Archive of Our Own ^beta

Marques had always considered herself to be quite humble, all things considered. 

Returning to Florawish after having spent a week at the Firework Isles was nothing short of shocking, the compliments she had received on the new outfit almost overwhelming. Marques usually blended into crowds, her short stature and standard outfit not much to gawk at. But as the Fireworks Knight… 

She was quite fond of the white coat, the way it draped over her shoulders reminiscent of a traditional mage. It created a more interesting silhouette, a style that she truly resonated with. Now that she was a stylist, maybe she could incorporate some of this aesthetic into her Ability Outfits. There was one outfit Nikki had that Marques quite liked, 'Enchanted Writing', she had called it? That was part of Marques' inspiration for her Fireworks Knight outfit. 

Now, Marques sat at the edge of her bed, staring down at the burn scars on her fingertips as she knit. They had almost completely faded, only noticeable if you were truly looking, or feeling the texture yourself. It had been fourteen years since she had touched the fireworks, and only now did she feel the scars had a new meaning. 

A knock on her door pulled Marques from her thoughts, a familiar voice calling out to her. It was her grandfather. 

"Come in!" 

Marques's grandfather opened the door, still in his work apron. "You have a visitor, come down." He gave Marques a small wink before leaving, and she only wondered who it could be. She set down her knit project and left the room. 

"Marques!" A familiar voice exclaimed as she greeted him. It was Nikki, back from Stoneville after weeks of being away. Her usual pink hair swapped for white, styled in a high ponytail, a blue ribbon holding it in place. She wore a gorgeous blue dress, with white trim on the top and a blue circle skirt that fanned out with masterful designwork. Marques only wished she herself could pull something like that off. She wasn't sure how her grandfather would react to such a thing, anyway.

Marques waved fondly at Nikki, who enthusiastically waved back. "I wanted to stop by before I head off to the Wishing Woods." 

"Thank you for coming," Marques smiled. It was only now that Marques noticed that Momo was noticeably not with Nikki. "Where's Momo?" 

"Oh, he's out shopping. I'm not sure if the shopkeepers will actually sell him anything, but he's got Bling! I can only hope he doesn't spend it at the Scam-o-Matic outside the Guild…"

"He'd be better off coming here!" Marques's grandfather chuckled to himself. 

Marques blushed at the casual advertising. "He can't, he and Nikki bought one of everything we have."

"Oh! You're the girl who took home Fluttering Wishes! A fine piece of craftsmanship, if I do say so myself," Marques Sr. said, giving Nikki a proud smile. 

Nikki smiled in return. "The dress is gorgeous! I'm glad to own it." 

Marques agreed about the dress. Fluttering Wishes had been outside the shop since she was little, and she had always wanted to try it on. She was too small for it when she had first seen it, and over time she had become too self-conscious to ask, even now that it would fit her. Nikki owned the dress now, anyway, there was no point dwelling on it in Marques' opinion. 

"I'll leave you two to it, then," Marques Sr. said, making his way back behind the sales counter, patting Nikki on the shoulder on the way. "Treat my boy well, would you?" 

Nikki opened her mouth to correct him, but Marques just shook her head at her. Nikki only nodded and ascended the stairs with Marques. 

"I'm really sorry he referred to you like that," Nikki said, sympathetic. 

Marques sighed. "He's trying, he just…forgets sometimes." 

It had been two years since Marques came out—she was nineteen at the time—and she would never admit it out loud, but it did really bother her that her grandfather seemed to only be trying to memorize how to refer to her rather than trying to view her as a woman. She hadn't changed her appearance much from before, still having shorter hair and wearing the same sweater-vests and long pants. But at least her grandfather was trying .

Wanting to change the topic, Marques spoke again. "It's nice to see you again." 

"Nice to see you too!" 

The tension was somewhat awkward between them, the way Marques and Nikki made their way to her room. Marques moved the knit project she had been working on out of the way to make room for Nikki to sit. 

"What's been new with you?" Nikki broke the silence after what felt like hours. 

"Not much…" Marques answered honestly. "I've been working on my designs a lot more." 

"That's great!" Nikki beamed. "Now that you're a stylist, I've been wondering; have you worked on any Ability Outfits? I would love to see your spin on a Purification Outfit! Or maybe a Floral Gliding Outfit?" Nikki stood and did a spin, her blue dress twirling. "This is mine." She sat back down next to Marques.

