1So I am still working on all my older stories- it's just that a lot has happened since I last updated anything. And I had horrible writer's block, so that was fun.
Plot: basically "love at first sight: the really gay version" ( with Pippa's visit overlapping with the love potion thing and also I pretty much ignore the whole "Pippa is there to replace Ada eventually/ she is only there because the council asked her to be" canon but do use some bits of canon dialogue)
Warnings: one short scene alluding to assault/ where it seems like someone is assaulted + people under influence of a love potion= doing wacky shit they really don't want to do.
Hecate is very bad at emotions(and very good at convincing herself Pippa "beautiful" Pentangle would be better off without her) while Pippa is thirsty af and has enough of this no hugs/no Hiccup/barely any mirror chats bullshit.
Pippa has been looking forward to this for weeks, if not longer. In a way, she has been looking forward to it for decades – after all, she has always missed Hecate more than she had been angry. And now that they're finally reconciling, she wants to see Hecate more than ever, wants more than sparse mirror chats and rebuked suggestions. Perhaps it is cheating, and if she knows Hecate, she will be far from happy, but Pippa has had it.
If she has to resort to different tactics to force what can barely called a reconciliation to work, so be it.
So she accepts Ada's suggestion with a smile, never tells Hecate about it and makes arrangements to be away from Pentangle's for a day. She spends the broomride there thinking of ways to get past Hecate's wall, perhaps get another hug or maybe even- she almost flies into a tree, and then she is already at Cackle's.
She waves and smiles at the girls crowding together and whispering excitedly amongst themselves, but she isn't really focusing on them. Where is she? She is amongst the girls, looking sour as expected, and Pippa only has a minute to appreciate the dress ( Hecate may only wear black, but she wears it well) before the witch appears next to her.
" You always did like to make an entrance, Pippa"
She had never minded eyes on her, no, especially not when they belonged to a gangly, awkward girl with her hair always in a braid so tight it looked painful. Well, not always. During the leaver's ball, Hecate had materialised with her hair finally free from that braid, dark curls reaching her hips with a beautiful hat on top of it. And that gown –
"That doesn't sound like me" Hecate drawls, and she merely smiles fondly, quickly flying to the ground to avoid saying anything worse, already scolding herself for what she almost said.
She smiles at the girls crowding around her, recognizing Mildred Hubble and her friends but also the girl – Felicity, was it?- that she has noticed always staring at her, and the daughter of Ursula Hallow, not any more pleasant than her mother.
" Well met, girls" she says and receives a chorus of excited "well met"s in return. They look at her curiously, but it is Felicity that finally, eyes wide and cheeks flushed, asks her "why are you here, miss Pentangle?"
" I have been invited to give a modern witching workshop " she answers, smiling at the girl. I have to be careful around that one. She already strongly suspected it, but Felicity's reaction to a simple smile confirms it; the girl has an obvious crush on her. It is nothing new to Pippa – she knows at least four girls at Pentangle's, and some boys as well, that leave her gifts or ask for extra lessons even when they're ahead of the rest of the class- but it does mean she has to be careful.
" Will you be staying the entire day, miss Pentangle?"
" I will. Well met, Mildred" she answers, and she always takes great care not to favour one pupil over another, but she can admit to herself that she has a weak spot for Mildred.
Mildred smiles sheepishly, perhaps thinking she has been rude, and quickly presses her hand to her forehead and mumbles a "well met, miss Pentangle"
She claps her hands. " Shall we go inside?"
The girls start their chatter again- her suspicions are further confirmed when she hears Felicity say "Miss Pentangle" in a hushed, awed voice- and she takes the opportunity to chat with Mildred, who is walking next to her.
"How have things been for you, Mildred? "
" I still really like it here. And we have got art now, so there is actually something I am good at!"
Pippa smiles " I am sure you are not just good at art, Mildred. You are a talented witch"
" She destroyed the school at the start of the term" neither Pippa nor Mildred jump when Hecate suddenly appears, both used to that particular habit of hers.
