Work Text:
Do you want to build a hideout?
With Stanford on a business trip for a week or so, Will had a slightly calmer schedule to follow. Fiddleford left him alone, as long s the demon did the same to the scientist, meaning that the two could both live happy lives, and relatively stress free for most of it. Sometimes the master called and gave either one a task, but they would mostly keep up their normal schedule, minus the tasks that had to do with Stanford himself. And for some reason, even testing day had been cancelled with the man out of the house. Will was feeling more energetic than he had done in quite a while and used the opportunity to perform some small tricks for his furry little friend. His kitten Sixie. Although she wasn’t truly a kitten anymore. Perhaps her mind was still young, but her body was not so small and fragile anymore. She was turning into a graceful cat with a long, fluffy tail and still those funny paws with the extra toe. But the extra fluff was no issue for the demon slave at all. On the contrary, he loved brushing her soft fur after a long day of working in and around the manor and running his fingers through it when he woke up in the morning. She was his faithful companion. And for some reason Stanford didn’t mind it as much when she roamed the manor on her own. Maybe because she suited the décor so well? Will didn’t know, and he knew better than to ask.
Either way, today they were playing around a bit, after the demon had done his daily cleaning tasks and didn’t feel like reading. It was a rainy day, so being outside was not much of an option. Sixie would make muddy pawprints on the carpet and those were such a pain to get out, that Will generally avoided letting her out at all when it was muddy or rainy. Instead, to still be as far away from Fiddleford as possible, they had gone upstairs to the attic. It was a space not actively used as living space but did serve a purpose. A certain few of Stanford’s projects and collections were stored here. Paintings, jewel cases, sculptures and other items were carefully catalogued and stored here. Will had to come up to the floor every once in a while, to refresh the spells that kept moisture and dust away from the precious items, and sometimes to add a new item to the vast space. It was huge, reinforced to keep out even magic eyes and hold the weight of the objects. And with the demon’s effective methods of storing things, there was plenty of space for two flexible and elegant beings to play without breaking anything. So, Will used a little bit of his magic to make sparkles for Sixie to chase, which she happily did. The demon laughed as he watched her climb the heavy drapes in front of the window in the hope to reach the flickering lights, he made for her.
She took a leap off the drapes and chased the lights towards a large cabinet with glass doors that held the smaller items Stanford stored up here. Will had to be very careful so his cat wouldn’t crash into the door and shatter it. While he could repair the glass if it broke, some of the instruments inside were rather delicate and held quite a significant amount of magic energy that would very likely cause problems that would be far less easy to solve. So, he steered her away from it, careful to avoid disaster. That was, until something caught his eye. A sparkle he didn’t cause. Curiously, the demon slave drew closer. His magic died down and Sixie walked up to him, meowing softly to demand he resumed playing with her. But for once, he didn’t listen to her pleas for attention and instead set his fingers on the knob of the cabinet, his single blue eye on a glass orb. It looked like a mix between a crystal ball and a snow globe. It was filled with glittering lights and twirling bubbles. William Cipher tried to remember what this project was. It was too advanced to be something that stemmed from before his time in the mansion. While Stanford was an exceptional sorcerer, he was still limited to the laws of nature in humans. Will didn’t have that issue, and it was because of him that Stanford had extended the laws of magic further than anyone ever thought was possible.
No, the demon didn’t know from the top of his head when this had come into his master’s possession, but his curiosity drove him to open the door and take it out. Underneath it was a paper, torn from a journal or notebook. Will took that too and sat down on the floor, his fingers lighting up to allow him to read what was written on that piece of paper. It didn’t take him long to recognize his own handwriting, but to actually remember writing this took a lot longer. The page came from his first journal. The one he had been writing in the first months after his surgery had prevented him from returning home. That journal had contained many different types of magic that had to do with dimensions. Will remembered the day he had stumbled upon the broken portal in the basement of the manor, and Stanford had told him about his plans to make it work, to allow him to be closer to the source of all magic. The demon knew it had not worked out well, and the experiment had been closed. But it was that day that this passage had been added to his journal. It wasn’t clear how Stanford got hold of it, or how he managed to make the thing Will had described, but it was likely done during a testing day. One of those spare moments William had been allowed to sleep through it. His magic had been stolen and trapped within the orb he held. Or perhaps, it was even done with the help of his stolen eye, who knew?
