"So, of course that's one of the reasons Hermione would be able to perform high-level spells even as a third year," Charlie said quickly, her eyes concentrated on the computer screen in front of her. "I mean, wizarding family and blood doesn't really play a lot on your magic capability – unless you consider Ginny, who was the seventh daughter in the family, but she was also just very good – so one of the strongest suits that came into play with Hermione was the fact that she had a good memory and that she practiced more than everybody else in her year. I think things came mostly naturally to Harry, at least in defense..."
You didn't notice that your mouth had been hanging open this whole time, your book laying on your lap and long ago forgotten. It was lucky, in your case, that Charlie could talk and type at the same time, else she might have seen the way your eyes glazed over the curve of her lips whenever she pronounce certain letters, or how you admired the fast, calculating movement of her eyes across the laptop.
The one thing that always distracted you, though, was the brilliant shade of her hair. You loved the way it bounced off sunlight whenever you went on supply trips or hunts, a furious hue of ruby-colored strands that blushed under the sun. But then it seemed like the darkest shade of auburn in the night, smoothly running to her shoulders (although never touching them for too long), and always jumping with her laugh.
"...but, I mean, Harry is kinda underrated, don't you think? He's like this...precious cinnamon roll that nobody admires because they get used to his point of view throughout the series. He's so amazing and brave, though," she went on, finally looking away from the keyboard.
Her dark green eyes suddenly met yours. You blushed, quickly averting your gaze to the inky words printed on the white pages of the book. You didn't even remember where you had left off.
"Yeah, he is," you said, clearing your throat. Your tongue darted out, nervously licking over your lips as you prayed that Charlie wouldn't say anything.
However, there was no need to recite whatever came to your mind about the Bible as you held your heart to the heavenly beings – Dean decided to walk into the library in that moment, his sudden appearance drowning out words that might have otherwise fallen from Charlie's lips.
"Oh, hey, Dean," Charlie said cheerfully, glancing at him before settling her eyes back on you.
You turned your chin up, a different tint of green, a lighter one, fixating its attention on your own set of eyes. You didn't miss the mischievous glint that sparkled in Dean's eyes as he noticed the tomato-red blush spreading across your cheeks.
"Hey, ladies," Dean grinned, waltzing in with his usual confident posture. "Everything going well?"
"It's going great – I didn't know Y/N was such a good researcher," Charlie said with a beam, winking at you. If anything, your blush only got deeper. "Superb at looking up spells, I would say. She's got this charm for it, you know? It's like she says Accio and everything just suddenly, I don't know, comes to her. She's like the Hermione Granger in hunting."
"Really? She didn't seem too...distracted, or anything?" Dean asked casually, picking at his nails. If he was close enough, you wouldn't have hesitated to hit him. "You know, looking around, like at books, the swords, you, the telescope–"
"No – what do you mean looking at m–?" Charlie started, confusion pulling down her eyebrows as she glanced at you.
"Dean, I forgot to tell you – there's this pie in the fridge that I made yesterday! C'mon, you have to try it out," you exclaimed suddenly, jumping out of your chair and grabbing the cuff of Dean's plaid. "Sorry, Charlie, I'll be back in just a sec'!"
Dean's chuckling followed you all the way down the hallway, only blowing into a full laugh when you slammed the kitchen door close. You crossed your arms over your chest, glaring at him and wishing that he would just calm down for at least a short moment.
"A pie, Y/N? Seriously?" he managed to ask between breaths, clapping his hands as he laughed. "You couldn't come up with anything better than that?"
"You forced me to make it up on the spot!" you defended yourself, leaning over and giving him a small push. "And in front of my crush, Dean! I only told you that because I thought you could keep it a secret, not because I wanted you to tell her!"
"C'mon, Y/N, give me a break," Dean smirked, settling down at last. "You know how everything's been around lately; we need something good. A little romance in the family couldn't do any harm."
"Maybe, except when the other person involved in your shipping game is not a participant at all! We're not a chess game, Dean!"
"Shipping?"
"Forget it," you mumbled, covering your face with your hands and taking a couple of deep breaths. "Okay – Dean, look, I know that you're trying to help, or at least something like that, but I've told you a dozen times: Charlie doesn't see me that way."
"Bull," Dean scoffed, shaking his head. "Y/N, have you not seen the way Charlie looks at you? It's like she idolizes you or something – hell, did you even hear the way she was talking about you back there?"
"Dean, seriously, you're my best friend and I love you, but there is no way in hell, heaven, or Oz for Charlie to actually like me," you sighed, averting your eyes to the ground. "Charlie is – she's amazing. She's got a personality that's always so happy, and even when she's afraid of something, she always swallows that up and puts on a brave face. She's also really, really smart, like a genius, and I–"
"Y/N," Dean said out of the blue, eyebrows raising as his eyes widened.
"–don't even see how I could ever compare to her. And her hair! I mean, I obviously care more about her personality and everything else, but I just want to run my hands through it and–"
"Y/N," Dean said again, louder this time.
"What?"
"Uh...I think he wanted to say something like 'look behind you'?" a voice laughed nervously, coming, indeed, from behind you.
You froze instantly, almost comically, at the sound of this, the blood in your veins and arteries turning cold. You could feel your heart skipping a beat as you turned on the heel of your foot, a vivid and familiar shade of red coming into your sight immediately. Then, numbly, you felt the brush of Dean's hand as he patted your shoulder, slipping past you and Charlie, and then out of the room.
"Well, Dean just has a way of always running away from things like this, huh?" Charlie joked quietly, looking from the floor to you, and then to the floor again.
Her eyes ran down the boring pattern of the flooring while she waited for you to say something. You, however, seemed to have lost the ability to actually articulate anything. A thousand wild thoughts ran through your head, each more worrying than the next.
"H-how?" you finally croaked, swallowing quickly in hopes of moistening your dry throat. "How much did you hear?"
"Enough," Charlie whispered, hesitantly raising her eyes away from the ground. There was something you couldn't quite place swimming in the dark emerald eyes – hope? Joy? "Enough to know how you feel, Y/N."
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry, Charlie," you mumbled, closing your eyes. Your hands went over your face again, hiding the crimson blush and the embarrassment that your facial muscles expressed.
"Wait – sorry? For what?"
"I mean, I'm putting us in an awkward position, aren't I? I know I'm not the usual type of girl you swing for, and I'm okay with that, I really am, but I just feel like we're now going to act really weird around each other, and I don't want that." Your voice came out a bit muffled, but still comprehensible.
"'The usual type of girl'? Y/N, what on Cas's heavenly trench coat are you talking about? You're amazing!" Charlie smiled, her fingers grasping your wrists gently and lowering down your hands. "I'll hit on anyone, but you're the perfect person to actually share the time with! You're smart, adorkable, funnier than Dean attempting to roller skate, and obviously really beautiful – not that that matters a lot, but you are. I've had a crush on you since the moment you said that Star Wars reference."
"May the Fourth be with you," you chuckled underneath your breath, a relieved puff of air passing through your lips as you looked at Charlie. Absentmindedly, you noticed how she had now intertwined your hands together. "Wow...I just – I can't believe we've been running around all this time without actually thinking about this."
"I know," Charlie smiled, tugging you closer to her. "Do you think we could find a way to get your hands in my glorious hair now?"
"Oh, I don't doubt it."
"YOU'RE WELCOME!" Dean's voiced suddenly pierced through the air, making you roll your eyes as you leaned forward and kissed Charlie.
