Microaggressions

by alwayswriting101

Flora visits Helia's home planet, Quartz. Unfortunately, not all are as welcoming as he is.

I think that most of us can agree that Helia is coded as a POC, so for a while, FloraxHelia were the only mixed-race couple on the show, and I loved that so much! But I wanted to analyze how their relationship would be interpreted by others, especially in the context of discrimination, racism, etc. So to be clear, this story is not a criticism of FloraxHelia, but rather a celebration of finding love even as society rejects it. Obviously, I'm not getting too crazy/graphic here with the instances of racism etc, but I wanted to make that point clear. I am not glorifying racism in any way. This story has instances of racism, and microaggressions that I've personally experienced in my dating life.

---

Helia bounced on his heels as he anxiously awaited Flora's arrival at the Quartzian Central Station. The couple have been dating for nearly two years, but this would be Flora's first visit to Helia's home planet. He had tried to avoid this visit for a long time—not only were the Winx Club historically on bad terms with his princess, Diaspro, but the people of Quartz did not always take too…kindly to outsiders, especially those they didn't deem "perfect". But Flora insisted, she said she wanted to understand the culture he grew up in, so Helia begrudgingly accepted.

But if Helia had his way, he'd never expose Flora to Quartz, especially the upper echelons of society, where he was used to. She's too sweet for the toxicity it held. But what's done is done, and hopefully, he'd be able to shield her from that.

It was now 10:05 am. Flora was supposed to arrive through the Lynphean portal five minutes ago. Where was she? Maybe she got lost, maybe someone chased her away from here, oh gods, what if she was in trouble? Helia pulled out his phone to call her, but put it down as he saw Flora just enter through the portal, her gorgeous eyes scanning the crowd for him.

"Flora!" He called out, waving his arms to grab her attention. It took her a moment, but once Flora saw her boyfriend she gave him a dazzling smile that took his breath away. Helia couldn't help but laugh as Flora nearly tackled him in her famous running-start hugs (1).

"Hi Helia," giggling as she snaked her arms around his neck, "I've missed you so much!"

As he wrapped his arms around her waist, Helia deeply inhaled Flora's scent. She always smelled of some variation of flowers or fruit, today she smelled of cinnamon and apple, which were his favorite scents. "I missed you too, my dear," he whispered into her ear, "I'm so glad you're here," in my arms, he left unsaid.

"And I'm happy to be here, Quartz is so beautiful!" Flora beamed, misinterpreting his words. Helia forced himself to grin, her words deflating his mood a bit, but it quickly picked up as Flora pulled away from the hug and tugged on his arm. "Come on," she urged him, "I want to see what your planet has to offer!"

Flora's joy was contagious, as always. So, he pushed down any feelings of apprehension and led the way to the day he had planned. Maybe today won't be so toxic after all…

"Okay...Okay!" Helia laughed at Flora's super strength, as she literally dragged him out of the station to see what the planet was all about.

---

Quartz is the home of precious gems in the stone realm, naturally making the planet the largest exporter of said gems in the Magic Dimension, but the gems were also the largest tourist attraction. Therefore, first on the itinerary for the young couple was a visit to the Cartier Mines, located near the famous Cartier Mountains of Quartz, where the best gems were located and mined. Typically, the gems were now mined through a combination of technology and magic, but the Cartier Mines utilized a few old miners' elevators and trolleys as a tourist attraction.

"What gems are we going to see?" Flora asked as they waited in line for the next available ticket operator.

"You'll have to wait and see." Helia teased, laughing at Flora's pout. Just as she opened her mouth to complain, they were called up to the next ticket booth.

"Welcome to the Cartier Mines, what gems are you here to see?" The ticket booth attendant asked, appearing as if he would rather die than work another minute.

"We'd like to go through the 'A' line, please." Helia said, using Quartzian terminology, to keep Flora in the dark about the gems he intended to see with her.

"Are you sure about that?"

Helia paused rifling through his wallet as he pondered the question. "Um...Yes?"

"That's our most expensive line sir, as I am sure you know."

"So?"

"Well, are you sure that she," the attendant paused to gesture to Flora, "...can truly appreciate the gems of the 'A' line?" At Helia's shocked silence, the attendant continued, "She would be better fitted for the 'Z' line, with the gems she'd more easily recognize."

Helia felt his face heat up in anger and embarrassment at the attendant's gall. How dare he assume Flora couldn't appreciate the 'A' line gems? He had half a mind to begin cursing the man out when Flora's awkward cough quickly brought him back down to reality. Any other day Helia would kill him, but today had to be perfect, for Flora.

Helia swallowed down his anger as he pulled out the money, but his hands were still shaking in rage. "Well," his voice unusually strained, "I think that we'd both appreciate the 'A' line, thank you very much."

If the attendant noticed Helia's anger or Flora's tense demeanor, he didn't acknowledge it. With a simple shrug, he accepted Helia's money and allowed them entry through to the 'A' line mine elevator. As a frequent guest to the mines, Helia knew the attendant failed to wish them a 'rockin' time, but Helia chose to ignore the slight.

"How much is the 'A' line?" Flora suddenly found the courage to ask.

Helia already knew where Flora's thoughts were sprinting towards and decided to nip her anxieties in the bud. "Not much at all. That guy was being an ass."

"Well, if the other line was cheap—"

"Money is not an issue Flora, you know that. The 'A' line has the best gems in all of Quartz and you deserve to see them." Helia comforted her, pressing a kiss to her temple.

Flora bit her lip anxiously, regretting putting Helia in a position where he might needlessly waste money on her, but his brilliant smile and outstretched hand put her mind at ease. "Okay."

"Good." Helia prayed that his words put her anxiety to rest, and she just wasn't saying 'Okay' to appease him, but he decided to end the conversation instead of dragging it on. He grasped Flora's hand and led her to the entrance to the elevator, where an older woman waited for the couple.

"Good morning, and welcome to the Cartier Mines. My name is Lapis and I will be your tour guide today." Lapis' greeting seemed much more pleasant, to Helia's relief, and disappointment as he realized he would have to dismiss her.

"Actually, we would like to forgo a tour guide for today. I've been here quite a few times before."

"Alright then, you will be a wonderful tour guide for your little friend here. I'm sure she's never seen anything as remarkable as the gems you will see today." Suddenly, Helia's previous disappointment dissipated into thin air. His face reddening from embarrassment for the second time in as many minutes, he found himself unable to find the words to formulate a response. The woman was rude in assuming Flora's status, but Helia wasn't sure if it was intentional.

Luckily, Flora had the decency to fill the silence before it got too awkward. "It is my first time! I've heard so much about these mines, I'm so lucky that my boyfriend could bring me here." Flora smiled broadly at Lapis.

"Indeed you are... you would never have the chance otherwise." Flora's smile faltered, but ultimately held, even under Lapis's intense stare. Another awkward silence descended the group as no one knew quite what to say, but eventually the elevator dinged as the doors opened, finally giving Flora and Helia an out. Stepping into the elevator, they bid Lapis goodbye, but not before she could call out another passive-aggressive comment, "Have fun! Especially you deary, you'll probably never have another experience like this!"

Helia couldn't help but physically cringe at Lapis's obliviousness. The moment the elevator doors closed he turned to address Flora. "Oh my gods, Flora, I am so sorry."

"I'm okay, don't worry about it." She said, but the look in her eyes told Helia she was definitely not okay, and he definitely should worry about it.

"No, it's not okay. She shouldn't have assumed that—"

"That I'm poor?" Helia had no response. "Because I am. I'm sure I wouldn't even be able to step foot in Quartz if it weren't for you."

"No, honey it's not that…" Helia groaned. He wasn't sure how to explain it to her. It wasn't that Flora couldn't afford to be there, it's that they thought she didn't belong. She didn't look or act the part of a Quartzian citizen. Light-skinned, mostly upper class, totally and completely refined.

And fake.

Quatzian society always repulsed him. He was born in Melody, and enjoyed what he could remember from there immensely, but moved to Quartz when he was five to live with his grandmother and grandfather when both of his parents died in an accident. He fit in, somewhat, but he never truly felt at home, like he did in Melody, or even Lynphea whenever he visited with his art school. Everyone on Quartz valued their jewels and status first, and their relationships second, meaning that every interaction was simply a ploy to get to the top, to the royal family. Which was why Diaspro's engagement to Sky was such a big deal. Even though Quartz was wealthy and the largest of the planets in the minor realms, it was still blown out of the water when compared to Eraklyon, a large, influential planet in a major realm (2). Their marriage would have brought a significant amount of power to Quartz.

