Fantasy Cosmical Glitch ( ellarose & starboob. )

[ellarose]

It just so happens that Juno's not the only one with a surprise up her sleeve on this crisp December day.

Lettie hums to herself, traversing the market square with a lively spring in her step. Her wife doesn't know it yet-- but the New Years celebration they're throwing is going to double as Juno's first ever birthday party. The timing couldn't have been more perfect. It kicks off the beginning of January, after all, which will henceforth be known as Juno's month. (Or the month of Juju? Junoary? Jujuary? Okay, she's still workshopping the name.) All they know is that she's a Capricorn and this little faerie has never been one to take a birthday lightly. She wants to let her wife know that she's happy she exists every day, of course, but especially so over the month of January. For all they know, any day could be her actual birthday and she doesn't want to risk letting it pass unacknowledged. If that means celebrating every day, so be it!

Stars. Whenever Lettie thinks of it going unacknowledged her whole life, she could just cry. Next year she fully intends on starting this tradition December twenty-second. They've been awfully busy with their cottage this year and the idea of a surprise party in the guise of a New Years shindig was too tempting to resist. Juno could have been born at the end of December for all they know! And, oh, has that knowledge been nagging at her these last couple of days. It's a comfort to act on the desire to spoil her wife now as she wanders through town and picks up all manner of presents for her. She's been sneakily accumulating them for a while, like a tiny squirrel gathering nuts to last the winter season.

Lettie thrifted some boots, a cool jacket, and warm house slippers with a embroidered skulls and stars on them. She picked out a few shirts in different colors and styles, to allow Juno some freedom to experiment now that her tastes have expanded. A box of her favorite peanut butter candies, a swanky new water gun, coffee cups, a few relaxing bath and spa kits... on Avangeline, she also made it her mission to find one of those silly dad hats like the one she loved and lost. 'Let the fish who thinks he knows no fear look well upon my face.' (Like the little shit she is, she also picked out some new lingerie for herself. That technically counts as a gift for Juno, doesn't it? A sexy feast for the eyes? Hehe.) Over time, however, she felt a simple collection of things weren't... enough. While she'd been shopping thoughtfully, she yearned to show her love for Juno in other ways. Emotions with depths like these shouldn't only be shown with the amount of money she would spend! She writes a love song and a booklet of silly little poems to make her smile, but still finds that she wants to do more to express the enormity of her feelings.

It must've been fate the day the faerie wandered into a tailor's shop called Amabilia's in spring and befriended the old, grandmotherly shopkeep. 'Mable from Fabel'. A legend in the village for her The woman noticed Lettie's eye for fashion and started teaching her how to sew and knit and crochet in exchange for her insights and assistance with deliveries. Lettie started sneaking away on occasion to attend to her projects under the casual, natural guise of running errands for home renovations while her workshop at home was still being built. While her first few projects were total duds, she eventually managed to make a few things she's proud enough to present to her wife. Like the knitted scarf, hat, and glove set she made. (The hat looks like a skull, the scarf is black with stripes of little blue butterflies, and the gloves are similarly made to match.) The butterflies are a bit misshapen-- but surely the effort will count for something?

Mable also suggested that she embroider her first initial into a lace handkerchief. The gesture might be a bit old fashioned, but the idea had seemed so romantic. (Useful, too. Juno, the sweet softie she is, is prone to crying even when she's happy these days.) Lettie's currently working on a yellow cardigan. She hopes to finish it by the end of January... that way, Juno might be able to wear it in the spring. If she likes it, that is. Hopefully she likes it.

The trickster faerie intends to hide the gifts around their house, make a treasure hunt game of it every day. It ought to keep them occupied through the long winter months. Occasionally her mind will wander back to Juno's confession, that she was afraid the peaceful life wouldn't suit her and that she'd start to get restless. Now that they've finished their home renovations and decorating and will likely be cooped inside the home they worked so hard on, it'd be nice to make sure they still have exciting new things to look forward to. They've been perfectly happy over their first months as wives and she hopes with her whole entire heart that they'll continue to live that way, even after their home loses its novelty.

