Shelby was a planner by nature. She liked to have an idea about what was happening when, and why. She functioned better that way. 

Saph had brought up something not long ago that she had more or less shrugged off in the moment but had managed to wiggle into the back of her mind like a neon sticky note. She had been thinking about it nonstop for several days, plotting and planning. 

She had no idea what he would think, and it was kind of exhilarating. 

A few nights before she was to put her plan into action, she stopped by a quaint little store in the city to pick out the most important cog in her machine. Then, upon return, she set about working on the next piece right under Saph's nose.

The painting was huge... possibly the largest thing she had ever attempted in her whole life. She'd rolled out the largest sheet of crafting paper she could across the span of one huge outside wall. It took her 35 hours in two days in order to finish it to her own specific standards.

Then, after a shower, she spruced up with loose pink curls, minimal makeup, and a long flowy maternity dress and sandals. She left a note with a chibi version of herself gleefully shoving food in her face and went outside to wait with a basket of food for lunch and her surprise.

'Saph... I'm waiting outside for you by the east dorms with lunch and a surprise. Don't be late or I'll eat all the food!'

As she waited she stared up at the huge painting. A lot of painstaking detail had been packed into it. With vibrant colors against a deeply contrasting background, dozens of planets, stars, galaxies, comets and others sprawled across the paper. She had visited the word inside it only once... just to make sure the physics she intended was working properly.

Saphirus was most definitely not a planner by nature, if one didn't take into account his actions as the Judge. He kinda just did things as they came up. He worked better that way.

He honestly had no recollection of having any important conversations with his girlfriend recently. He was more preoccupied with the fact that things were pretty alright right now. Shelby and he were together again, Elke was kinda sorta talking to him, and he was going to be a dad. To think he'd gone from pretty much the second lowest point in his life, just above accidentally kidnapping a baby, to... well... This!

The old X-Man stood at the side of his bed, poking at a bruise that was pretty close to healing on his left shoulder. Looked pretty good. It was the first bit of beat up after his vacation. It had felt pretty good to get back out on the streets again. He turned to open up his dresser, and paused when he saw a tiny little note in there alongside his witty shirt collection. He blinked a few times, and grabbed a shirt. After putting it on, he glanced the note over, and stuck it to the wall, shaking his head a bit.

Great, it probably had something to do with his birthday. He'd just picked one a while back, and mentioned it to Shelby ONCE. Who knew she was a birthday person? He wasn't super good with all that stuff, but sure, it was nice she thought about him and all.

Dressed, he made a slow circle to the yard, stopping to get a mug of coffee on the way. He stopped in his tracks upon winding the corner and seeing... well, a giant painting.

"Oh... Dang... This what you've been sneaking away to do? S'a doozy... Eh... Astronomical undertaking, eh?" Dad puns. He'd been working on dad puns. It was important to start early, right?

Finally, after freakin' forever he showed up. The artist grumpily shoved the rest of a chocolate chip cookie in her mouth, which she had been forced to use as a substitute for coffee. "Getting better, but still not cheesy enough. Dad jokes have to make people wanna pencils in their ears."

After brushing a few crumbs from her lips, she shifted awkwardly with the basket in one hand. "So... yeah. This was my project."

Yep. What an absolutely great way to start things off. Making it awkward and completely blanking on what to do now. Good going, brain. How was she supposed to start this off? Silly puns weren't going to cut it.

"... remember when I showed you the planets in that simulation?" She blinked at him from behind her glasses, "Well... I kinda wanted to one-up myself this time. So.... how would you like to visit Mars?"

And then she waited. What if he said no? what if he had other things to do?

... maybe she'd tackle him and drag him in anyway.

He smiled cheekily, and waved as she acknowledged his presence, shrugging at the failed joke as he took a loooong sip of his coffee, and then handed the rest of the cup to her. She couldn't have a whole lotta caffeine, according to some expert somewhere, but a bit was fine, and she looked sleepygrumpy a bit. This would help. "Meh, They told me it was quantity over quality anyway."

"Helluva project." He placed his hands on his hips and have the mural a good once over. "Dang. Pretty extravagant. I mean, like detailed and stuff. Someone commission this?" He turned to her when she mentioned visiting Mars.

"Eh... My face ain't gonna blow up like Total Recrall is it?" He gave her a slightly worried glance, and then shrugged. "I mean. yeah. Sounds fun and stuff... Eaaaugh." The NewYorker put on his best governator impression.

"What was that note about, anyway?"

"Eh." She tried not to cringe at the impression. Not that it was bad... it was just... very Arnold. She sipped the coffee instead.

And by sipped, I mean guzzled until the cup was dry.

Then, instead of answering his question about the note and suprise, she set the cup off to the side, made sure her food basket was secure and shut, and reached for his closest hand.

A second later they appeared within the world of the painting. Only, instead of solid ground beneath their feet they were suspended effortlessly in a mock vacuum of space. Her detailed representation of earth floated just off to the left. It was large enough to properly portray earth from orbit. If they wanted, they could even land on its surface.

