OKAY HOLY SHIT I APOLOGIZE FOR THE LATE UPDATE! I posted the chapter on ao3 but then somehow completely forgot to post it here? sorry everyone D:

this was almost an 8k word chapter but I ended up splitting it in two because yikes that was a lot of words. and a lot happening. as it is there's still a lot happening! I hope y'all enjoy it~

Hakuryuu puts his conversation with Alibaba out of his mind for the next few days. It's easier than he expected but then again, it's become so easy to let the comfortable warmth of the shop take his mind off his worries that he really shouldn't be so surprised. It's nice. Right now he's watching Judal putter around the front, poking and prodding at his newest acquisitions.

Judal gestures at a wide loveseat taking up space in the middle of everything. "What do you think of this?"

Hakuryuu looks it over. "It's...nice, I guess? Are you going to keep it there?"

He flops into it. "Probably. It's comfy."

"It's in the way."

Judal looks around from his seat, narrowing his eyes. "Then move the rest of the crap, I dunno. I wanna lounge."

"Of course. I wouldn't want you to have to work too hard," Hakuryuu tells him, rolling his eyes. He starts moving some of the smaller displays first, trying to make it feel less cramped. The store is stuffed with antiques but there's a balance to making it seem filled without being overwhelming. Since Judal seems content to stay in his new seat, it's up to him to figure it out.

"Oh hey, I should put up some more protections on the store," Judal says off-handedly, not looking up from his phone.

"Hm?"

"There was some sort of prison break yesterday," Judal explains. "All sorts of nasty criminals wandering around. I wouldn't want them to steal from my humble little shop."

"I doubt hardened criminals are looking for antiques to decorate their homes," Hakuryuu says, shaking his head. He's probably going to have to move a bookshelf, but he'll make Judal do that with magic. It's too much of pain to do alone. "I'm going to take a few things further back."

Judal nods. "Sure, sure."

Hakuryuu rejoins Judal to find him still engrossed in whatever is on his phone screen. "Keeping your eyes peeled for those criminals?"

"Yeah, apparently it was this super bloody break out! This guy, uh, Cassim? He's the one running this shit, and all these guards and other prisoners died. It's pretty nasty," Judal says, far too intrigued by the bloody murder. What a strange man.

Wait.

"Cassim?"

"Hmm? I think that's the guy's name," he says.

Hakuryuu frowns. He knows that name. Obviously, it's entirely possible that it's a different Cassim, but it's still a strange coincidence. "Alibaba has a childhood friend named Cassim, that's all."

"Sucks for him! Talk about bad luck to share a name with some murderous asshole," Judal says, laughing. "That sounds like something that would happen to a friend of Alibaba, though."

"Well, his friend Cassim is in prison still, as far as I know. He was in a juvenile detention center when we met in high school, and Alibaba was always talking about trying to get him out before he had to be transferred to an adult prison," Hakuryuu explains.

Judal's eyes bug out. "Haha, what?"

"I'm sure it's a coincidence, though."

"No, no, run that by me again. Alibaba has a friend named Cassim that he's wanted to get out of prison for years, yeah?" Hakuryuu nods and Judal frowns deeply. "I mean, he did just buy a genie in a bottle that would grant his desires."

"I thought you said it wouldn't work!" Hakuryuu snaps.

"I said I didn't think it would work! I see he's just as good at following directions as you are," Judal groans. "What a mess."

Hakuryuu has to sit down, but the only seat is either behind the counter or on the loveseat with Judal, so he'll stay standing for now. This is just ridiculous; there are so many things wrong with the situation that he can't deal with them all right now. Is this why Alibaba has been texting him about all the dates he's been on over the past few days? He really hopes Alibaba didn't wish for women to like him more. He's sure that could turn into a mess, too. "Why did you sell him something so dangerous?"

"Because I'm fucking stupid, okay?" Judal runs his hands down his face in frustration. "We're gonna have to ask him about it."

"How exactly do you plan on doing that?" Hakuryuu asks, but he has a bad feeling he knows the answer already.

Judal looks at him like he's mentally challenged. "Gimme your phone."

"No."

"Aw, come on! I'll be nice!"

Hakuryuu shoves a hand in his pocket to grip his phone protectively. "No. I don't want to seem like I'm being weird or something."

Judal whines. "This is bad. Like, people died and shit. There are dangerous criminals loose on the innocent people of the city. I mean, I hate most of them, but what if they destroy something I like?"

"You are really just something else," Hakuryuu says, pulling out his phone. "I will send Alibaba something more subtle than whatever you had in mind."

