Experimental Magic ✔

Man to Man

When Scottie finished telling his story, Misty was quiet. It made him nervous that she didn't speak right away. He almost wished he had left it at a simple apology, as he worried that telling her what happened might have made her angrier. She probably thought he was such a coward for not standing up to his grandfather and protecting her.

In reality, Misty didn't think he was a coward at all. Her pause in speech was not because she was angry with him. She was worried about him and was trying to figure out how to keep him away from Thomas.

"I don't want you going back there," Misty said abruptly and confidently. "You should stay here."

Scottie was pleasantly taken aback by her statement. His worst fear was that she would kick him out and never speak to him again. And there she was doing the complete opposite, taking him in and trying to shield him from more hurt. It truly amazed him how understanding she was being. He definitely didn't feel like he deserved it, but he was grateful nonetheless. There was only one minor problem.

"What about your brother?"

Misty bit her lip and thought about Markos. He wouldn't exactly be happy about it, but if she explained it to him, she was sure he would understand. Well, she hoped he would understand. He said that he wanted to be a team, and if that's what he wanted, he was going to have to trust her. It may have been a bit early to put their recently repaired relationship to the test, but it was a risk she felt she had to take.

"Let me worry about him," she said. "You get some rest."

Scottie was unsure that Misty could change Markos's mind, but he was her brother and she knew him better than Scottie did. If she said she'd take care of it, he was going to believe her. Besides, he didn't really want to leave. The choice between his grandfather and Misty wasn't a difficult one to make. Even if a night with Misty might mean having to deal with Markos in the morning.

"All right," he agreed. "I'll, uh, go sleep on the couch."

Scottie got up to leave, but Misty grabbed his arm and pulled him back down.

"You don't have to," she said. "That couch is really uncomfortable. It's basically a futon. Plus..."

Misty paused for a second before she continued on. Scottie raised his eyebrows and waited, holding his breath.

"There's enough room for both of us."

"You're sure?"

Misty nodded her head. She was sure. She didn't want him to have to face another lonely night on his own. Carefully, Scottie lowered himself on the bed and crawled under the covers. Misty followed suit and curled up next to him. She took his arm and draped it around herself, signaling to him that it was okay to hold her. Scottie smiled to himself as he felt her warmth. There was nothing more he wanted than to hold her in his arms.

***

The next morning, Misty woke before Scottie. She didn't want to disturb him, but she needed to talk to her brother. She peeled herself away gently, trying not to move him too much. He grumbled as she got up, but rolled over without waking.

Markos was in the kitchen making himself a cup of coffee. He felt Misty's presence, so he turned to face her.

"Good morning!" He said, excited as ever to start the day. "You know what I was thinking, we should head back to the house and see if Millie and Meadow want to go out for breakfast. Get the gang back together officially."

Misty smiled and nodded but Markos could tell something was up. Her smile was uncomfortable. It was almost like a sort of "please forgive me" grimace. She had a huge favor to ask and he already knew exactly what it was.