" Accidents happen, Hecate"
" Half of the school building - "
"Every witch makes mistakes, that is how she learns" Pippa interjects
Hecate makes a face- honestly, Pippa has always been surprised that people would call Hecate "cold" when the woman is more expressive than half the people that are actually in theatre- but falls silent. She does, however, mutter " if only"
" What kind of modern witching are you going to teach us? " it's another one of Mildred's friends that has spoken, the girl with an excess of energy. Pippa suspects she is a troublemaker, and what little she has heard from Hecate confirms it.
" Your name was Enid, was it not? Well met – and it is a surprise, although not for much longer"
" Do you only teach modern witching at your school, miss Pentangle? "it is Mildred's other friend, the more timid one. Pippa knows she is more studious and far less prone to troublemaking than her two friends- Hecate mentioned that Maud Spellbody would become a competent witch "if only she did not affiliate with the wrong sort"
" Well met, Maud Spellbody. We combine traditional witching with modern witching at Pentangle's. Do you have an interest in teaching?"
Maud blushes. " I don't- "
" You would make a wonderful teacher, Maud " Mildred interjects, grinning at her friend.
"Yeah- you already act like one " Enid adds, making a face before pushing her friend playfully " Always trying to make us study more, and being serious all the time"
"A worthwhile endeavour" Hecate drawls, and the girls almost startle- they had forgotten Hecate was still walking behind them. Pippa , on the other hand, can never just forget or get used to Hecate.
" Walk inside, and wait quietly while I speak with miss Pentangle" Hecate orders the girls, which fall silent at once. Pippa does not always agree with Hecate's strictness- but she loves seeing her in her element, easily commanding an entire hallway of students like it is an entirely different form of magic, like-
"Miss Pentangle , if you would- " before Hecate can finish, her name is called and they both turn around, Pippa automatically smiling at the woman standing her, while she can practically feel Hecate's annoyance.
" Miss Drill, what is- "
Except miss Drill seems to have entirely forgotten what she was going to say, or that Hecate even exists really. She is staring at Pippa, the ball she was holding now floating in the air. She takes a step towards Pippa.
"Do you enjoy sports, miss Pentangle?"
" I do strive to remain as fit as possible" she replies, shooting miss Drill a quick smile before glancing at Hecate
Hecate takes a step towards them. "Miss Drill, if you would – " she trails off when Dimity starts bouncing the ball expertly, all the while getting closer to Pippa. She completely ignores Hecate.
" Miss Drill, stop this behaviour this inst- " it's only Hecate's quick reflexes that save her from getting whacked in the face by the ball. She vanishes the ball, and steps towards Dimity- who is now doing push-ups.
"Is she okay?" Pippa whispers, stepping closer to Hecate, who is staring down at the other witch with a look of utter distaste.
" What about this?" Dimity says and starts doing one-armed push-ups.
" That is impressive, actually" Pippa comments, offhandedly, then blinks in confusion as she feels Hecate stiffen next to her.
" It is hardly impressive"
" Well, I- " she cuts herself off when the world suddenly shifts out of focus, and then they're standing in another classroom. She snaps her head towards Hecate. "You know I have always hated that!" Hecate ignores it, still focused on Dimity-
who is staring at Pippa, still on the floor, with one arm on her back. " You know, I can do this for a long time- and with weight on my back" she grins at Pippa. " I reckon you don't weigh much, so I could easily do this while you- "
" Enough" Hecate suddenly snaps. " Miss Drill, I have no idea what is going on, but this will stop this instant"
"Hecate, it's all right, she is just- " Pippa trails off. She has no idea what the third witch in the room is doing, exactly, but-
" It is inane, it is absurd, it is- " Hecate seems to be having some sort of meltdown, and Pippa gently lays her hand on her arm.
"Are you all right, Hic- Hecate? "
Hecate is just about to reply- likely to lie horribly- when the door opens, and an unfamiliar woman steps in. Pippa feels Hecate stiffen even more, and gently squeezes her arm before letting go and smiling at the woman. " Well met, sis- "
The woman looks away from Hecate, already bringing her hand to her forehead when she drops it abruptly and whispers "I must draw you"
" I beg your pardon?"
