Closed Picture Perfect

[Theodore Westwick]

Theodore glanced at Zoe who was walking arm in arm with him. He still couldn't quite believe what had just happened in the common room, as it seemed like they were now heading to the yule ball together. His heart fluttered in his chest in a way that was unfamiliar to him. He wondered if this was a date, but probably not. Zoe had made it sound like they were going to go as friends, but even that was more than Theodore could have hoped for. But as they arrived at the great hall, Theodore's steps slowed a little. He hesitantly tugged on Zoe's arm, making her wait for a large group of students to go in before them so they wouldn't get caught up in the crowd. He was nervous. He hated being around so many people. "Zoe... I... if you want to go to talk to someone else, or dance, or anything... you can." He said to her, realizing suddenly she only may have wanted to walk to the great hall with him. His heart sank a little, and he averted his gaze. How could he have thought she would want to go with him? Someone who got nervous around crowds certainly wasn't very cool, and Zoe was so nice and vibrant, he was sure she had a ton of friends to hang out with at the ball.

 

[Zoe Westwick]

Zoe didn't think there was any word for the complicated mix of emotions she was experiencing. On one hand, it was fun to be at the dance with Ted. He was her best friend, and they were going to have a good evening, even if Zoe had to drag him out of his gloomy ways kicking and screaming. On another hand, the small flutter of her heart at the sight of him in his suit was difficult to ignore, and Zoe didn't know if coming to the dance together was only going to make things more complicated. And Zoe had run out of hands for how she felt about the possibility of running into Stella, of being reminded of the dances they had shared, back in a time when Zoe had thought she was loved, unaware of the bitter truth that Stella didn't believe a word she had to say. It was all a mess, and hard to set aside in her mind.

It became easier, though, when Ted distracted her from her thoughts, and Zoe's heart sank slightly at his words. "What? Don't be silly, I'm here with you!" Zoe smiled quickly, squeezing Ted's arm where it was linked with her own. "What do you wanna do first? We could get a snack, or go dance... we'll have to dance somewhere over there though, I see my sister and I don't wanna bump into her..." Zoe was quite aware that Harley would have no end of teasing for Ted, and Zoe didn't really want that to ruin their evening.

 

[Theodore Westwick]

Theodore was bracing himself for the next part, where Zoe would cheerfully agree and leave him behind. She was probably going to dance with people and have a fun time, leaving Theodore to stand by himself in the corner until he got too embarrassed and left. But then the girl told him they were here together, and Theodore felt his cheeks heat up. He looked at their linked arms, then at Zoe. "We.. are?" He asked hopefully. "I... I would not mind getting a refreshment." He added awkwardly. He didn't quite know how to tell her he had no idea how to dance, or if he even wanted to. So he hoped that snacks would keep her distracted for a little while. He nodded in agreement about avoiding Zoe's sister. He didn't know her very well, but she was strangely intimidating.

 

[Zoe Westwick]

Zoe shrugged at Theodore's question, trying not to think about it too hard. "Well, we came together, didn't we?" She smiled brightly, hoping to distract him quickly. "That's a good idea!" Zoe agreed, pulling him towards the drinks quickly. "Do you like pumpkin juice? I never used to like it before coming here but I've gotten used to it. It seems like the kinda thing you'd like because you're kinda spooky though. Or do you like, only drink the blood of a spider that's been aged in a crypt for a thousand years?" She teased, grinning slightly.

 

[Theodore Westwick]

Theodore shrugged at Zoe's first question. "We did, only by coincidence. It is not unreasonable of me to assume you may be looking for other people tos pend time with here." He said softly, though he wasn't sure if Zoe was listening to his reason. He followed her to the drinks table and listened as she told him she didn't used to like pumpkin juice. He blinked at her as she explained what she assumed he would drink, then gave her a small smile. "Actually. I do like pumpkin juice." He said. "I wouldn't drink spider blood, I like spiders too much." He added. "Maybe other kinds of blood, but only if it tastes nicer than pumpkin juice." He pondered it for a moment. "I suppose pumpkin juice is technically pumpkin blood."

 

[Zoe Westwick]

Zoe rolled her eyes at Theodore's overthinking, and shook her head firmly. "Nope! You're stuck with me." She grinned, squeezing his arm and hoping the joking tone would get him to drop the subject. Zoe hadn't quite known how Ted would respond to her joke, but to her delight he went along with it, and Zoe giggled happily at his response. Theodore's funny side was one of her favourite parts of him, and Zoe wished she got to see it more often. She tried to keep the joke going, hoping to get an actual laugh out of him. "That's true, I guess we're kind of like vampires to fruit. Do you think fruit has its own secret horror stories about scary humans stealing them away and drinking their blood?"

 

[Theodore Westwick]

Theodore felt his cheeks heat up as Zoe squeezed his arm, and looked away so she wouldn't see and think him weird. He was happy that she went along with his joke, as he didn't often say things that weren't serious. But Zoe often brought that out of him, and he couldn't help smiling. Her next words startled a laugh out of him, though he quickly smothered it. "I suppose so. I quite like that idea." He said, glancing at the food table. He grabbed an apple and looked at it seriously. "Cower and fear." He told it in a deadpan voice, then took a bite. He looked at Zoe to see if she would laugh at this.