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"Have you ever seen fireworks?"
Camila's question came out of nowhere and had Ava lifting her head from her spot in front of the fire.
Ava searched her memories, the scattered flashes from her childhood and drew a blank.
She could remember times of seeing them on TV, and hearing them through the window at the orphanage, the muted flashes lighting up the room briefly.
So Ava told Camila as much and upon seeing the other girl looking intently at her phone, she sat up on her elbows.
"Why?"
"The castle does a whole New Year's Eve thing, big firework display and everything."
Oh?
It would be nice to get out of the cottage again and now she had a chance to tick seeing fireworks off of her hypothetical bucket list.
Sidenote, Ava really needed to get on writing those things down.
This also gave Ava the chance to ask Beatrice on a date.
Sure they'd technically already been on one, but that was before they were… Whatever they were now.
So official date. Maybe with officially becoming girlfriend and girlfriend.
"Do you want to see if the others want to go?" Camila asked.
"Yes." Ava replied immediately. "Big favour though."
"...Sure?"
"Can you leave asking Bea to me?"
Camila looked confused though the corners of her lips quirked in amusement. "Why?"
Ava had quickly learned that if Camila wanted to know something, she was going to find out.
So may as well just bite that bullet now.
"I want to ask Bea on a date. Would it still count as a date if we all went together?"
"Oh! New years eve date? That'd be so cute! But yeah, of course, plus if you two wanted time alone we'd just explore." Camila shrugged. "When they come back inside we'll split up and ask them?"
Speaking of…
"Do you want to go watch them train?" Ava asked.
She was a little curious to see how Mary and Beatrice were faring against Lilith.
Camila grinned. "Duh."
--
With everything going on, it was easy to forget that Lilith wasn't… Entirely human now.
And by extension, that meant forgetting her enhanced strength, rogue snowballs or carrying a whole Christmas tree aside, they rarely got to see that side of Lilith's new skill set.
But agreeing to train with both Lilith and Mary? Well, Beatrice was getting the chance to see that strength up close and personal.
"This… This borders on humiliating." Mary managed to gasp out from the single hand choke hold she was currently struggling against.
From Lilith's other hand (and equally aggressive choke hold), Beatrice was inclined to agree.
"We can do this Bea. Don't let her drop us."
Beatrice held onto Lilith's wrist with both hands. It was taking a lot of energy to keep herself on balance.
"It's like you guys aren't even trying." Lilith said, sounding genuinely bored.
Well now it just felt insulting.
"Oh hey, your girlfriend is watching."
Beatrice glanced towards the cottage and surely enough, she could see Ava standing in the window with Camila at her side.
She should have seen it coming, but the moment her attention wavered, Beatrice felt her feet leave the ground. Her view of the cottage tilted sideways as the ground rushed up to meet her.
Judging by the pained sound from beside her, Mary had met the same fate.
"Fuck." Mary groaned.
Beatrice was inclined to agree.
Girlfriend.
Even Ava hadn't referred to them as girlfriends yet.
They'd only traded a few quiet kisses since Christmas and it was all too new.
She did like the sound of it though.
"Honestly it's not even a challenge anymore." Lilith sighed.
Mary sat up and shook some snow from her shoulders. "Oh fuck you."
"You definitely don't do this with Ava."
"Ava is training and I've been trying not to actively injure her now." Lilith explained.
"Point taken." Beatrice pulled herself up and felt an ache in her shoulder as she got to her feet.
That was going to leave a bruise.
"Yeah, training is done." Mary looked to Beatrice. "Do you want the shower first?"
Ava had appeared in the doorway, watching with curiosity.
"You go ahead."
She pretended not to notice the look that Mary and Lilith shared or the way they grinned at Ava as she stepped aside so that they could go inside.
Beatrice rolled her shoulder experimentally as she rubbed at it with her free hand.
"That looked like it hurt." Ava said as she reached Beatrice. "You okay?"
"I think my ego suffered more." Beatrice replied.
Ava snorted. "That was funny. So Lilith is an even scarier badass now, huh?"
"Yes, pretty much."
Now that she wasn't sparring, the sweat was cooling quickly and the cold was beginning to get to her even more.
"You wanna go inside?" Ava asked. "Cam put the kettle on."
"Yes please, Mary is showering first."
Ava bumped their shoulders together and led the way back towards the cottage, when they entered the kitchen Beatrice found two mugs on the counter, steam steadily rising from each one.
She saw Ava peek her head around the door to the living room and heard her thoughtful hum.
"The others must be upstairs…" Ava turned and made her way back towards Beatrice. "So, there is something I wanted to ask you."
"Oh?" Beatrice took a sip from her mug and set it aside.
There was something in Ava's eyes that told Beatrice that her hands were about to be occupied.
Ava hummed again and stepped closer into Beatrice's space, she placed her hands on Beatrice's forearms and after a moment slid them up her arms.
It shouldn't be possible for her skin to feel so hot after even the briefest touch from Ava.
Ava linked her hands behind Beatrice's neck and smiled brightly up at her.
"Camila showed me this thing… New year's party at the castle?"
Beatrice could see where she was going with this.
"And you want to go?" Beatrice asked. She let her hands come to rest carefully on Ava's waist.
"It could be fun? Camila said there would be fireworks."
It would be bright and full of energy and everything that embodied Ava.
