Thanks to Olivia's connections, it didn't take long for Hunnigan and Helena to get bumped to the top of the list when it came to finding a house that was at a convenient location and not a complete dump.
The layout of downstairs was quite similar to what Hunnigan's previous apartment's had been, so decorating and deciding which piece of furniture would go well where wasn't difficult. Unlike at the apartment, downstairs had a full bathroom and a laundry room, and the kitchen was separated from the living room by a dining room, and a welcome addition to the living room was the fireplace. Upon seeing that, Hunnigan had gladly given up on even trying to stay within budget, she'd wanted this house and she'd been determined to get it too.
Upstairs had a half bath next to the master bedroom and two smaller rooms which remained empty for now, but Hunnigan had plans to make them into guest rooms or into a study at some point, that wasn't the priority at the moment. There was also a small balcony which one could access from the master bedroom. That was one of Helena's personal favorite features in the house and for all the wrong reasons as far as Hunnigan was concerned; Helena loved the idea of not having to drag herself all the way downstairs and to the patio in the backyard when she wanted to have her first cigarette of the day.
As one would expect, the downside of the house being just perfect was that it was more than just a little out of their price range, but it was a sacrifice Hunnigan was willing to make. Helena, unfortunately, couldn't contribute much, not even her opinion really mattered since her name wasn't much use considering the state of her credit history, so the decision was ultimately Hunnigan's alone. Of course, she'd asked for Helena's opinion rather than just decided to buy the house without asking if Helena wanted the same thing, and truthfully the only thing Helena had against the idea of living here was that the house cost over twice as much as she'd assumed they'd be spending.
Money was the last thing she'd ever expected to become a self-esteem issue for her, but it was beginning to get to her when facing much larger financial decisions than she'd ever needed to before, and upon realizing that almost every item in the house had been paid for with Hunnigan's money. It was supposed to be their home, but what had she contributed? A couple of pairs of boots, her clothes and an old Bible.
Hunnigan had noticed Helena's mood and she'd kind of been waiting for the younger woman to get it out and just tell her what was wrong already, but when she'd done no such thing even after they were done moving into the house, Hunnigan accepted that she'd need to force it out of Helena.
"Do you want to tell me the reason why you don't seem anywhere near as excited about our home as I think you should be, or do I have to waterboard you to get an answer?" Hunnigan asked quietly and went to Helena who'd been standing in front of the fire place, absently staring into the fire with her arms crossed over her abdomen, a troubled frown on her face. Hunnigan put her arms around her from behind and moved to rest her chin on Helena's shoulder, and she leaned into the embrace.
"I am happy that we got the house and that we're here, I'm just... worried about the money," Helena answered honestly.
"I understand that it's a huge commitment and that a lot of our income will go toward paying the house, but..."
"No, not our income, your income, because mine's already practically gone before I ever even get it," Helena grumbled in frustration and Hunnigan gently tugged on her, urging her to turn around, and Helena did.
"It's just money, and as long as we have enough to keep a roof over our heads and our bellies full, who cares about the money, it comes and goes. And in fifteen or so years we'll have paid the mortgage back and we'll have more money to not care about," Hunnigan reasoned with a shrug.
Admittedly, she could see why the monthly payment of a little over two thousand dollars would seem a ridiculous, intimidating amount to someone who was so used to living from hand to mouth, but at the same time, Hunnigan wished Helena would just trust her on this and not brood over it. She wasn't sure how to convince her about it all, though.
"I know that there are more important things in life than money, but it's embarrassing to have you pay for everything."
"There's no reason for you to be embarrassed, I'm paying for the things I am because I have no other expenses, what else would I do with the money? Stash it away for... what?" Hunnigan asked and Helena sighed in exasperation.
"I don't know. It's just how I feel," she muttered and turned to face the fireplace again, her back toward Hunnigan.
"I really don't want us to argue about this," Hunnigan said softly and Helena seemed to deflate a little as she exhaled deeply.
"I don't eaither, and I don't even know why I'm making a big deal out of this, it's just... I guess I'm scared. I'm used to things going to hell the moment I let my guard down and relax, and now I'm stuck expecting something terrible to happen because it seems that everything is okay. Does that make any sense?"
"It does. But, Helena... trust me," Hunnigan whispered and held her close once more, seeking out Helena's hand and slipping her fingers between Helena's, gently squeezing her hand in her own.
"You keep me safe from monsters and nutjobs kidnapping me or just plain old assaulting me... and I'll keep you safe from creditors and collection agencies," she jested and Helena chuckled softly.
