-Sophie was exhausted after the final exams were over. Over all, she did pretty well, only messing up a few times in elementalism, but sadly, her exams had finished early, and Fitz's hadn't. They had planned to light leap together to Everglen to prepare for Sophie's upcoming Winnowing Gala. Really it was going over the plans Edaline, Della, and Biana had stashed away and changing them so they were palatable. Sophie loved all three ladies, but they tended to get carried away with design and luxury when unleashed.

Currently, she was sitting on the floor against the wall of his multispecial studies room, leaning against the wall, her eyelids drooping. After she yawned slightly, she pinched herself, trying to stay awake. The exams had really drained her energy, but she still had to be awake enough to sort through the plans with her cognate. He was her number one after all. The very thought of it brought a small smile to her face and she closed her eyes, her power nap dreams filled with Fitz.

---

~Fitz finished his exam just before the last bell of the day rang, and stretched, satisfied, before walking out the door. As soon as he started to turn away from the room, he noticed that Sophie was fast asleep. He stopped, and just looked down at her for a second, chuckling to himself. Students started to stream down the hall in a rush, but Fitz barely noticed that anything was going on outside of the little bubble he shared with his cognate.

He slung Sophie's bag over his shoulder, over his, and bent down, scooping her up in his arms bridal style. Fitz then joined the masses of elves leaving Foxfire, who looked at him funny as he casually walked down the hall, carrying his cognate like this was a normal thing. Over the years, he had had a lot of practice carrying Sophie around- she had a nasty habit of getting into trouble as well as falling asleep in weird places after losing sleep for a few days. In all honesty the students of Foxfire should be use to this by now. Smiling from ear to ear, he marched out the doors of the school to the leap masters with a proud air about him that just read 'Sorry, she's mine', but he didn't know that.

When they arrived at Everglen,  Fitz snuck into the house, not wanting to be questioned, and not wanting to risk Sophie waking up when honestly, they both needed naps, just like Florence. Sneakily, he carried her up to his room, dropping their stuff by the door before kicking it closed. Fitz set Sophie in the midst of the wrinkled covers of his unmade bed with a yawn,  slowly taking her shoes off as exhaustion welled in his eyes like tears. Or were they tears for the need of sleep? He was getting to be so tired, he couldn't really tell.

He wanted to lay down next to her under the covers, but he still had telepathy practice to do. Nonetheless, he kicked his shoes off and tucked her in, his hand lingering on the blanket for a few seconds before he softly padded across the room to grab his telepathy book. Hearing a soft sigh, he turned around to see that Sophie had a small smile on her face. She was definitely a cute sleeper. Can sleepers be cute, or is that weird? Fitz didn't know, Fitz didn't care.

By the time he picked up his telepathy book and turned around again, he saw that Sophie had rolled over, and Fitz just gave up. He set the stupid textbook aside and made long strides to get to her. Smoothly, he climbed under the sheets next to her, having planned to give her space, but after about half an hour, when his eyelids felt like they were weighed, she rolled closer to him, in between his arms, but still a few inches apart so he could fall asleep admiring a piece of art.

---

+Finally, when Biana up the next morning at a reasonable time, she got ready for the day. She had been restless since she had figured out that she liked Dex, and had had so much trouble falling/ staying asleep that she decided to go see Dex the next morning, just to rip off the bandaid and get it over with. She was nervous, and dressed up in a white gauzy polyester-blend dress with a fitted bust with a romantic heart shaped neckline, and a skirt that draped down gently to her knees in rose petal like tiers. The dress was slim cut at the torso (so the skirt didn't bell out like a victorian era gown), and was defined by a very thin burnt sienna leather band around the circumference of her torso at the curve of her waist that occasionally flashed in the light as she moved. She paired the dress with ballet flats that matched the color of the thin leather belt of her dress, wore her butterfly earrings from the triplets with her lily locket necklace from Dex, and brushed her wavy hair three times before she had the courage to step onto the leap master.

When she arrived at the Dizznee household, she couldn't help but pace around the crystal platform for a few minutes before walking down the hall to Dex's door. Her face was bright red when she came face to face with the pattern of the grain of the wood. Was she really going to do this? Here and now? In the middle of everything in their lives? So soon? She hadn't known for very long, and had really known for even less time. Why was Biana here? Why was she taking this leap? With Keefe she waited for three years- why was she rushing this with Dex?

