Undead
Caspian took the stairs two at a time. At this rate, he shouldn't be too late for Professor Fitts's class.
He bumped into Nora right outside of history. He hadn’t spoken to her since the incident. Which was more than a week ago. Yet she was still on his ass about it like it was yesterday. Nora didn't like how he got hurt defending her and made him swear to never intervene like that again.
But the moment he saw her taped-up whiteboard, Caspian took it upon himself to transfigure his apple into a brand new whiteboard for the girl. Behind her back of course, which was easier said than done. Nora threw herself at him right in the middle of the hall, catching him completely off guard. With a few awkward pats on her shoulder, he excused himself before she could remember what she was scolding him about.
' - And under a full moon which occurs roughly once a month. Besides those two scenarios, there is no other reason a werewolf should phase. The requirement for such specific external conditions is where werewolves, and their close relatives Hydes, differentiate from animal shifters - who can shift at will. Species like the Hyde and Werewolves have what's called "Tempus-receptors". These special receptors have a direct neural pathway to the medulla oblongata - located between the spinal cord and brain stem - responsible for involuntary reactions like heartbeats and breathing. The receptors deliver a strong signal to the medulla oblongata, sending it into overdrive and forcing the phase-'
Caspian quietly slipped into class, sparing a glance at the animated video Fitts was sharing. He moved swiftly and quietly to his desk. Enid was already there, waving to him silently before focusing on the screen.
They were back on friendly terms. She even started shoving him again when he would make another one of his 'terrible' jokes. But there was something different between them. It wasn't as carefree and innocent as before. A kiss and a profession of love can do that to a friendship he supposes.
He sat down, drawing his supplies from his bag as quietly as possible.
Caspian realized one random night that their previous interactions could be considered as flirting. He was horrified at the notion, grateful that Ajax didn't notice. But as long as he doesn't repeat it, things should be fine.
Caspian could see now just how blinded he was by his feelings. He could distinctly remember himself feeling, thinking, hoping, to snatch Enid away from her relationship. It was an ill-natured thought he had right before the kiss. He shuddered whenever he recalled it.
He had standards and morals, but they were never tested like that. His feelings for her were as addictive as sweets. The irrationally obsessive, throw-all-caution-to-the-wind type addiction. So he should back off. Would back off.
But a small voice in his head posed a very interesting scenario. What would happen if Enid somehow left Ajax?
Caspian snuck a glance at the girl while thumbing the edge of his notebook.
He could already see it. The walks by the lake. The Dinners at the finest restaurants. The late-night readings. The couple-shopping they'd do. The hidden moments in empty classrooms they'd share. He would imagine the way he'd grab her hand as she swung it, her soft and smooth one giving a gentle squeeze back. He'd always wanted to do that. Or how he'd make it a game to steal kisses whenever she would wet her lips. Which she did a lot.
He would imagine the feel of her soft hair leaning on his shoulder as they watched a movie. Imagine drowning in her caramel and vanilla sheets. Just the mere thought of seeing her eyes light up whenever she saw him, signalling to everyone that they were together made him smile stupidly.
But then Caspian would be reminded that it was all fantasy. 'Empty thoughts' he'd tell himself bitterly. He would be banking on an external implausibility to take place. So his Slytherin mind would do what it naturally did. Build up his odds against the implausible.
He'd start scheming.
Could he steal her from Ajax without hurting anyone? Maybe he could even frame it as a good thing. She could be so much happier with him. Did Ajax want her to be unhappy? Caspian practiced that line over and over in his head trying to find the right amount of accusation and innocence in his tone.
'What Ajax, you do want her to be happy, well do you?'
But for that to work Enid would need to admit that she liked him more. Something even he, with his vivid imagination, just couldn't see happening. Because she'd feel bad for Ajax. That's just who she is. Compassionate to the bitter end. But that empathy was exactly what was holding her back from pursuing something more.
Something Better. Him.
After all, it was painfully obvious just how little Ajax and she had in common. But when she was with him. Well, fireworks would be an understatement for the sparks they shared.
