A/N: This has been a fanfic idea in my notes for so long, and I had planned to release the chapters leading up to Douxie's birthday. I don't actually know what date is Douxie's birthday, nor do I really care, but I felt like he was a summer born guy but not July (idk why) so that left June or August and I just made his birthday August 17 because it felt like it fit. I may or may not have also been influenced by zodiac signs for inspiration. ;D

Anyway, hope you enjoy. I plan to have six chapters in total, the first five describing a birthday in Douxie's past which he remembers throughout the day as events remind him of them, then the sixth will be present day. A new chapter will (hopefully) be posted daily. Keep in mind that i have never actually been to NY, so there might be some inaccuracies. Sorry in advance. ;)

Disclaimer: All familiar characters, dialogue, and settings belong to Netflix and Guillermo Del Toro.

He woke up to a rock song playing from his phone.

His alarm.

As he lay there, listening to the song, he mustered up the energy to get up. Looking outside at the pink tinged sky, the sun waking up with him, he sighed, knowing that today was going to be a long one.

The song he'd put for his alarm finished, and he switched it off, getting up to get ready for the day.

He yawned as he poured the coffee into his cup, desperately needing it.

Glancing at Archie, who was curled up on the couch next to Nari – both having insisted that he take the single bed in the apartment – he smiled sadly, regretting taking an early shift and leaving them to wake up and have breakfast without him.

He always felt guilty leaving them locked in the apartment all day when he was at work, vulnerable to the Arcane Order if they decided to show up. But he also knew it was necessary if they planned on even living in an apartment and not on the streets, like (the early days?) before and sometimes after Camelot. Which also meant a whole bunch of double shifts, possibly triple shifts, early shifts, day shifts and night shifts.

Early shifts were his least favourite. He'd always been a night owl, preferring to stay up late and sleep in the next morning no matter where he was, whether it was before, at, or after Camelot. Merlin had been a morning person and therefore usually needed Douxie up when he was, meaning that sleeping in meant he was in trouble.

As he'd started to work, he'd realised that most places were like that, requiring him to be up early. When coffee had come along, that had been his saviour, a lifeline. He wasn't picky about his coffee though, taking whatever he could get or needed, working with tea, or milk and loud music on better days or when he just didn't have a stronger option.

His timer went off on his phone, signalling that he should get to the bus station so he didn't miss it. He flinched at the sound a bit, seeming much louder in the early hours, glancing at the two on the couch worried that he had woken them. The two merely stirred, the small demigod turning over in her sleep with his familiar readjusting to her new position. He smiled again, just looking at them sadly, wishing he could join them, before he checked the time - 4:26 a.m - and rushed to get to the bus that left at 5am, taking him to his shift that started at 5:30, followed by another shift from 10-3, and yet another one from 3-7.

Grabbing his uniform, he hesitated before using his magic to fill a water bottle - "Sorry, master. 'Magic isn't a permissible shortcut to hard work', I know, I know, but just this once" - while packing a bag and rushing out the door.

Currently, he was working at the counter of a small coffee shop/ bookstore, that despite being a small business, was always busy. It was at least better than the fast food place he'd been working at before where it was as if he had met every Karen there was in New York. He shuddered at the memory. The bus pulled in, and he sighed in relief that both him, and it, had been on time.

Traffic was unreliable in any big city, let alone public transport in New York, so he was always grateful for whenever he was able to use the bus. Not that the book cafe was far, just a bit of a walk and this early, he preferred a ride. Otherwise if his shift was in rush hour, walking was actually faster than driving.

While on the bus, he noticed the sky outside, already starting to brighten into what was looking like a hot day. Not unexpected though, since it was the middle of August.

He also started to plan out a magic lesson for Claire the next day, one of their weekly classes. It was hard teaching in the first place, let alone teaching magic, especially magic he didn't know, while also teaching it over video calls. At least Claire was a quick study and a good student, and most of the time, Zoe was there to help out too. No matter how reluctant she seemed, or how much she complained about it, Douxie knew that deep down, she enjoyed helping him teach Claire.

