The Space Between Us (snowbaz)

5

PENELOPE

Simon meets me in the dining hall for breakfast. He comes in crazy-eyed and tired, but his exhaustion clearly has no impact on the frantic way he moves through the room in an effort to get to me. He, without grabbing food, sits across the table from me and gapes at me for a moment with his mouth hanging open. 

"Penny," he says breathlessly. I wonder if he ran here from his dorm. It's a bit far, but I wouldn't put it past him. "Did I appear to you last night." 

I raise an eyebrow at him because I really don't know what to say in this situation. That's how most of our interactions go, though. We're either getting summoned by the Humdrum, fighting the Humdrum, or entertaining Simon's newest idea. Often times his ideas are insane (like tracking a werewolf pack "for fun") but I like to play along because he gets so excited and, if even for a brief moment, he forgets about the Humdrum and the fact that he'll probably give his life to stop it. 

"Like, did I teleport to you?"

The educated mage in me wants to say that teleportation isn't possible, but I've seen him do it. That time after the Humdrum summoned us at the end of seventh year, Simon got us back to Watford by saying "I wish I was home." It's completely ridiculous because it's not even a real spell, but if I tried to explain even half of the things Simon can do, I'd give myself a permanent headache. 

"No," I say, picking at my waffle. 

He sighs and runs his fingers through his hair. I've tried to get him interested in other stress management behaviors like using a stress ball, but he's too keen on yanking his hair. He's going to have a nasty bald spot one day and I'll just laugh about it. 

"Why?" 

"The Mage called me––"

"What? The Mage called you? Was it the Humdrum? A mission? A quest? What––"

"Crowley, Pen. Let me explain, yeah?"

I sigh and try to focus all of my anxious energy on mutilating the sad, soggy waffle on my plate. See? Stress management. 

"The Mage called and sent me to the middle of nowhere to fight a pack of ne'er-do-wells––"

I'm shocked. "A pack? Simon, one ne'er-do-well alone is dangerous, let alone a pack! Why didn't you call me?"

The only reason, I think, that Simon is still alive, is because I usually go with him whenever he's called into action. That's not to say that Simon can't handle himself in a battle––he definitely can––but the problem with Simon is that he doesn't think. When he has his sword in his hand, he gives no regard to his own life or the life of whatever foe he's facing which is all well and good until he gets himself injured. And when Simon gets injured, he pushes himself until the breaking point. I have to literally coat him in healing spells to keep him breathing. 

"Mage said I couldn't. So I went and got myself beaten to a bloody pulp and went off and then I thought about going home so...I dunno." 

I give him a once over. He looks a great deal better than he should after a run-in with an entire pack of ne'er-do-wells. 

"How are you..." I gesture to how he's alive. 

He shrugs. "Dunno. I thought you did it. I mean, it has to be magic, yeah?"

I nod. "The Mage, maybe?" 

He shakes his head. "I ended up in my dorm, apparently. Baz was there."

"Baz? Did he...Simon, is Baz a mage?"

Simon laughs. "Christ, Penny, of course not. He's a bloody vampire, yeah, but not a mage."

Simon's vampire theory is by far one of his more ridiculous ones. I mean, I get that he hates his roommate (he is a bit of a tit). So, considering how draining it is for him to control his magic in the room that he should have had to himself, I let him talk to me when it gets to be too much. When Baz gets to be too much. But the vampire thing takes it a little too far. 

Simon sighs again and goes off to get some food, but I spend the time he's gone thinking about Baz. Maybe Baz is a mage. I mean, it would be the only reason that Simon is still alive or, at least, bedridden. I don't think Simon can heal himself while he sleeps (though I wouldn't really be surprised) and Baz has always seemed more aware than other people. It would certainly make things interesting if Baz were a mage. I mean, it might be good for Simon if he were. He wouldn't have to hide his magic anymore and maybe Baz could help us on missions and fight the Humdrum. 

He is quite brilliant.