Work Text:
It starts with Gregory slapping a sticker on their home PC warning the users to not forget to turn off their computer before last of December.
Eloise wanted to go to the university since she was ten. It was her dream from the moment her eldest brother started attending one. Somehow, she took in the mountains of notebooks and books and sleepless nights spend over both and evaluated them as something incredibly appealing or dare she say, romantic. Of course, as she got older, her rational mind did supply her with a thought it all won't be so great, but the damage was done. So, she nearly vibrates with excitement when sitting down for her first ever lecture. She expects her new classmates to be overflowing with a similar attitude. Or at least intelligence. She is sorely disappointed on both accounts.
“School computers are available to all of you, so I require your works to be up to the standards. This is not high school, I will not spend hours trying to decipher someone's handwriting nor arguing about what some illegible word mean. New technologies are here, I expect you to keep up with them.” Eloise finds such instructions kind of redundant at this point in time. Who in their right mind is still writing essays by hand? She is a bit irritated that they haven't jumped right in into the intricacies of the gender politics, but she will give the professor pass this one time. He evidently needs to get this off his chest first.
“But what if the computer will destroy our work? You know, after New Year?” She has much less understanding for the person who asks that, however. There is a little comfort in the fact that Eloise is not the only one to gift the guy with an incredulous look. Not when the same number of people keeps eagerly nodding in agreement. The professor scrunches his face in distaste.
“Then I suggest you turn it in before Christmas.”
“But…”
“Or use a typewriter for all I care.”
“Or quill and ink and write in cursive.” The guy sitting next to her murmurs, too low to be actually heard by the interested parties, but loud enough for Eloise to catch his words. A snicker escapes her mouth and she tries to mask it with a cough, shrinking a bit under the pointed glares send in her direction in retaliation by her other peers. (The professor just rolls his eyes.) Eloise grumbles a quiet sorry and waits until they all turn away from her again before looking at the joker to her left. He's already staring at her, knowing smirk on his lips and mischievous glint in his eyes. Eloise can feel her features mimicking his expression. Eager to start a conversation (and maybe make a first friend of her college career), she hits him with the trusty old opening helping students break the ice for generations now:
“Do you have a pencil?”
Francesca comes home from school one day with tears in her eyes, great, heaving sobs wrecking her entire body. It takes her half an hour to calm down sufficiently to tell them what has left her in such a state. Apparently, someone in her class has told her all the tamagotchi are going to die in the new millennium. And Franny, who managed to keep not only hers but all her siblings' electronic pets alive as well, takes it very hard.
Theo Sharpe is a kind of a troll, that much Eloise figures pretty much right by the end of that first lecture. He is also quite bright and edgy and possesses a similar attitude to hers. So, when the group projects are announced, she grabs him and has him assigned to her before the poor chap can as much as beep in protest. (To be absolutely fair, he doesn't seem particularly inclined to anyway, so there's that.) The third member of their group is a guy named Morrison, who admittedly manages to make pretty interesting points from time to time in class, only for him to completely undermine them with some remark that leaves Eloise wanting to rip his flouncy hair out.
They decide to meet at the university park, enjoying the last of Indian summer sun. Morrison is (not surprisingly) a no-show. Eloise brings three cups of coffee as an incentive, ends up drinking all of them after one of her partners doesn't come and the other politely declines the cup saying her doesn't drink coffee. (Weird.)
Theo brings his dog, effectively destroying all chances of doing any work, since every five minutes, someone stops to admire the canine and flirt with his master. Eloise tolerates it for the first fifteen minutes, but after third girl exclaims how cute the dog is and then adds “as is his human” in breathy giggles, she has enough.
“Maybe we should go somewhere else.” She suggests in a tone that really doesn't leave much space for arguing. Theo tries anyway.
“But I like it here.” He grins, completely satisfied, giving a wave to a girl that just walked away and is looking back at him with very welcoming expression in her face. In the next second, his own face is however contorted into a painful grimace, result of Eloise kicking his shin. He groans theatrically, but stands up, giving Eloise his undivided attention. (Good. That's to say – Eloise has no time for watching him flirt, they are here to study!) He assesses her stubborn stance and the irritated curl of her lips and then he's suddenly relenting:
“We will go somewhere else. Come on, Brother.” He tugs at the leash and the dog obediently hops on all four and starts walking. Eloise basks in her victory for only a second, before she catches up with her companions, asking Theo unbelievingly:
“You call your dog Brother?” The dog in question wiggles his tail upon hearing the name. Theo just shrugs his shoulders.
