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king-paimon · 28 days

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Houseki no Kuni Chapter 107 Thoughts: Goodnight, Sweet Phos...

Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay with this post. I originally intended to finish it and post it on Wednesday, but you know.... life happened.

Another month has gone by and now we're on our second to last chapter for Houseki no Kuni. That's right; it's been confirmed that the next chapter will be the last chapter. Can you believe it? If you've seen my previous posts, I'm sure you have an idea of how I feel about this news.

But that'll be for the end of this post. For now, let's talk about this chapter! I don't know how long this one will be, but I'll still warn you that it might be longer than intended, which is the norm for me. This post is a bit too messy for my liking so I might end up making some edits to it later. For now, I just want to have it posted.

As always, please feel free to share your own thoughts in this post! Here we go!

Visual Storytelling Through Change in Style

The first thing I want to talk about is the visuals for this chapter. It greatly contrast with the visual style of the previous couple of chapters. In those chapters, the art was loud, intense, and chaotic, and yet mesmerizing and immersive. The heavy use of black, sharp lines and patterns emphasizes on the harshness of the changing environment. And in many of those page, Phos looks so small, as they are literally being consumed by their surroundings. Even though there were many panels where Phos, Eyeball, or the pebbles are the focus, the background is still very overwhelming in comparison.

Now contrast that with most of the visuals in this chapter. Most, if not all, of the intense visual motifs from the previous chapters are gone; no sharp patterns, black is subdued significantly, and the background isn't overpowering the characters.

The intensity of the visuals were cut back significantly and were traded in for simplified line art, heavy use of the white negative space, and soft hues that make everything airy and dream-like. This is especially true during Phos's sequence. I like how there are very few thick continuous lines in the artwork. These illustrations are mostly made up of light, loose broken up short lines that create abstract structures. And I like that as the regression continued, Phos's design simplified to the point that they were just a small abstract face.

This art style literally and metaphorically showed us the deconstruction of Phos. It's so simple, and yet so impactful.

This is also the case for the last two pages.

The change in visual tone does a nice job emphasizing the literal and figuratively change in scenery. To be more specific, the drastic art style changes can symbolize the final metamorphosis of the remaining characters and the story itself. With Eyeball and the pebbles, the style emphasizes how they've transitioned to a whole new place in a literal and allegorical sense. And with Phos, they're style does the same by emphasizing on the deconstruction of their being during their final moments.

I apologize if what I said was confusing (I also got myself confused for a moment haha) But I'll just end this section with this: I liked the art in this chapter.

Now then, we should jump into the meat of this chapter....

Phos's final curtain call.

Phos Can Finally Rest...

Like I stated before, I found Phos's pages really beautiful for different reasons. In terms of visuals, it's nice seeing some softer imagery after having nothing but sharp, chaotic ones. And story wise, it's nice to see Phos finally letting go and feeling fulfilled.

They are finally free, for real this time. Free from heartache, pain, existing. Phos is no longer held back by the sorrow they had been carrying, and they are free of regret.

They are finally at peace.

And would you look at that? We got to see Pho's original face one last time. And they were happy.

Good for them.

Before going to the next section, I want to quickly talk about this page:

When I first looked through the spoiler tag for the previous couple of chapters, I remember seeing some posts from people who seemed unsatisfied with how the story progressed. From what I understand, many of them didn't like that Phos decided to forgive the remnants of humanity. With this latest chapter, I'm sure there are fans who were also not happy that during Phos's final moments that they are thinking about wanting to see their old families again. I can understand the sentiment, though I'm not surprised with this development.

Despite everything that had led the story to this point, Phos did not hate their old families. Yes, they harbored malice towards them during different points of the story, and it would have been justifiable for Phos to punish them along with the other remnants of humanity came to them to pray. But instead, Phos chose to forgive and free them.

I originally saw Phos's actions as their way of finally cutting ties with their families and relieving themselves of the emotional baggage that they burdened them with. But it's been hinted for a while that despite everything, Phos still loved their families. And the fact that Phos wishes they could see them again solidifies this fact.

Though I can't say if I like this revelation or not, I still find it interesting. But again, I can understand if some readers disagree with Ichikawa's writing decisions. If you have your own thoughts about Phos's final moments, please feel free to share them!

But regardless of everything, I still think this was a wonderfully fitting send off for Phos.

But I'm not done talking about Phos just yet.

And Start Anew...

I'll admit that having the first image I see be Phos's last gem piece shatter was not the welcoming image I wanted to see. For a moment, I thought my hope that there was a chance the small piece of Phos would grow sentience and live a new life was shattered (haha.)

