Prompts:
Monthly Challenges for All:
Stacked With: Spring Bingo, Therapeutic Theorems of Tessellations, Shipping War
Representations: Isabelle - drug addiction, Isabelle Lightwood/Simon Lewis
Tertiary Bonus Challenges: Terse
Space Address for Spring Bingo (prompt): 5C (Warmth)
Ship (Team): Isabelle Lightwood/Simon Lewis (Sizzy)
Shipping War List (Prompt): Big List (pillow fort)
Word Count: 390
Content notice: References to drug addiction.
Isabelle walked into Simon's apartment and froze. Half the apartment consisted of blankets draped over the sofa and chairs, which had been arranged strategically around the space to suspend the blanket. It looked unlike anything Isabelle had seen before, and her mind cycled through possible explanations for the set up.
She had to rule out foul play before she remembered the conversation she'd had with Simon a week before about building pillow forts as a child.
"Simon," she called out, voice lilting upward as if it were a question.
Her boyfriend was nowhere in sight, but he'd assured her he was home when she'd texted him fifteen minutes earlier.
Sure enough, saying his name resulted in the blankets rustling as Simon crawled out from under the strange structure on his hands and knees. He was beaming even as Izzy raised one eyebrow in his direction.
"Hey!" he said.
Stepping forward, he wrapped his arms around her in a hug that she returned even as her eyes remained on the monstrosity behind him.
"What is this?" she asked.
"A pillow fort." He held out his arms as if presenting an artistic masterpiece. "I told you that you had to experience one, remember? I know you've been having a hard time recently, so I thought now was as good of a time as ever to give it a shot."
Izzy swallowed, trying to rid herself of the sting in her throat. Simon was brushing over the gesture, but she knew the recent flare up of her yin fen cravings had more to do with the fort than he would admit. She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek and took his hand.
"Come on," she said, tugging him towards the so-called fort. "I want to see what's so great about these things."
"You mean you can't already tell?" Simon asked from behind her as they crawled into the space he'd created.
Izzy collapsed on top of the pillows piled on the floor. She hadn't realized that Simon owned so many. As Simon settled at her side, she couldn't help but give a slight laugh. The fort somehow radiated a warmth that the apartment itself hadn't, and she could only contribute that to how close Simon was and how snug it felt.
"I think I'm starting to get the idea," she admitted.