ahahahahaaaaaa hi it's been what, a year now? Hi, hello, hewwo, I promise I have not abandoned this fic! I just had a very busy first half of the year and then fell into a different fandom for the second half of the year, but here I am! It's NaNoWriMo and I was just feeling so inspired to return to this world ;w;

No promises of a regular update schedule, since I'm currently juggling a bunch of projects, but I do intend on finishing this fic! Hopefully in 2020, if everything goes well!

Hakuryuu and Judal practically tumble out of the maze, Judal laughing the whole time while Hakuryuu desperately tries to brush the remnants of rushing through the dried corn off of the both of them.

"That was brilliant," Judal says, slinging an arm around Hakuryuu's shoulders.

"We got caught by a family," he points out, and Judal breaks out into laugh all over again. "And we're both a mess."

He shrugs, unconcerned by Hakuryuu's attempts to pick stray bits of straw out of his hair. "I thought it was funny, at least. And who cares?"

"I care," Hakuryuu says, slipping out of Judal's grasp to finish straightening his clothes. At Judal's pitiful whine, he takes his hand as a compromise. "We've discussed how I feel about public displays of affection."

"It wasn't that public."

"Oh, it absolutely was."

Judal only chuckles, undignified and carelessly joyful, before dragging Hakuryuu forward. "There's more to do here, right? I thought you said you had a whole map or whatever."

He nods, pulling it out of his pocket and unfolding it as best he can with one hand. "I marked down what I thought you might be interested in."

"Oh, lemme see!" he says, snatching the map with its highlighted locations out of Hakuryuu's hands with a delighted smile. Judal stares it down, eyes flicking across the paper as he considers, and Hakuryuu tries to force any feelings of inadequacy down. They've already been through this; Judal is having a great time and just doesn't know how to express his interest in things sometimes. He's saved from further doubt by Judal's whoop of joy. "Pumpkin picking!"

"I thought you didn't want to just do glorified grocery shopping?" Hakuryuu teases, taking the map back to figure out which direction they should head in.

"Yeah, but this is an adventure. It's not just, you know, whatever random shit they have at the grocery store. We can go out in the fields, find our own, take the best ones before the ungrateful children can get to them…" Judal explains, gesturing enough that he finally frees Hakuryuu's hand enough for him to carefully fold the map back up and put it away. "So I wanna do it!"

He nods. "This way, then," Hakuryuu says, and Judal happily takes his hand back to follow along.

x･x･x

The pumpkin patch stretches across the entire far side of the farm, with vines curling over uneven ground, paths between rows only barely defined by the pumpkins lining them, and Hakuryuu can feel the warm pulse of life from them without trying. It's so much different than being in the city; there's life to be found everywhere, of course, but the way the open expanse of growth resonates within him couldn't possibly be replicated amidst the concrete jungle of city living. It's a cousin of Zagan's house - more constrained, but equally full of the magic of growth - and even without touching his wand, Hakuryuu can feel its comforting call.

Judal seems nonplussed by the magic - unsurprising, especially with his lack of aptitude for anything life related - but has boundless excitement for the nearly unlimited pumpkin options.

"Hakuryuu, Hakuryuu, look! There are so many more varieties here!" he exclaims, tugging Hakuryuu out of his thoughts and through the rows, avoiding the multitude of coiling vines with surprising grace. "I'm gonna get so many fucking pumpkins."

"We do have to carry them back to the car ourselves, you know," he says, and Judal groans.

"Whatever, we'll figure it out!" he says casually, dropping Hakuryuu's hand and flitting forward. He stops to crouch in front of a particularly perfect looking one; it's a gorgeous golden orange with a green stem and an almost picturesque leaf and tightly coiled vines still attached. Hakuryuu watches him look it over from every angle, poking it a few times, before he gets up and continues onward.

He raises an eyebrow at Judal's decision making. "I take it that one didn't pass the test?"

"Hm?" Judal barely glances back at him, his eyes now on another pumpkin, this one fatter and shorter, but still the gleaming image of fall. "Nah, it just…didn't jive, you know? I gotta find ones with the right energy."

"I see," he says, shaking his head. Leave it to Judal to have a method that seems nonsensical to everyone but himself for picking pumpkins.

