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[credere]

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[credere]

He stares at the wood, the nails, and drags his knees to his chin. Makes himself small.

"I don't...why...why do you want this for me?"

[magician_king]

"Imagine you knew the way to make it so that every few years I didn't feel like crawling away from the rest of the world and never coming out again."

He instructs.

"If I didn't see it- but you could see a path that'd make my life normal?"

[credere]

Credence furrows his brow.

"...I'd want that. I'd want for you to be normal," he whispers.

[magician_king]

"Not normal- exactly, because I'm so weird, and I've never cared about that. But if you thought you had a chance to make me happy, and make my life easier."

[credere]

"I'd want you to be happy," Credence says, and even he can tell where Quentin is leading him. "I just...how can you know that - that this is what'll make me happy...?"

[magician_king]

"I might be wrong. I really might be. But I don't believe that I am- maybe the teaching magic, sure, yes, that- but not practicing enough to break up the bottleneck inside you."

[credere]

"Oh."

He wraps his arms around his knees. Quentin wants him to learn. Elizabeth wants that for him too. Tina seemed to.

And he's already damned.

So what does it matter?

"...alright."

[magician_king]

"Okay. This buys you ten decisions you get to make on my behalf to help me for the better, and I don't get to argue."

He says, smiling.

[credere]

Credence visibly startles, his shoulders drawing up.

"I don't want to do that."

He finds it nigh-on impossible to make decisions for himself, never mind anyone else.

[magician_king]

"Then you don't have to use them. But if you say a codeword- 'broken windows' then I'll know."

He promises.

[credere]

"...alright. But I don't think I ever will."

Fair warning.

[magician_king]

"That's fine. It's nice to have someone looking out for me, anyways."

Is how he interprets it.

[credere]

"Oh. That's - I will. I mean, I do. I try to. Look out for you," he says, feeling clumsy with the words even as he says them.

[magician_king]

"I know."

He promises, and looks down at his hands.

"I can tell."

[credere]

"Oh -- "

Because he'd asked Mick to return Quentin's magic. Of course. He must think he's an idiot.

"I'm sorry, I. That's obvious."

[magician_king]

"Don't apologize."

He says, shaking his head.

[credere]

"Alright. Sorry," he says, and then winces at the stupidity of apologizing for apologizing. Where Quentin gets the patience to tolerate him, he has no idea.

[magician_king]

Quentin makes a fond, amused sound- because he hears it, of course.

"Whenever you get down this road, try to remember, it's me."

[credere]

And Quentin won't get angry with him. Quentin won't hurt him. Quentin isn't looking for reasons to hate him.

(For now. But everyone loses patience in the end, don't they? What happens then?)

"Yes. I - I'll try."

[magician_king]

"I won't mind if it comes and goes."

He promises, sincerely.

[credere]

Credence nods.

"I don't mean to be -- irritating," he says, haltingly. "I. I do trust you."

[magician_king]

"You aren't irritation. Or, I'll tell you when you are."

He promises, with a shrug.

"Don't worry so much. I know that's easier said than done, but commit to trying not to. You put yourself in knots worrying about sure things."

[credere]

That gives him pause,

"....I don't...how do I know if something is a sure thing?"

It's a genuine question. He's been lied to so many times; he's been turned on by the very same people who should have had a duty to help him. How on Earth can he know?

[magician_king]

"That, I'm worse at. I trust when I shouldn't."

Is what he's learned over the years.

[credere]

"I do too. I did. I thought..."

He blinks and stares at his feet.

"I thought better of someone than I should have done."