“Well, my parents gave him to me after refusing to give me a sibling.”
“You got a dog instead of sibling?”
“Yeah…” He actually sounds kind of bummed out because of it, something Eloise, even with all the love she holds towards her brothers and sisters, cannot quite fully comprehend.
“Lucky bastard. I wish my parents thought of that.” Theo's ever present smile widens and he eagerly starts questioning Eloise about her family. He likes their academic discussions just fine, but he would like to get to know her on a personal level as well. (He knew that bringing a dog would help him along!)
“Not getting along with yours?” Eloise rolls her eyes at the question. She leans down a little, to give Brother a scratch behind his ears, before answering:
“Ah, we get along just fine. There is just too many of them.” At Theo's curious look, she elaborates:
“Three younger and four older.” That leaves her companion gaping at her.
“You have seven siblings? Are your parents like… Mormons or something?”
“Nah, just disgustingly in love.”
Hyacinth thinks the possibility of an apocalypse is just simply hilarious. In all fairness, she's not exactly wrong in her assessment in this case. However, her gleeful descriptions of one of her classmates whose parents apparently went quite nuts is in somewhat bad taste. After being thoroughly schooled by her parents, Hya takes it upon herself to protect the poor kid from other mean spirited schoolchildren. She even starts making an extra sandwich for her lunch box to give it to the boy, since all he keeps bringing to eat is home-made jerky. (The kid's parents are stacking on self-obtained food exclusively. The boy is fairly sick of it, but Hyacinth is an enthusiastic carnivore and willingly alleviates him from the unwanted treats.)
It is a truth universally acknowledged that food in school cafeterias often leaves much to be desired. Now, Eloise herself is not particularly fond of the brownish sludge presenting itself as kidney pie, but her mother has always insisted that food is to be eaten without moaning. For some reason, that is the one preaching that stuck with Eloise, when so many others just slid off her back to be forgotten five minutes after they've been uttered. Plus, Eloise doesn't exactly have a patience for whining in general, let alone for that that goes around their table now.
“You know, you should get used to it, this is all we will be eating soon.” She says, piercing her classmates with a steely look, while not stopping to shovel her lunch into her mouth. (She is taught to eat everything, but sometimes, it's safer to not look too closely on what is one eating.)
“What do you mean?” George Crane's hand stills in the middle of its way to his mouth, the mashed potatoes? gracelessly plopping back down on his plate. The smile Eloise gives him is downright terrifying.
“Treats and processed food may not be so easily accessible after the New Year.” Theo, who is at the table too, successfully hides his giggles behind his can of Coke. Eloise only gives him a brief wink before turning back to torturing poor George.
“What kind of bullshit is that?” He says, shaking his head over Eloise. She just shrugs.
“It's a legit concern. Cans and plastic packagings are going to explode.”
“What?”
“Computer chips. They're in everything now.” Theo pipes in, putting on a deadly serious expression. Unfortunately, he manages to hold it for only a second before bursting out laughing, ruining the game. George finally catches on and rolls his eyes. Putting his cutlery down on the plate, he stands up, grabs his tray and with one last “You are both idiots” goes to sit next to Marina Thompson at the table nearby.
Eloise is satisfied for exactly five seconds that she doesn't have to watch a grown man play with the food on his plate, picking around green beans like a toddler. Then Theo unceremoniously stabs a piece of carrot with his fork and deposits it on her plate. He has the audacity to smirk at her too, before taking another gulp from his Coke. Not for the first time, Eloise feels both the urge to hug him and punch him at the same time. She waits for a moment, letting her friend fall into the false sense of security, before saying:
“The chips are in the soda cans too.” Theo chokes on his drink.
Benedict is usually too high to have any real worries about Y2K. Also, he works in IT, so he actually has an idea about the extent of this potential catastrophe. Still, that doesn't prevent him from playing with his siblings and parents and installing into their home PC a fake-virus-programme that keeps randomly popping up a window on the screen, announcing a countdown to the end of the world every time someone turns on a computer. (Benedict has always been Eloise's favourite brother.)
They just finish writing the first draft of their work. (With Morrison lurking around being generally unhelpful and only waiting to be added as a contributor at the end. Wanker.) Suddenly, the computer screen flickers, then shows the blue screen of death and then shuts down completely. Eloise only manages to exchange a worried look with Theo before sounds of despair start echoing through the university study hall.
