Work Text
“And I want a two-layered cake like Tricia had, only not raspberry but chocolate, and those huge soap bubbles, and a bouncy castle like Robbie had but cooler, and pony rides—”“What was that, Warlock?” Nanny Ashtoreth looked up from her phone where she was making notes, in order to properly indulge the little Antichrist on his birthday (reinforcing lack of any restraint and general bad behaviour, of course, not because she wanted to coddle the child).The boy grinned. “I wanted soap bubbles and a bouncy castle and pony rides for my birthday party. It’s going to be sooo cool!”“You want to have a big, unpredictable, famously skittish animal at your birthday party,” she stated with the tone of someone who had centuries worth of horse experience, most of it negative. “And then you want to surround it with balloons and giant inflatables.”“Please, Nanny! It’s going to be great! I won’t ask for anything else for my birthday, I promise.”“You know you’re going to get presents anyway, don’t you?”“Still, I won’t ask for anything,” Warlock responded innocently. The pleading look he sent his Nanny was clearly copied from one the demon had known for centuries. “I promise I’ll be good.”“You’re not supposed to be good,” Nanny said reflexively, then visibly relented. “I’ll talk to your parents about it.”“Thank you!”“That wasn’t a yes!” she protested, knowing perfectly well that the Dowlings could hardly be counted on to be rational. Other steps needed to be taken.***“It’s just for one afternoon, you know.”The radio crackled. “When the moon has lost its glow | You have to face it all alone.”“C’mon, don’t be like that. Who else could I trust with this? I know you can keep your passengers safe.”“I'm a racing car, passing by like Lady Godiva.”“Yes, you’re an excellent racing car. You know I love you, don’t you? But I could really use your help with this.”“I've only got myself to blame | It's just a simple fact of life.” “Don’t be so dramatic. It may turn out that you’ve even enjoyed yourself, in the end.”“This is a tricky situation;” “Is that a yes?”“Tonight, I'm gonna have myself a real good time | I feel alive.”“Thank you.”***The birthday party was, in Warlock’s opinion, a resounding success. The bouncy castle was huge, the cake was delicious, and the pony rides really were something.Instead of bringing a Shetland pony, like he’d seen at some of the other kids’ parties, Nanny arrived leading an Arabian mare. She was slim, had a very shiny black coat, and was wearing a red saddle pad with a winged logo. She had also, when there were no more kids wanting a ride, taken off at the full speed around the garden, making the ground shake with her hooves. She was a bit of a mischief maker, though. After she kicked the sound system, it refused to play anything other than some eighties band.