Sun Splashed Ink Wells (SnowBaz Soulmate AU)

Chapter 7

Simon

    It’s finally done. I think I’m going to pass out into a victory nap right on my desk. Baz and I have just handed in our project. It was due just before winter break. Thanks to Baz’s perfectionism, I have a feeling we aced it. I have to say, there’s no way I would’ve passed without him. He spent at least twenty seventeen hours total just to catch me up to the rest of the class. Then, after all that, he’s offered to keep tutoring me.
    “I don’t want you knocking on my door the night before final exams,” was his excuse, but I think he might’ve enjoyed helping me. Cheeky as that sounds. It was nice, being around Baz and not fighting with him. I think we’re something like friends now. Plus, he’s a lot less of a monster than I thought he was. He’s not a monster at all, really. An asshole, yes. And I still think he’s secretly a vampire, but he’s not a monster. Even if he did push me down the stairs last year. 

    I must’ve actually fallen asleep because I wake up to an incessant prodding on my shoulder.
    “Snow,” Baz hisses from behind me, “Are you trying to lose participation?” I jolt up, stopping the professor mid-sentence. 
    “Mr. Snow,” she warns. I feel my cheeks flush and I hunch my shoulders up in an attempt to sink into my jumper and out of sight. Baz is sniggering behind me, even though I know he’s just as tired as I am.
    He waits for me after class and walks right beside me as we leave.
    “Alright, spit it out,” I say. He never leaves with me unless he wants to ask me something. Usually he just sticks around to ask me what time I can meet to work on the project, but we’re finished with that now. I definitely wouldn’t mind walking with him, but I know he didn’t follow me just to walk with me to lunch.
    “Alright, alright,” he puts his hands up in defense, “I just want to know if you’ve got plans for Christmas break?” I bite the inside of my cheek. I normally stay over at Agatha’s for Christmas. I have since middle school. But she stopped me in the hall the other day just to uninvite me.
    “It would just be too awkward, Simon,” she’d told me. I frown and shake my head.
    “I guess not,” I mutter. Baz shrugs, I think he picked up that habit from spending so much time with me over the past two weeks.
    “You should come to Hampshire,” he proposes. I sort of gawk at him for a moment before realizing that I’m blocking the walkway. Baz is fidgeting with the strap of his satchel and licking his bottom lip.
   
“With the Grimms and the Pitches?” I ask.
    “Who else?” Baz deapans, rolling his eyes at me.
    “Right,” I say, “I mean, with your family that hates me.” It’s true, I’ve met them before. Being the headmaster’s favourite, my names got thrown around to a lot of the old families who practically used to run the school. One of which, being the Pitches who actually did used to run the school before, well, before Baz’s mum. Anyway, last year when we moved in, Baz’s dad and aunt Fiona came to help him get sorted. They got into it big time when they saw who his roommate was. 

I suppose Baz’s father was polite enough. He said hello, then just sort of glared and avoided me. His bitch aunt Fiona was another story. She kept not-so-subtly suggesting to Baz that he leave bags of shit on my pillow. He didn’t, thankfully. But I think they might’ve been the reason Baz initially hated me.
“You’d be a guest,” Baz insists, “They’ll be on their best behavior.” I consider this. I already ruled out going to Penny’s. I was going to, but her mum has been having trouble with the headmaster and doesn’t want me to get caught up in it. Not that I would, I would never do that to Penny and her family. Penny said she knows, it’s just complicated. So my plan was just to stay here at Watford. It wouldn’t be the most ideal Christmas, but it was better than going back to my most recent care home.
“Is your aunt going to be there?” I ask.
“Fiona? No, she doesn’t really do family holidays. She normally stays in or goes out to the clubs.” Baz explains. I shoulder my bag in thought.
“And if she does come, I promise I won’t let her bother you. She’ll listen to me.” I sigh, finally letting him win me over.
“Alright, are you sure it’s okay? I don’t want to impose.” Baz waves his hand dismissively.
“It’s not a problem, Snow. Get packed arlight, we start driving after dinner.” Then he walks ahead of me. I let him. I’m not sure how he roped me into spending Christmas with his family, but it’ll be fine as long as the ghosts in his house don’t keep me up.