Archive of Our Own

“Are you nervous?” Joel stood in the doorway of the Ocean Queen’s guest chambers, watching as Lizzie fiddled with the tiara in her hands. She had yet to put it on, though she had nothing left to do. It was the final piece in her ensemble that would declare her ready, and she was just staring at it, as if stalling. Maybe she was. 

Tonight was the opening ball for the Gathering, which would mark the start of the three week period where the empires of the world all met, allies and enemies alike, to discuss current affairs.

The ball was one of the most enjoyable parts of it, meant to be a celebration of their unity. The party was also single handedly responsible for setting expectations and tone for the rest of the month. 

This year, the opening ball was especially important, as it would be the Ocean Empire’s official introduction to the rest of the world. 

“Would you laugh if I said yes?” Queen Lizzie asked, bringing her eyes up to meet his in the mirror. Joel tugged at his collar, attempting to loosen it. It was pretty stiff, uncomfortable, and completely different from his more casual everyday attire. He did not succeed in his venture, and sighed fondly.

“No, I remember being anxious about my first Gathering too. It’s a big deal, and it’s got to be even bigger for you.” He walked into the room, approaching the queen. She spun around in her seat as she saw him coming, her pearly pink face flushing. “May I?” He asked, gesturing with his hand. 

Lizzie bowed her head, consenting silently, and Joel gently took the crown from her hands. It was a beautiful thing, made of a silver metal. Embedded in it were pearls and perfectly intact seashells, representing her watery origins. He lifted it up and set it on Lizzie’s head, twisting it slightly so that it was centered.

“Thank you.” Lizzie said, looking up at him through her lashes. “I can’t remember the last time I got so worked up over a party.” 

“Well, it’s not like you’re being unreasonable.” Joel responded. “This is your first time meeting the other nations. I don’t think there is a single person in the world who wouldn’t be nervous in your situation.”

Lizzie snorted. “I don’t know whether to feel comforted by that or not.” Joel laughed, and placed a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it softly. The Ocean Queen took a deep breath, and stood up. “Okay, I’m ready now. How do I look?”

“Absolutely breathtaking.” Joel replied instantly, his face growing warm. Lizzie’s face turned bright red, matching his, and she fiddled with one of the two locks of hair that had been curled on either side of her head. The rest of her bubblegum hair had been tied back in a braided bun. 

Her dress was dark blue, with long trumpet sleeves, and a wide neckline. A translucent cape flowed down her back, embroidered with many different designs, each representative of something from her home. 

“Let’s walk together.” Joel held out his arm, and Lizzie took hold of it without thought. It had become standard for the two of them to walk like this, whenever Joel escorted her somewhere. Over the week she had stayed in Mezalea, catching up on everything that happened since they separated, Lizzie had completely changed his life once again.

Every hour of Joel’s free time was spent with her. They ate together, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. They took long strolls through gardens, courtyards, and city markets, and spent time on the beach. Lizzie demonstrated some of her impressive abilities, including how truly massive she could grow.

At her biggest, Joel could fit right on her shoulder, perfectly balanced. She’d even taken him to see a small coral reef a few miles from shore, one he’d never even seen before. He’d watched as she mended the broken bits and nursed the dying reef back to life with such a tenderness it caught him off guard.

It was the happiest Joel had felt in a long time.

He couldn’t deny any longer how she made him feel, but he wasn’t sure he was ready to admit that to her. He was afraid of misinterpreting her feelings, seeing what he wanted to see instead of what was actually there. He didn’t want to drive her away.

“So remind me how this is going to happen again?” Lizzie asked, drawing him out of his thoughts.

“Right.” Joel cleared his throat. “So, I’m going to enter the ballroom, say hello to the other, and then grab everyone’s attention for an announcement. Then I’ll introduce you, and the guards will pull open the doors, and that’s how you’ll know it’s time.” He explained. “I’ll admit, I’m a bit nervous about how they’re going to react.” 

“Of course.” Lizzie nodded along. “I understand. It’s a bit dramatic though, wouldn’t you say?”

“Maybe it is, but who cares? Besides, I thought you liked drama.” Joel smirked. 

Lizzie laughed. “You’ve got me there.” They arrived at the doors to the ballroom after another few minutes.

Joel took a deep breath, and stepped away. “Okay. Wait out here for a little bit, I won’t be long.” He nodded to the clones guarding the entrance, who stepped aside and pulled the enormous doors open.

