Chapter Text
Ava was known to wander the halls of her and Beatrice’s apartment in Switzerland, and Beatrice often followed her when Ava left the building. It was winter time, snow blanketing the streets, roofs, and trees of the town.
Ava often walked until she was on the hiking trails of the mountains, where we watched stars and comets pass and semi-faint colors of the galaxies. In the winter season, Ava would make tiny snowmans as she sat in her usual spot, a clearing in the woods where you could overlook the wilderness beyond the town’s borders.
Beatrice would follow from afar, packing extra clothes in case either of them got exceptionally cold while out and about. She observed as Ava reacted to the feeling of the chilly breeze and snow and how it stimulated her senses and thrilled the Halo Bearer each time.
The nun loved watching as she caught Ava in a state of awe and joy as the younger woman attempted to capture the stars in photos and engrave their brightness and color in her mind.
Beatrice would sometimes join Ava in her alone time, explaining to her how the stars were made and what planets were which and where all the constellations were.
She would watch as Ava’s face lit up in interest and fascination as the Sister Warrior told her of Greek mythology and their tales of the moon, sun, and stars. How the Greeks thought that the stars were the homes of bright spirits who once lived on Earth.
“The Greeks often spoke of the stars as being spirits themselves,” Beatrice would say as she gestured to the night sky. “Selene, one of the Greek goddesses, is the goddess of the stars and moon. She created all of this in the stories.”
Ava would sit beside her, listening to the stories as she leaned into the nun, her gaze going back and forth between the constellations and Beatrice.
She would soak up the information like a sponge, and would ask Beatrice to tell her more about the myths, and would ask questions about the other gods and goddesses.
Beatrice had sparked Ava’s obsession with Greek and Roman mythology from that point on.
Tonight, Ava sat on her usual big rock, her eyes going back and forth between the sky and the book she had purchased about African mythology.
Beatrice had told her every Roman and Greek tale, leaving the Halo Bearer hungry for more. The nun leaned against a tree a comfortable distance away, watching as Ava became heavily invested in the pages.
Ava was completely aware of the older woman’s presence, but took comfort in knowing that she was within talking distance of someone she trusted fully.
Beatrice knew that Ava knew about her among the bushes, and was okay with her knowing. At first, it was just out of caution and safety, but found herself wanting to go, even if they had an early morning the next day.
Ava had discovered Beatrice’s lurking about a few weeks into her wandering when she came across a possessed tourist, and had the help of the nun to get the Wraith demon out of him.
Ever since then, the two would walk together in comfortable silence, and sat in each other’s company until Beatrice half carried, half walked a sleepy Ava back to their apartment.
Ava looked up from her book, first glancing at Beatrice and giving her a warm, heart melting smile before looking at the countryside and sky. Her eyes went wide for a few seconds and she stood up quickly, stepping towards the edge and end of the clearing.
Beatrice followed her quickly, ready for any sort of danger. When the nun stood beside Ava and was about to ask what was wrong, Ava grabbed her hand and pointed to the sky.
The black and dark blue firmament was littered and scattered with green, purple, blue, pink, red, and orange swirls and thick connected lines. Ava’s dark brown eyes reflected the colors in the sky as they twinkled with astonishment.
“The lights in the sky are dancing, Bea.” Ava said, her voice dripping with wonder. Beatrice chuckled as she wrapped her arm around the shorter woman’s shoulders.
“The dancing lights in the sky are called the Aurora Borealis, or the Northern Lights.” Beatrice stated as her eyes locked with the Halo Bearer’s.
“Sometimes the Aurora is so strong that it will reach all the way south and you can see them in Switzerland. It happens very rarely, Ava. Maybe every few years or so.” Beatrice explained.
Ava took her camera out her satchel and snapped a couple photos. Beatrice hadn’t looked away from the Warrior Nun, and felt the feeling return to her fingers as Ava’s palm warmed her hand.
“How does this happen? Is this kinda God’s way of celebrating or something?” Ava asked. Beatrice let out a loud, real laugh as she held Ava closer to her.
Ava felt how cold Beatrice was and closed her eyes briefly, making the Halo glow slightly. The heat from the light warmed both women up as they stood in the snow.
“The Northern Lights happen when charged electrons and protons collide with gasses in Earth's upper atmosphere. These collisions make tiny flashes that fill the sky with colorful light. As billions of flashes occur, the lights appear to be in motion in the sky.” Beatrice explained.
Ava continued to look at the Aurora, clicking her camera another couple of times to try and capture its beauty with her free hand.
