Fic: Let’s imagine the end before we even begin (We had it all in front of us) - [1/3]
Title: ‘Let’s imagine the end before we even begin (We had it all in front of us)’ [1/3]
Author: jen_jm
Pairing: Jon/Ryan, Brendon/Shane. Brief mention of hypothetic Brendon/Ryan.
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 19,000 total words
Warnings: wizard!AU, language
POV: third
Disclaimer: Completely not true. I really don’t mean to offend anyone and nothing of what I wrote in this story is to be considered real, it’s all fiction.
Author’s Notes: Title from The Academy Is…’s “The test” and We The Kings’ “All Again For You”. As ever, feel free to report any mistake. Constructive criticism is welcome, feedback makes me happy!
Summary: “Brendon isn’t the kind of guy who lets things go easily, Jon knows it well. He’s lived with the boy for the past ten years, first at the Academy and then in Chicago, where they share a magic shop and an apartment. Still, it’s a bit disturbing how obsessed Brendon has become with this.” - Brendon cheats and uses his powers to get Ryan’s attention, but things don’t go the way he planned.
Crossposted
~~
Brendon isn’t the kind of guy who lets things go easily, Jon knows it well. He’s lived with the boy for the past ten years, first at the Academy and then in Chicago, where they own and share a magic shop and an apartment. Still, it’s a bit disturbing how obsessed Brendon has become with this.
“I keep seeing him, every single day,” Brendon repeats for what could easily be the hundredth time. “It must be destiny, it can’t be otherwise.”
“Or maybe he’s just one of the many, many people who take the bus to get to this part of the city,” Jon proposes with an arched eyebrow. “College is five blocks away from here.”
Shane walks in the shop right in that moment, bringing a large box. Jon immediately reaches him and takes it out of his arms, gaining a grateful smile. Brendon doesn’t leave him the time to put it on the ground, he just moves his hand and makes the box levitate towards him, then on the floor.
“Stop using magic for every fucking thing.” Jon snorts, annoyed at how easily Brendon uses magic in front of Shane. He sees the boy pretend to be busy with his coat and sighs.
Shane failed the admission exam to the Academy of Witchcraft and Magic on his first year and when he tried the exam again -and passed-, he was rejected because of his family’s economic situation. He isn’t a wizard like them but he’s been enthusiastic to accept when Jon proposed him to work at the shop. Even if he’s something between a clerk and their assistant.
The thing is, and Jon knows that, Shane is hopelessly in love with Brendon, he’s been for years, and Jon is ready to bet that even the customers know that by now. That’s why Shane would never tell Brendon how much it hurts to see magic being used in front of him when he’s been denied the same right. But apparently, all Brendon sees is this mysterious guy from the bus.
“Shane, did you get the agrimony?” Brendon asks, ignoring Jon’s sentence and glare.
“Yep,” Shane just says, then reaches for the box again. “I’ll put this stuff away.”
“Thanks, sweetpie,” Brendon smiles widely at him, then turns towards his book again, missing the flash of conflicting emotions in Shane’s eyes.
“Just let it go, Brendon,” Jon tried to convince him again, without too much of a real hope.
“Never.” Brendon shakes his head and looks at his friend. “I’ll ask him out tomorrow.”
“Great.” Jon arches an eyebrow at him, clearly unimpressed. “And what are you gonna do when he says ‘get away from me, creepy stalker’?”
“He won’t,” Brendon says, sounding way too confident and almost offended by Jon’s words.
“D’you know his name?” Jon asks with a perplexed look on his face and when Brendon just shakes his head ‘no’, he sighs. “D’you know anything at all about him?”
“I will.” Brendon shrugs and closes the book.
“This is going to end horribly,” Jon just says, then heads to the opposite side of the room where Shane is carefully positioning the stuff he bought for them and pretending not to listen to their conversation.
~
The following morning
“He said no?” Jon asks with a hint of pride in his voice when Brendon enters the shop looking like someone kicked a puppy in front of him. Brendon is very sensitive, sometimes.
“He actually didn’t say anything.” Brendon lets himself fall back on the chair behind the counter, sighing. “I think he didn’t hear me, maybe he’s deaf.”
“And maybe you’re blind.” Jon chuckles and rests his elbows on the wooden surface. “Just stop thinking about it, take the next bus tomorrow.”
“I can’t.” Brendon glares at his friend, then takes off his scarf. “I can’t help it, I have to talk to him.”
“Why?” Jon sighs, starting to really feel tired of the whole thing.
“If you saw him you’d understand,” Brendon says with a little, dreamy smile. “His aura is amazing.”
“You showed his fucking aura on the bus?” Jon almost yells, angry and shocked at the same time.
They’ve established that performing magic in a public place is allowed only to promote the shop and without too much of a fuss, only little tricks for the kids and stuff like that. Reading someone’s aura just takes concentration and possibly a quiet place, but showing someone’s aura means making the person glow, something way too theatrical to go unnoticed.
“Not really.” Brendon shrugs, unconcerned about Jon’s question. “I mean, I just had to look at him to get a glimpse of it.”
“That’s extremely improbable.” Jon frowns, not really convinced.
“Fine, I stared at him for the whole ride,” Brendon admits and then, at his friend’s glare, snorts. “What? It takes a while to get the right concentration in a crowded place.”
“You probably scared him out of his socks, there’s a good chance he thought you wanted to kidnap and possibly rape him.” Jon straightens and walks to the door, shaking his head.
“I wasn’t that creepy,” Brendon protests, mildly offended by that. “I was fascinated.”
Jon turns at those words and widen his eyes as much as he can, looking halfway between possessed and crazy. “This is how you look when you stare.”
“Fine, I’ll apologize to him tomorrow,” Brendon mutters, standing from the chair to take off his jacket.
“Stop talking to him, or he’ll call the police.” Jon rolls his eyes and flips the tag on the door on ‘open’.
“But his aura--” Brendon stops when the boy glares again.
“If he calls the cops, I’m not bailing you out of jail,” Jon warns with a determined look.
~
The following morning
“You’re not in jail,” Jon states as he enters the shop and sees Brendon sitting at the counter with Shane.
“Ha ha,” Brendon replies with a sarcastic smile. “He didn’t call the police.”
“But?” Jon tries to bite back a smile and waits.
“He said he’s not interested in new friendships,” Brendon reports with a sigh, while Shane just snickers.
Jon doesn’t have the time to say anything because the door of the shop opens and they turn to look at the visitor. And that’s when Jon understands that things are going to goway worse now.
“Good morning!” Pete announces with a wide grin. “How are my favorite wizards today?” he asks as he takes off his coat, then stops when he sees Shane. “Oh, sorry Zane.”
“Shane,” Brendon corrects him with a frown, gaining a little smile from the boy.
“Same difference.” Pete shrugs and walks farther in the shop, while Jon closes the blinds at the entry door and windows, knowing that with Pete around it’s safer that way.
Pete Wentz has been one of their trainers at the Academy and unlike some of them, he’s never been annoyed by Brendon’s lack of discipline and tact. Even three years after the graduation he keeps visiting them and it’s not only because he’s been asked to keep an eye on Brendon, it’s also because he actually likes them.
Jon knows that Pete’s presence usually just makes Brendon’s behavior exponentially more dangerous by the minute, but he’s used to it by now, so he doesn’t really worry about it.
“So, how are things?” Pete asks as he glances at the shelves, uninterested in the stuff piled there.
“Bad,” Brendon stands and paces in front of the counter, while both Jon and Shane roll their eyes. “Very bad.”
“What’s wrong?” Pete looks at him, worried despite the bored looks on the other two boys’ faces.
“There’s this guy on the bus and I can’t get him to talk to me,” Brendon says, sounding dangerously similar to a depressed teenager. “He thinks I’m a stalker, but I just want to ask him out.”
“Dude, seriously.” Pete stares at him like he’s grown two heads and a tail -which actually happened to their classmate at the Academy once and it took three weeks for the poor boy, Sisky, to go back to normality-. “You’re a wizard.”
Yeah, Jon is right, things are going to go way, way worse with Pete around, suggesting ideas.
“What should I do?” Brendon bites on his lower lip, thoughtful.
“It depends.” Pete shrugs and sits on the chair behind the counter. “An Incubus charm would cancel his sense of inhibition, but once the effect is over, he’ll throw you out of his bed,” he explains, then purses his lips, thinking. “I think a plain love potion is what you need.”
“Isn’t that cheating?” Jon asks with a glare, looking at Pete first, then at Brendon.
“Who cares?” Pete chuckles and stretches his back lazily. “We’re wizard for a reason, aren’t we?”
“Am I the only one with morals in here?” Jon’s eyes widen a bit and he shakes his head, unbelieving. “Maybe he has someone, maybe he’s even married.”
“You worry too much, I’m sure Brendon will do some research on this guy before he uses the potion,” Pete says with an eloquent look in Brendon’s direction.
“Of course.” Brendon nods and reaches for one of his books, opening it quickly.
“If he fucks this up, I’m gonna bug the shit out of you night and day until you come here and fix it,” Jon warns, glaring at Pete as the man reaches the door. “Where are you going?”
“I have a date downtown, I just stopped by to say hi,” Pete replies with a wicked smirk.
“You just stopped by to bring trouble,” Jon corrects him as he walks out, then watches the door close.
“Ah! This should work.” Brendon holds the book up and gestures Jon to look.
“No, I don’t want to have anything to do with this.” Jon raises his hands and heads towards the door that gives on the back of the shop, followed by a frowning Shane.
~~
One week later
It has taken Brendon a week to find all the ingredients and to finish the potion, and now that it’s ready, he has no idea how to convince Bus Boy -damn Jon and his stupid nicknames- to drink it.
So as he walks on the bus just like every other day, he doesn’t look for him. He’s been ignoring the boy for the entire week, hoping Bus Boy would convince himself Brendon actually was a completely normal person and not a stalker.
Apparently, luck is on his side, because he notices the only free seat is the one next to Bus Boy. But before he sits down, something else catches his attention: the book the boy is reading. With a smirk he reaches the seat and waits a second, the time it takes for Bus Boy to look up.
