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Chapter 10
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The ooni, as soon as it died, collapsed into a pile of indeterminate goo. Puck takes a half a step back, eyes wide in shock. Their whole group seems to have forgotten how to speak. He opens his mouth and immediately gags, stumbling away from the splattery mess, dropping the knife in the process.
Relda takes a flashlight from her bag and flicks it on, revealing the girl standing frozen in the middle of the room. Relda holds a handkerchief over her mask to further filter the smell. "Good job, Sabrina," she praises, the warmth of it lost due to the repulsed look in her eyes. The stink released from the dead creature is far, far more foul then what had been circulating before.
Sabrina crinkles her nose as the stench wafts over to her, however, it's not that bad, kind of muted honestly. It wouldn't surprise her that after four thousand years of abuse that this nose had lost much of its sensitivity.
Veronica, nostrils firmly pinched between her fingers, steps forward to pat her 'daughter's' shoulder but quickly thinks better of it. "Honey, we need to get you home into a shower."
Puck groans, maybe about to spout some kind of complaint, but is interrupted by a bout of dry heaving.
Veronica frowns. "I don't know how we're going to get her home like this."
Sabrina glances at Henry but he's preoccupied with covering his nose and mouth to block out the worst of it. She looks back to Puck, covered in grime and thinks about said grime soaking into the car. A car she would have to ride home in at the end of the summer (assuming she ever got her body back). That smell would never leave if that's what they decided to do. "I'll take her home," she volunteers.
The adults look to the fairy. Henry frowns, looking like he'd like to protest. As far as he's concerned, they're both still on thin ice. And should not, under any circumstance, be left alone together.
Relda coughs, less bothered than Sabrina's parents. "Flying her home would help with keeping this mess contained." She glances at Puck. "Sorry, liebling."
Puck shakes his head, holding his upper arm, which is luckily free of stinky waste, in front of his face.
Unusually sympathetic to his plight, Sabrina comes to his side. "C'mon," she mutters, pushing on his back, "let's get you somewhere you can breathe." She turns to the adults. "Can you guys wrap things up with Mr. Iron?"
"Of course," Veronica says, eyes watering. "We'll be just a minute more."
Grateful, Sabrina guides Puck up the stairs. At the top, they find Mr. Iron cowering by the door.
"Oh goodness," the man says, holding those iron bracelets of his. "What happened? I head such awful noises and–" he stops, choking from the smell coming off of Puck.
"The others will explain," Sabrina supplies. "I'm going to take hi–her out of here before you need to burn this whole place to the ground."
The man nods weakly.
Once outside, Puck takes his arm away from his nose and greedily breathes the fresh outside air. "Ugh," he groans, "how sensitive is your nose?"
Sabrina rolls her eyes. "More like how insensitive is your nose." She crosses her arms and sighs. "Impromptu lesson time. How do I fly?"
Puck gives her a glowering look. "No way," he promises, right as the breeze shifts. The awful flavor coats his tongue and he turns to the side to vomit. Once finished, he glares at Sabrina. "You never–" he gulps down air, "never saw that."
Sabrina holds up her hands in sympathy. "It wasn't too pretty from this angle either."
Puck coughs, about to wipe his mouth on his sleeve, but stops short of seeing the grime. "This is–" he spits, "–by far the worst kind of torture from this switch. Is life even worth living if I can't enjoy disgusting things?"
Sabrina rolls her eyes again. "Drama King," she mutters. "C'mon, I don't want to sit around all day."
"Fine, fine," he snaps, then literally snaps his fingers. "Out with the wings."
Sabrina closes her eyes, and with some satisfaction, they instantly respond.
"Good," Puck gripes, looking beyond irritated with her success. "Now, to fly, it's a lot about..." he pauses, his fumes addled brain struggling to come up with the right words.
"Faith, trust, and pixie dust?" Sabrina deadpans. Since she knew it was coming, she's able to dodge his swiping punches.
