Cassius let out a light breath as he released her waist, reaching for the needles lying in front of them, along with a thick spool of yarn nestled beside them on the couch. He picked them up, holding the two sleek metal rods upright in his fingers.

"So. ." He began, glancing at her with a crooked grin. "What I'm about to do now isn't exactly knitting."

Julie, still flustered from their previous exchange, blinked at him as she adjusted her posture subtly, though the fact she was still sitting in his lap made that incredibly limited.

"It's not?" She asked, genuinely curious now.

"Nope." He held one of the needles out slightly in front of her. "This here's a bit more advanced. It's called crocheting."

"Instead of just making flat, boring fabric, crocheting lets you make things with actual form, like bags, plushies, hats, theoretically even armor if you really know what you're doing. Pretty much anything you want."

Julie tilted her head, looking at him now like a student paying attention in class. "So...not the same as knitting?"

He leaned in, brushing his lips close to her ear, the movement enough to make her breath catch.

"Not quite. Knitting uses two straight needles, like these. But crocheting needs a special kind, one that's curved at the tip. You hook the yarn, pull loops through...a different rhythm entirely."

She felt a slight shiver at how close his voice was, deep and smooth, just brushing her neck.

"Now..." He murmured, holding up the metal rods again. "...these needles are straight. So I was wondering if I could just...make a little adjustment. Bend the tips slightly, hook them. I'll turn them back afterward." He gave her a playful look. "Just need a little favor."

Julie blinked at the needles, and then blinked again, now staring harder. Her brows furrowed slightly.

Those weren't normal needles. Not even close.

The polished, silvery sheen of the metal held a strange luster, dense, heavy, unmistakable. That wasn't just any steel or iron.

That was Tharellium.

Her father's gift. A rare, nearly indestructible alloy mined from the depths of the western mines in the Holyfield mines where most of the continents ores come from, strong enough to reinforce royal vaults, and resilient enough to be fashioned into armor for kings.

She remembered the exact weight of the rods when she first held them as a girl. The craftsman who forged them had said even a dragon's tooth would dull against it.

Even scratching them was nearly impossible...So, bending them?

She wanted to say something. She should've said something.

But instead, a tiny mischievous glint sparked in her eye and she smirked.

"Sure. Go ahead." She said sweetly, folding her arms and sitting back with all the smugness of someone watching a fool set themselves up.

He'd fail...He had to fail.

But Cassius, without hesitation, brought the first needle closer. He held it with the casual ease of someone folding a blade of grass. And just when Julie was waiting for him to frown or huff in frustration, she saw the tip give.

Her smile vanished as the metal gave in.

It didn't crack...It didn't snap.

It bent and he hooked it.

Just like that.

Her mouth slackened slightly as he casually did the same to the second, forming a neat, curved tip like it was soft copper. Julie's eyes went wide, pupils dilating in disbelief.

Cassius then turned to her and grinned. "There we go. That should do it." Then paused. "What's with that look? You look like you saw a ghost."

Julie blinked rapidly, swallowing the lump in her throat as she shook her head. "N-Nothing. I...It's nothing."

But inside, her thoughts were spiraling.

He just bent Tharellium. With his fingers. Like it was paper. Paper.

The same metal that even military-grade forges couldn't dent without days of preparation. The same metal her father had used in his prized armor, armor that was less dense than this needle alloy.

And Cassius had bent it like it was nothing. As if it didn't resist him. As if nothing ever really resisted him.

She swallowed again, stunned by the realization that she was sitting atop a man whose strength had no limits she could even grasp. And even more staggering...he hadn't even tried.

He wasn't even using his full strength. Not for this. Not for her...And another thought entered her mind.

He could tear through stone. Shatter buildings. Crush her bones into dust with just his hand.

And yet, he was holding her as though she were a delicate blossom. Supporting her softly, his warmth wrapping around her like a protective blanket.

Julie's heart pounded wildly. Her face flushed again.

'How could someone so terrifyingly powerful...be so gentle?'

And with that thought, she instinctively gave a tiny, slow wiggle, pressing her bitt butt down into his lap, subtly shifting against him. She didn't know why.

But she wanted to sink into him. Dissolve into his warmth. Be held by those indestructible hands forever.

Cassius noticing the growing warmth of his crotch blinked, caught off guard. "...Julie, why exactly are you rubbing yourself on me?"

Julie gulped when she realised what she was doing. Then with forced calm, she turned her head slightly.

"I was...trying to get a better look." She said evenly. "You're holding the needles right in front of me. I couldn't see them properly."

And then, to justify it, she moved again. This time deliberately, rubbing against his lap with more motion than she meant to.

He raised a brow.

"Julie…" He began slowly, voice teasing. "I didn't know you were so passionate about crocheting that you'd grind your butt into my crotch just to get a better view. That's...impressively lewd, even for me."

Her entire body went stiff. "W-What, ? No—! I mean—!"