“Can I?” Brendon asks with his best ‘trust me, I’m a good guy’ smile.
“Only if you’re not trying to ask me out again,” Bus Boy answers with a careful frown.
“Sorry about that, I tend to be a little too talkative sometimes,” Brendon replies as he sits down, still smiling.
“Really?” Bus Boy arches an eyebrow and looks back at the page.
“I actually wanted to give you something.” Brendon takes something from his pocket and the boy immediately looks up, halfway between suspicious and wary. It’s the perfect occasion to put his plan into action. “I noticed you’re reading Jung’s Psychology and Alchemy,” he adds as he hands him a flyer of the shop.
“You’ve read it?” Bus Boy asks, a little surprised and almost skeptical.
“A while ago.” Brendon nods and gestures towards the piece of paper. “But it’s actually easier to understand it with the right knowledge about alchemy. We have some books you could find interesting for that.”
“A magic shop?”Bus Boy smirks a little, looking at the flyer.
“It’s a respectable activity.” Brendon tilts his chin up a little the other boy shakes his head, amused.
Bus Boy hesitates for a few seconds, thinking. “Fine, maybe I’ll swing by later, after class.”
“Cool,” Brendon does his best to sound just the right side of neutral and not like a hyper teenager. “My name’s Brendon, by the way.”
“I’m Ryan,” the other boy says, looking definitely less uncomfortable in the conversation.
“Nice to meet you,” Brendon smiles again and mentally curses when the bus stops. “I have to go, see you later, if you decide to stop by.”
Ryan just nods and watches him leave with a faint frown, still holding the flyer in his hand.
~~
“Excuse me?” Jon stares at his friend, unbelieving. “You’re not using the shop for your filthy, degrading affair.”
“Oh, c’mon, I offered to show him some books, I can’t tell him I changed my mind,” Brendon whines, looking halfway between unsure and outraged.
“Books, uh? Then why did you set the potion next to the tea pot?” Jon arches an eyebrow, skeptical, and watches as his friend tilts his chin up.
“I don’t wanna take chances,” Brendon just says, then turns towards the shelves again. “Now go do your shit, Ryan’s gonna be here soon.”
“Whatever, I’m not bailing you out of this if you screw up,” Jon declares, then walks out of the door without glancing back.
Brendon sighs and glances at the little bottle of potion placed next to the tea. Maybe Jon is right, maybe he’s going a little too far, maybe Ryan is going to like him without any kind of trick. But the occasion is so perfect and Brendon doesn’t know if he’ll get another chance to slip the potion into Ryan’s coffee or tea or whatever.
On the other hand, he doesn’t really know Ryan, maybe he’s not even Brendon’s type, maybe they’re the complete opposite, like Brendon and Shane are. But sometimes opposite works, if it’s the right kind of opposite.
Brendon groans and sits down, holding his head in his hands. Why does he have to grow a conscience when Ryan is just minutes from arriving? Sometimes having a responsible friend like Jon sucks out loud.
It takes ten minutes before the sound of the little bell on top of the door wakes Brendon from his thoughts and when he looks up and sees Ryan standing there, he smiles widely.
“Hey, Ryan,” Brendon greets him with a small wave and stands. “Welcome to my little kingdom.”
“No offence, but this place is a bit creepy,” Ryan says as he looks around. He’s straightforward for sure, Brendon has to give him credit for that.
Not that he can really blame the boy, at first sight the store is a little creepy, after all, with all the old books piled on the shelves, the jars with the various ingredients, and several ritual objects placed all around.
“It is,” Brendon laughs a little and gestures towards the shelves behind his back. “But if you want to know more about alchemy, this is the right place.”
“Definitely.” Ryan looks around and takes a couple of steps towards the other boy, still studying his surroundings.
“I can help you choose the good books, if you want,” Brendon offered with his best friendly smile. “Some are complete bullshit, others are extremely accurate.”
“I don’t want anything too specific,” Ryan looks at him and, for the first time since entering the shop, he shows a little smirk. “I’m a psychology student, not an alchemist wannabe.”
“It’s good to hear that, alchemists are kind of bitches when it comes to sharing their job,” Brendon shrugs and reaches for a green book on the third shelf.
“D’you know many of them?” Ryan asks, clearly amused by those words.
“Well, a couple of my former schoolmates are working as apprentices with an alchemist now,” Brendon replies with the most natural tone and laughs a little when he turns and sees the surprised look on Ryan’s face. “What, you really think I’m kidding?”
“I have no idea what to think,” Ryan admits as he shakes his head. “I’m usually a very rational person.”
“Forget rational if you want to understand magic.” Brendon reaches for another book on the first shelf and frowns a little. “I didn’t really have time to pick the books, so it’s gonna take a few minutes. Can I offer you something while you wait? Some tea? Coffee?”
“Tea is good.” Ryan smiles and sits down at the small table in front of the shelves.
“Perfect.” Brendon gives his back to the boy and takes a deep breath. It’s now or never, he thinks as he pours the potion in a cup, then does the same with the tea. “I’m sorry I have to make you wait, but Jon always screws up the order of the books and then it takes ages to find them.”
“It’s okay.” Ryan shrugs and takes the cup when Brendon hands it to him.
“He’s an alphabetical order freak,” Brendon jokes as he goes back to the shelves.
“I like alphabetical order.” Ryan frowns a little, then sips from the tea.
“I don’t.” Brendon chuckles and reaches for a third book. “I mean, not when he decides to change the order after I already memorized where each book is.”
“I can see how that can be annoying,” Ryan admits with a brief laugh, then keeps sipping from the tea, much to Brendon’s inner excitement.
They keep up the small talk as Brendon finds more books, then they spend half an hour going through them to decide which one is better for Ryan’s level of interest. When they’re left with only two books and Ryan’s cup is pretty much empty, Jon and Shane enter the shop, bringing bags with them.
Jon arches both his eyebrows at Brendon, but when Ryan turns to look at him, his expression changes. Yeah, he can’t really blame Brendon, the boy is cute.
“Ryan, I suppose.” Jon smirks a little and gestures towards himself and Shane. “I’m Jon, this is Shane.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ryan replies, smiling wider than he had in the past half an hour, much to Brendon’s annoyance.
“So,” Brendon clears his throat, glaring at Jon, who just heads for the back of the shop. “I think this one is better for you, it leaves out all the chemical processes.”
“Okay, I think it works.” Ryan keeps his eyes on Jon for a couple of seconds more, then turns towards the other boy. “How much do I owe you?”
“Nah, don’t worry about that, just borrow it.” Brendon shrugs a little, gesturing towards the book. “We don’t usually rent stuff, but you know, it’s just for research.”
“Thank you.” Ryan smiles again, but Brendon’s stomach twists. There’s something wrong there, but he can’t put his finger on what it is.
“You’re welcome.” Brendon piles the other books and frowns a little when Ryan just stands and reaches for his coat. “You’ll offer me a coffee next time.”
“Sure.” Ryan takes the book and glances at the door behind the counter, biting on his lip. “I really have to go now, I’ll call you.”
“Okay.” Brendon watches him leave and raises both his eyebrows.
Something is really, really wrong.
~
The following day
When the phone rings the following morning and Ryan’s voice greets Brendon, the boy forgets the bad feeling of the previous day. Unluckily, it takes him just a sentence to realize he actually had a reason to worry.
“Hey, so, uh,” Ryan pauses, a little nervous. “Is Jon there?”
“What?” Brendon sounds both angry and unbelieving as he says that, and Jon turns to glance at him.
“Yeah, I just-- can I talk to him?” Ryan asks again and all Brendon can do is gesture Jon to take the phone.
“Hello?” Jon says with a confused frown, not knowing who’s on the other end.
“Hi, Jon, I’m-- I’m Ryan,” a soft, monotone voice replies, stuttering a little. “You know, the guy who was there for the books yesterday.”
“Yeah, sure, I remember you,” Jon reassures him. How could I forget?, he asks himself.
“I was wondering, maybe we could, you know, get a coffee together or something this afternoon,” Ryan proposes and the other boy feels the wave of emotion in his voice. “I mean, I really feel in debt for the book and all, but-- damn, I sound like a douche right now.”
“Don’t worry, you don’t.” Jon laughs a little, trying to sound reassuring. “But why me?”
“I just, you know-- it’s really embarrassing to say, but-- I just want to know you.” Ryan almost mutters the last part, surprising the boy. “I mean, if it’s okay for you.”
Jon glances at Brendon, who is pouting and glaring at him at the same time, and feels a strong urge to show him just how much he screwed up with the potion. On the other hand, there’s something that really makes him want to know that Ryan guy better. It’s probably something that has to do with his aura and the way his voice seems so flat when it just hides emotion very well. And Jon has always been the perceptive one between him and Brendon, he should have known he was going to get interested in the boy as soon as Brendon talked about Ryan’s aura.
After all, potions don’t change personalities, so it’s a good chance to know him. Not even Jon is that flawless.
“Okay, sure, it’d be great,” Jon eventually says, gaining an unbelieving look from Brendon.
“There’s a Starbucks halfway between my college and your shop,” Ryan hesitates for a second, but Jon can hear the hint of a smile in his voice. “Is it okay?”
“Perfect, see you there at four?” Jon asks with a smirk on his face, while Brendon just stands from the chair.
“Great,” Ryan just says, relieved. “See you later.”
Jon ends the call and looks up at his friend, smug. “See? Magic didn’t help you this time.”
“Why the hell didn’t it work?” Brendon almost yells, reaching for the phone. He quickly dials a number and waits.
“Who are you calling?” Jon asks with his best calming-a-child voice.
“Pete,” Brendon spits, furious. “I want answers.”
“Great,” Jon mutters as he walks back to his book, then tries to ignore Brendon’s phone call. Surprisingly enough, it lasts just a few seconds.
“He’s gonna be here in a few minutes,” Brendon announces with a proud smile. “And he’ll fix this mistake.”
