Cora and Farron's joined hands seemed to tremble, but Cora wasn't sure if it was from Farron's nerves or Cora's anger. For all she knew, it was both. Maybe Farron was terrified, but still aware enough to hold Cora back from lunging at Natalie and probably getting herself arrested.

Of course, that wouldn't stop Cora from imagining such a scenario, and while she wouldn't act on her aggressive distaste for Farron's awful ex-girlfriend, there was nothing wrong with thinking about it.

"Oh damn," Kevin whispered, his slouching figure hidden behind Farron's rigid posture.

That was enough to snap Cora from her reverie, but it still wasn't enough to release the fury pent up in her aching muscles. So, when Farron took a deep breath, Cora unconsciously followed, and tension from both of them seemed to escape into the surrounding chilly air. With renewed calm, the two exchanged comforting glances, and the next time their hands squeezed, they knew they had each other's backs.

Farron looked past Cora, glaring. "This is unexpected? Really?" They scoffed. "You know I always do photoshoots here, and that this time of year is the busiest."

Cora turned just in time to be disgusted at the sight of nasty Natalie's rolling eyes, and her outfit provided more opportunities for revulsion. While her dark gray turtleneck dress and tan trench coat were autumn-appropriate, there was no need for them to end less than a handspan below her hips—unless, of course, there was a fabric shortage. At least her sheer black tights could keep her thighs warm, and her knee-high heeled boots took care of the rest, but they weren't really suitable for walking the Shiba Inu at her feet.

"Of course I remember. How do you think we met?" Natalie smirked, then turned to Cora. "You're the coffee girl, right? Surprised to see you're still around. Or has Farron finally decided to be reasonable?"

"Farron's always been reasonable," Cora snapped, her voice shaking with anger. "You're the one being irrational."

"Really now..." Natalie's eyes drifted down, and when they settled on Cora and Farron's intertwined hands, she chuckled. "Let's see how long you think that way, shall we? And when you finally get tired of it all...well, how about I find you, hm?"

As nasty Natalie giggled, Cora wanted nothing more than to scream at her, maybe even pull at her perfect, silky hair. But even with her rage-filled mind, Cora knew she couldn't let herself stoop down to Natalie's level. The woman didn't deserve respect, but she didn't deserve to control Cora's emotions either. She wasn't worth it.

Still, when Farron released Cora's hand and stood, Cora spun towards them, partially ready to hold them back, mostly ready to hold their camera. Cora may have decided to not take out her anger on Natalie, but she was willing to support Farron's endeavors, whatever they may be.

But Farron didn't lunge at Natalie, nor did they throw a drool-drenched tennis ball at her. Instead, they stood tall, held their chin high, and took a deep breath.

"Natalie, I'm willing to be civil with you," they said, their voice even but cold. "But if you're not going to show me the same decency, if you're not going to respect me, then this conversation is over."

"Decency? Respect?" Natalie laughed, short and sharp. "I have always done that. For four years, we were fine—and then, all of a sudden, you tell me you're not a woman anymore? Excuse me for needing some time to get used to that. But no, as soon as I called you the wrong pronoun once, you forgot about all the moments we shared together." She scoffed. "I didn't realize how heartless you were."

Farron narrowed their eyes. "I'm not the heartless one. It wasn't that you would forget my pronouns. I could forgive you for that—assuming you actually cared about getting them right in the first place. But you didn't. And don't say that you did," they said, just as Natalie opened her mouth, "because I know the truth. The only thing you cared about was how it made you look—how you think it made you look bad every time you slipped up."

"Because it did. It—"

"It didn't," Farron said. "No, what made you look bad was how every time I corrected you, no matter how understanding I tried to be, you would sigh or huff or groan about it—about the terrible inconvenience I was to you, how my identity was such a burden on your privileged life."

Natalie's jaw dropped. "Is that what you think of me? When you told me how you felt, I supported you. I sympathized with you because I knew how it felt to struggle with my identity, especially when everyone around me kept telling me I was wrong. That my feelings weren't real, that I would 'fall in line' eventually. Or did you forget that too?"

Farron let out a long breath, and when they continued, their voice was softer—calmer—than before. "Of course I remember. Why else did you think that I stayed with you for as long as I did? I figured that even if you could relate, even if you sympathized with me, it would still take time for both of us to get used to everything. It wasn't until later that I realized..."

For a moment, Farron's gaze lowered. But with one deep inhale, it rose again, stronger than before. "Even if you claimed to support me, I couldn't trust that—I couldn't trust you. How could I, when you started treating me just like the people that hurt you?"