"How dare you say such heathenous things with my own mouth?" he growls, finally landing a hit on her shoulder.
"Okay, okay, geez," she placates, realizing that they're wasting precious time before the family appears through the door. "I was just pulling your leg. Get back to what you were saying."
Puck huffs, crossing his arms. At least the wave of anger helped clear his head. "Alright. Fine. Flying is more about knowing what you want to do, how you want to do it. There's a lot of magic involved."
"Right," she agrees, giving the wings a little flutter.
"But you've also got to flap right, to extend that magic into lift and–"
Sabrina wrinkles her nose. "You're starting to make this sound too complicated."
Before Puck can complain that that sounds much more like something he would say, Sabrina grabs him under the armpits and gives three big flaps with the wings. The two lurch into the sky.
"Grimm," he snarls, furiously twirling his feet through the air, every instinct in his head screaming that this is wrong wrong wrong because he's in the air and can't feel his wings.
Sabrina starts to laugh, even as she barely manages to change directions. "Hey, this isn't so bad."
"You are so dead for this," he barks, as she glances down to smile cheekily at him. "And," he complains, "you're enjoying this."
"Kinda hard not to," she chuckles, looking down at him with a grin. "Is my face always that cute when I'm angry?" She hadn't meant to say that last part, but the exhilaration of being in the air has made her all kinds of giddy. This isn't like the times she's been a bird or being carried by Puck. He was right–there really is a lot of magic to this, and it makes things feel much more loose and natural. "Don't worry," she says, trying to move past her last statement, "I won't drop you."
Puck glares at her, then looks ahead. "Duck," he yelps, before correcting himself. "I mean, goose!"
Sabrina looks up at the exact right moment and stops flapping, dropping like a rock. The annoyed flock of geese honks in irritation as they fall past the birds.
"Woah, woah," Sabrina cries, struggling to regain her ability. "I can't make it work again."
Puck glaces at the rapidly approaching ground. He resists a frantic shriek. "Dogface," he tries, then backpedals, "I mean, Sabrina. Calm down. Breathe, you were doing fine."
Focusing in on his words, Sabrina inhales sharply, and the wings suddenly respond, sweeping wisps of cloud catching on their iridescent surface. As she regains control, both teenagers stay quiet for several moments.
"Sorry," she apologizes at length, "I got a little too swept up in the whole thing."
"It's whatever," Puck says, uncomfortable with hearing his voice say 'sorry'. "Just remember you're new to this."
Sabrina sighs, scanning the far below ground for familiar landmarks. "Yeah, it's just weird. The wings still feel separate from me."
Puck snorts. "Well, duh," he says, "you've never had wings. It's unnatural for you. I, on the other hand, keep constantly trying to find where they went."
Sabrina flinches. She never thought about that for him. She imagines waking up without her arms or legs. It would suck. "I didn't find anything for fixing the device," she admits heavily.
"Me, neither."
Sabrina spies the Grimm estate. "Let's just hope Jake and Daphne found something."
Puck slumps, arms aching, but too down in the dumps to say anything. "Yeah, I hope so."
"One other question about flying," Sabrina says, slowing her flaps so they can begin to descend. "How do I land?"
"Uh," Puck's face scrunches up, "do you keep having to ask such hard questions? I've never thought about this stuff before."
"Well," she says, tensing. "We're about to figure it out, somehow."
She manages to slow down considerably, but feels woozy as the ground gets close. Making a quick decision, she sweeps close to the grass, depositing Puck. He stumbles, having to take a few running steps to absorb his momentum.
Sabrina tries to make herself slow, but only ends up giving opposite orders to each wing, and flops to the ground, rolling into a bush.
Puck hurries over to the spot, and finds Sabrina sprawled on her back, staring up at him. "Hey," she greets, like this is perfectly normal. "At least I got the wings to go back in before I crashed." She gives him this little smile, and Puck struggles to find any words. He's entranced by the expression on her face–that curve of the lips, and the way it makes warmth flush to his cheeks.
