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The first summer break at the Academy since the Sunbearer Trials and the apocalypse, and Auristela invited her girlfriend over to San Fuego for a week. They've been dating for over half a year at that point and they're eighteen now, so it feels right.
And besides, they barely had time to spend time together, between classes and rescue missions. Even when they had time to spend together, if they didn’t stay in the Academy, where they had limited things to do, they almost always got jumped by admirers. It's starting to become annoying.
Relio, when she told him during one of their weekend hangouts, smiled ans said he was happy for her.
Stela is a bit nervous about it, at first. But, with Niya being so excited and jittery, it's impossible not to feel the same way.
"Should I pack this shirt?" Niya asks, waving a small brown top in front of Stela's face.
Stela smiles, leaning back on Niya's bed. She enjoys watching Niya getting excited about things. She used to be irritated by it, but it was, mostly, because she was repressing her feelings. Now, she finds it endearing. "Yes, absolutely," she replies, thinking about how Niya would look in that top.
"Uh, and this one? You know what, I'm putting it in the bag!"
"You should pack those earrings there," Stela nods to the desk, where a pair of circular golden earrings lay. "I have similar ones, we can match."
Niya picks up the earrings and tosses them in a small box, which she then puts in her black travelling bag. "Oh! We should buy matching jewellery in San Fuego," she says. "Is there any place for that?"
"I know a store. We'll go."
•○●○•
It's nice to see San Fuego. It reminds Stela of her brother, in a way. Of when they were kids, happy and clueless and laughing with their dad.
The first place Stela takes Niya is Relio's favourite bakery. "Relio claims these pastries are the best in town," she explains. "I always said his were better, but... you know. Mother."
Niya bites into the pastry. "It is good, though," she mutters, crumbs falling out of her mouth.
Stela scoffs. "Oh, you haven't tried anything Relio baked. It's so good." She pulls Niya's hand with the pastry and takes a small bite of it. It is tasty, of course, but nothing like what Relio can make.
Niya, in return, snatches the muffin from Stela's hand and takes a bite. "Mmm. Tasty."
"I told you the muffins were good," Stela sighs with a smile, taking the muffin back from Niya.
•○●○•
They roam around San Fuego, trying the signature foods Auristela hasn't tasted in years and sightseeing. They are occasionally recognised and respectfully asked for a picture, but for most part, they remain anonymous.
Stela leans in to kiss Niya as the sun sets. It's the firey colours of orange and red, the colours Auristela got so used to seeing appear in her hand. "I'm so glad you came with me."
Niya gently kisses back, her arm around Stela's waist. "I'm glad you invited me."
•○●○•
Usually, Auristela would stay in her mother's temple, but she doesn’t want to do that anymore. Instead, Brilla secured her a small apartment in San Fuego for after she graduates from the Academy, and she decides to use it now.
"It's nice," Niya comments. "It doesn't feel like you yet, though."
"We can decorate it tomorrow," Stela suggests. "I have some ideas saved on Pinterest already."
Niya playfully rolls her eyes and smiles. "Of course."
After they take turns showering, Niya and Stela, facing each other, sit on the king-sized bed, all white sheets. Brilla said everything was up to Auristela to change, but that she decided to go with the default.
Stela puts her hands on her girlfriend's waist and pulls her in for a kiss. It's slow at first, gentle, but it turns hungry fast. At the Academy, they weren't allowed to do much other than kiss and occasionally make out unless they were very careful. Here, they could do whatever.
Stela's hands dig into Niya's bare skin, pulling her closer and closer. She sits into Niya's lap, just to feel her skin better. They kiss with new found urgency. One of Niya's hands is in Stela's hair, untying it and tangling it. She uses it to pull Stela closer. Her other hand is on Stela's back, right above her ass. Stela moves her hands higher, pressing her fingers into Niya's back. Niya's kisses move from Stela's mouth to her neck.
"Niya," Stela breaths, quietly.
"Yes, princess?" Niya mumbles against her skin, kissing a soft spot on her neck.
Stela's breath catches. "Continue."
•○●○•
The next morning, the two girls wake up tangled in the sheets and each other. Niya's face is nuzzled in the crook of Stela's neck, her legs wrapped around the other girl's torso. Aurisetla sleepily kisses her girlfriend's temple. Niya is still sleeping, but she mumbles something.
Stela pulls her arm around Niya, smiling to herself. It's calm. The birds are chirping outside happily and the sun is shining, almost lazily. She never thought she'd have something like this.
"Stela?" Niya mumbles sleepily. "What time is it?"
The daughter of Lumbre cheeks her phone. "Half past eight."
For a bit, Niya and Stela snuggle under the sheets, sharing lazy kisses. When the two girls finally get out of bed, they decide to make pancakes for breakfast.
