by grapehyacinth

“That's a heck of a blizzard out there, Aldous. You're going to have to shovel,” Cora commented as she combed through a pile of papers.

Her husband, who sat cradling a cup of coffee at the kitchen table, frowned. “Why can't we just magic away the snow like we usually do?”

“Because there's so much of it, people will wonder how it suddenly disappeared. An inch or so of snow we can magic away quickly at night; no one will realize. But this is over a foot. Normally in this much snow, even using a snowblower would take a while on our driveway. We have to put on some kind of show for the neighbors.”

“Oh, what for? They know I'm some kind of magician or something.”

“We don't need to prove it.”

“Just conjure up a snowblower. I'll do it tomorrow.”

Cora looked flabbergasted. “Tomorrow? It'll all freeze, and I have a hair appointment–”

“A hair appointment? In a blizzard? Just hit your hair with a little spell and you can save time and money!”

“Maybe I enjoy hair appointments?”

“Why? That's so mundane!”

Cora made a fist and gritted her teeth. “Aldous, do the driveway now or I'll do it!”

He jumped up, annoyed. “Fine! You do it!”

Aldous knew he'd said the wrong thing when his wife's eyes flashed.

“I'll need a snowblower for that,” she murmured slyly.

Her transformational magic hit him hard, making him unable to move or fight back. To render him helpless, she always tied up his powers first before changing him. And she was one of the only people who were capable of such an enormous feat.

So he simply gave up as his body began to shift and change. He did love to transform, and becoming a machine was particularly fun and pleasant. But he didn't feel like working right now, and he knew Cora would work him to the bone...or metal...or whatever material he was going to become.

“Aw, Cora, why do you do this stuff to me?” he asked as his mouth began to widen unnaturally.

“Because you're a lazy bum of a wizard, and you asked for it. Now give me these!” She grabbed his arms, pulling them over his head and clasping his hands together. They merged and thinned, forming his metal handle. Meanwhile, his legs shrank back and rounded out into wheels. The rest of his body ballooned forward, contorting grotesquely until it formed into an engine, shovel, and the rest of the snowblower assembly. His teeth grew long, sharp, and metallic, forming his auger, and a chute sprouted from his side. He grunted as the last bits of his flesh became red plastic and Cora cemented him into his new form.

“Like yourself this way?” she asked, kicking at him.

I'm surprised you gave me a chute off my side instead of using my rear end for one, he answered her in his thoughts ruefully.

“Oh, no, Aldous. Your exhaust has to come from somewhere, you know!” she tittered, fiddling with his speed control lever.

Aldous groaned.

“You better do a good job of this, or I'll go get you serviced!”

I never got to finish my coffee!

“Well now you get to dine on snow instead!” With a wave of her hand, they were transported outside to the top of the driveway. She didn't even flinch at the cold, and only a created a coat and scarf for herself when the blowing snow hit her face.

Then she pulled at his starter.

The tugging sensation shot through his innards, and he gasped. Oh, God, that feels good! More!

“But you're not starting. Why didn't you start?” She yanked the cord again, but his engine did not turn over. “Are you doing that purposely? You're even lazy as a machine. You want me to do the driveway, then turn on, Aldous!”

I can't! I need gas!

“I should just run you on magic,” Cora mumbled. But she opened his gas cap and poked her finger inside. Aldous could feel himself filling up with liquid. It was like drinking down a big cup of water, and it felt nice sloshing around in his gas tank – which had originally been his stomach.

Who needs the gas station when your all-powerful wife can just point her finger and create gasoline? Aldous chuckled to himself.

“I heard that!” Cora yelled. She removed her finger, capped him, and started him up.

Aldous roared to life, and, annoyed as he was, he relished the feeling of having a motor. It hummed and vibrated inside him, inspiring him to go perform the task he'd been transformed for.

“Eat that snow, Aldous!” Cora cried, angling him forward.

She pushed what had been his face into the snow, and Aldous did feel the cold through the parts of him that were metal. But it hardly bothered him. What was important was to accomplish his task.

His auger, once his mouth and teeth, ripped at the ice. The crystals fed into his impeller which then expelled them through his chute. It was hard work, and he tried to propel himself as much as possible so Cora wouldn't have to push him too hard.

“Aldous! Spit the snow out to the right side, on the lawn! Don't throw it back onto the driveway! Then you'll have to go through it all over again!”

Cora was right, of course. He twisted his chute towards the right and blew the snow in the opposite direction. Continuing on, he cut a swath through the inches, hoping that Cora was satisfied with his labor.

As he moved back and forth, he grew proud of the clean job he was doing. He left almost no snow in his trail, and he had built up quite an impressive drift beside the driveway.

How'm I doing, Cora? Good job?

“Fine,” she answered over his motor. “But you have plenty more to do.”

