Raven thumbed through the patterns in the drawer. Robin and Kori hovered over her shoulder.
"That one," said Robin softly.
Raven pulled it out. The top was simple enough, but the dress portion had a lot of layers and probably a petticoat.
"You want the illusion of a waist?" she asked, and he nodded. "Okay. It's gonna take time, but I think I can do it. Do you like these colors?"
"Well, purple's more your thing. How about… red?"
Raven thought for a moment. "Cranberry red or cherry red? Like, a darker shade or super bright?"
"Probably darker."
He suddenly looked around. Kori took his hand and gently assured him no one was watching or listening. Raven couldn't resist the tiny smile that surfaced watching them.
"Okay," she said, "cranberry. Cranberry… Oh, I wish I had my markers. I'll be right back."
"What should we do?" Kori asked.
"Oh, just… look around at the fabric," Raven told them. "Find something that speaks to you."
They nodded and pulled Robin along to look at the licensed flannels. Raven snickered. It was like they were made for each other, and she wondered if Robin saw it, too. Maybe he was just that oblivious. Again, made for each other.
Raven leaned against the cutting counter.
"Hello…? Anyone here?"
"Coming!" a muffled voice called.
Raven drummed her fingers. It felt like the first time she'd been able to think all week. Oh, God, had it only been a week? It should be Christmas by now. Her stomach turned. Thinking bad. That's why she insisted on going back to school Friday instead of waiting until Monday. Her mind needed to be occupied. Sewing, cooking, running, drawing, anything. Last week, she was pining over Kori, and now the very thought of dating made her nauseous.
A bandaged hand appeared in front of her face.
"Heeeey, I'm here. Are you?" the worker asked.
"Oh, sorry," Raven muttered. "I wanted to borrow your swatch book, if it's free."
"Yeah, one sec… here you go. B-T-dubs, I love your hair!"
Raven's hand shot instinctively to her cheek to rub the locks.
"Th-thanks," she said. "Yours is cool, too."
Which wasn't a lie, either. Dark ribbons restrained pink pigtails. The clerk laughed.
"Aw, thanks! It kind of clashes with the uniform, though," she said. "Normally, I'm more of a pastel goth flavor."
"Less pastel, more goth for me," Raven said, chuckling. "I'll be right back with this, ma'am."
"Oh, please, I'm not fifty. Jaya's fine!"
"O… kay. Jaya."
Raven picked up the binder and started back to the aisle her friends were in. She found them bickering over ponies.
"I'm not saying they aren't cute," said Robin, "but I'm not sure about actually watching it."
"Okay, we will not. It is a girl thing, yes?"
"Actually," Raven said slowly, cutting between them, "there's a pretty broad fandom across genders. I guess the team did a good job of making it more than a 'little girl's show,' or something. It's less girly than skirts, if that matters."
Robin whined gently. "I dunno…"
"Hey, it's too pink for me," said Raven, "but if you're curious, I think you should watch it together and just see what happens. Worst case, you get a laugh out of it, right?"
"What is this?" Kori asked, grabbing the binder in Raven's hands.
"It's a sample book. They keep little swatches of the fabric they carry so you can pick them out without pulling a hundred bolts down."
"Bolts?" asked Robin
"The thing you're holding. It's called a bolt." Raven touched the blue printed fabric. "That's pretty soft. Is that poly-cotton?"
"Kori made me hold it."
"You do not need to lie to us, Robin," Kori reminded him. "I am agreeing with you, anyway. I like the fish."
"Might make a good night shirt," offered Raven.
"Oooh, yes!" Kori clapped. "I would like one shirt of night!"
Raven smiled, nodded, and looked at Robin. He shrugged.
"Well, if you're making them one anyway, I guess I'd like one, too."
"I can do that. Anyway, about the outfit." Raven opened the binder and pointed to some of the options. "I'm thinking we can do a cranberry top with some gold embroidery, and maybe… this for the skirt portion?"
She pointed out a simple, spruce green fabric. Robin again scanned the aisle before responding softly.
"Sounds like a lot of color."
Raven looked at the pattern again and said, "I won't make you commit to anything right now, okay? This is kind of a big deal, and you should get exactly what you want. How about we start small?"
"With the shirts?" Kori asked.
"Right," Raven said. "Let me draw a few designs up, and you can tell me what works and what doesn't. Does that sound good?"
Robin shifted on his toes and nodded.
"I guess I'm nervous," he said. "I'm a boy. I know I'm a boy…"
Raven put her hands on his shoulders. "Rob. Fuck 'em."
His eyes widened. "What?"
"Have you ever seen a picture of Jesus in pants?" she asked.
"Where I am from, men can wear pants or gowns," Kori added.
"Kori's right. Clothes are personal, and you should wear what makes you happy," Raven said. "What other people think isn't your problem."
"Why do you like it?" Kori asked. "Does it just feel right, like pants?"
Robin blushed and stared at the floor.
"It makes me feel cute," he said after a moment.
Raven looked at the pattern in her hand again.
"You're a loli," she realized. Robin shot her a confused look, and she said, "Lolita. It's fashion focused on lace and frills and pretty things."
"Yeah, that sounds about right," mumbled Robin. "It's just so dumb. I shouldn't like feeling cute."
"Why not?" asked Kori.
"Because boys aren't cute."
Kori nodded. "You are happy with your body, yes?"
"Yeah."
"Are you happy with how people see you?"
"Sometimes."
"Are you happy with how you see you?"
Confusion again flooded Robin's face, mirrored by Raven's expression.
"What?" she asked.
"This is how I learned it," Kori explained. "I am happy with my body, but how I look and how people look at me was not right. Wearing pants and being a they makes me happy."
Robin sighed. "I'm a he. I like being a he. I just also like being cute."
"You have an uneasy mind," they said simply. "My uneasy is social and mental. It is an unlearning of what I was told and learning to be me now. You can do it, too."
Raven wrapped an arm around Robin's shoulders and rested her cheek on his hair.
"You can be a boy and still pretty," she assured him.
She felt Robin lean into her slightly before Kori hugged them both as well. Raven smiled.
"Hey," she said, pulling away, "I'm gonna go buy this stuff. Why don't you two go find the dorks?"