"Your outfits are always lovely, Nikki," Marques smiled, taking the heavy sketchbook from her desk to show Nikki some of her designs. The sketchbook was more of a binder, one that she had been adding pages to and ripping out for years. It was organized chaos, as Marques would put it, everything having its own tab, from store designs to Ability Outfits and everything in between. She flipped to the page where she had been working on a design for a Floating Outfit, handing her sketchbook to Nikki. 

Nikki looked for a while at the design. Marques' idea for a Floating Outfit consisted of a wing-like pattern, a cape made of a light fabric that would flow out as she floated. The skirt was a cream color, a shape similar to the one Nikki was wearing right now, just with an intricate rose pattern along the hem. The top tapered out at the front, and was longer in the back, all of it flowing out to a certain point. Sketches next to the main design showed how she wanted the fabric to flow and move with her. 

"It's not done yet," Marques said, only partially confident in her design. Nikki's Floating Outfit had been somewhat of an inspiration to her, with the two ribbons that flowed behind her that tied in a beautiful bow on her back. Marques had only come up with one Ability Outfit before this, that being her Fireworks Knight Outfit, which made her feel so much more confident than she had in over a dozen years. 

"It's beautiful, Marques," Nikki smiled, hugging the sketchbook close to her chest. "You really have an eye for this sort of thing." 

"Thank you," Marques stared at the floor, hiding her blush. "I just hope I can pull it off," she added, more to herself than to Nikki. 

Nikki put her hand on Marques' shoulder, bringing herself closer to her. "You're a great seamstress, I don't know why you wouldn't be able to. You've got so many high-quality fabrics too. Your Fireworks Knight outfit turned out fantastic." 

Marques didn't meet her eyes. "No, it's not that…" she sighed. "I just mean, I'm not sure if I would look all that great in it. I don't wear skirts all that often, but I just love the way they look in the wind. I wanted to incorporate that." 

"You'll look great, Marques. I just know it." Nikki gave her a reassuring look, and Marques wanted more than anything to believe her. The way Nikki worded it was confident, she really did have the power to make people believe they could do anything. It was no wonder the people in Florawish loved her so much, Marques included. 

"That means a lot, coming from you." 

"Here, I'll prove it," Nikki said. She stood, taking Marques' hand in her own, her fingertips brushing against the burn scars. Once they were both standing, Nikki summoned the famous dress itself: Fluttering Wishes. Marques still didn't have a full grasp on how Stylists could just summon clothes out of what seemed like thin air, she was only able to summon the outfits for now, not dismiss them. Nikki led Marques to the full-body mirror and stood behind her, holding the dress up in front of Marques' chest as if she were really wearing it. 

"Nikki…"

"See!? You'd look great in stuff like this." Nikki took the paperboy-style cap from Marques' head, still holding up the dress with one arm. She tossed the hat onto Marques' bed, then turned back to her. 

Marques stared at herself, the way the curvature of the dress didn't match her body shape. She was built like a street lamp in her own opinion, not much body fat or curve at all. The dress better suited Nikki, and of course Nikki had it tailored to fit her size when she had bought it. Marques still couldn't help but stare at the dress, the blue paper cranes fluttering around the edge and the pale green fabric matching perfectly with the colors in the room around her. 

"...Can I try it on?" Marques asked without thinking. She immediately regretted it, but Nikki's face told a different story. She looked excited, ecstatic even. 

"YES! Of course!" Nikki holds the dress out to Marques, who takes it from her hands. Marques nodded, walking into the hall bathroom to get changed. 

Marques took off her sweater-vest and dress shirt, pulling the dress over her head. She struggled getting the ribbon in the back through the grommets in the back, and gave up, opting to just ask Nikki to help her tie it. Staring at herself again, Marques realized the dress fit her much better than she thought it would. The string in the back was far more adjustable than she thought, which made sense, considering that her grandfather had worked to make it as accessible as possible for whoever had wanted to wear it, even though Nikki had still had it tailored. She and Nikki were around the same height, but Marques was noticeably thinner, something Marques was more self-conscious about than she wanted to admit. Nikki was gorgeous, she could pull off any outfit no matter what. Marques only wished she could have that power. 

Leaving the bathroom, Marques walked back to her room and Nikki quite literally gasped. 

"Marques!" Nikki approached her, placing her hands on Marques' shoulders. "You look amazing!" 

