Months passed and the two found themselves becoming much more comfortable around each other, so much so that Bloom even stopped calling Faragonda by her title, preferring to use what she said was the quicker version, Fara. No longer did the older woman worry if she forgot that the red head was in the room while she changed, nor did she hesitate when it came to showing her affection for Bloom, even in front of the students, though it was toned down since the 'incident', as she came to call it.
Not long after Bloom had moved in with her, Bloom had made good on her promise to set the students on fire should they say something about the Headmistress. One of the younger girls had made a comment to her friends about the Headmistress preferring them young, and that she wouldn't be surprised if she picked another girl after Bloom graduated. Unknown to her, the fire fairy had been walking behind them and promptly set her on fire. The only reason she was still alive was because one of the group was a water fairy and had quickly extinguished the flames. After that, no one dared say a thing about them.
It was because of that, the fact that Bloom had followed through on her threat, Faragonda opened up to her. While she had to punish her for harming another student, which Bloom understood and accepted, she made sure the earth raised fairy knew that she was touched that she would go so far just to protect her reputation.
To herself, she admitted for the first time in years, she felt loved.
-.-
"Hey Fara I'm gonna study on your bed, so if you wanna-" Finally looking up from the book she had open, Bloom stopped speaking when she came face to face with the two other heads of the neighbouring schools, "It wasn't me."
Headmistress Griffin and Headmaster Saladin's expression turned from serious to confused. They had no idea what she was talking about.
Faragonda, who at this point had learned all about the pranks Bloom had secretly pulled over the last three years, smiled, "Of course not dear, we were just discussing budgets."
Bloom nodded, noting the strained smile and obvious lie, "In that case, I'll be studying with my music on," She smiled, deciding to ask Fargaonda about it later, "Have fun with the budgets."
Walking further into the room, Bloom walked with her head held high even as the confused expressions melted away into sneers and glares. It seemed that the two other Heads still weren't pleased about the bonding. She and Faragonda had worked hard to make each other comfortable with the situation and no one was going to take that away from them.
"No need to study when you're sleeping with the Headmistress."
Even though the words were said under her breath, not intended to be heard, everyone in the room heard them. Snapping back around, book now lying on the ground, Bloom looked to Faragonda. While she didn't care what people thought of her, Bloom took it to heart when people dragged Faragonda through the dirt. From the moment she made the joke that distracted them, she'd known that the older woman was a person who lived by her morals, so she wasn't about to put up with people thinking she didn't. Bloom on the other hand, had very few.
At her friends harsh words, Faragonda stepped back, her expression betraying her hurt before she could cover it. Taking a deep breath, she clasped her hands behind her back and spoke as calmly as she could, "Bloom works hard for her grades," She announced clearly, starring at the witch, "Whether or not we share a bed, which we do not, does not affect that. Something you would know if you actually listened to what I've been telling you since you both barged in here two hours ago."
Eyes widening, Bloom looked from Faragonda to the two sitting in the visitors chairs. Two hours? They'd been there two hours harassing her about the bonding?
"We are only trying to protect you from that-that-"
"That what?" Faragonda snapped, stepping forward, "That young lady who's spent the last three years fighting to save not only her own life, but everyone else's? That young lady who was forced into a situation that neither of us have any control over, all because of your students stupidity? That young lady who I'm happily bonded too? That what, Griffin?" She yelled, leaning on her desk, "Tell me how any of this is your business! Better yet, tell me why you seem to have this persistent need to rub this in my face every time we see each other!"
Still standing off to the side, Bloom watched her bonded with a gleam in her eyes. She'd never seen her so angry before. She loved it. But when the witch stood up, knocking the chair over, Bloom conjured a fire ball, readying her arm in case she needed to incapacitate the Headwitchress.
"It should have been me!" The green witched screeched.
Faster than anyone could see, Faragonda's hand whipped out, smacking the taller woman right across the face. With her chest heaving and hand still raised in the air, the older woman hissed, "Get out of my office, our business is concluded."
