Chapter Text
Lune rubbed the sleep from her eyes while she stretched, allowing herself a moment to wake up properly. She finishes brushing her teeth, giving her reflection a once over before exiting their ensuite.
She padded down the hall, pausing as she turned the corner into the adjacent kitchen. She leaned against the wall, appreciating the sight before her - it was one she would not tire of for as long as she lived.
The object of her affection was situated at their dining table, coffee mug in hand and pastry in front of her, legs crossed as she read her morning paper intently. Lune’s eyes trailed over Sciel’s body - she had on wide legged linen pants and a form fitting cropped tank top. She thought Sciel looked incredible no matter the attire but this would have to be Lune’s favourite look of hers.
Freshly awoken, slightly unkempt but generally relaxed and always breathtaking. It was a version of Sciel that only she was privy to - a secret to the rest of the world.
She continued into the kitchen, briefly resting a hand on Sciel’s shoulder as she passed. Sciel automatically reached up to place her hand on top, giving it a soft squeeze before Lune’s hand slid out from under hers as she moved toward the coffee machine. As the brew began, leaned on the counter as she turned back around to Sciel.
“Why are you looking at me like that?’ she asked with a small smile, eyes never leaving the paper in front of her.
A smile of her own slowly grew she continued to observe Sciel a moment longer before turning to pour the now ready coffee. She heard the scraping of the chair against the floor followed by soft footsteps approaching her. Lune took a sip of her coffee while Sciel began washing up her empty mug.
Lune gently placed her mug down and made her way behind Sciel. She snaked her arms around Sciel’s waist, sighing happily. She revelled in the feeling of Sciel leaning into her. Resting her head on the shorter woman's shoulder, she allowed her thoughts to drift to how perfectly they fit together; two halves of a whole working perfectly in tandem to maintain this peace and happiness they’ve built for themselves.
“Good morning,” said Lune, placing a soft kiss on Sciel's cheek.
Sciel placed her clean mug on the drying rack and carefully wiped her hands before turning around in Lune’s embrace, wrapping one arm around the back of Lune’s neck, the other hand tenderly tracing patterns on Lune’s cheek with the pad of her thumb.
She stared adoringly into Lune’s eyes, noticing the small smile still plastered on Lune’s face. She couldn’t help herself as she leaned up and placed a soft kiss to the taller woman’s lips. Lune returned it smiling into the kiss.
Sciel pulled back, nuzzling her nose against Lune’s.
“You going to answer my question?” she said.
“Am I not allowed to appreciate the one I treasure the most?” asked Lune, placing a feather light kiss on the tip of Sciel’s nose.
Sciel chucked, “Smooth operator.”
Lune simply laughed along, pulling Sciel in closer.
“Doesn’t make it any less true.” she buried her face into the crook of Sciel’s neck, breathing her in.
Sciel gently massaged the back of Lune’s head and felt a soft sigh against her neck. They held onto each other a little tighter, enjoying the each other a little longer.
Sciel was used to Lune’s late nights at the Expedition Academy.
She didn’t hold it against her either. She knew there was still work to be done even with the Paintress gone. So many questions still left unanswered, so much context to discover to explain the world around them. She also knew that Lune’s ever curious mind would be itching to piece as much of the landscape together as she could.
So no, she didn’t hold the late nights against her. That’s not to say she didn’t miss her terribly when they weren’t together.
Sciel added the finishing touches to the contents of the container before pouring freshly brewed coffee into a thermos. She carefully packed both items into her tote bag and made the short walk to the Expedition Academy.
Walking through the familiar hallways brought back memories of a time where they both walked on eggshells around each other. Sciel had just worked her way back into Lune’s life and Lune was just starting to learn to open herself up to things previously deemed frivolous, like friendships.
She reflected on the strides they had taken since - it hadn’t been easy but it was proving to be well worth it; everything they had endured in the last year or so.
Nodding and smiling at familiar faces that passed by, she rounded the corner before stopping at Lune’s office, knocking gently.