Speaking of Zoe, he was supposed to go down to the NYC HexTech branch at some point this week to check in and… he wasn't exactly sure what, he just knew that they needed him there. For something.

The bus reached his stop and he got off, the small corner cafe just across the street.

He waited at the crossing, the traffic busy even at this early hour. Looking around at the variety of buildings, and the majority of taller business ones, he could guess why.

The cafe was already open, the owners knowing that those finishing a night shift, or those starting an early one would need it. It stayed open until evening, the bookstore closing at 5:30, the cafe section open until 7. The cafe itself had three shifts available, but sometimes, he even took night or evening shifts at another place for a little extra money.

"Mornin', Douxie!"

"'Morning, Bella." He smiled at the teen behind the book counter, who was sipping bubble tea as always. She was one of three other teens who worked at the cafe, all taking summer jobs to earn a bit except for Cassie who's parents owned the business and she just helped out (still demanding normal wages). Jay was the third, fresh out of high school and saving up to help pay for university. Looking around, it seemed himself and Bella were the only of the teens there for the early shift, some other employees already at work in the back.

"I can't believe it's already August 17! We only have a few more weeks of summer break, then back to school!" Bella moaned, dramatically laying her head on the counter and spreading her arms, almost knocking over her cup of tea. "But," she lifted her head back up and leaned her elbows on the counter. "on the other hand… we only have a few more weeks until school! Finally! Feels like this summer has been dragging on forever!"

Douxie chuckled at her antics. "How 'bout you just live in the moment? Where you have a bookstore to tend to?"

"Ah, yes." She turned to face the other side of the counter where someone buying something would stand. "Can I help you? Sir? Oh wait, where'd you go? Ah, you went back into my imagination!" She looked at him, eyebrows raised disdainfully. "Douxie, no sane person comes to buy books at 5 in the morning."

He laughed softly again, walking over to behind the main counter to put his stuff in the small staff room. "Well, you got a point there, love." He disappeared for a second into the room, then peeked back out. "Wait, did you say August 17?"

"Yeah… why?" She asked suspiciously.

"Oh, nothing. Just can't believe it's already mid-August."

"I know right! That's what I'm saying!"

Douxie's phone chimed with a text, and he went back into the staff room to check who it was. He smiled when he saw it was Zoe, as if she'd known he'd just realised the date.

Happy Birthday old guy. Officially a Master Wizard now at 920 years old?

He smiled as he wrote a reply. Still young, love. And I'm already a Master Wizard.

She replied back within seconds. Yet ur still working at a cafe.

He scrolled through his emoji's until he found the right one, the eye roll one. Ttyl, Zo.

What, got a customer? Fine, do ur job. Cya later.

See ya later? What did that mean? And what was she doing up so early anyway? Arcadia was a few hours behind so either Zoe had woken up and decided to text them as opposed to later, or she'd just gotten back from a night shift.

But the sound of the bell at the door distracted him, making him forget all about it. The first customer was here and if he didn't take his place at the counter soon, this day would start off really bad.

"Welcome to Conner's Book Cafe. What can I get you?" He walked out of the room, putting his apron on while talking to a middle aged man stood at the counter. And thus the day began.

The early mornings were usually less busy, but as the morning progressed and people started to go to work, the cafe filled up with many customers looking for some coffee to get them through their day.

Douxie was almost nonstop on his feet, Bella stepping in to help out when the lines got too long. Not many people came for the books in the morning, so she could usually step away from the other counter once in a while.

Around 9, the lines started to trickle down, most people already starting work. This was the time that Douxie liked best because this was when he had time to actually have conversations with the customers.

The bell rang again as another customer stepped through the door. He was a young man, maybe in his early thirties, and he was hastily dressed in a wrinkled suit as if he'd just woken up.