Judal continues on, sometimes picking ones up after lengthy observations, only to veto them in the end. Other times, a quick glance is all he needs to decide that a pumpkin won't do, and they end up wandering the sprawling fields until they've lost all sense of time or direction. Besides Judal's occasional chattering, Hakuryuu is left to take in the peacefulness of the countryside on his own, and he breathes in deeply. He struggles to relax, to do anything for himself that doesn't accomplish a goal, and the idea of using this time to do so hadn't crossed his mind when he'd planned this date. But now that they're here, content in each other's company and the beautiful backdrop of the autumnal outdoors, he finds himself breathing out so much of the stress he's been carrying.

"Ah-ha!" Judal cries out triumphantly, jolting Hakuryuu out of any inner peace he'd managed to find. "Found one!"

Hakuryuu looks over to seem him cradling one gleefully, before Judal rushes over to show him. It's a rich, almost red orange, streaked with the occasional streak of off-white in no discernible pattern, and it's shaped more like a lopsided, squished bean than a pumpkin. But Judal seems delighted with it, and who is Hakuryuu to argue with his taste? "Good pumpkin energy?"

"Absolutely fantastic pumpkin energy. It's gonna look perfect sitting in the shop- or out front, I guess, that would be best! Then everyone can appreciate my good taste," he says, patting it fondly. "You gonna pick one out?"

"Ah- I guess so. I hadn't thought about," Hakuryuu admits, to Judal's friendly laughter. "Here I thought you were on pumpkin duty."

He grins fondly. "Nope, your turn now! Come on, shouldn't this be your area of expertise? It's plants and decorating, which should- oh no, wait. You can clean, but your decorating skills leave a lot to be desired."

Hakuryuu shakes his head and starts looking at the pumpkins around them. "Are you ever going to leave me alone about my apartment?"

"It's like a model home!" Judal calls after him, and Hakuryuu can hear the smile in his voice.

If he'd known he was responsible for his own pumpkin, he would have been looking this whole time. But just about everything Judal does is out of impulse, or a plan that he never feels the need to share. Hakuryuu looks over the multitudes of pumpkins, so many that it's hard to differentiate them at times, and tries to think about what he should pick. Since they're decorating with them, he should look for one that will go well with Judal's choice.

Hakuryuu sighs without meaning to. He's getting himself worked up over something as simple as picking out a pumpkin; it shouldn't be this hard. He shakes his head to clear the jumble of dissonant thoughts in his head and moves on. It's a pumpkin. How hard could it be?

Judal hangs back as Hakuryuu looks, not quite out of sight but not close enough to hover unnecessarily. He seems pleased enough with his, and Hakuryuu catches him turning it around in his hands some. From this angle, he can see a yellowed spot, probably from where it was sitting in the field, and something about that inspires him. He remembers seeing a whole section of white pumpkins earlier. He's lost track of where they are, but the sprawling network of vines tell him which way to go, leading Hakuryuu to his goal.

He carefully looks them over, feeling the soft pulse of their energy under his fingertips as he does. He's still not sure exactly what shape he's looking for, but he's taking a page out of Judal's book and letting instinct guide him. It's easier to do with the comfort of life magic, and he tucks that realization away to think about later. For now, pumpkins.

Hakuryuu's hands linger on a smaller one, and he gives it a good look over. He glances over at Judal again, specifically the pumpkin he's carrying, and then back at this one. It should be just about the right size to set on top of Judal's.

"Judal, come here," Hakuryuu calls out, waving him over.

Judal joins him gleefully. "What's up?"

"Set you pumpkin down. I want to see something."

He shrugs but doesn't question it, setting his down next to the pumpkin Hakuryuu has tentatively chosen. He sets it on top of Judal's and smiles slightly; he was right about its size. Its coloration is the perfect contrast to the brightness of Judal's, and together each of their individual shades stand out all the more.

Judal whoops with delight. "Oh, that looks nice! Maybe I shouldn't have insulted your decoration skills."

"But however will I improve if you don't make fun of me daily?" Hakuryuu teases, and Judal cackles at him.

"Fair, fair. Okay, let's get these then! I don't want to have to carry any extras," Judal says, scooping his pumpkin up and leaving the white one for Hakuryuu to take. "How do we pay for these anyway?"

