Chapter Text
BAZ
I walk a little faster through the snowy streets—hoping to disappear into the massive Christmas crowd, only when I can not hear Snow's heartbeat anymore, I stop sprinting around and enter a pub.
I come to this pub a lot, nobody knows—not even my minions. But I'm not here to plot or whatever the fuck Snow likes to assume about me.
I catch the bartender giving me a wink across the dance floor, I know he is into me. He often buys me a few drinks every time I give him a fake smile. It has been so since a few weeks. This is the only place where Snow has not managed to find me yet.
Lately he has been everywhere and I'm so sick of it. It feels like the fifth year all over again, Snow just won't stop following me around. Earlier it was just limited to school grounds and catacombs but now he has successfully managed to follow me around in wavering wood and in town even.
"You didn't come to see me for a week, Chaz," Daniel, the bartender says to me once I reach him, he is leaning over the table to whisper in my ear.
"Been too caught up in school work, you see," I breathe over his face, this turns him on, I know, and he knows that I'm in school, underage for this bar but he doesn't complain. He always helps me sneak in.
I never gave him my real name though, and I don't think he has given me his real name either so it is fair. I just see him once or twice a week, he gets me a couple of drinks, and we snog when I don't feel like myself anymore, I numb my feelings, suppress whatever I have for Simon Snow here and let myself get lost in things that aren't Simon—the bane of my existence and love of my life.
Only today, I can't. Daniel obviously wants to snog me, and I'm too exhausted by Snow's behaviour, I decide to just get over it quickly. I lean over and close the distance, pressing my lips over Daniel's chapped ones, he smells like cigarettes and alcohol—absolutely disgusting, unlike how Snow smells like butter and honey with a faint lingering of smoke.
And that's when I hear his heartbeat, amidst the crowd, it must be a mistake—Snow can't possibly find me here too, I am positive I lost him ten minutes ago, he can't just come here, I try to remove him from the back of my mind, letting Daniel's tongue enter my mouth and explore it completely.
But Snow's presence is still not fading away, I can even smell him now, sweet butter and honey, there is no mistake he is here to unveil me, reveal my evil plans to the world and prove himself right that I'm plotting against him.
He is right, I'm plotting this time for real, plotting to forget him, and get over him. Plotting to detangle my soul that has been wrapped around his own, inch by inch—
I feel myself getting pushed back and away from Daniel, Snow is standing in between us.
"What's wrong with you, mate?" Daniel is bewildered by Snow's antics. He has alcohol all over his shirt, Snow pushed him too hard.
"No, what's wrong with you?" Snow is jutting out his chin at him, he does it when he is confident. He is poking a finger into Daniel's chest, and he smells more like smoke every second passing and less like honey and butter, he is going to go off.
Snow grabs my arm and pulls me to his side, "he is a minor, what the hell do you think you are doing with him?"
Daniel gives out a cold laugh, "unbelievable, well, Chaz kissed me first. You can't blame this on me. And whatever we two do is none of your bloody business."
Snow looks at me, he is glaring before he looks back at Daniel, "it is still a crime and you can get punished for it. Stay away from Chaz."
It becomes a bloody mess, everyone around is looking at us three and there is no denial, Snow and I really look out of place, anyone can tell we are underage, we may be reported and expelled from school, so I grab Snow's wrist and decide to leave, "c'mon Snow, you created enough scene here."
He looks like he wants to argue, but after taking a look around, he doesn't. He silently lets me drag him out of the pub.
I am so infuriated with him right now, how the hell did he even find me? He can't, he is not a vampire, he doesn't have my skills and senses. Hell, He is not even good at magic.
"I know you were plotting something with him—against me," there it goes again, he is accusing me once again.
"Corking deduction, Snow. Yes, I was planning how to kill you in your sleep by shoving my tongue inside his mouth. That makes my brain work faster and my imagination goes wild."
Snow blushes a little at my words, but I keep my face firm. We are far away from the pub, and it is snowing, I am so cold here. Snow is the closest being to Sun, the only thing that can be compared to Sun's enormous energy, and I'm pretty sure I'll burn myself to death if I ever so try to embrace him, not like I would mind a death in his arms, I have died once already, and I won't mind dying a second time for him.
"I—didn't mean that. That bartender was… he was taking advantage of you. You should plot with your friends instead," Snow is looking at me seriously, like he actually cares if someone takes any advantage of me, I wanna let myself delude to this sweet idea and indulge in it, but I don't.
"Listen, Snow. You don't need to care about all of that, and Daniel was right, I kissed him first. I was the one taking advantage of him. What are you even doing here on Christmas break, thought you will be at Wellbelove's playing happy-home with the troop?"
Snow is blushing again, and this time, he is stumbling on his words, finding difficulty to string a sentence together, "I— we… Aggie and I .. we."
"Wow Snow, a sentence. As Eloquent as ever."