"I'd be happy to take you up there if the others don't want to go."
Ava grinned. "Oh, I'm pretty sure Camila is upstairs threatening them into going."
"That… Honestly doesn't surprise me." Beatrice tilted her head to the side. "Why ask separately though?"
"Because I wanted to ask you as a date, like an official you and me date."
Ava's answer came out so fast that it took Beatrice's brain an extra second or two to even pick it apart.
An official date?
Would Ava expect typical couple type stuff to happen? Hand holding and kisses and everything like that.
Beatrice knew that Ava had never expected her to do anything like that, she hadn't even asked to kiss Beatrice in front of their friends yet.
Beyond the occasional hand holding and that one hug, they hadn't done anything in front of them, even if they all knew it had happened.
The polaroid Camila had quietly given Ava on Christmas night was proof enough of that.
Ava wasn't trying to put any pressure on her, and Beatrice knew that she never would.
Besides, an official 'you and me' date sounded nice.
And definitely an ideal way to see the new year in.
"Okay." Beatrice nodded. "It's a date."
"Yeah?"
"Yes."
Ava grinned and shifted closer to drop her head against Beatrice's shoulder. "Cool."
They stayed like that for a few while, Beatrice brought her hands up to rest against Ava's back, she could feel the warmth of the halo and a quick glance showed Beatrice that it had begun to glow again.
She liked that the halo reacted like that when Ava was happy now, and not when she was afraid like it had when they had first met.
(Beatrice liked it even more that it happened more often when they were together.)
"Mhm." Ava pulled her head back and wrinkled her nose. "You're all sweaty."
Beatrice smiled and moved to pull away. "Sorry."
"Nope. No escape." Ava snuggled in again. "Unless you want to go?"
Beatrice closed her eyes and shifted to rest her head on top of Ava's. "No, I'm good for a bit."
It was strange, how Beatrice felt more comfortable in her own skin when she was with Ava than she ever had before.
She could feel Ava's smile against her neck. "Cool."
--
"So you want us to go to a new years eve party tomorrow night?" Lilith asked.
"I would like to point out that I really want to get into this shower before all of the hot water runs out." Mary said. "If there's alcohol, I'm in."
"You can drink." Camila nodded.
"Do I want to know why you dragged us aside to ask us while Ava and Bea…" Lilith trailed off and sighed. "This is an Ava and Beatrice related scheme isn't it?"
"Little bit." Camila nodded. "But I'm just assisting with the scheme."
"Yes, we'll go to the new years party and help them do whatever cute couple shit they need to do." Mary said, she turned to Lilith. "Don't call Ava Beatrice's girlfriend even if it's just to tease, she's not ready for that. I'm going to shower."
And with that Mary stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind her.
"You called Ava her girlfriend? To her face?" Camila asked.
Lilith frowned. "We literally saw them kissing, am I missing something here?"
"Years of emotional repression?" Camila replied. "Plus they've only kissed…. What, twice?"
"That we know of."
"That we know of." Camila agreed. "But yeah… Maybe keep up with the whole acting like they don't exist when they're being cute unless they come to us for advice."
Lilith rolled her eyes but nodded. "Fine, pretend the cute couple doesn't exist. I can do that."
--
"We're going to need to get rid of the tree before we leave." Lilith said.
Ava glanced over from where she was lying on the floor towards the tree in question.
Sure, the floor was littered with needles at this point but… Did they have to?
"It doesn't look too bad." Ava sat up slowly.
She saw Beatrice shift beside her and sit up slightly, rubbing at her shoulder again.
Ava also didn't like the implication that they would be leaving soon.
"It's part of having a real tree, Ava." Beatrice said quietly. "It can't stay in here forever."
Ava frowned at the tree.
Where would they go next? When would they go?
Sure it was a little boring at times but she loved this cottage so fucking much.
It gave her comfort and safety and gave her and Beatrice the chance to start navigating their feelings.
"Do we just… dump it outside?" Camila continued, oblivious to Ava's minor internal crisis.
"We could burn it." Mary suggested. "Give it a worthy send off."
Now that brought Ava out of her thoughts.
"It's what the punk tree would have wanted." Ava nodded seriously.
Beatrice shifted closer and gently brushed her hand against the back of Ava's. "We'll keep the tree up for as long as we can, regardless."
Ava turned to Beatrice and smiled softly. "Yeah?"
"Of course."
There was a question in Beatrice's eyes and Ava strongly suspected that she knew there was more to Ava's worry than just saying goodbye to the tree.
Ava silently pulled a cushion from behind her back and nudged it towards Beatrice, leaving it in the spot where her shoulder had been resting.
Beatrice smiled and gave Ava's hand a brief squeeze before lying down once more.
"Do we have any other plans tomorrow other than getting groceries in the morning and going to that party?" Mary asked.
"Nope. Lazy day until we have to drive up?" Camila suggested.
Ava lay back down and closed her eyes as the group talked, smiling as she let them discuss what movie they were going to watch that night and suggestions for how to spend their day tomorrow.
She felt Beatrice throw the blanket over her legs and sighed happily.
Yeah, she definitely wasn't ready to leave this place.
--
"I really don't feel comfortable with you taking the floor again." Beatrice said as she adjusted the pillows.
