sorry for the sort of late update! I had a lot of editing to do for this chapter, but I think it turned out well. plz enjoy Judal being unable to keep his hands to himself~
"I am going home today," Hakuryuu says over breakfast. He's been enjoying his time with Judal, but he is ready to finally get some to himself.
Judal almost drops his spoon in his sugary cereal. "Why?"
"I'm running out of clean clothes and-"
"I have laundry!" Judal tries to protest. "After breakfast I can show you where it is, and then you'll be good to go."
Hakuryuu shakes his head. "I'd like to get home, and your futon is uncomfortable."
"Oh, that's fair," Judal agrees, stabbing his spoon into the cereal. He looks sad, and Hakuryuu is struck by how little company Judal keeps. It's not like he has much of a social life either, but Judal seems to actually crave it. Still, he's not required to spend every second with Judal just because he's lonely.
After breakfast, Hakuryuu packs up his stuff while Judal follows him around like a pet that knows its owner is about to leave on a long vacation. Hakuryuu nearly trips over him once or twice, unaware of how close he's gotten. Eventually, though, Judal takes the hint, and hovers at the door while Hakuryuu glances over his packed belongings to make sure he isn't missing anything.
"Do you want the day off?" Judal offers. "I wasn't gonna bother opening up today anyway, since I'm still pretty wiped."
He nods. "I'd like that. Thank you."
Judal shrugs. "It's not a big deal," he says nonchalantly. "Don't get used to special treatment or anything." He's not looking at Hakuryuu now, and when Hakuryuu gives him an odd look, he realizes that this is his way of apologizing for being so petulant.
"I won't," Hakuryuu says, trying not to smile too much. Judal sticks his tongue out but doesn't say anything else, letting him pack the rest in peace.
Despite Judal's whining, Hakuryuu does go home. He starts some laundry and shoots his sister a text, something he should have done days ago. He hopes she isn't too worried about him. Chores and obligations tended to, he sits down on the couch to just relax for a bit.
His apartment feels quiet after spending so much time at Judal's. Maybe empty is a better word for it, though. It's missing the thrum of magic that seems ingrained in both the shop and the living space above it, and it's just not the same to be away from it.
He misses Judal, too, but he's not ready to think too deeply about that.
x･x･x
Hakuryuu returns to work the next day, feeling refreshed, and surprisingly the store is already open. Judal looks up from the counter when he comes in, chipper and bright eyed.
"Good morning," he says. "I made coffee!"
Well, that's probably why he's so energetic. "Oh?"
"Yeah! I finally went out and got a coffee maker yesterday," Judal explains, gesturing wildly as he talks. "I still had to buy coffee though, so I ended up at the coffee shop this morning anyway."
Hakuryuu follows him into the back room to find the coffee maker precariously balanced on top of the microwave. He'll have to spend part of today rearranging to make it fit somewhere that isn't a fire hazard.
"Thank you. Did you get creamer?" he asks.
Judal looks guilty. Oh dear. "I may have stolen your milk. And some of the honey I found on the shelf, which I also think is yours."
Hakuryuu sighs. "I'll just buy some next time I get groceries. Should I get filters too?"
"I dunno. Probably? And look, it's not my fault you bring such good food to work," he says. Judal sticks around while Hakuryuu tries to put his lunch away and get some coffee, getting in the way.
"You could always get yourself better food. Grocery stores do sell more than instant noodles and peaches," he points out, shooing Judal aside.
Judal whines, getting right back into Hakuryuu's personal space. "We can't all have fabulous riches effortlessly, you know. I work hard, slaving away every day with annoying customers…"
"Uh huh."
"Also instant noodles are so much easier."
Hakuryuu chuckles. "That's what I thought."
"Maybe I can just have you cook for me from now on," Judal teases, leaning over Hakuryuu's shoulder. "Then I won't have to steal your food anymore, because it'll be my food too."
"Maybe." Hakuryuu rolls his eyes. "How about we actually work some first?"
Judal pouts and heads out of the office. "We should probably play catch up with important paperwork shit today," he says as he goes.
Hakuryuu settles in to check the books. Nothing major needs to be fixed, just Judal's messy handwriting leading to unclear information. Hakuryuu has been debating talking to him about investing in an updated computer system, but he knows how Judal feels about change. For now, he'll just keep things in order without complaint.
