something i wrote for Dark Magician au! takes place after Ales comes in and takes the Nightmare Magic back from Houdini, sparing him from it by taking it on himself and becoming Mr. Dark again.
word count: 1k
Ao3 link
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There was still light in the window by the time Houdini woke up again.
The more he stared the more he noticed that it was a bit different, however- he still saw the telltale reds and oranges of the suns, but all notably accented pink as they traded places with their respective moons. He looked out from under the blankets, and immediately felt a chill settle in his nose. It was... definitely sunrise, and both the realization and the cold led him to slip back under. Many details were blurry, but he was quite sure that it had been sometime in the early afternoon when everything had finally given in and crashed down on him all at once...
Just how much had his body been relying on that nightmarish magic?
Too much. It had been so close; an eager fire under a child's fingertips, willing to eat away anything that fell into it. Even just minutes later and he could swear he would've-
Preferring not to think too hard about it, Houdini instead focused on the weight in his arms- but where he’d expected to see a pillow (though he hardly cuddled in his sleep, anything seemed possible at the moment), he instead caught sight of a spade-like shape peeking out from under his nose… Huffing a smile, he gingerly took the blue hair between his fingers.
An Antitoon.
Had it stayed of its own volition, attracted by leftover magic? Or had it been purposely left behind?
...Ah.
A shudder passed through his body as a previously blurry memory suddenly became clear, arms studded with goosebumps pressing tightly around the critter and legs tucking upwards as if the teensie intended to curl up, teeth pressed into a grimace. It luckily didn't complain, bite, or even really seem to care. Not that he would've immediately taken notice anyways, jarred as he was. “Take care of him,” he’d heard the newly restored Mr. Dark say, and yet… here he was.
Alive, and actually quite cozy so long as he stayed under the blankets.
Houdini laughed softly to himself, the noise warm despite the circumstances, then sighed. He'd misunderstood, hadn't he? “Take care of him.” He repeated, voice slightly lowered in a mockery of Ales’ tone, before returning to normal with a ‘tsk’. “He's always had quite the way with words, of course.” The Antitoon didn't respond to this either. It only nestled in closer, likely reveling in the warmth of its hiding spot. He decided not to bother it with his ramblings any further, instead daring another peek out from under the oversized blankets, doing his best to ignore the cold.
To his (admittedly only slight) surprise, several more Antitoons were scattered about the cottage. Some poked about aimlessly, driven by curiosity, while others kept their eyes on him. More still seemed to be hovering somewhere out of sight, as he could hear the distant whirs of their helicopter-like hair and the tapping of their tiny shoes if he listened closely enough. Houdini pulled himself out of bed, though he soon couldn’t help but yearn to return to the warmth as his feet touched the nearest floorboard, all that remained of it coming from the critter he continued to hold in his tiny arms.
The feeling of want only grew stronger the further he walked away. He was still weak as well, stumbling about on shaky legs, occasionally lurching forward whenever he moved even slightly too fast.
The pain that still pulsed in his head - he theorized that he'd lost more magic than intended - certainly wasn't helping matters. Surprised he hadn't yet tripped over his own feet, the teensie heavily considered giving up just to make dragging himself back to bed a little easier. It was only out of that classic curiosity that he pressed on.
Eventually managing to follow the noise to the kitchen, the sight there was enough to elicit a barely audible “ah-!” out of him. The Antitoons within all seemed to be completely... busy! So much so, in fact, that they didn't react to his appearance, standing boldly in the entryway as he was.
Even Shy - recognizable at a distance from his downturned eyes - didn't lift his gaze from the bowl he was holding onto, keeping it still as another two used a wooden spoon to mix whatever was inside. Behind him was the tea kettle, condensation on its shiny surface implying recent use.
They were… making something. Likely for him.
Houdini scratched his cheek from where he stood awed in the entrance. He couldn't help but once again wonder- was such a large group of the little things really able to be so coordinated on their own? Or was Ales hidden somewhere among them, using his regained magic to both keep a very discreet eye on him and take care of the cottage Antitoons? Thinking back, it would certainly explain where his spilled tea had disappeared to…
A tug on his pant leg distracted him from thinking up further conspiracies.
It was the Antitoon he'd been holding, beady eyes shooting an impatient glare through his bangs, a scowl on its tiny face. He guessed that it had slipped from his arms during his moment of surprise, now grumpy and demanding in the face of his accidental neglect. He smiled at it, amusement in his voice at the sour attitude from such a tiny creature.
“Feeling cold, are we?”
It neither nodded nor smiled back; only huffed a small sigh that reminded him of the very Nightmare that had created it. Moving his hands to rest on his hips, he wondered if it even caught the double meaning of his words. Perhaps it just happened to be one that lacked a sense of humor. Houdini tried again.
“Aha! And now you give me the cold shoulder! You don't suppose returning to bed is appealing, then?”
But all he got in response was tiny fingers gripping his sleeve- surprisingly strongly, at that! The teensie didn't fight as he was pulled back towards the bed, especially as other Antitoons moved to give him an additional push. Houdini couldn’t help but sleepily smile.
