XJ → Harry Hook [1]✔

Hooked

When XJ predicted that Lonnie would visit her yesterday, she turned out to be wrong. However, she wasn't far off. Two days after XJ skipped classes because of her cold, she heard a knock on the door of her dorm room an hour before curfew.

XJ narrowed her eyes at the door. Harry was at Uma's dorm along with Gil to discuss pirate things and had said that he wouldn't be back until the start of curfew. XJ had taken the liberty of not eavesdropping. She trusted Harry and Uma, and there was no doubt that if there was anything that concerned her, one of the two would tell her. Gil would probably forget, so XJ didn't really expect him to come up to her and inform her if they had discussed anything related to her.

A voice came from the other side of the door, "Is anyone in there? XJ? Harry?" The voice asked meekly.

XJ recognized Lonnie's voice and she grinned to herself. She knew that she would turn up eventually. "Come in, Lonnie." She called back, preparing a shocked look on her face.

Lonnie slowly opened the door and smiled nervously, "Hey, XJ."

"Close the door," XJ ordered. She frowned at Lonnie, "What are you doing here? It's an hour to curfew and we're not the best of pals, in case you haven't noticed."

Lonnie sighed and nodded as she closed the dorm door behind her, looking at XJ, who was sitting cross-legged on her bed. "I know and I'll get to that. Is Harry around?"

XJ shook her head, "He's at Uma's place."

Lonnie blinked, "Uma's place? Why?"

"I'm his girlfriend; she's his captain, it's pretty simple." XJ replied bluntly. "Why do you care?"

Lonnie shrugged, "Well, I mean, if my boyfriend was hanging out with another girl who he's known longer and is his 'captain', I would be concerned that they're...you know." She said uncomfortably, hoping that XJ would fill in the blanks herself.

XJ snorted, "I trust Harry and Uma. They're friends, nothing more. I know when people lie." She didn't actually - there weren't many books on the Isle on psychology, even though she was pretty good at picking up body language. However, Harry and Uma were both wonderful liars, so she usually couldn't tell. It was better to give the impression that XJ did so Lonnie would know not lie to her.

"Sorry," Lonnie apologized, looking extremely uncomfortable, "I just...wanted to give my opinion on the situation is all."

"Lonnie, what are you doing?" XJ sighed, closing her laptop. "I should be stabbing you with my spear."

Lonnie winced and took a deep breath, "XJ, you told me the truth about the war and as much as it hurts to know that my mother shouldn't have won and she's not a hero, I want to thank you."

"For ruining your childhood?" XJ asked, raising an eyebrow. She sighed too, "I shouldn't have told you that. Ripping someone's childhood idol apart isn't cool and it's possibly one of the worst things that I might have ever done."

"You've never killed someone?" Lonnie asked, her eyes wide in surprise.

"Why do people keep thinking that I've killed someone?" XJ asked, annoyed. "First Dopey's kid, now you."

Lonnie smiled apologetically, "Sorry, XJ, I just assumed - "

"People need to stop assuming," XJ interrupted shortly.

"Yeah, I've realized," Lonnie gulped, "Anyway, I want to make up for what my country did to yours."

"You want to...what?" XJ asked, pretending to not understand Lonnie's words while hiding a smirk.

"You were right. My country was selfish; your father couldn't let his people starve to death. Maybe some of his methods were a bit too extreme, but he didn't get a happy ending. We did instead, and it wasn't right." Lonnie explained, "I want to make up for it, because I'm the only one who's willing to."

"Willing to?"

"My mom could come, but she refuses to admit that she shouldn't have won, and since your father is back on the Isle and most likely won't be able to come to Auradon..."

"Shan Yu is dead, and if not, missing," XJ cut her off, glaring at Lonnie. She scolded herself silently - Lonnie now knew what made her tick.

Lonnie felt herself shrink under XJ's stone cold glare. It was obvious that she had hit a nerve. "I'm sorry, I...I didn't know."

"Yeah, you didn't, because no one cares about the ones left on the Isle." XJ said coldly.

"XJ, I...I'm really sorry that you were left there, but -"

"But what?" XJ asked mockingly, standing up from her bed and walking closer to where Lonnie was standing awkwardly. "You thought that locking us all up together would make you safe? You thought that you would be untouchable here in Auradon?"

"XJ..."

XJ laughed humorlessly, "Are you going to say that it was for the good of all of Auradon? That's what every self-righteous prick feeds their followers and himself." XJ spat. "Your king was an idiot - he decided to lock all of us up in the same small island. He was so proud and so dependent on magic, so sure that the barrier would work, it never occurred to him that that many villains, that many evil minds, that much dark magic could bond together and cause a greater threat than just Maleficent on her own." 

"XJ, what are you talking about? What's your point?" Lonnie asked, looking concerned.

"My point is that your old king was proud, like my father. So proud that he made mistakes." XJ hissed. "He left me! His own blood and flesh!" XJ forced tears to well up. "I'll show him what I can do." She choked out.

Lonnie saw the tears in XJ's eyes and felt guilt stab at her. "XJ, I know there's nothing I can say to make any of this better," Lonnie put a hand on XJ's shoulder and the other girl tensed up, "But you're stronger than your father already. You deciding to be better than who you were born to be makes you so much more stronger than Shan Yu. I will help you, no matter what."

XJ was silent for a moment, staring at the floor. XJ made a big show of wiping away her tears, which seemed like a waste as it was hard enough to force them out - XJ had cried only once in her lifetime, and she didn't even remember it because nobody remembers what they did when they were born.

XJ looked up and smiled weakly, "Okay. Thank you, Lonnie."

Lonnie smiled back, "It's the least I can do." Lonnie glanced at the clock behind XJ, "I think it's time for me to get back. Get some sleep, XJ. Goodnight."

XJ nodded, "Goodnight, Lonnie."

Lonnie walked out of her dorm and smiled at XJ once more before opening the door and leaving.

The minute the door shut, XJ dashed to the door and waited a little bit, listening to Lonnie's footsteps. When XJ couldn't hear them anymore, she carefully opened the door and looked down the hallway through a crack. Lonnie had gone.

XJ whooped and slammed shut the door. She punched the air, "YES! YES! YES!"

XJ jumped into her bed and opened her laptop. She opened a document:

LONNIE FA

HOOKED

The door to her dorm opened and Harry walked in, frowning, "Did something happen, lass? I heard you yelling just now."

XJ laughed as she shut her laptop. "I caught Lonnie."

Harry grinned as he shut the door, "So she did come after all."

"As you know, I'm never wrong."