Chapter Text
[Day 3 - Morning]
There's a gentle weight on her side when Zhizhi woke up.
It's a rare occasion for her to wake up before Tooth Fairy—the past two days when she emerged from the bedroom always saw Tooth Fairy already awake and waiting, casually flipping through a book and sipping through her morning beverage.
With slow blinks, she took in the situation.
Tooth Fairy was curled towards her, her chest rising and falling in slow breaths—an arm loosely circled around her back, above the covers, with her legs tangled around Zhizhi's own. The distance between them had diminished sometime within the night and Zhizhi tried not to squirm at the sudden position she had found herself in. The only thing that hadn't changed was that her fingers were still intertwined with hers.
Her eyes absently wandered over to Tooth Fairy's expression. There's a strange desire building in her chest to see Tooth Fairy's face—to touch it, to brush aside the stray hair that had fallen over her face, to kiss—
She blinked at her hand reaching so close to Tooth Fairy's face and she closed her eyes, quietly admonishing herself, instead letting it land in the space between them.
She jumped when the arm around her back tightened its hold. A small smile greeted her as she blushed and buried her head in the pillow. “Good morning, Zhizhi.”
Her name on Tooth Fairy's lips was making her heart do traitorous things. “Good morning, Tooth Fairy.” She mumbled.
A small chuckle; Tooth Fairy gently took their intertwined fingers and squeezed, almost teasing. “Did you want to do something?”
Zhizhi's eyes were drawn to their interlocked fingers and an idea popped into her head.
“I did.” She said, as she took her other hand and laid it on Tooth Fairy’s cheek. A familiar heat rose on her cheeks, but she's more distracted by the red that appeared on Tooth Fairy’s face. Both of them don’t dare to move.
Tooth Fairy tilted her head, positioning Zhizhi's hand to better cup her face. Zhizhi swallowed, stilling herself as she felt arcanum flow within the metal braces. “Zhizhi," Tooth Fairy asked, in a tone of worry and rare hesitation. "About what happened yesterday..."
Yesterday—there's a sense of gravity in the word. Belatedly, Zhizhi registered a slight headache and the dryness below her eyes from the tears. She recalled the last time she cried to such an extent was when she was hit with the realisation that she would never receive any more letters from her family back home. Perhaps, it was with that anxiety that she asked Tooth Fairy to spend the night with her, even if she never expected Tooth Fairy to join her.
Then, she noticed the faded imprints of tear marks on Tooth Fairy's cheeks and her mind came to a decision.
"Yesterday was intense for the both of us. I won't say that I am not curious on the specifics but I think it could be a story for another day." Her thumb brushed over the tracks on her cheek. "Are you alright? It didn't make you uncomfortable at all?"
"No. Not with you." Tooth Fairy said, some hidden tension slowly unwinding from her face. She closed her eyes, leaning against the hand on her cheek. It reminded Zhizhi of a cat nudging to be petted, causing the heat on her face to flare again, with a familiar unnamed emotion fluttering in her heart.
"What are you thinking right now?” Tooth Fairy asked softly, like a gentle stream leading her home.
You. Zhizhi thought, tongue tangled in her heart and mind. She must have been be staring for a while because Tooth Fairy gave her a look before rolling out of bed.
“Is there anything you'd like for breakfast?” She asked, doing light stretches that revealed the sight of her back. Zhizhi distracted herself by wiping the smudges off her glasses.
"Do we still have leftovers?" She asked, trying to recall if she finished their stored jiān bǐng from the day prior.
Tooth Fairy hummed in thought. "Last I recalled, you finished the rest."
“Then eggs, if you don’t mind.”
Tooth Fairy gave a small smile.
“Of course.”
As Tooth Fairy left to make breakfast, Zhizhi stared at her hand that had laid on Tooth Fairy's cheek. Tooth Fairy had felt so warm and it was in response to her.
“Oh.” Zhizhi said. A stream opening up to the rapids.
There was a vague plan in her head of spending the entire morning looking at her collected stack of scientific articles—because as much as she’s taken a step back from research, she’s still tangentially interested in the dynamics and change pertaining to her prior field. With the singular purpose to thumb through them in her free time, she had made herself comfortable on the couch, plucked a paper from the pile next to her; skimmed the cover, the contents and—
She's staring at Tooth Fairy.