In the silence that followed, Farron and Natalie exchanged nothing but quiet stares. Cora's eyes darted between them, wanting to ensure Farron was alright while also making sure Natalie wouldn't decide to start a physical attack. She had no idea what Kevin or the dogs were up to, but if the wobbling bench was any indication, either Kevin's legs were bouncing or one of the dogs was scratching.

At last, Natalie sighed. "I didn't want to hurt you."

Farron huffed just loud enough for Cora to hear. "That's good to know. But it doesn't change the fact that you did."

"I wasn't trying to be a bad person."

Farron scoffed before Natalie even finished her sentence. "You really haven't changed much, have you? You're still more worried about your own negative image, rather than how you made other people feel."

Natalie narrowed her eyes. "And you haven't changed either. You're not willing to see things from my perspective, to realize that I was struggling too."

"That's where you're wrong," Farron said, standing taller than before. "I have changed. I know now that I'm not being unreasonable or difficult or weird for being who I am—for asking other people to acknowledge and respect my identity. No, now, I'm proud of myself—proud enough to demand the respect I deserve. So if you're not going to follow that, then we're done here."

When Natalie didn't respond immediately, keeping her glare fixed on Farron, Cora was sure she was plotting her next verbal attack, if not physical. Even her Shiba Inu seemed confused too, glancing between her and the path ahead. It was several seconds before Natalie took a deep breath, huffed one more time, then turned, leaving them without a word.

Even after Natalie was out of sight, it was a while before anyone spoke, and of course it was Kevin.

"Wow, I thought she'd never leave," he muttered as he threw his head over the back of the bench. "Everything about her is so...judgy."

Farron let out a short, stiff laugh as they eased themselves back on the bench. "You're telling me."

Cora didn't hesitate to take their hand and press their arms together. "You were amazing, you know that?"

Farron smiled, but it was slightly shaky. "Thanks. It...it felt good to get that off my chest. After all these years."

"I bet," Cora said, squeezing Farron's hand. "And I know you said you're proud of yourself, but I just want to add that I'm proud of you too."

To that, Farron didn't respond with words. But at the sight of their widening smile and glistening eyes, Cora knew enough.

"What were you going to say?" she asked, letting her other hand encompass Farron's. "Before nasty Natalie came over here, it sounded like you were about to ask me something."

"Oh, right," Farron said with a light chuckle, lowering their head. "Well...I guess seeing you running out there, having fun...it made me want to do something."

Before Cora could question what they meant, Farron released her hand, raising it alongside Cora's face. Cora held still as their fingers brushed over her cheek, then paused.

"Can I kiss you?" Farron whispered. "Here?"

Cora's eyes widened, and her next word was no louder than a breath. "Yeah."

Whenever their arms were merely pressed together, Cora's pulse would skyrocket and her entire body would warm. So as Farron leaned closer than that, as if their faces were about to press together, Cora was sure she was going to pass out. But with sheer willpower, she retained her consciousness. There was no way she was going to miss this moment.

And she was glad she didn't. As soon as Farron's soft lips touched Cora's skin, warmth blossomed from the very spot that they met, then radiated throughout Cora's body. The sudden sensation shocked a sharp inhale from Cora, but she managed to stay steady enough to maintain some semblance of composure—at least until Farron's lips left her cheek, and Cora couldn't contain her giddiness any longer.

After a glance at Cora's expression, Farron chuckled. "I'm guessing you liked that?"

Cora, who was grinning so hard and wide that she couldn't speak, nodded.

Farron let out a soft laugh, letting their fingers graze Cora's cheek again. "Do you want me to kiss you again?"

Just before Cora was about to nod, something scuffed the pavement behind Farron.

"Sorry!" Kevin whispered when both Cora and Farron turned to him, his back hunched as stood half risen from the park bench. The small Art was squirming under one of his arms while the large Brownie was bouncing around his feet. "I—we were just about to...let you two be."

Farron scoffed. "And get out of your job for the day? Nice try. Just wait a second, okay?" They turned back to Cora with an apologetic smile. "One more for the road?"

Cora grinned. "Yes, please."

When Farron kissed her cheek one more time, Cora made sure to commit the feeling to memory, along with the sensation of Farron's fingers following their lips' touch against her skin. It hopefully wouldn't be long before they could share such a moment again, but until then, Cora was going to savor it as much as she could, and as much as Farron deserved.