He considers this for a moment. "Yeah, probably a good idea. I was just gonna ask him if he'd been a dumbass."

"Wow, that is both unhelpful and rude," Hakuryuu says, making Judal scoot over so he can sit next to him.

"I try to reach new heights of being a dick every day," Judal says, snuggling to watch Hakuryuu text Alibaba.

Hakuryuu: How have you been?
Alibaba: So busy!
Alibaba: It's almost too tiring, but I'll suffer for the love of all these women who want me
Hakuryuu: Ah. I take it you're still going on dates?
Alibaba: Yeah!

"Ugh, boring," Judal says, trying to grab the phone. "Ask him about the lamp! I have to know if this is my fault."

"I'm getting there," Hakuryuu chides, moving it out of Judal's reach. "You are so impatient."

He leans up and licks Hakuryuu's ear in retaliation, cackling when he shivers. "Yep!"

Hakuryuu: That sounds like fun.
Hakuryuu: Did you see the news story about Cassim?
Alibaba: What?
Hakuryuu: I think it was about him, at least. There was a big prison break lead by someone named Cassim.
Alibaba: Holy shit
Alibaba: I have to see this

"See, it might not be Alibaba's Cassim," Hakuryuu says, though he's trying to convince himself more than anything. If it convinces Judal then that's a good side effect.

Judal looks thoughtful. "Maybe."

"I'm trying to be hopeful," he say in frustration, only for his phone to buzz with a new text.

Alibaba: That's the prison he's in
Alibaba: But someone shoulda told me…
Hakuryuu: Maybe it was a different Cassim.
Hakuryuu: Did you see the news story about Cassim?
Alibaba: I dunno
Alibaba: I'll let you know
Alibaba: Thanks for telling me

"That looks bad," Judal says, voicing their shared concerns.

"What do we want to do about it?" Hakuryuu asks. Despite Judal's negative attitude towards people, he knows that he won't leave this mess alone.

"Well, I'm not gonna go round up all the escaped prisoners. That's what cops are for," he replies.

"Alright," Hakuryuu agrees. He has an idea.

Hakuryuu: Do you want to do dinner this week? It could get your mind off of this mess.
Alibaba: Actually yeah
Alibaba: That sounds good
Hakuryuu: Do you mind if I bring Judal? We're rather close.

Judal snickers and Hakuryuu resists smacking him. He's not sure how else to describe whatever it is they have, and he'll need Judal to deal with the lamp.

Alibaba: Really?
Hakuryuu: Yes.
Alibaba: Sure I guess
Alibaba: I don't mind
Hakuryuu: Thank you
Alibaba: Aladdin should be around too

"Oh, you're smart," Judal tells him proudly. "You're getting us right to the source!"

Hakuryuu nods. "I thought this would work. And this way you can come along, since I'm not familiar with this horrible magic disaster that you've decided to cause."

"I mean, it's not entirely my fault," Judal tries to say, only to wilt under Hakuryuu's glare. "Okay, maybe it's mostly my fault. But I did warn him."

"I think you just don't consider the consequences of your actions," Hakuryuu points out. "However, you're good at cleaning up those messes, at least."

He grins. "I am! Now find out when we're having our double date or whatever."

"Aladdin is a mutual friend, Judal," Hakuryuu explains, before getting back to his phone. This is too much social interaction for him today, so he really hopes Alibaba doesn't want to do this tonight.

Hakuryuu: Does tomorrow night work for you?
Alibaba: Uh
Alibaba: Lemme see
Alibaba: Yeah Aladdin is free and I need a night off from dates
Hakuryuu: I never thought I'd see you say that.
Alibaba: It's hard!

"Weird," Judal scoffs. "But there we go. Now you get to fulfill your social obligation and potentially deal with the genie issue."

"Yes," he agrees. "It's very efficient."

Judal chuckles and kisses his cheek before hopping up from the loveseat. "I guess I can help you move that bookcase now."

"Please."

x･x･x

The next day, Judal leaves Hakuryuu to watch the store in the late afternoon, saying he needs to get ready before vanishing upstairs. He returns in an entirely different outfit, more jewelry, and sparkly makeup. He looks like a peacock on display, but somehow, he does it without seeming ridiculous.

"You changed," he says dumbly, failing his original goal of complimenting Judal's look. Why is he so bad at this?

"Yeah, you know. Since we're going on a dinner date and all," he explains, spinning around to show off more. "So don't touch me yet, my makeup is still setting."

