Work Text:
Various books and scrolls floated around Dusekkar, glowing blue around the edges as he pulled them from the shelves with magic. It was at this point that he had long forgotten what exactly it was he was looking for, but the mage knew that— if he saw it— he’d remember.
The library door suddenly flew open, the BANG it caused as it hit the wall echoing up the sprawling shelves. Dusekkar flinched, causing several of the texts to clatter to the ground as he lost his focus.
Mildly annoyed now, he turned his pumpkin head to see who dared to disturb him… only to be met with the sight of a familiar, curly-haired idiot.
“Shedletsky,” the mage nearly deadpanned, shoulders dropping an inch as he levitated some of the books over to a nearby table, setting them down much more gracefully than the previous few. “What brings you to my archives? Do you need assistance with something?”
Shedletsky grinned, walking over to the other Admin in three long strides. “If you must know, my little Popeye’s biscuit with no drink, I just wanted to know if…”
Dusekkar’s face went blank (well, it would have, was his head not a pumpkin) as he stopped processing everything else the swordsman was saying as soon as that nickname left his mouth.
The brunet had just… called him that? That was a phrase that was just genuinely said without the other missing a beat?
“Stop, stop, stop,” Dusekkar finally said in a long, drawn-out sigh, holding up one hand to stop Shedletsky from talking. “What?”
The other blinked once. Twice. “Oh, uh, I was just wondering if you wanted to come with me t—”
“Not that, you dimwit,” Dusekkar almost hissed, growing more audibly baffled (and slightly bewildered) by the second. “What did you just call me?”
At that, Shedletsky couldn’t help but bark out a laugh. “You’re my little Popeye’s biscuit with no drink!” He managed to repeat through wheezes.
“WHAT DOES THAT EVEN MEAN?!” Dusekkar exclaimed, voice half an octave higher as he threw his hands up in exasperation, which only caused Shedletsky to cackle even harder than he already was— practically doubled over in laughter as the other struggled to comprehend what kind of nonsense was being said.
One of Shedletsky’s arms was wrapped around his stomach and he used the other to brace himself against a table so he wouldn’t collapse. “I don’t know!” He wheezed, mirthful tears forming in the corners of his eyes.
A long sigh left Dusekkar, and he felt himself smiling despite his frustration with the other. “Are you calling me that because of the fact I am unbearably dry sometimes?”
Shedletsky actually hit his knees, struggling to breathe with how hard he was cackling at this point. “I DIDN’T EVEN THINK OF THAT!” He placed his hands on the cold, stone tile, his entire frame shaking now.
“Skies above.” Dusekkar chuckled quietly to himself, shaking his head as he watched his friend struggle to catch his breath. “You’re ridiculous. Get out of my library before I forget what I was supposed to be doing.” There wasn’t any real bite in the mage’s words, only a fond amusement and a tremble in his tone that betrayed his struggle to remain composed.
But Shedletsky didn’t leave.
Dusekkar didn’t think he wanted him to, either.