It would be around this point in his daydreaming that same cruel feeling Caspian had before the kiss crept in. It twisted in his stomach as he felt himself falling back down to earth. That wasn't who he was. Lying. Manipulating. Cheating. It wasn't him. It was every bad stereotype Slytherin students were labelled with. It was everything he inadvertently tried to fight against.
Caspian couldn't do that to his friends. To Enid. To Ajax. She wasn't his to have. She wasn't a possession. A prize to be won. She had her own thoughts and feelings and would surely pick up on what he was trying to do and instantly back away. Because it was wrong. It was disgusting. Caspian was often disgusted after these daydreaming sessions. So he'd swear to himself that he'd stay out of it.
But it wasn't easy.
Being around her was like going on a diet whilst solely living off of butter beer and sugar quills. Technically possible but highly improbable. The only other option would be to stay away from Enid, which was just out of the question.
Never in his life had 'not doing' something been so bloody hard before.
'That is the main difference between phasers and shifters. Thanks for watching, click like and subscribe for more outcast content. For more about animal shifters and where their confusion with werewolves sprang from, watch our video on the history of-'
“Alright!” Fitts rushed to stop the video. Caspian didn't understand this world's professors and their hatred of 'YouTube Autoplay'.
“So I want you guys to turn to your partner and discuss what we just watched. You'll come up to the front and discuss one key question you guys have from that. This will be for participation marks.” Groans erupted around the class which Fitts waved away pleadingly. “C'mon guys it'll just take 30 minutes.”
Enid turned to Caspian with a bright smile. “So…” But it quickly morphed into a frown when she caught a peek at his blank paper. “bruh…You didn't write anything?”
“I came in late!” Caspian bobbed his shoulders. “I thought...why bother.”
“You practically came at the start of the video!”
“How was I supposed to know? “
Enid gave him a stern look, folding her arms. “I don't know how you intend to pass this year.”
“I didn't know how I'd pass my O.W.LS either but here we are…”Caspian gestured to himself. “With me somehow not having to take them.”
“What are..." Enid frowned. "Owls?"
“Ordinary Wizarding Level exams.” Caspian started. “End-of-year exams for 5th years that determine what subjects you need to focus on based on your career interests. You'll probably find it quite fascinating as we Hogwarts students can choose to take our N.E.W.Ts in the seventh year, which stands for-”
Enid placed a tired finger on his lips. “I see what you're trying to do Caspian. So let me stop you right there.”
Caspian's breath hitched at the contact and her brilliant green gaze. He moved her hand away with his best impression of a carefree laugh. As he said, being platonic around her was technically possible but highly improbable.
“Unlike you, I want to try to get a good grade. Especially in this class because well, I'm a fricken werewolf.” Enid straightened her posture.
Enid was never an eager student, but now that he thought about it, she was a pretty good one. Besides fencing and witchcraft, he still has to send her his notes every week. But even then she did alright for herself. Nowhere near Wednesday or Bianca’s level, but still, better than the class average. He just didn't realize she was trying that hard because she just made it seem so effortless. For Merlin's sake, Enid was the head of a dozen clubs and still had higher marks than him! He needed to give her more credit. Or he just had to pick up some slack. Perhaps a bit of both.
“Makes sense. Fill me in Sinclair. Unless you want your precious marks to drop, what 0.01%?”
“Oh my god, you're so annoying!” Enid rolled her eyes, giving him a light punch in the arm.
“So I've been told. I'm all ears. What did I miss?”
Enid took in a breath. “The video was about the difference between animal shifters and animal phasers. Shifters, like the Nanue, skinwalkers, and Kitsune, can shift between human form and animal form on demand. Phasers like Werewolves and Hydes, phase due to external factors. A person phases into Hyde through a traumatic event, chemical inducement, or hypnosis. Werewolves phase via full moon and…”
Caspian stopped twiddling with his thumbs when Enid stopped talking. “And what?”
“ And Caspian? -" Enid lolled her head back tiredly. "Jimminy Christmas you're hopeless.”
“What part of came in late-”
“You were there for that! They went over it like a bigilion times! I literally saw you watching it.” Enid glared at him while she applied chapstick over her pouty lips.
Caspian gulped, trailing his eyes down her body, pausing at the motion, before turning away.
“Well,” He cleared his throat. “I wasn't really paying attention.”