Both Saladin and Bloom looked at each other. While they hadn't seen eye to eye over the bonding when they were first informed, they both admitted to caring for the Headmistress and would do anything to protect her. Nodding, Saladin stood up and without a word, transported the still frozen witch and himself out of the office. For a while, the two fairies stood in silence, neither knowing what to say.
Finally, after what felt like eternity to Bloom, Faragonda sighed and sat down, "I'm sorry you had to see that Bloom," She spoke quietly, removing her glasses, "I wish you hadn't."
Still not sure how she was to act, Bloom walked over to her and casually leant back against her desk, watching her clean her glasses, "Seen you so upset or the fact that they've been harassing you about the bonding?"
Laughing humourlessly, Faragonda replaced her glasses, "Both," Sighing once more, she turned away, hoping the red head couldn't see her tearing up, "I wanted to protect you from all of that."
Smiling, Bloom crouched down in front of her, "You don't have to Fara," She said, taking hold of her hands.
Looking down, Faragonda whispered, "But I want too," Tucking some of the flame like hair behind her ear, she continued, "Since we've been bonded, you've done everything you can to help me and protect my reputation, I just want to do the same."
Taking the hand from her cheek, Bloom pressed a light kiss to it, "Then we'll protect each other."
Smiling, Faragonda squeezed the hand holding hers.
-.-
Later that night, Faragonda turned off the light by her desk and entered her and Bloom's room, wanting nothing more than to collapse into bed and sleep. But when she closed the door, she came to a stop at the sight in front of her. Spread out over the bed was books and notes, and in the middle laid Bloom, fast asleep. Shaking her head, she waved her hand, sending the books and notes up into the man cave before she draped the light blanket over her. Smiling down at the sight of Bloom sleeping peacefully in her bed, she pressed a light kiss to her forehead before entering the bathroom.
Stripping down, she stepped into the shower, sighing as the hot water hit her tense muscles. Leaning her forehead against the cool tiles, she thought about the young woman sleeping in her bed. Since finding out about the bonding, she'd had to face up to her feelings. For the last two years, she'd been pushing them away, denying that she felt anything more than the usual concern for that of any other student. But even after she had admitted to having feelings towards the red head, at least to herself, she'd refused to act on them. Now they had become friends, comfortable with sharing almost anything with each other, and it was getting harder to not cross the line she'd drawn. And oh how she wanted to cross it; especially when Bloom looked at her when she thought she couldn't see. To be able to have the red head sleep beside her every night, to hold her, kiss her, to-
Groaning as her thoughts turned down a pathway she wasn't ready to go, she turned the taps off and stepped out, wrapping herself in her favourite robe. Quickly drying her short hair, she walked back into her room, intent on getting dressed and going to bed; only when she opened her wardrobe, she found her eyes drawn to her reflection in the long mirror.
Sighing at the sight in front of her, she turned this way and that, pulling the material of her robe tight to get a better view of her body. To her it was a sad picture. Old and frumpy were the words that came to her mind.
'How could she ever think of me like that?' She thought to herself, eyeing the small wrinkles sprouting from the corner of her eyes and her white hair, 'I'm old.'
"I can hear you pitying yourself from over here Fara."
Jumping, Faragonda spun around, "Bloom!" She gasped, clutching at the neck of her robe tightly, "I didn't wake you did I?"
Pushing herself up, Bloom sighed quietly and brushed back the hair that had fallen in front of her face, "I've been awake since you went to shower," She yawned, "I've been waiting for you to come out."
"Oh."
Giving the older woman a sleepy smiled, Bloom pulled her knees up, resting her arms over them, "Do you want to tell me what's bothering you?"
Faragonda shook her head, "Not at the moment dear," She whispered as she made her way to bed. She wasn't ready to talk about it.
