Thea's eyes flickered behind her eyelids as she slowly awoke from her deep slumber. The day before had been filled with training and Hargreeves had been a downright slave-driver, Thea winced as her muscles still ached. She sat up from within her comfy duvet and yawned as she stretched her tired arms above her head, groaning in satisfaction once she felt her back pop.
Her feet padded lightly against the wooden floor and she shivered from the morning chill. She tip-toed toward her and Klaus' shared closet and opened it, glancing toward her brother in concern when it creaked loudly. Klaus continued to sleep, oblivious to the world around him. She grabbed some comfy clothes to change into and silently padded toward the door and out of the room. Once outside she made her way across the hallway, jumping over the squeaky floorboards with ease.
Thea's expression turned sombre as she passed Five's old room. Nobody had spoken about Five in months, especially once their 14th birthday had passed and Five still hadn't come home. It was the first birthday the Hargreeves children had celebrated without one of them there, and they'd all felt awkward, sending concerned glances toward the empty chair Thea had insisted they kept out in case he returned.
Thea bit her lip and turned away from Five's door, continuing her journey toward Ben's room, quietly turning the doorknob and slipping inside. She saw a lump underneath the covers and crept closer as silently as she could, dropping her clothes onto his chair as she passed. Thea lifted the blue duvet up by the corner and slipped herself inside the welcoming warmth, wiggling her cold toes under the soft cover.
Now closer, she could see Ben's peacefully sleeping face. Thea's eyes roamed across his features, taking them all in while nobody could take notice of her staring, and bit the inside of her cheek at how pretty she found him. His eyebrows weren't frowning like they normally were during training or stressful situations, and his skin was a healthy golden tone, the complete opposite to Thea's. She and Klaus were naturally pale, no matter how much sun they got, while Ben's skin was a rich blend of sun-kissed that Thea thought made him even prettier.
Thea knew the feeling her stomach made whenever she was around Ben - a fluttering sensation that felt like butterflies lived inside her - wasn't normal, and she'd confided in her twin, who'd tried explaining exactly what was happening. Klaus had suggested she look at Luther, Diego, Allison and Vanya and test if her stomach fluttered as it did with Ben. When she'd slipped into his bed that night and explained that nothing had happened, Klaus had told her in hushed tones under the covers exactly what she was feeling.
She liked Ben, she loved him. But not as a brother.
She'd predictably freaked out, but Klaus had assured her that Ben felt the same and had further explained at her look of disbelief. He'd pointed out every time Ben had complimented her or blushed at something she'd said, or even gotten jealous of her and Five's playful banter. Thea's eyes had widened in shock as he listed off all the moments and she'd felt like slapping herself for her stupidity. She'd wished she'd never blocked out everyone's thoughts for their privacy because she'd have known all of this sooner.
Since that talk with her twin, Thea was on a mission. She wanted to spend the day with Ben, just the two of them, and confirm that what she was feeling was real and that Ben loved her back. Thea was so deep in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed dark eyes staring back at her, Ben having woken up from her climbing into his bed and he stared at her tiredly. "Penny for your thoughts?" he whispered.
Thea's glanced at the boy in shock, not realising he'd woken up, but she sent him a playful grin at his comment. "My thoughts are priceless. Try again," she joked. Ben chuckled at her sarcasm and shuffled closer, their bare legs touching under the covers and sending a pleasant shiver down Thea's spine.
"Are you okay?" he asked in concern, referring to her being in his bedroom and not still asleep like everyone else. Thea sent the boy a hopeful look, her eyes widening adorably, "Want to spend the day together? I thought we could make pancakes for breakfast and sit outside to relax," she asked.
Ben nodded immediately, wanting nothing more than to spend the day with Thea, though that brought up another question... "Who else is joining us?"
"No one. Just us, I hoped," she replied biting her lip. Ben glanced at her lips and nodded at her in a daze, but mumbled about Klaus likely interrupting them, knowing the twins rarely split up. Thea assured him Klaus would be busy, having already told him her plans the day before, her twin promising to let them spend the day alone and hopefully 'sparks would fly, and all that mushy shit', in his own words.
Thea jumped out of the covers in excitement once he'd agreed and skipped into his bathroom with her pile of clothes to change. Ben watched the girl go fondly and got up to change himself, choosing a comfy pair of jeans and a jumper, grateful they didn't have training and weren't wearing their uncomfortable tracksuits.
Thea returned to the bedroom moments later and began rummaging inside Ben's closet, whooping in triumph once she found what she was looking for, Ben laughing at what she'd pulled out. Thea held a large sunflower-yellow hoodie that had white looped writing on the front spelling out 'Hufflepuff'. It was a birthday present from Thea for their last birthday - a running joke about Ben being the ideal Hufflepuff, to which the boy tried arguing he was an ideal Ravenclaw alongside Thea - but she loved teasing the shy boy and had thought the hoodie was a great gift.