Enid sighed, Caspian feeling her soft delicate hand tug his shoulder forward. “I'm not gonna look stupid up there just because you need a clock and some Adderall. Start taking notes.”
“It wasn't my fault-”
His complaint died on his tongue when he felt her grasp his hand, forcing his pen into it. He watched numbly as she directed it towards the page. She had on this blank expression as if the touch didn't affect her. He almost believed it until he saw the makings of a faint blush creep onto her cheeks.
“Woah…” Enid pulled away, tucking a strand of pink-tipped hair behind her ear. “Neat pen, where'd you get that? Must've cost a fortune.”
Caspian seemed to land back in his body. “Wed-...Addams...” He muttered, scribing today's date on the top corner.
Enid blinked. “Oh…”
It was Caspian's turn to hesitate. He gave her a sideways look, watching her scrutinize the pen with mild curiosity.
Enid went to return the strand of pink hair that was already in place. “I- uh, so where were we? Oh right! Werewolves…We phase via full moon OR the appearance of the living dead.”
“Living dead.” Caspian frowned, scrawling the words down. “You mean like Inferius?”
“I mean like zombies. Walking dead, the night of the living dead, Shaun of the dead, I am Legend, Warm bodies. That sorta stuff. I'm pretty sure Wednesday's driver can be classified as a zombie. She did say Lurch was brought back to life in the 1800s after her great great aunt accidentally beheaded him.”
“Zom…zom…” Caspian scoffed at the foreign word. “I beg your... what?”
“Zombies. Y'know” Enid brought her hands up, her expressive face sagging horrifyingly. “Brains…Brains! BRAINS!” She drawled.
Caspian scooted awkwardly to the edge of his seat.
Just as quickly as she started she stopped, smiling cutely at him. “Ring a bell?”
Caspian blinked incredulously. “Do… you need Adderall?”
Enid rolled her eyes, jabbing her notebook. “Zombies are reanimated corpses Caspian. Dead bodies brought back to life either through voodoo, necromancy, science, witchcraft, or a mixture of everything.”
“Ahh so exactly like Inferius then,” Caspian murmured, writing in his notebook. “You could've just said that instead of doing,” he gestured. “Whatever that was.”
“Haha very funny.” Enid brushed him off with a playful sneer. “Zombie, Inferius, potato potato. Mermaid, whale penis what's really the difference?”
Caspian's eyes went wide. “Whale pen-”
“Anyways, ” She cut in swiftly. “So yeah we phase under those two circumstances.”
Caspian looked at her exasperatedly before writing down some notes. He loved listening to her, but she could be a little fast for him sometimes. Most times about topics she's passionate about. He'd usually just nod along in understanding. He obviously couldn’t do that now.
“OK, so I get the full moon process. It's the same in my world.” Caspian nibbled on his bottom lip. “But the Inferi- I mean…Zombies. Why?”
Enid shrugged. “I'm sure there's a scientific reason that has to do with the way our brain picks up electro waves or some shit. But here's how my family always explained it to me.”
Caspian watched as she started to doodle what he assumed was a zombie but about ten times cuter.
“The origins of Zombies and Werewolves are one and the same.” Enid began with a smile. “The theory goes that in the 12 century, at the height of the Dark Ages and the general yucky nature of the time, a virus emerged in a Romanian township. Morții vii , the curse of the living dead. It wiped out the entire kingdom and spread throughout Europe, Asia, and Africa.”
“Europe, Asia, and Africa,” Caspian wrote with a flourish. “Alright.”
Enid continued, doodling knights fighting off the zombie. “The threat of Morții vii forced humans to adapt. We developed better equipment to combat and deter. Focused on communication amongst townships to minimize the spread. Even made leaps in sanitary post-mortem practices. But our biggest adaptation-”
“Werewolves.”
“Yahtzee.” Enid winked at him. “Something in the Morții vii virus mixed with a certain gene in a select few, caused the first werewolves to phase. The oldest werewolves come from Greece, which I'm 1/4 of. Kinda a big deal in wolf society.” Enid boasted with a sly smile. “The epic of Gilgamesh - the oldest recorded story - has one of my great great great great great ancestors!”
Caspian jotted down more notes. He was sure she was missing a few greats there.
