Archive of Our Own

It’s been 3 days, 14 hours, 43 minutes and 16 seconds since Riven left. Time is mocking her. It finally hit her a day and a half ago and she’s been laying in bed ever since. The girls have been flocking around her like worried mama-hens, Bless them. She knows she’s getting behind on schoolwork but she can’t get herself to do anything. She doesn’t hear the front door over the ringing in her ears. She does however hear the sound of the girls reacting to something. What were they saying? She wondered. Should she go out and check or wait for Riven to come back. Is he going to come back this soon? Not likely. She sighs and walks out her room.

She’s greeted by the sight of Flora engulfed in a bear hug by Bloom. Surrounded by girls at every angle. Playing with her hair and stroking her back reassuringly. What were they saying? She tries to pay attention despite her headache.

Oh.

Helia broke up with Flora……. wait what?

It’d be an understatement to say Musa didn’t see that coming. Why would they break up? They were crazy about each other. Things were going great for the Winx in the romantic department, actually. Each girl had a specialist that complimented her personality. Well, every girl except Aisha. And Tecna, though she’s been putting off going out with Timmy for forever now. How can two of them have relationships end within the same week? What sick twist of fate is this?

“What happened?!” Bloom finally asks – clutching her pearls in concern.

“Nothing happened. He just asked me to dinner and told me he didn’t want to be with me anymore.” Flora replies.

Silence follows as they wait for Flora to elaborate. She doesn’t. She just looks at the floor with that faraway look she gets sometimes.

“Why doesn’t he want to be with you anymore?” asks Aisha.

Green eyes meet hers from across the room. They look away.

“I-I think he found another girl-”

“Another girl? Bullshit! What other girl could possibly compare to you?” Stella’s voice pierces through Musa’s skull somehow making the headache worse.

She’s not wrong though. Flora is every specialist’s wet dream. With her long curls and her soft tan skin. She constantly smelled of lemongrass and when she smiled the universe seemed to glow brighter. Not to mention her powers, her nature magic made her so powerful as to be a respected fairy but didn’t bruise men’s inflated egos the way Bloom’s did. She’s perfect, basically.

“I don’t know, ok? He caught me off guard-”

Musa tunes them out. Her desire to get rid of her headache outdoing her desire to listen to the conversation further and she excuses herself back to her room.

***

Two days later, she’s starting to feel better. She still can’t get herself to go out. Only sitting around her room and trying to study the class notes Tecna took for her.

The specialists are in Alfea today. They found a strange artifact on a mission they want to show headmistress Faragonda. She contemplates going out to meet them. She’s pretty sure it’s just an excuse for Sky to see Bloom. Helia’s probably with him too.

Maybe Musa was seeing things but Flora didn’t seem all that upset about the break up. The first night she refused to say much and she’s seemed just fine since then. Going to class like normal and only seeming vaguely dejected at the mention of Helia.

She can’t help the bitterness that sneaks up her chest. That fairy had the most stable relationship in the group and she’s just fine with it ending. She just resigned herself and left when some other girl got between them. Not even bothering to fight for him. Did she even care? Musa would kill for a relationship as calm as the one they had and she just gives up on it?

Musa sighs and drops her pen. Riven does it on purpose. Leaving like that. They’ve played this game before. He likes to rile her up and drive her insane. Ha! Two can play at that game. She won’t go chasing after him this time. She’ll go on a Riven boycott. Let him go insane. She bets he won’t last another week without her.

***

It’s a week since operation Boycott Riven started and Flora stares at Musa a lot. Across the dinning hall during lunch. In class when she should be paying attention. It makes Musa incredibly uncomfortable. When she catches Flora in the act, her eyes widen and she quickly looks away as if she wasn’t staring holes into Musa’s skull. Like right now as Musa sits in their bedroom listening to Bloom tell an elaborate tale about..she can’t really remember what Bloom’s talking about.

The longer Flora watches her, the guiltier she feels. She was wrong about Flora. The fairy’s miserable. Musa no longer wakes up to the smell of Chamomile tea filling the dorm and barely sees Flora smile anymore. She just goes to class and training (often accompanied by one of the other fairies) then comes home and stays in her room all day. Musa’s pretty sure the girls have set up some kind of buddy-system schedule among themselves where neither of them have to go out alone. It’s really sweet. But it’s going to be a long time before Flora goes back to normal. Even her plants don’t look as shiny as they used to. It’s quite depressing.

Musa hates her own wretched heart. Flora’s the sweetest person she knows –even Riven has nothing bad to say about her– How dare she doubt her and accuse her of not caring about her boyfriend? Who was she to judge? She wasn’t even there for her when it happened. Just walked out of the room without saying anything. Some friend she is.

She faces Flora and smiles weakly at her. Flora looks taken aback for a moment then smiles back. There it is again, the universe brightening. How she missed it. She needs to make it up to her. It’s not her fault Musa’s so fucking sad. She hopes Flora can forgive her.

***

“Hey.”

It’s two weeks since the boycott started when Musa finally decides to be a better friend. Having resigned herself to the fact that Riven’s not breaking that easily, she decides to stop thinking about him and try to be there for her friends.

If she didn’t know any better, she’d say Flora was avoiding her. Only speaking with her in group settings and it’s often mundane small talk. Did her jealousy make her that unapproachable? She needs to get her shit together.

The school year’s ending soon and the class ahead of them is graduating. Alfea always hosts extravagant graduation ceremonies and Stella insisted they all head out to Magix to shop for dresses early before all the good options are taken. Flora didn’t feel good enough to join and Musa stayed behind to keep her company. Flora looked so sad laying alone on the couch, Musa couldn’t stand it.

“Hey.” Flora says, lifting her body off the couch and moving aside to make room for Musa. The hair that doesn’t fall behind her shoulder frames her body. She looks like one of those fairy goddess paintings in the school hall.

Musa hands her a cup of her favorite tea, Chamomile. Flora smiles softy.

“How are you holding up?”

Flora’s smile falters “Oh. I’m doing fine sweetheart, really. You don’t have to worry about me.”

“You’re my friend. I care about you.”

“Who is she?” Musa says.

“What?” Flora’s eyes widen.

“The girl Helia’s seeing. Who is it? Do we know her?”

“Oh...I don’t know.”

“You didn’t ask who she is?”

“He didn’t really mention a girl.”

