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Chapter Text

Running would have made it too obvious, but I needed to get away from Samuel as soon as possible. We might be in the same class. We might be forced to be partners. Yet that doesn’t mean I have to force myself to socialize with him. He’s made it so obvious he’ll never be civil towards me anyway.

I made it out of the building without any trouble. When I realized I was out of his reach, I felt like I could breathe again. Being in a new state and barely knowing a soul was terrifying, but according to my father, it had to be done. He thought I would be safe, that was until Samuel found me once again.

“(Y/L/N)!”, an all too familiar voice called

I sped up as my dorm came into view. Luck clearly wasn’t on my side. I wanted to scream as I realized the door wasn’t opening and my keys were sitting on my desk, locked in my room.

“Hey (Y/L/N)”, he beamed, “Did you really think you could get away from me that easy?”

“Leave me alone”, I groaned

There was only one person outside with us. He sat on the bench quietly minding his business. I eyed him nervously as Samuel kept talking.

“Do you want to talk about the project or the elephant in the room?”, he asked as he stepped too close for comfort

I stepped away, backing myself against the door. Now would be a good time to start screaming, but I was speechless. He took another step towards me and placed his hand on my shoulder.

Suddenly, I smelled smoke as Samuel yanked his hand off of me, screaming in agony.

“What did you do!?”

He stepped to me again, but this time he couldn’t get close enough. Something was stopping him from moving any farther. 

“This doesn’t make any sense. You’re only human”, he panicked

There was no explanation to what was happening. I was the only member of my family with no powers.

The man on the bench appeared next to Samuel, glaring down at him.

“She is human. So why don’t you pick on someone that has a fighting chance”, the stranger growled

Samuel shrunk in his place as he realized who was next to him.

“Thomas, how have you–”

“Let me make myself clear Seabury, (Y/N) is under my protection. If you even look at her the wrong way, I will end you”

“O…okay. Okay”

He fell to the ground before he could get himself together. He glared at Thomas before giving me a look I couldn’t decipher and disappeared.

“You alright darlin’?”, he asked with a sweet smile

“I’ll be fine”

“You sure about that?”

“Yes”, I snapped, “Do me a favor and tell my father I don’t need any protection. I’m. Fine.”

He smirked again as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Every part of me wanted to smack that look off his face.

“It didn’t look like you were fine. Your father only hired me because I go here and it’ll be an easy way to keep an eye on you since you’re just a simple human. Just stay out of trouble and you won’t have to see me again”

Thomas began to walk away before I could get another word in. Who the hell did he think he was? The last thing I wanted was a security detail. My family always assumed that me having no powers meant I was weak and in need of constant protection. It was such an insult.

I turned with a huff to open the door, completely forgetting I was locked out.

“And (Y/n)?”

“What?”, I seethed

With a wave of his hand the door unlocked and pushed open.

“You might need me more than you think”

Chapter Text

Its been weeks since you’ve last seen Thomas and you were glad. His arrogant smile pissed you off in ways that you couldn’t imagine. You called your father soon after your encounter with Seabury and that only made him stick to his guns even more. He believed Thomas would keep you safe. You knew you didn’t need his help. Even if you were born a human, it didn’t mean you were helpless.

You walked through campus, flipping through the pages of your spell book. Your mother gave it to you when you turned thirteen. She was born a human too, but she knew just about every spell known to man. She wanted to make sure you didn’t have to rely on anyone, but your father opposed. Little did he know, your mother knew far more spells than he did.

As you walked back to your dorm, you failed to realize the open pot hole that appeared on its own. Just before your foot fell in, you felt someone wrap their arms around you and pull you under a tree.

“If you say you don’t need me around, maybe you should pay attention to you surroundings”, Thomas sneered

“I didn’t ask for your damn help in the first place”

“You didn’t have to darlin”, he said as he pointed to the pot whole

“It was just a pot hole. Not that big of a deal”

“Yeah, a pot hole that just appeared out of thin air. One you could have fallen in and hurt yourself. Your father would have killed me”

You closed your spell book and placed it in your backpack.