“You know, it's not one of those instantaneous things you see in fairytales or anything, it takes time, maybe you just have to wait.” Jon tries to keep his face straight despite the urgent need to laugh his ass off.
Brendon ignores him and just sits behind the counter, glancing at the clock every ten seconds. Shane watches the scene with a little amused smirk, but doesn’t say anything. When Pete finally shows up, Brendon jumps up and waves the book with the potion in front of him.
“You and your idiot ideas, Ryan asked Jon out,” Brendon whines with a hint of frustration in his tone.
“Uh,” Pete just says as he looks at the formula. “It’s a quite complicated potion.”
“It is, it took me days to get it ready.” Brendon frowns, not understanding what the point is.
“Which part of ‘plain love potion’ didn’t you get?” Pete asks with a derisive grin. “Plain love potions work with the classic imprinting, you know, the first person Ryan sees,” he adds, then turns the book towards Brendon. “This one works with another kind of imprinting.”
“What d’you mean?” Brendon looks at the formula, confused.
“It’s not the first person Ryan sees, it's the first person Ryan feels attracted to,” Pete explains with an amused laughter and both Jon and Shane join in.
“We need to cancel the effects.” Brendon sighs and lets himself fall back on the chair.
“Maybe Jon doesn’t want to.” Pete glances at the boy, grinning.
“I don’t need to drug my dates.” Jon addresses him a sarcastic smile, gaining a frown from Shane.
“But you’re going out with him,” Brendon stated, a lot less annoyed then before.
“I just don’t like to waste opportunities.” Jon shrugs and looks back at his book. “It’s just gonna be a coffee, nothing more.”
“I’ll prepare a potion to cancel the effects of this one, but it’ll take about a week,” Pete announces, taking a deep breath. “And now, if you don’t mind, I was in the middle of a meeting.”
“Oh.” Brendon scratches the back of his neck, embarrassed. “Sorry.”
“Whatever.” Pete grins and with a last wave he walks out of the door.
A week. Not much, but it’s enough to get to know something about the guy, Jon thinks as he turns the page, it could be interesting.
~
Jon stops outside the Starbucks, then glances inside and notices Ryan sitting at a table. He stands there just a few seconds, watching the boy with a little frown. He’s cute and, in Jon’s opinion, also pretty hot, and there’s something about him that just catches Jon’s attention, something that makes Jon’s sixth sense tingle. That usually happens when he’s around another wizard, but this time is different, he knows Ryan is not a wizard, so all he can think of is that the boy’s aura must really be as incredible as Brendon said. Damn him and his aura thing.
Eventually, Jon walks in and taps the boy on the shoulder, smiling widely.
“Hey.” Ryan sounds a little nervous and unsure, which surprises the other boy.
“Hey yourself.” Jon gestures towards the counter, trying to be as natural as possible. “Wanna get the coffee?”
Ryan just nods and, once they order, he insists on paying for both. Jon gives in and accepts with a thankful smile, relieved to see the boy relax a bit.
“Sorry for the completely random phone call,” Ryan says with a little smirk as they sit down.
“It’s okay,” Jon reassures him, still smiling. “I’m happy you called, I don’t get many chances to have a coffee with someone who actually knows who I am.”
“What d’you mean?” Ryan frowns a little, confused.
“The whole wizard thing.” Jon shrugs and sips from his coffee. “When I say it people tend to think I’m a psycho, or worse, a magician.”
“How’s ‘magician’ worse than ‘psycho’?” Ryan laughs, genuinely amused by that.
“A magician fakes magic, he mocks it,” Jon explains with a little smile. “It’s one of the most offensive things you can say to a wizard.”
“Oh,” Ryan says, surprised and a little skeptical. “So, you really are a wizard?” he adds, sounding not too convinced about the thing.
Jon grins at that, knowing what he’s about to do isn’t exactly fair. “See that jock at the last table on the right?” he asks, gesturing towards a boy on the other side of the room. “Look at his coffee,” he adds when Ryan nods.
Jon looks at the jock as well, tapping his ring finger on the table three times, then closes his hand in a tight fist. The cup of coffee the guy is holding suddenly turns completely white and he lets it fall on the table with a surprised yelp.
“What the fuck?” the guy asks as he picks up his frozen cup, shocked.
“You did that?” Ryan turns his head towards Jon, speaking softly. There’s an edge of awe and amusement in his voice, which somehow tells Jon he’s not freaked out.
“Still skeptical?” the older boy asks, then relaxes back on the chair with a grin.
“How?” Ryan chuckles, still shocked about what he saw.
“It’s a gift. I mean, like a painter catches landscapes on a canvas, a wizard manipulates the energy around him,” Jon explains with a smile, glad Ryan isn’t running away, horrified. “Potions, amulets, charms, even alchemy… everything is about energy, if you can’t control it, you can’t use any of that.”
“That’s a lot to take in,” Ryan admits with a faint grin. “And I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t find it so cool.”
“I’m actually happy to see you’re not freaked out about this.” Jon tilts his head to the side, conscious of how much he’s flirting, but unable to stop. “What about you? Brendon told me you’re a psychology student.”
“I am, but I might reconsider parapsychology now.” Ryan sips from his coffee and rests his elbows on the table. “For now, I’m a regular psychology student, though.”
“I think it’s fascinating,” Jon admits with a nod. “I mean, some things can only be explained through the human mind. Being able to interpret it is a priceless thing.”
“You make it sound a lot less boring than it actually is.” Ryan laughs a little, fingers playing unconsciously with the cup. “The history of psychology tends to be soporific after the first five lessons, but criminology isn’t so bad.”
“What d’you want to do after college?” Jon sips from his coffee again, realizing the cup is still almost full.
“Psychotherapy,” Ryan answers without hesitation and Jon catches a quick glimpse of sadness in his eyes. “I wanna help people stop fighting with themselves.”
“That’s noble,” Jon says, genuinely awed by how clear Ryan’s idea on that is. There’s something behind, something regarding the boy’s personal life, but Jon doesn’t want to push him.
“And you?” Ryan shakes his head a bit confused. “What do you guys do? I mean, besides freezing cups of coffee.”
“All sort of things.” Jon shrugs and smiles a little. “We sell stuff to other wizards, or to ordinary people who want to feel the thrill of magic.”
“I thought you said ordinary people can’t use magic.” Ryan sips from his coffee again, then licks his lips quickly.
“Exactly,” Jon confirms, forcing himself to look away from the boy’s mouth.
“Isn’t that fraud, then?” Ryan laughs a little, unbelieving.
“Maybe,” Jon admits with a grin. “Oh, and we help people find something they lost, like car keys or important documents, you know, that kind of stuff.”
“Missing people too?” Ryan asks, visibly surprised by that.
“Nope, not anymore.” Jon sighs, then takes a long sip. “The police doesn’t really like us, so we stay out of their way. But we could.”
“I bet they wouldn’t be able to keep you in a cell,” Ryan laughs briefly, quickly joined by the other boy.
“No, they probably wouldn’t,” Jon admits with a grin, glancing down at his cup. There are a few seconds of comfortable silence, then he looks up again, curious. “Do you regret making the phone call?”
Ryan looks surprised by that question and just bites on his lower lip, unsure. “No,” he eventually says with the hint of a smile on his face. “Do you regret coming here?”
“Not at all,” Jon confesses, not even trying to play it subtle. Why would he? He likes Ryan.
“Good,” Ryan lets out a relieved sigh and laughs, a little embarrassed. “I was thinking, if you want there’s a lecture about Jung’s book tomorrow,” he adds with a shrug. “I mean, you probably know more than both me and the lecturer, but you know, if you want.”
“That’d be cool.” Jon nods, genuinely interested in both Ryan and the seminar. He wouldn’t miss the chance of sharing something so familiar with his world, like alchemy is, with someone like Ryan. “It’s been a while since I read the book anyway.”
“Will Brendon be okay with this?” Ryan suddenly asks, concerned and a little dejected.
“He’ll get over it, don’t worry.” Jon smiles reassuringly, then finished his coffee.
“Good.” Ryan takes a deep breath and smirks back, while his fingers still play with the cup.
~~
“How did it go?” Brendon asks as soon as Jon walks in the shop with a smile.
“I’m seeing him tomorrow,” Jon announces as he takes off his coat. “There’s a seminary about Jung’s book.”
“I hate you,” Brendon mutters with a pout, gaining a soft laughter from Shane.
“He’s not your type,” Jon says with a shrug, not losing his smile. “He’s too smart.”
“Fuck you.” Brendon turns away and looks back to his magazine, sulking.
Shane shakes his head and smirks, walking behind him and putting his hands on Brendon’s shoulders. “You’re smart enough to find someone else.”
“It’s the principle of it,” Brendon insisted, but relaxed under the boy’s touch. “And I’m not just smart.”
“That’s true, you’re also adorable.” Shane laughs a bit, resting his chin on Brendon’s shoulder.
“Thank you, sweetpie, you know how to cheer a pretty boy up.” Brendon smirks up at his friend and takes a deep breath. “You know what? I don’t need that dandy psycho boy.”
“Really?” Jon asks, then bites on his lower lip for a second to stop a grin. “Then I guess it’s okay if I keep seeing him.”
“Whatever, dude.” Brendon shrugs and stands, determined. “I’ll just find someone else, someone better.”
“Like Shane?” Jon offers with a little smile, gaining an unbelieving glare from Shane.
“What?” Brendon laughs at that, genuinely amused, and Jon sees the flash of hurt in Shane’s eyes. “I mean, c’mon, me and Shane?” he adds as he walks towards the back of the store.
“Thank you, I really needed that,” Shane spits with an unhappy chuckle. When he sees Jon’s slightly guilty look, he sighs and shakes his head. “Sorry, I just--”
“I know.” Jon puts an hand on the boy’s shoulder and squeezes, offering him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.”
Shane nods and takes a deep breath, then turns towards the shelves. “I’ll just go back to work.”
~~
The following day
Jon arrives at the college a little too early and sits on an empty bench nearby the main door. It’s late September and the leaves on the trees are already turning red and yellow, giving the front garden a nostalgic atmosphere. The air is rather warm for that period and Jon takes a deep breath, sitting in the sunlight with his jacket unbuttoned, eyes closed.