But hooray, for that theory became a reality! Despite Phos's last piece breaking up again, a small bit remained and is evidently showing signs of life. It was wonderful how the pebbles immediately recognized that small piece as their brother, showing once again how open and welcoming their are. Small Phos is so lucky.

And how ironic is it that this Small Phos is considered the smallest, (in some ways) youngest, and most fragile new member of this new family... much like how Phos was with the gems at the beginning of this whole story. (I know that Phos was the same height as the other gems, but because of their makeup and position within their society, Phos can be considered less significant or "smaller" than everyone else)

Hm. With that thought in the air... I hope the parallels end there and this doesn't mean that this small and untainted piece of Phos won't be subjected to a similar treatment of their predecessor, right?

...right??

Nah, it should be fine....Unless Aechmea somehow comes back-

Created Their New Path: Final Act of Defiance?

The second to last thing I'd like to talk about is this page because it had me thinking about few things.

It made me think back to the previous chapters, namely the crazy, nearly perfect plans perpetuated by Aechmea and the Lunarians. It's been emphasized many times how calculated Aechmea's plans were, especially when it came to Phos. He nearly predicted every action Phos would make and kept planning and manipulating accordingly until things go the way he wants. And in the previous chapter, it was also heavily implied that he and the other remnants of humanity counted on Phos, Eyeball, and whatever new organisms they came across, to get onto the Dues Ex Machina ship. In some way, they predicted correctly.

But now I must ask these questions:

Did they also count on the possibility of Phos not entering the ship?

Did they also count on Eyeball switching off the ship's autopilot, manually controlling it, and subsequently crash landing it on a planet that more than likely wasn't the original destination?

For these questions, I want to say no.

It's interesting how even though at this point in the story, both Eyeball and Phos seemed resigned to the fact all of their actions were a result of them being manipulated, even after the perpetrators were long gone. But funny enough, I think that their very last actions were entirely their choice. For Phos, staying on the planet and ceasing to exist was entirely their choice. And for Eyeball, choosing to meddle with the ships settings to grab Phos's last gem piece and boost the ships' output. I don't think Aechmea counted on Eyeball doing that. If Eyeball is correct and they did pass the planet that Aechmea had possibly prepared for them, then this means that Eyeball had in many ways changed the trajectory of his and the pebble's lives, albeit unintentional. This could all mean that are all finally free from Aechmea and his long-game, 4D chess plans.

Phos and Eyeball have finally and truly defied Aechmea and humanity.

...BUT THEN AGAIN.. there's always that dumb chance that this was ALSO somehow part of Aechmea's plan. I highly doubt it, because that would be very ridiculously convoluted, even for this story. But then again, you never know with this author.

But for the sake of this post, I want to believe Phos and Eyeball came out on top in the end by intentionally and unintentionally forging paths that wasn't previously made for them. Even though Phos's final choice was somewhat influenced by the professor, it still felt like it was truly their decision.

I hope this doesn't unravel somehow with the final chapter.

Speaking of which-

The Final Stretch...

I can't believe it. This story is about to end. We'll finally almost done and what a journey it has been. I can't believe I started getting into this series almost over 6 years ago. Many things have happened since then, and during this time, this story had sent me on such an emotional rollercoaster. Though there are many things within the story that I wish was different or handled better, I still think this was a very wonderful and thought provoking story.

Now Ms. Ichikawa has to stick the landing. This could make or break this series.

After everything you put us readers through, I hope the true finale will be worth it.

#houseki no kuni #land of the lustrous #hnk #hnk spoilers #hnk phos #hnk spoiler #lotl #hnk meta #lotl spoilers #hnk analysis #hnk chapter 107 #hnk phosphophyllite #hnk manga #hnk thoughts #story analysis

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skyler10fic · 1 year

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Visibility

When Carol and Daisy try to get involved in a cliquish corporate LGBTQ group full of gossipy gatekeepers and walking queer stereotypes, Daisy teaches them a lesson in queer inclusion and decides to bring more bi visibility to work.

Trigger warnings for office diversity and equity group social dynamics and measuring up to their standards of queerness. IYKYK haha

Read on Ao3

Submitted for @ficwip Tiny Ship Fleet Fest!

—--------

Traveling back from a work trip on the Sunday after Thanksgiving was hell. The busy airport was draining Carol of the last bit of her energy. The noise and lights and stress of travel grated on her nerves as she rolled her suitcase toward the exit. At least she was on her way home. The train would take half an hour, and then a bit of a walk from there, but at the other end, Daisy would be getting home from work around the same time she arrived.