“I don’t need your help, so stop following me around”

“Stay out of danger and I won’t have to be. Shouldn’t you be more worried about how a pot hot appeared out of air?”, he groaned 

“Well since you’re so keen on minding my business, you can figure it out. Hopefully far away from me”

You stormed passed Thomas and made your way to your dorm. Out of all the wizards your father knew, he had to choose Thomas. The last time you talked to him, he reminded you of how ungrateful you were for not accepting his way of protecting you. If he would have trained you like you asked, you wouldn’t be in this situation in the first place.

As you pulled your book out again, you immediately flipped to the page you that might actually keep you safe and Thomas would no longer be needed. There was a cloaking spell, spells for shape-shifting, and your favorite, the vanishing spell. It made people born as wizards disappear from around you. You had no idea where they went, but it only last for 15 minutes.

You took out your Bluetooth speaker, knowing your roommate would be gone for the weekend. Just as you placed it on your desk, the music began to fade out. As soon as you took a step forward, the speaker exploded into tiny pieces. You screamed as you hit the floor.

“Twice (Y/N). Twice in one day”, Thomas glared, “What happened?”

“None of your–”

“Something exploded in here”, he paused as he looked at what was left of your speaker, “First the pot hole, now this”

He looked around your room for clues as you went on about wanting him to leave.

“Where’s your roommate?”

“At home. Why?”

Just as you answered, Thomas started going through her stuff. As he pulled open her drawer, you grabbed a sharpie.

“How do you keep finding me?”, you asked as you started drawing a symbol on the wall

“I have my ways. Can’t get paid if I don’t keep an eye on my client’s asset”

“Asset?”

“Shit”, he mumbled just as he turned around, “It wasn’t meant to come out like…what are you doing?”

Before he could react, you slammed your hand in the middle of the symbol and Thomas vanished with a flash of bright light. You grabbed to backpack as you left to get what you needed.

Within thirty minutes, you were relieved to be back in your dorm. You could hear thunder in the distance as you left the shop. You got your supplies ready and hoped for the best. All that was left for you to do, was light it on fire.

The thunder grew louder, almost making you jump out your own skin. It sounded so close, but when you looked outside, there were no clouds in sight. Just as you heard the thunder again, a drop of water hit your arm. Above your head was a small grey cloud and it began to pour.

“Are you kidding me”, you yelled as you heard someone knock on the door, “One minute”

“How about I give you ten seconds”, Thomas growled from the other side

“Come in here and make me”

“I can’t thanks to you. My powers aren’t fully restored yet”

You opened the door and Thomas stepped in, immediately slipping in the puddle.

“You have no powers?”

“They aren’t restored yet. That little stunt you pulled did the trick. Had to take the bus back to campus”, just as you started to smirk, he pointed at the cloud above your head

You had no right to laugh.

After pulling out a strand of your wet hair, you put it in the bowl and grabbed your matches.

“You know I’m here to help you, right?”

“And make me feel useless in the process. All because I’m human”

He sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose, “You have no power (Y/N)”

“And yet that doesn’t equate to weakness. I don’t have to be born a wizard to survive. That’s just some bullshit they teach their human children”

You dropped the match into the bowl and watched a cloud of purple smoke permeate the air. When it vanished, the cloud disappeared, leaving a puddle of water in its wake. 

Thomas hummed in approval, shocked that you knew more spells. He would say he was impressed, but it was just two spells. Those came easy to him.

“We should find out who did this to you”, he said as he tried to step around the water

“No. You can go figure out who did this. Need to protect your client’s asset, remember?”, you sneered, giving him a cold glare

“(Y/N)–”

“Get. Out. Or do I need to make you disappear on my own?”

Thomas groaned as he left the room. There was no telling what that would do to him in his weakened state. He needed to figure out who was messing with you quick. If your father ever found out you were using magic, it would be the end of him.

As soon as you saw Thomas leave, you pulled out your book again. The sooner you find a protection spell, the sooner you could get Thomas out of your life for good.