“So Infi-...Zombies created werewolves…they triggered the biological change?”
“Uh-huh.” Enid nodded, putting the finishing touches on her castle doodle.
Caspian scratched his head with his pen. “How does moonlight play into this?”
“That piece of wolf trivia actually came after. The same receptors we developed to sense Zombies also left us hyper-sensitive to moonlight.” She hummed. “You could say Zombies were our first natural enemies. Not cats and definitely not vampires. That one was totally a movie thing and now everyone believes we hate each other.”
“It sounds like werewolves were the…” Caspian paused. “Good guys?.”
“We were. Generally speaking.” Enid grimaced, adding a few 'woofs' to her wolf drawing. “We did a lot of good, a little bad. But we for sure did all the dirty work and no one really appreciated it because all they remembered was the teeth and blood.”
“A shame. Probably would've been nice to have a werewolf in your army.”
“No kidding. But what really smeared our reputation was the Roanoke incident.”
“Roanoke?” Caspian glanced up from his notes.
“Oh yeah. Forgot, multiverse travelling Brit here.” Enid flipped over to a fresh sheet to doodle on. “So one of the first colonies to settle in America settled in Roanoke. But all the colonists mysteriously disappeared. The normies believed the native Americans enslaved them or aliens abducted them which is..." Enid's eyes fluttered annoyedly. "Stupid to say the least.”
“Let me guess.” Caspian sighed. “The Morții vii virus was on board one of those ships?”
“Yep!” Enid chirped with emphasis on the 'P' sound. “And unfortunately there were no werewolves to protect them. So the whole colony turned into zombies.”
Caspian stayed silent for a while as he filled out his page of notes. “But you said they disappeared? Surely there would be some sort of remains left over.”
“There would if they weren't eaten!” She snarled playfully at him, circling the campfire she drew. “The Crotoans would tell stories of the strange pale visitors. How they would witness them die and come back to life. Turn into the living dead, dangerous, and hungry. They would recount how men in their tribe would start phasing into giant wolves to protect them.”
“Wow…that's.” Caspian let out a low whistle. “Intense. If it's real. Kinda sounds like a children's story…no offense.”
“It is so real!” Enid scoffed. “In one fell swoop we introduced werewolves and a zombie virus to the new world. And smallpox, which actually ended up doing way more damage than either of the two.”
“How so?” Caspian knitted his brows.
“Besides the fact smallpox claimed like a quadrillion people, there hasn't been a natural zombie sighting in over two hundred years. They say the original Morții vii virus died out a while back. Zombies are basically legends at this point. Stuff movie studios can milk for profit. And well,” She shrugged sheepishly, eyeing him over her shoulder. “We werewolves aren't so bad right?”
Caspian smiled back, nudging her a bit. “Not at all...”
He went back to finishing his notes whilst Enid finished up her drawings. Which deviated from zombies and werewolves to chubby penguins at some point.
Caspian ran a hand through his hair, skimming his notes. The werewolf adaptation was interesting and reminded him a lot of wizard biology. It was vaguely similar to how Wizardkind evolved from Muggles. But before he could linger on that thought any longer, Enid broke through the silence.
“You ready for the pool night this week?” She whispered in his ear.
Caspian shook his head. “This swim better grant me infinite money the way you lot are hyping it up.”
“What, you're not excited?” Enid frowned, placing her pen down.
“No. It's just…this isn't my first time going for an unsolicited swim. It's not really that big a deal quite frankly.” Caspian shrugged, quickly skimming over his notes.
There was a pause.
“Oh yeah I mean, “ Enid cleared her throat. “It's not a big deal at all I'm just saying…”
He glanced over to Enid who was shyly combing her hair down. After a quick evaluation, he realized this may have not been a big deal for him, but it was for Enid. And he just made her self-conscious about it.
“But I'm sure it'll be a blast,” Caspian said as cheerily as possible, leaning in to capture her disheartened attention. “I remember you being quite the party animal at the Bash.”
Enid snorted. “I can't remember anything from that night!”
“My point exactly Sinclair.”
“I can't promise I'll get that tossed…Maybe a little, depending on how the night goes.”
Caspian grinned, doing his best to sound gossipy. “Who else is going?”
