Work Text:
"Oh, Balder~!" An airy, sing-song voice distantly calls out across the forest clearing, causing Max to pause rolling up his bedding for a brief moment. (Despite the cold, hard ground being very low on Max's preferred locations to sleep, the party stopped to rest there for the night).
Max groans and rolls his eyes, displeased that his quiet morning where all he could hear were bird calls and a rushing stream nearby was disrupted. He continues to roll up his bedding.
"What do you want now, Alfred?" He shouts back to Mr. Wizard, who is walking down the trail towards camp leading from the nearby town.
Normally, the party would have found a cheap inn to stay the night. Unfortunately for them, at the one inn they found that was even close to being within their price range, Ruby got caught pickpocketing one gentleman whose pockets looked deep, but his fury ran deeper. Needless to say, Ruby ended up picking a fair few shards of glass out of her leg and the rest of them got sent packing alongside her, for fear of them causing a ruckus as well.
"I have a favor I need to ask of you, dear Bladder!" Mr. Wizard calls again, his figure growing taller the closer he gets.
Max immediately drops his bed roll, eager to jump on any opportunity to shirk off his task of packing up the group's sleeping gear. Sure, he doesn't like doing extra work like doing people favors, but whatever the wizard has in mind, it's sure to be more interesting than chores. He dusts his hands off on his pants with a smile, turning to the wizard.
Mr. Wizard and all his gangly limbs make their way towards the camp site, a strong breeze causing him to drift towards one side or the other, as though his body were simply at the mercy of the wind.
"As long as it involves less work than tidying up this mess, I'm game," Max replies, placing a hand on his hip and leaning his weight into it.
"Oh, yes, yes, of course! And for your help, I'll even maaagically clean this up for you, no extra charge," Mr. Wizard smiles and waves his arms as he offers, forcing his voice to remain light with a bit of added shakiness into it. He coughs and clears his throat, the fake voice clearly putting strain on his vocal cords.
(Max finds the whole charade to be a bit ridiculous, really; the glued-on beard, the wizard costume that looks both centuries out of fashion and way too futuristic with its glittery, shining stars, the outlandish stories, that stupid fake voice. He's heard his real voice—they all have—and honestly? His natural voice, deep and rich, would be far better for swindling and persuasion than whatever this is. Max just can't wrap his head around why he insists on keeping up this character. But, that's just one of the many, many mysteries of Mr. Wizard).
At the offer of completely getting out of doing work, Max nearly immediately accepts. Although, something about this exchange sounds like Max would be getting a better deal, and he knows the conman better than to trust that… He raises an eyebrow, suddenly curious about the wizard's motives. "You'll do my work for me?"
Mr. Wizard hums in affirmative and nods his head. "Oh, yes! You won't have to lift a finger of your surprisingly calloused acrobat hands."
Maybe it was the way Mr. Wizard shifts his gaze away after only a moment of eye contact, or the way he couldn't decide whether he wants to fidget with his hands or his robes, but Mr. Wizard's whole demeanor seems suspicious to Max.
"You know, normally I'd be thrilled to get out of doing work, but…" he squints his eyes at Mr. Wizard, who seems to grow more nervous by the second. "Before I accept… what, exactly, is the favor?"
Mr. Wizard sputters for a moment before collecting himself. "Oh, nothing serious! I just… have a new potion I need to test out."
Mr. Wizard looks up at him with an innocent smile and batting eyelashes and oh gods, he's going to die, isn't he?
"Right… and, uh… why me, exactly? Why not Sapphire or Bro?" Max jerks a thumb over his shoulder, despite neither of them being behind him. Max was the only one at the camp site, the other three sent to the town to do some shopping, search for a job, and… whatever it was Mr. Wizard went off to do.
Mr. Wizard shifts from foot to foot. "Broseph said no, and Ruby…" he chuckles nervously, lightly rubbing a new, small cut across his neck. "Ruby really said no."
The more Mr. Wizard talks, the less sure Max is about this whole thing—what kind of pitch did the wizard give Ruby to justify her cutting his throat?
"I fear if the imp said no, then it would probably be in my best interest if I steered clear as well…" Max takes a half-step back.
Mr. Wizard shoots out a hand to grab his wrist, stopping Max from going any farther. "No, please! I don't have anyone else who can do this for me."
Max stares at where Mr. Wizard holds onto his wrist for a moment, but does not try to free himself. He doesn't take note of how soft the wizard's hands are, likely never having seen the type of physical labor Max has, nor having anywhere near the amount of built-up callouses Max does from all his years at the circus. When he looks back up to Mr. Wizard's face, he's met with the most pathetic puppy-dog eyes in existence.
He can feel his resolve cracking.
Mr. Wizard slips his free hand down Max's forearm to intertwine their fingers. He pulls their joined hands up to his chest, Max's hand sandwiched between Mr. Wizard's, all while not dropping those stupid pleading eyes and quivering lip.
Max—whose face feels like he got a bit too close to the hearth fire—groans and sighs. "Fine. Fine! I'll take your stupid potion." He points a threatening finger at Mr. Wizard, poking him in the chest. "But I better not die."
