"I'll be back in a few hours. Just heading into downtown to an antique bookshop I found online. Plus there is this occult shop a few blocks down, so I figured I'd stop by there on the way home." Magica yelled from her room. Gladstone had made himself cozy on his sofa with the T.V. remote in his hand.
"Just make sure no one notices you-" Magica stepped into the living room dressed in a black and purple button down dress. A dark green military style anorak was slung under her arm. Her long hair was braided and tucked away in a bun, strands of hair flying down into her face. He couldn't help but stare.
"Is this okay? The jacket has a hood so if I need to I can just put it up." She said, sliding her arms into the sleeves.
"You put your hair up."
"I mean, I usually wear it down. I figured I'd look less-"
"Menacing?"
"Witchy." She said unamused. "I'm just gonna pick up a few specific ingredients for a spell I'm interested in working on."
"Just don't get into trouble." Gladstone said, flipping through the channels. "Ugh, there's nothing on."
Magica grabbed the remote and opened the Netflix app. "You can use my account. I got one for Lena a few months back." She entered her account info and threw the remote at him.
"Wow, thanks."
"If I'm living here, I might as well share." She took her purse off the coat hanger by the door. "Just don't watch anything past episode eleven of season two on Riverdale. I haven't had time to catch up."
"You watch Riverdale?"
"Lena got me into the damn show and now I'm obsessed." She sighed. "Speaking of Lena, I was wondering if she could stop by today. I need to turn in those movies I rented for her last night."
"I mean, does she know where I live?"
"I think. She told me to do a 'pin-drop?'" Magica opened the door. "She didn't ask for an address so I guess she got it."
"Alright, well…I'll see you when you get home?"
"Okay. Bye." Magica shut the door behind her. Gladstone sighed.
Damn, we are waaaay to comfortable with each other. Its like we're a couple.
He shuddered.
No. You two are just roommates. You have history, but its over. It was nothing.
Her words echoed through his head.
"I regret it. I regret using you like that. Making you have a reason to mistrust me." "I would never use you. Not again." "I would never hurt you like that again."
He leaned back on the sofa and sighed. "Did she really mean that?"
He got up and went to the fridge, grabbing a can of Pep and returning to the sofa. He clicked Riverdale on the screen and scrolled to season one.
"Lets see if this show is any good." He said to himself.
"I had the right of way, asshole!" Magica flipped off the car as it sped off. She groaned and continued to cross the street.
If I wasn't trying to lay low, I would have hexed that bastard!
She sighed and rounded the corner of the block and into the bookshop.
For a small corner store, the store was well stocked and packed with books. Stacks sat on the nearby counters and the shelves on the walls were filled with books of various colors and sizes. A metal spiral staircase stood in the center of the store, enticing the witch to enter deeper into the store. Magica let out a little squeal of excitement.
"Everything…is hardcover!" She squealed. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of it all.
"Hello, how can I help you?" A male voice said behind her. Magica spun around. A tall duck with gleaming blue eyes looked down at her. His hair was black, and combed back loosely, strands flowing freely like tall grass. He wore a blue button up shirt with his sleeves rolled up.
"Uh, yes, actually. I'm looking for books on anything of the occult. Usually considered 'witchy,' or anything related-"
"You write those witchy blogs online, don't you?" He said, smiling at her. "Follow me."
The man walked up the spiral stairs, leading Magica up towards a stack of shelves by a large industrial window.
"Anything considered 'witchy,' I keep here. Over down the hall and to your right are some reference books that could be useful to anything you might find here."
Magica's face lit up at the sight of all the books in the shelves.
"It's buy two, get one free today. I mean, we are pretty overstocked."
"Thank you for helping me, um…"
"Angelo." He smiled and took her hand in his. He stared into her eyes as he kissed the top of her hand softly. "And your name?"
"Ma…"
Fake name, Magica. Fake name!
"Maggie. You can call me Maggie." She took her hand back from him.
"Let me know if you need anything else, Maggie." Angelo winked and descended down the staircase. Magica exhaled when he was no longer in sight. She took the hand he kissed and looked down at it in confusion.
"That was extremely unnecessary." She wiped her hand on her dress and ran her fingers down the spines of the books, reading each cover. She snickered to herself.
"That idiot is sitting on a spell book goldmine! And its buy two, get one free!"
She stopped her finger on a red and gold book with Theban lettering on the spine. She pulled the book off the shelf.
"'Love Spells: An Unabridged Guide to Bonding Souls and Breaking Hearts.'" Magica laughed evilly as she opened the book.
