Elira’s typical experience on the 14th of March was usually the same as that of any other day. After all, the day was only significant for people that managed to make the most of their Valentine’s. For Elira, who never made much out of Valentine’s, White Day was just as irrelevant. It had been this way for as long as Elira could remember, so the idea of making a big deal out of one day from the three hundred and sixty-five in a year was something she could never relate to. Some holidays and special dates made sense to her, like Christmas, birthdays, and New Year’s celebrations. But other ones, like less well-known holidays or the ones that felt arbitrary and contrived, especially things like month-saries, were beyond her.
For this reason, the sight of her sister restlessly scurrying around, pacing the floor, stroking Ember’s head nervously, and looking at herself in the mirror every few minutes to fix her hair amused her to no end. Elira held back a giggle as she watched Selen emerge from the bathroom for the fourth time in the past fifteen minutes, readjusting the collar of her shirt and fidgeting with her bangs again. She paused just as she’d taken one step into the living room and made eye contact with Elira. “…how do I look?” she asked, her tail thumping against the floor.
“You look fine. You’re rocking some drip tonight, actually,” Elira looked her sister up and down. The lunar sky dragon wore a black tee under a purple-and-black jacket and blue denim jeans. Elira made an okay sign with her fingers before returning her attention to Ember who was sitting in her lap. The solar sky dragon gently stroked Ember’s head and patted him gently, smiling when she heard the small pet dragon’s contented purr. “Don’t worry about it. But I think you made the right call by ditching the cap.”
“Ya think?” Selen retreated into the bathroom behind her, turning on the light switch and peering into the mirror above the sink to inspect her reflection again. She clicked her tongue, readjusting some strands of hair across her forehead. “…maybe I should’ve gone shopping for something better.”
“What are you on about, Selen? You look alright. Just sit down and relax. She’s gonna be here in a few minutes, isn’t she?” Elira giggled, the wings on her head fluttering as she failed to hold back her laughter. She stood up from the couch, gently offloading Ember onto the adjacent cushion and approaching her sister. She placed her hands on the half-dragon’s shoulders and gently led her back to the living room, closing the bathroom door with her foot. “If you keep walking around and stressing out, you’re going to sweat and mess up your hair. Don’t wanna go out smelling like sweat, do ya?”
“I’m not stressing out,” Selen looked away as Elira dusted her off and ran her fingers through the lunar sky dragon’s hair to make sure none of her hair ties had loosened up. Elira smiled as she combed her sister’s purple locks, being sure to avoid the head-wings that were stirring up wind as they flapped restlessly. The lunar sky dragon’s tail was wound up into knots, curling and extending repeatedly against the floor like an oversized slinky toy. “I’m just…y’know, making sure that I don’t look like a total wreck before she gets here,” Selen muttered as her tail began winding itself around her thigh and lower leg and squeezing like a boa constrictor.
“I can already tell just from looking at you that you’re a nervous wreck,” Elira smirked. She took a step back before lightly patting her sister on her shoulder. “C’mon, what the heck are you so worked up over? This is gonna be a piece of cake for you, and you know it. You’ve done way scarier and more difficult things than this. It’s literally just a date. It’s not like the world’s gonna end or anything.”
Selen let out a deep exhale. “I know, it’s just…this is technically the first date, so…first-time jitters, I guess?”
Elira blinked, unable to hide a look of surprise. “First date? You haven’t gone on a date yet? That’s surprising. Knowing you and her…”
“Well, we wanted to. And we would’ve, it’s just…things have been busy since February, y’know?” Heeding her sister’s advice, Selen walked over to the couch and sat down. Ember sensed her presence and leaped onto her lap, curling up into a ball before closing his eyes. She sighed again, reaching forward and running her fingers over Ember’s feathery hide. Seeing his tail wagging back and forth brought a smile to her face. “We spent a lot of time fighting to free up our schedules for today cuz, y’know…” she trailed off, the wings on her head scrunching up against the sides of her head. Cheeks turning cherry red, Selen’s voice quieted. “…today’s supposed to be special. It’s like a one-month anniversary or something like that, y’know?”
Elira had heard the gap moe used to describe her sister before, but she’d never understood it until this moment. The solar sky dragon felt her heart growing inside her chest like it was a balloon being inflated. “I really wish mom was here to see you right now, Selen. She’d cry tears of joy seeing you like this.”
“That’s exactly why I’m glad she’s not here, Elira. She’d probably take pictures and never let me live it down.”
Elira sat down next to her sister, resting her shoulder against Selen’s shoulder. She leaned in a little, tilting her head to peer at Selen from the side who eventually returned her gaze. Elira didn’t need two seconds to see past the façade Selen was wearing to mask her uneasiness. She let out a giggle and gave the lunar sky dragon a nudge. Elira’s tail extended from beneath her clothes, uncurling into its full length to wrap around Selen’s waist and embracing the lunar sky dragon tightly. The solar sky dragon ignored the flat look her half-sister gave her, squeezing her even tighter. “…you’ll be fine, Selen. Just be yourself.”
“Thank you for the advice that has helped literally zero people in all of history, Elira.”
“I’m not wrong, y’know! What else am I supposed to say?”
“I dunno; you’re good at stress-relief ASMR and stuff, right? Say something that’ll relieve my stress.”
“I mean, not if you put me on the spot like that. Um, uh…you got this…?”
“Yup, totally doesn’t help.”
“Oh, shut up, Selen. I shouldn’t have said anything.”
Ding-dong!
The sound of the doorbell being pushed sent Selen to her feet, flinging Ember to the floor. He glared at Selen, letting out a drowsy and irritated growl before he leaped back onto the seat of a nearby armchair to curl up and fall back asleep. Selen looked in the direction of the front door before looking back to Elira, panic evident in her expression. “…okay, I changed my mind. Elira, can you, like, keep her occupied for fifteen minutes or something?”
“Huh?” Elira raised an eyebrow. “What for?”