"Oh, thank you Max!" Mr. Wizard exclaims, forgetting to do his fake voice (most likely from the excitement that radiates off him). He throws himself on Max in a hug that crushes his shoulders and squeezes the air out of Max's lungs, leaning all his weight into the embrace. Unfortunately for them, Max was completely blindsided by the tackle and stumbles backwards.
The pair lose their balance and they crash to the ground, Max underneath the wizard, whose hat was knocked off during the fall. When Max opens his eyes, he's met with piercing emerald ones staring back at him, hovering a mere few inches over his face. Mr. Wizard's head perfectly blocks the sun to give him the effect of a halo, a few strands of long hair hanging down, not able to be held back without his missing hat.
Suddenly in need of air, Max pushes Mr. Wizard with a struggled "Get off me, man!"
They stagger to their feet and brush themselves off with burning cheeks and racing hearts. From the scare of the fall, surely, Max thinks to himself.
Mr. Wizard clears his throat and as he scoops up and adjusts his hat back on his head. "Sorry about that, Plunder. I thought you had better balance than that."
Max rolls his eyes and crosses his arms across his chest with a huff. "Yeah, yeah. Whatever, Nathaniel. Let's just get this over with."
Mr. Wizard rummages through his bag and presents the potion in cupped hands. The bottle is rather pretty, with the top of the bottle curving outwards beneath the neck in two directions, similar to a heart. The liquid inside is a deep pink, almost red, with whisps of sparkles swirling about, moving through the small bottle like ocean currents.
"Huh. Nice one, Gerard. This actually looks like a legit potion," Max compliments backhandedly, nodding in impressed approval.
"Why thank you, Blander! I worked very hard on it," Mr. Wizard accepts the half-compliment with grace and that stupid fake voice, clearly proud of his work. "I had to climb to the top of the Mountains of Evercrest, swim down into the depths of Dead Man's Lake, conquer the-"
Max tunes the wizard out as he prattles on about some fake adventure he went on to get the ingredients for the potion, when he obviously just bought the stuff in town.
Max takes the bottle from Mr. Wizard, who doesn't seem to notice at all as he continues his surely thrilling tale, and uncorks it. He tentatively brings it up to his nose and takes a small whiff, noting faint hints of chestnut, grass, and something else he can't quite name… the closest he can equate it to is ash, but almost before it's been burnt?
"Hey, uh, Wizard?" Max starts, peering down the neck of the bottle at the sloshing liquid inside. "You never did say what this potion was."
"Ohh, the adventure it was! I tell you, that orc did not want to give me that magic gemstone I needed to make this potion, but I got it, I did. That reminds me of another time when-" Mr. Wizard barrels on, not giving any indication that he might've heard Max.
Max rolls his eyes and mumbles a quiet "whatever."
He takes a swig, gulping down about half the bottle. The liquid fizzles on his tongue, tasting of raspberries and chocolate—not at all like how it smells. The sweetness of the liquid plus whatever magical properties its imbued with combines to a delectable nectar of sorts, and Max almost regrets drinking it so fast instead of savoring it more.
He is not given a chance to slow down and enjoy the potion, however, as Mr. Wizard hurriedly pulls the bottle away from his mouth, his hand clutched firmly around Max's.
"Not so much! The whole thing will make it permanent!" Mr. Wizard warns, panic making his voice higher than normal (his real normal, not his fake-normal).
Despite the annoyance that bubbles in his chest at the wizard's carelessness for not warning him of something so important, Max does not move to take his hand away from the wizard's. "Well that would've been very good to know," Max sarcastically emphasizes every word. "Gee, I'm so glad I have such a professional here to help guide me through this. I love being a test rat!"
Mr. Wizard sheepishly apologizes, pulling his hand away.
Max corks the bottle and hands it back to the wizard, waiting for the potion to take effect.
He does not have to wait long. A wave of warmth washes over him, sending a shiver down his spine. A pink haze settles over his vision; the only thing in full focus is the man standing in front of him, staring at Max with a scrutinizing, intense gaze.
Quickly following the pleasant warmth, having the full attention of the wizard in front of him causes a dreaded pool of emotions that Max has worked very hard to bury deep inside him to make themselves known. As he meets Mr. Wizard's gaze, words and air alike get caught in Max's throat, as tight and suffocating as a noose around his neck being pulled taut. A longing in his chest hits him like a backfired spell, nearly knocking the breath from his lungs at the intensity of it all. Max doubles over, hand clutching at the cloth over his chest, breathing heavily. Mr. Wizard grabs his arm for support, but the contact does Max no favors.
"Wizard… what did you give me?" Max asks, trying to steady his…everything, really.
"Oh! That was a love potion," the wizard replies casually.
Max snaps his head up, eyes wide and panicked staring at the man beside him. "I'm sorry, a what?!"
"A love potion! Did I not say that? I swore I said that when I was explaining how I got all the ingredients…" Mr. Wizard trails off, thinking back to his long-winded speech.
"You know I don't listen to you!" Max exclaims, hitting his arm.
