The Visit

It had been a week since Dawn took Eliza out on a date. A week since Eliza broke Dawn’s heart. A week since Eliza admitted her love for Dawn. A week since they discovered that they were each other’s best friend. A week since they officially started dating. It had been the happiest week of Dawn’s life.

Dawn’s phone started chiming loudly. She groaned and reached out to silence it. Her hand scrabbled across the top of her desk, but to no avail. Growling, Dawn lifted the covers just enough to allow one eye to see through. She squinted at her desk, trying to track down her phone. It was on the far end of the desk. She couldn’t possibly reach it while still in bed. Dawn groaned and slowly sat up. She wrapped her blanket tightly around her body and slowly stood up. She took the three steps to her phone sluggishly and turned the alarm off with a vengeance.

Dawn turned and stared longingly at her bed. Her warm, soft bed. She longed to curl up and go back to sleep until a reasonable hour. Unfortunately, she had a class she needed to get to, then several others after that. The act of standing up and getting out of bed, however begrudgingly, had woken Dawn just enough to accept that fact. Still, Dawn didn’t appreciate it. She accepted it, but she didn’t appreciate it.

Not even bothering to suppress her sigh, Dawn pulled her blanket off her shoulders and tossed it haphazardly back on her bed. She groaned at the loss of the carefully cultivated warmth and turned around. Eliza, already dressed and ready for the day, was sitting at her desk and watching Dawn. Eliza blushed and looked away when Dawn caught her staring.

“Were you watching me?” Dawn asked. She’d made a valiant attempt to sound smug and lightheartedly teasing, but she was still close enough to sleep that her words came out as a barely comprehensible yawn. Eliza didn’t seem to mind Dawn’s tone, thought, so it wasn’t too embarrassing.

Eliza shrugged and mumbled something. It was too quiet for a groggy Dawn to make out most of what Eliza said, although she distinctly heard the word ‘cute’ at the end. Dawn hummed and started digging through the wardrobe. She kept listening, but her girlfriend didn’t elaborate. Her girlfriend! Eliza was her girlfriend! Dawn wasn’t entirely sure when her mind would stop celebrating that Eliza was her girlfriend every time the thought crossed her mind. She wasn’t entirely sure she wanted it to stop. She definitely didn’t want the warmth that blossomed in her chest or the smile that spread across her face whenever she thought of her girlfriend to stop. She liked both feelings. She liked them a lot.

Dawn straightened up when it became clear that Eliza wouldn’t elaborate without prompting. “Care to elaborate?” she asked. Yes, if she’d heard Eliza right, this would likely lead to Dawn devolving into a blushing mess, but that was a price she was willing to pay for hearing her girlfriend(!) wax poetic about her. And, if she’d heard Eliza wrong, than Dawn’s wording shouldn’t be suspicious. All her bases were covered.

Eliza shrugged and mumbled something unintelligible. Dawn draped her uniform over her desk chair and walked over to Eliza’s side. Dawn hopped up to sit on Eliza’s desk. She rested her elbow on her leg and her chin on her hand. “Come again?”

To Eliza’s credit, she didn’t look away. She blushed very heavily, but she didn’t look away. Dawn was glad for that. She liked looking at Eliza. Eliza was very beautiful. She liked to think that she was beautiful enough for Eliza to look at. Or, given how the morning had gone, cute enough. Dawn could live with that. She could live with being cute.

“You’re cute when you fight to get out of bed,” Eliza admitted.

Dawn gave a shiver that was only about half fake. “The outside world is cold,” she complained.

Eliza sighed and patted Dawn’s knee. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep you warm.”

Dawn’s arm darted out to grab Eliza’s hand. She laced their fingers together and refused to let go. Eliza’s hand was warm. Dawn didn’t want to let go. So she didn’t. Simple as that.

“Uh, Dawn?” Eliza asked, trying to pull her hand away. She wasn’t trying very hard. It was obvious to Dawn that she didn’t really want to let go. “I’m gonna need that for class.”

Dawn whined and held Eliza’s hand in both of hers. “Don’t care. Warm.”

