#the characters have been bouncing around in the basement and they’re scared and confused

[hershelwidget]

okay I wasn’t ever planning on showing these things but here is my new favourite drawing of Sammy ever

as the new protag of TBoCI I figure I might as well start thinking about only him to Get Into That Mindset

[onlydreamofmysoul]

Speak Now

This.... was supposed to be short. But then it spiralled. I hope you guys like it! Characters and their world by @lumosinlove

Julian

“Re?”

Julian’s voice was quiet, but his brother heard him anyway. Remus always heard him. Sitting out on the porch under the starlight, just like they used to do when Julian was very small and Remus would let him sneak out of his room after their parents put him to bed. They would sit on the porch swing under a pile of blankets, usually with a mug of hot chocolate and just hang out. Sometimes they were quiet. Sometimes they laughed at jokes, but no matter what they were doing, Jules treasured every memory. 

It was fitting this was how he was spending the night before his wedding. 

“Yeah?” Remus half hummed, tilting his head, tearing his eyes away from the stars to his brother. 

“Were you scared? The night before your wedding?”

Remus smiled softly, cupping his mug. “I was a hell of a lot of things before my wedding. Nervous? Sure. But not scared.”

Julian nodded, the heavy knot in his chest twisting. Maybe he really was making a mistake. 

Then 

“Hi, I’m Katie.”

Julian grinned and shook her hand. “I’m Julian, but you can call me Jules if you want.”

Katie nodded, a funny little business -like movement as she stood in her fairy costume, wings poking over her shoulders. “We’re all playing downstairs, wanna come?”

Julian nodded eagerly, pulling away from Remus and his parents and rushing down to the basement. His feet halted when he reached the bottom, his eyes wider than dinner plates.

“Woah,” He breathed. “You have a rink in your house!”

Katie nodded, giggling. “Oui. Jouez-vous au hockey?”

Jules blinked, looking at her in confusion. “Oh, I uh, I don’t speak French, sorry.” He said as his face flushed a little but Katie just grabbed his hand and pulled him over to a wall of skates.

“That’s okay. Do you play hockey?”

Now this, Jules understood. 

“Yes!” He said, bouncing on his toes in anticipation, noticing all the other kids playing on the ice and realising that he might get to as well. 

Katie looked pleased as she pulled a small pair of white skates and took off her shoes. “My brothers have lots of skates, you should look and see if there’s some in your size.”

Julian went to them immediately, looking at them in awe, all of them far more elegant and expensive than any he had ever owned. He found a pair in his size and pulled them out gingerly, even though they looked well worn. 

“Are you sure it’s okay for me to borrow them?” He confirmed with Katie, even as he pulled off his shoes. Katie just nodded impatiently, having already laced up. 

“Oui, it’s okay I promise. Now come on! I wanna go skate!”

“You can go,” Jules said, rushing to tie them up, “I’ll catch up.”

Katie looked at him like he was crazy. “Don’t be silly.” She said, reaching a hand out to take his. “We can go together. Come on.”

Julian finished tying his skates, stood up and took Katie’s hand. Together, they stepped onto the ice. 

Now

“Are you scared?” Remus asked, his concerned voice cutting through Julian’s thoughts. “Because it’s not too late you know.”

“No, no it’s fine.” Julian said, hoping it sounded reassuring to Remus. It didn’t to his own ears. “Just nervous I suppose, but you said that’s normal.”

Remus tilted his head the way he did when Julian would pretend he hadn’t eaten the last chocolate bar, even with the evidence all over his face. 

“You know you can tell me anything, right?”

Julian sighed, resting his head on his brother's shoulder, hearing the heartbeat that used to rock him to sleep. 

“Yeah, yeah I know.”

Then

“Hey Katie.” Jules said, still a little shy but glad to see a friendly face in the locker room. 

“Jules!” She beamed, bouncing over in her ‘Dumais’ jersey. “Whose number did you wear today?”

Jules flushed as he lifted up his number six shirt to reveal the number twelve underneath. “Both.”

Katie nodded, impressed. “Cool. Hey wanna go get some snacks?”

Jules didn’t even respond, just told his mom where he was going and raced her down the corridor to the kitchen, running past the rows and rows of framed photographs and dodging photographers and reporters. 

“Ha! I win!” He yelled as they burst through the door to the kitchen, racing through the doorway at the same time. If they had been a little bigger, they might have gotten stuck in the frame.

“Nah ah!” Katie protested, “It was a tie.”

“My foot went in first”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“Yes I do.”

“No you don’t.”

“Wanna bet?”

“Whoever wins the race back to the locker room is the actual winner.” Katie proposed and Jules nodded, satisfied. 

He climbed onto the counter to reach the high cupboards, only to discover the cabinet stocked with mugs and glasses. 

“Over here,” Katie said, giggling as she opened the fridge, scanning for something good. “Ooh, chocolate!”

Jules jumped down and went to her side. “Can we just take it?”

Katie nodded. “Oui. Plus, they’re not supposed to eat chocolate, so we’re doing them a favour by taking it away.”

Julian donned a matching smirk. “Katie, I like the way you think.”

Now

“Oh here you are!” Sirius half-whispered as he poked his head out the front door. “I’ve been looking for you two everywhere.”

Remus pulled back a corner of the blanket and patted the bench beside him. “Wanna join us?”

Sirius looked to check with Jules first, before nodding and sliding in next to Remus. Julian had long since overcome his starry-eyed obsession with Sirius-the-hockey-god but he’d never be over the love for Sirius-his-brother-in-law. Sirius who had come to all of Julian’s big games. Sirius who tended to be awake whenever Julian couldn’t sleep, so he would wordlessly take him out for midnight drives. Sirius who had later taught Julian to drive in that same car Julian accidentally crashed one icy morning. His brother in law hadn’t even gotten mad, not for a second. Julian had personally seen one of his friend’s parents red with anger after spotting a scratch in the paint, but Sirius hadn’t even blinked at the massive pole shaped dent in the hood of his car, just run to make sure Julian was alright. 

“Sirius?” Jules asked into the soft silence. Sirius just hummed in response. 

“Were you scared? When you were getting married.”

Sirius seemed to still for a moment, a gentle breeze rustling his curls as he thought. “Non.”

Remus’ chin ducked towards his chest, his eyes flitting to Sirius. “Really?”

Sirius scratched the back of his neck sheepishly. “Well, I was scared for sure, but I was scared of messing it up, or that my family would make a surprise appearance at the reception or that we’d lose the rings. But I was never scared of a life with Re.”

Remus laughed softly. “We did lose the rings.”

“Oui. But it didn’t even matter, it all worked out, ouais? So really I had nothing to worry about.”

