Chapter Text
It all started with a remark. A small, throwaway comment that even Nina did not think much of. She was simply laying down on her bed, notebook wide open and pen in hand when she had blurted it out.
“I wonder what your world looks like.”
Nina looked over at Jillian, who had stilled as she sat at her study desk. Nina couldn’t help but resist the urge to laugh the same way she did the day she found out they would be rooming together. A girl who could touch the heavens if she wished to and a girl who could explore every little crevice of the soil everyone stands on. How ironic.
And, of course, Nina would fall in love with her along the way. A girl so daringly opposite to her and the world she’s grown up in.
Jillian tilts her head confusedly. “My world? Do we not all have the same one?”
“We’re very different, Jill,” Nina insists as she sighs wistfully, “I mean, come on, it’s easier for you to come to my world. It’s easy for anyone to come to my world. It’s not exactly anything extraordinary.” She frowns, resting her cheek on her knees which she hugged close to her chest. She can already imagine the bright blue sky and the clouds. She wonders if it looks any different up there then it does from down below.
“Coming to your world all the way up there is something only you can do.” Nina pouts, mumbling under her breath, “Or anyone that’s strong enough to do what you do.”
Because that’s who Jillian deserved. Someone strong. Someone who could keep up with her. That was the kind of person that could see Jillian’s world.
For some reason, Jillian’s eyes widen in realization.
“Hold that thought, Nina.”
Before Nina could even ask a single question, Jillian hops off her chair and makes her way out of the room without another word. Nina watches her go, her frown melting into an amused smile. That was the Jillian she fell in love with. A girl who always dove straight into any idea she had, throwing caution to the wind. That’s what causes Nina to still slightly, her hold on her pen loosening.
For a girl who was always reaching for the sky…
…was somebody who always kept to the ground like Nina enough?
“Go Jillian!”
“I see her!”
“How is she climbing so high up?”
Nina could already hear the admiration that followed Jillian’s every move. So many fans that would do anything to be like her. She wondered if she even stood out to Jillian amongst the crowd. It can sometimes be so difficult so spot her in the field that even Madeline Hatter almost stepped on her once.
When she looks out their dorm’s window, she can see Jillian already.
How far away she felt.
With a tightened grip on her pen, she tries her hardest to continue her thronework and let thoughts of Crownculus replace thoughts of dark brown eyes and soft pink lips.
“We’re going on an adventure!”
That was the one thing Jillian said before Nina found herself standing atop a patch of dirt in the Ever After High gardens right in front of her roommate, who looked strangely victorious.
“This is fun…” Nina trails off, not wanting to hurt Jillian’s feelings. “Whatever we’re doing.” Of course, Nina was a curious girl, and she couldn’t help but blurt out, “What are we doing?”
Jillian smiles as if her answer was obvious.
“I’m taking you to my world, of course.”
Nina stills at that. It only takes a few moments for the anxiety to kick in.
“I don’t—“ Nina laughs nervously, “I can’t climb that thing, Jill. If I tried, we would probably take a million years.” She shivers, “In fact, we would probably be dead when we get to the top.”
“Oh, please.” Jillian scoffs, “That’s the long and boring way up.” Nina doubts that it was boring considering how much Jillian loved to do it at any opportunity, but she keeps her mouth shut as Jillian tilts her head curiously. An unsettling grin crosses her face. The kind of grin she wears when she’s just come up with some sort of outlandish idea.
“Have you ever heard of magic beans, Nina?”
“Magic…beans?” Nina stammers out. “The ones a beanstalk sprouts out of—?”
That’s the last thing Nina gets out of her mouth before a plant sprouts beneath them, essentially launching them up towards the endless sky—which would have been fine if it had done so slowly, but the surrounding buildings began to turn into ants in the blink of an eye.
Immediately, Nina screams as the wind pushes down on her. She ungracefully falls forward and into Jillian’s arms. She squeezes her eyes shut, holding onto Jillian as if she was a lifeline. She could hear Jillian’s laughs of glee in the very back of her mind, and in any other situation, she would swoon at how beautiful the girl sounded.
Of course, being launched into the sky at what felt a million miles a second was not any other situation.
It feels like forever when they finally stop. Nina can feel the air get cooler and the winds get stronger and yet, for some strange reason, she still felt as warm as ever. She struggles to catch her breath, chest heaving. A part of her missed the ground, already. “The plants down below certainly do not do any of that,” Nina mumbles under her breath, slightly annoyed.
“Yes, well.” Jillian laughs. “First time for everything, isn’t there?” She hums, “For example, I do not believe you’ve ever hugged me for this long.”
Nina stills at that realization.
That she was still being cradled in Jillian’s arms.
“Sorry,” Nina squeaks, quickly pulling away, extremely apologetic despite the way Jillian’s smile widens. Nina doesn’t think she’s ever been this close to the other girl before and she can’t help but blush like a lovesick princess, her cheeks turning the same color as the flower in her hair.
“I know my face is nice, Nina, but the real view is beyond me,” Jillian teases. Before Nina could swat at her, there are suddenly hands covering her eyes.