Eliza sighed. Dawn considered letting go of Eliza’s hand at that. She didn’t want to upset her. But Eliza’s sigh was more fond than anything else, so it was probably fine. Dawn squeezed Eliza’s hand softly and called it good.

“Tell you what,” Eliza offered. “I’ll walk you to class. We can hold hands the entire way, but then I expect my hand back.”

“Only if we take the long way,” Dawn countered.

“Deal,” Eliza said. She moved her hand up and down, and by extension both of Dawn’s in a facsimile of a handshake.

“You had me at ‘tell you what,’” Dawn admitted.

897

Eliza was excited. She was excited for a couple reasons. For one, she was with Dawn. Being with her girlfriend in any capacity tended to excite Eliza because, well, she was her girlfriend. That was exciting. Not only was that exciting to Eliza, but she was excited for another, equally monumental, reason. She and Dawn were going on a date. A proper date. One where they both knew it was a date going in, and one that wouldn’t end in tears. Really, if it didn’t involve tears at all that would be great. It wouldn’t involve tears. This date would be happy. More than happy. It would be… joyful? No, that didn’t sound right. Gleeful? Cheery? Eliza didn’t actually know the word for it. But that’s what it would be.

Eliza reached out to pull the door open. She waved her arm with a little flourish to indicate that Dawn should go first. Dawn rolled her eyes at the gesture, but stepped through the door. As she walked past, she reached out and grabbed Eliza’s outstretched hand. Eliza allowed herself to be pulled through the door.

The venue that she had selected for her and Dawn’s second-arguably-first date was nothing fancy. Despite being what most would call a ‘spoiled rich girl,’ Eliza didn’t exactly have a lot of money. Yet another thing her parents never saw fit to give her. And, while the reasoning was drastically different, Eliza knew that Dawn didn’t have a lot either. Not that either of them really cared, but it did make planning dates a bit infinitely harder. Eliza had been very close to planning something similar to Dawn’s idea of a moonlit stroll, but this time in the semi-warm daylight and with a picnic at the end, but then she recalled something from her and Dawn’s trip to the bookstore. There was this little cafe across from the bookstore that Dawn had pointed out. Twice. Once when they first walked into the store and again on the way out. A little bit of reconnaissance had shown that, even with her limited funds, Eliza could afford the place. So long as neither of them went overboard when it came to ordering anything.

The cafe was empty when Dawn and Eliza stepped through the doors. A bit of a surprise, but not an unwelcome one. It allowed them to walk right up to the counter to order without having to wait in line and to claim the best table in the corner. Eliza sat with her back to the room and Dawn across from her. Eliza was slightly disappointed that Dawn didn’t sit right next to her, but that disappointment was quickly overshadowed by the fact that she and Dawn were actually on a date. A real date.

Dawn and Eliza didn’t talk much at first. They idly chatted for a few moments, but neither made an effort to have a real conversation. It would be a shame to have to pause a deep and meaningful conversation because one of them (Eliza would make sure it was her) would have to leave to grab their drinks when they were ready. Sure enough, a minute after sitting down, Dawn’s name was called. As Eliza expected, both her and Dawn started to stand.

“Sit down,” Eliza said, gesturing for Dawn to retake her seat. “I’ll get it.”

“But it’s my drink,” Dawn protested, even as she sat down.

“I’m closer,” Eliza said smugly. She had chosen her seat for this very reason, after all.

Eliza turned and briskly walked up to the counter. She claimed Dawn’s drink and, after a very short wait, her own as well. She turned and set off to rejoin Dawn. Dawn was staring off into the distance. Eliza glanced at the area she was staring at, but couldn’t see anything too out of the ordinary. Chairs, tables, a plant hanging from the ceiling, and a window with a little sign announcing that the cafe was hiring. Definitely nothing worth staring at. Yet Dawn was staring. Until Eliza sat down. Then she shifted her attention onto Eliza. Eliza wordlessly slid Dawn’s drink across the table. Dawn eagerly grabbed it and took a sip.

“So,” Dawn began casually, putting her drink back on the table. “Christmas is coming up.”

