Words: 1919
Warnings: None.
Prompt: You finally learn about the magic, but you're at a loss. Chase is having a difficult time explaining things with you - gone.
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Living in a small town where it rained constantly and everyone knew who was who generally never had its perks. The only time something exciting happened, was probably at Spenser's, when new kids arrived from across state.
So, for someone who had grown up in Ipswich all your life, you loved it when international or out-of-state students came to study at Spenser's.
And Chase Collins was no exception.
When he first arrived, you couldn't help but admire him from afar. He managed to fit in somehow, wearing big coats, the occasional scarf and cheeks slightly pale from the usually absent sun.
He had a gentle smile whenever he spoke with someone, stormy-grey eyes watching the person he was talking to so he was polite. The lopsided grin was your favourite, especially whenever he'd make a snippy comment or a sly observation.
It wasn't like you were constantly stalking him, watching him like some kind of foreigner or studying him like some kind of alien. It was more the fact that he was everywhere you were.
He was in every class, knew every library spot, had lunch in the same communal area, lived in the same hall; heck, he was even in the same shops as you.
It looked like the kid was stalking you, but you'd never seen him give you a side glance, or look at you. He was always either alone, or talking to someone. You felt like a wallflower.
Until one day, he approached you.
You couldn't remember exactly how it started, but you and Chase began talking. It started with small talk, whenever you'd see each other. Then small talk turned into conversations, finding common ground and interests.
In no time at all, you were both joined at the hip, purposefully seeking each other out. And then he asked you out on a date, and you'd been inseparable since.
You became Spenser wide known. Chase was obviously slightly more extraverted, so he'd talked to far more people in your school that you had. It was probably because of that, that you became famous.
You never thought you could find peace within the claustrophobic small town in Ipswich. And that's what Chase gave you, peace. He rarely surprised you, having always planned dates and the such with you beforehand.
Chase wasn't a spontaneous guy, he was always up front.
But he wasn't shy of a few secrets.
Because you'd both been dating for almost a year, you thought you knew everything about him. About his adoptive parents and how they died, how he met his father right before he died.
Chase's story was a sad one, but you didn't know the half of it.
You'd been out at the shops all day, having to get a few last-minute supplies before the new term started. It was one of the rare moments you'd go alone, usually accompanied by Chase.
But he'd called earlier that morning, telling you he was busy. You didn't think anything of it, so you went shopping anyway.
Chase wasn't one to sneak behind your back and become unfaithful. You returned to the dorms a few hours earlier than expected, some of your errands being postponed.
You were about to call your boyfriend, tell him that you had arrived early as you walked into your dorm. You were surprised to find him already in there.
He had the curtains drawn and the only source of light was the many candles circling your bed. There was incense burning and a few other knickknacks were surrounding your bed and desk.
With a furrowed brow, you were about to say something when Chase raised his arms, the flames in the candle burning brighter than they should and they managed to glitter in the air, a few sparks changing colours.
Stepping around him, you spotted your necklace, the one he'd given you when he confessed his love to you, floating in the air before him.
With wide eyes and a gasp, you dropped your bags to the floor. Chase flinched, spinning around to spot you standing behind him, watching him. Your hands flew to your agape mouth at the sight of his eyes.
Eyes blacker than the night sky.
The candles stopped burning, returning to their proper brightness as the necklace fell back to the bed. You watched as the black bled from Chase's eyes and they were replaced with a range of emotions.
Surprise. Shock.
Fear.
"(Y/N)," He said slowly, not daring to move as you stood there frozen. What the hell was he doing? How was he doing that? Why was he doing it?
What is he?
"(Y/N), please, let me explain," He said, holding his hands up slowly as if to calm a wild beast. The action put a fire in your chest, anger making your blood boil.
Without so much as a word, you turned from the dorm and stormed out, leaving him behind. You ignored his attempts at calling you back as you walked down the hall.
You left, without looking back.
You stood outside Chase's door, biting your lip. It was halfway through the semester, and you'd been avoiding him like the plague. The actions didn't go unnoticed throughout the school. Students were asking you about him, and you knew Chase was giving you the same treatment.
You'd been spending the few weeks at your parent's house, hiding in your room and driving to and from the school. You couldn't be in your room knowing he was down the hall from you. You could barely be in the same classroom as him.
