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BAZ
Snow and I both settle down in bed at the same time tonight. It’s rare that that happens, im usually up a lot later than he is, but tonight I find im rather tired.
Another rare occurrence, Snow even wishes me goodnight. “Sweet dreams, Baz!” he tells me, weirdly cheerfully.
Out of obligation, I feel the need to say it back to him. “Sweet dreams, Snow.” I tell him with far less enthusiasm but no less genuineness. I watch him then, I know I can, he can't see me in the dark, while he closes his eyes and settles into a comfortable position.
Usually, he sleeps in a tight ball, but tonight he’s sleeping on his side, back to the wall, facing me. This, combined with the wishes of sweet dreams is… unusual. He’s so open tonight as if we don’t have years of animosity between us.
I find myself continuing to stare at him, mapping his moles, watching his chest rise and fall with his breaths. Though I was tired, I feel awake now, and I don’t think I’ll get to actually sleep anytime soon. I do have a packet of salt and vinegar crisps under my bed that I could eat while I admire the view that is Simon Snow. That is my favourite midnight activity.
As I slowly reach down under my bed to grab the packet of crisps, the crinkle of the plastic must alert Snow, because his eyes shoot open. I honestly don’t think he can see me in the dark, though, because his eyes are squinted and unfocused, as if he's not sure where exactly he should be looking.
“Why aren’t you asleep, Snow?” I whisper to him. It feels like a moment to whisper, for some reason.
“Why aren’t you asleep?” he whispers to me in return, his voice filled with far more suspicion in comparison.
“This is stupid.” I tell him.
“You’re stupid.” He replies, with such a creative insult. How does he come up with his masterful insults? Truly a mystery.
Rather than indulging him, I slip further down my bed and cover my head with my blanket, as mature as Snow, I am. “Whatever.” I mumble, loud enough for him to hear from beneath my covers.
Even with the covers over my head, I can still feel Snow's eyes on me. After a moment, when I hope he has closed his eyes again, I poke my wand out of the covers, pointed at him.
“Sleep, my child, and peace attend thee all through the night.” I say, with magick. It’s a sickeningly sweet spell, quoted from a lullaby mothers sing to children, (so Snow hopefully wouldn’t even recognise it on the off chance he did hear it), and it can be used only on someone you have genuine affection for.
I know I didn’t get away with casting it against his knowledge because I hear him say “huh?” before, I assume, he falls right asleep.
I pull the covers off from over my head and sneak a peek. I’m right, out like a light. “Finally.” I mumble.
Now that the coast is clear, I pull my crisps out and begin eating. I like eating at night, covered in darkness, I don’t need to cover my mouth when I chew. I chew loud and proud because I know Snow can’t hear, and I can't chew like this anywhere else. I also continue staring at snow, for the very same reason.
The moon is casting just enough light over his features to create a soft glow on his skin, illuminating his moles and freckles. I continue to count them. I know I can get away with it, so I indulge myself more than I know I should.
After a few minutes, Snow clenches his sheet and a soft smile appears on his face. It’s hideously adorable, though I would never say that out loud.
“Dreaming of Wellbelove, are you?” I wonder aloud. I know they are technically in an off phase of their on-and-off relationship, this might even be the longest off phase they’ve had, but I’m sure they’ll get back together. I’m sure he still dreams of her. “You beautiful nightmare,” I say to him just because I can.
He continues to smile for another few minutes, while I continue to chew loudly on my crisps.
Soon, however, his smile fades into frustrated huffs. He starts to squirm in his bed, his eyebrows scrunched, eyes tightly shut. He’s having a nightmare now. I’ve seen him have enough to know the signs.
“Mmmm,” he starts to grumble, clearly frustrated, or scared, in his dream state. “No!” he yells. I know he won't wake up other people in the building, I've cast a million silencing spells on our room over the years. But the sound is still distressing me.