She slipped it on over her pastel top, the hem reaching her mid thighs and the sleeves falling over her fingers and giving her large sweater paws. The hoodie covered her denim shorts too and made it look like all she wore was the large sweater. Thea huffed and began rolling the sleeves up to fit comfortably, not wanting to admit it was too big and take it off, she loved cuddling her face into the sweater as it smelt like Ben.
Ben laughed at her cute pout and the sight of the oversized hoodie, or rather normal-sized on himself but which drowned her petite frame. Thea grinned at his cute laugh and grabbed his hand, pulling him out the room and down the stairs, straight into the kitchen. "Pancakes, pancakes~" Thea sung happily as she collected all the necessary ingredients while Ben got the stove hot.
She poured the mixture into the pan and began cooking the pancakes, humming under her breath as she watched it brown and crisp. Ben had finished sorting out all their toppings; golden syrup, bananas, strawberries, chocolate sauce and sugar. Thea felt her mouth water at the smell of the fresh fruit and snatched a strawberry to eat. Ben's affronted shout only made her laugh and she picked up another strawberry before turning to the boy, playfully telling him to "Open wide" as she pushed the strawberry past his lips. They both blushed as they realised their rather suggestive actions and Thea turned back towards the pan, the tips of her ears burning in embarrassment and a small smile on her face.
Ben coughed awkwardly from beside her and Thea glanced at the shy boy from the corner of her eye, deciding to take pity on him and change the topic noticing the pancakes were finished cooking already. "Decorating time!" she announced in a high voice, placing the pancakes onto two plates and giving one to Ben.
"You decorate mine and I'll decorate yours, then we'll surprise each other, yeah?" she suggested. Ben happily nodded and turned his back to her and began decorating her pancakes, Thea doing the same.
She cut up a couple of bananas and began placing them onto the pancake, following that with eight separate lines twisting from the centre. She took the chocolate sauce and carefully began blobbing on the small details, tongue peeking out the corner of her mouth in concentration, wanting it to be perfect.
Grace walked into the kitchen and stood by the doorway, watching the two happy children with a loving smile on her face. "Good morning, Thea. Good morning, Ben. Do either of you require me to cook you breakfast?" she asked eyeing their messy creations fondly.
Thea grinned at Grace, "No thanks Mom, we got it!" she gestured toward their pancakes and Ben nodded in agreement. Grace gave them both a sparkling grin and nodded, leaving the kitchen with a parting 'Good luck, children.'
Soon they'd both finished their decorating and turned to the other with their creations, Thea handing Ben hers first, wanting to see his reaction. Ben looked down at the plate and laughed at what she'd created. He was greeted with a banana and chocolate octopus, the round pancake as its body while its eight arms were banana slices with two used as its wide eyes. Chocolate sauce decorated the cute creature with large pupils and tiny circles as suction cups on all eight arms. He looked up toward Thea and grinned to show his appreciation, knowing she constantly made light of his power intentionally, trying to make him see the ability as less of a curse and to love himself more - tentacles and all.
Thea's chest tightened at Ben's happy face and she was relieved he enjoyed her attempt at humour. She loved everything about him, and wasn't afraid of his power, despite it being dangerous and often volatile. It was a part of Ben and that was enough for Thea to love it too.
Ben shyly handed over Thea's pancake and her chest tightened further, while that fluttering inside her stomach had returned with vigour. Her pancake had been cut into a heart, and smaller strawberry hearts surrounded it, the whole creation had been topped off with a light sprinkling of sugar and syrup. Her eyes widened at his bold move and a glance up at him showed he was averting his gaze in embarrassment, cheeks dusted in pink.
Thea's own face had turned red at the pancake heart and she leant forward to kiss his cheek in thanks before she could overthink it. Taking his hand and leading him toward the table to sit and eat their breakfast.
"It's too pretty to eat," Thea whined as her fork hovered over the pancake. Ben looked up from his meal, his cheeks stuffed with the delicious pancakes and a smattering of chocolate sauce on the corner of his lips. Thea giggled at his silly expression and leant across the table to wipe the sauce from his mouth, politely ignoring his embarrassed flush.
Thea dug into her meal after seeing Ben enjoying his own, and they'd both soon finished their breakfast, humming in content at their full stomachs. Thea dumped their plates into the sink to wash later on and hurriedly cleaned the kitchen, putting all the ingredients back into the fridge. Grace was made to clean up after the children, but Thea always felt guilty leaving a mess for her to clean when she could simply do it herself.
The two ran back upstairs to collect their books - Thea bringing her worn copy of The Hobbit and Ben grabbing his sketchbook and pencils - before they both headed outside into the warm summer day. There was a gentle breeze that countered the humid weather and Thea sighed happily as they arrived at the Orchard tree in their back garden, sitting to lean against the trunk and continuing on where she'd left off in her book, while Ben sat cross-legged in front of her, flipping to a relevant page in his sketchbook and began drawing.