“I’m gonna go change. These clothes are no good after all. I think I need to wear something different-”
As Selen began to run for her bedroom, Elira sighed and got to her feet to catch her sister by the collar of her shirt. Selen let out a grunt as she was yanked backward, nearly falling back onto her rear. The solar sky dragon put her other hand onto Selen’s shirt and curled her fingers into fists, gently lifting the half-dragon. Selen’s legs dangled loosely in the air, her tail scraping against the floor as Elira dragged her closer to the front door. She tried to break free but Elira’s grip on her shirt was ironclad. “No, you don’t, Selen. I promise you look totally fine. C’mon, stop fussing over nothing and answer the door. Gonna make her wait?”
At that, Selen stopped resisting and hung her head in defeat. With a satisfied sigh, Elira let go of her sister’s shirt. She took a moment to smoothen out any wrinkles and creases on her sister’s shirt and gently pushed her in the direction of the front door with an excited giggle. Selen took a few steps before stopping to take a deep breath and gulp down her saliva nervously. She approached the door, placing her hand on the doorknob before pausing. She looked back at Elira who was standing a few feet away, offering her best attempt at an encouraging smile and a thumbs-up. Rolling her eyes, Selen returned her attention to the door in front of her.
…what are you so nervous about, Selen? There’s literally nothing to be scared of. Selen caught herself as she reached up with her free hand to try and fix her hair again, deciding against it. She could feel a droplet of sweat slowly trailing down from her brow to her jaw. She wiped it against her shirt sleeve and took another deep breath. Elira’s right. Just…be chill. Be chill, Selen. What’s the worst that could happen?
Slowly, she turned the handle and pulled the door inward.
“H-hey,” As the two of them made eye contact, Pomu waved her hand sheepishly. A slight tinge of pink was visible on the fairy’s cheeks as well as the tips of her pointed ears. Selen hadn’t known what to expect, so she was surprised to see Pomu in a white turtleneck sweater, a brown coat, and a long green skirt. Her hair was done differently, too; the green ribbon that she normally wore on the top of her head had been relocated and repurposed as a hair tie that kept her blonde hair in a ponytail. The silver hairpin that Selen had gifted her last month was also tucked neatly into her hair. “Guess who?”
“U-uh…um…” The more her tongue fumbled, failing to articulate her words clearly, the more Selen wanted to bury her head in the soil of her front yard. The wings on her head flailed about in a panic, beating the wind hard enough to send paper planes into the stratosphere. “H-hi, Pomu.”
Hearing Selen stutter and seeing her head-wings flapping brought a smile to Pomu’s face. “Classic, Selen. That’s really all you can say, huh?” the fairy sneered, leaning closer and peering up at the dragon. “C’mon, you promised me you’d up your compliment game.”
Selen felt the heat rising to her face. “Y-yeah, I know. Uh…fuck, I’m at a loss. What do you want me to say?”
“I mean…” Pomu looked down at herself, and then back at Selen. “…what do you think? Just tell me the first thing that comes to mind, I guess.”
Selen scratched the back of her head, still looking puzzled. “But just telling you that you’re pretty isn’t enough, right? It’s gotta have more impact or something…”
It was Pomu’s turn to turn red. “I-it’s a good start…also, if that’s what you think, that’s probably f-fine…” she said, looking away while fiddling with her ponytail.
“If you’re happy with that, then…I’m okay with that too…” Selen was stuck between staring at Pomu and forcing herself to look away so that she wasn’t caught staring; the middle ground she’d settled on was looking at her every few seconds before averting her gaze to anything else. “…should I, uh…y’know, try again?”
“I mean…you could if you want. It’s not like I’ll say no.”
Selen cleared her throat and forced herself to look Pomu directly in the eyes. “Pomu…”
Not three seconds had gone by before their prolonged eye contact led them both to burst into a fit of laughter, Selen leaning onto the door frame for support while Pomu was clutching at her belly, doubling over and almost falling onto her face. “Fuck, I can’t- Stop making me laugh, Pomu!”
“I’m not doing anything, you fucker! You literally started laughing without me doing anything!”
“I’m trying to say something nice! Stop looking at me like that!”
“Looking at you like what?! I was born with this face, bitch!”
“What the hell are you two doing?” Elira poked her head out to see the two of them still hunched over and wheezing near the entrance. “You guys know that the neighborhood can probably hear you guys, right?”
“S-sorry,” Selen managed to regain her breath, righting herself back into a neutral standing position. Still chuckling, she flashed an unapologetic grin at her sister. “A-anyway…uh…guess we’re gonna get going now.”
“Hey, Ember!” Pomu said, grinning from ear to ear as Selen’s pet dragon emerged from the living room and let out an excited bark before running into the fairy’s arms. She scooped him up and hugged him tightly, grunting as she hefted him before snuggling him into her chest. “How ya doing, buddy? God, Selen is spoiling the fuck out of you; it feels like you gained ten pounds or something since the last time I saw you.”
Elira nodded at her sister, reaching for Ember and taking him out of Pomu’s embrace. The small dragon crowed and nuzzled into Elira’s chest affectionately. “Okay, buddy. Come on, you’re with me for tonight. We’re gonna rewatch some Hero Academia tonight. Leave the lovebirds alone.”
“Thanks for agreeing to watch Ember and the house for me, Elira,” Selen said with a smile.
“No problem, sis. Now get going, come on,” Elira said, shooing them away. “You’ve got a date. Oh, and before I forget; I’m finishing your ice cream bucket and your Chicago Mix popcorn, okay? We shook on it.”
“Yeah, yeah. They’re all yours.” Selen nodded, accompanied by Pomu, as she walked through the door frame. Waving goodbye to Elira and Ember one last time, she closed the door.
“You had Chicago Mix this whole time and didn’t tell me?” Pomu exclaimed, glaring at Selen as the two of them began walking slowly. “You’ve been holding out on me, fucker.”
“I bought it for you! For a night when you come over, and we hang out at my place!” Selen retorted, pushing a finger into Pomu’s scalp. “But we’ve both been really busy lately, so…”
Pomu sighed and shrugged, raising her hand to swat Selen’s hand away. “True. But I guess there’s not much we can do about it now. But you owe me some Chicago Mix,” she said, taking a few steps down the path to the sidewalk and beckoning for the lunar sky dragon to follow her. “You’d better get the large size.”