Julian and Sirius chuckled too, all three of them remembering back. Julian had nearly forgotten about that - surprising since it had been partially his fault. His and Katie’s. They had become inseparable by then and the two of them together had gained the name ‘JK Chaos’. 

Then 

“Come on, let’s see what’s in here!” A nine year old Katie whispered to an eleven year old Jules as they crept through the country house that was being used as the staging house for Remus and Sirius' outdoor wedding. 

Katie rattled the brass door handle, but it was locked. “Do you have a key?”

Julian gave her an incredulous look. “I don’t have a key to my own room, why would I have a key for here?”

Katie shrugged, her dress swishing gently, the bluebell shade bright against her skin. “I dunno - groomsman duties?”

Julian laughed but shook his head. They walked down the corridor a few paces, stopping at the window that overlooked where the ceremony would take place. Chairs bedecked the grass, all turned to face the focal point - the beautiful ivy arch, bedecked in flowers. Everything was immaculate, untouched. Any guests staying in the country house were still getting ready and the rest had yet to arrive. Jules lifted on his toes to see a little further out the window, but a tall sturdy tree to the right blacked his view. 

He turned so quickly he nearly got whiplash, grabbing Katie’s wrist unconsciously. 

“Look! A tree!”

Katie raised her eyebrows at him. “Jules, I’m pretty sure they have trees in Wisconsin too.”

Julian shook his head, too excited to even roll his eyes. “No, look where that tree is! If the window to the locked room is open…”

Katie’s eyes lit up, her mischievous grin returning.  “We might be able to get in.” She breathed. “Jules, you genius.” She grabbed his hand and began rushing down the corridor. “Let’s go!”

“Is it open?” Julian called, a couple of branches below Katie. 

“Un moment.” She muttered and he smiled, knowing she was concentrating too much to even have listened to him, never mind switch to a language he actually understood. She paused and grabbed the silky top layer of her dress, gathering and tying it in a knot around her waist, leaving the white underskirt hanging. “Allors,” She said, sounding much more satisfied. She climbed onto the branch that extended towards the window and shuffled along it, craning her neck. 

“It’s open!”

Jules let out a whoop of victory and climbed the rest of the way, careful not to stain his suit as she slid her fingers into the small gap, prying the window open so they could both clamber in. The room was unimpressively empty. Lovey, like all the other rooms, perhaps a living room if the several couches were to be trusted. A wall of shelves boasted an impressive amount of books and everything seemed to be edged with gold. Other than that though - Julian couldn’t see any reason why the room should be barred. 

“A mystery.” Katie said as she trailed her hand along a bookshelf. Julian agreed with her as he sat down on one of the luxurious chairs, a little side table with a lamp on his left. 

“What’s this?” He voiced as he picked up the little black box that had been resting in the light streaming in from the window. Katie wandered over to peer at it as he opened it carefully to find two gold rings resting inside. 

“Oh.” Jules whispered, finally understanding. “That’s why it’s locked.”

They both picked up a ring, looking at them curiously. The metal glinted in the light and Jules angled the one in his hands to read the inscription. 

“Mon voeu.” He muttered. “What’s mon voeu?”

“How would I know what you wish for?” Katie retorted, before she read the engraving on her own. “Oh right I see. ‘My wish’.”

“Oh.” Jules repeated. “That’s really nice.”

Footsteps and voices came from down the corridor and Julian and Katie froze. 

“Did you see the cake?” 

“It’s literally all I’ve been thinking about since the tasting.”

Julian met Katie’s eyes, both of them hardly breathing as they listened carefully. Lily and James. 

“The tasting was months ago!”

“So you can guess I’m pretty excited about it.” Lily chuckled. “Do you have the key?”

Julian rushed to put the box back on the table and he and Katie half flew in their rush to get back out the window. Katie went first, Julian close on her heels as they scrambled down the tree. 

“Where did they say they left it?”

“On the side table with the lamp.”

“Oh I’ve got it, come on, let’s get back.”

Julian let out a sigh of relief while Katie looked at him in horror. 

“Jules…” She whispered as she pulled a gold ring out her pocket. “We have a problem.”

Julian felt his heart speed up as he pulled out the matching ring. They had been in too much of a rush to put them back. 

“We are gonna get in so much trouble.”

Now

“You were so scared.” Remus laughed, tears forming in his eyes, matching ones already wetting Julian’s cheeks as he lost himself in the memory. It was true - to this day, Julian remembered the way their hands trembled and they stuttered through the explanations, but in the end, no one had cared. It became a funny story to tell at the reception. 

“You laugh, but we dropped them in the grass on the way to bring them back and it took us so long to find them again, we were seriously trying to come up with something to replace them with.”

They burst into a new round of laughter, Hope coming outside at the racket. 

“Boys!” She scolded as if they were all little kids. “You should be in bed - it’s a big day tomorrow.” Despite her commanding tone, her eyes were soft. Time was a fickle friend to all but Hope Lupin, who looked just as lovely today as she did twenty years ago. And perhaps even twenty years before that. 

“We’ll be in soon.” Sirius promised and she nodded satisfied, vanishing indoors again.

“Suck-up.” Julian teased, elbowing Sirius. “Always wants to be the favourite.”

“I think he is the favourite.” Remus grumbled. “You’re the youngest Jules, so you’ve got that going for you. I, however, have been replaced.”

Sirius chuckled, a low sound from his chest and curled an arm around Remus. “You can be my favourite.”

“You can’t cook like she does.” Remus lamented dramatically, but grinned to show he wasn’t serious before kissing Sirius’ cheek. 

“We probably should get to bed though. Especially you Jules, you need all that beauty sleep you can get.”

“Hey!”

Then 

Hey Jules! 

You got a phone! 

Yup! JK Chaos can finally go viral! 

Thirteen year old Julian chuckled as he sat in the passenger seat of the car on the way to practice. 

Sirius says hi. Katie texted and Julian sent a picture of him waving in response before tucking his phone into his bag and climbing out of the car. 

“Thanks mom!” He half yelled as he closed the door and ran inside to the rink, waving at his friends. 

“Hi Julian.”

Julian turned to see one of the members of the girls team - Anna. They were the same age group and the two teams often had to share the ice if the rink was busy. 

“Oh hey Anna, how’re you?”

She grinned, her light hair tumbling around her face until she scraped it back into a ponytail as she chatted to him. Julian was never sure how girls managed to tie their hair back so quickly with so little effort but it was pretty cool. He wondered if maybe he should learn so he could do Katie’s sometime.

“I’m good! I’d better run though, I’m late for practice.” 