"You're the one with wandering hands," Hakuryuu says, making Judal laugh. He doesn't see Judal's wand, but he has no doubt that it's tucked away somewhere in the silky brocade of his pants. "You look nice."

He smiles brightly. "Thanks!"

"Should I have dressed up?" Hakuryuu asks, now worried that he's not wearing the proper outfit for the occasion. He assumed casual, but now that he's seen Judal, he's doubting himself.

"Nah, you always look so formal anyways," Judal says, finally making his way behind the register. "We're just going to his apartment, right?"

Hakuryuu moves to give Judal the seat and he settles in it happily. "We're meeting there, but we might go somewhere else. Alibaba never gave me a straight answer."

"Well, you're fine either way. I just wanted an excuse to be fancy."

"Of course."

Judal grins up at him. "So...what time?"

"Seven, so we should leave soon to account for traffic," Hakuryuu says. "Unlike you, I don't believe in being 'fashionably late.' So don't get too comfortable."

"So judgmental!" He laughs. "Guess we should close up."

"Don't worry, I've already started. And there's a sign on the door saying that we're closing early today," he explains proudly. "We really should decide on a more set schedule of hours-"

"Ugh, fiiiiiine," Judal concedes, cutting him off. "But not right now."

"Well, of course not. We can sit down and discuss it tomorrow," he says, reaching around Judal to grab the deposit. It's been slow for the last few hours, so closing is quicker than usual.

Hakuryuu planned ahead and brought his car, even if he felt silly to drive such a short distance this morning. Judal loves car trips, though, and Alibaba doesn't exactly live next door; it's necessary for their evening plans.

Judal whistles when they pull up to the address. "These are some swanky ass townhouses," he declares, head hanging out the window to inspect them better. "Are all your friends loaded or something?"

Hakuryuu parks out front, past the signs announcing that parking for residents is in the rear. "Calm down, Judal."

"Never!"

"Judal-"

"I won't ruin your friendship," he assures Hakuryuu. "I still gotta be the mysterious antiques dealer, remember?"

Hakuryuu offers him a hand out of the car and Judal takes it firmly, pink dusting his cheeks lightly. "I forgot, since you dropped that act around me fairly quickly."

He lets Hakuryuu pull him up, but angles himself closer to leave a soft kiss on Hakuryuu's lips. It's barely a touch but it's so sweet; he almost wishes they were back on Judal's couch instead of about to head into Alibaba's house. But they have to. They have responsibilities.

"I figured you'd be around for awhile. I'm not that good of an actor," Judal admits, keeping Hakuryuu's hand clasped in his as they climb the stairs to the porch. He releases it to excitedly ring the doorbell, though.

Alibaba answers almost immediately, smiling widely. "Hey guys! Aladdin's inside, but Morgiana couldn't make it. Apparently someone called off, so she had to go into work," he explains sadly, welcoming them in.

"That's alright," Hakuryuu says. "Thank you for having us."

"Aw, come on. I invited you," Alibaba says, all smiles again.

Now that he's properly inside, Hakuryuu can tell that the house feels strange. He can't quite put his finger on what it is exactly, but something isn't right here. It's like the subdued feeling of the lamp but lurking in every corner, hiding from sight, but Hakuryuu is looking for something; it can't escape him. Alibaba feels odd too: entirely mundane but with a weird cloak of magic around him. Hakuryuu glances at Judal and sees his cheery fake smile; he's probably noticed it too, then.

"You have a very nice home," Judal says graciously, gesturing at high ceilings and polished wood floors. "Though I can see why you wanted some more decorations for it."

It's jarring to hear Judal be so calm and polite, but Alibaba doesn't seem to be the wiser. "Yeah, I'm just no good at it," he says sheepishly, leading them further in. "I dunno if you guys wanna go out or just order something in, but I'm down for either."

"Staying in sounds nice," Hakuryuu tells him, sitting on the couch in the living room. Judal makes himself comfortable next to him, but he manages to refrain from cuddling. Hakuryuu is proud of him for respecting personal boundaries in public for once. Alibaba gives him a thumbs up and leaves the room, presumably to organize ordering some delivery.

Aladdin joins them with a smile on his face. "Hey, Hakuryuu! Long time no see. I guess this is-" It only lasts a moment, but Hakuryuu sees Aladdin trip over his words and steps when he makes eye contact with Judal. "It's nice to meet you." Aladdin manages to replace the startled look on his face with a warm smile, and he sits in one of the plush chairs across from the couch

Hakuryuu does his best not to let his shame show. Now that he's thought about it more, he did spend a lot of time with them in high school, and they may have actually missed his presence. "I'm sorry. It's nice to see you again."