Hakuryuu chuckles. "There was a sign at the entrance to the field with prices and instructions, you know."

"That's for you to pay attention to. I'm just here to take in the sights."

"You just asked."

Judal shrugs exaggeratedly and nearly drops his pumpkin. "Aw, fuck!"

Hakuryuu can't hold back his laughter, even as he tries to help Judal, and they spend the entire trek out of the fields reeling in it.

x･x･x

After they've carefully packed their pumpkins in the car - with Judal's insistence that they be extra secured - they make their way back to the fall festival proper. Besides the candy apple that Judal ate earlier, they've been too busy taking it all in to think about stopping for food, and the smell of freshly made apple donuts lures them to a small food stall.

"Hakuryuu, I want these," Judal says, impatiently waiting for the family in front of them to finish paying for theirs.

"Of course you do. They're sweet," he teases, but makes no move to stop him. They smell like every good part of fall flavors, and it's not like Hakuryuu dislikes sweets. He just doesn't have the overwhelming love for them that Judal has.

He grins. "Yep! But you followed me over here, so we're getting them."

The clerk smiles at them. "Ah, drawn in by the donuts, I see," she says.

Judal nods. "Yeah! Give us, hmm, a dozen of them. You want some too, right Hakuryuu?"

"Yes."

"Definitely a dozen, then," Judal confirms.

"We have fresh hot cider, too. It goes well with them," the clerk tells him, and that tempts Hakuryuu more than it does Judal. The sun is sinking lower as afternoon winds down, and a cup of something warm sounds lovely.

"Two cups of cider, please," Hakuryuu says, before pulling out his wallet to pay for everything.

Judal's eyes light up and he takes the bag of fresh donuts with glee, pulling one of the sugary treats out immediately. He nearly vibrates with energy as he waits for the clerk to hand them their cider, and Hakuryuu is pretty sure that his hands being full is all that's keeping Judal from making more of a nuisance of himself in his excitement.

Cider in hand, Hakuryuu leads them to an unoccupied bench made of twisted metal and adorned with a variety of fall decorations. It's a bit of a tight fit for both of them, but he's more than comfortable being this close to Judal. It's a bit like the love seat in the shop, just less plush and far more public.

"These are good," Judal says, finally able to talk after shoving a good three or four the donuts in his mouth between sips of warm cider.

"Really? I hadn't noticed, what with how quiet you'd been," he says playfully, leaning over to snag a donut from the bag for himself.

Judal laughs, spraying bits of sugar everywhere, and it's so incredibly gross that Hakuryuu shouldn't find it cute. But he does. He finds so many things about Judal endearing that he never expected to, and he's in far too deep to want out now. "Yeah, yeah, laugh it up! But they're really good. I've never had them like this."

"Mm, it's hard to find donuts made fresh anymore. Most places use the same mix, or get them in precooked," Hakuryuu explains. "But these are obviously made by hand, and then freshly fried."

"Your food knowledge is a gift," Judal says gratefully. "Never stop drowning me in pastries, please."

He just smiles, sipping his cider peacefully. He hasn't seen Judal laugh this much since the black eyed children showed up, and even beyond that, he's usually at least a little on edge. Between dealing with Alibaba's genie situation and the general day to day of the shop, they've pushed themselves to the limits more often than not- especially Judal. But now, out of the city and in a new place, he's gotten the gift of taking in Judal's unbridled happiness for a day. It warms Hakuryuu more than the cider in his hands and he hopes that the low light is enough to hide the blush he's sure is staining his cheeks.

Judal rests his head on Hakuryuu's shoulder and looks up. "Thank you," he says softly.

"The donuts weren't that expensive-"

"No, idiot, for the date," Judal interrupts. "Come on, this 'being honest about my feelings' thing is hard, don't make it more difficult."

"Sorry."

"It's whatever," he says, waving a hand. He's still looking out, at the fiery reds and rich purples of the darkening sky, and he doesn't say anything for awhile. Hakuryuu doesn't push him, settling for holding his hand once he finishes the donut he was working on.