"Long night, mate?" Douxie asked, making a guess after looking him up and down.

The man blinked, surprised then chuckled. "Yeah. Went to a crazy party last night and may have forgotten that I had work today."

"Ah. So, I'm guessing you want something a little stronger, yeah?"

"Yeah, an espresso should do, thanks."

"That'll be $2.50, please. Credit?"

"Yeah." He pulled out a credit card from his wallet as Douxie prepared the receipt.

"Special occasion?"

"What?" The man seemed distracted, lost in his own world.

"The party last night? Special occasion or…?"

The man smiled, understanding. "Oh, yeah, sort of. It was a friend's birthday, but one of the other guys decided to make a big deal out of it and make it double as a bachelor's party for another friend, and just kind of went from there.

"Sounds like a lot." Douxie laughed, turning to the counter where the man's coffee was sitting ready. Passing it to him, he spoke. "I remember a chaotic birthday party I had. Not a good time, but my… friend and my cat managed to turn it around."

"Well, I'm glad. Thanks for the coffee. And the talk. I'd love to just stay here, but…"

"You've got to get going. I get it mate, no worries. Maybe I'll see ya another time."

"Well, the service was good, but it's the coffee that'll make the decision." The man winked at him.

"You won't be disappointed. Hopefully." Douxie returned the wink, then tapped his wrist to remind the man of the time, seeing that he'd seemingly forgotten.

"Right. Thanks again!" The man checked his own watch then hurried away, waving back to Douxie before rushing out the door with his coffee.

As Douxie watched the man's car drive away, he started to remember the crazy party he'd talked about earlier, laughing at the coincidence that the friend who'd helped turn it around, (and had dragged him into it in the first place, but that was irrelevant), was the very same pink-haired witch who had texted him just hours ago.

After Camelot, sometime in the early 1500s:

He stared at the huge ship in the water before him, wondering how it was staying afloat despite its large size.

"Come on, Doux. We're gonna miss it if you don't hurry up."

He turned to where Zoe stood, the pink roots in her dark hair glinting in the sunlight, her blue eyes watching his hazel ones take in the sight of the ship.

"You sure this is safe, Zo?"

Zoe rolled her eyes. "Yes, it's safe. Now come on." She walked over and grabbed his arm, pulling him along down the rocks to the boat.

"Okay, okay. I can walk." Douxie pulled himself from her grip, pouting, which only made Zoe smirk. "You got to learn to have some fun sometimes, Douxie. This is a fresh start for all of us. There are no witch-hunts in the New World, and there's so much space. I know a coven that's already built a whole village, and any magic-user is welcome." Her eyes were bright with excitement.

"I…"

"You don't have to if you don't want to, Douxie." The wizard looked down to see a black cat curl around his legs. "I personally, don't think it's a good idea, but even I must admit that this could turn out well." Archie looked up at him with his golden eyes. "Or it could go horribly wrong." He added, always the pessimist.

"Great job, Arch, now you've scared him." Zoe leaned over to pick the familiar up, placing him on her shoulder, her being the only one other than Douxie who Archie would let handle him like this.

"I'm not scared." Douxie spluttered, taking in his familiar's and his friend's similar disbelieving expressions. "Alright, maybe I'm a bit scared." He admitted.

He looked around, then looked at Zoe, who was so excited and Archie who he knew was tired of all the running and hiding even if he wouldn't admit it. Douxie was tired of it too, being constantly scared. Looking at the boat again, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, reaching a decision.

Taking Zoe's hand, he pulled her along this time.

They'd snuck onto the boat and gone to underneath, where all the other witches and wizards had hidden out, a good number of their small population there, most of them young. Or at least, young looking.

In the belly of the ship, there were a couple small cabins that some of the wizards had taken over, everyone squished inside, covering every surface to sleep. They were all scared, ready for a fight if they were found out, but in the chaos of leaving the dock, no one checked. Soon enough, they felt the ship start moving, and after a while, people started to relax, using magic to extend the rooms and create more space.