Watching as the tired Headmistress laid down under the covers, Bloom waited until she was settled in before asking her next question, "Does it have anything to do with what happened this afternoon?"
Closing her eyes so she didn't have to see Bloom's concern, she nodded, clenching at her pillow as she remembered what had transpired just hours ago.
Bloom nodded, understanding that by the quiet affirmative that she wasn't going to say anymore on the subject, "Okay." She whispered, taking hold of the clenched fist.
Looking up at Bloom, her sight blurry from unshed tears, Faragonda spoke, "Bloom," She whispered, but nothing followed. She didn't know how to ask her to stay with her. She needn't have worried as Bloom seemed to have read her mind.
Slipping down further into bed, Bloom stretched out alongside her, making sure to keep hold of her hand, "Sleep Fara, I'll stay tonight."
Sighing softly in relief, Faragonda closed her eyes, quickly falling asleep as her body gave into exhaustion.
-.-
When she next opened her eyes, it was to the sight of light filtering in through her window, illuminating her room in a warm light. But what really caught her attention upon waking was the gentle rise and fall of her head. Blinking to clear the fuzziness from her eyes, Faragonda thought back to the night before, relaxing when she finally remembered that Bloom had stayed with her. Smiling to herself, she closed her eyes and snuggled back into the warmth, sighing contently when a long arm wrapped around her shoulders to hold her there. She had fallen into a light sleep when Bloom moved her hand to gently brush over her hair, lulling her into snuggling closer to the slim body.
"You're quite the cuddler, aren't you," Bloom laughed softly, her voice deep from sleep.
Instead of answering, Faragonda just hummed and wrapped her leg around Blooms, somehow managing to pull herself even closer to the girl. She was going to enjoy this for as long as she could, she'd just claim it on being still asleep if asked about it later.
"Don't you have a meeting today?"
Several curses flew through her mind, but thankfully none came out at the reminder of her monthly meeting with the other Heads of the schools. Maybe if she didn't move, Bloom would think she was still asleep.
"Fara," Bloom said sternly, effectively crushing any hope she had of not getting up, "You need to fairy up and go to your meeting. Show them that you are a professional."
"I really don't feel up to it," She finally whispered, staring blankly out the window, "I don't think I can face her, or Saladin."
Sighing, Bloom tightened her hold on the older woman, enjoying the warmth that radiated from her body, "You know if you don't go, you'll be upset about it for days."
"You don't know that," Faragonda argued, though deep down she knew she was right.
With a quiet laugh, Bloom looked down, "I know you better than you think Fara," She smiled, "Which means I know you'll get up soon and get ready for this meeting where you will, no doubt, make it clear where you stand on everything."
Tipping her head back to look up at the red head, Faragonda pursed her lips, "How can you be so sure that I'll do that, I could just lay here all day."
Bloom gently ran her hand across her forehead, brushing back the short strands of white hair, "Because you'll want to defend my honour."
With a sigh, Faragonda looked back out the window, her shoulders relaxing in defeat, "You're right."
"I know I am," Bloom laughed, her bright blue eyes twinkling, "Now are you going to get up?"
"In a minute."
Smiling, Bloom nodded, continuing to run her hand through the soft hair, "Okay."
-.-
After that, Bloom found whatever reason she could to sleep with Faragonda, though she usually ended up using the studying trick as it worked best. Each morning, she'd find herself being used as a pillow, which she happily accepted. On the few nights she didn't share the bed with the Headmistress, she found that they were both irritable and standoff-ish for the rest of the day.
One morning, after using her usual trick, she woke to find Faragonda in her arms, but this time she had her head on her chest. For a minute she was surprised, but when she regained her ability to think, she realised that while asleep, the older woman managed to slip her hand up and under her shirt. She could feel the soft fingers pressing just under her shoulder blade, while one of the older woman's thighs rested firmly between her legs.
