Work Text:
Piper loved Hazel. That was a fact. Piper knew that was a fact, and so did Hazel. Piper made sure to tell her so much that she would never forget it. However, Piper wasn’t sure that Hazel loved her.
You see, Piper was a siren. She could lure anyone in just by singing. She had never thought of it as a gift or as a curse before. However, now she was sure it was a curse. How was Piper to know that Hazel loved her? How was Hazel to truthfully love her? Could Piper be manipulating Hazel into loving her without even knowing?
Hazel had no idea why Piper was suddenly talking to her less and less. She thought back to anything she may have said or done recently that would’ve hurt her girlfriend and found nothing. After a few days of waiting for Piper to come out and talk to her about it, Hazel decided to take action instead.
“Pipes?” Hazel called softly, walking into their bedroom. Piper was curled up on their bed, startling a bit when Hazel called her name. She sat up, looking at Hazel.
“What’s up?” she replied, putting a fake smile on her face.
Hazel sat down next to her on the bed. “You’ve been avoiding me,” she stated sadly. Piper just looked down. “Did I do something, love? I’m sor-” Hazel began.
Piper cut her off with wide eyes, “No no no, you didn’t do anything, I swear.”
“Then what’s going on?” Hazel asked.
Piper looked back down at her hands, “You know I love you right?”
“Of course,” Hazel’s brows furrowed. “And I love you too.”
“Are you sure?” Piper looked up at Hazel with sad eyes.
“Of course.” Hazel’s confidence in her statement left no room for confusion. “I love you more than anything, Pipes.”
Piper tilted her head at her girlfriend, “Do you like my voice?”
“Yeah, it sounds like music, love,” Hazel confirmed. “But I also love your humor, your snarkiness, your personality, your eyes, and everything else.” Piper smiled softly at Hazel, but her eyes still showed uncertainty. “Except maybe your music taste,” Hazel grinned.
“Hey!” Piper exclaimed, giggling a bit. Her smile fell fast, though. “But what if it’s not genuine?”
“What?”
“What if it’s just my voice that’s making you love me? What if I just lost my voice one day and you found out you never actually loved me?” Piper ranted, letting her worries take over. “What if all of it has been fak-”
Hazel took Piper’s face in her hands, making her look her in the eyes. “I promise you aren’t forcing me to love you. I promise I love you, and there is nothing meddling with my love.”
Piper’s vision was blurry with tears as she looked at Hazel. “But how do you know?” her voice was barely a whisper.
“I feel my love for you in everything we do. Our dates, movie nights, everything. I love you in more than just one way,” Hazel assured.
Piper nodded, but Hazel could tell she didn’t fully believe her. Hazel could always see right through her. “We can talk about it more in the morning, yeah?” Hazel asked.
“Yeah,” Piper affirmed, laying down on their bed. Hazel quickly joined her, curling into Piper’s side. She kissed the top of Hazel’s head.
-----
While Hazel fell asleep rather quickly, Piper did not. She laid awake for hours, thinking (spiraling) about her situation. How was she to know for sure that Hazel really loved her? How was Hazel to know that she really loved Piper?
What if Hazel couldn’t hear her voice for a while? What if Piper wouldn’t let her? Would Hazel still love her? How long would that have to go on?
It took a couple hours before Piper made a decision. Starting in the morning, she would not say a word to Hazel. She would not say a word to her girlfriend for an entire week. If Hazel still loved her by the end, she would believe her. If Hazel began to draw back, Piper’s fears would be true.
Piper took a breath, looking at Hazel sleeping beside her. She kissed her on the forehead, whispering, “I love you.”
-----
Hazel woke up in the morning to find Piper still asleep beside her, which was a rather uncommon occurrence. She smiled and carefully got out of bed, hurrying downstairs. She wanted to surprise Piper with breakfast in bed when she awoke. Hazel made her girlfriend’s favorite: pancakes with peanut butter spread thinly on top. She snuck back into the bedroom with her dish as well as a glass of apple juice. Hazel would have left, as to not wake Piper up, but she had already stirred. Hazel kissed her girlfriend on the forehead as she slowly woke up, smiling at her.
“I made you breakfast,” Hazel whispered.
Piper opened her mouth to respond, but Hazel could see something flash in her eyes. Piper just smiled at her girlfriend, kissing her on the cheek in thanks.
