Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Ada peered into the break room, a wide grin spreading across her face when she found Hecate sitting at the table with a cup of steaming tea and a plate of biscuits. Months of mid-morning breaks taken together meant Ada knew that the biscuits were an open invitation to join her. She knocked against the door frame as she stepped in and smiled at her friend. “I feel like I haven’t seen you all morning. What’s kept you sequestered away?”

Hecate looked up, the corners of her mouth turning up in response to Ada’s sudden appearance. “I’ve been in the stacks all morning. I needed some information about tensile strength in medieval threads, and I may have lost track of time.”

“Ah, how completely unlike you, to be lost in reference materials.” Ada attempted to keep a straight face as she said this, but couldn’t quite manage. Her eyes twinkled merrily and the right corner of her mouth twitched upward despite her best efforts. Hecate merely raised her eyebrows before taking a sip of her tea.

Ada took a biscuit from the plate between them and began to nibble at it. “Not to discount your current project, which I know is actually very interesting because I read the specs, but I actually wanted to ask you something.”

“Well that sounds ominous,” Hecate said as both hands wrapped around her mug. Ada idly wondered if she were scalding her hands by doing so.

“No. It’s not anything of vast importance. I just wanted to know if you had any plans after work on Friday.” Ada got up to fix herself a cup of tea at the counter. The water in the electric kettle was still hot from Hecate’s earlier activity, so the action didn’t provide quite the same level of distraction Ada was hoping for. In a matter of seconds she was seated once again, watching brown swirls leach from the tea bag in her cup.

“Not really. Why do you ask?” Hecate’s voice was as even as ever and her expression gave nothing away, but Ada could tell that she was beginning to feel anxious by the way her fingers twitched against her cup.

“A few of us were going to go to Kew to see the light display and I wanted to know if you would join us.” Ada forced herself to look straight at Hecate, despite the fact that she wanted very much to avoid being rejected. Ada always invited Hecate to staff outings, not out of a sense of obligation like some of the others might, but because she genuinely enjoyed Hecate’s company. She liked Hecate. In fact, she thought as she waited impatiently for Hecate’s answer, she was beginning to more than simply ‘like’ Hecate. But those were thoughts for another time.

“Oh,” Hecate said, drumming her fingertips against the cup in a steady rhythm.

“We’re going to go for a quick dinner after, maybe drinks, make a night of it.”

It took Hecate several moments to answer, in which time Ada did her best to avoid getting her hopes up by focusing instead on eating two more custard creams than she’d initially intended to. The biscuits didn’t help do anything other than keep her from applying any pressure to Hecate for an answer. She watched Hecate’s face the entire time, cursing the fact that the only thing she could tell was that Hecate was clearly weighing the costs and benefits of attending.

“Who will be going?” Hecate asked finally, bringing her cup to her mouth as she waited for Ada’s answer.

“Gwen, Algernon, Dimity, Dimity’s friend Julie from her indoor softball league, myself, and hopefully you.”

“Alright.”

Ada’s entire body pricked up at Hecate’s acquiescence, her heart pounding and nervous butterflies fluttering in her stomach. “Does that mean you’ll go?”

Hecate smiled at her, and offered a simple, “Yes.”

“Oh!” Ada couldn’t contain her excitement, clapping her hands together and screwing her eyes shut for a few seconds of internal celebration. “You won’t regret it, Hecate, I swear. It may be a bit crowded at the light display, but it’s beautiful. I know you don’t necessarily enjoy crowds, but it will be worth it, I promise.”

She was startled out of her nervous chatter by Hecate’s hand coming to rest against hers. “It will be a lovely time, I’m sure. Thank you for inviting me.”

Hecate withdrew her hand and wrapped it back against her mug of tea. Ada beamed at her, completely unable and unwilling to hide just how happy her agreement to join in this small gathering had made her. “Thank you for agreeing to come with m- with us!”

Hecate’s small, but genuine smile filled Ada with happy warmth. She watched as Hecate hid that smile behind her mug. Ada fished the tea bag from her own cup before sipping her own. The pair sat in silence for a few more moments, Ada sipping at her tea and Hecate turning her cup between her hands before occasionally sipping from it.

“I thought the tickets for Christmas at Kew were sold out weeks ago,” Hecate said suddenly, Ada’s happy little bubble of celebration quickly popped by her friend’s persistent social anxiety. “I could have sworn I read that in the paper.”

Ada blushed slightly, afraid that Hecate would think she’d asked her along as a last resort. “Gwen and Algernon were going with another couple who had to back out, birth of a grandchild or some such. They offered me the tickets and I...well, I thought that maybe you might want to go.” The ‘with me’ was left unsaid.

