Chapter Text
Today’s weather is Caleb Widogast’s favorite weather. The light is bright enough to read comfortably by, but not so bright that he needs to squint. It is warm enough to heat the dark wood of the table, but not so hot that his copper red hair sticks to his neck. Today is the type of day when the dopamine rush from the sunlight makes him happy enough to take off his worn, brown cardigan. The slightly-cooler air rushed over the scars lining his forearms as he stretched, letting them breathe and soak in the sunlight.
He sat outside his favorite bakery, Toll the Bread , with a now-empty cup of tea - if it could really be called a cup, as it was closer to a small bucket - and a secondhand book. There was only one table outside, and Caleb suspects it was brought outside specifically for today’s weather. He brought the cup up to his mouth absentmindedly, seeming almost surprised to find it empty. Sighing, he packed his book into his messenger bag, draping his cardigan over the top, then picked up his cup and pushed open the door.
The door creaked quietly, in a way that seemed familiar rather than annoying. Caleb only managed to catch a glimpse of the wood-paneled floor and the golden light shining inside before his vision was blocked by navy blue hair tied up into space buns, shortly followed by mischievous purple eyes and an almost infectious smile. “Cay-leb! You’re back!”
“Ah, hallo , Jester. I- I did not leave, I was only outside. I am just returning this cup before I go back home,” Caleb said, holding up the cup as evidence. “I am cooking dinner tonight for Nott and myself.”
“Of course you are, Caleb. You know, my mama says that it’s very important to take of the people around you, but you also need to take care of yourself, especially considering -” Thankfully, Jester was cut off by a lanky man with a shock of pink hair ducking through the back door, arms laden with glass jars.
“Hi, Mr. Caleb. Hi, Jester,” he rumbled.
“ Hallo , Caduceus. This week’s tea blend was very nice,” Caleb said, mouth twitching up slightly at the corners - just barely enough to be recognized as a smile.
“Thank you, Mr. Caleb,” the firbolg replied with an easy smile. “It’s good to hear that you’re enjoying our tea.”
“I- ah, I always do.” With that, Caleb maneuvered himself past Jester to set his cup down on the back counter, trying to ignore Jester bouncing on the balls of her feet and smiling slightly-too-widely in his direction. Caduceus busied himself with arranging the jars of tea on the wall, smiling gently to himself as the jars clinked together, occasionally opening one up to smell the blend.
Caleb turned back, ducking his head. “ Danke , Jester. For the tea.”
“You’re welcome,” Jester giggled, stretching the vowels and still wearing the same smile. Caleb wondered if he should ask, but dismissed the behavior as typical Jester. He bobbed his head once again, waving slightly to Caduceus as he left the shop.
The walk to his apartment was a familiar one, a routine set after many visits to the café. He read as he walked, hardly looking up. As he rounded the corner, there was a flash and a sudden burst of pain, and the next thing he knew, he was on the ground. He froze for a moment, eyes closed as he collected his thoughts and categorized injuries. Before he could finish, there was an insistent tapping on his shoulder.
“Oh gods, oh gods, please open your eyes, please be okay, oh gods.” A lilting voice, lightly accented. Caleb’s eyes snapped open and he jolted at the warm amber eyes inches from his, pressing himself harder into the sidewalk. The figure did the same, leaping away from Caleb. Despite the pain as he sat up, Caleb’s stomach swooped as he took in the other: tanned skin against a flowy white shirt with colorful tattoos poking out of the neckline and sleeves, gold jewelry peeking out from under purple curls, and purple roller skates. Caleb blinked several times at the skates, head unexplainably foggy, finally coming to the conclusion that yes, those really were roller skates.
“Are you okay?” The same lyrical voice shocked him out of his reverie, and he winced with the sudden reminder of pain. Caleb nodded wordlessly. “You don’t have to speak if you don’t want to, I just want to make sure that you’re okay.”
“ Ja , er, ja, I am okay. A-and I can speak.” Caleb’s voice was quiet, head still spinning. “ Was ist - ah, what has happened?”
The other person winced. “It seems that you and I came across the same corner at the same time. I do apologize, ever so deeply…” The lyrical voice trained off, searching for a way to address him.
“Caleb. Caleb Widogast.” He ducked his head, immediately regretting his decision as a spike of pain shot through his head and he clutched his left temple.
“And I’m Mollymauk Tealeaf, Molly to my friends, which I think you certainly are now that I’ve taken you out.” The corner of ruby-red lips twitched upwards, concern and laughter mingling together.
Caleb removed his hand from his head. As he extended his hand towards Molly to shake his hand, his eyes widened at the blood on his hand. “Oh, ah, that is not good.”
“Darling, we need to get you to a hospital,” Molly said far too evenly for the amount of blood.
Caleb’s eyes shot open and his entire body tensed as his stomach clenched. “ Nein, nein, bitte kein Krankenhaus!”
“Okay,” Molly said simply. “Can you walk? I’ve got a friend around here that should be able to fix you up, no questions asked.”
Caleb relaxed minutely and nodded, hauling himself up with a groan as he scrabbled to pick up his book. Molly rose (much more gracefully) and brushed off his black jeans, which were so tight they sent Caleb’s brain spinning again.
“Follow me.”