Her Stark Industries coworker, Lee, had been sitting next to her on the plane and walked alongside her through the terminal. They offered to drive Carol home so she could surprise her wife by being home earlier than anticipated.

It’s only been six months since the wedding, so Carol still thrilled at people calling Daisy her wife. Carol gratefully agreed, and they crossed through the hallway outside the bounds of airport security. But when she looked up, those plans were no longer necessary. There, in the open area on the other side, was her beautiful Daisy, looking anxiously for her in the crowd.

Carol beamed and waved, and Daisy’s smile bloomed at she saw her.

“There you are,” Daisy said as she wrapped her in an embrace that relaxed Carol immediately. All the tension and noise of the airport and poorly timed travel faded as she held Daisy once more.

“I missed you so much,” Carol said and kissed her. “Exactly the surprise I needed today.”

Lee spotted them. “I guess you won’t be needing a ride, then.” They winked and waved goodbye, thanking Carol one more time for her contributions on their work project, before disappearing into the crowd.

“The drive home might take a while,” Daisy warned. “Traffic is pretty bad. Do you want to stop somewhere for dinner first?”

“Yeah,” Carol agreed, just now noticing her hunger since Daisy mentioned it. “Maybe it will clear up by the time we’re done.”

A cold rain had started in the time Daisy had been inside the airport, so they opted for a nearby pho chain. The cozy, quiet restaurant and warm broth did wonders to restore Carol, so she was ready when Daisy asked how the trip had gone. They had texted and shared a few brief goodnight calls throughout the week, but Daisy wanted the real, full debrief.

“I, uh, I think this contract is going to work out,” Carol answered, nodding as she stirred her soup. “They seem to be really on board.”

Daisy furrowed her brow. “Why do you say it like a funeral announcement?”

Carol sighed. “Everything about these guys pissed me off. They were constantly talking over us and only listened when we said things came from Rhodey or from Tony himself. They made jokes about Pepper being too hot to be president of a company. One saw my ring and asked if my husband was okay with me being away so much. Another hit on the waitress in every restaurant. It was gross and weird, but they really liked the project and are willing to put millions into it, so we did what we were there for.” She shrugged, resigned to the situation.

“God, that sucks. I’m sorry.”

Carol felt a twinge of guilt for complaining, a feeling that was becoming familiar over the last few days. “Honestly, I had it pretty easy. Lee, though...” Carol shook her head. “I don’t know how they kept things so professional. They were constantly misgendered the whole time. They kept correcting these guys, but it didn’t matter. I was furious for them, but they said it happens all of the time, even back at the office.”

“That’s awful!” Daisy scowled. “I had no idea.” The waiter came by the refill their drinks and check on them, giving Carol time to watch the same guilt she was feeling come over Daisy.

Carol took a sip of her soup and then said out loud what she’d been wondering. “Maybe we need to get involved. At work.”

“Involved how?”

“There’s a group, an advocacy group, that meets at lunch. Lee told me that some of the group can be intense, but it is trying to make changes like this. We could help.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

Knowing that Daisy was with her on this lifted Carol’s spirits further. A miserable week away—working through and traveling over a holiday weekend—was ending with something positive after all. They couldn’t solve all of the prejudice in the world, but at least they could raise some awareness and help their fellow queer coworkers feel heard and supported. Sure, coming out and marrying Daisy had cost Carol her already-strained relationship with her parents, but she had had it comparatively easy professionally. Aside from some heteronormative assumptions and industry-standard sexism, of course. But she had handled those all her life. In a company with corporate Pride events, in a diverse part of the city, in a liberal state, the homophobia she encountered in recent years had been mostly confined to rude comments and awkward social interactions. She’d never had to do the work her nonbinary and trans colleagues had to do, and what was worse, until now she’d never been all that aware of what they were up against even in a comparatively safe part of the country. But down in a red state in a conservative STEM bro enivronment, seeing Lee’s courage challenged her. Especially knowing Lee faced it back home in their own “welcoming” office as well.

Carol resolved to chat Lee at work on Monday and ask both how she could help and how she could support Lee personally in their project with these contractors. She wasn’t optimistic they would see much change, much less an apology, but the important part was that Lee knew they weren’t alone.