“Fine. Remind me to do that next time when you come over.” Selen muttered defeatedly, traipsing down to follow Pomu. “So? You said you had a plan. I have no idea what comes next, so…”
Pomu winked playfully and pointed her index finger at the air in the direction of the street. A beam of light shot out from her fingertip, stopping a few meters away and beginning to form a bright white archway. The beam of light split into many smaller beams that connected and branched out in confusing, repeating patterns until Selen realized that they were forming a doorway. With every second that passed, the light intensified and continued to form an increasingly complex and dense network of energy beams until the half-dragon was forced to look away. The light eventually faded away, and the lunar sky dragon could open her eyes again. Standing in her front yard was a wooden door with an insignia shaped like a butterfly etched onto it. Pomu turned back to Selen and held out her hand. “Alright, come on. Let’s go.”
Selen shook her head in confusion, glancing at Pomu. “Wait, what the fuck is this? Where are you taking me? To Shrek’s swamp?”
“No, you idiot. You’ll see in a minute, don’t worry,” Pomu took another step towards Selen and took the dragon’s hand in hers. “C’mon. We’re just taking a shortcut back to my place.”
“Why the magic door?”
“Oh c’mon, don’t be like that. Just think of it like stepping into Narnia or something. It’s fairy magic stuff.”
“I swear to God, Pomu, if I walk through and I fall into a pit of Nickelodeon slime or something…”
Pomu tilted her head. “You really think I’d do that on our first real date?”
A slight pang of guilt hit Selen when she heard that. “Uh…sorry. No, I don’t.” She allowed Pomu to lead her by the hand, noticing that the texture of her hand was different than usual; while most of the skin of the fairy’s fingers and palm was as smooth as she remembered, Selen sensed some areas were unnaturally smooth and artificial. Selen squeezed the fingers between her own, her eyebrows knitting as she raised Pomu’s hand closer to her face.
Pomu stopped walking and looked back at Selen, tilting her head. “Hm? What’s up, Selen?
“Your hands…why do they feel different?”
“I dunno with you. I know you like feet, Selen, but are you into hands now, too? Now you’re tempting me to send you into the pit of Nickelodeon slime. I do have one, y’know.”
“You’re supposed to be convincing me to go through the door, Pomu.”
“I’m kidding, relax!” Pomu giggled and tugged Selen forward, opening the door with her other hand. “See? It’s literally just my place.”
Selen blinked. She’d seen pictures of Pomu’s house before, and she recognized it. She could see a large banner hanging just above the entrance with ‘Welcome, Selen!’ written in capitalized cursive letters and a purple heart serving as the dot of the exclamation mark. Selen glanced back at Pomu with a look of embarrassment and disbelief, her head-wings scrunching up against the sides of her head. The fairy shrugged in reply, motioning for Selen to start walking forward. Selen complied and stepped through the wooden door, realizing belatedly that she was now standing on the lawn of Pomu’s house. The fairy quickly followed, closing the door behind them with a loud clunk. Selen turned around just in time to see the door slowly turning transparent and fading out of sight as if it were never there; wisps of green light emerged from where the door had been standing and slowly rose into the air, scattering before vanishing from sight.
“See? Fairy magic. Now c’mon!” Pomu tugged Selen’s arm, leading the half-dragon to the front door. With a wiggle of her index finger, the door swung open on its own to welcome the pair inside. Standing right in front of the door, on top of a bright red doormat, was a large brown cat wearing a small black bowtie around his neck and a small silver party cap on his head. Selen recognized the cat as Pomu’s pet, Pomusuke. He looked up at Selen with a flat expression before letting out a long, loud meow and standing up on all fours. They regarded each other for all of three seconds before the cat slowly began walking up to her, his short stubby tail waving from side to side. He nuzzled his face into Selen’s shin and rubbed the side of his body against her pant leg before meowing once more and walking back inside to disappear into an adjacent room. When Selen glanced at his owner, she grinned. “I told him to wait up for us so that he could see you,” Pomu snickered. “Now that he’s done his job, he’s probably gonna go take a nice eight-hour nap. That, or he’s gonna knock over a vase again while I’m not looking. Anyway, follow me. Got something to show ya.”
Selen nodded her head. Before she entered the house, Selen took the time to take a step back and look up at the welcome sign above her head, running her fingers over the canvas while admiring it. Pomu smiled at seeing that and allowed Selen a few seconds to stare before she rapped her knuckles on the door, took a step into the house, and beckoned for the lunar sky dragon to follow. Selen bowed her head out of respect as she followed the fairy inside. It was the first time she’d ever been inside Pomu’s house so she made sure to look around and admire what she could. “I thought you lived in an apartment, Pomu. What’s with this place?” Selen asked, pulling her tail close to her body to avoid knocking over any furniture; she had noticed vases with flowers and framed pictures that were hung on the walls or standing on shelves and didn’t want to be responsible for damaging any of them. “There’s a disturbing lack of otaku merch around here, what gives?”
“It’s more of a family home, to be honest. My folks like to stay here most of the time, so that’s why I’m not decorating this place with my chekis.” Pomu continued to pull Selen along as she explained. Selen saw that there were other adjacent rooms like a living room and a staircase that led up to a second floor but Pomu led the way with a firm hand to ensure she didn’t wander off. As they entered the kitchen, the first thing that Selen detected was the aroma of a dish that she didn’t recognize. She sniffed the air, trying to make heads or tails of the scent; the tingle she felt in her nostrils was rich and familiar, yet she couldn’t put a name to the smell.
Walking through the kitchen, Selen spied drawings with crayons and colored pencils that were pinned to the refrigerator with fridge magnets of different shapes and sizes. She managed to steal a glance at one of them, holding back a giggle when she noticed that one of the drawings pinned with a Hello Kitty fridge magnet was a tiny blonde stickman with a green ribbon in her hair and a big bright smile. Pomu was quick to yank her away from the fridge and into the adjacent hallway before she could comment on the scribbles. The fairy looked back at Selen while she led her towards a door at the end of the hallway, her eyes narrowing when they made eye contact. “What’s with that look on your face?”
“Huh? What look? I have a look?”
“Yeah, you have that stupid little smug look on your face that you get when you think you know something no one else does.”
Selen placed a hand to her mouth, looking down at herself. “The fuck? I have that?”
