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The grass was warm under her bare feet as Mariposa slid them across the ground. She leaned backward, knocking slightly against Catania, who was sitting behind her. After Catania brought her to this secret place and showed her all of the fun things that made it so magical, they eventually settled down to read books together in companionable silence.
“Sorry,” she said lightly, hoping she hadn’t disturbed the other fairy.
“It’s fine,” Catania said in her breathy way, “I don’t mind.”
As if to accentuate her point, she leaned against Mariposa’s back with more pressure than before. The butterfly-fairy smiled to herself and enjoyed the contact. Although there were some who would be disgusted at being so close to a crystal-fairy, Mariposa was sure that if they could just meet someone as sweet as Catania, their minds would be changed.
After some time, Mariposa became aware of an ache in her neck. Rolling her shoulders to try to relieve the tension, she groaned at the stiffness that came from sitting in one position for too long.
“I’m getting up,” she said, setting her book aside, “I need to stretch.”
Catania let out a small whine of disappointment, so quietly that Mariposa wasn’t sure if she had actually heard it or not. Once she finished stretching out her sore limbs, Mariposa offered a hand to Catania and pulled her up. The two girls stood shoulder-to-shoulder, looking out over the shimmering lake.
The short straps of their dresses were designed to allow as much wing motion as possible when flying, but it also meant that Mariposa could feel Catania’s bare skin next to hers as the princess shifted her feet to stand closer to the butterfly-fairy. She didn’t mind the contact; in fact, Mariposa could even admit that she enjoyed Catania’s light touches.
She enjoyed the presence of the princess and her sweet smiles. She enjoyed the way her crystal eyes would twinkle with mischief, before showing Mariposa some hidden room or whispering a secret with her pink lips. She enjoyed simply being with Catania, just the two of them, and wondered what it meant.
Turning her head, Mariposa tried to sneak a glance at the other fairy, but instead, she was met with the sight of shining tears on Catania’s round face.
“Catania,” Mariposa said, her hand instantly reaching out the cup the other girl’s cheek, “what’s wrong?”
Catania leaned into the touch as Mariposa wiped at her tears. “It’s just, so stupid but I can’t stop thinking about it.”
Still tracing soft circles onto Catania’s cheek, Mariposa nodded encouragingly for her to continue.
“I just keep thinking about how you’ll have to leave eventually, and I know you need to go home, but I don’t want you to leave here. I don’t want you to leave me.” The princess ducked her head, refusing to meet Mariposa’s eyes even as she pressed closer against her warm hand.
“Catania,” Mariposa said, wondering how to best console the girl, “you know that I care for you, right? And even if I have to leave, I’ll come back to visit, and you are always welcome in my home.”
Catania’s eyes squeezed shut, silvery tears still falling from them. Her voice quavered as she spoke. “I’m just afraid. Afraid that you have someone else waiting for you and that they’ll make you forget about me. About…us.”
Oh.
That wasn’t quite what Mariposa had expected.
Her brain seemed to short-circuit as she met Catania’s shimmering eyes. She could feel her trembling underneath her hand and decided that something would have to be done about that. Stepping forward, Mariposa closed the distance between them and wrapped Catania in a warm embrace.
The other girl stiffened, her hands fumbling against Mariposa’s back before settling into the hug. Her cheek rested against Mariposa’s shoulder as she just melted into her arms. Holding her closely, Mariposa nuzzled slightly at her light hair, wondering why no one had taken the time to give the princess the affection she so desperately needed.
“Catania,” she said, “there is no one else. Just us.”
A slight sob shook through Catania’s body as she clung to Mariposa like it was the only thing she could do. Mariposa just held her, allowing the other fairy to let her emotions spill over in the form of wet tears. Finally, Catania pulled back. She still stood close to Mariposa, their hands entwined in front of them.
“Thank you,” she said shyly, “I apologize for that outburst, I’m not sure where it came from.”
Mariposa let a soft smile cover her face. “Catania, you shouldn’t have to apologize for that. I just want you to know that I care for you.”
“You do?”
“Yes.” Mariposa leaned forward. “In fact, I love you.”
With a slight squeal, Catania launched herself at the butterfly-fairy, wrapping her arms around her neck. “I love you too, Mariposa.”
Laughing, Mariposa caught Catania around the waist, spinning her around in the sparkle-filled grove. Not even the brightest sunlight could compare to the smile on Catania’s face at that moment and Mariposa soaked it all up to store away for a rainy day.
When she set Catania back on the ground, the crystal-fairy looked up at Mariposa, her soft eyelashes fluttering slightly. Her feet were only on the grass for a second, before she was pushing back up to her toes, her face only inches from Mariposa’s. The butterfly-fairy only had a second to catch her breath before Catania pressed their lips together in a sweet kiss.
It was the best kiss of Mariposa’s life. Her hands cupped Catania’s face as she pressed close, drowning in her pink lips and soft sighs. When they pulled apart, Catania had a slightly dazed expression on her face and her cheeks were flushed.
“That was my first kiss,” she said, leaning against Mariposa.
Wrapping her arms around the other girl, Mariposa let out a happy sigh. “I love you Catania.”
“You already said that,” Catania giggled.
“I know, but you deserve to hear it again.”
“Well,” Catania said, her hands tracing soft patterns on Mariposa’s arm, “I love you too Mariposa, and I’ll tell it to you every day.”
*
That night, soft moonbeams trickled their way down through the palace windows to shine on two girls, asleep in each other’s arms. Their hearts were full and their dreams were sweet.