A/N: Hello readers! I've been writing this story for a loooong time. Never really happy with it, but if I don't publish it now, I never will. So, I hope you like it! Please tell me what you think. And I know that there is most likely some mistakes as English isn't my firts language. Sorry about that!

Oh, and this is based on the book.

Disclaimer: Nothing belongs to me. I'm just having fun.

In Which Howl Lies (And Sophie Knows It)

It was about two o'clock in the afternoon when Howl came back into the castle. He had been gone the whole night and the day before, but he was smiling brighter than the sun. Which made Sophie immediately suspicious.

"Where have you been?" she asked.

Howl's smile didn't fade one bit.

"Out", he said brightly. "Fancy some breakfast?"

"I've already had breakfast", Sophie said as Howl walked across the room to fill the kettle. "And lunch. You've been gone since yesterday."

"Have I?" asked Howl, who didn't seem to be bothered by Sophie's tone the least. "I guess that time flies when you're busy."

She really shouldn't be so angry because of this. He had been out the whole night before. He had been out longer than one night before. But that was then, and now was now, and if she didn't need to know what he was doing (or who he was doing it with) before, she should now. Shouldn't she? She should, because they were… he was her… what was he to her, exactly? Her grandmother would've called him her gentleman caller, but he wasn't a caller because they lived under the same roof, and he definitely wasn't a gentleman. They weren't engaged, let alone married, so what were they? She tried not to think about it, even if it was something she had been thinking a lot lately, especially last night when she laid awake worrying about him, because now she needed to get an answer from Howl. And it wouldn't be easy, she was sure about that.

"Doing what?" she asked and tried to sound like she didn't care as much as she did.

"Ah. You know. Stuff," Howl said lightly and gave her a gleeful grin.

"Stuff."

"Yes", he said his smile growing again. "Very important stuff."

Sophie narrowed her eyes. She had, some time ago, put a spell on his shampoo. It would turn his hair red if, and when, he lied. Right now his hair was blonde as usual, but then again, he wasn't lying. He was just being extremely vague. Sophie folded her arms.

"What 'stuff'?"

At that, Howl glimpsed at Calcifer, who seemed to try to avoid looking at Sophie.

"Nothing", he said quickly.

"You just said 'very important stuff'", Sophie pointed out.

"Yes, well, you see, it's very important stuff that means absolutely nothing to you", he explained. And now the roots of his hair were red, and the colour was spreading like someone had poured a can of red paint on his head. And it wasn't just plain pinkish red like it was if he gave a small, white lie, oh no! It was a screaming scarlet! Calcifer stared at him, then he turned to Sophie and then back to Howl.

"You're in trouble", he said, and Sophie wasn't sure if he meant Howl or her.

"So are you, you vile little flame!" Sophie growled to him. "You know what he's been doing!"

"Vile little flame?" he huffed. "No one calls me a flame! I'm outta here!" and he puffed up the chimney.

Howl, who seemed to find the situation extremely funny, was still grinning like a lunatic, which proved two things. One, that he thought that Sophie wasn't as mad as she really was, and two, that he had no idea that his head looked like it was on fire.

"So, supper, then?" he offered.

"Howl, I know you are lying", Sophie bit out. "So why don't you just tell me what you've been up to, because trust me, whatever it is, it can't be worse than what I'm thinking."

"Ah, but Sophie, I am not lying", he said sweetly, took her hands into his, and tried to pull her into some kind of dance across the room. "I am just extremely happy!"

"Because of the stuff you've been doing?" asked Sophie, who stood still as Howl hopped, danced and bounced around her, still holding her hands, and she was turning around as he tried to pull her along to his whatever it was.

"Yes!"

"Because of the very important stuff that means absolutely nothing to me?"

"Yes!"

Had it been different circumstances, or his hair not turning redder every second, she'd have laughed. But the situation was what it was, and Howl was lying. And she hated that. She hated him and his clothes and smile and enthusiasm. And especially his hair. She wished she'd never put on that spell so she'd never end up here. But then she wouldn't know if he lied, and where would that take her? It was bad either way, and she hated that too.

"Then why is your hair red?" she asked.

Howl stumbled. "What?"

"I put a spell on your shampoo to tell me if you're lying", she told him.

"WHAT?!"

Howl rushed to the mirror so fast that he knocked down two chairs and almost himself as well.

"What have you done!" he yelled. "I look like a beetroot!"

Sophie smiled sweetly.

"Beetroot is darker. That colour is more like a strawberry. Or a tomato."

Howl howled and pulled the ends of his bright red hair.

"Stop putting spells on my things!"

"It wouldn't be any trouble for you if you wouldn't lie!"

"How do I get this off!" he more screamed than asked, which gave Sophie way too much satisfaction. Well, he had lied, so he deserved it. She picked up a fallen chair, sat on it, took the coat she'd been working on before Howl came in, and started to sew a fallen button on it.

"Sophie!" his voice got higher by every syllable. "How do I get this off! I can't go out looking like this!"