Since they'd arrived there'd only been one night where Ava had actually slept on the sofa. She had a habit of getting Beatrice to sit on the sofa with her and talking until Beatrice would fall asleep.
She'd wake up each morning with a blanket draped over her and Ava huddled up on the floor.
"Don't think I haven't seen you rubbing your shoulder all day." Ava said simply, leaning against the sofa and tipping her head back enough for her to grin up at Beatrice.
Beatrice lay on her side and propped her head up on her hand. "It's honestly not that bad."
"I've been slam dunked by Lilith when she wasn't hulking out, so I know that it hurt."
It was a gentle call-out, but Ava was smiling as she said it.
"Maybe it hurt a bit." Beatrice admitted.
"Mhm. That's what I thought."
Beatrice rolled her eyes. "Yes, you were right. Don't let it go to your head."
"Too late, head is huge. Full of pride at being right."
Beatrice snorted, which was a little mortifying in its own right, even as Ava grinned.
"You're a dork."
"I mean, obviously." Ava replied. "I thought that was common knowledge. Like… Grass is green, Lilith is scary but lovable and you're cute as fu- hell. Heck? Heck."
Beatrice may be new to this, but she knew Ava's attempts at flirting when she saw it.
Very new, but definitely willing to try.
"Me being cute is common knowledge?" Beatrice asked.
"May as well be written in the bible." Ava replied.
They both frowned at the same time.
"I recognise that I should have said literally anything but the bible and would like to retract my previous statement."
"Yes, try again."
"May as well be written in…" Ava frowned again as she clearly struggled to try and find an alternative. "Oh! The stars!"
"Nice save." Beatrice reached out to gently stroke a hand over Ava's hair.
"It would have been more romantic if I'd thought of that first, huh?"
"Possibly, but it's more endearing to see your process." Beatrice replied.
Flirting. She could flirt.
Just pick up the thread.
"Your eyes are like stars." Beatrice said.
Both of Ava's eyebrows raised in surprise.
Too far?
"Really?" Ava asked quietly.
Beatrice nodded and felt Ava shift slightly, straightening up enough to feel Ava's head press into her hand.
"Your eyes are beautiful." Beatrice said. "You're beautiful."
So this didn't feel like she was flirting. Flirting was supposed to be more playful. This definitely felt more like she had crossed into heavy but genuine declarations.
She was going to roll with it though.
And now there was something she really wanted to do now.
Beatrice shifted slightly and moved her hand to cup Ava's cheek, it was slightly awkward with Ava effectively being upside down to her, but Ava just seemed to relax further against the sofa.
"Can I kiss you?" Beatrice asked.
Ava nodded. "Please."
Upside down kisses? Definitely kind of awkward.
But definitely worth it to feel Ava laugh softly against her lips and reach up to cup Beatrice's jaw to keep her in place.
"You sure I can't convince you to trade places?" Beatrice asked when they broke apart. "I really don't mind taking the floor."
"Nope." Ava quickly twisted around to kiss Beatrice's cheek. "The floor is mine."
Beatrice was going to make sure sleeping bags were next on their investments. Halo bearer with healing abilities or not, it couldn’t be good for Ava’s back.
--
"Ava."
Ava froze, hand reaching for the last bag of doritos as she glanced over to Lilith.
When had she gone into the kitchen?
"How long have you been in here?" Ava asked. "Why are you in here?"
Lilith pointed to her coffee. "At least five minutes."
Ava pulled the doritos and held them close to her chest. Mary and Beatrice had gone for one last grocery run.
She vaguely remembered them asking if she wanted to come with, but she had definitely been half asleep at the time.
Ava definitely remembered Beatrice draping another blanket over her though.
"Right, right. Cool."
"Are you going to eat doritos for breakfast?"
"No. Yes… Maybe?"
"You're a child."
"Yeah that's fair." Ava nodded.
"Are you excited about tonight?" Lilith asked.
Ava joined her at the table and opened the doritos, grinning down at the cheesy goodness contained within.
"Yeah definitely. Fireworks, music, my favourite people? It's going to be great."
Lilith hummed. "And the new years kiss?"
Ava absolutely didn't swallow a dorito whole.
"I'm sorry, the what now?"
The amusement that flashed over Lilith's face was a little unnerving, and Ava wasn't sure whether or not she should believe the words that came out of Lilith's mouth next.
"It's generally a tradition to kiss someone at midnight to see the new year in, have you never seen that in anything before?"
Ava racked her brain and gasped as she thought of one example.
"Like in Friends?"
Lilith sighed. "Yes, like in Friends."
"So that's really a thing? Kissing on new years?"
Oh fuck.
There were going to be so many people there.
Did Beatrice know about this whole thing? Who was she kidding, of course she did.
But Beatrice wasn't comfortable with public displays of affection, to kiss in front of such a huge group would be to basically throw Beatrice into the sea and expecting her to swim.
Weird analogy, Ava was pretty sure that Beatrice would be able to swim really well.
But her point still stood.
Oh God, what if Beatrice thinks that Ava is expecting a kiss and is quietly stressing over it.
"You look like you're panicking, why are you panicking?" Lilith asked.
"I'm fine." Ava's voice cracked in a way that distinctly said that she was not fine.
Lilith looked a little concerned too now. "Don't panic, it's just a midnight kiss and also don't tell Mary about this."
"Why?"