Mr. Wizard chuckles, clearly not taking Max's distress seriously. "Well, that's on you then, my friend."
Stupid infuriating wizard, god, why does Max even- "Why do I ever do anything for you?" Max grumbles as he straightens his posture, already knowing (and despising) the answer.
Mr. Wizard pays him no mind. "Let me see if it worked." He steps in front of Max and gently cups Max's face in his hands. Mr. Wizard tilts his head up, and searches deeply in his eyes.
Max's mind screams what are you doing, what are you doing on loop, but he can't find it in himself to pull away. His lungs forget how to breathe, burning with the strain of holding his breath.
Max's heart speeds despite his best efforts to settle it down, the thumping in his chest so loud in his own ears he prays the wizard can't hear it too. Despite his panic, he cannot bring himself to dislike the way his cheeks tingle where Mr. Wizard holds him, or how close the wizard has gotten, or how rapt his attention seems to be, completely and solely trained on Max. Logically, he knows he would have usually pulled himself away, or pushed the other away by now. But something stronger than his typical restraint keeps him frozen in this moment, allowing the wizard to inch closer and closer, searching for answers that can apparently be found in Max's eyes.
"Beautiful," he hears the wizard mutter.
"What?" Max strains to get the word out, too focused on not doing anything that could break this moment, to keep them here for just a second longer.
"In your pupil, it looks like there's a faint ember glowing purple. I've read about the physical indications of being under a love potion, but I've never seen it up close," Mr. Wizard explains, looking at Max in awe.
Despite how much it hurts to think about pulling away from this moment, Max doesn't know how much more he can take. (He doesn't know how much more his heart can take, having the wizard looking at him like that). He breaks eye contact and steps back onto slightly unsteady feet, releasing the air that had been unwillingly trapped in his lungs.
Max nearly trips on a rock behind him he couldn't see.
"Is it normal for everything to look like… like I'm in thick fog?" Max asks, hoping this side-effect will be short-lived. He looks around the campsite, only able to make out larger aspects of the group's gear. Things like writing or finer details are lost to the haziness of his vision.
Mr. Wizard hums. "Oh, yes. That's pretty standard for the first few hours, or up to a day. What else do you see?" He prompts, grabbing his notebook and quill from his satchel.
"Everything is just sort of pink and blurry, really." He explains, and internally debates if telling Mr. Wizard he's the only clear thing in the world right now would be more embarrassing than just pretending that he can't see anything.
Mr. Wizard taps the feather of his quill to his chin. "Everything?" He emphasizes, tilting his head forward and looking at Max expectantly. Max suspects the wizard knows what he should be seeing, and he just wants confirmation.
That doesn't make it any less soul-crushingly embarrassing to admit out loud.
For the sake of Mr. Wizard's assessment of the affectiveness of his potion, Max relents. "Everything except for you" he sighs, not wanting to meet his eyes. "I can see you just fine."
Some strange part of Max feels almost defeated to say it out loud, his chest weighed down by the admission. Call it a loss of dignity, a blow to his pride, whatever, as long as it is known that Max is having a truly terrible time.
Mr. Wizard's eyes widen in excitement for a moment, entirely unaffected by Max's current state of distress. "So it did work! You're in love with me?" He asks giddily, raising his notebook and quill, clearly wanting an answer purely for his research just so he can write it in his dumb little book.
Max would rather die than admit to that directly, though, love potion or no. So, with an absolutely burning face, Max turns heel and heads towards town. "You get to finish cleaning up," he calls, not looking back.
Turns out, trying to wander around town while you have a weird pink, magical fog that blurs everything except for one stupid man's stupid face is much trickier than Max had anticipated.
He had tried to get some breakfast from a stall vendor, but he couldn't tell an apple from a bell pepper and was greatly disappointed when he bit in.
After one too many run-ins with a poor, unsuspecting patron of some random vendor stand that Max mistook for Ruby or (in one utterly embarrassing interaction) a trash can, Max decided to just cut his losses and head back to camp empty-handed.
He is greeted with a grouchy tiefling and a perplexed dwarf, the wizard nowhere to be found.
"Max! I thought the whole reason we left you here to clean was because you didn't want to go into town." Ruby most likely crosses her arms, though she could've put her hands on her hips.
"I left the wizard in charge of it. Where is he?" Max scrunches his face in confusion, scanning the area for any sign of the man.
"Heck if I know, but Bro's bed roll was smoking when we got here! What happened?" She asks, shock coloring her voice.
Max rolls his eyes, his annoyance not being directed at anyone in his current presence."I think I know what happened to the dwarf's stuff," he replies.
"It's alright, I like the dirt. Keeps me tough," Broghini chimes in, unbothered by his ruined stuff.
"Oh, dwarf! Hoo-hoo, I have a gift for you!" Mr. Wizard calls, quickly making his way towards the group. He carries something bulky under his arm, not very supportively as it almost slips out three times in the short time he heads their way.
"Mr. Wizard!" Broghini greets joyfully. "To what do I owe the pleasant surprise?"