With that in mind, Shelby gently kicked in that direction until her feet met painted earth. The planet was big enough for there to still be a slight horizon, but small enough that it wouldn't take long to walk around it completely.

"There are nine planets in our solar system." She started, shifting nervously on her feet again.

I'm going to tell you nine things... one for each planet. And yes, I included Pluto for you."

She turned to him. "Earth is the first planet. Mars is the last.... " she took a little breath and looked up into his eyes.

"You make me laugh, even during the hardest times." She gripped his hand tighter, and prepared to leap toward the next planet.

Honestly, it was a marvel. He squinted a little bit, leaning in to view the fine details. He was pretty sure, with the small amount of schooling he'd had in his life, that the planets were not in order. He had a feeling that wasn't the point though. Jupiter was the mass of swirls and storms that must have taken forever to get that detailed. As the man leaned in even further he started to get the feeling as if... it were moving... just a little b-

WHOOSH!

They were floating in space. His senses went fuzzy for a time as the reoriented himself, and looked over to his love; it would be evident from his expression that he was thoroughly confused. He watched as she kicked her way toward earth, as if she were swimming through water, almost. A smile couldn't help but show on his face as he swam after her. She really was something special, wasn't she?

He landed on little earth, looking out amongst the stars. She'd painted all of this. She'd worked so hard on it, and that showed even more from the inside.

"There are nine planets in our solar system." Yes, nine. Nine! Despite her earlier insistence, she was willing to concede that Pluto was a planet! Who cared what the scientists said, it'd earned it dangit! A big grin dominated his features as he looked off to the little planet; He found pause, however, when she gripped his hand tighter, and he turned back to her.

Her eyes... They were filled with emotion. What exactly was going on? He tilted his head a bit, and smiled to her. It seemed like they'd been on earth for only a moment, but she kicked off, and he followed, watching her as they went. It was surreal, as if he were in a dream. Was he?

The next planet closest to her little Earth was Jupiter. As they neared a very muted sense of gravity gently pulled them down. In real life it would be physically possible to land on Jupiters swirling, stormy surface. In her self made world though, their feet landed and the feirce mini storms just kept swirling around their ankles like theatrical fog.

"Jupiter." She started, and pointed up into the dark space above them. There her colorful Earth sat, glowing beautifully in the dark.

"... You brought so much brightness into my life after I met you. I hadn't known how in the dark I was."

She waited a moment to let him absorb the atmosphere, before reaching for his hand again and motioning to jump again.

She still had too many planets left... she was staring to get ancy.

Off they went to land on fluffy Jupiter. He chuckled as he ran a hand through the mist-like atmosphere. "This is pretty cool, not gonna lie." He looked up as she pointed over to earth. It was beautiful. He looked down to her again. She was staring at him.

"... You brought so much brightness into my life after I met you. I hadn't known how in the dark I was." He stared at her for a moment, a soft, serious expression slowly forming. "Shelby... What's going on?"

She was acting differently... Like, she sometimes acted like this when she had something she wanted to say, and practiced it for days in advance because she was too nervous to just... say it.

"I mean... this is pretty amazing, and I wanna check this place out, but... you got something else goin on here, right?"

"Shelby... What's going on? I mean... this is pretty amazing, and I wanna check this place out, but... you got something else goin on here, right?"

She simply smiled back at him, her secret safely hidden behind lips she had forced to promise not to spill. "Maybe." Was all she said.

They left Jupiter with an easy spring, gliding through space with ease. As they passed a bright cluster of stars she reached out and let her hand glide through them. The sparkling pinpricks of light dispersed like glitter on the wind behind.

Venus was next. When she landed she took a few steps away and adjusted the basket on her arm.

"This is what it's like in my head, you know." She gestured around them at what she had created. "I think it might be like this for a lot of artists... we see it alive. Sparkling, swaying. It was always frustrating when I first started painting that I couldn't get things to match the image in my head."

a comet streaked past overhead, stuck in a never ending loop she had created. "... and now I can."

Her smile widened. "You've helped me realize how strong I can be."

Then she kept away. Toward the next planet, giggling over her shoulder in a silent invitation to a game of chase.

Shelby was being... enigmatic. It was sorta intimidating, but at the same time he found himself hanging on her every expression and word as she pulled him through this experience. It wasn't something he could speak to. He had to just take it all in as she showed him the way.

He hadn't felt this way in a long time. He'd always been the type to either take the lead or participate equally in things. This, though... This was her world. This was something he'd come to realize that she'd made for him.

She spoke her next piece, and he smiled back as she suddenly got playful. He chased after, following things like the comet with his eyes as they passed.

This was beautiful. She was beautiful. All of her.

She came to Mercury next. It was much smaller in comparison to all of her other planets. This one was the size of a large beach ball. She gathered it up toward her, letting it rotate gently between her stretched out hands. A blazing sun was off to her left and at a distance. The light caught the spinning planet and sparkled like it was encrusted with diamonds.

"Mercury is the smallest planet and closest to the sun. It's a tiny, burning ball that's shrinking more and more as time goes on." She passed the sparkling ball toward him, watching as it floated his way like a glittery disco ball.