When someone sits next to him on the bench he senses more than guesses that it’s Ryan.
“It’s not wise to fall asleep here,” Ryan jokes with a little smile and the other boy opens his eyes.
“I could fall asleep pretty much anywhere.” Jon shrugs and smirks back, relaxed. When he sees another boy standing not far and looking at him with a glare, he purses his lips. “That guy wants to kill me.”
Ryan turns his head and laughs, gesturing the boy to walk closer. “This is Spencer, my best friend, and he doesn’t want to kill you.”
“Sure,” Spencer just says, arching an eyebrow at the wizard. “I’d never kill Harry Potter.”
“I’m actually more of a Merlin kind of wizard,” Jon offers with a grin, holding his hand out to Spencer, relieved when he sees him crack a tiny smirk. “I’m Jon.”
“I know.” Spencer shakes his hand and nods briefly, then glances at Ryan. “The projector isn’t working, the janitor is trying to fix it,” he pauses and sees his friend sigh. “They delayed the lecture, it’s gonna start in about an hour.”
“Great,” Ryan mutters, slightly annoyed.
“We could go grab a coffee together,” Jon proposes with an easy smile on his lips. “Maybe I can convince Spencer I’m not going to turn anyone into a toad or anything.”
“Good luck,” Ryan laughs as he stands. “But the coffee is good for me.”
“Let’s go, then.” Jon stands as well and fixes his jacket, trying to ignore the strong feeling of suspicion coming from Spencer.
Once they reach the cafeteria and sit down at a quiet table with their coffees, Spencer relaxes a little and just studies Jon openly. Ryan obviously told his friend about him being a wizard and even if he should be annoyed, he can’t help thinking that it’s just another sign Ryan isn’t freaked out about him. Which is a good thing to Jon, especially since he really hopes he’ll get a chance to date Ryan even after the effects of the potion cease. There’s no need for the boy to know he was under those effects in the first place, after all.
“So, you went to college?” Spencer asks with a natural tone, distracting Jon from his thoughts.
“Not really, I finished school three years ago,” Jon replies with a little smile. “Our Academy is longer than your high school.”
“Define longer.” Ryan frowns, curious and perplexed at the same time.
“Well, I got admitted when I was twelve, like most of the kids,” Jon pauses and sips from his coffee slowly. “And I graduated three years ago.” He sees the confusion on the boys’ faces and smirks. “Students graduate at twenty, it’s usually eight years.”
“That’s where you and Brendon met?” Ryan asks with a little smile.
“Yep. He’s two years younger than me, he was admitted at ten,” Jon explains with a nod, then smirks. “He’s a great wizard, he just doesn’t look like it.”
“I agree with that.” Ryan laughs and tries to stop when he sees the perplexed look on Spencer’s face. “I bet he’s a good guy, though.”
“I trust him with my life,” Jon admits with an amused frown, then glances at Spencer. “You don’t look convinced.”
“Ryan told me about the trick you pulled with the coffee cup,” Spencer just says with a shrug.
“It’s not a trick,” Jon relaxes back on his chair and sees the glare Ryan’s addressing his friend. “Hey, it’s okay, I meet a lot of skeptical people.”
“Can you turn this into milk?” Spencer asks as he puts his cup on the table.
“I can manipulate, not transform,” Jon explains with a patient tone and sees Ryan blush a little. “Transformation requires a jinx, or at least a potion,” he adds with a little smile. “With my plain powers I can freeze it, melt it, make it glow and other stuff like that, but I can’t change what the cup is made of in the first place, to do that I need the right instruments.”
“You manipulate energy,” Ryan says as he smiles a little. “To manipulate substance you need your formulas and creepy ritual ingredients.”
“Exactly.” Jon sounds surprised at how easily Ryan is adapting to the entire idea. “You’ve known magic for two days and you already understand it better than most non-wizards.”
“You’re just good at explaining.” Ryan shrugs and Spencer rolls his eyes.
“I still haven’t seen a proof,” Spencer remarks with an arched eyebrow.
“Fair enough.” Jon smirks and takes a deep breath, looking around. “Want me to turn on and off the lights, freeze something, what? You pick.”
Spencer thinks for a few seconds while Ryan addresses Jon an apologetic smile. The wizard just shrugs and bumps his foot against Ryan’s, trying to reassure him it’s okay. The boy bumps back and they exchange a smirk.
“See that guy sitting next to the window?” Spencer asks with a small nod to his right. Jon looks in that direction and sees a boy sitting on a table next to the big window. “Can you make the fire alarm system go off only above him?”
Jon nods as he sees the fire alarm system device right above the guy’s head. With a quick gesture of his hand he switches it on and laughs when the jet of water hits the boy, making him jump and swear.
“Why did I do that?” Jon asks with an amused frown, looking at Spencer.
“He asked my girlfriend out.” Spencer smirks back this time and Ryan shakes his head. “Needed a cold shower, didn’t you, Brent?” he asks as he turns towards the guys with a smug look on his face.
Brent just storms out of the room, bringing his soaked books with him.
“So?” Jon arches an eyebrow, but he can feel the tension is definitely decreased.
“Having a wizard as a friend is probably the coolest thing ever,” Spencer admits as he pats on Ryan’s shoulder. “Don’t forget it.”
Jon laughs at that, genuinely amused by the sudden change. He’s about to say something, but he feels someone approaching behind him, he’s sure it’s a wizard, so he turns to look.
“Hey, Haley, did you see Brent?” Spencer smiles at his girlfriend as she approaches, but when she sees Jon, she freezes. “What?”
“Nothing.” Haley shakes her head and takes a seat, smiling back. “What’s up with Brent?”
“Just a little joke,” Jon says with a nod towards the alarm system device that is still running. “Not to be nosy, but how long have you two been together?” he asks with a knowing grin, wondering why Haley, his former classmate at the Academy, never told Spencer about magic.
“Just a couple of months.” Haley understands something is going on and addresses Spencer a curious look. “What’s going on?”
“I think it’s a speech you should have in private,” Jon says without leaving the boy the time to answer. “You can tell her.”
“You know about Jon?” Haley asks with a stunned look on her face.
“Wait.” Ryan frowns, surprised and confused at the same time. “How d’you know Jon?”
Haley hesitates and bites on her lower lip, while Jon just laughs briefly at how absurd the situation is.
“What’s your opinion about magic, Spencer?” Jon asks, taking pity on the girl, who looks like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Right now? I think it’s pretty cool,” Spencer pauses, looking at the other three. “But what does this have to do with--” he turns towards Haley, shocked. “You?”
“One of the best in our class,” Jon answers for her, relaxing back on the chair.
“Oh God, you’re dating a witch.” Ryan bursts out laughing at that, finding the entire situation hilarious.
“You’re dating a wizard, so shut up,” Spencer retorts, then looks back at Haley, so he misses the faint blush on Ryan’s cheeks at that. “Should we talk about this?”
“If you’re not freaked out.” Haley smiles a little, not sure about her boyfriend’s reaction.
“Okay, let’s go talk about this.” Spencer stands with a little, amused frown, much to both Ryan and Haley’s relief. “We’ll see you later at the lecture.”
“Okay,” Ryan replies with a nod, then watches them go. “This is pretty much a shock.”
“Would it help if I said she’s a good girl?” Jon offers with a little smile.
“It would.” Ryan finishes his coffee and looks at Jon in the eye. “I’m sorry about all the questions.”
“It’s okay, he’s a friend, he worries.” Jon shrugs and puts his cup on the table as well. “But I’m glad he took it well,” he pauses, leaning forwards and resting his elbows on the wooden surface. “Because, you know, I have this idea about going to the movies with you tomorrow night, if you’re up for it.”
Ryan bites on his lower lip and hesitates a few second, enough for Jon to doubt about the thing. “I don’t usually go on dates with guys I’ve known for just two days, but, you know, I feel like experimenting,” Ryan eventually says with a smirk.
“Is it a yes?” Jon’s chest feels suddenly lighter and he wonders when it has become so important for him to take advantage of every single day of that week with Ryan.
“It is.” Ryan smiles and glances at the clock on the wall next to them. “We’d better go if we want to keep the seats for Spence and Haley too.”
Jon nods and stands, trying to hide his smirk at the way Ryan’s cheeks have turned slightly pinker. Adorable, he thinks as they walk towards the door.
~
Half an hour later Spencer and Haley join them at the front row and Jon is relieved to see they’re holding hands when they enter the room. The other seats are all taken and Jon senses at least two more wizards not far, one of which is pretty powerful.
The moment the lecturer walks to the desk, he knows he’s right. Patrick Stump, his Alchemy teacher at the Academy, fixes his jacket and checks the microphone. Along with Pete, he’s one of those teachers Jon and Brendon have kept in contact with. They’re in some kind of romantic relationship-slash-affair Jon has never wanted to investigate and they both look younger than they actually are; Patrick’s ability with alchemy isn’t a coincidence, Jon is sure about that.
“Patrick?” Jon asks with an unbelieving smile, looking at Haley.
“You know Professor Stump?” Ryan frowns, visibly surprised.
“He’s an alchemist, one of the best, he was our teacher at the Academy,” Jon explains as the girl nods. “I had no idea he taught to non-wizards too.”
“Not often, he just holds these lectures from time to time,” Haley replies with a grin, taking her notebook.
“Wait, you mean we could, like, meet him after the lecture?” Spencer asks as his eyes widen.
“I never really talked to him outside school time.” Haley bites on her lower lip, not too convinced.
“I do, we’re friends.” Jon nods and sees Patrick look in his direction, surprised. “I’m sure he won’t mind,” he adds as he waves at the teacher, gaining a warm smile in reply.
Spencer beams and Haley shakes her head, while Ryan addresses Jon a wide smile.
~~
Part 2
A/N: Hey there, folks, here it is, my new story. It’s not very long, but I hope you’ll like it anyway. :D
Not much to add on this first part, just let me know what you think about it.
