These days Penelope had been so caught up in her admiration for (Y/n) and her slow discovery of the true nature of her feelings for her that she had completely forgotten about Jasper all together. He was still her friend though, and Penelope hadn't been able to refuse when he had suddenly asked to meet with her for a cup of tea.

But Jasper wasn't only her best friend, he was also her rival. And Penelope knew to keep her friends close, and her rivals even closer.

She wouldn't let Jasper have (Y/n) now that she knew (Y/n) was her Darling, never in a million years.

"Pen! I'm so glad to see you!" Jasper greeted with a smile that was so unlike the old him. Penelope guessed this was (Y/n)'s doing for sure. Jasper had never been one to smile and express much, but ever since he fell in love with her he's been more open with his emotions than ever.

Penelope couldn't blame him though, she too had changed since meeting (Y/n) and falling in love with her. She too found herself smiling more often, being softer and more enthusiastic about her daily life simply because of (Y/n) being a part of it. Penelope had never been so eager to see someone or spend time with someone, not even Jasper.

The thought of (Y/n) had even worked in making Penelope forget about her latest letter from insufferable Artty. Which was saying something.

That's just how much power (Y/n) had over her.

Maybe Penelope shouldn't have brushed Artty's letter to the back of her mind so quickly though.

"I'm always free for a chat with my best friend." Penelope answered with a smile and sat down at the table that had been dressed for the both of them in the gardens. It was a pleasant afternoon and the Sun cast a gentle warmth on both of them. It would have been a shame to sit inside.

Jasper heaved a pleased sigh, gesturing to the baked goods and tea options laid on the table.

"Please, help yourself. I can only hope these are as good as the ones you bake yourself." He said, and a few weeks ago this simple praise would have made Penelope's heart stammer in her chest. But not anymore, not now that she knew the truth that laid behind her feelings for Jasper.

It was sweet of him to praise her baking though, and she hoped (Y/n) would do the same once Penelope got around to bake something for her. In fact, the only reason Penelope hadn't done so this far was because she still had no idea what (Y/n)'s favourite was, or if she had any kind of allergies. And Penelope would be damned if she killed her Darling.

"I'm sure it'll be fine." Penelope said, sampling out a slice of carrot cake which admittedly didn't look all that bad. "What got you in such a happy mood?"

It wasn't often Jasper invited her over for tea, in fact Penelope could clearly remember this happening on two occasions only. So him going out of his day to plan a tea party with her was way out of character. Not only that, but the apparent fatigue that had been wearing his features down over the last few weeks had completely vanished, replaced with a bright and healthy complexion.

Now, Penelope knew a bunch of things about Obsessives, she had made sure to learn everything she could back when she had thought Jasper was her Darling. So she knew for a fact and in hindsight that Jasper's fatigue must have been caused by his obsession for (Y/n) and inability to fulfill it properly.

Obsessives needed plenty of time with their Darling in order to live a healthy and happy life. Jasper being more often than not loaded with work and having close to no free time probably hadn't been able to see (Y/n) as much as he would have liked. Though, Penelope doubted (Y/n) even wanted to see or spend time with Jasper anyways. The only time she'd seen the two of them interact, her Darling had seemed positively annoyed, or disinterested at best.

But Jasper's sudden change was giving Penelope some serious food for thought. And she wouldn't leave this table until she had garnered all the information she could.

Fortunately for her, Jasper had planned on telling her all about his obsession for his sweet (Y/n). This was why he had planned for this very special tea party in the first place! He wanted to make this announcement to his best friend memorable. He could already imagine how happy Penelope would be for him to have finally found his Darling! He could only hope that (Y/n) and Penelope got along, because it would tear his heart apart if he had to chase Penelope from his life.

But Jasper would do anything for his sweet lover.

"Is it that obvious?" Jasper asked with a shy smile, scratching the back of his neck.

"Jasper, I've known you my whole life. I think I can tell when you're especially happy about something." Penelope remarked, rolling her eyes at Jasper's naivety.

Jasper really wasn't as subtle about his emotions as he thought he was. His love for (Y/n) was clear as day. And Penelope thought his inability to hide his emotions quite funny actually, considering most people thought Jasper unfeeling and cold as an ice cube. If they saw him now, they'd be in for a ride.