Inside, the rulers of all ten empires were already gathered, chatting away. Some of them were holding glasses with various drinks, others were eating some of the snacks going around on platters. 

Heads turned as he stepped inside, and the doors closed behind him once more. He raised a hand in greeting, smiling at all of them. 

Several nodded and went back to their conversations, a few returned his smile. One ruler in particular, came running up to him.

“Joel! It’s good to see you!” It was Jimmy. Joel grinned as he watched the cod hybrid approach. He noted that Jimmy had cleaned himself off, not a hint of the dirt of slime that usually coated his outfit, hair, and exposed skin.

“Good to see you too, Jimmy.” The two of them embraced for a moment, before pulling back. “How have you been?” 

“Oh, I’ve been doing just fine. Been here and there, collecting resources, expanding the village, you know, leader stuff.” He shrugged, his answer almost suspiciously vague. Joel knew why, and didn’t comment. “How about you?” 

Jimmy wasn’t as experienced in ruling as many others, one of the most recently crowned out of all of them. But he was an incredibly earnest and enthusiastic young man, and Joel always found himself enjoying their time together. 

“I’ve been doing very well. Terracotta exports have gone up a bit, and we’ve recently secured a new alliance.” Joel smiled.

“Really? That’s awesome, man!” Jimmy replied. “With who?” 

Joel laughed, feeling a prickle of anxiety. “That’s… well, I actually have to make an announcement about that.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s kind of a big deal. You’ll see why in a minute.” 

Jimmy gave him a questioning look, but Joel didn’t elaborate further. Instead, he walked to the other end of the room, focusing on his breathing, and cleared his throat loudly. It took a few seconds, but the noise died down as the other kings and queens quieted their conversations and turned their attention to him.

Joel took a deep breath, and smiled. “Welcome to the Gathering’s Opening Ball. It’s wonderful to see all of you again.” There was a round of smiles, nods, and a few even raising their glasses. “I look forward to the next few weeks, and I hope you all feel the same. Before we truly begin, however, I have something to tell you all.” 

He paused, looking around the room. There wasn’t a single unfamiliar face among the crowd, since the only ones allowed to attend the ball were the rulers and the servers. 

Rulers were allowed to bring a plus one, but no one had brought anyone new this year. He didn’t know if that would make this easier or harder.

“For as long as even the oldest among us can remember.” He glanced at Scott, the elven ruler of Rivendell. “The eleven empires have Gathered in peace, to maintain their rule and to strengthen bonds.” He looked at the door, biting his lip. “It has always been just eleven, and we have coexisted for centuries.

“However, I have made a rather startling discovery. We are not the only ones out there.” There were murmurs among the crowds. Queen Geminitay leaned in and whispered something to her brother, Count Fwhip, who nodded in agreement.

“I’m not just talking about the other worlds, alternate universes, and such. I’m talking about a twelfth empire, right here, in our world. One that was born not from the land, but from the water.” 

Dead silence. Everyone was staring at him, wide eyed and disbelieving. Jimmy was giving him a look that said ‘what the hell are you saying?’

“I was a teenager, when I happened across this empire. But until now, I have kept it a secret out of respect for its princess, who expressed interest in keeping her empire hidden. Now, however, the princess has been crowned, and decided it was time for a change. So now, it is with great pleasure that I present to you, Queen Lizzie Shadow, of the Ocean Empire.” 

The doors slowly creaked open, and Lizzie took a few steps into the ballroom. It was so quiet, you could hear a pin drop, the only sound being the clack of heels on the floor.

Lizzie’s head was held high, and her face completely devoid of emotion. Her hands were clasped softly in front of her, and her cape waterfalled down her back and trailed behind. She looked like the picture of calm and collected, every inch the queen she was. 

Joel was suddenly hit by how different she was from the sunny teenager he remembered. Sure, bits of that still shone through from time to time, but she just seemed so much older than she had last time. Another bittersweet reminder of how much time really had passed without him there. He wondered if Lizzie felt the same way about him. 

He started walking towards her, careful not to move too fast. Though these were people he had known for a very long time, he still did his best to appear dignified in front of them. He stopped a few feet in front of her, and bowed slowly.

“Everyone is staring at me, Joel.” Lizzie whispered. Her face remained ever placid, but her voice was panicked. 

