Warning for some swearing and recreational weed.


It is a pride thing, she knows. That is why she can't give in. That is why she can't let the fairy love her. More so, that is why she can't love the fairy. Why she can't love anyone at all. She has a reputation to uphold, a frigid heart to maintain. And if the fairy gets too close the ice around it might just melt.

She thinks that the danger had always been there. From the very moment that the fairy had so rudely fluttered into her life. She had spunk, determination, and a fire to match her power-however weak it had been the first time they had met.

How terribly does she wish that the fairy wouldn't have grown into her powers. Perhaps if she hadn't-if Icy had had her way and whittled her confidence away to nothing at all-then she would have nothing to be drawn to. But as it were, the fairy has bite. It isn't all that often that someone has the brazenness to get in her face, to talk back and fight back. And perhaps that is part of her allure.

Who is she kidding, it is most of Bloom's allure.

She had been judgemental of Darcy when she started pining over , it couldn't be anything else. To scold and shame Darcy was to scold and shame herself; the both of them could use it. Witches don't fall in love. Witches aren't soft. All the same she had been fixated on Bloom. It was for her power and for her power alone, that is what she vowed. But she knows that it was far more than that.

She thinks of the fairy more than she cares to admit. Perhaps it wouldn't be so alarming if those thoughts were seeping in simmering resentment. But mostly when her mind drifts to the fairy it is with fondness.

Fondness for her witty comebacks and for her taking no bullshit.

Each time that the fairy had gotten the better of her had infuriated and intrigued her in one fell swoop. And so she resents Bloom with more fury. Maybe if she throws enough ice and a generous helping of petty insults, she can drive the feelings out.

Somewhere along the lines she begins to wonder. Wonder why she has so many reservations. Why she can't stomach the idea of letting herself fall in love. She could add her own wicked flavor to it.

She doesn't have to be soft…

But a witch and a fairy?

Unheard of.

Absolutely vile.

It was one thing for Darcy to finally cave in and snatch Riven for herself. And this time without the dark intent. It chills even Icy to think that the man had driven dark intent from Darcy. She swallows, if Riven is capable of such a feat then Bloom can surely drive Icy's essence out.

She pulls a dusty book-a sinister old tome-from the shelf and flips to a thumbs her way through it. If she can't find a spell to remove her capacity to love, then she will find one to eradicate her emotions entirely. It can't possibly get any colder than emotionless.

Stormy enters their dorm, Helia in tow. Icy swallows; what is happening to them? What have they become? Stormy has her hand in his. Icy thinks that it was a mistake to come back to Cloud Tower and put in a serious effort to graduate.

Perhaps that is another option; studies come so naturally to her. Maybe she ought simply engross herself in them and make no time for anything else. She is already back at the top of her class, it wouldn't be too hard to request a heavier workload.

Stormy takes a seat and leans against Helia. He is doing 'the hair thing' again. The hair thing, as Icy has come to find out, is when Helia puts his hands on either side of her head and floofs the witch's hair like he might do with a pillow.

"Gag me." Darcy rolls her eyes.

Riven chuckles and sets his drink down. Apparently the sentiment is shared by everyone but Stormy and Helia. Not that they are paying any mind to anyone around them.

"So, Icy?" Darcy speaks up. "Does it feel weird to be the only one without a guy?"

"Yeah!' Stormy perks up. "Aren't you lonely?"

Icy flips the page with more force than necessary. "What happened to love is repulsive, ladies?"

Darcy shrugs, "we're supposed to be turning a new leaf or whatever."

"And besides." Stormy grumbles. "If that Mirta can go full on fairy then why shouldn't we mix it up?"

"You just like having someone play with your hair."

"Wouldn't you though?" Helia asks. He gives Stormy's hair a final ruffle.

"You don't have to find a gentle man like Helia." Riven points out. "There are plenty of men like yours truly." He wiggles his brows.

"Stop that." Darcy swats him.

"Helia is not a gentle man! He's tough!"

Helia clears his throat. "Actually, I like to think that I am a gentle soul."

"Helia is a pacifist." Riven reminds.

Icy is certain that, that is exactly why things are going so smoothly between the two. In the way that Darcy and Riven share a rougher edge, Helia and Stormy are perfect opposites. He is the mellow to her tempestuousness and she is punch in the face when he can use a bodyguard.

