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Wren: How was dinner? C:
Charlie: It was good! I love you and I hope you know how much I love you because Mearc told me that you also haven't been on many dates and you don't have to hide stuff like that from me because I'll love you no matter what
Also I'm now stuck in a bathroom
Wren: You're stuck?? Where at?! And I know you love me! I love you too! Where are you??
Charlie: I'm not physically stuck, I'm just really afraid to leave, if that makes sense. At the Hilltop Diner.
Wren: I'll be right there - do you need anything when I get there?
Charlie: You don't have to come! I'll be fine!
Wren: its not about need. I want to be there for you.
look I miss you
and I get scared you'll realize you could do way better or get tired of me keeping secrets and then next time I see you wont be as yours.
so it helps to be around when you're sad or scared or things.
I feel more useful.
Charlie: I just don't want you to see me as all fear. I want us to have some times together where I'm not terrified
Wren: I don't remember how scared you get when were apart. That's not who you are to me
you're the giggly nervous beauty that shared my first kiss
Charlie: That was your first kiss!? How did you know what to do so well?
Wren: it was my first kiss. Wren's. Shes never kissed anybody before
Charlie: I want you to know that if you don't want to talk about any of this identity stuff, that's fine, but if you do and feel like you *can't*, I'm more than happy to listen
Wren: I'll talk some when I get there?
Charlie: Whatever *you* want to do
It's really not much later at all that Wren shows up. There's been some texting on the parts of some parties and others, and she clearly came straight here. She's not dressed fancy, she's just in what are probably pajama pants (though they're awfully plain, just dark grey even if they do look comfy) and a flannel shirt a size or two larger than she should be wearing. She marches into the building, clocks the restrooms, and heads that way, sending one last text message before she knocks on the door to the women's restroom.
Charlie opens the door, her face is a tear stained mess and she's sniffling and shaking. She blushes and looks down away from Wren, saying, "I'm so so sorry. I must look really gross right now. I'm so sorry."
Wren just reaches up and puts her little hands on Charlie's face, tears and snot aside, and gets on her tiptoes to kiss her. "Don't apologize for having feelings." Her hands slide down Charlie's throat to her shoulders, down to her hands, taking them. "Come on. I grabbed some popcorn and a couple sodas. Let's go someplace you feel safe and talk."
She nods, trying really really hard not to feel everyone's eyes on her. She follows Wren wherever she goes, desperately trying not to cry again.
There's an Uber outside, still waiting for Wren to come back, and she slides into the backseat, pushing some stuff with her to make room for Charlie to follow. When she climbs into the car, Wren offers her a tiny little spray of a bouquet- a red chrysanthemum with a couple daisies and some fern sprigs as adornment. "I had one of the other florists put this together for you." The other thing, predictably, is a box of microwave popcorn- and another box of tissues, which she hands to Charlie with the flowers.
The second she sees the flowers, her brain does a little math and then she bursts into tears again. "That's so sweet! Oh gosh, thank you! You learned flower language?" She uses the tissues to clean herself up, but she's still slightly crying, her head resting on Wren's shoulders.
Wren pulls her in, heedless of the mess the tears might leave on her shirt. "I thought you would like that. So I googled a few ways to say things." She pets through Charlie's hair gently, avoiding her halo's wires, focusing on the girl, not the angel. "I'll try to learn it proper. It'd be fun to exchange little talking bouquets at big parties and stuff, don't you think?"
She nods again, trying yet failing to form words through the tears. After she's calmed down a bit, she murmurs, "Thank you for saving me. I... didn't know how I was going to get out of there."
"It's okay. I've- felt like that before. Not... with bathrooms, just... in general." She leans forward and gives the driver Charlie's address, and they start cruising that way. She settles back and slips her arms around Charlie, nuzzling into her hair. "Can we talk more once we're at your place?"
"Mhm," she agrees, "Do you want my apartment or, um," she lowers her voice and whispers, "my hollow?"
Wren gives Charlie a coy look and leans in to kiss her cheek. "If you're asking if I would like to go to one or the other, then the latter. Familiar background, nothing to distract." The impression that Charlie accidentally implied something else is... palpable.
Charlie blinks. "What did I say?" She asks, nuzzling up against Wren more. She was so warm. "What are you looking at me like that for?" Her voice is suspicious, but a healthy amount. It doesn't sound like she's spiraling into a loop of self doubt.
Wren leans in to whisper in her ear.