Taking peeks at the woman as she was reading a book—her mind shuttering and starting again, like an old VHS tape with a distorted film. Images rewinding through her mind: the indulging, the conversations, the blushing. No matter how she tried to direct her gaze, the thoughts persisted. She meant what she said in her conversation with Greta—she hadn't intended to see Tooth Fairy beyond anything but a crush. Those had never lasted long and had often dissolved with time. With Tooth Fairy, however...
“Zhizhi?”
A blink as Tooth Fairy reached forward and Zhizhi was suddenly reminded of the first day—the warm press of her palm on her forehead vacating her thoughts in that moment, tunnelling in on the minute worry of the woman in front of her.
“Tooth Fairy.” Even with the wind knocked out of her lungs, she's close enough to see the subtle blush on Tooth Fairy's ears. Zhizhi cleared her throat, hoping to distract herself from the observation. “These three days have been about me. Is there anything you would want to do?”
Tooth Fairy only gave a small smile.
“Just being here with you is enough.”
Tooth Fairy flitted away and Zhizhi tried not to make her fluster obvious. Tooth Fairy's words kept turning over in her head.
Even if it wasn't obvious at first, she had experienced several types of worry, care and concern in the last few days. Vertin had skipped her classes to see her; Greta didn't have to come and say hello; and Tooth Fairy had been indulging in her requests that surely exceeded that of patient and caretaker.
It was because of her that they came and stayed for as long as they could.
Why? The curious scientist in her asked, alongside the child that always questioned. And she doesn’t have an answer to that.
Her eyes found Tooth Fairy again and another chain of questions popped into her head. She knows it herself that she likes Tooth Fairy. But it was something different if Tooth Fairy was the same. Never had Zhizhi considered that a crush could be reciprocal—there was never the time nor the place when she had to be consistent in her grades at college, or when she was building her career and sending the money to her family.
Now, she was no longer in college, she had built her career and currently, she was staring at the back of a beautiful woman. Someone who may like her back. By all accounts, an opportunity was here, right in front of her.
But why does it bother her so?
"Zhizhi?"
"Hmm?"
"You're distracted again. Not about work, I hope."
"No, it's not that."
Tooth Fairy stared at her before shaking her head. "Come, change your clothes. We're going outside."
"Another walk?"
"No. Something else."
[Day 3 - Afternoon]
The journey took twenty minutes of driving. Fifteen of those minutes had Zhizhi scratching her head at the destination and Tooth Fairy side-eyeing any pedestrian straying from the walkways. The remaining five saw Zhizhi silently pointing out her favourite parking spot and subtly speeding up her steps as she led Tooth Fairy through the centre.
There were small groups dispersed along the opened, high-rise stands—the circular nature of the seating curving an inward path for an easy view down, the sun's light additionally guiding their gazes to watch the players in their element and the ball bouncing across the court. A few curious glances looked at their direction and Zhizhi nodded an acknowledgement to those familiar to her.
It was not long until they were able to procure a private table of their own, especially since Zhizhi had recognised the area from a previous match between her and a few colleagues.
"I always wondered what led to the building of this place." Tooth Fairy commented, helping to set up the net. "It seemed out of place in the Foundation."
Zhizhi spun one of the paddles in her hand. "Well, it is relatively new. A few of the people in the Australian branch lobbied for sporting facilities to be built alongside the apartments when the Storm hit and its influence managed to spread to the other branches, including here. There was even plans for an annual sport festival, however there was quite a bit of opposition that stopped it from being implemented."
"What stopped it?" Tooth Fairy asked, accepting a paddle. Zhizhi bounced the orange plastic ball as she waited on her side of the table.
"Some business with the branches. Some of the people in the Australian Branch was caught under-fire for corruption, which ultimately damaged their proposal. Eventually, neither could budge with the standstill and the proposal fell through."
She nearly missed Tooth Fairy's darkened expression before it was schooled back into her neutral look. "I wouldn't have minded a sports festival. It would have been interesting."
The ball bounced on the table, echoing once, twice. Zhizhi looked at Tooth Fairy as she felt the ball returned to her palm.
"Ready?"
Tooth Fairy gazed back. "Zhizhi." Her name rung across the room. "Don't strain yourself."
Zhizhi inclined her head and served the first round.
It's a gentle back and forth, a measured rhythmic flowing from paddle to table; table to paddle, maintaining a slow and consistent pacing. A conversation without words—comfortable, casual and natural—drifted between them, with Tooth Fairy teasing her with the occasional far shot and Zhizhi easily returning her hits for the few that nearly sneaked past. There was a certain quiet that came with focus and for those moments, her brain was quiet, following her reflexes that was primed to the familiar back and forth movement, to the familiar conversation.