Hazel furrowed her eyebrows, “What’s up, love?” Piper just shrugged, staring down at her plate to avoid eye contact. However, looking at the wonderful meal Hazel made her only strengthened her guilt. Piper looked up, hoping that her eyes could convey to Hazel how sorry she is.
“Pipes, wha…” Hazel’s voice trailed off as she remembered their conversation from the night prior. Piper watched her girlfriend’s eyes turn sad, quicker than she would’ve expected. Really, she should’ve known that Hazel knows her better than she knows herself.
Hazel knew, as she looked Piper in the eyes, that she wouldn’t be backing down. “I love you,” she reassured anyway, hoping her love would believe her. Piper just laid her head down on her shoulder.
-----
Despite Hazel knowing Piper wouldn’t back down until she got the proof she wanted, she still wanted to let Piper know that she loves her no matter what. Therefore, Hazel came up with her own plan: she wouldn’t speak directly to Piper either. She would show her that she can love without having to use words.
When Piper went into the kitchen early afternoon to see her girlfriend, the last thing she expected was for Hazel to not say a word. Piper walked over to Hazel, hugging her from behind and resting her chin on her shoulder. Hazel just leaned back into her embrace, smiling over her shoulder. Piper looked at her, confused, but Hazel provided no explanation. Instead, she just grabbed the drinks she had been pouring and led Piper outside to their yard.
Piper was shocked to see an entire picnic set up in the grass, equipped with the cliche red checkered picnic blanket and everything. Hazel just smiled at her as she sat on the blanket, setting down the drinks and pulling two PB&J sandwiches out of a picnic basket. Piper was nearly in tears seeing this date set up with all her favorites despite not planning a thing with her girlfriend.
Hazel patted the spot next to her on the blanket and Piper followed, sitting down beside her. Hazel wordlessly passed her a sandwich and a glass before laying down and resting her head on Piper’s lap. Piper kissed her girlfriend’s cheek, then just ate her sandwich in comfortable silence.
Piper loved her girlfriend with all her heart. That much was clear. Now, Hazel was making it very difficult for Piper to doubt her love. Especially when she realized it felt familiar, as this was something that was a regular occurrence, not just Hazel trying to “prove” something. This was their life, with or without Piper’s voice.
-----
Despite neither of the girls talking, they stayed in each other’s presence the entire day. They read side by side, cuddled while watching a random TV show, and even cooked dinner together. The dinner came with some minor communication issues, but they powered through.
They sat in a comfortable silence for most of the day, and it was weirdly easy to understand what her girlfriend wanted without words. Most of the time, that is. While there were some moments of frustration from both of them, they found ways around it. They always did.
It wasn’t until that night when Piper really began to understand the point Hazel was making. Her girlfriend had set up a movie night while Piper was in the shower. As soon as she was finished, Hazel grabbed her wrist and lightly tugged her to their living room, grinning widely the entire time. Piper couldn’t help but match her excitement when she was playfully pushed onto the couch and had the remote handed to her. As Piper quickly chose a movie (it was "coincidentally" Hazel’s favorite), Hazel ran into the kitchen to grab the popcorn and snacks she had prepared.
One of Piper’s favorite things about Hazel was her excitement when they surprised each other. Her face always lit up, and she was adorable. That was why Piper went out of her way to surprise her girlfriend. She hadn’t been doing it much lately, and she missed it. However, as Hazel sat down beside her and Piper curled into her side, she realized exactly what Hazel was trying to prove. They were having the perfect day, and no words needed to be exchanged. They were comfortable in silence, and just being in each other’s company was enough.
It only took one day for Piper to believe Hazel. One day, when she thought she was going to be silent for a whole week.
“I’m sorry,” Piper whispered. Hazel’s head snapped toward her. “I should’ve believed you. I can see it now.”
Hazel just smiled at her. “That’s okay, love. I get it.”
“No, I shouldn’t have doubted you, that wasn’t fair.”
“I forgave you before you even started speaking, Pipes. I know it’s hard sometimes, that’s ok.”
“I love you,” Piper told Hazel, “and I’ve never meant anything more.”
Hazel smiled brightly. “I love you too, can we watch the movie now?” she joked.
Piper laughed, kissing her girlfriend on the cheek, “Of course.”