“Stop hurting me!” the thought that he might be dreaming of me now, hurting him, feels like a knife to my stomach. I push my crisps to the side, knowing I won't be able to eat them now and give him my full attention, as much as it hurts to do so. “Help, Baz!” he continues, confirming I’m in his dream. The knife twists.
“Please, help me… Baz, please.”
Wait.
He’s asking me for help in his dream. The knife is replaced with unjustified warmth and affection.
“Baz!” he screams again.
I can't help it now, I reach over to his bed, it's not far, and grab his shoulders. His eyes fly open and he wraps me in a hug, holding on to me for his life.
I must say, I’m rather uncomfortable. Like really not comfortable. I’m lying across both beds, my centre unsupported by the gap between them.
Still, I think I would lay this for the rest of my life. Snow is gripping me like he’s a starving man and I’m the only way to satisfy his hunger. I’m more than happy to provide. This is… heaven.
Snow keeps repeating my name like he doesn’t know any other words. Eventually, the pleading way he says it turns into murmurs and he slowly drifts to sleep, probably still under the influence of my spell. I still don’t move, at this point, I've been numbed to the discomfort of my position.
I’ll move back to my bed in a minute, I tell myself. But Snow is so warm. I haven’t been this warm since I was 5 years old. Eventually, I drift to my own sleep.
6 HOURS LATER
SIMON
When I wake up, my head is still groggy, like a hangover. I vaguely recall my dream of last night though. Baz spelling me to sleep, having a nightmare within my dream (trippy), baz comforting me. Falling asleep in his arms. It fills me with an emotion I can't quite pinpoint.
I look over to Baz, expecting to see him still in his bed, maybe with the sheets over his face to cover himself from the sun. Vampire, and all that. However, I’m shocked to find him gone, and in his place an open, half-empty packet of salt and vinegar crisps. I know he eats them late at night when he thinks I’m sleeping. He chews loudly on them; in a way he wouldn’t be caught dead doing in front of people. Not with the way he usually covers his mouth. I see it though. Well, I hear it. In all honesty, I usually can't see a thing unless it’s a bright, full moon.
My initial thought is he must already be up. But that idea is immediately pushed aside for two reasons:
- Baz would never wake up before 7 a.m. He’s the grumpiest person in the world, but in the mornings, it reaches a new level. I think the sun is too intense for him in the mornings. Again, vampire and all that.
- Why would he place a packet of crisps on the bed? He knows I would obviously steal them.
And that’s when it occurs to me. Did I turn him into a packet of crisps? My magic does weird things sometimes, it could be possible. Maybe I was hungry in the middle of the night and willed food into existence, only it replaced Baz.
Or maybe, he just wants me to think he’s magically turned into a packet of crisps when in reality he’s off plotting. He thinks I’ll sit here and weep over his disappearance. Well, Baz, I’m far too smart for that, I won't be falling for your tricks today. I get up, swinging my legs over in the direction of the wall and padding over to the bathroom to get changed and ready for the day.
15 MINUTES LATER
BAZ
I wake up sorer and more uncomfortable than I have ever been and it doesn’t take me long to realise why.
After reaching over and comforting Snow, I must have fallen asleep sprawled across our beds, then sometime during the night fallen between them, half under my own bed. Luckily, I avoided falling right onto the football that’s now next to my head.
I know I sleep like the dead, (because I am dead) but I’m surprised I didn’t wake up.
When I sit up, I see that snow has already left the room, presumably to go to breakfast. He either didn’t notice me on the ground between our beds, he would have gone around the other side of his bed anyway, or he did notice and left me here anyway. Let’s be honest, he definitely didn’t notice me. He’s not the most observant of people, is he?
At least my crisps are still on my bed, he didn’t steal them. That’s somehow more surprising than him failing to notice me sleeping on the ground between our beds.
I get ready and go about my day, as always, sitting through classes with Snow’s glare on me, sitting through lunch with Snow’s glare on me and then sitting in the library with Snow’s glare on me. I’m glad to see nothing has changed between us