Helia never wanted any such part in a sham society, in which social climbing was the norm, one's personality was consistently shunned, and you couldn't trust anyone. He fled to Melody to join art school the moment he could, finally being free to be who he was. Then transferred to Red Fountain to pursue heroism, and Flora, the first person he could really himself around. The first person who truly appreciated his art, his sensitivity, his passion, and didn't judge him for it or try to change him. For that, Helia loved Flora more than anything. He would do everything to make her happy, even return to the planet that made him once so unhappy.

But clearly, that was a huge mistake, as nothing had changed in the past four years. It tore him down, and if he wasn't careful, it would tear Flora down too.

Helia fumbled for a few moments as he tried to gather the right words. Understanding his inner struggle, Flora decided to intervene.

"Hey, let's not worry about it now, hm?" she suggested, much to Helia's displeasure. "I don't want this trip to be ruined debating the inter-realm sociogeopolitical landscape...there's plenty of time for that sometime else."

Any other time, Helia would have refused Flora's request, spending the next few hours, days even, apologizing to her about Lapis, but unfortunately for the young artist, the mine door opened right them, giving his girlfriend the perfect out.

Flora literally leaped out of the elevator and onto the mine trolly just below. Flipping her hair over to the other side of her neck in a way she knew drove him insane, she looked back and called out, "Are you coming, Mr. tour guide?"

Helia couldn't help but chuckle at Flora's excitement. There was something about her that he couldn't quite pinpoint. Somehow, in a matter of seconds, Flora was able to pull him from a foul mood and make him feel better, even his grandfather couldn't perform such a feat. Helia didn't have it in his heart to keep the bad experience with Lapis ruin their time, especially since Flora was working so hard to keep him just as happy. So, the conversation would be put on hold, what's the harm in that?

"Hold your dragons," he teased, "I'm coming, Ms. Rosario."

Flora beamed as Helia sat next to her, simultaneously pulling the lever to start the trolley. The ride began, the trolly starting down the mine. "So," Helia started to explain to Flora's wide eyes, searching for gems, "There aren't any gems at this point of the ride, they're much deeper underground, so it's still a bit of a wait."

"Pity," Flora deadpanned, but her eyes shone mischievously, "So I'll just have to talk to you this whole time?"

"Unfortunately, my dear."

Flora laughed joyously for the first time today, music to his ears. "I would've brought a book if I knew...although I suppose you can do," pinching his cheek as she continued to tease.

"Well, we don't have to talk…" Helia smirked, taking her hand and pressing a kiss to her fingers, "There are plenty of other things to do while we wait…"

The nature fairy was thoroughly enjoying Helias' kisses as he continued to peck up her arm. "Like what?"

Helia remained silent as he pressed kisses to her collarbone. Slowly kissing up her neck, her chin, her cheeks, he eventually found his destination—her sweet lips. "Like this."

They fell into a passionate kiss, their previous worries completely melting away. They spent most of the trolly ride like that, entangled in each other arms, especially when the tracks dipped downhill 10 feet every few miles or so, always catching Flora by surprise, causing her to squeal and clutch on her boyfriend tightly, much to his satisfaction. He knew the 'A' line had gorgeous gems, but he also knew of its unique length and various valleys, making the ride perfect for each of them (particularly him) to enjoy.

But before long, Helia knew they had to part, as he could recall after 15 valleys, the gems were nearby. Pulling away from his love, he sighed regretfully, "We're almost there, sweetie."

"Where?" Flora breathlessly asked, desperately wanting to lean back into the kiss, before she recalled where she was and her face reddened even more, "Oh, the gems?"

"Yeah," Helia chuckled, pressing one last kiss to Flora's temple, as she had turned away from him from embarrassment. Even red-faced, her hair messily tousled, she looked like the most beautiful woman in the world. Gods, he loved this woman so much it could kill him.

"Wow…" Flora gasped at the sight. They finally arrived at the gems.

While the mine before was nearly dark and lit up by lanterns above the trolly, the gems lit up the mine on their own. The first row of gems were Diamonds, which shone so brightly against the cave wall they more closely resembled stars in the night sky. The trolly continued slowly down its path to the Rubies, and Helia loved how the light emitted from the gems framed Flora's face and made her look more sensual, he always thought Flora looked good in red. Following the Rubies were the Tourmaline gems, and their varied color spectrum made the gems look like a shining rainbow. Black Opal came next, and Flora was stunned by their iridescent properties, the light making her feel as if she were underwater.

The pair continued to pass by various gems, with Flora gasping at each display. Helia thoroughly enjoyed watching Flora's stunned reactions to the gems, how she listened raptly as he explained the history and knowledge of the gems, and how the light from display reflected on Flora's skin. Helia had ridden the 'A' line over a dozen times, and yet the gems never seemed to shine as bright as they were now, as if Flora's mere presence made them better. He wouldn't be surprised if that were the truth, Flora could make a bag of trash better, that's just the way she is.

"...Oh my gods…" Helia stopped his worshipping and followed Flora's gaze, itching to see which gems could pull such a reaction from her, then chuckled deeply when he saw.

The Emeralds.

The last gem section, the Emeralds were certainly the best. Large cuts of the stone stuck out of the mine wall, their impressive size nearly within Flora's reach. Their deep color was somehow warm, but also deeply penetrating. Of all the other gems, which reminded the couple of other places, of the stars, of the sea, etc, the Emeralds were the only one that felt like home. For Flora, the emeralds reminded her of Lynphea. And for Helia, who really didn't have a home, they reminded him of Flora, particularly her own emerald eyes, eyes he prayed their children would have someday.

"Oh Helia, they're so beautiful."

"Yeah." Helia agreed, completely ignoring the gems, his eyes on Flora. "Stunning."

The couple finished out the Emeralds in silence as Flora awed over them. Much too soon, it was time to return up the mine, so that may return from which they came.

"Helia, thank you for taking me here, that was incredible."

"Of course, I'm so glad you liked them!" Helia returned Flora's beaming smile. "Which were your favorite?"

"The Emeralds," Flora said without hesitation, "I don't know why but they're so beautiful yet seem so...familiar? Am I making sense?

Helia couldn't help but chuckle. He knew exactly what she was saying, "Yes dear. You're making perfect sense. And what were your second favorites?"

This time Flora had to pause. "It's a tie between the Rose Quartz, and the Pink Diamond (3)."

"Because they're pink?"

Flora huffed and turned away from him, but the blush on her face told him that he was right. And despite Flora's fake annoyance, the trip so far went pretty okay. They started out rough, but the mine itself was perfect. She was perfect, and satisfied, and that's was all Helia could ever want.

That, and the information he found out about her.

She likes Emeralds and Pink Stones. That was very good to know.

---

The rest of the mine trip was fairly uneventful, besides Lapis's passive-aggressiveness when they returned, but the couple shrugged it off, still on a high from the excellent mine trip.

Next on the itinerary was a trip to Topaz Avenue, the longest and most well-known avenue in the entire shopping district. Helia, admittedly rarely ever shopped here, only for special occasions, but it was a well-known tourist destination for the upper class, and he figured that Flora would enjoy a shopping trip. Not to mention there was something he was looking to buy, so he might as well kill two birds with one stone.

The couple walked down the avenue, walking past various expensive stores and enjoying the designer clothes, couture footwear, and priceless gems in the windows. Although Helia could easily have paid for anything she wanted, Flora insisted on window shopping, partly because she wasn't particularly interested in Quartzian fashion, and mostly because she knew they were extremely out of her price range, much to the artist's disappointment, he never wanted Flora to worry about money. But, as shy as the young fairy can be she was as equally stubborn, insisting they window-shopped instead, and Helia had no choice but to accept. So down the avenue they went, walking past Ralph Lazuli, Ruby Vuitton, HelioDior, Armaninite, and countless other high-end stores (4).

But even the frugalest of fairies have a weakness, and for Flora it was a stunning gold dress she saw in the window of Dolce&Goldbana. Even she had to stop and admire it, pulling Helia—who failed to notice that Flora stopped walking— back.

"Why don't you go in and try it on?" Helia asked, finally satisfied that something caught her eye.

"Why— Oh Helia you know I can't do that!" Flora laughed, as she softly hit him on his bicep.

"Why not?" Flora opened her mouth to say the one reason why she couldn't go in— "And don't say it's too expensive, I'll be happy to buy it."— to which she promptly shut her mouth.

"Helia...I..."

"Go in!" Helia encouraged as he opened the door, "Come on in love."

Flora anxiously bit her lip, but stepped into the store with Helia guiding her with a hand on the small of her back. The store was stunning. The couple were the only ones in the store, besides the employees. The floor was pure gold, elaborate chandeliers hung from the ceiling. Beautiful jewel-toned dresses, suits and accessories were displayed throughout the store, each outrageously expensive. Flora was beginning to feel out of place, and started to consider leaving the store, just when one of the young workers approached the couple.

