Reina paused the episode she’d been watching and flopped down on her couch. Sacred Heart had given them a day off, and Reina had decided to try and make the most of it, but she couldn’t help but feel a little anxious. She rolled over and checked her phone, only to lay it back down with a huff. Dorian had told her that he should’ve been able to have her cosplay done by yesterday, but she hadn’t heard anything since last evening or at school that day. He’d shared his games with her, and she tried to get through some of them, but that nagging feeling in the back of her mind kept her from enjoying things to the fullest. She started to wonder if Dorian might’ve forgotten or if he had overestimated himself, not sad because she was sure that he would still be working on it…at least she hoped. Her phone went off, startling her out of this train of thought, and she fumbled with it before seeing that it was Dorian. The text he’d left was short, but it made her heart leap.
‘It’s done. Come over in a bit if you’d like.’
With a squeak of giddiness, Reina got dressed and practically ran out of her home and down the street to Dorian’s. She hopped up the stairs to the porch and rang the doorbell…only to get no response.
“Dorian?” she called, ringing again, and looking through the window. “You there, dude?” There was no one in the entry hall which made her wonder if Dorian did his work up in his room. She rang a few more times before trying the door, and finding it unlocked. The floor creaked a little under her feet as she slowly stepped inside, suddenly feeling like she was in a horror movie as the silence settled around her. “You alright?” She poked her head into his room and quickly stifled her giggles.
Dorian was lying face-down on the futon in his room, one arm slung over his head with the other dangling down to the floor. One of his legs was bent at an angle that Reina was sure she’d never consider to be a comfortable position. Gizmo mewled at her, pawing at her shoelaces, and giving her the idea of Dorian sleeping like cats do…strangely. Making up her mind about something, she quietly sneaked her way over to him, knelt down beside him, and gently ran her fingers through his hair. An adorable smile creased his face and, if she didn’t know any better, she would’ve thought he leaned a little into it.
“Dorian…wake up….” The smile fell as he pushed a hand weakly at her before rolling over into the cushions.
“I don’t wanna go to school,” he grumbled. “Five more minutes….” Reina snorted at his childlike response to her request, but she wasn’t necessarily ready to leave him alone. Keeping her fingers in his hair, she leaned close to his ear.
“Dorian, it’s Reina,” she told him. “You called me over, remember?” He looked at her over his shoulder, his eyes groggy and looking like he hadn’t slept much and dulling his senses. After a moment, his eyes shot open in surprise as his mind finally processed what he was looking at.
“Reina!” he exclaimed, trying to get up but only succeeding to roll onto the floor with a heavy thud and a groan of pain. “Fuck, that hurt…I didn’t expect you so early….” She chuckled as Gizmo jumped on his chest, mewling in an almost triumphant manner. She pulled the kitten off and helped Dorian to his feet, watching as he popped his back and yawned widely. “Ugh…kinda wondering if doing an all-nighter was worth it for this….”
“Probably worth more to me than to you,” Reina offered.
“In a sense,” Dorian agreed. “But doing it for a friend is pretty rewarding enough….” He dragged his hands over his face in an effort to wake himself up, having not expected to fall asleep still in his clothes from yesterday. If he hadn’t been so excited to see the cosplay finished and put together, he would’ve at least changed. It wouldn’t have been like Reina hadn’t seen him in his pajamas in case things played out the same.
“So…can I see it?” she asked.
“Hmm?” he grunted. “Oh yeah…yeah, come on.” He led her out of his room and into the same room he’d taken her measurements. Reina’s eyes widened as a gasp escaped her, prompting a tired smirk from Dorian. “Thanks…it’s appreciated.”
“It’s perfect,” she breathed, ignoring his snarky comment, and walking over to it. “I really don’t know what else to say. It’s absolutely perfect….” Dorian joined her, listening as she gushed over even the littlest things like a kid a Christmas. He waited until she stopped before leaning over her shoulder.
“You want to try it on?”
Dorian then found himself waiting outside the room, taking the chance to take a shower and change into fresh clothes before leaning against the doorframe and listening to the sounds of Reina changing. Despite the whole situation with her measurements, Dorian had insisted on his integrity to not peep on a girl while he was changing. “You alright in there?”
“Actually, need your help a bit.” Putting a hand over his eyes, Dorian popped his head back into the room just in case. “Put you hand down, I’m decent.” He slowly dropped his hand and saw that she had everything on except for the wig and the corset she was holding onto behind her back. “A little help?”
“Of course,” he said, walking over and grabbing the laces. “I guess I supposed you’d be able to put this on yourself…you were getting used to wearing it, right?”
“Shut up,” she countered. “Putting it on over my uniform is different…and doesn’t change that it’s not easy when you're not too used to it….” Dorian shrugged and went back to work.
“Just tell me if it’s too tight, alright?” A short while later, she turned to face him and spread her arms.
“So,” she asked, “how does it look?” Dorian smiled before going to search through his desk.
“I’d say you’re going to make an excellent Madam Sienna,” he praised, pulling a handful of bobby pins from a drawer. “But for now, don’t you think we should try it all on for size?” She sat down at his vanity, allowing him to pull her hair back and up with the pins. “Now…the final piece.” Putting a net to keep her hair flat, he placed the wig on and flipped it back to get it to fall properly before looking into the mirror. “So…how’d we do?”
If he hadn’t known Reina for the past few weeks, he probably would’ve been knocked flat on his back again as she tackled him with a hug.
“It’s still perfect,” she said. “But you did most of the work, so you really deserve the credit for how amazing it looks.” She walked over to his full-length mirror and posed to see herself from different angles. “All we need now is the makeup and boots, but we’ve got that already.” She did this adorable little wiggle dance that made Dorian chuckle. It just drove home how much of a little kid she could be when she was excited.
“A well-made costume is only as amazing as the person who’s wearing it,” he complimented. She smiled back at him.
“I sometimes wonder how you can be so sweet,” she pondered. “I can’t wait to actually be able to wear this….”
“What a nice little segway,” Dorian said, moving behind her and pulling his own hair back. “There’s actually a little event going on tomorrow for a few hours. Starts around eleven and there’ll be cosplayers and fans there just milling around and either chatting or taking pictures.” Her eyes lit up at the thought.
“You’re going?”
“Correction, we’re going,” he answered. “If you want to, get over her early so we can get both mine and your makeup, get dressed and be on our way.”
“Won’t we get funny looks on the train?” Reina speculated. Dorian folded his arms across his chest and looked at her.
“Little tip about being a cosplayer,” he said, tapping her on the nose. “Don’t care if normal people think you look funny…care that they’re looking at you. Unless, of course, they’re creepy and it’s making you uncomfortable.”
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