—----------

Daisy fully supported Carol’s good intentions, but the reality turned out to be that the advocacy group’s December meeting fell on a day Carol and Lee had a follow-up video conference with the contractors and project leads. It was also a year-end pizza party celebrating all they had done that year, meeting in an unfamiliar maze of a building, which made Daisy feel even more awkward about going alone.

But, moved by Carol’s words and her own guilt at not being aware of the issues their own community faced within their company, Daisy went anyway. Free pizza, at least, she reasoned. Couldn’t go wrong there.

She mingled hesitantly, picking at her pizza slice while these coworkers who knew each other well chatted and laughed over inside jokes and ate their salads, hardly touching the pizza boxes on the table in the corner. Daisy couldn’t help but notice all the model-thin and beautiful white women and nonbinary 20-somethings who looked like they had stepped out of a fashion catalog.

“Hey, mind if I sit by you?” she greeted a few coworkers she recognized sitting at a conference table. They welcomed her politely but immediately turned away to continue their conversation.

One gay man she remembered from a company Pride video last year looked at her in curiosity. “This is your first time, isn’t it?”

Daisy smiled in relief that someone was no longer ignoring her. “Guilty! Sorry to just come for the party. We really do plan on getting involved in the next year.”

“We?” a woman from marketing with a stylish short haircut asked. But Daisy didn’t have time to answer. An enthusiastic man in a pale pink suit plopped down and started a conversation about some hot new show Daisy hadn’t seen. Decidedly shut out, Daisy slipped away to grab another slice of the neglected pizza.

“Daisy?” She turned around to see her former teammate at the next pizza box over. “It’s been a long time!”

“Wow, Dedra!” Daisy blinked and tried to recall the last time she’d heard from her. Daisy had been just a college intern when they’d worked together, and Dedra was a tall butch woman with a friendly voice but an intimidating amount of talent at the top of her field (and several hobbies). She led taught workshops at the major data privacy conferences, won various 55+ senior division athletic competitions, and had an office covered in photos of her Harley in gorgeous destinations all over the US and Canada.

“Didn’t expect to see you here,” Dedra said. “Not that you can’t be, of course, we’re open to all. Just surprised.”

“Yeah! Trying to get more involved,” Daisy explained. “I know I probably should have been around before. I honestly didn’t even know about any of this until last week.” She looked around at the room. She noticed a few were sneaking looks in her direction. Sure, it was hard to come into an established social group, but she saw how their tight friendships probably made them a force for good.

Dedra tilted her head. “And you got married since we last talked?”

Daisy showed off her ring proudly. “I did! Last June. I know, I know, a June wedding, very original,” she joked. “We literally went to Pride on our honeymoon. Well, accidentally. It is a long story.”

Daisy’s queer bonding humor fell flat as Dedra looked even more puzzled. Instead of asking to hear the story, Dedra asked, “Now, remind me, is your husband’s name Fitz? That guy in engineering and dev, right?”

Daisy nearly choked on a bite of pizza. “No,” she coughed. “No, Fitz is a friend, but he’s married to Jemma.”

“Oh!” Dedra handed her a napkin. “That’s right. Jemma was a medic for our Pride parade last year. My road trip girls and I rode our bikes in it. Well, regardless, we’re always grateful for ally involvement. You’re always welcome here.”

Daisy took a moment to process what Dedra meant, but by that point, Dedra was pulled into another conversation. Instead, Daisy returned to the long conference table and picked at the remaining bits of pizza on her plate. The people closest to her glanced at her but continued their conversation about social media influencers she had never heard of and queer in-group/out-group politics. She had to admit to herself, this party was not exactly what she hoped.

“So,” the marketing woman struck up a conversation with her again from across the table, “what made you want to come to our group? Digital or print?”

“Sorry?” Daisy pulled herself from her thoughts to focus on the question.

“It’s a bit of a competition,” the woman explained. “I did the digital promotion and Andy did the posters by the coffee stations. What was most effective for you? Or do you have like a gay kid or something?”

“Neither,” Daisy admitted. “I heard about it through my wife, who heard about it from her coworker, Lee?”

Daisy hoped mentioning Lee would be her ticket into this community, the way knowing a member of a club granted entrance into it. Alas, her attempt at bonding failed again.

“Wait.” The woman tapped the arm of the man next to her, and he turned around to pay attention, as did those next to him.

She didn’t take her eyes off Daisy, however. “Did you say your wife?”

“Yes?” Daisy noticed the group was staring with a bit too much interest, like they were hungry lions and she was their next gossip prey. One of the men left the group and whispered to another, who came over.

“We had a little debate if you were one of us or not,” the marketing woman explained. “But I knew it. Allies never shut up and you’ve hardly said a word.”

