s license. that’ll solve an issue or two. 

5 things people may not know about me:

I’m selectively mute! Well..  i was when I was a kid. It comes back during my worse moments with autism. For the most part these days I just have trouble grasping the words. I can think of a sentence in my mind but i can’t force my tongue and lips and vocal cords to work together to make the sounds. I try to carry a pen and paper at all times when im around new people so I can communicate no matter what.      

I got my first smartphone when I turned seventeen. I got my first decent one (okay actually my current one is Super.. but the last one was at least two generations old and it was showing by the time i got my own.) last July. I’m almost nineteen now.     

I learned to sew when I six years old, before my fine motors skills were well developed! You can see it when i sew while I’m tired- i dont move my wrist the way you’re supposed to, instead i keep my wrist more or less still and move my arm/shoulder!    

I am allergic to 45 different things. Most of it’s pollen, fur, etc, but I am allergic to avocados. I had to carry an epipen on me at all times for a few years as a result!    

I never learned to ride a bike! I learned to ride a scooter, but that’s terrible exercise compared to a bicycle. I grew up in an area that is literally nothing but hills and i was too afraid of losing control and getting hurt as a kid to even get on a bike, much less learn how to ride.