“It's only November, end of the world is not supposed to happen for another seven weeks!” She says, furiously stabbing the on button on the computer repeatedly. Theo is already under the table ready to take the plug out and then plug it in back again, when Morrison laughs and gleefully rubs his hands together.
“No time like present. Drinks anyone?” His offer is met with silence.
“It's two p.m.” Says Theo, his look shifting from incredulous to genuinely worried when Morrison answers:
“Your point?”
“You have a problem.” Their bickering goes on for a little bit, until Eloise interrupts it with a hand forcefully slamming down on the desk.
“There is an internet cafe around the corner. If we run, we might grab a seat before the rest of them gets their bearing.” She jerks her head towards the other occupants of the study hall, all of them in a similar state like them – half under the tables and half wailing over the keyboards. Theo readily jumps up.
“Lets go.”
“Oh, come on. This is a perfect opportunity to get an extended deadline. Don't spoil it for others!” Morrison's whine is met with a blank look from both Theo and Eloise. When he sees how unyielding they are, he just sighs and involuntarily trudges after them as they make haste to their new location. They get in just in time, claiming one of the free computers scarcely ten minutes before a horde of students descents on the cafe, taking over the entire space, the lucky ones at the PC's, the losers pacing around and waiting for an opportunity to strike.
Eloise makes Morrison do the typing this time around, so he would have at least some contributions under his belt. (He's surprisingly efficient, but her genuinely appreciative comment suggesting he would make a great secretary or a court typist is for some reason not met with a warm welcome.) She and Theo keep looking over his shoulder, making edits in their original version as they go, arguing whose turn of phrase is better suited for each sentence and making their points come across more clearly. Needless to say, after a while, it drives their classmate to the point of insanity, leaving him murmuring angrily under his breath that “if he wanted an old married couple arguing over his shoulder, he would just stay at home with his parents”.
Unnerved by the catastrophe that befell Eloise and her work, Anthony finally momentarily succumbs to general hysterics and breaks his “you are all idiots for worrying about Y2K” attitude. He then proceeds to double and then triple backup all his documents in their family's PC, effectively using up all the floppy discs in the greater London area. Then, he prints out the rough version of his dissertation. Just in case.
As the end of the year approaches, more and more people goes slightly crazy. If by design to have fun or by genuine worry, Eloise cannot tell. For the most part, she doesn't really care that much, only joining on the fun when needling others and topping Theo's ironic remarks with her own. (They have to yet make anyone cry, but the reputation of them laughing in the face of impending doom is firmly established by now.) The moment when Eloise starts to take the end of the world personally is when it begins disrupting the lectures and seminars. She is a nerd, sue her. She likes getting her education without having to listen to someone moaning and eating up two thirds of the hour by spinning tales about how the possibility of the doomsday has prevented them from turning in the papers in time. (Honestly, this is not a high school!) (She suddenly has much more understanding for some of her professors.)
“I mean, it's not like they are laying in bed contemplating their bad life choices. Or kneeling in the church, repenting and awaiting the apocalypse. I saw George Crane snogging Marina Thompson behind the library and Edwina Sharma kept going on and on about how she's going to a rave this weekend and so she needs to get some sleep ahead of time since she's not planning to get any afterwards.” They are once again in the cafeteria, this time sans lunches but with (potentially) exploding packets of crisps. She is well into her tirade and Theo, bless his heart, tries to keep up with her.
“That seems reasonable.”
“That's beside the point.”
“Then what is the point?”
“That we should be expanding out minds with new knowledge, not with a trite gossip and far-fetched excuses about why someone is not doing their homework.” Eloise crosses her arms over her chest with a huff, giving her friend an expectant glare. Theo, while also not exactly having the patience to listen to their classmates getting progressively dumber and dumber, enjoys goading Eloise more than that and so he proceeds in that direction rather than to blindly agreeing with her. Leaning over the table to prevent anyone from overhearing, he murmurs in hushed tones meant for Eloise's ears only:
“You are just mad that Edwina can party a whole weekend and then still trump you at the test on Monday.” They both turn their eyes to the girl in question, sitting at the table at the other side of the cafeteria, drinking tea and reading book and looking cool as a cucumber. Eloise frowns and tries to appear unaffected, but there is no masking the blush spreading across her cheeks.
“I refuse the accusation.” Theo's smile widens.
“I'm not accusing you. That's just an honest observation. Edwina is the best.” Eloise is pretty sure she is going to ignite now. Straightening her leg under the table, she kicks Theo before taunting:
“Someone has a crush.” To his credit, he doesn't deny it.
“So do you.”