Marques blushed, turning around. "Can you tie this for me?" 

Nikki nodded enthusiastically, quickly lacing the ribbon in the back through the grommets. She pulled it tight, but not too tight, just enough to give it a snug fit. 

"Spin, spin," Nikki said, and Marques spun around in the dress, smiling as she did so. The bottom half of the dress was surprisingly light, much lighter than Marques expected it to be with the way it fanned out. It really was a masterpiece of a dress. When she looked at herself in the mirror, the dress exposed her freckled shoulders and too-skinny arms. 

Nikki came up behind Marques and placed a white lace ribbon in her hair, one that she had seen Nikki wear many times before.

"Thank you, Nikki," Marques beamed at her reflection. "I just…" 

"...You just what?"

"I don't know…" Marques shook her head fondly. "It's nice, thank you."

Nikki hovered her arms over Marques' shoulders, a silent ask if she could hug her. Marques nodded and took a step backwards, allowing Nikki to fully embrace her from behind. 

"You're beautiful…" Nikki said, a whisper in Marques' ear. Marques really did miss Nikki in her time away from Florawish, and now she was to leave again for the Wishing Woods soon. It was too soon, and even though she had only known Nikki for a month or so, Marques knew she loved her. 

And Nikki felt the same, somehow. 

A gentle kiss on the cheek, Nikki stepped away from Marques, leaving her back feeling cold, the distance between them feeling like a thousand miles. Marques blushed at the kiss, Nikki only having done that a few times before, notably before she left for Stoneville. Nikki was so important , someone all of Wishfield could rely on— would rely on. A legendary Stylist, despite not having been one for long. Marques had been feeling more confident in herself recently, having become a Stylist too, but she had a long way to go to get to Nikki's level. Of course, she wasn't jealous or anything, only wondering how Nikki could love someone like her in that way. Marques was only a shopkeeper before, but maybe her time on the Firework Isles had changed something in Nikki. 

"Oh, look at the time! Momo must be looking for me," Nikki said in shock, staring at the clock on Marques' nightstand. Marques turned to face her, and Nikki kneeled and held out a hand, reaching out to Marques. Nikki's outfit changed to a princely attire, one Nikki had referred to earlier as 'Twilight Oath', and called this one the 'Blaze' variant specifically. 

Marques took Nikki's hand, and she softly kissed Marques' fingertips, burn scars and all. Nikki wanted to be the knight this time, it seemed. 

"Wait—Nikki. Do you really think I can go out wearing this?" Marques asked sincerely, stepping back from Nikki. She was suddenly self-conscious about the dress, worried others might think oddly of it.

"You look great! I promise, you'll get nothing but compliments." Nikki assured, placing both hands on Marques' shoulders. "And besides, if anyone gives you shit, I'll punch 'em." Nikki smiled and made a punching motion, one reminiscent of a cat, which startled a laugh out of Marques. Nikki laughed too, the wonderful sound ringing through the room. 

Nikki held out a hand again, and Marques took it, more confidently this time. The two came down the stairs, and Marques hoped her grandfather wouldn't say anything negative about the dress. 

Marques Sr. smiled at the sight of Nikki and Marques walking down the stairs, Marques in the dress visible for all to see. 

"You look great in that, kiddo." Marques Sr. said, causing Marques to smile from ear to ear. 

"Thank you." Her words were a genuine expression of gratitude. 

Marques Sr. waved. "You girls have fun now. Nikki, take care of Marques for me."

Nikki gave Marques Sr. a silly salute before waving and heading out the door. 

Still smiling at her grandfather's words, Marques knew that he approved of the outfit, happy to see his granddaughter in something he had so carefully crafted. 

"Momo!" Nikki exclaimed as her and Marques walked down the street toward the Stylist's Guild. Momo looked sheepish, holding a noticeably empty wallet, surrounded by a pile of clothes that Nikki already had. 

"Look—it's not my fault! It was calling my name!" Momo sighed, staring up at the Surprise-o-Matic next to him. 

Nikki rolled her eyes. 

"Woah—Marques! Lookin' good!" Momo smiled, waving to Marques. 

"Thank you!" She beamed back, gaining more confidence in herself. 

Nikki picked up Momo out of the pile of clothes, setting him aside as she began packing them into a woven basket with crochet sunflowers she had materialized.

Clearly, they would be taking a trip to Yelubo at the recycle shop.