….what?

Flora sees the question in her eyes and sighs. “Helia told me that he felt I wasn't as invested in our relationship anymore. He said he sensed a distance between us, and he couldn't ignore it. We’ve been going through a rough patch recently but I didn’t think it would come to this.”

“Really? I always thought you two worked really well together.”

Flora smiles but it doesn’t reach her eyes. “Yeah, I thought so too. But, you know, life gets busy, and maybe I didn't give him the attention he needed. It's just an unfortunate situation, I guess.”

Sitting here, absorbing the information, there’s no way Helia would break up with Flora just like that. She simply doesn’t believe Flora would be a neglectful girlfriend. Flora is the kindest person like ever. She always took into account everyone’s feelings and went out of her way to make them all happy. She filled her dorm room with daisies upon finding out they were Musa’s favorite. She’s spent countless hours helping Musa with her impossible algebra homework (why do they even take algebra, they’re fairies!). And when Musa was feeling homesick, Flora called her family and got their brownie recipe. Flora used her incredible baking skills to make them and Musa was so happy she cried (Though Aisha tried to murder Musa for those brownies so now Flora makes bigger batches).

Her gaze drifts towards Flora, who is trying her best to wear a brave smile, but Musa can sense the pain lingering beneath the surface. Flora doesn't deserve this. She deserves someone who appreciates her, someone who recognizes how incredible she is.

Perhaps there’s more to the story that Flora’s letting on. But if there is, it’s not Musa’s place to pry. Regardless, she hates seeing Flora like this. If only Helia knew what he was giving up but it’s his mistake not hers. What Flora’s going through, she shouldn’t have to face it alone.

She reaches and places her hand on top of hers, smiling at her gently. Flora smiles back. This time it does reach her eyes.

And Musa vows to be there for her friend to help her navigate the pain of the breakup. Flora deserves to be appreciated and Musa’s going to show her.

***

The brownies are on fire. This is what happens when Musa tries to be nice. It wasn’t her fault, really. Baking just hates her. She stares at the small fire in the make-shift oven. They don’t have an oven in their dorm. And the kitchens are closed this early in the morning. So, Musa used a spell to attempt to convert their toolbox into one. It’s not working out very well. Soon the fire will increase and engulf the living room. Then the fire alarm will sound. And Musa will get in trouble. Hooray.

And worst of all, she’ll have to explain to the Winx that she was too excited she couldn’t sleep and decided to bake brownies at 4 am and proceed to die of embarrassment. She’d rather die in a fire. It sounds cooler. If only she could remember the fire extinguisher spell they were taught for safety.

A shriek comes from behind her “Oh my goodness!”

There she is. Her savior. Shiny. Bright. Gorgeous. Plaid in armor of purple candy pajama pants and a T-shirt that states ‘Just because I’m awake doesn’t mean I’m ready to do things.’ The incredible, Tecna.

“Step aside!” She yells and pushes Musa out of the way. Tecna expertly preforms the extinguisher spell because she’s amazing like that and the fire disappears. Leaving behind tiny black stones than once resembled brownies.

Tecna turns to Musa “What were you thinki- OH my god!”

“THANK YOU thank you thank you!” Musa tackles Tecna into a hug. “I won’t die of embarrassment anymore!” She places a wet kiss on Tecna’s cheek.

“Gross.” Tecna wrinkles her nose as she wipes the spit off her cheek. “What were you even thinking getting up at this hour to bake? By yourself no less.”

“Umm. I just felt the call of the flour?”

Tecna doesn’t look very impressed.

She sighs “Ok, I was trying to bake brownies for Flora because she always does stuff for me and I wanted to make her feel better.”

“Oh.” Tecna uncrosses her arms then sighs “That’s very sweet Musa. You don’t need to be embarrassed by that.”

Tecna takes her by the shoulders “But please for the love of magic don’t ever pull a stunt like this again. And Never. Bake. Again. I’ll help you remake the brownies at a reasonable hour, okay?”

Musa nods vigorously. “Ok! Deal!”

Her plan might work out after all.

***

Turns out Tecna also has magical baking powers that she calls ‘Setting a timer.’ That’s why she’s the genius. They decide to take into account the other fairies stealing Flora’s brownies so they make enough for everyone.

Stella wakes up first. Rising with the sun. Ecstatic about the treats. Next is Aisha going on her religious morning runs. She doesn’t taste the brownies but promises to devour them when she gets back as a reward. The longer they wait for Flora to wake up the more nervous Musa gets. She realizes she doesn’t even know if brownies are Flora’s favorite. They’re Musa’s favorite. What if she doesn’t like them? What if she’s been a cupcake girl this entire time and Musa nearly burned the building down and made Tecna bake all these brownies for her not to like them in the end.

Her fears escalate when Bloom and Flora walk into the kitchen. Bloom shrieks and immediately tries to steal Stella’s brownies. Musa stands up out of her chair. Then realizes what she’s done and sits back down. Then stands up again to greet Flora. Her vocal cords then decide to stop working. She’s in the middle of the standing-sitting-conundrum when Tecna gets done with her shit.

“Musa made brownies for you. Try to eat some before the rest of the fairies finish them.” She gestures to the tray of desserts.

Flora stands frozen in place. Her ears turn a bright shade of crimson. “Oh wow. Thank you, Musa. This is very sweet you didn’t have to go through all that trouble for me.”

The universe is doing that thing again. Damn you universe.

“Oh it’s nothing. Tecna did most of the work I just watched her. You really should be thanking her.” Musa’s aware she blushes easily. She’s never liked her body deciding to betray her like this.

“How come you bake for Flora and not for me? I’ve barely even got 5 text messages from you since I met you!” Stella interrupts through a mouthful of brownies. She looks like a sad chipmunk. Bloom elbows her.

“Ow! What was that for?” Stella pouts and rubs her arm. Bloom shares a look with Flora. Musa never knows how to interpret Bloom’s ‘looks’. It’s unsettling.

But that’s not important right now because Flora picks up a brownie and takes a bite out of it. She chews. And chews. And swallows.

“I love them! They’re so sweet. Thank you Tecna. And Musa too.” Flora turns and winks at Musa.

Oh dear heavens.

***

A month after Riven left, when she’s almost forgotten about him, it hits her.

