happilyeverbeginning | Pass the test, t-taste the flesh (scrooge x magica)

Scrooge almost dropped the phone in relief as he read her text.

She wasn't angry. Or at least he didn't think she was. He hoped she wasn't.

He was leaving in two days, so at least he could spend some time with her tomorrow. She could drink her fill so she wouldn't go hungry next week. He should be back by the time their next planned meeting would be.

If he'd chosen to acknowledge it, he would've realized that he was emotionally dependent on her.

Once she found out the important names, she could mesmerize the people in charge of this decision. Send a substitute, a video conference, or cancel it altogether. Maybe it'd only take one person to enchant, maybe it'd take twenty, but she'd exhaust herself to the bone to make it work.

But first, date night.

She waited for him at the library, dressed to the nines, with a bit of perfume on her neck. Let him think all was normal.

Scrooge had felt the need to bring her something by way of apology. It wasn't very big, just a white gold bracelet with cut amethysts, but hopefully she would like it.

He swallowed back nausea from all his worry before knocking on the door.

She opened it with a pleasant smile, and greeted him with a kiss.

"What a treat to see you so early."

"It's good to see you, too, Magica," he told her, his smile a bit strained. "I'm just sorry it's under these circumstances."

He reached into his pocket with the box for the bracelet.

"Here. I wanted to get you a little something as a thank you."

She raises her eyebrows, taking the box. "Oh?" And her smile only became greater when she saw the bracelet. "My, my, my... seems your taste for beauty extends to everything. Thank you, my darling."

She slid it on her wrist, and admired how it looked on her. "I'll treasure it always."

"I'm glad you like it," he told her honestly.

Honestly, he felt like he needed something stronger than wine tonight. He already looked a bit haggard from trying to clean up the mess in Germany without having to go there. Which meant his sleep schedule had been thrown for a loop to try and match timezones.

Leaving Duckburg was a last resort.

She took him by the hand and led him inside.

"Before we enter our paradise... I just want to understand a little better what's happening." A gentle squeeze. "I'm not mad, I promise." Not at him, anyway.

It was good to hear that she wasn't upset at him, but she was still upset. He squeezed her hand a bit tightly before he forced his grip to relax.

"It's a bit complicated," he told her. "Not that I don't think you'd understand it. It's just that I've spent the past several days trying to unravel it all."

"Maybe saying it out loud will help you put it into context... or at least release it to the world."

She sat him down on a couch, then moved behind him to rub his shoulders.

He was so tense that it would feel like trying to knead a rock.

"The European branch of McDuck Enterprises is in Berlin, Germany. The head of the office apparently decided to line her pockets with dirty money and used the branch office as her personal money laundering location. Which was stupid in and of itself since it ended up being traced back to her thanks to the German authorities investigating the flow of cash."

He took a shuddering breath.

"I've been in talks with the German government all week to try and sort this out. I barely managed to dodge out of having to go to Brussels since my ex-branch president broke not just German law but EU law as well. I'm having to go to Germany as a sign of goodwill and to ensure that the branch office fully cooperates with German authorities. If I didn't, I really would be dragged to Brussels to basically renegotiate trade deals with the EU, and that nightmare bureaucracy would likely keep me away from Duckburg for months. Particularly since the EU isn't exactly pleased that they're usually having to negotiate with me when they want to try and squeeze more tax revenue out of not just my pockets but those of my workers as well."

She kneaded as she listened, doing her best to work every knot she found. So, he was being made to suffer for the sins of others? It was a real sign that this world didn't deserve him, and he was better off abandoning them to stay with her.

Hmmm... manipulating this decision would be difficult. It sounded like all the key players were in Germany. She couldn't enchant anyone over a screen - one of the banes of technology - and she couldn't very well fly all the way to Brussels with bat wings.

... But perhaps she was looking at this the wrong way. Why wait for Scrooge over here when she could come along? With her powers, it'd be easy to sneak aboard any plane and tail him. He might even enjoy the surprise when she popped up over there.

"Poor darling." She kissed his cheek. "You're too good for all of them."

Given his entire back and shoulders was one big knot, she had her work cut out for her.

He sighed. "I don't know about that."

Some days he just wished it all would stop.

They had all night, so she saw no reason not to keep trying.

"Now now. I'm free to think what I want. And I say they don't deserve you."

He sighed but didn't argue the point.

"I wanted to see you before I left. I wanted to make sure you wouldn't starve while I was gone," he told her softly.

"I know how to take care of myself after all these years... but it's sweet that you care." She leaned in a little.

"I just wonder if you'll starve."

"I'll be fine. I get wrapped up in work, but I've done more with less. I used to do hard labor without regular meals all the time."

Wasn't that reassuring? If she wasn't trying to emotionally manipulate him, she'd still want to follow him just to make sure he stayed alive!

"That was then. This is now. You have the resources to take better care of yourself."

"Aye, but..."

His voice trailed off because his usual justifications would only make her angry. He didn't want their last conversation before he left to be a fight. (What if she didn't want him to come back afterwards?)

"I'll try."

"Good answer." Another kiss to his cheek. "Now... no more talk of business, past, present, or future. We're only here to enjoy ourselves."

Scrooge nodded his head, leaning into her kiss. He wasn't really sure he could relax and enjoy himself, but he would try for her.

If not for himself, then he would try for her.

She resume rubbing his shoulders. "Now then... what would you like tonight? Dancing, reading, bad movies...? I'm prepared to give you whatever you want, in order to give you many memories you can rely on in your worst moments."

"I don't care. I just want to be here with you," he told her honestly.

He was going to be deprived of her presence for at least a week. Bad enough he had to go through two weeks of that on the regular, but he was going to have the stress of legal issues on top of it all.

"In that case..." She moved around to sit by his side. "It's not easy to massage you through fabric. Let's loosen you up a little." She reached over to unbutton him down.

He shivered as she unbuttoned his coat. As comforting as her home was, it tended to be a bit cold even for his tastes.

He leaned back into her, tilting his head back to nuzzle at her.

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