Lettie also hopes no one lets the secret slip today. (Especially Inez or fucking Fred.) She's still somewhat suspicious as to why Juno gathered so many helpers. Their new kitchen isn't cramped like the one she used to have in her shitty Avangeline apartment or anything... but there's only so much space for all of them! (How many of those tykes can cook or even reach the countertops? Not that she's one to judge on matters of height.) She senses something is going on... Juno gets so fidgety when she's trying to keep a secret! Even so, she has no idea whatsoever what her wife could be up to. She'd gone out of her way to make her errands sound super boring and unappealing... but turns out she might not have had to worry about that after all.

At the end of the day, she trusts her wife. And whatever it is, she'll probably know soon enough. Still. It's so hard, not knowing! She can't stop turning it over in her head. Lettie tries not to let it distract her as she pokes in the bakery to check on the cake she ordered. Ah, it's breathtaking. It's an extravagant, three tiered cake made to look like their cottage, complete with a sculpted Lady Vengeance on top and everything. It's extra in just about every way... but c'mon! It's Juno's first ever birthday cake! It won't go to waste, given they'll have plenty of guests over to help them eat it-- their friends, their family, the villagers and sheep of Fabel. It's perfect. Lettie makes sure that the staff knows when to deliver it and then sets about on the errands she claimed to be doing.

***​

Turns out Lettie's the one who needs a handkerchief when she comes home to find exactly what kind of surprise Juno had in store for her. She frantically waves her hands around her face and blinks rapidly, but there's nothing she can do to stop the tears from welling up in her eyes as she takes it in. It's pink. Their cottage is pink-- her favorite shade of pink, no less-- and it's positively adorable. It's the home of her dreams if there ever was one, setting her tender gay heart aflutter.

"Juju, you..." Lettie struggles to articulate her feelings into words. All she can do is gesture weakly at their home. Pink is one of those colors that-- well. Not everyone's so fond of pink. Juno sure wasn't when they first met. Lettie was content to compromise on this decision, to pick a color they were both fond enough of, but this... "--for me?"

The children are silent, gawking, wondering if Miss Lettie is okay. They begin to fear whether or not they might have messed up somewhere. But their features all soften with relief when the faerie loops her arms around Juno's shoulders and starts kissing her face all over. All over, until their faces match the pink of the cottage. Some of them 'oooh', others giggle and cover their eyes, occasionally peeking between their fingers. Knowing full well how this could progress, Marjorie and Phillip quickly herd the tiny sheep away from the scene. Fred and a suspiciously pink Inez hightail it out of there as well. (...Later they find an imprint of Inez striking a sassy pose on the back of the cottage, next to a carved message that says 'Fred wuz here'.)

"I love it. I love you."

***​

They're counting down the seconds 'till midnight and Lettie can scarcely contain her excitement. When the clock strikes twelve, she kisses her wife passionately as everyone cheers and hollers and greets the new year. Just as the wives pull away to breathe, the faerie grins and drops the glamours she'd been using on their home for the duration of the party. In whimsical clouds of sparkles and confetti, their new years party decorations transform into birthday decorations. The 'happy new years' that their guests had been exchanging quickly turn into happy birthday wishes for Juno. Then, with perfect timing, the village baker appears in the doorway with their cottage cake. (Though the poor baker is in something of a panic, stating to not have realized that the cottage was pink. Lettie soothes their worries by glamouring the cake to match their newly pink home and informing them that this is a new development.)

"It's officially Jujuary!" Lettie says with a bright smile when she notes Juno's confusion. "Everyone's here to celebrate you."

"...Are you really calling it Jujuary?"

"Shut up, Thad." Lettie puffs her cheeks. Then she turns back expectantly to her wife, handing her her first gift. The handkerchief, which she used to wrap a treasure map. Her cheeks warm bashfully as she goes on to explain her vision. "So, I've hidden gifts all around the house... and Fabel, too. For the rest of this month, it's your mission to find one gift a day." A fitting activity for a pirate captain, no? It's clever! Nerdy. It's so friggin' nerdy. "I did promise you treasure when we met, didn't I?"