It's easy to fall back into their rhythm; it's comfortable after the stress they just went through and so familiar Hakuryuu almost can't remember what it was like to not be wrapped up in Judal's life. He's not sure how he feels about that.
x･x･x
"You gonna get back to practicing magic?" Judal asks the next day, interrupting Hakuryuu's current task of cleaning out the minifridge. Why does Judal leave so much in it if he lives upstairs? He'll never understand.
"I am," he answers. "I've just been fixing things. It got messy while we were dealing with the Neotoma, and you have a unique skill for making all messes worse."
Judal shrugs. "Yeah, yeah, I'm a big gay disaster, I know it. But you don't have to drive yourself crazy getting it done."
"I'm not. I just like to keep things clean," he points out. Judal perches on the desk to watch him work, narrowly avoiding sitting on some papers.
"That's what got you into this mess with me in the first place."
Hakuryuu pauses to look at him. "That doesn't make cleaning evil."
"If you say so!"
He ignores Judal and gets back to work, wiping sticky fruit juice from every crevice. When Judal realizes that Hakuryuu won't be paying him anymore attention, he hops off the desk and heads back into the store, leaving Hakuryuu to his task. Once Hakuryuu is done, the minifridge almost looks new. With it clean, the room is perfect once more, save for taking out the trash at the end of the night. He feels accomplished and decides to check on Judal.
He finds Judal dealing with a customer, and he looks like he'd rather be anywhere else.
"No, I don't have another one in the back," Judal tells the customer and she sighs loudly.
"Well, you better give me a discount on this one then. I'm not paying full price for the floor model," she snaps at him.
Judal's eyebrow twitches. "Lady, I don't think you understand what kind of store this is. Everything's a one of a kind antique."
She purses her lips at that. "I'm sure people have sat on this and messed with it," she says, pointing at a bench. "You're trying to sell me used furniture for the same price as a new one."
Hakuryuu can see Judal's fingers clench, almost reaching for his wand, before he exhales slowly. "Do you know what an antique is?"
"Excuse me?"
"You heard me. I don't think you know what an antique is, or you wouldn't be bitching about it not being used," Judal snaps. He's no longer the suave and somewhat weird shopkeeper and instead looks like he's one breath from yelling. Hakuryuu wonders how long he's been dealing with this lady.
She tries to get another word in, but Judal just keeps talking. "Antique means it's an old piece of whatever and that's why it's valuable. So it's all fuckin' used here."
She looks taken aback, her mouth gaping slightly open as she tries to respond to him. "That is such unprofessional language! I want to see your manager. He should know about how you treat customers," she demands, and Judal grins at her.
Hakuryuu waits for him to declare that he's the owner and that she can get the hell out of his store - his usual response to difficult people - but instead he turns and gestures at Hakuryuu. "Of course. Mr. Ren here would be happy to talk to you," Judal says, fake sweetness dripping from every word.
Hakuryuu straightens, surprised. He opens his mouth to disagree, but Judal apparently has some sort of plan that he's not privy to. He supposes he looks more professional than Judal, but still. A warning would be nice. The customer makes her way over to the counter, flustered and offended.
"Your employee is so unprofessional! He tried to sell me a used floor model for the same price as a new one, and then he mocked me and used offensive language when I caught him in his lie."
"With all due respect ma'am, this is an antiques store. All our merchandise is secondhand," Hakuryuu tries to explain diplomatically. Judal is behind her making silly faces, out of her sight but right where Hakuryuu can see him, and it's hard to keep a straight face.
She looks confused. "I don't understand. No one would pay this much money for something old."
"Well, we actually make a lot-"
"No, that can't be right. You all must be lying to your innocent customers! Who's the owner of this place?" she asks, raising her voice as she gets more frustrated.
Judal comes up behind Hakuryuu and drapes himself over his shoulders. "Charmed to meet you. Are you done bothering my partner, or do I have to throw you out myself?"
"I am never shopping here again!" she yells, before turning on her heel and leaving. Judal finally laughs, holding onto Hakuryuu to support himself.
"I can't believe you made me deal with her," Hakuryuu tells him, trying to be playfully offended.
Judal shakes his head, trying to contain his laughter. "I needed to compose myself. I was gonna wring her stupid, entitled neck," he explains.
"That's fair."
"And you look so boring and official. No offense or anything. I should let you deal with problem customers more often," Judal says. He hops up on the counter, dangling his legs off the edge while Hakuryuu straightens up the mess around the register.
"So I'm your manager now? Can I punish you for insubordination?" he asks, and there's a mischievous glint in Judal's eyes.