“But,” one of the younger men of the group spluttered, “she doesn’t LOOK like a lesb—”

“Okay,” Daisy sighed and got up from the table. She was done with this clique and their speculations and assumptions. She raised her voice to the room. “Hi. Hi everyone. My name’s Daisy, and I’m bisexual.” She realized it sounded a bit like she was joining Alcoholics Anonymous, so she added, “My wife came home from a meeting with some contractors recently who treated our nonbinary coworker with disrespect, and they said it was normal here at the office too, and we just wanted to do something to help. They said you guys did that kind of work here. So. That’s why I came.”

The room stared at her as her speech ran out of steam. Some of them started clapping hesitantly, unsure if she was done or if this was a round of introductions of some sort. Daisy felt her face grow hot and the only thing she could think of to do was get out. She waited a bit, hoping someone would reassure her she was in the right group, but eventually they all returned to their conversations. Time seemed to resume after being frozen. She threw away her pizza plate and walked out, heart racing and breath shallow after that experience.

She didn’t get far before Dedra caught up with her. “Oh Daisy, I’m so sorry.”

“It’s fine, you didn’t know,” Daisy dismissed. She took deep breaths to get her emotions in check.

“They can be a tough crowd, but they really do some good work when they aren’t butting into each other’s personal business for entertainment.” Dedra rolled her eyes in frustration. “Don’t let them get to you, though. You’re right. That’s what this is supposed to be about. Helping each other.”

Daisy stopped in an empty hallway before she got herself lost in the labyrinthine building. “How can I if all people can talk about is if I look queer enough to be ‘one of them’? I mean, I’m bi, I get this isn’t just me having this problem, but I guess I thought—”

Dedra smiled kindly. “You thought marrying a woman would stop the erasure. Yeah, I get that.”

Daisy frowned. “You’re like the queen of butch. What, do they judge you for not being in a softball league?”

Dedra laughed and joked, “No, though I do have to be seen at the hardware store once in a while, just to keep up my street cred.” She winked and continued more seriously. “Daisy, my wife is very feminine and loves it. She had kids with her ex and she drives a minivan, and not a single person at the spa where she works would assume she’d be with someone like me if they didn’t know her. But she’s just as much a part of this community as I am. And you are. You don’t have to fit their ideas of ‘gaydar’ or who is enough to belong.”

Daisy rubbed her neck where tension had built. “Yeah, and it’s not even about me to begin with. Carol and I wanted to get involved because she saw our coworker facing stuff we never have and we realized we’d had it pretty easy here. And she’s had it harder than I have. My whole family supports us. I guess I just wanted everyone else to have that too, or at least not have it be a concern at work.”

Dedra placed a gentle hand on Daisy’s shoulder and looked down at her with empathy. “That’s admirable. But you also deserve that same support and community too. I have to say, a lot of people I think you’d like were missing today. Some trans, some asexual, some more bi folks. You’re not the only one who has felt uncomfortable with that dynamic.” She jerked her head toward the conference room where the party was breaking up. “Our meeting in January is more focused and will have a different tone. Maybe try it again? And bring your wife too. Maybe between you two and Lee and I, and several others in the group who feel the same way, we can make a real change around here.”

Daisy considered it. “I’ll talk to Carol. Maybe I’ll see you then.”

Dedra nodded and walked down the hallway toward the elevator to return to her office. Daisy faced her next challenge: how to get out of this building and back to her own.

—----------

Carol’s heart sank as Daisy recalled the story for her that evening as they waited for their dinner to cook.

“I’m so so sorry.” She leaned against the counter and covered her mouth in horror as Daisy paced the kitchen.

“Dedra says we should go back, but I don’t know. Do you think she’s right that we can really make a difference there?” Daisy paused and checked the roasting pan in the oven.

Carol tried to stay focused on the question instead of the way Daisy’s butt looked bending over in those pants.

“Oh, we’re going back,” Carol insisted. Daisy stood up and walked over to Carol, who pulled her close. “I have some ideas.”

Daisy raised an eyebrow. “Be nice. Some of these people hold a lot of power in the office.”

Carol laughed. “I didn’t mean anything like that. You’ll see.”

Daisy parted her lips to ask for more details of this plan, but Carol used the opportunity to kiss her and they stayed distracted by each other until the oven timer beeped.

—--------

The next day, Daisy had a meeting just after lunch. Carol waited until she knew Daisy would be out of her office and snuck in, even using the back stairs so she wouldn’t walk past the glass conference room the meeting was in. It felt very spy-like until one of Daisy’s coworkers said hi casually.