 

[starboob]

“What the fuck… Lette.” Tears the size of globes well in Juno's eyes, slide down her cheeks, and collect at the tip of her chin. They plop, plop, plop onto the map and soak into handkerchief. Soon they're spilling onto her wife's shoulder when she sweeps her into her arms and buries her face in Lettie's neck. Her arms wind around her, holding her fiercely like she used to when she was scared of her leaving or dying. These days, holding her like this is the anchor she needs when her feelings get too big to be contained. "You friggin' nerd."

It overwhelms Juno, how much she is loved. There was a period of her life where she never thought love could be for her or would ever be for her. She learned to accept her heart’s isolation and was content with only having her breath. But it occurs to her, through the month of Jujuary, that that time will soon be no more than a blip. That the period where she is loved and held in safe hands will eclipse the period where she was a stray dog fighting for scraps from the Duchess’s table.

Juno has no idea what she’s done to find someone so wonderful, someone so loving and tender with her heart. Lettie is the only gift she needs and her faerie still insists on making sure the pirate knows how important she is. (With time, Juno starts to believe that it might be true.) The month of Jujuary is full of tears.

When she finds the book of silly poems hiding behind the sugar, she cries into her cereal until it's too soggy to eat. (The survivalist in her still finishes her breakfast, knowing better than to waste resources.) She sobs into the blue blob scarf after Lettie wraps it around her neck and shows her all the different ways to wear it. She melts into a puddle of incoherence when she finds the first of the bath and spa kits, reminded that she’s earned her soft new life. The only gift that doesn’t make her cry is that new lingerie set. (Lettie has to keep slapping her impatient hands away; though she clearly relishes her pirate’s eager desire.)

Juno wears her slippers around the house everyday. She rotates between her new shirts and learns she likes stripes and plaid patterns, as well as anything waffle knit. As far as colors go, she still has her preference for darker tones with bright yellows and pinks being a distinct exception. (She loves the look on Lettie's face whenever she surprises her with a new color.) Whenever they go out on walks, she puts on her skull beanie or her dad hat (which she loves more than words can articulate). And when she finds the last gift, a yellow cardigan, she puts it on and doesn’t take it off for a week. “It feels like wearing your hug,” she explains between glasses of wine. She's grinning like an idiot, enough that Lettie pokes her dimple. “It’s the best, like you.”

***​

When it’s time for Lettieruary, Juno admits she hadn’t realized how involved birthday months were supposed to be and still does her best to make sure her wife feels celebrated each and every day. Lettie does try to massage her wife’s concerns, but the pirate has none of it and insists and promises that this will be the only “dud” year. Even then, Juno manages to pull off more than a few surprises.

Like when she takes them into town, feigning like she’s set up some sort of competition for them and instead takes her to a nail salon for a couples appointment. (Marjorie and Inez had to help Juno with scheduling it. The pirate was hopelessly lost after the receptionist asked about “petty cures.”) She even lets Lettie pick out a color for her nails. Though, true to her wife's nature, she's less interested in choosing a color for Juno than she is in learning more about Juno's ever expanding tastes. Together they select a sparkly clear polish; "tame but extra," as Lettie puts it.

Then there’s the dinner party that Juno organizes for the day of Lettie’s actual birthday. It’s not a surprise like her own birthday, but she goes out of her way to set everything up exactly in line with her wife’s vision. The actual surprise comes just before they cut the cake when Juno presents her wife with a new star shaped electric guitar. Obviously, it's got rainbow sparkles all over it.