The Jasper they knew had done a full one-eighty.

(Y/n) was the only thing that could ever bring Jasper to smile that much though, Penelope knew it all too well having witnessed the difference between the pre-(Y/n) and post-(Y/n) Jasper.

Jasper chuckled awkwardly, heat rising to his cheeks. "I guess you're right, you know me too well, Penny." He straightened his back and cleared his throat, "Which is why I wanted you to be the very first person to know about this."

He was going to tell her.

He was going to tell her about (Y/n). Finally.

He inhaled deeply, just as Penelope held her own breath in anticipation of his next words.

"I'm in love." He finally breathed out, a huge grin breaking across his features. "I finally found my one and only, Pen." Jasper continued, his voice wavering mid-sentence as tears gathered in his blue eyes.

Penelope's heart wavered at that. Because she knew. She understood how important this was for Jasper, and how much of a privilege it was for her to hear about this first, even before Jasper's own father. After all this time searching for himself and thinking he was an anomaly, Jasper finally found his Darling. He could finally be relieved in the idea that he wasn't an oddity, wasn't the unfeeling monster others pictured him as.

More than this, he could finally bathe in the fact that he had found his purpose. To Obsessives, loving their Darling came as easily as breathing, and in fact it was the main goal of plenty of Obsessives, to find their Darling and love them for the rest of their lives.

Jasper had finally found his reason for living.

Penelope knew how important this was for her best friend, how important (Y/n) was for Jasper. Still, she wouldn't let him have her. Because if (Y/n) was important for Jasper, she was also important for Penelope.

(Y/n) was Penelope's Darling and there was no changing it. Penelope wouldn't give up on (Y/n) for the world. Not even for her best friend.

"She-She's so perfect. And beautiful and kind and sweet and bright..." Jasper said, wiping his tears away with the back of his sleeve. "And, I don't know how to explain it, but it feels right, you know? It feels like I was made for loving her. From the moment I saw her, I knew."

Gods, finally telling someone about his Darling felt incredible, like a weight being lifted off his chest. Jasper had waited so long to tell Penelope about this, mostly because he didn't know how to tell her about it and wanted to bask in the privacy of his feelings a bit longer. But now that he had finally told her, he felt like screaming it from the rooftops and telling everyone about how much he loved (Y/n) and how much he longed for her.

Even his father. In fact, the more he thought about it, the more Jasper wanted to introduce (Y/n) to Elijah at the Community Bonding ball. He knew this was probably still too soon and that it would probably put his Darling in an uncomfortable situation. Elijah had waited so long for Jasper to find his Darling that he'd probably harass (Y/n) with plenty of questions and plan their marriage right away.

Which was fine for Jasper, he was ready for such a life changing event and was delighted at the prospect of talking about his relationship with (Y/n) for hours. But he knew (Y/n) probably wouldn't like this.

That was the very reason he hadn't told his father yet.

But maybe the Community Bonding ball would be the turning point in his relationship with (Y/n), the right moment for Jasper to jump the fence and finally let his father know about the good news.

He could hope, right?

"I was actually thinking of asking her on a date at the Community Bonding ball." Jasper finally confessed with a delighted chuckle, drying the last of his tears. He really couldn't believe he was saying this, couldn't believe he was finally telling his best friend about his precious (Y/n).

Of course, Penelope already knew about (Y/n). Hell, she had planned on killing her at some point, something she wouldn't dream of anymore. But she hadn't expected for Jasper to use the Community Bonding ball as an opportunity to ask (Y/n) out on a date. And although she was sure that (Y/n) would refuse, Penelope couldn't let this happen.

(Y/n) was hers, and she wouldn't let some stinky man court her. Even if said man was her best friend.

"Oh?" Penelope managed to say with a pinched smile, a bitter taste coating her tongue. "That's... A good idea. Do I know her?"

Of course she knew (Y/n), but Jasper didn't know that yet.

"I don't know, maybe you do? She works at Miguel's Kitchen, a cute coffee shop downtown." Jasper said thoughtfully. He hadn't ever crossed paths with Penelope at (Y/n)'s workplace, so he had no way of knowing that Penelope was in fact already very familiar with the place.