"Oh, nothing, just a little gift from me to you for absolutely no reason at all," he says, very unconvincingly, as he shoves a brand new bed roll into Broghini's hands.
"Thank you, Wizard! That's very kind of you." Bro gratefully accepts the replacement, not mentioning that he already knows Mr. Wizard ruined his old one.
"What about your precious dirt?" Ruby remarks with a smirk.
Broghini does not acknowledge the comment. He simply packs it away with the rest of his belongings with a smile.
"So, Wizard… when you said you would 'magically clean this up for me,'" Max air quotes, "was the magic getting Ruby and Bro to do it themselves, or did something go horribly wrong as it usually does when you're left alone?"
The small bit of Mr. Wizard's cheeks that can be seen under the fake beard grow pink, but he doesn't let the assumed embarrassment affect his demeanor. "Why, my dear Mark! I was simply out getting our friend here a kind gift! How was I to know that they would return before I did your work?"
"Whatever, I don't really care who did it as long as it wasn't me," Max claims as he takes a conscious step away from Mr. Wizard, unsure of when he drifted closer.
"You owe us, wizard," Ruby fake coughs quickly, half-attempting to cover up what she said. "Well! Now that we have that all settled, are you ready to hear about the job I scored us?"
Walking along the trail path, Max has stumbled at least three times on very easily-avoidable rocks and fallen branches.
Broghini catches Max's wrist, helping him regain his balance. "You alright there, Max? You seem a little… distracted."
"'m fine," Max grumbles, crossing his arms and keeping his eyes firmly glued to the ground. It doesn't do much to help him see, but it's better than staring longingly at the back of the stupid wizard.
Broghini backs off, walking ahead with Ruby. Mr. Wizard takes notice of their conversation, though, and slows his pace to fall in line with Max.
"You okay?" He asks, lowering his voice to not let the others hear.
"I said I'm fine," he sharply whispers. "It's just really hard to see where I'm going with this bloody mist." (There's no way in hell he's going to tell him that the real reason he tripped over the second—very obvious—rock was because he really was distracted, but it's a good enough lie nonetheless).
Mr. Wizard hums in understanding, and slips an arm through Max's crossed ones.
"What are you doing?" Max almost moves his arm away, but the way the wizard presses against his side makes his heart flutter.
"Leading you so you don't trip again," he replies with a smile, and oh isn't that just a sight?
A warm, genuine smile that is tinted with concern and care, the sunlight streaming through the tree canopy above them, hitting the wizard's gleaming eyes just right, how nothing in the world is clear except for the man walking arm-in-arm with Max, sharing his warmth and keeping him steady.
Max can't deny that through the many masks Mr. Wizard wears, the few rare moments when he takes them all off are some of his favorites. The sparkle in his eye as he tilts his head down at Max is a beautiful sight, and the only downside of seeing the wizard like this is that it makes it hard to pretend to be annoyed at him all the time.
Max curses the way it makes him so happy.
He lets himself be guided, gently pulled one way or the other at the whim of Mr. Wizard. Giddiness builds every time their bodies collide into each other, a small stumble in being pushed or pulled and a gentle hold to steady him again.
As much as some foreign part of Max wants to indulge in these feelings, to swim deeper into this newly discovered lake of emotions and drown in its welcoming abundance, another more familiar part of Max is nauseous at the thought. Embarrassment at his own feelings shoots through him every time he feels himself get too excited, lets his mind wanter too much, and he can't help but wonder how long he'll be at war with himself.
"Wizard, you said my sight problems would last a day at most, but you never said how long the potion will last." He asks the implied question tentatively, worried he won't like the answer.
"Well, I had planned on you only taking a small amount, which that would've only lasted a day, so… I guess we'll see, won't we?" Mr. Wizard replies with a light chuckle that sounds eerily similar to his annoying 'hoo-hoo,' just with his mouth closed.
"Oh my gods!" Ruby exclaims, barely holding back laughter as she spins around to face the two behind her. "Wizard, you actually convinced Max to take your potion?" Her jaw is dropped, a couple amused and disbelieving huffs escape her. "Max," she drawls, almost disappointed. "You agreed to that?"
At the judgement that radiates off of Ruby, Max can't help but to want to crawl into a hole and die and not even have the luxury of a funeral because that would mean his body would have been found and he needs any evidence of his existence to be scrubbed out of everyone's memories, along with his shame.
"He's helping me do important research!" Mr. Wizard defends him.
"Uh-huh," Ruby sounds unconvinced. "And this is…" she vaguely gestures towards them.
"Helping his stability, of course! The poor man can't see, it's the least I can do!"
"Wait, what?" Bro joins the discussion. "Max, you're blind? Wizard, what did you do to him?"
"No, no," Max tries to explain. "It's a side effect of the potion, it'll wear off soon."
"You better be fine for this job," Ruby says threateningly. "If you mess this up for us, it's on your coin pouch."
Max rolls his eyes and carries on, though he does untangle himself from the wizard's hold. A slightly unreadable expression crosses Mr. Wizard's face at the distance Max puts between them, though he does not say anything and slowly makes his way towards the front of the party. Max slightly quickens his own pace, now in line with Ruby and Broghini.