The next day she presents her wife with a new song book and fresh glitter gel pens. Another day she sneaks into Lettie’s workshop and leaves it stocked with all sorts of supplies she might need. (Juno admittedly got some pointers from Mable from Fabel.) She finds a pair of heels that scream 'Olette Lycoris Radiata, the fucking faerie' and a few other accessories she thinks her wife will enjoy. (She does get some input from Titania.) She finds a carnival on candy world to take Lettie to and wins her a giant stuffed shark, Sir Regis III. (Juno immediately gets jealous after waking up three nights in a row to her wife snuggling Sir Regis III and not her.) And everyday of her birthday month, she writes Lettie love notes and leaves them around their cottage for her to find after her shower, while grabbing her coffee mug, on her ice skates, and so on. The notes take forever to write, too, since Juno has to make sure they’re legible enough for Lettie to decipher. ...It almost takes Lettie as long to read the notes as it took Juno to write them.

On the last day of Lettieruary, they're kept indoors by a rare Fabel blizzard. It ruins Juno's plans to take Lettie out for a night of dancing, and yet they still make the most of the day, playing games and making forts of pillows and blankets. Juno builds them a fire while Lettie makes them some cups of spiked cocoa. When Lettie pads into the living room, she sets down their mugs and proceeds to declare war on Juno by chucking (playfully tossing) a marshmallow at the back of her head. Well, it would have hit the back of her head had Juno not turned at exactly the right moment. It hits her right between the eyes instead. Lettie glitches before Juno can tackle her and they chase each other around the house, their home. They make a mess of it while they fight like puppies and help each other clean it.

By the time they’re finally leaning into each other on the velvet couch, sipping the same beverage that brought them together, it's late and well past their usual bedtime. Still, they claw for more hours awake and resist the urge to sleep. Juno's cheeks are warm from more than just the alcohol as she traces the bumps of Lettie's spine. "What comes after this?"

 

[ellarose]

"What comes after this..." Lettie muses quietly, pursing her lips and quirking her head to the side as she considers it. They've tired themselves out after playing all night, but that doesn't mean they have to say goodnight quite yet. She beams when she thinks of something. "Come with me." The little faerie takes her wife's hand, an excited skip in her step as she leads her to the bay window. They climb up onto the cushion there, among blankets and throw pillows, and get cozy.

"Now... look out the window, Juju." Lettie instructs. She presses her nose close enough to the glass that she can almost feel how cold it is outside. In the glow of their front porch light, all they can see outside their cottage is the snowfall against the darkness of the night. It's pretty. She always thought so, anyway. "It's kinda like we're in space, right?" These words are followed by a lopsided grin. "I used to do this all the time as a little kid. It made me feel closer to my source."

Lettie hugs one of the pillows to her chest with a sheepish laugh when she realizes what she just said. So much has happened since that little (littler) faerie gazed out her bedroom window, wishing on imaginary stars that she could connect with her source the way other faeries did. She also wished for a band, the most badass jacket ever, and for love. In the end, she got everything she wished for. Though it wasn't as easy as simply wishing for them like a pure of heart ingenue in a fairytale. She had to fight like hell. They had to bring hell and the stars.

They're never going to forget what it took to bring them here-- to this moment-- and they don't take a single one of their peaceful days for granted because of it. Their journey wasn't an easy one by any means, but Lettie wouldn't trade it for anything in the worlds. This life they've carved out for themselves is the realest thing she's ever had. It's more than a wish, or a fantasy... it's everything. Juno's everything.

"Guess it's a little lame now that we've actually been to space." Lettie's about to say something else, but snorts when she notices Juno fogging up the glass as she presses her nose against it to watch the snow. "Juju! The-- the glass..." She takes her pillow and lightly smacks her arm. This starts a sleepy pillow fight between them. The faerie giggles when her wife tackles her. Though she could glitch herself free, she snuggles sleepily into her embrace instead. "Aw! You've got me." To this day, she still melts like butter in Juno's arms. How can she be expected not to swoon when her wife (her wife!) holds her in her stupidly buff arms?