They’re in the potion laboratory. She’s working on a potion that turns people into geckos, or she’s trying to. She can’t focus over the sound of the Stella and Bloom gossiping in the bench behind her. They probably think they’re being quieter than they actually are. Musa’s about to tell them to tone it down when Stella mentions that Brandon told her Riven moved out of Cloud Tower weeks ago.

Musa freezes. He had told her this. She didn’t believe him.

Well now the truth was staring her in the face. Or more accurately, the back of the head.

Being with Riven was like dating a ticking bomb. Constantly walking on eggshells not knowing what would tick him off. She didn’t hate him for it. He was just a deeply flawed person. It’s what drew her to him as screwed up as it is. There were many times when she wished things could’ve been different with Riven, easier. But eventually, she resigned herself to the fact that they weren’t going to be. That if she wanted to stay with him she had to accept it. So she did. It didn’t stop the arguments or the fighting or the concerned looks the Winx shared when they thought she wasn’t looking. But this was her choice. She was so used to it that she didn’t question when he suddenly up and left. Stating he needed time off to learn to be a hero and figure things out for himself. She thought it was another play at their little game.

He actually meant it. He actually left. Why does she feel so relieved?

“Musa? Are you alright?”

Professor Wizgiz’s voice snaps her out of her thoughts. “Y-yeah I’m alright. I just don’t feel very well right now. May I be excused?”

“Yes of course.” he barely gets the words out before Musa bolts out of there.

Hot tears stream down her face and she tries to be as quiet as possible. She needs to get away. Far from the lab. As if the lab is the reason for her conflicting and erratic emotions. She doesn’t care about her attendance mark. She’ll just say she was sick or something and the professor will believe her.

She finds herself at the greenhouse entrance. She’s confused before she remembers which wing of Alfea the laboratory’s in. She’s never been in the greenhouse before. Her studies don’t focus on plant life or medicine.

Stepping inside, her eyes widen at the lush and vibrant array of plants that surround her. The air is surprisingly cool and a sweet smell hangs in the air. It’s way bigger than she thought it was. Its ceiling is so high it rivals the one in the auditorium. Fairies are gathered around large trees, doing tests of some sort and filling data in their charts. Others are sitting at the various small tables around, content to sit and work in the calm environment the plants create. No one pays her any mind as she walks around. She should come here and work on her music.

What takes her breathe away the most are the flowers. Pots of flowers in every hue imaginable lined the shelves, their petals reaching toward the light. Musa marveled at the delicate beauty of blossoms she'd never seen before, each one seemingly more enchanting than the last. She remembers orientation in her first year, Faragonda has stated that Alfea has the widest and rarest collection of flowers in Magix, that fairies and witches alike came to Alfea to use said flowers in their potions.

Soon enough, she spots Flora. Musa quickly hides in the nearest bush before the fairy can notice her. She doesn’t want her to see her like this.

Flora’s focused on some weird blue vines. She’s holding one of those charts Musa saw with the other fairies and she’s crouched on the ground touching the vines. Her hair’s up in a ponytail and wait a minute- are those glasses? Since when does Flora wear glasses? And why hasn’t Musa ever seen her in them?

Musa moves to get a better look when she hears a low growl behind her. Her hairs stand on end. She turns and sees this funky looking flytrap monstrosity that’s bigger than her tenfold looking down at her. Musa tries to move and it growls again. Musa looks down and oh, she’s sitting on one of it’s vines.

“Hey buddy” Musa whispers. “Sorry about your vine. Please don’t eat me I promise I’ll leave you alone, okay?”

The flytrap doesn’t say anything so Musa takes that as a sign and tries to crawl away. The flytrap doesn’t like that. It lets out a gut-wrenching growl and opens it’s giant mouth. It has to have like 50 white teeth. Musa lets out the loudest scream she can muster when it lunges at her.

Darkness.

Well, this is how she dies. Eaten by a plant. She’s a fairy. She’s traveled to distance lands and defeated multiple villains with her friends and a hungry plant is what gets her. To be fair, it’s pretty peaceful inside the flytrap. Asides from the fact that’s it’s violently jerking around. Rattling her like one of those balls inside bells.

Musa can hear muffled noises coming from outside. It’s probably the other fairies trying to rescue her. She’d honestly rather die inside this thing. It’s not that bad, really. The teeth aren’t as sharp as she thought they’d be and the atmosphere is nice and cozy.

It isn’t until the air suddenly turns rancid that Musa starts to panic again. The walls start excreting an acid and it burns her skin to the touch. Shit. Oh shit oh shit oh shit. It’s digesting her. She can’t die like this! She’s too young! She’s too beautiful! There’s so many things she hasn’t gotten to do yet. She hasn’t graduated yet, she hasn’t become a giant pop star yet, she hasn’t gotten married and had a family yet. What kind of bullshit is this? She hasn’t even gotten to kiss Flora yet.

Wait.

The vivid memories of Flora's kindness, her laughter, and the gentle touch of her hand flooded Musa's mind, creating an unexpected sanctuary in the midst of danger. What is going on?

Musa hears the flytrap let out a deafening screech and it rather violently throws her up onto the ground. Musa starts coughing. Everything hurts, her ears are ringing and she’s surrounded by fairies all hooting and hollering at her. God they’re so loud. Why can’t they be quiet? Can they see she’s going through something here? The light is too bright too, she shuts her eyes. Fuck this place. Fuck this greenhouse. Fuck it’s stupid pretty flowers. Why did she think coming here would be a good idea? She’s never stepping foot in this place again!

“Musa, can you hear me? Musa!”

Flora’s talking to her. She’s crouched in front of her and she’s holding her by the shoulders. Flora’s transformed into her Charmix form. She was probably the one that saved her. She’s so perfect.

“Y-your g-glasses?”

Flora’s eyes widen “What?”

“W-where are your glasses?” Musa starts shivering and Flora wraps her in her arms. She tries not to think about how shitty she smells.

“Oh, they fell on the ground when I transformed. Why?”

Musa smiles sheepishly “You looked pretty in them.”

“H-what?” Flora shakes with laughter. There’s tears in her eyes. “You almost died and that’s what you’re worried about?”

Musa feels really sleepy. She nuzzles her face in Flora’s neck. “It’s important.”

Musa will not think about that thought she had in the flytrap. She won’t.

Flora giggles. Giggles! And turns to at the crowd gathered around them.