Enid leaned in closer. “You, me, Wednesday, Xavier, Bianca, Yoko, and Ajax. Change of plans for Kent and Divina, they're going home for the break. We should totes boo them for being lame.
“Still can't believe Addams is going.”
“I KNOW!” Enid giggled cheekily. “But I love her for it and I will support her so that means no more teasing. Capeesh?”
“I didn't even-” At Enid's glare, Caspian rolled his eyes. “Fine, you have my word.”
“It'll be chill vibes,” Enid nodded approvingly before suddenly turning sour. “Would've been chiller if Ajax would let me on the aux.”
“What?” Caspian couldn't help but blurt out. Why would a 3-ton mammal be in the pool with them? And why does she need to seek Ajax's permission?
“He said he's always the one who sets the music, but I just think he doesn't like my taste. Which is totally fine but-” Enid closed her eyes, as if it took physical strength to hold back. “Nevermind. PVO. Positive vibes only. We'll have fun. Have a few drinks…maybe even…play a few 'games'.”
Before he could question her about this Ox that plays music, Enid wiggled her brows suggestively.
Caspian narrowed his eyes. “What do you mean by that?”
Enid stopped, blinking innocently. “Huh?”
“Don't huh me you just did,” Caspian pointed to her face. “That with your eyebrows..”
Enid placed an insulted hand on her chest, gasping. “Caspian Lee! I did not!”
“Oh, so you're just gaslighting me now.” Caspian faked annoyance.
“I don't know what you're talking about.” Enid shook her head vehemently. Her voice was strained along with her grin. It looked like it took everything for her not to crack.
“So when I gaslight, it's a problem but when you do it it's all cute. Ridiculous.”
“Oh relax you big-”
“Alright, guys. Times up!” Fitts's voice rang through the room. “Time to share with the class, any volunteers?”
Caspian looked around at everyone frantically writing and shrinking from Fitt's eyes. His expectant gaze landed on them and stayed there.
Enid gave Caspian her signature half-smile half-pout before skipping to the front of the class. He snatched up his notes. He remembered feeling guilty for being flirtatious with Enid when he first entered class today. But he should cut himself a bit of slack. She had a tendency to flirt with him as well.
He's said it once and he'll say it again, Enid Sinclair will be the death of him.
Enid gestured for him to speak his lines. Caspian cleared his throat, glanced down at his paper, and froze.
Instead of grabbing his notes, he grabbed her nonsensical doodles. Well then, it looks like the fate of Enid's participation marks lies in the hands of her drawing skills.
Caspian trudged up the steps to Hamlet's hall, the warm flickering lamp lulling his brain to sleep.
It was a rather exhausting day. His Mondays were always the most busy. Workouts, school, and Wednesday sessions. She held him back a bit longer today, going over more of what she's now dubbing the 'Hyde and Crackstone case'. Caspian couldn't help but scoff at the name. For a writer such as herself, it was a terribly dull title for the content within.
Caspian could sense she was getting more fired up about the whole ordeal. Like a Kneazle stalking a rat, inching ever so closer into striking range. After much discussion, they've concluded that whatever Ansel brought home that rainy night back in the 80s, whatever he hid in that room, was powerful beyond measure. Either physically, monetary, or politically.
Wednesday leaned more toward the monetary and power avenues. She argued that excessive fortune, even the promise of it, could make even the sanest human act out. Caspian found it hard to argue that point. She also brought up how it could hold actual magical or spiritual power. He was more resistant to that idea. He knew magic and he could tell when there was a clear lack of it. This world held some paranormal synergy, but not enough, in his humble opinion, to conjure up any worthwhile magic.
That's why he believed it held political power. Maybe it was the Slytherin in him, but to him, nothing was worth risking your life unless it furthered your agenda. And in his experience, power over others is more valuable than brute strength. Since Ansel travelled throughout the world, Caspian theorized that he might have gotten his hands on some incriminating evidence of a powerful family or an item that held a special meaning to a group of people. He could've been holding it hostage, almost like a trump card to pull whenever he was in a sticky situation.