She watched his expression, a smile still on her lips. "I love seeing you smile. I always want to be able to make you smile." Really, she did. The way his whole face lit up when he smiled was one of her favorite things.

She fell back a little, playing in her mock zero gravity. It was nice this time... The last time she'd accidentally catapulted herself across a painting for thirty minutes with an unintentionally hash planetary gravity.

"... When I showed you the stars before you said no one had ever done something like that before." A simulated asteroid belt suddenly curled past, swirling around them elegantly like water through a drain. It passed only a moment later, vanishing back into the blackness from whence it came.

"I made up my mind then that I wouldn't let that be the last time."

She turned, pink hair aloft behind her in weightless tendrils, and offered her hand.

The next planet sat just bit away. It took a little kicking and maneuvering around other bright star clusters to get there. She reached out to show him that he could touch them and pick them up. They shined like tiny suns in her hands.

Finally, Saturn appeared. A larger planet with slowly rotating rings. Shelby floated herself on down to one of the outer rings. It moved on its own, sinning her along with it like a carnival ride. Here, midway through her painting, she sat down her basket an dug out their lunches. Saph's favorite, her dad's mac n' cheese, came out from within, as well as a mug of piping hot black coffee in an insulated tumbler.

She had her own treats to nibble on, but she passed him his first.

She didn't need him rummaging around in the basket.

They ran into the educational part of their journey, and Saph took the opportunity to break the tension that mostly he was feeling at all of this with a light-hearted quip. "This gonna be on the test? Didn't bring my notepad." He smiled nervously, and she commented about how she loved to make him smile. He went a little red despite himself as she stared into his eyes.

Sh$%, he wasn't good at this stuff... People doing things like this for him? He had no idea how to deal with it. There wasn't exactly a precedence, either. It was only her. She was the only person who had ever talked to him like this. He watched as her form floated gracefully about. @#$^, he had to settle himself down a bit. He let the stars distract him, giving one an exploratory poke. Did stars just chill in space? Weren't they all super far away? He shrugged, and bounced after her, nearly losing his balance, and spinning awkwardly as he landed on the rings of Saturn right on his bottom.

He scrambled to regain composure, grumbling a bit as he sat on the spinny rings. Aaaaand, out came the food. Appreciative for the break in all the mushiness he dug right in. "So... uh... You're sayin a lot... and I gotcha, but this isn't a one way thing... I like to see you smile. I seen you get so much stronger as a person, and I've seen you overcome so much... I'm glad you are still here with me. I dunno if I coulda made it this far without you..." He was bad at this. It was filled with pauses, him trying to get the words together, and it all sorta stumbled from his mouth. He wasn't coming from a place of power, here. He was thrown off, and sure she was enjoying it.

The Super Hero took a deep breath, and another bite. "Damn this is good..."

"So... uh... You're sayin a lot... and I gotcha, but this isn't a one way thing... I like to see you smile. I seen you get so much stronger as a person, and I've seen you overcome so much... I'm glad you are still here with me. I dunno if I coulda made it this far without you..."

She chuckled and popped a grape in her mouth. "It's never been a one-way thing... but I don't think you get this kinda attention nearly as much as you deserve. I've seen first hand how much you care for people and much much you put into what you do, even when you aren't wearing your spanx. Why shouldn't I spoil you for a bit?"

She reached back into one of the other rings, letting her fingers sift through the moving dust. "What is one painting and a handful of compliments when compared to everything you've done for me?"

Shelby resumed eating after dusting off her hands and smiled. "You don't have to say anything... I already know how much you love me."

After a bit, she pointed off toward where a lonely looking Uranus sat in the distance. "Hey, look! Uranus! Didja know that 63 Earths can fit inside Uranus?" She paused for a beat, chewing up another grape.

"... 64 if you relax enough."

"... Why shouldn't I spoil you for a bit?" Saph pointed at her, giving her a mock stern look.

"Okay, Ima let you get away for it this time, but the next time you call em spanks ima eat taco brell before bed again. But... You know I ain't used to this kinda stuff." He shifted uncomfortably, setting the food to the side. "I mean, it's not like I don't like it... I just dunno what to do."

He sat back, putting his arms behind him and looking up into the painted expanse. A slow nod acknowledged that he understood what she was saying. Her comment about Uranus made him look down to her. A wry smile came to his face as he chuckled. "That one was pretty bad."

He looked back up again, laying against the spinning ring and putting a hand behind his head. He seemed lost in thought for a moment before he smirked a bit."...Uranus is round and blue"

"Ya don't have to do anything but bask in the praise in about to shower you with." She wiggled her fingers like raindrops falling from the sky and chuckled.

While he sat back and contemplated things, she idly finished her lunch. It wasn't much... simple things without much flavor. Morning sickness really sucked.

When he dropped his own joke, she chuckled along heartily. "Oh ho ho! Don't think you can one up me!"

A moment of pondering later, and she had a comeback. "Everybody loves to make memes about Uranus."