Thanks for stopping by and reading. See you next week. <3
JM
Author: jen_jm
Pairing: Jon/Ryan, Brendon/Shane. Brief mention of hypothetic Brendon/Ryan.
Rating: PG-13
Word count: 19,000 total words
Warnings: wizard!AU, language
POV: third
Disclaimer: Completely not true. I really don’t mean to offend anyone and nothing of what I wrote in this story is to be considered real, it’s all fiction.
Author’s Notes: Title from The Academy Is…’s “The test” and We The Kings’ “All Again For You”. As ever, feel free to report any mistake. Constructive criticism is welcome, feedback makes me happy!
Summary: “Brendon isn’t the kind of guy who lets things go easily, Jon knows it well. He’s lived with the boy for the past ten years, first at the Academy and then in Chicago, where they share a magic shop and an apartment. Still, it’s a bit disturbing how obsessed Brendon has become with this.” - Brendon cheats and uses his powers to get Ryan’s attention, but things don’t go the way he planned.
Crossposted
~~
Brendon isn’t the kind of guy who lets things go easily, Jon knows it well. He’s lived with the boy for the past ten years, first at the Academy and then in Chicago, where they own and share a magic shop and an apartment. Still, it’s a bit disturbing how obsessed Brendon has become with this.
“I keep seeing him, every single day,” Brendon repeats for what could easily be the hundredth time. “It must be destiny, it can’t be otherwise.”
“Or maybe he’s just one of the many, many people who take the bus to get to this part of the city,” Jon proposes with an arched eyebrow. “College is five blocks away from here.”
Shane walks in the shop right in that moment, bringing a large box. Jon immediately reaches him and takes it out of his arms, gaining a grateful smile. Brendon doesn’t leave him the time to put it on the ground, he just moves his hand and makes the box levitate towards him, then on the floor.
“Stop using magic for every fucking thing.” Jon snorts, annoyed at how easily Brendon uses magic in front of Shane. He sees the boy pretend to be busy with his coat and sighs.
Shane failed the admission exam to the Academy of Witchcraft and Magic on his first year and when he tried the exam again -and passed-, he was rejected because of his family’s economic situation. He isn’t a wizard like them but he’s been enthusiastic to accept when Jon proposed him to work at the shop. Even if he’s something between a clerk and their assistant.
The thing is, and Jon knows that, Shane is hopelessly in love with Brendon, he’s been for years, and Jon is ready to bet that even the customers know that by now. That’s why Shane would never tell Brendon how much it hurts to see magic being used in front of him when he’s been denied the same right. But apparently, all Brendon sees is this mysterious guy from the bus.
“Shane, did you get the agrimony?” Brendon asks, ignoring Jon’s sentence and glare.
“Yep,” Shane just says, then reaches for the box again. “I’ll put this stuff away.”
“Thanks, sweetpie,” Brendon smiles widely at him, then turns towards his book again, missing the flash of conflicting emotions in Shane’s eyes.
“Just let it go, Brendon,” Jon tried to convince him again, without too much of a real hope.
“Never.” Brendon shakes his head and looks at his friend. “I’ll ask him out tomorrow.”
“Great.” Jon arches an eyebrow at him, clearly unimpressed. “And what are you gonna do when he says ‘get away from me, creepy stalker’?”
“He won’t,” Brendon says, sounding way too confident and almost offended by Jon’s words.
“D’you know his name?” Jon asks with a perplexed look on his face and when Brendon just shakes his head ‘no’, he sighs. “D’you know anything at all about him?”
“I will.” Brendon shrugs and closes the book.
“This is going to end horribly,” Jon just says, then heads to the opposite side of the room where Shane is carefully positioning the stuff he bought for them and pretending not to listen to their conversation.
~
The following morning
“He said no?” Jon asks with a hint of pride in his voice when Brendon enters the shop looking like someone kicked a puppy in front of him. Brendon is very sensitive, sometimes.
“He actually didn’t say anything.” Brendon lets himself fall back on the chair behind the counter, sighing. “I think he didn’t hear me, maybe he’s deaf.”
“And maybe you’re blind.” Jon chuckles and rests his elbows on the wooden surface. “Just stop thinking about it, take the next bus tomorrow.”
“I can’t.” Brendon glares at his friend, then takes off his scarf. “I can’t help it, I have to talk to him.”
“Why?” Jon sighs, starting to really feel tired of the whole thing.
“If you saw him you’d understand,” Brendon says with a little, dreamy smile. “His aura is amazing.”
“You showed his fucking aura on the bus?” Jon almost yells, angry and shocked at the same time.
They’ve established that performing magic in a public place is allowed only to promote the shop and without too much of a fuss, only little tricks for the kids and stuff like that. Reading someone’s aura just takes concentration and possibly a quiet place, but showing someone’s aura means making the person glow, something way too theatrical to go unnoticed.
“Not really.” Brendon shrugs, unconcerned about Jon’s question. “I mean, I just had to look at him to get a glimpse of it.”
“That’s extremely improbable.” Jon frowns, not really convinced.
“Fine, I stared at him for the whole ride,” Brendon admits and then, at his friend’s glare, snorts. “What? It takes a while to get the right concentration in a crowded place.”
“You probably scared him out of his socks, there’s a good chance he thought you wanted to kidnap and possibly rape him.” Jon straightens and walks to the door, shaking his head.
“I wasn’t that creepy,” Brendon protests, mildly offended by that. “I was fascinated.”
Jon turns at those words and widen his eyes as much as he can, looking halfway between possessed and crazy. “This is how you look when you stare.”
“Fine, I’ll apologize to him tomorrow,” Brendon mutters, standing from the chair to take off his jacket.
“Stop talking to him, or he’ll call the police.” Jon rolls his eyes and flips the tag on the door on ‘open’.
“But his aura--” Brendon stops when the boy glares again.
“If he calls the cops, I’m not bailing you out of jail,” Jon warns with a determined look.
~
The following morning
“You’re not in jail,” Jon states as he enters the shop and sees Brendon sitting at the counter with Shane.
“Ha ha,” Brendon replies with a sarcastic smile. “He didn’t call the police.”
“But?” Jon tries to bite back a smile and waits.
“He said he’s not interested in new friendships,” Brendon reports with a sigh, while Shane just snickers.
Jon doesn’t have the time to say anything because the door of the shop opens and they turn to look at the visitor. And that’s when Jon understands that things are going to goway worse now.
“Good morning!” Pete announces with a wide grin. “How are my favorite wizards today?” he asks as he takes off his coat, then stops when he sees Shane. “Oh, sorry Zane.”
“Shane,” Brendon corrects him with a frown, gaining a little smile from the boy.
“Same difference.” Pete shrugs and walks farther in the shop, while Jon closes the blinds at the entry door and windows, knowing that with Pete around it’s safer that way.
Pete Wentz has been one of their trainers at the Academy and unlike some of them, he’s never been annoyed by Brendon’s lack of discipline and tact. Even three years after the graduation he keeps visiting them and it’s not only because he’s been asked to keep an eye on Brendon, it’s also because he actually likes them.
Jon knows that Pete’s presence usually just makes Brendon’s behavior exponentially more dangerous by the minute, but he’s used to it by now, so he doesn’t really worry about it.
“So, how are things?” Pete asks as he glances at the shelves, uninterested in the stuff piled there.
“Bad,” Brendon stands and paces in front of the counter, while both Jon and Shane roll their eyes. “Very bad.”
“What’s wrong?” Pete looks at him, worried despite the bored looks on the other two boys’ faces.
“There’s this guy on the bus and I can’t get him to talk to me,” Brendon says, sounding dangerously similar to a depressed teenager. “He thinks I’m a stalker, but I just want to ask him out.”
“Dude, seriously.” Pete stares at him like he’s grown two heads and a tail -which actually happened to their classmate at the Academy once and it took three weeks for the poor boy, Sisky, to go back to normality-. “You’re a wizard.”
Yeah, Jon is right, things are going to go way, way worse with Pete around, suggesting ideas.
“What should I do?” Brendon bites on his lower lip, thoughtful.
“It depends.” Pete shrugs and sits on the chair behind the counter. “An Incubus charm would cancel his sense of inhibition, but once the effect is over, he’ll throw you out of his bed,” he explains, then purses his lips, thinking. “I think a plain love potion is what you need.”
“Isn’t that cheating?” Jon asks with a glare, looking at Pete first, then at Brendon.
“Who cares?” Pete chuckles and stretches his back lazily. “We’re wizard for a reason, aren’t we?”
“Am I the only one with morals in here?” Jon’s eyes widen a bit and he shakes his head, unbelieving. “Maybe he has someone, maybe he’s even married.”
“You worry too much, I’m sure Brendon will do some research on this guy before he uses the potion,” Pete says with an eloquent look in Brendon’s direction.
“Of course.” Brendon nods and reaches for one of his books, opening it quickly.
“If he fucks this up, I’m gonna bug the shit out of you night and day until you come here and fix it,” Jon warns, glaring at Pete as the man reaches the door. “Where are you going?”
“I have a date downtown, I just stopped by to say hi,” Pete replies with a wicked smirk.
“You just stopped by to bring trouble,” Jon corrects him as he walks out, then watches the door close.
“Ah! This should work.” Brendon holds the book up and gestures Jon to look.
“No, I don’t want to have anything to do with this.” Jon raises his hands and heads towards the door that gives on the back of the shop, followed by a frowning Shane.
~~
One week later
It has taken Brendon a week to find all the ingredients and to finish the potion, and now that it’s ready, he has no idea how to convince Bus Boy -damn Jon and his stupid nicknames- to drink it.
So as he walks on the bus just like every other day, he doesn’t look for him. He’s been ignoring the boy for the entire week, hoping Bus Boy would convince himself Brendon actually was a completely normal person and not a stalker.
Apparently, luck is on his side, because he notices the only free seat is the one next to Bus Boy. But before he sits down, something else catches his attention: the book the boy is reading. With a smirk he reaches the seat and waits a second, the time it takes for Bus Boy to look up.
“Can I?” Brendon asks with his best ‘trust me, I’m a good guy’ smile.
