What's this story about? "Lauren wanted to go out hiking; nothing special, just to admire the forest. She had also brought a new camera, so she can luckily photograph a nice deer or moose here and there, maybe even a few birds. She just wanted to refresh her mind.

Lauren's combat boots stomped gently across the forest, cracking sticks and rustling leaves in the process. She firmly gripped her camera, and had her backpack slung over her shoulders, hoping to find something good to take a picture of.

Lauren stopped her walking when she saw a deer, teetering on its slender, frail legs and looking cute as ever. She quickly held up her camera and slowly walked up to the deer just to not scare the animal off. With a click of a button, she snapped a photo of the deer, the picture sliding out of the camera. The picture was black at first, but when she slightly shook it back and forth, the picture started to fade in of the deer. For sure she was gonna tape that to her wall decorations.

She put the picture in her backpack and went on with her trek. Satisfied, she strolled through the forest with a bit more enthusiasm. 

***

She continued to walk throughout the forest for a few minutes, taking photos of butterflies, bunnies, moose, the usual, common stuff. But this wasn't common. Lauren came across a creek with a beautiful waterfall. But a little someone was there too, sitting on a big rock. Lauren stepped closer, and saw that it was a creature. But not any creature, a creature with wings. Its wings were white and medium sized, an aura of glitter surrounding them.

Lauren examined the creature, and was captivated by its ethereal beauty. It had coiled, bouncy brunette hair, followed by a homemade flower crown on top. For its appearance, there were pointed ears and a pointed nose, smattered with freckles. It had bright, doe lilac eyes and thick lashes, with a set of plump, little, heart-shaped lips. For its clothing, it was all just leafy. A leafy top, supported by a drawstring so it won't fall off, and a leafy hula garment on, heavily resembling a skirt. 

With a pitter-patter sound of Lauren's boots, the creature turned its head.

Oh god.

Lauren gasped a bit now that the creature acknowledges her presence. Lauren stepped back a bit, hoping that she didn't bother the creature.

“No, don't go!” The creature uttered gently in an accent.

Can it talk?

Lauren let out a sigh of relief. The creature started flapping its wings, and flew over to Lauren, leaving a trail of glitter in the process, sitting down on the grass.

“What are you?” Lauren questioned.

“A fairy.” 

A fairy? Lauren had heard about fairies when her grandmother told her folktales about them when she was a child. Lauren was truly perplexed by the sight. The fairy wasn't tiny like in the children's books, but she was the height of the average female, though Lauren was taller for a woman.

“You guys are.. real?” Lauren raised an eyebrow.

“You humans, so dumbfounded and clueless..” The fairy said with a dismissive hand. Lauren was a bit taken aback by the fairies sassy response, but with the fairies' pretty appearance, she expected it.

“What's your name?” Lauren asked.

“Annika.” She said casually.

“Mine’s Lauren. And, by the way, that's such a European name,” Lauren bantered.

“Well, I am Scandinavian.” Annika defended, rolling her eyes. 

“Ah, I see. Explains the Norwegian accent.” Lauren replied. 

Lauren still couldn't believe it; believe that she was talking to a fairy. A very pretty fairy. They admired each other in silence, but they both could tell there was tension between them. And Lauren wanted to break it.

“What brings you out here?” Lauren suddenly said after a while, breaking the silence.

“Got a bit carried away from home. I usually don't stray away this far.” Annika explained, her wings drooping from relaxation.

Lauren nodded, relating to the fairy. “Yeah, this creek is pretty beautiful, so I understand fully.” 

Lauren decided to sit down after not doing it when Annika sat, being too lost in thought with Annika’s beauty. Annika scooted next to Lauren, being a little too close to her. Annika smiled, being comfortable with a human for once.

“Can I touch your wings?” Lauren requested.

Annika nodded, and that was all the consent Lauren needed. Lauren slowly brung a hand up to Annika's wings, caressing them with care. 