“She’s okay, everyone. I’ll take her to the infirmary to treat her wounds. Thank you all so much for your help.”

A chorus of ‘Thank god’ and ‘Get well soon’ comes as a response. Musa doesn’t pay them any attention though because Flora lifts her in her arms bridal style and flies away.

***

Flora stays by her side the entire time at the infirmary. After the nurse treats her wounds, Flora carries her to their dorm room despite her protests that she can walk just fine.

Apparently that monstrosity is named Wendy a nd Flora’s been apologizing profusely for the incident, t alking about how Wendy ’s never attacked anyone before, a nd how Wendy ’s usually really sweet and pleasant to be around. Musa seriously doubts this but she doesn’t say anything. Fucking Wendy.

Musa rushes to the shower as soon as they get home. She needs to get all the dirt and Wendy’s stomach acid off of her. She’s had a rough day.

Afterwards, she finds Flora in their makeshift kitchen. She’s detransformed and is sifting flour in a bowl. They’re alone in the dorm and Musa tries not to think about how excited that makes her feel. She fails.

Musa sighs “You know if Griselda finds out about our little dorm room baking we’re all fucked.”

Flora grins at her “She better not find out then. Can you get me two eggs out of the fridge, please?”

She says it so casually. Unaware of the identity crisis Musa’s going through right now.

She deposits the eggs in Flora’s hand and hooks her chin over her shoulder.

“Brownies?”

Flora shakes her head. “Pancakes. Brownies take too long.”

Musa smiles. “How are you even going to cook these? We don’t have a pan!”

Flora ruffles her hair “You gotta get creative, darling. Now step aside and let me work.”

This doesn’t make any sense. Flora’s not her type at all; Musa likes bad boys and Flora’s neither of those things.

She’s reminded, all of a sudden, of her violin class when she was seven. Vivienne. Musa hated her at first. She was top of the class and totally the teacher’s pet. She was so good at that damn instrument Musa couldn’t figure out. But Vivienne ended up being really nice to Musa. She sat next to her during breaks and helped her with the sheet music. Musa then decided she liked her and they sat next to each other every time. Then one day Musa showed up to class and found Vivienne sitting next to another girl. At home, she had whined and said she didn’t want to play the violin anymore. Her dad didn’t understand it and she couldn’t explain it to him, she just wanted to quit.

Musa thinks she understands now.

She looks at Flora. Shit, she’s gorgeous. When did this start? Whenever Flora’s around, Musa’s organs turn themselves inside out. She finds herself longing to be around her. Wanting to make her happy. She thinks about the other girls. She loves them. Of course she does. But this feels different. It feels…

She knows she’s staring. Flora doesn’t seem to notice.

Is Musa allowed to look at her like that?

The idea of confessing her feelings becomes both exhilarating and daunting, and she wonders how Flora might respond to the symphony playing in her heart. Could Flora like her back? Does Flora even like girls? Musa might be in over her head again. Obsessing over the closest person to pay attention to her. She just got out of a relationship. Is she ready to jump into another one? What if Musa’s just setting herself up for failure? What if Flora finds out and thinks it’s weird then their friendship will be ruined. Musa can’t let that happen. What would the other girls think? Would they feel the same?

Musa looks down at her hands. Her heart’s dancing in her chest. What should she do now?

***

It’s two weeks after the Wendy incident and Musa can’t take it anymore. She’s played every scenario in her head. She’s wallowed in her misery and questioned her sexuality over and over again. There’s no denying it. She likes Flora. And if it’s not going to go away on its own, she won’t be baring the weight of this revelation on her own.

Musa decides to tell Aisha first. She’s always felt a personal connection with the fairy. They’ve both sometimes felt like outliers in the friend group despite the girls’ reassurances. She knows Aisha won’t judge her.

Neither of them have time to go out to the city during finals so they decide on a small picnic out in the Alfea gardens to catch up. (By picnic Musa means energy drinks and the small strawberry tarts Flora made for her ((Baking has sort of become their thing now as Flora makes treats for Musa and Musa begs Tecna to help her make treats for her too)) (((Musa now has years’ worth of debt to Tecna))) ((((Tecna loves it))))).

“So are you going to tell me what’s on your mind?”

Musa looks up from her tart “Huh? What do you mean?”

“You haven’t been acting like yourself recently. Something’s on your mind.” Aisha replies.

“Am I that obvious?”

“Yes.” Aisha responds immediately.

Musa laughs. She looks down again. She can feel her face heat up and her heart beat quickly. No turning back now.

“Ok, I’m going to tell you. Just promise me you won’t like freak out and decide you don’t want to be friends with me anymore.” Musa says.

Aisha narrows her eyes. “Okay?” She says slowly.

Deep breathe in.

“I kind of like girls. Like romantically.”

Deep breathe out.

A pause.

Aisha snaps out of it “Oh wow. I changed my mind. We’re totally not friends anymore. I mean I can deal with life-threatening adventures and awful baking but this? Nu-uh.”

“MY BAKING ISN’T AWFUL!” Musa squawks indignantly and Aisha doubles over laughing.

Musa knows her face is bright red and she doesn’t like it one bit. A part of her wishes Aisha chokes on the pieces of tart still in her mouth. But most of her is begrudgingly glad Aisha’s taking it so well.

Aisha smiles and reaches out to hold her hand. Musa relents.

“That’s wonderful, Musa. I’m happy for you. I’m flattered you decided to tell me and no way that would change anything between us!” Aisha says.

“Thanks, Aisha.” She looks down and chews on her tart.

She feels all bubbly inside at Aisha’s acceptance and feels self-conscious about feeling all bubbly inside.

“There’s also something else I want to tell you. I sort of like someone and you sort of know her.” she lets out. Almost there.

Aisha’s eyes widen “Oh my god! Tell me who it is like now.”

“It’s… Flora.”

“Flora?” Aisha pauses for a beat but then her eyes widen dramatically. “OH Flora! That makes so much sense. How did I not notice that?”

Aisha must see her confusion because she follows, “I mean you two have gotten so close lately and we’ve all noticed. I just assumed you bonded over your newfound passion for baking or something. But I think it’s great!”

“You do?”

“Absolutely! You two would make a fantastic couple. The connection you share, it’s very cute. Why wouldn’t I think that’s great?”

“Because we don’t know if she even likes girls. Or likes me. I don’t want to make things awkward between us.” Musa says.