Jules nodded and with that, Anna was gone. He blinked and continued his way to his own locker where many of his own team were already gathered. 

“Hey guys!” He grinned, and just like that, his head was back in the game. 

Now

Julian stared up at the ceiling of his childhood bedroom. The glow in the dark stars were still there, although their glow was very faint now. Not that Julian needed their light to guide him, he had looked at those stars all his life, he could map them out better than a sailor. 

He was getting married tomorrow. 

And so, he did as he so very often did. He texted Katie. 

Then 

The Christmas party was loud and busy, people seemingly in every nook and cranny in the house. Julian looked around for Katie, he had been here for at least an hour but he had only seen glimpses of the other girl and she had always been busy, whether it was helping Celeste put out food or chatting to others and once even putting out a minor fire she had certainly not caused by tipping over a candle  but so far, she hadn’t been able to talk to Julian. 

Julian finally caught her eye and they managed to slip away going out to the garden, past the pool and down to the swing hidden by a great big tree where they had always plotted and planned. 

“We need a code word.” Katie said by way of greeting. “So we can say it and the other knows we need to talk, just us.”

Julian agreed. He couldn’t believe it had taken this long to think of something like that. At fifteen, he and Katie had been best friends for at least six years now. 

“What should our code word be?”

Katie shrugged, sitting on the swing and rocking back and forth gently. “Pancakes?”

Julian laughed, but he nodded. “Yeah that works.”

Katie grinned, but her face quickly became more serious. 

“Hey Jules?” She asked, her voice softer than he had heard it in a long time. 

“Yeah?” His tone matched hers, but he didn’t know why. He hadn’t planned it. 

“Have you ever kissed anyone?”

Julian froze, his heart stuttering. In the moonlight, Katie’s hair glowed, silver catching on the dark strands braided back, her jeans and jumper not suitable for the weather, nor were Julian’s own but they hadn't planned on coming out here for long. “No.” He whispered. 

Katie nodded. “Yeah, me neither.”

She stood up, shivering a little. “Come on, we should get back inside.”

Julian could only blink, but made to follow her. “Yeah okay.” He followed, taking a few quick steps to catch up with her when Katie turned quickly and they collided. 

Katie reached out and steadied herself with Julian’s shoulder before surging forward and pressing their lips together. Julian stayed frozen where he was, her lips warm against the cold night. 

Katie pulled away and stepped back, nodding to herself. “I just wanted to know what it’d be like.” She explained and then launched into a description of what new drills her hockey team were learning. It was funny, everything was different, but nothing had changed. 

Julian thought about the things they were learning in science, all the calculations. How there always needed to be a constant. 

He thought maybe Katie was his constant. 

Now

You up? 

Is this a booty call? Cause I gotta say, it seems like inappropriate timing.

Julian laughed, then covered his mouth, hoping he hadn’t woken anyone. Katie’s quick wit had never once failed to amaze him. 

Darn, there goes my plans 

Why are you still up?

I just can’t sleep

So you’re texting me?

Who else?

Then 

Julian got his first girlfriend at seventeen. 

Anna was lovely and bright and sweet. They had been dating for around six months already when she finally met Katie, the Dumais girl arriving in Wisconsin for a weekend visit. 

Julian didn’t know why he had been nervous - they both got on really well. He had had no indicators to suggest otherwise and yet the entire week leading to their meeting, his head had been full of anxious ‘what ifs’. Not to mention the knot in his chest. 

But there was no reason to be nervous… right? He just felt like this because Katie was his very best friend. He wanted them to get along. Yeah, that was it. 

“I like her.” Katie commented as Anna left the Lupin house. 

“Yeah, me too.” Julian said automatically, laughing when Katie elbowed his side. 

“Well duh. That’s why you asked her out.”

Julian shrugged as they walked back inside waving to his dad who was on the phone in the kitchen. “Actually it was the other way around.”

Katie barked a laugh as she threw herself on Julian’s bed, tucking her arms behind her head, lounging as if she owned the place. “Why am I not surprised?”

“I’m not sure if I should be insulted or not.” Julian said as he lay down next to her, staring up at his stars. 

Katie was the one to shrug this time, shifting with the movement. “Neither. It’s just an observation I suppose.”

“And what would that observation be exactly?”

Katie tilted her head to look at him. “You’re careful. Not with other stuff, mon dieu, we all know you’re a reckless idiot on the ice but with this kind of stuff. You’re gentle I guess.”

Julian smiled, that warm rush of feeling known to your core washing over him. “And you’re the exact opposite.”

Katie grinned, some of her dark curls coming loose. “But of course! JK Chaos wouldn’t be balanced if I wasn’t.”

Julian smiled, holding out his hand and they performed their super secret, super complicated, super cool handshake. Katie had named it when she was ten and it had stuck. 

“Well we need balance.” Julian agreed and Katie nodded, blue eyes meeting his for a moment before she turned away, biting her lip. 

“Ouais.”

Now 

Julian looked at the words on the screen, his heart clenching. 

So you’re texting me?

Who else?

Your soon to be wife for one

Julian didn’t know what to do. He felt like Katie was the only one who could help him figure this out, but Katie was the last person he should ask. 

Ha ha. He said, because even that was better than the turmoil inside him. Guess I’m just nervous. 

Why?

Why am I nervous? Cause I’m getting married. I know I call you Katie Kat but I sure hope that brain isn’t made of chocolate.

We should get you up on a stage. Katie responded and Julian snorted,  practically hearing her sarcasm even as he lay alone. 

But what do you have to be worried about?

Um.., How about the terrifying concept of making the wrong decision?

Katie was quiet for a long time. Julian thought maybe she had fallen asleep when a reply finally came through. 

Do you think you’re making the wrong choice?

Julian paused. Was he?

I don’t think so?

Do you love her?

Yes. Julian wrote back, even as something thundered in his chest. 

Well then, you have your answer I guess. Katie responded.  I’d better get to sleep. 

 Jules held his phone close to his chest. 

Yeah, me too. Night Katie Kat

Then 

“Do you love her?” Katie asked out of nowhere as they passed the puck back and forth in her basement. 

“We’ve been dating for two years.” Julian replied, sending the puck back to her harder than he meant. From her raised eyebrows he knew she had noticed, but she didn’t comment. 

“That’s not what I asked.”

Julian shrugged, taking the puck and dragging it around the goal. 

“I guess? How do you ever really know you’re in love.”

Katie raised her chin, blue meeting brown as their eyes focused on each other. Julian could have sworn she was staring at his soul. 

“I suppose it’s something you just know.” Katie said. “My maman and papa are in love. And Re and Sirius. Leo, Logan and Finn. Your parents. They all seem to know pretty well.”