"I am not interested in men, 'real' or not." Icy says flatly. And she isn't lying. She couldn't care less about the specialists. Fairies. She likes fairies. She rubs her face with her hands. Why does she have to like fairies?

She'd been rather fond of Mirta too.

She hadn't been fond, she had loved her from the start; loved that quirky hair cut, and that newage fashion, that stupid pumpkin shirt... and so she had to get rid of her. Had to drive her out.

She slams the book shut and shoves it aside.

"Whao, that book too difficult for you?" Darcy asks.

She isn't in the mood for jokes and jests. "It's useless, Darcy! Just like a certain witch!"

Stormy cackles. "She got you, Darcy!"

"Shut up."

The sound of their squabbles follows her down the hall.

.oOo.

Bloom would feel awful, absolutely guilty if Icy hadn't made her first year at Alfea so difficult. But the fact is that she had. She had made it so hard. Maybe it is the witchy thing to do, but she can't resist. She flashes her most charming smile as the witch passes, "morning, Icy."

The woman halts and seems to go rigid. "What do you want?"

Bloom props herself against the outerwall of a boutique. "Just trying to be friendly."

"Disgusting."

Bloom laughs and the witch swallows. Bloom isn't certain, not one hundred percent, but she is fairly confident that her long time foe isn't as resentful as she would like Bloom to think. Her quips lack their usual power, their typical sting. Tecna swears up and down that, according to her calculations, the likelihood of Icy harboring some deeply closeted feelsings for her are rather high.

Mostly, the ice witch has been ignoring her entirely. It is a change of pace and Bloom finds it surprisingly hard to adjust to.

"Come on, aren't you going to trash my outfit or something? Tell me that my hair looks awful?"

Icy shrugs. "I don't have the time to waste on you." She gestures to an armful of textbooks.

She knows that she shouldn't. She knows that Griffin would applaud her for it. But the words leave her mouth before she can stop them, "you mean you don't want me to be your study buddy?"

"I can think of nothing more revolting." The witch, to the best of her ability with them full, crosses her arms across her chest.

"If you say so. I was going to maybe call Sky." Bloom returns the shrug. "He's been asking if I'd be interested in rekindling a spark."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" Her voice is level. Frigid as ever. But her eyes betray her at least somewhat.

Bloom thinks of the time that the witch had nearly murdered Kiko, thinks of how she'd yanked her powers from her after tormenting her parents. Suddenly it is so easy, "of course it does." She steps closer to the witch. Leans in, close to her ear and whispers, "I know."

Icy gives a soft tsk. "What do you think you know?"

Bloom tilts her head and brushes Icy's bangs behind her ear. The witch gives a slight shudder. "I know how you feel about me."

That blush is priceless. Almost enough to make up for several years of relentless harassment. But it isn't quite enough. "I wonder how the other witches would react to that…"

And then her face drains of all color. Somehow she is paler than usual. "As if I would fall in love with a fairy." She spits the word like a poison before deliberately shoving her way past.

The guilt washes over her immediately. How could she have weaponized love like that? She isn't sure how Icy can talk the way that she does with no remorse whatsoever. For what it's worth, Bloom can't bring herself to hate Icy, afterall she does owe her confidence and prowess to the witch. "Icy, wait!"

She doesn't know why she had bothered. Icy isn't one for talking on a good day. Much less on a day where her pride has been put on the line along with some sturdy blackmail.

.oOo.

Helia is slumbering in Stormy's arms and Darcy and Riven are well into a hit of weed. She slams the door anyhow. Darcy and Riven jerk. Stormy bolts right up with a, "whao! What's going on?"

"Go back to sleep." She grumbles though she doesn't exactly help her do that when she slams her textbooks down on the table.

"Who bristled your broomstick?" Darcy quirks a brow.

"That loser, Bloom."

"Really, you're still feuding with her?"

"What of it, Darcy? We have many scores to settle." And she is falling very behind where victories are concerned.

"Have you tried working things out with her?" Helia asks.

"Why would I want to do that?" But more than anything she does. She doesn't want to want that, but she does. So so badly. She kicks her boots off and flops down upon her mattress. "That is the last thing I'd like to do."

"If you say so." Darcy rolls her eyes. "But would it kill you to keep your lover's quarrels to yourself?"

