War of Hearts

Conversations

Simon

I think I broke Baz. Maybe I should have taken it slow and not spilled everything in a night. I can now always predict what  Adult Baz is thinking, but Teenage Baz is a whole other catastrophe. I just wish I knew what he was thinking. 

Baz

I don't know what I'm thinking. 

He said that under a truth spell.

Simon

He stood frozen for a few seconds, then closed his eyes shut. Then he said through gritted teeth, "What do you want from me?"

I wasn't meant for this job. I was meant for slashing things, Not saying the right thing. I am scared for a moment if I've hurt Baz. He looks pained. I wonder if I was the one hurting him all those years at school and not even knowing it. 

I can feel the truth spell going out. "Your help" I whisper, because the room suddenly feels to quite. "Please." He opens his eyes and looks at me, but says nothing. I can't read him anymore. "I came here to save him in a reckless hurry and now I don't even know what to do, how to save him. Please Baz. I can't- I can't let him die. It'll kill me in ways worse than death." 

Baz looks pained again, and silent tears I was trying to hold on from before slowly start slipping. Baz, surprising the both of us, steps forward, and pulls me in a hug. I fold my arms around him, and rest my head on his shoulder, and we fit together like puzzle pieces. I breathe in the scent of Baz and am filled with abundant amount of love and joy, and it makes me loose my breath. 

"This feels like a dream."

He laughs his real laugh, and the voice clears my lungs. "Tell me about it"

------

Simon

"I knew it!"

"you absolutely did not"

"it was a theory"

"you are lying!"

"Come on ,Si. Now one is that obsessed with their roommate"

We started by telling Penny. It was Baz's idea, surprisingly. 

"You are a numpty Snow, if you thought you could carry out such an advanced mission on your own. Scratch that. You are a numpty, don't know why was I surprised"

"well- ..I-" 

"Use your bloody words, Snow"

I huff. Part of me doesn't mind falling back into our mutual antagonism, It familiar, even if its been years.

"I didn't wanna out you, you tosser!"

"If you don't remember, which I'm not surprised since almonds are bigger than your brain, I was dying in your universe. Priorities, Snow"

I rolled my eyes. 

"Can we focus?" He cuts in, after he is finished writing the 'what we know' column. Penny gets up to stand beside the board across Baz, thinking. 

I lie on my bed, facing them and a wave of nostalgia hits me. its taking everything in me not to tell Baz about his mum, but he has a lot to worry about as it is right now.

"you said you have to save Baz in this universe, so that he stays alive in your world, right?" Penny asks frowning. 

"Yes, that's what you said. Older you, of course" I reply.

"We need more information about this. Our school library is offensively limited." Baz states. We spent the whole weekend looking through every book in the library, searching for every keyword that could be related. 

"Which means this spell, is likely very illegal. If we go through with this, if anyone finds out, we're dead"

"We need the library at my house."

"No, we need the library at my house."

They start arguing. try to cut in but they shush me every time. I finally get frustrated. 

"CAN YOU BOTH JUST SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN TO ME?" I say, almost shouting. Penny covers her nose, and I realize I'm leaking magic.  Baz, as always, is in affected. 

But he does cast a slightly worried look at Penny. 

"Stop it Snow"

I try.

"I can't" I say uselessly. It started to even affect Baz now. I panic, which does not help my cause at all. 

Baz

Simon Snow is going to be the death of me. 

"Bunce, get out of here" I say, but don't stop to see if she is listening. I grab hold of Snow's shoulder, to shake him out of his panic. I turn him to face me.

My lungs suddenly clear. Simon is looking right in my eyes, breathing deeply as his magic slowly calms down. I drop my hands from his shoulders, he seems fine now, but he catches one of my hands in his.  For a second I think he might be going off again, but then I realize him his touch is fire. 

"Thanks" He mutters, even as I withdraw my hand. My undead heart is pounding too loud in my chest. 

"For what?" I ask, hoping he doesn't hear it. 

"I might have just gone off right now. You helped me. You've never helped me control my magic before."

I frown, confused.

"But I thought...You said in, the future, or whatever...we, you know.." I trail off. Honesty i don't think i could complete the sentence. It seemed, too good to be true. too perfect. I had too many questions. So I stopped thinking about it. 

"No...I-" He says, pulling at his curls. "I lost my magic, in eighth year"

I am surprised enough to not stop and think before i speak. "What??"

"I gave up my magic."

"Why"

"long story"

He looks down. 

Crowley, I am stupid. Of course he doesn't want to talk about it. 

"I'm sorry" I say, softly. 

He smiles at me, a little sadly, and I almost want to give him a hug. But that would be too far. Just because we are being civil, doesn't mean-

I mean its 20 years in the future, I don't know when it happens-

but I want to know. Suddenly, I don't care what future me has told him, Because I want to tell him. Everything. because I have a chance. I feel like this is a dream, which will shatter the movement i try to touch it. 

Before I can open my mouth, the door to our rooms opens, and The Mage steps in.