"Are we there yet?"
The only response Athena got was a squeeze of her hand and the soft sound of Juniper's gentle laugh. Her girlfriend had been leading her through the garden (in what Athena could only assume was a roundabout path) for a little while now, still refusing to tell her anything about what they were doing.
They paused for a moment so Juniper could lead her to hop over a dip in the ground. And with that same firm grasp, she led her just a little bit further.
The temperature dipped ever so slightly cooler, as did the light behind her eyes. Athena furrowed her brow, trying to concentrate and pick up clues to where they were. All she could hear was the soft rustling of leaves in the wind.
In that moment, Juniper tugged on her again, this time down as if to sit. Because of Athena's shift in attention, though, it resulted in her stumbling half into Juniper's lap on the grass.
"Junie!" she laughed, a little breathlessly.
"I'm sorry." Her voice fluttered like her heartbeat still did whenever they got close, like it was doing now. Slowly, it calmed, and one gloved hand brushed the side of Athena's face. "But…you can open your eyes now."
She did. The first thing she saw was Juniper, slightly flushed but otherwise watching her calmly.
"Cute!"
Athena slapped a hand over Widget, trying to ignore the way Juniper was smiling at her. With a cough, she shifted to get a better look at their surroundings.
They sat in the shade of a tree at the edge of the family's small orchard, pre-sunset light filtering through the branches overhead. In front of them, the hillside sloped downward so the whole valley opened up to them. The occasional birdsong punctuated the breeze, which stirred up the faint scent of flowers.
"…it's lovely," she murmured, leaning back into Juniper.
To her credit, she only shrank back a little this time, blushing. After a moment, her gaze finally snuck back to the other girl. "Hey, Thena," she adjusted the angle of her hat, "do you know why I brought you here?"
"Uh…" Athena looked things over back and forth around her. Nothing jump-started any memories, but considering that this had been her first time back here since they were kids, she wasn't sure if that counted for much or not.
"I'll give you a hint." Gently, she put a hand under Athena's chin to tip her gaze up above them.
Athena squinted into the branches. And then… "Oh. Is this where you got…?" She recalled the trial, months ago, where she'd found herself practically in tears over how Juniper's concern for her had touched on the feelings that she'd only just begun to recognize in herself.
"Well, that too, but." She started playing with one of her braids. "You…don't remember, do you? The last time you were here, with the planting?"
She paused, tapping her chin. That did strike a chord in a distant part of her mind, memory slowly creeping back across the years.
xxxxxxxx
It had been during one of Athena's visits to her friend's home. The two of them had been sitting on the porch eating their lunch when she'd asked about something she'd noticed when they'd first arrived.
"What are these for?" she asked, pointing to the stacks of gardening supplies piled by the side of the steps.
Juniper finished chewing her mushrooms (from Athena's plate; she had found the texture uncomfortable) before answering. "Oh, those are the seedlings we're going to be planting." Noticing Athena continuing to examine the rows of tiny plants in the segmented plastic planters, she thought for a moment. Then, quietly, "…do you want to help?"
Hesitant at first, Athena's expression bloomed into a smile. "Yes."
So Juniper had laden the both of them with supplies, then led the way down the hill to where the dirt had been freshly turned. She knelt down. The ground was slightly warm and soft, easy enough to dig the small hole they needed. She turned to Athena, who was watching her work with no little amount of confusion. "Now, you have to squeeze the sides of the container gently so it comes out nice."
Athena nodded. Picking up the tiny sapling in both hands, she put the barest amount of pressure on the plastic.
She gave her some time, but eventually reached over and put a hand on top of hers. "You can do it a little harder than that." And she squeezed. "See? It's ok."
"Oh." Once Juniper let go of her, she copied the motion with the other sides. "Like this?"
"Yep. And then…" With a hand under the planter, she carefully took hold of the sprout and lifted it out. "It's ready to go."
They planted it together, filling the dirt back in around the roots with their hands. Athena insisted on carrying the water back, although it took Juniper's help to tilt the bucket without dropping it on the sapling.
"So that's an orange tree," Athena said as they sprawled out on the grass nearby. She stared at the plant intently from over her drawn-up knees. Then, she grinned. "Then next time I come over, we can have oranges together!"
"Thena…" Propping herself up, she looked at her friend a little sadly. "It takes years for them to grow enough to make fruit."
Her face fell. "Oh." After a few moments, she added in a quiet voice, "but, that's a long time to wait. What if we're not friends anymore?"
Juniper scrunched up her face, picking handfuls of grass. "I don't think so. Grandma says real friends last forever and ever, even if they're not together all the time." She sighed, looking out into the valley. "Besides, it's our tree, so I'll take care of it while you're gone, but that means you have to come visit, so you can check on it." When she turned again, Athena was smiling. There was a warm comfort to it, one that gave her a boldness she hadn't felt before. "And when they're done," she whispered, scooting over towards her, "we can eat the oranges together." She held out her pinky. "Promise?"
Athena locked pinkies with her. "Yeah. I promise!"
xxxxxxxx
Athena placed a hand on the bark of the orange tree, now towering overhead. She sighed, the only other sound the wind against the leaves. "I'm sorry." Less than a year after that, the UR-1 incident had happened, with all its complications, including the seven years Athena spent on a completely different continent. "I broke our promise, huh." Her voice felt dry and hollow coming out of her throat, but there was nothing else she could think to say.
Out of the corner of her sight, Juniper stood up, dusting off her skirt. Then, she reached up and twisted an orange free from a branch. "Thena," (and wasn't that about the gentlest she'd ever heard the nickname) "it wasn't your fault, what happened." Sitting down right next to Athena, she began to peel it. "I know you would've kept it if you had been able to." She snuck the tiniest glance at her, smiling with her eyes more than anything else.
That was true, of course it was. They'd been over this very same issue already, apologies and counter-apologies and reassurances and the understanding that what they were building now was only stronger for what they'd overcome. But still, Athena felt that twinge of regret as she watched Juniper remove the peel in one continuous strip, transfixed by the practiced motions. It was only when she'd finished that Athena felt the will to move granted back to her. She pushed herself up sitting properly.
But before Athena could say anything, Juniper split the orange in half with a satisfying ripping noise of the fibers. "Besides," she held out one of the halves, the strong, fresh scent of the fruit wafting into the senses, "you're here with me now, right?"
Athena looked down at the orange, and then to Juniper's face: the determined purse of her lips and the slightest trembling emotion in her eyes. She glanced at the other half cradled gently in her girlfriend's lap. Then, one more time, at Juniper. Carefully, she took the orange in both hands, unconsciously holding it up by her heart. "Yeah," she said, tears in her eyes. "And this time, I'm not going anywhere."