“Only if you’re not trying to ask me out again,” Bus Boy answers with a careful frown.
“Sorry about that, I tend to be a little too talkative sometimes,” Brendon replies as he sits down, still smiling.
“Really?” Bus Boy arches an eyebrow and looks back at the page.
“I actually wanted to give you something.” Brendon takes something from his pocket and the boy immediately looks up, halfway between suspicious and wary. It’s the perfect occasion to put his plan into action. “I noticed you’re reading Jung’s Psychology and Alchemy,” he adds as he hands him a flyer of the shop.
“You’ve read it?” Bus Boy asks, a little surprised and almost skeptical.
“A while ago.” Brendon nods and gestures towards the piece of paper. “But it’s actually easier to understand it with the right knowledge about alchemy. We have some books you could find interesting for that.”
“A magic shop?”Bus Boy smirks a little, looking at the flyer.
“It’s a respectable activity.” Brendon tilts his chin up a little the other boy shakes his head, amused.
Bus Boy hesitates for a few seconds, thinking. “Fine, maybe I’ll swing by later, after class.”
“Cool,” Brendon does his best to sound just the right side of neutral and not like a hyper teenager. “My name’s Brendon, by the way.”
“I’m Ryan,” the other boy says, looking definitely less uncomfortable in the conversation.
“Nice to meet you,” Brendon smiles again and mentally curses when the bus stops. “I have to go, see you later, if you decide to stop by.”
Ryan just nods and watches him leave with a faint frown, still holding the flyer in his hand.
~~
“Excuse me?” Jon stares at his friend, unbelieving. “You’re not using the shop for your filthy, degrading affair.”
“Oh, c’mon, I offered to show him some books, I can’t tell him I changed my mind,” Brendon whines, looking halfway between unsure and outraged.
“Books, uh? Then why did you set the potion next to the tea pot?” Jon arches an eyebrow, skeptical, and watches as his friend tilts his chin up.
“I don’t wanna take chances,” Brendon just says, then turns towards the shelves again. “Now go do your shit, Ryan’s gonna be here soon.”
“Whatever, I’m not bailing you out of this if you screw up,” Jon declares, then walks out of the door without glancing back.
Brendon sighs and glances at the little bottle of potion placed next to the tea. Maybe Jon is right, maybe he’s going a little too far, maybe Ryan is going to like him without any kind of trick. But the occasion is so perfect and Brendon doesn’t know if he’ll get another chance to slip the potion into Ryan’s coffee or tea or whatever.
On the other hand, he doesn’t really know Ryan, maybe he’s not even Brendon’s type, maybe they’re the complete opposite, like Brendon and Shane are. But sometimes opposite works, if it’s the right kind of opposite.
Brendon groans and sits down, holding his head in his hands. Why does he have to grow a conscience when Ryan is just minutes from arriving? Sometimes having a responsible friend like Jon sucks out loud.
It takes ten minutes before the sound of the little bell on top of the door wakes Brendon from his thoughts and when he looks up and sees Ryan standing there, he smiles widely.
“Hey, Ryan,” Brendon greets him with a small wave and stands. “Welcome to my little kingdom.”
“No offence, but this place is a bit creepy,” Ryan says as he looks around. He’s straightforward for sure, Brendon has to give him credit for that.
Not that he can really blame the boy, at first sight the store is a little creepy, after all, with all the old books piled on the shelves, the jars with the various ingredients, and several ritual objects placed all around.
“It is,” Brendon laughs a little and gestures towards the shelves behind his back. “But if you want to know more about alchemy, this is the right place.”
“Definitely.” Ryan looks around and takes a couple of steps towards the other boy, still studying his surroundings.
“I can help you choose the good books, if you want,” Brendon offered with his best friendly smile. “Some are complete bullshit, others are extremely accurate.”
“I don’t want anything too specific,” Ryan looks at him and, for the first time since entering the shop, he shows a little smirk. “I’m a psychology student, not an alchemist wannabe.”
“It’s good to hear that, alchemists are kind of bitches when it comes to sharing their job,” Brendon shrugs and reaches for a green book on the third shelf.
“D’you know many of them?” Ryan asks, clearly amused by those words.
“Well, a couple of my former schoolmates are working as apprentices with an alchemist now,” Brendon replies with the most natural tone and laughs a little when he turns and sees the surprised look on Ryan’s face. “What, you really think I’m kidding?”
“I have no idea what to think,” Ryan admits as he shakes his head. “I’m usually a very rational person.”
“Forget rational if you want to understand magic.” Brendon reaches for another book on the first shelf and frowns a little. “I didn’t really have time to pick the books, so it’s gonna take a few minutes. Can I offer you something while you wait? Some tea? Coffee?”
“Tea is good.” Ryan smiles and sits down at the small table in front of the shelves.
“Perfect.” Brendon gives his back to the boy and takes a deep breath. It’s now or never, he thinks as he pours the potion in a cup, then does the same with the tea. “I’m sorry I have to make you wait, but Jon always screws up the order of the books and then it takes ages to find them.”
“It’s okay.” Ryan shrugs and takes the cup when Brendon hands it to him.
“He’s an alphabetical order freak,” Brendon jokes as he goes back to the shelves.
“I like alphabetical order.” Ryan frowns a little, then sips from the tea.
“I don’t.” Brendon chuckles and reaches for a third book. “I mean, not when he decides to change the order after I already memorized where each book is.”
“I can see how that can be annoying,” Ryan admits with a brief laugh, then keeps sipping from the tea, much to Brendon’s inner excitement.
They keep up the small talk as Brendon finds more books, then they spend half an hour going through them to decide which one is better for Ryan’s level of interest. When they’re left with only two books and Ryan’s cup is pretty much empty, Jon and Shane enter the shop, bringing bags with them.
Jon arches both his eyebrows at Brendon, but when Ryan turns to look at him, his expression changes. Yeah, he can’t really blame Brendon, the boy is cute.
“Ryan, I suppose.” Jon smirks a little and gestures towards himself and Shane. “I’m Jon, this is Shane.”
“Nice to meet you,” Ryan replies, smiling wider than he had in the past half an hour, much to Brendon’s annoyance.
“So,” Brendon clears his throat, glaring at Jon, who just heads for the back of the shop. “I think this one is better for you, it leaves out all the chemical processes.”
“Okay, I think it works.” Ryan keeps his eyes on Jon for a couple of seconds more, then turns towards the other boy. “How much do I owe you?”
“Nah, don’t worry about that, just borrow it.” Brendon shrugs a little, gesturing towards the book. “We don’t usually rent stuff, but you know, it’s just for research.”
“Thank you.” Ryan smiles again, but Brendon’s stomach twists. There’s something wrong there, but he can’t put his finger on what it is.
“You’re welcome.” Brendon piles the other books and frowns a little when Ryan just stands and reaches for his coat. “You’ll offer me a coffee next time.”
“Sure.” Ryan takes the book and glances at the door behind the counter, biting on his lip. “I really have to go now, I’ll call you.”
“Okay.” Brendon watches him leave and raises both his eyebrows.
Something is really, really wrong.
~
The following day
When the phone rings the following morning and Ryan’s voice greets Brendon, the boy forgets the bad feeling of the previous day. Unluckily, it takes him just a sentence to realize he actually had a reason to worry.
“Hey, so, uh,” Ryan pauses, a little nervous. “Is Jon there?”
“What?” Brendon sounds both angry and unbelieving as he says that, and Jon turns to glance at him.
“Yeah, I just-- can I talk to him?” Ryan asks again and all Brendon can do is gesture Jon to take the phone.
“Hello?” Jon says with a confused frown, not knowing who’s on the other end.
“Hi, Jon, I’m-- I’m Ryan,” a soft, monotone voice replies, stuttering a little. “You know, the guy who was there for the books yesterday.”
“Yeah, sure, I remember you,” Jon reassures him. How could I forget?, he asks himself.
“I was wondering, maybe we could, you know, get a coffee together or something this afternoon,” Ryan proposes and the other boy feels the wave of emotion in his voice. “I mean, I really feel in debt for the book and all, but-- damn, I sound like a douche right now.”
“Don’t worry, you don’t.” Jon laughs a little, trying to sound reassuring. “But why me?”
“I just, you know-- it’s really embarrassing to say, but-- I just want to know you.” Ryan almost mutters the last part, surprising the boy. “I mean, if it’s okay for you.”
Jon glances at Brendon, who is pouting and glaring at him at the same time, and feels a strong urge to show him just how much he screwed up with the potion. On the other hand, there’s something that really makes him want to know that Ryan guy better. It’s probably something that has to do with his aura and the way his voice seems so flat when it just hides emotion very well. And Jon has always been the perceptive one between him and Brendon, he should have known he was going to get interested in the boy as soon as Brendon talked about Ryan’s aura.
After all, potions don’t change personalities, so it’s a good chance to know him. Not even Jon is that flawless.
“Okay, sure, it’d be great,” Jon eventually says, gaining an unbelieving look from Brendon.
“There’s a Starbucks halfway between my college and your shop,” Ryan hesitates for a second, but Jon can hear the hint of a smile in his voice. “Is it okay?”
“Perfect, see you there at four?” Jon asks with a smirk on his face, while Brendon just stands from the chair.
“Great,” Ryan just says, relieved. “See you later.”
Jon ends the call and looks up at his friend, smug. “See? Magic didn’t help you this time.”
“Why the hell didn’t it work?” Brendon almost yells, reaching for the phone. He quickly dials a number and waits.
“Who are you calling?” Jon asks with his best calming-a-child voice.
“Pete,” Brendon spits, furious. “I want answers.”
“Great,” Jon mutters as he walks back to his book, then tries to ignore Brendon’s phone call. Surprisingly enough, it lasts just a few seconds.
“He’s gonna be here in a few minutes,” Brendon announces with a proud smile. “And he’ll fix this mistake.”
“You know, it's not one of those instantaneous things you see in fairytales or anything, it takes time, maybe you just have to wait.” Jon tries to keep his face straight despite the urgent need to laugh his ass off.