The group continues on their way (with minimal stumbles from Max, thank you very much), and they discuss their plan for how to go about their job.
"Hey Max," Ruby gets his attention in a teasing voice. He can't see her properly, just a slightly blurry, small form that moves in the way he knows Ruby moves. "Why don't you go walk with your boyfriend to the library, and Bro and I can handle talking to the guards."
Max smacks the back of her head, which sends Ruby into a fit of giggles, not even upset about being hit.
"Leave him alone, Ruby," Broghini scolds, though not unkindly. "He's going through enough right now without you poking and prodding."
"He did it to himself!" She cries. "He should've said no like us. He has no one to blame but his own stupidity."
"Cut the kid some slack, he can't even backflip with his sight!" Bro supportively pats Max's back.
"And thank the gods for that," Ruby mumbles, and Max can practically hear the eye roll that joins it.
"Why are you trying to send me to the library anyways? I can't read," Max complains, waving a hand in front of his face.
"Good point! Bro and I will go to the library, and you two handle the guards!" Ruby switches their plan easily, making sure to keep him and the wizard paired up.
"One of these days, I'm going to gut you in your sleep," Max leans over and threatens.
"I would love to see you try," she replies with a malicious smile in her voice that sends shivers down Max's spine.
"Yoo hoo! Fork in the road, this is where we split off!" Mr. Wizard calls from ahead. "Who is going where?"
Ruby grabs Broghini's wrist and pulls him one direction, calling out "we got the library!" as they move much quicker than Max thought possible for two creatures with such short legs.
"I guess that leaves you and me with the inn?" Mr. Wizard states as a question, holding his arm out as though he were planning on leading Max once more.
He takes his arm. "Why the inn? The guards stand at the town gate," Max asks, confused. Did they change the plan in the last five seconds?
"Well, yes, but the guards we want to talk to are off-duty right now. When I went into town this morning I saw them having a few pints at the inn two shops down from the one Ruby got us kicked out of." Mr. Wizard guides them in and through the bustling town, making sure to warn Max of any uneven stones in the road.
The gentlemanly behavior is certainly not helping Max with his predicament.
"How are you feeling, by the way?" Mr. Wizard asks, conversationally.
"Fine? What do you mean?" Max responds with his own question, unsure of what, specifically, he's asking about.
"I mean… how are you doing with the potion? Regained any vision, notice any more side effects, has it worn off?" He lists a few options.
"I can see a little clearer, but not fully. No other side effects, and is it not obvious?" Max raises an eyebrow at that last part. Surely being under the effects of a love potion would be noticable, especially for the person the effects are directed towards.
Mr. Wizard huffs and gives him a lopsided smile. "You'd be surprised. You're… not acting all that different, if I'm honest. I expected to see some more signs. I mean, I've noticed a few longing glances and you seem to be more fine with touch than normal, but nothing too different. You're just… you." He chuckles and redirects his gaze ahead of them. "Maybe I didn't make it strong enough," he ponders.
"I hope you know how utterly mortifying this is," Max complains, his stomach churning with everything the wizard lists that Max has had limited control over himself doing.
"How so?" Mr. Wizard asks as he turns them down an alleyway.
"You're joking," Max scoffs. "How would you feel if I gave you a love potion and started watching your every move to see exactly how in love with me you are?" Max asks, incredulous. And then tell you that at you hardly act any different, his mind supplies, and he tells it to shut up.
Mr. Wizard shrugs. "I don't know if you'd see a huge change, either." He says it almost too soft to hear over the noise of the street, face turned away like he didn't want Max to hear him.
All coherent thought leaves Max's mind as he registers what the wizard said. Max stumbles over his feet. "What?"
"Oh, look! We're here!" Mr. Wizard pulls them inside before Max can get another word in.
This inn is a bit nicer than the one they had planned on staying in. The wood seems sturdier, the mounts on the wall holding candles seem fancier, and there's even a live musician in the corner playing the fiddle. Max wonders if he could use a bagpiper to accompany him…
"Ello, gents. 'aven't seen you lot 'round here before. The name's Skaia," the barmaid introduces herself with a thick accent and a welcoming smile. She wipes a section of the bar down where someone clearly spilled their drink.
"Well hello, there! My name is Octavius the Great, and this here is my companion Maximus!" Mr. Wizard introduces them with a wave of his lanky arms, and Max adds one more fake name to the ever-growing pile.
"Pleasure," she dips her head in a polite nod. "You lookin' for a room to stay the night? We got a couple open."
"Dear Maximus, I'll let you handle this transaction. I see a few patrons I simply must speak with." Mr. Wizard presses his coin pouch into his hands and leaves before Max can even reply, heading towards the off-duty guards.
"Okay?" He answers, despite the wizard not even being within earshot anymore.
"So what'll it be, lad? One room? Two?" She slides a mug of ale down to a patron a few seats down from him.
"Oh, sorry, we're just stopping for a drink and some food and we'll be on our way," Max declines with a shake of his head.