And per her reflexes, in the split second of her serve, her eyes flicked past the ball to Tooth Fairy.
Tooth Fairy—with a fond smile and the softest look—gazing right at her.
Her brain froze, instincts taking over. Even before she hit it, she knew she had put too much force into the pass.
"Ah."
The ball arced wide. They both watch as the orange ball rebounded off the wall and completed its rapid smaller bounces before stilling on the other side of the court.
"Zhizhi."
A sigh. "I know."
The paddle left on the table, she took a moment to catch her breath. Tooth Fairy silently passed her a bottle of water which she took gratefully.
"Is there a reason why you strain yourself?" Tooth Fairy asked, in the middle of their rest.
Zhizhi gave a confused look. "I thought we had this conversation before." Tooth Fairy shook her head.
"It was similar, but not quite the same. I confronted you on why you felt—I suppose 'undeserving' is the way to put it—of being cared for and you said you didn't know."
Zhizhi chuckled at the memory. "You said you were worried about me. I was surprised at that."
"Of course, I worry about you." Tooth Fairy told her fiercely and Zhizhi was temporarily enchanted, like she was on that first morning. She broke her gaze, instead watching the water swirl in the bottle as she contemplated the question.
"I think it is mostly habit." She replied. "I was given a golden opportunity to travel to another country and have my education sponsored. There was a lot of money riding on the opportunity, but it wasn't as different as my family's expectation. So I took on multiple things at once, convincing myself that I could use it somehow—that it would contribute in little ways towards my career. And it did help, to focus on something else besides home."
Tooth Fairy gave a small nudge and Zhizhi tilted her head to make space on her shoulder as Tooth Fairy leaned against her. A hand coaxed into another as they sat in comfortable silence, their breaths slowing in time with their heartbeats, only broken by the occasional sip of water.
It's only after watching the slow crawl of clouds cover the sun that Zhizhi stood up, dusting herself off before reaching out her hand. "Another round?"
Tooth Fairy stared at her hand before shaking her head in exasperation. She took it.
"Alright, one more."
Though she does enjoy autumn, a part of her never got used to sudden chill that came with the autumn breeze. So when she emerged from the room, in several layers of clothing, one thing she didn't expect was for Tooth Fairy to double-take at her appearance. She couldn't fault Tooth Fairy for staring—she had been staring at her for the past morning, after all—but she wondered what about her appearance made her stare so intensely.
“Is something wrong?” Zhizhi asked. Tooth Fairy shook her head.
“No, just…I never expected to see that sweater again.”
Zhizhi gave a confused expression, looking down at the large logo printed on the front. “I’ve worn this plenty of times before.”
Tooth Fairy shook her head. “I’ve only seen you in uniform, Zhizhi.”
"That's true but..." Zhizhi wrecked her brain for answers. If it wasn't the Foundation, the last place Tooth Fairy would have seen this was...
"Is this back at Rochester?" She had been one of the few exchange students to join her college's program that lasted a few weeks at at a medical college in Minnesota. She had seen Tooth Fairy around, and had even interacted with her once, though she wondered if Tooth Fairy remembered. They never knew its others names then. "I at least remembered bringing this sweater along."
Tooth Fairy put a hand on her cheek in thought. “That would have been in the tail end of summer and the beginnings of autumn. I didn’t think you had much occasion to wear thicker clothing.”
“Ah, you’re right.”
College was a blur for her—she remembered working herself to the bone, every inch of her schedule filled with work, study, club meetings and other commitments that had left her rubbing her eyes late at night in the library, stacks of books piled on top of each other and a cup of coffee accompanying her as a constant. She remembered saying to herself more than once that she’s lucky; that she should make the most of the opportunity handed to her; that she’s not the only one going the extra mile and she wants to go far, needs to go far.
Even in the exchange, she had kept the same routine—buckling down on assignments and lectures, tracking the amount of minutes passing before the next item on her schedule. Calculating the amount of sleep she needed to catch up on, and the obscene amount of coffee she needed to cut back on when she would finally reach the finish line in how many months time.
However, it wasn't without its moments of respite. Friends and colleagues had invited her along to club events, gatherings and the occasional road-trip—some of which she had been dragged along, with them citing it as a break from her studies. She never expected such moments when she was in the exchange program, so it was a surprise to experience a short period of warmth—she had counted six times of her waking inside the library, with a blanket slipped around her shoulders and a styrofoam cup of hot chocolate—warmed from an arcane skill—on the table in front of her.
“We’ve seen each other a few times, haven’t we? I just didn’t catch your name.”