Lena looked up and pounded at the green door. She flipped her hair out of her face as it swung open. Gladstone looked down at the teenager, his eyebrow raised.
"Lena?"
"Gladstone?" She pushed him aside and threw the movies onto the kitchen table.
"Um, excuse me. I didn't invite you in." He said, slamming the door behind him. Lena swung out a chair and sat in it. She put her feet up on the table and pulled out her phone.
"Well at least you know I'm not a vampire, since you have to invite them in." Lena said, texting on her phone.
"I probably would have preferred you being a vampire, since you wouldn't have had a chance to dirty up my kitchen table with your shoes." He crossed his arms and scowled at her. She snickered and looked up at him from her phone.
"Now I see it."
"See what?"
"Nothing." Lena went back to her phone. Gladstone cursed under his breath and went back to the couch. Lena got up and looked at the screen.
"Riverdale?" She said, walking up to the couch.
"I already finished season one. I'm in the middle of season two, episode two right now."
"Did they already sing 'Milkshake?'" Lena scooted up next to Gladstone and swiped the remote from his hand.
"Wait what?" She pressed play.
Magica walked up the steps to the house. She balanced the two bags of books and spell ingredients in her arms and opened the door.
"How is Archie so stupid?" Gladstone screamed.
"I know!" Lena clapped her hands together. "Boy has gotta learn to not be stupid."
"Well this is a surprise." Magica dropped her bags by the door and put her bag on the coat hanger. "You didn't watch past episode 11, did you?"
Gladstone paused the show. "We're on ten right now. But we can continue after dinner gets here." He said over his shoulder.
"We ordered Chinese food." Lena said, smiling. She stared at her aunt and raised an eyebrow. "Since when do you wear your hair up?"
"Since I had to go incognito." Magica took off her jacket and sat on the couch next to Lena.
"From Uncle Rosolio?" Lena nudged.
"I thought it was Ricardo?" Gladstone said.
Magica rolled her eyes. "Why is it that you always get his name wrong?"
"I mean, does it matter? You want him out of your life, so why bother remembering his name." He said, his face deadpan.
"Dude, that was hella salty." Lena smiled at him. The doorbell rang.
"I'll get it." Gladstone got up and answered the door.
"I like him Aunt Magica." Lena whispered. "You two would make a good couple."
"Excuse me, but no-"
"You guys were both pretty bummed when the Matilda incident went bad, why not try ag-"
"Lena Minima De Spell, you shut your mouth right now or I will hex it shut!"
The girls both looked to Gladstone who had taken the boxes of Chinese food to the kitchen table. He unopened multiple boxes and steam flew up into his face. Lena watched as her aunt fixated on him. She poked the witch in the arm. "Instead of staring at your roommate like a snack, how about you help yourself to some dinner?"
Shock plastered itself all over Magica's face. Lena jumped up and ran to the table, serving herself.
"Hey Magica, you aren't allergic to shrimp right?" Gladstone called to her, holding a box in his hand. She shook her head and smiled as he walked over with the box of noodles and chopsticks. She took the box from him and smiled.
"Thanks for letting Lena come over."
"It's no problem. We had a good time." Gladstone turned around and laughed as he saw Lena choke on a piece of orange chicken.
"She scarfs down food like a ravenous wolf. I'm terribly sorry."
"It's fine, really. But I do have a question."
"What is it?" Magica slurped up a noodle.
"Where does she live?"
Magica looked down at her food. "Where ever I can afford at the time." She looked up to her niece who was picking at a box of char siu. "I was able to swindle out this studio apartment in a shady part of town for a while, but after I got free of her shadow…she's been back and forth staying at McDuck Manor and that amphitheater by the ocean."
Gladstone looked at Magica's face. Her eyes watered. He let out a loud, exasperated sigh.
I can't believe I'm doing this…
He smiled at the witch. She looked up at him with confusion. Gladstone crossed his arms and smiled.
"Hey Lena, how would you like to stay here with your aunt for a while?"
A/N: Hey guys! I know that this was a pretty busy chapter, jumping from scene to scene, but I am trying to set up the plot here. I also just happen to like the idea that Gladstone, Magica and Lena become a cute little family of their own, even though they will never admit it. Huehuehue
I am sorry for that Riverdale reference, but right now my friends and I are hooked and shooketh with season two, and writing this fic is my break from binging. I'd rather binge-write than binge-watch a show...
Please let me know what you guys think! Shoot me a review, a suggestion, anything really. I'll even take a favorite or a follow. Feel free to suggest/review on Tumblr too if you want to stay as a ghost reader.
Thank you guys!
~Alex