“Of course they are.” Joel whispered back to her. “You are a beacon, everywhere you go, you capture the attention of those around you.” He rose and held out an arm. “You’re doing great.” 

An ever so slight blush tinted the queen of the ocean’s cheeks. She took the arm, just as everyone seemed to snap out of their stupor. Murmurs, claps and cheers erupted amongst the other rulers. Joel felt Lizzie tense, and squeezed her arm reassuringly.

“Let the ball commence!” Joel boomed, and music began to play as one of the servers slipped a disk into the jukebox. The others began to relax, though all of them continued glancing at the new queen every few seconds.

Joel turned his head, meeting Lizzie’s bright blue eyes, and in a soft voice, said, “I’ll introduce you to my allies first, and then we can go around to see the others.” 

“Sounds good.” Lizzie replied, the only indication of her nerves being the almost undetectable waver in her voice. She was good at concealing her emotions, but not perfect.. 

Jimmy was now walking towards the two of them, staring openly at the very tall woman who was now clinging onto him like her life depended on it. Seriously, Lizzie had grown to be over six and a half feet tall, and that was at her smallest.

“What. Was. That!?” Jimmy exclaimed, bewildered. 

“Jimmy, I’d like to introduce you to Queen Lizzie. Lizzie, this is Jimmy, the Codfather. He rules over the Swamplands, and he’s my closest friend and ally.” Joel said, instead of responding to his friend’s question. 

He watched as Jimmy met Lizzie’s eyes for the first time, and started stuttering in that way he always did when he met someone new.

“U-uh, pleasure to meet you um… ma’am? Your Highness? Sorry, I’m- I- uh…” Jimmy’s tail swished behind him, the skin underneath the scales on his cheeks turning red from embarrassment.

His panicked rambling was cut off by a laugh from Lizzie, who was smiling down at the smaller ruler. “Ocean’s Blessings, Codfather. The pleasure is all mine. King Joel speaks very highly of you.” Uh-oh. Joel knew the look on her face by now. 

That was the look the Ocean Queen got when she claimed something as hers.

Well, he supposed they were both… fish people. It was only natural that she’d be endeared towards him. Most people were. Lizzie held out a hand, and Jimmy shook it. He smiled, his face excited to potentially make a new ally, though he was clearly quite a bit intimidated. 

“I’ve always wondered about freshwater hybrids.” She continued. “It’s my first time traveling outside of my empire.”

“Wow really? That’s cool. I don’t tend to leave my empire very often unless I need to talk to one of the other rulers.” Lizzie hummed, and nodded. Joel could see in her eyes that this woman was about five seconds away from kidnapping the awkward cod-boy and taking him with her.

“We’re going to talk to Katherine next.” Joel said, nodding towards the fairy dressed in a lilac colored ball gown. She was talking with the other three ladies in the room, Gem, Pearl, and Shrub. The queens tended to form a group at these types of events, and out of everyone, seemed to get along the best, even if some of their allies hated one another. 

Jimmy nodded. “Do you mind if I stay with you guys? Scott is looking at me weirdly. I don’t want to be dropped out of the sky again.” 

Lizzie furrowed her brow. “Again? What do you mean again ? Is this a regular occurrence?” 

“Okay, to be fair to Scott, it was an accident, and I started it. And I landed in water so it was fine. But still.” Jimmy huffed and crossed his arms over his chest. 

Lizzie looked around. “Which one is this Scott?” 

“Really tall, blue hair, golden antlers, holier than thou attitude. He’s pretty hard to miss.” Jimmy grumbled, glaring over at the elven ruler. Joel followed suit. He wasn’t sure what problem Scott had with Jimmy, Jimmy had never done anything to him. Well, besides teasing him and instigating a couple of fights, but come on! Everyone did that frome time to time.

Lizzie huffed, her gaze following them. Her eyes met the Rivendell elf, who raised an eyebrow at her. She smiled at him, just a little too sharp. 

