[Fic] White Fantail
Title: White Fantail
Rating: G
Summary: At a festival, the magician’s tent gets a young visitor.
Warnings: AU. Magician Watanuki and child Doumeki.
He pulled the pigeon out with a flourish, and gently set the animal on the table in front of the boy.
“That’s boring. Can’t you make food appear like that instead?” The boy lifted his bored eyes from the pigeon and stared at the magician. The magician repressed a frustrated growl. How dare some little boy tell him what to conjure, much less conjure food! What was he, someone’s personal chef?
He forced a stiff smile onto his face. “No. I don’t have any food with me. Why don’t you try that food stall three tents down?” The pigeon climbed onto the magician’s outstretched hand and his smile softened as its clawed feet latched on.
“I don’t like their food.” The boy reached out and stroked the pigeon’s head. “I want castella cake.”
He could feel a headache forming. The pigeon’s wings burst into motion and it flew onto the boy’s hand. The little traitor. He was going to turn that bird into roast pigeon.
The boy was watching him with a faintly amused expression. A mantra started up in his head. He loved children. He loved children. He really loved children. He loved children with all his heart.
The boy’s mouth slowly stretched into a small smirk.
This child was evil.
“I’m a magician. Not a food vendor.” His words came out in a barely repressed hiss. “If you want castella cake, there’s a vendor beside the goldfish stall.” The magician’s finger swept out in a grand arc towards the general direction of the stall.
The boy’s eyes followed the magician’s dramatic gesture before returning to his face. “Are you really a magician? You look too young to be a magician.”
The nerve of this child. If the boy wasn’t so young, he would have beaten some sense into him.
The magician took a deep breath and counted to ten. “Where are you parents? Children shouldn’t wander about by themselves.” Two could play at this game.
The boy looked displeased. “Mother said I could look around.” He absently petted the pigeon’s white feathers, a barely perceptible frown on his face.
Instead of feeling victorious, the magician felt as if he had stolen candy from a baby. That wasn’t right. He deserved to feel triumphant against this child of evil! Another glance at the boy’s solemn face and he let out a quiet sigh. Today was not his day.
The bell attached to his tent flaps jingled and a woman entered. She sighed as she found the source of her concern. “There you are, Shizuka.” The woman noticed the magician and bowed in apology. “I’m sorry my son was bothering you, sir.” The pigeon flew off the boy’s hand and settled on the magician’s shoulder. The boy’s eyes followed the pigeon. The magician hastily returned the bow. “No no, it’s fine. I don’t mind.” The pigeon miraculously stayed on his shoulder.
Her son was still watching the pigeon.
Before he could stop himself, the magician held his hand out to the boy, a tiny figure made of folded paper in his palm. He nearly chuckled at the boy’s stupefied expression. Instead, he settled for a smile. “Take it.”
After the boy and his mother had left, the magician settled in his wooden chair. The pigeon perched on the table, preening itself.
Though reluctant, he had to admit the tent felt emptier than usual.
:::
At a festival years later, a young man enters one of the tents lined up along the path, a yellowed with age but well cared for origami pigeon in his pocket, the bell jingling to announce his entrance.
“Oi, I want chiffon cake.”