i've got the magic in me

Anastasia was growing a bit worried for Lucas. Why was he gone for awhile? Why was he so down? When he changed and came back, she looked at him. “Lucas…you’re not doing a poor job.” She gave him a small smile. “I’m okay…everything is okay. What isn’t okay, is you. What’s going on?” She asked as she tilted her head. 

~

“I guess I’ve been feeling kind of . . . lonely,” Lucas admitted. “You have Cade, and Yasemin went back home . . . my brain started overthinking so I just kept smoking more and taking edibles until I’ve just been too high to do anything or be of use to anyone.” He shook his head. “I took the easy way out, when I should’ve been here to help you. It doesn’t matter how I feel, I need to be here for you no matter what.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right.” Simon wasn’t sure exactly how to bring it up, given that he’d never had to bring up this kind of thing before. The nature of their relationship or the kiss. “I think so, we like being around each other at least. It kind of takes me a while before I even want to kiss someone, well when I’m not high.” 

~

Lucas nodded slowly. “Okay. Okay. You should definitely talk to her about it, then. Explain how you feel and how it’s a big step for you and that’s why it hasn’t been brought up before. She’ll probably understand if she’s a good person, and I don’t think you’d be interested in someone who wasn’t a good person.”

Taking ahold of his hands, Mordred took a deep breath, focusing on where she wanted to go-it would be easy to place them right in the middle of a busy street if she wasn’t careful. So, she pictured a bar she used to visit, more specifically, the alleyway next to it. Remember the tiny details, the smallest things. Exhaling slowly, she shut her eyes tightly and pushed.

It was quiet, and for a moment, she thought she had failed somehow. Opening her eyes slowly as the sounds of nearby conversations greeted her ears. Blinking, she took in their surroundings. An alleyway, a couple going past, absorbed in their conversation. With a quiet chuckle, she let go of Lucas, taking a step back. “Well, I’ll be damned. Looks like you’re my good luck charm.” She shot him a smirk. She eyed the joint he was holding. “Sharesies now?”

~

Lucas closed his eyes when she did, accepting whatever might happen to him. After a moment, he squinted one eye open before opening both, glancing around them. “Well, shit. Looks like you’re just as powerful as I thought,” he said with a proud grin. He held his joint out to her. “You didn’t even have to use a spell, did you? You’re definitely not a witch, but you’re something.” He wondered if Anastasia would know. “Where to next, Mor?”

~

“Oh. Well, to be fair, he didn’t mention he was close to you either,” Lucas said, not sure if that helped or not. “So you don’t need to apologize, is what I’m trying to say.” He pressed his hands together, bowing over them slightly. “Namaste. Thank you.”

“Min’s back in town.” Might as well get it out of the way. “He isn’t back because of me, just by the way, he’s back for other reasons and I wanted to make sure you knew so that you don’t get blind sided.” the angel explained. “I have no idea if he kept in touch with you this entire time too.” It was’t that he didn’t like the guy, they just didn’t have anything in common besides Min.

~

“Oh. Really?” Lucas said, blinking a few times and wondering if he was dreaming this whole conversation. It was possible. “Yeah he . . . we talk sometimes,” he said after a moment. Not very often, or for very long, but Min had made a point to stay in touch. Lucas appreciated it, even if he didn’t know whether certain conversations had truly taken place or not. 

He glanced around briefly. “You came all the way out here to tell me that?” he asked, turning back to look at Mal quizzically.

He was carrying something into the dojang, back to the street, when he saw him. So down went the box of doboks went, hitting the sidewalk as Min sprinted to the street, pulling Lucas towards him before he could get hit.

It took a moment to register what Lucas had said. He offered a small nod, “I’m back. We arrived sooner than I had planned. I was expecting to see you but not this way.” He tried to ignore the flipping pages of possibility begging for his attention, but he still held onto the familiar for good measure, “Are you alright?”

~

Now that he mentioned it, Lucas vaguely remembered Min saying something about coming back. Honestly, he thought he’d hallucinated that too. He still wasn’t sure this was entirely real. When Min asked if he was all right, Lucas didn’t know how to answer that.

“You’re real, right?” he asked instead, reaching up to pat Min’s chest. He smiled faintly. “I’ve dreamt of you coming back before, so I can’t be sure. Also, I’m really high right now . . . I think.”

“I’m not sure. We’ve been sort of dating for a few months. Nothing serious" They hadn’t even brought up whether or not to refer to each other as boyfriend and girlfriend. “I keep wondering if it’s still too soon, but then like every movie I’ve ever watched they’ve already kissed by the end of the first date.”

~

“Damn, a few months? Probably a good idea to have that conversation of whether it’s serious or not,” Lucas said, shaking his head. “Maybe bring up the kiss thing too while you’re at it. Are you sure she’s into you? I don’t ask that to be mean, it’s just that most people would’ve initiated a kiss by now. Then again, you seem into her and you haven’t initiated one either.” He felt like maybe this wasn’t the best advice, but his brain was pretty foggy.

Anastasia was making some food when she heard the wings before she felt a small weight on her shoulder. Almost unnoticeable until she felt the soft feathers brushing her cheek and the nips at her ear. She smiled before her finger outreached to pet him. “I was starting to get worried that you didn’t want to talk to me.” She confessed before she motioned to have him climb on her fingers so she could see him. “Are you okay?”

~

Lucas hesitated before walking down her arm to her fingers. He hunched into himself, hiding some in his wings before lowering them and letting out a sad “whoo.” Being a familiar, he knew he should’ve been able to communicate telepathically with Anastasia by now, but he hadn’t been around enough for them to work on it, or on anything. He was a failure as a familiar, and Anastasia deserved better. 

Hopping forward, he “kissed” the tip of her nose with his beak before holding up a wing as if to say ‘one minute.’ Flying out of the room, he returned a few minutes later in human form (wearing pants for her comfort).

“I need to apologize,” he said, hopping up onto the island counter of the kitchen and pulling his legs up to sit cross-legged. “I know I haven’t been a very good familiar lately. You deserve better. I have no good excuse.”