Chapter Text

You sat in the back of class, trying to take your notes. Thomas sat on the other side of the room, doing the complete opposite. He tried everything he could to get your attention. Throwing paper balls, whispering your name out loud and in your head, and his last resort: getting a classmate to tap your shoulder.

“Tell him if he bothers me again, I’ll light him on fire”, you sneered

Your classmate was confused, yet she still obliged and Thomas blanched. There was definitely a spell for that and at this rate, it wouldn’t take you long to learn it.

As soon as class was over, you left as quick as you could, getting lost in the crowd of students. It honestly didn’t matter how much you didn’t want to be near Thomas. If he needed to keep an eye on his asset, he knew how to do it without you knowing. 

At moments like this, you missed Angelica. She may have been a wizard, but she never treated you like you were weak. To her, you were just (Y/N). She wanted nothing more than to teach you as many spells as she knew, but she got into a school in France and you haven’t seen her for a nearly a year. You talked whenever you could. Recently, it’s been silent on her end.

“(Y/N)”, a familiar voice called

You turned to see Hercules sitting in a booth in the cafe by himself.

“You’re almost never in here”

“That’s not true”, you smiled, “I only come here for dinner. The lunches here aren’t that great”

“What brings you here then?”, he asks as he moves his backpack out the way

You sit down next to him, “I’m in need of company”

“So am I. Lafayette is still tutoring. John is trying to start a new organization and Alex just started the debate team, so you know that will take–”

“Hours”

Thomas is on the debate team too. You knew Thomas and Alex never saw eye to eye. Maybe Alex can provide a welcome distraction for a few hours.

You could always seek solace in Hercules. He was warm and inviting. You weren’t sure if he was a wizard or not. If he was, you would have begged your father to fire he who should not be named. Herc would probably never refer to you as an asset. 

You talked for a couple hours, got some homework done, and had dinner. You barely noticed the sun was beginning to set.

“Ma moitié”, Lafayette grinned, “Did I take too long?”

“No, you’re right on time. (Y/N) was telling me about Thomas’s sudden interest in her well-being”

Herc smirked with a suggestive wink. Lafayette’s eyes widened at the name as he sat down in front of you two.

“Really”

“It’s my father’s fault. I’m not a fan of–”

That insufferable jackass. 

“–Thomas. My father pays him to keep me safe”

Lafayette looked right into your eyes. You couldn’t figure out why he was giving you an intense stare. 

“Keep you safe from what?”

“My family’s line of business is…dangerous”

Or as my father would put it, “For humans”.

 A part of you knew how helpful it would be to figure out who on campus was a wizard or human. There were times where you didn’t want to stress yourself out because the possibilities were endless. So far, there was Samuel, Thomas, and possibly Lafayette or Herc. 

Lafayette begins to tell you all about his day and the students he helps with French. As entertaining as it sounds, it sounds like an absolute nightmare. You can’t help, but let your mind wander.

If only he picked someone else. There’s  probably plenty of wizards on this damn campus. You send me to completely different state to keep me safe and I still end up in danger. Then, you leave me in the care of someone that assumes I can’t take care of myself. Calls me an asset. If Lafayette were a wizard, he probably wouldn’t even attempt to make me feel useless.

Now that I think about it, I might actually light Thomas on fire. Make it look like an accident. 

You never noticed that Lafayette stopped speaking. He covered his mouth, trying to hold back a giggle.

“Are you alright?”

“Mhm. Herc…was telling me a joke”

Hercules gave his boyfriend a knowing glance. He was back to his old habits.

“Well, I think I’m going back to my dorm”, you sighed as you stood up

You could see Thomas entering the cafe, looking as exhausted as ever. You would have to remember to buy Alex lunch. His eyes almost immediately landed on you. He seemed genuinely surprised to see you. 

“(Y/N), can we talk?”, he asked, finally at your side

Before you could answer, Lafayette had his arm around your shoulder and Hercules finally stood up, glaring at Thomas.

“I don’t think she wants that, you insufferable jackass”

Thomas pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs. 

“It’s important. We really need to talk”

He reaches forward to grab your arm, only for Lafayette to slap it away. He was in Thomas’s face in a split second, ready to strike.