Hecate’s cheeks flushed a light pink as she peered intently at Ada. “You’re certain I’m not imposing?”

“Hecate, it’s not as if you’ve invited yourself and I wouldn’t have invited you if I didn’t want you to go. Besides, you could never impose.” Ada said this with her sternest voice, the one she usually reserved for wayward interns or research assistants who wanted unauthorized access to artifacts. She fought the urge to place her hands on her hips.

Ada’s display seemed to convince Hecate that she was not on the receiving end of a pity invitation. Ada was just relieved that Hecate was agreeing to go. Not only would this be a good way for the others to get to know her better outside of work, it was an excuse to spend time with her, something Ada had been seeking to do more and more of late. She pushed that thought aside and looked at her watch. “Damn! I have a meeting with the acquisitions team in 5 minutes. I’ll text you all the details. It’s going to be so much fun!”

“I’ll take care of the mess. You focus on your meeting,” Hecate said as she rose from her seat and began clearing off the table. “I’ll see you later.”

“Thank you!” Ada called over her shoulder as she rushed through the door. “I’ll send you those details after my meeting. I promise.”

She smiled the entire way to her meeting.

Chapter Text

As she rummaged through her purse in an attempt to find her car keys, Ada couldn’t help but think that nothing had gone to plan today. First she’d been stuck in traffic and was fifteen minutes late for work as a result. Then she found herself trapped on hold with one of the museum’s insurance companies for nearly an hour. And to cap it all off, she’d had a meeting with the board of directors that ate up the entirety of her afternoon. Not being able to find her keys just seemed to be par for the course. She hoped it wasn’t an omen for how the evening was going to go.

Hecate had seemed happy enough to meet her at the car when she’d spoken to her earlier that afternoon. She even hazarded the hope that Hecate was looking forward to the evening in her own anxious way. But now Ada was running late to meet her, and given what she knew of Hecate’s feelings about punctuality, she was certain she would be met with crossed arms and a raised eyebrow.

“You’re getting ahead of yourself,” she muttered as she finally managed to extricate her keys from beneath a layer of crumpled receipts and cough drop wrappers. She rolled her eyes at herself and made a promise to clean out her bag when she got home. Turning the final corner, she stopped short.

Hecate was indeed at the boot of her car, but she was not standing with her arms crossed and poised to lecture. Instead, she stood with her hands in her coat pockets and her face turned up toward the night sky, staring at the moon. Her long, dark hair hung over one shoulder in a loose plait. She seemed to be lost in thought. Ada couldn’t help but note the way the shadows played over her face. It was like something out of an old movie and she half-wished the moment could last forever.

But that wasn’t possible and Ada needed to keep moving or she would definitely make them late in meeting up with the others. She forced herself to continue moving forward. As she got closer, she called out a rushed “Hecate, I’m so sorry I’m late.”

A hand flying to her chest as she was startled from her thoughts, Hecate pushed off from the back of the car. “Ada! Goodness. It’s fine, I didn’t mind waiting.”

“I know for a fact that’s a lie,” Ada joked as she pressed the button to unlock the car. She looked over with a smile at Hecate as she made her way to the driver’s side door.

“An exaggeration, maybe,” Hecate conceded with a wry smile of her own as she opened her car door and made to slide inside. “But I wasn’t out here for very long, so it’s a moot point really.”

“If you say so.” Ada slid into her seat, careful not to slam her door closed.

“Well, I do say so.”

For a few moments the only sounds in the car were the rustling of coats, adjustment of seats, and the clicking of seat belts. Ada looked over at Hecate, her heart starting to beat a bit faster at the thought of an entire evening spent with her. “Ready?”

Hecate smiled in response. “All set.”

“Excellent.” Ada turned the key and put the car in gear, peering over her shoulder to make sure the way was clear. From the corner of her eye she could see Hecate nervously drumming her fingers against her thighs. “Would you find us some Christmas music to get into the spirit of the evening?”

Ada focused on driving safely and left Hecate to flick through the radio stations. She finally settled on one that just so happened to be playing “Last Christmas” by Wham! Ada couldn’t contain her groan of annoyance at the song.

“Problem?” Hecate asked.

“I’m starting to hate this song.” Ada confessed, glancing over at Hecate before returning her gaze to the traffic around them.

“Starting? This song is more than 30 years old and you’re only now starting to hate it?”

“Well, unlike some people in this car, I had the distinct privilege of listening to it on a grainy loop for an hour this morning.”

“An hour?!”

