The air was thick with sweat and determination as Seventeen and Draco squared off again. After their training session, he could feel the exhilaration coursing through his body like adrenaline. Every jibe she threw at him felt like a challenge, and he relished each one. There was a spark in her eyes today—a glimmer of the girl he had become obsessed with.
"Ready to lose again?" He taunted, circling her, pretending to gauge her stance.
"In your dreams," she shot back, her voice dripping with sarcasm. "I might even let you win if you beg."
He smirked, his heart racing. "Oh, I'll just let you keep thinking that. Keeps your ego inflated."
But deep down, he was serious. He was in this to win her over, and if being sarcastic was the way to do it, he was all in.
As they resumed our drills, he noticed the others watching them with a mix of amusement and curiosity. Joshua nudged Claus, leaning in to whisper something, but Draco didn't care, not when she was right there next to him after days of avoidance. His focus was entirely on Seventeen. Her movements were fluid, even when she acted all nonchalant. There was a beauty in her power, a raw energy that drew him closer.
"You know," he began, dodging her next swing and attempting a quick jab to her side, "you might want to try not to overthink it. Just like you used to tell me to do. You'll make me start believing you are more like me than you want me to realize. You're already good, you just have to let loose."
"Says the expert in overthinking," she quipped, sidestepping and managing to kick his leg out from under his body.
Draco barely managed to stay upright. "Okay, maybe that was a little too loose."
Laughter erupted from the sidelines, breaking the tension, and he felt a surge of pride at her playful side emerging. It was a reminder that beneath all that sarcasm and bravado, there was still a girl who had been hurt, who had suffered and fought against the world.
"Alright, alright, let's try a different approach," he suggested, trying to catch his own breath. "How about we practice teamwork? You know, since your father seems to think we need to be a cohesive unit."
Her lips curled into a smirk. "You mean you can't win without me? How flattering, De Lavissaye."
["I need to make her call me by my name again. That will be my momentary goal."] He promised himself and chuckled on the outside. "Maybe I just like the idea of keeping you close. Your sarcasm is like a warm hug."
"I'll remember that next time I throw you into the lake."
He couldn't help but laugh harder, enjoying this unexpected banter. The others were cheering us them, a mix of encouragement and playful jeers, and it fueled the fire between them. But he also sensed an underlying tension, a reminder of all the walls she had built around herself.
As the session progressed, they began to work in tandem, her shadow magic weaving around his movements. He could see her beginning to trust him a little more, and that made his heart race. There was something about fighting alongside her that felt so right, so natural to Draco, that he couldn't help but want more.
"Let's try something more challenging," he said, glancing at Noah, who was observing them closely, eyes narrowing every time it paused on him. "How about we practice a combination attack?"
Seventeen raised an eyebrow, her interest piqued. "You think we can pull that off? Right now? At the stage you're in?"
"We've got this," he assured her, stepping closer. "We do an amazing job when we're together, remember? If it's us, we can do it. Just follow my lead."
She rolled her eyes, but he could see the flicker of excitement in her expression. Together, they practiced moving as one, his physical strength balancing her ethereal grace.
Just as they started to get the hang of it, she faltered, a flash of uncertainty crossing her face. "I—"
He caught her arm, steadying her. "Just breathe, Seven. You've got this."
Her eyes met his, and for a moment, it felt like they were the only two in the world. "I don't know if I can control it all," she admitted, her voice barely above a whisper. "My control have been worse than usual lately."
Draco leaned in, lowering his tone. "You don't have to do it alone. We're all here for you. Just let go of the fear. There'll be no judgement, we need to let go of it now, rather than when our lives are at stake, yeah?"
She nodded slowly, her breath steadying. Then she squared her shoulders, determination replacing the doubt. "Alright. Let's do this."
They began again, and this time, they moved in perfect sync, like bending water, his strength and balance manipulation amplifying her power. Shadows danced around them, swirling as they executed the attack flawlessly. The rush of energy was intoxicating, and Draco couldn't help but grin.
["There's no better match in training for us, rather than ourselves!"] He mused.
"See? Not so hard when you let me help," he teased, panting from the exertion.
"You're lucky I let you catch your breath," she shot back, but her smile revealed her pride in their progress.
The session continued with laughter and jabs, but as it drew to a close, he could see the shadows creeping back into her expression.
"Hey," Draco said, lowering his voice. "You're more powerful than you give yourself credit for. We can keep working on it. I promise I won't let you fall."
