#purpledgravity

Penelope had only just finished unpacking when she noticed the odd occurrences. There were often sounds in the vents as she settled in to sleep at night. She'd wake up in the morning to find her things had been moved and that food was missing. She was tempted to call her father or brothers to have them take a look or just stay with her. She had an extra bedroom after all.

But...she also felt more than a little miffed about all the theft and the snooping. So instead, she took matters into her own hands. No reason to bother her family with an issue she could solve on her own. She set out a trap one night and waited for the intruder to slip up.

She didn't have to wait long. She heard a yelp and felt a pulse of magic as her trap went off. She tugged a robe on over her pajamas and peeked out of her room. A tall figure wriggled and cursed as they tried to slip out of the net she'd laid. The ropes groaned under the weight but the enchantments meant they held firm.

Penny steeled herself and stepped out from her room. The person in the net didn't seem to notice her amidst all their struggles which suited her just fine.

"You know," she said as she stepped closer, "people assume that thread witches can only work with cloth or normal thread. What is a rope but a bunch of fibers woven together?" The net gleamed with the tell-tale shimmer of enchantment magic.

She tugged at it and the intruder snapped his teeth at her. She wrinkled her nose at him. "Now that's hardly polite."

"You have me fucking trapped in a stupid net!"

"And you broke into a lone woman's apartment in the middle of the night to do who-knows-what. I don't think either of us are bastions of moral purity here."

He paled and struggled more. "Hey! I'm not-! That's not why I'm here! I just got curious. And hungry. Let me out and I won't come back, fuck!"

"Mmm. I dunno. How did you get in, anyway?" She checked her door but the magic circle she painted around the handle was still in place. She assumed the vents nect but he looked way too tall to fit in them comfortably.

"Fuck you. That's how."

"No thank you, I only do that by appointment."

He paused and blinked at her, caught off-guard. "What?"

She didn't bother to clarify. "You know, you shouldn't do this sort of thing. I could be a serial killer for all you know. Does anyone know you're here?" She hummed and met his eyes. "Would anyone notice you were missing...?"

He paled further until he was almost ghost-white. "They would! They would absolutely know I was fucking missing! I have friends all over! My-my roommate! They'd know I was gone!"

She tilted her head, the sighed. "Fine. Stop wriggling, I'll let you down. I promise I won't hurt you if you swear to relax and answer my questions."

"Sure. But, for the record? You're a bitch."

"Oh no, the creep who likes breaking into people's apartments doesn't think well of me. However will I cope? Woe. Woe and misery." She put a hand to the back of her head. "However will I face society again?"

The bickering continued as she let him down (gently despite the strong temptation to just drop him) and well over the next few months. He at least stopped sneaking in at night after that, which she counted as a win. And, despite how annoying he could be, she found she liked the excitement.

Now, years later, she shuts off her tv as he dozes against her shoulder. She pets his hair and moves off of the couch so he can lay down comfortably. She spreads a blanket out over him and shuts off the lights.

She can hear Purpled typing away in his room, he's always been a night owl, though, so she's not worried. Instead, she goes into her own room and slips under her sheets, feeling relaxed and content. Dream will likely be gone in the morning, as will some of her food. But that's fine, as long as he's eating.