COC #2: Role Swap
*Simon's POV*
"Godfuckingdamnit!" I yell in frustration as a spell I try to cast fails again. It's a simple spell, really; one designed to have two objects switch places. Even the name of the spell is simple! It is designed so that first years can literally not ever pronounce it wrong, yet I've been trying to execute it for the past hour, failing each time. Every single time I try it, the objects stay exactly the same. Except for when I tried it on a banana and a scone; the scone started to taste like a banana and the banana a scone.
Just as I shout the spell for the umpteenth time, Baz walks in. "Swap Places, God Damnit!" All of the words come out as magic instead of just the first two words. Baz falls to the floor and just as I'm rushing to him, I fall, too.
...
I feel cold all over and my back aches from being on the floor. As I move to get up, I stumble over my legs; it's as if they grew three inches all of the sudden. I shake my head and move to get up again, going to see if Baz is okay.
Only, when I look around the room, I'm not where I fell. And in front of me is most certainly not the graceful and handsome git of a roommate Baz. Instead it's... well it's me. I take in an audible breath as I look down and see that I am... somehow... stuffed inside Baz's body. His long hair (my long hair?) brushes against my neck, and my gums hurt for some reason. I run to our en suite as fast I can, just to be sure.
Sure enough, looking back at me in the mirror (I wasn't sure if it would work; I thought maybe Baz couldn't see himself in the mirror) is the arsehole himself. His slightly crooked nose, high cheekbones, long hair and cold gray eyes. Instead of feeling how I usually do (like I'm constantly on the verge of outwardly exploding), it feels like everything is caving in on me. I feel a panic in my chest, and I can hardly see straight.
Just as I feel like things could not possibly get bloody worse, I hear a scream from our room. "WHAT IN THE BLOODY FUCKING HELL DID YOU DO THIS TIME, SNOW?!" I run out to see Baz (in my body) whipping around to face me. (Face himself?) He looks angry, except it doesn't quite work on my features. His normal Baz-sneer looks more like me trying to do a Baz sneer. In short, it looks wildly hilarious and I can't help but let out a laugh. "What. The fuck. Is so. Bloody. Funny?" Hearing his menacing tone come out in my voice is disorienting. My face falls into what feels like the authentic Baz sneer that I'm on the receiving end of so often.
The room is turning red and hot, and I can feel myself start sweating. The room is pulsing and my mouth is sticky with what feels like... magic. My magic. (Baz's magic, now?) I feel... scared? Is this how Baz feels when I normally go off? He's breathing fast and hard, and he looks scared, too. I can see it in his eyes. I slowly start to walk toward him, guiding him to sit on my bed as I squat in front of him.
*Baz's POV*
I feel like a chimney clogged up with smoke. Like a kettle with too much steam, a glass with too much water and a star with too much energy.
I am likely to burst.
I don't know exactly how I got to feel this way. One second I was just walking in the door, hearing Simon shout something, and then I was on the floor. Then, when I woke up, I was stuck in his body. I could feel the absence of my hair on my neck and I could no longer feel where my fangs were held in my gums. As soon as I woke up, I knew- I knew that Simon had something to do with this. He can't even spell his bloody laces tied.
And then he came out, looking like me and fucking laughing of all the goddamn things, and sneering at me with my face and I-
I can only see red. I'm overflowing, magic hot and thick on my tongue and rising to the surface of my skin. I'm sweating and panting, and all I can feel and all I can hear and all I can smell is smoke, smoke, smoke. This is what it feels like to be a star. I can feel Simon's hand (my body's hand???) rubbing on my back as I cough through the smoke filling my lungs. No, I revise my earlier statement. This is what it feels like to be an exploding star.
"Baz?" I feel a hand take mine. "Baz. Hey, it's okay. It's alright. You're here in Mummers, with me, Simon. Just draw it back. Try to calm down and let the magic come back in." How the hell am I supposed to keep all of the overflowing magic in one single person? "Hey, it'll all be alright. I do this all the time." He lets out a small laugh. I once again revise my statement. This is what it feels like to be Simon Snow. I try to take in deep breaths and calm myself down. I feel the magic start to recede; like it's all being sucked back in. I'm just trying to focus on the feel of Simon's hand in mine. (Even though it's through my body, it still feels like him. Just colder. I could never be capable of such a gentle touch.) He squeezes a little, and the world comes into focus. Simon/my face is in view, looking concerned (concern should most certainly not be allowed to be on my face), but smiling.
I let out one more breath and say, "Thank you, Simon." His mouth drops a little but he nods.
"Of course," He hesitates for a second before continuing. "Baz, I fucked a spell up."
"Obviously," I scoff, which sounds weird coming out in his voice.
He rolls his eyes. "I just... I don't know how to fix it."
"What spell was it?" I'm hyper aware that he's still holding my hand.
"Swap Places." It comes out with magic, but he doesn't have my wand, so it doesn't do anything.
"Merlin, that is a children's spell, Snow!" He looks away bashfully. (Also a foreign look on my face.)