“Yeah.” Julian whispered, his mind reeling. Remus and Sirius were his role models for just about everything, including the love he wanted to have. Was that what he shared with Anna? How had they known? How would Julian know?

Now

Then Jules crept into Remus’ room once more. 

“Re?” He whispered into the dark. The light from the hall dimly lit the room and Remus stirred, Sirius sleeping soundly next to him.

“Jules?” Remus whispered, even as he threw back the covers to climb out of bed, tiptoeing so he wouldn’t wake Sirius and following Julian back to his room. “Hey Jules, what’s up?”

Remus climbed onto the bed with him, just like he used to do when Julian was small and had a nightmare. 

“How do I know for sure?”

Remus didn’t have to ask what he meant. “I guess you never do. You just have to trust that you love someone and they return that same love back to you.”

But what wasn’t quite what Julian meant. He didn’t doubt that Anna loved him. He was just never sure if he loved her the same. 

He thought he must. Julian was twenty six years old, they’d been dating for nearly ten years. Although sometimes… just sometimes Julian thought that was maybe why he had proposed. Because that’s what everyone expected from them, particularly as they had been together for so long. It was the logical next step. 

“Right, yeah.” Julian muttered. “That makes sense I guess.”

Remus held out his arm and Julian hugged him tight. 

“I can hear you mind whirring.” Remus murmured, but Julian just tucked his face into his brother's chest. “It’s not too late Jules.”

Tears burned Julian’s eyes but he refused to let them fall. It was too late, it was all too late. He was on the ice and he could see the collision coming but there was nothing he could do to stop it. 

A song he had heard a long time ago rang through Julian’s head, one line playing over and over again on loop. 

And I asked my friend, what’s a fella to do? Cause her hair was black and her eyes were blue.

So Julian held his big brother close, and fell asleep. 

Katie

Now

“I still can’t believe it.” Marc laughed as they ate breakfast at the hotel, his plate piled with food from the buffet. “Little Julian getting married.”

“Yeah.” Katie agreed, taking a big drink from her coffee. “Neither can I.”

Marc continued eating, oblivious to the storm raging inside Katie’s heart. “Why aren’t you best man?”

Katie raised an eyebrow. “Well for one, I’m not a man.”

Marc rolled his eyes, pausing to take a sip of orange juice before shovelling another forkful into his mouth. “Y’know wha- I mean.”

Katie covered her face with her hands. “Okay ew, first of all don’t talk with your mouth full. You’re not five. And second of all, Remus is his best man.”

Marc tilted his head, accepting the answer and Katie could have sighed in relief. She was already tense enough, two people had already come up to her for a picture and at least three had ‘discreetly’ photographed her as she just tried to have her breakfast. She hadn’t even showered yet so she was not looking forward to what the media would come up with later. 

Then 

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Katie grumbled to Adele as her sister finished pinning her hair. “Why am I doing this again?”

Adele didn’t miss a beat. “Because prom is fun, and even if it’s not, hanging out with your best friend in fancy clothes is always funny.”

Katie couldn’t argue with that. Sighing, she stood up and turned to Adele, her floor length gown comically out of place in her room cluttered with hockey sticks and signed pucks, helmets and polaroid's of her with her team. 

“How do I look?”

Adele beamed and kissed her cheek, being careful not to smudge Katie’s makeup. “Comme un ange.”

Katie rolled her eyes but smiled and began to leave her bedroom, hearing the doorbell ring. 

“Wait, shit I can’t go down now!” She said in a mild panic. “Jules is here, if I go now it’ll be like some dumb movie when the girl comes down the stairs as the guy just stares at her. It’s weird and awkward.”

Adele bit her lip as if she was trying to suppress a smile. “Okay, I’ll go and distract them and you can sneak down, ouais?”

Katie nodded gratefully. “Ouais. Merci.”

Katie waited in the upstairs corridor, hearing Adele lead her family into the kitchen. When the voices had dimmed a little, she gathered her skirts, her sneakers peeking out at her as she crept down the stairs. 

“Oh, wow.”

Katie whipped around to see Julian walking out from the bathroom, eyes wider than Katie had ever seen them. 

“I thought you were in the kitchen.” Katie groaned as she let her dress drop inelegantly around her legs once more. She looked him over, eyeing his blue suit with a careful eye. “You don’t look half bad.”

Julian laughed and took a step closer, holding his hand over his heart dramatically. “Wow Katie Kat, you sure know how to flatter a man.”

Katie raised a single eyebrow, a power play of there ever was one. “I mean, you’ve said nothing about how I look so really I think I have the upper hand here.”

Julian quirked his signature goofy smile before finally pulling Katie in for a hug. “You look incredible.”

Now

“Katie, ma cheri, es-tu prêt?”

Katie looked up from where she was rooting through her suitcase to see her mom, stunningly beautiful as always in a deep red dress. 

“I’m ready.” She cleared her throat, standing up straight. “You look amazing.”

Celeste waved her off with a flick of her wrist. “Oh non, look at you.”

Katie blushed, her forest green dress fluttering around her. “Merci.”

Celeste took a step forward, cupping Katie’s face in her hands. “You love him.”

Katie didn’t even have it in her to be surprised. Of course her mom knew. She felt tears well up in her eyes but tried her best not to let them fall - it had taken her long enough to do her makeup, she really didn’t want to have to do it again. 

“Oui.”

“Does he know?”

Katie shook her head sadly. “Of course not, he loves someone else.”

Celeste carefully wiped away the stray tear that had danced down Katie’s cheek. “Are you sure?”

Then 

“I think I have literally never seen it rain so hard.” Julian commented as the two of them stared out the car windshield as the rain poured around them. They faced the hotel where the dance was being held, but even stepping out of the car would have them soaked instantly. 

“See, this was a sign that I wasn’t supposed to come.” Katie commented, her tone dry. Julian side eyed her, not saying anything for a minute before he turned up the car radio. 

“I have an idea.” He said, opening the door and stepping out into the car park in the lashing rain. He ran to Katie’s side and opened the door, holding out his hand. 

“Come on! Come dance in the rain.”

If she had been Adele, she might have refused or protested. She might have even taken off her dress to protect it. 

But she was not Adele. 

So Katie took Julian’s hand, laughing at his curls, already flattened against his forehead and shut the door behind her, watching splotches of water darken her dress until she was fully saturated, tilting her head back into the sky. 

She opened her mouth, sticking out her tongue to catch the raindrops, Jules giggling as he followed suit, the two of them looking absolutely ridiculous and getting very strange looks from passer byers who had made use of the wonderful invention that was the umbrella, but they didn’t care. 