Eliza shrugged. She’d never cared that much about Christmas. It had always just been another day to her. But it looked like Dawn cared about Christmas. At least enough to bring it up in a conversation.

“I suppose,” Eliza agreed noncommittally.

“You planning anything for it?” Dawn continued.

“Like what?” Eliza asked. She had no idea what to plan. The only experience she had with Christmas came from fictional works, and something told her that those weren’t the best role models.

Dawn shrugged and continued speaking in her overly casual way. “Well, are you going home? Or are you staying here?”

Eliza narrowed her eyes at Dawn’s hopeful tone. It didn’t take a genius to know what Dawn was hoping for. She was hoping Eliza was staying at the school. “I was planning on staying.” It wasn’t hard to see the way Dawn lit up at Eliza’s words. Eliza took a sip and slipped into a falsely casual tone. “What about you?”

The fact that Dawn was almost definitely hoping for Eliza to stay for Christmas was a pretty dead giveaway of what she was planning, but… Eliza didn’t actually know. Dawn hadn’t said the words, so there was the possibility that she was actually going home. Just the thought filled Eliza with dread. If Dawn went home, that meant Eliza would be alone for Christmas. Which, admittedly, was par for the course. But that didn’t mean Eliza had to like it. Because she didn’t. She wouldn’t. She wouldn’t like being alone for Christmas. She would hate it. God, she hoped Dawn was staying as well.

“The same,” Dawn said casually. “I’ll be staying here for Christmas. With you. And me. Together.”

“Good,” Eliza said with a firm nod. She wasn’t an idiot. Well, she wasn’t too sure about that. She’d somehow missed that Dawn had a crush on her. And that Dawn was Word, but Eliza felt she could give herself a pass on that one. Dawn hadn’t realized that she was Pic until it was literally spelled out for her.

Eliza wasn’t so much of an idiot that she didn’t know that there were… implications behind her and Dawn, who were officially dating, spending Christmas together. She knew that there were. She also knew that she wouldn’t let herself focus on those implications right now. She was on a date and she would enjoy this date and she would not have a breakdown about spending Christmas with her girlfriend after less than a month of dating until long after the date was over. She would instead just sit there with Dawn and enjoy their date and avoid the inevitable breakdown. And that’s exactly what happened.

The topic of Christmas or anything related to it didn’t come up again, but that was a good thing. It kept Eliza from freaking out and allowed her and Dawn to drop the faux-casual tones. They were able to just enjoy their date like any other couple and not have any breakdowns. After nearly two hours they got up to leave. Dawn jumped up and sprinted past Eliza, blocking the path to the door. Eliza just stared at Dawn, completely baffled by this turn of events.

Dawn cleared her throat. “Uh, before we go, I wanted to show you something,” she muttered, her cheeks taking on a cute red tint. She grabbed Eliza’s hand and gently guided her through the cafe. Dawn and Eliza stopped in a seemingly random place.

“What is it?” Eliza asked, looking around.

Dawn looked up. Though she was very confused, Eliza followed her lead and looked up as well. She didn’t see whatever it was that Dawn wanted to show her. All she could see was the plant she had noticed earlier. It was a nice plant. Now that she was close, Eliza could actually tell what it was. It was a sprig of mistlet- oh. Oh. It was mistletoe. And she and Dawn were standing directly under it. Dawn and Eliza were standing under the mistletoe.

“Is… is it okay with you?” Dawn asked. She didn’t go into detail about what she was proposing, but she didn’t exactly need to.

“It is,” Eliza said. “Okay with me.”

What followed could only barely be called a kiss. Dawn and Eliza both started leaning in until their lips were nearly touching. When it became clear that neither was going to back out, they both closed the gap. Their lips brushed against each other for a far too brief moment and then they pulled back again. It was only a kiss in the loosest of terms for the briefest of moments. Eliza loved it. And the smile on her face made it clear that Dawn felt the same.

Dawn grabbed Eliza’s hand and the two started walking again, this time in the direction of the exit. As they walked, Eliza cast a contemplative glance over her shoulder at the mistletoe.

897

Dawn was freaking out.