"Good afternoon, and welcome to Dolce&Goldbana. My name is Amber. How may I assist you, sir?" Amber directed to Helia. Her lips were pulled into a tight smile, and although she appeared sweet, Helia could see that she was as fake as everyone else. He was already fooled once by Lapis, he wouldn't be fooled again.

"Hello, my girlfriend," Helia said, while softly pushing Flora forward, "is interested in the gold dress at the window."

Amber took a moment to glance at Flora before turning back to Helia. "A very fine dress indeed, sir," she firmly emphasized the honorific, "what size is she looking for?"

Helia decided to remain silent and let Flora answer, refusing to play Amber's game. He was beginning to become angry again, at her refusal to acknowledge Flora, but he would just have to play smart and ensure his beautiful girlfriend was acknowledged. With a nod of his head, Helia silently encouraged Flora to answer.

"Well...I'd like to try a size six, if you have it." Flora said, although meekly, clearly intimidated by Amber.

Amber huffed, almost angrily at Flora's response. Still fixing her gaze at Helia, she replied, "Sir, if I may suggest a size twelve or fourteen instead? Your friend's large...assets may not fit into this dress, Qaurtzian women are notoriously slim!"

Both Flora and Helia instantly became red at Amber's remarks. Flora from embarrassment, Helia from anger. Flora may be a bit curvier than other women, a fact that she constantly was embarrassed about, but Helia always thought she was the most beautiful woman in the room. Besides, Flora was still skinny, she's a size six! Amber's comments were to clearly put Flora down, and unlike earlier, Helia refused to stand for it. "She's my girlfriend, first of all. Second of all, I would like someone else to help me."

"Wha-What?!" Amber stuttered.

"I would like someone else," Helia reiterated, "My girlfriend and I were looking forwards to a nice shopping trip today, and you, with your comments, and attitude, have already made it very sour. I want someone else."

"Sir," Amber said quietly, but there was still a bit of rage left, "I apologize for my actions. I meant no harm to—"

"I don't really care for your fake apology."

Amber glared angrily at Flora, who taken to shrinking behind Helia's back, before she turned quickly on her heels, and marched back to the checkout area, where she promptly traded with the other sales associate, who held a large grin and practically skipped towards Flora and Helia, though Helia suspected her glee was more so due to Amber's firing, rather than her satisfaction at helping customers.

"Hello!" The new attendant started her greeting, "My name is Silvia, and thanks for coming into Dolce&Goldbana. I hear that you like our 'Shimmering Gold' dress?"

"Um, yes…" Flora said shyly, although it sounded more like a question.

"That would look so fabulous on you! Go on to a dressing room and I'll bring in a size six for you!" Silvia gestured to the dressing rooms at the back of the store, before disappearing to the back room. Flora glanced backward towards Helia, an amused smile and pink blush coloring her features. Before long, a wide grin colored his own features, as they both laughed at Silvia's antics.

"Thank you…"

"You're welcome, love. Now go," Helia pushed, "Try on the dress, and if you like it, we'll buy it and you can surprise me and wear it for dinner tonight. I have to go somewhere really quickly."

"Where are you going?"

Helia smiled devilishly, "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"As a matter of fact, I do!" Flora rolled her eyes playfully.

"I just remembered that I promised Musa that I'd buy this gem-infused guitar pick for her, apparently they're only sold at Tiffania's store in Quartz." Helia said as he massaged his neck, "It's right across the street and I promise I'll be quick, I don't want to slow us down. If I'm not back by the time you're done pick out a pair of shoes." Leaving no room for argument, Helia quickly kissed Flora on the cheek and rushed out of the store, as Silvia returned and whisked Flora away.

Tiffania's was indeed across the street, but Helia had no intention of buying anything for Musa, only his dear Flora. The jewelry store was famed for its stunning gems, particularly the Emeralds, and that was the only jeweler worthy enough for creating his gift to Flora. He loved Flora, more than words can say, than one could count. She was able to look at the face of adversity and smile back at it, which was much more than Helia could ever muster. She was perfect, and the perfect woman deserved the perfect engagement ring from the perfect place. Helia wanted to be with her forever, and he wanted everyone to know it.

He spent a few minutes at Tiffania's, giving the head jeweler his sketches for the ring and waiting for it to be crafted. As he waited, his sorrows from today's shenanigans seemed to melt away the more he thought of proposing to Flora. He'd get the ring here, but he would propose in Lynphea, during the Winter Solstice, underneath the famed Lynphean Cherry Blossoms (5). He'd make sure she would be wearing white, a small reference for the future, and then he'd propose. She would (hopefully) say yes, and they'd live happily ever after, in a cottage with a few kids, with dark, curly hair and emerald eyes. Eyes just like their mother, and just like her engagement ring.

By the time Helia left the Tiffania's he was nearly singing, he was so excited about his future. Even Quartz, the planet he resents so, seemed to shine brighter. The sky seemed bluer, the people seemed kinder, the air seemed sweeter. There was nothing that could ruin the rest of Helia's day, and it would be even better when he returned to his sweet, kind Flora, who was just behind this door…

...And sobbing.

Fuck.

"What? What happened?" Helia asked no one in particular as he rushed to Flora. She was surrounded by Silvia, who was holding onto the dress and a pair of shoes, and anxiously shifting her feet, Amber, a manager, and a few security guards, all of whom had a cross look on their faces.

"Helia!" Flora sobbed as she flew into his open arms, "I-They-I-I-I-jewels-I," she stuttered, too panicked to form any coherent sentences.

"What happened?!" Helia demanded again, his eyes looking at everyone before they settled on Ambers, who almost maliciously stared back.

"Excuse me," the manager directed towards Helia, "But who are you and how are you related to this young woman?"

Before Helia could answer back, Amber answered for him. "He's her 'boyfriend'." Amber snarled, using her fingers to air quote boyfriend.

"Ah, well sir I am Jasper, the manager of Dolce&Goldbana, and it appears that your friend here has stolen some merchandise."

Flora sobbed loudly once again at the accusation as she snuggled deeper into her boyfriend. "Helia, no, no I-I- didn't! I was just looking at some watches and bracelets!"

"...Which are now missing…"

Helia felt his blood boil at Flora's accusation. Today had been a shit show, but he least she wasn't accused of a crime that she didn't commit. "Flora said she didn't steal them, so she didn't steal them! I believe her!"

"I-I'm sure you do sir, but that fact is that the bracelets are missing, and Laura here—"

"Flora —"

"Anyway, she was the only one in the store, so who else could have taken them?"

"Gee, I don't know," Helia spat sarcastically, venomous enough to make Silvia and Amber physically recoil, "How about the people who actually have the keys to the case where they're locked in!"

Jasper's jaw dropped, clearly shocked by the vitriol that poured from Helia's mouth, before he promptly closed it and regained his professionalism. "Sir, I quite resent that accusation."

"So you must understand how I feel!"

An electric tension filled the air as the two men were now locked in a standoff, both of them furious and neither of them ready to let down. "Sir, there is no need to shout. We just have to check her bag and—"

"NO!" Helia roared, "Don't tell me there's no need to shout! You're accusing her of doing something terrible, which I know she would not do! Flora is my girlfriend and I believe her when she says she didn't do anything. You have no right to check her bag. In fact, if you even lay a hand on her items I will burn this store to the ground. Do you understand me?!"

Sir, your friend...girlfriend...sugar baby….whore….whatever! Is clearly from some...undesirable planet, look at what she's wearing, how she's acting. I would not put it past her to steal when she has the opportunity, which she's clearly had. She must have broken into the case when we had our backs turned…"

Jasper continued speaking, but Helia didn't hear him, only Flora's distant sobs and the blood rushing to his ears as he became furious. Flora was anything but a whore, she saved the Magical Dimension multiple times! But these people didn't see that. They just saw that she was different, and to people who act the same, different was disgusting, dangerous even. They saw Flora for what they thought she was, a criminal, and decided to stand by that.

Well, if it was a criminal they wanted, a criminal they would get. Before he even knew what he was doing, Helia let out a frustrated growl, fully capturing the attention of everyone in the store. Seconds later, Helia's growl evolved into an earth-shattering scream, radiating throughout the whole store. Jasper, Amber, and Silvia, and the security guards covered their ears as best they could, but that did nothing against the horrifying scream. Though it felt like hours, only seconds later did every glass window, mirror, chandelier, and accessory in the shop explode into a million pieces, fragments raining down on the victims below, cutting their skin and drawing blood. Only then, when Helia realized the consequences of his actions he stopped, red-faced and gasping for air, but satisfied. He never used magic much, but in defense of those he loved, he would.

"What the hell?!" Silvia screamed.