When Faragonda shifted, Bloom's eyes widened. The leg that had previously just been sitting there slid against her, sending sparks of pleasure through her. She fought back the moan that wanted to break free, only just managing to hold it at bay long enough for Faragonda to settle once more. Sighing, she closed her eyes and pushed her head back into her pillow. She really wanted Faragonda to wake, but another part of her didn't. Before she could think any more on that, she felt Faragonda move once more, tightening her hold around her leg with her own, pressing her hips forwards with a soft moan. The hand under her back slipt up and over her shoulder, pulling the young red head against her with a sigh.
Not sure what to do, Bloom lay there, keeping her body as still as possible as she held the sleeping woman. Not long later, she woke. Faragonda smiled as she heard the strong heart beat under her ear, but it quickly faded when she realised how tense the body under her felt.
"Bloom," She called softly, drawing the red head attention to her, "Is everything alright dear?"
Evading the question, Bloom asked one of her own, "Why do you ask?"
Faragonda pushed herself up on her arm so she could look down at Bloom, "You're tense," she eyed her closely, noticing that the young fairy hadn't looked at her at all, "What's wrong dear?"
"I had a bad dream," Bloom blurted, saying the first thing that came to mind, "I woke up and I didn't want to move in case I woke you."
Faragonda gave her a small smile, "Next time wake me, alright?" She reached out to brush some of the bright red hair form her face, "I'd rather be awake with you darling then continue sleeping while you're not."
Bloom finally looked at her, forcing a small smile as she nodded, "Okay."
"Good," Faragonda spoke softly, pressing a quick kiss to her forehead, "Now it's time to get up." Pulling back, she was already smiling, expecting the usual argument from Bloom, but was surprised when she just nodded and carefully rolled out from under her.
"I'll make us some tea," Bloom said, standing from the bed, "You can use the shower first."
Faragonda watched with a concerned frown as Bloom left the room, wondering to herself how bad the girls dream could have been to affect her like that. Shaking her head, she pushed aside the light blanket and got up, walking into the bathroom to get ready for the day ahead.
-.-
Not long later, Bloom came back in with a tray of tea, hearing the sound of running water. Smiling, she placed the tray down on the nightstand, automatically reaching out to straighten the bed sheets, only to stop when she heard a quiet groan, similar to that of what she'd heard earlier.
Eyes widening once more, she froze, unsure of what to do. When a soft, breathy sigh followed shortly after, she turned around, seeing that the door hadn't fully closed behind the woman when she'd entered the bathroom. Swallowing nervously, she quietly walked forward, reaching out for the handle, intent on pulling it closed. Unfortunately, just as her hand gripped the metal, she froze once more as Faragonda's soft voice called out.
"Bloom."
Fearing she'd been caught, she glanced inside, barely containing her gasp when she saw the hazy image of the older woman standing under the spray of the shower. She watched her, trying to see if the older woman could see her, but decided against it when she let out another moan as her hand slipped further down her body.
"Ohh Bloom."
At that point, when her hand disappeared from view between her legs, it really sunk in that she was watching her Headmistress touch herself in the shower like a common perv and she backed away, carefully pulling the door closed. Blinking stupidly at the door, she uttered a quiet swear.
"Shit."
-.-
That afternoon Bloom walked into their room, immediately sending her books up to her cave so she could pace the length of the room, trying to figure out what she should do. All day the older woman had been on her mind. Not only the scenes from that morning, but every little thing she'd done for her since coming to Alfea. She'd known soon after coming clean to the older woman in her first year that she had a crush on her, but not once had she ever thought the Headmistress would return her feelings. So lost in her thoughts she'd lost track of time, therefore she wasn't sure how long she'd been pacing for, but she was finally stopped by Faragonda walking into the room.
"Bloom? Is everything okay dear?"
Bloom stood there, staring at her, not saying anything for a few moments before spinning back around and continuing to pace.
The Headmistress frowned, "Is this about your dream this morning?"
Bloom stopped again, but this time in confusion, "What dream?"