"Just a very different way of what asking if I want your "hollow" could mean. But I know you didn't. It was just funny because it's so not you."
Her tone's gentle, adoring. It's not at Charlie's expense. Just cute!
She gives Wren a look. "What are you-" and then it dawns on her. Her eyes shoot wide open and she sits up straight. "I, um, wow, um, heh," she stammers, turning bright crimson.
Wren bursts into giggles, and leans into the other girl, nuzzling at her. "I know you didn't mean it like that. That's why it's funny!"
She grumbles and kisses Wren's cheek. "You've got a dirty mind for someone so cute." Charlie wraps her arms around Wren and squeezes her tightly. "You cute jerk."
"It's only a dirty mind until it gets married. Then it's just "adventurous"," teases Wren before falling into companionable silence.
It's not too terribly long before they're back at Charlie's place above Doom and Bloom, and Wren's letting Charlie take the lead into her place, her home, her Hollow. She's taken the holding stuff job, and her arms are full of tissues and flowers and popcorn- which they should probably pop before trusting it to any hedgeside amenities. Who knows what flavoring it'll come up with if popped in the Hedge!
Charlie rushes up to the apartment to pop the corn (the trick is not to trust the microwave but instead count to two seconds between pops before removing it for optimal poppage) before heading back down with a hot bag of corn. She whispers "knock, knock" to the back entrance of the flower shop and then opens up to her extradimensional condo, the blankets from their last cuddle session folded up on the brown leather couch.
Wren follows after, setting aside the tissue, placing the flowers someplace central, and fetching the blankets to curl around herself and Charlie. "So... I heard a little bit about the stuff you and Mearcstapa talked about. I'm happy you guys got to chat. How are you feeling right now?" She keeps her tone gentle, inquisitive, keeps physically close, trying to edge out as much room for anxiety as she can.
"I'm, um, better. I didn't know how hard Mearc's power would wear off. But I'm in your arms so things feel less, uh, off the rails now?" She's keeping mostly still and curled up in Wren, but one of her hands is rapidy drumming its fingers against itself. "He's nicer than I thought he'd be."
"He's super nice. That's why I was so surprised you thought he'd sabotage us just because." Wren keeps a hand moving through Charlie's hair. "He said- I shouldn't be so determined not to let you see me scared. That it was leaving you feeling like the weak link. Is that right, Charlie..?"
"I mean, um!" Whatever stillness Charlie had managed to force herself into is immediately out the window, her body rapidly tensing and untensing itself, her legs rocking and her eyes blinking. "I didn't say it like that! I don't think you're hurting me or anything! And we both know that no matter what, I am the weak link, so you, um, you don't have to change, really!"
Wren looks up at Charlie with those big doe's eyes. Quiet. A little sad. "... I don't think you're the weak link, though. Not even close. You're doing your best. You're honest. You tell me what's going on, even if it's scary or hurts. I think you're doing a lot better than I am, Charlie."
Charlie lets out a weird noise of somewhere between disbelieve and offense. "I tell you everything because I can't shut up when I'm scared! And I lie all the time! You're up front that you have things you don't want to talk about! You have a good job and friends and can leave your house whenever you want. And you can leave it to go on spying missions, like you're James Bond. Pardon my anger, but you need to love yourself more." She places a firm kiss on Wren's forehead, her eyes determined.
Wren smiles, a little, at the kiss, but is quiet for an uncomfortable period after. Finally, she says softly, "Charlie... I hate myself. I hate almost everything about the person that came Back. I'm Wren because I decided I wanted to be as different from her as possible. All those things you like about me- the job, the social engineering, feeling like I'm safe leaving my home, that's all because I hide behind Wren. I'm- not better than you. I'm not. I'm happy you like things about me- I'm over the moon that you love me- but-" She falls quiet. She's not sure what to say.
"Who gives a- a-" Charlie steels herself before quietly saying, "a shit," She gets loud again, "about any of that? I didn't fall in love with whoever that was. I fell in love with Wren! It doesn't matter how you got here or what you had to do, you are Wren. And you're that other person too. And I might like to learn more about her some day, but you're Wren now. Not hiding behind her. You are her. And you are who I fell in love with."
Wren turns those big, liquid doe's eyes up at Charlie while she talks, teeth clamped onto her lower lip. Tears brim over when Charlie says it's Wren she fell in love with, and that she IS Wren. It's- validating, and everything she wants to hear and doesn't dare to think all at once, and she tips herself over and hugs Charlie around the middle, face buried against Charlie's belly, squeezing tight.