"Ah, then I'm sorry to say you an' your fellow will have to leave," Skaia says with remorse. "Y'see, we've had one too many adventurers comin' in an' startin' fights, makin' a wreck of the place, and not even stayin' a night to help cover what they broke. So, we've gone to only servin' folks who get a room."
Max hums, and glances back to Mr. Wizard. He's settled down at the table the guards are at, so clearly he's making some progress. It would be a shame to leave so soon…
He opens his and Mr. Wizard's coin pouches to check their funds, and does some quick math to see if the job would pay him more than the room would cost.
"Say, Skaia, we have been traveling a fair few hours now, and unlike the wizard, I don't have the energy to go much farther." Max glances back at Mr. Wizard, who seems to be regailing the guards with some definitely fake story. "We're a bit low on funds at the moment, though, and we'd hate to just barge in and leave without giving you anything for your hospitality. How much is your cheapest room?"
Skaia eyes him for a moment before leaning in close and lowering her voice. "For you boys? I'll half the price. You've been far kinder than most of these other folks, so let's call it 10 gold pieces, yeah?" She gives him a friendly wink as she stands back up.
Max brightens right up at the prospect of not only saving money, but also having an actual bed to sleep on tonight. "We'll take it!" He reaches into Mr. Wizard's coin pouch and fishes out 7 gold, and grabs 3 from his own.
Skaia grabs a key with a small piece of paper attached (on it, a room number is written) from behind the bar and hands it to him, accepting the gold at the same time. She smiles and gives a nod in thanks as she pockets the coins. "Now, you said you lot wanted some food and drinks? What can I getcha?"
Max looks up at the chalkboard behind her, and brightens upon realizing he can actually read it. On it lists a few meals and their prices, along with some popular drinks. As he's contemplating, however, Mr. Wizard slides into the seat next to him. He must have forgotten what personal space is, because he presses right up against Max's side. (Not that Max is complaining, or pulling away).
"Welcome back," Skaia greets with a small chuckle.
"Why thank you!" Mr. Wizard flashes her a bright smile, and Max finds himself staring at the crinkles next to his eyes as he does so, a fond smile unconsciously playing at his lips.
Skaia glances between the two with a knowing smirk, but she doesn't say anything to indicate what she thinks."So, boys, what are ya havin'?"
Max orders the cheapest meal off the blackboard, and Mr. Wizard does the same. Skaia wanders off to the kitchen to, assumedly, put in their orders, and once she's gone, Max turns to Mr. Wizard.
Mr. Wizard, who has not moved an inch away from Max since he sat down. When Max turns his head, their noses damn-near brush. Max flinches back, cheeks gaining a rosy hue.
"Back off, man. Personal space," he places his hands in front of himself, palms out, as though they were pressed against the invisible barrier that is 'personal space.'
Mr. Wizard chuckles that annoyingly practiced "hoo-hoo" laugh, but he does scoot back a smidge.
"So, what did you say to Skaia? I left for a fair few minutes and you hadn't even ordered yet," Mr. Wizard asks, confused.
"Oh, this place only serves patrons, so I got us the cheapest room." Max shrugs. "I threw on some charm and knocked it down to 14 gold, so I split the cost 7-7." Max smiles to himself, proud. (Both for getting that discount, and for swindling the wizard. Really, it's his fault he left his money with Max).
Mr. Wizard nods approvingly and pats him on the back. "Nice work, Blander!"
Max does a small bow in his seat. "Thank you, thank you." An idea that's too good to resist crosses his mind. "You know…"
Mr. Wizard raises an eyebrow in suspense.
"I think this calls for a backflip," Max claims with a shit-eating grin on his face.
He spins out of the barstool just in time for Skaia to come back with two plates of food.
"Where ya going, lad?" She asks, gesturing to the plates.
Max rests an arm on the bar and leans over towards her. "Skaia, would you like to see a backflip?" He asks, hoping she won't kick him out if she agrees to it.
She ponders for a moment before curiosity seems to win over. "If you break my furniture, it's on your bill," she warns, but leans on the bar to get a better view when he backs up.
Max does a small fist pump as he finds a good spot with even flooring, out of the way of any breakable furniture. He preps without hesitation, throwing himself up and backwards. He very nearly lands the flip, if it weren't for…surely an uneven floor board he must not have seen. He stumbles backwards, trying to regain his balance before he crashes into something.
He does not, however, catch his balance before he crashes into someone.
Long arms wrap around Max's waist as he falls into a stranger's lap. Absolutely mortified, Max tries to get up as quickly as he can. Unfortunately for him, the stranger is wearing a long robe that Max's foot catches on, and he falls forward.
This time, the stranger catches his wrist before he face plants on the floor, saving him a second time.
"You alright there, Max?" Mr. Wizard asks from behind, and realization dawns on him that it was not a stranger's lap he fell into.
Max's ears burn as he slowly stands up and turns to face his companion and the barmaid.
Skaia claps with genuine joy on her face. "Nothin' broken and I got a good lit'le show. Food's on the house, gents."
Max sheepishly thanks her as he finds his way back to his seat, metaphorical tail tucked between his legs.
