return

(Original notes: - Hc Fennel's first name as Edith because back in the day didn't know whether Fennel was a first or last name.

- The hc that...Fennel's a major mecha fan. Robots, lasers, the whole nine yards, and she loves the shit out of Astro Boy. Unfortunately, she often can't stomach robots late at night and that unintentionally gives her nightmares, so it's up to Juniper to put a childblock on all the electronics after a certain hour whenever they're together. (Of course being a genius scientist and all, Fennel often cracks the codes when Juni's sleeping.) )

Originally written February 3, 2014 on tumblr for femslash february. The faster I can get my past work uploaded, the faster I could put more recent work on here...probably. But nah, this pairing's great and I don't mind this collection so much actually. (There's never enough rip.)

Dr. Edith Fennel, with her ph.D in some brand of science and her brilliant research regarding the Dream World, was restless. She was the one keeping house of the secluded cabin, while her lover and colleague, the equally captivating Professor Aurea Juniper, did some quick errands. And while keeping house should've been fun, it bordered on tiresome instead. No new research, no newly-borrowed games from Amanita, and certainly no cooking, since Juniper had banned her from doing so. (Metal pots could only melt so long until there were none left.) If all the activities related to being the common housewife on vacation were stripped from her very essence, then what fun was it to actually be a common housewife on vacation?

She groaned, tempted to call Colress, though how eccentric and often meddlesome was he. Waiting sucked. So desperately did she want to brighten Juniper's return with some from of appreciation, but her mind drew a blank as to the means of doing it. Cooking was banned, most definitely banned, and the cabin was relatively spotless, save for her workspace. The pokemon were well-fed and groomed…but, ah! Perhaps she could fix the eyesores in the cabin. The curtains, though she enjoyed floral patterns, were an outdated taste, and the refrigerator could use a little organization. Yes, she was certainly capable of completing such small tasks.

First were the curtains. There was a step-ladder that could be used, but Fennel was tall enough to bring down the mighty curtains without any help. One by one she undid the curtain hooks, humming a happy tune until she suddenly realized that there was no spare set of curtains. Grimacing, she squeezed the curtains just slightly enough to make them topple onto her body, muffling her curses. Well, maybe she just wasn't cut out for decorating. Not everybody could excel in home improvement.

Wearing the curtains as a badge of honor, Fennel tackled the fridge next. It was moderately-sized, but it wasn't overwhelmingly filled as to prevent her from taking everything out from it. Placing everything on the table, she towered over her food pile with a satisfied smirk on her face and her hands on her hips in utmost confidence. She would conquer the fridge to conquer Juniper's heart. The only problem was how to organize the food. By color? By food type? Should she separate the lunchmeats from the vegetables?

With the questions boggling her mind, the doctor decided to lay on top of the table for a few minutes to clear her head. Maybe she should just place everything back the way it was. Surely there were other ways to impress Juniper. There were other things around the cabin, like the plants and the skyscrapers and that fascinating five-headed Hydreigon…

"Ed?…Ed?"

Fennel opened her eyes to see Juniper standing by her with a bag of groceries tucked under one arm, looking befuddled. She must've been a sore sight, dangling her long legs over the table and wearing the curtains like a cape, but she would not let the day's failures get the best of her. Hopping off the table, she brushed her cape off of her and pressed her glasses forward, furrowing her eyebrows. "Aurea, I made an important discovery today," she declared.

"You…like curtains?"

"No. I'm not quite suitable for housekeeping." Fennel couldn't keep her serious face for long and sighed, taking the groceries from Juniper and gesturing to her messes. "The curtains are here and the food is there, and I can't help but wonder if I can be an artist under this labcoat of mine."

"Dad often feels the same way. Last time I visited him, he was smearing condiments on his painting canvas again. I'm sure you can be one of those science-artist types if you put your mind to it," Juniper replied, shrugging. "Besides, there was some stuff in the fridge I needed to throw out, anyway. You saved me the trouble of taking it out. Thanks."

For the next hour or so, the pair spent their time rearranging the fridge. The organization was similar to how it was before Fennel poked at it, (which, for the most part, was nonexistent), but the old was thrown out and the new replaced the old. Sitting side by side on the floor, Fennel leaned her head on Juniper's shoulder. Both women were usually so busy with their work that they only saw each about two weekends a month, if that, and it felt like they learned something new about each other upon each visit. When they were in college, Juniper's initial reason for liking Fennel was because she reminded her so much of Daddy Cedric, and Fennel's reason for liking Juniper was because of that fascinating hairstyle of hers. But sitting together like this reassured Fennel that after all these years, their love had grown into something that was beyond shallow, like a dream with peacekeeping robots.

Sighing happily Fennel placed the last item in the fridge and turned to Juniper, brimming with joy that she could always look forward to her lover's company and gain the slightest bit of knowledge. "Aurea, let's eat takeout in our bras today."

She pressed Juniper's nose as the professor chuckled, a good sign for them both. "Edith, you just want an excuse to dance around in your lingerie, and you know I won't stop you. Go ahead. Dance."

Juniper stood up and headed towards the living room, leaving Fennel pouting on the floor. It wasn't a real panty party unless they both ate Chinese in their bras and panties. "I'm going to see you in your panties one way or another!" she shouted. "And you don't get the cop-out of
boxers this time!"

"Yeah, yeah, sure! Let's see you try!" Juniper shouted back, continuing to chuckle.

"And then we'll stay up late watching a robot movie!"

"No robot movies! You know you can't watch them after dark!"

By now Juniper was on the other side of the cabin, and Fennel continued to pout, leaning her head against the fridge. She didn't enjoy calling herself manipulative, but she would definitely get her way with her girlfriend, and she would definitely have dreams of killer robots by night's end. But at least her plans allotted her snuggle time with the most loyal woman in the world, just like every weekend, and fear was never an obstacle as she stood up and trotted after the professor.

"I can, too, Aurea! I just can't have chocolate with my robots!…"