Aisha pauses to think then says “Well… I can’t speak for Flora and I don’t know how she feels but you can’t know for certain unless you try. Even if she rejects you, I don’t think she’d treat you differently. Flora’s kind and understanding. And even if she does, I’m kicking her ass.”

Musa huffs “No you aren’t.”

Aisha gasps in mock offense “What? You don’t think I can take her? You insult me.”

Encouraged by Aisha's words, Musa smiles. “So you think I should go for it?”

Aisha nods, her enthusiasm contagious. “Yes. You got this. Just be yourself and it’ll work out in the end. I promise. I have a good feeling about this.”

Walking back to her dorm after their picnic, Musa feels a newfound sense of determination. For the first time in a long time, she’s excited about the myriad of possibilities the future holds.

And so operation ‘Ask Flora Out’ begins. Musa doesn’t want to make a big deal out of it, she’s never liked grand romantic gestures personally and would rather just ask Flora directly in a more personal way. That being said, the seemingly simple task still takes up most of her thoughts. She decides to wait until after finals. If anyone’s going to be distracted, Musa would rather it be her.

Despite her excitement, she feels an increasing level of unease. Not about asking out Flora but about moving on so quickly from Riven. It’s only been two months since their breakup. Only two months since Flora and Helia split up. Is she ready for a new relationship? What does it say about her that she’s willing to get a new partner so soon? That’s not fair to Riven. Then again, she doesn’t know anything about Riven anymore. Has he moved found someone else? Musa selfishly wishes she somehow had confirmation he did so she doesn’t have to feel guilty.

Flora’s so different from Riven. She’s not petty or loud and doesn’t interrupt people when they talk. All Musa knows is petty and loud. She’s never been with someone like Flora before thanks to her so called ‘type’. She doesn’t know how to do relationships the way the others do. She doesn’t know how to react to gestures of affection properly. This whole baking thing has her totally out of her comfort zone. It’s like her heart’s feeling too many emotions and doesn’t know how to filter them so it throws them at Musa. She’s a blushing mess every time.

What if she drives Flora away? What if her incapability to behave like a normal girlfriend bothers Flora and she leaves her?

She takes a deep breathe. She can’t keep thinking like this. It’ll be okay. It has to be. Aisha said she should go for it and Musa trusts her. She just has to focus on her exams and focus on asking Flora out to begin with. She’ll figure the rest out as they go. As for Riven… she wishes him the best but she’s not waiting around for him to come back. She hopes he doesn’t expect her to.

***

“Alright pick. Ballgown or cocktail dress.” Stella asks holding up two ridiculous pink dresses. Each dress seems to scream, "Look at me!” in its own way, embodying Stella's love for glamour and extravagance.

They’d just finished their last final this morning and headed out to Magix for one final hurrah before they each head home for the summer. Stella insisted they go shopping since Flora and Musa never got their outfits for the graduation ceremony in three weeks.

Flora wasted no time gathering a pile of dresses she’s trying out in the dressing room right now. Tecna and Aisha following for support. Musa wants to see them so badly but Stella cornered her before she could follow.

Musa tilts her head “I don’t know, Stella. I don’t think I want to wear a dress this time.”

“But you’d look so good in this.” She waves the ballgown around dramatically.

“Just picture it! You walk in there in this. It’ll be like a movie scene with music in the background and everything. It’ll be less than two minutes before a specialist-” Stella hesitates “-or anyone else for that matter- falls at your feet! Maybe even one minute!”

Musa resists the urge to roll her eyes. Stella means well but she can be too much sometimes.

“Maybe I’m not trying to impress a specialist at the ceremony.”

“Oh? Then who are you trying to impress?” Stella wiggles her eyebrows at her.

“No one! Can’t I have a nice night with my girls?”

Stella gives her a mischievous look.

“Hey, Musa. How about this?” Bloom says walking over to them. She holds up black bell bottom pants with floral lace at the sides. Stella raises an unimpressed eyebrow.

“This isn’t too bad. What would I pair with this?” Musa says examining the fabric.

Stella opens her mouth but Bloom beats her to it “I suggest going simple for the top since these pants steal all the attention. Maybe a crop top?”

Stella glares at Bloom but Bloom ignores her.

“I own a black bralette. That could work?”

Bloom hesitates “Um yeah, I guess. But do you really want to go monochromatic? I mean it’s so boring.”

Stella’s eyes widen “I know!” and she sprints to one of the clothing racks and starts frantically looking through it.

“Yes I found it!” Stella says pulling out a sheer-lace pink top.

“Wear the bralette and then this on top.” She holds it in front of Musa “Some accessories and makeup and you’re set!”

“I don’t know. Pink?”

“YES. PINK!” Stella yells out startling Musa and making the other girls in the boutique give them weird looks. “I mean… it’s a change of pace! You’re always wearing red. Why not switch it up this time? Hehe… yeah.”

Bloom pinches the bridge of her nose. What is going on with them today?

“Yeah… sure. If you like it. I’ll buy them.” She gives in for the sake of getting them both to stop acting so weird.

“Yay!” Stella tackles her into a hug.

Musa chuckles “All right all right get off me. I gotta go try the pants on first. Wouldn’t want to decide on this outfit if they don’t even fit right.”

Walking into the dressing room area, she’s greeted by the sight of Flora in a milkmaid dress and the undeniable sound of squealing. Though, she’s unsure if the squealing is coming from the girls or her. The way Flora spins to look at her indicates that it was her.

“Oh Musa, I didn’t see you there.” Flora smiles and tucks a hair behind her ear.

Aisha has the audacity to snicker at Musa as she struggles to formulate a response that makes sense. Traitor.

* **

Back home in Melody, she finds a sense of peace she hasn’t felt in a long time. She hadn’t realized how homesick she was till she got off her portal and saw her dad waiting for her.

Things are never complicated here. Their politics and life peaceful compared to the other neighboring realms. With few scandals and even fewer crises. The people brought together by their patriotic love for music.

Her family welcomes her back with open arms. She meets her uncles and cousins at various potlucks and family gatherings. They invite her into their homes and tell her their exhausted life stories like she hasn’t heard them hundreds of times before. Despite her grandmother’s living room no longer being big enough to fit such a crowd, old habits die hard. They make do with chairs from the dining room and couch cushions on the floor. Her uncles play guitar and her cousins try to steal booze from the cabinets without being noticed. It’s all the way it’s always been. As if she hasn’t been away from home for months at a time. As if she hasn’t faced multiple life-changing experiences. Here she doesn’t feel overwhelmed or anxious. In Melody, she just is.