Brendon ignores him and just sits behind the counter, glancing at the clock every ten seconds. Shane watches the scene with a little amused smirk, but doesn’t say anything. When Pete finally shows up, Brendon jumps up and waves the book with the potion in front of him.
“You and your idiot ideas, Ryan asked Jon out,” Brendon whines with a hint of frustration in his tone.
“Uh,” Pete just says as he looks at the formula. “It’s a quite complicated potion.”
“It is, it took me days to get it ready.” Brendon frowns, not understanding what the point is.
“Which part of ‘plain love potion’ didn’t you get?” Pete asks with a derisive grin. “Plain love potions work with the classic imprinting, you know, the first person Ryan sees,” he adds, then turns the book towards Brendon. “This one works with another kind of imprinting.”
“What d’you mean?” Brendon looks at the formula, confused.
“It’s not the first person Ryan sees, it's the first person Ryan feels attracted to,” Pete explains with an amused laughter and both Jon and Shane join in.
“We need to cancel the effects.” Brendon sighs and lets himself fall back on the chair.
“Maybe Jon doesn’t want to.” Pete glances at the boy, grinning.
“I don’t need to drug my dates.” Jon addresses him a sarcastic smile, gaining a frown from Shane.
“But you’re going out with him,” Brendon stated, a lot less annoyed then before.
“I just don’t like to waste opportunities.” Jon shrugs and looks back at his book. “It’s just gonna be a coffee, nothing more.”
“I’ll prepare a potion to cancel the effects of this one, but it’ll take about a week,” Pete announces, taking a deep breath. “And now, if you don’t mind, I was in the middle of a meeting.”
“Oh.” Brendon scratches the back of his neck, embarrassed. “Sorry.”
“Whatever.” Pete grins and with a last wave he walks out of the door.
A week. Not much, but it’s enough to get to know something about the guy, Jon thinks as he turns the page, it could be interesting.
~
Jon stops outside the Starbucks, then glances inside and notices Ryan sitting at a table. He stands there just a few seconds, watching the boy with a little frown. He’s cute and, in Jon’s opinion, also pretty hot, and there’s something about him that just catches Jon’s attention, something that makes Jon’s sixth sense tingle. That usually happens when he’s around another wizard, but this time is different, he knows Ryan is not a wizard, so all he can think of is that the boy’s aura must really be as incredible as Brendon said. Damn him and his aura thing.
Eventually, Jon walks in and taps the boy on the shoulder, smiling widely.
“Hey.” Ryan sounds a little nervous and unsure, which surprises the other boy.
“Hey yourself.” Jon gestures towards the counter, trying to be as natural as possible. “Wanna get the coffee?”
Ryan just nods and, once they order, he insists on paying for both. Jon gives in and accepts with a thankful smile, relieved to see the boy relax a bit.
“Sorry for the completely random phone call,” Ryan says with a little smirk as they sit down.
“It’s okay,” Jon reassures him, still smiling. “I’m happy you called, I don’t get many chances to have a coffee with someone who actually knows who I am.”
“What d’you mean?” Ryan frowns a little, confused.
“The whole wizard thing.” Jon shrugs and sips from his coffee. “When I say it people tend to think I’m a psycho, or worse, a magician.”
“How’s ‘magician’ worse than ‘psycho’?” Ryan laughs, genuinely amused by that.
“A magician fakes magic, he mocks it,” Jon explains with a little smile. “It’s one of the most offensive things you can say to a wizard.”
“Oh,” Ryan says, surprised and a little skeptical. “So, you really are a wizard?” he adds, sounding not too convinced about the thing.
Jon grins at that, knowing what he’s about to do isn’t exactly fair. “See that jock at the last table on the right?” he asks, gesturing towards a boy on the other side of the room. “Look at his coffee,” he adds when Ryan nods.
Jon looks at the jock as well, tapping his ring finger on the table three times, then closes his hand in a tight fist. The cup of coffee the guy is holding suddenly turns completely white and he lets it fall on the table with a surprised yelp.
“What the fuck?” the guy asks as he picks up his frozen cup, shocked.
“You did that?” Ryan turns his head towards Jon, speaking softly. There’s an edge of awe and amusement in his voice, which somehow tells Jon he’s not freaked out.
“Still skeptical?” the older boy asks, then relaxes back on the chair with a grin.
“How?” Ryan chuckles, still shocked about what he saw.
“It’s a gift. I mean, like a painter catches landscapes on a canvas, a wizard manipulates the energy around him,” Jon explains with a smile, glad Ryan isn’t running away, horrified. “Potions, amulets, charms, even alchemy… everything is about energy, if you can’t control it, you can’t use any of that.”
“That’s a lot to take in,” Ryan admits with a faint grin. “And I’m pretty sure I shouldn’t find it so cool.”
“I’m actually happy to see you’re not freaked out about this.” Jon tilts his head to the side, conscious of how much he’s flirting, but unable to stop. “What about you? Brendon told me you’re a psychology student.”
“I am, but I might reconsider parapsychology now.” Ryan sips from his coffee and rests his elbows on the table. “For now, I’m a regular psychology student, though.”
“I think it’s fascinating,” Jon admits with a nod. “I mean, some things can only be explained through the human mind. Being able to interpret it is a priceless thing.”
“You make it sound a lot less boring than it actually is.” Ryan laughs a little, fingers playing unconsciously with the cup. “The history of psychology tends to be soporific after the first five lessons, but criminology isn’t so bad.”
“What d’you want to do after college?” Jon sips from his coffee again, realizing the cup is still almost full.
“Psychotherapy,” Ryan answers without hesitation and Jon catches a quick glimpse of sadness in his eyes. “I wanna help people stop fighting with themselves.”
“That’s noble,” Jon says, genuinely awed by how clear Ryan’s idea on that is. There’s something behind, something regarding the boy’s personal life, but Jon doesn’t want to push him.
“And you?” Ryan shakes his head a bit confused. “What do you guys do? I mean, besides freezing cups of coffee.”
“All sort of things.” Jon shrugs and smiles a little. “We sell stuff to other wizards, or to ordinary people who want to feel the thrill of magic.”
“I thought you said ordinary people can’t use magic.” Ryan sips from his coffee again, then licks his lips quickly.
“Exactly,” Jon confirms, forcing himself to look away from the boy’s mouth.
“Isn’t that fraud, then?” Ryan laughs a little, unbelieving.
“Maybe,” Jon admits with a grin. “Oh, and we help people find something they lost, like car keys or important documents, you know, that kind of stuff.”
“Missing people too?” Ryan asks, visibly surprised by that.
“Nope, not anymore.” Jon sighs, then takes a long sip. “The police doesn’t really like us, so we stay out of their way. But we could.”
“I bet they wouldn’t be able to keep you in a cell,” Ryan laughs briefly, quickly joined by the other boy.
“No, they probably wouldn’t,” Jon admits with a grin, glancing down at his cup. There are a few seconds of comfortable silence, then he looks up again, curious. “Do you regret making the phone call?”
Ryan looks surprised by that question and just bites on his lower lip, unsure. “No,” he eventually says with the hint of a smile on his face. “Do you regret coming here?”
“Not at all,” Jon confesses, not even trying to play it subtle. Why would he? He likes Ryan.
“Good,” Ryan lets out a relieved sigh and laughs, a little embarrassed. “I was thinking, if you want there’s a lecture about Jung’s book tomorrow,” he adds with a shrug. “I mean, you probably know more than both me and the lecturer, but you know, if you want.”
“That’d be cool.” Jon nods, genuinely interested in both Ryan and the seminar. He wouldn’t miss the chance of sharing something so familiar with his world, like alchemy is, with someone like Ryan. “It’s been a while since I read the book anyway.”
“Will Brendon be okay with this?” Ryan suddenly asks, concerned and a little dejected.
“He’ll get over it, don’t worry.” Jon smiles reassuringly, then finished his coffee.
“Good.” Ryan takes a deep breath and smirks back, while his fingers still play with the cup.
~~
“How did it go?” Brendon asks as soon as Jon walks in the shop with a smile.
“I’m seeing him tomorrow,” Jon announces as he takes off his coat. “There’s a seminary about Jung’s book.”
“I hate you,” Brendon mutters with a pout, gaining a soft laughter from Shane.
“He’s not your type,” Jon says with a shrug, not losing his smile. “He’s too smart.”
“Fuck you.” Brendon turns away and looks back to his magazine, sulking.
Shane shakes his head and smirks, walking behind him and putting his hands on Brendon’s shoulders. “You’re smart enough to find someone else.”
“It’s the principle of it,” Brendon insisted, but relaxed under the boy’s touch. “And I’m not just smart.”
“That’s true, you’re also adorable.” Shane laughs a bit, resting his chin on Brendon’s shoulder.
“Thank you, sweetpie, you know how to cheer a pretty boy up.” Brendon smirks up at his friend and takes a deep breath. “You know what? I don’t need that dandy psycho boy.”
“Really?” Jon asks, then bites on his lower lip for a second to stop a grin. “Then I guess it’s okay if I keep seeing him.”
“Whatever, dude.” Brendon shrugs and stands, determined. “I’ll just find someone else, someone better.”
“Like Shane?” Jon offers with a little smile, gaining an unbelieving glare from Shane.
“What?” Brendon laughs at that, genuinely amused, and Jon sees the flash of hurt in Shane’s eyes. “I mean, c’mon, me and Shane?” he adds as he walks towards the back of the store.
“Thank you, I really needed that,” Shane spits with an unhappy chuckle. When he sees Jon’s slightly guilty look, he sighs and shakes his head. “Sorry, I just--”
“I know.” Jon puts an hand on the boy’s shoulder and squeezes, offering him an apologetic smile. “I’m sorry.”
Shane nods and takes a deep breath, then turns towards the shelves. “I’ll just go back to work.”
~~
The following day
Jon arrives at the college a little too early and sits on an empty bench nearby the main door. It’s late September and the leaves on the trees are already turning red and yellow, giving the front garden a nostalgic atmosphere. The air is rather warm for that period and Jon takes a deep breath, sitting in the sunlight with his jacket unbuttoned, eyes closed.