But he grinned. "Hey, if that's what it takes to make you eager to learn, I'm proud of you. Keep it up. You're making your teacher very happy."

Julie let out a weak exhale, nodding silently, pretending to focus on the needles, when in reality, she was screaming inside.

'What is wrong with me!? What am I doing!?'

But she didn't stop now that she has actually gotten his permission to go all out.

She nestled back into him, her body relaxing against his as she pressed in a little closer. The heat from his body soaked into her spine. Her heart thudded.

'He's letting me...He's letting me sink into him.'

And now she was closer than ever. Practically fused to him. And even if someone walked in and saw this, they'd think she was his wife, shamelessly snuggling up for his attention.

Cassius then pulled the pool of yarn forward, giving it a practiced tug as he wound it carefully around his fingers and then toward the needles. Julie, still nestled against him, blinked at how serious he looked.

"Alright." He murmured, threading the yarn with fluid motions. "This may all look a bit complicated, but don't mind it, okay? I'm just giving a demonstration. You're not supposed to learn anything from this."

Julie furrowed her brows and looked up at him with a sharp glare. "What do you mean, not supposed to learn? You think I can't handle it or something—"

But before she could fire back fully, he cut her off by suddenly moving.

And just like that, the needles started dancing.

There was no other word for it as Julie's breath caught in her throat watching how the yarn spun and twirled, slipping over and under in ways that made no sense to her.

She tried to follow, she really did.

But one second the needle was piercing through the yarn, the next it was flipping it around like it had a mind of its own. The yarn looped, twisted, was dragged sideways and wrapped again.

Her gaze struggled to keep up, her brain trying and failing to dissect the movement, but it was happening far too fast.

Every time she thought she understood one step, Cassius did something entirely new, turning his wrist, switching the yarn's direction, pulling the thread tighter, and the pattern grew in complexity.

It was mesmerizing.

It wasn't just knitting anymore. It felt like watching art come to life.

And slowly, before she even realized it, a shape began to emerge. Her eyes widened.

"Wait, wait, oh my god! Look!" She squeaked, pointing excitedly. "The legs! The legs of the ladybug are coming out!"

Cassius gave a small chuckle, not stopping his hands as the yarn continued to form. Julie leaned closer, still wide-eyed and sparkling.

"And the wings! Oh my god, the wings! They're, look, they're actually shaped like wings!"

"I did say I was making a ladybug." Cassius smirked.

Julie clapped her hands, her entire body vibrating with giddy energy. "This is amazing! I knew it was going to be good when you said it, but actually seeing it happen, it's even better than I imagined!"

Cassius chuckled warmly at her reaction. "You really like ladybugs, huh?"

"Of course!" She beamed, leaning a bit closer again. "Ever since I was a kid, I've loved them! I used to draw ladybugs on every notebook, every letter I sent. They're just so cute! And elegant. Honestly, I think they're even prettier than butterflies."

"You say that like butterflies personally offended you." He teased.

She shrugged playfully. "Maybe they did. Too much attention, those guys."

Cassius laughed under his breath, still stitching. Watching her bounce in delight gave him an odd warmth in his chest, and he tilted his head slightly.

"Do you wanna try it?"

That made her blink. "Huh?"

"You wanna try it?" He repeated. "Crocheting. I'll guide you."

Her face immediately twisted into a flustered grimace. "Uhh, no. Nope. I'm good." She said, shaking her head rapidly. "I'll mess it up for sure."

Cassius raised a brow. "You won't mess it up. I thought you said you wanted to do something?"

"I do." She groaned. "But not this. I mean, not me doing this. I will ruin it."

He stared at her, then gave a small shake of his head.

"That's not the point. I'm not asking you to finish it. Just…" He guided the yarn down slowly, the needles pausing. "Put your hands over mine. Just for a second. You'll get the feeling."

Julie blinked. "What?"

"Place your hands over mine." He said, softer this time. "Just feel the motion. It'll be like you're crocheting."

Her heart skipped a beat.

That...felt weirdly intimate.

More intimate than sitting on his lap, somehow. It felt like something only couples would do, hands-on-hands, creating something together.

But...at the same time, she did want to experience it. She wanted to feel what it was like to create something that pretty, that delicate, that perfect.

So slowly, very slowly, her fingers reached forward and gently rested on top of his.

His hands were warm, strong and yet gentle enough to dance with thread. And as she placed her fingers there, as he began to move again, this time slowly, intentionally, letting her feel every motion, her eyes widened.

It was like she was knitting herself and creating this wonderful creation.

Even though she wasn't really doing anything, her fingers felt every turn, every twist, every shift. The yarn glided between their skin like silk, the ladybug taking more shape beneath her watchful gaze.

She gasped softly. "It feels...like I'm actually making this…"

Cassius didn't respond. He just let her stay there, letting her take in the quiet magic of creating something delicate with hands that were never taught to make, but always wanted to.

And for that moment, the entire world went still as she came to realise that her childhood dreams were slowly being fulfilled in the hands of the man she as sitting on top of...