"Stay here!" the strange woman says, and disappears. Pippa turns to Hecate. "Who was that?"
" Marigold Mould" Hecate replies, every syllable practically dripping with distaste. She is staring at the spot where Marigold was standing with an expression of disgust. Her next words make it clear why. "She is the new… arts teacher"
" That is- " Marigold suddenly appears again, and before Pippa can ask her about her subject- she happens to love art, and she is curious whether the teaching methods here are very different from what they teach at Pentangle's – the woman gently takes her hand, and pulls her to a different corner of the room.
"Better lighting " Marigold says, smiling. She has a large canvas now, as well as different pencils. " Do not move" she commands Pippa, still staring at her.
" Miss Mould, I am so sorry but I have a class to- "
" That bone structure- the eyes – lovely " Marigold mutters, sketching. She looks up suddenly. "Would you be willing to pose naked? I used to –"
Hecate suddenly appears in front of Pippa, and Marigold actually focuses on her for a moment, the odd look replaced very briefly by terror. " Miss Mould, you will vanish from this room this instant and I will inform miss Cackle of your complete lack of professionality. Perhaps I am unable to proof something is going on with you but this will convince miss Cackle to dismiss you regardless"
Pippa touches Hecate's shoulder, feeling not just how tense her muscles are, but how her magic is practically jumping, hardly under Hecate's control. " Hecate, it is okay "
" O- "
She takes a step forward, so that she is no longer hidden behind Hecate but standing next to her. The extremely tense- even by her standards- witch looks like she wants to pull Pippa behind her again, or – more likely- hex Marigold. " I have a class to teach now. And no, I do not wish to pose naked for your art. I would love to see some of your art sometime though, thank you" she smiles briefly at Marigold.
Hecate stiffens. " As you wish, miss Pentangle. I will- " she recognizes that Hecate is about seconds away from transferring and reacts before thinking, grabbing her hand with so much force and almost desperation that her nails actually dig into Hecate's skin. She immediately pulls away with a gasp.
" Hic- Hecate, I am so sorry, I just-"
"That is all right, miss Pentangle. I will leave you alone with miss Mould so you can acquaint yourself with her- "
" I don't – how have you been?" she smiles shakily. " I did wish to talk to you, as soon as I had finished my workshop. That was one of the main reasons I agreed".
" You- but I thought- what about miss Mould and miss Drill?"
She looks at the art teacher, who is still sketching her and muttering. The sports' teacher is still on the ground, counting the amount of push-ups at loud. " I am certain your colleagues are wonderful- but they are not my friends. You are. Aren't you?" she wants to hex herself for being stupid enough to let the insecurity show, for giving Hecate an out, what if she leaves again, decides that is the noble or the best thing to do?
" I- " Hecate swallows, glancing at the other two witches in the room. " Yes, we are friends" she finally says, stiff and emotionless but Pippa smiles at her happily anyways. She touches Hecate's arm briefly. " Tea in your quarters then? "
Hecate just nods, jerks her head really but it is enough to make that horribly tight feeling in Pippa's chest disappear almost entirely. She gives Hecate a blinding smile, then squeezes her arm one last time. She takes her hand for a moment, causing Hecate to nearly flinch but she just quickly heals the slight indentations from her own nails and says " don't forget we are having tea together" before dropping her hand, and transferring.
This is going to be a wonderful day.
She is walking with a group of girls, all chatting excitedly about how "nice" and "interesting " and "not boring " modern witching is when a wizard almost walks into her. He immediately apologizes profusely as he kneels down to grab the bouquet he dropped.
" I am so sorry, miss – " he trails off, gasps and then stares at her. You have got to- she yanks her head back when a bouquet is pushed in her face. "Please accept these"
" They are lovely, but – "
" Miss Pentangle!" the girls still surrounding her are pushed aside by Dimity, who is now wearing a – those are not witch's robes. Pippa is quite certain that what Dimity is now wearing is called a "tank top" and she eyes the other witch's muscular arms for a moment before focusing on her face again.