“Yes. Your tiny head-wings also start opening up when you’re feeling yourself a little too much. It’s cute when you’re pissing off anyone else, but it’s annoying when you’re doing it with me,” Pomu sighed, tightening her grip on Selen’s hand. “C’mon, we’re almost there.”
“Where are you taking me?”
“Wouldn’t be much of a surprise if I told you, right?”
“Fair enough.”
They approached the door at the end of the hallway. As they neared it, Selen could hear the sound of the doorknob being rotated on its own. The lunar sky dragon barely managed to contain her reaction when the door opened to reveal a pink-haired girl with a bright red rose tucked into her hair. Selen recognized the maid outfit she was wearing as the one that belonged to Pomu. She was also wearing a pair of square black glasses with a comically large pink nose and a thick black plastic mustache. “R-Rosemi?” Selen asked, confused and amused.
“I’ll be one of your servers for tonight. You may call me Maidsemi,” she said with a curtsy and a bow of her head. “Please follow me, Miss Tatsuki, to your table for two. Please watch your step, too. You wouldn’t want to sully your clothes.”
“U-uh…” Selen looked back to see Pomu biting her lips together in a desperate attempt to keep herself from laughing. “S-sure…Maidsemi,” Selen stuttered. This time, she led the way while Pomu lagged behind her by a half-step. Selen could see that Rosemi was leading them to a round white table in the center of the grassy backyard with two chairs that were opposite each other and a long white tablecloth draped over it. The branches of the trees in the yard were decorated with a series of hanging candlelit lanterns, filling the entire backyard with warm orange light. Above the table was a white canopy gazebo tent that served as a roof; lanterns also dangled from the ceiling to serve as a makeshift chandelier, while the four supporting poles of the tent were decorated with yellow fairy lights that glowed softly.
Standing next to the table was a small figure in a black butler’s suit a few sizes too big, their hands concealed inside the sleeves because their arms were too short. The person wore the same face accessories as Rosemi: a pair of black glasses, an enlarged plastic pink nose, and a thick black plastic mustache. Selen recognized the small tuft of black-and-yellow hair resembling the end of a paintbrush that rose from the person’s scalp, pointing to the sky. Though most of it was concealed, Selen could also make out a small black tail poking out from behind the person’s rear. “…you too, huh, Petra?”
“Good evening, ladies. I’ll be your other server for tonight’s dinner. Please call me Peter,” she said, her voice straining with every word she spoke in her concerted effort to talk in a much lower voice than her usual. Ignoring Selen’s comment, she bowed her head and pulled one of the chairs out before beckoning to Pomu and Selen. “Please, have a seat.”
Selen followed, sitting down in the chair that Petra adjusted for her. Rosemi did the same for Pomu, bowing her head and curtseying again when the two had settled down. “Thank you, Maidsemi!” Pomu said to Rosemi with a beaming smile. “I put in a reservation for our order. Think we can have it now?”
“Oui, madame,” Rosemi’s voice adopted an exaggerated French accent that reminded Selen too much of the Spy from Team Fortress 2. “It will be with you shortly. Thank you for your patience.” With that, Rosemi and Petra disappeared into the house and leaving the two of them alone together.
Selen looked around again at the setup of the backyard before making eye contact with her date. “Can’t believe you put in all this effort. You didn’t have to, y’know?”
“There’s no fuckin’ way I can do that knowing what you did for me on Valentine’s, and you know it, Selen,” Pomu shot back, leaning forward and resting her chin on her palm. “Seriously, you got me wracking my one brain cell for weeks trying to settle on a plan,” she sighed.
Selen grinned, leaning in and reaching out to playfully flick her finger against Pomu’s forehead. “You’re doing fantastic. I love it.”
Pomu rubbed her forehead, smiling warmly in return. “…thanks. Next time, though, say it without flicking my forehead.”
Rosemi and Petra emerged from the house, each of them pushing a cart with steel food trays with lids that prevented Selen from stealing a glance at their contents. They wheeled the carts to a stop next to the table and began unloading them, being careful not to tip over the wine glasses or knock any of the plates off. The lunar sky dragon could detect a familiar smell from beneath the lid of the food tray: it was the same as the smell from the kitchen. Selen blinked, her head-wings flapping excitedly, before looking up at Pomu. “…did you…?”
“Did I what?” Pomu parroted, tilting her head.
“…never mind,” Selen reached for the handle on the lid and removed it from the tray to reveal the contents, smiling at the familiar color of brown curry sauce with fluffy white rice. The aroma hit her face and her nose tingled again; Selen had made curry before and was no stranger to Pomu’s recipe since she’d had the opportunity to taste it before. But the curry before her smelled entirely unlike anything she’d seen before. Sniffing the air, the half-dragon struggled to pick apart the different spices and ingredients mixed into the dish. She could barely make out the distinctive scent of turmeric and cinnamon, but there was also a hint of coffee mixed with the beef and the vegetables. Selen looked up at Pomu, and when their eyes met, she gestured as if asking for permission to taste it. Pomu nodded her head. Her grip on her skirt tightened beneath the table as she watched Selen take a spoonful of the curry and rice into her mouth.
“…d-do you like it?” Pomu gulped nervously.
Selen took a few seconds to chew the food in her mouth adequately before swallowing. She stabbed a sauce-covered carrot slice and held it up, her smile only growing when she saw how the vegetable had been cut. She could see that there were multiple smaller cuts along the surface of the carrot like someone had placed the knife on different points and couldn’t decide where to cut it until the last minute. Selen only knew one fairy that was indecisive enough when cooking to cut vegetables this way. “Smells different…and it doesn’t taste like any curry I’ve ever had before,” she muttered, downing the carrot and licking her lips. “It honestly tastes amazing.”
Pomu pumped her fist beneath the table. “Awesome!” she said, unable to stop herself from breathing a sigh of relief as she said that. “I was worried you wouldn’t like it.”
“Must’ve put a lot of effort into making it, huh?” Selen’s tail wound around Pomu’s wrist, much to the fairy’s surprise, and gently pulled on it to bring her hand up to the table’s surface. Selen reached out, gently taking Pomu’s hand in hers, and ran her fingers over the fairy’s palm. She understood now; the odd smoothness to Pomu’s palm that she’d noticed earlier was not just her imagination. There were band-aids all around Pomu’s fingers that were identical to the fairy’s skin tone, which made it impossible to tell they were bandaged just by looking at them. Selen’s fingertips lingered over the near-invisible band-aids. She smiled coyly at Pomu. “…hope you weren’t thinking I wasn’t gonna notice.”
