Beware the Bored Magician
by: Laura Boeff
Ace sighed. Not for the first time. Or the second
for that matter. Probably the fifth time by his recollection. God. He was
bored!
Mind numbingly bored. It didn't happen often. Ace
rarely had free time as it was, and when he did, there was usually some
pleasant distraction. Not today. Not on a Sunday with Mona out of town,
Vega on vacation, or a week till his next show; which they'd practiced
so much that he could recall every step on the stage in his sleep.
Bored, bored, bored. Ace sighed again. Six times
now. He looked about. He was currently stretched out on the couch, feet
uncharacteristically propped up the cushions. Across from him was his partner,
assistant, and now apprentice, Cosmo. The young man was totally oblivious
to his antsy condition, reading the paper, sitting sideways in the easy
chair, slouching comfortably against the chair arms. He turned a page and
continued his quiet reading.
Ace looked at his own book, forgotten on the table,
the red placemark trailing out from between its pages. No, he didn't want
to read, he wanted to do something... But what?
He smiled. He almost sounded like Cosmo. Well,
it wasn't like he was an old man yet, and he still could get wound up like
any other person. Ace started toying with a couple of peanuts scattered
over the end table -- left overs from Cosmo's late night movie munching.
He rolled the tubers around with one finger, then gently made them float,
the small trio dancing and flipping around each other.
Hmmm.
Ace looked over to Cosmo again, who was still reading,
utterly unaware of the calculating eyes glancing in his direction.
Two of the peanuts dropped back to the table as
the third floated lazily in the air, see-sawing in front of Ace, following
ever delicate gesture of his hand. He knew it was juvenile, knew it was
childish... but hey, he could be a kid sometimes. He flicked his finger.
The peanut sailed, fast and smooth through the
air to thwack solidly against Cosmo's paper, denting the front and falling
forgotten to the floor.
For a moment there was no reaction. Then, slowly,
almost timed, Cosmo peeked over the lip of the paper. One eyebrow raised
as he studied his older partner.
"Problem?" he asked sarcastically.
Ace smiled innocently. "No, no problem," Ace assured.
That spell had gone off quite perfectly he thought to himself. Cosmo watched
him a minute more, then shook his head and buried himself back in his reading.
Another peanut started dancing in front of Ace.
"I can feel you doing that, Ace," Cosmo warned,
not so much as glancing up from his paper. Ace had no doubt he could.
Zing! Off went the peanut.
Thwak! Right against the paper with enough force
to pull a few pages from the teenager's hands.
Now his partner was glaring.
"Ace..." Cosmo growled, not so much in anger, but
annoyance. He was actually enjoying doing nothing for a change. It was
rarely something he indulged in and now his partner was feeling.... playful.
He made a show of fluffing the paper, recapturing the lost pages and slouching
deeper into the easy chair, pointedly ignoring the magician.
Zing! Off went the last peanut, taking out the
paper all together.
Cosmo glared at the newspaper scattered all over
the floor at his feet, then at Ace who was lounging on the couch trying
hard not to smile and failing miserably.
"This," Cosmo said slowly, "means war."
Ace let out a sudden 'epp' as Cosmo's hand whipped
up. He attempted to dodge but his lounging position on the sofa wasn't
the best for quick maneuvering. Ace found himself, and the couch, thrown
violently backwards, throw pillows soaring, the crash resounding through
the living room.
Damn, that hurt.
Ace sat beside the upturned couch distantly impressed
that Cosmo had succeed in disrupting that much matter that quickly. But
he had landed hard on his butt and the pain overrode any sense of pride
at his friends achievement.
Cosmo turned in his chair and was leaning forward
to gather up his paper when Ace peeked over the disrupted couch. There
was no missing the devilish gleam in the magician's eyes.
"My turn!" Ace announced cheerfully and Cosmo let
out a wild screech as he leapt from the chair half a second before Ace's
own magical shove hit, sending the furniture tumbling.
"Hey now!" Cosmo protested, jabbing a finger at
him. "You started this," he declared angrily, though Ace could easily see
the laughter in the gray eyes. It was not often that Ace simply acted silly
and he knew, while annoyed, his young partner was also amused. So was he,
this was fun.