It's tiring work, you know.

“It's even more tiring for me! You're a machine! Oh, no. One of the neighbors just came out.”

Great! So you're putting on the show, just like you wanted!

“Shut up, Aldous. He's coming over.” She turned him off.

Aw, why'd you do that?

“Hello, Cora!” Aldous could feel the vibration of the man's footsteps through his wheels. “You need help with that?”

“No thanks, Jerry. I'm fine.”

“Fine machine you got there. Where's Aldous?”

“He's doing the snow,” she replied quite seriously.

Aldous saw Jerry glance around confusedly. “Guess he's out back? Okay, then. Keep warm!”

Cora waited several seconds before she started Aldous up again. “Get back to work, you lazy snowblower!”

I'm getting real tired, Cora. Can we stop?

“No we can't. I have to be able to get out of the driveway tomorrow.”

The bottom of the driveway is going to be the worst! The plow crushes it all in! I'm going have to chew through all that ice!

“That's what you're designed for, Aldous. That's what you're designed for.”

Aldous' whole body ached. He wasn't sure how, being made of metal and plastic. But he'd chewed and spat out so much snow that he felt as if we was going to fall to pieces. He just hoped his teeth would be alright when he changed back. He didn't feel like visiting the dentist today – especially in this weather.

Are we done?

“Just have to do the walk.”

The whole walk?

“It's a neighborhood law to clear the sidewalks. You know that.”

Damn neighborhood laws, Aldous grumbled.

I did the whole damned sidewalk for you. Even the path to the front door. Change me back now!

“We have to clean around the mailbox! The poor mailman can't get to it the way it is now! There must be five nice feet of snow for you to chomp through, little guy!”

Don't call me 'little', goddamn it!

She pushed him back into the snow, and he grudgingly labored on.

The motion of chomping through the snow had become so mindless and his machinery ached so much that he finally let himself get lost in his purpose. Slipping into the mind of a living machine, he continued to clear the snow, and Cora must have realized this because she let up on him slightly.

The next thing he realized, his wife was powering him down. And he didn't protest. He wanted a rest, whatever form he was in.

She stroked his side. “You did a lovely job. Honestly, I don't think we should ever shovel again. You've completely sold me on snowblowers.”

Aldous had a feeling he had a new winter task. And it wasn't as a snowblower operator.

They settled down on the couch. Cora threw a flame into the fireplace, igniting the logs and bathing the room in a cozy glow.

“Well, that knocked me for a loop,” the now-human Aldous commented, pulling out the couch's kick-out and reclining. “You had to make me mow through all that snow, huh? Was that a nice power trip for you?”

She turned to him, the hint of a smile slowly breaking out on her face. “Oh, please, Aldous. After all these years, why don't you admit it? You know you love every minute of it.”

“I do...not... Being a snowblower's hard work!” he sputtered. But she could read every thought, every feeling he possessed, and he knew it. There was no covering anything up with Cora. “Well, I...”

“Aldous!”

“Well, I really was worn out but...the grinding part wasn't so bad,” he admitted sheepishly. “And you make your transformations so pleasurable... But why does every argument we have end up in you transforming me?”

“Because you deserve it, and you know it.”

A grinning Cora tossed a blanket over him, and he hugged it to himself. “I'm so damned cold, though. You'd think I'd be fine on change-back. I really could use a warm drink...” He looked up at her lasciviously.

Cora stood up. “I can fix that for you.”

The wizard watched in admiration as his wife shrank down to less than a foot. Her arms snapped to her sides and all of her took on a whitish sheen. She winked at him, then dissolved away into a nondescript mug.

“Drink me,” it said with her voice.

Smiling, he fetched her off the floor. She was full of steaming hot chocolate. “You're the cup and the drink, too, huh, Cora?” He swished her around a bit, knowing how sensual it would feel to her.

“Hurry up, already, Aldous! I have work to do!” the cup scolded.

“Ah, yes, ever the busy wife. Romance time is over. Bon voyage!” he cried, and drank up.

She warmed his insides, and it felt delightful. Her heat radiated to every part of his body. He sat back, rubbing his stomach.

“Ah, you feel delicious, Cora.”

The cup jolted back and forth. “Don't take too long. I told you! I have things to do.”

“Just a minute more...”

After a few moments, he heard, “That's enough, Aldous.” The warmth dissipated, and Cora stood in front of him, whole and impatient once more.

She picked up the blanket and folded it up. “Did you enjoy me?”

“Yes, but I'm cold again.”

“Well, what do you want me to do about it now, Aldous?”

He smirked. “This.”

He made a slight motion at her. Before Cora could protest, she crumpled to the floor as a soft, electric blanket. Aldous quickly plugged her in and laid her across his lap.

“You bastard,” she muttered from her folds.