Chapter Text
It was late. 11pm. Alexis couldn't sleep. She was anxious, her room felt suffocating. She knew her parents were asleep. Or at least doing work in their room.
She couldn't stand it anymore. She needed to go see Michelle. The guilt had been eating away at her. She'd promised. Alexis hated breaking promises.
Eventually, she made up her mind to go. She refuses to break her promise to Michelle. Michelle who'd treated her so sweetly, who was so ethereal. Michelle was perfect. She needed to get out of her house.
Alexis breathed out anxiously, but she was stubborn. She carelessly threw on a hoodie over her tanktop. Getting dressed properly would waste time.
She quietly crept out of her room and down the stairs, cringing at every miniscule noise that she made. The stairs suddenly seemed like the worst thing ever, but once she'd made it down, she rushed to the front door, throwing on her sneakers as fast as she could. Her boots could take a second too long to out on.
Finally, Alexis carefully opened the door, shut it equally quietly, and ran.
She didn't have amazing stamina, but she kept going as fast as she could to the forest. All she had was her hoodie. She hadn't brought her phone or food or anything.
Alexis was muttering prayers, desperately hoping she'd get there before midnight.
She scarcely noticed anything going around her, just running. Once she finally made it to the edge of the forest, she stepped in, breathing out a sigh of relief.
She'd made it.
Alexis had made it. She squinted, looking for any sign of some light. Nothing.
If she could find Michelle, she'd just wander the forest until something happened. If she got lost and died here, then that would be that, but Alexis hoped that wouldn't happen.
It was a good few hours after 11, Alexis was fairly sure. She'd wandered this forest for an hour, then got exhausted and sat.
Eventually she started crying. Everything was ruined. She was lost, tired and without Michelle.
She cried for a while, her tanned face stained with tears. After sobbing for a few minutes, she finally stopped, sniffling being the only noise other than the wind.
Alexis hugged her legs, resting her forehead on her knees, closing her eyes. She was exhausted. If she slept here, that would be okay, right? There weren't any dangerous animals here after all. She'd just be cold, but Alexis wasn't that weak, she could deal with that.
Finally. Peace.
Alexis felt herself floating away mentally, calming down substantially as she listened to the sound of the trees and wind and ignored the hunger in her stomach.
The disembodied sounds of the wind, the bushes, the little chirps of birds. It was all calming. Her headache was fading away as she smiled slightly to herself.
She liked it here. No parents yelling at her, no scolding, just peaceful silence.
Just as Alexis started to drift away into the land of sleep, a gentle hand touched her fluffy hair and caressed her.
She barely processed it, and when she finally did, she tensed up anxiety washing over her.
"No, no, Alexis. Don't panic. It's just me."
And Alexis relaxed immediately, because that was Michelle's ethereal voice.
"Good girl." Michelle smiled, though Alexis couldn't see it.
"..I'm sorry Michelle. I'm late. Please don't be mad." Alexis whispered, leaning into Michelle's gentle touch.
"No. You weren't late. I said today, didn't I? You came into the forest when it was still today. I just decided to reveal myself in tomorrow." Michelle gently tugged on Alexis' hair, signalling she wanted to see her face.
So Alexis slowly raised her face, a look of relief and awe as she stared at the breathtaking woman that was Michelle.
"Wh- why?" She tentatively asked, still reveling in the touch, the sight, the sound of Michelle.
"It was entertaining; seeing you cry and walk and be upset was so cute. But you were so determined you didn't even turn around with intent to leave. You waited. I like that from my girls." Michelle murmured, "You did a good job, Alexis. You didn't try to leave."
Alexis felt dazed. Of course she didn't try to leave.. she- she didn't know the way back.
"..what- what would've happened if I'd tried to leave?" Alexis mumbled.
"Let's not think about that, Alexis. You didn't try to leave, that's the thing we should be focusing on." Michelle hummed, "You're good."
You're good.
Oh how Alexis adored those words.
"Okay, Michelle." She nodded, smiling slightly.
"Now, come on. I'll take you to the Hollow again." Michelle let go of Alexis' head, offering her a hand.
Alexis took it, following Michelle hand-in-hand.
As they walked, Alexis took in her surroundings. The forest was different this late at night- or early in the morning, she supposed she should say.
It was dead silent, as no creature was awake at this hour. The trees didn't rustle as there was no wind to do so, and nothing rustled in the trees.
It probably would've scared Alexis if she hadn't been following Michelle.
Michelle walked elegantly in front of her, skin flawless and healthy blonde hair that looked so silky Alexis just wanted to run her hand through her hair over and over again.
The rose on her neck seemed to glow, but Alexis might just be sleep deprived. Though, considering that Michelle was a fairy, it wasn't too farfetched that the rose 'tattoo' she had could be glowing.
Nonetheless, it had Alexis entranced. Her legs felt as if they weren't moving themselves as she practically gawked at Michelle.
It would've been embarrassing if Alexis cared, but Michelle was so pretty, how could she not stare?
The perfectly made flowy white dress draped around Michelle's body as if she'd been born to wear it.
It followed her curves on her waist and on some parts of her leg it didn't wave around, but on others it flowed.
She just looked perfect and Alexis scarcely could believe a creature as perfect as her could be interested in Alexis.
