#tulipsocks

Beau took a deep drink of her ale, and turned her face back to the window. She felt the light of the stars and the moon on her face, or maybe that was the booze, and took a breath. 

“You should slow down.” Yasha’s voice, close behind her, made her jump, and nearly spill her cup.

“Shee-zus!” She said, looking over her shoulder at her. “Give a girl a heart attack why don’t you.” she said, reaching to run a hand over her hair, checking that it was still in tact. She knew it didn’t matter, Yasha’d seen her seriously consider paying five gold to be held, but still. 

“Sorry.” Yasha said, but Beau could hear the smile in her voice. Yasha moved around and seemed to think, eyes trailing to the window. “Would you like to go on a walk with me, Beauregard?”

There was something about Yasha saying her name that made her freeze, then melt a little. Beau nodded, then downed her drink. She pushed to her feet, and followed Yasha out, briefly meeting Nott’s eyes, who gave her a little nod.

After Leaving Felderwin, after dealing with the arch-mages, after Mollymauk coming back to them with leafs growing off him, after dealing with Beau’s family and past in Kamordah, after ending the tyranny of the Sky Spear and Yasha getting to lay flowers on her wife’s grave, after… after so much. They’d found a little balance, as they made their way back to Zadash, hopefully for a while, hopefully. They deserved some peace. 

Beau followed Yasha into the night’s cool air, glad the town they’d stopped in wasn’t as wild as Hupperdook. It was nice, even. It felt like somewhere that Beau would have wanted to stay in another life. “The, uh…” Beau said, not liking the quiet sitting between them. “The fountain in the town square is pretty nice, yeah?”

Yasha smiled, and nodded. “Yes, and the gazebo at the end of it.” She agreed. “Let’s head there.” 

Beau nodded, and tucked her hands deep in her pockets. She didn’t know exactly why they were doing this. She just knew Yasha had asked her to. 

After a while, a few doors down from the Inn they’d been drinking in, Yasha spoke up. 

“You remember that time when, uh, it was after Molly came back, that little dwarven town? When I hit my head on nearly every ceiling in the place?” 

Beau laughed a little, “Yeah, and poor Cad just, like, gave up on walking inside of places. He just started ducking and sticking his head through door ways.” 

“Oh, god.” Yasha muttered. “And Molly got his horns stuck on that chandelier.”

“Thank god it hadn’t been lit.” Beau tacked on. 

Yasha’s laugh, rough from infrequent use, was like midday bells to Beau. IT settled her, reminded her where she was. She smiled at Yasha, happy to walk with her forever if it meant hearing that Laugh.

Yasha looked over, a smile still on her face. “I wanted to… Thank you.” she looked over, brow lifting. “I wanted to… You have been a very good friend to me, Beau.” She said, and something caught in Beau’s throat. 

Friend, that sort of word was a thorn in her side. She swallowed, but nodded. Yasha was her friend, truly, even though she still, after all this time harbored some small bead of that first spark she’d felt. 

“You’re a wonderful friend too, Yasha. I’m glad every time you come back to us.” She said, leaning to knock shoulders. 

“I’m glad when I get to come back.” she said, smiling a little. 

Beau nodded a little in agreement, a hand swinging at her side. She nearly jumped when she felt Yasha’s hand brush her’s, but kept herself from pulling away. She let her hand dangle, and a moment later, Yasha’s fingers tangled with hers, pulling her round the fountain in the center of the square, quiet other than the noise of the water flowing. Beau let her eyes wander, to the soft lights of the lanterns, to Yasha, to the stars above, to Yasha, to the structure they walked towards, to Yasha, always back to Yasha. And every time Yasha’s eyes just seemed to be leaving her. 

The headed up the stairs to the Gazebo, and Beau’s eyes caught on the flowers surrounding them. Beau picked a small blue one, and smelled it briefly. “I love little towns like this.” she said. “They put such pride into their little spots of beauty.”

Yasha smiled, stepping long the same path. “Yeah.” she agreed. 

Beau smiled. “How eloquent.” she teased. 

“Well, you know me.” Yasha replied. “Words truly are my, uh, strong suit.”

Beau smiled a little, arms crossing. “You manage to pull the words out on occasion.” 

Yasha pressed her lips, and then she stepped closer. “I try. But I think we both know I’m a woman of action, not of words.” 

Beau’s heart stopped a little, dropping the flower in her grasp. Yasha held a hand out and deftly caught it. She lifted it and tucked it into Beau’s hair, below the ribbon holding it in place. 

Yasha’s gaze flicked down. “I wanted to say, that I… I… after we lost Molly, before we got him back, even now, you… You’ve become my reason to come back every time I am called away. You are… one of the best things in my life, and if I missed my window, I understand, but I would hate myself if I didn’t say something.”

Beau stared at her a moment, heart in her throat. “Yasha, talk plain, please.” She said, a small smile threatening one corner of her mouth. “I think I know what you’re trying to say but I don’t want to be wrong.”

Yasha let a breath out, eyes dropping. “I… I think I love you, a little, Beauregard.” Beau stared at Yasha for a moment, heart pounding. Yasha looked up at her. “If you don’t say something I am going to disintegrate right here.”

Beau didn’t say anything, instead she sprung forward, a hand going to pull Yasha in, curl her hand into her hair, another pulling her down to kiss her. It was a little messy, a little sloppy, teeth in the way for a moment. But, quickly Yasha caught up, and swept Beau close, pulling her close, and they melted together. 

Yasha’s forehead tilted against Beau’s breaking for air. Beau’s eyes flicked open, blue meeting purple of the best sunsets and sky after a storm.  “Does that count to keep you solid, or should I say something too?”

Yasha’s laugh struck Beau, settling in her the deepest happiness. She became convinced, in fact, that it was the best sound in the world. she would do anything to hear it forever.