Pomu shrugged, grinning sheepishly. “I forgot you can be perceptive like that sometimes.”
“…you didn’t hurt yourself too bad, did you?” A hint of concern spilled into Selen’s voice, betraying the sly smirk on her face.
Pomu shook her head, closing her fingers around Selen’s hand and squeezing it in hers. “No, not really. Nothing I can’t handle.”
“…I’m fine with anything, y’know. Even if you just come over and we watch Netflix or something on the couch, that’s enough for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m really happy you’re trying so hard. You Just…you don’t have to put in so much effort if you end up hurting yourself. I’m fine with anything you do.”
“It’s okay, Selen. I don’t mind putting in the effort if it’s for you.”
A sudden sound of wood and metal hitting the ground startled the two of them. They turned to see Petra with her face buried in the grass and one of the food carts lying on its side, wheels still spinning. Rosemi, looking embarrassed, quickly scooped up Petra in her arms while several vines that extended from beneath her dress quickly picked up the fallen cart. She bowed her head, quickly exiting and disappearing into the house with Petra and both carts in tow. Selen and Pomu glanced at each other and snickered in unison.
“I’m surprised, though. The last time I tasted your curry, it didn’t taste like this,” Selen remarked, taking another spoonful into her mouth and humming with delight as the taste hit her tongue.
“It’s not my recipe, actually,” Pomu beamed proudly. “I usually stick to making some pretty basic stuff. But this one is an old recipe made by my grandma. That’s why it tastes different.”
Selen whistled. “Dang. The same fight-me-or-fuck-me grandma?”
“Yeah, the very same one,” Pomu giggled. “I know I make her sound crazy but she’s pretty awesome. Took me a while to learn her recipe but the taste is out of this world so I’m glad you like it.”
Selen rested her cheek against her knuckles. “Think you can make it for me again sometime?”
Pomu’s eyes lit up. “Anytime! Just call me over, and I’ll make it as long as you’ve got ingredients.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Just don’t blow up my kitchen again, okay?”
“You’re never gonna let me live that down are you, huh, Selen?”
“Pomu, I don’t know how you managed it while you were following a cookbook. You didn’t try to work some fairy magic into it, right?”
“It was an accident! It’s not my fault your cookbook lists temperatures in goddamn Celsius instead of Fahrenheit!”
“Sounds like a skill issue, honestly.”
Finishing the food on her plate took no longer than twenty minutes; Selen didn’t doubt that if she hadn’t spent so much time talking with Pomu in between spoonfuls, she would’ve licked the plate clean in less than ten. Her silverware clattered noisily as she set them atop the ceramic plate, neatly arranging them next to each other before she took a sip of the sparkling wine that fizzed in her wine glass. “So?” she asked, raising an eyebrow as she downed her beverage in one swig. “What’s next? Do we just hang out at your place?”
“Yes and no,” Pomu giggled with a playful wink, jumping to her feet and walking to the center of the backyard. “There’s something I wanna show you first.”
Pomu closed her eyes and took a deep breath, raising her arms up with her palms facing the sky. The air around her began to glow with a dim green light that intensified as the seconds passed. Tree roots began to grow and emerge from the ground, entwining and thickening to form a thick wooden platform. “…by the grace of Avalon, show me the road to my haven,” Pomu muttered in a soft voice. As if in response to her chant, the air began to buzz and hum with energy. The roots thickened further, forming tendrils of wood that lengthened and extended toward the sky to form a large archway. To Selen, the structure resembled a larger version of the door that Pomu had used earlier to bring them here.
“P-Pomu?” Selen asked as the roots and tendrils slowed to a stop, and the backyard fell silent once more. “What’re you doing?”
“This is how we’re getting to where we’re going, duh. Don’t worry about it too much,” Pomu turned back to face Selen and took the dragon’s hand in hers. “C’mon, let’s go. I promise this one also doesn’t lead to a pit of green slime.”
Selen laughed. Pomu tugged her along, and she didn’t resist. Pomu was still joking and talking in her usual lighthearted, casual voice, but Selen could tell by the tone of the fairy’s voice that she was a little more serious than usual. She allowed herself to be guided by Pomu’s hand as they walked up to the archway.
“Thanks for watching the place for me!” Pomu called out to Rosemi, who was standing next to the table. “Let me know if Pomusuke makes trouble for you guys!”
“Don’t worry about us! Petra’s on cat duty right now! We got it!” Rosemi hollered back with a big smile on her face, waving her hand enthusiastically. “Enjoy the rest of your date!”
Selen followed Pomu as they walked past the archway, trying her hardest to ignore the pink-haired girl cheering them on with bright yellow and green glowsticks. As she expected, a complete change of scenery awaited her on the other side. Just by looking around her, she could tell that they were in a forest. But the air tasted and smelled vastly different here; it was so cool and refreshing, free of any signs of global warming or air pollution. At the very least, Selen could tell they were nowhere in Canada or America. They were in a clearing, surrounded by trees that towered high into the sky, and at the center of it was a single large tree. The air seemed to pulse with energy; wisps of faint yellow light rose from the grass all around her, ascending like fireflies and rising into the sky. The tree was tall, looming over the other trees that lined the clearing, forcing Selen to crane her neck just to look up and see it in its entirety. She could see the moon glowing in the sky though it glowed with a different intensity than the moon she was used to. Selen returned her gaze to the base of the big tree and noticed that there were visible markings in the wood that resembled another door. She looked at Pomu, raising an eyebrow. “Wh-what is this place?”
“This is…well, it’s not exactly my home. But then again, that’s probably the first thing that needs explaining.” Pomu began to explain as the two of them approached the door carved into the base of the tree. She knocked her knuckles against the wood and then gestured to the forest surrounding them. “We’re in Avalon. The realm of the fairies.”