She was about to let him know though.

"Oh! (Y/n), you mean?" Penelope answered with a wide smile, emphasizing (Y/n)'s name to let Jasper know that she was well familiar with her. Probably more than Jasper himself was.

Though Penelope hadn't talked much with (Y/n), she probably was closer to her than Jasper was. And that was something Penelope was going to use to her advantage.

"You do know her!" Jasper exclaimed excitedly, though a bit surprised. "I didn't think you'd have met her considering you never go to coffee shops."

Penelope brushed her long golden locks off her shoulder and twirled a strand between her fingers. "I know, but I like this one. It's quiet and they've got good bakeries." That was partly true, though the main reason Penelope liked Miguel's Kitchen was because (Y/n) worked there.

"You're right, we should go there together one of these days!" Jasper offered happily, which had Penelope quietly souring at the thought. She would have dreamed for such words to leave Jasper's mouth a few weeks ago, but now the thought of him disturbing her quiet time with (Y/n) only annoyed her.

"Yeah, for sure." Was all she said before brushing this subject under the rug. "Do you have any ideas for the Community Bonding ball, though?"

Jasper inhaled deeply, this was the moment he had been waiting for and the other reason why he had invited Penelope over. This was going to be terribly embarrassing, but alas it couldn't be helped. If anyone knew how to flirt, it was Penelope.

"Actually, I was thinking maybe you could help me with that?" Jasper said with a shy smile, "I haven't talked with (Y/n) that much and I have never asked anyone on a date before... So I was thinking maybe you could teach me a few things? Or give me a few advice on how to approach her and ask her out?"

The more he spoke, the more Penelope felt like bursting out laughing. Jasper was actually making this way too easy for her. That's one thing she liked about him though, for a hitman he was kind of naive. It was cute, and something she was definitely going to use in her favour.

"Mmmh..." Penelope mused, "Maybe you should make it a masquerade ball? Plenty of girls like the thrill of a good mystery suitor." She continued, "I bet (Y/n) love that as well."

What she said was partly true of course, there was an undeniable thrill to masquerade balls and the guessing game that came with it. But the main reason Penelope brought up the idea was to make it harder for Jasper to meet with (Y/n) at the ball in the first place. She was sure she'd be able to find (Y/n) in a crowded room way before Jasper could, masks or not. If she did, she would be able to monopolize (Y/n)'s attention and lead her away from the party for some private time together.

Jasper problem solved.

Though, she needed a backup plan in case Jasper did find (Y/n) before her.

"As for how to flirt... I don't think you need any of that, Jasper. Just be yourself and be honest about your feelings, we girls appreciate this a lot more." Once again, this was good advice, but Penelope knew that it wouldn't lead Jasper very far, based on her observations of his previous interactions with (Y/n).

It was clear his feelings were one sided, and no amount of honesty or courting could ever bring (Y/n) to reciprocate his affections. In fact, these would probably drive (Y/n) even farther away from him. Which was exactly what Penelope wanted to achieve.

The thought of Jasper's hands and lips anywhere on (Y/n)'s body made Penelope physically sick.

"You think so?" Jasper asked, quite unsure of himself. He wasn't used to people accepting him for who he was or talking about his feelings. But surely, Penelope knew better, right?

"I'm sure of it." Penelope answered with a sickeningly sweet smile, placing her hand on top of Jasper's and looking into his eyes. "She'll fall into your arms before you even know it."

Jasper's lips curved into a small grateful smile, his other hand covering Penelope's which was already on his own. "Thank you, Penny." He said earnestly, "You're a real friend."

And for just a second, a pang of guilt hit Penelope for taking advantage of Jasper's trust and for falling for his Darling. But it couldn't be helped, Penelope hadn't chosen to fall for (Y/n), and now that she had she was going to do whatever she had to in order to make her hers.

So with a pinched smile, she answered.

"For you, always."

Never had her words for Jasper tasted so bitter.

A/N:

Hey guys! Hope you liked this chapter and that you're doing alright and taking care! Just to let you know that we're already ten (or so) chapters away from the endings and I'd be very curious to know who are your favourites at this point in the story, so don't hesitate to tell me in the comments!