Ada couldn’t help but chuckle at Hecate’s incredulous tone. “Yes. For some reason someone thought that would make great hold music. And I’m sure if you’re only on hold for a minute it’s not too terrible…”

“But an entire hour?! Why didn’t you just hang up?”

“Obstinance?”

Hecate’s sudden explosive laugh triggered Ada’s own giggles and they spent a breathless moment trying, and failing, to compose themselves.

“I’m sorry,” Hecate said as she wiped beneath her eyes, peering down at her fingers to look for mascara smudges.

“What for?”

“Laughing?”

Ada reached over and patted one of Hecate’s hands briefly. “There’s no need to apologize. I was being ridiculous. And to be honest, I needed the laugh.”

They drifted into a comfortable silence that lasted through three more Christmas songs and a brief commercial before Hecate spoke again. “We’re meeting them in the car park, yes?”

Nodding, Ada focused on the traffic around her. “Mhmm.”

“And it will be Gwen and Algernon, Dimity and her friend.”

While she was not unused to Hecate’s unease regarding social events, there was something about the way Hecate was asking this question that felt different to those other occasions. She opened her mouth to speak, still unsure of how to proceed. “As far as I know, yes. Why?”

Hecate shifted in her seat, her hands clasped in her lap. “No reason.”

Ada bit back an unhelpful ‘there’s no reason to be nervous’. She knew better than to say that, had seen how that statement could completely derail Hecate and send her into a bit of mental tailspin. She’d learned as much before their first post-work outing. “Hecate?”

“Yes?”

“If you’re worried about tonight and it would make you uncomfortable to go, we can skip it and do something else.”

Hecate turned to look at Ada. “That won’t be necessary. But thank you.”

“Are you sure? I don’t want to make you do anything you don’t want to do.”

“I’m sure.” The finality in her tone was unmistakable. Hecate turned to look back through the windscreen. “I am looking forward to it, I just- I don’t know.”

“Well, if you start to feel uncomfortable and you want to leave, all you need to do is say the word. Alright?”

“Alright.”

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Hecate took a moment longer than Ada to extricate herself from the car. Ada couldn’t help but think she was giving herself a last minute pep talk. The somewhat uncomfortable but determined look on her face when she did finally join Ada at the boot of the car confirmed as much.

“Should I text Gwen or are you going to?” Hecate asked, pulling her phone from her pocket.

“Would you mind doing it?” Ada looked sheepishly down at her bag. “If you were to see the state of this thing, you’d understand just how big a favor you’d be doing me. Do you have her number?”

Hecate looked up quickly, already midway through typing her message. The speed at which her thumbs moved never failed to mesmerize Ada. “Yes. You sent that group message when you had the flu, remember?”

“Oh, right. Yes.”

“There.” Hecate clutched her phone in one hand and turned her attention more fully to Ada. “Now we wai- oh.” She looked back at the phone. “Wow. That was fast.”

“Where are they?”

“She says they’re waiting near the launch point. ‘Look for Algernon’s...light-up antlers’?” Hecate’s brow furrowed as she read the message again. “Light-up antlers. Okay, I didn’t misread that.”

Ada rolled her eyes good-naturedly, gesturing for Hecate to precede her as they started toward the launch point. “Algernon has never been one to let a festive occasion pass him by.”

“I suppose not.”

“Count yourself lucky you missed the ugly sweater party days. It got to be quite scandalous, really,” Ada mused.

As they got closer to the launch point, the area grew more and more crowded. Ada was glad for Hecate’s heeled boots, which gave her a better vantage point. Ada felt a bit at sea, unable to make out their friends through the crowd.

“I see antlers.”

“Where?”

“Just ahead and to the left. Here.” Hecate grabbed Ada’s hand and started to pull her gently through the crowd. Ada allowed herself to be pulled, happy for the skin-to-skin contact. She couldn’t quite quell the feeling of disappointment she felt when Hecate let go.

“Hecate! Ada!” Gwen called, rushing toward them with her arms wide open for hugs. She wrapped her arms around Ada, who reciprocated, and laid a gentle hand on Hecate’s arm in deference to Hecate’s more reserved attitudes on physical affection. “I’m so glad you could come with us.”

“Thank you for the tickets. Hello, Algernon. Dimity,” Ada said with a smile. She looked over Gwen’s shoulder to see the others carefully making their way through the milling crowd. Algernon’s reindeer antlers changed color slowly, the lights inside dimming and blinking in a slow progression. Dimity bounded over purposefully, her coat open and a thick scarf wrapped around her neck. A woman with wildly curly blonde hair followed behind her. Ada assumed this to be Julie. The surprise came when she noticed that Julie was not unaccompanied. A little girl with two long dark plaits and wide curious eyes clasped her hand, all the while taking in her surroundings. She couldn’t have been more than six. “You must be Julie. It’s lovely to meet you. And you as well…?”