Selen blinked. Pomu laughed at the surprised expression on the dragon’s face and leaned in to run her fingers over Selen’s head-wings as they flapped slowly. “What we’re standing in front of right now is my little hidey-hole. This isn’t, like, my actual home here. My house and my family live somewhere else. This place is more of like…a getaway. A safe space, y’know? That kind of thing. When things are a little rough, too many projects and deadlines, or when things just don’t seem to be going my way, this is where I’m at.”
Pomu reached out and nudged the door open, walking inside. The doorway was small enough to accommodate Pomu, but Selen was forced to duck a little as she entered. Peering inside, Selen felt a pleasant warmth wash over her face. The rustic-looking wooden furniture and the fireplace reminded her of a cottage or a cabin out of a movie. In contrast to the cool midnight air outside, the inside of the tree felt cozy. Following Pomu further inside, she noticed Polaroids were pasted on the walls. She recognized pictures of Elira, Finana, Rosemi, Petra, and everyone else in Nijisanji EN smiling; there were scenes of them just smiling for a Discord group photo, other pictures of the different members in the flesh when they met and did off-collabs together, and even some of Pomu hugging Pomusuke in between. Selen reached out and ran her fingers over some of the pictures, being careful not to damage or jostle anything. “…so, this is your place to get away from it all?”
“Yep,” Pomu replied with a nod of her head. “Kinda like a secret base in Pokémon. This is my space. All me.”
“…wow,” Selen breathed out, looking around again. She stopped in the center of the room, reaching up to brush her fingers against the ceiling lantern. She glanced at one of the nearby windows that offered a view of the forest outside. “This is totally not what I expected a fairy realm to look like.”
“What, did you think the stuff I said about Virtual Neverland was real? Or did you think I was like Tinkerbell, and there’s a place where kids never age and stuff?”
“Nah, it just makes more sense to me that a safe space for you would probably be a mancave full of Metal Gear merch. This place feels more like you’re Mr. Tumnus or something.”
“I have that kind of place back on Earth too,” Pomu said, shrugging. “This place is different, that’s all. It’s also…uh…the first time I’ve ever invited anyone here before, to be honest, so I’m sorry if it’s kinda messy-looking and stuff.”
Selen blinked. “Wait, what? I’m the first person to see this place?”
“Mhm. The very first.” Pomu nodded. Her voice turned gentle and soft. “I don’t like bringing people cuz…well, y’know; this is my ‘me place’ so I like being alone here. This is where I like to recharge my batteries.”
“I like it.”
“Really?”
“Yeah. If you ever had a secret safe space, I never expected it to look like this. This is different. And…well, it’s the kind of different that I like, I guess.” Selen sat down on the nearby couch tenderly, keeping her tail coiled and close to her body for fear of accidentally damaging anything or knocking something over. “And…well, I think your kind of different is really nice.”
Pomu giggled, her cheeks reddening slightly, as she approached Selen and sat down beside her. She leaned in, resting the side of her head onto Selen’s shoulder, and closed her eyes. “I’m…honestly really glad to hear you say that. For some reason, I was…I dunno, I felt weirdly afraid, actually.”
“Afraid? Of what?” The lunar sky dragon’s head-wings perked up.
“I dunno, to be honest. It was one of those irrational fears, y’know? I was thinking maybe you’d find it a little too weird and too different, maybe you’d internally judge me or you’d make a weird offhand comment about something, and then I’d get my feelings hurt even though I know you didn’t mean it. That kind of thing.”
“I’d never do that to you, Pomu.”
“I know you wouldn’t. That’s why I decided to commit to showing you this place, silly. I know you well enough to know that you wouldn’t do that. Also, if you did something stupid, you’d feel really bad about it and apologize right after.”
“That’s…I guess you’re not wrong about that.”
“See? I know you, Selen.”
“…I guess you do,” Selen’s voice softened into a loud whisper. She wrapped an arm around Pomu’s shoulders to bring her close as she pressed a gentle kiss into the side of Pomu’s face. “…thank you for bringing me here. I know it means a lot to you. I’m…really blessed that you trust me enough to let me in here,” she said as she nuzzled the tip of her ear into the fairy’s cheek.
Pomu let out an embarrassed laugh, her face growing hot from the embarrassment and her heart racing a mile a minute. She tried to push Selen away but stopped resisting after the first attempt, allowing herself to be pulled into the dragon’s snug embrace. She rubbed her cheek against Selen’s face, giggling. “I was honestly kinda iffy when I decided on this because…y’know, you did so much for Valentine’s last month, so I really wanted to do something for today that was…well, y’know, something that could really match up to the effort that you put into it. I-I know it isn’t a competition or anything. It’s just…”
“…I get it, don’t worry,” Selen chuckled, resting her forehead against the side of Pomu’s head. “I think that’s something a lot of people think about too; when their partner puts in a lot of effort for them, a person might feel unnecessarily guilty if they feel like they’re inadequate or what they’re doing isn’t enough. It’s not logical or rational. But people’s feelings don’t work based on logic. They can’t help but feel what they feel. So…I get it.”
“Bitch, you just described what I went through.”
Selen laughed softly. “…I’m sorry. I like doing things for you. That’s all it is, really. Should I lighten up?”
“I…I want to say yes, but…” Pomu’s cheeks were now blushing a deep scarlet. “…I also kinda like being spoiled by you.”
Selen’s first instinct was to kiss Pomu on the tip of her nose and laugh softly. “God, what was that? That was, like, the cutest fucking thing you could’ve said.”
“Shut up, Selen,” Pomu couldn’t contain her giddy laughter as she leaned in to peck Selen on the cheek in return.
“Still,” Selen retreated slightly, gently turning Pomu’s face with her fingers so that they made eye contact. “If I’m too much, tell me. I might not be able to tell. The last thing I want is to make you feel inadequate. I’ll try to lighten up.”
“I mean, you wouldn’t be Selen if you didn’t go all-out in everything you do, really. That’s one of the parts about you that I love the most, y’know?” Pomu snickered. “But sure. I’ll let you know.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
The two of them smiled warmly and giggled in unison. Pomu tapped Selen’s wrist, and the half-dragon took that as a signal to let go of her. Pomu stood up and offered a hand to Selen, pulling her to her feet. “There’s one last thing I want to show you. Come with me.”