“It’s open.” she called out, sounding mildly distracted.
Sciel pushed the door open, “Hey, you.” she said warmly.
Lune’s head snapped up at the familiar voice and greeting. As her eyes settled on Sciel, a grin broke out across her face. She stood, swiftly closing the distance between them with a few steps and engulfed her in a hug.
She pulled away, not without giving Sciel a quick kiss first.
“I hope you’re hungry.” said Sciel, brandishing her tote bag.
“I haven’t had dinner yet so this is perfect.” said Lune, helping Sciel take out the containers. She happened upon the thermos and held it close, “You’re a godsend.”
Sciel lets out a single chuckle at the sight of Lune cradling the thermos. Lune returned to her desk, putting her container down and beckoning for Sciel to follow. She took a seat as Sciel stood beside her, leaning on her desk.
“Will you stay?” she asked.
“Of course, ma chérie.” replied Sciel, leaning over to drop a kiss atop Lune’s head.
Lune enjoyed the meal that Sciel brought, offering spoonfuls to share with Sciel as listened intently to the chestnut haired woman recounting her day at the school. Sciel observed while Lune shared her progress on updating records and manuscripts on the Continent, interjecting here and there with facts she had learned before reuniting with Lune at the Gestral Village Arena as Lune finished her meal.
She spared a glance at Sciel. She considered it a privilege - that their life together was going so well, she would sometimes forget there was a period where she thought she had lost Sciel to the Continent. Lune suddenly felt foolish for prioritising her work as much as she did. Especially when this beautiful woman before her had always put Lune first.
She stood, Sciel threw a curious glance up at her, and began to pack her satchel.
“Come, we’re going home.” she announced.
“I thought you still had quite a bit to do.” Sciel said, sounding bemused.
“It can wait. Besides, I’ve missed you and I don’t want you to have to walk home alone.”
Sciel watched her partner as she put away her notes, eyes sparkling with adoration.
“You can keep taking notes at home while we reminisce, how’s that?”
Lune laughed.
“Not necessary. All I need is the time with you that I’ve deprived myself of lately.”
She swung her satchel over her shoulder along with Sciel’s tote bag before offering her hand.
“Shall we?” Lune looked at Sciel.
Sciel nods, weaving their fingers together as they journey home.
The last thing she expected to hear as she walked into their home after work was the soft yet sharp pitter patter against their wooden floors.
Interest piqued, Lune quietly removed her shoes, placed her bag down by the door and made her way into the living room, wholly unprepared but incredibly endeared by sight in front of her; Sciel sat cross legged on the floor as a tiny puppy slowly walked circles around her. She giggled as the puppy tried to sit only to have his feet slowly slide out from under him due to their wood flooring.
The puppy locked on to Lune once it had corrected itself and slowly made a beeline for her, it was only then that Lune noticed the puppy’s right hind leg - bandaged. She bent down to carefully pick up the pup to prevent it from overworking itself. She quickly noted their new friend was a male.
“What happened to you, boy?” she asked, bumping her nose against his.
“I don’t know,” replied Sciel as she stood, “I heard him crying behind the dumpster downstairs. His leg was bleeding quite a bit so I couldn’t just leave him.”
“Reasonable.” said Lune, gently scratching his head as he nestled against her chest, “We’ll need to get him checked tomorrow, I highly doubt there’d be any vet offices open at this hour.”
She proceeded to their laundry room, promptly emptying one of the baskets (the laundry itself could wait), before moving to the bathroom to place a towel in the basket, creating a makeshift bed for the tiny animal. She gingerly placed him on the soft towel, frantically repositioning him as he immediately tried to stand to peer out of the basket. Fortunately, he opted to sit instead.
Sciel watched the entire scene unfold and felt her heart grow at least six sizes.
“I thought I was really going to have to work to convince you to let him stay for the night.” she said.
“He’s defenceless and injured. It’d be cruel to put him back out on the streets in his current state.” she said as she stood, turning to face Sciel. A small smile graced her lips.