“I see.” She said, her voice surprisingly calm. There was a storm brewing beneath her eyes, but she remembered what Joel had told her about this being a peaceful Gathering. Glancing out a window, he could see that dark clouds were beginning to drift in. A quiet rumble of thunder was heard in the distance. Well, that wasn’t good.

~~~~~~

“Let’s go talk to the other queens.” Joel pulled Lizzie towards the four other women. One of them, a queen with a white and purple gown, long black-ish brown hair, and white translucent, glittering wings, smiled warmly as she saw them approach. The other three followed her gaze.

“Hello ladies.” Joel stopped a few feet from them, the Codfather behind him. “It’s been a while since we last spoke. It’s wonderful to see you all again.”

“And you as well, King Joel.” The one with the purple dress and small, shimmery butterfly wings replied, dipping her head in respect. “I have to admit, your announcement caught us all off guard.”

“Well I doubt any of us thought that we’d be getting another ruler thrown into the mix this year.” One of the others said. She was short. Really short, barely even half Lizzie’s size. She had long brown hair tied back in a bun, and golden yellow eyes. Her dress bodice was red, dotted with spots, with a wide neckline and puffed sleeves. The bottom was white, and the skirt ended just above her ankles. 

Lizzie tried hard not to stare. She’d… never seen someone like that, and to be honest, she had thought that all land dwellers would look the same. Maybe it was a naive assumption, but all ocean dwellers looked the same, at least to a certain degree, so why wouldn’t the same rule apply to the empires on land?

But looking around, everyone looked different. Even the people who had common characteristics were nowhere near the same. The elf, Scott, had antlers, and so did one of the queens in front of her. But while he was born from winter, the queen was born from spring. She had auburn hair and purple eyes, while Scott had icy blue hair and equally blue eyes. 

“It’s very nice to meet you!” The third queen stepped forward, who had brown hair and blonde highlights, and grey-ish green eyes. She wore a green empire-waisted dress with golden accents. “I’m Queen Pearl, of Smallhold. This is Queen Katherine, of the Overgrown, Queen Gemini of Crystal Cliffs, and Queen Shrub, of the Undergrove.”

Pearl took Lizzie’s hand and shook it, smiling. Katherine followed suit, followed by Gemini, and finally Shrub.

“It’s nice to meet all of you too.” Lizzie said, smiling politely.

“So your empire is in the ocean?” Gem asked, lifting a glass off the tray of a passing waiter and sipping on it. “How does that work? Is it underwater or on the surface?” 

“Well, most of it is underwater. The palace and the marketplace in the capital city are above the water, but other than that, it’s pretty inaccessible to anyone who can’t breathe through water.” Lizzie shrugged.

“Well that explains why no one ever came across it. Pretty sure an entire nation floating on the surface of the ocean would be pretty hard to miss.” Shrub said, craning her neck to look at Lizzie. 

“Yes, my predecessors saw no need to interact with the outside world. There wasn’t much we needed that we couldn’t get ourselves. Therefore, diving into the mess of politics outside of our own empire seemed unnecessary.” 

“What changed your mind?” Katherine asked. She looked between her and Joel, thought for a moment, and then revised her question. “Actually, how did you two even meet?”

“Well, it’s a bit of a long story…” Joel replied for Lizzie, blushing slightly. Lizzie smirked, remembering what had happened.

“This idiot.” Lizzie wrapped an arm around his waist and drew him in closer and looked at him affectionately. “Managed to crash his ship in the middle of the open ocean. Guess who had to pull him out?”

Joel’s face turned redder. “In my defense, there was a storm, and the coral reef was a lot more shallow than I thought it was.” 

The other queens giggled, and Lizzie’s smirk turned into a smile as Joel grew more and more embarrassed.

“Well you two certainly seem close.” Gem commented through her laughs. 

“Well… I guess we are.” Lizzie said. “It’s rather surprising considering after I found him, he stayed in my empire for about a week, and then we didn’t see one another for over a decade. He only just reached out to me a couple months ago, inviting me to join you all.”

“A decade? I’m surprised you didn’t forget about one another entirely.” Shrub remarked. Lizzie laughed, shaking her head.

“I am too, to be honest. But nothing about Joel has ever been unforgettable.” She missed the knowing glances the other queens gave one another, and the slightly smug expressions. 

“Well, a bit of good news is always welcome these days. It’s nice to know that Joel has another ally. Other than Jimmy and I, he doesn’t really have many friends.” Katherine said.

