pishirogane | prismatica

O-okay.

[His heart was still racing from a moment's adrenaline. They still had time, but that could change in hours, if not tomorrow. He hoped this whole thing wouldn't hurt her, but there were always stories...

Kanji stopped, shoes touching the grass. This wasn't the way home... this was heading into the woods where the nest was constructed.]

Oh... uh, whoops. I guess I didn't really ask where we were headed.

[Rubbing her stomach, she did have to wonder again how much longer she had. Would it happen tonight? Tomorrow morning? Afternoon? All she knew - all she felt - was that it wouldn't be much longer.]

[She stopped after Kanji with a questioning look, but she chuckled.]

I don't know either. Well, we're already going this way... I wouldn't mind sitting in the nest for a while.

A'right.

[Well, since they were almost there, any not press on? Maybe she needed off her feet and he'd tucked away some odds and ends to pass the time and maybe be productive as well; he'd left a manner of books, stitching projects, drinks and snacks, not to mention that he'd collected when he had only half his mind to decorate what was a center of comfort and brooding for his beloved Ostella.

He offered a hand to help her up and over the edge of the nest before he kicked off his shoes and joined right in. He must've been a little tense; it was odd to feel the spine relax like that once he had a seat. He sighed and reached for his craft supplies, tucked away in a clasped toolbox.]

Looks like I gotta make four more baby blankets. ...Wanna double-team it?

[She was appreciative that he didn't insist on heading back to the apartment. They would return in due time - she wanted to try having the eggs there if anywhere - but the nest still provided a feeling of... security to her. Their scents were there together; it was also where they conceived the eggs and would bring them once they hatched. They should get to know the nest too and its safety.]

[Accepting his help into the nest, she sighed and settled down. Sitting was difficult, both getting down and getting back up. She had to move slowly and stabilize herself with a hand to maintain some balance, but once she was seated, exhaustion fled her body and she could be at ease.]

Hm? ... Sure, but I'll need your help.

[He nodded and brought everything over; the cloth as well as his sewing box everything he needed for this particular project. Well... most projects, really. But as he got everything ready- needles threaded and placed in the pincushion- he spread out the fleece he had collected.]

I picked this fabric for the first blanket. You can pick whichever of these looks good and I'll cut to the size we need.

Then it's just a back stitch for strength on all four ends, so no little kicky feet n' hands manage to tear 'em apart and it holds up to gettin' put into mouths. It's real easy.

[For the stitch itself, Kanji was more than happy to demonstrate, slowly putting the finishing touches on the first blanket and revealing whatever angles she needed. Even with large, coarse hands, he seemed to handle the fleece so delicately, letting the thread glide through and seal together more and more of it.

He passed her selected fleece and a ready needle. She's got this! Hell, this likely explained how once Kanji knew a formula for the trickier math topics back in high school, he seemed to get into a flow and work it through. Stitching was a formula, and the rest was developing muscle memory.]

Here we go... don't rush. Find your flow.

[Naoto watched him bring his supplies over, eyeing curiously everything. She'd never really gotten into crafts like this herself, but no time like the present. Also, it seemed like an activity she could do that would give her feet a break.]

Hmm... I'll got with this one...

[Or would the baby not like green?]

[Back stitch... she doesn't get it, but no kicky feet and hands pulling them apart is good. Also holding up against mouths... for some reason, she couldn't see the babies not attempting to chew on everything. She watched him slowly demonstrate the stitch from each useful angle before attempting it herself.]

[He made it look so easy, but to be fair, he'd been doing this for years. It's tricky to actually attempt it, her brows furrowing, but her cheeks faintly glowing. Oh no, it looked a mess... though, she wasn't sure about another demonstration. She'd been focusing on his hands a bit too intently.]

Hmm... find my flow.

[Green is a fresh and lively color, perfect for a kiddo! He slowed his own pace, fearing that maybe she'd be too hard on herself if he was at his usual flow. But he was a visual learner, and she seemed to be, too. Hell, she was of both brains- he was just right-brained. Did you call that ambidextrous brain?