Helia knew that it was messed up, but he couldn't resist, "I told you that I burn this store to the ground."

"Young man!" Jasper demanded as soon as recovered from shock. "The damage you have done is worth millions! You better have a good lawyer for—"

"No, you better have a great lawyer for when I sue the shit out of you for making false accusations, an illegal detainment, and for causing us emotional distress!"

"And how are you going to prove that?! We can easily prove the damage and that your accomplice here stole the watches."

"I'm glad you asked…" With a wave of his hand, Helia began to glow a soft blue as he charged up his spell. He clung to Flora tightly, silently asking for the powerful fairy to temporarily lend him some of her magic, so that the spell could be conjured correctly. Luckily, Flora understood his request, and despite being frightened at Helia's display of power from mere moments ago, she still trusted him, and gave him the necessary power. "Veritas…" with a flick of his wrist, a spell escaped from Helia's hand straight into Silvia's stomach. She was fell backward into a security officer due to the force of the spell, who managed to keep her upright.

"What did you do to her?!" the security guard demanded, at the sight of Silvia's limp body.

Helia ignored the security guard's questions as he stared straight into spelled Silvia. "Silvia, do you know what happened to the watches and bracelets that were allegedly stolen by Flora?"

"Yes," answered Silvia in an oddly robotic voice, "The bracelets were not stolen. While Flora was in the dressing room Amber ordered me to take a few watches and bracelets and hide them in the safe in the back of the storeroom."

"Wait a minute!" Amber shouted, "Truth spells are illegal! You can't force her to—"

"Shut up!" Helia roared once again, effectively shutting everyone up, "Go ahead Silvia, and then what happened?"

"While I was ringing up the dress and the shoes she was going to get, Amber tricked her to look at the jewels. Suddenly then Jasper and the guards came to confront Flora about stealing the watches."

"And why didn't you say anything?"

"I don't know. It all happened so fast. I didn't know what to say or when."

"So you're saying it's all Amber's idea?"

"Yes."

"Well...ain't that some shit…" Helia joyfully remarked, as he snapped his fingers and released Silvia from the spell, trusting that the security guard would catch and care for her. All eyes turned to Amber as she grew increasingly red.

"Ugh, I—well….what do you expect?" Amber defended, "She's clearly not like us, she's never seen anything like Quartz before, or anything of its stature. She definitely would have stolen if not from us here, then some other store. I could see it in her eyes! So you," she pointed a finger towards Helia, "should be thanking me! I tried to open your eyes and you repay me by destroying the store, my livelihood!?"

Helia had enough of Amber's delusions. Lifting his middle finger, he gestured it to her and the rest of the employees, before grabbing Flora's hand and storming out of Dolce&Goldbana, leaving his respect at the door.

Flora had enough grace to call out a "Sorry!" to the employees behind her, before waving her hand and immediately restoring the store to its previous condition, not a glass shard out of place.

"Flora, you didn't have to do that…" Helia chided as they continued down the avenue. He didn't mean to chide, but it simply came out that way. Those workers had disrespected Flora in the worst way, she could have even ended up in prison, and yet she apologized to them. "They deserved what they got."

"I know Helia… but I didn't want to leave it like that. We found out the truth, I was exonerated, I didn't want to leave it so they could accuse us of wrongdoing, you know?"

He knew what she meant, but Helia ignored her point. He didn't want to give her any reason to continue to not defend herself. "They—"

"I know what they did honey, and thank you so much for helping me out there. It got really intense and I wasn't sure what to do...but two wrongs don't make a right."

Helia remained silent. He understood Flora's point of view, but again he didn't want to acknowledge it, for fear that Flora would use this situation as an example to not stand up for herself. And if Flora wouldn't stand up for herself, then more people would try to take advantage of her. He loved her heart, her beautiful kind heart, but he didn't want it to destroy her.

"Anyway, let's not talk about it now. It's over and…" Flora waved her hand around fruitlessly, as if to physically leave the memories behind, "...and I don't really want to think about it." Flora looked up to her boyfriend, "Let's do something else."

Helia peered down to Flora's beautiful eyes, filled with sadness. Heila knew that the situation affected her more than she was letting on, and the fact that it was his planet, it was him, that caused her so much pain made his heartbreak. He didn't want to hurt her, he just wanted Flora to be happy. "Are you sure, we can just go to Magix…"

"Yes, I'm sure! I said I wanted to see your planet, and a few people aren't going to stop me!" Flora laughed as she grabbed his wrist, dragging Helia to some other location.

Helia willingly went, but his heart was heavy as he realized that her smile didn't reach her eyes.

---

The rest of the day went without any other major disasters, although the events from earlier clearly affected Flora. Helia attempted to lift her mood by bringing her to the National Park of Quartz, which was beautiful and somewhat of a sanctuary for Helia during his younger years, but that promptly failed as soon as Flora pointed out the flowers were fake, which he somehow never noticed. The rest of the day went as expected, with people starting at the couple and making criticisms. Helia would have called them out if Flora wasn't there to control him. But it also hurt him so much as Flora's mood deflated throughout the whole day, that by the time they returned to the hotel to prepare for dinner, they both were exhausted, but that didn't stop Flora from insisting they went to dinner anyway. And when Flora stepped out of the bathroom, Helia could see why she so badly wanted to go to dinner.

"Wow…," he couldn't help but gasp as he laid his eyes on her, "Wow…., Flora you look… so beautiful."

"Really?" She blushed, and Helia wondered how she could even ask that question. Her hair was pulled up in a low braided bun, with various tendrils purposely left out to frame her face. Her makeup was lightly done, and she had a simple pair of diamond studs. She wore a stunning off-shoulder pale pink chiffon dress, with floral and butterfly embellishments embroidered in. It fit perfectly on her body, snug at the top but falling into a fuller skirt after her waist, ending a few inches over her ankle. Finally on her feet were a pair of pale pink heels.

"Would I lie to you? You look absolutely beautiful." Helia praised, as he crossed the hotel room to meet her. Lifting her chin with his finger, he forced her to look into his eyes, "You're so perfect."

Flora's blush deepened as she tried to look away from Helia's loving stare. "And you don't look too bad yourself!" She complimented as her eyes roamed over his navy-blue suit and tie.

"Thank you." The couple looked into each other's eyes for a moment, and Helia felt his heart soar when he realized the light was back in Flora's eyes. This was all he could ever want. To be in her arms, with her happy, the criticisms of the world far away and ineffective.

Helia leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. She happily accepted the kiss, wrapping her arms around his neck as his hands fell to her hips. He pulled Flora closer to his body, just as she nibbled on his bottom lip, wanting to deepen the kiss. And he would have happily obliged, if it were not for the sudden knock on the hotel door, scaring the daylights out of the couple as they leaped apart.

"Mr. Knightly," the hotel keeper called through the door, "Your ride to L'Osteria Drancescana is here."

Helia had half a mind of calling off the dinner, and spending the rest of the night tearing off Flora's dress and tossing her into the bedroom, but she was clearly excited about the dinner as she re-applied her makeup, and how could he say no to her? "Thank you, we'll be right there."

Flora stepped up to where Helia was standing, and he slipped his hand into hers. He looked into her beautiful eyes, and that gave him the energy he needed to go through dinner. Dinner was simple, nothing could go wrong at dinner. Please Dragon, nothing should go wrong at dinner. Flora didn't deserve that.

"Let's go, love."

---

Before long, the couple arrived at L'Osteria Drancescana, one of the best and most elite restaurant in all of Quartz. The restaurant was almost obnoxiously grand, every inch of it was covered in the pure white drancescana, the only metal worth more than gold, endemic only to Quartz. Even the chairs and silverware were in the precious metal. The only things that weren't white were the magnificent diamond chandeliers, twinkling high above the patrons, and the diamond glasses that carefully held the expensive wine. Patrons laughed demurely as they dined their extravagant meals, dressed in opulent gown and suits

"Wow…" Flora breathed, as they entered the magnificent restaurant, "This looks so pure...and beautiful. I think I'm in Omicron. (6)"

"Not as beautiful as you." Helia whispered into her ear, to which she blushed and turned away. Helia smirked, amused at her bashfulness, before turning to address the host. "Hello, I have reservations for two under the name Knightly (7)."

"Hm…" the mature d' hummed as he skimmed down the reservation list, "It appears that there are no reservations under that name."

"What?" Helia blinked, he was sure he made reservations months ago. "I'm sorry, can you check again? Knightly spelled K-N-I—"

"I know how your name is spelled sir, and I am telling you that I don't see a reservation."