“Hi, by the way,” she greeted.
“Hey, yourself.” replied Sciel as she gently tugged on Lune’s coat collar to pull her in for a chaste kiss. “I was thinking, we should name him Tails.”
“Hah!” Lune cackled, startling both the puppy and Sciel, “Did I ever tell you about our family dog?”
Sciel shook her head.
“His name was Patte.”
Sciel blinked, “As in.. paw?”
With a straight face, Lune replied, “Yes.”
Sciel inhaled slowly, lips pursed as she bit back a smile. Lune smirked, she could tell she was trying to keep the laughter at bay.
“I can’t speak, I just asked if we could name him Tails.” she chuckled after some time and Lune joined in, wrapping an arm around Sciel’s waist and pulling her into a side hug.
“You know naming him would mean we’re keeping him, right?”
“Why do you think I asked?” replied Sciel.
They both looked at the puppy who stared back at them, head tilted to the side.
Lune cooed, “Welcome home, Tails.”
Sciel peered out of the window as her students excitedly dashed out of her classroom upon their dismissal for the day.
She smiled fondly at the children she observed by the window, already screaming in elation as they ran through the deluge of rain drops, stopping to jump in the puddles every so often. She was glad they were enjoying the trivial things in life; that they were able to just be children for once.
As much as Sciel enjoyed the rain, she’d much rather appreciate it from the comfort of her home, preferably wrapped up in Lune. The idea was within reach, she just needed to make it home but therein lay her problem. There was no indication of upcoming rain when she left her home that morning so she hadn’t brought an umbrella.
The weather showed no signs of easing up any time soon so she decided to get it over and done with. She made her way to the main entrance when something caught her eye. Or rather, someone .
By the double doors of the school stood Lune, umbrella in hand,
Sciel’s heart stuttered.
Finally spotting Sciel, Lune wordlessly approached her with a loving smile, reaching to take Sciel’s satchel and slinging it over her shoulder. She held her elbow out which Sciel graciously accepted as they huddled underneath the umbrella.
Sciel quickly leaned up, planting a soft kiss on Lune’s cheek only to be met with a soft pair of lips as Lune turned her head at the last second. They shared a smile as Sciel cuddled deeper into Lune’s side before taking off and braving the downpour together.
As she sank into the couch with a book in hand, she took inventory of the scene around her; Sciel’s head resting in her lap and Tails sleeping by her feet. Lune relished the peace she was afforded in that moment. She brushed Sciel’s hair with her other hand as Sciel’s breathing steadied, indicating to Lune that Sciel had likely dozed off.
She lowered her book, taking in the woman in her lap, observing the peaks and valleys of her features, charting constellations in her freckles, memorising every new mark that time left in its wake. She was only mildly disappointed with not being able to see Sciel’s eyes. Lune decided early on that the swirling green and gold orbs were her favourite. Followed closely by the warmth she would always find in them.
“Some would say that watching someone sleep is concerning behaviour, Lune.” said Sciel.
Lune startled, almost dropping her book on Sciel’s head. She gently thwacked Sciel’s face with it, earning a giggle for her efforts.
Tails lifted his head to inspect the commotion before standing to move to the other side of the living room. Lune looked to him apologetically as he circled around on his bed before dropping and closing his eyes once more with a deep sigh.
“How did you even know I was looking?” she returned her attention to Sciel.
“So you were looking?” asked Sciel as she cracked one eye open.
“At the drool patch on the corner of your mouth, yes. You’ve had it there all afternoon.” replied Lune nonchalantly.
Sciel’s hand flew up to her mouth, wiping the corner of her lips with her sleeve.
“No I haven’t.” she muttered, adamant.
“No, you haven’t.” said Lune with a laugh. She squirmed as Sciel repeatedly poked her in the stomach, laughter echoing throughout their home.
Lune eventually yielded and resumed brushing Sciel’s hair. With a small sigh, Sciel closed her eyes and her breathing soon evened out again as Lune returned to her book.