She was simply normal after all. Frizzy, soft brown hair with impulsively dyed magenta strands on the bottom. Tanned skin with acne scars from all the years she spent as a teenager picking at her face in the bathroom after school. Freckles and moles covering her everywhere basically due to shitty genetics. A body that sometimes didn't feel her own.
But right now, Alexis felt at peace. If someone like this could look at her and decide she wasn't a hassle to have around, then she must not be that bad. It was a comforting thought.
Eventually they reached the hollow.
Somehow everything felt lighter. Alexis felt... like she had less to worry about. Her joints felt generally less pained than they were earlier, as she'd been lying against the hard, uncomfortable tree for so long.
Michelle turned around, "Sit, Alexis."
Alexis blinked out of her stupour, nodding dumbly and looking around for a seat, and finding none.
She didn't really want to point that out, but then a Michelle clicked her fingers and a clean tree stump appeared.
Alexis went to it, sitting and marveling at how it even appeared, but deciding there wasn't a point overthinking it, as Michelle was a goddamned fairy, and they weren't supposed to be real, so sure, a magical tree stump could be real.
"Good. Would you like something to eat?" Michelle absentmindedly played with a few strands of hair on Alexis' head that stuck up.
Alexis didn't even think before she eagerly nodded, she was starving.
She'd gone to her room without food, and she'd ran to the forest and had sat there for ages, hungry and sad.
The opportunity for food seemed divine.
Michelle smiled knowingly, and then offered a mushroom.
"You know what will happen if you eat this, Alexis?" Michelle tilted her head, her smile suddenly dropping.
Alexis snapped out of her eagerness for food, and thought for a moment.
If she ate food offered by a fairy.. and this seemed to be a fairy hollow, then she'd be stuck here.
Suddenly she wasn't sure if she was ready for that.. sure- her life wasn't.. amazing, but she still found some small joys in it.
"Why are you hesitating Alexis?" Michelle's voice cut through her though process, making her looking up and meet Michelle's intense, blue eyes.
"..I'd be stuck here. Wouldn't I?" Alexis didn't reply, sounding uncertain, "I'm just.. not completely sure I could do that."
Michelle's face changed, her eyebrows furrowing, her lips pursing, "Why not? You're not happy here. I would make you happy. They don't want you. I want you. You'd be safe and happy with me. You'd be mine forever. Why don't you want that?"
Alexis sighed shakily, "I- I know, but.. being someone's forever sounds- I don't know. Scary."
"Why would you be scared? I want you Alexis. You're a.. wonderful human. You're different than those others. You don't have that drive that works for humans, but that's okay, because I can support you." Michelle insisted, her grip on the mushroom subtly tensing.
Alexis stared at it, contemplating.
Life with her parents sucked. She wanted a life full of magic and joy, and her parents hated that. Science didn't excite her, it didn't give her anything.
But Michelle. Michelle, with her shiny, beautiful blonde hair, fading to blue on the ends. Michelle, with the glowing blue rose on her neck, the thorny stem running down her arm, the crown on her hand. Michelle, with her intense blue eyes, that both seemed comforting and unsettling at times. They seemed to pick her apart, and Alexis didn't find herself to mind. Michelle was offering her the life she'd always wanted, but here Alexis was, hesitating to take it.
This horrible, horrible trait was likely why she'd never get to a place in her life where she'd be happy with herself.
Despite her yearning for a different life, she was never able to fight. To fight to get to places where she'd be surrounded by magic.
And Alexis hated herself cause of it. She'd never escape her spiral of boredom, depression and yearning.
But the difference this time was that Alexis didn't even have to fight this time. Michelle was offering freedoms and literal magic on a silver platter.
She breathed out. She needed to stop being so useless. So.. cowardly. Self pitying. Her self hatred had always driven her down, and she refused to lose this opportunity because of something as trivial as fear.
She took the mushroom.
Almost immediately, Michelle's frustrated face melted one into relief for a split second, before smiling.
"I knew you'd be able to do it. Come on, eat." She gently encouraged, pushing Alexis's hand closer to her face.
Alexis took a bite. The mushroom tasted.. odd. Good, but very different. It had a squishy texture, as all mushrooms did, but it had this blandness to it, hinted with bitterness.
And it made her head feel a bit odd.
Once she ate it in its entirety, Michelle grinned.
She coaxed a fuzzy headed Alexis to her feet, and leant down to kiss her.
Alexis couldn't really think properly, but she melted in Michelle's arms, kissing back without hesitation.
Michelle's lips felt soft and perfect, as every part of her did, compared to Alexis's rough, bitten lips.
Yet she still held Alexis like she was something precious, and kissed her like it mattered.
This was the most special Alexis had ever felt, and she relished in it, her fuzzy brain only being able to think of Michelle.
Her brain was wiped of any thought of her parents, or siblings, or any worries. There was just peace. Michelle, and peace.
As the two pulled apart, and for once, Michelle's pristine pale face, was slightly flushed, and her grin was slightly less devious.
"..you're mine." Michelle mumbled, almost as if she could scarcely believe that.
Alexis smiled, "..you're beautiful."
Michelle grinned at the old line, the signature, cocky smirk that Alexis liked.
"You can stare at me as long as you want now." Michelle's words sounded teasing and innocent, but her arm slunk around Alexis's back and held her tight, and repeated, "You're mine."
Alexis didn't fight as her last thought before she let herself stop thinking and just enjoy Michelle flitted through her head.
I guess there's nothing I can do.