by K. L. Noone
Dan thought about this, thought about possible responses, and opted for, “My interior design could use more color. And I don’t mind adopting a ghost puppy.” He didn’t mind. It’d tried to protect Sterling. “And about the shower, let’s say maybe. If I decide you’re up to it. How’s the headache?”
This made Sterling laugh more, openly and elatedly. “Pretty much gone. I do like you taking care of me.”
“Good,” Dan agreed, “I do too.” Their ghost puppy performed a loop above the shelf. The night stormed. But city lights twinkled through the dark; in his living room, domestic topaz light glinted off the knife-blade, the pile of herbs, the suggestions of otherworldliness.
Sterling’s eyes caught all the light and held it out: grey with hints of mystery, of opal color, of that strange witch’s glitter. Dan put a finger under his chin, and nudged his face upward for a kiss.
Under the clamor of rain, possibilities bloomed. And he had an idea for a story.
That story wouldn’t be Sterling’s; that was too real, and too vast, a secret that wasn’t his, and still unfolding. But he’d never written a fantasy novel. He thought that maybe he could.
He thought about rain, and the unformed weather-worker plot that’d sounded so laughable for a spy novel. He thought that, while he did not mind the Johnny Stone action-hero series, he’d had such difficulty with the non-existent new one because he’d been bored.
He thought about magic, and people who might live in the spaces between raindrops, here and then vanishing; he thought about the way they might see humanity, reflected through windowpanes and puddles, inverted and intrigued and ghostly.
Sterling said, “What’re you thinking about?” He had a hand in Dan’s hair, rather possessively; Dan found that he did not mind this.
“You,” he answered, because it was true. “Magic. It won’t be boring.”
“Well,” Sterling said, “I hope not, with me, and where’s your shower, again?” and proceeded to take his hand and lead him there.
Once in the shower, Sterling proved to be the exact opposite of boring, mischievous fingers and soap venturing everywhere, water sliding smoothly over tattoos. Dan let him play for a while, liking the way those fingers felt—shameless and provocative and reassuringly recovered from exhaustion—and then pushed him up against the back wall and got a hand between his legs.
“You,” Sterling said, smiling at him through the leap and splash of drops and steam and pleasure. “Definitely bossy. Which I like. And also. So nice.”
“I’m so glad you knocked on my door,” Dan said. “Did I tell you that? I am.”
“It felt right,” Sterling said, “and I do try to trust my instincts, and they told me to go and ask you. Which is good, because I didn’t want to go out in the rain, anyway, tonight.”
“I like rain,” Dan said. “I’m glad it was raining. Tonight.”
“Yes,” Sterling said. “Me too.”
THE END
Author’s Note
I’ve borrowed some of the magical references in this one from some books on my shelves: Katherine Briggs’ The Anatomy of Puck, Valerie Flint’s The Rise of Magic in Early Medieval Europe, and Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, to name three of them! Of course I’ve made up bits and made authorial decisions about kitchen witchery, too, but those’re good sources for anyone wanting to explore more.
As far as where these boys go from here, well, Sterling’s right that he’s not a very good witch—he can’t physically do much in the way of spells—but he is clairvoyant and has a good sense of people; he and Dan are good for each other, balancing each other out, and Dan’s new novel, which is a poignant aquatic fantasy romance, surprises a lot of people but sells astonishingly well. And both their sisters—maybe Sterling’s especially, since Verity worries about her little brother and psychic talents and emotional vulnerability and self-sacrifice in a good cause, but then Dan’s sister Chloe also generally frets over her reclusive writer older brother, so there’s that—are initially inclined to be overprotective but are in fact secretly thrilled and already contemplating the wedding…
Finally, like all my stories, this one has a soundtrack. Here’re a few of the songs, this time around:
Eddie Rabbit, “I Love a Rainy Night”
The Regrettes, “Hey Now”
Panic! At the Disco, “Nine in the Afternoon”
Goo Goo Dolls, “Stay With You”
As always, if you’ve liked this or any of my stories, I’d love it if you’d leave a review—both authors and other readers appreciate that, since it helps make stories more visible!
ABOUT K.L. NOONE
K.L. Noone loves fantasy, romance, cats, far too sweet coffee, and happy endings! She is also the author of Port in a Storm and its upcoming sequel, available from Less Than Three Press, and numerous short romances with Ellora’s Cave and Circlet Press. Her fantasy fiction has appeared in Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Sword and Sorceress anthologies.
With her Professor Hat on, she teaches college students about Shakespeare and superhero comics, and has published academic articles and essays on Neil Gaiman’s adaptations of Beowulf, Welsh mythology in modern fantasy, and Terry Pratchett’s Discworld novels.
For more information, visit twitter.com/KristinNoone.
ABOUT JMS BOOKS LLC
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