“It’s nice to meet you too,” Julie said with a smile. “This is Mildred.”

“Hello, Mildred. I’m Ada. It’s very nice to meet you.” Ada smiled at the young girl. “Are you ready for the lights?”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Ada,” Mildred said with a gap-toothed smile. “I’ve been waiting all week. My friend Enid came last week and she said there were marshmallows the size of her face. Mummy said we could have some if I’m good!”

As she chatted with young Mildred, Ada did her best to also keep an eye on Hecate’s interactions, watching for signs of discomfort beyond Hecate’s normal baseline anxiety. She was glad to note that Hecate seemed content enough to be discussing her latest research project with Algernon. Dimity was rolling her eyes over the fact that the only thing Hecate seemed capable of speaking comfortably about was work.

Before she could step in to facilitate, Dimity was breaking into Hecate’s conversation. “Hecate, have you been properly introduced to Julie? Julie, this is Hecate. She’s a conservationist at the museum. Hecate, this is Julie. And Julie’s daughter Mildred.”

“Hello,” Julie said brightly.

“Hello.” Hecate’s posture was stiff, as it always was when she was introduced to someone new. Ada had come to expect it, could accommodate for it because she understood that Hecate was anxious around new people and she masked that with a certain performance of aloofness. “Hello to you as well, Mildred.”

“Hello. Your plait is very pretty.” The little girl stared up at Hecate with wide eyes and a wider smile. She looked over at her mother. “I want mine to look like that too, Mummy.”

“Oh, thank you, Mildred,” Hecate said, blushing slightly at the attention being paid to her appearance. Ada agreed with Mildred’s assessment but chose to keep that thought to herself. Julie just smiled down at her daughter and squeezed her hand.

“Did you do that all by yourself? Mummy has to help me with mine.”

Hecate leaned down slightly, her voice softening to a conspiratorial whisper. “I did.”

“Wow!”

Everyone chuckled at the little girl’s awe, charmed by her honest enthusiasm. Even Hecate couldn’t hide her small smile. Ada sent up silent thanks for the young girl’s exuberance.

They spent several more moments chatting among themselves, Dimity and Julie speaking with Gwen and Algernon about their plans for New Year’s Eve and Mildred monopolizing Hecate’s attention with questions about her job and her life. It was clear that the little girl was officially taken with her, and Ada honestly couldn’t blame her.

“It’s very kind of Hecate to entertain Mildred,” Julie said softly to Ada as they both watched Mildred try to explain the plot of a cartoon she’d seemed quite scandalized to hear Hecate was unfamiliar with. Hecate was clearly confused by the explanation being offered, but listened with a sort of morbid fascination to the rambling narrative being woven. “From Dimity’s description, I wasn’t sure what to expect.”

Ada merely smiled and said, “She’s a kind person, despite what certain others seem to think.”

Julie seemed about to say something, but was cut off when Dimity drifted back over into their conversation with a blunt, “I didn’t know Hecate could talk to children so well.”

Ada sighed and gave Dimity a pointed look. “She has a niece, Dimity. If you spent any tim-”

Dimity raised both hands in a gesture of mock surrender, eyes gleaming mischievously. “Sorry, didn’t mean to insult your date.”

Though she opened her mouth to protest, Ada was unable to get out a single word before Algernon was clearing his throat and handing out tickets. “Well, ladies, I do believe it is time for us to enter.”

Ada watched as the others split into little groups. Mildred linked Julie and Dimity together, hands swinging as the little girl eagerly chattered about hot chocolate and toasting marshmallows. Algernon adjusted Gwen’s scarf, a tender gesture borne of years of familiarity and care, before linking arms with her. She watched as Gwen snuggled against him and couldn’t help but feel a twinge of jealousy for that kind of closeness.

Lost in her observations and musings, she was startled back into awareness by Hecate’s hand resting on her shoulder. Turning to look at her friend’s face, she could see the furrowed brow and worried eyes. The soft “Are you alright?” made Ada’s eyes prickle with the beginning of tears. She blinked owlishly behind her glasses, hoping they would hide her overly emotional reaction. With a somewhat forced smile, she offered a rushed, “Sorry. I was off with the fairies. Are you ready?”

“Yes.”

“Excellent. After you.”

Hecate peered at her intently, eyes scanning her face carefully. Ada felt as if her every micro-expression was being analyzed, catalogued, and filed away to be mulled over later. She chose not to address it and gestured Hecate forward toward the queue of people waiting to enter.