The one thing that hasn’t stayed the same is her dad. The man who was once closed off and angry – forbidding all musical instruments from their home – is now quiet and insecure. He anxiously asks her to listen to the piece he wrote and refuses to look her in the eyes as his fingers glide expertly over the piano keys. After, he stutters and blames his rustiness. She interrupts him. It was perfect. As she hugs him, she lets herself believe he’s finally healing.

The place she missed the most is the beach. The ocean breeze smells of memories; of running down porch steps barefoot, biting into ripe peaches and letting the juice run down her chin, splashing water at her mom and burying her dad in sand while he sleeps.

She returns to the beach with her dad now. They sit in the sand as her dad tries to catch fish. She doesn’t comment on his fishing skills. He doesn’t comment on how quiet she’s been.

“Riven and I broke up.” She breaks the silence. “I thought I would be miserable but with every passing day… I start to doubt we were ever a good idea.”

Her dad hums.

“I know you didn’t like him.”

He turns to make sure she’s smiling before chuckling. “I’m glad you’re taking it so well at least.”

You have no idea. She doesn’t say.

He pulls the fishing rod. It comes up empty.

He sighs “I’ve spent so long worrying about you, Musa. But you’re a smart girl. Certainly smarter than your old man. I’m sorry I didn’t see it sooner. Wherever you go. Whichever path you choose, I’ll be with you.”

Teary-eyed, she pulls a worm out of the bait box and presents it to him.

“Let’s try again. You and I. No boy drama or grief hidden behind anger. A second chance.” She says.

He takes it. “A second chance.”

***

The day of the graduation ceremony, Musa has a plan. A simple one but a plan nonetheless. She made friends with the party’s DJ and got him to agree to play the theme song from the romcom ‘Before the Storm.’ Musa finds the movie incredibly boring but Flora loves it. So Musa listened to this song on repeat for the duration of her three weeks in Melody (her dad may or may not think she’s gone insane). The song will come on, she’ll ask Flora to dance and woo her with her impeccable dancing skills. Then when that bridge plays she’ll spin Flora and dip her like in the movie and they’ll share a beautiful life-altering kiss. It’s perfect!

All she has to do is wait till after the ceremony. She’s totally not going insane. Totally.

She’s significantly less anxious than she was before. Having been reassured by Aisha numerous times that it’ll be okay regardless of what happens. They’re the Winx. She tells herself that they can’t be separated that easily by something like unrequited feelings as she gets out of her cab and walks into the school grounds.

Alfea’s decked in decorations, colorful banners and balloons cover the light posts. Tables and chairs line the gardens with huge buffet tables prepared to serve visitors from across the magic dimension. And the visitors did not disappoint. The gardens are packed with people; fairies and specialists along with their families, the school staff, professors and everyone of importance in Magical advancement and technology. There are even witches present, seemingly willing to behave for the sake of the ceremony.

She watches in awe as the graduating fairies float in the sky receiving their gifts. Having completed their Enchantix transformations and becoming guardian fairies of their respective home worlds.

After the speeches given by Headmistress Faragonda and the head teachers, the celebrations begin. Some head straight for the buffet while others go around taking pictures. She finds Stella and Tecna in the crowd, or rather they find her when Stella nearly barrels into her.

“Musa!” She squeals.

Musa chuckles “Hello, Stella. Good to see you’re in a celebratory mood.”

Stella, clearly tipsy already, giggles “Of course I am! Today’s the big day! I’m so excited.”

“Stella, please keep it down before the staff catches you drinking again.” Tecna says.

“Again?” Musa exclaims.

“Relax, Tecna. No one will notice. Look around! Everyone’s busy mingling.” Stella wiggles her eyebrows at the last word. Tecna only rolls her eyes.

“Speaking of which!” Stella turns to her “You’re looking dashing tonight. Whoever picked out that outfit had the right idea!”

Musa laughs. She puts her hands on her hips and spins, showing off her outfit. She’s wearing her short hair down with two sections tied into pigtails with pink ribbons.

“I have to say, the pink has grown on me.” she says.

“Of course it has! When have I ever been wrong before?”

Tecna opens her mouth but Stella raises a hand to stop her “Rhetorical question, sweetheart.”

Musa smiles at their bickering.

“Hey, have you guys seen Fl-”

“LOOK OUT!” Someone screams.

Time seems to stand still for just a moment before a strong vine wraps around her waist. A familiar growl comes from behind her and chills run through her body. Oh no. Not again.

But oh yes. Yes again . Because she’s lifted in the air and turned to face the last person ( person? ) she wants to see today. Wendy.

“Bloom! What did you do?!” Stella screeches over the sound of the screaming the crowd.

Bloom appears, already transformed and flying over the crowd in a rush.

“I’m sorry! I was holding her back but she lost her shit when she saw Musa and I couldn’t stop her!” Bloom yells back.

She flies over to them, slotting herself between Wendy’s head and Musa and puts both her hands out.

“Wendy. Wendy listen to me. You don’t want to do this again. What would Flora think? Huh?” Bloom urges as if talking to a toddler “Please put Musa down and let’s talk about this.”

“Talk?!” Musa yelps “That thing tried to eat me and I’m not planning on becoming plant food today. Attack it!”

It seems Wendy doesn’t like that because she growls louder and tightens her hold on Musa.

“Ugh! What’s your problem with me you stupid fucking plant?! Let me go right now!” She squirms but the vines only get tighter.

Wendy opens her mouth and lunges but Bloom is still in between them so she gets violenty pushed against Musa knocking the breathe out of her. Bloom spells a Flame Shield at the last second keeping both of them from being eaten by Wendy. The plant still tries though and it howls and spits and lunges at the shield. The crowd screams and fairies start transforming. Standing in a circle around them and Tecna makes to attack but Bloom speaks up.

“No don’t hurt her! She’s not evil she’s just –ugh!-- p-protective!” The fairies stop their approach but stand their ground ready to attack when necessary.

“For fuck’s sake, what does that even mean? I’ve never done anything to that thing, OF COURSE it’s evil!” Musa pushes against Bloom trying to wiggle out of Wendy’s hold.

