Chapter Text
Steve sat awkwardly, squished between warm bodies on the small couch, as he ate and drank slowly from the meal Wayne gave him.
It was…strangely delicious and filling. Steve looked at it.
Various herbs and greenery, a small portion of some sort of seasoned meat, and a small swirling drink that Steve could swear was almost sparkling somehow.
“You've got rather good instincts, kid,” Wayne suddenly spoke up.
Steve hummed, looking at the older man as he ate another bite off the plate. Eddie laughed on the other side of him.
“You're eating from the more magical part of our kitchen,” Eddie chuckled, eyes flashing brightly. Wayne nodded, a corner of his lip quirking up just slightly.
“Oh.” Steve paused, thumbing the edge of the plate. Something inside his chest wanted to curl up, a bad and wry feeling starting to fill him.
It was like his mind was starting to fuzz around the edges like a bad tv signal. His grip on the plate and cup started to relax against his will, his strength fading as the feeling increased.
The others started to talk again, but it was muffled as if Steve was underwater.
He felt his mind start to wander. His skin felt too big. Too small. Not enough. Just enough.
A blurry bedazzled hand appeared in what Steve presumed was his…eyes? And wiggled, as well as a soft voice on his left.
The feeling increased, and increased, and increased…
Who was he? Was he even a he, how did he know? Is there even such a thing as he? Did it matter?
Everything felt right, yet everything felt wrong.
Something further called; a feeling of breeze and the sound of rustling leaves and the thrum of vibrations.
So what if the blurry warmth at his sides touched and muffled words at him?
He wanted to move– towards what was calling. So he did.
At least, he tried.
Eddie glanced at Wayne nervously, “I think it's happening… Wayne, what do we do?” He asked, mind running a million miles a second. He's heard of how witches tend to crash after releasing as much energy as Steve had– one reason why a witch having a Burst was bad– but the way to help a witch with a crash varied. Greatly.
Wayne's face twisted with thought.
Eddie started to eat a strand of hair, then thought of how Steve reacted during his Burst. Eddie flushed a little, then shook it off.
‘Please’, he thought, ‘let this work.’
Eddie reached a little closer to Steve's still frame, slowly grabbing his hand and arm. He breathed in a little, and let a slow string of notes spill from his mouth.
His tongue tasted sour for a moment, then soon filled with the flavors of chocolate and lavender and mint, spreading into the room in light, sparking haze.
It wasn't a song he usually sang– Metal was more his speed, after all– but it seemed that Eddie's hunch was right; Steve's body slowly relaxed, his gaze clearing slowly.
Eddie let a small smile curl his lips as he started to hum instead, then trailing off as Steve's head looked at him and Wayne.
“Welcome back, pretty boy,” Eddie said, “you alright?”
‘--to the new witches. Sometimes, older witches can even act as mentors, or just as someone who will help the new witch recover if they somehow have a Burst.
Sadly, after all new witch has a Burst, sometimes the new witch may experience the following, in varying degrees of severity:
Exhaustion
Nausea
Confusion
Forgetfulness
Disorganized actions, thoughts, and/or feelings
Out-of-body feelings or experiences
Dizziness
Anger
Apathy
And sadly, sometimes even death.
Always be careful with a new witch during and after a Burst.
Some ways that might help a witch after a Burst vary--’