"Because apparently I keep putting my foot in it with you and Beatrice and I'm starting to see that I really need to keep my mouth closed."
"As long as you don't tell them I ate doritos for breakfast."
"Deal."
--
"Can I ask you something?" Beatrice asked.
Mary didn't look away from where she was trying to choose between several bottles of whiskey. "Sure, what's up?"
"If you were going to a new years party with somebody as a date, would you expect them to kiss you?"
That got Mary's attention, even if she tried to be casual about it as she turned to face Beatrice.
To be honest, it wasn't exactly a subtle question on Beatrice's part either.
Though she knew that she would have had trouble asking the question she had needed to ask without conclusions being drawn.
"I think…" Mary began, finally deciding on a bottle and adding it to the cart. "For me it would depend on how long I had been in the relationship."
Mary looked thoughtful for a moment before she pinned Beatrice with a serious look.
"Ava wouldn't have expectations like that, you know. That human glow stick just wants to be around you - oh we should buy glow sticks too."
Beatrice could only bring herself to follow Mary down the aisle as she continued to speak.
"It might be worth having a conversation when we get back though, and judging from the silence I'm guessing that you're nervous about doing that so I'm just going to ahead and remind you that Ava, while being the most childish person I have ever met has also been the most understanding and has approached the relationship you two have more maturely than anyone would have thought. "
Mary was right, honestly, when it came to Ava, she had yet to be proven wrong.
"That's a sizable compliment coming from you." Beatrice replied.
"Don't tell her I said that, she'll never let me live it down."
"I won't… And thank you, Mary."
Mary hummed. "Now where are the fucking dortios? She was very insistent that we get more."
--
Ava tried not to hover while Beatrice and Mary put away the groceries.
Lilith and Camila were in the living room, engaged in a surprisingly intense game of battleships, their groans of frustration the only sound over the gentle hum of the radio.
Mary could tell she was lurking with some kind of intent, because after the third glance in her direction, she announced she was going to smoke and made her exit out of the back door, making a point to close it behind her.
Okay. They were alone.
Mature conversation about boundaries. Totally fine. Totally easy.
This was hardly new to her after all.
"So hey, Bea?"
Beatrice hummed to show she was listening as she continued to unpack.
"I just wanted to - oh hey, doritos!"
She watched as Beatrice placed the giant orange bag into the cupboard, an amused smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
"Where's the other bag?" Beatrice asked as she glanced towards Ava.
Judging from the smile on Beatrice's face, Ava knew that she must have a guilty expression.
"You ate them for breakfast, didn't you?"
Beatrice really knew her far too well.
"Little bit, yeah."
"What am I going to do with you." Beatrice sighed, sounding entirely too fond.
"I'm sure you'll figure something out." Ava pushed herself from the counter and slid in close to Beatrice. "So, before the doritos distracted me…"
Beatrice turned to face her, resting her hip against the counter. "Yes, you were going to say something?"
"I wanted to talk about tonight?"
There was a momentary shift in Beatrice's expression that almost felt like surprise, but Ava got the impression that Beatrice had either been expecting the topic to be brought up, or that she was going to speak about it herself but Ava had beaten her to the punch.
"Oh?"
Ava hummed. "Turns out kissing at midnight is a real tradition? I had no idea, but I kinda just wanted to put it out there that there isn't like… An obligation to do it? I don't want to come across like I'm making assumptions or anything about what could happen tonight, but I just wanted to make it clear that I wasn't expecting anything?"
She was definitely rambling, Ava knew that, but she also knew that she wasn't about to stop until she got everything she needed to say out or when Beatrice physically stopped her.
Whichever came first. It would seem.
"Like I just thought it would be fun and we could watch fireworks and have hot chocolate and maybe there's music and I could drag Cam to dance because I wasn't sure if you'd want to but if you did then that's cool too but mostly I just want to be there with you and see the new year in with my favourite people and-"
Beatrice's hand gently covered Ava's mouth, she didn't look put out or anything, maybe just a little bit confused but her eyes were fond as she smiled.
"Ava, you need to breathe." Beatrice said gently.
Breathing. Right.
"Were you finished?" Beatrice asked.
Ava shook her head.
"Okay." Beatrice lowered her hand.
Ava let out a steady breath. "I just want you to know that I want you to be comfortable and I wouldn't want you to do anything that would jeopardise that for you. Okay I'm done now."
The sigh that left Beatrice's lips wasn't entirely exasperated, but the way Beatrice dropped her gaze to the floor didn't fill Ava with a lot of good feelings.
"I owe you an apology."
Definitely not good feelings.
"You don't have to apologise for anything Bea, seriously."
"No, I do." Beatrice replied. She looked up to meet Ava's gaze and folded her arms across her chest. "Nothing to do with this, but I need to say it now before we move forward."
She sounded so serious, it was hard for Ava to not worry a little bit.
"When we first met, I called you self-centered and thoughtless -"
"I'm definitely thoughtless." Ava made a point of knocking on her head. "Totally empty in here."
"Don't do that." Beatrice chastised softly, reaching for Ava's hand to pull it away from her head. "We both know that isn't true. My point is, I was wrong. You've proven time and time again that you think about others and their happiness. I'm sorry I said that to you."
"I mean you weren't wrong though. I literally ran away immediately after that." Ava pointed out.
"With good reason, all things considered."
