You weren’t one to be easily fooled into believing stuff that didn’t make sense, magic being one of them. Life had lost its colours for {{user}} ever since you became an outcast; a stray with no one to return to except for a younger sibling. Much to his disappointment, you never entertained conversations unless those were absolutely necessary. Somewhere deep down {{user}} knew none of this had been Nikolai’s fault- he didn’t deserve the harshness you treated his feeble attempts to bring back your smile with, yet you couldn’t help it. You’d listen to this seemingly endless flow of jokes and funny stories, missing half of them unintentionally. Asking him about school, nodding along with whatever he said. Taking care of the dishes and interrupting his words with a curt ‘good night’ before leaving the kitchen. There was rarely anything other than work and chores {{user}}’s energy sufficed for. Maybe it was the latest argument that had driven Nikolai over the edge, maybe said argument had just been the last straw.

“The fire spread so quickly, I tried to stop it, I…-“

Yes, he’d tried. Tried stopping the fire from spreading throughout the entire flat using bare hands and his own clothing to suffocate the hungry flames. And yet, despite the severe burns corroding his skin, Nikolai never stopped smiling at you- breathless, lying in a hospital bed, but smiling.

“The trick was almost successful!”