"That, " Ace declared in explanation. "Hurt."
He leapt over the couch, cape spreading behind
him like wings and made a grab for his assistant. Cosmo was not dumb, nor
was he slow. Letting out a laugh the teenager turn and fled, yelling mockingly
.
"Try and catch me, old man,"
"Old is it?" Ace roared in protest, giving chase.
Zina, who'd been quietly padding down the hall froze
in a shock as Cosmo went streaking by, laughing wildly. Her whiskers twitched
curiously. She was used to unpredictable behavior from that human but she
was not use to the sight of Ace giving chase, also laughing as he ran by.
She shook her head once, then twice and returned
her trek toward Cosmo's room. Humans. Who could figure them out?
Ace slid around a corner and froze at the empty
hall in front of him. The currents of magic where shifting. Cosmo was up
to something. But what?
"You're only delaying the inevitable," he declared
teasingly, grinning happily. He was glad Cosmo wasn't really mad and counted
himself lucky to have a friend who could easily adapt to his somewhat eccentric
personality.
There was no answer as Ace cautiously continued
down the hall, pausing to look in a storage locker. The currents still
shifted. What was he up to?
"Bonzai!"
Ace let out a grunt as Cosmo shifted back into
visibility, completing a flying tackle that sent both men hard to the ground.
Ace taking the brunt of the landing since Cosmo was happily stretched out
on his back.
Invisibility, he should have know.
"You know, I'm just going to have to hurt you now,"
Ace sighed with deceptive calm as his apprentice grinned over his shoulder,
not disturbed in the least.
"Guess what Mona told me the other day?" Cosmo
laughed in his ear. Ace cocked an eyebrow.
"What?"
"She told me," he said, pausing dramatically. "That
you're ticklish."
Oh damn. He was.
Cosmo ruthlessly started dancing his fingers over
Ace's ribs and a sharp chortle erupted from the older man as he attempted
to squirm free, but Cosmo was levering all his weight against his back,
making moving nearly impossible.
"Say uncle," Cosmo cat-called, never letting up
as he determinedly kept up his assault, Ace laughing so hard that he was
starting to choke.
"Never!" Ace hiccuped defiantly.
"Resistance is futile!" Laughing maniacally, Cosmo
worked even more furiously in his quest to tickle Ace into submission.
Ace laughed, hiccuped and tried again to squirm
free. Man, if he didn't do something soon he was going to have an embarrassing
accident. It wasn't probably the best state of mind to be in, but Ace tapped
into his magic any way, still giggling as his body disappeared beneath
his cape in glittering gold dust.
Cosmo let out a sudden 'ouff' as he found himself
laying on the floor, Ace's empty cape beneath his fingers.
Uh oh...
He was going to get it now.
Shoving himself up, sides heaving from laughter,
Cosmo tried to focus in on his partner, get a feeling for where he was,
but it was hard to get beyond his own giggling.
Which was what did him in as Ace reappeared behind
him.
Cosmo was already running the moment he felt Ace's
presence reform.
"He's off," he cheered jubilantly, thumbing his
nose at his partner.
"Not so quickly," Ace laughed, hands raising.
Cosmo let out an unhappy squeal as his feet suddenly
lifted from the floor, tendrils of yellow gold energy snaking over his
body, cradling him gently as he was traversed back down the hall to the
waiting magician.
"Oh damn, oh damn," Cosmo gasped reaching out furtively
to get a hand hold on something. Ace happily bounced him away from anything
that might have offered escape and smiled as he dangled Cosmo upside down
in front of him.
"You," Cosmo protested with another finger jab.
"Started this."
Ace nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly.
"Yes. I'm going to finish it, too," he assured
with a warm smile. Cosmo groaned and fought again as Ace guided his protesting
bundle out the door of the Magic Express to the railing edge that overhung
the river that ran below the trains customary parking place.
Playfully, he dangled Cosmo over the water, not
really intending to dunk his partner, but enjoying letting the thought
cross his mind.