"Hey, it's all good right? We're past that now. Apology, while not needed, is accepted."
Beatrice had a look on her face that made Ava certain that this wasn't going to be the last time they had this talk, but she seemed satisfied enough that they could put it to bed for a while.
"Okay." Beatrice nodded. She tugged gently on her hand until Ava got the message and closed the distance between them. "About tonight, I want to do everything you said… I want the midnight kiss. It's just that I don't know if I can. "
Ava brought her free hand up to give Beatrice a gentle bump under her chin. "Hey, no pressure okay? Whatever you want to do, wherever you go, I'll follow your lead okay?"
"What if I can't though?"
"Then that's fine too. I'm with you no matter what, consider me the thorn firmly in your side."
"A thorn in your side is supposed to be a nuisance, Ava. You're not a nuisance, you're anything but."
"mhm, you say that now, but wait until I've gorged myself on cotton candy."
"Usually I'd say pace yourself, but it's new years eve." Beatrice replied. "Thank you, though."
Ava grinned and bumped her head against Beatrice’s shoulder affectionately. “Anytime.”
--
"Are we all ready to head out?" Mary asked.
It was dark out and Beatrice suspected that the festivities were already in full swing in the village.
They'd all dressed appropriately warm for a night outside, Ava in particular looked adorable in her beanie and scarf combo.
"You sure you don't want to borrow the scarf?" Ava asked quietly.
"No, it's fine, thank you."
"As a heads up, I will be drinking. Ava?"
Ava shook her head. "Maybe one, but I'm not bothered."
Ava didn't notice the vaguely surprised looks that were sent her way.
"Anyway… I'll drive us there but the second that engine is off, the keys are going in one of your hands and I am officially off the clock."
Fair enough deal.
"Can we crack the glow sticks now?" Ava asked, tilting her head in Beatrice's direction.
"Maybe wait until we're in the van?"
"Do you guys wanna do our resolutions now?" Camila asked. "It'll probably be too loud to have a decent conversation when we're there."
"Fine, I'll go first. My resolution is to kill Vincent and avenge Shan." Mary said immediately.
"Yeah, I second that." Lilith said.
Beside her, Ava hummed.
Even Beatrice was inclined to agree with that.
"How about killing Adriel and saving the world?" Ava suggested.
"Maybe we can ease up on the killing based resolutions?" Camila frowned.
"I've got nothing then." Lilith said. "Can I just say living my best life and leave it at that?"
"Ugh, fine." Camila sighed. "I want us to have a year of happiness and love."
"Bea?" Mary looked her way.
Beatrice felt lost for a few seconds as she searched her mind for some kind of answer.
"I agree with everything you've all said…" Beatrice caught Ava's eye. "I'll… I'll get back to you."
Beatrice tried not to let it bother her that she couldn't get the words she wanted to say out.
She didn't understand how Ava could be so patient.
"Can we go now?" Lilith asked.
Mary nodded. "Let's go."
--
As they walked up to the castle, it was clear that the festivities were already in full swing.
Beatrice stayed close to Ava's side, eyeing the groups of drunk people on the streets, the joyful music coming from the pubs that they passed.
"Huh. They're really going for it, aren't they?" Ava asked.
There was definitely a guy throwing up in the road.
It wasn't even eight yet.
"It's definitely one way to celebrate." Beatrice agreed.
When a second man came stumbling out of a pub to throw up, Beatrice gently reached up to curl a hand around Ava's arm to pull her out of the way.
This was definitely one of the reasons why Ava had elected not to drink tonight.
The other being she didn't want to be drunk or stupid around Bea. Ava just wanted to make sure she was okay.
Speaking of, Beatrice's hand didn't move from Ava's arm and after some brief hesitation Beatrice looped her arm fully through Ava's.
Beatrice's gaze was focused ahead. "You'll probably see a lot of that tonight."
Ava could only smile and press closer into Beatrice's side.
--
It was an entirely different energy when they got inside the castle grounds.
The joyful, excited energy was still there but there was definitely a decrease in the amount of drunk people stumbling around.
Though the night was still young and Beatrice suspected that as it got closer to midnight, more people would make the journey up here to see the new year in with some more style.
The courtyard was huge, kids running past them with sparklers and stalls selling food and drinks. Music played from a stage that had been set up and Beatrice had to admit the energy was more than a little contagious.
"They've got an archery booth." Camila noted with interest. "Is it wise to let drunk people shoot arrows in the dark?"
"I feel as though they wouldn't let people who are visibly drunk take part." Beatrice replied.
Camila hummed but didn't look too convinced.
Beatrice glanced at Ava who was looking at each of the other booths that had been put up, typical carnival like games. Giant fluffy stuffed animals hanging from the back walls.
They were no doubt rigged, but Beatrice was already anticipating that they'd be spending some time at each one.
"There's so many people here." Ava said. "This is crazy."
"Imagine what it must be like in the cities." Camila said.
Over Camila's shoulder, Beatrice saw Mary and Lilith making their way back towards them, each with polystyrene cups balanced carefully in their hands.
"Here." Mary handed Camila a cup of hot chocolate as they reached them while Lilith silently let Ava and Beatrice take theirs from her.
"Thanks!" Camila took a sip and immediately grimaced. "Oh what-"
"Shit sorry." Mary swapped the cups quickly. "That one was mine."
"Was that whiskey? In hot chocolate?"
