Chapter Text
"Mr. Todd!" Nellie called out, looking around for her beloved friend. Usually the two of them would go on walks together, almost daily. She didn't see him anywhere downstairs, she supposed he was still in his room. It was strange, she was usually the one who took longer to get ready. "You almost ready, Mr. Todd?" She asked. "I'll be down in a moment," She heard him say. She nodded, and for a moment, she found herself getting completely lost in her thoughts.
She and Sweeney had been spending much more time together lately, which she was really happy about. They usually spent time together, of course, but now, he was slowly breaking his habit of pushing people away, and he seemed to be living in the moment a lot more. She was glad to see him doing so well, and she was glad that they were getting even more time together. Sweeney had always been her closest friend, and she had been in love with him for ages.
When they were younger, before he had been sent away, he was the sweetest, most gentle person she knew. Though he had changed so much, she could still see that side of him, even if it was hidden deep down. She seemed to be one of the few people he showed it to, probably the only one, in fact. He seemed to completely dislike most of humanity, but with her, he was still so sweet and gentle, even if he'd never admit to being either of those things. He had so much sadness and anger within him, his heart had hardened towards the world, but he still seemed to have a soft spot for her.
There were times when he would push her away, and there were times when he would focus on nothing other than revenge, but even so, they remained as close as ever, and now he was doing everything he could to make it up to her. She admired this effort, it meant a lot to know that he cared about their friendship just as much as she did, and to know that he cared about her. Even if others didn't see it, she knew that he was kind and affectionate towards those he cared about, and he was extremely protective too. She had seen him in his darkest moments, and yet he was one of the people she felt safest with, for he would never let anyone harm her. He was the type to protect his loved ones at all costs.
Nellie sighed as she continued to think about him. He was everything she could ever want in both a friend and a partner. There was so much that she adored about him, she always lost track every time she tried to list it all. She cherished every moment with him, and even when things seemed bleak, she continued to hope that they'd be together someday. With how things were now, clearly something was going right. She hoped that this good luck would continue.
She found herself absentmindedly looking around, still deep in thought, though she was brought back to reality when she noticed something on the counter that caught her eye. There was a bouquet of flowers, and an envelope next to it. The bouquet consisted of gillyflowers and daisies, her favourite flowers. She smiled as she stared at them. Her gaze then shifted towards the envelope, which she now saw had her name on it. She picked it up and opened it, quickly unfolding the paper inside, and began to read.
My dearest Mrs. Lovett,
I don't even know where to start. There is so much I want to say. For a little while now, I've felt like there was a lot I wanted to say to you. In fact, there probably aren't enough words in the English language, or in any other language, to cover all that I wish to say, so I hope this can suffice. To say that you've changed my life would be an understatement. You saw me at my absolute lowest, you saw me when I felt like I was only a shell of a man, and for reasons beyond my understanding, you stuck around. You've always been my closest companion, and you continue to be the most wonderful friend I could ever ask for. You've always been there for me when I needed you most. Truth be told, I'll always need you. I truly can't imagine a world without you in it. What a dreary world that would be. I once thought I'd live in darkness forever, but you brought the light back into my life. You're the light within the darkness, the calm within the storm. Life has slowly but surely began to feel okay again, and you're the main reason. You make me smile, you make me laugh, you make me feel more happy and alive than I've felt in a long time. I once thought I'd never feel that way again. I have grown so fond of you, my dear. You are the sweetest, most compassionate person I've ever been lucky enough to know, and also by far the funniest. You always seem to know how to lighten the mood when things are rough. There's much more that I adore about you, but if I were to write it all, I'd be writing forever. You are absolutely lovely. I have no idea how or why you care so much about me, but I am beyond grateful. I will always be grateful to have you in my life. You truly mean the world to me, Mrs. Lovett. I struggle to express all of this aloud, I even struggle now as I write this for you, but I want you to know just how much I adore you. You've torn down all of the walls that I had built up inside, and you've found your way into my heart. This heart of mine, which I once thought would never feel in such a way ever again, is yours to keep. It will always be yours, I will always be yours. I once tried to push away these feelings, I suppose I was terrified deep down. Terrified of being so vulnerable again, opening myself up to pain, terrified of letting go of the past, terrified that I might lose you too, but now I want you to know, you deserve to know, and I feel I'd regret it even more if I went on not telling you. I love you, Mrs. Lovett. I love you so much.
Love,
S. Todd
P.S. I hope you like the flowers. I remember gillyflowers and daisies being your favourites. Am I correct about that?
For a moment, all Nellie could do was stare at the paper in complete shock and disbelief. She skimmed through it a few more times just to make sure she had read it correctly. She set the paper down next to the flower bouquet, though she continued to stare at it. She couldn't believe this was really happening. She almost thought she might've been dreaming, but it was all real. Sweeney really did confess his love to her. The love of her life, the man she had been so deeply in love with for years finally seemed to feel the same.
