Demons, Witches, and Toads (BoyxBoy)

The Final Day

"Woah," Priscilla breathed, eyes growing wide as she stared up at the waterfall before them. "I had no idea the Icy Mountains had a place this beautiful."

Tomorrow they would attack the capital. With their plans already in place and their army at the ready, Wheeler had decided to take this final day for himself. If the prophecy was true and he really was going to die tomorrow, he wanted to treasure the few remaining hours he had left.

Wheeler had convinced Mulock and Priscilla to explore a small forest behind the Vivok estate with him and (after a good half hour of wandering) they'd stumbled upon the breathtaking sight before them.

A massive waterfall cascaded from a cliff above, crashing down into the clear waters of the pool at its base. Shimmers of orange and pink reflected off its surface from the setting sun, making the water look as though it had been painted. Surrounding the pool was a sea of small purple flowers, their delicate petals blanketing the forest floor. They smelled of honey and lemon, filling the air with their fragrant aroma— alive and vibrant despite the snow, as if defying nature itself.

As beautiful as this place was, Wheeler's gaze remained only on the three figures beside him.

Mulock had made some snide comment to Priscilla causing them to erupt into their usual fit of bickering. This finally reached a temporary truce when Mister Pumpernickel cut in with a croak causing them to both snap at him. The toad rested on Mulock's shoulder, wrapped in a small pink scarf Priscilla had crocheted to shield him from the Icy Mountain cold. The scene before Wheeler was so familiar that it made his chest ache at how much he was going to miss it. He tried to memorize the moment; the curve of Mulock's smirk, the bounce of Priscilla's curls, every wart on Mister Pumpernickel's tiny head. Wheeler treasured each and every thing about them and he didn't want to forget even a single detail.

Mulock's attention fell to Wheeler now, crossing his arms. "You're awfully quiet."

"Sorry," Wheeler said. "I was just...um...I was thinking about how lucky I am."

"Ew, sentimental alert," Mulock said, his smile telling an opposing story.

Wheeler felt the sudden impulse to reach down, plucking a purple flower from the forest floor and tucking it behind Mulock's ear.

"The fuck are you doing?" the demon inquired, eyes narrowing.

"I thought the color would suit you," Wheeler said with a small smile. "It matches your eyes."

Mulock smirked. "When did you become such a romantic?"

"I've always been," Wheeler said. "You just never noticed."

"Really?"

"Really." Wheeler reached out, gently running his fingers down the line of his cheek. "If our lives could be different," he said softly, "I would build you a house with a garden, and always bring you flowers, and make you tea, and we could snuggle by the fire, and read all night, and every single day as we grew old together I would make sure to tell you just how much I adore you."

Wheeler had never seen Mulock blush before, but the more he spoke, the pinker Mulock's cheeks seemed to become, a bright flush rising up to the tips of his ears.

"That sounds like a wonderful life," Mulock finally replied, his voice tight. "Maybe somewhere in the universe there's another version of us that will get to experience it."

"God, why are you guys being so depressing?" Priscilla called from beside them.

"And why are you being an eavesdropper?" Mulock shot back.

"I've literally been standing here the entire time!" She stuck her tongue out at him. "Excuse me for having EARS, Mulcock."

"Ugh, you're overusing it," Mulock snapped. "Mulcock isn't effective if you say it every five seconds."

Priscilla opened her mouth to continue arguing when Wheeler suddenly took her hand in his, grabbing Mulock's with the other. As he did, Mister Pumpernickel sprung from the demon, landing on Wheeler's shoulder.

"Uuuuum.... Wheeler," Priscilla said slowly, "what exactly are you doing--"

"I love you guys," Wheeler blurted. He swallowed hard, giving their hands a tight squeeze. "I just...I wanted the chance to say it before tomorrow. No matter what happens after the battle, always remember that the three of you mean the world to me."

A silence fell between them for a moment before Pricilla gently returned the squeeze. "We love you too."

"Obviously," Mulock murmured.

Mister Pumpernickel gave a small croak in agreement, nuzzling against his shoulder.

Wheeler's eyes fluttered shut, taking in the sound of their breathing and the warmth of their hands as he wished they could stay this way forever.

No matter what happened tomorrow, at least he'd gotten to have this.

***

"I've noticed you at the training grounds nearly every day," Frances mused, leaning against the door of her chamber. "I think you've practiced more magic these past few months than your whole first year at the academy."

"I suppose I finally realized the importance of it," Priscilla replied, flushing slightly. "I always saw magic as just a means to good grades and then eventually a job, y'know?" She let out a low sigh. "Now I understand that honing my power is the only way to keep the people I care about safe."

"An admirable sentiment," Frances murmured. "And one I quite agree with." She offered her a small smile, taking a step closer. "Now, miss Priscilla, I hope you don't mind me asking... but what exactly brought you to my chambers this evening?"

Priscilla felt her face go even redder. "Um...I wanted to give you something." Her gaze flickered to the floor. "I've been holding onto it for a while now, and I thought if I didn't give it to you now then...well..."

"You might not get another chance?" Frances asked gently.

Priscilla swallowed hard. "Yeah." She dug through her bag, finally removing a small box. "My first day at the academy I really wanted to impress you. Some crazy stuff happened and I got tricked into going into a cave where a unicorn almost tried to kill me and, uh..." she laughed awkwardly. "Well, it's a long story. Anyway, there was a box that was supposed to give the recipient the perfect gift. And, um...inside was this." Priscilla handed the box over, hoping Frances wouldn't notice that her hands were trembling. "Sorry it's not much," she stammered. "That's why I waited so long to give it to you. I thought it was, uh...pretty underwhelming. And you deserve so much more than underwhelming, Frances. You deserve--"

She was cut off by a small gasp from Frances, the knight's eyes going wide.

"Is something wrong?!" Priscilla asked frantically.

"Priscilla," Frances breathed, gently lifting the single blue flower from the box. "this flower...do you know what it is?"

Priscilla shook her head, nerves clawing at her throat. God, had she done something wrong? Did Frances hate it?

"It's a blue valley rose," Frances said softly. "They're extremely rare and almost impossible to find." With a start, Priscilla noticed in the flickering candlelight the glisten of tears brimming her eyes . "When I was a little girl, we had a field of them by my childhood home. It was my favorite place in the whole world. One day a fire broke out and the field was burned. I...I never thought I'd see one again in my lifetime. The fact that you actually found one..." She smiled now, the expression so beautiful it sent Priscilla's heart racing. "Miss Priscilla, you're truly amazing."

"S-so you actually like it?"

"Priscilla," Frances answered softly, "I love it."

And with those words, she leaned in and kissed her. The moment their lips touched, the rest of the world slipped away.