"Shouldn't you be able to break the spell on your own, talented wizard as you are?" she asked calmly, her eyes on the button.

"Yes, expect your spells are almost as stubborn as you are, and stubborn spells are impossible to break. Like we learnt from your charming form of an old lady", he snarled.

"Well, then you better stay inside."

"But I need to go out!"

"Why?"

"To do -"

"Stuff", Sophie ended.

"Yes!"

"What stuff?"

"Is the sole purpose of your existence to make my life miserable?" he asked as he slid down to the floor and hid his face in his hands. "Will it go redder?"

"This is the reddest I have ever seen it", Sophie said frankly.

He looked up horrified.

"You mean this has happened before?"

"About three months now", Sophie shrugged.

"My hair has turned red every time I lie for three months?"

"Yes."

"Sophie, you… you…!" he opened and closed his mouth as no words came out. "I should throw you out, that's what I should do!"

"Then who'd keep the castle clean?"

"I liked it dirty."

Sophie remained silent. She picked up another button and started to sew it on. Minutes crawled by. Howl was sobbing. Sophie considered, once again, leaving the castle and never coming back. She knew she wouldn't do it, but knowing that it was an option made her feel a little better.

"Is my hair still red?" Howl muttered after about a quarter of an hour. Sophie looked up from her work. Howl had his face hidden in his knees, the red hair sticking up between his slender fingers.

"Yes."

"When is it going to go away?"

Sophie didn't answer. She took another button. Stupid needle pinching her finger. Stupid shaking hands. Howl crawled closer, so close that he almost sat on her feet, and looked up at her with his eyes wide and wet and… definitely not beautiful. Nope, she wasn't going to fall into that again. Not after a lie this big.

"Please tell me how I get rid of it please."

Sophie sighed.

"You just need to tell the truth."

He dropped to his back and groaned.

"But I don't want to!"

"That's your problem", Sophie said. She was well aware that her voice was trembling, but she had no strength to keep it steady. She wanted Howl to tell the truth and she was terrified of what it might be.

Time went on. Howl sat up and stared at Sophie, who did her best not to look at him. If she did, she'd start to cry, and she didn't want to cry. Howl sighed, very deep and very loudly. Then he sighed again. Then he slowly stood up. Sophie expected him to go to his room and try and find a spell to break the one she had made, but he didn't.

"Fine", he said. "Fine, if that's what you want. Come on."

And he marched across the room and out of the castle. Sophie couldn't help herself; she looked after him. He really went out. With his hair red. It made Sophie feel a little better, even though she didn't know why. But still, as she was not going to follow, she continued her work. It took almost five minutes for him to come back. He walked right to her, took a firm hold of her hand and pulled.

"Come on!"

"What? Where?"

"Out."

Sophie frowned. She had her doubts, really, but if Howl was really ready to leave the castle looking like that, then maybe she was wrong. But did it really matter?

"I'm not going out with you."

"Why not?"

"Because!" Sophie began and suddenly she felt like laughing because Howl looked ridiculous with his hair bright red. "Because… because your hair is red!"

"And who's fault is that?" Howl growled.

"Yours!"

Howl sighed again.

"Could you just this once be nice and come out with me? Please?" he asked.

"Why?"

"I want to show you something."

"What?"

"Well, you have to come and see", Howl answered, and he sounded like his temper was about to crack. And he really didn't have a right to lose his temper. "Come on!"

"I already told you, I'm not going anywhere with you."

Howl muttered something Sophie didn't hear, but she guessed he was swearing. He pulled Sophie to her feet and lifted her over his shoulder, and even though Sophie kicked and hit him to get free, he managed to carry her outside.

"Let me down!" Sophie snapped.

"If I do, will you follow me?"

"No!"

"Then I'm not letting you down!"

"Howl! Howl, you stupid… I can't even begin… Just let me down!"

"No!"

"Why not? At least then you get to be all dramatic and mistreated! Isn't that what you want? To walk around bawling and then turn into a ball of green slime? Go ahead, I'm not stopping you! But can't you just force me -"

Howl dropped her to her feet.

"I wanted to surprise you!" he shouted. That stopped Sophie's rant.

"What?"

"I wanted to surprise you! That's what I've been doing the whole night! Preparing the surprise! But now you ruined it, so congratulations, I hope you're happy! No surprises! Just yet another normal, boring day!"

Sophie stared at him with her mouth open. His hair had lost almost all of the red in it, only the ends were still red like they'd been dipped into the colour. Sophie was so relieved that she almost missed the hurt look in Howl's eyes. Almost.

"A normal, boring day?" she teased gently. "With you? Really?"

But now it was Howl who was upset, and Sophie's softer tone didn't seem to be enough to calm him down.

"I give up!" he snapped. "You're never happy with what I do! I bet you hate this as well!" and he pulled a small, black box out of his pocket and threw it to Sophie. "Do whatever you like with it!"

And he marched back into the castle and slammed the door shut.

###

A/N: Funnish fact. I had to read the whole book again just to check what Howl's hair colour was at the end of the book. Although I think it was an excellent reason for a re-read.