"Oh…" Helia paused as he was unsure of what to do next. Flora coughed awkwardly and he found himself growing red. This entire day was a disaster, but Flora was especially excited for this dinner, so it had to be perfect. There was no way he messed up, something was amiss here... "Well, uh…," Helia stammered as his heart raced, "Is there any opening by any chance? Perhaps a cancellation?"

"Sir," the maître d' inhaled deeply and let out a tense exhale, "This is a refined establishment. We have high standards, including the restaurant being by reservation only and only allowing in the finest and most exclusive of guests."

"Right, I understand that," Helia pushed, desperate to save his night, "But there seems to have been a mistake. I made a reservation months ago, and I don't see why it's not there now."

"Very strange indeed...but anyway, there is nothing that I can do about that.."

"I see…" Helia did not see, but he hardly had the strength to argue when the host didn't seem to budge. Plus, Flora was hanging on his arm, and holding her breath, she was obviously anxious about the situation. So, they would leave for now, and dine somewhere else, not the best ending to their day, but at least it wouldn't be as disastrous like the rest of the day had been. "We will be leaving then." Helia turned, his heart heavy at this failure of a dinner…

...Only for it to jump out of his body at the sight before him.

"Helia," she snarled sweetly, in that way only she could, "What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?"

He couldn't respond as his mouth suddenly ran dry. His heart began racing, his skin pale, and his palms sweaty. If he weren't in public he probably would have fainted. There was no way she was here. In all places, in all of Quartz, there was no way she was here to ruin his life again.

"Oh dear," she smugly cooed, "Cat got your tongue?"

"Helia?" Flora whispered as she tightened her grip on his arm, "Are you okay? Who is this?"

He finally got his bearings as Flora's presence forced him to come crashing back down to reality. If this was going badly now, it would go a million times worse with Flora here. He considered teleporting away, but with his truth spell stunt earlier today, his magic stores were depleted for the rest of the month, so there was no running. He had to face her.

"Well, um. Flora...this is my grandmother, Vivian Marie Saladin."

Vivian Saladin was the greatest socialite in all of Quartz. Even in her late sixties, she was much more influential than the younger influencers of today. Her appearance had an old-time feel to it, her grey hair cropped short. She wore heavy makeup and large jewelry. A simple deep purple pencil dress accentuated her figure, giving her just a bit of sex appeal while still remaining modest. Her eyes were a light brown, many even saying she had flecks of gold within them, a "testament to her golden soul", but Helia knew better, he knew much better (8).

From the very second, he moved in with his grandparents, a mere day after his parents died, Vivian demanded perfection out of her grandson. She demanded he got good grades, focused on heroism, married well, and held many other expectations that were wildly inappropriate for a five-year-old. As the years continued, Helia heavily resented his grandmother, who took no part in his interests and demanded he took part of her own, of which he had no interest in and ran away as soon as he could. Grandfather Saladin tried to shield Helia from the brunt of her wrath during his childhood, understanding how difficult his wife could be, but the war against the Ancestral Witches, and the resulting fallout and economic collapse, took up most of his time. Thus, Helia was stuck with Vivian, a woman so evil, so vindicative, that she would be willing to throw her own grandson under the bus at any minor rebellion if it meant to preserve her public image of having the "perfect" family, of which Helia always suspected was the true reason she demanded custody. And if Vivian was willing to destroy Helia, there was no telling what she would do to Flora.

Oh shit!

Helia rarely ever cared much of what others thought of him, but even he knew the importance of public perception. If Vivian destroyed Flora's public reputation, the consequences could reach far and wide, even affecting Lynphea or the rest of the Winx Club, not that they mattered as much to Helia as Flora did anyway. Flora's public perception, although mostly positive, was greatly divided, as many people either loved or hated Flora, there was rarely any in-between. And with one negative post from Vivian, it could all come crashing down. She would be forced out from the upper society, from her friends, from the life she deserved after defeating the worst villains of the magic dimension, a life of peace.

There was no way Helia would let that happen. So, he would play her petty game, and that began with the introductions. "...And Grandmother Saladin," Helia started as his passion and resolve to protect Flora returned to him, "This is my beautiful girlfriend Flora Rosario. She's the Guardian Fairy of Lynphea and a member of the esteemed Winx Club, as I am sure you know." Flora cheeks grew rosy and she shuffled on her feet in embarrassment of Helia's praise, but he needed Vivian to understand that this woman, his woman was not one to be messed with.

"Indeed…," Vivian sniffed as she examined Flora from top to bottom, "I have heard much about you."

"All good things, I hope!" Flora laughed as she extended her hand to shake with Vivian.

"No, the things I heard were not good at all…," She deadpanned. The coloring on the couple's faces switched in a matter of seconds, Flora's paling as she became intimidated, and Helia's growing red in fury. "Although, I suppose that you can change my mind. Why don't the two of you join me for dinner?"

"Actually, we were just leaving, but thank you." Helia could hardly manage out, but he was willing to say anything to get out of this situation before he dropped-kicked his own grandmother.

Flora coughed awkwardly as she smoothed out her dress, using the action to cover the rejected handshake. She directed her gaze down to the ground, fixating on her heels, as Helia and his grandmother engaged in an intense staredown.

"Oh," Vivian cooed, "nonsense. Surely even with full bellies you both must feel obliged to keep an old woman like me occupied. And I want to get to know you better Flora."

"They actually haven't gotten the chance to eat, Madam Saladin," the maître d' suddenly piped up, "There was a reservation, but the owner of the restaurant informed me to turn them away at the door. This is a refined establishment," he turned and answered before Helia could even ask. "We can't let just anybody in, especially—"

While Helia debated between strangling or stabbing the maître d', Vivian waved off the offensive language as if she were the one attacked. "Come now, Beryl. I would like to have a meeting with my grandson and his girlfriend. It will only take a few minutes. Surely Ruby will understand, won't she? I hear she has issues with her own grandchildren…is that true?"

A bead of sweat dripped down Beryl's forehead, as he collected three menus. "Would you like your regular table, Madam?" Vivian's smiled wordlessly as she pushed past Flora and Helia and followed Beryl to the private booth at the end of the restaurant.

Flora was already walking to follow Vivian and Beryl, but Helia managed to unfreeze just in time to catch her by her arm, having half a mind to physically drag her out of there. But he knew he'd already lost the argument when Flora turned back to him, her nose wrinkled, and her eyes dim but determined. She wanted to stay, but for what? To prove something? There was nothing she had to prove, especially to that she-devil.

Helia raised an eyebrow, questioning if she was sure. Flora furrowed her own eyebrows before pulling away from his grip and turning back around, walking quickly to catch up with Vivian, leaving him in the lobby.

Welp. He couldn't leave her alone. So, he took a deep breath, and followed his girlfriend into the lions' den, praying, for the umpteenth time today, that all would be well.

But there are no gods in the Magic Dimension.

---

Helia found Flora and Vivian sitting across from each other in a booth, the old woman appearing as pleasantly forlorn in that weird way only she can, and Flora looking like she was moments away from a panic attack. Helia rushed to Flora's side and sat down beside her, throwing an arm across his loves waist, and pulling her close. She was still tense but relaxed a bit under his touch. He slowly rubbed circled on her hip, trying anything to will herself to relax a bit more, despite being almost as tense as she was. If they were to survive this, they had to keep as calm as possible. Vivian was all about mind games, and Helia would not let their anxiety give her the upper hand.

"So, Flora, tell me about yourself." The first shot was fired.

Helia barely held back his sigh of relief at Vivian's relatively tame question. This was a woman known for asking about someone's deepest traumas in the first few minutes of knowing them just so she can grab onto a piece of gossip and spread it around. So, the fact that Vivian started off in an appropriate way probably meant that she didn't care that about Flora and was only doing this to get under Helia's skin, which Helia would gladly accept if it meant protecting Flora.

"Ah. Well…I grew up in a small farming village with my parents and my younger sister, Miele. I realized I was The Fairy of Nature when I was twelve, and when I was almost sixteen I started at Alfea, and obviously honed my magic with my best friends. That's also where I met Helia. Um… I graduated in May, so I am a guardian fairy, and I've been accepted to Magix University to major in bio-magical studies and double minor in potionology and chemagistry. While I'm in uni I'll work part-time as a teacher at Alfea." Flora said, nervously tucking her hair behind her ears. It was times like this Helia wished he could jump into Flora's body and talk for her, she was obviously downplaying her accomplishments when she should've shouted them from the rooftops. He would always be proud of Flora, but he wanted others to be proud of her too, and more importantly, for her to be proud of herself.

"Hm…," Helia turned his attention back to his grandmother. Vivian's face was so damn unreadable, like it almost always was, as she studied the couple in the booth chair opposite her, her eyes falling on his arm wrapped around her body, "and what planet did you say you were from again?"