Together, Lettie and Juno could easily go on more high-stakes adventures. They could make the whole universe their bitch. But this peaceful life, this simplicity... it's all they've really wanted. Isn't it? Calytrix keeps reminding them that they have another wish... but she honestly doesn't know what else they could possibly need as long as they have each other. Ah, listen to her. She's become such a sap!

"I've got you." Juno confirms as she stands and carries her up to bed. Lettie hums contentedly, nestling her head against her shoulder. When her wife joins her under the covers, she admits that she prefers admiring the stars from the comfort of their home. (Then she goes on to kiss all of her starry freckles, saving the favorite for last. When her hands move lower Lettie knows she isn't just talking about the snow when she talks about the stars.) They keep each other warm as snow collects on their roof outside. Later, as they drift off to sleep, the faerie whispers that she agrees with her.

***​

Even when their birthday months have passed, Lettie and Juno keep each other warm the rest of the winter season. They keep the fire going with warm breakfasts in the morning and sleepy kisses in the evening. One night when they reminisce about the quiz game they played and decide it'd be fun to give game nights a try. To start, the cubes set up a harmless trivia game about their adventures. They invite the skeleton crew to play with them and things get pretty intense. They have to guess what Lettie's record for outfit changes was in a single battle and how many O names Juno called Lettie before she finally memorized her name. It brings up all sorts of memories. Although Lettie and Juno are as competitive as ever, it's Abigail who ends up winning in the end. They swear the cube must've been giving her points regardless of whether her answers were right or wrong. Especially considering none of her answers made any amount of sense. Like... they never rode space dolphins. Lettie would have remembered that!

They continue to try new games to keep them occupied on chilly days and eventually pick up a puzzle. It occupies nearly the entire surface of their kitchen table for a time. (Lettie and Juno are content to have floor picnics while this lasts.) It quickly becomes a group effort, as their guests will often wander over to the puzzle and see if they can find a piece that fits.

Hearing news of the couple's interest in games, Ravan and Thad are insistent on teaching them one of their complex nerd games. It involves collectables (dolls), cubes (dice), and coming up with characters that go on adventures. Ainsley and Eric, Ravan's new werewolf boyfriend, join in as well. They agree to meet on Fridays and switch up their meeting locations to keep things interesting.

"Why can't I be a faerie?" Lettie puffs her cheeks at Thad after he explains his rules for the billionth time. "And what's wrong with my character having a pink harp? She's a bard, isn't she?"

"The color pink doesn't exist in the world of Nightdoom. Neither do faeries. You can be..." Everyone looks at Thad intensely, warning him not to say it. He says it anyway. "...an elf?"

Needless to say, all hell breaks loose. Lettie turns Thad's hair and attire pink-- classic faerie antics, as Juno would call them-- and at the end of a battle involving many cheek puffs and thrown snacks, faeries and the color pink are allowed to exist on Nightdoom. Eric wins Lettie over by proudly proclaiming that he's going to play as a faerie as well.

***​

Days pass and they start to hear birdsong in the mornings again. Springtime is coming around again on Fabel. Flowers are just beginning to bloom and Lettie and Juno's first anniversary is fast approaching. It's also cherry blossom season. Though the air is still crisp, Lettie and Juno have decided they need to take in the scenery while it lasts. They're planning to walk for a while and then enjoy a nice picnic lunch.

"C'mon, Prissy." Lettie pouts. She's trying to coax her cat into the yellow sweater she knitted for her. (Mabel promised that someday, when she has more experience, she could start selling her own collection of fae inspired clothes in Amabilia's. The faerie's been working hard to do the old woman proud.) "It's still chilly outside! You'll look so cute in it and..." This is it. Her ace. She waggles the sweater enticingly. "You'll match Juno."

Not even this angle works. Prissy's perpetually grumpy face is grumpier than ever as she swats the sweater away.

"Fine. You leave me no choice but to give it to your brother." Lettie shakes her head, reaching on the bed for Sir Regis III. She slides the shark plush into the sweater. The arm holes fit awkwardly around the fins, but it works. Kind of. "See how cute he is, Prissy? Bet you're jealous now."