Tooth Fairy hummed. “I would be surprised if you have. I wasn’t the most sociable back then. You, on the other hand seemed to be the talk of the month.”
Now, that had her intrigued. “Really? I recalled that my stay was only for two weeks.”
"It was hard not to hear things about you. Even then, it seemed like overworking was in your nature.” Zhizhi let the jab slid off of her. “Did you really join seven different clubs?”
“Twelve, actually." Zhizhi corrected. The ping-pong club, the board game club, the chess club, the international student club among many others. "I thought I should make the most of my time. Besides it’s not like I was able to join in the first place, I was just a temporary member.”
“Is that why you’re always passed out in the library at two in the morning?” The question slammed into her like the sudden shock of misplacing her notes in the lecture hall.
She flustered. “That’s, I mean, it was also the studying. I didn't know people visited the library at such a late time."
Tooth Fairy shook her head. "The librarian made a few exceptions for me. I often came in late to grab a few textbooks. Your lamp would be the only light on in the entire building."
Zhizhi laughed lightly. "I will say that's quite a coincidence to the kind benefactor that I was never able to meet. There would always be a blanket around my shoulders and a cup of hot chocolate on the table. Would you happen to know who it was?"
Tooth Fairy was focused on the mason jar in her hand.
"Tooth Fairy?" She fidgeted and something registered in Zhizhi's brain. She only ever recalled one other person having access to the library before, besides the librarian. She never caught their name but she knew they had that allowance. And if Tooth Fairy visited the library late at night...
The gears of her brain worked into place.
"Tooth Fairy." Zhizhi lightly scolded. Tooth Fairy turned the head to the side, eyes affixed on the wall. “I haven’t the slightest idea what you are talking about.”
"I recalled the cafes had closed at six. Did you make the hot chocolate yourself?”
Tooth Fairy sighed, glancing up for a moment. Zhizhi noticed the slight blush that appeared on her ears.
“It doesn’t have to mean anything.”
“Tooth Fairy—”
“It doesn’t.” Her braces were moving in a nervous manner. “Think of it as a junior’s admiration for her senior.”
She coaxed her hand into Tooth Fairy's and waited for Tooth Fairy to relax. They both stare at their intertwined hands as she searched for the words to say.
“I had been searching for the culprit when it first happened and I wasn’t able to find out at the end. I only regretted never saying thank you to my benefactor.”
"It wasn't much." Tooth Fairy muttered, a rare shyness in her voice.
"Yet, I still remember the small kindness quite fondly." Tooth Fairy glanced up and Zhizhi made sure she could see her smile. "Thank you, Tooth Fairy. Thank you.”
Tooth Fairy buried her head in her shoulder,
nearly missed a mumble.
“I should be the one saying that, Zhizhi.”
"I still have the blanket, if you want it back." Tooth Fairy shook her head, a small smile on her lips.
“It’s yours. It has been since I’ve given it to you.”
“Oh." Her heart does a little backflip. "Thank you.”
“You are welcome, Zhizhi.”
[Day 3 - Evening]
There was never such a thing as a 'quick' late night. Perhaps when she was younger, when there was a mandate for staying up late—but even those rules could be pushed and pulled when there's different company staying over. Friends of her parents chatting over, loud and raucous; friends of her own, stumbling their way back to their shared apartment at the dead of night and having weirdest conversations while their tongues were still loose from the alcohol.
With Tooth Fairy, it was no exception. Chatting away, leaning against the counter, Zhizhi peered over at the pot, popping a slice of mooncake in her mouth as she watched a mixture of shaved chocolate, milk, sugar and cream being dissolved—a shy request delivered as part of a late night snack. Tooth Fairy was humming a soft tune as she worked, and it was almost enough to quell the insistent pressing in her chest. She could hear the clock ticking loudly. Eight fifty-seven—ten hours left before she has to leave.
“Zhizhi.” Zhizhi blinked as she felt the heat of her cup pressed into her hands. "Your chocolate."
Eight fifty-seven. That's two minutes to nine. Two minutes until bedtime. She stared at her face looking back at her on the cup, as if mocking her.
"Zhizhi?"
Tooth Fairy looked at her, questionably. One minute, the minute hand echoed in her mind. She took a breath.
"Tooth Fairy. Can I quickly test something?" Tooth Fairy tilted her head.
"Is this what you have been distracted by since this morning?"
"It's a large part of it."
Tooth Fairy gave an amused smile. "You may."