"I'm from Lynphea—"

"Lynphea?" Vivian spat out, her disgust palpable.

"Grandmother!" Helia whispered harshly before she could continue with whatever insult she conjured up. The two engaged in a standoff for a moment before, surprisingly, Vivian conceded and proceeded to ask another question.

"Alright. How did you two meet?"

"Oh, that's quite a story!" Flora chuckled, somehow appearing unaffected by the sudden change in topic, "We met at the opening ceremony for the new Red Fountain campus, we talked for a little bit, and then a huge dragon-lion chimera attacked the school. Helia saved me from…becoming injured. And then it blossomed from there…"

"So, he must have really swept you off your feet. You two started dating right then?"

"Not exactly. I suppose we both were a little too shy to talk to the other, but after a couple of months I told him that I was interested in him, and then we started dating."

"Oh, I see…," Vivian pointed a sour look towards Helia before effortlessly returning a neutral look back towards Flora, "that's a bit…untraditional," Flora smiled tightly, truly unsure of what to make of that statement, "but not completely surprising, knowing Helia." It was Helia turn to scowl as he too, didn't know exactly what she meant by that statement, but he had a vague idea.

"Anyway," she shrugged, "Tell me about your friends, and Helia's friends too, since I never get to hear about them."

"Um, well…I'm part of a group called the Winx Club, they're my best friends. You may already know them, since they're all princesses, but the group consists of Bloom, Stella, Tecna, Musa, and Aisha. We've been together since Year 1 growing our powers, fighting evil, discovering planets, and things like that. Helia's friends consist of our boyfriends, we call them The Specialists. They include Prince Sky, Brandom, Timmy, Riven, and Nabu, who actually isn't a specialist but he might as well be. And they come on our missions as well." Flora continued to explain, somewhat nervously, about the various enemies the Winx and Specialists fought, the various friends they made along the way, and their dedication to protecting the Magic Dimension.

Helia's eyes flicked between Flora's explanation and Vivan's oddly neutral face, as if the woman next to him wasn't explaining the miracles of saving the Magic Dimension more than once. The she-devil could never be satisfied, that's for sure.

"Wow. It seems like there's a lot I missed." Vivian stated once Flora finished her explanation.

"I'll be sure to call you more often from now on, grandmother." Helia deadpanned. He was growing increasingly frustrated at the entire situation. Not only were they placed in a booth in the farthest possible corner away from the public so Helia couldn't rely on that to keep his grandmother in check, but the waiter with the menu was taking unusually long to arrive and he was starving.

Not only that, but something was off here. He was sure that grandfather already told his grandmother most of this information already, and Vivian already claimed she heard a lot about Flora, so why was she sitting here asking for basic information? What was she thinking?

"I would like that, only if your promise to maintain that charming personality you inherited from your father," Vivian, shot back, choosing to ignore Helia's scowl and then addressing Flora, "I just have one more question for you."

"Alright…" Helia felt just as hesitant as Flora sounded. What the hell was she going to ask?

"What are your goals for the future? What are your intentions with my grandson?"

Flora sighed heavily in relief and again, Helia felt the exact same. This was an easy question. "Well, I'd like to graduate university and work in bio-magical medicine, perhaps in a lab or a hospital. In terms of my relationship with Helia…," Flora trailed off for a moment, and she turned towards him, a bit hesitant in her answer. But after a brilliant smile from her love, she found the courage build up and continued, "I can definitely see it lasting for…for forever. I love him deeply, more than anything in the world, and I know he loves me back. Someday in the future, I'd like to become engaged, then married, and then hopefully… have a few beautiful children." Helia's heart raced as Flora confessed her dreams. Her gorgeous green eyes never left his blue ones, they were shining with a quality he's never seen before. And they matched. They had the same dreams.

Gods, he loved her so much.

"Well," Helia's head snapped towards Vivian, he'd completely forgotten she was there, and guessing from Flora's small gasp, she'd forgotten as well, "That sounds like a wonderful plan, Flora."

"Thank you."

"Well, that all sounds lovely. It sounds like the future I imagined for my daughter once. That's the type of future I dreamt of for Helia, that a lucky young woman would make him happy and successful one day…" Vivian sighed dramatically, suddenly picking up the glass of wine and swirling it, feeling its contents swish around. She looked back up at the couple, and Helia felt his blood run cold.

He knew that look. He knew it like the back of his hand.

"But it's such a shame… that he's wasting his future with someone like you ."

His brain stopped thinking. His lungs stopped breathing and his heart stopped beating. It seemed like the whole damn universe had stopped in that moment as Helia, Flora, even the flies on the walls tried to process what the hell Vivian had just said.

"What?" Flora whispered.

"Flora, tell me why you believe you deserve Helia. Or your royal friends?"

Flora looked over to Helia, who was as pale as a ghost, he literally looked like he might faint. She was so thrown off by the question, she had no idea what to say, "I—I love him. I love my friends. We support each other, care for one anoth—"

"Okay, let me tell you something. Love doesn't mean anything in this dimension. Nothing." Flora's mouth snapped shut.

Vivian continued, "You, Flora…are just some lowly peasant girl from the poorest planet in the entirety of The Magic Dimension. You're not even from a planet, you're the fifth out of eight moons surrounding Marigold, which is still a disaster of a planet (9). You just happened to attend Alfea based on scholarship and happened to be paired up with a few royals, and then you happened to meet Helia and somehow seduce him, but there is nothing about you that is really that impressive. You and your people are ugly, dirty, weak, and the shame of The Magic Dimension. I don't even know why you bothered to show your face on this planet, simply being here has brought our economy down. Flora—"

"That's enough!" Helia suddenly roared. He was struck dumb throughout Vivian's rant, but with each word he became more and more enraged, until it suddenly boiled over and he had to stop her, public opinion be damned. Family be damned. Flora was his priority. He stood up suddenly, yanking Flora by her arm and pulling her up with him. "Fuck you," he spat, "You're so stupid and wrong. Flora is incredible and a hundred times the woman you are. I love her because of her kindness, her bravery, her beauty. She would sacrifice herself to save others, a concept I don't think you even heard of! I love her! And so, fuck you, and your stupid fucking image too. We're leaving!" Helia turned to storm out of the booth, but felt his arm being pulled back. He turned around to find Flora, her eyes dark and stormy.

"I'm staying." She said.

If there was ever a time Helia wished it was socially appropriate to throw someone over his shoulder and kidnap them, now would be it. "Flora—"

"I'm staying!" she insisted, "I want to hear what she has to say."

"Flora… no you don't. She has terrible beliefs! They're derogative! They're offensive!

"But is she wrong?"

"YES! Flora don't let her get into your head! You're—"

"Helia, stop it!" Helia stopped; he didn't know why. He let go of her arm and looked right at her.

She was…broken.

Fuck.

"I want to stay. I can't explain why, but I want to. I have to," she hung her head as if she were ashamed, "please?" Her voice was soft, softer than Helia had heard it in years.

From the corner of his eye, he observed Vivian, slowly sipping on her wine, her lips curled up into a cruel grin, clearly enjoying the moment. And if Flora weren't here, if Helia were a lesser man, he'd slap that grin into next week. But Flora was here, and she made Helia a greater man. And a great man stands by his woman.

Helia didn't move a muscle, but Flora could sense that he relented, so she turned and sat back down in the booth, turning her attention towards Vivian, who finally placed her glass of wine down and began her tirade.

"Well, let me begin by saying that I know a lot about you, Flora. Since the very second, you began dating Helia, I have had experts research your background, and I have to say that Helia wouldn't be able to pick a more terrible woman even if he tried. Your biological father, whom you so happened to fail to mention to me, was arrested when you were 3 for possession and distribution of illicit substances, which, for one I don't find surprising given the alleged "farming" village you grew up in on that wretched planet, and for two, I'm sure he smoked around you because no normal child looks as stupid as you did, and still continue to look like. Your mother remarried three times before finding the current partner she has now, who is significantly richer than your mother— although still dirt poor to my standards—which tells me the only thing you could have possibly learned from her is how to open your legs for men who will do you favors and give you money.

"You happen to attend Alfea on some pity scholarship—because clearly that once great school cannot pull elite students like it once did and it has to resort to pulling people off the street—and by some strange coincidence, you happen to dorm with 6 princesses, which I'm sure was music to your ears. You join their group, despite being hopelessly outclassed when fighting alongside them, and against enemies. Every Winx victory is marred by you getting hurt somehow, and it's really embarrassing to see my grandson associate with you when he could easily pull anyone of them, who are so much better than you. And I say that knowing that they're all basically a hot mess. Stella has daddy issues, Bloom is the princess of a dead planet and is dating an engaged man. Tecna has no emotions, Musa no mother and daddy issues, Aisha no…actually Princess Aisha is pretty alright. But even with their faults…they still are something. And you, Flora, are nothing.