“Sorry, I think Daisy’s in the big meeting.” He pointed down the hallway. “But they should be done in another hour.”

“Oh, no, it’s fine.” Carol held up the plastic bag she was carrying. “I just have something to drop off for her.”

“Aw, bringing her lunch. That’s sweet.” He held up his empty coffee mug. “Off for a refill. See you later.”

Carol looked around to make sure no one else was coming and closed the door to Daisy’s office behind her.

Taking items out of the bag one by one, she replaced Daisy’s company-issued pen holder with a sparkly rainbow-handled mug they never used at home because metallic paint kept it from being microwave safe. Once all the pens and such were inside, she placed a small bi flag in it and adjusted it to stick out just right, then admired her work. Carol drew a heart on a notepad and wrote her name after it. She never wore lipstick except on the most formal of occasions, but she’d do anything for Daisy, so she sighed and applied a thick layer before pressing her lips to the piece of paper. It wasn’t bad, actually. Not quite like the movies, but definitely kiss-shaped.

She left the note in front of the pen-holding mug and moved their wedding photo on Daisy’s desk next to it. Before she left, she checked the decorative mirror on the wall and used a tissue to wipe the remaining smudged lipstick off her lips.

She closed the door behind her so Daisy would see it before other random passersby and could choose to keep the little display or not. She thought about texting her there was a surprise waiting but didn’t want to interrupt her meeting. The closed door would be a tip-off that something was up.

Carol prayed she was making the right call. She knew Daisy better than anyone and was fairly certain it would make her smile. As far as she knew, everyone on the team who might come into Daisy’s office was well aware of their marriage, from those who had merely seen the photo on her desk to a few who had even been at their wedding. Still. Daisy should see it first and be the one to decide.

She heard Daisy’s voice from down the hall: “Yeah, I’ll grab it and be right back.”

Carol ducked around the corner and hid out of sight.

Daisy paused when she saw her door shut, but then opened it and went inside. After a few nervous seconds for Carol, Daisy laughed.

“Lashawn!” she called to the man Carol had talked to earlier. “Come look at this.”

Lashawn peeked into Daisy’s office and laughed too. “I saw her in here earlier. I thought she was bringing you lunch. I was so jealous.”

“You mean you’re not jealous of my mug?” Daisy teased, standing in her doorway.

“That is adorable,” he admitted. “It’s even got your little ugly flag in it.”

“Uh, my flag is gorgeous, thanks.” Daisy defended. Then she called down the hall in Carol’s direction. “You going to let him talk to your wife like that?”

Carol poked her head out around the corner. “Hi.”

Daisy laughed. “Thank you for the surprise.”

“You like it?” Carol came out of her hiding place and walked toward them. “How did you know I was there?”

“Superpowers.” Daisy shrugged. “And I saw your reflection.” She tapped the glass of the window in the office door.

“Ahhh.” Carol nodded. “Caught me.”

“And yes, I like it. Was this your idea from last night?”

“That and being insufferable newlyweds at the next advocacy group meeting.”

Lashawn chuckled. “Y’all are too cute. I can’t handle it. Bye, Carol.” He returned to his office, leaving them in the hallway outside Daisy’s door.

“I really have to get back to my meeting. I just came back for this report.” Daisy dipped back into her office and grabbed a file. “See you tonight.”

She looked around to make sure the coast was clear and pecked a kiss to Carol’s lips. Office PDA was frowned upon, but no one was watching anyway to be bothered by it.

That afternoon, Carol tried to stay focused on her complicated equations and research but then a text came in.

DAISY: “Keep the lipstick. I have an idea for tonight.”

The text was followed by four emojis: a wink, a lipstick stain, a bed, and the three water drops.

Sexting at work was even more frowned upon than PDA, so Carol simply responded with the overheated red face emoji, the lipstick emoji, and the heart-kiss-blowing face emoji.

How Carol was supposed to focus on work with visions of Daisy covered in lipstick stains dancing through her head, she didn’t know. Luckily, she only had a few hours at the office left to go.

—--------

After the meeting, Daisy tried focusing on her email inbox, but her eyes kept floating to the note Carol had left. She finally slipped it into her desk drawer where it would be safe and not tempt her to think about her plans for the night.

“Hi there!” The cheery greeting from Linda the office admin made Daisy jump. She turned in her chair to face the woman at her door.