He grins. "Don't worry about it. We were all so busy in college," he says, turning to look at Judal again. "Is this your partner? Alibaba couldn't figure it out."

Judal laughs, and it sounds like tinkling wind chimes instead of the unrestrained cawing that Hakuryuu is used to; he didn't know Judal could sound like that. "Well, it's my store, but I let him deal with the problem customers and keep my paperwork and tax stuff organized. He's really good at that last part."

"I thought you made me your manager a few weeks ago," Hakuryuu reminds him.

"It's still mine," he says, playfully elbowing Hakuryuu in the side.

Aladdin laughs too, and Hakuryuu really hopes it's just his paranoia making him think that Judal and Aladdin keep shooting each other glances when they think no one will notice.

Alibaba comes back with a handful of takeout menus. "So what do you guys like? We've ordered from these places before, but I could probably find somewhere else if they don't work out."

"Judal is picky," Hakuryuu says before he can make a fuss. "So as long as we find somewhere that can do substitutions, we should be good."

Judal whines softly and grabs the takeout menus from Alibaba for them to look over together. He can tell that Judal is trying to play it cool, but he keeps making faces at things the he finds offensive to his tastes. It's kind of cute. Judal eventually picks up a menu for a Chinese place and waves it at Alibaba. "What do they put in their lo mein?"

"Uh, vegetables? I dunno," Alibaba admits and Judal frowns. "Sorry."

"I'll live," Judal says, but he still sounds undecided.

They do eventually settle on Chinese, with specific instructions from Judal to ask for egg and meat only in his order. Alibaba pops into another room to call it in and Judal pulls his phone out almost immediately. That's fine. They're not technically his friends; he's not required to make small talk.

"So, how is graduate school going?" Hakuryuu asks before awkward silence can cloud the room. Judal is typing away furiously next to him, and his phone buzzes in his pants pocket just as Aladdin answers.

"It's keeping me busy, but I'm really enjoying the challenge. I've been doing some assistant teaching this semester, and it's really not as bad as Ugo made it out to be," Aladdin says, shrugging. "It's also nice to be back home. I've missed it."

Hakuryuu nods. "I see," he says, trying to ignore his phone vibrating and Judal elbowing him subtly. He can't ignore conversation to be on his phone; it's just rude. However, he can run to the bathroom, and that will help him with his small talk struggles, too. "Not to interrupt, but I need to use your restroom."

"Oh, it's just down that hall on the left," Aladdin tells him, pointing the way.

Once he's safely inside the bathroom, Hakuryuu pulls out his phone to see what Judal needed to tell him so desperately.

Judal: Hakuryuu
Judal: Hakuryuu
Judal: Your friend is magic
Judal: Blue hair
Judal: Aladdin!
Judal: Sorry I forgot his name already
Judal: But he's got magic and shit

Hakuryuu takes a deep breath. This isn't nearly as desperate as he thought it would be, especially considering their actual purpose for being here. Judal is so dramatic.

Hakuryuu: Is that all you wanted to tell me?
Judal: Yessss!
Hakuryuu: You didn't notice the weird aura in the house?
Judal: Of course I did
Judal: It's obvious I assumed you did too
Judal: Ur not surprised abt Aladdin?
Hakuryuu: At this point, I just assume magic has been everywhere in my life and no one bothered to tell me.

Aladdin must have figured Judal out too. It's not like he's subtle about his capabilities; his magical aura is just as flamboyant as the rest of him. But unless he's already told Alibaba about magic, Aladdin probably won't bring it up. He's polite, or at least he was in high school. Hopefully he still is.

Judal: lol
Judal: True
Judal: Come back I can't do this he keeps looking at me funny
Hakuryuu: Maybe he can tell that you're magical, too.
Judal: Oh right
Hakuryuu: Please don't make a mess.

Hakuryuu turns his screen off and slips his phone back in his pocket before he can be disappointed by whatever Judal's response is. He finds them in awkward silence: Judal is still glued to his phone and Aladdin looks like he's been trying and failing to make conversation.

Fortunately, Alibaba comes back before it can get any worse. "Food's ordered, guys! It should be here in a bit."

"Unfortunately, I've got a paper to write tonight," Aladdin says. "But I'd love to catch up more, so please get me when the food is here."

"No problem," Alibaba tells him, waving as Aladdin heads upstairs. He plops into a chair and pulls out his phone, since apparently Alibaba is rude in social situations. He frowns deeply at it and sighs.