This makes him angry, he is glaring at me, "will you just shut up and let me speak?"
"Go on, we have all the time in the universe for this useless conversation after all."
"You know what? I don't even want to talk with you. You are such a prat, Chaz." And he leaves, just like that.
SIMON
I don't know what made me interfere with Baz and that guy today, but I acted before thinking. Well I always act before thinking, but this time, it was too instant. I saw them snogging and every fibre in my body wanted to separate them so badly.
I don't even know how it got like that, but it started at the beginning of this year, Agatha and I broke up at the end of 6th year only, and I spent my whole summer this time thinking about Scones, Eb, Penny, and Baz—I mean thinking what he is plotting.
And it made me restless, I really wanted to know every moment where Baz is, what he is doing, and what he is thinking.
I'm no mind reader, I can't do the third one, but Penny told me the first two are possible.
That's how I found myself in an old artifact shop on my way back to Watford this year. I didn't know what that compass was called, so I tried to describe it with my words, as much as possible.
"What do you need the compass for, lad?" The middle aged woman asked me.
I didn't want to directly confess I'm looking for it to know where my enemy is, she might take me as a criminal who is about to commit a crime or plan a murder, so I try to keep my answer as vague as possible, "ugh, well… there is this person...I just keep thinking about them, I want to know where they are. And what they are doing. If I don't, I feel restless. I can't sleep at nights knowing they are out there doing—crowley knows what."
The shopkeeper nods at me in pity, (why is she looking at me as I'm being pitiful?) And then she presents an old compass to me.
"This is what you need."
It looks too old like It's broken, I'm not sure if it is usable.
"Are you sure it is still usable?" I ask, feeling unsure.
She pats my shoulder and smiles at me, "oh don't you worry! As soon as you think of these feelings for this person, the compass will direct you to them. If it doesn't work, you can return it to me."
That's how I bring it with me to Watford, we are in 7th year, Agatha and I have decided to be friends only, Penny is happy with my decision cause she thinks we were never meant for eachother.
And Agatha—she keeps looking at Baz all the time, and he smiles back at her, I am not jealous that Agatha is liking someone else already, but does it have to be Baz? Baz is evil and he is a vampire. Agatha should like anyone but Baz.
I decided not to use that evil compass for the first two months of 7th year, it is too evil to use such a forbidden artifact, but I couldn't stop myself in december anymore when Agatha and Baz's little eye romance game escalated to another level, I started it all for her, she is my friend.
Now I'm doing it since a month, I didn't even go over for Christmas anywhere, but neither did Baz—he used to always go to Hampshire but he didn't. I'm more than sure he is planning something evil now.
PENNY
I came back after holidays as quickly as possible, Simon was already alone for more than a week, I'm worried for him.
Simon and Agatha, both are sitting in front of me during breakfast, like usual. But something has changed.
Simon no more bugs me about Baz, I think his obsession with Baz has finally come to an end.
But that's not it either.
He follows Baz, I know, his eyes never leave Baz even here, nor does Agatha's. It is like both of them are in a competition—who will catch Baz's attention faster and more.
Agatha looks at him across the hall sweetly, and Simon—he usually glares at him, but today, his expressions are different.
Simon has a longing look in his eyes, and then it is replaced by frown when he looks at Agatha and Baz again. It is like he is confused with his own feelings.
Could it be…. No, that's not really impossible. Maybe I'm reading too much into things.
"Simon, do you want to go hangout on Sunday together?" I ask, trying to distract him from Baz and Agatha, he doesn't even know it is hurting him. "And you Agatha, do you want to join?"
"No, thanks."
"Sorry Pen, I can't."
They both reply together, I can't help but look suspiciously at them both.
Agatha gives me a nervous smile, "I'm planning to ask Baz to hang out with me this Sunday. He looks interested in me."
Simon quickly frowns, "I'm, ugh.. Pen I just need to—study. My grades are falling behind too much."
"Do you want my help, Si?" I offer.
"Oh no. No, no, I'll self study Penny. That would be much better for me, yeah."
Agatha gives him a look, as if she can't believe Simon is actually able to do something like studying on his own, for the last 6 years, I have always helped him up. He never even does an assignment alone.
That's it. I need to solve this mystery. I need to know what's going on with Simon.
I start looking out at clues. I notice Simon through the week, in class, outside class, even while visiting his room. He is upto something.
Simon is plotting.
What I know:
Simon is plotting.
Simon is plotting something against Baz and he is keeping it a secret even from me.
Baz, for once, isn't really trying to rile up Simon like usual, he is hiding.
What I don't know:
What Simon is plotting?
Why Baz is trying to avoid Simon more than usual?
AGATHA
I think Penny is plotting something. She is trying to be very subtle about it, but I do notice her noticing Simon more than usual.
She couldn't be really into Simon like I used to think back then, right? What's really on her mind… I need to find it out and do something, it just doesn't sit right with me.