alcesverdes | [Crossover] The Dresden Files / Welcome to Night Vale

Spoilers for up to episode 27 of WTNV.
~1000 words
G-rated

"Butters!"

"Carlos!"

"Donkey!" Harry murmured as he saw the two friends embrace each other.

Yes, he was grumpy, but in his defense, he'd been walking for hours through the desert under the relentless sun, carrying the bulk of their bags so Butters could focus on following the map. And all because no bus would go to—nor near to— the town of Night Vale.

However, that was the past, and this was the now. A now that saw the setting sun on the horizon and asked them to please come in and offered them glasses of water. Nothing like living in the present.

After he showed them their room and gave them the promised water, Carlos took his guests back to the living room. Or more like his guest and his guest's bodyguard. Harry still wasn't sure why Butters hadn't wanted to go there on his own. He'd argued Harry needed time off and nothing better than a small town, but Harry knew better. Yet, it was hard to say no to Butters when he went for the low blow and got those puppy eyes of him. Thus, he'd agreed to go—to help a friend. Nothing of that relaxing business for him.

While Butters and Carlos caught up, Harry surveyed the room. What he knew so far was that this Carlos was a scientist, and that he lived in a town in the middle of nowhere. Well, the middle-of-nowhere part was true and, judging by the lab equipment over the table, the other one too. This was old-fashioned lab equipment—as in it could belong in a wizard's starter alchemy kit—, but Harry still had to ask about the presence of more delicate stuff in the house. He took the mental note of doing it before supper.

At some point, Harry lost track of the technobabble fest happening next to him and payed attention to the radio, which had been on since they arrived, providing background noise. Right then, a low, well-modulated voice was saying something about mayoral candidates. Harry didn't have a horse in that race, but he didn't have anything better to do than listen and pick a side to cheer on.

"...Hiram McDaniels, a five-hea—" the man on the radio stopped abruptly. "Listeners," he began, more sober than before. The more he spoke, the more distressed he sounded. "Dear listeners, something very grave has just happened in this town, in this, our small and beloved community of Night Vale!"

Harry straightened up his back, all ears now. There it was. What did he say about that pesky relaxation business? At that moment, however, he heard sparks nearby, like whenever he broke a computer. Oops. Hoped it wasn't anything important. In any case, this is how 'one of those days' began. He turned his attention back to the broadcast.

"Invaders! Evil invaders arrived in Night Vale only moments ago! They-They're in my house! They-" he chocked. "They're going to-Oh, dear listeners, be brave! They're going to steal my Carlos! One of them even hugged him at our doorstep. The-The sheer shamelessness of it all!" He began hyperventilating.

Harry didn't have to turn around to see that sound just now was Carlos the scientist hitting his face with his palm.

"Cecil," he explained, getting up and hurrying to the phone on the coffee table. "Boyfriend." He began to press buttons and left the living room. "Be back in a moment."

Harry and Butters looked at each other awkwardly while they pretended not to listen the beginning of Carlos and Cecil's argument on air, which began with "My friend and a friend of his who came to visit, I told you about it!" followed by "You didn't tell me it was today!" and then Cecil seemed to remember he was on the clock and announced the weather. Only that instead of the weather report, a song began playing. Harry didn't blame anyone for pressing the wrong button in these circumstances. Besides, it was a good song.

When the music was over, Carlos came back to the couch and Cecil's voice was once more composed and serene. "We are indeed lucky, dear listeners. The emergency is gone. The invaders weren't invaders but visitors! Hurray! And they're not here to break happy couples, but to catch up with old friends! Which they are most welcome to do. I hope they enjoy their stay in our beautiful, beautiful town!" A pause while he sighed a peaceful sigh. "Hold on," he added suddenly. "I just got a note from our producer." Another pause while he presumably read it. "We had a phone call from the Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In You—In My House. She wants us to kick out the wizard because he broke her new tablet. Well, Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In My House," he continued more sternly, "if said wizard is Carlos' friend or the friend of Carlos' friend, we will not kick him out. He is a guest. You'll have to learn to live tabletless just like the rest of us. Besides, even if you live there—secretly—, it is still my house." Cecil took a deep breath. "Well, listeners, we've run out of time," he said cool and collected again, and proceeded to say his goodbyes.

Just as Butter asking what had been that about, Harry felt a slap in the back of his head. Yet, when he turned around, he found nothing, even if he thought he saw something move in the corner of his eye.

All of that left only only one thing worthy of consideration: what had Harry gotten himself into now?