"Maybe that's what's wrong, this isnt's weird enough, I'm not used to such normal things," she analyzed and Hunnigan scoffed amusedly.
"Don't jinx us now, I'm sure the universe won't need any more encouragement to eventually throw some kind of a monkey wrench into our plans, we should just enjoy the calm while it lasts," she said.
"You're right, as you usually are. I'm sorry for being such a grouch. Let me make it up to you," Helena murmured and turned to face Hunnigan once more, reaching to put her arms around her waist and pressed herself against the taller woman.
"What did you have in mind?"
"Let's go jump up and down on the bed," Helena said and Hunnigan knew perfectly well she'd made the comment in jest, never really expecting Hunnigan to go for it.
"You know what? Yes. Let's do that!" Hunnigan said excitedly and turned to head upstairs.
"Wait, what?"
"Come on!"
"Seriously?" Helena frowned and Hunnigan scoffed, grabbed Helena's arm and pulled on her to get her moving.
"Yes, I am going 'Tom Cruise on Oprah'-level crazy happy right now and I'm taking you with me," Hunnigan said as she hurried up the stairs.
"Great, now all we need is a screaming studio audience," Helena laughed, but unlike Hunnigan, she paused to stand next to the bed instead of climbing on to it.
"We have a house!" she proclaimed happily, her arms in the air.
"Jesus, Hunnigan, I've never seen you act like that, are you high?" Helena quirked an eyebrow and chuckled.
"Yes! High on happy!" she responded. "And you should be too, miss grumpy," she added, got down and pressed her body against Helena's, urging her to lie down on the bed, and she gave in, settling on her back.
"Put your feet against my pelvis," she then ordered as she stood on the edge of the bed, and Helena frowned but did so regardless.
"Oh, I see," Helena said when Hunnigan leaned against her feet and reached out to hold onto Helena's hands for support.
"You know, I haven't done this... literally in thirty years," Hunnigan chuckled as she balanced herself on Helena's feet as she"made her fly".
"Is it as fun as you remember?" Helena laughed softly.
"Even more fun because I feel like I'm doing something I shouldn't be doing. After all, adults aren't supposed to behave this way," Hunnigan smirked.
"Well, I did skip my leg day, so this isn't just pointless fun," Helena quirked an eyebrow and bent her legs at the knees, lowering Hunnigan a little before pushing her back up again.
"And just like that, you took the fun out of it by telling me it's useful," she pouted and got down.
"Let me make it up to you," Helena whispered and pulled Hunnigan closer, capturing her lips into a soft, gentle kiss.
"You know... I'd really missed this," Hunnigan said as she sat at the bar in the kitchen, cradling a mug of tea in her hands, dressed only in her collared shirt which still remained unbuttoned.
"Missed what?" Helena asked over her shoulder as she worked at the kitchen counter behind Hunnigan. Unlike her, Helena hadn't bothered getting dressed at all; a decision she was beginning to regret a little when she wondered if she'd end up getting drops of hot butter spat back at her from the frying pan when she'd eventually set the breaded fish fillets into the pan.
"Having privacy. Being able to just walk around naked if I want to," Hunnigan elaborated. She'd particularly missed being able to just cuddle nude on the couch while binge-watching something with Helena, their bodies and a simple blanket keeping them warm, both secure in knowing there was no one else anywhere near them and that neither one of them was in a hurry to go anywhere.
"Ah, well yes, I agree, I wouldn't have dreamt of doing this at your parents' house even if I knew they weren't home. At the very least I would've had to deal with the dog staring at me," Helena chuckled and began to cook the fish they'd have for late dinner.
"Well, can you blame the poor dog, you are a sight to behold," Hunnigan commented after turning around in the chair, resting her weight on her forearm that was pressed against the bar as she leaned back and shamelessly let her eyes wander over Helena's nude figure.
"You're rarely verbally romantic, but when you are, you're adorably cheesy in the best possible way that just makes my heart melt," Helena sighed happily and Hunnigan laughed a little, put her mug away and got down from the chair.
"In all seriousness... you are feeling better about all of this, right? No more doubts, insecurities, worries about money?" Hunnigan asked to make sure, once more finding herself behind Helena with her arms around the other woman's waist.
"I am, I really am. You can be very convincing," Helena assured and turned her head to the side to be able to kiss the corner of Hunnigan's mouth.
"Only when I know I'm right," Hunnigan smiled, peppered the side of Helena's neck with small kisses.