"Yeah I know..." We both sigh and I move to get up, (reluctantly) letting go of his hand.
"Well, lucky for you, Chosen, I happen to listen in class, so I know that there is a way to reverse this." His face looks hopeful despite just being insulted. I hesitate for a moment, not knowing whether or not I should tell him what the solution is.
"Well?" He prompts me. I look away as he gets up and moves closer to me. (Simon Snow should never be allowed to be taller than me- this is a downright bloody sin.)
"We have to learn," I roll my eyes and sigh. "How to get along." I spit. What I wouldn't give to get along with Simon Snow. Unfortunately, that seems damn near impossible, so we'll probably be stuck like this for the rest of our lives. When I look back up at him, he looks like this is just a minor inconvenience; not like this may as well be the end of our lives.
"Well, fine then."
"Fine then?"
"Well, I s'pose we have to figure it out if we want to get back to normal. Besides, aren't you tired of fighting, Baz?" He speaks much more eloquently out of my mouth, whereas I begin to sound like a bumbling oaf.
"Well, I, er... I mean I guess, but- argh, fine. But Snow. We despise each other. We're meant to kill each other one day; there's no overcoming that." He thinks for a moment, but I suppose his thoughts are interrupted by something because his eyes widen in fear. I know that look.
When I was first turned... that was the look I had when I was first hungry.
*Simon's POV*
My gums are aching right above where my canines are. "Baz-" I start. He cuts me off.
"I know, Snow."
"No, Baz. I'm starving. And I know you're going to say, 'well you're always starving, Snow' and then I'd tell you to sod off, but I'm so thirsty. So hungry. But I don't know what I'm hungry for."
He looks impatient but sympathetic as he whispers, "Blood, Simon. You're hungry for blood. I haven't fed in... a long while." I should be shocked at the fact that he's admitted to being a vampire. I should be scared. But right now I'm him, so I'm the vampire, and I'm more scared to be one than to live with one.
"Well I... do you have any anywhere?" I gulp while asking. I can hear his (my body's) heartbeat from all the way across the room. The flowing of his blood sloshing around. I'm feeling lightheaded.
"No, I don't have a freezer full of blood bags, Snow," I ignore the fact that he called me Simon before. "We... we have to go down to the catacombs," I breathe a little harder. The catacombs are terrifying. They're dark and cold and full of rats.
Rats. I'll have to eat rats. "We?" I ask him. He blushes as he moves around to get shoes on. I follow suit.
"Well yes, you wanker. I'm assuming you don't already know how to drain a rat?" I stay quiet. "I... I can help you, I guess. I, er-" He sighs. "You shouldn't be doing this alone."
"Like you had to?" He stays quiet, fumbling nervously and ungracefully around the room. I'm tempted to reach out to him. I don't.
...
Everything is heightened. I feel like I'm seeing, feeling and hearing everything in 100D. Quiet sounds are loud, smells are worse or better (the sour cherry scones from the kitchen are begging for me to eat them) and I can see in the dark, so that's pretty cool. But now we're down in the catacombs and it's cold and Baz is teaching me how to catch rats.
"I'm not fast enough anymore, but you are now. Just smell for them and listen. Then just reach out. You'll catch one soon," He promises. It takes ten minutes, but I finally catch one and it squirms around in my hands. Despite the sight of it makes me want to puke, my/Baz's fangs pop out of his gums. They make my cheeks feel bigger and I have to move my lips around them to talk, lisping a little bit.
"Baz, I don't think I can do this. I can't..." I trail off, thinking for a moment. "I can't kill this rat and eat it. I can't drink it's blood, Baz. I just feel like-" I turn to face him and I think I see him wipe a tear away.
"A monster. I know." He responds quietly, looking away. I don't complain about eating again.
*Baz's POV*
When we finally get out of the catacombs, Simon's/my face is a bloody mess. It reminds me of the first time I ate. Sloppy and full of shame and guilt. I wish he hadn't had to do that. But now we walk in silence back to Mummers, both of us afraid to talk about my being a vampire.
"Listen, Simon, I'm sorry you had to do that. I know that it's, er... uncomfortable." He just shakes his head and looks at me.
"S'okay." He pauses and I think he's done talking, but he continues thoughtfully. "You know, you're not a monster, Baz." I scoff.
"It's alright, Snow. I've made my peace with it. I know what I am." He frowns at me and bumps into my arm with his own. I still feel magick threatening to spill over- it's ever present.
"That's what you think you are. You're not... that. Not to me." I smile at him but he looks away bashfully. For a second, I don't see Simon with my face. I just see Simon.
There's a long pause until we're just two minutes away from our room. "And I'm... well, er. I'm sorry for, you know. What you have to deal with with the magic and stuff. I um. I didn't know it was that... bad." He smiles brightly at me, but I can still see some sadness in his eyes.
"S'okay. I've made my peace with it." He mocks me in a much posher voice than I think I have. I can't help but laugh. Just as I reach out to grab his hand, as our fingers brush, I feel sparks.
Simon falls to the ground.
I fall next.
Progress.