"Little bit." Mary took a sip and made a face of her own. "Okay that doesn't work as well as I thought it would."
"Still going to drink it though?" Ava grinned.
Mary nodded. "Still gonna drink it."
"What do you guys want to do first?" Camila asked.
"We could take a walk around the grounds, see what else is going on?" Beatrice suggested. "Then we could always come back and try some of those games."
Ava grinned as she took a sip of her drink and Beatrice had to wonder if Ava had realised that Beatrice had caught her staring at the booths.
It honestly wouldn't surprise her.
--
"Ava, these games are unbelievably rigged." Lilith sighed beside her. "You're better off just throwing your money directly into the trash."
"Where's the fun in that?" Ava asked. "Jesus, all I've got to do is hook a duck, this one can't be that rigged."
She could understand the games where they had to get a hoop on a suspiciously small target, but slow moving ducks in a pond with a giant hook? What could go wrong.
"Don’t bring Jesus into this. The price of playing isn't worth the prizes. You could get one of those stuffed ducks from any shop for a couple of pounds and cut out this whole thing."
Beatrice snorted quietly beside her. "It's just a game Lilith, let her play."
Lilith made a slightly unimpressed face that turned into a full blown scowl when Ava stuck her tongue out in her direction.
As Ava took the pole she felt Beatrice lean in close to her side.
"Maybe don't antagonise her?" Beatrice suggested quietly. "I'd prefer it if she didn't try to kill you tonight."
"It's how she shows her love at this point, I've made my peace with it." Ava shrugged.
Murder as a love language, who'd have thought it.
"Maybe that should be your resolution Lil." Camila piped up. "No more trying to murder Ava."
Lilith's scowl only deepened.
"Aw, I'll win you a duck too." Ava laughed.
"I'd really rather you didn't." Lilith replied.
"Tough, you're getting a duck now. I paid for three turns and we're getting three kind of ugly stuffed ducks."
One for Beatrice, one for Lilith and one for herself. Easy.
She'd worry about how they'd carry them around with them for the rest of the night later. Future problem for future Ava.
Even if future Ava was only a couple of hours a way.
She knew that this was a game designed for children, but as Ava successfully hooked the first duck, she couldn't help but cheer triumphantly.
The man running the stall only managed an exasperated roll of his eyes as she hooked the next two, and by the time she had finished, Ava had accumulated a small row of stuffed ducks.
"Do you feel better now?" Beatrice asked as they walked away.
"Now i’m kinda wondering how it would feel to hold three real ducks, but yes. I am mostly satisfied."
Beatrice raised an eyebrow as she glanced at Ava. "Mostly?"
Ava shifted her hold on the ducks so that she had two cradled in her arms, holding one in her hand. "Lilith, think fast!"
In front of them, Lilith turned as Ava channeled her training and launched one of the ducks at her. Lilith caught it with ease and frowned down at the plush.
"Ava…"
"He is ours now. Cherish him."
She was half expecting for Lilith to make a point and tear the poor things head off, but instead was delighted when Lilith sighed and tucked it under her arm.
It was made even better when Beatrice and Camila laughed beside her.
"What about the other two?" Beatrice asked.
"Well, this one is mine." Ava tucked one of them into her jacket so that the head poked out. "This one is for you."
She held the other out towards Beatrice and made a point of booping its break against Beatrice's nose.
Even with the limited lighting, the faint blush was still as clear as day.
Totally worth it.
Beatrice gently took the duck from Ava's hands and after a few moments of consideration, followed suit by tucking it into her jacket.
Oh. She had to get a selfie of them together with their ducks. It was too cute not to.
Maybe she could convince Lilith to get in on it too. Or maybe -
"What are you thinking about?" Beatrice asked.
"Going back and winning a duck for Mary and Cam so that I can make them tuck them into their jackets so we can do a group selfie. Also, I want to take a selfie with you with our ducks."
Beatrice smiled indulgently and held her hand out in a silent invitation.
Ava took it gladly and smiled encouragingly. She knew how important the moments like this were to Beatrice and she lived for it every time it happened.
"Do you want to go get cotton candy?" Beatrice asked.
As if she even had to ask.
"Yes please."
Beatrice leant forward slightly to catch Camila's gaze. "We'll catch up with you guys?"
Camila grinned. "Sure, we'll go get a spot ready for the fireworks."
She darted ahead to join Lilith and Mary, Ava glanced at Beatrice as she looked around the courtyard.
"Cotton candy and then we can take your selfie?" Beatrice said.
"Yeah?"
"Of course." She turned and gave Ava's hand a soft tug to follow.
Ava let herself be led for a few moments, unable to stop smiling as she stared at the back of Beatrice's head.
She eventually fell into step beside Beatrice. "You okay?"
Beatrice's smile was small but genuine. "Yes. Are you having fun?"
"Very much. Are you?"
Beatrice looked around, there were definitely more people around them now and several of them seemed increasingly drunk but the general atmosphere was still overwhelmingly nice.
"It's nice." Beatrice said eventually. "I'm glad we came. Thank you, Ava."
"I didn't do anything?"
"You do more than you think."
It was the fondness in her voice that Ava really got stuck on.
--
The photo of her and Ava was a reassuring weight in her jacket pocket as they weaved through the crowd to where they could see Camila jumping and waving towards them, the glow stick bracelet was a focus point as they approached them.
