Work Text:
Ava paused with her hands half-submerged in the soapy water in the sink, listening carefully as Beatrice got ready to leave their apartment. She waited until she heard the door close and the lock click into place before hurrying to wipe her hands on a towel and half-jogging into the bedroom. Beatrice was headed to the drugstore about a block away, meaning Ava only had about ten minutes before she got back—but she didn't get much time alone in their apartment, so it would have to do.
Once she was in the bedroom, she opened the top drawer of the dresser and riffled around inside, shoving aside wrinkled shirts and mismatched socks until she uncovered a shoe box tucked toward the back. She couldn’t help the familiar small smile that tugged at the corners of her mouth as she pulled out the box, set it on top of the dresser, and lifted the lid.
“Ava?”
Ava jumped at the sound of Beatrice’s voice from the doorway, slamming the lid down on the box and leaning against the dresser to hide it as best she could. “Bea! I thought—I thought you were going to the store.”
“I was. But I forgot my wallet.” Beatrice held up the thin leather billfold in her hand, her eyes shifting from Ava’s face to the box she was still trying to hide. “What’s that?”
“Nothing.” Ava said quickly, elbowing the box so it was even further behind her. “It’s, uh…private.”
“It’s…” Beatrice frowned at her for a second before her eyes widened just a little. “Oh. I suppose there’s nothing wrong with you having…something like that.”
“No, Bea, it’s not, like, porn or anything, it’s—“ Ava cut herself off with a sigh when Beatrice blanched. “Here, I’ll just show you,” she mumbled as she nudged the box into view.
“You’re allowed to have private things. You don’t have to show me.“
Ava shook her head and motioned for Beatrice to join her. “No, just come look. It’s gonna make things weird if I don’t show you now.”
Beatrice moved to stand next to her, peering down into the box when Ava lifted the lid again. “It’s…” She trailed off, her brows pinching together as she frowned. “It just looks like rubbish.”
Ava winced, turning her head to the side to hide the blush creeping up her cheeks. “Yeah, you’re right. I should just get rid of it.” She reached toward the box again but stopped when Beatrice put a hand on her arm.
“You don’t have to do that, Ava.”
Ava froze at the contact, her eyes flicking to Beatrice’s face before she could stop them. “I don’t?”
Beatrice shook her head, her expression softening in a way that made Ava's heart stutter. “No. You wouldn't have kept these if they were really just rubbish.”
“Oh.” Ava let out a short, breathless laugh as a relieved smile stretched across her face. "Yeah, I guess not."
Beatrice held Ava's eyes for a second, mirroring her smile, before she tilted her head toward the box. "Can you explain what they are?"
Ava knew the question was coming, but it still made her stomach twist, and she had to fight to keep her nervousness out of her voice. “Yeah, sure.” Her hands were shaking as she reached to pull the first item out of the box–a thin, slightly scorched piece of cardboard with instructions for boiling pasta printed on one side. “This is from the first box of pasta I ever made. Or what’s left of it, I guess.”
Beatrice raised a hand to hide the smile pulling at the corners of her mouth. “Right. The one you set on fire.”
“That was also the first fire I’ve ever put out.” Ava grinned as Beatrice laughed, her nerves steadied just a little as she reached into the box again for the next item–a small, silver-colored coin. “I found this on the way to our first day of work at the bar.”
“Yes, I remember. The design on one side was completely rubbed away.” Beatrice delicately picked up the coin in Ava’s palm, flipping it over so the smooth side was facing up before setting it back down.
“Yep, that’s the one.” Ava nodded, doing her best not to shiver at the feeling of Beatrice’s fingertips against her skin.
Beatrice ran her fingers over the coin one more time before turning back to the box, taking out the next items herself–a stack of post-its with notes scrawled on them. “What are these?”
“Uh…” Ava fought the urge to grimace as her face heated up again. “Those are all the notes you’ve written for me since we started working at the bar.”