Well, perhaps freaking out was a bit of an overstatement. Dawn was struggling to come to terms with the situation. A bit better, but still inaccurate. She’d come to terms with the situation just fine. Thanks to some subtle probing, Dawn had learned that Eliza would be staying at the school for Christmas. The same as Dawn. Dawn had come to terms with that just fine. She would be spending Christmas with her girlfriend(!). What she was having difficulty coming to terms with was that she would be spending Christmas with her girlfriend(!).

Dawn didn’t know what couples did when spending Christmas together. The only experience she’d ever had with the holiday was with her father, and while that was valuable information and treasured memories, Dawn knew that not all of the information transferred over to spending Christmas with Eliza. Dawn didn’t know what they should do on the day beyond being together and exchanging gifts (and what she should get for Eliza was a completely different can of worms). Dawn didn’t know what to do and she was mildly freaking out. She needed help.

Dawn grabbed her phone and had typed up half of her conundrum before she realized her mistake. The logical thing to do would be to erase the words, put her phone down, and then find another source of advice. However, the whole situation was mildly funny and might be amusing to Eliza. With that in mind, there was really only one thing for it.

Dawn: Is it weird that, if I need advice on something, my first instinct is still to text you for it?

Across the room Eliza’s phone buzzed. Dawn watched her pick it up and read the message. Eliza looked up to stare at Dawn incredulously. Dawn just smiled awkwardly and waved. Eliza shook her head, but with a small smile so she clearly wasn’t too annoyed.

Eliza: We are literally ten feet away from each other. Why are you texting me?

Dawn: To quote my wonderful girlfriend, ‘We are literally ten feet away from each other. Why are you texting me?’

Across the room, Eliza let out a short laugh. There was a slight noise as she repositioned herself into a more comfortable position for long periods of texting and then she started typing out her own response.

Eliza: Fair enough. What did you need advice on?

Dawn: Christmas is coming up

Eliza: I suppose.

Dawn: And we’ll be spending it together

Eliza: That is the plan.

Dawn: That’s just it though. We don’t have a plan

Eliza didn’t respond immediately. A quick glance across the room showed that she was staring at her phone with a look of realization. She sat in what looked to be shock for another few moments before picking up her phone again.

Eliza: I… had not realized that.

Dawn: Exactly! We don’t have anything planned! We don’t know if we’re going to go somewhere or stay in! And if we do go out, are we going somewhere new or somewhere we’ve been to before? And if we stay in, what will we do?

Dawn had just slumped back against her pillows when she was distracted by a soft laugh. She looked up to see Eliza staring at her. Eliza had a hand over her mouth which did almost nothing to hide her smile.

“What?” Dawn asked, feeling a little self-conscious. She was aware that she didn’t look the best at the moment. There didn’t seem to be a need to put effort into her appearance when she wasn’t going anywhere and Eliza had seen her in a far worse state before. At least, she thought Eliza had. But she had never laughed at her before.

Eliza lowered her hand and spoke softly. “Texting is a full body activity for you,” she explained.

“What?” Dawn repeated. This time, she wasn’t self-conscious. She was confused. Completely and utterly confused.

“When you text,” Eliza elaborated. “You wave your arms and move your body as if you were actually saying all this out loud.” Dawn just stared at Eliza. She had never noticed that she did that. Although, once it had been pointed out to her, she couldn’t help but acknowledge it as true. Not because she remembered doing it, but because it had been Eliza to point it out. Dawn knew Eliza wouldn’t lie to her. Eliza noticed that Dawn was staring and looked away. “It’s cute,” she muttered. Eliza squirmed a bit more and picked up her phone again.

Eliza: Well, we have the time to actually plan all this out, don’t we?

Dawn: That we do. That we do

And, if, in the course of her and Eliza’s ensuing conversation, Dawn made no effort to stop the movements she was now very aware of… well, that was nobody’s business, was it?