Annika squirmed and giggled from the sheer sensitivity, the feeling familiar to tickling, but soon relaxed from Laurens soft hands touching her wings. The delicate membranes throbbed and fluttered, spreading out slightly from the affectionate touch.

“It tickles, huh? Well, would you like it if I did this?”  Lauren playfully challenged, stroking Annika's wings rapidly.

Annika laughed from the touch, and lowered to the leafy ground, her wings twitching. Lauren followed her on the ground, their faces mere inches from each other. Lauren stopped the tickling, and they both started panting, smiling widely as their breaths fanned their faces. A faint blush crept up on Annika's cheeks, adorning her face an adorable shade of pink.

Their laughs faded away, and were soon replaced by intimate, breathy giggles. 

Annika nodded, but Lauren didn't quite get what she meant, but with a guess, she indicated that it was consent. So with that, Lauren helped Annika off the ground, and slowly closed the gap between them.

It finally happened.

Lauren pressed her lips against Annika's in a passionate kiss, both of their lips soft, but Annika’s was softer, and even had a taste. The natural taste heavily reminded Lauren of cherry lollipops. Annika sighed into the kiss, her wings spreading out fully, and the veins in them somehow changing shades into a myriad of vibrant colors; pink, blue, purple, green, etc.

When Annika sighed, her body relaxed even more, allowing Lauren to deepen the kiss, her small hands placed on Lauren's waist.

After a while, Lauren broke the kiss, leaving them both breathless, followed by playful giggles.

“Wow..” they both said in unison.

***

Lauren and Annika had intimate conversations with each other for hours, Lauren talking about her human life and hiking finds, and Annika talking about her interactions with other fairies and her life, moving on from that amazing kiss. They didn't notice it yet, but the sun was beginning to set, yet they ran their mouths forever. Eventually, they grew tired, and Annika rested her head against Lauren's abdomen, them both resting against the ground. Her wings fluttered slowly in the moonlight, reflecting a soft glow in the ambiance. 

With their bodies pressed soft against each other, they both accidentally fell asleep in the forest, Annika snoring quietly.

***

Lauren cracked her eyes open, and it was now morning, the canopy of the trees covering the sun slightly.

Annika also woke up, remembering remnants of the other day with Lauren.

“How'd you sleep?” Lauren asked, her voice groggy from sleep.

“Good. Especially with you, Lauren.” Annika signed contentedly. 

Lauren hummed in response.

After an hour of talking about yesterday, Annika stood up slowly, and Lauren did so too.

“Well, I better get going, Lauren. My parents are probably scared to death over me.” Annika announced.

“Will I ever see you again?” Lauren asked, her voice laced with concern. She genuinely hoped to see this fairy again.

“Whenever you decide to come to this forest again, I'll check here everyday to see if you come or not.” Annika assured the taller woman, her wings flapping to get ready for departure, kissing Lauren on the cheek.

“Okay.” Lauren nodded.

They both said their farewells, and with that, Annika flew off to her cottage.

Lauren was ecstatic, she couldn't believe all of this happened in just the span of a day. She sighed happily, walking back to her car. She was definitely excited to meet this fairy again.

They were truly girlfriends.

***

A day later, Annika flew to the same creek. The same stream where she kissed her lover. But, there was one tiny problem: No sign of Lauren. Annika's wings drooped from the realization, and her smile faded. Don't get her wrong, she wasn't a wimp; she wasn't going to cry or anything, she was better than that. She wasn't able to call Lauren, but Annika assured that Lauren was going to come back tomorrow, and so she started to fly back home.

Lauren was at her job at a pretty nice mall downtown, and she was in charge of taking people's orders at a popular fast food chain at the food court. The pay was well, and the job was easy, but she was growing bored. She wanted this shift to end, and she was overthinking about Annika. Was she gonna get mad at her since she didn't show up to the forest? Get severely disappointed? The emotional turmoil started to scramble her mind.