It takes them a flour fight started by Niya, a round of tickling, breathlessly laughing on the flour-covered floor, spilling oat milk all over the counter, Stela dumping cinnamon on Niya's head, almost spilling the entire pancake mix, two raw pancakes and three burnt pancakes to be done, and Stela is still giggling, a spark in her eyes.
Niya comes up behind Stela, spins her around by her waist and kisses her. "This was so fun!" the daughter of Tierra beams.
"It so was!" Stela rarely had so much fun.
They eat the steaming pancakes, still covered in flour, cinnamon and milk, the smell of cinnamon curling around them.
•○●○•
The first thing Niya and Stela do that day outside their apartment is buy matching jewellery. Niya could make it, of course, but hunting for it in the streets of San Fuego is more interesting. They end up getting matching golden necklaces that bring out Niya's eyes.
After that, the two girls go from shop to shop to buy things for Auristela's apartment, from red sheets to scented candles and a coffee machine.
Stela takes Niya to her favourite restaurant for lunch, where they get recognised again. The head chef is respectful, though, because they remembers Stela as a child coming here with Relio and their dad. A few people want to talk to them, but they shoo them away.
The city has been under reconstruction since the apocalypse, so not all of it looks as it did before, but most of the construction is already over. It's been some time, after all.
When Stela first saw San Fuego after the apocalypse, buildings half-burnt down and falling apart, people in despair, she was stunned. San Fuego was supposed to be fireproof, indestructible. Lumbre undefeatable. Now, as it is being repeared, it feels like home. More that it ever had.
In the evening, Stela takes Niya to her favourite corner of San Fuego—a small unknown café looking on the river. Small lights cover the terrace, candles are lit on every table and there's a few people, chatting and laughing. Auristela was afraid it was closed since not many people came, but luckily, it's still working.
They sit down and a waitress comes quickly to take their order.
"Stela! Hi!" the waitress smiles. It's Valentina. She hasn't changed much since Auristela saw her last. She and Relio used to be her regulars every time they came to San Fuego, but they hadn't had the time to come here in over teo years before the trials. "I was afraid you forgot us. Where's Relio?"
"In baking school. He's coming here in a week or so. I'll drag his ass here."
"How come you two stopped visiting?"
"School. Obligations. Mother. The apocalypse. But we'll visit more often now."
Valentina turns to look at Niya. "And who's this?"
Stela blushes slightly. "My girlfriend."
"I'll leave you two to it, then."
When Valentina is gone, Niya raises her eyebrow. "'Stela'?"
"Relio and I used to come here quite often, long ago, and since we didn't want people to recognise us, we gave false names. When Lumbre found out she wasn’t exactly happy. But she's not here, so."
The view of the sunset over the river is stunning still, even after almost three years. Stela takes a picture and sends it to Relio. Back in the café. Valentina says to bring you here.
He responds with a heart emoji and a I was looking forward to going there again.
She decides to post the picture on Instagram because the colours look stunning.
•○●○•
As they're walking back to the apartment, fingers intertwined, a pedestrian stops them in the street. "Are you Auristela, daughter of Lumbre?" they ask.
Auristela sighs exasperatedly. She used to love atention when she was younger, but she grew tired of it. Now, she only likes attention when she can get something out of it, like Lumbre's respect, Relio's safety and well-being, winning or likes on Instagrafiá. Otherwise, she prefers to stay low. Especially while on a date with her girlfriend. "Yes."
The person beams, bouncing on their feet. "Can I get an autograph?"
Out of pure habit, Auristela agrees easily and signs a piece of paper with a pen that was handed to her.
"And a selfie?"
Auristela grits her teeth, but smiles and complies.
"I don't like how I look in the picture," the person complains. "Can we do it again?"
Auristela is seconds from snapping at the person to leave them alone. She would've, if not for years of media training. She just wants to spend time alone with her girlfriend.
Niya grabs Stela's hand. "I think that was enough. We need to go."
"Please. Auristela is my hero," the pedestrian begs.
"Just one more picture," she agrees with a smile, shaking of Niya's hand, and poses for the picture.
After it's done, she clasps her hand around Niya's wrist and drags her to the apartment without a word. She doesn’t speak until they're in the apartment.
"Stela, are you okay?" Niya asks, closing the door behind them. She wraps an arm around Stela.
"I just didn’t want to deal with that right now. I never liked it, but Relio hated it more, so I learnt to smile through. I didn’t think I'd have to deal with it anymore after the trials, for some reason."
•○●○•
Later that night, after they've finished a movie without talking, laying next to Niya in bed, her head on Niya's shoulder, Stela whispers, "I honestly didn't think I'd have something like this, with anyone."