They watch the lights of the festival come on around them as evening truly falls, sitting in the same comfortable quiet that Hakuryuu has grown so familiar with and fond of while being with Judal, and despite the worries that constantly haunt him, he wants to believe they'll find solutions to their problems. It's helped along by Judal's surprisingly calm energy, the warmth of his leg pressed up against Hakuryuu's, and their entwined fingers.

"I had a nice time," Judal finally continues. "You know, despite me not really getting that you were trying to take me on a date. I guess we both continue to suck at the romantic end of things, but like…we're making it work, right? I'm happy, at least."

"I think we're doing okay, all things considered," Hakuryuu tells him.

"All things considered?"

"As discussed, romance is hard," he says, and Judal snorts. "You said it first."

He squeezes Hakuryuu's hand tighter. "Yeah, yeah, whatever. I guess if we both suck at it, we should just keep doing what we're doing, and say fuck it to following the rules!"

"I've been trying-"

"No, I know, but now I'm saying it. So it's more right," Judal cuts in.

"Why am I dating you again?"

"For my charming personality," he shoots back, before moving his head to kiss Hakuryuu's cheek.

He shakes his head and, despite his usual restrictions, kisses Judal properly. It's brief but there's a tingle of magic between them, even more than usual, and when Hakuryuu pulls back, Judal's eyes are glowing. He blinks and they're back to normal, but he's sure he isn't imagining things. "Judal-"

"Shh. It's just a good luck charm," he says, grinning. "Can't I get you gifts too?"

Hakuryuu could tell him about his thoughts from earlier - about how seeing Judal finally relax and smile freely again is all the gift he needs - but instead, settles for smiling back at him fondly. "Thank you, then."

x･x･x

"Stop!" Judal screeches, and Hakuryuu slams the breaks. The car nearly goes skidding off the windy, poorly paved country road, and Hakuryuu grips the steering wheel to avoid hitting anything as they come to a stop.

Once he realizes they're alive and unharmed, Hakuryuu breathes out heavily. "Judal, what the hell?"

Judal is already crawling out of the car, as he always does the second it stops moving, and Hakuryuu has no choice but to follow him. Thankfully, he managed to pull off of the road as they were stopping, and he can only hope that's enough to avoid being hit by anyone else coming around the bends.

"Judal!"

"I'm over here!" he calls out, waving a glowing hand. Hakuryuu jogs over, sighing.

"What-" he begins, the question dying in his mouth as he realizes that Judal is talking to another black eyed child. They're different from the two that have been loitering outside of the shop, but that doesn't make him any less worried. It honestly only raises more questions.

Judal waves some more, waiting for Hakuryuu to catch up to say anything else. "Hey, buddy, whatcha doing out here?"

"I'm looking for a ride," they say, staring up at Judal and Hakuryuu with unnerving, unblinking solid black eyes. They seem even darker than the black of night on this unlit road, and it fills Hakuryuu with a deep sensation of unrest. "Can you give me one?"

"Where are you headed?" Judal asks, and Hakuryuu shoots him a concerned look. Aren't they already suffering from this problem? Adding another isn't going to make it better.

"Well…wherever you're going," they say vaguely, a sad smile on their lips.

He shrugs. "We don't have any plans. Where would you want us to take you?"

"In the city…I have family in the city," they answer, delicate tears welling up in their inky black eyes. Hakuryuu can almost see how this would work on someone who couldn't see them for what they are, but for him, the helpless act is a jarring contrast to the wrongness they exude.

"Ahh, I see," Judal says. "But you gotta know we were never gonna give you a ride."

They gasp softly, childlike hurt on every bit of their face- except for the eyes the give them away. "But…you seem like such nice people. I'm all alone out here…"

"Yeah, 'cause I already have a pair of your kind hounding me back home," Judal says rolling his eyes. "What are you doing in the city?"

"Oh," they say, understanding settling on their face now. "Goodbye, then."

Judal grabs their arm. "Nuh-uh, I wanna now what you guys are doing all the way in the city. Usually you stay out here, so what's the story?"

They look away from him, staring straight out at the rode instead, and go silent. Judal groans in frustration.

"Judal, you can't go grabbing children," Hakuryuu says.

"Oh, come on."

"Maybe try to be nicer."

He groans again. "I was nice. And now look!"

