Cassius carefully tugged the final thread through the soft red body. "With one pull of the string here...and one tug here…" He muttered to himself, his fingers skillfully weaving the last loop with a fluid precision. "Aaand, snip."

He cut the last piece of yarn with a quick flick of his little scissors, then gently lifted the creation up between his fingers like it was something sacred.

The finished ladybug sat neatly in his palm, small, chubby, red with black spots, and undeniably adorable.

He looked at her with a confident grin, holding it up like it was a trophy. "Ta-da! How do you like it?"

Julie had been sitting beside him the whole time, watching the process unfold with bright, focused eyes. Her hands were still gently wrapped around his, and the moment he lifted the completed ladybug into view, her entire face lit up with disbelief.

Her eyes then widened dramatically as if she'd just witnessed magic.

"Oh my God...you actually made it!" She gasped. "You actually made it! You actually made the ladybug!"

Without a second's hesitation, she grabbed it from his hand, her fingers trembling with excitement as she clutched it like it was a precious jewel.

"It looks so cute! So cute! Oh my god, it's adorable!" She cried, absolutely giddy, her voice almost high-pitched from the overload of joy. "How did you do this?! How in the world did you make it look even cuter than a real ladybug?! This is a miracle!"

She held it up in both hands, eyes wide in wonder, as if she was cradling a sacred relic bestowed by the gods themselves. Then, suddenly, she hugged it to her chest, her cheek pressed gently against its tiny crocheted body.

"It's so adorable I'm going to cry." She whispered with dramatic emotion. "I'm gonna keep it forever. It's mine now. No one else gets to touch it."

She squeezed it tighter, rocking slightly as she added with a tender murmur.

"I'm going to take it with me wherever I go...even while I sleep...just like my old teddy bear." She let out a soft, nostalgic sigh as she snuggled it against her cheek.

Cassius couldn't stop the smile tugging at his lips. Watching her beam like that, so completely filled with joy over something he'd made, it hit something deep in him.

"I was going to ask if you liked it...but I think I've got my answer already." He laughed softly.

Julie looked back at him then, her entire face glowing with admiration and awe.

"Of course I love it! Are you kidding? I've gotten gifts before, fancy things from nobles, even my father gave me jewelry and dresses. But this?" She held up the ladybug again reverently. "This is the best thing I've ever gotten. It's adorable."

She then turned fully toward him, still sitting on his lap, and looked him right in the eye.

"Thank you. Really. Thank you for making this." Her voice was soft, earnest. "You're honestly the best when it comes to this stuff. I don't know why I ever doubted you. You're a knitting master."

Then she suddenly wiggled where she sat, giddy, excited, still hugging the ladybug, and without realizing it, she began bouncing ever so slightly in his lap, each movement accidentally grinding her against him. Her butt shifted with every little shake, pressing into his lap in a way that made Cassius instantly rigid.

His smile remained, but behind it...sheer panic.

He bit his tongue ever so slightly as he tried to ignore the stimulation. She was still talking, totally unaware of what she was doing. He, on the other hand, was trying very hard not to burst into flames.

And just as it became too much, he cleared his throat and said with an a grin to stop her from rubbing herself on him,

"You know, I said I'd make you a ladybug for demonstration. But I don't remember saying I was giving it to you."

Julie froze Mid-bounce. Her eyes widened slowly and she clutched the ladybug tighter to her chest like he'd just threatened to rip her heart out.

Slowly, she turned to look at him, her eyes trembling, soft and misty, mouth slightly open in silent disbelief.

"You're not actually...taking it back, are you?"

She asked, voice fragile, on the edge of tears.

"I already made plans with it. I-I was going to take it out, introduce it to the town, take it on adventures...I even thought about giving it a name."

Her lips quivered slightly as she added,

"You can't take it away from me now...please don't…"

Cassius was speechless.

It felt like he had just kicked a puppy.