She looked at him, vulnerability flickering in her eyes before she masked it with her usual sarcasm. "Yeah, well, don't get too cocky. I know I'm powerful, the problem is the lack of control, it's not lack of confidence. You're not the one who's going to save the world."
"Neither are you if you keep hiding."
That statement hung in the air, and for a moment, her facade cracked. But then she shrugged, the walls snapping back into place.
"We'll see about that," she said, a glimmer of challenge sparking in her eyes.
As she walked away, the playful banter still simmering between them, but Draco couldn't shake the feeling that there was something deeper brewing beneath the surface. Their training sessions were turning into something more—a connection that was beginning to blur the lines between friendship and something else entirely.
As he watched her retreat, the thought of losing her again twisted his stomach. Whatever walls she built, he was determined to break through them.
※※※
At dinner, Seventeen skipped and according to Joshua, she was eating in her home, something about her preferring to cook for herself rather than share food with the others. And though Draco got annoyed by how it was Joshua who said that, showing how he knew so much about her in a personal level, when Draco didn't even know where her house was, he understood that her reason ran deeper than that. Cassandra simply confirmed his thoughts when she brushed aside, saying eating together with others was a habit Seventeen had with her siblings, but after their loss, she couldn't bear it.
["Our parents fault then,"] he gripped his hand on his utensils. "Where is her place? Is it far?"
To his dismay, everyone present gave him dirty gazes, even Noah and Lilith who had just left their place, "What? You took my daughter's first kiss and now you're wanting all the other firsts, Libra boy?"
Draco sucked on his cheeks, heat tainting his pale cheeks as he found Noah no short of glaring at him, "That's not it, sir. I wouldn't do anything she didn't want to."
"Sir," Claus mimicked him, cackling loudly and Draco side-glared his cousin, but it didn't make him stop.
"Then you doesn't need to know where her place is, she definitely doesn't want you there," Joshua purred and Draco's glare snapped at him, sharp and menacing.
"I don't see how you have anything to do with this, Duke. You're just her friend," he hissed.
"And you're not even that. Seems like I have all the right in the world," Joshua licked his lips. "Maybe if you spent more time on me, you would leave her alone."
Claus choked on his drink, laughing loudly and this time even Light couldn't help herself, gaining both a glare from Draco, "You're not helping. And you," he glanced back at Joshua who had a flirty grin on, "should stop trying your luck before I lose my cool."
"Oooh," Joshua mocked, "I prefer hot moments either way."
Draco stood up, glaring at Joshua, "Stop trying your luck, Duke. Seven is not here."
"Hmmm, so you're holding in to look good for her? Well, I doubt she's even wasting her time looking at you. Even though you are quite the view," Joshua's eyes shamelessly undressed Draco, making him feel no short of assaulted.
His arms moved unconsciously to cover himself, "Stop that, it's disgusting. I don't like men. I like woman. One woman. Seventeen. Is that clear? Stop assaulting me with those eyes of yours, before I pop them out of your face," he barked.
Joshua clicked his tongue, "Tsk. You're no fun. What about, baby?" He turned his flirty eyes to Hunter who turned ten shades red. "Interesting."
"I'm with Amelia," Hunter swallowed.
"Well, she's with you and girly girl here," he side eyed Sablina, winking at her, then back to him, "I don't mind sharing you with her for now. I'm up for the game."
Amelia choked on her drink, "Are you in heat or something? Leave Hunter alone. Why don't you go try your luck with the other people around here?"
"You're new meat," Joshua said, looking a Hunter, up and down, very slowly, making his tanned skin redden worse. "I want a bite. I've had snakes enough."
"Snakes?" Sablina frowned softly.
"That's how the folk calls themselves around here," Cassandra brushed aside, having more beer. "The special ones are serpents, it's a more formal name, fancy sounding."
["I wouldn't call it fancy."] "Seven is serpent."
"Yep," Cassandra smiled, and Draco noticed that was the first genuine smile he had seen on her face. "Her house is on the Cursed Grove," she answered his previous question, eyes on him, "it's cloaked by enchantments that concealed its very existence. She made them using her grimore, which means, unless she wants you to find her place, you won't. We've been there a few times, not many, it's easy to get lost in Cursed Grove."
"Cassie," Joshua groaned.
"Seven lost too much, I may not like obsessed boy here, but we all saw the way she looks at him, Josh," she told her brother, but her gaze remained on Draco. "She won't want you close anytime now, Draco, but maybe, if you keep trying, in the right moment you will find it. I don't want to prive her of anything, I'm her best girl friend, I want the best for her."