"Oh Hakuryuu, I didn't know you wanted to play dirty at work," Judal says, leaning forward. Hakuryuu's cheeks burn; why does Judal turn the worst things into innuendo? When Hakuryuu doesn't respond, he pouts. "What, I don't even get a kiss for that?" Judal whines, tugging on Hakuryuu's shirt.
"That was terrible," he says, but he kisses Judal anyway. Technically speaking, it's highly unprofessional to kiss your boss on the job, but it's nice to relax and let himself be close to someone else. It feels natural, like it had been there for a while even before they acknowledged it. Still, he can't let this become a habit, at least not at work.
Judal pulls back, all smiles. "Not as terrible as that lady. Shit, I hope she chokes on a cursed dick and dies."
"You can't wish death on bad customers," he says.
"Fucking stop me," Judal shoots back, grinning. "She's just lucky I didn't curse her for reals."
He shakes his head. "How do you own a business?"
"Cause I'm tenacious, and I try not to kill all my customers."
x･x･x
Judal doesn't force him to practice magic, but he does get him a book to help. It's called 'Life Magic: The Most Malleable Type,' and it's significantly more helpful than Judal's instructions. He means well, but Hakuryuu has realized that they understand magic in very different ways.
He spends their down time sitting at the counter reading, taking notes, practicing if there aren't any customers around, and watching Judal flit around the shop. Judal barely sits still even when there's no one else there, and he has a surprising talent for following customers subtly, always there when they need something without getting in the way.
Right now, he's helping a harried looking woman find a purse. Just from glancing at her, Hakuryuu can see threadbare clothes and shoes so worn they're almost useless. He almost feels bad; she probably came here hoping to find something cheap, but cheap isn't really a price that Judal knows.
"Oh no, I think that one's going to be too much," she says, putting down one of the larger bags. "My dog destroyed the strap on my old one, so I just need a temporary one I guess."
Judal nods. "Yeah, that sucks! Lemme see what I've got for you."
She picks up some of the nicer ones but puts down even more quickly, like she doesn't think she should be touching them. She follows Judal further into the shop and Hakuryuu can't quite hear them anymore, so he goes back to reading.
They return, the customer clutching a purse tightly and Judal chatting away politely. "As I was saying, I've had this one just sitting around for awhile, so I'm glad you wanna take it off my hands."
She looks at it some more. "Are you really sure?"
He shrugs. "Yeah, I've needed someone to take it off my hands," he repeats. The purse she's holding is nice, definitely not junk that's just been sitting around. Sure, Judal. Hakuryuu isn't here to tell him how to run his business, so he moves aside to let Judal ring her up.
Judal charges her far less than it's worth and produces a fake flower with a flourish. "And you can have this for free, since you did me a favor."
The flower radiates magic, it's soft and warm like a nice spring day where nothing can go wrong. Hakuryuu can't quite place what its purpose is, but it doesn't feel harmful in the least.
She flushes slightly, maybe because it's unexpected or because Judal is so oddly pretty, and tucks the flower in her new purse. "Thank you," she says graciously, heading out.
Hakuryuu waits until the door ha closed behind her to question Judal. "What did you give her?"
"A good deal," he answers vaguely, trying to hide a grin.
"Judal, you know that's not what I meant."
"Oh, did you notice the charm?" he asks coyly.
"I'm not stupid. I also know you probably paid more than five dollars for that bag," Hakuryuu says, and Judal shrugs.
"I felt bad for her. Apparently she left her crazy abusive boyfriend, but he was the one supporting her and her kid. So now she's got no money and some little brat to take care of," he says.
"Why do people tell you things?"
"I dunno, I'm here? Sometimes I feel like I should be charging them for therapy, but whatever, some people think I'm relatable and easy to talk to." He leans against counter, seemingly content with his explanation.
Hakuryuu pries more. "What was the flower?"
Judal shrugs again and Hakuryuu raises an eyebrow. "It was a good luck charm. I don't only curse people. Just cute boys who are looking for trouble."
"I was not looking for trouble," he argues, and Judal laughs.
"Well, you found it anyway," he laughs. "But don't worry about it. That charm's too simple to cause any problems."
Hakuryuu nods. "I see." Every passing day Hakuryuu spends with Judal, his employer seems both one step more understandable and ten times more baffling. Cursing out stupid customers one day, blessing people with good luck and good deals the next. Hakuryuu sighs and goes back to his instructional book.
What a strange man.