“Wh- Hey!” All the girls, Lizzie included, burst out laughing again. Even Jimmy, who had remained silent up until then, snorted. Katherine looked behind Lizzie to the smaller fish hybrid, and smiled.

“Oh hello there Jimmy! I didn’t see you there. How have you been?” She offered another kind smile, waltzing elegantly over to the little cod and taking his hands.

“I’ve been fine. Nothing too exciting has happened recently. Nothing you don’t already know about, anyway.” A shadow crossed over his face, as if there was something he wasn’t saying. Lizzie frowned.

“Oh… did Xornoth…?” The fairy trailed off, but everyone else seemed to understand what she was asking.

“Yeah. They did.” Jimmy confirmed. The air around them suddenly grew solemn, as the mood dropped, all cheeriness gone. The queens all looked distinctly uncomfortable now, and Joel was staring resolutely at the floor.

“I’m sorry, who’s Xornoth?” Lizzie asked, confused. No one answered her at first, causing her to furrow her brow. “Who’s Xornoth?” She repeated.

“It’s… well they’re… you see Lizzie, it’s a bit complicated…” Joel started, obviously trying to ease her into something she wasn’t going to like. 

“Xornoth’s a demon.” Jimmy said bluntly. “They showed up around six months ago and have been spreading corruption everywhere.” 

“We convened an emergency meeting after multiple people started seeing them.” Pearl popped in. “Katherine, Gem, and Fwhip have all been having weird nightmares about them, about being used as test subjects by it.”

“They seem to hate water, because they’ve avoided the ocean like the plague, and tend to stay away from lakes and ponds and rivers.” Shrub added.

“And you’d think that’d make Jimmy the safest out of all of us, but for some reason none of us understand, he’s been targeting him the most.” Katherine finished. “That’s actually something I wanted to ask you… have you noticed any weird… red material around your empire?” 

Lizzie hummed, tapping her chin in thought. “Maybe once or twice around the giant lily pads. But it’s been easy enough to clean up, and we place sea lanterns there just in case to keep any evil away.”

“So it can spread over water…” Gem muttered, pulling out a small notebook and pen and jotting something down. “We weren’t sure how it was traveling, or what could stop it.” 

“I’m trying to develop an antidote for it, but it’s slow going, and still in very early stages.” Katherine said. “Fortunately, it’s pretty slow spreading for most of us, but in some places it’s better than others.” 

“Well… that’s certainly concerning.” This might have been a mistake. Then again, the corruption had already reached her kingdom even without exposure… “Do you think that people can carry corruption with them?” 

Shrub’s fists clenched, and she quickly hid them in the folds of her skirt. Guilt very quickly flickered across her face, but it was gone in a moment. Lizzie was careful not to make any indication that she noticed, but that definitely started ringing alarm bells.

“No, it can’t.” Gem answered quickly. “The only person who can carry it around or spread it is the demon. And it just… naturally spreads over time. It’s no one’s fault that this happened.”

The words almost seemed… directed at someone. But again, Lizzie let it slide. These were things she could figure out later, now was not the time.  

It seemed that Queen Katherine had had enough of this particular conversation, because she clapped her hands together and cleared her throat. “Ah! Never mind all of this. It’s your first Gathering! We shouldn’t get bogged down by these things. Not tonight, at least.” 

Katherine bounced right back to the warm energy she carried, as if she hadn’t looked absolutely devastated five seconds ago. “It was a pleasure to meet you, Queen Lizzie. Should you ever need it, you can always call House Blossom to come to your aid.” 

“And you as well, Queen Katherine. The Ocean Empire is always open to you.” Lizzie turned to the others as Katherine led Jimmy away somewhere else. “The same goes for the rest of you. I hope we can all be good friends.” 

There was a chorus of agreements, and Lizzie looped her arm back around Joel. “Let’s go meet the others, shall we? Who’s next?” 

~

“You were right, Count Fwhip certainly is interesting.” Lizzie collapsed onto her bed. “How is it possible that he manages to come off as unhinged and yet in complete control?”

Joel laughed. “I don’t think anyone has ever summed up Fwhip so perfectly before.” He sat down on the chair next to one of the windows. “Did you have a good time?”

Lizzie nodded. “It was… really nice to meet everyone. You have good taste in allies, too. Katherine is lovely, she seems like a like minded individual.”

“Oh? And why is that?” Joel asked, resting his head in his hand as his elbow sat on the arm of the chair.

“She’s very kind, but I can tell, there’s something more there. I have no doubt that if someone were to threaten her allies, she wouldn’t hesitate to completely obliterate them.” Lizzie thought that was rather obvious. There was something dangerous behind the flowery queen’s eyes. “In fact, all the queens are like that. I look forward to getting to know those four better.” 