"What?"
"What we have. I didn’t think I deserved it. Sometimes I still don't." She thinks about the friends she made at the Academy. About the former competitors of the last Sunbearer Trials. About Ocelo and Relio. About Valentina. About Niya and their entire relationship. "I never imagined myself having friends other than Relio and Ocelo, too."
For a bit, Niya is quiet. "Stela, of course you deserve it. I know Lumbre was awful to you growing up and I know how you were, but you were a child. You deserved kindness and love and friendship. You still do. Your mum is an asshole to make you think otherwise," Niya pauses. "Your mum is an asshole, period."
Stela laughs lightly. "Thanks. It might take a while for me to actually believe those words fully, but... thanks."
•○●○•
The rest of the week, Niya and Stela do lots of things. They cook together multiple times. Nothing as good as Relio's, but it's something. Niya enjoys sneaking up behind Stela, wrapping her arms around the other girl's waist and resting her head on Stela's shoulder as Stela chops vegetables.
Niya likes sneaking up on Stela in general. She likes scaring her girlfriend, but Stela always hears her. Niya resorts to putting her warm palms over Stela's eyes and going, "Guess who?"
Auristela always yanks one of the palms down, kissing it, and replying, "Hmm, I wonder. It tastes like... Niya?"
Once, as they are making out on the bed, Auristela sets fire to the sheets, so they, panicked, have to put it out. The next day, the buy some fireproof sheets in a store near Lumbre's temple.
Stela takes Niya around San Fuego, showing her around and talking about her few memories here. They talk about anything and everything. About the Academy, about growing up with brothers, about candy, about family and friends. Late at nights, snuggeled close in bed, they share their worst fears and best memories, their dreams and hopes.
On more than a couple occasions, as they passed stores, Stela makes a stop to but Niya something, whether it's a candy or a cheap trinket. Niya, of course, can't stand receiving without giving, so she buys Auristela small things such as nail polish and cheap jewellery.
Their fifth day in San Fuego, they have lunch with Brilla. Auristela is more than happy to have her sister pull her aside and tell her she approves of Niya.
•○●○•
Anytime the two girls run into fans or reporters, they start kissing. As a show, they always start gently, turning the kiss more passionate with time. It always makes people leave them alone.
Niya is a great at cuddling. She likes planting kisses on Stela's forehead and whispering sweet nothings into her ear. Her arms are slightly cold against Stela's skin, but she likes it when Niya pulls her in for a hug, or from behind, later of which happens often. Stela always leans back into her girlfriend, resting her head on her shoulder.
Each morning, Stela kisses Niya's cheek before breakfast. She comes from behind her girlfriend, wraps her arms around her and, ever so gently, kisses the spot where her shoulder meets her neck. She always draws the kiss out. Niya's breath always catches and Stela just loves hearing it.
Auristela likes the feeling of Niya's skin under her fingers, of Niya's body arching, pressed under hers, of Niya's hands on her body, fingers digging in, of Niya's fast breaths agaisnt her skin, of Niya's soft moaning when she kisses the right spot.
She also like the feeling of Niya's lips exploring her body, of Niya's hands pulling her closer, of whimpering in Niya's strong grip as the other girl kisses her harder, of being kissed senseless, of burying her face in Niya's chest, of fire threatening to light.
•○●○•
Niya ends up staying for ten days. When a week has passed, they aren’t able to part, so the daughter of Tierra prolongs her stay. They end up spending the last day not leaving the apartment, talking and cuddling in bed, getting up only to eat and drink.
Their last morning, hours before Niya leaves, Auristela is awake and cuddling her girlfriend closer as she sleeps, an emotion bubbling in her chest. "I love you," she whispers, glad Niya can't hear her. She doesn't know what she would do then. She isn't ready to deal with that kind of feelings and more important, the talk of them.
Niya wakes up soon and they head out for breakfast (so the kitchen wouldn't end up covered in flour again) before going to the port to catch Niya's ship headed to La Cumbre. When they arrive to the part of the port where the ship is supposed to arrive, they stand for a bit in silence. They already said almost everything they wanted on their way to the port.
"This has probably been some of the best days of my life," Stela admits. Maybe it sounds sad, she doesn't know, but it's true.
Niya plants a soft kiss on Stela's lips, smiling into it. "Mine, too."
The ship arrives and the people around them started boarding. Stela kisses Niya again, trying to memorise the softness of her lips against hers, her hand on Niya's neck and Niya's on Stela's waist.
"I love you, too," Niya mutters against Stela's lips before running to the ship. Stela curses Niya as her cheeks flush and a warm feeling appears in her stomach. They'll talk about it eventually. Later.