"Alright," Ethan said, still close, his voice low. "Since you've already figured it out, you can give me a goodnight kiss and I'll leave."
Wednesday didn't respond at once. She looked at him, measuring, deciding whether the request was worth acknowledging.
"You broke into my room," she said, her tone flat. "Interfered where you weren't required. And now you're making demands."
"Sounds fair to me."
A short pause followed.
Wednesday shifted slightly and closed the distance herself, then kissed him.
It was brief.
She pulled back immediately, her expression returning to neutral as if nothing had happened.
"Now leave," she said.
Thing, who had witnessed everything from Ethan's shoulder, immediately gave an enthusiastic thumbs up, clearly impressed in a way only he could express, like he had just seen something rare.
Wednesday's eyes shifted to him.
The glare was instant.
Sharp.
"If you value your fingers," she said, her tone calm but precise, "you'll stop."
Thing froze mid-gesture, then slowly lowered his hand, retreating back toward Ethan's shoulder with visible caution.
Ethan glanced at him briefly.
"Smart choice," he muttered.
Wednesday's attention returned to Ethan.
"You're still here," she said, her tone flat, her gaze fixed on him without shifting.
"Umm… that last kiss doesn't count," Ethan said, not moving from where he stood. "How about you give me another?"
"Even shameless behavior should have limits," she said, her voice even, not irritated, just stating a fact.
"I'm your boyfriend," he said. "You should know by now, when it comes to things like this, I have no—"
"Shame," Wednesday finished, her eyes steady. "Yes, I'm aware."
"You also lack any form of restraint when it comes to impulses driven by basic male hormones," she added, her tone clinical. "It's inefficient."
Ethan exhaled faintly, not denying it.
"In that case," she said, "you shouldn't mind if I wake Enid and explain exactly how much of a player you are. She still doesn't know you're sharing, so perhaps we should discuss it with her."
"That would be a poor decision, don't you think?"
Ethan didn't wait to find out if she meant it.
"Bye, Wednesday," he said, already turning toward the window, choosing to leave before that line went any further.
Thing didn't stay behind.
He slipped off after him immediately, clearly deciding he had no interest in being present for whatever Wednesday might do next.
The room fell silent again.
***
The next morning,
Enid woke up and stretched, her arms reaching above her head as she let out a small yawn, the kind that came after a genuinely good sleep, and whatever she had been dreaming about had clearly been pleasant because the faint smile from before still lingered.
"Good morning, Enid."
"Good morning, Ethan," she replied automatically, still caught in that half-asleep state where responses came before thought—
Then she froze mid-stretch, her body locking in place as her brain caught up with what she had just said.
This was her room.
So why was Ethan's voice here.
She slowly lowered her arms, the last traces of sleep disappearing as confusion took over, her eyes moving around the room, checking the obvious first, Wednesday's bed was empty which wasn't unusual, but Ethan definitely wasn't supposed to be anywhere in here.
"Enid, I'm here."
His voice came again, closer this time.
She blinked, then slowly lowered her gaze toward her own bed, almost hesitant, like she already knew something was wrong but still needed to confirm it.
And she saw him.
Not standing.
Not sitting.
Just his head.
Resting on the bed like that was completely normal.
"Hi, Enid," he said.
For a full second, nothing happened, her brain failing to process what she was seeing, trying to fit it into something that made sense and failing completely.
Then she screamed.
"Ahhhhh—!"
Enid jerked back, nearly falling off the bed as she scrambled away, her eyes wide and fixed on him, her brain refusing to process what she was seeing but also unable to look away.
"What is that?!" she blurted out, pointing at him, her voice jumping between panic and disbelief. "Why are you just a head? Where is the rest of you?!"
Ethan didn't move.
"I'm fine," he said.
"That is not 'fine'!" Enid shot back immediately, her breathing uneven as she clutched the blanket like it might protect her. "You are literally a head on my bed, that is not something people say 'I'm fine' about!"
Her gaze flicked around the room quickly, like she expected the rest of him to appear out of nowhere.
"Did something happen?!" she added, her voice still high. "Is this like—magic? Or are you cursed? Or is this some kind of prank, because if it is, this is not funny, this is traumatizing!"
Ethan exhaled slightly.
"It's controlled," he said.
That didn't help.
"Controlled?!" Enid repeated, her tone rising again. "You're saying this is on purpose?!"
"Enid, did you forget this is prank day?" Ethan said, as if that explained everything, his expression unchanged even in his current state.
Enid paused.
She looked at him for a moment, her panic slowing, her expression shifting as the idea settled in, confusion giving way to realization.
"Oh…"
She leaned forward carefully, then picked his head up with both hands, turning it slightly as if inspecting whether it was actually real, her earlier fear fading into something else.
"You are unbelievable," she said, a small smile forming now, though her tone still carried leftover annoyance. "Do you have any idea how terrifying that was to wake up to?"
"Umm… Enid, don't take it too seriously," Ethan said. "You like this kind of thing."
"I do," she admitted, her smile widening just a little, "but not first thing in the morning when my brain hasn't even started working yet."
Without warning, she walked to the door, still holding him.
"Wait—" Ethan started.
Too late.
She tossed him out into the hallway and shut the door immediately after.
The latch clicked.
***
A/N: It's decided—the next world will be .
And on Patreon, the Wednesday arc is about to end, with The Boys arc starting next.
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