Hakuryuu shakes his head. "For a couple minutes, and then you went right back to being bratty."

Judal rolls his eyes. "You try, then."

"Oh. Well, hello," he says awkwardly, turning his attention to the black eyed child. Judal drops their arm and they look at Hakuryuu hopefully.

"Can you help me?"

He nods. "I might be able to," he assures them. It's not a lie if he only says he might be able to help, right? He's not great with children and even less so with magical ones, considering his lack of success at chasing off the ones at Judal's store. "I just would feel more comfortable knowing why you're going into the city before I take you there. It's one of the rules of my car."

"I need to meet up with my family," they tell him, still looking at him with pitiful hope on their face.

Hakuryuu shivers, and he knows it's not from the chilly autumn air. "I see. Why did they go into the city without you? It seems thoughtless to leave someone behind."

They nod along. "We were separated."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he says, wishing they'd all stuck together out here. "Were they looking for something?"

"N-no," they say, but there's a thread of a lie in their voice, beneath the helpless act they're putting on.

"It's okay. I just want to help," Hakuryuu says as kindly as he can manage. "If they were, maybe I can take you right to it, and then you'll be able to find them."

"I don't know where it is. It's just a rumor," they say, before looking away. "It's nothing. I just need a ride."

Hakuryuu can feel Judal beside him; his magic is fluctuating as he listens and forces himself to keep quiet while Hakuryuu questions them. "It's alright. If it was important enough for you to get separated from your family, it must be something big, right?"

"It's just a rumor," they repeat.

"Mmhm."

There's silence for a bit, and Hakuryuu worries that this is all he'll be able to get from them. He's about ready to give up when they look back at him, staring directly into his eyes with the bottomless darkness of theirs. "It's a lot of power. Something huge, something in the city. But it's just a rumor. Nothing is that big anymore."

Hakuryuu is filled with a sense of impending dread; it's not the unease that he's come to recognize as the black eyed children's aura, but instead a worry for whatever the future holds. If there really is a large source of magical power in the city, he and Judal will inevitably have to deal with it.

"But there must be some truth to it," Hakuryuu tries, and they shake their head.

"You're not going to help me. He already said so, and you belong to him," they point out, their gaze returning to the road.

He sighs and looks over at Judal, who just shrugs. "You heard the kid. I told you no! Let's get the hell out of here," he says, turning back to the car.

Hakuryuu spares one last glance at the black eyed child before following him. Back in the warmth and artificial lighting of the car, it's easy to push the wrongness of the situation out of his mind. But the looming feeling of trepidation is much harder to ignore, and Hakuryuu finds himself looking to Judal for comfort.

Judal, to his credit, looks as casual as always. "We gonna get back on the road?"

"Shouldn't we do something about that one? I thought you said they stopped unsuspecting travelers," Hakuryuu says, unsure of how else to explain his thoughts. One problem at time should do for now.

He shrugs again. "Not my problem."

"Judal-"

"Oh, come on! I can't even get rid of the ones at home, why should I worry about some rando on a basically unused road?" he asks grouchily. He pulls out his phone to mess around with it and Hakuryuu can take the hint.

He gets them back to broader, better lit roads, sparing an occasional glance toward Judal as he does. He's engrossed in something the flashes with bright colors every so often, and at the very least, he's no longer exuding stress. The silence between them settles back into something close to comfortable as the head back toward the city and home.

"I don't know what the source of power is," Judal says, still staring down at his phone screen. They're nearly home now, but if Judal wants to talk, Hakuryuu wants to listen.

"Yeah?"

He shrugs, fingers flying over the screen to score another brilliant win in his game- or at least Hakuryuu assumes that's what he's accomplishing. "I know my shop sorta is, but they've never bothered me before. So it's probably something else. I just dunno what."

"We can track it down," Hakuryuu tells him with a confidence he didn't realize he had. He supposes it's fair, though. He and Judal have solved quite a few magical problems in their time together, and with each time they learn better how to work as partners.

"Yeah, I guess."

"I mean it."

Judal looks up from his phone to smile at him. "I know. Thanks, Hakuryuu," he says, and there's a soft sound of relief in his voice that fills Hakuryuu with warmth.