“Someone go get Flora! She can stop her.” Bloom growls “I can’t keep this up much longer!”

Someone yells in the affirmative and runs off.

Oh no. This can’t happen. She can’t get humiliated in front of Flora again . Especially on the day she was planning to ask her out! It’s bad enough that she went through this ordeal before! It’s bad enough that she’s losing face in front of a huge crowd of fairies and specialists and people from across the magic dimension right now! How’s she supposed to woo Flora later if her most recent memory is of Musa squished in a burger with Bloom as the patty and her and a fairy-eating-vindictive-stupid-fucking plant as the buns? Her outfit’s probably all wrinkled now too. GREAT.

No. She can’t let that happen. This is her day. Oh and the graduating class too but still! She’s been waiting for this for too long to be ruined by fucking Wendy.

“Sorry, Bloom.” Musa says.

“What?” Bloom grunts back but it’s too late, Musa’s transforming.

It’s certainly not glamorous given her position. No music or sparkles just the clothes and wings materializing around her as she’s being jerked back repeatedly but it gets the job done.

She then raises her hands in the air, hoping her spell doesn’t hurt Bloom and casts a Sonic Blast at Wendy.

The plant screeches loudly when the purple sound waves reach her and lets go, Dropping Musa on the ground with Bloom stumbling on top of her. Musa doesn’t mind though because she can finally breathe properly again.

Wendy gets up but Bloom jumps and blocks her from Musa. The other fairies fall into action and swarm around Wendy stopping her from attacking again.

“Musa, are you alright?” Headmistress Faragonda approaches and helps her stand.

“Yeah, I’m okay. Thanks.” Musa replies awkwardly. Faragonda smiles at her then turns,

“Bloom, care to explain why Wendy is out of the greenhouse and why she’s trying to attack Musa again?”

Bloom – looking like a deer in headlights – says “Uh, well you see. It’s a bit of a long story.”

“It was my fault, headmistress.” Flora finally appears, holding up her skirt as she jogs to them.

“I let Wendy out of the greenhouse. She’s never had aggression problems before the incident a month ago which was completely unwarranted. So, after I talked with her we decided to bring her out to apologize to Musa. I left Wendy with Bloom to go fetch something from my dorm and it seems she hasn’t learned her lesson, after all.” Flora frowns over at Wendy. The plant turns its head as if looking away. What does it feel guilty or something?

“Yes, it seems so. After the ceremony we’ll see what we’ll do about Wendy’s violent tendencies and I’m afraid I have to reprimand you girls for letting her out of the greenhouse without permission.”

Faragonda sighs “But for now, just put her back where she belongs before we disrupt the celebrations any longer.”

Flora looks down “Yes, headmistress. I’m sorry.”

Faragonda nods and turns to the crowd “It’s alright everyone. Everything is under control. Please, return to enjoying your evening. Our DJ will begin the music shortly so get your dancing shoes ready!”

As the crowd disperses and the fairies detransform, Musa’s heart aches at how sad Flora looks. She walks over puts a hand on her shoulder.

“Hey.” She says.

“Hey.” Flora looks at her and offers a smile but there’s not much joy behind it.

“I’m sorry about… everything.” She gestures to the plant “It wasn’t supposed to turn out this way.”

“It’s alright, really. You were trying to do something nice. I appreciate it.” Musa says.

She just now notices Flora’s dress. She’s wearing a long pink gown with green straps that resemble vines going around her neck and arms. Musa can't help but marvel at how the dress accentuates Flora's every movement, adding an ethereal quality to her presence. Despite her personal dislike for ballgowns, Musa couldn't help but appreciate the unexpected charm of the dress on her friend, a look that seemed to capture Flora’s simple yet graceful beauty.

“You look very pretty.” Musa says “I like your dress.”

“Oh.” A blush forms on Flora’s cheeks and she smiles “Thank you, Musa.”

She looks down. “Oh! You haven’t seen my outfit yet. Hold on.”

She detransforms so she’s back in her original clothes. She spins to show it off for good measure.

Flora’s blush spreads to her neck “It-it’s very nice.”

“Hey, look! We match! Did Stella harass you into wearing pink too?” Musa chuckles “Eh, probably not you usually wear pink. You look amazing anyways.” Flora’s face gets impossibly redder and she looks at the ground.

“Y-yeah. Thanks.” Flora rubs her neck and looks back towards Bloom standing next to a guilty – please – looking Wendy. Bloom gives her a reassuring smile and Flora sighs.

“Look, Musa. I need to take Wendy back to the greenhouse right now but when I get back there’s something I want to tell you. So will you meet me by the fountain in the eastern courtyard in 30 minutes?”

What?

“S-sure. Of course.” She replies instead.

Flora smiles and turns to collect Wendy.

As she watches them walk away, Musa’s stuck with more questions than answers. What could Flora want to talk to her about? She looked serious, too. Oh man. Did she figure out Musa’s feelings? She couldn’t have. Musa only told Aisha and she wouldn’t have tattled. Then what is it?

***

“I don’t see what the big deal is.” Aisha says.

Musa’s sitting by the fountain, waiting for Flora to appear. She sat here for 15 minutes before Aisha found her sulking.

“Like… sure. The plant attacking you wasn’t a part of the plan but it’s not like the plan is ruined. Everything can still go the way you wanted when Flora comes back.”

“Yeah but what about that thing Flora wants to tell me. You should’ve seen her she looked so sad.” Musa says.

“That still doesn’t mean you should give up. She could be meaning to talk to you about literally anything. Maybe she wants to talk about the attack, or schoolwork, or anything. It might not even be about you or something you did.”

Musa hums. She wants to agree with Aisha but she doesn’t know why she suddenly feels so demotivated. She guesses the incident tramped down on the excitement she had at the beginning of the day.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” She says. “I’ll just let Flora say what she wants to say then decide whether or not to ask her out. Just in case she happens to talk about something related.”

Aisha smiles and places a hand on her shoulder “Whatever you want, Musa. Just don’t overthink it. I’m sure it’s nothing that’ll make you have to call off your plan.”

“Speak of the devil.” She says when they spot Flora enter the courtyard.

Aisha turns to her and winks “Good luck, cupcake.” and walks away.

The sunlight highlights Flora's hair, giving it a luminous quality. Musa can't help but feel a rush of warmth at the sight of her.