She brings her hand to her forehead. " Miss Drill, well met aga-"
" I wanted to show you something, it's outside- "
"Miss Pentangle!" she turns away from Dimity to smile at miss Mould, who nearly shoves a sketchbook in her face. She glances at it; it is a sketch of herself, in different clothing than she is wearing right now. Thank Morgana she did not draw me nude.
" That is lovely, you are very talented- "
"Why would she want a drawing of herself" Dimity interrupts, then smiles at Pippa. "You will like my surprise better"
She almost makes the sound that earned her the nickname "pipsqueak" but manages to swallow it. Marigold is holding her hand now- clutching it, really. " You wanted to see my art?"
" I- yes, that would be wonderful, but- "
" I can get you more beautiful flowers " the wizard interjects
" No, that is quite all right, thank- "
" I can help you stay fit" I bet you can
"No, thank you, I have- "
"You mentioned you like art, I can- "
" That all sounds wonderful, but perhaps some other time" she interjects, taking a step away from the wizard- he was standing uncomfortably close-, which unfortunately means she backs into someone else.
" I am so – " it is miss Mould, who does not seem sorry at all. Pippa quickly takes two steps away from her, uselessly as Marigold immediately follows her. " You are the most beautiful work of art I have ever seen"
Pippa laughs , glancing around her. She has a feeling that if she starts walking again, she will just be followed. " That is very kind of you, but I do not- "
They all start talking again, and Marigold is touching her, Dimity asking her about her fitness routine, Rowan-Webb- as he has introduced himself – saying something about a pond and then they're all stumbling away from her
"What is going on here?"
" Hecate" Pippa breathes, honestly almost collapsing with relief.
"Why are you all crowded around miss Pentangle? Do you not have work to do?"
" We- "
Hecate glares furiously at them, and Pippa feels that familiar charge, the hairs on her arm standing up in reply. She automatically steps towards Hecate, gently touching her hand. She jumps and glances sharply at Pippa, who just smiles. As soon as Hecate looks back at the group of students and teachers, Pippa presses her hand against Hecate's- she doesn't hold it, but almost links their fingers, just enough that she feels Hecate's magic settle a bit.
As soon as the teachers are properly scolded, Hecate walks with Pippa and the rest of the group to their next lesson ( potions). They're more subdued at first, no doubt thanks to their potions mistress walking with them, but soon they're speculating.
" I wonder why miss Drill and Mould and mister Rowan-Webb were being so weird" one of them says.
"Perhaps it's because miss Pentangle is only staying one day?"
Another girl giggles. "No, you silly! They fancy her"
" Would you go out with any of them, miss Pentangle? " one of the braver ones turns to her, and asks. She thinks their name is Igraine. Their friend immediately elbows them, hissing "you can't ask her that!"
Pippa stops trying to draw Hecate into conversation and focuses on the students again. She shuts up Hecate's impending scolding by laying a hand on her arm. "That is quite all right, I do not mind"
" So would you say yes if they asked you out?" Igraine presses.
"Mister Rowan-Webb wouldn't ask her out" their friend interjects " He's with miss Bat, right? They're all in love"
"Yes, but miss Pentangle is a lot prettier than miss Bat"
" So? That doesn't matter if you are in love! That's just silly"
Before it can dissolve into a fight, Pippa interjects with a casual " I would never date mister Rowan-Webb"
" Yes, but if he wasn't together with miss Bat- "
" I would still refuse to date him"
" Why? He's really nice"
Pippa laughs. " Well, for one, I fancy witches- " they all stop abruptly, and stare.
"Are you all right, miss Hardbroom?" Igraine asks.
" You are all red" another blurts out, then covers her mouth and eyes the witch fearfully.
" I don't see anything on the floor- what did you trip over? " a third one asks.
Hecate doesn't seem to hear them, and doesn't take her eyes off Pippa. " W-witches?" she swallows and Pippa expects her to actually say anything but she just repeats "w-witches?".
Pippa nods. " Yes, I fancy – are you sure you are all right, Hic – Hecate? You do look frightfully red, perhaps we should cancel your- "
"Since when- ? " she cuts herself off abruptly, glancing at the ten or so faces glancing curiously between them.