"What's your type?" Light asked her and Cassandra frowned her eyebrows for a moment.
"Black. Woman or man. Snake. Stronger than me. Around my height. None of you make the cut," she said softly, no sarcasm in sight. "I rather not prive my future kids of melanin."
By Light's smile, Draco could tell his friend had suddenly began to like Cassandra. ["Good. She needs girl friends. New ones."]
Noah let out a loud sigh and the attention was entirely shifted to him, when Draco turned, he found Noah's green eyes on him. "Thread carefully. You're lucky the one I wanted to match her with is gay, but I don't hate you. I hate your parents, I intend on killing them like you kill a snake. But if you can handle that and not get in my or Seven's way when the time comes, if," he averted his eyes, "IF my daughter decides to have something romantic with you, I won't oppose it."
In his 24 years old age, he had never smiled so brightly and wide as he did at that moment, "Really?"
Her father closed his eyes, as if he was already regretting saying that, "If you break her heart, I'll tear yours from your chest with my bare hands as soon as the prophecy is complete, got it?" His eyes met Draco's again.
"Yes, sir!" He said firmly, unable to stop smiling.
"Stop smiling, it annoys me," Noah snapped.
Draco swallowed and forced the smile to vanish, "Yes, sir!"
"You're lucky Ten isn't here," Lilith said softly, staring at Draco and all of them froze for a moment. "He was the closest to her, overprotective and didn't even like Joshua or Cassandra so close to her. He would make your life unbearable if he knew you were obsessed with his older sister."
["Reasonably."] "Ten was Hermés, right?"
A nod, "Yes. They weren't officially renamed until Ten was 8, the others were 9, 10, 11, and 12. It only happened because they wanted to be a bit more like their sister, who had always been Seventeen since Noah brought her. They asked her to give them number names and she did. It stuck."
"Why did you name her Seventeen, Noah?" The question came from Hunter.
"I didn't," Noah spoke, staring at the starry night sky, "she is the one who picked."
"Wait, what?" Draco frowned softly.
"How old was she when you saved her, Noah?" Hunter questioned, eyes narrowing.
Noah met Draco's then Hunter's eyes, taking some time to answer, "Three."
"She picked 'Seventeen' as her name, at 3?" Hunter crossed his arms and Draco narrowed his eyes at his friend.
["What is he onto?"]
"Yes," Noah said firmly, but this time there was some hostility in his tone.
"In what Dark Zone did you find her?" Hunter pressed and Draco shared a weird look with Claus and the girls.
"I don't see how that concerns you, Hart," Noah snapped sharply and Draco noticed as the Duke siblings shared a strange look, as if they also had no idea why he was acting like that. "If want you want to know anything, ask my daughter. Let's see if she'll trust you enough to say anything, when not even her best friends know. She's the one with the photographic memory, not me. I've saved too many lives since then," his eyes passed through all of them, his body tense. "Enjoy dinner."
With that, Noah left, going back to his house the Duke siblings all followed him inside, closing the door behind them. As soon as they weren't around, all of them turned to Hunter.
"What are you sniffing in here?" Draco asked.
But Hunter didn't meet their eyes, "I'm just... thinking."
"Thinking of?" Amelia tried asking softly.
"Of what she could actually be hiding."
"Seven?" Draco frowned and Hunter nodded, finally meeting his eyes, then the others.
"Don't worry about it. My guess is probably wrong. I hope so, or it would entail far too much," Hunter mumbled, looking hunted.
"What guess?" Claus leaned closer, curious.
"I'll tell you when I know if I'm right," it was all their friend said, leaning back on his seat. "Draco is the good one to sniff secrets, so, I would rather not speak, because I'll hate it if I'm wrong. I don't like being wrong."
Finally, the mood of the group softened.
"But what does it mean for her to have only gone to a Dark Zone at 3 years old?" Sablina ponded, and just like that, the group was tense again.
"Her parents lied about her birthday to keep her," Draco said firmly. "But given how many powers she has, all of Ophiucus, it must have backfired."
"You think her parents were Scorpios?" Light ponded, lowering her voice as if sharing a secret.
"Probably," Hunter mumbled.
"She has the traits." ["I bet on Gemini!"]
However, when Draco met Hunter's pink eyes, while the others gazed at each other, he knew that his friend was somehow thinking the same as him. But the question was: why is he lying about it to their friends?