New Plan, Step One: Provide For My Community [open]

[summerdude]

Magnus needs something to change, so when a Mansion calendar helpfully informs him that it's International Falafel Day back on Earth, he goes to the library for some cookbooks, and then to the kitchen.

He lays out ten different falafel recipes. He gathers the ingredients they list, as best as he can understand them. He has canned chickpeas and fresh chickpeas and dried chickpeas and chickpea flour and box mixes of falafel that say 'just add water!'

Cripes.

"I can do this," he says, peering at the assorted recipes intently for a good ten minutes, and then takes the dried chickpeas over to the sink to rinse and soak.

Comments

[onthewillowsthere]

"Your vibes are weird."

[summerdude]

Another few chickpeas shelled. Magnus is gonna become an expert at removing chickpeas from their pod-y fates. "Weird how?"

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad frowns at him -- that minute drawing-together of his brows, the slight thinning of his lips. He's not as good at reading Magnus as Claudius, but--

"You want to talk about something. But you aren't. You always talk about everything."

[summerdude]

Huh. Weird. Magnus has no idea what that's about. "Do I?"

[onthewillowsthere]

The tiny frown deepens. He could be wrong; he's not good at reading people.

[summerdude]

"Don't give me that look," Magnus says (begs? says), a spike of anxiety lancing through him. At this point it barely registers. "I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm saying... do I talk about everything? I have no idea."

[onthewillowsthere]

"You talk about whatever you want to talk about," he says, a little uncertain.

[summerdude]

Magnus turns this over thoughtfully. "I guess I do with you, yeah," he says, eventually. "Huh." He offers Galahad a smile. "So much for being Keeping It Close To The Chest Guy, huh?"

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad is still looking at him with a shyness he's never had around Magnus before, having gone straight from Laurel's curiosity -- he's like the bipinnately compound leaves of a mimosa pudica, half-closed up after having been brushed with a fingertip.

[summerdude]

Okay, so Magnus hates the look on Galahad's face. He's been missing him for what feels like weeks now, even with the dinners he and Alex have had with Galahad and Claudius. It's different, with other people. Magnus might be Talky Guy one-on-one, or around, like, Galahad and Lan Wangji, but more than anything he likes to listen to Alex talk, and he has (he has to admit) leaned into that a little bit during those dinners, letting Alex and Claudius be clever at each other and making intermittent pleased eye contact with Galahad about it. The eye contact has been nice, but it's not, like, the two of them bopping around hanging out, vibing.

Magnus drops the chickpeas and shells in his hands both into the bowl of shelled chickpeas. "This is stupid," he says, and barrels into a hug.

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad holds back tightly, squeezing Magnus as hard as he can with his ordinary human strength, the new muscles in his arms straining.

[summerdude]

Tress told Magnus that Magtress should tell Bubba about his feelings. Alex has said, basically, the same thing. But, like, it's fine? Magnus certainly doesn't want to make Galahad feel bad about doing the things he's gotta do, or sad about the things Magnus has had to do.

So instead he buries his face against Galahad's shoulder and holds on, automatically matching Galahad's strength precisely.

[onthewillowsthere]

Eventually, quietly, he asks, "Is it my fault for becoming a Sword Guy again?"

[summerdude]

Magnus's heart drops. "What?" he says. "No. What? No. What?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"And spending so much time with Lan Wangji without you."

[summerdude]

"You didn't do anything," says Magnus, fiercely.

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad just looks at him, with the obvious question in his blue, blue eyes.

[summerdude]

Magnus sighs, pulls back, and hoists himself up onto the counter a few paces away from all the food. "I think..." He sighs. "I feel guilty."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Why?"

[summerdude]

Magnus gestures helplessly. "Like... everything?"

[onthewillowsthere]

"I don't know what you mean."

[summerdude]

Magnus makes another helpless gesture, this one more frustrated, then signs, I didn't tell you about the body. I wanted to be sure first but I told other people. I spend every day with Luo Binghe. I know you hate him. I--

His hands falter. He grips the lip of the counter.

[onthewillowsthere]

With Shen Yuan's body? he signs back. Claudius told me.

[summerdude]

Magnus nods.

[onthewillowsthere]

You and Shen Yuan are my best friends. I'm not upset that you're taking care of his body.