“Well, you’re not wrong there.” Joel conceded.

“The Codfather seems like a promising alliance.” She continued. “He’s got quite the charm, doesn’t he?” 

“Huh. Charming is not what most people would describe him as. But I’m glad you like him, he is very easy to talk to. Probably the most open out of all of us, for better or worse.” 

Lizzie nodded. “You said that Pixlriffs is a close friend of his as well?” When Joel nodded, she rubbed her chin. “Then I suppose I’ll have to get to know him better.”

“Good idea. Pixl is quite a powerful ally to have. Any thoughts on the rest of the Wither Rose Alliance?” He asked. 

Lizzie tilted her head to the side. “Sausage and Scott? They’re… I don’t know. There’s something off about Sausage. I can’t tell what it was. It’s just a gut feeling. My fight or flight instincts are triggered by him. Scott seems pleasant enough. But he doesn’t really seem to be on the best terms with Jimmy, or you for that matter.” 

“Actually, Jimmy and Scott are on pretty neutral ground. Not strictly enemies, but definitely not allies.” Joel shrugged. “There’s definitely something going on between the two of them, that goes deeper than just a surface level rivalry. Some people have even started speculating about a romance.”

“Romance? Maybe in a past life .” Lizzie rolled her eyes. “Whatever their relationship is, I’m pretty sure it’s not that. ” 

“Oh? And why are you so sure of that? Are you an expert in love?” Joel smirked. Lizzie opened her mouth, but realized she couldn’t reply. She wasn’t really an expert, what did she know about what love looked like? The only person she’d ever had feelings for was… right in front of her. 

Damnit, why was hiding her emotions so hard for her? All it took was one compliment to turn her into a flustered mess. Joel seemed completely oblivious to it, even though he turned as red as she did whenever she returned the favor. 

“I guess not. Touche” She said instead. She still didn’t believe it, but then again, she didn’t know them very well. 

Joel got up out of the chair, and moved over to her. “It’s pretty late, so… I’m gonna head to bed now. I’m glad everything worked out.” He reached out and brushed a strand of her now loose hair behind her ear. She had taken out her bun as soon as she got back to the room, in order to brush it. “I still can’t believe you’re actually here.” 

His hand moved to her cheek, and Lizzie leaned into it. “I can’t either. It all feels so surreal. Every time I go to sleep, I feel like I’m going to wake up back home.”

Joel chuckled, but fell silent. Lizzie stared into his eyes, the ones that seemed so strange to her, yet now were familiar. She always felt like her eyes reflected the ocean, deep and unending, but Joel’s reflected the Earth. Warm and comforting and safe. She loved the way looking into them made her feel. 

Joel leaned down, so that their faces were just inches apart. She let out a breathy, nervous laugh. It would be so easy to just lean in and kiss him, to put her lips on his. To tell him exactly how she felt about him. But for some reason, she just stayed there. 

As if Joel had read her thoughts, his eyes fluttered close, and he closed the distance. Suddenly, the world became muted. Everything around Lizzie faded, except for the man in front of her. 

Kissing him was nothing like the few other kisses she’d shared. Maybe it was because those always lacked real emotion behind them. Perhaps it was something else. But just like everything else about him, Joel’s lips were warm.

He broke away far too soon, in her opinion, and the two of them stared at one another for a few moments, neither breaking the silence that had fallen. Then Joel’s eyes widened, filling with panic, and backed away. 

“Oh- oh my gosh, I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me, I didn’t even ask you if it was okay. That was so stupid I’m sorry Lizzie I wasn’t thinking I-”

Lizzie cut him by grabbing the fabric of his shirt and pulling him back in. The first time around had been soft, gentle, and questioning. This one was passionate, fierce, and confident. It only took a few seconds for Joel to relax into it, and wrap his arms around her shoulders.

When she eventually released him, and he pulled away again, both of their faces were fully flushed, and they were breathless. 

“You don’t have to apologize. I’ve looked forward to this day more than you could ever imagine. ” Lizzie said, echoing Joel’s words from a week ago. She pressed her forehead against his, letting all of her emotions wash over her. 

“So have I.” Joel responded. They smiled at one another, and for another few minutes, they remained there. But eventually, Joel pulled himself away and got up. 

“I should go now.” He said, fiddling with her thumbs awkwardly. Lizzie laughed, and shook her head.

“Alright. Goodnight Joel.” 

Joel smiled softly, and turned towards the door. “Goodnight Lizzie.”