Selen nodded and the two approached the far wall. Pomu placed her fingertips on the wooden wall; responding to her touch, the wall retreated into the floor to reveal a small hollow. It did not connect to any adjacent hallways or rooms, from what Selen could see. Pomu walked in and motioned for Selen to follow. As the dragon took a step to stand next to the fairy, she sensed that there was no ceiling just above her head. She looked up to realize that there was no ceiling at all above her head, and that there was a distant golden light that seemed to shine from somewhere far above them. Selen glanced at Pomu, raising an eyebrow.
“It’s basically an elevator, don’t worry about it,” Pomu tapped the wall again and the ground beneath them began to rise into the air. True to her word, the platform continued to rise like an elevator. As the seconds passed, Selen’s amazement and awe were slowly replaced by confusion. Seeing her expression, Pomu snickered. “You’re lucky, y’know. There aren’t many treehouses left in Avalon with a view like what you’re about to see.”
“How the hell is this elevator so big, anyway?”
“Look, if I could explain all the weird magic gateways and doorways in Avalon, I’d tell you. But I’m pretty sure even the royal families and the big-shot scholars here couldn’t tell you how it all works. I just know the TL;DR: ‘ask tree to take me somewhere, tree does it’. Besides, since when did magic obey the laws of physics and space-time? You tell me, Madoka Magica enjoyer.”
“Point taken.”
The elevator abruptly slowed to a stop and Selen almost let out a curse as she nearly stumbled and lost her balance, clinging onto the shoulder of the fairy beside her to steady herself. Ignoring the fairy’s smirk, Selen waited for the wall in front of her to recede into the tree bark before stepping off the elevator platform. She could only take one step further before she found herself rooted to the spot, her breath stolen away by the sight before her.
“Whoa…” she breathed, the wings on her head slowly flaring outwards until they were fully extended.
Though the night sky overhead was a deep navy blue, innumerable white trails streaked across the deep-blue cerulean canvas. The stars were bright and numerous, like a painting come to life, and they drew long white glowing lines across the sky as they shot from one end of the horizon to the other. Selen looked on in wonder, her eyes transfixed on the starry spectacle. The stars in the background that remained still were impossibly bright, decorating the night-sky canvas with an array of glowing lights that reminded Selen of jewels. They all glowed and pulsed at irregular intervals like they had a life of their own. Selen felt a tug pull her forward, distracting her from the rain of white lights overhead, and she looked down to see Pomu pulling on her hand with a big grin on her face. Against the backdrop of the falling stars, Pomu’s red eyes stood out to the lunar sky dragon like rubies in an ocean. “Dude, c’mon. This isn’t even what I wanted to show you.”
Unable to tear her eyes away from the skyscape, Selen inched forward with slow steps while taking it all in. Seeing how transfixed the half-dragon was, Pomu decided not to pull her along and instead began walking a half-step ahead to guide her instead. The two of them walked together at a slow pace, Selen still hypnotized by the lights of the meteor shower and Pomu looking at her side profile with an amused, affectionate grin. They eventually found themselves at the balcony's edge, stopped by a hand railing. The dragon leaned onto the hand railing and looked out only to find her breath stolen away once more.
The trees that had towered over her minutes ago were now below them. Selen could make out other tree houses and homes from where she stood, the warm amber light of their hearths leaking from their doors to fill the forest with a homey orange glow. She could also see the full moon from here, and its light was far brighter and more hypnotizing than any moon she’d seen on Earth. The moonbeams of Avalon seemed softer and gentler on her skin than anything she’d felt before. The beams of milky moonlight bathed the glades and clearings below with bright pale light, like a scene out of a fairytale. Selen could see, in the distance, an impossibly large tree so tall that it dwarfed any skyscraper she knew from Earth. She could see many bright orange lights dotting the tree like Christmas lights; they dimmed and intensified like the gentle pulse of a heartbeat.
To Selen, words couldn’t do the view justice.
“…wow,” Selen exhaled, trying to soak everything in. It almost felt sacrilegious to speak; with how beautiful the scenery was, she didn’t want to say anything and ruin it. “This looks…amazing.”
“Do you like it?” Pomu leaned her shoulder against Selen’s, looking up at her with a smile.
“It’s absolutely beautiful. Of course, I do.” Selen looked at the fairy next to her, returning her smile with one of her own. “What’s going on? It feels almost like a festival or a holiday.”
Pomu nodded. “March 14 on the human calendar is White Day. But in Avalon’s calendar, it’s a different kind of holiday. A long time ago, Queen Titania made a pact with the moon. So, tonight’s kinda like a feast to celebrate that.”
“The moon?”
The fairy nodded her head, looking up to the sky and pointing at the full moon. “Mhm. Queen Titania was on good terms with a lot of nature spirits and all sorts of people back then. Today’s the yearly anniversary of the feast that she held all those millennia ago with the goddess of the moon and gained her respect. At least…that’s what I think I is if I’m remembering my fairy history correctly.” Her finger slowly drew a line from the moon to the many comets and falling stars. “The stars celebrate this feast by sending this big flashy meteor shower down from the heavens and stuff. We faeries celebrate our own feasts while watching the meteor shower.”
“Wow,” Selen breathed out again, unable to find any other words to articulate how she felt from watching the spectacle in front of her. “I didn’t think today was such a meaningful day for fairy-kind.”
“Honestly, not really. It’s kinda like how Earth holidays are supposed to be super meaningful when you think about the historical context, but in reality, you just do trick-or-treating on Halloween, or you light fireworks on New Year’s, y’know? It’s not really a big deal to us.” Pomu shrugged. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly before reaching into her pocket. “Anyway, I have something for you, Selen.”
“O-oh, okay?” Selen felt her pulse quicken but did her best to keep her composure. “What is-?”
“But before I give it to you,” With one hand still behind her back, Pomu wagged the index finger of her other hand back and forth in front of Selen’s face. “I wanna say a little something-something.”
“Okay, I expected as much.”
“Huh?” Pomu folded across her chest and puffed her cheeks out. “W-what’s that supposed to mean?”
“Not gonna lie, you’re such a theater kid, Pomu. You’ve got a flair for the dramatic and all that, y’know? It’s not like I saw it coming, but I’m definitely not surprised.”
“Ugh, whatever. I’m just gonna say what I was gonna say, okay?”