Maybe he was looking to build up a cult of devoted followers to his anti-Outcast call. During the Second Wizarding War, Lord Voldemort won over a few Goblins with promises of sovereignty. He did so by returning some historically significant goblin-made artifacts he claimed to have found in the possession of mud-bloods and traitorous 'half-breeds'. Of course, they were actually found stashed away deep within some pureblood's treasury.
Caspian recalled how Wednesday went strangely quiet when he brought that up. Her eyes did that thing where they darted around and almost retreated into themselves. She would then abuse her bottom lip thoroughly before muttering something under her breath, offering small nods while writing in her notebook. Caspian quickly realized that was the Wednesday version of a pat on the back.
“What a day!” Caspian collapsed onto his twin bed, fighting the urge to snuggle underneath the sheets. He had a few midterm projects to touch upon, and some study sheets to start. He vaguely recalled feeling excited to learn about these new subjects at the start of the term. How he felt eager and dare he say, motivated to do so. That felt like ages ago.
It would seem in any universe, he was still unable to do schoolwork. He honestly felt like his brain was a Weasley Wizard Wheezes extreme-tangling knot half the time.
“After-school clubs got you down?”
Caspian cracked one eye open. “You know I don't do clubs.”
Xavier was sitting cross-legged on his bed, notes scrawled out around him with a hefty textbook in his lap.
“You shouldn't do schoolwork on the bed.” Caspian yawned, burying his face further into his soft pillow. “Beds should be kept solely for sleeping. Otherwise, your brain gets confused when you reach your bed and it doesn't know whether to get ready for work or wind down for sleep.”
Xavier snorted. “Who told you that bs?”
“Wednesday.”
Silence. Caspian wasn't sure Xavier heard him so he was content with just falling asleep right then and there.
“You guys have been spending a lot of time together.”
Caspian flinched at Xavier's sudden tight voice. His instinct was to turn his way to get a gauge of his face, but he thought against it. He sensed where this was going and wasn't particularly fond of tackling it right now. He was bloody tired. So he flipped over on his back, bringing his hands behind his head nonchalantly.
Caspian didn't know if he should tell Xavier how they really spent most of their time. In the Hyde and Crackstone case. Wednesday never outright swore him to secrecy, but she made it a point to always mention how only Enid, Thing and him knew about the case.
“This Botany project is the worst.” Caspian decided on.
He prayed Xavier dropped the subject.
“Wednesday's good at Botany.” Xavier shot back in the same icy tone.
Caspian took in a breath. Bollocks. Not getting off that easy.
“But I'm not...so she's basically pulling double duty here.” Caspian risked a glance down. “We're also studying for Mid-terms if you must know Thorpe.”
Caspian tensed when he noticed Xavier discarded books and notes. The artist was now staring intently at him. Like an Auror investigating a lead. Ever since they started getting stares he knew it was only a matter of time until Xavier questioned him about it.
Xavier smiled thinly. “You guys… study ...together?”
“Well, not together per se.” Caspian shrugged carefully, propping himself on his elbow. “More like I sit there silently and she does the same.”
He tried staying aloof and upbeat. He really did. But his friend made it pretty hard. The negative energy he gave off was like a growing moulting mass, threatening to engulf the very room.
Caspian finally stared at him. His unmoving, unbelieving olive eyes. His hunched shoulders and clenched jaw. Xavier locked eyes with him, playing with one of his elastic ponytails.
“Whatever dude.” Xavier scoffed, suddenly pulling back to snatch another book from his satchel far more aggressively than needed. “That's not what the streets say.”
“The what-”
“They say you guys hang out more and more every day.” Xavier bit back with a cold laugh. “I see it too. I'm not blind Caspian.”
“I didn't say you were.” Caspian couldn't help but retort a bit annoyed. This was the last thing he needed tonight. “And what gives! I thought you guys wanted us to get along-”
“Bullshit!” Xavier hissed, shoving his bag to the floor in frustration. “Do you like her? Just tell me so I know if I'm dealing with a snake-”
“Hey!” Caspian sat up straight now, his voice rising. He was not a snake. He was not a liar. Nor a manipulator. Or a cheater.
Xavier seemed to reel back a bit, but his cold exterior swiftly returned. “Oh yeah?”
