A Magical Night
Magica kept a firm grip on her enchanted broom as she waited rather impatiently in the middle of a forest, it was just turning dusk and she was waiting for particular someone, known by most as the luckiest duck in the world.
That's right, the very same Magica De Spell, who tried to harm not only Scrooge but the entire McDuck family, had been meeting privately with one of their kin.
The meetings were usually lighthearted, with them walking side by side, the forest glowing with fireflies that lit up the night, and they'd talk about whatever was on their mind that day, no matter how trivial it might be.
However, Magica had a rather different approach for tonight, and the broom in her hand played a huge role in that.
She felt the feathers on her arms stick up at the sound of leaves crunching faintly behind her, and in one swift motion she swung her broom to blindly attack whatever creature was there.
Instead of hitting something, she felt someone grab the broom just in the nick of time before it could strike, and when she opened her eyes she was met with the smug face of Gladstone Gander himself, who winked at her as she snatched back her broom, holding it close to her.
"Aw, Magi, I'm hurt. Well, not physically cause of how well I dodged that, but mostly emotionally that you would even think of hitting me in the first place."
Magica huffed in annoyance.
"Can you blame me? You've never snuck up on me before, it's called self defense."
Gladstone chuckled, gripping both sides of his open jacket as he stood. He then gestured to the broom with a nod of his head, a silent question to what it was for.
"Never seen you bring that before. And listen, as flattered as I am by your asking, I'm not really sure I feel like doing nothing but chores with you tonight.. had something a little, different, in mind."
"Oh?" She perked up at the mention of the object in her hand, and in an instant all feelings of annoyance washed away, and her beak upturned in a smirk and she had a twinkle in her eye. "As did I."
This piqued the lucky duck's interest more as Magica placed the broom horizontally between her legs, and with one jump it was levitating off the ground, and she along with it.
"Neato." Gladstone voiced his approval as he ran his finger on the tip of the broom, smiling slightly. "I've wondered what it would be like to watch you fly on one of these things."
"You're not going to be watching me, Gander." Magica stated, rather matter-of-factly as she reached a hand out towards him, that same twinkle shining in her eye again. "You'll be joining me."
For once in his life, Gladstone was taken aback. The thought of being so high up on such a flimsy piece of wood, it made his stomach churn. His nervousness must've showed on his face, as Magica exhaled a sharp and prolonged sigh.
"Look, you're literally the luckiest duck in the world. You probably couldn't fall off even if you wanted to."
"Well, consider this. My luck makes it so if I did want to fall off, I would. Because, if you think about it, I'm technically getting what I want."
"And? DO you want to fall off?"
Gladstone scoffed, shaking his head at the ridiculous accusation.
"Of course not, but I'm just saying.."
"Then you have nothing to worry about. Now, get on."
Gladstone ignored the pit in his stomach as he boarded the broom right behind her, holding his breath as it wobbled under the weight of two people, before becoming steady again.
"Comfy?" Magica couldn't see his expression, but she could still feel just from being next to him how nervous he was, and it was.. adorable, to say the least.
"Oh, definitely. Sure thing, I.. I'm great over here."
"Look.. if you're wondering, it's fine if you want to hold onto my waist. I won't judge."
At least, not out loud.
Gladstone only nodded as he wrapped his arms behind her waist, bringing himself closer to her and pressing his head into her back as he braced himself for what was to come.
After being sure he was holding on tight, Magica wasted no more time as they shot up to the air, zooming past tall trees and towards the open sky.
Gladstone yelled, his heart pumping in his chest as he watched the ground disappear from his sight, seeing only the overheads of trees. His scream was a mix of excitement and horror, and it only ceased when they stopped going fast.
"How's the view?" Magica asked him, a playful smirk in her tone.
Gladstone didn't answer at first, but when he looked up he was instantly filled with a hushed amazement at the sight of a billion stars surrounding them, he was so entranced by them he hardly noticed he had let go of her waist to get a good look at them.
He looked over at Magica, who had her head turned towards the stars, and he caught a glimpse of one making her eye sparkle just right.
"I knew you had nothing to worry about. Now, is this the best thing that's ever happened to you, or what? And don't worry, I already know you agree."
Without taking his eyes off her, he placed a hand over his heart fondly and whispered:
"Yeah. I'd say so."