Based on the prompt: your otp fall in love as children.
a/n: Here, I have made Misty and Delia only a year apart. In my headcanon, their age gap is a little larger. But, for the sake of the fact that they're children, I decided to go with one year. I deleted most of my old stories and don't really write much anymore, but I felt inspired so…here goes. Let me know what you think. Un beta'd, so all mistakes are my own. This is from the point of view of children, so it's purposefully a little simplistic. This is AU, obviously.
The Day family's house was small, but well kept. Misty awoke to her mother gently shaking her shoulder. It was time for school, and school was taken very seriously in the Day household. Most of Misty's cousins had never even gone. But Misty had always been a bright girl, and she knew her parents worked very hard to send her to the fancy academy just on the outskirts of the city, not too far from where Misty lived. Seemed silly, to send an eight year old to a big fancy school. But when Misty passed the tests and gotten in, her parents vowed they would do anything to give her the start they never had. She appreciated it, she guessed, but she didn't have many friends at school. She didn't fit in with the spoiled, dressy girls that went there. She wasn't sure she wanted to. Her mother picked out a dress for her to wear, a hand me down, just a little bit too long. Misty didn't mind, though. She could run better with more leg room.
Ever since third grade started, Misty was allowed to walk to the bus by herself. This seemed like a really important step toward her independence, Misty mused. She was always begging to be allowed to go on walks through the woods alone, and the swamps by her cousin's houses, but her parents were hesitant. Maybe if she proved she could get to school on her own, they'd let her go.
Distracted by a patch of particularly beautiful flowers, and a feather she had found, Misty never even noticed the bus fly by her until it was too late. She was a fast runner, but she'd never catch it. Knee deep in wildflowers, the driver didn't see the panic-stricken eight year old standing on the side of the road. What was she going to do?! Misty tried to think. She knew a shortcut to the school, through the woods. Her parents wouldn't like it much but…she had no choice.
Misty began to feel like she had severely overestimated the distance between her street and the school. It never took this long on the bus….she was definitely going to be late, though she had no way of knowing what time it was. Maybe she could make it. She ran a little faster, losing hope with each step. As she neared the big iron gate that fenced in the playground, Misty began to cry. The kids were all at recess, and the gates were locked. An older blonde girl sat near the gate, on a swing, all alone. Her hair was pin straight, not like Misty's curls, which were unruly and plastered to her sweaty forehead. The girl absentmindedly ran a hand down her hair anyway, making sure it wasn't out of place, and paused to wipe a smudge off of her black patent leather oxford shoes. Misty knew this girl, she realized. Her name was Cordelia Goode, the smartest girl in the fourth grade, though her parents never seemed to attend the awards ceremonies. Misty's heavy footfalls caught the perceptive young girl's attention. She looked appalled.
"What are you doing out there?! You're supposed to be at school!" A perplexed look crossed the girl's dark eyes before she dropped her voice to a whisper, approaching the gate. "Are you…skipping?"
"I'm not skipping! I was late, I missed my bus, I tried to walk here but it took so long, I didn't realize it would take so long, I knew a short cut, oh, I've missed school, haven't I?!" Misty began to cry. Cordelia, ever compassionate, checked nervously over her shoulder.
"Shh. It's alright. Stand back." Cordelia knew this was a bad idea. She could get in trouble. Not that Mother would pay much notice, but she'd been waiting for confirmation of Cordelia's powers, and Cordelia was not about to let on. She'd rather deal with some light berating than be dumped at the witch academy where she knew Fiona was dying to leave her so she could get on with bigger and better things.
Mother would chastise her, "Cordelia, by the time I was your age I was exploding with power, blah, blah, blah", and Cordelia would listen, eyes downcast, and mutter some halfhearted apology. Truth was, Cordelia knew she was powerful. She just didn't care to use her powers. But, the sight of this girl, distraught and alone, made her take the risk. The gate swung forward, and Misty's eyes got large.
"Get in! Quickly! Before anyone sees!" Misty ran through the gate, and it swung shut behind her. Cordelia wiped her palms on her neat black skirt, suddenly nervous. "Don't tell anyone! You can't tell anyone."
"How did you do that?!" The younger girl's eyes were wide and bright, and Cordelia couldn't help but notice their lovely shade of blue.
"Please don't tell anyone. Please promise me you won't." Misty didn't answer; she simply smiled and crouched down into the grass. Cordelia furrowed her brow. Misty stood, taller than Cordelia though she was younger. She held out an ant, slightly squished, and very much dead. Before Cordelia could scream her displeasure, Misty closed her eyes and drew a breath. The ant scuttled across her palm and fell back into the grass. Cordelia's breath hitched. "You…have powers too."