Zoe had managed to find their trio a space of their own, tucked in the corner. From there, they could observe everyone else while also having some privacy. Douxie saw that there were a couple families there, probably forced to flee because of just one family member's magic, reminding him of his own family troubles.

Night fell fast, and everyone settled down, sleeping after a long day, the same way it would be for weeks at sea. Douxie, Archie and Zoe slept too, squished together, but comfy. All of them fell asleep within minutes, snoring filling the cabin as the people around them gave in to exhaustion too.

The next day, more and more of the refugees relaxed, getting used to being at sea and loosening up as the threat of being found seemed unlikely. Whereas before, people had been hesitant to use their magic at first, hesitant to even talk to one another, now they met new people, and used little bits of magic here and there. By the third or fourth day, it was as if they were their own little community, laughing together, openly using magic now as they would in their everyday lives.

Zoe had introduced Douxie to a few other younger magic users, who introduced them to pretty much everyone else. Some people knew each other from before, some people had heard of each other through friends, some people had even helped each other in passing. And some people had just met and yet were just as close.

During the fourth night, Douxie and Archie were awoken by Zoe.

"Casperan, come on, wake up already."

"Wha… is something wrong?"

Zoe looked at him with a confused expression. "What? No. Just… get some clothes on."

"I'm already wearing clothes." Douxie's still half-asleep brain was slow to process what was going on. Which was… what exactly? As if sensing his confusion, his familiar spoke up. "I think he means, 'get some clothes on' for what?"

"A surprise. Just wear good clothes." Zoe remained vague, but she seemed excited.

"Okay…" Douxie changed into his usual clothes, looking at Zoe for her confirmation. She looked him up and down and shrugged.

"Eh, good enough. Now come on." She led him out the cabin door and into the hallway, taking him through a maze of passageways.

Why was she always in a rush? Douxie thought, as he was dragged by the arm to who knew where.

They stopped in front of a door, Zoe turning to look at Douxie. "Listen, I know your birthday is technically tomorrow, but…"

She gave Douxie a few seconds to process what she'd said, then she opened the door - flung it open was more accurate - to reveal… a storage room? It was certainly anti-climactic and Douxie blinked, wondering if Zoe might be dreaming or sleepwalking or something. She saw his expression stay the same, then turned to the doorway.

"Did I get the wrong room?" She muttered to herself. "Oh, wait, never mind. I know what's wrong." Her finger glowed with bright pink magic and she pointed it at the doorknob of what was now a closed door, then as the doorknob turned pink, she opened it again with a dramatic flourish.

This time, Douxie's eyes widened, taking it all in.

As Zoe smiled at him and pulled him through the doorway, it was as if the room had been transformed. Loud music now boomed, and as he looked to the corner where it was coming from, he saw it was live, three wizards playing the songs on instruments glowing with colours, telling him that they'd used their magic to conjure the things they played. More colours flashed from the ceiling, the only light in the otherwise dark room, likely another person's magic put to use. A table had been set on the side wall, drinks and snacks lining it, people crowding it if they weren't socialising or dancing on the small dance floor they'd created.

Douxie looked to Zoe in amazement. "It's not technically for you," she said leaning over to talk loudly into his ear, the only way they could hear each other. "but the guys wanted to have a party anyway to celebrate new beginnings in the New World, so I told them that tonight would be perfect because it'd line up with your birthday! So? What do you think?"

"I think it's incredible." Douxie almost shouted back, partly from excitement, but mostly because the music really was loud. "But, wait, won't the other passengers find us?"

Zoe rolled her eyes, shaking her head. "You worry too much. We have illusions in place; that's why you couldn't see or hear it was a party until I used magic and we stepped inside. Besides, if anyone finds us, who are they to take on a room full of magic users?"

"Zoe, not that I do not trust you, but I don't think this is a good idea." Archie spoke up, flying onto Douxie's shoulder in his dragon form before turning back into a cat.

