#goodomensreaderinsert

Ship: Anathema Device x Reader’

Characters: Anathema Device, Adam Young, Brian, Pepper, Wensleydale, Crowley, Aziraphale

Type: Series

Plot:  Upon crashing your bike in the middle of the woods, a group of kids guide you to a cottage that smells of lavender and sage.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Chapter One: One Side of a Silver Coin Never Shine as Brightly as the Other

Most books on witchcraft will tell you that witches work naked. This is because most books on witchcraft were written by men. In reality, witches prefer to work, fully clothed, under the stars. 

Of course, there are several mediums in which a witch may work. She may work under the beaming sun or a cloudy sky. She could study indoors or in an open meadow, in a treasured car or an ancient bookshop. She could even, if she truly wished, work naked. But the most common place of practice is under the night sky.

The stars bring power to a witch whose brow is furrowed in concentration as she leans over her text. There is an old legend that states witches who pass become stars themselves, gazing over their generations with wisdom and appreciation. 

The stars comfort and guide, and thus they are widely adored.

In fact, one particular witch preferred this method most of all. Miss Anathema Device, Foresayer of the Future, She Who Deciphered the Prophecies of the Witch Past, Descendant Who Defies Her Title as Such nearly always found herself perched beneath the constellations during times of intense study. The only exception seemed to be the Apocalypse-that-wasn’t, as there simply wasn’t time to be particular. 

On the days in which the world was not coming to an end, she was very particular indeed. So much so that even the weather couldn’t sway her, as she always found a way around it.

This particular night was no exception. Anathema crouched under an umbrella stuck deeply into the mud, heavy rain drizzling around her. The stars had not yet begun to shine, but the sun was tucking itself behind the hills in the distance. Dark clouds circled overhead, but she did not deem them ominous. She thought they brought comfort, as if they would wrap themselves around her as tightly as her plaid coat. She sat in tranquility, unbothered by the world around her. 

You, on the other hand, were not having such a pleasant night. You had gotten lost, receiving some rather confusing directions from a man with fiery red hair and round shades. Something about the smirk that crept through his words and the quiet protests of the shorter man beside him told you he had sent you off on purpose, but you were in too much of a rush to notice in the moment. You make a note to confront him if you ever made it back home.

Home, where you were supposed to be now. Instead you found yourself lost in the woods as night began to draw closer, soaking wet from the relentless rain. Your pale bicycle rested at your feet, the back wheel flat. It had given out some time ago, leaving you utterly stranded. As you sat near a tree, knees folded beneath you, you felt tears begin to prick at your eyes. Perhaps it was silly to cry over a flat tire, but stress had been building inside you all day. 

You pulled your light coat tighter around yourself as you cried. Hanging your head you allowed yourself to finally shed the stress that had been tightening in your chest for longer than you could remember. The rain mixed with your sobs, drowning out the world around you. This ultimately blocked the sound of cautious footsteps from reaching your ears, and you only noticed the small band of children standing before you when a pair of brown boots stepped into your line of sight.

You quickly wiped the tears from your eyes and looked up, meeting a variety of expressions. The boy in the brown boots stood closest to you, he couldn’t have been more than twelve. Worry and hesitation danced across his features, seemingly fighting for dominance as he looked down at you. Behind him stood three more children, all in a row beside your broken bike. The four of them were clad in ponchos and raincoats, the young girl’s a deep red. She looked at you with a hint of distaste, the boys beside her staring ahead blankly.

“Are you all right?” The boy closest to you asked, the small dog at his side tilting his head quizzically in your direction. Rather embarrassed you simply nodded, pushing yourself off of the wet ground and grimacing as the mud caked your palm. 

“Well obviously you’re not alright, or else you wouldn’t be crying.” The boy with glasses commented, to which they all nodded in agreement. 

“I’m fine, really. I just got lost, and had a little trouble with my bike.” You gave them a faint smile, wiping your eyes once more with your clean hand. “It all got a bit overwhelming.” 

“It’s a girl’s bike. With a basket.”  The girl commented, folding her arms across her chest.

“Yes, well, there’s nothing wrong with that.” You answered, unsure of what else to say. She didn’t seem pleased, but didn’t comment on it further.

“I’m Adam. This is Pepper, and Brain, and Wensleydale. And Dog.” The boy with the dog pointed them out, seemingly their leader. 

“I’m (Y/N). it’s a pleasure to meet you all. I’m sorry it’s been under such strange circumstances.”

“That’s alright.” Adam told you, shrugging it off. You bit your lip, shrinking down as a drop of rain hit your eye.

“Do you kids happen to know a place I could stay for the night? I’m afraid I’m too far from home, but maybe there’s a hotel around here?” 

Adam exchanged glances with the others for a moment. “No, no hotels. But I think we know someone who might be willing to take you in for the night.”

“She’s a witch.” Brian admitted. “She lives in a small cottage and hands out sweets to children and studies the moon.” 

You chuckled, but they didn’t seem to share your amusement. You cleared your throat, moving to pick up your bike from its side. “Right. Well, if she’s generous enough to let me wait out the rain I suppose I can’t be picky. Could you take me to her?” Adam nodded, moving in front of you. He called for Dog to follow, and the others weren’t far behind. 

You walked your bike behind them, watching them as they played. They began to act out a situation quite foreign to you, chanting about angels and prophecies and all sorts of celestial rubbish. Pepper cried out as she slayed an invisible foe, proclaiming herself to be Peace. Wensleydale became Abundance, Brain Cleanliness, and Adam Life. Dog was their loyal stallion, on which all four of them rode to greatness. You couldn’t help but smile as you watched their antics, no matter how strange they seemed. 

After a few moments of playing Adam turned to you, studying your physique. “You need a role, too. What do you think?” He turned to his companions, and they chatted quietly amongst themselves.

“We could always make them Satan.” Brian suggested.

“Or God, since we’re the opposites of the Airbase Menaces.” Pepper pitched in, causing the others to grin. 

“That’s a perfect idea. (Y/N), you’re God, all right? She’s a woman, and she’s sent us, The Them, to save the Earth.” Adam triumphantly placed his hands on his hips, clearly satisfied with himself.

“Oh, alright.” You shook your head slightly, unsure of how to play your character. “Um, The Them! You must go forth and save the world! It is corrupted, and damned - I mean darned. It is your duty to restore my creation to its former glory!” You spoke in an odd accent, raising the pitch of your voice and waving your arms about. The Them looked at each other before bursting into a fit of giggles.

“You’re weird.” Pepper informed you, skipping after her friends as they continued their quest.