"N-No! I'm kidding! It's yours! It's all yours, okay?!" He stammered, hands raised as if surrendering to the sheer emotional pressure. "I wasn't serious! I swear, I would never take it from you."

Julie blinked. Then let out a massive sigh of relief, as though a weight had been lifted from her soul.

"Oh thank god…" She mumbled, gently stroking the ladybug's back with her thumb. "I don't know what I would've done without her. My whole life was flashing before my eyes."

Cassius blinked, watching her tenderly cradle the tiny yarn creature like it was her lifeline. "How...How does this mean so much to you?"

Julie didn't answer at first. She just hugged the ladybug again, whispering something softly to it, like it was her companion now.

Cassius, baffled, leaned his head back and muttered under his breath. "What kind of monster have I created…"

Julie then, slowly, almost dramatically, turned around with an oddly unsuspicious gaze, narrowing her eyes at him as if she were trying to read his soul.

Her arms were still tightly curled around the little ladybug, clutching it like it was the last piece of happiness in her entire life.

"…You're sure?" She asked, voice soft but with an intensity that made him blink. "You're really going to let me keep it? You're not going to wait until I'm having the best day of my life and suddenly appear like 'Julie, I've changed my mind' and snatch it right out of my hands?"

Cassius blinked slowly, exhausted by the sheer theatrics in her tone. He let out a long sigh, raking a hand through his hair before giving her a resigned, wry smile.

"I'm sure." He said, his tone gentle but honest. "It's completely yours. I swear. The whole world might call me a villain, Julie...but if I ever took that ladybug away from you, after seeing what it means to you, then I would be the villain they claim I am."

He raised his hands, as if surrendering himself to her judgment. "And I'm not about to go that far. You have my word. I won't do something like that to you."

Julie finally let out a deep, almost shaky breath, like she'd been bracing for the end of the world and now the apocalypse had been cancelled.

"Good...good…" She mumbled, nodding to herself, still holding the ladybug close.

But then, she turned to him again, this time with a strange glint in her eye, a blend of quiet menace and wounded dignity.

She narrowed her eyes once more and said in a half-threatening, half-pitiful voice,

"Because if you did take it away...I was honestly thinking of quitting as Captain of the Holy Guard."

Cassius's head tilted in slow disbelief. "What?"

"I'm serious!" She insisted, hugging the ladybug tighter. "I was seriously going to turn in my badge, walk away in protest. You'd never see me wear the uniform again." She let out a breathy pout. "No ladybug, no captain."

Cassius just stared at her, completely baffled, as thoughts swirled in his head. 'What in the world...It was just a ladybug made of yarn.'

But little did he know that it meant something more than just thread and buttons to her.

For Julie, it wasn't just a silly craft.

It was her favorite creature, something she associated with her mother and cherished from her childhood. And now, here it was again, brought to life not by some impersonal merchant or skilled artisan, but by someone who sat with her, listened to her, and made it with his own hands. With her in mind.

In her heart, that mattered more than any treasure. More than any heirloom. Even if someone gave her the strongest, most legendary sword in existence, it wouldn't bring out this kind of joy.

She might admire it, even swing it with pride, but it wouldn't make her hold it like this, with trembling arms and eyes that sparkled with sentiment...Not like this.

This, this tiny ladybug, meant everything. Because it was made with care. Because it was made by him.

Julie was silent for a while, simply gazing down at the little bug in her hands, cheeks flushed a soft red. Her lips curved into a shy smile as she tucked it close to her chest, glancing up at Cassius for a moment, only to quickly look away again as her blush deepened.

'He made it. With his hands...for me.' The thought alone sent a tingle through her chest.

She hugged it even tighter, as though afraid it would vanish, and in the quiet of that moment, her joy felt so soft, so real, and so innocent that even Cassius, usually so aloof and sharp, couldn't help but stare at her in silence...feeling oddly warm.

•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°•°

New NSFW illustrations have been dropped in the discord...Check them out!