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Megan scowled as she stood in the entryway of the Lucky Cat Cafe. Outside, there was a constant downpour, and she really, really didn’t want to go home in that without at least an umbrella. She started to turn, figuring that she’d just ask to borrow an umbrella from someone, when she bumped into her girlfriend, Juniper.
“Ah -”
Juniper grinned, an unopened umbrella in her hand. “I saw you standing around like that and figured you’d want this.”
Megan chuckled. “Yeah, you got me… Thanks.” She held out her hand.
However, Juniper didn’t hand it over. There was an awkward moment where they simply stared at each other, both of them silent, as the sound of the rain washed over everything. Then Megan lowered her gaze, suddenly feeling shy as she blushed. It wasn’t as though she’d done anything wrong, right? She’d just wanted to get the umbrella…
“I was thinking I could… walk you home…” Juniper mumbled awkwardly. “I know your dad doesn’t exactly like me, but… Maybe if he sees how close we are, and that I’m being a good girlfriend to you, he’ll start to think about changing his mind.”
Megan snorted. “I don’t think so. You could probably save kittens in front of him and he’d still find a way to spin it as part of some evil plot.”
It would have been nice if her father cared less about judging people unfairly and more about the truth as it was… and more about the people Megan loved. But his approval, as nice as it would have been, didn’t matter to her. She was her own person, and she was free to hang out with the friends she wished, and to date the girl she liked. And her father, thankfully, couldn’t stop her.
“...Probably. But either way, I think it’ll be nice. And besides, I have a pretty big umbrella,” Juniper said cheerfully, brandishing it a little. “It’ll be fun!”
She giggled a little. “Alright. If you really want to, then let’s go. And, if anyone gives us trouble, you’ll be sure to protect me like a good girlfriend, right?” She winked.
Juniper’s cheeks went pink, and she stepped forward, opening up the umbrella. “Ahaha, of course, Meg!”
“Good,” she sniffed in a false-haughty tone, before starting to laugh.
Juniper chuckled a little, too, and then held out her hand. Megan took it with a smile, and they stepped out into the rain together, their hands clasped. It was a little cold outside, but her girlfriend’s hand was warm, and the rain battered uselessly against the big umbrella. So long as she stayed close to Juniper, she was content.
The sky was gray and dark, thanks to the rain, but even though the heavy rain should have made them both gloomy, as they started walking, Megan only felt cheerful. She had her girlfriend right next to her, and she’d even promised (albeit jokingly) to protect her. Juniper was being so sweet that she thought it would overwhelm her, like when she ate too many chocolate cookies in one go and the taste of them became sickening instead of welcome, and she’d need to wash away the taste. But she didn’t want Juniper to be washed away: on the contrary, she wanted to hold onto her hand forever, and the umbrella above was sheltering them both from just that.
They didn’t talk for a little while, but they didn’t need to. They were drinking in the fact that they were together in this world cast under the storm’s spell, where the only sound was drops of rain hitting the streets, where they had to step over puddles that rippled with raindrops and the traffic lights were blurred into light shows by the torrent of water. Megan would have snapped some photos, but she knew that any photos wouldn’t capture this moment properly, so she had to merely drink it in now, and commit words to it later, to describe with a thousand words to make up for the photographs she lacked.
San Fransokyo felt like an entirely different world, and Megan wondered if that was less because of the rain and more because of the person beside her. If so, then she thought that this was a world just for her and Juniper. And… that world was just for them, and nobody else.
She squeezed her girlfriend’s hand a little, those overly sappy thoughts making her feel shy.
“Are you nervous…? Even though the rain’s getting worse, this umbrella is pretty sturdy. We’ll stay dry,” Juniper said softly.
Megan shook her head. “Nah, just got kinda lost in thought. No problems here.” She flashed Juniper a bright smile.
“Haha, gotcha. You know, though…” Juniper hesitated for a second before plowing on, “should I not come inside once we get to your place?”
“...I mean, my dad is… kind of a total jerk when it comes to you,” Megan admitted. “It’s not that I wouldn’t want you to come inside and dry off, but…”
“Sorry…” Juniper mumbled, looking at the ground as they walked. “Mama and I made some mistakes that we’re still making up for.”
Megan squeezed her hand again - this time not for herself, but for Juniper. “It’s not like that. And besides, you’re already making up for them. You’re doing community service work…”
“Yeah…” she agreed weakly.
Megan wasn’t going to take her girlfriend getting so down over something so silly, so she tugged on her hand, to make the other girl pause in her step and look at her. And then, leaning up a little (curse Juniper for being taller than her), she gave her a soft kiss in the rain.
“You’re doing great,” she whispered. “Don’t let people like my dad get you down.”
Juniper’s eyes widened, and she nodded. “Yeah! You’re right.” She grinned. “I’m not going to let him stop me from being awesome.”
Megan giggled. “And I’m not going to let him stop me from dating an awesome person.”
“Meg!” Juniper protested, her face going red. “I mean, I agree that I’m awesome, but still,” she muttered, fidgeting a little with the umbrella. “Give a girl some warning next time…”
Megan giggled, and kissed her girlfriend again. Juniper was being so cute today that she couldn’t resist.
“Ah, Meg, you’ll make me drop the umbrella…!” Juniper complained.
That only made Megan laugh even more. “Ahaha, you’re not going to drop it!”
“I might have, though! You really surprised me!” Juniper protested.
“But you didn’t~” Megan said smugly. “Now, c’mon. I need my big, strong girlfriend to escort me home.”
Juniper’s face went from a light pink to redder than a strawberry. “Right!” She nodded vigorously. “I’ll be escorting you home.”
“Thanks.” Megan gave her girlfriend a bright smile, and Juniper smiled back.
Whatever the future had in store for them, so long as they could face it hand in hand like this, trusting in each other… They would definitely be fine. Megan believed in that, even when the future seemed uncertain sometimes. Because she trusted their friends, and she trusted the girl she loved.
As they continued walking, the rain didn’t let up. But at the same time… sometime soon, it would, and they’d be able to see a beautiful rainbow. For the sake of that rainbow, Megan didn’t let go of Juniper’s hand. Because she wanted to see it with her.