“You totally had a whole speech planned out, didn’t you?”
“Shut up and let me talk. This is my moment and it’s a moment dedicated to you so shush.”
Selen snickered, leaning on the handrail next to her.
Pomu placed a hand on her chest, closed her eyes, and took a deep breath. After a moment’s silence, she opened her eyes and began. “…I’m gonna be honest, Selen. I’ve known you for a while and I don’t think anything could have prepared me for the kind of person you were. No one gets under my skin quite like you. But beyond that, you’re also one of the bestest best friends I ever had and one of the only people that could make me laugh really hard. And then…February 14th came and went.”
Pomu’s face turned scarlet. She took a step forward, pressing a finger into Selen’s forehead. “…you’re only hearing this from me today, okay? You’d better savor it.”
“I’ll make sure I remember it.”
The fairy sighed again before she continued. “…ever since then, things have been so different for me. I didn’t know it was possible for things to change so much because one person said three words to me. But you showed me that. Selen. I don’t know how you manage to make the sun brighter and feel warmer on my skin when I wake up in the morning, but you do.” The blush on her cheeks had worked its way up to the tips of her pointed ears. Her wings buzzed restlessly as she spoke. “I don’t know how chatting with you past midnight about Ember and Pomusuke fucking up our furniture makes me feel warm and fuzzy inside, but it does. I don’t know how you make me think about you and everything I like about you until four in the morning, but you do.”
With every word, Selen’s heart pounded against her chest and her cheeks felt searing hot. Pomu took another step forward until their bodies were a centimeter apart. “I don’t know what it is about you, but you have that effect on me, Selen,” the fairy’s voice said with a shaky voice. “…ever since I started loving you, it feels like there’s a melody in everything I do now. I don’t know how to explain it. You just…make my world sing, y’know? That’s why I wanted to thank you.”
Selen blinked. “Th-thank me?”
“For teaching me that the world is so much more beautiful and fun when someone like you is in my life.” Pomu chose that moment to take her other hand out from behind her back and uncurl her fingers, showing Selen the small box within. The lunar sky dragon nervously took it in her hands and opened it delicately, doing her utmost to ensure she didn’t drop it to the ground. Pomu giggled as she watched Selen’s eyes sparkle at seeing the contents of the box: a necklace adorned with a golden brooch in the shape of a butterfly with a red jewel at the center. “Go ahead, take it.”
Selen, speechless, did as Pomu suggested and reached into the box to remove the brooch. The fairy drew a circle with her finger, motioning for Selen to turn the brooch over. She did precisely that, flipping it on its back to see that there was a message carved into the gold.
To my moon that shines brighter than any sun,
Pomu Rainpuff
Selen knew she was grinning from ear to ear like a doofus, but she couldn’t care less. Pomu reached out to take the chain in her fingers, putting the necklace around Selen’s neck. The fairy smiled seeing it and then reached up with one hand to run her fingers over the edges of her silver hairpin. “Now we match. Kinda.”
“I…” Selen looked down at the brooch again and cradled it in her hand, unable to help herself from admiring the way that the moonlight bounced off the ruby that reminded her of Pomu’s eyes. “…I don’t know what to say.”
Pomu giggled, getting on her tiptoes and wrapping her arms around Selen’s neck. “C’mon, Selen. You promised me you’d up your compliment game, remember?”
“I-I know.”
“Like I said earlier, just tell me the first thing that comes to mind.”
Selen leaned her forehead against Pomu’s and stared into her eyes. “…thank you.”
“For?” Pomu whispered.
“For today. For everything. For being you.”
Pomu laughed softly. “I can tell you want to say more, y’know, Selen.”
“…you told me to say the first thing that comes to mind but…it’s a little embarrassing. It’s kinda cringe, honestly, now that I’m thinking about it.”
“No one’s here to laugh at you. And I won’t, Selen.”
The half-dragon slowly took Pomu in a tight embrace. “…Pomu?”
“Yes, Selen?”
“If home is where the heart is, then my home is wherever you are.”
“7/10. A little bit of cringe.”
“Pomu, please-”
The fairy giggled, squeezing Selen in her embrace before slipping out of her arms and taking a step back. “I’m joking. It’s hella cute coming from you,” Pomu teased, poking Selen on the chin. “Don’t worry. Today’s special, so I won’t tell anyone about your cringe. Probably.”
The half-dragon rolled her eyes, flicking the fairy on the forehead with her finger.
“…hey, Pomu?”
“Yes?”
Selen took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Pomu’s waist, bringing their bodies together. Her face flushed. “I…want to kiss you again.”
“And?” Pomu grinned, tiptoeing and wrapping her arms around Selen’s neck again.
“…can I?”
“Do you expect any answer other than yes?”
The fairy leaned in and closed her eyes, exhaling through her nostrils as she felt the tip of Selen’s nose brush against her own. Pomu felt her heart leap in her chest when their lips connected, her wings buzzing energetically as warmth took her from head to toe. She felt a tingle as Selen placed her left hand onto the fairy’s cheek, gently cradling her head by the chin. The dragon’s touch was delicate, like how one might hold the stem of a flower. The seconds felt all too short; before long, Selen and Pomu pulled away from each other. As they opened their eyes and made eye contact, they couldn’t help but laugh at the same time.
“…y’know, Pomu?” Selen whispered, resting her forehead on Pomu’s.
“Yeah?”
“I love you.”
“I know. Can’t blame ya. I’m kinda lovable after all.”
Selen rolled her eyes. “So? What’s next?”
“Uh…honestly, I didn’t really think that far ahead,” Pomu shrugged. “Anything you wanna do? I’m probably down to do whatever.”
Selen looked up at the sky. “I don’t wanna go back just yet. Think we can stay here for a while?”
Pomu snuggled up to Selen, resting her forehead against the crook of her neck and sighing contentedly. “You can be a little more selfish if you want, y’know.”
Selen’s tail coiled around Pomu’s leg as she purred, nuzzling her nose into the fairy’s blonde hair. “Then let me kiss you again.”
“Can’t get enough of me, can you, Selen?”
“Is that a no?”
“Shut up and pucker up.”
Selen laughed as she leaned in to claim another kiss from the fairy in her arms.