The ball was warm to the touch. Will smiled; it was nice. It felt familiar somehow. It wasn’t dangerous, the demon knew that now. Perhaps Stanford had wanted to use it to trap those who crossed him? The slave knew that his master would not be above that kind of action. But this ball, this pocket dimension, was not the way to go. It was no prison, since those who entered it, could leave it whenever they wanted. It wasn’t a way to trap someone, but more a way to temporarily escape the stress of reality. A mind space, but real. Everything inside a pocket dimension could be changed at will but was real enough. Flowers could be picked and placed into a vase. Rivers could flow and one could swim in lakes, clean themselves by taking a shower, even take a nap. No objects could be taken from a pocket dimension unless they were put in them first though. While everything could be generated inside it, nothing could leave. It only existed within the orb. Will let it roll over his hands for a bit, smiling. He could take a chance? Stanford wasn’t home and Fiddleford wouldn’t look for him, so there was no risk of anyone calling him really? Well, Stanford could call, but it was unlikely. The only question was if he dared to go.
In the end, the demon slave decided he deserved to take this chance for once. He called Sixie over and rubbed over the ball for a second to set the scene he desired. Then he took a deep breath, set one hand on Sixie’s fluffy head, and the other one lightly squeezed the orb. Immediately the flicking, sparkling light spread out of the orb, over his body, engulfing him completely until his entire world seemed to consist of ever-changing lights and colours. He felt himself getting dizzy and his single eye fell shut. This was normal, and it didn’t worry him. Still, it wasn’t too pleasant when he lost consciousness for a little bit while the orb would take care of his wishes. Sixie dropped too. She was more worried and had been meowing, scared. The last thing Will felt before everything faded was her soft body shaking lightly. He would have apologized, but he was too late. The two were left to the mercy of magic. While it was Will’s magic, it was still made by Stanford, so there was always still a chance that a nasty surprise would be waiting for them.
But no, when they came to their senses, they were in the middle of a meadow. Bees buzzed around them, searching the various flowers for the precious nectar they so skilfully turned into honey. Will sat up, scratching Sixie between her ears to calm her down. He smiled as the sound of a waterfall reached his ears. Time to explore for a bit. With the fluffy cat on his heels, Will started the walk to the forest past the meadow. It wasn’t a very dense forest though. More like what a fairy tale writer would imagine a forest to be. Many trees were strangely shaped into archways and formed clusters that could very well be hideouts of gnomes or fairies. A stream found its way through the landscape, edged by moss-covered rock formations and whomping willows that let their long branches dip into the water. Dragonflies and other insects buzzed around, and frogs croaked in the reed and on the lily pads that floated on the water. Will stretched and turned his face to the sky, the sun warming his skin. He smiled calmly. Sixie was elated and jumped around him, chasing butterflies, rolling around in flowers that grew underneath the trees and sniffing at the strange pebbles that seemed to indicate a path through this wonderful world that could not possibly exist on earth. Will followed the path, having a vague idea of where it would lead them.
And he was right too. The waterfall became louder, and when the demon and the cat went around a blossoming bush, they reached it. The sun created a sparkling rainbow above the water. Huge purple and blue butterflies lazily fluttered from flower to flower, and fallen trees separated a secluded nook from the water. Will slid into the hole, followed by the cat. It was a little darker underneath the trunks, covered with ivy. The light in this little hideout was greenish, and it was actually quite peaceful. Sixie seemed to approve of this spot and curled up on a layer of leaves to take a short nap. Will didn’t want to sleep. He watched from his secret spot how the wildlife resumed its daily routine now that the stranger had disappeared from their sight. While most animals liked Will, they still hid when he only passed. After all, he looked a lot like a human and would cause the animals to initially flee, to protect themselves. The demon didn’t mind it too much. He understood it was only their natural reaction. Instead, he amused himself with simply watching as a deer emerged and started drinking from the river. A rabbit passed by and nibbled on the grass in front of the small nook where Will and Sixie had made themselves comfortable.
The rabbit’s ears moved. The head quickly turned and then it hopped away. A moment later, a fox passed by. Even here, the circle of life existed. It got late. Will wished for some food to appear, and it did. Even for Sixie, there was something to eat and drink. Perhaps, one more day. That wouldn’t hurt anyone, right? He would simply return to the real world tomorrow early afternoon, so he could do his chores. There wasn’t much he had to do. He could simply stay. After all, he would notice it when his master came home. They were connected, there was no risk. William was sleepy and decided he didn’t want to leave yet. Instead, the greenery formed itself into a soft mattress. The demon slave sank into it and yawned, falling asleep in this strange, wonderful world that somehow felt like home. This was a world of pure magic after all. There were moments he missed his home dimension. But this came close, in a way. The demon didn’t want to leave so soon.
All things came to an end eventually though. Will woke up when a new day in the fairy tale world started. Sixie woke up too. And climbed out of their hideout. She wanted to play again. Will chuckled lazily and followed her. Right into the arms of Stanford Gleeful. Will froze, but the master pulled him close. “I came home in the middle of the night to surprise you, my darling. But instead, you surprised me. I didn’t find you in bed. I followed our bond, and it led me here. Why don’t you show me around in the world you created for you and your princess?” He asked, his deep brown eyes twinkling.