She didn't wanna work, she wanted to be with a fairy. Her fairy. Hold her gently and listen to her soft humming, the sight of Annika's smile with her glowing lilac eyes crinkling at the corners kept replaying in her brain, and Lauren was quickly in la-la land over it. 

Suddenly, Lauren jolted and yelped at a customer's voice speaking to her, immediately snapped out of her daydreaming, straightening up her red work uniform and flashing a bright smile. Never a genuine smile, though. That smile is only for Annika's eyes.

When Lauren's shift ended, she walked to her car and got inside, putting it into drive swiftly, her hands gripping the steering wheel gently but firmly.

While driving, Lauren put on a random tune by the band Oasis, her fingers lightly tapping the steering wheel with the tempo. She hummed softly, her eyes glued to the empty road. Lauren really wished she could contact the fairy. But at the time, she unfortunately couldn't.

Once Lauren got to her apartment, she took a nice, hot shower, and clad herself in baggy pajama pants and just her sports bra, collapsing over the bed and putting the comforter over herself, looking directly at the ceiling and sighing, Annika’s mischievous, yet gentle voice replaying in her mind.

***

Lauren jumped from the dreadful sound of her alarm clock, turning it off with a lazy move of her forearm and croaking; her vocal fry being most noticeable in the morning. She sat upright, running a hand through her black, disheveled hair. She blinked like a frog, feeling slightly tired. She walked sluggishly to the kitchen, making breakfast. It was nothing spiffy, just avocado toast and a cup of coffee.

She went on with her morning routine, doing stretches to loosen up her body, continuing a few chapters of a novel she discovered at a Barnes and Noble, going on a quick walk, just the usual stuff.

Annika, on the other hand, woke up, bathed herself, went outside her cottage and strolled across the forest, collecting honeydew and blackberries with a wooden basket to eat. Once she collected a fair amount to eat, she popped a few berries in her mouth, and saved the rest for later. She was a bit thirsty, but she was guaranteed she was going to have something to drink later. She continued to walk throughout the forest, her wings fluttering gently.

***

Lauren was finally ready to meet Annika again. Lauren dressed up in a black band shirt of the thrash metal band, Megadeth. The shirt had the cover art of their album, So Far, So Good… So what!. For her lower half, Lauren invested in some denim shorts. She put on a silver necklace with a heart charm, a beaded wooden bracelet, and the cherry on top being black and white Converse sneakers with white socks, her hair being tied up in a messy bun, and aviator sunglasses resting on her forehead.

She packed up on a small amount of food and drinks: two jugs of Yakult, and a moderately sized case of salad, putting the food in her backpack. She also put her camera in it to take photos like the wildlife enthusiast she is. She drove to the forest, her backpack sitting in the passenger seat. blasting an upbeat indietronica song with her windows rolled down, happy to see her lover.

Once Lauren got to the forest, she parked her car and slung her backpack over her shoulders. She walked to the creek, setting her backpack on the grass, but there was no sign of Annika.

“Annika!” Lauren called out in a booming voice.

Annika then heard her recognizable voice, too busy admiring the forest. She flapped her translucent gossamer wings, and flew to the creek, her hand gripping her wooden basket.

“Hi!” Annika replied, seeing Lauren sat on the grass in a criss cross position. She went back on her feet and sat on the grass next to Lauren, capturing her in a genuine, yet short kiss, that same taste of cherry lollipops, this time mixed with sweet berries with a hint of tang of her lips, intoxicating Lauren.

“Hey, Annika. I'm so, so sorry I didn't show up yesterday. I was busy with work.” Lauren apologized, looking down on the grass like she was guilty of something bad. 

“Hey, hey..” Annika flew behind Lauren, kneeling and her wings drooping with concern. She then rested her head on Lauren's shoulder, brung her soft hands to Lauren's chin, cupping it and bringing it up to make her avoid looking at grass with a look of regret. “It's perfectly fine! I know you humans have to make your currency somehow.” Annika said reassuringly in that enthusiastic voice of hers.