When someone sits next to him on the bench he senses more than guesses that it’s Ryan.
“It’s not wise to fall asleep here,” Ryan jokes with a little smile and the other boy opens his eyes.
“I could fall asleep pretty much anywhere.” Jon shrugs and smirks back, relaxed. When he sees another boy standing not far and looking at him with a glare, he purses his lips. “That guy wants to kill me.”
Ryan turns his head and laughs, gesturing the boy to walk closer. “This is Spencer, my best friend, and he doesn’t want to kill you.”
“Sure,” Spencer just says, arching an eyebrow at the wizard. “I’d never kill Harry Potter.”
“I’m actually more of a Merlin kind of wizard,” Jon offers with a grin, holding his hand out to Spencer, relieved when he sees him crack a tiny smirk. “I’m Jon.”
“I know.” Spencer shakes his hand and nods briefly, then glances at Ryan. “The projector isn’t working, the janitor is trying to fix it,” he pauses and sees his friend sigh. “They delayed the lecture, it’s gonna start in about an hour.”
“Great,” Ryan mutters, slightly annoyed.
“We could go grab a coffee together,” Jon proposes with an easy smile on his lips. “Maybe I can convince Spencer I’m not going to turn anyone into a toad or anything.”
“Good luck,” Ryan laughs as he stands. “But the coffee is good for me.”
“Let’s go, then.” Jon stands as well and fixes his jacket, trying to ignore the strong feeling of suspicion coming from Spencer.
Once they reach the cafeteria and sit down at a quiet table with their coffees, Spencer relaxes a little and just studies Jon openly. Ryan obviously told his friend about him being a wizard and even if he should be annoyed, he can’t help thinking that it’s just another sign Ryan isn’t freaked out about him. Which is a good thing to Jon, especially since he really hopes he’ll get a chance to date Ryan even after the effects of the potion cease. There’s no need for the boy to know he was under those effects in the first place, after all.
“So, you went to college?” Spencer asks with a natural tone, distracting Jon from his thoughts.
“Not really, I finished school three years ago,” Jon replies with a little smile. “Our Academy is longer than your high school.”
“Define longer.” Ryan frowns, curious and perplexed at the same time.
“Well, I got admitted when I was twelve, like most of the kids,” Jon pauses and sips from his coffee slowly. “And I graduated three years ago.” He sees the confusion on the boys’ faces and smirks. “Students graduate at twenty, it’s usually eight years.”
“That’s where you and Brendon met?” Ryan asks with a little smile.
“Yep. He’s two years younger than me, he was admitted at ten,” Jon explains with a nod, then smirks. “He’s a great wizard, he just doesn’t look like it.”
“I agree with that.” Ryan laughs and tries to stop when he sees the perplexed look on Spencer’s face. “I bet he’s a good guy, though.”
“I trust him with my life,” Jon admits with an amused frown, then glances at Spencer. “You don’t look convinced.”
“Ryan told me about the trick you pulled with the coffee cup,” Spencer just says with a shrug.
“It’s not a trick,” Jon relaxes back on his chair and sees the glare Ryan’s addressing his friend. “Hey, it’s okay, I meet a lot of skeptical people.”
“Can you turn this into milk?” Spencer asks as he puts his cup on the table.
“I can manipulate, not transform,” Jon explains with a patient tone and sees Ryan blush a little. “Transformation requires a jinx, or at least a potion,” he adds with a little smile. “With my plain powers I can freeze it, melt it, make it glow and other stuff like that, but I can’t change what the cup is made of in the first place, to do that I need the right instruments.”
“You manipulate energy,” Ryan says as he smiles a little. “To manipulate substance you need your formulas and creepy ritual ingredients.”
“Exactly.” Jon sounds surprised at how easily Ryan is adapting to the entire idea. “You’ve known magic for two days and you already understand it better than most non-wizards.”
“You’re just good at explaining.” Ryan shrugs and Spencer rolls his eyes.
“I still haven’t seen a proof,” Spencer remarks with an arched eyebrow.
“Fair enough.” Jon smirks and takes a deep breath, looking around. “Want me to turn on and off the lights, freeze something, what? You pick.”
Spencer thinks for a few seconds while Ryan addresses Jon an apologetic smile. The wizard just shrugs and bumps his foot against Ryan’s, trying to reassure him it’s okay. The boy bumps back and they exchange a smirk.
“See that guy sitting next to the window?” Spencer asks with a small nod to his right. Jon looks in that direction and sees a boy sitting on a table next to the big window. “Can you make the fire alarm system go off only above him?”
Jon nods as he sees the fire alarm system device right above the guy’s head. With a quick gesture of his hand he switches it on and laughs when the jet of water hits the boy, making him jump and swear.
“Why did I do that?” Jon asks with an amused frown, looking at Spencer.
“He asked my girlfriend out.” Spencer smirks back this time and Ryan shakes his head. “Needed a cold shower, didn’t you, Brent?” he asks as he turns towards the guys with a smug look on his face.
Brent just storms out of the room, bringing his soaked books with him.
“So?” Jon arches an eyebrow, but he can feel the tension is definitely decreased.
“Having a wizard as a friend is probably the coolest thing ever,” Spencer admits as he pats on Ryan’s shoulder. “Don’t forget it.”
Jon laughs at that, genuinely amused by the sudden change. He’s about to say something, but he feels someone approaching behind him, he’s sure it’s a wizard, so he turns to look.
“Hey, Haley, did you see Brent?” Spencer smiles at his girlfriend as she approaches, but when she sees Jon, she freezes. “What?”
“Nothing.” Haley shakes her head and takes a seat, smiling back. “What’s up with Brent?”
“Just a little joke,” Jon says with a nod towards the alarm system device that is still running. “Not to be nosy, but how long have you two been together?” he asks with a knowing grin, wondering why Haley, his former classmate at the Academy, never told Spencer about magic.
“Just a couple of months.” Haley understands something is going on and addresses Spencer a curious look. “What’s going on?”
“I think it’s a speech you should have in private,” Jon says without leaving the boy the time to answer. “You can tell her.”
“You know about Jon?” Haley asks with a stunned look on her face.
“Wait.” Ryan frowns, surprised and confused at the same time. “How d’you know Jon?”
Haley hesitates and bites on her lower lip, while Jon just laughs briefly at how absurd the situation is.
“What’s your opinion about magic, Spencer?” Jon asks, taking pity on the girl, who looks like a deer caught in the headlights.
“Right now? I think it’s pretty cool,” Spencer pauses, looking at the other three. “But what does this have to do with--” he turns towards Haley, shocked. “You?”
“One of the best in our class,” Jon answers for her, relaxing back on the chair.
“Oh God, you’re dating a witch.” Ryan bursts out laughing at that, finding the entire situation hilarious.
“You’re dating a wizard, so shut up,” Spencer retorts, then looks back at Haley, so he misses the faint blush on Ryan’s cheeks at that. “Should we talk about this?”
“If you’re not freaked out.” Haley smiles a little, not sure about her boyfriend’s reaction.
“Okay, let’s go talk about this.” Spencer stands with a little, amused frown, much to both Ryan and Haley’s relief. “We’ll see you later at the lecture.”
“Okay,” Ryan replies with a nod, then watches them go. “This is pretty much a shock.”
“Would it help if I said she’s a good girl?” Jon offers with a little smile.
“It would.” Ryan finishes his coffee and looks at Jon in the eye. “I’m sorry about all the questions.”
“It’s okay, he’s a friend, he worries.” Jon shrugs and puts his cup on the table as well. “But I’m glad he took it well,” he pauses, leaning forwards and resting his elbows on the wooden surface. “Because, you know, I have this idea about going to the movies with you tomorrow night, if you’re up for it.”
Ryan bites on his lower lip and hesitates a few second, enough for Jon to doubt about the thing. “I don’t usually go on dates with guys I’ve known for just two days, but, you know, I feel like experimenting,” Ryan eventually says with a smirk.
“Is it a yes?” Jon’s chest feels suddenly lighter and he wonders when it has become so important for him to take advantage of every single day of that week with Ryan.
“It is.” Ryan smiles and glances at the clock on the wall next to them. “We’d better go if we want to keep the seats for Spence and Haley too.”
Jon nods and stands, trying to hide his smirk at the way Ryan’s cheeks have turned slightly pinker. Adorable, he thinks as they walk towards the door.
~
Half an hour later Spencer and Haley join them at the front row and Jon is relieved to see they’re holding hands when they enter the room. The other seats are all taken and Jon senses at least two more wizards not far, one of which is pretty powerful.
The moment the lecturer walks to the desk, he knows he’s right. Patrick Stump, his Alchemy teacher at the Academy, fixes his jacket and checks the microphone. Along with Pete, he’s one of those teachers Jon and Brendon have kept in contact with. They’re in some kind of romantic relationship-slash-affair Jon has never wanted to investigate and they both look younger than they actually are; Patrick’s ability with alchemy isn’t a coincidence, Jon is sure about that.
“Patrick?” Jon asks with an unbelieving smile, looking at Haley.
“You know Professor Stump?” Ryan frowns, visibly surprised.
“He’s an alchemist, one of the best, he was our teacher at the Academy,” Jon explains as the girl nods. “I had no idea he taught to non-wizards too.”
“Not often, he just holds these lectures from time to time,” Haley replies with a grin, taking her notebook.
“Wait, you mean we could, like, meet him after the lecture?” Spencer asks as his eyes widen.
“I never really talked to him outside school time.” Haley bites on her lower lip, not too convinced.
“I do, we’re friends.” Jon nods and sees Patrick look in his direction, surprised. “I’m sure he won’t mind,” he adds as he waves at the teacher, gaining a warm smile in reply.
Spencer beams and Haley shakes her head, while Ryan addresses Jon a wide smile.
~~
Part 2
A/N: Hey there, folks, here it is, my new story. It’s not very long, but I hope you’ll like it anyway. :D
Not much to add on this first part, just let me know what you think about it.
Thanks for stopping by and reading. See you next week. <3
JM