“I think I’m a lot safer with Lafayette. Wouldn’t you agree Herc?”

“Agreed”, he smirked 

“Laf?”

“Agreed”

He stepped away from Thomas, who decided to back off. Thomas grabbed his backpack and left the cafe. You were putting him in a terrible position, yet he knew he had it coming.

Lafayette and Herc walked with you to the dorm because they lived there too.

“Soooooooo”, you grinned as you reached your room, “You read minds?”

“Que veux-tu dire, minette?”

“Don’t play dumb with me. I’m human, not stupid”

“No, no you are not”, he gave you a soft smile, “In spite of what Thomas thinks, you are not stupid. You’re father was a fool to pick him, but I know why he did it”

“Oh, I’m all ears”, Herc said as he make himself comfortable on the window sill 

“Thomas and I are wizards, but I have a higher rank than him. My family started training me before he even knew he was wizard”

“Is that why he left when you told him I was safe with you?”, you asked

“Well, that and it probably bruised his ego a bit. Serves him right”, he mumbled, “Thomas decided to take on the task of keeping you safe because he has something to prove to his father. He’s a man that lacks empathy. Especially when it comes to his children. According to him it, ‘Helps with their self esteem’ or something like that”

“So I’m like a test?”

“In a way, yes. Some wizards make a living off of being security detail. It’s a pretty low tier job, but if he can do this right, his father will probably stop being so hard on him”

“Why didn’t you take the job?”

“I wanted to”, he sighed, “There are men like you father and Thomas’s father that think that humans are weak. You need to stay in your place. One of the rules your father set, was that no matter the circumstance, you were not supposed to learn any type of magic. He has his ways of figuring this kind of stuff out. Knowing me, if you would have asked, I would have done it anyway. I think he may have known that too”

“Now I feel even worse about him picking Thomas”, you mumbled

“Thomas may be a little rough around the edges, but he wasn’t always like this. A lot of his beliefs were enforced by his father. Now that he’s away from him, I hope my friend will come back.”

“How long is that supposed to take?”, Herc chimed in

“Not a clue”

You hugged Lafayette and Herc before going to bed. In spite of what he told you, it did end on a high note. Lafayette would help you find a protection spell. In the mean time you would work on Thomas’s poor view on humans. Your father wouldn’t find out about you using magic and Thomas wouldn’t get punished for it. Sounds like a win-win.

You felt relieved as you finally fell in to a peaceful sleep until two in the morning. There was a loud knock at your door. Someone was mumbling your name on the other side. 

“Thomas?”, you groaned as you opened the door

Thomas was leaning against the door hinge, bloodied, bruised, and a black eye. His shirt caught most of the blood. He pushed himself up, trying to muster as much energy as he could. He groaned as such a little task caused him so much pain.

Thomas managed to make eye contact with you, so many emotions crossed his face at once. The final being anger and fear.

“NOW can we talk”

It was all he could get out before he passed out and fell into your arms. 

Chapter Text

Thomas nearly fell over in the chair again as you reached for your phone. As soon as you grabbed it, he hit the floor. After making sure he would stay put this time, you had time to call Lafayette.

You vaguely remember hearing Thomas talk about his favorite jacket, which was already torn at the sleeves. You cleaned his wounds the best you could. The blood on his shirt was beginning to dry and stick to his skin. Taking the shirt off a man as large as Thomas while he was unconscious was no easy feat, but finally you prevailed. 

When your eyes landed on his torso, you froze. Bruises decorated both of his sides and he probably had several fractured ribs. There was no blood coming out of his mouth, which relieved you for a moment. Just as you finished putting the bandages on, Lafayette knocked on your door.

“Come in”

Lafayette walked through your door, then opened it for Herc.

“Minette, I got your message. What–”

He stopped as he watched you try to wake Thomas.

“He showed up at my door a few minutes ago asking to talk, then he fainted”

You weren’t sure what else you could do. There were spells that could heal him, but that required a skill set you didn’t have at the moment.