With that, Molly began skating. At first, Caleb was worried about keeping up, but Molly managed to stay with him, first skating circles around Caleb, then swooping this way and that while balancing on one foot, always checking that Caleb was behind him.
Caleb, on the other hand, stared resolutely at the ground. Standing was infinitely worse than sitting, and his mind was blinded with the pain that hit him. He clutched his book to his chest in an attempt to ground himself. Every ounce of his effort was keeping him upright - he didn’t dare lean on Molly, for fear of the wheels and his own anxieties about touch - focusing fully on putting one foot in front of the other. It was an unfortunately familiar experience.
Molly’s voice slowly filtered through his mental fog. “-leb, Caleb, darling, are you okay?”
Caleb looked up to see that he was back at Toll the Bread . He glanced at Molly, whose hands hovered gently above his own, carefully and intentionally not touching, as if he understood. Caleb nodded.
Molly ever-so-carefully pushed the door open, wincing at the creak. “Come on in,” he said, voice low, gently guiding Caleb in behind him.
Jester poked her head around the corner. “ MOLLY! ” She flung herself out of the kitchen at him, grinning wildly; Molly flailed his hands, shushing her as he stepped aside, revealing Caleb. Jester’s smile evaporated immediately and her eyebrows crinkled as she approached Caleb carefully. She folded her hands carefully in front of her, the only thing Caleb could see with his eyes trained on the ground. “Caleb, are you okay?”
Caleb nodded. He’s had worse.
“Okay. Can you talk to me?”
A single shake of the head.
“Would you come and sit down?”
Nod.
Caleb walked to one of the worn wooden chairs and practically fell into it, still clutching the book to his chest. His bag hit the ground next to him carelessly. He sank into himself, carefully pulling in every sensation and numbing himself until he felt like he was floating.
Jester grabbed Molly’s wrist and dragged him back towards the kitchen (a process made easier by Molly’s skates and Jester’s strength), making sure she stayed within visual range of Caleb.
“What happened?” Her voice was filled with concern, accent thickening with the beginnings of anger.
Molly ran his hand through his hair repeatedly, jewelry jingling slightly. “I don’t know, I just ran into him, and he was okay while he was on the ground but then he stood up and got really bad, and I was afraid to touch him because I didn’t know and since you’re a pre-med student I thought that -”
Jester grabbed both of his hands, interrupting his rambling. “It’s okay , Molly. Now you can help me help him.” With that, Jester skipped out from the kitchen, Molly slowly rolling behind her, and knelt in front of Caleb.
“Hi, Caleb. You don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, so you can just use one for yes and two for no, you know?” She held up her hands, displaying yes on one hand and no on the other. “Does that make sense?”
Caleb’s eyes focused slightly as he looked at Jester on the floor in front of him. One hand unwraps from the book and he raises one shaking finger.
“Do you know where you are?”
Yes.
“Do you know who I am?” Jester grinned widely at him, cupping her cheeks with her hands as she batted her eyelashes.
Caleb raised one finger again, the questions grounding him as the corner of his mouth twitched at Jester’s antics.
“Oh, that’s so good, Cay-leb, I’m so proud. Now, is it okay if I touch you so I can make sure you’re okay?”
Yes .
“Cool! I’m going to take a look at your head now.” Jester hopped up and peered at his head, carefully keeping her face composed so as to not alarm either Caleb, who was now blinking and starting to return to himself, or Molly, who skated bubbles on the floor behind her to keep himself calm. It wasn’t really a bad wound - no stitches required. Even though he had taken a bump to the head, he wasn’t displaying any other signs of a concussion.
“The Traveler must have protected you,” she proclaimed, stretching out her arms. “No problems,” she added for Molly’s sake.
An unspoken tension dissolved in the room as Molly’s shoulders relaxed, and he grinned again.
Jester glanced at both of them, hiding a smile. “Caleb, would you be okay if Molly stayed with you for a moment?”
Caleb looked up at Molly, still skating circles on the floor, and the corner of his mouth twitched up. He nodded - the simple motion sending Molly’s stomach swooping for no justifiable reason. Jester returned the nod then ran behind the counter.
Molly ran his hands through his hair again as he looked at Caleb. “I really am sorry, Mr. Caleb,” he murmured.
Caleb caught Molly’s eye - Molly froze in place - and Caleb’s eyes warmed, softening around the corners as he gave Molly a gentle smile. Molly shakily returned it, still distraught with having hurt someone. As if sensing his hesitance, Caleb retreated into himself, eyes losing some of their shine. Molly’s heart clenched at the change.
Before long, Jester returned. “Caleb, I called Nott. We’re going to get you home.”
Caleb looked up quickly, before nodding and turning his eyes back to the ground.
“Can I-” Molly’s question was cut off by Jester waving her finger in his face.
“No, Molly. I’ll take care of Caleb and if you really, really want to see him again, then you can come by tomorrow, definitely, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll be back tomorrow. Thank you, Jester,” Molly murmured. Turning to Caleb, he knelt so he was in the range of his still downwards-turned eyes. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Mister Caleb.” Caleb’s eyes locked with him and the two shared a small smile.
And with that, he skated away, leaving both Molly and Caleb with a strangely wistful sensation.