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Douxie lay with his head in Zoe’s lap reading a book. She stroked his hair, occasionally pushing her fingers through the fibers to scratch gently at his scalp. It was one of those rare evenings where the gaps in their work schedules coincided. Douxie sighed contentedly as she curled his hair around his ear. Finally, a moment of true peace.
“You know,” Zoe said, and the silent spell was broken, “You never told me why you were protecting Nari from the Arcane Order.”
Douxie tilted his head back, turning his gaze up to find her looking down at him.
“I didn’t?”
She shook her head. He closed his book and sat up.
“I guess this conversation is long overdue then,” he chuckled, “Do you want the whole story?”
She nodded again.
“If the world is going to end, I’d like to be as prepared as possible.”
Douxie stretched his arms above his head and then set his book on the armrest.
“Then you better get comfortable.”
And so he told her. Everything from his failed attempt at capturing the Shadow Mephit to King Aruthur destroying Excalibur to Jim’s resurrection and his escape with Nari and Archie. Everything except for the milking of the Slorr, that is.
“Now here we are hiding out in New York City to prevent the certain destruction of humanity itself,” he finished, “Any questions?”
Zoe was silent. Instead of letting her jaw drop to the floor or giving a casual shrug as he had expected, she scowled at him. She narrowed her eyes and scowled.
Douxie reached out a hand and placed it on her shoulder.
“Zoe? Are you alright?”
She smacked his hand away. He leaned back, startled.
“ You died. ”
He blinked at her.
“...I did,” he confirmed, “But I’m alive now so I don’t see the problem?”
Her scowl deepened and she bared her teeth.
“Of course you don’t.”
She got up from the couch and grabbed her jacket from the back of a nearby chair. Douxie bolted upright.
“Zoe, where are you going?”
She didn’t answer. She unlatched the chain, cast one last withering glare over her shoulder, and slammed the door shut behind her. Archie bounded into the room with Nari at his heels.
“I heard a door slam. Is something the matter?” asked the familiar.
Douxie spun around.
“It’s Zoe,” he said, “She just stormed out.”
“What did you say to her?” questioned Nari.
Douxie ran his hand through his hair.
“She wanted to know why the Arcane Order was after us so I told her everything.”
“Absolutely everything?” Archie asked, quirking an eyebrow.
“From Arcadia to Camelot and back again,” he sighed.
Archie and Nari exchanged a glance.
“I can see how that could have upset her,” Archie said, hopping up onto the couch, “Give her some time to process it all.”
He patted the cushion bedside himself.
“In the meantime, why don’t we all watch a movie, hm?”
Nari climbed up onto one end of the couch and fiddled with the remote. Douxie dropped down onto the other and heaved out a breath. She’d be back soon enough.
---
Two movies later and Zoe still hadn’t returned. Douxie drummed his fingers against his arm. With a huff, he pushed himself up and zipped up his jacket.
“It’s been three hours,” he said, “I’m going to look for her.”
Archie stretched and leapt from the cushions.
“We’ll help you search,” he said.
“No! You two stay here in case she comes back.”
“New York City is a vast place,” Archie reminded him.
Douxie paused in the doorway.
“Right…” he said.
He tapped her fingers on his chin. Then his face lit up.
“Nari, can you sense her soul?”
Nari crept from her perch on the furniture.
“I will try.”
She planted her feet firmly on the apartment floor as she focused her magic. Green tendrils spread from her feet and patterned the floor with their ethereal light. She screwed up her face in concentration.
“She is nearby,” she said, “And she is near nature.”
The spell fell.
“Near nature?” he pondered.
He snapped his fingers.
“Thanks Nari!”
With that, he sprinted from the small apartment, footsteps echoing down the hallway.
---
Central Park was virtually deserted so late at night, making it easy to spot the solitary figure perched on a park bench. Douxie pulled his hood back from his head as he approached.
“Is this seat taken?” he asked.
Zoe looked up at him momentarily. Then immediately she brought her gaze back to the night before her.
“No. Sadly,” she said.
He sat down next to her and rubbed his hands up his thighs. He let out a breath and watched it cloud before him in the cold night air. She continued to stare straight ahead.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “I should have warned you. But the important part is that, by some miracle, I’m still alive. Look!”
He took her hand in his and pressed her palm to his chest.
“See? Heart’s still beating.”
She finally turned to look at him. She flicked her eyes from her hand on his chest to his face. Then she pushed back against his chest and yanked her hand back.
“You really don’t get it, do you?” she spat, “I knew your recklessness was going to get you killed one of these days and it finally did! ”
He drew back.
“Reckless?” he said, screwing up his face, “I did what I had to to save my family. How can you call that reckless?”
“Because you always put others’ lives before your own!” she exploded, “You never ask for help no matter how many people there are who wouldn't think twice about giving it to you!”
She stood up.
“You care about everyone else so much that you forget that they care about you too!”
It was then that Douxie realized she was crying. He stood up and stepped towards her. She didn’t retreat. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her against his frame. She offered no resistance. He smoothed a hand over her hair and laid his head on top of hers.
“Zoe,” he soothed, “When I fought the Order, I didn’t realize how much family I really had.”
He lifted his head from hers and tilted her chin up to look her in the eye.
“Now I do. Now I know that there are people who I care about who are just as willing to protect me as I am to protect them. And because of that, when the time comes to face the Arcane Order, I will not hesitate to call upon them to fight by my side. And we will defeat them. All of us. Together.”
He kissed the top of her head.
“That I promise you.”
She cracked a smile up at him. Then she threw her arms around his neck, tugging him down to kiss her.
“I take that to mean I’m forgiven?”
She chuckled and batted playfully at his chest.
“Ye-eeeaaawwhh.”
She cut herself off with a yawn.
“Somebody’s tired,” Douxie joked, “Want me to carry you home?”
She tilted her head with a tired smirk.
“I can walk myself home just fine, ” she said.
“Then we better start heading back then, shouldn’t we?”
He held out his arm to her.
“Shall we?”
She slipped her own arm through his and together they headed home.
---
Douxie managed to get the door unlocked with his magic and pushed it open with his foot. About a half-mile from the apartment, Zoe had started to lose her footing every few steps and he’d been carrying her ever since.
He was about to call out for Archie and Nari to let the magical duo know they had both returned home safely, but he cut himself off when he saw the pair curled up together, asleep on the couch.
He pushed the door closed, using his foot once more, taking care not to jostle Zoe. He relocked it with magic and then edged his way past the sleeping pair to the bedroom. As he set Zoe down on the bed, she blinked her eyes open. She blearily surveyed their surroundings.
“Looks like we’re in here tonight,” Douxie whispered.
Tired as she was, Zoe still managed to smirk up at him.
“Hisirdoux Casperan, was this all just some elaborate scheme to get me in bed with you?”
He breathed out a laugh and smirked back at her.
“Oh please,” he countered, “If I wanted to get in bed with you, luv, then I could have just used my ‘English charm.’”
He leaned down to kiss her on the cheek as she giggled softly.
“You can change in here while I use the bathroom.”
He grabbed his old shorts from a drawer and headed to the bathroom, shutting the bedroom door behind him.
When he returned, he found Zoe bundled up in the blankets facing the wall. He lifted a corner of the blanket and crawled under, draping an arm across her middle. At the touch, she turned towards him, tucking her head under his chin and nuzzling into his chest.
“Thank you, Douxie,” she muttered, already half asleep.
He smiled against her hair.
“You’re welcome, Zoe.”
She yawned once more and burrowed further into his chest.
“Mmm… love you.”
He smiled and held her tighter.
“I love you too.”