“I think some of his ribs are fractured. He might has a concussion. The bleeding has stopped. Doesn’t need stitches”, you listed everything you could, but you still felt helpless, “Laf, I don’t know what else to do. He’s still breathing, but–”

“It alright”, he said as he pulled you away from Thomas, “Stay with Herc”

Herc pulled you in tight. Tears threatened to spill again. You were positive you hated Thomas, but this was a terrifying experience to say the least. He kept asking to talk to you and kept avoiding him. Whoever was after you was trying to send a message. 

Lafayette placed his hands over Thomas’s ribs. He shifted in his seat, but he still wouldn’t wake up.

“He has three fractured ribs on his right and two on his left. His lungs are fine. No concussion, but the bruise on his forehead is fresh. Did you by any chance drop him (Y/N)?”

“No”, you sighed, “He fell out the chair”

You could feel Herc’s body shaking against you as he tried to control his laughter. You looked up at him and glared. He immediately stopped.

“I’m sorry. He’ll be fine. I know he will”

“I’m worried about what he might say if he wakes up”

 Lafayette asked for a few ingredients that you still had in your room. It took him several minutes to finish the potion before he poured it down Thomas’s throat. Herc helped him move him to your roommate’s bed.

“He’ll be out for a few more minutes. Do you know who could have done this?”

“After the incidents with Seabury, the pothole, the speaker, and the cloud, he started looking into who was causing all this trouble. He wanted to talk to me yesterday, but I was so mad at him, I refused to see him”

“None of this is your fault. Why did he wait so long to look into it?”

“To be fair, the pothole, speaker, and cloud all happened on the same day”

“You think he knows who it is?”, Herc asked

“Probably. He was so scared when I opened the door. He was relieved as if he didn’t expect me to be here”

“If someone is after you and willing to attack Thomas, then we all need to keep an eye on you. Thomas will get over himself eventually because I do not think he can do this on his own. Whoever did this probably could have killed him, but chose not to”

You placed a blanket over Thomas and took his shoes off. The scars and bruises on his face were beginning to fade. You gently pulled his hair out of his face. For someone that always appeared tense, he looked at peace for once.

Thomas pressed his face into your hand with a soft smile started to form.

“Thomas”, you called softly

His eyes flew open as he heard your voice. He shot up and immediately grabbed his side, cursing out loud.

“Be careful. Some of your ribs are fractured”

“You did this?”, he asked

“Just the bandages and cleaning your wounds. Lafayette did all the hard work. I’m not sure how long it’s going to take for your ribs to heal”

He looked you over, eyes going soft for once.

“I’m so glad you’re okay”, he sighed as he pulled you in

Lafayette and Herc smirked at each other. Maybe Thomas would come around sooner than they thought. 

“Why wouldn’t I be okay?”

He relaxed when he felt you wrap your arms around him. His heart sped up as he thought back to what happened moments before he got to your dorm. The man knew he could easily overpower Thomas and wanted him to know that. 

“You shouldn’t be worried about it. It’s my problem. Don’t worry yourself over it”

You watched as Thomas tried to pull himself off the bed.

“Where the hell do you think you’re going?”

“To my room”

“No you’re not”, Lafayette groaned as he glared at his friend, “You’re more worried about (Y/N) than you were before. If the person that did this is after her as well, you’re both staying with us tonight”

“I don’t need you helping me”, Thomas sneered, “I can do this on my own”

“I’m having a hard time believing that. Look at what they did to you!”

“I don’t need your damn help!”

As soon as he stepped off the bed, he almost hit the floor until you grabbed him. He pulled himself up, using the bed to hold his weight. 

“You aren’t going anywhere”, you said quietly

“(Y/N)–”

“We’re staying with Laf and Herc tonight. We don’t need your permission to help you. We care about you Thomas. No one goes anywhere alone until we figure this out…well unless we have to”

He looked between you, Laf, and Herc before getting back on the bed. He sat up with his arms crossed over his chest, like a four year old. 