897

In the end, the plan was both very simple to make and very simple to follow through with. And what was this magical plan? Dawn and Eliza would play it by ear. It might seem simple on the surface. And it is. But that’s the beauty of it. Neither Dawn nor Eliza knew much about Christmas activities, so by playing it by ear they could create their own instead of trying to copy others and likely getting it wrong. Also, neither exactly wanted a very large or elaborate holiday. Their plan practically guaranteed that nothing large or elaborate could happen. It even added a layer of protection in case things went wrong. If that happened, they could just say it was all part of the plan.

Dawn and Eliza put a lot of planning into planning such a beautifully simplistic plan.

The true beauty of the plan came in that it wasn’t limited to just Christmas Day. Dawn and Eliza had three weeks of break, and each and every moment could be played by ear. The first day off they spent in their room. They didn’t do anything super important. They didn’t want to. It was their first day off, and they wanted to spend it doing nothing. This plan was completely derailed when Dawn accidentally discovered that Eliza was incredibly ticklish. Needless to say, Dawn had a lot of fun with Eliza that day.

The rest of the first week was spent in very similar ways. Dawn and Eliza would pick an activity and roll with it. One day Dawn tried to coach Eliza through a couple basic writing exercises, and the following day Eliza taught Dawn the basics of drawing. Neither of them were very good and this venture ended with them agreeing to let Dawn be the writer and Eliza the artist. With this deal in place, they created a game. Dawn would spend an hour writing a story and Eliza would spend that same hour drawing something. They’d then swap the story and drawing. Dawn would then spend an hour writing a story to go along with the drawing and Eliza would spend that hour drawing a drawing to go along with the story. The stories and drawings had a tendency to come out rushed and, objectively speaking, sloppy. But neither cared about that. They loved and treasured each one. And the time spent together.

Interspersed with all the time spent together, Dawn and Eliza would go on short dates. Nothing fancy. More often than not it was to the cafeteria for a flavorless meal of bland food. This didn’t bother them in the slightest. It was about the time spent together and all that.

Dawn was laying with her head resting in Eliza’s lap and a book held somewhat awkwardly above her. Eliza was holding a book of her own in one hand and the fingers of the other were absently combing through Dawn’s hair. Dawn hummed contentedly. Eliza heard the sound and was struck by a thought that was simultaneously ludicrous and hilarious.

“You know,” Eliza began softly. “I don’t think I need to get a cat.”

Dawn lowered her book and tilted her head to look up at Eliza. “Why not?”

“Because I have you,” Eliza answered. “You’re basically a cat already.”

Dawn laughed at that. “What?”

“It fits!” Eliza insisted. “You like to lie around.”

“I like sleep,” Dawn said defensively.

“You love when someone pets you.”

“I don’t… love it,” Dawn muttered.

Eliza smirked and pulled her hand out of Dawn’s hair. Dawn let out a soft whine at the loss of contact. Eliza resumed running her fingers through Dawn’s hair. Dawn let out a sound that was suspiciously similar to a purr.

“You don’t have much of a concept of personal space.”

“I’m a very cuddly person.” Dawn hesitated for a moment before continuing. “Though, if you wanted me to tone it down-”

“Don’t you dare,” Eliza said sharply.

Dawn breathed a sigh of relief. “You really think I act like a cat?”

“You tell me, Mitzi.”

Dawn groaned. “Okay, if I’m gonna be your cat, please don’t call me Mitzi.”

“Luna?” Eliza suggested.

Dawn shrugged. “I don’t think I could pull that off.”

“Garod, Eater of Worlds.”

Dawn giggled. “I’m on a low-world diet.”

Eliza frowned. “So, what you’re saying is, we’re gonna have to find something else to do on Friday?”

“Unfortunately,” Dawn said solemnly. The solemn mood lasted for mere seconds before Dawn and Eliza broke into laughter.

It was a tender moment between Dawn and Eliza. One that would be a good one to look back on later. One that no one could have seen coming. One that couldn’t last forever. All moments, whether tender or not, will have to end. But this one ended far too soon.

There was a knock on the door. Dawn groaned and sat up. As soon as she was no longer Dawn’s pillow, Eliza hopped off the bed and walked over to the door. She was no longer laughing, though a smile still lingered on her face. As soon as she opened the door, she froze in shock at the sight of her visitor.

“M-mother?!”