The two sat in comfortable silence, just enjoying one another's presence and the sounds of the birds chirping while they concentrated, the quiet a relaxing difference to the constant noise of the Academy. After an hour of reading, Thea bookmarked her position in her book and gazed over at Ben, admiring his features as the sun shone down, the light reflecting against his skin beautifully.
"What are you drawing?" she spoke up, catching the boys attention from where he'd been immersed with his sketchpad. He looked up at her startled and Thea rose a brow at his sheepish expression.
Too quick for him to stop her, Thea jumped toward him and landed in his lap, the boy raising his sketchbook in shock and she plucked it from his hands to look down at his drawing. Her breath caught in her throat as she gazed down at the page.
In a pretty aqua blue colouring was a realistic sketch of herself sat against the Orchard tree with a book in her hands. Her hair had been shaded in a brilliant golden yellow and the lush green grass around her looked vibrant and alive upon the page.
"Beautiful," she said as she stared at the drawing in amazement. She got no reply and Thea turned her head back at Ben to gauge his expression, seeing his worried eyes looking back at hers. "Ben, it's so beautiful, I don't know what else to say," she uttered.
Ben gulped, and his eyes flickered toward the drawing and back at Thea, whispering so quietly she almost didn't hear him, "You're beautiful."
Thea carefully dropped the sketchbook onto the grass before turning around in his lap and letting her legs wrap around his waist. They were face to face and Thea planned on getting him to admit his possible feelings now, deciding it was the perfect moment.
She lifted her hand to cup the side of his face in her hand, rubbing her thumb across his cheek soothingly, "You think I'm beautiful?" she whispered in hope.
Ben stared into her eyes, his gaze never leaving hers and he whispered back just as softly, "I think you're the most beautiful person I've ever seen," he confessed.
Thea bit her lip, the boy dropping his gaze toward her lips in response and he gulped again at the alluring sight. She slowly moved her face closer to his, their breaths mingling, and Thea felt his breath fanning across her lips, sending a shiver of anticipation down her spine. They both glanced at one another's lips, neither daring to make the first move, afraid they'd ruin the moment.
"Is this okay?" Thea whispered in concern, not wanting to force Ben into something he didn't want, regardless of her feelings for him.
Ben let out a shaky breath at her question, his eyes earnest and filled with adoration as he gazed at Thea, "More than okay," he admitted.
Thea took that as consent to move forward and without overthinking it, letting her instincts take over, she closed the distance between their lips and kissed the boy she loved, finally.
The kiss started off light but the tension between them had boiled to a point where they both couldn't take it anymore and they soon deepened the kiss, desperate to be as close to the other as possible. Thea's mind had blanked once her lips met Ben's and the only thing she could register was that his lips were the softest things she'd ever felt. And she loved it.
Ben cupped the back of her neck to pull her closer, tilting his head to deepen the kiss and Thea clutched his shirt in response, not able to function as she felt lightheaded from all the intense emotions.
The two pulled away after a few minutes, panting and out of breath, their foreheads touching as they looked at one another in wonder. Ben's cheeks were stained red and Thea felt the tips of her ears burning, though neither noticed, their attention focused wholly on the other as they locked eyes, love evident in their gaze.
"I've wanted to do that forever," Ben shyly admitted, though he displayed his perfect white teeth as he gave her a crooked grin. Thea giggled at his giddy expression and pecked his lips again agreeing with his comment. They both laughed at their actions and Ben wrapped his arms around Thea's waist, pulling her closer to his chest as she leant her chin against his collarbone, looking up into his eyes.
"What does this mean?" Ben asked quietly after a few moments of silence. Thea frowned in confusion and asked him to elaborate, not understanding.
"Does this make us, like, um- like are you my g-girlfriend now?" he stammered in embarrassment, stumbling over the word girlfriend. Thea giggled at his cute stutter, finding his awkward question endearing and she nodded her head happily, kissing his cheek to reassure him.
"I'd love to be your girlfriend, Ben. I'd enjoy calling you my boyfriend," she admitted honestly, smiling fondly at his flushed face and slightly widened eyes. Ben took the initiative to move first and pulled her into another kiss, sighing in content when their lips met. When they pulled back, Thea tucked her head into the crook of his neck, humming happily as his calming scent enveloped her.
"Klaus is going to kill me," Ben muttered after a comforting silence. Thea chuckled at his random comment about her twin, playing with the small hairs on the back of his neck as she responds. "Don't worry about him. I'll protect you from Big Bad Klausy," she teased.
They two of them sat in the garden cuddled up by the Orchard tree until the sun began setting and the Academy was shrouded in a warm glow. Both were content as they held one another and thought of what the future may hold, but happy knowing they'd have the one they loved most by their side through it all.
This is set a year or so after Five's disappearance, if that wasn't obvious enough :)