“I was walking back to my dorm, when I realized I was being followed”, he started, avoiding eye contact with all of you, “He knew everything. Seabury. The spell. The fact that you know spells. He’s been watching us since your father hired me”

“Why did he attack you?”, Herc asked

Thomas grew quiet. He looked at you before quickly looking away

“It’s okay”, you smiled as you placed your hand on his shoulder

“No, it’s really not. He attacked me because he said I was going soft. My sympathy for you is a weakness and it will probably get us killed. Your father hired me to keep you safe, not be your friend”

You flinched as he raised his voice.

“But”, he sighed, “I defended you anyway. When I told him you were human, but not weak, he attacked me. He’s threatening to tell your father everything if I don’t change my way of thinking about you and humans in general. Do you know what he’ll do to me?”

“Worse than what happened tonight”, Laf guessed 

“He’s the one that sent Seabury and put that spell on you in the first place. He’s been testing me all along. If I can just prove to him that I’m at least half the wizard he is, maybe things will be different this time. Maybe he’d love me for once”

Thomas looked at you with tears in his eyes, shaken to his core out of fear and frustration. You’ve never seen him so small before and it scared you. He may get on your nerves, but you would never wish this on him.

“Who did this to you?”, you questioned 

He took a shaky breath before looking in your eyes.

“My father”

Chapter Text

Thomas wasn’t afraid of much. He wanted to believe he was fearless and needed everyone else to believe it as well. Yet, there was one man that always saw through him.

Peter Jefferson.

Everyone knew how kind and loving he could be if you were a wizard. For humans, it was always another story. Thomas grew up with his father constantly reminding him that he was a wizard, therefore; he was above humans. There was no need to treat them with respect, given that they shouldn’t be here in the first place.

For a while Thomas believed all of it. He was better than most and they should respect that. That was until he met you. As he watched your determination to keep yourself safe with or without his help grow, so did his respect for you. He wanted to keep you safe, but not just because it was his job. Thomas knew he cared about you and couldn’t bare to see anything happen to you. 

After you declared that you were safer with Laf and Herc, he backed off. He knew it was true. Lafayette was so much stronger than him. Why did he agree to take this job in the first place, if someone of a higher rank could just swoop in and take control? What did that say about him?

He was on his way to his dorm when he saw a familiar figure that made his blood run cold. 

“How’s the human?”

“Her name is (Y/N)”, he said, finally speaking up

“How pathetic. All the jobs you could have and this is what you choose? Protecting the life of some insignificant human. You could be…well maybe you can’t since you’re beneath most of us. You’ve known you were a wizard for almost a decade! You’ve had so much time to improve and yet your still the same low level wizard you were when you were a child. How do you expect yourself to be able to keep her safe?”

“I’m doing just fine”

“Then why is she under the protection of another wizard? Seabury didn’t do much, but what about the spell? You didn’t even stop it boy, the pathetic human did it herself!”

“Her name is (Y/N)”, Thomas nearly yelled

“Don’t tell me you care for her? Does her father know she’s practicing magic?”, he said as he stalked closer to his son

Thomas froze.

“How did you know about the spell or Seabury?”

“How else am I supposed to keep you in line? You clearly don’t know what you’re doing. This job is simple and you can’t even do that right. I guess that’s just the story of your life, huh? Thomas Jefferson, gets everything he could dream of–”

“You need to leave”

He always tried to avoid his father every chance he could get. For once he started to feel like himself. He could be himself and not a carbon copy of Peter Jefferson.

“–and somehow still screws everything up”

His hands began to tremble. He was reminded of all the times Peter would reprimand him for having empathy towards his best friend, James. James was a human, but his father saw no use for him. He warned Thomas about their friendship. He saw James bringing out Thomas’s humanity. Their friendship continued until the day Thomas went to see him and he had no idea who he was. He thought it was some sick joke until his father revealed his intentions. From then on, Thomas was callous and angry and he took it out on humans, much to his father’s amusement. That was until he met you. 

“How can you see her as insignificant when you know who her father is? He loves her enough to hire a wizard to keep her safe”

“And yet he chose you to keep it safe”

“I can keep…what did you just say?”, Thomas sneered

He could feel his blood begin to boil. Peter was best friend’s with your father. How could he think he would get away with speaking as if you were some object?