"A little help, Stinkpot?" she groans, holding a hand up.
Shaking his head, Puck reminds himself that he's not really looking at Sabrina. That's his own face, and while he's certainly excellent to look at, these aren't the kind of thoughts he should be entertaining. He takes her proffered hand and helps her to her feet.
"Alright, let's get inside and cleaned up," Sabrina says.
Now that they're no longer streaming through the skies, the smell is settling again, the goop kind of crusty yet still pungent. The mask was peeled from Puck's face during the excitement of the flight. He stops breathing as deeply.
"I never thought," he grumbles, "that I'd ever want so badly to be clean."
Sabrina rolls her eyes. Same old Puck. She'd hoped realizing how foul things could be from her perspective would soften him somewhat. The two go to the front door, opening it to reveal a quiet house.
"Jake, Daphne?" Sabrina calls. No one answers her. Leaving Puck at the open doorway for a moment, she goes to the coffee table and finds a yellow sticky note on top of a stack of books.
Out for donuts
Sabrina sighs. Well, a snack break did sound nice right about now. She collects Puck and helps him take off his tennis shoes without splattering too much muck on the porch and sets them in the grass. They'll have to spray them down later–although it's possible they won't be usable due to unbearable stench.
Once the pair get to the upstairs bathroom, Sabrina starts by stripping off her own splattered shirt and throws it in a sack to be cleaned later. Using the sink, she's able to get the bits of stinky gunk out and wash her face and arms. Honestly, she'd been surprisingly lucky, barely getting anything on her skin.
Puck, on the other hand, is another story. They try to scrub him down, but it's just too little water and too little soap.
Sabrina purses her lips. "You need a shower."
Puck, who is still struggling with the smell, sneers. "That much is obvious."
"But the thing is–" she pauses, "that's the problem."
He huffs, slicking his hair away from his mess spotted face. "Honestly, Grimm. I'm not exactly dancing over the idea, but I don't think I can explain to the family why I wouldn't."
Heat rushes to her neck and ears. Maybe it shouldn't be a big deal–but honestly, she doesn't want him seeing her–especially not like this!
Puck sighs. "I can't stand this smell much longer–never thought I'd say that–I'll just have to try not to look."
Sabrina bites her lip. "C'mon, there has to be a better way."
"Well, if you have any brilliant ideas, I'd love to hear them," Puck counters.
Sabrina frowns, thinking. If only there was a way to get him into the shower without having to take all his clothes off.
She snaps her fingers, an idea blinking to life in her head.
Ten minutes later, filled with a lot of grumbling, Puck renters the bathroom, shod in a pretty blue and purple one piece bathing suit.
Sabrina fixes him with a critical look.
"What?" He snaps defensively, holding his arms out, "I closed my eyes like you said, okay?"
She presses her lips together to avoid smiling. "That explains why you have it on inside out."
He glares at her. "I will strip, right here, right now."
Sabrina shakes her head. "No need to be so dramatic."
She leads him over to the shower and points out the proper body wash, shampoo, and conditioner along with the second conditioner she uses to help her waves and curls stay in check.
"Why are there so many?" He complains, stepping into the shower. "I have one that does all three."
Sabrina finally lets herself laugh. "Yeah, life's not fair. Neither is long hair."
"Ugh. You're rhyming, get out."
She rolls her eyes but steps toward the door nonetheless. "I'll get some clothes out for you," she promises.
"You do that," he mumbles, closing the curtain and starting the water.
Sabrina crosses the hall to her bedroom and begins rummaging through her drawers. She finds underwear and a simple, pull over your head style sports bra. Next she pulls out a soft purple top and black leggings. She pauses at the leggings, wondering if he'd have a hard time putting them on. For a second, she thinks of how good these leggings make her legs look and a little flush of heat starts up under her skin. Scowling, she tosses the pants into the pile and rubs her eyes. She's been stuck as a teenage boy for too long.