Pippa stares at the brilliant, wonderful idiot. " You have known me for nearly all your life Hecate, and you honestly believed that I fancied wizards?"
" I- "
"How in the name of Gaia- I fancy witches. I always have, I always will and- for goodness' sake Hecate, you have met one of my exes"
"I have? "
"Do you remember that potions conference in Ireland?"
From the very brief cringe, Hecate does indeed remember that conference. To be honest, Pippa would be very surprised if she didn't- it was hardly one of her proudest moments. "That was your- " she swallows, almost says the word, then happens to look at the students and quickly schools her expression. " You really should stop asking miss Pentangle such… personal questions"
They start walking again. Hecate makes a valiant effort to completely compose herself, but Igraine ruins it about two seconds later. " Miss Hardbroom?"
Hecate merely glances at her, eyebrows slightly raised. Igraine apparently decides that is permission, as she immediately asks " did you ever have a girlfriend?"
Hecate almost stumbles again, then glares furiously. " Of all the impertinent- detention" she barks
" But- "
" For a month! "
Igraine shrugs. " Okay" she doesn't seem particularly bothered, and turns to Pippa again. "So would you date miss Drill or miss Mould?"
" Igraine Ma- I just told you not to pester miss Pentangle"
" But she said- "
" INSIDE" the girls practically trip over their own feet, they're so quick to get inside. Hecate is still flushed, and Pippa allows herself to enjoy it for a moment. A brief moment as Hecate says "goodbye miss Pentangle" stiffly and then Pippa is staring at a closed door.
Nonononono she thinks, and almost screams it before she realizes how ridiculous that would look and how much she would need to explain if she would break down now. But she is almost certain Hecate won't be having tea with her now and certain that she will not receive another hug and why did they have to ask her that?
She leans against the door for a moment, her eyes stinging badly and shaking her head at how ridiculous she is. " Thirty years, and you are still in love with her, you stupid woman" she mutters. She sighs, and slowly pushes away from the wall. She feels sick, nauseous and weak-kneed and something else entirely, so she remains standing against the wall, listening to Hecate's familiar voice and imagining the way she glares around the room, warning every girl that to misbehave would be a mistake indeed.
She had always imagined Hecate's strictness would mesh really well with her own more soft approach, that they would work together well in teaching like they worked together in everything. Until Hecate had just not shown up, and then had ignored her and pretended she was air- like she was just another silly witch.
She wipes away her tears, but she isn't ready to walk yet. Just another minute, she just needs one more minute to – " Miss Pentangle- " she opens her eyes again, and almost transfers away when she recognizes the witch standing in front of her.
" Miss Mould, would you- "
" Wonderful "she mutters, and Pippa nearly rolls her eyes, honestly. She likes flattery, but this is too much- she doesn't want someone to constantly praise her, she wants- " I have been looking for you everywhere" the woman says, smiling blandly at Pippa. It makes her skin crawl, as though someone hexed spiders beneath it.
Just when she is about to lose her patience and tell the woman to "leave me alone, please" rather sharply, there is a flash of light and she screams and the next thing she knows, she is pressed against the wall, miss Mould falling on top of her and there is a ripping sound.
Two seconds later, the door slams against the wall, and one Hecate Hardbroom marches outside. The look in her eyes turns from mildly angry to absolutely furious in a second, which causes Pippa to take a split-second examination of the situation : herself, pressed against the wall. Her dress, ripped open, exposing most of her legs. Miss Mould, pressed against her, with her hand pushing against one of the aforementioned legs. Obviously, Hecate comes to the wrong conclusion – Pippa understands what will happen a split second before it does.
"HICCUP NO" she shrieks, trying to stop the magic blast Hecate cannot stop, her own magic reacting a tenth of a second too late. The magic rips into her instead of miss Mould and she can't stop a second scream, one of pain rather than surprise this time. She has just enough time to think Hecate and then everything goes black.
