Eleanor's knee jumped up and down. Returning from Mindy's always gave her anxiety. What if one of the other demons saw her coming back? What if Michael's deception to Shawn had been discovered while she was away? What if something else terrible and hellish had happened to the others? Her hands tightened around the potted plant in her lap as she waited for the familiar wooden train platform to appear in the window.
Going had been a fleeting thought only half considered before she had summoned Janet to drive her. Her only prep beforehand had been to request a bottle of tequila and a bag of limes to trade with Mindy. Somehow despite being in the bad place already, Eleanor wasn't really comfortable being Mindy's coke dealer.
The train jerked to a stop, nearly toppling the plant from her hands. Janet popped into existence next to Eleanor to cheerfully explain that they had once again arrived in the neighborhood. The walk back to Tahani's house was uneventful, though Eleanor still scanned each side street for signs of trouble. Every shadow cast by the setting sun caught her eye, keeping her wary until she made it to she and her friends' homes.
"Eleanor, where have you been?" Tahani gushed, sweeping her into a tight embrace as soon as she spotted her in the foyer.
Assuring her that she was fine, Eleanor held up the red leafed plant. "I went to Mindy's to get some air and she gave me this," she explained. It was enough to distract Tahani from switching from angry concern.
Taking the plant, Tahani examined it and the pot. "Well it's not really the season for poinsettias, but I suppose we can find a shelf to put it on," Tahani said.
Eleanor clasped Tahani's shoulders. "It's not- just- let me explain. It's a wish plant. Mindy wouldn't tell me where she got it from, but she thought that it might help," she said. Pausing, Eleanor frowned. "Well, actually, what she said was that it might get me to stop coming by every other week to pick her brain for plans, but that's not the point."
Her heels bounced against the ground. "It grants any wish," Eleanor gushed.
Tahani raised one perfectly sculpted eyebrow. "Unlikely," she said. Her voice was flat, unimpressed.
"We're in the bad place being tortured by demons every day but a plant that grants wishes is too out of the realm of possibility for you," Eleanor shot back.
The plant went onto a side table as Tahani crossed her arms. "I don't appreciate the snark, Eleanor. I was worried about you; you disappeared for an entire day without telling anyone where you were! Now you come back with a shrub claiming that it can grant wishes. I refuse to apologize for remaining skeptical," she said.
Eleanor threw her hands into the air. "Fine! I'm sorry. I should have let you know where I was going, yes, but can we get back to the plant that might grant wishes?"
"We have a perfectly good Janet," Tahani sniffed.
"Can we just try one thing? Please?" Eleanor pled. "If I'm wrong and Mindy just dreamed it up on a bender, then I look stupid. But we shouldn't just ignore the chance to do something about our problem."
Tahani relented. "Fine. One wish. What do you have to do? Dance around the moonlight without pants?"
It was Eleanor's turn to raise an eyebrow. "You'd like that, wouldn't you," she teased. "No, you just have to touch it and say your wish."
Both women turned to look at the plant. It seemed innocuous enough, just sitting there on the carved wooden table. The bright red leaves bobbed gently from the cold breeze coming from the open windows. "We don't have to do it now," Eleanor murmured.
"Oh no, we're doing it now," Tahani replied in an equally hushed tone. She stepped towards the plant and cleared her throat. Laying a finder on one of the red leaves, she looked expectantly at Eleanor. Silence stretched between them.
"What should I wish for?" she asked after it became clear that Eleanor wasn't going to say anything.
Eleanor simply shrugged. "Your guess is as good as mine. What about finally getting some alone time? You know, where we don't have to worry about demons or well-meaning nerds walking in on us?"
Nodding, Tahani looked back down at the plant. "I wish that Eleanor and I could be alone for… three days without interruption," she said, her voice clear and strong.
Holding her breath, Eleanor waited to see if there would be some indication of the plant working. The leaves merely rustled slightly again as the air currents moved through the room. Tahani lifted her hand and turned back to Eleanor. "I suppose that we'll just have to wait and see?"
"Maybe it'll just do what it needs to on its own?" Eleanor suggested. "Like nudging chance to keep people away."
Tahani snorted. "Or maybe it's just a plant and Mindy wanted you to get the heck out of her house," she retorted.
They went upstairs. Eleanor couldn't resist looking down at the plant one final time as they ascended the staircase. Was it just a shadow from outside or had the leaf Tahani had touched darkened? She couldn't muse any further on it as Tahani clicked the light off for the night.
"I'm glad that you're home, even if you brought back a silly plant," Tahani murmured.
The next morning, Eleanor hurried out from Tahani's front door. She hadn't intended to stay the entire night - it made their deception to Vicky's crew all the more difficult when she was supposed to be playing the beleaguered failed soulmate with Chidi. Still, one thing had led to another and, well, she had to make it up to Tahani for making her worry.
Bursting into her home, Eleanor prepared to issue as many excuses as she needed to explain her absence to whatever freeloader had been lingering in her home. Yet all was quiet. Jason wasn't bouncing on her couch. Chidi wasn't grading papers. Michael wasn't… being Michael.
"Well that's easy, then," Eleanor muttered to herself. She hauled herself onto the platform for her bedroom and changed from yesterday's clothes. She'd already showered at Tahani's, taking advantage of the hot water as well as hotter company.
The next few hours she decided to get a start on her ethics work. Chidi had pushed their classes to twice a week on account of their much reduced free time away from Vicky. They wouldn't be meeting for a few more days, but Eleanor still wanted to be prepared. Man had she changed since high school.