Maybe it was because she felt like she had wasted so much time pining over the chillingly blue eyed blond boy, and didn't spend enough time living her life? Maybe it was because she didn't want to let a good thing go? Maybe because he was the one she should have been in love with all along, and she didn't want for it to be too late- When Dex opened the door, her stomach dropped, because there was no turning back now... right?

"Hey Biana," he smiled, though anyone could tell he was confused as to why she was standing in front of his door without calling first.

The words started in her ribs, rumbling tumbling around her lungs as she breathed. Time, in her eyes, gradually slowed down. Seconds ticked by and she didn't meet Dex's eyes, trying to choose between fighting through it, or running away. Fight or flight- the basic need for survival, the wild thrumming of energy spontaneously singing through one's veins as it tries to make a choice between two entrancingly tempting options... Then it started. The words started spiraling up her esophagus until it was pressurized from elaborately desperate words into a powerful roar rattling her bones that screamed, "I love you!"

Biana clamped her hand over her mouth, feeling the color drain from her face and arms and chest and torso and it all dribble down with the color of her legs into her feet, through which the color sank into the floor. Did she seriously just say that out loud? From the shocked look on Dex's face, she supposed she did. His ears were bright red, and her brain kicked into overdrive.

"I... I mean..." suddenly shy, blood rushing to her cheeks, she played with a piece of her hair, keeping her hands close to her body and avoiding his eyes. "What I mean to say is- I didn't always know it, but I did- I do love you as more than a friend..." her voice trailed off for a second before it returned with hurried confidence,  "What I mean to say is that I didn't always understand what feelings meant and I- and I'm sorry that I'm here so unexpected and that the timing isn't right and that we're friends and I'm sorry this is so soon that that it's rushed and unprepared and imperfect and that I sound ridiculous rambling on like this-" She smiled, disbelieving the fact that this was actually happening- that it was actually real, "But my question to you is," her hopeful eyes met his frozen ones for the first time to find that they were trained on her own, "if you love me too?"

Silence followed her words and panic engulfed her words except for a small, "Well?" Her eyes welled with tears as she tried to find an answer in the dumbfound face of Dexter Dizznee. Biana didn't know how long she stood there quietly begging the world for him to give her an answer until she turned away, the tears starting to fly down her cheeks like birds in the spring air. Silence was the worst answer of all- though perhaps one of the most honest. Maybe that's why it hurt so much.

Biana barely made it two steps before a callused hand grabbed hers. "Don't go," he softly pleaded, and she turned around to see Dex's red tinged face still molded with shock was set with determination, "I'm sorry, it's just... I didn't think you'd admit it so soon."

Okay, now she was super confused and raised an eyebrow as he hesitantly, with a trembling hand, wiped away her tears like he was afraid to touch her, "What do you mean?"

Awkwardly, he scratched the back of his neck, and said, "When you came over to research, I found that page in the book you were reading while glancing over it."

Biana's heart pounded in her chest as her lips slowly began to form a questioning, "So..."

Taking a deep breath, he confessed, "I've loved you for a while now, and I didn't think I could ever have a chance... but when I saw that page... it gave me hope."

"Why didn't you tell me?" Biana was kind of hurt, but really, she was more curious than anything. How could he have been so patient when she couldn't? What did that mean for them?

"You were still figuring things out," shrugged Dex, who sort of leaned forward in a sheepish manner, "I didn't want to be a jerk and try and push you in my direction or pressure you into anything. I knew that you'd either get over me or realize the truth eventually."

Blinking, she asked, taking a small step closer to him, "You were going to wait? What if you had to wait forever?" Her mind hungered for the answer that was laying on the tip of his tongue.

"Then I'd wait forever," Dex whispered, his face hovering above her thanks to the height difference, his eyes looking through the twin windows of her soul, and hers looking right back through his. It was enchanting, especially when he said, "Good things come to those who wait, don't they?"

Giggling slightly, their faces only inches apart now- when did that happen? She commented, "That's so cheesy."

Dex gave a quiet breathy laugh, "Yeah..." There was a pause when they just looked at each other until he murmured the question, "Can I kiss you?"

With a small, yet confident smirk, all fears, worries, and troubles suddenly gone, she closed the gap between them, later swearing she felt fireworks burst in the air around them. Suddenly, they were fire, in sync, passionate, burning, in love, and when it was over, they just looked at one another and laughed, kissing again, then again, then again.

So this is love.