Look, It's Been A Really Weird Week [closed post]

[summerdude]

Magnus's day is already pretty thrown off, between surprise Hanguang-jun morning hangs (definitely positive) and coming clean to Alex about training with Lancelot (mostly positive), which led directly to Alex coming along to afternoon training (weird, but ultimately extremely good), so that he can... vet Lancelot??? Have a fun little spar with Magnus???? Tease them both mercilessly??? Anyway, it's fun! It feels kind of like the best part of old times, except Magnus is actually kind of good now that he's had formal training, and even though he knows Alex, like, super well, Alex is always a wildcard with fighting, and it's nice to have things shaken up in training now that Magnus is also getting used to how Lancelot fights.

All this to say that he somehow hasn't seen Galahad yet, even though usually by now he's spent several hours with Galahad. So after dinner, he heads back up to the Mansion with the dual purposes of finding (1) Galahad and (2) art supplies for his next time-sensitive project.

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[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad has finally told Claudius how much he misses working in the garden with him, and so they've spent the afternoon after his visit with Lan Wangji planting and weeding in their little herb beds, although Galahad stopped often to catch wasps drawn to the early blossoms of thyme and sage, to photograph the fat soft bees that bumble around the rows. The herbs are neat, now, this early in the season, but Galahad remembers the kitchen garden at the nunnery, and knows soon they'll sprawl out in leggy spears and thick bushes.

After they've washed up, Claudius leaves for supper with Laertes and Sagramore at their new house, and Galahad decides to go back outside for a while. The days are getting longer, dusk lasting for what seems like hours. He puts on a soft cotton dress and a cardigan from Claudius' own closet, and sits down on the steps outside the mansion with his sketchbook to draw.

[summerdude]

Magnus, seeing Galahad, veers from the door and plops down on the steps next to him, leaning against him. "Whatcha drawing?"

[onthewillowsthere]

Immediately he melts against Magnus' shoulder. He feels better from talking to Lan Wangji and Claudius about Evil Twin Magnus, but he's still so relieved that the real Magnus is here with him, touching him as if it's second nature, choosing him as always.

"The sunset."

[summerdude]

"It's a nice sunset," Magnus says, watching it for a moment. Small perk of being the son of a sunshiney summer god and also have magical healing powers: he can look directly at it and it doesn't hurt him! "I missed you today."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Your Evil Twin was here."

[summerdude]

"Yeah. Hanguang-jun said," Magnus says. He reaches into his pocket, takes out the locket, and passes it over so Galahad can look at it. The metal is warm and burnished -- Magnus keeps running his thumb over its engraved face.

[onthewillowsthere]

Galahad opens it and looks at the pictures inside. Neither of the people there is familiar to him, but he can guess, from the way the metal is warm from Magnus' hands, and the blond hair of the people inside. "Is it your mom?"

[summerdude]

Magnus nods. "And me as a kid. About ten-ish."

[onthewillowsthere]

For the first time, Galahad wonders what Elaine looked like. He wonders if he has any of her features -- if her hair was as pale as his, or her eyes blue.

Magnus knew his mother, and loved her. He must be glad to have a picture of her that he can look at and hold close.

[summerdude]

"My Evil Twin gave it to Hanguang-jun," Magnus says, leaning his head on Galahad's shoulder. "Apparently."

[onthewillowsthere]

At least the Evil Twin did one good thing. "I'm glad," Galahad says, truthfully.

[summerdude]

Magnus flicks his gaze up to the curve of Galahad's cheek. "You hated me, huh," he says. "Other me. Whatever."

[onthewillowsthere]

"He had lost Jack, but he wanted to see him."

[summerdude]

Magnus takes this in and chews on it for a while. "I can see that," he decides. "I'd probably want to see Jack again if I lost him. Apologize, or whatever. Jack's sensitive about that kind of thing."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Magnus-- Jack put himself in my hand."

[summerdude]

A complicated expression crosses Magnus's face, and he thinks about Alex asking, during Visitor's day, why he couldn't just hide Jack here and go home with her. "He trusts you."

[onthewillowsthere]

"Is that okay?"

[summerdude]

"Yeah, of course," Magnus says immediately. "I'm glad he does. Back home he really only trusted me and Alex." He wants Jack to have a community, too! Especially since he's, like, essentially trapping him here forever.

[onthewillowsthere]

"I think-- it would be okay if I train with him. Sometimes."

[summerdude]

Magnus grins. "I know he'd love that."

[onthewillowsthere]

He nestles against Magnus' side. "And you wouldn't mind."

[summerdude]

"Course not. I'd be glad, actually. Maybe if he's teaching you, he'll stop giving me pop quizzes."

[onthewillowsthere]

"What does he quiz you about?"

[summerdude]

"Viking culture, battle moves, the names of all his girlfriends, when I'm going to let him train me again, song lyrics, types of blades through history, Norse customs, different gods, different jotuns, why I won't let him fly around the Feast Hall of the Slain, how I think Frey is doing without him, sword forms... the usual."

[onthewillowsthere]

Suspiciously, "If I ask him to train me, is he going to quiz me about those things?"