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100fandomhell2022-08-04 10:17 am
apachefirecat) wrote in 100fandomhell2022-08-04 10:17 am
Entry tags:
Fandom #8: Hocus Pocus, "Of Heroes and Big Brothers"
Title: Of Heroes and Big Brothers
Author: Apache Firecat
Rating: G/K
Fandom: Hocus Pocus
Wordcount or Timestamp: 1,197
"I don't know if this is a good idea, Max," Allison warned, nibbling her bottom lip.
"Of course it is. She loves cats. She's always wanted a pet, and now that Mom and Dad are finally saying we can have one what with everything that happened last year -- "
"That's exactly why this may not be a good idea," Allison argued. "He's a sweetheart," she said, looking fondly at the black cat in her boyfriend's arms, "but he's not Binx. He's never going to be Binx."
"Yeah, I know. Leave it to my sister to have her first boyfriend be already dead when they meet."
"Max!"
"Well, it's true. Look, Dani's been so upset ever since -- "
"I know she was devastated. We all were honestly. It just hit her harder than us, because we're older."
"No," he said, shaking his head. "It hit her harder, because there was something special between them."
"Whatever! He was a cat."
"This," Max argued lightly, lifting the cat, "is a cat."
Almost as though he was agreeing, the cat, who had already been swishing his tail, meowed loudly. Allison surveyed him with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "A cat who's getting rather annoyed," she commented.
"If I can handle Binx, I can handle him."
"Binx wasn't a cat."
"I know that, Alli. That's not what I'm saying."
"But it is what I'm saying, Max." She waved a hand at the tomcat who was now beginning to struggle in Max's arms. "This may just bring back all her memories of Binx. It may upset her instead of making her happy again."
"I don't know how else to make her happy, Allison!"
Allison sighed, her eyes dropping to her feet. "Yeah, I know." She looked so forlorn that Max felt a twinge of regret and guilt.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
"I am too. I wish we could have..."
"I know, but we have to stop thinking like that. Binx wanted to die. He wanted to be able to go home to be with his sister."
Allison's eyes lifted skyward. "Do you think that's what death is?" she asked softly. "Going home?"
"It was for him. All his family was up there."
"Up there? So you do believe in Heaven?"
"Alli, we've seen ghosts. We've fought Witches. Binx had struggled to survive for two hundred years. Death was freedom for him. It was going home, and even if there isn't a Heaven, I do believe there is somewhere where those who have gone before us are waiting for us, like his sister. He wanted to go home to her, no matter where that home was."
Allison heard the emotions with which her boyfriend spoke, and she saw the way his eyes shined when he spoke so passionately of going home and baby sisters. "You really do love her, don't you?"
"Of course. She's my sister. I just wish... I wish she hadn't had to go through that last year, but in a way, I'm also glad she did. I know that makes no sense."
"Actually, it makes perfect sense." She reached out and touched his arm. She wanted to hug him, but he was barely managing to hold onto the cat. The Witches still entered her dreams sometimes. It was weird. She used to dream of getting out of this small town, of earning the kind of education that would guarantee her ability to go anywhere she chose in the whole world, but since last Halloween, she's glad to just see her hometown surviving and thriving.
She's thankful for Max, even though she might never have really paid him any attention if he hadn't rescued her from those Witches last year. He had proved his worth tenfold not just as a loyal friend and a sweet, heroic boyfriend but as a hero regardless. Yes, he had lit the black candle, but he could have run. Instead, he'd never once even considered leaving herself or his sister behind, and they had all fought to save their parents and the rest of the town. Her head tilted unconsciously to one side.
"What?" he asked. "Do I have something on my face?"
"No." Her smile grew into a happy, approving beam. "I was just thinking how thankful I am for you." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
It was at just that moment that his front door flew open before they could figure out a way to smuggle the cat inside without being seen and his sister bounded down the steps. She had grown since last Halloween (they all had), but today, surprisingly, she actually looked happy. "Max! Hey, Allison!" She stopped short when she saw the cat in her brother's arms. "Who's that?"
Max held the cat up, his fingers crooked underneath the poor thing's armpits. "It's a cat," he said, not knowing what else to say.
Allison quickly picked up, "And his name is whatever you want it to be."
"Brothers are so stupid," Dani teased. "You know better than to hold a cat like that, Max!" She reached out and took the cat from her brother's outstretched arms. His tail had been swishing, and he'd looked like he'd been about to start yowling. But the moment he was moved from Max's arms to Dani's, his tail stopped, and his mouth shut. Dani settled him snugly into her arms and started to stroke him, and he instantly began to purr. She beamed, joy filling her face that was finally beginning to actually look youthful again, Allison noted.
"Hum, happy birthday?" Max offered, scratching the back of his neck.
Allison elbowed him. He did seem to have been right after all. She was his sister, she admitted. It made sense that he would know her better than she did, but she still worried about the girl. It was hard enough for her to survive knowing everything they had learned last Halloween. She could only imagine what kind of damage it had to have done to the kid. But they had survived. They had survived thanks to Max.
Dani swung around with the cat and headed back inside, not pausing in her pets as she bounded up the steps. "You're going to be so happy here! Now what are we going to call you? You can't be Binx, but you're still a sweetheart. We'll find you a good name." There was only one Binx. There would always only ever be one Binx and one first love for her, but life moved on regardless of rather or not she wanted it to. It would be nice to have a friend all her own again, especially as Max had Allison. She was good for him, but Dani did sometimes miss having her big brother all to herself.
"Well, that went good. I think."
"It did. I shouldn't have doubted you." Allison wrapped her arms around Max and pulled him close. "I know you're smart. You may be her big brother, but you're my hero." They'd survived because of him, and he was the only thing she now saw clearly in her future. Bringing him closer still, she kissed him long and deep, pledging her love.