She wakes up, and wishes she hadn't. It is like being hungover, except approximately ten million times worse. She tries to turn around in the bed, to protect her poor skull against the light that is trying to split it open. A soft voice tries to catch her attention but the sounds hurt too-
She weakly pushes against the hand turning her head, pressing something cool against her lips. She manages to swallow the few droplets, and almost cries in relief when the pain immediately lessens to a survivable headache. She very carefully opens her eyes.
" Welcome back, miss Pentangle"
" Miss Cackle?" she mutters, and wonders for a split second what the headmistress of Cackle's is doing in her school before she remembers, and- "Hecate- " she wants to ask whether she is all right ( of course she isn't) , what happened ( it might have been decades since Hecate had a mishap, but Pippa knows better than anyone else what happens) , where she is-
" She is in her rooms"
" Did anyone- "
" We kept the matter quiet. Miss Mould was behaving under the influence of a love potion and what startled you - I had a very upset girl in my room explaining she was just practising but the spell went wrong"
"Hecate- how bad is it?"
Ada smiles, and pats her hand. " I believe it is better if you speak to her yourself. Do I have your permission to transfer you- do not worry, it is quite safe now- to her rooms ?"
Pippa nods. She wouldn't care if it hurt her more than the blast of magic that nearly killed her. She is talking to Hecate, now. Ada smiles at her again, and wishes her good luck before waving her hand. Pippa materializes in an uncomfortable chair in a sparsely decorated room.
Hecate doesn't turn around. " I have yet to change my mind , Ada"
" Change your mind about what?" Hecate tenses, her nails digging into the wood of the desk she is standing in front of. " Hiccup?"
" Don't – " when Hecate's shoulders start shaking, Pippa forces herself out of the chair and walks over there, gently touching her shoulder. Hecate stiffens even more. "You should leave"
"Hiccup- "
She stays silent, and Pippa very slowly wraps her arms around Hecate. She doesn't hug Hecate as tightly as she wants to; makes the hug loose enough that Hecate could easily put some distance between them. Sometimes, Hecate couldn't bear to be touched after her magic couldn't be controlled- it would legitimately hurt her. In fact, Hecate usually didn't like to be touched when she was upset- couldn't be touched, really. But there were a few times, when Pippa had almost been hurt and Hecate almost needed it, just to know she was all right. Pippa hopes she guessed right, and this is one of those times.
" There is nothing to forgive Hiccup, it was an accident. But if you need to hear it; I forgive you"
" You could have- "
"But I did not. And it was my decision to protect miss Mould like that, something you had nothing to do with"
" You should leave, miss Pentangle" the tremble in Hecate's voice is only barely there. Pippa gently turns her around, and pushes her in a chair. She snaps her fingers, and pushes the cup of tea in Hecate's hands.
" Drink that, you silly witch"
" Leave" Hecate says.
" Were you truly going to resign, Hecate?"
"I am. As soon as Ada finds a competent substitute" she sips the tea "Then again, anyone who does not lose control of her magic like an infant would qualify , I suppose"
" You simply misread the situation. You thought she was assaulting me – and no one could blame you for reacting the way you did"
" So one crime excuses another? "
" No, it would still have been wrong if you had hurt miss Mould, but she understands. And so do I, and Ada, and everyone else in this castle- there is no one who thinks any less of you after the incident. No one but yourself, that is"
" I should've exercised better control, I should never have- "
" Don't be too hard on yourself Hiccup"
Hecate finally looks up, and she is crying. She still cries noiselessly- apart from the soft hiccups that she can't stop. Pippa takes her tea from her, puts it down on the desk. She waves her hand again, changing the awful chair Hecate is sitting in into a couch, and sits down next to her. She lets Hecate cry, not touching her even if she wants it so badly that she buries her nails into her arm to keep herself from reaching out and grabbing Hecate's hand.
It takes a while, but Hecate finally quiets, and places her hand on the couch. Pippa immediately takes it, cradling it in her own hand. " I see that you still live up to your nickname, Hiccup"
" If I remember correctly, when you came up with that asinine nickname, the situation wasn't anything like this"
" No, but the first time you were comfortable enough around me to cry, I decided that the nickname was right"
" Pipsqueak- "
" Shush darling, it is all right" Pippa yawns. " I am dreadfully tired"
" No wonder. You should not be here at all, you should be- " her voice trails off when Pippa drags her feet up the couch, and moves around until her head is on Hecate's shoulder. " Pippa"
" Hm. I want to sleep like this, if that is okay with you?"