Katie connected her phone to the car speakers and pressed play to a song, grabbing both of Julian’s hands and spinning them in a fast circle, round and round until they fell together, laughing as hands slid over slippery skin and hair stuck to them better than any tattoo. 

And I don't know how it gets better than this

You take my hand and drag me head first

Fearless

And I don't know why but with you I'd dance in a storm in my best dress

Fearless

Now

Katie couldn’t help but think about that day lying on Julian’s bed. She had said he was careful and she was not. She was supposed to be his counterbalance. 

Katie had been too careful, she hadn’t been doing her job. 

“It’s not too late.” Her mom had whispered. 

Speak now or forever hold your peace. 

Heart thundering, Katie picked up her phone. Six hours until Julian’s wedding she pressed his contact and texted him one word. 

Pancakes.

Then 

Was it just Katie or did Julian seem nervous? Julian was never nervous with her. Maybe it was just the connection of the phone call, she should move to a place where her signal was stronger-

“Katie, I um.. I’m gonna ask Anna to marry me.”

Katie’s eyes snapped to his face. “Quoi?”

Julian swallowed, and Katie watched from miles away as he pulled out a ring. 

“Yeah, I figured it was time.”

“Romantic.” Katie teased as she tried to quell the feeling that she was going to throw up. This was not how it was supposed to go. It had taken her a long time to figure out her feelings for Julian, but at twenty four she had finally worked it out. And he was going to marry someone else. 

Now

“Hey Katie Kat.”

Katie smiled weakly, shoving her hands in her coat pocket to hide the trembling. She felt overdressed in her outfit for the wedding when Julian was still in jeans but that couldn’t be helped. Katie sat next to Jules on the Lupins’ porch swing, glad she was wearing makeup because maybe it would help hide her blush. 

“The weather’s really nice today, huh?” Jules prompted, but Katie just smiled, steeling herself. She couldn’t idly talk about the weather, she would lose her nerve. So she threw back her shoulders, raised her chin and-

“Julian, I love you.”

Julian frowned, taking her hand. “I know, I love you too Katie, what-”

Katie shook her head. “No, Jules, listen. I’m in love with you.”

Julian froze and Katie’s heart beat over a hundred times a minute. Or maybe it had stopped completely. Either way it certainly wasn’t doing what it should be and Katie’s hands shook and she bit her tongue to stop herself from blurting out more when Julian obviously needed to process things.

Julian stood up abrupt, taking his keys out of his pocket. “I have to go.” He said and took off, getting into his car and driving away. Katie sat frozen where she was, alone once more, lost in the place where she had always felt found. Julian drove away, the world spun around and Katie stayed right where she was. 

Then 

Katie opened the door to Sirius and Remus’ house with her key - she had been given one for when Julian had come to stay, so she could come and go as she pleased. 

“Salut, it’s me!” She called into the empty hallway as she dropped her bag and ventured in a little further. Sirius was in the kitchen pouring a cup of coffee and he just smiled at her as he pulled out another mug. 

“Hey Katie, you here to get into some more JK Chaos?”

Katie chuckled and accepted the coffee with thanks, cupping it with both hands and holding it close to her face. “What else would I do?”

Sirius just smiled as Julian came into the room, wordlessly greeting Katie with their super secret, super complicated, super cool handshake.

“See you later!” Julian said to Sirius and Katie waved goodbye before they went out the door, getting into the car and driving away.

“What’re we doing today?” Katie asked as she drove. Julian shrugged in the passenger seat. 

“I don’t care, as long as I’m with you.”

Now

Someone was knocking on her hotel room. 

Katie had made her way back, she hadn’t even said goodbye to the Lupins - she didn’t think she could without crying. Instead she went home alone and straight to her room, knowing she couldn’t miss the wedding no matter how much she may want to. If she didn’t she knew that one day, she’d look back and wish she were in the pictures. Wish she was there for her best friend. So she was going to go and smile and be happy because she loved Jules and she could do this for him. 

There was another knock on the door and Katie rolled her eyes. “I’m coming, jeez calm down.” She muttered, the door handle cold on her skin as she opened the door. 

Julian was waiting on the other side. 

“I called off the wedding.”

If Katie had been holding anything, she would have dropped it. As it was, she took a step backwards, blinking. “What?”

“I called off the wedding.” Julian repeated, running his fingers through already very mussed hair. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. I’m a blind idiot, but I love you.”

Katie was beginning to wonder if any of this was real when Marc came up behind Jules, completely oblivious. 

“Hey Katie, did you get that text saying the wedding’s off? Weird, what’s that abou- Oh hey Jules.”

Katie turned to her brother. 

“Marc, I love you, but if you don’t leave right now I might have to kill you in your sleep tonight.”

“So that’s why the wedding’s off.” Marc commented before backing away, no doubt rushing off to tell everyone what he had seen. 

“Come in before anyone else sees.” Katie said as she took Julian’s hand, pulling him in and shutting the door. 

Julian’s hands were shaking. “Am I too late?” He whispered. “Please tell me I’m not too late.”

Katie smiled as she brushed a stray curl out of his eyes. “You’re right on time.”

And then she kissed him. 

Once upon a time, there had been a girl who kissed a boy in her back garden at midnight. She had been young and inexperienced but even then, she knew the kiss had been magical. 

Today, there was a girl who kissed a boy in a hotel room on what should have been his wedding day. She was still young, but much more experienced so she could now say with much more confidence that if their first kiss had been magical, this one was earth shattering. 

“I love you.” Julian whispered again and again between deep kisses that made Katie feel like her soul was bared. 

“Took you long enough.” Katie grumbled, but kissed him again, twining her fingers through his hair like she always dreamed she would. “I love you too.”

Soon

Katie blushed as she sat in a room, surrounded by both their families. Her dad kissed her on the cheek before handing her a drink and proposing a toast. 

“To JK Chaos,” Dumo said, his knowing smile nearly splitting his face. “For finally getting their shit together.”

Everyone cheered while Katie just laughed, lifting her hand to show off the engagement ring and tilting her head a little to give Julian a chaste kiss. He grinned down at her, hand resting delicately on her waist. 

He surveyed the crowded room for a moment, before ducking down a little to whisper in her ear; “Pancakes?”

Katie was pretty sure her eyes sparkled as she winked at him. “I’ll meet you outside in ten.”

The End.

[wxlfstxrx]

I would kill to read an O’knutzy one shot based on 54

merde. i’m so sorry. got fucking carried away here. as usual. this hit me in the feels so hard, and then i just started projecting lmao. wanted to squeeze in a couple more prompts together with this, but i decided not to. this (not) drabble is barely centred around the prompt, but once i started writing i couldn’t stop. hope you guys like it anyway! characters by @lumosinlove and idea by @shinymooncolor.