"Hoo-hoo, thank you, miss! That's very kind, very kind, indeed. Why, I haven't had such hospitality since I rescued the quaint village of Musain in the Great Flood of Bramblerock! Ohh, those townsfolk sang my praises for weeks—quite literally! They wrote songs and poems about me and my amazing power…" Mr. Wizard rambles on for a few minutes to a too-polite-for-her-own-good barkeep. Max shares a look of sympathetic understanding with her as she smiles and nods along.
"Well, gents, I'd better start closin' up. Can you lot find your room alright?" Skaia interrupts Mr. Wizard before he can go on a second long-winded story about something that absolutely did not happen.
"Yes, thank you Skaia," Max stands and grabs Mr. Wizard's wrist, dragging him away from the poor woman.
"Hoo-hoo, yes, thank you miss Skaia!" Mr. Wizard waves a lanky, flailing arm in goodbye as he is dragged away.
Max finds their room with ease, and shoves Mr. Wizard inside. Previously chatty as they searched for their room, Max's companion quickly goes silent.
"Um, Max?" Mr. Wizard voices, tone uncertain and a bit shaky.
"Yes?" He locks the door behind them.
"Small problem," is all he says as Max turns to get a look at their room.
It's very cramped, definitely meant for a single occupant. There's not much room to walk around for one person, let alone two. Not to mention the glaring issue that the wizard must be referring to.
With a single-occupancy room, that meant there would only be one bed. With the cheapest room available, it's a small bed, at that. Big enough for the both of them (if they didn't mind a complete invasion of personal space), but still definitely small.
"Ah." Max says lamely, understanding their predicament.
"Look, Max," Mr. Wizard starts, voice dropping to a serious, genuine tone. "I know what kind of… situation we're in with the potion, but I don't want to cross any lines. Say the word and I'll sleep on the floor, or I'll go find Ruby and Bro."
The genuine care in his voice chips away at Max's resolve. He knows, logically, that he should take the floor or ask Mr. Wizard to. He should gather the will within him to push him away once more, knowing that their friendship will be better for it after this has all passed. Max knows what he should do, but he's tired. He has spent all day being utterly flustered and agitated about how Mr. Wizard has been eyeing him, analyzing him, feeling like he's being watched at all times, and it's been torture. Normally he loves attention, but to know that it's his feelings that are being scrutinized is a whole other level.
Feelings that he refused to admit to himself even before the stupid potion. Feelings that he wouldn't let himself acknowledge, suddenly forced out into the open. Feelings for the stupid wizard that stands in front of him, dropping the ridiculous act he's so carefully constructed, just to make sure that Max knows he's in control.
And yeah, maybe the potion is working as intended. Maybe this isn't really Max thinking these thoughts, feeling these feelings. Worst case scenario, he claims he wasn't in his right mind once the potion wears off if this doesn't go as planned. (If he can even claim there is a plan).
Max takes one stride forward (because in the small space, that closes more than half the room's distance) and grabs a fistful of the wizard's robes.
Max likes to think he's a gentleman. That, if he were to pursue someone, he would take them out to a nice dinner and engage in polite conversation. He'd walk them home, maybe hold their hand if they wanted, and only then would he maybe ask if he could kiss them goodnight.
Max is not a gentleman tonight.
He pulls the wizard in for a kiss, uncaring if he'll want to jump off the nearest cliff when the potion wears off. The fake beard is definitely a bit of a turn-off, but he hardly cares right now.
Mr. Wizard, for how respectful he was of Max's situation moments prior, is a weak man when offered something he truly desires. It doesn't take long for Mr. Wizard to kiss him back, tugging on Max's waist to pull him closer.
Max allows himself to be pulled in, happy to close any distance at all between the two. When Max's tongue prods at Mr. Wizard's lips, the wizard seems to remember himself and pulls back. He steps away, pulling his hat off and clutching it to his chest. His eyes are wide with panic, jumping around to look anywhere but at Max.
"I'm sorry, Max, I shouldn't have- I know this isn't really what you want, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have kissed you back, I-" Mr. Wizard looks up at Max, eyes swirling with so many emotions ranging from sorrow to concern to longing.
He tries to sidestep Max to get to the door. "I'll go find the others. I'm sorry, this was so stupid, I should've left the second I saw the one bed," Mr. Wizard rambles to himself.
Now that he's had a taste of what loving the wizard could be like—of having the wizard to love—Max doesn't think he can go back to an hour ago, forcing himself to ignore the aching in his chest, or back to a day ago, trying to thoroughly destroy any semblance of emotion that presents itself around the man in front of him.
Max steps in front of his way. "Wait."
"Max, please, I don't want to cause any more problems," he practically begs him to move.
Mr. Wizard tries to push him aside, but Max remains firmly in place.
"Wizard, look at me," Max orders.
Mr. Wizard stops struggling enough to listen to his companion. "What?" He asks, shoulders slumped in defeat and eyebrows scrunched in sorrow.
Max cups the wizard's face in his hands and forces him to look Max in the eye. "I want this."