“I'm not ashamed of it.”
“Rightly so.” They both steal a glance at Edwina again, before turning back and giggling into their hands like a couple of preschoolers. There is really no helping it. Edwina Sharma is all they aspire to be – smart, confident and capable to go three days without sleep and then ace the philosophy exam like no one other. And, the rumour has it, she has an older sister who is even cooler, though Eloise can't imagine how that could be even possible.
“Do you think she knows we exist?” She asks Theo, her chin now resting on her hand and staring at Edwina quite unabashedly. Theo mimics her posture and sighs longingly:
“No. We are such a losers.”
(They are barely nineteen. High school may be officially over, but they are dumb teenagers still.)
Colin decides to take a year off from uni and travel. It's hard to tell if that decision if fuelled by the desire to see the world before it inevitably crumbles to dust or his general unsettledness in life. Either way, he doesn't start the fall semester and goes to Greece instead, working in some hotel as a cleaner and finding himself along the way. He writes home quite often, both emails and physical letters and Eloise keeps every one of those. She and Colin have never been that close, but in his words, she starts to discover a kind of interesting person and a brother she is looking forward to get know better. (Who knew that all that was needed to teach Colin some humility and wisdom was a mop and bucket of water?)
The winter descends upon London, traditionally paralysing it with first snow. Buses don't ride, the entire city becoming one big traffic jam. With no other way from the university campus, Eloise and Theo have to walk to the nearest underground station. It's about twenty minutes walk on a good day, but it gets much longer and more unpleasant when having to trudge through the mushy snow.
Of course, when she left home that morning, the temperatures were well above zero and sun was shining, the weather more resembling spring than start of the winter. One would think that after living in London her entire life, Eloise would be well versed in the whims of the climate that can be observed here. One would be wrong. She has only a light coat on and pair of low loafers, rendering her effectively freezing and with wet and cold feet. She already slipped twice, falling on her butt once before Theo managed to save her the second time. She clings to him ever since, counting on his steady support as they make their way through the inhospitable and treacherous maze the London streets have become.
“I thought that global warming is supposed to take care of this shit.” Theo grumbles when he has to help Eloise jump over another puddle. How it can simultaneously snow and thaw, he will never understand.
“That's not how global warming works.” Eloise says next to him. She keeps stopping every few metres, shaking her legs like a cat that stepped into a snow for a first time. Theo patiently waits until she shakes off the latest portion of show that made it into her shoe, before continuing:
“Whatever. One end of the world or another.” Eloise opens her mouth to answer, but at that moment, like if he was summoned by the very words of end and world, crazy looking bum appears right in front of them, cardboard sign in one hand and cow bell in the other. He shouts “Repent! Repent for the end if near!” so loudly and so close to Theo's face he stumbles back and Eloise is the one who has to save him from falling this time around. Thankfully, the man doesn't dally around them and quickly continues on his way, preaching his message to other passer-bys.
Theo and Eloise find their footing again and continue on their way in silence, until Theo interrupts it, sounding strangely pensive for a change.
“Do you ever worry?” He doesn't have to specify what he means. Subconsciously, Eloise leans closer to him, trying to give him some comfort should he need it. She briefly ponders over the question, before answering:
“Not really. I just worry that others worry. And that it will make someone do something stupid.” Theo only nods and they continue their way in quiet. They keep holding hands even after making it to the subway, safe from sludgy ground and slippery pavements.
“Do you?” Eloise asks when they already sit in the carriage, forced to press together even tighter than before by the force of the other commuters. Theo cracks her a smile, half his typical mischievousness, half strange underlining sadness.
“No. I already kind of seen it.”
“How come?”
“I'm originally from Derry.”
Daphne was always about the lists. She calls it orderliness. Eloise calls it slight OCD. Either way, her older sister rarely makes a move without penning it down beforehand. The end of the world is no exception. In order to potentially face the apocalypse with no regrets, Daphne starts going through her bucket list. She gets a haircut. She gets a tattoo. She gets a new boyfriend. Well, the last one is actually a result of her new determination to get over her deeply integrated feelings of propriety and starting asking guys out instead of sitting demurely on her butt and waiting to be asked. It actually works better than she herself expects. Before the year is through, she dangles three different guys from her fingertips. One of them being Anthony's best friend, which adds an another layer of madness into the situation.
For some reason, Morrison keeps hanging around even after they submit their joined paper for grading. Neither Eloise or Theo have any idea why though, since they are both borderline hostile towards the oaf. However, their classmate makes his intentions very clear soon after.