Linda continued, “Do you happen to know my stapler might have hopped off to? No worries if it took a little trip in here, just trying to locate it and bring it on home.”

“No, sorry. Hope you find it though.”

“Thanks, sweetie. Hey, can I ask, what is that for?” Linda pointed to Daisy’s bi flag.

Daisy was prepared for this inevitability of being more visible and responded, “It’s a Pride flag, like the rainbow one, you know? This one is specifically for bisexuality.”

“Oh? Huh. Okay. Okay.” Linda seemed to be having a revelation so Daisy gestured to the chair next to her desk. Linda sank down into it. “I have a 15-year-old,” she began. “I’ve been seeing that symbol on her things lately. It started with a button, then a patch on her backpack, then a T-shirt with a cat with those colors.”

Daisy listened as Linda shared. “Has she said anything to you about it?”

“No, I tried to ask, but I may not have had the best approach. I hadn’t dreamed it would be a, uh, Pride-y thing.” Linda blushed a bit. “I was worried it was some sort of drug symbol, so I might have offered to get her help with whatever it was, or if there was any pressure that her friends were putting on her... Now I realize that sounds, well. But you know me, I’d never! It’s just they are always warning us to watch for the drugs. If I’d known, I would have been happy for her, honestly.”

“Ohhh. Yeah.” Daisy grimaced. Still unsure of how to handle Linda’s regrets, she encouraged, “You should tell her you have a coworker who is bi and ask her again. She may not be ready to talk about it, but at least let her know you’re not going to try to change her and that you’re accepting.”

Linda nodded and swallowed. In a small voice, she asked, “This is so embarrassing, Daisy. But I’d rather ask you than put that on my kid coming out to me. What does bi, uh, bisexual, mean, exactly?”

Linda’s earnest desire to be a supportive parent, albeit a clueless one, shone through her vulnerability. So Daisy took a deep breath and answered.

“Well, mostly it means that someone is attracted to more than one gender. So for me, sure, I had crushes on boys, but I also discovered in high school that I like girls too. At first, I was so scared, but my parents assured me that it was okay. They didn’t love me any less if I dated girls, and dating boys wouldn’t make them love me more. Whoever I bought home was welcome regardless of their gender. And then in college, I met Carol.” She picked up their wedding photo and showed Linda. “But, even married to a woman, I’m still bi. And she supports that. Clearly.”

Daisy picked up the little flag as evidence. She waved it playfully at Linda, who took it and contemplated it a bit. She handed it back to Daisy, and Daisy stuck it back in her rainbow mug.

Linda leaned in and whispered, “I haven’t told anyone this, but I did wonder if my daughter had a crush on her best friend. She mentioned the other day if they didn’t have boyfriends in the spring, they should go to prom together, but that’s so far away! And the way that she looks at her friend too, it makes sense now.”

Daisy felt like she was getting somewhere. “There you go, maybe she does and maybe she doesn’t. But I know from experience, having parents who were there for me through all of it made all the difference.”

Linda took a deep breath and stood up. “Thank you, Daisy. This meant a lot.”

“Sure thing. Good luck! With that, and with the stapler.”

“Oh! Right.” Linda had completely forgotten about the stapler by now. She jerked her thumb to the door. “I better go find that. Two dozen conference registration forms to send out before the end of the day.”

Linda bustled out of Daisy’s office and down the hall, stopping briefly at each office.

Daisy sent an amused look to her bi flag. “You are doing your job, I’ll give you that.”

The office heating system came on, fluttering the flag. Daisy, however, imagined it was a wave of pride.

—----------

While there was great satisfaction and pleasure in covering Daisy’s body in evidence of her kisses, and Carol was mutually rewarded in turn, the grand finale of the week’s saga wasn’t limited to giving Carol a sexy use for her previously neglected lipstick.

On Friday night, they headed out on the town for their friend Piper’s birthday at a queer dance club.

“Aw, there’s the old married couple now,” Piper called as she spotted them. “Get these two some drinks.”

Carol had to admit, the old married couple comment wasn’t far off. If it hadn’t been Piper’s birthday, they probably would have canceled to spend the night in, recovering from the last two weeks. Carol was already looking forward to tomorrow, a simple, quiet Saturday in with just the two of them. For the night, though, they were good friends who brought a gift and a card and their readiness to party the way Piper wanted.

As the night dragged on, the alcohol flowed, the music entranced them, and the dancing in the club grew decidedly more sensual. Carol had to admit, now that she was out on the floor with Daisy dirty dancing against her, she was glad they had come to the party. A dude behind Carol tried to grab her hand and entice them to dance with him.