Naoto's stitch was... messy, yes, but his was too when he first started.]

Yep. Flow to the corner, give it a turn, and flow to the next corner.

[He laughed softly.]

You're doin' fine. The way I always see it, each stitch takes a moment, right? But in each moment, you're focused on what it'll look like in the end, so each one you give a little time and a little love. Even if you're usin' a machine, gently nudgin' the fabric over the feed dogs, you're puttin' the same thing into every move you make in creating somethin' for somebody else.

And folks feel that, I think. ...I hope, anyway.

Mmm... like this?

[She had to take her time - she was learning something new and she couldn't expect instant perfection. If it held, it would be enough for now and practice would make it cleaner.]

Right... I think. ['Feed dogs'?]

There is a difference between something handmade and something prepared by machine. At least, I find there usually is.

Yeah! You got it. With stuff like blankets, the important thing is that it holds. We're stitchin' 'em inside out with intent to flip, so the stitch stays safe inside. Don't worry about it lookin' pretty.

[Yep. Feed dogs. He's got no idea why they're called that, neither.]

I agree. I think it's why people shop at my family's place, especially after I started puttin' stuff out, over Junes. They've got cheap fabrics and a bigger selection, sure, but you get whatcha pay for.

[He neatly weaved a knot and bit off the extra end, and proceeded to new thread.]

We did lose some customers. But we're stickin' to our guns. Tch- some of 'em whined that their special orders demanded a little extra cost for import... I mean, one wanted legit linen which comes from Belgium, what'd they expect? Oh well...

Ah, so that's what will happen...

[That made much more sense. And thank goodness, no one had to see this later.]

Yes. The price of convenience is often lacking in quality.

[But that was how the world could continue running at the same time. Naoto blinked; was he already done???]

Linen from Belgium? Honestly, what were they expecting? I'm sure you were giving them a fair price considering, too.

[Oops, shit. He was going too fast. But slowing down would make her mad too, maybe...]

A killer price! We'd worked with them for years and they always liked our prices, but I dunno, maybe Junes' shadow looming made 'em nervous.

[He rolled his shoulders and canted his head thoughtfully.]

Never the Amagis though. Our families go way back.

... It's possible. Still, they should know better if they've worked with you previously.

[She wasn't mad at him; in fact, she continued working, making some small improvements since her work wasn't going to be seen.]

I am curious how far back does that relationship extends. Was it an arrangement with your grandparents or further?

Further. Ma tells me it's my great-grandparents. Back when the town was founded after mashin' all the surrounding towns together, they stayed fast friends and kept trading cloth to 'em, bolster the inn's look for travelers who were feelin' overwhelmed with all the changes happening with the merge.

I can't even think of what not-Inaba looked like, a whole cluster of different towns all formed around the mines that was the source of all their money. I'm sure it was covered in history class, but uh.... yeah, this guy wasn't stayin' awake for it.

[He had a peek. Smiled.]

Whoa... Nice work. You're gettin' pretty far.

Ah... Hm, well, if you want to know the details, I'm sure your mother could tell you more about about it in an engaging way.

[Yeah, she would admit school wasn't the best thing to get through. Even she could only stand the droning for so long before reading independently ahead.]

I think I'm beginning to get into the flow.

[He bent and kissed her cheek. She was a badass.]

Toldja it was easy. Before you know it you'll be casually changin' your coat buttons with the seasons because ya feel like it.

So this is what I do to pass the time. Muscle memory takes over as I kinda think of stuff. Keeps the hands busy and calms me down... especially during Sanguis.

[She smiled, but had to send a questioning look his way again.]

Coat buttons with the season...? [Was there a story with that?]

Ah, yes. Your productivity does go up during the Sanguis cycle... I'm glad you managed to find a way to work around your claws.

[That is a mystery! But he laughed nevertheless.]