Gingerly, Zhizhi placed a hand on Tooth Fairy's cheek, the same position it was in the morning. Tooth Fairy blinked in surprise and Zhizhi felt the rush of arcane energy emitting through the braces. She thumbed the blush that rose to her cheeks. "It's you. I've been distracted by you."
"Oh." Tooth Fairy said, stunned. Zhizhi continued.
"I've been obvious the last few days. I know I have. But I've wondered why you haven't said anything. How long have you been waiting?"
There was a knowing look on Tooth Fairy's face, as if asking for elaboration. "What do you mean?"
"There's the last few days—when you carried me to your room, or when you joined me to make yuè bǐng, or when I read my letters. But even before then, there's many instances of you going out of your way to visit me." Zhizhi felt the heat rise on her cheeks. “Was there something I was missing?”
“Nothing beyond a simple crush." Tooth Fairy said, making familiar motions with her hands. Zhizhi grabbed onto a nearby mason jar and passed it to Tooth Fairy, whose fingers latched onto the lid almost immediately. "It doesn’t have to mean anything.”
"Why didn't you say anything?" She asked softly. Tooth Fairy turned herself away.
"I didn't think you would agree. You were always so dedicated to your work. Much more than any other employee. Even if you had the same desire as I did, I thought you would still refuse."
Her hand wound its natural path to Tooth Fairy's, trying to provide some comfort.
"I..." She struggled against the deluge of responses that swarmed in her mind—admitting the accuracy of the statement was akin to a rejection and Zhizhi wanted to convey something else entirely. Seeing her fumble, Tooth Fairy quietly tugged her to the couch as she tried to find the words, her hand rubbing at her neck in frustration. Even as she spiralled, her mind can't stop thinking about one thing.
“I don’t understand. Why me?”
Tooth Fairy looked confused. “Pardon?”
“You said you," She stumbled over the word, "liked me. I don't understand why.”
A mirror of the first day; and there it was, that bright flame in her eyes.
"There are many little reasons." Tooth Fairy said, slowly. She sunk to her knees in front of her, making Zhizhi's eyes widen.
“When I first met you at my college, all those years ago, I was having a terrible day. I had been slighted multiple times for being an arcanist—unintentionally by the lecturer and with intent by some of the other students. I didn’t want to make any trouble so all I could do was clench my teeth and bare it. I don’t believe anybody knew why I was angry and if they did, they ignored it. They likely attributed it to my arcanist blood.”
Tooth Fairy chuckled humourlessly. Zhizhi laid her hand on top of hers and squeezed it. Tooth Fairy softened.
“I had no commitments that day and I needed a distraction so I explored the campus for a quiet place. It wasn’t quiet but I happened upon a very heated match of table-tennis—”
“Ping-pong.” Zhizhi interjected quietly. Tooth Fairy looked at her with a fond expression.
“—a heated match of ping-pong.” She amended. “I was curious at the size of the crowd. I even recognised some of the more studious medical students gathering around so I couldn’t help but look. I couldn’t concentrate on the game or how it ended, being in that haze of anger, but I heard rumours in the crowd that a foreign competitor in the exchange program had just defeated the college ping-pong champion. With a landslide victory, no less.”
“Many people wanted a turn against this exchange student. They were so eager. So loud and pushy. I remembered needing to do some breathing exercises to keep my arcane skill in check when they kept knocking into me. Then, a voice sounded out and the crowd parted. In front of me was this exchange student, a few years my senior. With braided hair, a college jumper and a paddle in her hand—the handle held towards me.”
"I offered you a game.”
“You remember.” Tooth Fairy said with subtle surprise. Zhizhi distracted herself, playing with Tooth Fairy’s curls.
“You were an unfamiliar face in a sea of people I knew. I wanted to challenge someone new.”
She unconsciously brushed Tooth Fairy’s bangs from her face. Her face burned. Tooth Fairy saw something in her face and continued, bolstered.
“You weren’t easy on me but you were not unfair. You made sure I knew the rules and steadied the pace, just enough for me to find my footing and to play the game. Eventually, my anger and frustration faded in the wake of adrenaline and focus—and roiling emotions became small enough for me to put it aside for later. I lost terribly in the match, of course, but I didn't mind. Especially since my competitor shook my hand and gave me a beautiful smile." nothing else more beautiful than the smile she's giving her.
"I believe that's when I had my first crush."
Zhizhi slowly moved forward and pressed her forehead against Tooth Fairy. She started softly.
“I admit. I never considered that someone would see me in such a light. I always thought I would be the constant third or fourth or fifth wheel in many of my interactions. Never the second. Certainly not the first.”