“Yeah, Thorpe. I don't bloody like her.” Caspian affirmed vehemently. “And in case you haven't noticed. Wednesday Addams barely likes anyone! Half the time I'm not even sure if she's into shit like that…what is it Bianca called it? She might be asexual or aerosexual or…” Caspian fumbled for the words before giving up. “I dunno! She could be sexually attracted to pottery for all I care!”
“So what was that during our first archery meeting huh?” Xavier gestured wildly. “Where she grabbed your arm?”
Caspian opened his mouth to respond but no words came out. Blast. Even in his frustrated state, he could see how damning that looked. Wednesday just doesn't touch anyone. But she wanted to steal him away for interrogation. Nothing more. Of course, Xavier right now wouldn't believe that. And even if he did it'd require Caspian to let him in on the case they were working on.
Xavier wet his sneer. “Or outside the swim store? Or the Weathervane? What the hell was that dude? Seems like somethings going on to me-”
“Oh, I see what's happening.” Caspian ran a hand through his hair with a cold chuckle of his own.
Xavier puffed out his chest. “Oh, you do?”
“Yeah,” Caspian pointed a stiff finger at him. “You're jealous. You've realized she doesn't fancy you and you're mad about it!”
Xavier's eyes flickered. “N-no-”
“Yeah, and you're taking it out on me! You think the only possible reason Wednesday Addams hasn't fallen for the perfect match in the Overdramatic Artist Xavier Thorpe is your friend. Listen, it's not my bloody problem you're too much of a coward to cuff her-”
“Fuck you!” Xavier hissed.
“Fuck me? Fuck you?” Caspian bit back. “Has it ever crossed your mind that maybe, just maybe she doesn't bloody like you?”
They were heaving now, Caspian on the verge of getting out of his bed in frustration. This was all ridiculous. Wednesday and him? He would laugh if it wasn't such an incredibly inappropriate moment to do so. Yes, Caspian could admit she has an…intriguing personality. He certainly could admit that much. She's also incredibly intelligent, witty, and even humorous at times - though said humor was always as dry as dessert. She's certainly courageous and strong and unafraid to back down from a fight when required or to start one. She's calm and logical and possessed a magnificent demeanor that was leagues beyond her years. Yet she was also tender and caring through the small flashes he'd seen directed at Enid or himself. He could certainly see why Xavier fancies her.
And yes, Caspian could even admit that she was attractive. Pretty even. Her small angular face and her doe round eyes whih contrasted her predator-like personality perfectly. Her small boop-able nose. Her warm, smooth, skin, those cold yet soft hands that always seemed to send a shiver up his spine on the odd chance they'd brush up with him on their desk. And how could he forget the cute freckles which would pop even more when she blushed, something that made Caspian want to make her blush even more? A feat he usually accomplished through annoyance rather than flirtation.
He could even go as far as to admit that her sweet plum scent was pleasant, something that somehow managed to always catch him off guard. Don't even get him started on her absurdly pouty lips and how they were always begging to be -
Caspian blinked. What was going on again? Right, Xavier.
“Listen alright,” Caspian cleared his throat. “I'm gonna say this one last time. I do not like her, I am not romantically pursuing her. We are working on our project and assignments together. We try to get along well and that is it. I wouldn’t do that to you.”
Xavier was glaring at a point over his shoulder, but he could tell he was starting to simmer down now. Caspian waited a few more moments for a response, but when it didn't come he promptly stood up. “Alright, I'm going to wash up for bed. I'd prefer it if you didn’t kill me in my sleep over a girl. I'd like to think our friendship is worth more than that.”
Caspian snatched up his toiletry bag and pyjamas, stopping just short of the door. He waited a bit more for Xavier to say something, anything, but his patience was in vain. Xavier was lost in his own world again, a light yet permanent sneer on his mouth.
Caspian swiftly exited his suffocating dorm with a thud.
Wednesday and him
Caspian scoffed at the idea as he stomped to the lavatories.
Wednesday and him.
He shook his head in disbelief, toying with the absurd notion as he lathered his body under the hot spray of water.
Wednesday and him.
Caspian rolled his eyes, brushing his teeth harder.
Wednesday and him.
He chuckled to himself as he fell into a deep slumber.
What a stupid concept. He barely even thought of her!