"We can leave early if you really want, Archie, but let the guy have some fun once in a while. It's his birthday!"

Archie bristled. "I let him have fun. This is dangerous though."

Douxie looked between Zoe, the party, and his familiar. "Archie, can we stay for at least a bit? Please? We can leave at the first sign of trouble, I promise."

Archie blinked in surprise, looking at the boy and his longing expression. He sighed. "Oh alright, we can stay. Just be careful, okay?"

"Thanks Arch." Douxie rubbed his cheek against the cat's. "Now, what should we do first?" He looked to Zoe, who smiled mischievously.

A few hours later, Douxie had joined the 'band' onstage, his lute glowing blue from his magic. He played with them for a bit, though it didn't sound very good. Oh well, people were still cheering.

Feeling thirsty, he got off the stage and went to find Zoe. Spotting the pink haired witch, he weaved his way over to her.

"Think we could get another drink?" Why did his tongue feel heavy? It was making his words slightly slurred.

Zoe peered at him, squinting suspiciously but it was exaggerated, telling him that she'd also probably had a few drinks.

"How many have you had since you spat out that first one? I thought you didn't like it." Her words were slightly slurred too.

"Well you didn't tell me there'd be alcohol, so I wasn't expecting it!" He complained.

"Why'd you have more then? They taste terrible!"

"Why'd you have any?"

"Because Bruce gave me some! Oh," she paused as if just realising something. "did he give some to you too?"

Archie looked between the two slightly drunk magic users he had to deal with. "Right, I think that's enough drinks for both of you."

"Aww, but I'm thirsty, Arch!" Douxie complained, pouting exaggeratedly.

"You're drunk, both of you, and I think it's time we left now." Seeing both of them pouting now, he clenched his jaw. "We are leaving, now! I told you not to have that drink Douxie!"

He was concerned for his familiar, and for Zoe, even if they didn't always get along. But more than that, he had the terrible feeling that something was wrong, and this blasted music was preventing him from using his heightened senses to listen for any disruptions from the rest of the ship. It was unsettling, not knowing what was going on.

At that moment, he saw the door slam open, and an unfamiliar, grizzly looking man standing in the doorway, a knife in his hands, a musket in the other. Hopping off Douxie's shoulder to get a better look, he saw that the man wasn't alone, but that the illusions put up by the wizards were holding despite their casters being likely drunk. Closer to the door, the music was quieter, enough so that Archie was able to hear parts lf what the men were saying.

"King's paying us extra for any of them magic-users we catch, dead or alive, so I want every part of this ship searched. The devils could be anywhere, even right under our noses and we would be none the wiser. And if you find any valuables, pick them up too." The man smiled cruelly, the other men - pirates or privateers if Archie had to guess - smiling along.

Heart pounding, Archie rushed back into the party to find Douxie and Zoe and get them out of here somehow. Thankfully, the illusions were holding the pirates off for now, but who knew how long they'd last. Turning back to look at the doorway again, he saw the man from before - maybe the Captain - pause, suspiciously turning towards the party.

He examines the room, seeing a normal storage room, but something must have given them away because the Captain steps inside anyway, and does a double take. From the expressions of his crew, it seems the illusions have collapsed entirely, revealing their party, full of sorcerers.

Archie saw Zoe and Douxie in corner, still arguing over… something, but it didn't matter. He went to them, wondering why no one else was panicking then realised that most of them were probably drunk or busy anyway. Reaching his familiar, he pulled both Douxie and Zoe out of sight, now complaining to him, as Archie peeked around the corner to watch the Captain.

The man was frozen for a few seconds before one idiot - bottle of alcohol still in his hands - stumbled over to the Captain, and leaned on him. Putting his arm around the larger man's shoulder, he announced "New party guests everyone!"