" You should sleep in a bed. You can borrow mine for the night, I – I have not been using it much" she says the last part far quieter.
" Only if you are in it as well " Pippa feels Hecate stiffen against her, and wonders how long it has been since Hecate has had anyone in her bed. The most selfish, possessive part of her hopes desperately that she was the last one to ever share a bed with Hecate.
" I – do not think that is a good idea" Hecate pushes out.
" Please, Hiccup?" she mutters, and she feels the exact moment Hecate gives in. She sort of sags and then just asks " may I change our clothing into something more comfortable?"
"Hm hm " Pippa mutters, half-asleep. She wrenches her eyes open, then stops Hecate when she realizes she is going to use magic for everything. " Let me do the hair" she mutters, gesturing in the general direction of Hecate's bed.
She swallows. "All right"
They walk to the bed together, Hecate watching her with hawk's eyes. She crawls on the bed, then sits behind Hecate. Even when they were very close, she was only allowed to do this a handful of times – her hands are shaking when she carefully unravels Hecate's hair for the first time in decades, and she is both thankful for the darkness and the excuse that she has not recovered fully.
It is still soft, and thick and Hecate still tenses and then slowly relaxes more and more until she is leaning back against Pippa and her eyes are half-closed. Pippa stays like that for a moment, Hecate leaning against her and her own hands still treading carefully through her hair, but finally whispers "Hiccup?" when her own eyes start to close.
" Pip- Pipsqueak?"
Pippa feels her eyes start to fall closed minutes after she lays down, but she knows Hecate is extremely tense next to her. Just before she falls asleep, she blindly reaches for the witch next to her. "Please don't leave, not again".
She wakes up hours later, and smiles. There's hair in her mouth, and she is almost uncomfortably warm, between the blanket and the heat of the room and Hecate's body heat. But she doesn't give damn, not when Hecate is holding on to her tightly, her head resting on Pippa's and she hasn't felt this light and happy in so long.
She sighs happily, takes the hair from her mouth and throws a leg over Hecate before falling asleep again. She has no idea how long that lasts, just that her name being spoken wakes her again. Or perhaps the fingers that gently touch her face are the cause. It is definitely the mouth covering hers that wakes her up fully though.
Before she can even return the kiss, or do more than open her eyes, Hecate has already leaned back and is staring at her with an absolutely shocked expression.
" Hiccup?" she whispers, heart thundering. It is like it's preparing to break, because if Hecate was kissing her thinking she was some paramour from years ago or- " Y-you- " but Hecate leans in again, not kissing her, but holding on to her tightly, hiccupping again and again until she finally calms down enough to explain.
"I am sorry" she says, and Pippa stops her before she can pull back completely. It is a long shot, but – " I love you"
"W-what?"
" Don't leave. Don't distance yourself, Hiccup, I couldn't take it. I have known I loved you since you showed up in a silver gown on the leavers' ball, and I have been in love with you since long before that"
"But I- "
" Unless you are going to tell me you do not feel anything at all for me, there is nothing you can say that will make me love you less. I have loved you when I wanted to hate you, and when I attempted to forget about you, and when I dated silly witches and when I threw myself into building Pentangle's. I have loved you for so long – "
"I – " Hecate swallows. " I have loved you for so long, but I thought- I- I dreamt of you nearly every night, I had to make potions- "
"We have done quite the number on ourselves, have we not?" Pippa simply says and she could be annoyed because if Hecate hadn't left her and she could wonder how many years they would already have found each other but she doesn't care. Not right now, when they do, finally, have each other
She merely takes Hecate's face, and kisses her.
Gods I had forgotten how much I hate writing endings. Also this was supposed to be 2000-3000 words, DEFINITELY not more. It turned out to be like 5800 oops sorry.