The pair sat and watched the strips of color twist and sail through the sky for the next fifteen to thirty minutes before the aurora faded away into its black background.
By the end of the event, Ava’s head rested on Beatrice’s shoulder, her eyelids droopy and her breathing slowed. Whether it was the sound and imagery of nature or Beatrice that seemed to put Ava in a state of calm, the nun couldn’t tell. But she wasn’t complaining either way.
Ava never really seemed to run out of energy after training, and maybe it was the Halo’s doing, but at the end of the night, the younger woman was fast asleep. Beatrice shook Ava gently, letting the Halo Bearer to wake up at her own pace patiently.
“Come on, sleepyhead. Let’s get you to bed. We have a shift tomorrow and we can’t be late or Hans will next let me hear the end of it.” Beatrice teased. Ava rubbed her eyes and chuckled softly, taking the nun’s hand to help pull her off the ground.
Ava leaned into Beatrice as they walked, allowing the taller woman to help her through the rocky trail. The trek back wasn’t too long, but Ava’s developing spatial awareness made it a little longer due to her slipping or tripping on something or her bumping into something.
Beatrice was carrying Ava by the time they reached their apartment. The Halo Bearer gave the nun a lazy smile as Beatrice laid her down on the bed, tucking her in.
Ava snuggled in deeper into the sheets, attempting to warm her limbs as Beatrice worked in the kitchen, making them tea and hot chocolate. It was their midnight ritual: warm drinks and a couple episodes of a late night reality tv show.
Ava accepted the mug of steamy goodness with a “thank you” as Beatrice sat down beside her. Beatrice smiled at her, brushing a strand of hair behind Ava’s ear. The Warrior Nun gave her a lopsided grin before taking a sip of her drink.
Beatrice turned on the television, scrolling through the channels until she found the right one. Once the show began playing, Ava snuggled close to the nun, Beatrice wrapping her arm around the younger woman’s shoulders and planting a kiss on the crown of Ava’s head.
Ava giggled and set her mug down, quickly kissing Beatrice’s cheek. It was no surprise that the two had grown more and more affectionate since their first encounter. But up until recently, discrete kisses were new. It started out with kisses in hair or on the backs of hands.
In the past couple of weeks, the pair had become more bold with soft kisses to cheeks and temples. Both women would be lying if they said that they didn’t enjoy it. If anything, it was one of the best things that had occurred while living in Switzerland.
Ava’s giggles into laughs as she hugged her stomach. Beatrice raised a curious eyebrow as she sat up straighter, giving Ava her whole attention.
“How do you know that atoms are Catholic?” Ava asked once her laughter had died down, making her words intelligible. Beatrice assumed that she knew the answer after a few seconds of thought, but didn’t want to steal Ava’s thunder.
“Hm?” Beatrice replied, smiling at how giddy the woman in front of her was.
“They have Mass.” Ava delivered the punch line with a wide grin. Beatrice snorted and tackled the Halo Bearer in a big hug. Ava giggled again as she sank into the tight embrace, kissing below Beatrice’s jaw.
The nun gasped softly, causing Ava to pull away, her eyes filled with worry. Beatrice’s lips connected with Ava’s within a second, her hand reaching up to cup the shorter woman’s cheek.
Ava squeaked in surprise before melting into the kiss, wrapping her arms around Beatrice’s neck. The Halo Bearer’s lips were soft and warm, while the nun’s were slightly chapped and parted.
When Beatrice pulled back, both were somewhat out of breath and stared at one another intensely. The Sister Warrior and Ava were blushing profusely as they realized what they had done.
They had taken their friendship to a whole new level. One that they couldn’t go back from.
“Holy shit.” Ava breathed as she raised herself up onto her elbows. Beatrice smiled sheepishly as she looked away from Ava’s eyes.
Ava placed a quick kiss on the nun’s lips before laying back down, closing her eyes for a moment as she grinned. Beatrice did the same, pecking Ava’s temple before snuggling closer to the Warrior Nun.
The Halo glowed softly as Ava continued to smile, the Halo reacting to the strong emotion of happiness that Ava was feeling. If Beatrice had a Halo of her own, it would be radiating a blindly light.
Both women turned off their bedside lamps, cuddling each other in the dark as they drifted off to sleep, the pair happier than they had been in a long time.
As scary as the fear of rejection was, Beatrice and Ava had realized quickly that life was too short to let fear control you and your feelings.
They realized that you only get so many chances in life, and you might as well take them because you may never know what will happen if you do.
You may just fall in love a little more with those you surround yourself with.