"Will you marry me?"

Nadia blushed scarlet. Of all the questions Alice could have asked, that wouldn't have been her girlfriend's first guess. "You... really..."

"I had this whole thing planned." Alice interrupted, rambling. "I was gonna take you to your favorite park and have a picnic date in the grove. I had a ring in the bedside drawer and was so scared you were gonna accidentally find it, but I still wanted the moment to be right. And you'd just said how well things were going with us and we didn't have to worry about money for a while. You know, we've been together 4 years, and I wanted to ask before, but I didn't want to move too fast. I mean, 'lesbian couple moving too fast' is a cliche, and I don't want to feel cliche. But still, I know this is right, I know I love you, but now all of this is happening and I don't know what we're gonna do or how we're gonna get home, which means this is definitely not the right time, an-"

Nadia layed a kiss on Alice's lips, finally stemming the torrent of words and excuses. It was hard, but not forceful; just enough to steady Alice's racing thoughts. Nadia clasped her cuffed hand around Alice's and broke the kiss. "You are the sweetest, most thoughtful person I've ever met." She cradled Alice's face in her free palm, and Alice smiled back with tears in her eyes.

Nadia opened her mouth to continue, but was cut off my the sound of a high-pitched growl. Both women turned to see the fairy now held a minature chainsaw and was divebombing their clasped hands. Before they even had time to flinch, the tiny logging tool, which must have also been magical in nature, ground through the wooden cuffs and separated their hands, though their fingers remained interlocked. "There, all done. I was kinda hoping for more, honestly." Petalbubble huffed in disappointment.

"I thought you said when we asked the question the cuffs would release." Nadia questioned, her mind finally catching up from the shock of the chainsaw.

"Yeah, the magic would release. Those cuffs are just normal wood, now, but you still gotta cut it up." Petalbubble lifted the chainsaw again. "Want me to cut the rest?"

"No!" Both girlfriends yelled in unison. Nadia nervously continued, "I mean, it's alright. We can take care of it. Thank you."

Petalbubble shrugged. "Suit yourselves. Pretty weak kink play if you ask me. Oh, and also," she waved her tiny hand a produced a little pink cloud in front of her, before blowing it towards the couple. "Now you're marked."

"We're what?" Alice asked.

"I scratched your back, you gotta scratch mine. That stuff will let me call you two when I need your help with something. Then we'll be square."

Alice wanted to protest, but she realized she didn't have any ground to question things. This fairy did just help them with the cuffs, after all. "O-okay, sure."

"Alright, gigantos. I gotta fly, but I'll be seeing you again. Remember your safe word next time, okay?" Without waiting for an answer, Petalbubble darted off into the air like a dragonfly, disappearing from sight, and leaving Nadia and Alice alone, still naked and filthy but with at least one fewer problem.

Nadia ventured a glance at her partner. "So, about that proposal,"

"Wait, don't answer yet," Alice replied. Nadia looked at Alice, puzzled. "I mean it. I want the moment to be right. So you can answer me when we're back home and I do it right, okay?"

Nadia sighed. Alice could be incorrigible sometimes, but it was so cute that she never held it against her. "Fine, I'll keep you in suspense." She gave Alice another peck on the cheek. "Only a little, though."

Alice blushed. She looked down and realized they were still holding hands. Nadia just gripped hers tighter, smiling from ear to ear. "So, now what do we do?"