Mr. Wizard tries to pull back, shaking his head. "I was worried I didn't make the potion strong enough before, but now I'm worried I made it too strong. Max," he gently raises one hand to Max's cheek. "You don't want this… not really."
The heartbreak written across Mr. Wizard's face, clear as day, sends a pang of hurt through Max's chest. How can he be causing this man such grief when he's trying to get him to understand that Max does want the wizard?
"You're upset," Max comments, because he doesn't know what else to say.
Mr. Wizard huffs a small, wet laugh as a few tears start to gather in his eyes. "Yeah, Max. I'm upset." Despite his words, Mr. Wizard is smiling, though it looks pained. "I didn't think this would hurt as much as it does."
"What hurts? I can try to help," he offers, eyes pleading.
Mr. Wizard lets out a breath and sits on the bed. "This hurts, Max. You kissing me. You loving me. You saying that you want this—that you want me. It hurts because I know it's not real," he shakes his head. "I shouldn't have asked you to take that stupid potion," he mutters bitterly.
Max joins him, sitting next to the wizard on the bed. "Why does it hurt you?"
Max isn't stupid. He can read between the lines and put two and two together. But he needs to hear it. He needs the wizard to admit it out loud.
"Are you really gonna make me say it?" Mr. Wizard asks, defeated. "I can't do this with this thing on," he mumbles, pulling his fake beard off. While he gets his thoughts straight, Max takes this opportunity to fully take in what Mr. Wizard looks like behind the costume. (Devastatingly handsome, it turns out).
The wizard turns his gaze back to Max. "I love you, Max. I love you and you don't really love me and that's okay, I'll survive, it just… really fucking hurts to see a glimpse of what a world where you love me back could look like, and know that it will never happen."
Max rests a hand on top of the wizard's. His eyes are trained on Mr. Wizard, who drops his gaze down to their touching hands. "I don't know how to convince you that I do love you back." Max chews on his lip, thinking. "You said I could never love you. Well, even if it's just for as long as the potion lasts, I do. You love me and I love you back, so can we just enjoy this?" Max places his free hand on Mr. Wizard's cheek, guiding his gaze back towards Max. "Let me love you, at least for tonight."
"I should say no," comes the quiet reply, paired with eyes flicking down to Max's lips.
"Then don't say anything." Max leans in.
Mr. Wizard closes the distance, abandoning all restraint he had shown over the past few minutes.
"You're going to hate me when you snap out of this," he mumbles against Max.
"Shhh," Max kisses him again. "I'll prove you wrong later. Just enjoy this for now."
They don't talk for the rest of the night (except for shared "I love you"s before falling asleep in each other's arms).
Max wakes to a slight shifting beneath him, and arms curling tighter around him.
"You awake?" He whispers, hoping to not wake his sleeping companion if not.
"Undecided. I'm still figuring out if this is a dream or not." Mr. Wizard loosens his hold, allowing Max to sit up.
"It's not," Max assures, leaning down to give the wizard a soft peck on the lips.
Mr. Wizard doesn't look happy at the motion like Max thought he would, but he doesn't say anything against it.
The wizard wordlessly stands up and starts gathering his belongings, avoiding eye contact with Max.
Dread pools in his stomach the longer the wizard remains silent, not acknowledging Max's presence.
"Is everything alright, Wizard?" He asks cautiously.
"You mean other than the crushing guilt of taking advantage of you while you're not yourself? Everything is just fine," he sarcastically assures.
Max wants to console him, assure Mr. Wizard that he truly wanted everything that happened the previous night, but he doesn't know how. He doesn't even know if the potion is affecting him anymore—the love he feels just seems natural.
If he were to really think about how he feels, take stock of every physiological response he has to every thought and feeling he has, he would wager a guess that he isn't under the magic's influence anymore.
"Look at me, Wizard," Max requests, hoping he's not wrong in his assessment.
Mr. Wizard still avoids his gaze, though he does pause his packing.
Max cups Mr. Wizard's face and forces him to look dead-on. "Look at me," he begs.
And look he does.
Mr. Wizard searches in his eyes for any trace of that purple glowing ember. After a few moments of agonizing examination, Max growing less confident by the second, Mr. Wizard pulls back slightly with raised eyebrows and parted lips.
"You mean you're not… the potion isn't…" the wizard trails off, but Max knows what he's asking.
Max shakes his head no, chewing on his lip as he waits to see Mr. Wizard's reaction to the news.
"Does that mean I can kiss you again and not feel bad about it?" He asks, eyes flicking down to where Max is nervously biting his lip.
Max answers that question very clearly with another kiss, just as heated as their first. Mr. Wizard wastes no time responding in kind, taking the initiative to deepen the kiss himself.
Pulling when the other pushes, the cleric and wizard find it natural to respond in kind to the other. The relaxation and excitement in Mr. Wizard's movements knowing that this is of Max's free will is a noticeable change from the guilt-ridden desperation he had felt last night in every move the wizard made.
"Are you still upset you gave me the potion?" Max asks, a teasing lilt to his voice.
"Shut up and kiss me some more," Mr. Wizard demands, pulling the cleric back in.
And who is Max to say no to a request like that?