54: “He thinks he’s a mind reader.”

Logan doesn’t know where this is all coming from. All these feelings just hit him like a sledgehammer, all at once, and hard. He’s buried under the covers in Dumo’s basement, and he’s trying so hard to stifle his racking sobs, but he honestly doesn’t know why he bothers. 

It’s not like anyone can hear him, anyway.

He squeezes his eyes shut and lets the tears fall.

------

“Oui, merci, Dumo. We’re heading over,” Leo cuts the call, a worried edge to his tone, and Finn frowns at him. 

“What’s going on? Did something happen?”

“Logan was acting weirdly during lunch,” Leo’s voice is muffled as he tugs his Lions hoodie over his head, and he pauses as his head disappears under the thick material. He fumbles for a bit, and then his blonde curls appear, followed by the rest of his head, and he continues. “Dumo said something was bothering him but, y’know him, refuses to talk to anyone. He was like that all morning too, and then when Dumo went down to look for him, he heard him crying from outside his door.”

“What?” Finn startles as he’s pulling on his converses. Logan was fine when he left to go back to Dumo’s the night before. He can’t imagine what could’ve upset him so much. “Did Dumo speak to him?”

Leo shakes his head, his big blue eyes sad as he waits for Finn to grab his car keys. “Tremzy yelled at him to go away, which is something that’s never happened before either,” he pointed out, and Finn hummed nervously as they waited for the elevator.

“Fuck, but he was—”

“Fine last night, I know,” Leo bites his lip, folding his arms across his chest. “I don’t— What could he be this upset over?”

Finn shrugs. “Dunno, but must be something big. He doesn’t even cry that often.”

“Could it be about last night, though?” Leo sighs, running a hand through his messy hair. “I don’t know. Let’s just see what he says, yeah? No point worrying about it now. ‘s not gonna help the situation.”

Finn nods silently, and the elevator doors ping as they close.

------

There’s a knocking sound on the door again, and Logan yells hoarsely, “Leave me alone, Dumo, I don’t wanna talk about it.”

His voice cracks, and he breathes out a sob, until he hears the door opening anyway. He holds his breath, and wipes his eyes with the sleeve of his tshirt. The mattress dips on either side of him, and his stomach drops. 

No.

He’s not prepared to deal with them right now.

“Lo? Baby,” Finn’s gentle voice calls out, a hand finding his shoulder over the duvet. He sucks in a breath, and his heart squeezes tightly in his chest at how tender Finn sounds.

He breathes in and out slowly, his eyes burning in embarrassment. He doesn’t need them to see him like this, especially when he cannot comprehend or work through his own emotions.

It was fine just the night before. They watched a movie together, and talked about it. It wasn’t the first time Finn and Leo asked him to move in, and although he had previously rejected the idea a couple of times, last night it felt like he was ready. He told them yes, and Finn and Leo got so excited that they forgot about finishing the rest of the movie. 

He knows he has no reason to be upset. They’ve been together for some time now, and he’s been wanting to move in for ages, it’s just that the nerves had always gotten to him. But Finn and Leo have been nothing but patient, and kind, and loving, and he knows it’s only a matter of time. So he doesn’t know what’s making him so worried now either. He just can’t seem to shake the idea that he’d be intruding on Finn and Leo’s space. Visiting them regularly is one thing, but to stay with them is another.

What if they start fighting more because they’re all crammed in one apartment together? What if they get tired of him? What if they regret asking him to move in eventually? What if they ask him to leave?

Logan trembles as a fresh wave of tears overcomes him, and a moment later, he feels the covers lifted momentarily as both Finn and Leo crawl in, sitting cross legged on either side of him. He hides his face behind his hands, curling up into a ball, but Leo lifts him up onto his lap easily, wrapping his arms around Logan’s waist. He presses kisses to the side of Logan’s neck, and Finn scoots over, tugging his hands away from his face.

His breath hitches at the sight of Logan’s tear streaked face and red rimmed eyes, and he leans in to press their foreheads together. “Talk to us, love. Please.” 

“Can’t,” Logan rasps out, shaking his head. “I can’t. I don’t— I don’t know how to…”

“Mmmmm, is it about last night?” Leo asks carefully, nuzzling his cheek.

Logan swallows, his Adam’s apple bobbing up and down in his throat. His throat closes up, and he hangs his head.

“S’ok, hun. You don’t have to, if you don’t wanna, okay? We don’t want to pressure you into living with us. We want it only if you do.”

“I do,” Logan whispers, wringing his hands together in his lap. “I want to. ‘s just…”

“Just…?”

He shrugs, biting on his lip. He thinks for a while, opening and closing his mouth a few times. “Complicated,” he says, finally.

------

“Complicated, how?” Finn looks over, confused. “You’ve been coming over almost every day, and you sleep over often enough anyway. It’s gonna be the same if you move in. It’ll be how it always is.”

Logan shakes his head sadly, still not lifting his head. Leo and Finn lock eyes, and he gives the redhead a worried look.

“Isn’t it?” he asks quietly.

“Non,” Logan says, and it’s almost as though he’s… scared? Leo looks up at Finn in alarm, but then Logan shifts on his lap and he turns his attention back to him. “I… I’m… What if we start to, I don’t know, fight? And not the kind of squabbles we’ve had. Like, real fights. Because we’d all be stuck in an apartment together, and… what if you guys end up… not wanting me there?”

He’s crying again now, harder this time, and Leo is shushing him comfortingly, running his hands through Logan’s hair. Finn is just staring, stunned into silence.

“What if you guys ask me to leave someday?” Logan sobs. “I don’t think I can— I’ve never loved anyone like this, and I can’t— I don’t know if I dare to take that risk. I— It might be better this way, for me to keep my… distance. I don’t know.”

Merde.

Leo looks up at Finn again, and he sees Finn’s eyes brimming with tears as well.

“Fuck, Leo, he thinks he’s a mind reader,” Finn’s voice is shaky, and he looks over at Logan to address him directly. “Baby, c’mere. Please.”

He holds his hands out and Logan crawls out of Leo’s lap and into Finn’s, wrapping his legs around his waist and his arms around his shoulders. He buries his face in the crook of Finn’s neck and gasps with a fresh wave of tears, and Finn crumbles.

“I love you, I love you, I love you,” he whispers into Logan’s ear again and again, and it’s Leo’s turn to move closer to the pair. “Logan, I need you to listen to me. Can you do that, honey?”