"So you join their group, hoping that they'll give you power or fame or whatever it is that you require. And they do, even though your mere presence within the Winx degrades the name. But no matter, because one day those girls will recognize that they are above you. They are meant to lead, you are meant to serve. And they will leave you behind, at least I hope you do, before you destroy them, like you did to my dear Helia.

"Before Helia met you, he was a bit of a mess. And I was disappointed. Rejecting Red Fountain to go to art school was very disappointing to me. But when he eventually attended Red Fountain I had some hope return to me, some hopes that he wouldn't end up like his mother. But he met you, and now he's doing idiotic things that I would never allow! Let's talk about today in particular. You two run around Quartz, offending everyone you see at the mere sight of you two. Helia's using magic, which he's suddenly using after years of not doing so, to destroy private property. He's screaming and attacking people, all in the name of "love". Don't you look at me like that," Vivian directed towards Helia's shocked face, "I know everything and everybody on Quartz. There is nothing you've done today that I don't know about." Vivian returned her gaze to Flora, "He's acting out in ways that are unacceptable, because of you! Because he thinks he loves you, a stupid peasant girl from Lynphea. And I'm not quite sure what spell, or sex positions or whatever you gave him to make him believe that, but it's awful. I've nearly lost my Helia forever. He was dragged down by you. I can hardly even look at him, but luckily, I've come right on time to intervene.

"I hate you, Flora. I really do. You pretend to be kind, and strong, and worthy of love, but you're not any of those things. You're a weak, stupid, dirty immigrant who does nothing but suck the good fortune others bestow upon you, and provide them nothing but disgrace in return. You're a bad omen. I can see through you, and when I do I see the absolute epitome of evil."

"...And that's what you think of me, Vivian?" Flora, to her credit, did not immediately burst into the tears or punch the daylights out of Vivian during her rant, but, even from the corner of his eye, Helia could see right through her collected facade.

She was devastated.

"Yes," Vivian said coolly.

"And there's nothing that I can do to change that?"

"No. If there's one thing I know about people like you, it that you will never change."

There was a brief moment of pause, before Flora suddenly stood up, flashing a brief, sad smile to Helia, then disappearing with a snap of her fingers and in a flash of light.

Helia stared at the spot Flora occupied just moments ago, half praying that she would return, and they could both kick Vivian out, half praying that he was actually dreaming and would wake up. But neither of his wishes were granted when Vivian spoke and pulled his attention.

"Well," Vivian sighed heavily as she waved off Flora's departure, "Looks like the trash took itself out. Good riddance."

"Grandmother," Helia's guttural growl prompted her to look up, and the enraged look on his face sent a chill down her spine, "...What… the fuck?! Is wrong with you?"

"Helia…"

"How could you say those things to Flora?!"

"Helia, you know that they're true!"

For the umpteenth time today, Helia had to seriously restrain himself before smacking the shit out of somebody. "You don't know Flora! She is the sweetest, most compassionate, bravest person I have ever met. Literally perfect, which would be right up your alley, but your standards of perfection are so fucked up you can't see that!"

"Helia, calm down…"

"She's not perfect enough for you, I'm not perfect enough for you, I bet even you're not perfect enough for yourself. I bet that's why you keep putting everyone else down, putting me down, just to bring yourself up."

"Helia, please…"

"Grandma…why am I not good enough for you? Why aren't the things, the hobbies, the people I love good enough for you?"

A tense silence fell over the two, and for a brief moment, Helia wondered if he went too far. In all his years of life, he had never seen Vivian look as disheveled as she did now, even if she physically looked impeccable. Her eyes were red and teary, her lips pulled into a thin line, and wrinkles that he never noticed before suddenly appeared. It took quite a few moments, but then Vivian sighed heavily and ran her fingers through her hair.

"You know…you look just like your father."

Out of all the bullshit that occurred today, this was the one thing Helia least expected. "What?"

"You look just like your father. And your father was a terrible, terrible man."

"Grandmother, I don't see how this—"

"I had raised Elaina to be a beautiful, educated woman. She was the top of her class, went to the best universities, and knew how to act like a proper, virtuous woman. By the time she was about your age, she could have had her pick of any man and lived a comfortable, privileged life, but noooo, that…man, your father, took her away from me. She 'fell in love' with a poor, man who had no business to be on Quartz, and fled away to be with him on Melody and start her family, without me, her mother!"

Helia seriously considered leaving right this second. In what way, were his parents involved in this? He had no clue, but he figured he may as well stay and listen. Very rarely did anyone speak about his mother.

"He took her away from me, and ruined any prospects she had, prospects I worked hard for! She went from having the future of being a stay-at-home mom, to working as a nurse. A nurse! Do you understand how embarrassing that is…to explain to your friends that your daughter is a nurse (10)?

Vivian took a large pull of her wine before she continued. "Elaina called me often, but we'd fight constantly because of that man. She even said something similar to what you said just now, 'Isn't love good enough for you to like him, mom?' I don't know how she couldn't see that in this world, love isn't enough. I married your grandfather not because of love, but because he took care of me, and look how great my life is now. Even in the setting of "true love" Elaina, that man never took care of her like I did, and that was a true shame.

"I just wanted her to come home, where she'd be safe, with me…but she always said she was happy in Melody. I've always wondered how could that be, how she could be happy in such a planet, in such a situation. That wasn't her destiny. I've always meant to ask her… But one day she got so sick and continued to be sick for months. I meant to visit her, but I couldn't bear to see him. Then the accident happened, and I never saw her again…

"So, you see Helia…I never wanted that for you. Even the mere sight of you enraged me…I tried my best to give you the same opportunities as Elaina. Even though I can see your father with every breath you take, I wanted you to have the life she couldn't. Because you're my grandson, and you have a piece of her wherever you go. You're the last piece I have to my baby, so I refuse to stand by and watch the past repeat itself. That woman you're infatuated with is bad news! You need to stay here, safe and by my side, and live the life you're destined to."

Helia leaned back into the booth as he tried to process everything he just heard. After all these years…he always felt confused, how someone can hate and love at the same time. But today, everything was clear. He understood Vivian, and he now understood what he must do. "You're right…I won't repeat my mother's mistakes."

Relief washed over Vivian's body and her mind. "I'm glad Helia," she reached across the table and patted Helia's resting hand, "After the loss of Elaina…I don't think I can have the same thing happen again."

Helia offered a grim half-smile, before softly patting Vivian's hand, "I know." He stood and began to make his way out of the booth.

"Dinner is going to be here soon dear, why don't you stay? We haven't spoken in a while, so we can catch-up, reconnect—"

"No. I'm going to find Flora, and I'm going to take her home."

"Helia!" Vivian gasped, "didn't you just say you weren't going to repeat the past?"

"What I said was that I wouldn't repeat my mother's mistakes…and her biggest mistake was allowing you to remain in her life despite your clear unfounded hatred and bigotry, which strained her relationship, her health, and my own childhood. I refuse to let that happen with Flora and I. Her second biggest mistake was not giving me godparents so I'd never have to move in with you. Sorry Vivian, but this is the last time you'll ever see me."

"Helia…Helia please …you can't do this…"

"Bye."

Just like that, Helia turned and walked out of Vivian's life.

---

Flora slowly strolled through the National Park of Quartz, the only place she remembered the location of, thankfully. Although the flowers were fake, they were still pretty. That combined with the fact that the park was nearly empty at this time of night made it that much more bearable. For the first time today, it was quiet, away from judgmental whispers and stares.

"And you, Flora, are nothing."

"You're a weak, stupid, dirty immigrant."

It was too quiet. Vivian's words reverberated through Flora's head, and with every step she took they became louder and louder.

"I would not put it past her to steal when she has the opportunity…"

"She's clearly not like us!"

"We can't let just anybody in, especially—"

Flora hastened her pace as she tried to escape the increasing onslaught of criticisms she's faced today. It was getting too much. She loved him, God she loved him so much, but what if they're right? What if they were all right? Was she good enough for him?

"We all know why you're with him."

"What does Helia see in you?"

"Enjoy him while you can sweetie, he'll wise up soon enough"

Past conversations flooded her mind as now sprinted through the park, tears running down her face. Helia deserved better. He deserved much, much better than her. Why would did he ever stay with her?

"I see the absolute epitome of evil when I look at you"

Flora skidded to a stop in front of a large tree, resting her forehead on it, trying in earnest to catch her breath. But every breath became more and more restrictive, and before she even knew it, she found herself in the midst of a severe panic attack, sobbing frantically against the hard bark of the tree.