"Stupid hormonal body, stop it," she mutters. The heat doesn't stop, curling and twisting. She sits on the bed and counts to ten in her head over and over until she hears the water in the bathroom stop and Puck enters the room, still toweling himself off.
Sabrina has calmed herself enough to point out the clothes. She sits, waiting expectantly.
Puck gives her a look. "You're not going to watch, are you?"
Sabrina lifts an eyebrow. "Does it matter?"
He blushes, which is strangely endearing. "Kind of. It's just weird."
Sabrina sighs. "Alright, alright, we'll both close our eyes."
She sits back on the bed, returning to counting to ten. There's some shufflings and then some curses as he struggles with the underclothes.
After a minute, Sabrina risks cracking one eye open and catches Puck struggling to pull the leggings on, hopping one foot to the other. She has to hold back a giggle because she's pretty sure if she does Puck will skin her alive for making such a noise with his own vocal cords.
He senses her stare and stops jumping around. He wiggles the toes of a foot he's just managed to get through. "What are these?"
Sabrina rolls her eyes and sits up. "They're leggings. They're comfortable."
He hops again, working on the other leg. "They're like," he huffs, "skin tight."
"Yup," she answers. "Is that a problem?"
He finally pulls them all the way up on his hips and scowls. "Women are such masochists."
"Are not," she retorts. "Now, c'mon. Finish getting dressed before someone comes home and finds us here with you only in a bra."
His lip curls. "I thought I told you not to look," he returns snidely, retrieving the shirt off the floor before turning towards the mirror, taking in his reflection.
"At least you put everything on the right side out this time," she compliments with a smirk.
"Still could strip," he taunts.
"Like heck you will." She leans back and puts her arms behind her head to appease him. "Also, stop looking at my chest," she advises.
Puck goes rigid. "I wasn't looking," he argues.
"Mhm," she hums, then can't help but crack a tiny smile. "Enjoying the view?" She throws the line back at him, amused by the squeaking noise he makes.
The purple long-sleeved shirt he was going to put on smacks her in the face a second later. She laughs in earnest at this, not sure why she finds this all so amusing. Their ridiculous situation makes her feel bubbly and off kilter. Maybe it's just how this body operates–everything is kind of funny.
She tosses the garment back and he slips it on over his head with a half-hearted glare. As he does, the sound of the front door opening along with the accompanying clamor of the family drifts up to them. Someone immediately goes for the stairs, tromping up them. Panic flashes through Sabrina, even though Puck is fully dressed again. Sure, there aren't any explicit rules that they aren't allowed in a room alone together, but she's pretty sure her parents wouldn't appreciate it. She sits up straight and tries to not look guilty. When the door opens, however, she realizes she shouldn't have worried, because the face that peers in a moment later belongs to Jake.
Upon seeing Puck, sparkling clean, he grins. "Glad you don't smell like a sewer anymore, we came back right as the rest of them did. Sounds like you guys had a heckuva day."
Puck scowls, hands on his hips. "Leave a smidgen of my pride intact, for God's sake, Jake."
Jake chuckles and enters, closing the door behind him.
Sabrina crosses her arms, the corners of her mouth turning down in displeasure. "You're one to talk. While you and Daphne were researching donuts we had to deal with that sludge beast."
Jake pats her on the back. "Thanks for taking one for the team. So," he continues on before they can argue more, "any luck finding our two missing items?"
Puck shakes his head. "No dice. I asked him about it and he said he doesn't deal with stuff that rare."
"Unfortunate," Jake laments, but puts on a grin. "Good news is, Daphne jogged a memory of mine. I think I know where we can find a phoenix. She lives an hour south of here. Next bit of luck, Canis is planning on taking Red and Baz down that way tomorrow for some sight seeing and shopping. We can hitch a ride with them."
That is good news, as that doubles as a cover for being gone.
Sabrina cracks a smile. "Well, we've managed so far. How much worse could a few more days as Puck be?"
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AN: Please take away my keyboard, I had too much fun with this one.
-Pinklily8