Stormy sniggers. It takes everything in Icy's soul to not jerk upright. Though her entire body goes rigid she grumbles, "would it kill you to hit your blunts outside?"

.oOo.

She doesn't see Icy for quite some time. Maybe a month and a few days since their last run in. Possibly it is better that way. But she their last encounter constantly replays in her head and each time she finds herself biting her lip, her stomach fluttering with unease. She likes to think that the witch will be okay considering that her secret has been quite safe. She'd even avoided talking about it with Stella. If Stella found out, everyone else would.

So it has been Tecna and Flora who have been hearing the most of her complaints and concerns. And it was Flora who suggested trying to speak with Icy again. She finds the witch sitting in an ice cream parlor. She should have known that Icy would lurk there.

Bloom takes a deep breath and sits herself across from Icy.

The witch gives a very pointed and sharp inhale. She doesn't look up. "What do you want, pixie?"

"To apologize." She starts. "I wouldn't have told anyone, I know how brutal witches can be."

Suddenly Icy is fully invested in her ice cream. Granted, she was pretty enthralled with the treat to begin with. Bloom bites back a chuckle.

"I guess I was just mad about...everything."

"Get to the point."

"I sort of started with my point. Sorry for…" she trails off. She has a pretty good feeling that Icy wouldn't take well to her so bluntly calling her on her feelings. "For implying that you would be in love with me. That's crazy, right."

"Don't bullshit me, Bloom. You knew exactly what you were doing. You know that I know...blah blah, you get the gist."

This time Bloom does laugh. The witch's sense of humor is rather agreeable when it isn't at someone else's expense.

"Alright. I'm sorry that I made fun of your crush."

"Fuck off."

Bloom shakes her head. "Do you really want that?"

"Yes." She takes a particularly big spoonful of ice cream. "I really do."

Bloom sighs. "But do you want that because you actually want me to leave or because you don't want to be seen with me."

"Oh, we can be seen together. Anytime you'd like to blast some spells at one another you can give me a call." She slides a slip of paper across the table.

She hadn't realized that the witch was so smooth. She supposes that Icy hadn't amassed herself such a following way back when by stumbling over her words. "You just gave me your number."

"Yes, so you can always be one phone call away from getting your ass kicked." She looks so smug. "I've got plenty of new spells to test run."

Bloom laughs again. But her smile fades. "You're allowed to be in love, Icy. Darcy and Stormy are. Lucy is."

"That's different."

"How?"

She has no more ice cream left to distract herself with. "I-I can't be with a fairy." She looks away. It doesn't really offer her anything but an illusion of dignity.

"Why not?" Bloom doesn't think that she has ever seen the witch so flustered, almost timid. She doesn't think that she will ever see it again.

"You said it yourself, witches are brutal."

Bloom brushes strands of silver-blue hair out of her face and cups the witch's cheek. It is cool to the touch. "Are you implying that you can't destroy them all?" Bloom quirks a brow.

She clears her throat, "I can take on the entire student body and win."

Now that sounds more like the witch she knows.

.oOo.

"Then do it."

Icy frowns. "Peters…"

"What?"

"You should tread carefully."

She smirks, "am I on thin ice?"

Again she wonders just why the hell she has to be in love with Bloom fucking Peters of all people. "Extremely."

"I thought that you liked it when people tell you how powerful you are."

"I do, yes." She replies.

"So show everyone. You're...you. You haven't let anyone tell you what to do in the past…"

She thinks of Darkar and Valtor and begs to differ.

"So don't let them tell you what to do-or not to do-now." Bloom tucks the slip of paper into her pocket. "I can call you tonight and we can fight like usual or you can put on your best choker and we can have a nice dinner."

And just like that she leaves. The clever little beast. Icy gathers her belongings and makes her way back to the dorm. It is empty this time. It is date night, she recalls. She is alone with the silence, the only sound comes from a rhythmically ticking grandfather clock.

She completes three classes worth of assignments and stretches out on her bed. Precisely when she gets nice and comfortable her phone rings. Peters. "This better be good, I was rather comfy."

"Meet me at the Magix City green. I have both my dragon fire and a cute dress. Don't tell me which your bringing, I like a surprise." Before Icy can reply the line clicks. She is certain that Bloom knows exactly what decision will be made.

Against her better judgement, she fixes her choker around her neck.