A/N: Faragonda gives Griffin an old diary of hers that sheds a different light on the past and even the present.
"Look what I found at home," Faragonda said as she handed her what Griffin quickly realized was an old diary of hers. Faragonda had had it while they'd been students and she'd always carried it with her everywhere, tempting Griffin to steal it and break the protection spell in order to read it. She'd almost succeeded a handful of times but Faragonda had always managed to stop her, guarding it with her life.
"Someone's been busy cleaning the attic this summer," Griffin smirked as she took it and ran a hand over the leather. The color still looked just like it had once and threw her in awe of the blue that was just on the cusp of turning purple. It looked magical.
"Something like that," Faragonda said in a way untypical of her. As if she was trying to avoid giving her the actual answer. And if she weren't so intrigued by what she was holding, she would've pressed it.
"May I?" she asked even though she was burning with the desire to open the diary. She didn't want to overstep any boundaries even if Faragonda had handed it to her. They'd just fixed their friendship the previous year and she wouldn't survive another grand fight between them. They were getting older. They didn't have the kind of time not to speak to each other for decades anymore.
Faragonda nodded, her lips slightly pursed, leaving a lingering sense of wariness in the back of Griffin's mind while she quickly opened the notebook.
She couldn't help but smile at the memories the entries brought. All of the adventures from their youth were documented–some she couldn't even remember–and some still seemed big and exciting even now, after she'd seen more than enough action for an entire lifetime. And some were just teenager stuff that had nothing on what they'd seen after that. It still warmed her heart to remember all that they'd faced together back then with their inexperience and the naivety that inevitably came with young age.
As she read, certain phrases and details caught her eye, though. A throwaway line about the softness of her hair here, a mention of her radiating smile there. There was a short passage about her laughter on one page that blended with the tone of the rest of that entry and a sentence about the passion in her eyes that stuck out a bit but would be glossed over in normal circumstances. She could've easily missed them if not for the alarm Faragonda's earlier behavior had set off in her head. Her body language and the studying gaze she could feel on herself as she kept reading, made the pieces click. It was no coincidence Faragonda had given her the diary.
Griffin looked up at her friend. "Are you trying to tell me what I think you are?" she asked, holding Faragonda's gaze. They were staring so hard at each other that time seemed to stop existing for the two of them.
"What do you think I'm trying to tell you?" Faragonda asked, her voice steady as it always was but she was deflecting.
"Don't play that game with me," Griffin snapped, her voice loud in the tense atmosphere around them. She hadn't meant for it to come out like that. But her heart was pounding in her chest so madly that she needed a solid answer, something to ground her and give shape to reality that had lost all form thanks to the question in her thoughts. How the world would look to her from now on depended entirely on the answer.
"I could say the same to you," Faragonda spoke, her own voice rising slightly. Not as much as Griffin's had but she'd always been the more composed one. Griffin admired her for that since her own emotions could easily get the best of her. But this time control had gotten away even from Faragonda. And that was all the more proof for her to drop the games.
"You love me?" she asked, nearly wincing at the sound of the word that was surely too strong and she'd used too hastily. Even if her question could still be considered beating around the bush. It was old news how much Faragonda cared about her. But she hadn't known that she cared about her... in a different way, too. And what made it so different, really? She doubted she could love anyone as much as she did Faragonda. She'd just never thought of that love in a romantic context. But that didn't make it less in any aspect.
"I do," Faragonda said, never breaking eye contact but she was painfully tense. Even if she'd been the one to initiate the whole conversation. But that was what made Griffin realize how crucial the whole thing must be for Faragonda.
She closed the diary and left it next to her on the couch before scooting closer to Faragonda who seemed to freeze at the action. Griffin leaned in, hesitating just for a second before proceeding. There was really no space to back away now. Any cautiousness should've come earlier, before she'd filled them both with anticipation. The realization that she would be just as disappointed and hurt as Faragonda would be if she lost her courage now motivated her to act and she pressed her lips against the fairy's in a soft contact.
Faragonda's mouth opened slightly against hers as the pressure seemed to drain from her before she moved her lips slowly, making them brush barely against hers. The familiar gentleness hit Griffin over the head with the realization that she'd been in love with Faragonda for a long time just as well as she'd loved her. They were best friends, companions and confidants and that was all that really mattered when it came to love. Faragonda was someone she trusted and knew she could count on. And in that sense, it had always been right there in front of her but she hadn't realized it.
She had to pull away to breathe since the revelation had left her all out of oxygen but she pressed her forehead against Faragonda's to let her know she was right there with her. She braced herself against the couch as the new reality had left her dizzy and somewhat confused but still with an overwhelming sense of relief and joy. And the warmth of Faragonda's hand covering hers was the most reassuring indicator that everything was okay. It was better than that actually. It was magical.