“You heard me boy. You’re wasting your time with this–”

He stopped in his tracks, feeling the ground shift under him. The two continued to go back an forth as campus life went on. No one could see Peter get the upper hand and attack his son. Thomas hit the ground, feeling several of his ribs crack. He tried to pull himself off the ground.

“Look at you”, Peter smirked, “Maybe I should pay your little pet a visit. Since it so strong maybe it’ll put up a better fight than you did”

“Dad”, he begged, “No, please. Leave (Y/N) alone. I can do this”

“You know I can’t do that. I’m going to have a long talk with her father about you. This is for your own good”

He struck Thomas once more before disappearing. 

When he finally awoke, he was still outside. Every part of him screamed as he pulled himself off the ground. He had to get to you. He needed you to okay. Lafayette was probably there, but he would never forgive himself if his father harmed you.

Thomas kept going until he made it to your dorm. He was relieved when you opened the door, unharmed. All he could get out was one sentence before everything went black.

Chapter Text

In the following days, Thomas told you bits and pieces about his life before he met you. It was hard to stomach. You had your issues with your father, but you couldn’t imagine him taking your family and friends away from you. Lafayette stayed by his side, finishing the stories when Thomas couldn’t.

He would stop talking, sometimes he would start to tremble, at times there were tears, but he never allowed them to slip. He needed to stay strong for him. He needed to be strong for you. 

You found yourself sticking by his side. Whenever you had free time, you made up excuses to be with him. Thomas jokingly asked from time to time, “I’m supposed to be the one protecting you, right?”

You responded, “Even the strong ones need protecting. Might not be a wizard, but I got your back”

It grew quiet. 

Thomas was scared, happy, stressed. Making friends with another human was not on his to do list, yet here he was. You genuinely cared for him and he felt the same for you.

Thomas sat on your bed, head in your lap as you played with his hair one evening. 

He hummed happily, “My mother used to do this”

“She did?”

“Yeah, whenever I was having a bad day”

It grew quiet again.

You thought about all that you knew about Thomas thus far. Why he behaved the way he does. The impact his father has had on him. All the shit he put him through. 

“Thomas let’s find them. Your family and the Madisons”

“No”, he said as he jumped out of you lap, his body rigid, “We can’t do that”

“Why not?”

“My father. I used to think he couldn’t hurt me, then he made my family go away. Just when I thought he couldn’t make things worse, he took away my other family. I’m afraid of what he’ll take from me next”

He had tears in his eyes before he looked away.

“Thomas, you deserve to get your family back. What your father did to you…what he keeps doing to you isn’t fair. I don’t know what that’s like entirely, but–”

“But what? What could you possibly do? He’ll come after you the same way he went after Jemmy and my mother. Daddy won’t be able to save you”, he sneered, “then who knows what will happen to you when he realizes I can’t keep you safe”

“That’s been Peter’s plan all along”, you sighed

“Do you think your father will listen to us?”

He ran his fingers through his curls, tugging at the strands.

“He has to. If we can prove that he was behind hiring Seabury and the curse, then maybe my father can deal with him. You can have a family again”

“I don’t want to go against my father again”, he said letting out a frustrated sigh, “If you tell him about the curse, he’ll know the truth about you practicing magic”

“You don’t have to fight. I don’t know how, but I won’t let anything happen to you. My father knows how stubborn I can be. He can’t blame you for that. If he knows all of this was a set up maybe–”

“How do you know that”, he yelled, “He’s already several steps ahead of us. He always is. You lived a sheltered life with a family always by your side. What could you possibly know about what I’m dealing with?”

“Thomas–”

“No”, he yelled again, “Do you know what it was like living with him? The beatings, being told you’re not good enough and yet, somehow I still feel like I need to prove myself to him. I need him to know that I can manage on my own. That I’m good enough. That I’m not..useless”

Thomas stopped pacing in front of you. His shoulders slumped as the tears finally surfaced. He didn’t have the energy to hide them from you anymore. As soon you wrapped your arms around him, the tears wouldn’t stop. He softly cried into your shoulder.