Beatrice’s brow furrowed slightly. “And you kept all of them?”
“I, um, have trouble remembering stuff for work. And then I just never threw them away.” Ava gave Beatrice a sheepish grin, her cheeks growing even redder as Beatrice’s eyes lingered on her for another few seconds. She barely held in a sigh of relief when Beatrice finally looked back at the box.
Beatrice removed the last object from the box–a dark gray rock with flecks and veins of blue swirling through it–before glancing back at Ava. “What’s this?”
“A cool rock I found at the lake after training the other day.”
Beatrice hummed in response, but didn’t say anything as she set the rock on the dresser next to Ava’s other keepsakes, frowning slightly as she stared at them all.
Ava watched Beatrice for a second, her words coming out in a rush as panic flared in her chest. “I know it’s kinda silly to keep this stuff. We don’t have a lot of room and I shouldn’t waste it on crap like this. I can still get rid of it, if you want.”
Beatrice shook her head, her eyes still trained on the objects on the dresser. “No, you should keep them if they’re important to you. I’m just…” She trailed off as she looked back at Ava, her eyes darting around Ava's face as she searched for the right word. “Surprised, I suppose. We’ve only been here for a month but it’s meant a lot to you. I just didn’t realize.”
“Of course it does, it… How could it not, I-I mean…” Ava held Beatrice’s gaze for as long as she could, but had to look away after a few seconds before she started to squirm under its intensity. She reached to fiddle with the coin sitting on the dresser, keeping her eyes focused on it as she spoke. “This is the first time I’ve been able to, like, make a life for myself. Or build a home somewhere. With someone.” Her eyes went wide, her mouth clamping shut a second too late to stop those last words from slipping out.
There was a beat of heavy silence before Beatrice spoke. “Ava, I…”
Ava froze again, holding her breath as she waited for Beatrice to finish speaking.
Beatrice let out a long, slow exhale, shaking her head slightly before she continued. “I have something I’d like to add to your box. If that’s okay?”
“You do?” Ava whipped around to look at Beatrice, gaping at her for a second before she could respond. “Yeah,” she said breathlessly, her heart leaping in her chest as she smiled. “Yes, that would be awesome.”
Beatrice hesitantly returned Ava’s smile before walking over to her nightstand on the far side of the bed. She grabbed something from the top drawer, but kept the object hidden in her fist until she moved back to Ava. When Beatrice opened her hand, there was a tiny, golden-brown snail shell sitting in her palm.
Ava gently picked up the shell, running her fingers over its swirling pattern. “This is from our drive out here. I found it on the side of the road when we stopped for gas.”
“It is, yes.”
“And you kept it?”
“Of course,” Beatrice said, the softness in her voice making Ava glance up at her. “You gave it to me.”
They both froze as their eyes met, Ava’s pulse thundering in her ears as she struggled to decipher Beatrice’s expression. “I’m glad you kept it,” she said finally, her voice barely above a whisper.
“I am, too." Beatrice held Ava's gaze for a second longer before she blinked and seemed to mentally shake herself. "Because it’ll be a good addition to your collection, I mean.”
“Yeah.” Ava turned to place the snail shell next to her other keepsakes. “It will, yeah.”
“Can I add more to your box, if I come across anything else?" Beatrice asked, smiling when Ava nodded. "I'm sorry I called it rubbish before. And you don’t have to hide it anymore, you can leave it on top of the dresser if you want.”
“Thanks, Bea,” Ava said, biting her bottom lip in a failed attempt to contain her grin. “That would be awesome.”
“I should actually go to the store now, though." Beatrice held up her wallet again, jerking her other hand toward the door. "I’ll see you in a bit.”
Ava nodded, watching Beatrice until she walked out of sight. Then she looked back at their collection, smiling down at it for a second before moving the items back into the box. Once they were all inside, she replaced the lid, set the box to the center of the dresser, and all but floated back to the kitchen.