Chapter 9
Bernie starts becoming long-sighted. She fights it at first, squinting her way through the day (and earns herself cracking headaches). Serena teases her about it, and Bernie grumbles but gives in because really, she needs her eyes to operate. And so she gets prescription glasses, black framed and sturdy. Serena adores Bernie in them because she looks ever so cute and serious. Serena is especially delighted when Bernie takes to propping the glasses on the top of that familiar head of messy blonde curls when she doesn't need them; when she chews on one leg when she's trying to figure something out (sometimes by doodling, but that's just what Bernie does).
Bernie hates the design of the glasses, thinks they make her look old and frumpy (they were chosen by Charlotte and Bernie had let her because that choice was a peace offering, a start in the rebuilding of their relationship). Serena tries to persuade her that she's wrong, sneakily snaps photographic proof when Bernie's not looking to show that Berenice Griselda Wolfe does somehow make nerdy look sexy. Serena finds the thrill of catching her lover (and her glasses) unawares on camera exciting, makes it her mission to take ambush selfies with Bernie when she's wearing them, sidling up with camera in hand and grabbing a selfie just as she plants a kiss on Bernie's cheek. Bernie blushes and tries to duck out of the frame, resulting in a few missed, blurry shots, but after a while, Serena gets the hang of it and Bernie resigns herself to her fate (because oh, she does love seeing Serena smile so).
Serena discovers Instagram (thank you, Elinor) and posts all of her ninja-stealth obtained photos.
Charlotte follows Serena on Instagram, and Bernie knows they are making progress in their shattered relationship when one day, after weeks of lurking, Serena receives a notification that Charlotte had liked a selfie of Serena and Bernie that she'd taken, Bernie uncharacteristically co-operative, smiling fully at the camera, Serena standing behind her, chin resting on the top of Bernie's head.
Bernie wanders into their bedroom just before bed, hunting for her glasses.
Only to find them on Serena, perched daintily on her nose as she leafs through some paperwork.
Bernie glares, hands on her hips as she growls.
"I've been looking for those for over an hour!"
"Well it was this or squint!"
"Get your own glasses."
"Shan't. Yours are comfy."
Serena peers at Bernie over the tops of her pilfered glasses, smirks and sticks a tongue out at her lover as she snuggles deeper under the covers. Bernie fold her arms and resists the urge to poke her tongue out in retaliation, moving to loom over Serena.
"Serena..."
"Fine. Here. Put them on and finish reading that mortality statistic report to me, then."
Serena thrusts the thick sheaf of papers at Bernie, who (rather automatically) springs backwards, frowning.
"...Okay fine you can borrow them. But tomorrow we're going to get you a pair."
Serena smirks and slides the glasses further up her nose, shuffles her papers and drops a kiss to Bernie's cheek when she gets into bed next to her, huffing slightly.
"Whatever you say, dear."
(They don't, of course, and it's Bernie that ends up phoning her optometrist for an identical pair to be made, just so she has an extra when Serena steals them.)