“So, there is a faculty party for the New Year.” He says one day out of the blue. They are in between the lectures, Eloise and Theo walking side by side locked in conversation before Morrison wedges himself between them and starts yammering. It's pretty clear that he is talking to Eloise, but it is Theo who answers, knowing well how unwelcome Morrison's advances are.
“I heard.” Morrison shoots him a glare.
“I'm not talking to you.”
“Mean.” Theo fakes a wounded expression, but Morrison is already turning to Eloise, addressing her directly. He moves ahead, now walking backwards before them, giving Eloise what he musts think is an all winning smile. (It mostly makes Eloise want to punch him in the teeth.)
“Go with me, Bridgerton.” Without a second of hesitation, Eloise declines.
“No, thanks.” Morrison doesn't take a hint.
“Oh, come on, don't be a frig.” It's the air of pure superiority that oozes off him in spades that is Eloise's undoing. Barring her teeth in a menacing grimace, she fairly growls at the boy in front of her:
“Where did you even get the idea I would like to go anywhere with you?” Finally, Morrison seems to get a hint and some of his confidence slips away.
“I thought we had a thing.”
“You mean my physical revulsion to your very being? Well, you're not wrong there.”
“You know what, forget I asked.”
“Already did.” As quickly as he took a shine to her, he turns his supposed feelings on its head and starts to insult her. From a safe distance, of course, because he is bloody coward. (And also because he knows both Eloise and Theo have no problem to slap him if it comes to it.)
“Just for your information, with that attitude, you will be kissing your dog at New Year's eve.” He looks mighty satisfied with himself for delivering such a scathing remark, only to visibly shrink when Eloise shouts after him, for all the onlookers to hear:
“Still better option than you!” She is still fuming silently when Theo gently pokes her with his elbow, giving her a bright, proud smile. He so does enjoy watching her tear idiots to shreds.
“Well, he's a winner. I don't know how you keep your pants on around him.” Eloise just rolls her eyes and pokes him back.
“Oh yeah, my heart already bleeds.” They take a turn to the classroom, setting down at their usual places to get ready for the next lecture. Eloise is rummaging through her backpack for her notebook, when Theo asks:
“However… who are you going to kiss at that all important midnight?” With a playful smile, she turns to him.
“You haven't heard? A dog.”
“You don't have a dog.”
“Ah, but that is where you come in.” Theo's eyebrows shoot up questioningly and suddenly, Eloise can feel herself blushing. Nevertheless, she pushes her sudden shyness aside and asks her friend a thing she has been planning to ask for couple of weeks now:
“Would you like to come over to my house to celebrate the New Year? If you're not previously engaged.” Theo doesn't hesitate before answering, bright, happy smile firmly etched on his face.
“I would love to.” He's completely honest and openly excited and for some reason, that makes Eloise panic a little, since she already build this up in her mind. As is her custom, she starts to ramble:
“I mean you don't have to. Maybe you would like to spend the night with your parents. Or they can come too.” Theo's smile keeps growing, he enjoys unnerved Eloise a bit too much. But he knows when enough is enough too, so when it starts looking like she is about to have a stroke, he quickly reaches with his hand and gives her forearm a reassuring squeeze.
“I already said I'll come. Are you trying to talk me out of it?” He gently teases and Eloise finally reins her frantic emotions in. Returning the smile, she shakes her head.
“No, no. Not at all. You will come and I'm… glad.”
“Good.” They keep staring at each other like a couple of morons, unaware of the surrounding world. Perfectly content to just be together, they would stay in their little bubble if not for the professor calling for attention and then starting the lecture. Only then they snap out of their trance and turn their attention ahead. Still, after about five minutes, Theo leans in to whisper into Eloise's ear, teasing and humorous:
“It's not like I would be missing anything anyway. We don't celebrate the New Year at home.” Never letting her sight off their professor, Eloise whispers back:
“How come?”
“Lunar calendar.”
“Oh. Really?”
“No. My parents are paramedics. Torn off fingers have a precedence this time of year.”
Violet and Edmund don't join in on the madness at the first glance. They are pillars of their community, both respected and beloved characters of their circles. They have no time for some shenanigans. Well, that is what they tell anyone who might ask. In reality, Violet keeps needling her own friends with descriptions of how she prepares the seeds and plants for the next year's planting in the shadow of an atomic cloud (or some nonsense like that). Edmund eagerly listens to his colleagues debate the issue endlessly in the weeks leading to the end of December. He gains a recognition among them as the one who is prepared the most, because “We have been ready for this for ages. I mean, why do you think we have so many children? Farming is going to be a breeze!”.