When you finally got him to lay down, you began running your fingers through his hair again. His body relaxed against yours. 

“Is it bad that I still want him to love me?”, he asked, voice barely above a whisper

“No”, you cooed, “Every one wants to be loved by their parents. Some parents may not be capable of loving their child in a way that they should and it sucks. You may not have your father, but you can find love in other places…like your friends”

“You love me?”, he questioned, looking up at you sweetly

You looked into his big brown eyes. The Thomas you knew when you first met was long gone. The man that seemed so sure of himself was broken. He once felt like he had all just for it to be stripped away. 

“You’re growing on me Jefferson”

He laughed, wrapping his arms around you. There was something about you that made him feel at ease. 

For the first time in a while, Thomas actually felt safe.

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The ride home was filled with an uncomfortable silence. You knew why you were there, but all you could think about was where your friends might be. It would be insane to ask if they were safe. If your father or Peter had anything to do with it, you knew they were in danger. For now, you had to play it safe. The moment you slip up, their fates could be sealed for good. 

You stepped into the house and kept the pleasantries with your father.

“We’re having lunch at noon. Go ahead and get changed”, he smiled before he turned to walk away

“Dad, where are they?”

“Who are you talking about honey?”

“My friends”

“Your friends. That wizard was not meant to be your friend. You were his assignment. A project for him to get better. I knew I should have listened to Peter. That boy couldn’t even get this right”

“Don’t talk about him like that. He kept me safe”

“Then where is he? Why isn’t he here with you now?”

“That’s what I’m asking you”, you nearly yelled, struggling to keep your temper in check, “They disappeared before your car pulled up”

“What are you talking about?”

“We came here to talk to you. Peter has been sending wizards after me to make Thomas look like he couldn’t handle it. Yet, Thomas still kept me safe”

Your father stayed silent for a moment,”Peter is out of town for the weekend. We can discuss this tomorrow morning. Your mother will be back in a few days. I’m sure she’ll be glad to see you”

“Dad-”

“Don’t breathe a word of this to her”, he groaned, “You know how fussy she gets”

“Listen-”

“Go upstairs and rest honey, you look exhausted”, he said, voice barely above a whisper

In a matter of moments, your body felt weak. Your head was swimming and all you could think to do was get in your bed and drift away. Before you knew it, you were fast asleep.

When you woke up in your bed the next morning, you were in the same clothes as before. You didn’t remember making your way upstairs and falling into bed.  By the time you finished your morning routine, the smell of pancakes and coffee led you to the kitchen. You ran down the steps to greet your father.

“Good morning honey”

“Morning Dad”

You were so happy to be home.

He placed a plate in front of you as he kissed you on the cheek. You happily ate your breakfast together as he asked you about your classes for the semester.

“How are your friends? Have you heard from them?”, he questioned half heartily

“What friends?”

“The friends you came here with”

You racked your brain, but no memories appeared of you arriving with anybody. You knew you came here alone to visit your mother and father because you missed them more than you could imagine.

“I came here alone Dad, remember?”

Your father gave you a smile, “Of course I do”

Across town in the Jefferson residence, Peter paced back and forth in his basement. 

“(Y/N) has already been taken care of, but what will I do with you two”, he sneered, “I have to be careful with you, Lafayette. I can’t have your father snooping around for your remains after I’m finished with you”

Thomas and Lafayette sat, chained to the wall, scars scattered across their faces. They did everything they could to escape, but Peter was too strong for the both of them. All Thomas could think of was escaping and getting to (Y/N).

“What did you do to her”, Lafayette growled

“You know she won’t come for either of you, right? As soon as she walked through the front door, her father cast a spell that made her forget you”

Thomas’s eyes widened as his heart sunk. He didn’t attempt to stop the tears from falling.

“No”, he choked out, “Dad, no”

“Lafayette, this might be a new feeling for you, but Thomas, you should be used to it by now”

Peter smirked, satisfied at any opportunity to torment Thomas. He loathed him in ways that he did not understand. He walked up the stairs, locking them in the basement as Thomas began to scream. 

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