Cosmo looked down at the gently moving river below
and then back as his smiling partner. He gulped unhappily.
"Say uncle," Ace offered amicably.
Cosmo stuck his tongue out. "No way," he defied
with a smug grin letting out an 'epp' as he dipped suddenly, being caught
just eye level with the rail. Ace leaned forward, eyes dancing as he smiled
into his defiant partner's face.
"Say uncle," he said, laughing at the indignant
glitter in the pale depths that glared back at him.
Oh, Ace was just asking for it!
Cosmo knew this was going to hurt, but this had
become a matter of pride. He tried to lean forward in the levitating embrace,
which didn't really work, and address his spastic cohort with a growing
smile as he let the magic trickle in.
"How about," he chuckled evilly, "you join me?"
Ace let out a startled shout as Cosmo lost a shockwave
at his feet, the cement shattering under the magical blow, sending both
men tumbling to the churning waters below with a shriek. He broke the surface
sputtering, distantly glad he'd shed his cape earlier. Otherwise, the weight
would have dragged him under.
Of all the things! Ace brooded, waiting for Cosmo
to surface. He had to give him credit. Ace hadn't expected him to pull
off that stunt. Cosmo usually shied away from the shatter spell, it had
a tendency to backlash randomly.
Ace blinked. Cosmo still hadn't surfaced and he
felt a lump of worry gathering in his gut. What if the spell had backlashed?
Oh damn, the spell would still work, but it would also throw Cosmo for
a loop.
"Cosmo?" he called worriedly and dove beneath the
water. His heart clenched as he saw the young man, floating limply below,
an occasional bubble trickling to the surface.
All his earlier humor had dissipated in a wall
of fear as Ace swam to his partner, strokes powerful and desperate. There
was no resistance in his friend as Ace got an arm around him, kicking fiercely
to the surface.
They broke through in a wave of water, Ace with
a gasp, Cosmo making no noise as his head rolled back over the supportive
arm
"Cosmo?" Ace called fearfully, lifting the young
face toward him. "Cosmo?"
Gray eyes popped opened, smiling evilly at him
as Cosmo spewed a mouth full of water into his shocked partner's face,
quickly making his escape as Ace floated there sputtering.
"Damn it!" Ace roared. "You scared the life out
of me!" he protested even while he felt laughter start to bubble in him.
Cosmo had gotten him, dead to rights.
"You deserved it!" Cosmo shot back, grinning smugly.
"You did start this after all."
"That," Ace snapped trying to stay mad and failing.
"Was not funny. I thought you'd backlash."
Cosmo coughed, swallowed and laughed, kicking water
at him.
"I did and it hurts like hell, but man, it was
worth it. The look on your face," he giggled, backpedaling as Ace made
a halfhearted attempt to chase him down.
"And Ace," Cosmo called, waiting as Ace raised
an eyebrow in his direction. "It was funny."
Ace shoved a sheet of water and Cosmo let it wash
over him still chortling.
"You okay?" he called gently. If Cosmo had backlashed,
it would hurt.
Cosmo nodded. "Yea, not too bad. Man, I so hate
getting soaking wet. It makes my underwear chafe," he complained good-naturedly.
It was like a light bulb going on and Ace's face
lit up as he held his hand out of the water.
"You mean this underwear?" he asked, a pair of
men's red boxers dangling from one finger.
Cosmo nearly gagged as a fiery blush attacked his
cheeks.
"Hey now... just wait a minute here!" he roared,
utterly embarrassed.
Ace just laughed, twirling the wayward article
teasingly.
"Hmmm... Red. Goes well with your pants." He promptly
lifted his other hand clear of the water, dangling Cosmo's trademark red
pants.
Cosmo froze, looked down, then up again, his face
having gone the most marvelous shade of beet red. For a second the teen
could only sputter, then managed to find his voice.
"Give me those back!" he choked as Ace started
swimming to the opposite shore, waving Cosmo's cloths like a mad sort of
trophy and laughing. Cosmo vainly started chasing him knowing full well
the older man would be clear of the water before he reached him.
"Ace....!"