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“Robin!” Firefly burst through the door of the singer’s tour bus, beaming ear-to-ear. “That was amazing!” Robin whirled around to face her, shock and joy painted across her face. She crossed the distance between her and her girlfriend in two long bounds, leaping into Firefly’s arms and enveloping her in a hug. Her headwings gently battered Firefly’s face as they fluttered with excitement. Firefly stumbled back but caught Robin still, grunting with the effort. “You performed so beautifully! Aeons, it brought me to tears, my sweet songbird!”
“Lovebug, are you alright? You seem more tired than usual,” signed Robin, pursing her lips and cocking her head slightly. “You stumbled when you caught me.”
“Ah, it’s just normal long-day fatigue,” responded Firefly with a nervous chuckle, glancing up at the ceiling instead of looking at Robin. “Going to a concert is tiring even if it’s my girlfriend’s!”
“You weren’t in SAM again, were you?” Robin’s signs were direct, as she looked Firefly in the eyes in concerned accusation.
“Um… well…” Firefly mumbled, tilting her head and thinking for a moment. “Fine. You got me.” She hung her head, defeated. “I was in SAM.”
“Firefly!” Robin signed emphatically, immediately jumping out of Firefly’s arms. Her face was etched with concern. “You’re going to make your entropy loss syndrome worse again!”
“But I have to make sure you stay safe!” pouted Firefly, looking up at the Halovian with a kicked-puppy expression. “You’re my whole universe, dove! I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if you got hurt!”
“My love, I have a security team for a reason. The Bloodhound Family has always been reliable in keeping me safe when I’m performing. The same thing applies from me to you– I don’t want to see your condition worsen,” communicated Robin, taking hold of Firefly’s hand. The white-haired girl didn’t immediately respond. Instead, she reached out and unclasped Robin’s neck ornament, folding it and laying it on the table by the door. Burying her face in Robin’s neck, she kissed the scar where the bullet had long ago struck Robin, taking away her ability to speak. No sound escaped Robin’s mouth, but she exhaled softly, breath ruffling through Firefly’s hair. Robin placed one hand on Firefly’s head, fingers carding through her hair, and the other on her back, where she rubbed calming circles into the shorter girl’s skin. Both of them were silent, Firefly’s fatigue suddenly catching up to her as her girlfriend held her.
After a moment, Robin wanted to speak again, but didn’t want to let go of Firefly. Instead, she tapped into the power of tuning granted by the Harmony to communicate directly with her.
Firefly, my love, I don’t want to see you suffering because of me. Robin’s sweet voice sounded inside Firefly’s head, and Firefly responded with a gentle hum. She buried her head deeper against Robin’s shoulder. Robin considered her next words for a moment, pressing her lips together as she looked down at Firefly’s head. Do you… want to cause me more stress, Firefly? When your entropy loss syndrome flares up, I’m the one who has to help you with it, dear.
Firefly immediately leapt back, panic in her eyes. “Oh, angel, I’m so sorry! I didn’t even think of that! I don’t want to cause you any trouble–”
No, it’s no trouble, my sweet! Robin’s voice cut through Firefly’s panicked apologies. Helping you will never be trouble for me. But I also don’t want you to needlessly make your symptoms worse, because seeing you suffering drives daggers into my heart. Here, darling, why don’t we sit down? You look like you’re about to collapse! Taking Firefly’s hand, Robin led her over to the couch in the tour bus and sat down, leading Firefly to the spot right next to her. Next time you come to one of my concerts, don’t be in SAM the whole time, okay? If you see something that looks dangerous, then you can put on the armor and do what you deem best. I trust that your reflexes are fast enough that you’d catch anything before it even happens. With those words, she snuggled up to Firefly, sitting across her girlfriend’s lap and reaching out to cup her face. Her thumb stroked Firefly’s jaw.
“I… can do that,” conceded Firefly with an exhausted sigh. She wrapped her arms around Robin’s waist, pulling the Halovian closer as she leaned against the back of the seat and closed her eyes.
I love you, firebug. Robin’s Harmonic voice was soft, a smile audibly coloring her words. And I trust you. There’s nobody in this universe who I trust as much as you. Firefly hummed quietly in response, the corners of her lips quirking upwards. Now, let me aid in alleviating your symptoms, alright? She waited for a response before doing anything.
“That would be wonderful,” murmured Firefly, her body slumping backwards as her entropy loss syndrome set in. Robin took a deep breath, tapping into the power of Harmony as she began to sing. After a moment, a pair of white, blue, and purple wings materialized from her back, enfolding Firefly in a shining embrace. The Halovian’s eyes sparkled, channeling Harmony through the lullaby that she sang. And as she did, strength returned to Firefly’s body, and she opened her eyes again to stare, awestruck, at Robin’s face. It glowed like the sun, lit from the halo above her head and from her sparkling eyes. Her voice was enchanting, buoying Firefly’s spirit and restoring the vitality that had quickly deserted her as the episode of her illness set in.
After a few minutes, Robin’s song concluded, and the light slowly faded. However, her wings didn’t vanish, still enfolding Firefly in their soft feathers.
“Your voice never ceases to leave me breathless,” whispered Firefly, tucking Robin’s periwinkle hair behind her ear. “Out of all the people in this vast universe, how was I the one lucky enough to become your partner?”
“I could say the same to you, lovebug,” signed Robin mirthfully, shoulders lifting as she giggled. “You are far too uncharitable towards yourself, my brave, strong, kind, generous, determined, breathtaking love.” With each sign, she leaned closer to Firefly, and as she finished, she pressed a gentle kiss into Firefly’s lips. Before breaking contact, she smiled again, and a soundless chuckle gusted warm breath across Firefly’s face. “I could say even more, but we’d be here until the sun rises in the morning, and even long past that.” Robin then leaned back, looking into Firefly’s sunset eyes with a serious expression. “Now, can you promise me that you’ll treat yourself with the same care and kindness that you show me, Firefly?”
Firefly shifted her hips so that she and Robin were facing each other straight on, Robin still half in her lap. She leaned forward, staring into Robin’s eyes with equal intensity. “For you, my dove, I can,” she murmured, before pressing her face into Robin’s chest, which was still dusted with glitter from her performance.
For you too, not just me, Robin’s Harmonic voice whispered to Firefly’s mind as she wrapped her arms and wings around the white-haired girl, resting her own head on Firefly’s. Firefly hummed in response, sighing. Her breath warmed Robin’s chest. The two sat without speaking, simply listening to the sounds of people trickling out of the auditorium Robin had just performed in. After a few minutes, the lively conversations and bursts of song gave way to the sounds of car engines starting, which then gave way to the chirping of night insects and the occasional, solitary bird. Robin’s Harmony-manifested wings vanished shortly after that. Without the slight warmth they had provided both women, the trailer suddenly seemed freezing cold.
Shivering, Robin leaned back to get a blanket. Firefly chirped slightly in displeasure at losing her girlfriend’s warmth, pouting at the taller girl. Now with a fluffy white blanket in hand, Robin leaned forward to spread it over Firefly’s back and shoulders. Then, with a mischievous smile, she grabbed Firefly’s shoulders and pulled the girl down to lay on top of her. Firefly didn’t resist, her usual jumpiness offset by Robin’s presence. Humming happily, she buried her face in the space between Robin’s shoulder and neck. The two wrapped their arms around each other and snuggled closer.
“I love you, Robin,” murmured Firefly sleepily, a contented smile coloring her words. Instead of pulling back to sign her response, Robin gently snaked her hand under Firefly’s shirt to trace the words on her back:
I love you more, Firefly.