“No thanks,” she shouted over the music and brushed him off. “I’m with her.” She pointed to Daisy, who wrapped her arm around Carol’s lower back possessively.

“Mine,” Daisy claimed with a naughty smile. Carol captured her lips before they resumed dancing. When they did, Carol had the sensation of someone staring at them. She was afraid it was going to be the man, but it was an entirely different group at the edge of the dance floor. Fine, if they wanted a show, Carol would give it to them. If they were shocked by queer couples, they were in the wrong club. She let her ring-clad left hand slip down to Daisy’s butt, and Daisy rolled against her in time with the music.

Some of those staring gestured with their drinks in Carol and Daisy’s direction as they talked amongst themselves. Another pulled out their phone and took a picture when they thought Carol wasn’t looking. This was clearly personal. Carol stopped dancing and Daisy turned to follow her gaze.

“Oh my GOD,” Daisy sighed in exasperation.

“Do you know them?” Carol shouted.

“YES.” Daisy rolled her eyes and pulled Carol off the dance floor toward the group. When they arrived at the gawkers, Daisy greeted them with fake enthusiasm, “Hey! Good to see you guys. We just met the other day. I’m Daisy, remember?”

“Is this your wife?” one of the gay guys who hadn’t believed her asked in awe.

Carol showed him her ring but kept the other arm firmly across Daisy’s shoulder.

“Is this gay enough for you?” Carol shouted as the music crescendoed.

“What?” the guy shouted back.

“Is this gay enough for you?!” she shouted louder just as the music dropped out completely.

The club went wild, thinking it was a party cry. Someone shouted back, “Say it again!” The DJ complied from the mic, “Is it gay enough in here tonight for you, Club Q-ties?!”

The subsequent screaming made it hard to hear anything else. Daisy was laughing, which made it worth it, but Carol was still mad at how the group had treated her wife at their meeting. She and Daisy walked away from their rude coworkers, and they returned to Piper’s table to say goodnight and grabbed their coats. As they reached the exit, a few of the advocacy group members followed. In the quieter night air, they spoke up.

“Hey, we just wanted to say sorry,” one of them started, “for, well, everything tonight and the other day.”

“When we saw you two tonight,” another, one of the youngest, spoke up, “we realized how dumb it was that we were trying to guess who you were based on how you looked at work. Obviously, like it’s work, so…” The sentence hung in the air unfinished, but they got the gist of where it was going.

“Here’s the thing, though,” Daisy replied, “I’d still be queer even if I married a guy. You know that, right? I’d still be bi. Maybe some people you assume are ‘just allies’ are actually part of the community too. Maybe you don’t know their gender based on their work style. Or maybe they are bi or pan or ace or whatever. You see people all the time and just assume…”

Carol noticed a small audience was forming of people leaving the club stopping to listen to Daisy’s speech.

“Being part of this community isn’t about a haircut or what influencers you follow or living up to some bullshit stereotypes or trends that are going to change in a year anyway. We have to support each other as our whole selves. And that means those of us who aren’t just white. Or those who aren’t skinny or don’t look gay on the outside.”

Some of the crowd that had gathered clapped and a plus-sized Black woman said, “Yes, preach!”

The coworker group had learned their lesson and apologized again before heading back into the club. The rest of the crowd turned to listen to the Black woman, who continued where Daisy had left off. Carol and Daisy stayed for a while agreeing with those discussing, but the December night air chilled them to the bone. Eventually, they waved goodnight as the crowd grew and the discussion got drunker and more passionate. “EGG-ZACTLY!” someone shouted and hiccuped loudly. Carol and Daisy giggled as they walked away.

“Oh my god, what a week,” Daisy exhaled as they rode the subway home, leaning on Carol, who held her close.

“I think you were wonderful,” Carol mumbled into Daisy’s hair.

“This is all your fault,” Daisy teased. “You and your damn good heart.” She patted Carol’s chest a little too low.

“Me? You’re the activist one now. You could be the next influencer. Maybe it will be your article they are all gossiping about, hm?”

Daisy snorted. “I don’t know about that. I am pretty happy just being me.”

“I love you being you.” Carol emphasized the “love,” so it was directly in response to Daisy’s “me.”

“I love you too,” Daisy replied happily and cuddled in close to her wife’s side. At one of the stations, a busker played “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas,” and Daisy remembered how gay used to mean happy. If there was one thing they were good at by now, Daisy mused, it was making the yuletide gay, in both meanings of the term.

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