A/N: Inspired by RebeccaDopplemeyer's "Q & A" over on AO3. Title and summary taken from St. Lucia's "All Eyes on You."
I need to catch up with my cross-posts to FFN on my April/Ann stuff. Hopefully you like this bit of fluff! Reviews are always swell, if that's your thing.
The place, this house, is something new. It's their chance to start over a little and to make their mark on something that isn't just the two of them. In a lot of ways, like the chipped paint in the living room or the faulty wiring, it's imperfect enough to fit what they're looking for. April immediately latched onto the place the first time they saw it, her imagination running wild with the possibilities of what they'd find and Ann was too caught up in how excited she was to do anything other than put an offer in right away.
When Ann walks past the spiral staircase they both thought was too ridiculous to pass up - some secret entrance to a hidden attic full of black magic, like April wanted, or in reality just a study with all their books - it all feels right. The house, just a few minutes' drive outside of Pawnee and their friends, and them. The fact that she still gets to call those people her friends at all, that too is enough to make Ann smile.
"Hey," April calls out to her from the kitchen, "Leslie said she'll be over with pizza and everyone in ten."
Ann smiles to herself and answers her. "Sounds great," and she doesn't let that smile drop.
Everyone, rightly, assumed that Ann broke up with her last boyfriend years and years ago because he was an asshole. Andy, then, wasn't exactly that great of a person. Very few people would have believed her had Ann said what was really going on - the first time she saw April and the young girl didn't look away, something changed. It was uncomfortable, for both of them, realizing what that was.
The first time that April talked to her in a quiet, hushed tone and not with seething vitriol was a day that Ann would always remember. It was the first time they sat in a booth at JJ's together, hidden away in the corner, and sat across from each other. Ann's heart beat way too fast the whole night and, according to what April told her after Ann dismissed her insistence she was plotting Ann's murder, the much younger woman couldn't breathe every time Ann smiled at her.
She could remember what April said too:
"We should do this again," was all the young intern told her. "If you want, I mean."
And Ann just nodded, smiling, and gave a resounding, "yeah, that sounds good."
Then there was that first date, totally unsure of what the hell they were doing, and it led to so many nights kept secret from the rest of the world. It felt right, then, to keep themselves hidden. After all, what would Leslie think? What would Andy think, someone that was starting to grow rather fond of the young assistant just as he found his way slowly to maturing. April and Ann found they just didn't care after too long, or told themselves they didn't.
Walking into City Hall together, three years ago and hand-in-hand with Ann to explain to Leslie that they were technically engaged, was the hardest day of April's life. She was a nervous wreck that morning, afraid of what everyone would think of them and of her. Most of all she was worried that Ann would be ridiculed; a town like Pawnee divided on whether they'd be accepting or chase them out of the city like Puritanical lunatics. That was when Ann decided on a lot of things in her life.
The sounds of a song April constantly listens to rings through the house while Ann reminisces. It's an airy pop song that she loves to hear at night, just before they go to sleep, and Ann's gotten used to hearing it every single day like it's just another way of April telling her that she's ridiculously in love.
In the kitchen, with a box in her hands, April's hips sway back and forth a little. It reminds Ann of their night, the one they deserved.
Leslie refused to let Ann plan everything herself, a furious storm of preparation and that energy that only she had making sure their ceremony was as perfect as her best friend. Andy threw April what he called a bachelorette's bachelor party while they researched, and when she returned she was red in the face and completely hammered. Leslie just sighed happily when she walked over to Ann and threw her arms around her shouting that she loved this woman.
The actual day itself was just a quiet affair in an open field with their friends, Leslie bawling the whole time and Ann trying her best to keep it together. When she saw April in that long, simple dress any hope of that fell through.
Ann walks behind April in the present, putting her hands on her hips and moving with her in-time to the music.
"Dancing mood?" April asks, turning over her shoulder to look at Ann.
"Yeah, something like that," Ann chuckles but doesn't take her hands off of April. They move slowly together, synchronously to the music washing over the small kitchen from April's iPod. "Love you," Ann whispers with her chin against April's shoulder, kissing her there.
"Ugh, why're you so needy, Ann?" April's voice isn't harsh though, and they both grin when she looks back at Ann. "You too."
For a few seconds they're pressed together and barely dancing, just moving to the rhythm that their partner decides on, and they sigh in content. April sets down the box still in her hands, Ann's fingers through the little belt loops on the jeans she's wearing, before turning around. The very same way that April stares at Ann, her lips twitching like they're trying to hold back a smile, sparks another memory.
It's in a field, on their wedding day, and April's still in that dress. They moved slowly in much the same way, Ann failing in her effort to keep her tears away when April put her head on her shoulder and they danced like they were the only people in that field. But they weren't. That's what made it special - Leslie and Ben beside them, Ron watching on with a respect in his eyes at the two of them; Andy was dancing with one of Ann's friends from the hospital, Tom trying his best to find someone.
All of it felt right. The day before that when Ron walked in to tell Ann that he thought everyone has the freedom to do what they want, and that he's glad they're doing what they want, she didn't fight the urge to hug him. He groaned, but when April walked in with more than a faint smile on her face Ann saw Ron soften immediately.
Returning to the present and the kitchen, Ann darts her head low to kiss April quietly while they move around in awkward circles. April's arms are locked over Ann's shoulders and they only break apart when they hear someone clearing their throat.
"Okay lovebirds," Leslie's smiling though and Ann's chest is still on fire from the kiss. She hopes that feeling will never go away, "Ron said he'll do a once over on what you'll need and he'll fix everything as his wedding gift. I've already twisted a few wrists and stepped on some people along the way to make sure everything-"
"Where's the pizza?" April interrupts her diatribe with a disgusted look on her face, like moving away from Ann's lips would only be worth it if food's involved.
Ann turns to her and can't stop her lips from curling up, moving her hand to touch April's cheek. Their house, their friends, their life. All of it, everything, was perfect. Against all odds, against whatever fear they had it would turn hellish, they got to have something better. Where they thought would be disappointment there's Leslie chuckling and hugging both of them; hatred exchanged for Andy barrelling in and running up the spiral staircase with April, and the shouts of anger replaced with those two yelling in the attic and April returning for pizza with pentagrams markered on her face.
When April and Ann kiss in front of everybody, just after they showed the house off, Leslie just makes a cooing sound, not bothering to break apart the newlyweds this time. It wasn't just better, it was the best.