"I lfff ooo doo."
It's muffled. But it's more or less understandable.
Oh boy howdy, if you think Charlie doesn't start crying the second Wren does, you've got another thing coming. She squeezes Wren tight, trying to push aside all of her thoughts about needing to move and just stays still, in a sobbing pile of lesbians. In between blubbers, she gives big kisses to Wren's back and rocks her slightly in her arms.
Wren stays tucked close, nuzzling at Charlie's belly, for a good few minutes, before crawling into her lap and putting her arms round the taller girl's neck instead. "I meant what I wrote. I'm scared, too. You're so nice. You're gorgeous. You're wonderful. And I keep worrying something will change and you'll find someone better and this'll just be done. You're not the only scared one. I promise."
Charlie blushes and looks away. Having to look at her girlfriend while getting called pretty was too much. She could die of gay poisoning. "You're all those things too, in spades, and its downright criminal that you can't see that. I wish you could see the Wren I see. The gorgeous super spy with fluffy ears who can survive anything." She pauses to kiss Wren's forehead, before adding, with a wink, "And seduce anyone."
Wren beams at that blushy look away and nuzzles closer, laughing. "I could seduce anyone. But I don't wanna. I wanna seduce one person. But I won't because she would not appreciate it and I happen to be quite good at compromises. Especially ones involving smooches." She steals one of those, right at the little soft spot in the dip of Charlie's throat.
Charlie's face sags a little. "Are you, um, sure you're okay with me not being ready for a lot of stuff? I don't want you to be stuck with someone who, um, can't do the things that you want?" She groans, that sentence really having gotten away from her.
Wren's head tips to the side. "I know you aren't. I came into this knowing that, cutie. I haven't been doing any of that anyway. I'm not like- missing out. It'll be great when we get there, but I'm not in a hurry. And I'm not stuck with you. I'm lucky you'll have me."
"So, um. I might need you to give me a second to say this one because it's really really scary, but, um. Mearc ate my fear when we were eating and for, um, for a bit I was just... not afraid of anything." She stops to take a few deep breaths, looking away from Wren before continuing, "And, um, the, uh, the me that wasn't afraid really really wanted to do that stuff to you? Like I even said some stuff out loud about it."
Wren blinks, clearly surprised. "She did? I mean- you did? You do?" She's processing, aloud. "... you're just scared to. That makes sense, love." Her cheeks are a little brighter, a little warmer. Heck, even the inside of her ears colors a little. "I don't want you to be afraid. But I like being wanted."
"It's, um, it's a big fear, so, um, it's not exactly going to really go away any time soon, but, um." Charlie looks Wren up and down, having to pry her eyes away from her girlfriend's chest when she got there."If you can, um, wait. I really really want to be with you."
Wren's eyes, cheeks and ears light up more to hear that from the reluctant partner. "I- yes! I can wait. I know it's not gonna be a quick thing. That's okay. I have kisses, and hugs, and cuddles. I won't starve for touches. I will go at this at exactly whatever pace you like. No faster. Okay?"
She nods. "I really love you, I hope you know that. I could not dream up a better girlfriend than you. I wish I could go back and tell me as a kid that she'd end up dating the cutest possible woman, who also cares and respects my boundaries."
Wren nods, nestling close again, nosing at the hollow of Charlie's throat. "I do know that. And I love you too. And if you told little you that you'd be dating a superspy rabbit girl, she'd implode on the spot and you know it."
Charlie giggles, before admitting, somewhat embarrassed, "young me diiid have a tiny bit of a crush on, um, Lola Bunny. From, um, Space Jam." She plants a kiss on one of Wren's ears. "You're cuter though."
Wren pivots in Charlie's lap, bringing both hands to rest on the girl's collarbone, adopting an absolutely smoking copy of Lola's sultry stare. "Is that you asking me to go get tiny shorts and a crop top jersey, I hear~?"
"Ha, um, heh, hoooo," Charlie stammers, blushing so hard that the summer court could take the crown. "I, um. I mean, if you wanted to? I don't want to push you. But. Um. If you want to I mean."
Wren grins wide. "Come to think of it... all the things your hollow provides. Does it have a wardrobe, Charlie?" She holds Charlie's gaze, even while she burns crimson.
Charlie's jaw falls open. She nods, unable to make words come out of her mouth and points at one of the bedrooms.
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