“Hey.” Flora says as she reaches the fountain.

“Hey.” Musa replies.

A subtle warmth envelopes Musa’s soul at the sight of Flora.She takes a moment to appreciate the romantic atmosphere—the blooming flowers, the soft breeze, and most importantly, the girl who captured her heart. The late afternoon sun casts a warm glow on the surrounding flora, making the flowers bloom in a kaleidoscope of colors. It’s far enough away from the celebrations that it isn’t flocked with noise or people. Maybe she should just confess right here, take advantage of the scenery and the soft smile on Flora’s face.

“What’s on your mind?” She says instead, quieting down her heart in favor of listening to what Flora has to say.

“Right um… Look, Musa” Flora sits down next to her “I think you’re really cool. You’re a great fairy and you’re kind and beautiful and one of my closest friends and I…” She looks down, seemingly at a loss for words.

Musa, sensing Flora's nervousness, offers a reassuring smile and nods.

Where is she going with this?

Flora looks up, a newfound determination in her eyes "I-I've been thinking a lot about us, and I... I really enjoy our time together. You mean a lot to me, more than just a friend. I... I was wondering if, um, maybe you'd like to go out with me sometime? Like, not just as friends, but, you know, something more?"

Wait.

Wait wait wait wait wait. Flora’s asking her out.

Musa just sits there like an idiot blinking rapidly trying to process. Flora likes her? Like like likes her? And she’s asking her out? Like, right now?

“Umm, Musa?” Flora says, her anxiety making an appearance again.

Say something, Musa. She tells herself.

“I-it’s totally fine if you don’t feel the same. I-I don’t mean to make things awkward between u-”

“NO.” Musa shouts, startling Flora.

“I mean. Things aren’t awkward between us and… It’s not that I don’t feel the same. It’s that I do.”

Flora pauses at that – her whole face reddening – but Musa continues “You see, I do like you back and I want to go out with you but there’s a slight problem.”

“A-and what’s that?” Flora says, voice cracking slightly.

Musa smiles “Frankly, I’m kind of disappointed. I had this whole plan to ask you out tonight and you got me all flustered with your ‘I need to talk to you’ dilemma, then you beat me to it. I feel upstaged.”

“What?!” Flora’s eyes widen dramatically “You were planning on asking me out?”

“Well yeah. I mean, couldn’t you tell you were driving me insane. I can’t stop thinking about you. I had to at least try to calm down my heart.”

Flora looks down, all shy now as if she didn’t just corner Musa and fluster her.

“So.” Musa clears her throat “I’d like a do-over. One where I get to ask you out.”

Flora puts a hand over her mouth and smiles “Alright. Go ahead.”

“Umm well.” Musa’s eyes widen as she realizes her mistake. What hole has she dug herself into? She’s not good with emotions. She couldn’t just let Flora’s confession be, could she?

Flora picks up on her nerves immediately and her smile turns wicked. She leans into Musa’s space and bats her eyelashes at her. “Yes, Musa?”

Musa sighs – oh well – “Flora, I really like you… Like a lot. And I want to go out with you. Like on a date not just as friends, you know. Maybe we could get like ice cream or something. Do you even like ice cream? I don’t know. We could do something else, too. We could go see a specialist tournament or-”

Flora snorts.

“I’m trying, okay?” She whines, covering her face with her hands.

Flora giggles “Okay okay, I’ll let you finish.”

Certain that her face is as red as Flora’s at this point, she sighs “Flora, do you want to go on a date with me?”

“Yes.” Flora replies.

Then she kisses her. Time seems to slow down, and the world fades away, leaving only the gentle warmth of Flora's presence. Her senses overwhelmed by Flora’s well– floral scent. Her inner monologue turns from coherent words to a symphony with an over-enthusiastic violinist.

The kiss is soft, delicate. Probably from the nerves they both share at what is between them now. So new they’re both scared to overstep their boundaries. But it carries the promise of a beginning. A journey they’re willing to go down together– and maybe Musa is quite the romantic after all. Oh well, if she’s going to scream into her pillow tonight, no one needs to know.

When they pull back, Musa’s struck with a thought.

“Do Stella and Bloom know about this?” She asks.

Flora blinks “Uh, yeah.”

Musa gasps “That ’s why they’ve been acting so weird lately. Stella had said earlier that ‘today’s the big day’ but I thought she just meant the ceremony. Wait- did they know you were going to wear pink? Did Stella make us match on purpose? Oh, the scheming.” Struck with the realization, she places her hands on her head but Flora just laughs at her.

“I didn’t make them do the pink thing they did that on their own.” She says “But we were planning something together. Bloom said they do this thing on Earth called ‘promposals’ where kids make a big deal out of asking each other out to their school dances and suggested we do the same. I wanted to make a cute display of flowers and have Wendy be there to apologize like I told Faragonda but uh… you know what happened.”

Musa smiles. She reaches over and hooks her pinky finger with Flora’s. The idea that they went through all that trouble for her fills her with sweetness.

“And your plan?” Flora asks.

“What?” She says.

“You said you had a whole plan and I ruined it. What was it?”

Oh shit.

“Right the plan!” She stands abruptly “Come on. Before we miss it!”

“Miss what?” Flora says as Musa pulls her out of the courtyard and onto the main gardens.

They rush over to the dance floor where the remaining party guests are enjoying their time. She spots the Winx off in the corner but doesn’t pay them much mind as she raises her hands in the air hoping to get the DJ’s attention. It works and he nods when he sees her.

She turns to Flora who’s staring at her exasperated. “What are you doing?”

“Just wait for it.” Musa says.

And sure enough, a minute later the song switches and the ‘Before the Storm’ theme songs starts playing. Flora’s eyes widen when she recognizes the song.

Musa chuckles and puts her hand out “Do you want to dance with me?”

Flora grins and takes it and they walk onto the floor together.

As they dance, they’re surrounded by couples. Musa sees Bloom and Sky and Stella and Brandon dancing suspiciously close to them. She pretends not to notice Stella repeatedly mouthing ‘Oh my god’ to Bloom. She spots Aisha off in the corner talking with Tecna and when their eyes meet, Musa winks at her.

She was right. It did go well. And for once, Musa doesn’t tramp down her excitement and lets herself enjoy this moment. Hopefully they’ll be many more like it to come.