I Deliberately Misinterpret The Nature Of An Agreement

[summerdude]

Galahad probably didn't expect Magnus to come pounding on his door in the middle of the day when they agreed Magnus would try sleeping on his own, especially since Magnus decided pretty quickly that he wanted to sleep outside again (but on purpose because he prefers it, not because it feels like the only option that doesn't end with the walls closing in on him). But here Magnus is, anyway, in the middle of the day, knocking loud enough that he has to force himself to take a step back so he doesn't break the door down.

"Dude, it's me, I need you," he calls, just so Galahad knows for sure it's him, or whatever. "You're in there, right? Galahad?"

Comments

[summerdude]

Magnus's smile softens. "She was the best," he says. "What do you want to know?"

[onthewillowsthere]

To be honest, he's not sure where to begin. He's never had a mother; he doesn't know what a good one does. "What was she like?"

[summerdude]

"She radiated joy," Magnus says, immediately. "She had this enthusiasm for life and everything associated with it that was genuinely infectious. Even when I had a really bad episode, she'd sit me down and wrap her arm around me and tell me stories until I could breathe again. I'd count her freckles to focus."

[onthewillowsthere]

"She took care of you?"

[summerdude]

"She'd say we took care of each other," Magnus smiles, "but yeah. She did. Took me camping every weekend. Dumped boyfriends who weren't careful enough. She was really, really good at skipping stones."

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad learned about skipping stones from Percival. Perhaps that's to be expected. He tries to imagine what it would be like to have learned that from a mother, but he still can't really picture what a mother is. Perhaps like a nun, but one who touches you, who puts her arm around you when you can't breathe.

[summerdude]

"She used to say that Tinker Bell was her spirit animal," says Magnus, musingly, and then, "Wait, do you know about Peter Pan?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"Yes!" He read both the books Kade gave him.

[summerdude]

"Whoa, wait, you do?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"Kade gave me the books."

[summerdude]

"Oh, cool! I haven't read the book, I've only seen the movie. Wait, books, plural?"

[onthewillowsthere]

He nods. "One is the romance."

[summerdude]

"What romance?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"It's called Peter Darling. Wendy is Peter, and it's about-- being a man." Growing from a boy to a man, changing from someone people think is a woman to a boy, the meaning of manhood. That's not something he's prepared to try to put into words, though.

[summerdude]

"Huh." Magnus starts to chew on this, but -- "Wait, if Wendy is Peter, what's the romance?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"James Hook. The pirate."

[summerdude]

"Whoa. Hang on a minute, I have to wrap my head around this one."

[onthewillowsthere]

"I lent it to Laertes. You could read it next."

[summerdude]

"Sure, I'll give it a shot!" Magnus tries to remember how they got onto this topic -- oh, right. "So! You know who Tinkerbell is, then."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Yes."

[summerdude]

"I don't actually know if she's different in the book," Magnus admits. "But Mom really identified with her, I guess."

[onthewillowsthere]

Tinkerbell is ... not exactly a flattering comparison, in Galahad's estimation, but he doesn't know Magnus' mom, or the Peter Pan movie, so he nods to encourage Magnus to continue.

[summerdude]

"I think mostly it was because she looked like her," Magnus adds, thoughtfully. "Petite, blonde, leaf-green eyes, similar bangs... but I think Tink's hair was longer."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Oh." That makes a little more sense.

[summerdude]

"There was this prophecy," Magnus says, a little more quietly. "The only good prophecy I ever got. That I'd be able to talk to her again, at least once." He sighs. "I do want that one to come true."