Right? The solution was right in front of me: I started sewin' with gloves on to practice with a challenge! I started finding my flow about last month and I got nowhere to go but up.

...I'm thinkin' about hosting a knitting circle instead of classes, once everything settles down. Just a bunch of people, a radio for tunes, and everybody's just... creating stuff.

Gloves? Yes, I could see how that would work.

[As helpful as gloves could be, they were also an easy hindrance if one wasn't used to them.]

Hm... I don't see why not. I think plenty of people here would enjoy it.

Yeah? That's good. I'll see who's interested sometime.

[He smiled, and took a small break to snatch up from the snack stockpile. It was animal cracker time. A giraffe was given a toss into his mouth before he continued his stitching. He placed the box between them, in case a certain detective was feeling snacky.]

...D'you... really feel like you don't look good?

[Nodding, she focused back on her work. She was almost done now; there was just finishing off one more side. Even if it didn't have to look perfect, she just fell back into the habit of trying to get it right.]

[Pausing when he retrieved the snacks, she considered a cracker, but she also wanted to finish. Quite a dilemma.]

... Sometimes. Thinking back to our world, I can't say I often heard officers at the department speak fondly of their pregnant spouses. It's different here, yes, but it's also how rapidly this change came on... and then, the fact we're being so closely observed by the prismals.

[His face fell. He wondered if it was more of the culture that men couldn't be excited about things, let alone domestic things. To gush about your wife or your unborn child probably wasn't "what men do".]

The prismals are weird, but... I think not far beneath their fascination with us is a concern for us. This is new, after over a year of a norm. If we can have kids again, especially ones that come so quickly, that changes a lot.

...For starters, sex-based chroma is probably gonna dip, I think. Though... I-I heard sex does wonders for cramps n' aches.

[Would he get her naked right now? Absolutely, if she said the word. He polished off his final line and began to tug the blanket right side out. The last inch of the seam would be stitched closed. One inch of visible stitching was no problem.]

If it's any comfort, I meant it when I said you look good. They talk about a glow and I can see what they mean. Maybe what's happening is pretty wild, but... it ain't havin' me think any less of you.

[Oop, her hands are full. He reached into the cracker box forrr... a lion, here we go, and offered it to her.]

... I hope it's out of concern. It just... it feels like when we first arrived when I'm around them. But, it might also be instincts telling me to protect them despite there being no real danger.

[Hormones and instincts really made for a hell of a combination. Blinking, she nearly fumbled with her stitch when Kanji's words processed.]

Y-You... you would still have sex with me?

[She was nowhere at her lightest now. She doesn't even know what positions might work... Looking at the lion cracker, she accepted it from his hand.]

[Shit that's right, the instincts...! They'd been so prevalent that he hadn't stopped to notice them. He'd been feeling a little on edge around others, that's for sure...

That thought was gone when she asked that. He nodded regardless of the various shades of pink his face was turning.]

Don't let those prismals getcha down. They're always gonna be weird. But y-you're freakin' beautiful, y'hear me?

... So... if I asked you about... doing it right now?

[She even moved to slowly set aside her materials, her eyes still on him. Was it weird she was aroused by the thought of him still taking her like this?]

[His eyes followed her hands setting her project aside. His arms felt so light as they eased into following suit, getting all that away. With his hands unburdened they were on her, practically magnetic as he shifted closer. His blush was a rush of heat over his face. Something in him sighed in relief- he'd been watching her and damn near wanting to burst himself, especially when she seemed to look with confusion and dismay in the mirror.]

...God, I thought you'd never ask. Arms up...

[Fuck, the way she looked at him... he was half-hard already. Why did some of those colleagues never speak of their spouses? He had to wonder... but as far as he was concerned, he'd rather spend his evenings giving a slow, thorough reminder of how his own mate got to be in her condition in the first place. With his thumbs sliding beneath her shirt, he ran his hands up her body and let the fabric bunch, taking it with them up and off.]

prismatica | Overflow

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