“I knew you'd understand.” Lauren wrapped an arm around Annika, resting against her for a moment and peppering soft kisses over Annika's temple, making her wings flutter and spread up, those vibrant colors coming back and filling up the veins of those translucent, white wings. After a lighthearted moment, Annika pulled back and flew to her sitting spot across from Lauren.

“I like your outfit, what's that on your shirt, though?” Annika inquired, her curious, yet cute expression making Lauren fold in a heartbeat.

“Oh, it's just cover art of the album of my favorite band,” Lauren replied instantly.

“What’s a band?” Annika asked.

“It's a group of usually four people, and they all play music with instruments. There's different bands with different genres of music.” Lauren explained.

“Ah, I see,” Annika acknowledged.

“Let me give you an example,” Lauren said, zipping open her backpack and pulling out her phone and a set of headphones. Lauren then turned on her phone and clicked on a music app. Annika's eyebrows furrowed at the gadget Lauren had. She had never seen a phone before, but she assumed it was a communication device for humans.

Lauren had found a song for Annika. Without a peep, Lauren put the headphones above her head, covering her pointed ears. 

“This song might be a little heavy for you, but I think you'll like it.” Lauren said to Annika, and Annika smiled in response.

Lauren's finger hovered over the play button on the song, looking at Annika for approval. Annika nodded, and that's when Lauren pressed play on her phone.

The noticeable opening guitar riff for Megadeth’s Holy Wars… The Punishment Due filled Annika's ears immediately, making her yelp in surprise, never hearing a symphony of something a tad bit loud and fast before. At first, there was an unreadable expression on the fairies face, but when the drums of the song came in, she started bobbing her head slightly with the tempo, smiling widely.

“I knew you'd like it!” Lauren yelled, making sure Annika heard her over the headphones.

“I love it!” Annika yelled back, her fingers tapping on her thighs in time with the fast-paced drumming.

Once the vocals kicked in, Annika playfully giggled, loving the intensity of the song so far. When the guitar solo during the song happened, Annika started gently headbanging, her brown hair creating a curtain over her face.

“See, you're a natural!” Lauren called out.

When the song ended, Annika took the headphones off, handed them to Lauren and laughed, her voice filled with happiness. 

“By the gods, that was so good! Humans sure do have creativity!” Annika exclaimed, leaning in to capture Lauren in a hug. When she let go, she smiled meaningfully to Lauren.

“I'm glad!” Lauren gushed, satisfied she was able to successfully share her taste in music to her.

With that, Lauren continued to run her mouth to Annika about her favorite bands and music genres, and like the curious creature Annika was, she ate it all up.

When they were both done with their pleasant conversation, Lauren dug through her backpack, and pulled out her lunch; a salad, smattered with bacon bits and drenched in ranch. She also pulled out the two bottles of Yakult, handing one to Annika.

“Haven't eaten anything good in a while,” Lauren bantered, Annika giggling in response.

“What's this?” Annika held up the small barrel of Yakult.

“It's a Japanese milk drink. It helps with your gut. Peel the opening to drink it.” Lauren described. Annika's eyes then sparkled at the mention of milk. Fairies usually ate dairy and fruit, so it was good for her to have her fair intake of dairy now and then. Without saying anything, Annika peeled back the foil of the drink slowly, and took a testing sip. Annika licked her lips, and hummed in delight and swallowed, the sound like tiny bells ringing.

“Tastes good!” Annika sang out happily, popping a few juicy berries and honeydew from her basket in her mouth.

Lauren was captivated by how responsive and energized this fairy was, and she loved every second of it. One happy exclamatory word that came out of Annika's waiting mouth made Lauren melt inside, making her feel all gooey. Lauren opened the case of her salad, and took out plastic silverware out of her backpack, feasting on her meal.

***"