That threw Faragonda some, "The dream you had this morning that had you so tense," She said slowly.
It took a couple seconds, but when Bloom remembered what she'd said that morning, her cheeks turned bright pink, "I didn't have a dream this morning," She admitted quietly, scuffing her shoe on the floor.
"Then what's had you so out of sorts today my dear?" Faragonda asked, sitting down on the bed.
Looking at the older woman, Bloom spoke quietly, "I think I've found my intended."
Faragonda was glad she'd sat down before Bloom had spoken; otherwise she knew her knees would have given out at the news. She hadn't thought it would happen, not with it being so rare. Suddenly what had been a good day, turned sour.
"Your intended?" She whispered, "Are you sure?"
The red head nodded, "As sure as I can be," Sighing she sat down beside her, gently taking hold of the warm hand clenching at the blankets, "I don't know what to do Fara."
Swallowing, Faragonda gripped the hand in hers tightly, "What do you want to do?" She asked, staring at the door in front of them; not sure if she wanted to know the answer.
"I want to tell them, but they've made it clear that they want nothing more than friendship from me," Bloom hated that she was twisting something like this just to find out what she needed to know, "I know she's attracted to me, but she won't say anything."
Letting go of the smaller hand, she gently clasped her own in her lap, "Perhaps she isn't ready," Faragonda offered weakly, wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around the young woman beside her and refuse to let her go.
Sighing sadly as the older woman closed herself off once more, Bloom shook her head, "I don't think she ever will be," She whispered, walking into the bathroom.
-.-
From that night on, Bloom slept in her own bed. After Faragonda pulled away, the older woman had once again distanced herself from the red head. It hurt, no matter what Bloom told herself. She had become accustomed to openly holding the woman, talking about everything with her, sharing a bed with her. Now they only spoke when necessary.
-.-
Sitting up in her man cave, Bloom idly flipped through her note book, trying and failing to read over the notes she'd taken that day. Not that she really needed to, as she'd read them over multiple times since hiding out in her little room, but she didn't want to sleep, not alone. Sighing, she threw her book away from her and fell back on her bed with a groan, starring up at the plain ceiling above.
Down below, Faragonda was lying in the same position, though at the frustrated sound she turned to look up at the alcove. She missed Bloom something fierce. But now that she knew that the young woman had found her intended, she wasn't going to force her into anything. Feeling her eyes tear up, she screwed them closed and buried her face into her pillow, her arm automatically stretching out for the warm body that wasn't there to comfort her.
Quietly, she let the tears fall, soaking into the pillow as her shoulders shook, unknowing that she was being watched from the alcove.
-.-
The next morning Faragonda woke to the feeling of having strong arms wrapped around her once more. For a few moments, in her barely awake state, she smiled, enjoying the sensation of having Bloom hold her again. Snuggling back against the young fairy she gently covered the hands resting on her stomach and closed her eyes. However, the moment Bloom moved, somehow pressing herself closer to the Headmistress with a soft sigh that tickled the back of her neck, reality came crashing back down on her.
She was lying in bed with her bonded, who she had fallen in love with, who had found her intended, who was not her.
Eyes tearing up, she squeezed them shut to keep the tears from falling as she unwound Blooms hands from where they rested and sat up. Pushing herself up, she missed the arm stretching out after her, though she didn't miss the soft whine that followed.
"Come back to bed, it's cold."
Picking up her robe she pulled it on, keeping her back to the red head still in bed, "I don't think my returning to bed will help with that Bloom, if anything I will just make you colder." Tying the sash with a vicious tug, she continued, "How you manage to share a bed with me I will never know."
"S'Cause you're warm." Bloom mumbled, her eyes still closed, "Come back to bed."
Giving a hollow laugh, Faragonda turned around, "I can't be warm to you."
Frowning slightly, Bloom spoke before she could censor herself, "I thought Ms Griselda said my intended would be of similar temperature to me."