Leo hears a sniffle, and Logan’s curls bounce up and down.

“I’ve known you for, god, eight years now? And I’ve loved you for all eight. I don’t— I can’t imagine a life without you, Lo. You’re, fuck— I will never stop loving you. I can’t. And I’m not Peanut, but I know he feels the same way. Don’t you, babe?”

“Yeah, I do,” Leo murmurs, looking up into Finn’s eyes. He smiles sadly, his heart breaking for the still crying boy in front of him.

“Mmhm, see, Lo?” Finn kisses Logan’s temple, his lower lip trembling. He has to breathe deeply for a few seconds, overwhelmed with emotions, before he continues. “We will fight. I’m not going to lie to you and say it’s not going to happen. It’s not an if. It’s a when. It will happen. But y’know what? We’ll work through it together. We’ll fight, and we’ll patch things up, but we’ll never not want you there, okay? I— I’ve wanted you to live with me since day one, Lo. I’ve been waiting for years for you. And I’ll continue to wait if you want to think about it some more. We’re not going to pressure you into moving in with us, like Peanut said. But I’ll wait. I’ll always wait for you, mon amour. Even if it takes another ten years. I just, as long as we’re all in this together. That’s all I need.”

“Fuck, the two of you will be the death of me,” Leo exhales shakily, and he closes his eyes as tears roll down his cheeks. “Christ.”

He sits beside them and pulls them into a hug, his head swimming and his heart thundering in his chest. He doesn’t know how he’s lived most of his life without them. He doesn’t want to, ever again. 

------

Logan’s so tired of crying, he really is. But he laughs wetly now, feeling much lighter than before. He feels like his heart’s going to burst with the overwhelming emotions within him. He presses a light kiss to Finn’s neck, then Leo’s, before pulling back so he can look at both of them. When they see the smile on his face, they mirror his expression.

“We’re the world’s greatest idiots, aren’t we?” Finn grins, his eyes red and his face flushed. Logan loves him. 

“Can’t believe you two are from Harvard,” Leo mutters, grinning. Logan loves him.

“Must be the result of getting whacked in the head so many times,” Logan laughs. He pauses, watching the two boys in front of him.

He doesn’t know what he’s waiting for. He’s wanted this for so long, he’s wanted this so much. They’ll always be there for him; he knows it. He sees it in their eyes. He wants this. He wants it with them.

“Okay. Let’s do this.”

[anistarrose]

Ford in Amphibia

Summary: Anne and the Plantar family take in an eccentric new guest.

Word Count: ~2100

Warnings: none

AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19375102/chapters/46100365

Part 1 of��� 2? 3? Probably somewhere in that ballpark, but it really depends on if the still-progressing canon of Amphibia throws me anything new. 

This chapter doesn’t require much Amphibia prior knowledge to read, though — as long as you’ve seen the first pair of episodes, you’ll be fine!

***

“Anne! Anne? Anne, you gotta wake up! It’s an emergency!”

“Ugh, what?” Anne sat up in her bed, rubbing her eyes as she checked the time on her phone. “Five A.M.? What the heck is going on, Sprig?”

“The whole town’s outside our door! And they’re asking for you, and saying it’s urgent!”

Sure enough, a muffled slamming noise sounded from aboveground, followed by of a chorus of distressed ribbits.

“But… I didn’t even do anything bad yesterday! What do they want with me?”

“Doesn’t matter! We can’t afford them bringing out the battering ram to bust down our door again, so c’mon!” Sprig grabbed Anne by the hand, and dragged her upstairs.

There was thankfully no battering ram in sight when Anne threw open the door to face the citizens of Wartwood, but it looked like Sprig hadn’t lied about the whole town being outside. He had, however, neglected to mention that nearly all of them were wielding torches, pitchforks, and other staple weapons of angry mobs.

“Here she is, the girl of the hour!” Sprig offered weakly. “… Please don’t kill her?”

One-Eyed Wally sprung forward, and Anne flinched — but rather than attacking, he cast his pitchfork to the ground, and took her by the hands. He gave a quick bow, and Anne realized his one golden eye was wet with tears as his head bounced back up to meet her gaze.

“Thank goodness you’re here! You’re the only one who can save us now! Please, my lady, I beseech you!”

“Uh… not sure I’m following what’s going on here…”

“Another foul beast has been spotted roaming these parts,” Mayor Toadstool explained, pushing his way to the front of the ground. “Go on and tell them what you saw, Wally. Be brave.”

Wally’s hands trembled as he spoke. “It had a haggard gray mane, and its eyes reflected red light brighter than the moon itself! It loomed over me like a mountain, and it — it —”

He rummaged around in his pockets, and pulled out a few charred pieces of what must have once been a tree branch. “It fired bolts of lightning out of its arm! It just barely missed me, but it reduced a mighty old oak to ash in a single strike!”

“But since we’ve tamed a loyal beast of our own, she can drive it away for us!” Toadstool finished. “Then the town will be saved, and none of us will have to risk our precious lives fighting it!”

“What?!” Anne gasped. “You really think I could chase off something like that? And — and even if I could, I’m not your attack dog!”

A murmur went through the crowd, and Toadstool looked seriously ready to debate the attack dog comment, but Sprig spoke up before he could say anything.

“Anne, wait! You should hear them out — you know how everything gets overblown whenever Wally’s the one telling the story. Maybe it’s another lost human, and this whole situation is just a misunderstanding!”

“Look, I accepted a while back that I’m the only human in this world,” Anne shot back. “If there were more, we would’ve crossed paths by now for sure! But… I guess Wally is kind of prone to overblowing things…”

She sighed. “Okay, tell you what. I’m not fighting that beast, but tell me where you last saw it, and I’ll do some recon on it for you guys.”

Wally immediately burst into tears. “You’re a hero!” he blubbered. “This town will owe you a debt for the rest of your days!”

“Oh, I don’t know about that —” Toadstool cut in.

It was only then that Hop Pop walked into the living room, stifling a yawn. “Kids? What’s all this commotion about? Anne?”

Anne darted past him, back into the basement, and emerged a minute later wielding her tennis racquet.

“No time to explain! Gotta go risk my life for strangers by hunting a lightning monster!”

“See you soon!” Sprig added as the two of them sprinted off into the early morning light. “Maybe we’ll bring back another monster from the woods, and let them live in our house too!”

***

Ford’s patience for the frog dimension was wearing thin.

It had felt (quite literally) like a breath of fresh air at first, after spending close to a week consorting with unsavory characters in the alleyways of a sprawling, smog-filled metropolis — but limited signs of civilization meant traipsing through long swaths of muddy terrain, and mud meant that new boots would be ruined and silent movement would be nearly impossible, and… well, he could go on and on about why he hated swamp environments. The list of inconveniences just never seemed to end.