She couldn't remember how long it had been since she had reached for Ava's hand, only that beyond the brief moments where they'd both paused to eat the cotton candy, Beatrice hadn't let go.
At this point, the idea of letting go of Ava brought Beatrice more anxiety.
There were so many people around them now, but beyond the confused or mildly annoyed looks shot their way as Ava pushed through the crowd, nobody seemed to be paying them attention.
Beatrice knew that, but she still couldn't shake the feeling that everyone was looking at her. At them.
Ava's presence was grounding. Reassuring.
"There you both are." Mary said as they finally reached the others. "The fireworks are going to start soon."
"Is that champagne?" Ava asked, eyeing the plastic cup in Mary's hand.
"Yep. Want to try?"
Ava reluctantly dropped Beatrice’s hand and accepted the cup from her and took a tentative sip, she hummed as she handed it back.
"I don't hate it."
"There's still time, I can go grab you one if-"
Ava shook her head before Mary could finish. "I'm good, maybe after? I just wanna enjoy this."
She punctuated the statement by shifting further into Beatrice's space.
"Do the fireworks start before midnight?" Ava asked.
Lilith hummed. "Small display to lead up to it, trust me, you'll know when it's midnight."
Beatrice could practically feel Ava vibrating with excitement.
--
From the moment the first firework went off, Ava was hooked.
The sky was filled with lights, the explosions and the subsequent pleased sounds from the crowd made Ava grin.
After a huge explosion of golds and reds, Ava glanced towards Beatrice and faltered.
Beatrice wasn't looking at the fireworks at all. Her gaze was focused entirely on Ava.
She blinked suddenly and leant back ever so slightly in a way that made Ava think Beatrice was surprised to be caught staring.
"Bea, you're missing the fireworks!" There was another telltale sound of a firework rushing into the sky and Ava looked back in time to see a bright green streak across the sky. "Oh my god, look!"
She looked back to Beatrice and saw that the other girl was still watching her, though Beatrice was smiling.
"Sorry." Beatrice said, turning her gaze to the sky.
Ava was about to follow suit when she heard another bang and suddenly Beatrice's entire profile was bathed in gold.
Oh.
Ava understood it now.
She saw Beatrice look at her from the corner of her eyes and do a double take, turning again to face Ava properly.
"Ava? The fireworks?"
The fireworks were amazing and pretty, but when it came to looking at beautiful sights?
Well that was all Beatrice.
"I know you'll correct me, so sorry in advance, but… Fuck the fireworks."
"I thought you loved the fireworks?" Beatrice asked.
Ava was pretty sure she knew something she loved more.
Someone.
"I do." Ava stepped closer, she was pretty sure that the others couldn't hear them, but she wanted to make sure that only Beatrice would hear her words. "But… I get it. You're so beautiful."
--
It felt like both of them had disregarded the fireworks in favour of staring at each other.
Ava's words still rang in Beatrice's ears as busts of colour illuminated them both.
There was only one thing that she wanted to do, but as a stranger bumped into her side as they shifted to get a better view of the display, Beatrice was reminded of just how tightly packed they were amongst the crowd.
Logically she knew that everybody should be focused on the display, that chances were nobody would even care, but it wasn't enough to ease her racing heart.
If she can't bring herself to kiss Ava now, how was she going to manage it at midnight?
It had to be rapidly approaching, judging by the frequency of the fireworks.
"Ava-" Beatrice looked around at the sea of people surrounding them. "I don't know if I can…"
She trailed off and wondered if her face betrayed just how overwhelmed she was starting to feel.
Would she ever feel brave enough to kiss Ava without hesitation?
Ava's eyes flickered over Beatrice's face, her smile fading slightly as she saw the clear distress in Beatrice.
Beatrice felt like she was struggling to keep her head above water.
Ava looked around and after a moment of consideration, held a hand out in invitation.
"Do you trust me?" She asked.
Beatrice was already reaching for her hand, grounding herself in Ava's steady hold.
"Yes."
"Come on then."
As Ava turned, she saw Ava exchange a look with Mary, who simply nodded and went back to watching the display.
Beatrice allowed herself to be pulled through the crowd, but as another burst of gold filled the sky above them, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt.
"Ava, the fireworks?"
Ava turned her head to look at Beatrice, her expression was warm and full of concern.
"Fuck the fireworks." She said again. Her tone was deadly serious.
Beatrice chose not to correct her.
As they crossed the courtyard, Beatrice noted how everything had stopped. The few people who were lurking were still watching the fireworks from a distance in a bid to avoid the crowd they had been in. The various people manning the booths had temporarily stopped serving people in favour of watching this year come to an end.
Ava led them behind the mostly ruined wall of the castle, tucking them into a small alcove completely out of view of any passers by.
Through the cracked and missing bricks, they could both still see the fireworks make their journey into the sky and if they looked up they would see the flashes of light.
"Are you okay?" Ava asked.
Beatrice glanced at another streak of red whizzing into the air.
"You didn't have to do this, I would have been fine."
Ava regarded her carefully. "You didn't look comfortable, I don't want you to start a new year feeling like that."
Beatrice sighed as she reached for Ava's other hand and gave them both a gentle squeeze. "When you said that… When you called me…"
"Beautiful?"
