Archive of Our Own ^beta

The churning clouds and strikes of lightning remind Theo of nights at Hill House. Thick drops of rain assault the windowpanes unforgivingly, and she jumps as the smack of a particularly large drop coincides with a loud crack of lightning. She turns around, heading for her and Nell's bedroom. She stops at the threshold, leaning on the doorframe as she watches Nell: the curve of her bent knee and foot tucked under her thighs; the nimble fingers that through her hair; the bare expanse of her sternum.

Nell catches her eye in the mirror, a smile tugging at her lips.

"What are you looking at?"

"You."

"C'mere."

Theo obliges, crossing the room and coming up behind Nell. She brings her hands to her shoulders; Nell sighs, relaxing into her touch as the pads of her fingers dance against her smooth skin. Theo returns to that first night at Hill House, and how Nell had dodged her touch so sweetly. A blank canvas, so sheltered from the world. Now she's no longer a blank canvas. Now, Nell encourages her, turning her head to kiss Theo's wrist.

"My hair is intent on torturing me tonight," she murmurs.

"Your hair is always perfect, darling."

"I just hate when it gets in my face."

Theo nods in consideration. Then, she shrugs, non-committal. "I can braid it if you want," she offers.

"That would be nice."

She sinks her fingers into Nell's hair, gently pulling apart the tangled strands before separating them into three sections. As she gathers the hair away from her shoulders, she admires her pale, freckle-littered shoulders, and the little tendrils of hair that fall at the base of her neck. Nell tilts her head back and hums, eyes falling shut as Theo's smooth nails graze her scalp. 

Silently, Theo crosses the sections over each other, arranging Nell's hair in a long braid down her back and tying it with a ribbon when she can't braid any longer.

Nell opens her eyes and moves the braid to fall over her shoulder, running her fingers down the smooth twists and playing with the little tuft that comes after the ribbon.

"Thank you."

"Thank you. I forgot how nice it is to braid someone else's hair," she admits. "It calms me down." 

Then, her mind slips back to Hill House and before. Specifically, herself before Nell. The Highline rich-bitch, the heartbreaker. The emptiness that left her sleepless and hungry for more—more money, more sex, more clothes. But those things never filled that hole. 

Nell doesn't fill the hole, either. Instead, she has taught Theo how to fill it herself. Nell balances her out, teaching her to be content, and Theo teaches Nell that it's okay to want. And now, the only thing Theo wants is Nell.

Theo pulls herself away from her musings when Nell breaks the silence with a tilt of her head and a murmured "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay. I'm here."

"Okay."

"We're here," Theo whispers.

Nell breathes out a laugh. "We are."

"We're here, and I love you."

"Oh yeah?"

"Oh yeah. To the Moon and to Saturn."

Nell smiles and leans up to bridge the space between them, enveloping Theo's lips in a gentle kiss. Theo's hand comes up to support Nell's head, and she smiles against her lips. Nell pulls away slowly, staring up at her through thick eyelashes.

"I love you too."