In The War Of The Pranks, You Ball Or You Die [closed post]

[summerdude]

Magnus has had an incredibly busy morning. The winter feels less oppressive in the wake of that totally insane blizzard the other day, so he spends the first few hours digging out camp with Alex (which does take some time, because they do take a couple of breaks for snow fights, make-out sessions, and snacks), and then digging out Galahad's church. In the process of tracking down a shovel to do said digging, he learns that the Mansion is making things again (thank gods), so he also takes advantage of that, once his home has been unearthed, to find another outdoor fireplace, a few candles and tiki torches, and a weird wooden chest thing filled with paper and markers. Plus some bells.

He takes all of these things back to the church, and works in earnest to continue setting it up. He writes TABERNACLE GOES HERE? on one of the papers, which he wedges in one of the slats of the box, demonstratively, and places it on his former reading branch, urging the branch to grow around the box a little more snugly. He threads bells through smaller branches, and then moves the branches like vines, securing them in place above the cross. The outdoor fireplace he puts next to the place where he imagines Galahad might sit or kneel or whatever, so he can stay warm; he places the candles on top of it, and then drags Dro's perch to the other side of the kneeling/sitting space. Finally, he shoves the torches into the frozen ground in a line leading up to the space.

Then, he decides, he can't do anything else without some sort of direction from Galahad. So he goes back to camp, gives Alex another big old kiss, and shoves his notebook into his backpack. "I'll be back by dinner," he promises her, "with dinner," and trots off to the Mansion to find Galahad.

Comments

[onthewillowsthere]

"Is it a game?"

[summerdude]

"Basically," Magnus says. "Game... prank... bonding experience... maybe a form of torture.... If you're ticklish and you're tickled, you can't help but laugh."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Will you try it again, now that I know?"

[summerdude]

"Yeah, of course! Right now, or do you want me to surprise you with it?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"Is it different if it's a surprise?"

[summerdude]

"Yeah, sometimes if you know it's coming it doesn't work."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Try it."

[summerdude]

Obviously Magnus is going to try it. He lunges, feinting toward Galahad's left side and then tickling his right side instead.

[onthewillowsthere]

This time -- perhaps just because he's aware of what's going on -- it actually does work, and he drops back against the counter with a squirm. He's not so much laughing as grimacing, but he gets it this time.

[summerdude]

Magnus doesn't keep it up for very long -- he's not about torture, he's just about having fun with his best friend (who seems to have unlocked a Magnus 2.0 that Magnus didn't even know existed, like, overnight). He rocks back on his heels, sticking his hands in his pockets. "So that's tickling."

[onthewillowsthere]

"I hate it," in the same tone he uses for announcing he hates a food: he's still really pleased to have learned something new about himself.

[summerdude]

"Then I'll keep it to a minimum," Magnus promises. He reaches behind Galahad and opens the cabinet. "Hey! I found the stew. I wonder how it got there..."

[onthewillowsthere]

"You're hot."

[summerdude]

Magnus cracks up, even as he nudges Galahad to the side so he can retrieve the stew and dump all the leftovers into the tupperware. The pot he puts in the sink, running water into it.

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad waits until he's doing that last part and then leans over to tickle him.

[summerdude]

Magnus shrieks, retaliating by getting a handful of water and flicking it at Galahad.

[onthewillowsthere]

He definitely hadn't known it was going to work until the moment it does, and he persists, absolutely undeterred by the water.

[summerdude]

"I will tickle you back," Magnus warns, gasping, curling his hands threateningly.

[onthewillowsthere]

"Do you hate it too?" stopping and shifting into a hug instead.

[summerdude]

"I think it's a fun way to, like, roughhouse," Magnus says, going happily into the hug.

[onthewillowsthere]

"Should I have kept going?"

[summerdude]

Magnus shrugs. "Probably not in the kitchen," he says. "But if we're ever wrestling, I guess it's fair game."

[onthewillowsthere]

"All right. Show me what you're making."

[summerdude]

"Kay, let's go. Oh wait, hold on." Magnus calls up enough warmth to dry off the splatters of water he'd gotten on Galahad's shirt.

[onthewillowsthere]

"Thank you." It's still plenty cold enough that he would have been miserable outside.