"Yes, that. When you said that, I just wanted to kiss you, I wanted to kiss you then and I wanted to kiss you at midnight. But I just…"
"Too many people, I get it Bea, it's okay."
It didn't feel okay.
"I don't need grand public displays or anything like that Bea, I just want you, and I want you to be as comfortable as possible." Ava smiled encouragingly. "This is still really new to us both, it's going to take some time but we'll figure it out."
"I just want the world to see how I feel about you."
"The world can wait Bea, it isn't going anywhere."
Everything Mary had said that morning came rushing back, as always Ava was with her offering nothing but support and reassurance. Soft words of affirmation in the face of Beatrice's own inner conflicts.
Beatrice dropped Ava's hand in favour of cradling her face, stroking her thumbs over delicate cheekbones and revelling in the feeling of Ava relaxing under her touch.
"You're spectacular, you know that right?"
"Spectacular? That's a new one."
"I stand by it." Beatrice replied. "And if it's okay with you, I'd really like to kiss you now."
Ava nodded fervently. "Yes please."
Beatrice moved forward, holding Ava's face as she leant in to kiss her, she felt Ava hum happily and curl her fingers into Beatrice's jacket.
When she felt Ava's tongue brush against her bottom lip, Beatrice felt certain her knees were going to give out there and then.
She definitely must have gasped into Ava's mouth, because almost immediately Ava pulled back and looked up to Beatrice with wide eyes.
"I'm sorry, was that too much?"
"Definitely a surprise." Beatrice replied honestly. In the safety of the little space they were tucked away in, she felt brave. "But it was… Pleasant."
If she were feeling braver, she would have dared to have called it what it truly was.
Hot.
Beatrice shifted one of her hands further down to cup Ava's cheek so that she could brush her thumb along Ava's lower lip.
She wanted to try.
If the glint in Ava's eyes was anything to go by, they were both definitely on the same page.
"Wait, wait!" Ava pulled the duck from her jacket and set it on the wall before doing the same to Beatrice's own duck.
Beatrice really tried to not find it endearing that Ava made sure the ducks were looking away from them and towards the fireworks.
Distantly, they were both aware of the mass of people counting down, but Beatrice tuned it out in favour of focusing on watching Ava reach out to take hold of her jacket once more and take a few steps backwards until her back hit the wall, pulling Beatrice along with her.
Beatrice wondered how Ava would react if she were to put her hands on the wall on either side of Ava, to bracket her in, but her fingertips itched to feel Ava’s skin again and they instinctively found their home once more on her face.
The kiss started slowly and it wasn’t until Beatrice felt Ava’s hands link around the back of her neck did she try to mimic Ava’s actions from earlier and tentatively opened her mouth to sweep her tongue against Ava’s lips.
When Ava gasped into her mouth, all bets were off.
Ava tasted like cotton candy.
She was vaguely aware of the countdown ending abruptly and an uproar of cheers and noise filling the air instead but Beatrice ignored it all in favour of the moment they had both been led to.
The kiss was clumsy and definitely a long shot from the gentle and tentativeness of the first kiss they had shared only a few days earlier, but it was so entirely them that Beatrice knew that this was another moment that would be burned into her memories forever.
It was only when a particularly loud firework went off, the pair broke apart, each equally startled.
They both looked to the sky to see a symphony of colour raining down.
Ava laughed breathlessly. “I know they say you feel fireworks in moments like this, but that was just next level.”
She knew she should have expected some kind of joke, but it had Beatrice laughing too nonetheless as she moved back in for another kiss.
Beatrice had ended the year kissing Ava and was lucky enough to spend the first moments of a year with endless possibilities doing the same.
She couldn’t have asked for anything more perfect.
"Do you want to know what my new year's resolution is?" Beatrice asked quietly against Ava's lips.
Ava looked slightly too dazed and it took a good few seconds for her gaze to focus on Bea as she registered her words.
"What is it?"
"To be more open with love. With accepting the love that others give…" She made sure to hold Ava's gaze for a few moments before she continued. "But also in loving myself and being more open to showing the love I feel."
Ava grinned. "I think that's a great resolution."
Beatrice leant in to press a soft kiss to the corner of Ava's lips.
“Can I call you my girlfriend?” Beatrice asked.
She felt Ava grin as they kissed again. And again.
And again.
“Only if I get to call you mine.”
And again.
Beatrice had already lost count of the amount of kisses.
"Yes.” Beatrice replied quietly. “Happy New year, Ava."
Ava turned her head slightly to briefly capture Beatrice's lips with her own.
"Happy New year."
Beatrice took Ava's face between her hands once more and met Ava's smile with equal force.
--
Mary slung both of her arms over Lilith and Camila's shoulders, careful not to spill the contents of her cup over Lilith as they all looked up to the sky.
The countdown had come and gone and now they were surrounded with celebrations and cheers of people happy to be alive to see the new year in.
"Do you think Bea and Ava are off making out somewhere?" She wondered aloud.
“Oh, I hope so." Camila sighed wistfully.
"For both their sakes, I hope so too." Lilith added.
She took the cup from Mary's hand and took a sip, before offering it to Camila who shook her head.
"Well, here's to another year." Mary took the drink back and held it to the sky. "Let's make it one to remember."
"Here here." Lilith agreed.
Camila pressed close against her side and smiled at both of them.
"Happy New year guys."