"So, how was school?" Thomas's dad asked over dinner, his voice cutting through the clinking of silverware. Thomas blinked, startled. His mind had been completely consumed by the dream he had during his nap. The eerie figure, the mist, and the overwhelming sense of dread lingered in his thoughts like a shadow.

"Thomas?" His dad called again, drawing his attention back. Thomas jolted slightly, then looked up to meet his father's concerned gaze. "It's been alright," he muttered with a small sigh.

"You sure? If something's bothering you, you know you can tell me," his dad said, leaning forward. Thomas shook his head.

"There's nothing wrong, Dad," he insisted. He didn't want to explain that it wasn't school bothering him.

His dad studied him for a moment before asking, "Did you have a dream during your nap?"

Thomas's eyes widened slightly. "Huh? How did you know?" he asked, arching an eyebrow.

His dad chuckled softly, setting his fork down. "I can tell. Anytime you have a nightmare, you've got this worried look on your face. I thought it was something about school at first, but then I remembered you'd just woken up." He leaned back in his chair. "Want to talk about it lad?"

But Thomas didn't know where to start. He was pretty sure the dreams he has been having, are just his fears of his engine coming out, and his mind is portraying them in the most bizarre way possible.

He was worried that his dad would be concerned on how nightmarish that "dark figure" he had seen was. So, his replied to his dad with:

"It's nothing dad. It's probably just because I'm stressed," He said.

"Stressed?" His dad's face twisted with concern. "From what? Are you alright, son?"

Thomas floundered for an answer. "Uh... yeah, it's just..." he trailed off, scrambling for an excuse. "There's this Valentine's thing coming up and—"

"You've got a crush on someone and want to ask them?" his dad interrupted, a knowing smile spreading across his face.

Thomas turned bright red, his gaze dropping to the table.

His dad made a warm smile. "Is it Carter?"

That made Thomas blush even harder. He stayed looking the table

His dad's smile widened. "I figured as much. The way you two act around each other, I thought it was already a thing—"

"Dad! Stop!" Thomas groaned, covering his face with his hands.

His dad chuckled. "Alright, alright. So, the dance is on Valentine's Day, right?"

Thomas nodded, still too embarrassed to speak.

"Well, that's just a week away. You should ask him sooner rather than later," his dad advised.

"I know," Thomas said quietly.

"Trust me, better now than later. When I was in school, we had something similar, and I wanted to ask my crush out. I chickened out and waited until Valentine's Day to try. By then, they were already with someone else. If I'd asked earlier, maybe I'd have had a chance," his dad said, his tone nostalgic.

Thomas nodded slowly. "I see what you mean."

"So go for it. The worst he can say is no," his dad encouraged.

Thomas managed a small smile, remembering Mei had said the same thing.

Thomas woke up extra early Monday morning. After a weekend spent helping his dad and missing any chance to hang out with Carter, he was determined to make the most of today. He got ready quickly, grabbed his things, and stepped outside.

Just as he closed the door, he spotted Carter walking down the sidewalk. His heart skipped a beat. This was it.

"Carter!" he called out, jogging to catch up.

Carter stopped and turned. "Oh! Thomas, you're out early today," he said with a grin.

"Yeah, I just... felt like it," Thomas replied, his voice slightly shaky as he approached.

But Carter's expression shifted to something more serious, and he crossed his arms. "You've got some nerve showing up without an apology," he said, narrowing his eyes.

Thomas blinked, confused. "Huh? What are you talking about?"

Carter huffed. "That surprise tickle attack Friday!"

Thomas smirked. "Oh, you mean this?" he teased, wiggling his fingers like he might tickle Carter again.

"Stop!" Carter exclaimed, already laughing before Thomas even touched him. Carter playfully shoved Thomas's arm as they began walking. "You're such a pain sometimes," he said, though there was no heat behind his words.

"So, what's got you up so early?" Carter asked. "Hope it wasn't another bad dream."

"Nah, had a bad dream Friday afternoon. But for the weekend nope,"Thomas told him.

"I missed you," Carter said, looking at him. "I thought you where gonna come over for the weekend?" He asked.

Thomas blushed a little, then looked at Carter. "Oh... Yeah. I'm sorry about that. Had to help dad with things, and I couldn't come because of that. That's... why I got out early, so I can be with you for the walk to school,"

Carter blinked, then smiled warmly. Without warning, he leaned his head on Thomas's shoulder as they walked. "Aww, that's sweet."

Thomas froze. His heart was pounding so loudly he was sure Carter could hear it. His whole body felt like it was on fire, and a blush spread across his face like wildfire.

Carter pulled back slightly and gave him a concerned look. "Whoa... you okay? You look like you're burning up," he said.

Thomas tried to respond, but the words caught in his throat. He stared at Carter, who somehow looked even cuter this morning with his sleepy smile and black hair, that was covering one eye.

"Why's your face so red? Are you sure you're alright?" Carter asked again, tilting his head.

"Yeah! Totally fine bruv!" Thomas blurted, quickly speeding up his pace to hide his flustered state.

Carter raised an eyebrow but followed him without pressing further.

At school, they headed to the cafeteria for breakfast. Just as they got in line, Carter's stomach growled loudly.

Carter's face flushed red slightly, "Ugh, it's like my stomach gets louder every day," he groaned, putting a hand over his stomach, rubbing it softly.

For some reason, the sound made Thomas blush all over again. He glanced at Carter, then down at his stomach, and quickly looked away when Carter caught him staring.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Carter asked, his voice laced with concern.

Thomas panicked. "Yep! I'm alright! FOREVER OK!"he said a bit too loudly, drawing curious stares from the other students.

The look on their faces made Thomas want to hide, because he was sure they where questioning his existence. Thomas said not a word to Carter as he got his breakfast, and Carter said nothing to him.

That is, until they got out the line that is.

After sitting down at their table, Thomas spotted Mei arriving late. He quickly handed his tray to Carter. "Hey, can you hold this for a second? I need to… uh… use the loo,"

Carter shrugged. "Sure."

But Thomas didn't go to the bathroom. Instead, he hurried over to Mei.

"Thomas! Hi! What's up?" Mei greeted him cheerfully.

"I need to talk to you," Thomas said, his voice urgent.

Mei blinked in surprise. "Oh, okay. What's going on?"

"It's Carter," Thomas said, his words tumbling out in a rush. "I told you I liked him, right? Well… it's like my feelings just shot through the roof! Every time I look at him, it's like my chest is gonna bloody explode. I've never felt like this for a while. I don't even know what to do mate! Help me! P-Please..."

Mei gave him a warm smile. "Aww, Thomas, that's so sweet. All the more reason to ask him out!"

Thomas bit his lip, glancing back at Carter. He watched as Carter flipped his hair out of his face, the motion so effortlessly cute that Thomas's brain short-circuited.

"Yep, I know how that feels."Mei said, giggling. "Did you not notice he always did that before?"

Thomas took a while before he could answer. "N-N-No..." He said. "He... Looks... so cute..."

But then Mei's smile faded as she noticed something off. "Uh… Thomas? Is it just me, or is your skin turning gray?"

Thomas snapped out of his trance and looked down at his hands. His skin was indeed turning gray—his transformation was starting.

"I gotta go!" he yelped, bolting out of the cafeteria and leaving Mei staring after him in confusion.