By the time anyone had realised what had happened, the wizard had a knife in his gut, the Captain's hand still on it. That seemed to get everyone's attention, including the rest of the pirates', and the band's who's music stopping cued most of the remaining people in on the disaster taking place. There was a moment of silence, as each side took in the other, then chaos ensued.

Those who were completely drunk kept partying as if nothing had happened, and they were the first ones to die. Everyone else, including Zoe and Douxie, had sobered after seeing the death of the first guy, and they took a number of different actions.

While the pirates killed as many of the magic-users as they could, some of the witches and wizards fought back, not refraining from using magic to do so as they'd already been found out. Most of the people made the smart choice - in Archie's opinion - of fleeing, which he pulled Douxie and Zoe along to do too.

The young witch and wizard resisted, wanting to help fight, but Archie growled at them, which shut them up paired with the glare he gave. They followed the other people out the door, which in all the fighting had been left generally unguarded. Running, Archie turned into a dragon to fly, which was faster and more convenient to stay at eye level with his charges. The small group split up, some going to hide, some going to warn the others who were still sleeping, and some selfish ones only going to see what they could loot in the chaos.

Douxie turned to look at Archie, fear and panic in his eyes. "What do we do Arch?"

"We get of this ship."

"How?" Zoe looked at Archie too.

"You know how to swim I'm assuming?"

Both of their eyes widened in understanding, and Zoe nodded silently, answering Archie's question. Satisfied, Archie led them to the deck. They looked down at the choppy water in fear, Douxie fidgeting. The decision was made for him though when the door burst open and two of the pirates appeared, silhouetted by the light from inside which glinted off of the swords each pirate held.

Douxie looked to Zoe, who looked to him, then the door before steeling with resolve. She put her foot on the railing and quickly jumped off, diving into the water.

Another splash sounded a few seconds later, a small black dragon flying over the water, following the two young sorcerers as they swam to safety.

Douxie woke up in an unfamiliar place, his back sore from sleeping on… rock?

He sat up, his head pounding. For a second, he didn't remember what had happened or how he got there, but then the memories became clear and he groaned. Maybe he should have listened to Arch and not had that drink.

Speaking of Archie, where was his familiar? And where was Zoe?

His heart sped up, fearing the worst, when he turned his head towards the mouth of the cave and saw sun glinting off of pink tinted hair, a small black cat next to her.

"Oh good, you're awake. I was worried I'd have to throw some water on you. Not a good way to start your birthday now is it?"

Douxie processed what she'd said. Archie saw it in his familiar's eyes when it clicked. Snuggling up next to the boy, he said, "Happy Birthday, Douxie."

"Thanks, Arch." He turned to look at Zoe who stood there, waiting for the two familiars to finish with their tender moment.

"Yeah, happy birthday. Now, I realise that the party may not have been the best idea for your birthday, but…" she helped him up and led him to outside, where the sun was out, revealing a beautiful landscape in front of them. "How about I make it up to you? What do you think of a meal on the beach?"

He took in the green hills, where they stood now, at the edge of a sandy beach, which met blue water before fading into the horizon.

"That sounds lovely, Zo."

Zoe sighed in relief. "Good, because I don't have any other options for you."

Douxie laughed, watching as she walked back to the cave and brought out a wicker basket. "You didn't… steal the food did you?"

"… Not all of it. Just the things I couldn't make from foraging or magic, I stole. There's a cute little market a little walk away. We can go later if you want."

"Alright."

They walked on the sand, and chose a spot where the breeze wasn't too strong, sitting on a large piece of driftwood. Zoe spread out the food from the basket, and they ate, talking and laughing. Douxie looked around, at the sea, which was peaceful now as opposed to the choppiness of last night; at Zoe and Archie, his family. Maybe this birthday hadn't turned out so bad after all, he thought.

A/N: Okay, first chapter done. Hope you liked it. Sorry if the characters might have been a little ooc, but nobody's perfect. ;)

Anyway, stay safe and see ya soon.

-CrowofArcadiaOaks