Chapter Text
Howl had waved him aside when Michael tried to ask about the strange spell, so Michael, at this very moment, was stumped.
“I might as well go to Cesari’s, then, and ask Howl about the spell when I get back,” Michael called to both Calcifer and Sophie, “See you both!”
“Now, don’t get too lost in time with Mar- my niece!” Sophie replied, stuttering again. However strange Michael found that, there was no time to spare if he wanted to make it to Cesari’s and back before Howl.
He went to the door and turned the wooden block green-down. Calcifer stopped the castle in the sunny green hills, and Michael left Sophie to cutting out her triangles or whatever she was doing.
He supposed he should be visiting Lettie more, he thought, skimming down the hills, as he found himself missing her quite often, but at least now he had the time to properly stop by. Along with the confirmation that Lettie and Howl had never met, Michael felt ever the more confident that he had to visit. And he might as well buy another cake while he was at it, or two – his sweet tooth knew no bounds. At least it had led him to meeting Lettie!
Entering Market Square, Michael shuddered at the crowds of people bustling about the town. It was as busy as usual, if one counted the extraordinarily large mass of people surrounding Cesari’s. Michael frowned.
Though he knew his Lettie had her fair share of admirers (nearly half the town’s teen population, and for good reason, too!), most of them could have at least squeezed into the building before, or at least the times he’d been down to the Square. Now it seemed like all of Market Chipping and Upper Folding as well were trying to cram themselves into that little shop. Steeling his nerves, Michael determinedly pushed his way through the crowd and the door, stopping half-heartedly near the back of the room.
The front of the store, usually moderately busy with customers rushing to and fro, was now completely obscured by a mass of young men. Some, like Michael, who were at the back, had to jump as high as they could to see anything. They looked quite silly, hopping up and down like frogs, Michael thought.
Well, he had to see Lettie some way or another. He strengthened his resolve and pushed and shoved his way through the crowd, getting pushed and shoved back but ultimately reaching the front counter. There she was.
Lettie - his Lettie, he still couldn’t fully believe - was currently twisting the top of a small bag, sliding it across the counter and shooting her customer a smile that stopped Michael’s heart.
“Thank you! Come back soon!” She yelled as the boy she gave the bag to started to slip back into the crowd.
“Oh, you know I will, Lettie!” Was his answer, which followed in a great deal of laughter from the other boys. Michael frowned, then tried not to (because Lettie was there), then frowned again (because he had missed something she said and another bout of laughter had begun). He rushed to the counter, trying to make it to the front before another boy did.
Lettie had her head down, putting away some boxes when Michael neared her, so he waited and tried his best to smile, despite the other boys gathered around them.
“Welcome to- oh!” Lettie’s eyes widened as she registered Michael, and she smiled again, winking at him. Michael felt his head spin. Lettie quickly turned and whispered something into the ear of another girl who had started wiping the counter. The girl smirked, rolled her eyes, and stepped into Lettie’s place.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to take over Lettie’s shift now, she's on break!” she yelled towards the crowd. Some of the boys groaned but nothing really seemed to change. Michael dared not to look behind him as Lettie whisked him to the end of the counter, under a folding flap, and into the storage room in the back. Before Michael could think of what words were, he felt Lettie pull him into an embrace.
“Oh, I’m so glad you’re here again, Michael!” She let go after what felt like too soon and looked up at him, tilting her head. Michael could only stare, before realizing that sentences had to be produced.
“I-I’m really happy to see you too, Lettie!” Was it just him, or did Lettie’s smile falter for a moment right after he said her name? But then it was gone in a flash, replaced with somehow an even more beautiful smile. She bent up on her tiptoes and pecked his cheek, leaving Michael smiling harder as well, before taking his hand, walking to the back door of the room, and opening it.
“You’re my hero, you cannot believe what kinds of absolute monsters I have to put up with every day.” she jokingly lamented as they walked down the steps and into the field behind Cesari’s.
“They’re all monsters, now?” Michael grinned down at her, but part of him ached from the worry that one day, one of them would be. He tightened his grip on her hand, if just by a little.
“Absolute vile, wicked creatures! If it weren’t for you, I’d be trapped forever, surrounded by boys who don’t have any manners or compassion for my fellow girls.” She tapped her thumb on Michael’s hand, a substitute for her adorable thumb-twiddling.
“Well, my lady, I’ll be the most obliged to rescue you from whatever evils you may face.” Michael lavishly proclaimed, and pressed a kiss to her forehead, glad that they were settling back into their usual banter.
After a few minutes of walking and re-familiarizing themselves with whatever new changes had happened in their lives, Lettie stopped in a clearing in the field, next to a suspiciously familiar-looking scarecrow. On the grass was a picnic blanket, and they both laid down next to each other, staring up at the sky. Lettie scooted closer to Michael and wrapped her arm around him.
Surrounded by open fields and the late morning sky, Michael felt content. Life could really never be better.