Work Text:
Sophie banged hard on the castle door, but got no response. She banged again, and shouted a little for good measure, but the door remained sealed tight and her words disappeared on puffs of winter breath.
“Bother,” she muttered. “Nobody’s home.” Her fingers, stiff with cold, fumbled at the cord around her neck where she kept her castle key. Howl had made them after they’d realized that Calcifer being able to leave meant that there would be no one to control the doors when he was gone. They were flat and complicated, like the ones from Wales, which Howl said were more secure. They also involved magic, which Sophie thought seemed like a bit much.
She unlocked the door and stepped inside. “Drat,” she said again, because even though she’d known Calcifer was out, she was not sure she’d ever get used to coming inside during the winter and finding an empty hearth. To make matters worse, Calcifer hated being tied down almost as much as Howl did, and would sometimes disappear for days or weeks at a time, even if he did always return. “It’s worse in here than it is out there.”
She dropped her bag of food on the table and walked over to the fireplace. There were plenty of logs there, so she stacked a few and then started muttering at them. “It’s awfully cold in here, you know, but you could perk this place right up! Yes you could- all it would take is a little spark to get going. Go on and light.”
Hesitantly, the logs began to catch on fire. Sophie smirked. It was always nice to do magic when you actually meant to instead of by accident. “Thank you,” she said, to be polite, and settled down in her armchair, raising her hands to the fire.
The castle was quiet. It wasn’t even creaking and groaning, because without Calcifer it wouldn’t move. Michael had moved out with Martha a few months ago, and even though Sophie insisted they were welcome to stay in the castle, they’d wanted to strike out on their own first. Howl was probably out on a commission, or gadding somewhere, or maybe he and Calcifer had gone out to do something big together.
Well. That didn’t mean that Sophie couldn’t have a perfectly lovely afternoon alone in the cold drafty castle. She could—
A loud THUMP sounded from upstairs. Sophie jumped and cursed. Had someone gotten into the castle? Well that was completely unacceptable.
She grabbed the her walking stick from the broom closet and, grumbling in preparation for needing to talk something down, she climbed the stairs. No one was in Michael’s empty room, which had become Sophie’s room in the months he’d been gone, so that left Howl’s room.
“Show yourself!” Sophie demanded, throwing the door open.
She was greeted by a sort of screech that she recognized very well indeed. “Howl?”
Her husband was sitting in his bed, under a veritable mountain of blankets. He ran a hand through his hair as she entered, and within seconds it was combed smooth. “Sophie!”
“What are you doing in here?”
“I was waiting for you,” Howl explained. “I didn’t think you’d be bringing a weapon!”
“Hah,” Sophie said, and rested the stick on the wall. “I’m not taking any chances. It could’ve been one of your spiders turned giant.”
“If it had, it would’ve managed to be your fault somehow,” Howl grumped in the way that suggested he was not at all displeased.
“Why didn’t you let me in?” Sophie asked then. “I was knocking.”
“I was cold,” Howl said, and pulled a pitiful face.
“You mean you were sulking because Calcifer’s not around,” Sophie said. She walked to Howl’s window and looked out, but it was raining in Wales and there was very little to see.
“I mean I was cold,” Howl said. “Come here and lend me your body warmth before I freeze to death.” He lifted the corner of his mountain and beckoned Sophie in.
“You’re absolutely selfish,” Sophie said, but she did as he requested and snuggled up next to him. It was very warm under five quilts, a cloak, and a piece of cloth that looked somehow magical, though Sophie couldn’t quite put her finger on what it did. “You’re also slithering out again.”
Howl wrapped his arms around her and kissed her neck softly. “I am not.”
“You are,” Sophie said firmly. “The castle is too quiet, and we both know it.”
“So what do you recommend?” Howl asked. “We start taking in more strays?”
“Yes!” Sophie said. “Although,” she huffed, “I was not a ‘stray’. I was under a spell. Can’t you find another apprentice or something?”
“Can’t you find another sister or something?” Howl retorted. “You don’t go looking, they just sort of happen.”
“Only because you’re lazy and won’t commit to anything,” Sophie said. “I bet you I could find a dozen apprentices fighting to study with you in less than a week.”
“They would all come to their senses as soon as they realized how dreadful I am to work for,” Howl retorted.
“Dreadful but powerful,” Sophie said. “Also charming. Five days.”
“Hah,” Howl said, in the way that meant Sophie was more than encouraged to go about her plan. They really could use some new faces in the castle. “And while you’re at it, find another old biddy under a spell. Maybe I could marry her too.”
“You’re horrible,” Sophie said, but she was beaming. The castle needed a proper family, and now that she knew Howl agreed, it would be a simple matter of putting one together.
“Of course he is,” said a dry crackly voice. The room suddenly seemed many degrees warmer. Sophie and Howl sat up only to find Calcifer crackling brightly on top of the wardrobe.
“You’re back!” Sophie said.
“And it seems I’ve been replaced,” Calcifer said, and his eyes flickered in the direction of the hearth where Sophie had lit a perfectly ordinary fire earlier.
“Nonsense,” Howl said. He looked quite as happy to see Calcifer as Sophie was. “We need you to stick around until spring at least.”
“Well,” Calcifer said, sparking proudly, “you’re lucky it’s cold out there.”
“You’re made of fire,” Howl pointed out.
“And if you want to take in strays,” Calcifer said, making Sophie wonder just how he’d heard them, “you’d better make sure they know how to tend a hearth.”