“Hey!” Nina squeaks, fear nestled deep in her heart. As curious as she was, she really was not the biggest fan of heights. “If I fall, I trust you’ll catch me!”
“I’ll always catch you, Nina. I’ll always be there for you,” Jillian whispers so earnestly that Nina’s breath hitches. She decides to blame it on the sudden temperature drop. “You can always count on me, I promise you.”
Nina exhales shakily, “This better not be some prank,” She states, feeling Jillian guide her steps as her body gets turned around to face a different angle.
Suddenly, she can feel Jillian lean in a little closer, the girl’s breath tickling her ear. The warmth of her body serves to ease Nina’s fear, as much as she wouldn
“Do you trust me?”
Yes, Nina answers internally and far too quickly.
Nina weakly nods against Jillian’s hands and next thing she knows, she feels Jillian’s hands slip off of her face.
“So, open your eyes.”
It was so different. It was better than anything Nina has ever imagined.
The deep blue color of the sky, the way the clouds passed by them like they were living and breathing, and the way Nina could see all of the birds flying around them up close—oh, hexes, it was absolutely breathtaking. “You did this all…?” Nina inhales sharply as she looks towards Jillian, “For me?”
Jillian laughs as if the question was silly. “Where did you think I went yesterday? Just decided to climb the beanstalk again for no reason?”
Despite the way her heart continued to do cheerhexing routines in her chest, Nina rolls her eyes, “You are strange like that.”
“You wound me,” Jillian teases as she takes a step forward. A step closer to Nina. She rests her chin in Nina’s shoulder from behind and Nina allows her, desperately trying to fight her smile. Judging by how Jillian also fails to hide a smile, she’s not doing very well.
“So, here it is.” Jillian sighs, “My world.”
“It’s beautiful,” Nina replies breathlessly.
It truly was a spectacle. A scene ripped right out of a fairytale.
Nina looked back over her shoulder to see Jillian smiling as she looked over the horizons.
Oh, how beautiful Jillian looked in her element. Just as beautiful as her world. Just as beautiful as any fairytale.
A look of realization crosses Jillian’s face.
“I think I should introduce you to my world too.”
Before Nina could even question what she meant by that, she watches as Jillian cups her hands around her mouth.
“Hello!”
As much as Jillian’s voice echoed, they were far above the clouds. Nina doubted anyone could actually hear them from down below. Up here, only the heavens and the skies and the birds and the clouds shifted with Jillian’s words and, maybe, that was all that mattered to Jillian.
And, so, that was all that mattered to Nina too.
“This is her,” Jillian states matter-of-factly, revealing Nina to the horizons like she was actually…something. Someone worth doing all of this for. “This is Nina Thumbell. This is my roommate.”
She kept her loud volume steady and Nina, despite all her nervousness, continued to watch her with a smile. It was amazing how commanding Jillian’s voice could be.
“She’s an absolutely extraordinary person.”
Nina’s breath hitches once more. Jillian tended to do that.
“And…” Jillian inhales sharply. It was rare to ever see her hesitate and Nina looked at her, concerned. Then, Jillian finally says words that sound like they have been building in her throat for months. The only thing she hasn’t acted on immediately.
“I love her.”
Nina’s head snaps towards Jillian. It feels like the silence lasted forever before the realization suddenly sinked in. Next thing Nina knew, her eyes were wide as her hand flew to her mouth in shock.
“And I hope that…” Jillian finally looks at her. Away from her world. Or, perhaps, she was just looking at another thing she deemed her world, “…she loves me too.”
Nina’s chest hurts so bad. It’s the most wonderful, exhilarating feeling she has ever felt.
It’s to the point where Nina can’t even speak, so she nods. She nods so quick, it’s almost faster than the winds embracing the both of them. Jillian looked so excited as she took Nina’s hands, bringing her into a hug so tight that it knocks the wind out of Nina’s chest.
Nina didn’t care. She laughed and laughed into Jillian’s neck. She was so far from home and yet, she still felt like she was there. Here, in Jillian’s arms.
When Jillian pulls away from the embrace, her smile is so wide. Wider than any time she had returned from the giant’s castle with the golden harp and golden hen in hands. It seemed Nina was a better gift than either of those two.
“I’m so glad.” Jillian smiles so soft that it makes Nina’s heart twist, “Please. May I kiss you?”
It’s rare to ever see Jillian Beanstalk so…careful. Always throwing herself into danger headfirst, there was never once a moment where she’s paused in her life. Except when it comes to Nina, apparently, and that’s what makes Nina smile just as bright as the setting sun behind them.
A setting sun.
New beginnings.
Nina leans in first, lips brushing against the lips of the girl she thought would never want her in the same way. Of course, she was always willing to be as brave as she could be for Jillian the same way Jillian would go out of her way to do anything to make her happy.
“Of course you can, Jill.”
In Jillian Beanstalk’s world, there was the skies and the clouds and the horizons.
And a beautiful girl decorated in the prettiest petals colored pink and green that she would do anything for.
it’s adventure time!
the real charmer
@baked beanstalk
you and nina are so cute
i dont know if i wanna kill you or myself
cerizz hood
seconded
baked beanstalk
womp womp 😹😹