People have treated her badly before. Racism existed everywhere, and not a day went by where she did not experience at least a microaggression, and while today was challenging, usually she'd be able to handle it. But what she wasn't able to handle was the realization that everyone was right…they were all right about her, and her relationship. Helia deserved better. He deserved much better than her.

Her knees buckled beneath her, and Flora fully expected to collapse onto the hard ground. But the ground never came, and she found herself instead collapsing into Helia's familiar arms.

"Shhh," Helia hushed as ran her fingers through her hair. Gods, he looked all over the city for her, and he found her just in a knick of time, although he was devastated that he found her in the middle of a breakdown. He never should have brought her here. He wished he could take it all back.

Flora sobbed in the crook of Helia's neck for several more minutes, and he slowly rubbed her back in a soothing motion. Eventually, she was able to pull herself together, and shifted away from him, partly embarrassed, but Helia was having none of that and pulled up and towards him.

"I'm sorry," Flora sighed.

"No, don't apologize honey… I'm sorry."

"Helia—"

"No Flora, let me finish," and with that, Flora stayed quiet as Helia began his apology, "I'm sorry for bringing you here, that was a huge mistake. Quartz is…the people here are…awful. I should've prepared you more for that, or I should've explained more how awful the people here are. I really dropped the ball, and I'm so, so sorry. It must have been really difficult for you, and I couldn't protect you the way I wanted to. I…I am just, so, so sorry."

"Helia. It's okay… I know what most people think when they see me, when they see us, together. You don't have to protect me. It's not just Quartz, but all of The Magic Dimension."

"...And what do people think?"

Flora inhaled sharply as she pondered how best to phrase her thoughts. After a few moments (what seemed like years to Helia) she finally answered, "They think that I'm low class. That I'm weak. That I'm using you; for money, for power, or whatever. They think… that I don't deserve you."

Helia's heart dropped to his stomach as he heard Flora list out the public's opinion on them. She was right, the public did view them as the odd couple, and Flora took the brunt of the criticism, —Helia had tried to sway his classmates and those immediately around him, but there was nothing he could do about the entire Dimension other than somehow place himself on the six o'clock Inter-Dimensional News—but he didn't realize that she knew that too. Either she knew for a while and chose to never address it, or she just had an epiphany with her experiences in Quartz, even despite his efforts. Helia wasn't sure which was worse.

"What do you think?" Helia whispered so softly, he didn't even think Flora heard him, but her sharp exhale told him she had.

"I think …." Flora lowered her gaze to the ground, mumbling incoherently.

"What?" Helia stepped closer to her, despite their already close proximity, wrapping one arm around her waist, and placing his other hand underneath her chin, lifting it so that she made eye contact with him. Helia could see the tears forming in her eyes, he wanted to vomit for making the love of his life feel this way, but he had to know. He had to know. "Say it darling."

Clearing her throat, Flora began again. "They're right, for the most part. I am low-class, I am weak, and I definitely don't deserve you. I tried to deny it our whole relationship, but being here...today has made it all the more real."

"Flora…don't—don't say that. If anything, I don't deserve you, at all. You're so much better than I could dream to be. You know I love you—"

"I know," Flora suddenly sobbed. Helia was at a complete loss for words as he watched Flora pull herself together for the second time. Normally he'd stop her, reassure her that her fears were unfounded, but today was different. This conversation was a long time coming, and Helia knew he couldn't rush it now that it was here. "I know…I know that you love me…but…"

"But what?"

Flora sniffled, "But is love enough?"

"I don't know how she couldn't see that in this world, love isn't enough." Fuck, even after he disowned his grandmother she still somehow comes up and ruins his fucking life, doesn't she?

Helia's sudden stern face caught Flora a bit off-guard, but it gave her the time to swallow down her tears and push through, "I—I love you more than you could ever know Helia…but we have to admit that it might be better if you found a woman who'd you like…perhaps even love, who matches your public image. Then you wouldn't face so much criticism and public drama over someone like me. You'd never have to defend her from random strangers. You'd never be subject to racism. You'd live your life in peace, have a beautiful family with amazing children…and never have to worry about a thing. That's a wonderful life. And—and if that's something you want…I am more than willing to…to leave for the sake of your future."

Flora and Helia stared at each other; the silence was completely deafening. Flora wasn't sure if she said too much, and Helia wasn't sure what to say. There was so much to say, but he didn't even where to start.

"So…um," Flora stumbled awkwardly and with sorrow, "I think that maybe you should consider—"

"Flora," Helia sighed heavily, still a little unsure of how to affirm his dedication to Flora to her, but realizing that he had little time left before he lost her forever, "Have I ever told you about my parents?"

"What?" Flora blinked in surprise, "Um, a little, but you said that you don't remember much about them…"

"Right. My parents died when I was very young, I don't remember them very well, but they were in a very similar situation to us. My dad was a poor pianist from Melody, my mom was from Quartz. I've learned it was apparently quite the scandal," Helia chuckled, "but anyway, they met one day and fell in love, then they ran away to Melody, amidst much criticism and family in-fighting and whatnot. Looking back, I realize that we lived in a tiny house, barely enough space for the three of us. There probably wasn't much money, as my mom worked as a nurse and my dad worked in a bar or something like that. But when I look back those aren't the things I really remember. I really remember so much…happiness and love and joy.

"I specifically remember once…I might have been three or four, my dad was playing this piece on his piano, and I walked right up and started playing some keys. That melody must have been awful, but my dad laughed and kept repeating it, then my mom plucked me off the ground and spun me around singing a pretty song to the melody. That was so much fun, I don't think I've ever laughed so much, or felt so loved in my entire life, until I met you. I don't want that to go away.

"So what I'm trying to say is…I love you for you. For your kindness, your bravery, for a million little reasons I can't even begin to explain. I love how you love me for me, no one has ever really understood me like you do. I'm not using you for your social status, or lack of, and I know you're not doing the same to me. When we have sex it's incredible, but even if we stopped today, I'd still love you, and I'd want to be with you forever. Even if we have to live in abject poverty, even if it means I have to defend you from every shitty racist person, even if it means that I have to fight for this relationship day in and day out, I'll do it, I want to do it, for now and for forever."

"Really," Flora whispered breathlessly, "Helia…are you, are you sure?"

Helia laughed a bit as he stared at Flora. Despite her question, Helia knew that she was feeling better. The light had returned to her eyes and the color to her cheeks. She was his Flora, and she was back. Nothing could keep them apart.

"Yes," he affirmed, as he lowered himself on one knee, "that is, if you'll have me?" He used a bit of magic to summon the engagement ring, but he may as well have left it home, with the way Flora's emerald eyes sparkled completely overpowering the shine of the Emerald on the ring.

With a loud squeal, Flora threw herself into Helia's arms, and he could only assume that her excited laughter meant, "yes!". He wrapped his arms around her and held his love as tightly as he could.

"I love you," they whispered to each other, and those words meant more after today, because no matter what others thought, or what challenges awaited, they knew that their love was true and everlasting.

---

(1) I've said this before but one of my favorite things is how Flora literally tackles Helia when's she excited and hugs him. I think it's so cute.

(2) A slight reference to my other fic, "Where Are the Divine?" I have a headcanon that the Magic Dimension has major and minor realms/planets, with the major realms obviously being richer and more influential.

(3) If you get that reference you get one (1) internet cookie.

(4) Ralph Lauren, Louis Vuitton, Dior, Armani, Dolce and Gabbana. Obvious references to Earth fashion brands, but also references to several types of gems. I unfortunately, got lazy with Tiffany's so now it's Tiffania's.

(5) Reference to a Florelia fic I love that's on . "Under the Cherry Blossoms" by Roxy Fan 4 Ever. Check it out, and its prequel "Lunar Rainbow".

(6) I've said before that I consider "Omega" to be the "hell" of the Magic Dimension, so I figure "Omicron" would be the "heaven". Unfortunate choice since the Omicron variant came out, but whatever.

(7) I don't see it as much now, but back in the day in the fandom it seemed that EVERY fic made Helia's last name Knightly, like I legit thought that was his canon last name. Anyway, I'm keeping with the tradition. In my fics I tend to alternate between what I consider the characters name(s), like I may call Flora a variation between Flora, Florence, Floretta, Florentina, etc between my fics, but Helia will always be Helios "Helia" Knightly in my heart.

(8) Her appearance is based on Miranda Priestly in The Devil Wears Prada

(9) The 4kids Winc Club dub refers to Lynphea as a moon surrounding the planet Marigold.

(10) No shade to nurses. I actually work in healthcare. I just pulled from what I know.

Please leave a comment/review/kudo/favorite if you enjoyed this story. I truly appreciate every review or favorite, it brings me a lot of joy and motivation.

Happy New Year!
-Kat