The End
Author: Apache Firecat
Rating: G/K
Fandom: Hocus Pocus
Wordcount or Timestamp: 1,197
"I don't know if this is a good idea, Max," Allison warned, nibbling her bottom lip.
"Of course it is. She loves cats. She's always wanted a pet, and now that Mom and Dad are finally saying we can have one what with everything that happened last year -- "
"That's exactly why this may not be a good idea," Allison argued. "He's a sweetheart," she said, looking fondly at the black cat in her boyfriend's arms, "but he's not Binx. He's never going to be Binx."
"Yeah, I know. Leave it to my sister to have her first boyfriend be already dead when they meet."
"Max!"
"Well, it's true. Look, Dani's been so upset ever since -- "
"I know she was devastated. We all were honestly. It just hit her harder than us, because we're older."
"No," he said, shaking his head. "It hit her harder, because there was something special between them."
"Whatever! He was a cat."
"This," Max argued lightly, lifting the cat, "is a cat."
Almost as though he was agreeing, the cat, who had already been swishing his tail, meowed loudly. Allison surveyed him with a raised eyebrow and a smile. "A cat who's getting rather annoyed," she commented.
"If I can handle Binx, I can handle him."
"Binx wasn't a cat."
"I know that, Alli. That's not what I'm saying."
"But it is what I'm saying, Max." She waved a hand at the tomcat who was now beginning to struggle in Max's arms. "This may just bring back all her memories of Binx. It may upset her instead of making her happy again."
"I don't know how else to make her happy, Allison!"
Allison sighed, her eyes dropping to her feet. "Yeah, I know." She looked so forlorn that Max felt a twinge of regret and guilt.
"I'm sorry," he said softly.
"I am too. I wish we could have..."
"I know, but we have to stop thinking like that. Binx wanted to die. He wanted to be able to go home to be with his sister."
Allison's eyes lifted skyward. "Do you think that's what death is?" she asked softly. "Going home?"
"It was for him. All his family was up there."
"Up there? So you do believe in Heaven?"
"Alli, we've seen ghosts. We've fought Witches. Binx had struggled to survive for two hundred years. Death was freedom for him. It was going home, and even if there isn't a Heaven, I do believe there is somewhere where those who have gone before us are waiting for us, like his sister. He wanted to go home to her, no matter where that home was."
Allison heard the emotions with which her boyfriend spoke, and she saw the way his eyes shined when he spoke so passionately of going home and baby sisters. "You really do love her, don't you?"
"Of course. She's my sister. I just wish... I wish she hadn't had to go through that last year, but in a way, I'm also glad she did. I know that makes no sense."
"Actually, it makes perfect sense." She reached out and touched his arm. She wanted to hug him, but he was barely managing to hold onto the cat. The Witches still entered her dreams sometimes. It was weird. She used to dream of getting out of this small town, of earning the kind of education that would guarantee her ability to go anywhere she chose in the whole world, but since last Halloween, she's glad to just see her hometown surviving and thriving.
She's thankful for Max, even though she might never have really paid him any attention if he hadn't rescued her from those Witches last year. He had proved his worth tenfold not just as a loyal friend and a sweet, heroic boyfriend but as a hero regardless. Yes, he had lit the black candle, but he could have run. Instead, he'd never once even considered leaving herself or his sister behind, and they had all fought to save their parents and the rest of the town. Her head tilted unconsciously to one side.
"What?" he asked. "Do I have something on my face?"
"No." Her smile grew into a happy, approving beam. "I was just thinking how thankful I am for you." She leaned forward and kissed his cheek.
It was at just that moment that his front door flew open before they could figure out a way to smuggle the cat inside without being seen and his sister bounded down the steps. She had grown since last Halloween (they all had), but today, surprisingly, she actually looked happy. "Max! Hey, Allison!" She stopped short when she saw the cat in her brother's arms. "Who's that?"
Max held the cat up, his fingers crooked underneath the poor thing's armpits. "It's a cat," he said, not knowing what else to say.
Allison quickly picked up, "And his name is whatever you want it to be."
"Brothers are so stupid," Dani teased. "You know better than to hold a cat like that, Max!" She reached out and took the cat from her brother's outstretched arms. His tail had been swishing, and he'd looked like he'd been about to start yowling. But the moment he was moved from Max's arms to Dani's, his tail stopped, and his mouth shut. Dani settled him snugly into her arms and started to stroke him, and he instantly began to purr. She beamed, joy filling her face that was finally beginning to actually look youthful again, Allison noted.
"Hum, happy birthday?" Max offered, scratching the back of his neck.
Allison elbowed him. He did seem to have been right after all. She was his sister, she admitted. It made sense that he would know her better than she did, but she still worried about the girl. It was hard enough for her to survive knowing everything they had learned last Halloween. She could only imagine what kind of damage it had to have done to the kid. But they had survived. They had survived thanks to Max.
Dani swung around with the cat and headed back inside, not pausing in her pets as she bounded up the steps. "You're going to be so happy here! Now what are we going to call you? You can't be Binx, but you're still a sweetheart. We'll find you a good name." There was only one Binx. There would always only ever be one Binx and one first love for her, but life moved on regardless of rather or not she wanted it to. It would be nice to have a friend all her own again, especially as Max had Allison. She was good for him, but Dani did sometimes miss having her big brother all to herself.
"Well, that went good. I think."
"It did. I shouldn't have doubted you." Allison wrapped her arms around Max and pulled him close. "I know you're smart. You may be her big brother, but you're my hero." They'd survived because of him, and he was the only thing she now saw clearly in her future. Bringing him closer still, she kissed him long and deep, pledging her love.
The End