Making it through their assigned reading took the rest of the day, including a generous break to veg out and watch some mindless television. Before she knew it, it was well past midnight. There still had been no sign of the wish plant having done anything. Surely there would have been some kind of indication? A feeling? A whim to return to Tahani's?
The next day was more of the same. Eleanor looked out her window every couple of hours to stare at Tahani's home. Even if the wish hadn't worked, she still had hoped that she'd be able to see with or without their friends around. Yet there hadn't been a single indication that her girlfriend was going to come over.
She was home, too, Eleanor could see. Lights turned on and off as the hours passed into night. Finally Eleanor went to bed.
She woke in a wretched mood. She had apologized for disappearing. There was no reason why Tahani should still have been mad at her. In fact, Tahani was basically pulling the same stunt herself, vanishing without bothering to let Eleanor know that she wasn't going to bother to come over. The plant hadn't even been worth it.
Eleanor ignored the knock at her door later in the morning, even when she heard Tahani's voice calling for her. Two could play at the cold shoulder trick. It did still sting hearing the disappointment in her girlfriend's voice as she promised to come back later when Eleanor might be around again. Still, Eleanor hadn't given up on a grudge while alive. She wasn't about to now that she was dead.
She could while away the hours like the best of them. Puttering around her home, Eleanor took the time to clean dishes, fold laundry, and organize her growing book collection. Spite was the only motivation for cleaning she ever listened to. Once her apartment was sparkling, Eleanor was left with a yawning sense of nothing to do.
It was nightfall by the time that she acknowledged the guilt clawing away at her stomach. This had all started because she had wanted to figure out a way to stop hiding their relationship and actually be happy. Now Eleanor was hiding in her clown house, avoiding the chance to actually spend time with Tahani?
Apologies ready, Eleanor set off across the lawn to Tahani's front door. When she answered the ringing doorbell, Eleanor threw herself into Tahani's arms again. "I'm sorry for ignoring you. I can't take another day alone," she plead.
Tahani scoffed and stepped out from Eleanor's embrace. "No one was making you be a jerk," she retorted. "I spent two days waiting to see if you were going to take advantage of us finally having quiet days. But no, you couldn't be bothered."
"I couldn't be bothered? There are two people in a relationship," Eleanor shot back. Her plan to apologize had been forgotten the moment that Tahani had narrowed her eyes. Something about that look brought out the worst in her.
"This is just like the other day. See, I knew that you couldn't learn from your own mistakes," Tahani said. She turned away, swiping under her eyes with the heel of her palm. Eleanor wasn't about to let that comment slide. Oh, no. She dogged Tahani's steps, rounding on her and jabbing her in the chest with one finger.
"I already apologized for the other day. I was giving you space! And I brought back the wish plant for us," she insisted.
Tahani's face reddened. "Oh yes, how could I forget about the stupid plant. Fat lot of good that did us. Wishing for three days alone," she spat.
Just like that, Eleanor felt her anger drop to nothing once again. "Three days alone!" Eleanor repeated. "Of course! It was the plant. It worked, Tahani. We just weren't specific enough." She trotted over to the poinsettia. One of the clusters of red leaves had dried, withering even as the rest still flourished.
Tahani wasn't convinced. She remained rooted in the center of the foyer. "You're blaming the plant instead of, oh I don't know, taking responsibility?" she said.
Eleanor shook the dying leaves. "Look at this! It makes sense, doesn't it? You said that you wanted us to have three days alone. We had three days alone, no interruptions."
"Coincidence," Tahani sniffed.
Teeth clenching, Eleanor stiffened. "Fine then. If you don't believe it, then you won't care what I do with this thing," she said. Clutching the second cluster of red leaves, Eleanor glared at Tahani. "I wish that none of this had happened."
"Oh, stop that. You're being childish now," Tahani said. She was right, but that didn't meant that Eleanor was about to admit to it.
Lifting one shoulder, Eleanor let go of the plant and crossed her arms. "If it's a dumb plant, sure I am. But if it actually was a wish plant, won't you feel a little bit foolish?"
Bickering and arguing kept them from realizing the door had opened and closed once again behind them. "Hey you two," Michael said quickly.
Tahani started and pressed a hand to her chest. Her quick glance to Eleanor told her their argument was far from over. "Michael, what can we do for you? And why are you so… disheveled?"
She was being polite, as usual. Michael looked a complete mess, his carefully pressed attire wrinkled and his hair sticking in every direction. He licked his lips, clapped his hands together, and then sank to the floor. "It's just awful, just awful," he moaned.
Eleanor exchanged a look with Tahani before bending down to touch Michael on the shoulder. "What's wrong?"
"Everything!" he continued to whine. "Just everything! I should have been able see this coming. But I've been so distracted with Chidi's dumb humanity lessons." He looked up from his hands to examine the pair of women.
"I'm sorry to have to do this to you again, but it's just too risky letting you keep remembering everything. I have one more shot to prove that I can do this for Shawn," Michael explained.
"Wait, wait, wait! We can talk about this!" Eleanor insisted. She moved to grab Michael's hand before he could-
Snap!
Eleanor Shellstrop opened her eyes. Bright green letters spelled out "Welcome! Everything is Okay!" on the wall in front of her.
Oh. That was good to know. Everything was okay.
This is my gift to Tahaniscutiepants on Tumblr for the TGP Secret Santa. I picked Tahani x Eleanor and ran with angst rather than fluff. I hope that you enjoyed it!