Theo comes precisely at eight as instructed, bringing a bottle of wine and a Tupperware with some nibbles, of both he is promptly relieved by Benedict and recently returned Colin respectively. He also has a backpack with a dog bed and food and Brother by his side.
“I didn't want to him leave alone tonight and you said it's not a problem…” He feebly tries to explain, his usual confident bravado severely diminished by the presence of Eloise's family. Also, since inviting him over in the first place, they both keep sort of stupidly stumbling around each other. It's not cute, just kind of pathetic. (And a source of entertainment for those around them, but Eloise and Theo don't know that.)
“Of course it's not a problem. I already made him a place to hide in the cellar. It's completely quiet there, he will be fine.” Eloise is content looking at Brother instead of Theo. Recently, she keeps flushing furiously every time they face each other and while she may have an idea of what that means, she is so not getting into it in front of her three older brothers.
“Thank you. I mean, I know you are looking forward to kissing him.” As soon as the words escape his mouth, Theo bushes too and everyone in the hallway sinks into a stunned silence. Peripherally, Eloise can see Ben shaking with silent laughter and Daphne putting on an expression that can only be described as pitying. (Since getting her groove on, she got kind of judgy, in Eloise's opinion.) Thankfully, before either of them can be subjected to any more ridicule, Violet steps in and saves both those awkward little rabbits by pointing the direction of the cellar and ushering them and Brother there.
They spend a good portion of the evening there, oscillating between the revels going on in the Bridgerton's living room and the utility room under the ground that became a shelter for the dog and anyone else who might have a problem with the loud noises. As the midnight approaches and first fireworks start to go off, Eloise and Theo make their way downstairs once more, stacked with drinks and crisps. They settle themselves by the dog's bed, soothing the poor animal and bitching unanimously about the lovers of pyrotechnics.
Then, the sounds from up the house start getting louder as well, signalling the approaching midnight. Both Theo and Eloise stand up. They planned to go up for a quick toast before going back to keep Brother company, but as they reach the stairwell, Eloise's eyes fall on the main power switch of the house. With an audible inhale of excitement, she turns to Theo. It doesn't take long before he understands.
“No.” He deadpans. Eloise only gets giddier.
“Come on, it will be fun.” Her hand is already reaching for the main lever. Theo's hand shots up, grabbing her fingers just in time.
“It will be panic. There are people up there who could have a heart attack from it.”
“Are you calling my parents old?”
“Yes. No! Just… oh for fuck sake.” He hides his face in his palms momentarily. Someone above them shouts “Thirty seconds!” and he peaks at Eloise from between his fingers. Her hand is still at the lever and the smile on her face is both angelic and full of mischief.
“You are insane.” He says, his very being swelling with the affection for the girl in front of him. He lets his hands fall away from his face. One makes its way to Eloise's on the lever, the other tentatively reaches out to settle on her hip. Subconsciously, they move closer to each other.
“I thought that's why you like me.” Eloise say coyly. Her free hand settles on Theo's shoulder, idly playing with the open collar of his flannel shirt. Twenty seconds can be heard and Theo tugs her closer still, so they are touching from their chests to top of their knees.
“That's up to debate.”
“Is that so?” The teasing is now a second language to them. Gathering all the courage he can muster, Theo asks:
“Can I kiss you? In case the world is really ending?” Eloise scrunches her nose, gripping his shoulder tighter while mocking him back:
“Well, if that's the only reason then no, you cannot.” Countdown of the last ten seconds starts. Theo snorts a laugh before obediently concedes and tries again:
“Fair enough. Eloise, I really like you. I think you are brilliant and funny and I would really, really like it if you let me kiss you instead of my dog.” Eloise smiles and tugs on his collar to bring him closer.
“Better. Much better.”
They kiss just as the shouts of Happy New Year erupt above their heads. Eloise has only enough presence of mind to pull on the lever, shutting the electricity in the house and sending it into a darkness. After that, she doesn't pay attention to anything else beside Theo, his lips and the way they feel absolutely perfect against her own. Neither of them hears the screams of panic upstairs. Or the footsteps trudging down the stairs soon after. Only when Edmund flashes a flashlight into their faces on his way to find out what happened they jump apart a bit.
They both give him an innocent smile, trying to appear less guilty than they are. However, their joined hands are still on the lever, telling Eloise's father right away who the culprit of the apocalypse really is.