But you'd spent your time trying to decipher what on Earth he was doing.
You started by looking in magic books, trying to see if he was practicing some magician card tricks or something stupid like that.
But nothing was like what you saw. The flames burning high, your necklace levitating in front of him, his eyes raven black.
And then, you'd discovered the weird shop in town, the one that believed in witches and spells and the such. And the more you read, the more you could see connections.
Now, after receiving questions you knew only Chase could answer, you stood outside his door, trying to muster the strength to knock.
He probably wasn't even in the room. You weren't too sure. You'd ignored any of his calls, stayed off social media and never responded to his millions of texts. You didn't know where he was.
You were close to knocking before your mind thought better. He could be studying, or doing something else witchy. You didn't want to disturb him.
You turned from the door, shrugging your hands into your coat as you walked back down the hall, trying to find the key to your own dorm room. And then, you heard him.
"(Y/N)?" You spun, jumping at the sound of his voice. He was down the hall, having turned into it from the outside. Sparkles of water reflected off his own jacket as he walked towards you.
You stayed still, watching as he stopped before you, looking down to admire you. You could smell his cologne and for the first time, you realised just how much you missed him.
Just how much you missed his arms around you. His smile, his laugh, his jokes; you missed it all. And what had you been doing? Reading up on witches and magic, trying to find an excuse for the reason you left, why you ran from the room feeling upset.
Without thinking, you wrapped your arms around his middle, holding him tightly to you as you felt the stress lift from your shoulders. Chase wasted no time in wrapping his own arms around you, burying his head into the crook in your neck, breathing you in with a small sob of relief.
You stood like that as long as you could, not caring whether or not anyone spotted you. You wanted to be in his arms, forever, no matter what. But the questions resurfaced, and you knew you had to straighten a few things out.
"I need to talk to you," You whispered to him, feeling his answer coming in a nod. You separated, cold air coming between you as he unlocked his dorm door, following you inside.
As you stepped inside, you realised that Chase had never removed any of the photos you took together. Everything was still up on his desk, just rearranged a little. The difference reminded you of a shrine.
"I'm guessing this is about–"
"Are you a... witch?" You cut him off, asking hesitantly and feeling stupid for it. Chase grew silent and you thought maybe he hadn't heard you.
"I-I mean, just... are you like the Ipswich boys? Because what you did that day was no magician's illusion." Chase's jaw tensed as he stared at you, a conflict occurring behind his eyes.
He finally sat down on the bed, and prompted you to do so as well. You were hesitant, but you followed, taking a seat next to him.
He spent the next hour or so explaining carefully. From his family lineage, to his relation to the Ipswich boys and then to his Power and the Covenant. You didn't interrupt him once, allowing him to speak as much as he wanted.
A lot of your questions were answered. You understood why Chase was always so hesitant to tell you. An addictive, life-force connected power wasn't something you'd mention on a first date.
After he was finished, he gave you a few moments of silence to allow you to absorb everything he'd told you. You knew he was breaking a few rules by telling you, but you were grateful he did. You would've gone insane trying to understand what had happened.
"So, what were you doing in my dorm that day?" You asked, the question the biggest one you had.
"It was a protection spell. I'd redo it every week before term started. I never wanted anyone to hurt you, (Y/N), especially me," He admitted. You smiled softly at him. A protection spell? That would explain why you hadn't taken any injuries since meeting him.
"You just shocked me, you didn't hurt me. I'm sorry I just left, though. I just didn't know what else to do at the time," You mumbled. Chase smiled, wrapping an arm around your waist and pressing a kiss to your cheek.
He looked up and you watched as a ring of orangey red spread across his eyes, making them grow dark. A box on his desk rattled before it opened, and you watched as your necklace floated across the room and stopped before you.
It unclasped before Chase himself moved the hair from your shoulders. With a jump at the cool metal, the necklace gentle clasped around your neck before falling still against your skin. "Okay, that was pretty cool,"
Chase smiled as the black disappeared from his eyes, returning to their stormy-grey colour. You returned his smile as you took his chin in your hands, keeping his eyes on you.
"As cool as the black eyes look, I prefer the blue-grey," You smile softly. Chase's smile widened before he leaned down to press a chaste kiss against your lips.
"I love you, (Y/N),"
"I love you, too,"