Judal cocks his head towards him. "You alright?"

Alibaba looks over at him. "Yeah, just tired. Maybe I shouldn't have given my number to all the girls who gave me theirs, 'cause they've been texting me at all hours," he explains, glancing back down at his phone when it beeps.

Judal's face is sympathetic, but Hakuryuu sees the gleam in his eyes. He's planning something. "That does sound tiring," he says kindly. "It seems like you're carrying a lot negative energy on you right now."

"I mean, I wanted the attention," Alibaba says, almost guiltily. "I've wanted to be popular with girls for so long...I know I kind of sound like a loser, but no one ever wanted to go out with me! And it's something I really wanted."

"Enough to wish for it? Perhaps aloud, while moping around you home?" Judal asks, sympathy replaced with cold determination. Hakuryuu can see where he's going with it now.

"Uh. Maybe?" Alibaba ducks his head, refusing to meet Judal's gaze.

Judal groans. "Of course you did."

"So? It's not like wishing for things does anything about them. I know you gave me that whole 'genie in the lamp' spiel but it's not like that's actually real...no offense to your job, it's just not something that's gonna happen," Alibaba replies stubbornly, though he does still look nervous. Judal just looks annoyed.

"You don't have to take me seriously to realize you messed-"

Hakuryuu elbows him to cut him off, and Judal glares. "I know Judal's attitude can be strange, but you did say you'd listen to his requests."

Alibaba frowns. "Come on, I can't see you buying into all of that," he says, laughing nervously, glancing between the two of them. "Right?"

"Well-" Hakuryuu starts to say, trying to keep things diplomatic and reasonable sounding, but Judal interrupts him.

"Of course it is. I'm not some sort of skeevy liar, selling fake cursed lamps," Judal says proudly. Hakuryuu sighs, rubbing his temples. Apparently they're going right into magical land. Alibaba is going to think they're both crazy at this rate.

Instead, Alibaba starts to look legitimately concerned. "Haha, yeah, sure, of course!"

Judal moves to get up but Hakuryuu pulls him back down. "We're not trying to harass you, right Judal?" Hakuryuu says pointedly, and Judal grumbles.

"It's cool, it's cool, I guess you really live and breathe your whole...look?" Alibaba tries, and Hakuryuu cringes. Judal's not going to take that as a compliment. Conveniently, the doorbell rings before anyone else can say anything. "That was quick! Lemme get that," Alibaba says, practically flying out of his seat to escape the conversation.

Hakuryuu shoots Judal a withering look and he just shrugs, unrepentant. "You said you'd behave," he hisses.

"I am behaving," Judal shoots back, just as quietly.

There's a commotion at the door, and Alibaba comes stumbling back into the living room looking tousled and roughed up. "Yeah uh, the food isn't here yet," he says quickly. "I- I think I need to go upstairs."

Judal gets up, full of suspicion and doubt. "What happened?"

"Ah, nothing!"

Hakuryuu heads to investigate the door, since he's realized that he can't stop Judal. The doorbell starts ringing again, over and over, while someone pounds on the front door. That's not a good sign. Hakuryuu peeks through one of the windows to see a young woman pounding at the door with all her strength. She whips around and catches Hakuryuu staring, and her eyes narrow at him.

"You're not Alibaba!" she yells.

"No, I'm not. I don't think he's available right now," Hakuryuu tells her. He's definitely not opening the door.

"But I need to see him!" she screeches. "He's my true love!"

He backs away from the window. That isn't normal. He comes back to Judal and Alibaba bickering.

"No, I'm telling you, just someone at the wrong place," Alibaba pleads with Judal, who still seems unconvinced. He's looking less mysterious and more annoyed, which means Judal has definitely lost his patience.

"Alibaba, your true love is at the door," Hakuryuu says, and Alibaba's expression drops dramatically. He looks around the room in panic.

Judal cackles and points at him aggressively. "Ha! I knew it!"

"You know, maybe it's something else. I'm very popular with the ladies now," Alibaba says defensively, holding his hands up. "That's not because wishes are real or anything."

Hakuryuu groans. "Judal-"

"It's a problem," he stresses. "And I don't know how bad it is, so he has to own up to it so I can start to figure it out!"

Alibaba starts creeping out of the room, trying to escape up the stairs, when there's a loud crash from the front of the house. The three of them freeze, before slowly turning to glance down the hallway. The front door lays in splintered pieces on the ground and the young lady from the porch is standing on top of it victoriously.

"Alibaba!" she screams joyously, running towards him. "I knew our love would give me the strength to get to you!"