Prissy simply huffs and pads out of the room. Before Lettie can react, she hears Juno calling her from downstairs. "Lette, you coming?"

"Yeah, just a sec!" Lettie quickly checks herself over in the mirror. She's wearing a long, flowing sundress and a yellow ribbon around her wrist. Though she considered braiding her hair, she decides against it. She's too eager to hang out with her wife to mess with it now. The faerie glides down the hall and grins at the sight of Juno at the bottom of the stairs. The light filtering in through their sunrise kitchen compliments her dimple and yellow cardigan perfectly. She takes a second to pause, to truly take this moment in. To cherish it while she has it. Stars, I love her so much.

Lettie proceeds to dive-bomb down the stairs, crashing into Juno.

***​

While Lettie had initially wondered at Juno's decision to wear a jacket over her cardigan, it all makes sense when her wife notices her shivering and drapes it over her shoulders. (She wore it for her. She's got her, forever and always.) The faerie kisses her on the cheek to thank her, grins and wraps the long arms of the jacket around her small frame. It smells like her. She gazes admiringly up at the pink blossoms swaying overhead with the breeze and laughs when a petal lands in Juno's hair.

"You're gonna need another haircut soon" Lettie observes. She glides to make up for their height difference and picks the petal out of her hair so she can show it to her. "...It suits you, Juno." Realizing this could be misconstrued as the petal, she quickly continues. (Don't get her wrong, though, her wife does look very adorable with petals in her hair.) "The peaceful life, I mean."

Tap, tap. Lettie's feet touch back down on the ground. It got easier every day, but she knows it wasn't easy. The survivor will always be there, but it's undeniable that Juno's changed so much. Since they met. Since they got married and built their home together. And she's beyond proud of her. The breeze picks up strands of the faerie's white hair, blowing it in her face. Maybe she should've braided it, after all. "It's almost been a year, hasn't it? How do you feel?"

 

[starboob]

It’s obvious, or it should be. Still, Juno takes her time coming up with her answer. She stuffs her hands into the pockets of her black jeans, tilting her head back to watch the cherry blossom trees shed their petals like they can’t wait to be rid of them. A petal grazes her cheek; she smiles and closes her eye for just a second before looking over at her wife. She offers her one of her hands, lacing their fingers together.

“It’s different.” Different isn’t bad either. It’s just new; unknown. With her wife there by her side each day, it’s not so bad. Though some days are harder than others. Since finishing up their cottage and transitioning from the busyness of their birthday months, it seems her nightmares are playing catch up. Lettie knows. She’s woken up with them too, and they’re both there for each other when it happens, as they were back when Lady was their home and not their roof.

Some days, it only takes a dropped utensil to set the pirate off. Others, she’s completely fine. (The sheep had to be warned not to sneak up on Juno. Much as she loves them and wishes they could have fun like they’re used to, there are some things her body still doesn’t understand. She doesn’t want to hurt them or anyone.) Sometimes it’s the mundane that makes her feel the most out of place, like shopping at the market and scanning through the options of everything she never had growing up. It shouldn’t be hard to just live or exist, but it is. Some days, it is and that's okay.

Juno would be a liar if she said that there aren't times she wishes she could run away or days where she feels too broken to function, but it’s easier knowing that no one wants anything from her. No one is expecting anything from her, least of all Lettie. Lettie has been her anchor through all of this, as she typically is for most things in Juno’s life.

“Some days are harder than others. Today is a good day,” she nods as they start their ascent up a steep hill. Lettie glides up to eye level and Juno almost starts to envy her wings. A few steps in and she already knows this is going to be a trek, but she skipped cardio for a reason today. “And I don’t know what the future really looks like for me. Weird as it is, sometimes I want to go back. Sometimes, mundane feels more suffocating than survival.”

If anyone might be able to understand her, it’s her wife, who at least knows some of her past and knows much of what she’s most recently been through. “It’s like if there’s no proof I’ve fought for my life each day, then am I alive? That’s just the way it was before all this.” She doesn’t say any of this to concern Lettie, to make her think she might be having second thoughts. She only says it to say it; to free it from the prison of her mind before it really does eat her.