Ford didn’t actually mind amphibians — in fact, they accounted for some of his favorite anomalies back in Gravity Falls. He didn’t even mind the anthropomorphic frogs that watched him from afar and then fled before he could approach them — directions would have been convenient, sure, but he still had faith in his navigation abilities.

No, what he hated were the frogs that crept up behind him at the earliest hours of the morning, and nearly gave him a heart attack because they just happened to have BRIGHT YELLOW EYES. Or worse, in the case of today’s encounter, just ONE bright yellow eye. Why couldn’t those frogs be the ones who minded their own business?!

A branch snapped behind him, and he whirled around, gun in hand.

“Come out where I can see you!” he barked. “I’m willing to resolve this peacefully if you are, but try anything funny and I won’t hesitate to shoot!”

A bush a few feet away let out a small whimper, followed by a series of hushed whispers like it was having a conversation with itself. Finally, the culprits peered out, hands above their heads…

Human hands, in one case.

“There are humans in this dimension?” Ford asked, just as the girl blurted out: “Wait, are you a human too? How did you get here?”

There was an awkward pause, before Ford replied: “Even if we are of the same species, there’s no guarantee we come from the same dimension.”

“Are you some kind of space pirate? Am I on another planet?” the girl asked at the same time, speaking over him. “Or a time traveler? Have I been in prehistoric times all along?”

“Uh… not exactly either of those, but closer to the first one,” Ford told her.

This didn’t feel like a trap. The human girl seemed genuinely inquisitive, and her frog companion looked scared out of his wits, not scheming. “I apologize for being so hostile before. I’ve just been on guard lately.”

“It’s fine. I did pretty much the same thing when I got here too,” the girl assured him. “I’m Anne Boonchuy, and this is my buddy Sprig. Nice to meet you!”

“Likewise. I’m Ford.”

“Just Ford? What, no last names on your planet?”

Ford sighed. “No, I just don’t like sharing personal information. You never know what identity thieves might lurk in unfamiliar worlds.”

It was his go-to lie when dealing with kids, since it sounded a lot less intimidating than there are a lot of extremely ruthless people after me and the less I tell you about myself, the less likely they are to be a threat to you. He didn’t think Bill’s minions would have much influence here, but it didn’t hurt to err on the side of caution.

He and Anne shook hands, and he couldn’t help but cringe slightly as she looked at his fingers and frowned in confusion.

“I can’t help but notice you’ve got, uh, more than the normal number of fingers… or is six fingers normal where you come from?”

“No, I carry a rare genetic mutation that causes polydactyly. I’ve always been something of an anomalous case, even in the world I hail from.”

“Wow, you sound like a pretty smart guy.”

“Well, I would hope so! My eleven PhD’s didn’t earn themselves.”

“Dang, you are smart!” Anne’s eyes lit up. “Hey, want to come back home with us? I’ve got some, uh… weird odds and ends from my world that I want an expert opinion on.”

“I dunno,” Sprig piped up, speaking for the first time since his exchange with Anne in the bush. “It worked out well when I brought you home, but… are you sure he’s not gonna eat us? He feels like the type of person who would eat us — he’s too fluffy for it to be anything but a trick, to make him look less threatening!”

“Oh, it’s just my beard that’s scaring you?” Ford asked, pulling a lighter out of his pocket and squinting as he held it just beneath his chin and flicked the wheel. “Because I can get rid of this real quick if I just — ah, here we go!”

He let the blaze travel up his face for a few seconds before patting it out, ignoring Anne and Sprig’s slack-jawed expressions.

“Dude,” Anne gasped. “Did you just set your face on fire?”

“Well, how else am I going to get rid of a whole beard in under thirty seconds? Not by shaving, that’s for sure.”

***

Anne motioned for Ford to sit down, and he did so as she unfolded the cloth concealing the object resting in her lap. The Plantar family had been surprisingly charitable towards Ford, feeding him breakfast and insisting that the couch was always available if he needed somewhere to sleep — just as charitable as they’d apparently been to Anne, when she’d abruptly been tossed into their lives not two weeks before.

She’d given the summary of her story over breakfast, and in return, he’d explained the very basics of his story to them: that he seeked to eventually overthrow a tyrant who threatened many parts of the multiverse, and that he traveled from dimension to dimension with very little control over where he would end up. Anne had seemed disappointed to hear that second part — presumably because she’d been hoping Ford would have a way to get her home.

But maybe, not all hope was lost in that regard just yet.

“This is the music box that brought me to this world,” Anne explained, tossing aside the cloth. “When I opened it for the first time, it flashed all colorful and I woke up here, but it hasn’t worked since.”

“Peculiar,” Ford muttered. “Where exactly did you find this music box?”

“Just a weird knickknack shop,” Anne answered, a little two quickly.

“May I hold it for a moment?”

“Sure.”

She handed it to him. It was metallic and oddly cold, far colder than anything should have been on this sweltering day — almost as if it was magically draining the heat from Ford’s hands. He held his wrist in front of it and pressed a button on his watch, and a grid of laser dots were projected onto it, signifying a scan in progress.

“Those gems were more colorful when I first found it,” Anne explained. “But they’ve been gray ever since I got here.”

“Hmm. Well, here’s your problem: this box was once a vessel for a large amount of magical energy, but that energy has since been depleted — presumably when it brought you to this world. That’s probably why the gems lost their color, and why it can’t transport you back anymore… but if you were able to recharge that supply of magical energy somehow, I think there’s good odds it would take you home. Either that, or it would take you an even more foreign dimension of even weirder creatures. No way to know for sure unless you try?”

“Well, that’s the best lead I’ve got by a long shot,” Anne told him. “How do I recharge it?”

Ford shrugged. “Good question. I’ve got no clue.”

“What? C’mon, aren’t any of your PhD’s in cursed music boxes?”

Ford shook his head. “Magic is a fickle thing, and it works differently in almost every dimension. In one world, you might learn how to cast a spell that rains bolts of lightning down on your enemies, but in another, you might barely be able to summon a spark using the same ritual. Even if I’d encountered a relic like this before, there’s no guarantee that yours would obey the same rules.”

“Oh.” Anne’s face fell. “Well, thanks for your help anyway.”

“Keep you chin up,” Ford told her. “Your search for answers has only just begun — there’s still plenty more research to do, and plenty more chances to have a eureka moment! And if you have any questions of the scientific sort… well, I’m not sticking around forever, but while I’m here, don’t hesitate to ask me anything.”

“Thanks. Will do.”