"Yeah… not any that can help me break into school, though. I'm Misty."
"Cordelia."
"Nice to meet ya, 'Delia." Cordelia blushed. She'd never been called a nickname before. She liked it.
"Nice to meet you, too." The girls talked and laughed all through recess. Misty seemed sad to part with Cordelia when they had to go back to class.
The girls became inseparable. Every day, like clockwork, they would meet at the big iron gate the second they were released for recess. They talked about everything and nothing. Misty would lie in the grass, plucking out blades and twisting them between her fingers, or scattering them on her legs. Cordelia would sit on a nearby swing, rocking slightly, watching her carefree friend behave in a way that most people she'd ever met never would. It was so easy to laugh when she was around Misty.
Neither girl could remember how it started, but every day as they walked back in the school building, they would grasp each other's hands. Misty's palms were always just a little bit sweaty, and she always had just a little dirt under her nails, but Cordelia didn't mind one bit.
One rainy day, the children were forced to stay inside for recess, much to Misty's dismay. She was having trouble with one of the boys in her class, one of the class clown types, who'd only gotten in because of his powerful parents. He was chasing her, trying to kiss her, saying he was going to pass on cooties to her. Cordelia knew cooties weren't real. But she couldn't explain the burning in her stomach watching the boy follow Misty around. They came closer and closer to the corner Delia was standing in. Just as his lips touched Misty's cheek, the boy flew backwards, falling to the floor. He claimed Cordelia pushed him. Fiona knew just what that meant. Her harmless little fly would never dirty her hands. Her powers had manifested, and it was time for her to go. She would have one more day at school.
Misty met her at the gate, cheeks pink from running across the playground. "Sorry I'm late, Delia! I got in trouble in class. My teacher was trying to tell the class how dangerous gators are, but they're not, I'm near them all the time at my cousin's house, and they've never once bitten me, so I figure they can't be all that dangerous…anyway, I had to stay in for recess, but I begged to have the last few minutes, because I didn't want you to think I wasn't going to meet you, and-"
"Misty." Cordelia's voice broke through the young girl's rant. Cordelia heaved a sigh. "Mist, I'm not going to be able to play with you anymore."
Misty's face crumpled. "But…I thought you were my friend. I thought you liked me. I thought you liked playing with me." She couldn't help the sense of despair that had taken root inside her. She looked forward to seeing Delia. She thought about her friend all of the time. She wished they could spend all day together, sometimes. She had thought Cordelia felt the same way.
"I do. Misty, I do like playing with you but…Mist, I have to go to another school. I start there tomorrow. I'm sorry, but I won't ever see you again." Cordelia's throat felt like it was closed. She couldn't stop the tears that began to flow freely from her eyes, down her cheeks, trailing down her neck. Misty frowned. She couldn't see her friend upset like this. She had to pretend everything was okay.
"That's okay, Delia. You've been a real great friend, the best I've ever had. I'm going to miss you. But you know what? I bet we'll see each other again." And with a smile, she leaned in and kissed Cordelia's cheek. She didn't even get the chance to see the shocked look on Delia's face, because the recess bell rang just then, and Misty turned on her heel and ran back towards the school, stopping only to cast a sad smile back at her friend. Cordelia knew she'd never see Misty again. She'd be stuck at the academy, and Misty would go on without her here. She'd make new friends; she was the most easygoing girl in the world. Cordelia wiped her tears, and headed back towards the school.
Cordelia was concerned when she heard Zoe say that there was an emergency and she had to help her friend. Reaching out a blind hand, she felt a warm palm meet hers, and was immediately assaulted with an array of visions. A young woman with unruly curls and dancing blue eyes, and just the hint of a Cajun accent, flames that burned her flesh like the betrayal of her family burned her heart. They had wanted her to become something. Instead, they hated her for the gift she had been given. Cordelia wondered if Misty would remember her, but why would she? Why would the young woman spare any thought for a brief childhood friend? But truth be told, Cordelia thought about Misty in the decades since they'd seen each other last. Sadly enough, she was still the best friend Delia'd ever had, and the reason she had that nickname. She couldn't let on that she'd remembered Misty, lest she embarrass herself, as the Cajun girl certainly didn't remember her, and had been through hell since they'd last seen one another.
"You're Misty Day" was all she could manage to the girl who, at one time, meant everything to her.
Cordelia heard the door to the greenhouse open. She heard the cadence of steps that were not altogether unfamiliar. "Misty, hi. Are you enjoying it here? Have the other girls been welcoming?" Why was she still pretending?
"You still go by Delia."