She rushed upstairs and knocked on Sweeney's door. "May I come in?" She asked. "Yes," He replied. She opened the door and walked in, immediately finding herself staring at him. How absolutely beautiful he was, she was completely captivated by him. How easy it was to get so lost in those dark, soulful eyes. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Lovett," She heard him say, breaking the silence. "I wasn't still getting ready, I was just staying up here because, well..." He paused for a moment. He appeared quite flustered. "Did you see what I left on the counter?" Nellie smiled and nodded. "I did," She said. "The flowers were absolutely beautiful! And the letter..."
She briefly paused, continuing to stare at him, and she could feel her emotions begin to swell inside of her. She rushed over to Sweeney and threw her arms around him, holding onto him as tightly as she could. "I love you, Mr. Todd!" She exclaimed, tears starting to form in her eyes. "I love you so much, I've always loved you!" Sweeney wrapped his arms around her, but he said nothing. "Did you really mean it all?" Nellie asked. "You really love me?" "I do." Sweeney replied. "I meant every word," The tears finally escaped from Nellie's eyes, and ran down her face. "Oh Mr. T, I've always dreamed that one day- I mean, well..." She laughed a little, then gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound so weird, I'm just so happy!"
Sweeney gave her a kiss on the forehead. "You don't sound weird at all," He said. "I'm happy too, happier than I've been in so long, I..." His voice trailed off. "What?" Nellie asked. "I'm sorry, love," Sweeney mumbled. "It's just all so hard to express sometimes." "It's alright, dear," Nellie replied. "I'm just happy to know that you really love me." She found herself leaning in a little. "So does this mean we'll be together?" "Yes," Sweeney said softly. "I mean, if that's what you want." "Oh Mr. Todd, you know that's what I want!" Nellie responded excitedly. "That's what I've always wanted!"
Sweeney seemed to have such a bright look in his eyes, a look that she had seen before, but not often. For a while, happiness was a rare thing for him to express, though recently, it started to become more common, and he'd always get this adorable look on his face that Nellie absolutely loved, the same look that he had now. She could feel her heart racing. How she adored the way he was smiling at her now, and the love she could see in his eyes. She had always dreamed that he'd look at her this way, with such love and adoration, the way that she always looked at him. "I love you, Mr. Todd," She said with a smile. Sweeney didn't respond, though he did lean in closer to her. For a moment, Nellie was too shocked by this closeness to even form any coherent thoughts, but she quickly sorted her mind out, and spoke up. "May I?" "Yes," Sweeney replied.
Nellie kissed him, and he kissed back, caressing the side of her face, which was still wet from her tears. She could feel a few more spilling out of her eyes, the tears of pure joy. The complete, utter happiness she felt was overwhelming. Everything felt so nice and warm, she hoped that this feeling was one that she could hold onto forever. It felt as though everything else had entirely faded away, and all that mattered was him. It was just her and her dearest Sweeney, together at last. His arms tightened around her, and she felt like she could've melted right then and there. How safe she always felt within his embrace, how comforting it always was. How wonderful it felt to know that he was there, that he'd always be there.
It'd be the two of them forever and always. She'd get to spend all of her days by his side, sharing all the ups and downs, facing life together, the good and the bad. Even in the hardest of times, they'd have each other to turn to and confide in. They'd have each other to love and cherish forever. They'd get to share more soft and tender moments like this, and they'd one day look back on those moments and think fondly of them. She knew that this was only the beginning, and she was probably getting way too ahead of herself, but she was just so unbelievably happy. She couldn't help but think about spending her life with him. Whenever she thought of Sweeney, she thought of forever.
She pulled away, and for a brief moment, all either of them could do was stare. "Mrs. Lovett," Sweeney then spoke up. "My love, I..." His voice trailed off. He let go of her and rushed to his desk, quickly writing something down, then handing it to her.
Dear Mrs. Lovett,
I love you.
Love,
S. Todd
Nellie smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I love you too, Mr. T." She wrapped her arms around him once again. "I love you so much." Sweeney held her as tightly as he could, and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "There's so much I want to say," He mumbled. "I would say it all, I just... I don't know, it's just difficult." "It's alright, dear," Nellie replied. "Just say whatever you can. As for the rest, you could continue to write letters." "That was my plan," Sweeney said. "Makes sense," Nellie responded, nodding. "You seem to be able to express your feelings quite clearly there."
She leaned her head on him. "I know we were planning on going for a walk, but do you think we could do that another time?" She asked. "I think I just wanna stay here with you." Sweeney gave her another kiss on the forehead. "That's fine by me." Nellie gave him several kisses on the cheek, then leaned her head on him again. It still almost felt completely unreal, and yet here she was, in the arms of her love, just taking in this wonderful moment. Finally, they were together. It was a dream come true.