She closed her eyes. It was starting to sting.
“In a marathon, the only path I could focus on was forward and that was all I could see for a while. I am not focused in being the first to reach the finish line. It is just that looking forward helps when it’s a little…too much.”
She needed to do things as fast she could, as well as she could. There was a family who brought her over across land and sea with nothing but love and faith. They were waiting for her. She’d seen the cost of the sponsorship and had calculated their expenses for their daughter's education. She couldn’t bear to let them down, and by extension, she couldn’t bear to let herself down.
She had been too focused on home, on family, who was in an era no more.
“You neglect your health that way.” Tooth Fairy wiped aside her tears. Zhizhi gave a wry smile.
“I have a doctor to take care of me.”
“A doctor who worries about you.”
“Hah.” She laughed. They stay curled up in each other, in the weight of comfort, understanding and the softness of being seen. The marathon was still long and arduous but it doesn't need to be done alone.
“I like you, Tooth Fairy." Zhizhi confessed. "I would like us to mean something—for the both of us. But you know my schedule, you know my habits. Would you still be content if it is me? Would you be happy?”
A hand was placed on her cheek and Zhizhi looked up to Tooth Fairy's brightened gaze.
“Why don’t we take the chance together?”
They fell into bed together, their eyes following the other's movement—hands on the sleeve, the waist, the face—the longing no longer hidden as they found each other like they have many times before.
“Can I kiss you?” Zhizhi asked, her mind still stuck in disbelief. Tooth Fairy nodded and she leaned forward, meeting her lips. Gently at first, gauging Tooth Fairy's response before surging forward with a tinge of desperation. Tooth Fairy responded in kind, leaving her breathless with a pleasant buzz in her head.
“I can’t believe I stalled for this.”
Tooth Fairy gave a small satisfied hum in response to her grumble, removing her glasses and brushing the stray hair falling over her face. “It was worth the wait. I would have waited for much longer if you didn’t act.”
A kiss at the bridge of the nose. “I’m sorry it took so long.”
A kiss on her cheek. “I did't mind. The journey makes the end much sweeter in the end.” Tooth Fairy tilted her up by the chin and whispered. "And you're very sweet."
They traded a few more kisses, their legs tangled together, the blanket pushed to the end of the bed. Zhizhi closed her eyes, content, pressing her forehead to Tooth Fairy's.
“Did you enjoy the past three days?” Tooth Fairy asked softly. Zhizhi doesn't have to think hard on the question.
“Everything and more.”
Tooth Fairy hummed in acknowledgement, her thumb brushing at the space under her eyes. “I’m glad. Those bags under your eyes had diminished as well.”
Zhizhi would have stayed in the moment of that innocent remark were she not distracted by a few wandering fingers flirting at the edge of her sweater, brushing with the skin underneath. Fingers that trailed down her sides, leaving a thrill down her spine.
Tooth Fairy leaned forward, her lips touching the shell of her ear. "Can I?"
Zhizhi wrapped her arms around her neck. "Please."
She pulled the covers over them—their heads facing each other, resting on the same pillow. An arm around her waist, hair mussed, her eyes twinkling beautifully like stars in unrestrained happiness.
“Have a sweet dream.” Tooth Fairy whispered. Zhizhi closed her eyes, holding onto their intertwined fingers as the soft winding of a lullaby lulled her to sleep.
"I already am."
[Epilogue]
“I wished we had more than three days.” Tooth Fairy grumbled. She stood in front of her office, in her usual uniform and coat.
“Didn’t you fill out my form?” Zhizhi said, amused. Tooth Fairy brought their conjoined hands to her lips and she felt the imprint of her kiss searing itself onto her skin.
“I did try." Tooth Fairy said, dropping their hands to their sides. "I originally filled your form for at least two weeks of recovery. However, the Vice-President had happened to be visiting the office that day. Though she expedited the paperwork, she insisted on lowering your days of recovery. I intervened and before I knew it, she had roped me into compromising on a three-day leave instead of the aforementioned two weeks. I nearly called the tooth fairies over when discussing the terms."
Zhizhi vaguely recalled seeing a nasty crack that ran up the side on one of the mason jars.
"Then, let's arrange a date for the two of us." She said. "I still have a few days of vacation leave saved."
Tooth Fairy smiled. "I would like that."
She leaned forward, giving her a kiss before pulling away.
“See you tomorrow, Madam Z?" Madam Z smiled.
“Tomorrow, Ms Campbell.”