They make it halfway up the hill before Juno has to pause to catch her breath. The breeze kicks up, cooling the pirate’s face, then her arms when she sheds the cardigan, placing the arms around her shoulders. She takes a moment to take in the plains below and the grasses swaying like ocean water. Two birds chase each other, gliding by the wives as they fly in spirals.

Once Juno has caught her breath, they continue. “But I’m learning. I know this is what I want. It’s just not what I’m used to,” she shrugs, looking over at Lettie, who nods encouragingly, full of understanding. Even so, Juno can read the worry and small doubt hidden in her eyes. “I’m not leaving. I just… Time. It’s going to take time.”

“I am never scared of you leaving, Juju.” Lettie reaches over and rubs small circles between her shoulder blades. She has to stop when her hair gets into her face, wrestling with it and the wind, but continues once the breeze settles again. “But I’ll always be worried about you. You’re my wife.”

Nearly a year in and they still can’t stop being nerds about their relationship. (She doesn’t think they’ll ever get over it. She hopes they never do.) It draws a grin from Juno, something that’s becoming less of a rarity and more of a common occurrence these days; even the villagers and sheep have seen it. She leans over and pecks Lettie’s cheek. “You’re the best, is what you are.”

Once they reach the top of the hill, they find a sunny spot beside the lone tree on the hill—another cherry blossom with ancient sprawling limbs. Lettie helps Juno set up the picnic blanket, then they kick off their shoes and spread themselves out, emptying the basket as they get settled. Juno pops a golden berry into her mouth and winces, finding that even that is too tart for her. Still, she eats another and another, getting used to them with each bite. She feeds Lettie a strawberry, then Lettie tears off a piece of bread and fixes it for her wife with a smear of spreadable cheese (brie, in this case), some mashed brine stuff (tapenade), and cured meat.

They eat until their stomachs are full, chatting idly between themselves, pointing out the clouds and picking flower petals from each other’s hair. Eventually, Juno gets Lettie into her lap (or maybe Lettie finds her way into Juno’s lap) and she fixes her hair into a loose braid. She leans against the tree and Lettie leans against her. Her arms wind around her wife’s waist, only ever leaving to grab another berry or her drink.

“It’s getting better, Lette. Each day is better,” she says, returning to their earlier conversation. Juno might not feel it, but she is sure of it. “This time next year, we’ll be different and it will be good.” She grins, watching as some bumblys hover around their strawberry stems and the lip of their drinks. “We’ll have the family over for dinner at least once a month. You’ll start selling your stuff at Amabilia’s. Our garden will grow. The sheep will come over to help. I’ll teach them how to cook or something. The skeletons will be the skeletons and the cubes won’t be bothering us.” The 'as much,' goes without saying. Sometimes the little bastard likes to blip! in unannounced, always at the most inopportune moments to inform them that the Magistrate has kicked him out again. That usually prompts the Magistrate’s arrival and it becomes a whole thing of picking sides. (Cubey rarely wins. They’re confused why he continues to try. The Magistrate might be irritating in her own ways, but she at least has some ability to read the goddamn room.)

“We’ll add more shit to our home, maybe even build an in-law suite for guests.” Not that Lady doesn’t already serve that function, but she imagines their guests will want more privacy than the skeleton residents are capable of providing. “At the end of our summers, we’ll watch the leaves change and at the beginning of our springs, we'll watch them come back again. Maybe we’ll fight, but we’ll never go to bed angry. We’re too smart for that shit.”

She can feel Lettie's breathing start to slow as she snuggles into her, mumbling that she's still listening. The pirate smiles and presses her lips to the top of her head, which the faerie takes as permission to shrink down, making herself comfortable on her wife’s stupidly buff arm. Juno, of course, doesn’t mind. “This is it, Lette. This is our life.”

The end.
​